Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Chapter 260 Returning to the Old Ground

Aaron wasn't too concerned with the complex power struggles within the kingdom, and besides, it wasn't his responsibility to handle such matters, so he politely declined.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the window; their main force had finally arrived.

They looked out the window and saw a large army marching down the main road. Judging from their attire, they were indeed an elite force. First, there were groups of knights in full armor, about thirty in number, along with their attendants, servants, stewards, cooks, and maids responsible for Ottilia and Aaron's daily needs. These people numbered about one and a half cups of the knights. Together with a dozen or so carriages, they formed their procession.

Then there's Dylan, riding the first white steed. Although the chubby boy seemed cautious and obsequious in front of Ottilia, in Merlin Town, he was the lord if his father wasn't around.

Upon entering the castle, Dylan immediately displayed the etiquette expected of a host:

"Adults can come with me to Merlin Town. Although it can't compare to Asgard, it has its own unique features, such as hot springs."

Dylan began to vividly describe Merlin Town, a story he had clearly prepared beforehand, promising top-notch service to leave a good impression on Ottilia.

When the hot springs were mentioned, Ottilia was clearly intrigued. This was actually the first time Ottilia had left her hometown since she grew up, and she had been looking forward to the trip. Dylan's vivid description had further aroused her expectations.

“There’s no need to go to the hot springs. I want to go straight to the High Cliff Mountains. Do you people still know that place?” Aaron said.

“Of course I know, and I am well aware that Lord Aaron came for this reason,” the Marquis said. “There’s no need to rush, as there’s nothing going on where we’re going for the time being.”

“I came here this time because of what’s going on over there,” Aaron replied.

The Marquis immediately changed his mind: "Alright, let's go then. Prepare the carriage."

He said to Aaron, "Actually, I'm also a little worried about that place. Let's go and find out together. I've also heard some rumors."

"What rumor?"

"Although it sounds like a legend, let's listen to it anyway."

The Marquis said, "Legend has it that the High Cliff Valley was originally called Dragon Valley, a place where an evil dragon slept and hid its treasures. The mineral deposits we discovered are actually the treasures collected by that evil dragon. Therefore, some people say that if we touch the treasures there, we will anger the evil dragon and bring about its revenge on Merlin Town."

"A dragon?" Hearing this, Aaron found it both amusing and absurd, but then he began to ponder it.

When it came to business, Aaron and the Marquis became fully engaged and walked side by side toward the door.

Dylan had already prepared a day trip and a hot spring for Ottilia, but Ottilia shook off Dylan and said, "We want to go too."

"I...we...?" Dylan was startled.

"Didn't you say you were going to soak in a hot spring?" the Marquis asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Obviously, business is more important. As for the hot springs, we can soak in them when we get back. I think it would be more appropriate to soak in them after we’ve finished exploring the mineral deposits,” Ottilia said.

“But the road to the mines is rugged and complicated, and besides machinery, there are only miners and knights there. Coco is not as comfortable as Merlin Town,” the Marquis said.

“If we’re talking about safety, staying with Father and Lord Aaron is the safest place,” Ottilia said.

The Marquis was momentarily speechless at Ottilia's reasoning, and before he could answer, Ottilia had already gone with them.

High cliffs and valleys.

Upon arriving at the high cliffs and valley, they were immediately struck by what they saw—not by the natural scenery, but by the swarms of machinery lining the valley.

A massive black platform rises and falls in the valley, upon which stand enormous machines—mining machines. Lucert is not only the most powerful supernatural nation in the world today, but also an industrial nation. Although its industry has never been the strongest, it can still manufacture machines that stand tall like giants.

If you look down from the sky, you can see the entire valley shaking because of that huge machine, with countless ant-like people working under that giant machine, like hardworking worker ants.

Although the mineral deposits under the high cliffs and valleys have been discovered for a long time, it is said that the deposits were discovered more than ten years ago. Now they have been mined to a great depth. You can see the stepped mine shafts in the middle of the valley, and naked workers are working on those steps. They are still mining downwards. It is said that the mine shafts have extended hundreds of meters downwards.

As they approached, they discovered that there were not only workers on the steps, but also black guards like crows. They were a group of people shrouded in black trench coats, with hard, golden patterns engraved on their robes, as if their entire bodies were only gold and black.

They stood on the high cliff, coldly watching the people entering the valley below. Although many of them were not visiting the valley for the first time, they still couldn't help but feel a chill every time they saw them.

Those are the Obsidian Knights at work. When the King founded the Obsidian Order, he required the Obsidian Knights to be like obsidian—profound, calm, and radiating a black light. These knights undoubtedly achieved this.

Not much is actually known about the Obsidian Knights. Many people only know their full names, such as the Omniscient and Blazing White Knights, but don't know why they are considered on par with them. The Obsidian Knights seem to be like their names suggest, mostly doing things in the shadows, such as secret missions in valleys. Therefore, only those close to the secret can see them.

They were a terrifying group, dressed in black trench coats, unlike the Omniscient Knights or the Blazing White Knights, who wore silver or even gold knight robes. They were born more mysterious than other knight orders.

It is said that a story occurred when Pierre arrived here.

Pierre was the newly appointed leader, and upon arriving at High Cliff Valley, the locals were not entirely convinced of his authority. Although he was the Black Obsidian Knights' chosen successor, the rich mineral deposits meant that even a small portion of the wealth outsiders would be enough to make them incredibly rich. The local knights, with their own sense of justice, were unwilling to relinquish power so easily, especially since Pierre, though representing the Black Obsidian Knights, had come alone.

The local knights initially came up with a compromise: they argued that they were more familiar with the area and asked the Obsidian Knights to cooperate with them, in exchange for a small share. This way, they wouldn't offend the Obsidian Knights but would still get a piece of the pie.

This is already a very large gesture of goodwill. Even if a powerful dragon were to pass through, the local snake would still have to give some face. Many things would need to be handled by the local snake, not to mention that Pierre only came alone.

So the local knights invited Pierre to a banquet in Merlin. The Marquis and Duke also knew about this, but made no comment, wanting to wait and see.

That evening, Pierre went to the banquet alone. They made their demands, but Pierre refused. His reason for refusing was simple: the dangers in the mine were beyond the control of the local knights and had to be handled entirely by them. He also gave the local knights a deadline and an ultimatum: they had to hand it over within three days.

Upon hearing Pierre's threat, the local knights couldn't help but laugh in anger. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is your refusal so straightforward because you have an army in your pocket?"

“No, I don’t carry an army in my pocket; I am the army,” Pierre said, looking around.

The local knights were quite organized and disciplined, and did not draw their swords in the tavern. However, they absolutely disagreed with Pierre's demands. So the local knights held firm, not believing that Pierre alone could really do anything to them. But after three days, Pierre did come to take over the mine, all by himself.

The Marquis did not know the specific details of taking over the matter, only that a lot of blood was shed. Since Pierre only mobilized him alone, many local knights were killed, and in the end all the local knights in the mine were suppressed.

The deeply entrenched local knights were driven away by a single Obsidian Knight. Upon hearing the news, the other local knights resolved to take revenge. When they returned, not only Pierre, but also more than a dozen Obsidian Knights appeared beside him. Faced with this group of knights as terrifying as Pierre, the local knights finally abandoned their last shred of courage and completely submitted to the Obsidian Knights.

“They showed no respect to the local knights, ruthlessly sweeping them away. You might be frightened by their deeds, but you would feel at ease having them protect you,” the Marquis said.

Pierre, who was like a ghost in front of the local knights and went to the meeting alone, blushed like a subordinate seeing his superior when he saw Aaron. He quickly came up to Aaron and extended his hand: "Lord Aaron!"

Aaron was surprised, because after so many years, these people shouldn't recognize him, but he quickly realized that Joan of Arc must have done the work beforehand.

Aaron removed his gloves and shook hands with Pierre, a chivalrous gesture. After the handshake, Pierre excitedly said, "The Obsidian Knights task force has taken complete control of the mine. Please inspect it."

“Okay.” Aaron put his black gloves back on. “Did you find anything interesting? I remember we discovered the Black Tide here before.”

The Marquis was taken aback. So, it was actually Aaron's order to give Pierre such forceful control over the mines? Was it Aaron who insisted on having complete control of the mines?

“Yes,” Pierre said seriously. “Just as you predicted, there are monsters in the mine.”

"A monster?" The Marquis and Dylan exclaimed in unison. This was clearly their territory, but it was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing.

“Your Grace,” Pierre said to the Marquis, but the look of pride he had felt upon seeing Aaron had vanished from his face. He spoke in a businesslike tone, “It’s not that I’m intentionally hiding anything, but we’re afraid it might cause panic.”

"It's alright, let's go up and take a look together," Aaron ordered.

Pierre led Aaron up the steps, pointed to another mountain range, and said, "A strange man came over there a while ago. He took over the area with a white-haired girl. Although he hasn't shown any hostility towards us yet, we are still keeping an eye on him."

"Oh, who is it?"

He claimed this was his hometown and that he had come to retrieve something. "To be honest, we don't know his identity," Pierre said.

"Interesting. Take me to see him."

“There might be danger. We detected a large amount of spiritual energy, and our mission is to protect the master’s safety. If anything happens to the master, then we…” Pierre looked troubled.

"It's okay, I'm just going to take a look, nothing will happen."

*

In the misty drizzle, Aaron led Ottilia to stand before the cliff of Green Mountain. Gazing at the desolate scenery of Green Mountain in the rain, he said, "Come here and hug me."

"What is the teacher planning to do?" Ottilia slung her longsword over her shoulder, skillfully wrapped her arms around Aaron's neck, jumped onto him, and looked up into his eyes to ask.

With a soft, warm body in his arms, Aaron swayed slightly to make sure Ottilia was holding him firmly. He then placed one foot on the edge of the cliff, looked down at the bottomless abyss, and said gently, "It's too complicated to explain. You'll understand when we get there. We still have some time on the way, so you can take a nap. But don't sleep too soundly. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Ah."

Ottilia nodded, hugged Aaron's neck tightly, buried her face in Aaron's chest, and closed her eyes. She didn't continue to ask Aaron where he had gone; she simply trusted him out of habit.

Ottilia closed her eyes, and Aaron carried her two more steps toward the cliff. There was no way forward, and no wings appeared on his back. So, naturally, when he reached the edge of the cliff, his body plummeted at a ninety-degree angle. If someone were standing behind him, they would have the illusion that Aaron had vanished into thin air, disappearing suddenly from sight.

But a few seconds later, a violent sonic boom suddenly rang out in the wind-swept mountains and forests. Some force distorted the surrounding air, stirring up the rain and forming a spiral-like structure. By the time someone noticed him, the hurricane had already swept away the rain and disappeared several miles away, heading towards its destination.

Outside the forest, the sun was already quite scorching. In the blinding sunlight, dust swirled in the clearing, and a group of people, whether bandits or cavalry, were shouting and waving their whips, seemingly hunting something.

Aaron and Ottilia arrived at the place Pierre had indicated, but he didn't let them follow, because he thought they would be in the way.

After examining the situation carefully for a while, Ottilia said, "They are hunting, and there are only two people being hunted. They seem to be surrounded."

On an open field a hundred miles away, a man in flowing white robes and a woman in white soft armor were surrounded. Most people would be drenched in sweat if their path was blocked by bandits, but the handsome man, surrounded by bandits, calmly took out a pocket watch from his pocket, shook it lightly in his hand, and looked quite dashing.

Chapter 261 Who is the enemy and who is the friend?

The handsome man suddenly sprang into action, charging towards a leader clad in fine armor. He slashed the leader off his horse with a single stroke, then stomped on the horse's head, smashing its brains to pieces. He then floated back to his original spot, displaying an effortless and dashing style as he took the enemy general's head amidst a sea of ​​soldiers.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Ottilia exclaimed in surprise, “She doesn’t look like a superhuman from Lucretia, but she’s incredibly fast, which is why the leader couldn’t react in time.”

"No, he made a mistake."

Aaron said, "He shouldn't have gone back. Since he caught the enemy off guard, he should have finished them off in one fell swoop instead of turning back. His move was meaningless except for being a show of force."

As expected, the handsome man's dashing appearance completely enraged the band of bandits. At the command of what seemed to be their leader, the bandits swarmed forward, no longer bothering with polite formalities. Arrows rained down, and swords, spears, and lances flew everywhere. However, it was no wonder that these bandits were so despicable; it was the young master who had unexpectedly killed one of their men first, prompting them to make their move.

These hundred or so people were all clad in black scale armor and wielded various weapons such as swords, spears, and daggers. They were clearly not ordinary bandits, but rather a group of well-trained cavalrymen who had deliberately ambushed them here. And those surrounded by them were not ordinary travelers either.

After watching for a while, Ottilia had to admire Aaron's judgment: "Teacher is right, things really have developed this way!"

“Not only that,” Aaron said.

"With his abilities, he could have easily fought against the more than one hundred people with the woman beside him. Although the other side had a large number of people, there was a forest in front of them. Once the battlefield changed from open ground to that place, he would have more room to maneuver, whether from high to low or from far to near. With his speed, those more than one hundred people would not be his match. But he insisted on going back. Not only did he want to go back, but he also refused to leave, choosing the worst possible fighting strategy."

Just as Aaron had said, the man was initially able to charge left and right among the cavalry with ease, but when countless arrows and spears relentlessly charged at him, he gradually found it difficult to fight. However, even in such adversity, he could still charge left and right among the cavalry, cutting down more than a dozen riders in succession. After a while, his white clothes were stained with thick blood, and his demeanor was not as dashing as before. But Aaron saw that new cavalrymen were constantly emerging from the forest to join the hunt.

Faced with the overwhelming onslaught, the man gradually developed a fighting spirit. Instead of fighting and retreating, he charged deeper and deeper, seemingly determined not to stop until he had killed all of the more than one hundred bandits.

After observing for a while, Aaron guessed the man's thoughts quite accurately. He was indeed skilled in one-on-one combat, having killed the enemy leader in a single move, demonstrating his formidable strength. However, he clearly hadn't experienced much serious fighting. On the battlefield, any means were acceptable; whether it was underhanded or legitimate, anything that could save one's life was considered a good move. It was common for a novice to defeat a master with a flurry of punches. Even some renowned masters in the martial arts world had their share of mishaps caused by treacherous opponents.

After Aaron explained it this way, Ottilia felt she understood as well, but she quickly added with a question:

"That man is supposed to be a very powerful superhuman, so how could he be so stupid as to choose the worst fighting style? And the woman next to him is clearly also a superhuman, so why didn't she help him and just watched him charge ahead alone?"

Hearing this, Aaron raised an eyebrow, his expression quite strange. After a long while, he said, "If you think a man's behavior is strange, it's probably because there's a woman watching him."

Hearing Aaron's words, Ottilia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Teacher, you mean... because he likes the girl next to him and wants to show off in front of her, that's why he's doing so many strange things!"

"No, I'm just guessing. Maybe he just wants to toughen himself up." Aaron turned his head away.

Although Aaron turned away in denial, Ottilia suddenly felt that everything made sense. Why did the man not retreat when he encountered bandits, but instead calmly shake his pocket watch? Why did he turn around gracefully even though he had successfully caught them off guard? Why did he keep the woman watching from behind even though she was also a superhuman? Why did he refuse to ask the woman for help even though he was clearly struggling? It turned out that it was all because he was too proud to admit his mistake.

However, the battle on the open ground was fierce, and both sides were already bloodthirsty. The woman could no longer stand idly by. Just when a strong cavalryman took advantage of a gap and thrust his spear into the woman's chest, intending to kill her, the woman pulled him off his horse along with the spear and broke his neck with one foot. Judging from her spiritual power, her blessing seemed to be the same as the man's, but her attack was much more ruthless and decisive.

After confirming that the person was dead, the white-haired woman raised her emotionless eyes, looked into the distance, and said, "Do you need my help?"

"I'm sorry... I'm busy right now! It would be great if you could help me take down a few troublesome bandits!" Even though he was having a hard time defending himself, the man still maintained an elegant and scrutinizing demeanor.

"Yes." The white-haired woman replied emotionlessly, reaching out with her right hand to grab a bone sword carved with flame patterns. Her eyes suddenly turned extremely cold as she charged towards the bandits in front of her.