Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Beginning of Change

Although it was not advisable to use [Information Detection] for a detailed investigation, through a vague perception of sp, Miss Vilyric could roughly sense that there was an invisible and intangible line connecting these four adventurers who referred to each other only by codenames, linking them in some special way.

The specific function and principle of this connection remained unclear, but without a doubt, the reason why the Priestess felt that each of them possessed legendary strength was undoubtedly related to this line’s existence.

After exchanging greetings, Vilyric didn’t want to devote too much more energy to these four; after all, there were other more important matters at hand.

Though it felt a bit abrupt, since she had encountered Mona and their objectives aligned, it was a good opportunity to get things resolved.

As for those scattered poacher hideouts throughout the city, Mona had her own people arranged to handle them, and Vilyric couldn’t be bothered to deal with them—she was stretched too thin already.

The official in charge of Demon Town, the Tuls Family, no matter how much they might want to protect these guys, they could only put on a façade while creating a bit of trouble; they wouldn’t truly confront the Adventurer’s Guild openly, especially since they were currently following the orders of the Queen and the Royal Family.

Ironically, despite some differences, Vilyric’s initial idea was indeed to contact Liliya to have her send people to do similar work, making it rather convenient.

Here, the main goal was still focused on the Ghost Thieves.

The reason Mona wanted to personally lead an attack on Wan You Shoppes was not only because it was a stronghold of the Ghost Thieves, hiding a large number of illegal products and slaves, but also because it supposedly contained a record book of great importance.

Since the Ghost Thieves pulled off that major operation, they had chosen to blend into the shadows, frequently changing the location of their hideouts. Due to this frequent movement, many high-ranking members working outside often lost track of where the headquarters had relocated, so they deliberately left behind the tightly guarded record at Wan You Shoppes as a stopgap.

And the Princess had already found that book, knowing the true location of the Ghost Thieves’ current lair.

Although the plot made Vilyric feel a slight sense of déjà vu, this time it should not be a trap.

Mona possessed a foresight ability called [Seer], and while it was not omniscient, it could be said to be a dimensional reduction strike against ordinary folk. If she wanted to, she could probably deduce the location of the Ghost Thieves’ hideout just by observing the future, even without that record.

She wasn’t someone easily deceived like a certain [Nan Dao].

When they arrived at the main battlefield, although the fighting continued, it was no longer as intense as at the beginning; things were pretty much settling down.

Many stubborn poachers had been swiftly dealt with, and the adventurers had suffered some casualties; bodies littered the ground, blood splashed against the walls and floor, while flames blazed fiercely—a grim scene indeed.

After taking a few steps, the hot and thick scent of blood hit her smack in the face. Vilyric thought that the little girl Mona, caught between being a loli and a young lady, would not be able to handle it and had intended to offer her assistance, but to her surprise, the blue-haired girl in a noble gown walked straight toward the bloodstained adventurers as if she felt nothing at all.

The Priestess looked momentarily stunned before chuckling in mild understanding.

Well, of course… She was used to seeing far more gruesome and bloody scenes in [Seer].

This must be the price of power; such a tiny child had already lost her innocence and grown overly mature. Honestly, her sister had only just recently managed to do things like this.

“How’s it going, everyone?”

“Greetings, Your Highness the Princess. Just as you predicted, the enemy has united, attempting to use alien slaves as shields to break through, but we led them into an area filled with traps. Most of the slaves have already been rescued, and the main poachers have been eliminated. We are currently consolidating the encirclement in the south and cleaning up any remaining scum.”

“Okay… good job. Remember, ensure the safety of the victims as much as possible. I will report your achievements in this operation to the King for rewards.”

“Your Highness overstates it! This is what we wanted to do. So many things have happened recently, everyone has some pent-up anger. Being able to root out these dirty poachers and prevent the outbreak of war is only natural for us!”

Among those speaking with Mona appeared to be leaders from large adventurer teams or well-known high-ranking adventurers. Uncle Lester from the Black Knight Mercenary Corps was also among them, and although his eyes couldn’t hide the surprise when he spotted Vilyric standing behind Mona, he didn’t act rashly to speak or greet her.

“Well, moving on, let’s stick to the planned route. Please lead your respective teams to the hideouts in the city and clear out the bandit dens; their locations have been marked on the map for you.”

With a wave of her hand, several Shadow People stepped forward to distribute prepared city maps. The young princess, despite her tender age, scanned the group of strong figures with a commanding gaze, making her seem naturally like the center of attention in the crowd, even though she was just an unarmed little girl with no power at all.

“I’ll emphasize once more, please remember, this operation’s primary purpose is not just to clear out the poaching organizations in the city, but also to rescue the innocent alien beings who have been captured.”

Mona deliberately stressed the word “innocent” before continuing.

“Although our country prohibits non-human races from residing here, that doesn’t mean that aliens are our enemies. I know, the King knows that some people exploit loopholes in laws and policies, engaging in malicious slave trading in the shadows, treating intelligent beings as commodities to be bought and sold…”

The Lady Princess suddenly raised her voice.

“This is a grievous and unforgivable act! Perhaps they think their power and wealth shield them, or that they won’t be held accountable due to sheer numbers… But today, I stand here on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and the United Kingdom to officially declare that from this day forth, the Kingdom strictly prohibits the selling of any intelligent race as slaves in any form! All involved, regardless of status or identity, will be thoroughly investigated! Anyone attempting to cover up or destroy evidence will face even harsher consequences, and mercy will not be granted!!!”

“……?”

“Well said!”

Everyone exchanged glances, but the leader of the Black Knight Mercenary Corps reacted the quickest. A certain Priestess subtly gave a nod, and he immediately woke up to raise his voice in response, with others from the mercenary team and the adventurers gradually snapping back to the moment to eagerly express their approval.

“Oh! This should have been the case long ago!!”

“Let’s give those bastards a lesson!”

“Her Majesty is wise!”

Although the United Kingdom may be xenophobic, it does not mean the citizens are all mindless puppets. Especially these adventurers who often dealt with the outside world, like Lester, had relatively broad visions and did not simply view magical beasts as “evil.”

Whether they truly agreed in their hearts or not, at least in this situation, they wouldn’t choose to sing counter to the Royal Family’s tune, which was enough.

After briefly emphasizing the key points, boosting morale, and smoothly throwing out the long-prepared new decree, Mona instructed the already assigned personnel to set off immediately.

Time was tight; they also needed to head straight to the Ghost Thieves’ hideout and find that crucial Moonshadow Clan cub before the enemy could relocate.

How to put it, being with Mona made even Vilyric feel a lot more at ease; her foresight ability was incredibly convenient as a teammate. She could easily sketch out the locations of those various poaching gangs right on the map—somewhat absurd.

As everyone set off again, Vilyric couldn’t help but glance curiously at the little princess beside her, who seemed to have sighed in relief.

“Little Mona, what kind of ending does your predicted future lead to this time?”

“Ah? Predicted future?”

The blue-haired girl blinked in confusion before a smile broke out.

“Miss Vilyric misunderstands. I didn’t observe those things using [Seer]. Foresight doesn’t equal omniscience, and using [Seer] wears down one’s emotions, so after that, my sister has forbidden me from using it casually. All this information has been gathered through the efforts of those from [Grim Reaper’s Scythe] and the [Shadow People].”

“Moreover, now that Miss Vilyric has joined in, I find it even harder to see how events will unfold. Though I have some preparations, ultimately, we’ll need to witness the future with our own eyes, right?”

“Strangely enough, I really enjoy this wonderful sense of the unknown~”

   

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