Chapter 514 - 441: Complicated Love, Sacrifice, and Choice (Part 2)

When they saw the Golden Flying Wing Holy Sword insignia on the front of the Imperial Knight’s chest armor, every one of them felt their pupils shrink in shock! Because only one person was qualified to be a Vengeful Angel of this caliber.

The Lord of Vengeful, Reinhardt!

Even though these caravan leaders were all pillars of the Capet Family who had weathered countless storms, witnessed grand occasions, and received more great personages than they could count.

But now, two years later, seeing this Vengeful Angel of Verne once more, a cold sweat broke out on their backs.

The methods he had used to suppress the Golden City rebellion were still fresh in their minds; they didn’t dare forget a single detail.

The small meeting room.

The ferocious Imperial Knights.

The streets around the high tower and in the Lower City, flowing with rivers of blood.

Afterward, just clearing away the corpses took a full week.

One could say that this man, with only his own strength and two subordinates, had slaughtered the rebels of the Golden City.

And at the time, he wasn’t even the high-ranking Lord of Vengeful.

Now, seeing him again, this great scourge had not only escaped the Void Storm but had also transformed, becoming the Supreme Commander of the Rebellion Suppression War and the all-powerful Lord of Vengeful—a figure so lofty they could hardly hope to meet his gaze.

The events of two years ago were still vivid in their minds, but they were also very grateful that they had made the right choice.

It also indirectly proved the incredible foresight of Lady Catherine’s investment; she had formed a political alliance with such a great figure so early on. As long as the Lord of Vengeful stood, no one within the Administrative Region could challenge Lady Catherine’s status as a dynastic Overlord.

The breeze was gentle, and despite the lingering smoke of battle, Lady Catherine found her mind wandering.

When she saw Reinhardt step out of the ship’s cabin once more, the mere two years that had passed felt like a lifetime to her.

He stood before her and raised a hand, removing his full-coverage helmet to reveal his face. The once-handsome youth now had faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

The heavy burden of years of high-pressure combat on both body and soul was immense. Even with the peak Physique of an Earth Knight, Reinhardt’s face was etched with the hardships he had endured.

"Long time no see."

Hearing Reinhardt’s low, hoarse voice, Lady Catherine finally realized she had been discourteous.

Neither love nor friendship—such simple words were insufficient to describe the intricate, complex relationship between her and Reinhardt.

Or perhaps, their relationship was simply too entangled with power and mutual interest.

Lady Catherine was one hundred and seventy-five years old. Her lapse in that moment was born of a melancholy woven from a tapestry of complex emotions.

For a Mortal, one hundred and seventy-five years was an immense span of time. No matter how many people she had once held dear, the relentless passage of time had left her with nothing but dust-covered memories.

Lady Catherine had chased power her entire life, dedicating everything to her family’s cause, but she was, in the end, still human—not some Mechanist Cult zealot who worshiped the God of All Machines.

Her gaze remained fixed on Reinhardt’s eyes.

"Long time... no see."

With no further pleasantries, the two turned and began to walk side by side.

They walked past the assembled caravan leaders, ignoring their awestruck gazes and sweat-beaded brows. Reinhardt’s voice was grave. "On behalf of the Vengeful Angels and the Rebellion Suppression War Command Department, I thank you for your support.

"Cicero and Grand Lord Kles have been making incessant moves lately. Without these war funds, it would be difficult to continue the fight."

Lady Catherine glanced at him. "I thought you and your fleet were on Kesiria World. Did you come all the way to the Golden City just to thank me in person?"

"Koller is there to manage things, which is sufficient. My purpose in coming here, aside from personally overseeing the operation against the Interstellar Pirates, was to see you.

"I have received reliable intelligence. Grand Lord Kles will make the first move against Hurst, cutting off the Administrative Region’s financial revenue. After he acts, Cicero will immediately respond, declare independence, and in turn, attack Iberia."

With the situation having developed to this point, the three factions have completely torn away the facade. After Claudius’s defeat, Cicero and Pompeii World have dropped all pretense.

It wasn’t just Reinhardt who received this intelligence first through his Silencers; even the Military Affairs Department has noticed that Pompeii World has been mobilizing its legions in violation of regulations.

The only thing missing now for war to erupt between the two sides is a fuse.

And that fuse is Hurst World, home of the Golden City.

The calmer things appear within the Administrative Region, the more likely it is that war will erupt.

Lady Catherine clearly heard the deeper meaning in Reinhardt’s words. Her expression grew serious. "Once war breaks out, how many troops will the Administrative Region allocate to defend Hurst?"

Matthias and his men blocked the caravan leaders from following, preventing them from overhearing things they weren’t meant to know.

After leaving their entourage behind, Reinhardt fell silent for a long moment before responding. "General Cateline is in charge of the Rebellion Suppression War Office. He has made it clear that if war breaks out, defending Iberia is the top priority.

"Furthermore, the fighting on the Verne Front Line has gone on for so long that the Administrative Region has no more troops to spare to help you defend Hurst."

For the future of the Administrative Region, to keep the Verne Front Line supplied, Lady Catherine had gone so far as to sell off a third of her family’s assets. She had personally used every method and means at her disposal just to ensure the Administrative Region’s economy would not collapse.

But despite giving her all, when the time came that the Capet Family and the Golden City faced a crisis, she would receive no support from the Administrative Region.

Faced with such a situation, anyone else would be furious enough to start cursing up a storm, if not defect to Grand Lord Kles on the spot!

But Lady Catherine remained silent.

The two walked forward side-by-side for a long time, stopping only when they reached the railing at the edge of the port. This was the dynastic Overlord, a woman whose face and body had never aged, her features hinting at an exotic allure.

She stood before the railing, looking down at the Golden City, which stretched out as far as the eye could see.

A light breeze rustled her loosely bound hair, making the strands sway gently.

After a long silence, she spoke. Though her voice had lost none of its charm, it was now laced with an undeniable sorrow and bitterness. She raised a hand, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I understand."

She was no political novice.

She understood the Administrative Region’s predicament perfectly. Even the most clever housewife cannot cook a meal without rice; resources and manpower were finite. With the Verne Front Line continuously bloodletting them, the Imperial Administrative Region no longer had the capacity to fight a three-front war, nor could it bear the dire consequences of Iberian World’s fall.

Even if Grand Lord Kles were to completely occupy Hurst and temporarily sever the Administrative Region’s economic lifeline, it was still the best option available.

Reinhardt turned to look at Lady Catherine. He could still hear her words from two years ago, when she had held his arm while looking out over the Golden City, her voice full of both worry and hope for the future.

But in just two short years.

Everything had changed.

No matter what grand ideals she once held, she ultimately had to face a cruel reality.

Despite having sacrificed everything, she and her family were still cruelly abandoned by the Administrative Region’s high command, reduced to a disposable pawn.

She knew the bitterness behind that simple ’I understand,’ and so did Reinhardt.

Because he had suffered the same fate many years ago. They had fought to the death against Demons in the snowfields of the Northern Lands, but what awaited them was not commendation and reinforcements, but the discovery that their superiors had planned for them to die all along.

The only difference was that this time, the Administrative Region truly had no other choice.

In the face of the grand tide of events, not even Reinhardt could single-handedly turn the course of this epic war, a conflict that spanned over a hundred light-years.

"The Administrative Region’s high command planned to tell you this only after the war started, hoping you could delay the pace of Grand Lord Kles’s attack for as long as possible.

"But without adequate preparations, how could Hurst possibly achieve the strategic objective of a delaying action?"

Reinhardt stood beside Lady Catherine and said gravely, "Out of our personal relationship, if you wish to evacuate, I can help you pull the Capet Family’s assets out of Hurst World.

"And I can guarantee your personal safety."

Lady Catherine’s expression darkened. "I will make arrangements to evacuate our assets," she replied in a cold voice, "but I will not leave."

At this, she turned to face Reinhardt, her tone unwavering. "Because this world was granted to my family by a decree signed by the Emperor himself."