Renners also felt that the kingdom's nobles were somewhat foolish; compared to the Empire's current policies, this difference was even more apparent.
But as for her choice to leave the Empire...
Renners had no regrets, especially as the knight of the man before her.
Having experienced the Great Swamp incident,
Renners clearly understood how strong the seemingly gentle man before her was. Being able to summon a Fourth-Tier Angel meant his strength had already reached the level of an Adamantite-ranked adventurer.
The depths of the Great Swamp were inherently dangerous, yet the Lord spent over two days alone in the even deeper dense forest and returned without a single injury.
This was something even an entire Adamantite-ranked adventurer team couldn't achieve!
And helping her remove the curse—no!
She could now freely control the cursed power within her; this was not merely removing a curse.
Renners didn't know how Lyle did it, nor would she ever ask about such a secret.
Powerful! Mysterious!
As the Lord's knight, this was her honor.
"Lord, what should we do next?" Renners's clear, deep blue eyes shone brightly as she looked at Lyle.
"A very beautiful outfit."
Lyle scrutinized Renners's current capable yet aristocratic attire, praising, "Since you just returned from a banquet, I assume you've had some contact with the kingdom's nobles."
"Tell me your impressions."
Imina, sitting on a table in the back with her legs crossed, chewed her food a little louder.
Renners's expression became serious. She naturally understood that the Lord wasn't asking for her evaluation of these nobles.
After a brief moment of thought,
"I attended several small banquets held under the pretext of the Countess's birthday celebration."
"Based on my current observations, the entire kingdom's nobility is divided into two factions: one is the Royalist faction, and the other is a noble faction primarily concerned with its own interests."
"The noble faction holds the most power, led by the First Prince Barbro, who has the legitimate right of succession. Your subordinate believes that if the First Prince ascends the throne, he may not be capable of controlling this noble faction's power."
Renners reported the intelligence she had observed and analyzed in detail. She paused briefly here, then continued:
"According to rumors, the Second Prince Zanac possesses considerable talent, but he lacks noble support. If the Lord wishes to use him as an entry point, the Second Prince might be a good choice."
She was neither a mere pretty face nor a fool with only martial prowess; she could naturally guess a bit of her Lord's objective.
"As expected of you, Renners," Lyle said admiringly.
In such a short time, Renners had already gathered so much information. Indeed, only nobles truly understood nobles.
"The Second Prince has no support?"
Lyle chuckled slightly, "That's not necessarily true. Don't you think it's abnormal to hear rumors about the Second Prince's talent in such a short time?"
Renners's delicate face froze, and she immediately understood.
"You missed one," Lyle said.
Renners looked bewildered. Currently, besides the First Prince and Second Prince, there shouldn't be any other princes with succession rights in the entire kingdom.
"The Princess—Princess Princess Rana?" Renners whispered.
Whether in the Empire or the Kingdom, princesses held no right of succession and had no investment value.
Suddenly,
"Wait a moment, Lord." Renners's eyes flashed as if she realized something, and she quickly turned and left.
Not long after,
Renners returned with an invitation in her hand and respectfully presented it to Lyle, saying, "This is one of several invitations that arrived on my second day of staying at the noble residence. It's an invitation from Princess Princess Rana."
"Your subordinate didn't pay it any mind, and Princess Princess Rana did not send any more invitations afterward."
Lyle took the invitation and glanced at it; it was rather ordinary, even unremarkable.
Yet, a smile appeared on Lyle's face.
"A canary trapped in a cage."
"No matter how clever, if it cannot break free from the cage, it only exists for display."
Lyle averted his gaze from the invitation and looked up at Renners: "If you were such a canary, what would you do?"
Renners was momentarily unable to answer.
Suddenly, a clear, cold voice came from behind.
"Either struggle desperately to escape from the cage, or I'd rather starve to death," Imina said flatly, wiping cake residue from her rosy lips.
Lyle smiled as he looked at Imina.
Princess Princess Rana was actually a very complex person; one couldn't simply use concepts of good and evil or morality to understand her.
She didn't care whether her proposals were adopted; instead, she wanted to use the Empire's spies to relay these proposals to the Blood Emperor.
This kind of behavior, which harmed others without benefiting herself, was not something a normal person would do. Princess Rana might have done such things simply out of boredom, or perhaps to prove her own worth.
Just like Climb, the loyal dog when he was a slave, his gaze towards Princess Rana brought her satisfaction and comfort.
Therefore,
In Lyle's view, the key to Princess Rana's truly twisted personality lay in "self-identity" and "value"!
"The First Prince has only prestige and status, but he is a pig-headed fool."
"The Second Prince is intelligent and indeed has the talent to be a king, but that's all there is to him."
Lyle handed the invitation back to Renners, saying seriously, "You can consider this woman a female Jircniv."
Renners's eyes widened, looking at Lyle in disbelief.
The Blood Emperor Jircniv was undoubtedly the most remarkable emperor in the entire Empire's history. Even the corrupt and incompetent nobles had to admit this.
And the Lord actually gave Princess Princess Rana such a high evaluation!
"After your battle with Gazef, go meet Princess Princess Rana and join her."
Lyle's smile faded, and his gaze deepened, "Many things don't need us to scheme; this woman will do them for us."
"Once the obstacles are removed from a hidden gem, it will actively radiate its brilliance."
"Yes, Lord." Although Renners still had some doubts, she did not voice any questions, speaking solemnly.
"This woman is too smart, so you don't need to hide many things. Just treat her as a clever canary."
"Be careful of Gazef's ultimate move, 'Fourfold Slash of Light,' during your battle. If his strength has improved again during this time, it might evolve into'Sixfold Slash of Light.'"
Lyle looked at Imina beside him as he said this, chuckling, "For quite a while, I probably won't be staying within the Kingdom. You two should cooperate if anything comes up."
"Hey."
Imina's amber eyes widened, and a fierce expression immediately appeared on her cool face as she looked at Lyle: "
Don't talk as if I'm one of your subordinates."
"Where's my reward so far? And I don't have any ability to help this noble young lady."
Lyle stood up and said easily, "You'll have it soon. This reward will be enough to satisfy you."
Night.
Inside a small inn located in the outer district of the Royal Capital.
Figures clad in black tight-fitting clothes emerged from the night, silently approaching the small inn.
"That half-elf is here, right?"
"That's right. She's changed locations three times already. Our people saw her check into this small inn."
"Be careful, this half-elf is not weak."
"Half-elf? That's a rather rare species. If sold as a slave, she could definitely fetch over 1000 gold coins. I wonder what she tastes like?"
"Hehe, I really want to have a taste."
"Don't dream. Lord Thousand Kill specifically ordered to capture her alive."
The assassins exchanged whispers, but their movements showed no hesitation, quickly approaching the small inn in silence.
However!
Just as they were about to reach the small inn, the previously closed door suddenly opened.
A expressionless Imina walked out of the inn, her gaze icy as she looked at the assassins hidden in the darkness.
"We've been discovered!"
The assassins' faces changed.
"Since we've been discovered, then attack forcefully," one assassin said coldly.
Fortunately, this location was remote, so even if they made a commotion, it wouldn't be noticed immediately.
"As prey, you seem to have mistaken your identities," a calm voice came from behind the assassins.
Their bodies stiffened.
Lyle was not wearing his conspicuous priest's robe at this moment, but had changed into a black robe, his entire body enveloped in a hood.