Chapter 244 The Third Princess

Passing through the ruins of the northern royal family in Liurnia, the squire knights found the path leading to Caria Manor.

This was the last remnant of the Carian Royal Family's power.

Half of its main architectural complex was located at the foot of the mountain, while the other half sat upon the mountain highlands.

A series of sorcerer towers connected the difference in elevation between them.

Though called a manor, it was more like a sorcerer's fortress.

During The Shattering, due to Full Moon Queen Rennala's descent into madness, no one could suppress the conflict between the Moon and the Stars, and the Academy directly betrayed the Carian Royal Family.

Numerous Cuckoo Knights had come to attack the manor.

To defend against them, magic traps were spread both inside and outside the manor.

In terms of the final outcome, neither side gained any advantage.

The Cuckoo Knights were heavily damaged and could hardly be rebuilt, while the manor also suffered heavy casualties and could only cut off contact with the outside world, effectively becoming sealed off.

As a Carian Knight, Mugram naturally knew how to enter the manor.

At least, that was what he said himself.

The full-of-confidence knight took the lead at the front, only to be blown ten meters high by a magic trap.

"Cough, cough... It seems the people in the manor have changed the trap layout again."

Mugram quickly scrambled up from the ground, patted the dust off his body, and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Set up camp outside the manor; Mugram and I will go inside alone,"

Chen Nuo ordered the squire knights behind him.

"Wait a moment, I know another safe path. Following me will definitely be fine."

Mugram was still trying to salvage his lost dignity.

As a self-proclaimed local, how could he be flipped over by his own home's traps?

But Chen Nuo ignored him and moved forward on Torrent; in his vision, the flow of magic from the traps was as clear as fireflies in the night.

Seeing Chen Nuo pass through safely all the way, Mugram secretly curled his lip.

If he had this ability to evade traps, he should have said so earlier instead of letting him get blown up for nothing.

Guarding the outskirts of the manor now were no longer humans, but a kind of strange and terrifying monster known as the Fingercreeper.

At first glance, they looked like two human hands joined together.

These monsters usually buried themselves underground, waiting for a fated person to fall into their trap, then they would snap shut to ravage and strangle them.

Occasionally, large hands could be seen roaming the territory with small hands.

Amidst the strangeness, there was actually a hint of familial affection.

Caria Manor indeed had few people left, having almost abandoned the outskirts, allowing it to become a paradise for monsters.

Originally, Radagon's divorce had taken away a lot of the royal property, and he had even taken all the heirs; the manor later suffered the Academy's betrayal, and the successive heavy blows had left the royal family unable to recover their strength to this day.

Besides the Fingercreepers, there were many spirit soldiers on the manor's outskirts; the royal family used magic to preserve part of the strength and consciousness of these loyal guards, allowing them to continue guarding the manor.

Mugram had indeed not lied.

The trap layout outside the manor had indeed changed, but the safe routes inside the manor remained the same.

With him leading the way, they did not disturb the sleeping spirits of the manor.

However, harassment from the Fingercreepers was unavoidable.

"These disgusting things, their numbers are really increasing."

Mugram said as he thrust his sword into the ground.

A Fingercreeper surged out in pain, trying to cover and ravage him beneath it.

This was their most common method of attack.

Mugram slashed back, his knight's sword emitting a faint glintstone light, splitting the Fingercreeper right down the middle.

After passing through the outskirts, they could finally see normal guards.

A Troll wielding a Troll Knight's Sword.

Compared to the Fingercreepers and spirits from before, a Troll was indeed considered normal.

"Knight Commander!"

The Troll's thick, low voice rang out, initially sounding a bit surprised, but then he questioned,

"Why are you not at the Queen's side guarding her?"

"I have reached an agreement with the Academy's new ruler and have brought him here to discuss peace with Royal Knight Loretta,"

Mugram explained.

"What right does that group of traitors have to talk about peace with us!"

The Troll Knight shouted angrily.

"This is not for you to consider. Take us to see Loretta."

Mugram's tone grew heavier.

As members of the Carian Knights, Mugram was effectively the Troll Knight's direct superior; if he became serious, the Troll Knight would not dare to be insolent or overstep again.

However, a bit of difficulty appeared on the Troll Knight's face, as if he had encountered something hard to mention.

"Did something happen?"

Mugram's tone changed, feeling a sense of unease.

"...The Royal Knight is not in the manor right now."

The Troll Knight hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"What? How dare she desert her post!"

Mugram barked angrily.

The Troll Knight's expression was somewhat complex, as if to say,

Are you not the same, having left the Queen's side?

There was still a bit of a difference, as the situation at the Academy had changed after all.

Mugram could no longer continue his previous ways, and since he was only one person, he had come to Caria Manor with the idea of having the royal family send more guards for the Queen.

This had also received Chen Nuo's permission.

After all, as a male knight, it was indeed not ideal for him to always be serving before the Queen, as it could easily lead to gossip.

"Then who is leading you now?"

Mugram discovered the blind spot.

Hearing this, the Troll Knight lowered his head somewhat awkwardly.

A Troll Knight was still a knight.

He was part of the noble leadership class; with the Royal Knight gone, it could only be him stepping up.

"..."

"..."

"However, Lady Loretta did leave a portion of her strength and consciousness behind."

The Troll Knight remembered something and added.

"Take me to see her!"

Mugram's tone became very unpleasant.

Chen Nuo stayed where he was, not participating in the ensuing conversation, but from the faint sounds coming from ahead, it wasn't hard to tell that the argument between the two sides was quite heated.

A moment later, Mugram returned with a dark face.

He had originally thought Loretta left for some urgent matter, but he never expected she had actually gone to find Miquella's Haligtree.

This was simply unreasonable and unimaginable.

A dignified Royal Knight had actually abandoned her duty and honor for the sake of the Albinaurics.

If not for the Queen's poor condition, Mugram would absolutely launch an indictment against Loretta, completely stripping her of her knightly status and bringing her back to face the judgment of the law.

"What about that Highness? You didn't invite her out?"

Mugram asked, trying his best to calm his emotions.

The one he could refer to as 'Highness' was naturally only a child of the Full Moon Queen, and the only one still in the Liurnia region was that one princess.

However, due to various reasons, there was a deep rift between the Carian Royal Family and the three children of the Full Moon Queen.

Strictly speaking, after Radagon took the Queen's children and remarried into the Golden Dynasty, those three legitimate children of the Full Moon were no longer part of the Carian Royal Family.

Yet, that was where the awkwardness lay.

The Queen was currently unable to handle affairs, and the entire Carian Royal Family couldn't even find a legally legitimate heir. This was a fatal problem for the continuation of their rule.

If it were merely because of the 'remarriage', the Carian Royal Family could have held their noses and accepted the three Highnesses.

After all, given the current state of affairs, they really couldn't afford to be picky.

But the problem was that the first and second princes each ruled their own territories and had no intention of returning to inherit the Carian throne, having long since cut off contact. The only one who returned, the third princess, had somehow lost her own body.

Now she could only reside within a puppet.

Factually speaking, the third princess was already considered dead.

How could a dead person inherit the throne?

Was the Carian populace supposed to worship a puppet?

It would be better to pray for the Full Moon Queen to make a royal return; that would be much easier for people to accept.

Furthermore, due to the 'Night of the Black Knives', the Princess could not step onto the public stage, as that would invite pursuit from the Two Fingers.

"We haven't gone to pay our respects to the Princess for a long time. For some reason, a Glintstone Dragon has been lingering around the Three Sisters towers, blocking the way."

The Troll Knight said with an embarrassed expression.

Well, given the current state of Caria Manor, they were indeed powerless to go out and deal with a Glintstone Dragon. Even if the crusade were successful, it would drain the manor's last remaining forces.

Mugram subconsciously looked at Chen Nuo.

"Let's go, what are we waiting for?"

Chen Nuo naturally knew what the other party wanted to say.

Many Albinaurics did indeed live outside Caria Manor; they were likely taken in by Loretta. This knight lived up to the vows she once made, though she had somewhat failed the Carian Royal Family.

There were first-generation and second-generation Albinaurics.

The former were fine, but the latter looked just like frogs.

With the Troll Knight leading, these Albinaurics naturally wouldn't try to attack Chen Nuo and the others, only keeping their distance from afar.

Continuing further west, they saw the Glintstone Dragon, Adula, wandering beneath a sorcerer's tower.

Chen Nuo caught it with its back turned, took a large leaping start, grabbed the Glintstone Dragon's head, and slammed it hard into the ground.

Only a dull thud was heard.

Completely unaware of what had happened, the Glintstone Dragon only felt a sharp pain in its jaw, followed by its vision going dark as it lost consciousness.

Counting this one, Chen Nuo already had nearly ten Glintstone Dragons under his command; he could form a Glintstone Dragon Knight order, and now he just needed to find suitable knights for them.

The Troll Knight couldn't help but swallow his saliva at this sight.

Now he truly felt the sincerity of the Academy's peace.

Without the obstacle of the Glintstone Dragon, the road ahead was naturally smooth, and the group soon arrived at Ranni's sorcerer tower.

As if having known of the guests' arrival long ago, the barrier field on the sorcerer's tower had been deactivated.

Mugram and the Troll Knight did not step onto the tower with Chen Nuo, but waited below.

"You've come."

The girl sat on a chair, with several books padded beneath her.

This way, when facing visitors, she wouldn't have to look up at them.

It couldn't be helped; the puppet housing her soul was made somewhat small, to the point where her toes couldn't even touch the ground.

"Should I call you Renna the Witch, or Princess Ranni?"

Chen Nuo asked.

"Apologies, it was not my intention to deceive; it is just that my true identity would invite the malice of certain people,"

Ranni explained softly.

"Because of the Night of the Black Knives?"

"Indeed. It seems you already know. I once stole a fragment of the Rune of Death, and through a ritual, forged the God-slaying Black Knives. Using them, I killed and cast away my empyrean flesh."

Ranni spoke candidly.

Fortunately, yet unfortunately, Ranni had been chosen as an Empyrean, qualified to ascend to godhood just like Queen Marika.

But she had no intention of following the path chosen by the Two Fingers.

To escape their control, Ranni killed her own body.

And that Black Knife eventually pierced Godwyn's body, killing the soul of the firstborn of the Golden Lineage.

Ranni was a primary participant in the Night of the Black Knives.

But the actual mastermind was not her alone.

From various clues, it seemed Eternal Queen Marika was also involved, as those who held the Black Knives to kill Godwyn were numens of the same race as her.

Furthermore, without the Queen's tacit consent, how could Ranni have stolen a portion of the Rune of Death?

One must know that the Rune of Death was originally guarded by Maliketh.

This sworn brother and Shadow Beast of the Queen was one of the most powerful beings in The Lands Between.

It was he who helped Marika ascend to godhood all the way.

It was even possible that Godwyn himself was a willing victim, in order to become the 'First of the Dead', perfect the golden order, and then be resurrected through a ritual.

Only a small problem occurred in the middle.

However, with the Elden Ring shattered and Queen Marika imprisoned and punished, the truth of the Night of the Black Knives was completely shrouded in mist.

Even Ranni herself was only clear on half the truth.

But the current chaos in The Lands Between indeed began with her stealing a fragment of the Rune of Death.

"So, Princess, do you intend to sit here forever? Caria's royal family, knights, and subjects are thirsting for guidance."

Chen Nuo's gaze passed through the puppet and fell upon the girl's soul.

"You may call me Ranni."

Ranni paused slightly after speaking, then continued.

"This puppet body is not as free as I imagined; I often have to fall into deep slumber. Moreover, I do not have much sentiment for the Carian Royal Family; all I care about is my mother."

Mentioning the Full Moon Queen, Ranni's eyes held a trace of resentment.

She couldn't help but think of her experience of being beaten up by someone.

When she was manipulating the power left by her mother, her consciousness was naturally immersed in it, and the result was predictable.

"Apologies, it was I who disturbed the Queen back then,"

Chen Nuo apologized, reading the meaning in her eyes.

Ranni nodded slightly, accepting the apology, and her mood improved quite a bit.

"In that case, I know what needs to be done,"

Chen Nuo followed up.

Since the current legitimate heir to the throne had abandoned Caria, if Chen Nuo took over, who else could say no?

"Tarnished Excellency, I can make a trade with you, if you are willing,"

Ranni spoke up.

"Call me Nuo, Ranni."

Chen Nuo looked at her, and as he listened to her statement, his expression gradually became strange.