For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

“Let’s head out now.”

Iona silently nodded.

Before long, a dark crimson magic light burst forth, and a familiar wave of nausea swept over us.

Wooong.

When I opened my eyes, we were standing on a wide plain.

We might have seemed ready to storm the Imperial Palace at any moment… but realistically, that wasn’t possible.

Even before dealing with the Swordmaster who might consider us rebels, teleporting directly to the capital where the Imperial Palace was located was impossible.

“It’s a barrier field established over the entire capital by my family’s founder to obstruct spatial movement. Though it was cast long ago, it’s a high-level spell, so no one has been able to break it.”

“It sounds as if things are different now.”

“Hehe. If it’s Master, I think he might be able to find a way eventually.”

“…Even so, I hope it never comes to storming the Levantin Empire’s capital.”

I gave a reluctant answer, and Carla chuckled for a moment. Soon, though, a shadow fell over her face.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? The Lindelheit family has fallen into ruin, yet traces of Lindelheit’s glory days remain clear in the Empire.”

“Well, Carla, you said it yourself, didn’t you? Even if the name Lindelheit changes, the bloodline will be revived… and regardless of our success or failure, what we’re about to do will leave a bold mark in the Empire’s history.”

The Levantin Empire was built by a disciple of the first Apostle, who greatly influenced the ideals of the Church of Righteous Radiance.

This legacy was why the Empire held such an uncompromising stance against cultists.

More specifically, it was a spirit of refusing to compromise with any form of evil that disrupted the world.

Before cultists and Evil Gods started to flourish, they were already known for dismantling cults, dismantling crime organizations, eradicating dark magicians, and hunting vampires.

They were famous for this kind of work, though their targets varied.

This also led to a good relationship with the Church of Righteous Radiance.

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So for a cultist to infiltrate the Imperial family of such an Empire? And to take the position of Empress, the Moon of the Empire?

The whole nation would turn upside down.

As I nodded to myself, I noticed the nausea from the spatial travel had finally settled, so I started to survey the area.

According to Iona, this hill was the closest teleportable location to the capital…

“Ah, there it is.”

Even from a distance, the oppressive aura of the enormous castle walls reached us.

A nation that held half of the Eurelia Continent, undisputed in power. This was the capital of the Levantin Empire, a fortress that remained unfallen even under numerous invasions during the War of the Gods.

Balder was now within reach.

---

“So, what’s the plan, Yandel? If the Empress is our enemy, as you say… are you thinking of sneaking in?”

“Not at all. We’re going to walk right through the front gates.”

“Even though that would give them time to prepare?”

“Let’s clear up one misconception. The biggest hurdle in this operation isn’t Empress Fiona Levantin. It’s the Swordmaster, Havel Kalios.”

It would be hard to infiltrate the Imperial Palace, but sneaking past the castle gates wasn’t out of the question. However, that’s only if we’re tricking the regular guards.

Could we really deceive the senses of a Swordmaster? I don’t think so.

“…No matter how skilled, would a Swordmaster really encompass the entire capital within their senses?”

“Oh, my disciple. That’s only because you’re unfamiliar with this. Swordmasters reach a level comparable to that of grand mages. A grand mage can blend with the surrounding mana and perceive their surroundings like the back of their hand without even using detection magic. For an aura user with sharper senses than a magician, it might actually be possible.”

That’s the truth. Why else would Fiona, designated as the next Apostle of Boiling Silence, forego combat power in favor of a focus on stealth blessings?

Only at that level could she hide from the Swordmaster’s senses.

Conversely, if we could just convince the Swordmaster that we’re on the Empire’s side and Fiona was the enemy, he’d become our strongest ally.

Well, Fiona had received no combat-related blessings…

But as someone chosen to be an Apostle of Boiling Silence, she wasn’t to be underestimated.

Given her pattern so far, the Evil God, not wanting to lose a prized piece, would definitely interfere.

In H&A, Fiona, after becoming an Apostle, was a monster who single-handedly defeated a Swordmaster and brought down the entire Imperial Palace.

We made a stop at Fafnir’s lair before heading to the palace, hoping to gain anything that could give us an edge.

Ultimately, it was a jackpot. We acquired an unexpected harvest and learned truths I thought we’d discover much later.

While holding Helena close and flying toward Balder at a reasonable pace to avoid alarming anyone, a question crossed my mind, and I turned to Carla.

“Carla, you absorbed the dragon heart—do you feel any change?”

“Hmm. Nothing happened during the absorption. But just as you said, I tried moving the core closer to my heart, and I felt an odd pull.”

“That’s a new sensation?”

“Yes. It’s a feeling I only noticed after absorbing the dragon heart. But if I fully merge it with myself, it’ll probably take a few days to adjust, so I haven’t tried it yet.”

“You did well. We might need our full strength immediately, so there’s no need to risk instability. I’ll help with the fusion later.”

“Master, you’ll help with the core fusion?”

“Yeah. While there are other magicians stronger than me, I’m the only one here who’s actually done a core fusion.”

At my words, Carla nodded with a pleased smile.

“Somehow, it reminds me of when I first met you, Master. Though this time, I’ll be the one receiving your teachings.”

“…Ah.”

That’s true. Back then, I also acquired a mana breathing technique that was far superior to the Lintblum Breathing Technique.

However, since I had mana insensitivity, I had to learn the Lintblum Breathing Technique, which led me to buy Carla.

The situation is similar now. Although there are more skilled magicians around, like Iris or Iona… I’m the only one who can help Carla right now.

And assisting with core fusion does require something akin to passing on knowledge.

As I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a bit shy, Helena’s slightly grumbling voice reached my ears.

“You two, it’s wonderful to reminisce about your shared memories, but we’re nearing the castle gates. It seems they’ve already noticed us and are on guard, so perhaps it’s time to decide what you’re going to say.”

“Oh, come on. What’s there to think about? As I said, we’ll confidently enter through the main gate, as is our right. There’s no need to hide or embellish anything; we just follow tradition.”

And according to tradition, when passing through the castle gates, one must announce the highest-ranking member of the group.

Of course, by “highest-ranking,” it doesn’t mean physical height but social status.

The highest-ranking person among us is…

With a grin, I leaned down and whispered to Helena, whom I was holding in my arms.

“Helena, can you do that thing? You know, where you glow with holy power and look all radiant.”

“It’s possible… but why the sudden request?”

“We need it. Please make it as grand as possible.”

“If that’s the case… Righteous Radiance, Yandel has requested this of you; will you lend your support?”

As Helena murmured softly, a response appeared in the form of glowing lion ears and a tail made of light.

As soon as I saw this, I lifted Helena high.

“…Eh?”

Helena, positioned forward like the figurehead of a ship, looked flustered.

However, Solari, residing within her, seemed to realize my intention and began pouring out holy power with all her might.

Paaaah!

Brilliant white light radiated from Helena.

With holy power linked to light, the intensity and scope of this radiance were enormous, solely for the purpose of shining.

It felt like the sun had descended to the ground. Despite the distance, the light was so bright it cast long shadows over the castle’s spires.

At this level, one would expect the light to hurt the eyes of those nearby, but thanks to Solari’s consideration, it didn’t blind us at all.

This allowed me to clearly observe the guards ahead dropping their weapons, awestruck by the miracle unfolding before them.

Some of them lowered their weapons and looked up at us blankly, while others quietly offered prayers.

Turning to them, I shouted in a loud voice.

“Open the gate! We have been sent by the Righteous Radiance!”

After all, it’s the will of the God.