The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

"Hmph, coward!"

Matildahl smirked.

……

In the study, Hestia's consciousness rose to the intersection constructed by the Witch's Book, and she found that half of the castle had been dyed blood red.

"Is this Noelle's spirit?" She frowned, sensing a strong aura of murder from the blood-red hue.

Even Clara, who often kills people, may not have such a strong "bloody smell".

Amidst the blood-red, a high wall rose, resembling a mysterious palace, carved with the inscriptions of high-ranking cavalrymen. However, unlike the remaining spirituality of Clara, a golden shadow faintly wriggled within the soft, eerie wall, resembling the rotten flesh of a dream Buddha.

"Golden worm?" Hestia was surprised.

But the gold color was so obscure that she couldn't confirm whether it was the same worm as Matildahl Miller.

She can touch the spiritual power of the secret cultivator at the border, but this may be sensed by the other party, so there is a certain risk.

"It seems that letting Clara stay was the right decision."

Hestia looked solemn.

Even though she had dealt with the witch's afterimage in the basement of the library, the other party had used Aynive's power. And Zang Xiu was notoriously cowardly and not good at fighting.

Noel is a real high knight, and it is still unknown who is stronger between him and Clara.

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Hestia mused. "She probably asked Miller to give me the benzoin. This means she's opting for scheming for now and isn't planning on a showdown yet."

Even if we really want to deal with the worms, it would be best to wait until Iyana comes back before making a decision.

When I regained consciousness, there was another knock on the study door.

"Your Highness."

It was a woman's voice, with clear pronunciation, compact syllables, concise and sharp.

"It's me, Noelle Tinson."

Volume 37: Dreamer: . Son of the Maggot

Hearing the strange yet familiar voice outside the door, Hestia was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

The princess's attitude towards the Iron Army is naturally impeccable, especially the tall knight who can serve as her instructor.

In her memory, the princess held Noel Tinson in high esteem, treating him as both a teacher and a friend, a fact evident in the way she addressed him and Matildahl. The more intimate Hestia's subconscious feelings became, the more solemn her expression grew.

Such a high knight worthy of being the princess's instructor, yet surprisingly, there's not a single mention in the game's plot or even in historical records. She should have belonged to the princess's faction, yet she never made a name for herself during the Bloody Archduchess's regency.

"Come in."

Hestia cleared the newspaper off the table and revealed a rare warm smile the moment the door to the study was opened.

"Your Highness," a woman with wine-red hair sauntered over, carrying a suitcase. She saluted the princess and said with a guilty look on her face, "I heard about what happened at Crown Plaza. I regret not being by your side at the time. It was a serious dereliction of duty on my part."

"Don't blame yourself." Hestia gestured for the woman to sit down. "It was the Knight Commander and the Iron Guards' duty to protect me. The instructors can't be blamed. No one knew the rebels would be so arrogant, but fortunately, they didn't cause much unrest."

"Your Highness is blessed by the Heavenly Dragon, so he will naturally be able to turn misfortune into fortune." Noelle praised him lavishly.

"I hope so," Hestia smiled, "Where were you going this holiday? Honestly, I thought you wouldn't be back until after the New Year."

"Your Highness wishes to enter the Dream Realm," Noelle replied amiably. "To ensure that Your Highness can successfully attract the Divine Emperor's blessing, I specifically requested a piece of Arabian Gold from the Grand Alchemist of the Golden Plateau."

"Arabic gold?"

"A rare metal with excellent stability and magical conductivity. After the Divine Emperor dominated the Dream Constellation, the Heavenly Dream Gold, under the influence of the tower, became a sacred metal imbued with divinity, possessing a unique balancing and neutralizing effect." Noelle explained slowly, as if to further immerse the princess in the story of the Divine Emperor. "Of course, most importantly, it may bring the divine blessing of the Celestial Dragon to Your Highness."

"Why have I never heard of it?"

"This is a secret unknown to the world, recorded only in the holy laws of the Iron Cross."

Noelle's eyes passed over the incense on the table. She gave an ambiguous smile and then placed the suitcase on the desk and opened it.

Hestia raised her eyebrows, alert in her heart: "This is..."

"Hasn't Your Highness always aspired to become the Sword of the Divine Emperor? Before I left, I said that the day I returned to Cloudtop City would be the day Your Highness entered the Dream Residence."

Hestia reviewed the princess's memories and thought that this was the case.

"So," Hestia said thoughtfully, "I am now qualified to become a secret disciple of the Iron Cross?"

"Your Highness has always been qualified, but I have not yet been fully prepared."

The qualifications the two were referring to were not the princess's identity or background, but her character, thoughts, and mental state.

To become a tower of the Iron Cross, the first thing to do is to unconditionally maintain order.

"so now?"

Hestia didn't want Noelle to see her hesitation, and kept thinking about how to cancel the other party's "carefully prepared" ceremony.

She was rejected by Meng Su. If she really entered Meng Su under the guidance of the other party, her identity would be discovered at the first moment.

Noelle nodded. "As long as Your Highness wants, it's always possible." She paused and asked, "Hasn't Your Highness always been looking forward to becoming a follower of the Divine Emperor?"

"I'm just wondering if there's anything I'm not perfect about," Hestia pondered. "I hope to ascend to the Holy Land where the God-Emperor resides in a more pious state."

"No one is more perfect than Your Highness. You are the master of the empire, the born lord of the throne, the ruler of authority and law, the crown upon the Iron Throne."

"No, no, no," Hestia waved her hands quickly, "How dare I be compared to the true ruler of the empire."

This is the rhythm that requires her to put on the yellow robe!

It would be fine if it were anyone else, but Noelle exuded too much uncertainty, most likely a hidden worm. The fear was that before she could even release the military power with a toast, these traitors would start playing the game of axe clashes and candlelight.

"You are the heir to the Grand Duke of Lorraine. Didn't the Emperor himself once say that the South and the North share the world?" Noelle said gently and coaxingly, "The Lorraine family is the head of the Southern Parliament. You are truly the daughter of destiny."

Why don't you just take over as the chief who's just been arguing about this? Hestia thought to herself.

The Lorraine family itself possessed the blood of the Divine Emperor, making them cousins ​​of Heberus. It was true that the South and North shared the empire. The Lorraine family needed the northern frontier's military might to quell the chaotic interweaving of tribes and states, while the Empire needed the Lorraine family's sacred bloodline to bind countless factions within its vast territory.

However, it is not easy to maneuver in such a chaotic situation. Rather than saying that the Lorraine family is the leader, it is better to say that it is a compromise choice made by the various nations who want to avoid being conquered by the empire and maintain autonomy.

The Lorraine family likes to maintain a harmonious and decent appearance. It will not and cannot extend its hands into the territories of those divided states, and it must be more tolerant of heretics and foreign races.

But the Empire's Iron Cross is different.

The High Knight is a real butcher!

Considering the complicated conflicts of interest, Hestia did not think that being the chief of the council was an honor.

The princess asked, "So, what should I do?"

The instructor stood up and said, "Your Highness, please follow me to the prayer hall. I will arrange the ceremony. Your Highness only needs to use the meditation method I taught you to visualize the dream."

Hestia did not refuse. She was also curious. If Noelle was really a worm, how could he lead her into the dream?

When she was visualizing her dream, Noelle would definitely step into it. By then, wouldn't the worm's aura be completely exposed?

If the witch is the veil of the dream, and chaos is the fog of the dream, then the demon maggots and the worms they breed are regarded as distortions of the dream.

Although worms are not repelled by dreams like witches, the smell of worms, once it appears, can definitely drift farther than an open septic tank and is obvious.

Therefore, Hestia planned to wait and see, and when she really entered the dream, she would withdraw on the grounds that she had "achieved nothing and was unworthy of serving the God-Emperor."

Well... I have to act more realistically.

Arriving at the deserted prayer hall, rows of seats are waiting lonely for pilgrims. The holy and majestic statue of the God-Emperor is placed in a giant hollowed-out niche. He carries the tall tower on his back, and the rising "morning light" seems to illuminate a cross-shaped glory.

Noelle took out a wax stick, a paintbrush made of shark whale fat, dragon flower essential oil, and fiery gold ore powder, and dyed with the soul of the radish skin, and began to construct a magic circle on the preaching platform in front of the statue.

Fortunately, Clara was called back by Matildahl, and Hestia asked the Knight Commander to go to the prayer hall to watch the ceremony.

"Six-phase Yici, as a guide, Instructor Tinson is the most experienced one I have ever met." Clara's voice was neither cold nor hot, but the praise in her words was undisguised.

"Six-phase Ritual?"

"The symmetrical cross embedded in the ring symbolizes the four directions, and the asymmetrical semi-arc centered at the intersection of the cross represents heaven and earth. Together, they form the universe," Clara said. "Everything in heaven and earth is within the path of order."

“But order also exists in dreams.”

"For this reason, the Six-Aspect Ritual is modeled after the projection left by the Divine Emperor at the Violet Moon's Golden Gate. It contains divine oracles, suggesting that Dream's Constellation lies within the tower's longitude and latitude," Clara explained. "The advantage of this formation is that it can connect all known and unknown coordinates. With the corresponding prayers and offerings, the beacon sought by the worshiper can be reached. It seems Instructor Tingsen hopes Your Highness will gain the Divine Emperor's favor, even resorting to using the Arabian Gold."

Hestia heard this and asked curiously, "You said any beacon can be found. What if someone uses the wrong method or sacrifice?"

"Hmm... this has indeed happened before. Some scholars within the Iron Cross even summoned numerous beings beyond the Dream Realm, but they were quickly suppressed. Later, we compiled a directory of controllable evil creatures, listing them for those who need them." Clara thought for a moment and said confidently, "Your Highness, don't worry. Instructor Tinson is the most knowledgeable High Knight I've ever met. Her rituals are, if not 100% reliable, then foolproof."

Hearing her say this, Hestia became even more worried.

"Your Highness, you may ascend the pulpit." After making all the necessary preparations, Clara lit an incense burner. Holding the burner and a pure gold cross, she bowed her head and asked the princess for permission. "Your ritual vessels."

"..."

Hestia looked at Clara, who was still immersed in the mystery of the formation construction and could not detect any abnormality at all.

She frowned suddenly, thinking back to what Clara had just said.

What if this ritual does not lead to the dream destination she recognizes?

"Dream House" is a very broad concept. In a narrow sense, it refers to the Sea of ​​Origins where mystical practitioners embark on their path, the intertwined nine roots that create the steps to godhood. But in a broader sense, the Chaos Mist and the Well of Demonic Maggots are both part of Dream House. Even the Spirit Realm above Dream House and the Shadow Realm below Dream House can be considered branches of Dream House.

Therefore, the objects that the Six Phases Ritual can refer to are not just the beacons on the Sea of ​​Origin.

However, Tashu's rituals had a fixed process, and Clara couldn't have been unaware of it. If Noelle tried to tamper with it, it should have been discovered.

"Your Highness, please begin. During this time, I will protect you in my dreams."

Noelle sat cross-legged at the end of the magic circle. She closed her eyes, and her consciousness instantly split into two parts, half in the sky and half underground.

She allowed her spirit to emerge from within her dreams, and the blood-red walls that rose from the ground formed a dazzling beacon, revealing a hidden world that was invisible to the naked eye.

The beacon is the anchor point for the secret cultivators to wander in their dreams, like a life-saving lighthouse on the vast ocean.

For secret practitioners who desire to be promoted, they usually worship the gods, elders or a certain myth, and use their beacons to guide themselves so as not to go astray in the long dream.

The beacon left behind by the secret practitioners themselves is like a safety rope. When they are in danger of going astray, this rope can effectively pull them back to the starting point.

In this process, the path they travel is the source of their power.

Driven by curiosity, Hestia did not refuse at first, but sat cross-legged in the center of the magic circle, her consciousness merging with the Witch's Book.

The Witch's Book can open the door to the Dream House. It is a window that allows Hestia to see clearly what Noelle is up to.

"The tower is the perfection of me, the tower is unique, the tower is a monument. With respect to the order of eternity and the blood of the dragon, I invite you to see the Divine Emperor."