“Don’t be like this, Uncle Edmund… I’m not used to it! There will definitely be a chance for hunting. When the time comes, I’ll call Mother to come along, just like before…”
Seeing him swear an oath so solemnly while bringing up her childhood memories, Milin’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
She hurriedly left her seat and ran to Edmund’s side, trying to help him up.
Her flustered behavior caused the Northland Nobles standing with Edmund to burst into hearty laughter:
“The old man is right. This is our Princess, our one and only flower. She has to bloom in her own way.”
“Distinguished guests, Milin is exactly the kind of ill-mannered tomboy she claims to be. This old woman apologizes to you all on her behalf. Please do not judge her too harshly.”
An elderly woman with a simple yet dignified aura stepped out from among the Nobles—she was the current head of the Marquis Gracemont family, the largest Duchy in the Foothills Province.
Seeing someone of such high status bowing for her sake, Milin panicked even more:
“Oh, Grandma Stone… even you…!”
“You brat, you’re already this old and you still don’t know how to control your temper! If it weren’t for this occasion, I would drill into your head just like before!”
The old lady named Stone scolded her with a smile while stroking Milin’s hair.
Others might have found the scene heartwarming… but only Milin knew exactly how much finger strength this former miner was currently using to grip her head—
This is bad… Grandma is absolutely furious!
***
“These Humans are truly useless to the extreme. I thought they would use some clever means to incite unrest. To think they would waste such an excellent opportunity with both the Duchess and the Sword Saint absent…”
On the vast lawn outside the porch of the Xīlong Pavilion, the distinguished guests were waiting for the arrival of the parade floats.
Vlad watched the Humans chatting harmoniously with a look of pure boredom in his eyes.
“That is not the case. Their powers of observation are keen. From that brief conversation alone, they sensed that the relationship between that Maid and the Hero’s Daughter is unusual. They then incited those young Nobles who wanted to show off in front of the Hero’s Daughter to harass the Maid, hoping to make her lose her composure—I consider that a rather clever approach. They did not even have to expose themselves.”
Luc was superficially conversing with a lower-ranking young Noble who had also come from Nolan.
Facing his attempts to bond over stories of their shared hometown, she responded flawlessly with information she had long since memorized.
“It is only a pity they underestimated that girl’s popularity,” Aoke’s voice sounded rare across the group’s Mental Link.
“Everyone from the Northland stood up to protect that girl. In this situation, it is difficult for them to target her words and conduct further.”
“It does not matter. As long as they persist in opposing the Duchess and that girl, it might create some unexpected convenience for our actions. Selene, is your analysis complete? I saw you let go of her hand halfway.”
Luc bid farewell to the young Noble, who wore a look of great disappointment, and walked over to Selene, who was fanning herself with a Fan.
“Of course it’s finished. Holding the Hero’s Daughter’s arm… it was even more disgusting than calling that woman aunt.”
“It won’t be like yesterday when you were forging the Frostblade, will it?”
“Don’t worry. My original body’s ‘Imitation’ does not have such strict requirements as creating objects. Besides, after observing that girl up close, I have a general grasp of her personality.”
Her movements with the fan were leisurely. From this alone, one could tell she possessed ample confidence this time.
Luc believed her—after all, her being able to disguise herself in this manner was entirely due to Selene’s ability.
“But speaking of which… have you noticed those things around us?” Selene was not idle.
Though she wasn’t speaking to others, she had actually been paying attention to several petite figures mixed among the gardeners on the lawn since a moment ago—they all shared the Sage’s appearance.
“Are you talking about the Sage’s Doppelgangers?”
“Yes. Although you said not to care about them from the beginning… there are just too many of them; it’s creepy. Since we entered the city, they have been everywhere, haven’t they? And I heard that her main body also appeared at the opening ceremony that day. If she becomes an obstacle to our actions—”
“That won’t happen. Her main body is restricted to the Sage’s Tower… that is information everyone knows. The one that appeared at the opening ceremony could not have been her main body; she simply said so, and those Humans believed it.”
“She is right. That Tower itself is a ‘Relic’ that seals her power. Even if she had some means to temporarily escape from there like during the Great War, she would be nothing more than a slightly more powerful Human mage. Otherwise, why do you think she didn’t stay by the Duchess’s side like the Sword Saint, but instead created these dolls as replacements? In my opinion, the level of this junk is probably on par with those toys of the Spirit Demon Duke.”
Vlad did not seem to think the Sage and her Doppelgangers would be any hindrance at all. Selene’s brow furrowed slightly at his arrogant and frivolous statement:
“Since you say that, you’ll be responsible for dealing with the Sage’s Doppelgangers nearby during the mission. Are you sure nothing will go wrong in your current state?”
“Doubted me already? I conducted a detailed investigation on these things before. Every time they operate for a while, they have to recharge at the nearest Magic Stone Base Station—there are many in this Palace, and even more in the city. As for those units that malfunction or are damaged, the one closest to them takes on the responsibility of recovery. Watch.”
After speaking, Vlad walked up to the nearest Doppelganger of Sephy working on the lawn and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Please do not touch, guest. You will hinder the work of Lord Sage’s Doppelganger, No. 3792.”
The Doppelganger straightened its body mechanically and turned its head to look at him with an emotionless gaze.
“Don’t be so cold… Lord Sage. Why don’t you put down this boring work… and chat with me for a bit?”
The Doppelganger leaned down to continue its work, but Vlad gripped her shoulder tightly, preventing her from doing so.
“Final warning, guest. You have hindered the work of Lord Sage’s Doppelganger, No. 3792. If you persist, it will pose a certain level of threat to your personal safety.”
“Threatening me…? Scrap metal like you, even if there were a hundred more… wouldn’t pose any threat to my personal safety.”
“This is the last warning, guest. If you interfere again, I will—”
A purple magic circle representing the operation of Lightning Magic appeared in the Doppelganger’s eyes—this was a defense mechanism designed by Sephy to prevent those with ulterior motives from damaging her Doppelgangers.
After three warnings, the Doppelganger would output Lightning Magic capable of instantly knocking out the person and delivering them to the nearest law enforcement agency.
However, this mechanism was ultimately only designed for Humans and general Demon Race intruders.
The tips of Vlad’s fingers gripping her shoulder suddenly elongated, piercing her body.
Black Magic Power traveled down the wound on her shoulder, quickly reaching the Mana Core located in her heart.
“Goodnight, Sage No. 3792. ——Whoops.”
Vlad’s Magic Power easily shattered the Magic Stone inside the Mana Core.
The magic circle in the eyes of the power-deprived Doppelganger slowly dissipated, and her entire body went limp, about to collapse.
But Vlad caught her in time. To bystanders, it looked like he was kindly helping up someone who had almost fallen.