“Thank you for being willing to come and help in person, my dear friend.”
Evelyn spoke with sincere gratitude as she looked at Zoe, who had just landed.
“Puji.”
[How are the preparations for the plan going?]
Zoe popped up a dialogue box.
“Jaden is very cautious, and the rumors we spread in the city were of almost no use.”
“His grip on the city is extremely deep, and the public image he has crafted is impeccable.”
“I'm afraid that even if I were to explain things in my capacity as a Sacred Circle Knight, it wouldn't do any good.”
Flora, standing off to the side, nodded in agreement.
No matter who it was, anyone who met Jaden and spent time with him would likely think of him as a tasteful, cultured, and good man.
But they had already confirmed that Jaden definitely had something wrong with him.
Evelyn had previously sent Jaden a letter, explaining that monsters were gathering in the Great Hera Forest and would attack Hera City within the next few days, hoping he would bolster the city's defenses.
However, Jaden had made no response whatsoever.
This was because the souls of the monsters alone were not enough for his advancement.
Thus, he needed a certain number of his subjects to die so he could gather enough souls to complete his breakthrough.
“Puji.”
[Evelyn, do you know anyone else who possesses the Golden Bloodline?]
While they were waiting, Zoe looked toward Evelyn and asked.
After all, between his past life and his present one, he had only ever seen a single person with the bloodline of the Golden Race.
Or rather, an elf.
“No, I don't. After the Golden Race scattered, very few of their remnant bloodlines remained, and once they dispersed even further, there were even fewer. Those of the Golden Race basically never have a chance to meet.”
“The purity of the Golden Bloodline in my body isn't very high either, so I don't truly count as one of the Golden Race.”
Zoe wanted the Golden Eye, too.
The Golden Eye possessed great power, enhanced one's learning ability, and even granted photographic memory.
‘I wonder if I max out my eye attributes, will I be able to transform into one of the Golden Race?’
Zoe decided that he would have to use one of his future reincarnations to acquire the Golden Eye.
[Does the purity of the Golden Bloodline affect the awakening of the Golden Eye?]
Zoe planned to fish for information so he would know how to obtain the Golden Eye in the future.
“After the demise of the Golden Race, the records regarding the Golden Eye were also lost.”
“So, I don't know much more than you do.”
“The purer the Golden Bloodline, the closer the eye color is to silver-white or ash-white.”
“The eyes with the highest bloodline purity are silver and gray. Even before awakening the Golden Eye, they can possess a portion of its power.”
“Even back when the Golden Race still existed, those with bloodlines pure enough to yield silver or gray eyes were rare treasures not seen once in centuries.”
Silver eyes, gray eyes.
Zoe carefully noted this piece of information.
“Then, can people with silver or gray eye talents definitely awaken the legendary Golden Eye?”
Flora asked inquisitively, pressing for more.
Flora was deeply curious about the Golden Race—a legendary, extinct species that only existed in fairy tales.
“I only know of the existence of silver and gray eyes from legends as well.”
“Most of the Golden Race have pale blue or blue eyes, both of which have the potential to awaken the Golden Eye.”
“In the end, those of the Golden Race who can awaken the Golden Eye are a minute minority.”
Evelyn's eyes were pale blue, which theoretically meant they were purer than ordinary blue eyes.
But she had never shown any signs of awakening the Golden Eye.
“Puji.”
[Vibrations are coming from the ground. They're about ten kilometers away, close to two thousand in number.]
Zoe sensed the goblins' movements in advance through his body.
“Yes, get ready.”
“Prioritize killing the goblins and other beast-type monsters. I will look for an opportunity to assassinate Jaden and the goblin king.”
Evelyn stood up, her hand resting on the hilt of the longsword at her waist.
According to their plan, what they needed to do was slay the goblin and monster army.
This way, the casualties on the human side would be minimized, and only the soul power of the monsters would accumulate on the battlefield.
But the soul power of the monsters alone would not be enough to push either side into the realm of a High-tier Monster.
Whether it was the goblin king or Jaden, their plans would crumble, and the problem would resolve itself naturally.
“Mhm.”
Flora had no objections.
Although she wanted to personally slay Jaden, the mastermind who had orchestrated this entire conspiracy, the gap in combat strength between her and Jaden was simply too massive. At a time like this, dealing with Jaden had to be left to Evelyn, the strongest among them.
Zoe hopped back onto Vera's back.
“Puji.”
[Vera, you must proceed with extreme caution this time. If something goes wrong and you fall into the goblin army to be surrounded and attacked, it won't end well.]
“Leave it to Vera with peace of mind! This time, Vera is being one hundred percent serious.”
“Besides, Vera has already mastered frost breath!”
Perhaps stimulated by the harsh cold of the passing winter, combined with her diligent practice, Vera had indeed mastered frost breath. Its strength had reached a level that even Zoe could acknowledge.
Dragons truly were uniquely blessed by nature.
“Puji.”
[Vera, I'm counting on you now.]
...
“Woooh—”
Accompanied by the long, overlapping blares of horns, the goblin army emerged beneath the pitch-black night sky.
The catapults and siege ballistas crafted by goblin artisans were now dragged onto the plains beneath the city walls by powerful Land Dragons.
Boom!
The siege ballistas and catapults fired simultaneously. Massive bolts and ignited, flame-wreathed boulders tore through the silent night, crashing into the city walls of Hera City!
The peaceful city was instantly thrown into chaos as piercing bells rang out, echoing throughout the night sky above Hera City.
Inside the castle at the center of the city, Jaden stood before a window, looking down at Hera City as it descended into chaos under the glow of the flames.
“It has finally begun.”
“From this day forth, I shall embark upon the road to becoming a king.”
Jaden watched everything placidly, his expression entirely devoid of emotion.
The chaos soon spread to the castle. An attendant, accompanied by the military administrator and the chief of security, knocked frantically on Jaden's door.
“This is terrible, City Lord!”
“Monsters are attacking the city under the cover of night! A massive army of monsters has already gathered outside Hera City!”
The administrator's voice was filled with panic and terror.
“Didn't I order you to send scouts to monitor the movements in the Great Hera Forest?! How could such a massive monster army gather without you receiving a single shred of intelligence?!”
Jaden threw off his usual gentlemanly demeanor, roaring with deep resentment and anger.
“I... I...”
The administrator was so frantic he was left speechless.
“You bunch of useless bastards! Is this how you repay my tutelage?! Is this how you treat the citizens of this territory who are dying right now?!”
“It is precisely because of trash like you that the Grand Duchy of Rose is falling into ruin!”
“City Lord, I—”
“Enough!”
“I will settle accounts with you trash after this is over!”
Jaden cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
“Now, immediately gather the guards to the city walls and form a counterattack force!”
“Issue an emergency commission to the Adventurers' Guild to mobilize the city's adventurers for a swift defense and counterstrike!”
Jaden quickly donned his armor with the assistance of his attendants. Without wasting a single moment, he led his guards and rushed toward the western wall of Hera City.
By this time, fires had broken out in several streets within the city.
Some citizens were crushed to death or burned alive in their sleep.
Panic began to spread among the populace.
Why would monsters suddenly launch a surprise attack on Hera City? Didn't the Lord previously send personnel and allocate funds to monitor the Great Hera Forest, build outposts on the Hera Plains, and keep track of the monsters' movements?
Someone must have embezzled the allocated funds!
After all, no one expected such a once-in-a-century monster tide to break out this year, so someone must have embezzled the money, thinking they could get away with it!
The panicked populace seethed with rage.
Even though the City Lord had issued the orders, the greed of a bunch of useless good-for-nothings had dragged Hera City into such a perilous plight!
“There is no need for panic, everyone! The City Lord has already gone to the front lines to fight the monsters in person!”
“The monster tide will be repelled soon! Do not spread rumors, and do not wander about!”
As Jaden, clad in his heavy armor, heroically led his guards down the streets, the attendants he left behind shouted at the top of their lungs to pacify the crowd.
The chief of security was also doing everything in his power to maintain order, desperately trying to make amends for his failure in hopes of facing lighter punishment afterward.
Rate on N.U.
