Chapter 431 - Chapter 431: Chapter 408: The Demon of the East Coast and the Guardian of the Queen (2/2)

“I apologize if my presence scared you, but I am also aware of some of the rumors about myself; most of them are nothing more than slander from outsiders.”

“Moreover, as everyone present surely knows, the measures I have taken were directed at traitors; they were necessary actions to protect Syart under the blessings of the Gods, and to safeguard Her Majesty Queen Peggy! They were unavoidable and absolutely the right thing to do,”

Darren added more solemnly, then concluded earnestly, “For a pure and beautiful young girl like yourself, I would have no groundless malice. Please be assured of that!”

After the banquet ended, he secretly ordered the people of the “Black Tide” to investigate the girl’s family.

Sure enough, the “Black Tide” discovered that the girl’s parents had contacts with the Carnians. They hoped to leverage their power to overthrow the Fischer family and Queen Peggy, plotting to kidnap Her Majesty in the near future.

A few days later, the people of the Dawn Church took her entire family away for severe torture.

After Darren learned of this, he took a deep breath.

“Her fear that day was so apparent, it was clearly not normal. So, how much was she aware of or involved in… Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

During the five years of rampant purging, besides being known as the “Iron Mask Man,” Darren gradually earned new nicknames among the people, such as “Butcher of Syart,” “Demon of the East Coast,” and “Leviathan’s Dark Tentacle.”

Thus, the various stories circulating among the people of Syart became increasingly outrageous. They said that Marquis Vlad had a fiery temper and would have a killing urge when angry! While the “Iron Mask Man” of the East Coast was simply not human—at the mere absence of killing for a few days, he would become greatly agitated!

On the contrary, Christine’s reputation was soaring.

Under the manipulation of the Fischer family, all the good deeds attributed to Christine, whether rumors or facts, were propagated far and wide within and outside Syart by the hands of the Dawn Church.

This included, but was not limited to, treating civilians, aiding in disaster relief, eliminating monstrosities, and repelling pirates, and so on…

In reality, most of these deeds were not carried out by Christine herself. She was too busy on a daily basis to manage all of it; most of the actions were taken by members of the Dawn Church.

However, the Dawn Church credited Christine with many of these good deeds, claiming that even if she didn’t personally carry them out, she had sent others to do them. The goal was to create a favorable reputation for her.

Even Queen Peggy repeatedly commended Christine, awarding one medal and honor after another, causing the Syart people to deeply admire her from the bottom of their hearts.

In some ways, this was also paving the way for Christine’s future promotion.

In the new era of the Peggy Dynasty, the people feared and were terrified of Duke Darren as much as they revered and admired the honorable Christine.

Some said that Queen Peggy was a puppet of the Fischer family, convinced that any missteps she took were the result of manipulation and deception by the crazed Duke Darren. But they believed as long as the honorable Christine was there, Queen Peggy would still be safe, and Syart would still hold hope.

In the popular stories that people enjoyed sharing, Christine and Darren were at odds like fire and water, constantly clashing over various matters regarding Syart. Every time Queen Peggy trembled, nearly coerced by Duke Darren, she would be righteously thwarted by the honorable Christine. In these stories, Duke Darren was repeatedly outwitted by Christine’s intelligence and would leave, grunting coldly in speechless defeat.

While those truly familiar with the Fischer family found these tales to be outlandish, the common folk of Syart indeed enjoyed such stories.

Consequently, Christine quickly acquired nicknames like the “Guardian of the Queen” and “Syat’s Shielding Moon.” Even Andre became increasingly famous because of her, turning into the most perfect spouse prototype in the minds of many naive young girls.

Stories full of the struggle between good and evil have made both her and Darren even more renowned through each other’s existence.

And these actions hastened Christine and Darren’s progress on the Path of Authority and the Path of Shadow, further than ordinary people.

Over the five years, several significant events also occurred in Syart, such as the birth of Felix and Sunny Frosac’s first son at the end of the first year.

Christine named him Carter.

Furthermore, during these five years, many people within the Dawn Church ascended to new Ranks, and new 5th Rank Extraordinary Exponents emerged.

Some people, however, failed in their ascension rituals.

Falling short at the last moment.