Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 247: The Ancient Ruins (Part-19)

To her, the matter was simple. No matter how powerful the owners had once been, they were already dust beneath history. What remained was merely opportunity. The ruin existed for one purpose: to pass on power. Sentiment, reverence, or ceremony were unnecessary burdens.

Prince Kael listened in silence. Seeing that Guinvere did not push her words any further, the tension in his chest eased slightly.

In his world, status, lineage, and reputation mattered far less than intent. As long as Guinvere did not deliberately target Zora, he had no interest in engaging her.

His gaze shifted naturally to the woman beside him.

Zora met Guinvere’s eyes briefly, then looked away. "Our paths," she thought calmly, "were never meant to align indeed."

To her, Guinvere’s confidence bordered on arrogance.

Confidence born of ability was a strength, but confidence that refused humility was nothing but arrogance, which is actually a hidden weakness that strikes very hard when one’s luck runs out.

After all, Cultivation was a long road. There was always someone stronger, always a higher sky beyond the current one. Only those who kept an open mind could walk far without breaking.

Arrogance, on the other hand, shattered easily. And when it did, the fall was devastating.

Before she could speak again, Sigmund stepped forward, positioning himself beside Guinvere with an almost instinctive eagerness.

"Miss Guinvere is right, Miss Zora," he said with a faint laugh. "Even if you bow to these statues until dawn, the owners of the ruin won’t appear. Treating this like some sacred ritual is nothing more than a joke."

Zora turned slowly, her gaze settling on Sigmund. Her expression was calm, but there was a sharp clarity in her eyes.

"The owners may not manifest," she replied evenly, "but if one treats their legacy with such contempt, then expecting to inherit it so easily might be wishful thinking."

Sigmund waved a hand dismissively, the corners of his mouth lifting in confidence. "Miss Zora worries too much. In the end, inheritance chooses strength and talent. Nothing else matters."

Inside the chaos ring, Black nearly rolled his eyes.

"This Sigmund is hopeless," he muttered. "From start to finish, he’s been played by Guinvere, and he still runs around feeling proud."

White shook its head with quiet disdain. "People like him always think they’re clever. When reality hits, it hits the hardest."

Zora did not respond immediately. Instead, she took one slow step forward, her voice soft but unmistakably sharp.

"Since Mr. Sigmund is so confident," she said, "why isn’t the Glaze Sword in your hand?"

The words landed like a stone dropped into still water.

Sigmund’s expression froze. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. That single sentence pierced straight through his composure, exposing a truth he had no way to refute.

For a moment, the hall felt unnaturally quiet.

Guinvere’s gaze then sharpened instantly, the chill in her eyes like frost settling at dawn.

"Miss Zora is merely lucky," She then said coldly. "To be so proud over a coincidence... isn’t that a bit excessive?"

Sigmund, who had been simmering with anger after Zora’s earlier sarcasm, felt that frustration ease the moment Guinvere spoke in his defense. The irritation on his face softened, replaced by a faint, almost smug satisfaction. In his eyes, this alone was proof that Guinvere cared, at least a little.

Prince Kael’s brows knit together slightly. He took an unhurried step forward, positioning himself beside Zora, his presence steady and unmistakable.

Before he could speak, Zora calmly beat him to it.

"Miss Guinvere and Mr. Sigmund seem quite close," she said lightly, her lips curving into a teasing smile. "Sigmund hasn’t even finished speaking, yet Miss Guinvere is already stepping in for him. That’s truly... thoughtful. Don’t tell me your heart is being moved by Mr. Sigmund’s stance or something?"

As soon as those words landed cleanly, sharp beneath their casual tone, Guinvere’s expression changed instantly. The cold arrogance drained from her face, replaced by a flash of anger and a hint of panic. Her complexion turned faintly pale, then darkened with restrained fury.

In contrast, Sigmund’s eyes lit up with unconcealed delight. He could not help thinking that Guinvere’s attitude toward him had indeed shifted after everything that had happened.

"You’re talking nonsense. I didn’t!" Guinvere couldn’t help but be snapped, denying it almost reflexively.

Yet even as she spoke, her gaze slid toward Prince Kael, her beautiful face tightening with unease. What she feared most was not Zora’s words, but the possibility that Prince Kael might believe them.

"There’s no need to rush to deny it," Zora replied with a graceful smile, her tone warm and amused. "I was only making casual conversation. But seeing how anxious Miss Guinvere is to clarify things... it almost makes it seem like there really is something there."

Guinvere’s face darkened further, her chest tightening with frustration.

In that instant, she realized she had been outplayed. What she intended as a subtle jab at Zora had been effortlessly turned back on her, and worse, she had no clean way to explain herself.

"Brother Kael..." she said quickly, turning to Prince Kael, her voice softening as anxiety crept in. "You have to believe me."

To her, nothing else mattered. The opinions of the others were irrelevant. What truly terrified her was losing the trust of the man standing before her.

Prince Kael smiled faintly, the curve of his lips calm and inscrutable. "Sigmund is talented and promising," he said evenly with an approving nod. "A dragon among men, one could say."

The words were polite, even complimentary, yet they struck Guinvere like a blow.

Her heart sank abruptly. She stared at Prince Kael in disbelief, a hollow ache spreading through her chest. After all these years... did he truly feel nothing for her at all?

Just then, Zora’s attention shifted.

Her gaze lifted toward the female statue at the center of the hall. On the statue’s gently raised palm, she noticed something subtle, almost imperceptible, a slight protrusion that didn’t belong.

Her eyes narrowed.

She exchanged a quick look with Prince Kael. Without a word, her figure moved, light and swift, as she leapt into the air.

In that instant, her suspicion was confirmed.

The woman’s statue did indeed have a deliberately raised point embedded in the palm.

Almost simultaneously, as if Prince Kael realized it from Zora’s actions, he moved as well, his figure soaring toward the male statue opposite it. If the arrangement was symmetrical, then the answer was obvious.

The rest of the crowd watched in confusion, their eyes widening as Zora and Prince Kael suddenly took action without warning.

Before anyone could react, Zora pressed her palm firmly against the raised point in the female statue’s hand.

A soft click echoed through the hall.

At nearly the same moment, Prince Kael did the same.

Another click sounded, clear and unmistakable.

For a heartbeat, silence reigned.

Then murmurs erupted.

"What? The mechanism was in the statues’ hands?"

"How did we miss something so obvious?"

Shock rippled through the hall as realization dawned on everyone’s faces.

Guinvere and Sigmund stood frozen where they were, their expressions stiff with disbelief.

Only moments earlier, they had mocked Zora for wasting time on the statues, convinced that such theatrics could never lead anywhere. Now, reality had answered them with a sharp, merciless slap to the face.

After landing lightly on the ground, Zora frowned.

She had clearly heard the sound of the mechanism activating when she pressed the statue’s palm, yet the main hall remained unchanged. The vast space was still silent and unmoving, as if nothing at all had happened. The lack of any immediate reaction made her heart sink slightly. Something was happening, but not in the way she had expected.

Before she could think further, Reesa’s startled voice rang out, breaking the tension. "Zora! Look at your feet!"

Zora lowered her gaze and instantly stiffened.

Beneath her feet, a crimson circular halo had appeared out of nowhere. It hovered just above the floor, perfectly round, its edges glowing softly. Within the halo, an intricate totem slowly rotated, formed of lines so complex and ancient that it made one’s scalp tingle just by looking at it.

The totem radiated an indescribable pressure, as though some sealed power lay dormant within, quietly observing everyone present.

At a glance, it was obvious that this was no ordinary phenomenon.

"What... is this?" Zora murmured, her brows knitting together. She had never seen anything like it even in her past life, nor could she immediately guess its purpose.

Her gaze shifted instinctively, and her eyes widened slightly. "What?"