The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

Under such circumstances, Master Tailan still sent orders to Yunling Private Arms, which was difficult for the princess to comment on.

But it's all killing anyway, killing the Frans is killing, killing the Tailans is killing. As long as Master Tailan doesn't mind, General Freeman Ant would probably be happy to "let bygones be bygones."

Looking at the audiences of different races, identities, and nationalities on the dream stage, Hestia maintained a calm and dignified temperament.

As the largest shareholder and board member of Yunling Private Arms, the princess naturally had to attend such a significant event. Besides endorsing the existence of Yunling Private Arms and giving it legitimate legitimacy, it also signaled an open attitude to the outside world.

"...While the Yunling Private Arms Company employs mercenaries, their allegiance is not to money, but to compassion and mercy, to peace in the seven seas, and to the well-being of the world. Wherever the Divine Emperor shines, His troops are obligated to maintain stability."

The audience showed various strange expressions, thinking about the princess' words while trying to guess her character.

The "Lorraine" label is even heavier on the Sixth Princess of the Empire, and she seems to have inherited the dovish tradition of the old Grand Duke.

This is a good thing for the city's powerful people. As long as the Queen is willing to negotiate through gentle and long-term means and exchange interests reasonably, all parties will not mind cooperating.

Hestia did not deliberately strengthen her identity as "Lorraine". Her secret position as "High Knight" alone already gave her an extremely strong Iron Army color, which "Lorraine" could not wash away.

However, the real reason why she received Fuman Ant's full support was not because of the mutual respect between the high knights.

According to official history, the princess gained the support of the Iron Army mainly because she bore the notoriety of a butcher and fattened the pockets of the Iron Army, but now, she has not reached the point of draining the pond to catch all the fish.

Even though she is not as bloodthirsty as the iron-blooded female duchess on the parallel line, the "loyalty" of the Yunling Military Region is still no less.

The saying that money makes the world go round is true everywhere.

The princess continued her speech, but at this moment, a sense of foreboding emerged.

This smell does not originate from the nasal cavity, but comes from the spiritual sense, and is a warning sign of crisis.

At this moment, the shadows under her podium suddenly spread, and hidden, vicious runes swallowed up the surrounding light like darkness, revealing specific outlines, and a creepy magic circle emerged in an instant.

Before Hestia could move, the soldier beside her was entangled in shadows, and his body melted like tar, starting from the skin.

This is a curse, a carefully planned epidemic.

The cursed soldier's skin had not yet completely melted under the protection of the Path of Order. In just a few breaths, an elf guest near him had been infected and turned into a pool of mud, with only the broken bones still bubbling.

The infection spreads.

"Protect His Highness——"

Freeman Ant, who was watching the ceremony with a smile just a second ago, became furious, and then the scene fell into chaos.

……

Yunting Villa.

Hestia was in her dressing gown, propped up against the pillows.

After inviting the cannibal physician from the Blood Reduction Banquet, the Skeleton Elder of the Decaying Bone Sect, the new president of the Yunling Medical Association, and the regional bishop of the Radiant Light Church, Iyana led Aphra, who had disguised herself with a secret weapon, in and greeted her, "Your Highness."

"What are the casualties?"

"Fortunately, eleven people died, and one hundred and twenty-five were infected to varying degrees. General Ant immediately took control of the scene. He locked the curse within his body to prevent the spread of the plague." Iyana said softly, "Your Highness, are you okay?"

"No problem."

Hestia stretched out her left hand and removed the bandages one by one. The decayed and blackened arm had shed its dead skin and was sprouting new life.

When she first faced the curse, her condition was indeed worse. The unknown plague almost instantly corroded the Iron Knight's defenses. Even though the witch's body could absorb the mysteries, it soon reached its limit. Fortunately, among the assassins she had executed, a blade cultivator had provided the secret art of [Phase Transformation]. This art allowed for the marking of individuals, exchanging their status and attributes.

After paying a certain spiritual price, the remaining small part of the curse's erosion was quickly transferred to the wandering spirit in the Witch Book. As for the injury on Hestia's hand, it was the result of her deliberately preserving it.

It has to be said that this assassination was beyond Hestia's expectations. If it weren't for this secret technique to transfer the curse, she would have been seriously injured for at least several weeks before she could rely on her witch body to slowly digest the erosion.

"Funny, do you have anything to say?" Hestia looked at Aphra, who had fair skin.

The dark elf, dressed as a maid, stared at the princess's black wrist. After a moment's silence, Jiu said coldly, "The Black Dove Hand Guild's spirit Youmeng may be involved, but instead of looking for elusive overseas accomplices, I suggest you start investigating yourself first."

"Well, what did you call me?"

"Master..." Aphra lowered her head indifferently.

"Seeing me injured, you must be gloating, right?" Hestia smiled, dragging Aphra to the bed with her sick hand and gently scratching her cheek. "Or maybe you're disappointed that I didn't die?"

"I wouldn't have that thought, Master," Aphra flatly denied it and knelt down. "I serve you, I respect you, and I wouldn't do anything to harm you."

"Well, it's been a while since I last took care of you. So tonight, I'll use this hand to bring you happiness." Hestia smiled maliciously and slightly relaxed her control over her sick hand.

Aphra shuddered at the thought of the princess inserting her hand into her body. She quickly lowered her head and kowtowed to the ground, "Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness! But, now is the critical period for investigating the mastermind behind this. I want to seize the time to catch those villains for Your Highness. If it's any later, many key clues will be lost! Your Highness, why don't you wait until your investigation is complete before you show your affection to her..."

Fearing that the princess would use her sick hand to indulge herself, Aphra lowered her head and called her "Funny" several times in a row, using this pet-like title to refer to herself, which showed that she was enduring humiliation to the extreme.

"Heh." Hestia smiled and snapped her fingers. "I'll give you three days. I'll also let you mobilize a sentinel falcon and three high knights. During these three days, you'll recover to the state of peeping into secrets. After three days, I want your results."

"……Yes."

"Get lost." Hestia glanced over coldly, her eyes like a cold cone that pierced Aphra's bones.

After many nights of service, Aphra had already grasped some of the princess's character. Over this period of time, the princess had always been cunning and sly, yet gentle and courteous. Even when she had assassinated her in the Vinaya, she had not been able to shake her demeanor.

But now, the princess was obviously angry.

Aphra didn't want to offend the angry Celestial Dragon.

She served Tianlong simply because this process could transform her regret and hatred for the humiliation she suffered into nourishment for the Evil God Jade Plate, allowing her to slowly recover her strength. If she served Tianlong in his rage, she would probably be ravaged and bruised, and the strength she had just replenished would be lost in an instant.

After Aphra fled the bedroom in a panic, Iyana said, "Are you really confident in her, Hedi? It sounds like you... have deprived her of her power?"

"Just some little tricks." Hestia shook her head. "Don't worry, she can't do anything."

"As long as you're confident." After confirming that the princess could control the dark elves, Iyana stopped asking questions and talked about the assassination at noon. "Today's incident is my fault. I didn't personally investigate the danger at the scene."

"It has nothing to do with you. No one would have thought that this magic circle could be hidden so deeply." Hestia waved her hand.

It was only at the last moment before the crisis that she felt the foreshadowing of the curse, which involved hidden powers that even if Iyana were present at the scene, she might not be able to detect.

"Your Highness." Clara's voice came from outside the door.

"Enter."

After receiving permission, the Knight Commander entered and knelt on one knee to pay her respects. Her expression was sinister, softening only slightly when she looked at the princess. "Your Highness, your injury..."

"No problem."

"Your Highness is blessed by the Heavenly Dragon, so this is only natural." Clara nodded and said, "But the curse at the venue is extremely dangerous. Even if I were at the center, I'd still be at risk of minor injuries... I failed to promptly identify the danger and nearly made a serious mistake. Please punish me, Your Highness!"

Clara is also a leader in the Iron-Blooded Cross. There are few equally matched opponents among the high-level knights of the same realm. If she can only be slightly injured, then other secret cultivators in the Proficient Realm will at least be seriously injured.

A magic array of this level is difficult to set up, and it is even more difficult to do it quietly.

"I don't blame you," Hestia said calmly. "I know who's behind this and who's involved. It's understandable that you haven't considered it. First, tell me, who wants to see me?"

"General Ant, the Hesse Governor, and Chief Inspector Stein request an audience."

"General Ant, come in and tell the other two to get out."

"Yes!"

Soon, Freeman Ant appeared in the princess's bedroom. He immediately took off his hat and saluted. Just as he was about to praise the salute, he saw the princess waved her hand.

"Let's skip the unnecessary procedures, General Ant. I hope you can bring me some news I want to hear."

"As you wish." Furman Ant lost his usual composure. His attitude became more humble, his words sincere, and his eyes stern. "All personnel responsible for the construction of the building and the layout of the venue have been imprisoned. Aside from me, all officers in charge who entered the company headquarters within the past week are under investigation." He looked up at the princess and said, "Huen Tinson and Ralph Tinson have been restricted from all activities. Their residences are being guarded by my personal guards. Your Highness, do you wish to initiate a military trial against them?"

"Is the evidence conclusive?"

"Not yet. Not enough to send them to a military court..." Fuman Ant took a deep breath and said, "But if it weren't for their instructions, no one else could have planned that assassination under my nose. Your Highness, there are still many diehard fans of the Tingsen family in the military district."

The purge of the Tingsen faction in the Yunling Military District was a slow process. Even with the endorsement of the princess, and the personal involvement of the Yunling Governor and the military district generals, they were unable to eradicate the influence of the Tingsen family in a short period of time.

At the beginning, Freeman Ant followed the rules and eliminated Tinson's influence step by step and consolidated the power of the military region. But now, in addition to being shocked and angry, he wanted to immediately seize power and shoot all those involved one by one.

It was unclear whether the Divine Emperor was protecting the princess, or him. If the princess died at the meeting, the Governor would surely be executed. Even if he could survive thanks to his Perfect Illumination Realm, his life would be over.

He had no doubt that the Grand Duke of Lorraine, having lost his only heir, would retaliate indiscriminately against everyone, even if it implicated thousands of innocent people.

The Governor will die, the Attorney General will die, and the Ant family will be doomed.

"Then forget about the military tribunal," Hestia said nonchalantly. "Just kill him."

"Your Highness," said Fuman Ant, startled. "It might be okay for others, but sentencing a descendant of the Tinson family to death without sufficient evidence could cause an uprising. In the Divine Capital..."

"Who said I was going to judge them?" Hestia said calmly, "They died heroically while suppressing the rebellion... Hehe, I'll award the Tinson family two more medals later."

"Your Highness..."

Even Freeman Ant thought the princess was being too radical. After all, you didn't die. Even if you had a legitimate reason, this isn't the right way to seek revenge.

What's more, the two Tingsens are both high knights. Although their realms are mediocre, they are also secret practitioners of the Iron-Blooded Cross.

Without asking why, three Tinsons died within half a year, including a young and knowledgeable person like Noel Tinson. Anyone could guess the trick behind it.

If the Iron Cross Society were to cause unrest, especially internal strife within the military, it would be extremely detrimental to the princess's future leadership of the military and her rule over the empire.

The empire has its own rules. If an assassination can be carried out perfectly without leaving any evidence, that is someone else's ability.

The common people can be killed, and the marginal nobles can be slaughtered, but the Tingsen family is, after all, the heroes who followed the God-Emperor to conquer the world, the descendants of mythology, the powerful warlords, the shadow kings of the Golden Plateau, and one of the noble bloodlines in the empire second only to the Tianlong. There is really no way to falsely accuse them.

But Freeman Ant thought again and felt that the princess seemed to be quite obedient. After all, she was not charged with any crime. Instead, she was given two great honors.

"Now, send them to their mounts." Hestia's eyes were gloomy, and she didn't even show any respect to Fuman Ant. "I will personally interrogate them after we reach Beeming Pass."

Volume 110: Bird in a Cage: . Please stop talking!

The violet moon was dim, the mountains stretched out in a serpentine pattern, and the ancient primeval forest was deserted. Although the expansion of human settlements had eliminated the monsters that could threaten the towns in Yunling, the vast and precipitous mountains remained a natural forbidden area that hindered the development of the local indigenous people.

Bandits were rampant in the mountains and evildoers were rampant, so although the Yunling Mountains occupied 70% of the province's area, its population was less than one-fifth.

Of course, this is also related to the frequent rebellions and the long-term massacres by the Iron Army.

Fengming Pass is an important hub connecting the mountains. A fortress stands tall across the two ends of the rift valley. The towns and villages along the way are prosperous, and a cavalry regiment is stationed here.

In the distance, a lightly armed army of about a thousand men approached Fengming Pass. They carried no heavy weapons, with only a handful of armored knights charging into battle and even fewer armed servitors carrying live ammunition. Only cavalrymen on griffins provided scouting services from above. Without these, in this narrow mountainous terrain, an ambush by the rebels would have resulted in over half the troops being killed.

However, none of the soldiers had the solemnity of going to suppress the rebellion, as if this were just a normal drill, a picnic. Only the two of them looked around, their eyes revealing an indescribable nervousness.

Huen Tinson, thirty-three. Raffl Tinson, thirty-four. Though both were members of the Tinson lineage, their noble backgrounds and early-starting advantages allowed them to, at a young age, respectively command the Yunling Military Region's logistics center and the Wyvern Cross Armored Knights. The former's importance was undeniable, while the latter controlled the Yunling Military Region's most elite and extraordinary combat force—a torrent of one thousand Iron Knights and two thousand secret servants, capable of crushing even the Chaos Demon Army to dust.

But that was all in the past. From the first day that Freeman Ant took command of the Yunling Military Region, he had been steadily undermining the Tingsen family's influence. Now, General Ant had promoted the two men to deputy generals of the military region, giving them full command of all military operations to suppress the rebellion within the Yunling Mountains.

This apparent promotion but hidden demotion was clearly an attempt to marginalize the Tingsen Family, something the two had anticipated. However, if they could truly command 20,000 troops on the front lines, it would be fine. The fear was that things weren't that simple.

Gazing at the spire of the Beehive Pass Fortress looming behind the layers of mountains, Huon Tinson's face darkened. He said, "Captain Phoebus, this place may seem only a stone's throw from Beehive Pass, but in reality, we have to go around the winding mountain roads, at least three or four hours' journey. Why not camp here until the next day and set off again after daybreak?"

"Three or four hours is the normal marching speed," Phoebus said with a warm smile. "We don't carry much baggage. I'll tell the soldiers to speed up. We'll be there in two hours at most."