81 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 81: Is This Subordinate a Bit Too Exceptional? The story rewinds to ten minutes earlier. Standing atop the dragon's head, Evestia gazed down upon the vast city of Oran from her lofty vantage point. The lingering sternness in her eyes conveyed an air of authority and vigilance. Her dozen or so subordinates appeared equally silent. The mission had failed. Even though none of her team had been lost, the outcome was still disappointing as Evestia had failed to retrieve the sealed artifact hidden by the Order of Genesis from the underground ruins. Just as Duke Tirus had mentioned before, the state of the artifact was indeed peculiar. Even with Evestia exerting most of her power, she couldn’t take it away. It was at least a Class 2 sealed object. Evestia had made this judgment on the spot. Items of this level often possess strong self-awareness, capable of forming various rules through their inherent characteristics. Even Evestia hesitated to act rashly without knowing its properties. Moreover, the Class 2 estimate was conservative. She vaguely felt the true sequence level of the artifact might be even higher. Thus, after much contemplation, Evestia decided to withdraw for the safety of herself and her subordinates. After all, she wasn’t a professional in containment operations; it was better to leave it to the Church. However, this was a secret mission assigned by Pope Saint Roland VI, and failing it meant certain punishment—something she had experienced countless times since childhood. With these thoughts, Evestia felt her mood dampen. As the dragon's wing beats slowed, their altitude rapidly decreased. Before long, the emerald green lawns of the Augusta Manor came into view. Evestia glanced casually, but her attention was captured by a figure standing in the center of the lawn. Why is it him? She slightly frowned. Beside her, Affiya, now in human form wearing tight leather, widened her eyes and leaned closer: "Your Highness, it’s that guy! Isn't he supposed to be helping Duke Tirus? How does he have the time to come and meet us here?" "I don’t know." For some reason, seeing him lifted Evestia's mood slightly, as if she had come across a beloved toy. Hearing this, Morris peeked from the shadows on the dragon's back: "From what I know, he probably has already solved the immediate troubles of Duke Tirus, which is why he's so relaxed." "Heh, are you kidding? That’s fifty thousand gold coins!" A discordant voice suddenly chimed in. Standing within the group, Rhine coldly commented. Morris shrugged: "I can’t imagine what kind of superhuman could extract fifty thousand gold coins from the stingy churches within just ten days, but he is Lynn after all." Rhine's expression stiffened. Seeing everyone’s gaze upon him, he gritted his teeth and lowered his head, dreading any mention of the incidents in the cellar. After being duped twice by Lynn, his father, Baron Augusta, viewed him with less pride and showed more concern for his brother, Greia. This made Rhine uncomfortable. “Your Highness, how about we make a guess?” Affiya suddenly suggested to Evestia, "Let's guess how many gold coins that guy raised for the Duke?" Evestia did not respond. Seeing this, Affiya wasn't disheartened and boldly guessed, “I bet... sixty thousand!” She vividly remembered Lynn handling the Order of Genesis followers incident a couple of weeks ago, so there was no doubt about his capabilities. Morris seemed intrigued too, "I guess fifty thousand." He remained conservative. "You trust him that much?" one of the subordinates curiously inquired. Although they had heard of Lynn's name, they had never seen him in action and had no clear impression of him. They only knew that Her Highness seemed to value this guy greatly, even instructing them to address him as 'young master.' "Of course." Affiya and Morris replied in unison. “A hundred thousand.” Then, Evestia suddenly spoke, "If it's him, it definitely won't be less than that." Her assertion left everyone silent, exchanging bewildered glances. A hundred thousand? What kind of concept was that? Many small and medium-sized cities would have a total annual tax revenue around that figure. And Her Highness implied Lynn managed to gather an amount equivalent to an entire city’s annual tax revenue from the churches in just ten days? That sounded exaggerated! Unless Duke Tirus planned to wage war on the churches and noble families, and looted their manors with a military force. Many felt a strong sense of skepticism, yet Evestia’s authority kept them from voicing it. Meanwhile, Affiya looked at her with a complex expression. Who would’ve thought that Her Highness was the one who trusted that guy the most? But where did this trust really stem from? As these thoughts lingered, the black dragon landed smoothly amidst the turbulent air currents and gusts around them. A sense of curiosity emerged within the group, their low spirits from the failed mission dissipating somewhat. They were eager to learn what Lynn had accomplished. But before any questions could be asked, the dragon landed and Lynn hopped off a gigantic box. Then, under the watchful eyes of all—including Evestia—he casually threw open the lid of the box. Instantly, under the sun's rays, the golden gleam was dazzling. Everyone instinctively squinted their eyes. Simultaneously, their hearts skipped a beat. What... what is this?! Even Affiya was stunned, let alone the others who harbored some doubts about Lynn. Evestia silently observed Lynn, a hint of astonishment in her gaze. "Reporting to Your Highness! I have exceeded my mission!" Lynn suddenly declared in a tone loud enough to be heard throughout the estate, "In this incident, with a target of fifty thousand gold coins, the actual amount obtained is two hundred thousand gold coins. All proceeds are gathered here, mission accomplished!" How much?! At the sound of that number, everyone was left thunderstruck, rooted to the spot. Indeed. They hadn't misheard. It wasn’t the fifty thousand Morris guessed, nor the sixty thousand Affiya predicted, and not even the hundred thousand Evestia anticipated. It was several whole multiples higher than their highest estimations! What the hell. That meant in just ten days, this guy managed to pull in an amount equivalent to the annual tax revenue of two or three small cities?! Within the crowd, Rhine's vision went black as he nearly fainted. Unfortunately, at this moment, no one cared about his feelings. They stood dumbstruck, staring at the box full of gold coins, unable to utter a word. Seeing this, Lynn, standing by the box, thought this bunch wasn’t satisfied enough. He nudged Duke Tirus with his elbow, as if signaling him to do something. Duke Tirus's face went dark. With a glance at Lynn, he seemed to convey, I can't afford to lose this face! Lynn rolled his eyes, indicating that he had promised him earlier. After a moment's silence, Duke Tirus sighed, then suddenly straightened up solemnly, turning to Evestia: "Your Highness, from this day forth, the Tirus family shall enter into a formal alliance with you. Our aim will be to assist you in ascending to the throne, providing all the aid within our power." His words, though soft, were clear enough for everyone present to hear. For some reason, at that moment, Evestia felt her heart beat a little faster. A wave of joy enveloped her, making her feel as if she floated on a cloud, somewhat light-hearted. Instinctively, her gaze drifted toward Lynn not far away, an inescapable thought surfaced in her mind. Could it be that this subordinate of hers was perhaps a bit too exceptional?