With everything settled and the secrets of Flame Dragon City unraveled, after bidding farewell to the beautiful woman, Violet crossed over the Fallen Dragon Valley and directly left this Flame Dragon City.

 

The guild tasks would be handled by Miss Anastasia, the city lord and the commissioner.

 

This way, Violet didn’t have to make another trip to submit the completed tasks.

 

Violet had already investigated the space ring that Anastasia had given her. It was a quite decent purple-tier equipment, according to the description. It should be the ancestral token of her family, forged with the essence of the dragon, by the first-generation Countess named Ella Syneil.

 

It seemed to be more of a symbolic item for the family, its significance even greater than its practical use as a space ring.

 

Although the city lord didn’t mention it verbally, it was estimated that she was truly grateful for what Violet had done and had high expectations for her.

 

Inside the ring were a large amount of kingdom gold coins, rare materials produced by Flame Dragon City, some equipment items, and even a purple-grade staff that could amplify healing magic, clearly a gift for Violet.

 

So many things, even for the affluent city lord of Flame Dragon City, Miss Anastasia had truly spared no expense. This had far exceeded the rewards for the recruitment notice and the commission.

 

Although purple-grade equipment wasn’t a big deal for Violet as a top-level player, it was still a product native to this world.

 

Moreover, the power of her artifact 【Eternal Scepter of the World’s Heart】, was too strong. Currently, it was not necessary for Violet, and most of the time, she used it as a melee weapon.

 

With the staff given by the city lord, she could try playing the role of a true squishy priestess for a change.

 

As for the issue of the 【Heart of the Red Dragon】, as Violet mentioned, she didn’t pay too much attention to it, treating it as an optional side quest.

 

However, if this matter was indeed related to the 【Eternal Throne】, there would inevitably be another encounter with the priestess from the Courage City, sooner or later.

 

Several days after leaving Flame Dragon City, Violet and Xiao Guang, in another city, hitched a ride with a merchant caravan using their slightly revealed healing magic.

 

Their next destination was a city known as the Forgotten Land, a city that had fallen into ruins overnight due to committing sacrilege, according to legend. Now, countless undead and ghosts roamed within, and even the Human United Kingdom’s officials chose to ignore it.

 

Of course, the caravan’s goal was not the Forgotten Land, but their route would undoubtedly pass by the vicinity.

 

As long as the living didn’t enter the interior of the Forgotten Land, there wouldn’t be any danger. This was common knowledge among the general public.

 

The reason Violet wanted to come here was because a certain rat had told her that a powerful vampire had been encountered in this area, heavily injured and on the brink of death.

 

Vampires, mysterious creatures that existed only in novels and comics on the Earth. The priestess had long wanted to see one with her own eyes.

 

However, the Seventh Eternal Throne, Prakaka said that it was an old story from a hundred years ago, and Violet didn’t have high hopes that vampires still existed in this area.

 

In any case, they would see when they got there. After all, it was on the way to the capital.

 

Maybe it would turn out to be an interesting adventure~

 

—

 

The capital of the Human United Kingdom, Courage City.

 

“Princess is back to the court!”

 

In the magnificent and grand royal council chamber, adorned in the royal exclusive luxurious gown, crowned with a tiara, the noble and valiant blue-haired girl, the fifth princess, Lilya Melchior, stepped in with elegant strides.

 

Countless ministers of the kingdom, dressed in formal attire, stood on both sides, bowing respectfully to welcome the triumphant princess.

 

“We, as ministers, congratulate Princess Lilya on the great victory over the beastmen, ensuring the peace in our realm. Princess, your wisdom and martial prowess, comparable to any man, are truly the fortune of the kingdom!”

 

Everyone bowed, offering their congratulations. The solemn and dignified cheers resounded through the hall. Although some faces revealed unwillingness, they couldn’t resist the trend and had to follow the crowd in echoing the cheers.

 

Everything Princess Lilya did in the western territories was reported in advance through the military reports. Saving General Leyton, leading the charge against the beastman siege, commanding with skill, and staying calm in the face of danger. Breaking the stalemate, infiltrating enemy territory alone, burning supplies, eliminating bandit dens, and forcing the retreat of a million-strong orc army.

 

Except for those secrets that couldn’t be made public, the military reports almost exaggerated Princess Lilya’s achievements to the extreme.

 

The key was that, in a sense, this was all true.

 

With these great accomplishments, for a time, the prestige of the princess among the courtiers and the common people reached an astonishing level, especially when compared to those princes who were only known for their intrigues. The contrast was striking.

 

A significant portion of the neutral factions with real power rallied under Princess Lilya. Even some non-loyal nobles switched sides, given the current influence of the princess. With her current authority, her brothers could no longer manipulate the parliament to harm her as they did before.

 

“Please rise, everyone.”

 

The crisp and authoritative voice of the princess echoed slowly. In the short month since her departure for the expedition, the demeanor of this young princess seemed to have undergone a transformation, truly embodying the qualities of a ruler.

 

Her beautiful and sharp eyes swept across the high-ranking and privileged nobles. They almost dared not meet her gaze, shifting their eyes uncomfortably. It was the gaze of someone who had experienced warfare, even emerging from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

 

In the minds of many astute nobles, a thought flashed involuntarily.

 

The kingdom is about to change.

 

The princess moved forward with dignity and elegance, finally reaching an unoccupied throne.

 

Seated on either side were three men dressed in luxurious attire and a petite blue-haired girl who appeared to be just over ten years old, like a delicate carving.

 

Human United Kingdom’s Second Prince: Ben Melchior, 31 years old.

 

Human United Kingdom’s Third Prince: Patrick Melchior, 26 years old.

 

Human United Kingdom’s Fourth Prince: Devitt Melchior, 19 years old.

 

Human United Kingdom’s Sixth Princess: Menna Melchior, 12 years old.

 

Together with the 16-year-old Fifth Princess Lilya Melchior, all direct descendants of the Human United Kingdom’s royal family were gathered here.

 

“Three royal brothers, and little sister, I’m back.”

 

“Lilya, my dear sister! It’s so good that you’re safe! Even Menna heard about it. Sister, you’ve been sweeping through the outside world, defeating those beastmen, causing them to flee in disarray. How magnificent!”

 

The youngest princess, Menna, immediately excitedly jumped up and hugged Lilya’s thigh. She also had long sky-blue hair and, being the offspring of the same mother as Lilya, she was visibly closer to her sisters than the half-brothers from different mothers.

 

Though they were only four years apart, due to Lilya having passed through the rapid development stage of females, the little girl’s height didn’t even reach the chest of the Fifth Princess. She looked like an oversized doll.

 

Little Menna’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Lilya with admiration. Her delicately carved face looked exceptionally tender. Wearing a customized matching gown and a small crown, she resembled a shrunken princess.

 

“Hehe, with little Menna cheering for her sister in the capital, winning battles is naturally no problem at all~”

 

Lilya affectionately rubbed the cute princess’s little head, then raised her head, looking at her three adult brothers with a smile that seemed to carry a hint of amusement.

 

“It’s also thanks to the vigorous support of my three royal brothers that Lilya was able to secure this victory. If there’s a chance, the younger sister will surely repay this great favor. Please look forward to it.”

 

“You’re too kind, younger sister. But it’s just the duty of a brother. There’s no need for such repayment.”

 

The eldest among the brothers, Second Prince Ben Melchior, smiled gently. His demeanor was graceful and courteous, neither humble nor arrogant, as if he completely didn’t understand the underlying meaning in Lilya’s words.

 

“Tsk…”

 

The Third Prince, Patrick, just tilted his head slightly, made an indistinct clicking sound with his tongue, and remained silent.

 

“Congratulations, congratulations. Younger sister’s triumphant return is truly a great accomplishment. Although I, your older brother, have always believed in your abilities, I can’t help but feel relieved now. Come, come, take a seat first!”

 

In comparison to the calm Second Prince and the indifferent Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, Devitt, appeared unusually amiable. Although not as close as with the youngest princess, Menna, just by appearances, they could be considered to have a harmonious sibling relationship.

 

“Well… then, thanks to my royal brother,” Lilya said with a smile full of warmth, taking her seat in front of the Fifth Princess’s designated place.

 

The sound of bells and drums echoed, and the music swelled.

 

Next, the rewards for the victorious warriors and the routine proceedings of the council officially commenced.