Minoga passed through the forest and saw a small cabin, which was the legendary assassin’s residence. Orleya herself was now sitting under a pavilion.

“Lady Orleya,” Minoga greeted her and then saw Loraviel standing barefoot in the snow.

She was wearing thin clothes, her body trembling from the cold, and her fingers and toes had turned completely red from the freezing temperature.

Minoga could tell that this was endurance training for Loraviel, which was quite common. After all, as an assassin, one had to be accustomed to performing assassinations in various environments.

And one needed a certain patience, not easily exposing one’s position due to any reason.

Loraviel’s breathing was steady, but she still couldn’t resist her body’s instincts and continued to tremble1It is the body’s way to generate heat in order to combat the cold.

“What is it?” Orleya looked at Minoga. “Have you come to ensure Loraviel’s safety?”

This time, Minoga felt that Lady Orleya seemed closer to being human than when they had met previously.

It seemed like she could sense a hint of warmth belonging to human emotions.

“That’s partly the reason,” Minoga said.

“Then, what’s the main reason?” Orleya asked.

Minoga looked at her, and before stating the matter, she wanted to know one thing, “Lady Orleya, how do you view emotions now?”

Orleya fell silent. After a few minutes, Orleya spoke, “Is the answer to this question important?”

“Not really,” Minoga shook her head.

If she was an assassin who had abandoned emotions, she could perfectly complete this mission. But if she still held familial affection for Liana, she should work harder for Liana’s sake.

The answer to this question wasn’t important; what was important was Orleya’s choice.

This question had troubled Orleya for half her life, and even now, she didn’t have a correct answer.

She craved the beautiful memories that emotions brought, but these beautiful memories had shattered before her eyes. Moreover, if she craved emotions, she would have to completely deny everything she had done in her lifetime.

“I don’t know,” Orleya said.

“Is that so?” Minoga wasn’t too surprised by this answer, as it wouldn’t affect the outcome anyway.

Besides, the person Minoga wanted to find wasn’t Orleya. This would be somewhat overkill, and the premature exposure of such a legendary figure might not necessarily be a good thing.

“I came here today, firstly, to ensure Loraviel’s safety, as Princess Liana is very concerned about this matter. Secondly, it’s because of Princess Liana, who is Lady Orleya’s granddaughter,” Minoga said.

When Liana was mentioned, Orleya’s expression clearly changed. It should be noted that she was currently the strongest assassin in the Lisat Kingdom. No matter how significant an event she heard about, her expression would hardly change at all—this was the most basic professional quality.

“Liana’s matter?”

“Yes,” Minoga nodded. “Lady Orleya, you should be able to use a kind of poison that simulates death, right?”

“Simulated death...” Orleya looked at Minoga, her eyes revealing a sharpness. “If I remember correctly, that’s a forbidden drug, isn’t it?”

For others, this was a lethal poison. After all, in a state of death, one couldn’t take the antidote on their own. Only with someone else’s help could they survive from this state of simulated death; otherwise, the simulation would become reality. But for Orleya with her special constitution, this was undoubtedly a life-saving treasure.

“Yes,” Minoga nodded. “May I ask if Lady Orleya uses this death-simulating drug?”

“What does Liana want to use it for?” Orleya wasn’t in a hurry to answer this question.

After all, this was one of Orleya’s trump cards, related to her own life safety. Orleya generally wouldn’t easily disclose this.

Minoga explained Liana’s plan to Orleya, though regarding the elf matter, Minoga still maintained some secrecy.

After hearing Liana’s plan, although it was somewhat dangerous, Orleya highly approved of Liana’s approach.

Faking her death could maximally protect Liana’s safety, and it wouldn’t require too many people to guard Liana. It would also prevent Mephilia from worrying too much about Liana’s safety, allowing her to focus more on preparations for the succession.

But what Liana was most worried about was mainly Sephirena’s situation.

“Good, good,” She nodded in strong approval. Whether it was the Countess Rose affair or now this matter, Liana was showing her unique ideas.

Orleya was now very clear that Liana’s current situation wasn’t very favorable.

“I understand. When?” Orleya asked.

If she took action, she could resolve this matter immediately. But clearly, now wasn’t the time for this trump card to appear. Once Orleya’s matter was exposed, those who were about to bare their fangs would retreat again, which wasn’t what they wanted to see now.

“Lady Orleya, do you think Loraviel could complete this task?” Minoga asked.

“Loraviel?” Orleya looked at Loraviel. She was quite satisfied with Loraviel—hardworking and talented.

But she was too young. Given a few more years, she would definitely become an outstanding assassin, but right now, she wasn’t quite there yet. And Liana’s plan was obviously going to be carried out soon.

“She can master this forbidden drug, but her own strength has some deficiencies,” Orleya said.

“Being stronger than an ordinary person satisfies the condition,” Minoga said. “Princess Liana is now an ordinary person who can’t use magic. Even an assassin who can use just a bit of magic could pose a fatal threat to Princess Liana. Moreover, the weaker the person, the less they would be suspected of using forbidden drugs, isn’t that right?”

“Besides, Princess Liana also wants to meet Loraviel. She seems to have something she wants to clarify with her. Why not take this opportunity to let Loraviel go? It would also test whether Loraviel is qualified as an assassin.”

What Minoga said wasn’t unreasonable, but the most important point was still how far Loraviel could go.

Orleya beckoned to Loraviel, who came to the pavilion. “Teacher Orleya, Lady Minoga.”

Loraviel greeted the two very politely, then looked at Orleya. “What is it, Teacher Orleya? Today’s training hasn’t ended yet. I can still persevere.”

Minoga looked at Loraviel’s reddened fingers and trembling body, not knowing how long she had been in the snow.

“Go make a cup of tea for Minoga. Today’s training ends here,” Orleya said.

“I understand,” Loraviel nodded.

Within just a few minutes, Loraviel had changed her clothes and skillfully poured a cup of hot tea for Minoga and Orleya.

At this moment, Minoga noticed that the tea in Loraviel’s cup was different from theirs.

“Even the tea is highly poisonous?” Minoga said.

“This way, time can be used more effectively,” Loraviel couldn’t wait to return to Princess Liana’s side, but she didn’t have that ability yet.

She wanted to squeeze every moment of time, so that she could return to Liana’s side more quickly.

So now, whether it was water or food, everything contained toxins. This allowed Loraviel to simultaneously satisfy her hunger and adapt to the poisons, saving a lot of time.

Just as Loraviel drank it, she felt a wave of heat driving away the cold within her body. Her limbs began to warm up, and her fingers, which had been reddened by the ice and snow, now somewhat returned to their original color.

But this wasn’t some healing elixir; it was a sign that the deadly poison was taking effect.

Loraviel felt as if her heart was being squeezed, making it very uncomfortable and unable to beat. But soon, this feeling disappeared. This wasn’t a particularly strong poison.

“What is it, Lady Minoga? Do you have something to discuss with me?” Loraviel looked at Minoga, who had been watching her.

“Princess Liana asked me to come and see if you were alright.” Since Loraviel already knew, Minoga helping Liana gain a bit more favor wasn’t a bad thing. At least, that’s what Minoga thought. Besides, Minoga was just telling the truth, without any embellishment.

“Princess Liana...” Loraviel’s heart warmed. Indeed, Princess Liana hadn’t forgotten her. After all, with everything that had happened, if she could truly forget, Princess Liana wouldn’t be so captivating to her.

“Loraviel.”

Orleya’s voice made Loraviel look back at the elder. “Is there anything else you need me to do, Teacher Orleya?”

“Now, you need to undertake a mission—to assassinate someone,” Orleya said.

“...” Loraviel’s gaze wavered slightly. She had never done such a thing before, but since she had chosen this path, she would inevitably have to deal with this.

But she hadn’t joined any organization, nor was she serving anyone. Except for Princess Liana’s orders, she could refuse anyone’s request, including her teacher, Orleya.

After all, Orleya had previously put Princess Liana in danger. But if Orleya gave a reasonable justification, Loraviel would have no reason to refuse.

During this time, Loraviel had more or less learned about some of the dark aspects of nobility, and she had long been prepared for this.

“What did the target do?”

Loraviel could use this to test her skills, of course, provided that the target was truly an evil person.

“This person seems to have done quite a lot of bad things, oppressing others with their status, using their position to exploit others. If others don’t obey orders, or if they’re unhappy about anything, they would randomly select someone to torment for their own amusement. Everyone in their territory is suffering terribly under this person. The people are afraid just hearing the targer’s name, and when they see her, they want to quickly hide. Many people hate her,” Orleya said.

For some reason, Loraviel felt that what Orleya was describing sounded familiar, as if she had heard about it somewhere?

If it was truly as Teacher Orleya described, Loraviel could indeed accept this mission. Moreover, since it was a task assigned by Teacher Orleya now, she could probably complete it.

Loraviel had no intention of showing any mercy to such bastards. If she were asked to kill someone for no reason, she would definitely refuse. But clearly, the target’s various behaviors were not human.

“...”

“Her name is Liana, Liana Venus,” Orleya said.

“?!” Loraviel looked up at Orleya with an expression of disbelief, her voice rising several notches. “Who?”

“I’m asking you to kill Liana,” Orleya emphasized again.

“I’m sorry, Teacher Orleya, I can’t do that,” Loraviel refused without a second thought.

“Why? Haven’t I told you? As an assassin, you can’t have excessive emotions,” Orleya reprimanded.

“From the beginning, I never wanted to become an assassin. My purpose in coming here was only to be able to help Princess Liana. If you taught me these things to make me kill Princess Liana, then I’m sorry, I can’t do it. I will leave this place, or you can kill me,” Loraviel’s attitude was very firm. She would rather die than do anything to harm Princess Liana.

Minoga looked at Orleya. This person really liked «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to test others. But this time, it was understandable, as this could be considered her true trump card.

Poison immunity plus the ability to fake death—these two combined were truly an invincible life-saving method for both of them.

However, Orleya wasn’t thinking about testing. She just wanted to see which path Loraviel would choose—would she become an emotionless assassin like herself?

Or would she become an assassin carrying emotional vulnerabilities?

Obviously, Loraviel was the latter.

Orleya was quite hopeful that Loraviel would make this choice.

After all, Loraviel was going to be by Liana’s side. If she became an emotionless machine...

Liana might never forgive her in this lifetime.

But what Orleya herself didn’t realize was that a question she had been grappling with for a long time had already been answered when she was just considering it.

If she truly didn’t care, she wouldn’t be concerned about Loraviel’s choice. She was no longer that emotionless assassin.

It’s just that she needed to discover this point gradually by herself.

“I’m not asking you to actually kill Liana,” Orleya said.

Then she had Minoga repeat Liana’s plan once more.

“So that’s how it is?” This did match Princess Liana’s style—high risk, high reward.

The assassination itself wasn’t a problem, as it was Princess Liana’s plan, and Princess Liana wouldn’t resist much. As for the forbidden drug, with her constitution, it shouldn’t pose a significant problem.

The issue lay in what came after these actions and how to handle it.

There would definitely be other assassins coming. Some assassins had the habit of delivering a finishing blow. Even after confirming death, they might stab the heart area a couple of times.

And how would she get Liana out of the coffin? These things didn’t seem like something she could accomplish.

“But, after Princess Liana’s ‘death,’ I might not be able to protect her,” Loraviel said.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Oliphia will protect you both at that time. During the time she buys, I will come. As for later, I will give you and Princess Liana time together, as Princess Liana also has some things she wants to tell you,” Minoga said.

“I see...” So in this operation, Loraviel would only act as the perpetrator, and for the subsequent matters, she would just need to wait.

But to prevent any unexpected situations, Loraviel herself would need a certain level of foundational strength.

“Princess Liana wants to tell me something?” Could it be that Princess Liana had discovered it?

She continued,  “Does Lady Minoga know what it’s about?”

Minoga shook her head. How could she possibly know these things? She definitely couldn’t actively ask about them; she would be disliked.

“I see.” It seemed she would only know what Princess Liana wanted to tell her when they met.

After thinking for a while, Orleya gave Minoga a specific time. “Three months later.”

“Three months?” Minoga thought about it. The timing should be about right, but she would still need to discuss the specific details with Princess Liana.

The main priority, though, was to ensure Princess Liana’s safety. From the Countess Rose incident, it was clear that Princess Liana was too accustomed to these high-risk, high-reward scenarios.

“Yes, this is when I can ensure that Loraviel can somewhat protect Liana, and then wait for you,” Orleya said. “If you’re really worried about Liana’s safety and time is pressing, then I’ll have to go.”

“It should be fine,” If there was truly no other way, then Orleya would have to go. Although this might prematurely expose Lady Orleya’s situation, it would also best ensure Princess Liana’s safety. “I’ll inform Princess Liana of this matter immediately.”

“By the way, during this period, if there’s nothing particularly important, don’t come to disturb us,” Orleya said.

“Understood,” Minoga nodded and left the forest.

After Minoga left, Loraviel stood up. “It seems I don’t have much time to rest. Let’s continue training, Teacher Orleya.”

– – –

Liana looked at Minoga in front of her. Although she really wanted to ask how things went, due to the presence of others in the carriage, Liana held back.

And that letter—Liana was truly eager to open it and see what strange things were written inside.

“What’s the matter, Princess Liana?” Minoga instinctively raised her hand, intending to pinch Liana’s cheek, but after raising it halfway, she lowered it again.

“Nothing.” It would be better to ask properly once they reached their accommodation.

Today, Liana didn’t return to her original training location but went to her mother’s garden.

“You can go back first,” Liana said, getting off the carriage with Sephirena.

Oliphia looked at Minoga beside Liana. With her there, Princess Liana was absolutely safe. “I understand. When should I come to pick up Princess Liana?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll run back by myself later,” Liana stretched lazily. “After all, this place isn’t too far, and I’ve somewhat gotten used to that kind of life.”

“I understand,” Oliphia left the place.

Liana turned to look at Sephirena. Liana didn’t know what the consequences would be if she revealed this matter, but doing nothing would definitely not change Sephirena’s situation. “As an elf, you should be very familiar with the Tree of Life, right?”

Not just Sephirena—any elf would be very familiar with the Tree of Life. But Sephirena was different. All her nightmare-like memories began with this Tree of Life.

If Tarashil hadn’t gone to repair the Tree of Life at that time, if she had gone herself, these losses wouldn’t have occurred.

Sephirena’s eyes widened slightly. “What is it?”

“You’ll know in a moment,” Liana said mysteriously.

They arrived at the entrance to the back garden. The two guards had already sensed Liana’s arrival and slightly bowed. “Princess Liana, and... Lady Judge.”

Liana looked at the two guards who were dressed very similarly, like a couple. The one wearing light yellow clothes was called Jasmine, and the one wearing light white clothes was called Gardenia.

Gardenia seemed shyer and didn’t like to talk much. Generally, Jasmine would speak.

“May I enter?” Liana asked politely. “I’ve also brought a... friend.”

“Of course, you can enter Madam Ambis’ garden anytime,” Jasmine said.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

“It’s our duty,” The two of them opened the entrance together, letting the three enter.

Sephirena had just entered the back garden when she froze in place, looking at the familiar scene before her. She even doubted whether she had returned to the Elf Forest.

“What’s wrong?” Liana had never been to the Elf Forest, so naturally, she didn’t know why Sephirena was reacting this way.

“No... nothing,” The further they went inside, the more familiar it seemed to Sephirena. Was this place really not the Elf Forest? Could it be that the formation at the entrance was actually a teleportation magic?

But what Sephirena hadn’t expected was that in the center of this forest, there was a lake, and in the middle of the lake was a small sapling that made Sephirena unable to remain calm.

This life essence was very familiar to her. It was definitely a branch of the Tree of Life.

Moreover, around this small sapling, several tiny faeries were flying and dancing.

“Princess Liana... what is this? Why do you have a branch of the Tree of Life?” Sephirena asked in confusion. Even a single leaf from the Tree of Life was considered more important than life itself by elves, let alone such a branch.