Chapter 131: The Tip of an Iceberg
Translator: Atla.s.studios Editor: Atla.s.studios
As a royal mage, Amund had lost count just how many times he had entered this glorious palace.
The smooth marble floor was clean enough to see even his own reflection. Hid surroundings were decorated with a luxurious crystal chandelier. The bright and soft lights gave off a warm and comfortable feeling. A hint of aroma spread around, bringing a warm and peaceful atmosphere. The thick wooden door from behind slowly closed and echoed a deep sound. However, Amund didn’t show the slightest nervous expression. He smiled, then tidied up his red robe while walking toward the young maiden who was lying on the velvet sofa and slightly bowed his head.
“Your Highness.”
“h.e.l.lo, Amund.” Lydia lazily lied down with her eyes half closed while looking at the elderly in front of her and smiled. “I hope you don’t blame me for calling you here when you’re busy.”
“Not at all, Your Highness.”
Amund lifted his head and gently looked at her.
“As someone who has been serving the royal family for generations, I certainly won’t refuse your invitation.”
“Very well. If I had delayed an important schedule, I would feel very uneasy.” The girl said while slowly sitting up.
White, flawless, perfect skin that wasn’t supposed to exist in this word was revealed under the chiffon. Six wings also slowly appeared behind her back, giving off a holy atmosphere to this palace. Looking at her expression, Amund only shook his head and wryly smiled. He was already accustomed to her easygoingness. Before she succeeded in her position as the Grand Duke and was still his student, Amund had also reminded her several times to pay more attention to her demeanor. But she clearly had a different opinion about that.
“Sir Amund, my beauty has blended in together with the beauty of this world. It’s a sin to hide this kind of beauty. Since I never do anything wrong, then shouldn’t I show myself in dignity? Since my existence can make the world a more beautiful place, why should I refuse to show off myself?”
If others said these words, then they would really sounds extremely arrogant, but hearing if from her mouth, it sounded just natural. She was always full of confidence and proud, not allowing anyone to change her views.
Of course, the outside world didn’t have a good evaluation toward her. Loose, cruel, and such words were the most common adjectives to describe her, but even so, she still followed her own path and didn’t care about such rumors. Perhaps it was because of that she was able to succeed.
“Then, what’s the matter for you to summon me here?”
“It’s like this.” She sat on the sofa and grinned, both of her hands placed on her cheeks while looking at the white-bearded old mage before her. “The thing that I’ve asked you to do; the situation has changed.”
“Oh?”
Hearing until here, Amund was a little surprised, but he didn’t question her immediately. He was looking at Lydia and waiting for her to say something. He knew clearly that Lydia was a thoughtful person. Although she usually looked relaxed, if people took her as a simple-minded and relaxed person, they usually would die miserably.
Amund still remembered one of the events that took place when Lydia was 12 years old and she had just succeeded in her position as a Grand Duke for two years. Her reign was still unstable, and the old general suddenly resigned because of an illness, leading to the vacancy of the holder of the country’s military power. For many people, it was the best chance for them to gain that power. If one could grasp military power, it meant that one was likely to become the shadow ruler of the entire Munn Kingdom. After all, Lydia was still a 12-year-old girl at that time, and no one believed that a 12-year-old girl could lead a country well especially in military and political aspects. Of course, at that time, there were a lot of people who wanted to control her so they could gain the power and the ability to bring the most beautiful girls on the entire continent into one room. No one would miss that kind of opportunity.
In the end, the position was placed on the two East and West border Military Commanders. At that time, many people thought that it was the western Military Commander who would likely obtain this position because he defeated numerous of outer race that had tried to invade the country. On the other hand, the eastern Military Commander never did anything. Because of that many people thought that the western Military Commander was certainly to get this position due to his many actions.
However, the result was completely beyond their expectation. When they were called back to be officially appoint the General, Lydia, who had been staying silent suddenly made a shocking decision. Not only did she appoint the eastern Military Commander as the General, at the same time, she also put the western Military Commander into prison under the accusation of harming the royal family.
After this thing happened, everyone was in an uproar. Many people simply did not expect that the situation would change 180 degrees. There were people who thought that it was unjustified, people who protested, and people who opposed it. They thought that although this girl was young, but her thirst toward power was extremely heavy. She was worried that the western Military Commander might make her position unstable, which was why she made a move first. However, Lydia remained silent even after hearing these protests—until a month later.
A month later, the result of the trial made everyone shocked. The reason that the Western Military Commander had so much military power over the years was because he was deliberately provoking the outer races army from time to time and then killed them in order to gain military power. But because of this, the danger from the outer races had been eliminated. However, because of the continuous war, the inhabitants of the western Border were living in poverty. Although the war was fought by the military, the inhabitants were also affected. On the contrary, the eastern Border region had always been peaceful. The inhabitants there lived in harmony with people outside the Kingdom. Since there was no such thing as war, naturally there was no way for the eastern Military Commander to earn any military merit. Precisely because of this reason, the eastern Military Commander was always at the bottom of any honor rolls.
Until then, Lydia, who had been travelling all around to enjoy the scenery outside, finally showed up.
At the same time, the result of the trial was issued. All the officers in the entire western border close to the western Military commander was apprehended, and those who had previously accused Lydia for being unjust were also included. In just 10 days, a total of 580 people—including n.o.bles and military officers—were arrested and all executed.
When they were sentenced to death, the successors to their positions had already been decided.
From that day onward, no one dare to look down on this violent girl who like to enjoy beautiful things.
Naturally, Amund knew about the Munn Kingdom’s current situation. Precisely because of this, Lydia had personally appointed him to take care of this matter. However, now she suddenly said things were like that… Was it because there was change in the situation?
“You guessed right, Amund.”
As if Lydia had guessed his thought, she smiled and replied.
“From the information I got, the danger has already been eliminated.”
“Eh?”
Hearing until here, the Old Mage was surprised for a moment and then frowned.
“Do you mean…”
“This is the report that I received this morning.”
Lydia said then stretched out her hand and handed an exquisite, flower-patterned letter to him. After that, she took a cup of the black tea that circulated a sweet fragrance from her desk. Then, she narrowed her eyes and sipped it.
The old mage bowed, then opened the letter. He carefully began to read the information on it. Although his expression didn’t change, the sudden sharpness in his eyes showed his surprised reaction. Then, he put down the letter in his hand and looked at her once more.
“What do you think, Amund?”
“If this is a joke, then please let me laugh at it.” The old mage wryly smiled then shook his head, but his expression didn’t seem to be that of one smiling.
“If this is a fact… then I can only say that it’s too unbelievable.”
“Unknown things are the most fantastic things in this world.”
Facing the old mage’s awe, Lydia only showed her enjoyment.
“When you opened a door, you will never know what’s hidden inside. This is the most interesting part. I love unknown things like this the most. It will make me nervous and happy, which, to me, is a must. Originally I thought that my cute little subordinates would take care of this matter, but I never thought that they actually gave me such a pleasant surprise.”
“But…”
The old mage wasn’t as optimistic as Lydia. He rubbed his long beard with serious expression.
“Forgive me for being direct, Your Highness. However, I didn’t think that an ordinary mercenary group would be able to defeat a Level 3 inner circle mage. Even if it were me, I would still need to use some effort to do it. I think there’s something behind this…”
“I understand what you mean, Amund.” Lydia stretched out her hand and stopped his words.
“This is the reason why I called you here… I believe that the report from my cute little subordinates is correct, and they also brought some evidence for us. I think you also noticed that there’s a person… central to this matter.”
“The young man called Rhode Alander?” Hearing until here, the old mage thought for a while and quickly asked.
“That’s right; according to the report, it’s not the first time he saved mercenary groups from the Paphield area and destroyed their plans. In addition, he also wiped out the Jade Tears mercenary group. If we put everything together, I don’t think it’s accidental. According to this report, this man only arrived in Deep Stone City for a month, but the plan that the Country of Light has made with a whole year of effort has been completely destroyed. I think it’s quite a blow to that old man from a.s.sociation who’s very impatient.”
Saying until here, Lydia stopped talking then smiled.
“About his ident.i.ty… is it true?”
“I have asked the Eastern Plain regarding this matter, but they kept their silence as usual. However, this isn’t important; the most important thing is that this young man seems to know their plan and trying to destroy it. I don’t care about where he came from. Since he was able to bring me such a great pleasure, then I think he won’t be our enemy.”
“Then, you mean…”
Saying until here, the old mage already somewhat guessed the reason she called him here.
“I hope you can go to Deep Stone City together with me to investigate this young man in secret. It’s better to see him up close. After all, this man is willing to help our Munn Kingdom. As the ruler, I think I need to pay my respect to him. And…”
Saying until here, Lydia clapped her hands and showed a very beautiful smile full of desire.
“I heard that he’s a very beautiful person. If that’s the truth, then it would be a pity if I cannot add him to my collection, right?”