Book 9: Chapter 522: The Final Fall of the Renald Family’s Plan to Usurp the Throne

At the heart of Gabriels City (Sword Capital) of the Gabriel Empire lay the Imperial City, where the new Emperor Reynard was going through his enthronement at the emperor’s hall. Previously, Bella, Kriss, and their companions had walked directly into the middle of the ceremony. The Renald Family, one of the three major families of the empire, had taken the opportunity to secretly seize the throne while the empire was still in civil strife. The Southern Alliance and the Northern Alliance were still at a confrontational standstill.

After realizing that the group of court ladies was actually led by Grand Duchess Bellina and Princess Kriss, Reynard’s expression changed drastically. Not only did Bella snatch away his “fiancé” Princess Kriss, she even had the nerve to bring Kriss to barge into his enthronement ceremony. He had taken her action as a harsh insult on his dignity, and although she was a woman, he could no longer uphold his gentleman’s demeanor.

“Grand Duchess Bellina, are you crazy? You have brought Kriss along to die together in the imperial city. Even if you want to, you won’t be able to get away this time. The military comfort lady camp has a few openings that may be able to fit you in!”

“Reynard, it’s best to stop daydreaming. Just quickly wash up and go to bed. You can have everything you want in your dreams.”

When Bella confronted Reynard, the courtiers in the emperor’s hall had dispersed to both sides of the hall. These shrewd ministers who had managed to survive until now were alive simply because they were fickle like grasses that could easily be swayed by the wind. They couldn’t decide which sides to take at this time because they couldn’t deny the fact that Kriss was a Princess.

Not only did Bella have the strength of a Dragon Knight, but Princess Kriss herself was also one of the strongest swordsmen. Taking those two factors into consideration, these ministers did not dare to openly give their support to the new Emperor Reynard as they feared that their heads would be sent rolling on the ground by Bella with one wrong move. As they were deciding, the personal guards of the Reynard family had started to pour into the emperor’s hall. These personal guards of the family had been renamed the Guards of the Feather Forest.

Aside from Reynard himself, standing behind him were six expressionless elderly men. These were the elders of the Hilikas family who were currently under the control of the Dark King Gregory. These six controlled men who were on the level of Sword God had already changed their side from being the guardians of the Gabriel Empire to being the guardians of the rebellious regime, which was a regretful choice.

“Grand Duchess Bellina, you are the one who is still daydreaming. How do you intend to beat all six Sword Gods without your mount? Kriss, as long as you change your mind, I will still make you my queen of this new empire. Come over to my side and stop talking to that crazy woman!”

“Reynard, I have never liked you. Besides, I think Bella is the normal one compared to you who is the crazy one.”

“I don’t daydream but your dream to be an emperor would be crushed by me. Moreover, Kriss is my queen and no one else’s.”

“You are both crazy. Guards, drag them two away!”

The frustrated Reynard ordered his Guards of the Feather Forest, who were on standby in the emperor’s hall, to catch both Bella and Kriss. He wanted them alive. The six Sword Gods had moved in response to his order. Immediately, Bella and Kriss were surrounded by them. Just when the minister at the scene thought that the victory was obvious, a sudden loud sound interfered with the scene.

The Lost Demon King Hailey Layman, who was standing behind Bella, had since moved forward and was now standing in front of Bella. As she gently moved her dainty hands in the air, as if she were shooing a fly away, a strong gust of wind suddenly appeared in the air as it instantly swept the six Sword Gods up into the air before sending them flying to the palace walls. The heavy impact as they were flown to the wall had caused these six Sword Gods to be embedded deep into the wall like a built-in statue.

A heavy silence befell the emperor’s hall as they witnessed the scene. The six Sword Gods of the Hilikas family, whose reputations were known far and wide in the human continents for many generations, were easily defeated by an unknown loli, and all it took was a single swipe of her hand. The huge gap in strength made the onlookers pause as they wondered what expression they should make to show how shocked they were at this turn of events.

“Bella, these flies were so annoying. I hope you don’t mind that I have taken it upon myself to deal with them.”

“Hailey Layman, haven’t you already done it? You don’t need my permission. Just do as you see fit.”

“All you lowly peasants are not worthy to fight against Mistress Bella. It would be your honor to be able to exchange hands with me.” 

While Bella and the Lost Demon King Hailey Layman shot out a few rounds of “average attacks,” Poison Origin Betty was unwilling to join the fight because she knew that her strength lay in researching things instead of being in physical combat. As such, Betty simply scattered some seeds on the ground.

Those strange seeds quickly took root and germinated into humanoid trees that reached around two meters tall. As the Guards of the Feather Forest were still in shock, the humanoid trees quickly wiped them out. After a while, the Guards of the Feather Forest were dismembered and killed off. These humanoid trees were the product of an evil research project done by Poison Origin Betty called the “Greens of Terror.”

The “Greens of Terror” was a research project aiming to create an army of killing machines made out of various plants. Betty had never found a suitable combat site to test her project on, and she just so happened to stumble upon this perfect situation to test her army of plants. Since these rebels could not ever be forgiven, both Bella and Kriss acquiesced with Betty’s action.

Under the attack of the humanoid trees, the personal guards of the Renald family were quickly defeated. The whole hall was in chaos as blood was splattered everywhere, staining the carpet. It was a tragic sight to behold as the blood formed into tiny flowing streams. From a lively enthronement ceremony of the new emperor, it had since been turned into a bloodfest by Bella and her companions. All the ministers who witnessed the scene were so scared out of their wits that they could hardly move to flee from the palace. It no longer mattered to them who would be the next emperor. All they wanted was to survive the horrific incident.

Reynard’s face once again turned pale, but instead of anger, he turned pale in fright this time. He finally realized that Bella was confident because she had bought along with two existences, Hailey and Betty, that had fighting prowess to surpass even the Sword Gods. No wonder she dared to challenge him all the time even though he had control of the city.

Seeing how the situation had flipped, Reynard thought of fleeing for the first time. Even his father, the patriarch of the Renald family, the Grand Duke Leonard, had already taken the lead to run away. If one couldn’t win, then one should run. Only when they could call upon the Sacred Lord would they have the chance to make a comeback. The two terrifying lolis who were by Bella’s side could only be taken down by the Sacred Lord himself.

Bella didn’t bother to pursue them either. Bella had already given orders to her demon captains to come here and kill anyone in their way, so the palace was currently surrounded by her army. At the end of the day, it was Reynard and the entire Renald family that was living in a dream.

“How did this happen? Where did all these demons come from? Where are our people?” 

“Don’t even think about it. During your enthronement, my army was already dealing with your people. Emperor Reynard, how do you feel about being an emperor that was dethroned on the very same day that you were enthroned?”

By the gate of the imperial palace, Reynard and the minister that had fled with him saw an image that would forever be etched in their mind. A black shadow loomed and surrounded the palace in which the emperor was previously enthroned. The demon captains had summoned up their own armies of little demons as each and every one of them had their red eyes staring grimly at the gate of the palace. It was as if they were warning them that they would be killed as soon as they set foot out of the gate!

Below the feet of these demon captains and their underlings were the corpse of the human soldiers who were already dismembered. These scattered bodies belonged to the Guards of the Feather Forest, who were previously the personal army of Renald’s family. After witnessing the horrific scene of the demon captains stepping on the guards’ lifeless heads, the timid ministers all fell to their knees in fright.

It was normal for the Human Race to be naturally fearful of demons. It was the same as them having a natural instinct to admire the Gods. After witnessing such a horrifying scene, they felt as if their soul had almost flown away in fright. It was already considered an achievement to not be scared to death. Bella walked over and patted Reynard on his shoulder from behind as she greeted the new emperor who had just been defeated.

The dramatic scene of the emperor who was dethroned in less than an hour after he was enthroned and also the brand new Renald empire that perished in less than a day had unfolded before Bella’s very eyes. With just a light pat by Bella, Reynard fell to the ground in fear. Glancing at the crotch of the newly dethroned emperor, she saw that he had already wet himself in fright as she couldn’t help but scorn at him.

“Grand Duchess Bellina, I… I give up the throne. Please don’t kill me. I no longer want to be the emperor. I’ll give it to whoever you want!”

Reynard had mistakenly thought that the demon’s appearance in the palace was due to his enthronement, and it rendered him incoherent by fear. After going through the rollercoaster of bliss and horror in his life, Reynard could no longer take it. Since he was the elder brother of her best friend Renath, Bella had no intention to kill him. She merely tapped the no longer sane “former emperor” as he immediately fainted.

“You are merely a guardian of the throne while I would be the one to take the throne. Between a guardian and the actual taker, don’t you think it’s better to be able to take it? Grand Duke Leonard, I just want to tell you that your daughter is awesome. I am satisfied in every aspect!”

“You… These demons are also yours. It looks like I am really old.”

The patriarch of the Renald family, Grand Duke Leonard, sighed heavily. Although he did not fully comprehend the meaning behind Bella’s words when she said that his daughter was awesome but judging by Bella’s expression, he could only guess that it was not something to be proud of. His plan to usurp the throne was destroyed by another crazier throne stealer.

“Grand Duchess Bellina, what are your plans? Are you going to reign as the emperor or are you going to place Princess Kriss on the throne? Regardless, don’t even think about it. The Imperial Union would not just sit and not take action if a female ruler were to appear. If you continue on, the entire empire would be the subject of attack by the other empires.”

“Grand Duke Leonard, your dream as the emperor would never be realized. I’ve never said that I would be the female ruler. Do you know that after the death of the emperor of the Manasvir Empire, the reason behind Queen Manya Felan’s ability to take over the empire was because of me? In short, you are just a loser and your opinions are worthless.”

“So, the support behind Queen Manya Felan was also you. I really am old. The future path belongs to your generations.”

Grand Duke Leonard, who was crushed by the demons, held a grim expression as he appeared to have aged drastically. Not only was he defeated in terms of military, but he was completely defeated in all other aspects by Bella. After experiencing such a horrible blow, the Grand Duke Leonard was completely and utterly devastated. Bella had smashed all his political dreams into pieces. Even if he was not executed, he would never have the courage to launch another rebellion in the future.

Even if the Imperial Union did not support the reign of a female ruler, it didn’t mean that Bella would not be able to let Kriss rise to power. Queen Manya Falan had also successfully controlled the Manasvir Empire for over 10,000 years and could avoid the detection of the Imperial Union. It all depended on the way one would word it.

Out of the five empires, not counting the Radiant Church, Bella just needed to get her hands on three of them, and she would have the power over the Imperial Union. Since they adhered to the principle whereby the majority ruled over the minority, the remaining two empires could only stay silent. Currently, Bella had secretly taken control of the Manasvir Empire and would soon take over the Gabriel Empire as well. She just needed to gain control of one more empire, then she would be able to ignore the pleads of the Imperial Union.

“Grand Duchess Bellina is wise and generous. The Renald family was a traitor, and they were the ones that harmed Emperor Alfred the Third. Wait, don’t catch me… I…”

“Despicable human beings, don’t pollute the Lord’s ears with your nonsense. Move it!”

With the fall of one of the three major families, the Renald family, and their “new empire” plan, the political farce finally came to an end. The ministers who were ready to flatter their way out weren’t even given a chance to please their new leader before they were harshly taken away by the army of demons. Bella didn’t even need to understand the politics that was happening here. She knew that the fickle-minded ministers would be of no use, especially during these critical moments, so it would be best to just clean them all up.

After all the chaos had passed, the Imperial Palace was left with only Bella and Kriss, along with the two lolis who were curiously looking around. The demon captains had silently withdrawn out of the emperor’s hall, leaving this place to Bella and her companions. There were still many demons that were the subordinates of the infected Dark King, which were hiding in the imperial city. The demon captains under Bella were busy purging out these demons of the hostile force.

The infected Dark King, also known as the Sacred Lord to the Renald Family, was hiding in the imperial prison in this imperial city. Many of the political prisoners were held here. Unless it was the last resort, the Renald family would not dare to ask for the help of the Dark King. In fact, Emperor Alfred the third, who was the former emperor, was also being imprisoned in this prison.

The Renald Family did not kill the former emperor. They had yet to reach the treason level where they would have the courage of killing Emperor Alfred the Third. Since the heirs to the throne, Prince Daniel and the others, were still situated outside of the Imperial City, they had planned to use the former emperor as their final trump card in case the situation went awry, and both the alliances were to storm into the Imperial City.

It was regretful that Bella had interrupted it before the killer move could be made. To continue with the proceeding of marrying Kriss, Bella had no choice but to head over the imperial prison in the imperial city to release her “father-in-law,” Alfred the Third. The matters of the throne could be put on hold as her engagement ceremony to Princess Kriss would take priority and must be completed according to the normal procedures.

“Bella, as for the Renald family, do you plan to…”

“Don’t worry, Kriss. I won’t give those hopeless deranged people much trouble. Not many would be killed. Come, Kriss, let’s head over to the emperor’s chamber to retrieve the key to the royal prison.”

“Okay, I’ll just follow you, Bella.”

Kriss, who was used to Bella’s domineering character, followed her as they headed deeper into the palace. Aside from the harem area, the emperor had a separate private resting chamber. The Lost Demon King Hailey Layman and the Poison Origin Betty did not follow them, and instead, they continued to wander around the palace after getting a signal from Bella. Though they might have a childlike appearance, they were not naïve little kids and knew when to not poke their noses in.

Reynard was well prepared for his dream of becoming an emperor. On the way to the emperor’s chamber, Bella and Kriss saw a large number of beauties who had been prepared, all who could be considered the beauties of the country according to the standard of the emperor. On both sides of the hallway leading to the emperor’s chamber, a number of captive beauties were prepared for the grand celebration of the enthronement. These dazed beauties who were placed on the left and right side of the hallway had spices smeared on their bodies, making them look extremely seductive and inviting.

The beauties who were on display were tributes to the emperor. They had been washed clean as their hands and feet were bound by golden chains as they were either forced to kneel or lay down on their back, putting their pair of fluffy white bosoms on display to the visitor. Each beauty even had a lit red candle placed in their mouth, letting the red drop of waxed drips and embellish their soft, plump breast.

These beauties were given by the ministers as a tribute for the enthronement ceremony to Renald’s family. They were either the daughters or granddaughter of a minister. If neither, they were beauties captured from the Imperial Capital. To please the new emperor, all the ministers had gone crazy, and even the daughters of their own family were not spared.

If Bella were to be the female ruler, they would have to equally send their tribute in the same way. The tribute-giving tradition was not based on gender. However, they did not think that Bella would be able to enjoy them. If they were to send her a group of young servants, Bella would not be able to imagine the horror of it.

“Kriss, your ex-fiancé is really unique. He has yet to be the emperor but his preparation is top notched.” 

“Bella, what ex-fiancé? Apart from you, I am not admitting anyone as my fiancé.” 

“I’m kidding Kriss. I’ll set them free later.” 

With Kriss by her side, Bella could not indulge in the scene. Fortunately, Bella had seen many more beautiful girls than these, and in Bella’s opinion, these were merely ordinary beauties. The chamber of Emperor Alfred the Third was not hard to find as they quickly found the place. Surprisingly, the previous emperor didn’t put a lot of effort into the decoration of the room.

Along with the key to the royal prison, Bella and Kriss also accidentally stumbled upon a pile of edicts on the emperor’s desk. It turned out that Emperor Alfred the Third had prepared all these edicts for future purposes. That was how Renald’s family got their hand on the decree that they had used for the enthronement.