You've found the Gusha-hime Knight, so put your hair up in a bun!

My previous wandering and mere survival were because I saw no hope of getting justice.

To seek justice, clear his father's name, and uncover the truth behind the disaster, one cannot bypass a cornerstone—strength.

Irene's extraordinary talent is not outstanding; it can only be described as mediocre.

But upon hearing Shiloh's words, the girl's heart was filled with boundless hope and longing!

Ever since he was rescued by Shiloh and came to this mansion, he has been the destined, sacred being in Irene's eyes.

Follow his guidance, experience his gentleness, and then offer him everything.

Even the slightest doubt would be seen as disloyalty; his words are timeless maxims.

Nestled in Shiloh's arms, the darkness did not extinguish the quiet fervor burning in her eyes.

He is my master, and his guidance is filled with trials and tribulations.

But... I will never back down.

"No difficulty is too great. I will definitely activate my bloodline and become your most loyal maid."

The seemingly melancholic and delicate girl rose from Xiluo's warm embrace, and as if facing a deity, knelt down, slowly bowed her head, and offered words of loyalty.

Looking at the devoutly bowed Irene, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Shiloh's face.

Although in the original work, Irene awakened her bloodline on her own, this is reality after all. With his help and protection, Shiloh couldn't guarantee that she would choose the original path.

But now it seems the little guy's willpower is stronger than he expected.

However, that's exactly how it should be.

"Eileen, I promise you."

Shiloh reached out and cupped Irene's face, which was lying on the ground, so that she could clearly see the look in his eyes.

"I will fulfill your most desired wish."

"On the condition that I have your absolute loyalty."

Irene's eyes widened slightly. Although Shiloh hadn't said it explicitly, the girl instinctively knew what he meant by "the wish she most wanted to fulfill."

That wasn't a pretentious attempt to test someone's knowledge.

"Irene's loyalty is dedicated only to you."

"If I betray you, I shall be burned alive and my ashes shall be forever cast into the abyss."

In the world of "The Abyss of Gods," this is absolutely the cruelest form of punishment for intelligent life in the human realm.

Seeing the light shimmering in Irene's bright blue eyes, Shiloh's smile widened. He then pulled her back into his arms, whispering as if petting a small pet, "I sensed your will. From now on, you must strive to become a qualified maid."

In fact, the invitation to the apology banquet from the Bull family had already been delivered to the lord's manor that afternoon, but Shiloh was busy winning over Irene, so he put it aside and ignored it.

Only after dealing with the little one's affairs did Shiloh prepare to take Cecilia to the banquet.

Chapter 17: Offering Loyalty to My Lord!

"Greetings, Lord."

Outside the magnificent mansion, a group of officials, led by Claude, placed one hand on their chest in a noble salute, their expressions extremely respectful.

The mansion was filled with well-trained servants who were quickly and orderly arranging the welcoming ceremony and preparing various precious desserts and dishes.

On ordinary days, Crow would occasionally host banquets to entertain some of his political allies in the bureaucracy, but today, some sharp-eyed waiters noticed that several of the political officials who usually visited the mansion seemed to be missing.

As for why he suddenly stopped coming, it's probably because something came up that delayed him.

They couldn't have simply vanished into thin air, could they?

The carriage door opened, and Cecilia stepped off first. She then became alert to her surroundings, fulfilling her duty as a guard.

Looking at the officials standing respectfully outside the carriage, a smile appeared on Shiloh's lips. He stepped out of the carriage with steady movements, straightened his clothes, and said with a smile, "You all came quite a few times. Councilor Crow's influence is truly considerable."

A simple sentence sent a chill down the spines of the officials, making their legs feel weak.

Despite his youthful and naive appearance, just as they were mocking Crow's son for being blind, the news from their subordinates made them turn as pale as corpses.

Those mid-level political officials who held key positions in Maple Leaf Territory, many of whom I had even met just a few days ago, have had their homes raided today.

In less than half a day, based on the evidence that had been unearthed, some were killed and others were exiled; the efficiency was quite remarkable.

Even those who fabricate cases to frame others wouldn't dare to do this!

It was precisely because of this that when these officials heard that Claude was going to hold an apology banquet at his residence, they all rushed to the door early in the morning, hoping to make a good impression on this lord from the capital.

Otherwise, no one can say for sure whether the next executioner's blade will fall on them in the middle of the night.

As for your claim that those government officials were innocent?

You can tell me whether you've found any evidence of illegality.

You're saying this violates procedural justice, but it also violates imperial law?

But his father is the chosen saint of the empire, and you are...?

"My lord!"

Suddenly, a loud shout broke the tense atmosphere created by Xi Luo's words, causing the surrounding officials to tremble and turn to look at the suddenly lowered figure in the middle.

"I dare to correct you. We did not come because of Councilor Crow's call, but because we admire your deeds and have gathered here to await your arrival!"

Finnrenda, the political officer in charge of urban governance in Maple Leaf Territory, spoke with great emotion, his facial expressions so rich that they were astonishing.

"Oh?"

Shiloh raised an eyebrow and uttered a syllable of interest.

Finnrenda's throat tightened, and he knew very well that this might be his only chance in his life.

He, he really wants to improve!

"This afternoon, your decisive handling of those corrupt officials was commendable; I believe they deserved to be executed!"

Having said that, Finlenda, still kneeling on one knee, clenched his fist, pounded his chest, and, with tears welling in his eyes, trembled as he said, "Whenever I see those parasites nibbling at the politics of Maple Leaf Territory and devouring the property of the common people, I only hate my own powerlessness, my inability to resist them... But now, Maple Leaf Territory has finally awaited the arrival of its great master! I, Finlenda, swear to be forever loyal to you, to be your vanguard, to uproot all these parasites, and to restore a bright and clear world to Maple Leaf Territory!!"

Finnrenda's face was radiant with the light of a martyr; anyone who saw him would praise him as a loyal and devoted subject.

Seeing Finnrenda's expression of wanting to rip out his own heart to prove his loyalty, Shiloh's smile became more satisfied, while Klaue's expression as he stared down at the ground turned extremely ugly.

Damn traitor!

Crow barely managed to suppress the urge to turn and look at Fenrenda, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to control his murderous intent.

We're all in the same circle, so no one should criticize anyone else. Finnrenda has done plenty of things that violate Imperial law, just not to such an extreme degree.

However, this kind of thing, which can be easily investigated, can be perfectly explained in Fenrenda's pre-emptive statement as a result of his inability to resist the political climate of Maple Leaf Territory. Therefore, he pretended to be cooperative and went along with the corrupt practices, just to bide his time and wait for the arrival of a wise ruler.

Although his use of the word "parasite" was tantamount to attacking everyone present, including himself, the other officials, seeing his perfect "example," cursed him under their breath as an old thief and then quickly realized what was happening and knelt down to show their loyalty.

"Alright, I'm hungry. Let's eat first."

Before he could utter a word of loyalty, Shiloh waved his hand to interrupt the politician who was still trying to show off, and pointed at Fenrenda, who was still kneeling respectfully, and said, "You, lead the way."

Upon being called out, Finlenda was overjoyed. He quickly suppressed his excitement, bowed his head and said "Yes," then followed about a step behind Silo on the right, slightly hunched over, enthusiastically introducing the facilities in the mansion as if he were the one who had hosted the banquet.

Seeing Finnrenda's sycophantic behavior, the other political officers following behind were filled with sourness and gritted their teeth in anger. They resented how quickly this guy's knees buckled, and also regretted that they had reacted too slowly earlier. They were determined to seize the opportunity next time.

Unbeknownst to them, Crow, who was organizing the apology dinner, had become the one being neglected, quietly following at the back of the group.

In fact, it was fortunate that Shiloh stopped the wave of loyalty just now; otherwise, if it were his turn, he would have been in a real predicament.

Anyone can replicate Finnland's statement, but not Crow.

Because he was a councilor, he was the one who acted as the lord's representative in the affairs of Maple Leaf Territory before the lord arrived.

If he admits to Finnrenda's words, it would at least be a charge of negligence and dereliction of duty.

But based on Crow’s understanding of Shelow, he would surely take the opportunity to increase the severity of the charges. For example, why did Finnrenda only pretend to be compliant when he knew these people were guilty, but dared not publicly accuse them of their crimes?

The only explanation is that they have someone protecting them.

But who can be greater than you, Councilor Crow?

Or is this protective umbrella actually...?

Crow was startled and shook his head violently, trying to banish the cold, mocking look in Shiloh's eyes that he had seen that afternoon.

But after several attempts, the thought of Shiloh making him personally investigate his own son's case, and then scattering his son's ashes on the main street for the masses to trample on, clouded Klaue's eyes with gloom...

Chapter 18 Apology Ceremony

Upon entering the banquet, Shiloh naturally took the seat of honor, with Cecilia, his maid and bodyguard, standing beside him. Her blue eyes calmly scrutinized the group of officials sitting around the rectangular table, making them all feel a sense of psychological pressure.

The rectangular dining table was extremely wide, with only Shiloh sitting at the head of the table on the wide side. To his left sat the host for the night, Crow, and to his right sat his newly acquired henchman, Finnland.

At the banquet, it was Crow who had been silent for a long time who started by confessing his mistakes. After apologetically drinking three glasses of wine, he respectfully asked the waiter to bring out various valuable items as a token of his remorse.

Silo rested his chin on his hand, casually swirling his wine glass, glancing indifferently at the treasures presented by the waiter, his eyes filled with boredom.

Born into a family that selected a holy prince in the capital, what rare treasures hadn't he seen?

Not to mention what good things a minor councilor in Maple Leaf Territory could possibly offer.

Seeing Shiloh's attitude, not only Crow, but also the other political officers felt a chill in their hearts.

Whether the other party accepts it or not is one thing, but we must always maintain the right attitude on our side.

The officials then hurriedly ordered the servants to present the prepared items, anxiously awaiting Shiloh's reaction.

After looking around, Shiloh didn't find anything interesting, so he casually waved his hand, signaling Cecilia to put the things away.

Cecilia obediently put the apology gifts into her storage pouch. When she retreated behind Shiloh, she was suddenly startled and clenched her fingers in annoyance.

Why does it feel like he's getting more and more adept at ordering me around?!

Cecilia silently bit her lip. She also realized that she seemed to be becoming more and more obedient to Shiloh's commands...

This is not a good sign.

Cecilia lowered her head slightly, her eyes shifting.

He said he knew information about the person who framed my father... I have to find out whether he's just making things up.

If Shiloh actually knew nothing and was just using this to fool her, Cecilia would do anything to find a way to get rid of him.

But if he really knew...

Cecilia pursed her lips, feeling both delighted and somewhat worried about the latter.

The joy comes from discovering who is behind this and then seeking revenge for his father.

Her worry was that as she gradually extracted information from Xi Luo, she didn't know what kind of changes he would make to this body...

However, Cecilia's unusual behavior went unnoticed by others. Everyone was now watching Shiloh with bated breath, like criminals awaiting their final judgment.

call--

Xi Luo let out a soft breath, leaned back in his chair, raised an eyebrow, glanced around at the officials, and asked, "Anything else?"

His tone was utterly dull and boring, making all the officials' hearts leap into their throats and shrink into a ball.

Stop being so dense, think of something!

A few beads of cold sweat trickled down the foreheads of the officials, their minds racing as they desperately tried to figure out how to please the official.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Crow, who had been secretly observing his colleagues' expressions, revealed a cold smile. When he looked at Shilo, he put on a warm smile and said, "These ordinary things are naturally not worthy of your attention, sir, so I have prepared this for you—"

With that, Crow clapped his hands, and the door swung open.

click, click, click...

With the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the ground, a young woman in a luxurious black-purple dress walked gracefully toward Xiluo, carrying a plate made of gold and jade.

Seeing this, Shiloh perked up and looked around.

The young woman had a beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor, with a mysterious aura that made people want to explore her inner self.

Her silky, waist-length black hair swayed lightly with each step, and her deep, amethyst-like eyes were filled with a serene and noble air.

"Your Excellency, these are the ownership contracts for one-third of the commercial establishments in Maple Leaf Territory. Please take a look."

The girl's voice was as clear and melodious as a nightingale's, which made Xi Luo's heart flutter.

Although the girl's appearance was considered above average by Shiloh, who was used to seeing beautiful women, he was still more interested in what she offered.

"One-third? Heh, that's not easy to collect."

Shiloh picked up the contract, glanced at it twice, then put it on the table and gave Crow a smile.