Chapter 26 Princess Alexia

"Princess Alexia?"

Rance said the name, not particularly surprised, but still a little taken aback.

"You know her?"

Abigail observed Rance's expression.

"I met her in the Shadow World a long time ago. We were both students and happened to enter the same fifth-tier Shadow World."

Rance looked up at Abigail and replied.

That was the second Shadow World he challenged at the Ickrit Academy, when he usually spent his time with Frey and Hyperion on easy and pleasant student council duties on campus.

The Saint Hall Villain Banquet had a total of twelve challengers in four teams. Besides Rance, Hyperion, and Frey, one team from the Crete Empire was directly under the command of the Saintess of Destruction and the Bishop of Destruction: Alexia, the Third Imperial Princess.

The night before the vampire earl attacked, Rance exchanged information with Alexia and gave her hope again.

Finally, at the end of the Shadow World, Rance promised Alexia that he would come to the Crete Empire to help her.

Rance roughly told Abigail and the others about his acquaintance with Alexia.

"I do remember that Shadow World. You tricked the Saintess of the Bishop of Destruction to her death, which made me so happy. I immediately thought how wonderful it would be if the Saint Son of the Bishop of Destruction was also gone."

Toriado clapped his hands.

Although the price was being beaten half to death, he was still very happy.

"Later, the Saint Son of Destruction was really tricked to death by this guy."

Talia thought of the attack in the South Vantina Territory and recapped.

"I knew it. How could the honest High Priest Loren kill the Saint Son of Destruction to silence him? There must be someone messing around. According to the information I have, Loren's student happened to have a riding record back to his hometown of South Vantina Territory, so it must be related to you. I immediately sent money to Ickrit Academy, very quickly."

Toriado told Rance the story behind the 20,000-pound charity donation with a smug look.

"I was wondering why so much money was missing from the account! You took my money to donate to the school, didn't you?!"

After listening to Toriado's words, Abigail realized the date the money disappeared after calculating with her fingers. She couldn't bear it anymore, grabbed Toriado by the neck, determined to kill him today and become the bishop herself.

But she found that she really couldn't kill the eighth-tier Toriado, and Toriado also looked like he didn't want to resist, which made her not in the mood to continue arguing with this guy.

"Since you know Alexia, Rance, that's great. I won't introduce the Third Princess to you too much."

Abigail pushed Toriado away like throwing garbage and continued to tell Rance, Talia, and Ifathia sitting opposite the sofa about serious matters.

"She is also someone Barton trusts very much. Barton probably left the military to become a mafia because of her. After Barton reached an alliance with us, he also introduced her."

Abigail looked at Barton, the mafia boss sitting at the other end of the sofa, and said.

"Princess Alexia is someone who can resonate with the Seros Heroic Spirit Sword among the Crete Empire's national protection magic devices. The heroic spirits of the ancestors can protect her from evil spirits. Correspondingly, she can also sense the existence of some evil creatures that ordinary people cannot discover. After accidentally touching Emperor Saint Baldo's sword, she accidentally saw that there were many blood-colored evil shadows near the palace, and she slowly began to realize that the fate of the Crete Empire rested on her shoulders."

Barton talked about Princess Alexia with distress.

At that time, the helpless Alexia could only ask Barton, then the colonel of the Imperial Palace Guard, for help. Barton also understood how helpless and trusting she was when the princess told him the truth.

If this matter was told to the wrong person, the inevitable death that awaited Alexia.

Later, after a series of investigations by Barton, who became the leader of the gray area, he finally confirmed that beneath the seemingly calm Brilda, crazy undercurrents were already following him like a shadow.

"Seros Heroic Spirit Sword?"

Talia asked.

This was the first time she had heard the real name of the Crete Emperor's sword.

She knew "Seros". Rance had told her about it when he told her about history. The Crete Empire was formed by the merger of three behemoths in the southern half of the Southern Continent: the Seros Empire, the Elsaia Sanctuary, and the Wensi Free Federation. Among them, the Seros Empire was the ultimate winner and main body.

It was not surprising that the ancestors of the Crete imperial family were the imperial family of the Seros Empire.

"Even if I am the commander of the Imperial Palace Guard, I rarely get to see Emperor Saint Baldo's sword up close, let alone appraise it. There are no detailed records about this sword in history either, but I can be sure that it is the strongest weapon in the world today, definitely not comparable to ordinary epic magic devices."

Barton shook his head.

"It can not only provide the sword master with many immunities and blessings, but even greatly strengthen them. In the holy war era, the ancient emperor at the peak of the eighth level took it and even withstood the ninth-level great demon."

The higher the rank, the more one could understand the irrationality of its amplification.

But correspondingly, only those with royal blood can hold this divine sword.

"Could it be the undamaged Red Legend?"

Rance pondered, holding his chin.

"Red Legend?"

Many people present were unfamiliar with this term.

In their impression, whether it was magic cards or magic devices, the highest quality was orange epic.

Even the [Original Stone Slab] only stopped at orange epic.

"Orange epic can be regarded as the highest grade in theory. Red Legend belongs to a special grade. We only encountered a damaged Red Legend magic device by chance during the once-in-a-century turmoil in the Borsen Kingdom."

Rance mentioned the damaged red magic device [Parrone's Grudge Record] he had seen in the Flower Capital, Parieu.

"Will the vampires target it?"

Talia asked.

If the [Parrone's Grudge Record] did not cause permanent harm to innocent demons, she would also be greedy for this red legendary book-shaped weapon in terms of strength.

Even a small fragment of it could allow Pearlman to achieve qualitative changes in the short term.

"Indeed, but according to its characteristics as Barton said, the vampires should be more afraid of it and want to eliminate it. This sword is too much of a threat to them."

Rance directly gave the conclusion.

He was also puzzled by this.

If the Crete Empire had such a national protection sword that repelled evil spirits, then on the timeline that the Goddess of Destiny showed him, how did the vampires finally crack this sword and gain complete control over the Crete Empire?

That shouldn't be.

Could it be that besides the vampires, there are other people in the Crete Empire with greater greed who are planning something, leading to the vampires' victory?

"Don't think so much first. The vampire disaster is imminent. Do the important things before they become urgent."

Talia felt the doubts in Rance's heart and said to him in his words.

"Yeah."

Rance nodded.

It seemed that the princess had not given up and had been actively saving the country.

With Alexia's preparations in the Crete Empire over the past year and her alliance, Rance felt that the chance of directly attacking Blood Moon City had increased a bit.

"Is Alexia still safe now?"

Rance asked the three people opposite the sofa.

The three of them had long known that Alexia was No. 5 of the Silver Moon Restoration Society, so they would naturally know more about Alexia's recent situation in the empire than he and Talia.

"She is the one who makes the fewest demands in the organization. Because she is invisibly watched by many vampires, she is still staying in the palace and has few opportunities to take out the sacred communication magic card and speak."

Abigail replied.

"Alexia hasn't spoken since Violet of the Sixth Army God, Water Azure Jade, left Brilda."

Generally, Alexia can speak when she leaves the palace and goes to a trusted location with a shielding barrier, but she cannot go there frequently.

Alexia hadn't said anything during this period, probably because she didn't dare to leave the palace easily anymore.

"Maybe contacting her with the sacred communication magic card is not as good as finding a suitable opportunity to see her directly at an occasion she will formally attend."

Toriado spread his hands.

Anyway, before Violet returned, it should be difficult to contact Alexia.

In Alexia's judgment, at least one of the First Army God, Jacinto of the Diamond Throne, and the Sixth Army God, Violet of the Water Azure Jade Throne, stationed in Brilda, should be reliable, so only when the two army gods were there would she dare to leave the core barrier of the palace and take action in Brilda.

"Is she safe staying alone in the Crete Palace now?"

Ifathia understood this feeling of being alone and deeply trapped in danger too well.

It's just that Alexia's living environment is even more high-pressure than hers.

"Direct members of the royal family have the protection of the bloodline of their ninth-level ancestors and the blessing of the country's faith. Coupled with the royal magic devices on their bodies, it is not easy to threaten members of the imperial royal family in the palace. After resonating with the divine sword, her resistance to mental magic is extremely high."

Barton talked about his previous work.

"That's great."

Rance was sure of Alexia's situation, so he didn't need to rush to find her to reassure her.

He would naturally fulfill what he had promised Alexia.

This was one of the few big orders he had received.

"Mr. Barton, in your opinion, which of the empire's army gods have had suspicious points or been suspected of being controlled recently?"

Rance found that Barton was a good imperial internal spy. Barton knew too much about the empire's military information.

He could ask Barton about things he couldn't even ask about in the Imperial Special Operations Department with confidence.

"Based on what I know, those who have had their wills changed should be Jasper of the Fourth Army God, Biyu Throne, Lugayed of the Fifth Army God, Mica Throne, Zelkon of the Eighth Army God, Haukins Stone Throne, Ryan of the Ninth Army God, Amethyst Throne, and Bianca of the Twelfth Army God, Cat's Eye Stone Throne."

Barton understood what Rance meant.

In the latest intelligence disclosed by the other party, the vampires had a ninth-level ancestor who could control wills, which completely matched his speculation about various signs.

These five army gods all disliked war. However, after a period of time, they all became supporters of war.

"Chalcedony, Blood Chalcedony, Emerald, are they not necessarily changed their intentions?"

Geyart of the Third Army God, Chalcedony Throne, Philip of the Seventh Army God, Blood Chalcedony Throne, and Simonro of the Eleventh Army God, Emerald.

Rance was quite impressed with these three army gods.

"Chalcedony and Blood Chalcedony belong to the army gods who have been willing to fight for a long time even before the war started. Emerald is more neutral. He will participate when the war starts."

Barton lightly drew numbers on the coffee table.

One, two, six, and eleven belong to the neutral faction.

Three, seven, and ten belong to the radical faction.

Four, five, eight, nine, and twelve belong to the conservative faction.

"Reasonable."

Rance agreed.

Strategically, the three army gods who had not been controlled were placed in the eastern region to fight.

In the western hub area, the controlled army gods could be combined to act together, and the slight risk of the army gods seeing through each other's flaws would also be eliminated.

"Why is there a radical faction besides the Third Army God and the Seventh Army God?"

Ifathia counted and found that there were more main war elements than Geyart and Philip.

"The Tenth Army God is Julius of the Red Bixi Throne. He always actively seizes power and gives ideas, wishing that Jacinto would fall one day so that he could take over the commander-in-chief's power at the first time and lead the imperial army to victory."

Barton's eyes became complicated, as if he understood Julius's terrible leadership.

Once in the military, Barton, as the top powerhouse closest to the army gods, and even someone who might become an army god in the future, had contact with most of the army gods.

"..."

Rance and Talia had indeed heard of it.

The Tenth Army God, Julius of the Red Bixi, has been unusually enthusiastic on the battlefield recently, but he is too greedy and adventurous.

It is said to be the only man who can raise the blood pressure of the First Army God, Jacinto.

"First Army God, what do you think of his situation?"

Rance was most concerned about Jacinto, the First Army God who was sitting in the Imperial Military Headquarters in Brilda.

If the First Army God was controlled by the vampires, the seriousness of the problem might far exceed that of the other army gods.

"In my impression, he is a gentle and powerful person who is deeply trusted and loved by the Crete people."

Barton commented in a tired voice.

"But his position is complex and contradictory. As someone from a civilian background, he is dedicated to maintaining the imperial power while balancing the conflicts between the nobles and the people. If the internal conflicts of the empire really reach a point where they are inevitable, he may agree to this war for the sake of the empire."

He believed that Jacinto might have been manipulated before the war started, but he couldn't be sure.

"..."

Rance roughly understood the situation of several army gods and the inside story of the empire.

If there is a chance in the future, he still has to learn about the army gods from the people of the empire who can be contacted, which may better deduce whether the army gods have been controlled.

For example, Ryan of the Ninth Army God, the head of the Roland Marquis family, is Ursula's brother. Rance and Talia can now almost confirm from Ursula's information that Marquis Ryan has been controlled by the vampire ancestor, Lashaer.

"Talia and I are going to the Shadow World next week. You may not be able to contact us for a while, but we will contact you as soon as we return to the real world."

Rance glanced at the clock, stood up, and said to several people.

While chatting, it was almost time to change the clock.

They should also leave the Brilda Opera House and go home.

"No problem. We'll meet at Abigail's house. Buying a ticket will make it reasonable to gather at the opera house."

Toriado raised his hand to send them off and said.

It has to be said that the interior of the opera house is an excellent and excellent secret gathering place. It is not suspicious to watch a play every week or two.

"There's one more thing I need to trouble you with, Toriado."

Rance turned back and told Toriado.

In Rance's team experience, Sidor is the type who handles things extremely reliably.

"I guarantee to find you a perfect fiancée who is worthy of your Principal Rocky McCarthy. You won't be unmoved by her."

Toriado assured Rance.

"..."

Talia didn't know what Toriado was excited about.

But Yabo is like this. In the past, when encountering complicated situations in the Demon World, Pulane would hide far away, and Yabo would desperately run over to watch.

"It doesn't matter if you can't find her. I can always back you up anyway."

She didn't seem to care much, but she still raised her voice by half a tone.

"Are you really using my magic power endlessly? Sister Tata, you are really too heavy to bear."

Rance was very tired now, just holding on.

He had asked Talia for help several times tonight.

He even summoned her to perform an entire play. He almost ran out of magic power.

He would definitely have to sleep until noon tomorrow to wake up.

"I'm not heavy at all!"

Talia's cheeks flushed and she argued with Rance.

Seeing that Talia and Rance were about to quarrel again.

"It's okay, Sister. Subversive work requires it, right? A fake fiancée. What are you worried about? She's not competitive with you at all!"

Ifathia quickly took Talia's arm, secretly winked at Rance, and helped him to get rid of Talia.

She knew what Toriado liked to see.

She liked it too!

"Okay."

Talia gradually accepted unwillingly.

"Ifathia, you're injured. Go to bed early and get some rest."

She let go of Ifathia's hand.

"Okay, Sister, see you later! If my injury can be cured, I'll definitely go to your house to try your cooking!"

Ifathia happily jumped back to the other side of the space gate.

Talia watched her sister and Barton return to the other side of the space gate until the space arc completely closed before she moved her gaze away.

Anyway, she didn't want to be Rance's fiancée.

Only when the Allied Forces and the Church of Rebirth's alternate fiancées refuse him at the same time will she agree to help him in an emergency.

"Then, Miss Abigail, see you later."

"Next time, just come to the opera house to find me. I'm basically downstairs when there's an opera performance."

Rance and Talia said goodbye to Abigail and left the mansion, following Toriado to the corridor on the second floor of the Brilda Opera House.

"You two can go to the Shadow World with peace of mind. After you come back, I will use teleportation magic to bring your fiancée over."

Toriado patted Rance confidently.

"Tsk, what kind of fiancée can move him?"

Talia said without a hint of sourness.

"Can she compare to this princess?"

(End of this chapter)