Chapter 315: Fate Holder - Aldric comeback

"You’re saying the Insect King has started to awaken?"

"That..." The staff member faltered at the Queen’s words, stammering, "I’m not entirely certain. The Elders said it’s still unclear whether it’s the Insect King or the Insect Queen."

"Ah!" Catherine’s frown deepened, a look of growing concern in her eyes. "Let’s go. Take me to Sector 7."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the staff member replied, bowing his head.

Seeing this, Aldric quickly asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any orders for me?"

Catherine glanced at Aldric, then said, "Follow me."

"Yes, my Queen," Aldric answered respectfully.

...

Aldric gazed out through the car window and saw a district completely shrouded in advanced magic.

The Queen stepped out of the car up ahead, and Aldric hurried after her.

They reached an area guarded by soldiers.

Upon seeing Catherine, the guards instantly dropped to one knee, bowing respectfully.

Catherine was clearly in a hurry; she merely waved her hand, and the magical barrier before her parted to reveal a passage.

Aldric said nothing, silently following Catherine inside.

The two entered a long corridor, eventually arriving at an elevator that carried them down to the lower levels.

Aldric had no idea how far down they went or how long the descent took.

He only knew the elevator moved slowly downward, taking nearly five minutes to reach their destination.

During those five minutes, Aldric’s heart pounded ceaselessly, as if it might leap from his chest.

The Queen’s alluring scent drifted toward him, making him slightly dizzy.

Yet Aldric always reminded himself that this was the Queen—the most noble woman in the Empire.

For someone of lowly birth like himself, simply being able to breathe the same air as the Queen at such close proximity was already the greatest blessing of his life.

"Are you alright?" Catherine asked as she exited the elevator, turning back with a frown when she noticed Aldric’s flushed face and ragged breathing.

Startled, Aldric quickly bowed his head. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I... I’m just a little nervous to stand so close to you."

Catherine: "..."

"You—"

Fearing Catherine might misunderstand, Aldric hurriedly explained, "My noble Queen, I harbor no ill intentions toward you."

"It’s just that... I truly admire you. You are like my idol, my guiding light."

"That’s why, when I stand beside you, I... I can’t help but feel a little nervous."

Hearing Aldric’s explanation, Catherine let out a soft sigh of relief. "You... very well, I won’t hold it against you. There’s no need for you to be so formal—just treat me as you would your mentor."

"Yes, my Queen," Aldric replied, bowing respectfully.

After a brief moment, Aldric followed behind Catherine into a strange chamber.

The room was enormous, filled with all manner of machines and stone tablets engraved with odd runes. The runes glowed and flickered, as if signaling something urgent.

In the center of the room stood two massive stone pillars, connected by countless chains.

The pillars had four sides, each perfectly flat as if carved by a laser, and each face bore a magical symbol emitting a strange light.

This was Aldric’s first time in such a place, and he was genuinely surprised, with a thousand questions rising in his heart.

But he knew very well what should—and should not—be asked.

So he simply maintained his silence.

The room was filled with figures in black robes and scientists in white lab coats.

When they saw Catherine enter, they all stopped their work and knelt to the ground.

Catherine waved her hand, "There’s no need for that, continue with your work."

At her command, everyone nodded quickly and returned to their respective tasks.

At that moment, the Grand Elder stepped forward and bowed his head to Catherine. "Empress, forgive me for the intrusion, but... it appears both the Insect King and Insect Queen are showing signs of imminent awakening."

Catherine’s gaze turned grave and worried. "So which is it? Queen or King?"

"I..." The Grand Elder hesitated. "Forgive me, Empress. At present, we cannot say for certain. Both magical pillars are emitting warning signals, so we cannot determine which is about to awaken."

"It could be the King, or the Queen—or... perhaps both."

Upon hearing this, Catherine took a deep breath, her face turning pale, a flash of killing intent passing through her eyes before quickly vanishing.

"Have the other Sages already performed the ritual?" Catherine pressed, her brow furrowing.

"They have, but... the ritual failed," the Grand Elder replied. "It seems there is an immensely powerful magical barrier preventing any divination."

"They also attempted celestial divination, but that too was blocked."

"As if... the currents of fate themselves have become completely tangled. Nothing can be foreseen any longer."

Catherine frowned, gazing at the two stone pillars before her. "How much time do we have left?"

The Grand Elder wiped sweat from his brow and answered, "Empress, in truth, right now we can’t predict when the Insect King and Queen will awaken.

However, both the researchers and the Sages believe it will likely happen within a month, or possibly even sooner."

"A month?!" Catherine murmured, her face ashen, as if confronted by some unspeakable terror.

"That’s far too soon. We won’t be able to gather all our forces in time."

"Your Majesty, actually... there

is

a way to know for certain whether the Insect King and Queen are truly about to awaken," the Grand Elder spoke up.

"Speak!" Catherine ordered at once.

The Grand Elder drew a deep breath, then explained, "Your Majesty, the area where the Insect King and Queen are imprisoned is an independent space.

Even so, we can access it without the key to the ’Trial Space,’ as long as we calibrate the coordinates correctly.

But... we only have one chance, and we can only send a single person in.

Once inside, that person’s level will be forcibly restricted to level 5, no matter how strong they are outside."

"I will go," Catherine declared immediately.

The Grand Elder sighed, "Your Majesty, while we dearly wish to send you, it’s impossible.

You have already surpassed level 10. If we try to send you, it’s likely many problems will occur during transit."

"Tsk!" Catherine gritted her teeth, her hands clenched so tightly they trembled.

"I’ll go!"

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out.

Everyone turned to look at the speaker—a young man, strikingly handsome, his face filled with unwavering resolve and calm.

"You?" Catherine frowned at Aldric, but then, quite suddenly, she sensed that he was in fact the best candidate for this task.

"That’s right, you are by far the most dazzling candidate for this mission," Catherine said with a smile. "Grand Elder, I choose him."

The Grand Elder’s expression twisted with discomfort. He quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, I believe our General is a more suitable candidate. He—"

"The General? Don’t even think about it." Catherine waved her hand, frowning. "He still needs to command the army. If the Insect King and Insect Queen truly awaken, he will play a vital role in the coming battle."

"But... Aldric, he... he’s not strong enough." The Grand Elder wanted to continue, but Aldric suddenly spoke out.

"Grand Elder... I know you don’t trust me. But... please entrust this mission to me."

Aldric declared with determination, "I have sworn to devote everything to the Empire—even my life and soul.

I

will

accomplish this mission, even if it costs me my life."

"But..." The Grand Elder faltered, as if wanting to say something more.

"You heard him," Catherine spoke up. "He wants to carry out this mission, and besides, he truly is the best choice."

"He... is the disciple of

that

person."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Elder swallowed hard, sweat trickling down his face as if he feared something deeply.

Catherine continued, "When you enter that world, everyone’s level will be suppressed to level 5, correct?"

"He has already reached level 8, and besides, both his talent and his hero are suited for the kind of situation awaiting in the Trial Space."

"I don’t see anyone more suitable than him."

The Grand Elder took a deep breath, wanting to protest further, but when he saw Catherine’s increasingly impatient gaze, he could only nod.

"My Empress, you are right," he sighed. "Aldric truly is... the most suitable person for this task."