NOVPUB
Chapter 341: Another Person to Join?
Aldrian’s conversation with the Flamecrest family continued for another hour before Luis had to leave to meet with his own group. As an instructor at the Heavenly Path Academy, he secured a room despite the quota being nearly full due to high demand. Many people were still arriving in Larson City to see the corpse of the Cerberus—a beast said to have never been seen before—as well as the traces left by the mysterious swordsman.
Aldrey and the Grand Duke also said their goodbyes, feeling that their discussion was sufficient for now. They planned to visit again in the future.
"Take care of yourself, son," Aldrey said through voice transmission before leaving with Grand Duke Flamecrest.
"I will, Father."
After they left, Aldrian looked at Arthur, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. He was a good listener, and the Grand Duke didn’t seem to mind his presence, as there was nothing in their discussion that needed to be hidden. Arthur also understood this and had no intention of leaving—truthfully, he was curious about the contents of their conversation.
"So, are you going to stay at this inn?" Aldrian asked Arthur.
Arthur nodded. "Yes, I already booked a room here. I don’t want to stay at the local church to keep my arrival hidden."
"I’m truly confused. Why do you seem to be so discreet about this? Is there something wrong with the Saintess, or is there a reason you don’t want the other members of the church to know about you?"
Arthur sighed at Aldrian’s question.
"To be honest, this is related to the church’s internal situation. The Saintess chose me to come to you not only because I know you, but also because she trusts me. She doesn’t trust many people in the church. I’ll explain the details once we depart for the church’s main territory."
Aldrian nodded. He would find out eventually, so he didn’t press the matter.
They decided to return to their rooms, but just as they were about to leave, Arthur saw someone entering the inn. He was stunned for a moment before quickly turning his head to hide his face, trying to avoid being seen.
Aldrian, noticing Arthur’s reaction, was puzzled. But before he could ask, Arthur glanced at him and sent a voice transmission.
"There’s someone who has been searching for you everywhere. She always appears whenever traces of the mysterious swordsman are found. That person is the woman who just entered the inn—one of the ten great swordmasters of the continent, Elena Rosalind. I don’t know why, but she seems obsessed with finding you, and she also appears to know that I have a connection to you. If she sees me here, what do you think will happen? She’ll eventually track you down, and I don’t know if she’ll bring you trouble. So it’s better to avoid her, right?"
Aldrian nodded. "Alright, thanks for the info."
He paused mid-step, standing still as he observed the woman who had just entered—without even turning his head.
What he saw was a beautiful, mature-looking woman with a striking face and long black hair tied into a ponytail. Her tight-fitting black robe accentuated her curves, and the stockings visible beneath her robes caught the attention of many men in the room. The black sword at her waist only added to her deadly aura.
Her entrance immediately drew attention and caused a commotion, not only because of her beautiful face but also due to the unique floral fragrance that seemed to surround her. People instantly recognized her, as she wasn’t using any disguise or cover.
She swept her gaze across the room, pausing on Aldrian for a moment before shifting her attention elsewhere.
Sylphia also glanced at the new arrival, her eyes widening slightly before she quickly turned her head away to avoid looking at her.
"That is Elena Rosalind, one of the ten great swordmasters of the continent," she sent a voice transmission to Aldrian.
"Yes, and it seems she’s looking for me. Let’s go back to our room first," Aldrian replied.
He continued walking until his figure disappeared from Elena’s view. Arthur also stood up from his seat, intending to return to his own room. However, the familiar floral fragrance drew closer from behind—a clear sign that Elena was approaching him! 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Wait," she said.
Arthur gritted his teeth as he came to a halt.
"Why is her intuition so sharp?" he thought.
"Turn around, please. I want to look at you," she said.
Arthur could only sigh as he sent her a voice transmission.
"Let’s move to a more private place. I can’t be seen by the masses."
Hearing the voice inside her mind, Elena slightly smiled, realizing that it was Arthur. Her guess had been correct. Without revealing his face, Arthur walked alongside her as they casually made their way out of the inn.
"Well, as expected, you must be in this city searching for that mysterious swordsman. So, have your efforts borne any fruit?" Arthur asked through voice transmission as they walked.
Suddenly, Elena smiled—something that rarely happened. It was a smile so mesmerizing that the men watching her were instantly captivated.
"Well, I’ve found a huge clue," she replied.
"What clue?" Arthur asked.
"You."
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The next day, Larson City was still bustling with activity around the giant Cerberus beast. The process of cutting its corpse into smaller pieces continued, as its massive body couldn’t fit inside the storage rings. The area surrounding the corpse became a popular attraction for many cultivators, all curious about the giant beast.
However, the Blue Dragon Battalion had already been pulled back to the capital and dispatched to various regions of the empire. The populace had heard that the imperial family and the nobles had launched a large-scale purge of the devils within the empire’s territory. Thanks to the information provided by Aldrian during his conversation with the emperor, the imperial family was able to carry out the operation swiftly and effectively.
Many devils were caught off guard by the sudden attack from the imperial family and the nobles. Since the fall of the Larson family and the destruction of the devils’ main base at the energy stone mining site, the devils within the empire had chosen to stand down and cease their activities. Moreover, their lines of communication had been severed due to strict security measures.
The devils inside the empire were essentially blind and deaf. Without any reliable intelligence, they were sitting ducks—an unfortunate truth proven today as devils across the Vindas Empire were slaughtered. They had not anticipated the sudden assault and could only wait for their inevitable demise.
The news of the execution of the Larson family by the Duclan family also spread like wildfire, and now the populace of the empire knew that the Duclan family had fully made their comeback, with their titles and status reinstated by the imperial family. Many had not expected the imperial family to compensate the Duclan family instead of helping the Larson family, as they thought the imperial family would also share the sentiment that the Duclan family had been in cahoots with the devils.
With the imperial family seemingly acknowledging their mistake by compensating the Duclan family, many believed that the imperial family had been duped by the Larson family, so most did not mind the decision. However, unbeknownst to the masses, only a few knew the truth behind it all.
It was still morning when one of the few people who knew the truth was preparing to leave the inn where he was staying. Aldrian wanted to take a walk to relax his body. He was walking alone because Sylphia was utterly exhausted after the passionate night he had given her, leaving her unable to get up. She could only rest in bed, but Aldrian felt proud of himself for that. In a good mood, he decided to take a walk and enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the city.
However, after walking for some time, Aldrian sensed that someone seemed to be following him. Although the figure trying to blend into the crowd and mask their presence, Aldrian could still sense their gaze fixed on him.
However, he didn’t sense any ill intent, so he didn’t find it alarming. Since he was now outside of his domain, he couldn’t clearly see the stalker with his Eyes of the Heaven without turning his head toward them.
Curious about who was following him, Aldrian decided to move into one of the deserted alleys he found. The figure continued to follow him. As he turned a corner in the alley, the figure was stunned when they couldn’t find Aldrian. Then, his voice resounded from behind them.
"What do we have here?"
The figure was shocked, quickly turning around and taking a step back from Aldrian, still looking at him in surprise.
"Oh, to think that one of the most famous people on the continent is following me. Why are you tailing me, Miss Elena Rosalind?"
