The next day.
The Northern Army set out again, a steel torrent surging toward the Royal Capital.
Wendy and Astreia rode side by side.
Laxana sat sideways on her staff, leisurely floating beside them.
Suddenly.
Wendy’s temple throbbed sharply.
A wave of inexplicable pleasure surged into his mind along an invisible Soul Link, rough and forceful.
The Prince instinctively looked up, meeting the gaze of the “Rival in Love”.
Those violet eyes brimmed with unabashed mischief and pride.
She looked stunning today.
As if the madness that nearly burned her soul to ashes last night was nothing more than a pleasant dream.
But for Wendy, this was the start of a nightmare.
Right now, he felt like a pitiful creature forced to carry a burden, while the remote control was firmly in the hands of the smiling madwoman beside him.
Damn Recording Crystal!
And that wicked “Thorn Kiss”!
Why couldn’t the people who invented these things just drop dead!
Wendy hadn’t slept a wink all night, his mind racing to figure out a Breaking Method.
Reveal everything and snatch the crystal?
Impossible.
With Laxana’s strength, rushing in would be suicide.
And besides, Astreia was right there.
If things turned ugly, everything would spiral into disaster.
He didn’t dare gamble on the mood of the Witch Queen.
But the frustration of being at someone’s mercy was driving him mad—the more he endured, the angrier he became; the more he backed down, the more he lost.
Laxana seemed to greatly enjoy his restless discomfort, the smile on her lips growing even wider.
She even used the “Empathy” chain to write words on her palm and send a message.
“Last night… was really satisfying~”
Wendy’s whole body jerked, and he nearly fell off his horse.
“Wendy? What’s wrong? You look pale.”
Astreia’s concerned voice was like a pure light, instantly dispelling all the sticky malice.
“No fever… Maybe you didn’t sleep well last night?”
The Princess reached out worriedly to check his forehead.
“Ah? Ah…”
Wendy snapped back to himself, meeting Astreia’s clear green eyes, and was nearly drowned by a wave of guilt.
He forced a smile, changing the subject.
“I’m fine. Just a bit nervous about arriving at the Royal Capital.”
“By the way, Laxana, you mentioned before that there are Four Great Families in the Capital. Can you tell me more about them?”
It was the only way he could think of to divert attention.
Using official business to shut her up.
Sure enough, when the conversation shifted to serious matters—especially about the Royal Capital’s power structure—Laxana’s playfulness faded as she began to explain in detail.
“The Four Great Families of the Royal Capital are: the Veid Family, who control finances; the George Family, who command the military; my Klein Family, skilled in magic; and finally, the Visseran Family, the head of the civil official group…”
“George Family?”
Wendy immediately seized on the familiar name.
“Is General Sera also from the George Family?”
On the flank of the formation, the one-eyed old general who had remained alert throughout nodded slightly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sera George’s voice was as steady as ever.
“Actually, the George Family has ties to you as well.”
“Oh?”
Wendy’s curiosity was piqued.
“What kind of connection?”
“The founder of the George Family was Sir Lisara George, the First Hero’s close friend and guardian Knight.”
A trace of pride flashed in Sera’s single eye.
“After sealing the most powerful Demon King of Lust alongside the First Hero, Sir Lisara returned home, established the George Family, and laid down the Family Creed of loyalty to the king and country.
So, Your Highness, you can always trust the loyalty of the George Family.”
Wendy nodded thoughtfully.
This piece of information filled a gap in his understanding of the game’s background.
It seemed the Sera George route was reliable.
He turned his gaze to Laxana again.
“What about the civil official group led by the Visseran Family? What role do they play in the Royal Capital?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wendy distinctly sensed a wave of resentment transmitted through the “Empathy” chain.
“Hmph!”
A look of open disgust appeared on Laxana’s beautiful face as she gritted her teeth.
“The Visseran Family and those officials are nothing but opportunistic fence-sitters!”
“Especially Allison Visseran, who serves as Prime Minister. She’s a damned old fox! If she hadn’t interfered back then, Astreia would never have been sent to suffer at a place like Sunset Fortress!”
However, Astreia shook her head, stepping in to defend.
“Don’t say that, Shanna. Bishop Allison did it for the kingdom’s stability. With my position at the time, staying in the Royal Capital would have only made things worse. Besides, life at Sunset Fortress… was more comfortable than in the Capital.”
“Comfortable? You call that comfortable?”
Laxana pouted, clearly unconvinced.
“In any case, I still think that old fox is up to no good! Always acting mysterious!”
“Wait.”
Wendy suddenly interrupted their argument, having caught onto something odd.
“Astreia, just now… you called Prime Minister Allison Visseran ‘Bishop’? What rank of bishop is she?”
At his words, both the Princess and the “Rival in Love” looked over.
“Of course she’s a Cardinal.”
Laxana replied as if it were obvious.
“Wendy, even you don’t know this? On the Erashia Continent, in any kingdom that respects the Church and worships the Sun Goddess, the Prime Minister must be a Cardinal personally appointed by His Holiness the Pope. It’s to help the King govern the country, and even more so to watch over the Royal Bloodline, ensuring no one is corrupted by the Demon Race.”
“If any trace of Demon Race is found, they have the authority to report directly to the Church and deploy the Temple Knight Order for Purification.”
“Ah… so there’s such a system.”
Cold sweat trickled down Wendy’s neck.
He had always thought the Chivalric Kingdom’s Prime Minister just happened to also be a Cardinal.
He never realized it was a continent-wide ironclad law!
Who researches an NPC’s political system when playing a game anyway!
Doesn’t everyone just focus on farming equipment, raising favorability, and bringing beautiful heroines back to—
Wendy’s thoughts screeched to a halt.
A fatal problem slowly surfaced in his mind.
As the Church’s highest inspector.
As a Cardinal with the power of Purification.
Prime Minister Allison Visseran, the woman Laxana called an “old fox”…
Could she recognize Astreia’s witch state?
If…
If in the Royal Capital, before everyone’s eyes, Astreia entered her witch state…
What would that old fox do?
Stand by and watch?
Or… strike on the spot and summon the Church’s crusade?
In an instant, Wendy felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
A fatal flaw had appeared in the entire plan—one he never could have anticipated.