Chapter 1052: Wanderer in The Dark
The sky before her eyes was still pitch-black. The deep, dark night enveloped the sky and even the round, scarlet moon brought upon a depressing and almost deadly solitude. Erin sat in front of the window, gazing at the doc.u.ments on the table. She forced a smile at the scenery. Even though she was used to how it looked, it seemed a little strange to her at this very moment. It wasn’t just about the memories of her returning home. It was more like… a change in her mood.
Erin shook her head with a bitter smile at this thought. As of now, she wasn’t only the ‘moon princess’; she was also here in the Country of Darkness as the diplomatic representative of the Void Territory. Not only did this leave her in an awkward spot, but it also affected everyone else, including the four legendary generals who a.s.serted that this situation was unheard of. Even though it sounded powerful for a princess to be made a diplomatic representative by another country, it was challenging to determine what exactly the Void Dragon was plotting with the current relations.h.i.+p between the Void Territory and Country of Darkness. In fact, there were voices of objections from the Country of Darkness regarding this matter. Balende raised his doubt to Ion, saying that this wasn’t appropriate. Although from a political standpoint, the fact that their princess held the diplomatic powers of another country seemed authoritative, it didn’t mean that the Void Territory was on the path of seeking glory by selling out their country. As for the unique form of power where four countries were under the dragon soul protections despite having five Creator Dragons, the so-called duties of a diplomatic representative were far worse than that of the ones on Earth. At most, diplomatic representatives could only be considered a communication channel for the Creator Dragons. As for affecting national policies, the diplomatic representative had no say at all.
But the four legendary generals’ concerns weren’t only about those factors. Instead, they felt like this arrangement was harmful to their morale. The princess of the Country of Darkness became a diplomatic representative of another country and it just had to be the Void Territory. It was only less than a year ago after the Country of Darkness infiltrated the Country of Light. The undead creatures’ memories were calculated in units of centuries; none of them could accept the fact that their princess actually went to the country that the Country of Darkness. .h.i.t a snag with. Erin also heard that due to this matter, some ancient families expressed a certain degree of dissatisfaction to Ion. In the past, the Country of Darkness didn’t have any strict rules to prohibit this. However, when it was Ion’s turn to rule, he emphasized repeatedly. Despite that, Erin was considered an outstanding talent in the Country of Darkness. But now, she actually went her own way and worked for another Creator Dragon. If this news were to spread, wouldn’t the beings of Country of Darkness be lowering their heads whenever they faced the Void Territory?
But this didn’t affect Ion at all as he continued to work strictly and even invited Erin over to discuss diplomatic matters together. But everyone present saw that Ion didn’t treat Erin as his younger sister. Instead, he treated her as the true diplomatic representative from the Void Territory. Although some thought that this was a sign of Erin losing favor with Ion, Erin knew clearly that this was only her big brother being a little overconfident…
Or perhaps, not just a little.
This discovery left Erin deeply worried because she realized that her big brother was getting increasingly bigoted. This had completely surpa.s.sed the range of persistence and reached a state of morbidness. In all honesty, one of the reasons why Erin accepted Rhode’s suggestion to do this job was due to the current situation of the continent. Also, as a diplomatic representative, she didn’t have much to do except informing the Creator Dragons of the meeting time for discussions. The other reason was that she also hoped to use this method to ‘agitate’ Ion into reconsidering his ideas. It was apparent that this style from a person like Rhode who never played by the rules caught Ion by surprise. If Ion was disgusted with him, he could still privately warn Erin to be careful of her ident.i.ty as a royal family member and whatnot. And as long as Ion opened his mouth, Erin would immediately look for Rhode and quit her job. But what made her uncertain was that even though Ion was baffled when he heard her explanations from the start, he later restored the cold, indifferent att.i.tude of ‘everything is in the hands of the country’s military’. Not even wagging tongues were able to move him as though everything Rhode had done failed to affect him at all.
But was that really so?
What worried Erin the most wasn’t Ion’s overly cold response. Instead, it was Rhode’s reaction. In fact, from the start when she heard from him that he wanted her to become the diplomatic representative of the Void Territory, even she couldn’t believe her ears. She tactfully told him about the inconveniences of doing this job with her ident.i.ty, but he was equally calm in his response. Or perhaps, even more calm like he already expected it.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness Erin. The things you’re worried about will not be a cause for concern.”
After meeting her big brother, Erin finally understood what Rhode meant exactly by that. Ion thought that everything was within his control, but what Erin feared was that Rhode seemed to understand Ion more than she did. Not only that, but Rhode was also seemingly sure that Ion would definitely not raise any doubt or object to this strange matter.
Although Erin once mentioned this matter to Ion in private and reminded him to be wary of Rhode, Ion didn’t take her words seriously. This was what Erin was most worried about. Ion was beyond control. Not only did the earlier failure stop him in his tracks, but it also aroused his fighting spirit even further. The troubles that Rhode brought upon him were only challenges to steel himself before he eventually reached his goal. They weren’t worthy of a mention and wouldn’t affect his ultimate goal one bit.
The perspectives from both sides were from totally different levels, which left Erin at her wits’ end. Even she, as the moon princess, failed to convince Ion, not to mention the four legendary generals. Not only that, but also what Erin was concerned about was that some people were trying to take advantage of the crisis for personal gains. Situations constantly surfaced during this period of time in the Country of Darkness. Even though Ion didn’t mention a word, it seemed like he didn’t have the time to find trouble with the Void Territory for now.
In other words, Rhode had reached his goal.
But Erin didn’t know if her big brother understood this.
“Phew…”
Erin held her forehead at this thought. After returning to the Country of Darkness, she tried to change her big brother’s thoughts. But now, it seemed like she failed completely. It was impossible for Ion to accept her opinion. And now, the only thing that Erin could do was to do what she should. Since Ion wasn’t willing to consider her advice, she had to find a new way of retreat.
“Your Highness.”
At this moment, an ethereal voice sounded, disrupting Erin’s thought process. She looked up and saw the female servant entering her room silently. The servant gave her a deep bow, saying.
“Sir Balende is here.”
“… Please bring him in.”
Erin’s expression remains unchanged. She put away the intelligence in her hand, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes. She gazed ahead, displaying a languid smile like a cat basking in the afternoon sun. Then, at this moment, an upright and tall figure appeared before her. He was one of the four legendary generals, the ‘Spirit Chaser’ Balende.
“Greetings, Your Highness Erin.”
After entering the room, Balende immediately walked in large strides toward Erin, before bowing respectfully. Erin smiled at him and nodded in response.
“Long time no see, Your Highness Balende. You seem as strong as ever; I’m glad.”
“Hahaha, Your Highness sure knows how to crack a joke.”
Balende burst out in a hearty laughter, before extending his arm to pull out a chair for a seat.
“To the undeads like us who roam in darkness, we pay the price of life for us to remain in this world. But as for you, Your Highness Erin, you’ve blossomed into a beautiful woman; I still remember when you were an adorable young girl back then… Sigh, this is where the beauty of life lies…” Balende let out a soft sigh, while Erin remained silent and continued to smile at him. For Balende to take the initiative to visit Erin, it was obvious that he had something to discuss with her. This was also the change brought about by her ident.i.ty. If it were in the past, even though the four legendary generals were respectful of her, they never had any dealings with her before.
Because how useful would a flower vase who wasn’t involved in politics be to them?
But now, the situation was different from the past, after all.
“I suppose His Majesty is aware of our meeting, but I have to say that His Majesty may have belittled the Void Territory’s strength.”
As soon as Balende spoke about formal matters, he instantly turned solemn.
“Your Highness Erin. You’ve stayed in the Void Territory for a while, so I suppose you have a specific understanding of their strength. I would like to know the chances of the Country of Darkness defeating the Void Territory in a war.”
“… Did Big Brother mention something about it?”
Erin tensed up instantly upon hearing his question. Among the four legendary generals, Ashvril was in charge of intelligence, Garcia was responsible for internal affairs, and Balende was the true military commander. Now that Balende looked for her personally and asked about the layout of the Void Territory, it most likely meant that the Country of Darkness had intention to attack the Void Territory! Upon hearing her question, Balende shook his head slightly and spoke.
“His Majesty is extremely dissatisfied with the dirty tricks as of late… and wishes to retaliate a little.”
“…”
Even though Balende put it vaguely, Erin understood what he meant. She knitted her brows and even if Balende didn’t speak out directly, she knew that her big brother intended to teach Rhode a lesson. Since the ‘Spirit Chaser’ came knocking on her door personally, it meant that a clash might occur between the Country of Darkness and Void Territory. Besides, as one of the four legendary generals, he might even lead the army personally!
“… Has Big Brother made his decision?”
“Currently His Majesty only has such an intention, but Your Highness Erin, I think you’re aware of His Majesty’s temperament…”
“Yeah…”
Upon hearing Balende’s answer, Erin left out a subtle sigh. To Ion, a so-called ‘intention’ basically meant to get ready to execute the plan. In other words, this conflict might be unavoidable. But Balende was clearly pessimistic of it as the scene of Mini Bubble Gum bas.h.i.+ng up Ashvril during the Order Ceremony was still vivid in his mind. Although the occasion was different back then and Ashvril lost the first move which gave Mini Bubble Gum the upper hand, gaining the upper hand over the four legendary generals couldn’t be done by random Joes on the street.
No wonder Balende came to inquire personally.
But to Erin, this wasn’t an easy question to answer. It wasn’t due to her staying in the Void Territory for too long that she wanted to cover up for Rhode. Instead, she was somewhat hesitant because even though she didn’t become an undercover spy to investigate the Void Territory’s military secrets, she was still aware of the powerful beings around Rhode. In terms of battle strength, Erin was on par with the four legendary generals, so it was impossible for her to not detect the prestige of the Deity Wardens.
“I can’t give you a direct answer. But please pardon my bluntness, Your Majesty Balende. Perhaps you shouldn’t be considering our chances of winning. Instead, you should think if we even stand a chance.”
“… Your Highness Erin, what you meant is…?”
Balende’s voice trembled slightly. It was apparent that he understood the meaning behind her words. Erin nodded to his doubt and spoke.
“If it is a war between armies, the Country of Darkness still stands some chances of winning. The failure previously in the Munn Kingdom can’t prove anything because the Munn Kingdom had been established for a long time. They have various complete systems and under the d.u.c.h.ess, Lydia’s, lead, their formation was extremely tight and neat. It was a huge and obvious difference from the uneven levels of the Country of Light’s. Besides, with His Majesty Rhode’s help and the preparation beforehand, it wasn’t surprising that the Country of Darkness failed. But the Void Territory is different as it is a new territory, after all. Moreover, most people seeking shelter in their territory are mostly victims from the previous war. Although strong, young adults make up part of them, most of them were women and children. Even though His Majesty Rhode is currently reforming the Void Territory, in the meantime they can’t form an army that can effectively stop the Country of Darkness. But… if it were based purely on the higher level, I don’t think we stand a chance of winning.”
Erin paused and gazed at the silent Balende. Then, she continued.
“His Majesty Rhode has many formidable beings on his side and that includes Miss Mini Bubble Gum, Miss Canary, and Miss Marlene. I’m sure you witnessed their strength during the Order Ceremony. Not only that, but he also possesses formidable power. At least in Grandia, I sensed three ma.s.sive, powerful beings. Although I don’t know who they are, their strength is definitely above mine! Even if the moon is full and round, I’m not confident of defeating them!”
“… Really?”
Balende turned solemn instantly. As one of the four legendary generals, he knew clearly that Erin’s strength was just below Ion’s. Moreover, with her invincible attribute under the full moon, Erin rarely faced worthy opponents and not even the four legendary generals could defeat her together effortlessly. But now, Erin actually told him that even she, under the full moon, wasn’t confident that she could defeat Rhode’s formidable subjects? And there were even three of them?!
Wouldn’t it mean that Rhode had at least three powerful beings who were stronger than the four legendary generals?
“Not only that, but His Majesty Rhode also possesses three squads consisting of demons, elves, and battle angels respectively. I suppose the demolition of Casabianca provided sufficient proof for you. Also, he has those unique magic wars.h.i.+ps… Your Majesty Balende, honestly speaking, I’ve already reported this information to Big Brother, but he…”
This was the first time Erin looked down in disappointment. Even though she wasn’t a spy, she still came from the Country of Darkness, after all. Even if she didn’t probe into the military intelligence of the Void Territory, she was still more or less aware of the situation. However, all this didn’t seem to attract much of Ion’s attention. Perhaps to Ion, everything the Void Territory did was small-scale and as long as he ensured the strength on his side was powerful enough, he could defeat the Void Territory. But Erin knew that this definitely wasn’t something minor and yet, she couldn’t reveal too much from her standpoint as walls had ears. Even though Ion wasn’t mindful, if news were to spread that the princess of the Country of Darkness wasn’t confident that her country was as powerful as the Void Territory, she didn’t know what ruckus the dark n.o.bles would cause.
“His Majesty is being too impatient. This is a taboo, but we, as subjects, can’t violate his orders…”
Upon hearing Erin’s answer, Balende shook his head and spoke. Then, he stood up.
“All right then, thank you for your pointers, Your Highness Erin.”
“You’re welcome. It’s nothing much.”
Erin responded when suddenly something crossed her mind.
“Your Majesty Balende, has Big Brother started his operations? I’m not sure if this time, he will…”
Before Erin finished her sentence, Balende also paused and looked at her. Then, he spoke.
“Your Highness Erin, I heard that during your stay in the Void Territory, there was a royal vampire named Angelina who took care of you, right?”
“… I get what you mean now.”
Erin’s heart sank. Even though Balende’s answer was neither here nor there, Erin already understood what her big brother intended to do.