George III wore a pair of small mustaches, his features resolute. Stern and old-fashioned, even though he was dressed only in everyday clothing, he still gave off an imposing, domineering aura.
Ebner raised his head and sized him up a few times. Because the "Owen" avatar could not communicate with the Pure White Eye, he was unable to determine whether the other party was the true body or merely an "Imagined" avatar.
"If this is just an 'Imagined' one, then among the people present, not a single one is a true body…
"I won't even mention that although the 'Owen' avatar is 'real,' it's still something whose loss wouldn't affect anything… and as for the so-called 'Zaratul,' it's nothing more than a 'Worm of Spirit' attached to a projection.
"And Princess Vera is just an 'empty shell'—her current essence is actually those 'mists' hidden who knows where.
"Thinking about it this way, this really is a completely 'fake' meeting… I just wonder what kind of effect it would have if used as material for a 'mystical reenactment'…
"Of course, there must still be an angel of the Augustus family hidden inside Sodorak Palace."
As his thoughts turned, Ebner withdrew the arm he had around Vera and, adopting Owen's manner from memory, bowed to George III:
"Your Majesty, this time I have brought you a reliable friend.
"The President of the Secret Order, His Highness Zaratul."
As he spoke, his heart stirred, and he caused that historical projection of Zaratul—tainted by the "Unknown"—to manifest.
The moment "Zaratul" appeared, he glanced toward a position diagonally behind the throne and said bluntly, "Your Majesty George III, I have come to seek an alliance."
George III narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the black-robed elder beside Owen for a while before smiling and saying,
"So it is His Highness Zaratul!
"I have heard that more than a hundred years ago, you stopped involving yourself in the affairs of the Secret Order. Why have you chosen to ally with our Augustus family this time?"
Under Ebner's control, the bearded "Zaratul" chuckled and said,
"Your Majesty, the Augustus family's scheme to advance to the Black Emperor may fool the Churches, but it cannot fool me, who once helped Roselle.
"Moreover, I was once a member of that organization myself, so I have some understanding of Him.
"Therefore, I am willing to place my bet on the Augustus family and help you deal with any obstacles that may arise during the ritual.
"But correspondingly, I also need you to help me deal with Amon… of course, when it comes to dealing with 'Amon,' our positions should be aligned."
Hearing the name "Amon," George III felt a sudden realization, believing he had grasped Zaratul's intent. However, he was somewhat puzzled by the last sentence:
"There is no conflict between the Augustus family and Amon. Why do you say our positions are the same?"
Ebner smiled with confidence and instead asked, "Your Majesty, do you know what the godhood ritual of the Marauder pathway is?"
George III frowned. He truly did not know. After all, there had never been a precedent of someone becoming a god through the Marauder pathway, so there was nothing to infer from.
Seeing the king slowly shake his head, Ebner enunciated the answer word by word:
"To replace someone else at their godhood ritual!"
At this point, he paused, looked at the trace of shock that surfaced on George III's face, and said in a bewitching tone:
"You are also aware that Amon, who was born an Angel King, has likely already gathered all the materials. The only thing he lacks is the ritual itself.
"And you are probably the only person before the apocalypse who is attempting to ascend to godhood… do you think Amon would miss such an opportunity?"
He deliberately exaggerated Amon's strength and emphasized the rarity of godhood candidates, misleading George III into believing that Amon was the greatest enemy.
In any case, it was unlikely that George III would go verify this with Amon himself.
After hearing this, George III fell silent for a long time, clearly shaken. However, he still did not make a decision immediately. He merely nodded and said:
"I will give serious consideration to the alliance you propose… and I will also need to seek the opinions of my elders. I hope you will understand, 'Your Highness.'"
"Heh heh, it's fine. This is only our first contact. A lack of trust is normal. You may freely find someone to verify my words," "Zaratul" replied.
"Thank you for your understanding, His Highness Zaratul. You truly are a generous elder," George III casually praised him before changing the topic and asking pointedly,
"Once we have reached a decision, how should we contact you?"
"Zaratul" pointed to "Owen" beside him and said, "If you wish to find me, you can contact him directly."
Before his words had even faded, his figure vanished on the spot.
Owen also bowed at the appropriate moment, expressing that he was honored to serve as the bridge.
George III narrowed his eyes again, then smiled and said, "Very well."
As he spoke, he formally turned his gaze to Owen and cast him an ambiguous look:
"Owen… no, Mr. 'Lust,' I hear you captured the 'Yellow Saintess' and the 'Red Saintess' in Trier?"
"Yes, Your Majesty… they both left me with unforgettable memories," Ebner replied in Owen's tone, following along with his words.
George III stared at him deeply for a moment before saying carefully:
"You should know that the Augustus family is currently allied with the Demoness Sect. The matter of you capturing their two Saintesses—I endured considerable pressure to help you suppress it, preventing the 'Black Saintess' from seeking revenge against you…
"So I advise you to release them. I can mediate and ensure that the Demoness Sect will no longer trouble you.
"Moreover, as far as I know, aside from the 'Black Saintess,' there is another Catastrophe Demoness within the Demoness Sect. Coupled with the '0'-grade Sealed Artifact they control, even with His Highness Zaratul backing you, you may not be able to evade their assassination."
"The 'Black Saintess' coming to trouble me? How is that even possible? She's as obedient as a pet in front of me right now! You're really lying through your teeth… truly worthy of an old noble!
"And you probably don't even know that the 'Yellow Saintess' is actually the other Catastrophe Demoness of the Demoness Sect, do you?"
Ebner mocked inwardly, while outwardly he appeared extremely hesitant. After a long while, he deliberately put on an indignant expression and said:
"But if it weren't for their sudden ambush, our Delien family would not have had outsiders secretly infiltrate our family's hidden grounds, ultimately leading to our destruction…
"They haven't paid a sufficient price yet—how could I possibly let them go?!"
Hearing this, George III's spirits lifted. Without revealing anything, he asked, "What exactly happened in Trier?"
Although MI9's intelligence personnel had been continuously investigating the truth of the incident, on the one hand, too little time had passed, and on the other, much of the intelligence had been sealed by the Churches. With rumours flying and facts scarce, it was difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.
"It was Charlie Delien, bewitched by a demon of the Noss family, who conducted a ritual and allowed the 'Dark Side of the Universe' to descend upon Trier…
"This was a scheme pushed forward by multiple factions, all in order to uncover what secret Roselle left behind for that 'ancestor' of our family—that is, the former MI9 renegade agent 'Julia'—what exactly she obtained from Roselle.
"I also hoped to obtain that secret, which is why I allowed the Prime Minister's actions to proceed… but who would have thought that at the critical moment, I would be stopped outside the ancestral residence by the Demonesses!
"Because of this, a group of people of unknown affiliation infiltrated the ancestral residence, slaughtered all the family members who remained there, and emptied the family treasury…
"And in the end, that secret Roselle left behind was activated by that group, using it to resolve the descent of the 'Abyss.'"
As Ebner spoke, he deliberately made his expression look extremely unpleasant.
George III pondered for a while before asking again, "Do you know who those people who entered your family were?"
"They may have been remnants of Roselle's 'Men in Black,' or they may have been people of the 'Mystic Queen'… after all, you should have also received intelligence that the ones who resisted the 'Abyss' invasion at the very first moment were the Gustav siblings," Ebner said. Not a single sentence was false, yet he completely removed himself from the matter.
(End of chapter)