Chapter 160 You Should Be Afraid of Me

Early in the morning, the palace maid opened the curtains of the Queen's bedchamber, allowing the morning sunlight to stream across the foot of the bed. Nichehelil turned over, shifting her back to the light.

"Is there anything important waiting to be handled?"

Hearing the Queen's words, the maid beside her smiled faintly. They had all been walking on eggshells that morning, given that the Queen had been visibly displeased since yesterday, but the news received earlier had eased their tension considerably.

The Queen's personal maid quickly stepped forward to deliver the report.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jon斯特 has been waiting outside the palace for half the night. He has captured the criminal and said he would wait until Your Majesty woke up."

Nichehelil opened her eyes instantly and sat up in bed. Tossing aside her slightly disheveled hair, she looked toward the window, then got straight out of bed, walked barefoot to the casement, and looked out in the direction of the palace gates.

"Wash my face and change my clothes, quickly!"

"Yes!"

Relief was written across the maids' faces. Although the Queen was usually quite affable, when she was angry—even if she did not arbitrarily vent it on others—it created an atmosphere of immense tension and oppression. Such was the demeanor of a true sovereign.

Outside the palace gates, a member of the Royal Guard remained hidden in the shadows, while the palace guards stationed in plain sight were visibly tense. No one changing the morning shift could possibly feel at ease finding such a situation at the entrance.

Even though they had undergone the most rigorous training, the guards at the gate still found themselves instinctively glancing toward Mulan's position every ten seconds or so.

Over there, two menacing gargoyles folded their wings, standing like statues. Beneath the claws of one of these "statues" was pinned a person in tattered clothing, covered in filth and exuding a continuous, foul stench.

Mulan glanced at his pocket watch, then looked up toward the interior of the palace gates. It was time for the Queen to wake up.

About a dozen minutes later, Mulan felt a slight flicker of surprise. The Queen was not merely summoning him; she was walking directly to the palace gates herself.

Surrounded by guards and attendants, the Queen stepped forward slowly in the morning light, her fair skin bathed in a radiant glow. The gemstones in her crown shone with heightened brilliance, making her look like a deity descended among mortals.

At that moment, everyone could not help but fix their gaze upon Nichehelil. Even the previously demoralized Shadow Fiend became lucid and agitated upon seeing that it truly was the Queen approaching. He struggled incessantly, but trapped beneath claws as solid as stone, he was completely unable to move.

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged! I am innocent! Your Majesty, someone stole my magic, someone used me to commit evil! My loyalty to Your Majesty has never wavered, please save me—"

"Shut up."

Mulan merely turned his head and gave a low roar, filling the Shadow Fiend with boundless terror and instantly silencing him.

Then, Mulan stepped forward and dropped to one knee before Nichehelil.

"Your Majesty, I have brought back Gormos. Because Your Majesty stated a desire to see this traitor at the earliest possible moment, I waited here."

Nichehelil was in high spirits, the smile on her face as brilliant as sunshine. She walked toward Mulan and extended her hand to him as he knelt.

"Rise, Lord Jon斯特!"

Mulan looked up in mild surprise, a fleeting look of being pleasantly surprised flashing across his face, before he gently placed his hand upon the Queen's and stood back up.

For a knight, this was the highest honor!

The Queen stepped forward once more, and Mulan retreated a step. Nichehelil then arrived right beside the Shadow Fiend—a mere step away, close enough that if the Shadow Fiend so desired, he could reach out and touch the hem of the Queen's dress.

Yet, facing the nearly sacred Queen, the Shadow Fiend did not even dare to move, let alone harbor the slightest thought of overstepping his bounds.

Nichehelil looked down at the Shadow Fiend from on high.

"Gormos, did I give you permission to leave the Great Cathedral of Diga?"

The Shadow Fiend, who had prepared a multitude of excuses, never expected the Queen to ask this particular question. It left him utterly speechless, staring blankly up at the Queen while not daring to truly raise his gaze.

"This subject..."

"Gormos, do you know your crime?"

The Queen's voice was calm, yet laden with undeniable majesty.

"This subject... knows his crime! I beg Your Majesty to show mercy... But this subject truly never thought of betraying Your Majesty..."

The Queen glanced down at the Shadow Fiend.

"Tell me everything you know."

The Shadow Fiend finally waited for these words. With a trembling voice, he poured out everything, revealing a myriad of negative emotions.

"It was all of it, it was all of it! My stolen magic, someone framed me, someone used me—some filthy, terrifying, evil existence... No, he seemed to have a very contradictory feeling toward the Holy Light, but he is undeniably evil. I can feel that bizarre sense of oppression; it is a terror darker than the night..."

Nichehelil listened intently throughout. When she heard mention of Ivan, she subconsciously glanced at Mulan. Although Mulan's expression remained outwardly normal, his fist seemed to tighten slightly, clearly indicating his inner turmoil was far from calm.

Finally, when the Shadow Fiend finished recounting the key points and was left only with incessant pleading, Mulan spoke.

"Your Majesty, the Cathedral will certainly come demanding him. I request permission to interrogate Gormos during this period. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will submit a complete report."

Nichehelil looked at Mulan and parted her lips, but before so many people, those somewhat intimate words of concern ultimately remained unsaid.

"Granted. However, make sure to get some rest; after all, you haven't slept all night, have you?"

Mulan smiled.

"My sleep has always been mediocre; last night was no different from any other."

Nichehelil smiled as well. Looking closely at Mulan's face, he was clearly a chronic insomniac, yet his skin remained remarkably good. Only the deep shadows under his eyes made him look all the more resolute.

"Then I leave it in your hands. Oh, right, did you have a conflict with the Cathedral last night?"

The corners of Mulan's mouth curved upward slightly once more. Perhaps the Queen simply wanted to hear this, but his phrasing remained understated.

"I merely had a slight friction with the Archprelate!"

"Ha, I suppose he will forgive you!"

With those words, Nichehelil turned, preparing to leave.

Only then did the Shadow Fiend, whose mouth had been slightly open, snap back to reality. Casting aside any fear of transgressing, he shouted loudly,

"Your Majesty! Queen Your Majesty! Do not abandon me, do not hand me over to Lord Jon斯特, do not hand me over to the Cathedral! Your Majesty, my loyalty has never changed, Your Majesty—"

Expecting Nichehelil to walk away without looking back, he was startled when she actually halted a dozen meters away and turned to look at him.

"Gormos, I will try my best to intercede for you, and I will treat your family well. So please maintain the dignity expected of a member of the Royal Guard, and do not bring shame upon me!"

The Shadow Fiend's struggles and madness instantly ceased. Seconds later, he pressed his body flat against the ground, his face kissing the dirt.

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

Surrounded by her attendants, the Queen turned and walked away once more. Mulan lingered for a long time, his gaze never leaving her retreating figure. Truly, one had to hand it to the Queen of Dielga.

Then, Mulan's gaze returned to the Shadow Fiend.

"You're afraid of me?"

The Shadow Fiend, whose eyes were still fixed on the direction the Queen had gone, shuddered and stiffly turned his neck toward Mulan.

The Shadow Fiend, whose eyes were still fixed on the direction the Queen had gone, shuddered and stiffly turned his neck toward Mulan.

"Lord Jon斯特, I..."

"You ought to be afraid of me. I believe we have at least twenty-four hours of pleasant time to spend together, and I hope you can tell me everything about Ivan without omitting a single detail. Now then, let us depart."

The two gargoyles awoke from their petrified state, emitting low growls and screeches. The Shadow Fiend writhed in agony beneath their claws.

Nearby, the palace guards tried hard to keep their eyes straight ahead, yet they could not help casting looks full of vigilance. Cold sweat streamed down both sides of their faces as they braced against the gale-force winds whipped up by the beating wings, watching the gargoyles take to the sky and depart.

"Hoo..."

All the guards let out a collective sigh of relief. Monsters straight out of legends placed an unbearable amount of pressure on ordinary people.