478 Henrietta's Shock and Suspicion
However, Henrietta's casual confusion and bewilderment soon turned into serious shock after she learned the battle witch army had already departed to invade the Holy Knight Empire.
"What did you just say?! Someone called Lord Vaan led the battle witch army to invade the Holy Knight Empire?! And with less than 300 thousand battle witches, no less?!" Henrietta bellowed, demanding immediate confirmation.
It was one thing to be invaded by other countries but to invade other countries had entirely different consequences!
The possibility of a continental war happening alarmed Henrietta greatly.
"What about the dragons? How many dragons assisted in battle?"
Henrietta quickly added, thinking the decision to invade was due to the Red Dragon Clan's involvement.
However, the battle witch didn't immediately answer.
"..."
The battle witch could only blink once at Henrietta for a moment, maintaining a respectful smile while hiding the dumb look she suppressed from showing.
"I'm sorry? What did you just say, Your Majesty? There are dragons?"
"The dragons didn't participate?"
Henrietta was immediately startled after realizing the dragons didn't participate in defending the Kingdom of Black Rose's borders.
However, she didn't elaborate.
More importantly, how on earth did they fend off the Holy Knight Empire's 1.5-million-strong army with only a mere 300-thousand battle witch army?
Furthermore, they only lost 20 thousand battle witches in battle...
Thinking up until that point, Henrietta immediately focused on the supreme commander of the battle witch army, the one who led the witches to such an overwhelming victory against the Holy Knight Empire.
"This Lord Vaan... He couldn't be the same deceased Vaan Raphna I approved to be entitled as a Venerable Sage, right?" Henrietta asked.
"I'm afraid he is, and he is actually still alive, Your Majesty," Ember mentioned, still dwelling over the topic of dragons.
However, she also understood that Henrietta didn't intend to talk more about it.
At the same time, Henrietta directed her attention to Ember.
"You knew this man was alive the whole time and didn't disclose this information to me?" Henrietta wondered with furrowed brows.
"I couldn't, Your Majesty," Ember smiled wryly with a bit of guilt before saying, "Astoria is obsessed with this man. She didn't want you to know he was still alive until he was officially entitled Venerable Sage."
"..."
Henrietta immediately felt speechless.
She was only away from her kingdom for a short while. Yet, it felt like she was a cavewoman that had just been unfrozen from ice and returned to human society—only to find out the world had changed entirely. It was just one piece of surprising news and shock after the other.
"Astoria is obsessed with a man... To think that after three hundred years, she finally shows interest in someone. Now, I'm quite curious about this man."
"Are you not also talking about yourself, Your Majesty?" Ember teased with a soft chuckle, but she was also curious about this abnormal existence that emerged in their kingdom.
"Nonsense. How can I target the same man as one of my best friends?" Henrietta scoffed and said, "I am only expressing pure curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no man worthy of me in this world."
"Sure, if you say so, Your Majesty," Ember giggled, not intending to argue with Henrietta on that point.
Nevertheless, after finding out the Kingdom of Black Rose had repelled the Holy Knight Empire's invasion, they were somewhat relieved.
But at the same time, they gained a greater concern, especially when the situation of the battle witch army in the Holy Knight Empire was unclear.
However, they couldn't just leave the kingdom and chase after the battle witch army's tail—not without grasping the full picture, at least.
"Tell me how the battle here took place."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shortly after the battle witch complied, recounting the details of the battle in the border regions. During that time, Henrietta and Ember revealed alternating expressions between astonishment, shock, and confusion.
However, the battle witch didn't find it strange for them to exhibit such reactions. Any normal person would have reacted the same way.
After all, the battle against the Holy Knight Empire couldn't be judged with normal common sense.
While the tactics they deployed against the Holy Knight Empire were impressive, they were still the least remarkable aspects on the list.
The mana utilization method... The high number of High Witches...
The extremely powerful defensive upgrade of the forts... The advanced magic tools, equipment, and magic bombs...
A skilled strategist could deploy great tactics, but none of the other aspects could be acquired just because they wished for it.
It defied their common sense.
But while Ember had no idea how the battle witches suddenly acquired such means from Vaan, Henrietta highly suspected the Red Dragon Clan's involvement.
After all, she had an agreement with the Red Dragon Clan.
In Henrietta's opinion, it was impossible for an intelligent man like Vaan to exist, much less in their kingdom, which deprived men of their rights.
Not only did Vaan reveal overwhelming wisdom that did not his age, but he also had an unmatched fire ability that could repel Emperor Renardier's personal attack. In addition, he provided all those incredible aspects and led the battle witches to victory.
Putting all those key points together, Henrietta arrived at a conclusion: Vaan was not human; he was, in fact, one of the dragon lords who had transformed into a human appearance with magic.
The more she thought about it, the more she believed it to be the case.
It was the only way for the Red Dragon Clan to honor their agreement to join hands and defend against any foreign invasions without exposing their true existence.
However, she did remember learning that dragons couldn't transform into human beings, even with their magic, at least not in Pangea.
Perhaps, they found a way?
'It's indeed possible for dragons to transform into human beings. However, this is only possible for beasts when they reach the Divine Beast Realm,' Henrietta's master mentioned.
'What is the Divine Beast Realm? How does it compare to the Transcendent Rank, master?' Henrietta asked.
'How does it compare to the Transcendent Rank? They're not comparable at all!' Henrietta's master scoffed.
'Beasts in the Divine Beast Realm are far stronger than Transcendents. Even the Rank 6 beings of Chaos might not be as strong as them. They are more comparable to the Celestials and Divine Origin Realm experts of my world."
'That said, Pangea and Chaos possess something that even my world did not: mana. The power of existence here is so abundant I still find it hard to believe such places exist. You don't even need to learn runes, manipulation techniques, and special incantations to bend the world's laws to your whims. '
'As such, it's still quite possible that the dragons have found a way to transform into human beings without reaching the adequate level,' Henrietta's master stated.
That was also the reason why she wanted Henrietta to give up on the Kingdom of Black Rose and enter Chaos. It was a world with infinite possibilities due to the manifestation of the power of existence itself.
There, she would have hope of forging a new, perfect body and achieving her dream of reaching the fabled Beyond True Divinity Realm.
After Henrietta listened to her master's opinion, she was even more sure of her suspicion.
"I need to make a trip to the Thousand Fog Mountains," Astoria informed Ember, which surprised the latter.
"The Thousand Fog Mountains?" Ember furrowed her brows with confusion before asking with doubt, "Not the Holy Knight Empire?"
"You heard me, Ember," Henrietta smiled mysteriously.
The Red Dragon Clan was located within the Thousand Fog Mountains and was comparably close, unlike the Holy Knight Empire.
If she visited the Red Dragon Clan, she could better grasp the situation and, if need be, have the dragons send her to the battle witch army's location via spatial magic within mere seconds.
It was a much better option than venturing into the Holy Knight Empire alone without a clear direction, possibly wasting several days before she located the battle witch army.
"Alright, if you wish, Your Majesty," Ember shrugged helplessly.
Even if she asked, Henrietta was unlikely to tell her the reason for visiting the Thousand Fog Mountains.
Everyone had their secrets, and even as a close friend, it wasn't her place to pry.
Henrietta appreciated Ember's understanding.
Nevertheless, just as Henrietta and Ember prepared to depart from Fort Whitebridge, Henrietta suddenly thought of something she had missed.
"Oh, right." Henrietta immediately turned back to the battle witch she had spoken with earlier and asked her, "How did this Lord Vaan convince everyone to follow his orders?"
Considering the battle witch army consisted of 250 thousand witches, many of them were likely supremacist witches from the capital.
Such stubborn people wouldn't have followed the orders of an unknown man willingly.
As such, Henrietta suspected 'Lord Vaan' used some special dragon magic to gain their cooperation and obedience.
However, the battle witch gave Henrietta a strange look when she asked the question.
"Didn't you take the teleportation platform from the capital to get here, Your Majesty?" the battle witch asked, further adding, "You didn't hear it from the others there?"
"No, why?" Henrietta frowned.
"It was sheer violence, Your Majesty... Lord Vaan... He beat up everyone in the capital until they submitted of their own volition and swore their allegiance with the Oath of Magic."
Upon hearing that, Ember, beside Henrietta, immediately put on a serious expression, finding Vaan's actions to be challenging Henrietta's authority as the kingdom's ruler.
However, what she didn't expect was that Henrietta would suddenly burst into hysterical laughter in the same instant.
"Hahahahahahaha! Sheer violence, huh? I see, I see!" Henrietta wiped her tears of laughter and said, "I need to hear more about this later.
Oh, but did Lord Vaan at least knock out all of Matriarch Shyla's teeth? Or pluck out all of that old hag's, Matriarch Starla's hair? Oh, oh! What about—"
"Ahem! Your Majesty!"
Ember coughed, signaling Henrietta to calm down while the battle witch stared at her with a dumbfounded, speechless look.
478 Henrietta's Shock and Suspicion
However, Henrietta's casual confusion and bewilderment soon turned into serious shock after she learned the battle witch army had already departed to invade the Holy Knight Empire.
"What did you just say?! Someone called Lord Vaan led the battle witch army to invade the Holy Knight Empire?! And with less than 300 thousand battle witches, no less?!" Henrietta bellowed, demanding immediate confirmation.
It was one thing to be invaded by other countries but to invade other countries had entirely different consequences!
The possibility of a continental war happening alarmed Henrietta greatly.
"What about the dragons? How many dragons assisted in battle?"
Henrietta quickly added, thinking the decision to invade was due to the Red Dragon Clan's involvement.
However, the battle witch didn't immediately answer.
"..."
The battle witch could only blink once at Henrietta for a moment, maintaining a respectful smile while hiding the dumb look she suppressed from showing.
"I'm sorry? What did you just say, Your Majesty? There are dragons?"
"The dragons didn't participate?"
Henrietta was immediately startled after realizing the dragons didn't participate in defending the Kingdom of Black Rose's borders.
However, she didn't elaborate.
More importantly, how on earth did they fend off the Holy Knight Empire's 1.5-million-strong army with only a mere 300-thousand battle witch army?
Furthermore, they only lost 20 thousand battle witches in battle...
Thinking up until that point, Henrietta immediately focused on the supreme commander of the battle witch army, the one who led the witches to such an overwhelming victory against the Holy Knight Empire.
"This Lord Vaan... He couldn't be the same deceased Vaan Raphna I approved to be entitled as a Venerable Sage, right?" Henrietta asked.
"I'm afraid he is, and he is actually still alive, Your Majesty," Ember mentioned, still dwelling over the topic of dragons.
However, she also understood that Henrietta didn't intend to talk more about it.
At the same time, Henrietta directed her attention to Ember.
"You knew this man was alive the whole time and didn't disclose this information to me?" Henrietta wondered with furrowed brows.
"I couldn't, Your Majesty," Ember smiled wryly with a bit of guilt before saying, "Astoria is obsessed with this man. She didn't want you to know he was still alive until he was officially entitled Venerable Sage."
"..."
Henrietta immediately felt speechless.
She was only away from her kingdom for a short while. Yet, it felt like she was a cavewoman that had just been unfrozen from ice and returned to human society—only to find out the world had changed entirely. It was just one piece of surprising news and shock after the other.
"Astoria is obsessed with a man... To think that after three hundred years, she finally shows interest in someone. Now, I'm quite curious about this man."
"Are you not also talking about yourself, Your Majesty?" Ember teased with a soft chuckle, but she was also curious about this abnormal existence that emerged in their kingdom.
"Nonsense. How can I target the same man as one of my best friends?" Henrietta scoffed and said, "I am only expressing pure curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no man worthy of me in this world."
"Sure, if you say so, Your Majesty," Ember giggled, not intending to argue with Henrietta on that point.
Nevertheless, after finding out the Kingdom of Black Rose had repelled the Holy Knight Empire's invasion, they were somewhat relieved.
But at the same time, they gained a greater concern, especially when the situation of the battle witch army in the Holy Knight Empire was unclear.
However, they couldn't just leave the kingdom and chase after the battle witch army's tail—not without grasping the full picture, at least.
"Tell me how the battle here took place."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shortly after the battle witch complied, recounting the details of the battle in the border regions. During that time, Henrietta and Ember revealed alternating expressions between astonishment, shock, and confusion.
However, the battle witch didn't find it strange for them to exhibit such reactions. Any normal person would have reacted the same way.
After all, the battle against the Holy Knight Empire couldn't be judged with normal common sense.
While the tactics they deployed against the Holy Knight Empire were impressive, they were still the least remarkable aspects on the list.
The mana utilization method... The high number of High Witches...
The extremely powerful defensive upgrade of the forts... The advanced magic tools, equipment, and magic bombs...
A skilled strategist could deploy great tactics, but none of the other aspects could be acquired just because they wished for it.
It defied their common sense.
But while Ember had no idea how the battle witches suddenly acquired such means from Vaan, Henrietta highly suspected the Red Dragon Clan's involvement.
After all, she had an agreement with the Red Dragon Clan.
In Henrietta's opinion, it was impossible for an intelligent man like Vaan to exist, much less in their kingdom, which deprived men of their rights.
Not only did Vaan reveal overwhelming wisdom that did not his age, but he also had an unmatched fire ability that could repel Emperor Renardier's personal attack. In addition, he provided all those incredible aspects and led the battle witches to victory.
Putting all those key points together, Henrietta arrived at a conclusion: Vaan was not human; he was, in fact, one of the dragon lords who had transformed into a human appearance with magic.
The more she thought about it, the more she believed it to be the case.
It was the only way for the Red Dragon Clan to honor their agreement to join hands and defend against any foreign invasions without exposing their true existence.
However, she did remember learning that dragons couldn't transform into human beings, even with their magic, at least not in Pangea.
Perhaps, they found a way?
'It's indeed possible for dragons to transform into human beings. However, this is only possible for beasts when they reach the Divine Beast Realm,' Henrietta's master mentioned.
'What is the Divine Beast Realm? How does it compare to the Transcendent Rank, master?' Henrietta asked.
'How does it compare to the Transcendent Rank? They're not comparable at all!' Henrietta's master scoffed.
'Beasts in the Divine Beast Realm are far stronger than Transcendents. Even the Rank 6 beings of Chaos might not be as strong as them. They are more comparable to the Celestials and Divine Origin Realm experts of my world."
'That said, Pangea and Chaos possess something that even my world did not: mana. The power of existence here is so abundant I still find it hard to believe such places exist. You don't even need to learn runes, manipulation techniques, and special incantations to bend the world's laws to your whims. '
'As such, it's still quite possible that the dragons have found a way to transform into human beings without reaching the adequate level,' Henrietta's master stated.
That was also the reason why she wanted Henrietta to give up on the Kingdom of Black Rose and enter Chaos. It was a world with infinite possibilities due to the manifestation of the power of existence itself.
There, she would have hope of forging a new, perfect body and achieving her dream of reaching the fabled Beyond True Divinity Realm.
After Henrietta listened to her master's opinion, she was even more sure of her suspicion.
"I need to make a trip to the Thousand Fog Mountains," Astoria informed Ember, which surprised the latter.
"The Thousand Fog Mountains?" Ember furrowed her brows with confusion before asking with doubt, "Not the Holy Knight Empire?"
"You heard me, Ember," Henrietta smiled mysteriously.
The Red Dragon Clan was located within the Thousand Fog Mountains and was comparably close, unlike the Holy Knight Empire.
If she visited the Red Dragon Clan, she could better grasp the situation and, if need be, have the dragons send her to the battle witch army's location via spatial magic within mere seconds.
It was a much better option than venturing into the Holy Knight Empire alone without a clear direction, possibly wasting several days before she located the battle witch army.
"Alright, if you wish, Your Majesty," Ember shrugged helplessly.
Even if she asked, Henrietta was unlikely to tell her the reason for visiting the Thousand Fog Mountains.
Everyone had their secrets, and even as a close friend, it wasn't her place to pry.
Henrietta appreciated Ember's understanding.
Nevertheless, just as Henrietta and Ember prepared to depart from Fort Whitebridge, Henrietta suddenly thought of something she had missed.
"Oh, right." Henrietta immediately turned back to the battle witch she had spoken with earlier and asked her, "How did this Lord Vaan convince everyone to follow his orders?"
Considering the battle witch army consisted of 250 thousand witches, many of them were likely supremacist witches from the capital.
Such stubborn people wouldn't have followed the orders of an unknown man willingly.
As such, Henrietta suspected 'Lord Vaan' used some special dragon magic to gain their cooperation and obedience.
However, the battle witch gave Henrietta a strange look when she asked the question.
"Didn't you take the teleportation platform from the capital to get here, Your Majesty?" the battle witch asked, further adding, "You didn't hear it from the others there?"
"No, why?" Henrietta frowned.
"It was sheer violence, Your Majesty... Lord Vaan... He beat up everyone in the capital until they submitted of their own volition and swore their allegiance with the Oath of Magic."
Upon hearing that, Ember, beside Henrietta, immediately put on a serious expression, finding Vaan's actions to be challenging Henrietta's authority as the kingdom's ruler.
However, what she didn't expect was that Henrietta would suddenly burst into hysterical laughter in the same instant.
"Hahahahahahaha! Sheer violence, huh? I see, I see!" Henrietta wiped her tears of laughter and said, "I need to hear more about this later.
Oh, but did Lord Vaan at least knock out all of Matriarch Shyla's teeth? Or pluck out all of that old hag's, Matriarch Starla's hair? Oh, oh! What about—"
"Ahem! Your Majesty!"
Ember coughed, signaling Henrietta to calm down while the battle witch stared at her with a dumbfounded, speechless look.
