Imperial Crown.

Chapter 568 Margaret, a woman who remained chaste.

The Empire of Keynes, Province of Molineur, Winterfell.

In the freezing wind and snow, a massive skeletal dragon, its wings blotting out the sky, spread its wings and flew silently toward Winterfell. Atop the dragon sat three figures. Their destination—Sword Keep, located within Winterfell.

"Lord Gregory, please land in the castle square. We will leave together as soon as we have finished dealing with this."

Margaret said softly, then took out a bottle of Corrupted Soul Essence and uncorked it.

Gregory's millstone-sized nostrils flared, drawing in all the corrupting essence from the bottle. Over the years, Gregory's recovery had gradually improved, with a palm-width patch of black flesh resembling scales forming on his neck. However, his size was still much larger than Zolzahn's, and at this rate, it would be impossible for him to fully recover in less than a century.

“Tell Raven that Ganville province may very well harbor one of the Seven Deadly Sins’ tombs,” Gregory said hoarsely, his mood clearly improved after absorbing the essence of the corrupted soul. This was also the reason he left without saying goodbye back then. He felt a powerful calling.

"The Marquis is already aware of this matter," Margaret said with a smile, covering her red lips. Although the skeletal dragon's body is gradually recovering, it has lived for over a thousand years, possibly even longer. Therefore, its mind isn't very sharp, and it keeps repeating the same thing over and over again.

Thousands of years ago, the Seven Deadly Sins Tomb, built by the Dragon Clan, is arguably one of the most mysterious, ancient, and powerful ruins on the continent of Miders. It is also a coveted opportunity for all races, as excavating each ruin means finding a shortcut in cultivation. After all, the hardships of cultivation are known to all.

Soon, Gregory landed on the square, and Margaret and the other two jumped off him.

The three concealed themselves and rushed into the Sword Fortress. However, after searching the entire fortress and preparing to unleash a massacre, they were completely dumbfounded.

Because the entire Sword Fortress was deserted, with only a small number of servants remaining.

"What's going on? How come a count like Comos isn't even in the castle?" Gilida exclaimed shrilly.

The dwarf Giridar and Behemoth Litanshi were the two accomplices who, along with Vesdon, slaughtered all the nobles of Snowmaple County in the Wallace Hotel's private room. After killing the nameless "J" Ezio, they returned to report to Raven and then stayed in Eagle City waiting for Vesdon's return. Once Vesdon arrived, they joined forces with him to kill the nobles of Snowmaple County. The one who ate Baron Kate's heart in the private room was none other than Litanshi, a Behemoth. After parting ways with Vesdon at the old castle in Eagle City, the two went together to the Bloodstained Highlands, where they found the bone dragon and Margaret waiting for them.

Raven's mission this time was for the three of them, along with the Bone Dragon, to secretly assassinate nobles, creating the illusion that these nobles were being purged by Emperor Habsburg! Just like the Fox family back then. Habsburg had swiftly and decisively wiped out the Fox family to demonstrate his iron-fisted ruthlessness and his determination to implement "Project Malabar." This was a disastrous move by the Emperor, a mistake that Raven could now exploit. Therefore, the first order the three received was to assassinate the Earl of Morinil Province—Comos Shiva Brodes.

Comos is a nobleman supported by the new faction—the Serafinu Qutherland family. He is also one of the biggest threats near Raven's Nord province. In fact, the vast majority of the 22 provinces of the Keynes Empire are vassals or subordinates of the Keynes family and the other eight ducal families. The most powerful, besides the Keynes family to which Emperor Habs belongs, are the Prime Minister and the old faction. They have cultivated deep roots and loyalists in almost every province.

“I just questioned a few of the servants,” Margaret said, frowning. “They said Comos left a few months ago, taking all his soldiers with him.”

"Where did you go?" Beamontenshi asked in a deep voice.

“They don’t know either, but the rumor is that it’s in the capital.” Margaret walked gracefully to the sofa in her high heels, poured herself a glass of wine, and then sat down, swirling the glass as she spoke.

"The capital?" The dwarf Gilida jumped onto the table, frowning and muttering, "Should we inform Raven about this?" "It feels a bit strange that an earl would take all his soldiers to the capital for no reason!"

“No need.” Margaret took a sip of wine, but quickly spat it back into the glass, disgusted. Having grown accustomed to Angel’s Tears, anything else tasted like sour swill to her. “Before we left, our master told us not to have any further contact with him to prevent things from being exposed and others from finding any clues!” “Besides, we’ve been out for so long and haven’t killed a single noble. Now we’re going back empty-handed to report back. Doesn’t that seem a bit like ‘incompetence’?”

“Hmm.” Beamont Litanshi nodded. “What the beauty said makes sense.” He made no attempt to hide the lust in his eyes as he stared intently at Margaret’s long, full legs clad in black stockings.

Margaret was currently possessing, or rather, having taken over, Frindor's body. Thanks to Frindor being a fifth-tier mage, Margaret, after inheriting all of her energy and memories, successfully advanced to become a fourth-tier witch. Frindor was already incredibly beautiful, a seductive beauty with alluring eyes. Otherwise, she wouldn't have tried to seduce Raven in the first place. Furthermore, Frindor had served in the Magic Guild, so she had long ago spent a considerable amount of gold to consume a youth-preserving potion. Therefore, this was arguably the most exquisite, beautiful, and captivating body Margaret had ever possessed in her life. She was, of course, very satisfied.

Gazing at Litanch's undisguised desire, Margaret removed her ten-centimeter heels, stretched languidly on the sofa with an air of cunning, and then casually lifted her clothes at the waist, revealing her flawless white waist and the black lace trim of her panties. She let out a soft, kitten-like hum, "The night is so long, so boring." "I wonder if the Earl's bed is soft?" she murmured, her pink-nailed fingers gently stroking her sexy red lips. The fluorescent butterfly earrings on her ears swayed back and forth, making her look like an alluring enchantress. She said coquettishly, "Don't stare at me like that, it makes me shy. Everyone in Eagle City knows that I, Margaret, am a virtuous girl."

This smooth, quick combo left Behemoth and the dwarf Gilida completely stunned. As bounty hunters, they did travel the world, but to avoid detection, they spent most of their time outdoors, enduring harsh conditions. They had never witnessed such supreme temptation.
"You—you're talking nonsense!" Gilida swallowed hard, shrieking, "Although I haven't been in Eagle City for long, I've heard that the vampire named William is your man!"

“Oh~” “Handsome dwarf sir.” “Please don’t mention the name of that man who broke my heart again.” Margaret was on the verge of tears. “William just left without a second thought, didn’t he?” “He didn’t even say he’d take me with him.” “Men are all heartless, not one of them has a conscience.” “Anyway, I’m currently—single (IUD inserted) (no private messages allowed) (met with celebrities) version.”

Girida: ...

Littanch: ...

"Ahem," Litanshi coughed lightly, "Then how can I win your heart?"

Margaret scoffed inwardly. Regardless of race, these foolish men were always driven by their lower instincts. She smiled and said, "Raven must have given you two a substantial reward. That depends on your sincerity." "I don't care much about material things." "Besides, you two are both fifth-tier experts." "I'm just a girl who needs a sense of ritual, admires strength, and enjoys a more refined lifestyle."

Litanshi frowned. As a physically strong but intellectually simple-minded orc, he clearly couldn't understand what Margaret meant. This was far too confusing for him. Did he need to prove his strength through a fight?

Although Gilida was quick-witted, he was now completely swayed by her alluring figure; Margaret was simply too charming. She even had a sweet tongue, calling him "Handsome Sir." Therefore, despite knowing who she was, he couldn't suppress the burning desire in his heart. "100 gold coins?" Gilida asked tentatively.

"Ugh"

Margaret shook her head in disappointment. "Then I'll just continue to remain chaste." 100 gold coins wasn't a small amount, but for Margaret, who was now at the fourth rank, it was nothing at all.

“500 gold coins!!” Gilida said through gritted teeth. “500 each for my brother!”

“It has nothing to do with money, I’m after an attitude.” Margaret rolled her eyes. “But I’m interested in discussing this with you two.”

The next moment, she was tackled onto the sofa by Litanshi, who let out a series of silvery laughs.

……

After a period of fun, the three of them arrived at the plaza feeling refreshed and entered the body of the bone dragon.

“How could it be so fast?” Gregory said with some dissatisfaction. “I’ve only been dozing off for a short while.” Gilida: …

Littanch: ...

“Let’s go, Lord Gregory.” Margaret patted Gregory’s neck reassuringly.

Spreading its wings, it soared into the sky. "Where to next?" Gregory asked hoarsely.

Margaret opened the map, glanced at it, and said, "There are three earls in the province of Morlinier. Besides Comos, there are two others named Jonah and Conrad."

“Jonah?” Lytanni asked.

“No,” Margaret shook her head. “Our master instructed us not to kill this one for now. We should kill this Conrad first.”

Margaret then told Gregory the location of Conrad Castle. Gregory's massive body immediately turned and flew south at breakneck speed. Margaret and the others put their masks back on.

……

Nord Province, County Ferdolo, City of Howe.

Inside the church, Savannah, who was meditating, suddenly heard a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Enter"

Savannah couldn't help but frown and said in a deep voice.

"Sawana, the Knight of Light, the Cardinal has ordered you to escort an item to Eagle City." Entering were two extraordinary beings clad in luminous armor, both at the third tier.

"What is it?" Savannah asked, getting up.

Chawei shook his head, his expression cold, and said, "I can't give you the item now. The two of us will escort it with you, and we'll give it to you once we reach Eagle Fortress. You can then personally hand it over to Raven."

"What does this mean?" Savannah was puzzled and a little angry. "If Bishop Thomas doesn't trust me, he can go to someone else. Why does he have to make me go?" As she spoke, she tied up her long, wavy hair.

"Don't misunderstand Knight Savannah."

Chavez twitched his lips a few times, trying to put on a more amiable smile, but it looked stiff and forced. "This item is extremely valuable, otherwise Archbishop Thomas wouldn't have arranged for the two of us to accompany you."

Although the city of Hove was garrisoned by the army of the Holy See, there were not many extraordinary beings, let alone third-tier extraordinary beings. There were only two in front of us: Chave and Tangsheer.

Savannah picked up her sword and began putting on her helmet. "Then I have the right to know what it is, don't I?"

Chawei frowned, his tone turning icy. "What?" "Sir Savannah, are you afraid of hurting your little lover?" Countless knights of the Holy See stationed here were infatuated with Savannah, including himself. But Savannah seemed to have a special fondness for that lowly rogue, the little bee. This was simply unbearable! The Holy See was different from the Empire. The Empire revered nobility, while the Holy See always revered strength. This was the only place where ordinary transcendents could change their fate. Unlike in the Empire, where even becoming a third-tier transcendent meant still being a subservient dog to the nobles.

"Zheng"

Savannah drew her sword and said expressionlessly, "If you continue to humiliate me like this, I will challenge you to a duel, Chawei the Brave."

"Ah"

Chawei let out a subconscious sneer. Looking at Savanna, who was clearly only a second-tier cultivator, no match for him, yet was willing to die to defend her chastity, Chawei was momentarily unsure whether to be happy or jealous. Perhaps he should be happy, because Savanna was clearly still a virgin. Perhaps he should be jealous, because Savanna's angry and embarrassed demeanor was clearly a sign of her defenses being breached.

"It's a letter." "Let's go."

Chavez offered a curt explanation, said no more, and turned to leave with Tom Sher.

Savanna looked down at the sword in her hand, its gleaming blade reflecting her bright face. Lately, her cultivation had indeed been somewhat…disturbed, especially after hearing that Tyrone had attacked Snow Maple County; she couldn't help but let her mind wander. But she had managed to restrain herself, refraining from leaving Hovi City for Eagle City.

After putting on her helmet, Savannah went out, mounted her warhorse, and followed the other two into the snowstorm towards Xuefeng County.

"A letter?" "What could it be?" "Could it be that His Holiness the Bishop is willing to believe Raven again and reconcile with him?" "Or is he trying to put pressure on him?"

Savannah couldn't help but feel uneasy.

The thought of seeing Raven again filled her with inexplicable unease.

Her heart was pounding uncontrollably. This time, she was determined to confront Raven and demand an explanation: why had he used their lives as leverage to force the bishop to sign that magical contract?

"Damn Raven!" "My sister's sword is no less effective!" Savannah cursed inwardly.

……

(End of this chapter)