The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Hmph, at least you have a conscience."

Ella haughtily raised her little head, turned around, and walked to the edge of the hall.

She looked up and gazed into the distance, her gaze passing over the countless skyscrapers that pierced the clouds in the bustling imperial city, all the way to the clear blue horizon.

That was the direction Aslan was in.

"Is all hope pinned on me...?"

The girl murmured softly, then gave a charming smile, "It doesn't feel so bad."

……

The Principality of Tedeh, Lionheart City, Airship Landing Ground.

Tens of thousands of soldiers lined up in long queues and slowly boarded several warships in batches. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder, but the order was well maintained.

In the middle of the landing pad, next to the largest steel behemoth, nearly seven stories high, Ye Xiao, dressed in a well-tailored tuxedo, was following closely beside Miss Windsor.

The Tyron family's retinue was the largest among the boarding party for the airship, but in addition to Miss Windsor and many young noblemen and their servants, there were also a variety of scholars, officers, doctors and even engineers from all walks of life.

According to Project Fire, these are people who will leave this world through the Stargate. At least in the eyes of the company's Pioneer Department, they are pioneers who can represent human culture and technology in this world.

Yes, pioneers, though they are those who leave this world, are also "pioneers" heading to the new world.

Rather than endlessly battling the world-destroying witch in the cycle of reincarnation, waiting for chaos to bring destruction, it would be better to scatter a portion of the sparks of civilization outwards. Perhaps, there is still a chance to continue the history of civilization in another world.

This is probably the origin of the name of the Pioneer Department.

However, since it was a final farewell to their hometown, rather than a leisurely trip, the passengers, even the nobles, mostly wore expressions of sorrow.

Of course, the most scathing insults were directed at the witch among the crowd here.

"Even though I was mentally prepared, it still feels a little unreal..."

Beside Ye Xiao, Miss Windsor, wearing a black and red bowler hat, muttered, "So, we're saying goodbye to this place and heading to another world?"

"Strictly speaking, we are only going to Aslan now."

Ye Xiao said softly from the side.

"Of course I know, I'm just expressing my feelings."

Windsor pursed her lips, then smiled, "But with you by my side, this journey shouldn't be lonely."

Ye Xiao could only shrug, his expression rather complicated.

Hours later, accompanied by the roar of airship engines that echoed across the sky, one after another huge war airships took off, transforming into a flock of steel birds that blotted out the sun, calling out as they slowly headed toward the distant Aslan.

Chapter 156 The New Empress

half a month later.

Aslan, Northern Province, Leonia.

As the sky turned white and the morning light began to glow, the capital of the Aslan Empire stood majestically amidst the vast forest, like an emerald set in a velvet carpet.

The towering castle sits on the hills, its walls built of gray-white boulders, and flags embroidered with golden griffins flutter atop its numerous spires.

In the heart of the city, a magnificent white castle rises from the ground like a giant guarding the mountains. That is Aslan's palace, the center of power etched into this ancient land by the system of bloodlines.

Upper level of the castle, the Imperial Council Hall. The morning sun streamed through the stained-glass windows of the stained-dot ceiling, bathing the vast hall in a sacred glow.

On the central throne, a delicate young woman with short gray-gold hair sat cross-legged, wearing a navy blue embroidered gold classical dress.

The second princess, Silvana Aslan, or as she should now be called, the Consul Silvana, is already the de facto head of the palace.

If it weren't for the tradition of the royal family that newly succeeded royal descendants have a one-year term as regent, she would already be the new Emperor Aslan.

However, the only difference between them is probably the crown on their heads.

In the hall beneath her skirt, all of Aslan's civil and military officials knelt respectfully on the ground, along with a group of priests dressed in emerald green robes, representing the Earth Temple and bowing in submission.

"Your Highness, news of victory has arrived from Raven Keep: the demon army has retreated four hundred miles away."

A minister was loudly reporting from below the hall, "Praise be to Your Majesty, everything is as you predicted."

News of military victories is always exhilarating, and upon hearing it, the ministers couldn't help but shout in unison the illustrious name of the new governor.

"Your Highness is wise!"

"God bless Aslan! It seems there's hope of reclaiming Silvermoon City, the provincial capital!"

Amidst a chorus of praise, Silvana nodded slightly, a gentle smile playing on her lips, but her deep blue eyes remained devoid of any emotion.

After returning to the capital, she borrowed some military power in the name of the Earth Saintess and blocked the demons and sea creatures heading north at the Silent Fortress at the border of the north and south.

After the fall of the southern provinces, this was the first time Aslan had gained the upper hand in battle against these powerful alien enemies from hell and the deep sea.

Despite the Empire suffering heavy losses in that brutal defensive battle, it ultimately managed to keep the hellish cavalry at bay outside the northern mountains.

After that, she led her army south to conquer cities and strongholds. Despite the difficult situation, she still managed to recover important strongholds south of the Death's End Fortress, including Raven's Fortress.

As a result, with the full support of the Earth Church, which can be called the state religion, and her outstanding military achievements, Silvana's prestige soared to unprecedented heights, at one point overshadowing her two brothers who were originally vying for the position of crown prince in the capital.

"Princess Silvana is the future of the empire."

"Loren has a new queen, Dengki, so why can't Aslan have a queen too..."

Such sentiments circulated throughout the empire, and public opinion among nobles and commoners gradually shifted. Perhaps sensing a threat, the two princes abandoned their mutual confrontation and instead joined forces to harm Silvana.

But clearly, their plot failed. After their scheme to cut off Silvana's army, which was campaigning in the south and had lost territory, was exposed, the two princes were sent to the guillotine by Silvana, who angrily recalled his elite troops to the capital.

As the only remaining descendant of the royal family, Silvana naturally became the heir when the ailing old emperor was unable to manage state affairs.

Of course, these are all stories that happen in the public eye.

As for the truth, it remains unknown now that the bodies of the two princes have been buried in the earth.

"News has come from the Duchy of Tedeh that a technical delegation will arrive in the capital in three days."

Another minister reported.

Silvana seemed more interested in the news than the great victory in the south.

How many of them are there?

"Around 10,000 people, including the core technical assistance team and their families, aristocratic scholars, and steam engineers."

"it is good."

Silvana indicated that he understood.

After Silvana came to power, diplomatic relations between Aslan and the Principality of Tedeh also improved.

Although the Duchy of Tedeh is currently on a campaign in the western frontier of Loren and cannot spare troops to cross half the continent to support Aslan, they are reportedly happy to share their steam alchemy technology to help Aslan enhance its war-fighting capabilities.

This 10,000-person delegation was organized under this pretext. Although the number of people seemed to be much larger than that of a regular scholar delegation, most of the ministers who were unaware of the truth simply thought it was because they were "eager to help people," so they sent many more craftsmen.

A group of ministers started discussing amongst themselves again, while Silvana yawned slightly.

She was naturally aware of the true purpose of the visiting delegation from the principality, but not everyone below was completely unconvinced.

A handsome young man with a long golden ponytail, a tall and slender figure, looked up from his kneeling position and spoke with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Ten thousand people...? Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, a regular technical delegation of two or three hundred people is more than enough. Wouldn't a technical delegation of ten thousand people be too bloated?"

"The diplomatic relations between the principality and our country have historically been average. This sudden visit, which is so generous, is probably a bit suspicious."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged man standing beside him with his hands behind his back, dressed in a deep red velvet aristocratic robe, immediately spoke up.

"Reinhardt".

His voice was gentle and elegant. "Now that the Empire is embroiled in war, we and the Duchy of Tedeh are both human beings. It is only natural that they would lend a helping hand to our compatriots in times of trouble."

"Furthermore, the order to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Duchy of Tedeh was personally issued by His Highness. Your questioning of this now is tantamount to doubting His Highness's decision?"

That's not what I meant.

The man called Reinhardt quickly spoke up, "Duke Laxion, I understand your eagerness to reclaim the South, but the domestic situation is complicated right now, and the number of visitors from the Duchy is clearly unusual. We still need to be cautious. Not to mention limiting the number of people entering the country, at the very least, we need to send enough people to strictly monitor their actions."

"absurd."

Another voice came, this time from a nobleman with a full golden beard. His rugged and imposing figure stood out among the crowd, like a majestic golden lion.

"Our empire's soldiers are all fighting demons in the south, so who has the time to supervise tens of thousands of visitors?"

"Then we should definitely not allow them to enter the country freely without any restrictions."

The young Reinhardt was not intimidated by the two ministers' stern words.

As a result, the courtiers were divided on whether or not to allow Tedeh and his 10,000 men to enter the country.

Chapter 157 Visiting Molten City

Just as the courtiers were discussing, a snow-white owl suddenly flew in from outside the hall and landed on the staff in the hand of a priest wearing a green holy robe.

This was the bishop of the Earth Sanctuary, holding a high position in the hall and standing first to the right of the throne. After plucking a spell rune overflowing with green light from the owl's talons, he expressionlessly tapped the floor with his staff, activating a special magic circle for secretly transmitting information to the throne.

"Your Highness, we have discovered that Loren's spies are making secret contact with Serendra."

The archbishop's voice echoed clearly in Silvana's ears, who then narrowed his eyes slightly and patted the armrest of his seat.

"Om-"

The deep, resonant sound, like a great bell, instantly filled the hall, and the ministers who were discussing immediately fell silent and knelt down facing the throne.

The interval between the heated debate and the deathly silence was less than half a second.

"The matter of the Duchy's delegation need not be discussed further; Duke Melodyne shall handle this matter entirely."

Silvana spoke softly, but her words carried an undeniable authority.

The duke, who resembled a golden lion, immediately replied, "Yes, sir," while Reinhardt hesitated, but ultimately remained silent and lowered his head.

“If you have nothing else to say, you may leave. Bishop Green will remain to discuss matters.”

Silvana gave the order, and the courtiers withdrew one after another.

For a moment, only Silvana, the archbishop, and the solemn-faced royal guards remained in the hall.

"Your Highness, there have been many newcomers to Molten City recently. Among them is a small merchant guild registered in the Kingdom of Valen. Its members have been frequently visiting the city lord's mansion, which suggests that they have established contact with Serendra."

"Ah."

Silvana snorted coldly, "It seems my dear sister still has no intention of giving up."

Should we leave this to the 'Silent Ones'?

The archbishop asked in a low voice.

"The Earth Sword Saint is acting as their protector, and Veronica's little red dragon also likes to meddle."

Silvana gently shook her raised leg. "I'm afraid the Quiet Ones alone can't handle this."

"So, Your Highness means...?"

"First, we need to find out the exact identities of those Loren spies,"

A cold glint flashed in Silvana's eyes. "Let's see what they're planning to do."

"As ordered."

The archbishop bowed respectfully.

“My dear sister is not mobile, but if a Loren dares to reach out his hand, I’ll chop it off.”

……

At the same time, in Blackrock Mountain, in Molten Core.

Unlike Leonia, which is nestled in lush forests, Molten Core is surrounded only by rugged, dark gray mountains.

But this mountain city with its towering peaks is quite magnificent at first glance. Clinging to the rugged mountain peaks, there is even deep red lava rolling below the city, creating a dry and hot environment all year round.

At this moment, on the street leading to the city lord's mansion, Ella, dressed in a white gauze dress, was riding in a brass carriage pulled by an earth dragon.

The luxurious upholstery and sandalwood were particularly flammable in the city, so most of the carriages were made of this heavy and sturdy copper structure.

It was far from comfortable; in fact, it felt more like a mobile, heated prison than a regular carriage. It was only thanks to Ella's willingness to spend money that the carriage was filled with enchanted runes for heat dissipation, which prevented Li Cheng and the others from being roasted to a crisp.

However, Greta, the golden retriever cat lying face down on Ella's lap yawning with her mouth wide open, didn't seem to feel hot at all. Instead, she seemed as comfortable as if she were back home.

Ella gently stroked the kitten's soft back, while Alina sat beside her, engrossed in studying a thick book of church doctrine.