The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 427: “Mara”

“Killed?”

Harvis’s words made Shien’s heart clench.

“What’s going on?” Shien looked at Harvis and asked in a deep voice, “The Raifurut family is Diere’s mother’s family, right? I heard that they valued Diere’s talent and wanted to take her back, but I didn’t hear that they wanted to kill her.”

Therefore, Shien was completely surprised by the news Harvis revealed, which concerned Diere’s life and death.

Seeing Shien’s serious expression, Harvis knew that his information was indeed correct. This Viscount Buztout had a very good relationship with the daughter of the Elvenbein family.

Ordinary people wouldn’t know this. Only someone resourceful like Harvis could find out.

After all, Shien and Diere had never shown much closeness in public. Their relationship was even more hidden than the one between Shien and Lucy. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly know.

Harvis seized on this point and believed that Shien was someone worth cooperating with.

“Let me start from the beginning.”

Harvis considered his words carefully before starting his story.

“Actually, this matter started ten years ago.”

Ten years ago was exactly when the royal capital was attacked by the Old Demon Faction’s [Assassination Branch].

According to Harvis, everything started from that time.

“Before that year, although the relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom wasn’t particularly friendly, it wasn’t as tense as it is now.” Harvis said, “Although the Empire and the Kingdom had fought several wars in the past due to border disputes, those wars were limited to the border and didn’t affect our domestic environments.”

Shien also knew about this.

The Empire was established earlier than the Kingdom.

Because the Kingdom was founded a thousand years ago by the Hero who defeated the Demon King, and that Hero, known as the strongest of all time, was the last Hero. After that, the Hero Summoning Ritual was sealed. Therefore, the Ragna Empire, also founded by a Hero, could only have been established before the Kingdom of Mitra.

However, unlike the renowned Mitra, the Ragna Empire’s founding Hero wasn’t as famous. He might have been very powerful among humans, but he was somewhat inferior to other Heroes, considered among the weakest of all Heroes. Therefore, after establishing the Ragna Empire, within a few years, he was killed by a Demon Lord.

That Demon Lord was Airi.

Airi had killed two Heroes, which was why she was so infamous and feared by many.

Because of this incident, the Ragna Empire, although founded by a Hero, experienced many hardships, not only being criticized by many, but also facing many difficulties.

Shien had heard that during that dark era, as a nation founded by a Hero but having lost their Hero, the Ragna Empire was targeted not only by many demons, but also by many humans.

After all, for the demons, who were extremely hostile towards Heroes, their natural enemies, the Ragna Empire, founded by a Hero, was a thorn in their side. And for other human nations, the Ragna Empire’s royal family was descended from the Hero and carried the Hero’s bloodline. If they could intermarry with them and obtain descendants with the Hero’s bloodline, it would naturally be a great thing.

Therefore, the Ragna Empire was greatly targeted at that time.

Demon forces would invade the Empire every few days.

Other human nations exerted various pressures, forcing the Empire’s royal family to intermarry with them.

To survive that era, the Ragna Empire struggled desperately, not only selling their dignity many times, making the royal family members like breeding stock to obtain support from other human nations, but also striving to gain the attention of the Divine Race, seeking their protection as descendants of the Hero, continuously sending their elites to the battlefield as the frontline force against the demon army, experiencing countless near-death situations.

Under such circumstances, the Ragna Empire barely survived the darkest era and finally became the most powerful human nation during the war a thousand years ago, a true military empire.

But at that time, Mitra suddenly emerged, not only carrying the hopes of the human race and successfully defeating the Demon King, but also establishing the Kingdom of Mitra right next to the Ragna Empire, rapidly developing with the help of the Divine Race and other human nations, and soon becoming a nation comparable to the Ragna Empire.

How could the Ragna Empire, which had gone through so much darkness, be reconciled to this?

This wasn’t just because of an imbalance in their hearts, but also because the location Mitra chose to establish his kingdom was actually the battlefield where he defeated the Demon King.

And the Ragna Empire was right next to this battlefield. What did this mean?

It meant that during the war, they were the ones who stood at the forefront, bearing the brunt of the demon army’s attack.

As a result, as the nation that faced the most enemies and bore the most pressure on the battlefield, not only did they not receive the rewards they deserved, but even the land of that battlefield was taken by Mitra. The Kingdom of Mitra, also founded by a Hero, not only didn’t face any difficulties or criticism, but was also covered in glory, continuously receiving help from the Divine Race and other human nations, rapidly developing and becoming their equal. How could the people of the Ragna Empire not find this irritating?

Furthermore, with their territories adjacent to each other, and both being Hero nations constantly being compared, it was almost inevitable that conflicts would arise between them.

However, Mitra was the hero who ended the war, and the Kingdom of Mitra was treated with courtesy by the Divine Race. The Empire couldn’t openly target the Kingdom excessively. That wouldn’t be justifiable.

Therefore, in the past, the conflicts between the Kingdom and the Empire were limited to a few minor wars on the border, nothing too major.

If it weren’t for this, the Empire wouldn’t have had the opportunity to send Diere’s mother for a political marriage, right?

It was precisely because their hatred wasn’t too obvious.

It wasn’t until ten years ago, after the large-scale assassination in the royal capital, that the relationship between the Kingdom and the Empire hit rock bottom.

Harvis said,

“If I told you that incident ten years ago was actually a spur-of-the-moment decision, would you believe me?”

Harvis said these words.

“A spur-of-the-moment decision?”

Shien was stunned.

“That’s right.” Harvis said seriously, “The Raifurut family is a military family that trains spies, assassins, and elite soldiers. They are highly valued by the royal family in the Empire, and in history, they have been granted marriage alliances with the royal family several times, marrying princesses. Therefore, they also have the Hero’s blood of the Ragna Empire.”

Hearing this, Shien was surprised.

Wouldn’t that mean…

“Diere Elvenbein is actually the inheritor of the Hero’s bloodline from both the Mitra Kingdom’s royal family and the Ragna Empire’s royal family. The Empire’s initial purpose for proposing the marriage wasn’t to have the Raifurut family’s daughter become a spy, but to steal the Hero’s blood of the Kingdom of Mitra, combine it with the Hero’s blood of the Ragna Empire, and give birth to a child with extraordinary talent.”

Harvis seemed a bit helpless.

“It couldn’t be helped. At that time, the birth of Princess Lucy almost caused a sensation throughout the human race. The Empire, which regarded the Kingdom as its rival, was originally ecstatic about Capeline’s birth, but then received this shocking news. It’s said that many members of the royal family felt despair at the time, thinking that fate was playing a trick on our Ragna Empire, not giving us a chance.”

Under the influence of such a mentality, it wasn’t strange for some unorthodox strategies to emerge.

The then head of the Raifurut family was one of them, believing that with the Empire’s Hero’s bloodline alone, they would never be able to surpass the Kingdom, and thus resolutely decided on the political marriage.

Unfortunately, at that time, there was only Ancil in the direct line of the Kingdom’s royal family. The other royal descendants were either from collateral branches, or in the process of fighting for the throne, they went too far and were punished by the former king and Ancil together. Moreover, the Raifurut family wasn’t the Imperial royal family, so it was basically impossible for them to immediately intermarry with the Kingdom’s royal family. Therefore, the Raifurut family planned to start with the Elvenbein family, who guarded the royal family.

The ancestors of the Elvenbein family were originally descendants of the Hero, and some of them had married royal princesses in the past, possessing relatively strong Hero blood. As the first target for stealing the bloodline of their rival country, they were undoubtedly very suitable.

Therefore, Diere’s mother was sent over, and she gave birth to Diere the following year.

“It has to be said that Diere Elvenbein’s birth truly delighted the Raifurut family.” Harvis sighed. “I heard that not only was she talented, second only to the Kingdom’s treasure, but she also possessed a very powerful Unique Skill, possessing astonishing power from birth. Although the Elvenbein family chose to hide these secrets, the Raifurut family’s daughter secretly sent the news to the Empire.”

“Since then, the Raifurut family has always wanted to bring Diere Elvenbein back and valued her very much.” Harvis looked at Shien meaningfully. “Unfortunately, the Raifurut family didn’t reveal anything about Diere Elvenbein’s Unique Skill. Even Wolram, every time I asked him, he would just brush it off. It really makes one curious what kind of power it is.”

Hearing this, Shien’s expression turned grim.

He knew that the Raifurut family must have already known about the “demon” within Diere, which was why they valued her so much.

For the Elvenbein family, Diere’s power was very dangerous, but for the Raifurut family, who specialized in training spies, assassins, and elite soldiers, the more dangerous this power was, the more fascinated they were, right?

They only valued Diere’s power.

In their eyes, it wouldn’t be difficult to use some extreme methods to train Diere and turn her into an obedient tool.

The reason why they wanted Diere so much was now completely clear.

However, ten years ago, the nature of this matter suddenly changed.

“At that time, a woman of unknown origin appeared in the Raifurut family.”

A gloomy look appeared on Harvis’s face.

“A woman?”

Shien also frowned.

“She’s a terrifying and hateful woman.” Harvis said coldly. “She used some unknown method to make the Raifurut family obey her every command, and they even introduced her to the Emperor, my father.”

From that moment on, everything quietly changed.

“My father was completely infatuated with that woman. He obeyed her every word, gradually neglecting even state affairs, allowing that woman to gradually infiltrate the Empire’s government.”

“That woman also framed my mother, causing my father to depose her as the Empress. She then ascended to power and has now become a highly influential figure in the Empire.”

“Because of her rise, my father’s concubines either died or were imprisoned like my mother. The Empire is now practically under her control. Even many nobles who originally opposed her were deposed, less than ten percent remaining.”

“And the Raifurut family is that poisonous consort’s confidant. The large-scale assassination in the royal capital was orchestrated by her and carried out by the Raifurut family’s daughter. Even the [Assassination Branch] was recruited by her.”

Harvis’s impassive explanation made Shien narrow his eyes.

If this was true, then it meant that the poisonous consort Harvis mentioned was the beginning of all the tragedies.

“Capeline and I have defied her more than once, especially Capeline, who, unlike me, doesn’t know how to flatter and deceive her. They are practically like fire and water. If it weren’t for Capeline’s special status, she might have already dealt with her.”

Harvis continued.

“I even suspect that this poisonous consort was involved in the Cosmos incident, because Capeline was almost forcibly sent there by her through some means, and afterwards, Capeline disappeared.”

Hearing Harvis’s words, Shien’s heart suddenly pounded.

(This feeling…)

Shien unconsciously pressed his hand against his chest, feeling his accelerating heartbeat, and suddenly had a realization.

(Could it be that the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, the one hiding in the shadows and collaborating with [Mirage], is this woman?)

As this thought arose, Shien instantly understood.

This was a revelation from the blessing.

The blessing was telling Shien that this woman was the mastermind behind everything.

“Why did she plan such a thing, targeting the Kingdom?”

Shien asked Harvis.

“I don’t know.” Harvis shook his head. “I only know that she seems to hate the Kingdom very much, especially the royal family. Every time there’s a rumor about Princess Lucy in the Empire, she shows a chilling smile, as if she wants to tear Princess Lucy, or rather, the Kingdom’s royal family, to pieces. Her killing intent is very strong.”

Shien fell into deep thought.

“What’s her name?”

Shien asked casually.

Harvis answered,

“Mara.”

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