The Villain Saint is my secondary account

The coffin lid is carved with a lifelike, meandering serpentine sculpture, surrounded by depictions of people worshipping it, seemingly a depiction of some kind of ritual.

“Similar scenes have been recorded in my family’s ancient books.”

Hyde said, "It seems that a long time ago, the family had a special worship of snakes. But after a certain period, this tradition suddenly stopped, and apart from a few random words left behind, all related records were destroyed."

"Are there any snake-related gods in Aslan's history?"

Ella ran her fingers along the edge of the sarcophagus, faintly sensing the subtle magical fluctuations hidden within.

"Your Holiness, I have specifically searched and studied the fragments of pages passed down in my family that were not completely destroyed. Historically, there was indeed a special deity associated with snakes."

As Hyde spoke, he adjusted the alchemical potion used for testing. "She is called Elias, and is said to be the first god to ascend to godhood in human form in the New Age of Gods."

"In the records, she seems to be the founder of my family's main lineage, the earliest human that the 'family that serves the gods' can be traced back to, that is, the ancestor of the family of miracle healers."

"And the power she possesses is time and the serpent."

"Elias."

Ella kept repeating the name, feeling like she'd heard it somewhere before.

She recalled briefly and quickly remembered that Ye Xiao had heard this name in the illusion created by the sea goddess Undine when they were in the Seven Seas City.

That was the scene of the first holy city, now the lost capital, being submerged by floodwaters in Undine.

The God of Life was tainted by chaos, and in order to seal everything related to him, the former holy city and the guardian family had to be completely buried.

However, Elias was already very old at the time, and he argued with Undine with a lot of resentment, but in the end he could not avoid being drowned by the flood.

Elias... Is this guy the mastermind behind the Dark Shepherds?

While he was pondering, Hyde had already dripped the prepared potion into the stone coffin.

"Hiss-"

A wisp of white smoke drifted by, and something seemed to be wriggling in the cracks of the stone coffin's inner wall.

Ella looked closely and discovered that countless tiny, transparent snakes were crawling among the stone patterns, moving in dense numbers that made one's heart race.

She couldn't help but feel disgusted and withdrew her hand. Although the snakes only appeared on the inner wall of the stone coffin, she still couldn't help feeling disgusted.

"The stone coffin contains many tiny snake eggs that are invisible to the naked eye. The Dark Shepherd puts the victims he wants to brainwash into it, making them into petri dishes for these snake eggs."

Hyde put on his monocle, which could adjust the focus, and observed carefully.

"These little snakes with strange magic are special. They seem to be able to parasitize human flesh and blood, and as they grow, they gradually control human will."

"But in my experience, such snakes should not exist in nature. Snake-like monsters should have the ability to survive independently in the environment. This kind of snake-like monster that grows into an adult by parasitizing is more like a product of some kind of artificial research."

Ella nodded slightly. "Before this, similar black snakes appeared in the southern province of Aslan. The only difference was that the humans they parasitized would go insane directly, instead of showing signs of being brainwashed but not outwardly discernible."

"That might be the product of experiments conducted when the research was still in its early stages,"

Hyde analyzed, "In the materials that the Seven Stars Society had previously given me, the Kingdom of Valen also had similar species, which shows that their experimental areas are quite widely distributed."

"Therefore, this black snake was probably not developed by the Dark Shepherds alone; there must have been others secretly cooperating with them."

"company."

Ella knew who it was without even having to guess.

Besides the company, she couldn't think of anyone else who could do something so disgusting.

However, there are factions within the company, and Ella can only guess that it is probably related to the research institute.

"But there's still one question: why aren't the travelers from other worlds affected by these black snakes?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that either."

Hyde said apologetically, "However, I have a general idea of ​​the medicine you requested for these black snakes."

"Oh?"

Ella was surprised by Hyde's efficiency. "That's pretty good."

"It is my great honor."

Hyde said respectfully.

……

Two days later.

There seem to be signs of unrest creeping up in the northern provinces of Aslan.

The escaped prisoners, with the help of unknown forces, returned to their respective families, only to be maliciously imprisoned and nearly lose their lives underground, leaving them with considerable resentment.

Even though no one dared to say it outright, rumors were already circulating that Silvana's rise to power was illegitimate and that he was colluding with the Dark Cult.

Of course, the efforts of a certain benevolent force also played a part in this.

The royal capital of Leonia is under increasingly strict security under the oppressive rule of Silvana, but even so, some fearless citizens are still captured.

Even rumors began to circulate that the First Princess Serendra was still alive. While other rumors might at most damage the new queen's reputation, the claim that Serendra was still alive was enough to shake her very foundations.

"She should have been killed completely back then."

In the royal study, Silvana's eyes darkened as he listened to the report from his subordinates, and the quill pen he was holding snapped in two.

She knew perfectly well that someone in the capital was behind it all, but even with all the palace spies mobilized and batches of gossipy scoundrels thrown into prison, they still couldn't find the source of the rumors.

Seeing Silvana's expression, the court attendant in charge of the report at the desk dared not utter a sound.

However, Silvana knew that such pointless anger was futile, and after a moment's thought, she decided to strengthen surveillance.

The other side may have already found a way to break the previous manipulation tactics, and many of the nobles who were previously under their control may show signs of defecting.

Silvana's gaze swept across the list of officials, finally settling on the name of a marquis who had previously belonged to the Grand Princess's faction.

Chapter 196 A Strange Visit

There are four days left until the upgrade plan is completed.

Reinhardt was leading a group of Sky Knights to the Marquis Mokadod's mansion, located in the eastern part of the city.

As he rode on horseback, he was still recalling the conflict that had taken place in the dungeon the day before.

Even though he is already a Grandmaster at a young age and is hailed as a person of exceptional talent and a future successor to the guild leader, he seemed to be unable to do anything on the battlefield surrounded by powerful enemies like yesterday.

Looking back now, that battle always seems a bit suspicious.

Why are there so many noble prisoners, as well as earth knights and priests, in the dungeon? Shouldn't they be loyal to the new empress, who is the Holy Maiden of the Earth? Why would they choose to fight to the death to protect those prisoners from escaping?

However, Her Majesty the Queen was very dissatisfied with the Knights' failure in carrying out the mission. In addition, the Commander Lancelot failed to capture the knight who was surrounded by holy light. Therefore, Reinhardt was hesitant to ask the Commander about the reason for the incident, for fear of incurring his wrath.

And Miss Fisher...

Reinhardt recalled the first time he met the young maid at the palace two years ago, and his emotions became somewhat complicated again.

Why was she there? And why was she stopping me?

Reinhardt always felt that things were not as simple as they appeared on the surface; in secret, the entire empire's situation seemed to be quietly changing.

But being in the Knights' Order, facing the torrent of fate, his pitiful strength seemed so helpless, leaving him only able to drift with the tide.

As I pondered, the Marquis's magnificent estate came into view on the open field.

The tenant farmers in the fields are busy, using magic to scatter the seeds that need to be planted in all directions.

A farm dragon, yawning as it dragged its plowing tools, strolled leisurely along, creating a scene of tranquility that contrasted sharply with the oppressive atmosphere permeating the main streets of the capital.

However, as the knight's warhorse trod the field ridges, even the busiest tenant farmers had to stop their work and go to the roadside to worship.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. There's no need for formalities. Please go back and do your own things."

Reinhardt himself was born in the countryside of the southern province and worked his way up to the Knights Order. He was not used to seeing these elderly farmers bowing to him.

This gave him the feeling of seeing his parents kneeling before him, and he felt inexplicably heartbroken.

"Captain, you don't need to waste your breath. No matter what, they are obliged to come and pay their respects."

The team members behind him said calmly, "This is the duty of commoners, and it's also a rule written in the law. We still need to hurry up and complete His Majesty's orders, so let's just ignore them and go straight there."

Apart from Reinhardt, most of the other members of the squad came from noble families and accepted the tenant farmers' kneeling worship without a second thought.

Reinhardt felt a tightness in his throat and quickened his pace to avoid making the Apple citizens kneel for too long.

Before long, they arrived at the Marquis's manor.

Because their visit was carried out on the Queen's orders and was a surprise inspection, Reinhardt and his party were not informed in advance of their arrival.

But the Sky Knights' griffin emblem was tattooed on the armor, not to mention the Queen's decree.

The Marquis's servants dared not be negligent in the slightest. Some respectfully welcomed them into the manor, while others rushed into the residence, presumably to inform the Marquis.

While waiting to be received by the Marquis, Reinhardt casually observed the interior of the manor.

The scene resembles that of a typical aristocratic courtyard, with flowers in full bloom and fountains and sculptures.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but many of the servants who appear to be working don’t seem to be doing their jobs very seriously. For example, a servant who is trimming the flowerbeds not far away seems to be cutting the air with his gardening shears, and he keeps glancing at them out of the corner of his eye.

An ordinary nobleman might not have noticed these details at all, but Reinhardt, who grew up in the countryside, was different. He was very familiar with the daily work of servants and could tell at a glance what was considered sham and what was considered serious.

This somewhat strange scene aroused his slight doubts. He thought that the Marquis should not owe these servants wages, but before he could think about the reason, the Marquis of Mokadode walked out of the main gate.

"By the Goddess, it is unbeknownst to you that the Sky Knights are visiting my humble abode without prior notice. Otherwise, I could have had my servants prepare some fine tea and snacks to entertain you."

“No need for that, Your Excellency.”

Reinhardt withdrew his gaze and took out the Empress's edict from his armor. "I am Reinhardt, the captain of the fifth squad of the Sky Knights. We have come to investigate on the Empress's orders."

"Investigation?"

Marquis Mokadod paused slightly, a strange glint flashing in his forced smile. "The goddess can bear witness to our family's loyalty to the royal family. May I ask why His Majesty has appointed you to oversee the investigation?"

"Recently, there have been rumors spread by witch followers in the city, attempting to create unrest and causing fear and anxiety among the citizens. In order to appease the people, His Majesty has specially dispatched us to inspect the various territories outside the city."

"I see."

Marquis Mocardod nodded as if he understood.

Reinhardt paused, then, seeing the other man still standing at the door, he couldn't help but speak up: "Now that you've finished asking your questions, may we begin our work, Marquis?"

"Oh, of course, of course no problem."

Marquis Mokadode took a small step to the side. "Where do you intend to visit? I will lead the way."

“No need for you to trouble yourself, sir. You may go about your business. We will search on our own.”

Reinhardt said, "Just make sure everyone in the mansion cooperates when we ask questions."

"Okay okay."

Marquis Mocardo said this, but he still followed in Reinhardt's footsteps.

Reinhardt keenly noticed the tension in the Marquis's expression, but he neither pointed it out nor refused the Marquis's request to follow. Instead, he led the team members into the mansion.

"Shuke is in charge of the first floor, Christopher is in charge of the second floor, and I will go to the third floor to search."

He skillfully assigned tasks, saying, "By dividing the work among ourselves, we can minimize the time wasted by the Marquis."

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

Marquis Mocardod nodded as well.

This division of the troops prevented the Marquis from keeping an eye on everyone, and also created opportunities for the squad of knights to privately interrogate the people in the manor.

Reinhardt let Mokadod follow him directly up to the third floor.

He didn't see anything particularly suspicious along the way, except for a tightly closed door that caught his attention when he reached the third-floor corridor.

"That room is...?"

“Oh, that’s my daughter Favina’s bedroom. She was also involved in the Dawn Forest incident and still has psychological trauma from it, so she’s been staying indoors ever since.”

Marquis Mokadode explained sincerely, “If Mr. Reinhardt wishes to see her, I can call her out.”

Chapter 197 The Witch's Spy

"...No need."

Reinhardt waved his hand.

If such a thing is a lie, it will be exposed as soon as it is exposed, so Reinhardt doesn't need to go out of his way to verify it.