Chapter 0146: Pop the Champagne
Rewinding time a little—
The night before the negotiations, also the night after the king fainted and the crown prince died, forcing the second prince to begin handling affairs.
Re-Estize Kingdom, royal capital.
The Golden (Black) Princess's residence.
"My, my—"
In the pitch-black, empty room, Princess Renner stood before the window, gazing at the bright moon hanging in the night sky with a faint smile as she murmured, "I ended up doing something unnecessary, didn't I?"
"What are you referring to?"
A cold voice accompanied the moonlight filtering through the window, coalescing into the form of a tall woman with silver hair, clad in pink and silver battle attire. Holding a crescent-shaped silver blade in her left hand, she elegantly seated herself on the room's sofa.
"Nice to see you again, Lady Diana—"
Renner turned around without a hint of surprise, lifting the hem of her skirt with both hands as she curtsied gracefully. "With the strength of you and Lady Leona, there's no need to collaborate with the Blue Roses, is there? Yet I went ahead and commissioned them—that counts as unnecessary, doesn't it?"
"Tch."
Diana clicked her tongue, glaring at Princess Renner with displeasure. "I believe I've told you before—I despise your scheming and the look in your eyes. If you keep staring at me with that 'I've got everything under control' gaze, I'll make sure you never lay eyes on your little dog again."
"..."
The corner of Renner's mouth twitched. With a resigned sigh, she raised both hands to rub her face, wiping away the mask-like smile before sitting across from Diana with a twisted expression. "My apologies, Lady Diana. That was somewhat rude of me just now."
This was the classic case of a scholar meeting a soldier—reason falls on deaf ears. Faced with Diana's "act first, talk later" personality, Renner found all her carefully laid schemes utterly useless, forced to swallow them back down.
"The item?"
Diana had no patience for Renner's nonsense. Were it not for the Supreme One's orders, she wouldn't even bother with someone so mentally unhinged—she'd once suspected Renner might have been possessed, her body now housing the soul of some aberrant creature. How else could she be so bizarre?
"Right here—"
A strange smile curled on Renner's lips as she mechanically retrieved a faintly scented scroll from her chest and placed it on the table. "This is the list of nobles you requested, my lady."
"Good." Diana nodded in satisfaction. But the moment she picked up the scroll, feeling its lingering warmth and the fragrance wafting from it, her expression twisted in disgust. She even pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe it down, as though it had been tainted by something filthy.
"??"
Even for someone as mentally unorthodox as Princess Renner, this was too much to bear.
Seriously?! I'm the kingdom's number one beauty, hailed as the "Golden Princess," and even in official settings, I'm ranked as a top-tier, peerless beauty. What exactly are you finding so repulsive about a scroll taken from my chest?!
To be fair, if any other noble got their hands on this scroll, they'd probably enshrine it as a family heirloom, sniffing it every night just to fall asleep, right?
If Diana could hear Princess Renner's inner thoughts, she'd probably point to her own head with a look of disdain and retort, "Because your brain's fried, got it?"
What the hell? I'm a woman—why the hell would I go sniffing your milky stench? Pah!
Under Princess Renner's twitching gaze, Diana spent a full five minutes wiping the scroll before tossing the towel into the nearby trash bin... Wait, she threw it in the trash instead of putting it back!?
Princess Renner (sweating emoji face): 'Just how much do you despise me!?'
"Finally done." Diana let out a sigh of relief. She unfurled the scroll right in front of Princess Renner and skimmed through its contents, asking, "Are all the names of the underworld-linked nobles listed here?"
"Indeed~" Though internally, Princess Renner had already roasted Diana to the point of becoming a Super Roaster Tier 3, her outward demeanor remained gentle and composed. "This is a list I've been compiling and updating for a long time—once everyone on it is dead, there'll be no more threats left within the kingdom."
"Good." Diana nodded in satisfaction, rising from the sofa. "Then tonight shall be the kingdom's sleepless night—for the Supreme One, a new moon rises!"
As her words faded, her figure transformed into a streak of silver moonlight and vanished from Princess Renner's chamber.
"Ufufu—"
Princess Renner let out an eerie laugh, her face twisting as she raised her hands to cradle her cheeks, resembling nothing less than an otherworldly Yuno Gasai. "Wait for me, Climb—soon, very soon, we'll be together forever and ever—"
So, while Princess Renner's psyche might be abnormal, when used correctly, she still makes for a rather useful card, doesn't she?
...
...
Let us rewind time.
Three days after the negotiations concluded, at the kingdom's frontlines.
The king had collapsed from sheer agitation, and given his advanced age, no one dared move him recklessly. Thus, he was left to recuperate in a nearby villa at the front.
Today, he finally awoke.
"Father, you're awake?"
The second prince rushed into the room and exhaled in relief at the sight of his father sitting up against the cushions. "Elder Brother, he…"
"I already know everything."
The old king sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You did well. Your elder brother… Ah."
Though he had never approved of his eldest son colluding with the nobility, he was still his son. Now, the old had to bury the young—to say he felt no grief would be a lie.
The second prince fell silent for a few seconds before lifting his gaze to meet his father's. "Father, there's something I must tell you—"
The old king looked at him. "About the negotiations?"
"Yes." The second prince nodded and relayed the details. A prolonged silence followed.
The prince wasn't the least bit surprised. In fact, he felt a sense of inevitability—hadn't he reacted the same way upon leaving the negotiation tent?
He didn't rush his father, instead sitting obediently on the chair by the bed, waiting for the old king to quietly process his thoughts.
...
...
Sky City, Hayashi's Bedroom.
"Kekeke!"
For some reason, Hayashi couldn't help but let out such a laugh as he read the information before him, prompting Hisako to deadpan, "Young Master, calm down. We're the good guys, not villains. Laughing like that will get you killed."
"Ahem, no big deal!" Hayashi coughed twice, then said with animated excitement, "We've located the habitats of the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord and the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. Now, all that's left is that hypocrite, the Platinum Dragon Lord."
At this news, Erina's eyes lit up with a ding. She had been lazily sprawled on the bed reading manga, but now she sat bolt upright. "Hayashi! Dragons are practically treasure troves head to toe, right?"
Her words seemed to remind everyone in the room. They exchanged glances and began tallying the spoils.
Hayashi: "Dragon bones and blood can be used for potions—"
Hisako: "Dragon teeth and claws can be forged into weapons—"
Yunyun: "Dragon scales and eyes can craft equipment—"
Hayashi, Hisako, and Yunyun in unison: "But the real prize is the dragon meat—"
Slurp! Dragon meat, ah!
Erina sat on the bed with a dreamy expression, murmuring to herself, "I've never tried cooking dragon meat before! What would the texture be like? Should we roast it? Braise it? Stir-fry it? Or boil it?"
"Slurp—" x3
The other three swallowed their saliva again, exchanged glances, and declared in unison, "Let's start the dragon-slaying plan now!"
We can't wait another second!
...
...
Just as planned—
Xayah, Rakan, and Violet took on the Eternal Darkness Dragon King; Shyvana and the Star Spirit Sisters handled the Coffin Dragon King!
Moreover, Hayashi had equipped each Guardian with several World-Class Items (what can he say? He's got plenty to spare) to counter the Primordial Magic and World-Class Authority inherent to the Dragon Kings—they could lose, but not to mere privileges, right?
While the seven Guardians set off on their dragon-slaying mission, earth-shaking changes erupted within the kingdom—
First, after obtaining the Golden Princess's intel, Diana transformed into the Azure Moon Assassin. In a single night, she slaughtered nearly a dozen nobles and their close associates hiding in the capital—thanks to the joint siege by the Empire and Theocracy, these nobles had all retreated to the royal city, fearing for their territories' safety.
Second, the day after the mass noble deaths threw the capital into chaos, Blue Roses teamed up with the Sun and Moon Forest to raid the Eight Fingers' stronghold under cover of night. After a fierce battle, they successfully captured the entire organization, dismantling this vile syndicate deeply entangled with the kingdom's nobility—though truthfully, members of the Angel Guard and Demon Guard had covertly intervened. Otherwise, Blue Roses alone might not have pulled it off.
Then, over the next three days following the nobles' massacre and Eight Fingers' downfall, the kingdom's aristocracy seemed cursed—one after another met their demise. Strangely, however, not all their servants or family members were killed.
This eerie phenomenon sent shockwaves through the kingdom's upper echelons, each fearing they'd be next. But curiously, in stark contrast to the nobles' panic, the commoners in the deceased lords' territories all reacted the same way upon hearing the news.
They raised their glasses and laughed heartily, toasting, "Good riddance! Pop the champagne—"