Omen

autumn.

Everything was golden, and a caravan slowly traversed the Golden Plain.

"Royal Territory was originally the most prosperous region, but after repeated wars, it has been completely abandoned..."

Messiah looked at the abandoned farmland by the roadside and felt a tightness in his chest.

By this time, she already knew that the only measures of a fiefdom's potential were its population, food, and steel.

The fact that the royal territory had become like this was a huge blow to her.

"The royal family and its people have had a very difficult few years... First, they had to deal with the chaos in the Royal Capital, and just when things stabilized a little, the False King's rule was overthrown."

Sulu shook his head and went to his Lordship Territory.

"Um?"

To his surprise, the place was actually quite nice; apart from some buildings that had clearly been rebuilt, there was even a bit of human habitation.

Inside the lord's villa.

"Teacher..."

Upon seeing the caravan, Ham rode over to inspect it. Seeing Sulu, he immediately dismounted with delight and bowed. "You're finally back!"

"Didn't I tell you all to move out on your own?"

Sulu pressed his forehead.

"This is, after all, your hereditary territory..." Ham stammered, scratching his head. "Besides... apart from the fact that the Duke of the North had issued a very strict warrant for my arrest, forcing me to go into hiding for a while, everything else has been fine..."

He excitedly told Sulu, "Mentor, there are two more people you wouldn't expect who are also in the villa."

"Oh?"

Sulu smiled and walked to the carriage behind him, "Queen Majesty, how about we rest in my territory tonight?"

"Very good!"

Messiah drew back the curtains and gazed at Free Territory, which, though desolate, was far better than other places. For a moment, her eyes were filled with confusion.

She had been to this territory before, and comparing it to her memories, she suddenly felt that it still retained some vitality, which made her very gratified.

Upon arriving at the villa and entering the gate, two young men greeted them; one was thin, and the other was tall and strong—it was Laf and Yorn.

"Tutor!"

They wore expressions of guilt, as if apologizing for their earlier abrupt departure; it was hard to guess that they had become undercover agents.

"The two of you?"

Sulu rolled his eyes. "Fine... it's good that you're back. This territory will eventually be inherited by Ham, does anyone have any objections?"

"No, the mentor's decision was correct!"

Yorn and Laf exchanged a glance and quickly shook their heads.

"Very good. Prepare bread and water; our convoy will rest here for the night."

As the local lord, Sulu naturally gave orders.

"Yes, Master!"

The two quickly agreed and left.

Night fell.

"How... boring..."

Sulu yawned and walked out of Laf's Mind Secret Realm.

Without a doubt, this guy has been won over to the Grand Duke of Black Castle's side, and Sulu even sensed a strong resentment in his heart.

He harbored resentment because he hadn't given him any territory.

This discovery immediately struck Sulu as quite amusing.

However, there are all kinds of people in the world, and he simply couldn't be bothered to care.

On the contrary, the presence of these two known 'undercover agents' actually saved him a lot of trouble.

After thinking for a moment, he erased all traces of his presence, hypnotized Laf and Yorn to forget the incident, and finally planted a curse in their hearts before turning and leaving.

"I..."

In the darkness, Laf lay on his back, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead as he struggled.

In his dream, he seemed to see a strange human figure.

The other person was wearing a silver-white mask and was calmly descending the steps, exuding a strong sense of danger.

I wanted to run away, but I couldn't escape no matter what I did.

Suddenly, he awoke with a start, glancing around. "It was all a dream!"

Laf breathed heavily, tiptoed out of bed, and left the room.

He slipped out of the villa as if he were a thief, ran into the distant woods, and tossed something to the ground. "Go... take the intelligence to His Excellency the Duke!"

A green squirrel emerged from a branch, grabbed the crumpled paper that Laf had thrown, and quickly disappeared.

On the way back, Laf suddenly had a sudden realization. "Who?"

"It's me!"

Yorn walked out from the other side, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"So it was you..."

Laf opened his mouth, intending to ask about the nightmare, but held back.

He felt it would be a disgrace if Yorn knew that he was under so much psychological pressure from framing and betraying his mentor that he was having nightmares!

Because of this, he lost his last chance to save himself.

"We've ascertained the strength of all the forces. There's only one hundred-man squad here, mainly composed of knights loyal to the Queen. Shackle and the Duke of the West Territory are leading the army along the rear with Silver Eye..."

"Yorn said in a muffled voice."

"Ham is so easy to fool, he really is a fool."

Laf smiled dismissively.

"Because of you, I lost a friend." Yorn clenched his fists, his face slightly flushed.

"But we'll gain more, as long as the plan goes smoothly...always on the winner's side," Laf said. "That's a lesson I learned from gambling."

"Let's go, without arousing suspicion."

Yorn paused for a moment before replying.

The next day, the sun shone brightly.

The entire Dragon City appeared before Sulu and his companions, its streets adorned with lanterns and decorations, clearly having undergone extensive repairs.

"Welcome back, Your Queen!"

At the entrance, a nobleman in purple robes waited. "I am Henry Robert, the Royal Capital Sheriff appointed by the Duke of Black Castle. It is my honor to serve you!"

Henry bowed respectfully.

Messiah scoffed, "Fine, take me to see that ' Prime Minister Minister'."

Her voice held a teasing tone.

The Chief of Security of the Royal Capital can only be appointed Royal Capital the King or the Prime Minister, and in her view, this was a condition set by the Duke of Black Castle —to become the Prime Minister of the Kingdom!

To be fair, the price wasn't high, and it was within her acceptable range; it was her attitude that was very unsatisfactory.

' The Messiah is still bound by the limitations of her thinking... because targeting her at this moment would not benefit the Duke of Black Castle in the slightest... A true politician, at this time, should not be trying to overthrow and discredit orthodoxy, but rather should know how to maximize its power...'

'Unfortunately... Eamon might not even be considered a normal person anymore.'

Sulu thought to himself.

"Of course, His Majesty the Prime Minister is waiting for you all at the palace..."

Henry bowed deeply again.

Let's go.

Messiah went ahead.

Numerous knights guarded her, their armor gleaming, radiating pride.

Some of them were Wandering Knight, while others were former royal knights who successively pledged allegiance to the Queen, placing their bets on the Messiah amidst the chaos of the times.

Now, their past gamble will yield rich rewards!

After everyone had entered the city, Sulu suddenly looked back.

The gates of Dragon City were found to be slowly closing, carrying an ominous aura.