CHAPTER 798: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT!

Aldrian’s avatar, who saw a dagger directed toward Sylphia, already wanted to intercept it using his space laws. From his point of view, the attacker’s speed could still be followed, and he could block it.

However, there was someone even faster than him, as that person blocked the dagger with his palm.

Stab!

The dagger pierced through the palm, causing blood to splatter on the floor. Some of it nearly stained Sylphia’s beautiful face, but the avatar instantly used space laws to shield her surroundings. The blood froze in midair the moment it touched the spatial barrier.

The attack happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that everyone nearby was truly shocked.

"Father!" Brein shouted worriedly at his father, who had taken the dagger for Sylphia.

Grand Duke Freindor moved swiftly after blocking the dagger and instantly apprehended the attacker. He struck the man in the gut with a punch and threw him to the floor before he could react.

His speed was so great that the attacker had no time to escape or retaliate. Even if he tried, it would have been useless, since the attacker was only a cultivator at the low pseudo immortal establishment stage.

"Close the hall! Block anything from going outside or inside the palace!" Empress Vilena shouted in fury.

She had been in the middle of speaking with someone five meters away from Sylphia when the incident occurred. The suddenness of the attack left her genuinely shocked, for she had not expected anything of the sort. For someone to dare such a thing right in front of her, inside her own palace, and before so many eyes, her rage was inevitable.

In less than two seconds, the imperial guards had already carried out her order, securing the entire perimeter surrounding the hall. Imperial troops also closed the palace gates and took their positions to completely isolate the palace.

But then, without warning, the ground shook violently as though a massive earthquake had struck the palace. In fact, the entire city felt the tremor, leaving all of them shocked.

What had just happened? Their city had never known earthquakes, yet suddenly one had struck.

The shaking lasted only two seconds, but it was enough to throw everyone into panic. There was only one figure who did not lose his composure, for he already knew where the quake had come from. Aldrian’s avatar stood firmly in front of Sylphia, shielding her from any harm, while she grasped his arm to feel secure.

Knowing the source of the disturbance, the avatar instantly sent a voice transmission to someone.

"Calm down, Viona. You don’t have to act aggressively."

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but I could not control myself. To think that someone dared to do that to Her Majesty right under my nose truly made me angry. Once again, I am deeply sorry, Your Majesty, that someone like that could slip past my attention," Viona replied.

The cause of the earthquake had been the World Tree. Its sudden movement alone was enough to shake the entire city. This spontaneous reaction, which no one had expected, made those inside the hall believe this might be part of a larger conspiracy. They began to suspect that another attack could soon follow.

"Everyone, stay in your places and do not move! Anyone who leaves their position will be considered an accomplice and dealt with accordingly, regardless of their identity!" Empress Vilena shouted.

The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone grew wary of those beside them, their eyes scanning the surroundings with suspicion. The imperial troops remained on edge, prepared for anything that might unfold in the aftermath of the quake.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" Princess Vaeril asked worriedly as she arrived at Sylphia’s side.

"Hmm, I’m fine," Sylphia replied with a faint smile before turning her gaze toward Grand Duke Freindor.

Grand Duke Freindor, still restraining the attacker, continued to observe his surroundings as if making sure nothing else was amiss. His eyes then shifted to the dagger still lodged in his palm. Without hesitation, he pulled it and cast it onto the floor.

"Father, swallow this healing pill to close your injury faster," Brein said anxiously, taking a pill from his storage ring.

But the Grand Duke looked solemnly at his hand. The stab wound had already begun to rot, and black patches were spreading around the injury.

"This is a lethal venom, the venom of the giant Purple Tail Scorpion," he said, shocking those who heard him. The venom of the Purple Tail Scorpion was infamous not only in the continent of elves but across the entire world as one of the deadliest venoms known. The venom of an adult Purple Tail Scorpion was even said to affect cultivators at the pseudo immortal stage.

Their habitat lay in the northern part of the continent of elves, surrounded by harsh valleys and treacherous mountain ranges, preventing them from spreading to other regions. Because of their existence, that area had long been marked as one of the forbidden regions of the continent.

Upon hearing that the dagger carried the venom of the Purple Tail Scorpion, many from the opposition faction began to panic. Those of the imperial faction also looked at him with conflicted expressions.

The fact remained that Grand Duke Freindor had been the one to save Sylphia from the sudden attack. Without his intervention, she might have already been dead before anyone could react.

Her cultivation, still at the Marquess stage, was nowhere near enough to resist the venom for even five seconds, let alone survive a dagger piercing her heart. If she had died, they could only imagine the consequences for the Verdyn Empire. The catastrophe that would follow was beyond measure.

Not only would it cause powers across the world and even those from other stars to criticize them, but Aldrian the Great himself might punish them personally. Just imagining such a future sent shivers down their spines. Fortunately, Grand Duke Freindor had prevented it from happening.

Empress Vilena, also felt conflicted as her attention then shifted to the man held firmly in Grand Duke Freindor’s grasp. The imperial troops had already surrounded them, ensuring no other attacker or collaborator could take advantage of the chaos and making the attacker could not escape.

With an angry expression, Empress Vilena stepped closer and glared at the figure.

"You... why did you do this, Baron Stargis?" she demanded fiercely.

The attacker was indeed a baron, and what pained her most was that he was a member of the imperial faction. It shocked her deeply, for it was something she had never expected. The one who had nearly killed Sylphia was from her own faction, the very group meant to support her.

What he had done had nearly brought doom upon her entire family.

Baron Stargis said nothing, but his fierce gaze fixed on Sylphia as if he bore a private grudge against her.

Sylphia, meeting his eyes, felt tense, she had truly come close to death! If that man had succeeded, she might not even have realized the dagger had already pierced her.

Even so, she reminded herself that Aldrian or rather, his avatar would never allow anything truly terrible to befall her. Calming her heart, she imagined that even if Grand Duke Freindor had not intercepted the attack, the avatar would have blocked it.

Whispers began to spread among the nobles. Empress Vilena, receiving no answer from Baron Stargis, finally gave her command to the imperial guards.

"Take him away! Interrogate him for further information."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards replied. Grand Duke Freindor rose to his feet before the guards dragged Baron Stargis toward the deeper parts of the palace.

From outside the hall, a group of physicians entered, and several of them hurried toward Grand Duke Freindor.

"I heard that the venom of a Purple Tail Scorpion was used here. Swallow this, and let me begin detoxifying the venom from your body. If this venom comes from a scorpion more than fifty thousand years old, your life will be in danger within five minutes. It is better to be safe than to regret later," one of the physicians said urgently.

Grand Duke Freindor did not hesitate. He took the pill from the physician’s palm and swallowed it at once. The physician immediately began channeling his technique, working to heal the Grand Duke’s wound and suppress the venom spreading through his bloodstream.

The venom had already spread quickly, and the physician, upon sensing it within the Grand Duke’s body, instantly recognized it as the venom of a Purple Tail Scorpion more than fifty thousand years old.

"This is truly the venom of at least a fifty-thousand-year-old Purple Tail Scorpion," the physician confirmed grimly. "Perhaps even older, over seventy thousand years, given how swiftly it spreads through his body."

Brein and the members of the opposition faction looked on with growing anxiety as they witnessed the treatment.

At that moment, Sylphia, with Aldrian beside her, stepped forward and approached Grand Duke Freindor.

"Thank you for saving me, Grand Duke Freindor," Sylphia said softly, which made the Grand Duke look at her with a faint smile.

"No worries, Your Majesty. It was only a reflex. I happened to notice him draw the dagger, and since no one else seemed to see his intent, I simply acted on instinct. It was nothing more," he replied.

"Even so, the fact remains that you are the one who saved me. I must at least express my gratitude," Sylphia answered.

Those who overheard their exchange felt a mix of emotions. For the opposition faction, this was truly a blessing in disguise, while the imperial faction could only feel bitterness. In their eyes, Grand Duke Freindor’s image in Sylphia’s eyes had certainly risen, and if this news spread, it would inevitably sway the populace’s opinion.

There was no question the news would spread, for too many eyes had witnessed the commotion for it to be hidden. The imperial family, who had only just regained momentum with Sylphia’s visit, now risked facing harsh criticism from the people, and perhaps even from powers beyond the empire.

Aldrian’s avatar kept his gaze fixed on Grand Duke Freindor. His expression remained calm behind the mask, leaving no one able to guess what thoughts were stirring within him.