Chapter 78
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Chapter 78: Are We Playing The Same Game?
“Isatia Lanteville, the eldest princess of the Tyrell Empire, the future Empress of Tyrell. Even within the illustrious and talented Lanteville family, she is an extraordinary and peerless daughter of heaven.”
In the original setting, Winnie was her fiancé, but before beating him up, she had never met him, and there was no emotional connection between them.
The engagement between Winnie and Isatia was not arranged by their fathers or even grandfathers, but by the last Radiance Saintness and the emperor of the empire at that time.
To ensure that the Church would not be annexed, the Varelis family had never intermarried with other Saint families.
However, the last Saintness broke this tradition for reasons unknown.
Although the title of emperor is the highest, the emperor of the empire and the Saintness of the church have always been equals.
Seeing an opportunity to potentially annex the church, the emperor of the time readily agreed.
The marriage contract stipulated that the direct descendants of the Varelis family would marry the next emperor or empress of the empire.
If both parties were of the same sex, that generation would be skipped, and the contract would remain valid until the descendants of the two families were of opposite sexes, at which point the marriage would be fulfilled.
However…
Winnie didn’t know what his great-grandmother, the Saintness, was thinking at the time.
He only knew that, as expected, something unexpected happened.
Naturally, his grandfather and father were both men, and the Lanteville family also consisted entirely of men.
So, the engagement continued to this generation, where the two families finally had descendants of opposite sexes.
But by then, no one remembered the engagement.
Well, it’s not entirely accurate to say no one remembered.
There’s a saying, “A rich man in the mountains has distant relatives, while a poor man in the city has no one to care about him.”
After the Varelis family lost the Goddess’ favor, fell into decline, and was even expelled from the Church, the Lanteville family’s attitude toward them changed completely.
As a family that had an engagement and alliance with the Varelis, the Lantevilles did not extend a helping hand when the Varelis family was in trouble.
Instead, they tried their best to distance themselves.
It was the Kingdom of Camella, not the Tyrell Empire, that took in the Varelis family when they had nowhere to go.
The Lanteville family’s attitude was clear: after the Varelis family lost power, they did everything to sever ties and make everyone forget the marriage contract made by the previous generation.
As for Isatia’s own attitude? What attitude could she have?
Imagine living a life of luxury, admired by thousands, only to be told one day that you have a fiancé from a poor family with a bad reputation.
How would you feel?
In terms of bloodline, the Lanteville family is related to the Carillian family as cousins.
When the ancient Carillian Empire fell hundreds of years ago, Grand Duke Lanteville was the son-in-law of the last emperor of the ancient empire.
It was through his marriage to the princess of the ancient empire that he gained the legitimacy to claim succession to the ancient empire after winning the competition, establishing the Tyrell Empire and becoming its new emperor.
Judging from the situation at that time, the Lanteville family, with its Lanteville bloodline and the royal bloodline of the ancient empire, was indeed the most qualified to call themselves the heirs of the empire.
As a descendant of the goddess, the Varelis family was once a good match for the Lantevilles.
But now, the Varelis line has become a dead end, and the only remaining descendant cannot even prove the purity of their bloodline.
The Lanteville family would never allow a stray cat or dog, someone who cheated their way into prominence, to marry the princess of the empire.
This is especially true given the Lanteville family’s strong emphasis on pure bloodlines.
Even if Isatia wasn’t the type to look down on others, she would still dislike Winnie because of his reputation.
Moreover, no one would appreciate a marriage decided by their parents, especially someone like Isatia, who harbors great ambitions to become the empress of the Tyrell Empire in the future.
Among the many female protagonists, Isatia’s personality is notably strong, which is why she is destined to become the empress.
How could such a person allow others to interfere in her marriage?
On this point, Winnie supports Isatia wholeheartedly.
He, too, despises others deciding his fate.
But even though he supports her, he can’t support her if she plans to stab him in the future!
They are comrades on the same battlefield.
If she wants to be the empress of the empire, there’s no need to sacrifice him, right?
Winnie sat motionless on the bench. The calmer he appeared on the surface, the more turmoil he felt internally.
Fortunately, Isatia has never seen Winnie before. Even if she has heard of his notorious reputation, she doesn’t know what he looks like.
Otherwise, she would undoubtedly be venting her personal grudges today.
Speaking of which, this guy is really something. Which nation is he from?
How dare he mess with Isatia?
Well, judging from his appearance and clothes, he must be from the Tribes of the Grand Duchy.
No wonder he doesn’t recognize Isatia.
But is it really okay to chase him here?
Winnie glanced at the black-haired, purple-eyed girl standing in front of the tavern with frosty eyes.
A hint of hesitation flickered in his gaze. He wasn’t sure whether he should remind his nominal fiancée.
The girl in front of him was a blessed individual with great fortune.
Winnie didn’t think she needed his reminder. He might just be meddling in her affairs.
“You…! You’re such a fierce woman! Wasn’t it just a joke? Did you really have to chase me all the way here just to kill me?” the disheveled young man shouted in frustration.
Was that a joke?
Winnie tilted his head, thinking that this “joke” might be more than ordinary.
Perhaps it wasn’t as simple as a joke at all.
It’s likely that this ignorant boy thought Isatia was pretty and assumed this little girl from the empire would be easy to bully, so he approached her and made some crude remarks.
Well, if you dare to say such things to the female protagonist, you’re bound to learn a lesson.
This tribal boy must have deeply experienced the profundity of imperial culture today.
No wonder he was speaking in such a sarcastic tone earlier. Now, it all makes sense.
Seeing the brat’s bruised and miserable appearance, Winnie guessed that he had managed to run this far not because of his own limits, but because Isatia had deliberately let him go, driving him here like a sheep with a whip.
If the female protagonist had been serious, this kid would have collapsed long ago.
In response to the young man’s angry shouts, the black-haired girl stood with a frosty expression, her eyes cold and unyielding as she stared at her prey making its last struggle.
Though her gaze was as still as dead water, it carried an undeniable air of superiority, as if she were looking down on him.
“Ah ah!… Bitch! I’m just giving you a chance. I’m really being generous here!” Whether out of embarrassment or some other reason, even though he was at a complete disadvantage, beaten and running in fear, the young man continued to shout defiantly.
Buddy, please stop being stubborn. You’ve already been beaten to the point of looking like a beggar.
If she was truly serious, you would have been expelled from the dungeon long ago.
Winnie pursed his lips.
But judging from the attitudes of these two, they probably don’t know the rules of this town.
Maybe this kid stumbled into this place by accident.
How should I put it? Why does this kind of “good thing” always happen to him?
According to the map, fighting is indeed prohibited here.
For others, that might matter, but the one in front of him is the female protagonist, someone who doesn’t play by the rules.
If she really decides to go on a rampage here, whether the rules will hold is another matter entirely.
“Let you weak lambs see my Five Lock Chains!” As he shouted, the young man conjured a chain wrapped in wool and swung it through the air with great force.
Five Lock Chains? Is that a Soul Armament?
Winnie frowned slightly. He didn’t know much about the Soul Armament of the tribes.
This Five Lock Chains seemed to be a relatively common one in the Grand Duchy.
Flames wrapped around the chain as it flew through the air, heading straight for Isatia.
[Flying Lock Inflammation]
Isatia didn’t dodge or evade.
Her inky black hair swayed behind her, and her purple eyes remained calm yet icy.
She didn’t flinch as the chain hurtled toward her, not even blinking.
The girl crossed her arms, and just as the chain was a few steps away, a golden spear inlaid with gems materialized.
With a flash of watery light, it blocked the chain like an impenetrable wall, and the flames attached to it were instantly extinguished upon impact.
That is…
Winnie’s eyes widened.
Magic cancellation.
This was a skill commonly used in battles between mage Soul Armament users.
The human body was fragile and couldn’t withstand the bombardment of magic.
Since there was no universal magic resistance on the continent of Terraria, this skill was developed to use magic to offset magic.
Although it was brief, Winnie saw clearly that the golden spear carried water-element magic.
Among the many elements, water and earth were highly versatile, making them ideal for defensive purposes.
Just now, facing the young man’s fire magic, Isatia had chosen to use water-element magic to defend and neutralize it.
Moreover, the gap in strength between the two was immense.
The young man’s fire magic was extinguished before it could even ignite, a testament to Isatia’s overwhelming power.
Don’t be fooled by the young man’s lengthy chain-waving to cast a minor skill.
When it came to Isatia, she didn’t even blink while casting a more advanced skill.
The difference in their abilities was glaringly obvious.
With a hiss of white smoke, the young man’s skill was effortlessly dissolved, leaving only a gust of wind that tousled Isatia’s long black hair.
In the wind, Isatia stood with her arms crossed, letting the breeze sweep through her hair.
Her silent demeanor was like a final judgment on the young man.
So cool.
Winnie sighed inwardly.
Isatia was the type of girl who was both beautiful and commanding.
Aside from Aesphyra, she was the girl who received the most love letters from other girls at the academy.
Winnie now understood a little of what those girls felt.
After all, who wouldn’t admire a strong, cool elder sister?
But no matter how captivating the scene was, he had to find a way to leave.
What if the conflict escalated and he got caught in the crossfire?
It wasn’t worth getting involved just for the sake of watching the spectacle.
It’s not like he could explain to Isatia later, “Oh, by the way, I’m your fiancé whom you’ve never met,” right?
That would be suicidal. He might as well be asking for a quick rebirth.
But now Isatia was blocking the door. He couldn’t just walk over and say, “Excuse me, Lady, could you make way? I’m just a bystander.”
That would be far too inappropriate.
What if Isatia decided to eliminate him in the process?
Before entering the dungeon, Winnie had been brimming with confidence.
He thought that his apprentice-level skills combined with [Armour Fortress] made him nearly invincible, and even if he encountered a powerful enemy, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
However, after witnessing the speed at which Isatia cast her skill and her calm, composed demeanor in handling the situation, Winnie’s confidence deflated.
He had been so overconfident that he felt like a balloon that had been poked and burst.
Winnie suddenly felt that his Soul Armament was nothing but a speck in front of these female protagonists, utterly powerless to resist.
Are we really playing the same game?
Elemental magic can be cast instantly. This requires at least the level of an Artisan, and he was only an Apprentice with a one-star soul armament.
How could he possibly compete? The gap was simply too vast!
Just as Winnie was hesitating about how to escape unscathed, the battle on the other side was nearing its end.
Perhaps Isatia had grown bored and didn’t want to drag things out any longer.
She struck harder this time.
The luxurious golden spear inlaid with gems spun through the air, its blunt end slamming into the side of the young man’s face.
Yes, there was no skill involved, just a straightforward, brutal strike, like a crisp slap to the face.
The difference was, this hurt far more than a slap.
In the dungeon, damage could be offset, but the pain remained.
This kid deserved what he got.
If it weren’t for the token absorbing the impact, a few bloody teeth would have been knocked out.
The young man was sent flying, his face bruised and swollen.
He spun through the air several times before crashing to the ground.
Once there, he whimpered incoherently, his head drooping.
Then, with a crisp crack, the token shattered, and the unlucky, short-sighted tribal boy was ejected from the dungeon.
He had been eliminated without even a hint of magic.
The fight had been nothing more than child’s play to Isatia.
No, she had probably just been toying with him, teaching a lesson to the fool who dared to challenge the royal dignity.
Winnie opened his mouth, about to say something, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of movement behind Isatia.
His eyes widened, and he instinctively shouted, “Watch out behind you!”
Hearing this, Isatia spun around just in time to see four iron-clad figures in fully enclosed armor emerging behind her, their double-edged spears swinging toward her.
Clang! Clang!
The golden spear that had dispatched the youth was still in mid-air, too far to recall.
Isatia, however, remained calm.
Two more golden spears materialized out of thin air, intertwining to block the incoming double-edged spears.
Deflecting the attack, Isatia glared sternly at the armored assailants.
Three golden spears now surrounded her, their tips glowing with elemental energy, flame, thunder, and storm.
This was… [Tri-Element Storm]? !
Winnie was stunned. Elemental Storm was an advanced skill that required a high affinity for each element.
Combined with the water element she had used earlier, Isatia had now demonstrated mastery over four elements, and she had done so effortlessly, as if she had plenty of power to spare.
This terrifying elemental affinity…
But no matter how strong she was, the rule of this town was clear: no fighting. If she defied the rules by force, even as the female protagonist, wouldn’t she face consequences?
“Miss, you’d better not fight them head-on. They are—”
Before Winnie could finish, the three-colored elements erupted, bombarding the tavern with a blinding flash of red and white.
Winnie shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, one side of the tavern’s wall had been obliterated.
The four iron-clad figures lay crumpled on the ground.
“……”
Winnie swallowed the words he hadn’t managed to say.
Alright, you’re amazing. You’re incredible. Just forget I said anything.
For some reason, seeing these armored figures being effortlessly knocked down by Isatia, Winnie couldn’t help but think of himself. He swallowed hard.
If I were to face her, would this be my fate?
