Chapter 410 - Heart of the Queen

"An accidental alarm?" the Guard Commander said with a you-must-think-I’m-a-fool look, "General Nola, there are sounds of battle inside. Please step aside, I need to personally verify the situation.""Inside, it’s not battle, but a friendly spar, with an old friend of Lord Zalanda."

"Please don’t make it difficult for us, General Nola. This is our duty that we must perform," the Guard Commander insisted, fulfilling his responsibility.

"You don’t trust me?" Nola’s fiery temper flared up, a quality not uncommon among barbarians, and she had already explained as much as she did out of respect for their loyalty.

"How could I not? Who doesn’t know that General Nola is the most capable of the City Lord’s aides?" the Guard Commander swallowed nervously, complimenting sincerely.

In the presence of this person, the pressure was immense, both physically and due to the other’s temperament.

"Then that settles it!" Nola showed a smile that didn’t quite match her stature, "If I have already checked the situation, there’s no need for you to trouble yourselves."

"Trusting the General is one thing, but personally verifying the situation is another," the Guard Commander persisted, "It is our responsibility. Failing to personally verify an incident is dereliction of duty. If such a situation occurred in the army, General Nola, what would be the appropriate action to take?"

"That...," Nola was suddenly conflicted.

Due to personal feelings, she thought it best not to let others disturb Zalanda’s intimate exchange with that person.

But from a military and duty standpoint, her actions were quite unreasonable.

Especially as the noise inside grew louder and louder, giving the illusion that the entire roof might be torn off.

The gathering of the City Lord’s guards numbered over a dozen.

If she continued to forcefully prevent them, even as Zalanda’s top aide, they would have no choice but to draw swords against her.

Just as Nola hesitated over whether to let them in.

A roar came from inside: "No one is allowed in... leave this to me... I will handle it... Anyone who disobeys, beheaded."

As the words fell, an invisible energy barrier rose.

Even Nola, who was standing at the doorway, was forcibly pushed away.

This was the final defense mechanism of the City Lord Mansion, activated by Zalanda.

The defense mechanism wasn’t limited to a single room; it was on Zalanda himself.

This magical item was called the Last Sanctuary.

Its function was simple yet powerful: to transform the room where the holder was into an isolated, sealed space.

Without the room’s owner’s permission, outsiders could not enter, and those inside could not leave, including through transportation spells.

It was immune to all physical damage, as the room was no longer in the material plane.

It could withstand at least two strikes from eighth-level spells.

Unless the user deactivated it, it would last a full forty-eight hours.

With this special magical equipment, Zalanda had thwarted over a dozen assassination attempts from various parties.

Once this equipment was used, it meant Zalanda had gained the upper hand and was ready to keep the enemy at bay.

This reassured the guards, as they no longer had to confront General Nola or worry about neglecting their duties.

Feeling relieved, the guards looked at each other curiously, for Zalanda’s voice just now seemed a bit off, not merely the panting of battle but hinting at a moan.

Those who had been around the block knew the kind of special circumstances that would produce such sounds.

But their City Lord was known for being a workaholic, with all her thoughts on the people and the affairs of Darama City.

There were no shortage of confident young talents who, thinking to win her favor, aspired to rise quickly.

The result was either being thrown out by the General standing before them or being tossed out by City Lord Zalanda herself.

Until one time when Zalanda was seriously injured, a maid helping her remove her armor accidentally discovered a letter.

Only then did they realize that City Lord Zalanda was not indulging in any peculiar fancies.

She already had someone in her heart.

The significance of this person was not ordinary.

Those who tried to replace him were simply embarrassing themselves.

However, such matters were clearly not for them to discuss.

General Nola did not seem like someone who would gossip about these things with them either.

The Guard Commander’s expression didn’t lighten up much as he said sternly, "Everyone, follow me. We must thoroughly inspect all posts and alarm devices. Regardless of whether the person is a friend, we need to ascertain how exactly they entered."

The fact that someone had slipped into Zalanda’s room unnoticed was the greatest lapse on their part.

This incident would not be altered by the intruder’s identity.

Yet Nola stayed put, her heart itching like countless little cats were scratching at it relentlessly.

The flames of gossip blazed fiercely.

She was too curious about many things.

What exactly was happening inside?

How had Young Master Gaven suddenly returned?

How would this clash ultimately conclude?

Nola was one of the people closest to Zalanda.

And she had grown up with Gaven since childhood.

She was very clear about the complex emotional entanglement between the two.

It was not a straightforward issue of love and hate that could be easily clarified.

It wasn’t just simple love, it was mixed with kinship and friendship as well.

Take this for example.

Gaven had once lit a fire in Zalanda’s heart.

A fire of rage, all signs indicated that Rogan’s death was closely related to Gaven.

A fire of love, a letter that wasn’t a love letter but suggested otherwise, leading to boundless speculation.

Fire needs fuel, and the fire in the heart is no exception.

When hate and anger have burned out, what remains is nothing but endless longing.

Zalanda was undoubtedly in such a state.

Especially considering Zalanda was no fool, not only not a fool, but a clever one at that.

Pondering Gaven’s actions along the way, his departure was not accidental, but a well-prepared scheme.

Everything had started back at Nort Castle, including the deaths of Rogan and Oster, all inevitable.

But everything was part of a scheme.

The deaths of Rogan and Oster were no exception.

If Gaven had stayed in Thacel, one could explain it with his scheming for the Nort Family inheritance and the title of Baron.

But the problem was, he gave all his rights and wealth to Zalanda, not taking a single coin for himself.

When he left, he did so alone.

Zalanda was ultimately the beneficiary of this incident.

Without Rogan holding her back, she could act according to her own will and soar high in Darama.

In just half a year, she accomplished a foundation and achievements that many found unbelievable.

Looking at the current trajectory, Zalanda’s ambitions were certainly not confined to just one city.

So, there was only one explanation left.

Gaven didn’t kill Rogan for himself, but for Zalanda, everything he did was paving the way for her.

But a new question arose, how was he so certain that Zalanda would be successful?

Taking into account Gaven’s previously demonstrated predictive abilities.

The soldiers and citizens of Nort Castle speculated that Young Master Gaven might have obtained divine foresight or similar abilities, which is why he acted as he did, perhaps due to reasons they couldn’t fathom.

When you have a fondness for someone, you naturally look for all kinds of excuses to vindicate them.

But those were just their speculations.

Now that the person in question has returned, many questions can be answered.

Nola cautiously peeked inside, but unfortunately, what she saw was only a layer of mist.

This room appeared to be here, but in reality, it was not.

The battle within the room was ongoing, though the roles of attacker and defender had switched.

Gaven was no longer merely defending; he had become the attacker.

The spear he wielded was nothing short of magical.

Zalanda was no match for him.

However, Zalanda was not someone who would admit defeat easily.

She quickly counterattacked.

It seemed only this could vent the emotions she had accumulated over half a year.

At the moment when Gaven and Zalanda merged, something both expected and surprising occurred.

Silver Milestone of Destiny: Heart of the Queen.

Heart of the Queen: Due to your influence, Zalanda’s fate has been severely impacted and distorted, propelling her onto the road of destiny ahead of time.

The fates of countless people have been altered because of her, because of you.

Your prestige in Nort Castle has reached respected.

Your prestige in Darama has reached favored.

Heart of the Queen (Special Ability) — Your charisma permanently increases by one point, and within Zalanda’s domain, people’s favor towards you automatically increases by one level.

There is nothing much to explain about this Milestone of Destiny.

Everything followed logically from what had begun back in Nort Castle.

Just because so much was indirect influence by Gaven, the effects didn’t manifest as quickly and needed to accumulate as Zalanda’s power and sphere of influence grew.

Only when the relationship between the two evolved did it finally burst forth completely.

The only thing worth mentioning is that this Milestone of Destiny was destined to upgrade.

It would evolve with the growth of Zalanda’s power and influence.

Now that she’s a city lord, the silver Milestone has been activated.

If she unites Thacel and becomes Queen, it will definitely turn to gold, perhaps even surpass that.

After all, Thacel is not a sparsely populated valley; it has a population of millions.

On this return, just as he entered Darama, Gaven felt as though he had returned to the world of men again.

The scene of a sea of people was something unimaginable in the valleys.

All the people of Battle Valley combined probably don’t number as many as in the city of Darama. Follow current novels on No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt

As a Milestone of Destiny relates to fate, naturally, the more people it affects, the more fate accumulates.

Zalanda’s circumstances also validated Gaven’s theories on Professional Levels.

She didn’t have a Milestone of Destiny to absorb experience; it all went directly into her Professional Level.

When Gaven left Thacel, Zalanda was still a level seven warrior; now, she has become a level seven warrior with a secondary profession of a level four mage.

It may seem like she has only risen four Professional Levels like Gaven, but the value of her gains is incomparable.

It’s not just her either; the one reported to have the fastest growth is the diamond-hard Barbie Nola.

Now known as Fury General, she always charges at the forefront of Zalanda’s ranks, her Professional Level having also increased by four, making her a level thirteen barbarian.

The Nort Militia’s base has been reformed into the Nort Knight Cavalry; now called the Nort Guard Squad, the group is small, only five hundred strong, but every member is a Combat Profession Practitioner above level five, and they serve as Zalanda’s personal guard.

In addition, Darama has a two-thousand-strong city defense team, all Combat Profession Practitioners.

The Militia has reached five thousand in number.

These tidbits of information weren’t imparted to Gaven by Zalanda.

Rather, they were collected by Gaven himself, who gathered such street-level information after arriving secretly in Darama; Darama’s actual foundation is even stronger than reported.

But the result of relentless militarization is that logistics fall behind, and a food shortage becomes only a matter of time.

"I’m waiting for your explanation," Zalanda nestled in Gaven’s arms and didn’t want to part even for a moment.

Time smooths everything over, but it also allows many things to ferment.

Zalanda’s feelings for Gaven belonged to the latter category.

Her affection for Gaven had long been there, the best proof being her age of twenty-seven without ever having been in a relationship.

Exactly when it began, she probably couldn’t say herself.

But due to the complex nature of their relationship and the unclear circumstances, Gaven left behind an unclear letter and ran off.

Forcing her to reflect on these feelings, as time wore away the impurities, what remained was naturally the most intense affection.

Zalanda was never one to drag things out; once she faced her feelings squarely, she would accept them candidly.