Chapter 193: 129. Benevolent Weakness
On the dark Snakehead Street, Elizabeth gently helped Fisher into her Golden Carriage, while Old Jack and Kalma remained inside the tavern, not coming out.
This time, I really have to thank Old Jack. If he hadn’t bravely stepped out with a double-barrel shotgun to block the attacking Human-Worms, Fisher and Jasmine might not have been able to hold out until Elizabeth’s guards arrived.
In terms of combat, Jasmine would certainly be more than capable. However, as previously mentioned, as long as the sober Fisher wasn’t nearby watching her, she would be extremely nervous inside, as if she had never undergone training, curling up defensively like a frightened child.
Elizabeth glanced at Jasmine at the carriage door and silently stepped aside to allow her entry, which surprised Jasmine a bit, making her hurriedly whisper her thanks.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
She didn’t expect Elizabeth to let her on the carriage. Although her actions were not exactly friendly, having witnessed Elizabeth and Renee’s high-level battle, Jasmine understood that Elizabeth was already being quite restrained.
Hearing Jasmine’s thanks, Elizabeth did not respond but sat down next to Fisher without any further action, forcing Jasmine, who originally wanted to sit beside Fisher, to sit silently across from him.
Elizabeth poured a glass of water for Fisher and then signaled for the carriage to start moving. She had intended to say something but, upon seeing the contemplative expression on Fisher’s face, realized he was still considering the specific location of the treasure.
She turned her gaze towards Jasmine in front of her and suddenly spoke.
“Isabel and Milica miss you very much. Although I don’t know how you managed to sneak into Saint Nali University, as I mentioned earlier, there’s been far too much oversight in the security issues at Saint Nali University.”
Holding her face, Elizabeth quietly observed the calm and unperturbed Whale Folk girl before her. The steady gaze made Jasmine feel somewhat creeped out, but as soon as Isabel and Milica were mentioned, she bit her lip and forced out a quiet response.
“I… I just came ashore to look for my aunt, whom I haven’t seen since leaving the ocean. I have absolutely no ill will towards humans; rather, I really like humans.”
When she mentioned liking humans, she sneakily glanced at Fisher but quickly withdrew her gaze for fear of being noticed by Elizabeth.
“Is that so?”
Elizabeth’s attention shifted to the front of the carriage, her fair and slender hand resting on the table inside. Her well-trimmed nails showed care, and upon closer inspection, there were calluses on her palms from years of sword-holding.
Fisher had completely entered a state of thought, carefully extracting the information buried in the riddle. Suddenly, a place name appeared in his mind, and his gaze brightened slightly, seemingly having found the answer to the riddle.
“I—”
“Bang!”
Just as Fisher was about to speak, the entire carriage came to a sudden halt. The carriage rocked slightly, and Elizabeth’s expression grew darker as the soldiers outside shouted sternly.
“Who dares to block the princess’s carriage?”
“I sincerely apologize for the disturbance, Princess Elizabeth. We are the Royal Affiliated Department of the Incident Bureau; I am Secretary Tommie, here is my work credential.”
Inside the carriage, Fisher and Elizabeth exchanged a glance, but it was Elizabeth who spoke first. She softly told Fisher,
“Don’t say anything; I’ll go check it out.”
Fisher’s expression was also somewhat serious as he gently opened the carriage curtain a little, allowing the deep moonlight outside to illuminate the scene, making the outside conversation clearer.
The Incident Bureau is actually composed of two specific divisions: the Comprehensive Affairs Bureau, which manages general matters, and the Royal Affiliated Department responsible for overseeing the royal family and nobility.
The laws of Nali grant the Godlin Family powers beyond common understanding, but that doesn’t mean they can do whatever they want within the kingdom. Once they commit a crime, it will be handled by the Royal Affiliated Department of the Incident Bureau. If the problems with Lunsis were to be thoroughly investigated, they would end up with this department.
At that moment, their visit perplexed Elizabeth, making her careful to keep Fisher in the carriage.
Elizabeth adjusted her dress and stepped down from the carriage, only to see a group of civilians in black suits standing in the middle of the road.
The middle-aged man at the forefront smiled slightly and said to Elizabeth,
“Sorry, Your Highness; both leaders of the Incident Bureau are away on official business, as you know. However, our purpose today has nothing to do with you.”
At the end, he casually pointed at the carriage before him and said,
“May I ask if Mr. Fisher Benavides is inside this carriage? We have received a formal report accusing Mr. Fisher, who just resigned from Saint Nali University, of being involved with the suspects who attacked the Shivali delegation. Could we ask Mr. Fisher to come with us for an investigation?”
“Of course, we believe Mr. Fisher is most likely innocent, and we are aware of his relationship with Your Highness. We guarantee that we will not use any unconventional interrogation methods, ensuring the fairness of law enforcement.”
Seeing the subservient black-suited man before her, Elizabeth approached with a half-smile, and when she got close enough, he discreetly signaled his subordinates to step back so they couldn’t hear her exchange with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth looked at the man from the Incident Bureau, still not having spoken when he awkwardly broke the silence.
“Your Highness, please don’t make this difficult for me. This is an order from His Majesty the King.”
Elizabeth stared at him, her expression momentarily turning to disbelief.
“Do you know what you’re saying? You’re under the command of your elder brother; does he know about this?”
The black-suited man smiled wryly, still not daring to look at Elizabeth, speaking quietly,
“It was Prince Dexter who sent me here.”
At this point, Elizabeth finally understood what was happening. Originally, the mission to capture Lunsis and clear the Healing Room had gone quite well, but before the operation, Elizabeth had warned Dexter that this matter would undoubtedly displease Godlin the Ninth, who was still alive.
It was evident to anyone that Lunsis’s actions were surely backed by the elderly king, who was on the verge of death. In the end, this guy had agreed, but now that Lunsis had been brought back to the Golden Palace, he was backing out!
“Tonight, His Majesty summoned Prince Dexter; after the meeting, Dexter dispatched me to temporarily detain Mr. Fisher and also entrusted me with this letter to deliver to you.”
Elizabeth took the letter, which was clearly written in Dexter’s handwriting, stating,
“Elizabeth, Father has summoned me and apologized for the previous matters.”
“He is well aware that his time is running out and that asking Lunsis for ways to prolong his life was a moment of folly; he regrets it immensely in hindsight. He has promised me that, starting today, neither he nor Lunsis will step outside the Golden Palace again, nor will they interfere in any affairs. Moreover, he is bound by the Blood Oath set by Blake, who has sworn to leave Nali within seven days.”
“As one of the King’s children, Blake took care of us during our childhood. Since both Father and Blake have made concessions, continuing the investigation will easily escalate into a sensational incident attracting public attention, severely damaging the Golden Palace’s reputation. For both emotional and rational reasons, this matter should come to an end. I will allow Fisher to rest at the Incident Bureau for a few days, after which he will be released.”
“Also, you must not act recklessly; otherwise, Fisher will be treated as a true Nali criminal, causing irreparable damage to his long-standing reputation, which neither of you would wish to see.”
“Dexter.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes, knowing that this benevolent elder brother ultimately softened his stance until the very last moment.
He did not wish to disappoint either his little brother or father at this time, and in that sense, he is indeed a very good son and brother.
At the same time, the previously mentioned Blake’s Blood Oath is actually a vow magic that binds life and death. Once the oath-breaker violates the vow set by the magic, it will instantly drain all their life force, resulting in death. This means Blake will indeed leave Nali for good within seven days.
“I understand; please wait a moment while I talk to him.”
“Certainly.”
Elizabeth held the letter and slowly walked back in the direction of her carriage, opening the door to find Fisher gently opening the curtain, his expression serious as he clearly had heard the conversation outside.
He sighed lightly and said to Elizabeth,
“If Blake leaves, he will undoubtedly abandon his shares in the Exploration Company within Nali. It’s not unexpected that your brother agreed to him; he intends to gift all those shares to the royal family, which would significantly alleviate the monopoly issue surrounding the Exploration Company. Your brother also craves achievements, which is quite an enticing offer for one about to become king.”
Elizabeth quietly observed Fisher and Jasmine inside the carriage. Fisher was gazing directly at her; honestly, at this moment, Elizabeth making any decision didn’t surprise Fisher at all.
The matter had reached this point, clearly showing that Blake had revealed his cards to Dexter. He bore all the sins and in order to atone, he sacrificed everything and vowed never to return to his homeland, Nali.
With the benefits and Godlin the Ninth’s plea, it was not unexpected that Dexter would agree after weighing the options.
Following this trajectory, neither Godlin the Ninth, Dexter, nor Elizabeth would suffer any losses; rather, they could all get what they desired.
Blake would safely leave as the Child of the Sea, Godlin the Ninth could preserve his remaining reputation, and Dexter could ascend safely to the throne.
After all, what value could a Subhuman whom they had never met hold for these people?
However, it was clear that Fisher would absolutely not agree, and Elizabeth deeply understood this.
After a long silence, Elizabeth looked at Fisher and suddenly asked,
“Do you know the location of Blake’s treasure?”
“I do.”
In this brief moment, Fisher had unraveled the clues buried by Kachina and discovered the exact location of Blake’s treasure.
Upon hearing Fisher’s response, Elizabeth sighed and slightly turned in the carriage, not looking at Fisher and Jasmine, but simply said,
“Good, you can use my carriage to leave here to seek clues for his treasure. I will return to the Golden Palace to negotiate for more time with Dexter on your behalf, but regardless, I fear I can only delay you for one day. If you fail, you will be punished by Dexter, and I—”
“One day is enough; I will bring back evidence.”
Elizabeth’s words halted abruptly, and after a slight nod, she was about to exit the carriage while saying,
“My horse has a gentle temperament; she can recognize your scent. Let her sniff your scent first when using the carriage; she will be obedient.”
Just as she was about to step out, Fisher suddenly grabbed her hand, his warm hand tightly enveloping her small, cold, delicate one, causing her to momentarily freeze in her movement.
She turned to look back, only to find Fisher staring intently at her.
“Thank you, Elizabeth.”
She opened her mouth, an unusual impulse making her want to say something, as if something deep within her was touched.
But when she saw Jasmine sitting behind her, her mouth gently closed, silencing the words she had originally intended to speak, leaving no one knowing what she was going to say.
She simply said,
“Be sure, ensure your safety.”
“Mm.”
She stepped out alone, facing the uncertain gaze of the Incident Bureau’s officer, standing still and suddenly addressing the guards beside her.
“All guards, stand by!”
“Yes!”
The black-clad man had a foreboding feeling; he pointed at the carriage and shouted,
“Your Highness! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Before he could finish, the carriage door suddenly swung open, and a poorly dressed man stepped out—none other than the person he was trying to arrest, Fisher Benavides.
He gently reached out to pat the horse in front of the carriage, which looked back at Fisher, and then raised its hooves, letting out a loud neigh.
“Damn it! He’s trying to escape! Quick, catch him!”
But it was already too late. The two steeds dragged the carriage and dashed out of the street, forcefully colliding with the members of the Incident Bureau who were blocking the way. People behind them fired at the carriage, but the heavily armored knights silently stood in front of them, preventing them from insulting the princess’s carriage.
“Your Highness! How can you be so foolish? Once he escapes, he will be a criminal of Saint Nali!”
The black-clad man limped over to Elizabeth, holding his painfully injured abdomen, and the momentum he had been gathering slowly dissipated in the face of her calm gaze.
She said nothing, merely waved her hand for the guards to retreat to their barracks, while she slowly walked alone toward the Golden Palace, quickly disappearing into the night.
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（End of Chapter）
