Kaelan thanked him sincerely. “Thank you for saving me.”
He had been poisoned. If he had not run into Ning Busan, he might not have survived the encounter with those assassins.
Ning Busan had stepped in because Kaelan had saved his life once before, but he could not take him in without understanding what was going on.
Ning Busan asked, “What happened? Why were you poisoned? Who sent those assassins after you?”
Kaelan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred and rage.
“It was Prince William.”
Ning Busan had not expected to hear such a familiar name. “Why is Prince William hunting you down?”
After a moment's thought, Kaelan decided to tell the truth. “To be honest, I am a knight of the Leonardo family, and I serve Duke Nigan.”
Ning Busan frowned.
The Leonardo family?
He remembered that the King had previously intended to betroth Novalia to Duke Nigan's eldest son.
Kaelan continued:
“Her Highness the Princess's reputation is too high right now. Prince William is worried that if this continues, she will become too difficult to handle. So, he wanted to conspire with Duke Nigan to assassinate her.”
“I stumbled upon their conspiracy, so they wanted to silence me.”
Ning Busan's eyes turned cold. “Assassinating Novalia? Who gave them the courage? Are they not afraid that the xenos will breach the Dawn Empire during the next Black Sun?”
But Ning Busan quickly understood.
By the time the next Black Sun arrived, it would be a century later.
By then, Novalia might have already ascended the throne. How could they tolerate such a thing?
Ning Busan asked, “Kaelan, how do they plan to assassinate Novalia?”
“They have a summoner who has contracted with a demon. They plan to have that demon assassinate Her Highness,” Kaelan said seriously.
“I need to enter the palace to audience the King, report this matter, and ask him to seek justice for Her Highness.”
“Stay right here and don't go anywhere,” Ning Busan frowned. “It was the King who summoned Novalia back to the empire. There is no guarantee that William and Nigan's actions do not have his implicit approval.”
Kaelan shook his head. “I cannot stay here. It will only implicate you. If Prince William finds out I am here, he will definitely pull up the roots and kill you too to eliminate all trouble.”
Ning Busan said calmly, “He won't dare to kill me. I am Teacher Saige's student.”
Kaelan was incredibly surprised. “So you are the student Lord Saige took in!”
The news of Lord Saige taking a student had once caused quite a stir, but he had no idea that person was Ning Busan.
Ning Busan said, “This is Roman Lane in the North District. There is a magic array surrounding my residence, so not just anyone can break in. Stay here and recover. He won't find you.”
Kaelan asked worriedly, “That summoner might have already set things in motion. How do you plan to warn Her Highness?”
Ning Busan's eyes flickered. “Don't worry, leave this to me.”
...
Outside the walls of the Dawn Empire.
Night fell, and the silver moon hung high in the sky.
The army had set up camp on a vast grassland. Scattered campfires cast their glow upon the tired faces of the soldiers.
In the deep darkness, a demon whose hands were covered in green scales lurked silently. His eyes, dark as an abyss, exuded an aura that made one's heart shudder.
His name was Baphomet, a greedy demon who disliked Hell and preferred to wander around the human world.
However, living a carefree life in the human world required a great deal of money. Thus, Baphomet had accepted a human's summon and established a contract with him.
The reward was handsome, and the only condition was to kill one person.
Inside the main tent, Novalia was taking a light nap.
Suddenly, the tent's curtain was violently swept aside by an invisible force. Baphomet appeared before her like a phantom, his sharp claws glinting coldly under the moonlight.
Sensing the danger, Novalia snapped her eyes open instantly, swiftly drawing the longsword hanging by her bedside to block the strike.
But Baphomet's speed far exceeded her imagination. His claws followed her like a shadow, tearing through her armor and leaving a deep gash.
Baphomet was slightly puzzled, as he could faintly sense the scent of the Demon King of Greed on this woman.
But so what?
There was no companionship among demons, especially those of the same attribute. A meeting between them always ended in a fight to the death.
Novalia recognized the creature exuding a foul, evil aura before her as a demon, and her expression turned solemn.
The two most powerful races in this world were the Celestial Clan and the Demon Clan.
They represented the two sides of light and darkness. Ever since their birth, they were immortal existences, yet naturally opposed to one another.
Only a demon or a celestial could kill a demon.
Novalia and Baphomet clashed fiercely, and the commotion quickly alerted the surrounding soldiers.
At this critical juncture, a brilliant light suddenly erupted in the sky, illuminating the entire camp as if it were broad daylight.
A twelve-winged angel clad in golden armor and wielding a holy sword descended from the heavens. His eyes burned like torches as he stared directly at Baphomet, exuding a sacred and luminous aura.
Baphomet looked at the majestic figure floating in midair, his face filled with terror. “An archangel...”
Without a second thought, he abandoned all intentions of assassinating Novalia. He scrambled and fled in a panic, terrified that he would have to say goodbye to this world if he were a step too slow.
Once Baphomet had fled far away, Novalia looked at the so-called twelve-winged archangel and curled her lips. “Ning Busan, what are you doing here?”
The light vanished, the wings disappeared, the armor dissolved, and even the holy sword faded away. In their place stood only Ning Busan, wearing an awkward yet polite smile on his face.
In truth, it was merely a disguise created with light magic. No demon would not fear a twelve-winged archangel, as such an entity was practically equivalent to the God of Light.
The surrounding soldiers were completely dumbfounded.
“Alright, everything is fine now. Disperse,” Novalia told the soldiers surrounding the tent. “Not a single word about what happened today is to be leaked.”
“Understood, Her Highness the Princess.”
All those present were soldiers who had fought alongside Novalia through life and death; it was impossible for them to betray her.
Thus, only Ning Busan and Novalia remained inside the tent.
Ning Busan used a healing spell to mend the wound on Novalia's shoulder and let out a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, I wasn't too late.”
Novalia asked, “How did you get here? Did you know a demon would come to assassinate me?”
Ning Busan explained what had happened with Kaelan.
Ning Busan frowned deeply. “Prince William wants you dead, and Duke Nigan is involved as well. The King definitely knows and has given his tacit consent.”
“The nobles of the Dawn Empire all want you dead. If you return this time, they definitely won't let you off easily.”
Novalia showed no fear whatsoever, her gaze remaining resolute and powerful. “They won't let me off, and I won't let them off either.”
Ning Busan softly called her name, “Novalia—”
But he suddenly paused, seemingly hesitating over whether he should say what was on his mind.
Novalia watched him, waiting for him to find his words.
After a long silence, Ning Busan said calmly:
“Novalia, usurp the throne.”
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