The Chronicles Of New Havens

"What is the meaning of this?" General Illion demanded, his tone several degrees colder.

"Do you know who this belongs to?" Elizabeth could not help but ask.

"It belongs to who you think," he explained ambiguously. He could tell she reached the same conclusion as him, just slightly slower.

The messenger said, while smiling, "You should know exactly what this means. Don't try anything fishy and the Xingyuu Empire won't do anything else to Lord Korogin. Let this serve as a warning."

"Hmph! Sir Lorenzo, you know what to do," the general said.

"As you command," the knight answered.

Before anyone could react, the messenger's throat was slashed clean and his corpse was tossed overboard. The action was so smooth and quick that there was not even a single speck of blood on the ship's surface. It was like he was never there. Sir Lorenzo wiped off the remaining blood on his blade and sheathed it. People were once again reminded that he was the star child of Sir Roland, one of the strongest Royal Guards in the kingdom. Though he had yet to step into Half-Perception Realm, there was no doubt about his talent and skill. Everyone believed it was only a matter of time until he scaled the ranks to the top! As for Benedict… No one spared a second glance.

The Arcanist accompanying the messenger was shaking so hard that it was almost pitiful. His pants were also soiled making the soldiers look on with disgust. The messenger was specifically informed on what he was to do, so he had accepted his death. However, the Arcanist was the opposite. The soldiers were shouting for more blood, and yet General Illion said nothing else. Fortunately, the sharp glint in his eyes told everyone that this was not over. He was originally someone not be trifled with and this was no exception.

"Bring the Imperial Princesses here. We'll exchange blood with blood, an arm for an arm. If the Xingyuu Empire wants to play this game, then we can play it as well. We'll let the Arcanist bring back their severed arms," he sneered.

Within a minute, the Imperial Princesses were dragged over. Although Elizabeth opted to free them and treat them with courtesy, there was no way that General Illion would honestly fancy her whims. They could walk around to their hearts' content, but they were under constant watch. Should they step out of line, then that would be the perfect excuse to imprison them. Unfortunately, Princess Ming saw through his plans and respectfully abided by his rules. Nevertheless, his attitude towards the princesses never changed once and it showed here.

The princesses had their hands bounded alongside their Protectors. Out of the four, Princess Ming was the most composed and showed little change in her expression. It was a temperament that one could not help but praise. Princess Xiuying was more frazzled as she heard what was being said. Her terror was evident. Yet, the ones who were most infuriated were their Protectors, Chang and Tai. It was their duty to protect them, but General Illion said such a thing. It was no different from stepping on the tail of a lion. Tai, especially, was ready to leap forward and tear the man into pieces. He was always a hotheaded man and the situation made his blood boil.

"You dare lay a hair on the princesses and I'll make sure you regret it," Tai seethed. "Even if I die, I'll take all you bastards with me to the afterlife!" Off to the side, Chang said nothing but nodded silently. Although it would be crude of him to say the same vulgarities as well, he was of the same mind as Tai.

"Kill the two Protectors and cut off their heads. For the princesses, take one arm each," General Illion ordered.

Unlike Sir Winstin who was physically helpless, these two were at the peak of their strength. After all, should a crisis arise, they had to be ready. Bursting with strength, they effortlessly escaped from their captors and lunged forward with vicious killing intent. In a flash, Chang stole a soldier's sword and used it to cut the poor soldier down. On the other side, Tai was like a fish in water. He was a martial artist, so weapons were useless to him. His fists were as lethal as any sword. His fingers flexed into a claw as he darted to capture General Illion. It happened so blindingly fast that nearly no one realized. It was expected from the Protectors of the Imperial Princesses.

But… they were far out of their depth here. They were surrounded by Alzar soldiers. Though they were fast, there were others who were just as fast. In a flash, several Royal Guards emerged from behind General Illion and clashed with Chang and Tai. The power of a Perception Realm could not be underestimated. One second. Everything happened in a second before Chang and Tai were surrounded. The Great Knights and High Knights were next to react, joining the encirclement. Sir Lorenzo was also ready to defend General Illion and the other commanders should it be necessary. At the same time, several Royal Guards appeared by Elizabeth's side. Benedict, Shirley, and Freon were also nervously holding their weapons. The situation immediately descended to critical levels.

Surprisingly, the first to say something was Elizabeth. "General Illion, order your men to stand down! Princess Xiuying and Ming, you do the same. There will be no bloodshed here!"

"Your Highness, why are you defending the Imperial Princesses?" the general frowned. "You've seen what they've done to our citizens. You are a princess of the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Family, not the Xingyuu Empire's Imperial Family."

"What happened to Lord Korogin is not their fault. They shouldn't have to face the consequences."

"Then what do you propose? Do you intend to let this go?" he continued.

Elizabeth hesitated. This was clearly not an option. It was not like she was favoring the princesses over Lord Korogin. In fact, her heart ached when she realized what Korogin was going through right now. Why? The main reason he was driven to this insane plan was that there was no future for the Alzar Kingdom. It was a case of do or die. And at the center of those reasons was her. As he explained it all those months ago in Castle Reinhard, Elizabeth was to be an anchor in the chaotic storm. She would help stabilize the turbulent flows and consolidate the Royal Family's authority once more. It would sweep across the lands like a smoothing melody, bringing the people together and calming their hearts. The spark of hope would be ignited again!

However, because of her actions, those hopes were thoroughly destroyed. In a case where her fate was unknown, Lord Korogin had to really gamble all his cards. There was no other choice. The alternative was slowly being whittled down internally and externally until the kingdom crumbled. Therefore, she did feel a sense of guilt to not only Lord Korogin but the entire Alzar Kingdom as well. Especially when she remembered her actions affected her friends.

Conversely, her feelings towards the princesses were more ambiguous. She talked with them less than a handful of times and because of the prejudice she had towards the Xingyuu Empire, initially, she hated them. However, she clearly knew one thing. Princess Xiuying and Ming were genuinely trying to end the war. They never intended to harm the Alzar Kingdom in any way. In essence, they were the true inheritors of Empress Mei's legacy. For such people, why should they be punished due to their lineage to the empire? In her eyes, both Lord Korogin and the Imperial Princesses, neither should be sacrificed, but what was she to do?

Without a clear answer, she said, "I'll follow along with the negotiations. Is that fine with you, General Illion?"