"Master, this will surely make that young lady's heart waver."
Vier followed behind Lock, a faint smile on her face. Although his acting earlier was a bit exaggerated, Lakyus, who had experienced such great ups and downs and emotional turmoil, probably wouldn't notice.
Lock glanced at her sideways, in a very good mood. Blue Rose's refusal to accept his invitation had always been due to two reasons: first, Lakyus's friendship with Lana, and second, the Adventurers' free nature.
The former ceased to exist once he controlled Lana. As for freedom, it is built upon a certain level of survival assurance. When life is threatened, humans will, to some extent, abandon their freedom.
Speaking of which, Lock even had to thank the Great Tomb for causing such a disturbance, which gave the Blue Rose team a sense of crisis, effectively helping him indirectly.
The thought of Lakyus soon coming under his control made him feel an irresistible excitement, like when he used to spend money to draw high-star cards in games.
Among all humans, Lakyus's talent could completely rank at the top of the second tier. Not only did she enter the hero realm at a young age, but her potential had not yet peaked; she still had the possibility of becoming stronger.
Without other interference, perhaps she could have grown to the level of Rigrit, one of the Thirteen Heroes, purely through her own strength.
Coupled with her innate talent for unique abilities, she was definitely the most valuable treasure worth collecting, far more precious than Clementine and Brain.
"Let's return to the outpost. The rest will be handled by Lana."
He believed that after the soldiers at Climb's location retreated, Lana would have already received the news and would dispatch the Tiger Knights to the Eight Fingers' stronghold to eliminate the demons. Judging by the level of the two strongholds, they could easily suppress them, so Lock didn't need to worry.
Now was the perfect time to prepare for sleep. Maintaining a good schedule was a good habit, and he had many things waiting for him to do tomorrow.
At this moment, inside a tall tower building in the central part of the Royal Capital.
Ainz stood by the window, gazing into the distance at the Eight Fingers' stronghold, where the disturbance had begun to gradually subside. He murmured, "It seems to be done."
"Yes, Ainz. According to the plan, all of Eight Fingers' strongholds and remaining personnel have been destroyed by the summoned demon forces, leaving no information about Nazarick. Furthermore, all valuable materials have already been transferred," Albedo, who was attending him, immediately responded, a pleasant, faint smile in her voice.
Hearing the conversation between these two, the crowd standing behind them couldn't help but exchange glances.
There were about twenty or so humans, and their faces didn't look very good. Except for one bald man with various animal patterns tattooed on his body, most of them appeared gaunt.
"It's just… gone!"
Shilma, with her golden hair and voluptuous figure, muttered as she looked at the distant mansion flickering with fire. That was her stronghold. If not for her position as an Eight Fingers' department head, she would probably be one of those buried there now.
Her gaze shifted to the two non-humans in front of her, her eyes filled with fear and confusion.
These two undead and demons, who held their lives and deaths in their hands, possessed power they could not resist at all. And after experiencing that terror, they couldn't even muster the will to resist.
The once formidable underground organization of the Kingdom was simply a joke in the face of such beings.
Just then, Ainz turned around and looked at the anxious Eight Fingers members.
"Next, you will form teams and head to the Bahaus Empire. There, you will re-establish underground forces. I will send my subordinates to provide you with strong military assurance. You only need to utilize your strengths, establish yourselves in the Empire, and continuously gather confidential intelligence."
"Yes!"
Shilma, along with her Eight Fingers companions, bowed their heads to this undead, showing respectful attitudes, and uneasily accepted the fate arranged for them.
Perhaps after this departure, they would never be able to return to the Kingdom.
…
"I wonder what happened last night, it seemed quite chaotic!"
"Didn't you hear?"
"What?"
"Last night, Her Royal Highness the Golden Princess deployed troops and uprooted the underground organization residing in the Royal Capital. It's truly gratifying!"
"Really?"
Early in the morning, such conversations circulated throughout the Royal Capital. Upon learning the truth, the public applauded enthusiastically.
In fact, many people living in the Royal Capital were more or less aware of the existence of Eight Fingers, and many had suffered greatly because of it.
However, in the past, due to Eight Fingers' immense power and its connections with the Kingdom's nobles, even reporting them to officials was useless; it would only invite fierce retaliation. Thus, the public could only choose to endure in silence.
Now, finally, it was better. This great mountain pressing down on them had been kicked away. Although it wasn't exactly seeing the sun after the clouds, it at least gave them some hope for the future!
For a time, praises for the Golden Princess echoed through the streets and alleys, unending.
Just then, a luxurious carriage slowly entered the main thoroughfare of the Royal Capital. Two knights on horseback, one in front and one behind, guarded it. They were burly, and their sharp eyes constantly scanned their surroundings.
Even on what appeared to be a rather peaceful street, the four knights did not relax their vigilance in the slightest, demonstrating their extremely high military training.
Of course, perhaps it was also because the person sitting inside the carriage was of too noble a status, making them dare not be careless.
Through the magically enhanced carriage windows, one could vaguely see three figures inside.
Sitting on one side was a middle-aged noble lord dressed in black. His temples were slightly gray, his short hair neatly combed, and his mustache meticulously trimmed, without a single stray hair.
It was clear that he was someone who paid great attention to etiquette.
Sitting opposite him was a mother and daughter who looked somewhat alike, both with bright golden hair, currently engaged in conversation.
"Oh my, it seems this Princess's reputation is quite good, very popular." Jenny made this judgment from the shouts occasionally reaching her ears from the roadside. A satisfied smile couldn't help but appear on her lips. "This is how she should be to be worthy of my son. Mm-hmm."
"Hmph! It's nothing but grandstanding. Gaining a good reputation is for better management of the Kingdom's citizens, not for some silly reason like kindness. Don't misunderstand." Johnson said with dissatisfaction, "Your foolish son was probably deluded by her, which is why he chose to join the King's faction, and he even dared to decide Catherine's whereabouts without my permission. How audacious!"
"I think you're simply jealous, aren't you?" Jenny teased her husband, looking at him askance. She said, "You failed to marry the daughter of Count Krass back then, so seeing your son now about to marry the Kingdom's Princess, you feel a sense of defeat. That's completely understandable."
"What do you, an ignorant woman, know! That was their loss!"
Johnson's face instantly turned extremely ugly. Back then, because the Albert Family's influence was too weak, he indeed wanted to rise with the help of a Count, proposing to marry the Count's daughter whose husband had died. But in the end, he was rejected without hesitation. This was a stain he would never forget in his life!
Yet, his current wife always used this matter to mock him, making it extremely difficult for him to bear. This woman was as annoying as her son!
However, Johnson had never been rough with her, not only because of deep affection but also because she had given the Albert Family two successors with unlimited potential.
His daughter Catherine's fame allowed the Albert Family to rise from an obscure, peripheral small family. And now, his son Lock was even going to marry into the royal family, becoming a renowned great noble of the Kingdom.
Whenever he thought of this, Johnson wanted to have a drink.
However, he had to maintain the dignity of the head of the household in front of his wife and children, so he could only keep a cold face.
"Um… Mother, we're almost there." Catherine, hearing her mother start to expose her father's shortcomings again, could only smile awkwardly and change the subject. "By the way, how long has it been since you last saw your older brother?"
"Oh my, now that you mention it, it seems Lock only came back to see me once last year for my birthday. What a cold child. If he doesn't give me a super large diamond, I won't easily forgive him." Jenny said, a little angry, with a playful and cute expression on her face. Because her face didn't look old, she resembled a girl in her twenties, experiencing her first love.
It must be said that Catherine's personality might have been inherited from her vivacious mother.
She could almost foresee her older brother's helpless expression when he met Mother, who would relentlessly badger him for a gift.
So that's why he only returned to visit once a year! Catherine thought to herself.
If it weren't for this engagement with the Golden Princess being a big event in his life, Older brother might have kept hiding from Mother.
As her thoughts wandered, the carriage had gradually left the main road and was heading towards the newly built manor, soon coming to a stop at its destination.
At the manor's entrance, Lock had received his sister's message early and was waiting there.
The moment the carriage stopped, Lock immediately went to greet it, and then saw the carriage door violently pushed open, and a white figure leaped out.
"Lock!!!"
Lock's feet involuntarily took a small step back, a slightly stiff smile on his face. The next second, he was tightly embraced by someone.
"My son, it's been a long time. Did you miss your mother?"
"Of course, I think of you every day, Mother." Lock answered almost without hesitation. Even a second's delay would be a disaster!
Jenny looked up slightly, suspiciously at her son's increasingly refined face, and after a moment, she smiled, "Alright, I believe you. Come, let Mother see, have you lost weight?"
Jenny kept patting and touching him. In response, Lock could only stand there helplessly, cooperating like a puppet on strings.
His gaze shifted to his old father on the other side. Johnson stared at his son like a hawk, [thinking] "Explain everything to me later!"
Lock understood his thoughts almost instantly.
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