Volume 4 Chapter 96

Volume 4 + Chapter 96: A Small Test

“Scott, what is going on? Weren’t we chasing the Silver Dragon Princess?!” Leonard grabbed Scott by the collar and demanded.

“I–I… I don’t know!” Scott was just as bewildered, his face blank with shock.

“Useless idiot!”

Leonard flew into a rage and hurled the fat, bloated noble to the ground. He truly wished he could stomp down on him—crushing that belly under his foot.

“We’ve been tricked. We’ve been tricked! Idiots! The Silver Dragon Princess we were chasing earlier was a disguise by that green dragon. It wasn’t the real one—this one is!!”

Scott was momentarily left speechless.

It turned out that all of this had been calculated by Xia Yi from the very beginning.

From the start, she had never planned to personally go into battle. Instead, she sent out her substitute—the little green dragon maid—disguised as herself. The fake Silver Dragon Princess deliberately guided everyone here, leading them all to this very location.

No wonder the Silver Dragon Princess had always appeared so flustered. That panic was intentional—she was deliberately exposing flaws to use as bait.

However, both Leonard and Scott knew far too little about the Silver Dragon Princess’s true personality. Exploiting this information gap, combined with their own impatience to eliminate Xia Yi as soon as possible, they were drawn straight into her rhythm. They mistook the seemingly panicked Silver Dragon Princess for a foolish, blundering target.

“Woof! Woof!”

The Shiba Inu at Xia Yi’s feet barked twice, then obediently sat beside her, wagging its tail.

“Well done, Jack. This time, you’ve rendered great service.”

The silver-haired loli looked very pleased as she patted Jack on the head.

“When we get back, I’ll give you an extra meal.”

“So… from the very beginning, you altered the destination inside that specialized alchemical lifeform to lure all of us here?” Scott finally realized.

It was precisely because of that specialized alchemical lifeform’s navigation that the fake Silver Dragon Princess dared to charge into the blizzard, leading everyone here rather than straight to their deaths.

All those actions that seemed foolish and reckless on the surface were actually filled with deeper meaning—only now were they fully revealed.

“Of course. Even though I still can’t create specialized alchemical lifeforms, studying their internal structure and modifying them is something I can do,” Xia Yi replied calmly. “Otherwise, what did you think I’d been doing all this time?”

Aren’t you just eating, drinking, and sleeping every day?!

Scott almost blurted this out. After all, during this period, that was exactly how the Silver Dragon Princess had appeared to him.

But now it was obvious—this had all been an act.

“To prepare the magic array here, I wasted quite a bit of money,” Xia Yi said with satisfaction as she looked at the massive formation. “Scott, the funds you believed I ‘embezzled’ from the conscription budget were all used right here. So—how do you like the magic array I created?”

“This… you did all of this?”

“Of course.”

“……”

Scott fell completely silent.

He realized he had gravely misjudged Xia Yi’s strength. Perhaps from the very moment he believed her to be a foolish and incompetent princess, he had already stepped onto the path of failure.

“From the very beginning, did you target our Taylor family because—”

“Yes.”

Xia Yi admitted it outright, the smile on her face dark and cunning.

“I was deliberately forcing you into rebellion, Scott—pushing you into a corner.”

In fact, after the incident with Corolle, Xia Yi had learned something through personal experience.

Once the interests of these nobles were threatened, they would stop at nothing to protect them.

If all of a noble’s interests were to be taken away, they would go completely mad—abandoning all morality and any reverence for authority, using the most extreme methods to safeguard their benefits.

The same principle applied to Scott.

Scott was even worse than the newly risen southern nobles. Those emerging nobles were commercial alliances in nature, whereas Scott was someone who ruled the extreme north with an iron grip.

After tasting the flavor of power, how could he possibly be willing to let it go?

“Scott, you truly did not disappoint my expectations. You paid lip service while acting behind the scenes, chose rebellion, colluded with these vicious criminals, betrayed the Dragon Clan royal family, and attempted to take my life.”

“Y-you…!!”

Scott clutched his chest as blood surged upward, feeling a piercing pain that stabbed straight into his heart.

Elly was utterly impressed by Her Highness’s plan.

Those like Chelsea, who had chosen to follow the Dragon Clan royal family, were deeply shaken. Their admiration for Xia Yi no longer needed words.

Indeed, as the legitimate heir of the Dragon Clan royal family and the Silver Dragon Queen’s chosen successor, how could the Silver Dragon Princess possibly be a lazy, useless little idiot?

“We swear to follow Her Highness the Princess to the death!!”

The remaining troops of the Northern Pacification Army knelt before Xia Yi, using their actions to express their emotions at this moment.

“Despicable Silver Dragon Princess! You actually used such filthy methods!!” Scott roared in fury.

“Filthy? No—you’re mistaken. This wasn’t any filthy method,” Xia Yi corrected calmly. “It was merely a small test. Scott, if you had truly been loyal to the Dragon Clan royal family, made no secret moves, and wholeheartedly offered up all the wealth plundered by the Taylor family, then your final fate would naturally have been weighed according to your performance. But you didn’t do that. You chose to defy the Dragon Clan royal family yourself.”

Xia Yi pointed at Scott.

“This is the fate you deserve. Since you chose rebellion, be prepared to bid farewell to your entire clan.”

“I—I…!”

Scott was unable to speak for a long while.

“Still chatting? Scott, take a look at your army. Do you see what the Black Knight have turned them into already?” Xia Yi reminded him kindly.

Only then did Scott realize—the Black Knight had gone completely berserk.

They poured out overwhelming violence, harvesting the lives of the rebels in a bloody and brutal manner.

Because the battle was taking place within a massive magic array, it continuously provided long-range support to the Black Knight.

Just like before—any Dragon Clan member who tried to launch a sneak attack against the Black Knight would be automatically identified by the magic array, which would then unleash ferocious attack magic in response.

Scott saw Dragon Clan warriors nearby preparing to ambush the Black Knight, only to be pierced through the body by a spear of ice that fell from the sky, leaving them gravely wounded.

“Target the enemy formation—full army, charge!!”

Elly roared as she led the remaining Northern Pacification Army troops in a full assault on the rebels.

Despite the numerical disparity, it was obvious that Xia Yi’s side held overwhelming momentum.

The rebel forces had already lost their will to fight.

Scott bit his lip until it bled.

He couldn’t accept it.

He simply couldn’t accept this!!

Was the foundation the Taylor family had built over so many years really going to be destroyed in a single day?

No—he hadn’t lost yet. He still hadn’t lost. He still had a chance!

Scott raised his voice and shouted, “Everyone, listen carefully! The next order!!”