Duke Levi and Liya sat opposite each other, with a brown coffee table in front of them.
The quaint sofa always exudes a heavy wood fragrance.
Liya looked at the visitors and subconsciously called the servant to serve tea.
"No need, I'm here just out of curiosity and I'll be leaving soon."
Duke Levi declined softly.
Liya nodded and glanced slightly, indicating that the servant could leave.
At this time, apart from Leon, she and Duke Levi were the only ones left in the hall.
Liya did not mention the envelope directly, but instead asked about other matters related to the royal capital:
"The Duke came here specially today. Is there something important?"
"Does the renovation project in the royal capital require more manpower? If necessary, I can send someone to assist."
Duke Levi slowly shook his head:
"No, it's not."
He said with a calm tone and firm eyes:
"Let's keep this short."
"Actually, it was me who suggested that your family be promoted from earl to marquis, because your family needs this marquis."
Simply put, it’s the same reason.
The Marquis fell on the head of the Cravenna family, which could effectively curb the inappropriate ambitions of other nobles.
Now that the old emperor has abdicated, many nobles are thinking of using their status and influence for personal gain.
Faced with a minor queen, some people seemed to feel that they could easily control everything.
What's more, Duke Levi's character as a good old man has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the aristocracy.
Even if he publicly supported the Queen, it would have no effect.
But the Cravena family is different. The strength of their family is obvious to all.
Even without Victor, the Craveners still have enough power.
With the title of Marquis, which can overwhelm all ministers, those with evil intentions can be suppressed.
Therefore, the Empire needs the power of House Cravenna, especially during the reign of the Queen.
As for fighting against foreigners?
There are only a few countries next to the empire, and the only one that can come into contact with the empire is the Kingdom of Kanter.
It turns out that the strongest person in the Kingdom of Kanter is still the grandfather of the current queen.
To sum up, I want the queen to sit firmly on the throne and convince others.
Then only one Cravenna family is enough.
"It'll be good for your family, too."
After hearing Duke Levi's words, Liya nodded in agreement.
Because now, Liya has to consider the most realistic problem.
After Victor has been missing for too long, will other nobles take the opportunity to secretly retaliate against the Cravena family?
Although to put it bluntly, Liya is not afraid of the revenge of other families at all, and is even eager to have a few more.
They will all be buried by then.
But she also knew that such behavior would undoubtedly cause damage to the family's reputation.
It will also indirectly cause the royal family's dominance and credibility to be negatively affected.
After all, if the courtiers saw the Queen, they wouldn't even be able to restrain the Cravenna family.
Let them set fire to the mountains and attack other families wantonly.
Over time, their loyalty and trust in the royal family may be shaken.
Once you accept the reward from the royal family, it means that the Cravenna family and the royal family are connected and work together.
At that time, if anyone dared to mess with the Cravenna family, it would be disrespectful to the royal family.
If Liya wanted to bury someone again, she would do it with reason.
But thinking of this, she frowned, the expression on her face became serious and deep, and even the tone of her words became a bit heavier:
"I still say the same thing."
"I can take the reward. It's what our family deserves."
"But there is no way I can replace Victor as the temporary head of the family and receive the title."
Having said this, Liya raised her head carefully and looked firmly at Levi in front of her.
She found that the other party did not show displeasure because of her rejection, but instead showed a bit of satisfaction.
After hearing what Liya said, Duke Levi said to her with a smile:
"Of course, Miss Liya, I respect your choice very much."
"This shows that you always believe that Count Victor can come back."
"You are hands down the best family I have ever met in this regard."
He praised Liya repeatedly, as if he wanted to pour out all the words of praise in his heart.
Under these frequent compliments, Liya felt a little shy. She gently reached out her hand and scratched her cheek sheepishly.
Although the compliments made Liya happy, her sanity was still on the line.
Although Levi's praise made Liya feel happy, her mind was still clear.
Feeling a little confused, Liya raised her concerns to him:
"But this won't make others feel..."
It makes other families feel that the Cravenna family is already a little arrogant.
I'm afraid it's inappropriate to dare to refuse the Queen's title grant.
But after hearing Liya's question, Levi just smiled and shook his head.
"Won't."
"This title has always been there. It belongs to your family. Even if you never claim it, it will be fine."
To put it simply, you, the Cravenner family, can refuse to receive this title, but the royal family cannot refuse to give it to you.
If you give it, the royal family will comply with the will of God and the people.
Not accepting it is out of respect for Victor. After all, he is the real head of Cravenna's family.
Moreover, just accept the reward, because it means that the Cravenna family is willing to continue to support the current queen.
This in itself is tantamount to accepting a title.
It's just that in name, the Cravenna family is not marquis for the time being.
"And, with all due respect, I'm going to say something that may not sit well with me."
Levi's eyes lingered on Liya's face for a while, as if he was weighing how to speak, and Liya's expression also looked solemn.
She understood what Levi meant.
If Victor really can't come back, Liya will still take over the position of the head of the family.
In the end, this title is still important.
Speaking of this, Liya's brows frowned slightly involuntarily.
His lips were pursed tightly, and there was a hint of darkness in his eyes.
She had always believed that Victor would return eventually, but the reality of no news for a long time still left a sting in her heart.
It was like the hope she clung to was constantly being tortured, and the subtle but ever-present pain made Liya always feel tired.
"Don't worry too much about Earl Victor's safety, Miss Leah."
Levi sat across from him and smiled, comforting Liya.
But after hearing the other party's comfort, Liya's expression still did not improve, and her eyes were still full of worry and uneasiness.
"But……"
"To be honest, maybe I'm just as anxious as you are."
Levi continued. Liya raised her head in confusion and stared at him in confusion.
Although Duke Levi's expression remained calm, a trace of worry could also be seen in his eyes.
Liya was confused, but suddenly, she sat stiffly in her seat.
Liya didn't understand very well. She froze in her seat and didn't know what to say for a moment.
What! ? what's the situation! ?
Victor is missing. Why is Duke Levi so anxious?
Could it be that they...! ?
When did it happen? ! !
At this moment, Liya felt that her head was in a mess.
Her eyesight went dark, and she couldn't accept this obscure thing at all.
But soon, Duke Levi's next explanation made Liya breathe a sigh of relief.
"My daughter, Erica."
"She said she knew Victor's whereabouts and wanted to find Victor, so she left the day after Victor disappeared."
"So far, my daughter has not come back."
Hearing this, Liya fell into extreme shock, her eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up from the sofa:
"Wha...what!?"
Victor's whereabouts?
Liya wouldn't necessarily believe this if she put it in anyone's mouth, but now it was said by Duke Levi himself.
Listening to Liya's shocked question, Duke Levi nodded.
In fact, when Erica asked his opinion on going to find Victor.
Although Levi was reluctant to give up, he still agreed.
Because, after Victor defeated the last Calamity, Reevy realized something.
His daughter Erica can no longer leave Victor.
So he agreed to Erica.
Moreover, Levi always had a premonition in his heart.
Maybe it's actually possible for Erica to bring Victor back.
The gloom in Liya's eyes was swept away, joy and excitement emerged like spring water, and her body trembled involuntarily.
"Victor...where is Victor?"
Levi did not answer directly, but looked around as if looking for something.
Finally, he looked at Liya with an inquiring gaze and asked a seemingly unrelated question:
"Did your father leave anything behind?"
"Like armor or something?"
…
Soon, the heavy red armor was placed on the cart and pushed over by Leon.
They were neatly placed together, but there was a conspicuous big hole in the helmet.
Liya looked at the armor coming in, her eyes full of excitement, raised her head, and looked at Levi expectantly.
Excitement flashed in Liya's eyes, and she looked up at Levi expectantly.
Because she knew that Duke Levi was a terrible antique collector.
The antiques he collected ranged from thousands of years ago to last week.
Maybe he knows a lot about this mysterious armor.
Liya still remembered that when Cerberus bit the helmet into pieces, his entire body became even larger and more terrifying.
So she thought that maybe she could find the whereabouts of Cerberus through this armor, and then trace Victor's traces?
At this time, Duke Levi looked at the armor carefully, then nodded slowly:
"really……"
Hearing Duke Levi's thoughtful voice, Liya's whole nerves suddenly became tense.
An indescribable tension filled the whole body, and even his hands could not stop trembling slightly.
"Duke, do you see anything?"
Duke Levi kept looking at the mysterious armor, frowning, and said to Liya:
"Do you know where this armor comes from?"
Leah shook her head.
Levi continued to explain:
"Its origin goes back to a long time ago, when the gods first appeared in the era of separatist rule."
"And this armor comes from hell."
Liya's heart suddenly sank, as if she had been soaked in ice water, and her heartbeat seemed to have stopped for half a beat.
Earth...hell?
The shadow of Cerberus flashed in Leia's mind, and Victor said that it was the guard dog he brought back from hell.
The connection between the two seems increasingly clear.
"It is said that armor like this is a reward given by hell to those warriors who are brave and fearless and successfully fight their way out of the underworld in trials."
"It has great power, so as long as humans can wear it, they can walk freely in hell."
Liya was dumbfounded. She stood next to Duke Levi and asked hesitantly:
"So...you're telling me."
Victor...in hell?
Levi nodded, silently confirming Liya's guess.
Then, his eyes gradually fell on the helmet of the armor.
Seeing the conspicuous big hole in the helmet, Levi was stunned for a moment and blinked.
Then his eyes were firmly fixed on this deep hole, and he asked doubtfully:
"Why is this helmet leaking?"
"Ah this."
Liya looked at the damaged helmet and smiled awkwardly:
"It...was bitten by a dog before."
"ah?"
…
In the huge hell palace, blue souls surged like waves.
They are arranged neatly, and the long cyan queue surrounds the interior of the palace like a river and extends beyond the gate.
The surroundings are also full of floating souls.
They gathered curiously in the corner of the palace, looking at the death forms of the souls lining up with curious and frightened eyes, and whispering.
Then……
"What!!!"
A roar suddenly sounded from the center of the palace.
The deafening sound caused many dead souls to be extremely frightened and disappeared in an instant.
After a while, they reunited and turned their gazes tremblingly to the source of the sound.
At the end of that gaze, standing in front of the desk, breathing heavily, Hades stretched out his finger.
The huge cyan finger hovered above Erica's head, pointing at the human girl, very surprised:
"You want a trial?"
"Hahahaha, are you kidding me!"
The crimson cloak behind Hades suddenly swung, drawing a crimson arc in the air.
He sat back on the chair again and said coldly:
"Is it just a human girl who thinks that she can pass that cruel test?"
Hearing Hades's mocking voice, Erica tightened her lips tightly and even clenched her fists tightly.
But soon, her nervousness turned into calmness.
His lips relaxed, his shoulders dropped, his fists slowly expanded, and there was even a hint of arrogance in the corners of his eyes.
At this moment, Hades, who had no longer wanted to talk to Erica, suddenly turned his gaze again and looked at her with an extremely serious look.
Because he knew that they had changed people again.
Facing Hades's deep gaze, 'Erica' put her hands in her pockets and stood straight.
With that cold voice, he slowly sounded:
"There's really no guarantee she'll pass."
"Do you dare to let me try it once?"
