Translator: CinderTL
Roland took a deep breath, quickly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
He reached out to check the assassin's neck for vital signs, confirming the man was beyond saving. He shook his head slightly.
His gaze then fell upon the bizarre creature curled up near the assassin's ear.
"What is that...?"
"A Soul-Devouring Midge," Gloria explained, struggling to her feet, her voice weak but clear, as if sensing his confusion. "A... grotesque abyssal creature capable of eroding its host's mind and soul."
As she spoke, she carefully helped Mel, who was leaning against her, to stand. After examining the female official's injuries and administering emergency treatment, Gloria breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed Mel was out of immediate danger.
She subtly tensed, her gaze shifting to Roland with a barely perceptible hint of wariness. "May I ask... who are you, sir?"
"Roland," he replied, lifting his eyes to signal Theresa to approach before calmly rising to his feet. "A student from the River Domain Nations' traveling scholars party."
The revelation of Roland's identity caused Mel, pale from blood loss and on the verge of collapse, to tighten her grip on Gloria's torn sleeve. Her voice, barely a whisper, carried a desperate warning:
"Your Highness... please be careful. News from the royal capital claims that students from the River Domain Nations assassinated Earl Auston and Knight Leonard. They even..."
"I think..." Roland interrupted before Mel could finish.
To demonstrate his sincerity, he slowly sheathed the Mithril Longsword.
"Surely Her Imperial Highness wouldn't believe such absurd accusations?"
"Of course not, Mr. Roland." Gloria lifted her head, meeting the gaze of the man who stood nearly a head taller than her.
Only now did she truly see his face.
The stark contrast between his remarkably youthful features and the lethal skill he had just displayed sent a tremor through her azure eyes.
But she quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat and elegantly wiping the blood from her lips as she spoke with unwavering calm.
"This must be the pretext Duke Arno is seeking to justify his war, isn't it?"
Hearing this deduction, Roland swallowed the prepared speech he had been about to deliver, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
He raised an eyebrow slightly and reached into his waist pouch, withdrawing a small crystal bottle.
Inside the bottle was the strange liquid he had collected earlier from the wreckage of the pitch-black armor controlled by abyssal energy.
"Your insight is truly remarkable. This aligns perfectly with my own assessment. And this..."
As he spoke, he slowly leaned forward and gently pushed the crystal bottle toward Gloria's feet.
"Perhaps this can serve as evidence of our innocence."
"Princess Gloria!" Mel called out weakly but urgently, warning her as the unknown liquid rolled closer.
But Gloria merely patted Mel's tense arm reassuringly before carefully bending down to pick up the crystal bottle.
"This is..."
She cautiously opened the bottle's stopper and took a tentative sniff. Her expression instantly changed.
The familiar yet unsettling aroma made her jerk her head up, a bitter smile tinged with shock appearing at the corner of her lips.
"I never imagined... that a powerful duke would be mining the abyss and dabbling in such strength. This is truly..."
She shook her head, swallowing the rest of her sentence. Stepping forward, she returned the crystal bottle to Roland and looked him directly in the eye.
"Tell me... was my brother, Lucius, also involved in this?"
Seeing the Imperial Princess finally lower some of her defenses, Roland secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He took the crystal bottle and tucked it back into his pouch, then shook his head gently. He briefly recounted the ambush, the appearance of the abyssal creature, and Duke Arno's suspected involvement.
"I can only confirm that the abyssal creature originated from Duke Arno. As for Prince Lucius..."
His gaze swept over the three assassins' corpses on the ground, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.
"I understand."
Gloria took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, the lingering panic had been suppressed, replaced by a calm resolve.
"Then, Mr. Roland, if you came to seek me out specifically, is there something you require my assistance with?"
"Please allow me to offer a slight correction, Princess Gloria," Roland replied calmly.
"We are not seeking unilateral protection, but rather... mutual assistance."
"Since Duke Arno and Prince Lucius have dared to target the King's other children, it proves they have abandoned all restraint. This assassination attempt is unlikely to be their last, and you—"
Observing Gloria's slightly disheveled appearance, Roland stated matter-of-factly, "Currently appear to lack the means to defend against such attacks."
Gloria remained silent, finally nodding heavily in agreement with his assessment. She then spoke directly, "Then... perhaps we could bypass the main roads and head for the northern frontier, where my royal father, King Monen's, armies are stationed."
"Once we reach there, not only will our safety be guaranteed, but your names will be cleared. By then—"
"Princess, while this plan is sound, Duke Arno and Prince Lucius are not fools." Roland shook his head, rejecting the proposal.
"The journey to the northern frontier is long and arduous. Now that the Soul-Devouring Midge has been slain, Duke Arno, who manipulates the abyss's power from behind the scenes, has likely detected the disturbances here."
"He will undoubtedly deploy heavy forces, setting up layers of ambushes along our inevitable routes and conducting rigorous inspections. At that point, we would be walking straight into his trap."
Gloria pondered for a moment, then reluctantly admitted that Roland's reasoning was more sound.
"Then..."
She lifted her head, her azure eyes filled with inquiry.
"What course of action do you propose?"
"Simple."
Roland paused briefly before speaking decisively.
"While we don't yet fully grasp the scope of Duke Arno and Prince Lucius's conspiracy, it's clear that Your Highness may not yet be perceived as an immediate threat in their eyes. This is precisely our advantage."
He continued, "They are currently focused on a grander scheme, which buys us precious time. We should evade Duke Arno and Prince Lucius's surveillance, retreat into the shadows, quietly gather our strength, forge alliances with trustworthy allies, and await the opportune moment."
"I understand," Gloria said, nodding gently. Her voice, clear and resolute, belied her youth, revealing a wisdom and courage beyond her years.
"If we're going into hiding, we need a place that's completely unexpected and can provide both shelter and resources."
Her gaze met Roland's, and she spoke each word with deliberate weight:
"We're going to the Corona Lands."
"The Corona Lands?" Roland frowned slightly at the unfamiliar name, but refrained from pressing for details.
Confirming that Gloria had lowered her guard and they had reached a consensus, he signaled Theresa to help the Imperial Princess carefully lift the injured Mel onto horseback.
The group quickly regrouped and departed without hesitation from the blood-soaked killing field in the grove.
Meanwhile, deep within the shadowed depths of Golden Grain City's palace, another clandestine conversation was unfolding in the shadows.
(End of the Chapter)
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