The Exiled Lord: My Maid is a Battle Goddess

Chapter 321: The Fifth Civilization

"What... is she doing?"

Even Rosalia, whose existence itself defied reason, was startled enough to take half a step back. Covering her mouth with a slender hand, she said, "Is she... treating her own injuries?"

Phield was equally dumbfounded. His pupils trembled as he coughed awkwardly.

"This woman is actually performing her own defeat animation!"

Unfortunately, there was nothing alluring about it.

It was simply horrifying.

"I’m negotiating with you, Phield. Let me go, and I can bring you substantial rewards."

Then came a scene so absurd that it shattered all common sense.

She actually pulled out a crystal vial the length of a palm from a seemingly impossible location.

"Wait. No, seriously. Where exactly were you hiding that thing? Hold on, you’ve been carrying that in your chest this whole time and still fighting normally?"

Phield felt an overwhelming urge to gouge out his own eyes.

Countless complaints filled his mind, but after thinking about it, he swallowed them back.

"Alright. I probably shouldn’t be asking such reasonable questions in this world."

"Please don’t destroy my worldview any further. Even we Corrupted creatures wouldn’t do something that bizarre."

Rosalia rubbed her forehead and turned away in disgust.

Walking forward, she slammed the flat of her greatsword down and broke Jamie’s leg.

"You don’t stand while speaking to a noble. Especially when you’re the one asking for peace."

"Ugh!"

Jamie cried out miserably and collapsed onto the ground.

She gritted her teeth, wishing she could leap forward and die together with Rosalia.

Instead, she forced herself to look up with a flattering smile.

"This is the Divine Bloodline of the Calamity of Destruction. It can resurrect Destruction, one of the legendary Five Calamity Divine Chosen."

"Destruction... Calamity."

Phield’s interest was instantly piqued.

No longer hiding behind Rosalia, he straightened his clothing and stepped forward.

"Then are you saying that Slaughter Divine Chosen aren’t one of the Five Calamities?"

"That’s right. Not only are we not Calamities, we were once part of the Empire’s official military."

Jamie let out a pained groan.

"Slaughter Divine Chosen also require territories in order to grow stronger. Otherwise, why would we care about territories at all? We would have destroyed them long ago."

"The War God Pantheon consists of several branches. Just like the Primordial Pantheon includes Winter, Tides, Fire, Storms, and others."

Jamie groaned again before continuing miserably.

"If anyone betrayed the Empire, it’s more accurate to say the Empire betrayed us."

"What do you mean?"

Phield’s heart skipped a beat.

He felt as though he had grasped an important clue, yet remained one step away from understanding it.

"Sorry, mortal. We’ve been subjected to a forbidden curse, just like those cursed Holy Light Divine Chosen. A curse is not always destruction. Sometimes it can be protection."

Jamie’s eyes gradually began turning red.

"This isn’t a topic we’re allowed to discuss. In truth, I know very little myself. Just thinking about those things feels like my brain is about to explode."

Phield desperately wanted to ask further questions.

But considering the pitiful strength of his forces, he knew that sometimes knowing too much only brought trouble.

"Fine. I’m a practical man. Tell me your conditions. If they’re convincing enough, we can talk."

After a moment of thought, Phield followed his usual routine.

"How about joining Nightfall Domain?"

The woman might be utterly bizarre, but her strength was undeniable.

"Heh. Impossible."

Jamie sneered and rejected the offer without hesitation.

She pointed toward certain places that no one wanted to think about.

"Besides, I already have a master. He can detonate the high-energy magic core inside my body whenever he wants."

"Hiss..."

Phield inhaled sharply.

"For fuck’s sake, how many things are you hiding inside yourself?"

First a crystal vial.

Now a high-energy magic core.

And there was a forbidden curse inside her mind too.

"Forget it."

Phield waved his hand.

"Since you refuse to join Nightfall Domain, let’s discuss terms instead."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

He flexed his fingers, releasing the lingering tension from earlier.

"We could simply kill you and take your bargaining chip."

"How very noble of you."

Jamie snorted.

"But I’m not an idiot. If I’m negotiating with you, then naturally I have confidence."

After cautiously glancing at Rosalia, she continued coldly.

"The Divine Bloodline of Destruction is merely the final incantation of the entire process."

"We’ve made countless preparations. Selecting a vessel, gathering legendary magical materials, researching ancient ruins, and..."

A strange smile appeared on her face.

"Sacrificing lives."

"Sounds impressive. Then why is something so important in your possession, and why are you storing it so casually? Forget having a Fifth-Tier Divine Chosen guard it. At the very least, it should be kept somewhere dry and ventilated instead of dark and damp."

"Cough."

Rosalia shot Phield a fierce glare.

Phield awkwardly raised both hands.

"Sorry."

"Because we’ve been experimenting constantly."

Jamie answered bluntly.

"This is already the fourth attempt, and we’ve still failed. It always feels like something is missing."

She looked directly at him.

"I’ll take you to the resurrection array. If Destruction Divine Chosen is successfully created, you can contract her yourself."

"If it fails, all the experimental materials become yours. That’s an enormous amount of precious materials above Third Tier. No matter how you look at it, you can’t lose."

"You really understand business."

"Of course."

Jamie struggled to lean against the rock behind her.

The position clearly eased some of her pain.

"Within my organization, I’ve always served as both a socialite and a merchant."

Phield was tempted.

If he killed Jamie now, he would gain only a Third-Tier divine artifact.

If he didn’t kill her...

He could wait until obtaining all the experimental materials and then kill her afterward.

The artifact would still be his.

A win-win situation.

More specifically, they would win twice.

"Tell me more about this Destruction Divine Chosen. You called her ’legendary.’ Does that mean all Destruction Divine Chosen are extinct?"

"That’s right."

Jamie nodded solemnly.

"The Calamity of Destruction was the first apocalyptic disaster. She annihilated an ancient civilization."

"According to ultra-ancient scrolls we’ve recovered, the First Civilization was devastated by a meteor that fell from the heavens countless years ago."

"The Destruction Divine Chosen emerged from that meteor."

"They only needed slaughter and destruction to rapidly increase their power."

"The First Civilization survived for less than a year."

"They didn’t even leave behind any useful information before being wiped out."

"Afterward, the Destruction Divine Chosen slaughtered every living thing in the world."

Jamie revealed a brilliant smile.

"Without food, they eventually died as well."

"Isn’t that ridiculous? Archaeology is how we arrived at that conclusion."

Phield turned toward Rosalia.

"So that’s how it was. Does that mean we’re already the Fifth Civilization? And Corruption is the Fifth Calamity, the enemy faced by our generation?"

"Hehehe."

Rosalia cooperatively displayed a terrifying grin, looking as though she could devour five children in a single meal.

"Afraid now, delicious little Phield?"

"Exactly."

Jamie gestured toward Rosalia.

"But they’re clearly not as dangerous. They’re a little foolish, but they can communicate and cooperate."

"Just like your situation. You can’t form contracts with Corrupted Divine Chosen, yet you’re still using them in battle."

"All it costs is territory and the lives of commoners."

She chuckled.

"Commoners. There are always plenty of those."

Phield didn’t deny it.

Instead, he let out a curious sound.

"Then Destruction Divine Chosen can be contracted?"