Chapter 360: The Battle for Lance, the Voice of Sister Wang Scarlett
Chapter 360: Chapter 360: The Battle for Lance, the Voice of Sister Wang Scarlett
An Energy Force Field instantly enveloped the entire VIP room.
Although the room’s temperature was still climbing at a frantic pace, the normally flammable velvet sofas, wooden coffee table, and carpet remained completely unharmed under the Spell’s protection.
And the source of the intense heat...
Elvira’s current state was absolutely terrifying.
The moment she heard that name, she had instantly entered her Dragon Form!
A pair of Dragon Horns had burst forth from the sides of her smooth forehead.
These Dragon Horns were a full size larger than they had been during her Heroic Spirit Baptism!
Her emerald green eyes had now completely transformed into Dragon Pupils.
"Who... did you say died?"
The free-roaming Ether in the surrounding air, unconsciously drawn by her Red Dragon Bloodline, instantly ignited, erupting into clusters of visible, golden-red flames.
Her Red Dragon Bloodline was running rampant!
As for Cecilia, who was sitting beside her...
Watching Elvira descend into a frenzied state, her red eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of some inscrutable emotion crossing her gaze.
"Your Highness, please calm yourself."
The Elder Sword Saint’s voice rang out.
As his words fell...
Elvira felt as if the entire space had been severed for a split second by some invisible blade.
The flames and intense heat swirling around her body, and even Gideon’s Five Rings Defense Spell.
Everything was instantly extinguished by the Elder Sword Saint’s single, formless slash!
Her Power cut off, Elvira’s body went limp. She collapsed onto the sofa and began to gasp for breath.
An outburst of that magnitude was extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, she possessed the Heart of the Red Dragon.
Otherwise, in that moment, her heart likely would have started bleeding from the strain of the rampage.
The Elder Sword Saint frowned, looking at the out-of-control Princess, and was about to scold her.
But Cecilia spoke up first.
"Sword Saint, Professor, could you please give us a moment? We need some private space."
The Half-Elf Maiden set down her teacup and turned to the two elders.
"Let me be the one to calm her."
At that moment, it was as if Cecilia had become the calmest person in the entire room.
She remained seated perfectly upright, her hand still holding the cup of black tea with perfect stability.
She offered the two of them a gentle smile.
Seeing Cecilia’s composure,
Gideon’s heart skipped a beat.
For an instant, he suddenly felt that the aura projected by this seemingly fragile Half-Elf Maiden was faintly reminiscent of the Duke Rosenthal he knew.
Calm, wise, unflappable... and fiercely protective of her own.
Gideon turned and shot a questioning glance at the Elder Sword Saint.
The Elder Sword Saint stared at Cecilia for a moment before giving a slight nod.
With that, the two elders left the VIP room.
Only the two young women remained in the room.
"Elvira, has your heart rate calmed down a bit now?"
Cecilia’s voice still had its usual soft, gentle tone, making her sound somewhat frail.
However, for some unknown reason, when Elvira heard the question, she suddenly felt that her best friend—who usually seemed so easy to bully—was speaking with a subtle hint of aggression.
But Elvira was in no mood to dwell on such things.
Her mind was completely filled with the news of Lance’s death...
’Lance... is dead?’
’How could he die?’
"Lance is still alive."
Cecilia’s next words snapped Elvira right out of her daze.
She jerked her head up, staring at her best friend in utter astonishment.
The movement was so abrupt that her high, golden ponytail, tied with a red and white ribbon, bounced sharply in the air.
"Because a special connection was forged between his soul and mine. I can feel it. It hasn’t been broken."
In fact, ever since the two of them had kissed, Cecilia had been delighted to discover that her Magic Tree Talent had entered a period of rapid growth.
It was evolving toward a Legendary Talent.
Beyond that, she could also faintly sense an invisible thread connecting her soul tightly to Lance’s.
Through this thread, she could vaguely perceive Lance’s current condition.
That was why she had been so baffled when Professor Gideon announced Lance’s death.
Elvira wasn’t a fool, of course.
She recalled what Cecilia had said when she’d confessed to being in love.
’A commoner Adventurer...’
’So Lance is the lover Cecilia was talking about.’
’And... Cecilia...’
’...is my future sister-in-law?!’
She suddenly recalled the solemn promise she had made to Cecilia on the balcony.
"My sword, the sword of Elvira, will cut down any thorn in this world that stands in the way of my dearest friend’s happiness!"
At this thought, the corner of Elvira’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
’So I have to cut myself down?!’
’This Material Realm...’
’Why is it so absurd!’
Elvira had no idea how to respond to Cecilia now.
’Am I supposed to just give up?’
’I can’t accept this... I don’t want to... I haven’t even told him how I feel...’
Just then, on the back of Elvira’s neck, hidden from her view, a strange, platinum-gold mark flashed for an instant.
Suddenly, the image of a languid figure with long, platinum-gold hair appeared in her mind.
My foolish little sister, if you think of giving up the moment things get difficult, then fate, too, will forsake you.
It was her Sister Wang.
Scarlett Pendragon.
’When did my sister ever say that to me?’
The flicker of confusion vanished in a second.
Elvira felt her sister was right. If she didn’t even have the courage to compete, she wouldn’t be able to respect herself.
’I’ll give it a shot, then. Even if I fail spectacularly, it’s better than giving up without a fight!’
The voice of Sister Wang seemed to echo in her ears again:
Remember, if you want to achieve your goal in a game of wits, the first thing you must do is hide your true intentions.
"Is that so? So the Hero didn’t die after all. That’s truly fortunate for the Kingdom."
Elvira replied, her voice sounding as if she were discussing some trivial matter.
"However, since he hasn’t come forward to clarify things himself, it must mean he has his reasons."
"This funeral, which was prepared to placate the populace, should just continue with all its fanfare."
"After all, by now, everyone in White River Province should know of this Hero’s deeds."
Wrap your true intentions in a seemingly reasonable and righteous justification before revealing them.
The second piece of Sister Wang’s guidance surfaced in her mind.
This act of deliberately hiding in the shadows happened to align perfectly with Elvira’s own selfish desire to "hide Lance away for herself."
"Of course."
"After all, the most important political objective in White River Province right now is maintaining public stability. I also hope to contribute, in my own small way, to my father’s efforts through this funeral."
Having said her piece, Cecilia elegantly lifted her cup and took a small sip of the now-cool black tea.
On the surface, it seemed as if the two young women were having a discussion for the good of the nation and the stability of the Province.
In reality, each had her own ulterior motives.
But what Cecilia was actually thinking was:
’Lance Pendragon, hmm?’
’So Senior really is an illegitimate child of the Royal Family, cast out and living in exile!’
’In that case, faking his death is indeed his wisest choice at the moment.’
’A powerful Red Dragon Descendant, living in obscurity...’
’Once his identity is exposed, it will inevitably attract trouble from the Royal Capital, and even countless assassination attempts.’
’Since he’s chosen to fake his death and hide...’
’...with the Rosenthal Clan’s level of control over White River Province, we’re more than capable of protecting him perfectly.’
In that instant, though the two young women had vastly different ultimate goals, they reached a stunning, unspoken agreement on the matter of "letting Lance maintain his faked-death status."
After they both made the same decision, the room fell silent.
Watching Cecilia sip her black tea, Elvira felt an invisible pressure emanating from her friend’s aura.
It was a strange feeling.
The Cecilia of this moment completely overlapped with the dazzling figure from that night on the balcony, the one who had so resolutely declared her love.
Just as determined, just as unshakable.
But having heard her Sister Wang’s past teachings, the ever-proud Elvira had no intention of backing down.
’Even if you are Cecilia, my best friend,’
Elvira silently clenched her fists.
’I absolutely cannot give up so easily.’
’I’ll be true to the desires of my own heart and bravely fight for what I want. Even if I fail, I won’t have any regrets!’