Chapter 72: A Bright Future
“She’s gone… oh well,” Bai said, not overly concerned.
Isabelle had always been loyal to the Abyssal Lord. Her respect for Bai stemmed from her belief that Bai was the Abyssal Lord’s daughter—a possibility Bai herself found unlikely.
Isabelle’s departure was also a relief. As a demon commander, her presence was a constant source of instability. This was a welcome development.
Perhaps Isabelle had realized this as well, choosing to leave at this opportune moment.
Regardless, that chapter was closed.
Bai stretched, her small, delicate frame revealed.
At Leticia’s insistence, she had finally removed the bandages she had kept wrapped around her body.
Now, if she stood up straight, a slight curve was visible.
“So there is potential,” Leticia had commented.
Bai, however, found it a burden. Flat was fine; it saved on fabric.
“Alright, break’s over. Back to work,” she said, ruffling Ara’s hair and pulling her close, then returning to the documents Ara had just retrieved from the Crown Guard headquarters.
After reviewing some routine files, she noticed a pale yellow envelope tucked inside.
Yellow envelopes were for urgent matters.
She opened it, her brow furrowing as she read.
“…Rolof? He succeeded?”
The letter had been written recently, sent with urgency.
The Crown Guard must have deemed it important enough for her to see, which was why it had been included in her files.
But she was surprised by Rolof’s successful return. Given her knowledge of the Abyssal Demon Realm, and Queen Shaya’s pride, it was hard to believe he had returned alive, and with good news.
“What is Queen Shaya up to…?”
Bai didn’t believe the letter’s claim that Rolof’s knightly spirit and charisma had swayed the Queen into complying with the Empire’s demands.
But she hadn’t considered that Queen Shaya’s actions might be a ploy to manipulate her.
“…And Rolof is resigning? Handing over his command to me? And it was his idea?”
The more she read, the stranger it seemed. If not for the unique psychic seal of the Knights, she would have thought it was a prank.
Although the position of Commander wasn’t something to be given away lightly, with her current status and abilities, and Leticia’s backing, if Rolof stepped down, there would be no obstacle to her taking his place.
And in the past few days, her calm and efficient handling of the capital’s defenses, her coordination of four Knight units, and her successful resolution of several sudden disturbances had earned her the respect of the Empire’s high command.
Although she rarely made public appearances, and was rumored to be only nine and a half years old, she had also gained the respect of the lower-ranking knights, who willingly followed her orders.
Even if the Crown Guard Commander position wasn’t vacant, the Empire had been considering granting her an official title to facilitate her work during the festival.
But Rolof’s actions were still perplexing.
The letter stated that, due to the urgency of the situation, the transfer of command should be done discreetly. Rolof would hand over his command dagger and military seal to Bai in the presence of a Legendary Knight, with the transfer later recorded in the archives.
And it was scheduled for two days from now, the day before the Imperial Festival.
“Strange…”
Bai put the letter away. Although the transfer of command was usually a simple affair, it was still accompanied by a certain degree of ceremony. Rolof seemed desperate to get rid of the position.
“Well, if there’s any trouble, I can just trigger his Demonic Runes,” she decided. Although she rarely used her Demonic Runes, she could now wield the power of the Shadow Demons, and with it, she could manipulate the corruption within Rolof.
Then, he would transform into a monster, and even if she didn’t act, the Legendary Knights would.
As for herself? The capital’s detectors weren’t always active; no one would know she had used her Demonic Runes.
“Anyway, after I enter Vikarn and resolve everything, I’ll take Ara and leave the capital. We can go anywhere we want! Even the Abyssal Demon Realm. I look like a demon anyway…”
She looked down at Ara, dozing on her shoulder, and felt a surge of renewed determination.
…
Meanwhile, Rolof sat in his carriage, returning to the capital, his expression serene.
Of course, he hadn’t willingly given up his command. It had been Queen Shaya’s strange request.
Her only condition had been that he transfer his command to Bai.
Rolof had thought, After I become a demon, I won’t need this position anyway.
And with Bai’s current status, his proposal wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
He had never felt so… euphoric. Since meeting Queen Shaya, the demonic corruption within him had been completely suppressed.
He could even wield its power, like a Demon Hunter, but without any side effects.
Shaya, Queen of the Vampires, possessed an unparalleled understanding of bloodlines. The Shadow Demon runes were child’s play for her.
This was why Rolof was so certain she was helping him, that his gamble had paid off.
Now, after transferring his command to Bai, he could officially leave the capital and travel to the Abyssal Demon Realm to receive Shaya’s promised bloodline purification, to replace his corrupted Shadow Demon runes with the most powerful bloodline in the Abyss: the Vampire bloodline.
A bright future lay before him, and a faint smile touched his lips.
However, he didn’t notice a faint, crimson eye, concealed by his aura, following him from a distance.
