Chapter 1200 - 192: The Approach of Old Jasper

Chapter 1200: Chapter 192: The Approach of Old Jasper

Su Li planned with deliberation against unprepared minds, and his strategy was naturally a resounding success!

The entire parliament assumed Bayonetta had come aggressively to demand accountability. Some even thought this was Bayonetta’s last desperate struggle. They had even decided how to use the curse and recent events to humiliate and manipulate this noble lady.

Little did they know, upon entering the dim underground chamber and dismissing the guards, Lady Bayonetta vanished!

When the Guard Captain bewilderedly asked where Lady Bayonetta had gone, a storm descended upon Marle Castle.

The Parliament Building was tightly encircled by the City Lord’s Mansion’s Elite Guard and the loyal City Guard Army to Bayonetta, impenetrable. The enraged Captain of City Mansion Guards, eyes red, demanded the parliament immediately surrender the culprit and provide an explanation. The entire Parliament Building was shrouded in a tense, explosive atmosphere.

Instantly, the parliament was divided. The hardliners advocated for full resistance, accusing the City Mansion of exploiting the situation; the compromisers eagerly sought to dissociate, demanding a scapegoat to quell the anger. Arguments, accusations, evasions—the erstwhile allies teetered on the brink of collapse amidst the massive crisis.

The proxy steward of the City Lord’s Mansion, after the initial shock and grief, quickly regained composure. They firmly clung to the parliament’s "murder" charge, while transmitting messages to the distant frontline City Lord Joachim von Gorg and mobilizing all available forces to commence sweeping clean of the parliament’s city influence.

Seizure of property! Arresting pro-parliament officials! Expelling the parliament’s mercenary corps! Freezing the parliament’s treasury! A series of formidable actions aggressively unfolded under the righteous banner of "revenge for the lady," plunging Marle Castle into unprecedented chaos and panic, with fierce street conflicts erupting, flames and shouts incessantly rising.

The Parliament Building became the storm’s epicenter. The City Lord Mansion’s army and the parliament’s assembled private militias and mercenaries fiercely confronted around this symbol of power. The once-prosperous streets turned into battlefields, shops shut, citizens trembling in their homes, the entire city shrouded in a somber iron curtain.

Amidst Marle Castle’s vortex of civil war, the instigators of the storm slipped away from its center like ghosts.

With the perfect-grade Half-man Cloak as cover, Lady Bayonetta became like a transparent shadow, closely following Su Li.

Su Li’s Hesse Knight Order, under Hilude’s prior arrangements, had already discreetly retreated from Marle Castle citing "provocation by parliament forces, needing to temporarily leave the city," and had gathered outside the city awaiting orders before the plan’s execution.

Without earth-shattering farewells, without blazing breakouts, amidst the chaotic city backdrop, they easily left the former prison with Lady Bayonetta.

Once far from the city and assured of safety, Bayonetta lifted the cloak’s hood. She looked back at the vast city shrouded in an iron curtain, that golden cage imprisoning her for thirty years. Dawn’s light reflected on her face; her once-cold eyes held complex memories of the past, a bewilderment for the future, but more than anything else, a dizzying sense of freedom after breaking free from bondage and... deep reliance on the man beside her.

"It’s over..." she murmured, her voice as light as a sigh.

"No," Su Li gripped her hand tightly, his gaze sharply fixed on the direction of Hesse Territory, "it’s a new beginning."

The journey back to Hesse Territory became unprecedentedly smooth due to Su Li’s advancement to Divine Chosen Tier. Lady Bayonetta remained mostly silent, spending most of her time nestled beside Su Li, like a bird that finally found sanctuary after its fright.

She needed time to digest these earth-shattering changes, from distinguished Lady of the City Lord to a "eloping" lover, from Marle Castle’s power center to this cold, barren Northern Territory. The disparity in identity and uncertainty about the future filled her with unease.

Only at night during camp, embraced by Su Li’s powerful arms, could the bone-deep reliance and comfort left by the curse and extreme ecstasy temporarily dispel her confusion.

When the iconic, basalt-built majestic castle of Hesse Territory finally appeared on the horizon, everyone in the team breathed a sigh of relief. The flag bearing the Bauhinia Flower Emblem fluttered robustly in the spring wind, exuding a sense of wild and resilient strength.

The Territory’s Iron-fisted Prime Minister Oliver, leading ministers, awaited at the Bauhinia Palace gates to welcome Su Li.

Upon seeing Su Li, Oliver stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Greetings, Lord. May the Goddess’s radiance forever shine upon your robes."

"In the Territory, we have already heard of your achievements; currently, Marle Castle is in chaos. It seems that both sides eventually couldn’t contain their ambition; battles have already erupted in recent days."

Su Li calmly replied, "This is naturally advantageous for us. However, although we can reap the benefits like fishers, we must guard against their desperate actions. Mobilize the troops, and notify each Knight Order, Bishop’s Council; have the Church Knights ready to gather; the Night Wanderer Corpse is approaching."

This was revealed by intelligence during his return journey; the Night Wanderer Corpse’s actions had become very active, with nearly 10 envoys infiltrating various villages and outposts within the Territory during this period.