Sword of Salvation-Chapter 91: - Fourth Princess (3)

Vincent Moskvallha elegantly downed a glass of wine.

He sat between two half-naked women, each holding a bottle of wine in their hands. They were sitting on a luxurious sofa on the third floor of the largest exclusive inn in the capital. The open window let in a refreshing breeze, cooling the room.

Vincent was not accompanied only by the two women. Seated on the sofa across from him was a beautiful woman with both arms stretched out. Two men flanked her, each massaging one of her hands. She wore a night robe with no undergarments, but her front was completely exposed.

"Athenia is probably dead by now."

Vincent broke the silence after some time, his eyes locked intensely on the woman before him—Linea Moskvallha, the emperor’s second daughter, more popularly known as Queen of the Night. Though the two women beside him were attractive, Linea was in a league of her own. Even though they were half-siblings, Vincent did not hesitate to stare at her.

"Ten million escal. I’ll let you have a taste. Normally, I charge fifteen million, but for you, I’ll give a five-million discount."

Vincent scoffed at Linea’s words. She was utterly shameless and devoid of morality. He felt like vomiting. Looking was one thing, but doing it was another. He admitted he was a vile person, but even he had limits. There were lines he would not cross.

"You’re disgusting," the prince spat. "I can’t believe I have a half-sister who’s nothing but a whore. No wonder you’re wealthier than Viola. Once I take that old man’s place, I’ll strip you of your princess status. You’re a disgrace to the imperial family."

Linea merely laughed at Vincent’s insult. "You say you’re disgusted, yet your eyes haven’t left my breasts and crotch," she added, completely ignoring the rest of his words. "And I’m sure that thing you’re hiding is reacting too."

Vincent scoffed again, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

"So, what do you mean by ’Athenia is dead’?"

Linea’s voice sounded serious and curious, yet her expression showed little interest.

"Dead means dead," Vincent explained. "Her influence among the commoners has grown too strong to ignore. If left unchecked, she’ll gain massive support for the throne."

He paused and took another sip of wine. "I hired a group of criminal to take care of her," he continued. "I’m using Marquis Sergey as a scapegoat. He’ll take the fall, and I’ll seize all his wealth."

"Oh. You’ll be giving me half of that, right?"

Vincent smirked slightly at her question. This time, his gaze shifted to meet Linea’s eyes. He looked at her seriously.

"I’ll give you 80 percent if you can fabricate evidence that ties Viertino to Sergey’s drastic actions," Vincent bargained. "We need to ruin that man’s reputation. I was humiliated in that last incident."

"90 percent."

Vincent clicked his tongue.

"I’ll do what you ask if you give me 90 percent," Linea stated firmly, irritation clear on her face. "I still haven’t forgiven you for accusing me back then."

Vincent had no retort to that. He needed Linea’s help. Even though most nobles sided with Viertino, Linea held sway over all of them. If someone claimed she had slept with every noble, Vincent would believe it without question.

Only the woman before him had the power to turn Viertino’s supporters against the prime minister.

"Fine," Vincent said with a scoff. "Do what I want, and your payment is 90 percent of Sergey’s wealth."

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

"...Your family is abnormal," Mariel commented after hearing the princess’s explanation. "But what do you think of them after this incident? Do you hate them?"

It wasn’t an important question, but Mariel was curious to know.

"I’m not surprised by this assassination attempt. I don’t feel hatred or anything like that. Vincent sees me as a threat between him and the throne. It’s as simple as that. But if possible, I want to ensure something like this never happens again. Unfortunately..."

"You don’t have enough resources?"

Athenia nodded. "I can only afford a few soldiers and workers," she explained. "I have no influential supporters. I don’t have a large source of funds."

"Tell me, Athenia, what do you want?" Mariel asked as he extended his hand. "If you had influential supporters, a vast source of funds, and strong people by your side, what would you do?"

Athenia took Mariel’s hand and stood up, her gaze locking intensely onto the young man. "I would stop the war that is about to erupt. I would seize the throne. I would eradicate all evil in this land. I would transform this ruthless empire into a utopia."

Mariel burst into laughter at her ambitious answer. Athenia frowned at his reaction, but he ignored it. He had no issue with her first, second, or even third desire. But turning this empire into a utopia? He had never heard a funnier joke.

Eradicating crime alone was already impossible, let alone building a utopia. It was a hollow dream, a laughable fantasy.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I’m serious!"

Mariel stopped laughing at her outburst. His eyes locked onto the princess’s golden-yellow ones. As she said, she was truly serious. Athenia genuinely believed in her own words.

"You know what that means, right?" Mariel asked. "If that’s your wish, you’re prepared to stain your hands with blood, aren’t you?"

Eradicating crime could only be achieved by exterminating criminals and enforcing strict laws and surveillance that reduced the chances of crime to zero. Even so, crime would never truly vanish. As long as humans had desires, the possibility of crime would always exist.

To truly erase crime and establish a utopia, human desires had to be eradicated—humanity had to be purified.

"Of course!" Athenia retorted. "I’m not naive. I know there will be many sacrifices I have to make. There will be a lot of blood I have to spill. I even know that I could be killed easily. I know my dream could wither away as easily as a falling leaf. But I still want to make it happen!"

"In that case, Athenia, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"Starting today," Mariel declared—his body releasing a massive surge of prana, "I, Mariel Allvar, will help you become the ruler of Moskvallha Empire in less than two months. In return, you, Athenia Moskvallha, will show me the utopia you wish to create. You have ten years. If in ten years you fail, I will personally destroy this nation."

Athenia stared at Mariel, caught between awe and fear. The pressure from his unleashed prana cracked the floor beneath them.

"So, will you accept this deal?"

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

Not too far from the house where Mariel was staying, a demon cladded in a blue kimono with black floral patterns sat atop one of the rooftops.

Her name was Anzu, standing at 159 cm tall. She had appeared on the Eastern Continent around 612 years ago. This beautiful demon, with sky-blue eyes and long, jet-black hair as dark as the night, was one of the Super Demons who served directly under Primordial Demon Levia. She was among the strongest and most loyal.

However, today, the demon was not pleased. Her master had ordered her to serve a human named Mariel Allvar, whom she was currently observing from afar. She did not understand her master’s intentions, and the thought of lowering herself before a mere human made her feel sick. Unfortunately, Anzu could not protest.

She would never dare to complain after receiving a task from her master for the first time in 111 years, 2 months, and 17 days. For that reason, no matter how annoyed she felt, Anzu still carried out her master’s orders. That was why she continued watching the young man.

More than half an hour had passed since her target entered the residence, and finally, he emerged. However, this time, he was not alone. Two human women accompanied him. They boarded a horse-drawn carriage and quickly departed—paying no attention to the five human corpses lying beside the carriage.

Anzu silently followed the carriage. After nearly an hour, she came to a stop. She only watched as the carriage entered the palace grounds. She could not enter freely, so Anzu decided to wait until it was later in the night.

She did not make her move until more than three hours had passed.

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

Mariel lay down in one of the rooms in the villa where Athenia was staying. Specifically, his room was right next to the one the princess occupied.

Convincing Athenia had not been difficult. In fact, Mariel had not needed to convince her at all. She was in a position where she would accept even the smallest support. His plan had gone more smoothly than he had expected. Now, they only needed to crush Vincent and establish a tangible influence for Athenia—bringing her one step closer to the throne.

To celebrate a smoothly executed plan, a good night’s sleep was necessary.

However, Mariel could not do that just yet. Some time after leaving the inn, he had realized that someone was following him. He could not pinpoint the exact location of the stalker, but he could sense the direction they were watching from. That person had been observing his room for several minutes now.

Mariel waited several more minutes, but the stalker still did not reveal themselves. He had even deliberately left the window open to make it easier for them to enter.

Growing impatient, Mariel finally sat up and looked toward the spot where the stalker was hiding. He called out, "If you won’t come here, I’ll hunt you down and kill you. You do know that being a stalker is a disgusting profession, don’t you?"

For the first few seconds, there was no response. However, precisely at the fortieth second, a woman revealed herself. The moment Mariel blinked, she was already sitting on the window sill, facing him. She was a demon, and a strong one at that.

"Are you here to devour my soul?" Mariel asked, amused by the situation he found himself in.

"When did you realize I was watching you?"

"You mean stalking?" Mariel did not wait for a response. "I suspected I was being followed since this afternoon. But I didn’t sense any intent to kill from you. From your expression, I can tell you want to leave this place as soon as possible. Yet, for some reason, you’re forced to be here. Tell me, did Levia order you to meet me?"

Mariel had no other conclusion. And when he saw the demon’s eyes widen, he knew he was right.

"...I admit, you’re quite an impressive human. But I still don’t understand why Lady Levia ordered me to serve you. Tell me, Mariel Allvar, what is your connection to Lady Levia? Why did she command all the Super Demons not to antagonize you? Who are you?"

Mariel’s lips curled into a smile upon hearing the demon’s words. He had not expected Levia to make such a bold move. Did she think she could win? Did she think she could influence his actions and thoughts?

Levia had written in her book that everything happening to Mariel—including his encounter with Lukhiel—was neither fate nor mere coincidence. It was all Levia’s will. That demon had been manipulating his life since he was a year old.

’I don’t know how much truth there is in the book you gave me, Levia. But one thing is certain—the outcome will not change. You are not the one controlling me. I am not a king on your game board. You are the queen on mine. Do whatever you can—I won’t rush my way to Maxesonia.’

"I am Mariel Allvar," Mariel said, a smile lingering on his lips. "I don’t know what my connection to Levia is, and it doesn’t matter. Now, introduce yourself and explain your abilities. If you’re going to be my servant, I need to know whether you’re useful or not."