Intervention 2
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
With a loud creaking sound, the heavy door made of cedar wood slowly opened. Two guards stood on either side of the intricately carved door panels, and as the light from outside streamed into the previously dark treasure chamber, it illuminated a path gleaming with a golden hue on the floor made of precious spotted stone.
A man led four attendants as they walked slowly along the golden path into the treasure chamber.
The man was tall and dressed in a luxurious velvet robe. His brown, curly long hair flowed naturally down his back, and his bright, deep-set eyes exuded a certain heroic spirit. Currently, he wore a serious expression as he solemnly walked deeper into the treasure chamber along the illuminated path.
"It's too dark," the man waved to the guards behind him, signaling, "Light a few candles."
The two guards at the back immediately walked left and right, igniting a row of candles that had already been set up there, using the remaining light from outside.
The entire treasure chamber instantly brightened, revealing its true form.
Expensive vessels, boxes of ancient coins, and various weapons and armor clearly crafted by masters filled the large room, and the walls were adorned with precious paintings.
However, the man showed no interest in any of these priceless treasures as he walked straight along the center of the chamber until he reached the wall at the end.
In front of that wall was a rectangular table about 2 meters long and 1 meter wide, and on top of it lay an object covered tightly with red silk.
The man extended his right hand, tugged at a corner of the silk, and slowly lifted it. A chilling cold light burst forth, revealing a golden sword stand beneath the silk, on which lay an ancient-looking longsword quietly.
The man grasped the sword hilt and lifted the ancient longsword before him.
"My ancestor established the present Duchy of Eaton with this sword."
The man, or rather, the ruler of the Duchy of Eaton, Duke Elliot Cabre, spoke to himself.
"Now, I will use it once more to defend the people of Eaton."
He swung the longsword in front of him, and a stream of light appeared in the air.
"Holy Sword—Syronimus, please grant us strength once again."
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind.
"Your Majesty, has the situation become this dangerous?"
The voice was gentle yet tinged with undeniable worry.
Duke Cabre turned around to see his beautiful wife, Princess Helen, once celebrated as the jewel of the Bay.
He furrowed his brow and asked, "Helen, what are you doing here?"
His wife replied, "I knew you hadn't been sleeping, so I didn't either. I saw you get up just now, so I followed you."
"Alas!" Cabre sighed, "I'm sorry to have worried you."
Helen approached him. "Don't say that. You're my husband. How can I be at peace if you have worries?"
Cabre waved his hand to summon an attendant, inserting the ancient longsword into the sheath held by the servant.
The young duke said anxiously, "The church's army is approaching Hydra. I estimate they will be at the walls of Hydra in less than a week."
Helen asked in confusion, "Can't our army be quickly recalled from the Horns Bay Alliance?"
Her husband, to avoid worrying her, always appeared confident before her. If it weren't for a trustworthy person informing her of the real situation today and witnessing the large crowds fleeing the city while in disguise, she would never have known the situation had deteriorated to this extent.
Alas, men.
Cabre shrugged helplessly and said, "They need time to return. Garis wrote that the Horns Bay Alliance initially wouldn't let them go, nor would they provide the supplies needed for their return. In the end, Garis had to find a way to gather some resources to leave."
The once formidable coalition of New Faith forces against the church and the inland states was now on the brink of collapse due to the church's ruthless "armed passage" through the northern neutral states.
"Your Majesty!" Tears brimmed in Helen's eyes, feeling heartbroken by her husband's unveiled anxiety. "If it's too difficult, then don't fight the church. Regardless of the new or old sects, we should stay neutral and let Eaton remain at peace."
"Oh, dear, you're too naive." Cabre replied, "The destruction of neutral nations like Yebu is just around the corner. The church will do anything to eradicate the 'heretics' along the coast."
Of course, Eaton's national strength was not comparable to that of the small nations like Yebu, so the so-called armed neutrality was not impossible. However, the duke had other reasons that prevented him from maintaining neutrality.
"Let's put it this way, even if the church accepts Eaton's neutrality, what about you and Fenny? The church has long been eyeing both of you sisters, and they have already grasped the true situation of Fenny from the incident in Niceport. If the church allows Eaton to remain neutral only on the condition that I hand over you and Fenny, do you think I can agree to such terms?"
As practitioners, Helen and her sister Fenny were thorns in the church's side. The initial cause of this war stemmed from the church's significant disagreement with the coastal states over the extermination of wizards. When the divide was not yet apparent or just starting to show, the church could still take into account that they belonged to the ruling class of a nation and chose to bide their time. However, things had changed; the church, now openly at war, would never ignore a witch of such status and influence.
"Your Majesty." Helen was deeply touched by her husband's words, her eyes instantly welling with tears.
"Don't worry, Helen, I'm here. No one can harm you or Fenny."
Cabre patted his chest, once again displaying that confident demeanor before his wife.
The duke raised the longsword named "Syronimus" and said, "The power of my ancestors will protect me. I will use it to slay any enemies that dare to invade."
But he quickly changed his tone, saying, "However, you must promise me to take Fenny and leave Hydra for a while, heading south. I have already selected a guard for you, and once Hydra becomes safe again, you can…"
"No!" Before the duke could finish, Helen covered her husband's mouth and resolutely refused.
"You can send Fenny away, but I must stay by your side."
Duke Cabre tried to persuade her, "Alas, don't be so impulsive…"
"Don't worry!" Helen looked into her husband's eyes, trying to speak in a light tone: "Someone can help us through this crisis."
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.