Read Novel Full Chapter 631: The Pressured Dariel
Chapter 631: The Pressured Dariel
Nolan’s eyebrows rose slightly as he overheard the conversation. With a curious expression, he stepped closer and leaned against a tree trunk.
At the same time, he concealed his presence and listened in on the two servants.
"Don’t let anyone find out. Otherwise, we’ll be in danger."
"Don’t worry. The pay is huge, and I’m not stupid enough to let it go to waste."
"Good. Once everything’s done, we’ll leave this kingdom. Let Prince Meliodas handle the rest."
After finishing their conversation, they parted ways as if they had never met.
One of the servants passed by Nolan, yet strangely, he didn’t notice him at all.
Nolan lifted his head and watched the servant with a thoughtful look.
"How interesting. Prince Meliodas? Isn’t he the third prince?"
A faint smile curved his lips. "Just as I thought—something interesting will happen at the party later. The Ancient Kingdom of Eron will soon fall into turmoil..."
He wasn’t surprised. The situation in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron was quite similar to that of the Great Velmora Empire.
The princes were secretly vying for the throne. The difference was that Gulvar’s decision regarding the heir seemed tied to something else.
Nolan suspected it had everything to do with the Reaver Void Disc, which his father had mentioned earlier.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for Aldrian to be appointed as crown prince. The other princes were far more capable and deserving than him.
With a lingering smile, Nolan walked away and soon disappeared from view.
...
The Holy Empire of Valtanir, Halveran...
A woman walked calmly through the imperial palace. She was incredibly beautiful, her eyes covered by a white blindfold.
Her bright golden hair fell in soft waves down her back.
She wore a loose white priestess robe, its long skirt reaching past her ankles.
With each step, the hem of her robe brushed across the palace carpet.
She was Aurora, a saint of the Church of the Goddess of Light. Behind her stood two tall, muscular men clad in silver armor.
The one on the left was Kishir, and the one on the right was Karmish—both her loyal and powerful personal guards.
The three of them continued forward, passing servants who looked confused and startled.
"Is she Saint Aurora? What’s going on? How could she be here?" one of the maids whispered.
"I don’t know. Could something have happened without us knowing?"
"Oh, I know!" another maid suddenly said with a serious expression. "There’s news the empire is about to go to war with the Great Velmora Empire. Maybe the saint came to stop it."
Her friends found that plausible and let out a sigh of relief.
They didn’t like war. It only brought suffering to ordinary people like them.
Although they respected the Holy Emperor, they didn’t agree with going to war against the Great Velmora Empire. It would only bring them harm.
Meanwhile, Aurora and her two guards finally arrived at the throne room.
Dariel sat on the throne with his wife and their two children, Erald and Rebecca.
He cast Aurora a cold glance but quickly masked it.
"Welcome, Saint Aurora," Dariel greeted her politely. "What brings you here?"
Though his tone sounded polite and free of hostility, it was only on the surface. In truth, he and Aurora had been at odds for the past few months.
In the past, the Church of the Goddess of Light had been a partner of the imperial family. They supported every decision and worked behind the scenes.
However, since the previous saint passed away and Aurora took her place, the Church’s stance had shifted.
They grew hostile toward the imperial family and even began challenging his position as the Holy Emperor.
On top of that, the Singularity of Chaos destroyed the capital a year ago, causing public trust to plummet.
As a result, the Church of the Goddess of Light had grown increasingly influential in the eyes of the people. It was only a matter of time before rebellion spread across the empire.
That was why Dariel had been plagued with headaches these past few months.
He wanted to kill Aurora, but doing so would only accelerate the rebellion within the empire.
After all, Aurora held an extremely high status. The majority of the people trusted her as the messenger of the Goddess of Light.
Aurora stopped three meters before Dariel’s throne. She faced him calmly and said, "I’ve come to discuss your intention to go to war. What is the meaning of this decision? Do you wish to lead the empire to ruin?"
Her cold, firm voice made Dariel furrow his brow.
As emperor, no one had ever spoken to him so bluntly. It was the first time he had been treated this way, and anger surged within him.
Even so, he had no intention of acting immediately.
Taking a slow breath, he replied indifferently, "I have my reasons."
"Reasons? What reasons? Are they more important than everyone’s safety?" Aurora sneered.
There was no justifiable reason for war. It would only bring chaos and famine.
Dariel’s fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Yes, it is important," he said through gritted teeth. "We need it. Do you even know the empire is on the brink of crisis? We’ve drained the treasury just to rebuild the capital of Halveran. Only by taking control of the Eldrath Mountains can we overcome this crisis. So I hope you won’t interfere."
The destruction of the capital, Halveran, had completely drained the empire’s finances in the effort to rebuild the city.
Even that wasn’t enough. He had to take a loan from the Blue Moon Trading House to cover the shortfall.
Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary loan, but one with an extremely high interest rate—up to ten percent.
This placed a heavy burden on the empire’s finances and pushed them closer to desperation. Only through war could they hope to repay those debts.
Naturally, he knew the war wouldn’t be easy. The Great Velmora Empire was immensely powerful.
He wasn’t even confident he could break through the defenses of the Eldrath Mountains with only the troops stationed in the northern region.
Unfortunately, Aurora didn’t care in the slightest. She furrowed her brow and refused firmly, "Whatever the reason, I don’t care. War only brings chaos, and I’m sure the people feel the same. So cancel your plans, or you’ll face the consequences."
After saying that, she turned and walked away, with Kishir and Karmish following behind her.
Dariel ground his teeth. His gaze burned with anger as he growled, ’Damn... This woman is truly infuriating. Father was right—I need to act as soon as possible.’
Aurora’s threat was too great. If left unchecked, his position as emperor would inevitably be overthrown sooner or later.