Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 540 Routine
"You're back?" Katpela's alabaster fingers twirled a silky black handkerchief as she comfortably leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, like a lazy, relaxed cat.

Looking into those smiling, dark eyes, Lucia felt a little relieved from her previously gloomy mood, but also a touch of indescribable darkness.

Those deep, dark eyes, like the night sky, did not reflect the true color of her eyes.

When people mention this archenemy who has been entangled with the Eternal Queen for half her life, why do they rarely use the more formal title of "Queen of Death" and instead refer to her as "Queen of the Night Eyes"?
It is because in that chaotic world where heroes rose up and gods vied for supremacy, the most impressive feature of this peerless genius who inherited the legacy of the stars and moon and shone like the most brilliant comet across the sky was her pair of magnificent purple eyes. Her enemies saw in them an irresistible death and despair, while her followers saw in them a glorious past and a hopeful future.

Those eyes are not famous for housing the runes of death; rather, it is the pair of black and red intertwined swords hanging in those eyes that have earned them a more legendary reputation.

"Is it that beautiful?" The Queen noticed his gaze, stopped the black silk swirling between her fingers, dragged the little fox who was pretending to be asleep over and kneaded it. Her smile faded, and she lowered her eyes slightly, saying, "It seems I should have revealed my true form sooner. Maybe it would have made your master submit to me sooner, right, Sherry?"

The little fox cautiously opened one eyelid and glanced at the two people with the subtle atmosphere. It tried to escape the clutches by exerting force with its claws, but was ruthlessly suppressed. It simply rolled over and lay flat on its back, pretending to be dead.

Upon hearing words like "obey orders," Lucia had no intention of arguing; he simply shook his head and smiled faintly.

Although they had only spent a few days together, he was already able to keenly perceive the thoughts she was trying so hard to hide.

"Yes, it is indeed beautiful," he replied frankly.

"However, I know that His Majesty's 'true face' is actually far more beautiful than it is now. If I were ever fortunate enough to see it, perhaps even if I exerted all my strength, I would not be as calm as I am today?"

"You—" This answer was beyond Katepera's expectations, causing her to panic for a moment. She instinctively tried to cover her eyes with the black silk, but stopped halfway and snorted coldly, "It seems that I have been too kind to you lately. If you dare to be so presumptuous again, all our cooperation will be immediately null and void!"

“Don’t worry,” Lucia replied. Katpera thought he was going to stop there, but then he added, “It won’t be long.”

Katepera was stunned for a moment, and almost exploded again—what was there to wait for?! I'm perfectly fine, why do you need to meddle and worry about my business?!

But then she thought of this guy's usual self-righteous attitude, especially the experiences she had witnessed through the Greatsword of the Hunting Gods.

When he was with the Moon Princess, Lani, that little brat, was initially just as calm as he was. But then, this inexplicable concern subtly eroded her defenses. Trying to throw a tantrum and refuse help was futile; instead, he would jump in and "save" her in dangerous situations without warning, moving her to tears. In the end, she was foolishly captivated by his charm.
This kind of scheming dragon trick to lure a proud young girl is fine if it's used to fool a little girl like Lani. She's lived twice as long as Lance Sanx, and she's a top-tier big shot who sits at the same table as your parents. How could she be so easily tricked by a little dragon who hasn't even grown a full head of hair yet?

So Katpera took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and regained her previous calm and composed demeanor. Her luscious red lips curved into a captivating smile as she said, "Alright—since you've said that, you'd better not break your promise when we meet."

Nestled between the Queen's broad bosom, Sherry, who had been pretending to be asleep, rubbed her head against the ground. She felt the hand that had been gently stroking her suddenly tense up for a moment, then gradually relax, just like the inexplicable and eerie atmosphere in the tent.

The little fox frowned in its sleep and yawned in confusion.

Humans are really strange creatures. Wait, my owner doesn't seem to be human? Never mind, what's done is done, I should just go to sleep.

“Of course,” Lucia said, changing the subject to get down to business. “I spent a little extra time healing your men and the Templars, and I also met with Hiron with Olivia.”

“Hirun?” Katpela quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened, recalling, “That’s the second archbishop with a seniority similar to Pirac, the current supreme leader of the Flame Temple?”

“Yes, it was him. Olivia and the others were almost driven to the brink of death by Yuno’s people while trying to save him. I checked his condition. Yuno’s torture and experiments almost destroyed his life essence. I guess it’s because his foundation wasn’t good enough. Overall, he’s in worse shape than when I just burned my essence. Even if I use life magic to keep him alive, he’ll probably be a cripple in the future.”

"It's another creation of the origin. Can implanting the Black Flame Seed save it?"

“It’s difficult,” Lucia shook his head. “With his current life force, he simply cannot withstand the power of the black flames. Unless Queen Marika personally bestows a life-saving divine spell on the Stone Stage, it is unlikely that he can be fundamentally cured.”

“Marika?” Katpela sneered. “She’s already hidden herself in the heart of the golden tree. Expecting her to help you is like expecting Estelle to fall from the sky and crush Charlegios to death.”

Lucia gave a wry smile, unwilling to risk escalating the two's millennia-old feud, and instead said, "It's alright. Anyway, Hiron has already provided all the necessary information. After the war, we'll bring him back to Sky City to recuperate. There will always be a chance for him to recover. With him on board, it will be much easier to appease the Northern Territory and even recruit the surrendered vassals of the Golden Dynasty in the future."

"You handle these matters yourself. I only care about your and the Emperor's plans. The affairs of the Ancient Dragon Dynasty are none of my business," Katpela said calmly. "What about Yuno? After hearing Hiren's report, do you have any new ideas?"

Lucia recounted the contents of their previous in-depth conversation, and even Katpera, who had been acting as if it were none of his business, frowned slightly as he listened.

"It sounds like Yuno is exceptional in terms of both his perseverance and ruthlessness, even among the three great dynasties. If we let him continue on the path to godhood, he might actually succeed in the future."

“He has gone astray, and the further he goes, the greater the harm he will cause.”

"Once things are settled in the North, I will have the apostles cooperate with your intelligence network to kill them as soon as possible."

"Ah."

The two then discussed the specific plans for the future. Not long after they finished, Olivia's voice came from outside the tent: "Your Majesties—Yuno has sent people to deliver the necessary supplies for the camp and completed the preliminary preparations for unsealing the magic circle. Please tell us when to begin."

Lucia and Katpera exchanged a glance and said, "Let's go now."

(End of this chapter)