Azure Scepter

Page 126

“To gain something, you must first be prepared to lose it,” the demon lord whispered. “Since Saint Seir has decided to target me, I certainly won’t be able to obtain Losevie’s divine authority and divinity—if I can’t have them, then I won’t have them at all.”

"Your decisive style is truly exemplary," the Flame Demon flattered. "So..."

“So I’m going to create a refugee massacre—once Lothaway loses the restraint of her prayers, she’ll naturally solve the problem,” the demon lord said coldly.

"Do you need me to do it?" The fire demon, who had a penchant for slaughter, immediately became excited.

“Of course not.” Lady Bloodthorn chuckled. “I’m going to make a deal with Trier, a deal he can’t refuse.”

Interlude of Chapter 248: Accusations, Inscriptions, Actions

The downpour arrived as expected, and although it was not yet night, the entire sky was already shrouded in darkness.

The gloomy, manic lightning howled like a madman, its purple beams striking the window and casting branch-like shadows on the ochre carpet.

Raindrops dripped from the white cloak onto the carpet. Edith, her right hand on the hilt of her sword, strode toward the mahogany door in front of her.

Things had finally reached the point where a showdown was necessary, and she now had to confront her mentor, the Holy Sword Oris.

“Edith, the corridor is full of their people. Our people are being kept out. Be extremely careful,” Futia’s voice came from beside her.

He turned his head and looked into Futia's deep blue eyes.

"It might sound cheesy, but please remember, I will support you no matter what!" Futia said quite earnestly.

“Fodia,” Edith said, pursing her lips, “thank you.”

After speaking, the princess looked at the mahogany door. She stared at it for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

In the spacious room, Oris stood in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, his hands behind his back, looking down at the city riddled with holes like a general inspecting an army.

Beside Oris, a judge wearing a bird-beak mask was leisurely admiring a platinum-gold elk-shaped teapot carved from ivory on the table.

Upon entering the room, Edith remained silent, gripping the holy emblem on the hilt of her sword and staring silently at Oris's retreating figure; while Fythia drew her longbow directly, her index finger and thumb gripping the bowstring tightly.

After a while, Oris turned around.

“Edith, you have disappointed me greatly,” Oris said coldly. “You are a paladin, but now, you are protecting the vessel of the demon lord for your own selfish desires! Because of your willfulness, countless people have been killed by demons. Look at the ruined city outside the window. It is all your fault!”

“Old dwarf, shut your nonsense.” Fythia held a magic arrow between her little finger. “You always accuse Edith, you don’t care about justice at all, you just want to control her.”

Oris gave Fythia a cold look, and Fythia glared back without backing down.

At that very moment, the judge slowly stood up.

“Your Excellency, the Sword of Judgment, your words are not entirely true—Princess Edith is kind and wise. She was misled this time because she made the wrong friends.”

The judge said with a smile.

“Fodia is the one who should be held responsible for the demonic harm in the city, Your Highness. It’s not too late for her to turn back from her misguided ways.”

Edith gave Oris and the judge a deep look, then said calmly, "Teacher, if you find Livitt, you will surely summon the demon lord Lady Bloodthorn. I know there are many missing persons cases in the city, which were not actually done by demons, but by you."

Oris shuddered almost imperceptibly.

“That’s slander!” Oris retorted vehemently.

The next instant, a crimson halo inexplicably appeared around Oris.

—The moment Edith entered, she released the "Domain of Honesty," and based on the crimson aura, Oris was lying.

Oris's face froze instantly.

Edith's expression was complicated. She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Teacher, although you always say glorious and lofty things, you do something else behind the scenes. Perhaps I am not smart, but at least I am consistent in my words and deeds."

Oris clenched his fists so tightly that his bones cracked.

“Edith, you’re still too young,” Oris argued, suppressing his anger. “Once you’ve experienced more, you’ll know that all paladins are like this. You think it’s wrong to be hypocritical now, but that’s only because you haven’t seen enough.”

"Old dwarf, do you even believe that yourself?"

"Fodia interrupted coldly."

“I have seen many paladins, whether it be Edith or Trier, they at least keep their word and do what they say. I have never seen a paladin like you, so hypocritical, cowardly, cunning, like a filthy goblin. You have defiled your own oath and the sacrifices and dedication of other paladins.”

"What do you pointy-eared thing know about paladins?!" Oris roared, losing control of his temper. "You are..."

“Shut up,” Edith said coldly. “Oris, I don’t agree with a word you say. If you dare to say another word against Futia, I will challenge you to a duel.”

"What did you say?!" Oris's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, what did you just call me? How dare you address me by my name? A duel... a duel?"

Oris shuddered violently, and though his body trembled, he still managed to tilt his head back, glaring at Edith with fury and resentment.

“Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Evil deeds will not become good deeds because of sweet words.” Edith’s expression grew colder. “Oris, no matter how you deny it, you are guilty.”

Oris grew increasingly enraged, and under the influence of the legendary will, the magnificent ivory teapot shattered into pieces—but Futia read an even more suppressed and profound rage in Edith's cold expression.

"Alright, alright, Your Excellency, Sword of Judgment, stop talking." The Inquisitor smiled and stepped in front of Oris. "Your Highness, Oris was indeed wrong, but in finding the vessel for the Demon Lord, we share the same goal, don't we?"

“Of course not,” Futia retorted. “Don’t pretend to be a good person. You and Oris are in cahoots.”

The judge narrowed his eyes slightly, and the next moment, he suddenly said something completely unrelated to the current situation.

"Your Highness, please be careful of our sharp-tongued Fythia; she is sure to be in love with Trier as well."

Edith was so angry she almost laughed. The next moment, she drew the holy sword "Hope Will Be Extinguished".

At that moment, purple lightning ripped through the sky, the blinding light illuminating the magical runes on the scabbard and the cold blade, reflecting Edith's pale face.

"Do you think I'm so easily provoked?" the princess questioned coldly. "Auris, do you really intend to kill an innocent little girl and then use her to summon a terrifying demon lord? Do you still have even a shred of paladin honor and human conscience?"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Oris roared. "You don't understand anything!"

“Then I, as the Crown Prince, command you to follow the guidance of your last shred of conscience, teacher,” Edith said earnestly.

"Shut up!" Oris roared like a beast. The next moment, he suddenly pulled out the order signed by the king. "Look for yourself, isn't this written by His Majesty the King?"

Edith received the king's order, and when she finished reading it, she fell completely silent.

She was certain that the secret order was personally issued by her father. Although she had been prepared, she still felt a little helpless and desolate at this moment.

“Your Highness, this is not the time for childish tantrums! Hand over Livitt now!” Oris regained his courage and drew his longsword. “Remember your oath. You should obey your duty and your superiors!”

Edith looked at the envelope and pressed her lips tightly together.

If everyone opposes you, does that mean you've really done something wrong?

Oris didn't support her, her father didn't support her, and even Trier didn't support her. Only Faudia blindly stood by her side for the sake of friendship.

At that moment, the darkness outside the window seemed to become exceptionally deep and heavy, and Edith couldn't help but waver slightly. In her grief, she subconsciously glanced at her holy sword and then saw the inscriptions on the blade shimmering with a divine aura.

"When all hope is lost, the value of the belief in justice is revealed." —Lossway Lorraineman.

Edith was stunned. She looked at the inscription on the blade, then at her father's letter, then at the smug-looking Oris, and finally at the deep darkness outside the window.

Livitt must be in despair now. All hope has vanished for her. Let me be her last hope, the princess thought.

Just then, a white owl flew past the window.

The next instant, a magical communication from Granny Lor flooded into her mind.

"Levitra is at the Red Brick Bishop's Brothel... We're surrounded by demon worshippers... Hurry..."

Edith made up her mind completely.

"Think carefully and act fearlessly," Edith muttered to herself.

The princess gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, and then immediately used the Holy Slash to shatter the king's secret edict.

"What are you doing?!" Under the light of the holy flames, Oris looked at Edith with a look of horror.

“You forged my father’s orders,” Edith said coldly. “My father was a just and benevolent monarch, yet you have shamelessly slandered him—guards, seize this traitor!”

Oris was completely dumbfounded.

Those outside are clearly his trusted confidants, what insane nonsense is Edith spouting?!

To Oris's astonishment, Edith suddenly lunged forward, the counterweight on the hilt of his sword slamming into his face!

Interlude of Chapter 249: Taking Action, Seduction, Proposal

Oris never dreamed that Edith would actually dare to make a move!

He instinctively raised his hand to block, but the immense force traveled down his wrist and directly into his radius bone!

"Gaba!"

With a dull thud of bone cracking, Oris was blasted backward, the marble table with its wood-grain pattern smashed into dust.

The judge jumped up in fright. He instinctively reached for the longsword at his waist, but in the next instant, he caught a glimpse of a cold, sharp light out of the corner of his eye. Half a breath later, an arrow crackling with lightning pierced his collarbone, sending him flying into the air and pinning him to the wall!

"boom!"

Spiderweb-like cracks burst open in the gray wall, and crimson blood mixed with dust splattered on Oris's face. He struggled to draw his longsword and try to stand up, but before he could stand up, a fierce and brutal slash came down on his head!

Oris had no time to dodge. He barely managed to grasp the Holy Symbol when the sharp hum of the blade suddenly exploded in his ears!

The next instant, his vision turned blood red.

After a moment of confusion, a burst of excruciating pain erupted, and his entire left arm flew high into the air amidst a spurting column of blood!

It fell to the ground with a "clink".

In the midst of excruciating pain, Oris's pupils suddenly contracted—Idis's blade slammed into the ground, but in the blink of an eye, it changed direction and slashed back at his calf. In an instant, sparks from his chainmail mingled with the blood from his torn flesh, and he lost his balance again, falling into the warm blood.

However, despite losing his balance, he also narrowly managed to unleash the divine spell.

—The ultimate ability of the Ancient Warriors, sworn by the ancients, is the "Ancient Warrior".

"Bang!" The cold back of the sword struck Oris's face, producing a dull thud like a fist hitting wood.

Clumps of branches, like wriggling tentacles, emerged from his wound and covered the smooth incision, while a golden shield of light enveloped his entire body.

"The soldiers are coming, Edith! We have to go!" Futia shouted, gripping her dagger tightly, and then cleanly severed the Inquisitor's wrist tendons. "Forget about that old dwarf, it's too late!"

The next instant, the mahogany door was smashed open with a bang, and a high-ranking knight in consecrated plate armor and several guards rushed in. They all stared in disbelief at Oris lying on the ground and Edith holding the holy sword.

"Seize her! She's possessed by a demon!" the judge roared hoarsely. "Purify that elf; it's a succubus in disguise!"

Without hesitation, the knight drew his longsword, but the next moment, an arrow blasted his wrist with a sonic boom. Flesh and blood mixed with the scalding sonic cloud exploded backward, and the knight flew backward like a bowling ball hit by a heavy blow, causing a commotion of people and horses behind him.

Edith glanced at Oris, who was lying on the ground groaning, with a complicated expression, and then grasped the Holy Symbol. Holy light suddenly appeared, and half a breath later, Pegasus Nina smashed through the panoramic window and flew into the room amidst a shower of flying glass shards.

"Come on up, Futia!"

The princess immediately grabbed the reins, stepped into the stirrups, and mounted the horse, then pulled Feudia along with her.

Nina let out a long hiss, then burst out of the window and flapped her wings, flying towards the horizon.

A few breaths later, more soldiers poured into the room, and several Asmo soldiers wearing pure white masks and carrying heavy crossbows quickly ran to the window.

"Stop! Stop!" Oris pleaded weakly. "Don't shoot!"

The sergeant looked at Oris with a puzzled expression.

"Track her! She's definitely going to find the demon vessel!" Oris said, enduring the excruciating pain. "Quickly, get men together and go after her!"

The downpour pounded on the cloak of Chief Spy Nordman, and the damp, chilly smell of the rain carried an unsettling odor.

He hugged the yellow crystal ball tightly, then looked up at the relief center crowded with refugees and soldiers in the rain.

“I will definitely complete the mission, Dorothy…” Nordman muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and then ordered his attendants to inform the soldiers on duty.

Fortunately, the officer on duty was an acquaintance of his, the old knight Lawrence.

At that moment, the old knight was directing a group of scribes to record and distribute supplies. Nordman noticed that the mountain of food had been covered with tarpaulins in advance, and one small white cloth in particular exuded an unsettling aura.

Soon, the soldier who delivered the message walked up to Lawrence and whispered a few words to him, after which the old knight hurried over.

"You wish to see Lord Trier now?" the old knight Lawrence asked, quite surprised. "Excuse my rudeness, but could you please show me what that ball in your arms is?"

“A valuable gift.” Nordman narrowed his eyes slightly. “Dorothy asked me to deliver a gift to Lord Trier, who saved the refugees.”

“This is a dangerous magical artifact, Nordman,” Noy’s voice suddenly came from the shadows behind the chief spymaster. “Could you demonstrate the function of this crystal ball?”

Nordman was startled. He turned around in surprise and saw that Neu was standing behind him at some point.

At this moment, although there was a faint smile on Noy's lips, Nordman read a dangerous and repressed meaning in those red eyes—he even felt a sense of oppression as if he were facing a hostile legend.

“Of course it’s not a magical item! Dorothy is just an actress, how could she have magical items?” Nordman said, forcing a smile.

Noi was about to retort, but the next moment, Trier's gentle voice suddenly rang in her heart.

“It’s alright, Nordman is just a messenger. Let him bring the things in—give me some divine magic, and don’t come in later.”

A few minutes later, Nordman met Trier on the third floor of the relief center.

"Dorothy would like to bring you one..."