The black sun hangs high

Chapter 337 The Guest from Outside the Window

Hughes remembers it very clearly.

On a previous winter night, I seemed to have encountered a "blue-winged raven" that suddenly barged into my room in a similar situation.

Although the Blue-winged Raven has always been known in Vaan for its strong vitality and outstanding intelligence, and it is also capable of surviving in a variety of different environments, Hugh has been somewhat allergic to this bird ever since he visited Ernst Manor.

There was nothing they could do; after all, the princess of the Kingdom of Walter had a penchant for using magic to transform into a raven.
The events of that snowy night remain vivid in the memories of both parties. The difference is that Hughes clearly understands who he was facing and why he took those actions.

In contrast, whenever Princess Sofia recalls the series of "treatments" she received that night, her facial expressions and emotional control always show a slight "problem".

As the undisputed heir to the throne and the future military leader of Walter, Princess Sophia certainly wouldn't hold a grudge against Hugh over such a trivial matter; she had her own concerns in this matter.

This kind of magic that directly changes one's form is almost exclusively unique to the Walter royal family, also known as the Augustin family. Very few people know about it, and among them, only two people have a connection with Hugh and have had close communication with him.

The two men are Finn, the royal butler, and Zeke Ernst, known as the "Three-Clawed Falcon."

However, Sophia had conducted a thorough investigation and was certain that neither of them had done such a thing, nor had they had any motive to reveal this secret to Hugh.

With numerous details corroborating the evidence, Princess Sophia successfully deduced a somewhat embarrassing conclusion: that Hughes most likely maintained his attitude "towards ordinary birds" even after seeing through her magic and disguise.

What happened next was quite subtle.

As a member of the Ernst family, it was perfectly normal for Hugh to join the army. However, a series of events that followed successfully removed him from the military system of the Kingdom of Walter.

Now, he is no longer under the control of the Walter royal family, and even the connection between him and the Ernst family itself has become extremely weak. The idea that "Shug Ernst will become the family heir" has been casually forgotten by old Zeke.

Sophia strongly suspected that this was actually a strategy employed by her teacher.

A strategy that could disperse the influence of the Ernst family and, to some extent, avoid the control of the royal family.

However, she was unable to obtain any evidence, because Hugh Ernst's experience of leaving the Kingdom of Walter was too bizarre, and every choice he made was completely beyond Sophia's expectations.

Therefore, when Sophia, who was also heading to Merlinle to meet directly with the Legal Council on behalf of the Walter royal family, noticed the lights in the Dawn Society's compound next door, she once again transformed into the Blue-winged Raven.

This is the inner city of Merlinle, the embassy district within the territory of the French Council.

The protective rituals in the vicinity were extremely tight, and Princess Sophia's own personal occult pendant was powerful enough to intercept and annihilate several river valley and lake level or higher destructive spells.

Therefore, she is not worried about encountering any trouble.

Of course, she didn't believe that Hugh Ernst would do anything to her.

And so, the exceptionally large blue-winged raven with its striking plumage landed steadily in front of Hugh, standing on the spotless windowsill.

Hugh stood by the window, staring at the enormous blue-winged raven, neither of them making any further moves for a moment.

The soft humming coming from the next window had become much fainter, and it sounded as if Vera had gone to the other end of her room.

Just then, the blue-winged raven nimbly leaped forward, crossing the window and entering Hugh's room.

"Tsk..."

Hughes grinned, glancing helplessly at the uninvited guest. His mage hand then floated out and closed the open window. He then locked the door and set up a soundproofing ritual in the room—these were the basic conditions for a secret conversation.

Seeing this, the hopping blue-winged raven stopped pretending.

It nimbly leaped to the center of Hugh's room, its wings, adorned with bright blue feathers, slightly spread and fluttered twice.

Immediately afterwards, extremely subtle magical fluctuations emanated, and dark blue magical radiance bloomed in the center of the room, with specks of light and shadow drifting around.

The raven that was busy preening its feathers just a second ago has disappeared, replaced by a tall figure with long brown hair, wearing a black dress and a dark gold shawl.

The moment Princess Sophia appeared directly in front of him, the strict etiquette requirements that the royal butler Finn had forcibly instilled in him suddenly resurfaced from the depths of Hugh's memory. But the next instant, Hugh kicked those awkward and cumbersome things into a corner of his mind and stomped on them a few times.

He took a half step back, placed his left hand on his chest, leaned forward slightly, but did not lower his head at all.

This is a common etiquette in both plateau and plain regions, specifically used in formal social occasions to greet acquaintances of equal status.

"It's been a long time, Your Highness."

The sentences that came out of Hugh's mouth were very ordinary and commonplace. There was no fear or panic in his tone; instead, there was a hint of helplessness.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Hugh."

Sophia smiled faintly and nodded slightly to Hughes, which was her way of accepting his greeting. The room arranged by the Legal Committee was very spacious, and there were even tables and chairs set up outside for receiving guests, so the two naturally went to the outer reception room.

The two sat down facing each other, and then Hugh's mage hand floated out to retrieve the water cup and kettle that were placed to the side. The servants arranged by the Law Committee here had prepared these things in advance, and the kettle was filled with warm tea, which was very thoughtful.

Princess Sofia smiled and picked up the cup of tea. She glanced at Hugh's unpacked luggage in the corner of the reception room and smiled apologetically: "It seems my visit was a little too rushed?"

"It was quite sudden. I never expected that my first visitor would come in through the window."

Hughes made a joke, and in the bright light of the reception room, he quickly observed Princess Walter, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Sofia's appearance hasn't actually changed much; she still looks the same as before. If you had to say something, it would be that her aura has become more unique than before.

If the Princess Walter in Hugh's memory was a rapier hidden in an exquisite scabbard, then she now is like a gleaming military knife that could be brandished at any moment.

Sharp, confident, and radiating a brilliance that makes people want to back away.

"Why did Your Highness come here? I've been following all sorts of news lately and have read several issues of the Borden Daily, but none of them mentioned your visit to Merlinle."

"Of course, we can't let those reporters go around spreading rumors about this..."

Sophia shook her head, but the smile on her face remained unchanged: "The internal changes in Saint Steel have directly cut off the routes from the highland countries to the northern border, especially the sea routes... The Minister of the Navy of the Kingdom of Hein can't sleep at all. He dreams every day that the Saint Steel Navy will launch a surprise attack on them."

"However, I traveled by land, specifically on a train that was set up for the war. One of the railways was long enough to reach the border region of St. Steel. After that, I transferred to other vehicles and crossed the strait three days ago to arrive here... I really like those new vehicles; they are not only armed but also sturdy enough."

Sofia's words were very understated, but the hidden danger was self-evident.

At the current stage, due to the many tough measures taken against the Black Sun Society, the Kingdom of Wotel has placed itself on the opposite side of the Black Sun Society. Although the two have not officially declared war and are both trying their best to exercise restraint, it is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that they are at odds.

Especially within the Kingdom of Walter, countless rounds of purges against the Black Sun Society have been carried out. Through these violent measures, the Walter royal family has almost directly achieved the goals that they had previously failed to fully realize. They have not only eliminated those dangerous parasites hidden within the country, but also taken this opportunity to further shrink the assets and power of the nobles.

Now, not only has control of the army been lost, but even the nobles who had specially acquired many farms and employed a large number of farmers have been targeted. Once it is discovered that these people may be associated with the Black Sun Society, the Kingdom of Walter will quickly take drastic measures.

"You may not know this, but in our first two rounds of operations, a lot of newspapers and magazines were shut down, including several editors-in-chief of the Bolden Daily."

Sophia reached up and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen onto her shoulder behind her back, but the smile on her face now carried a hint of terrifying bloodlust: "Although they have all been dealt with now, no one knows if there might be any omissions... In any case, Walter will absolutely not disclose something like this to the public now."

"So, Your Highness has come to Merlinle for..."

"Of course, we have similar goals to yours, but what we want to discuss with the Legislative Affairs Commission is definitely clearer than what you have."

Sophia's smile faded slightly, and she raised her eyebrows: "Efficiency is important. The Highland Giant Eagle doesn't want to waste time on useless arguments."

At this point, Sophia leaned forward slightly, just like when they first met. This noble princess exuded her unique aura of power: "Let's change the subject, Mr. Hugh. As the host here, it's certainly impolite of you to keep asking me questions... Now, may I ask you a few questions as well?"

However, Hugh is now completely different from the past. Facing the sharp aura emanating from Sophia, Hugh's emotions did not change much. He slowly took a sip of tea and then nodded: "Please speak. If Your Highness's question is appropriate, I will answer it."

As he spoke, the magic within Hugh's body surged slightly. Sophia felt as if there was a dark color stirring deep within the pupils opposite her, which involuntarily reminded her of the terrifying scene brought back by the royal spies from the dangerous, rugged hills and fissures, and also made her think of the black sun in the sky that exuded a cold aura.

As a crown prince who had been on the battlefield and possessed excellent mental fortitude, Sophia reacted very quickly. She unconsciously pursed her lips, forcibly suppressing the unease welling up in her heart, barely regaining her previous composure, and then asked a question she had already prepared.

"I heard that the Dawn Society's headquarters was attacked not long ago?"

She cautiously probed, "And it's said that the attackers weren't an army from any country, nor were they some hired organization, but rather... beings similar to the monsters in Seren?"

Hugh smiled, the gloomy shadow in his eyes quickly dissipating. He nodded and said, "Walter's intelligence network is as tight as ever. Your Highness's information is very accurate. However, there are two points I must correct."

"First of all, it wasn't just the Dawn Society's headquarters that was attacked, but also the fleet that our group of participants was on."

"Secondly, those attackers could indeed be called 'monsters,' but they were far from the previous cases... They were more dangerous and more terrifying."

After receiving a positive response from Hugh, Sophia nodded: "I can also add a third point for Mr. Hugh."

"Ok?"

"Besides the Dawn Society's headquarters, the coast of the Kingdom of Hein was also attacked. A seaside village was completely destroyed, and all the residents of that village disappeared overnight. The attackers didn't even leave behind any bodies."

Hughes was very cautious about what Sophia said: "It sounds like this could very well have been done by pirates or mercenary groups, since human trafficking is one of their means of survival."

"However, our council of mages discovered some unusual traces at the scene. It was a kind of blood, um... multicolored blood."

Sophia stared at Hugh: "I think you, Mr. Hugh, would be interested in this kind of thing, wouldn't you?"

(End of this chapter)