Sword of Salvation-Chapter 69: - To Hunt Dr. Lergen (3)

"You came from Neiracia," muttered King Maggio.

"Neiracia Empire under Empress Lasyana is different from the previous Neiracia," Mariel explained. "I helped them destroy One Eye. The Empress also used my services to deal with all the nobles who tarnished the empire’s name. Beyond that, the Empress recently lost her sacred scythe to a member of World Order. If any nation is willing to openly oppose Great Human Council, Neiracia Empire would be the first to do so."

"That...."

"How about Your Majesty meets up with Empress Lasyana and speaks directly?" Mariel pressed, giving no room for hesitation. "As I suggested earlier, Your Majesty can start with a covert alliance. The public doesn’t need to know that Mangolla has shifted its stance. If my concern turns out to be valid, Your Majesty can publicize the alliance and seek Neiracia’s support. If it doesn’t, Your Majesty loses nothing."

Maggio was silent for quite some time. This time, Mariel let him be. He had offered a near-perfect solution. Maggio should have no arguments to escape his pressure. The king only had two responses to give: accept or reject. If he rejected—though it was unlikely—Mariel had no choice but to use the king’s daughter.

"I understand what you’re saying, but...haa... Fine, Mariel. At the very least, I will speak with Empress Lasyana. You can arrange it, right?"

"That’s a wise decision, Your Majesty." Mariel smiled warmly. "And there’s no need to worry," he continued. "Lasyana and I have a good relationship. I can arrange a meeting with her without any issues. How about four days from now? Would that work for Your Majesty?"

"Four days? That’s too soon. I won’t have much time to prepare for the journey."

"Journey? We won’t be making a long trip, Your Majesty."

"What do you mean?"

"We’ll get there almost as fast as teleportation," Mariel explained. "We can meet Lasyana after sunset. Your Majesty can speak with her over dinner. I’ll take you there personally and bring you back in an instant."

"In that case, I have no objections."

With that response, Mariel had achieved his goal for coming here. There was no need to prolong the conversation. The two agreed to join Celinee and the king’s wife.

At least, that was the plan. However, a soldier suddenly arrived and reported that the leaders of Sterminatore and Ultores branches were requesting an audience, claiming they had urgent matters to discuss.

Maggio followed the soldier to meet his guests, leaving Mariel to make his way to the princess’s chamber alone. When he arrived, he found the queen leaning against the doorframe. Her face was filled with sorrow, but her eyes radiated hope.

"Your Majesty," Mariel greeted.

The queen’s eyes blinked, and her face turned toward him immediately. "Ah, you...Mariel?"

"The plan was for King Maggio and me to join Your Majesty here, but he was called away by visitors. I also changed my mind and won’t be able to join for lunch. Would Your Majesty mind passing a message to Celinee?"

Now was exactly a week after he had dinner with Lasyana. He had promised to see the Empress again today. Mariel could use the opportunity to discuss an alliance with Mangolla. Besides, he wanted Celinee to spend more time with the princess without interruptions. So, it was fine if only Celinee stayed here.

"That’s unfortunate, but it’s fine. What message would you like me to convey?"

"Tell her I need to check on Weimei’s progress. Also, let her know I’ll return to the inn after sunset."

"Very well. I’ll pass it on."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ll take my leave now, and please give my regards to King Maggio."

"No, I’m the one who should be thanking you. Thank you for saving our daughter."

Mariel nodded and immediately walked away. He quickly conjured a dimensional portal and leapt into it without hesitation. In an instant, he arrived in Agarentha.

There was no particular reason for Mariel to go to Agarentha. He had no plans to check on Weimei anytime soon.

However, saying he would meet Lasyana would have upset Celinee. So Mariel used Weimei as an excuse. He came here to ensure his words were truthful. If Celinee met Weimei and asked about today, Weimei would be able to answer accurately.

For that reason, Mariel didn’t spend much time at Weimei’s place.

The young man only observed briefly and had a short conversation. Weimei invited him to lunch, but Mariel gently declined. He couldn’t fulfill Lasyana’s wish for a dinner meeting, so Mariel wanted to make up for it with lunch. Therefore, he refused Weimei and immediately took his leave.

The dimensional portal brought Mariel to the palace’s front hall.

He deliberately didn’t position the portal outside the palace to avoid any commotion. However, that wish wasn’t fulfilled. A tall but slender man immediately attacked him as soon as he stepped out of the portal. Mariel didn’t attempt to dodge, relying instead on a transparent spatial barrier to protect himself. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The short-haired man, who appeared to be about five years older than Mariel, growled when his sword strike failed to hit its target.

He launched a flurry of attacks, even entering spirit unification mode. His spirit type resembled a ferocious beast, somewhat like a gorilla. However, it changed nothing. Half an hour passed, and the man couldn’t make any progress. He collapsed to his knees, disbelief written on his face, and he was no longer in his spirit unification mode.

Mariel dispelled the barrier and stared curiously at the average-looking man. "What exactly were you doing just now?" he asked with a mocking smile. "Is that some special welcome dance?"

Mariel’s taunt successfully infuriated the man. But before he could attack again, Delphia arrived and stopped him.

"Gazel, stop. He’s Her Majesty’s guest."

The man named Gazel glared at Delphia. "No one told me anything about him," he complained unhappily. "Am I getting a pay cut?"

"Don’t worry. You’ll actually get a bonus."

All the frustration on Gazel’s face vanished. "You’re lucky Delphia is here," he snapped at Mariel. "Otherwise, I’d have already beaten you to a pulp."

"Oh, so you were trying to kill me earlier? I thought you were dancing like a gorilla as a welcome gesture."

Annoyance and anger once again colored Gazel’s face, but Delphia’s sharp gaze made him snort and walk away.

"Mr. Mariel, weren’t you supposed to come for dinner? Why have you arrived now?" Delphia asked.

"I can’t come tonight, so I decide to replace it with lunch. Lasyana isn’t busy, is she?"

"I see. Understood." Delphia didn’t answer Mariel’s question. "Come with me. Lunch has just been served. Her Majesty will join you in the dining room shortly."

Delphia immediately started walking toward a place Mariel had visited before. She didn’t wait for the young man; her steps continued without a pause.