The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1672 - 471: The Prince Who Cherishes Women (Part 3)

The Green Forest Army were the first to revel in their success, and they've already been burned to ash.

As for those fellows from the Holy City…

Don't be fooled by how merrily they're tallying up their lists right now; the fierce gale of Karma has never once forgotten them. It's only that, for the moment, it can't yet shake them while they're still in their prime.

They'd best pray they never grow old.

But is that possible?

They just refuse to admit they're aging, that's all!

Right there on the frontier where the Holy Light cannot reach, west of the Brass Pass that seals off Chaos, someone has already appeared, waving the Holy Word Book while digging away at Saint Sis's foundations.

And—

Those so blasphemous as them have actually received the tacit consent of a Duke!

The Campbell army once briefly regarded them as allies, with both sides tacitly agreeing not to strike at each other, and that tacit understanding is very likely to continue.

In the past, this would have been unimaginable.

Grega even had an intuition that perhaps those Demons of Hell had long since slipped quietly into Saint Clement Cathedral…

...

A nobody who has never left the Twilight Province would not know that the Demons from Hell have not only already visited Saint Clement Cathedral, they even held a funeral there for his "father."

Though they used his younger brother's name.

Andes Manor in Thunder City.

Luo Yan had only just stepped into the grand hall of this imposing manor when a booming voice rang out from the staircase.

"Prince Colin! It's been too long; I finally have the honor of meeting you!"

He looked up to see Duke Edward striding quickly down from the second floor, a sincere and warm smile on his face, as if he were greeting a dear friend long absent.

"It has been too long, Prince Edward. It is likewise my honor to see you again."

Luo Yan placed a hand over his chest in salute, then let a touch of perfectly measured embarrassment show on his face, offering an apology for his earlier unannounced departure.

"However, before I give voice to the joy in my heart, I must beg you first to accept my apologies. I should have come to pay my respects to you at the very first opportunity, but when I read in the newspaper that Princess Aileen had personally gone to the front line, my thoughts flew a thousand miles away and I could not bring myself to think of anything else—"

Before his words had even fallen, that booming voice came again from the steps, dispelling the "awkwardness" even as it steered the atmosphere of their meeting back toward the joy of reunion.

"Hahaha, think nothing of it, Prince Colin, I completely understand how you feel!"

Edward descended the last step, laughing heartily as he gave Luo Yan's hand a firm shake.

"Noble Souls are always drawn to one another. The citizens of Thunder City are all saying it was Saint Xi who guided you there; I think they have a point! For Aileen to have a friend like you is her good fortune, and I offer you both my heartfelt blessing."

This flawless yet warmly delivered turn of phrase did indeed bring a smile to Prince Colin's face, making him feel as if he were bathed in a balmy spring breeze.

Luo Yan could not help but sigh inwardly that the Campbell family truly lived up to its reputation as a family favored by the Divine.

In not even two years, it wasn't only Erin who had made progress; this Duke's skills had also improved considerably.

If at the beginning there had still been many clumsy spots, by now this Prince had already become a qualified "Your Majesty."

The only pity was a single thing: the territory of the Campbell Duchy no longer matched his ever-swelling ambition.

No wonder his neighbors are so wary.

Luo Yan could sense this Prince's intense desire for him and for the Colin Duchy standing behind him, even if that desire was hidden behind hospitality and friendship.

A Duke finds it hard to stand against a King.

But two might just be enough.

As he exchanged pleasantries with this Duke, Luo Yan could not help thinking.

For the time being…

Let's play the part of his chess piece for a while.

The two chatted as they walked toward the manor's receiving room.

Edward walked beside him, chatting in an apparently casual, domestic tone, and their conversation quickly turned to the Colin Duchy.

"…Oh, right, that unprecedented Storm a few days back almost swept along the entire coast of the Vast Ocean and even reached as far as the Vortex Sea. Erin and I were both very worried about you. How is your territory faring? Was it affected?"

At this, Luo Yan showed a wry smile, a troubled expression on his face.

"I can only say…things are far from optimistic, though at least we've kept it barely under control. In fact, we have to thank General Hamoldon; he urgently diverted a batch of construction materials from Saint Yil Castle that were originally bound for Seldo Port, and only then were we able to repair our few most important ports and scrape through the crisis."

"I see… That Storm really was tormenting," Edward paused for a heartbeat, then sighed in genuine sympathy. "Our Duchy lost several merchant ships as well. Mr. Andes had a headache over the matter for quite some time."

"Same on our side. One unlucky freighter was even blown up onto a mountain. When the crew opened their eyes and saw the sea was gone, they were scared half to death… hahaha."

Luo Yan picked up the thread, his tone, so hard to sum up in a single phrase, holding a mix of lingering fear and relief, as well as the easy nonchalance of one who has survived a great disaster.

As if he'd completely forgotten whose handiwork it had been.

"…There are hardly any usable cargo ships left on the Vast Ocean. Even some of the big freighters that survived had nowhere to dock because the ports were ruined. In the end it was thanks to the Imperial navy for helping us set up a temporary harbor at Withered Wood Port that we managed to resolve that huge problem."

"Hahaha… That really was a disaster."

"It was! A complete and utter disaster!" Luo Yan sighed, then suddenly shifted the topic, a sly smile touching his lips. "Of course, we didn't let our Imperial brothers help for nothing. Using our connections in the Gutaf United Kingdom, we brought in a large shipment of corn and sent it to Saint Yil Castle, helping General Hamoldon alleviate the urgent supply shortage at the Imperial front line… Naturally, that wasn't free."