This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

"Immediately arrange for the soldiers to move all the potions my convoy is carrying to the warehouse in the city! And place them heavily guarded! There must be no mistakes!"

"Yes, sir!" The governor immediately accepted the order and began making arrangements. It was clear that this governor of the base area was no ordinary person; he handled matters efficiently and effectively. Under the governor's direction, the officers directed their soldiers, who, with the help of the guards, began unloading the goods swiftly.

"And thirdly, everyone, I must introduce four heroes to you! They are the strongest people I encountered on this trip to the Eastern Empire, and like us, they share the goal of defeating Kevin! Without them, I might not have been able to return unscathed. They are our friends and our saviors!" At this moment, Jivia began to introduce the Abyss group to the people.

"Huh? Are we going to have to make an appearance too?" Rebecca was a little surprised. "I thought we could just sneak into town with Gylvia and find a place to stay."

“Of course we have to go. Gylvia won’t just let us in like that. She said she’d write us into her kingdom’s history, so why would she hide us now?” Abyss smiled. “What’s wrong? Are you a little shy?”

“Why would I be shy? I used to dare to sell adult products to the public.” Rebecca waved her hand. “I just didn’t expect Gvia to thank us with such a grand gesture.”

"Finally, I can be in the limelight!" Leona excitedly stood up in the car, straining to hear Gylvia pronounce her name.

"Wait a moment..." Flora was also a little surprised that Gvia was going to introduce them in front of everyone. She straightened her clothes, smoothed out the wrinkles that Leona had made while lying down, and then began to slowly comb her smooth blonde hair with her hands—fortunately, her hair was still shiny and smooth as water.

“Mr. Abyss, he is a powerful and righteous mage who can wipe out an army with a wave of his hand!”

When Abyss heard Gylvia introducing him, he jumped off the carriage and immediately heard cheers from the crowd.

"Miss Leona! She is a glorious female knight, brave and powerful. No matter how strong the enemy is, they are no match for her!"

Leona, who had been waiting impatiently, jumped off the carriage and tried her best to appear mature and composed. The crowd was briefly stunned when they saw her petite figure, but then they cheered loudly.

“Miss Flora! She is a kind and powerful healing mage! She gave several of my guards, who would have died, a new lease on life!”

Flora stepped down from the carriage, and Leona, with remarkable chivalry, gently supported her hand from below. The crowd was captivated by Flora's beauty and charisma, and the cheers grew even louder.

"Miss Lei! She is an outstanding alchemist! It was Miss Lei who helped me banish the nightmare and protected our potions from the enemy's destruction!"

Rebecca then alighted from the carriage, bowed to everyone, and was met with cheers from the crowd.

"Everyone! Let's go into the city! I can't wait to plan our counterattack against Kevin!" Gylvia jumped off her horse and called to Abyss and his group.

Abyss smiled slightly and said in a low voice to the girls beside him, "Yes, I can't wait to plan an offensive attack either. I don't like living like this, constantly being on the defensive."

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Simple Command Post

Besides the people who rushed out of the city gates to welcome Gylvia back, many other townspeople also came here. They spontaneously stood on both sides of the road to make way for Gylvia. Santos and Abyss followed behind her, and finally, some of the guards who had not helped unload the cargo entered the town with her.

This was the first time Leona had experienced what it meant to be greeted with such a warm welcome. She couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed of her past failures as a princess. Despite being tens of thousands of times more powerful than Gylvia, she had never been welcomed with such enthusiasm by the people.

"Thank you for welcoming me. I must return to my post now, and you should all go back too! Until we reclaim our country, the future of Ossi still requires our tireless efforts!" Ghivia waved to the surrounding crowd, urging them to return to their posts. Although everyone seemed reluctant to part, Ghivia's words carried great weight in their hearts. The crowd gradually dispersed, and work in the town resumed.

After walking around the town for a while, Givia arrived at a mansion. Shodor wasn't a large town, with only a few thousand inhabitants, and the mansion looked rather shabby. It wasn't even as luxurious as a slightly wealthier house in Lavoisier. The low walls, the two-story building, and the small space itself were all impressive, except for the well-maintained, lush greenery inside. Two wooden watchtowers stood inside the walls, and the soldiers on them immediately gave Givia a solemn Ossi salute—beating their weapons against their chests.

“This is my command post. I usually receive battle reports from the various guerrilla units of the Restoration Army here,” Jivia explained to Abys and the others as she led them through the courtyard. “We’ve hardly engaged in any direct combat before; we’ve mostly harassed their troops in the surrounding areas without killing many people. Although the army of the Kingdom of Ossi is now under Prince Kevin’s command, they can still be reformed. I believe they will abandon their evil ways and choose the right side for the future of Ossi.”

"How is public sentiment in Ossi now?" Abis asked.

“Most of the people of Ossi hope that our Restoration Army will win. As long as we can defeat Kevin’s army, taking the city will be easy, and the people will naturally open the city gates for us,” Givia said with a smile. “That’s how we Ossi people are; we never give in. Few people in the country are willing to approve of the treaty that Kevin signed. Only a few wealthy people are afraid of war and worried that their wealth will be stolen in the chaos, so they stand on Kevin’s side.”

"What will the Restoration Army do after it reclaims the kingdom?" Rebecca was also curious about the Restoration Army's program.

“We will not recognize the treaty signed by Kevin, and we will reclaim Okenin. Then we will seek the support of the Eastern Empire—the Eastern Empire does not want to see the Western Empire successfully acquire the territory of Okenin. There are several mineral veins in Okenin, making it a rare and valuable area. If it really falls into the control of the Western Empire, it will greatly enhance their power,” Jivia replied. “This information was provided to me by my intelligence agents in the Eastern Empire, and the Eastern Empire's attitude towards Okenin is indeed like this.”

“Yes, this way the Western Empire will indeed not dare to act rashly. Moreover, the people here are unwilling to submit, which will really give them a headache for a while.” Rebecca said approvingly, “It seems that the success of your Restoration Army is just around the corner.”

Rebecca wasn't just saying this to make Gylvia happy; with their help, how could the Restoration Army not achieve victory? In any case, their goal of causing trouble for the Nightmare Lord along with the Abyss was just a side trip.

"Ha, that coward Beos," Leona said with a sneer. "If you can get the support of the Eastern Empire, he probably won't dare to make a move. Right now, his words aren't even as effective as his daughter's."

Leona, as Beos's half-sister, is the most qualified among them to make this judgment. Beos had everything arranged for her by her mother from a young age, never seeking independence, and was helpless without her mother's presence. If Princess Helen had been more proactive in fighting for power, Emperor Beos might already be a mere figurehead. Furthermore, Helen, who values ​​the people's livelihood, would absolutely not agree to this unjust war—the Western Empire has enormous potential for development and doesn't need war to find a way out.

"I hope the people can suffer less from the war, and that we can reclaim lost territory through non-violent means." Flora also agreed with Givaya's plan.

The further they followed Gylvia inside, the smaller the house seemed. When they opened the door, they realized that the house was indeed small; it was just an ordinary home that had been renovated and had all the unnecessary furniture removed.

"You command your army right here? Isn't it a bit too small?" Leona walked into the room, looking around at the layout, somewhat disbelieving that this place belonged to the highest commander of an army.

“This place is conveniently located and has a very nice environment. It was donated to us by a gentleman in town,” Jivia said apologetically. “It is a little small, but it is more than enough for me. I will arrange other accommodations for you. It would be too impolite for you to squeeze into this place with me.”

"Huh? You live here?" Leona asked in surprise.

“I’m not looking for luxurious accommodations. I just need a place where I can lie down and rest my tired neck and back.” Jivia shook her head. “Anyway, before you came, I was plagued by nightmares and couldn’t get a good rest even on the softest bed. So I might as well stay in the command post. That way, I can get the news from the soldiers as quickly as possible. Santos, please help me organize the battle reports that I’ve accumulated in the past few days. I need to read them one by one later.”

Santos acknowledged and immediately went inside to help Gylvia organize the battle reports.

"Would you like to take a look around here or go rest? My men will take you there. There are VIP accommodations in town; they're not luxurious, but they're quite comfortable..."

"Your Highness, Alva requests an audience outside the courtyard." At this moment, a soldier entered from outside and respectfully reported.

"Alva's here? Let her in quickly!" Gylvia was overjoyed to hear the name. "It seems her injuries are mostly healed."

The soldier immediately went to report, and soon two slightly hurried footsteps came from outside, and two people entered the house.

Flora, standing at the back of the line, turned back to look at the entrance and met the gaze of a girl in a blue mage's robe.

"sh..." Before the girl who entered could make a sound, another woman next to her covered her mouth.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Captain and Haina

"Hmm? Hena, what's wrong?" Gylvia smiled kindly, tilting her head slightly. "You seem to want to say something?"

"Henna's shy again, she probably didn't expect so many strangers to be here." The woman who covered Henna's mouth was a smart and capable-looking woman in her thirties. She looked at Gylvia with some embarrassment, then glanced at Flora and the innocent-looking Abyss with suspicion. "We just came from the military camp. Are these the honored guests the princess brought back?"

“Yes, they are the key to my safe return from this potion-buying trip, and they are also our allies.” Gylvia, unaware of what had happened, earnestly introduced Abyss and his group to Alva, “This is the mage Abyss, the knight Leona, the healing mage Flora, and the alchemist Rey.”

After introducing the Abyss group, Gylvia then introduced the two people who had just entered: "This is Alva, the captain of my personal guard, and this is Heina, also a member of my personal guard. I was plagued by nightmares before, and they risked their lives to steal Saint Flora's ornament from the Holy Tomb of the Vatican—oh, it's the same name as Flora, I remember it means flower, the Western Empire people really like to use such poetic names. Thanks to this, I was able to get a good hour of sleep every night, during that time I really almost gave up on life..."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Abis bowed to the two of them with a measured gesture.

Of course he remembered those two people. They were watching when he lifted the lid of Flora's coffin. Abyss also remembered the look of fear and confusion in Hena's eyes at the time, which was really interesting.

After stealing Flora from the Papacy's territory, the Abyss didn't see any wanted posters bearing her image anywhere. This indicated that Captain Alva and Heina, as the Abyss had requested, hadn't spread rumors about her appearance. Naturally, the Papacy wouldn't use Flora's image or name in wanted posters—the theft of the saint's body was too shameful, and the Papacy only dared to search secretly.

With the Abyss's feat of casually smashing the door of the Holy Sepulchre, the Vatican's attention naturally shifted away from the two women, allowing them to successfully return and hand over the Spring of Sweet Water to Gylvia.

Abyss originally wanted to resurrect their teammates who had been killed by the defense mechanism in the tomb, but considering that their future interactions might be very difficult, she gave up the idea and instead comforted each person's soul, letting them rest in peace.

“I’m so glad that Your Highness has returned unharmed.” Alva gave Ghivia a military salute; she was unarmed and simply tapped her chest lightly with her fist.

"Me too! It's so good that Your Highness is alright!" Haina realized her lapse in composure and forced down her doubts and nervousness about the situation. She curtsied to Gylvia.

“Thank you for coming to welcome me. Alva, how is your injury healing?” Givaia asked Alva with concern.

Alva smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. My injuries are actually not too bad. Although my internal organs were severely damaged, the military doctor said that I may need to rest for several more months to fully recover. But at least now I can walk and talk normally. In the military camp, I am temporarily serving as an instructor for the new recruits, so at least I haven't become a cripple."

"Good, it's good that you're alright... If there's a chance in the future, I'll take you to see the Holy See's sorcerers and ask them to treat your injuries so that you don't suffer any lasting effects."

“No need. Although I am very grateful for Your Highness’s kindness, I can recover on my own. The cost of treatment by the Holy See’s sorcerers is too high, and I don’t want the Restoration Army’s money to be wasted on such things.” Alva shook her head, declining Givia’s suggestion. “You often say that good steel should be used where it’s needed most, right?”

"Thank you for your hard work, Alva. You are a loyal warrior, and it is my greatest fortune to have your loyalty." Givaya reached out and grabbed Alva's shoulder with some emotion, but she was afraid of aggravating her internal injuries, so she didn't grab her too hard.

Alva smiled at Gylvia, appearing very reliable. Leona, watching from the side, knew that a princess's bodyguard captain like Alva must have a very close relationship with the princess, and it was common for him to be willing to go through fire and water for her—however, Leona wasn't very familiar with her own bodyguard captain back then, because with her strength, she didn't need a bodyguard to protect her at all.

"What about Haina? Has your magic improved?" Gylvia turned to look at Haina and asked gently.

Haina nodded somewhat nervously: "Yes! Your Highness, I am now a fifth-tier, second-grade mage! I've improved by one grade since last time! Perhaps I will soon be able to serve as the princess's guard!"

“That’s enough for now, but I hope you can become stronger so that you can protect yourself while protecting me.” Gylvia took Hena’s hand. “You are the youngest member of my personal guard and the only one who survived besides Alva. I hope you can grow up well and become a pillar of the country in the future.”

Hearing about what happened to the rest of the guard, Alva couldn't help but feel down: "It's all my fault. I led the guards and a few other soldiers to dig up the Holy Tomb of the Papacy without your knowledge. As a result... Your Highness, when will my punishment be handed down? I live in guilt every day."

“I will punish you, but only after you have fully recovered.” Gylvia sighed. “Although you acted recklessly, the Vatican’s mechanisms are too powerful for you to easily resist. The fault is not entirely yours—and the Spring of Sweet Water that you brought back saved my life. Without your sacrifice, I might have gone mad from the torment of nightmares and committed suicide.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Alva bowed solemnly again. “Whatever the punishment, I will not utter a single complaint.”

Hena hurriedly followed Alva in bowing. As soon as she raised her head, she saw Abyss hiding one hand in Gylvia's blind spot, secretly beckoning to her with his finger.

Although she was terrified, Hena mustered her courage and approached the Abyss discreetly.

The faint scent of wood emanated from the Abyss, followed by a whispered remark from him.

"Come to my room tonight, you must."

"Eee!" Heina was so frightened that she almost cried.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Restoration Army's Guesthouse

Rebecca prepared many potions to relieve fatigue for Gylvia on the way, and now her soldiers have helped move them to Gylvia's office. They should be enough for Gylvia to use for about a month.

Once back at her post, Gylvia immediately transformed into a workaholic. Sitting in her seat, without even changing her clothes, she began to intently read the battle reports sent back by the guerrillas.

After instructing Gylvia not to continue working excessively after drinking the potion at night, lest the abnormal accumulation of stress lead to mental problems, the four left the command post. There really wasn't much to see here; it was far too simple. Besides the necessary equipment for the command center, there was only an old single bed left by the homeowner in a small room, and a small dining table. It wasn't mealtime, so it was empty; it seemed Gylvia didn't have the habit of snacking.

Jivia arranged for her men to escort Abis and his entourage to a place in town designated for VIPs. This place had likely been a former resident's property, but had been donated. Compared to the command post, the location wasn't as conveniently located, but the house itself was much more comfortable: a large two-story building with many rooms, fully furnished, though lacking servants. Several soldiers were on guard outside. It was currently empty; although the Restoration Army had prepared such a guesthouse, it seemed no one would be visiting for the time being.

"I hope our distinguished guests will not find our lodgings too simple." The young female soldier who led Abyss and his companions there had tanned skin from the sun; she was likely serving as Gylvia's personal bodyguard. Her Common Tongue was not fluent, spoken with a heavy Ossi accent. "You may rest here, or freely explore the town. Due to a current shortage of manpower in the Restoration Army, please arrange your own meals at the local restaurants. However, the princess has already instructed that all your meals will be covered by the Restoration Army. If you require anything while staying at your lodgings, please feel free to inform the guards outside; they will assist you."

Upon hearing this, the two guards standing at the door straightened up and stomped their feet in unison, their boots making a loud thud on the ground.

"Please thank the princess for her care on my behalf." Abyss nodded and said to the young guard, "We've been staying here for the past few days. If the princess needs anything, please come and find us here. We are currently thinking about some ways to proactively attack the enemy and expand our advantage. If we have any ideas, we will go to the command post to see her ourselves."

"Understood!" The female soldier gave a proper military salute.

Leona had been looking at the female soldier with great admiration. Although she had always lived a life of luxury, she particularly liked this kind of strong sense of discipline, as she admired chivalry. The town of Xiaoduo was not big, but as the base of the Restoration Army, soldiers were everywhere on the streets helping civilians. Outside the town was the military camp, and the soldiers' neat shouts could be heard from time to time, which was very impressive.

After the female soldier left, the four of them began choosing their rooms at the guesthouse. Leona, without a doubt, wanted to sleep in the same room as Flora. The two of them had become very close, and Leona especially loved lying in Flora's arms. If she were still alive, she might be the type who couldn't sleep without Flora by her side.

Rebecca didn't take the opportunity to ask to sleep in the same room as the Abyss; instead, she chose a room further inside. According to her, she was going to put all her makeshift alchemical equipment there. Alchemy was practically her lifeblood, and now that she had finally settled down, she naturally wanted to find a good place to rebuild her laboratory. She would only feel comfortable in a room filled with the scent of herbs.

Abyss casually chose a dimly lit room. Although he didn't dislike sunlight, he was more comfortable in a slightly dim environment. Moreover, here, he could secretly use some necromancy to summon a few minions without being seen, and he didn't have to be ready to erase other people's memories with magic at all times.

After a quick settling-in, the four of them settled into town, and the three girls even changed out of the clothes they had worn on their journey. Abyss wasn't worried about anyone discovering his ability to conjure things out of thin air. He had actually done it several times during his travels, but no one had questioned him about where he pulled the items from. Gylvia didn't seem to care either, and could even casually drink the potions Rebecca concocted using herbs she had magically produced. After all, highly skilled mages often possessed some rather mysterious abilities, and people subconsciously assumed that conjuring things out of thin air was one of Abyss's abilities.

To actually pull something out of thin air is truly an incredible feat, considering that spatial magic on the continent is still severely underdeveloped and practically useless. Yet, the Abyss can store items in this unique way. The reason people don't pay attention is simply because there aren't any knowledgeable mages here who realize just how powerful the Abyss's ability is.

"ABC! Give me something delicious! I'm craving it!"

Abyss had just been sitting in his room reviewing Starr's Notebook for a while when Leona, wearing a beautiful new dress, burst through the door, yelling like a hungry cat.