Azure Scepter

Page 108

Amidst the elf's melodious laughter, the little girl's face grew increasingly ashen. She remained silent for a long time, as if petrified, before suddenly breaking down in tears: "Don't bite me, kind lady, my blood doesn't taste good!"

The little girl covered her head with her hands and rushed to Trier's back, crouching on the ground trembling.

Trier ignored the little girl and looked at Edith with a serious expression.

—He possessed extraordinary perception and already knew that Edith and Feudia were hiding in the cave, which is why he deliberately revealed a lot of information that was extremely detrimental to Oris.

Through Edith's bewildered eyes, Trier was certain that this impromptu plan had been a great success. He even had a vague premonition that Edith and Oris's breakup was imminent—he only needed to give Edith one last gentle push, and Edith's fragile defenses would completely crumble.

only....

Trier glanced out of the corner of his eye at the little girl who was sobbing and crouching with her head in her hands.

He never expected that Futia and Edith would actually find the vessel through which the Bloodthorn Lady descended—Vicington, Oris, and the rampant demon cult of Erafne had searched for the little girl for a long time without success, but Edith had encountered her by chance when she went out once in a while. This was indeed an extremely low probability event.

The time traveler originally intended to use the little girl's information to incite a direct conflict between Saint Seir and Lady Bloodthorn, but now, he has a better plan in mind.

P.S.: Sigh, I broke my promise. I'll send another red envelope.

Chapter 217 Wish (Part 4)

To be fair, Trier didn't care about the little girl's fate at all. In his view, her only use was to incite conflict among the participants in the blood plague crisis.

But perhaps due to pure accident, or perhaps for some reason he hasn't yet considered, the little girl at the heart of the conflict has not been found by the participants. As a result, the delicate balance of the crisis has been maintained for nearly several weeks. And now, the little girl is in his hands.

Trier glanced silently at the wailing little girl, and a plan formed in his mind.

Once the little girl arrives in the Upper City, Lady Bloodthorn and Saint Seir will know the news. Oris, who is Saint Seir's puppet, will definitely demand the little girl from Edith, which will most likely become the fuse that completely breaks the relationship between Edith and Oris.

Once the internal conflicts within the Kingdom's investigation team fully erupt, Edith will be completely isolated and helpless. At that point, both morally and logically, the princess will side with him. And once he completely controls Edith, Lorsevie's blood plague conspiracy will essentially be declared a failure.

At the very least, Losevie could no longer directly dismantle the resistance of the Kingdom of Orko by possessing Edith.

What he needs to do now is to help Edith become more independent, to further free her from the mental control effects of long-term malicious education, and at the same time, to ensure that Edith promises to protect the little girl.

With this thought in mind, Trier revealed a gentle smile.

“Levitte,” he called softly.

The little girl raised her tear-filled face and looked at Trier in surprise.

How do you know my name?

“I saw you in the prophecy.” Trier crouched down and looked intently into the little girl’s eyes. “You drank the petrification potion and have been asleep for nearly a thousand years. You were only recently freed from petrification.”

“I understand how you feel—lonely, lost, all your loved ones are dead, and you are all alone wandering in an unfamiliar future, while your grandmother still wants to take your body. You feel scared, you feel cold, you feel hungry, and no one really cares about you except for the missing Alex.”

The little girl blinked.

“You’re afraid of Edith, aren’t you?” Trier asked softly.

Edith lowered her head and looked at the little girl with a complicated expression.

The little girl nodded: "People say she's a devil, and the devil will definitely take her to Grandma."

“She’s not a demon,” Trier said. “She’s a lot like you.”

Edith and the little girl were both stunned; neither of them understood what Trier meant.

“Levitale would never bathe in virgin blood!” the little girl protested. “Levitale would never secretly arrest Alex!”

“She didn’t do any of that,” Trier continued patiently, “Words are like the wind; speak from your conscience, do you really think she’s as evil as the rumors suggest?”

The little girl frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head almost imperceptibly.

“Edith’s situation is essentially no different from yours. You feel lonely, and so does she; you feel lost, and so does she; you wander alone in an unfamiliar future, while she faces unpredictable colleagues and a strange and hostile environment with a very few true friends.”

Trier paused for a moment, then said slowly and deliberately, “She wanted to fulfill her duty, but she was powerless. She could only watch helplessly as the people she swore to protect died one after another, only to return as zombies—you must understand that pressure, because your loving mother was also possessed by your grandmother.”

“Now, people think you are the weapon of the demon lord who corrupts the mortal world, while you think Edith is the demon, the tyrant, the source of all evil. I think that’s not fair.”

The little girl's eyes widened, and she instinctively looked at Edith, who stood silently in the rain.

Before anyone knew it, Edith's eyes reddened. She pursed her lips tightly, but warm tears still streamed down her face, gathering on her fair chin.

"Edith!" Fatih, who had been laughing, stopped laughing. She looked nervous and quickly walked over to her friend.

Even Captain Foyle, who had been frowning the whole time, let out a long sigh.

“But…but at least she doesn’t have a grandmother who wants to take her body,” the little girl retorted in a very soft voice.

Trier did not speak.

"Then...if the kind lady isn't a bad person, then who is?" The little girl's voice trailed off. "Everyone is suffering so much, so who is the bad person?"

"In this regard, it's Oris," Trier said calmly. "If Edith is incompetent, then Oris is definitely up to no good."

—After saying that, he glanced at Edith without making a sound.

This time, the princess did not refute; she did not even frown. She simply let her tears and raindrops fall to the ground.

For some reason, seeing the tear stains on Edith's tender face and the way she was trying to hold back her grievances and tears, the transmigrator suddenly felt a strange feeling mixed with pity.

The little girl wiped away her tears and snot, and carefully tiptoed to Edith.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Edith gently ruffled the little girl's hair, then looked up at Trier.

“Thank you, Trier…” she said softly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, “Thank you so much…”

"How about we go for a walk outside?" Trier suddenly interrupted. "It's still early."

Edith paused for a moment, then turned her head in confusion.

"Of course, no problem, but..."

“I will be leading the army northwest tomorrow,” Trier continued, interrupting. “I have some things I need to discuss with you privately.”

Futia lifted the green hood from her head and took the little girl's hand.

“I’ll take her to the Upper Town,” the elf said, winking at Trier. “I will keep my promise.”

She emphasized the word "promise".

"Thank you, Futia," the transmigrator said sincerely.

Chapter 218 Torture (Part 1)

A light drizzle fell, and the damp mist shrouded Erlav, which was gradually receding into the distance behind Trier, in a thin, gray veil.

After passing through the dilapidated outskirts of Urardon, Trill and Edith left the city completely. The roads became narrow and muddy, and the sour smell of blood in the air was gradually replaced by the fragrance of earth and grass.

As darkness gradually fell, the outline of the silver moon could be faintly seen through the gaps between the fir tree branches and in the rain clouds.

As Trier walked, he kept glancing at the silent Edith beside him out of the corner of his eye.

Edith seemed to be lost in thought. Her eyelids were lowered, and her emerald eyes were unfocused. Although, out of habit, the princess's steps remained elegant and steady, at this moment, she inexplicably exuded an air of melancholy and despondency.

Trier silently withdrew his gaze.

—Being betrayed is indeed unpleasant, and the shock of discovering that reality is far from one's imagination is also very unpleasant. Edith's mental state is very bad right now, which is a good time to take advantage of her vulnerability.

"We're far enough away now; no one should be eavesdropping."

Trier suddenly stopped and said softly.

Beside him was a forest stream, quite wide and with a rapid current. The water splashed against the pebbles, creating bursts of white foam.

Edith seemed not to hear and took two more steps. A moment later, she stepped into the creek and then, as if waking from a dream, retreated back to the bank.

"Oh? I'm...I'm sorry, I...I was just spacing out." She apologized instinctively. "Triel, I'm really grateful to you."

After uttering this abrupt thank you, Edith fell silent again, her gaze drifting off into a daze—she had lost focus once more.

“I was just telling the truth; those rumors were malicious slander.” Trier’s voice was calm and composed. “You have no reason to be sad.”

“If I had the courage to oppose Oris… if I had more power… if I could see through the conspiracy behind this crisis, I could have fulfilled my duty.” Edith began to berate herself incoherently.

"But I have nothing. I have no will, no wisdom, and no strength."

“I am utterly useless. I have only wasted my identity and my power in vain. I have not only failed to help them, but I have even… even… I am a complete and utter piece of trash. I’m sorry, Trier.”

As she spoke, Edith's voice trembled again, and glistening tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing the princess constantly draining herself of her own energy, Trier fell silent.

The time traveler originally planned to first comfort Edith, then shift all the blame for Edith's suffering onto Oris, and then fabricate a story that he had also been betrayed by someone close to him, telling Edith that he understood her pain very well.

Once Edith completely trusts him, he suddenly changes his tune and accuses her of incompetence. He then uses logical reasoning to deceive her, telling her that because of her own actions, she is surrounded by enemies and there is no one she can trust, pushing her already fragile mental state into an even deeper abyss.

Next, she was comforted again, told that although she was incompetent, the person comforting her could help her, and that because of their shared experience, they would help her wholeheartedly. Then, Edith’s inferiority complex was constantly reinforced, and her anger was used to fuel her distrust of those around her, ultimately forcing her to rely entirely on herself.

—Terre is very familiar with this method. When he was sealed in the game, he used the above method to break the mind of a paladin guarding him and finally escaped successfully.

However, when the time traveler saw the genuine bewilderment and self-reproach in Edith's eyes, he suddenly felt as if a sharp ice pick had pierced his heart.

"I'm sorry, Trier," Edith said timidly, raising her tear-filled face as she apologized again.

Her current disheveled and pitiful appearance is a far cry from the spirited and confident look that Trier first saw in her.

Trier closed his eyes.

Is it really necessary to exploit a princess's sincere trust, destroy her mind and personality, and then turn her into a puppet completely manipulated and fooled?

Ultimately, Edith and her fundamental goals align on the issue of the blood plague crisis. If Edith could break free from the mental control imposed by her distorted upbringing, then perhaps... she could make the right choice.

The wind rustled through the treetops, the stream babbled, and the sharp cries of carrion crows pierced the sky.

It's time to make a decision.

Is it better to destroy Edith's character to reduce risk, or to trust Edith and take the risk yourself?

“Just consider it lust that made me lose my mind,” Trier muttered to himself in Chinese.

Open your eyes.

Edith was looking at herself cautiously, her fearful expression like that of a fawn shot by a hunter in the forest.

"Trill, are you chanting a spell?"

Trier didn't answer; he asked directly, "Can you do me a favor?"

The best way to cheer up a grieving person is to give them something to do so that they feel valued.

Edith paused for a moment, then immediately said, "Of course."

“I want to ride a horse,” Trier said in a deep voice.

"?" Edith paused slightly, her eyes narrowing instinctively.

The topic shift in Trier was too abrupt, wasn't it?

Why would you suddenly say something like that?

In her astonishment, her brain, which had been trapped in a vicious cycle, started working again, and after a moment, Edith came to her senses.

"Are you referring to the celestial pegasus with whom I have a sacred pact?" she asked tentatively.

Trier nodded. "Yes, I want to ride Pegasus."

The princess hesitated for a moment, then took out the holy emblem.

"Trier, I can't guarantee success. If you want to ride Pegasus, you'll need Nina's permission."

Nina is the name of the celestial pegasus she contracted.

“Of course.” Trier gave a gentle smile.

Edith raised the holy emblem and called out softly.

Half a breath later, a gentle holy light emerged from Edith's palm. The warm, dry light illuminated the darkening forest and the muted stream in a few moments. A moment later, countless holy points of light fell like petals.

—A pure white foreleg gently stepped into the stream.

Trier looked up.

Pure white holy light slowly spread out like a stage curtain, and a handsome warhorse stood on the rippling stream. Behind it was holy light that swayed and flowed like a cloak, and the night was like a stage backdrop.

The water's surface, like a silver mirror, reflected the silver moon behind the dark clouds, as well as the warhorse's smooth, white mane. Its powerful muscles rippled like mercury beneath the mane, and angelic wings grew from its sides.

The next moment, the celestial warhorse once again extended its front hooves.

The moon's reflection in the water was shattered by footsteps, creating ripples that seemed to coalesce into a path illuminated by the moon. The celestial warhorse crossed the stream, breaking tender blades of grass, and slowly approached the girl, who was frozen in grief. It then lowered its head and affectionately nuzzled Edith's hand with its nose.

The next moment, the celestial warhorse saw Trill, and she took two steps back warily before snorting.

“Don’t be afraid, Nina. He is Trier.” Edith gently patted the celestial warhorse. “He is a paladin, just like me.”