"Oh, and you as well."
Hel smiled faintly, then waved her hand, extracting the personal maid's soul as well.
Since Imshi's avatar was also present, Hel could no longer afford to act as carelessly as she usually did.
At the very least, she couldn't allow a repeat of what had happened after the Second Princess's "accidental" death—where the substitute maid had supposedly committed suicide out of guilt, only for an inspection to reveal that her body contained no soul at all, exposing the truth.
The personal maid could die—but not now.
Until she obtained the Authority of Flowers, Hel needed to keep her identity concealed as much as possible.
Meanwhile, after leaving the scene, Rowan III did not immediately head for the Sky Garden.
Instead, he paid a visit to the Church, held a lengthy discussion with a high-ranking bishop, and offered some "benefits."
Only then did he receive an approval document.
At the same time, the high bishop who oversaw all religious affairs in the Kingdom of Gordon personally accompanied him to the Sky Garden.
After all, anything involving witches was no trivial matter—especially something as serious as entering a sealing site.
And just as they were making their way toward the Sky Garden, the First Princess was also heading there.
There were currently three Saint-tier experts left in Gordon City. Aside from Spur, the other two were the very individuals Rowan III had mentioned earlier.
Originally, there had been four.
But one of them had been lured away by Imshi to participate in the siege against York.
Unfortunately, the battle there was going poorly.
Imshi had dispatched many powerful experts, including two Saint-tier members of the Church, yet they still couldn't deal with York—and had even suffered heavy losses in return.
This made Imshi increasingly anxious.
So she decided to mobilize a few more Saint-tier experts.
However, to her surprise, when the two remaining Saints saw the archbishop's orders she presented, they refused without hesitation.
After all, one came from the Knight Empire and the other from the Sothar(Magic) Empire. They had nothing to do with the Ymir Empire.
Did Ymir's archbishop really think a single order was enough to make them risk their lives?
That was no different from trying to execute officials of the current dynasty using an imperial sword from a fallen one.
Having hit a dead end, Imshi had no choice but to go to the Sky Garden to seek out the final Saint-tier expert.
Spur Ymir—an emperor from a previous generation of the Ymir Empire.
After reaching the late Saint stage, he had abdicated the throne and traveled to the Holy Court for further training.
He successfully joined the Order of Holy Judgment Knights and received a transplant of a Great Saint's Remains.
Moreover, the organ he received—a lung—was considered one of the more valuable parts.
Even among the Great Saint's Remains, there were different tiers:
Fourteen "flesh remains" organs, including the five viscera, facial organs, and limbs, and sixteen "bone remains" forming the skeleton.
Generally, people from the Three Great Empires were not qualified to receive flesh remains—unless…
Their talent, strength, and status were exceptional enough for the Church to break its own rules.
Spur was precisely such a person.
He even held a seat among the Holy Judgment Knights.
Although his ranking was near the bottom—71st, only slightly above the last—it was still a symbol of strength.
At the very least, within the territory of the Three Great Empires, excluding those Holy Judgment Knights ranked above him, Spur was practically unmatched.
If Imshi were present in her true form, such a figure would be nothing to her.
But now, with Ymir's native Saint-tier experts being crushed by York, and the two foreign Saints refusing her orders, Spur—being the closest Saint-tier expert to York—became her best option.
Still, Imshi had her concerns.
Spur had spent time in the Holy Court. It was possible he knew York or the Remedy family behind him.
If he grew suspicious because of this, things would only become more troublesome.
Yet the other Saint-tier experts were either stationed in their own imperial capitals or guarding the Watchtower Wall.
By the time they arrived, York would have long since broken through her encirclement and returned to the Scholars' Nation.
On the other side, the Sky Garden was a floating island built above the central lake of the inner city, suspended on the water through alchemy and magic.
The only way to reach it was via a glass walkway partially submerged beneath the lake's surface.
Beyond the walkway lay a meticulously arranged sea of flowers.
Further in stood a massive fountain.
It was a tiered waterfall composed of twenty-four fountains and thirteen marble statues.
Magically propelled water streams overlapped like gentle wings, and the mist they created refracted the sunlight into rings of rainbow light.
At the elevated platform directly in front of the fountain stood a marble pavilion covered in climbing vines.
From the round stools inside, one could enjoy a perfect view of both the magnificent fountain and the blooming flower fields.
Three people were in the pavilion.
A thin, silver-haired old man who still looked fairly healthy sat quietly, enjoying his afternoon tea.
Behind him, a young maid was massaging his shoulders.
However, something about her was strange.
Her gaze was dull, and atop her head grew a flower bud that had yet to bloom.
Beside the maid stood a blond-haired youth.
His narrow, triangular eyes frequently drifted toward the maid, clearly harboring improper thoughts.
"Little Geddes, you've glanced at my maid thirty-four times since just now. If you want her, as long as you can pay the price, I'm not unwilling to part with her."
Hearing this, the future head of the Gordon Trading Company—the future Marquis Geddes, and also the old man's youngest disciple—forced out an awkward smile.
"Teacher, you jest. This student doesn't have enough gold to buy the princess of the Windmill Kingdom as a maid.
I simply didn't expect your influence to be so great.
Just because of a single casual remark from you, the Wyndham family sent one of their main-line descendants to you as a slave."
The old man showed little reaction to the flattery.
After taking a sip of honeyed black tea, he replied indifferently:
"She's just a useless waste who couldn't even reach the fifth tier. If it weren't for the legendary bloodline in her body, I wouldn't have looked twice at her.
Still, her appearance is passable.
Only a girl of such beauty can be used to cultivate a truly top-grade Crystal Lotus."