Chapter 505: The Calling of a War

MP Danny and his guards gazed at the Mist Sword Saint blankly. They had just witnessed a brave hero crumble under the hands of a mysterious little girl. Daviet didn't stand a chance against her and the demeanor of the Sword Saint was almost non-existent. Before arriving here, MP Danny had plenty of guesses about what the development of the situation would be. However, he wasn't crazy enough to think that this would be one of the endings.

Everything before him wasn't a dream and was the cold hard truth. The high-spirited hero was now lying unconscious on the ground. This was the reality and everything was the truth.

I'm a goner.

MP Danny froze on the spot because he knew what this signified. The internal Parliament wasn't inseparably close to begin with and the conflicts between political parties were getting more and more aggressive. His request for the Mist Sword Saint from the Parliament had been criticized as making a big fuss out of a small issue and now that this had happened to the Sword Saint... He didn't have the mood to consider how was he supposed to represent the Parliament to explain to the Munn Kingdom anymore. He was better off considering what he should do in order to not be sacked!

That's right. Sacked. Damn it... How is this possible...

Danny had a shiver down his spine, but he continued to grit his teeth and turned towards the Archangel who was in the mode of watching from the sidelines. "Y-Y-Your Highness Lydia, I-I... hope you can give an explanation for this..."

"I don't think there's anything worth explaining, MP Danny." Lydia brushed him off with a gorgeous smile. She admired the originally arrogant man turned into a timid mouse as though a cat had its paws over the mouse and let out a burst of crisp, melodious laughter. "This is just an ordinary duel and didn't Mr. Daviet agree to this young lady's challenge? Although luck wasn't on his side... There are no issues with duels in the first place and Mr. Daviet doesn't seem to be gravely wounded. I think that's all for now."

This Archangel also knew how to lie through her teeth, it seemed.

Rhode knew that even though Daviet didn't appear to be seriously injured, Mini Bubble Gum actually didn't hold back her attack at all. She had once tortured players who doubted her original 'treating foes as friends' battle style until all of them deleted their accounts and quit the game. It was no doubt that Daviet wouldn't be spared after infuriating this egoistical little girl.

Although the Sword Saint seemed to be simply unconscious, Rhode knew that he had been crippled by Mini Bubble Gum completely.

In the final round of their duel, Daviet activated his Order Dimension, the Mist Realm. However, his Mist Realm had been overwhelmed by Mini Bubble Gum's 'Supreme Privileges' power mercilessly. The Order Dimension wasn't as simple as the concretization of a being's strength in the Legendary Stage. It was also the gathering of the holder's powers of Order and Rules. This attack from Mini Bubble Gum could be said to have broken the Sword Saint entirely. If he were lucky, he might regain his consciousness. But he might end up in a mental hospital in the future if lady luck wasn't on his side... But no matter what, Daviet would never regain his current strength and from this point onwards, he had returned to being an ordinary human.

Besides, no matter what ancient scrolls or rare magical potions he found in some unexplored caves from here on out, he could never ever restore his strength again. The Sword Saint was no longer alive starting from this moment.

Rhode believed that both Lydia and Amund were aware of this. But Amund chose to maintain his silence while Lydia was apparently keeping the truth from that swine. On the surface, no one including the Clerics could spot an issue with the Sword Saint.

"Explain my bum, you wwine!" Mini Bubble Gum glared at him fiercely. "All in all, weren't you the swine who doubted Leader which led to this? What are you tryna do now? Slander us? I see that you must be sick of living. Why don't I..."

"Bubble." At this moment, a voice interrupted her.

Canary walked out from the group casually and bowed respectfully towards Lydia. She turned around and gazed at Mini Bubble Gum. Even though Canary didn't say anything, the little girl shut her mouth and puffed her cheeks unconvincingly. After a short while, she gazed at Canary as though she were wronged and backed off slowly.

Lydia and MP Danny were astounded by her 'obedient' behavior. Even though they weren't familiar with Mini Bubble Gum, they knew that she wasn't someone easy to deal with judging from her duel with Daviet. But now, this young lady managed to get her to back down without any complaints by just calling out her name?

"Phew..." although MP Danny was full of doubt, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He was truly frightened that Mini Bubble Gum would kill him. Are you kidding me? She beat a powerful figure like the Mist Sword Saint to a pulp and if she really lays her hands on me, only death awaits me!

Although this meant that the relationship between the Munn Kingdom and Parliament would definitely be destroyed, it still wasn't worth putting his own life at stake. He worked so hard as a parliament member for so many years, not to become a hero that his colleagues would commemorate. Furthermore, this scenario wouldn't even let him be considered as any hero.

However, since the life-threatening factor was gone. He should get back to work.

MP Danny gazed at Lydia and squeezed out a smile. "S-S-So... Your Highness Lydia. I-I think that w-we can... continue with our investigation now."

You had to give it to this politician. He could change his expression really fast.

Even though this was too stimulating for MP Danny, he managed to continue the investigation with a mixture of a rosy and purplish green 'solemn' expression. In the end, in the name of 'Sir Daviet needs to rest and we will continue the investigations after he wakes up', the investigations were put to a halt temporarily. However, Rhode knew what he was up to. If MP Danny didn't stay here, Duchess Lydia would surely return to Golden City quickly. That way, the Parliament's true scheme would have an issue. Besides, Rhode's strength had obviously exceeded the expectations of the Parliament. A presence that could beat up the Mist Sword Saint wasn't someone that they could ignore easily. MP Danny would definitely seize an opportunity to report this to their Parliament and receive the following orders.

After this, Rhode played host to Lydia's group and arranged rooms for them. Lydia revealed a rare, youthful vibrancy upon meeting the strange, yet interesting Ocean Elf and she stroked Agatha's slim, tentacle-formed long hair. Not only that, she had also requested to bring Agatha back with her. But Rhode rejected her, of course.

On the other hand, it was not all without gain for Rhode.

"I knew that you little brat wouldn't be that kind." Rhode sighed as he gazed at the medal in his hand and he turned towards the proud Mini Bubble Gum. During the final duel, not only did Mini Bubble Gum defeat of the Mist Sword Saint entirely, but she had also snatched a few great items from him. This cross-shaped medal was one of them.

[Cruciform Medal (Divine Power. Legendary. Bronze) — The glory of power protects lift on the continent]

[Light Dragon Soul Protection (Bloodline Trigger) — Diverts all spells towards the holder (Available once per day)]

I see...

Rhode finally understood why Mini Bubble Gum's Fade skill would lose its effect. Daviet didn't eradicate the spell at all; instead, he merely diverted it with this medal. As a non-attack spell, others wouldn't feel anything even if they were struck by it. After all, this spell was just to lock the enemy's spiritual energy and even if the diversion struck the others, there wouldn't be anything abnormal.

However, the level of this medal wasn't too high. Compared to the three god-like loots from the Duke Fiend, the usefulness of these lacked far too much. Besides, according to the item description, this medal seemed to belong to the subordinate of the Light Dragon Soul. How interesting.

Apart from this medal, the other spoils of war would be the Daybreak. Of course, Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum didn't grab this legendary weapon after the duel. Instead, the little girl merely snatched it over from Daviet as a form of 'mental compensation'. On the other hand, MP Danny could only look at the little girl take the weapon away brazenly...

But these weren't crucial matters that Rhode was concerned about.

"B-Big Sister..." Lize stuttered as she greeted Lydia from the guestroom door. Lize had never expected to meet her older sister here and she thought that she wouldn't meet Lydia this easily again ever since leaving Golden City.

"Huhuhu... I'm glad to see that you're as healthy as always, Lize. I was worried that you would overwork yourself and fall sick. But it seems that..." Lydia stood up from the sofa and approached Lize to caress her cheek gently. "You have great companions now and I can finally feel at ease, Lize."

"Big... Big Sister..." Lize lowered her chin shyly and asked with uncertainty as though something cropped up in her mind. "Big Sister, is there something you need to settle in the Land of Atonement?"

"Of course, my adorable sister," Lydia nodded. "I'm here because I have to be here. If not, those careful mice wouldn't climb out of their holes..."

"I... don't really understand what you meant. What mice? And also, why were the people from the Country of Light Parliame—" Lydia placed her finger by Lize's lips before she finished her question. The Archangel gazed at her younger sister quietly with eyes that were filled with unprecedented sharpness. "Lize, do you really not understand? Are you still avoiding everything and are unwilling to face them?"

"..." Lize responded with silence as she lowered her head and bit her lip.

"You have the right to choose, my adorable sister. But, abandoning and escaping aren't good choices. You're very smart and keen, but you're unwilling to put your talents to good use because you sense that this path won't be filled with glory," Lydia paused for a moment before stroking Lize's hair. "I actually don't intend to say this, but I feel that the current you need to know all of this... Lize, if you choose to continue following this man, I hope you realize that it will not be an easy path."

"Mr. Rhode?" Lize raised her head once again and gazed at her older sister in surprise. "Big Sister, what's wrong with Mr. Rhode? Is he..."

"No one can be sure of the future, but he has made clear his intentions... The newborn strength will turn this country even stronger. But before that, you will definitely go through all kinds of tests, Lize. It will be a difficult and dangerous task to follow him in chasing his ideal. The heir of the Senia Family has understood this, but what about you? Do you wish to continue living in the peaceful life of your dream?"

"I..." Lize trembled slightly and took a step back as though she were escaping from something. The young lady looked down at her feet in bewilderment. "I don't know... Big Sister. I..."

"No matter how you run, you will still need to make a decision one day, my sister," Lydia looked into her sister's eyes gently. "Lize, I hope that you will find happiness and not lose your way and beautiful spirit in the junction of life shrouded in fog.

"I still don't really understand what you mean, Big Sister..."

"It's fine if you don't understand. I just hope that you can remember this, Lize. No matter what, don't forget what you really want. And when you know what you want, you mustn't give up and you must fight for it. This way, you will know if the final ending is what you wanted." Lydia turned towards the window and the sky was slowly enveloped by pitch-blackness. "It's late now and you should rest, Lize. It will be a new day tomorrow."

At night, clear blue waves slammed onto the shore and the deep dark sky was as though an incredibly enormous creature covering the entire land. Meanwhile, the moist, ice-cold sea breeze couldn't drive away the chilliness around them.

"How's the situation?" A thin man in a luxurious attire and captain hat knocked on the smoking pipe in his hands. His tiny eyes squinted at flames before him.

"Duchess Lydia and that old fella Amund had left Golden City together and current operations were left in the hands of Drayke."

"That coward." The man in the captain hat let out a snort. "What else can he do other than beg for pity before those nobles of the King's Party? Hmph, Lydia, that little brat, has bad judgment to choose such a worthless crap as her minister. But, that's fine too since our plan will be carried out much more smoothly... How's the situation with the Country of Light's Parliament?"

"The Parliament hasn't responded. But..." One of the hidden figures hesitated before approaching the questioning man and whispered into his ears. The man knitted his brows. "Is that true?"

"That's only a rumor, Sir. But, according to our intelligence, the Country of Light's Parliament is indeed holding a meeting..."

"That's their problem." Before the hidden figure finished his sentence, the man swung his arm and interrupted. He stood up with the smoking pipe in his mouth. "Our Reformist Party shouldn't always rely on others for help. If we don't have the desire to stand for ourselves, we will eventually still cry piteously for food like babies. Learning to walk on our own is the first step to getting away from our parents. Now that we are ready, we don't have to concern ourselves with the situation there."

The smell of rain and sea assailed his nose as he pushed the wooden door open and the bright candle flame flickered with the cold airflow entering the room. However, the man continued his big strides outside and gazed at the scenery before him silently. Hundreds of fully-armored soldiers were standing guard on the deck quietly.

"We have been pushed around for a long long time. And now, it's finally our time to say no." The man swung his arm with force. "Everyone, listen attentively. Our target—Brenhill Fortress! Tonight will be the sacred night to decide the fate of our Southern and Reformist Party. We shall use sword and blood to make the sinister tyrant know what is justice and the power of the people! All out attack!"

Gale began to bluster.

The ships that were hidden in the darkness finally set sail.