Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 81: Is This Subordinate a Little Too Outstanding?

Ten minutes earlier.

Standing atop the dragon's head, Yveste gazed down from the sky, surveying the sprawling city of Orne below her.

The faint trace of a murderous aura still lingered at the corner of her eyes, adding an air of majesty and solemnity to her appearance. Behind her, a dozen subordinates stood in silence.

The mission had failed.

Although no lives were lost, Yveste hadn't managed to retrieve the sealed artifact hidden in the underground ruins by the Creationist Sect. As Duke Tyrius had warned, the artifact’s condition was highly unusual. Even after Yveste exerted most of her power, she couldn’t take it away.

“It’s at least a second-level sealed artifact,” Yveste judged at the time.

Artifacts of that level typically possessed intense self-awareness, often manifesting unique laws based on their nature. Even Yveste was reluctant to act rashly without understanding the artifact's characteristics, especially since the estimate of "second-level" could very well be conservative. She had a nagging feeling the artifact's true sequence rank might be even higher.

For the safety of herself and her subordinates, Yveste ultimately decided to retreat after much deliberation. After all, she wasn’t a professional containment specialist; this sort of task was better left to the Church.

Still, it was a secret mission entrusted to her by Saint Roland VI. Failing it would inevitably bring punishment—punishment she had endured countless times since her childhood. The thought soured her mood further.

As the dragon's wingbeats slowed, their altitude rapidly decreased. Soon, the verdant lawn of the Augusta Estate came into view.

Yveste glanced down indifferently but was quickly drawn to a figure standing in the middle of the lawn.

Why is he here?

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Afia, who had transformed into her human form and now wore tight leather attire, leaned over with wide eyes. “Your Highness, it’s that guy! Isn’t he supposed to be helping Duke Tyrius? How does he have time to meet us here?”

“I don’t know.”

For some reason, the sight of him lifted Yveste’s spirits, as if she'd stumbled upon a beloved toy.

Hearing this, Morris poked his head out from the shadow cast by the dragon’s back. “Based on what I know of him, he’s probably already solved the Duke’s problem, so now he’s free to come here and take it easy.”

“Hah, you must be joking—that was fifty thousand gold coins we’re talking about!”

A discordant voice suddenly cut in.

Rhine stood among the group, speaking coldly.

Morris shrugged. “I can’t imagine what kind of superhuman could extract fifty thousand gold coins from those miserly Church officials in just ten days, but… that’s Lynn for you.” ȒàΝȪꞖĘs

Rhine’s expression froze. Noticing the others' gazes, he clenched his teeth and lowered his head, as if afraid someone might bring up the incident in the cellar.

After being tricked by Lynn twice, his father, Baron Augusta, no longer looked at him with the same pride. Instead, the Baron had shifted more of his attention to Rhine’s younger brother, Greya. This shift gnawed at Rhine.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! Why don’t we guess how much he managed to raise for the Duke?” Afia suddenly suggested, sidling up to Yveste.

“...”

Yveste didn’t respond.

Undeterred, Afia took the lead. “I’ll guess… sixty thousand!”

Her memory of Lynn handling the Creationist Sect followers was still vivid, so she had no doubts about his capability.

Morris seemed intrigued as well. “I’ll guess fifty thousand.” He remained cautious in his estimate.

“You trust him that much?” one of the subordinates asked curiously.

Though the name “Lynn” was well-known, the subordinate had never witnessed him in action and had no concrete impression of him. All they knew was that Her Highness valued him greatly, even instructing them to address him as “Young Master.”

“Of course.”

Afia and Morris spoke in unison.

“One million.”

Yveste suddenly chimed in. “If it’s him, it wouldn’t be less than that.”

Her words left everyone in stunned silence, exchanging incredulous looks.

One million? What did that even mean?

The annual tax revenue of many mid-sized cities barely reached that figure. Was Her Highness implying that Lynn had managed to secure, in just ten days, a sum equivalent to an entire city’s yearly revenue from the Church?

That was absurd!

Unless Duke Tyrius had decided to wage war against the Church and the great nobles, sending his army to plunder their estates, it was impossible!

Doubts welled up in the minds of many, but none dared voice them, cowed by Yveste’s authority.

Afia, standing nearby, cast a complicated look at Yveste. She hadn’t expected her own princess to trust that man the most.

But… where did such trust come from?

Lost in these thoughts, the black dragon landed steadily amidst the whirl of turbulent air and roaring winds. The sight rekindled the group’s curiosity, momentarily washing away the gloom from their earlier failure.

They were all eager to see just how far Lynn had gone this time.

Before anyone could ask, however, as soon as the dragon touched down, Lynn leapt off a massive box and landed lightly on the ground.

Then, in full view of Yveste and the others, he flipped open the lid of the box with a casual motion.

Instantly, a dazzling golden radiance burst forth, reflecting the sunlight so brightly that everyone instinctively squinted.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

What… what the hell is this?!

Even Afia was dumbfounded at the sight of the chest brimming with gold coins, let alone the skeptics among them.

Yveste stared silently at Lynn, her gaze betraying a hint of astonishment.

“Your Highness, mission accomplished!” Lynn declared loudly, his voice carrying across the estate like a booming trumpet. “For this operation, the target was fifty thousand gold coins. The actual yield is two million gold coins. All proceeds have been gathered here. Mission success!”

How much?!

The moment that figure registered, everyone was thunderstruck, standing rooted to the spot like statues.

They hadn’t misheard.

It wasn’t fifty thousand as Morris had guessed, nor sixty thousand as Afia predicted, nor even the million Yveste had surmised.

It was two million—a number that far exceeded their highest expectations several times over.

In just ten days, this man had raised an amount equivalent to the annual tax revenue of two or three small cities.

Rhine, standing in the crowd, saw stars. His vision darkened, and he nearly fainted. But alas, no one was paying attention to him.

They were all fixated on the chest of gold, speechless.

Seeing their stunned reactions, Lynn assumed the group was dissatisfied. Nudging Duke Tyrius with his elbow, he gestured as if to say, Say something!

The Duke’s face darkened. He glared at Lynn as if to say, Don’t drag me into this embarrassment!

Lynn rolled his eyes. You promised, his expression seemed to retort.

After a brief silence, Duke Tyrius sighed. Straightening his posture, he turned to Yveste with a solemn expression. “Your Highness, from this day forward, the Tyrius Family will formally establish an alliance with you. Our aim will be to support your ascent to the throne, and we will provide every resource within our power to aid you.”

His words were measured, but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

For some reason, Yveste’s heart skipped a beat. A surge of joy swept over her, as though she were floating on clouds.

Her gaze involuntarily shifted toward Lynn, and an uncontrollable thought surfaced in her mind.

This subordinate of mine… might be just a little too outstanding?

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