NOVPUBHyperion sat on the couch in front of the short-legged long table in the center of the hall, her gaze fixated on the Saintess before her and the murals behind her, falling silent after a while.
In this ethereal palace, forged by thousands of years of belief, when the faint natural light shone through the window lattices and hit the white embossments, the variously shaped divine figures seemed to glimmer, giving her the illusion that they were performing ancient legends.
"Isatia is the name of my mother."
Hyperion admitted after a pause, nodding her head.
Although she had never heard of the name Talia, her father once told her that her mother’s real name is Isatia.
Hyperion felt that since the Bingxue Witch asked this question, she must already have a suspicion, and there was no need to deceive her.
Besides, the Bingxue Witch is the one who can help her now, she should try to trust her.
"As expected."
On the other side of the table, the Bingxue Witch showed no emotional change after hearing her confirmation. It seemed as though she already knew when she saw Hyperion in person, just a while ago,
"You are a princess of the Demon Race."
"?"
Hyperion pointed at herself, surprised and confused.
"Princesses Isatia and Talia are both missing, so you are the only one left of the Demon Royal Family."
The Bingxue Witch explained lightly.
"This…"
Hyperion was momentarily confused.
She never expected her mother to have such a status.
According to her father, her mother was mostly a naïve and innocent girl. Although that was just her acting as a human, she played the role so well that even Duke Migaya could not determine how much of it was real and how much was fake.
As for the demon named Talia, Hyperion had never even heard of her.
"At this point, the only Great Demon Clan members who have definitively survived, including me, are seven."
The Bingxue Witch continued to say in a flat tone,
"All of the Great Demon Clan from the War Party have fought till their deaths. The surviving members didn’t wish to participate in the war. If they find out that you are Isatia’s daughter, they may or may not give you some respect."
"Is it because of my bloodline?"
"Not entirely, it’s also because Isatia can be really terrifying when seeking revenge."
"..."
Hyperion couldn’t tell whether the Saintess was praising her mother or demeaning her.
"So the few surviving members of the Great Demon Clan, are they all like you, part of the anti-war faction?"
Hyperion asked again.
She roughly understood, the Bingxue Witch probably wanted her to help seek assistance from the other few members of the Great Demon Clan.
Every effect has its cause, this could also be regarded as a kind of selection. It’s possible that the other six Great Demon Clan members are the ones most likely to coexist with humans.
"I’m part of the anti-war faction, the two princesses are the non-fighting faction, the three in the Imperial Prison are conventionalists, and there’s one from the Surrender Party."
The Bingxue Witch rose to her feet, walked to a nearby bookshelf, and scanned her gaze over the book spines, speaking to Hyperion with her back turned.
The ground paved with clear stone, each slab polished to be very smooth, the faint grooves resembled that of a river washed by the stream of time. The Bingxue Witch, walking on top of it, hardly making any sound, it was as though she was strolling in the welcoming embrace of the divine.
"..."
The lines are drawn.
Those against war have become saintesses, those refusing to fight have begun to exile, the conservatives have been imprisoned, and the situation of those who chose to surrender is uncertain.
The only ones whose whereabouts are known at the moment are the Snow Witch and the three in the prison.
"How can I help you?"
If she could help the Aestheland Kingdom and the Church of the Goddess of Destiny, it would undoubtedly be an unimaginable merit. As a believer of the Goddess of Destiny, Hyperion naturally wouldn’t hesitate to help.
Perhaps she could even repay the merit that Lanci owed.
Maybe even enough for him to squander for several years.
"I hope to entrust you with a significant task. Infiltrate the empire, go to the prison, and make contact with the three Great Demon Clans. At least one of them should show you respect. Try to bring her back."
The Snow Witch took out the last atlas from the bookshelf, returned to the sofa with a few books, spread them out on the table, pointed out a location, and sincerely requested Hyperion.
"Why would a Great Demon listen to me?"
Hyperion looked at the location the Snow Witch’s fingertip pointed to, which was the capital of Protoss Empire, and stared at the Snow Witch’s face.
"Did you know that your mother Isatia has a sister named Talia?"
The Snow Witch sighed.
"My father never mentioned it."
Although Hyperion had roughly inferred the relationship between the two princesses from the previous conversation, she still shook her head.
She had just found out today that she surprisingly had an aunt whose whereabouts were unknown.
"One of the Great Demons in the prison is very close to your Aunt Talia. If she knows about your blood ties with Talia, she wouldn’t give you a hard time. Instead, she would try her best to protect you. That’s why she’s our rescue target."
The Snow Witch took out several drawings from the book, spread them on the table, each depicting several Great Demons.
"Most importantly, she has the abilities; she’s an excellent Demon Doctor and coordinator. Once the war breaks out, whether it’s holding the lines at the rear or leading the rear end, she holds an irreplaceable significance."
However, as Hyperion listened to the Snow Witch’s explanation and looked at the paintings on the table, she felt more and more that something was wrong.
She had seen her mother’s photos at home, which were not as abstract as the ones in the drawings.
But she didn’t dare to ask who drew these images. If they were drawn by the Snow Witch herself, it would be pretty awkward.
"It’s a pity that Talia has disappeared. After rescuing the Great Demon, she might want to immediately go in search for Talia. You might have to help convince her to stay and assist Aestheland Kingdom first. We will promise her that we will provide leads to Talia no matter how difficult."
The Snow Witch said helplessly.
If it wasn’t for the fact that there was some hope in Hyperion of getting the help of the Great Demon, she wouldn’t have planned to infiltrate the Imperial Prison.
"What about the other two Great Demons?"
Hyperion remembered that the Snow Witch had just mentioned that there were three Great Demons in the prison.
Those who were once known as the Great Demon Clan in the Demon World would have been at least of the eighth-order or higher, and each held a significant position in the Demon Clan.
"Don’t bother about controlling those two. They are actually loyal subjects of the Demon Clan, just more conservative."
The Snow Witch seemed to have very little intersection with those two demons. Her tone became a lot more distant when she talked about them.
To her, the two princesses were old acquaintances with good relations.
Although the other two Great Demon Clans also possess innate magic that is comparable to the Blood Clan Authority, they are unlikely to be willing to fight for foreign races, and can only become an unstable factor on the battlefield.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Snow Witch would not want to take the considerable risk of freeing them too.
