Chapter 234

"Hmm?" Jarvan IV was somewhat surprised. "Eldred already knows about what happened between us?"

I don't think so.

"That is...?"

"I offended Tianna before."

"Tianna..." Upon hearing this name, Jarvan IV immediately felt a headache coming on.

Tianna Crownguard, the current Grand Marshal of Demacia, and the leader of the Crownguard family... The King values her highly...

"That woman might be a bit difficult to deal with... but I'll try my best to handle her for you." Even Jarvan IV didn't dare to speak too confidently about that woman.

But... perhaps he's overthinking it.

Because Chen Ce didn't want him to do anything for him.

"What I mean is... Jarvan Highness Jarvan, if anything else happens afterward, please pretend you didn't see it."

Chen Ce revealed a kind smile.

Jarvan IV was taken aback.

Looking at the gentle expression on the face of the "Mageseekers" before him, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine...

Chen Ce didn't waste any more words and prepared to move on to the next topic—the Fallen Angel, the Veiled Lady Morgana.

Just then, a soft footstep sounded Training Grounds.

With his keen senses, Chen Ce immediately pointed in the direction of the Training Grounds entrance, then leaped onto the circular ceiling above the Training Grounds and hung there.

Jarvan IV was still somewhat taken aback when a dignified old man, surrounded by guards, entered the Training Grounds.

There's only one person in the entire country who can enter a prince's private Training Grounds without reporting...

The prince's father, the King of Demacia.

Jarvan III.

"Father." Jarvan IV quickly got up from the ground and bowed.

"How's the training going?" The dignified old king held an emerald scepter in his hand. His clothes, though not extravagant, were enough to exude an aura of authority. His hair was already white, and his wrinkled face seemed to bear the marks of many years.

This was the first time Chen Ce had met this well-regarded old king.

And... a personal bodyguard beside him.

Jarvan IV's gunplay instructor, a "death row inmate" rescued from the Noxus gladiator arena... Xin Zhao, the Seneschal of Demacia.

He held a long spear in his hand, his eyes sharp and terrifying.

He seemed to be constantly vigilant about everything around him, possessing extremely strong alertness and insight...

Chen Ce, who had thought he could just hide for a bit, decisively used the Deceive again.

"As always," Jarvan IV answered his father's question.

"That's good." The old king nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Xin Zhao beside him. "When you have time, you can try out Jarvan's strength... I hope he hasn't been slacking off."

"His Highness is an upright man and trains diligently; he must have made some progress." Xin Zhao's attitude toward Jarvan and his son was very respectful, but not out of "awe"—it was out of "respect." They had saved his life and given him a second chance at life.

"That would be even better." Jarvan III's tone was relaxed, but there was no smile on his face—he hadn't smiled since the death of his friend Barrett Buvelle.

"Jarvan, I've come to see you about something... something important that concerns your life."

"A major life event...? Father, please speak." Jarvan IV was completely bewildered.

The old king didn't delay and immediately said:

"From today onwards, you have a fiancée."

The Grand Marshal has already mentioned this matter to His Majesty the King.

Looking at the brief letter in his hand, Eldred, the commander of the Mageseeker Order, revealed a satisfied smile.

Then he threw the letter into the burning fireplace in the prison.

The scorching flames licked at the fragile paper, and in no time, the "secret" was permanently sealed away in a pile of ashes.

Eldred touched the cloth bag at his waist and strode into the depths of the prison.

This prison, used to hold "Black Mage," is located in the southwest corner of the Great City. It is a deep dungeon with more than 100 guards, making it one of the most heavily guarded prisons in all of Demacia.

After all, Black Mage are the most terrifying and despicable beings in this country.

One wrong move and it could lead to disaster.

Even Eldred himself knew that most of the "Black Mage" here hadn't actually done anything truly heinous.

Especially the prisoners who were recently arrested—they make up the vast majority of the prison.

Many of them were not even from Great City itself, but were "dangerous elements" transported from other towns.

Well... it doesn't matter whether they committed crimes or not, what matters is that they possess magic.

This is original sin.

The more unique an existence is, the less permitted it becomes. Possessing awe-inspiring power inevitably leads to being ostracized and attacked by those who fear it.

Some sins are innate.

Just like those royalty who are born at the pinnacle of power...

"That's not fair, is it?"

Eldred stopped deep in the dungeon. Before him, a ragged, disheveled "Black Mage" lay weakly prostrate on the ground—separated only by a pitiful cell.

"Answer me... this isn't fair, is it?"

"..." The man in the cell did not reply, but silently opened his lifeless eyes.

"That's not fair, really." Eldred answered for him, a hint of cynicism in her voice. "You haven't done anything wrong... just because you're different, is that a reason to execute you?"

"I don't think so. You're just a little different... You're not bad people, are you?"

"There are far too many poor people here... They did nothing wrong, yet they were branded 'evil' simply because someone noticed something amiss. This is wrong... This is unfair."

"I want to change this situation..."

Eldred's words were very moving, even bordering on heartbreaking for the poor, innocent magicians.

But... no matter how superb his acting skills are, they can't fool those who know him.

The prison inmate spat out a mouthful of blood in disgust, "Your clumsy performance is truly repulsive..."

Upon hearing this, Eldred paused for a moment.

Then came a burst of heartfelt laughter—the farcical stage performance had come to an end.

"Okay, to be honest, this unfairness is also a kind of fairness—you committed a crime. Yes, you killed someone...one of the few murderers in this prison. The fact that they haven't executed you is already a great favor."

"Stop talking nonsense..." The criminal raised his head, seemingly too lazy to argue anymore—he had tried, but it was no use. Nobody wanted to listen to him.

Or... the truth doesn't really matter; people just want to see his head roll off the execution platform.

"If you want to kill me, then kill me... Why bother humiliating me repeatedly... It's pointless now..."

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood me... How could I have come here to humiliate you?" Eldred smiled, then took the cloth bag from his waist.

Inside was a small but thick booklet, and a Petricite that had been used many times.

"I'm here to help you—you know I can't stand this injustice, I'm here to stand up for you."

"Help me... heh..." the criminal scoffed.

Until Eldred actually stuffed those two things into the cell.

The guard standing nearby walked away on his own initiative, as if to show that he knew nothing.

The criminal remained suspicious, but Eldred was already turning to leave.

He pinched his nose and fanned the air in front of him in disgust—the smell of excrement mixed with moldy bread was truly nauseating; perhaps only death row inmates who were used to being here could tolerate it.

"This is the last bit about the Petricite... After reading it, you will understand what this stone really is."

A glimmer of light finally appeared in the prisoner's eyes.

Eldred was already preparing to leave.

Only the last sentence remained:

"Don't let me down, Sylas..."

Chapter Ninety-Two: Overturn the Chessboard! Stop playing!

Chen Ce had originally intended to discuss Morgana with Jarvan IV, but it now seemed... he would have to postpone it.

The old king's words shocked and spurred Jarvan IV into a state of resistance—although he knew that being in the royal family often left him with little choice and he dared not disobey his father's orders, at this critical juncture...? Not to mention that he actually hoped to have more control over his marriage.

He had to try his best... even if he couldn't cancel the marriage, he could at least postpone it for a while—at least not now, when he was supposed to be serving his country.

He followed the old king out of the Training Grounds, wanting to move on to discuss the matter further.

Chen Ce jumped down from the top of the Training Grounds after everyone had left.

Then I also had a very clear goal.

Morgana's matter can be put on hold for now.

Since someone's been acting strangely... why not take the initiative and go talk to her?

Everything that needed to be said had already been said, yet she continued to ignore him time and time again... He hadn't originally planned to settle accounts with her immediately regarding the Fossbarrow incident, but if she insisted on continuing to pull these tricks...

Okay, let's settle both accounts together then.

Tianna Crownguard...

Chen Ce walked with a steady gait and his face was expressionless, making him look like an ordinary, calm pedestrian.

Until he walked directly through the main gate into the Grand Marshal's private residence.

The guards at the gate came to stop him, but he simply waved his hand and knocked down the elite soldiers selected from the Dauntless Vanguard.

There wasn't even time to sound the alarm.

The streets were bustling with people, yet no one noticed the "villain" who had made no attempt to conceal his intrusion into the Grand Marshal's residence.

The latter really didn't deliberately hide anything.

He just moved too fast.

So much so that passersby who happened to catch a glimpse of him assumed he had been allowed in openly and legitimately.

Chen Ce did not draw his sword; he simply used the scabbard to "speed through" the heavily guarded manor of the Grand Marshal of Demacia.

By interrogating the guards, he easily obtained the location of Tianna's study.

Boom!

With a single palm strike, the heavy, solid wooden door instantly turned into a pile of debris.

And then the old woman who repeatedly "did not heed advice" came into view—she was in the room, at the desk.

But she didn't sit down.

She stood quietly in front of the desk, a set of light silver armor neatly laid out on the floor beside her feet—the very set she usually wore. Her sword was also unfastened and placed on the floor, and she was only wearing a close-fitting bodysuit under the armor.

It looks like she just took off all her gear.

Even the shoes and socks were neatly arranged on the floor.

Faced with a force she couldn't resist, she seemed neither afraid nor surprised. Her face was expressionless, as calm as if she were about to fall asleep.

Seeing this, Chen Ce couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Playing hard to get? That's quite interesting."

He walked straight up to her, stopping when he was less than a meter away from that damned old woman—at which distance, a single strike of his sword would be enough to sever her throat.

"No, I didn't mean that." Tianna Crownguard her head, her still-beautiful face devoid of any expression. "I just wanted to apologize to you—removing the armor signifies sincerity."

"Isn't it a bit too late to apologize now?" Chen Ce's thumb rested on the hilt of his sword, a sliver of the blade peeking out from its sheath.