At that moment. The dormant divine essence within Sylvia trembled slightly. A faint ripple spread out. It resonated mysteriously with Ophelia’s “Authority of the Night.”
In the Valley of Weeping Blood.
Uther VII, who was fervently praying, opened his mouth. He was about to call out the name of the Holy Body again.
But—No sound came out. He froze.
Clearing his throat forcefully, he tried to speak again. Still, there was only dead silence. It wasn’t just him.
The million-strong army around him noticed the same problem.
Everyone’s mouths were open, desperately trying to make a sound. But all that could be heard was hoarse breath.
“What… what’s happening?” A soldier tried to shout. But all that came out was a “huff huff” of air.
Panic spread like a tidal wave in an instant. The soldiers looked at each other, eyes filled with terror.
They slapped their throats. Coughed violently. Even grabbed their own necks with their hands. But it was all useless.
The very concept of “sound” had been completely erased from this area.
Uther VII’s eyes widened as he stared at the “First Ray of Light” in his hand.
The holy relic’s light was rapidly dimming. Eventually, it went out entirely.
He felt an unprecedented fear. This wasn’t ordinary magic. It was power on the level of the laws themselves!
Able to strip away the fundamental concept of “sound.”
Far beyond his comprehension.
“The Holy Body… is truly angered.” He whispered in his heart, his legs beginning to tremble.
As a formidable being with a Starforged body, he could clearly sense the terrifying power that had just been unleashed.
It was the true might of a god. And yet, they had dared to challenge the divine.
The soldiers nearby completely broke down. The terror of being unable to speak was far worse than death.
They dropped their weapons and frantically fled in all directions. The entire million-strong army’s formation collapsed instantly.
But even as they ran, not a single sound escaped. Not even footsteps could be heard. The Valley of Weeping Blood sank into a deathly silence.
King Lorion knelt on the ground. Despairing tears streamed from his eyes. He wanted to call for help from the Pope. But opening his mouth produced nothing.
He could only pound on his chest with his hands, creating dull thuds. That was the only “sound” he could make.
***
Nightfall City.
Sylvia saw the reflection in the mirror—all had fallen silent. She nodded in satisfaction.
“Hmm, this is much more comfortable.” She turned off the magic mirror and continued wandering between the bookshelves.
“Let’s find something light to read.” Sylvia stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach a poetry collection on the top shelf. But she was too short and had to give up.
“Oh well, I’ll just pick something I can reach.” She casually grabbed a copy of The Imperial Gazetteer and opened to the first page.
“Climate characteristics of the Noxus Icefields…” After two lines, her head ached and she shut the book immediately. “Why are there so many boring books in Mother’s study?”
Just as she was complaining, the door was pushed open. Ophelia entered, wearing a rare excited expression. Her blood-red eyes glittered with fanatic fervor.
“Sylvia, what did you just do?” Ophelia’s voice trembled. Not from fear, but from extreme excitement.
“Huh? Mother, I didn’t do anything.” Sylvia blinked innocently. “I was just a bit bored and wanted to read a book.”
Ophelia stepped forward and gently stroked her hair. “I sensed fluctuations in your power.” “And traces of law resonance.” “Are you unhappy about something?”
Sylvia thought for a moment and felt there was no need to hide it. “Mother, I looked into that magic mirror just now.” “I saw a group of people outside making a huge racket—it was too noisy.”
“So I wanted to quiet them down.”
A gleam flashed in Ophelia’s eyes. Her daughter had finally begun to use her power actively! Even if it was only an unconscious expression of emotion, it was a huge step forward.
“What happened to those people now?” Ophelia tried to suppress her excitement, making her voice sound calm.
“They should be quiet now, right?” Sylvia shrugged.
“I saw they weren’t speaking anymore, so I turned off the mirror.”
Ophelia nodded, already making plans in her mind. She needed to confirm the situation with the Alliance forces immediately.
If her daughter really had manifested the ability of “Verbal Decree,” the entire war situation would have to be reassessed.
“Sylvia, stay here and keep reading.” “Mother has some matters to attend to and will return soon.”
With that, Ophelia turned and left the study. But her steps were noticeably faster than usual.
Sylvia watched her mother’s hurried retreat and scratched her head. “Why does Mother seem so excited?”
“Could it be because those noisy people quieted down?” She shook her head and continued browsing the books. “Whatever, it’s more important to find an interesting book.”
***
At the highest level of the Silent Royal Court, Ophelia gathered all the dukes present.
“Immediately send scouts to Valley of Weeping Blood.”
“I want to know the exact situation of the Alliance army.”
The Intelligence Minister Cassian acted at once. He activated the frontline surveillance crystal.
The moment the footage appeared, everyone froze. Valley of Weeping Blood was in utter chaos. Weapons and equipment scattered everywhere, tents collapsed, flags torn.
The million-strong army had already scattered. Only a few stragglers remained, and they shared one feature:
Their mouths were open, but no sound came out.
“What’s going on?” Duke Glack’s eyes widened.
“How did the Alliance army suddenly collapse?” Duke Lorenzo studied the footage carefully and suddenly spotted a key detail.
“Look, their mouths are moving, but there’s no sound.”
“This isn’t a normal rout—it’s the effect of some kind of power.”
Ophelia nodded, confirming her suspicions. “Sylvia has stripped them of their ability to speak.”
“What?” All the dukes were shocked.
“The young princess has that kind of power?”
“That’s already law-level ability!”
A proud light shone in Ophelia’s eyes. “My daughter has finally awakened the true might of a god.”
At that moment, Avira burst into the hall. She had also sensed the law-level fluctuation. Her entire body was almost bursting with excitement.
“Mother! Has little sister awakened a new ability?”
“I can feel such a strong power!”
“More pure than any law power I’ve ever seen!”
Ophelia nodded in confirmation. “Sylvia has manifested the ‘Verbal Decree’ ability.”
“With just one sentence, she silenced the million-strong Alliance army.”
Avira jumped up in excitement. Her blood-red eyes gleamed with fanatic fervor. “Wonderful! Sister can finally play with me!”
“From now on, we can play the new game: ‘Make the enemy shut up before killing them!’”
“First strip them of their speech, then slowly torment them!”
“Just thinking about it makes me so excited!” Ophelia looked at her eldest daughter’s excited expression with a hint of helplessness.
Avira always managed to imagine everything in a bloodthirsty way.
“Avira, Sylvia just doesn’t like noise.”
“Don’t lead her down the wrong path.”
“Okay, okay.”
Avira waved her hand, but the excitement in her eyes didn’t fade. She was already imagining fighting side by side with her sister.
***
Meanwhile, in the study, Sylvia finally found a book that looked normal.
The Imperial Culinary Compendium. “This looks nice.”
She opened to the first page and saw exquisite illustrations and detailed recipes.
“The technique for making bloodberry tarts… looks complicated.” Sylvia read the book and sighed.
“No wonder Duke Lorenzo values pastry chefs so much.”
“Turns out making desserts is such hard work.” She had no idea.
After her casual little action, the entire continent’s landscape was about to be turned upside down.
The rout of the million-strong Alliance army would completely reshape the course of the war.
And she still only wanted to quietly be a couch potato. To read cookbooks and study dessert-making. That was all she ever pursued.
I’m glad the little princess is starting to adapt, even starting to awaken her powers, a lazy but cute child.