Chapter 98: Nikola’s Gambit: Unraveling World Domination

So that’s it.

Nikola’s expression shifted slightly. She nodded thoughtfully, convinced after hearing Olivia’s account that the scarlet bones were undoubtedly her own. She had never imagined Liliana would strip away her power in such a manner.

Nikola’s memories before arriving in the Arcadia Kingdom were exceedingly vague, leaving her unaware of how her power had been separated. If it had all been detached in the form of bones, then other similar scarlet bones must exist throughout the world.

‘She truly hadn’t expected Liliana to dismantle her like some kind of Gundam. Now, if she found them, she’d have to reassemble herself.’

“Very well,” Nikola began, “what exactly is the Hillebach Duchy’s purpose in researching the scarlet bones? And why did they send you to infiltrate the Arcadia Kingdom?”

“The Hillebach Duchy’s goal is to dominate the world.”

‘To dominate the world again…’

Nikola was growing impatient with this recurring motive. Liliana had sent her to infiltrate the Arcadia Kingdom for world domination, the Celestial Realm had granted Lucia power for world domination, and now the Hillebach Duchy was researching her bones for world domination.

‘Were these high-ranking schemers truly so ravenous for power?’

“The Duchy dispatched me to infiltrate the Arcadia Kingdom for the same reason.”

“The Duchy believes that the Incomplete Bloodkin created from the scarlet bones can wield both Bloodkin and professional abilities. Therefore, they secretly search for willing professionals across various regions. The Duchy has also dispatched spies like me to other human nations.”

“Another reason for my infiltration into the Arcadia Kingdom is the Saintess, who is… your student, Master.”

“Oh? Lucia? How did you come by information regarding her?”

Nikola narrowed her eyes. While the Church had never hidden Lucia’s existence, Lucia was not their only Saintess.

In fact, every century, the Church selected the most talented Nun from the younger generation to be a Saintess. To others, a Saintess wasn’t particularly powerful; they were merely chosen according to tradition.

Lucia’s regenerative ability was publicly known, but only a select few were aware of the Holy Fire she possessed.

The Pope’s designation of Lucia as Saintess was merely an experiment. Apart from Nikola, no one knew that Lucia was the human destined to end the era of Fantasy Creatures. The Hillebach Duchy’s specific interest in her information was indeed peculiar.

Facing Nikola’s questions, Olivia slowly began to speak.

“Before the Great Priestess of the Hillebach Duchy met her natural end, she performed her final divination, sacrificing her life and soul. The results indicated that this Saintess possessed the power to overthrow the Fantasy Creatures’ dominance over the world. Consequently, the Legion dispatched me to ascertain the true extent of her abilities. Now, it seems she truly might have a chance to end it all.”

As she spoke, Olivia felt a shiver of dread. The Holy Fire Lucia had conjured instilled a hint of fear within her. That pure white flame conveyed not just mere heat, but an ineffable emptiness, as if anything it touched would be utterly purified.

“So, what do you intend to do once you return? Will you report Lucia’s information to the Hillebach Duchy?”

“Yes… or rather, would you prefer I temporarily conceal the Saintess’s… abilities?”

By this point, the Black-haired girl had fully accepted her new reality as Nikola’s subordinate.

She held no inherent loyalty to the Hillebach Duchy, and becoming Nikola’s subordinate made little difference in her pursuit of her own objectives.

“No need,” Nikola waved her hand dismissively. “You only need to conceal my existence. Report everything else truthfully to your superiors.”

Nikola waved her hand, indicating she had no intention of hiding Lucia’s existence or power. In the original story, Olivia had undoubtedly reported all information about Lucia truthfully.

After receiving Lucia’s intelligence, the Hillebach Duchy had made no moves. Nikola surmised that the Duchy likely believed Lucia indeed possessed the power to eradicate the Fantasy Creatures.

Considering the implied war between humans in the original text, Nikola believed their strategy was likely to secretly amass strength. They would wait for Lucia to eliminate most of the world’s Fantasy Creatures, then launch a surprise attack on the Arcadia Kingdom with their trained Incomplete Bloodkin army, augmented by Arcane Technology weapons.

Given this, Nikola had no intention of excessively interfering with the timeline, to prevent unforeseen variables or alerting the enemy prematurely.

However, there was one crucial detail: Olivia had gained regenerative abilities after becoming Nikola’s subordinate. Olivia would need to devise a way to explain this.

“Olivia, how will you explain your regenerative abilities when the time comes?”

“Master, you needn’t worry about that. I’ve always possessed regenerative abilities, though I could only use them when feeding. Furthermore, the Legion has been continuously researching the scarlet bones, attempting to further enhance the power of us test subjects through them. After the next experiment, I’ll simply tell them it’s a new ability brought forth by the scarlet bones.”

“Good, Olivia. If the Hillebach Duchy makes any new moves, remember to contact me. Once I’m fully prepared, I’ll inform you. Until then, ensure they don’t discover your defection.”

“Yes, Master.”

Nikola briefly outlined the upcoming strategy, then dismissed Olivia. If Olivia didn’t return soon, Lucia and the others might grow anxious. Should Lucia pursue her, or if other guardians discovered them, their plan would end before it even began.

Having now signed the master-subordinate contract, they could sense each other’s locations, making it easy to establish contact.

Although Nikola now knew the whereabouts of the scarlet bones and the culprit behind the creation of the Vampires, she hadn’t yet formulated a concrete plan for their retrieval, possessing only a rough idea.

While the professionals within the Hillebach Duchy were not as formidable as those in the Arcadia Kingdom, they were certainly not a force Nikola could currently contend with alone.

If Nikola were to infiltrate the Hillebach Duchy alone and fail to reclaim the scarlet bones, she would undoubtedly be captured for study. While Liliana would likely intervene to rescue her, Nikola’s plan to resist Liliana would undoubtedly collapse, returning her to the cage Liliana had prepared.

Therefore, Nikola had to be fully prepared.

She intended to continue utilizing Lucia. She would have the Church uncover evidence of the Hillebach Duchy secretly creating Vampires, prompting the Church to seize the scarlet bones. In this way, the scarlet bones would naturally return to her possession.