Chapter 117

Chapter 117: What Kind of Person is His Highness? (4k)

Just as Lynn stood by the roadside lost in thought, a sudden screech of brakes pierced the air!

He instinctively turned his head and saw a luxurious-looking four-wheeled carriage come to a halt nearby.

The flag hanging from the carriage was embroidered with a noble and imposing griffin design in golden thread.

That was the crest of House Tilius.

Lynn’s eyes widened slowly.

As the carriage door swung open, a sturdy middle-aged man descended from the vehicle.

With his hands clasped behind his back and graying hair neatly combed back, he emanated the aura of someone in power.

At this moment, the man’s expression was serious, as if lost in thought about troublesome issues, perhaps just taking a stroll to clear his mind.

Due to Lynn’s disheveled appearance, resembling a little beggar by the roadside, the middle-aged man didn’t notice him at first.

It wasn’t until he snapped back to reality that he vaguely sensed someone was watching him.

He instinctively turned his head.

Their eyes met in the air.

In that instant, as they recognized each other’s faces, both the middle-aged man and the little beggar froze in shock.

Then, almost as if they saw a ghost, they exclaimed in unison, “What the hell?!”

No, seriously, what the hell?

Lynn inwardly complained.

In the next moment, he suddenly felt a flash of movement, and then the Duke of Tilius appeared right before him as if teleporting.

His bulky arms gripped Lynn’s shoulders like iron claws, almost making him feel like he was going to fall apart.

“Y-You are Lynn?!”

Clearly, the Duke hadn’t expected such a dramatic twist of fate to happen right before him.

Looking at the travel-worn Lynn, dressed in ill-fitting clothes, he examined him as if checking for missing limbs like some sort of weirdo.

Meanwhile, excitement flickered in his fierce eyes.

He truly hadn’t anticipated that what began as a whim—a stroll near where this kid used to live—would lead him to spot him right on the roadside!

Is this divine intervention?!

If it weren’t for his familiarity with Lynn’s appearance and demeanor, the Duke might have suspected this was some sort of impersonation.

“Of course, I’m Lynn,” Lynn replied, shivering a little under the Duke’s almost overly affectionate touch, before pushing him away.

“You didn’t die?!”

The Duke looked utterly stunned, stuck in place mumbling to himself.

“That’s right, I’m not dead,” Lynn said warily, “By the way, Your Grace, you’re not planning a dramatic scene with two big men hugging and crying now, are you? That would be really disgusting.”

Upon hearing this, the Duke’s face darkened instantly.

Fine, confirmed, it’s really that kid.

Although he was taken aback, he continued to look at Lynn with the eyes of a man studying a rare animal.

“Something’s off. Why aren’t you dead?”

As he mumbled to himself, pacing back and forth, his gaze never left Lynn.

While he certainly didn’t want Lynn to be dead, many, including him, had already come to grips with the harsh truth.

Two powerful demons at once? Even he, a Fifth Stage Legend, didn’t believe surviving was possible.

How on earth did this kid manage to pull it off?

After getting over his initial excitement, countless questions flooded the Duke’s mind.

At this moment, due to the chaos the two stirred up, bystanders began to cast curious glances their way.

Noticing this, the Duke grabbed Lynn’s wrist and hurried towards the carriage.

“Let’s get in the carriage first; we need to have a good chat!”

“Oh, and if Her Highness finds out you’re alive, she’ll be over the moon!”

Inside the carriage, Lynn leaned against the wall in a neat military uniform and gazed out the window.

At that moment, the carriage sped down the street towards Tilius Manor.

Everywhere he looked, Orlen City showed signs of devastation from the recent calamity, with broken buildings and scorch marks everywhere.

Many homeless souls laid by the roadside, their expressions hollow, numbly staring at the speeding carriage.

In that moment, Lynn could see the unmistakable despair reflected in their eyes.

A city that once supported life, where generations of ancestors had roots, lay in ruins thanks to a mysterious disaster.

Not only that, but the years of savings and homes had been reduced to ash. Families might have perished in the calamity.

The future looked bleak; it seemed there was no reason to live anymore.

They could only numbly wander the streets, waiting for the day they starved to death.

Perhaps it was because of the terrifying black goo that had ravaged the area that the city’s vitality felt completely drained, leaving it gray and despondent.

Even the sky was weighed down by thick leaden clouds, as if sunlight would never shine on this filthy city again.

After this, Orlen City might walk down the same path as other lawless areas.

There had been precedents in the past.

Many cities that had been invaded by demonic forces, even if they were reclaimed, never regained their former order.

Chaos and evil became the new norm, gradually turning them into the gray areas of the empire.

As Lynn watched the scene unfold, he fell deep into thought.

However, for both him and the Duke of Tilius, the most pressing concern wasn’t this.

“You mean after we were teleported away from the Soren Mountain Range, a deity intervened to save you?”

“That’s right,” Lynn’s expression turned grave and serious. “In a daze, I found myself in an endless void filled with cosmic stars, where I met the great and supreme Lord of the Billion Stars.”

“It was He who cleansed the contamination from me, and it was He who saved my precarious life.”

“Praise my Lord.”

Watching Lynn’s solemn expression, the Duke opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Praise my Lord? What the hell!

Hadn’t you already been kicked out of the church?

At least make something believable up about the Goddess of the Crescent Moon or Mother of Abundance; that would have some credibility!

Besides, wasn’t this guy just recently torching the entire Church of Heavenly Justice, toppling a bishop and crushing over a hundred Transcendents? All that was missing was scattering their ashes!

The Lord of the Billion Stars saved you? Who would believe that!

A faint look of pain appeared in the Duke’s eyes.

It seemed this guy didn’t want to reveal the truth.

Which was understandable, as that day during the Level 0 Sealed Item incident, Lynn had shown far too many extraordinary cards up his sleeve; it was crystal clear he had secrets he didn’t want to expose.

Since he didn’t want to talk, the Duke figured he wouldn’t pry further.

After some reminiscing, his earlier excitement and shock gradually settled, restoring his usual calm demeanor.

Meanwhile, he finally had the leisure to think about other matters. Lynn was alive.

This news would likely create quite a stir, not just for him but for many others upon hearing it.

And the ones most eager to learn of this were definitely the folks at Augusta Manor.

Especially that princess sitting in the wheelchair.

“Thank goodness you’re alive; otherwise, who knows what might have happened to Her Highness.”

Remembering Ivyst, who sat in a wheelchair, and the hints of madness in her eyes, the Duke shivered slightly.

This time, Sixth Saint Roland had truly gone too far.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Ivyst had played the role of a throwaway character, with almost no one caring about her feelings.

The only one who did, Lynn, had been supposedly killed.

Now, this appeared to be a simple blunder, yet Ivyst was blissfully unaware.

Upon hearing the Duke’s words, a strange expression flickered across Lynn’s face.

“Why so quiet?” Seeing him with his head down and lost in thought, the Duke chuckled, “You’re not just waiting to show off in front of Her Highness when we get back, are you?”

“I’ll tell you, this time you probably…”

“Your Grace,” Lynn suddenly interrupted him and, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, muttered, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask something since earlier.”

“From your tone, it seems I should have had some interaction with that Third Princess?”

The Duke chuckled and shook his head, “You, my boy, are joking, right? If you two didn’t know each other, then everyone else in the world would be strangers.”

Just thinking about how Ivyst had displayed despair and a dead look in her eyes after Lynn’s supposed death, the Duke felt a bit on edge.

It was the first time he had seen such emotions on that arrogant and cruel little girl’s face.

All just because of a man.

Now, unless someone was dead, he wouldn’t believe there had been nothing between them!

However, to the Duke’s subtly suggestive gaze, Lynn merely frowned.

“I really don’t recall such a thing.”

Seeing his bewildered expression as if he wasn’t faking, the Duke seemed to realize the severity of the situation.

He slowly straightened his back, “Ivyst Roland Alexini, haven’t you ever heard that name?”

“Heard of it.”

Lynn answered without hesitation.

Having read the original work, he had a vivid impression of this villainous princess.

After all, the Sorceress of the End he worshipped was Ivyst from ten thousand years in the future.

Returning to Orlen City this time was precisely due to the Witch’s orders—to stop her from developing her extreme notions of destroying the empire and altering the future tragedy.

Hearing this, the Duke was about to breathe a sigh of relief.

But in the next second, he heard Lynn voice a hesitant question, “But… what kind of person is she, really?”

Although he had read the original, he only had a rough impression.

He knew she was ugly and terrifying, with a notoriously brutal character, appearing at first just like a cruel female antagonist.

It was only in the middle to later parts that she started to grow menacing and became a qualified villain.

However, the Duke was unaware of Lynn’s current inner thoughts.

Looking at Lynn’s calm gaze, recalling the lifeless eyes of the white-haired woman, he felt his brain suddenly go numb.

Oh no!

At Tilius Manor.

The Duke was pacing back and forth in his study, clenching his pipe and puffing smoke, his face written all over with worry.

“You’re saying that after that battle, the commotion caused by the two great demons in your spiritual world was too great, leading to a certain impact on your consciousness, causing you to lose some memories?”

“Exactly.”

Lynn nodded while sitting on the sofa.

“You remember me, Greya, and Rhine, even Afia and Milani, yet you somehow forgot about Her Highness?”

“Although you say you forgot, I genuinely don’t recall anything.”

Noticing the Duke’s serious expression, Lynn scratched his head.

“That’s really bad.”

He muttered with a grave expression.

Watching the Duke’s reserved demeanor regarding that woman, Lynn couldn’t help but frown.

“To be honest, Your Grace,” Lynn spread his hands, “I’m completely lost on these matters right now, so could you please stop being such a riddle?”

The Duke sighed, “At present, you remember everyone, yet you just happen to forget everything related to Her Highness.”

“Given her nature, even if she knows you’ve come back alive, she’ll probably… go insane.”

“Under such circumstances, she likely won’t be able to continue with the royal selection, especially since she was already planning to withdraw.”

“But time is running out.” The Duke took a puff of smoke, letting it waft through the air, “There are less than two weeks left, strictly speaking, about ten days or so.”

If Her Highness cannot regain her spirits in these ten days and score at least 576 points in the royal selection from the Holy Oak Institution, it will all be too late, and there’ll be no chance to go back.

Although the way he spoke was a bit unclear, Lynn instantly understood thanks to his knowledge of the original work.

“You mean, if we can’t help Her Highness to rise out of her emotional lows and survive the elimination rounds, she will be completely cut off from the throne?”

“Correct.”

The Duke nodded.

Realizing this, Lynn’s expression grew serious.

The sorceress’s task given to him was precisely to help Her Highness dismiss her extreme thoughts of destroying the empire and continue participating in the royal selection, thus avoiding the tragic fate of the future.

He couldn’t help but ponder.

This was quite a daunting challenge.

Noticing Lynn’s slightly low mood, the Duke didn’t want to add too much pressure.

“It’s okay; you’ve just returned. Just take some time to rest and think about how to approach Her Highness.” He patted Lynn’s shoulder reassuringly, “As for the royal selection score, let me figure that out.”

Upon hearing this, Lynn shook his head.

“Oh, you misunderstood; I’m actually trying to figure out how to help Her Highness regain her spirits.”

After all, this was a trial set by the Sorceress.

As her believer, he had to keep it in mind at all times.

“As for the 576 points…” At this point, Lynn shot the Duke a surprised glance, “Isn’t that an easy feat?”

“?”

The Duke was dumbfounded.

Yet Lynn had no idea how deeply those words impacted his aging heart.

In an instant, something clicked; a light bulb went off in his mind.

Got it!