Chapter 460
Despair like a snake, anxiety like sand
At first, when Isabel saw Queen Sophia, she felt happy from the bottom of her heart.
It wasn’t for utilitarian reasons like “this ritual will be easy to get through”—but simply because she felt it was very fortunate to have the chance to see her deceased grandmother again. It was like seeing an acquaintance or a classmate in the newspaper and feeling happy about it.
Moreover, Isabel noticed that the introductory plot stated this was “the declaration of the destruction of Avalon Kingdom,” which would happen in the near future. Therefore, it would have some reference value. As Queen of Avalon, she had to take this Ascension Ritual seriously no matter what.
Perhaps she could obtain some information from it to help the real Avalon avoid this future.
But soon, Isabel saw her own cowardly and weak appearance.
She couldn’t help but feel ashamed and wished she could take her place. It was the first time she had seen clearly from a bystander’s perspective how immature she had been back then.
However, after that, when Isabel realized Queen Sophia was arranging a political marriage for “herself,” the smile on her face disappeared.
“Am I someone you can just have?”
Anger and resistance immediately sprouted in Isabel’s heart, and her hostility towards the Star Antimony Queen and Prince instantly maxed out.
Isabel was determined at that time that she would not continue to play this role, even in a dream.
But then, she saw her grandmother poisoned by Minister Dross, herself framed and wronged, the contemptuous face of that malicious woman from Star Antimony, and the knights in the Round Table Hall killing each other…
When Isabel woke up, she subconsciously clenched her fists, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
It was not out of fear, but out of anger.
Isabel was generally a good-tempered person; she had never lost her temper since she was born. She had never felt such genuine anger, nor disliked or even hated someone so much.
But this time, she tasted for the first time what “anger” was.
It felt like breathing heavily into a basin of burning charcoal—her heart and lungs felt a burning heat, her head throbbed, her eyes had an unbearable stinging heat, making them ache and nearly tear up.
She was not afraid, nor sad, but her tears flowed non-stop as if stimulated, her chest heaved, and she trembled as she inhaled.
Isabel could feel a cool liquid flowing from the back of her head down to her spine. Her body, held in Shafiya’s arms, shivered as if feverish, curling up tighter and tighter as if trying to return to a fetal state, shrinking herself as much as possible like a cat.
The power from The Path of Beauty continuously amplified her surging emotions and ignited her inspiration. Green flames burned in Isabel’s pupils, and the power from her mind echoed in the air like ripples, blurring the surrounding air.
“If only I had a powerful bomb at this moment, Isabel would have wished to embrace it and rush back to the Silver and Tin Hall to blow them up together!”
Soon, she remembered that she still had Avalon to protect, and Eivass was also waiting for her…
Isabel gradually regained her rationality.
“…Don’t be afraid, Isabel. They shouldn’t be able to catch up.”
At this moment, Shafiya suddenly spoke, whispering comfortingly, “There will always be a way… I will protect you.”
As she spoke, she placed the Isabel in her arms on the ground and reached out to wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes.
…So the introduction had already ended?
Isabel stared blankly, belatedly realizing this.
This was the top of the largest bell tower in the Red Queen District, the place where Janis had overlooked the entire Glass Island when she left.
Isabel stood in the exact same spot, watching dark clouds spread from the Silver and Tin Hall outwards, her ears filled with phantom sounds of fighting and cursing.
The framed Isabel did not sob in grievance, nor did she become hysterical out of fear and confusion, which somewhat relieved Shafiya. She simply stood there with her arms crossed, curled into a ball, silent and stubborn, gazing blankly ahead as if at some lingering phantom image… only the tears on her face continued to flow silently.
The genuine and intense emotions were highly contagious, making Shafiya, who witnessed it all, feel wronged and sad for her, her nose stinging just thinking about it.
…Little Isabel is such a good child, and she’s been through so much.
But what else could she do…
Shafiya sighed inwardly, feeling despair about the situation. She could only frown slightly and gently wipe Isabel’s tears. Soon, she realized this wouldn’t work, so she simply hugged Isabel and let her cry in her arms.
She didn’t say anything.
Because Shafiya felt that even if she said a lot now, Isabel likely wouldn’t understand.
Based on her understanding of the little princess… Isabel’s brain was probably blank at this moment.
Her only relative, elder, the Monarch of Avalon, was poisoned by Minister Dross, whom both she and her grandmother trusted. And the knight elders who had been kind and friendly to her were killing each other without mercy. The cheerful Banquet Hall was instantly covered in blood and death. Someone had even stolen “Isabel’s” name and existence, turning her into the murderer of her grandmother…
Everything happened in an instant, from the poisoned wine being drunk to their escape, the entire process taking less than a minute.
Even if it wasn’t the timid Isabel, but someone else… upon witnessing this series of domino-like, overwhelming moves that left no time to react, their brain would likely freeze for a moment.
She had to stay here and protect Isabel.
A thought flashed through Shafiya’s mind.
Since the Queen was dead and there was a fake Isabel, the royal power would likely fall into the hands of the Star Antimony people. Then Avalon would be in great danger… The Iris people were completely untrustworthy, the Everfrost Empire’s living environment was too harsh, and cooperating with the cunning and dangerous Goblins was impossible. Therefore, they had only one path left: to seek refuge with the Elves of the Church.
Although the Church was currently in turmoil, they had no other choice.
They had to escort Isabel safely to the Church.
She could definitely do it easily. Although she was a Law Master and didn’t know how to ride, as long as she found a pure-blooded Gryphon, she could ride it and escape safely with Isabel.
Strictly speaking, given the Gryphon’s speed, the Gryphon alone could take Isabel to the Church. But Shafiya would certainly not be at ease with that.
Isabel had never left Glass Island, or even the White Queen District. As the only princess of the Avalon royal family, she had never lived independently. She was so shy that she stammered when interacting with Avalonians, and her Elven Language was not fluent enough for normal conversation. If she were sent directly to the chaotic Church, she might get lost… or be abducted by Goblins.
Not to mention, the Star Antimony people dared to act so boldly, their army might already be on the way. If they let Isabel leave by herself, it would be tantamount to murder.
If Shafiya accompanied her the whole way, it would resolve Isabel’s safety issues.
…But if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to retrieve Queen Sophia’s body.
If the body remained dead for too long, the blood would spoil. Once the blood decomposed, it would lose its potential as a ritual material—and the “Shadow of Avalon” ritual was only one step away from completion.
Prince Albert was presumed dead, and currently, only John and Isabel remained of the Du Lac bloodline. They were both just over twenty years old, and neither could be sacrificed to activate the ritual.
She had to revive Lancelot.
Otherwise, relying on Isabel alone, she would be unable to reclaim Avalon from those people. The Star Antimony people had even prepared a substitute identical to Isabel… Who knew if it was a trick by those Necromancers and Alchemists? Perhaps it even possessed Du Lac blood!
In any case, Isabel was an Extraordinary of The Path of Beauty, so she couldn’t activate the Avalon Scepter.
Regardless of whether she was real or fake, many of the Avalon Monarch’s privileges could not be exercised. And those traitors who had betrayed Avalon and drawn blades against their colleagues would certainly never turn back—they would die if they did anyway, so they might as well stand their ground until death.
Janis had already left Avalon. With Meg, the pillar of the kingdom, gone, and Grand Judge Arrius also aged.
With only her and George, they could accomplish nothing.
Even among the traitors were descendants of the founders, and perhaps their guardian spirits were involved in this coup… After all, the Pope’s only command to them was to ensure the survival of these Apostle families, not necessarily to stand with Du Lac.
If she only saved Isabel, and could not reclaim Avalon afterward, it would also be a failure… Isabel might even need to use her own life to complete the ritual in the future. In that case, saving her now would be meaningless.
Therefore, if they wanted to reclaim Avalon from those detestable Star Antimony people, they must obtain Sophia’s blood as soon as possible.
The Star Antimony people must not know about the existence of the “Shadow of Avalon” grand ritual, so they would not attach too much importance to Queen Sophia’s body.
As long as she could secretly touch the body…
…But then, she couldn’t just leave Isabel here.
Although those traitors did not have “Avalon’s Eye” and could not directly locate Isabel. Setting aside the possibility that she might not return alive… if Isabel was not sent to the Church, she would always be in danger. Not only the Star Antimony people wanted her dead, but the entire surviving faction of the Round Table Hall.
—In other words, the entire Avalon.
As long as Isabel died, the identity of the fake would be completely confirmed. At that time, she would be the sole Du Lac, the Queen of Avalon. The knights would be loyal to her, and obeying her commands would become reasonable… and the entire Avalon would be in the hands of the Star Antimony people.
“Ah, what should I do…”
Shafiya felt an unbearable headache, grabbing her hair and pulling at it.
She was so anxious that her scalp felt like it was going to explode.
The dual pressure of saving Avalon and preserving the Du Lac family rested entirely on her alone.
And she had only given birth a few months ago… Her own daughter was still waiting for her at home!
She couldn’t speak yet; she was still drinking milk.
No delay. No exposure. No failure. No death.
Shafiya suddenly took a sharp breath, hugging Isabel tighter, as if trying to draw some reassurance and courage from the Princess.
—But she only felt her vision blurring intermittently.
Despair like a snake, anxiety like sand.
