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Chapter 215: First Prince and Second Prince
The young man kept walking but glanced at the old man for a split second before saying,
"Yes, elder brother is still on the frontlines. He is in Karak now, inspecting the remnants of the battle. The simultaneous appearance of the Wrath Devil and an Emperor-stage Hydra is no simple matter, so father has asked him to stay there for some time, just in case something happens."
This young man was none other than Alderia Doria, the second prince of the Doria Empire.
"He is also there to investigate the sudden appearance of a golden light, which was revealed to be a technique—a powerful one at that. The problem is, we don’t know anything about the person who unleashed it. Is he a friend or a threat to the empire? We are still investigating whether this could also be one of the reasons the devils retreated. That said, with my elder brother’s instincts and sharp senses, I am confident he will uncover something," Alderia added.
"By the way, let’s put that aside for now, teacher. I must thank you for the Association’s help in supplying pills to the soldiers on the frontlines. You must be under a lot of pressure as the Association Leader," he said to the old man, who was, in fact, the leader of the Alchemist Association.
The old man smiled and stroked his beard.
"It’s nothing at all, Your Highness. The threat of the devils is immense; it is merely our duty to assist the soldiers in this way," he said. "It is also the Association’s way to support Your Highness in his endeavors. Because of the war, it seems His Majesty’s decision to appoint the Crown Prince has been accelerated. If you need anything from me, Your Highness, I will gladly assist you as your teacher."
Alderia stopped walking and looked at the old man.
"Teacher, thank you for your support, but please refrain from speaking about this matter. I do not want anyone who overhears to misunderstand," he said, bowing his head. "I apologize for my rudeness, but the topic of the Crown Prince’s appointment is premature to bring up right now. To me, the position of Crown Prince is not something that requires attention at this moment. Please excuse me, Teacher."
He then walked away, leaving the old man alone in the hallway of the imperial palace. The old man’s face remained calm as he watched Alderia’s retreating figure. His thoughts were unknown as he eventually turned and walked in the opposite direction.
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In the Rivas Grand Duchy territory, the remnants of the battle in Karak were still scattered across the vast battlefield, not yet fully cleaned. With the battlefield’s immense size, the cleanup process was ongoing. The bodies of the coalition forces had already been taken away, and the devils’ corpses burned to ashes. Many artifacts had also been recovered, including useful spoils of war that they could still use for themselves.
However, the most striking sight on this battlefield is the chasm that stretches toward the northwest horizon. This deep chasm also contains a holy aura and a strong sword will. Those who saw it believed it would greatly benefit the people of the Church and sword cultivators, given how rich the holy aura and strong sword will are here.
At this time, atop the chasm, a group of knights stood, gazing into its depths. Among them was a handsome man with the same features as Alderia, though more mature. He exuded a charisma that would compel any soldier to follow him. Clad in his knight’s armor, which only added to his gallant appearance, he resembled a hero of the generation.
"Your Highness, we have already sent some people to follow the chasm, and it seems it stretches beyond the Grand Duchy’s territory. We are not following it into the devil’s territory, however, if we follow its direction, it stretches all the way to the region where the Sazim Fortress is located," one of the knights reported.
The handsome man is Hector Doria, the first prince of the Doria Empire. He raised his eyebrows when he heard the report, his gaze fixed on the depth of the chasm that the bottom visible from his position.
"If it stretches that far, then it’s over 10,000 kilometers long! Ridiculous. Is this what a divine-grade technique looks like?" he thought.
When he received his father’s order to investigate the events in the Rivas Grand Duchy, he didn’t understand the full intensity of the problem. However, after arriving and hearing the people’s testimonies, he realized that this unknown factor in the war was crucial. Was this the reason the devils retreated?
He found nothing noteworthy along the border between the Doria Empire and the devil’s territory, except for here. He couldn’t understand why the devils suddenly retreated after taking part of the territory. They seemed to achieve nothing besides the destruction of the territory near the border. It was as if they considered this war a mere game.
They had lost so many people, yet the devils acted aimlessly, as if they were just playing with them. However, not everything was certain, like this unknown factor in front of him that still needed to be studied. If the devils retreated because of it, why did they retreat? Did they feel threatened?
What kind of person could unleash such an attack? Was this person a friend to the empire or a threat? Just because this person might be the reason the devils retreated, it didn’t automatically mean they were an ally. Based on their strength alone, they could be a threat to the Doria Empire. Hector wanted to ensure that this person wouldn’t turn their sword against the empire. If such power were directed at the empire, there would be no way they could resist it.
To determine whether this person was a threat or not, they first needed to identify who they were. Was this the same person who liberated Ilyon and Falanis towns? From the information Hector had gathered over the past few days, it seemed so. But why was this person heading toward Sazim Fortress? Was it simply to save the people who had been taken there, or did they have another objective in entering devil territory? The people saved by this person only knew his appearance and name.
Aldrian
The name that always resonated among those who had been saved by this person. They claimed his power was god-like, with a heavenly aura that punished the devils. The devils couldn’t do anything to him, even emperor-stage devils seemed like children in front of him. The most ridiculous part was that they said he was only at the peak Earl stage. Hector initially thought they were joking, but every eyewitness recounted the same story.
So, they’re saying that a peak Earl stage cultivator can do all of that?!
The only possible explanation is that Aldrian is hiding his true cultivation, which must actually be at the Emperor stage. Hector wasn’t sure if the people were exaggerating, but in the end, all he had was a name and a description. Appearance can be deceiving, and a name means nothing in this context. So, in reality, he had no useful information about Aldrian. All he could do now was slowly piece together his identity through the testimonies of others.
"Is he from the church? This technique exudes the strongest holy aura I’ve ever felt," he thought, but then shook his head. If Aldrian were really from the church, they would have already been notified about such a powerful reinforcement. The empire has a good relationship with the church and an agreement in place. There’s no way someone of this caliber would come on behalf of the church without informing them first.
"Then, is he someone with holy energy, but outside of the church?" He could rule out the Buddhist sect, because although the monks of the Buddhist sect also use holy energy to some extent, it is different from that of the church. The holy aura he felt here was more similar to the aura of the followers of the Heavenly Direction Church.
Moreover, from the lingering sword will, it’s clear that this Aldrian is a sword cultivator. There’s no one in the Buddhist sect that he knows of who uses a sword as their weapon. He touched his chin in thought before looking at his knight.
"What about Grand Duke Rivas? Where is he right now?"
"Grand Duke Rivas is currently in Falanis Town, overseeing the situation. The town is under reconstruction, and it seems the Grand Duke is there to ensure everything is in order," the knight answered.
"What about his daughter?"
"Miss Irene has been in the Rivas family mansion since she returned from the frontline. She hasn’t left yet, as it seems she is still recuperating," the knight replied.
"Let’s go to the Grand Duke first. We need to find out what he knows about this," Hector said.
With that, Hector and his knights departed, heading toward Falanis, where Grand Duke Rivas was located.
