Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

She has absolutely no chance of winning!

"Golden bastard, how about it now? Apologize politely, and I'll forgive you this time for your master's sake. Otherwise..."

Despite the immense effort, Gerberly would never yield. Even if she were crushed into a pulp, she would never accept Ryusha's humiliation!

"What a pity," Liu Xia snorted. "He just advanced to the Heavenly Rank, and should have lived for at least a hundred years, but now he's going to turn into a tortoise can."

"Don't be too happy yet!!!"

Gerberly roared! Her eyes instantly turned gold! An even stronger power erupted from her body! Instantly repelling Ryuu, who had just been on the winning side!

The power of fragments of order?! Ryūka's eyes narrowed. Could it be that she also had a power connection with Tipalotura? Just like he and his followers?

No, that's not right...

Upon further examination, it became clear that Gerberi was indeed emanating the power of fragments of order, but it was not the power she had just used to repel him!

"You're also... a witch?"

Ryuu couldn't help but look puzzled. Gerberly had been using the purest knight's aura from beginning to end. But the power of the fragments of order within her was actually a shackle binding her! It had been forced to manifest by the power she had just unleashed!

While somewhat unusual, it's not impossible considering she's Tipalotura's confidante. After all, witches possess all sorts of abilities, and it's not out of the question that she could manifest them as fighting spirit.

But this didn't appease Liu Xia. He snorted coldly, gathered his spiritual power again, and said to Gerberli:

"Not going to talk? Then I'll just have to peel off your turtle shell and investigate myself!"

But at that moment, a cold shout suddenly broke in!

"Gentlemen! Please stop here!"

With a wisp of black smoke, a black-armored witch whom Ryuka had once seen beside Tipalotura appeared between the two.

This witch was clearly sent by Tipalotura; the moment she shouted at her to stop, Gerberi instantly calmed down. Suppressing her anger, she gradually calmed her aura and turned her head away like a rebellious teenager caught by her parents.

"Sister Gerberly, you almost put Sister You in a difficult position."

The black-armored witch calmly reprimanded Gerberi. Although she was far less powerful than Gerberi, Gerberi, as Tipalotura's messenger, could only listen to her.

“No, she’s already made things difficult for your ‘Sister You’.” Liu Xia snorted coldly, looking at yet another uninvited guest. “I need an explanation.”

"I apologize, Your Excellency."

The black-armored witch bowed her head to Ryuuka with neither servility nor arrogance. Compared to last time, this witch was clearly more rational, no longer appearing as a controlled pawn. It seems they simply don't like to talk, not that they can't.

"His Highness asked me to express his apologies to you."

"I want her apology."

Ryūka gestured with her chin towards the silent Gerberi. It was clear the other party was in the wrong, and Tipalotura wouldn't be as stubborn as her subordinate. However, Gerberi's status and abilities were obviously extraordinary; her outburst just now had given Ryūka a sense of things getting out of control. Continuing the fight wasn't a good option, but Ryūka couldn't swallow this insult.

"I'm sorry!" Although it was an apology, Gerberly's cold tone showed no sincerity whatsoever, which made the black-armored witch call out again.

"Sister Gerberly!"

She sighed; it seemed that this was the limit for Gerberi. She glanced at Ryūsha again; the young man was unaware that Gerberi had injured his maid. If he found out, who knew how things would turn out.

"That doesn't sound like an apology, it sounds more like 'Come at me if you dare,'" Liu Xia said defiantly, not caring what the two women were doing, "If you're really sorry, go fix the parts you damaged on the dam. Otherwise, I don't mind having another witch by my side..."

"What did you say?!"

The black-armored witch quickly restrained Gerberi, who bowed her head to Ryukyu and pleaded:

“Your Excellency, I understand your feelings. But Sister Gerberly’s power is too great. Once she loses her virginity, an uncontrollable and powerful witch will appear in your territory. Please do not have the idea you just had.”

"Is that so..."

Ryūka glanced at Gerberly. There was only one explanation for her recent condition: her witch power was too strong, forcing Tipalotura to place 'order' shackles on her, much like binding a witch's remains. Once this restriction was broken, perhaps, as mentioned before, it would become uncontrollable…

This infuriated Ryuka. Good heavens, so this woman was a dirty bomb, the kind that would be disgusting if she exploded. No wonder she acted like she was mentally ill, running rampant here.

He even wondered if Tipalotura was deliberately trying to disgust him. But the black-armored witch's next words surprised both him and Gerberi.

“Since Sister Gerberly is unwilling to back down, and Your Excellency the Governor insists on venting your anger in that way, then I am willing to take responsibility…”

The black-armored witch stepped forward, placed her hands on her chest, and said to Ryuka:

"I wonder if this will appease Your Excellency, Governor?"

Ryūka looked surprised. He looked at the witch who had 'offered herself' and couldn't help but ask:

"Is this what Tipalotura means?"

"No, but Sister Gerberly's mistake is Sister You's mistake, and I am willing to give everything for Sister You."

Ryūka fell silent. Her words clearly carried a double meaning. While expressing an apology, they also implied that these witches were utterly loyal assassins. And Tipalotura, with her horde of witch assassins, was not someone to be trifled with…

At the same time, this statement was also putting pressure on Gerberly.

"enough!"

Gerberi grabbed the black-armored witch and, with great reluctance, bowed her head to Ryukyu and said:

"I... am willing to apologize and make amends for my actions..."

But this black-armored witch was clearly not easily fooled. She said to Gerberi, "Sister Gerberi, at least explain what you have done clearly, so as not to anger the Governor again in the future."

Gerberly's chest heaved violently, but she seemed to be taken aback by the black-armored witch's self-destructive words. She refused to look Ryuka in the eye and lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry, I'll fix what I've done... I also hurt the maid named Yulina's neck, but she's alright."

Seemingly unconvinced, she suddenly looked up at Ryūka:

"Of course! If you really want to vent your anger, then come at me. Kill me or torture me, it's up to you! But you can't threaten others! And you can't embarrass His Highness!"

Her attitude pleased the black-armored witch. She then looked at Ryuka, who seemed angry upon hearing of Yurina's injury, and calmly said:

“Your Excellency, I assure you that Miss Yulina is unharmed. Of course, you have the right to be angry, and we are willing to compensate you. However, please consider the bigger picture and show some leniency…”

It seems there are indeed many talented witches among them. Ryuka is actually quite interested in taking this black-armored witch under his wing. Her words are certainly skillful, much more pleasing than those of Gerberi beside her. However, he understands that she's just being polite; if he were to actually make that request, Gerberi would probably throw a tantrum.

So, let whoever is at fault pay the price.

"Just asking beforehand, is it okay to do anything else as long as I don't deflower her?"

Seeing Liu Xia coldly point at her, Gerberli's eyes widened, desperately suppressing the anger that wanted to retort, and she asked through gritted teeth:

What do you want me to do?

Ryūka's malicious question made the Black-Armored Witch realize that things were going to be difficult. She looked at Ryūka calmly and said:

“Your Excellency, please be magnanimous. If you must be insulted to vent your anger, I am willing to do anything in place of Sister Gerberly.”

For a moment, Ryuka really couldn't tell whether this black-armored witch was protecting Gerberi or manipulating her on her behalf...

"My demands are simple. Make her fix the dam, apologize to Yulina and Anyaberg, and then let me beat her up to vent my anger. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ryūka's words relieved both the Black-Armored Witch and Gerberi, but before they could nod, Ryūka added with a cold smile:

"Of course, it's the kind of 'beating' where they pull down their pants and lie on my lap..."

"what?!"

Compared to Gerberly's anger, the black-armored witch was much calmer. She looked at Gerberly hesitantly for a moment, then nodded:

"make a deal."

Chapter 4 was just the foreplay.

As autumn transitioned into summer, under a sky full of moonlight and starlight, in a secluded villa within the Sochi Academy, Tipalotura strolled among the flowers outside, smiling at the black-armored witch behind her:

“Felicity, you did a good job. Gerberly needs to change her temperament, otherwise she might cause some more trouble later. But…”

The princess paused amidst the glowing flowers and fireflies, looking back at the black-armored witch she called Felicity, her eyes filled with concern:

"Why do you have to use yourself as bait to provoke them? What if Ryūsha really agrees, or Gerberi really refuses to back down?"

"I'm just an ordinary witch."

Felicity knelt on one knee reverently and spoke calmly, like a knight:

“For Your Highness, Sister Gerberi is more important. Although her emotions are slowly approaching their breaking point due to her age, she is still the strongest among us. Your Highness can live without me, but not without Sister Gerberi…”

Tipalotura sighed softly. She didn't deny Felicity's words, a look of sorrow and pity welling up in her eyes. She forced a smile at Felicity.

"You call me Sister You in private, but when we meet, you call me Your Highness. When will you get rid of this stubbornness and your lack of self-care?"

The two chuckled simultaneously, then Tipalotura's expression turned serious as she asked Felicity:

"Have you thoroughly investigated Sochi's true nature?"

“Although Governor Ryukyu’s shadow guards and soldiers are extremely difficult to deal with, we’ve basically figured them out.” Felicity nodded, raising her hand as magic formed runes in the air, flying directly into Tipalotura’s eyes. She wasn’t particularly skilled in combat, but her calm demeanor made her adept at gathering intelligence and transmitting it directly to others’ consciousness using her special ability. Therefore, Felicity served as Tipalotura’s shadow advisor, which made Tipalotura even more convinced that her previous provocation of Ryukyu and Gerberi was a risky move.

Although Felicity felt that her abilities only saved Tipalotura some trouble, her importance to Tipalotura was equally undeniable.

"Hmm...this is truly a pleasant surprise..."

In just a few breaths, Tipalotura had digested most of the information in her mind. Sochi's prosperity and strength far exceeded her expectations, and she could clearly see that this territory was not yet operating at full capacity. If, on the existing basis, numerous witches were used to influence the people, making them spin like cogs to their limits, the small province of Sochi could unleash energy no less than a third of the Otus Empire!

This is all under the premise that Sochi is refraining from territorial expansion. If he can truly get the Sochi province to obey his orders, his plan will be foolproof. Neither the heretical continent across the sea nor other forces on the continent will be a threat.

Not to mention, if Ryusha becomes her person, Tipalotura will have two Heavenly Rank experts under her command... and both of them still have the potential to advance further.

"A pleasant surprise, but also something I can't quite understand."

Felicity, standing to the side, silently echoed, naturally aware of the information Felicity had compiled. However, as a witch, she couldn't understand why, despite having a witch named Kania by his side, Ryūka seemed to rarely rely on witches to control people's hearts on a large scale during the development of Linhu Territory and Sochi. He only used Kania's power when necessary.

Even if Felicity had been around Tipalotura and learned about politics and governance, she still wouldn't know how to explain how the unremarkable Sochi province had become what it is today in less than two years.

She understood everything that Ryūsha had brought, but in her estimation, even with new magical technology and an outstanding ruler, Sochi had developed too quickly to become what it was.

"The world can change in an instant, Felicity. Just like ordinary people are born, grow old, get sick, and die, a sickly young man can unleash less energy than an old man. This is not because he is inherently weak, but because of the state of 'illness'... As soon as he recovers, he will be full of energy again. Conversely, a normally healthy person may be unable to get out of bed overnight due to a cold..."

Felicity seemed to understand something from Tipalotura's words and said to the princess:

"So, what Sister You means is that Autus is a patient, and what Governor Liuxia changed here was simply removing the lesion, curing the disease, and making a person run fast? It's a matter of 'state'?"

Tipalotura chuckled: "In the case of an empire, 'status' is the system. Unfortunately, Otus is not only a patient, but also an elderly one. Do you remember what those territories we passed through looked like? They were practically rotten and decadent. If I had other forces at my disposal, I wouldn't have indulged that boy like this... Even if Gerberi is a bit prone to losing control now, I wouldn't have let her be bullied by Ryukyu."

Tipalotura looked up at the moonlight. Felicity was supposed to return in the afternoon, meaning Gerberi had been taken away by Ryūsha for at least five or six hours. But she still hadn't returned…

“Spanking…” Tipalotura clicked her tongue, seemingly quite dissatisfied. “If only Gerberi could get some Order Essence, but unfortunately, given her temper, she’d rather die than do that… That kid Ryusha is quite cunning; he probably proposed this punishment precisely to avoid this. He doesn’t want us to get away with it; he’s like a shrewd businessman.”

For Gerberi to be considered old among witches.

This means that her spirit and witch power are more unstable, forcing Tipalotura to use fragments of order to suppress her, and not daring to let her use her true power easily.

But after the inexplicable foot fetish at that banquet, Tipalotura discovered that the essence of Ryūsha's power, imbued with fragments of order, was surprisingly effective against witches. It could satisfy certain desires while suppressing the witch's power. It was practically a cure-all for witches…

This indirectly reminded Tipalotura of this point, and it could even be said that what forced her to do this was Chloe, an ancient deity.

This made Tipalotura ponder: Could it be true, as Chloe said, that the 'truth' she knew as the successor to the King of Kranar was only part of the story?

So, Tipalotura only acquiesced when she learned that Gerberi had lost her temper and actively provoked Ryukatsu. Her aim was to create a situation with an ambiguous punishment, since the whole world knew Ryukatsu was a lecherous fellow. But she never expected Ryukatsu to choose such a method!

Couldn't it be something like hands, mouths, or feet? Even the latter would be fine! Considering life and the bigger picture, Tipalotura, as a princess and witch, doesn't have as many concerns as ordinary people; she only cares about practical use! Gerberi's charm as a witch is undeniable, but Ryuga deliberately didn't choose those things—what a stingy guy!

Tipalotura was a little sulky, even rubbing her toes. It was rare for her to show such childishness in front of the other witches. She sat on the cold stone steps in the garden, propping her chin on her hand, and said:

"Jerberly, please don't be too stubborn..."

-----------------

*Smack!* A loud thud echoed through the ceiling. The tall female knight, who was lying on top of the boy, was jolted forward by the blow. Her hands, which were resting on the boy's legs, clenched slightly, and a muffled groan escaped her lips...

After removing her helmet, Gerberi revealed long, golden-brown hair, tied into a braid and draped over one shoulder. She appeared quite pretty and young. Her upper body, clad in heavy, thick armor, was positioned directly across Ryuxia's legs. Her hands were placed beside her head on Ryuxia's legs, her head turned to the left and her buttocks to the right.

Only part of the skirt armor on her lower body was removed. Liu Xia deliberately only removed Gerberi's skirt armor, and only pulled down the pants that were taut over her plump buttocks and thighs to just below her buttocks, just enough to reveal her wide white buttocks, which looked even more magnificent because of the pants.

The heavy golden combat boots and leg armor on her slender calves were still there, but in order to match the height of Ryusha's sitting position, Gerberly had to maintain a humiliating half-bent posture.

*Smack!* The Heavenly Knight's plump buttocks smacked again. Ryuka felt the perfect balance of elasticity and firmness in her palm, and smiled at the people in front of her, saying:

"Alright, meeting adjourned."

*Crunch*—Jerberly gritted her teeth. Yes, this humiliating punishment, lasting four or five hours, took place during a meeting between Ryūsha and his women! Although Jereberly insisted that the entire process take place behind Ryūsha's table, all his women knew exactly what was behind the table…

At least she couldn't see it, Gerberi thought. But Yulina, the maid standing next to Ryukyu, could see her being beaten like a little girl with her buttocks sticking up high. The maid, whose neck she had choked, now had a black ribbon tied around her neck, just covering the bruise, and she kept looking at Gerberi with a look of glee.

As the footsteps of the others gradually left the room, Gerberly tried to get up from Liuxia, but was pressed down again.

"You've humiliated me enough!"

"How could that be? I said I'd beat him up, but I didn't say how long it would last!"

As Gerberly turned her head and angrily questioned him, Ryusha pinched the tender flesh on her buttocks with her fingernails and laughed. A Heavenly Knight is something else; no matter how much you hit this big white butt, it's still frighteningly white and tender, at most turning red for a moment before fading away.

"You! I will absolutely... kill you!"