The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Just then, a system message with an exclamation mark suddenly popped up on the panel.

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment. He noticed that Ye Xiao's eyes were also glancing upwards, indicating that they had both received the message.

[The unique quest has been triggered: The Five Princes' Struggle for the Throne]

[Mission Briefing: Every Crown Prince of Loren covets the supreme power of the Empire, and now they finally have their chance. What choices will the otherworldly travelers, drawn into this affair, make?]

[Task Difficulty: Normal]

[Quest Rewards: 2000 Gold, 2000 Universal Points, 1000 Loren Reputation, Visionary Insight]

[Punishment for Mission Failure: The Blind Man's Sacrifice]

[Please select the royal member you wish to support below. Once this royal member ascends the throne, the mission will be considered successfully completed, and you will receive your reward. If you choose a princess, the reward multiplier will be multiplied by 3. If another royal member or someone unrelated ascends the throne, the mission will be considered a failure, and a penalty will be imposed.]

Candidate Members:

The eldest prince, Edgar Betis.

The second prince, Ken Betis.

The third prince, Barnard Betis.

The fourth prince, Raymond Betis,

The fifth prince, "Holgard Betis",

The candidate is Princess Skadi Betis.

Candidate member: Third Princess "Erika Betis"

】

You have 48 hours to make a decision. You can change your options freely before the countdown ends. If you do not make a choice after the countdown ends, the task will fail by default. Countdown remaining: 47 hours 59 minutes 03 seconds.

The long list of mission descriptions and characters made Li Cheng's head spin. "What kind of mission is this? I've never seen it before. Could it be triggered by the scene we just saw?"

Ye Xiao frowned slightly. Compared to Li Cheng, who had more information, he was more puzzled by the sudden triggering of this mission.

Why did this task suddenly appear at this time?

In the previous life, the "Five Princes' Struggle for the Throne" quest appeared two months after the "Great Time Travel." The current emperor was assassinated in the palace, and this quest, which caused all players in Loren a great headache, began.

Although Ye Xiao knew that the old King Harold Betis had long since vanished, leaving only a finger still attached to him.

But judging from what the old king said back then, he probably already died before the players even traveled through time.

So, is the trigger condition for this mission the discovery of the corpse on the throne in the current imperial city?

That shouldn't be the case. At the time, none of the royal family members paid any attention to the old king who was behaving strangely on the throne... How could he have been exposed so suddenly?

The other two candidates for princesses are also strange; Ye Xiao clearly remembers that there were no such candidates in his previous life.

If these two princesses can be chosen, why can't the second princess, Lilia Betis, be chosen?

And what's with the second option, the prince?

Wasn't this guy already dead? His body is still hanging in the dungeon of the Loren Grand Cathedral, suppressed by a magic circle. Does that mean we have to finish him off with that bug's last blow before he's truly dead?

Too many doubts flooded Ye Xiao's mind with the sudden appearance of this mission; the changes in the mission were too different from the information he already knew.

Just as Ye Xiao was pondering, there was a knock on the door of the lounge.

Li Cheng opened the door, but it was Aurora, the High Priestess of the Ocean Sanctuary, who entered: "I apologize for disturbing you all. I just received a message from the Loren Sanctuary via SMS crystal. Since I haven't seen the Holy Maiden of Light, I've come to inform you."

"what news?"

"The current king of the empire, Harold Betis, was confirmed to have passed away just two minutes ago."

"Huh???" Li Cheng's mouth dropped open.

Ye Xiao, however, understood the direct reason for the emergence of the "Five Princes' Succession Struggle" mission.

"The situation in the capital has changed considerably as a result. I hope that Your Excellency will return to the Loren Sanctuary to oversee things as soon as possible if you have the time." Aurora handed a piece of parchment to Ye Xiao. "That's the general news. The details are on this piece of paper. You can all take a look."

"Thank you." Ye Xiao took the parchment, glanced at it, and then looked at Li Cheng. "So, how about a meeting?"

“Okay, this mission is a bit strange, to be honest.” Li Cheng nodded. “This is the first time I’ve seen a mission with a penalty. After all, if other missions are not completed, it probably means that everyone has already submitted their missions. This is really special… and I don’t understand what the ‘Blind Man’s Sacrifice’ in the penalty means.”

"Ha, you wouldn't want to know."

After thanking Artorina and Sia, Ye Xiao and Li Cheng convened another meeting with the members of the Seven Stars Society.

The original plan was to depart on the second day, but due to the sudden changes in the capital, the trip back to the capital was moved to the afternoon after discussion.

The members of the Seven Stars Society had mostly rested, and their injuries had been largely healed with the help of Freya and the priests of the Ocean Sanctuary. They were in good condition.

Although the trip was suddenly brought forward and a bit rushed, this was nothing new for adventurers who wandered around.

Lucy Villa, the only one who brought out a large tray of cakes from the bakery, looked bitter. "Oh, I just finished baking so many cakes, why do we have to leave so suddenly?"

“Eating less won’t kill you,” Greta said disdainfully. “Besides, I didn’t say I was going to take you with me. You can stay here if you want.”

The kitten said that, but its paws were not behaving properly. It grabbed a small cake from the plate and stuffed it into its mouth.

“No way, I want to come too,” Lucyville pouted. “It’s too boring to be alone.”

“Then you can come work as an assistant in my guild.” Greta picked up another piece of cake and stuffed it into her gaping maw. “Hmm… it’s a little burnt.”

"No more eating!" Lucy Villa angrily moved the baking tray, which was almost as big as her, away. "Why should I help you? Besides, your men are no fun at all."

"It's only two pieces, you can't take them with you, you stingy person." Greta picked at her teeth with her fingertips, then leaned happily against Ye Xiao's shoulder with her bulging belly.

Chapter Fifteen: The Return Journey

Upon hearing that the Septian Society and the Holy Maiden Mission were about to depart, Eileen and Vanessa rushed to the entrance of the Ocean Sanctuary to bid farewell to the group who were hurriedly packing their luggage and about to embark on their journey.

Below the white stone steps, Archbishop Vanessa, with her long, light blue hair, led a group of clergy from the Ocean Sanctuary to thank Ella and the Septians.

“Thank you so much, Your Grace, the Church of Loren, and the members of the Seven Stars Society for the help you and this city have given us.” Vanessa held Ella’s hand, her voice soft. “Unfortunately, I still cannot summon the holy water bestowed by my Lord… Perhaps I am not a talented or suitable person to be a bishop. If a successor is fortunate enough to receive the blessing of the Ocean Goddess in the future, we will certainly make it up to you all.”

"This appeal to the Church of Loren for support is probably the best thing I've done since taking office. May the great sea goddess Undine bless you all, and may the great god of light always protect you."

“Don’t belittle yourself, Vanessa, you’ve done very well.” Ella smiled gently. “May the God of Light protect you, your brothers and sisters, and this city that has been revitalized. We’ll meet again.”

After saying goodbye to the Ocean Sanctuary members, Ella returned to her carriage and prepared to depart with the Seven Stars Society members.

Meanwhile, Eileen found Ye Xiao, and the two talked quietly by the carriage.

“I heard that a lot has happened in the capital recently. His Majesty the King was even assassinated.” Eileen frowned slightly, looking somewhat sad. “I originally planned to go back to the capital to study after settling down here, but the situation has been a bit turbulent recently, and the Malz family can’t withstand any more changes, so I may stay here for a while longer.”

"Be careful when you get back."

"Don't worry," Ye Xiao laughed heartily, "We're just going back to deal with those demons and monsters."

"Pfft, you're still such a braggart," Eileen chuckled.

"No, I'm always very careful with my words."

"Then you must have remembered our agreement, right?"

"Cough cough..."

"Stop coughing like that!" Eileen angrily kicked Ye Xiao's trouser leg. "Just pretend you're lying, can't you act a little more reliable at a time like this?"

"Hehe, just kidding, just trying to lighten the mood." Ye Xiao took out a small bell with a red string tied to it from his pocket. "I always keep my word, you can have this."

"what is this?"

"When you encounter difficulties, shake it three times."

"And then, you'll appear? Really?" Eileen looked at the not-so-exquisitely made bell with some doubt, and shook it twice. "Why three times?"

"Because I was afraid you'd shake it a couple of times for no reason."

"Are you an idiot?!" Eileen barely suppressed the urge to punch the guy in front of her. "You think this is a child's gift? It's such a perfunctory present."

"No, I've been working on it for a long time."

"Ah? You made this bell yourself?" A hint of joy appeared in Eileen's eyes.

“I mean the rope tied to it,” Ye Xiao shrugged. “It took me ages to align the rope with the hole and thread it through.”

"I shouldn't have had any expectations of you!" the girl stomped her foot.

"Hahaha, it's about time to head out," Ye Xiao grabbed the edge of the back of the carriage and sat down. "See you again someday."

"What do you mean by 'see you again someday'? Is this your way of saying goodbye?!"

"Otherwise, I'll do one too, ah, may the great God of Light protect you." Ye Xiao raised his hands and said in a serious tone.

"Bullshit! Do you think you're some kind of saintess?! Such disrespect will get you struck by holy light!"

"If the Holy Maiden can recite it, why can't I?" Ye Xiao said nonchalantly. "I don't believe the Holy Light can really... Holy crap!"

As they were talking, a small box that had been stacked in the carriage suddenly rolled off and hit Ye Xiao squarely on the back of the head.

"Pfft, hahahahaha..." Eileen couldn't help but burst out laughing, "You got your comeuppance, didn't you?"

"It's just because the threads of fate are tangled..." Ye Xiao's lips twitched as he tossed the small box back into the carriage. "Sigh, let's go."

"Alright, look how impatient you are, goodbye!"

"Goodbye."

After saying their final goodbyes, Ye Xiao leaned back in the carriage, first knocking on the inner wall to signal the driver to depart, and then waving to Eileen.

The Seven Stars Society members in front of the carriage then cracked their whips, the wheels turned, and the carriage, along with the deep blue Ocean Sanctuary and the girl with the beige hair, gradually disappeared from Ye Xiao's sight.

In the shadows beside Ye Xiao, a chubby golden kitten jumped onto his shoulder: "Sigh, another innocent girl has been ruined."

"...Listen to what you're saying." Ye Xiao rubbed the cat's head hard, provoking a fierce retort from the cat.

……

The journey from Storm Harbor back to the Imperial City still takes three days and three nights.

Since the time allotted for this mission selection was limited, and the Seven Stars Society didn't have any particular individuals they wanted to help, after some discussion, they decided to split up and select their missions at the deadline.

However, due to special circumstances, the second prince did not participate in the selection this time, while the number of candidates selected by the other two princesses increased slightly.

After all, if he had to choose one, Ye Xiao only reluctantly felt that the eldest princess was a decent person, so he discussed it with everyone and made a recommendation.

However, one should not put all their eggs in one basket, so some members chose several other options in order to mitigate losses should other situations arise.

On the morning of the third day, after seeing a majestic mountain range stretching across the land, they considered themselves to have returned to the province of Walund.

As you travel through the valleys, you can still hear the familiar shrieks coming from the depths of the mountains.

Li Cheng and a group of Seven Stars Society members were betting on what kind of animal made the sound. Hearing them confidently say "ape" and "demon wolf," Ye Xiao couldn't help but smile wryly.

The convoy safely traversed the valley and arrived at Grey Gold Town.

Unlike its former bustling state, Gray Gold Town now seems much more desolate for some reason.

There were hardly any pedestrians on the street, except for the familiar town mayor who rode out on horseback with a few guards to greet Saint Ella.

"Welcome back to the town, Your Excellency. Shall I arrange accommodations for you all, as I did last time?"

The mayor, walking side by side with the church carriage, spoke in his usual humble tone, but through the latticed window, Ella sensed that the mayor's smile was inexplicably stiff.

It's as if only the face is pulling the corners of the mouth in a smiling gesture, but there's no real smile in it.

Although welcoming the "leader" was certainly not a pleasant task, Ella clearly remembered that the last time this guy smiled, he had a rather slick and rosy look. How come he has become a completely different person after only a week?

Did something happen?

“No need, Mayor, we are in a hurry to get on our way, so we won’t stay here tonight,” the Templar Knight who was standing guard beside the carriage replied on Ella’s behalf.

"Good! Good!" the town mayor nodded in agreement.

A group of town guards lined both sides of the convoy, slowly escorting the Seven Stars Society members out of Graygold Town.

While they appeared to be fulfilling their duties of welcoming and protecting, Ella sensed a hint of wariness in the tightly packed guard formation.

A little weird.

Ella frowned slightly, and with a thought, several crows took flight from the high-rise buildings along the street.

Since she learned to control the crows and rats that had been corrupted by tentacles, she has had these familiars with powerful reconnaissance abilities constantly monitor the surroundings during her journey. At least the general situation within a radius of several miles can be observed through the eyes of the crows.

The journey back was uneventful, but as we approached the capital, the situation in the small town became strangely unsettling.

Chapter Sixteen: Enemies