In the carriage sat none other than Princess Andrea Abel Subila of the Subila Empire. The one inside the carriage with her was the Emperor’s guard commander Derek, and the one driving the carriage was the princess’ guard commander, Corvin.
The princess was wearing a court dress that was bound by an emerald green girdle on her waist. A luxurious headdress sat on top of her golden hair. Together with her perfect smile that seemed to shine brightly, she looked like a beautiful angel that could only be seen in heaven.
After hearing her request, the commander of the princess’ guards, Corvin, instinctively wanted to agree, but he quickly swallowed back his words. After all, the princess and he were commanded by the Emperor to listen to Commander Derek’s words.
‘I am just an eight rank warrior, but Commander Derek is a legendary rank warrior.’
Corvin smiled to himself. If he was a legendary rank warrior, then he would have been able to grant any of the princess’ requests, unlike how currently the princess needed to obtain others’ consent.
He looked lovingly at the princess to whom he was loyal and looked at Commander Derek again.
The steady middle-aged man mused. He glanced at the elegantly-smiling princess, whose eyes were pure and radiant, and sighed.
‘This princess is really as beautiful as an angel. She is so gentle and kind. If not for my old age and low chances at becoming a demigod, I would have asked His Majesty to give me her hand in marriage.’
Derek might look like a middle-aged man, but he was actually more than a hundred years old. Thanks to being a legendary rank warrior, his age did not matter.
‘However, can this princess really not see that this trip is part of the two imperial princes’ scheme?’
‘With the wisdom the princess displayed in front of everyone, she should have been able to see it, but even so, she still agreed to this trip. What does that mean?’
Derek shook his head and decided not to think too hard about these things. He did not want to get too involved in this battle of succession, but the princess was a truly moving person. The most Derek could help her was to save her life in future plots against her.
‘His Majesty is also quite old and close to the limits of life expectancy.
“Your Highness, by principle, I cannot agree with your idea. You should understand that the power structure of the Empire has become more chaotic and complex. Many religions are even emerging from the shadows to spread their faith in the empire. Many nobles and city guards have become followers of certain religions and His Majesty suspects that this is a conspiracy made by the Theocracy.”
“This is especially so for the organization called ‘Brotherhood of Lies’, which recently appeared in the imperial capital. They claim to believe in the God of Lies and have already carried out many illegal activities in the imperial capital.”
Derek said so, but he knew that it had nothing to do with the Theocracy. As a legendary rank powerhouse, he could perceive that a great change was coming. These religions that were stringing up were not evil cults, but actual churches of the gods from the past.
‘The gods have appeared once more.’
This was what Derek suspected. Although he had no evidence, the fact that these religions that had hidden in the mountains and forest once again appeared in public to spread their faith was very unusual.
And if the gods were really awakening, then this would hugely affect the Subila Empire.
As the only human empire and an empire that did not belong to any religion, its power had always been in the hands of royalty and no one was allowed to contend against it. However, how could the gods allow mortals to contend with them?
If the gods awakened, then it was impossible for the Subila Empire to fight against the odds. The entire empire would eventually fall apart.
The gods do not need any great human power to exist. They only needed faith.
This was what Derek was most worried about.
After finishing his words, he saw the princess’ disappointed expression and hesitated. He said, “Forget it, since Your Highness wants to go over and take a look, then let’s go over there. I don’t think there’s anything in this desert that can threaten me.”
He said rather proudly. As a legendary rank warrior, he really did not have anything to fear unless a demigod or a true god descended.
“Thank you so much, Commander Derek.”
Andrea’s expression changed from disappointment to joy. She cheerfully smiled and bowed.
The carriage also changed its path at his orders.
“Miss paladin, they are coming.”
Bowen came to Roselia’s side and spoke. Only by standing beside this paladin did he feel safer.
Roselia also nodded and stood there waiting. Soon, she was able to see the carriage with her eyesight.
The carriage was very luxurious. Although the family crest was hidden, anyone who looked at it could tell that it belonged to a high noble or a royal. The horses pulling the carriage were not of a common breed, but rather had dragon blood flowing in their veins. They were probably born from a dragon mating with a female horse.
The adventurers held their weapons tightly. In the desert, it was best to stay vigilant, especially when encountering strangers. A slight degree of negligence could cause their deaths.
The driver of the carriage also knew that approaching adventurers for no reason was quite rude. With a distance of ten meters, he stopped the carriage.
The curtain of the carriage was pulled back and a middle-aged man’s head was revealed. He looked awe-inspiring to the adventurers. Other than Roselia, the adventurers stiffened without being able to resist.
Derek scanned around and found that no one could threaten the princess and felt relieved. Then he looked at the beautiful girl who looked like a beautiful iris and said in a deep voice, “A paladin who believes in the Goddess of Morning?
“It is so.”
As a paladin, Rosalia never lied and was proud of her own identity.
“Huh? A paladin? Those are rarely seen even in the Slaine Theocracy.”
The princess’ cheerful and lively voice came from the carriage. She ignored the commander’s objection and pulled open her side of the curtain. With curiosity, she looked at these adventurers and Roselia.
The princess and Roselia’s appearances were neck and neck, but her noble temper and the pure atmosphere surrounding her were superior to Roselia to the point that the heartbeat of those who looked at her would speed up. Those adventurers unconsciously lowered their heads as they were taken by the princess’ glory.
As a paladin, Roselia was accustomed to using [Detect Evil] regardless of whoever they were. Whether it was the legendary rank warrior or the young warrior, both of them had faint red lights on their body which was quite normal, because it was impossible for people to not carry any sin.
But when she looked at the Imperial Princess, her expression stiffened.
This was because, under the detection, the princess did not let out any red light at all no matter how faint. It was as if she was born pure and immaculate. It was a soul that was so holy that it could become a link between mortals and gods. If she appeared in the Theocracy, she would definitely be raised with utmost importance.
It was even more precious than a paladin like Roselia.
However, Roselia felt that the princess in front of her was somehow twisted as if her pure and immaculate appearance was an ‘illusion’ for deceiving others.
