After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The stars were twinkling. Paul had just arrived in Ice City when he heard the news that Duke Trist had submitted to the Northern Territory.

Paul breathed a sigh of relief, relieved to no longer have to deal with family conflicts; this troublesome matter was finally resolved. Drizzt was a typical aristocrat; in his eyes, his children were nothing more than tools for achieving political ends.

Paul naturally wouldn't have a good impression of such a father-in-law, but Trist was, after all, Leia's father, and he didn't want Leia's family members to die one by one under the guillotine of the Northern army.

In fact, the submission of the Western Territory was already a foregone conclusion. Having suffered from disasters, plagues, and plunder by the Northern Army, and having to participate in various joint operations, the Western Territory had long been unable to muster a decent army.

Drizzt's solo arrival in Ice City was sending a strong signal, but Paul worried that his understanding of submission was completely different from the Duke's understanding of submission.

Fortunately, Rhea reminded Duke Trist in time, and it is likely that Trist has seen through some things during his time in Ice City.

It was already late at night when Paul returned to Ice City. He didn't have time to meet his wife. Instead, he rushed to the Duke's mansion with the magic crystal and the sword of lust.

Just as he expected, the Duke was waiting for him inside.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Sitting in the dining room, Oswald opened a bottle of wine, had his servants bring over food, and poured himself and Paul a glass of wine.

"No rush, let's eat and talk. You must be very tired from traveling these past few days."

The warm oil lamp flickered, and familiar scenes dazzled my mind. It seemed that nothing was more important than the Duke's words: "Let's eat first."

His expression might have seemed stern to others, but in Paul's eyes, it was an unyielding sorrow.

In this crazy world, he stood at the very end as the leader, but new challenges were already looming.

The maid brought over a bowl of hot beef soup that had been cooked until tender. Paul placed the magic crystal and the sword of lust on the table, picked up a spoon, and took a sip. The soup warmed his stomach, as if years of warmth were spreading through his veins.

The duke, standing by the window, steadily held his wine glass, his gaze shifting from the tranquil night to the blade of the sword on the table.

One glance was enough to make Oswald frown, followed by a long silence and inner turmoil.

"What are we going to do next, Duke?"

The maid brought over another plate of toasted bread and cheese. Paul picked up his drink, took a sip, and met Oswald's heavy gaze.

"The royal city is a malignant tumor, Paul. We must precisely remove it from human territory before it becomes a source of death."

Paul put down the bread he had just picked up. "You mean...?"

"The destruction of a nation can often be silent; internal decay is always more severe than external damage. Even our archbishop holds the terrifying weapon, the Candlelight Killer, in his hands."

"The corruption and decadence of the royal city has always been a problem that worries me. If we don't cut open the outer layer, no one will know what is rotting and stinking inside."

Oswald downed the drink in one gulp, and seemingly not satisfied, quickly poured himself another glass.

There were some things he could only talk about with Paul to relieve his inner turmoil.

Paul is an open and honest person. Although he has become more abstract after spending a lot of time with Luna, no one doubts his unwavering heart.

Even Oswald himself felt a strange palpitation and restlessness when the thought of picking up that sword of lust crossed his mind.

But Paul carried it all the way and naturally delivered it to him without any problems.

Perhaps for Paul, the Calamity Crystals were the more troublesome goods.

"The goddess can extract the power of emotions from the elves, and the elves are indeed a good choice because they have indeed indulged themselves."

"But how much better off are we humans? Those elites, those impoverished people who have fallen into depravity due to oppression—will they drag all of humanity down to hell?"

The Duke's words were like an interrogation. Paul recalled his past memories. Having lived in the Northern Territory for so long, he had almost forgotten how dark the sky was in the royal city.

In the present-day capital, without the king's oversight or the suppression of a great mage, it's truly hard to predict what those nobles will do...

The most dangerous thing is that the Great Sage's lair is right there.

"A peasant army." Paul's face was grim, his analysis revealing the gravity of the situation. "They're inciting peasants to stand in our way; they want to drag all of humanity down with them to their own demise."

"So I need your help, Paul. You're the only one who can come with me to storm the royal city."

Oswald drank another glass of wine. In recent days, he had made countless plans and tried to launch a media offensive, but none of them had been effective.

The risk of waging a propaganda war is too high. If the goddess were to appear out of nowhere, the Northern Territory would inevitably suffer a backlash.

The best approach is to surround the cities from the countryside. Only when farmers experience the benefits of good policies firsthand will they understand which side they should follow.

But the restlessness that the sword stirred in Oswald made him realize that he couldn't wait any longer.

The Sword of Lust, a very fitting name. At first, Oswald might have been able to hold on with his virginity, until his maid bled.

Luna and her companions annihilated the undead army and repelled the demon expeditionary force, creating a valuable window of opportunity.

Based on Oswald's experience, the goddess's next plan will revolve around the strange fungus on the corpses in the Eastern Territory, so they can launch a surprise attack and forcefully launch a decisive battle in the royal city.

"I will follow you, Duke, until we achieve all victory."

After finishing his meal and exchanging some information with Oswald, Paul left the Duke's mansion.

Outside the Duke's mansion, Leia stood at the gate, holding an oil lamp, waiting for him.

Paul smiled and quickened his pace to run over.

Unlike Paul and his wife, who were enjoying a long-awaited reunion, Oswald stood silently at the dining table, relighting his pipe.

The system space was in complete chaos.

Tongzi and Chuguang both put down their work and kept urging Oswald to come closer, closer still, preferably to get the sword in his hand and then put it into his spatial storage.

Oswald, who did not respond, had a somber look in his eyes. He thought he should be more cautious and at least trust his body's instinct to reject things.

The scene of being tricked by the goddess into touching the divine remains is still vivid in my mind. Sometimes, the reward for hard work may be a trap carefully prepared by others.

Chu Guang was very cautious. Despite being urged repeatedly, he refused to materialize and insisted on hiding inside Oswald's body.

[I admire the first person to eat shiitake mushrooms, because they might have been poisonous. Transmigrators are destined for heaven, and what propels them there is the power of the eroge world!]

As expected, the system started making jokes again, but its words reassured Oswald quite a bit. It seems that the system has figured out what this thing is.

Exhaling the last wisp of smoke, Oswald stepped forward and gripped the hilt of his sword. An indescribable surge of emotion rushed into his body, instantly raising his body temperature.

"Your Grace, aren't you going to rest?"

Wearing a nightgown and yawning, Elena entered the restaurant, revealing her smooth calves. In the blink of an eye, the sword of lust was pulled into the space by the system and Chu Guang, leaving Oswald, who was panting heavily and whose veins were bulging, standing helplessly in place.

"Duke...sir?!!"

The moment she was lifted up by those hot, strong arms, Alini knew she wouldn't get a good night's rest.