Chapter 102: Astonishing Intelligence

Looking at the twenty high-grade magic stones on the table, Flandre revealed a playful smile and asked, "Archbishop Neil, could these magic stones be the very gambling winnings that the Red Dragon Chamber of Commerce paid you last time?"

Link’s smile remained unchanged as he replied, "The Father God told me that gambling is the root of all evil. It is best to return such winnings to their rightful owner. Now, I am using these winnings to purchase information, which is also in accordance with the Father God’s will."

"The Father God’s will, is it? Very well. These winnings are enough for me to answer a few of your questions. However, Archbishop Neil, you must understand that my information starts at ten thousand Sola per piece. If it involves particularly sensitive topics, an additional fee will be required," Flandre said with a smile.

"That is no problem. I am familiar with the rules, and I trust in the accuracy of your information, Mr. Flandre," Link said, his smile still unwavering.

Flandre stared at Link for a long moment before saying, "Not only do you bid without hesitation, but you also trust me so readily—Archbishop Neil, you truly surprise me. Many of the people who trade with me usually try to haggle. You seem to have investigated me before coming here. May I ask where you learned about me?"

"Haha, if Mr. Flandre is willing to trade an piece of information for the answer to that, I would be happy to tell you," Link replied, his smile still fixed.

Flandre shrugged. "Never mind then. That would be a losing business for me. I can guess the situation to some extent; you are truly lucky to have the protection of that Lady."

Upon hearing this, although Link’s smile did not fade, his eyes narrowed. He said in a calm tone, "That Lady, you say? Can you tell me who exactly that pair of master and servant from the Scarlet family are?"

Flandre nodded. "Oh, it seems you really did learn about me from that Lady. However, Archbishop Neil, that Lady has a special status. Are you certain you really want to know? It is not that I won't tell you, but given your current circumstances, knowing the Lady's identity is not necessarily a good thing. Besides, information regarding that Lady comes at a high price!"

"Price is not an issue," Link stared at Flandre, maintaining his inscrutable smile. "Moreover, since that Lady recommended I come to you to purchase information, she has naturally tacitly approved of this. Perhaps, in her view, it is time for me to know her identity."

Flandre nodded. "That is true. Although I cannot perceive how much your martial arts have improved, your magic purity is far greater than when we last met. At your current level, you have likely reached the Fifth Order or so, haven't you? At this level, knowing about that Lady is nothing out of the ordinary. Furthermore, with the Father God Church growing in power recently, no one in this Red Moon Province is your match, aside from the five major religions." Having said this, he crossed his legs and smiled. "Very well, five high-grade magic stones, and I will tell you about the Scarlet family."

"Deal," Link said with a smile. His expression was calm, as if he didn't care about the five high-grade magic stones at all, but in reality, his heart was bleeding. Five high-grade magic stones! How much grain could that buy? If it weren't to clarify the situation of his 'ally,' he would never spend so much money in vain.

Flandre clapped his hands. "Excellent, Archbishop Neil is truly straightforward." As he spoke, he waved his hand, and five stones vanished from the table. He then continued, "The Scarlet family is a lineage that rose five thousand years ago. The founder of this family was an Ancient Holy Spirit; however, that Ancient Holy Spirit has been missing for over four thousand years, and I do not know their current fate. Since then, the Scarlet family has passed through several generations. Now, it is the Lady you know—Remilia Scarlet—who rules over the Scarlet family as its Matriarch. Archbishop Neil, do not be fooled by her teenage appearance; she is actually over five hundred years old. That Lady is not human, but a Holy Spirit—a Holy Spirit who wields the power of Fate!" With that, he paused and looked at Link.

Seeing this, Link shook his head and said, "Mr. Flandre, is that all? That won't do. I already knew that Miss Remilia was a Holy Spirit. I spent five high-grade magic stones, and I am not looking for such trivial history."

Flandre whistled. "Oh? It seems Archbishop Neil truly knows quite a lot. Very well. In truth, I only wanted to give you some time to process the Lady’s identity; I did not intend to stop there. Rest assured, my information will certainly make you feel that the cost was well-spent." He paused and continued, "That Lady is quite powerful, but among Holy Spirits, she is very young. This led to some elders within the Scarlet family becoming restless. Finally, fifty years ago, a rebellion broke out within the Scarlet family. However, those rebels grossly underestimated the Lady's strength and were ultimately suppressed with iron-fisted cruelty, killed to the last one. The Scarlet family was truly brought under the Lady's control. Come to think of it, while that Lady looks adorable, her methods are truly cold-blooded. She slaughtered the entire family, leaving only herself and her younger sister. The bloody nature of those methods is terrifying to think about."

Learning that Remilia had such a dark history, Link was slightly startled, but he did not show it. He continued, "If I am not mistaken, Miss Remilia's sister must have been severely injured during that rebellion, right?"

Hearing this, Flandre snapped his fingers. "Exactly. Her sister, Flandre Scarlet, was severely wounded by enemies while protecting her. Her soul was damaged, and she was nearly extinguished. As far as I know, only the blood of an Ancient Holy Spirit and some things I am not even aware of could save her sister. In order to save her, she has been traveling the world, searching for clues to the blood of an Ancient Holy Spirit. Ah, what a deep and affectionate sisterly bond; it is truly moving. It is only a pity that the Ancient Holy Spirits have been missing for thousands of years. Finding one is easier said than done; even I have absolutely no leads. Archbishop Neil, I do not boast, but there is very little in this world that I do not know." He looked at Link with a meaningful gaze. "However, recently I discovered someone whose situation I cannot fathom, and I would very much like to keep a close eye on his every move. Unfortunately, that Lady does not allow it. To that Lady who wields the power of Fate, my little tricks are not worth mentioning. To avoid being sealed by her, I have had to suppress my desire to do what I enjoy. It is truly a painful torture."

Link ignored Flandre's final resentful complaint. After learning about Remilia's situation, he was certain that she was genuinely trading with him, and this transaction benefited him far more than it harmed him. At the very least, not having to worry about being spied on daily by this Holy Spirit made him feel that he had profited. He was no pervert, and being spied on was not a pleasant feeling.

With this in mind, Link said, "Let us leave the matter of the Scarlet sisters aside. I remember I said earlier that I wanted to know about the Scarlet master and servant? What about the information on the other person?"

Seeing Link lightly brush past the topic of being spied on, Flandre sighed helplessly, then revealed a smile. "Rest assured, I will not renege on my word. The servant you speak of is Miss Sakuya, correct? Haha, she is not a simple figure, but a Saint among humans. She rose to fame one hundred years ago. At that time, blinded by hatred, she slaughtered the entire population of a kingdom's capital, causing that country to be wiped out overnight—Archbishop Neil, you are a wise man who has read many books; you should know of whom I speak, right?"

"...The Sorrowful Murder Princess—Princess Sakuya!" Link took a deep breath and spoke the name.

This was a truly formidable figure. A hundred years ago, in the east of the Orei Continent, there was a kingdom capable of challenging the major empires, named Night-Whisper. This country had twin princesses: the elder, Princess Sakuya, and the younger, Princess Izayoi. In the Night-Whisper Kingdom, these names meant "The Smile of the Night Sky" and "The Night of the Starry Sky." Both princesses were prodigies, and under the guidance of world-renowned masters, they reached the Ninth Order at the age of sixteen. Compared to them, any genius Link had ever seen was weak as dung—not worth mentioning at all.

Faced with this situation, nations outside the Night-Whisper Kingdom were terrified, while the kingdom itself celebrated. However, unexpectedly, the speed at which the two princesses practiced was not because their talent was truly so heaven-defying that it left all the world's geniuses in the dust, but because they were practicing a vicious, evil art passed down from the Dongyun Empire—an art that even the Dongyun Empire strictly prohibited, punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan.

Only the princesses' master and their father, the King, knew of this. The King, favoring men over women, treated his daughters merely as tools. He did not care what harm this evil art would bring to them; he only needed power that could deter the great empires, and he desired to be crowned Emperor—to achieve that, he would sacrifice everything!

As a result, on the sixteenth birthday of the two princesses, the side effects of the evil art erupted. The two princesses fell into agonizing torture. The only way to save them was to kill the person they loved most, who practiced the same evil art and was at the same level of cultivation. For them, the only person who met those criteria and whom they loved most was each other. Having grown up together, and lacking affection from the elders and relatives who treated them as tools, the twin sisters poured all their emotions into each other. Their familial love gradually warped, leading them to be deeply attached to one another. Had it not been for the shackles of ethics, they would likely have become lovers already.

It was precisely because of this deep emotional bond that the two princesses had to make the most painful choice: kill the other, or die together.

Ultimately, Princess Sakuya killed Princess Izayoi. But it was not voluntary; Izayoi had deceived Sakuya, throwing herself onto Sakuya's blade, creating a human tragedy. At that very moment, Sakuya completed the final step of the evil art, breaking through the Ninth Order to become a legendary Saint.

The Night-Whisper King and the master who had orchestrated all this were ecstatic and immediately activated their contingency plan—the collars placed on the two princesses to control them.

However, how could they have known that a Saint is not so easily controlled, let alone a Saint filled with hatred who had lost all humanity?

The result was a disaster that shocked the world. That night, Sakuya broke free from her shackles and frantically slaughtered the entire capital, not leaving even a dog behind. The prosperous capital turned into a dead zone overnight. The Night-Whisper Kingdom, having lost its center, fell into a period of warlordism and civil war. Later, surrounding countries intervened, and the Night-Whisper Kingdom was relegated to history.

Afterward, people fearfully called Princess Sakuya the "Demon Queen." When the truth came to light, while people were shocked and saddened, her story spread. When the ruler of the Dongyun Empire at that time learned of the incident, he sighed and gave Princess Sakuya an elegant yet sorrowful title—a title that became synonymous with her.

The Sorrowful Murder Princess!