[Vol. 7] Chapter 174: Favored by Fate
The people around Carinvega trusted her to an almost blind level. Even those like Shutak, who harbored their own hidden agendas and lacked true loyalty, would find themselves utterly intimidated when facing the princess.
Her seemingly all-knowing wisdom made them feel as if their every thought had already been seen through, their every move anticipated and countered before they could even act. Resistance seemed futile.
If the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus] truly possessed the terrifying ability to predict the future, then it made perfect sense why people reacted this way. It would be only natural for her enemies to meet disastrous ends, without exception.
But Violet sensed that something was off.
She wanted to take a step back and analyze things logically. Ignoring all speculation and conspiracy theories, she stripped away the aura of mystery surrounding Carinvega Frederick, ignoring the results and instead focusing purely on her patterns of behavior.
What kind of person was she?
At the banquet in [Fantasy Sky Courtyard], when Violet first met her, Carinvega had stepped in at precisely the right moment to stop Xiluo from using the fake[Lion’s Ring], as an excuse to cause trouble. This forced Xiluo to back off in frustration.
It didn’t really matter whether Carinvega had orchestrated the entire situation, whether Xiluo had been lured into a trap, or even if Orluk had his own hidden motives. There was even a small chance that Carinvega had secretly aligned herself with Xiluo’s faction, or that Xiluo, in his usual foolishness, was deliberately trying to embarrass her at the banquet to settle an old grudge.
All of that was irrelevant.
The real question that Violet couldn't ignore was this. Why did Carinvega step in at that moment?
If the conflict between these two royal siblings was as intense as a full-blown civil war, like the one Lilya had with her brothers in the past, then Carinvega's actions could be seen as a strategic move. She could have been seizing the opportunity to crush Xiluo politically and strengthen alliances with his enemies.
But if that were the case, her actions after driving Xiluo away made no sense.
Because she didn’t act like a rival crushing an opponent.
Instead, she seemed more like an exasperated younger sister cleaning up the mess left behind by her foolish older brother, as if she had no choice but to save face for him.
In other words, their relationship might not be as hostile as people assumed. If anything, this approach was inefficient and counterproductive. It wasn't a smart political move, it was reckless and stupid.
Afterward, Violet had done her own investigation.
When it came to imperial succession, the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus] had overwhelming support, completely outclassing all her siblings. As long as Carinvega stayed alive and avoided a major scandal, even if her brothers and sisters all teamed up, they still wouldn’t stand a chance against her.
Compared to the brutal succession struggles in the Human United Kingdom, the Austre Empire's royal conflicts seemed almost… tame.
In other words, Carinvega had no real need to suppress her rivals at all. If anything, it was Xiluo who had more reason to do so.
Given this, Carinvega’s actions at the time became even more confusing. It almost felt as if she hadn’t thought things through at all. As if she was just acting on impulse, making decisions on the spot without any deeper strategy.
But that didn’t make sense.
She was known for her foresight and intelligence, a royal princess in a nation built on power, she earned the respect of the entire empire despite having no fighting ability whatsoever. She had countless strong and influential followers, all willing to pledge their loyalty to her.
Could someone like that really be making rash, thoughtless decisions?
Perhaps what appeared to be a rash move, they actually contained a foresight and wisdom that ordinary people could not comprehend.
That was what everyone present must have thought at the time.
From a higher perspective, Violet could see the situation more clearly than anyone.
Even she had to admit that, if Carinvega had a full understanding of Violet and the consequences of openly opposing her group, then choosing to mediate the conflict, even at the cost of angering her brother, was undeniably the most rational move for a princess of the Austre Empire.
But again, even someone as cunning as Lucine, with her deep network and experience, could only make vague guesses about Violet’s origins and abilities.
How could a mere mortal princess like Carinvega, no matter how brilliant, possibly grasp the full extent of Violet’s power?
She had no way of knowing that the priestess standing before her was someone capable of wiping an entire nation off the map single-handedly.
Ignoring the impossible 'cause and effect' at play, and focusing solely on her motivations and behavior, her actions were incredibly strange. And everything we've seen so far keeps telling Violet something.
Either Carinvega Frederick truly possesses the legendary wisdom that even Violet cannot fully comprehend or fathom, a wisdom so frightening it's akin to predicting the future, or she's actually just a mediocre person with no foresight, whose actions are mostly random decisions made on a whim, and somehow, these thoughtless moves just happen to align with the results that best benefit her position.
But no matter which was true, this was not something that could happen to an ordinary person.
How interesting.
Watching from above as the group seamlessly slipped through the entrance to the lower level while the [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] were away, Violet couldn’t hold back the amused smirk spreading across her lips.
The answer… might just be hidden within Carinvega’s strange set of abilities. Abilities so elusive that neither Violet nor Sethlin could fully grasp them.
Although the exact details were unclear, it seemed likely that these abilities worked together in some way.
For example, if someone had a deep understanding of Carinvega’s life and had interacted with her up close, they might have reached the same suspicions as Violet. However, everyone around Carinvega seemed to completely accept the idea that she was simply a wise yet unassuming princess who liked to play dumb.
That didn’t quite add up.
At the very least, something else was at play. Most likely the strange field of influence around Carinvega, a force that subtly radiated information outward and, to some extent, affected the minds of those around her.
Floating in midair, Violet cast another glance toward the distant battlefield, where a certain dragon girl’s aura was flaring violently, surging up and down as she clashed against a powerful foe. Violet raised an eyebrow, lost in thought.
The reason Xiao Guang’s power had been sealed and limited to just legendary-level was to protect her from certain hidden threats while also training her combat skills under difficult conditions.
But this limitation had also weakened her advantage against the [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm], forcing the team to spend more time and effort overcoming the challenge before reaching the lower levels.
Though the two situations were unrelated, the result was clear, this delay had indirectly allowed Carinvega’s team to reach the lower levels faster, earning them a hidden speed bonus in the competition.
In other words, even Violet’s own actions had, in some mysterious way, pushed the course of events in favor of Carinvega.
If this wasn’t a coincidence… if this was actually an ability at work…
Then it was a truly terrifying one.
For some reason, a familiar word surfaced in Violet’s mind.
Fate.
In the Human United Kingdom, the Sixth Princess Menna, a [God’s Favored], possessed the ability to glimpse the future and alter the course of reality. Her power was tied to the laws of Fate and Time, yet it still required her own actions to make adjustments. Furthermore, she couldn’t perceive divine beings or individuals protected by special forces, making her ability far from absolute.
But the Austre Empire’s princess…
If we dismiss the idea of her having some unbelievable wisdom, was Carinvega Frederick's victory just fate?
If that were true, how could she, a mere mortal, have such an unimaginable ability?
It seemed that more observation was necessary.