Athena's Tutoring (4)

I guess so.

After a long while, Qin Chu's laughter finally stopped. "Clever, but what does this have to do with me? Why should I be responsible?"

Antasia's pretty face revealed a foxy smile, her delicate white hands supporting Qin Chu's chest. To be honest, this position seemed a bit ambiguous, as the neckline of her dress would droop down, causing Qin Chu to glimpse some things he shouldn't see.

"Of course it's because of you. If it weren't for your persuasion, I would have committed suicide long ago and wouldn't have made the decision to break off the engagement."

"Moreover, it was you who made me realize that the Empire dares not rashly wage war against the Ice Country!"

"You upheld my dignity and made me realize that my feelings for the Crown Prince were nothing more than a young girl's shattered dream..."

"I'm trying to help you, aren't I?" Qin Chu felt a little innocent. "Isn't this repaying kindness with enmity?"

"So... Hero, please continue to help me. I might have to stay in the Empire for a while longer, and you wouldn't want me to sleep on the streets and be bullied by bad people, would you?" Antasia said pitifully, and it seemed that this girl had become much more playful after recovering.

Of course, Qin Chu didn't dislike him.

"Then, kind Hero, will you continue to take in the homeless Antasia?"

"Antasia's room will always be available in the palace." Qin Chu nodded slightly.

Antasia beamed with joy. She imitated Qin Chu's posture, no longer caring about aristocratic etiquette, and stretched lazily. Her already beautiful figure was on full display at this moment. In front of Qin Chu, she didn't need to be so reserved and could relax a little.

"I need to contact my parents... They absolutely have to know about something this important," Antasia said after a long pause.

Antasia left Qin Chu's side, and for a moment Qin Chu felt a little lonely. He lay on the grass gazing at the night sky. In this world, some people live in a daze, some are dirty and corrupt, but there are also some who are struggling very hard.

He raised his arm, and the silver mark on his wrist gleamed in the moonlight.

Is the goddess trapped in the cage also struggling desperately?

As if in response to Qin Chu, the Goddess's Hair wrapped around her wrist suddenly felt a burning sensation.

This time, Qin Chu did not touch the scroll he had taken from Rosweisse, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the endless night sky and reach the deepest part of the Void.

In some mysterious way, his consciousness seemed to have made contact with some mysterious entity.

He saw it.

The massive, metal-cast cylinders, even larger than meteorites, were arranged in neat rows, forming an enormous cage.

He saw it; in the cage was a tall, graceful figure, draped in a white veil. He tried to see the goddess's face clearly, but it remained obscured.

A surge of energy coursed through her body, her white veil fluttered in the Void, her silver hair danced wildly behind her, and her pale hands continuously unleashed energy that Ruin the space, transforming the area around her into a chaotic energy storm.

The cage trembled violently, its thick metal cylinder covered with countless cracks.

Seven strange energies extended from different directions, coiling around the cage and repairing its damage.

They dared not relax their guard in the slightest, for any lapse in vigilance could lead to the goddess breaking free from her cage.

Qin Chu saw thick, churning dark red clouds; he saw a huge, twisted flame that formed a sinister, grinning face; he saw a body exuding elegance and nobility, sometimes man, sometimes woman, filled with an eerie allure...

Suddenly, Qin Chu felt a piercing pain in his mind.

My brain felt like it had been turned into mush.

His body convulsed in a contorted posture, and countless bizarre symbols surged through his body in that instant, making him look exceptionally terrifying.

He could almost feel countless ferocious venomous insects writhing wildly inside his body, seemingly trying to burst out. A dense layer of vertical eyes appeared on his skin, which quickly began to break and ulcerate.

A powerful surge of rage welled up within him, as if he wanted to destroy everything in a frenzy.

Eerie whispers echoed in his ears, wriggling like steel needles that seemed to pierce his soul, tempting him to remove the strands of hair from his wrist.

Before him lay a chaotic, distorted phantom; bizarre limbs seemed to beckon Qin Chu to join them...

Just then, the silver strands of hair on her wrist suddenly emitted a soft yet bright light, the abnormality in her body was quickly dispelled, and her convulsing body gradually returned to calm.

His entire body was soaked in sweat, as if he had just engaged in strenuous exercise. He was panting heavily, and his throat was burning with pain.

He knew that the goddess in the cage was struggling, and it was her struggle that kept the seven strange deities from focusing their attention on him.

He closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing and calm his chaotic consciousness...

That's not something he can consider right now. It's better for him to avoid staring into the Void in the future, as it's fraught with danger.

After a long while, Antasia returned. "My parents agreed to my proposal and asked me to express their gratitude to you on their behalf."

"Also, my father asked me to ask you if you'd be interested in becoming the son-in-law of the Ice Country?" Antasia squatted down next to Qin Chu, her thighs and buttocks outlined in a tight and alluring curve under her form-fitting pure white dress.

This princess is paying less and less attention to her manners.

Qin Chu had already regained his composure, and Antalia hadn't noticed anything amiss. He awkwardly looked away, saying, "Royal son-in-law? No interest. The Ice Country is too cold."

"Really? That's a real shame." Antasia shrugged in disappointment. "I was thinking that the Crown Prince hates you, and if I married you, I'd definitely drive him crazy..."

So that's why it's such a pity. My heart even raced for a second.

Antasia straightened up, brushed the grass and dirt off her clothes, and stretched out her small hand to Qin Chu: "Hero, would you like to go home?"

When they returned to the palace, the events of the banquet had already spread thanks to some gossipy people, and even the four guards knew about it.

They Wrath at the Crown Prince's rudeness and very grateful to Qin Chu for standing up for them.

They were worried about their princess, only to find that Antasia seemed to be in a very good mood.

Antasia even comforted several people, telling them not to worry. That evening, Antasia spent a long time preparing a speech.

The next morning, Antasia was all ready. She changed into a gorgeous outfit and headed towards the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Guard at the gate did not stop Antasia. Although what happened yesterday had made the Crown Prince and Antasia a laughing stock, her status remained unchanged.

As per protocol, Antasia handed her statement to the civil official and then waited quietly in the council chamber. Her demeanor was elegant and confident, seemingly unaffected by the events of the previous day.

When Wadsworth, who had been so angry with his foolish son that he hadn't slept all night, looked at the speech in his hand, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

In her statement, Antasia used tactful language to express that she and the Crown Prince were incompatible and that forcing them together would only make both of them unhappy. Therefore, she hoped to dissolve the engagement.

What do you mean by incompatible personalities...? He's already slapping someone in public before they're even married! What will happen after they get married?

After all, Antasia is a princess, and it's understandable that she couldn't bear the humiliation she suffered yesterday. However, Wadsworth didn't expect this girl to be so strong-willed, directly proposing to annul the engagement.

This annoyed Wadsworth somewhat. Such an excellent girl, if she could really become his daughter-in-law, would certainly be a great help to his son.

Unfortunately, that idiot.

Wadsworth continued reading as he pondered, his expression gradually becoming serious. At the end of his statement, he pleaded, explaining that the Ice Grand Duchy had suffered immense losses in its war against the Magic Creature; due to lack of food and clothing, many excellent warriors who shouldn't have died had perished under the Magic Creature's claws.

If this continues, the Ice Grand Duchy may not be able to continue to shoulder the responsibility of blocking the invasion of the northern Magic Creature. The people of the Skyvault Continent are all interconnected and interdependent, so they hope that the Empire can at least provide more support in terms of resources.

Wadsworth's expression grew increasingly regretful. This was truly a very capable girl. Perhaps, the engagement could be transferred from the eldest prince to another prince?

Soon, a notice was issued in the name of the Orwell Empire's royal family.

Because Princess Antalia Maisfield the Ice Grand Duchy and the Crown Prince of the Orwell Empire had incompatible personalities, they held friendly negotiations, exchanged views frankly, and decided to dissolve their engagement.

Anyone with even a little knowledge of the matter understands that this is merely a euphemism used to save face for the empire.

After Antalia presented her statement, the engagement was quickly dissolved, clearly initiated by Antalia.

Although the princess lost face at the banquet, her decisive and swift decision still earned her the admiration of many.

Another piece of news is that, in order to maintain the Anti-Demon United Front on the Skyvault Continent, the Empire has decided to increase its material support to the Ice Grand Duchy in terms of clothing, weapons, food, etc., with the increase tentatively set at half.

At the same time, the Royal Guard Knights Order, led by the War God Morton, was dispatched to various noble households to solicit donations...

"Damn it, you bastard..."

Meanwhile, the eldest prince, who was confined to his palace and unable to leave, heard about the annulment of the engagement from some of his loyal subordinates, and he was furious.

The room was almost completely destroyed; there was nothing left for him to smash.

His handsome face was contorted with intense rage, making him look terrifying; his bloodshot eyes were filled with intense Wrath and murderous intent.

That damned bitch, how dare she break off the engagement?

There was no friendly negotiation whatsoever; he wasn't even present at the scene.

He is the eldest prince, the most honorable person in the entire empire in the future.

He could do without that woman, but he would never allow her to break off the engagement.

All his dignity, honor, and glory were trampled underfoot by that woman at this moment, something the Crown Prince could not allow under any circumstances.

The series of blows drove the eldest prince to the brink of madness; he was like a crazed dog, constantly emitting low growls.

That woman, how dare she?

Who gave her the courage?

"Where is that woman now?" The First Prince roared hoarsely at his few remaining loyal subordinates.

"At... at the Hero's mansion."

Hiss...

The eldest prince's body convulsed suddenly.

The Hero's mansion—have they even started living together?

Disgusting, shameless, and despicable.

Qin Chu... Yes, it's all Qin Chu's fault. It must be that bastard Qin Chu who instigated this behind the scenes. Otherwise, Antasia would never have dared to make such a decision as breaking off the engagement.

That damned bastard, kill him...

"Send a letter to Qin Chu for me," the eldest prince said menacingly.

That was a... challenge!

When the challenge letter was delivered to Qin Chu merely smiled dismissively and tossed it aside, "Tell the First Prince..."

"If he wants war, then let's fight!"

After the messenger left, Qin Chu suddenly asked Saya, "Saya, is there any way I can legitimately kill him?"

Thank you so much for the generous donations, "I don't know what to say" and "1500 coins," and "Remembering our first meeting when we were little." Thank you for your support.

Chapter 147 Athena's Tutoring (4)

He had just declared with great bravado that if you want to fight, then let's fight, but then he turned around and asked Saya if there was any way to legitimately kill the opponent.

His heroic spirit vanished completely in an instant.

Saya felt quite helpless about Qin Chu's behavior.

Qin Chu was also helpless. He naturally wanted to kill the eldest prince. Although the challenge stated that life and death were up to fate, this grandson was, after all, the son of Wadsworth.

Even if Qin Chu had the strength, he couldn't possibly kill the Crown Prince in the arena, let alone show him respect.

If you want to kill the eldest prince, you need a legitimate reason to ensure his death.

An enemy like the Crown Prince is better off dead as soon as possible.

Saya sighed helplessly, "Think about it, why did Karthus, who is about to be executed, end up in such a state?"

"Because they're stupid..." Qin Chu immediately gave his answer.

"I think you're the stupid one. Being stupid is his own problem. What's the Holy Church's reasoning?" Saya irritably tapped Qin Chu on the head. "The Holy Church's explanation is that Karthus was tainted by dark power, corrupted by evil forces, lost control, and slaughtered three thousand two hundred Knight..."

"Do you understand? This is a perfectly justifiable reason that no one can refute."

"In other words, I need to find a way to taint the eldest prince with evil power, and make it very obvious..." Qin Chu fell into thought.

This doesn't seem too difficult; all we need to do is find a way to get the eldest prince to touch any of those scrolls.

No matter the time, gossip always spreads the fastest.

Not long after, the news that the Crown Prince and the Hero would duel in the arena three days later had spread to everyone.

For a time, the entire city's nobles were discussing this matter.

It seems the First Prince was truly enraged by Qin Chu at the banquet. And it makes sense; who could withstand having dozens of wine bottles smashed over their head? Especially the First Prince!

Furthermore, it's now obvious to anyone who isn't an idiot that the eldest prince has lost his right to inherit the imperial throne. In the past few days, Wadsworth has consciously begun to involve some of his other talented sons in the management of the Orwell Empire.

Falling from heir to the throne to nothing is a dramatic fall from grace, comparable to the difference between heaven and hell; few can withstand it.