Chapter 428: [Blessing Oath]

“Mara…”

Shien repeated the name silently in his heart.

He had a feeling that he couldn’t ignore this woman named Mara.

If she was truly the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, then Shien had a reason to target her.

He hadn’t forgotten that debt.

And this woman was clearly not simple.

“I investigated her, but I couldn’t find anything about her background. It’s as if she appeared out of thin air. She first appeared in the Raifurut household, and I couldn’t find any information about her identity or background before that.”

Harvis’s tone was filled with apprehension and hatred towards Mara.

“But she is undoubtedly a tumor in the Empire, and the enemy who harmed my father, my mother, and possibly my sister.”

This time, Harvis came here to find an opportunity to bring down Mara.

“My father has gone mad, completely bewitched by Mara. He didn’t even ask a single question when something happened to Capeline.”

“He no longer listens to me. If it weren’t for the fact that a group of nobles led by Master Rockto have long been dissatisfied with him and chose to support me, I, the first in line to the throne, wouldn’t even be able to maintain my current position.”

“I know they definitely won’t give me the throne, whether it’s my father or Mara. They’re just recklessly playing with power, playing with lives.”

“If this continues, I’ll probably never be able to defeat them and will eventually be eliminated by them, so I chose to seize this opportunity and come to the Kingdom for help during this husband selection competition.”

Harvis’s explanation finally made Shien understand what he was planning.

Whether it was approaching him or dueling him, it was all just a means for Harvis to achieve his goal.

Because of the relationship between the Kingdom and the Empire, even if he directly contacted the royal family as the Empire’s prince and explained his intentions, it was uncertain whether they would believe him. They couldn’t directly intervene in another country’s affairs and help him just because of his words.

Therefore, Harvis chose to start with Shien.

Firstly, Shien had a close relationship with Lucy and could act as an intermediary for Harvis.

Secondly, by dueling with Shien and displaying his strength before the royal family, he could gain their recognition and attention.

Thirdly, Shien had the backing of a Demon Lord, and Harvis definitely wanted to try and gain her support.

Moreover, dueling with the top candidate in the husband selection competition could deceive the Empire’s spies, making them think that he truly intended to compete. How could Harvis not use such a four-birds-with-one-stone plan?

Shien also understood why Harvis gave him face and did him such a big favor after the duel.

It was all to better approach him and gain his help.

“To be honest, besides you, who just became a noble, even if I wanted to ask other nobles for help, I couldn’t. I can’t be sure if they are hostile towards the Empire, and I can’t guarantee that there aren’t any Imperial spies among them. I also don’t know if they would choose to use me and push the Empire into turmoil.”

Harvis smiled wryly.

“Only you, who just became a noble, have the backing of a Demon Lord, and once rejected an opportunity for ennoblement, can I be sure that you’re not on the Empire’s side, won’t do anything for personal gain, and your hostility towards our Empire shouldn’t be as strong as those nobles in the capital, right?”

The nobles in the capital had almost all experienced the large-scale assassination ten years ago, and their hatred towards the Empire was imaginable.

Therefore, Harvis’s choice to approach Shien first was also a move of desperation.

Coincidentally, Shien also had someone he wanted to protect.

That was Diere.

Harvis believed that Shien wouldn’t just stand by and watch Diere be harmed by the Raifurut family, and since he had experienced the Cosmos incident, he wouldn’t have any good feelings towards Mara, who was highly likely involved in it.

Therefore, Harvis decided to approach Shien first and try to gain his support.

Shien understood all this, but he didn’t immediately express his stance.

“Why does the Raifurut family want to kill Diere?”

Shien decided to understand this matter first.

Unfortunately, Harvis didn’t seem to know the inside story of this matter.

“I only know that this is Mara’s order.” Harvis said, “According to the information I gathered, Mara needs Diere Elvenbein’s corpse for some reason, so when I proposed to come to the Kingdom for the husband selection, she sent Wolram along. She claimed it was to have Wolram protect me, but in reality, it was to have him monitor my every move and take the opportunity to bring Diere Elvenbein back. For this, she specifically stated that she didn’t need her alive.”

This was why Harvis said that Wolram intended to kill Diere.

“Wolram is a member of the Raifurut family and has always been dissatisfied with the family’s relentless attempts to bring Diere Elvenbein back, feeling that his position in the family is threatened by her. Therefore, when Mara gave this order, he immediately volunteered, probably wanting to use this opportunity to kill Diere and leave no survivors.”

This explained why Wolram repeatedly provoked Shien.

It wasn’t just because he was a fool, but also because he knew that Shien was related to Diere, even her protector.

“This time, I publicly declared that I’m not as skilled as you and gave up on the competition. He will definitely think that I’ll leave the capital and return to the Empire soon.”

Therefore, Wolram would definitely make a move on Diere soon, lest he lose the opportunity after Harvis left, and he had to leave as well.

That’s why Harvis said that if he wasn’t mistaken, Diere would be killed by Wolram, by the Raifurut family.

“From the information I received, Mara values Diere Elvenbein very much. Even if Wolram fails this time, she will continue to send assassins, right?”

Harvis looked up at Shien.

“If you want to protect Diere Elvenbein, cooperating with me shouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Indeed.

Knowing that Mara was the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, Shien knew that he couldn’t let this mysterious woman go.

Not only did she scheme against him and the Kingdom, but she also seemed to have the backing of the Old Demon Faction. No matter how he looked at it, he shouldn’t let her go.

And if Diere’s life was involved, Shien couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Although this matter was obviously extremely troublesome, making Shien want to pretend he hadn’t heard anything and just walk away, dealing with this poisonous consort of the Empire seemed inevitable.

Since that was the case, having Harvis, the Imperial Prince, as an ally wasn’t a bad thing.

The only problem was…

“How can I trust you?”

Shien raised the most fundamental question.

Shien hadn’t completely trusted Harvis yet.

Even though the revelation from the blessing told Shien that the matter about Mara was likely true, it didn’t mean that Harvis was trustworthy.

Who knew if this Imperial Prince had ulterior motives?

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Who knew if he would be used as a pawn?

Judging from the intelligence Harvis displayed, his seemingly amiable demeanor might not be his true self, but a disguise. Even after the Empire’s government fell into the hands of others, he could still gain the support of a group of nobles, engage in a battle of wits with Mara, and obtain information so readily. He not only knew about Diere, but also about Mara, proving that he was indeed resourceful.

Just as Lucy said, he had to be careful when dealing with this person.

Harvis naturally understood that he hadn’t gained Shien’s trust yet.

Therefore…

“—In the name of Harvis Ragna, I swear to the goddess who protects me that everything I said tonight is true. If there’s a single lie, I’m willing to accept divine punishment—”

Harvis suddenly made an oath as if chanting a spell, his body emanating a brilliant light.

“Your Highness…!?”

This scene made Rockto, who had been silent, change his expression.

Shien was also stunned.

“You actually made a Blessing Oath?”

Shien looked at Harvis with a completely different gaze.

—[Blessing Oath].

As the name suggested, it was an oath made using one’s own blessing.

Once this oath was made, it would be immediately recorded by the blessing. If broken, the oath-maker’s blessing would instantly disappear, never to be restored.

This wasn’t a small matter.

Generally speaking, only those who committed heinous crimes would lose their blessings and be exiled, or even executed on the spot, by the various nations and races of the human world.

Those who lost their blessings were equivalent to being abandoned by the gods, undoubtedly great sinners, with no place in either the human world or the Divine Realm.

Therefore, losing one’s blessing was something unbearable for any race or individual in the human world.

Especially for an Imperial Prince like Harvis, with his noble status, once he lost his blessing, he would immediately be met with hostility and contempt from the entire Empire. Not only would the citizens no longer recognize his status as a prince, but the royal family would also execute him without hesitation to eliminate this stain.

Because of this, the Blessing Oath couldn’t be made lightly. Once made, it couldn’t be revoked.

Now, Harvis made an oath to his blessing without hesitation.

“This is the only way I could think of to gain your trust.” Harvis smiled at Shien as if he had just done the most ordinary thing. “You should feel more at ease now, right?”

Shien was silent.

Harvis’s actions had resolved the most difficult problem in one fell swoop.

Even Shien had started to believe him and sighed.

“You’re probably naturally suited to be an emperor, Prince Harvis.”

Shien said sincerely.

“This is the greatest recognition I could ask for.” Harvis smiled. “Then, what are your thoughts?”

“Don’t rush.” Shien naturally wouldn’t agree so easily. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “If I choose to cooperate with you, what do you want me to do?”

“It’s simple.” Harvis didn’t hesitate and said directly, “I’ll help you eliminate Wolram and the Raifurut family first, ensuring Diere Elvenbein’s safety.”

“…I see.” Shien chuckled. “So, this is the favor you truly want to offer me?”

“Not a favor, but mutual benefit.” Harvis corrected him. “Since it’s cooperation, we have to do things that benefit both sides.”

In Harvis’s view, helping Shien resolve the trouble with Diere and completely eliminating the threat of the Raifurut family would benefit Shien.

As for himself, it was to overthrow Mara and his father and ascend to the Imperial throne.

And this was something Shien definitely wanted to do as well.

Not ascending to the Imperial throne, but overthrowing Mara.

After all, Mara was the one targeting Diere.

Shien thought for a moment and felt that it was feasible.

To prevent Mara from escaping, he had to utilize this prince’s connections, cover, and intelligence.

Otherwise, if he went there openly, he might miss her.

If he wasn’t worried about this, Shien could directly descend upon the Empire’s capital with Airi, Yulin, and Lilith. Would he be afraid of not being able to deal with a woman hiding in the shadows?

She was the mastermind, and she also had the backing of the Old Demon Faction. Finding her and then following the clues to find the Old Demon Faction behind her was what he should do.

Therefore, he might really have to go to the Empire sometime.

“Let’s deal with Wolram first.” Shien said, “Where is he now?”

“At the Imperial Embassy.” Harvis wasn’t surprised by Shien’s actions and quickly said, “He should still be gathering information on Diere Elvenbein, looking for an opportunity to strike. If you trust me, you can leave this matter to me.”

“Leave it to you?” Shien raised an eyebrow.

“To eliminate them completely.” Harvis said without any concealment, “This time, Wolram brought an elite assassination squad from the Raifurut family. I plan to eliminate them all in one fell swoop, lest we alert Mara and the Raifurut family after dealing with Wolram and the assassination squad reports back to the Empire.”

“There’s also an elite assassination squad?” Shien’s raised eyebrow furrowed.

“That squad shouldn’t have entered the capital yet, but is wandering around the outskirts, waiting for orders.” Harvis said, “I’ll closely monitor their movements. Once they show themselves, it will be their end.”

How ruthless.

It seemed this prince was going all out, even planning to eliminate the Empire’s elites.

But since he had made up his mind to eradicate the Raifurut family, his current actions were just a small start.

“Alright.” Shien nodded. “However, I have one condition.”

What condition?

“I want to personally deal with these guys.”