Swear Fealty To Me, My Subjects!

Chapter 77.1: Thea, Do You Want to Be the Empress of Haines? (1)

The Empress's chamber.

It was noon and the Empress, Cassius, had just settled her affairs with the ministers. Right now, she was lying weakly on the bed, receiving treatment from Constance's spell.

Perhaps it was because the curse of the elven demigod was targeted at the divinity of Order...

As a non-organic demigod, Constance's spell had a miraculous effect on the Empress's curse.

Despite being cursed for ten years, the Empress's body functions were basically normal. In fact, there was nothing unusual about her appearance—that was all thanks to Constance.

This was also the true reason why Constance, a demigod with a different surname with the thinnest bloodline, could obtain the position of the Shield of the Empire and guard the capital for a long time.

The citizens of Haines thought that Constance was a secret weapon of Haines and possessed some unknown terrifying talent.

However, in reality, Constance was merely the Empress's personal doctor.

However, the helpless thing was that even with the full-powered treatment of Constance, the curse of the elves was still corroding the Empress's life and causing irreversible damage to her body daily.

Even as the strongest expert in the mortal realm beneath the Imperial Guards, she was so weak that she could only lie on the sickbed all day. She was almost exhausted just by moving to the meeting hall to meet the ministers daily.

All those who knew understood.

The Empress did not have long to live.

However, the Empress was rather open-minded towards this.

"For the goddess, Haines is an instrument for her to carry out her authority on the land. As for you and me, we're merely components. It's only natural for components to break one day. As long as a suitable successor appears, everything will be fine."

The Empress was in a rather good mood today because after meeting Edaline yesterday, she was finally certain of something.

"Speaking of which, Thea, I heard from the Church that you left the capital arbitrarily twice without reporting?"

"That's right, Your Majesty."

"I'm guessing that you left on Rayne's behests?"

After a moment of silence, Constance nodded in acknowledgment.

For Cassius, it was not difficult to guess what Constance's intentions were.

After all, Constance's interpersonal relationships were way too simple.

Apart from assisting the other Imperial Guard sisters, she was reclusive in the Church all day long.

The only person who could get her to move...

Was probably Rayne.

The Empress said with a smile, "The two times you left the capital coincided with the major events that happened in the Desolate Tundra and Gold Village. I finally know today that Rayne was the one who killed Obadiah, right?"

In reality, Constance's leaving of the capital without permission was only one of the reasons why the Empress suspected Rayne.

Apart from that, the Empress discovered another piece of evidence yesterday.

When Edaline spoke to the Empress about Obadiah, there was something wrong with her gaze.

It seemed like she wanted to cover for Rayne.

Due to Leta's anti-teleportation measures, the Haines Imperial Guards would not run to Leta for no reason.

Ever since Obadiah was killed, the only Imperial Guard that went to the northern defense line was Edaline who was there to eliminate the Black Catastrophes.

Although Edaline did not tell the Empress the truth…

As her mother, the Empress could read her daughter's mind with ease.

Constance asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to punish His Highness Rayne?"

The Empress shook her head gently. She did not seem to have any intention of blaming Rayne.

The Empress said, "I don't know how Rayne killed the ancient dragon and disrupted Leta's balance. Logically speaking, this is a serious crime. However… didn't he go to Gold Village later on?"

Gold Village was a place of calamity written in the edict by Goddess Order.

According to the edict left behind by the goddess, the Imperial Guards of Haines had to be on guard against Gold Village at all times and be prepared to deal with the threat underground.

And now, the calamity prophesied by the goddess had broken out and fiends gushed forth from beneath Gold Village in a frenzied manner. In fact, there were even evil god projections summoned to the battlefield.

According to the dwarves, the hero who appeared in the end and turned the tides in a moment of danger to repel Justice was...

Rayne Haines!

The Empress smiled. "Rayne killed Obadiah, but he also calmed down the invasion of the Nether Realm that broke out in Gold Village and won the friendship of the dwarf kings towards Haines. Therefore, his merits and mistakes are balanced. Let's pretend that nothing happened."

Constance lowered her head and did not say anything.

The description of Gold Village in the edict of Goddess Order was vague.

The goddess did not specify what the threat beneath Gold Village was referring to.

Naturally, the Empress assumed it was the invasion of the Nether Realm as well as the evil god projections.

However, in reality…

The thing that Order was truly wary of was probably the super weapon left behind by Original Sequence, Gold Village.

The Empress smiled and said to Constance in relief, "Rayne is a talented child. My intuition has always told me that… However, Thea, I still want to confirm that that child did not do anything dangerous, right?"

The Empress's feelings towards Rayne did not consist solely of doting love.

As a ruler, there was definitely no way Cassius would act arbitrarily and push her child to the throne just because she was overly motherly.

Haines did not belong to Cassius.

It belonged to Goddess Order.

Cassius had to choose a truly qualified leader for Haines.

Rayne was that person fancied by Cassius.

Although Rayne did not have a good reputation outside, his academic performance was outstanding and his qualities satisfied the Empress and his teachers. He had a bright future ahead.

Ever since she was young, the Empress could sense an extraordinary trait from Rayne.

Her intuition told her that this son of hers would definitely achieve unimaginable feats in the future.

And now, Cassius's intuition seemed to be gradually verified.

Even so, killing an ancient dragon and repelling an evil god...

Those achievements seemed a little too terrifying.

Right now, the only thing the Empress was worried about was whether Rayne had made use of some taboo power that he should not have come into contact with.