Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Drachenreich Royal Family Hohenzoller
The capital, Berlen...
It was clearly Berlen, the version of Berlin in this world. It was a beautiful and peaceful city. It looked quite beautiful, and strangely, it reminded everyone of the Berlin they had in mind.
The people looked worn-out and tired. Seth could guess this was due to the harsh working conditions. Worker rights seemed almost nonexistent here. Well, this wasn't something Seth needed to concern himself with.
Seth then steered his thoughts back to the main issue.
The main reason he came here was to find someone. That person was Princess Eden, one of the King's seven children.
Princess Eden was one of the King's illegitimate children, at least among the known ones. Eden was a strong and beautiful woman with blue hair and red eyes.
She had been brought to the palace at the age of 8 by her father, King Wilhelm II, and was the only princess born of a servant. This was a bad situation for Eden. Her father did not care for her.
Because Eden had no magical ability. Although she surpassed her peers in swordsmanship, her lack of talent in magic had caused her to be overshadowed.
This led her to be left in the hands of Queen Anneliese. Anneliese, a jealous woman, had used many means to torment Eden until she turned 21.
Finally, when the King fell into paranoia over the lack of loyal Generals, he gave Eden the main control over the Southern Drachenreich army.
In Drachenreich, the ruler's power could almost be said to be nonexistent, yet they still had armies on all four sides. These armies were typically in charge of small castles and lands.
Royal soldiers would pass through agricultural and vacant areas to establish villages. These villages were entirely prepared to serve the Drachenreich army.
This allowed the Royal family to maintain a small degree of authority, but there was a problem. The City Lords had both field advantages and military power.
This created a balance, establishing a system that allowed the Drachenreich Royal family to survive.
Despite the Southern army being larger than the other armies, its lack of use had caused it to become quite lazy, and its power began to diminish.
That was until Eden came. Eden served in the army until the age of 32 and, interestingly, carried out a massive reform in the army in a short time.
The lazy were fired, executions were carried out, and those who deserved to be hanged were hanged...
Eden was ruthless during this process, but the wise men agreed that this move was very positive. The army quickly recovered, grew stronger, and Eden reemerged as a threat.
The former calm, submissive girl was gone, and a demon had taken her place. She reminded Seth more of Morrigan. In the Otome game, Morrigan was also heading down a similar path. It got to a point where, after a time, people—vassals and friends—became nothing but pawns.
Among the 4 generals, Eden was completely loyal to herself. Even King Ranult had realized this sooner or later, but it was meaningless now. Because Seth was here.
Eden could be a good ally. Seth knew her weak point. Eden's brother, Felix, was severely ill and at risk of dying.
Eden's one and greatest desire was not the throne but her brother. This was, of course, useful to Seth. By using a Drachenreich general, he could destroy the Royal family.
Even if people were to be sacrificed, Seth would take good care of their grandchildren and children. At least, that's what he thought.
Seth broke off his thoughts and swiftly flew over the lands as night fell. He was in his crow form, secretly following Eden since noon. Through this process, he could see what Eden was going through.
Outside the South, she wasn't respected much. Servants were afraid to face her, and her ideas were disregarded by the other Generals.
Seth did not intervene. His thoughts were filled with satisfaction and cunning. Seeing it from the Otome game and experiencing it firsthand brought Seth more information.
With this information, he could more easily manipulate Eden's emotions.
"My brother, are you okay? Would you like some water?" Eden said with a hint of sentimentality, not afraid to show her feelings while looking at her younger brother. Felix, with long white hair and red eyes, looked at his older sister politely.
"I'm fine," Felix managed to speak, his voice sounding crackly and halting. Eden clenched her fists and said nothing. Meanwhile, Seth sat calmly on a branch, quietly watching the two siblings.
As blood began to flow from Felix's mouth again, Eden hurriedly wiped it away with a napkin and hardened her gaze. "Brother, even if you're fine, you're still coughing up blood. If I had taken you to that doctor, the result would have been different—"
"Sister," Felix said, closing his eyes. Eden stopped and looked at her brother with an expression of dissatisfaction. Felix continued, "We've seen dozens of doctors before. They all said the same thing. This time won't be any different."
Eden narrowed her eyes. "Maybe this time, they can heal you. Just try? There's no harm in trying..."
Felix barely managed to smile, and more blood flowed from his mouth. "Stop, sister. It would be more relieving for me to die. That way, I wouldn't be a burden to you."
"You've never been a burden to me!" Eden shouted harshly. Felix sighed. "Then why am I in this state? I am a burden to you. Accept it, sister. I'm nothing but a piece of trash. Just like the Queen said..."
When the Queen's name was mentioned, Eden's eyes burned with hatred. "Those filthy words of hers mean nothing! You are not trash. You are my most precious treasure, Felix."
Felix was moved, but suddenly a voice that separated them didn't allow him to express his feelings.
"Eden Von Hohenzoller and Felix Von Hohenzoller..."
A British male voice suddenly triggered Eden, making her draw her sword and throw it in the direction of the sound. The sword embedded itself threateningly in front of the Crow, but the crow took off and flew forward as if nothing had happened.
As they entered, a flock of crows suddenly blocked Felix and Eden's view, causing concern. Fortunately, the crows disappeared quickly, and in their place appeared a tall, handsome man with long hair and striking red eyes.
"Who are you? You do know the penalty for entering here, right?" Eden said seriously, drawing her dagger. Seth simply smiled and tried to soften the situation. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just came to talk."
Eden squinted suspiciously, not believing Seth's words. "It takes courage to come here. At least for those who want to die. Explain why you're here, or I'll kill you."
Seth narrowed his eyes and suddenly lunged forward, disappearing from Eden's sight in an instant. Eden's eyes widened, but it was already too late.
"Watch out!"
Felix shouted anxiously. Seth quickly struck the arm holding Eden's dagger, disarming her, then grabbed her shoulder and pushed her gently to the ground, forcing her to kneel.
"Calm down. I'm not here to fight—"
Seth couldn't finish his sentence before a punch hit his face, interrupting him. Seth recoiled, but the punch landed. Eden didn't stop and within seconds, landed dozens of punches on Seth's face.
Seth didn't even feel pain and simply stood still. Even when the punches hit his face harshly, he didn't budge. This irritated Eden, but eventually, she withdrew, giving up.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"I just want to help you." Seth said slowly while surveying the room. His gaze swept everywhere. Eden's eyes narrowed as Seth continued, "Of course, for a price..."
"Are you a devil?" Eden repositioned herself to attack. Seth denied it with a smile. "Do I look like a devil to you?"
"You look like a freaky Dark Wizard," Eden said with hatred. Seth narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a touch of humor. "I'm not a devil, I'm a better god. A god who can do whatever you want..."
Seth stepped forward. His eyes briefly shifted to Felix but he didn't stop, instead approaching Eden with a slow but sly smile. "I can heal your brother Felix. I can make sure you get your revenge..."
Eden's eyes widened while Felix's brow furrowed with concern. "Sis! No, I—!"
Before Felix could continue, he coughed up blood again. Eden rushed to help Felix, her red eyes lit up with sorrow, curiosity, suspicion, and hope.
"I can heal your brother right now. I can even give him a power to protect himself." Seth said smoothly, exuding an irresistible charm. Eden stood up, pausing thoughtfully.
"I know how the Queen and her sons treated you, and even who poisoned Felix..."
"Who did it?"
Eden's eyes grew cold as she demanded an answer. Seth smirked slightly. "It was King Wilhelm and his loyal advisors. They didn't expect you to grow this strong and tried to poison you, but they poisoned the wrong person."
It might have seemed like a lie, but it wasn't. Seth was sure that Wilhelm had poisoned the wrong person.
The figure of Eden's father appeared in her eyes. Even thinking that the man she usually saw as useless had planned this made her seethe with anger.
"What do you want?" Eden sighed and suppressed her anger, speaking. Seth smiled, pleased that it was going so smoothly.
"I want to completely change this kingdom and create a nation based on my religion. A powerful kingdom with influence all over Aure..."
"You can't defeat the Light Church. The Light Goddess is invincible," Eden spoke, almost forcing the bitter truth. Seth shook his head, denying it. "The era of the Light Goddess is over. Trust me."
Looking into Seth's eyes, which almost seemed to shine, Eden hesitated. She had long stopped caring about the kingdom. There was nothing left to lose. Her only remaining option was to heal Felix and live her life normally.
Repeating this thought in her mind, Eden gathered her resolve and agreed. A ruthless light glowed in her eyes. "I accept your deal. But if anything happens to Felix, I won't let you escape."
Seth nodded seriously and continued. "Don't worry, I won't do anything bad to Felix."
"That better be the case..."
Then, as a final flock of crows surrounded them, Seth said one last thing. "I will comply with your terms. In exchange, you will never claim any rights over the kingdom, and you will accept that your kingdom belongs to the Creation Church..."
Eden accepted without much thought. Seth grinned, and in an instant, the flock of crows dispersed, and Seth's figure vanished. The last thing left behind was a dark aura enveloping Felix's body as a large amount of Mana was infused into him.