The Princess’s Jealousy and a Shrewd Plan

Observing the Pit Lord’s immense size, I instantly understood why Seth hadn’t summoned them to the council hall; he clearly wished to spare my palace from destruction.

At that moment, a crystal ball projection flickered to life in the center of the arena.

As for me, I was perched on the shoulders of the Fat Butcher.

To be honest, I truly didn’t want to be near this hideous monster. However, he seemed to worship me excessively, practically weeping with gratitude as he repeatedly pleaded for me to sit there. There was also the practical issue that, with everyone standing on level ground, my stature was simply too small, completely lacking in authority!

Fine then. I was tired anyway, and there were no benches in the arena. Hmph, so I simply sat.

Within the projection, the squad of Holy Knights appeared to still be dawdling on the first floor.

I watched them gathered in a circle, resting by a fire.

Heavenly Glow Kiori, the senior knightess in white metal armor, sat among them, seemingly laughing and chatting with the surrounding knights.

For some reason, I felt an inexplicable displeasure whenever Senior Sister Kiori spoke with any male.

Even when I was a boy, I had never been this jealous. Perhaps that was because, back then, I had no right to feel displeased. Now, however, Kiori was on my territory, and I commanded many formidable subordinates. In my eyes, her fate, too, was within my grasp. Hmph, I felt I had earned that right.

“Hmph, didn’t they vow abstinence? Why is she still laughing when those male knights speak? And covering her mouth, putting on an act of a lady? Doesn’t she know that only makes her more enticing to men!” I demanded, crossing my arms and propping one leg over the other.

The entire arena fell silent; no one responded to my words.

The colossal Pit Lord blinked his six small green eyes at me, appearing utterly baffled. It was as if, even with all six eyes, he couldn’t grasp a single thing I was saying.

“Eh?” I glanced around. “Hehe, ha ha… Don’t look at me like that. I’m having a very serious tactical discussion here! Right, Buqu?”

“Princess is right! Everything the Princess says is right!” Buqu roared blindly.

“Right about what? Did you listen carefully to our conversation just now? Then tell me, what’s your tactical insight on this?”

“The Princess wishes to observe their expressions and find a weakness in this group! For instance, by causing a few knights to vie for the big-chested woman’s affection, leading to discord within the team, and thus internally collapsing this seemingly impregnable knightly expedition!”

I looked down at Buqu, slightly astonished. I hadn’t expected this fellow’s wild ramblings to actually sound somewhat plausible.

“Hehe, little Princess Coolie,” Suriya began, gazing at the image of Senior Sister Kiori. “Humans are different from us. They are very subtle when it comes to matters of men and women. Moreover, these Holy Knights are devout followers of their god; they have received baptism and education since childhood, vowing lifelong abstinence. Even if they harbor any desires, they would never show them, much less allow them to break their unity!”

“Tch, all men are the same! In my opinion, they just lack the right catalyst to make them lose their minds!” Unconsciously, I revealed my profound understanding of men, and indeed, I truly did understand them well.

“Oh? Does the Princess have a good solution?” Suriya asked, intrigued.

“Suriya. Since you’ve asked, I actually need to ask you for a favor.”

“Eh? What?” Suriya’s face flushed, and she instinctively covered her prominent chest with her hand, revealing a surprising innocence that completely contradicted her appearance. “Are you, are you asking me to seduce those lowly humans!?”

Suriya’s nervousness genuinely surprised me. I had assumed she was a wanton vampire, but it seemed one truly couldn’t judge a woman by her cover. Those who appeared innocent might not be so, and vice versa. Of course, I had no intention of using Suriya to tempt the Holy Knights, but her vehement aversion somehow brought a strange comfort to my heart. “Suriya, you’ve misunderstood. How could I ever ask a noble Vampire Queen to do something so vulgar? Actually, I wanted to borrow a treasure you have on the fifth floor.”

“A treasure?”

“Precisely,” my eyes gleamed with ‘wisdom’. “It’s that legendary and precious piece of armor—the Corrupted Seraph’s Cuirass.”