Chapter 17: Danger

Eliana was not merely engaging in polite social pleasantries.

She had not returned to the Metropolis in over a decade; this land had become fundamentally foreign to her. Furthermore, ten years ago, Eliana had never even rubbed shoulders with these high-ranking nobles.

Throughout this banquet—one defined by extreme luxury and hidden undercurrents—Eliana had been observing these aristocrats through the specialized lens of an Inquisitor.

Eliana had never been a person who relied solely on brute force. She possessed every skill necessary to fulfill the duties of an Inquisitor, having completed her work with excellence even in the restrictive environment of Kolun County.

Because of this, she was able to recognize a tragic reality.

“Even as they arrange the Queen’s funeral, not a single one of them actually cares about her death…”

The Dukes were plotting how to carve up the Queen’s legacy and the spoils of the new nobility; the Princesses were laboriously recruiting allies from all quarters, making every preparation to ascend the throne. The rest of the nobles were calculating their allegiances with surgical precision to maximize their own interests.

In the dawning of this new era, everyone had their part to play, but no one remained to mourn the monarch of the old world.

Even the “Remnant Tower”—the organization that assassinated the Queen—was being treated as nothing more than a bargaining chip.

If one could grasp that chip, they could seize control of the commoners who still supported the Queen. In this era of thunderous industrialization, public sentiment had become a weight that could not be ignored. Even the exalted Princesses had to weigh that sentiment against the value of the throne itself.

Eliana felt a profound sense of helplessness; she truly lacked the power to change any of this.

Luo Wei was somewhat surprised to see Eliana reveal such a rare moment of vulnerability in front of others.

“I don’t quite see it that way. I have a feeling that there’s something… strange about all this,” Luo Wei pondered aloud. “Do you think there’s a possibility that the Queen isn’t actually dead?”

Could the Queen, a woman whispered about as if she were a living legend, truly have died… so simply?

“Impossible.” Eliana shook her head. “The Queen was assassinated in front of a massive crowd while inspecting a factory. Her remains have already been transported to the crypt of the Storm Cathedral.”

“Will she rise as a corpse?” Luo Wei asked seriously.

“…Are you suggesting she might revive under the protection of the Holy Flames? If that’s the case, we would have to consider cataloging Her Majesty the Queen in the Academy of Truth’s Forbidden Archives,” Hathaway interjected from the side.

Most who returned from the dead became Horrors. Any Horror capable of ignoring or even polluting the Holy Flames would be a terrifying entity capable of triggering a City-Eater level crisis or worse.

“Her Majesty was a great woman,” Eliana sighed softly. “Miss Luo Wei, please refrain from making such jokes about her…”

“I just feel like there’s a missing link in the chain…” Luo Wei murmured, twirling a strand of her hair.

“I also wish it were false news. Unfortunately, the High Priest of the Storm personally confirmed Her Majesty’s death,” Eliana said. “Her passing is indeed unbelievable, but when Lilith is involved, even the impossible becomes a reality.”

Luo Wei wasn’t the only one who felt this way. When the news of the Queen’s death first broke, almost no one dared to believe it except for the eyewitnesses—even after her body had been identified.

It was only when the “Remnant Tower” publicly claimed responsibility for the assassination that the situation began to seem somewhat logical.

If the perpetrators were followers of the World-Ending Witch, Lilith, then such a feat was indeed possible.

However, Luo Wei didn’t view Lilith through a distorted lens, and she certainly didn’t feel that way about the “Remnant Tower.” Furthermore, she knew for a fact that the person who truly masterminded this assassination was Cassandra…

From her perspective, the entire matter became instantly nuanced.

Luo Wei had not told Eliana that Cassandra was the architect of all this. It was effectively an open secret among the elite; even if Cassandra were exposed, countless people would move to cover up the truth for her. This included, potentially, the other Princesses.

Once the crime of murdering the Queen was verified, the prestige of the Royal Family would hit absolute zero. The citizens who loved the Queen wouldn’t just point their blades at Cassandra; every Princess would become a target of the ensuing riots.

Therefore, keeping this secret buried for now and continuing to use Cassandra as a point of contact was the correct move for Luo Wei.

Just then, Hathaway reached out and tugged at Luo Wei’s sleeve, her eyes flashing with a hint of anxiety.

Because of Hathaway’s previous nagging, Luo Wei had been forced to “mute” Hathaway’s channel in her mind. No matter how Hathaway tried to alert her, Luo Wei didn’t react, forcing the girl to resort to physical contact.

Luo Wei finally snapped out of her contemplation and slapped her forehead.

“Right, there’s one more thing. Eliana, I might need your help with something.”

“Hmm?” Eliana’s expression turned serious.

Luo Wei recounted the matter of the weeping statues in detail, including the possibility that the entire Metropolis was being shrouded by a mysterious power that severed faith.

“Failing to receive a response when praying to the icons? I… I think I heard something about that. My father mentioned it while chatting with the High Priest of the Storm yesterday,” Eliana nodded thoughtfully. “But it didn’t seem significant. The High Priest only mentioned it in passing.”

“There were no reports of the statues weeping?” Luo Wei asked.

Eliana shook her head. “No. If that were happening, the reaction wouldn’t have been so casual.”

So, the weeping icons might actually be related to Lilith… Luo Wei thought to herself, though she didn’t share this suspicion with Hathaway. If she said it out loud, Hathaway would probably start panicking again.

Sometimes, traveling with an overly devout believer was a real hassle.

“I will look into this further,” Eliana nodded. After a short pause, she added, “By the way, you two should be careful during this time. It’s best if you stay inside Ian Manor. As for the Queen’s funeral… I suggest you don’t attend the viewing.”

“Why?” Hathaway asked, though she could only convey her confusion through her eyes.

As if by a stroke of sudden insight, Eliana actually read the gaze in Hathaway’s eyes and explained, “The main issue is me. It’s dangerous for you to stay by my side…”

Eliana could tell that none of her “stranger” sisters were easy to deal with.

The Fifth Princess, Cassandra, went without saying; her arrogance was entirely undisguised. She looked down on everyone equally and didn’t mind using the filthiest methods. As long as she could achieve her goals, she would never refuse any path, no matter how dark.

The Third Princess, Susanna—whom Eliana had to call ‘Cousin’—was relatively mediocre in appearance. Rumor had it she was gentle and kind, supposedly shedding tears even when she saw a small animal get hurt. But based on Eliana’s contact with her…

Well, to use a more modern term, she was a ‘Green Tea’—a woman who feigned innocent purity to hide a calculating heart.

The Sixth Princess, Hesperia, was a beauty famous throughout the Kingdom of York. Both Eliana and Cassandra paled in comparison to her. She looked like a pure ornamental “vase”… but Eliana could faintly sense a crazed, obsessive soul lurking beneath that beautiful skin.

Perhaps this was due to her background; Hesperia was actually an illegitimate daughter. Her biological mother came from a poor background and died of illness early on. She had only been kept by her father because of her extraordinary beauty, becoming a puppet-like Sixth Princess whose every move was under his Dominion.

The only one who gave Eliana peace of mind was the Seventh Princess, Sarah. But that was only because Her Highness was only eight years old.

The little Princess had been clinging to Eliana during the banquet, showing great interest in this sister she had never met before, insisting that Eliana talk about her “great deeds” in Kolun County.

In short, Eliana had already sensed the hostility the other Princesses harbored toward her.

She wasn’t worried about her own safety; in front of a crowd, they would never dare to move against her rashly. Although they would use almost any means to compete for the throne, an assassination at this specific time would have too much fallout.

Each Princess represented a specific faction. If a Princess died, the faction behind her would never let the matter drop.

However… assassinating the people around a rival was not an unforgivable crime.

The Princesses would certainly find ways to clip their opponents’ wings to gain an advantage in the coming succession crisis. Therefore, the “wings” most likely to be targeted were Luo Wei and Hathaway.

Luo Wei’s strength was indeed formidable, and she possessed many strange abilities, but for the sake of safety, Eliana still suggested she not leave the heavily guarded Ian Manor.

“That won’t do,” Luo Wei frowned.

If I don’t go to the viewing, how can I get killed? If I don’t get killed, how can Rita replace the Crimson Troupe and rise to the top? I can’t miss out on this excitement!

“Someone might really try to kill you. I’m not joking, Miss Luo Wei,” Eliana warned in a heavy tone.

“That dangerous?” Hathaway was visibly startled upon hearing this. She was likely the most ignorant person in the room regarding the current political landscape of the Metropolis. Even a top student could be clueless in certain fields.

“It’s fine. What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger!” Luo Wei patted her chest, habitually spouting more nonsense.

Eliana could only sigh. She couldn’t control Miss Luo Wei. Since she had already said her piece, she could only pray that she was being overly anxious.

“Wait… if I hide inside Ian Manor and don’t attend the Queen’s funeral, what will Cassandra do?” Luo Wei rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment.

“You’re right. It is dangerous. I’m not going anymore.”

With a single change of heart, Luo Wei instantly reversed her stance.

“Huh?”

The sudden u-turn nearly gave Eliana whiplash. However, when she remembered this was Miss Luo Wei, it seemed perfectly normal. Miss Luo Wei’s thinking… had always been this erratic.