The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 449: Slight Hindrance

At Varuga, the situation remained tense after Aldrian’s threat. Many influential figures in the city had already arrived to see the hundreds of people Aldrian had rescued from the underground facility. They began assisting them, attending to their needs in order to fulfill Aldrian’s command.

For some of the city’s powerful individuals, helping these hundreds of people was not difficult—as long as they had the will to do so. And Aldrian had already instilled that will in them.

While the city still simmered with tension and its people rushed to carry out the task Aldrian had given them, the man himself was already standing in front of the teleportation station operator. The operator trembled in fear, and although Aldrian looked at him with a calm gaze, it only made the man more terrified.

The people nearby had already distanced themselves, too afraid to come close to Aldrian. After vanishing following his order and threat, he suddenly reappeared at the teleportation station, clearly intending to move on to his next destination.

Karl was still in Aldrian’s grasp, though he looked close to death. Unconscious, his breathing was shallow, and his body was covered in blood and wounds. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, causing many onlookers to flinch at the sight.

From their expressions, it was clear they believed Aldrian was keeping Karl barely alive—suspended between life and death—just to prolong his suffering.

"So, you can’t connect the teleportation portal to the capital?" Aldrian asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the trembling station operator.

"Y-Yes... but please, believe me, Your Excellency," the operator stammered, his voice shaking with fear. "I didn’t lie to you. I suddenly can’t establish a connection to the capital city, Losaris. From what I can tell, the teleportation station there seems to have shut down its operations. Losaris is basically isolated now."

Aldrian could tell the operator wasn’t lying. He already had a good idea why Prince Wilmar had decided to isolate the capital. After such a grand announcement and threat, it would be impossible for word not to reach the prince. Aldrian figured Wilmar had already heard of his arrival in Varuga and had begun preparing countermeasures—shutting down the teleportation station was likely the first of them.

Although it wouldn’t completely stop him from reaching the capital, it would buy Prince Wilmar some time to come up with a solution, something Aldrian found amusing. He was curious to see what the prince or anyone in his faction had prepared for his arrival once he knocked on their door.

"Where is the closest location to Losaris that can still be connected from here?" Aldrian asked.

"W-Wait, Your Excellency. Let me check," the operator replied, before turning to the mechanical console in front of him, the control panel for the teleportation station. He worked in silence for several tense minutes before glancing up at Aldrian, his expression full of nervous tension.

"Your Excellency, my apologies, but it seems I can’t connect to anywhere near the capital," the operator said, voice strained. "The closest available location is the city of Bermin, which lies in what used to be the Belany family’s territory. It was once ruled by Marquess Belany, but since he sided with the rebel faction, the second prince’s forces destroyed the family and executed their entire bloodline."

He hesitated before continuing.

"However, Bermin is still quite far from the central region where the capital is located. Even if you were to fly directly, it would take over a month to reach Losaris from there. That’s the best option I can offer, sir."

Aldrian nodded. The second prince was indeed smart and decisive in his choice. Isolating the capital and the surrounding cities like that could be detrimental to the people in the affected areas, yet he still took the risk.

By cutting off all external connections, the prince had also made it difficult to receive reinforcements from outside the central region. If he needed support from distant territories, he would either have to wait much longer or rely on rare, expensive alternatives like a flying fortress to reach the capital quickly.

It was a double-edged decision, but the fact that the second prince was willing to take it only showed how desperate he had become in the face of the current situation.

"Alright, just send me there," Aldrian said. In the end, it didn’t matter. He would reach the capital one way or another. A slight delay meant nothing—he would come for the second prince regardless.

"Understood, sir."

The operator adjusted the portal’s destination, his fingers moving quickly over the control panel. Once it was ready, he looked up nervously.

"It’s ready, sir."

Aldrian gave a slight nod and stepped closer to the portal. But before entering, he turned his head and glanced toward the onlookers watching him from a distance.

"Remember what I told you all," he said before stepping into the portal, leaving behind many tense gazes fixed on his back.

The area had remained silent the entire time, with only Aldrian’s conversation with the station operator breaking the stillness. Once he vanished from sight, the tension in the air eased slightly, and quiet murmurs slowly returned to the crowd.

Even with a mask covering his face, his presence alone was overwhelming—commanding enough to make some feel as though they should revere him, even worship him. They didn’t know what fate awaited the empire, but judging by the weight of what they had just witnessed and what he had said, they knew one thing for certain: news would soon come from the capital.

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While the Atria Empire was engulfed in its own kind of "festivity," the atmosphere within the Church’s main territory remained relatively calm. Nothing major had occurred since Aldrian left the main Church’s territory.

The only topic that sparked widespread interest was the recent chaos unfolding within the Atria Empire. News from the empire had shaken the entire continent over the past week. It was confirmed that a mysterious swordsman was involved in the civil war, and even more shocking, the possible existence of the traitor from the Church, Cardinal Carsius hiding in Atria.

Even more troubling, it seemed that this traitor was under the protection of the second prince himself.

The news had yet to be fully verified, as it stemmed solely from the declaration of the mysterious swordsman. Even so, his words alone were enough to stir unrest within the Church’s territory. Many were now pressuring the main Church to take action against the second prince.

Though they weren’t sure whether the mysterious swordsman was truly acting in support of the Church, given that he was targeting the alleged traitor, they still believed his claim couldn’t be ignored.

At the very least, they demanded the Church send someone to confront the second prince directly and seek confirmation. After all, the swordsman did not seem like the type to make baseless declarations, and if there was even a sliver of truth in his words, the Church needed to treat the matter with utmost seriousness.

Because of all this, many high-ranking members within the main Church began urging Pope Claudius to take action against the Atria Empire. Though the Church’s territory was smaller in size compared to Atria, its forces were undoubtedly superior in quality.

If the second prince was truly harboring a traitor, then the civil war could no longer be considered merely an internal affair of the Atria Empire.

However, Pope Claudius maintained a composed stance. He assured the Church’s upper ranks—and the broader public—that they need not worry about the traitor. He had his own plan in motion, one he claimed would guarantee the traitor’s capture.

Reckless military intervention, would only lead to unnecessary loss of resources and ultimately harm their position.

Although some were dissatisfied with the pope’s response, they still chose to place their trust in his words. After all, he remained their respected leader.

Currently, that very leader was inside the Paladins training hall, adjacent to the Paladin Knights’ barracks. It was a space typically used by the Paladins for indoor training, offering a more private and comfortable setting than the open grounds outside.

The pope was not alone. Not far from him, a beautiful golden-haired woman was going through light training exercises. He watched her with pride and a touch of emotion in his eyes, clearly moved by how her movements had grown more fluid with each passing time.

Ever since Angelica expressed her desire to learn how to fight, she had been undergoing training directly supervised by him and occasionally by Arthur.

At first, he was concerned it might be too early for her. She had only just begun walking again, and he thought she should wait until her steps became steadier before attempting any kind of exercise.

But he saw with his own eyes just how determined Angelica was. Day after day, she pushed herself, practicing how to walk, doing small exercises on her own without even telling him.

Witnessing that kind of resolve touched his heart. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her. Instead, he chose to personally oversee her training whenever possible, and entrusted Arthur to guide her in his place whenever his duties kept him away.

At this time, Angelica wore a tight training outfit that accentuated the graceful curves of her body. Her flawless proportions, along with the glistening sweat on her skin and face, made her a captivating sight, one that could easily steal the breath of any onlooker.

That was precisely why the pope insisted she train in private, allowing only his most trusted men like Arthur to supervise her training.

She moved with good agility as she worked on her motor coordination and reflexes through a specialized obstacle simulation. The platform beneath her feet functioned as a self-training system, designed to improve movement and reaction speed.

She was currently dodging movement of ball of light that shot across the floor at random intervals, each one increasing in speed and unpredictability.

However, after a few moments, a ball of light struck her leg, forcing her to stop. She let out a small sigh of disappointment just as all the lights on the training floor disappeared. freewёbnoνel.com

Clap, Clap!

"Good job. You’ve improved so much compared to yesterday, I have no doubt you’ll clear this level in no time," Pope Claudius said, his voice filled with pride.