[Vol. 9] Chapter 108: I’m Not That Kind of Person!
Hearing that, Gray didn’t even think twice before nodding right away.
“Alright. You can test me however you want. As long as it doesn’t harm the country, I’ll cooperate with you as much as I can.”
“Mm… second, when you really become the queen and take full control of Preston, if that day ever comes, you must promise to help me once, no matter what.”
“……”
Although she agreed to the first condition so quickly, the little princess clearly hesitated this time.
“That’s too vague. I can’t just promise something like that. What if you ask me to sacrifice all the people in my country to perform some horrible, large-scale ritual magic?”
“Huh? Come on, do I really look that evil to you…?”
“This isn’t about being evil or not. When you make a deal, you have to think about every possible situation. Besides…”
Seeing Miss Gray’s eyes that seemed to say, ‘You do look kind of evil though,’ Miss Violet was completely speechless.
“Alright, alright. Why does this sound like I’m the one begging for help here… Fine, I’ll add a limit, I won’t ask you to do anything against heaven and morality, or anything that would seriously harm your country or people. Happy now?”
Knowing that too much arguing would be pointless, the little princess thought for a moment about the priestess’s added conditions. Soon, she nodded.
“Okay, I agree. Then what’s the third condition?”
“The third one, hmm…”
After saying that, Miss Violet looked with interest at the serious little princess. For some reason, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips, making Gray’s heart skip a beat, she suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“W-what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going to… I’m still a kid, you know!”
Seeing the princess looking so scared and flustered, Violet’s grin only grew wider. In a flash, she appeared right in front of her, looking every bit like a sly troublemaker who had finally tricked a good girl into her trap. She proudly lifted a hand and gently pinched the girl’s tense little face.
“So you do know you’re still a kid, huh? A little brat who hasn’t even grown up yet, always pretending to be all mature. Come on, give me a smile~”
“N-no, don’t… Ahhh!!!”
In that instant, the young girl’s embarrassed and panicked scream echoed through the whole courtyard.
……………………
The next morning, Miss Violet’s door was suddenly knocked on from outside. Hurriedly, by Ming Yu.
The sleepy priestess rubbed her eyes and opened the door, only to find the Manager sneaking glances into her room. She immediately understood what he was thinking, and smacked him hard on the head.
“Ouch!” he yelped.
“What are you looking at, you brat? You think I’m that kind of shameless woman?”
“Ahem, well… young lady don’t seem to have that much shame either. Everyone clearly heard that scream last night…”
“You—what—did—you—say?”
Seeing the black-haired girl glaring daggers at him, the Manager quickly covered his head like an ostrich, not daring to say another word. He hurriedly changed the topic.
“Uh… well, Miss Violet, the Ice Wolf Guards are here searching the house. What should we do now?”
“Oh? They got here so soon? For once, those guys are actually being efficient…”
Violet already had a clear understanding of what was happening inside Salzburg. The reason the Ice Wolf Guards suddenly launched a large-scale search was indeed because of Gray Hines, the leader of the resistance army.
However, it wasn’t because someone around her had betrayed her. According to information from an informant inside the royal palace, it seemed that the current royal family had used some kind of ancient ritual to detect traces of cause-and-effect connections. That’s why they decided to search the entire city, to root out any unstable elements in advance.
The details weren’t very clear, but the royal family was very sure that Princess Gray was hiding somewhere in Salzburg. Because of that, they were determined to find her this time. They wouldn’t leave any possible hiding place unchecked, not even the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild was an exception.
Fortunately, Ming Yu had already prepared for this. The reason he made an exception and brought back some children from the northern and western regions to sell as slaves was twofold.
On one hand, as he said himself, it gave those children at least some chance to survive during the famine. On the other hand, their presence also served as a cover for Gray, giving her an identity that wouldn’t easily attract attention.
Although slave trading went against the ancient rules of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, in Salzburg, without that as an excuse, the association would have no reason to bring so many unidentified outsiders into the city. Even if they used money and influence to smooth things over, it would still attract the attention of the royal officials right away.
After all, the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild was already as rich as a nation. If they secretly gathered a large number of subordinates, even if they were only children for now, it would still make the authorities of any country wary. Ming Yu could secretly help Gray and the resistance, but if he openly opposed the royal government in the name of the Spirit Veil family, the other nations would quickly notice and that would bring far greater trouble.
So, this was a necessary compromise. Violet might remember this favor and hold it against him later, but she wasn’t unreasonable.
Although the search covered all of Salzburg, following the usual “bully the weak, fear the strong” logic, the Ice Wolf Guards and the city defense troops naturally started by searching the homes of commoners and smaller groups. As for big forces or wealthy nobles like the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, who held great power and influence, they wouldn’t dare to offend them easily. Such places would be left for last, only checked if no other clues were found.
This particular residence was right next to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild’s main building. It was President Ming Yu’s private estate, where he and several key members usually lived. The fact that the search team had already reached this place meant that they had almost finished checking everywhere else.
Searching the entire capital in just one day and night, it seemed the royal family was truly determined this time.
Of course, they were almost certain not to find Gray. Not only could that girl disguise herself, but even if they searched the Spirit Veil Association, they’d focus on the back courtyards or underground rooms, places where someone could hide. Who would ever think the fugitive was boldly sitting in the main hall of the association, among a group of slaves waiting to be sold, right under everyone’s noses?
Still… since Violet had promised that little princess she’d help, she wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Even if the Ice Wolf Guards and city troops were probably just doing their duty, this was the perfect excuse for the priestess to step in.
She didn’t plan to stay in Salzburg for long, so she needed a quick and efficient way to handle things.
“Where’s that little girl now?”
“In the main hall of the association, same as yesterday when you came. There’s no problem there, Miss, you can rest easy.”
“Hmm…”
The priestess rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. Soon, she made up her mind.
“Let’s go. Time to meet those uninvited guests.”