The story of the black silk female knight

"If that Tsuchimikado craftsman escaped after I exposed his eavesdropping trick, we will surely be able to find some clues about him and find a way to continue tracking him down."

Unfortunately, he left the workshop more than a month ago, and he also killed everyone who had been with him during that time... Now he must have completely hidden himself with the vanguard fleet of the Central Continent Empire, and finding him is truly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Tsk."

. . . . .

By the time Valensa returned to Jade Island with Thousand Leaf Grass, it was already dawn.

Himika also hadn't slept all night and looked to be in a terrible mood. Even through her palace dress, you could see that the maid serving her tea had a swollen bottom and tear stains on her eyes... She was probably scolded by Himika last night because she was in a bad mood.

Chiba Rui, who almost died, was sent by Himika to receive treatment and recuperation. She has now taken a pill that can heal soul damage and is asleep... Chiba Kusa, who was a little worried, went to take care of her herself.

So, in the palace in the central area of ​​Jade Island, only Valensa and Himika remained, their faces filled with sorrow as they drank tea together.

Both of them were very unwilling... They had clearly deduced the enemy's conspiracy and plan, but they were still a step too slow in action and failed to capture the enemy.

Now that the enemy has completely hidden themselves, it will be very difficult to find them before the summit begins.

This silent exchange of glances and attempts to drown their sorrows over tea continued until dawn. The doll-like girl, Yi Qiuya, yawned as she walked out of her room and into the hall.

"what?"

Seeing that Valensa and Himiko both looked gloating, Yi Qiuyue felt a little smug. She skipped over to Valensa, skillfully climbing up Valensa's black-stockinged legs to her body, finally sitting on Valensa's shoulder and swinging her little feet.

"What's wrong? Why are you both looking so gloomy, you two? Did something go wrong? Tell me and cheer me up!"

"...We were outmaneuvered and outmaneuvered at every turn."

Instead of getting angry and bullying Yi Qiuyue as usual, Valensa recounted her experiences and the results of the past two days to Yi Qiuyue in detail.

Yi Qiuya is, after all, the last successor of the Star Altar. Knowing the outcome of the Star Altar's last supreme secret technique more than 300 years ago, she might actually be able to provide guidance.

Even Himiko pretended to be disdainful, but secretly kept glancing at Yi Qiuya out of the corner of her eye.

Because they were old enemies with whom she had a blood feud, Himiko understood better than Valensa just how powerful the astral altar's predictive divination techniques were.

But after listening patiently, Yi Qiuya became even happier. She jumped off Valensa and onto the tea table between Valensa and Himiko, hands on her hips, laughing loudly:

"Haha... Idiots! You two, the perverted knight and the demonic witch, are both idiots! You're actually frowning over something like this? It's hilarious!"

Is this funny?

Seeing that Himiko's face was also gloomy and a storm was about to break, Valensa quickly grabbed Yi Qiuya and held her in her arms, pinching her feet and poking her face with her hands.

"Then tell me... how do we find and eliminate the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet, which has completely hidden itself?"

"...Why do we have to find them and eliminate them in advance? It would be better if you hadn't found them and eliminated them in advance."

Yi Qiuya kicked Valensa's fingers with her little feet while rolling her eyes and saying:

"Have you forgotten? The first key to defeating the Dragon Emperor was successfully preventing the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet from attacking and ensuring the summit's progress... If you had found and eliminated all the enemies beforehand, what would they have used to launch an attack?"

From your perspective, this certainly prevented the attack... but in terms of fate, it's a different story.

An attack that never even happened naturally cannot be prevented... So, even if we fail to reach the first node in the destiny line of defeating the Dragon Emperor... the entire world will be on the path to destruction as a result.

"Ah, this..." x2

Valensa and Himiko exchanged bewildered glances; they hadn't really thought of these things before.

Just moments ago, the two were regretting that they hadn't been able to capture the Tsuchimikado craftsman, but now they were relieved that they hadn't.

"Got it? You stupid, perverted knight and you stupid, demonic witch!"

Taking advantage of Valensa's astonishment, Yi Qiuya broke free again, standing on the table with her hands on her hips:

"You've gone astray... What you should be doing now is developing a perfect security plan for the summit, instead of trying to find and eliminate the enemy in advance."

The attack on the summit by the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet was inevitable! Our task is to turn the attack into a failure, not to erase the event beforehand!

"...Understood." x2

Valensa and Himiko exchanged another complicated glance.

Being mocked by Yi Qiuya was undoubtedly infuriating for both of them... But this time, Yi Qiuya really brought them back from the wrong path, so they couldn't get angry at her and had to thank her properly.

This made the two of them even angrier.

To avoid getting angrier, Valensa and Himiko had to force themselves to stay focused and immediately get into the conversation about security arrangements for the day of the summit.

"Now that Tsuchimikado's trick of secretly stealing information has been exposed, the assassins disguised as Chiba clan ninjas have also been exposed... Their original plan to frame me for the assassination and damage my reputation should no longer work."

Himika picked up her cup and took a deep sip of the sweet tea:

"So, Valencia, how do you think the enemy will attack?"

"Mmm..."

Valensa then grabbed Yi Qiuya in her hand and rubbed her like a figurine:

"I don't think it will be a direct assault... Let's not consider what Tsuchimikado is planning for now, but the primary objective of the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet must be to disrupt the summit... or more precisely, to disrupt the alliance of various forces on our Frenoia continent."

So, forcibly disrupting the summit itself by force is useless... Even if they could kill everyone attending the summit, it would only make us clearly realize how terrifying the Central Continent Empire is, and make us more united.

Therefore, the enemy's actions that day will undoubtedly still be aimed at disrupting our stability.

Chapter 6 Do you think I'm amazing?

After the plan to launch an attack disguised as Himiko's ninjas failed, the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet will likely not launch a direct assault, but instead use other methods to damage Himiko's reputation in order to hinder the alliance of various forces on the Frenoia continent.

Valensa and Himiko both agree on this point, showing that great minds think alike.

If the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet wants to achieve this goal, it cannot act in its own name when it causes trouble... Otherwise, the bigger the trouble they cause, the more the Frenoia continent will realize the threat posed by the Central Continent Empire, and thus unite.

Therefore, Tsuchimikado, who is disguised as a craftsman, will definitely be used well, and may even become the mastermind behind the summit attack, making outsiders believe that the attack was just the survivors of the Tsuchimikado family taking revenge on Himika and the Chiba family.

If this revenge battle happens to involve some important figures attending the summit, resulting in injury or even death of these figures, then Himiko will certainly be implicated, and at the very least, she will be held responsible for failing to protect them.

In this way, the faction whose important figures are injured or killed will more or less be dissatisfied with Himiko... Even if this dissatisfaction does not lead to conflict, it will affect cooperation and thus impact the summit.

What would normally be a mutually agreed-upon collaboration could very well turn into a situation where forces dissatisfied with Himiko refuse to cooperate due to this reason... The worst-case scenario is that everyone could simply break up.

To avoid this situation, Himiko and Valensa must ensure the security of the representatives from various factions during the summit and must not allow any important figures to be harmed.

It would be ideal to know in advance which important people would be attending.

Therefore, Himiko once again contacted the major powers through magical communication to inquire about the specific personnel arrangements for the summit... ostensibly to make preparations for hospitality in advance.

With only ten days or so left before the summit officially began, the various factions should have already decided who should represent them, and the organizers did indeed need to prepare for the reception in advance... Himiko's inquiry was reasonable.

Therefore, all parties readily agreed and quickly replied with the list of participants for the summit.

Leaving aside the accompanying guards and servants, Valensa and Himiko began studying the important figures after obtaining the lists of various factions.

The importance of this summit seems to have exceeded expectations... The representatives from various major powers are all very important figures.

First, there's the Kingdom of Fran, from which Valencia was born.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess will be attending, along with representatives from the three major factions of the nobility. Among them, Tia will be appearing for the first time as a representative of the military nobility.

If the King of the Kingdom of Fran hadn't been so old and lacked cultivation, making him unable to withstand the hardships of a long journey, he would certainly have come in person... In his personal reply, he clearly mentioned this point and expressed his apologies to Himiko, which can be said to be full of sincerity.

America's business association... that is, the business federation, was represented by its president, who was the number one figure, accompanied by two vice presidents.

The accompanying team also included direct descendants of various business families, who were probably looking to use this summit to launch new business collaborations... Compared to jointly fighting against the Central Continent Empire, America seemed to see the summit as a good opportunity to expand into overseas markets.

Even the Sage's Tower and the Witch's Forest, which are extraordinary forces, have given Himiko's invitation considerable importance.

The Great Sage of the Sage's Tower will come in person, accompanied by the Seventh and Ninth Sages, among whom the Seventh Sage is Tia's teacher.

Tia also secretly revealed some information about the Seventh Sage to Valensa.

The Seventh Sage was not originally on the list of attendees at the Sage's Tower meeting... His name was only recently added.

Vincent has been largely blamed for the calamity caused by the evil gods, and he was a pure and upright member of the Sage Tower, yet he became a cultist and almost destroyed the world... This has led many people to question the Sage Tower and even hope that the Church of the Sun will establish a regulatory body to specifically oversee the dangerous research topics conducted by the Sage Tower.

This incident caused quite a stir in the Sage's Tower, and the Great Sage has been racking his brains over it... The reason he brought the Seventh Sage to the summit this time was to take the opportunity to play the emotional card.

Because Valencia's official role at this summit was as a representative of the Church of the Sun and a witness to the entire summit... So the Great Sage brought the Seventh Sage along, first having the Seventh Sage establish a relationship with Tia through their master-disciple bond, and then having Tia whisper in Valencia's ear... to see if Valencia could put in a good word for the Church of the Sun and cancel the plan to establish a regulatory body.

After all, the original reason why the sages established the Sages' Tower was that they hoped that explorers of knowledge could be free from national and regional constraints and could gather together to do their favorite research... If a regulatory body were to be established, the very foundation of the Sages' Tower's beliefs would be shaken.

As Tia's teacher, the Seventh Sage had always been very kind to her... Even when Tia ultimately chose to become a witch, she never blamed her and continued to take care of her as her best student.

So Tia really couldn't refuse her teacher. She had already promised to whisper in Valensa's ear... She told Valensa this in advance in the hope that Valensa would cooperate... At least outwardly treat the Sage Tower better, and it would be even better if she could say a few good words for her.

Valensa readily agreed... Anyway, Zero had already said that the matter of supervising the Sage's Tower needed to be considered in the long run, and the Great Sage was actually worrying unnecessarily.

Or perhaps some people in the Sage's Tower are causing trouble... I don't know how they obtained the title of Sage, they're so deeply affected by some rumors.

Three of the top ten sages from the Sage Tower arrived, and the witches naturally wouldn't be outdone, with three of the nine great witches also present.

However, of the three great witches, Valensa only knew the Destruction Witch Elanfiel. The Harmonizing Witch, Lu, and the Unifying Witch, whom she had just met, did not come this time. Instead, the other two witches came.

The Witch with the Eyes of Wisdom and the Witch with the Iron Wall.

Valensa had never met either of these witches, but she had heard Alan Fair mention them.

The Witch with the Wise Eyes possesses a pair of powerful magical eyes that can see through the truth. In the Witch Forest, she has always served as a strategist and a diplomat-like figure.

She and Elanfiel were directly opposite each other... Whenever there was a group activity that required the participation of the Witch Forest, the Witch of Wisdom would do the talking, while the Witch of Destruction would do the physical work.

The other Ironwall Witch is particularly skilled in defensive spells and large-scale protective barriers. The Northern Fortress of Fran has many protective magical barriers, which were built under the guidance of the Ironwall Witch.

Like the Unifying Witch, the Iron Wall Witch is also a character perfectly suited for large-scale battles... If the continent of Frenoia were to truly form a coalition in the future, the Iron Wall Witch would undoubtedly be an important figure in the army.

The fact that representatives from both the civil and military sides, along with the witches best suited for war, attended the summit demonstrates that the Witch Forest also attaches great importance to it.

After receiving the complete list, Valensa did some rough calculations.

Among the Moon-level powerhouses who will participate in the summit, there are three witches and three sages on the surface, as well as Himiko, the host.

Among them, the Great Sage and the Witch of Destruction are both peak Moon Radiance experts, and Himiko would also be a peak Moon Radiance expert if she were not injured.

When the Crown Prince and Crown Princess go out together, the great-grandmother of the Frankish Royal Knights will most likely accompany them and protect them in secret; she is also a Moon God.

As a national leader, the president of the America Merchants Association would certainly be similar, with powerful bodyguards among her entourage. However, Valensa's identity is not visible on the list, but she is likely also a Moon-level powerhouse.

After obtaining the new Noble Phantasm Nana, Valensa can now be considered a Moon-level combatant... This means that there will likely be more than 10 Moon-level combatants present at this summit, as well as the Star-level combatants under Himiko.

This is already considered to be an extremely high-level configuration of the top combat force on the Frenoia continent... Not to mention that the Central Continent Empire only sent an advance fleet this time, even its main fleet could certainly put up a fight.

In this situation, would Tsuchimikado still try to cause trouble?

If so, Valensa really admires his courage... It's hard to imagine surviving a fight in front of so many powerful people.

However, upon closer reflection, there is a very high probability that Tsuchimikado will still cause trouble... because this is his best chance, and if he misses it, he will have no hope of revenge.

After all, Tsuchimikado was just a craftsman, and his identity had already been exposed... He could only gamble everything on this opportunity; the support of the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet was his only chance.

The madness of someone who gambles everything should not be underestimated.

In order to better carry out security work, Valensa and Himiko discussed which side was more likely to be the target of the attack after reviewing the list, and had different opinions.

"I think it's more likely that people from Fran were attacked!"

Himika sat on a large chair, her feet dangling gently off the ground.

Her original size should have been large enough for her feet to touch the carpet, but unfortunately, she is still recovering from a serious injury and looks like a middle school student.

"Your King of Fran is old, so it's not surprising that he goes to see the goddess whenever he wants, and he only has one son and one daughter."

His daughter was originally a good-for-nothing playboy... Now, although you and Tia have helped her become the commander of some expeditionary force, everyone with eyes can see that she is just a figurehead... She is too close to the two of you, and in the eyes of the nobles, she is probably already one of your factions.

As a member of the royal family, if she becomes too close to a certain noble faction, it means that she has lost the possibility of inheriting the throne... Otherwise, the conflict between noble factions may intensify, and in the worst case, there may even be a civil war.

In other words, if something happens to your crown prince, the entire Fran could very well descend into chaos due to the issue of the throne, which is exactly what the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet wants to see... Anyway, if I were the commander of the vanguard fleet, I would definitely choose to target your Fran crown prince.”

"...Hmm, Your Majesty's analysis makes some sense, but I still think it's more likely that America was attacked."

Valensa sat in the chair opposite Himiko, one leg on the ground and the other crossed over her own, gently swaying her black-stockinged toes as she shared her opinion:

"Attack on the Crown Prince of Fran would indeed yield the greatest benefits, but the success rate is too low... Unless the assassins of the Central Empire are not afraid of exposing their identities, they absolutely do not have the power to break through the protection of the Knights of Heroes in the name of the Tsuchimikado Avengers."

Of course, the guards on the Merchant Alliance's side might not be inferior to those of the Knights of Heroes, but the Merchant Alliance most likely has a traitor within it... At the very least, there must be someone in the Morgan family who is an accomplice of Tsuchimikado, and it's hard to say about the accompanying personnel of other business families.

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. If you're attacked from behind by one of your own, even if the Merchant Guild leader has powerful warriors alongside him, no less than the Heroic Knights, things could still go awry."

"...Hmm, your analysis does make some sense."

Himiko did not deny Valensa's words either.

Attacking the French Crown Prince would yield the highest reward, while attacking the Merchants' Alliance would be the easiest... It's really hard to say which one the enemy will choose.

As for the possibility of the sages and witches being attacked... Valensa and Himiko did not consider it, nor did they need to.

Because that kind of behavior isn't an attack at all, it's suicide.