Chapter 770: Imperial Decree

"I-Isn’t this the main door of the Holy Church?!" Princess Livia exclaimed, pointing her trembling finger at the massive silver door, which was ten inches thick. "Why do you have it with you?"

"I just thought it would be wasteful to destroy it, so I brought it here and decided to give it to you. I don’t really have any use for it," Yuan replied casually.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Family stared at Yuan with wide-open eyes, their expressions filled with disbelief. But soon, that disbelief turned into admiration. They were genuinely moved by the kindness Yuan had shown them.

"I can’t find the right words to thank you, Yuan. I’m truly grateful for your generosity," Emperor Lucien said, lowering his head slightly. He couldn’t think of any other way to express his gratitude.

"Husband..."

"Father..."

Princess Livia and Empress Elendriel were also surprised by the scene, but they didn’t try to stop him. They understood that no words could express how much they owed Yuan.

"There’s no need for thanks. As I said, I don’t need it, so it’s yours now," Yuan replied with a gentle smile. "Besides that door, I have a few other items that are useless to us."

Yuan then retrieved all the magic weapons and potions he had found in the Holy Church’s treasury and laid them on the floor for the Imperial Family to see.

When the huge pile of treasure suddenly appeared—just like the silver door—the Imperial Family was left speechless.

"These weapons and potions are of no use to us. I was thinking about selling them for a low price, but considering your empire’s current condition, I’ve decided to give them to you instead," Yuan explained before they could even ask.

"I hope these treasures help your empire recover and flourish. Use them wisely," Yuan added with a faint smile.

He and his wives exchanged amused glances at the Imperial Family’s stunned expressions, then quietly left the treasury, leaving them alone to admire the treasure Yuan had gifted them.

—

Once they returned to their room, they all settled into the massive bed. Yuan retrieved the items he had collected from the Imperial Treasury and laid them out for everyone to examine.

"I didn’t expect to find such valuable medicinal herbs in the treasury of a mere mortal. It’s quite surprising," Fang Xiaoyan said, smiling as she carefully studied the herbs laid out on the table.

"Indeed. For once, I actually agree with you, dumb chicken," Xi Meili said with a teasing grin.

"What did you just say?!" Fang Xiaoyan’s forehead twitched, a vein popping out as she glared at Xi Meili with a furious expression.

"What? What did I say?" Xi Meili asked innocently, pretending as if she hadn’t said anything provocative.

"You two, stop bickering. Aren’t you sisters? Sisters shouldn’t fight each other," Yuan sighed softly, shaking his head in mild exasperation.

"She’s the one who started it..." Fang Xiaoyan muttered, still glaring at Xi Meili before looking away with a pout.

Meanwhile, Xi Meili put on a pitiful expression, her eyes shimmering like a puppy as she looked at Yuan.

"Alright, that’s enough. We have a serious matter to discuss with the Imperial Family," Yuan said, making both Xi Meili and Fang Xiaoyan lower their heads. "And since we’ve given them so many treasures for free, they’ll definitely help us."

He then turned to Mireya and Sylvia, who were both watching him with calm, composed expressions. They had spoken with the rescued elves earlier and were feeling somewhat relieved—none of them had been harmed by the Holy Church.

However, rescuing the other elves who were still enslaved by the empire’s nobles was a different story. That task wouldn’t be easy. Those nobles had spent large sums of money acquiring the elves, and worse, the natural beauty of elven women made them highly coveted. Because of this, most nobles would likely refuse to release them.

If the Emperor’s words weren’t enough to convince them, Yuan had no intention of standing by and watching. He would take immediate action—resorting to the hard way, if necessary—to free the enslaved elves.

"Are the women we rescued doing well in the palace?" Yuan asked Mireya, a gentle smile gracing his lips. He was genuinely concerned for their well-being after everything they had endured.

Not only had those elven women suffered physical abuse at the hands of the Holy Church, but they had also endured emotional trauma. Thankfully, none of them had broken completely.

"They’re slowly getting used to the new environment," Mireya replied with a soft smile, though her voice carried underlying pain and rage. "They’ve suffered so much at the hands of those scums. Once they return to my kingdom, I believe they’ll begin to heal."

"I see... Well, after we return from the Blank Clan, we’ll take them back to your kingdom safely. I’m also curious about your homeland," Yuan added, turning his gaze affectionately to both Mireya and Sylvia. "I’d love to see the place where my two beautiful elf wives grew up."

"Indeed," Sylvia spoke, nodding her head before Mireya could reply. "However, I’m still worried about their safety. Once we leave the city, there’s a high chance the nobles will try to reclaim the elves by force. The palace’s defense is currently too weak."

With a stern look in her eyes, she continued, "And since many of these nobles are connected to mercenary groups, they could easily hire them to attack the palace and seize control of the Empire. Human greed for power has no bounds—they’d go to any lengths to gain strength and control."

"I share the same concern," Mireya agreed with a firm nod. "Those nobles absolutely might try something reckless."

After a moment of thought, Yuan offered a solution. "Well, if you’re that worried about their safety, how about we send them into the Secret Realm? They’ll be completely safe there. Once we reach the Beast Continent, we can bring them out again."

Mireya and Sylvia exchanged glances, surprised by his suggestion. For a moment, they had forgotten that Yuan still carried the Secret Realm with him—and that he could open a portal to it at will.

"Let’s do this. We can use Miss Zara’s building to accommodate them, but we’ll need to set up formations to keep them safe from the powerful monsters that exist inside the Secret Realm," Mireya said, nodding in agreement. This was by far the safest and most practical option. This way, they wouldn’t need to return to the city just to escort the elven women back to the Elven Kingdom later.

"That’s it. Now let’s go and have a conversation with the Imperial Family about freeing your people," Yuan said to Mireya and Sylvia with a gentle smile before standing up from the bed.

"I agree. We must hurry. Those poor women are suffering even as we speak. We can’t waste a single moment idling," Sylvia nodded firmly, standing up before following him out of the room.

Anna, Grace, and the others followed right behind them. None of them wanted to be left behind—they all felt a strong desire to help those women who were still suffering under such injustice.

They weren’t self-proclaimed heroes or anything like that, but these women were the people of their two sisters. And that was more than enough reason not to turn a blind eye.

—

A few moments later, Yuan and his wives were sitting across from the Imperial Family, who appeared slightly nervous, unsure of what kind of conversation this would turn out to be.

"Yuan, what is it you wish to discuss with us?" Empress Elendriel asked, her expression curious and open. "Speak your mind. We will definitely try our best to help you all."

"It’s nothing too demanding, so I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t want to waste your time," Yuan replied calmly.

After that, he explained the situation in detail to the Imperial Family.

Once he finished, the Imperial Family exchanged glances—particularly toward Mireya and Sylvia, who sat quietly beside Yuan.

"Your Majesty, on behalf of the people of the Holy Light Empire, I sincerely apologize for the suffering my citizens have inflicted upon your people," Emperor Lucien said as he bowed his head toward Mireya. "We were powerless to stop the Holy Church from committing such evil... and for failing to protect those poor women."

After all, sitting before him was none other than the Queen of the Elven Kingdom, Elarindor—the Twilight Veil—Queen Mireya Syltheriel Moonshade. A monarch who had ruled for over two centuries—long before he was even born—and a woman widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential figures on the Beast Continent.

"It’s fine. This wasn’t your fault," Mireya replied gently, a graceful smile on her face. "The Holy Church and the corrupt nobles are to blame for this. You’ve done more than enough by sheltering the women we rescued."

"But still, my people are responsible, and as an apology, I’ll do everything within my power to free the rest of your people from the noble households," Emperor Lucien said, his tone resolute and laced with a deep sense of justice for the enslaved elven women.

He continued in a heavy, commanding voice, "I will immediately issue a decree banning slavery in my empire. All slaves must be released within a single day. Anyone who fails to comply will face life imprisonment—or worse!"

A smile appeared on Mireya and Sylvia’s faces as soon as they heard those words. They felt genuinely thankful toward Emperor Lucien for his swift and decisive action against the injustice committed toward their people.

Without wasting a moment, Lucien immediately took out a pen and a piece of parchment, writing down the decree in elegant strokes before stamping it with the Imperial Seal—officially declaring it a royal order.

"Servant, summon the newly appointed minister at once," he commanded firmly. "I want to issue this decree across the entire empire. It’s a matter of utmost urgency."

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I shall bring him here as soon as possible," the servant replied respectfully. After bowing, the servant promptly left the chamber to carry out the emperor’s order.

Once the room settled again, Emperor Lucien turned to Mireya and said, "It’s done. However, I must admit—I can’t guarantee that everyone will obey the decree. Some nobles may dare to resist or even rebel against this decision."

"Don’t worry," Yuan responded coldly, his voice sharp as a blade. "If they dare defy your order, we’ll use force to free the elves from their grasp. Even if it means slaughtering them all, we won’t hesitate."

His words were heavy, laced with killing intent. Silence fell across the room like a thick blanket of fog.

"It’s alright," Mireya replied calmly, her tone steady. "We understand. After all, it will take time for your decree to reach every noble household in the empire. We will wait."

—

Meanwhile, the news of the Holy Church’s destruction spread like wildfire—sweeping across the entire continent and even reaching distant lands beyond.

People everywhere were stunned. The fall of a mighty force like the Holy Church was unthinkable. Yet it had happened. It was a moment of disbelief and awe.

But while many were shocked, most people were filled with joy and relief. The Holy Church’s tyranny had plagued the continent for too long. Among those who celebrated was the infamous Golden Skull Organization. With the Holy Church gone, they no longer had a powerful rival standing in their way—nothing to stop them from pursuing control over the continent.

—

Inside a dark chamber within the Golden Skull Organization’s headquarters, a secret meeting was underway. The room was dimly lit, filled with powerful figures from various corners of the continent. Each of them wore a golden mask, concealing their identities.

"What do you all think is the real reason the Holy Church lost this war?" the leader of the Golden Skull Organization asked, his deep voice echoing through the chamber, radiating authority. "Do you believe a god from the High Heaven aided the Lionheart Empire?"