Chapter 125 - - 125 - Shattered Vaults and Secret Alliances

Chapter 125: Chapter - 125 - Shattered Vaults and Secret Alliances

"Don’t worry. I have a way to drag that rat out of hiding. I just need your help." Aelvera said, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper.

Lucien let out a soft laugh and closed the distance between them. "Oh? Good girl. I didn’t know you could use your brain." He slid his hand around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Aelvera didn’t pull away. Instead, a sly smirk touched her lips. "Seems like you really love my ass."

"Oh, I really do," Lucien admitted without an ounce of shame, his grip tightening just enough to emphasize his words. "I have a real thing for it. So, what do I get if I help you?"

Aelvera tilted her head back, her eyes gleaming with unspoken promises. "How about this? Once this is over and you help me pull it off, we can spend a long time in dual cultivation. It’ll be my greatest win, and I intend to celebrate it properly. I just hope you can handle me."

Lucien’s gaze darkened with amusement. "Let’s see if you can handle me."

Aelvera’s expression shifted, the playful smirk sharpening into something far more dangerous. "So, do we have a deal... Axel? Or should I say, Lucien Vale?"

For the first time since he had set foot in azurefall, Lucien stilled. The casual ease vanished from his expression. Inside his mind, a dozen calculations flashed in an instant. Where had he made a mistake? How much did she actually know? Was she acting alone? His fingers twitched against her waist as he weighed his options. Should he kill her right here? It would be simple enough to break her neck before she could make a sound. But killing on pure impulse without a proper plan was something Lucien despised. Uncontrolled moves led to messiness, and messiness got people killed.

Before he could decide on a course of action, Aelvera reached up, placing her hand gently on the back of his head and keeping him intimately close.

"Don’t worry," she murmured softly against his ear. "I’m not planning to tell your secret to anyone."

The sheer absurdity of the shift made Lucien crack a thin smile. The edge of danger didn’t entirely vanish, but the immediate tension eased. "How did you find out?"

"Still so calm?" Aelvera chuckled, clearly enjoying the control she thought she possessed. "Well, Lady Lysandra wants to have a conversation with you. She asked me to bring you in, which is the actual reason I called you here."

Lucien’s eyes glinted with genuine curiosity. "Interesting."

Aelvera led Lucien deeper into the hidden quarters of the palace, stopping before a pair of ornate double doors. Pushing them open, she guided him into a lavishly appointed receiving room.

Princess Lysandra sat comfortably on a plush velvet settee, entirely unfazed by their entry. A silver platter rested on the small table beside her, laden with fresh fruits. She picked up a grape, biting into it with deliberate slowness before reaching for a ripe strawberry.

"So we meet again, Axel," Lysandra said, her voice dripping with regal charm as her gaze locked onto his. "Or should I say... Lucien Vale?"

Lucien casually folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, I already heard that one."

Lysandra sighed dramatically, setting her fruit down. "Oh, seems like someone beat me to it. I thought it would sound really cool."

"So how did you figure me out?" Lucien asked, cutting straight through the pleasantries.

"Well, I just had a rather particular guest, and she told me everything," Lysandra replied smoothly.

As if on cue, the heavy silk curtain drawn over an adjoining doorway rustled. A woman stepped out into the candlelight. She was an elf, wrapped in a deep blue hooded cape that cast shadow over her face. Piercing blue eyes gleamed from beneath the hood, framing a face framed by sleek, short black hair. Beneath the folds of her cloak, her full figure—marked by thick thighs and an undeniable presence—demanded immediate attention.

Lucien’s eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise before a familiar smirk returned to his face. "Fayie... it’s been a while."

Aelvera gasped, her head snapping between the intruder and Lucien. She bowed her head hastily. "Lady Fayie... it’s an honor to see you."

Aelvera had known Axel was Lucien because of the information Lysandra had passed along, but she had possessed no idea who had provided that intelligence. To see the legendary figure standing right in front of her, mere feet away, left her momentarily breathless.

"You know Lady Fayie?" Aelvera whispered, looking at Lucien in disbelief. "One of the Seven Realm Breakers? How do you even know her?"

Fayie paid no attention to Aelvera’s surprise. Stepping forward, the legendary elf inclined her head and bowed deeply toward the human standing before her. "It has been a while, Lord Lucien. It is good to see you in good health."

Lysandra watched the interaction with cool, calculating eyes, entirely unbothered by the show of respect. Aelvera, on the other hand, looked as though her entire understanding of the world had just fractured.

Why is Lady Fayie showing respect to Lucien? Aelvera thought, her pulse hammering in her ears. Isn’t he just a human? Lady Fayie is a legendary existence... one of the Seven Realm Breakers!

Lysandra caught the look on her subordinate’s face and spoke up softly. "There used to be seven Realm Breakers, Aelvera."

Fayie raised her head, her sharp blue eyes resting on Lucien with a mixture of reverence and lingering caution. "Right now, standing in front of you, is the man who killed many of the Seven Realm Breakers during the Ancient Breach. So many Spirit Forge Realm masters lost their lives to him back then... yet we were also saved by him. To a man like him, a Spirit Forge master is nothing more than a mortal."

Aelvera’s blood ran cold. Her eyes dilated in absolute terror as the reality of what she had been doing sank in. She had teased this man. She had flirted with him, and threatened him —and she was still breathing.

Noticing her total horror, Lucien turned his head toward Aelvera and offered her a sweet, reassuring smile that made her stomach drop through the floor.

He turned back to the elf. "So you told them my secret," Lucien noted, his tone mild.

"Yes," Fayie admitted without hesitation. "There were two reasons for that. First, since you were mostly helping Prince Rumil and remaining around his inner circle, I wanted Lady Lysandra to be careful. That is why I informed them. And second... I believe Lady Lysandra needs you far more than that incapable Prince Rumil ever could."

Lucien hummed thoughtfully. "So what do you want from me?"

Lysandra adjusted her posture, letting her natural royal aura fill the room. The casual fruit-eating demeanor vanished, replaced by the commanding presence of a true contender for power. "First, tell me: what is your true goal for coming here?"

"I was here for Prince Andrin," Lucien said smoothly. "He... escaped from his prison back home. He wanted help from his childhood friend, Aelene, intending to use her connection to leverage Prince Rumil’s status and launch an attack on Valtheria. I was given strict orders to execute Prince Andrin quietly, without making a scene. But by the time I arrived, he had already met with Aelene. That made things considerably more interesting for me." He ended the sentence with a low chuckle.

Lysandra narrowed her eyes, sifting through the implications. "If he wanted help, why hasn’t he formally asked for it yet? And why was a royal prince imprisoned in the first place?"

"He was imprisoned because he dabbled in demonic cultivation," Lucien explained. "Queen Cynthia wanted him put away permanently to avoid a massive royal disgrace."

Lysandra’s expression sharpened. "Then is there a chance he is the ’Man-Eater’ everyone in the city has been whispering about? The strange killings all started right around the time you arrived to track him down."

"It could very well be," Lucien replied casually. He tilted his head, watching the princess. "So, what do you want from me? Judging by the fact that you haven’t attempted to arrest me, you clearly need something."

"You are here to kill a prince from your own country, correct?" Lysandra asked, confirming the core detail.

"Yes," Lucien said, giving a slight, polite bow to acknowledge her royal authority.

Lysandra leaned forward, her eyes glowing with ruthless ambition. "How about you kill our prince along with yours?"

Lucien didn’t even blink. "Won’t be a problem. But you do realize that killing Prince Rumil won’t automatically grant you the throne of Azurefall, don’t you?"

"I know," Lysandra said flatly. "But if you are dying of thirst and the only thing available is wine, you don’t complain that it isn’t water."

Lucien’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. "So Princess Lysandra considers herself wine... Careful. Don’t make me thirsty." ℴ

Lysandra rolled her eyes, scoffing lightly as she leaned back into her cushions. "I’m not going to fall for your cheap tricks, you womanizer."

"Fair enough," Lucien laughed softly. "But what do I get if I help you with this little family problem?"

"If a monster like you becomes my personal ally from Valtheria, I will send an official invitation when I take power," Lysandra promised, her tone utterly serious. "I will extend an offer of genuine friendship to Valtheria, binding our nations together. An ally like Azurefall is something your kingdom cannot afford to pass up."

Lucien weighed the offer for a brief second before nodding. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He turned toward the exit, pausing at the threshold to look back over his shoulder. "Then two days from now, make sure you watch the demise of the grand Prince Rumil... from the highest vantage point in the city."

The night air was thick and heavy, carrying the silence of a city fast asleep. It was almost midnight.

Deep within the inner district of the palace grounds, two teams moved like shadows through the dark. Anne and Erion were making their way toward Prince Rumil’s eastern vault, while Zyrelle and Lucien were positioned near the south vault. The plan was precise: once the east and south vaults were stripped clean, Lucien and Zyrelle would hit the west vault while Erion and Anne took the north. They would all rendezvous at the northwest exit before the palace guard even realized what had hit them.

Crouched near a heavily shadowed maintenance gate, Anne glanced back at her companion. "Erion, ready?"

"Yes, Lady Anne," Erion whispered, gripping his weapon tightly.

Without another word, both of them slipped through the breach and dropped into the silent underground tunnel network where Prince Rumil’s final private treasuries were hidden.

Locating these secret vaults had taken immense effort. Lucien had tried to pinpoint the treasury locations multiple times on his own, but searching the vast expanse of Azurefall without triggering wards was nearly impossible. So, he had used Aelene. When Prince Rumil was drunk, he was loose-tongued, spilling his deepest secrets to his fiancee. Aelene was a pragmatic woman; she understood where her long-term interests lay and knew how to survival-calculate. Recognizing Lucien’s power, she had traded Rumil’s trust for her own future.

Taking full advantage of that betrayal, Lucien had designed this entire operation to systematically gut Prince Rumil—the very man who currently viewed Lucien as his most trusted friend.

The moment Anne landed inside the vault corridor, she moved with lethal efficiency. She didn’t wait, didn’t talk, and didn’t offer warnings. Anyone standing guard over the treasury had to die immediately.

As a Spirit Forge Realm master who also possessed her own system, the guards didn’t stand a chance. Spotting a heavily armored sentry standing in the torchlight ahead, Anne blurred forward. Before the man could even register the rush of wind, her blade swept in a clean arc. A line of red flared in the dark, and his head hit the stone floor with a dull thud.

Footsteps echoed from a side passage as another guard rushed in, alerted by the body dropping. Anne didn’t turn around. She slammed her palm against the stone floor, unleashing her frost magic. A blinding wave of ice erupted along the floor and walls, instantly encasing the tunnel and freezing the guard solid mid-stride. The sudden, extreme cold turned him into a crystalline statue before he could even draw a breath.

Standing behind her, Erion swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had never seen a woman fight like this. She wasn’t just skilled; she was utterly ruthless. She executed trained soldiers without a second of hesitation or a single trace of emotion on her face.

I really shouldn’t be looking at her like that, Erion thought frantically, forcing his eyes away from her curves. Lord Lucien would literally kill me if he noticed... but damn, she’s hot.

"Erion!" Anne’s sharp, cold voice snapped him right out of his thoughts.

She stood amidst the frozen remnants of the corridor, sheathing her sword. "Everyone in this sector is dead. Go in and empty the vaults. Make sure you don’t leave a single coin behind. Pack everything into the Eternal Void Box, and do not lose it."

"Y-Yes, my lady!" Erion stammered, scrambling toward the heavily reinforced metal doors of the vault.

Man, she is terrifying, he added mentally, breaking out into a cold sweat.

Suddenly, Anne’s head snapped toward the far end of the underground passageway. Heavy, irregular footsteps echoed from the gloom—a massive, rhythmic thudding that shook dust from the ceiling stone. Whatever was coming was huge. Human, beast, or some horrific fusion of both, it was moving fast.

Anne’s eyes narrowed as she drew her sword once more, stepping into a low stance in front of the open vault door. Behind her, Erion was busy looting the vast fortunes of the prince, entirely unaware as she prepared herself for the real fight.