During the Holy Knights' secret ritual, their situation would be very vulnerable. They would have to deal with every kind of thing that posed a threat to their ritual, their focus narrowed to a single, all-consuming purpose.
As the leaders of humanity, humans were never a real threat to them. They could manipulate their thinking so easily with fake propaganda, using news outlets and articles to twist the truth to their liking. Not to mention, almost more than half of humanity were just blind believers of the Holy Knights, hanging on their every word, their faith a shield against any doubt. They could never be a real threat.
That only left the demon kings. Even then, except for the fifth and sixth demon king, all the other demon kings were like they were living in their own world, barely showing up and having anything to do with harming humanity at all. Still, they had to be wary of them to a certain level. Who knows, they might change their minds, especially the first demon king.
Everything was going fine, their plan unfolding like a well-written script. But then, one more imposter arrived in this world—Scarlett. And in no time, she became a bigger threat to their plan than even the demon kings. The fifth demon king had already been killed by her, and the sixth demon king had disappeared or maybe died, no one knew for sure.
Of course, they had to take every measure to ensure that Scarlett wouldn't end up destroying their years of planning in a single day. So, keeping her busy was the best thing they could do. While she would be busy taking her sweet time, wiping out other Holy Knights and Mystveil's army, they would have the time they needed.
Vesilisa and Arthur would oversee the ritual and make sure it was successfully completed in time, their faith in their plan absolute.
"Wait a minute," Scarlett thought to herself, her mind racing. "Is that why Avion told me to start with the kingdom of Armament? Since they both shook hands, the ritual might take place near the borders of Armament and Mystveil?" Somehow, the situation was starting to make even more sense, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place in her mind.
Avion had indirectly given her a mission: to defeat that unknown king of Armament in his own home ground, for framing her, and then rush for Mystveil to destroy the ritual. Or maybe, the ritual might take place in Armament itself, so she would have to fight both Armament and Mystveil there.
But of course, there was one major problem with that. If she fought with Armament and the separate forces of Mystveil who were guarding the ritual, then all the other Holy Knights and the main army of Mystveil that would be attacking DreadHaven... she couldn't deal with them then. She would have to trust DreadHaven to defeat them by themselves.
Of course, unless she kept teleporting here and there dozens of times, fighting from both sides. That would surely be very confusing and tiring.
"Decisions... decisions..." Scarlett sighs, the weight of the world on her shoulders. But there was no point in dwelling too much on it right now. Thus, she decided to focus on the conversation going on below again.
Effie trembles slightly again, her fear a cold knot in her stomach, and nods. "I'll give you my answer by tomorrow evening," she says, her voice a little shaky but firm.
Adam nods with a smile, his holy mask back in place. "Okay. Almeida will attack by tomorrow night, so make sure to give an answer before that," he replies, his voice smooth and confident.
"May the Goddess bless you," he adds, a final, manipulative touch, and then turns around, leaving the throne room with light steps.
Once Scarlett was certain he had completely left the palace, she and Leonidas finally descended the stairs, their careful movements becoming relaxed and natural.
"Did I do alright? Or should i have needed more time?" Effie asked, her eyes darting nervously between Scarlett and Leonidas as she twisted the hem of her sleeve.
"You did wonderfully," Scarlett said with a warm smile. "To be honest, much better than I expected." She meant every word—Effie's performance had exceeded her expectations, and Scarlett wished she could offer some token of appreciation. Nothing immediately came to mind that would be meaningful.
The usual gift would be golden apples, but Scarlett knew that Liorra, the merchant queen, had been selling them throughout the kingdom. As a countess, Effie would undoubtedly already possess some, especially since worth golden apples were practically pocket change for nobles like her.
Scarlett turned to Leonidas, who stood silently nearby, his hands clasped behind his back. "Well then, the rest is up to you. I'll be going now."
A soft shimmer rippled through the air around Scarlett, and in an instant, she vanished from sight completely.
She hadn't teleported directly to Dreadhaven, though. Instead, she was still in Gwarga, soaring through the sky with her magnificent six wings spread wide. Each wing stretched at least eight feet, catching the sunlight and casting iridescent patterns on the clouds below.
She was on her way to meet some particular people—she knew their address but had never visited personally, so teleporting there wasn't an option.
Flying through the air for mere seconds, her speed was astonishing. To anyone below, she would have been nothing but a blur streaking across the sky, leaving a faint trail of disturbed air behind her.
A few minutes later, she hovered above her destination: a grand mansion surrounded by acres of farmland. The property belonged to Vermillion, Jenessa, and Kaelan—the humans who had first arrived in Dreadhaven. After striking it rich with golden apples and making a deal with Liorra, they had initially purchased just the mansion.
Then, seeking a peaceful way to pass their days, they'd bought the surrounding lands as well and essentially turned their lives into a farming simulator.
But something was terribly wrong.
While the mansion itself appeared intact, the surrounding land looked as though a massive explosion had torn through it. The ground was blackened in patches, crops lay burned around like trash, and multiple craters pockmarked what should have been fertile fields.
Scarlett didn't waste time dwelling on the destruction. With a single flap of her powerful wings, she descended gracefully onto the balcony instead of approaching from the gates.
Inside the mansion, on the upper floor, Vermillion sat in a comfortable chair positioned between the balcony and the room's interior. His gaze drifted toward the horizon, though he angled himself to avoid the summer sun's intense glare.
In the main room, Jenessa and Kaelan were engaged in what could only be described as a playful pillow fight, throwing pillows at each other with their best.
As Vermillion's eyes wandered across the sky, he noticed a figure descending toward them. The sunlight behind her cast her in shadow, obscuring her features.
"An angel?" he whispered to himself.
As she drew closer, the shadow shifted, revealing her identity.
"Wait... it's Lady Scarlett!" Vermillion exclaimed, jumping to his feet in surprise.
Jenessa and Kaelan overheard him and immediately stopped their pillow fight, turning toward the balcony.
"Lady Scarlett?" Jenessa repeated in disbelief.
Her question was answered as she spotted Scarlett landing gracefully on the balcony.
"Long time no see, fellas!" Scarlett called out, her tone relaxed and friendly.
She strolled inside as though she owned the place, settling comfortably on a plush sofa.
"Can I get you something to drink? Water, juice... tea?" Jenessa asked, already moving toward the sideboard.
Scarlett shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm here on urgent business and don't have much time."
Instantly, Vermillion, Jenessa, and Kaelan gathered around her, their playful demeanor replaced by serious expressions as they prepared to listen.
"You're all aware of the current situation, right?" Scarlett asked.
Kaelan sighed. "Everyone knows about it."
"Hmm... what do you three think? Am I a goddess or not?" Scarlett asked with a faint smile playing on her lips.
Instead of offering flattering words, Vermillion grinned mischievously. "I don't know about being some goddess's incarnation, but you're certainly a goddess of fortune for us."
Scarlett burst into laughter, genuinely amused by his response.
"Good answer," she said, still chuckling.
Then her smile faded, replaced by a more solemn expression.
"Actually, I need your help," Scarlett admitted.
"Help? From us?" Jenessa repeated in disbelief.
All three exchanged confused glances.
"Well, I am a goddess, but I'm also not the goddess people think I am," Scarlett explained carefully. "To be precise, I'm not an incarnation of the goddess that humans worship—I'm a goddess in my own right. But right now, I need your help to prove that I'm the goddess they worship."
Seeing their bewildered expressions, she added, "Was that too confusing?"
"No, no... of course not," Vermillion said, snapping back to attention. "But why and how?"
Scarlett exhaled slowly. "Because I need more followers and to fix my reputation as well. The situation is so tense right now, and I need to prove myself somehow. What you've been reading in newspapers and articles—it's all lies. I didn't do those things they're claiming. They're trying everything to destroy my reputation."
Before she could continue, Jenessa interrupted her gently.
"There's no need to explain yourself to us," Jenessa said with an assuring smile. "We never believed those stories in the first place."
Her voice grew more emotional with each word. "Goddess or not, that doesn't change the fact that you've helped us—and all of Gwarga—multiple times. You even saved us from the demon king. We can never repay that debt."
Scarlett felt genuinely touched by their loyalty. She had expected they might have grown arrogant after their newfound wealth, that she'd need to reason with them before asking for their help.
"I was completely wrong about them," she thought to herself, feeling a pang of guilt for having misjudged their character so thoroughly.