Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Chapter51-Discussion with Leslie
In the grand hall, as the ministers with serious expressions departed, King Aldric’s demeanor slightly eased.

Although the murderer was well-hidden, with no clues yet, it was clear that yesterday’s elaborate scheme was aimed at the treasures within the Kingdom Vault.

By carefully inventorying the vault and identifying the missing items, they could gradually narrow down the suspects.

After all, every item in the Kingdom Vault was invaluable and extremely rare!

Thinking of this, King Aldric’s furrowed brow relaxed a bit. He looked at Princess Marry and slowly said:

“Considering the time, your three-year agreement with John is almost due. Now that Kyrik is eyeing us covetously and the mastermind is targeting our royal family, you must prepare well and not bring disgrace to the royal family again.”

As he spoke, King Aldric’s tone grew more serious.

The Crown Prince’s death had already tarnished the reputation of the Azure Kingdom, causing many to lose their reverence for the royal family.

If Princess Marry were to fail again, the royal family’s prestige would be utterly shattered.

Princess Marry placed her right hand on her chest and solemnly saluted, “Father, rest assured. This time, in the three-year agreement, I will ensure John’s crushing defeat and bring glory to the empire!”

Seeing Princess Marry’s confidence, Prime Minister Wilson, impeccably dressed in his official robes, stepped forward and said seriously:

“Your Majesty, Princess Marry, representatives from the Nether Kingdom, Moonspring Kingdom, and other royal families have already arrived for this three-year agreement. Kyrik has sent their Crown Prince this time, accompanied by numerous armed escorts, most of whom are military-level forces. It seems they are not here with good intentions.”

King Aldric gently rubbed his forehead and sighed, “These are troubled times.”

After a moment of hesitation, he steadied himself and said, “Send word for General Stanley to return to the capital!”

As soon as he said this, the ministers in the hall looked at each other in astonishment and began to murmur among themselves.

General Stanley, who had reached platinum-tier many years ago, was a renowned powerhouse of the Azure Kingdom! It was because of his presence that Kyrik dared not invade directly with their army.

A single man holding off a thousand troops!

If General Stanley returned, there would be no one to guard the border.

If Kyrik abandoned their principles and launched an invasion, there would be no top-tier expert to stabilize the situation at the border.

“Your Majesty!”

After much deliberation, Wilson decided to speak up and offer his advice.

Refraining from actively attacking Kyrik was one thing, but the border’s strength and army should not be easily redeployed!

However, as soon as he started to speak, King Aldric understood his concerns and waved his hand, saying:

“No need to say more, my loyal subject. I have considered this thoroughly. Let it be decided. The meeting is adjourned!”

With that, King Aldric turned and left.

The ministers, left looking at each other in dismay, could only shake their heads in resignation.

The king’s authority was supreme, and all they could do now was comply.

…

In the courtyard of the Duke’s residence, Leslie’s estate.

Unlike the heated discussions and clamor outside, tall trees grew freely, with golden sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating a dappled pattern on the ground.

In this light and shadow, Owen and Leslie sat facing each other at a stone table.

On the stone table was a chessboard for international chess.

As they played, the crossing of the pieces faintly revealed the clash of blades and swords.

Leslie moved a piece and slowly said, “Our first collaboration went smoothly. Not only did we unseal the second layer of the Godslayer Staff, but we also obtained the map to the royal treasury.”

Owen smiled faintly and put away the evenly matched chessboard. “Let’s stop here for today. We have important matters to discuss. I had been wondering why Kyrik frequently invaded the Azure Kingdom, but now I understand.”

As he spoke, he took out a piece of yellowed parchment from his storage ring and placed it on the stone table.

Leslie glanced at the treasure map, and a rare smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.

The yellowed parchment depicted a vast mana stone vein! Stretching hundreds of miles, its estimated yield was in the billions of tons!

It was located right at the border between the Azure Kingdom and Kyrik!

Mana stones are incredibly precious to any power or kingdom. According to the market price, one mana stone could be exchanged for a hundred gold coins!

They are also one of the recognized currencies on the continent, highly valuable.

People typically do not use mana stones as currency unless absolutely necessary because they also contain mana, which can supposedly activate advanced magical devices!

Every year, mysterious organizations in Middle Earth purchase mana stones, often at extraordinary prices.

A complete and vast mana stone vein represents an immense fortune!

Over the years, the Azure royal family had never disclosed this matter.

But upon careful thought, some clues could be found.

Despite the Azure Kingdom’s generally poor financial situation, the royal family lived in extreme luxury and opulence.

The Prime Minister had previously submitted a report to King Aldric about this issue, but King Aldric casually replied that he had not used the gold and silver from the Kingdom Vault, and the matter was dropped.

It now seems that the Azure Kingdom’s royal family had been secretly mining and selling mana stones to Middle Earth.

Because it was a secret trade, all the proceeds were pocketed by the royal family.

No wonder the Azure Kingdom’s royal family had always been so arrogant and domineering, treating the common people with disdain.

It turns out they had the backing of mana stones.

With the wealth from selling mana stones, even if their extravagance increased tenfold, it would still be enough.

According to the map, the wealth accumulated from selling mana stones over the years was secretly stored in a chamber under the mining mountain.

Even though the royal family had squandered much of it, the wealth in the chamber was still an astronomical figure beyond imagination!

Leslie’s throat tightened, her eyes fixated on the map.

She felt a sense of astonishment. Such a large vein, such important information, and the Chrysanthemum Hotel had no prior knowledge of it!

“The core members of the royal family are mostly under surveillance, so it’s impossible for them to handle this matter secretly…”

“Could it be that another family close to the royal family is secretly managing this?”

Leslie’s mind raced, thinking this was highly likely.

Previously, she had focused too much on the royal family and hadn’t paid much attention to other families.

She immediately took out an echo stone and contacted Charlotte, instructing her to thoroughly investigate this mana stone vein and scrutinize the families closely associated with the royal family.

Charlotte was somewhat surprised by the order but didn’t ask questions and promptly led her team to begin the investigation.

After a moment of contemplation, Leslie looked at Owen. “Although things are progressing smoothly so far, I’ve heard that General Stanley is returning to the royal city, and there are signs that experts from the Council of Elders and the headmaster of Luna Academy are also on the move.”

“This is partly due to the three-year agreement, but after the Azure royal family investigates the Kingdom Vault, they will likely realize that the Godslayer Staff fragment is missing and will suspect you. It’s only a matter of time before you are discovered. Delaying further is not in our favor.”

Owen nodded, aware of the situation, but he remained calm and added,

“I’ve heard that the Crown Prince of Kyrik is already on his way. He holds a high position in Kyrik, and his visit might be related to the mana stone matter.”

Leslie squinted and asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

Owen tapped his fingers on the stone table a few times and said, “I didn’t expect that after Alfonso’s death, Kyrik wouldn’t go to war directly but would instead send their Crown Prince. However, this could be a good thing.”

Owen paused at this point, looking into Leslie’s bright eyes, and continued:

“What do you think Kyrik would do if their Crown Prince were to die within the Azure Kingdom? Would the general still return?”

Owen smiled sweetly, as this was exactly what she had in mind.

A serious investigation into the Crown Prince’s death by the Azure Kingdom would be very unfavorable for them. They needed to forcibly divert their attention.

The death of Kyrik’s Crown Prince was the perfect distraction!

Once he was dead, the Azure royal family would be overwhelmed with chaos.

She had thought that such a ruthless idea would be the first thing to come to her mind alone.

But Owen had the same look of certainty.

This young man, with talent and temperament far exceeding others, might truly be a gift from the heavens…

As Leslie’s gaze toward Owen grew more special, Owen coughed twice and said,

“You go and kill the Kyrik Crown Prince. I’ll empty the secret chamber. Remember, you must act swiftly. I’ll leave ten percent of the treasures in the chamber. Once we’re done, we must return immediately.”

Leslie smiled slightly.