But avoiding internal friction was the right move; one should always have such an attitude toward life.
Faust humbly accepted Selena’s criticism. “You’re right. It was my fault.”
The pale-blonde knight girl nodded. “Your Highness, I am the same. I’ve been complacently immersed in a false harmony, clearly knowing you still have a grand blueprint to realize and powerful opponents to defeat, yet I remained indifferent!”
Viviana was much the same. She was slightly better than Selena in that she didn’t cling to him all day, but when it came to her focus, the childhood friend was more extreme than anyone. Her eyes seemed capable of seeing only Faust, and her thoughts were occupied only by matters concerning the prince.
Her heart was full of him, her eyes were full of him—this love was so heavy it was suffocating, but Faust had long since grown accustomed to it. After those three months in the basement, nothing could stir a ripple in his heart anymore.
Except for Irithea, both Viviana and Selena were deep in self-reflection.
Seeing this, the wolf-girl wagged her fluffy tail and tilted her head. “Do I need to reflect too? Probably not, right? You’ve all been addicted for a long time, but I haven’t even had a taste yet. I’m even still a virgin!”
Perhaps it was because Little Red Riding Hood was the only witch in the original script without a prince, so there wasn't as much repressed desire in her underlying code.
While she liked him very much, it hadn't reached the point where she couldn't live for a second without him, like she was hooked on some drug.
“I cannot go on like this.”
Selena shook her head and said:
“When we return, I’m going to refine my path in the Midwinter Kingdom. It truly is time for me to fulfill my responsibilities.”
The Midwinter princess’s path was said to be that of a warlock, but that classification was a bit too broad. Even within the warlock category, there were different divisions.
In reality, her warlock path was inherited from the first princess of Midwinter, a special path called the Heavenly Witch King.
Although the Heavenly Witch King nominally belonged to the warlock system, compared to Faust’s sovereign monarch, it leaned even more toward “governance,” allowing her to gain bonuses to her spells from the admiration and love of others.
Previously, Selena had completely ignored this aspect, relying solely on her God-given talent to climb to the rank of hero. But with such an attitude, no matter how many cheats she had, she was at most a base-level high warlock.
The greatest difference between paths lay not in the rank, but in the path itself. The intensity of the Radiant King path was simply too high; a base-level path could never compete with it.
Although Selena didn’t say it out loud, the fact that the Imperial Princess had almost forced her to her knees with just a gesture had caused a massive trauma to Snow White’s heart. The beautiful girl with long black hair gritted her silver teeth.
“So, I am going to conquer, integrate, and expand. The Empire... is nothing special.”
She knew deep down that to face the Imperial Princess’s power, only an equivalent national strength could compete. She would return to the Midwinter Kingdom, no longer just as a lazy princess, but as the actual wielder of royal power.
She would make the union between the Midwinter Kingdom and the Qingxi Kingdom something that even the Empire could not shake.
“Not bad! You were already one of the co-rulers; you can naturally lead and govern our kingdom as you please!”
Faust was almost moved to tears. He clapped his hands repeatedly, supporting Selena’s decision with all his might.
Viviana pressed a hand against her high chest and lowered her head.
“I want to become your truly sharp blade. I will never let what happened today happen again.”
“Therefore, Your Highness, after we return, please allow me to embark on a Chivalric Trial. I shall present you with countless victories and glory.”
A Chivalric Trial was an adventure trial unique to the knight-type paths. Starting from an apprentice knight, one could begin their own Chivalric Trial. Everything from helping an old lady across the street to rescuing a kitten from a tree, or from subjugating fiends to clearing out bandits, was part of it.
Generally speaking, those who reached the end of the Chivalric Trial would be granted an audience with the Lady of the Lake, drink the water from the holy grail, and become a grail knight.
But Viviana certainly looked down on the strength of a grail knight—they were merely defeated opponents to her.
She chose the most arduous path among the trials—launching a Chivalric Crusade, leading troops into the secret realms of the continent that were shrouded in mist and inhabited by ancient magical creatures.
She would seek trials in the most forbidden and dangerous zones, sweeping away beast disasters and hunting fiends, stimulating her strength through repeated bloody baptisms and trials while spreading her fame.
“Although I still don’t know what happened, the atmosphere has reached this point. It would be too weird if I didn’t say something.”
Irithea rested her chin on her hand and said, “Sylvia mentioned to me before that the kin have been living too comfortably in the royal guard. The pack hungers for the hunt and the slaughter. So, if you allow it, a portion of the wolves can follow Viviana on her Chivalric Crusade.”
“As for me... I don’t think I’m being lazy, right? I’ve realized my talent to some extent. After fighting for so long, can’t I enjoy myself a little?”
The white wolf girl shrugged and smiled. “Just kidding. I’ve actually thought about what I want to do, but it’s a secret for now. I’ll give you a surprise when the time comes.”
By sheer coincidence, the girls had made a painful but resolute decision—to temporarily leave their lover’s tender nest and forge their own crowns in the tempering of blood and fire.
After all, this was no longer a minor spat of romantic rivalry; a powerful enemy truly intended to steal Faust away. A mortal enemy could hardly be worse.
“Good! Being busy is good. It’s best if everyone is busy!”
He gave his full affirmation and respect to his lovers who had made up their minds.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me. I’ll support whatever you do. You can do whatever you want. Don’t be afraid; I’ve got your back.”
The prince was naturally delighted to see this. He wasn't afraid of the witches making mistakes; he was only afraid of them doing nothing.
One must understand that the prince of Qingxi had desperately hoped to spread the influence of the witches' feast but had never succeeded. The girls were simply too indifferent to fame and fortune, with no desires or needs; as long as they could enjoy a happy and peaceful life, they felt no need to work hard.
They were a bunch of lazy dogs!!
What Faust had spent countless efforts to achieve without success had been easily accomplished by her. As long as the Imperial Princess remained, she would be the whip spurring the girls to work hard on building the kingdom.
Artedinis, you’ve done well! You’ve done exceptionally well!
I misjudged the Imperial Princess. Although she is also an Overlord, I shouldn't be jealous of her. I’d say a competitor really is a benefactor!
With this interlude before their departure, everyone was fueled by a sense of determination. Before boarding the airship to return home, Faust had one more thing to do, something that concerned whether he could expand his territory openly and boldly.
He went to find Helen and said to the nun:
“I intend to establish a Sanctuary monastic order within my kingdom.”
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