Chapter 24 Change in Plans

Azrael thought about it and said [We're going to help her regain the throne.] Lily quickly understood his intentions, he wanted to use her position as the Empress to kickstart their chamber of commerce. Aliya looked at them and guessed that they were communicating using a secret method. She asked, "Are you guys familiar with the Everlasting Night City? If not, I can be your guide." Azrael and Lily agreed and asked her to lead them to an inn. Aliyah simply asked them to follow her.

She took them to a simple building with a sign that said 'Moonlit Night Inn'. They entered and were greeted by a pretty receptionist who asked them how many rooms would they need. Azrael booked two rooms for a week. A clerk lead them to their rooms and gave them the keys. Lily looked at Aliyah and said, "Could you come to our room? We need to talk about something with you. And bring the fox." The sudden request caught her off guard but she still agreed because she couldn't feel any maliciousness from the couple. She entered their room and Azrael offered her some tea that she kindly refused. They all sat around a small dining table in the room. Aliyah asked, "So, what did you guys want to talk about?" Before answering Azrael quickly set up a Silencing Formation and said, "Even walls have ears. Now that we can be sure that there aren't any idiots spying on us, we want to help you."

Aliyah became a little wary and said, "Help me with what? I don't have anything that needs your help." Azrael simply said "You can remove the disguise, Aliyah Nightshade. We know who you are and we want to help you take back the throne." Aliyah started releasing her killing intent but then stopped and sighed. Her appearance suddenly changed, her height grew shorter, her hair turned white and her face became a more beautiful version of itself. From looking like an eighteen-year-old, she became someone who looked like a thirteen-year-old. She asked "Who are you guys? Why do you wanna help me? What's in it for you? And why should I trust you?"

This time Lily who had been stroking the fox's head answered, "Who we are doesn't matter. What matters is that we are strong enough to help you. We are helping you because it helps us achieve our goals faster. And you can trust us because we will sign a Soul Contract. We will help you achieve your goals and in return, you will do the same for us." Aliyah asked, "What are your goals?" Lily replied, "We want to establish the greatest chamber of commerce in Novaria." Aliyah was shocked by their ambitions. She again asked, "Why me?" Azrael lazily answered, "Because it's convenient. If we make you Empress and you endorse us, it gives us credibility. So how about it? Want to avenge your family?"

Aliyah didn't know why but she had a feeling that if she didn't accept their offer now, she would regret it in the future. She said, "Do you have a Soul Contract on you? Lily smiled and took a Soul Contract out from her storage ring. She wrote their terms on it and handed it over to her. Aliyah read it thoroughly and made sure that she wasn't being cheated. Then she wrote her own terms and handed it back to Lily. When both parties were satisfied, they signed the contract. It burst into flames and turned into ashes, a sign that the contract was successful.

When that was done Aliyah suddenly felt relieved. She already had secret allies, the noble families that were still loyal to her but they still weren't strong enough. She wasn't sure about the duo's strength but they gave her a feeling that they were stronger than her father. The current Emperor, Roland Lunae, was only successful in killing her father because of an unexpected sneak attack, not because he was stronger.

Azrael suddenly stood up and said "Let's not waste time and get you your throne. Lily, you hold Aliyah. We're going to pay the Royal Palace a visit." Aliyah was still in shock from his words when she felt Lily's arms around her and she felt a blinding light envelop them. When she could finally see again she felt sudden nausea and wanted to vomit but she held herself back. She then looked at her surroundings and almost fainted. They were in the Royal Court and masks had appeared on Azrael and Lily's faces.

Roland was sitting on his throne and the court was in session when it was it was interrupted by the unexpected intruders. He was surprised because he recognized one of them. It was the little rat that had escaped back then, Aliyah Nightshade. But she looked just as surprised as he was so he focused on the other two. They were wearing masks and he couldn't see their faces but he could still feel danger from them. He asked, "How dare you disturb the Royal Court? Who are you? Identify yourself."

Azrael simply replied in an icy tone "We're here to kill a traitor." A spear appeared in his hands and he shot towards Roland. Roland summoned his own sword and started fighting with Azrael. Roland was in the seventh stage of the Mana Core realm and had spent the better part of his life on the frontline so his battle sense was very sharp. But even he had trouble fighting with Azrael. He felt as if his opponent could predict his every move and counter easily. He didn't know how right he was. Azrael had built his fighting style around his processing power which allowed him to deduce all possible moves that his opponent might make. And unlike Roland who had only comprehended the fifth stage of Sword Intent, he had already completely comprehended Spear Intent. Their battle went on for a long time and they were both really injured. Azrael had already started healing but unlike him, Roland didn't have an insane healing factor.

Azrael received a message from Lily, [Fall back. I also want to stretch my bones.] The Royal Court had been leveled during their fight. Azrael teleported back to where he had left Aliyah and Lily. Lily fully transformed into her Draconian form and rushed towards the injured Roland. Aliyah was still in a daze. When Lily left, she came back to her senses and stared blankly at Azrael. She then asked, "What the hell was that? How did we suddenly appear in the Royal Court and where did Lily go?" Azrael looked at her and replied, "Well, when we entered the city, I had already scanned it and found that the strongest person was also in the Core realm. After talking with you, I assumed that it was Roland and I was right. It just wasn't worth wasting time over him so, we'll cripple him, invite every noble to the Palace in a month or two and you will publically execute him. Any noble that doesn't accept the invitation will be labeled a traitor and will be treated as such."

Aliyah suddenly wasn't sure if it was the right choice to ally herself with this crazy couple.

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