In the real world, the door fell under the combined attack of the three strongest knights. Rena might be a peerless expert, but their power was restricted heavily. There was a limit to how much they could stretch Elizabeth's Core of Peak Gaseous Fog. To be honest, it was already a miracle that Rena could transcend ranks that much. If it was that easy, then the world order would be flipped upside down! However, using a combination of the tempering technique, which created an explosive burst of Magic Energy, and advanced Magic Array techniques, the spirit was capable of this. No one else would be able to replicate this feat as easily!
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, are you two alright?" Sir Winstin charged in through the dust.
The light gradually returned to Elizabeth and Queen Bethnal's eyes. The woman said listlessly, "Yes… We are alright. Sorry for worrying you all."
Everyone had a strange expression on their face, as Sir Sebastian bowed and sheathed his weapon. Following that, Sir Winstin and Lady Valentina stood down. They could not make sense of what just happened at all. Previously, their perception was blocked, and all signs of life disappeared from the room. There was no way of telling if Elizabeth or Queen Bethnal were alive! But now that their vast Martial Perceptions swept through, they could not sense any irregularity. It was like everything was their imagination.
"We're done here," Queen Bethnal declared. "I'll be retiring to my personal quarters now. We can continue this conversation another time." Before anyone could react, the woman walked past them and out the door. Sir Sebastian nodded to everyone and chased after her.
"…In that case, you're dismissed, Princess Elizabeth," Prince Dannark said.
After watching the girl disappear beyond the halls, Lord Illion turned to the prince and asked, "What do you think Her Highness mentioned to Her Majesty?"
A blindingly sharp glare shot from Prince Dannark's eyes. "I don't know, but Her Majesty wouldn't act like that without due cause."
"Pardon my saying so… However, Her Highness is definitely hiding something. As the heir apparent, she shouldn't be hiding anything from us. The fact that Her Highness achieved Peak Gaseous Fog Core Level or survived the Lannisail explosion is ridiculous enough already. We cannot have more unknown variables."
The prince nodded. "You're right. Someone like her is dangerous to the stability of the kingdom. I'll discuss this at length with Her Majesty and seek answers about what happened in their meeting. I'll pass the report onto you when possible."
"Much appreciated, Your Highness," Lord Illion bowed.
"You don't have to be so formal with me. In many ways, we're equal in status and rank," Prince Dannark cracked a wry smile.
Officially, Prince Dannark was the Second-In-Command of the Quinvoren Army and Lord Illion, as the Master of Strategy, was his superior. Conversely, Prince Dannark was a member of the Royal Family, while Lord Illion was merely the Leader of the Royal Assembly. As he said, they could approximately be treated the same.
"Well… That aside," the prince became serious again. "Are the preparations for that coming along well?"
"Of course, Your Highness. We are ahead of schedule and have multiple plans drafted for final approval. Thanks to the Whispering Shadow, we could disguise our movements well enough. They do not suspect a thing."
"Excellent. Although the circumstances were unfavorable, I must applaud the Lannisail Household on their timing. They helped us a great deal. With this, we can accelerate our plans."
"We'll be fully prepared for departure in six to eight weeks," Lord Illion reported respectfully.
"The summer, huh?" Prince Dannark wondered aloud, watching the distant butterflies dance in the garden.
Inside Queen Bethnal's quarters, after leaving Sir Sebastian outside, she stumbled to catch her breath. She was drenched in cold sweat and her expression was as pale as a ghost. Her poor old heart felt like it was about to explode. Curling up her fists, the woman gritted her teeth in anger. No matter what, she was a former queen, one of the rulers of the three great civilizations of humanity! She commanded millions of lives! Her word was law! However, she was forced to grovel like a fool in front of Rena. For someone who stood at the top, how humiliating was that? It stomped on her pride harder than anything else.
The woman took a deep breath and sat down, recollecting her thoughts. She flushed out her agitated state and resumed calmness. The switch was incredibly fast. Thinking back, she could tell her thoughts were being read somehow. Queen Bethnal touched her face reflexively. As a seasoned navigator of political waters, she mastered the art of having an unreadable expression. Even Perception Realms would struggle to understand her thoughts! However, she felt as open as a book to Rena. It was a very unnerving feeling like being a child lying in front of an adult. If she knew that Rena was directly reading her thoughts, how would she react?
Therefore, the queen cursed. Rena's power was inestimable. It seemed as bottomless as the deepest ocean, or as tall as the grandest mountain. There was no way that a simple elderly woman like herself could judge it accurately so that made Rena's threat more credible! She could ignore the Ten Dawns, which possessed tactical-level magic, as they might sway the scales of battle, but never dominate it. That was why she never bothered to make countermeasures against the Zino Kingdom. They were not strong enough to elicit fear! But now… as seen with Protector Avin, a single person had the power to destroy a city! First was Protector Avin, then Rena, and now possibly Lord Wenmord too. There were also rumors of Sword King Sin moving about. The existence of these super powerful individuals was an enormous threat to the Alzar Kingdom's hegemony! They could not be overlooked!
However, that was the problem. There were two options the kingdom could take: suppress them by force or eliminate them outright. At their level though, they could hide and disappear with ease. Just look at Protector Avin, who disappeared from public eye for a month now. Queen Bethnal was not about to start a war against a single person either. That would be ridiculous, if not humiliating. Yielding to negotiate was also out of question. That would be admitting that they were equal in status and power to the kingdom! The easiest option would be to absorb them into the kingdom's chain of command, using them as a deterrent. Unfortunately, that plan went up in flames.
Rena… That spirit was not joking around. If I make one misstep here, then it might implicate the kingdom as well, the queen thought. There's no guessing their true capabilities. Protector Avin could affect an entire city as large as Firecast at the Blue Depth Core Level. Assuming Rena surpasses that level, could they affect multiple cities at once? Maybe an entire region? Or a province? Is that even possible?
She did not know. She could not fathom that a single person could wield so much destructive might! But try as she might, her fear lingered. It was a simple glance, and it was enough to petrify Queen Bethnal down to her bones, shake her soul, and nearly kill her! The greatest fear was the fear of the unknown. And for that thing to cling so closely to the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom… How could she not be frightened?
Rena and Sonae Nor… What are you two planning? What is your goal? Queen Bethnal fumed.
Although Sonae Nor, Elizabeth's blood mother, was currently missing, she was the one who gifted Elizabeth the Whiteangel Bow long ago! The girl herself might have forgotten it, but Queen Bethnal remembered. Just how were Rena and Sonae Nor connected? The queen refused to believe there was no connection. She still remembered how her son, King Harth, got infatuated with that woman. According to him, they were out hunting when the woman quite literally fell from the skies. Beams of light stretched across the sky in a hundred spectacular rainbows. Claps of thunder was heard, despite the lack of clouds. A wonderous chorus of music echoed throughout the world. Her beauty was divine, supremely sublime, and incomparable. As if heralding the arrival of an angel he said, it was love at first sight. Then she mysteriously disappeared after Elizabeth was born, leaving behind the Whiteangel Bow in her place. A woman shrouded in perpetual mystery…
Queen Bethnal sighed. The times were changing too fast for her. The emergence of super powerful beings that transcended Perception Realm and Condensed Drop… The imminent collapse of the Xingyuu Empire and restart of the Second Great Kingdom War… The rise of a new leader in the Alzar Kingdom and mystery behind Sonae Nor… And even the reappearance of the long-lost legendary Arcellius Family in the Zino Kingdom! She did not know what exactly, but she was sure something was bound to snap, completely transforming this world forever! Whether the Alzar Kingdom weathered through this storm, or washed away into nothingness, nobody knew. Therefore, she had to try with all her might… to ensure that the Alzar Kingdom became victorious in the end!