[Vol. 7] Chapter 51: The Final Trap
With Silisa’s sudden betrayal and ambush, killing or gravely injuring Alex and the other royal merfolk guards loyal to Anies, the situation took another unexpected turn.
The alliance that had been working together to suppress Willipol was now unintentionally shattered. The battlefield had split into distinct factions. Hongyan and Le Qiaoqiao on one side, Willipol and Silisa on another, with Queen Anies left isolated and Rashid still held hostage.
At this point, it was impossible to rescue Princess Nitila as originally planned. With the situation so uncertain, Hongyan had no choice but to prioritize survival, staying back with Le Qiaoqiao to observe the Queen’s next move before acting.
After all, while Willipol’s earlier accusations were based on speculation and lacked evidence, they made an unsettling amount of sense. Even if the full truth was unknown, it was hard to believe that Anies had nothing to do with Nitila’s abduction by poachers.
The most troubling part was that the Queen had clearly suspected Silisa was a potential threat, yet she still brought her along for this mission. Her warning earlier had also come a moment too late, leading to Alex and the others suffering fatal injuries.
What did that mean?
Just as Willipol had implied, was this so-called rescue mission really as straightforward as it seemed?
Hongyan couldn't be sure. But if the Queen was capable of letting her own trusted guards be sacrificed like this, then what position did that leave them, the outsiders?
Realizing this, the two of them didn’t go so far as to turn against Anies outright, but they certainly wouldn’t risk exposing their backs to her anymore. Even if this was exactly the outcome Willipol wanted, there was no helping it.
However, the Queen herself seemed entirely unfazed by their growing wariness. She made no attempt to summon reinforcements, despite the rescue operation falling apart and the situation spiraling out of control.
Calm and composed as ever, she showed no signs of panic.
Her gaze simply shifted to the Sea Priestess, who was now standing beside Willipol, holding Rashid hostage near Nitila. And then, in a voice as steady as ever, she spoke.
“So, the one who secretly took Willipol’s [Book of Truth], handed it over to Nitila, and led her here… that was you, wasn’t it?”
Silisa, standing behind the former King of the Merfolk, seemed slightly surprised by the Queen’s calm demeanor, but she still nodded slightly.
“That’s right. The princess was born with an exceptionally pure royal bloodline. One of the strongest in our history. As long as I found an excuse to give her the book early, it was only a matter of time before her bloodline compelled her to read it and cross over to the side of truth.”
“With the bond between me and the princess, it wasn’t difficult to arrange. And once it happened, no one would ever suspect me. A flawless plan, wouldn’t you say?”
Anies glanced at Nitila, who was in the middle of the sacrificial ritual. The process was accelerating as the blood of the fallen royal guards was absorbed into the ritual’s barrier. She frowned slightly.
“But you betrayed Nitila’s trust. She always saw you as an older sister.”
Silisa was momentarily taken aback but then let out an elegant, amused laugh.
“Your Majesty, of all people in the Emerald Sea, you are the least qualified to lecture me about betrayal. At least Willipol and I made our sacrifices for our faith, to fight against the Evil God. But you? As the princess’s own mother, you personally pushed her into hell, all just to destroy the key sacrificial offering in this grand ritual?”
“Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I first learned of this? Honestly, until then, I had always believed you were a gentler ruler than King Willipol. I hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to support his plan… but it was your actions that convinced me in the end.”
By now, Silisa no longer bothered to hide the contempt and disgust in her voice. With a mocking tone, she sneered,
“Sacrificing one life to save millions in the Emerald Sea? Oh, how noble that sounds. But tell me, Your Majesty, are you really trying to save your people… or just your own trembling crown, cowering in the shadow of the Evil God?”
“Hah… it seems I misjudged you.”
Anies let out a soft laugh. She didn’t argue back. Instead, she suddenly changed the subject.
"You know, Silisa, I actually suspected for a long time that you were Willipol’s spy in the Eastern Sea Pearl. Remember when I mentioned that after Nitila went missing, I carefully investigated everyone who had close contact with her in those two days? You were one of them."
"But at the time, I couldn’t be completely sure that you were a traitor. That’s why I deliberately sent you and Alex to invite Miss Violet, who seemed to be the most suspicious person on the surface, and instructed Chief Longbei to prepare that sacrificial ritual, pretending that we were using it to find Nitila’s whereabouts."
"In reality, I already knew all about Willipol’s plan. The moment Nitila disappeared, I had a pretty good idea of what had happened. I didn’t need to rely on any ritual to find her."
"I did it for two reasons. First, to build trust with Miss Violet and her group, hoping to form an alliance. Second, to confirm your true allegiance once and for all."
"I knew about the ritual you were planning, the one to revive that thing. It required a large amount of Mingjiao blood and a corrupted sacrifice. My daughter alone wouldn’t have been enough, so you needed an excuse to start a war and slaughter more of our people to gather what you needed."
"Miss Violet’s arrival forced you to activate the ritual ahead of schedule, which meant you were still short on Mingjiao blood and sacrificial offerings. That meant you had to find a way to lure more of our people here and kill them to complete the ritual."
"And just as I expected, you walked right into my trap. You immediately sacrificed over ten of our most heavily corrupted tribesmen to complete the missing pieces of your ritual. Then, you pretended to reveal Nitila’s location, hoping to lure us into a rescue attempt."
"Did you know? After that, I secretly asked Alex about what happened when you two went to invite Miss Violet."
"He told me that you were the one who subtly planted the idea that those outsiders were likely responsible for the princess’s disappearance. That’s why he was so furious when he met them, nearly causing a fight."
"Even though you later pretended to calm him down, you had already deepened the tension between our people and Violet’s group. The goal was simple, to make sure that, without exposing yourself, you reduced the chances of them cooperating with us, especially when it came to rescuing Nitila together."
"From that moment on, I was absolutely certain, you are the traitor that Willipol planted among us."
"...?"
As Silisa and Willipol exchanged shocked glances, the Queen continued in a calm, unwavering tone.
"You thought that just because I had never conducted a so-called sacrificial ritual before, I wouldn’t recognize what kind of ‘god’ was summoned that day?"
"That dark and twisted entity, how could it possibly be the true Sea Goddess? As a Sea Priestess, you can only summon the one you truly worship. So the so-called god you spoke of is the same entity as the ‘Ghost’ that has plagued us all along. It was never anything divine, it was a curse!"
"After that, I contacted Rashid and personally led our people to rescue Nitila. Along the way, I secretly revealed the truth to Miss Violet and secured her assistance. By letting you see that she was with us, we forced your hand—you had no choice but to go all in and immediately begin the ritual."
The Queen's gaze swept over Silisa and Willipol, her expression filled with scorn. She looked at them as if they were nothing more than unwitting pawns on a chessboard, controlled by a master strategist.
"And just as Miss Violet and I predicted, you were forced to commence the ritual, one that could not be stopped once it began. You connected your faith to that so-called deity."
"Do you know what I felt when I sensed that dreadful presence emerging from this place?"
"Not fear, but relief."
"Because it meant you had no way out. You had stepped right into the real trap."
"Now, the vessel is in place, the offerings are prepared, and your grotesque faith, something that once had no physical form, will finally be drawn into the world, taking on a true shape, won’t it?"
The Queen’s piercing gaze turned solemn and commanding. With a sharp motion, she slammed her scepter onto the ground.
"Do you truly understand what you have sacrificed so much for?"
"This brutal war that has been eroding the Emerald Sea for several years, along with your twisted and fanatical faith, Willipol. Today is the day it will be completely over!"