Chapter 7 Immortal Skull brewed trouble

At Amellia's Alchemy Shop, the Captain of the Knights of Illunar, the center of attention of many knights and squires came out behind the door at the counter. She temporarily lived in Amellia's Alchemy Shop, which was also Amellia's house, while waiting for Amellia's decision.

"Lifi, good morning." Amellia greeted as she busied herself organizing her merchandises.

"It's Lifiarda, Lia. If my subordinates heard you, they'll curse you for making me increase their trainings to save my reputation." The Captain of the Knight of Illunar grumbled and lounged on the sofa.

Amellia smile disdainfully and eyed the sexy posture of Lifiarda, relaxing on sofa. "They won't curse a Princess."

She looked at Lifiarda's bountiful twin peaks shaped by her loose clothes, but appeared tight due to their sizes. Then, turned to her own, squeezing them and grumbling. Amellia thought. 'I wonder what is Victor's preference? Small or large? Will he still look at me once he sees Lifi's? That man, if he drools at Lifi, I swear! I will gouged his eyes out!'

"You've been living here for a week now. Tell me, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Alcraz Trident Mountain Range fighting some barbarians?" Amellia asked as she glared at her best friend.

She know Lifiarda too well. Though, they both have different personalities, their taste in other things were pretty much similar in many aspects. They even sometimes argued on one thing and end up in a cat fight, and Amellia seldom won.

"Why? You don't want me to be here?" Lifiarda sulked. "It hurts my feelings, you know?"

Amellia, though knew that Lifiarda was merely acting, she corrected her. "That's not what I mean. I know you're busy, I just want to know why you spend your precious time coming here this far."

When she saw Lifiarda grinning, she blushed, looked away and angrily said. "I-It's not like I'm worrying about you! Idiot."

"Hehehe! My lovely Amellia still as adorable as ever!" Lifiarda approached Amellia from behind. "Come! Let me hug you!"

"Hyaa! What are you doing?! I'm busy!" Amellia struggled to free herself but failed.

"Oh! You gained fat!"

"No! I didn't!"

"Not that! I mean these!" Lifiarda grabbed Amellia's chest and squeezed them, which caused Amellia to squeal.

"Hiya! Stop! Hey, stop!" Amellia slapped Lifiarda's hands and moved away.

"Are groping those growing chest of yours to make them bigger? You've grown quite a lot." Lifiarda touched her chin and thought out loud. "For a girl to grow so big in just a short time, there must be a stimulus."

With gasp, her eyes widened and pointed at Amellia. "Don't tell me you're seeing someone?!"

Amellia's face reddened and denied. "W-What are you saying?!"

'Not enough! She's definitely hiding something! I must let her spit it out on her own accord!' Lifiarda shook her head. "No, that's not it. You're definitely having a romantic relationship with a man and did 'that' with him!"

Amellia's entire face was now red in embarrassment. "N-No! I... We're still not in that kind of relationship yet!"

"So there's really someone!" Lifiarda grabbed her shoulder and asked. "Tell me, who is he?! How dare he lay his paws on you!"

"Stop! Stop shaking me!" Amellia complained.

"Oops... Sorry. Tehe~" Lifiarda let go of Amellia and smile faintly.

"Geez! Don't make that face in front of me! Your tactics won't work on me anymore!" Amellia turned around and left, going back to where she was working before. "In addition, I don't have a lover!"

Bu Lifiarda didn't believed her words. She sneered. "I will know him eventually! By then, I'll know everything from his mouth!"

Lifiarda stood up and stretched her arms. "Anyway, speaking of serious matter. I am ordered by your father to take you back. The barbarians retreated deeper into the Alcraz Trident Mountain Range and a new problem came up... Agents of Immortal Skull has been spotted around the capital. Your father, the king, thought it would be much safer for you if you return to the palace."

She entered back to the door at the counter and came out after several minutes. From a simple pretty lady, she turned into an valiant lady knight that many people looked up to and revered.

"If I return, wouldn't I be in more danger?" Amellia asked, narrowing her eyes. "I don't want to return. I'll remain here. As long as, you don't talk to much, and stitch those mouths of your subordinates, no one will know that the 3rd Princess Amellia Vyn Grineaece Prymress is living in this remote village."

"Are you forgetting something?" Lifiarda asked, raising an eyebrow. He crossed her arms and haughtily said. "Who do you think I am? I'm the Captain Knight of Illunar Kingdom, the Silver Moon Knight! Are you looking down on me too much? Even if thousands of Immortal Skull agents comes, I'll just kick them back to where they come from!"

Amellia rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I won't go back. Those criminals will only have a chance to kidnap me if I do so return to the palace."

A glint in her eyes flashed and sneered coldly. She thought. 'Do they still think I'm the same naive princess several years ago? How dare they use me as a bait under the guise of my own safety! They even used my oblivious best friend in their plans!'

Amellia glimpsed at the leaving Lifiarda and muttered in her mind. "I won't play in there plans, neither my best friend!"

Going inside her room, at the corner where hundreds of book piled up, she cleaned them away, revealing an inconspicuous secret compartment.

It was sealed by Magic Lock and whoever open it with the wrong password, it would explode and destroy everything inside. After all, what lies inside were things that she created using her alchemy.

Touching the compartment, she muttered several words. "Agna Uhlshara Gram valhqar."

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The words were ancient demon language, which means 'To the sky, the Gate of Heaven opens and all Souls are welcomed by the hands of God.'

A completely difficult password, but those that were expert in deciphering ancient languages could open it as easily as Amellia did. Hence, she added another form of password by using Voice Recording Magic and Blood Sacrificing Magic. In this case, only Amellia could open the secret compartment.

The secret compartment opened and revealed several items and all of them were in Legendary Grade. She took a vial of black liquid and closed the secret compartment, locking it with Magic Lock, overlapped with Voice Recording Magic and Blood Sacrificing Magic. Then, blocked it my piling books on it.

On how messy her own room was, no ordinary person would thought that there was a secret compartment at the corner, where hundreds of book piled up.

"With this, I will know who are the dogs of my sisters that were disguised in Lifi's knights." Shaking the vial, her rosy lips curved into a sneer as the black liquid inside moved as though it was alive, which was a fact.

The black liquid was created through an accidental experiment of Amellia when she tried to create a living homunculus.

It was a Dark Slime.

From how small the vial, it was only at the size of a thumb. She uncorked the vial and poured the Dark Slime on her palm. It wiggled and congealed into a jelly sphere. With a drop of her blood, their connections were established. She could now order it around as a master and they could exchanged words through thoughts. Amelia could also see and hear what it saw and heard.

With the Dark Slime's Unique Skill [Dark Meld], it could merged into the shadow of a person, split itself into hundred and monitored that person's every movement.

"Go!" Amellia threw the Dark Slime out of her shop as it drifted into the shadows, then split itself into the exact number of knights that came along with Lifiarda.

There were 12 knights that came along with Lifiarda and they temporarily reside in the Owlet Beak Inn that only offered comfortable accommodations for individual, couple and a group. They even have a royal suite and amd common suite.

If the knights were hungry, they could be seen in the Wood Crane Food House, the only place that provided the best dishes and delicacies and the most expensive. Though, there were other restaurants, the Wood Crane Food House was unbeatable. Thus, the place was considered only for rich Adventurers and Merchants and food lover.

Next to the Owlet Beak Inn was the Growling Bear Tavern, the most noisiest place within the village. It was always full at night due to their delicious and strong beer. Most men went there to see the beautiful and sexy Beer Girls, and of course have fun after a long day of work.

Ferlan Village was a pit stop for most Adventurers that were heading to Hallgruff Prairie from Illunar Kingdom, a vast plat land that spread from north to west, and Luqane Forest was the fastest route, while the aspect of it being safe was pinned on the strength of the individual or group that would travel across it.

Thr Hallgruff Prairie was a home for the Centaurs, a people with the lower body of a horse and a torso of a human. The prairie was infested by Dungeons and those that weren't cleared after so long would explode, creating a monster flood. This event was widely known as, Overflow.

Dungeons were treasure trove without an owner, thus attracted countless Adventurers, even with the cost of their lives.

Lifiarda went out to assemble her subordinates to brief them of their next movement. She knew how bad her best friend, Amellia's relationship with her sisters, the other princesses.

Though, she had no idea how politics worked in Illunar Kingdom, she wasn't oblivious that there was an underlying meaning to her subordinates and her's prompt dispatchment after she solved the problem at Alcraz Trident Mountain Range.

She don't like thinking such complicated things as it made her head dizzy.

Having found most of them still in the Owlet Beak Inn, her lsubordinates greeted as soon as she entered the building.

Lined up before her, they shouted. "Good morning, Captain!"

Looking at them, she found three of her subordinates absent. She asked in dignified manner. "Where's Alto, Errick and Dramul?"

"Captain, those three left early and didn't say where they were going to! But with my knowledge of their personalities, they're either at the Growling Bear Tavern having fun or the Wood Crane Food House!" He asked, "Do you want me to find them, Captain?"

Lifiarda nodded and waved her hand, telling them to continue on their breakfast. "Garrin, you find them. The others finish your meal and meat me outside the village, at the western entrance."

"Yes, Captain Mulrg!" Lifiarda's subordinates said in unison.

The Knight System at Illunar Kingdom and other kingdoms follow; from lower to highest, Knight Squire, Knight Apprentice, Knight, Elder Knight, Captain Knight, Knight Commander.

Knights in Illunar Kingdom were gathered into a Knight Team of twelve, with one Captain Knight, two Elder Knights and ten Knights. The Knight Team had their own name and Illunar Kingdom had many Knight Team, one with each Noble Family. Only those strong Knight Team and accumulated military merits could received resources from the kingdom.

Lifiarda's Knight Team was known as, Silver Moon, taken after her title.

Having recieved the resources of the Royal Family, Silver Moon Knight Team could be easily dispatched into a mission by any person part of the Royal Family. The reason why Lifiarda and her subordinates were at the very far place, such as Ferlan Village. They were the personal Adventurer Team of the Kingdom.

The mission Lifiarda recieved was actually to invite and escort an Alchemist to the Royal Palace, but who would have thought the person was the 3rd Princess and her best friend, herself? Lifiarda didn't, until she saw the Alchemist.

Thus, Lifiarda was sure that the mission this time was only a part of a conspiracy. The target should be her best friend. And Lifiarda would do anything to protect her best friend as it was the reason she became a knight!

'I will protect her with my life!' Lifiarda vowed in her heart as she walked out of the village.

Within a black castle, a group of people could be seen seating around round table. There were 13 of them, each and everyone of them were releasing a strong vibration of power. Not a single person wanted to lose to anyone in the chamber and thus never concealed their auras.

A dark-skinned bulky man with shiny bald head and metal eyepatch roared in laughter. "Hahaha! I'm enjoying this game everytime I came here. This is the only thing I enjoyed in this boring and gloomy pla, so why don't we make things more lively?" He turned to the white haired old man sitting next to him and asked. "What do you think, Levgard?"

The white haired old man took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his darkened faces with his trembling hand. "Allahar, can you please not talk to me with your mouth next to my face? And here I thought it's raining, I was only you! Dammit! Your breath stinks!" Levgard turned to the other people and said. "I suggest on forcing Allahar to brush his teeth! Any objections?"

"No objection!" The others said in unison.

Allahar stiffened and laughed harder. "Buahahaha! Then, come at me! But prepare to hacked into pieces!"

The others only shook their heads and ignored the loud mouth hulk. Suddenly, a man in black cloak with face couldn't be seen due to the shadow that concealed his entire being, emanating dark and evil aura appeared. This man was no doubt stronger than the rest.

They greeted him with mixed expressions in their faces, fear, reverence, and hate. "Glory to the Dark God!"

The black cloaked man nodded and sat on the 14th chair. He started. "The Dark Envoy has given his order. The Illunar Kingdom must fall for opposing the Immortal Skull. Do what we usually do, adding fuel to the fire and letting the forest burn into ashes! Make the nobles fight each other to death. Control whom should be controlled and kill any hindrance. At the end of the year, the Dark Envoy will come personally to see the fall of Illunar Kingdom. Failures will result to death... Any questions?"

Who would dare asked questions if the black cloaked man let his evil aura ran wild, suffocating the others? If one of them really asked question, that person would definitely be killed the moment a word came out of his mouth.

"Hmmmp! Very well. The person with most contribution to the fall of Illunar Kingdom will have the highest reward! A compatible National Treasure Grade Item and a Mystic Grade Skill Crystal!" The black cloaked man sneered.

Gasp and shock could be seen on the faces of the rest as they watched the black cloaked man disappear.

"Buahahaha! That National Treasure Grade Item will be mine!" Allahar laughed loudly as he left.

"No, that will be mine. I will kill whoever block my hand!" Levgard solemnly swore as killing intent surged out madly from body.

"Hmmp! We'll see!" A blonde young lady snorted and left in elegant strides.

"Hehehehe!" The eerie laughter of the thin and tall man echoed through the chamber as he left.

A murderous glint flashed in others eyes as they also take their leave silently. Now, they all have the same thing in mind. Exceed others in contribution even it means killing others!