“I’m sorry, Violet. I didn’t manage her properly, and it made you witness a spectacle. Don’t take what she said earlier to heart. You can go ahead and set up the teleportation gate here, I’ll have someone dedicated to guarding it around the clock.”
“Haha, there’s no need to go to such lengths...”
The “Invisible Space Teleportation Gate” was an advanced version of the regular teleportation gate magic. Except when activated, it couldn’t be seen or touched at other times. It could persist in the spatial crevice unless the stone engraved with the magic was destroyed.
“Well...
After thinking for a moment, Violet decided to speak her mind.
“Lilya, that outburst just now was quite impressive. Perhaps in the future, I might have to address you as Queen, huh~”
“???”
Facing the black-haired girl’s ambiguous expression, the queen blushed instantly. Her gaze wandered, as if she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, completely different from the imposing demeanor when she scolded Feline a while ago.
“Why are you saying strange things... it’s just that Feline has no filter. I was afraid you might not create the teleportation gate because of it...”
“Oh~ Just because of that?”
“You...! Darn it! I’m ignoring you!!!”
In any case, after some twists and turns and playful banter, the priestess successfully established an invisible teleportation gate in the fitting room next to the queen’s. She used a small barrier to conceal and protect the stone.
Ordinary means would certainly be unable to destroy it.
Violet tried it out a bit, confirming that this thing was indeed operating as expected.
With this, all the preparations were complete.
...........................................
The next day.
In the palace square, members of the delegation, numbering in the hundreds, and a fully-equipped escort of three military divisions, were all ready to go.
The army of the Courage City, especially the City Guard, had suffered a significant blow in the turmoil a month ago. The three legions manipulated by Ben for rebellion were nearly reduced to nothing, crumbling apart. Other legions also experienced varying degrees of casualties.
Therefore, after her ascension to the throne, Lilya decided to address this issue and completely eliminate the lingering effects of factionalism in the army. She decisively disbanded the original ten legions, disarranged and reorganized them, blending them with newly recruited soldiers.
After the expansion, she formed four regional army groups: East, South, West, and North, each consisting of thirty thousand troops. This structure corresponded to the Imperial Guard protecting the central palace. In total, there were one hundred and fifty thousand troops, with Lilya personally assigning trusted generals and rotating leadership.
Since these troops were still in the process of getting used to working together, it wasn’t suitable to send them out immediately. Therefore, the three-thousand-man guard for the delegation was drawn from another military unit.
The Garrison West Army.
Yes, it is the army commanded by Grand Marshal Leyton, who has been in constant conflict with the Beastman Kingdom. With rich battle experience, well-equipped forces, and strict military discipline, this army is known as one of the most elite in the kingdom.
Initially, when Leyton dispatched three legions to escort Lilya back to the capital, it was to ensure the princess’s safety. These thirty thousand soldiers from the Garrison West Army were already considered highly formidable, with many skilled warriors, and they completely obeyed Lilya’s orders.
Upon arriving in the Courage City, Princess Lilya did not allow them to return immediately. Instead, she created the illusion of their return and secretly had them lurking on the outskirts of the capital, awaiting the opportune moment.
This was Lilya’s arrangement for a contingency plan and a strategic reserve.
On the night of the turmoil, this army immediately received orders to surround the four gates of the capital from the outside. They sent out numerous scouts for patrol in the vicinity and even annihilated a seemingly arranged private army of a thousand men, likely intended to assist Ben.
Even if Rebecca hadn’t betrayed at that time, it wouldn’t have been easy for Ben to escape smoothly from the encirclement.
After a somewhat ceremonial departure ceremony, Queen Lilya, now wearing a less conspicuous long gown, quietly approached a certain priestess who was about to depart.
In a relatively secluded corner, she chatted leisurely with the blonde girl named Xiao Guang, as well as two cute sisters whose origins were unknown. A refined and comfortable carriage was parked nearby, and the scale-armored beast pulling the carriage yawned lazily.
In addition to them, there was another person.
Also with golden long hair, but with a lighter shade, leaning towards a translucent light gold. Wearing a white Holy Knight armor, with a holy sword hanging at her waist and a cross-shaped shield on her back. Wrists adorned with holy seals, and around her neck hung a six-winged emblem.
It was Miss Edwina, the Holy Knight.
She herself was not originally from the Human United Kingdom. However, due to a twist of fate during her travels, she accepted an invitation from Lilya, who was still a princess at the time, and joined her camp. Strictly speaking, she could only be considered a collaborator.
Now that the struggle for the throne has come to an end, Edwina had no reason to stay any longer.
Coincidentally, upon hearing the news that Queen Lilya would send a delegation to visit the Azure Sky Kingdom, Miss Holy Knight learned from her own sources about the abnormal activities in the Abyss and the frequent appearance of monsters. She decided to accompany the delegation to see what was going on.
It was said that the Holy Empire also sent a delegation to investigate, and there might be acquaintances of Edwina among them.
However, she only found out today that Violet had also joined the delegation. Immediately, she enthusiastically approached, and now she was sitting on the carriage, making friends with the scale-armored beast.
“Hey, Violet.”
The queen greeted with a smile.
“Lilya is here! I knew you would come to say something at a time like this. Xiao Guang, you lost, huh~”
“Hmph...”
Standing behind the black-haired girl, the little dragon girl made an indistinct sound from her throat, giving a glare to a certain queen miss, then turned her head away and remained silent.
The girl with refined qualities and a gentle heart naturally understood the thoughts of the dragon but didn’t reveal or pay much attention to it. She simply smiled as she approached Violet, opened her arms, and embraced the priestess who was wearing the white dress she provided.
They separated gently.
“Don’t miss me too much, Violet.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?”
The queen miss smiled helplessly but didn’t argue.
“Well, I won’t give a long speech at a time like this. Just be careful on the road. Although you’re strong, there are still many mysteries in this world. Don’t underestimate them.”
“I know, I know, why do you sound like an old mother...”
Although she seemed to be complaining, Violet nodded obediently.
“Oh, by the way, this is for you.”
Lilya took out a meticulously crafted statue from her personal storage ring. It was a lifelike and exquisite female figure with wings on her back, only about a foot tall, likely carved from some kind of mineral.
“This is...?”
After glancing around to ensure there were no outsiders, Lilya handed the stone carving to Violet and whispered.
“The sculpture of Minerva, the goddess of the sky and freedom, revered by the winged people. It’s not an ordinary sculpture. It was excavated from the ruins near the abyss by our country’s adventurers about a hundred years ago.”
“This thing has an extremely hard texture, ordinary weapons can hardly harm it at all. Moreover, there seems to be an unknown special power inside. Its principles have puzzled people for a very long time. It has been kept in the royal treasury for decades, and I just found it last night.”
“Since you’re going to the Azure Sky Kingdom, this thing might come in handy, who knows. Keep it, it’s the only thing I can do for you.”
A sculpture of the Sky God...
Looking at the faint dark circles under the blue-haired girl’s makeup-covered eyes, it seems Lilya didn’t sleep all night in order to find something that could help her.
It was a bit touching, but Violet didn’t express it too clearly.
From this small stone carving, she did feel some fluctuations similar to the power of the soul.
She decided to keep it for now and study it slowly when she had the chance.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
“Alright, then, thank you, Lilya.”
“Don’t be polite with me.”
The queen smiled, hugged the priestess again, and reluctantly parted.
“So... goodbye?”
“Yeah, goodbye. Have fun, Violet.”