Chapter 338: Udriela

"The saint?" Chloe asked aloud, breaking the heavy silence that dominated the throne room.

Murmurs began among the girls of Ryan’s group upon hearing that unexpected blood connection.

Irina and Alicia exchanged looks of utter surprise from their positions.

Karol gently tapped the hard floor with her magical staff, trying to assimilate the peculiar fact.

They already knew very well Priscilla’s title and the high position the young woman held in the church.

But no one in the hall imagined that this important religious figure would be William’s own sister.

’Now I understand why they were together in Eibach,’ Ryan thought, looking at William with a new level of understanding about his past actions.

He remembered the tense meeting in the alleys of that merchant village. Ryan relived the image of the red-haired girl accompanying the blond hero in the dark.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were siblings when we met in Eibach?" Ryan questioned with a firm voice, leaning slightly forward on his throne.

William looked him in the eyes, adopting a much more serious and defensive tone in the face of the demon king’s direct question.

"Well, I had no reason to trust you on that occasion," William answered with total sincerity and without lowering his gaze.

"Yes, I suppose you’re right. So, Udriela wants to come to this world, doesn’t she?" Ryan asked, seeking to confirm the main threat regarding the deity.

"That’s right, when you mentioned that name in Eibach, my sister decided to investigate. That’s why we know the origin of the deities, and of that person named Udriela," William replied, keeping his explanation direct and uninterrupted.

’Then, I can assume something very logical from all this,’ Ryan evaluated in his mind, closely observing the blond hero and his frightened group of allies.

’Udriela intended to take my body initially using the system. And since she realized it would be impossible to control me, she changed her target to easier prey.’

Ryan analyzed the dangerous scenario while the girls in his group stayed alert to the movements of the outsiders on the long carpet.

"But why Priscilla and not an S-rank heroine?" Ryan asked, seeking to understand the church’s logistics.

He knew that the body of a heroine trained for combat would withstand the pressure of a deity much better than the fragile body of a young woman whom Ryan himself had classified as weak when he inspected her in the streets of Kallistia.

"I can answer that, Your Majesty," the Dryad said, taking a step forward from the formation of human heroes.

"Alright, speak," Ryan ordered, giving the spirit permission to explain herself.

"In the territory of the demon king Lucerys, there was an ancient hidden relic. Of course, the demon king does not know of the existence of that relic. The battle the church has had so far with Lucerys was just a distraction; recently, the holy knights obtained that relic."

The Dryad looked at everyone’s faces to make sure they were paying attention, then she continued.

"And with that relic, they plan to sacrifice all the spirits of Geizan; Keeper intends to create what would be an artificial king of the spirits, and he will use the young Priscilla as a vessel. And once it is completed, Udriela will occupy her body. With the power of the king of the spirits, plus the power of the deities, she will become something very dangerous for everyone."

The Dryad explained with a soft but very firm voice, detailing the massive conspiracy without stopping or hesitating at any point.

Ryan gave his full attention to the Dryad’s revelation. He didn’t interrupt her, assimilating the gravity of that matter and its terrible consequences for the world.

Irina lowered her long ears suddenly upon hearing about the imminent sacrifice planned in her homeland. The elf clenched her fists tightly, feeling a deep hatred for the church’s greed.

Chloe frowned with much annoyance. The former holy knight was disgusted by the dirty methods her former religion was willing to use to gain power.

"Wow, if she is so dangerous, then all we have to do is assassinate the saint," Lise commented from her position as a guard at the entrance.

The dragoness made that dark suggestion very naturally, seeing quick assassination as the cleanest solution to everyone’s problem.

Helen nodded immediately. The swordswoman completely agreed with Lise and slid her thumb over her sword, preparing to execute the task.

At that cold statement about assassinating his little sister, William suddenly let out some of his own power.

A very dense blue aura surrounded the blond’s body. The heavy carpet under his boots seemed to sink a bit from the sudden pressure he released.

The calm and great control the hero had shown in front of the throne up until now was completely lost for a brief moment.

Mirian immediately drew her bow upon feeling the sudden change of energy in the room, ready to plant an arrow in the human’s eye.

But William managed to restrain himself from doing something crazy when Delia stepped forward and pushed him hard on the shoulder to bring him back to his senses.

’I also think it would be a good idea to kill Priscilla,’ Ryan thought, analyzing his dragoness’s proposal very logically.

’But it’s not like we can get to her easily. Besides, if I want to use William for my long-term benefit, I can’t suggest something so foolish in front of him,’ Ryan evaluated, deciding to maintain a neutral and indifferent stance.

"Please calm down; currently Priscilla is very well guarded, she is no longer allowed to have liberties like before, and of course she can’t see William either, but there is an opportunity to do something, that’s why I came here," the Dryad intervened, raising her voice to calm the dangerous murderous tension between Ryan’s group and the blond hero.

’In the end, they did come here to involve me in their problems,’ Ryan thought with profound annoyance, resting his cheek on the back of his hand.

’This is too annoying, but I know very well that Udriela is real and represents a huge danger to me in the future. That’s why I can determine that what they say is true; damn it, can I not relax even a little bit?’ Ryan complained bitterly in his own head.

Lise, who fluently read his thoughts thanks to their strong mental link, observed him from the main door with great heaviness.

The dragoness exchanged looks with her master for a long second, silently sharing her dear king’s annoyance at having to clean up human trash.

"There is no set date yet, but very soon a tournament will be held in the nation of Geizan. In that tournament, they plan to choose four talented warriors to be Udriela’s personal escorts upon her rebirth," the Dryad continued with her explanation.

"What I came to propose to you, Lord Demon King... is that you infiltrate that tournament with your warriors, and then you will be able to lay your hands on Udriela," Nadira detailed patiently, suggesting an infiltration plan in her speech.

’I think I shouldn’t have mentioned Udriela when I met William,’ Ryan regretted in his mind, keeping his face inscrutable before the spirit’s words.

’That scoundrel intends to manipulate me into taking care of this for him,’ Ryan thought, recognizing the obvious trap he was standing in.

’But if what they say is true... No, I am completely sure it is true. What should I do now...’ Ryan asked himself in his mind, calculating all the risks of traveling to the distant elven nation.

The girls of his lethal group and the outsiders looked at him very intensely. Everyone in the wide hall waited in silence, expecting an answer from him.

"That sounds very interesting; allow me to infiltrate as well," a peculiar voice laden with much calm resonated in the tense room.

The unexpected and sweet female voice echoed off the high stone walls, breaking the concentration of everyone present.

A highly familiar silhouette appeared out of nowhere in the hall, materializing in the air effortlessly. The woman ended up sitting very casually and relaxed right on the left arm of the throne where the human king rested.

Alina and Delia took a step back out of pure instinct at the overwhelming magical presence that filled the room.

William widened his eyes, not having been able to detect the movement of that person until she was already sitting in front of them.

Ryan was not unfazed at all by the sudden appearance just inches from his left shoulder. He simply turned his face a bit to see the powerful intruder sharing his personal space.

"Ophelia," Ryan said completely naturally upon seeing the demon queen leaning on his throne.