‎The day after the festival, the journalists spread Anastasha’s words about her decision to compete with her siblings for the head position. They also wrote about her significant influence across South Neva after Rasmus and Anastasha revealed they were the key figures behind the peace in South Neva. They believed the news would shake the world, especially in East Neva, because the Asghar family was one of the pillars of East Neva.

‎”You’re leaving already, Count? We haven’t even celebrated our collaboration,” Anastasha said as she watched Rasmus pack his clothes into his suitcase. “Can we at least have a drink? A tea, perhaps?” She asked as she crossed her arms.

‎”Can you protect yourself, Princess?” Rasmus dismissed Anastasha’s suggestion and asked back at her instead.

‎Anastasha sighed as she leaned against the wall, staring out the window where the snow was no longer falling. She noticed that spring was coming, and the cold would no longer bother her anymore in South Neva.

‎”I’ll stay here, strengthening my influence with Archduke’s help. The peace here, it feels like an illusion, a temporary relief…” Anastasha answered with a serious expression as she kept staring out the window. “After all, you bestowed me with significant help from Lady Erlina’s people. I’ll keep them as they are when you leave and when she comes back,” she continued, and looked at Rasmus.

‎”Use them as many times as you need, just don’t ruin her hard work. Although it’s not mine, she’s my people, and I have to keep everything she has safe,” Rasmus said with a serious expression and stared right into Anastasha’s eyes.

‎‎”I promise, in my name,” Anastasha nodded with understanding. “But with one condition, and that’s to have one last tea time with me, Count,” she smiled mischievously.

‎‎Rasmus sighed as he nodded, agreeing with her condition.

‎‎”Then I’ll take my leave, Count Blackheart. I’ll be waiting in my chamber,” Anastasha chuckled as she left Rasmus’s room.

‎‎As soon as Anastasha left, Aris entered with Carrion and Daryus. They took their time to watch Anastasha walk the long hallway, on her own with a folding fan in her right hand.

‎‎”I didn’t think you had that kind of bond with her,” Carrion said as he stood at the door and watched Rasmus pack his stuff.

‎‎”It’s beneficial, nothing more. She acts that way because she has finally found someone that she can be comfortable with,” Rasmus responded as he put his suitcase in his spatial ring. “And? What is it?” He raised his brows as he used his cane to support his weight.

‎

‎”Sorceress Agnesia left this morning. You were asleep, so she didn’t want to wake you up. She then came to me and gave me this…” Carrion showed a sealed letter in his right hand. “She said that you might need this,” he offered the letter to Rasmus. “But she said that you shouldn’t open it before you awakened,” he continued.

‎

‎Rasmus took the letter and wondered what the content of the letter was. He then put the letter in his spatial ring, remembering about the letter in the back of his head.

“Is everyone ready to leave?” Rasmus looked at Daryus and Carrion.

“Yes, we are ready to leave, Count. We are waiting for Saint Serena since she’s still in the meeting hall with the rulers of South Neva. We don’t know why she summoned them, but I believe it has something to do with her past, especially when former Saint Astrea was with her,” Daryus answered as he put his hands behind his back.

Daryus was expecting Rasmus to ask about Serena, but to his surprise, Rasmus only responded with a hum and seemed unbothered. It was similar to what happened when he asked Rasmus for help, he didn’t say a word and decided to help him without hesitation.

“Then I’ll have tea with the Princess. It won’t take long,” Rasmus said as he walked toward the door with a can that supported his weight. “Make sure there’s no unfinished business, Carrion. We might be a while in Central Neva, and we might be involved in the same situation as her, facing the emissaries of evil,” he said as he looked at Carrion from over his shoulder.

“There’s nothing else for me to deal with here, don’t worry. And for the latter, I know,” Carrion responded with a serious expression as he nodded with understanding.

Rasmus nodded and then left the room, but suddenly Aris decided to follow him. He was curious, but he decided to stay quiet because there must be a reason why she wanted to tag along.

(At the same time in the meeting hall)

Emperors, Kings, and high-ranking nobles were frozen still in their seats when they found out the corruption behind the Holy Nation. It was Astrea who revealed that one of her Cardinals, one of her and her late mother’s trusted aides, orchestrated the death of Serena a long time ago. They couldn’t believe it when they heard that the Holy Nation would do such a thing.

“It doesn’t matter if it was to prevent the prophecy. The issue was that he did it behind everyone’s back, and it caused thousands of lives in the process. There was nothing noble about it, not even in the slightest,” Astrea said with a serious expression, feeling ashamed that someone had ruined and tarnished the Holy Nation.

“Your Holiness… I mean, Lady Astrea. I apologize if I offended you in any way, but do you believe the Holy Nation has done things that were behind your back?” Dasmont asked with his brows furrowed.

“It’s possible and it has been in my mind ever since I found the record of the death of Saint Serena,” Astrea answered, the shame and guilt were written all over her face, even though most of her face was covered in bandages. “What I’m afraid of is that the fact there’s a demon worshipper even among the high ranks in the Holy Nation, and to see my daughter has to lead with those people behind her back, I can’t feel at ease…” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper.

Everyone in the hall had seen people whom they thought to be righteous, kind, and benevolent, who turned out to be demon worshipers. The possibility of demon worshipers acting as high-ranking priests, bishops, or even cardinals wasn’t small. They began to wonder how deeply rooted those demon worshipers were, and how they had managed to hide their identity for the past hundreds of years.

“The Great Era of Neva, the mystery behind the war is still there,” Thalior said as he looked at everyone at the table. “What we know right now might only scrape the surface of an iceberg. We need to know the real answer to what was happening back then,” he continued.

“Great Sage Lenin mentioned something about that a while ago,” Astrea said as she stared blankly at the table. “She mentioned the Blackheart family and the reason behind their rebellion. She believed Rasmus’s late father kept the record of what happened during the Great Era,” she continued.

“So, the rebellion that the Blackheart family did was because they knew about the truth? And we were the ones who stopped them and helped the demon worshipers indirectly?” A king asked, realizing that the ones who fought evil were killed by humankind.

“I’m afraid so, Your Highness,” Astrea answered as she nodded slowly. “We were the ones who helped the demon worshipers to live comfortably now because nobody else knew about them other than the Blackheart family,” she continued.

“Then, does Count Blackheart know about this?” A Duke asked as he raised his hand.

“He doesn’t know. The answers to the reason behind Blackheart’s family rebellion lie in his late father’s journal. The demon worshipers have been openly looking for that journal as well as we speak, and they have been doing that in the past few months,” Astrea answered as she shook her head. “Whatever in that journal, that will help us a lot,” she continued.

Everyone nodded without saying a word, thinking it would be a great discovery and would change the tide if they knew the figures that were a part of the demonic cult. Eliminating them would slow down the emissaries of evil’s movements, and it would give them the advantage of what they were dealing with.

“Lady Astrea, everyone must be waiting,” Serena said as she looked at Astrea.

“You’re right…” Astrea looked at the time. “We have to go, Your Highnesses, Lords…” she smiled gently at everyone at the table.

Serena got up and was ready to push the wheelchair that Astrea was in. She watched all the figures lower their heads for one last time to bid the two of them farewell and to show gratitude for saving South Neva from its doom. Once everyone had given their final last words, Serena brought Astrea out of the hall.

“Are you going to be alright, Saint Serena?” Astrea asked as she slowly lifted her head to look at Serena, who pushed her wheelchair.

“About what, Lady Astrea?” Serena looked down and stared at Astrea with a gentle gaze.

“About going to Central Neva, and to face the man who orchestrated your death,” Astrea asked. “I’ll make sure his deeds are severely punished, but what would you do when you saw him in person?” She asked, worried that Serena would lose control of herself since a Saint was still a human after all.

“I would do nothing,” Serena smiled gently at Astrea. “Let’s not focus on me, Lady Astrea. It’s time for us to go bring you back home, to be with your daughter again and live for her,” she continued and smiled with her eyes closed.

“Yes, you’re right… I have been waiting for this day to come back home…” Astrea smiled weakly.

After a long preparation, Astrea, Lenin, Novia, Serena, Rasmus, and his people left the headquarters. Their departure wasn’t known to the public, and they went straight to the harbor that belonged to the Marines, where Arka was waiting for them.

“What are we going to do first? Erlina asked as she sat across from Rasmus in the carriage.

“Nothing, just follow Lady Astrea to the Holy Nation. We are going to make a mess, a lot of mess…” Rasmus answered as he stared out the window with a stoic expression.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep