Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

They have left the combat zone and returned to the dense forest, which means that Wayne is very likely not far ahead.

She patted mon3tr on the head: "Good job," and reached out to lift the bushes in front of her.

Then, they came face to face with dozens of steam-armored soldiers wielding heavy "hand cannons".

Kal'tsit: "........"

Steam-armored soldier: "..."

Kal'tsit took a deep breath, glared at mon3tr, and before the steam-armored soldiers could react, quickly raised her hands and gave a military salute to the once most powerful nation on earth—the Gallic Empire.

"I surrender."

.......

A few minutes later.

As Wayne was trying to grasp the meaning of the medal that Ernest had learned from him, he looked at Kal'tsit, who was being escorted back by soldiers in steam-armored uniforms, with a puzzled expression that made him want to laugh.

"who is she?"

Ernest asked,

"assassin?"

The steam-armored soldier shook his head: "I don't know, Marshal. She suddenly jumped out from behind the bushes and immediately raised her hands in surrender. She was too fast; we didn't have time to figure out what she was up to."

Wayne's smile became even wider.

The steam-armored soldier continued:

“We have already checked her, and she was not carrying any weapons. She explained that she was a subordinate of Earl Vincent, and that Earl Vincent sent her to find us after discovering something amiss.”

Upon hearing the soldier's explanation, Ernest's regard for Kal'tsit instantly diminished by half. He casually waved his hand and said:

"Then take her back to the convoy and settle her in."

After saying that, he muttered a complaint under his breath:

"What use is a woman like that besides her decent looks? Vincent is really corrupt to have her as a security guard."

The soldiers saluted, grabbed Kal'tsit's arm, and were about to take her away when Wayne, who had been watching the spectacle for a while, finally couldn't help but interject:

"No weapons? Kal'tsit, where's your Mon3Tr?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Kal'tsit, the soldier, and Ernest all stopped in their tracks. The next second, without a second thought or a doubt about how Wayne knew the name of the man before him, Felin, and the so-called "mon3tr," Ernest immediately turned around, blocking Wayne's path, and shouted sharply:

"Your Highness, be careful! You two, keep her under control!"

A second faster than Ernest's command, one of the two steam-armored soldiers immediately activated his steam armor. The Originium within the armor instantly generated a powerful high-energy reaction, driving the steam generator within the armor to roar into action. A massive amount of white steam suddenly spewed out from the back of the steam armor, generating immense propulsion that pressed Kal'tsit to the ground with unimaginable force. At the same time, the other soldier immediately raised his hand cannon and aimed it at the girl pinned to the ground.

Feeling the immense, irresistible force on her spine and the cold, hard muzzle pressed against her forehead, Kal'tsit clicked her tongue softly and strained her gaze toward Vayne not far away.

Now she believes it.

Wayne is definitely not as simple as she imagined.

Kal'tsit organized her thoughts, opened her mouth, and tried to explain:

"I'm......"

Before he could finish speaking, Wayne waved his hand and said:

"Ernest, let her go. She's not an enemy."

"Your Highness, but..."

"She is indeed a friend of Earl Vincent."

Wayne said,

"At the same time, she is also a friend of my fiancée, Lady Kal'tsit, a lord of Kazdel."

Wayne never imagined he would meet Kal'tsit under these circumstances, much less that he would one day become the target of the lynx's surveillance. But he had to admit that the feeling of being suspected, monitored, and having his secrets probed made him extremely uncomfortable.

Even if Wayne were just an ordinary person, let alone Prince Victoria, a member of the first family of the First Empire of Terra, he would not accept this kind of unwarranted surveillance.

If it weren't for the fact that her past reputation was indeed somewhat poor, and that Kal'tsit was only thinking of Theresa and didn't have much malice, Wayne's show of force would have been much harsher, and Kal'tsit might have ended up wearing a maid outfit and spending a few days in a military prison.

This is because he can't lose face because of his wife's ill-tempered family members, otherwise how will he regain his authority as husband in front of Theresa in the future?

Chapter 43 Surtr's Entrance Examination

Victoria, Londinium, Iron Palace.

Vina sat upright on the throne, her face as cold as ice. Every now and then, her gaze would drift toward the special seat reserved for princes, making Mudrock, who was enthusiastically introducing his friend Surtr, feel somewhat embarrassed.

She paused, glanced at Surtr who was pouting somewhat disgruntled, and explained in a low voice:

"Her Majesty the Empress isn't usually like this; she's usually a very kind person..."

"Really? I find it hard to believe."

Surtr pouted and replied unhappily. As for nobles, especially royalty, there was probably no one on the entire land except themselves who didn't dislike them. Surtr didn't really care about status, but she was very unhappy with Vina's blatant "I'm just daydreaming" attitude.

“I mean, that high and mighty Empress.”

Without greeting Mudrock, Surtr suddenly spoke up.

"If you're not interested in us, we're leaving. My time is precious; I have many places to go and don't have time to play this silly game with you!"

Mudrock froze for half a second, then suddenly covered Surtr's mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat.

My dear Surtr, how dare you say such things? This is in Victoria, in Londinium, right in the heart of the Iron Palace! Aren't you afraid of causing trouble by saying these things in front of Queen Victoria?

Although Mudrock is usually simple-minded, he knows that among all the nobles in Terra, only the Victorian nobles value elaborate etiquette the most. It is no exaggeration to say that their emphasis on this thing is no less than that of the Taoist scholars of Yan Kingdom who even came up with four ways to write the character "茴" (huí).

Mudstone sighed and gave Vina, who was clearly also stunned by what he had just said, an apologetic look.

Unfortunately, when the apologetic look was directed at the mask, Vina indicated that she could not receive it.

Vina was brought back to reality by Surtr's bold and discontented remarks. She then realized how seriously she had been daydreaming and scratched her head apologetically.

There were no outsiders in the hall now, and Vina had no need to feign an empress's demeanor. Before sitting on this cold throne, her birth was not much happier than Surtr's, and she knew well the source of Surtr's discontent.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..."

Mudrock finally realized he was wearing a mask, scratched his head sheepishly, and wanted to apologize to Vina, but Vina shook her head to stop him, stood up, stepped down from the throne, and sat in the seat that used to belong to Wayne, which was now empty, and apologized:

“I’m the one who should apologize. I know better than you how annoying an arrogant interviewer is. I’m sorry, Mr. Mudrock, and this…Ms. Surtr, I was a little distracted because of my brother.”

Vina's frank apology left Surtr feeling incredulous and bewildered.

Over the years, before returning to Kazdel, she had traveled to every corner of the land in search of locations within the chaotic fragments of her memories—villages, cities, kingdoms—she had traversed them all, meeting village chiefs, city officials, and nobles. Those sycophants who wore dog skins and thought themselves superior were the kind of people she despised most. And those fools who, because of their ancestors' achievements, were arrogant and conceited about their bloodline, people she didn't even want to bother with.

She came to Londinium purely to give face to her friend, Mudrock, who had taken care of her for so long. Her bold words just now served as a convenient reason for being "kicked out of the palace," and also to dissuade Mudrock from selling her to that Prince Wayne as well. That was just her personality—straightforward and direct.

But to her surprise, the Empress, who had been provoked by her, was not angry at all. Instead, she apologized to her and Niyan.

"Did I hear that right? You're going to apologize to me?"

Surtr asked incredulously.

Vina smiled helplessly, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she removed the heavy crown from her head and placed it on Wayne's seat. Then, looking at the surprised Surtr, she smiled and said:

"This crown should have been my brother's, and he should be the one trapped in the Iron Palace, unable to move. But instead, he's abandoned me here and gone to the North to take some kind of exam..."

Vina muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear:

"I told him to study hard so he could spend more time with me in the palace. How come that guy, who's so smart, doesn't understand this?"

She shrugged and put the crown back on her head.

"Phew, I need to avoid getting caught by the etiquette officer, otherwise I'll have to go back and practice court etiquette all over again."

As she explained, she walked up to the two of them and said:

"So, do you understand now?"

"Before I put on this cold crown, I was first and foremost a warm-hearted person."

"It's just an apology, nothing to be grateful for or surprised about. For the king, correcting mistakes and striving to improve is a very important virtue (Vina deliberately used a phrase in the newly learned Yan language). This is a principle my brother taught me."

Surtr shut his mouth, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked seriously:

"So, Your Majesty, the brother you've mentioned so many times is...?"

“It is my employer, His Highness Prince Wayne.”

Mudrock puffed out his chest proudly and said, but unfortunately, even the human heart that could rival Vina's was completely hidden under the thick armor.

Surtr asked curiously, "Then where is he now?"

Upon hearing this, Vina sighed in annoyance, then looked at Surtr with amusement.

"Miss Surtr, it's very dangerous to inquire about the whereabouts of royalty without any identification!"

Surtr nodded in sudden realization: "Then what kind of identity would I need to find out?"

"What do you want with him?" Vina asked warily.

Surtr spread his hands and answered frankly, "I really want to meet him. After all, you and Mudrock described him as so mysterious, so I feel like we'd get along well. What's up?"

She thought for a moment and asked:

"Mudrock brought me here to apply for that kind of job, you know..."

"A personal bodyguard," Mud Rock whispered a reminder from the side.

“Yes, yes, a bodyguard, the kind of job Mudrock does where you can eat all the ice cream you want. Thanks for reminding me, Mudrock.” Surtr nodded. “With that identity, you should know where Wayne is, right?”

Feeling a little uncomfortable with Surtr's seemingly uninvolved words, Vina nodded, half-laughing and half-crying: "That's possible, but you're not one now. Mr. Mudrock is an exception; he was personally selected by my brother, and he's strong enough, but you..."

"I'm stronger than mudstone!" "He's stronger than me."

Surtr and Mudrock answered simultaneously.

Surtr flicked his hand, pointed to the closed doors at the entrance of the main hall, and proudly patted his chest:

"Don't disbelieve me. Ordinary Originium Arts are like children playing house compared to mine. Only Mudrock can last a little longer when I'm going all out."

Surtr said to himself:

"I can show you a couple of tricks, but you'd better find a good open space, otherwise you might ignite something and start a fire. By the way, I remember you Victorians really like signing contracts, right? I can sign one too, but I don't know many words, so it would be best if it was just a signature."

Goodness, you've never been to school?