Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Lyle could clearly see the bulging veins on Queen Leah's head.

"You damned monster, you're even acting as a riddle solver with those bastards! Is it because my obsession runs too deep that I imagined all of this in my dreams?"

Lyle panicked when he realized his plan might fail.

"No, Queen Lina, I mean, your life is about to undergo a tremendous change, like a dream. You will be freed from the harsh and tedious official duties and live the life you truly want."

Is that clear enough? If Mr. Reed appears at the end, he will most likely assist Lena in ruling, which will probably make things much easier for her then.

However, Lina had a different opinion.

"You mean, just like in a dream, you will appear in my real world and bring about huge changes to my life?"

Lyle thought about it and realized that he had helped Reed regain his face, so Lina's words made sense, and he nodded.

"That's right, that's exactly it."

"Let's get married."

"?" Lyle was stunned.

In fact, Lina's years of ruling experience had shaped her into a self-serving person; in her view, everything she possessed was something that could be used to make a profit. If the "demon" before her could truly project her into reality, then as queen, she must keep the demon by her side. The best way to do this was naturally through a contract, and for a woman, the best contract was marriage.

"Become mine, and then use your power to help me manage Deria, Demon God."

Lyle imagined what the future held: he would be forced into a relationship by Lina, becoming a tool to manage the country while also being hunted down by Ariana and Ralf.

He chickened out and ran away, ending the dream.

In the middle of the night, Queen Lina woke up from her sleep with a smile on her face, feeling completely relaxed.

"Such a cowardly demon god is definitely not a monster imagined by my own mind. In other words, his words may be true. I'm really looking forward to it. He looks so scary, but he turns out to be a coward inside. How interesting."

Lina remembered what the demon god looked like in her dream.

When it appeared on the windowsill, its pitch-black body devoured all the light. Its enormous face, with its pale mask bearing spiraling horns, was now just two empty holes. Countless tentacles sprouted from its body, corrupting the entire world. Huge yet deformed, eerie yet courteous.

“Let’s call him the Ominous Giant.”

"A demon that devoured my nightmares the moment it appeared."

Chapter 351 The Initial Strangeness

The first rays of dawn illuminated the branches and leaves on the treetops, and the seemingly tranquil jungle had awakened. This time, it was not the predatory beasts or the birds flying in the branches that awakened the forest, but the Lewesser Rangers moving among the branches.

Kayla stood in the Temple of Dawn, feeling the morning breeze carrying the warmth of the sun. Lewesser's elite rangers had turned this dense forest into a dangerous place.

The elderly, children, and the injured have been moved to deeper parts of the jungle, making the already quiet Kingdom of Lewesser seem rather deserted.

Kayla disliked this kind of country. She loved the hustle and bustle, loved flying through the forest to the songs of her people, wearing the leather armor of a ranger, taking her bow, and the Queen of Lewes fell from the sky, disappearing into the green shadows in a twist of her body.

"Go forth, warriors of Lewesser."

The Lewesser Rangers leaping through the forest are like flying fish jumping from branch to branch; their nimble leaps give even the chaotic formation a unique aesthetic appeal.

They charged toward the first line of defense, the outermost edge of the forest where it met the barren plains. Rangers relied on the trees; their only means of victory was guerrilla warfare. Elite rangers could use natural camouflage to hide in the wilderness, but their primary method of attack remained assassination from the shadows.

The only way is to deplete the strength of the Drea Knights.

Why did Derya start a war with us?

Kayla recalled her grandfather, Echer, who had rushed back the previous night, bringing the astonished Queen the news of Dreia's declaration of war. Although Kayla was a skilled hunter, this was the first time in her reign that she had faced a foreign enemy, and for a moment, the young queen was somewhat flustered.

Fortunately, Echer reassured her. "It's alright, darling, I'm still here. Everything will be fine. However, this is indeed a good training opportunity; you should learn how to command troops in battle."

Kayla reluctantly accepted the arrangement, but she was soon alarmed by Echel's departure. "Grandpa, where are you going? We need you."

Seeing Kayla's timid expression, just like when she was a child, Echel smiled.

"Do you remember our promise? When your queenly career reaches a certain stage, I will prepare a gift for you. Now, I'm going to prepare this 'gift,' my dear."

Kayla stood at the edge of the forest, her eagle-like eyes allowing her to see the group of cavalrymen in black armor in the distance. She took a deep breath.

“It’s terrible that we’re meeting like this for the first time, Miss Lina.”

On the desolate plains of Dreyar, marching knights regrouped as they ran. The thunderous sound of their hooves was like a giant beast rolling on the ground.

Wearing the same iron helmet as the elite knights of Drea, but not the armor, Lina Drea maintained the delicate body of a slender young woman, though her strength was like that of a wild beast.

She roared, relaying the order to reorganize the troops to every corner of the army through messengers.

The noble troops from Devonleyra and dozens of judges hung behind the knight legion, but their imposing presence was incomparable; one looked like a servant or auxiliary soldier, and the other... looked like a tour group.

Although Devonrera's noble troops were well-equipped and had excellent weaponry, their discipline and quality led Lina to categorize them as cannon fodder.

The judges haven't changed much, but there are too few of them.

We still need to rely on our own knights to defeat Lewesser.

The Delian Knights' fighting style is simple: elite knights lead their orders and charge forward. Their physiques honed through years of training and heavy armor make them adept at head-on confrontations; the knights' impact transforms seemingly insurmountable defenses into deadly attacks. In practice, a combined charge of ten Delian Knights can shatter a stone city wall.

"Charge stance!" Lina roared, and the Dereya knights who entered the range began to accelerate.

Next, Her Majesty the Queen of Deria will become the sharpest spearhead, the banner of the people, leading from the front...

Blocked, within their own ranks, six elite knights dressed identically surrounded their queen.

On the battlefield, only the king and the legion commanders of each unit have the authority to mobilize troops, namely the knights they trust most. Could it be that there has been a mutiny?

"Benjamin, what do you mean?!" Lina had already gripped her knight's sword.

As the commander of the Third Knights, Benjamin Dalton is about the same age as Lina. His father was a high-ranking officer who died in the Night Owl Rebellion, and his family are staunch loyalists to the royal family. He has been Lina Delia's knight since childhood. The older knights placed their hopes for the future on Benjamin, and he lived up to those expectations. Mr. Benjamin Dalton, the King's Knight, harbors an unusual affection for His Majesty the Queen.

He... had the affection of an elder for a nephew! That's right! Benjamin, a peer of his, regarded Queen Lina as his own child. Back then, those grandfather-generation knights did indeed raise Benjamin as Lina's future partner, so while training him, they constantly instilled the Queen's virtues in him.

However, the indoctrination went awry. These old men, only interested in war, were completely clueless about cultivating emotions, simply projecting their own affection for the young queen onto Benjamin. Over time, Benjamin even began to look at Lena with a kind, elder-like smile. By the time the old men realized what was happening, Benjamin had already gone astray. But ironically, this version of Benjamin became even more loyal to the royal family, so everyone just made do with him.

"Lina, this war doesn't need your bravery. Protect yourself. Your existence is our greatest victory."

"..." It was Benjamin's familiar, strange smile. Lina temporarily lowered her guard; it was still a familiar companion. Moreover, she noticed that the Derya Knights' formation was not a wedge formation for attacking an enemy, but a defensive hexagon, with layers of protection centered on themselves.

It's not about offense, it's about defense.

Lina could accept her subordinates modifying her orders for better results, but this was clearly not the case.

"What exactly do you want...?"

"Your bloodline will protect this country."

The familiar words pulled the frenzied Lina back into the illusion, and to Benjamin's astonishment, Her Majesty merely snorted.

"If we fail, I will personally hang you all when we return home defeated."

"Of course we'll fail, if it's just us," Benjamin murmured to himself, recalling the tall figure standing in front of his door that night, the surprise still lingering on his face.

I hope your plan succeeds, Your Majesty Reed.

Amidst the tacit adjustments made by the veteran knights, the Derya Knights army, now in a defensive stance, charged into the jungle.

The Knights of Drea and the Rangers of Lewesser have officially clashed.

Chapter 352 Actually, our family also has...

The trees crashed down, and after the Drea Knights launched a special attack targeting the trees themselves, the jungle guerrilla warfare turned into a chaotic free-for-all. The Drea Knights found themselves at a disadvantage.

The defensive formation's advance, hampered by insufficient manpower, failed to carve out a sufficient area in the dense forest. The knights, their speed restricted, were essentially mounted infantry. Meanwhile, the attacks from the Lewesser Rangers in the trees came from almost every direction, despite the knights' formidable defenses.

But after several rounds of volleys, many knights have already fallen from their horses.

Derya was not without the power to fight back. They created a vacuum zone by crashing through the dense forest. The rangers in the trees had no other trees to move to, like sharks surrounding a deserted island, waiting for death.

The two countries were locked in a stalemate, tearing each other apart and drawing blood, and the smell of blood attracted the interest of the jackals.

Devonleya rushed in, and they joined the Drea Knights, beginning their efforts to pick off any remaining enemies and finish off the rest.

Balance seems to have been established once again.

Behind the walls of Deria, the entire country was deathly silent. The tall figure walked on the deserted streets.

"It really is a resort paradise."

Ralph put on his hat and looked into the distance, where dust was billowing.

"Devenleya brought an army of 20,000 men. All of them? It seems this family is really going all in."

Sitting on the rubble of the broken wall, Ralf exhaled.

"Is the Holy Light's support really so easy to accept?"

"There is more than one country that is an enemy of the Holy Light."

Lewesser, Dereya, and Devonreira are now entangled.

Before the beaming Algernon, it was all glory.

The judges, hanging far to the rear, lined up in a row of more than twenty, looking like drops of water about to be thrown into the ocean, without making a ripple.

But if it's venom, that's a different story.

A powerful light erupted from the Judge Knight's body, transforming into shadows that coiled around him. As he ran, the shadows gradually changed shape.

A small squad of about twenty people actually ran with the roar of a thousand-strong army.

No, that wasn't a bluff, because the terrifying aura emanating from them had already weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present.

Confused and fearful, the three warring parties watched as this dark army grew increasingly dangerous, so dangerous that even their allies trembled.

The ranks of the Judges' Legion have grown into a legion of ten thousand.

They formed a deadly black tide that surged onto the battlefield.

The Judge's goal was never merely the destruction of Lewesser. Wasn't Derya also an enemy who had turned her back on the Holy Light?

Algernon desired annihilation—the annihilation of both nations. He planned to use Dereya to hinder Lewesser's mobility, then wipe them out in one fell swoop. To this end, he funded Devonreira's family and promised them the kingdom he desired.

The Holy Light is honest, but it has no obligation to show the slightest mercy to evil, and to the filthy evil seekers.

Algernon thought of the ever-smiling messenger and found it laughable. He and his seemingly clever master had forgotten that power was the only true path, and intelligence was merely an embellishment on the crown.

They, and everything they hoped for, will become history today, or perhaps history will not even exist.