Steel Princess

Divine Smite, the signature skill of a paladin.

Paladins were a special class. Compared to other classes, they were heavily restricted. Once someone embarked on the path of a paladin, it meant they would be bound by their own oaths and duties, no longer able to act however they pleased.

But paladins had Divine Smite!

After reaching a certain level, paladins had to swear an oath. The oath could increase a paladin's power, but it also restricted their actions. Whenever personal desires conflicted with lofty ideals, paladins were forced to make one painful choice after another.

But paladins had Divine Smite!

Most paladins understood perfectly well that they were walking a road with no visible end. As guardians who opposed the forces of evil, they had to devote their limited lives to the endless struggle between good and evil across the multiverse. Their efforts might be meaningless in the conflicts between deities, and their sacrifices might not affect anything at all.

But paladins had Divine Smite!

Paladins were respected by everyone on the surface, yet their actions were often misunderstood. Young and beautiful ladies did not want to marry paladins. The powerful and influential often regarded paladins as troublesome, narrow-minded people and kept them at arm's length. Even the poor frequently had complaints about paladins, because their expectations of them were not always met.

But paladins had Divine Smite!

This signature skill was an important reason why so many children dreamed of becoming paladins. It was also the first impression most commoners had of them. When a paladin shouted the name of the deity he believed in, his hands moved and covered his weapon in a rain of radiance, cutting down every demon and monster in his path. The paladin's glorious image was then deeply engraved in the minds of the masses.

Cool, powerful, and brainless.

Simple, crude, and devastating.

This was Divine Smite.

Aaron had seen Divine Smite before, but this was the first time he had witnessed it being released right before him from such close range.

This did not fit his plan. In his vision, this Chaos Spawn should have caused even greater trouble and attracted the attention of the palace. He had not expected this fellow to open with a Divine Smite and kill it instantly.

With power like that, it was enough to instantly kill many Elite Goblin chieftains and evil-god clerics, right?

"Are you all right?" The handsome paladin in full plate armor, but without a helmet, reached down and pulled Aaron up from the ground. "You're injured. Let me heal you."

"Thanks, brother. If not for you, I might have been in trouble." Aaron covered the wound on his shoulder with one hand. His magic had been depleted, and the blood loss from using the Ring of Konrad twice had left him pale. His legs felt as though they had been filled with water, but fortunately, they still obeyed him. "Brother, you're amazing!"

"We paladins may not always be useful, but we will definitely protect useful people, even if we have to give everything for it." The paladin raised his hand. Pure golden radiance flowed from his palm and shone upon Aaron's wound, healing the shoulder pierced by the dagger.

Lay on Hands, a paladin's unique ability.

As paladins who devoted their lives and souls to a sacred mission, they possessed powerful holy might. Every paladin had a healing pool formed from divine power. They could use its healing energy to treat the wounds of other creatures, and could even cure various illnesses and poisons.

Lay on Hands was directly tied to a paladin's class level. Once the energy in the healing pool was exhausted, it could be restored with sufficient rest.

As the paladin treated Aaron's injury, the Viscount stared at his face and felt that it looked vaguely familiar.

This paladin was a true beauty—no, a true handsome man. His looks nearly rivaled Aaron's, with sharp brows, bright eyes, and a tall, straight nose. Every movement he made carried an air of kindness and justice. The radiance of Lay on Hands shone across his face, while his sincere smile and earnest eyes revealed his goodwill. His long hair was tied into a ponytail behind his head, giving him an imposing, heroic appearance.

"You're... Sir Reynard?" After looking for a few more seconds, Aaron recognized the paladin.

Wasn't he Sir Reynard, one of the two apprentice knights under Banneret Lucian? He was twenty-one this year. Aaron had seen him a few years ago.

After Aaron said this, Reynard also felt that the handsome youth before him looked familiar. He studied him carefully for a while before asking tentatively, "Aaron?"

"It's me!" Seeing that he had encountered an acquaintance, Aaron's eyes shifted.

This might not be a bad thing for his plan.

"It really is you, Aaron! I almost didn't recognize you... Mentor Lucian was still talking about you yesterday." Reynard was unable to hide his delight. He consoled him, "This must be Torm's blessing. You survived. That's wonderful."

Lay on Hands ended. The wound on Aaron's shoulder had healed, and the emptiness in his body had eased somewhat. Reynard helped him to his feet.

By then, the guards of Upper City had surrounded the Chaos Spawn's corpse with spears. The guard commander had the soldiers confirm whether the monster was dead, then ran over to Aaron and saluted. "My lord, and Sir Reynard, I apologize. We failed to fulfill our duty."

"This isn't your fault. Hearing such a commotion and arriving within a minute was already excellent." Reynard smiled and gestured for the guard commander not to blame himself. He praised the guards' performance, then turned his attention to Aaron. "What happened, Aaron? How did you encounter this monster in the alley?"

"I went to the Royal Library today..." Following the plan, Aaron recounted what had happened.

On his way back from the library, he had passed through an alley and grown suspicious when he found no one there. He had discovered an assassin, fought a fierce battle, and barely managed to kill him. Just as he was preparing to investigate, the assassin's corpse had mutated into this enormous ball of flesh. Unable to defeat it, Aaron had fled the alley, and the monster had chased after him.

"For something like this to happen in Upper City, there must be more to it." Before the guard commander could react, the handsome paladin immediately concluded, "This was a planned assassination!"

"You, send several guards to escort Aaron home immediately. At the same time, report what happened here to the Princess Regent."

"I'll also go to Purple Dragon Keep immediately and tell Mentor Lucian!"

"Yes!"

Under the protection of the Upper City guards, Aaron returned home. Because of the incident, the Upper City guard even specially assigned several soldiers to stand watch near the Salian Residence. Meanwhile, news of "Viscount Salian being assassinated" had only just begun to spread through Suzail.

After returning home, Aaron did not tell his aunt and cousin about the assassination.

He sat alone in the study, his expression grim.

This assassination had not been accidental.

There truly was a force lurking in the shadows of Suzail, watching him with hostile intent!

And judging from how they had launched an assassination without hesitation, they genuinely wanted him dead!

This was no good news. Aaron leaned against the soft backrest and fell into thought.

How much did this enemy know? Why had they become his enemy? Was it because of his failed mission this time? Because of hatred between their families, or between their divine factions? Did they think he might be a Godspawn of Murder, or did they know he was the Child of Chaos?

Who was his enemy? Noble enemies within the kingdom who hated the Salians? Followers of his sister Selûne's enemy, Lady of the Night Shar? External forces such as the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, or the Zambian merchant nobles carrying out assassinations against Cormyr's promising young talents? Or was it an internal struggle for power and succession between factions in the Dark Sun Prince's Church, the church of the Lord of Murder and God of Tyranny?

Aaron had no answer for now. Based on the information he currently possessed, he could not make a well-founded deduction.

The only thing he could confirm was that the previous arrival of the Queen's Blade had truly not been a coincidence. In the heart of Cormyr, his own lair, an enemy was lying in wait and looking for an opportunity to strike.

The bad news was that this assassination had come so quickly. That meant the enemy was not only within Suzail, but also definitely held a high position. Otherwise, there was no way they could have received news of him so quickly.

So what should he do now?

Aaron's gaze gradually sharpened. He rose and paced through the study, looking at the shelves of books, the blades, swords, and spears hanging above the fireplace, and the mounted heads of prey displayed on the walls. He sank into silence.

From the safest perspective, Aaron should immediately abandon everything he had in Cormyr. While the incident had thrown the entire city into heightened alert and the enemy in the shadows had yet to react and make preparations, he should conceal his identity and flee to Waterdeep or Silverymoon. Baldur's Gate would work too.

Those three cities had one major thing in common: they were all typical "free cities." As long as Aaron concealed his identity and consciously protected himself, it would be difficult for his enemies to find him again.

In fact, Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate were full of people like that. Some were wanted fugitives across the Realms, some were former world-class powerhouses, some were heirs to fallen nations, and some were not even human, but unknowable entities.

Yet they all lived in the cities under concealed identities. As long as they caused no trouble, the cities ignored them.

Unlike Cormyr, in these free cities, one might never know what one's neighbor truly was.

But would running away really make him safe?

At this thought, Aaron hesitated again.

Leave Cormyr, leave my family, leave my clan, leave this land that had raised me and where I had lived for more than a decade, leave the homeland that had given me life and nurtured me, and that had not treated me badly?

Flee to Waterdeep, flee to Silverymoon—would that truly bring safety?

Viscount Salian wavered, pacing back and forth across the room.

Staying would naturally be dangerous, but an almost imperceptible voice in his heart urged him to remain, to stay in Cormyr.

Aaron knew why. After all, in his previous life, he had been a man from the Celestial Empire.

He could vaguely sense that, deep down, he was reluctant to give up this title of viscount.

To the powerful of the Realms, a noble title was not particularly valuable. Even in Cormyr, famous for its royal authority, noble titles had limited value, let alone Aaron, who had neither an actual position nor actual lands.

What did eight hundred Golden Lions a year amount to? High-level adventurers in Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep earned tens of thousands a year!

But... as had been said, Aaron had been a man from the Celestial Empire in his previous life!

Was he really going to abandon everything, abandon his family and friends, give up this noble title, abandon the network his parents had left him, and run away from the nine-hundred-year-old Salian name?

A sentence surfaced in Aaron's mind.

Then I'd have no roots!

Abandoning everything for his own selfish desires, abandoning everything and running away alone for the sake of his own safety and career—wouldn't that make him a rootless man?

If you do that, you'll truly have no roots!

Aaron Salian, wake up!

The Viscount opened the door and left the study. A warm, smoky scent rushed toward him. Dinner was being prepared downstairs. His aunt Mellie was bustling about with two maids, while the baker was making corn chowder.

The Salian tapestry hung on the wall beside the study. Every name upon it seemed like a living person, including his father and mother. They were all watching him, waiting for his decision.

The hesitation in Aaron's eyes gradually faded.

Running away could not solve the problem. This was his home, and this was his country!

I will stay here. I accept this challenge!

Moreover, it was not as though Aaron had received no good news.

Today's assassination had also revealed two pieces of information in his favor. First, the assassin had only been an Elite Rogue, which meant the mastermind's resources were limited. Second, the Upper City guards had arrived with extraordinary speed, proving that the enemy's infiltration of Cormyr's military and security system was very limited.

"Hello, you rats hiding in the shadows."

I want to play a game.

As Aaron made up his mind to accept the challenge, the power of Slaanesh within him grew increasingly active.

A game that wagered lives—Slaanesh loved it!

—This is the game-playing scene break—

A little earlier, Suzail, the palace.

In Dhuar Hall, beneath two tall, narrow stained-glass windows in the bright, pointed-ceilinged hall.

The Princess Regent of Cormyr, the youngest daughter of Azoun IV and the woman known by the title Steel Princess, Alusair Obarskyr, was receiving guests here.

Dhuar Hall was luxuriously furnished. Before the throne stood a rectangular sandalwood table with four corners, draped in purple-and-gold satin. Thick parchment documents covered the tabletop, piled almost into a small mountain.

Two golden-and-red silk curtains hung before the table, concealing the figure behind them. Only the vague outline of a beautiful blonde woman seated behind the throne could be seen as she spoke with her guests.

There were two visitors. The first to arrive was Hendry Hykenson, captain of the Queen's Blade—the same man Aaron had encountered at the Kalan Inn.

He reported all the information he had gathered to the Princess Regent, including the fact that Lothair was seeking a mentor for "a Sorcerer who did not wish to reveal his name."

"Your Highness, we have more than enough evidence to prove that the Sorcerer seeking a mentor is Aaron Salian," Hendry reported. "At the same time, we confirmed through Lady Silverstar at the Lady of Silver's open-air altar in Seabury that Aaron truly received the Lady of Silver's Divine Favor."

The beauty behind the silk curtain did not immediately respond. Only the sound of an ink pen writing across a parchment scroll could be heard.

More than ten seconds later, a dignified female voice finally came through the gap in the curtain. "Good, very good. A late-awakening Sorcerer, a natural-born spellcaster, and a noble descendant born and raised in Cormyr—Manuel can still contribute to the kingdom even after sacrificing himself! The spirit of the late king above, Tymora above, this is good news!"

"Hendry, you have done well."

"I will always be your loyal servant, Your Highness." Hendry hurriedly added, "As for that previous matter, I believe it was a false accusation."

"Whether it was a false accusation or not, investigating a late-awakening Sorcerer is always the right thing to do. After all, no one knows whether he has entered into a pact with some evil entity. Sorcerers and Warlocks can sometimes be difficult to distinguish." The dignified voice did not seem to find anything inappropriate about the Queen's Blade's actions. "But since the Lady of Silver recognizes him, there is no need to discuss this matter further."

"Yes."

"Go and suppress the news. Do not let our Viscount Salian's little scheme succeed..."

"Yes... But regarding the Sorcerer mentor Viscount Salian seeks..." Hendry still could not help asking one more question. The captain of the Queen's Blade had a very favorable impression of Aaron. "Your Highness?"

"The only magic mentor in the kingdom capable of teaching a Sorcerer... is her."

"Let her become his mentor. No man... could refuse."

An update at last. I finally reached ten thousand collections. It wasn't easy, it really wasn't.

(End of chapter)