Azure Scepter

Page 81

If Trier's revelation was genuine, then what exactly was the teacher's revelation, which resembled an epileptic seizure?

Perhaps... it wasn't a god who gave the teacher the revelation, but a demon? Perhaps he had been possessed by a demon ever since he returned from the ancient forest of Cedar Castle.

She couldn't help but recall Professor Oris's overly radical hostility towards demons, and his indifference towards the Silent Whisperers cultists—it was common knowledge that the hatred between demons and devils was the most intense.

The princess clenched her left hand tightly, her nails digging deep into her palm. The nails turned white from the force, and the stinging pain in her palm reached her forehead. Her thoughts calmed down a little.

No, that line of thinking is too arbitrary. Use your reason, Edith.

She took a deep breath and began to think again.

Another possibility is that the deity who gave Oris and Trier the revelation was not the same deity, and there might have been some conflict between them.

Of course, there is one last possibility... that Trier is the one possessed by the devil.

However, the abilities that Trier displayed seemed to have no other explanation than divine revelation.

Worry and confusion welled up in Edith's heart like tangled threads of yarn, and she suddenly realized that she had to make a choice.

Should she trust Professor Oris, whom she had known for a long time but knew very little about? Or should she trust Trier, whom she had only known for half a day but who shared the same interests, was of similar age, and was very easy to talk to?

Edith felt her mouth go dry and her heart was racing.

She glanced at Trier instinctively, then froze.

Trier, who had been calm and unhurried since they met, now seemed very strange.

His dark eyes were fixed on the embers swirling in the air after the Flame Demon's incineration explosion—no, not embers, but rather the infinite void beyond the embers.

At the same time, a kind of oppressive and dull sense of dread rose directly from Edith's heart. At this moment, she suddenly felt that the light in the area centered on Trier had dimmed a bit.

Whispers seemed to fill the air, and Edith suddenly felt every hair on her body stand on end in terror. Every pore on her skin felt a sharp pain from an intense and invisible threat, and a kind of fear, stemming from a life-or-death instinct, slowly rose in the princess's heart.

Edith was familiar with this feeling; she had experienced the same thing when she was very young.

Once, when she had just learned to speak, she had a strange high fever. In the bizarre hallucinations caused by the fever, she glimpsed a fairy with long blue hair and transparent, cicada-like wings in the gap between dreams, illusions, and reality.

The phantoms of the past are no longer clear in Etis's memory, but she can still clearly recall that the fairy lady, whose face was not visible but who gave one an intuitive feeling of beauty, simply sighed with pity, and that sigh gave Etis the same feeling as she does now.

—A feeling of oppression, terror, and utter helplessness, like a tiny ant facing a giant whale...

Even after she ascended to the level of a legend, she would occasionally recall those seemingly real yet unreal memories, and the immense pressure from the difference in life levels still made her feel breathless.

She had a vague, terrifying suspicion: perhaps that blue-haired fairy lady was a demigod from fairy tales and legends...

At this moment, she once again felt the intense pressure from the demigod Trier.

Even though fear made her stomach convulse as if a python were crawling inside, Edith resolutely placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and then swiftly drew the Holy Avenger.

"Crack!"

Three minutes ago, somewhere in the bottomless abyss.

"Crack!"

The silver wine jug crashed to the ground, and warm wine, mixed with shards, dripped onto the body of a handsome male elf mummy.

A hoof with black nail polish stepped on the elf's face. With a sickening cracking sound, the elf's handsome face collapsed, while a long, jade-like leg stood up, stepping on the elf's face.

Countless amber ornaments on the carpet reflected a slender hand, which gently parted the tassels on the edge of the bed, making a clattering sound like a melody.

Lady Bloodthorn gently tucked the tassels woven from human brow bones behind her head and stared blankly at the silver magic mirror.

"I will definitely purge all those who interfere with our efforts to save the Southern Duchy, not even evil gods!"

A deep, steady male voice echoed in the room, while the silver magic mirror reflected Trier's serious face as he solemnly swore an oath.

At this moment, Lady Bloodthorn was no longer lying lazily. She sat up quite formally, with her legs together and her hands supporting her cheeks. Her flirtatious and alluring purple eyes were now filled with solemnity.

—He vaguely sensed something was wrong. It seemed that the paladin's backpack contained something related to the demigod level, but the aura was very weak, as if the other party had been sealed or had perished.

Moreover, the energy He projected when He helped His handmaid cast a spell seemed to be being absorbed by the mysterious entity in the paladin's backpack.

Paladin, legendary mage, demigod...

As her thoughts raced, Lady Bloodthorn subconsciously licked her lips, feeling as if the name of that fallen demigod was about to be revealed.

"Great master, are you also interested in him?" Suddenly, a soft, slightly coquettish voice came from below.

Lady Bloodthorn tilted her head slightly and caught sight of Orianna, her former most beloved maid.

Orianna was also staring at the paladin in the mirror, and she licked her lips rather thirstily: "Ah, what an ambitious soul, ho ho, look at his aggressive eyes, I feel so good."

To be honest, Lady Bloodthorn was getting tired of her handmaid. This succubus, who always wore silver-rimmed glasses without lenses, disappointed her—this fool had been easily killed by the paladin with a counterspell, even with her own power.

That's so stupid!

This good-for-nothing dares to bother me now?!

So, Ms. Bloodthorn scolded her rather unhappily: "Shut up!"

The demon lord's voice was as powerful as thunder, and the fleshy pillars in the four corners of the room groaned in terror, while the fiery red sky outside the window turned pitch black with the Bloodthorn Lady's reprimand.

Orianna, who had just been striking poses, immediately fell silent. She covered her mouth and, rather affectedly, clutched her chest.

The demon lord narrowed his eyes, growing increasingly annoyed.

What does Orianna's heart taste like? She stared maliciously at the maid's full breasts.

The next moment, Lady Bloodthorn's pointed ears twitched as she heard the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath reflected in the silver mirror.

"Crack!"

Lady Bloodthorn looked in the mirror again and realized that the one who had drawn the sword again was Edith—the princess who had been destined from birth to be the vessel for Losevie.

At this moment, Trier's expression was quite intriguing. He raised his head and stared directly at himself through the mirror.

P.S.: This is to make up for yesterday's chapter; there will be another chapter later.

Chapter 162 The Trader (Part Two)

Clearly, the power of the paladin Trier, whose magical prowess was beyond belief, had been enhanced once again; he could even sense the sensory channels he had buried within the blasphemous mark of the fire demon Rosat.

Ms. Bloodthorn felt a surge of desire coursing through her; she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of powerlessness that others wanted to attack her but couldn't harm her.

Driven by desire, Lady Bloodthorn's thoughts suddenly became clear, and she directly recalled the source of that familiar feeling—the One, the dream realm demigod who had been defeated and sealed away by Losevie and her water fairy lover.

She wanted to think about this issue more deeply, but due to her chaotic nature, Lady Bloodthorn's thoughts began to wander aimlessly.

That said, the paladin's successful counterspell wasn't entirely Orianna's fault for being foolish: it wasn't that Orianna couldn't cast spells, but rather that the paladin's spellcasting skills were too superb and his timing too perfect.

Even by the standards of a legendary mage, this paladin's counter-magic level is top-notch, even comparable to some higher-level beings.

In a sense, it could be said that the paladin's counterspell successfully countered the spell she had cast.

Her desire grew stronger; she admired the strong.

“Interesting.” Lady Bloodthorn narrowed her eyes slightly, muttering to herself, “It seems the relationship between him and everyone else is quite delicate… Little Trier… no, Trier…”

She casually picked up a silver radiant emblem from among the amber-colored jewelry. She had intended to contact Saint Sel, the treacherous and cunning man who had one foot in godhood through betrayal, but after a moment's thought, she put it back.

—Trill is no ordinary mortal; he is at least a legendary mage with exceptionally powerful spellcasting abilities, and he also has the help of the fallen demigod "The Ones".

At the same time, Trier's identity is extremely special in the current blood plague crisis in the Southern Duchy. He is now the second in line to the throne of the exiled duke, which means that he is in a state of great freedom of action. As long as the duke who stripped him of his rights remains in a coma, no one has the ability to restrain this terrifying legendary mage.

Under the restrictions of the Azure Laws, it is extremely difficult for any being above the level of demigod to project power into the Prime Material Plane. This makes it highly likely that Trier, through his identity, could gain the support of the Southern Duchy and become a force capable of influencing the course of events.

“A new troublemaker.” A glint seemed to flash in Lady Bloodthorn’s purple eyes. “Heh, how interesting.”

The blood plague crisis was initiated by Losevie, who was in dire straits. The situation in this game is extremely complex, and it's best to keep information about new disruptors in your own hands for now.

Even so-called allies are no exception, after all, they are all fighting for the same thing.

Lady Bloodthorn gently rubbed the maid's face to calm her turbulent emotions before returning to rational thought.

The known participants in this game are:

He himself, Saint Sel, Losevie, the unknown non-Radiant God who has been exerting his influence, and now he also has to add Trier and the Dream Realm demigod with whom he has a complicated relationship.

To be fair, Lady Bloodthorn knew that her chances of winning weren't high. Although she had mobilized all her worshippers in the Prime Material Plane to go to the Southern Duchy, she was still somewhat outmatched by the others. Moreover, it seemed that the others were all tacitly targeting her.

—If you want to get what you dream of, then you have to keep stirring up trouble.

Chaos is a ladder to ascent.

She loved chaos, and this love went beyond her demonic nature, reaching the level of a kind of faith: chaos represented freedom and flow, and change constituted everything in the material and spiritual worlds, therefore chaos was the essence of all things.

Sometimes, Lady Bloodthorn even felt that the Radiant God, who had never shown any miracles, might just be a simple projection of mortals' erroneous understanding of the Abyss.

Perhaps we could give Trier and the others some "investment"?

Lady Bloodthorn blinked, looking at Trier in the silver mirror, along with the elf Fytia and the spirit bound beside him, and the princess who seemed completely clueless. The flames of desire in her heart burned even hotter.

It seems that Trier is susceptible to corruption—a normal paladin would not be able to maintain ambiguous relationships with so many women, and this seemingly serious guy has never expressed his opinion, instead maintaining a rather interesting distance—he is definitely not a purely good person.

As a succubus, Lady Bloodthorn understands that desire is an instinct inherent in animals, but to make others desire you is a profound art that requires study and practice. Many novice succubi don't even understand this secret of seduction, but Trier clearly does.

The smile on Lady Bloodthorn's lips grew wider. The more she looked at Trier, the more pleasing he became to the eye. Trier deserved more attention—nothing was more interesting than watching a hypocritical paladin willingly fall into depravity.

In a good mood, she found Orianna much more agreeable.

Thinking of this, Lady Bloodthorn grabbed the slender waist of her maid Orianna and then gently kissed her full and sensual red lips.

“Orianna, return to the Material Plane immediately. Your lovely mortal servants have already prepared a body and passage for your return.”

“But Madam, I’m still very weak. If I die on the Prime Material Plane, I might fall into a deep sleep for a very long time. Besides, that mage, his spellcasting abilities are simply beyond my capabilities…” Orianna said coquettishly.

Anger exploded instantly!

The tender, affectionate kiss instantly turned into a savage, cruel bite. Lady Bloodthorn bit off the right ear of her most beloved maid, and sulfur-smelling blood bloomed between her lips and teeth, while blood slowly dripped down her lips onto her flat, bare abdomen.

"Since you can't understand what I'm saying, then you don't need ears."

The maid, whose ear had been bitten off, now had a blush on her face and her eyes were quite dazed: "My great master, please kiss me one more time, okay?"

Lady Bloodthorn was about to get angry, but then she heard a mortal believer's prayer.

—This is fantastic news.

The next instant, Lady Bloodthorn smiled again, gently stroking the wound on the maid's ear with her sharp black nails. She suddenly found the maid's new look so arousing: "Go and call Rosat here. Let's enjoy ourselves together. Don't disappoint me again, Orianna—well, I've changed my mind. Let's find a mortal slave who was a paladin before her fall."

PS: Second update

Chapter 163 Analysis

The heavy, leaden gaze slowly faded, and the cold wind after the downpour, mixed with the smell of blood and burnt food, brushed against Trier's face, causing a stinging sensation in his nose.

The transmigrator blinked, realizing he had just faced a demigod once again—through the embers of the Balrog still glowing with sparks, he could vaguely make out a succubus with a blurred face, as if veiled. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, he knew she was the master behind these demons, the powerful demon lord, Lady Bloodthorn.

“It’s not a lesser demon lord; its power has definitely reached the level of a demon lord.” Trier blinked, and a wave of stinging sensation washed over him. The oppressive feeling in his heart, like a gray haze, was dispelled as his senses returned. “In other words, it’s at least a demigod—a perfectly intact demigod.”

He turned his head to see if the others were alright, but as soon as he turned his head, a line of cobalt blue information slowly unfolded before his eyes like silver spilling across the ground.

"The Fall of the Balrog Rosat [Legendary Battle]: In early April of the Year of Stars and Crimson Moon, in the southern duchy of Eraf, the infamous Balrog commander Rosat, for unknown reasons, launched a fierce attack on the investigation team from the Kingdom of Orko investigating the blood plague. Unexpectedly, he had another powerful spellcaster ally. On the eve of the demons' victory, you unexpectedly turned the tide with three simple counter-magic spells. Although your intervention was covert and swift, the demon lord, Lady Bloodthorn, remained highly vigilant and attentive to you. Meanwhile, news of the return of an unnamed legendary mage began to spread throughout the southern duchy and among the necromancers of the Great Swamp region—you have gained 7 Legendary Points, and will gain an additional 3 Legendary Points over time."

"The battle in Beaver Town was so large, and I only got 4 Legend Points, but this time I didn't even have to lift a finger, and I got 10 Legend Points right away." Trier thought to himself, "Sure enough, letting the Demon Lord know and letting ordinary people know are two completely different things."

"However, besides the vastly different influence of demon lords and mortals, perhaps the reason I've gained so many legendary points this time is also due to the influence of my inherited reputation from before my amnesia..."

"In the current extremely complex situation, obtaining so much Legendary Points has both advantages and risks. The advantage is that the various forces I can leverage will increase exponentially with the increase in Legendary Points, but the risk is that excessively high Legendary Points will inevitably arouse the vigilance of other forces."

Trier took a deep breath, his brain racing.

"To be fair, the current situation in Eraf is very complicated. What I know about the information in the game's history may be too superficial. Theoretically speaking, Lady Bloodthorn and Losevie have a deep grudge, so this demon lord has no motive to stop or attack the kingdom's investigation team investigating the blood plague. Excluding the possibility that it is acting crazy due to its demonic nature, the meaning behind its attack is very intriguing."

The time traveler had a premonition that he had already glimpsed a corner of the truth, and now all he needed to do was use his reason to solve this mystery.

His heart raced, and the abundant oxygen rushed into his brain with his blood, giving him that familiar thrill of using his intellect—

Under the polishing of extraordinary intelligence, various vague fragments quickly became clear. One hypothesis after another rose up like a cascading bubble, and then, under the test of reason, they scattered into new inspirations. In the end, in less than half a second, Trier drew several basic conclusions.

"All my analysis is based on the premise that Lady Bloodthorn is completely hostile to Losevie, and there should be no problem with this premise."

"Under this premise, there are several possibilities."

"First, the Kingdom's investigation team has intricate connections with Lor'thewi, and may even be directly controlled by this old lich. This hypothesis can explain Oris's strange behavior, such as allowing food to be shipped out and not purging the Silent Whisperers. However, the problem with this hypothesis is that if Lor'thewi's control is that strong, then it would have no need to carry out any blood plague conspiracy... it could simply depose the king and declare itself back on the throne."

"The second possibility is that the manipulator behind the legendary paladin Oris has some motive that I am not yet aware of. The manipulator behind Oris wants the blood plague in Losevie to spread widely, but according to the game's history, this sneaky manipulator also wants the blood plague crisis to be resolved after it breaks out. If we analyze it from the perspective of interests, then this means that if the blood plague is too severe, it will directly and seriously damage the interests of this manipulator. After all, if the Kingdom of Orko has no connection with this god, then the better choice is to directly expose the conflict and then leave it alone."

"This change in attitude is undoubtedly self-contradictory, and the contradiction itself implies the answer."

"If we broaden our perspective to the entire Radiant pantheon and analyze it based on the most basic interests, then the reason why this manipulator wanted the blood plague to spread becomes obvious: it wanted the blood plague crisis to become a fait accompli, and for Lorraine, as the instigator, to become the enemy of the entire pantheon and eventually besieged—according to the game's history, this scheme ultimately succeeded, after all, Lorraine eventually died in a siege by the human kingdoms that was almost reckless in its pursuit of victory."

Trier gently rubbed his temples. He felt he was extremely close to the truth, and he had even vaguely identified the manipulator behind Oris.

"Therefore, a huge and complex unknown problem is transformed into several smaller known problems. The above problem can actually be equivalent to the following two problems."

"The first question is: Why has the Radiant Pantheon maintained an ambiguous and tolerant attitude towards Lorsevie, a fallen legendary paladin, and even turned a blind eye to the Blood Plague Crisis, a major conspiracy that could overthrow the kingdom?"