Chapter 158

“Sorry, big brother Xia!”

It was like a palace coup as words echoed throughout the Political Discussion Hall.

A few who understood the situation clearly caught Lynn’s implication, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Stay back if you want to live!

Don’t spill my blood!

They trembled at the thought.

Yet there stood Lynn, the atmosphere’s ultimate party crasher, locked in a stare-down with His Majesty, the Sixth Saint Roland.

Not many could withstand the piercing gaze of an emperor.

As a reincarnator, he happened to be one of the few.

Taking advantage of the moment, Cardinal Connor quietly watched Lynn, seemingly weighing something in his mind.

He hadn’t expected this kid to be so cunning, biting back before he could strike.

But for him, this wasn’t too much of a hassle.

After all, the accusations were baseless, mere tricks to muddy the waters.

The Church of Heavenly Justice had been deeply entrenched in the Saint Roland Empire for years; a fabricated accusation wouldn’t shake their foundations.

However, for now, he had no choice but to bear the burden of this accusation.

All because it was the decision of the Sixth Saint Roland.

Even though the Church was not directly under the empire’s jurisdiction, it still followed the old traditions and held the emperor in high regard in certain respects.

So when faced with Lynn’s allegations, Connor did not panic but chose to respond with silence.

But as one of the culprits who had caused the downfall of the Bartleon family, he couldn’t just let this enemy off scot-free.

It was as if Lynn was dancing on the edge of a cliff at ten thousand meters high.

One misstep, and he would plunge into an abyss.

And pushing him off was a simple task.

Cardinal Connor observed the seemingly fearless Lynn with a calm expression.

The more nonchalant Lynn appeared, the more Connor’s suspicions were confirmed.

Why had Lynn suddenly targeted the Church with such accusations?

When a hot news story emerged in society, it often meant another was losing its limelight.

In other words, he aimed to divert attention away from the questions that Connor had posed.

This only made it clearer that Lynn had no way of explaining how he had survived the attacks of the two great demons.

If he could seize on that, it would be child’s play to dismantle the authority Lynn had built today.

What a naive little guy.

Connor chuckled softly and said, “Your Majesty…”

But before he could finish, Sixth Saint Roland suddenly interjected, interrupting him.

From the high platform, the emperor looked down with an air of authority at the calm-looking boy below.

“Quite bold of you.” Saint Roland’s voice was cold. “It seems the Bartleon family has indeed produced a remarkable descendant.”

“Your Majesty flatters me.”

Lynn slightly bowed but showed no sign of humility.

“Hmph.” Sixth Saint Roland snorted lightly, glancing around with a somewhat softened expression. “As you all can see, today’s award ceremony seems to have encountered a rather unpleasant little incident, and I’ve decided to postpone it.”

“Now, everyone, please leave at once.”

His voice echoed throughout the Political Discussion Hall.

The attending nobles sighed in relief, their backs suddenly soaked with cold sweat, hearts racing wildly.

After praising the great emperor, they hurried for the exit, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity as they rushed out the door.

Meanwhile, Marquis Mosgra, trembling as he clutched his granddaughter’s corpse, was escorted out by others.

As he left, he shot a resentful and jealous glare at Lynn’s back.

It seemed he had made a decision.

Seeing this, Princess Shirina and others didn’t want to stir the waters any further and also prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Sixth Saint Roland called them back.

“All royal family members present, please gather at Erohet Palace.”

“As for you, Lynn Bartleon, you come too.”

“I believe there are some matters I need to discuss with you face-to-face.”

With that, Sixth Saint Roland swiftly left the Political Discussion Hall, flanked by the knights.

Aside from the Third Princess Ivyst, all the royal family members, including the First Princess, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Ninth Princess, were summoned to the royal residence.

For a moment, everyone exchanged glances.

Of course, the most shocked was Cardinal Connor.

He never expected that in the end, Sixth Saint Roland would make such a choice.

Clearly, the Church of Heavenly Justice had taken on an unjust portion of blame.

Yet for some reason, he did not use this opportunity to suppress this rebellious youth but rather chose to absolve him.

It was almost as if he didn’t want the Church to interrogate about that matter during such an occasion.

Cardinal Connor took a deep breath.

When he reopened his eyes, his demeanor had returned to its usual gentleness.

Although he did not understand the reason, it was evident that now was not a good time to strike Lynn a fatal blow.

But it was fine.

He was the best at waiting.

As long as Lynn stayed in Glosting, it was only a matter of time before he stirred up some scandal the gods themselves would denounce.

At that point, he would find the opportunity to use that “knife” to strike him down.

Deep in the night, inside Erohet Palace.

“You Bartleon kid, do you think you’re quite the big shot tonight?”

The mark of the Golden Tree was engraved on the wall above the throne, and Sixth Saint Roland sat high above, looking down at the boy on the steps below.

His eyes subtly glimmering with golden light, the emperor’s aura was as thunderous as a storm.

Anyone else might have been terrified, cowering to the ground in fear.

However, Lynn remained unfazed.

Compared to the aura of the two great demons, this old geezer was hardly a threat.

Besides, this was still not his true self, merely a puppet.

Regarding Calderon’s query, Lynn kept silent.

Seeing this, a touch of coldness flickered in the eyes of Sixth Saint Roland: “Do you think you can threaten me just because you believe you’ve got something on me?”

“Ivyst is just as foolish; as a royal family member, she’s making such a ruckus in public alongside you.”

“Do you know the real reason why I’m not punishing you tonight?!”

At those words, Lynn finally looked up.

“Then do you know, Your Majesty, how I managed to return to the imperial capital safely, and why I didn’t turn into some terrifying existence?”

At that moment, his gaze was piercing, trying to discern a hint of paternal concern from the Sixth Saint Roland’s expression.

To his surprise, the emperor merely frowned and coldly replied, “Now it’s my turn to ask you.”

As if Ivyst was just an unrelated passerby to him.

Hearing this, the last vestige of Lynn’s hope faded away.

He shook his head, indicating he did not know.

“At that time, I was occupied with urgent matters.” Sixth Saint Roland said calmly, “It wasn’t until I came back around to my duties that I discovered the Bartleon family had suffered such a drastic change in just a few months.”

“That was my oversight.”

Speaking of his former subordinates, his tone softened slightly.

After all, the Count Bartleon was currently in a coma, legally speaking, Lynn was the acting head of the family and could automatically inherit the title.

Upon hearing Sixth Saint Roland’s words, Lynn’s Liars’ Devourer showed no reaction.

It indicated that he was indeed speaking the truth.

Yet Lynn felt no shock or gratitude; he even had a hint of amusement.

If this old man truly cared about this so-called former subordinate, why had he never acted against the Mosgra family?

Not even the slightest retaliation.

Lynn could actually understand Sixth Saint Roland’s perspective.

This was akin to what Lynn had said to Duke Tilius after shooting Dalian.

The event had already happened.

To avoid maximizing losses, this “wise” emperor allowed Irina to implant his divine spark, becoming a hot new asset, while turning a blind eye to the suffering faced by the Bartleon family over the past year.

Did he truly not know about the Fourth Prince extracting Eleanor’s blood?

Maybe not.

Perhaps he simply deemed the subordinate’s lost value as not worth keeping around any longer.

Lynn understood his thought process.

But understanding did not equate to agreement.

Because people are inherently double-standard creatures.

So at this moment, Lynn even lacked interest in conversing with him.

Seemingly sensing Lynn’s disinterest, Sixth Saint Roland frowned: “Also… regarding the Sealed Item incident in Orlen City, you were at the lowest level, unaware of the overall picture, hence unable to judge the rationale behind the high-ups’ decisions.”

“So I understand why you’re filled with anger and resentment.”

“But that does not justify your uproar in the Council Hall.”

“You can view today’s events as my compensation to the Bartleon family or as an invisible reward for your actions in Orlen City.”

“After leaving the royal residence, I will not pursue your previous actions.”

“As for your grievances with the Mosgra family and the Church of Heavenly Justice, I shall not favor either side; this stage is yours to fight.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”

Lynn bowed lightly, allowing nonchalance to seep into his demeanor.

Seeing this, Sixth Saint Roland examined him impassively for a moment, then nodded: “I hope you can have a relatively peaceful time in Glosting. It won’t be long before the autumn hunt begins.”

“Now go, and by the way, please call Shirina over for me.”

After receiving Sixth Saint Roland’s approval and safely dissociating from this evening’s events, Lynn stood up slowly, expression unperturbed as he walked towards the royal residence.

Watching his tall figure, a flicker of barely detectable coldness crossed the eyes of Sixth Saint Roland.

“Eunice.”

In a moment, Sixth Saint Roland abruptly called out to Lynn’s back.

However, it seemed Lynn did not react immediately, not even making a nervous motion.

Only after taking a few steps did he turn back, his expression puzzled: “Your Majesty, whom are you calling?”

“…It’s nothing, you may go.”

Sixth Saint Roland waved his hand expressionlessly.

Meanwhile, he was filled with confusion and doubt.

Was it a mistake on his part?

But if not, where had the core of the Level 0 Sealed Item gone, along with the Creation Demon that resided within it?

On the throne, the emperor fell into thought.

“What did that old guy talk to you about?”

As Lynn exited the emperor’s residence under the guidance of the palace servants, he met Ivyst and four other princes and princesses, including Princess Shirina.

Even Xia and the Silent Saint Tia, for some reason, were there, watching him with indifferent eyes.

However, Lynn had no time to deal with them.

Feeling Ivyst’s icy small hand clutching his hand, Lynn smiled slightly: “Don’t worry, His Majesty has pardoned my crimes from tonight.”

He concealed the last little episode, thinking it wasn’t a good idea to inform Ivyst too soon.

At his words, surprise flickered in her crimson eyes.

She hadn’t expected that old geezer would be so accommodating today.

But she still secretly sighed in relief.

To be honest, even for someone who had weathered many storms like Ivyst, everything that happened tonight was thrilling.

So thrilling that she almost couldn’t help but want to pin down her cute little dog on the bed.

Unfortunately, she had made a pact beforehand; until she captured Lynn’s heart completely, she wouldn’t go to bed with him. Otherwise, would that not mean losing to that future wretched woman?

Additionally, during the dinner, she had vaguely sensed something was off.

Lost in thought, Ivyst cast her gaze toward the Silent Saint who had followed her for some reason.

After a brief moment of eye contact, the latter seemed uninterested, turning her gaze away like a doll.

Her intuition told her that Lynn’s relationship with that girl was far from simple.

But since the timing wasn’t right, Ivyst intended to wait until she got back and use her hypnosis ability combined with Lynn’s lust-trigger switch to thoroughly “interrogate” him.

Watching Shirina gracefully step into the royal residence, Ivyst silently thought.

“You’re quite lucky.”

Just then, the Fourth Prince Joshua unexpectedly spoke up out of nowhere.

His expression was mixed with confusion and astonishment, as if he couldn’t fathom how Lynn had emerged unscathed from Erohet Palace.

Seeing this, Lynn chuckled, lowering his head to adjust the glove on his left hand.

Since the other one had been picked up by Eunice earlier, he only had one left now.

But the ancient duel rules placed no restrictions on the style of the gloves.

Seeing his mischievous demeanor, Joshua’s expression changed, finally realizing that this guy in front of him was a lunatic daring to kill in public.

Although he found it hard to believe that the guy would actually be so brazen as to touch a genuine prince here.

But what if he did?

This guy was indeed a certified maniac!

A lunatic, by definition, does things that ordinary people would not dare to!

As a prince of the empire, with a life worth a million, why would he take risks over such trivial matters?

There were far too many delightful experimental subjects waiting for him at the Saint Roland Research Institute!

Moreover, this kid seemed to possess some mysterious abilities.

Otherwise, as foolish as Eunice was, she wouldn’t have picked up that glove out of nowhere and accepted his duel challenge.

With this in mind, a glimmer of coldness flashed in the Fourth Prince’s eyes, seemingly etching this grudge into his memory.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince Felix expressed interest: “Joshua, I never thought you’d lower that inexplicable pride of yours one day. How amusing.”

His demeanor was relaxed, showing no signs of the usual coldness and indifference.

“Shut up.”

Joshua frowned and didn’t say anything further.

However, if he bore a grudge against Lynn, Lynn certainly remembered him too!

You’re next, little Dong.

He silently thought to himself.

Next, as they waited for Shirina to meet the Sixth Saint Roland, the atmosphere in the courtyard fell into a rather strange silence.

The Second Prince Felix’s gaze remained fixed on Lynn, seemingly reshaping his view of him.

The Ninth Princess Aimesda curiously looked at him, but whenever Lynn glanced her way, she would instinctively huff and turn her gaze away, showing her little tiger teeth.

As for Xia and the Silent Saint, they stayed close together, chatting affectionately about something.

While there was no physical contact, anyone with keen observation could see that the relationship between the two was quite intimate.

Seeing this, Lynn sighed and subtly shifted his gaze away.

Meanwhile, the Silent Saint Tia, with her head lowered, whispered something to Xia, briefly furrowing her brow.

After a moment, Shirina returned to the courtyard with a calm expression, announcing that the Second Prince Felix was to meet with the Sixth Saint Roland.

Following closely behind were the Fourth Prince and the Ninth Princess.

Minutes went by, and finally, it seemed Sixth Saint Roland remembered Ivyst, calling for her.

Even the princess herself appeared to be accustomed to this, showing no complaints.

Other princes and princesses harbored similar expressions.

Only Lynn took a deep breath, feeling inexplicably irritated.

He had intended to push Ivyst forward, but an older maid stepped in to do so.

“His Majesty only asked to see the Third Princess.”

The maid’s expression was somewhat wooden.

At that, after a brief exchange of glances, Lynn had no choice but to wait in place.

Ivyst softly murmured, “Wait for me to come back,” before slowly wheeling away down the corridor.

Thus, the courtyard was left with only Lynn, standing alone among those relatively unfamiliar faces.

Though these were characters seen in the original narrative, their sudden appearances felt disconcerting to Lynn.

By the way, just among the three women present, Shirina, Tia, and the Ninth Princess Aimesda, they were all future members of the hero Xia’s harem.

However, Aimesda’s plot level was slightly lower, merely A-rank, and in the original story, she was more of a supplementary character, not standing out particularly.

Therefore, Lynn paid her little mind.

Seemingly sensing the thick silence, an unexpected character broke the stillness first.

“Click, click, click.”

Accompanied by a crisp sound of footsteps, a tall and graceful woman approached him.

Seeing Shirina suddenly getting close to the person he despised, Xia instinctively stopped chatting with Tia, directing his gaze at his superior.

With a faint yet refreshing fragrance wafting through the air, Lynn suddenly noticed a delicate, fair hand reaching out to him.

In her hand was a luxurious invitation embossed in gold.

“Tomorrow, if you’re free, you can have little Ivyst bring you over to play.” Shirina’s demeanor was gentle, seemingly oblivious to Lynn’s earlier comments about her looks. “It’s at my mansion; however, unlike tonight, it will be a private gathering with friends my age.”

She resembled a tender older sister.

Under normal circumstances, a biologically functional male would certainly feel moved by such a stunning woman’s active invitation.

However, Lynn was not a normal person.

Without hesitation, he shook his head: “Sorry, my lady, but my lady forbids me from speaking to unfamiliar women outside.”

Lynn appeared like an obedient child.

This was not him putting on a show.

It was because that woman Ivyst had indeed warned him about this.

If she were to find out later that he had hastily accepted an invitation from her enemy without permission, Lynn shuddered at the thought of the consequences.

Moreover, why had this woman suddenly invited him?

When something seems off, it usually is.

Having just returned to the imperial capital, Lynn didn’t want to casually attract the attention of these powers.

Dealing with both the Mosgra family and the Church of Heavenly Justice was enough trouble.

Hearing his response, Shirina paused momentarily, but quickly regained her composure, lightly playing with a strand of her silky platinum hair, her starry eyes shimmering with charm.

“No worries, just pass it along to her.”

With that, Shirina flashed an enchanting smile and gracefully turned to leave.

After whispering a few words to Xia, she sneaked a glance in Lynn’s direction before departing Erohet Palace, vanishing into the night.

Gazing at that beautiful and graceful figure, Lynn took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil within.

To be honest.

This woman was truly beautiful, breathtakingly so.

If it weren’t for having witnessed Miss Witch after removing her curse, and having experienced similar soul-wrenching sensations, he might have sunk into that gentle and tranquil smile of hers.

The most beautiful woman in the imperial capital was not merely stunning in appearance; she emanated a kind of enchanting buff.

Just then, Lynn heard the sound of a wheelchair being pushed.

Ivyst had returned.

“Why did Your Highness invite that guy?”

On the return carriage, Xia inquired, puzzled.

Shirina leaned her chin on her hand, seemingly distracted as she stared out the window.

After a moment of silence, a hint of helplessness appeared in her eyes.

Because this was a task entrusted to her by her father, Calderon.

After meeting with Sixth Saint Roland, he directly instructed her to approach Lynn and uncover a hidden secret about him.

Although Shirina currently knew nothing about it, it was nevertheless the emperor’s command.

Moreover, he had promised her a handsome amount of royal selection points as compensation.

While her initial impression of that kid wasn’t great, Shirina still decided to take on this task.

But at that moment, in front of her close subordinate, she inexplicably did not want to say this aloud.

Perhaps worried about Xia overthinking and leading to unnecessary misunderstandings.

Seeing Shirina fall silent, Xia ceased to pry further. After the carriage reached its destination, he got out and returned to the Military Department.

“Goodnight, Your Highness.”

Xia waved while gently bidding farewell.

Shirina smiled and replied, “Goodnight to you too.”

After watching Xia return to the Military Department, Shirina commanded the driver to leave.

Now, the carriage had only her alone, settling into a tranquil silence.

Tia, however, had been picked up by nuns upon leaving Erohet Palace.

After all, being the Silent Saint, she held a high status within the Church.

Time passed without her noticing as the carriage glided past the streets.

Eventually, it slowed to a stop at the entrance of her mansion.

Just as Shirina was about to head in for a nice long soak in the hot spring to wash away the fatigue of the day, she spotted a slender figure draped in moonlight-colored priestly garments, standing with her legs together at the gate.

“Tia? Is there something you need?”

Recognizing the figure, Shirina felt puzzled but still asked.

In a sense, the two were competitors, and their relationship could only be described as rather bland.

Upon hearing Shirina’s inquiry, the typically cold and indifferent elf girl showed a rare sign of hesitation in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, she softly said, “Could you spare me two of those invitations?”

Shirina was somewhat surprised: “You want to attend the banquet? But I didn’t hear…”

“It was Brother Xia who asked me just before leaving; it seemed he was quite interested in attending.”

Tia tiptoed slightly, trying to appear calm as she spoke.

Ah, so it was to accompany him?

Shirina didn’t think much of it, not even considering Tia might be lying.

After all, her usual demeanor was too aloof for anyone to suspect her of deceiving.

Looking at the two extra invitations in her hand, Tia took a deep breath.

“Would you like to come in for a bit?”

“No, thank you.”

After declining Shirina’s invitation, Tia left, weighed down by her thoughts.

As she walked down the empty street, she finally exhaled a long-held breath.

In fact, just now, she had deceived Shirina.

Xia had no idea about attending the banquet.

Moreover, Tia didn’t plan to tell him either; instead, she intended to disguise herself to sneak into the banquet.

The reasoning was simple.

This could be one of the very few opportunities for her to get close to that annoying brat.

It wasn’t that she was fixated on him.

Rather, she felt an irresistible urge to learn about the missing twelve years of her memories.

Through that damned kid, she wanted to piece together her lost past, even if it meant resorting to rough methods of coercion.

But, in the end, this was a private meeting with another man.

In both the Silent Church and societal norms, it would be seen as improper.

Even though Tia loathed that man to the core, it still seemed inappropriate.

Hence, she decided to keep it completely under wraps.

Just like a little secret buried deep down in her heart.

“Sorry, Brother Xia.”

Under the moonlight, the girl whispered to herself, troubled.

(P.S.: Seven thousand words for this big chapter! There will be two more chapters tonight! As a new month begins, I aim to return to the daily thousand mark!!! Please support with monthly tickets!!!)

Please support with monthly tickets!!!