Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 187: Seeds Of Treason

[Ragon City - Duke’s Mansion]

​The heavy silence in the ruined hall was shattered by the sheer weight of the accusation. To suspect the Imperial Advisor or his son of colluding with the Devil Cult was tantamount to declaring war on the Empire’s political foundation.

​"Mirabella, where are you getting at?" Hayatobi asked, crossing his arms on his chest. His posture was rigid, his silver eyes narrowing as he processed the dangerous path this conversation was taking.

​"Lord Hayatobi, think about it... The imperial advisor must have passed this information to the devil cult, and when he knew these two will be coming to Ragon city, his son left the city... Come on, even you will know something is fishy here." Mirabella said, spreading her arms. Her logic was cold and calculating. In the intricate, deadly chessboard of Galaxy Fall, coincidences of this magnitude simply did not exist.

​Hayatobi stared at her, for a moment, the gears of a seasoned military tactician turning behind his stoic expression. ’Xavier was ordered back because the Advisor needs his help in the family, but, is this really the Advisor’s doing? But what’s the reason behind this? What will he gain?’ Hayatobi thought, and exhaled deeply, the breath carrying the weight of a fractured empire.

​"These are all conclusions... I will investigate when I get back." Hayatobi said, deciding to file the explosive theory away until he had solid proof.

​"Ok." Mirabella nodded her head, moving her gaze all over the hall. Her mind was already detaching from the political drama, shifting back to her primary objective: survival and absolute power.

​’This isn’t my issue... As long no one cross me, I won’t interfere, but I must kill that First Lord.’ She thought, the humiliating memory of her cracked sword burning in her mind, and bowed at Hayatobi:

​"Master, do you have a way to send us back by tomorrow?" She asked. Every minute spent in this decaying city was a minute lost grinding levels and building her future power.

​"Why? You should stay here for three days, and keep watch... Delphine, you should get ready to use the Flameheart Heaven Eye again, but the second stage."

​"....?!"

Delphine tensed. The Flameheart Heaven Eye was a royal bloodline skill that placed a massive burden on the user’s soul sea, and the second stage was notoriously difficult to control.

​"Why do I have to stay here?" Mirabella asked in confusion, her brows knitting together.

​"You said you made a promise to protect the Princess in this journey, and she won’t be leaving until the day before the competition, so you’ll have to stay here with her."

​"Huh?!!"

​The two ladies were completely dumbfounded. The realization crashed down on them simultaneously. One planned to get back to the empire to desperately reunite with her love and demand answers, while the second one wanted to rush back to help grow the first two members under her command. But now, they were both forcefully tied down in the blood-stained ruins of Ragon city.

​"Why??!" They yelled in unison, their frustration echoing off the stone walls.

​Hayatobi blinked, momentarily stunned by their joined, synchronized question:

"It’s very important, The devil cult powerhouses might have left, but what about their members? Some might still be hiding in this city, your task is to clean the city of this dirt. Don’t worry, I will be here with you." Hayatobi said, staring at the two with the uncompromising authority of a God General issuing a field quest.

​"Fine."

​The two ladies sighed, their shoulders slumping in defeat, and moved their gazes on the dead bodies in the hall, the grim reality of their "cleaning" task setting in.

​"What about this mess?" Delphine asked, wincing at the sight of the slaughtered Duke.

​"Both of you should check out the city, I will take care of this." Hayatobi waved his hand, his energy flaring brilliantly, and the two vanished from the hall, reappearing outside the Duke’s mansion in an instant.

_

​".....?!"

​Delphine moved her gaze around, staring at the dimly lit street ahead of them, completely disoriented by the sudden spatial shift.

​’That was space step... I can’t even copy it.’ Mirabella thought, looking over her shoulder at the looming silhouette of the Duke’s mansion.

​’That skill must be related to the soul eyes, I am still clueless about the strength of these three eyes.’

​"Miss Mirabella, where to?" Delphine asked, staring at Mirabella.

​"Well." Mirabella stared at their clothes. Delphine was in casual wears, just black pants and a crisp white blouse—impractical for the slums, but functional enough. While she was in all black, topping it up with a heavy black overcoat.

​"Let’s check the tavern, or any restaurant... We need to get some information before doing anything." She said, walking into the dirt-packed street, Delphine following behind her.

​’Soon, it’ll be nighttime, it’s a good opportunity to kill some devil cult members to vent my frustration.’ She thought, her blue eyes turning icy with suppressed bloodlust.

___

​[Ragon City Star Tavern.]

​The tavern smelled of cheap, sour ale, unwashed bodies, and the underlying, metallic scent of city-wide fear. Despite the looming threat of the Cult, the place was packed with locals desperately trying to drown their anxieties.

​"Hahaha!! Do you hear the news?!" A drunken man with a wild, matted beard yelled, aggressively hitting his heavy wooden cup on the stained table.

​"Tell us! What really happened?!" Someone asked with wide eyes, leaning in as the tavern briefly quieted down to listen.

​"You don’t know! Listen... Yesterday! A man at the gate suddenly started vomiting blood!! I was there, shocked! Out of no where, His body started cracking! You should have heard it; it was terrifying." He yelled, drawing the surrounding customers’ rapt attention, spinning a chaotic tale of the Cult’s twisted biological experiments.

​"Then out of no way!! He got down like a spider monster, and attacked the guards!! If I wasn’t a Lv20 Knight!!" He puffed out his chest and showed his muscles, shocking everyone at the table.

​"I would have died!! But how can I die?!! A Lv20 Knight can take on a whole army!!! So with a single punch, I killed the spider monster!! Even the Guards clapped for me!!" He said, picked up his cup, and drank the remaining wine in it, wiping his mouth with a filthy sleeve.

​"Wow!! You’re so powerful!!"

"Truly!!"

"A Lv20 Knight is this powerful!! Impressive!!"

​The ignorant customers said in absolute awe, staring at the man, completely oblivious to the real power scales of the world, waiting eagerly for him to continue his exaggerated heroics.

​At the far end of the counter, hidden in the shadows, Mirabella and Delphine sat on creaky wooden stools, facing the dusty shelves filled with cheap drinks.

​"A Lv20 Knight defeating a mutated human?" Delphine whispered in surprised, her academic knowledge of monster classes immediately flagging the story as absurd.

​"He is indeed a Lv20 Knight, but defeating a mutated human with such low strength is impossible. He is just bluffing." Mirabella said smoothly, her eyes scanning the room as she casually opened a stick of candy, popping it into her mouth. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

​"So Miss Mirabella, why are we really here?" Delphine asked, turning to Mirabella, sensing that they weren’t just here to listen to drunken lies.

​Mirabella didn’t look at her. Her gaze was fixed on the reflection in a cracked mirror before her, the guardians silently highlighting hostile targets moving through the crowd.

​"The ants already sense our levels, they will act in ten seconds, get ready."

​"Ten... Ten seconds?" Delphine was dumbfounded, her heart suddenly spiking as she realized the tavern wasn’t a safe haven, but a trap.