Chapter 831: Candle Of Life 2

"They were not just rookie assassins... they were elite. Assassins who had never failed a mission, no matter how dangerous. And yet... how could they die now?!"

Nyx slammed her fist onto the table in fury, her nails grazing the wood. The surface immediately began to rot and decompose under her touch.

As hard as it was to believe, the truth was undeniable. Her four elite assassins were dead.

The Candle of Life confirmed it. Each candle was bound to a soul, its flame proof that the person lived. If the flame went out on its own, it meant only one thing—death. Either slain by another, or dead by accident or illness, the flame reflected the exact state of the person’s life.

And so long as the person remained alive, the flame would never extinguish. It would even burn at the bottom of the sea. A marvel of Enchantment Magic and Alchemy.

Yet now, four flames had vanished at once. Four lives snuffed out. The sight had shaken Nyx more than she would ever admit.

Worse still, these were not ordinary killers. They were elites, veterans of countless assassinations. For them to be wiped out so quickly was something she had never considered possible.

Nyx sank back into her chair and drew a long breath, her sharp gaze fixed on the ceiling. A strange unease crept into her expression. For the first time, she wondered if she had made a grave mistake.

"How...? How did they get themselves killed when their target was nothing more than a single woman? This is utterly impossible!" she muttered, disbelief twisting her face.

A few moments later, she called her assistant into the office and ordered her to gather everything available on Queen Mireya. Nyx had a feeling that the Elven Queen was far from simple.

After all, those four could stand toe-to-toe with someone like Kaelrath, the leader of the Dragon Blood Tribe—one of the most powerful beings on the Beast Continent.

And yet, Mireya had lived. Worse, her assassins had perished. Nyx was certain now: Princess Lindsey had left out key details about this woman.

Some time later, her assistant returned with a heavy stack of documents in her arms.

"My Lady, I’ve collected everything available on Queen Mireya. Shall I place them on the table?"

"Please do. I’ll read them while I drink," Nyx replied with a nod, already producing a bottle of wine and a glass.

Sensing her mistress’s foul mood, the assistant hesitated before asking carefully, "My Lady... is something troubling you? You don’t seem like yourself today. What happened?"

"It’s a long story... Four of our elite assassins lost their lives. Their Candles of Life went out just moments ago," Nyx replied, taking a deep breath to steady her emotions.

"What?! That’s impossible! There’s no way four of our elite assassins could be killed during a mission! That’s absurd!" the assistant shouted, disbelief etched on her face as her eyes widened in shock.

Nyx sighed heavily and said, "I know it’s difficult to accept, but it’s the truth. The Candles of Life extinguished on their own. That means they’re gone."

"Unfortunately, this time we made a grave blunder. We didn’t investigate the target properly before sending them." She shook her head in frustration, pouring herself a drink before sinking back into her chair.

A few moments later, the assistant quietly excused herself, leaving Nyx alone in silence to cool her fury.

Losing four elites was a devastating blow to the organization, one that would cripple their influence if she didn’t replace them quickly. Nyx knew she had to act fast or the Green Viper Organization would suffer backlash.

As she sipped her wine, Nyx began reading through the reports on Queen Mireya. Page after page fueled her anger, her expression growing darker with every line.

By the time she finished, her teeth were grinding in fury. She slammed her fist onto the table, leaving a massive dent and staining the wood black with her poison.

"That little princess from the Golden Lion Empire deceived me! She gave me incomplete details about Queen Mireya—and because of her, my assassins died, and I’ve suffered this massive loss!" Nyx hissed.

The papers in her hand began to discolor, her poison seeping through them. In seconds, the reports crumbled into dust, erased by her venomous touch.

"I’ll make sure she pays for fooling me... but first, I’ll demand compensation. A business cannot run on losses." Nyx let out a sharp laugh, a grin splitting her face before her eyes turned as cold as ice.

"Ten million gold coins will suffice... After all, I accepted the contract, and I won’t abandon it," she whispered, her voice bone-chilling.

—

The following morning, Emperor Raghar sat with his family at breakfast. Yet, one seat remained empty—Princess Lindsey’s.

"Where is Lindsey? Why hasn’t she come out of her room yet?" he asked his wife with furrowed brows, puzzled by her absence.

His daughter had never once missed a meal with the family. For her not to appear now, without warning, was deeply unsettling in Raghar’s eyes.

"I’m not entirely sure what she’s up to. But I was informed last night that she had been working very late," Empress Lyra said with a small chuckle, defending her daughter. "Perhaps she’s still asleep, exhausted from overworking."

"I see... Considering how quickly her business and influence are expanding, it’s only natural for her to feel overwhelmed by the workload," Emperor Raghar replied with a nod, his tone understanding as he continued eating his breakfast.

"Don’t worry too much about her. She’s a grown woman now," Empress Lyra said again with a reassuring smile. "I’ll have the maids send food to her room as soon as possible."

A few moments later, Lyra’s smile faded, and she looked at her husband with a more serious expression. "Have you discovered who was responsible for destroying the dam we were building?"

"We did." Emperor Raghar’s voice grew cold as his expression hardened. "It was Queen Mireya. That nasty bitch! She mocked us outright by destroying the dam!"

His voice deepened with rage. "Not only that, she brazenly disregarded treaties and invaded my territory without a single formal request. Such audacity is a direct insult to me and to our empire!"

"Unforgivable! That is not the conduct of a queen. She acted like a barbarian—lawless and without discipline!" Raghar snarled before rising abruptly, his footsteps echoing through the dining hall as he stormed away.

He returned to his study, immersing himself in his endless work. As Emperor of the Golden Lion Empire, the weight of countless responsibilities pressed on his shoulders, and dozens of documents awaited his signature.

Yet another problem loomed: he had to recover the fortune he had sunk into the dam project. Two million gold coins had been poured into it—an immense sum that would take years to replace.

And on top of that, he had to prepare for an important meeting later that day, where the noble families would gather to discuss the empire’s future.

As he finished signing the last document, the door opened and Empress Lyra entered his study with a smile. She sat gracefully on the sofa without speaking at first, simply watching him.

"I need to tell you something important... something that concerns the future of our family," she said at last, her tone quiet but heavy with meaning, her eyes avoiding his.

"What is it that worries you so much?" Emperor Raghar asked, raising his brows as he moved to sit beside her.

"Did you know that our daughter Lindsey went to the Lawless City a few nights ago? Without informing us where she was heading?" Empress Lyra asked. Her voice was soft, but the weight it carried made Emperor Raghar stiffen immediately.

"I... I don’t know. When? And how?" Raghar’s brows furrowed in confusion, his heart sinking at the mention of that cursed place. Why would his daughter ever go there?

The Lawless City was the most dangerous place on the entire continent—a cesspool where criminals roamed freely and crimes were committed every hour of the day.

Hundreds died daily in that place, and every kind of illegal trade thrived there. No nation dared to intervene, for the city was controlled by four powerful criminal organizations.

After a long silence, Empress Lyra finally spoke again, her tone heavy, trembling with concern for the empire’s future.

"Our spies in the city reported that Lindsey was seen making contact with the Green Viper Organization—the most powerful and influential syndicate in the entire continent," Lyra revealed.

Her eyes darkened. "I don’t feel right about this... and I cannot imagine why she would go to such a filthy place in the first place."

"As her father, I thought you should know what our daughter has been doing. It’s dangerous enough for a young woman to walk those streets, but to consort with contract killers is reckless beyond measure."

Lyra stood and began walking toward the door. She stopped halfway, turned back to face him, and said firmly, "I hope you make the right decision for her... I don’t want Lindsey to regret her choices later."

"I’ll look into it..." Emperor Raghar muttered, his voice low. Shock left him reeling, his mind struggling to process the news.

A cold dread spread in his chest as he whispered to himself, "If she truly placed a bounty on the Elven Queen out of hatred... then we are walking into a disaster."

His face hardened with concern.

—

Meanwhile, Yuan was practicing his sword techniques in the training grounds of the Royal Palace, his wives sparring and cultivating nearby.

"H-How is he swinging that enormous sword like that?! Is it not heavy?!" Kitsura gasped, stunned as she watched Yuan maneuver the Empyreal Oblivion with terrifying grace.

Despite the weapon’s massive size and crushing weight, Yuan wielded it as though it were nothing more than a stick—so effortlessly that it seemed unreal, almost like the blade itself was an illusion.

’To handle a sword of that size with such ease... his strength must be beyond anything I’ve ever seen. To call him a monster wouldn’t even be wrong.’ Kitsura swallowed nervously, her throat dry as she struggled to comprehend the impossible sight before her.