At the Gabriel Empire’s capital, Gabriels City (Sword Capital) imperial harem area, at the center of Stardust Palace, Bella and Kriss were heading to the empress’s Star Rain Palace together. Since Bella had Princess Kriss to guide the way, no guards came up on the way to question her. As long as it was not a man, the guards in the harem wouldn’t interrogate them.
Emperor Alfred the Third rarely came to the harem area these days. Chatting with Kriss, Bella got to learn that it had been a long time since the Emperor had spent a night here. After the tense situation in the capital, the Emperor had to stay put in the imperial city, so he could deal with any emergencies. He really didn’t dare to come to the Stardust Palace to enjoy himself. It would be bad if any of the princes started anything as soon as he was gone.
The layout near the back of the central part of the Stardust Palace was not much different from the periphery. Beautiful birds of paradise could be seen everywhere, as well as a colorful array of flowers. This was the greatest barrier of safety in the Stardust Palace. Kriss was obviously accustomed to the maids and guards’ looks, so her face remained calm throughout. However, she wasn’t actually that familiar with this place. She had to rely on the harem map that Bella had to lead the way.
Empress Deborah the Fifth was not Princess Kriss’s biological mother. Rather, she was the mother of Grand Princess Kliveny, so Bella should be bringing Princess Kliveny with her instead. She was much more familiar than Kriss in this area. They wouldn’t need a map to get around. However, given that this Empress Deborah the Fifth might be a fake, it made little sense to do so. Moreover, Kliveny was far weaker than Kriss, so there was no need to bring her.
Bella had the illusion that time passed very quickly in the Stardust Palace. She had only walked for a little while with Kriss, but the sky had already turned dark. The location of the Empress’s palace was not hard to find; it was the highest point of the Stardust Palace area. It was especially for the Emperor to have a beautiful view overlooking the entire harem area.
Compared to other areas of the imperial city, since the Stardust palace was the Emperor’s harem, it was a private property of the royal family. Under normal circumstances, even the guardian family of the empire, the Hilikas family, would not have their eyes here. Bella wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered or disturbed by them.
The Star Rain Palace was expansive and was at least ten times larger than the palaces of the other princesses. This was also where Empress Deborah the Fifth administered the harem. The Empress in the human continent of this dimension was similar to the ancient empresses of earth, who had the same authority in helping the Emperor manage the harem. Even the Emperor’s favored concubines had to show respect to the Empress. After all, she had the say in all matters at this Stardust Palace, so it would be bad if they provoked her. Many times, even the Emperor wouldn’t be able to help them.
At the Manasvir Empire, Empress Manya Felan’s identity was only a front. Her mind was entirely focused on the empire’s economic development, so she did not exercise her power in managing the Emperor’s harem at all. Things were different here in the Gabriel Empire, though. Empress Deborah the Fifth fully made use of her authority and was the true master of this region.
There was a large garden on the outskirts of the Star Rain Palace. Bella saw many naked beauties clearing the weeds here. They were not palace maids or guards, as they were wearing gorgeous jewelry. According to Kriss, these beautiful ladies were the royal consorts who had made mistakes or were late in paying respects to the Empress in the morning.
Since these imperial consorts were in the wrong, Empress Deborah the Fifth exercised her power to punish them by helping to manage her garden. They were only given their clothes back if they performed well. If not, they would have to keep working here like the maids. The consorts who were punished all obeyed her word and did not dare complain. This was already considered a relatively light punishment. Bella could see from the fearful eyes of the consorts that the Empress was really feared around these parts.
Even though Kriss was not the daughter of Empress Deborah the Fifth, she was still considered one of the princesses. Thus, the guards at the Star Rain Palace did not come up to question them. They also tacitly acquiesced that Bella was either Kriss’s attendant or bodyguard. The only thing they couldn’t understand was why Bella was dressed. She was neither a princess nor a consort, so why did she have the right to wear clothes?
The Star Rain Palace had three floors. The highest floor was the Empress’s chamber, while the second level was where she received guests. The bottom floor was the Hall of Discipline, a closed place with a layout similar to a prison. The difference was that there wasn’t as much torture equipment, only some simple ones.
The harem of this Other world, or at the very least, the Gabriel Empire, did not adopt the cold palace punishment. Unless they committed regicide, any consorts, maids, or guards guilty of serious crimes would be confined in the Hall of Discipline to reflect on their actions. The prisons in the human continent were very chaotic, no matter which empire it was, and it was pretty unsafe for female prisoners. The women in the harem all belonged to the Emperor, so if they did not commit regicide, they would not be sent to prison.
The Hall of Discipline was where Empress Deborah the Fifth showed off her authority as an Empress. The concubines and consorts locked up here were even worse off than those trimming the weeds outside. They weren’t allowed to wear jewelry and had to stay naked in separate cells to reflect on their actions. Besides, they had to wear golden chains on their hands and legs as a prisoner. Bella and Kriss walked through the Hall of Discipline and saw the single cells along the way that confined all the beauties that had done wrong.
As long as no one was killed, the Emperor would not intervene in the matters here. As a result, to endure less torture, all the consorts here were very well-behaved. When Bella and Kriss walked past, the prisoners didn’t even dare to look at them. The time of the sentence also depended on the Empress’s mood. Even though they were consorts and didn’t have to suffer anything too bad, if the Empress wasn’t pleased, she could imprison them here for as long as she wanted. It didn’t feel good to be locked up constantly.
The consorts were only a minority. Most of the ones confined here were palace maids who were suspended off of various wooden racks with cloth balls in their mouths. The guards in charge of punishment would whip them from behind using rattan whips. The cracking of the whips could be heard throughout the Hall of Discipline. Bella took Kriss’s hand and continued walking forward, not daring to pay attention to the beautiful palace maids being tortured here. She was worried that her business might be delayed if she got too into it.
There were rectangular iron cages along the corridor that could hold one person. The beauties imprisoned here were different from the ones outside, which was only simple stuff and not genuine imprisonment. The ones here were actually prisoners. Other than being stripped completely naked in a shameful display, they had their arms crossed behind their backs. They were kneeling on the ground with their legs together, limbs all tied up with many black chains.
There were iron rings in their mouths to prevent them from biting their tongues to commit suicide. Their eyes were blindfolded by black cloth so as to prevent them from communicating with their eyes. On each of their necks was a heavy black metal ring attached to the top of the cage through a chain. Lastly, the chains on their bodies were all deadlocks.
These beauties were not palace women but female assassins who were caught infiltrating. They were kept here as a warning to outsiders. Compared to prison, though, this was not too bad. If they were sent to prison, they would definitely end up as playthings of the jailers and wardens. During set hours, palace maids would come in to feed these beauties.
These beautiful assassins were forced to drink a large amount of water throughout the day, hence their swollen bellies. Since they were wearing special metallic panties, an evil torture device similar to a chastity belt, they couldn’t even pee. They could only wait for the palace maids to come in and unlock it for them. Many of the assassins had blushing faces. If it was not time yet, they were forced to hold it in. If they forcefully relieved themselves before the set time, there would be even more cruel punishments waiting for them.
The wild natures and tempers of these beautiful assassins would all be ironed out in these cages. Next, they would obediently become slaves in the palace. Many of the palace maids in the Stardust Palace were tamed female assassins like them. There were times when Bella wondered whether Empress Deborah the Fifth was one of her kind. Such evil and erotic imprisonment tactics were not something a simple-minded woman could think of.
There were practically no assassins who could remain strong after suffering this for a long time. With the disciplinary measures employed, many of them admitted defeat before the first day even passed. However, even if they surrendered, they still had to be kept here for a whole month. During this period, the palace maids would constantly “persuade” the stubborn ones who refused to surrender, telling them the horrors of being sent to an actual prison.
To avoid actual prison and turning into the playthings of jailers, the assassins would all give up in the end. Compared to going to actual prison, they at least had some security staying here as a slave. In prison, their combat abilities would be crippled. They would just be like the ordinary prisoners, becoming mere tools for pleasure.
Without a word, Kriss continued leading the way. She had never been to Empress Deborah the Fifth’s Star Rain Palace, so she was not familiar with this evil prison deep in the harem. Things were much more normal on the second floor. Even though the palace maids here were naked as well, at the very least, they weren’t as pitiful as the girls on the first floor. Although the place was called Hall of Discipline, it was way more than just discipline.
“Princess Kriss, you’ve come. The Empress has only invited the honored guest behind you, so please wait here and enjoy some tea. I will send up some dessert as soon as possible.”
“Uh, be careful then, Bella. I’ll wait for you here.”
Empress Deborah the Fifth seemed to have guessed that Bella would bring someone with her. She had already told the palace maids on the second floor to prepare tea and fruits. Kriss couldn’t go against the Empress. She could only tell Bella to be careful, then wait on the second floor.
After Bella was brought up to the third floor by a few palace maids, the maids from the second floor silently withdrew, leaving behind Kriss, who was quietly enjoying tea in the guest hall. Kriss had long sensed their intentions, but she remained unfazed. She waited for that person to show themselves. As expected, a person dressed in all-black soon appeared in front of her.
But this wasn’t the only one; many other people dressed in black also emerged in the hall. Since the entire area of the Stardust Palace was protected by the toxic fragrance of the birds of paradise flowers, there was no need to guess the genders of these people. They must be women. However, Kriss was not surprised at being surrounded. She remained calm, as if this was all within her expectations.
“As expected of the princess known as the Sword Heroine. Your Highness Kriss, we admire your courage. Would you like to work with us?”
“Work with you? Your Darkness Church really is free. You have the time to ignore the Radiant Church and come to my country to cause trouble instead. Sorry, Great Demonic Swordsman, but I will not work with your Darkness Church. If I really wish to cooperate with someone, I already have a partner.”
“Kriss, Grand Duke Bellina will soon be under our Mistress’s control, so don’t be so stubborn. Unless you wish to experience being locked up in an iron cage outside? I’m sure you will cry for mercy within three days.”
The leader of the black-clothed group was none other than the Demonic Swordsman of the Darkness Church, someone at the level of Holy Sword Cynthia from the Radiant Church. She had caused trouble last time at the Kerclav Academy, too. It was precisely this Demonic Swordsman and the Darkness Church’s last Holy Maiden that Bella accidentally interrupted previously. She had inadvertently thwarted the ploy of the Darkness Church’s goddess faction, causing the Demonic Swordsman to flee to this side.
This time, they wanted to take advantage of the moment before the Darkness Church’s Holy Maidens from the Demon King faction, Liz and Livina, figured anything out and quickly seize control of the imperial city. Neither the three princes nor the three great families of the empire were working with them. If anyone had to be named, then they had a connection with Prince Brad, who relied on the support of the Kristoff Empire, which was behind both of them.
Since she had just defeated the second and fifth princesses of the Gabriel Empire’s “Five Swordmaidens” not long ago, the Demonic Swordsman was so overconfident that she disregarded the orders of her mistress to observe in the back. She decided to take control of Princess Kriss first. Then, she would be able to make up for her previous mistakes, and her mistress would not blame her for it.
“Great Demonic Swordsman, I do not know where this confidence of yours comes from. But if you want to fight, then can you not use any of those strange potions? It smells horrible. Moreover, it’s useless against me.”
The Demonic Swordsman was stunned because Kriss had easily recognized the toxic traps in the hall. The potions were placed in the various incense burners to be burned with the spices. This poison was developed by the Darkness Church to use against the Radiant Church. It had a great weakening effect when used against those who were not of the dark attribute.
Kriss wasn’t afraid of this poison at all; she just hated the smell. Not only did it stink, but it was also mixed into the spices. She couldn’t help but gag at the smell. Kriss herself had dark attributes inside her, but only a few people knew this fact. To her, the special poison from the Darkness Church was just smelly and had no other side effects.
“Get her! She’s just bluffing! I bet her legs are soft now. Capture her alive!”
“Sigh, why do these humans keep on repeating the same tragedies? Sure enough, humans really can’t have a mutual understanding. Come out, my shadows! Let the dance begin.”
“When did those guys appear?! Back up quickly and regroup!”
“The exit is sealed! You… Get away from me!”
Countless dark shadows appeared around the walls of the second floor. A group of shadow-type Demonic Beings called the Dark Sword Shades responded to Kriss’s summons, also known as Myriad Sword Demon Krysan. They appeared from the walls and surrounded the Darkness Church’s members in the hall. Before they were able to regroup, the offensive was directly launched. The guest room was plunged into a fight, an unprecedented scene in this place.
Since the soundproofing of the walls was good, nobody upstairs nor downstairs could hear the noise in here, much less anyone outside. Besides, no one had any idea that a dark battle had begun in the second-floor guest hall of Empress Deborah the Fifth’s Star Rain Palace. The invading Darkness Church, under the leadership of the Demonic Swordsman, was engaged with Kriss and the legion of Sword Shades.
“You… You’re not from the Darkness Church. How can you summon demons?!”
The Demonic Swordsman’s tone had become much more cautious, and the arrogance and confidence from before had vanished. Anyone could see that Kriss’s abilities were not something a human could possess. Furthermore, it was hard to even say whether Kriss herself was human or not.
“I am nothing more than a swordsman. Demonic Swordsman, won’t you spar with me and teach me some skills? Unsheath your sword!”
“Don’t get too cocky, Kriss. I’ll defeat you with my sword. Now, let’s see what other cards you’re still hiding up your sleeve!”
Kriss ignored the question. Her uncaring attitude finally angered the Demonic Swordsman. Even though she was just about to give the others the order to retreat, she chose to fight Kriss out of anger.
From what the Demonic Swordsman knew, the strongest were still the old protectors of the Empire, the Hilikas family’s twins, Sword Gods Calman and Cahlia. Princess Kriss was likely not as strong as them and had summoned these demons to scare them.
But Kriss’s abilities far surpassed the two Hilikas Sword God twins. The Demonic Swordsman’s single misjudgment ended up burying years of the Darkness Church’s hard work. The members of the Darkness Church were also injured by Kriss and the demons under her command. On the other side, Bella was having a secret meeting with the fake Deborah the Fifth on the third floor. She still had no idea about the situation downstairs.
