"What?!" Lathel shouted, his face a mask of surprise and disbelief.
Selvia was also startled, her face showing clear fear. She covered her mouth in horror, her eyes darting from Mira to Lathel.
At that moment, Lathel bit his lip and gritted his teeth, saying, "Mira, there must be some misunderstanding, right? How could the Church kill its own believers?"
Mira shook her head and said, "Prince, this morning I received news from the Queen. The dead were all believers who had betrayed the Church."
"Besides, on their bodies were blackened believer's badges, which indicates that they were indeed judged by the Church."
Selvia tried to stay calm and asked, "Mira, what does a blackened badge mean?"
Hearing this, Mira immediately explained, "Princess Consort, the church's badge is a sacred item, treasured by the believers like a precious artifact."
"However, if a believer receives a blackened badge, it means that person has betrayed the Church and will certainly be judged."
"Meaning... they... they will be killed."
Selvia's mouth fell open, her eyes glistening as if she were about to cry. "That's impossible! The Church always preaches love and tolerance, why would they do such a thing?"
Lathel then added, "That's right. There must be some mistake in this matter. The Church would surely not do something so terrible."
"Prince." Mira was a little angry now, but her eyes still held worry as she looked at Lathel and said, "The Church is just a bunch of lunatics. They even tried to assassinate you, is there anything they wouldn't dare to do?"
"Besides, only the Church possesses the blackened believer's badges. Even if someone wanted to frame them, it would be very difficult to do so."
Hearing this, Lathel trembled and slumped into his chair, a look of exhaustion and despair on his face, which grew darker.
Seeing his expression, Selvia and Mira grew worried. Selvia quickly tried to comfort him, "Lathel... you..."
She wanted to say something to console Lathel, but she realized that any words at this moment were meaningless because she herself didn't understand what the hell was going on anymore.
Lathel took a deep breath, then sighed and said, "Mira, send a message to my mother. Tell her to limit the spread of this news and to compensate and support the families of the deceased."
Mira and Selvia were startled, unable to believe what Lathel had just said.
At this, Mira said with frustration, "Forgive me, Prince, I... I am only a maid and shouldn't interfere with your decisions, however..."
Lathel gave a bitter smile and said, "Mira, Selvia, I know you are upset with my decision."
"That's right," Mira said hastily. "Those foolish people not only failed to recognize the Prince's kindness, but they also tried to assassinate you."
"Why do you want to help them? They don't deserve your tolerance."
Lathel shook his head and said, "Mira, they are my people, after all. They are citizens of this Kingdom."
"The Royal Family is like the parents, and the citizens are like the children in a family. Even if the children make mistakes, what parent wouldn't love and forgive all their children's faults?"
"In my eyes, they are just like mischievous children. Now, they are dead…"
Lathel didn't finish his sentence, but his tear-filled eyes were enough to convey his feelings at that moment.
Moved by his emotions, Selvia and Mira also shed tears. Selvia bit her lip, trying to restrain her emotions, and said, "Lathel, you… don't be sad. What's done is done. Even if you're sad, you can't change anything."
"I… I…" Selvia wanted to comfort Lathel, but she realized one thing… she was too useless.
That's right! Lathel had been in trouble many times, but she could do nothing but say meaningless words.
Selvia bit her lip tightly, tears flowing even more freely as she silently cursed herself in her heart, 'Why… why am I so useless?'
Lathel sighed, shook his head, and said, "You two go out first. I want to be alone for a while."
Selvia opened her mouth as if to say something more, but in the end, she said nothing, quietly leaving the room with Mira.
Before leaving the room, she glanced at Lathel with eyes full of guilt and worry, a pain in her heart so intense it made it hard to breathe.
"I'm sorry, Lathel…" Selvia said, but her voice was so soft that even Mira, standing beside her, couldn't hear it.
Crack!
The door closed. Lathel, who had been bowing his head, suddenly waved his hand. A spatial barrier appeared, enveloping the room and creating a vacuum.
It was just a thin barrier, less than a millimeter thick, but it was enough to prevent any sound from escaping the room.
Lathel slowly raised his head. The gentle, pained expression from before had vanished, replaced by a cold smile, like a demon from hell.
Suddenly, a woman emerged from behind him. It was Vera, the knight absolutely loyal to Lathel.
She knelt on the ground, her face full of reverence as she looked up at him. "Master!"
Lathel leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "How many?"
"My apologies, Master." Vera bowed her head, biting her lip, her face showing guilt and anxiety. "I was only able to kill forty-two people."
"Ah!" Lathel nodded lightly, his face showing indifference, as if the people who had been killed had nothing to do with him.
He said softly, "It seems… this mission was a bit difficult for you."
"My apologies, Master. I was too useless. If I were stronger, I could have completed the mission you gave me," Vera said, her voice sincere and full of anguish. "Master! Please punish me."
Lathel heard Vera but didn't even glance at her.
He stroked his chin and silently commanded, "System, give me an EXP summary."
🔔 [Currently, you possess 7,216,000 EXP.]
Lathel frowned, saying nothing, his eyes fixed on the system's information panel as if deep in thought.
Because of the spatial barrier Lathel had created, which formed a vacuum, no sound from the outside could enter the room.
The atmosphere became quiet, frighteningly so.
Kneeling on the ground, Vera felt a sense of fear enveloping her entire mind.
The air felt as if it had thickened into a pool of mud, making it impossible for her to struggle.
Sweat poured out as if she'd been drenched, soaking her clothes.
Her body trembled, and her eyes could only stare at the ground, watching beads of sweat fall from her face.
Lathel stroked his chin, ignoring Vera's expression as he commanded, "Use five million EXP to buy Blind Boxes."
🔔 [Purchase successful. You now have five Blind Boxes. Opening now.]
🔔 [You have received the following items:
Good luck next time.Congratulations on receiving the skill 'Blood Sacrifice': Allows the user to burn their own life force to unleash their full power and potential, achieving an incredibly terrifying level of combat strength for a short time.
After use, the user will die. However, there is a 1% chance the user will be reborn, possessing superior strength and talent.
Good luck next time.Congratulations on receiving the 'Assassin Summoning Card' – Basic: Can help you summon 2 – 10 Assassins, with a level no higher than Level 2 – Early Stage.Congratulations on receiving the Rank B 'Assimilation Method' - Lunar Petal: This is an assimilation method exclusive to females, which can help the user become more beautiful.
The user's strength and energy increase over time with absorption, regardless of the user's aptitude.
All items have been placed in your 'Storage Space'.]
Seeing the notification panel, Lathel wore a slightly satisfied expression and muttered, "It seems… 5 luck points is quite a lot. What if I had even more luck points?'
A greedy look appeared in his eyes, along with a wicked smile. He waved his hand and commanded the system in his mind, "Use the Assassin Summoning Card."
🔔 [You have successfully used the Assassin Summoning Card and received 4 Assassins. Please name them.]
Lathel stroked his chin and said with a smile, "Then let's name them Haru, Fuyu, Natsu, and Aki."
🔔 [Naming successful. You have received 4 assassins, level: Level 1 – mid stage.]
At that moment, four girls in light black armor suddenly appeared in the room.
Vera was only slightly startled before calming down, as she knew they were also the Master's subordinates.
The four girls all knelt on the ground and said in unison, "Master."
Lathel glanced at the four girls and Vera, nodded lightly, then took out a purple scroll from his 'Storage Space' and tossed it to Vera.
"This is a new Assimilation Method. From now on, you all will use it."
Hearing Lathel's words, their eyes focused on the scroll in Vera's hand, and they exclaimed with joy, "Thank you for your grace, Master."
They naturally recognized that the scroll was a Rank B Assimilation Method, and because of this, their admiration and respect for Lathel grew even stronger.
Lathel poured himself a cup of tea and slowly savored it, his gaze fixed on the distance as he asked softly, "What's the date today?"
Vera spoke up, "Master, it is now October 17th. The temperature is dropping; perhaps… winter will come early."
Lathel smiled, a smile so cold and wicked that it sent a shiver down the spines of all five girls present.
"Is that so…" he said with a laugh. "It's getting cold. Let's warm up this kingdom a little."
The five girls looked at each other, but Vera, suddenly remembering something, bowed her head and said, "Master, what about… the children?"
"Children?" Lathel suddenly turned his head, his sharp, hawk-like eyes making all five kneeling girls tremble in fear, sweat pouring down like rain.
"What children?" Lathel said, his voice a mixture of surprise and mockery. "Are there children there? You're mistaken, Vera. There is no one there, not even livestock or trees."
"Nothing at all..."
Vera took a deep breath, then bowed her head and replied with determination, "Yes, Master. I understand!"