Chapter 11: Saxon Cromwell

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On the royal road leading to the hunting grounds of the Kingdom of Ceylon, a three-headed legendary-tier “Azure-footed Dragon Serpent” pulled a luxurious carriage, completely occupying the path.

The carriage cabin was handcrafted from precious Starwood, its edges inlaid with exquisite wind-attribute magic diamonds.

Beyond the body, the carriage’s wheel axles, pedals, and railings were forged from arcane alloy even more valuable than gold—a material typically reserved for crafting legendary-grade weapons.

Inside, the cabin was lavishly decorated with rare, soft magical beast furs, dazzling multicolored gems and pearls, exquisitely crafted tea sets, tables, and a stove, evoking the feeling of stepping into a palace.

A tall, handsome young noble reclined deeply into a soft sofa, cradling a pair of stunning, alluring twins, his hands moving restlessly, his face flushed with a sickly pleasure—Saxon Cromwell, the third prince and third in line to the throne of Ceylon.

A knock came from outside the cabin. Saxon gave the twins a rough pat, pushed them aside, and said,

“Come in.”

A stern-faced middle-aged man entered and handed Saxon a note.

“The latest intelligence from Florence.”

Saxon glanced at the intelligence briefly, then his eyes involuntarily widened as he exclaimed,

“She actually took down a legendary high-tier in an instant?”

The middle-aged man nodded coldly.

“The information is accurate. She’s even stronger than five years ago. At this point, Your Highness probably couldn’t withstand even a single move from her.”

An unnatural flush rose on Saxon’s face, his gaze burning with uncontrollable desire.

“Good. The stronger she is, the better. Only a woman like that deserves me.”

Saxon licked his lips, his throat moving as he revealed a sickly smile.

“One year. Just one year left—I’m almost impatient! André, I’m starting to regret it. If I had known, I would have just taken out that damn king directly. Just thinking about such a perfect woman having to stay by his side for another year makes me want to kill someone!”

The middle-aged man named André bowed slightly and said,

“The Aiffin royal court still has a Senate with a few stubborn old men. If we were to act decisively, it would definitely spark their backlash.”

Then, his tone shifted to a half-smile, half-sneer:

“But Your Highness needn’t worry too much. The prince is only six years old and still too young to be aware of much. He won’t come into conflict with the queen. Besides, I’ve heard the king has long suspected the queen colluded with her father to seize his power, so they remain in a cold war and haven’t shared a bed since marriage. In other words, Your Highness may very well get a pure and unblemished queen!”

Saxon’s breathing suddenly grew heavy and rapid, his face crawling with unabashed greed and possessiveness.

Disregarding the presence of others, he roughly dragged the twins closer and squeezed them fiercely.

After venting his desire, Saxon pushed the women aside and continued reading the intelligence.

When his gaze moved to the warning issued by Yadelle, a flicker of jealousy and cruelty flashed in his eyes.

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“André, you must personally go to Florence. Meet with the Gunter family and deliver an ‘Elven Sacred Fruit.’ Help that unfortunate noble heir reattach his arm—after all, he took the blame for us.”

The middle-aged man’s face showed admiration. Though this prince was ostentatious, a libertine, and a playboy, he always kept a clear mind at critical moments, using every person and resource at his disposal to swiftly maximize his gains.

To rise step by step from the son of a secondary consort to third in line to the throne, Saxon undoubtedly had exceptional qualities.

André spoke again at the right moment:

“Although there was a small mishap—we underestimated Queen Aiffin’s strength and determination—the overall plan is progressing smoothly, even exceeding expectations. Severing the heir of the Gunter family’s arm will surely sow discord between the Duke of the Southern Territory and the Angrian family, no matter how close their ties.”

Saxon studied the intelligence in hand. An extraordinary individual capable of incapacitating a legendary high-tier with a single move was indeed concerning. He asked,

“There won’t be any slip-ups from the ‘Black Tomb’ side, right? Angus isn’t a fool—he’ll find out sooner or later that this wasn’t done by the ‘Pale Wings.’”

André replied confidently,

“Rest assured, Your Highness. Unless they dare to attack the ‘Black Tomb’ headquarters in the northwest region, they will never uncover the culprit.”

Saxon slowly nodded, his expression cold and grim.

“Aiffin’s two strongest factions now are the Prime Minister and the Southern Territory. Once they split, no one else will threaten us.”

André reminded him,

“After all, the Southern Territory is relatively isolated, and the royal court still has the Senate’s support. If they were to incite rebellion, it wouldn’t come without a price.”

Saxon nodded and said,

“I’ve decided. Deploy one thousand from the ‘Oath of Ceylon’ on standby. Once the Gunter family gives the signal, these thousand will become the vanguard of their march on the capital! A few half-dead legendary-tier warriors—can they stop assassins? Can they stop my ‘elite’ army?”

André was struck by Saxon’s grand plan.

The “Oath of Ceylon” was an elite army painstakingly built by Saxon at great cost.

On the Mage Tide Continent, armies were also classified by levels: basic, regular, elite, special ops, king-tier, and emperor-tier.

Most small nations could only afford “basic” armies, good enough to suppress uprisings or discipline unruly noble landlords. Slightly stronger duchies like Aiffin generally fielded regular armies.

Elite armies could not develop without a flourishing national power.

Thus, one could imagine just how powerful Saxon’s elite force was.

The “Oath of Ceylon” numbered only three thousand in total, Saxon’s trump card as the third in line.

Now, dispatching one-third at once showed how much he was willing to invest in Aiffin.

André’s lips curled into a mysterious smile as he whispered,

“It’s all worth it. Once the Duke of the Southern Territory’s rebellion succeeds, we can officially ‘send troops’ to aid our friendly neighboring states closely allied with the Kingdom of Ceylon! After taking Aiffin and capturing that beautiful queen, no one will be able to overshadow Your Highness’s achievements!”

Saxon’s eyes gleamed sharply as he murmured,

“Even my eldest brother will have to obediently give up his first place now.”

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André lowered his head, his eyes filled with unspoken meaning as he responded,

“I can already envision Your Highness’s majestic ascent to the throne!”

Equally shaken by Yadelle’s strength and ferocity was the “Golden-winged Lady” who had just arrived in Florence.

“A half-step legendary taking down a high-level legendary-tier extraordinary?”

At the secret branch of the “Pale Wings,” Mr. Mordo’s eyes showed astonishment upon receiving the news.

Nearby, Isabella, the “Golden-winged Lady,” gently fingered the intelligence and said calmly,

“Yadelle Angrian, Queen of the Duchy of Aiffin… she’s probably not even thirty yet.”

Mordo nodded in reply,

“Twenty-five years old. The ‘Strongest Silver’ of the ‘Grand Noble Martial Tournament’ five years ago. Being the ‘Strongest Silver’ at just twenty caused quite a sensation.”

The “Grand Noble Martial Tournament” was a grand event held every ten years on the continent, where representatives from various nations competed to be crowned “Strongest Bronze,” “Strongest Silver,” “Strongest Gold,” and “Strongest Legendary.”

Bronze was for under twenty years old, Silver under thirty, Gold under forty, and Legendary had no age limit.

Isabella’s eyes flickered as she said,

“I remember now. My father once mentioned her—an exceptionally gifted ice-element mage with over ninety percent affinity for ice elements, a ‘Divine Favored Daughter.’”

Her tone was filled with admiration. Even someone as noble as her genuinely respected Yadelle’s talent.

Mordo nodded and continued,

“Five years later, not only is she half-step legendary, she can even defeat a high-level legendary. If the source weren’t absolutely reliable, I’d suspect someone’s trying to hype her up.”

Isabella said slowly,

“Severing the Southern Territory Duke heir’s arm and incapacitating a high-level legendary-tier extraordinary… is the Aiffin royal family about to break with the Southern Territory?”

Mordo shook his head in reply,

“Doesn’t seem so. This appears to be solely the queen’s stance. I heard that after a recent royal attack, she’s sending a warning to others. Oh yes, this is the warning left by Queen Aiffin after incapacitating that legendary high-tier.”

Mordo handed Isabella a note.

After reading it, Isabella teasingly said,

“Didn’t expect the king and queen to have such a good relationship?”

Mordo replied,

“According to intelligence, the queen is ten years older than the current king, Corin Corion. They grew up together, so to speak—the king literally grew up before her eyes. Their relationship isn’t necessarily romantic.”

Isabella pondered for a long time before saying,

“Once this is settled, I must find time to visit this queen. I have a strange feeling this woman will be my lifelong rival!”