Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

If it weren't for the calm and restraint of the knights and their commander, this place would have quickly turned into a chaotic battle after that man's attempted attack!

Damn it! They said it! It's just a protest!

"This, this young lady is right... I still have some stock that hasn't been sorted out yet..."

"Me too... I have to go to Sister Lindsay's church..."

"I'm just here for the fun!"

"No rush, take it one step at a time. However, the streets might be a bit unsafe these next few days, so those who don't want to cause trouble should stay home."

Under Melanie's relaxed smile, thousands of demonstrators silently dispersed in waves, watched by the knights. Megan also took the opportunity to have the city guards gradually take over the entire city of Sochi, controlling the main streets of Sochi with guards spaced ten meters apart after the crowds dispersed.

"Shouldn't we check them one by one?" Hetia concealed her aura and asked Melanie.

“There’s no need for that.” Melanie shrugged. “If we were to interrogate everyone, it would likely provoke the ‘rats’ hiding in the crowd to fight back. What Ryukyu needs is a smooth suppression, and the current situation is sufficient.”

This is, after all, the inner city of Sochi; bloodshed must be avoided. As for what Ryūka said about further provoking the opponent…

Melanie smiled slightly at Hetia and Megan: "Now, it's enough to leave Sochi to Megan. We should head outside the city to rendezvous with the legion and visit our neighbors."

"It seems you're more suited to be a commander than I am."

Faced with Hetia's rare act of humility, Melanie blinked and grinned, saying, "No way, I'd rather be a pure mage than a noble lord. But if you offer a high price, I wouldn't mind being your advisor."

Hetia rolled her eyes in annoyance, snorted, and walked away. This time, she didn't argue with Melanie, but she silently noted down Melanie's handling of the situation that day. Just like the past three months, she continued to absorb and learn various ways of dealing with things.

After all, Ryuka gave her the right to stand on her own, and also, expectations...

Seeing the scene end this way, Adela coldly drew the curtains. The elite knights, led by Hetia and Melanie, marched out of the city, while the city's defense forces gradually suppressed the remaining disturbances. It was likely only a matter of time before the ongoing activities in the outer city and commercial district were quelled.

She glanced at the Sochi map hanging in Joe Harvey's room. The territorial boundaries on the exquisite map, along with what had just happened, gave her a bold guess.

"Outside the city... Ryusha... Could he be planning to divide up all the noble territories to weaken the will to resist in each region?"

"If that's the case, we'd better get out of the city quickly. Otherwise, we'll become fish in a net..."

Joe Harvey's expression was also a bit grim. He had just said that Ryuka had made a stupid decision, but he didn't expect that the girls around Ryuka could now stand on their own and carry out the tasks below in an orderly manner.

After all, just three months ago, Ryuka's most striking impression on them was his exceptional personal strength and skill.

This time, the boy didn't even show himself in the castle before he finished the 'appetizer' they had provided for him.

Not only that...

Joe Harvey sighed, "Now I understand why the Ryukyu military camp is all about drills, group running, and routine management every day... I thought he was like me, enjoying seeing strong young men obeying orders in neat rows. Tsk... what a pity, I was still hoping there was another possibility for him."

He finished speaking and left Adela behind, his attitude towards the blonde beauty utterly cold, a stark contrast to his usual eloquent manner with the noblemen. His words sent a chill down Adela's spine, but she quickly followed Joe Harvey. Lifting her skirt, she chased after him, asking:

"Young Master Harvey, what do you mean by that?" (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the initial question.)

"What do you mean?"

In the courtyard, Joe Harvey mounted his horse, his dashing figure likely to captivate countless young women, but no one would have guessed that this noble young master was only interested in men.

“Discipline, Miss Adela, even if you are not a soldier, you can surely understand its importance.” Joe Harvey pulled up his hood, reined in his horse, and left through the side door with his guards.

“It seems I have to personally return to Ravenhill to meet up with the Holy See’s knights of judgment… I apologize, Your Highness Elias, it’s not that I thought Ryukyu was too difficult to deal with and that I ran away because I didn’t want to stay in Sochi. Please forgive me for that.”

He muttered to himself as he turned and disappeared down a side street in Sochi with a few close attendants, leaving Adela with a piece of advice that echoed in the air before he left.

"Miss Adela, if you don't leave now, you might not be able to leave Sochi!"

Adela's expression was rather unpleasant. She had originally intended to communicate directly with the fourth prince, Elias, through the magic crystal in Joe Harvey's possession, but she hadn't expected that Joe Harvey would completely disregard her request.

Perhaps, it's because his master doesn't care about her demands...

The events outside Sochi Castle were still vivid in her mind, and Hayden's earlier advice echoed in her thoughts. Adela couldn't help but wonder if her attempt to exploit the conflict between Ryukyu, Elias, and the Papacy to achieve her goals was truly a bad idea.

"Miss, we..."

In the courtyard, Yulina, who was waiting for her to come downstairs, couldn't help but step forward. She didn't know what Adela had talked about with the young master of the Harvey family, but judging from her expression, the result was probably not very good.

Adela, under her gaze, went straight to the carriage and then asked her:

"Where is your brother Julian? Has he arrived yet?"

"As you instructed, I have already infiltrated Miss Miller's territory..."

Hearing Yulina's answer, Adela breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"That's good. As long as he can keep an eye on Esther, the situation isn't too bad."

“But Miss…” Yulina said with some doubt, “Miss Miller, isn’t she on our side? She’s provided us with the information we need, such as details about Ryusha’s financial situation and the city defense team’s arrangements… Also, she’s helped our people disguise themselves as Miller family soldiers…”

Adela's face revealed a cruel smile that didn't match her sweet appearance: "That's true, but she has other uses... We know that the young governor not only values ​​his people and subordinates, but he's also a sentimental playboy. He can't possibly ignore a beautiful girl he's spent three months with until he's certain Esther hasn't betrayed him."

“So…” Adela tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, “regardless of whether Esther has genuinely pledged allegiance to us, or is only cooperating for mutual benefit, or even… pretending, as long as we control her, she might be our trump card for escaping in a critical moment…”

After signing the contract, Esther completely severed ties with Ryukatsu. Adela's people, whom she had planted in the Miller family territory, regularly sent back surveillance reports. Esther hadn't left her house for the past few days, and there were no magical fluctuations from the magic crystal ball near the house, but Adela still wouldn't truly trust her.

"Let's go. Before the city guards have complete control of the city gates... if persuasion doesn't work, we'll have to resort to force. In any case, as long as the Judgment Knights enter the cathedral, victory is ours!"

To this end, Adela did not hesitate to assemble a secret armed force in Esther's territory, just in case!

With a smile, Adela's carriage bypassed the main road controlled by the city's defense forces and gradually disappeared at the end of the alley.

Unbeknownst to her, a group of people appeared in the alleyway immediately after she left Joe Harvey's mansion.

Are you sure?

Zona, accompanied by several shadow guards, asked a young man behind her.

"Yes, although I couldn't see the person inside the carriage, I remember her perfume...it smelled the same as the one in the carriage..."

The young man behind the shadow guard is none other than Mark from the village of Marta.

Zona nodded and instructed the shadow guard, "Follow me, don't alert anyone. I'll go inform the master."

Chapter 31 Stealth! Zona

“Okay, I understand. Keep an eye on it. If you find an opportunity, do as we discussed before, understand, Zona…”

Inside the castle, Ryusha put down the magic crystal ball, looked out the window at the gradually calming streets, and a smile appeared on her lips.

It seems that Hetia and Melanie have both grown quite well during this time, gradually transforming from knights and mages who relied solely on their personal strength into qualified 'generals'.

"The only thing I can improve through the Leader's Certificate is their strength, but whether they have the courage to stand alone depends on their own 'character,' which is something I can't help them with. To gain the Spirit's approval, they have to change themselves..."

Fortunately, they all have good character, and given time and help, they will surely grow through various experiences. This brought a happy smile to Liuxia's face; the positive feedback she had received for her expectations was the most gratifying thing imaginable.

"So what will Adela do next? But I'm more concerned about Elias than her..."

Ryusha murmured, grasped a magic staff on the table, and a surge of magic power caused his figure to disappear in the light of flashing runes.

The world spun around her, her internal organs felt violently churned, and even her consciousness was being torn apart. When Ryuga opened her eyes again, she almost lost her balance, but thankfully her staff supported her and prevented her from falling.

"If you feel like throwing up, just do it. I'll clean it up for you."

A man's somewhat indistinct voice sounded, and Liu Xia found herself in a simple room. The small room had no windows, and the magical lamp on the ceiling burned day and night, making it impossible to tell how much time had passed.

The room contained only basic necessities. At a single table, Hayden was enjoying his meal. This was where Ryūsha had imprisoned him. The room, hidden beneath the castle, was magically sealed off, and two knights and two mages stood guard outside the door. Apart from the meals delivered regularly, there was no other contact with the outside world.

Despite feeling unwell, Ryuka straightened up and said to Hayden, who was wiping his mouth, "So calm? If I threw up, would you still be able to eat?"

"It should be okay, since there's not much else to do here. I'm afraid I'll gain weight if I go out, unless, of course, you'll let me out..."

Hayden, on the other hand, seemed quite composed. After his arrest, Ryusha didn't make things difficult for him, which was obviously to exchange information with him. At first, he wasn't cooperative, but after being imprisoned for a while, Hayden quickly changed his mind.

The reason wasn't that Ryūka used any tricks, but rather that in this small, isolated room, after Hayden's anxiety subsided, he found that no matter how much he tried to pass the time by speculating and guessing in his mind, he never considered the possibility that Ryūka would lose.

"Teleportation magic isn't easy to get used to. Even with a stable beacon, your body can't handle it after dozens of times if you're not used to it. It's already impressive that you managed to hold back from throwing up, but I'm not surprised at all..."

Hayden looked at the magic circle at Ryūka's feet. This was the beacon used for teleportation, and the key to casting this magic—the staff in Ryūka's hand—was the same one Hayden carried.

Teleportation magic—this was the means of survival the agents of the Merchant Guild Alliance had obtained from the guild. After all, these shrewd and cunning merchants couldn't all be skilled knights and mages, but even Hayden had no idea where this magic came from.

"You have to get used to it, even if it's difficult. After all, Adela's teleportation device is much more stable than yours, isn't it?"

Ryuu snorted coldly. As the eldest daughter of the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild, Adela's father, no matter how much he opposed his daughter, couldn't completely ignore her. Therefore, Adela possessed a more advanced magical device than Hayden's, allowing her to teleport quickly and safely, unlike Hayden who abandoned teleportation upon realizing he was already beside him. After all, the time it took him to chant and cast a spell was enough for Ryuu to kill him ten times over.

According to Hayden's intelligence, the magical device Adela used for teleportation wasn't a staff, but rather a device hidden in her carriage. This device not only allowed Adela's entire carriage to teleport, but once activated, the entire carriage would be protected by powerful magic, ensuring the teleportation spell could be cast safely.

This is why, even after discovering Adela's whereabouts, Ryūka did not easily take action to carry out a 'decapitation operation'.

Although teleportation magic is an extremely mysterious and advanced form of magic, since it involves spatial rules, Ryuka was not in the mood to discuss academic matters with Hayden at the moment. Instead, she asked directly:

"That puts me in a difficult position. Adela doesn't consider me an ally. Besides what I've already told you, all I know is her first phase of plans. There's no need to mention her conspiracy with the Fourth Prince..." Hayden shrugged, looking helpless. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

"However, I can tell you exactly how many shops and noble properties the Chamber of Commerce controls in Sochi. But as before, I don't know the exact number of the portion under Adela's jurisdiction. I wonder if this will allow us to upgrade tomorrow's meal to steak and red wine? I heard you recently invented a new brewing method that even the barbarians rave about."

"Not quite enough, at most we can add more meat to the stew."

Liu Xia sneered and curled her lip. Hayden was a cunning fellow. Even when he was locked up here, he always calculated the time and only gave her a little bit of what he wanted to know at the right time.

"Why don't you ask that pink-haired girl, the Miller family's daughter, right? Although Adela is very proactive in contacting her, I think she should be one of yours. By now, she should have gained Adela's trust, right?"

Ryuga's silence was the answer to Hayden's question. Hayden swallowed hard, seeing the slightly threatening, mischievous smile on Ryuga's face. He understood why Ryuga had come to him now; it certainly wasn't to thank him for the accuracy of the first phase of information.

So he immediately dropped his teasing tone:

"Is that so? They must have lost contact. After all, Adela is a cautious person. The base of the magic crystal ball is also the technology of the Merchant Guild Alliance, so she can certainly set up some means to interfere..."

"Can we retaliate?" Ryuga asked directly.

"Destroying the interference device or the caster would work, but I don't know which one she used."

"Then tell me everything, if you don't want tomorrow's meal to be reduced to my vomit."

Hayden, seeing Ryusha's half-joking expression, understood that the boy wasn't just saying it casually. He had already been polite enough to him; it was time for Hayden to be tactful in return.

Thinking this, Hayden immediately drew a device on paper and handed it to Ryusha: "This is a new product secretly developed by the Chamber of Commerce. I only know the general idea. I've been out of touch with the core since I came to Sochi, so don't blame me."

The implication is that if Ryūka weren't so difficult to deal with, he would have already settled things here and left the front lines.

After receiving the information, Ryuka immediately relayed it to Zona and Hetia, telling them to be careful.

Before Ryusha left, Hayden couldn't help but ask, "Adela is easy to deal with, but I'm curious how you'll deal with Elias and the Papacy. I really can't give you any information, so are you still confident?"

“You don’t need to worry about that, Mr. Hayden. I have a trump card.”

Seeing Ryūka's confident smile, Hayden hesitated for a moment, unsure whether Ryūka was bluffing or genuinely confident. Just as Ryūka was about to cast the teleportation spell again, Hayden suddenly spoke, as if he had made a decision:

"I still want steak with red wine."

"Oh?" Ryusha looked at Hayden with interest, squinting as she asked, "Didn't you say that's all you knew?"

"But I can still help you speculate."

Hayden shrugged: "If the first phase doesn't achieve the results they want, Adela will likely..."

Hayden quickly listed several possibilities, which Ryusha silently noted down. These possibilities were largely consistent with his own guesses, but Hayden's words helped him eliminate many confusing options.

"I understand, Mr. Hayden, your investment will be effective."

Hearing Liu Xia's words, which were neither entirely joking nor sarcastic, Hayden couldn't help but give a wry smile: "I've always thought you were a blue-chip stock, it's just that we have different perspectives..."

“No, Mr. Hayden, I mean, your investment in your own destiny.”

After saying this, Ryusha's figure completely disappeared from the room, leaving Hayden alone to face the small space again. He leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, staring at the magic lamp on the ceiling and muttering to himself:

"God of Gold, it's not my fault... after all, your protection can't fill our stomachs right now..."

Meanwhile, Adela's carriage successfully slipped out of the city gates before martial law was declared, saving her the trouble of activating teleportation magic, which was not something that could be used lightly.

The carriage sped towards Esther's territory, a journey that would take only an hour. Unbeknownst to anyone, several shadow guards were secretly following behind the shallow tracks. Only when they reached the border of the Miller family did Zona and her companions finally stop.

"Lady Zona, shall we continue following them?"

The light dimmed, and night quietly descended. A shadow guard looked towards the sentry post ahead; the soldiers on duty were not the Miller family soldiers they had seen before.

Not only were there checkpoints along the roads, but patrols seemed to have increased everywhere, clearly exceeding the Miller family's manpower. Torches were lit everywhere, to the point that even the skilled Shadow Guards were worried.

“Your strength is too weak, and you'll be easily discovered. I'll go alone. Miss Hetia and the others will be out soon. Report the situation to her. I'll take this first.”

Zona waved the magic crystal ball in her hand at her subordinates. Just now, she had received information about the communication jamming device, so she felt it was worth taking the risk.

Under the watchful eyes of her subordinates, the dark elf unleashed her full power of magic. Zona's figure gradually became transparent, with only faint footprints and the slight air currents she stirred up as she moved through the air proving her presence.

While not quite as good as Ryukatsu, she was still much stronger than before. To be of greater use to Ryukatsu, Zona hadn't been idle these past three months, using her spare time between intelligence work to learn more stealth techniques from the elders of her tribe. Losing to Hetia in the last 'game' prevented her from being promoted to Grand Master within three months, but she was close.

Serving her master, earning 'rewards,' and becoming stronger will make her even more useful! Zona silently bypassed the guards and caught up with Adela's carriage again at the edge of her vision…

Zona didn't stop until the carriage entered the high courtyard wall. In the courtyard was a spacious wooden house, which was Esther's previous residence. After her new house was built, only her father, Cooper Miller, and a few servants lived there, since her father was engrossed in magical research and didn't like to be disturbed.