The Villain Saint is my secondary account

As petals drifted down, Erica, seated on her throne, raised the scepter symbolizing imperial power and struck the cracked ground, listlessly reciting her oath of accession in the traditional manner.

The crownless new king was officially crowned amidst celebratory cannon salutes, while outside the palace walls, flames raged and thick smoke billowed throughout the city.

The rebels were only responsible for maintaining order in the palace, while the southern and eastern parts of the city became a stage for the mob's revelry.

……

The foundation-laying ceremony ended, but the barrier did not come down.

Princess Erica... oh now Queen Erica, after the initial novelty wore off, found the lengthy ceremonial ceremony too tedious and went to the banquet hall for a meal under the protection of soldiers.

Prince Raymond and Prince Leonard were led away from the main hall, while the nobles lined up to sign the agreement documents presented by General Dawson in turn. Only after signing were they allowed to leave the main hall under the protection of guards.

These were various political proposals that they had prepared for the nobles long before they marched into the capital. They weren't exactly exorbitant, but they were certainly taking advantage of people's vulnerability, so every noble who signed them was not very willing.

But when faced with swords and axes, who has the courage to negotiate?

As for uniting to fight against it... that's a joke.

However, such treatment only applied to nobles below the rank of Duke. General Dawson showed a relatively mild attitude towards the three Grand Dukes other than the Duke of York, engaging in only superficial exchanges and not proposing any overly harsh terms.

As for the Duke of York, the main force of these rebels came from York Territory, and he was their superior, so there was no need to discuss anything else.

However, Ella noticed that the Duke of York was surprisingly respectful to Naila Holman, not at all like the attitude one would show to a subordinate, but more like the interaction between two nobles of equal rank.

Seemingly noticing Ella's observation, Holman turned around and walked straight over after finishing his conversation with the Duke of York. "Your Grace, I first apologize for the abruptness of this incident. Please forgive me for making you witness a less than peaceful change of the throne."

"Lord Holman's demeanor is just like that of a gentleman of unassuming nature, I never imagined he also had such an ambitious side." The graceful Ella placed her hands in front of her lower abdomen and responded with a calm smile.

"Sometimes a person's appearance and inner self are not necessarily completely consistent. For example, I was amazed that the Holy Maiden looked as delicate as a flower in a greenhouse, yet she showed no fear in the face of such a situation."

Holman responded with a gentle smile, his kind and mature gaze completely devoid of its previous aggressive tone. "I wonder if Your Excellency would be so kind as to have a chat with me in another venue? Oh, of course. This is merely an invitation to discuss political matters and the nation, not for any personal purpose, nor is there any intention to coerce you. The reason is simply that I heard of Your Excellency's exceptional political talent when I was in York Territory, and now that I have the opportunity to meet you, I would like to have a chat with you."

"If Your Excellency feels uncomfortable about this, you may choose to refuse, or you may choose another time and place and bring your guards along."

...A private message invitation?

Good heavens, this is practically a free kill, might as well take it.

Ella paused for a moment, then her lips curled up slightly, her eyes, like red crystals, curved into crescent moons. "Although this is our first meeting, Lord Holman doesn't give me a bad feeling. Perhaps this is a revelation from the great God of Light in the dark... Therefore, I think I can accept your invitation now, but I still need to bring two guards."

"It's not that I don't trust Lord Holman, but I'm afraid my father will worry if I don't bring him."

That's obviously a lie, but I'm afraid that going to the appointment alone without any guards would seem a bit too brave. As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad, and that might actually arouse the other party's suspicion.

Holman followed Ella's gaze and glanced over, indeed seeing Duke Heville's worried look in their direction. He first smiled at his anxious father, then turned back to Ella, "No problem, I completely understand. The Saintess's intelligence is truly no less than your beauty, and her courage is extraordinary."

Then, Holman gave a slight bow and gestured for Ella to follow. "Ladies first. Also, Your Excellency doesn't need to be so humble with honorifics. Just call me Mr. Holman."

Ella smiled and nodded, then lifted her skirt and walked away gracefully.

……

On the other side, Prince Raymond was indeed placed under house arrest after being led out of the magical barrier by a group of soldiers, while Prince Leonard was allowed to move freely in the palace by the soldiers guarding him, but was warned not to leave the palace, because the situation outside the palace was still very chaotic.

After thinking it over, Leonard took the opportunity to go to the room in the palace where his teacher, Alyosha, was hiding.

Although he was also assigned two soldiers from the rebel army as guards, Teacher Alyosha should be able to deal with them once he enters the lounge.

Samuel's secret order's move to seize power was not unexpected, but it was still necessary to report the situation in the palace to their teacher, Alyosha.

But just as he stood at the door, ready to turn the doorknob and push open the door, a weak but indistinct voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"*＃/@..."

Ok?

teacher?

Leonard heard the sound, but couldn't make out what it said. He paused for a moment, then looked around.

However, there were only two guards standing there stiffly, and they could not see the source of the voice.

"#@quick*……"

The voice... seemed to be ringing directly in his mind.

Teacher? Is that you speaking?

Leonard instinctively asked himself the question and released his grip on the handle.

"Let's go!!!"

The next moment, the sound suddenly turned into a sharp howl that reverberated through his brain, causing Leonard to shudder and take a half step back.

But this half-step seemed to have hit something. He turned around and saw the white-haired chief archmage, Bazel, who had appeared behind him at some point.

Bazel's wrinkled face was kind and gentle, his tone warm, and his broad, cold hand, like a fan, rested on Leonard's shoulder. "Aren't you going in, Your Highness?"

Chapter 176 The Sacrifice of the Tree

Leonard swallowed hard and tried to step back, but the fingers gripping his shoulder were surprisingly strong and powerful, like the talons of an eagle.

This is not the strength a dying monk should have.

He glanced nervously at the two guards beside him, only to find them motionless, like statues under a petrification spell, as if they were merely two empty suits of armor placed there for decoration, offering no assistance whatsoever.

The corridor was empty. Unable to escape or find anyone to ask for help, Leonard had no choice but to grit his teeth and push open the door and enter the room under the shoving of Bazel's large hand.

The interior was as magnificent as ever, with a chessboard on the long table in the center, where a familiar yet hazy figure, draped in layers of white gauze, waited quietly.

But a strong sense of unease was growing within Leonard's heart.

But he couldn't escape. Bazel, his hunched back holding his staff, stood silently behind him, blocking the doorway.

"Leonard."

Leonard lowered his head in response with awe and submission.

"come over."

Leonard hesitated for a moment, then slowly took a step forward.

“You know, Leonard, a long, long time ago, in a dreamlike country, I taught many students.”

"Most of them are dull and clumsy, and even after I have taught them a lot of knowledge, they still inevitably make mistakes that annoy me."

Leonard listened to the unfamiliar, rambling words that were completely different from Alyosha's usual style, and cold sweat gradually beaded on his forehead.

"At that time, I often reflected on whether I was too harsh and whether I should have been more tolerant and understanding of ignorant mortals. Therefore, I began to change myself and educate those young souls in a more kind and compassionate way."

“I teach them how to farm and impart the power of words to them.”

"Teach them to reveal the secrets of runes and arcane arts, and to explain destiny and reason."

"They promised to spread my name throughout the world and make my faith known to the ends of the earth."

"At the time, I thought my changes were absolutely correct."

“Until that day… a believer in the light met my proudest student.”

"He was the king of that country, and also...the lover I deeply cherish."

"Is it laughable, Leonard, a god who once fell in love with a mortal?"

"However, that's not the most ridiculous thing."

"The most ridiculous thing is that the believers of light warned him that there can only be one goddess in the world who deserves to be called the goddess of wisdom."

"The rest are evil gods."

Alyosha's tone grew increasingly cold and indifferent, like a gloomy chill that lingered in the room for a long time.

“My beloved firmly believes this. After all, it is the instruction of the apostles of the church, the voice of truth of the gods walking among men. How could it be a lie?”

He swiftly proclaimed this to the world, and in an instant, the people realized the truth, concluding that "for so many years, they have been deceived and misled by so-called evil gods."

"The magic I taught instantly became a legacy of evil, and the words of wisdom I spread became symbols of taboo and darkness."

"The books I painstakingly wrote were reduced to ashes in the raging fire, and the statues that were once worshipped were ruthlessly toppled and smashed."

"My temple has been destroyed, and the people will no longer hear the hymns and songs praising me."

"From then on, I became their mark of shame. Their faith in me instantly became a stain on their lives, and everyone avoided me like the plague."

Alyosha reached out her slender hands, clad in white satin gloves, and gently cupped Leonard's face.

A deep sense of pain and loneliness began to flow from her voice.

Leonard was terrified and tried to escape, but found his limbs stiff and completely unable to move, leaving him only to let the fear grow wildly in his heart.

His only remaining eyeball, which could barely move, caught a glimpse of Alyosha's chest, which had been unintentionally hidden by her, between her raised arms.

There, a dark, twisted, branch-like object pierced through Alyosha's skin and ran through the center of her chest, like a dark leech greedily sucking the essence of life, slowly rising and falling and contracting with some eerie rhythm.

The fine, dark veins spread like the swaying shadows of a tree under the night sky, spreading outwards from the junction of the branches and the body, silently climbing and growing along the white veil.

“They betrayed me, Leonard.”

“Only in those ancient poems that have been passed down can I find a trace of my existence. They describe me as: ‘a cold and heartless, sorrowful deity who cannot understand human nature.’”

"That was a pathetic god who didn't understand human nature."

“But that’s all in the past, Leonard, my son.”

"Now, you are my pride and my most outstanding student."

“Kan is foolish and reckless, Raymond is weak and incompetent, but you are the only one who has never let me down. I have deep trust in you and cherish my feelings for you very much.”

"But they say I don't understand people's hearts, so I can only seek answers from you now."

"Would you... betray me?"

Leonard was trembling all over and shook his head with difficulty.

"That's good...that's good..."

"What a kind and sincere child."

Alyosha released her hands from Leonard's cheeks.

Leonard breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the voice in his ear suddenly turned cold and chilling.

"Unfortunately, that's the same answer he gave me back then."

In a moment of shock, Leonard felt a chill run straight to his heart.

He then slowly lowered his head in disbelief and discovered that the slender fingers that had just been touching his cheek were now deeply embedded in his chest.

He instinctively tried to grab Alyosha's wrist, opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Why don't I understand people's hearts, Leonard?"

"Seeing Raymond carry me away like that, I'm really afraid you'll end up like him."

A piercing pain shot through Leonard as he watched helplessly as those hands ripped a bloody chunk of flesh from his chest.

That was his heart, with countless blood vessels still attached and tangled around it, which were torn apart piece by piece in his eyes.

He wanted to scream in pain, but could only silently endure the excruciating agony.

"The human heart is nothing more than a lump of flesh, so why is it that I, who clearly possess worldly wisdom, am the only one who doesn't understand this?"

"why?"

Leonard couldn't answer anything; he only felt endless pain.

In theory, he should have collapsed due to excessive blood loss, but strangely, he remained standing, as if rooted to the ground.

To take root?

In his hazy state, Leonard's gaze swept down to his feet, and he was horrified to find that his feet were like dead wood, from which countless black vines sprouted. They were like living things, winding and coiling on the cold marble floor, spreading rapidly, and soon enveloping the entire room.

Chapter 177 An Ominous Sign

At the same time, in a room somewhere in the main hall.

Ella and Holman sat at opposite ends of an antique, carved round table, engaged in conversation.

Just as Ella had initially anticipated, Holman specifically sought her out in the main hall, hoping to recruit her into the new royal team he had formed after seizing power.

“I thank Mr. Holman for his trust in me, but since Her Majesty Erica is now my queen, as a subject of the empire, I will naturally be loyal to her.” Ella’s words were as clear as spring water, subtly rejecting the other party’s offer.

“Miss Ella, you are wise enough to know that’s not what I meant.” Holman waved his hand. “What I mean by joining is a connection based on core interests. I hope to use your wisdom and strength to ensure that the new royal family can lead our kingdom to prosperity and fulfill the will of the God of Light, rather than just a superficial subordinate relationship.”