Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 354 - 355: The Action of Black Rose [2/2]

Within a mansion in Molok City,

Marquis Soros Bieberloo, who had originally supported Duke Dexas as the new Emperor, was trembling in fear, kneeling in the living room of his own office.

Chilled to the bone, his spirit felt on the brink of shattering under an invisible yet crushing weight.

As he knelt there, Soros’ gaze was locked onto the floor, his body quaking and sweat trickling down his face in rivulets. The commanding aura of the West’s leading nobleman had faded into nothingness.

Within such a suffocating atmosphere, Soros waited anxiously for a response from the figure seated before him,

Finally,

After an excruciating five minutes of dead silence, a booming laugh shattered the tension, causing a surge of relief to flood through the distraught Marquis,

"Excellent work, Marquis Soros. It’s clear to see why you are at the helm of the most influential family in the Western Night Empire. Your capabilities are indeed commendable."

Upon hearing these words, the weight on Soros’ heart finally dropped,

The next moment,

This middle-aged man with grey hair excitedly lifted his head, looking at the man sitting in his office position, a handsome man in a military coat with black hair and a stern face,

"My Lord! Since I’ve already followed your instructions, allowing the nobles under my control to support Princess Freya, and clarifying the ’fact’ that the Marquis’s granddaughter is not a demon, and that it was all the previous emperor’s scheme, then can you...can you fulfill your promise?"

The man’s words were cheerful, but they were also filled with panic and anxiety,

Clearly,

The Marquis was deeply terrified of the man before him, but still, he held out hope for his aid.

Upon hearing Soros’ plea, the black-haired man responded with an elegant smile, delicately placing Soros’ report back on the table,

"Of course, Marquis Soros. The Black Rose family is known for honoring their promises. Since you’ve successfully fulfilled your end, rest assured we will fulfill ours."

The man’s voice was harmonious and friendly,

However, it cast an unsettling shadow over everyone present, including Soros, igniting a new wave of anxiety within him. He questioned whether the Duke of Black Rose would truly honor his promise.

After all,

With the other party’s strength, breaking their promise and silencing them all wouldn’t be difficult.

All Soros could do now,

Was to hope for the other’s mercy, hoping that they would not break their promise.

As for Resistance? The five bodyguards, all of whom had their limbs severed below the head, fully demonstrated that this method was not reliable.

On the other hand,

Seemingly noticing Soros’ uneasiness, the black-haired man, who was the Duke of Black Rose, chuckled:

"My apologies, it seems we unintentionally frightened you earlier. Be at ease, Marquis Soros. Our revered superior always instructs us to honor our promises. I will naturally fulfill my side of the deal. From now on, you shall be in utmost safety. Additionally, the wound inflicted on your son by the infection of abyssal demon, we will ensure it is healed."

Speaking thus, Xiao cast a meaningful glance at the grand entrance,

At that very moment,

A sturdy knight from the Black Rose, dressed in dark armor, emerged slowly from the entrance. He was cradling a frail, white-haired boy who appeared to be no more than ten years old and barely clinging to life. The sight of the child caused immediate distress on Soros’s face.

Perceiving this, Xiao comfortingly said:

"Don’t worry. It is merely a wound inflicted by an abyss demon. We will have it treated in no time."

"Is... Is that true?"

Hearing this, Soros was taken aback. A look of gratitude swiftly replaced his surprise, and he frantically started bowing toward Xiao.

His willingness to follow the instructions of Black Rose Duchy was twofold: on one hand, they held a power that he couldn’t resist, an awe-inspiring terror. On the other hand, they had promised that upon completion of the task, they would heal his son. Having been blessed with a son in his later years, Soros cherished his only child more than anything.

When he learned that his son had been wounded by an abyssal demon during their retreat from SkyDome, Soros was enveloped in a choking fear.

He was acutely aware of the terrifying infective power of abyssal demons. His son, with his childishly frail body, would certainly be infected by the shadow power once wounded. Although they had suppressed the shadow power’s spread within his son’s body using ice magic, it was only a temporary solution.

When the shadow power eventually spreads completely, his child would inevitably be transformed into an abyssal demon. Overwhelmed with desperation, Soros exhausted every possible avenue to save his son, all proving fruitless.

It was then,

Duke Xiao proposed a solution,

Stating that if Soros, along with his entire Marquis Bieberloo household, agreed to cooperate, he will save his son.

Soros had no idea how the Duke of Black Rose planned to extract the shadow power from his son’s body. However, he had no other choice but to clutch at this last straw of hope. As a result, he had to betray the Grand Duke, betraying Duke Dexas who planned to vie for the throne.

This left Soros wallowing in guilt for quite some time,

But,

When he learned that Duke Dexas had slipped and suffered a concussion from a slip down the stairs that morning, his guilt seemed to lessen.

’After all… with his current condition, Duke Dexas couldn’t assume the role of an emperor… so, betraying him to save my son wasn’t that big of a deal, right?’

’So, there’s no need to feel guilty!’

...

Staring at the ever-smiling Duke of Black Rose before him, after glancing at his son cradled by a Black Rose knight nearby, Soros couldn’t help but voice his concern:

"Excuse me, Lord Xiao... What’s going on? Where are you planning to take my son?"

"Haha, don’t worry, Marquis Soros. We’re just taking your son to our Black Rose camp for treatment."

"Back... back to the camp? Isn’t it possible to treat him here?"

"Hehe, you’re quite the joker, Marquis. To treat someone infected by the power of Shadow, we naturally need to go back to our camp, where all the necessary equipment is. Moreover, we need to keep such confidential treatment methods secret, right? But rest assured, by this afternoon, we will return your son, fully healed. We hope you understand."

"Yes, yes, yes! I understand!"

Soros nodded repeatedly.

At this point, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on the Black Rose family. He didn’t dare decline the man standing before him.

Seeing that Soros had nothing more to say,

Xiao was satisfied, then he signaled the Black Rose knight in the distance. Understanding his duke’s hint, the robust knight slowly departed with the injured Marquis’s son.

Meanwhile,

Xiao, who had put his cloak back on and was preparing to leave, seemed to remember something.

Then,

Under the anxious gaze of the servants and guards of Marquis Bieberloo’s household, he slowly approached Soros, and crouched down beside him,

"By the way, I need to remind you. Even after your son’s wound heals, it doesn’t mean the matter is over. If you one day breach our agreement, the wound on your son’s back might relapse. So... keep this in mind when you make future decisions."

Upon hearing these chilly words, laden with a threat,

Soros shivered.

But even when threatened, his current state didn’t allow him to resist. Like a subdued servant, he lowered his head and said:

"I... I understand."

"Mm, a good"

...

--

Shortly after, Xiao, along with several other Black Rose knights, climbed into a carriage and leisurely set off for the Black Rose camp on the outskirts of the city. Once they had traveled a certain distance and confirmed there was no other presence in sight, one of the Black Rose knights cautiously approached the carriage on his warhorse, his eyes full of curiosity as he addressed his Duke:

"Speaking of which, my Lord, why are we putting in so much effort to assist the princess? Do you have a plan? Are we intending to use this princess to further control Snow Night Empire?"

In response to his subordinate’s queries,

Xiao took a moment, nonchalantly sipping his water before replying:

"There’s no particular plan."

"Eh?"

Hearing this response, the subordinate couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, as did several other members nearby. After all, it was hard to imagine the usually strategic Duke acting without a plan.

"So... My Lord, are we doing this for nothing? Why... are we suddenly doing this?"

"It’s quite simple. It’s what Lady Yumo desires."

"Huh?, My apologies but... Why would Lady Yumo ask us to help the princess? She has never met Princess Freya, right?"

The group of burly men were somewhat puzzled and turned their seeking gazes to their Duke,

"..."

After enduring a moment of silence and the pleading looks of his men, Xiao, albeit reluctantly replied:

"Perhaps it’s because Lady Yumo feels guilty about personally killing Xue Tianao. She’s compensating this guilt to Tianao’s sister. Moreover, Limo and Liyu seem to be quite fond of that princess. They have spoken highly of her to Lady Yumo... Hmm, another reason might be that the princess is a friend of the Girl of Destiny."

Saying this,

Xiao cast a thoughtful glance in the direction of SkyeDome City.

"Besides, it’s not as if we’re doing this for nothing. The princess is weak and lacks political experience. After cooperating with us, it would be easier for us to manipulate her..."

In any case,

Though the Snow Night Empire has seen better days, it’s like a skinny camel that’s still bigger than a horse. It possesses some inherent value, and exerting control over it would be advantageous.

He just hopes,

That the princess will be sensible and not think about unrealistic issues such as revenge for her brother or the people.

Otherwise,

He might have to resort to requesting Shuoyue’s assistance in dealing with Freya, maybe even arranging for a metaphorical ’brainwash’...