The retreating tide of demons finally dispersed, and Audo Canyon returned to its former deathly silence.
Leaving behind only a landscape of utter ruin and the lingering stench of sulfur.
They rested at the temporary outpost for half a day.
Once Lin Gui's heavily depleted mana had recovered more than halfway, the small escort party set out once again.
After this battle, Lin Gui and Theia's authority within the group had become completely unshakable.
For the remainder of the journey, which involved crossing the other half of Audo Canyon from the outpost, no one questioned the instructions of these two “professionals” in the slightest, obeying them implicitly.
Of course, to ensure the group's quiet and safety, that highly unstable young lady was once again “thoughtfully” subjected to Lin Gui's 【Stun】 spell, guaranteeing peace and quiet for the entire journey.
Finally, at sunset, the group arrived at the outskirts of Caran City without any further mishaps.
Gazing at the giant city walls that appeared even more majestic and seemingly indestructible in the glow of the setting sun, the Knight Commander and the guards all showed expressions of shock and excitement at having survived the ordeal.
“We've finally... arrived...”
The Commander let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Now that they had reached this point, Lin Gui's commission was officially complete.
The two parties stopped in a secluded spot outside the city.
The Commander, with great efficiency and immense gratitude, handed a heavy purse containing the three thousand gold coins of reward money to Lin Gui.
Lin Gui weighed it in his hand, split it directly in half, and tossed it to Theia beside him.
Theia happily caught it; fifteen hundred gold coins was a massive fortune for her as well.
Fortunately, she had managed to pull one over on Lin Gui.
Amidst the repeated gratitude and farewells of the Commander and the guards, Lin Gui and Theia quickly turned and vanished into the shadows of the city wall in a few swift leaps.
Their identities were extremely “sensitive” in Caran City right now.
There was no way they could enter through the city gates openly like the Commander.
Finding an empty corner, Lin Gui applied a basic disguise to both of them.
Then, grabbing Theia's hand, he quietly cast Levitation and Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
Like two wisps of smoke, they silently glided over the towering, cold stone wall that stood dozens of meters high and landed inside the city.
The moment their feet touched the ground, a deafening wave of sound rushed over them!
In the direction of the central plaza, a dense, dark crowd of countless citizens had gathered.
The crowd was a sea of moving heads, their shouts surging like tidal waves, each louder than the last.
“Long live the Royal Capital!”
“Long live Her Highness the Seventh Princess!”
“Long live the Knights!”
The fanatical cheers shook the earth and sky, almost lifting the very roof off Caran City.
Lin Gui's heart sank. He exchanged a look with Theia.
The two of them instinctively lowered their postures and blended into the excited crowd on the periphery, looking toward the center.
In the middle of the plaza, a tall wooden platform had been hastily erected.
A massive, twisted, terrifying corpse covered in moss and thorns was placed in the most prominent position on the platform.
It was none other than the Legendary demon, Moragus!
In front of the wooden platform, a figure clad in spotless, magnificent platinum skirt-armor and draped in a crimson cape stood tall against the wind.
She had golden hair that shone as bright as the sun and a pair of eyes that seemed to hold molten gold, her face breathtakingly beautiful and her aura noble and awe-inspiring.
This was none other than the Seventh Princess of the Carter Kingdom, Elvia.
She was proclaiming to the roaring crowd below, her voice carrying clearly to every corner of the plaza through magic:
“...The rampaging Legendary demon has been decapitated! The demon tide has receded! The disaster threatening to destroy Caran City is hereby resolved!”
Every pause she made drew mountains of cheers and waves of praise.
“Long live the Carter Kingdom! Long live Her Highness the Princess!” The emotions of the populace were thoroughly ignited.
Half a step behind the Seventh Princess, a Holy Knight clad in armor that flowed with starlight stood with his arms crossed, watching the princess's performance with indifference.
His Mid-tier Legendary pressure radiated subtly, inspiring dread in those around him, though a faint, barely perceptible trace of mockery lingered in his eyes.
After whipping the crowd's emotions to a fever pitch, the Seventh Princess suddenly shifted her tone, her voice turning cold and lethal:
“But! The crisis of Caran City did not stem solely from the demons outside the walls!”
“It also came from the rot and betrayal within!”
She suddenly pointed a finger at the former City Lord below the stage, who was being held tightly by two knights, his face pale as paper and his entire body shaking like a leaf.
“It is him! The sinner of Caran City! He tyrannized the innocent, extorted heavy taxes, and treated commoners like dirt!”
“And it was also him! For his own selfish gain, he plotted against and destroyed the Gold Rank adventure group that protected Caran! Those heroes who rose from the common people!”
“He even dared to conspire and plot the murder of the Royal Capital Knights who came to our aid!”
Each accusation was thrown out with powerful, resounding force.
Like a torch tossed into a vat of boiling oil, they instantly ignited the crowd's fury!
“Kill him!”
“Avenge our heroes!”
“Execute the traitor!”
Roars surged like waves as the crowd boiled with indignation.
The City Lord opened his mouth in vain, seemingly trying to defend himself.
But amidst the earth-shattering noise, his voice was too weak to be heard at all.
When the demons besieged the city, with a desperate “do or die” mentality, he had contacted the Royal Capital.
Who would have thought that the Royal Capital's knights were already on their way? The moment he reached out, they arrived in Caran right on his heels.
After hearing his account of the disappearance of Lyon's knights, the stunningly beautiful princess had immediately ordered his arrest.
The City Lord's face was bitter. The moment he learned that the Seventh Princess would become the new City Lord, he knew.
He was doomed to die today.
The two knights roughly dragged him to the front of the stage and forced him to his knees.
The Seventh Princess slowly drew a magnificently decorated but chillingly sharp saber from her waist.
Her golden eyes coldly swept over the roaring crowd below, finally resting on his fat, trembling head.
Under the gaze of countless furious eyes and amidst the deafening cries of “Kill him!”
she raised her saber high and swung it down with force!
A flash of blade-light!
A large head, frozen in an expression of unbelievable terror, rolled onto the wooden platform.
Blood sprayed, staining the hem of the princess's luxurious skirt-armor.
Yet she paid it no mind, bending down to grab the head by its hair and holding it high!
“The sinner has been executed!”
Her voice, amplified by magic, drowned out all the noise and reached everyone's ears clearly:
“From this day forth! I, Elvia Rolan, Seventh Princess of the Carter Kingdom, shall personally assume the role of the new City Lord of Caran City!”
“I will lead Caran out of the shadow of the demon invasion! We will heal our wounds and rebuild our home!”
“I will make Caran City stronger and more prosperous than ever before! It shall become a glorious city-state that rivals even the Royal Capital!”
After a brief moment of silence, even more fanatical cheers and praises erupted like a violent volcano!
“Long live Her Highness the Princess!”
“Long live the new City Lord!”
“Long live Her Highness Elvia!”
At the edge of the crowd, Lin Gui and Theia silently watched the dazzling, blonde princess holding the head aloft and basking in the cheers of the masses.
The deafening waves of sound around them sent a faint, cold shiver through Theia.
The royal family had arrived and intended to take control of this city.
This was undoubtedly terrible news for them.
Meanwhile, Lin Gui frowned, his gaze shifting to the Holy Knight standing behind the princess.
If they had crossed the wilderness to come here from the Royal Capital, then they must have the Golden Chart in their possession.
Rate on N.U.
