Chapter 165: Return to Badin City
"What kind of act will the devils carry out? Is it something so severe that even the entire continent can’t contain it?" Duke Valiard asked.
"Something beyond your comprehension," Aldrian replied. "I’m sorry, but I can’t show you yet. This is something that demands the attention of the entire continent. We need everyone to work together to destroy the devils’ plans." Aldrian knew that revealing the scene of the creature would only shatter their spirits, and he preferred it this way—sometimes ignorance was a blessing.
Aldrian then took out the Heavenly Blaze Sword, its sentience already docile toward him. Usually, a divine-grade artifact is difficult for random people to touch, especially if it already has a master. However, this sword showed no reaction when Aldrian picked it up. Fortunately, the Greed Devil had not been strong enough to withstand the Slash of the End, so the sword’s damage was only minor.
Duke Valiard and Mardred widened their eyes, and Xin Haotian looked curiously at this sword, which was of a higher grade than his Illumination Sword.
"The Heavenly Blaze Sword," Duke Valiard said. "To this day, I still wonder how the Greed Devil managed to steal our most precious artifact from the treasure vault. It seems Duke Badin played a role in this. The sword was stolen a few years before the blueprint accident, and at that time, we didn’t know the thief’s identity. It looks like the Greed Devil was behind it all."
"Yes, Duke Badin provided the Greed Devil with the structure and intricate layout of the royal palace, including the route to and interior of the treasure vault. Being a master of space laws, the Greed Devil was able to bypass all detection and take the sword." And with Mardred’s disappearance along with the blueprint a few years later, Duke Badin persuaded other lesser noble families to pressure the Valiards, casting them as suspects. It was a clever move to shift the royal family’s attention to Mardred instead of the devils.
However, after all these years, there was still no sign of Mardred or the Heavenly Blaze Sword, and not enough evidence to prove Mardred’s involvement in the sword’s theft, preventing them from taking serious action against Duke Valiard. As a result, most nobles at that time were satisfied with the challenge for Duke Valiard could at least produce a low divine-grade artifact as proof of his contribution to the kingdom and as a way to redeem his family for his brother’s disappearance and the allegations of his involvement in the blueprint matter.
"However, what are we going to do about the blueprint?" Duke Valiard asked. "My brother said the blueprint wasn’t with him. How are we going to inform His Majesty?" He already understood the blueprint’s status, but now that it had vanished, he wasn’t sure how the royal family would react.
"You don’t have to worry. I’ll speak to His Majesty myself. I need to talk to him, anyway," Aldrian replied, glancing down at Duke Badin’s body.