Published at 1st of July 2023 9:30 am

Chapter 599.1: You’re Flirting With Another Queen (1)

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‘Time passed in a flash.’

Such phrases were usually dramatization, but today, the ex-prince of the Saint Mesit Theocracy, Kane Xeclyde, had gotten the chance to personally experience what it felt like for himself.

Inside Tark Stronghold’s command center, Kane stared intently at Roel as he tried to match the latter to the boy in his memories. He had to admit that much time had passed, though he was also shocked by how much Roel had grown.

Roel Ascart, for several reasons, had been one of the people whom Kane had specially kept an eye on from a young age, and he had to concede that the boy had surpassed his expectations.

Just two years ago, Roel was still an Origin Level 4 transcendent, having not yet overcome the hurdle of high transcendence. Yet, the man currently standing before him was an Origin Level 2 transcendent, an equivalent existence to him. Such a rate of growth was astounding, though admittedly, Roel’s strength added credence to his inconceivable story.

What caught Kane’s attention more, however, was the woman with ash-gray hair next to him.

He didn’t recognize Wilhelmina Cambontyte, though he had received a report that the Knight Kingdom’s prince was a princess in disguise prior to Shrouding Fog’s assault. He figured that the woman with Roel was the old William, but both her strength and attitude were inconceivable to him.

He was absolutely certain that Wilhelmina was indeed an Origin Level 1 transcendent, and this realization shook what he had deemed to be common sense in this world. However, what further perplexed him was Wilhelmina’s attitude toward Roel.

Race Sovereigns, as the term implied, were beings transcending nationality and organization. They were individuals whose authority and standing towered above the rest of humankind.

Yet, to Kane’s shock, he couldn’t help noticing how well Wilhelmina heeded Roel’s instructions. The way she positioned herself seemed almost as if she was a guard in charge of ensuring his safety. This was utterly unbelievable to Kane.

Kane could only think of one possible reason Wilhelmina would behave in such a manner, and that made him look at Roel with narrowed eyes.

Did you mess with more women? And an Origin Level 1 transcendent at that?

Kane was so flabbergasted that he actually doubted that Roel was Carter’s biological son, though it made sense when he considered the Ascarts’ preference for queens.

These miscellaneous thoughts only lingered in his mind for a brief moment before giving way to Roel’s story, especially when he learned that Nora might have coordinated a military operation and be fighting the deviants outside right now.

“You’re saying that Nora might be outside?”

“Yes, I believe that the united army might make a move to save us. According to our previous plan, our forces should be marching into Hawe Desert right now.”

“I see. Indeed, every Race Sovereign is important to determining humankind’s survival, especially in this crucial period.”

“You’re mistaken. This operation is actually to save–”

Cough cough!

Wilhelmina quickly shook her head and tried to clarify Kane’s misunderstanding, but Roel interrupted her with a cough. She looked at Roel with confused eyes, and the latter indicated for her to stop with a shake of his head.

So many things had happened over the past two years that it would take a long time to explain everything. He wanted to gloss over the less important details now that they were short on time. Besides, he had a feeling that Kane would look at him weirdly again if he learned that an Origin Level 1 transcendent had put her life on the line to save him.

Roel had his reasons for stopping Wilhelmina, but to his surprise, the latter puffed her cheeks and pouted in dissatisfaction. She didn’t like how Kane was undermining him. She didn’t care how others viewed her, but it made her uncomfortable to see the person she fancied receiving such treatment.

In the end, Roel heaved a soft sigh and decided to come clean with Kane, saying, “Uncle Kane, the person they are trying to rescue is me.”

“You? Then Her Highness Wilhelmina…”

“She got injured while trying to save me.”

“…”

Kane glanced at Wilhelmina in shock. He was still struggling to make sense of the situation.

“There are several reasons behind that, but putting aside personal feelings, the greatest reason is the awakening of the Deviant Sovereign,” Roel explained.

“The awakening of the Deviant Sovereign? That’s impossible!” Kane exclaimed.

“Roel is right. We have already crossed blows with the Deviant Sovereign. The key reason behind the united army’s determination to rescue Roel is their belief that only the awakener of the Kingmaker Bloodline wields the potential to defeat the Deviant Sovereign,” Wilhelmina said.

Kane slowly recovered from his astonishment. His face slowly turned grim, and the atmosphere around him grew heavy.

As one of the frontline commanders, Kane knew that the awakening of the Deviant Sovereign meant that humankind was in danger like never before. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Roel and asked, “I get the rough situation now. What do you need me to do?”

“All of Tark Stronghold’s personnel will regain consciousness very soon. Prince Kane, I hope that you can organize your forces in a day’s time and leave this place with me. We’ll fight our way out of the deviants’ encirclement and regroup with Nora and the others.”

“All right. I understand.” Kane accepted Roel’s request with a nod.

The three of them proceeded to discuss the details of their strategy for the upcoming battle.

Meanwhile, the silent fortress slowly grew rowdy.

An hour had passed since Roel’s return. As the high transcendents began to regain their consciousness, the first thing they did was to gather at the command center. Kane swiftly issued a series of decisive orders upon gaining a deeper understanding of the situation outside. Just like that, the massive beast known as Tark Stronghold began to wake from its slumber.

All kinds of messages were broadcasted within the fortress, and more and more people were awakened from their sleep. Thanks to Kane’s decisive leadership and the strict discipline among the soldiers, there was no panic even though the awakened soldiers were inevitably confused.

The command center quickly got busy. There was an endless stream of people walking in and out of the command center to report on progress, as well as to receive and relay orders.

Roel and Wilhelmina took the roles of military advisors, providing the most up-to-date intelligence to Tark Stronghold’s commanders so as to facilitate their discussion. The abrupt participation of two youths in the emergency meeting baffled Tark Stronghold’s commanders, but no one doubted their credentials, since one of them was the scion of the Ascart House, whereas the other was a Race Sovereign.

The commanders eventually came to a unanimous agreement that they should launch a pre-emptive strike on the deviants, and the Genesis Goddess Church’s clergymen expressed that they would listen to their superiors’ directives.

Roel heaved a sigh of relief.

With that, he and Wilhelmina finally had time to deal with other issues. The first thing he did was to request the clergymen to cast recovery spells on Wilhelmina to thoroughly treat her injuries. At Wilhelmina’s and Kane’s insistence, he received the same treatment.

If one really had to point out a flaw in the past Tark Stronghold, it would be its lack of top-tier fighting power. However, this weakness was bridged now that Roel and Wilhelmina were fully healed from their injuries. The current Tark Stronghold was stronger than ever.

This injected great confidence into Kane and the other commanders, who had been worrying about the changes outside since they had been isolated from the world for two years now.

“Roel, we should be able to finish organizing our forces within a day. If we include the logistics team, we are about 150,000 soldiers strong.”

“150,000… That’s less than I expected.”

“Yes, but that’s good news. We usually have more soldiers than this, but Shrouding Fog’s attack came during our winter personnel swap. Tens of thousands of injured soldiers were escorted off by our logistics personnel. Without them, our army will be even more mobile.”

“I see,” Roel replied with a nod.

His heart eased a little. He had been worried that the injured soldiers would become sacrifices in the upcoming battle.

As soon as they returned to the real world, they would be facing the elaborate trap and tight encirclement of the Deviant Sovereign. Even breaking out of the encirclement would already be a Herculean undertaking; there was no way they could take care of the wounded on top of that.

Roel’s complexion greatly improved now that he was relieved of his greatest worry.

Just then, Kane suddenly thought of something which made his expression turn a little weird. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Roel, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I just received a report that there is something in Tark Stronghold. I suspect that you might have brought it over while saving us. Do you want to take a look?”

“I brought something over while saving you? I don’t think… Ah! I understand.”

Halfway through his words, Roel suddenly remembered Artasia mentioning something about a gift, so he asked about its location before heading over with Wilhelmina.

To the salute from a row of soldiers, the two of them walked down a corridor and a flight of stairs. Upon arriving on the first floor, they headed to the military square. The soldiers in the fortress were too busy making preparations for the upcoming battle to pay heed to them.

The moment the two of them walked outdoors, they felt a surge of invigoration.

They had been cooped inside the fortress for so many days that it had started to feel stuffy. While the square was also located inside the fortress, it had an open roof, though the area was currently covered by thick white fog.

“Roel, that white fog…”

“Don’t worry; there isn’t much mana there. We won’t get devoured,” Roel explained with a smile.

To prove his point, he stepped into the square and made his way toward the white fog. Wilhelmina hesitated for a split instant before quickly following him.

“Look; it’s fine,” Roel said.

“You’re right,” Wilhelmina agreed.

“Are you frightened of the fog?”

“That’s not it. I’m just worried that you won’t be able to escape in time if you get devoured again. The united army won’t be able to keep up their offense against the deviants for long.”

Roel was silent for a moment before asking, “What do you mean by ‘you’? We are going to survive this ordeal together.”

“…I have made a vow to protect you. Your safety is my priority.”

“I have already said that you aren’t my guard anymore. Mina, when are you going to change that mindset of yours?”

“I…” Wilhelmina looked a little flustered.

Roel heaved a sigh as he turned to look at Wilhelmina. The latter looked a little flustered under his gaze. She instinctively thought of apologizing, only to jolt when Roel suddenly grabbed her hand. Her cheeks quickly turned red.

“T-this…”

“…The fog is too dense. Don’t get lost.”

“…Mm.”

Wilhelmina could only shyly nod her head at Roel’s justification, though she secretly wished for the fog to envelop a wider area so that this could continue longer. Meanwhile, Roel scanned their surroundings with a contemplative gleam in his eyes.

“They said that there’s something here. What could it be?”

“Could it be a weapon of some sort?”

“A weapon? I doubt so. Artasia wouldn’t bother keeping the suspense about something as simple as that.”

Roel ventured deeper into the fog, Wilhelmina quietly following him. It didn’t take long for their silhouettes to be completely concealed by the fog.

All of a sudden, Roel felt something on the ground beneath him.

“Hm? What’s with the floor?” Roel murmured.

“I think there’s something in the vicinity. Wait a moment. That is…” Wilhelmina exclaimed.

Roel quickly turned his head over to look at what Wilhelmina was pointing at. What he saw made his body stiffen up.

Concealed amidst the fog was not any weapon but a ghastly pale mountain.

…

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