Chapter 136: Via’s Decision

After listening to the conversation between the clergy members, Via discreetly wandered around Shim Town for a while longer.

There were no wanted posters or missing person notices about her anywhere.

The Holy Land had taken no action against her. They truly did not know she was the reincarnated Demon King Ville.

Sophie had kept the secret. Via could now confirm that she was not in any immediate danger. Even if she showed her face in public, there would not be any major trouble.

At most, someone might urge her to return to the Holy Land as soon as possible.

With complicated feelings swirling inside her, she walked back toward the inn.

“I’m temporarily safe. So, what should my next step be?”

The pink-haired girl returned to the couple’s room she shared with Stella and lay down on the bed.

She stared at the ceiling, a trace of confusion in her heart.

There was no doubt that she and Sophie were arch-enemies. Between the two of them, it should only be a fight to the death.

Whether as the Silver Sword Princess or as a saintess candidate of the Holy Land, once Sophie knew she was Demon King Ville, she should have reported it to the Holy Land and eliminated her as soon as possible—before Via grew too powerful—regardless of her stance.

After all, if Demon King Ville regained his former strength, humanity would undoubtedly view her as a threat.

But why had Sophie let her go?

There was no reason for it.

What exactly was Sophie plotting?

She did not know.

Via rolled over, hugged the pillow, and curled up. She really could not figure out Sophie’s intentions.

From the current situation, the clergy who did not know the truth had not labeled her a heretic.

So, should she pretend nothing had happened, act completely unaware, and return to the Holy Land?

Continue being Sophie’s sister and keep living as a saintess candidate in the Holy Land?

No.

Via sat up on the bed and set the pillow aside.

If she really returned to the Holy Land, her future safety would rest entirely in Sophie’s hands.

Even if Sophie had no intention of reporting her now, what about the future?

With just one word from Sophie, she would be plunged into hell.

Whether she was safe or not would depend entirely on someone else’s mood. As the Demon King, how could she possibly entrust her life to another person’s control? Being safe for now did not mean she would be safe forever. She could not do that.

In short.

Staying in the human world any longer would be too dangerous. The moment the human higher-ups learned she was the Demon King, they would stop at nothing to eliminate her.

Via stood up and walked step by step to the window, gazing at the distant sky.

That was the south, the complete opposite direction from the Holy Land in the north of the Empire. If she headed south all the way, she would cross the border of the Saint Luo Empire and reach the Desolate Fallen Continent.

It was much earlier than she had anticipated, but she had to start taking action ahead of schedule.

Nighttime.

Stella finished handling her matters and returned to the room.

As soon as she came back, she saw Via lying motionless on the bed.

“Via, you didn’t go out at all today?” Stella asked curiously.

“I went downstairs for breakfast in the morning.”

Via’s voice sounded listless and quite downcast.

“You’re this unenergetic? You stayed here the whole day,” Stella said, somewhat helpless.

“We’ve rested enough. We can leave anytime.”

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow. I’ve already replenished the magic crystals for the artifact, and the horses are ready. I don’t want to travel at night. We’ll sleep until tomorrow morning.”

“Fine~”

Stella agreed. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already dinnertime.

“Want to go out for dinner? You must be hungry after a whole day, right?”

“Let’s just eat downstairs.”

“The food at the downstairs restaurant is pretty average, though.”

“It’ll do. I don’t want to go too far.”

“Via, you’ve suddenly become so fussy.”

Stella said this, but she still went along with Via’s request.

After washing her face, she went downstairs with Via to the inn’s restaurant and ordered a very ordinary two-person dinner.

The restaurant waiter knew they were staying in the couple’s room and even brought out a pair of candles to add some ambiance.

“The Kado City incident is really being discussed everywhere. The merchant selling magic crystals knew I escaped from there and kept pestering me about it.”

While eating, Stella mentioned casually.

“Stella.” Via lowered her voice slightly.

“Hm?”

“Why do you want to become the heir to the throne?”

Stella was a bit surprised. The knife and fork in her hands paused. “Via, you want to know about my affairs?”

“Yeah. You told me you want to become the next emperor of the Saint Luo Empire.”

“I did say that.”

Stella looked puzzled.

The relationship between her and Via was actually rather delicate.

After all, Via had not agreed to help her compete for the throne yet, so she had always seemed uninterested.

But today, she suddenly brought it up proactively.

Thinking of this, a subtle change appeared in Stella’s eyes.

“Maybe it’s to prove something. My mother came from the common people, and no one in the entire imperial palace looked up to her. When she died of illness in the palace, no one cared except for me. I want her to become the mother of an emperor, not just be forgotten by everyone like this.”

“So things weren’t easy for you back then either.”

Via was not particularly surprised. She was simply sighing.

No wonder Stella had said before that their situations were somewhat similar.

“Is this all for your mother?”

“Not entirely. It also includes my own ambition.”

“So, to what extent are you willing to go for this?”

“I’d bet my life on it. If competing for the throne costs me my life, I won’t regret it. I’m more afraid of living the rest of my life in regret because I was too afraid to die.”

Stella looked straight into Via’s eyes, a faint smile appearing on her face.

This was enough to show her determination in competing for the throne.

“I understand,” Via replied.

“Via, does this mean you’ve decided to help me?”

“That’s not possible right now. I was just asking about your situation first. After all, my own circumstances aren’t great at the moment. How could I worry about others?”

Via’s words had another layer of meaning, which Stella picked up on. It was not possible now, but that did not mean there was no possibility in the future.