The black sun hangs high

Chapter 73 The Princess's Invitation
The banquet proceeded smoothly.

Perhaps to facilitate the conversation, the waiters did not serve the dishes in a specific order as at other aristocratic banquets, but instead brought almost all the dishes to another long table at once.

After that, the royal butler who served Sophia took on the duties of a waiter. His mage hand hovered beside him, constantly bringing new dishes to the table and refilling the juice or wine glasses of the three people at the dinner.

The one drinking the juice is Wei Lin.

Hugh and Princess Sofia were the ones drinking.

Sofia is indeed a princess with a strong personal charm, quite different from most of the nobles and royals that Hugh and Vera had in mind.

When telling jokes, she is cheerful and direct; when commenting on the embarrassing incidents of some nobles in Borden, her language is sharp and full of metaphors; and when discussing literary creation and the use of magic, she always has some unique insights.

To be fair, having dinner and conversation with such a princess was indeed a very pleasant experience, and Hugh had to admit that she was extremely good at controlling the conversation and creating a lively atmosphere. Even Vera couldn't help but discuss with her the methods of combining and using magic in different situations.

Moreover, as a member of the royal family, Princess Sofia does not mind talking about Hughes's works in public. However, she does not discuss the "special attributes" of Hughes's works, but focuses more on the expression of the living environment of the lower classes in these novels.

“I have actually read several of Mr. Hugh’s works, and I really like your descriptions of people’s living environment.”

At this moment, Princess Sofia's words contained no hint of joke or sarcasm, but rather were full of sincerity: "Perhaps most readers are looking for descriptions of love and other... well, other plot points in novels."

"But in my opinion, the reason why these stories are so fascinating is that they are based on real-life environments. Once they leave this foundation, everything becomes meaningless."

Princess Sofia's attitude toward literary works surprised Hughes. He had not expected that Sofia, as a member of the royal family of such high status, would be able to find such a unique perspective.

As if sensing Hugh's confusion, Sophia smiled and said, "This is the view of one of my teachers. He believes that all those in power and leaders need to understand why they have achieved their current position and why they are able to occupy those valuable resources... Ah, let's not talk about that."

The princess clapped her hands gently, and the mage's hand, floating in the air, immediately presented a cup to Hugh.

That was a glass of sour beer from Serenity.

Ice cubes floated in the golden liquor, while thick syrup swayed gently among them.

Sour beer, with extra ice and extra sugar.

Unlike in the past, this glass is very exquisite and gorgeous, and even the ice cubes floating in the wine are molded into various different shapes.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Hugh thanked him, then picked up his glass and took a sip.

Too much syrup was added, making the beer too sweet, which made the sour beer taste very weak.

In short... it's not quite the sour beer that Hugh had in mind.

Violet seemed to sense something was amiss. She glanced at Hughes, but seeing that his expression didn't seem to change much, she turned back to him.

By this time, the banquet had entered its latter half.

The dishes on the table were quickly replaced with dessert.

The topic of the conversation returned to the city of Seren.

"Harvid's death is a huge blow to Walter and the entire royal family."

When she said this, Princess Sofia was indeed in a state of sadness and melancholy: "Although the struggles within the royal family have always been very intense, I greatly admire Harvid's character and abilities... My brother has demonstrated exceptional abilities in both domestic and foreign affairs. To be honest, he alone is enough to support the diplomatic department of Walter."

At this point, Sophia sighed deeply: "I can accept his failure, and I can accept his death, but I cannot bear the thought of him dying from a dubious assassination... The royal family of Walter should never be part of any plan or conspiracy; it is a desecration of the dignity of the royal family."

Vera frowned, then asked, "You mean, Prince Harvid's death..."

“You two need not be so cautious. I invited you to the Adlon Hotel to ask you for more details about the city of Seren.”

Princess Sofia picked up her wine glass and took a small sip: "Before that, to show my sincerity, I can also reveal some important intelligence and information to you both."

Then she turned to Hugh: "Mr. Hugh, you must be wondering why the Ernst family would bring you back to Borden at a time like this?"

Hugh looked directly at the other person and replied, "From what I know... the family seems to be holding some events related to the heir, but I don't think a bastard like me is qualified to participate in such events."

"Accurate judgment".

Sophia said approvingly, "Then I can tell you something: the Ernst family's surveillance and investigation of you began two years ago. In other words, some people in your family could have taken you away before the events in Seren City happened, but they didn't."

"So Your Highness means that someone wants me to die in Seren?"

Faced with Hugh's question, Sophia did not answer this time. She gently swirled the wine in her glass, and the highland wine shimmered beautifully under the light. Then she said, "Don't rush to ask questions, Mr. Hugh. Now it's your turn to answer my questions."

"As those who successfully escaped from Seren, please tell me, did a monster, like a black sludge, actually appear in Seren? It can change shape and devour living beings?"

After a brief silence, Hugh and the other nodded simultaneously.

"So you've encountered it, right?"

As Sophia asked her question, Finn, the butler standing to the side, stopped his serving duties, took out his spellbook and pen, and began to record the conversation. Verin answered Sophia's question: "We encountered it in the sewers on the outskirts of Seren. Just like in the legends, it was an amorphous mass of black sludge, yet it could mimic many different forms…like a giant shapeshifting worm that had undergone a mutation."

"You repelled it?"

Sophia looked over curiously: "Miss Vilin is an outstanding mage among the younger generation of the Law Committee. I believe that as long as the environment and conditions are right, you will be able to escape from the monster's attack with your own magic."

"However, the soldiers traveling with you are not reliable. Mr. Hugh is only a novice mage who has just begun his studies. His knowledge of magic is still limited. The other two are ordinary civilians."

At this moment, Sophia's tone finally carried the air of someone in a high position. She asked, "Such a fragile and poorly equipped refugee group was able to survive the monster's attack... It's nothing short of a miracle."

"It was just a fluke, Your Highness."

Hughes picked up the conversation at the right moment: "As you said, my magic power and the magic I have mastered are indeed extremely limited, but fortunately, all the 'means' we could use at the time, including magic and the weapons and equipment we had prepared and carried in advance, were able to effectively restrain that monster."

"Tell me more specifically."

"Magic capable of creating corrosive mist, alchemical potions capable of causing explosions, and simple flamethrowers."

Hugh replied methodically, “Based on my deduction, the monster we encountered… or rather, that part of the monster, should already be injured. At least it is not as ferocious and terrifying as people say. And our goal is equally simple: with Miss Verin about to break the ritual of Seren City, all we need to do is buy time.”

Beside her, Virin quickly added, "If Your Highness wants to find a way to deal with this monster, then fire, acid, and other such powers should be the most effective. The monster's form and characteristics are similar to the shapeshifter. Although its form is huge and strange, it has no way to effectively resist magical power."

“Very useful advice.”

Sofia gave a positive review to this.

Hugh had prepared himself for the princess to press for more details, but he hadn't expected Sophia to suddenly change the subject and ask about the events in Seren before and after the truce celebration.

It seems that Sophia is more concerned with public reaction, newspaper publicity, and the legal committee's response strategies than with the rumors of the strange magical creature.

The other party completely controlled the conversation, so all Hugh and his companion could do was try their best to answer.

"It's a pity that neither of you were present when the assassination occurred... But if that were the case, we probably wouldn't be able to meet here."

Sofia sighed softly.

At this point, the conversation finally came to a temporary end.

Virin, who used to be buried in books and documents all day, was clearly not used to this occasion. She sat in her seat somewhat mechanically and slowly drank the juice in her glass, while across from her, Princess Sofia elegantly enjoyed a dessert.

It was at this moment that Hughes finally got the chance to ask a question.

"Your Highness, you invited Miss Weilin and me today, surely not just to discuss these topics?"

"of course."

Sophia nodded in affirmation, "The main purpose of my questions to you two is to verify the results of the Kingdom's spies' work... As for the details, I cannot reveal them to you."

She scooped up a small dollop of cream with her silver spoon and said, "Just as Mr. Hugh guessed, I do have something more important to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Vera immediately cast a questioning glance at Sophia. Normally, in such situations, an "observer" like her would need to leave the conversation.

"Miss Weilin, please stay here, because we need your involvement in this matter."

The princess of the kingdom said calmly, "Mr. Hugh, you previously guessed that the Ernst family was carrying out activities regarding the succession, right?"

Sophia slightly raised her chin: "Then I can give you a definite answer now. Under Marshal Zeke's orders, the Ernst family is preparing to hold a ceremony to hand over the family headship during the Winter Festival. At the same time, they will also select a suitable successor from the younger generation of the family."

“I know Mr. Hugh probably isn’t very interested in this kind of thing… but no matter what happened in the past, from this moment on, I hope you will take it seriously.”

"what do you mean……"

Sophia sat up straight, her imposing aura radiating from the restaurant lights: "As the princess of Walter and the heir to the throne of Austin, I hereby issue a special 'request' to Mr. Hugh."

"I hope that Mr. Hugh will actively participate in the competition for the new heir of the Ernst family. In the next month or so, you will have my support, including funds, intelligence, and manpower. If Mr. Hugh wants to build momentum and expand his influence in Borden, I can do it anytime."

“Miss Verin, in view of your ‘agreement’ with the Ernst family, I hope that you can become Mr. Hugh Ernst’s mage bodyguard and magic advisor for the next period of time. If you agree, I will pay you several times or even ten times the salary of the position itself. At the same time, the royal library and archives will also be open to you.”

Vera remained silent, while Hugh felt a chill creep down his spine.

He quickly repeated in his mind the requests made by Princess Sofia, or rather, Princess Sofia, before asking in a low voice, "Your Highness, are these words an order or an invitation?"

"Of course, it's an invitation."

Sophia slowly rose from her seat. She was tall and well-proportioned, and a new crystal gun and a silver dagger hung at her waist. Just as the rumors said, this princess had an extremely close relationship with the army and soldiers.

"Of course, I do not recommend that you two refuse this invitation... After all, we need to face not only the current war, but also the development of the Kingdom of Wotel over the next few decades or even nearly a hundred years, which requires the concerted efforts of the royal family and the nobles."

"Mr. Hugh, do you understand?"

(End of this chapter)