[Through malicious threats and insidious persuasion, you successfully manipulated Andre, the third prince of the Crolock Kingdom, completing the overthrow of a national-level organization. Your silver-level badge "Usurper" has met the conditions for advancement. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
However, since you chose not to seize power in the Crolock Kingdom and instead opted for its complete destruction, aside from normally advancing to a gold-level badge "Unjust Pretender", an additional hidden optional path "Slaughter King Black Hand" will be added.]
[After much consideration, you chose the hidden path, advancing your silver-level badge "Usurper" to a gold-level hidden badge "Slaughter King Black Hand"]
[Slaughter King Black Hand: A mysterious figure with the goal of destroying major kingdoms, a hidden mastermind in the shadows, passionate about stirring upheaval across the world, seemingly harboring some enormous ambition.]
[Equipped Effect: When you ambush an enemy target with "royal family" status and are not discovered by the target or any witnesses, your attack will have a 100% fatal effect.
During illegal activities, efficiency and concealment will be greatly improved;
The possibility of being exposed when plotting a conspiracy will be greatly reduced;
The likelihood of being discovered when deliberately hiding your identity will be greatly reduced;
When proactively hidden behind the scenes, it will be very difficult to find conclusive evidence proving you participated.]
[Advanced Path: After completely overthrowing all existing human kingdoms, this badge will automatically advance to the exotic-colored hidden badge "Grand Curtain King (Iron Black)"]
[Hidden Trait (no need to wear): Although you are cautious, detailed, and cunning, your concealment is extremely perfect, yet those inherently suspicious and extremely vigilant conspiracy theorists can still sniff out the dark aura hidden within you.]
This badge... seems to be of little use, it might even lead to unwarranted suspicion, but in some special circumstances, it might come in handy. All in all... it’s just passable?
"Good! Good! Good!!!"
Just as Leon was inspecting his newly acquired badge, looking at the distant palace melted into molten iron, and the Crolock Kingdom burned to ashes by "Sunset", the ’White Snake’ parasitic in Prince Andre’s soul couldn’t help but laugh in rage.
After shouting "good" three times, unable to protect the Crolock Kingdom nor extinguish the royal bloodline, the mission completely failed. The White Snake didn’t say another word, directly severing from Andre’s soul.
With its departure, the three-colored blood bead on Andre Prince’s brow shattered loudly, and the snake scale patterns entwined on his soul vanished without a trace. Subsequently, not far off, the unconscious Feiliya moaned, her dark raven feathers quickly receding, revealing her originally fair and delicate skin.
Phew... It’s finally over...
After checking the status of the fallen siblings of the ruined kingdom, confirming they’ve escaped the control of the blood oath, Leon let out a long breath, then squatted beside the fallen Prince Andre, announcing:
"The White Snake has left already, you two managed to escape the Slaughter King’s retribution... What do you plan to do from now on?"
"Our matters aren’t urgent."
Looking at the Crolock Kingdom he personally destroyed in front of him, Prince Andre remained silent for a while before asking:
"And the 1.3 million citizens..."
"I’ll contact the Clean-up Bureau to resolve it."
Leon responded earnestly:
"Roughly five or six hours later, the Director of Scorpio will wake up. By then, I’ll have him contact the Clean-up Bureau to procure necessities like food and water. These resources might not be abundant, but no one will starve or freeze to death.
As for the memory of these 1.3 million people, it’ll likely be collectively altered by the [Can of Fantasy], making it appear you predicted natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic changes, then notified all citizens for a collective pre-emptive evacuation."
"Regarding their future, I, as Prince of Lutung, will represent the Kingdom to accept their joining. If things get really tough, the Scorpio Branch still owes me a huge favor, so they might help persuade the Kingdom of Orleson to accept a small portion.
Although costs might be high short-term, for our two kingdoms with nearly a hundred million in population, accommodating 1.3 million from Crolock Kingdom is manageable."
Manageable? Are you sure?
Upon hearing Leon’s words, Prince Andre, fatigued and lying on the ground, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Among Crolock Kingdom’s 1.3 million citizens, there are over 20,000 scholars, more than 60,000 elite soldiers, and countless skilled craftsmen and technicians in various fields.
Even the homeless, who’ve always drained the kingdom’s finances, received at least three to five years of basic education. A little training would turn them into quite competent labor forces.
Once you bring them back, the First Princess, who recently usurped power in your kingdom, will likely wake up smiling from a dream, then Ning Ke would sell the palace to fund costs, accepting all these "burdens" heartily without sharing a single hair with the Orleson Kingdom.
"Forget it, as long as you have a plan."
Considering Leon had rescued Feiliya and slapped him awake, Prince Andre remained silent, opting to suppress his urge to retort, closed his eyes, and said:
"I’d appreciate if you treat them kindly since it’s our royal family... I am the one who let them down.
Also, after what happened to Feiliya, I am certain the Clean-up Bureau will rigorously protect her, but I still hope you give her some freedom, don’t let her become a caged green bird."
"I’ll suggest to the Bureau to ensure Feiliya’s safety without restricting her freedom."
In Prince Andre’s "final words" hinting some nuances, Leon nodded in agreement and somewhat surprised, asked:
"Andre, don’t you plan to live with her?"
The machine for creating the physical body you used, I had it stolen by Senior Alger earlier. Although your soul is severely injured, weakened by seventy to eighty percent, it was once True God level, with a solid foundation strong enough. Repairing the body should allow you to live for several more decades."
"I choose not to live."
Prince Andre glanced at the unconscious green-eyed girl, filled with lingering affection, then pulled his collar aside to show Leon the snake scales on his neck.
"When the White Snake left, it meddled with my soul, subjecting it to constant pain that will slowly disintegrate.
If I enter the Realm of the Dead now, relying on my soul’s intensity and obduracy, I might reach the City of Regret. But if I wait decades, allowing my soul to weaken further, I fear I may never reach it."
"Do you still plan to reach the City of Regret?"
Prince Andre nodded, his expression somewhat forlorn as he said:
"However, if the White Snake didn’t lie, and their people are indeed in the Realm of the Dead, then I may not make it to the City of Regret."
"That’s hard to say..."
Leon hesitated for a moment before offering:
"If you’re truly ready to die, determined to go and apologize, then I might actually have a way to get you there."