Chapter 419: Help?

When Aisha and he simultaneously voiced their requests for “assistance,” Ovakain immediately felt an ominous premonition. In truth, throughout their journey, Ovakain had vaguely noticed Aisha’s several instances of hesitation in speaking her mind. However, in the view of this “worldly-wise” black dragon, what troubled Aisha was likely nothing more than some childish, naive concerns—such as wanting to become his apprentice or traveling together. He had seen plenty of such innocent ideas from little girls and had long grown accustomed to them.

But now it seemed… the matter that made the usually carefree girl hesitate to speak was probably not as simple as the black dragon had imagined.

Letting out a soft sigh, Ovakain rubbed his temples with his fingers and said helplessly:

“Respected miss, as a gentleman, please allow me to hear about the assistance you require first.”

Upon hearing Ovakain’s response, Aisha sighed deeply yet seemed to release a heavy breath of relief at the same time. She leaned her petite frame lightly against the wall of the dim alley, then spoke in a tone filled with both resignation and sorrow.

“Let me think about where to begin… Well… First, my name is indeed Aisha, but besides this name, I also have a surname. My surname is ‘Breeze.’ My full name is Aisha Breeze. Yes, I am a member of the royal family, the princess of the Huaibien Kingdom, and the designated first heir to the throne of the Huaibien Kingdom.”

Gently smoothing her hair with slender fingers, Aisha spoke these words in a tone laden with helplessness, yet Ovakain caught a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of pride in the girl’s eyes. Of course, perhaps even the girl herself was unaware of this hint of pride.

Cautiously glancing at Ovakain’s expression and finding the black dragon still listening calmly, Aisha breathed a small sigh of relief and continued:

“Respected sir, in fact… Well, I’ll just say it directly. I sincerely hope you can become this kingdom’s Kingdom Protector. I beg of you!”

Seeing the unreadable calm in Ovakain’s eyes, the hesitant Aisha seemed to finally steel her resolve. The spirited girl closed her eyes, voiced her request loudly to Ovakain, and bowed deeply.

“Wait a moment, what is going on here? Can a Kingdom Protector be sought in this manner?”

Seeing Aisha’s flushed face and hopeful eyes, Ovakain felt a stinging pain in his soul once again. Regardless of the reason behind Aisha’s request for him to become the Kingdom Protector, the request itself revealed a shocking truth—the original Kingdom Protector of the Huaibien Kingdom had encountered a major problem!

Without a doubt, events were unfolding in the worst direction Ovakain had anticipated.

Sensing Ovakain’s confusion, Aisha needed no prompting and began explaining to the perplexed black dragon in a grave tone:

“Respected mighty one, this matter must begin with our kingdom’s Kingdom Protector…””The Kingdom Protector of our Huaibien Kingdom is actually my great-grandfather, who is also the fifteenth king of this nation. Throughout the kingdom’s long history, Great-grandfather has guarded this land as a Master-Level sixteenth-grade warrior. Thanks to his enlightened governance and the kingdom’s remote geographical location, Huaibien Kingdom has always enjoyed tranquility and peace—a state that persisted until three hundred years ago.”

At this point, Aisha’s tone grew heavy and solemn, her voice unconsciously deepening and turning hoarse:

“But… during a certain period three hundred years ago, the kingdom’s peace was ruthlessly shattered. At some unknown time, a bizarre religion emerged in our kingdom, calling themselves the Nightmare Cult. Before even my great-grandfather could detect it, this cult had already amassed a vast influence. They not only spread their tentacles throughout Huaibien Kingdom but even controlled several large minotaur tribes… Perhaps our nation had truly remained detached from worldly conflicts for too long. We remained completely unaware of this cult’s existence until several influential nobles became its members.”

As she spoke, emotions of regret, sorrow, and anger flickered in Aisha’s eyes. Yet, she strove to recount the matters of the Nightmare Cult as clearly and objectively as possible to Ovakain:

“When we discovered the cult’s expansion and threat, it was already somewhat too late. Numerous nobles and lords had fallen as puppets of the cult. Minotaurs, incited by the cult, indiscriminately slaughtered every town they encountered. Many officials within the kingdom had become the cult’s protective shields… However, at that time, Great-grandfather still suppressed the restless lords with his unstoppable power. It was precisely due to his deterrence as the Kingdom Protector that those lords and nobles, long estranged from the kingdom, refrained from open rebellion… But! But now…”

Tears welled in the corners of the young woman’s eyes as she spoke, her fingers tightening on her sturdy leather attire. It was evident that Aisha was about to reach the most critical and heartbreaking part of her tale.

“Sigh, if I’m not mistaken… I’m afraid… something has happened to your great-grandfather, hasn’t it?”

With a soft sigh, Ovakain slowly closed his eyes and shook his head. In this world where strength commands respect, the importance of an absolutely unstoppable high-level combatant was self-evident. No one understood better than Ovakain how devastating the loss of a Kingdom Protector could be to a kingdom. After all, at the Master-Level, single-handedly destroying a nation was no longer an impossibility—hadn’t Dragon Roar Kingdom been ruthlessly destroyed after Ovakain failed to stop Punk?

In any case, hearing Aisha’s account up to this point, Ovakain understood the young woman’s feelings and realized why she had been so abrupt and impatient in seeking a new Kingdom Protector. There was no other way—with the crucial protective shield gone and the kingdom’s most vital pillar collapsed, how could Aisha, as the princess, not be frantic with worry?Heaving a heavy sigh in his heart, Ovakain looked at Aisha with a trace of pity in his eyes, softening his tone as much as possible as he continued questioning:

“What exactly happened? What went wrong with your great-grandfather? As a spellcaster skilled in alchemical magic, perhaps I can offer some humble suggestions… Of course, though it may sadden you, I still hope you can tell me more about that Cult. After all… this ‘Nightmare Cult’ does appear truly dangerous.”

While comforting the agitated young woman with his words, Ovakain’s mind conjured images of the grotesque statues clutched by merchants in his caravan and the eerie paintings on those frenzied goat-headed humanoids. His sharp intuition kept warning him—this turbulent Desert… was likely far more perilous than he had previously imagined!

(Though somewhat of a cliché princess trope… the author guarantees it won’t follow conventions~)

(End of Chapter)