ã€ŠRaised in Dungeonã€‹


 Chapter 1 1 : First Encounter

    ?A boy was lying down with his mother on the midrib of a big tree. The boypares the palm of his hand with his mother''s palm. From the palm, his hand goes to the thumb, gripping his mother''s thumb tightly. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not grab his mother''s thumb, which was the same size as his arm.

    "What are you doing?" she confusedly asks.

    Her voice sounded stern and harsh, with a slight echo. The type of voice that will make children cry just by hearing it, but the boy was already used to it. He already listened to his mother''s voice every day.

    "Mother, your hands are big. Will my hands be as big as mother''s hand when I grow up?"

    She pulled her hand away from the boy and then replied,

    "I don''t know. It might be hard or even impossible."

    "Why? Am I not your son?" asked the child with a frowning face.

    The mother somehow got an unpleasant feeling from the boy''s question; she unconsciously didn''t like how the boy asked her.

    "It is impossible because we are different. You are human, and I am something called an orc. Even though I am okay if you keep calling me ''mother'' as long as you want."

    The boy is confused and full of joy at the same time. He did not clearly understand what his mother said, but he was happy to hear that from her.

    He grabbed his mother''s hand and said,

    "So even though we are different, we are still family!"

    This is the story of a human child raised by an orc.

    ¡­

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    Dungeon

    A demon towers

    or Devil''s Labyrinth

    That is how humans refer to a dungeon because dungeons are filled with monsters and demonic mana.

    A thousand years before the human year began, a war between angels and devils was waging. In order tobat the demons, the angels provided humans, dwarves, and elves with a god''s blessing and mana. In contrast, the devils employed various kinds of monsters that possessed their own mana. However, unlike the angels'' subordinates, devils and monsters have different mana called demonic mana.

    Mana is one of the most abundant elements in the world, second only to oxygen. Like oxygen, mana is almost everywhere, and every species in the world absorbs mana into its body. The devil''s subordinates, like monsters, couldn''t absorb mana like angels, but they had another option: demonic mana.

    For a thousand years, The angel''s subordinates fought the demons fiercely, never faltering in the face of adversity. Ultimately, they persevered in pushing the devil back to the underworld. But the war had left its mark. The intense negative energy from both sides had caused the mana left on the battlefield to be corrupted, transforming it into dark demonic mana.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Unlike divine mana, demonic mana is not spread all over the world. Demonic mana exists inside the devil and monster. If demonic mana is scattered worldwide, the monsters could be born anywhere. To prevent this evil mana from spreading worldwide, the angels unite their powers to confine the demonic mana in a tower. These towers were now known as dungeons, and they could be found all over the world.

    One day, inside a dungeon. The sound of a crying baby reverberated all the way to the end of the dungeon''s entry hole. A female orc was the closest to the baby''s voice of the various monsters in the dungeon.

    The orc''s height was nearly 3 meters, and each stride sounded like a hammer hitting the floor. The orc''s body is stocky and green. It wears leather garments and has wavy red hair. It has no nose and has little horns on its mouth''s left and right sides. The orc''s right hand holds arge wooden bludgeon as its weapon.

    ''a human?'' thought the orc.

    The orcs should be barbarians who only act and live on their instincts and desires. but this one is different. She became a Queen Orc after living for more than 200 years and fighting in several battles. She possesses a way of human thinking and intelligence.

    When the Queen Orc arrived at the crying source, she saw a dyingdy, drenched in blood, leaning against the dungeon corridor walls, carrying a crying baby.

    ''bringing babies to dungeons, humans have gone mad.''

    The devil''s subordinates have the instinct to kill angelic subordinates like humans. The monsters'' desire to kill the humans and other angelic subordinates who entered the dungeon sprang from this instinct. In any case, killing the human was like breathing to them, a necessary thing for the monsters.

    When Queen Orc looked at the two humans in front of her, she raised her bludgeon to kill them both at once.

    The woman is aware of her fate but refuses to give up. The woman''s strong desire for life, as well as her desire to save her child, caused her mana to flow more quickly.

    With thest of her power, she raised her hand, put her index and middle fingers together, and pointed it at the Queen Orc.

    A straight, thread-like light came out of her finger, aimed straight toward the orc''s head.

    ''Mana emission?!!! I let my guard down! I thought she didn''t have energy left to use her mana!''

    The orc spontaneously mmed her bludgeon at the woman, crushing her head, and then the blood sttered over the baby. The baby was crying much louder now. The orc who was hit by or epted that light, felt an unbearable headache.

    ''W-what is this?! It really hurts! But this isn''t an attack-type of amnis. What is that woman up to? Is this her skill? A god''s blessing?''

    Amnis is the term humans use to describe all the powers utilized to manifest mana. After numerous decades, the whole race, not just humans, began to refer to the manifestation of mana as amnis.

    Queen Orc, in pain, let go of her bludgeon and pushed her head firmly. She felt something from within trying to ruffle her head.

    "I realize now, this sted woman imnted her mana in my mind so she could continue her determination to protect this baby! She is trying to brainwash me! I can feel this woman''s memory of the baby creeping into my mind!"

    Queen Orc tried to fight herself by repeatedly pounding her head. After realizing it was in vain, she raised her weapon and attempted to kill the baby. She assumed that by killing the baby, the mana that was attempting to keep the woman''s determination would vanish. But it is impossible since the woman''s mana has begun to mix with her demonic mana. Queen Orc flung her bludgeon but missed; she purposely missed it. Her instincts and desire to kill the baby diminished, and instead, a new feeling of wanting the baby to live arose. Inside her mind, she was torn between the desire to kill the baby and the desire to raise the baby.

    "Right now, killing this baby is impossible; in eleven years¡ªno, twelve years¡ªwhen the dungeon reset starts, this woman''s mana will be gone from my body."

    Seeing the crying baby, the orc grabbed the baby with her right hand, neither rough nor soft, as she determined something in herself.

    "In year 12, I will kill this baby."

 Chapter 2 2 : Queen Orc Vs Lavinia Party

    ?______Twelve yearster

    "Lavinia! Quick! Heal Elyas! He is seriously injured!"

    A party of five humans is trapped within the damp dungeon against a herd of orc creatures that average 1.5 meters tall. Their vanguard had been beaten, and the remaining members were exhausted.

    Lavinia is a medic as well as a priest at this party. Lavinia''s thoughts went nk as she saw Elyas, their vanguard andmander, get seriously injured. But after being yelled at by the rest of herpany, she instantly approached Elyas and kneeled beside him. Lavinia''s index finger glowed slightly, and then she drew something in the air right above Elyas''s wound. Lavinia stretched her palms on it, and then she muttered something.

    "The angels who watch over us, please wrap his wound with your love, ask for power from your god and flow it into every cell of his body, heal him so that he has the strength to serve you more."

    A little sparkling speck approached Elyas''s wound, and the wound gradually closed.

    Looking at their situation at that time, Lavinia felt anxious.

    "This is really bad."

    About 1 hour ago, when they reached halfway of the dungeon, as soon as they entered a room between the passage. An explosion above the dungeon cave caused the rocks on the dungeon ceiling to copse, blocking their mist trail and preventing them from running anywhere.

    ''what should we do?! Orcs are basically shallow-brained beasts that live for their lust and desire, we already expected the fight with the orcs, and we had the n to confront the orcs. With our strategy and level, there''s no way we can lose to them! Everything should go as nned! The real problem is her!'' thought Lavinia with annoyance.

    Behind the herd of orcs that attacked them, one orc almost 3 meters tall sat cross-legged on the chilly floor of the dungeon. The word "her" that Lavinia said refers to that orc.

    ''Queen orc! The queen has the ability to control the movement of the herd. Without a doubt, a queen is smarter than the other orcs, but I didn''t expect her to be this smart!

    First, she had already blocked our escape route. With this many orcs, our only choice is to fight them, and then we can destroy the stones that blocked the way out. But because of the queen''s ability, the orcs'' movements are very coordinated, which makes it difficult for us to fight them. That means we must first defeat the queen, so no one can control the orcs.

    BUT THE QUEEN¡­ she obviously knew and anticipated our thoughts, which is why she just sat calmly away from our assault range!''

    "I¡­I, too, will fight," said Elyas in pain. Lavinia''s healing was a sess, but his pain was still there, and it would take some time for him to recoverpletely from his intense wound.

    "You are just a piece of sh*t, a burdenmander. Just rest there until you''repletely recovered," said Milda, their support. Milda shot her arrows as much as she could at every orc that approached them.

    Despite their critical situation, Lavinia came up with a strategy to survive from that situation.

    "Algar! Use your god''s blessings and focus on the Queen Orc! I will spend all of my mana to paralyze the orcs'' movement for 30 seconds. In 30 seconds, the rest should kill the Queen Orc!" Lavinia shouted confidently.

    "Kill the Queen Orc in 30 seconds? Hahaha, how funny¡­You cracked a joke in this situation?" shouted Algar, their defender,ughing.

    Muriel, their caster, responded to Algar and Lavinia''s n.

    "No, looks like Lavinia is serious. This is, without a doubt, the worst n I have ever heard from her, but there is no other option we can take in this situation. Fortunately, the soil spirits and fire spirits are present. When the Queen Orc approaches, I will use the soil spirits to stop its movement with my amnis. After that, Elyas and Milda, as bait, assault the Queen Orc. At that time, with the help of fire spirits, I will unleash the ultimate amnis to the queen. Is that your n, Lavinia?"

    Lavia nodded and smiled.

    "Friends, I trust you all. Let us have a drink after this," said Lavinia calmly.

    Amnis is the embodiment of mana, which can only be manifested by elemental spirits. So humans had to use their mana to give orders to the elemental spirits to activate amnis.

    A small light shed from the tip of Lavinia''s forefinger. With that light (mana), Lavinia drew a soil symbol andbined it with a water symbol. Around the symbol, she scribbled themand and the type of amnis she wanted to use. As soon as the conditions for using the amnis wereplete, Lavinia lifted her head and gave a signal.

    "I AM DONE! ALGAR, NOW!"

    After Lavinia shouted, Algar used his big iron shield to knock down the two orcs near him. Then he raised his shield high, pulled, and stuck the lower part of the shield into the ground.

    -PRANG!

    Algar concentrated his mana into his mouth, and then¡­ SCREAM!

    "ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!"

    Algar''s scream echoed in the dungeon. As a result, all the orcs ignored everything and blindly targeted Algar. That scream makes them brutal and focuses on Algar.

    ''Algar''s god blessing, intimidation. He could attract and intimidate all the monsters within a few meters to attack him; more precisely, every monster that Algar could see would be affected. With his ability, the Queen Orc undoubtedly approaches Algar and attempts to kill him. After that, the Queen Orc will be within Muriel''s amnis range!'' thought Lavinia

    Lavinia''s amnis start right after Algar activates his god''s blessing. Using the elemental spirits of soil and water, Lavinia made a huge number of nt roots grow out of the ground all at once. These roots bound all the orcs who came near Algar.

    The Queen Orc eventually got up and went over to Algar as a result of Algar''s skill.

    ''Good! She will get closer to Muriel''s range.''

    Muriel''s fingertips glowed with mana. She drew a soil symbol on the floor and activated her amnis to paralyze the Queen Orc''s movement¡­ BUT

    -BRUG!

    A wooden bludgeon flew from Queen Orc''s hand into Muriel''s head. Muriel was pushed against the wall before her amnis was active. Her head seemed to be stuck in the wall along with the bludgeon the Queen Orc threw; no doubt, Muriel''s head was wrecked.

    "MURIEEELLL!!!" Milda shouted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Elyas and Milda, who were already prepared to attack the queen, looked desperate and gloomy when seeing Muriel. Algar, already tired and out of mana, did not even have the strength to yell. He was just deeply panting while kneeling on the front lines. Lavinia was also shocked, but her mind was racing faster this time than usual. The n was supposed to be perfect, but why?

    "Why? Why was Queen Orc able to think clearly? She was undoubtedly affected by Algar''s god''s blessing. With Algar''s intimidation, all the monsters would lose their minds and blindly attack Algar! But let alone Algar, Queen Orc attacked Muriel instead! That means she had deliberately considered Muriel to be the most dangerous! Why is intimidation useless against her?!"

    Thirty seconds had passed since Lavinia activated her amnis. The roots that had wrapped around the orcs changed into regr wilted nts scattered on the ground.

    Therefore, the orcs, who had been affected by Algar''s intimidation, swarmed and attacked Algar brutally. So brutal that his friends couldn''t see what had happened to Algar''s body.

    When Milda and Elyas saw this, they became enraged and rushed forward to the queen.

    "ELYAS! MILDA! STOP!" Lavinia shouted.

    They don''t listen and keep running forward, but not to save Algar. By looking at the situation, they realized Algar couldn''t be saved, so they used the chance to attack Queen Orc.

    Together, Elyas and Milda used their god''s blessing. Milda pped her right and left hands and made a zing arc, while Elyas bit his finger and smeared his blood on his long sword.

    But before their god''s blessing could take effect, two arrows sped up from their left and right, and stabbed Elyas''s shoulder and Milda''s waist. Both of them fall because of the shot. The orc queen quickly lifted her hand and shattered both of their heads.

    There was a small curtain on the left and right walls, and Lavinia, for some reason, didn''t pay attention to the curtain. Behind the curtain, two more monsters with arrows hide there. They didn''t see Algar, so they weren''t affected by his god''s blessings. The two monsters who had been hiding came out. Surprisingly, that monster is not an orc, but a goblin.

    ''Orcs and goblins coborating? What''s wrong with this dungeon?!''

    Lavinia fell. Her legs were weak, and she couldn''t move.

    Generally, monsters in dungeons don''t work together because killing humans is their deepest desire. Even if they are smart, they won''t work together against their prey.

    Now, Lavinia is alone, sitting near the bodies of her friends. Lavinia probably wouldn''t recognize her friends'' bodies if they weren''t armored.

    finish with their prey; the orcs immediately went straight to Lavinia. Some walk slowly, some run, and some crawl.

    Everything seemed slow for Lavinia at that moment, almost like time had stopped. After 20 years, Lavinia had a near-death experience, which is when time slows down right before someone dies.

    "Am I dying here?" she thought.

    Then suddenly¡­

    "STOJ!!!"

    It''s Queen Orc. She yelled something in anguage that Lavinia didn''t know. When the orcs heard Queen Orc''s yell, all the orcs stopped.

    They slowly moved away. Some are to the left, while others are to the right. The orcs have now been split into two groups; they make way for the queen to walk.

    -POUND POUND

    Queen Orc came up slowly. She was holding a big bludgeon. Every step the queen took made the dungeon''s room shake a little. Some of the sand on the ceiling fell. This is how Queen Orc scares her herd.

    In front of the helpless Lavinia, Queen Orc lifted her bludgeon and pond it at Lavinia''s feet.

    "AAAARGH!!!! AAAAAAARGH!!!"

    Queen Orc shatters Lavinia''s leg like a child shatters a tree branch. Lavinia''s screams continued for ten seconds. The heat of the armor she was wearing made her entire body wet, and there was the figure of the orc queen who was killing her friends in front of her. Lavinia''s face became soaked with sweat, and she couldn''t stand the pain in her feet. But what worried Lavinia even more, was the fact that she wasn''t killed by the Queen Orc right away. What will happen next? And what will these orcs do to her?

    The Queen Orc threw her bludgeon at another orc, and then she grabbed Lavinia and dragged her away.

    "NOO! LET ME GO! JUST KILL ME! PLEASE! MY HEAD HURTS!"

    Lavinia felt her neck almost crack from the Queen Orc''s tug. She also felt excruciating pain from her broken leg bones grinding against the uneven cobblestone floor.

    Queen Orc dragged her all the way to the end of the first floor of the dungeon.

    This dungeon has a maze on each floor; at the end of the first floor, there is arge room at the end of the passage. The room was illuminated by blue fire torches attached to the wall. There was an altar at the end of the room. On the front of the altar is a circr pattern that looks like it could be opened if something were put on the altar; that was probably a path to the next floor.

    Lavinia was experiencing so much pain that she was almost unconscious. There was no more light in her eyes, her face became gloomy, and saliva came out of her mouth, making her chin and lips wet. Unfortunately, her mana had run out. If she has, she would definitely use all her mana to activate amnis which can relieve her pain.

    On the right side of the room, there was a door. It was the same color as the walls of the dungeon. Queen Orc stopped in front of that door.

    As soon as she opened the door, a bright light came out. so bright that if you walked in, you had to squint to get used to it, and this light made Lavinia fully conscious.

    Even the first floor of this dungeon was under the ground, so the light doesn''t reach into the dungeon, but the ceiling always gives off a faint glow like a firefly; monsters live with that small light in the dungeon. However, this room was different; it was too bright in that dark dungeon. It was almost as bright as daylight in the human world.

    That room is about 300 meters, roughly the size of three football field. The room''s ceiling was shaped like a crystal, and it seemed like the crystal was connected to something outside so that it could reflect light from outside into the room. A small river flows from the left side of the room to the right side, filling the pond on the right side of the room. There is a lot of grass and not many flowers on the ins. Almost At the end of the room, there was a big tree that was 10 meters tall. In the middle of the bottom of the tree, there was a three-meter-high hole, and something wasing out of the hole toward them.

    It was a human child around the age of 12 with ck hair.

    ''a human kid inside a dungeon?!''

 Chapter 3 3 : The Boy Inside Dungeon

    ?''Howe there''s a kid in the dungeon? Or maybe this kid is a monster as well? I have never seen a human with ck hair before, and there is also some white hair on it. What exactly is he?'' Lavinia thought confusedly.

    A human boy with ck hair and a few white strands stood in front of her. Lavinia was shocked since it was unusual for her to see a person with ck and white hair.

    He wears a headband on his head. His clothing is likewise filthy and worn. The sleeves and bottom of his shirt were ripped off, indicating that he was wearing garments that were too big for him. He most certainly tore up an adult outfit to suit it.

    His jeans were toorge, so he folded them many times to amodate his leg length. His eyes were red, zing crimson, and he looked innocent. He seems exhausted and sweaty.

    "Motqer, fqo is sqe?"

    ''Monsternguage? How can that kid talk to monsters?''

    The boy''s eyes seem somewhat bigger, and he nces at Lavinia again with an inquisitive expression.

    They kept speaking in anguage Lavinia couldn''t understand after a 2-minute conversation. The boy turned his face away, while Queen Orc looked at Lavinia and said,

    "Human... Learn... World," Queen Orc stammered.

    ''Monster speak the humannguage?!''

    Even though Queen only spoke three words and stammered, Lavinia was still shocked. Because the linguistics of humans and monsters are very different and distant, thenguage of monsters has echoes that humans cannot grasp. The form of the tongue, lips, throat, and pronunciation are all probable reasons humans and monsters cannotmunicate. The most intelligent monster couldprehend human speech but not speak the samenguage.

    The Queen Orc then tied Lavinia''s hands and bound her legs with a chain. She was shackled to the river on the far left side of the room. Because the chain on his hand is fairly long, her hand can still reach the water in the river.

    Queen Orc left the room, leaving them alone.

    .

    .

    .

    Outside that bright ce, Queen Orc walked a little further away, and then suddenly, she abruptly mmed her hand into the dungeon''s wall.

    "Humans are getting strongertely," muttered the Queen.

    ''If theye again, maybe I won''t be able to hold out until the dungeon is reset.''

    Furthermore, Queen Orc was irritated because she had realized something during her previous battle with the humans, with Lavinia''s party.

    "Intimidation skill. I didn''t expect humans to have an ability like that at all."

    .

    ''For a monster, that ability is very dangerous, especially for me. He transformed his mana into sound and then used that sound to disrupt the monster''s demonic mana. Most likely, he pushed or forced the monsters to follow their instinct to kill humans and made them focus those instincts only on himself. With that skill, I should also be affected, but something happened in my head. Something is forcing me to think clearly.''

    The orc queen repeatedly smacked the dungeon wall until blue blood poured from her palm. The blood vanished a few secondster, and the wound gradually healed.

    "Probably, the reason I''m not affected by that skill is because I have two mana. My own mana, and that woman¡ªthe boy''s mother''s¡ªdivine mana."

    ''12 years ago, when she sent her mana into my head, it still remained in my body until now. So when that human used the intimidation skill on me, the only mana that was disrupted by that sound was the demonic mana I had, while the woman''s mana made me able to maintain my consciousness.

    The orc queen hit the wall one more time, but she hit it harder with her full strength this time.

    Even though it''s her full strength, only a small part of the wall is damaged.

    "DAMMIT!!! THAT MEANS I WAS SAVED BY THAT WOMAN! and it''s because she still wants me to take care of her child; how long will I be a human tool?"

    .

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    ___In the other ces. Lavinia, who was shackled by Queen Orc felt resigned to her life. She had no idea what would happen to her after that. All she could think about now was solving the meaning of Queen Orc''s words.

    "Human, learn, world," grumbled Lavinia.

    When Lavinia heard it, her first thought was that she would be the subject of Queen Orc''s experiment or research into humans and the world outside the dungeon. However, she is still confused. If that is true and Queen Orc wanted to learn human, then¡­

    "Why? And what for?" Lavinia mumbling.

    Monsters cannot live outside the dungeon. That was because a devil''s subordinates had to constantly absorb demonic mana in the dungeon or perish. They would die if they stopped consuming mana, unlike angel subordinates who don''t need mana to live. So if the monsters in the dungeon escaped, they could die within 20 hours.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "HYAAAT! HAA!" Lavinia''s thoughts were interrupted by the bustle in front of her. She lifted her head and saw the boy randomly swinging the sword at the tree.

    "A human child raised by an orc¡ªis that even possible? Monsters should be unable to contain their desire to fight humans, and if she could¡­"

    Lavinia cried, holding back tears since she fought Queen Orc. She held back her voice, but the tears couldn''t stop flowing down on her face.

    "If she could do that, why did my friends have to die in the first ce?"

    She recalled how her friends had died at Queen Orc''s hands. She hated Queen Orc, not just for killing herrades but also for letting her live. By allowing her to survive, Lavinia bes more aware that she indirectly killed them because of the n she had created. Even though her friends had died, she still wanted to live; this made her even more upset and angry with herself, and she mumbled "sorry" to herself several times.

    Someone approached Lavinia while she was crying. Lavinia lifted her head and saw a boy standing in front of her, carrying a cup of soup. His expression seemed troubled, as if he didn''t know how to act.

    "Qec, qofare cou¡­" he said.

    Of course, Lavinia could not understand what the boy was saying. She just stared at the child in silence.

    The boy then put that bowl on the ground near Lavinia.

    "Meak¡­ souj¡­ woox¡­" he talks slowly.

    "Me-ak? so-ja?" Lavinia answers confusedly.

    The boy nodded quickly and continued.

    "Souj," he said, pointing to the bowl.

    "Woox," he says, indicating how to eat.

    "T¡­thank you," Lavinia said limply.

    That is the only thing that Lavinia can say. Lavinia more or less understood what he meant. She was a bit hesitant to eat the soup but she was too starving to refuse.

    "Besides, if they meant to kill me, they would have already done so. There''s no reason to put poison here," thought Lavinia as she convinced herself.

    Lavinia grabbed the soup and ate it voraciously without using her spoon; she didn''t even care how she looked while eating.

    The boy gazed at her curiously. He stared and scanned Lavinia''s entire body. Since it was the first time he had met another human, all he could see was his mother¡ªQueen Orc¡ªand the other monsters in the dungeon while he was alive.

    Slowly, the boy reached his hand out, trying to reach Lavinia''s head. And¡­

    -puk

    His hand touched Lavinia''s hair.

    ''wh-what?'' Lavinia was shocked that the boy was touching her head, but for some reason, she was afraid to lift her head.

    "Wooaah¡­" the boy was amazed at how soft Lavinia''s hair was.

    Next, he stroked her head gently. This time Lavinia lifted her face and saw the boy''s face clearly.

    The boy spontaneously pulled back his hand. He thought that Lavinia would scold him. He didn''t understand humanmon sense, so he didn''t know whether or not what he did was okay.

    ''does he just want to y around?'' thought Lavinia.

    Lavinia also stared at the boy. Convinced that Lavinia was not angry, the boy again reached out his hand, and now¡­

    He put his hand on Lavinia''s breast.

    -TOUCH

    Lavinia was stunned. She remained silent, unable to respond to what the boy actually did.

    The boy then began to squeeze it.

    As soon as he squeezed it, Lavinia spontaneously smacked the boy''s hand. The boy clutches his smacked hand, and his expression is now terrified.

    "I...imsorrc," he eximed as he walked away.

    Lavinia immediately tried to figure out everything that was going on in her head.

    "Could it be that boy is just curious because he has never met another human before?" she muttered.

 Chapter 4 4 : First Greeting

    ?"This is the first time I''ve met another human," thought the boy.

    The boy recalls what his mother, Queen Orc, had told him.

    "You need to talk to her and make sure she doesn''t run away. Watch and learn from her!" said the Queen Orc when she dragged Lavinia earlier.

    The boy was curious about Lavinia, but had no idea how to approach her. He never talked with anyone else in the dungeon, not even with other monsters. He only lived with his mother in that room.

    At the beginning of his sixth year, aware of the difference in his body from his mother''s, he asked his mother to train him to be big like her. When he saw Lavinia, he realized that it was the adult form of a human. And he also admitted that he might not be able to be as big as his mother.

    The boy lifted his hands and put them on his chest.

    "Will my chest grow like that in the future?"

    while imagining the sensation he felt when he squeezed Lavinia''s breast.

    "What do you think, Reig?"

    The boy looked at his shadow. Then, all of a sudden, his shadow rippled like water. And from his shadow sprang another shadow in the form of ck slime, about the size of a little kitten. From that thing, two hands on the left and right came out, and then it shook its head.

    "Huh¡­ you don''t know either? Well, I''ve never seen you talk, so you won''t be much help."

    .

    .

    .

    The next day, after the boy finished training, he again brought Lavinia a soup and had lunch with her.

    ''Ugh¡­ I''ll never get used to this kid''s gaze,'' thought Lavinia.

    The boy was asked to keep an eye on Lavinia by his mother, and because of his curiosity (maybe), he didn''t want to take her eyes off Lavinia''s body.

    Lavinia wanted to tell the kid how ufortable she was now, but there was no way the child would understand her words.

    After they finished with the food, the boy started the conversation.

    "isit xekiyious?" he said.

    Lavinia didn''t understand, so she just made a confused face. The boy was aware that she did not convey his words, so he said it again with bodynguage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "xe-ki-yious," he said while cing his hand on his stomach.

    ''I don''t understand¡­'' thought Lavinia.

    He then pointed at his bowl, pretended to eat, and held his stomach.

    "Hmm? Does he want to ask me if I''m full or not?"

    Lavinia then answered,

    "Xekiyious" she said with a forced smile.

    Hearing that answer, the boy smiled happily, very happy. Seeing that, Lavinia was confused.

    "Why was he looking so happy? Did I mistrante? Or is he just d I''m full?"

    The boy then came closer to Lavinia and pointed to his own face.

    "Allen,"

    After that, slowly, he pointed at Lavinia and said,

    "arecou?"

    Lavinia still didn''t understand. The boy once again pointed at himself and spelled the word out slowly.

    "A-L-L-E-N," and then again, he pointed to Lavinia.

    "Arecou?"

    After the boy said it one more time, Lavinia finally got it. Lavinia smiled and then said,

    "La-vi-ni-a, my name is Lavinia."

    The boy put on a big smile. It was the first time the boy had seen a woman smile.

    ¡­That was the boy¡ªAllen''s first introduction and greeting to another human.

 Chapter 5 5 : Allens Wish

    ?"16 days and 16 nights."

    Lavinia counted the time between noon and night that she had spent in the dungeon since first eating Allen''s soup. She has been in the dungeon for around eight days now.

    Besides Allen, there was something else on Lavinia''s mind. First and foremost, she is sure that the Queen Orc will kill her sooner orter. It could be tomorrow, and it could be the day after tomorrow, which meant she had to make a n to escape now.

    Second, if she came out, she didn''t know what awaited her outside the door. It could be that the Queen Orc was always outside the door, and she wasn''t sure she could win against her. It was too risky and irresponsible. He needed to devise a concrete strategy to get out of there.

    Waiting for help from outside is useless. Human loss wasmon in dungeons, and death could strike at any time, even at the most inconvenient time for dungeon explorers. So it is impossible to wait for someone from outside to help since no one would want to risk helping someone who might not live or die.

    ''Most likely, Queen Orc only chained my thighs and my hands because she was sure I wouldn''t run away in this condition. However, with my god''s blessing, the angel''s help, I could regenerate any severed injury, including broken body parts. I shouldn''t use my god''s blessing until the right time, or she would know I can heal my leg,''

    Lavinia''s long thoughts dispersed again. The somewhat human or maybe orc boy, Allen, came with the bowl of soup.

    Allen handed over his soup, saying,

    "Tvis iscouur souj."

    "Tqanlsou," Lavinia answered while holding the bowl.

    Tqanlsou is gratitude/gratefulness; Xekiyious is tasty/ptable/good (food); and iscour is yours/your thing.

    Lavinia has already remembered around a hundred phrases due to their daily four-hour conversation.

    Normally, humans would notprehend monsters''nguage. Even so, when Allen spoke to Lavinia, she could understand a little of what he said, whereas when the Queen Orc spoke, Lavinia couldn''t understand anything. That means it is because Allen is a human that makes Lavinia can hear his voice clearly.

    Suddenly, the room''s door mmed open in the middle of their lunch.

    -BANG!

    From the door, there was Queen Orc, who appeared exhausted and wounded. Her wooden bludgeon had a spot of blood on it, which meant she had just fought with another dungeon explorer.

    "Matqer!" Allen yelled when he saw Queen Orc''s condition.

    Allen ran over Queen Orc; when he closed¡­

    -SLAP

    Queen Orc''s right hand pped Allen''s body. Allen flew over 2 meters backward.

    "VET AFAD WROMME!" Queen Orc yelled angrily.

    Seeing that, Lavinia immediately moved her body slightly forward, worried about Allen.

    But no worries, Allen didn''t appear to be in pain. He instantly gets up and runs to the tree.

    ording to Lavinia''smon sense, even an adult human would shatter a few bones in such an onught, but Allen seems fine.

    The orc queen then looked at Lavinia with a stern face. Lavinia immediately averted her gaze.

    A few momentster, Allen came out from the tree, carrying a cloth that looked a little dirty and a bucket filled with water in his left hand. He took it in a hurry, approached Queen Orc, and rubbed her wounds.

    With monsternguage, Allen asked Queen Orc if she used all of her strength because her regeneration was slowing down.

    "Notqinv!" she answered with an angry voice.

    Queen Orc immediately grabbed Allen''s hand and peered at his cheek. A small amount of blood oozed from his cheek, a result of Queen Orc''s p.

    "Imwine" Allen said he is okay.

    Queen Orc grabbed the cloth Allen was holding and used it to wipe the blood from Allen''s cheek.

    When Lavinia saw that, she immediately devised a n to flee.

    "Matqer means mother; Imwine means I am okay. No doubt, Queen Orc treats Allen as her own son! And she has strong feelings for him. Then her previous statement about "human, learn, world" means she wants to teach Allen about the human world! I am not a research subject for orcs; I was utilized by Queen Orc to teach Allen about the outside world. That means, Queen Orc values her child more than herself!

    ''I don''t care the reason why this kid is in a dungeon, and I don''t care why Queen Orc has this big affection toward a human. But with that information, Allen¡­ I do apologize¡­ I will utilize your body to escape!''

    As the Queen''s Orcs had asked, Lavinia started to teach Allen about the outside world, focusing mostly on humanmon sense. More specifically, ethics. How humans interact with each other through daily conversation and others. The lessons that Lavinia gave were all rted tonguage because if Allen goes outside, he should understand how humans speak. Lavinia stops learning monsternguage and uses humannguage with Allen often to improve Allen''s vocabry.

    Two months left¡­ The only reason Lavinia keeps teaching Allen is that she wants to make Queen Orc postpone her execution. If Queen Orc thought Lavinia was useless, she would certainly kill her. In addition, Lavinia could make Allen fully trust her.

    After these two months, Lavinia''s preparations wereplete. She had learned the habits of Queen Orc and Allen. Lavinia knew at what time Queen Orc was in the room, and at what time Queen Orc stepped away from the door outside the room. Lavinia''s chance to run is after Allen and Queen Orc finish sparring; they do that once every 10 days.

    Finally, today, after sparring with Queen Orc¡­

    Allen''s body was sweating excessively. He wandered wearily to the pool of water near where Lavinia sat. There was a small vat nearby. Allen used it to ssh his body and thenid it down.

    "Vous transpirez beaucoup, pouvez-vous ¨¦tudier aujourd''hui ?" Lavinia asked Allen if he was able to study or not, because he was sweating a lot.

    Allen, while lying down, panting, lifted his head and said

    "Hmmm¡­D¨¦sol¨¦, aujourd''hui je ne peux pas." Allen answered that he was too tired to study.

    After more than two months of study, Allen had already mastered the humannguage. More specifically, the Anglo-Wildenhallnguage, the mainnguage spoken in the Wildenhall kingdom.

    And then, after two months of talking to Lavinia, Allen asked her about something that had bothered him for a long time.

    "Miss Lavinia¡­ H-How did you end up getting caught by mother?" Allen asked haltingly.

    "¡­"

    Lavinia paused, and then she smiled, but her face looked sad.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sorry, Allen. I don''t want to talk about it."

    Allen was actually more interested in that and wanted to ask more, but the look on Lavinia''s face discouraged him. When Lavinia realized this, she immediately tried to change the subject.

    "Allen, you once told me you grew up with your mother, right? Do you remember why and how you got here?"

    Allen stood up, lifted his body, sat cross-legged, and used his hand to sustain his body.

    "Hmm¡­ Not really. It feels like I''ve been here since the beginning."

    "Did your mother truly do nothing to you? It could be that you were stolen from your real mother."

    Allen tilted his head, looking confused.

    "I don''t really understand what you mean by ''steal,'' but my mother is my mother, nothing else. For me, she is my only mother." Allen said that with a smile.

    Lavinia bowed her head as she heard that. She had a particr emotion in her heart,parable to jealousy and near to hatred. When she realized that maybe the reason Queen Orc killed Lavinia''s friends was simply because Queen Orc still wanted to be with Allen for a longer period of time.

    And, after witnessing the Queen Orcs'' bond with Allen for two months, Lavinia''s hatred and animosity faded. Lavinia hated Queen Orc so much, and she wanted to keep hating her more.

    ''This is not fair¡­ "Myrades have all died, leaving me alone, but that d*mn orc is having fun with her kid here!" Lavinia reflected.

    Then she tried to pour her heart out to Allen.

    "You must be lonely, right?!! Your mother must treat you badly! When you''re sad and crying, your mother didn''t make you feel better, did she?!! I know it! I KNOW!!! She might think of you as a pet!!!"

    Allen didn''t say anything, silent, and the atmosphere became heavy. Lavinia realized her words were too harsh, and she was soo immature to yell such sensitive things at a kid.

    Momentster, Allen responded

    "I don''t really understand what Miss Lavinia is talking about¡­ But I do know that miss talks badly about mother¡­"

    Allen didn''t show an angry face. After Lavinia said things that could hurt Allen''s heart, his eyes still looked sincere and innocent. Allen didn''t take it deeply.

    "I love mother. Mother often goes for a job, and I''m not allowed to follow her. She sometimeses home bleeding all over her body. I know mother did something outside that she never wanted to tell me. No matter what mother''s problem is, I love her because I feel warm when she is around and cold when she''s not."

    Allen then walked up to Lavinia and directed his fist in front of her face.

    "I hate cold. I felt warm with her. That''s why I love her and want to always be with mother. So don''t badmouth my mother!"

    There was no anger in his eyes. Allen just wanted to convey how much he loves Queen Orc as his mother.

    Lavinia, who was a priest, often listened to people''s confessions in church. So she understands people''s feelings very well from what they say. Lavinia knew that Allen''s affection for Queen Orc was real. And to get that kind of affection, Queen Orc definitely took care of Allen as best as she could.

    Once again, Lavinia is crying like a baby taken away from her mother.

    "Elyaas, Mildaa, Algaar, Murieel!!! I am sorry!!! I am sorry!!! I am really sorry!!! I am sorry being the only one who life!!!" the sadness that she had locked inside her heart was released.

    "I-I-IMSORC!!!" Allen immediately raised his hand and subconsciously apologized in monsternguage.

    Allen now felt bad because he thought he was the one who made Lavinia cry, although he was not. Lavinia cries because she realizes how horrible person she has be. After looking at Queen Orc and Allen''s rtionship almost every day, her anger toward Queen Orc gradually faded. Lavinia apologized to her friend because she almost lost her desire for revenge.

    "I''m sorry for making you cry. I promise I won''t do that again. Please don''t hate me," An said sadly, his head looking down.

    Lavinia''s tears ceased when she saw Allen apologize. She was now humiliated for crying like a child in front of Allen. As a result, the mood became unpleasant, and both of them found the atmosphere too awkward to continue the conversation.

    "I¡­.I am¡­" Allen broke the silence, his face flushing like a tomato. There were a few tears welling up in his eyes. He turned his head because he couldn''t bear to look at Lavinia''s face at that moment.

    "Ever since Miss Lavinia came, I''ve never felt cold again, s-so I don''t want Miss Lavinia to hate me."

    He had previously unintentionally told Lavinia how he felt about his mother to her, which made Lavinia cry; now, he was terrified that Lavinia would hate him and refuse to speak to him.

    Lavinia grabbed Allen''s hand and hugged him tightly after seeing him try his hardest to encourage her.

    "!!!"

    "I won''t hate you," said Lavinia while she hugged Allen and stroked his head gently.

    Allen''s face sinking into Lavinia''s chest was now more flushed, getting redder to the ears. Allen felt a strange feeling inside him. His body was hot, his heart was racing, and he felt aforting sensation that could make him cry.

    ''so warmth,'' he wanted to say that but couldn''t because of Lavinia''s hug.

    He felt a different kind of warmth than when he was with his mother. Perhaps because his mother never treated him so gently. His mother did nothing more than apany him to sleep and keep him warm. Lavinia''s touch brought warmth, and she gently stroked Allen''s head, something his mother had never done for him.

    After a while, Allen felt so embarrassed because his head was constantly stroked. So he lifted his head and then held Lavinia''s wrist. Allen looked at her face seriously and said,

    "Miss Lavinia, maybe this sounds harsh to you because you don''t like living here, but I want to say this¡­"

    He continued

    "Those days of training every day alone and speaking to myself are finally done! It''s because of you! My time with you was very fun and never boring! I know you hate mother, and I''m not going to question why, but I''m sorry; I almost feel pleased that she caught you! I''ve never felt anything like this before, but it''s really warm. I want to feel this warmth for the rest of my life. I''ll tell Mom to remove this chain! So¡­ I want you to be here with me!!! Forever!!!"

    Allen''s face was still flushed, and his hands were sweaty. He was very embarrassed for saying something so embarrassing, but he was also terrified because he was concerned that his words would offend Lavinia.

    Lavinia was shocked as Allen stated these things while holding her hand. But this is different shocking¡­

    "So¡­sorry, could you speak slower? I don''t really understand monsternguage yet."

    Allen''s face flushed once again. He felt incapable and unable to express himself in humannguage, so he used monsternguage instead. On the one hand, Allen hopes Lavinia understands; on the other, he hopes she doesn''t. So when Lavinia said she didn''t get it, Allen was relieved because he was too embarrassed to tell her properly. He was also afraid that she would be angry with what he said.

    "I-i-it doesn''t matter!!! Just forget it!!! HAHAHA!!!" Allen said it frustrated¡­

 Chapter 6 6 : Lavinias Feeling

    ?The light reflected by the crystal in the ceiling began to fade and change into red moonlight, indicating that it was night outside. The entire dungeon room was now dark red. That light, however, shone on Lavinia, who was also looking up at the ceiling and humming a luby.

    Lavinia''s lips were slightly wrinkled and dry. Her eyes seemed droopy and very tired. She was not alone. She stroked someone''s hair who slept on herp. It was Allen who fell peacefully asleep.

    -DRAP DRAP DRAP

    When she heard that sound, Lavinia stopped humming, but she kept stroking Allen''s head. Lavinia knew what the sound was. She frequently heard it almost every day; that was Queen Orc''s step.

    The door opened, and Queen Orc entered, looking at Lavinia and sleeping Allen on herp. Queen Orc stood there for a while, then Queen Orc came out and closed the door.

    Lavinia sighed and looked down at Allen''s face grimly. When alone, she always recalls how Queen Orc killed her friends. She thought that way to keep her sane and keep her big hatred toward Queen Orc.

    Lavinia stopped stroking Allen''s hair. Her hand suddenly grasped Allen''s hair roughly.

    "You d*mn little brat," Lavinia muttered.

    She tried not to pull Allen''s hair with her hands. Her voice trembled, and she looked at Allen with despise.

    "You sicken me, very nausea. Your innocence makes me sick, your trait, your face! Do you think I didn''t understand everything? You filthy monster! I am sick hearing your confession."

    Despite having just learned a little monsternguage, Lavinia understood everything Allen had said previously, including his confession and Allen''s desire for her to stay there forever.

    "Aaah, I''ve always disliked kids since the beginning. I despised a stupid boy like you, Allen. You are the son of the monster who murdered my friends; how could I wish to remain here forever?! I can''t stand watching you and your fake-b*stard mother ying around."

    Because she is a priest, she never said or thought such rude things and never badmouthed like that. She was fed up with everything now, after two months of acting nice to Allen.

    ''One thing I cannot get is why Queen Orc can enter this room. Because there were numerous elemental spirits and no demonic mana in this area, it served as a resting ce for dungeon explorers. That is why monsters avoid entering this room; there is no mana feeding for monsters here. Queen Orc must be ufortable in this room, so much so that her regeneration ability is weakened. That is how bad the atmosphere is for monsters. Nheless, she persisted. It''s all because of Allen. This monster is crazy; she must consider Allen as her son, and chooses to apany Allen in this room whenever she can. The proof is that when she saw Allen sleeping on myp, she knew she didn''t have to wait for Allen to fall asleep like she always did. Now, all I have to do is use God''s blessing to regenerate my legs and then run away. But before that¡­''

    Lavinia took Allen''s sword, which was lying near her. She lifted it limply and looked at the sword. She saw the reflection of her face in that sword. She had a tired, broken, and messed-up face and vengeful eyes.

    She vertically twirled the sword and then pointed the tip at Allen''s chest.

    "Sorry, Allen, I will kill you. This is my vengeance on Queen Orc. IN HONOR OF MY FRIEND! SHE WILL SUFFER LIKE ME!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lavinia''s hatred was directed not toward Allen but against the Queen. She understood that murdering Allen would upset the Queen, making Lavinia extremely happy. She wanted to catch a glimpse of the Queen''s face when she saw Allen''s dead body before fleeing. Her heart had be as dark as night and was rife with hatred and rage. A terrifying aura surrounded Lavinia''s body as she thought about Queen''s sad face.

    BUT¡­

    Despite her raging heart, she couldn''t bring herself to push her hand. She cannot make the sword pierce Allen''s chest as she thinks about what Allen said to her.

    "I WANT YOU TO BE HERE WITH ME!!! FOREVER!!!"'' That voice... and Allen''s innocent face while saying that, kept ying over and over in her mind. She had never murdered a human before, and if she killed Allen here, it would be her first time killing a human¡­ a human that didn''t even hate her or did bad things to her¡­ just an innocent child who just wanted to be with her¡­

    -tes tes tes

    Lavinia''s tears fall on Allen''s cheek.

    She was at odds with herself, her heart, and her emotions.

    ''What should I do now?''

    Humans are inconsistent, unstable, and ambiguous.

    She tried her best to suppress her tears, but they were already falling freely. She held back her voice and then murmured.

    "I can''t kill him¡­ I can''t¡­ I can''t do anything¡­"

    "Friends *sob, I''m sorry, I can''t avenge you all *sob. How much I hate that orc, I can''t kill an innocent kid like him. *sob, I am a priest, yet I am thinking and saying such sinful things."

    Her hand, which was gripping the hilt of the sword, was starting to weaken. She pulled it out of Allen and threw it.

    Lavinia took Allen''s right hand and grasped it with both of her hands.

    ____When Allen woke up the next day, he was all by himself. Lavinia was nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 7 7 : I Saw No One

    ?Allen, that''s the name that mother gave me.

    I lived in something called dungeon, and one of those dungeon rooms was my house. I slept inside a tree-room. When I first opened my eyes in the morning, the first thing I did was nce at a lumber beside my bed.

    That lumber is a chair that mother always sits on.

    At that lumber, mother would spend the evening honing the des of the swords that were mounted on the tree walls. The sound of the de scraping was very loud, and asionally she used a hammer to repair the sword. But even so, I''ve be used to it. The loud sound did not in the least bit annoy me in any way, instead, the sound is what makes me rxed. It''s better than having no sound.

    However, when I awoke in the morning, nobody was in the room with me. So I decided to go out and look around all ces.

    I saw no one¡­

    Mother was only here throughout the day and night, and she left when I was asleep.

    The next morning, I did the same thing; when I got up, I immediately checked the lumber, mother was not sitting there anymore. I stepped outside and searched around¡­

    I saw no one¡­

    I always did that, and without me knowing it, it has be part of my morning routine. Searching for someone who is nowhere inside the house.

    One day, there was mud passing through the river. I noticed something odd in how the mud moved, so I attempted to pick it up. It looks like the mud is alive. It was small and could move freely. The mud bounced off to one of my wounds, then drained a lot of my blood. Somehow I don''t mind that the mud did that..

    It named itself as Reig. I suddenly knew its name when that mud entered my shadow. I really wanted to tell mother, but whenever she came around, it ran away. I had the impression that it didn''t want other people to know where it was, so I remained quiet about it since I didn''t want Reig to leave me.

    No one else was here, so Reig''s presence really pleased me. Unfortunately, Reig can''t talk, but I''m still happy with its presence because at least it can give a small response. It could move its shapeless hands, nod, and shake its head. I usually talk to Reig every time after and before training. And yet, I am still not satisfied. I wanted to talk with another human.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A couple of days after I met Reig. Mother home at noon. Even though she usually returned home in the afternoon. She grabbed something¡­

    She brought humans!

    ¡­

    When I woke up the next morning, I always did my routine. I stepped outside my room and searched around. And now, near the rivers. Someone else was there, a human who looked different from me.

    The next day, the next day, and the next day, whenever I stepped out of my room, I saw someone else near the river. Even though we don''t speak the samenguage, I feel relieved that someone replied to what I said. After more than 20 days, when I awoke, I no longer nced over that lumber chair. I just straight forward came out to see my human friends. And now we can finally speak the samenguage.

    ¡­

    AaAaaaaah!!! I said some embarrassing things to her! I just confessed that I wanted to be with her forever, but she could not hear it clearly. I fall asleep on herp, and as I do, she tenderly strokes my head. Because I am not used to sleeping in quiet situations, I thought I could not fall asleep. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how rxing it was. I had no idea that lying down on someone''sp could be thisfortable. I ended up falling asleep in that position.

    ¡­

    And then today¡­ When I woke up, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. The light emanating from the crystal in the ceiling was hit my face. I recalled that I did not sleep in my tree room today.

    I lifted my body and turned around¡­

    I saw no one¡­

    The chain is loose, and the human is nowhere to be seen¡­

 Chapter 8 8 : First Killing

    ?"MISS LAVINIA!"

    When Allen woke up that morning, there was no one else there. He remembered that yesterday, he just fell asleep on Lavinia''sp, and now he didn''t see her anywhere.

    He looked everywhere in that room for Lavinia, but it was futile. No one was there.

    "Miss Lavinia, so she finally managed to escape," Allen muttered sadly.

    He had been asked by his mother to watch after her, but he ended up slept near that human and without knowing when she ran away. He realized he was too naive and believed Lavinia would not run away.

    Allen had mixed feelings. He was happy because Lavinia was finally free, and he was sad because if Lavinia ran away, it meant she really didn''t want to remain inside this house with him.

    "Even though I already knew that she might not like this ce, but still¡­"

    Still, he wanted her to always be inside this house with him.

    He just wanted to talk to someone after being alone in this room for so long.

    Allen stopped walking around and looked at the exit door. He approached the door and just looked at it.

    "Mother said I can''t go out because it''s dangerous. But¡­"

    Allen had tried to go outside before, when he was four years old. Outside that room¡ªor Allen called that a house¡ªwas too dark. Just in a single time, a wolf-like monster with three horns suddenly attacked him. Thankfully, the Queen Orc came and slew the monster. Before the Queen Orc could punish Allen for denying her, Allen was sobbing into her knees, apologizing, and hugging her.

    After that time, Allen never left his house anymore. He realized his mother''s rules had to be for a reason, and it was for the sake of him.

    And then, this time, it had been several years since he had stepped out of his house. He was afraid, but he felt he had to go out this time. The reason wasn''t only to search for Lavinia, he felt he couldn''t stay inside this ce all the time, and if he wanted to go out of this ce, it must be now.

    "It should be fine now, I have been training my strength a lot since then, and this time Reig is also here to help me," Immediately after Allen said that, Reig materialized on his right shoulder and touched Allen''s cheek.

    "I see; you also feel it''s time for me to get out of here, right?"

    Reig nodded.

    Allen held the circr doorknob on the door, rotated it, and then pulled it. The wind came out from within the room, and even before he emerged, Allen could feel the icy dungeon''s chill seeping into his bones. Even though it was very cold outside, his body was sweating. After a few seconds, Allen took a small step outside.

    -TAP

    "I''m finally out," said Allen with a bit of panting.

    Reig touched Allen''s cheek gently, as if to say everything was fine. Allen felt that Reig was trying to encourage him, so he smiled and said thank you.

    At first, Allen couldn''t see anything. His eyes could not adjust to the dungeon''s darkness; then, little by little, he could see well. Upon regaining his vision, he was amazed by the dungeon, which was very different with his house. A room outside the room. This room was dark, cold, and frigid. The only lighting in the room was a few blue me torches stuck to the walls.

    Allen turned to the left. He chose to go to the left because on the right side, there was only an altar and a circr pattern¡ªa path leading to the lower floor¡ªin front of it. Allen didn''t see how Lavinia could go that way since Lavinia intended to run away. Besides, Lavinia can''t go down with that leg.

    "Right! Her leg! She probably wouldn''t go far from the room with legs like that."

    After walking along the dark passage a few steps, Allen finally saw something.

    "MONSTER!"

    Allen spontaneously let out a loud voice. Now, the monster has turned its attention to him. Allen then finally got a good look at the monster. Dark green body, a long nose, and long ears. Despite their small features, their eyes are ratherrge. His clothing was a single ragged piece of fabric that covered him only below the waist. They hold a small dagger.

    "Is that a goblin?!" Allen has learned a bit about other monsters from Lavinia.

    Allen took a defensive posture. He had a feeling that the goblin would attack him first. Moreover, Allen for unknown reasons, couldn''t move well. Perhaps because it was the first time he''d ever felt the fight-to-the-death sensation. Allen felt the goblin''s desire to kill him, making him a bit scared and nervous.

    Goblin, with a smile, stretched their long neck and then dashed off at high speed toward Allen. The goblin wielded the knife with both of their hands, they swung the knife at Allen''s head, then¡­

    -KLANG!!!

    Allen blocked the goblin''s blows with his sword. Allen immediately swung his sword in a shing diagonal motion. The goblin''s body was thrown backward and rolled to the floor.

    "His movements are so sluggish, and their strength is weak. That goblin was nothingpared to mother''s speed and strength," Allen mumbled.

    Due to that first attack, Allen''s nervousness has diminished. To make himself calm, Allen took a big breath.

    The goblin got up and tried to reach for the weapon they had thrown, but Allen didn''t let them. Before the goblin could grabbed it, Allen quickly jumped at the goblin and sliced the goblins'' right arm.

    "I did it!" Allen realized the goblin was much weaker than him.

    Dark purple blood dripped from the Goblin''s hand. The goblin was in pain, holding his severed hand.

    "Hwaaaaaaa??? AAaaaaaAAaaa???¡­ HwaaAAAAaaaa???"

    "Wha- what?! What are they doing?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The goblin screamed groaningly, almost like a cry of anguish as it took Allen''s blow. Looked and listening to the Goblins cry made Allen more agitated. His heart grieved. Just a little, he felt sorry for the goblin.

    "WHa-What THE HELL ARE YOU CRYING FOR?! IT WAS YOU WHO ATTACKED ME FIRST!!!" Allen yelled with a trembling voice.

    "Qurts¡­ quman¡­ qate¡­ xeatq," said the goblin, trembling. The goblins didn''t pick up their de, instead, they ran as quickly as they could.

    "H-hey! Don''t run, you cowards!"

    Reig punched Allen''s cheek, then Reig pointed his hand at the goblin, telling Allen to chase it.

    "Y-yes¡­ he could call their other friends¡­ but¡­"

    Allen gulped. He was so nervous that his hands were trembling and sweating profusely. He knew that now he had to kill the goblin, but

    Reig once again punched Allen''s cheek, this time with more strength. Due to Reig''s punch, Allen immediately chased after the running goblin. It only took Allen two seconds to approach that goblin. And then,

    -SLAAASH

    Allen''s sword shed the goblin''s head. Thick purple blood gushed from their neck as their head slid to the floor. The goblin''s body continued to walk even though its head was off.

    One step, two steps, and the no-head goblin''s body fell at the third step.

    "Haa¡­ha¡­haa¡­.*pant"

    Allen examined his hand inquiringly. There was a purple blood st on his hand. He didn''t grip his sword properly, rather, he couldn''t. His hands were trembling excessively, and he could not breathe properly. He looked down at his bloddy sword and saw his reflected face, also sttered with blood. Quickly, he sheathed his de and cleaned the blood with his hand.

    "Reig, what should I do? The texture of their neck still feels rough in my hand."

    Allen sped his hands tightly, wiped the few tears that hade out around his eyes and stood up again

    "First time I killed a living thing, I might need some time to get used to this¡­"

    Reig got off from Allen''s shoulders and bounced onto the goblin''s corpse.

    In front of the goblin''s dead body, Reig suddenly widened to epass the goblin''s full frame. Now the goblin''s body was submerged in the ck liquid, slowly the goblin''s body drowning into Reig''s body. Reig went back to normal once the goblin''s body vanished, but then his body size rose, and he took on the goblin''s look. Reig was transformed into the goblins he ate.

    "You can do that?! Cool!!!"

    "Lets...go" said Reig with the goblin''s body. The body of the goblin was not identical to the original. The skin was not green but rather ck in hue. His hair and his clothing are also ck.

    "You could speak as well!!!"

    Reig''s action made Allen''s nervousness better. Now he truly felt not alone because Reig was really will always beside him. Reig turned back into mud and bounced to Allen''s shoulder.

    Allen starts to ran, searching for Lavinia. Fortunately, the route he took was notplicated. Allen could still recall the exact direction in which he had turned. Every corridor in the dungeon, however, has the same wall on both sides and the same blue torches hanging on the wall. That is probably one of the reasons why everyone could get lost here.

    Allen encountered monsters again, and its goblins. There were three goblins in front of him. One of them wields a crossbow, and the rest wield a small de. Seeing them, Allen remembers the ufortable sensation he felt because of his first kill. He disliked the feeling of putting an end to a living being''s life very much, he could not forget the sensation in his hand when he split the goblin''s head apart.

    The goblin archer saw Allen first, they muttered something and then fired an arrow toward Allen. Instantly, Allen wards the arrow with his sword. As soon as Allen got closer to the goblin, Reig''s goblin form suddenly sprung out from his shadow. Right away, Reig used his sword and sliced two goblin''s heads apart.

    Allen was actually unable to kill these goblins, he intended to target the goblin''s feet and hands. But because of Reig''s first attack, Allen gained a little courage to thrust his sword into these goblin''s throats.

    Suddenly¡­

    Allen heard a scream.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Allen definitely knew whose voice it was.

    "MISS LAVINIA!!!"

    Allen hurried as quickly as he could towards the direction of the scream. Then he reached a room that had a wooden door. When he was standing in front of the door, he squeezed his chest tightly, he felt an overwhelming panic that caused him to begin panting and trembling¡­

    Inside the room, he heard Lavinia''s scream severely.

    Maybe because Allen never left his house¡­

    or had never dealt with many monsters before¡­

    or because his istion inside his house caused him to be overprepared for the unexpected situation¡­

    Somehow, instead of breaking the door, he just

    Gently open the door¡­

 Chapter 9 9 : Lavinias Regret

    ?Human blood, goblin sweat, and other weird odors flooded Allen''s nostrils as soon as he opened the door.

    "NO! NO! DON''T COME CLOSER! YOU DUMB PIECE OF SHIT!I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!"

    It was a small room. There were only a few lights inside, 1 torch was hanging on the right side of the room, and Lavinia held the other torch.

    Lavinia¡­ was surrounded by a herd of naked goblins.

    Yellow liquid flowed from their crotches, drenching the floor. With wide grins and protruding tongues, the goblins snatched at Lavinia''s body.

    Try to fight, Lavinia used the torch she picked up and directed it at these goblins. Her feet were still hurt, so she couldn''t run from there. Lavinia''s voice was hoarse from her frantic shouting. It seems her clothes were not too wrecked but quite tattered, so it was safe to assume that the goblins had not done anything to her.

    As the door opened, a brighter light from outside made the goblins aware of Allen''s presence.

    Allen was suddenly outraged seeing the goblinsughing disgustingly while looking at Lavinia. Lavinia''s face was pale; she had a wrinkle that Allen had never seen before, and it made Allen understand how desperate and terrified she was.

    Allen clenched the hilt of his sword with all his power, his eyes shining brightly, and a ck aura emanated from his body. With rage, Allen yelled

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!" with monsternguage.

    When the goblins saw Allen''s rage, they were so scared that they all scooped up their weapons from the ground and jumped towards him.

    "LIKK QUMAN!!!" yelled one of the goblins.

    "I feel stupid for pitying your dead friends before. You all are not worth living in the first ce."

    -SLASH

    Allen made a straight sh from left to right, and the five goblins that charged at him were cut down with a single sh. And then the next sh split the goblin''s body in two. One by one, goblins were shed by Allen. Allen was so angry that he didn''t care how much blood sshed on him and kept swinging his sword. As for Reig, his fighting skill wasn''t very good because he hadn''t gotten used to his new body yet. So all Reig could do was shield Allen from behind-the-back attacks.

    After ten minutes. Allen was finished killing all of the goblins in that room. Perhaps there were 30 goblins inside. Allen''s body was coated with disgusting purple blood, yet Allen''s red eyes could still be seen shining brightly. Allen''s face was now so much calmer than the first time he killed the goblin.

    Allen slowly walked towards a trembling Lavinia.

    "Miss Lavinia¡­ Everything will be fine now."

    Lavinia was huddled at the room''s edge while holding the torch in a crouching position. Her entire body was severely trembling, and she had a horrified expression on her face. Two goblin fingernails had scratched her cheek. Her eye bags were ck, and so with her pupils¡ªdark and empty. She may not be blind, but sure she saw nothing in those eyes.

    Seeing Lavinia suffer, Allen bit his lip, then reached Lavinia''s hand with his hand.

    Deep down in his heart, Allen wants Lavinia to thank him for what he has done and start to like him so that Lavinia will want to stay with him inside that house again. And if Lavinia still didn''t want to stay, he would ensure she got out of this dungeon safely.

    But instead¡­

    *SLAP!!!<novelnext></novelnext>

    Allen gets neither thanks nor a small appreciation for what he has done, she hit Allen''s hand with an angry face.

    "DON''T TOUCH ME MONSTER!!!" She hit Allen''s hand with the torches she held. The torches slipped from Lavinia''s hand as she hit Allen''s hand, and it threw away to the left.

    "Mi¡­Miss Lavini¡ª"

    "DON''T TOUCH ME! DON''T TOUCH ME! DON''T TOUCH ME!"

    Lavinia wrapped both of her arms over her whole body. She hadpletely cut herself off from others.

    "Miss¡­ calm down, it''s me, Allen¡­ Everything is already fine."

    "you piec¡­.." Lavinia muttered in a a small voice.

    "What is it?"

    Lavinia now lifted her head, and looked at Allen fiercely.

    "I SAID YOU ARE A F*CKING SON OF B*TCH!!! THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU!!!"

    Allen was shocked and confused.

    "YOU POISONED MY FOOD! AND NOW I CAN NOT USE MY OWN MANA!"

    He is more confused now¡­

    "Po-poison? What do you mean¡ª"

    Allen remembered his mother providing a different type of meat for Lavinia''s food. His mother told Allen that the meat inside the dungeon is dangerous for humans, and it would take some time to get used to it. He didn''t question it at all.

    Allen realized that Queen Orc was trying to poison Lavinia.

    Allen then tried to defend himself.

    "Mother is the one who¡ª"

    "I KNOW! YOU ARE JUST BEING USED BY HER! SHE TELLS YOU NOTHING ANYWAYS! YOU ARE JUST HER PET! YOU SAID YOU WANTED ME TO STAY THERE FOREVER, RIGHT?! SATISFIED NOW?! I AM NOT EVEN CAPABLE OF GOING ANYWHERE NOW!"

    Allen had no idea it would turn out this way. In the end, he just hoped at least he could talk with Lavinia before saying goodbye, but instead, he heard such hurtful words from her. Lavinia then continues¡­

    "I REGRET NOT KILLING YOU THAT NIGHT!"

    Pure hatred, Allen could feel the pure hatred that Lavinia felt toward him with only the way she gazed. Allen did his best to keep his tears from falling. He was shocked when Lavinia, whom he had always considered kind and gentle, said something very cruel to him.

 Chapter 10 10 : Not A Single Word Of Mine Could Reach Her

    ?Dark and stinks room, inside that room dozens of goblins'' corpses are scattered on the floor. Not just goblin corpses. Blood also almost covered the floor and walls.

    Allen just stood there in front of the trembling¡ªcowering Lavina. If anything were heard inside that room, it would be Lavinia''s sobs, but all of a sudden...

    "You messed it up, Allen,"

    Queen Orc''s voice came from outside. She stood in front of the door.

    Allen immediately looked back and yelled.

    "Mother! What have you done to Miss Lavinia?!" Allen spoke madly.

    Queen Orc sigh, then answer.

    "Humans have gotten stronger recently, so I should negotiate with the goblins to work together to fight back against the humans who came. Since there were no female goblins, they relied on humans to reproduce. I believe she already told you everything, and because she was nning to escape, I offered her to the goblin."

    Allen was outraged again, he felt every reason Queen Orc''s said was uneptable to him. Because of his time with Lavinia, he finally began to appreciate human life.

    "Then why?! Why didn''t you just use another human?! Why should it be Miss Lavinia?!"

    "My skills aren''t omnipotent, orcs were very difficult to control, and capturing a living human is very hard."

    Allen clenched his fists and bit his lip. He was angry, but he didn''t know what to say.

    "Oh I see¡­" Queen Orcs then continued¡­

    "You like this human. Maybe I shouldn''t have let you learn about humans in the first ce."

    Hearing that, Allen quicklynds his fist on his mother. Queen Orc pped Allen''s body with only the back of her hand. As a result, Allen was thrown against the wall

    When the orc queen saw that Allen''s hurt because of her p, her expression changed for a second.

    "I hate¡­" Allen muttered.

    Since this was not the first time his mother had hit him, he was aware that the strength she was used to smacking him was not as intense as it had been in the past. But for some reason, he felt that this moment was the one that hurt him the most.

    "I HATE MOTHER! I DON''T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! GO AWAY! GO AWAAAAAY!!!" he shouted.

    The orc queen was silent for a few seconds, and then she answered.

    "Alright," said Queen Orc as she closed the door.

    Allen then curled up and sobbed. He was so angry at his mother, it was because of his mother that Lavinia said such a cruel thing to Allen. But what hurt him the most now was the fact that he also said hurtful things to his mother, even though he knew how hard it was for him when Lavinia said it.

    At that moment, Allen sobbed until he fell asleep.<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    .

    .

    Allen woke up, but he wasn''t in his regr light-room. When he opened his eyes, he was in a somewhat dark room with just one torch for illumination. His first sight when he opened his eyes was Reig, who formed a slimy substance. Reig waved his tiny hand at Allen.

    "Thank you, Reig, for looking after me while I was asleep."

    Then Reig entered Allen''s shadow.

    Allen looked at Lavinia, who might not have slept all the time. Her condition seems more severe than before.

    After hearing what she said, Allen had no courage to talk to her, but he also didn''t want to leave her either. He didn''t want to go back to his house, either.

    Allen walked to the door and opened it. He saw a bucket of water outside the door. Queen Orc must have put it down.

    Knowing how caring his mother was, the subsequent wave of shame made him even less eager to see his mother.

    Allen collected the goblin''s equipment and piled it up. He used the iron helmet as a bowl and fired goblin''s clothes. He cut the goblin''s ears and boiled them.

    After he had done cooking, Allen, with a worried face, walked up to Lavinia while holding a bowl. He offered that bowl to Lavinia as he did when he first met her.

    "This is goblin''s ear soup. I just took its ear, so after boiling it twice, the poison will definitely go."

    He offered the bowl to Lavinia, just as he had the first time he met her, but this time he could properly speak to her.

    Lavinia reached out for the bowl with her hand.

    *SLAP

    She smacked the bowl, the soup inside the bowl now scattered on the floor. Allen, again, bit his lips. At least he wanted Lavinia to eat well, he wanted Lavinia to eat it voraciously, just like she did when they first met.

    Allen picked up his bowl and put the bowl near Lavinia.

    "You can eat that anytime you want."

    Allen returned to his position and muttered,

    "I already speak the samenguage as her, but I feel not a single word of mine could reach her."

    Theirmunication was even worse than when they didn''t understand each other''snguage.

 Chapter 11 11 : I Dont Want To Feel This Mana Anymore

    ?When I first found the baby, my head was filled with the urge to kill it. It was natural since monsters view angel subordinates as enemies. Our rage and urge to kill them probably existed because that war happened a thousand years ago.

    But now, that woman''s mana suppressed that urge inside mine. My head hurts so bad whenever I think about killing that baby. I didn''t know when, but the desire to kill that baby slowly faded. It seemed like the demonic mana inside me had given up on that woman''s mana.

    "Well¡­ there is no way a human baby could live inside the dungeon. He probably will die in a short time."

    I thought he would surely die if I just left him alone. Yet, it turns out that my estimation of that woman''s mana was far too low.

    "Aarrgh!!! This baby is so f*cking noisy!!! Why did he almost cry every time?!!"

    I suddenly felt shocked in my head, and I got a glimpse into that woman''s memory while caring for her baby.

    "It would be a bad joke if I did that."

    Yet I still did that. I tried to breastfeed him. That womanpletely brainwashed me. Every time I saw this baby, I couldn''t leave him alone.

    Orcs generally don''t breastfeed, and female orcs also don''t have any liquid inside their breasts. But Queen has. Because only a queen who can give birth to an orc, and when she does, the baby is born instantly without the need to copte, which means the father of orcs is demonic mana, the dungeon itself. After a certain period, the Queen Orc will conceive and give birth to her young orc in just a week. A newborn orc cub can walk and live without its mother''s milk.

    After I breastfed him, the baby finally stopped crying and then fell asleep.

    ___Year 2, He looked so cold outside the dungeon, it''s good because he will definitely die from freezing, but that woman''s mana forced me to do something. No ce in this dungeon was a good ce for humans except the upper floor.

    I made my way to the dungeon''s upper floor. It was a bad floor for an advanced monster like me because the higher you go, the less demonic mana exists in the dungeon. Monsters couldn''t live without demonic mana, so they should absorb it every time. I need demonic mana more than a general monster; that was why the first floor was a bad ce for me.

    But still, the first floor still not a good ce for kids. The only ce that humans could survive inside the dungeon was in the dungeon''s forbidden room, forbidden for monsters. Monsters can''tst long in that ce because itcks of demonic mana.

    I put him there so he keeps warmth inside.

    ___Year 4, that baby became bigger, but not as big as orc''s kids. When he was that big, he cried a lot whenever I was not around. Human baby was so troublesome, they really love crying.

    I tried to stay as close to him as I could, but of course, that was impossible. In that room, I couldn''t survive for 20 hours, so I only spent 10 hours with him.

    What we often did together was body training. I deliberately made him spend a lot of energy so that he quickly tired out and fell asleep.

    "Mother, don''t go," he muttered in his sleep.

    ''Mo-mother?! How disgusting! Human kids calling me mother is so f*cking disgusting!"

    There was a strange feeling inside me, like a warm fire dancing inside my stomach.

    I believed it must be the reaction from that woman''s mana.

    ___Year 6. Even though I made the training tougher, the kid didn''t appear to be overly tired. That''s why he no longer sleeps during the day, just at night. Then I realized that when he was this big,  he could already live alone.

    But when I left him

    "Have you left already?" he asked sadly.

    "Yes, I have to work."

    His face looks so disappointed.

    ''how troublesome, don''t make that face,'' I thought.

    Again, this feeling, a feeling that makes me feel bad every time I see that face. This feeling must be because of that woman''s mana!

    Even so, I still left him because it would be dangerous if another human came here.

    ''dangerous? Howe? It would be wonderful if humans arrived and I no longer had to care for this child.

    Deep down inside me, I can feel that I don''t want him to be taken by others. But I know this feeling must be because of that woman''s mana! She didn''t want that kid given to someone she hadn''t influenced.

    ___Year 10. There are two years until the dungeon resets. In two more years, that woman''s mana will leave my body, and I will definitely kill this child at that time.

    Actually, I was surprised that I could raise him to this day. This kid could live in a dungeon with absolutely no divine mana, and then he could keep up no matter what kind of training I gave him. His strength also rose very quickly. Maybe this kid is almost as good as an adult human I have fought before.

    ''perhaps because he drank my milk?"

    Come to think about it. I haven''t given him milk in a long time. I also did not give birth to a new orc for almost ten years. That made the orc army gradually dwindle, and that made it hard for me to fight humans. The humans who got to this ce were getting stronger and stronger, and in a short time, orcs alone couldn''t stop them.

    What bothered me the most was, the fact that I had milk in my breast but never gave it to the baby orcs. Then, after I breastfed this human baby, I stopped having more orc children. Does that mean I need my milk in order to get pregnant? If that is true, it means this human kid had drunk the milk of hundreds of unborn orcs.

    "Mother"

    "What?"

    "Can I have a name?"

    "Name?!" where did he learn it?

    "You don''t need that!" I replied.

    "Okaay¡­" he said intively.

    This is so irritating!

    "*SIGH¡­ Okay, just tell me what kind of name you want?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    He smiled

    "I want it from you!"

    "Are you kidding?!"

    His smile was suddenly gone.

    ''Don''t make that face! So irritating!''

    "Alright, alright! Then how about Allen?" I coincidentally heard it when fighting with humans.

    He murmured that name thrice. After that, a big smile appears on his face.

    "Thank you! Mother!"

    !!!

    This joy feel¡­ must be from that woman''s mana.

    ___Year 12. The dungeon reset will happen around this year. At that time, the divine mana inside me will be purged during the reset. And when this woman''s mana is gone, this child will definitely die in my hands.

    My feelings are conflicted. When I recall my own words, I get lost in my own thoughts. I''ve always been determined to kill him when the dungeon resets, and now that determination is starting to bother me.

    "What happened, mother? You daydream." He said it confusedly.

    ''He is already this big, not only has he grown taller, but his hair is also getting longer. If I recall again, I always like his red eyes.''

    While looking at his face, I put my weapon down and reached for the boy''s head.

    "I have to find a way to save you from here," I said subconsciously.

    "!!!"

    !!!

    I immediately took my hand off and walked out of that ce.

    ''I see¡­ I finally understand. This feeling must be from that woman''s mana. I had to find a way to protect him from me when my human-killing desire returned. The dungeon will reset in a while, so I need to figure out how to get him out of here quickly.''

    If I wanted to get him out of here, he should knowmon sense outside. So, I need a human to teach him about the outside world.

    And then today, after I brought that human and made them teach him, I didn''t expect things to turn out like this.

    "MOTHER, I HATE YOU! I DON''T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! GO AWAY! GO!!!" he yelled, and that full of despised yell was directed to me.

    This feeling¡­ This is very new¡­ We''ve been together for twelve years, and he''s never once said anything like that. That''s right, he always obeyed whatever I told him all this time, and for the first time, he disobeyed me.

    When he yelled at me, I could feel myself bing sad.

    This must be because of that woman''s mana!

    "Alright," I answered briefly.

    I can''t do anything now. Perhaps this is a good chance. He wouldn''t stay in the dungeon if he hated me. He definitely will go out with that human, far from this dungeon, and finally live happily together with other humans.

    And¡­

    If¡­

    If he leaves...

    *Tes *tes

    "If he gets out of here, then he won''t be killed by me."

    Wateres out of my eyes.

    "What is this? What water are these? Why is it flowing from my eyes?"

    This is also a new feeling.

    This thing must be from that woman''s mana¡­

    I hate this feeling, very unpleasant, very weak, and very ufortable!

    My whole body feels weak, and my chest hurts.

    "How long do I have to feel this?" water keepsing out of my eyes. I rubbed it continuously, covering both my eyes with my hands so that the water wouldn''t flow¡­ But useless¡­

    "MOTHER, I HATE YOU!" that words¡­ that voice¡­ always ringing in my head.

    I looked at the dungeon''s altar and said,

    "Dungeon¡­ hurry up, I don''t want to feel this woman''s mana anymore!"

 Chapter 12 12 : Before Tragedy

    ?"It''s the first time I''ve seen mother make that face."

    Allen mumbled as he remembered his mother''s expression after he yelled at her. After eating his food, Allen looked at Lavinia, who was curled up in the same position she had been in for nearly a day. She still hadn''t touched the bowl.

    Allen remembers the first day he gave Lavinia a bowl of soup. He was bored, so he experimented with cooking different types of soup. He tries to make tasty soup not only for himself but also for his mother. But when she tasted it, she never praised him. She never said how the soup tasted.

    As for Lavinia, she always said his soup was delicious. She always gives feedback andpliments. But he didn''t expect his mother to poison the soup that Lavinia always praised.

    "From the beginning, it was mother''s fault for giving Miss Lavinia poisoned meat," he muttered.

    One hourter, there were a lot of footsteps heard from outside.

    -drap drap drap drap drap

    "Something ising, and there are a lot of them."Those footsteps are not goblins. They wear somewhat armor!"

    ? He quickly stood up and grabbed his sword. He then turned his attention toward the door.

    "Miss Lavinia! Something ising!"

    Allen stepped in front of Lavinia to protect her from whatever might try to break in. Lavinia, meanwhile, remained silent, appearing resigned to her fate.

    The sound of the footsteps got closer and louder.

    -drap drap draP drAP rRAP DRAP DRAP! DRAP!! DRAP!!!"

    ¡­they stopped.

    "They are already in front of the door!"

    *SEEET

    The door was fully open. And what Allen looked was shocked him.

    "HUMAN?" said Allen in monsternguage.

    Humans stood in front of that room, one human, and another person wearing the same clothes and armor was behind him. From the sound of many footsteps that Allen heard, it seemed like there were many more people in the hallway right now.

    A helmet made of iron, armor, a shield in the left hand, and a sword in the right. Their whole bodies were covered with chainmail and with a clean bright yellow cloth.

    "What?! Why are there humans inside here?" asked the man who opened the door, confused.

    Lavinia immediately dashed towards them and yelled.

    "Thank you god! Thank you! The warriors are reallying!" she cried and hugged the soldier''s leg.

    "Umm, Lady? What actually happened here?"

    When the soldier saw how worn and torn Lavinia''s clothes were and a ton of goblin corpses on the floor, he thought the goblins must have almost raped her.

    "Come here, we have water and food here," the soldier stopped asking. He chose not to ask anything to the woman, who looked tired and desperate. But to confirm something, he asked

    "Lady, may I know your name?"

    Lavinia wrapped herself in the nket the soldier gave her and drank hot water.

    "La-Lavinia¡­"

    Hearing that name, the soldier suddenly yelled.

    "LA-LADY LAVINIA?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The other soldiers were also shocked.

    "A padium rank explorer, Lavinia?!"

    "What?! She is still alive?!"

    "If I''m not mistaken, her entire party has been missing for the past three months,"

    There were a lot of soldiers outside, and because the corridor of the dungeon wasn''t very big, they lined up two rows of columns.

    The soldier who opened the door then looked at Allen, who just stood inside with a confused and nervous face. The soldier inquired once more of Lavinia.

    "And this boy is?"

    Lavinia, without a look at Allen, replied.

    "He is also human, please take him with us too¡­"

    "I never saw a human with ck hair before," said the soldier.

    "Please, bring me home quickly," asked Lavinia, then the soldier answered.

    "We''re sorry, we''d love to get you out of here quickly, but right now we can''t. Mr. Mathius ordered us that no matter what happened, we had to walk straight to the end of the first floor and meet the main force. Because this dungeon''s passage always changes, we need a specialist toe back. Don''t worry, we will apany you very well."

    Hearing Mathius''s name, Lavinia was suddenly surprised.

    "Mr. Mathius?! Then, who is the leader of this raid?!"

    The soldier replied

    "The fourth prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Leofric Regina Wildenhall."

    .

    .

    .

    The end of the first-floor dungeon. There was a chamber that was 100 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The room was illuminated by twenty blue torches that lit up every time. Both the walls and the ceiling are constructed from stone, while the floor is made from something somewhat like cement. There was a door through a door on the far right side of the room that was a door to Allen''s house.

    After walking through aplicated maze of passages, this chamber was theirst stop on the first floor. At the end of the chamber was an altar made of stone with a unique circr pattern in front of it. That pattern was the way to go to the next floor.

    Queen Orc was kneeling above that pattern, facing the altar, crying.

    Suddenly, Queen Orc heard footsteps behind her. She spontaneously took her bludgeon and looked back. She could feel an incredible and threatening aura that frightened Queen Orcs just by their presence, so she knew it wasn''t Allen or other monsters.

    ''four? No, they are six?!"

    From the dark passage, ites.

    "Oya oya oya? No wonder no dungeon explorer can get past the first floor. The orc''s queen lives here."

    Six humans came in through the passage and entered the chamber. The one who spoke was a man dressed in iron armor that looked ostentatious. He had long, golden hair. His eyes were also bright green color. His appearance was pretty for a man. His body was quite bulky, stocky, and powerful. He held a big whitence in his hand, almost the same size as his body; a trace of monster blood covered thence''s tip.

    Looking at that person, Queen Orc could tell he was far stronger than her.

    "Let''s start the fun fight."

    That was the appearance of the angel of death, for monsters.

 Chapter 13 13 : Buff-Type Amnis

    ?Six humans and one orc are inside the chamber. The orc was standing at the end of the chamber. It was an advanced type of orc called the Queen Orc. Queen Orc wields her bludgeon firmly while taking a defensive stance.

    Six humans stand at the chamber''s entrance. Each of them has a different ss.

    From left, their caster. She has long, straight, purple hair that is almost reaching down her thighs. She wears a brown robe that covers her body from her neck to her feet.

    Next to her is their defender. He has a big body¡ªabout two times bigger than the average adult man, with two meters tall. He was wearing a dark gray full-te armor along with his face, so his face was not visible. He carries a big shield that is almost as big as his body, and he wields the stem of the shield with two hands.

    In the center, their vanguard, a golden-haired male with arge-whitence.

    Beside him was a thin but tall man wearing sses. His hair is red, with hair neatlybed back. Unlike the others, he is not wearing any armor, just an expensive-looking red tunic.

    Beside him again is the priest, a woman wearing the same robe as the caster. She has blue hair and eyes.

    Among them, only one person gave Queen the chills just by feeling his mana. It was the most conspicuous one in the middle, a man with golden hair.

    "Yayaya¡­ you troubled many people by killing all the explorers who came here¡­ But actually, I don''t really care; that has nothing to do with me." said the man with golden hair.

    "This dungeon sure is strange, as the rumor said. Why is the Queen Orc, who should be on the seventh floor, here? On the first floor? Do you know something about this, Mathias?" The one who spoke was their caster, named Petrone. She talked with red-haired, sses-wearing men.

    "I don''t know either. In these ten years, dungeon explorers from copper rank to padium rank had never passed the first floor of this dungeon; it must be because Queen Orc is here. Even though I don''t know why she is here in the first ce. Poor Barony Barkaley, he cannot mine anything in the dungeon because of her existence," exined Mathias.

    Mathias then speaks to the golden hair man.

    "Your Highness Leofric, we should wait for other soldiers that are still on their way here."

    Leofric then looked at him with a smile.

    "Do you think I alone am not enough to defeat her?"

    "No, your highness, it''s just because of the many anomalies that urred in this dungeon, and I just want to ensure our victory," Mathias responded, as if he was already used to Leofric''s treatment.

    "Well, your calctions are always right. Besides, you are a specialist on whom I rely. Without you now, we might end up going round and round thebyrinth without finding this chamber," said Leofric.

    Then Leofric looked at Queen Orc.

    "But don''t worry, me and my weapon¡ªHeit¡ªare enough to fight the Queen Orc. That''s why I brought caster Petrone, defender George, support archer Maurice, and nche, a first-rate priestess from the Church of the Water Spirit. They are all mithril-ranked dungeon explorers. That is enough to ensure our victory."

    Meanwhile, Queen Orc muttered.

    "They are strong, much stronger than any humans I have fought so far. Especially that golden-haired guy. I am not sure I can beat him. The dungeon reset should be soon. I should at least buy some time until the dungeon reset starts."

    Queen Orc looked at the humans one by one.

    ''the only one I could kill immediately was that unprotected man, but he seemed to be purposefully not wearing any armor and purposely made me target him. If I were an ordinary monster, I would definitely target him first, but it will make my first move easy to read. At this rate, I will use the children.''

    Queen Orc put down her bludgeon, took a deep breath, and shouted

    "WUGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Because the room was covered with rocks, the sound reverberated, and some sand and small rocks fell from the ceiling due to the vibrations of Queen Orc''s voice.

    One minute left, and nothing happens.

    "Oya? So as Mathias predicted, she really used that skill first. Queen Orc''s original skill, she can control the orcs from afar. But how sad, I cannot see these orcs today. Nothing wille," said Leofric

    Hearing that, Queen Orc was shocked.

    ''They''ve killed all the orcs on this floor?!! That means they''ve explored every path in thisbyrinth and killed every monster on this floor. But it is impossible with just six people. There must be a lot of humans out there. This is a massive dungeon raid, not just one group of humans,'' thought Queen Orc.

    "I have no other choice," she muttered.

    On the human side,

    "Petrone, analyze what elemental spirits are here," Leofric ordered.

    "There are wind spirits and soil spirits, my lord."

    "Oya, it is good we brought Priestess nche with us; she brought the water spirits. With three elemental spirits on our side, Petrone can use almost any amnis."

    Leofric then continued

    "Petrone, use amnis buff types, increase George''s defense to max, and give all the buff amnis you have to me."

    "Yes, my lord."

    Just as Petrone was about to raise her finger to activate an amnis¡­

    -WUUUUUUSH

    Queen Orc immediately ran towards Leofric.

    "Oya, that is a smart move she made. She won''t give us any time to get ready. George, hold it for me."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As a defender, George took a step in front of Leofric, facing the Queen Orc.

    Queen Orc raised her bludgeon and smacked George, but George used his great shield to block it away.

    -BOUNCE

    Queen Orc''s bludgeon bounced off.

    ''I used all my strength, and the shield was only scratched a bit,'' thought Queen Orc.

    However, due to Queen Orc''s attack,

    -SPLASH

    Blood spurted from almost all over George''s armor.

    ''the shield could stand, but the person could not.''

    -SYUT

    Maurice, the archer, shot the arrow that became lodged in Queen Orc''s right arm. Queen Orc quickly pulled out the stuck arrow, and the arrow''s imprint suddenly evaporated from Queen Orc''s hand.

    "Quite fast regeneration," said Maurice.

    Queen Orc attacked George in all directions. George managed to block all Queen Orc''s attacks even though blood never stopped spurting out of his armor. Every time Queen Orc attack Geroge, Maurice in every chance shoot Queen Orc. As a result, more than five arrows stuck in Queen Orc''s body.

    Behind Algar, Priestess nche was praying while drawing water symbols in the air.

    "God, please return the mercy that your enemies wasted. Make him feel less pain and more hopeful in his desire to live."

    Every bit of George''s blood that spilled on the ground flowed back into his wound, the wound did not heal. It is just that nche amnis reduced the blood deficiency. Every time the Queen Orc smacked George, the blood spurted out from his armor, and every drop of blood spurted out, back to his body, so now George was surrounded by blood that flowed to his body.

    Plus

    "y guardian," Petrone starts chanting. George''s body glowed brown. Petrone activates the defense buff for Georges. But even with a defense buff, the blood still spurted out of George''s armor.

    Along with the actions, Queen Orc nced at Leofric and then thought

    ''He hasn''t made a move yet. Is he waiting for his caster to add a buff amnis to him? Then I will attack him once after the amnis active,''

    Buff-type amnis is an amnis that increases the opponent''s stats such as attack, endurance, speed, etc. When an amnis user activates this kind of skill, the elemental spirits will send the user''s mana to the target buff.

    When the mana is sent to the target buff, it will make the target cannot move because their body needs time to adjust to the buff, which takes about 1 minute. Queen Orc was nning to attack Leofric when he could not move.

    ''it also means that this big shield guy is only buying time until that golden hair guy''s preparations areplete. With adjustment time, plus the caster''s chanting process when activating the amnis, it would take about 5 minutes, that is enough time to kill this big shield guy first."

    But then Queen Orc noticed Leofric smiling, as Leofric knew what she was thinking.

    Petrone took off her robe, raised both hands, and started drawing themand spell.

    Seeing that, Queen Orc was shocked.

    ''What the hell, she used both hands to draw themand spell!''

    With both hands, Petrone quickly drew a water symbol in her left hand and a soil symbol in her right hand at once.

    Not five minutes. It took only one minute for Petrone to activate three amnis at once.

    "y Guardian, Cyclone''s st, Increase Stamina," Leofric''s body glowed three times: yellow, white, and blue.

    "George, back off and recover. You''re almost dead," said Leofric.

    George nodded, but Queen Orc didn''t let him get away. Queenstly smacked George''s shield with all her strength.

    -BRUG!!! KRANG!!!

    His shield ttered just as loudly as the first time Queen Orc attacked him, but this time is different. Queen Orc''s bludgeon didn''t bounce. Unlike before, when Queen Orc focused her strength on her biceps, now, at thest moment, she focused her strength on her wrist. As a result, George''s shield crumbles, and George''s body looks motionless behind his shield. His body is most likely broken as a result of Queen Orc''s smash.

    "Mr. George!" nche yelled.

    nche''s ability is no longer active. Blood no longer enters his body, which is already crushed. All of his bones must be broken inside.

    On the other side, Queen Orc''s wrist was bent. Queen Orc took the de from her waist and cleaved her bent wrist.

    When the five people inside the chamber saw it, they were taken aback.

    Queen''s cut hand did not evaporate and heal; no blood fell to the floor; instead, the blood on his hand was squirming and building, creating new hand structures.

    "Oya oya! That is an incredible regeneration!"

    Unlike his party members, Leofric was in awe of the Queen''s regeneration process.

 Chapter 14 14 : Leofric Regina Wildenhall

    ?After being smacked by Queen Orc''s attack, George was motionless, not moving a bit. His blood overflowed from his armor. nche wanted to use her amnis to get the blood back in, but she couldn''t, or rather, she shouldn''t. She can only use six amnis in a day, and they are trying to raid the dungeon until tenth floor. If she used her amnis, and George already died, the amnis she used would be wasted, and Prince Leofric hated that.

    On the other side. After Queen Orc fully regenerated, she ran toward George''s body to hit it again. She wanted to make sure George was really dead, but...

    *ZYUUT

    Leofric, with his longnce, stabbed Queen Orc

    ''SO FAST!'' thought Queen Orc.

    Queen Orc, luckily could make it; she dodged to the left, so her body was safe, but her left hand was sliced off.

    Queen Orc immediately kicked Leofric in the waist. As a result, Leofric shifted slightly to the left. At that moment, Queen Orc quickly leaped backward away from Leofric.

    "He''s fast, but I can still use my reflexes to avoid him. However, I still need some time to make my eyes get used to his speed.''

    While holding her severed arm, Queen Orc realized something unusual.

    "''My hand cannot regenerate,'' you must be thinking that, right?" said Leofric.

    Leofric cleaned the blood that covered hisnce by sshing it diagonally.

    "My Lance, named Heit, can erase various forms of mana. Any mana concept that Heit''s tip stabbed will vanish. Your hand, which should grow back when you use your demonic mana, can''t grow back because of Heit."

    Hearing that from Leofric, Queen Orc was confused

    ''Is this his god''s blessing or what? God''s blessing and or amnis is manifested by using mana. so it wouldn''t make sense for the user to use mana to erase other people''s mana. If the concept of mana that he stabs with thence disappears, that means he didn''t use any mana to do it, so it can''t be God''s blessing or amnis.

    "My Lord! Please don''t reveal my abilities like that!" a voice came out of hisnce, a child''s voice.

    ''THE WEAPON IS TALKING!...

    ''That means that weapon is one of Adfectus Reliqua. This golden-haired man has cleared a dungeon before!'' thought Queen Orc.

    "Oya? What happened, Heit? Aren''t you always happy every time I do that?" answered Leofric with nosy.

    The voice, Heit, sounded irritated as it answered

    "Don''t mention it! The less your enemies know, the better it should be!"

    Leofric gazed at Queen Orc and then said,

    "Well, no problem, in the end, she is not alive either."

    Queen Orc took out her knife and cut her left hand even deeper, trying to see how her regeneration ability worked. As a result, the hand she cut off regenerated until the part that Heit cut off. Leofric, who saw Queen Orc''s action, suddenlyughed out loud.

    "HAHAHAHAHA Look at her! I troubled myself by exining my ability, yet she still did not believe me and tried to cut off her hand to confirm it!"

    "My lord, Queen Orc seems smarter than our little Mathias''s prediction. You have to be more careful from now on," warned Heit.

    Behind them, Maurice readied his arrow and targeted Queen Orc.

    "Can I shoot now, Mathias?" he asked.

    "Do it, and his highness will kill you. We cannot disturb his fight¡­ not now."

    Mathias put his hand on his chin and started thinking about something bogging down in his mind.

    "This is strange¡­ in the first ce, an advanced monster like Queen Orc shouldn''t be on the first floor. The reason is because the demonic mana on the first floor isn''t as strong as on the seventh floor. There must be a reason why Queen Orc chooses to stay on the first floor. The queen is trully smarter than I thought. She was like a wise human d in an orc body. Maybe she chooses to stay on the first floor because of some strategy for guarding the dungeon. But why? Monsters are just creatures made by demonic mana to live and kill, not as dungeon guardians."

    Beside Mathias, nche, who was holding George''s body, called him out

    "Sir Mathias, please tell his highness to finish the fight as soon as possible. Mr. George is still alive. If we use the healing ability of the church, he can survive."

    Mathias was the only person at that party who was close to Leofric. The other people only became Leofric''s party a few times. But even so, Mathias couldn''t do anything. If Leofric is smiling while fighting, he shouldn''t get in the way, no matter what.

    "I''m sorry, Miss nche, we can only pray for Mr. George''s safety. After the fight with Queen Orc, I will convince his highness to retreat. If we interrupted him now, his highness would literally kill us."

    Back to Queen Orc and Leofric''s battle. After Queen Orc confirmed Leofric''snce, Heit''s ability, she stomped the floor with her leg. As a result, the floor shattered, and beneath the floor was buried Queen Orc''s weapon, a bone bludgeon.

    "My lord, it is likely she has stored many weapons in various ces in this room, and it''s possible that¡ª" "I know, Heit, don''t dictate to me," Leofric said while smiling excitedly.

    Leofric looked back at the traces of their fight with Queen Orc and realized there was a certain pattern in Queen Orc''s moves during the fight.

    "Oh my, five minutes ago, I felt like I could win this fight easily. But look at her now, she''s locked my move with just a few moves. I couldn''t ignore the possibility of other weapons hiding in the ground or traps nearby. This meant she could keep a spear, a whip, or possibly a fire shoot... And to confirm it¡­"

    Leofric called out Maurice<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Maurice! Try throwing anything as hard as you can where George fought with Queen Orc."

    Without asking Leofric anything, Maurice grabbed George''s shield and threw it as hard as he could at the ground where Queen Orc stood before.

    -WOOOSH

    A spear shot straight up out of the ground near the floor (that hit by the shield). That speed was not deadly, but it was enough to cause a slight wound and could be used as a surprise attack.

    "Fyuuh, I hope I am wrong this time, and by the way, she really gave us a time to do that¡­" said Leofric.

    Queen Orc just stood there, putting up a defensive stance. Heit finally realizes what Leofric is trying to say.

    "I understand. It is strange. She just stood there, waiting for us to attack. Why didn''t she brutally attack us? Don''t monsters have a high urge and desire to kill?" "I don''t know, Heit you better kill your logic to fight her."

    With a big grin on his face, Leofric runs towards Queen Orc with incredible speed.

    "MY LORD?! Youpletely killed your logic and ignored the possible trap sheid?!" said Heit in panic.

    Seeing Leofric''s action, Queen Orc also runs towards Leofric.

    While running, Queen Orc raised her bludgeon and aimed at Leofric''s head. Leofric, aware of that, ignored Queen Orc''s aim and focused on Queen Orc''s right leg.

    But unexpectedly¡­

    Instead of attacking Leofric''s head, Queen Orc threw her bludgeon at Leofric.

    "WHAT?!" Leofric shocked.

    Leofric was now forced to abort his attack. He can only dodge to the left, right, or ward off the bludgeon with hisnce.

    Leofric chose to dodge the bludgeon, he intended to attack Queen Orc''s leg after he dodged.

    After swiping out Queen Orc''s bludgeon, Leofric saw Queen Orc trying to stomp her foot again on the floor.

    ''This is bad! The bludgeon she used just now was bait to block my view!''

    Leofric quickly directs hisnce toward Queen Orc''s body.

    But Leofric is not quick enough.

    Queen Orc''s right foot stomped the floor. From the floor, a spear shot up.

    ''SO THIS IS ALL ACCORDING TO HER PLANS!''

    In that short moment, Queen Orc spat out her saliva directly at Leofric''s face. She picked up the spear in the air and tried to attack Leofric''s right hand with it.

    ''The spit? Is it poisonous? Or have an acid effect? But I shouldn''t think about that! Two attacks at once, I can''t avoid both!'' thought Leofric.

    From the back, in front of the passage, they heard the sound of a boy''s scream.

    "MOTHEEEER!!!"

    Queen Orc immediately recognized the source of the noise.

    ''ALLEN!!!''

    -BREAK!!!

    Leofric''s Heit stabbed Queen Orc''s body and made a big hole. But Leofric also lost his right hand. He chooses to avoid Queen Orc''s spit which almost hits his face.

    "HIS HIGHNESS!!!" Mathias yelled.

    Queen Orc fell limply with a hole in her body. She couldn''t live any longer.

    Behind Leofric''s party, the soldiers arrived and brought two new figures. Lavinia and Allen.

    Seeing his mother fall, Allen immediately ran towards Queen Orc.

    "MOOTHEEER!!!!"

    Leofric looked at the effect of Queen Orc''s saliva. There was¡­ no effect whatsoever from the spitting.

    "I''m so stupid, I didn''t expect that thing could fool me."

 Chapter 15 15 : Dungeon Explorer And Raid

    ?Dungeon explorer, is an appetion for people who try to challenge dungeons.

    Dungeon explorers must be registered in the Explorer Guild. The guild is created by the government, to monitor and control the activities of dungeon explorers.

    For humans, dungeons are not only a ce to confine the demonic mana, but also a ce to mining. Dungeon grows valuable minerals that are not easy to find outside the dungeon. The minerals that obtained in the dungeon can be sold to the guild.

    In the guild, dungeon explorers are divided into 10 rank that named based on the rarity of mineral in the dungeon, from the lowest rank : copper, iron, silver, gold, crimtane, hellstone, padium, mithril, titanium, and luminite.

    The richer the guild in a region, the richer the region will be.

    That is why, thendlord of Barkaley, Barony Barkalet, was having a hard time, because the dungeons in hisnd, werepletely unminable for the past ten years. There was something strange with Barkaley''s dungeon. Not even a single floor waspleted in that dungeon. Usually the first floor can be cleared by the iron-ranked explorer, but this dungeon is different. Every single explorer that had entered the dungeon, not a single one had returned. As a result, other explorers are gave up on entering this dungeon. Over time, dungeon explorer no longer came to region Barkaley''s guild.

    To solve this problem, Barony hired a high-ss dungeon explorer for just clearing the first floor. Barony Barkaley hired an explorer from the capital, a padium-ranked party, Lavinia''s party.

    But, three months passed since Lavinia''s party entered the dungeon, they nevere back. People thought, even a padium ranked party couldn''t clear the first floor, that means almost no one could challenge that dungeon.

    News about this dungeon, reached royal family''s ear, especially The Fourth Prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, Leofric Regina Wildenhall. Leofric organized a n to raid the dungeon.

    Dungeon raids were usually done by the nobles, the reason is because a massive dungeon raid required arge number of soldiers. The dungeon was deep and each floor was very wide, plus there were many unexpected thing that could happened inside dungeon. Somunication with the outside is important.

    This time, dungeon raids was led by Leofric. But this raid was not approved by the council, because it was considered as waste of soldiers. There is no reason for council to send arge of soldier to unknown dungeon. Therefor, Leofric came to the Barkaley region and announced

    "I will be conducting a dungeon raids. Anyone who participates will be given ten sacks of wheat, pay upfront, and five sacks of rice after."

    Hearing that, many peasants and ormoners registered. About 100 men registered, and 100 warriors from Barkaley''s family.

    One of the peasants that participated is a red-haired 17 years old guy, Arthur Lambert. Who moonlighted as a cleaner in a suburban bar. He was an orphan who lived in his parent''s small home with his sister, Susan. Their mother has died while giving birth to his sister, and their father died because of illness. Susan is currently ten years old, so Arthur should work hard for a living.

    "Susan! It''s true! The soldier just brought us ten sacks of wheat! The prince didn''t lie!" said Arthur cheerfully.

    But apparently, his sister wasn''t too happy about it.

    "But brother, you have to raid the dungeon, right? Isn''t it dangerous? If I''m not mistaken, no one can return after entering the dungeon for a long time."

    "It can''t be helped, we need food. Later after the raid, I can use our remaining money to sign up for the explorer''s guild. if I be an explorer, our lives can definitely change!"

    Seeing her brother happy, she wanted to be happy too. Susan knew that her brother wanted to be an explorer, but since her brother had to take care of her, his dream must have been dashed long ago. And now might be the only chance for Arthur to be a dungeon explorer.

    For a week, themoners'' warriors will be trained the basics way to survive in the dungeon. Barkaley''s family provided armor, weapon, and a training ground. The training included: basic sword usage, basic knowledge of monsters, guard formations, and how to mobilize food in the dungeon.

    That afternoon, when everyone had gone home, there was one person who kept swinging his sword at the target doll, it was Arthur. He repeatedly swung his sword vertically.

    The eldest son of the Barkaley family, Waldo Barkaley. While out for a walk, he identally looked at the training ground.

    "Do you know who he is?" Waldo asked one of the maids who was also passing by. The maid immediately replied

    "It''s one of themoners'' warriors. From the beginning of the training, he always practiced alone until the sun went down. He said he wanted to utilize the training ground as much as possible."

    "I see¡­"

    Waldo approached him and tried to call out to him.

    "Hey!"

    But Arthur did not hear it. He kept swinging his sword with great concentration. Waldo had tried to call him three times, but Arthur still could not hear him.

    The reason Waldo was attracted to him was because of his gaze and concentration, so he didn''t get angry even though he was ignored by Arthur.

    As the sun set, Arthur stopped swinging his sword, took a deep breath, and put down his sword.

    "Are you done now?"

    "!!!"

    Arthur was shocked.

    "Mi-milord!" Arthur shouted nervously

    "Take it easy this time... Let''s forget our status first."

    Arthur could only put on a forced smile. There was a great gulf between nobles andmoners. To the nobles, themoners werepletely worthless. Nobles could unterally imprison amoner for life just for insulting them. So no matter how much Waldo asked to relinquish their status, there was no way Arthur would take it easy on him.

    "Why did you always swing your sword untilte?" asked Waldo.

    "I-it''s because I''m poor, so I don''t have any equipment to practice with at home. But Barony''s generosity allows me to use the training ground untilte as long as I clean up afterward."

    "I see¡­" Waldo said with a small smile. Then he continued

    "I heard from the waiter that you have a little sister at home, right?"

    "Yes?"

    Waldo''s face suddenly changed.

    "You''d better stop. Don''t worry I''ll still send you the remaining five sacks without making you go to the dungeon,"

    "Wait¡ª"

    "Dungeons are very dangerous, a youngster like you who only lives alone with your sister shouldn''t die in a dungeon¡ª"

    "I SAID WAIT!" Hearing Arthur raise his voice, Waldo immediately fell silent.

    After a moment, Arthur realized that what he said was inappropriate and disrespectful toward nobles.

    "I''M SORRY!" said Arthur while he bowed his head.

    Then he continued.

    "I participated in this dungeon raid not just because of the rice. But because I want to challenge the dungeon, challenge myself! Ever since I was a kid, I''ve always wanted to be a dungeon explorer, but since I had to take care of my sister, I gave up and chose to work at the bar. I really hate it, I want to explore all the hidden things inside the dungeon!"

    Arthur gripped his sword tightly and looked at his reflection in the de.

    "I am very grateful for your offer, milord. Maybe I still can be a dungeon explorer even without joining this raid, but if I don''t join this raid now¡­"

    Arthur lifted up his head, he looked straight into Waldo''s face with bright-blue eyes with a sunset effect inside.

    "I heard the dungeon is very scary, so if I ran now, I feel I won''t be able to go any further in the future! I felt this was a chance that god gave me!"

    The determination on Arthur''s face made Waldo both amazed and discouraged. He already realized when he saw Arthur''s face as he concentrated on swinging his sword. It was a face of someone who has determined to change his life. Someone who would try as hard as he could to move forward.

    "I envy you," said Waldo.

    "Hmm?"

    Arthur was certainly confused. Waldo belonged to a noble family that lived well, in contrast to him, who was just amoner even among othermoners. Just a little pipsqueak, dust inside the dust.

    "Actually, I''m scared. This raid will probably be very dangerous because we''re going to attack a dungeon that even the Padium rank can''t fight," said Waldo.

    "As the first son of Barkaley''s family, I have to apany our troops andmoner troops. When I saw you practicing so hard, your eyes full of confidence it made me want to crush it. I didn''t want to admit that the only one who was scared in this raid was me. I feel stupid now. Even though I''m a noble, I am just a coward who wants to drag others scared like me.

    "Milord, that means about my sister earlier¡ª"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s right, I wanted to scare you by making you think that you would leave your sister alone, I''m sorry."

    "IT''S OKAY! MILORD! I understand your fear, for a poor man like me, that offer was our weak point. Honestly, I''m very happy to be able to talk to a nobleman like now."

    Waldo smiled, he actually doubted Arthur''s sincerity in his words just now, he could have said it just because he was afraid of him.

    Waldo''s hands were trembling because of fear. They had been like that since his father asked him to apany the troops. Arthur, who noticed it, felt sorry for him. Just by looking at his face, Arthur wants to encourage him, this time, he really believes that Waldo is a good noble.

    Arthur touched Waldo''s trembling hand and said,

    "Don''t worry, sir, in a week, I will be strong and protect you, no matter what happens," said Arthur while looking deep into Waldo''s eyes.

    Waldo''s hand stopped trembling, and suddenly he was not fear anymore. Seeing Arthur''s eyes made him felt what Arthur said would be true. The persistence when he swung his sword, by that persistence, Waldo knew Arthur could be strong, much stronger than he could imagine.

    "Tonight, bring your sister here, let''s have dinner together," said Waldo, wanting to break the awkward situation.

    Arthur immediately let go of his hand

    "No, milord! Thank you!"

    "There''s no need to be shy, we''re just eating, only three of us."

    For the next five days, Waldo and Arthur practiced together. Waldo taught some of the swordsmanships that his master had taught him to Arthur. They became so close that people said they looked like brothers.

    Then came the day, when the raid began.

    There was arge cave buried halfway into the ground. When looking inside, there would be stairs all the way down.

    In front of the dungeon, the noble''s troops andmoner troops gathered. In the front of the troop, stood the main party members consisting of 5 mythril-ranked dungeon explorers led by Prince Leofric. One of them, Mathias, came forward and told the soldiers

    "I''ve investigated this dungeon. The maze and passage inside this dungeon frequently change. There will be five different passages inside, so we will separate into 5, but don''t worry, if you always take the left path, you will reach the end of the room, where we will all meet. Don''t ever try to go back, no matter what, because you''ll get lost."

    Suddenly, Waldo''s body starts trembling and sweating. He had not felt this for the past five days. He thought he had ovee his fear. But his fear seems returned when he stood in front of the dungeon.

    "Milord, take it easy, but be watchful, I definitely will protect you, no matter what happens," said Arthur as he held Waldo''s shoulders.

    Waldo smiled a little, then said,

    "You know, Arthur. I''m engaged to the daughter of Earl Boldenville''s family."

    "EH?! An EARL?!"

    "That''s right, I have always been close to her. Actually, I don''t have romantic feelings for her now, in fact I think of her as my younger sister. They offered this engagement, it seems like she asked for it. She is weak but pretends to be strong and always depends on me. The real reason I am scared might be because of her. I cannot think of how she lives without me by her side."

    Then he continued with a smile

    "Just like me, you also have a younger sister, right? There is no way you are not scared. This time, don''t just protect me, protect yourself. I will also protect you, let''s fight together."

    Arthur was stunned, after hearing Waldo''s words, he realized that the closer the day of the raid, the greater the doubts that were inside him. He didn''t want to leave his sister, Susan, alone.

    "Very well, milord," Arthur replied with tears in his eyes.

    The raid began with 200 troops divided into 4. Simultaneously, they descended.

    Not too far, they had reached the beginning of the first floor. The ce wasrge and grassy. There were small animals like rabbits walking around. The rabbits were the foodstuffs that the explorers used to cook. Although it was underground, it wasn''t too dark. Many blue-colored crystals were shining to illuminate the room.

    Ahead, there were five passages, the way deeper into the dungeon. The passages were illuminated by torches that were also blue, which were sticky on the walls.

    Prince Leofric and his party entered the center hallway. While soldiers entered the other four. Each troop had amander. Waldo is amander in his group. Arthur walked right next to Waldo.

    Two hours passed, and they had been walking for two hours, yet they hadn''t found a single monster.

    "Is it possible we''re lost?" said one of the soldiers.

    "That''s impossible, Mr. Mathias is a mythril-ranked dungeon specialist. There''s no way he could get lost on the first floor," Waldo replied soothingly.

    "Maybe the monsters here have been killed by the explorers who keep disappearing in these past years?" said Arthur.

    "It''s possible monsters are created from evil mana, actually, they could be reborn every month, but since thest time the Padium explorers entered, maybe they did something so that there are no more monsters near here."

    After 3 hours passed, the soldiers had lost their alertness. They felt that no one woulde. Some were already sleepy; others were holstering their weapons.

    But suddenly

    "STOP!" shouted Arthur.

    Everyone was immediately shocked.

    "Monsters?! There''s a monster?!" they all panicked.

    "Not monsters! don''t you smell something intense?" asked Arthur.

    "Don''t surprise us!"

    "Yeah, youmoners, you just want to show off, right?"

    "Shut up," Waldo defended Arthur.

    But Waldo was also a little skeptical of Arthur.

    "Come here!"

    Arthur ran, and as Waldo followed him, so did all the soldiers.

    Until they reached one of the doors in the dungeon.

    "The smell ising from here."

    Everyone could smell it.

    "There''s something inside," said Waldo.

    Waldo''s hands were trembling again. He tried to reach the doorknob. There was something inside, possibly a monster. If it was a monster, then when he opened the door, he would be attacked by a monster.

    "Should I open it?" Arthur offered.

    "No, I need to ovee my fear."

    Waldo held the doorknob, then he slowly opened the door.

    The room was dark, with only one blue torch on the wall for light. So Waldo couldn''t see too clearly what was inside. But when he stepped on the purple liquid at his feet, he realized that the room was full of goblin corpses.

    At the end of the room, he saw a ck-haired boy holding a sword. And behind the boy was a woman sitting, with messy clothes and appearance.

    "Why are there humans here?" asked Waldo in confusion.

    They met up with Allen and Lavinia.

 Chapter 16 16 : Barkaleys Clout

    ?Stinks

    The room was filled with a very stinky odor.

    As he opened the door, Waldo spontaneously covered his nose. Even Arthur, who was used to the stench, couldn''t stand the smell.

    Inside the room, tons of goblin corpses sprawl on the ground. A ck-haired boy stood in front of a woman wearing torn chainmail armor who huddled behind him.

    That boy was Allen, and the woman behind him was Lavinia.

    After Waldo opened the door, Lavinia immediately hugged Waldo''s legs. She looked very tired and miserable. Waldo, seeing how tattered and ripped Lavinia''s clothes were and a slew of goblin corpses on the floor, assumed the goblins had almost raped her.

    "Lady, may I know your name?" asked Waldo

    Arthur gave Lavinia a nket and hot water. Lavinia then wrapped herself in that nket.

    "La-Lavinia¡­" she said.

    Hearing that name, the soldier suddenly yelled.

    "LA-LADY LAVINIA?!"

    The other soldiers were also shocked.

    "A padium-ranked explorer, Lavinia?!"

    "What?! She is still alive?!"

    "If I''m not mistaken, her entire party has been missing for the past three months,"

    When Waldo saw Allen, he assumed he was one of the abducted explorers because he was with Lavinia. But he appeared too young to be an explorer because you must be at least 15 years old after the maturity ceremony to be a dungeon explorer.

    "We''re sorry, we''d love to get you out of here quickly, but we can''t. Mr. Mathius ordered us that no matter what happened, we had to walk straight to the end of the first floor and meet the main force. Because this dungeon''s passage always changes, we need a specialist toe back. Don''t worry; we will apany you very well." Exined Waldo.

    The soldier continued walking. Since Lavinia was unable to walk, Arthur offered to carry her on his back.

    "I...I''m sorry, and thank you," after Lavinia said that, she immediately fell asleep on Arthur''s back.

    After a few walks, Arthur looked at Allen, who was walking in front of him.

    ''How can such a small child be inside the dungeon? Is he one of the explorers brought by Miss Lavinia''s party?'' he thought.

    Waldo had previously asked Allen about it, but Allen didn''t answer anything. He was just silent.

    Actually, Allen was only nervous, his stomach hurt, and his mouth felt hard to open, exactly like the first time he saw Lavinia..

    ''Oh no, I''ve been ignoring that guy, even though he''s talking to me,'' thought Allen.

    Arthur quickened his pace. He was now walking right beside Allen. Waldo told Arthur to talk to Allen because he thought that Allen might not want to talk to him because they were so different in age.

    "Hey, what''s your name?" Arthur tried to hide his nervousness.

    "A-allen," Allen answered.

    Hearing that name, Arthur suddenly said

    "Allen? Allen the Exterminator? The hero of the war 1000 years ago?"

    Allen frowned, he didn''t understand what Arthur was talking about¡ªnot thenguage, but the meaning of his words.

    "Don''t you know? It''s a famous story in our area, a hero who eradicated many monsters instantly. His body is small, and his body is agile. Come to think of it, he had red eyes, too, like you."

    Allen was interested in the story. He wanted to hear more about it. He liked the word "hero" that Arthur used.

    "Would you¡ª" Allen bit his tongue.

    He wanted Arthur to tell him more about the hero, but he had already lost momentum, and now he was embarrassed to start the conversation again.

    Arthur realized it. Allen might be just a clumsy little boy.

    "My name is Arthur, by the way," said Arthur.

    Allen smiled; he was d Arthur continued talking. Allen then reached out his hand to Arthur.

    "You want to shake hands? But sorry, I can''t use my hand right now," said Arthur while giving an eye signal about Lavinia.

    Allen lowered his hand again, and looked at Lavinia, who had fallen asleep on Arthur''s back. He recalled what Lavinia had said to him in that room. It makes Allen gloomy again. He hoped Lavinia could forget everything after she woke upter.

    After an hour of walking, they finally reached the end of the hallway; there was no other way but through the big 2-meter-high door in front of them.

    Waldo asked five people to push it together.

    The door opened

    It was a big chamber, and inside there was a herd of monsters¡­.

    "ORC!"

    About thirty orcs that were 2 meters in size sat on the floor. When the soldiers started to open the door, the orcs immediately stood up and immediately attacked them.

    "WUGHAAA!!! LIKK... QUMAN!!!" yelled the orcs.

    "EVERYONE, GET READY!"

    No one was prepared at that time. They had been caught off guard since they had not encountered any monsters along the way.

    "AAAAAAH!!!"

    "ORC!!!

    "LOTS OF ORCS!!!"

    They fell before they could do anything, frightened, and their legs wouldn''t move.

    Arthur immediately leaned Lavinia''s body on the wall. But before he could take off his sword, one of the orcs was behind him.

    ''This is bad,'' thought Arthur.

    Then suddenly, the orc that tried to attack him fell.

    "Huh?"

    There was a sword embedded quite deeply in the orc''s neck. Purple blood flowed out of the orc''s neck. Someone pulled out the sword from the orc''s neck, it was Allen.

    "It''s already broken," he said while holding the sword.

    "Allen?!" Allen stood in front of Arthur while checking his broken weapon. Allen then picked up one of the fallen soldier''s swords and quickly shed the necks of the approaching orcs one by one.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''That kid is so strong!'' thought Arthur, amazed.

    As more and more orcs came, Waldo told everyone to gather in front of the entrance because Allen couldn''t kill all of them by himself. Waldo and Arthur, the two of them, formed a unit to attack the Orcs that managed to get past Allen.

    "Arthur, somehow now I''m really not afraid of anything; it''s all thanks to you," Waldo said while vigorously swinging his sword at the orc.

    "Haha, don''t say that, milord. It''s probably all because of Allen. We can calmly fight the weak because he can handle many orcs simultaneously."

    "Maybe¡­ but if you weren''t around, I''d probably stay scared and just watch these orcs attack us."

    Waldo split the orc''s flesh with a smile. He was no longer terrified of anything. Everything would be fine if he were with someone he trusted.

    That''s right. Everything will be fine-

    *BRUG

    Arge mace flew past Waldo. The mace hit someone beside him; that someone was Arthur.

    "A-a-arthur?"

    Because of the mace, Arthur''s body was thrown backward.

    "ARTHUR!" Waldo immediately panicked, leaving his position. He ran straight to where Arthur was thrown.

    Arthur''s right shoulder was bleeding heavily, and a lot of blood wasing out of it. Arthur held his sore shoulder while trying not to faint. Moreover, his leg was slightly sprained because he was thrown backward.

    "AaaaaAAaaaa..." Waldo, who saw the blood oozing out of Arthur''s shoulder, felt weak, so he covered the blood that was oozing out with his hand.

    "Arthur, how is this? What... what should I do?"

    Arthur did not answer. He tried his best to endure the pain in his shoulder.

    "Hey, please, tell me what to do!"

    "ARTHUR!"

    "HEY ARTHUR!"

    Two orcs came through the door. Barkaley''s soldiers stood up and held the orcs back as much as they could, but themoners could only stand still, and some even ran away.

    "AAAA!!! I CAN''T DO IT ANYMORE!!!" shouted one of the soldiers. He ran back.

    "HEY, IF YOU GO BACK, YOU WON''T BE ABLE TO COME BACK!"

    As soon as the soldier said that, the hallway shifted, being reced by another hallway, and the soldier who ran earlier disappeared somewhere. Waldo no longer cared about the person who ran away. He was only focused on the wounded Arthur.

    "Arthur!"

    "Calm down, sir, I''m fine, I''m still alive." Arthur''s voice was hoarse. He said it while feeling the pain in his shoulder.

    "Arthur, what should I do?"

    "Why are you bing weak again? Calm down. If you calm down, I won''t die. Please do first aid."

    Waldo took a deep breath. Gingerly, he picked up the soldier''s bag that carried the medical kit.

    Allen, who saw Arthur''s condition, realized that he had to finish off all the monsters faster.

    Allen jumped onto the wall and used the wall as a foothold.

    Allen quickly bounced from the wall to the floor and then to the wall again, and in every bounce, Allen targeted the orc''s neck. One by one, the orcs fell.

    In just five minutes, all the orcs were eliminated by Allen alone. Now Allen stood on top of the orc corpses, pulling out his sword stuck in the orc''s neck, then sshing the blood on his sword.

    "Allen is so strong. You really look like Allen the Exterminator, the hero of a thousand years ago," Arthur said admiringly.

    Allen immediately looked at Arthur. Allen thought that Arthur had already fainted before, he was really worried about him. Arthur''s neck, shoulders, and chest were covered with bandages. His head was also covered with a little bandage. He was walking with a spear because his leg hurt.

    Allen ran over to Arthur.

    "Aa¡­are you okay?" Allen inquired, nervously.

    "I''m fine; thanks to Mr. Waldo for treating me, and thanks to Allen for taking out all the orcs." Arthur stroked Allen''s head gently. Allen smiled embarrassedly. He felt very happy to be praised by Arthur.

    Waldo then also approached Allen and praised him.

    "That''s right. You''re probably as strong as a padium-ranked dungeon explorer, or maybe even stronger."

    "Of course, he entered the dungeon together with padium-ranked dungeon explorer Lavinia! He must be on the same level as them!"

    ''No, I''m not the one who went in with her,'' Allen thought. There was no way he would say that now. He didn''t want others to know that he was a child raised in a dungeon, let alone tell them he was raised by monsters. If these people knew, they would probably hate him. The human hatred for monsters was so deep, he could see it in how Lavinia hated his mother.

    ''I''m always amazed by people younger than me. First Arthur, then this kid. Even this small child is already this strong, both physically and mentally. Whereas these soldiers behind me...'' Waldo looked at the soldiers lined up at the back, doing nothing during the battle with the orcs.

    Seeing Waldo''s gaze, the soldiers averted their eyes.

    "You should be ashamed..." Waldo said to them in a loud voice.

    "But I wouldn''t me you; I''m scared too. If I were in your position, I wouldn''t have been able to move either. We''d probably all be dead if these two weren''t here."

    The soldier, who had turned his face away, now looked at Waldo.

    "I FORGIVE YOU ALL. Let''s take what happened here as a lesson. In the future, we will all work together. It''s not just you who are afraid. Everyone is afraid. Like Arthur and me, let''s fight our fears together this time. If you don''t want to go forward, it''s okay, stay behind, don''t be afraid of my punishment when we return, be afraid of monsters only."

    Waldo raised his sword high, then shouted excitedly.

    "LET''S FINISH THIS RAID AND GO HOME!"

    The soldiers who heard this had hope, they all thought

    "If we''re with this guy, we''ll be fine," they cheered, raising their swords.

    "BARKALEY! BARKALEY! BARKALEY! BARKALEY! BARKALEY!"

    Now they confidently continued on their way, heading towards the main force.

    Allen, who also smiled and was happy with that situation, did not realize this raid was what made his life scattered.

    As they reached the end of the passage, the chamber where Leofric''s party fight.

    Allen witnessed Leofric stab Queen Orc''s body in front of him.

    "MOTHEEEEEER!!!!"

 Chapter 17 17 : Humans And Monsters Are Hate Each Other

    ?We should be fine as long as we are with this person. That''s what Waldo''s soldiers thought.

    Waldo felt afraid, but his trust kept taking his mind off it and making it go away. Having faith in friends, he tried to teach this to the soldiers who were following him.

    As a result, when they encountered orcs and goblins on their way, there was no more death among soldiers. That was because they were no longer afraid. They believe Waldo''s word that they would survive as long as they worked together and trusted each other. From the beginning, the first floor was not as dangerous as the second floor. The copper and iron ranks, which were the lowest in the Explorers'' Guild, could get past the first floor. But because of the rumors about the anomalies in this dungeon, they became afraid and helpless. Waldo''s words had dispelled that sense of helplessness.

    Waldo told Allen that he should only help in battle when things got bad. So, Allen didn''t help them much after that. In front of Waldo, Allen and Arthur chatter, they talking about one of hero a thousand years ago.

    "At that time, hero Allen managed to chop off the face of the demon lord until he pulled out the demon''s eyes!"

    "COOL! Then how did he defeat him? The demon lord can''t die, right?"

    "About that, the hero has a wife! is wife is a very pretty elf named Ingrid who is also a high-ss caster. The elf''s amnis took away the demon lord''s immortality!"

    After leaving the room, Allen finally became more open. He no longer looked gloomy. His face was shining, and his mouth was wide open as he talked to Arthur. Waldo didn''t expect the boy, who didn''t want to speak at all, to have such an expression.

    Because Arthur had hurt his leg and his hand, Waldo took over carrying Lavinia. He walked in the middle, and Arthur and Allen were talking together like close friends in front of him.

    "Allen, when we get back outside, want toe to my house? I will introduce you to my sister. Unfortunately, she doesn''t have any friends because she should take care of our house all day. She would be happy if you came," said Arthur.

    Hearing that, Allen was happy, he wanted to go to Arthur''s house and meet new people, but he didn''t want to leave his mother. He preferred to live with his mother in this dungeon.

    "No, thank you," Allen replied with a small smile.

    "I see, maybe next time."

    Allen wanted to say there was no next time, but he remained silent. Because after this, he might never see Arthur and Waldo again..

    "Yes, next time," in his little heart, he did not want to give up. Even if he wasn''t going to go outside, to the human world, at least once in a while, maybe he could meet Arthur inside the dungeon.

    "Hey! Do you hear a sound?" the soldier walking in front suddenly said that. Waldo then quickened his pace and tried to hear it too.

    "Right, it''s the sound of someone fighting! Maybe we''re close to lord Mathias''s party!"

    Everyone ran, and after a few turns, they could see many soldiers gathered behind the entrance of a chamber. It was the same as the room of the herd of orcs they had earlier found, except that the door was bigger. The door was open, and many soldiers were standing there. It looked like they had just arrived as well.

    "That''s the other force! But it seems the number of soldiers is getting less. Could it be we did not arrivest?"

    "We are... I am certain that everymander is present. There must be a lot of people who died in their first fight, thank goodness we have Allen on our side," said Waldo.

    "But why did they just stand there?" asked Arthur.

    Strangely, the soldiers looked at something while standing in front of the door, like something held their attention.

    The sounds of fighting in the room, like bangs and sometimes the sound of swords, were getting louder.

    "Excuse us, let us through," Waldo tried to see what they saw too. Arthur and Allen followed behind.

    Waldo and Arthur made their way out of the crowd and are now inside the chamber.

    Inside, they saw Leofric fighting with arge female Orc. They were shing weapons with very fast movements. Like the other soldiers, Waldo and Arthur were also stunned by the speed of Leofric and the monster''s movements.

    "So this is¡­ the power of a luminite-ranked human," said Waldo, amazed.

    Luminite was the rank after padium and titanium, the highest rank in the explorers'' guild. Leofric is not join explorer''s guild, but people who had seen Leofric fight said over and over that he was stronger than a titianium-ranked.

    "Where''s Allen? He should see this too," Arthur said that while looking behind.

    Behind him, it turned out that Allen couldn''t get in. He might have the power to shift them, but Allen felt bad for the others. Arthur, who saw Allen being squeeze, stretched out his hand and pulled Allen out.

    "Look Allen. It''s His Highness, Prince Leofric."

    ? "!!!"

    Allen''s expression when he saw the fight was rather strange to Arthur. He was surprise but not amazed¡ªmore like scared mixed with anxious.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''Why is he looking at them like that? Is that what he looks like when he''s amazed?'' Arthur thought confusedly.

    Of course, it wasn''t. It wasn''t Allen''s face of amazement. It was Allen''s face of shock and surprise that the orc that Leofric was fighting with was his mother.

    He hadn''t thought about it before, but now he was starting to realize it. He understood at least the basic thing that happened now, that is: humans and monsters hate each other. If these humans meet their mother, who is a monster, they will definitely attack her too.

    Then Allen heard that Leofric was a strong person. When he saw Leofric fight his mother, he knew that Leofric was very strong, even stronger than his mother. Also, just fighting Leofric was too much for his mother, but the four people behind him and the hundred soldiers nearby still had done nothing.

    In front of him, Allen knew that his mother was really in trouble. He could see that his mother''s left hand was broke, which was strange because Queen Orcs are suppose to be able to heal themselves. Because of this, he was afraid that his mother would lose against that man.

    His anxiety made his body sweat, and his breath was heavy, and then unconsciously, he started calling his mother.

    "MOTHEER!!!!!"

    Hearing that, the soldiers immediately looked at Allen, as well as Arthur and Waldo.

    ''Mother? What did he say?'' thought Arthur.

    As soon as he shouted that, Queen Orc look at Allen...

    Then Leofricunched his attack, he pierced the Queen Orc''s body with hisnce. At that moment, Queen Orc also break Leofric''s hand.

    Queen Orc then fell¡­

    Seeing his mother fell, Allen went straight to her.

    "MOTHER!!!"

    "ALLEN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!!" Arthur called him out, but he didn''t listen.

    Maurice grabbed Allen''s hand before he could reach the Queen Orc.

    "Hey kid, what are you doing?"

    "LET GO," Allen said with a sharp and angry face.

    Seeing Allen''s angry red eyes, Maurice suddenly felt something stab his heart that made him unconsciously let go of Allen''s hand.

    "That kid, who exactly is he?"

    After reaching Queen Orc''s body, Allen looked at therge hole in his mother''s body.

    "Mother! Why aren''t you regenerating?!" shouted Allen. He usually saw her healed quickly because he had seen his mother get hurt a lot, but her blood was flowing freely now.

    With her remaining strength, Queen Orc warned Allen.

    "Listen, damn kid. You need to get out of here as soon as possible! Hurry up and leave!"

    "NO! NO! NO! I don''t want to!" Allen cried, not wanting to leave Queen Orc.

    "Y-You should obey me, you really have to go!" forced Queen Orc. But of course, Allen didn''t want to listen. He had just been hesitating to choose life out with Lavinia or his mother. When he saw his mother lying helpless, there was no way he would leave her. Even if his mother forced him, he didn''t want to leave her there.

    "I DON''T WANT TO! I DON''T WANT TO!"

    Queen Orc ran out of her voice, unable to speak anymore.

    "Mother?"

    "Mom?"

    Allen cried, calling his mother many times, but she didn''t answer anymore. There was no longer any sign of life in her.

 Chapter 18 18 : Dungeon Reset

    ?"MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! WAKE UP! MOTHER!" Allen repeatedly shouted, cried, and called Queen Orc again and again.

    Leofric, who was bleeding because Queen Orc broke his hand, called nche to stop the bleeding. He looked at Allen, who was crying in front of Queen Orc''s corpse, which was very strange to him.

    ''Queen Orc on the 1st floor, and now a ck-haired little boy who can speak the monsternguage. He called her ''mother,'' what does that mean? How could an orc give birth to a human child? There''s definitely something strange about this dungeon. For now, we should retreat and investigate further.''

    Leofric was going to ask Allenter. The most important thing was that the Queen Orc was dead, and since his hand was hurt, he wanted to go back and get better first.

    While walking back, Leofric recalled his battle with Queen Orc.

    ''Queen Orc''sst attack¡­ what exactly was her n? It was obvious that Queen Orc sacrificed herself just to take my right hand. Her strategy was not to kill me but to sever my right hand. But why? If she dies at the end, there is no point in taking my right hand. I didn''t think that clever orc thought so briefly.''

    Heit, as Leofric''s weapon connect with his master''s mana, so she could sense his master''s hesitation.

    "Master, you are overthinking it. Queen Orc is already dead; there is no need to think of such a useless thing," said Heit.

    "You''re right."

    Leofric continued walking, getting closer to Mathias.

    BUT SUDDENLY

    There was a massive quake.

    "What now?!" said Leofric in surprise.

    The dungeon''s walls shifted, and the altar at the end of the room slowly sank. The ceiling, the walls, everything was moving.

    The torch''s blue me, illuminating the room, suddenly went out.

    "!!!"

    The soldiers panicked; there was a sound of armor insistence in the back when everything went dark.

    The chamber became bone-chillingly cold. Everyone there had no idea what was happening, except for one person who was aware of the situation; it was Mathias.

    "YOUR HIGHNESS! THIS IS A DUNGEON RESET! RUN HERE! QUICK!"

    As soon as Mathias said that, the mes in the torches on the wall lit up again, but this time the color of the mes was not blue, but green.

    Even though green mes were shining down on the room, it still looked dark

    The soldiers shouted

    "WAAAAAAA!!!"

    They shouted because of the figure standing behind Leofric.

    "YOUR HIGHNESS! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

    The figure behind him swung his giant bludgeon at Leofric''s right body.

    "GAH!!!" Leofric was thrown to the side of the chamber; his body hit the wall very hard.

    "YOUR HIGHNESS!" nche and Mathias shouted.

    "Mother!" Allen shouted happily.

    That figure was Queen Orc, who had been badly injuredter, but was now standing without any wounds on her body. But there was something different about Queen Orc. Her body looked more extensive and more muscr. There were two horns above each ear, her eyes became sharp, her pupils were red, and her nails were getting longer and sharper. Queen Orc looked at her broken left hand that was broken off earlier and tried to move it freely.

    "So this is the power of the overseer who watched the dungeon reset ten times," muttered the Queen Orc.

    Leofric, who had been knocked down, slowly stood up and wiped the ashes off his clothes.

    "Oya oya oya, now I understand why you focused on breaking my hand before dying. From the beginning, you didn''t intend to die at all¡­"

    Then he continued,

    "The dungeon reset, so you''re buying time for this. There must be some special impact if a monster can experience the dungeon reset up to ten times; you''ve even be fluent in humannguage. Does your intelligence also rte to the dungeon reset?"

    Queen Orc looked at Leofric, who looked unharmed from the attack earlier.

    "I didn''t expect you to bepletely unharmed after being hit by that attack earlier," said Queen Orc, who ignored Leofric''s question.

    As the Queen Orc was speaking, Leofric''s body glowed green. Seeing that, Queen Orc immediately looked towards Leofric''s party caster, Petrone.

    "Papaver sap swathe" It seemed that Patrone had finished chanting abination of soil and water amnis. It was an amnis, which could alleviate pain.

    ''He pretended to look refined and engaged me in conversation to buy the caster time to activate the amnis,'' thought Queen Orc.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Far behind the Queen orc, Allen smiled, his tears gone.

    "Mother! Are you really okay now? Let''s just run!"

    Queen Orc didn''t look at Allen. She ignored him.

    Mathius, who was far behind Leofric and was concerned about the Queen orc''s change, immediately warned Leofric,

    "Your Highness! Be careful of her abilities! She''s not a Queen Orc anymore!"

    A dungeon reset urs every 50 years. When a dungeon reset urs, the dungeon will reconstruct itself and unleash an incredible amount of demonic mana inside the dungeon.

    The demonic mana given by the dungeon will be absorbed by the monsters inside, and the monsters that receive the demonic mana will evolve into a new-more powerful type. Queen Orc had already passed the dungeon reset ten times. which means she has received arge amount of demonic mana up to ten times. And as a witness of the dungeon reset for the tenth time, she evolved into a more vigorous and higher monster, namely

    "Orc demon lord," said Mathias.

    The highest level of orc, the orc demon lord, can only be found on the tenth floor. And currently, that monster is on the first floor.

    "The most dangerous thing about the demon lord is that, because it receives arge amount of mana, just like humans who have an ability called god''s blessing, it also gets a special ability called the demon''s curse," Mathias exined.

    With a big smile, Leofric strolled towards the Queen Orc, no, this time she is...

    "Orc Demon Lord... I''m grateful to be able to fight you on the first floor."

    For Leofric, the advantage of fighting the demon lord on the first floor was that he could fight her in better conditions than on the tenth floor. If he met the demon lord on the tenth floor, he could have fought her while exhausted and out of mana.

    "But even you evolve¡­ You''re still weaker than me," Leofric said with great confidence. The aura from his mana overflowed outside Leofric''s body like an aura.

    Emotions affected mana, and for Leofric, his confidence was the most substantial and needed emotion for his mana. The more confident and excited he was, the stronger his mana would be.

    Leofric set up his stance. He was preparing to attack. But it wasn''t Leofric who started the first attack. The Queen Orc marched with incredible speed towards Leofric. She struck her bludgeon at Leofric''s face, and Leofric parried it with hisnce.

    The Queen Orc''s speed increased, but Leofric could still keep up. More specifically, their speeds were now more or less bnced. Every impact from the Queen Orc''s bludgeon to hisnce, created sound waves, and the air around them looked chaotic.

    In the middle of the battle, the Queen Orc thought,

    ''Even I''ve broken off his hand and evolved into a demon lord, my chances of winning are still small. My speed and strength may be on par with his, but I''m still no match. That''s because he has that adfeqtus reliqua-Lance weapon.''

    Adfeqtus Reliqua is a relic born within a dungeon. Each weapon represents the emotion of the dungeon itself. This weapon could only be obtained by people who sessfullypleted the dungeon, Leofric being one of them.

    The difference between an ordinary weapon and an adfeqtus reliqua was in its soul. The adfeqtus reliqua is almost like a human being, it has its own soul and consciousness and is not just a piece of matter. And because they had their own souls, they also absorbed mana and had their own abilities.

    Queen Orc thought that adfeqtus reliqua was the reason she could not win against Leofric, because this weapon synchronized its mana with the owner''s mana. Which means they can share feelings and thoughts. That''s why the user of this weapon has a parallel mind; the user can ask the weapon to control his body while his brain thinks of a n to beat the opponent.

    ''My situation is getting desperate. He can think of a strategy to defeat me while attacking me brutally. If this continues, I will lose.''

    Queen Orc then used both hands to swing her bludgeon at Leofric. Leofric, who was ready to dodge the bludgeon, was surprised. It turned out that she was doing the trick again. She threw her bludgeon at Leofric and then retreated.

    "You think the same tactic will work on me? Your left hand is mine!" So actually, he did not surprise, he had ignored the bludgeon since the beginning, and he was betting the Queen Orc would let go of the bludgeon when he saw her use both of her hands. So defenselessly, he advanced forward.

    -SPLAAT

    The Queen Orc''s left hand was again severed, and of course, it would not regenerate because of Heit.

    "Oya¡­ Now we both only have one hand, huh?"

    "I already predicted that," said Queen Orc, who had also deliberately sacrificed her right hand to widen their distance.

    "What?"

    Queen Orc somersaulted backward, moving up to ten meters away from Leofric.

    Queen Orc raised her hand; there was a sort of ck-colored spherical aura above her palm.

    "MASTER! DON''T LET HER DO THAT!" said Heit.

    Leofric quickly aimed hisnce at Queen Orc''s body. But before hisnce could reach her, Queen Orc pressed her palm to the ground, then said:

    "DEMON''S CURSE : ORC''s RAGE"

    The Queen Orc''s shadow spread rapidly throughout the room.

    Leofric, who was attacking the Queen Orc, stopped because the tip of hisnce hit something. In front of Leofric, another orc wasing out of the Queen Orc''s shadow. The orc immediately fell because it received Leofric''s attack.

    One by one, orcs came out of the Queen Orc''s shadow all over the ce.

    "Damn it, so this is Queen Orc''s demon''s curse!"

 Chapter 19 19 : Heart Of Soldier

    ?"DEMON''S CURSE : ORC''s RAGE"

    The Queen Orc''s shadow spread rapidly throughout the room.

    Leofric, who was attacking the Queen Orc, stopped because the tip of hisnce hit something. In front of Leofric, another orc came out of the Queen Orc''s shadow. The orc immediately fell because it received Leofric''s attack.

    One by one, orcs came out of the Queen Orc''s shadow all over the ce.

    "Damn it, so this is Queen Orc''s demon''s curse!"

    Many orcs arise from Queen Orc''s shadow randomly in every ce, making the soldiers behind immediately shout in fear.

    "WAAAA!!!"

    "ORC!!!"

    In that situation, Waldo shouted

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? REARRANGE YOUR FORMATION!"

    The soldiers that Waldo previously led, quickly get ready. Then they were followed by the other troops, who also formed to fight the other orcs. Petrone immediately drew the soil symbol on the floor and activated a guard type of amnis.

    "Rock Wall,"

    From the ground, a rock appeared, raised to the surface. The rock created a circle barricade around her. So that George, nche, Maurice, and Mathias could take refuge in it. Unlike the soldiers in front of the wall, Petrone and the others were in the middle. This was a bad spot for them because the orcs could attack them from any direction.

    "D*mn it! If only there had been fire spirits nearby, I could have killed them all at once!" cursed Petrone, a caster who primarily uses fire-type amnis.

    Petrone created a high foothold inside the wall rock so they could see out of it. Maurice and Petrone climbed up.

    "There are so many of them, and they still keep popping up. Isn''t this getting very dangerous, Mr. Mathias?" Maurice said as he shot his arrows at the orcs.

    "What can we do?! We won''t be able to stop his highness!"

    Meanwhile, up ahead, Leofric ovees the orcs with a single strike. Every orc that came out from within the shadows at his feet was instantly killed with just one sh.

    "Oya oya... So, this is your demon''s curse. Because of the dungeon reset earlier, your mana became overflowing, and now you''re using that to create many orcs. But there''s no way you can make these orcs indefinitely."

    "With that parallel mind and that weapon, there''s no other way to defeat you," Queen Orc retorted.

    "No, that is not true. Before, you could take my right hand just by using a few traps. Now, with thousands of orcs, you''re really making my situation CORNERED."

    There was a slight stress on the "cornered" word that Leofric said. Only Heit understands the significance of that stress.

    "Are you going to use that, Master?! Here?! Right now?!" said Heit frantically.

    "There''s no other way, Heit. I have to use it."

    The Queen Orc, who overheard their conversation, felt the confidence of winning within them when they used "that," something that the Queen Orc didn''t know. More or less, she knew what they meant but didn''t know what it was.

    ''Is he going to use his God''s blessing? Because I don''t know what his God''s blessing is, I can''t move carelessly,'' thought Queen Orc.

    Leofric dashed toward Queen Orc and attempted to stab her again. But every time Queen Orc was about to be stabbed by Leofric, she created an orc in front of her as a meat shield. Even so, Leofric still wildly thrust hisnce randomly at Queen Orc. His face was smiling, greased with orcs'' blood, like a madman.

    ''He is getting even faster! But it''s still useless, no matter how many times he thrusts hisnce at me. As long as you are within the scope of my shadow, I can create an orc as a meat shield to protect myself, and then¡­''

    Then, while Leofric was busy attacking the Queen Orc, he was attacked from behind by a created orc. Leofric had to duck and spin hisnce backwards to deflect the attack of the orc behind him. The orc behind him fell, its legs splitting. But when Leofric turned back to the Queen Orc, the Queen Orc kicked Leofric''s body.

    "I am not just using orcs as a shield; if there is no cleft in your defense, I will create it."

    Leofric was thrown back a few meters. His body rolled, but he quickly regained his posture and jumped towards the Queen Orc. Once again, the Queen Orc created an orc as a meat shield, and when Leofric''s Lance hit the orc, she created an orc behind Leofric and then kicked him. Queen Orc repeated this over and over again; every chance she got, sheunched an attack.

    The battle of strength turned into a battle of stamina.

    In the back line, there were more and more casualties, and both noble andmon soldiers were badly hurt. Petrone, the caster type who often attacked, was now forced to take care of the soldiers with defensive type amnis, along with nche. Petrone''s right hand activated defensive amnis, while her left hand activated attack amnis. She used the water element of amnis which split the orcs'' heads one by one.

    "They''re too many! I can only use ten more. Mathias, there''s no way we''re going to the second floor, right?" asked Petrone.

    "Of course, from the beginning, his highness only wanted to confirm the anomaly in this dungeon. I''ll convince him to retreat. For now, Petrone, don''t let Barony Waldo Barkaley die," said Mathias.

    "Why? Everyone''s life is equal for me, and I''ll protect everyone."

    "Just focus on him. He''s the heart of the soldiers; if he dies, the soldiers will be in chaos."

    Waldo was at the forefront, skillfully using his sword technique to cut down the orcs. Not only that, every time an orc attacked the soldiers, he quickly moved and protected them.

    Arthur, who saw Waldo''s struggle, felt guilty that he was injured. Now he could only help nche pull out the wounded soldiers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At a time like this, there should be someone to help them. It was

    ''Allen! What are you doing?! Lord Waldo has entrusted you to protect us when things get bad!'' thought Arthur.

    Arthur looked at Allen, who was sitting and watching the Queen Orc''s battle with Leofric. And strangely enough¡­

    "Why no orcs attacked Allen?"

    Orcs are increasingly being created from shadows. One orc died, and two more popped out. The soldiers have no choice but to fight back. If they didn''t fight, they would die. Waldo, who had been attacking the orcs while moving around, was moving more slowly. He alone couldn''t cover everyone. as the cries of the fallen soldiers grew louder and louder.

    "MILORD!"

    Arthur, with his sprained leg, now forced himself to hold the sword and block the orc that attacked Waldo.

    "Arthur, I''m fine. Come back!"

    "No milord, even if it''s only one hand, I''ll fight."

    When she saw them, Petrone snickered.

    "Don''t me me if you''re crippled for life," Petrone said.

    Arthur''s body glowed green. Petrone used the buff type amnis

    "Papaver saw swathe," an amnis that reduces pain.

    The fight continues. But even though Arthur and Waldo worked together, they were still outnumbered. The orc army was too numerous.

    The situation was bing increasingly precarious. Petrone had run out of mana, and so had nche. Waldo was already exhausted, and Arthur''s painkilling effects slowly wore off.

    In that precarious situation...

    Suddenly...

    "K N E L L  D O W N"

    Someone''s voice, echoed in the room.

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    -BRAAAAG!!!

    There was a loud sound echoing in the room. The sound was so loud that it affected the space; the sound waves could be seen propagating in the room. The sound came from where Queen Orc and Leofric were fighting. All humans who heard the sound spontaneously covered their ears; some broke their eardrums.

    Meanwhile, all the orcs fell down.

    "Wh-what''s going on?!" shouted Petrone.

    The orcs weren''t dead; they were just falling, and many were kneeling; none could move.

    Mathias didn''t cover his ears; blood wasing from his right ear. nche immediately approached Mathias and wiped the blood from his ear.

    "What is this, Mr. Mathias?" asked nche.

    Mathias looked at nche and Petrone. Petrone seemed to realize what was happening.

    "Don''t tell me¡­"

    "That''s right, Petrone. His highness used God''s Blessing. This is the effect of his God''s Blessing"

 Chapter 20 20 : Obey Your King

    ?Every human has mana inside their body. It is because humans have a gate inside their bodies that absorbs mana from the outside. But unlike oxygen, which circtes inside the body andes out as carbon dioxide, mana does note out after the body absorbs it. The mana gate inside a human''s body will always absorb mana. The more mana inside the gate, the less mana the gate absorbs.

    Humans start to absorb mana into their bodies from the moment they are born. In most cases, the mana in the body will be full at ages 10 to 12. When the mana sac inside the gate is full, humans will receive God''s blessing, an ability needed to release the mana inside the body. How a person gets God''s blessing is still a mystery, but everyone has their own blessing to release the mana that is already full in their bodies. Some people get God''s blessing when they are only eight years old. This is because everyone''s mana traction is different, so it''s hard to tell when the mana sac or the mana gate is full.

    Unlike amnis, which required the help of elemental spirits to manifest mana, God''s blessing could be used directly by the owner without needing amand spell or drawing elemental symbols.

    Leofric''s use of the word "cornered" indicated that he intended to use his God''s blessing. He did that to let certain people know he would activate God''s blessing. That is because his God''s blessing has an area of effect and friendly fire. When Leofric used his God''s blessing, everyone covered their ears, and the orcs somehow fell motionless. Then what was Leofric''s God''s blessing?

    A few minutes ago

    before activating his God''s blessing. During a fierce battle between Leofric and Queen Orc, Leofric brutally kills the orcs created around him. At the same time, the Queen Orc also attacked him on several asions. After a while of fighting, Leofric got used to Queen Orc''s attack pattern. However, Queen Orcs had begun to feel her mana limits at that time. Since she has made many orcs to use as meat shields to protect herself from Leofric''s attacks. Also, she has made a lot of orcs to fight Leofric''s people who were standing behind.

    This battle turned into a battle of stamina.

    ''I''ve almost reached my limit; maybe I can only create twenty more orcs. It''s a little faster, but I need to finish this fight soon,'' thought Queen Orc.

    As for Leofric,

    ''Master, what are you waiting for? Aren''t you going to use your God''s blessing?''

    "Timing, Heit. You know that my God''s blessing consumes too much mana, and I can''t control its effects. To ensure my victory, I must wait for the right time."

    Queen Orc stepped back little by little, leading their fight to somewhere. At first, Leofric thought Queen Orc was doing that to try to widen the distance between them,

    But suddenly¡­

    -BAAAM!!!

    Queen Orc stomped her foot on the ground forcefully.

    ''She stomped her foot?! I am careless! I had no idea she still had a weapon on the ground!

    Leofric stoppeding closer to Queen Orc right away. He remembered that his right hand had broken thest time Queen Orc stomped her foot.

    He didn''t want to take any risks, so he stopped attacking Queen Orc and jumped back.

    but he couldn''t.

    The Queen Orc created an orc under Leofric''s feet, and the orc''s hands wereing out of the shadows, holding both of his legs. At the same time, five orcs appeared at once around Leofric.

    ''Sh*t! Queen Orc is going to attack me with her weapon!'' Leofric looked at Queen Orc and wondered what weapon she had hidden in the floor this time. If Queen Orc''s weapon hit him, at least he would dodge it.

    But as he looked at her,

    There weren''t any weaponsing out of the ground. Queen Orc stomped her feet on the floor to trick Leofric, and make him think there were still a weapon in the ground. In fact, she had run out of weapons and traps.

    ''I was deceived again!''

    Along with the other five orcs, Queen Orc clenched her fists and advanced closer to Leofric, who couldn''t move.

    ''If I attack these orcs first, there will be an aperture in my defense, and then Queen Orc will use that cleft to kill me. And if I let these orcs attack me first, I can at least block Queen Orc''s fists, but it is too risky!

    Leofric used to use his parallel minds separately to think and attack. In this situation, he only uses his mind to think. As a result, Leofric''s mind elerated faster than an average human''s. Because of the mind eleration, time moved 0.5 times slower for Leofric. But of course, when he used this skill, he couldn''t move; he had to focus his entire brain only on thinking.

    ''I see¡­ I just danced on her palm all along. Her intelligencepletely defeats my strength. Of all the people I have fought, Queen Orc is the second one who can make my blood boil like crazy. From the start, she showed me that the orcs she created only moved after their entire bodies were fully out of the shadow. I foolishly thought that was a condition of her ability. Queen Orc believed I would analyze this, and as a result, I did not expect my legs to be held by the hands of an orc whose body was still inside the shadow,''

    "AMAZING! YOU ARE INDEED AMAZING! QUEEN ORC!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    His feet were grabbed, the orcs surrounded him, and the Orc Queen was only a few steps away, ready to kill him.

    In that situation¡­

    Leofric opened his mouth ¡­

    "K N E E L  D O W N"

    There was something different about Leofric''s voice. Ultrasonic waves were clearly visibleing out of his mouth, like affecting the space. That voice reached throughout the room and echoed.

    As a result¡­

    -BRAAAG!!!

    All of the orcs in the room, including Queen Orc, copsed to the floor.

    "This is my God''s blessing: Obey Your King,"

    Leofric''s God blessing, obey your king,  which Leofric named it, was a god blessing activated by concentrating his mana into his mouth. And then, the mana turned into an ultrasonic wavy sound. When this skill is active, anyone who listens to the voice will be forced to obey his orders; because that voice affects the listener''s mana.

    All the orcs at that moment felt like there was a rock above their heads or a rope pulling them off the ground. Leofricmanded, "kneel," so they were all forced to kneel.

    "With an ability like this, why didn''t you use it earlier?!" muttered Queen Orc.

    Queen Orc tried to look around. She saw not only the orcs who stopped moving but humans as well.

    Obey your king; this God''s blessing was in the form of a voice, and Leofric couldn''t choose his target. When he activated his God''s blessing, everyone would hear it, so Leofric''s mana was used as much as the people affected. The more people heard it, the more Leofric''s mana was depleted.

    Queen Orc tried to analyze it and found that humans weren''t affected the same way as orcs. They covered their ears because Leofric''s voice when activating it, was too loud for their ears. They were only affected by the sound, not mana. Humans who heard it shattered their eardrums, and some fainted.

    Queen Orc concluded that Leofric''s God blessing was simr to Algar''s God blessing, called intimidation. Because they both affect other people''s mana through sound. So initially, Queen Orc thought Leofric''s God blessing only impacted the monster just like Algar''s.

    But when Algar uses his God''s blessing, the human around him are unaffected. Leofric, on the other hand, his orders are unaffected to humans, but humans can still feel the effects of the loud sound they hear.

    Then Queen Orc realized something was off about the way Leofric said themand.

    "This is the reason I didn''t want to use this. People around me also get affected. The more people got involved, the more my mana was being used.

    Also, I haven''t used monsternguage for a long time," Leofric exined.

    Queen orc realized when Leofric activated his God''s blessing, he said "kneel" in monsternguage.

    "My god''s blessing can affect mana; if I use monsternguage, my voice will reach demonic mana. If I use humannguage, my voice will reach divine mana."

    While exining, Leofric drew closer to the Queen Orc.

    "Is this the end?" thought the Queen orc.

    Queen Orc saw a figure she couldn''t defeat in front of her. All of her ns were used up, she couldn''t control her mana well, and even if she could, she had almost used them all up, so she couldn''t make orcs anymore. There was no way for her to survive in this situation. Slowly, the Queen orc''s shadow, which had spread throughout the room, returned to her body.

    "Goodbye," Leofric said, smiling.

    Leofric thrust hisnce into Queen Orc''s body.

 Chapter 21 21 : At Year 12 I Will Kill Him

    ?"Goodbye."

    After Leofric said that, he casually thrust hisnce into the Queen Orc''s body.

    -Drap drap drap

    As he did so, something came towards him very quickly.

    "!!!"

    Heit felt an immense killing desire approach them

    "MASTER!"

    Because of his battle with Queen Orc earlier, Leofric became tired and careless, so his senses became dull. Moreover, he had used mind eleration, which overloaded his mind. So he couldn''t sense the killing lust directed at him.

    CLANG

    Allen quickly ran towards Leofric and almost split Leofric''s head with his sword. Because of Heit''s warning, Leofric held him back with his weapon.

    "He''s that kid from earlier!"

    Afternding his first attack, Allen twisted his body in the air and used his foot to kick Leofric. As a result, Leofric was pushed backwards.

    "Oya oya¡­ you are powerful for a kid."

    Leofric copsed into a sitting position, breathing heavily.

    Rather than deal with Leofric, who looked tired, Allen immediately checked on Queen Orc''s condition.

    "Mother!!! Are you okay?!"

    "!!!"

    Unfortunately, Allen was not quick enough...

    In front of him, he could see blood vomiting from the hole in Queen Orc''s stomach.

    "MOTHER!"

    Allen immediately approached the Queen Orc and covered the blood with his hand. Seeing Allen covering the hole in her body, she shouted at him,

    "LET GO! GO AWAY!"

    ''After dungeon reset, I don''t have that woman''s mana anymore; if he gets close, I might kill him!'' thought Queen Orc.

    "No! I don''t want to! Why don''t you regenerate?! Hurry up! You have to regenerate! The blood won''t stoping out!"

    The Queen Orc''s body was weakening; she was probably forcing herself to stay conscious.

    "MOTHER! HURRY UP! REGENERATE!"

    "MOTHER!"

    "HURRY UP!"

    "PLEASE!"

    "Noisy stupid kid, my head hurts," she didn''t yell anymore as usual, but it was because he spoke more slowly that made Allen silent.

    "Mo-mother..."

    Allen''s tears began to flow.

    "Listen... you... get out of this dungeon, forget about me; I''m fine."

    Allen shook his head.

    "I''M NOT GOING ANYWHERE! I''M GOING TO STAY AND FIGHT THEM! I''LL FIGHT WITH MOM AGAINST THOSE HUMANS!"

    "No! Go away! Run away from here!"

    Allen hugged Queen Orc''s body and dragged her, trying to take her into their house next to this chamber.

    "IF YOU TELL ME TO GO, I''LL TAKE YOU WITH ME TOO!"

    "Sto¡­stop," whimpered the Queen Orc.

    But Allen still continued dragging the Queen Orc''s body.

    "WE''RE GOING HOME! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WE CAN DO AT HOME-"

    "I said stop..."

    "NO! NO! NO! I DON''T WANT TO!"

    Using what little strength she had, Queen Orc rebelled.

    "I TOLD YOU TO STOP! STUPID BRAT!"

    Allen immediately fell, unable to pull his mother anymore. He breathed heavily; water filled his eyes, but despite being tired, he got back up and tried to pull Queen Orc again.

    "Why¡­ Why don''t you listen to me¡­ Let go, I said...I''m really okay¡­ just run."

    "We will go home¡­ we are both returning to that house."

    Allen dragged her again, using all of his strength to drag his mother away from there.

    "It''s close, mom, we''re close... let''s go home-"

    The soldiers at the back approached them, looking at Allen pulling the Queen Orc with a desperate face.

    With confusion, one of the soldiers said

    "Hey, what are you doing?"

    Allen ignored him¡­

    He continued to pull the Queen Orc''s limp. Queen Orc''s blood still hadn''t stopped, smearing from where he pulled the Queen Orc.

    "She''s a monster, what are you doing!" shouted the soldier.

    Allen still ignored him and just pulled Queen Orc''s body.

    "Don''t you know how many humans she has killed?! You''re crazy! Why are you pulling her!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My friend... the friend who came with me was also killed,"

    "SHE''S A MONSTER! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING HER LIKE THAT? GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

    Allen still ignored them. He didn''t care about their ramblings. From the beginning, he couldn''t reply to their words. Allen knew what his mother had done to humans, but he didn''t want to me what his mother had done. He didn''t care about anything right now. He just wanted to be with his mother.

    "HEEEY!!!"

    the soldier walked forward, trying to strike the Queen Orc with their sword. The other soldiers followed; they approached them with angry and vengeful faces.

    Allen immediately stopped, then faced the humans, shielding the Queen Orc''s body that drooped limply behind him.

    "GO AWAY!!! YOU HUMAN, STAY AWAY!!!"

    Allen pointed his sword at the human. His expression was menacing; perhaps because of his red eyes, everyone who approached was transfixed, motionless. In front of them was the face of a desperate and angry child, his tears flowing freely and running down his cheeks to his chin. They had never seen children with such faces.

    The Queen Orc wasn''t dead yet; blood was stilling out of the hole in her body. Her breathing was heavy, and her body was full of sweat. Queen Orc''s face was helplessly limp. She looked at Allen, who had his back to her.

    Looking at Allen''s back, who was trying to save her. Queen Orc realized something¡­

    All these twelve years, she had always tried to run away from her feelings-from the mana given by Allen''s biological mother. That woman''s mana gradually brainwashed her, took away her desire to kill humans, and forced her to take care of Allen constantly. That''s why she was determined to kill Allen after the dungeon reset when that woman''s mana disappeared from her body.

    ''It''s been 12 years since then. During these 12 years, I repeatedly said it in my heart so I wouldn''t forget. If I don''t think about it even a little, I feel that woman''s mana willpletely wash my mind.

    Yes, from the moment I met this kid, I promised... I promised... When the dungeon resets... When he is 12 year, I''ll definitely kill this kid.''

    While thinking about how determined she was to kill Allen, Queen Orc raised her hand and tried to reach Allen.

    "Allen!"

    "!!!"

    Allen immediately looked back.

    This was the second time Queen Orc said his name,

    "Allen, where are you?"

    "MOTHER!" Allen immediately grasped Queen Orc''s hand.

    "AaaaH!!! I am! I am here! Mother! It is me! I''m here!"

    Allen grasped Queen Orc''s hand. Slowly, the Queen Orc''s hand that Allen was holding caressed Allen''s cheek gently. She repeated her determination, again.

    ''At year 12, I will kill you... After the dungeon reset, at year 12, I will kill you... At year 12, I will kill you... at year 12..."

    She repeated that word in her mind while looking at Allen''s crying face¡­

    Queen Orc gently said:

    "Live¡­ Allen,"

    It was¡­ a word that never came into her mind.

    "Mother?"

    It was also¡­ the first time Allen saw his mother smile. A warm smile she had never shown before made the dungeon''s coldness disappear.

    But while feeling that warm, he knew it was probably the first andst time he saw his mother smile at him. So his tears, again, couldn''t stop flowing, along with snot in his nose.

    He hugged Queen Orc''s body. At that moment, Queen Orc realized that the woman''s mana had nothing to do with her affection for Allen. Even though that mana was no longer in her, she strangely didn''t think about killing Allen.

    Maybe¡­

    Maybe...

    Maybe from the beginning, the mana didn''t affect her feelings. It only sent the mana owner''s mind. Queen Orc had always loved Allen as her son.

    At that moment, Allen''s time slowed down. Slowly the Queen orc''s hand that was caressing his cheek fell, and the Queen orc''s head that was looking at him also fell. Queen Orc''s flowing blood had stopped. Allen could feel that Queen Orc''s body was getting heavy because her strength, which he hugged, was slowly disappearing. When Allen looked into her eyes, he could no longer see his reflection in them. Empty, ck, and dark. Those eyes could no longer see anything.

    "Mother?"

    There was no answer...

    "Mother..."

    no answer...

    "Mother! Mother! Hey!"

    Still no answer...

    "MOTHER!!! WAKE UP!!! ... Hey! MOTHER! WAKE UP! MOTHER! WAKE UP! MOTHER! HEY! MOTHER!!! PLEASE! PLEASE WAKE UP!!! HELP!!! MOTHER!!! DON''T STAY STILL!!!"

    Allen shook Queen Orc''s shoulders repeatedly, his tearsing out more profusely than before.

    "NO! NO! I BEG YOU! GET UP! I PROMISE I''LL DO EVERYTHING MOM SAYS! I PROMISE TO BE A GOOD BOY! PLEASE WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

    "MOtheeer!!!"

    But Allen didn''t give up yet. This time he looked at the humans.

    "IS THERE NO ONE WHO CAN HEAL MY MOTHER?!" Allen shouted. Allen realized that he had done something shameless after he asked them to stay away; now he was begging them to heal her.

    "I¡­ PLEASE! ANYONE?!"

    His voice trembled, still crying; her tears hadn''t stopped either. There was already a slight swelling in his eyes as his body and heart forced the tears out.

    Allen bowed his head.

    "Please... Mother is dying... if this continues, she will really die... And if she dies... I... what should I do..."

    Then Allen raised his head, and with a desperate face, he shouted again.

    "MOTHER CAN NO LONGER FIGHT! I''LL CONVINCE HER NOT TO ATTACK YOU! IF YOU CAN CURE HER, I''LL DO ANYTHING! WHATEVER YOU WANT! I CAN DO IT!!! PLEASE!"

    No one answered, no one could help him, and there was nothing he could do.

    "Motheeer¡­"

    With this, Queen Orc''s life screen was closed.

 Chapter 22 22 : Why Did Everything Come To This?

    ?The chamber became very cold, there were more than a hundred people in the chamber, but the only sound heard was the crying of a boy, Allen.

    The Queen Orc had killed many people, the soldiers had friends killed by the Queen Orc, and perhaps their families as well. These people had every right to hate the Queen Orc, but when they saw the boy crying, the fire of their hatred was extinguished. Instead, they saw how much Queen Orc cared for him.

    In the cries of silence in the room, what broke the silence was

    "Haaaaaah...." a sigh of a cold-hearted man.

    "What a sight for sore eyes... That monster is a despicable creature, subordinate to a demon, why should you cry over a monster?"

    It was Leofric who had just gathered a bit of his strength to move, the side effects of his mind eleration were probably gone.

    "All of you here are the same, why are you just looking? Don''t you remember how these monsters killed your friends? With that intelligence, for Queen Orc, that kid is probably just a research object or a pet."

    Allen''s crying stopped, and Allen ced his mother''s hand gently on the floor. Then he began to wail.

    "Why did everythinge to this?"

    "Why..."

    "Why?"

    "Why did mother have to die?"

    "Is it my fault? Is it my fault I didn''t listen to what my mother said?"

    "It must be because I walked out of that room. I should have stayed inside waiting for mom toe home, then as usual, mom would havee through that door."

    "Why?! Why?! Why?! WHY!!!"

    Amidst Allen''s wailing, Leofric approached him and said,

    "What a pity... a child raised by orcs. Who knows what he''ll do to the humans if he gets out of here? Do you want me to kill you?"

    "That''s right..." Allen''s voice became strange. There was a slight tremor in his voice. But it was not the answer to Leofric''s question.

    "Humans are the ones who killed her; mother died because of humans."

    At that moment, there was something strange about Allen; everyone could feel it. Something terrible seemed to be about to happen. There was a dark aura slowly surrounding him.

    Allen turned around.

    He raised his face and looked at Leofric.

    "Humans are the problem. They are wrong, they are bad."

    !!!

    Everyone, including Leofric, was shocked to see Allen''s face. There was a strange, intimidating aura about him. His red eyes red at everyone in the room; that face was not the one that children, or even humans, should put on...

    Everyone knows what kind of face that was¡­

    It was¡­

    The face of an angry monster

    "What was wrong was humans."

    "I should never meet humans."

    "It''s because I wanted to meet humans that I ended up like this."

    "It''s because I started talking to humans."

    "It''s because of humans that I can say bad things to my mother. Now, I didn''t have time to say sorry to her."

    Surprisingly, a breeze entered thechamber, which made the chamber even colder. The dark aura surrounding Allen was bing more apparent to be seen by anyone in the chamber.

    "This is Demonic mana! Why did demonic mana get into that kid?! There''s no way a human can use demonic mana!" shouted Petrone.

    Allen stood up. A strong wind entered the chamber from the door; the wind also surrounded Allen, along with the ck aura, the demonic mana, that continued to surround him.

    ''He absorbed a veryrge amount of demonic mana into his body. He could fill in his body with that mana. His mana gate must be huge,'' thought Leofric.

    "Humans have already killed mother... Therefore..."

    The iing wind was getting stronger.

    The soldiers had to hold their heads to keep their helmets from flying off; everyone was now preparing for something they thought was very dangerous.

    At this moment...

    Each soldier thought this...

    "What exactly have we bothered?"

    The dark aura surrounding Allen entered Allen''s body, and the strong wind stopped.

    But even though the wind stopped and the atmosphere calmed down, the soldiers didn''t stop being cautious.

    Coming...

    He''sing!

    He''s going to kill us!

    *BOOOM!!!

    Like an explosion, but there was no fire. A tremendous amount of aura suddenly came out of Allen''s body. The auras surrounding Allen''s body affected the wind spirit. The wind in the room was now blowing inconsistently like a typhoon around Allen. Allen''s red eyes shone, his hair floated, and his clothes were torn. The sight sent chills down the spines of everyone in the room...

    Then

    While ring at them

    In monsternguage, Allen said...

    "For mother, you have killed¡­ All humans shall perish."

    -SYUUUT

    Stealing the opportunity, Leofric immediately thrust hisnce into Allen''s body. As a result, Allen''s body was thrown far into the wall at the end of the room, the wall shattered, and the mist of the breaking wall covered Allen''s thrown body.

    "Master! Do you feel it?"

    "Yes, this weird sensation in my hand..."

    Instead of being stabbed, Allen was thrown back, even though it was clear that he had stabbed Allen with Heit, but there was no blood attached at the tip of hisnce. Heit''s ability as Adfectus Reliqua is to negate all forms of mana. So, it should not be a god''s blessing, or amnis could protect Allen.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Something is blocking my attack," as he stabbed Allen, he felt like he was stabbing something hard, not flesh or steel. In a sh, Leofric saw a tiny circle emerge from Allen''s shadow, deflecting Leofric''s attack.

    The mist covering Alen''s body slowly dissipated, revealing his entire body. Everyone was surprised that Allen was still alive after being hit by Leofric''s attack. Even if Leofric had missed, there was no way a child could survive the attack; at least an adult would have broken a bone. But Allen didn''t appear to have any severe injuries, only abrasions and blood flowed down his head, covering almost half his face.

    There was something even more shocking than his body condition.

    Under Allen''s feet, there was a living mud, wriggling like a ck slime. That mud slowly climbed up Allen''s body, covered his feet, and then made its way to his right hand. That mud, smeared all over Allen''s right hand, formed itself into a sword and hardened. Everyone could feel that the movement of the disgusting-looking mud depicted Allen''s anger. Allen''s red eyes shone, and his killing aura could reach everyone.

    "HUMAN!!!"

    After shouting that, Allen quickly jumped and got behind Leofric with just one leap.

    -SPLAT

    Suddenly, everything became silent; blood was pouring out of someone''s body, and everyone was slowly looking at where Allen hadnded his attack.

    "LORD BARKALEY!!!"

    Allen firstnded his attack on the person whose position was right opposite Allen; he was the captain of the soldiers of the Barkaley region, as well as the son of the baron, Waldo Barkaley.

    Allen''s sword struck Waldo Barkaley diagonally. The attack was so powerful that Waldo''s body was almost split in half; even the chainmail he was wearing was torn apart.

    "Lo¡­Lord Waldo?" Arthur was petrified,

    unable to believe what he was seeing.

    When he saw Waldo''s body almost split in two, the silence was immediately broken by the angry voices of the soldiers.

    "UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The soldiers simultaneously shouted and tried to attack Allen with their weapons.

    One of the soldiers'' swords hit Allen; Allen held the de of his sword, drew it without thinking about the wound on his hand, and then threw the sword away.

    -TRUST

    Allen''s mud sword pierced the soldier''s body. One by one, the soldiers approached Allen. Allen swung his sword wildly around them.

    One by one, the soldier''s heads fell, they rolled over, blood sttered on the floor, and Allen''s body was covered in blood, just like when he fought the goblin, but this time the blood was a deep red color like his eyes.

    "K N E E L"

    Leofric used his God''s blessing, and the ultrasonic sound he produced created waves that affected space.

    -BRUG!!

    Everyone in the room fell, immobilized, including Allen.

    "You guys are interfering. Weaklings should back off if they don''t want to die. Don''t bluff to take revenge," Leofric said coldly.

    "UGH!!!" Meanwhile, Allen, whose anger was peaking, slowly lifted his heavy body.

    "What?" Leofric was shocked, as were Heit and the rest of the people in the room. Allen slowly raised his body forcefully. Allen sessfully resisted the order of Leofric''s God blessing!

    -CLANG!!!

    Allen quickly jumped towards Leofric, and Leofric dodged his attack. Leofric kicked Allen''s body right after Allennded his attack. Seeing how Allen could escape the shackles of his God''s blessing, Leofric thought

    ''He was unfazed by my God''s blessing? Why? Is God''s blessing not working on him? That''s impossible; if he''s using mana, then whatever his mana form is, it can definitely be affected by other mana, especially the type that affects mana like my God''s blessing.

    Allen again jumped towards Leofric, but this time, Leofric easily brushed off Allen''s body that jumped towards him, resulting in Allen being thrown back against the wall. Then quickly, Allen bounced back from the wall to Leofric, and so on.

    "Hahaha, you''re just like rubber," Leofric now looked like a tennis yer hitting Allen''s body, bouncing off the wall towards him.

    After thinking about how Allen could escape from his God''s blessing, Leofric realized something impossible.

    He could only use God''s blessing once more, but he had to try to figure out the mystery.

    "K N E E L" Leofricmanded with his God''s blessing. This time it was a little different; Leofric used monsternguage in hismand.

    And the result...

    -BRUG!!!

    "AAKH!!!" Allen''s body fell to the ground as if dragged by gravity, as if dragged by a rope, or as if a massive stone had been dropped on him.

    Without a doubt, Leofric''s God''s blessing had an impact on Allen. But why would Allen be affected when Leofric used thenguage of monsters? The answer is because Allen has-

    "Demonic mana... Only monsters could use it. But for some reason, you have received arge amount of demonic mana. Is it possible that you were a monster from the start?"

    ''Obey your king, my God''s blessing; this skill can turn my mana into a voice. If I turn my mana into a voice and inputmands into it, themands will reach the opponent''s mana and make them obey my orders. If I use humannguage, mymand will affect divine mana. If I use thenguage of monsters, mymands will affect demonic mana. Because of the previous incident, this kid likely has demonic mana inside his body. I don''t know how he can have demonic mana when he clearly looks like a human, but that means I only need to use monsternguage to affect the mana inside his body,''

    thought Leofric after analyzing Allen''s movements. But even though he had reached that conclusion, Leofric still felt something was off. Something he felt he had forgotten.

    "AAAAAGH!!!" Allen forced his body to get up.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" This time Allen forced his body even more; blood came out of the holes in his body.

    "It''s useless-" Leofric hadn''t finished speaking yet, Allen had already escaped from the shackles of Leofric''s God''s blessing. Allen again tried to attack Leofric''s head with his sword, and Leofric immediately reflexively retreated backwards, but Leofric was not cautious then. As a result, Leofric''s left face was deeply injured.

    "GAH!"

    "MASTER!!!," Heit shouted.

    "I...I was careless,"

    Looking at Allen, who could still move even after he used monsternguage on him, Leofric finally understood what had been stuck in his mind earlier.

    ''I should have realized that the first time I used my God''s blessing with humannguage, this kid wasn''t unaffected, but rather the effect was lost after a few seconds. Same as now, he was only affected briefly, then broke free from the shackles of mymand after a few seconds,''

    Heit gradually realized

    "Master! Does that mean this kid has both demonic mana and divine mana inside him?!"

    "This doesn''t make sense, but there''s no other possibility. He is undoubtedly a human, and humans have divine mana, but somehow, he can also absorb demonic mana. His mana gate could store both demonic and divine mana.

    Leofric wiped his injured face with his elbow.

    ''That means whatevernguage I use still affects him, but mymand shackles only work temporarily. When my God''s blessing affects his demonic mana with monsternguage, then he can still move with divine mana, and when I affect her divine mana, he will still move with demonic mana,''

    Thinking of that, Leofricughed.

    "HAHAHAHA THIS KID IS SO INTERESTING!"

 Chapter 23 23 : Im Sorry, Mother.

    ?To confirm Allen''s strangeness, Leofric used his God''s blessing twice.

    First, he used humannguage. As a result, Allen fell, but only temporarily after he fell, Allen was able to move again

    Second, he used monsternguage. Supposedly, when Leofric used the monsternguage, only monsters were affected by the effects of his God''s blessing, but apparently, it also affected Allen. Allen fell, but only temporarily after fell, Allen was able to move again.

    Based on that, Leofric concluded that Allen probably had two types of mana in his body. First was divine mana, the mana he had as a human, and the second was demonic mana, the mana given to him by the dungeon.

    This fact made Leofric happy. Why? It was because Leofric believed he was the first to discover Allen. He always liked to be the first due to the influence of his older brother, who always preceded him.

    In addition, Leofric also likes to fight. Fighting with the unknown makes his blood boil. He was regarded as a luminite-ranked dungeon explorer due to his proclivity to oppose new things. In his family, he was the second person to be recognized as a luminite after his first brother, the first prince.

    When everyone else in the room could only look petrified at Allen''s angry face like a bloodthirsty monster, Leofric wasughing. And thatughter overpowered Allen''s intimidating and frightening aura.

    Because he saw Leofric, who looked happy and attacked him while smiling, Allen''s speed increased. Now he was bouncing from the wall to Leofric faster than before. As a result, the walls Allen used as footholds began crumbling.

    During the fight, Heit felt something strange as he shed with Allen''s weapon¡ªthe mud that stuck to his arm. To be more precise, he had felt that strange feeling earlier, but after shing several times with the "sword-like thing" attached to Allen''s hand, he realized something.

    "Master! I finally know! That kid''s weapon..."

    "What?"

    "That weapon is probably one of my siblings!!!"

    Heit was the adfeqtus reliquance that given to Leofric afterpleting the dungeon. Heit''s words implied that Allen''s weapon was also an adfeqtus reliqua.

    "How can he have it? Isn''t this dungeon not yetpleted?" Leofric asked Heit.

    "Sorry, master, I don''t understand our origins either. To be sure, before you found me, I''d been waiting for my owner on thest floor, but that doesn''t mean I can''t walk while still in the dungeon."

    "There''s no point in thinking about it. It''s a pity, but we have to kill that kid to get the weapon."

    "AAAAAAAAARRRGH!!!!!" None of Allen''s attacks could strike Leofric. Likewise, Leofric, whose battle with the Queen Orc had already exhausted him, had also used his God''s blessing three times in a day, plus his right hand was broken and his left eye was also injured. So right now, Leofric''s condition is really bad, and even so, Allen doesn''t look like he can win at all. All Allen could do was attack Leofric until he was exhausted and unable to move.

    *SYUUUT

    Suddenly, Allen''s shoulder was hit by an arrow. The one who shot him was Maurice.

    "Your highness, that''s enough of this fooling around. I don''t want to stay in this ce for long," said Maurice, emotionless.

    "Maurice! What are you doing!" shouted Mathias with a worried and angry face.

    Leofric red at Maurice with sharp eyes.

    He did it for 5 seconds, then Leofric rxed his hand.

    "Okay okay, I''ve been so selfish all this time. Just end it."

    There were three arrows that he pulled out at once. As he pulled the bowstring, Maurice closed his eyes and mumbled something. His whole body was slightly glowing, and Allen immediately changed his target to Maurice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lavinia, who had been unconscious, leaning against the wall with a limp body, started to wake up. And she first saw the rampaging Allen when she opened her eyes. Allen, who was in pain from the arrow in his shoulder, could not think clearly. All he could think about was venting his rage and killing all humans.

    That''s right...

    Allen now looked like...

    "Monster," Lavinia said as she looked at Allen''s raging face.

    For thest time, Leofric once again threw Allen away to give Maurice enough time to activate God''s blessing.

    The light surrounding Maurice''s body converged and entered all three of his arrows. Now the tips of the arrows were glowing. Allen quickly got up and approached Maurice. But Allen wouldn''t make it...

    *SYUT

    The three arrows pierced Allen''s shoulders, stomach, and legs.

    "Ahk!"

    Allen''s speed suddenly decreased. Allen could feel, from the arrows he received, something entering his body. The mud that covered his right hand slowly melted and entered his shadow. Allen''s body became weaker and weaker. Then, with his remaining strength, Allen walked incontinently to the sprawled corpse of the Queen Orc.

    "Mo¡­ mother¡­"

    Allen fell on his stomach, unable to move anymore. Allen maintained his consciousness as much as possible to see the Queen Orc. He was still trying to reach the sprawled corpse of the Queen Orc, but he was too far away, so he couldn''t reach it.

    "I''m sorry¡­"

    He recalled hisst words when he parted with her before, "MOTHER, I HATE YOU!"

    those words¡­ repeatedly reyed in his brain. Until the end, he regretted saying it.

    Why¡­ Why did I say that?

    That''s right¡­ It was because of humans.

    He regrets everything...

    He regrets walking out of that room...

    He regrets looking for Lavinia...

    He regrets defending Lavinia...

    He regrets denying his mother...

    Also, he regrets not having the time to apologize to his mother...

    Allen fell... his eyes, which were once again filled with tears, closed slowly.

 Chapter 24 24 : Queen Orcs Strong Determination

    ?Maurice''s God''s blessing, he could transform his mana into three types of arrows: paralyzing arrows, locking arrows, and destructive arrows. Maurice shot all three of them at Allen: the paralyzing arrow in his leg hand, the gate-locking arrow in his stomach, and the destructive arrow in his shoulder.

    He used the paralyzing arrow to render Allen unconscious, the locking arrow to close the mana gate, and the destroying arrow to make Allen''s right hand stop moving.

    "You didn''t kill him?" asked Leofric. Maurice could have killed Allen by shooting the arrow of destruction into his heart, but he didn''t want to.

    "I don''t like killing a kid. Anyways, I don''t like killing in the first ce; maybe that''s why my God''s blessing has a paralyzing arrow, which keeps me from killing people," Maurice exined.

    Leofric looked around him. The corpses of soldiers were lying around, and blood was sttered on the floor. The living were mostly wounded, and they were gathered in one spot.

    "Why are they gathered like that?" asked Leofric.

    Mathias, who approached Leofric, answered his question,

    "They are crying over the corpse of the soldiers'' leader, the son of Barony Barkaley.

    Hearing that, Leofric immediately sighed.

    "Geez, his sessor is dead. What should I say to that old man?

    But more importantly, because of this raid, I lost my right hand and damaged my handsome face. Isn''t there anyone who can heal this in our kingdom?"

    "We can ask Mr. Humphrey to make a prosthetic hand first," Mathias replied.

    "I''m afraid I don''t really like iron hands."

    Once again, Leofric looked around.

    "It''s still the first floor, and we lost this much. Let''s hope that the second floor isn''t worse than this-"

    While looking around, Leofric realized that something was missing. He turned his head again and again, looking around, searching for that "thing."

    "What is it, Your Highness?" asked Mathias.

    "Is something bothering you?" asked Maurice as well.

    Leofric turned around, looking carefully at every corner of the room. With a super shocked face, Leofric said

    "Where is the Queen Orc''s corpse?"

    "!!!"

    Maurice and Mathias were also startled. Mathias immediately shouted at the troops behind

    "EVERYONE! THIS MIGHT NOT BE OVER YET! BE CAREFUL!"

    Hearing Mathias'' words, the troops immediately panicked.

    "WHAT!!!"

    "WHAT NOW!"

    "NO! I WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

    Even the soldier who was crying for Waldo looked weak and tense when he heard it.

    "Your highness, this time, if it shows up again, we''ll attack her together," said Mathias.

    "Yes, take it easy. I don''t have the strength to attack her alone either."

    Everyone was now getting desperate. Leofric was running out of power and mana, George was dying, Petrone and nche were also running out of mana, and Waldo was dead. The only ones who hadn''t run out of mana were Maurice and Mathias.

    "Maurice, this is an order... Kill the boy quickly," said Leofric.

    "Alright, your highness, but I''ll ask for extra payment for killing a human plus a kid."

    "it''s not human after all."

    Maurice used his God''s blessing, his body shone, and the light turned into an arrow; it was an arrow of destruction. While pointing his bow at Allen, Maurice shot it.

    -SYUT

    A hand quickly came out in front of Allen''s sprawled body. It was an Orc''s hand.

    "No way! What is that?" said Maurice, surprised.

    The hand that came out received the arrow that Maurice shot. As a result, the hand was destroyed.

    "What was that?!"

    From within the shadows, it slowly surfaced and showed its entire body.

    It was the form of the Queen Orc.

    "!!!"

    Of course, everyone was shocked. The Queen Orc, who should have been dead, was instead standing in front of them.

    A dungeon reset already happened, so why did shee back to life?

    There was something different about Queen Orc''s body. Previously, when the Queen Orc came back to life, the hand that Leofric severed grew back. Whereas the Queen Orc that appeared this time, had a hole in her body, and her left hand was also severed. Her right hand, which received Maurice''s arrow, returned to its original state. But unlike the Queen Orc''s usual regeneration, the hand returned like fused mud.

    "COUGH! COUGH!" The Queen Orc, who was standing, suddenly coughed up blood, making her immediately sit down, powerless.

    She ced her hands on the floor, then in a hoarse and weak voice, she said,

    "D e m o n'' s c u r s e "

    The shadow of the Queen Orc spread back to all the rooms.

    All of the soldiers immediately returned to panic mode.

    "NO!"

    "NO MORE!"

    "Not this sh*t again."

    Maurice instantly activated God''s blessing, his body glowed, and he made three arrows at once.

    "We must stop her as soon as possible-"

    Just as Maurice was about to shoot here, Leofric blocked Maurice''s arrow path with his hand.

    "Your Highness?! What''s wrong?! We have to kill her, now!"

    Leofric shook his head.

    "Wait a moment. ording to Queen Orc''s condition, she doesn''t have much time left. She is undoubtedly still suffering from the effects of Heit. It''s just that she''s trying to hold on to her life a little longer. As much as possible, I want to gain information about the anomaly in this dungeon," Leofric exined.

    Since the soldiers were still panicking and shouting in the back, Leofric immediately raised his voice.

    "EVERYONE, CALM DOWN!"

    Now everyone was silent. They also realized that nothing came out of the shadows spreading below them.

    Leofric walked forward, approaching the Queen Orc. Then, at a certain distance, he stopped and asked,

    "So, what brought you back to life?" asked Leofric.

    The Queen Orc was breathing heavily, holding the hole in her stomach. When Leofric appeared in front of her, the Queen Orc looked at him with a dying face.

    "I want to negotiate," she said.

    "Oya? Monsters want to negotiate? With the great human? Alright, I''ll listen, but before that, you must exin why you''re still alive."

    Queen Orc then replied

    "Adfeqtus Reliqua... or so I believe now. This child''s mud is probably adfeqtus reliqua, and because the owner''s life was threatened, she copied my body and remade it in the imperfect form it is now. He must have thought that by doing this, his master''s life could be saved," after taking a deep breath, Queen Orc continues,

    "Mana is influenced by emotions, especially willpower and strong determination. In myst moments, the thing I regret the most is leaving this kid alone, and what I want is this child''s happiness. Even though my soul has left the body, my mana remains for a brief moment. So the one you are talking to right now is not the real me, just a corpse possessed by Queen Orc''s mana."

    "I see¡­" replied Leofric.

    Hearing Leofric''s short answer, Mathias immediatelymented

    "Your Highness?! Do you believe it?! Don''t you remember how the Queen Orc repeatedly deceived you?!"

    "Will you shut up, Mathias?! The more I let you free, the more presumptuous you are!" Leofric felt humiliated by Mathias for saying something that seemed to fool Leofric.

    "I''m sorry..."

    Then Leofric looked back at the Queen Orc.

    "Although it''s hard to believe, that answer is enough for me. It sounds logical and illogical at the same time,"

    As he said that, Leofric thought

    ''No, what she said is most likely true. Mana is connected to its owner, and if a person can send pure mana without it manifesting into any form, then you can know the memories and wishes of the mana owner. Also, if you have regrets and a huge wish, I heard that mana would try toplete the owner''s wish as long as the owner has great determination. But there''s no way something like this can easily happen. It seems that what makes this happen is that kid''s adfeqtus reliqua. What is its ability?''

    Leofric then looked at the Queen Orc and said,

    "Alright, let''s hear it."

    Queen Orc took a deep breath,

    "I have activated my demon''s curse, and you know I can create orcs very quickly. Within one second, I can kill many more people. So...

    In exchange for the lives of those people over there, please let this child live."

    Leofric sighed

    "Haaah... You don''t understand your condition right now, do you? This is not a negotiation; this is a threat. Negotiation is achieved when both parties gain benefit. There are several holes in your request.

    First, Maurice is already on standby; he can kill you in less than a second with his bow. You probably won''t even have time to create those orcs.

    Second, if Maurice can''t kill you and you manage to kill the people back there, I don''t care, just kill them.

    Third, even if I agree to your request, I may still kill the boy because I need his adfeqtus reliqua.

    Is that all you have to say?"

    Queen Orc then replied

    "That third one is impossible. You are an honorable and noble person, and you will not break the promise you made in front of many people,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know, who knows?"

    After sighing, Queen Orc then continued

    "Right¡­ I''m sorry, I was rude..."

    Queen Orc took something from her right pocket and threw it to Leofric.

    Leofric caught that. It looked like a water bag wrapped in a brownish cloth.

    "That is Fosite''s tears, holy water that can only be taken at the 9th floor holy spring once every 1000 days,"

    "Oyaa... Then by giving this to me, you think it can be the reason the child is allowed to live?"

    "Not really... Drink that water for that girl over there," she said.

    The Queen Orc pointed at Lavinia, who was sitting by the wall.

    "Who?" asked Leofric.

    Looking at the figure, Maurice remembered

    "Isn''t she Lavinia?! From the Church of Fire?" said Maurice.

    "Lavinia? Then why should I give this to her?" said Leofric, still confused.

    Then the Queen Orc replied

    "She seems to have a blessing that can heal anything and regenerate the body. She can regenerate your hands and face with her God''s blessing."

    "What?! Is there someone with that kind of blessing in our kingdom?" Leofric asked Mathias.

    "I never knew about that, Your Highness!"

    "Hey there, woman! Is what she said true?" Leofric asked Lavinia.

    Lavinia immediately ced her hand on her chest, showing her respect to Leofric, and then she said

    "That... that''s correct, your highness. Unfortunately, I can''t use my mana; the Queen Orc has poisoned me," said Lavinia. Meanwhile, Lavinia was also surprised that Queen Orc could figure out her God''s blessing.

    "I see... so that this water can heal the woman, and the woman can return my hand back,"

    For some reason, Leofric didn''t doubt anything the Queen Orc said. Leofric gave the water to Mathias, asking him to give the water to Lavinia immediately, then went back to talking to the Queen Orc.

    "Then, do you really think I''m going to let that child live just because of this? Adfeqtus Reliqua is a form of dungeonpletion; there''s no way such a small thing can cancel my intention to kill him.

    And by giving away the goods first, this isn''t even a negotiation anymore, I can unterally refuse the negotiation because I already have the thing you negotiate.

    The Queen Orc coughed again, more blooding out of her mouth,

    "This¡­ this isn''t a negotiation anymore, It''s a plea, a request."

    Now the Queen Orc mimicked Lavinia''s pose. She ced her hands on her chest, then bowed her head.

    "I beg you, please let this child live," said Queen Orc.

    The words were heartfelt, and the sincerity in her words could be conveyed to everyone in the room just by the way she said them. Moreover, she willingly gave Leofric the precious potion for free, not as a negotiation tool. She only gave the potion as a genuine expression of her request. Not topel, but to seek help. Even Leofric, who had a cold heart, was moved to agree to her words. Why not? The Queen Orc was the second person (or thing) who gave Leofric a great fighting experience. Leofric believed that every battle he fought could be a source of new strength for him, and his battle with Queen Orc would definitely make him better and stronger. So Leofric''s heart was moved by Queen Orc''s words, not as a human who sympathized with a mother trying to protect her child, but as a person who has fought with him.

    Leofric smiled, then he said

    "Alright... I''ll guarantee the child''s life-"

    "WAIT A MINUTE!"

    From behind, from the line of soldiers, came the voice of a man shouting, cutting off Leofric''s words. He tried to walk quickly despite hisme leg, as if he no longer cared about his leg''s pain.

    "You seriously believe what this f*cking monster''s said?!" he was one of the volunteer soldiers, Arthur.

    His hair was messy, and blood covered his armor. He showed an angry face and had tears streaming down his face.

    Because Arthur interrupted Leofric''s words, Mathias immediately warned Arthur.

    "Hey, do you realize that you just cut off the words of a noble? Punishment for this is your life!" said Mathias.

    "I don''t care! Go ahead and kill me if you want! But you must have to kill this monster and that kid too!

    What are you guys hesitating about? That monster has killed many humans! Are you crazy? Do you believe everything the monster says? Look at this shadow below us. When we let our guard down, it will kill us all! When we let our guard down, she will do something!

    He kills kills kills and kills soooo many humans! Can we really believe this f*cking monster! no! i will not trust this monster! I will not trust both of them!"

    Arthur vented all his anger. He couldn''t ept Leofric starting to empathize with Queen Orc, to a monster. Then, at that moment, the Queen Orc''s shadow that had spread instantly returned to the Queen Orc''s body.

    "I have no intention of killing you anymore. All I want is the safety of this child," Queen Orc said.

    "HUH?!" Arthur stepped forward. He pointed at the Queen Orc with anger on his face.

    "SO WHAT! ALL OF THIS HAS TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR PLAN, RIGHT? THERE''S NO WAY I''M LETTING THIS KID LIVE! THAT BOY... THAT SON OF A B*TCH!!! HE KILLED CAPTAIN WALDO!!! IF NO ONE KILLS HIM, THEN I''LL KILL HIM!"

    Arthur on his spiked feet, advanced towards the Queen Orc with his sword in his hand.

    "Hey, wait! Don''t go near her!" shouted Mathias.

    But Arthur didn''t care. He forced his body and legs to walk towards the Queen Orc, then...

    -STAB

    A sword pierced the Queen Orc''s chest. But it wasn''t Arthur who was stabbing her. As Arthur walked toward the Queen Orc, his legs could no longer hold him up, so he fell in front of the Queen Orc.

    Queen Orc took Arthur''s sword and thrust it into herself.

    "BUAKH!" The Queen Orc once again vomited arge amount of blood.

    "!!!" Everyone was immediately shocked by Queen Orc''s actions. The same was true for Arthur.

    "Is this... what you want?" the Queen Orc asked weakly.

    Arthur didn''t answer, he was just lying there, looking at the Queen Orc. Queen Orc then detached the sword and ced it in Arthur''s hand.

    "Is.... is it not enough? Do¡­ do you want to do it with your own hands? If¡­ if you''re going to kill this body, just split my head. If¡­ if that''s still not enough to vent your anger, then do whatever you want, stab me, sh my whole body, skin me, or you can cut each of my bodies into pieces and feed them to the pigs.

    So...

    Please..."

    The Queen Orc bowed her head, letting her hands drop to the floor, showing how helpless she was at the moment.

    "Please, let this child live."

    They were all currently seeing the strong, sincere determination, the sincerity of a mother who only wanted to protect her child. Queen Orc was a monster who killed many people, and now she was a weak mother who would do anything and sacrifice everything she had for her child.

    "Don''t be silly..." Arthur, who saw that, stood back up and pointed the sword at the Queen Orc. Her tears were still flowing, and her eyes were already swollen because they hadn''t stopped yet.

    "DON''T MESS WITH ME, YOU GODD*MN MONSTER! CAPTAIN WALDO IS DEAD! HE WAS AN IMPORTANT PERSON TO ME! AND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE! HE HAD A FIANC¨¦E AND A FAMILY WAITING FOR HIM AT HOME! AND NOW HE''S DEAD! IT''S ALL THAT KID''S FAULT!

    YOU THINK I''LL FORGIVE HIM?! YOU THINK I''LL SYMPATHIZE WITH YOU!

    NO WAY!

    NO WAY!

    NO WAY!

    THERE''S NO WAY I''M GOING TO FORGIVE THAT KID!

    I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT SON OF B*TCH!

    NEVER IN MY LIFE I WILL FORGET THIS!!!

    NEVEEEEER!!!¡ª

    -SQWELP!

    Behind him, Maurice shot his arrow. The arrow was his God''s blessing, an arrow of aura, it was a paralyzing arrow that pierced Arthur''s back.

    "I told you I don''t want to stay in this dungeon any longer," Maurice said.

    Arthur fell, feeling incredibly sleepy. He tried to grab his loose sword and vowed

    "Lord Waldo, I will surely avenge your death."

    And finally, he fainted.

    After Arthur fainted, the Queen Orc turned her body to look at Allen, then fell. She had heard Leofric''s words agreeing to her request earlier, so there was no more regret in her mana.

    Queen Orc reached out to Allen''s body and hugged him while he was falling asleep.

    Allen, who Queen Orc hugged, was sleep-talking deliriously.

    "Mom? Did you finally sleep with me?"

    "Yes, Allen"

    "You''re not going anywhere, are you?"

    "Yes, Allen."

    Allen smiled, and he buried his head into Queen Orc''s chest. Queen Orc''s body was now limp. She didn''t have enough energy to do anything. Even so, she tried, using her hand to stroke Allen''s hair.

    ''Why didn''t I do this to him before? Sleeping together like this is very warm and pleasant, so it''s something like this that you''ve always wanted.''

    After rubbing Allen''s head a few times, Queen Orc said

    "Allen?"

    "Yes, mom?" replied Allen, who was still asleep.

    "Humans hate monsters, not fellow humans¡­

    so don''t hate humans¡­

    because you are also a human¡­"

    Her body went limp, and slowly the hole in his stomach erged again. Blood flowed again from all over her body, and the mana inside the Queen Orc''s body came out of her body, like an aura floating into the sky.

 Chapter 25 25 : People Who Were Waiting For Their Loved Ones

    ?One hundred soldiers of the Barkaley family, one hundred peasant warriors, plus five ranked-mithril explorers. Led by the fourth prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, Leofric Regina Wildenhall. By onlypleting the first floor,

    Only 34 people returned.

    -TENG

    -TENG

    -TENG

    -TENG

    The bell rang four times, signaling that many people had entered the city.

    "They''re back!"

    "Finally! They''re back!"

    "Did they finish the dungeon in just two days?"

    "No way, they must have only finished three floors since the third floor is thest one that''s easy to enter."

    It waste afternoon in the city. People emerged from their homes, some leaving their wares, gossiping about the raid carried out by the great prince, a luminite-ranked explorer. They lined the main road near the gate, weing the heroes who had cleared the mysterious dungeon in the territory.

    The Barkaley territory was not luxurious; the gates were not walled; there was just tall wood surrounding the town to keep animals out.

    "Mother! A lot of people are gathering on the street!" shouted the little boy who spoke to his pregnant mother.

    "Fufufu, from the bells, it looks like the soldiers have gone home."

    "Does that mean Daddy''s finallying home?!"

    "Yes!"

    "I''ll go first! I''m going to pick up dad!"

    "Hey, Vass! Don''t go alone; mom is also going to pick him up!"

    The main street was filled with people, and the remaining soldiers in the Barkaley region were also waiting for the arrival of the raid members.

    "Hey, we''re just ordinary merchants. What''s the advantage ofpleting the dungeon?" said one of the marching peasants, speaking to the person next to him.

    "You idiot, don''t you feel that your wares are selling less and less? That''s because no more explorers areing here. With this dungeon raid, this city will again be crowded by the explorers!"

    "Oooh!"

    Some talked about business, and some spoke about bing explorers because the danger in the dungeon had been solved, but most people were waiting for the return of their loved ones.

    The wooden gate was lowered.

    There was the sound of horseshoes and wheels entering. Everyone spontaneously pped and cheered for them.

    "Congrattions!"

    "You''re our savior!"

    "Wee back!"

    The cheering residents threw out various congrattions.

    The first person who entered the city was Mathias, riding his horse. Then behind Mathias was followed by another house carrying a carriage, and Leofric was lying casually on the carriage. Petrone, nche, faint George, and a small ck-haired boy whose hands were tied by a shining rope were on the other side.

    Then two more were behind Leofric, along with horse-drawn carriages ridden by soldiers.

    The apuse and congrattions slowly stopped when the first soldier''s carriage entered.

    "Huh?"

    "What happened?"

    The faces of the soldiers sitting there were grim. All of them looked seriously injured. Some had lost their arms, and some had lost their legs. Many bandages were wrapped around their bodies.

    The second carriage then arrived. Just like the first carriage, the faces of the soldiers were very gloomy and dark, and they looked depressed. Many were seriously injured.

    After the second carriage entered, the gate immediately closed.

    "That''s... that''s all? Where are the others?" Only two carriages arrived, far too few inparison to the number that left.

    "W-were they left behind?"

    "That''s impossible; the gate is already closed."

    "But there were about 200 of them, and now there are only a few. What happened?"

    After every carriage entered and the gate was closed, Mathias stopped, as did the other carriages.

    "EVERYONE LISTEN UP! We''ve solved the problem in the Barkaley region''s dungeon! Out of the total four troops that departed, only one troop survived! Please check on your respective families! For those whose family members are dead, report to the Baron immediately, and you will receivepensation money!"

    Everyone was silent... It was like they couldn''t ept the fact that only a few returned.

    Then in 5...

    4...

    3...

    2...

    1...

    Someone throws down the jag, breaking the silence.

    "AAAAAAAH!!!"

    Everyone immediately panicked, going over to the carriage the soldiers were riding. Checking on their families and calling out their names.

    "BABY! BABY! WHERE ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!"

    "Daddy! Daddy!"

    "My son! I''m looking for my son Kolt! Has anyone seen him!"

    "Darling! Darling! Your baby was already born!"

    "Where are you! My son! Where are you?!"

    "MY GRANDSON ALBERT! ANSWER ME! ALBERT! ALBERT!"

    Children, adults, and the elderly ran around checking on their family members. Even old women with frail bodies were now forcing themselves to call out the names of their loved ones¡ªpeople who went to the dungeon to get food for them.

    "nche, what are you doing?" Petrone and Maurice got off the carriage. But nche just sat there, covering her face with her hands.

    "I can''t... I can''t bear this sight."

    Petrone pulled nche''s hand hard, and then, right in front of her face, she shouted

    "What?! Can''t?! You''re a priest, right?! If you can''t help them, you should at least see it! Face it! They are the families of the people who fought alongside us! You have to see it through to the end!"

    Petrone let go of nche''s hand. Then she turned around.

    Now nche, with a trembling body, came off the carriage, and then she raised her head.

    She saw people crying in despair, shouting the names of their loved ones over and over again even though they weren''t there.

    nche also saw people who had met their families, hugging with relief and crying.

    Then nche saw the 10-year-old boy, who had been screaming and calling out to his father.

    "DAD! DAAAAD!!! DAAAD!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!! DAAD!!!"

    The boy had already checked each carriage three times. He kept looking, hoping he didn''t see him because he missed his father.

    "DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?! DID YOU ALREADY GET OFF THE TRAIN?!" Now he tried searching through the crowd. The boy''s and nche''s eyes met as the boy looked around. The boy then approached nche and holding her hand.

    "Sister! Did you see my father?"

    nche held her breath... She couldn''t bear to look at this child''s innocent face, nor could she say anything to him.

    "Wha...what did your father look like?" asked nche while holding back her tears.

    "He had short, brown hair. He had a scar on his cheek. He always had a smile on his face, and he was a good man!"

    nche covered her mouth, holding back her tears as much as she could. Looking at nche, Petrone was disgusted, so she approached the child.

    "Hey, kiddo, have you looked at the carriage carefully?" Petrone said in a harsh tone.

    The boy nodded.

    "I did, but dad wasn''t there, so maybe dad already got off and was looking for me too."

    Petrone let out a long sigh.

    "Haaaah"

    Then Petrone ducked down so the child could see her face without looking up.

    "Listen kid-"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "PETRONELLA!" nche yelled, begging for her to stop.

    But no, Petrone didn''t hear her.

    With a solemn expression on her face...

    Petrone said it clearly and coldly.

    "Your father is dead. He''s no longer in this world..."

    "¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Huh?"

    nche immediately pushed Petrone''s shoulder.

    "PETRONELLA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    "And how about you? What are you doing?! Things like this should be said in front of the person immediately!"

    "But there''s no need to say it like that. He''s still a child..."

    The boy''s face was now nk, as if he didn''t see anything in his eyes. He was as silent as a rock, then, after a while, he said

    "Liar..."

    nche immediately kneeled and hugged the child.

    "Please¡­ please¡­"

    The child immediately pushed nche''s body out of her embrace.

    "SISTER, YOU ARE LYING!"

    "I''m not lying," Petrone replied shortly.

    The child headed straight for Petrone.

    "YOU LIAR!" He ran into Petrone and bumped into Petrone''s stomach again and again with his hand.

    Petrone just stood still, taking the beating.

    "SIS, YOU ARE LYING! DAD PROMISED ME! HE SAID HE''D COME HOME! THEN WE''LL PLAY TOGETHER AGAIN! THE THREE OF US WILL MOVE TO THE CAPITAL TOGETHER! DAD IS A GOOD PERSON! HE IS NEVER LYING TO ME! THEN YOU MUST BE LYING!"

    "I''m not lying," Petrone replied again.

    "AAA!!! AAAAA!!! DAD CANNOT HAVE LIED! HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED HE''D COME HOME! SISTER IS A LIAR! A LIAR! A LIAAAR!"

    nche hugged the child from behind, holding his back to keep him from hitting Petrone.

    "Daddy... daddy¡­ he promised... daddy.... DAAAD!!!!"

    The child continued to rebel, wanting to hit Petrone more, but nche was now holding his body tightly.

    Then, from behind nche, she heard a trembling woman''s voice,

    "Vass... what are you doing..."

    nche, along with the child, looked back. It was the figure of a mother who was about five months pregnant.

    "Mooooom!"

    nche let go of the child. The child ran to her mother and hugged her.

    "MOTHER!!! DAD?! WHERE''S DAD?! WHERE''S DAD, MOM?!!"

    "Vasss... dad is gone, Vass..."

    "Daady!!! Daddy!!! Why! Why aren''t youing home?!"

    Petrone then approached the boy and yelled at him.

    "Dad dad dad dad, you''re making so much noise. Your dad is no longer there! He did everything he could for you! For all of us! Because of those who died like your dad, we can all go home! You should be proud now!"

    The child now looked at Petrone with an angry face.

    "I don''t care! What''s the point?! Why did dad have to die?! Then... why...

    WHY DIDN''T YOU DIE INSTEAD!"

    "VASS!"

    Hearing that, Petrone immediately ran away, away from that ce.

    -PLAK

    nche pped Vass''s cheek hard in front of his mother.

    Vass immediately stopped crying, as did his mother, who was shocked by nche''s actions.

    "Don''t ever talk like that again, Vass. You''re a boy, and you have to be strong. Now that your father is gone, it''s your turn to take care of your mother and your sister!"

    nche then bowed her head to her mother.

    "I''m sorry."

    Then nche ran after Petrone.

    "BLANCHE, REMEMBER WE HAVE TO GATHER AT THE BARKALEY RESIDENCE TONIGHT!" Maurice shouted.

    "F*cking peasants, disturbing my nice sleep," said Leofric, who was lying down.

    Then Leofric raised his body and ordered Mathias.

    "Mathias, leave this here to Barkaley''s soldiers. I''ll go to Barkaley''s residence first. I''m tired, and we must imprison this boy quickly before he wakes up."

    "Yes, sir."

    They left.

    Petrone who ran away from there, looking for a quiet ce.

    Behind her, nche chased after her, shouting Petrone''s name again and again.

    "Petrone!"

    Then, when they reached the end of the gate, Petrone turned her body to face nche.

    "STOP FOLLOWING ME!"

    Her face looked annoyed and angry, she tried to hold back her tears, but they fell heavily from her eyes,

    "Pe-petrone,"

    Petrone curled up, covering her crying face.

    "It''s my fault anyway! It''s my fault for not being able to protect them all! I should have practiced more! I need to be able to cast spells faster! I need to protect everyone! HWAAAAA HAAAAAA!!!"

    nche approached Petrone, then hugged Petrone''s trembling body in tears...

    "You have done an excellent job, Petrone. The remaining 34 people were saved because of your strength."

    ...

    ...

    At the Barkaley residence, a girl was busy practicing dance with her teacher when suddenly someone opened the door.

    A maid with a panicked face entered.

    "What are you doing? You''re interrupting my precious study time, you''re ruining my concentration!" she scolded.

    "I... sincerely apologize,dy Jane. Mr Barkaley called, and it''s about your brother, mister Waldo."

    Hearing about her brother, Jane immediately smiled happily.

    "Brother is finally home?! I''ll be right there!"

    Jane, without changing her clothes, ran straight to Barkaley''s room.

    Then, when she got there, she opened the door forcefully, hoping to find her brother standing there, surprised.

    "BROTHEER!"

    But, the one standing there was not her brother, but a tall, sses-wearing man wearing red clothes.

    In that room, she saw her mother and father crying.

    "Brother?"

 Chapter 26 26 : Why Did You Tell Me Not To Hate Them When They Hate Me This Much?

    ?"Mo-mother, can you sleep next to me today?"

    Queen Orc rarely slept with him. Allen had forgotten thest time his mother had slept with him because it had happened so infrequently. There was still no Reig, and he was very afraid of sleeping alone this time. Allen hated the darkness because when everything went dark, the air got colder. A few nkets were not enough for Allen. The only one who could take away his real cold was his mother.

    It had been a long time since he had felt warmth; almost every night when his mother left, it started to feel very cold. That''s why he asked his mom to sleep with him. At least for that time.

    "Okay."

    Hearing his mother''s answer, Allen became very excited.

    "REALLY?! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO?!"

    He couldn''t even believe his mother had actually agreed to sleep with him. From the beginning, he didn''t expect his mother to agree at all. He just wanted to let her know that he didn''t like being alone.

    Allen and Queen Orcy down on the wooden frond. Allen looked at his mother and chuckled.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "I really wanted to sleep alone with mom, but now I don''t want to sleep for some reason."

    Allen felt nervous, and so did Queen Orc. They didn''t know what to do when they were already lying on the bed, which was supposed to be for sleeping.

    "Never mind, just sleep."

    Queen Orc turned her body in the opposite direction from Allen. Now Queen Orc slept with her back to Allen. Allen once again smiled widely. For him, it was the happiest moment of his life. There was nothing else he wanted more than those moments.

    Allen touched Queen Orc''s back. Then he slept on his side, facing the Queen Orc''s back.

    "It''s so warm..."

    Allen tried to remember everything he felt at that moment.

    "The smell of sweat, iron, leather armor, monster blood, and human blood... This is the smell of mother..."

    He didn''t like the smell, but because he had smelled it so many times, he got used to it and started to like it because it was his mother''s smell...

    Slowly... Allen closed his eyes and fell asleep.

    The queen orc, who already knew Allen was asleep, tried to leave. Monsters didn''t like being in that room, so Queen Orc wanted to move to sleep outside.

    -SET

    Allen, who was sleeping, grabbed Queen Orc''s hand. Queen looked at the sleeping Allen. In his sleep, Allen was delirious.

    "Don''t go anywhere... mother..." there was a little watering out of his closed eyes.

    "I have to go."

    Queen Orc slowly let go of Allen''s hand and left the room.

    Meanwhile, Allen''s soul fragment shouted for the Queen Orc, who went to the white light outside the room.

    "MOTHER! DON''T GO!!! I PLEASE! STAY HERE WITH ME!"

    Queen Orc looked behind, seeing Allen''s soul. Then she smile.

    "Allen, don''t hate humans, because you''re also a human"

    Queen Orc keeps walking outside the door.

    "MOTHEEER!!!!"

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Allen woke up from his dream with watering out of his eyes.

    He woke up in a small but tall room, about 10 meters high. The room had a stairway to go up, leading to a metal door. It was probably in some underground jail. There were traces of blood on the walls.

    The light that shone into the room came from the air vent at the very top of the wall.

    Around Allen, only wooden chairs and straws are scattered on the floor. He had been in the room for seven days. All he did was cry during those seven days, remembering his mother. Then every time he fell asleep, he dreamed of his mother. Now she was tired of crying; his eyes were starting to swell because crying was all he had done for the past seven days. Yes, that''s it; he didn''t eat anything; no one entered the room, and inside that, he ate only insects that happened to pass by.

    The room was so cold Allen constantly shivered because of it. Luckily, he had a long ck scarf that he found on the first night in this room. Feeling how warm the scarf was, Allen roughly knew who gave the scarf, more precisely, what the scarf was.

    ''Reig, thank you,'' Allen thought.

    Allen could feel it. Reig''s mana was connected to him, but that mana was currently locked, so he couldn''t do much. And for that reason, Reig never talks. Because of his fightst time, Reig could no longer emerge from Allen''s shadow, so at least Reig turned himself into a scarf to keep him warm.

    "Don''t hate humans, because you''re human too," Those were his mother''sst words.

    But strangely, he couldn''t remember when his mother had said that, even though he saw how her life had ended in his hands.

    "Why... why would mom say something like that? It was humans who killed you and ruined our lives,"

    The light in Alen''s eyes disappeared. He no longer cared about anything or what had happened to him.

    -KLICK

    Finally, after seven days, the metal door above opened.

    When the door opened, there was a quite fat, round man, apanied by five soldiers. Allen looked up, and their eyes met.

    "Wow, you''re still alive," the man said.

    The man then descended, followed by the other five people. In his hand, he held some kind of whip.

    Allen immediately retreated to the corner of the room. He looked at the door, looking for a way to escape. But there were also two soldiers guarding the door. Plus, he was starving, his body was very weak, and his mana was locked. So he gave up.

    The fat man and the soldiers behind him were finally in front of Allen. Then...

    -WHIP

    "ouch!"

    The man whipped Allen''s body.

    -WHIP

    -WHIP

    -WHIP

    He whipped him repeatedly, the frown on his face implying he was outraged. The whip scratched Allen''s skin, and his clothes were in tatters; all he did was stay still, bowing his body. After all, he didn''t really feel the pain. Just a scratch like that had no impact on Allen, so Allen ignored it.

    "Take this! Take this! Take this! This is because you killed Waldo, my son!"

    Then, after a few minutes, he stopped whipping. He took off his whip, and adjusted his clothes and hair.

    "Tie and take him," ordered the man to the soldiers.

    The soldiers tied Allen''s hands and feet. Allen, without resisting, just let them tie him up and take him.

    "If it weren''t for that man, I would have killed you!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    ? Since Leofric guaranteed his life, Leofric ordered Baron Barkaley not to kill Allen. For that reason, at least Barkaley locked him up in a room without feeding him. If Allen died on his own, then Barkaley had not vited anything.

    "That guy must know that he won''t die even if he doesn''t eat for seven days," said the fat man, the Barony of Barkaley.

    Arriving outside the room, Allen raised his head.

    ''It''s bright, so this is the outside world."

    Unlike in the dungeon, in the outside world, something was shining above the sky, the sun. Allen looked at it for a long time.

    Besides being bright, he could see many trees, houses, and some buildings far beyond the fence. Then Allen looked to the other side, and there was even a bigger building than the others. It was the Barkaley residence. The Barkaley residence was located on higher ground, so he could see the peasant''s house from there.

    "Hey! Keep move!" one of the soldiers kicked his body to get going.

    Allen was led towards the house. In front of the house, there was a horse-drawn carriage carrying an iron cage, like a cage for carrying wild animals, in which there was a chain to bind the animal. And besides that, there were three more horse-drawn carriages. One of the carriages was the Litter, an expensive carriage designed for nobles. And the other horse carriage was an ordinary horse carriage. Around the carriage, about 30 soldiers were standing.

    Just as Allen approached the cage, someone opened the door forcefully from inside the house.

    It was a girl who looked a little older than Allen. The girl ran towards Allen and then

    -STAB

    "AAAKH!"

    She stabbed Allen in the left abdomen with a knife.

    The soldiers immediately pulled the girl away, holding her back from doing anything further.

    "JANE! STOP!" said the Barony, angrily

    "HOW DARE! HOW DARE YOU KILL BROTHER!!! DIE! DIE YOU!"

    Allen sat down, shivering,

    Barony immediately ordered the soldiers to call a medic.

    "Damn, if this kid dies, that guy will kill me," said the baron.

    As for Jane, she kept shouting.

    "DIE!!! DIE!!! DIE YOU, MURDERER!"

    Two maids ran out of the house, approaching Jane. Then the Barony ordered the soldiers to put Jane in her room.

    "Put her in her room, and lock the door."

    Two medics arrived and bandaged Allen''s wounds.

    "Is he still alive?" asked Barony.

    The medics remained silent.

    "How?!" Barony asked again in a higher tone.

    "Surprisingly, yes, Lord Barkaley. The knife didn''t even go very deep. Apparently, it wasn''t strong enough to enter his stomach. His body is very hard."

    The people there were surprised by the medic''s answer.

    "I see¡­ so it''s just like the prince said¡ªhe''s a monster. Hurry up and put him in the cage. We will head out immediately."

    After bandaging his wounds, Allen was put in a cage, his hands and feet were chained, and then they departed.

    The carriage passed through the residential area on its way to deliver Allen to the residence of Earl Wolverlope, whose territory was west of Barkley''s.

    Earlier, on the day Leofric and Mathias came to his residence, Leofric ordered them to send Allen to Wolverlope''s residence. It was the only ce that Leofric could trust to hide Allen. Barony Barkaley came along to greet Earl Wolverlope.

    They walked through the peasant''s house. Many people were gathered beside the road to see the barony carriage.

    "Hey, order the soldiers to move to the front," said Barony Barkaley to his aide, who was sitting in front of him.

    "Uh, why, sir? We also need guards at the back."

    "Just do it!"

    As his aide was about to get off, Barony immediately added his order.

    "One more thing, open the kid''s cage. No need to use the bars. Let him overheat there,"

    The aide got off the carriage, ordered the soldier to open the cage''s bars, and asked the soldiers to move to the front.

    They resumed their departure.

    Inside the iron cage, Allen was silent, sitting, looking at the sun, and thinking of his mother''s ambiguousst moments in his head¡ªherst words that were stuck in his head.

    "Live" and "don''t hate humans."

    Suddenly, from the side, a fist-sized stone hit Allen''s head.

    "Ugh!" The stone scraped Allen''s scalp and caused blood to flow out of his head. Although it didn''t hurt much, it made Allen angry, and he immediately looked in the direction the stone was thrown.

    He saw a little boy.

    A child much smaller than him was crying.

    It was that child who threw the stone at him.

    Seeing his crying, Allen''s angry face faded.

    "Give it back..." muttered the child,

    The boy then picked up the stone again and threw it at Allen again. This time, Allen dodged the stone.

    "GIVE ME BACK MY FATHER, YOU MONSTEER!!!"

    The face that the boy made pierced Allen''s heart; it was the same face that Lavinia had made when seeing him in the goblin''s room.

    Seeing what the boy did, the other people around cried too...

    They picked up stones and threw them to Allen.

    "GIVE ME BACK MY SON!"

    "GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND!"

    "MY GRANDSON! MY GRANDSON! GIVE ME BACK MY GRANDSON!"

    Everyone looked at him with that face¡ªa face of deep hatred followed by sadness that brought tears to their eyes.

    Allen covered his head with his hands to block the stones thrown at him and to turn away from those faces.

    Then Allen, crying, murmured

    "Why, mother... Why did you tell me not to hate them when they hate me this much?"

 Chapter 27 27 : Capital City Of Wildenhall Kingdom

    ?The Capital City of the Wildenhall Kingdom.

    It was located in the central-western region of the Wildenhall territory.

    Unlike the Barkaley''s region, which was only up to 200 square kilometers, the capital was almost ten times that size, andrge and high walls surrounded the city. Almost everywhere, there were gatekeepers standing guard on the walls. The wall surrounding the capital had three gates to enter. The main gate for entry is in the west; the east gate is for the exit; and the north gate of the street is for the royal nobles. Each gate had a post under the entrance to data the people who entered the capital city. The city gates are open daily, as merchants and travelers enter and exit almost every day. The gates close at 9 p.m.; after that time, visitors must enter through the small door beside the gates.

    The capital city was now very busy. In a month, there would be a whitmoon festival, often called pentecoste by the peasants in the capital. During that festival, the youngest prince, the fourteenth prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall, would be baptized on that day. Many merchants from all over the region and even other states also entered the kingdom; because of that, the east gate was also used to enter merchants and travelers, with the condition that after entering, they were not allowed to leave until the festival ended.

    That afternoon at the west gate, people still queuing to enter were now ordered by the soldiers to stay away,

    "Hey, what''s going on? We''ve been waiting in line since this morning!"

    People protested because their horse-drawn carriages were told to get out of the way for no apparent reason.

    "I will not apologize. This time there is a priority carriage that will pass," said the head of the gate guards, as well as one of the royal knights.

    "Huh? Who needs to be prioritized?"

    The knight pointed his sword at the protesting merchant and said:

    "Shut your mouth and just do it,"

    The de scratched his cheek slightly. He then got scared and pushed his cart aside, followed by others who also moved aside. They were now looking straight at the horse-drawn carriage at the end of the road that kept moving. The carriage was striking and different from the other carriages, with a litter covered in blue cloth and a royal crest on the carriage''s roof. It was the royal family''s carriage, and everyone immediately lowered their heads and put their hands on their chests.

    The carriage passed leisurely, and when it reached the gate, it stopped, and the window opened,

    Mathias spoke up and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

    It was the carriage that Leofric had used to visit the Barkaley''s residence earlier.

    But there was something strange about the carriage. The right side of the carriage was covered in a small amount of blood that seemed to be sttered, which made the merchants and guards wonder.

    "W-what happened, sir?" the gatekeeper asked Mathias.

    "Oh, about this? There was a group of bandits attacking on the way here," Mathias exined.

    "I see, poor thing... those bandits."

    Mathias paused slightly at the man''s words, thinking he was trying to make a joke, but it wasn''t funny.

    "In that case, why did you go through the main gate instead of the north gate?"

    "Your highness does not wish to meet the nobles for now; he is not in a good mood."

    "I see. Then please pass, sir."

    Mathias closed the window again, and the carriage moved on.

    The carriage entered the city, and the people around it noticed it. There were no special reservations to be made, but everyone who saw that carriage immediately put their hands on their chests and bowed their heads.

    After walking a few kilometers, they came to the center of the city and the magnificent castle where the royal family lived, especially the king and queen. The castle was vast and tall. You could see the court all over the city, and a 3-meter-high wall also surrounded the castle. The castle gatekeeper came out and saluted the iing carriage. Inside the wall was the main road leading straight to the castle. The main street was decorated with cypress trees growing on the sides of the road. There are grass and flower gardens all around. The flowers were taken care of by the royal gardeners. So almost everywhere, there were people taking care of the gardens, and they had now stopped working to salute Leofric''s carriage that was passing by.

    Then they finally arrived in front of the castle.

    Inside the carriage, there were Mathias and Leofric. When they arrived, they were greeted by ten maids and one butler in front of the stairs. By the way, the entrance to the castle was very high; there were 30 steps to climb the stairs to get inside.

    Mathias got out of the carriage and greeted the butler. Then Mathias returned to the carriage and knocked on the door.

    "Sir, we''ve arrived."

    Leofric woke up from his sleep. He was no longer wearing armor. He wore a blue tunic that was not too luxurious; luxurious tunics were usually heavy and ufortable to sleep with.

    "Heit, we''re here."

    "Hmmm... wait a minute¡­"

    It turned out that Leofric wasn''t the only one inside the train. Another person was sleeping on Leofric''sp. A little girl with short, fluffy white hair. She also wore a blue-colored dress, which covered her body up to her thighs.

    The girl was the human form of Heit.

    -PUM

    Leofric hit her head,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "OUCH!"

    Then Leofric forcibly removed Heit''s body and got out of the carriage.

    "UGH... master, you should learn how to take care of ady,"

    Leofric ignored him. Heit got up and got off the train. Heit didn''t walk, her feet didn''t touch the ground for 10 centimeters. She was an adfeqtus reliqua who had a match with the spirit of the wind, without the spirit''s help, she could fly even if it were only a few centimeters.

    It wasn''t just the maids who greeted her; another person, a woman, was standing on the stairs.

    "Wee," she said.

    "LIL SIS ALICIA!!!" Heit approached the woman and hugged her tightly.

    "Heit, long time no see," said the woman.

    Leofric snorted, not liking that the woman had picked him up.

    "What are you here for, Sister?" said Leofric.

    She was the Third Prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom, Her Highness, Alicia Regina Wildenhall. The king''s sons and even daughters were officially called prince in the kingdom.

    "To chit-chat, we are siblings but rarely speak."

    Even though Alicia is older than Leofric, Leofric is much taller than her. She was about 25 years old, one year older than Leofric. Her hair was also yellow-gold, and her eyes were bright green. She was wearing a luxurious long robe, around which was attached some jewelry, her head was covered by a transparent wimple, while the back of her hair was put in a ponytail and tied with a rope, dangling down to the floor. Her voice was soft, and her demeanor was graceful. She was indeed the embodiment of a royal princess in a fairy tale.

    "You''re not cut out for jokes, so what do you need?"

    The smile on Alicia''s face disappeared.

    "I''ve already heard about it. Why do you insist on doing a dungeon raid? You brought 200 people with you. How could a dungeon raid bepleted with just 200 people? Your previous raid alone required 1000bined soldiers and padium-rank explorers. And in the end, only 300 people survived. That''s why the council banned dungeon raids for a while. Our troops were greatly reduced. Then, in yourst raid, I heard you failed. How many are still alive?"

    Leofric continued walking, passing Alicia.

    "I don''t know, about 30 people."

    "Only 30... you really wasted a lot of lives just for your selfish desires, poor thing. It would be best if you stopped doing things like this, Leofric. How many floors have you finished?"

    "One floor."

    Hearing that, Alicia was immediately shocked,

    "!!! What''s going on?"

    At least with adfeqtus reliqua, Leofric should have been able to keep going until the 6th floor alone. But even with that weapon, he had onlypleted the first floor.

    "Huh, no... why should I? it is so troublesome. Just read the report from Mathiaster."

    Leofric moved away from her, followed by Heit, who walked (hovered) behind him. Alicia then turned around and asked,

    "Isn''t it because you already have adfeqtus reliqua that you''re trying topete with big brother Eldritch?"

    Alicia''s words brought Leofric''s steps to a halt.

    "The f*ck?" said Leofric, looking back with an annoyed face.

    Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall, the first prince of the Wildenhall kingdom and crown prince. He was the only one in the kingdom, or perhaps the world, who had conquered more than one dungeon. He has currentlypleted three dungeons. In his first raid, hepleted the dungeon with only 100 supply soldiers and five mithril-rank explorers. Then, after getting his first adfeqtus reliqua, hepleted the dungeon with only three Demonite-rank explorers. Then in his third dungeon, he was able toplete it alone. A genius among genii, people called him the strongest among luminite-ranked explorers, and some explorers called him Painite-ranked, an unofficial rank created by explorers after luminite.

    "So It is true¡­ If you really want to defeat him, don''t take other people''s lives with you. Just do it alone. I don''t want people to die just because of your envy."

    "AA AAA AAAA Okay okay! I''m already tired. Let''s talkter," said Leofric, who was already annoyed and didn''t care about what Alicia said.

    Leofric entered the castle, leaving Alicia outside.

    "I''ve juste¡­ why should I get annoyed like this? I never liked that woman."

    "Really? Heit likes her, the idealistic and good naive girl,"

    "Whatever"

    Leofric, who was already upset because his name had been spread after only finishing one floor, was made even worse when Alicia mentioned his eldest brother, Eldritch.

 Chapter 28 28 : Rachelss Secret

    ?"I can''t wait to see him again."

    The girl smiled in front of the mirror. She sat in a chair while brushing her long, light brown, wavy hair.

    "Youngdy, I can fix that for you," said the maid behind her, who had dark blue hair and ck eyes. Her hair was short and covered by a maid''s wimple. But her bangs are still visible; they cover her forehead, and some hair on the side covers her ears.

    "Rachel, don''t bother me! I can do it myself!" the girl snapped at the maid.

    Rachel was not offended at all by being yelled at by the girl, as she was yelled at by the girl almost every day. Instead, she smiled at the girl, who was happilybing her hair.

    "No, I will help you. What if Mr. Barkaleyes byter and finds that your hairdo and makeup are not good?" said Rachel, the maid.

    "So you''re saying you''re better at hairdos than me? I am a noble. I can do everything!"

    "Of course I am. I am your maid, after all," replied Rachel proudly.

    The girl bowed her head, thought for a while, and then handed theb to Rachel.

    "Huh! That doesn''t mean I''m admitting you''re better;moners are there to serve nobles from the start! So don''t think I''m losing to you," said the girl.

    "Thank you, mydy..." Rachel continuedbing her hair.

    ___My name is Rachel, only Rachel. My family has been maids and/or servants of the family of Earl Boldenville for generations. I am the personal maid of the Boldenville family''s only daughter, Felicia Ayde Boldenville. I''ve been serving Lady Felicia since she was a baby. I even saw her birth when my mother helped Lady Ayde give birth to her.

    Unfortunately, because Lord Boldenville wanted a son, he didn''t pay much attention to her, and she became a lonely child. Lady Ayde''s demeanor grew colder and colder because Lord Boldenville''s rejection was too big and affected Lady Ayde. It was because Lady Ayde was 40 years old now, and the possibility of having more children was getting smaller and smaller. So it was likely that Lady Felicia would be the sessor to the Boldenville family, even though the lord wanted to pass it on to a son.

    I, who always apanied Lady Felicia, couldn''t do much for her. I was a nobody from the start, just a servant, amoner who couldn''t possibly do anything for the nobles.

    Lady Felicia was getting more and more gloomy by the day. She had to learn many things as a sessor. She needs to learn about nobles'' manners and how to be beautiful. All so that her father could make her valuable to the Boldenville family in the future.

    Then, at her birthday party, many nobles arrived, introducing their sons to Felicia as potential husbands. I could see Lady Felicia''s face forcing a smile, and she looked like she was going to vomit.

    Poor thing, she was only ten years old, but she was already being forced to follow the noble tradition. At that time, I immediately brought Lady Felicia''s favorite tea and advised her to go out for some fresh air. But she refused. She couldn''t leave the nobles who were talking to her.

    "I''m the earl''s daughter, you know! I''ll show father that I''m a useful daughter!" she shouted.

    But no, everything she did was in vain as she identally fell while she was dancing. Her body was pale, and her leg must have been injured. But the nobles who saw her, instead of helping her, theyughed at her. More precisely, they probably onlyughed in their hearts. There was no way they couldugh at the earl''s daughter.

    Lord Boldenville came over to Felicia, who had fallen. Seeing her father, Felicia immediately apologized, but her father looked at her with a disgusted and disappointed face.

    "Get out of here, you''re embarrassing me," her father said.

    As a result, Felicia stood up, bowed her head, and walked out the door.

    "I want to get some fresh air first," she said at the time, a girl who was still ten years old. She was now not even selfish and was still thinking of how she could get out of the party without damaging her father''s dignity.

    After that, I followed Lady Felicia; I remember her standing in front of the fountain in the park. The moonlight shone on her beauty, and I could see watering out of her eyes.

    "Rachel, go away," she said in a shrill, trembling voice.

    I left. She must have needed some time alone to cry so hard. I couldn''t bear to see thedy''s face like that either.

    That night, Lady did not return to the party. Without me knowing, she went back to her room alone and slept.

    The next day, when she woke up, I thought that she would be despondent and her eyes would be swollen from crying, but it turned out that her face was radiant. She ended up meeting a man that night. She happily talked about that man who hade to keep herpany that night and talk to her. He was ten years older than her, the first son of the Barony Barkaley family, Mr. Waldo Barkaley.

    After that, Mr. Waldo often visited Lady Felicia. It looks like that night, they promised to meet once a week for as long as Mr. Waldo stayed in the Boldenville region.

    Lady was happy every day, studying hard and eating well. That night, she told me how excellent Mr. Waldo was. Even though I saw that Mr. Waldo didn''t see her as a woman, I hope Lady Felicia''s love will reciprocate someday.

    At 12, she asked her father to betroth her to Waldo. And surprisingly, the Lord agreed. I don''t know what possessed Lord Boldenville, but as long as Lady Felicia was happy, that was enough for me.

    Then today... we were at the residence of Earl Wolverlope.

    The Wolverlope family had been very friendly with Boldenville for a long time. Lady Felicia is currently studying under the guidance of Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope about her overflowing mana. Nobles are impressive; even before being baptized, at age 10, Lady Felicia had already received her God''s blessing. Lady might turn out to be a genius in the future.

    "Hey, what took you so long?"

    I was daydreaming whilebing her hair.

    "Ah, sorry,dy. I will now put on your wimple."

    Today,dy also looked happy. Because the Barkaleys areing to Wolverlope''s house today to deliver something from the royal family, Prince Leofric.

    "Already done. You look wonderful,dy,"

    "Of course! Who do you think I am?!" She prided herself while smiling at the mirror, so cute.

    The sound of a horse-drawn carriage came from outside.

    "Lady, it might be Mr. Barkaley," I said.

    Then excitedly, thedy lifted her dress off the ground and ran out the door.

    "?"

    No, after she went out, she stopped and came back.

    "What are you doing? You''re my maid, right? Come quickly," she said.

    As we were about to go out, I could see from the window that the reception was strangely attended not only by the maid but also by ten soldiers.

    There''s something strange.

    "Stop, Lady."

    "What''s wrong? Let''s hurry!"

    "Lady, please wait with Lady Isabelle in the main room. I''ll take a look outside first."

    "That''s right, Waldo will be surprised when he sees me!"

    She happily left alone.

    While I went out, I also waited at the door with the earl''s soldiers.

    Four carriages wereing. It seemed like this wasn''t an ordinary visit.

    Then one of the carriages was strange. It was carrying arge box covered with a ck cloth. What was in that box?

    I got into the servants'' line. The carriage arrived, and a fat man in fancy clothes came out from inside one of the carriages. He must be Baron Barkaley.

    We, the maids, all bowed our heads and said, "Wee to the home of Earl Wolverlope."

    The baron raised his hand, and then the maid raised their heads again and began to pick up the things in the carriage. Meanwhile, the ck box was carried by the soldiers, who didn''t know where it went.

    But I didn''t see Mr. Waldo get out of the carriage. That was strange. Lord Waldo should havee because it was a meeting between the baron and the earl.They should have brought their sessor with them to meet the higher nobles.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I immediately approached the lord baron, ced my hand on my chest, and bowed my body slightly.

    "Sir, may you be granted safety. I am the personal maid of Felicia Ayde Boldenville, daughter of Earl Boldenville."

    "Yes, what does the Earl''s maid require of me?" asked Lord Baron.

    I felt ufortable talking to him, like he was in a bad mood.

    "Thank you for serving me, sir. As you know, the daughter of the Boldenville family is engaged to your son, and she is currently inside. I wanted to ask if there was any reason why Mr. Waldo couldn''te."

    Then there was something strange on his face.

    Was she crying?

    No, his face was a little angry, and her tears only came out a little.

    "Waldo died in the raid dungeon one week ago. Is that all? Then go away, I want to meet the earl immediately."

    !!!

    What?

    What?

    What does that mean?

    Mr. Waldo has passed away?

    Why?

    And how?

    Does it have something to do with the Barkaley dungeon raid mission yesterday?

    But...

    How is this...

    What should I do?

    If Mr. Waldo is dead, then what will happen to Lady Felicia?

    What should I tell her?

    I can''t...

    I don''t want to see thedy''s sad and gloomy face again.

    ___ Five people in the baron''s entourage entered the residence. The baron, his aide, his personal knight, and two servants behind him. Rachel followed behind the servants.

    Wolverlope''s residence was quiterge, spanning up to 2 kilometers with a height of up to 3 floors. The main meeting room was on the second floor.

    Then on the second floor, there was a maid guarding the door. When the baron and Rachel''s party arrived. The maid opened the door, and they went inside.

    The interior was magnificent; the room was covered in brown paint, and the wooden tables were neatly arranged in front of therge windows. The floor was covered with a thick red carpet. The walls were decorated with flowers and paintings.

    On the left and right sides of the room, there were long sofas, as well as one in front of the door. Baron Barkaley sat on the sofa in front of the door, followed by his aide. Meanwhile, his personal knight stood beside him, and the maid who followed him stood behind him.

    In front of them, there was a table. Behind it was arge chair,rger than an ordinary one. Earl Isabelle, Isabelle Brower Wolverlope, sat there. Her body was fat, very fat. She was wearing a luxurious green robe with all kinds of jewelry and trinkets attached to it. Her hair was dark yellow, and her eyes were dark brown. In her right hand, she held a cigar.

    Felicia looked around at the guests but didn''t see Waldo. So she bluntly asked the baron.

    "Is Mr. Waldo noting?" she asked.

    ''Lady, please don''t,'' thought Rachel, who didn''t want Felicia to know that her fianc¨¦ had actually passed away.

    Baron Barkaley, who had ced his hand on her knee, now squeezed it hard, his face downcast. The Baron knew that Felicia was very fond of his son Waldo. That''s why he felt he couldn''t say it in front of Felicia.

    ''What should I do? I don''t wantdy to return to how she was before!'' Rachel continued to think, wondering what solution she coulde up with to keep Felicia''s precious smile.

    Barkaley, who had found it hard to say, felt Felicia should know about it, and after all, Felicia had been known for her maturity since her birthday party, so Barkaley thought it might be okay if he said it. Barkaley opened his mouth and said,

    "Waldo, my son¡­

    he''s already-"

    "MR. WALDO IS STILL ON A MISSION! He''s on a dungeon raid overseas, in a faraway ce!" his words were cut off by the maid standing behind him, Rachel.

    Barkaley immediately looked sharply at Rachel with an astonished, confused face.

    After thinking about what Rachel had said, baron looked back at Felicia.

    "That''s right... He''s out of the kingdom. Unfortunately, he won''t be home until four or five years," baron said, following Rachel''s adlib. Baron also believed that it was the best choice for the girl.

    "Huh? Why¡­ why I didn''t know everything about it?"

    "Sorry,dy. This is Prince Leofric''s order."

    I see... Too bad. I wanted to meet him¡­" Felicia said disappointedly, with a gloomy face.

    "Then, until hees home, I''ll be a betterdy and wife for him! I''ll learn to control mana and go on dungeon adventures with Master Waldo!" said Felicia excited with big smile on her face.

    Rachel covered her mouth, holding back tears. The same was true for Barkaley, who continued to cling to his knees. Water welled up in his eyes again. Both were unable to look at Felicia''s innocent face.

    "Felicia..." Earl Isabelle spoke, she took a puff of her cigar and then exhaled.

    "Leave us alone. We have something important to talk about."

    Felicia immediately got off the sofa, raising the bottom of her robes to salute Isabelle.

    "Okay, please continue the meeting, auntie," Felicia said.

    Felicia and Rachel then left the room together.

    ...

    ''For the first time, I lied tody... There''s no way¡­ there''s no way I can telldy that.''

    After leaving the room, Felicia exited the building.

    "What''s wrong,dy?" Rachel asked Felicia.

    "Since I didn''t meet Mr. Waldo today, I''m toozy to study. Today, let''s take a trip to the city."

    ''Sorry,dy, I lied. Mr. Waldo will nevere home. But at least I''ll try to hide it until she''s older, then I''ll tell her, and then I''ll ept whatever punishment Lady gives me.''

 Chapter 29 29 : End Of Prolog

    ?Wolverlope residence

    To avoid disturbing the meeting between Earl Wolverlope and Baron Barkaley, Felicia and Rachel left the room.

    Felicia was upset and a little disappointed that she hadn''t been told about her fianc¨¦, Waldo Barkaley, who had to conquer a dungeon far away. To ease her frustration, Felicia was about to wander around the town, buying food and clothes that she liked.

    Just as they were about to open the door, a loud bang was heard next to the house, like arge, heavy thing falling. Felicia and Rachel went straight to the source of the sound.

    Next to the Earl''s manor house, there was a horse parking lot. There was a small house for the horse. At the far end, near the fence, was arge tree under which wooden chairs and tables were set up. That was where the guest drivers rested, waiting for their masters toe out.

    Ten Barkaley family soldiers were standing around arge box with a ck cloth on it in the field. It turned out that the horse carrying the ck box went berserk and made the box fall. As a result, one of the soldiers was half crushed.

    Felicia immediately approached them.

    "You ipetentmoners! You can''t even do your job," Felicia yelled.

    When they saw Felicia, they immediately moved away and saluted her.

    "This isn''t the time to do that. Look, your friend could get hurt!" she said again.

    "Yes, My Lady!"

    Together, they lifted the heavy box. Because the box was crumpled, the ck cloth covering the box slipped off.

    It turned out that the box was not a box. It was a cage for animals and monsters.

    Inside the cage was a human¡ªa small child with long ck hair wearing shabby clothes. He was just curled up and silent in there.

    "Who... who is this?!" shouted Felicia.

    Everyone, including the workers, was shocked. The soldiers immediately rushed to cover it again with the ck cloth.

    "Sorry, My Lady, we must keep this a secret until today''s meeting ends. This is an order from Prince Leofric.

    "That guy again¡­''

    "Hmph! I''ll turn a blind eye to that, but..."

    Felicia approached the crushed soldier. There were abrasions on his hands, and it seemed like the crush had hurt so much that he could hardly move.

    "Everyone get out of my way," said Felicia, walking toward that soldier.

    In the back, Rachel rushed forward, about to stop Felicia.

    "Lady, let''s leave it to the medic."

    "No, this person is in pain right now. Rachel, give it to me."

    "Yes, My Lady,"

    Rachel handed a small knife to her, like a scalpel, with the family crest of Earl Boldenville engraved on the handle.

    Felicia cut her index finger with it.

    She dripped her blood on the ground. After that, various beautiful flowers emerged from the ground where she had shed blood. Felicia then dripped her blood around the soldier, and the flowers grew around him.

    "Now you are inside my flower garden."

    The flowers glowed. And finally, Felicia dripped her essence into the center, above the soldier. Light poured out from where Felicia dripped her blood like waves, covering everything inside Felicia''s flower garden.

    "Wh-what''s going on?" asked one of the soldiers who saw it.

    He was confused by the phenomenon in front of him because he didn''t see Felicia drawing orders for the spirits. Instead, she was dripping blood, and suddenly flowers appeared out of the ground. That means this wasn''t amnis, but...

    "This is Lady Felicia''s God''s blessing," said Rachel. Then Rachel, with a worried face, thought

    ''Lady''s God''s blessing is that she can grow nts from the ground by dripping her blood. When she was ten years old, she once fell off a horse-drawn carriage, but strangely, when thedy''s blood dripped onto the ground, various nts grew. Lately, she learned to use her God''s blessings with her teacher in Earl Wolverlope. It turns out that every drop of her blood is filled with mana that can create a flower garden, and everything inside the flower garden would be healed. That was exined by Thurstan Brewster, Felicia''s teacher and one of Earl Wolverlope''s knights. But the problem is...''

    in just a few seconds, maybe 20 seconds. The flowers withered and died. Felicia was panting; her body was sweaty, and she looked tired.

    The soldier who was injured earlier was now able to get up and stand freely.

    "WOAH!!! I don''t feel any pain at all. It''s like my whole body is reborn."

    "So this is Lady Felicia''s God''s Blessing, but why does mydy look very tired?"

    Rachel was holding Felicia''s body.She took out a glove and wiped Felicia''s injured finger, then thought

    ''The problem is that she expended far too much mana just to heal, which can be done by ordinary doctors or fire-type healing amnis. And she can only use this God''s blessing once a day. The flower and light she created consume much of her mana and make her faint.''

    The warrior looked at Felicia with pity. People already knew about the rumor that Earl Boldenville''s daughter''s blessing was useless, but they didn''t really know what it meant until now.

    Breathing heavily, Felicia said

    "What...what are you guys doing?! I''ve gone to all this trouble. Howe I didn''t hear a single thank?"

    All the soldiers immediately put their hands on their chests and bowed.

    "Thank you, My Lady! May God bless the Boldenville family!" they shouted in unison.

    The healed soldier approached Felicia, knelt, grabbed her ankles, and kissed it. It was the highest form of respect from a soldier to a noble.

    "Thank you very much, My Lady. Your ability is truly God''s best gift to the best person."

    Felicia smiled, as did Rachel.

    "Hmph! This kind of thing is just a small thing to me; praise me more!" said Felicia, smiling proudly with heavy breath.

    Seeing Felicia''s boastful reaction, the soldier and Rachel looked at each other andughed.

    "Oh, so that kid is locked up in there."

    From behind came a woman''s voice, familiar to Felicia, the fat woman holding the cigar, the Earl of Wolverlope, Isabelle Browet Wolverlope.

    "Aunt Isabelle?!" Felicia forced herself to stand up straight and then lifted her dress.

    After that, the soldiers also joined in greeting the Earl.

    Isabelle walked over. Behind her were her personal knight and five other soldiers. Beside the Earl was the Barony that also with his personal knight.

    After approaching, the Earl raised his right hand, indicating that he had received his respect and no longer needed to bow his head.

    "Remove the cloth." The earl said.

    "But mydy, Prince Leofric asked us to keep the whereabouts of this child a secret," Barony said frantically.

    "This child has been handed over to me. Now his rights are with me. Lil Leofric''s orders are useless now. Besides, the people here seem to have seen him.

    Theo, open it for me."

    "Yes, My Lady."

    Theobauld Cosyngton, one of Earl Isabelle''s two personal knights. His body was muscr, and he wore a warrior''s leather winter armor. His short spiked hair was dark red, while his eyes were dark blue. There was a scar that scratched his face near his chin.

    He approached the cloth-covered cage and pulled back the cloth. Everyone could now see the kid inside it, Allen.

    He was still there, hugging his knees and bowing his face.

    "Where is the key?" Isabelle pointed her hand at Barony. Barony immediately rushed to hand over the key.

    "My Lady, Be careful, the boy may be calm now, but he is a monster who has killed many people," said Barony, who saw Isabelle walking towards the cage.

    Isabelle did not care.

    "Do not doubt any of Lady Isabelle''s actions," said Theobauld to Barony. Theobauld follows Isabelle behind her.

    Isabelle opened the cage and called out to the boy,

    "Hey, boy."

    Allen was silent.

    "How long are you going to keep silent?"

    Allen remained silent, not answering.

    "Fyuuuh..." Isabelle exhaled cigar smoke and handed the cigar she was holding to one of the soldiers behind her.

    Isabelle then pulled the scarf that Allen was wearing, forcefully.

    "Rancid boy! Listen to me-"

    -GRAB

    "Ugh!"

    Allen grasped Isabelle''s hand very firmly, then said<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t take Reig from me!" Allen lifted his face, looking at Isabelle with glowing red eyes, and was furious.

    -SWING

    From outside, a sword de was somehow inside the cage, almost cutting off Allen''s hand that was grasping Isabelle''s wrist.

    "Keep your filthy hands off of Lady Isabelle," Theobauld said with an angry face as well.

    "How¡­how did the sword get in?!" One of the soldiers was surprised that Theobauld''s sword didn''t enter horizontally in the shes of the bars; instead, he shed through them diagonally.

    -CRACK

    Everyone could hear the sound of metal cracking. Theobauld had just sliced through the iron bars of Allen''s confinement with ease, so the metal shifting was heard a few secondster.

    Allen felt pain in his hand and was now forced to let go of his hand. Allen''s grip also injured Lady Isabelle''s wrist.

    "My Lady, are you alright?"

    "Of course not. What if this leaves a mark?

    Felicia, show me your skills. Heal this child and me at once."

    Hearing that, Rachel immediately protested.

    "Lady Isabelle! With all due respect, I beg you to refrain and ask the healer to heal your wounds! Lady Felicia has just-" Felicia tugged at Rachel''s shirt, asking her to stop,

    "It''s okay. I can heal a wound like that easily.

    Theobauld pulled Allen''s hand from outside, cing it next to Isabelle.

    Felicia split his wrist slightly; blood came out of it, and she surrounded Allen and Isabelle.

    "Is it okay if you cut it there? Aren''t you going to die?" Isabelle asked.

    "It''s okay, auntie. Because to me, my blood is my mana. When I arrived at this residence, I could control how much of my blood coulde out."

    "Impressive."

    As before, nts surrounded Allen and Isabelle, and they glowed. Isabelle''s arm and Allen''s hand slowly healed.

    After that, Felicia fell, her breathing became even heavier, and her sweat flooded her body.

    "Lady Felicia!" shouted Rachel, who immediately hugged Felicia''s fallen body.

    "I can, Rachel. Finally, I can use my God''s blessing twice a day," said Felicia, panting.

    "Lady Isabelle, I request permission to take Lady Felicia to her room."

    "Permission granted. Don''t forget to call Thurstan in his room to stabilize this child''s mana. You were permitted to use my name."

    "Thank you for your generosity."

    Then, after Rachel bowed her head and carried Felicia away, Isabelle said:

    "Wait a moment,

    Hmm? This child has a lot of scars on her body. Why aren''t these healed?" Isabelle asked.

    Since Felicia''s condition was not good, Rachel answered,

    "Maybe it''s because it''s a long-standing wound. Lady can only heal recent wounds," Rachel replied.

    "I see. You may leave."

    Rachel bowed her head once more and left.

    After Rachel and Felicia left, Theobauld now grasped Allen''s hair and pulled it until Allen''s face was fully exposed.

    "Listen, kid, if you still do things that make Lady Isabelle hurt, I will not hesitate to cut off your head,"

    "That''s enough, Theo, let go."

    "Yes, My Lady."

    Now Isabelle held Allen''s face and lifted it up, looking at it carefully.

    "Hmm... you have quite a handsome face; I like it. I will make you one of my ves,"

    Allen turned his face away.

    "Now we will do an equal exchange. Is there anything you want?"

    Allen was again silent.

    "Hmm... I''ve heard everything about you.

    About you being raised by Queen Orc,

    about you killing many people, and also...

    About Leofric, who killed the Orc who raised you,"

    Hearing Isabelle say that, Allen gets angry and is about to attack Isabelle once again. But this time Theobauld directly hit his face with his knee. Then Theobauld repeatedly kicked Allen''s ribs until Allen was in pain and could not move.

    "I told you not to touch Lady Isabelle."

    Isabelle was now squatting down, talking to Allen.

    "Leofric is powerful, isn''t he? Even you couldn''t do anything to save your mother."

    Now Allen had no more energy to get angry at Isabelle.

    Isabelle smiled, and in a small voice, she whispered in front of Allen''s face.

    "I will help you kill Leofric, so from now on, you must be my ve and obey everything I say."

    "!!!"

    "Lady! What are you?" The only one who heard that besides Allen was Theobauld. He now doubted Isabelle''s actions, even though he had said before not to question anything she did to Barony.

    Her words earlier were tantamount to showing her intention to betray the royal family. And that was a grave sin that vited thews of the kingdom and thews of the four great churches.

    Allen was also surprised to hear Isabelle''s words. He bowed his head and said,

    "If I be your ve, can I kill him?" said Allen. Isabelle smiled and replied,

    "That''s right."

    Water came out of Allen''s eyes again.

    "If I were your ve, would I be able to split that b*stard''s head?"

    "That''s right."

    "Would I be able to cut off his entire body?"

    "That''s right."

    "If I be your ve... I can avenge my mother''s death, right?"

    "Exactly,"

    Allen was silent...

    Then, after a while, Allen immediately lifted his head. His face was now more radiant than before. He opened his eyes wide, seeing Isabelle''s face facing her clearly.

    "IF I CAN KILL THAT PERSON, I WILL GIVE IT ALL! MY BODY! MY SOUL! TAKE EVERYTHING!"

    Isabelle smiled andughed,

    "WUHOHOHOHOHO! Then the contract is made!"

    Isabelle stood up, then a knife-shaped light came from the palm of her right hand.

    Isabelle grasped the light and stabbed Allen''s heart.

    "This is my God''s blessing. I named it ''everything is mine'' when both sides approve the contract and this light sword pierces your heart. My mana will fuse with your blood. And you will be my ve forever!"

    "No problem. I will do anything if I can avenge my mother with this."

    At that time, Allen finds the purpose of his life.

    It was life for revenge.

 Chapter 30 30 : Terms And Conditions

    ?"Have you tidied up his appearance?"

    Isabelle was talking to one of her maids in her workroom. Isabelle sat on a chair, working on files rted to the harvest and supplies that would be prepared for the capital''s Whitmoon festival.

    "Already have, mydy, asdy''s request. It''s just that we don''t have any kid''s clothes now."

    "Then what is he wearing?"

    "Fortunately, there is a leather armor in the warehouse that suits his size. A winter-leather armor."

    "I see... bring him here."

    "Yes, mydy."

    As the maid was about to leave the room, Isabelle realized something.

    "Wait a minute, what''s wrong with your hand?"

    "!!!" The maid was startled, as she had been trying to cover the wound on her left hand with her right. She slowly turned her body around.

    "I caused a little trouble with that boy, but it''s nothing, mydy, just a small scratch," said the maid.

    "I see, then you can leave," Isabelle replied.

    The maid once again bowed her head and left the room.

    The next day after Allen made a ve contract with Isabelle. Isabelle gave Allen a servant''s room. Because his hair was messy; his clothes were shabby; and his body stank. Isabelle ordered her maids to clean Allen''s body and tidy up his hair.

    Allen hurt some maids when they were about to remove his scarf and headband. "Don''t touch. I can do it myself!" Allen said as they started to hold his scarf and headband.

    After 20 minutes, the maids knocked on the door of Isabelle''s workroom,

    "Come in," said Isabelle, who was writing.

    "Excuse me," the maid said as she entered, and Allen trailed behind her.

    "Leave us alone," said Isabelle, who still hadn''t stopped writing.

    The maid bowed her head and left the room.

    Finally, Isabelle raised her head and now saw Allen with apletely different look from thest time she saw him.

    His hair was cut shorter, and the wounds and traces of blood and dirt on his face were now clean. Yesterday his clothes were tattered and smelly, whereas now he is wearing winter soldier''s clothes. His inner clothes were white wool, with long sleeves that covered part of his palms. then covered with brown leather armor. Allen was still wearing his long ck scarf and headband. Based on the maids'' information, Allen said both were gifts from his precious person.

    "Hmm hmmm... you look much better now," said Isabelle, amazed by his appearance.

    Allen was silent as he turned his face away.

    "What about the clothes? Should I buy you something morefortable?"

    "No need. It''s warm enough," Allen replied.

    "Well, you''ll wear that thing more often anyway."

    "I don''t care about that. So, how about it?"

    "''How'' what?"

    "About how to kill that man!"

    Isabelle once again smiled and then said,

    "Hahaha, I honestly don''t think that''s possible."

    "What?!" Allen now looked at Isabelle angrily.

    "You see, he''s one of the strongest humans in this kingdom, let alone Leofric; even Theobauld, who is only mithril-ranked, doesn''t seem like you can win."

    "But you promised!"

    "Yeah yeah yeaah... sit down first," now Isabelle took out her cigar from her desk drawer and lit it.

    "No! You promised before, didn''t you? That you would¡ª"

    Suddenly, Allen felt a slight pain inside his body.

    "Wha...what happened? Why do I feel like everything inside my body hurts? Like something is piercing my skin from the inside."

    Isabelle exhaled smoke from her mouth and said,

    "That is the effect of my god''s blessing. Since you are my ve, you must follow all my orders, including trivial things like telling you to ''sit down,''

    The pain you feel is rted to how much you resist mymands and how much Imand you. Since I''m only telling you to sit down, your pain is negligible. If I order you to do something bigger and you resist, the pain will also be more excruciating."

    "So, sit down first."

    Allen sat on the sofa, and the effect disappeared immediately.

    "Don''t you remember that a contract binds us, the reason you can be my ve is that I agreed to the conditions you gave; it was to help you kill Leofric. If I vite the conditions, the contract will not be valid, and you will not remain a ve.

    Since you just felt the pain of disobeying my order, you are still a ve, which means I also still intend to help you kill Leofric. Understood?"

    "I¡­ I see... Then as a ve, what should I do?"

    asked Allen with a serious face. Actually, he didn''t really understand the work of ves. He had only heard the word "ve" from Lavinia, which had to do with serving his master.

    "Nothing," said Isabelle.

    "What?"

    "Yes, nothing, it''s just that if anything happens, just protect me or honor me. I don''t really think seriously about things like that. A maid does the housework anyway, and I''m not really interested in a child''s body. I just like adding more ves because they''re easier to trust and won''t betray."

    "The¡­then, what should I do now?"

    "You can practice sword art with Theo. That was my n from the beginning. If you want to defeat Leofric, you must be stronger. Theo will teach you swordsmanship, while Thurstan will teach you about mana control. Are there any other questions?"

    "I don''t need to train. Just bring me to that bastard. I''ll kill him by myself."

    "Fyuuuh... I told you, you wouldn''t be able to beat him, at least not now. I know you''re strong, but killing that man is impossible."

    "How do you know that I can''t?! I didn''t lose to that guy before! The one who defeated me was the guy with the arrows!"

    "Alright alright, I''ll do it, but on one condition, you have to beat Theo first in a legal and fair one vs one fight."

    "Okay, not a big deal."

    "Then one more thing. This time I will give three necessary orders for you that you must follow. If you vite them, the pain will be tremendous.

    First, you must not mention Leofric''s name or your intention to kill him to anyone.

    Second, you must not kill anyone without my consent.

    Andstly... take care of yourself; eat three times a day; and bathe twice a day."

    Allen was astonished by the orders. He remembered when Lavinia told him about ves: ves should be on the lowest hierarchy of humans, having no rights whatsoever, whose life and death were in the hands of their masters. But right now, not even the three necessary orders given by his master were incriminating to him.

    "Alright, I understand," Allen said with a confused face.

    "You may leave."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Allen walked out of the room.

    .

    The waiter who had picked him up was outside the room, waiting for him.

    "I''ll take you to the training ground," she said.

    Allen just nodded.

    Unlike before, the current Allen was not nervous talking to other humans. His perception of humans had changed since thest time a human killed his mother and since he had killed many humans. In his mind, humans are just evil creatures who keep taking away other people''s freedom for themselves. Allen''s feelings towards humans were indeed hateful, but the hatred he felt was not such that he wanted to kill them again. Ever since he killed many people in that dungeon, he had seen how the humans hated him, and the reason the humans hated him was also because he took something away from them. Not that he had be hesitant to kill humans, but he now didn''t care about anything. He only wanted to kill Leofric.

    "You''re so lucky,"

    On Allen''s way to the training room, the maid was talking to him. Her words baffled Allen, who heard her.

    ''What''s so lucky about being a ve,'' thought Allen.

    Then the maid continued,

    "Being Lady Isabelle''s ve means your happiness is guaranteed. same as everyone else. They make a contract with Lady Isabelle and burden her with their life goals, whereas all she asks for in the contract is just honor and trust."

    "Everyone?" asked Allen.

    "Yeah, almost everyone who lives in this manor house is Lady Isabelle''s ve."

    Allen honestly still doubted the orders given by Isabelle. There were too many holes in the order. Isabelle''s orders didn''t mean much to him, and she could also change them whenever she wanted.

    "Here we are," they walked to the back of the house until they approached arge door.

    From behind the door, Allen could hear the sound of swords shing, or more like swords and wood shing.

    The maid opened the door, and Allen walked out.

    There was the house''s backyard, the training ground of the soldiers living in the earl''s residence. That was a vast rectangle; the length of the area was almost the same as the entire length of the earl''s manor house. Except for the earl''s house on one side, the entire side of the training ground was surrounded by a stone wall about Allen''s height. Outside the wall was a dense forest. On the training ground, there was a drawer to ce various weapons, such as bows, swords, and spears. Then there were some straw dolls tied to stakes that were stuck in the ground.

    "Hyaat!"

    On that spacious training ground, there were only three people, plus Allen and the maid. Two people were fighting, and one was sitting on the edge of the house holding a towel.

    The ones who fought were Felicia and Theobauld. Felicia''s hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was wearing a short-sleeved dress; her dress was only thigh-length, while knee-high boots covered her legs. Felicia used a rapier, while Theo used a long wooden sword. Felicia attacked Theo with seemingly random movements, while Theo just received her attacks, parrying with his wooden sword. Felicia was sweating profusely and had probably reached her limit, while Theo didn''t have a drop of sweat on his face.

    "Let''s get it over with today."

    "Not yet! I''m not done yet! I haven''tnded a single hit on you today!" Felicia said as she pointed her rapier at Theo.

    "Let''s call it a day, mydy. After this, you still had to practice controlling mana with Lord Thurstan."

    After a few strikes, Felicia stopped, panting.

    "My Lady, let me tell you the reason why you can''tnd a single attack on me."

    "Fine, say it. I''ll listen."

    "You''re too kind. Just because you''re using a sharp sword, you onlynd strikes on non-fatal parts. Don''t worry about me. In fact, I won''t get hurt even if you try to stab my heart."

    Hearing his words, Felicia immediately became angry,

    "You''re just a ve. How dare you talk to me like that. Look, tomorrow, I will beat you in no time!"

    "That''s good. Next, you should try stabbing my heart. If anything happens, you can heal me right away, right?"

    "When I do that, I won''t heal you. I''ll let you die alone while looking at the sky."

    Rachel approached Felicia and handed her a towel.

    Felicia epted it and wiped the sweat from her head until she realized Allen was watching her.

    "What are you looking at?"

    Allen looked away.

    "Nothing," he said.

    It was the first time Allen had seen another human of the same age as him. He didn''t know they were that weak. Allen began to believe he could defeat Theo easily. He thought that: Isabelle thought he was weak because he was a child, just like Felicia. That''s why Isabelle asked him to beat Theo because she believed he wouldn''t be able to beat him.

    "You''ve arrived. Can we start training right away?" called Theo.

    "No need, I don''t need training..."

    Allen picked up a random sword that was hanging on the sword rack. Then he walked to where Felicia was standing earlier, and pointed his sword at Theo.

    "Theo, change your wooden sword. My agreement with Isabelle is to defeat you. If I defeat you, I can immediately fulfill my goal of killing that person."

    Hearing that, Felicia immediatelyughed.

    "Hahaha, don''t make meugh. A little kid like you can''t possibly beat Theo."

    As for Theo, he immediately changed his wooden weapon.

    "Do you want me to split your hand again? Oh yeah, a princess here can heal you like yesterday, so maybe I''ll just chop your body up."

    The calm expression on Theobauld''s face had now turned angry.

    "Watch your mouth, boy. Don''t you ever mention Lady Isabelle''s name without respect. Maybe mydy will let it slide, but not me. If you can''t hurt me, you must call me ''master Theobauld,'' and after you lose, you must call Lady Isabelle''s name with ''Lady''."

    "Alright then, let''s get started."

    The maid who had escorted Allen earlier walked up to the practice arena. She held a silver coin in her right hand.

    "I will drop this coin. When you hear the sound of this coin on the ground, the duel has begun. The rules are you can''t attack the head and heart, and the duel will end when one of you faints or surrenders."

    The maid let go of the coin.

    Then in

    3

    2

    1

    -DING

    The coin falls to the ground.

    -WUUUSH!

    The one who made the first attack was Allen. Allen, with a swift movement, was immediately behind Theo.

    "!!!" Rachel, Felicia, and Theo fell silent, surprised by Allen''s speed.

    The blood dripping on the ground came from Theo''s dislodged left ear.

    "Are you giving up now, MASTER THEO?"

    "Oh wow. We have a QUITE strong as*hole here."

 Chapter 31 31 : Petronella Assumption

    ?In his duel with Theobauld, Allen managed to injure Theo''s ear easily.

    "How did he do that?" said Felicia.

    Theobauld''s blood was flowing from his ear quite a lot.

    "I was wrong. It seems I underestimated you too much. I didn''t need to hold back from the start."

    Theobauld made a circr attack. He shed his sword with his right hand, spinning backward. Allen instantly blocked Theo''s sword with his sword.

    -CLANG

    As a result, Allen was thrown back slightly.

    "He''s so strong. This sword won''tst long." There was a small crack on Allen''s sword, a mark from Theo''s attack earlier.

    Theobauld turned back, facing Allen. Theobauld''s stance had shifted from before. He held his sword with both hands. The tip of his sword was positioned at the level of Allen''s neck, and his eyes looked at Allen''s whole body like he was focusing on Allen''s movements.

    Allen once again approached Theo quickly; this time, he intended to take his right ear. But...

    -CLANK

    It can''t. Theo managed to block Allen''s attack with his sword.

    "Damn, I couldn''t see any gaps in the stance," Allen grumbled.

    "This is swordsmanship taught by my teacher from another world. He also had the same hair color as you. By pointing the sword at you and grasping it with both hands. All I need to do is watch your movements. That way, I know which part of my body you are after and can defend it quickly. Of course, it''s not just for defense..."

    Theobauld moved forward slowly and deliberately as he swiped her feet forward.

    ''What is he trying to do?'' thought Allen.

    Then, without Allen realizing it, Theo was already in front of Allen.

    -THWACK

    Without using the de of his sword, Theobauld hit Allen''s head so hard that he fell.

    "UGH!!!" Allen immediately grasped the ground and pushed his body with his hands, and he backed up.

    Allen held his head, which was hurting badly.

    ''Howe? He looks like he disappeared,'' thought Allen.

    "Hoo¡­ you still haven''t fainted with that. Your head must be really hard, just like your stubbornness." Theo then remembered his feelings when he tried to split Allen''s arm before.

    ''This kid''s body is not normal. I thought it was a coincidence, but now I''m sure. Back then, when this kid was holding Lady Isabelle''s hand, I intended to split his wrist, but my sword could only split half of it.

    At first, I thought it was because the bars were so strong that they stopped my de from reaching his hand. But I was wrong. My sword did not fail to reach him; it was unable to split his hand. As proof now, I had almost used up half of my strength, which usually makes other soldiers faint. But he''s now standing up straight, as if he''d just been thrown a stone.

    I admit that if I keep my strength up, I won''t be able to beat this kid. I have to be serious. But if I''m serious, then this kid could die.''

    Theobauld finally chose to end the fight immediately. Actually, he didn''t want to kill Allen, so he intended to surrender, but he had already made a pact with Allen using Isabelle''s name in it. So he couldn''t lose.

    "Hey," called Theobauld.

    "Hah?"

    "You must have realized that I didn''t even use the de of my sword. You would be dead if I used the de just now."

    "What the heck? I was also aiming for your ears before. If I had stabbed your heart, you''d be dead now."

    "Yeah, MAYBE. But that is not the point."

    "What?"

    "You said you can beat that guy, right? That person is much stronger than me, meaning that if I beat you here, you''re not worthy of fighting that person. It''s only fitting that he can kill your mother; you''re so weak. Your mother died not because of that man''s fault but because you couldn''t protect her. "

    "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

    ''His body is strong, but he''s still a kid. With just a little provocation, he will be uncontrobly angry.''

    Allen moved quickly towards Theobauld, angrily.

    Because of his anger, Theobauld could easily see the direction of his attack. Allen attacked the neck, Theobauld dodged it, then continued to spin to kick the waist, Theobauld dodged it, and then Allen spun once more like a diagonal somersault, trying to attack Theobauld''s entire body, but Theobauld dodged it as well. Theobauld tilted his sword so that Allen''s sword rubbed against his sword without hitting his body.

    ''Great flexibility, but too many wasted moves,'' thought Theobauld, amazed.

    "What the heck is that move? Hey Rachel, how does he do something like that?" Felicia asked Rachel.

    Rachel, who was also amazed at Allen''s flexibility, shook her head,

    "I don''t know, mydy, but you shouldn''t try to emte that."

    Theobauld, who had understood the pattern of Allen''s attack, now used his body to rush forward, pushing Allen''s body with his shoulders by diving down. So that Allen''s body fell and was crushed by Theobauld''s body. As Theobauld pushed him, he also brought his elbow close to Allen''s chest. Allen''s chest was pierced by Theobauld''s elbow, which pushed his body to the ground.

    "GAH!" Allen, who was in pain, now found it difficult to move his body.

    Theobauld stood up and trampled Allen''s body repeatedly.

    "AkH! AH! No!"

    He continued to stomp on Allen''s body brutally. Sometimes it was his head, other times it was his hands.

    "Wait..." Felicia, who saw that, immediately shouted.

    "HEY! That''s enough! He''s already lost!"

    "No, he hasn''t fainted and hasn''t said he wants to surrender." Theobauld continued to stomp on Allen''s body with all his strength.

    "If anything happens, I won''t use my God''s blessings to heal him! Got it?! I will definitely never use my God''s blessing! So STOP!"

    Seeing that Allen didn''t seem like he was going to give up, Theobauld used his sword. He points his sword at Allen''s stomach.

    "Wait, don''t do that!" shouted Felicia.

    Allen''s body was stabbed by Theobald.

    which eventually made Allen unconscious.

    Felicia immediately ran over to them, looking at Allen''s body, injured by Theobauld''s kick and stab. Blood was pouring out of his stabbed stomach. Felicia covered Allen''s wound with her hands.

    "What are you doing?! You''re an adult, but you''re doing something like this to just a kid!"

    "Look carefully, mydy. There''s not much blood. My sword can''t even pierce that kid''s body."

    Felicia removed her hand from Allen''s wounded body. Felicia was surprised that there wasn''t much blooding out.

    "Then, do you still think you did the right thing?" said Felicia angry.

    Theobauld replied

    "Of course, someone like this kid should be corrected. If I hadn''t done this..."

    ''If I don''t do this, he will definitely go to the pce by himself and die at Leofric''s hands in an instant,'' Theobauld continued in his thoughts.

    "What?" asked Felicia, who saw that Theobauld did not continue his words.

    "Nothing."

    Felicia realized there was no time to deal with Theobauld, so she took her rapier and wounded her fingers.

    "Hoo? "Didn''t you say you weren''t going to use God''s blessing?"

    "Shut up!"

    Felicia surrounded Allen''s body, flowers growing around Allen''s body.

    "What are you doing? Get inside my garden!" Felicia tells Theobauld.

    "Thank you, mydy, but I''m fine. This ear is a form of my negligence for underestimating that kid."

    "Youmoner, thinking of useless things."<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    .

    .

    Elsewhere, in the guild and bar of the Barkaley region. Petrone sat at one of the round wooden tables inside the guild. She was reading a book, and her legs rxed on the table without caring about people seeing something under her skirt. She didn''t care because she was wearing shorts up to her knees.

    It was alreadyte afternoon. Since the raid on the floor onest time, many dungeon explorers have begun to visit the Barkaley region. Dungeons that had not been explored were very profitable for many people because there were still many minerals inside that had not been taken.

    As Petrone sipped her drink, someone approached her.

    "Hey, Petrone, when are you nning to return to the capital?"

    It was Maurice. He was still wearing his default dungeon armor.

    "Tomorrow¡­ I just finished the report on the raidst time. Geez, just because I can write, I''m told to work like a noble."

    "In fact, you are indeed a noble''s daughter. Maybe that is also the reason why you wrote the report."

    "Cih, I never liked that prince."

    Petrone looked at Maurice''s armor, then asked

    "You just got out of the dungeon? How was the dungeon?"

    Maurice sat on the chair on the other side of Petrone. But even though he sat down, Petrone still hadn''t lowered her feet from the table.

    "Nothing in particr. The dungeon is still the same as the other dungeons. It turns out that the only strange thing about this dungeon is the first floor. "From the second to the fourth floors, it''s just like any other dungeon," Maurice exined.

    "Hoo, it''s already the fourth floor. Amaaziiing..." Petrone praised in a weak tone.

    "So, how was the report? What did you fill in?" asked Maurice.

    "Almost everything. I exined my opinion about Queen Orc and, of course, about that boy too."

    "Almost? Not everything?"

    Petrone held out her hand to Maurice. Asking him for money.

    Maurice took four gold coins from his pocket and ced them on Petrone''s hand.

    "It''s still not enough, but it''s okay. Since we''ve been to the same party three times, I''ll give you some secret information."

    Petrone lowered her feet from the table, put down her book, and took another sip of water from her ss.

    "First, that orc kid''s hair color, you know about that, right?

    "Yes, ck hair, just like an other-worlder. It''s said that only people from another world have ck hair, and if an other-worlder marries a person from this world, there''s no way their child will also have ck hair. So only other-worlders have ck hair. But I seem to recall that he also has a few strands of white hair on his head."

    "That''s it¡­ That boy''s hair isn''t just ck. If it''s just ck, we can confirm that he''s an other-worlder. But that white hair¡­ that''s the strangest. He''s like the Norttish, the white-haired humans, who were genocided by our first king, William Wildehall, 300 years ago."

    Maurice then thought for a while and said,

    "Then you''re saying that the boy might be one of the Norttish survivors?"

    Petrone now took another sip of her water, then said

    "This has to do with the second one.

    There''s a reason why otherworlders have ck hair and Norttish have white hair. It lies in how they absorb mana.

    Simply put, ck-haired people never absorb mana during their lifetime. That''s why other-worlders have ck hair. Because in their world, the concept of mana doesn''t exist, I have heard from one of the other-worlder in Prince Eldritch''s party that the color of the hair in their world is based on something called ''mnin,'' not mana like in our world.

    White-haired people, on the other hand, absorb mana far too much. Do you know why the Norttish were genocided, and even their existence was not allowed in the kingdom and included in the first chapter of the criminal code book?"

    "That''s because the church forbade its existence? If I''m not mistaken, the 4th Archbishop of the Great Church confirmed the danger of a Norttish existence. The mana explosion that happened a hundred years ago was also because of the Norttish, right?"

    Petrone shook her head,

    "You''re right but also wrong. The covenant of water, fire, soil, and air, the 120th verse, contains a white-haired nation with extraordinary mana absorption power so that only at the age of 5, they already obtain God''s blessings.

    Then verse 121 contains the statement that the white-haired nation can cause mana explosions that destroy the surrounding area. One of the kingdom''s western regions proves the contents of verses 120 and 121. Barony Carleon hides the Norttish, leading to a mana explosion that makes the region explode and then be barren and poisonous. Even the fairies don''t want to enter that region."

    "And, which part did you say I was ''wrong''?" Maurice was confused.

    Petrone then answered

    "The church never forbade its existence. It only provided information about the Norttish. The council and the royal family were the ones who banned them and killed all the Norttish."

    "Is...is that so... Then what does this story of yours have to do with that child?"

    "Before I say it, you must promise not to tell anyone about this."

    Petrone drew a symbol that was not water, soil, fire, or air, in front of Maurice.

    "This is?"

    "A non-elemental spirit''s symbol. It''s one of the amnis I learned from this book. I stole it from the capital''s library."

    Maurice immediately shook his head, "You really..."

    "Don''t worry, it''s already fully mine; it''s my reward for that raid."

    "Then fine, I promise not to tell anyone."

    Petrone looked at the symbol. It wasn''t glowing, which meant Maurice wasn''t lying.

    "That child is about 12. Did you know that 12 years ago, a nobleman hid Norttish in his house? The kingdom killed the noble''s entire family for hiding the Norttish, but it is said that the hidden Norttish were never found. So that orc kid may be the son of the escaped Norttish. And not only that, but he might also be the child of an other-worlder. Other-worlders and Norttish both have weak genes, so they can''t pass on their genes to their children. But if they''re both weak, the child might get both genes. The child is probably half Norttish and half other-worlder."

    "What?! Then isn''t he dangerous to humans? What if he causes a mana explosion?"

    "No one knows about that, but even though he went berserk in the dungeon, the mana explosion didn''t happen. Moreover, he has two types of mana. If one of his mana is about to explode, chances are that the other one will calm him down. That''s also the reason Leofric hid the child from many people and asked you to lock his mana gate, right?"

    "Yes, but my ability is only valid for three days. The kid''s gate will reopen soon."

    "No need to worry. Like I said earlier, the mana explosion won''t happen because he has two mana."

    "I understand. But you still haven''t exined why he can have demonic mana."

    "I don''t know about that."

    "But you must have some assumptions about it, right?"

    "You ask too many questions. I told you I don''t know. If I knew, I would tell you! Go away!"

    "Alright..."

    Maurice then stood up and walked out of the guild.

    "Oh! I''m going straight to the capital today. You better hurry too. I heard that the queue at the capital gate is getting longer because of the whitmoon festival," said Maurice.

    "Don''t worry. I can enter through the north gate."

    Maurice raised his hand, signaled, "see youter," and left the guild.

    As for Petrone, she sat back and rxed, putting her feet up on the table while reading a book.

    She was thinking,

    ''Unfortunately, the amnis I used was only to check your honesty, Maurice. It''s not a contract for silence. So there is still a chance you will spread the information I gave you, which is why I can''t tell you more.''

    Petrone picked up her ss and drank from it. But no water in it.

    "Serfs! More water!"

    Petrone looked at her book, but she didn''t read it. She was still thinking.

    ''If my assumption is correct, that kid must have never absorbed divine mana in his entire life. Inside the dungeon, there is only demonic mana. Then, since the Norttish have extraordinary mana absorption, plus the genes of other-worlders who have unlimited mana capacity, it could be that the orc kid''s gate forcibly absorbs demonic mana since there is no divine mana for him to absorb inside the dungeon.''

 Chapter 32 32 : Felicias Real Blessing

    ?A few minutes after Felicia healed Allen,

    Allen woke up, and when he looked around, Theobauld was gone.

    "So I lost," said Allen, expressionless.

    Allen groped his entire body and discovered that he didn''t see any wounds on his body¡ªeven the sword stab that Thobauld had given him earlier had disappeared.

    "You should thank me for healing you," said Felicia, resting, taking shelter beside the house wall while drinking tea. Beside her was a maid who sat holding a towel. Felicia sat on a wooden chair with a small round wooden table in front of it. Meanwhile, Rachel sat on a long wooden chair attached to the wall of the house.

    "Thanks..." replied Allen, briefly.

    "You''re amoner. You should be more grateful and thank me more!"

    ''This girl''s tongue is annoying,'' thought Allen.

    Allen then stood up and was about to enter the house again, meet Isabelle, and tell her he lost in a duel with Theobauld. He couldn''t help but admit that he was weak.

    "Wait a minute," Felicia called out to him.

    "What''s now?" asked Allen with an expressionless face.

    Felicia, who saw Allen''s expression, somehow felt sorry for him. His ck eyes didn''t give off any light, as if he wasn''t even looking at her.

    "Sit here first," said Felicia.

    "What for?"

    This time it was Rachel who answered Allen''s question,

    "I have heard the conditions given by Lady Isabelle. From now on, you and Lady Felicia will learn the sword and mana control together. Since there are still 20 minutes left, how about you sit with us?"

    Allen looked the other way. Seeing Rachel somehow reminds him of Lavinia. And that made him ufortable.

    "Okay."

    Allen sat on the chair next to Felicia,

    "Eh?" Felicia suddenly made a surprised face.

    "What?" asked Allen.

    Rachel then exined

    "Nobles andmoners should not sit side by side. You are not evenmoners; you are peasants and ves. You should sit next to me, not next to Lady Felicia."

    Allen was silent for a while, not liking that he was being bound by a rule he knew nothing about. Whereas he already felt burdened by his master-servant rule with Isabelle, now he also had to follow another rule that was not even bound by any agreement.

    "Why is that person the only one talking? What about you? Can''t I sit here?" Allen asked Felicia.

    Felicia felt nervous. She was at a loss for what to do because she had always followed the flow of the existing rules, an unwritten social rule.

    "I... I''m fine; it''s up to you; things like this won''t bother me, tough!"

    ''How annoying,'' thought Allen.

    Rachel put down the same tea as Felicia and gave it to Allen.

    "Please," Rachel said.

    Allen took the tea and drank it all right away.

    "Thanks," Allen said withoutment.

    Felicia sipped her tea and put down her ss.

    "Soo..so what? Did you finally admit Theo''s skill as the master?" Felicia asked nervously, trying to break the awkwardness.

    "He''s so strong. I can''t do anything. My first attack must be a coincidence." Allen replied.

    "That''s right. After all, he''s one of the mithril-ranked dungeon explorers whopleted one of the dungeons with the prince."

    "Prince? Prince Leofric?" asked Allen.

    "Prince Leofric? No. With the first prince, Eldritch."

    "There are princes other than Leofric?"

    Hearing Allen''s question, Felicia was shocked.

    "You don''t know?! What backwater vige are you from? A peasant should at least know all the names of the royal family!"

    Then Felicia exins the royal family to Allen.

    "Our king, King Henry Sheraton Wildenhall, has eight queens and 14 children, the princes. The oldest is Prince Eldritch, the crown prince and the only son of the first queen, Odelina, who has already passed away. The second prince, Harald; the third prince, Alicia; and the fourth prince, Leofric, are the children of the second queen, Regina. They are currently-"

    "I don''t care about the royal family. Instead, tell me more about Leofric," Allen chastised.

    "As I said, you are a peasant in this kingdom. You should at least know the royal family''s name! This is important. Why are you so interested in Prince Leofric?"

    Allen sped his hands tightly, he wanted to tell Felicia that Leofric was the one who killed his mother, but he couldn''t because it was one of Isabelle''s rules that he couldn''t say to anyone.

    "I just hate him so much," Allen said with so much anger that it was conveyed to Felicia and Rachel.

    "Well, I know why you don''t like Prince Leofric. Actually, I don''t really like him either. Prince Leofric is the most arrogant and often troublesome to others. My fianc¨¦ had to leave the kingdom for five years because of him," said Felicia, who also agreed with Allen.

    Felicia looked back at Allen, who still looked angry. She wondered what had happened to Allen so that he could make that face. But she knew her limits. A feeling strangled her heart not to ask Allen further about it.

    "By the way, we haven''t introduced ourselves yet. It''s good that we know each other because we will often practice together in the future."

    Allen nodded.

    "My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville. I am the daughter of Earl Boldenville and currently the fianc¨¦e of Waldo Barkaley. The one beside me is my personal maid, and her name is Rachel."

    ''Waldo? I think I''ve heard that name before,'' Allen thought. But Allen chose to ignore it.

    "I''m Allen," Allen replied briefly.

    "Just Allen? Where are you from?"

    "I don''t know. I don''t know what ce it called."

    "Gosh, I can''t believe someone would be this stupid."

    Allen then looked towards the sky, and he said

    "It''s time. I''m going to the next training ce."

    "Wait. Are you stupid? Do you know where it is? Let''s go together."

    They went to Thurstan''s room together.

    ...

    Thurstan''s room is located underground.

    There was what appeared to be a hidden staircase beneath the floor. Rachel tapped the floor three times.

    There was no answer.

    Then Rachel knocked three more times, but still there was no answer.

    Once again, Rachel knocked three times, and there was still no answer.

    "Since it''s been three times and there''s no answer at all, we''ll go inside," said Rachel.

    There was something like a ring attached to the floor. Rachel pulled it, and the floor opened.

    Behind the floor was a staircase leading down. The light wasing out from below, probably the room''s light.

    They walked about 10 meters down.

    There was a fairlyrge room downstairs. It was almost half the size of Isabelle''s manor house. The room was bright for a basement, and the lighting came from a crystal simr to the dungeon crystal. The crystal was embedded in the room''s ceiling, producing bright white light. There were bookshelves on each wall of the room; the ce was a little messy; there was much unknown equipment arranged randomly in the corner of the room, and some books were scattered on the floor.

    Then, at the far end of the room, there was a man wearing a shabby green robe, reading a book while writing.

    He wore sses, and his dark brown hair was in a ponytail up to his neck. He was probably around 30¡ªjudging by the wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks.

    Rachel approached Thurstan, then brought her face closer to his,

    "Mr. Thurstan," Rachel called out.

    "Whoa!" Thurstan immediately gasped at the sight of Rachel''s face.

    "You startled me, Rachel. What''s wrong?" asked Thurstan.

    "It''s time for Lady Felicia''s training," said Rachel.

    "What? Oh, right, it''s noon already? I''m sorry, I''m a bit focused on my work this time. Hmm?" Thurstan saw a stranger, Allen, standing next to Felicia. He immediately approached Allen and touched his hair.

    "W-what are you doing?"

    "Waah, you really have ck and white hair as Lady Isabelle said. You''re neither Other-worlder nor Norttish. I wonder how your real parents look like."

    Allen pped Thurstan''s hand that touched his hair.

    "I don''t care about my lineage nor my bloodline. What is certain is that I was raised in the dungeon by my mother, an Orc. I also don''t care about my real mother. I have only one mother."

    Felicia was immediately surprised to hear that.

    "Wait! Raised in a dungeon?! And by... monsters?! Are you kidding me?" said Felicia.

    "What am I kidding about?"

    "But you just said you don''t know the name of the ce you live in?"

    "I don''t know the name. I just know that I live in a dungeon."

    "That''s impossible,"

    "That is true, Lady Felicia," Thurstan intended to answer Felicia''s doubts.

    "I heard from Lady Isabelle about Allen. He indeed grew up in the dungeon. That was also one of the reasons Lady Isabelle was interested in making him a ve."

    Felicia was still shocked, not believing what she had heard, and neither was Rachel.

    "Yeah, forget about that. Shall we start the training?" said Thurstan.

    Felicia shut down her curiosity for now, knowing that Thurstan didn''t have much time to teach her.

    Since it was Allen''s first time, and he didn''t know anything about mana, Thurstan exined the concept of mana first. About divine mana, demonic mana, then how to manifest mana through spirits, gate mana, mana capacity limits, and God''s blessing.

    "I understand," Allen said after hearing Thurstan''s long exnation.

    "Good," after a few seconds, Thurstan touched Allen''s chest.

    "Unfortunately, your gate is locked, but the seal is weakening. Maybe in a few hours, you can freely use your mana. So for now, all you need to do is feel your own mana in your body. Mana may appear to be in a separate realm within the body, but it actually flows throughout the body like blood. It''s just that the concept of mana is not material like the blood that cane out when your body is split. Mana is spiritual, invisible. It can only be seen as an auraing out of the body in some conditions."

    Thurstan took the nearest chair and said,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Try to sit asfortably as possible and feel something flowing inside your body."

    Allen sat down, not on the chair Thurstan had prepared, but on the floor. Seeing Allen''s action, Thurstan smiled slightly.

    "Fufu, this kid is literally unpredictable," he said to Allen, who sat asfortably as he could on the floor. He had never sat in a chair before.

    Then Thurstan turned to Felicia.

    "Congrattions on being able to use your God''s blessing twice a day. You can even control how much blood you bleed in just 10 days!" Thurstan said, smiling.

    "Of course! Things like that are very easy for me!" Felicia said proudly.

    "I''m already a little familiar with your God''s blessing, mydy. The only problem is that you put too much mana into it. Fortunately, you have a fairlyrge mana capacity, and your mana absorption is also fast, so your gate can be full in just 10 hours.

    Now that I think about it, there doesn''t seem to be any way to hold back the manaing out of you while using God''s blessing. Unless..."

    Thurstan hurt his palm.

    "Lady Felicia, try to heal this."

    Felicia nodded, then before she could cut open the scar on her finger, Thurstan restrained her hand.

    "This time, try to make the garden as small as possible,"

    "Small?"

    "Right, I''m going to stand tense, so you only need to make the garden small,"

    "A... alright."

    Felicia now made a small circle in the ground, as small as possible.

    Flowers grew, and the inside shone, including Thurstan''s body. The wound on Thurstan''s hand was now healed.

    "How are you feeling?" asked Thurstan.

    "I feel tired."

    Then Felicia realized that it was the second time she had used her God''s blessing that day, and she only felt "tired."

    "Have you used your God''s blessing beforeing here?" asked Thurstan.

    Felicia nodded.

    "Yes, I used it once before, so that means, I can use it more than twice now!"

    "It seems like you''ve been able to from the beginning. The bigger the garden you make, the more your mana drains. So mana consumption is determined by the size of the garden rather than how badly injured you healed.

    For fun, let''s try making a small one on the floor."

    Felicia nodded. Then she tried to draw a circle on the floor with her blood. Her God''s blessing was active again, and she didn''t feel tired at all.

    "It turns out that what you said was true! I praise you!" Felicia shouted happily.

    "Have you tried it with unliving objects?" It was Allen, not Thurstan, who appeared beside Felicia.

    "!!! Allen! Don''t suddenly appear! You startled me!" Felicia shouted.

    Seeing Allen, Thurstan intended to scold him for ying around while he was still in the middle of training.

    "Allen, can you feel your mana yet?"

    "I have," Allen replied.

    "Are you serious?"

    ''It can''t be that fast. He should be able to regain consciousness about his mana after two days of meditation at the earliest,'' thought Thurstan.

    "I''m done. And it looks like you were wrong, Thurstan."

    ''He called me without an honorific,''

    "Wrong, how?" asked Thurstan.

    Allen exined,

    "The mana was not flowing like blood but radiating like an explosion in the head. Perhaps you misunderstood because the mana that emanates from inside the brain spreads throughout the body like rain, not blood."

    Thurstan, who was surprised by Allen''s exnation, now thought

    ''This kid is a fast learner. I deliberately gave the example of blood because it is the simplest way to feel the mana flowing down the body. Not only did he feel the flow of his own body in a few minutes, but he also understood the concept of whates out through the brain and spreads like neurons.

    "Great, you''re very great, Allen!" Thurstan lifted Allen''s body high and spun around.

    "HEY! GET ME DOWN! GET ME DOOWN!"

    Since Thurstan didn''t seem to hear him, Allen kicked him in the face, then somersaulted backward.

    Thurstan rubbed his painful face.

    "That''s so rude, Allen."

    "It''s your fault," Allen defended himself.

    Allen then moved back closer to Felicia and said,

    "So, did you try it on an object?" Allen asked.

    "Trying what?"

    "Your ability, or what you called that, A blessing?"

    "Why would I do that? My ability heals living things. Why would I try it on objects?!"

    Thurstan began to understand Allen''s humorless nature, plus he could solve problems quickly. So he considered Allen''s words.

    "Yeah, why should she try it on the unliving object?" asked Thurstan.

    Allen then took off his leather armor and undressed his top clothes.

    "Hey! What are you doing?! You uncivilized bastard!" shouted Felicia as she directed her gaze to the other side.

    "Look at this," Allen said, pointing to one of the wounds on his body.

    Felicia looked at it. There were manysh wounds on her body, and then there were also arrow wounds from Maurice.

    "So, what are you trying to say?" asked Thurstan, confused.

    "His ability can heal almost anything, even the fatal ones, but why aren''t my wounds healed?"

    "Yes, it has to do with the duration. I can only heal new wounds!" shouted Felicia.

    "I know, so what about this?" Allen lifted his shirt.

    "Huh? What''s wrong with tha-" Felicia realized there was something strange about Allen''s shirt.

    "What is it?" asked Thurstan, who didn''t understand anything.

    Felicia then exined it to Thurstan.

    "Theobauld stabbed Allen''s body, and I healed him."

    "So? What happened to his clothes? I didn''t see anything strange on his clothes."

    Felicia nodded and then continued.

    "That''s exactly it. It was strange because there was nothing strange there. It should have been torn and dirty with blood. Not only were his clothes ripped, but the blood that had stained them had vanished."

    Thurstan put his left hand over his mouth. He thought deeply.

    "Please don''t talk to me for three minutes."

    ...

    ...

    ¡­

    With five minutes left, Felicia began to shake Thurstan''s body, which seemed to be his soul trapped inside his own world.

    "Hey, it''s been five minutes. What''s taking so long?"

    "Lady, let''s let Mr. Thurstan think a little longer," said Rachel.

    Right after Rachel said that, Thurstan was finally back to normal.

    "I know."

    Thurstan picked up the chair beside him and mmed it down. The chair shattered.

    "What are you doing?!" shouted Felicia.

    "Now,dy, use your god''s blessing on this chair."

    "I can''t. I''m getting tired."

    "You must!"

    Seeing Thurstan''s face, Felicia, feltpelled, and once again, she used her God''s blessing.

    The chair glowed, and miraculously, it was restored to its previous form.

    "I told you right," said Allen.

    Felicia fell, breathing heavily, her eyes wide. She was at her limit because she had continuously used her God''s blessing. Rachel immediately approached her and picked her up.

    As Rachel was about to take her out, Felicia grabbed Rachel''s hand, telling her to wait. She wanted to ask Thurstan for an exnation.

    "Does this mean that I can not only heal humans, but also repair a broken object?" asked Felicia.

    "That''s not true," answered Thurstan.

    Thurstan smiled. He finally solved the mystery in his head that had always baffled him. Thurstan was one of the schrs from the mana-controlling department. So he was frustrated because he had not understood how Felicia''s God''s blessing worked for the past ten days and only knew to "heal," just like everyone else out there.

    "I finally understand, mydy! All the puzzle pieces are finally connected!

    The reason why your God''s blessing consumes so much mana,

    then the reason why this chair can return to its original state even though it''s unliving object.

    Undoubtedly, your God''s blessing is not a blessing to heal!"

    Thurstan smiled like a madman. His eyes red at Rachel and Felicia, then, with an excited face, he said,

    "Your god''s blessing is to turn back time!"

 Chapter 33 33 : When Shes Worried

    ?After Thurstan finally managed to find out Felicia''s God''s blessing, Thurstan asked Allen to leave first, as well as Rachel and Felicia, who also wanted to rest.

    Thurstan said he was busy for the next few days, so he asked not to go into his workce. Thurstan gave Allen a book of fairy tales and asked Allen to rewrite the contents of the book to learn reading and writing.

    "What am I learning to read for?!"

    "To be stronger, of course."

    "There''s no way reading can make you stronger. I''d rather practice with Theo than read a book."

    "You underestimate science, Allen. There is almost unlimited information in books. You may be stronger through physical exercise, but you can''t maximize your skills with just that. In books, you can even learn how to stop people''s movements instantly, which the great Theobauld didn''t know. It''s also a good idea to learn some amnis to help you control your mana. If you use amnis, you can also increase your physique, perform surprise attacks, and many other things."

    Hearing Thurstan''s long exnation, Allen gave up and walked out with three thick books in his hands.

    As he left the room, he bumped into one of the house''s maids and asked her how to get to the storage room. Thurstan asked Allen to get the feathers and ink from the storage room. Allen was told that the room was next to the kitchen near the basement, so it was only a short time before Allen arrived.

    When Allen had taken the ink and pen and was about to exit the storage room, something sounded at the end of the room. It was like the sound of the floor shifting.

    And it was true¡ªthere was a carpet at the end of the room, and the carpet suddenly shifted. Allen put his books and ink down slowly and silently.

    He also picked up the small knife that was sheathed at his waist.

    The floor shifted, and out of it, a woman in a maid''s dress and short green hair came out. She was the maid who had brought Allen to the training ground earlier.

    The maid then saw Allen and was surprised.

    Allen re-sheathed his sword and picked up his things.

    "Wait, don''t you want to ask anything?" the maid asked.

    "For what? You''re Lady Isabelle''s ve, aren''t you? It would be best if you had something to do with her orders. I don''t care about other people''s business right now,"

    Allen left and went to his room to do as Thurstan told him.

    Two hours passed, and Allen had almost finished rewriting one of the books. Even though he didn''t understand what it meant, he kept writing. Then suddenly, Allen felt something in his body. Like, something suddenly flowed into his body.

    Allen took off the fur on his hand and looked at his palm.

    "My mana gate is back to normal," Allen muttered.

    It looks like the gate that Maurice locked has finally opened. And as his mana gate returned, he could feel two opposing manas flowing inside his body, making his body suddenly hot, like a fire was burning inside it.

    "Wha...what is this? I feel something colliding inside my body!" Allen fell out of his chair. His body was weak and hard to move, and sweat instantly soaked his clothes.

    "My head, is going to explode!" as he started to feel his mana colliding harder, suddenly he could slowly feel one of them losing, or rather, one of them seeming to disappear.

    Without Allen realizing it, his scarf disappeared. Then from inside his shadow came out something like slime, ck in color and one-eyed, a very familiar figure to him.

    "Reig, you''re back," Allen said with a limp body.

    Reig took out his hand and stroked Allen''s hair.

    "Thank you, Reig. Thank you foring back. I was lonely without you.

    I realize the human world I want to visit is not a nice ce.

    I want to go back into dungeeeoon...

    With you¡­ with mother¡­"

    Allen''s limp body gradually fell asleep, and a tear came out of his eyes.

    Reig turned back into a scarf and wrapped himself around Allen''s body.

    ...

    The next day. A knock on his bedroom door woke Allen up.

    The door opened immediately, and someone entered.

    Allen, who was only half awake, looked at the person. It was the maid who used to take care of him.

    "Good morning," said the maid.

    The maid cleaned up Allen''s ink-stained desk.

    "Later, you have to clean your room and get up by yourself. Hurry up and get ready in 10 minutes. You have to practice with Lord Theobauld. I have a lot of other things to do, so I''ll be going." She said it with an expressionless face.

    "Wait¡­ What''s your name? I thought I had heard it before, and now I forget." asked Allen.

    The maid turned around and replied,

    "My name is Iskaria," she said, then left after saying that.

    Allen didn''t care about the maid''s name, but since she had taken care of him so many times, at least he had to know her name.

    After she left, Allen held Reig, which has now be his scarf.

    "Thank goodness. I thoughtst night was just a dream. You''re really back."

    The ends of Allen''s scarf moved like a living thing. A sign that Reig was controlling his scarf.

    "Are you still unable to show yourself to others? Then just stay as a scarf. It would be strange if I suddenly said that I lost my scarf to others.

    After that, Allen went straight to the training ground.

    ...

    "You''rete. What took you so long?!" said Felicia after Allen arrived at the training ground.

    Allen was thest to arrive. He saw Theobauld, who was swinging his sword.

    "Oh, did you sleep well, little monster?" said Theobauld when he saw Allen approaching him.

    Allen then walked over to Theobauld.

    ''Is he going to attack me again like yesterday?'' Theobauld thought.

    But Theobauld was wrong. Allen wasn''t attacking him, nor was he annoyed at being called a little monster.

    Allen bowed his head to Theobauld, and said,

    "Please train me, Master Theobauld,"

    Theobauld used his sword as a backrest, stood up casually, and said,

    "Stop that. Just call me Theo. I get weird goosebumps hearing you call me master," said Theobauld.

    "No way, Master Theobauld. I lost badly yesterday. I will call you master from now on."

    "No no, that master call only applies if you don''t manage to hurt me. In fact, you cut off my ear. Look!"

    "Then I''ll just call you Master Theo."

    "So stubborn, whatever."

    Allen straightened his head. Then he asked,

    "So, are you going to teach me the sword arts from yesterday?"

    Theobauld picked up his sword, then ced it on the shelf. On the shelf, he took out two wooden swords and threw one of them to Allen.

    "My swordsmanship is called sword-soil. The basis of this swordsmanship is to unite the body with the soil. Most of the focus is on swinging the sword, and my swordsmanship is useful for big people like me who can''t move flexibly. That''s why I use shunpo, a quick move that uses the ground as a foothold, and then by lightening my own body, I can get in front of my opponent in no time. To be honest, I can''t teach you this."

    "What? Why?" asked Allen, confused.

    "If you use this, your agility and flexibility will not be utilized properly. So..." Theobauld threw one of the wooden swords at Allen, then said

    "So you should first discover what kind of fighting style you like by adding as much fighting experience as possible,"

    Allen nodded, then walked backward, keeping his distance from Theobauld.

    Just as they were about to start, Felicia shouted at them.

    "Hey, wait! I got here first. Why is he dueling you first!"

    "Right, sorry, Lady. Allen, we can startter-"

    "Wait," Allen interrupted Theobauld''s words, then faced Felicia,

    "Felicia... right?"

    "Call me Lady!"

    Allen ignored her and continued with his words.

    "Be patient. We''re about to start, don''t interrupt my training."

    "Hah?! That''s not fair! If you want to train first, you have toe first! Firste, first served!" shouted Felicia in annoyance.

    Allen lowered his sword and sighed.

    "Haaah... If I''m not mistaken, Thurstan said, you have a lot of mana, right? And I heard you''re more suited to be a medic or caster. Why must you practice the sword rather than learning more amnis?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Felicia then replied

    "You idiot, casters depend on spirits to use amnis. Not all spirits are present in all situations. So the caster must also be able to defend themselves without amnis!"

    "Woaaaah you''re veeery smaart," Allenplimented Felicia in a t tone,

    "Of course, I''m a noble!"

    "It would be great if nobles could be patient,"

    "..."

    "Fine, just do whatever you want!"

    Allen then continued his duel with Theobauld.

    Felicia, who was upset, sat down in her usual chair. Rachel immediately poured tea into Felicia''s ss.

    "No need!" Felicia shouted at Rachel.

    Once Allen and Theobauld''s duel began, Felicia just watched them. She put both of her hands on the table to sustain her head.

    Actually, Felicia''s focus was not on Allen and Theobauld fighting. She was thinking about something else,

    "Mr. Waldo, what is he doing now?" Felicia said it with a lonely face.

    "I want to see him."

    Rachel, who heard this, immediately felt guilty.

    "I''m sorry, Lady Felicia," she said.

    "Sorry, why?" Rachel unconsciously said it out loud, even though she meant to say it silently.

    "Umm, it''s about the tea, mydy. I guess you didn''t like it because it smelled bad," said Rachel.

    Felicia picked up the ss and drank it.

    "Same as always," said Felicia.

    Felicia then looked back at Allen and Theobauld''s duel. She could see Allen attacking Theobauld relentlessly, while Theobauld was only silent to withstand his attacks. Seeing Allen''s severe expression, Felicia thought,

    ''That kid, why is he making that face? Is it because he lost someone he cared about? If I''m not mistaken, he was raised by the orcs in the dungeon. Then what happened to that orc? Did it have something to do with the orc, his mother, or something like that? Or maybe the orc who raised him was killed by humans? Is that also why he was brought to this ce inside a cage?

    If that''s the case, losing someone you care about must be very painful. I might even go crazy if Mr. Waldo suddenly died.''

    "Oh, look, he can fight back!" said Felicia.

    Instead of just attacking at the front, Allen utilized his flexibility to move freely around Theobauld, and eventually, Theobauld was forced to move from his spot.

    "Good, your wasted move is bing less frequent. You just have to concentrate your energy and movement to attack your opponent."

    Allen nodded.

    After Allen nodded, he removed his sword.

    "What''s wrong?" said Theobauld, confused.

    Allen put his wooden sword on the shelf, then picked up another wooden sword. This time, it was shorter.

    "For some reason, I feel like something is missing with just one sword. My left hand doesn''t move at all, and it feels ufortable."

    Allen was now holding two wooden swords, which were less than half of his hand in length. Rather than swords, they were des.

    He tried to set up a stance that allowed him to move freely.

    "That''s right, that weapon looks more suitable for you."

    Allen quickly ran towards Theobauld. He initially used his left de to attack Theobauld. Theobauld parried his de, and then, at that opportunity, Allen used his other de to attack Theobauld''s waist. Theobauld immediately pushed his sword away from Allen, and retreated backward.

    "Amazing, he''s already made Theobauld move so many times! I''ve never even forced Theobauld to move," Felicia eximed.

    "Mydy¡­ your talent is in mana capacity and usage. Don''tpare yourself to Allen. He is different."

    "I know! But he''s excellent. He can easily do things that I haven''t been able to do in just a short time, even though I am a noble. I should be more skilled than just a mere peasant."

    Their duel no longer looked one-sided; Allen could nimbly attack Theobauld, and Theobauld had to move backward many times, avoiding Allen''s attacks.

    *Tap tap tap

    Three pping sounds wereing from the door.

    Hearing that, Theobauld immediately used all of his strength to make Allen stop. Allen''s body was thrown away.

    Allen immediately stood up and was about to attack Theobauld again, but he saw Theobauld just stand still, lowering his sword. Theobauld looked toward the door.

    There, a maid was bending down. She was the one who pped. She was Iskaria.

    "Lady Felicia, Allen, and Rachel. Lady Isabelle would like you to meet her in her workroom," said Iskaria.

    "I wonder what business auntie has called?" said Felicia.

    Allen put down his wooden sword. He felt a bit upset that his training had been interrupted, but since Isabelle called him, heplied.

    The three of them went to Isabelle''s ce.

    It seemed that Isabelle was still busy taking care of the files piling up on her desk.

    Even though Felicia and Allen were standing in front of her, she still continued writing. After a minute had passed, she put down her quill and looked at them.

    "Haaah... My work has been piling uptely,"

    "Thank you for your hard work, auntie," said Felicia.

    Then, the two maids behind Felicia and Allen, Iskaria and Rachel, repeated Felicia''s words.

    "Thank you for your hard work, Lady Isabell."

    Isabelle took her cigar from the drawer, lit it on fire, and smoked it.

    "Since you know, I''m swamped right now, plus Thurstan can''t be bothered. I want to ask Felicia for a favor.

    "Yes, auntie?"

    Isabelle picked up the top four pieces of paper in a pile beside her and put them into the letter. The letter was sealed by melting the red wax on top of the letter cover. Then she pressed one of the rings on her finger onto the letter. The wax was now stamped with the Wolverlope family crest.

    "Felicia, Allen, please take this letter to the Church of Fire in the center of town, have the pastor sign this paper, and bring it back to me. Of course, Rachel cane along."

    "Really?! Then, can I take a tour of the city''s market district?" Felicia said this excitedly.

    "That''s fine,"

    "Why should Ie too?" asked Allen.

    "I heard about your skills from Theo, and I heard you''re on pare with padium-ranked. So you should apany Felicia. I want you to be her bodyguard."

    "Yes, mydy," Allen replied.

    Allen didn''t want to apany Felicia. He didn''t really like her overly self-important attitude. Plus, he was annoyed that his training with Theobauld was cut short in the middle because he was told to escort Felicia.

    Rachel, Felicia, and Allen got out of there.

    "What''s wrong?"

    There was still one more maid who didn''t leave the room with Rachel. Iskaria just stayed there.

    "Mydy, why did you give that task to those children? Isn''t it usually given to the soldiers?"

    Isabelle took a drag on her cigar, then replied:

    "That boy needs to meet more people and see more of the outside world."

    "You are too kind, mydy," Iskaria muttered with a sad face.

    "Is that all?"

    Iskaria shook her face and said,

    "Then, about the child, we hid in the basement. I think we should just hand it over to the kingdom. I''m afraid some bad thing will happen to you, mydy." Iskaria said with a slightly scared face.

    Isabelle. She took out her cigar and ced it back into the drawer.

    "I want to continue my work. Get out," Isabelle didn''t want to respond to Iskaria''s words.

    Iskaria sped her hands tightly and bowed her head.

    "Farewell, mydy,"

    Iskaria walked out of the room.

 Chapter 34 34 : Judgement

    ?"I''ll be waiting in the courtyard in an hour," said Felicia.

    "Why don''t we just immediately go away?"

    "Fool, I need to prepare myself! We''re going to the church, you know! You should take a bath too. You''re sweaty and smelly."

    Isabelle asked Felicia and Allen to deliver some letters to be signed to the Church of Fire in the city center. After leaving Isabelle''s room, Allen and Felicia returned to their rooms to prepare.

    Allen then remembered that one of his orders as Isabelle''s ve was to "eat regrly and keep yourself clean."

    The ves'' bathing ce was outside the house, behind the trees beside the training ground. A river fed tworge ponds from top to bottom. The upper pond was where the female ves bathed, while the lower pool was for the men.

    Allen happened to be alone at the time. People usually bathe from 5 to 7 o''clock after work.

    While Allen was bathing, he noticed the Wolverlope family crest sticking to his chest.

    "What exactly does that fat woman want with me?" Allen muttered.

    Then, behind him, he heard the sound of a person approaching.

    It was Iskaria, who was carrying a towel and clothes.

    "Here''s a change of clothes and a towel. Your new clothes have arrived, and the other maids have put them in your room. Then, there is also a hat. You must wear it when you go out if you don''t want to get Lady Isabelle in trouble. Next time, do everything yourself."

    Allen nodded, and Iskaria left.

    In just 10 minutes, Allen finished his bath. He put on his clothes. It wasn''t his usual clothing, so he had a bit of trouble putting it on.

    It was a green robe with a small ck hat and a ck tunic with gold-colored edges.

    Allen went straight to the front of the house. There was already a litter carriage waiting out front.

    "Thank you for waiting," said Felicia when she and Rachel arrived.

    Rachel wore a in brown robe, while Felicia wore a white dress with a dark red bottom. Then she wore a wimple that covered her head.

    "Allen, now you don''t look like a ve. That''s good. I don''t have to be embarrassed to walk with you."

    "Is that so" Allen replied briefly.

    Then they got on a litter carriage and walked to the city.

    ...

    Almost all the houses in the town of Earl Wolverlope were made of stone and cement, but none of the houses were up to three stories high. Hence, the only conspicuous buildings in the town were the Earl''s manor house, which everyone could see on the hill, and the towering Church of Fire.

    Suddenly, their carriage came to an abrupt halt. Felicia opened the curtains of her carriage window and saw many people lined up in front of their house.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Felicia.

    Rachel got out of the carriage to see what was going on.

    Felicia poked her head through the window and asked Rachel.

    "What''s going on, Rachel?"

    "Mydy, there''s a judgment."

    "I see... then we''ll have to walk to the church. It happens to be close by, and we''re also in the market district, so I wanted to take a look around."

    Rachel extended her hand from under the carriage to Felicia, helping her to get off. Allen followed her.

    There was a horde of people blocking the path of their carriage. Stopping the path of the nobles could get the peasants executed if the nobles wished, but it was different with the judgment. At the time of judgment, the nobles didn''t even have the right to pass.

    Those people were like people who open the road for someone or something to walk.

    Rachel spoke to the coachman of her carriage, asking him to wait in the town square. Allen stood beside Felicia. Out of curiosity, Allen asked Felicia,

    "What is judgment?"

    Felicia originally wanted to say, "Are you stupid?!" to him, but she remembered that Allen had lived in a dungeon all his life, so there was no way he would know such things. So Felicia held back her cursing and exined to Allen,

    "Judgment is the opportunity the church gives to the people to take back the blessings taken from them."

    "What blessing?"

    "Let''s take a walk first. You''ll see by yourself," Felicia''s high-pitched tone, which she had always bragged about herself, was gone. She felt ufortable with the atmosphere, and it seemed that none of the other people gathered looked happy.

    They walked along the edge, behind the crowd of people lined up. After walking a bit, the crowd was not as dense as before. It seemed to be intentionally dense so that no vehicles could pass by.

    *Click ck Click ck

    Even though there shouldn''t be any carriages or litter that could pass by, they heard the sound of a horse-drawn carriage passing by.

    "Allen, take a look," Felicia said.

    Now they stopped at the side of the road like everyone else. Allen looked to the left, and there was a chariot ridden by a knight wearing a full white te with the symbol of the fire spirit. Behind the chariot was another chariot carrying men and women, whose hands and feet were tied to the open cage. They were wearing clothes that looked dirty and bloody. Their faces were grim, and they looked scared.

    "Then these people are blocking the road for that white guy to pass."

    "Yes, that''s the pdin of this church. He just caught a sinner, and now is the judgment for sinners."

    As the carriage began to enter the crowd, the woman chained to the carriage started to shout.

    "FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I PROMISE I WON''T DO IT AGAIN!"

    But her screams only made the faces of the people there even angrier.

    Then, when the carriage''s entire body had entered the crowd, the people began to pelt the man and woman with stones.

    "AkH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! AAAAA FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME!" the woman and the man shouted over and over again.

    "TAKE THIS! TAKE THIS!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "YOU ARE LOWLY HUMANS!!"

    "YOU SAVAGES!"

    All kinds of curses were directed at the man and woman.

    Felicia tugged on the shirt of one of the men beside her and asked,

    "Hey, what have they done?"

    "Unwed Sex. Geez... young people these days, it''s so hard to restrain their lust. If you can''t afford a ve, you have to restrain yourself!"

    Finally, the chariot passed in front of Felicia, and the person she had asked before threw stones at the chained man and woman.

    Their bodies were bloody and their wounds so severe that their faces were even hard to recognize because they were covered in blood and wounds. The male was screaming because his right arm was broken.

    Felicia then left, followed by Allen and Rachel behind her.

    "I can''t see this, let''s go. We can''t seem to look around the market for now. Hopefully, this will end quickly."

    Then they continued walking to the church.

    "So, why exactly did they get stoned like that?" Allen asked Rachel, because Felicia appeared to be in a bad mood.He felt it would be annoying to hear Felicia shouting while demeaning him.

    "Lovemaking before marriage is a second-tier vition of church scriptures. The sin is so great that the judgment is indiscriminate as to whether it''s a noble or amoner."

    "Nobles will also be punished like this?"

    Rachel nodded

    "Peasants,moners, and nobles are all under the control of God. In the kingdom, the church''s position is almostparable to the royal family, and the four archbishops are council members. Committing a sin means being prepared for the consequences."

    "Does that mean that both of their sins will be forgiven?"

    "That''s not the case. God''s forgiveness never ends. As long as you live, you can ask God for forgiveness, and God will definitely forgive you if you sincerely apologize. What they are experiencing now is not ''purgatory,'' but ''judgment.''"

    Allen recalled what happened to him in the town of Barkaley. The people also stoned him in the town. But what happened here was a bit different. Allen remembered almost all the shouts of the people in the town, most of them because he killed their loved ones, and Allen could ept the stones because it was a form of "vengeance" from those people. Moreover, Allen wasn''t taken by anyone from the church.

    Still curious, Allen once again asked Rachel,

    "Then why are these people angry at the two of them? Does this ''lovemaking before marriage'' thing harm other people?"

    Allen didn''t really understand what "lovemaking" was, but from the swearing of these people, it seemed that their actions didn''t hurt these people directly.

    "There are two things that make it harmful to others,

    First, the doctor and schrs have confirmed that lovemaking with different people can cause many diseases, including diseases that can be transmitted. Which means you can only able to lovemaking with one person in your life, and that person has to be someone you love or have married. But even though they already know, there are still stupid people who do it.

    Secondly, having lovemaking before marriage means that doing so without God''s consent is a big sin that not only affects these two but also those around them. So people do this as a deterrent and a threat so that no one else does it again."  Rachel exined.

    ''So we didn''t join in stoning them because Isabelle''s house is far from here. Could that also be why Isabelle put her house on the hill? Because she doesn''t want to be affected by these sinners.'' Allen thought.

    They finally arrived in front of the church.

    The church building was bigger than Isabelle''s manor house but not more magnificent. The walls of the church were not painted. From the outside, many long windows could be seen. In the church''s entrance, many connected chairs were arranged neatly inside, and several people were sitting there. Many people were going in and out of the church, but most were children wearing the same clothes.

    They entered the church. It was pretty spacious inside, and the ceiling was very high.

    When they arrived, they were approached by two priests. The priests wore white clothes and red ornaments that covered almost all of their bodies, including their heads. Women wore a veil attached to something simr to a crown on their heads. The men wore something like a small hat on their heads.

    "Wee, Lady Felicia. We heard about your arrival from Lady Isabelle the other day," said the priest.

    "I see. Do I have to see the bishop today?" asked Felicia,

    "With all apologies, the bishop is busy due to today''s judgment. If you wish to see him, please wait inside," said the priestess.

    "No need. I don''t have any special needs with the bishop either. After he signs the letter, give it to me. I''ll pray for a while." said Felicia.

    The priest bowed and left.

    "Are you going to pray first?" asked Rachel.

    "Yes, while we''re here, I''d like to pray for Mr. Waldo''s safety."

    "..."

    Felicia moved to the front seat and sat down.

    She''s bowing her head, folding her hands, and closing her eyes.

    "Is she praying now?" asked Allen.

    "Yes. By praying, we can ask God for anything."

    "What does that mean? Will God grant any request?"

    "Not really, but at least by praying, your heart will keep calm, and we are also given hope that the prayer will be granted. It''s better than doing nothing."

    Allen still didn''t understand, but he chose to keep quiet for now. He felt stupid for keeping asking Rachel such basic questions and decided just to read the book when he couldter.

    Ten minutes passed, and Felicia finished her prayer. And coincidentally, one of the priests who weed them, the male one, had alreadye and handed Felicia his letter."

    "I ept your hard work. Please return."

    The priest bowed and ced his hand on her chest.

    "May God bless you and grant your prayers, Lady Felicia." Then he left.

    But there was no way her prayer could be granted, as she prayed for someone who was already dead.

 Chapter 35 35 : The Woman Who Makes You Want To Die

    ?Felicia received the letter that Isabelle had left for her from the priest. The letter''s seal had changed from the Wolverlope family crest to the Church of Fire''s crest.

    When they arrived outside the church, they were confronted by a man wearing arge full te of white armor; he was a Pdin from the Wolverlope Church of Fire. It seemed like the "judgment" of these two sinners was over.

    "Hello, little girl, did you just pray?" A man with a soft voice spoke from within the armor.

    "How presumptuous, I am the earl''s daughter! You should bow your head first,"

    "oooh no, forgive me. Butdy, I am the bishop''s direct subordinate, and the bishop''s position is equal to the earl, you know?"

    At that moment, Felicia immediately started sweating. She forgot that Pdine was a direct subordinate of the bishop, which meant the pdin''smands were the same as the bishop''s. As for Felicia, she was just the earl''s daughter, not even the real earl.

    ''it is the reward for always being arrogant,'' thought Allen.

    Allen then came forward and covered Felicia with his hand.

    "Do you have any more business with her?" Allen queried the pdin.

    "Allen?" muttered Felicia, shocked.

    The order Isabelle had given to Allen was to escort Felicia. When Allen saw Felicia''s expression, he knew she was having difficulty dealing with this pdin, so Allen immediately covered her.

    The pdin thenughed.

    "Hahaha, sorry,dy. I was just messing with you a bit. After all, I''m just an ordinarymoner who has, fortunately, be a pdin." The pdin bowed to Felicia.

    "Enjoy your time, mydy," and then he left.

    Felicia let out a long sigh.

    "Fyuuuh, Allen, thank yo¡ª"

    "What?" Allen asked because Felicia didn''t finish her sentence.

    "It''s nothing!" yelled Felicia with a bright red face.

    Outside, they could see the chariot that the pdin had used earlier. And there were the sinners, limping and unable to move. Their blood almost covered their cage, dripping down to the ground.

    Felicia took a long look at them.

    "What are you doing? Let''s go quickly," said Allen, who saw the same look on Felicia''s face as when he saw the judgment happen. It wasn''t the arrogant face he was used to seeing.

    Felicia didn''t listen to Allen. She approached the two injured people.

    "Rachel, my knife."

    Hearing Felicia say that Rachel immediately protested,

    "Wait, Lady! You shouldn''t have to use your God''s blessings to heal people like them!"

    "Never mind, just give it to me."

    Rachel took out a small knife from her pocket and handed it to Felicia.

    Felicia shed her palm, blood dripping, and then she surrounded these two.

    "What is that girl doing?" the people who were passing by, stopped, seeing Felicia''s actions.

    Felicia''s dripping blood grew into flowers and glowed.

    "Now you''re inside my garden."

    The flower garden Felicia had created glowed, and the people around her were both amazed and confused.

    The light slowly disappeared, and the two sinners werepletely healed.

    "Did¡­ did she heals the sinners?!"

    "What is she doing!"

    "Wait, from her clothes, she looks like a noble!" After one of the people said that, the others immediately shut up. They didn''t dare deal with nobles.

    The woman and the man sinners looked perplexed and smiled. They checked their bodies and found they were fully healed and no longer felt pain. After that, they stretched their hands toward Felicia, intending to thank her.

    "Lady... thank you very much-" they couldn''t finish because they saw Felicia''s disgusted expression.

    "Stay away from me, and don''t touch me, you filthy disgusting sinners!"

    Their smiles disappeared immediately.

    "I healed you because you looked so unsightly! Do you think your sins are forgiven with this?!... Allen! Cut off both their ears,"

    Allen got carried away and unintentionally obeyed Felicia''s orders.

    He then went forward and cut off both of their ears.

    "Aakh!" they shouted in pain.

    Felicia then yelled again.

    "That''s the form of sin you''vemitted! You will forever be remembered as earless sinners!"

    Felicia then turned around, leaving them alone.

    But even so, they still bowed and said,

    "Thank you very much,dy."

    What Felicia did was not cruel to them. From the start, their ears couldn''t hear anything because of their judgment, and their bodies couldn''t even move. After they passed the judgment, perhaps their lives were ruined, they were paralyzed, and they were unable to do anything. Then they would have been forced tomit suicide because of that. But because Felicia healed them, they could continue living and atoning for their sins. The earlobe wasn''t a big deal to them. In fact, it was really a tiny thingpared to the destruction of their lives.

    "You are too kind,dy," said Rachel with a worried face.

    Allen looked at Felicia in surprise.

    ''What exactly is this girl doing? Her words don''t match her actions?''

    Allen''s perspective on Felicia shifted ever-so-slightly as his bewildered mind pondered the situation.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    In the cold prison, he woke up.

    It was a prison for criminals who had vited the kingdom''s criminal code from tier 3 to tier 2.

    It was located to the right of the Wildenhall royal castle. More specifically, this prison was in the underground area of the castle. It was also the most difficult ce for people to escape and infiltrate. Plus, as the Whitmoon Festival neared, many people from outside were arriving, so the security around the castle was stricter than usual.

    There was no mana in prison, and since there was no mana, there was no spirit either. The prison uses ndestine flowers, which are purple toothwort flowers that absorb mana. These flowers were attached to the prison ceiling, and almost all parts of the prison had pots of these flowers. The soldiers on guard were mainly swordsmen, the vanguards, and archers, the supports that did not require mana to fight.

    "I''ll kill him... I''ll kill him... I''ll kill him... I''ll kill him..." one of the guys inside the prison was always muttered inside. He was the redhead who wore the same armor from thest time he used to raid the Barkaley region''s dungeon, Arthur Lambert.

    Because of his actions in the dungeon, where he wanted to cut off Leofric''s words and wanted to kill Allen, he was brought to the capital and imprisoned.

    The prison was like a mine underground. The walls were rocky, and iron bars were arranged in a square to keep the criminals at bay. There were no other prisoners that he could see from there, as there were no corridors. If he looked out, he could only see the rocky walls and the winding paths on the left and right that led to nowhere.

    In Arthur''s mind, there was only vengeance and anger. He didn''t even think about his sister at home, who was always waiting for him. Some soldiers had informed his sister about him, and now she was working alone in the bar where Arthur used to work. At least for now, she might be able to survive on the ten sacks of rice he got because Arthur participated in the dungeon raid.

    There was something strange that day. After Arthur woke up from his sleep, he felt frozen. The prison was always cold, and there were even some prisoners who died from the cold. But something was different on that day. Because it was the end of the water month and the start of the soil month, it shouldn''t be this cold.

    "Guard! Guard! I need a nket!" The voice of another prisoner could be heard from the left hallway.

    But there was no answer. Usually, if a prisoner were sick or shouting, it would also be answered by the guards'' shouts. But there was no response at that time.

    Arthur just stayed in the corner, hugging himself to keep from freezing. And without him realizing it, the screaming prisoner was no longer heard.

    "!!!"

    Silence, coldness, and tension. Arthur was startled by something. His heart was racing, but his blood felt like it had stopped flowing.

    That "something" was¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    a very creepy girl who was currently ring at him from outside the bars.

    "You have an incredible memory," she remarked, surprised.

    Before, Arthur thought that time had stopped; he couldn''t take his eyes off the girl or move his body.

    "Hey, do you believe in God?" she said again.

    When he heard that voice, Arthur was silent. Usually, he would ignore the guards talking from outside the bars, but this time was different. That woman''s voice was very soft but gripping. So gripping that a chill ran down his spine.

    ''This cold must be from this woman,'' Arthur thought.

    "Yahooo..." the woman said as she waved her hand with a beautiful but creepy smile,

    Arthur couldn''t move. Just by hearing her voice, he could tell that she was dangerous.

    She has white, straight, knee-length hair. But her hair color is not just white; some strands are ck. Her skin was as pale as snow; the walls of her eyes were ck, while her pupils were white. She was wearing a long ck gothic dress surrounded by red stripes. There was a rose that seemed to be stuck on her chest. She was wearing a ck head covering that was clearly visible because her white hair was too conspicuous. Arthur had no idea what kind of clothes it was, as those clothes were not from that era.

    ''No...norttish?!'' thought Arthur when he saw that woman. Only Norttish had white hair, but her hair was not only white; some strands were ck. It was like the opposite appearance of the child he met inside the dungeon.

    "So... do you believe in God?" the girl asked.

    Arthur then replied with an angry face.

    "There''s no way I believe in God. If God really existed, he would have saved Mr. Waldo."

    "Bubuuu! Too bad, God does exist. Only fools believe it doesn''t."

    "What?"

    "Fufufufu God exists, you know? In this fiction, angels and demons exist. How could God not exist? But he indeed let your Mister dead. He was doing his work, writing this story like a madman."

    "Wh-What are you talking about?"

    Arthur was getting increasingly used to the woman''s eerie existence, or it could be that the girl was forcing him to get used to it.

    "Fufufu, but you''re so funny, someone important to you dies, and you me god, fufufufu."

    Arthur approached the bars and walloped them, which made his fist bleed.

    "WHAT DO YOU KNOW!!!"

    "I know everything. EVERYTHING." Now the woman''s smile grew wider; she was ring at Arthur with a creepy face.

    "About Waldo Barkaley''s death, the reason why you''re here, and also the fact that you abandoned your sister for revenge," the woman continued.

    "I didn''t abandon my sister!"

    "The fact that you didn''t even consider her while you were in jail shows that you abandoned her.

    No, that is not urate...

    Perhaps since the day your Mister Waldo died, you''ve never thought about her again. All you think about is vengeance, vengeance, and vengeance. How cruel, how pitiful, how stupid, and how beautiful..."

    "!!!"

    The woman spun around like she was dancing, saying all those things happily.

    "But that doesn''t mean I don''t like it. I admire cruelty, I admire all the diverse human traits, and I also admire human stupidity. The foolishness that humans often make creates interesting things that could entertain the reader. You too; I admire your foolhardiness and stupidity that kept you alive until now."

    ''This woman, what exactly is she talking about?''

    The woman paused, turned her back on Waldo, and strangely, his head snapped up, looking at Arthur with that creepy smile.

    "I chose you because your memory is the most interesting of the prisoners here.

    What do you think? Do you want me to release you from here?"

    Every day in prison, Arthur thought about how he could avenge Waldo. He wanted to get out of prison. He even thought of different ways to get out of prison. But it was still impossible. No amnis could be used, nor could his God''s blessings be used there. He always wanted to get out of there, and then, after he got out, he would find Waldo''s murderer and kill him with his own hands.

    But at that time, when he felt he had a chance to get out of there and was asked a question by the woman, his answer was,

    "No."

    There was nothing right about that woman. She was the kind of woman who liked to manipte others, and Arthur hated that. That was one of the reasons why he hated nobles and why he liked Waldo over other nobles. Waldo did not restrain him, nor did he intend to manipte him.

    ''If I say yes, I''ll be part of someone else''s n, which is annoying. There must be a price and orders that I must obey if I am released from here. It''s like a contract with the devil!'' he thought.

    Then

    *CLANK

    Arthur, who had been leaning against the bars, now fell forward, out of the jail... The iron bars miraculously broke, and he was now outside, in front of the woman''s feet.

    The girl squats down, looks him in the face, and says

    "I know everything you''re thinking. Your body is now just like a page in a book to me. And the answer to your thoughts about me is: no. I''m not asking you to do anything."

    After she said that, she held Arthur''s face and brought his face closer; now, the girl''s white eyes were only a centimeter in front of Arthur''s face.

    "The only thing I want right now is to see your decision. After you get out of here, what will you do? What magic and miracles will happen? Will you seek vengeance on your mister? Or are you going to go back to your sister''s ce and run away together as fugitives? Or maybe you''ll be caught and killed right away. If I can, I want to see it all. All of your current actions are a source of pride for me, and I want to see what foolish things you can do."

    She let go of Arthur''s face and stood up. The woman then exited and said

    "See youter. I have a feeling we''ll meet again."

    "Wait, who the f*ck are you?" called Arthur with heavy breathing.

    The woman stopped and turned her head 180 degrees like an owl.

    "!!!"

    "My name is Kallen. "Pleased to meet you."

    She said this as she faded into the darkness.

    Arthur then stood up. He realized he had been unable to move and had only been able to move on a few asions. Like, that woman waspletely controlled his body. Now his body was shaking violently, he was scared, terrified, and for some reason, he was like

    want tomit suicide?

    Arthur''s body was very weak. Thest time he ate was two days ago, when the guards gave him. His legs were still sore from thest dungeon raid.

    Want tomit suicide?

    "No, no, no, I won''t do it. I have to avenge Mr. Waldo."

    want tomit suicide?

    "I must kill that kid! kill the kid who killed Mister Waldo. I will... I will definitely..."

    Commit suicide?

    When he reached the end of the hallway, he was shocked to see a lot of corpses scattered almost everywhere.

    "UWAAAAAAH!!!!!"

    Arthur shouted, falling. Then he threw up at the sight of them.

    "Akh! What is this?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!

    They are the soldiers of the prison guard! What happened to them!"

    When he looked again, it turned out that all of them died in the same way. Their hands held swords, some had bows, and all of them seemed to have stabbed themselves in the head with their weapons.

    "ARE THEY KILLED THEMSELVES?!" shouted Arthur, who was now feeling not good, and at that moment, the urge to want to kill himself was repeatedly repeating in his head.

    "What the f*ck is actually happening? Is this that woman''s God blessing?"

    He quickly walked out, ignoring the corpses around him.

 Chapter 36 36 : Noble And Peasant

    ?Felicia''s fique was mounting. Judgment happened when she happened to be strolling through town, and then an annoying pdin osted her. Plus, she had used her god''s blessing on a sinner once.

    So, she went to the city''s market area and shopped for clothes and lots of delicious food untilte afternoon.

    They didn''t realize that they had walked too far from the square. So they now had to walk quite a distance to get to their carriage. The one carrying the bags was Rachel. Allen refused to carry the bags to be careful in case someone attacked them.

    On their way, Rachel recalled what Felicia had done earlier. Maybe it was a good thing to do, but it was quite inappropriate for society.

    ''If it''s a peasant, it might still be okay. A sinner, on the other hand, does not deserve to be healed by ady, especially if it requires her to use her god''s blessing, which can only be used twice a day. Lady, in the future, she should be able to control herself when using her god''s blessings,'' thought Rachel.

    Sinners would eventually be healed by the church as well. The judgment from the beginning was only for deterrence and to remove the sins of those around them who were also affected by their actions. Although their healing would not be as perfect as thedy''s God blessing, at least they should still be able to live with it. If they couldn''t, they could stay in the church, bing workers who helped the priest in the church.

    Allen was also confused by Felicia''s actions, which always contradicted with her words. She was putting others down with her words, but her act also saved others.

    ''What a strange human,'' thought Allen. Allen wasn''t familiar with other humans, but at least he knew that Felicia was a different type. He was looking at everyone when Felicia healed the sinners, and none of them looked happy.

    "Give it to us!"

    "No, kid! Please! Don''t."

    "Hurry up and give it! Hurry up! Give it to me!"

    There was a noise to their left. Felicia saw three boys about her age or maybe a little older trying to grab the food of an old woman who looked like a beggar.

    Rachel looked at Felicia''s face, and she could tell that Felicia was going to help the old woman, so she immediately pulled Felicia''s hand and said,

    "No Lady!" All her luggage fell.

    "Let go, Rachel."

    "No, I won''t let go. Lady Isabelle asked us to go home immediately before night, we can''t waste our time here."

    "Allen, can you take care of that?" asked Felicia.

    "Why? My job is to protect you, not to help others. They have nothing to do with me." Allen replied coldly.

    Felicia felt disappointed in Allen. She felt a little bit that Allen was a good boy because he had tried to save her from the pdins earlier. She knew it was Allen''s job to protect her, but Felicia still thought that he might have done it not out of duty but because he saw her troubled.

    Felicia pulled her hand hard out of Rachel''s hand.

    "Wait! Lady!"

    ''If you save everyone, then there will be no end to it, Lady."

    Then she ran towards the children and kicked one of them until they fell.

    "What are you doing!" shouted Felicia.

    "Huh? Who are you?"

    "I''m a noble! The daughter of Earl Boldenville!"

    The children looked confused, looking at each other.

    "Huh? Who? Do you know her?" everyone shook their heads, not knowing who she was.

    Felicia pointed at them one by one.

    "I told you to be nice to old people!"

    "This old woman has plenty of food, but she won''t share it with us!"

    "So that is why you want to steal them? Do you think it''s honorable to steal from others instead of your own efforts?"

    "honor- what? You''re so noisy, woman!"

    One of them was about to hit Felicia, but Felicia managed to dodge.

    ''Their movements are much slower than Theo''s.''

    Felicia kicked him, and they were pushed down.

    "Damn you!" Then they started picking up rocks,

    "Wait! No, you''ll hit this old woman!"

    "I don''t care!" They threw the stones, and all of them were received by Felicia.

    Blood came out of Felicia''s head.

    "Huh? Is this my blood?"

    "LADY FELICIA!" Rachel screamed and dashed over there.

    "Hahaha, you deserve it!" the boys said with a satisfiedugh.

    Then suddenly

    *WOOOSH

    *BAM

    Suddenly Allen was already there, and he was now stomping the boy''s body on the ground so hard.

    "Don''t hurt her," Allen said with a cold face.

    "AAKH! Aaa A! a!" The boy couldn''t even talk because his body hurt too much¡­ His face was pale, and his eyes widened severely, vomit came out of his mouth.

    "What the hell is he doing!"

    "Run! Let''s tell auntie!"

    The other two ran away. Likewise, the old woman also left.

    "Allen, stop!" shouted Felicia.

    "What do you mean? Why should I stop? He''s hurting you. He should be ready to be hurt back if he hurts someone else. And if he knows but does it anyway, he should be strong enough to fight back."

    Allen took the boy''s right hand and pulled him up.

    "AAAKAHKHAKHK!!!H!!!!" The child screamed unbelievably. He strangely did not faint; once again, he vomited.

    *CRACK

    Allen had broken his hand and it appeared that it would no longer function properly.

    Felicia fell. It was the first time she had seen something so brutal happen in front of her, other than judgment. But this wasn''t a judgment; this was purely hurting someone else out of displeasure.

    "Lady!" Rachel held Felicia''s body and wiped the blood from her head.

    "Pol!" Then, from the right, a woman shouted, calling out "Pol," which was the child''s name.

    The woman''s face was pale and wrinkled; her hair was tangled; her shirt was dirty; and her eye bags were ck. She looked as tired as if she had just gotten home from work, but she still ran over to her son, who Allen was hurting.

    "Allen, get away from there!" shouted Felicia.

    Allen then let go of the boy''s hand, leaving him in pain.

    Felicia was ready to apologize to the mother.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When the mother arrived, she held her son''s drooping body, looking at her son''s broken and bleeding right hand. She hugged her son tightly

    "Pol! Pol! My son!" she cried, but only temporarily.

    The mother then immediately let go of the child. And looked at Felicia.

    Allen was again prepared to attack the mother if she intended to hurt Felicia.

    But no, the mother immediately bowed down to Felicia.

    "Huh?" Felicia was confused.

    ''What''s wrong with this woman?" she thought.

    The mother didn''t look angry; instead, she bowed down in front of Felicia and said

    "Ple-please forgive this child, beloved high noble. He is my only child and my only family. Please forgive him, li-lidy"

    It seemed like they were peasants who couldn''t even pronounce dy" properly.

    Felicia could not say anything. She was ready to ept his anger, but she apologized to Felicia instead.

    This is how the noble and the peasant are rted.

    A peasant has absolutely no rights in front of the nobility.

    Since Felicia was silent, the mother grabbed her child again. Then she pped him repeatedly.

    "Mo...mom! I¡­it hurts! It¡­ hur¡­hurts!" His child''s suffering face now looked even more crazed and severe.

    "If it''s not enough, I''ll do this until you''re satisfied, so please, spare our lives!"

    "STOP! THAT IS ENOUGH!" Felicia shouted, crying.

    "HE''S YOUR CHILD! DON''T DO IT TO YOUR OWN CHILD!" she screamed again.

    Using the blood flowing through her head, Felicia used her god''s blessing.

    "Wh-what''s this lidy?" asked the mother

    "Just shut up in there! You want me to let you live, right?!"

    She surrounded them, and the flowers grew.

    "Now you are in my garden."

    This time Felicia also went into her garden to heal herself.

    Then slowly, the child healed. His broken hand mended, and his wounds disappeared.

    "Mom!!!" the child cried as she hugged his mother.

    The mother then looked at Felicia.

    "Thank you!" she said, but Felicia didn''t answer. She was the one who should be med for Allen''s actions from the beginning.

    Felicia was breathing heavily, her body sweating. It was the second time she had used her God''s blessing; the circle and time it was rewinding were also quite far, so it was draining her mana and stamina.

    Allen then approached her.

    "Are you stupid? Why did you do that? You''ve been hurt by them, of course, they''ll be hurt back. After I''ve seen the reactions of others and heard it from you so many times, I''m now sure how the nobles and peasants stand. The peasants should be subservient to the nobles and always serve the nobles. As for you, you healed them instead; doesn''t this mean that you serve them?" He said it with a t expression, and from his face, Felicia could tell that Allen didn''t even feel any guilt at all. He was like a golem who only obeyed his master''s orders.

    "Who...who are you said stupid?! You stupid!" Rachel held Felicia''s body; she looked exhausted and almost fainted, but she forced herself to speak.

    "So if they hurt you, you''ll hurt them back?

    Then if they eat shit, you''ll eat shit too?

    Why... why are you just taking the bad? Isn''t it true that they''ll be nice to us if we''re nice to them?

    What you have done is exaggerated; this kind of punishment is too much; he can''t even fight back, but you''re still hurting him. There''s no way I''m going to stand by and watch people get hurt when I have the ability to heal them. No way! No way I could do that!"

    Felicia forced her body out of Rachel''s grip and fell in front of Allen''s body. Felicia then hit Allen''s body repeatedly as the water came out of her eyes.

    "Then you... why... why can you easily hurt others?

    ? I don''t understand.

    I don''t understand.

    Why does everyone hurt others so easily when they don''t want to be hurt either?

    Hey... tell me... Allen.. if it is you... why you can hurt others... Why do your eyes look like that? I know those eyes. It''s the same look my father gave me when he saw me. That face is a cold and uncaring face that has deep hatred in it. Do you enjoy hating others?

    Does what you''re doing make you happy? What are you, Allen? Your mother is a monster, and you''re a human. Did you misinterpret yourself as human? You''re actually a monster, are you? You do not care about human life because you were raised by a monster, right? Why did you hate humans that much?!"

    Allen held Felicia''s hand, who kept hitting him.

    "I hate humans... because they took my mother''s life." Then Allen remembered what good things Lavinia had done for him in the dungeon, which means not every human is terrible. But still, his hatred toward humans exists deep in his heart. And then he remembered how the monsters had almost raped Lavinia.

    "I hate monsters too," Allen continued, still looking at Felicia with his cold, red eyes.

    "Don''t look at me with those eyes..." Felicia finally fainted.

    "Lady..." muttered Rachel while holding Felicia''s body.

    "Let me carry her," said Allen.

    Allen carried Felicia on his back. Rachel picked up the fallen bags, and they walked together.

    "Hey, umm, Felicia''s maid."

    "I''m Rachel."

    "Rachel..."

    ''I have never feltfortable with older women.''

    "I still don''t understand her actions. Actually, I understand this girl''s logic a little. But I still don''t understand why she would bother helping others like that. Even though she''s a noble, she has no right to do so."

    Rachel bowed her head,

    "Lady is a very kind person... She''s always been mistreated by those around her, so she''s never had any friends. Instead of seeking vengeance for their poor treatment, Lady chooses to be kind to others in the hopes that they will also be kind to her.

    "But if that''s the case, she shouldn''t speak arrogantly to others."

    "Lady had a peasant friend once. And their rtionship ended when they discovered thatdy was a noble. It turned out that others bullied the child who was friends with ady because he was friends with a noble. That is why she is tired of friendship; rather than blending in and causing others to suffer, she should keep her distance from others. Nheless, his overly kind character has not changed. Or, more urately, she was too naive. She shouldn''t have put herself in such danger to help others."

    Allen recalled back on Felicia''s actions all day. Felicia was selfish if it involved small things, but if someone else was hurt, she didn''t mind doing anything for that person.

    Felicia''s words and Felicia''s desperate face when she saw him made Allen feel somewhat guilty, and he felt touched. Felicia''s words were simr to what his mother had said, not to hate other humans.

    All the way home, Allen couldn''t stop thinking about Felicia''s crying face.

    "Such a stupid and annoying girl. Your face bes ugly when you cry."

 Chapter 37 37 : Noctem Dolls

    ?The Whitmoon Festival begins in a month.

    Due to the many travelersing in and out of the capital, the city''s security forces were tightened, especially around the castle.

    Next to the castle was a prison filled with people who had broken the rules of tier 1 and tier 2, whom the royal family kept for certain purposes. Castle''s prison was the strictest among the other prisons, and the soldiers who guarded the ce were more or less padium-ranked or higher.

    But that day¡­

    All the soldiers who guarded the prison died, including the prisoners inside their cells. All of them were believed to havemitted suicide. The archers pierced their necks with arrows, the vanguards pierced their heads with swords, and the prisoners slit their throats.

    "What the hell is going on here!"

    The head of the knights and one of the ten royal councils, Maximilian Beatrix Glenham, had juste in the afternoon because he had heard about this from his aide.

    It happened in the morning. At that time, many people were working outside, but no one could hear a scream from inside the underground prison.

    Even the guards, whose job it was to watch the outside prison, were inside and also killed themselves.

    "Check every corner! Look for anything you find unusual! Just hope someone left a trail!"

    The soldiers split up, looking for anything strange that was left inside the prison. In the main hall, there were footprints where blood had been stepped on. Then there was a dead soldier impaled on a sword, but the sword wasn''t there.

    "My Lord! You must see this!" said one of the soldiers.

    Maximilian followed him, and he came to one of the prisoners'' cells.

    The iron bars were broken and cut in neat circles.

    "What did they use to cut this neatly..." said Maximilian as he touched the bars.

    "Whose cell is this?"

    "That is the man His Highness Leofric arrested; his name is Arthur Lambert."

    "Arthur Lambert? How long has he been in prison?"

    "About a week."

    "I see..."

    ''That is, there''s no way he did it all by himself. Someone helped him get out of here.''

    "Investigate this person further. Search his hometown, his family, everything." Maximilian ordered.

    "Yes, my Lord!"

    The Whitmoon Festival hadn''t started yet, and someone had already damaged one of the best security areas in the castle.

    "Oya oya, what a dreadful sight! Have you found out who caused all this?"

    From behind Maximilian, he heard a voice that was very familiar to him. It was Prince Leofric, who was wearing a casual blue tunic.

    "Your highness! What are you doing here?" Maximilian said as he ced his hand on his chest.

    "I heard from my assistant about this. And coincidentally, one of my captives from yesterday is also here. Is he dead now?"

    "Sir, most likely, the prisoner you took, Arthur Lambert, is the cause of all this."

    "I see... But as I recall, he doesn''t have this kind of ability. If he did, he would have killed that kid in the dungeon."

    "What kid, your highness?"

    "Nothing, I''m just talking to myself."

    Leofric looked at the bars, then he said,

    "Is there a possibility that Noctem Dolls did it? If I''m not mistaken, my brother Harald brought one of their members yesterday."

    "It seems unlikely; one of their members is also dead, and it''s a suicide."

    Leofric looked around his blood-soiled clothes,

    "Gross, I''ll go out. Please take care here."

    Then he stood up and walked away, thinking,

    ''God''s blessing that can make people kill themselves... it shouldn''t be possible because there are ndestine flowers inside.

    ndestine flowers can absorb mana, but they don''t actually go very deep into the human body. So if we are in prison, we still have mana, even if it''s only a little.

    But from the number of dead soldiers, it''s impossible to do that with a small amount of mana.''

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "Leader, Lewin is dead. He slit his throat."

    "I see... it''s a pity; his god''s blessing was good."

    A woman with short green hair was talking to a man wearing a ck robe. A hood covered his head, but his long white hair was clearly visibleing out of the hood. The man was sewing a female doll the size of his hand.

    They were talking in a ce that looked like a ruin. It was rundown, gray, and dark. However, afternoon light could be seen through the ruins'' holes.

    The man sat under the light, smiling.

    "Leader, don''t you want to know why he killed himself?" the woman asked.

    "Ah. Sorry, I was too focused on sewing and didn''t think about it clearly. So why did he kill himself?"

    "I don''t know either. When I arrived, the prisoners were all dead, and it seemed they were all suicides. I wonder what god''s blessing can be used without mana."

    "ndestine flower is not a flower that makes people unable to use mana, but a flower that absorbs mana. When people go into prison, the mana must still be left in their bodies. Maybe they used the remaining mana they have to do that."

    "Is that so... but the number of people whomit suicide is vast. Is it possible to do such a thing with a small amount of mana?"

    "How many?"

    "There''s almost a whole vige, probably around 100 people, and the positions vary. Some are in the main hall, some are near the prison, and some are in the toilet."

    "Then it''s impossible... the mana inside the body will be slowly absorbed by the ndestine flower, while the mana released will be absorbed directly without remaining.

    It might still be understandable if the victim gathers in one ce, but only if they have a tremendous amount of mana. But if the victims were scattered in different ces, the god''s blessing would be inactivated before it could reach its target."

    "Then, do you have any assumptions on this, leader? Or do you think this person is not a threat?"

    "That''s right. I still don''t know their purpose for doing that. For sure, they are not targeting us. But still, they killed one of our friends; we have to fight back, right?"

    He said it without emotion or care for his dead friend.

    "My n, the Norrtish have been ughtered by the kingdom for being dangerous. If I let my friend die and don''t feel anything about it, it will just justify their thoughts. We, the Noctem Dolls, should at least be humane to our members," he exined again.

    Noctem Dolls was a high-ss criminal organization that had troubled the Wildenhall Kingdom for more than ten years. They killed, stole, and some raped. Their targets were primarily nobles, but in some cases, they were also killedmoners. What made them terrible was that they were killers with a strong trust and bond with theirpanions, making them hard to trace even when one of them was captured and interrogated.

    One of their friends, named Lewin, was caught by the second prince, Harald Regina Wildenhall, and imprisoned in the kingdom. But now their friend was now dead, killing himself in prison.

    "Well, I didn''t like Lewin, but we should at least avenge him," said the woman coldly, who was just like the leader. She didn''t feel anything when herpanion died, but felt she had to avenge him, even though they knew it was troublesome.

    The leader put down his doll, and then he looked at the woman, who seemed to be carrying something beside her.

    "By the way, what are you carrying in your hand, Elinor?" asked the leader.

    "Oh right, I almost forgot."

    "Hahaha, that''s your bad habit; you always forget the little things."

    Elinor threw the person she was holding in her left hand. The person was thrown forward under the afternoon sunlight inside that dark room.

    "And this person is¡­?"

    "I found him in prison, on top of the suicide corpse; he is the only one who is still alive."

    It was Arthur Lambert. His body was strangely drooping, motionless, like a corpse. The leader then stopped sewing his doll and looked at Arthur.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Poor thing, you took away his freedom. Give him back his freedom again, Elinor."

    Elinor approached Arthur and walloped him in the heart.

    "GAKH!" Arthur suddenly regained movement, and then he vomited.

    "Wh-what happened? Everything suddenly went dark!" Arthur shouted.

    "Poor thing, Elinor''s god''s blessing is indeed very scary. Don''t worry; you''re still alive. You can still see and are already in the real world." The leader''s voice that Arthur heard was very soft, almost as soft as the white-haired woman who freed him, except that this man''s voice was not as gripping as the woman''s.

    The leader then jumped from a distant ce and was suddenly in front of Arthur, his feet descending slowly, like floating.

    "So, young man, are you the god-blessing user who made those people kill themselves?" he asked.

    Arthur lifted his head and was shocked. He once again saw a Norttish in front of him, and not only that, but his face was the same face on the wanted sheets scattered throughout the city. A blue-eyed Norttish man with ponytail hair.

    "No! That is not my fault; I did not cause it!"Arthur shouted.

    ''What the hell! It''s Noctem Dolls''s leader, Ivaylo!'' Arthur thought.

    "Well then, you seem to know who did it, right?"

    "Yes, she is..."

    Arthur bowed his head, he tried to recall the face of the woman who had freed him from prison, but he could not. He didn''t remember anything at all, apparently, and everything. All he remembered was only one, and that was¡­

    "Kallen, her name is Kallen. That''s all I remember."

    "So that''s it..."

    Elinor then kicked Arthur''s body.

    "Don''t lie. Howe you remember the name but not the appearance?" She said expressionlessly.

    "That''s true! I don''t remember anything but her name!"

    Elinor continued to kick Arthur.

    "Why don''t you just kill him?" it turned out that it wasn''t just the three of them there; a rough male voice wasing from the darkness.

    "No no no, just let the leader and Elinor take care of it. Rx, Adam"

    "I''m afraid I''m not much of a torturer like Elinor, so instead of getting beaten up, it''s better to be killed, right?"

    Arthur''s eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. There were at least nine people in the room with him. Two people were ying chess on the left, and the other two on the right appeared to be doing weapon maintenance. Adam and the person who scolded him earlier were the ones ying chess.

    "Enough, Elinor," said their leader, Ivaylo.

    Ivaylo approached the light and stared at it for a long time, the light shining all over his tall and thin body. He thought of all the possibilities that could happen in prison.

    "That was sloppy," said Ivaylo.

    "Who is, leader?" said Elinor, confused.

    "This Kallen individual. Perhaps her god''s blessing is rted to memory maniption, which may be why people theremitted suicide, and why this young man lost his memory. But, strangely, this young man could remember her name. Which means she intentionally didn''t erase that part."

    "That''s amazing, leader. You can assume that far." said Elinor, who still had no expression even though she was praising him.

    Then Ivaylo continued.

    "Then there''s a reason why Kallen let this man live. It is also the reason why we should not kill this man."

    "Are you serious, leader? Then what should we do with him?" asked Adam, who stopped ying chess.

    Ivaylo squatted in front of Arthur, who still looked in pain.

    "You are now a royal fugitive, just like us. What will you do now?"

    Arthur, without hesitation, answered immediately.

    "I have to kill someone, a ck-haired boy."

    "!!!"

    Surprisingly, everyone there immediately stopped moving. Then one of them approached.

    "Did you meet a ck-haired boy?"

    That persones from the left. She was a woman with fair skin, ck eyes, and long ck hair. She was wearing a white mask that only had one eye.

    "Where did you meet him?" she asked again.

    "In-in the dungeon."

    "Is he the same height as you?" she asked again.

    "No, he''s still a child."

    The woman disappointedly turned around and returned to her ce.

    "I''m sorry, Nishizaka was stranded from another world to this world. She was looking for her friend. So she thought you met her friend who was also stranded in this world." Said Ivaylo.

    Then Ivaylo continued,

    "So, can you tell me more about that boy?"

    Arthur somehow felt like he wanted to tell everything in front of Ivaylo; without hesitation, he said it in front of everyone,

    "That kid... he killed someone precious to me, so if I don''t kill him, I won''t be satisfied! I''ll look for him wherever he is and will kill him with my hands!"

    "Aissh, just kill him, Leader. People like him are just stupid boys talking about useless grudges," said Adam with annoyance.

    Suddenly the atmosphere became heavy, and Ivaylo looked at Adam with a terrible smile.

    "Adam, will you shut up?"

    "¡­"

    Ivaylo then looked at Arthur,

    "Are you willing to kill an innocent person to kill that person?"

    "OF COURSE! ANYTHING THAT GETS IN MY WAY, EVEN IF HE''S A PRINCE, I WILL KILL HIM!" shouted Arthur.

    "Aaah, no shouting. Wee to Noctem Dolls, then."

    "!!!"

    "Leader! Are you serious?" Elinor''s face, which had been expressionless, now showed her shocked face.

    "This snot-nosed kid got into our organization?!" Adam shouted.

    "Whatever," said Nishizaka.

    "Me too; all of the leader''s decisions so far have always gone well. It just so happens that Lewin is dead, so we need new members," said the man who was ying chess with Adam.

    "I think you should doubt this one, Ralph. His body is small and he looks very weak; we don''t even know his god''s blessing yet. Don''t you need to rethink about this, leader?" this time, the voice came from next to Nishizaka.

    "Aren''t you small too? Why are you talking like that?" replied Ralph.

    "What did you say?!"

    Ivaylo raised his hand, and everyone fell silent. Ivaylo held Arthur''s head and stroked his hair.

    "So what? I believe you can be stronger here; plus, if you''re with us, you can get your revenge."

    "I''d be happy to join your organization. Order me to kill anyone, I will do it as long as you can bring me to that child."

    But in his heart, he refused to join. He doesn''t want to be controlled by others.

    ''I don''t want to, but there is no other way to survive this situation other than joining them. I''ll run away when I get the chance.''

 Chapter 38 38 : Reason Why Felicia Learn Sword

    ?This world has four months and four seasons in a year, and each season represents four elemental spirits.

    There are 90 days in a month. Winter is a water month, summer is a fire month, spring is a soil month, and fall is an air month.

    Today is the end of the water month and the start of the fire month. So the weather is getting hotter.

    It was still morning, but the heat was so intense that it woke up Felicia, who was still asleep.

    "Good morning, Lady." Next to Felicia''s bed, Rachel was sitting and sewing. Felicia looked out the window; it seemed like almost half the day had passed. And when she realized that, she immediately got up from her bed.

    "Oh no! I''ll bete for sword training with Theo! Why didn''t you wake me up?" yelled Felicia.

    Felicia can usually wake herself up early in the morning, but on some asions, like today, she has difficulty getting up.

    "Lady, you used up too much stamina yesterday. You not only used your god''s blessing twice, but you also had to walk across town untilte afternoon."

    Felicia also walked quite a distance from the hall to the church and a long walk in the market district. As a result, Felicia was so tired that makes her woke upte. Probably, if the weather hadn''t been so hot, she wouldn''t have gotten up until noon.

    Rachel put down her stitches, closed the curtains, and locked the door. As for Felicia, she went straight into the pool. Felicia''s room was quite spacious. There was a small pool on the right side of the room that could fit five people. Rachel had cleaned and filled the pool with hot water since morning, but the hot water had adjusted to room temperature since a few hours had already passed.

    Felicia usually bathes for an hour, but she had to hurry, so she only bathed for 10 minutes and got dressed. She was wearing short clothes with leather armor on her body.

    "Here, Lady."

    Rachel gave the rapier to Felicia.

    Felicia looked at it for quite a long time. The rapier was a gift from Waldo when they were about to part ways.

    Once again, Felicia looked lonely, making Rachel feel sad and guilty.

    "Lady, there''s no need to hurry; when we arrive, perhaps Allen is still training with Mr. Theobauld."

    "Watching is also part of learning!"

    They rushed to the training ground.

    When they arrived, Allen had already started training with Theobauld.

    Since it was a hot day, Allen and Theobauld wore ve clothes, a thin sleeveless shirt, and thin ck shorts. Felicia could see that they were sweating so much that it soaked the floor, and seeing that, she was confused why Allen was still wearing his scarf.

    Allen and Theobauld, were not using wooden swords anymore. Felicia could see that Theobauld was already struggling with Allen''s speed, so he was forced to use his sword-soil for defense. And she also noticed that Allen gradually got used to his dual des.

    "Looks like I''m way behind Allen," said Felicia, who sat down and watched their training.

    When looking at Allen''s face, Felicia recalled what she had said to him yesterday.

    ''How am I going to talk to him?'' she thought.

    Felicia had dictated Allen''s way of life and made fun of him excessively by calling him "monster," "not human," and even badmouthing Allen''s mother. When Felicia thought about it again, she felt very guilty.

    "Allen''s face yesterday; maybe he was mad at me." Felicia identally said it in her mouth, and Rachel could hear it.

    Rachel smiled a little,

    ''I am d Allen is here. Lady kept her distance from others and used her noble-peasant ruse to avoid them. People also only saw her as the Earl''s daughter, not the real her. But Allen didn''t even care about Lady Felicia''s social status; not only that, but Allen''s way of speaking was also very frontal in front of her, so it was more like he was too rude. I actually can''t stand his attitude toward thedy, and I''m sure thedy does too. But it''s better than being formal. I felt likedy finally has a friend of her age."

    "Let''s take a break, you should stretch your muscles."

    "Thank you, Master."

    Allen wiped his sweat, then looked at Felicia, who was sitting at the end, look at him too. Their eyes met.

    "Hmm? You''re finally awake, sleeping princess. It''s very nice to be a princess, huh? You canze on your bed forever," said Allen while walking toward them.

    Felicia, who had been nning how to approach Allen, had forgotten all of her ns. Her head exploding, she went straight to Allen and pointed to his body. [ILLUSTRATION]

    "WHAT?! Whose fault do you think I overslept?! It''s because you made me use my god''s blessing twice! You peasant, you ve, you child, you should be more respectful to-"

    "h...h...h... I can''t believe you really me others for yourziness. Consider it a result of your obsession with helping people," Allen said tly, not wanting to hear Felicia''s lecture, which was certain to be long and demeaning to others.

    "Hey! Listen to me!"

    Allen walked straight past Felicia, sitting in Felicia''s usual seat. Rachel somehow spontaneously poured tea into the ss.

    "Stop talking sh*t and be stronger," Allen said as he sipped the ss.

    "Cih... I knew it!" Felicia then turned around, and started her training with Theobauld.

    "Lady, you really need to try to attack my vital part this time. That way, you''ll move more freely. You shouldn''t be afraid to attack your opponent. Anyway, you can use your god''s blessings to heal me if anything untoward happens. Well¡­ It won''t happen anyway-"

    Felicia immediately thrust her rapier into Theobauld''s face. Theobauld was surprised because Felicia tried to attack his head. Previously, she had only targeted his hands and feet.

    "Well done,dy. You''re getting better."

    "Yeah, fortunately, I have good eyes, so I can copy some of Allen''s moves."

    "I hope you didn''t copy everything; your bones and muscles will break."

    Felicia repeatedly stabbed freely into Theobauld''s body. There was no hesitation in her attacks.

    ''I can''t hesitate anymore. I must be stronger. If I be stronger, something like yesterday won''t happen again.''

    Yesterday''s incident shocked her. Felicia realized that yesterday, Allen was not wrong at all. What is wrong is Felicia''s weakness. Allen didn''t even move until she was injured. If only she could punish those kids by herself, they wouldn''t have had such a horrible experience. Felicia, in the future, she would punish the guilty people in front of her in her own way. Not with the power of the nobility, status, or by relying on Allen.

    "I will learn a sword not only for myself but to save others, not to hurt them!" she said.

    Felicia kicked Theobauld''s leg, which Theobauld didn''t expect at all because Felicia had only been attacking with her rapier up until that point.

    As a result, Theobauld retreated backward. On that asion, with all her strength, Felicia used her rapier to stab Theobauld''s body.

    Theobauld swatted it away with his sword, and Felicia''s rapier slipped out of her hand and was thrown upwards.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Felicia fell, sweated, and tired.

    "Too bad,dy. Yourst attack was easy to read, so it didn''t reach me," said Theobauld.

    But instead of getting angry and cursing as usual, Feliciaughed.

    "Hahahahahaha! I finally can do it..." said Felicia, smiling.

    "What?" Theobauld was confused.

    Felicia pointed to the floor, where there were traces of sweat that had begun to dry.

    "I finally managed to get you to move from your spot!"

    Theobauld apparently did it unconsciously. He remembered that he didn''t even need to move all this time to avoid Felicia''s attacks. But this time, he was forced to move. Felicia''s feeling of not hesitating to hurt him made him feel a little threat.

    "GAHAHAHA, then congrattions, Lady, you can finally move on to the next step," Theobauld said proudly.

    Felicia smiled, then stood up.

    "Humph! This kind of thing is easy for an honorable noble like me! "Shortly, I''ll be even stronger than Allen!"

    Felicia picked up her sword, which was lying on the ground, and put it into its sheath.

    She walked over to Allen, who sat looking at her.

    ''Allen, I don''t know what you''ve been through, but I''m going to show you that you don''t have to hurt others to achieve your goals.''

    "What?" asked Allen, who had been looking at Felicia, who was just standing there looking at him.

    "Nothing," Felicia said as she took a seat next to Allen''s.

    Allen was now looking at Felicia in confusion. Thinking about what Felicia said in front of Theobauld.

    "You''re such an idiot," he said.

    "Again, you say that-"

    Before Felicia could finish her sentence, Allen cut her off.

    "A sword that can save others? Not hurting others? How stupid..."

    Allen looked at his hand that was holding the de. The pads of his hands were already a little swollen. Because he had always swung a sword since he was little.

    Until now, he had never forgotten...

    The feeling of bulldozing others with his sword...

    Starting from goblins, then orcs, and finally humans...

    He never liked that sensation. The sensation that clung to his hands as he cleaved through the flesh of living beings

    Then there were their faces, as well as the faces of those who loved them, when he did that. He despised it and never wanted to be cold-blooded like this.

    But what else could he do? He didn''t know what to do if he didn''t do it. His anger was uncontroble. His life had been ruined since the humans broke up his happy life inside the dungeon.

    A sword that saves others? There is no way it could happen. Swords have always been used to cause harm. A sword is just a weapon to kill and take the lives of others. There is no one who doesn''t get hurt when they decide to learn it. One day, they would use it to attack anyone who was trying to take something away from them.

    "No! You idiot! I''m a noble, you know! I can do anything! If I say I can do it, that means I can do it! Nobles are honorable people who won''t break their promises! I won''t let you hurt others with your sword. I will definitely solve the problem before it bes a problem so that you don''t have to hurt others anymore!"

    Felicia was gleaming in Allen''s eyes at the time. Maybe it was because of the sun, or the heat that made him crazy, or sweat that made her glisten¡ªI don''t know, maybe not all of them. But one thing was for sure: Felicia''s words could reach Allen''s heart.

    And just a little bit...

    Just a little bit...

    Allen felt a little confident in what Felicia was saying. He thought that this person might actually be able to do it.

    "That''s what I call an idiot, you stubborn," Allen said while doing a chop to Felicia''s head.

    "Ouch!"

    Allen left, heading to Theobauld, asking to duel once more.

    Felicia held her head, which hurt a little from being hit by Allen,

    "What the hell is he trying to say?" said Felicia as she sipped the tea in front of her.

    Rachel immediately panicked and shouted,

    "Wait, Lady! That tea is Allen''s!"

    *SPUUURT

    Felicia immediately spits it out and puts the cup on the table.

    "Cough cough!"

    "Lady, I''m sorry!" Rachel handed her a handkerchief and wiped it over Felicia''s mouth.

    Felicia remained silent, not answering Rachel, even though Rachel was ready to be scolded.

    "Lady, what''s wrong?"

    Felicia''s face was bright red up to her ears. She covered her mouth with both hands.

    ''What should I do? What is this? What? What should I do? That is my first indirect kiss.''

 Chapter 39 39 : Slice Of Life

    ?Allen''s daily routine at the Wolverlope house was to clean his own room, clean the training ground, sweep the floor, wipe the swords, and bring the soldiers'' dirty clothes to the river so the maids could wash them.

    Theobald told Allen to do that, not Isabelle. It was part of their deal for the duel.

    Allen didn''t do anything before or after training with Theobauld, even though he was learning to read and write in his room, so Theobauld told him to take care of the cleanliness of the training ground.

    After finishing up, he usually practiced throwing his de against the tree near the training ground until Theobauld arrived. Since he was now always first, he never had to listen to Felicia''s babbling again.

    After sword training, he was supposed to learn about "how amnis work" in Thurstan''s chambers, but Thurstan could not be disturbed at the moment. Instead, he asked Allen to learn reading and writing first. It was supposed to be like that, but...

    About two days ago, his daily routine changed. Isabelle always called him in the afternoon to her workroom.

    Someone entering a nobleman''s room was expected to knock three times on the door and extend a polite greeting inside. On the other hand, Allen merely smiled and just walked over to open the door. Everything he did, Isabelle''s response was

    "Oh, it''s Allen, you''vee," she said without looking at who was at the door. Isabelle knew that only Allen had no manners at her residence.

    Isabelle was still very busy preparing for the whitmoon festival that year. Without a doubt, that was her busiest season of life. It was because that was also the day the 14th prince was baptized. Isabelle was so swamped with work that she came to the office dressed only in her pajamas.

    "What should I do now?" asked Allen. He had been asking that question every day.

    And Isabelle always answered him with the same answer.

    "Just sit wherever you like."

    Allen was just told to sit and not to do anything.

    He had previously asked why he had to stay in the room, and Isabelle''s answer was simply,

    "Just apany me here."

    Because Allen had nothing to do, he usually just walked around the room and looked at the books.

    But that happened back then.

    Now he''s not just sitting there.

    *PUM

    He put two books and ink on the table.

    ? "Allen, what are you doing?" Isabelle asked.

    Isabelle didn''t realize that Allen was carrying books and ink.

    "Instead of doing nothing here, I''d rather continue my studies."

    Isabelle smiled and continued her work.

    -knock knock knock

    "Come in."

    In the afternoon, a waiter delivered the food. Mostly bread and meat. Isabelle and Allen always ate together in that room. At the center table, without manners and all the noble things. They just sat and ate heartily.

    "How does it taste?" Isabelle asked.

    "Spicy." Allen replied briefly, with a full food in his mouth,

    "Fufufu, of course it''s spicy. I wanted to ask if it tastes good to you or not?"

    Allen swallowed his food first and then answered.

    "Yes, not bad." Then continued eating with gusto. There was a lot of food brought into Isabelle''s room, but most of it was only eaten by Allen.

    Allen would then sleep there until the night after he finished eating. When he awoke at night, he discovered Isabelle sleeping at her table and picked her up to take her to her room.

    "She doesn''t eat that much, but why is she so heavy,"

    When he lifted it, Allen could feel Isabelle''s body temperature seem abnormally high.

    Two maids were ready and waiting at the room''s entrance. He tells the maids about Isabelle''s high temperature. The maid instructed Allen to bring Isabelle to the room while the others called the physician.

    Iskaria was in the room. Allen and Iskariaid her down on the bed.

    Momentster, the physician and arge group of people entered the room. They were all ves of Isabelle''s who lived in the house. They were worried that Isabelle might have been hurt.

    "Everyone, please go back. Lady is just a little feverish from being tired, and if you all stay here, this ce will get too crowded, and she won''t get better."

    The crowd slowly dispersed; even Felicia and Rachel remained silent. If exhaustion were the issue, then Felicia''s god''s blessing couldn''t help Isabelle.

    The physician gave her a potion, and then he left. Before he left, he asked Iskaria to gradually change the cold cloth on Isabelle''s head. Allen and Iskaria were the only ones left in the room.

    " Hey, do you know why she asked me to stay in that room with her sote?" asked Allen, breaking the silence.

    "Lady Isabelle used to have a husband."

    "Husband?"

    "Yes, this happened 12 years ago. Her husband has to leave her to join Prince Eldritch''s dungeon raid. She was two months into her pregnancy with his child. Unfortunately, her husband died in the dungeon, and she had a miscarriage a monthter due to emotional distress. Perhaps she saw you as her child. Because if her son is still alive, he must be at your age. That is also how she was able to get close to Felicia. And that''s also the reason Lady Isabelle couldn''t leave that child."

    "What child?"

    "Nothing."

    Allen was silent, thinking about what Isabelle really wanted.

    "So, basically, she needs me in the room to keep her warm?" said Allen.

    Iskaria didn''t understand Allen''s point, but she was toozy to bother. It was alsote, and she was tired from the day''s work. She wanted to take a shower and rx, so she just answered him briefly.

    "Probably."

    Allen then looked at Isabe''s face, which was red from the heat. She breathed heavily, and sweat was constantly pouring out of her skin.

    "Allen, I''m tired. I want to take a bath. You know what to do, so I''ll go first."

    "HEY! WAIT-"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Iskaria left immediately, leaving Isabelle alone with Allen.

    Allen looked at Isabelle''s weak face again.

    If that maid is true, she''s using me to rece her son, right? Is that why she made me be her ve?"

    Allen took the wet towel off Isabelle''s head and wrung it out. He then put a new towel on her head. Isabelle opened her eyes as he started to put it on her head.

    "Oh, you''re awake. That must mean you''re feeling better now, right? The weird old man told me that you don''t get enough rest."

    Allen wiped the towel on Isabelle''s face, wrung it out, and changed it for a new one.

    "Then, I''ll go," said Allen as he stood up.

    "Wait." Isabelle raised her body, pulling Allen''s hand.

    "Wh-what?"

    "Ple-please..." Isabelle was silent for a while, not finishing her sentence.

    "I... I order you to stay here, waiting for me to fall asleep," Isabelle continued.

    "Haaah... What a troublesome order," Allen replied as he sat back down.

    "Don''t get up yet; your voice is still hoarse and sounds strange."

    Isabelle remained silent, slowly lowering her body to the bed.

    "Allen, don''t go. Stay here."

    When Allen saw Isabelle''s face, he somehow remembered himself.

    Aaah, maybe my face looked like that when I asked mom to sleep with me, he thought.

    She was so fragile and weak, a pitiful face.

    "I''ve been ordered to stay here anyway; there''s no way I can leave," Allen said.

    He knew how it felt to be left behind when going to sleep, so when Allen saw Isabelle''s face, he didn''t want to leave her. Because surely, when she woke upter, she would be very lonely.

    Allen didn''t want to leave Isabelle because he remembered how it felt to be abandoned before going to bed. He was sure she would feel so lonely when she woke upter.

    Slowly, Allen also started to get sleepy and fell asleep.

    .

    .

    .

    "SHIT! I HAVE TO CLEAN THE TRAINING GROUND TODAY!"

    Allen woke up. That time, he woke up in an unusual ce. It was Isabelle''s room. He woke up on a big, soft bed. Isabelle was no longer there.

    "It looks like she has recovered,"

    Allen immediately left the room and ran towards the training ground.

    "YOU''RE LATE!"

    When he got to the training ground, Allen was in a bad mood because suddenly he saw Felicia yelling right in front of him.

    "What the hell with your expression! Don''t tantly show your displeasure when you see my face!"

    Now he didn''t really care about Felicia. He should only care about himself since he had arrivedte and hadn''t even done the morning work that Theobauld had told him to do.

    "MASTER!" Allen immediately approached Theobauld, who was sharpening his sword.

    "Master Theo, beingte this time has a reason. It''s because Lady Isabelle asked me to sleep in her roomst night!"

    "Sleep in her room?!" Felicia was somehow surprised to hear that. She remembered that Allen had stayed in Isabelle''s room with Iskaria yesterday but didn''t know that Allen had slept in it.

    "I don''t need your excuses, Allen. Today, as promised..."

    "CIH!" As Allen was about to retreat backward, Theo immediately caught his left hand and then mmed Allen''s body. He pulled two short chains from his pocket .

    "Hey! What are you doing?" asked Felicia.

    "No! No! I don''t want to do it again!" Allen shouted with desperation.

    "Ah, Lady, just sit there."

    "I asked, what are you trying to do?!"

    Allen continued to yell.

    "STOP! I SAID I DON''T WANT TO! I DON''T WANT TO!"

    Theobauld sat on Allen''s body so that Allen could not move anywhere, and then he chained Allen''s hands and feet.

    "This is a kind of punishment for this boy if he doesn''t help out in the morning. He will be released naked while tied up in chains, and then I will smear his body with this animal oil. The small insects will crawl all over him when he is in the forest."

    "WHAT?! Why does the punishment have to be like that?! There are also many venomous insects in the forest, you know?!"

    "YEAH, SHE IS RIGHT! LET GO! ARE YOU WANT TO KILL ME?! LET ME GO!"

    Theobauld tied a cloth to Allen''s mouth to make him stop screaming.

    "Take it easy,dy, this child''s body is very strong. So, trust me, no matter how many small insects or snakes poison him, he will still be alive. Anyway, this will be his second experience, so I know he will be okay.

    Usually, the punishment is to hang naked, but it looks like this child doesn''t have pudency, so that kind of punishment probably wouldn''t affect him."

    "How cruel... Theo... I didn''t expect you to be this cruel," Felicia was now starting to get scared. Fortunately, she hadn''t made any promises or duels with Theo.

 Chapter 40 40 : About Amnis

    ?Three days had passed...

    Finally, Allen and Felicia could start learning mana again with Thurstan. But only for four days because Thurstan had to go to the capital to give his thesis to the academy.

    "What''s wrong?" said Allen to Felicia, who had been looking at him.

    "Nothing!" Felicia immediately turned her face away.

    ''This girl¡­ Since yesterday, she has always been looking at me, Is there something weird about my face?'' thought Allen.

    While Felicia thought,

    ''it was just an indirect kiss, but why am I always thinking about it?! It''s all because of Allen! He uncaringly drank the tea in my ss!''

    A few minutester, Thurstan returned and sat down in his chair.

    "Sorry for the long wait."

    They will now start learning mana from Thurstan. Felicia already had control over her own mana, and Allen already knew how mana worked. Next, they need to learn how to use amnis.

    "Lady Felicia, I rmend you learn healing amnis so you don''t have to rely on your god''s blessings to treat minor injuries," Thurstan advised, and then he continued

    "Amnis is an alternative method of god''s blessing for manifesting mana. Amnis can only be used with the help of elemental spirits. There are four types of elemental spirits: water, soil, fire, and wind. And there is one more spirit that is not an elemental; it is a non-attribute spirit."

    Thurstan took a big roll of paper and spread it out. There were many drawings and writings on it.

    "You can activate amnis by flowing some mana into your fingertips and then drawing the spirit symbol. After making the symbol, you must make themand spell with the spiritnguage around the symbol. For example..."

    Thurstan starts to demonstrate it. The tip of his index finger glowed, then he drew an air symbol in front of him. A momentter, a fresh breeze blew out of the symbol.

    "When we draw themand spell, the spirits absorb our mana and use that to do what wemand around the symbol. No matter how many spirits are present, the power remains the same because the power of the amnises from how much mana it will absorb and then how much knowledge the owner has. Knowledge means that the smarter the owner''s imagination about the amnis, the stronger the amnis will be."

    "I heard that amnis has various names, and everyone chants it, but I don''t hear you chant anything when you use your amnis before," asked Felicia.

    Thurstan smiled,

    "Good observation,dy. Did you know that mana is connected to our memories and feelings? I told you earlier that amnis strengthens when the owner''s imagination is strong. We can use amnis without chanting it. But if you chant it..."

    Thurstan drew another wind symbol.

    "Ghust of Wind," he said, chanting the name of the amnis he was using.

    The wind that came out was getting stronger, resulting in many papers on the floor flying behind them. Because of it, Felicia and Allen had to cover their heads with their hands.

    "Your amnis will be more powerful if you chant. The reason is in your feelings. Willpower, emotion, and determination all affect your mana. The stronger your feelings and emotions are when using mana, the stronger the power will be, and then the stronger your spirit response will be.

    Now, try activating the same amnis that I did earlier. You can see the picture and themand here."

    Felicia and Allen tried it while looking at the picture on the paper.

    "Eh? Why did the drawing disappear so quickly?!" as Felicia drew it, the drawing just disappeared.

    "How idiot, it''s because you draw it so slowly; you have to draw it quickly because the light you write will disappear in a half minute," said Allen, who also tried many times to draw it quickly.

    "That is because spiritnguage writing is very difficult!"

    Thurstan exined, "It''s difficult at first, but once you''ve tried it many times, you''ll remember. So even if the drawing disappears, keep writing until you can remember it."

    They attempted to write it several times.

    Then, after 10 minutes of trying

    "Ah¡­ I am done." Allen managed to activate it first before Felicia. A breeze came out of the amnis circle he had made.

    Felicia looked at Allen in frustration and sped up her writing.

    "Damn you, Allen. I can do it too!"

    Thurstan rubbed Allen''s head and proudly said,

    "Well done, Allen, I knew you could do it quickly."

    "Don''t touch my head!" said Allen, pping Thurstan''s hand.

    "Now, try to chant the amnis. But aim it at the wall so the impact is not too big."

    Allen nodded and tried it.

    "Ghust of Wind"

    But the wind came out just the same as before.

    "Huh? Why is it still weak?" asked Allen. ,

    "Eeeh? I don''t know either; try chanting louder."

    "GHUST OF WIND!"

    It was the same thing; the wind that came out was just a normal breeze.

    "Why, why it isn''t working?!" shouted Allen to Thurstan.

    "I don''t know for sure either, but there are possibilities why you can''t. First, the spirits don''t like you. Second, you may only have a little mana.

    But I doubt the second. Since your hair is ck and white, I think you have Norrtish blood or someone from another world. So you must have a lot of mana."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No, maybe the second one is right," Allen responded.

    Allen recalled what happened to him when his mana gate opened. That night, he probably felt the manaing into his body. Then, all of a sudden, the mana inside his body seemed to be fighting for space, and in the end, one of them went away. Most likely, the mana that disappeared was the divine mana that Reig absorbed, so only a few mana were left inside him. Reig probably sucked Allen''s mana continuously to stay alive. Because when Maurice locked his mana gate, Reig never moved.

    ''But if Reig is sucking my mana, that means my divine mana is fighting for space with what? Does this imply that I have two mana? But from Thurstan''s exnation, he never mentioned other types of mana,'' thought Allen.

    "So, why do you believe the second one is true?" asked Thurstan.

    Allen shook his head.

    "No, I just don''t like epting that spirits hate me," for some reason, Allen chose to lie about it.

    "AAAAARGH!!!" Felicia suddenly shouted because she has not managed to draw it quickly.

    Rachel then approached Felicia and said,

    "Lady, you''d better do it calmly."

    "SHUT UP!" she kept trying over and over again.

    Thurstan just smiled at Felicia. Amnis should not be memorized as quickly as Allen; it took at least an hour to remember a level one amnis.

    "Allen, while waiting for Felicia, I would like to know your reading and writing progress. Are you able to read?" asked Thurstan.

    "Just a little."

    Thurstan picked up one of the books on his desk. It wasn''t like the same books that Allen had seen before. It was about the size of the palm of his hand, but it was very thick. The cover was made of animal skin, which makes it look sofy to hold.

    Thurstan opened the book and showed it to Allen.

    "A na-ti-on that-should-not-be-allowd to¡­. to life?" he read slowly. As he learned to write, he would sometimes ask the maids who walked by, as well as Rachel and Iskaria, how to read. He could read a little bit, but still stuttered, and he didn''t know many words.

    After a minute of spelling, he could only read one sentence.

    "A nation that should not be allowed to live because it is dangerous."

    "Good, you really can read," Thurstan said with a smile.

    "What book is this?" asked Allen.

    "It''s the criminal code of this kingdom. Since you probably already understand the words used daily, perhaps you need to understand some moreplicated words."

    Allen looked at the book again, and sure enough, There was a lot of wording that was utterly different from what he had always seen in his books.

    "What does this read?" asked Allen.

    "Hiding a Norrtish is a first-degree felony; the hider and his family will be sentenced to death," Thurstan spelled out as he pointed to each word in the book.

    Instead of focusing on thenguage, Allen was more curious about the book''s contents.

    "Hiding Norrtish? If I''m not mistaken, you mentioned that before," Allen inquired.

    "That''s right, I have said before that you are one of the Norttish."

    "Why?"

    "Because of your hair, only the Norttish have white hair. But your hair isn''t just white, it''s predominantly ck, so maybe it''s okay."

    Allen remembered that Iskaria had told him to cover his hair with a hat when he was leaving town with Felicia, and the reason was to not bother Isabelle.

    "Does that mean Isabelle will die if people find me?" asked Allen.

    "I don''t think so. There is no evidence that you are part of Norttish. In fact, you look more like an other-worlder to me. But if the royal people see your white hair, you might be captured for investigation."

    "I see..."

    Allen once again thought about howplicated the outside world was. The more people, the more problems, which was why there was a rule book like this. It made him ufortable, especially after hearing the rules about him being taken away if caught. It made him feel constrained.

    "I CAN!"

    Allen looked toward Felicia. Finally, after 20 minutes, she was able to finish themand circle.

    ''Woah, as I expected from a genius who already has god blessing at age 10," thought Thurstan.

    Then...

    From the circle came a very strong wind.

    "Lady, what are you doing?" shouted Thurstan.

    The wind that came out is so strong, like a storm. The books on the shelves flew, and some of the shelves fell over. Walking in the room was very difficult because the wind carried their bodies.

    "I don''t know!" replied Felicia. Rachel was behind her, hugging Felicia''s body as she fell.

    "Did you chant the amnis?"

    "No! I didn''t!"

    ''No way! It''s supposed to be a 1st level wind gust amnis. Why is it almost as powerful as a second level?! Does that mean without a chant she can create this much wind?! Then what will happen if she chants it?!'' Thurstan was shocked by Felicia''s power.

    After a few minutes, the wind slowly stopped, and the room became very messy. Fortunately, nobody got hurt.

    "Let''s stop training for today. I need to clean up this mess."

 Chapter 41 41 : The Church

    ?The Church

    The church is the name of religion as well as the ce where people worship and practice religion in this world. Religion ys an essential role in organizing and directing social life. Religion also helps maintain social norms and social control in the Wildenhall Kingdom. There are four churches in Wildenhall Kingdom, and the Archbishop leads each church.

    The Church of Fire, under the direction of Archbishop Benedict Spelman

    The Church of Water, under the direction of Archbishop Dormer Chaundeler

    The Church of Soil, under the direction of Archbishop Stephen Kyllyngworth

    The Church of Wind, under the direction of Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham

    The Wildenhall Kingdom is divided into five major regions: the East, The West, The North, The South, and The Capital. An archbishop owns every area except the capital. Then the archbishop''s territory was divided into a region that was ruled by nobles. So in the kingdom, the archbishop was above the nobles but below the royal family and the council.

    The influence of the church in the kingdom is enormous because the four archbishops, who are one of the ten members of the council, have the authority to make a criminal code, whose contents are based on the church''s holy book.

    Although there are four different churches, they still have the same holy book and beliefs. The name of the church is based on the four elemental spirits, and each church has a bond with the corresponding spirit. People within the member of the church can make contracts with spirits, so they can freely use certain amnis at any time. For example, a fire church priest who makes a contract with a fire spirit will be able to use fire amnis wherever he is, and not only that, the people around him can also use fire amnis. That is why dungeon explorers always require the presence of a priest in order for the caster to freely use certain types of amnis.

    The church members present themselves as part of God''s direct servants in the church hierarchy that has the holy task. From the highest: Archbishop, Bishop, Pdin, Holy Knight, Priest, and foster priest.

    Foster priests were the only ones who were not allowed to contract with spirits because most were orphans, enved people freed by the bishop, and repentant sinners.

    Earl Isabelle Wolverlope''s region is within the territory of Archbishop Benedict Spelman, the Church of Fire. The bishop and his pdins were currently visiting the church in Wolverlope City.

    "How tiring¡­ I just arrived here but still have to take care of the sinners. Why pdins never rest? I want to quit."

    "Don''t say that. We need to work hard for the peace of the people."

    Inside the church, in the bishop''s room, a pdin was sitting on the sofa wearing a white full-te. The pdin was talking to a bishop who was writing something. The bishop looked old and wrinkled, and his hair was a dull green color.

    "If you''re tired, why don''t you take off your heavy clothes?" asked the bishop.

    "I''d rather overheat than take it off. Besides the hassle of taking it off and putting it on, I also don''t want anyone to see my face," replied the pdin.

    Because of Bishop and Pdin''s sudden visit, Isabelle immediately sent a letter to them through Allen and Felicia. The purpose was to say that she could not wee the bishop''s arrival. Isabelle had more or less guessed that the bishop and pdin wereing, and she had also guessed their purpose, so she wrote about those things in the letter.

    "So, have you seen it with your own eyes? The kid sent by Prince Leofric to Earl Wolverlope. Does he really have white hair, as rumored?" asked the bishop.

    "No, just as written in the letter, the kid or the boy is not a Nottish; he is an other-worlder; his hair is ck."

    Allen''s existence as Norttish reached the Archbishop''s ears. Rumors spread among the soldiers about Allen, who might be Norttish. Then Allen was hidden by Prince Leofric and sent to the Wolverlope region. Archbishop Benedict found out about this and sent a bishop along with his pdins to watch Wolverlope''s residence.

    Since the pdin had already seen Allen and confirmed that he was an other-worlder ording to the contents of Isabelle''s letter, the Bishop and Pdin''s job was done.

    "I see, so my instincts were wrong," the bishop said as he stood facing the window.

    "It''s strange that your instinct could be wrong because your guesses usually turn out to be true."

    "Guessing is never always correct...I wonder if that kid is a stranded other-worlder or a reincarnation."

    The pdin then let out a long breath and said,

    "Never mind, such things are not against the holy book. That is not the church''s duty. I don''t want to add more work," he said.

    ''Is there really no Norttish in this region? If the mana explosion happened in this ce, there would be a lot of casualties. Let''s hope my instincts arepletely wrong,'' thought the bishop while looking at the full moon through the church window of his room.

    .

    .

    .

    Due to the mess caused by Felicia, the amnis lesson was suspended. Allen, Thurstan, and a few other maids helped clean the room.

    As for Felicia, she was just sitting there, watching them clean the room while drinking a cup of tea.

    "Thurstan, look over there. There''s someone who is just sitting there watching others clean up a mess that she caused," said Allen while pointing to Felicia.

    "WHAT-"

    "Allen, don''t talk like that to a noble. If you''re not Lady Isabelle''s ve, Lady Felicia could have the right to execute you," Thurstan exined while carrying a book.

    "Hmmm, is that so? It''s good to be a noble, huh? You don''t have to get your hands dirty to solve your own problems."

    Felicia stood up immediately, pointing angrily at Allen.

    "How rude, you''re just a peasant! You''re a ve! But you talk down to nobles!"

    "Ah sorry LADY FELICIA. I have no right to criticize yourzy way of life," quipped Allen.

    "Outrageous! I''m a noble; how could I clean like a maid!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You have such high self-esteem. It seems that the self-esteem to solve the problems you create is not included in it."

    Thurstan and the maids could only shake their heads at Allen''s actions toward Felicia. Actually, Thurstan and the other maids also had the same rights as Allen, and Isabelle protected their existence, so other nobles could not take away the rights of Isabelle''s ves. But they were just peasants andmoners from the start, and they always thought of themselves as inferior to the nobles, so they could never talk like Allen in front of the nobles, and it never urred to them to do so.

    Then there was the fear that even though Isabelle''s ve rights could not be interfered with by other nobles, such as Felicia. Felicia could have reported Allen''s disrespectful actions to Isabelle, and then Isabelle could kill Allen to maintain Isabelle''s honor in front of Felicia.

    But no way; the maids knew Felicia would never ask Isabelle to kill, and Isabelle would never kill Allen. Everyone now knew that Allen''s existence in this residence was the only neutral existence that had nothing to do with status in the kingdom.

    Hearing Allen''s constant belittling of her, Felicia was furious. She stomped on the table, making the tea spill. Felicia picked up a book on the floor and threw it at Allen.

    Allen shifted his body to the left, avoided the book.

    "Don''t dodge! you shithead!"

    Rachel then approached Felicia and wiped up the spilled tea.

    Allen still wanted to say something about Felicia''s behavior, but he could feel a menacing auraing from the person next to Felicia. Rachel was now looking at Allen with a cynical face as she wanted to say, "Don''t bother Lady again!"

    Allen immediately shut up; he turned around and continuedpiling the book.

    As for Felicia, she let out a long breath, muffling her anger.

    "Rachel, where''s my hair tie," asked Felicia.

    Rachel was confused with her order. She took a gold hairband from her pocket and gave it to Felicia.

    Felicia then tied her hair and put on the gloves on the table.

    "Lady?"

    She picked up the books on the floor and helped put them on the shelf.

    Everyone was shocked to see a noble cleaning up like a maid. As for Allen, he also didn''t expect Felicia to help them clean the room.

    Looking at everyone who had inexplicably stopped working, Felicia shouted at them,

    "What are you looking at?! Go clean it up!"

    "Ye-Yes, mydy!" everyone spontaneously went back to work.

    All the maids were now smiling, their hearts tickled by Felicia''s actions.

    Felicia then looked at Allen, who was also looking at her. Felicia showed her proud expression to Allen,

    "Look, I can do it as well; nobles can do work that peasants can do," Allen appeared to hear her saying that. So Allen just turned his face away, trying not to care about Felicia.

    "Allen, can you help me lift this?" Thurstan pointed to one of therge shelves that had fallen over. Thurstan had heard from Theobauld about Allen''s physical abilities, so he asked him to lift it together.

    "Okay."

    But as it turned out, when Allen approached him, he lifted that big shelves with just his two hands.

    "A-amazing!"

    "He''s so small, but how can he lift such a big bookshelf?" said the maids, amazed.

    Felicia was not to be outdone; her pride made her not want to lose to Allen.

    She looked for one of the shelves that had fallen.

    "Lady, what are you trying to do?" asked Rachel in the distance.

    Felicia took out the knife in her pocket and sliced her hand. On the shelf, she used her god''s blessing.

    "Lady! Don''t use god''s blessing for something like that!" shouted Rachel.

    "Shut up! It''s my ability, and it''s up to me how and when I use it!"

    The flowers grew, and the shelf glowed.

    Magically, the shelf that had fallen over stood up on its own, and the books in Felicia''s garden flew up, neatly arranged on the shelf.

    "Wonderful!"

    "It''s beautiful!"

    Felicia looked at Allen and once again smiled proudly at him.

    ''What a fool, using God''s blessings that can only be used twice a day for something so silly,'' thought Allen.

 Chapter 42 42 : What Behind The Storage Room

    ?"MISTENKT! WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE IS ISKARIA!"

    Inside the storage room, Allen was ambushed, or rather pounced upon by someone.

    This happened after he cleaned Thurstan''s room. Since Thurstan told him to rewrite the criminal code, he was about to take more ink from the storage room.

    On his way to the storage room, he met Iskaria, who was running while holding her hand, which seemed to be injured. Iskaria only turned her head slightly toward him and just ignored Allen.

    He met Iskaria on his way to the storage room. She was running while holding her hand, which seemed to be injured, but Iskaria just turned her head a little bit and didn''t say anything to Allen.

    After Allen reached the storage room and was about to get the ink, something pounced on him from the side.

    "WOAH!"

    Allen fell down, and the person who jumped on him squished his body. They gripped his hands so tightly that he couldn''t move them; it felt like his hands were stuck to the floor. He could move his legs, but it wouldn''t have helped him get away because the person on top of him was so heavy.

    Allen''s face and his eyes were covered by ink, making it difficult for him to see that person clearly. But from the size of their hands and their voice, he could tell that it was a kid who was probably about his size.

    "WHO ARE YOU!" shouted Allen.

    "SINT! Don''t ask me back! Who are you?! Don''t you dare shout, or I''ll cut out your eyes!"

    Slowly, Allen opened one eye.

    He saw a dirty and shabby-looking girl. Her skin was tan, and her eyes were red, just like him. Her hair is very thick and long¡ªmaybe longer than her body.

    And then

    Her hair color is white.

    ''She''s Norttish!'' thought Allen.

    Allen tried to rebel but was useless; she was very strong. much stronger than Allen.

    ''How could such a small body be so heavy and strong?!''

    Then Allen looked at the hole where Iskaria came out; the hole was open. Allen concluded that this Norttish had something to do with Iskaria, who was running while holding her injured hand.

    Allen stopped rebelling, and he said

    "What have you done to Iskaria?"

    When Allen said that, the Norttish girl''s angry face turned sad, and her grip became weak. As soon as it weakened, Allen immediately used his knee to kick the girl''s ass, and he was now able to escape from her grip. Allen immediately removed both des from his waist''s sheath and stood up.

    As a result of Allen''s kick, the Norttish girl rolled backwards until she hit the door. Her clothes were slightly open at the abdomen, and Allen saw Wolverlope''s family crest there.

    ''She''s one of Isabelle''s ves!''

    Allen recalled Iskaria''s strange behavior in the past few days, and all the puzzles seemed connected in his mind.

    Then he recalled one of the contents of the criminal code that Thurstan read.

    ''Hiding a Norrtish is a first-degree felony; the hider and his family will be sentenced to death.''

    ''Isabelle must know about this. Because of how quietly Iskaria went to the storage room and the Wolverlope family crest on the girl''s body. She hid Norttish under her house. I can''t believe she broke thew.''

    Allen re-sheathed his de and approached the Norttish girl.

    "Hey..."

    As he approached, the Norttish girl pounced on him again, but of course, Allen was expecting that. He used his left foot to kick the girl''s chin as hard as he could.

    As a result, the girl vomited, and she was now in pain, clutching her injured chin.

    ''That''s strange, Theobauld said people would faint if we kicked their chin, is my kick still not strong enough? ''

    "Hey, why are you attacking me?" asked Allen.

    "SINT! Of course, it''s because you want to kill me! Iskaria said, a lot of assassins are after me!"

    ''What is sint? a new vocabry that I didn''t know?

    Allen sighed. He then lifted his shirt up to his chest, showing the Wolverlope family symbol on his chest.

    "!!!" The girl was shocked; she also lifted her shirt and looked at the symbol on her stomach.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "OVERRASKET! It''s the same symbol! So it''s not just Iskaria who has the same symbol as me!"

    The girl''s resistance immediately disappeared. She crawled close to Allen, and then she sniffed Allen''s body

    Feeling ufortable, Allen immediately pushed the girl''s face with his hand.

    "Hyggelig. You smell a bit like Iskaria; who are you?! Who haaah?! Tell me, human boy!"

    ''What smell is she talking about? The smell of soap? The smell of ink? And what is hyggelig?''

    Allen wiped the ink off his head as he walked to the hole at the end of the room.

    In the hole, there was a set of stairs that led back down. And there seemed to be a room below it. Which meant the Norttish girl had been hiding there the whole time.

    "Forvirret! tell me who you are! Why are you looking at Illska''s house?!"

    ''House? So this little hole is a house to her.''

    "I''m Allen, and I''m also one of Isabelle''s ves, just like you."

    "A-Allen... a-are you from the outside world?"

    "The outside world?"

    "Sanne, you came from that gate, right?!"

    ''Did she think her world was only inside that little hole all this time?''

    Allen nodded

    "That''s right," he replied.

    "FLOTT!!! And then... do you live with Iskaria?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s right."

    "Is it true that there''s a big light out there that we can''t see directly?!"

    "Yes."

    "Then then then... what about the bunch of small lights in the dark sky?"

    "Yes, they exist at night."

    As Allen looked at the girl, he was reminded of himself in the dungeon. He didn''t know how long the girl had been in the hole, but it must have been so long that she didn''t know about the existence of the sun and stars.

    "Don''t you ever leave the house?" asked Allen.

    "Sikker, Illska move around a lot! But Illska had never been to the outside world. That''s why Illska wanted to go to the outside world, but Iskaria forbade me to go."

    ''Of course, with that hair of yours, if you go out, you''ll die instantly,''

    The girl''s face began to look sad.

    "Iei seg. Iskaria has always been good to Illska, she brings Illska delicious food almost every day, but she always forbids Illska to go out. Then, because Illska insisted on going out with her, she pped Illska instead, and Illska identally struck her hand. Illska felt really sorry."

    Allen then picked up the book he had dropped earlier and picked up the ink again.

    "Forvirret, where are you going, Allen?" the girl asked, seeing that Allen seemed to be about to leave.

    "I''m going to my house too. As Iskaria said, there are many bad guys in the outside world; you must stay inside if you don''t want to be hated by Iskaria."

    "LEI SEG, wait! Can''t you stay here? Illska wants to talk more! If Illska can''t go to the outside world, at least Illska wants to know about it!"

    Allen turned around and walked back to the Norttish girl.

    "You shouldn''t need to know about the outside world. Maybe your little home is better than the outside world. No, it must be better. The outside world is not as good as you think. You''ll wish you never left your home when you get out."

    "Forvirret... Why? Is there really nothing good in the outside world? So different from what Illska heard from ug."

    ''Who is ug?''

    "The best thing for you to do now is to stay inside. Don''t evere out. Sometimes other people enter this room not just me."

    The girl''s presence also interferes Allen''s n. If, for example, she came out and was seen by someone else, and that person reported it to the church, then Isabelle could be killed.

    ''At least for now, I still need Isabelle,''

    "Bonfalle... If Illska went back inside the house, would Allen see me again?" the girl asked with a pitiful face.

    Allen let out a long sigh. Of course, he didn''t want to meet her again. He had a lot of things to do. He had to learn to use the sword, amnis, as well as read and write. There was no time to look after this Norttish girl. But now he had to do it, to get this girl back inside.

    "Alright alright. I''ll see you again."

    The girl smiled widely, then jumped, and hugged Allen''s head.

    "TAKK ALLEN!"

    "Let go!"

    "Takk... My name is Illska!"

    "Yeah, I heard it many times. See you soon."

    Illska went back into the hole. Allen came out of the room.

    ''How dangerous is that hole not locked from the outside?'' thought Allen.

    Iskaria was standing outside when he opened the door. Her face looked so shocked that she didn''t expect Allen to be there, and she seemed to assume that Allen had already met Illska.

    "Did.. Did you see her?"

    "About that child? That''s right. Next time, lock that hole first." said Allen, who was just walking past.

    Iskaria then pulled Allen''s hand.

    "Allen, listen, don''t let anyone know about this. If someone finds out..."

    "Aaah okay okay, take it easy. I still need Isabelle however." Allen withdrew his hand that was held by Iskaria, and continued walking towards his room.

    .

    .

    .

    "I see... Allen already knows," Isabelle said as she inhaled her cigar. She seemed to have just finished work.

    In front of her was Iskaria, who stood with fear on her face, afraid of being scolded by Isabelle for being negligent in her duties. She forgot to lock the hole and made Allen meet Illska.

    "So, what was her reaction?" asked Isabelle.

    "He said he wouldn''t tell anyone because he still needs you,"

    "Hahaha, the answer I expected. Looks like I don''t need to give Allen any more orders."

    "Lady! Are you serious?! What if he betrays and tells the church?"

    "That''s impossible. That kid is only thinking about his grudge against Leofric. As long as he keeps quiet, it''s no problem. I want to rest. You can leave."

    Iskaria bowed her head and left the room.

    ''''Lady, you are too kind to children. I never agreed to hide that creature in this house in the first ce,'' thought Iskaria.

    The next day and the next, Allen always met her after studying amnis. He was forced to listen to Illska''s stories, and he was also forced to tell her about things in the outside world.

    As time went on, Illska''s curiosity grew, and her desire to go to the outside world also grew.

    So she talked about this to Iskaria, and Iskaria forbade her to talk about the outside world any further.

    "Unfortunately, you can''t ban it forever, Iskaria."

 Chapter 43 43 : Illska The Norttish

    ?"Lei seg. Illska was always told to hide from ce to ce. Before, Illska was always with ug, but now ug is gone."

    Allen and Illska talked in a room inside a hole called "Illska''s house," which had many nkets and illuminated crystals inside. When Allen looked at Illska''s messy clothes and hair, he thought the room would be messy and dirty, but the room turned out to look cleaner. They sat against the wall and had a piece of bread next to them. Since Allen was forced to look after her, so he was responsible for bringing her food.

    After a few days of talking with Illska, she finally started talking about her past with Allen. Illska''s stories were never important to Allen, and he even listened to them while studying or reading a book. As a result, Allen did not fullyprehend most of Illska''s stories.

    But when she started telling him about her past life, Allen couldn''t focus on the book and instead focused on Illska''s story.

    Illska is a Norttish, and because the existence of Norttish is considered dangerous, she cannot live in the upper world. She was born underground and is constantly moving from one location to another. Every time she moved, she was always put to sleep by ug.

    "Ensom. At first, Illska was always with ug. ug was Illska''s ''far'' who always looked after Illska."

    ug is her father, who always tells Illska about her ''mor'' and ''familie'' and also tells Illska how beautiful the outside world is. She said the Norttish could talk to each other even when they were far away, but Illska didn''t know what it was or how. So after she parted ways with ug, she never moved to other houses again and had no contact with other Norttish.

    "Hey, Allen, Iskaria also asked you to stop talking about the outside world, right? Is the outside world really that bad?"

    Allen couldn''t answer. He just kept quiet while searching for the answer in his brain and pretending to read his book. He had always had bad experiences since he got out of the dungeon.

    First, he starved in a cold room under Barkaley''s residence, being stoned by the humans; then, here, he was a ve. He had never thought about it too deeply before because all he could think about was vengeance. Was the human world really that bad? He met Isabelle, who enved others; he also met Felicia, who liked to look down on others; and then he also met Theobauld, who punished him like hell. Although sinceing to this house, everything seemed bad, but somehow he felt that it was not as bad as he thought, and he did not know why.

    He didn''t understand why Isabelle''s enving him didn''t make him angry, or why he couldn''t hate Felicia even though she always put him down, nor Theobauld for punishing him. In fact, he was tired of cleaning the training ground every day; In fact, he was humiliated by Felicia''s words, and in fact, he couldn''t stand theobauld''s punishment, but he didn''t feel hatred towards them. Maybe he does hate them sometimes, but at least it is different from his hatred toward Leofric.

    After a long silence, he began to think about his hatred for Leofric again. It was as if he wanted to eliminate the good things that happened to him and just keep the bad things in his mind.

    "There''s nothing good in the outside world; you will just suffer more. It must be so... You will definitely suffer, trust me," Allen said coldly.

    Illska, who saw it, felt confused as to why Allen''s face could look so miserable.

    Illska thenid her head on Allen''s thigh and looked at Allen''s face from below.

    "What?" asked Allen.

    "Even from below, your face hasn''t changed."

    "Of course, are you stupid?"

    Illska chuckled, then, with afortable face, she rubbed her head against Allen''s thigh.

    "Illska likes Allen; does Allen not like me?" asked Illska.

    "I don''t."

    "Does Allen hate Illska?"

    "I don''t."

    "Then does Allen hate Iskaria?"

    "Not really."

    "Does Allen hate Isabelle?"

    "Not really."

    "Sa. Then, does Allen hate Allen''s house?"

    The house she was referring to was probably Isabelle''s house. And as she asked that, Allen thought of Isabelle, Felicia, and the people in it, and then he answered

    "I don''t hate it,"

    "FORVIRRET! Then why, why does your face look like that? You don''t hate Illska, nor do you hate Iskaria. Then you hate something else, right? ug said hating others is not right. We shouldn''t just hate them, even if they are mean to us. The one harmed by hating others is ourselves; our eyes be closed to the people we love, making our hearts foggy and ufortable. As for the person we hate, he may not necessarily think of us; he was maybe just living happily while drinking tea in his house andughing."

    "..."

    "Allen?"

    "Did you understand what you said?" asked Allen.

    "I didn''t understand. I just remembered everything ug said"

    "Haaaaah..."

    Allen closed his book, and for some reason, he felt annoyed, like all his life goals were being mocked in front of him. He walked up the stairs and out of there.

    "Allen, do you want to take Illska to the outside world someday?"

    Allen was silent for a while, and then he looked at Illska with a cold face.

    "I told you, you better not get out of here. Didn''t ug ever tell you that?"

    Illska''s face became gloomy. He lowered his head and said,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sorry, Allen."

    Allen got out of there and went to his room with mixed feelings, unable to forget Illska''s words in his head.

    .

    .

    .

    The next day, during sword practice with Thurstan, Felicia watched Allen sparring with Theobauld.

    Allen attacked Theobauld carelessly and seemed angry. Theobauld also didn''t seem to take Allen seriously, nor did he give any advice during the sword fight.

    "I wonder if anything happened to him," Felicia muttered.

    After a few attacks, Theobauld stopped using his sword; he kicked Allen''s body, and Allen was thrown back until he hit one of the shelves.

    "That''s it for today," said Theobauld.

    "Wait! I''m not done yet!"

    "No, all you have to do now is cool your head. It seems like this heat is driving you crazy. A little kick like that, as usual, you should be able to dodge it easily."

    "TCH! Then let''s try one more time! This time I show you I am able to stop it!"

    "No, it''s over; your mind is foggy. You be weaker than usual."

    Hearing Theobauld, Allen recalled what Illska had said underground. ''The one harmed by hating others is ourselves; our eyes be closed to the people we love, making our hearts foggy and ufortable.''

    Just like now, his heart was as foggy as Theobauld had said. Then he imagined Leofric, who was probably having a good time in his room right now.

    ''Allen somehow looks like the first time we met,'' Felicia thought.

    "How about a duel?! You said that I''m currently weak, right? Then you should duel with me! It will increase your chances of winning! You can ask for anything if you win this time!" yelled Allen angrily.

    Theobauld let out a long sigh; he hadpletely lost the intention to fight with Allen.

    "Gahaha, that''s interesting. I want to do this duel thing."

    "!!!"

    The one who said that was not Theobauld. But another man who suddenly appeared from the left, from the horse parking lot.

    "So, what are the stakes of the duel?" he continued while walking towards them.

    His presence shocked everyone. Theobauld immediately covered Allen''s body and pointed the sword at him, but it seemed useless; that man had already seen Allen and probably had already seen Allen''s white hair.

    The man has a soft voice but a big, muscr body, wearing white full-te armor. He held an axe whose long handle was as long as a spear in his right hand. Although the axe looked long and huge, he seemed to lift it easily with just one hand. There was a church of fire crest on his chest.

    He was a messenger from Archbishop Benedict Spelman, who visited the church of fire in Wolverlope, the Pdin.

    "GAHAHAHA, What''s going on? Why is everyone silent?"

    The pdin looked at Theobauld, more precisely at Allen, who was hidden behind him, and then he looked at Felicia and greeted her.

    "Hello, littledy; it''s been a while. You look a little different, don''t you? I like your outfit better today. It''s not too elegant and doesn''t emphasize your social status."

    "Wh-What are you doing here?!" yelled Felicia.

    "I just wanted to visit the Earl''s residence before returning to the capital."

    The pdin nced at Allen, then said

    "But who would have thought? I found something very interesting here. You tricked me. I didn''t expect the ck-haired boy at that time also have a little white hair on his head. Maybe Earl Isabelle will receive punishment for lying to the bishop."

    Elsewhere, Iskaria ran in a hurry to Isabelle''s room, and when she got there, she didn''t knock on the door, just entered without respect.

    "Lady Isabelle! The Pdin and the Bishop suddenlye to visit!"

    Isabelle''s face was immediately shocked¡ªso shocked that she didn''t even care about Iskaria''s rude behavior.

    Isabelle stood up and immediately looked at the window beside her room. Bishop was talking to one of the guards.

    "Damn it. We have to hide Allen!" Isabelle shouted.

    "Not only that,dy!" Iskaria shouted again, and Isabelle looked straight at Iskaria. Iskaria panted, slowly caught her breath, and said

    "Illska, that child is out of ce! The hole is open!"

 Chapter 44 44 : Before Tragedy 2

    ?Illska escaped, and the pdin discovered Allen''s white hair. This could cause many problems.

    Allen''s hair might still be no problem for the church, but Isabelle had told the bishop that Allen was from another world without mentioning his slightly white hair. This could get Isabelle in trouble...

    The second thing is Illska. Still, it''s good if she did get away. But what if she''s still in the house and someone shows her as she walks around? Isabelle and the whole house could be killed on the spot if the bishop and pdins saw her in this house when they came to visit.

    "Iskaria, for now, look for Illska, and then if you meet Allen, tell him to use something to cover his hair and also tell him to look for Illska; I have to get ready to greet the bishop," Isabelle said frantically.

    "Yes, mydy."

    Iskaria went straight out of there, looking for Illska.

    At the training ground, Allen, Felicia, and Theobauld were surprised by the arrival of the Pdins. Theobauld, who realized that it was useless to cover Allen''s body, then said

    "All right, Mr. Pdin. What if I became your opponent in the duel?"

    "Hmm? If I''m not mistaken, you are Theo..."

    "Theobauld Cosyngton, I am Earl Wolverlope''s personal knight."

    "Really... I forget your name, but I do remember your face. If I''m not mistaken, you''re one of the mithril-ranked dungeon explorers in the same party as the first prince, his highness Eldritch. I''ve heard a lot about you. I''m still amazed that you can clear the dungeon with only one party."

    "That''s an old story. Unfortunately, I''m nothing more than a ve of the Earl''s family."

    Hearing that, the pdin inexplicablyughed.

    "GAHAHA, don''t be shy. I know the people who went with His Highness Eldritch back then are all strong dungeon explorers, and I''ve heard that each of you is stronger now than you were back then."

    "I haven''t entered a dungeon for a long time, so perhaps my skills have weakened, so would you like to ept my duel?" asked Theobauld.

    "Hmm... sadly, you look so strong. I feel like I have no chance of winning."

    Then Felicia shouted, "That''s right! You don''t stand a chance against Theo! Theo is strong, you know?!"

    ''thank you,dy, but I may not be stronger than this person. From my experience, I can tell that this person is very strong. His aura is very gripping, and moreover, I don''t know how to deal with that big axe,'' thought Theobauld.

    "Alright, want to try it first?" The pdin spun his axe and pointed it at Theobauld.

    "Wait! I''ll duel him!" shouted Allen.

    "No, Allen, you can''t. At least the current you can''t win against this," said Theobauld.

    Theobauld picked up the sword on the shelf. The sword was different from the other swords, it was almost half his body in length and had a magnificent-looking scabbard. When he opened the sheath, the sword seemed to shine even though it was a pitch-ck sword.

    Theobauld sighed and then said,

    "If I win, please keep Allen''s matter a secret from the bishop, no, from everyone."

    "Interesting, then if I win, you have to join the church and be my subordinate."

    ''That means I have to leave Lady Isabelle. If I lose here, it''s the same as dying,'' thought Theobauld.

    ''Will I finally get to see Theobauld''s serious fight?'' thought Allen.

    ''That pdin is so arrogant, there''s no way Theobauld can lose to him,'' thought Felicia.

    ''Lose or win; I''ll take thedy home by force. Wolverlope''s residence is no longer safe,'' thought Rachel.

    "Allen, please throw the coin."

    Allen stood in the middle of them, holding a bronze coin in his hand.

    "My name is Ottar Hannefson, one of the pdins of the Church of Fire under Archbishop Benedict Spelman."

    "My name is Theobauld Cosyngton, just a knight of mydy, Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope."

    Allen then threw the coin up, and for some reason, Allen immediately retreated backward as soon as he threw the coin. He felt that if he got close, he would be affected by their duel.

    In 3 seconds

    3

    2

    1

    -DING, the coin fell.

    -WOOOSH

    Even with his huge axe, that pdin could quickly jump towards Theobauld while raising his axe high. Everyone could not see the pdin''s face, but they knew that he was smiling at that moment.

    ''I can''t receive it! I have to dodge!'' thought Theobauld.

    "Stop, Ottar!" The pdin''s attack, Ottar, had not yet reached Theobauld. There was another man''s voice heard behind Ottar. Ottar, who was about to attack, immediately and deliberately missed his attack, so Ottar fell behind Theobauld.

    "You don''t need to do something futile like this,"

    "You came when I was having fun, old man."

    The man wore a long, dark red suit that covered his entire body. His hair was green, and a red cap also covered his head. There was the emblem of the Church of Fire on his chest. He was the Bishop of the Church of Fire, a direct subordinate of Archbishop Benedict Spelman.

    The bishop had now seen Allen, and from his words, he seemed to have heard everything since Theobauld described the contents of the duel. Right now, all Theobauld could think about was how careless he had been. When the pdin saw Allen, he should have told Allen to go into his room and hide.

    ''Oh no! The bishop has seen Allen! What should I do?!! At this rate, Lady Isabelle could be punished! And not only that, she could be executed for hiding Allen. Should I use my god''s blessing and kill both of them here at once?'' thought Theobauld.

    Then Theobauld looked at Felicia and Rachel.

    ''No, there are too many witnesses; I''m not sure Lady Felicia would let them get hurt. Besides, if I kill both of them, the archbishop will suspect Lady Isabelle because two of his envoys died unexpectedly while visiting Wolverlope regions.''

    The door between the house and the training ground opened, and from there, Isabelle and two maids came out.

    "Lady Isabelle!" called Theobauld.

    Isabelle looked at Theobauld, who was using his real sword, then shook her head, signaling Theobauld not to do anything.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Theobauld nodded and sheathed his sword.

    Bishop walked up to Isabelle, then politely ced his hand on his chest,

    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Isabelle Browet Wolverlope. Forgive me for my friend''s impertinence."

    Isabelle lifted her skirts, took the bishop''s hand, and kissed the ring on his finger.

    "It''s all right, your grace, Nics Elinor Kent. I also need to apologize for a few things."

    The Earl and the Bishop were equals in social status, so they were both polite and humble in front of each other.

    "How about if we have a little talk in my workroom? The maids will escort you."

    "That''s nice, will there be a honey tea there? My friend really likes honey tea."

    "Of course, I will be happy to provide it."

    Bishop Nics looked at Ottar and motioned for him toe in.

    Ottar stood up, picked up his axe, and touch Theobauld''s shoulders.

    "It''s a pity our duel stopped like this; maybe next time; I have a feeling we will meet again soon."

    Ottar then followed the bishop inside.

    After they closed the door, Iskaria also came from the door.

    "Allen! Illska is running away; I couldn''t see her in her room! Hurry up and find her! Just look inside the house!"

    "Illska? Who''s Illska?" said Felicia, to Allen.

    Allen ignored Felicia''s question; he went straight into the house and searched for Illska with Iskaria.

    ''Of all the days, why today? Why did she escape when the church was visiting!'' thought Iskaria.

    In Isabelle''s room, Bishop Nics and Pdin Ottar were sitting on the sofa, enjoying the honey tea that Isabelle had provided.

    As for Isabelle, she was fanning herself with a fan and not touching the tea in front of her.

    "It''s delicious; thank you for the tea. Are you the one who made this?" he asked one of the maids at the door.

    "Ah, yes, your grace."

    "Thank you for making such good tea."

    The bishop smiled, and his face seemed to glow, which made the maids'' tension disappear. But not for Isabelle; seeing the bishop''s smile, she became even more afraid because she had lied to this person.

    Bishop put her tea on the table.

    "Your grace, forgive me for lying. I don''t mean to belittle you at all," Isabelle confessed first. She chose to do so because she could not hide anything anymore.

    "Hmm? About what?" asked Nics.

    Ottar then answered immediately.

    "Are you getting senile, old man? Perhaps that is about that ck-haired kid."

    "Oooh, about that, yeaah, but I don''t think you''re lying about him at all."

    "Eh?"

    Isabelle looked at Ottar, who didn''t seem surprised by the bishop''s words.

    "Sure, you''ve sinned by trying to hide the truth, but that''s your business with God, not with the church. Besides, I''m sure you also have reasons for hiding the child. As long as he is not a Norttish, I have no problem with it."

    Ottar then put down his cup as well and said,

    "Right, you''re overthinking it. The church has nothing to do with the child, even though he seems to have problems with some people in the kingdom. I don''t want to do anything in vain. Even though I like to fight, I don''t want to do something that isn''t my job."

    Isabelle then let out a long sigh, relieved by Nics'' answer.

    "Thank you, Mr. Nics. If possible, about the boy, I would like you not to say anything to the others."

    Nics then replied with a smile,

    "It''s okay. I won''t say anything to the others. After all, we came to say goodbye. Actually, I just wanted to say this outside, I am afraid of burdening you to prepare this for such a small thing."

    "No problem, if you want the tea powder, I can give it to you."

    "Really?! Then, I''ll have some."

    Bishop stood up, followed by the pdin and Isabelle. The maid opened the door, and they walked out.

    "One more thing..." Bishop Nics turned around and continued as he approached the door.

    "Just that ck-haired kid, right? You didn''t hide anything except that?"

    Isabelle frantically replied

    "Of course not, Mr. Nics."

    "Good then."

    As they began to walk out, Nics whispered to Ottar.

    "Investigate Wolverlope''s residence more deeply; my god''s blessing ensures that she is still hiding something,"

    Ottar smiled, then he said:

    "Yes, your grace."

 Chapter 45 45 : The Promise

    ?''We were careless from the beginning by just locking her in that hole. Illska has a very strong physique; if she wanted to, she could have opened the lid of that hole by force,'' thought Iskaria.

    ''Is she so curious about the outside world that she doesn''t care that Iskaria will hate her?'' thought Allen.

    Iskaria ran as fast as she could, and the first thing she checked was the path where the bishop would walk since the biggest problem was when Ilska met the bishop. If Illska met other ves, we could still do something about it, and Isabelle could still give them themand to be silent.

    -BRUG

    Iskaria identally bumped into someone. She was so focused on searching that she didn''t realize someone was in front of her. And that person was the pdin, walking in front of the bishop.

    "Oh, I''m sorry, miss. Are you hurt?" asked the pdin while giving her a hand.

    Seeing Iskaria''s face, which looked panicked, tired, and seemed to be in a hurry, Nics immediately preceded Ottar, held Iskaria''s hand, and helped her stand up.

    "Please forgive my friend," he said with a smile.

    "N-no problem, your grace," Iskaria replied without looking at Nics'' face.

    Nics, who realized something odd about Iskaria''s reactions, pulled Iskaria''s hand away and whispered something to Iskaria.

    ...

    On the other hand, Allen tried hard to look everywhere in the house. He looked everywhere, from the storage room to the kitchen to the maid''s room, but he couldn''t find Illska.

    A momentter, he realized there was one ce he hadn''t been looking for.

    "Finally, I found you," Allen said as he opened the door.

    "Allen!" called Illska as she jumped towards Allen and hugged him.

    Illska was waiting in Allen''s room. Se traced Allen''s presence with his nose, following Allen''s smell, and finally reached Allen''s room.

    Allen then pushed Illska''s sticky body away from him, and he immediately closed the door.

    "What are you doing here? Didn''t I tell you to stay inside there?"

    Illska''s happy face turned gloomy.

    "Angre, Illska just wants to see Allen."

    "ONLY FOR THAT?! I told you that I would meet you every morning!"

    "REDD! But! Since Allen looked so angry yesterday, Illska is afraid that Allen won''te back again..."

    "How stupid! Iskaria is very worried about you, do you know that? You got out of that hole at the worst possible moment."

    "Angre, don''t get angry at Illska again, Allen."

    "I''m mad because you''ve suddenly be so annoying! I forbid you to go out to help you! Why don''t you hear me?! You can''t leave that ce! Nothing like this should ever happen again!" Allen snapped.

    "!!!" Illska then cried. It was the first time someone else had yelled at her, so her heart broke, especially since Allen, who she liked, was the one who yelled at her.

    Seeing Illska cry, Allen somehow reminded him a little of himself.

    He tried to get out of his house when he was in the dungeon. And as a result, he almost died. Luckily, his mother was there to protect him at the time. His mother always told him not to go outside because it was dangerous, and Allen has always did what she said since that time. Until he met Lavinia.

    When Lavinia suddenly disappeared from his home, Allen felt empty and lonely. Because of this, he tried to leave the house again, and it really ended badly, as his mother said.

    "Angre, Redd, Lei seg, Allen sorry¡­ Illska really feels sorry..."

    Allen finally figured out the word Illska always used when she started speaking. It was what Illska''s expressions and her feeling at that time.

    Lei seg meant sad, Angre probably meant regret, while Redd meant fear.

    Allen could see a reflection of his old self in Illska, and if it continued like this, Illska would probably end up just like him. Leaves his house and ends up regretting everything he did.

    ''This girl looks like me. I left my house to find Lavinia, and she left hers to find me. She feared our precious time together would end there, just like I did.''

    Allen concluded that if prohibition couldn''t keep her inside the hole, he had to give her something else to keep her from wanting to leave.

    Allen held both of Illska''s hands gently.

    "I can''t help it. I have to do this," said Allen.

    "Allen?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Allen looked straight into Illska''s red eyes, which resembled his own, and then he said,

    "One day, when the dayes, when you are allowed to go out, and people are no longer afraid of you... let''s look up at the stars together. I will apany you until you are satisfied. At that time, you can tell me all your stories about ug, Mor, Familie, everything else. Until then, you must stay inside."

    Illska''s red eyes shone brightly at that moment, as if a fire had begun to burn inside her eyes, lighting up her face. She felt the happiness in her heart, and there was not even the slightest doubt that Illska had in Allen''s promise; more precisely, even if Allen lied, she didn''t care.

    "Really?!" said Illska with a smile on her face.

    "That''s right."

    "How about seeing the sun? Let''spete who can see it the longest!"

    "Let''s do that."

    "Then, after that, let us look at the sea together. Illska wants to eat the fish in the sea!"

    "Alright, sometimes."

    "Then after that, let''s travel all over the world, discover all kinds of things, and eat all kinds of delicious food around the world! After that... after that..."

    "Hmm?"

    "After that, let''s settle down, have kids, have grandchildren, and live in a cozy, animal-filled environment."

    "What''s that?"

    "Illska doesn''t really understand either. ug said that Illska should find someone to live with one day, and if I could find that person, Illska would be the happiest person ever. Illska thinks, if Illska is always with Allen, maybe every day Illska will be very happy!"

    "I don''t know... I don''t understand. I can''t promise."

    "It''s okay; we have plenty of time to explore the world. We will understand what ug means little by little."

    Illska was in Allen''s roomte at night, alone with him, making promises and talking about the future. Illska had so many ns for her future that she wanted Allen to promise to do everything she wanted with her. Illska said something that Allen could only agree with.

    With a promise, Illska could stay in the hole. Allen didn''t mean to break it at all; he really meant to keep his promise.

    But neither of them knew that the promise and future they were talking about might nevere true.

    .

    .

    .

    Bishop Nics and Pdin Ottar¡ªthere was a reason why the two of them were chosen by the Archbishop to be sent to Wolverlope''s residence.

    First, the battle-loving pdin, Ottar Hannefson. He used to be a peasant, but the Archbishop picked him up and turned him into a pdin because he dealt with problems well. Before he became a pdin, he was a Mithril-ranked dungeon explorer who lost his whole group on the 6th floor. He was the only one who took the six dead bodies of his group out of the dungeon. The many cuts and bruises on his body and face showed that he let monsters attack him while he was carrying the bodies. No one could figure out how she got out without being hurt. His toughness and resilience were just what the emergency mission needed.

    Second was Bishop Nics Kent. He was chosen to handle a case like this mainly because of his god''s blessing. His blessing was being able to read a person''s mana flow. When he touched someone with his hand, he could sense the person''s mana flow for a day. And from there, she can tell if someone is lying or not. This god''s blessing was perfect for investigating, especially those rted to traitors of the state and church.

    Inside the carriage, Nics looked at themoners doing their routine; they seemed happy, but Nics'' face somehow looked sad.

    "Look, Ottar. Our people are happily living their lives. How could I ignore these people just because of a child."

    Ottar sat in front of him in armor that looked stuffy inside the carriage.

    "So that''s it, you''ve confirmed it, huh?" asked Ottar.

    Confirmed what?

    "I am pretty sure that Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope is a traitor to the kingdom. I know from that maid''s mana that she is hiding a Norttish who is still a child.

    "Gahaha, it turns out that our choice to visit them was right. We were almostpletely fooled because there was an other-worlder who happened to have a little white hair."

    "Ottar¡­ Is there no other way? Other than sacrificing them?"

    "If there were another way, the two of us wouldn''t have been sent here."

    The bishop then wrapped the church ne around his neck and said:

    "May God forgive us for taking thezy way to solve the problem."

 Chapter 46 46 : Surprise Attack

    ?"Allen, are you leaving?" asked Isabelle as Allen was about to pack up his books.

    "Yes, it''s already thiste. You should rest too. I don''t like carrying that heavy body of yours," Allen answered. Allen was a little confused by her question. What did she mean by "leaving" why didn''t she use "going back" instead?

    "Fufufu, how rude." Isabelle said as she smoked her cigar.

    A few days passed, and after fully learning the first level of amnis, Allen and Felicia''s lesson ended along with Thurstan''s departure to the academy in the capital. Due to the free time in the afternoon, Isabelle asked Allen to study in her room every afternoon. Allen now spends a quarter of his free time studying, reading, and writing together with Isabelle in her workroom.

    Before Allen went out, Isabelle called out to him.

    "Wait, have you bathed today?"

    "Yes, I did. That''s your order, after all."

    "Okay, good then."

    Allen walked back, but

    "What''s wrong?" asked Isabelle when she saw Allen, who was just standing at the door looking at Isabelle.

    "No, nothing." Allen walked out of there and back to his room.

    Allen usually talks to Reig first before going to bed. He told him about Isabelle this time. Who was the only person in this house that Allen didn''t understand.

    Before going to bed, Allen usually talked to Reig first. This time, he shared his thoughts and feelings about Isabelle with him. Who was the only person in this house that Allen could not understand.

    "Reig, Right now, I''m called a ve, which means that my life and death are up to my master. At first, I thought I would have to go through a lot more painful things, but everything turned out better than I thought.."

    ''Did you take a bath today?

    ''Did you have breakfast?''

    ''How was your study today?''

    Allen got lost in his thoughts about Isabelle. He didn''t understand why she asked the same questions almost every day. And seeing Isabelle''s face when she asked that, somehow made Allen a little happy. So, he studied for a long time in Isabelle''s room almost every day, waiting for her to ask him that question.

    When he asked Thurstan about this, Thurstan replied:

    "Isn''t that great, Allen? It means that Lady Isabelle really thinks of you as her child. That feeling of yours, perhaps you feel like you have a mother who worries about your health?"

    ''Like a mother? That shouldn''t be possible. Because I only had one mother, and she never asked me things like that. She never asked me when I ate or when I took a bath."

    "Humans are strange, Reig. Unlike goblins and orcs, each person is so different that it takes a lot of time to understand just one person."

    His scarf lengthened, covering Allen''s entire body.

    "Good night, Reig."

    ...

    -CKLAK

    "!!!"

    Allen woke up in the middle of the night.

    As he woke up, he saw beside him a fire arrow that had pierced through his bedroom window.

    -DING DING DING DING DING

    The bell rang five times. It was a sign that there had been a surprise attack.

    Allen picked up the ming arrow and threw it back outside. He then ran quickly towards Isabelle''s room.

    ''She is not here!''

    Isabelle wasn''t there, and then he looked out the window in Isabelle''s room. Many people were standing in front of the fence, carrying torches and fire arrows. Allen recognized the clothes those people were wearing.

    White te clothes with blue stripes. Those were the clothes of the soldiers of the Wildenhall Kingdom. The same clothes as the people who had entered the dungeon then.

    Remembering his mother''s death, Allen jumped out of the window with a burning feeling of anger in his chest.

    Allen''s scarf extended, making a cushion on the ground so that Allen would not fall violently. It turned out that there were already many of the Wolverlope family''s soldiers in front of the door, along with Theobauld.

    "Allen! What are you doing here?" shouted Thurstan.

    "What are you doing?! What''s going on?! Why are they attacking us?!"

    "GAHAHA, let me answer that question." The voice came from the crowd of soldiers, from a man in a white full-te armor with arge axe in his right hand. With his axe, he easily destroyed the fence and walked inside.

    "The pdin, OTTAR!" shouted Theobauld.

    "Don''t say that. I didn''te as a pdin this time." Ottar pointed at his chest.

    His armor was different than it had been before. This time, the symbol on his chest was not the Church of Fire, but the symbol of Wildenhall Kingdom.

    "Based on Bishop Nichs Elinor Kent''s witness and taking full responsibility for his word, the Ten Council of Wildenhall Kingdom deres Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope a traitor to the kingdom for breaking Wildenhall Kingdom''s criminal code in the first degree by hiding a Norttish. Her punishment is to be executed on the spot."

    Ottar then spun his great axe, making the wind blow some rocks around. He faced his axe at the Wolverlope warriors in front of him, his battle-ready position.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Then the sentence follows from paragraph 1 to paragraph 2, if anyone tries to take her side, save her, and support her, then the executor will be given the right to execute that person on the spot."

    "How is it? Do any of you want to give up?"

    Allen and Iskaria were the only ones who knew that Isabelle was hiding the Norttish. So, what Ottar said surprised them all, even Theobauld.

    ''Lady, why didn''t you tell me something this important?'' thought Theobauld.

    None of the soldiers ever nned to give up. They were surprised that their master hid Norttish, but they didn''t think Isabelle did it without good reason.

    "Let me guess, that Norttish is a child," Theobauld spected.

    "Ooh, great. You''re right," Ottar replied.

    The Wolverlope''s soldiers all smiled, looked at each other, and then took out their swords.

    "If she''s a child, what can we do?"

    "Lady is certainly weak when ites to children."

    "We will not give up ourdy to you."

    "Until the end, we will die with the Wolverlope family crest on our chests."

    Allen also took out his knife, preparing to fight. But Theobauld immediately grabbed his shoulders.

    "Allen, you don''t need to be here."

    "What?! Why?!"

    "Please find Lady Isabelle and take good care of her. Please¡­ protect her."

    It was the first time Theobauld had asked him for a favor, so he nodded and went back inside the house.

    "GAHAHAHA good. You all are amazing. Come here, Theobauld Cosyngton. Let''s continue our duel from yesterday.

    Theobauld unsheathed his sword. He used the ck sword when he was about to duel with Ottar earlier.

    "Dai abare (rampage), Crudelitas." Theobauld muttered.

    Theobauld''s ck sword then shone, its ck color suddenly turning into white.

    "Woah¡­ I didn''t expect your sword is Arma Carcerum. This battle looks like it willst longer than I thought."

    Arma Carcerum or called Armacar is a weapon made from the bones of high-level monsters. Inside the sword were fragments of the souls of monsters that had fought for a very long time. This allowed the user to feed the sword with their mana. When mana has flowed to the sword, the ability it had when it was a monster wille back. The Arma Carcerem didn''t have its own soul like the Adfeqtus Reliqua did. Instead, it needed its owner''s mana to use its ability. Arma Carcerem wasn''t as unique as Adfeqtus Reliqua, but it was still quite rare. Because it was hard to make this kind of weapon, and it had to have a high match with the owner''s mana.

    After the weapon turned bright white, Theobauld came forward and began his sword-soil defense stance; He held his sword with both hands, The tip of his sword was positioned at the Ottar''s neck.

    "Oh? Are you provoking me to attack first? No problem."

    Ottar lunged at Theobauld, just as they had done before; Ottar jumped and raised his axe high, aiming it at Theobauld.

    Theobauld stood still, intent on receiving his attack. When his axe was close to his sword, Theobauld skillfully swiped his sword against Ottar''s axe, thus changing the direction of Ottar''s axe to his right.

    As his axe fell and hit the ground, Theobauld swung his sword at Ottar''s body.

    "Gah!"

    The sharpness of the sword, coupled with Theobauld''s strength, managed to slice through Ottar''s iron armor. His attack was so strong that it reached Ottar''s body inside that armor.

    Ottar instantly retreated backward, blood oozing, and split out of his armor.

    The soldiers watching were gaping.

    "Have you given up, Ottar?"

    "You really are very strong! As expected of a mithril-ranked dungeon explorer. Looks like I''ll have to get serious from the beginning too."

    Ottar spun his axe once more. Then he stuck the tip of the axe into the ground.

    "Dai abare, Gratia."

    The huge axe glowed, then the de grewrger, changing its shape, almost forming a circle.

    "So you also have arma carcerum. Looks like I''m lucky to have given you a big wound," said Theobauld.

    "Gahaha. I meant it; this way, our abilities will probably be equal."

    "Very funny."

    All of the soldiers moved forward as they started to advance, and then the royal soldiers also moved.

    While trailing the troops, the archer continued to fire fire arrows at Isabelle''s manor house, which made the Wolverlope''s soldiers feel sad and worried.

    "Don''t worry! Keep Fighting! That is just a house! Allen will definitely save Lady Isabelle!" shouted Theobauld.

 Chapter 47 47 : Armacar Fight

    ?Isabelle was not in her room nor her workroom, meaning she was now probably in the safest ce. The only ce that was probably the safest in this house was the basement storage room. Allen immediately went there.

    When he tried to open the manhole''s iron cover, it felt heavy and hard to open. From the inside, it was locked. So, they have to be here. Allen then had to use both hands to take the hole''s cover off.

    "AAAAAAGH!"

    -KLANG

    The iron bent, and the hole was now open.

    -SYUT

    When Allen reached the bottom of the hole, an arrow was aimed directly at his leg, but fortunately, it missed.

    "Don''t move! I''ll shoot you if you move!" a woman shouted.

    "BEKYMRET! Wait, Iskaria! That smell, that is Allen''s smell!"

    Allen jumped down.

    There were Iskaria, Illska, Isabelle, Felicia, and Rachel inside that room. Illska held the crossbow with trembling hands while Isabelle looked at Allen with a relieved face. Except for Illska, all of them were wearing nightgowns.

    "Allen! Are you hurt?" shouted Felicia.

    "I''m fine; instead of that, you all should leave this ce as soon as possible because there are too many soldiers outside, and there is no chance they can hold it longer."

    Their relieved faces turned anxious.

    "Unfortunately, there''s nowhere to run," said Isabelle.

    Illska was hugging Iskaria''s body when Iskaria pushed Illska firmly.

    "This is all your fault! It''s because you''re here that everything bes like this!"

    "Iskaria?"

    " Iskaria, stop it. If there is anyone to me, it is me. I am the one who came up with the idea to keep this child hidden here."

    "This is uneptable,dy! I don''t understand why you have to do this?! Your life is in danger if this keeps up! I do not desire... I don''t want this to be thest day of my life as your maid!" Iskaria sat down, covering her crying face.

    Illska then tries tofort her.

    "Don''t touch me, you monster!" Iskaria shouted as she pushed Illska''s body.

    "Lei seg..."

    "I didn''t expect it either, Auntie. Why would you do something like this? You''re betraying the kingdom by hiding a Norttish," said Felicia while looking at Illska.

    "There''s no point in asking that now; you all must run away. ording to the rules, if you don''t interfere with me here, then you will be safe."

    "Huh? Then leave auntie? How could I do that!" cried Felicia.

    "So this is all Illska''s fault?" said Illska, glummy.

    "Redd. Everyone outside came to kill Illska, right? Then Illska just needs to get out of here and kill them all! Allen, sorry, Illska will break the promise."

    Illska immediately ran out of the hole with both feet and hands.

    "Illska! Don''t go!" shouted Isabelle, but she was already too far away, her orders not reaching Illska''s ears.

    "Allen! Go after her!" shouted Isabelle again.

    "Why? My job is to protect you. Whatever happens, I must be with you until the end, and I will never leave you, Isabelle."

    "Then, I''ll revise all the rules, Allen; you have to go after Illska!"

    "I don''t want-" as he said that, he felt thorns piercing her body repeatedly. This time, it hurt so much that he fell. It was the result of disobeying his master''smand.

    "Isabelle! Don''t make me do this! Theo asked me to take care of you!" Allen said as he hugged her painful body.

    "Don''t mind me, go! You really think I''m going to die here! Rancid boy, I''m Earl Isabell Browet Wolverlope. I order you not only to chase Illska, but to defeat all the soldiers outside; you''re strong, aren''t you? Fight well until they can''t get here! Once they retreat, we will think of another strategy to run away."

    The pain in Allen''s body slowly disappeared.

    "Make sure you win," Isabelle said.

    "Alright, you too, don''t die. You must follow the contract. Until I kill Leofric, you must stay alive."

    Allen then went upstairs,

    "Allen!" called Felicia.

    Felicia threw something at Allen.

    "A knife?"

    "It is a knife with the Boldenville family crest. If anything happens, please run, ande to the Boldenville residence. I will make you one of our soldiers."

    "You don''t need to give me this. I will solve all the problems here," Allen then left from there.

    .

    .

    .

    Around the manor house, there was a fierce battle. Fiery arrows were shot here and there, and different amnis were shot. There were many deaths, but because Wolverlope''s soldiers were more passionate and determined than the kingdom''s, most deaths were on the kingdom''s side.

    But even so, they were still cornered, The soldiers sent by the kingdom were about 500, but Wolverlope''s soldiers were only 200. But the problem is not the number of soldiers but the strategy. The Wolverlope''s soldiers attacked the kingdom''s soldiers without thinking, while the kingdom''s soldiers moved in a more organized way. They had a vanguard in the front, support in the middle, and amnis users in the back, so they were bound to lose sooner orter.

    In the middle of the battle, a shadow covered the front yard. The shadow formed the silhouette of a wolf. All the soldiers looked up through the roof and saw the silhouette of Wolverlope''s family crest, the white wolf. But it wasn''t a wolf; it was a girl with white hair and dark skin, standing on the roof of the house with her hands and feet. The girl covered the moon shining above her so that herrge shadow covered the front yard. Everyone could see her glowing red eyes, showing her anger.

    "As the old man said, there really is a Norttish in this house," said Ottar.

    The girl looked up at the sky, then muttered,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So this is the sky..."

    Then she looked down; many people were fighting, and many people were dead.

    "Overrasket. Why has everything be like this just because Illska lives here? Why is everyone disturbing Illska''s house even though Illska didn''t do anything bad.

    Sint. Because of you guys, I can''t keep my promise to Allen. YOU ALL MUST PAY FOR THIS WITH YOUR LIVES!"

    Illska fell from the roof. When she reached the ground, she propped herself up with her legs and arms like a falling cat.

    "UGHAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    She moved quickly and violently, wing at the kingdom''s soldiers. Illska decided to eliminate the threat immediately and without mercy. Many had their heads severed by Illska''s ws, and others had their brains eaten. Illska''s quick move from one person to another eluded from eyes.

    Meanwhile, the fight between Theobauld and Ottar continued. While Ottar was distracted by Illska''s flogging, Theobauld swooped in for a vertical attack on his body, which Ottar parried with his axe.

    -CRACK

    Theobauld''s sword de created a new crack in Ottar''s axe.

    "That sword is really sharp, huh... I''m even afraid to swipe it with my axe."

    No one could enter the circle of Theobauld and Ottar''s fierce battle. They knew that they could not interfere.

    "My armacar, Crudelitas, is a high-lizard fang that has lived for more than 20 years. It was a gift given to me by Prince Eldritch. The sharpness of this sword can cut through anything you have," exined Theobauld.

    The damage on Ottar''s armor looked very severe, filled with Theobauld''s cleavage marks.

    "It looks like I don''t need this armor anymore."

    With just his physical strength, he removed the armor, along with the helmet.

    "Aaah, I haven''t felt like this in a long time."

    Inside was a bulky, muscr man wearing a tight green outfit. Scars covered almost his entire body, and there were some new wounds that Theobald had given him.

    As for his head, his hair was brown; his eyes were also brown, and his face was also full of scars, like being repeatedly scratched by something.

    ''No wonder he always stays inside that armor and hides his face,'' thought Theobauld.

    Then quickly, Ottar ran straight towards him, pointing hisrge axe at the other side of Theobauld''s sword.

    "As long as I don''t attack the sword''s de, their sharpness is useless!"

    Ottar repeatedly attacked Theobauld, causing him to retreat backward.

    ''He''s so agile! Isn''t he a defender, walking slowly and wearing heavy armor?''

    Every time Theobauld''s sword de hit Ottar''s axe, it gradually eroded.

    ''It is very sharp. if this continues, in a few more attacks, my armacar will probably break first.''

    Both of them felt cornered, but the one who was actually cornered here was Theobauld. He already said that his armacar''s ability was sharpness, while Ottar had yet to show his armacar''s ability.

    ''Even though he has received that many wounds, why is he still moving so nimbly? While here, my bones might have been disced just from enduring his attacks.''

    "I will end this, Theobauld Cosyngton!"

    Suddenly Ottar backed up a little, then leapt, making a swoop attack on Theobauld.

    "What a waste."

    Theobauld was about to use the same method as before, swiping his sword at the axe and diverting his attack elsewhere.

    Just as Theobauld was about to use it, a small fire surrounded Ottar''s axe.

    "So that''s your armacar''s ability, but such a small me won''t work on my sword!"

    Ottar''s axe shed with Theobauld''s sword, and then

    -BOOM

    An explosion urred in his axe; the explosion hit Theobauld''s head, burning him. Theobauld immediately recoiled. His head was now ck, covered in burns, and blood was oozing from the skin of his face.

    Ottar took the opportunity; he spun his axe around, striking Theobauld in the stomach. Theobauld shielded his stomach with his sword, but because of that, he was thrown far back, hitting the pole in front of the house.

    "Akh!"

    Theobauld''s body could not move; all the bones in his body were probably broken, let alone his right hand, which had directly used its sword to block Ottar''s attack.

    Ottar walked over to Theobauld.

    "My armacar is the bones and soul fragments of a smander. This axe can produce a small explosion that isn''t very powerful, but it will be very useful for one-on-onebat like now."

    Theobauld tried to move his whole body, but it was useless, Ottar had already arrived in front of him.

    "Too bad I haven''t seen your god''s blessing. Maybe you have no chance to use it in this battle. So¡­ Goodbye, Theobauld Cosyngton, that was a great fight."

    Ottar raised his axe and was about to split Theobauld''s head open.

    Then suddenly, from the side,

    -Whooosh

    A kid looked kicked Ottar''s body and made him thrown away to the side.

    The kid covered his head with a robe attached to his scarf. Theobauld immediately recognized who the kid is; it was Allen.

    "Why did youe back?!" shouted Theobauld.

    "Isabelle''s orders; she meant to save everyone."

 Chapter 48 48 : Allen Vs Ottar

    ?"Saving everyone? What do you mean?!"

    "Isabelle knew everyone was trying to die for her, so she decided to save everyone and then ran away with everyone out of this kingdom.."

    ''Lady Isabelle, what does that mean? there was no way such a thing could be done''

    Allen gives Theobauld a hand, helping him to stand up.

    "You''re quite strong, even though you have a small body," said Ottar, who had been thrown away, was now walking towards them. When Theobauld saw Ottaring, he forced his body to stay in the sword-soil position. He had several broken ribs, a sprained left wrist, and a sprained right hand shoulder.

    "You don''t need to move anymore, master," said Allen.

    "What do you mean? Even though he is now injured, there is no way you can defeat him."

    "Of course, I can; you just need to watch me here. After all, you''ve never seen me fight with Reig."

    ''Reig? Who is that?''

    Allen stepped forward,ing closer to Ottar with a de in his left hand.

    "Hohoho, are you going to be my opponent now?"

    "That''s right; I''m going to add more scars to your face, uncle."

    "Try it if you can!"

    mes covered Ottar''s axe. This time the mes were more extensive than when he fought Theobauld. Seeing that, Theobauld immediately warned Allen.

    "Be careful! That axe could explode!"

    Allen kept walking forward.

    ''Remember the feeling I felt back then; feel the mana inside you flow and get angry just like back then,'' Allen thought.

    Demonic mana, which looked like a ck aura, came out of Allen''s body. Then the demonic mana started to twist around him. Allen''s scarf looked strange and moved like slime, sucking up the demonic mana; a peculiar wind surrounded Allen''s body.

    "What''s going on?! What are you doing?!" shouted Theobauld.

    "Dai abare, Reig." He unconsciously mumbled the same word Theobauld and Ottar used to release their armacar''s ability. As Allen muttered it, his scarf fused with his right hand, turning into a sword attached to Allen''s right hand.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "What kind of weapon is that?! Don''t tell me you also have an armacar!" shouted Ottar

    It looked almost the same as when he was rampaging in the dungeon, except that the shape of the sword had changed somewhat; it was smaller than it was back then.

    Allen immediately jumped towards Ottar, as did Ottar, who approached Allen.

    -CLANK

    Their weapons shed.

    "GAHAHAHA"

    -BOOM

    Ottar''s axe exploded, just like the time with Theobauld.

    But as it exploded, the de in Allen''s left hand sliced through the veins of Ottar''s hand. Ottar, who was about to kick him, had to step back.

    ''Usually, when I use the gratia''s ability, which explodes on their face, they will be shocked and panicked because their minds need toprehend what is actually happening. Not only is it a surprise attack, but the st is powerful enough to make a wound on your face that is hard to see. But this kid still attacked me with his left hand while in that situation. It''s as if he has two minds. One was panicking, and the otherunched an attack. Or maybe it''s just a coincidence?'' thought Ottar.

    Then, as Ottar looked towards Allen, he was surprised that Allen''s hood/scarf was weirdly moving, circling around Allen''s face, protecting him from the st made by his axe.

    "No damage at all?! What is that thing you''re using?! There''s no way Arma Carcerum can have that many abilities!"

    "Arma Carcerum? What is that? Reig isn''t an object; he''s my friend."

    Ottar did not know that what Allen was wearing was not Arma Carcerum but the shadow type of Adfeqtus Reliqua.

    ''For some reason, when I fused with Reig. I could think clearly. I find that both movement and thought be less of a challenge. As if our minds be one,'' thought Allen.

    "I see¡­ So the scarf is more than just decoration; it can change its shape." Theobauld muttered.

    Allen didn''t give Ottar a chance to defend himself. Instead, he jumped on Ottar quickly and attacked him hard. Allen had an advantage because he could attack with his right hand and use the de in his left hand whenever he saw a chance. Besides that, Allen''s robe always protected his body and head from the explosions of Ottar''s axe.

    ''Damn, this kid is fast; his body is also very flexible; he can attack me almost from all sides. Even more strangely, his focus was extraordinary. Is he really still a child? This kind of focus could only be attained by people who had fought for a very long time!

    While I am, I can''t even grip my axe very well because my pulse is broken; I also need to stop the bleeding immediately,'' thought Ottar, who was in a very dangerous situation.

    Again and again, Ottar''s body was torn by Allen''s attacks; in some time, to avoid Allen''s fatal attack, he had to use his axe st to save himself, even though the explosion also affected him.

    Then, after a few more attacks, Ottar reached his limit. His movements were slowing down. Every time he moved his body, the blood that came from almost all over his body spurted everywhere and onto Allen''s body.

    "It''s over, uncle."

    Finally, Allen severed Ottar''s right hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "AAARGH!!!"

    After he did so, Allen immediately sat down, and slowly his scarf and hoodie returned to their original state. Allen panted. Allen''s body became exhausted from using parallel thoughts.

    But he can quickly stand after about 10 seconds, and immediately call out Theobauld.

    "Master Theo! Quick! kill him!"

    Theobauld was confused; why didn''t he just do it himself? Forgotten that he was still a child. But that is not the reason. Allen answered his question before he could ask,

    "Lady Isabelle forbade me to kill people!."

    Then he realizes that Allen has already killed many people in the dungeon, so Isabelle must still want Allen to be a normal kid. Theobauld nodded as he walked up to Ottar.

    "It looks like things didn''t go as you nned, Ottar."

    Ottar was helpless, clutching his severed hand, unable to bear the pain in his hand and all over his body. But despite that, he stillughed.

    "GAHAHAHA You don''t know anything, Theobauld Cosyngton" strangely, even in that situation, the spirit on Ottar''s face did not disappear, as if he still thought he could survive.

    "What do you mean?" When Theobauld looked at Ottar''s face, he didn''t understand how he could think that his life wasn''t over yet. With Ottar dead and Allen on his side, he could have beaten all the soldiers here. Besides, they also have Felicia to cure his wound.

    "Never mind him, just kill him!" shouted Allen.

    But he couldn''t. Theobauld felt he must not kill Ottar here; he had to know what actually happened. If he killed Ottar here, they could be haunted by their ignorance of the kingdom''s ns for them.

    "You really think the kingdom will only bring 400 soldiers to attack Earl Wolverlope? Lady Isabelle is very famous for her kindness to their soldiers and ves, so we already predicted that Isabelle''s soldiers would support her in betrayal. These 400 soldiers are just a part of the army that came first."

    ''What?! These many soldiers are still a part?!''

    "He''s lying, master Theo, just kill him!"

    Isabelle wanted to save all of her people, but she wouldn''t be able to do that if she couldn''t get any information out of Ottar.

    "Mr. Ottar, I didn''t expect you to lose; what a pity."

    "You''rete, your highness."

    "!!!"

    Allen and Theobauld were startled by another person suddenlying from outside. He was wearing a ck robe and ck clothes, and his entire outfit was dark, covering his head so they couldn''t see his face clearly.

    "skyldig, forgive me." He dragged Illska''s long hair in his hand. Illska''s body was injured, one of her hands was broken, and the man helplessly dragged her.

    "ILLSKA!" shouted Allen.

    Illska cannot walk, nor cannot maintain her consciousness anymore.

    That person then looked at Ottar and said,

    "Please don''t call me that, Mr. Ottar; you''ll reveal my identity. Oh god, I hate seeing so many corpses. Why can''t I just stay at home and bezy instead of joining this suspicious troop?"

    His voice sounded weak and trembled slightly, like a person without high self-esteem, even though Ottar called him respectfully.

    ''If I''m not mistaken, she called that man your highness! Does that mean he''s royalty?! ''I must know who he is,'' thought Theobauld.

    Theobauld pointed his sword at the man in ck,

    "Your highness! I am Theobauld Cosyngton!" Theobald shouted at him, trying to challenge him to a fight.

    "Theobauld?"

    "Yes, you should state your name as a courtesy for an honorable fight."

    "I''m really really sorry, Mr. Theobauld. I can''t say my name here; the captain asked me to hide my identity."

    ''He really is royalty! I have to get him to spill as much information as I can,''

    "Please, your highness. I''m already dying; at the very least, I want to die with dignity in the presence of someone I know."

    "Even so, I don''t care about honor; I''m sorry, Mr. Theobauld. I don''t really likeing here either, but right now, it''s my duty-"

    The man had not finished speaking, Theobauld immediately cut him off

    "I am a former member of the first prince''s party, His Highness Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall. Please, out of consideration, mention your name."

    The man was silent for a moment; then, he threw Illska''s body aside.

    "No wonder I''ve heard that name before. I see, so you are one of my brother''s party. I am d to find you here."

    The man opened the hood of his head, revealing his shining hair.

    Short straight hair, with long bangs, bright gold in color, and shiny blue eyes. No one in the kingdom didn''t know that face; maybe only Allen didn''t know him. But looking at his face, Allen could tell that the man was rted to Leofric.

    "I am the second prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom, Harald Regina Wildenhall. I am currently serving as the vice-captain of the Wildenhall royal secret army. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Theobauld."

 Chapter 49 49 : Wolverlopes White Wolf Under The Full Moon

    ?Chapter 49

    "Illska, what do you want when everything is over?"

    "Nysgjerrig. I want to see the sky, the stars, and the sun."

    "That''s not necessary; I''ll show you soon."

    "SOM! Really?!"

    "Yes, I''ll show you immediately after we get out of here."

    That was Illska''sst conversation with ug.

    __After that, there was a fire, and Illska saw a crying ug, but that was all Illska could remember. Illska didn''t remember anything else until Illska was in the new house. But Illska could feel it¡ªa very sad feeling that was inside Illska. But it was a little unclear. Illska didn''t know why Illska could feel this sad. Was it because Illska parted ways with ug? But it wasn''t something as simple as that, ug had been away from Illska for a while, so it shouldn''t be a big deal. The problem must be in Illska''s lost memories__

    "What are you doing there?"

    As Illska curled up and cried alone at the edge, Isabelle came up to her, along with Iskaria beside her.

    Seeing Isabelle, Illska immediately jumped back, crawling on his hands and feet.

    "VARSLING! WHO ARE YOU!" shouted Illska like a wary cat.

    ''Fat woman and maid! Illska doesn''t recognize! Who are these humans!''

    It wasn''t the first time Illska had met someone like ug. But almost everyone who approached her tried to kill her, so she was always wary of humans.

    ''ug said that when a human approaches Illska, Illska should run away immediately, not kill it,'' Illska thought.

    Isabelle gave her cigar to Iskaria, and then she walked over to Illska.

    "VARSLING! Get away from me!"

    Isabelle stayed close to him.

    -BITE

    "Lady!"

    As Isabelle reached out her hand to Illska, Illska bit her hand. Isabelle immediately lifted Illska with her other hand, then hugged her. Surprisingly, Illska did not rebel when Isabelle did so. Just from Isabelle''s treatment, Illska knew that she was a good human being.

    " Do you have anything you want?" asked Isabelle.

    As Isabelle asked, Illska''s stomach churned.

    "F-u. Illska wants to eat meat," said Illska with a flushed face.

    She had only been eating insects, grass, and water. So she didn''t have much energy and always wanted to eat something delicious, like meat.

    Isabelleughed and asked Iskaria to bring her some food, including meat.

    After Iskaria brought the food, Illska ate the meat with gusto while crying.

    "Do you want to get food like this every day?" asked Isabelle.

    "OVERRASKET! Is that possible?!"

    "Of course, but you have to do everything I want."

    "SOM! Fine! If Illska can eat this every day, Illska will do anything!"

    "The contract has been made."

    Isabelle plunged the light knife into Illska''s chest. At that moment, Illska had officially be Isabelle''s ve.

    __Illska didn''t like the fat woman initially, but it turned out that the woman was a good person who always gave Illska food. As for her, she has never asked me to do anything.

    Then Illska also didn''t like the woman behind her; from the beginning, her gaze was very creepy, and she seemed to hate Illska. But over time, Illska liked her; her name was Iskaria. Iskaria always brought Illska food and cleaned Illska''s house and body. No one had ever been that nice before. Illska really liked Iskaria.

    Good things always happened when Illska was in this new home. Even though ug was gone, Illska wasn''t sad anymore. Illska can eat well and live in a house that smells good. Plus, there was Allen! Because Allen looked different from Isabelle and Iskaria, Illska thought he was Illska''s murderer, but he was not. Allen was different from the others in some ways. His body was almost the same size as Illska, but he looked like ug. He smelled a little different from Iskaria and Isabelle, and Illska liked it. Allen once said that he is different because he is male, although Illska didn''t understand what that meant. Allen always brought Illska food and listened to Illska''s stories, so Illska thought Illska liked Allen as much as Illska liked ug. When Illska was with Allen, Illska felt happy.

    "One day, when the dayes, when you are allowed to go out, and people are no longer afraid of you... let''s look up at the stars together. I will apany you until you are satisfied. At that time, you can tell me all your stories about ug, Mor, Familie, everything else. Until then, you must stay inside."

    It was the happiest moment for Illska. Allen was like ug; he might make a promise just to lock Illska up and end up lying like ug, but Illska didn''t care. Even the lying Allen Illska still liked him.

    But Illska still hoped that Allen wouldn''t lie.

    That''s right,

    After it was all over,

    After Illska was free to leave the house,

    Illska wants to be with Allen forever.

    Only good things happen in Illska''s new home, so just by staying here is fine. Forever is also okay. Here we have Isabelle, Iskaria, and Allen. Illska hoped it would stay like this forever.

    "This is all your fault! It''s because you''re here that everything bes like this! Don''t touch me, you monster!"

    But no... Illska''s only hope was instantly shattered. There were so many assassins out there because of Illska. And they came to kill everyone in this house, not just Illska. It was all because Illska was here. Just because of Illska''s existence, the people Illska loved were in danger. So Illska ran away from there, telling Iskaria that Illska would kill all the assassins.

    Illska knew that Iskaria never liked Illska to begin with, but when Iskaria herself said it, Illska couldn''t bear to hear it.

    Illska ran away; Illska told them that Illska wanted to avenge the assassins, but actually Illska left them because Illska couldn''t stand being in there. Iskaria''s gaze and the gaze of the girl named Felicia were so intense that Illska couldn''t bear to be around them.

    Illska couldn''t keep Illska''s promise to Allen.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This means that Allen will not keep his promise either.

    Even though Illska really wanted to see the sky with Allen__.

    When Illska came out of the hole, she first reached the roof of the house. Something she really wanted to see. The stars in the night sky.

    "So this is the sky, and those are stars. It''s beautiful."

    __It felt empty. Illska had seen the sky and the stars, and they were beautiful. But Illska couldn''t enjoy them at all. Illska didn''t want to look at it alone, especially with this kind of heart, coupled with the annoying sound of objects colliding below.

    Illska''s head hurt, stop...

    Stop...

    Stop...

    Why is everyone fighting?

    Why has everything be like this?

    Is that because Illska is a bad girl?

    Because Illska left home that day?

    ug...

    Allen...

    Iskaria...

    Help, Illska''s chest hurts so much__

    Illska saw the sky that she had always wanted to see, but she didn''t feel happy at all. The sound of ttering swords and amnis shooting below made her sad. Then the fire that burned Isabelle''s house also made her body hot.

    Illska then squatted on the highest side of Isabelle''s house, under the bright full moon. As she stood there, her shadow covered the entire front yard of Isabelle''s house. It covered the people who were fighting. Illska looked at it with great anger. Everyone was fighting because of her, dying because of her, and this house was also burning because of her.

    Because of Illska''s shadow, the fighting soldiers stopped, looking up at the roof where Illska stood.

    Wolverlope''s white wolf under the full moon¡ªthat''s what they thought when they saw Illska. At that moment, just because of Illska''s existence, they all stopped fighting to look at Illska.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "VREDE. I will not forgive you..." Illska said.

    Then Illska continued.

    "I will never forgive you for burning Isabelle''s house.

    I will never forgive you for destroying Iskaria''s life.

    I will never forgive you for rejecting my existence.

    I will never forgive you for making me break my promise to Allen

    Since you have all rejected my existence, then I will also reject your existence.

    Hope, Despair, Life, Death, everything is not something you need to think about anymore; until you all perish, I will continue to tear your bodies apart.

    YOU ALL MUST PAY FOR THIS WITH YOUR LIVES!"

    Everyone shudders with fear

    Illska jumped from the roof to the ground with both hands and feet, like a catnding from a high building.

    "UGHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Her scream reached everyone''s ears so loudly that they covered their ears.

    She immediately jumped onto one of the soldiers and bit off his head. Eating his brain and spitting it out.

    "GYAAAAAAA!!!" Illska once again screamed, or perhaps cried. Then he looked at everyone with his hateful red eyes. They instantly came to their senses at that moment, drawing their swords to protect themselves from Illska.

    "IT''S THE NORTTISH THAT THE EARL IS HIDING!"

    Illska quickly jumped from head to head. Biting, chewing, wing, and killing all the royal soldiers one by one.

    Her body was covered in human blood.

    "HAT! VREDE! IRRITERENDE! SYK! The sensation in Illska''s hands as he tore them apart, the taste of human skulls and flesh, the smell of blood! Everything Illska hates!

    SYK!!!

    UGHAAAAA!!!

    IT TURNS OUT EVERYTHING IS JUST AS ALLEN SAID! NOTHING GOOD IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD!!!"

    Illska again jumped at a nearby person, but this time her ws did not reach the flesh of the person she wed. His ws were swatted away by the person''s sword.

    The person was wearing a ck robe that covered his entire body, the color of his sword was also pitch ck, with a golden hilt. Although slightly, Illska could see the color of his eyes which were bright blue.

    "Dai abare, Cre."

    As he muttered that, the person stabbed his palm and suddenly the ck sword was already piercing Illska''s chest.

    "STUPET! W-WHAT''S going on?!"

    "That''s a pity; this is why I don''t like this job," the end of Illska was determined when he saw that person, the second prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, Harald Regina Wildenhall.

 Chapter 50 50 : Harald Regina Wildenhall

    ?"AAAAGAAGAHGHGGAAA!!!"

    The ck sword appeared out of nowhere and stabbed her in the chest.

    "STUPET! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

    Illska looked at Harald. He was standing some distance away from Illska, stabbing his left palm with his sword. But the de was nowhere to be seen; only the sword''s hilt was attached to his hand.

    "Poor thing, that''s why I don''t like this job."

    As he pulled his sword out of his hand, the sword that was stabbing Illska also came out. It was like a portal connecting Harald''s palm and Illska''s chest.

    Illska fell in pain; his body was also shaking, and blood wasing out of his chest.

    Harald then walked over to Illska. But the moment he got close, Illska immediately got up, jumped at Harald, and tried to w his head, but Harald seemed to have known the attack; he blocked it with his left hand. Harald was somehow not surprised by Illska''s action. Instead, he seemed to be intentionally getting a little attacked. Harald sshed the blood on his hand, and the blood spread over Illska''s body.

    "You should have just died earlier; I can''t bear to see others tormented like this."

    Harald then advanced and shed at Illska''s body. Illska''s body did not split but was thrown back.

    "I have to finish this immediately. It will be very dangerous if Norttish does a mana explosion."

    ''Though I have stabbed her heart, how is she still alive?'' Harald thought.

    ''Illska is lucky to move Illska''s heart to the stomach. "Or else Illska would have died,'' Illska thought.

    Blood oozed profusely from Illska''s belly, but after a while, the wound glowed, and the glow slowly covered the wound on her belly and chest.

    That is Illska''s god blessing; she can regenerate her own body with her mana.

    "Of the many types of god blessings, why does it have to be that? You''re making my job even harder," Haraldined.

    Harald, once again, thrust his sword into his palm.

    ''HE''S GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! ILLSKA HAS TO STOP HIM!''

    Illska immediately ran over to him.

    But it was toote. After Harald started stabbing his palm, Harald''s sword stabbed her chest again.

    ''This is my god blessing; break the gap. I can attack everything I''ve marked.''

    Break the gap; Harald''s god blessing can shorten the distance. He marks his target with mana-filled blood. If he thrusts his sword into the blood on his palm, the sword will appear where he marked it. Simply put, he could use his blood to create a portal between his palm and Illska''s chest. When Illska went berserk, Harald had already marked her with his blood.

    "AAAAAAAARGHAAA!!!" Illska immediately fell in pain. But she didn''t give up; she gripped Harald''s sword with both hands and tried to push it out again.

    "What?!" Harald was shocked; no one would do that.

    Harald held his sword against Illska''s grasp, but Illska''s strength was stronger, and Harald''s sword was slowly being drawn into his palm.

    "So strong. Not only are you enduring the pain of grasping my sword, but you''re also trying to grab it."

    "UGHAAAAAAA!!!!"

    "I don''t want to do this, but what can I do?"

    Harald closed his eyes and muttered,

    "Dai abare, Cre."

    As he muttered that, his sword doubled over, spreading like thorns suddenly sticking out all over the sword.

    "AAAARGH!!!"

    Illska''s entire body was pierced by the sword from inside and outside his body. That was the ability of Harald''s armacar, Cre.

    Now Illska''s body waspletely motionless, in pain from having his entire body pierced, but Harald wasn''t done there. Harald walked closer to Illska. Because Illska''s god''s blessing was regeneration, and because Harald had seen she hadn''t died even after Harald stabbed her heart, he needed to do the other way to defeat Illska. So he approached Illska and started drawing air symbols near Illska.

    "Wind Paralyze"

    He imnted an amnis to paralyze Illska.

    It turned out that Harald''s suspicions were correct; Illska was not dead; her wounded body was glowing again, covering his wounds. But even though he was healed, Illska was still unable to move due to the paralyzing effect.

    .

    .

    .

    Harald approached Allen and Theobauld, who seemed to be about to kill Ottar. Once there, he was forced to show his face because Theobauld asked him to.

    "Nice to meet your former party, my brother, Eldritch. I''ve always wanted to meet those who have been adventuring together with him, but it looks like I have to kill you here."

    Prince Harald wasn''t very well-known because he didn''t show his face to the public very often. He only showed up at official royal family events, and most people only saw his face in paintings. People say that Prince Harald iszy andcks self-confidence. He was called "the prince without pride" by others.

    "Mr. Theobauld, you said that, as fellow swordsmen, we should respect our opponents, right? Because I''ve risked showing my face, and we might kill each other. At least, can I shake your hand? I want to shake the hand of the person I respect for the first andst time," Harald said.

    "O-of course, your highness."

    "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" shouted Allen.

    There was nothing more stupid than being caught off guard. It was like he was eating the trap that Harald had prepared. Harald had repeatedly said he disliked his job and was even willing to risk his honor by not showing his face. So he could have lied about the handshake and killed Theobauld instead.

    But that would only happen if Theobauld still had some pride.

    He would throw away his pride if it were for Isabelle''s safety. Harald''s invitation to shake hands was an excellent opportunity for Theobauld.

    Theobauld''s body was already battered, while Allen seemed unable to fight like before. So Theobauld nned to stab Harald as they shook hands.

    ''My god blessing is that, taking an object from afar, I will take the sword of one of the soldiers and kill Prince Harald,'' Theobauld thought.

    "!!!" they began to shake hands.

    As they shook hands, there was a strange sensation in Theobauld''s hand. It was rubbery and thick.

    Theobauld immediately withdrew his hand and looked at it.

    Harald''s right hand was bleeding, and now Harald''s blood was on his hand.

    "Goodbye, Mr. Theobauld,"

    Theobauld immediately looked at Harald. Harald stabbed his left arm, which was also bleeding, with his sword.

    Harald''s sword came out of Theobauld''s right hand. And quickly, pierced his neck.

    "THEO!!!" shouted Allen, who immediately jumped to attack Harald with his de.

    But Allen was so emotional that he attacked Harald without thinking. He didn''t realize that Ottar wasing from the side and pushing with all his strength on Allen''s body. As a result, Allen was thrown to the side.

    Allen, who was thrown, immediately sat up, looking at Theobauld, still standing, with a sword piercing his neck.

    Theobauld turned her face, looked at Allen with tears in his eyes, and then muttered.

    "Allen, please take care of Lady Isabelle,"

    "D a i  A b a r e :  C e l a r e" as Harald muttered it, just like he did to Illska, with his sword that pierced Theobauld''s neck, the de spreading and sticking out from all parts of the de, like thorns.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    Theobauld''s head shattered, separating into five pieces.

    "MASTER THEOOO!!!"

    ...

    In the basement storage room, Felicia was punched by her maid, Rachel.

    "Ra-chel! How dare you!"

    "I''m sorry, Lady, it''s all for your safety."

    Felicia refused to leave Isabelle. Therefore, Rachel was forced to make her faint.

    "Can you go alone?" asked Isabelle.

    Rachel nodded

    "Thank you for worrying about me,dy. My god blessing, hide yourself, can make others ignore me for a few seconds. I will bring Lady Felicia home. I want to express my gratitude on behalf of the Boldenville family for helping Lady Felicia all these days; thank you very much," Rachel said as she bent her body while holding Felicia.

    "May we meet again," Isabelle said.

    At that moment, Rachel immediately left the hole.

    Isabelle and Iskaria were now alone in the hole. As she watched Rachel leave, Isabelle was already thinking of an escape n.

    "Hey Iskaria, how long are you going to cry for?" Get up!"

    There was a pain in Iskaria''s body, and it was because she tried to resist Isabelle''s words. Iskaria immediately stood up because of the pain.

    "Y... yes, mydy?"

    "Follow me; let''s go to Thurstan''s room."

    In Thurstan''s basement, many maids were huddled there, looking panicked and confused by the situation. They were all Isabelle''s maids and ves, whom Isabelle had ordered to take refuge in Thurstan''s room.

    Isabelle went inside and was immediately bombarded with many questions.

    "What happened, Lady?!"

    "Why did the royal soldierse to attack us?!"

    "Are there other nobles who framed you?!"

    "What''s your next move?!"

    Isabelle smiled. Isabelle was asked a variety of questions, but none of them doubted or med her; instead, they suspected she was being framed.

    "Iskaria, did you bring it?"

    "Y... yes, mydy."

    Iskaria took Isabelle''s cigar out of her pocket and gave it to Isabelle.

    While closing her eyes, Isabelle inhaled the cigar with a face that looked like she was enjoying it very much, and with that, the maids stopped talking, as if their panic was lifted from their bodies just by seeing Isabelle''s face.

    "Listen, everyone¡­ no one is framing me. I have betrayed the kingdom by hiding a Norttish."

    They were shocked, but none of them tried to interrupt Isabelle to continue her words.

    "Because I hid Norttish, I will be killed by the royal envoy."

    Everyone fell silent, bowing their heads. It was very sad to hear that.

    Isabelle took another sip of her cigarette, then said

    "But I don''t want that! Who wants to die anyway?! After finishing the mess outside, I will run to Amberfraw region!"

    "Amberfraw?! Isn''t that where the criminals were assembling?!" the maids panicked again.

    The Amberfraw region is the westernmost territory of the Wildenhall kingdom. It was located next to the destroyed Carleon region.

    A hundred years ago, the Norttish caused a mana explosion in the Carleon region. As a result, the region became barren and poisonous; mana was not there, and spirits did not want to approach the area.

    The Amberfraw region is next to the Carleon region, isted alone because of the mana explosion in the Carleon region. Because their way to the outside was poisonous, people could no longere to Amberfraw, and people who entered it could not go from there either.

    But that didn''t mean there was no way people coulde to that area over the ocean, which was why it was called a criminal territory, because an escaped criminal would gather there. Isabelle knew someone who could take her to that region. She could still be alive, away from the kingdom, if they went there.

    "If you follow me, you will be considered a criminal by the kingdom, and you will also be put to death. But if you don''t want toe, I will release the ve seal. Now you can escape from this shackle. Those who want to release the ve seal, pleasee forward."

    1 minute has passed

    3 minutes passed.

    5 minutes passed

    And still no one came forward.

    "Fufufu, are you all stupid?" Isabelle said with a smile.

    "Don''t say that,dy"

    "I think it''sdy who''s not smart enough to think that we consider this seal a shackle."

    "Hey! Don''t calldy stupid! You''re just a maid, you know?!"

    "I didn''t say stupid! I just said not smart enough!"

    The situation outside was chaotic; Isabelle was asking questions about their lives and deaths. They could have been free right then and there¡ªno longer ves, just ordinary people with no one shackling them. But on that asion, theyughed with her, together.

    There was no way we could leave her

    There was no way we could live without her

    This mark on our chest is not a shackle

    It''s a form ofdy''s love for us

    That''s how they thought; none of them intended to leave. They would follow Isabelle wherever she went, serve her, and were willing to risk their lives to protect her.

    Isabelleughed along with them, but tears came to her eyes even as sheughed. She thought,

    __Oh no, right now I am delighted. My ves surround me from beginning to end, I won''t let them go, won''t give them to anyone else.

    I wonder about Allen; will hee too? I hope so.

    Then Theobauld, my knight, whom I trusted most. He''s always been strict with me about the rules, so that''s why I can''t tell him about Norttish. His angry face irritates me, and I don''t want to let her bear any more burden.

    Hey, Theobauld. Let''s be energetic, kill all our enemies, and solve all my problems like you always do. After that, let''s escape with me to Amberfraw. Once again, together with the ves, we will make a big house. A cozy home for everyone.

    I can''t wait to see Theobauld again. What will his face look like? Will he scold me again? Or will he smile while listening to my n?

    Either way, I hope everything goes smoothly__

 Chapter 51 51 : The Traitor

    ?Harald''s arma carcerum can spread thorns or stick out swords from every part of its de when it goes on a rampage. Harald''s armacar used to be azy hedgehog who lived on the 7th floor of the dungeon. This hedgehog had small spines, but when it felt threatened, it would puff up and grow, making its spines bigger and longer so they could pierce everything outside. When it meets a predator, it usually lets itself be eaten and then changes inside the predator''s body to kill them.

    And that weapon now pierced Theobauld''s neck, and the thorns grew, "spreading and blooming" as the sword was inside his neck.

    As a result, his body separated from his head, while his head split into five pieces.

    "Master Theo!!!"

    Allen, who saw Theobauld''s head torn apart, somehow became angry.

    "Theo... Theo''s dead!" said Allen with a gasp, clutching his chest tightly.

    He didn''t like humans, and he also didn''t like Theobauld. But why, why did he feel overwhelming anger inside him?

    "Is my job finally done, Mr. Ottar? I don''t really like killing people; I don''t want to kill more people," Harald said, sping his hands and praying for Theobauld.

    "I am very sorry, your highness; as long as the Earl is alive, we must find her and kill her. How about you just follow me and protect me when I search for her inside, Then I will kill the Earl when we have found her."

    "Don''t worry, Mr. Ottar. I''ll kill him; you''d better retreat first. There are those behind who can use healing amnis. Recover the wound on your hand first."

    "I''d like to do it, but that kid probably won''t let us."

    When Harald saw Allen, Allen already looked different. His scarf was fused back to his body, just like before.

    "What form is that?!" said Harald, confused.

    "I also don''t understand. His armacar could be fused with his body like that. I wonder what material he used to make that armacar. What kind of monster can do that?"

    Harald stepped back, then prepared to put his sword into his hand again.

    "Whatever it is, after he dies, we can take it and research it at the academy."

    "AAAAAAAH!" Allen immediately ran towards Harald. Then he jumped towards him, who was on the other side near Theobauld''s corpse.

    Harald thrust his sword into his palm.

    Then, a sword came out of Theobauld''s body, piercing the body of Allen, who was about to jump over his corpse to attack Harald.

    Harald''s god blessing only allowed him to use the blood portal once. When Harald moved the sword and pulled it back out, the mana in the blood was gone, so it could no longer be used as a portal. So, Harald couldn''t use the same portal that Harald set up when he shook hands with Theobauld.

    Harald was a vignt person; the blood was a checkpoint for him. So every time he moved, he would smear his blood somewhere. That''s why a sword coulde suddenly from below when Allen was about to attack Harald.

    "What?!"

    The sword pierced Allen''s body, but it didn''t enter; Allen''s scarf held Harald''s sword so that it didn''t pierce all of Allen''s body.

    Allen''s scarf kept holding the sword, while Allen broke free from the sword, then ran forward to attack Harald.

    Because Allen''s scarf held his sword, Harald could not draw it. So he couldn''t protect himself from Allen''s attack.

    But when Allen was about to attack him, Harald jumped back slightly while covering his body with his right hand. As a result, Harald''s right hand was in severe bleeding, but he did that on purpose; he sshed his blood on Allen. Harald''s blood is now scattered on Allen''s scarf

    "Dai Abare, Cre." Harald used it to untie his sword from Allen''s scarf.

    As it came loose, heunched a powerful attack that focused on Allen''s weapon, causing Allen''s hand to bounce to the side. On that asion, he once again put his sword into his palm.

    "!!!"

    But nothing happened; the sword could not even pierce his hand.

    The blood was already scattered on Allen''s scarf, but the sword did note out there.

    Once again, Harald used it; this time, he focused on the blood on Allen''s leg, and the sword coulde out from there. As a result, Allen''s leg was stuck.

    ''The weapon or the scarf is probably not a hard object with mass. Maybe a shadow. If that''s the case, then there''s no way my god''s blessing can work when he uses that scarf.''

    "What do you think, your highness? About his armacar," asked Ottar, who was now doing his treatment to close his wound.

    "It can''t be armacar. Armacar is just a weapon forged with the bones and souls of monsters, so it can only have one special ability rted to the characteristics of monsters. As for him, he can fuse with the scarf and turn it into a weapon, and the scarf protects him like it is alive."

    "Life? Your highness, so you mean..."

    "Right, it''s probably the same weapon my brothers, Eldritch and Leofric, have. A weapon with a soul that can only be obtained afterpleting the dungeon, Adfeqtus Reliqua."

    "That should be impossible; which dungeon did heplete? Is it a dungeon outside the kingdom? But even so, how could a child as small as himplete it."

    "There''s no point in overthinking it."

    Harald actually has his assumption, but he chooses to keep quiet; he doesn''t willing to say that to Ottar

    I heard Leofric bring and hide a child from Barkaley''snd into Earl''s territory. When I heard about the Norttish in the Earl''snd, I assumed it was the Norttish kid that Leofric was trying to hide. But after seeing this boy, maybe Leofric is hiding this kid, not the Norttish. After all, there''s no way Leofric could have only finished the first floor of the dungeon. Something must have happened inside that dungeon."

    Allen, who had escaped from Harald''s sword, was now unable to use his left leg properly. So he had to rely on his scarf to substitute for his leg speed.

    "Your highness, get ready; he''s going to attack again!"

    Harald then dripped his blood on the ground to be prepared when Allen attacked him.

    Using his scarf, Allen wrapped the tree near Harald, then pulled his body closer to Harald.

    ''Damn! He can use that scarf like that too?!''

    Harald prepared to dodge with his sword. But just as Allen was about to approach him, Allen threw his de at Harald first, and it pierced Harald''s left eye.

    "DIE!!!"

    ''Huh? Am I going to die?'' thought Harald, who could not immediately maintain his position.

    Allen swooped towards Harald, and thrusting his de into Harald''s head.

    -THRUST

    But when Allen got closer to Harald, Harald''s sword came out from the blood in his eyes.

    It pierced Allen''s left hand, then...

    "Dai Abare: Cre."

    Harald''s sword''s thorn bloomed, breaking Allen''s left hand.

    "AAAAARGH!!!"

    Allen stumbled backwards, holding his sore shoulder. The blood didn''t stoping out of his hand.

    "This kid is already over," Ottar said.

    But of course, he was wrong; Allen''s scarf was wrapped around his shoulder to stop the bleeding.

    "Don''t joke; that scarf can do everything, huh?"

    Allen was panting; he could only bend over in pain. He had already used his parallel mind twice by fusing with Reig. Running out of stamina and losing his strength.

    It was no different with Harald. Harald couldn''t move much because of the wound in his eye. He had also used his god''s blessing many times as well as his rampage armacar.

    The Wolverlope''s soldiers'' battle was not over; everyone had started to lose stamina. Meanwhile, the kingdom''s soldiers'' reinforcements brought by Harald began to arrive.

    Amidst the despair, the soldiers heard a familiar voice from behind them.

    "Theobauld!" she shouted.

    Isabelle came out of the house wearing nothing but her pajamas. The maids were all holding swords.

    "ISABELLE! DON''T COME HERE!" shouted Allen.

    "Lady! Run away from here immediately!"

    "It''s not safe here! Run! quick!"

    But Isabelle didn''t listen to him; apanied by the other maids, she approached Allen.

    Then

    When she arrived, she saw a body whose posture was familiar lying on the ground.

    Although the head was gone, Isabelle knew who it was.

    "Theobauld?" muttered Isabelle with a depressed look on her face.

    Then she looked elsewhere,<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was Ottar, who was injured

    Then Allen, who lost his hand

    Plus...

    "Prince Harald?" said Isabelle.

    "Auntie Isabelle..."

    Seeing Harald wearing ck clothes and knowing that he hade here, Isabelle immediately knew that Harald was one of the members of the royal shadow army. And the fact that the shadowy members hade to the residence confirmed that she could no longer run anywhere. Moreover, Theobauld died, Allen was in pain, and Illska fainted.

    Isabelle found it hard to breathe because of all the information that kepting into her head. She suddenly had watery eyes and cold sweat pouring down her body. She tried to calm down for a few seconds, and then she came to one conclusion.

    ''The only thing I can do right now is...''

    Isabelle walked over to Harald. Harald just stood still, looking at Isabelle, who walked up to him. There was no lust to kill in it, and Isabelle''s face at that moment made Harald wonder what his aunt wanted.

    When she was near Harald, Isabelle immediately hugged him.

    "You''ve grown up, Lil Harald," Isabelle said.

    Harald always yed with Isabelle as a child. But because he rarely appeared in public, Isabelle never saw him again. So when she saw Harald, she hugged him, just like when Harald was little.

    "Auntie, why did you betray the kingdom?" asked Harald.

    "I have my problems too..." Isabelle replied.

    Then Isabelle released her embrace and began prostrating herself in front of Harald.

    "Lil Harald, I know you are not a killer, so can you let all my people go? I will surrender myself," said Isabelle.

    The maids and all of the fighting soldiers immediately ran toward her.

    Just as they wanted to shout, "Lady, what are you thinking?!" Allen yelled at Isabelle first.

    "ISABELLE! ARE YOU STUPID?!"

    Allen''s shout made all the maids and soldiers fall silent.

    "Theo sacrificed himself so you could run away, and now you give up?! Then what was the point of Theo''s sacrifice?!"

    Isabelle sat up, looking at Allen.

    "Even so, I won''t allow any more casualties. It''s all over."

    "Isabelle..."

    Allen didn''t have much to say. When Isabelle looked at him, her eyes were almost the same as those of his mother in his dream. The eyes of a person who is willing to make a sacrifice and of a person who is ready to die.

    Harald, who sympathized with his aunt, reluctantly agreed.

    "Okay, Aunti-"

    "Of course, you can''t."

    Suddenly another man came from outside

    He wore a ck robe covering his entire body, just like Harald. The man then took off his hoodie. From his heavy voice, everyone had guessed his age to be around 40. His thick red hair was slicked back, and his ck eyes looked sharp. On his back, he carried arge sword that was almost as big as his body,

    "Captain!" called Harald.

    "I am disappointed, your highness. I have ordered you not to show your face, but it seems that even such a small thing cannot be obeyed."

    "Forgive me; I promise this will be thest time I disobey an order."

    "You''d better be."

    The man''s aura was tense; his gaze alone made Isabelle shiver and want to run away. But right now, she couldn''t. She had something she had to do.

    The man was now standing in front of the kneeling Isabelle, looking at her with a face of great hatred.

    "Again, a noble betrayed the kingdom. Shame on you; can''t you protect the title your ancestors gave you?"

    Isabelle couldn''t answer him.

    "ording to Wildenhall Kingdom''s criminal code, people who hide the Norttish must be killed, and the same goes for those who help them. Even if you bow down and ask us to let go of your people, we will not stop killing them as long as they remain loyal to you," the man continued.

    Then the man looked behind Isabelle at the maids, who looked amateurish holding weapons, then at the soldiers who were seriously wounded but were still standing.

    "And it seems that none of them intends to leave you. I hereby decide to kill them all!"

    Isabelle immediately cut off his words,

    "They probably won''t leave me since they are my proud ves, but..."

    Isabelle then took out a light sword from her hand.

    "Mr Captain, this is my god''s blessing; I can make everyone who agrees to the contract to be my ve. Then there''s one rule from my god''s blessing that I haven''t told them about.

    That is...

    One definite request that my ves will not be able to refuse.

    I will ensure that all of them surrender and serve the kingdom."

    "LADY!"

    "I DON''T ACCEPT THIS!"

    "DON''T DO IT!"

    "WE WILL DIE HERE!"

    The man looked at them admiringly; such incredible loyalty could only be given to an honest person. For that man, Isabelle could be lying. But when he saw Isabelle''s subordinate loyalty, he decided to agree.

    "Alright, but with some conditions. Even if they surrender, they must be locked up in prison for a month for rehabilitation, after which they can be free."

    "Thank you, sir."

    Isabelle held her light sword. Then she pointed it closer to her chest.

    The moment it pierced her chest, she could give the order for her ves to surrender.

    The ves gathered behind her and repeatedly shouted at Isabelle, but Isabelle covered her ears, not literally covered, but she chose not to hear them.

    "I have no more regrets,"

    Then when Isabelle was about to thrust it into his chest.

    Someone held back Isabelle''s hand.

    "!!!"

    It was Iskaria. She was both crying and angry at the sight of Isabelle.

    "I won''t let you die!" Iskaria shouted.

    Iskaria then looked at Allen.

    "HEY, THERE, BOY! YOU CAN STILL MOVE, RIGHT?! IF YOU CAN''T, DO SOMETHING! WE''LL ALL ARREST THESE GUYS; GET THE LADY OUT OF HERE!"

    Allen nodded. His scarf extended, wrapping around Isabelle''s body.

    But...

    "Dai abare, Retractor."

    Therge sword that was behind that man was floated to Isabelle.

    -THRUST

    But the one who was stabbed was not Isabelle but Iskaria, who immediately jumped towards Isabelle.

    "The scariest thing about a traitor is a loyal traitor."

 Chapter 52 52 : Dont Go

    ?Don''t go

    Don''t go

    Don''t go

    I told him so many times, but he kept going.

    The nobles always looked down on Earl Wolverlope''s family at the royal party. Because Earl Wolverlope had not contributed to the kingdom in a long time, my husband could tell they wereughing at us behind our backs even if they didn''t say it.

    Coincidentally, Prince Eldritch was nning to do a dungeon raid at that time.

    "We have to join this raid with Prince Eldritch! If we go, we''ll uphold our family name again; they won''t look down on us anymore," he said.

    Actually, I don''t care about the thoughts of other nobles. I just want to stay with him in this house until we die; the family honor can be raised by our child, who is currently inside my stomach.

    I told him not to go because I was pregnant; I didn''t want to suddenly be a widow and have this child born without a father. But he went anyway. Prince Eldritch was a genius child who could defeat a pdin leader when he was only 10 years old; there was no way his raid dungeon would fail. It was a very good opportunity to raise our name.

    But the day he left for the dungeon, I told him

    "Don''t go! Are you sure everything is okay?"

    The moment I said that, his confident face started to disappear.

    Then, after the dungeon raid ended a monthter, he died in the dungeon.

    I stopped eating and drinking for a few days, just staying depressed in my room. Finally, the child in my body also died.

    If I had made him stay no matter what, maybe it wouldn''t have turned out this way.

    After that, the house became very quiet, and my will to live diminished. Why am I still alive? What am I living for? My husband died, and I lost my child. I don''t want to do anything else. But I don''t want to die either. If I died, the nobles wouldugh about it, making his death to protect our name even worse.

    This is why I acquired more ves. With the ve contract, I obtained more ves to expand my life''s purpose. So I can start living my life with meaning. The goal is to keep the contract.

    The more ves I had, the happier my life became. They all hate me so much, but that''s okay. To keep going, all I need is a reason to live.

    I had no idea what I was thinking back then. Someone brought Norttish to my house and asked me to hide her. The Nortish was still a child, and as I watched her sleep, I thought, "If my son is born, maybe he will be as big as she is," So, I foolishly said yes.

    Then Leofric sent me a kid. One that caused as much trouble as that Norttish had.

    I was going to reject him and send him to the kingdom for research, but when I saw his depressed face inside that cage, I once again made a foolish decision. I''m bringing him home to be my ve.

    I made things worse in my house by being stupid. There were showgirls, Norttish, and kids from the dungeon. Was I so depressed that I wanted a child?

    And now... The seed I nted has grown. Because my naivety added so much trouble to my house, the kingdom considered me a traitor.

    But somehow, I have no regrets.

    Because I know that if I hadn''t let that girl or that boy live in my house, my life could be even worse than it is now because I will always regret it.

    I am okay if the kingdom takes my life. I will protect my ves, I will protect Illska, and I will protect Allen.

    But why...

    Why do you want to die for me? Who gave up on this life?

    "Lady! I won''t let you die!" Iskaria shouted as she held back the hand that I was about to thrust into my chest.

    I could give absolute orders when I put this sword of light into my chest. That order is like brainwashing; it''s my level 2 god blessing. I can brainwash my ves to surrender, and the effect willst for 1 week.

    "Iskaria! Let go!"

    "I won''t!"

    Allen tied Isabelle with his scarf.

    At the same time,

    "Dai abare, Retractor."

    Due to Isabelle''s seeming resistance, the man decided to kill her outright.

    Therge sword on his back flew out to stab Isabelle.

    But at that moment, Iskaria immediately stood in front of Isabelle. So, she was the one who got stabbed with the sword.

    "ISKARIA!" Isabelle shouted.

    The sword''s hilt had a chain attached to the man''s right hand.

    "The scariest thing about a traitor is a loyal traitor," said the man.

    As the man was about to pull the sword with the chain, Iskaria held the sword that pierced her stomach.

    "Lady, I told you, I won''t let you die," she said, with blooding out of her mouth.

    Then she looked at the man and smiled. The man immediately drew his sword with all his might.

    "God''s blessing: bloom my body," Iskaria muttered, and her body burst into a cloud of smoke that covered everything.

    "Iskaria!"

    Isabelle''s body was pulled toward Allen by his scarf. Even though he was tired and his legs hurt, Allen used all his strength to lift Isabelle''s big, heavy body.

    "Allen, let go. I have to save everyone!" said Isabelle rebelliously.

    "Are you stupid?! They sacrificed themselves for you. There''s no way I''m just going to let you go!"

    "Allen, I said let go."

    "No! I won''t let you go!"

    Meanwhile, the shadow army''s captain did not look panicked in that situation.

    "You think something like this would be useful?"

    The man drew a wind symbol in front of him, then muttered "Ghust of Wind,"

    The wind blew away all the mist Iskaria had created.

    The mist then gathered again, turning into Iskaria. And once again, Iskaria used her god blessing, and Iskaria''s body shattered into ashes.

    This time it wasn''t the man who used the wind amnis, but the royal soldiers behind him.

    The man spun his sword with the chain, directing it at the soldiers and servants who were covering Isabelle and Allen as they ran to the woods.

    The sound of screaming soldiers and maids reached Isabelle''s ears; they were groaning in pain from the swings of the sword. Their bodies were torn apart, helpless against the man.

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry. I won''t make your sacrifice in vain," Isabelle muttered at Allen''s back.

    But what Isabelle said couldn''te true.

    -SREK

    The man''s sword reached Isabelle''s back, scratching it deeply.

    "SH*T! HE''S GETTING CLOSER!" cursed Allen, who ran as best he could.

    "My ves, what happened to them?" rather than thinking about the pain in her back, she thought about why the sound of their screams could no longer be heard.

    ''Are they dead? And even if they die for me, will I die too?''

    Isabelle looked at Allen; he was limping, and his face looked tired. He was obviously pushing himself to run, carrying the heavy Isabelle.

    ''Maybe I should go on a diet,'' Isabelle thought with a smile.

    __At a time like this, why am I smiling? Why am I suddenly feeling happy?

    Right, it must be because I saw Allen.

    Allen also seemed to hate me at first. He never really looked into my eyes. But right now, just like my other ves, he is trying to protect me.

    If it continues like this, we will both die. I know that. The shadow army captain won''t let us go. I could feel that he was getting closer.

    At least

    I should at least save Allen. If he let me go, surely he could escape from here.

    He''s a strong monster boy, after all.

    "Allen, let me go."

    "Hah?! Why did you still say stupid things?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I said let go, Allen; if this keeps up, we''ll both die. You should at least run and live on your own."

    "I won''t let you go! I''ll bring you away from here!"

    "You can''t, Allen; you know that, right? We will both die if you still carry me."

    "NO, NO! I WON''T LEAVE YOU!"

    I misunderstood Allen because of his mature behavior. I always thought that he could do everything by himself. But no, he''s still a kid. I can see that.

    Even now, I know that Allen is crying.

    He must not know the reason for his crying.

    He must not understand anything.

    Since he''s still a kid, I should try to get to know him better before_

    Then, the sound of the man''s sword chain became clearer, indicating that he had finally reached them.

    -THRUST

    Therge sword pierced Isabelle''s back,

    Allen fell forward, along with Isabelle, whose back was now pierced by the huge sword.

    Allen lifted the man''s sword, removed it from Isabelle''s back, and pulled Isabelle''s body with one hand. But by then, perhaps Allen''s stamina had reached its limit; even though he pulled her, he could only move her slightly. As for Isabelle, her blood continued to flow down her back.

    ''Ah, this is the end of my life. Although many things happened, I don''t regret anything at all; thest thing I have to do is make sure Allen is safe.''

    Isabelle summons the light sword from her hand, thrusting it into her chest with thest of her strength.

    "Allen, this is an order. Get out of here, and..."

    Allen remembered this moment. This was the same moment he had seen in the dungeon.

    The moment when he could not save his mother

    "Live, Allen."

    Isabelle''s face was smiling, and herst words were simr to his mother''s.

    Her smile made Allen feel warm.

    "What the hell was that..." Allen muttered.

    "Am I, once again, going to let my precious person die?"

    The crest on Allen''s chest shone.

    Isabelle''s order to run interfered with his brain.

    "ISABELLE!" shouted Allen.

    "Run quickly."

    Isabelle''s order was absolute, and Allen had to follow it.

    But Allen had two mana. When Isabelle''s mana inside him washes his brain, Allen can still maintain his sanity.

    As a result, his body obeyed Isabelle''s orders while his brain did not. So Allen felt great pain because the mana inside him was conflicting.

    "No, Isabelle, I don''t want to leave you!

    Even though everything has started to be fun

    Even though everything has started to be warm again

    Why! Why do I have to lose someone else again?!

    Isabelle, please release your order! Order me to bring you with me! Please!"

    "Hey, Allen''s scarf over there; your name is Reig, isn''t it? I know about you. I heard Allen talking to you once in my room. I don''t know what you really are, but take Allen away from here. If he stays here, he''ll die."

    Allen''s scarf began to reach out to the woods, trying to pull Allen''s body away from there.

    "No, Reig, don''t do that!"

    Allen held his feet on the ground with all his might, but he wasn''t strong enough. Little by little, Allen''s body shifted.

    "Isabelle! Please! Let me take you with me!"

    Isabelle was silent, the light in her eyes slowly disappearing.

    "No, Reig! Stop it! Stop it!

    ISABELLE! YOU PROMISED! WE HAVE A CONTRACT! YOU SAID YOU''D HELP ME KILL THAT GUY RIGHT? HURRY UP AND CHANGE THE ORDER AND FULFILL YOUR PROMISE, YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOT!"

    As Allen''s strength started to wane, Reig pulled his body into the pitch-ck forest.

    "Go away, Allen."

    "ISABELLLEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    _This time, I asked him to go.

    I won''t repeat what I did that day.

    As my husband set off confidently for the raid dungeon, "Don''t go, are you sure everything will be alright?" I asked him that. As a result, his confident face disappeared, turning into fear.

    He must have been afraid to go to the dungeon too and repeatedly tried to build up the courage to go anyway, all for the family''s sake. But I asked him that instead, which made him hesitate to go to the dungeon.

    Maybe the one who killed him was me?

    If only I had supported him back then, maybe he would have survived.

    Maybe he would have returned home with a wound on his body, and after that, we would have made a feast and shown the other nobles that the Earl''s family wasn''t dead.

    And maybe things wouldn''t end like this.

    In front of me, Allen was gone; I couldn''t hear his screams anymore.

    Thank goodness...

    Thank goodness he''s finally gone...

    Thank goodness this time, I actually said, "go away."

    Now, when Isabelle really thought she was going to die, all she could think about was her daily life with her ves, and with Allen.

    She imagined Allen studying in her room.

    She imagined Allen''s face, which looked very delicious, eating his food.

    She imagined Allen''s face, which was angry and upset at being defeated by Theobauld.

    Then, she imagined that if only Allen were her son and Illska

    They would walk through the city together, choosing clothes and food together.

    "It would have been so much fun," Isabelle murmured.

    Isabelle''s tears were still flowing, as was her blood, which had now flowed to her face, which touched the ground.

    The shadow army captain''s chains began to be heard more clearly. And the moment she heard the chain, Isabelle immediately returned to looking ahead.

    "No..."

    "No..."

    "No..."

    "Please, don''t go."

    Isabelle shouted at Allen, who was no longer visible in front of her. In the end, it turns out that she does not want to be alone. At the bottom of her heart, she didn''t want Allen to leave. When she had a fever before, she remembered howfortable she slept when Allen was beside her. She wanted to order Allen to stay by her side until she fell asleep, but Allen was no longer there.

    And just like that, the shadow army captain''s great sword pierced her back.

    With this, the stage curtain had closed, ending Isabelle''s life along with the surname of Earl Wolverlope.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

 Chapter 53 The Council

    ?The Whitmoon Festival is an annual religious event thatsts for a week, consisting of four main days.

    There are seven days in a week of festival celebrations: Sun day, Moon day, Tubas day, Weald day, Thrust day, Free day, and Star day.

    The four main days are Moon Day, Tubas Day, Weald Day, and Thrust Day.

    The whole city in the kingdom celebrates this festival, but the capital city is the most crowded. All nobles sent their representatives to the kingdom during this time to celebrate this event.

    Most of the nobles whoe are the head of the family along with their wife and children, while the region''s affairs were left to the aid.

    There is something different about the Whitmoon Festival this time. That''s because one of the members of the royal family, the 14th Prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall, will be baptized on that day. As a result, the capital will be visited by royalty and important people from neighboring countries.

    That is why the Whitmoon Festival must run smoothly this year so that the kingdom is not embarrassed by visitors from outside.

    With only a few weeks before the Whitmoon Festivalmences, the kingdom is already facing various issues threatening the capital''s safety.

    First, Prince Leofric''s arbitrary actions in the Barkaley region.

    Second, the deaths of all important prisoners in prison and the soldiers guarding them were inevitable. Some of the guards were also noble children who were apprentices. As a result, many things had to be overhauled, such as who would take care of the vacant tasks and the people who had to be sent to solve the problem.

    Third, one of the nobles who had always been loyal to the kingdom, Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope, betrayed the kingdom by hiding Norrtish. And it turns out that the impact of this betrayal is greater than expected, with many casualties on the royal side.

    Lastly, the suspicious movement of the anti-government organization Noctem Dolls, which is said to have reached the capital, has been reported.

    These four main problems branched out, creating a domino effect in the kingdom. To find a solution, the king and the council, most of whom had gathered in the capital, decided to hold a meeting.

    Members of the Council are generally senior nobles who have retired, relinquishing their names to their sessors. However, some Council members also hold other titles, such as the Archbishops, who are both nobles and religious leaders.

    " Her Majesty Queen Regina Horman Wildenhall has arrived!" shouted one of the knights who was guarding the entrance.

    The second queen of the Wildenhall kingdom, Regina Horman Wildenhall, dressed formally, entered The Determiner Great Hall.

    The Determiner Great Hall is a chamber where the council held a meeting inside the castle. Compared to the luxurious-looking castle, the room was more modest, with no knick-knacks and gaudy wall decorations. The floor was a polished stone surface covered with a red carpet. The walls were ck and gray, withrge poles suspending light crystals on each side. The room was square-shaped, with only one entrance and no windows.

    In the center was a round table with the Wildenhall royal crest engraved in the center, surrounded by long stone chairs covered in cloth and cushions.

    "Thank you for waiting," Queen Regina said as she entered the room.

    There were already six council members in the room.

    Archbishop of Fire Church, Benedict Spelman

    Archbishop of Soil Church, Stephen Kyllingworth

    Archbishop of Wind Church, Cornelius Beckingham

    Head of the Knights, Maximilian Beatrix Glenham.

    Former head of the family of Earl Norkshire, Hamo Dryden

    Former head of the family of Earl Valentine, Turgiva Isley.

    The knights who were apanying the Queen waited outside, and the Queen walked to the table and sat at the far end.

    The other people in the room were the guardian knights stationed in each corner and the priest and priestess of the fire church to confirm the presence of the fire spirit so that it could give light through the crystal.

    "I havee in ce of my husband, who is unwell and cannot be here. So my voice is the voice of the king, and what I hear is also heard by the king. I hope everyone understands," the Queen said.

    "Of course, I have heard about the king''s poor condition, and I heard that many physicians and high-level medics havee, but none have been able to cure him," said Archbishop Cornelius.

    "Let''s pray that God can heal him," Stephen continued.

    "If it''s any constion, I''m d the queen came here because I''m now not the only woman here," said Turgiva.

    The Queen then looked at the empty seats, and asked

    ? "I know the reason for the other three, but why couldn''t Archbishop Dormer Chaundelere?"

    Then the Queen''s question was answered by the aide standing by the door.

    "His Excellency, Mr Chaundeler is on his way here. We heard that his ship hit an iceberg, but there were no casualties or major problems; he would just arrivete.

    " Well, Archbishop Dormer''s territory is mostly in the north, on the Aind, so it''s no wonder he''ste. Although it''s already hot here, the Aind is usually cold for three out of four months.

    The Queen then lightly tapped her desk and said

    "Alright, let''s start this troublesome meeting."

    The meeting of the council, began.

    [ILLUSTRATION]<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    "Luke, what are you doing? Let''s pick it up quickly! Don''t linger!"

    "O-Okay! But, what is this exactly?"

    "Don''t ask too many questions!"

    While the council was in a meeting, two holy knights brought something to the underground of the capital''s wind church. One of the knights was named Luke, who had recently be a holy knight.

    Luke was amoner who lived alone with his sickly mother. His mother''s illness was unknown; she was unable to move her body, even to defecate, and required assistance. All she could do was only speak and slightly move her head.

    Because he had to take care of his sick mother, he had to quit his job at the cksmith''s shop, so now he just splits firewood and does other odd jobs for his neighbors. But of course, the money wouldn''t be enough to support him and his mother, so he went to church every day, praying to God to make all his problems easier.

    It turned out that God granted his wish. His daily visits to church and his solemnity while praying were seen by the bishop, who was in the church at the time. The bishop was touched by his solemnity and wanted to make him one of the church''s holy knights. His mother would be taken care of by the freed ves employed by the church.

    "Would you do anything for the church?" the bishop asked.

    "Of course, I believe this is God''s choice to make my life easier," Luke replied.

    At that moment, Luke became one of the pawns of the holy knight.

    The pawn job turned out to be more or less the same as what he did at home, helping the foster priests prepare for mass, cleaning the church, and doingmunity service. The only difference was the shift guarding the church and traveling around the city.

    After a month, his loyalty to the church was confirmed, and a new job came to him when the archbishop visited the capital for a council meeting.

    The church that Luke joined was the Church of the Wind, under the direction of Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham. Two days after the archbishop''s arrival at the church, Luke was called by his senior, a rook of the holy knight. At 12 p.m., he roused Luke from his sleep and brought something to the church basement.

    ''He said not to ask too many questions, but however you think about it, it''s a human body, right?''

    The two of them carried something like an adult human body wrapped in a worn cloth. In front of them, they walked with Bishop Augustin, the bishop who rmended Luke join the holy knight. Because of his existence, Luke believed that what he did must have some meaning.

    The church''s basement was like a prison. Several barred rooms mostly contained unused church items.

    They put the body into a cell with a metal chair inside.

    Bishop then opened the cloth wrapped around the head.

    And as it turned out, it wasn''t a corpse but a living human being.

    "Wh-what is this, Mr. Augustin?!" said a shocked Luke.

    It was a man, alive and conscious, his eyes were bright blue, and his hair was white.

    "Keep your voice down, Luke. You said you were ready to be loyal to the church, right? This is Archbishop Cornellius'' will."

    "But why, aren''t Norttish dangerous?"

    "Take it easy; there''s a ndestine flower here so that the mana explosion won''t happen," his senior replied.

    Luke wouldn''t rest on hisurels. He needed confirmation of Bishop Augustin''s actions in hiding the Norttish.

    "You misunderstand, Luke. I''m not hiding Norttish, but rather capturing him. We will hand him over to the Norttish research center immediately after this. But for now, you must keep your mouth shut about this."

    "I see¡­" with some hesitation, Luke understood bishop''s words.

    "Fufufufu," the Norttish suddenly give a smallughed, and hisughter somehow gave Luke goosebumps.

    "Is there something funny? Leader of the Noctem Dolls, Ivaylo?" asked the bishop with an angry look on his face.

    ''Ivaylo?! Noctem Dolls? That dangerous organization?! What the hell is going on? Why did bishop catch this guy?!'' Luke thought.

    "Nothing. It just, what you just said was very funny," Ivaylo said with a strange smile.

    Bishop then ignored him and looked at Luke.

    "Luke, from now on, you will have to look after him during your duty hours."

    "Me?"

    Luke felt uneasy around this strange Norttish; he desperately wanted to reject this duty, but it felt like he would be eliminated from this world if he reject it.

    "A-Alright, Mr. Augustin," Luke replied.

    The three of them then walked out. As Luke was about to close the door, he looked back at the Norttish, who was still looking at him with a strange smile.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

 Chapter 54 Good, Evil, And Ivaylo

    ?The next day, Luke was no longer doing his daily duties as usual; he was transferred to the underground to guard the Norttish.

    "Hey, can I have some water?" Ivaylo smiled.

    The bishop instructed Luke to provide the bare necessities, such as food and water. Since the body was wrapped and the cell bars were not initially locked, he definitely could not escape.

    Luke went inside the cell and gave him a drink of water.

    "Slowly," said Luke.

    Then Luke fed him bread and soup.

    "Thank you."

    "It''s okay; this is my job."

    Ivaylo smiled again, but this time his smile wasn''t as strange and tense as before.

    "It''s very kind of you to say''slowly'' to me as if you''re used to looking after people," Ivaylo said.

    "Ah, yes, I often take care of my sick mother."

    "Oh? Is your mother sick? Is she okay now?"

    "Not really. Thanks to the church''s help, she may be feeling better, but her illness has not been cured."

    ''Huh? Why am I telling this to this guy?''

    "How poor you are; what is her illness?"

    "I don''t know, she can''t move her body, or she can barely move it at all, and she also can''t speak well."

    Why is it that when I talk to him, I feel like I want to tell him everything?

    "Oh, I know that; maybe it''s a disease called a stroke. I have a friend from another world whose parents have the same disease."

    "Really?! Do you know how to cure it?!"

    ''Talking to him somehow makes me calm.''

    "I don''t know, but I can ask my friend when I get out of here. You can first untie this."

    Luke was immediately disappointed when Ivaylo asked because the pleasure he felt was phony; he must have lied to get out of there.

    "Haaaah¡­ it''s useless to lure me with such lies; I''ve already given my heart to the church, It is impossible for me to betray the church," Luke said with an annoyed face.

    "Did I make you angry? I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you angry; maybe I was joking too much. But believe me; I didn''t lie about the disease."

    Luke could tell that Ivaylo was truly sorry. There was something strange he felt while talking to Ivaylo. He somehow didn''t think that Ivaylo was lying at all; he was sure that Ivaylo was honest. Maybe it''s his charisma that makes Luke keep listening to Ivaylo talk.

    At that time, day and night, Luke spent his time talking to Ivaylo.

    ...

    The Council meetingsted for three hours.

    In the evening, Archbishop Cornelius returned to the city church, feeling upset.

    "Wee, your excellency, Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham," greeted Bishop Augustin at the front of the church.

    "Yeah, is it true that we have captured that man?"

    "Yes, your excellency. He is currently locked up in the basement.

    ? After getting out of his carriage, the archbishop looked very upset. It seemed that the oue of the council meeting was not to his liking. If it weren''t for the "good news" of Augustin capturing the leader of the Noctem Dolls, he probably would have gotten very angry and decided to lock himself up in his room.

    "How did the meeting go, your excellency?" asked Augustin.

    "HMPH! If only you saw Benedict''s face there! That face of his shows that everything is ording to his n! AGAIN! He''s left us one step behind! AGAIN!"

    The decisions made by the council were

    First, increase the security of the capital by summoning all the Knights of Rounds to the capital and asking them to focus on guarding the capital.

    The knights of rounds are the knights with the highest title in the kingdom, who were chosen by the council as the kingdom''s strongest troops. Because each knight in rounds is very strong and can fight 1000 people, they are spread to every corner of the country. And this time, all the knights of rounds would be summoned to the capital.

    What made the Archbishop upset was the second one:

    In exterminating Earl Isabelle Browet Wolverlope, Prince Harald brought the Norttish hidden by the Earl, and currently, the Norttish is locked up in the castle''s prison.

    As it turned out, Archbishop Benedict Spelman intended to bring the Norttish to his ce for his research because it was said that he had a way to utilize the sting mana that he could not say and could not give to the royal research center.

    Cornelius had always disliked Benedict Spelman, so he was on the side of those who rejected Benedict''s proposal to bring the Norttish, but it turned out that almost everyone in the room agreed with Benedict. Benedict was the archbishop with the most contributions to the kingdom, and his subordinates investigated Earl Wolverlope; he had the right to have the Norttish.

    Then right now, even though Cornelius was annoyed by what happened in the council meeting room, he still felt lucky because his subordinates also captured the Norttish. He was not just a regr Norttish, but the leader of the number one criminal organization, the Noctem Dolls, named Ivaylo.

    "So this is that guy."

    As Cornelius entered the basement, Luke immediately stood up and saluted him.

    "Wee! Your Excellency!"

    Cornelius raised his right hand to return Luke''s greeting. Then he approached Ivaylo, who smiled at him.

    "What are you smiling, your criminal!" Cornelius shouted while swinging his whip at Ivaylo''s head.

    Ivaylo kept smiling; he showed that Cornelius'' whip didn''t hurt him so much.

    Cornelius continued to whip Ivaylo''s face so often that Ivaylo''s face was swollen and the blood from his face sshed on the floor, but even so, he was still smiling.

    "What a pity," Ivaylo said.

    "What did you say?" asked Cornelius irritably.

    Ivaylo then looked at Cornelius with his swollen face and said,

    "I created the Noctem Dolls organization because I don''t like being alone. I want to have friends who will always follow me everywhere and friends who have the same thoughts as me."

    Cornelius then whipped Ivaylo''s face once more.

    "What nonsense are you saying?!"

    "That''s why I pity you, Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham. Unlike me, who has loyal friends. Whereas you, in that room, none of them listen to you."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hearing Ivaylo, Cornelius recalled the events in the room. What made him upset was not Benedict''s arbitrary decision but because of the other council''s gaze. When they look at Cornelius, it''s like they''re looking at a fool. He was an honorable archbishop, but he was not even considered an equal in that room, let alone respected. All his words were considered nonsense by the other council. And it was all because Cornelius was most often on the side of those who disagreed with the majority decision.

    The reason why capturing Ivaylo was "lucky" for him is¡­

    "I will hand you over to the royal family when the timees. Indeed, they don''t seem to respect me, and that''s why I will show my achievements to this kingdom. And to start with, I will capture all the members of the Noctem Dolls and give them to the kingdom. That way, the name of thend church will increase, and I will regain my influence in the council seat."

    Cornelius then left from there.

    "Luke, please take care of this guy; the Archbishop has gone too far; he doesn''t need to be tortured, he must have his own reasons for fighting the world, and I will guide him to be someone better," Augustine said.

    Even without being told by Augustine, he would have done it anyway. But Augustine''s words touched his deepest heart.

    So this was a bishop

    A saint who sees the world differently from ordinary people.

    After the bishop came out, Luke wiped a wet cloth on Ivaylo''s face.

    "Does it hurt?" Luke asked.

    "Things like this are my daily bread. Compared to what happened at the research center, this is nothing," Ivaylo replied.

    ''Research center?'' felt that if he asked, he would discover something extraordinary threatening his life, so he dropped the idea of asking him and tried to change the subject.

    "I know Archbishop Cornelius. When I was a child, I met him for a day. He was grumpy to everyone, but he always smiled in front of the children at the orphanage, and I heard that he was the one who freed the most ves. So please don''t say anything bad about him," Luke said.

    "You really are a good man. But I''m just telling the truth. From his expression, you should know that what I said is true."

    Right, Luke could not reply to anything Ivaylo said. The archbishop also looked very hungry for power and honor; maybe what Ivaylo said was all true, and maybe all this time, he was doing good to ves and children only to obtain a good impression from others.

    ''What was I thinking?! How could the archbishop be like that?!''

    But slowly, his doubts about the archbishop began to appear, especially after seeing the archbishop''s treatment of Ivaylo, which he thought was too cruel.

    Norttish were dangerous, and since the kingdom had already establishedws about them, their existence was no better than ves. So Archbishop Cornelius'' harsh treatment of Ivaylo should be something that would be eptable to the average person. Plus, Ivaylo is the number one criminal in the kingdom and has killed many people; Luke should not sympathize with Ivaylo. Despite the fact that he only spoke briefly with Ivaylo, Luke was drawn to him; he felt close andfortable with him. Like, Ivaylo had been his best friend for a long time.

    "It''s strange, at a time like this, I feel very close to you," Luke suddenly said, then, with embarrassment, he continued

    "Ah, sorry,"

    "Fufufu, it''s okay. My friends are all saying that to me too."

    "Friends, huh? It seems like they''re all bad people."

    "Bad and good are on two sides of the same coin. It''s just a different way of looking at things. If you think the person lives up to the justice you believe in, you''ll say he''s good, but if he doesn''t, you''ll say he''s bad."

    As he said that, Luke stopped wiping Ivaylo''s head. He suddenly felt that tense feeling again, like when he first met Ivaylo. Although he was currently behind Ivaylo, he knew that Ivaylo was smiling. He was always smiling, but his smile this time was definitely the same as his strange smile at that time.

    Ivaylo then continued,

    "For example, the church views me as bad for killing many people. And the kingdom intends to kill me because I''m a bad person to them. Then what is the difference between the kingdom and us? We have killed many people, are you sure the people we kill are good people? Yesterday we killed a corrupt nobleman, yesterday we killed a nobleman who wanted to rape his wife''s sister, and another yesterday we killed pedophilia. All of them are bad people, and like the kingdom, we only punish them.

    As the church said, everyone has sinned, which makes them bad. That means it is permissible to murder everyone."

    "S¡­s¡­So, are you saying you''re a good person for killing?" asked Luke.

    At that moment, Luke''s body was sweating; he felt a strange aura that was tense and creepying out of Ivaylo.

    Like, Ivaylo became a different person.

    Ivaylo turned his head, looking at Luke with that strange smile again.

    "Fufufu is a good question, my friend."

    -PIN

    Ivaylo suddenly moved his hand, free from the shackles, and a needle came out inside his sleeve. Three needles stuck into Luke, under his chest, throat, and head temple.

    As a result, Luke fell, became paralyzed, and was unable to move or speak.

    ''Damn, I was caught off guard! Is this god''s blessing? Or is it some kind of amnis? How can he use it when there''s a ndestine flower inside?!'' he thought.

    The needles had a thread, Ivaylo pulled the thread in his hand and the needles went back into his right sleeve.

    "This is neither amnis nor god''s blessing. This is something called science, Luke my friend," Ivaylo replied as if he could hear Luke''s thoughts.

    "The individual does not determine good and bad, but the social, which means that we are based on what the church and kingdom decide. "From a social standpoint, I am a bad person, or what they called evil," Ivaylo said, reaching into Luke''s pocket for the key.

    ''No, Ivaylo, don''t go!''

    Then Ivaylo took out another needle. This needle was ck, and the base looked big. He stuck the needle into Luke''s back. Luke then felt the heat in his body burn his body up to his head, and blood came out of his mouth, nose, and ears.

    "I just injected a poison that can kill you in one day. You can''t be cured; even if you could, the poison would have spread to your body first."

    ''No, I don''t want to die! I still want to serve the bishop! I need to take care mother!

    "To answer your question, even if an individual determines it, and it is me, I would call myself a bad person. Bishop Augustin is funny, too, saying that I have my own reasons for fighting the world. It was as if I were killing for the justice I believed in, but he was wrong. There was no justice in what I was doing. I just wanted to do things my way. This is just my way of enjoying this world."

    Ivaylo walked to the exit, leaving Luke''s body drooping and immobile, waiting for his death.

    "One more thing, even though I''m a bad guy. I still have a good side, Luke. Because you haveforted me during my imprisonment and made me your friend, as a friend, I will do something for you.

    That is,

    I will painstakingly kill your mother with my own hands. As a friend, I can''t bear the thought of your mother''s fate, drooping, abandoned, while sadly thinking of her dead child. Oooh... what a pity."

    ''IVAYLO!... IF YOU DO THAT... I''LL DEFINITELY KILL...''

    Luke''s body, which had been very hot, suddenly became cold.

    Then slowly, he couldn''t think anymore; his eyes closed, and he died inside the coldness of the church''s basement.

    "Hmph? Oh my¡­ I forgot to change the poison. It''s an instant-kill poison. That''s too bad; I wanted to see his reaction when I told him about his mother.

    Mana will be stronger if you have a strong will. From his faith and love for his mother, I hope that mana will answer his determination and give him a miracle.

    Then all my efforts to talk to him were futile.

    I meant to lie, but at this rate, I''m going to kill his mother. Although it''s troublesome, I must keep my promise to this friend of mine."

 Chapter 55 Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham

    ?"The Norttish escaped?!"

    "Yes, your grace. Ivaylo is no longer in the basement,

    and Luke¡­

    Died because of poison."

    "Oh my..."

    The following day, after Ivaylo left the room, Luke''s senior found Luke dead in the basement. Then, on his way to report it to the bishop, he found out that some foster priests panicked.

    "One more thing, your grace. Luke''s mother is also dead."

    "Howe?!"

    "From the marks on her neck, it looks like someone strangled her to death."

    "Oh no. May god, who called you, take you to himself; may angels lead you to your new, better story." The bishop prayed for Luke and his mother.

    He cried, feeling guilty for leaving the task to Luke, who was still a pawn. He regretted choosing him, as Luke''s faith and loyalty had made him the ideal choice to guard the Norttish. Augustin was confident that Ivaylo''s persuasion would not sway Luke. And it was true; Ivaylo failed to persuade and chose to kill him.

    "What should we do now, your grace?"

    "Spread all the pawns, knights, and rooks around the church in groups of four. Tell them to search for someone wearing ck clothing. If they find him, arrest him! Let''s hope he''s gone from the church and hasn''t killed any more people."

    "Yes, your grace."

    "Archbishop Cornelius must not be happy to hear this."

    The archbishop was not in the church at that time. In the early morning, he went to the slums with two rook holy knights and two foster priests, carrying something in arge sack. He still wore his shy church clothes but covered them with a ck robe. Likewise, the foster priest wore a ck robe, and rook wore holy knight armor inside that robe.

    The carriage used by the archbishop was not an ordinary one but a luxurious one belonging to the church.

    When they reached the slums, people there came out of their huts.

    The slums were where the peasants lived on the edge of the capital. Since most people in the city weremoners, their treatment outside the slums was almost ve-like. So they just stayed where they were, having no money and unable to go out of town to hunt. At most, some were employed by themoners to help them out.

    The ce was also very smelly; some people had copsed on the streets, and maybe some of those who had copsed were already dead. Once a week, the soldiers came to pick up the corpses and throw them out of the city to avoid the gue.

    Because the poor people in the slums could only steal, no one could own a carriage. So when Cornelius'' carriage entered, people would immediately lookout, even though the noise wasn''t too loud.

    The carriage stopped in the middle of the slum. There was a small 2x2 meter of the abandoned church there, broken and brittle. The foster priests took a table that still looked good from inside the church and ced it outside.

    From inside the carriage, the archbishop lifted the tworge sacks himself.

    "Your excellency, let me do it!" shouted one of the rooks.

    "Never mind, you have to look after us! Let me do this myself!"

    One of the foster priests immediately picked up the rest of the sacks in the cart because he couldn''t bear to see Cornelius struggling to carry them. The other one took the rotten wood from the church and burned it with amnis.

    The peasants grew in number a momentter, gathering and watching them from a distance. Seeing them, the two holy knights immediately took up their positions to protect the archbishop from them.

    When Cornelius opened his sack and took out a loaf of bread the size of a head, one of the peasants immediately ran towards them.

    "FOOOD!" he shouted with his tongue out, and his saliva sttered on the ground. His body was thin, and his clothes were in tatters. His face looked desperate and mad with hunger.

    Although he approached crazily, the foster priests and Cornelius didn''t even look at him, believing that the rook would handle it.

    -SPLASH

    "AAAARRRGH!!! PAIN!!! HURT!!!" the rook sliced open the peasant''s left hand. Then rook kicked him so hard in the stomach that he fainted.

    The rook then made a wind symbol in front of the injured peasant and muttered.

    "The angels who watch over us, please wrap his wound with your love; ask for power from your god and flow it into every cell of his body; heal him so that he has the strength to serve you more. Healing wind."

    The gentle winding out of the symbol froze the blooding out of the peasant''s hand. Slowly the peasant opened his eyes again; when he looked back at the person in front of him, he immediately cried out in fear.

    "LISTEN UP, PEASANTS! IF YOU TRY TO DO THE SAME WITH THIS PERSON, THEN SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR HANDS; HEREAFTER, WE WILL NOT HEAL PEOPLE LIKE THIS ANYMORE!"

    The other peasants were immediately frightened and gradually backed away.

    "What are you doing?! Hurry up and go!" the rook shouted at the peasant whose hand he had cut off.

    The peasant stood up and moved away in fear.

    "Hey! Not that way! You want food, right? Get in line!"

    Hmm? All the peasants were immediately confused by the rook''s words.

    The man slowly approached the table in front of the church. He was facing Cornelius, who looked at him angrily.

    "Geez, you have to be patient and wait! Don''t let hunger get the better of you!" Cornelius said as he took out a banana leaf that had been twisted into a bowl. Then he put the soup made by the foster priest into it.

    "Here! You may take it, but with one condition! The condition is to eat that slowly!"

    The peasant nodded, thrust out his hand, and epted the soup.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He drank it quickly.

    "I SAID SLOWLY!"

    Because of that shout, he went back to eating slowly.

    As he ate it, his tears came out, and he started crying in front of Cornelius.

    It was probably his best meal after crawling on the streets for so long.

    "Good, now take the bread, and go!" Cornelius'' shouting at that time no longer frightened him. Instead, he smiled and immediately did everything Cornelius said.

    The other peasants, who saw that, immediately ran chaotically towards them, wanted the food.

    Rook then looked at all the peasants and shouted:

    "LISTEN, EVERYONE! HIS EXCELLENCY ARCHBISHOP CORNELIUS BECKINGHAM WILL PAINSTAKINGLY GIVE YOU FOOD! BE GRATEFUL! NOW YOU MUST QUEUE PROPERLY! EVERYONE WILL GET A SHARE! SO IF I FOUND SOMEONE RIOTOUS AND THEY DIDN''T QUEUE PROPERLY, I WILL GLADLY KILL YOU!"

    Because of that threat, everyone returned to walking in an orderly manner, vying to get in line but in an orderly and non-riotous manner.

    Cornelius used to do this every time he visited a city. For him, it was the least he could do to save people. He didn''t trust humans, so he never left money and food with others to distribute charity; instead, he would jump right into the problem and give them food with his own hands.

    In his city and region, there were no slums or ves. Everyone became a foster priest, for which Cornelius paid with his life. His food was not much different from others, and he had no luxuries besides his carriage and clothes. He distributed almost all of his money to those in need.

    "For these people, I have to get a good position in the council; that way, I can rewrite the kingdom''s criminal code about taxes and peasant rights. In order for this to happen, everyone must ept me, respect me, and listen to my advice. The current council is strange; everyone seems to be alienating me, nning things behind my back without telling me. Especially Queen Regina; she''s up to something behind the scenes," thought Cornelius on his way back to the church.

    After they arrived, the rooks saluted him and said,

    "Thank you for your hard work, your excellency." The two rooks spoke in unison.

    "No need! I''m just doing my hobby!"

    It was a lie; they knew it. Cornelius''s words were harsh, but they respected him.

    As they returned to the church and got off the carriage, the foster priest behind him did not stop bowing his head while holding the empty sack.

    "Don''t do that! Help the others inside! Youzy priest!" said Cornelius to them.

    ...

    Cornelius was in a good mood; helping the people made him happy, but the pleasure was immediately ruined when he met Bishop Augustine inside the church.

    "Your excellency¡­

    Our prisoner has escaped."

    Cornelius was instantly enraged and hit Augustine roughly on the shoulder.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    All the priests, foster priests, knights, and visitors saw it. And it once again tarnished his name as archbishop. But he didn''t care about that. He was more concerned about the fate of his n. His n to rewrite the kingdom''s criminal code was instantly destroyed before his eyes.

    "What is that guard of yours doing?! Isn''t he a believer?! Why did he let him escape?!"

    "I''m sorry; that man''s guard, Luke, was killed by him."

    "..."

    Cornelius fell silent in shock, holding his aching head from suddenly receiving information he didn''t want.

    "Exin to me more in my roomter. Leave me alone for now," said Cornelius.

    Bishop bowed his head, then let Cornelius into his room with a desperate look on his face.

    Inside his room, Cornelius immediately locked the door, then tiredly sank onto his soft chair.

    "Haaaah... I have to devise another n for everyone," he said.

    Cornelius'' usual thing to do when stressed was to read the holy book. He could rx and throw all his negative thoughts away by reading god''s word. So after he rested his body for a few minutes, he stood up and opened his window curtains.

    -pin

    As he opened the curtains and light entered his room, Cornelius immediately realized that someone other than himself was in the room. But he reacted toote; that person was currently behind him, pointing something at him. He could feel his neck being pierced by something.

    "Don''t move," said that person.

    ''Damn, why at a time like this?! I left with my Armacar in my room!'' thought Cornelius.

    "I admire you for requesting that others not enter your room. Thanks to that, I can hide here without getting caught. They must not have thought that I was here."

    ''How did he know about that?

    "This voice... You are that Norttish!"

    Ivaylo smiled as he pierced Cornelius'' neck with his needle.

    The ambush made Cornelius realize that not only his n but also his life were ruined.

 Chapter 56 Pain, Malice, And Conspiracy

    ?"Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham, do you know the difference between good and bad?"

    Ivaylo had been waiting for Cornelius'' arrival in his room for a day. No one thought that Ivaylo was inside because the room was locked. Then, if he was after Cornelius, they didn''t think to check the room at all because Cornelius wasn''t in the church at that time.

    ''Damn it, why at a time like this?! Since I brought bodyguards, I left my Armacar in the room!

    I should at least buy some time until Augustines!''

    Cornelius answered,

    "I don''t know; I don''t have enough time to think about that. It''s a pointless question whose answer varies depending on who you ask. What is certain is that I know that you are a bad person."

    Ivaylo''s smile grew wider at his answer.

    "As expected of the Archbishop, you know how to deflect questions. Are you usually like that with your congregation? Giving inappropriate answers so that others don''t ask further questions? "For example, if someone asked you how to get rich, you would say "by praying" rather than "by working hard."

    "I don''t need to listen to criminal opinions like yours! There is nothing good about you or any justification for your actions. But if you repent, god will definitely forgive you. Why don''t you walk the good and better path? Why must you choose the thorny path that only makes other people miserable?!"

    "A better path... hmm?"

    Ivaylo then twisted the archbishop''s body and pierced his throat with his needle.

    "Akh!"

    Cornelius copsed, holding his sore throat.

    "Wh-what are you doing?!"

    Cornelius'' voice became hoarse; he was unable to speak correctly.

    "Are you still able to speak? Fufu, your fat must be protecting your neck very well. But that''s okay. This is enough to forbid you to scream. Even better, I want you to answer some of my questions."

    ''Questions?''

    "First, about Archbishop Dormer Chaundeler, I want to know what facility he''s hiding in Aind. Do you know anything about that?"

    ''Dormer?! He''s hiding something too?! If this guy is asking about that, he''s already investigated a lot of things! But Dormer shouldn''t be a party to the Norttish assassination; does that mean he''s acting alone?!''

    Cornelius looked surprised by Ivaylo''s question. And looking at his face, Ivaylo knew that Cornelius knew nothing about it. So he moved on to another question.

    "Next, what happened at Earl Wolverlope''s residence? Does it have anything to do with Archbishop Benedict Spelman''s request?"

    "I-I don''t know! Even if I did, I I I II wouldn''t say anything to a criminal like you! You can kill me; I don''t care about my life!"

    "I see... So you knew about it."

    Ivaylo then stepped on Cornelius'' head.

    "Aah, that feels so good. Did you know? I''ve always wanted to step on the archbishop''s head. This is one of my 100 wishes that came true."

    ''You Norttish bast*rd!

    "I''ve heard bad things about you; you''re a power-hungry, honor-obsessed individual. You also always angry at knights, and priests, then take a lot of offering money to buy nice clothes. You are indeed the worst reflection of the other archbishops.

    But, your excellency, I don''t believe any of what they say. Only a fool would actually believe those rumors. Even a fool should know that you clearly used all that money to feed the foster priests in your church and free the ves. It was because of your kindness that the council ostracized you. Your kindness doesn''t sit well with them; they see you as a threat.

    Why do you think I came here to kill you?"

    Cornelius'' eyes widened, realizing that someone was after his life.

    ''Don''t tell me... someone nned all of this!'' Cornelius thought.

    Cornelius recalled some of the council discussions that didn''t sit well with him. Sometimes they would joke andugh when there was nothing funny about their jokes. He remembered that Archbishop Benedict once told a story about caged rabbits being blown up one by one into a lion''s drum. He thought it was all amon joke that didn''t suit his sense of humor. But there must be some code or deep meaning in that story.

    ''They hide things from me! And they deliberately tell me things I don''t understand! I was so stupid not to realize everything from the start! They must have realized that I was a hindrance to them over time! Damn it!

    "Just from looking at you, I know you have another reason to be arrogant. After all, there''s no way a power- and honor-crazed archbishop would sacrifice himself to avoid spreading information. If you''re really greedy, you must be more merciful with your life.

    Then...

    Since you don''t value your life...

    That means there are other lives that you cherish more."

    ''A little more, I need to buy some more time...''

    "If you answer my question, I will kill you. But I''ll let you live if you don''t answer my questions."

    ''a-what?! What did he say? Did he say it backwards?''

    "No, I didn''t misspeak. If you answer my question, I will kill you. But I''ll let you live if you don''t answer my questions. In exchange for letting you live, I will kill all the foster priests in the church in your territory."

    Cornelius'' anger immediately peaked.

    "YOU- F*CKING- NORTTISH!"

    "I know your church has a lot of foster priests; what do you think having that many helpers is for? That many foster priests will only cost the church and your money, so I''ll be happy to reduce their number for you.

    Don''t worry; killing 100 to 200 people is normal for me. You must have heard of the incident in the county of Dorkshire, right? I can do the same for your church-"

    -SWUNG

    Suddenly something shot out from behind Ivaylo.

    "Agh!"

    A bright green spear makes a hole in his stomach.

    "This is..."

    Cornelius then stood up. As he stood up, there was a wind crest that he had drawn with his blood underneath.

    "Ta-take that, yo-you damn Norttish," he said.

    "So this is¡­ This is your god''s blessing," said Ivaylo, with blooding out of his mouth.

    The god blessing of Archbishop Cornelius Beckingham, Controlling the Air. He locked himself in his room and rarely went outside the house because his god''s blessing was more potent in an enclosed space. His god''s blessing is to control the wind around him. By drawing wind symbols on the ground, he could spread his mana around the room, a mana that was used to manipte the wind around him. The smaller the room, the freer he was to control the wind.

    Just now, Cornelius quietly condensed the wind behind Ivaylo. Slowly and carefully so that Ivaylo would not notice.

    "Now it''s your turn to answer my questions, Norttish."

    ''I have to ask about Dormer and who sent him to kill me.''

    Cornelius raised his hand, making three more spears around Ivaylo.

    "If you don''t answer me, I''ll kill you. I will send you to the Norttish Research Center if you answer me. At least there, you can still live and reorganize your escape n. I don''t care about you now."

    Hearing that threat, Ivayloughed.

    "Fufufu, now our positions are reversed, huh? I didn''t expect something like this to happen."

    "Answer quickly!"

    "You know, god''s blessing system is veryplex; everyone hides it as their ace card. The less your opponent knows about you, the better your chances in a fight.

    Then, since I don''t know any information about you, of course, I''ve prepared myself. In case something unexpected happens."

    Ivaylo took out a doll from inside his shirt.

    The doll was as big as his hand.

    And that doll looks very simr to Cornelius.

    It was tied by a thin thread connected to Ivaylo''s ten fingers.

    "Abare (RAMPAGE): Marisa," as Ivaylo muttered it, the Archbishop who had been stunned by Ivaylo''s aura, immediately shot his spear at Ivaylo''s body.

    But before the wind spear could pierce Ivaylo, the spear broke, disappeared, and returned to the ordinary wind.

    The spear''s disappearance was not because Ivaylo eliminated it with his mana, but because Ivaylo''s ability made Cornelius unable to move.

    "This is abination of god blessing and my armacar, Pain and Malice."

    Behind Cornelius, a giant puppet suddenly appeared, holding his hands, legs, and neck. The doll held Cornelius like it was being overtaken.

    The doll was dressed in white, green, and brown, with white braided hair. Its face was creepy, with no pupils, only the whites of its eyes. Its mouth was open as if it were screaming, and blood flowed over its eyes and mouth. Cornelius could hear the doll screaming behind him.

    The doll''s abdomen was open, and tons of sharp thorns were inside it.

    [ILLUSTRATION]<novelnext></novelnext>

    "HEY YOU DAMN NORTTISH! YOU HAVE TAKEN MY LIFE! "SO DON''T TOUCH MY CHURCH-GOERS!" shouted Cornelius in a hoarse voice, forcing himself to speak

    Ivaylo smiled and answered.

    "NO"

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

    Cornelius''s face became dull, and he was pulled into the doll''s body.

    "ARRRRRRGH!!!!"

    His screams were muffled, unable to be heard clearly from outside the doll.

    "My god blessings are my needles. I have five needles in total, and each needle has a different ability.

    What''s troublesome about using the rampage of my weapon is... To activate it, I had to make a puppet of my opponent and put their mana into the puppet. People''s mana can be drawn from their blood, so I got Cornelius'' blood from the person who hired me.

    If my mana has materialized herself into a puppet behind that person, the chance of them surviving is 0%"

    From the beginning, Ivaylo was hired by the person to kill Cornelius; he had prepared everything to ensure his victory.

    God''s blessing and mana were veryplex; no one knew what happened to him, even if he threatened Cornelius, so he was always careful in his ns.

    Only Ivaylo knew what had happened inside the doll''s stomach; Cornelius couldn''t stop screaming for 5 minutes until he finally shut up.

    indicating that Cornelius was dead.

    ...

    "Oh my god, what''s going on here?"

    Hearing themotion from inside Cornelius'' room, Bishop Augustin immediately broke down the door, followed by the four rooks behind him.

    But when he opened the door, there was no one there. The room was a mess, with blood all over the floor. Then the window was broken, indicating that someone had just jumped from there.

    Augustin examined the blood on the floor. And as he strolled to the window near the desk...

    "Oh, my god..."

    There was the archbishop''s head under the table. His eyes were removed, and his tongue drooped out.

    "Thi-this is..."

    "Archbishop Cornelius''s head..." said the rooks who hade to see it.

    Augustin immediately copsed and sobbed.

    "My God, we''re toote; we should have looked harder. Why... why have you given us such an ordeal. We still need Mr. Cornelius by our side," cried, Augustin.

    Momentster, people appeared at the door, taking in the chaos in the room.

    "What are you doing? Don''te in!" shouted one of the rooks.

    But no one heard; seeing the reaction of the crying bishop and rooks, the amount of blood on the floor, and the movements of the other holy knights, they immediately guessed what had happened.

    "Don''t tell me the archbishop is dead?" asked one of the foster priests outside the door. It was the foster priest whom the Archbishop had just brought to the slums.

    From her question, the people behind him were immediately panicked.

    Meanwhile, Augustin and the rook inside could only remain silent, not answering.

    "Hey... tell me, your grace. Is the archbishop dead? That can''t be true! You see, he was a very good person; this world still needs people like him. There''s no way he''s dead, right?" her voice trembled, and water welled in her empty eyes.

    Augustin stood up, walked over to the foster priest, and hugged her.

    "He''s dead; he was killed by one of the Noctem Dolls. "His body was not found; let''s let him go," he tried softly but failed to say, his voice still trembling and holding back tears.

    The foster priest immediately pushed Augustin''s body aside and looked at him with a sad face.

    "You must be lying!" She then bolted, leaving.

    After she left, Augustin immediately covered his face.

    "I''m sorry."

    Augustin''s sadness affected the people around him; the sound of sobs filled the corridor.

    "Who, who should I turn to¡­ If his excellency is dead¡­ Who should take his ce?!" Augustin said it in tears.

    Everyone there stretched out their hands, trying to reach Augustin''s body.

    "Please take the ce of Lord Cornelius, Lord Augustin," said one of the rooks.

    "That''s Right! "Please take the lead in the wind church!"

    "Lord Augustin is the most suitable for that role now!"

    "We will support you!"

    "Bishop Augustin, please be the next Archbishop of the Wind Church."

    Augustin''s weeping face turned to surprise. They meant tofort him, and he had to ept their effort, so Augustin held back his tears and began to smile.

    "Thank you..." he said.

    Meanwhile, outside, the foster priest, who had run away from there, was still crying in the garden in front of the church. She could not help but ept the fact that Cornelius had passed away.

    Then, someone called out to her.

    "Y-you''re the one who came to the slums earlier, right?"

    The foster priest raised his head and saw a person with messy brown hair, a shabby body, and tattered clothes. Then he had no left hand.

    "You are..."

    "I-I am the peasant whose hand was split by the holy knight this morning. A-a-and I want to say thank you to Archbishop Cornelius. I-I want to change and be a better person. Can I talk to him? I want to serve him. I don''t mind being his ve," said the man with a warm smile and enthusiasm on his face covered in dirty ashes.

    Seeing that smile, the foster priest burst into tears again. She couldn''t bring herself to tell the man that the person he wanted to serve was already dead.

    ...

    In a dark ce, Ivaylo held his stomach, which was perforated with pain. It was the hole of Cornelius'' wind spear. The blood did note out too much; he used amnis to stop the bleeding. But the pain didn''t go away, and the amnis probably wouldn''tst long.

    Then Ivaylo heard the sound of footsteps in front of him; the rhythm of the footsteps was that of someone he recognized.

    "Leader, did you finally make it? It looks like your injuries are quite severe."

    "Elinor... it would be cute if, for example, you showed a worried reaction."

    "I will do so if youmand."

    "That''s cold; I want you to do it without orders."

    "Well... I might be worried if it was your real body. But you''re just wearing a doll''s body, right?"

    "But even though it''s a doll''s body, it still very much hurts. If only my needles had painkillers..."

    The ce was the basement of the capital''s slums. There was little lighting in from the holes in the ceiling.

    "Leader, regarding this time''s job. Who did you receive it from? Who hired us?" asked Elinor.

    "Eeeh? I don''t want to divulge the client''s secrets."

    "I see."

    "Hm? That''s a concise answer, Elinor. I expect you to be more intrigued and beg me more."

    "There is no way you will expect that. You know I will never do that."

    "Well, I''ll say it, we''re friends, after all."

    Ivaylo smiled and looked at Elinor''s face, then he continued.

    "The one who asked me to kill Archbishop Cornelius was...

    His Grace, Augustin Thornburgh, the Bishop of Wind Church, and probably the next archbishop and new council."

 Chapter 57 Determination

    ?A boy slept under a shady tree, lookingfortable but also tired as the sweat on his body prated his shirt. The boy had ck hair, which was also covered by a ck hat. Although it was a very hot day, he wore winter soldier clothes and a long ck scarf.

    Someone was approaching him. A woman wearing white one-piece clothes. Her hair was brown, and her eyes were dark green.

    "Allen, Lady Felicia called you; she said we need to prepare for the dungeon," said the woman.

    But Allen didn''t listen; he remained asleep. The woman reached out to Allen''s body, trying to touch him to wake him up. But just as her hand reached his head, Allen suddenly opened his eyes and grasped the woman''s wrist firmly.

    "Ah!" said the woman in pain because Allen was grasping too tightly. But even though she was in pain, and Allen was already in full consciousness, he still grasped it firmly.

    "Don''t touch me!" he said, with an angry face.

    His anger wasn''t just the vague anger of disliking humans; it was because he hated that woman personally, from the bottom of his heart.

    "So-sorry, I didn''t mean any harm-"

    Allen let go of the woman''s hand roughly; he stood up immediately, walking past her. Not caring about her apology or believing a single word she said.

    After a few steps, Allen stopped and turned his head.

    "For the future, never speak or show your face to me again, Miss Lavinia.

    As much as you hate me, I also hate you from the bottom of my heart."

    After saying that, he walked away, leaving Lavinia under the tree.

    ¡­

    The Boldenville Residence

    It was located in the southwestern part of the Wildenhall kingdom, one of the towns closest to the capital city of the Wildenhall kingdom.

    About a week ago, Allen was found sleeping with severe injuries behind the Boldenville residence.

    At first, when Rachel brought Felicia home, Felicia told the gatekeeper to look around the house every day to see if a boy with ck hair wasing.

    Then a dayter, the gatekeeper found Allen at the back of the house, still with his head covered by a scarf, holding the Boldenville''s knife in his hand.

    The guard immediately told Rachel about it, and then Rachel told Felicia and Lord Boldenville.

    "We won''t ept anyone, let alone an escapee from a traitorous family."

    "But father! He was my lifesaver!"

    "No! We won''t add more trouble to our family. Moreover, that child has not only ck hair but also white hair. I''m sure there will only be trouble that child will bring."

    Inside the room of the head of the Boldenville family, Reynold Orabe Boldenville. Felicia was arguing with him about Allen, who had juste to her house in a badly injured state. Of course, Reynold rejected Allen, whose origins were unclear and whose hair would definitely cause much trouble. But Felicia persisted, argued with him, and forced her father to ept Allen into the house.

    "Father... please, I''ve never once disobeyed you. He''s my friend, my only friend, and I''ve been friendless because of our family status. There''s no way I''m abandoning him after he went through all the trouble ofing here."

    "Nonsense, if you want to save him, we just need to take care of him for a few days, give him some money, and release him in the city. There''s no need to destroy this house just to save that child."

    "No, father. I made a promise to him as a member of the Boldenville family."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I gave him our family''s artifact. I have decided to choose Allen."

    "You... what a fool! I gave you that so you would choose your own knight to protect yourself! Not to give it to a trouble-making ve!"

    "It''s toote, father...

    Even if I ask for your permission, I''m sure you won''t ept it...

    I know you will never listen to my requests.

    Even though I always listen to all your orders.

    About my engagement with Mr. Waldo, it turns out that the Barkaley family has connections with Archbishop Benedict and Prince Leofric. You made me betrothed to Lord Waldo only to exalt your connections.

    I thought you were thinking a little bit about my happiness.

    I know you never saw the true me from the beginning.

    I doubt you even saw me as your daughter."

    Felicia walked out of her father''s room. Leaving without wanting to hear what her father had to say again.

    "I thought if I let her get engaged to Waldo, she''d be more obedient. I now saw her as a burden. Daughters sure are troublesome. It makes me want to tell her about Waldo''s fate."

    Reynold felt a headache from Felicia''s treatment. Then he went to his chair and sat down, letting out a long sigh.

    "Honey, this is the first time that girl has wanted something so badly, more than when she asked you to betroth her with Mr. Waldo."

    It turned out that someone else was in the room; it was Ayde, Reynolds'' wife. Who did nothing but watch Felicia argue with Reynold.

    "Don''t lecture me; all you have to do is rest and eat lots of meat. Then don''t ever start walking with your left foot; it''s said that if you walk with your right foot, your child will be a boy."

    "I thought you didn''t care about rumors."

    "I''ll do anything for a son. If Felicia bes the head of the family, I''ll be embarrassed."

    The night he was found, Allen was temporarily asleep in Rachel''s room. At that time, Allen was unconscious for three days. Felicia visits him sometimes, just to sit there and look at Allen''s face. Meanwhile, it was Rachel who took care of Allen.

    In the morning, when Felicia coincidentally visited Allen, he woke up. Felicia had plenty of time until the Whitmoon Festival because she had no sword or amnis training.

    When she saw Allen open his eyes, Felicia''s face was both surprised and happy. She briefly smiled in relief. That smile onlysted for a few seconds when Allen''s eyes saw her.

    "You are finally awake, Allen. I thought you were dead. Well, actually, I don''t care whether you live or die, but I''m d you''re awake. Be thankful! It''s all because I saved you," Felicia said, turning her face away.

    Allen was silent, still confused by his situation.

    "This isn''t my room..." Allen said.

    "Of course, this is Rachel''s room. You were unconscious for three days. Don''t you remember anything that happened at Isabelle''s house?"

    Allen''s face immediately changed, as did Felicia''s, when she saw that face.

    "So that''s it... It wasn''t all a dream," Allen said.

    "Isabelle... I left her alone in the cold, dark forest," he continued.

    "Though finally, I felt that warmth again."

    "But now everything is cold."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t understand..."

    "I don''t understand humans."

    "They repeatedly destroyed everything I had."

    "Don''t humans just hate monsters? Why did they have to attack Isabelle?!"

    "In the end, I didn''t understand what mother was saying."

    "Neither did I understand what Isabelle said. I don''t understand why she gave me the order not to kill humans when other humans kill other people so easily. Killing all her ves."

    Felicia didn''t understand the face Allen put on

    ''Why... why do you have that face? What really happened?''

    Sadness, rage, hatred, love, vengeance. Everything could be seen on Allen''s face. He was surely angry; his heart was full of hatred and resentment, but tears did not stoping from his eyes. He realized the warmth in Isabelle''s house, which he could finally feel after losing them. But humans had taken that warmth from him once again.

    Now he refused to conform anymore.

    Shutting himself off from humans and thinking only of his grudge against them¡ªthose who had ruined his home¡ªboth his homes.

    Allen remembered the faces of each of those he had not killed.

    "I will kill them! I will definitely kill them all! Humans!"

    ''What have you seen, Allen?''

    Felicia was terrified. She felt afraid of Allen, who repeatedly muttered about his hatred for humans.

    Even though she was also human...

    But the hatred in him was no different from the monsters.

    Felicia sped her trembling right hand with her left. She was terrified.

    Amid her fear, Felicia remembered Waldo.

    The night she met Waldo, she told him how much she hated his world and wished she could just die. But Waldo''s words that night touched her heart, praising Felicia''s god blessing and saying that Felicia could save many.

    Then she remembered Allen''s face when she first met him.

    His eyes were like a dead fish, sad, full of hatred, full of sadness, and he couldn''t bear to see Allen like that because Allen looked like herself before meeting Waldo.

    ''Mr. Waldo, please give me strength,'' as Felicia thought as she slowly extended her right hand to Allen.

    -Grab

    and held Allen''s bandaged right hand.

    "ALLEN!" Felicia shouted.

    Allen stopped mumbling and looked into Felicia''s eyes.

    "That''s enough... Don''t say things like that again... Auntie Isabelle wouldn''t want you to be like this."

    Allen could feel Felicia''s hand trembling in his.

    "What do you think Isabelle wanted from me? When she died, she told me to live. ording to her wishes, I will live. This is the life Isabelle gave me, and it is to avenge her."

    "No! That''s definitely not what she wanted! Isabelle just wanted you to continue your life happily!"

    "How do you know such a thing?!"

    "I know! I know anyway!"

    "Your words are baseless."

    "You don''t need a basis to know something like this! Isabelle''s affection for you is genuine. There''s no way someone who loves you would ask you to take revenge..."

    "You''re wrong! She just asked me to learn the sword! That means she agreed to let me take revenge! This life must exist to avenge her!"

    "No! That''s impossible! That''s definitely not the reason!"

    "That''s right! Swords only exist to hurt others!"

    "Then why did he forbid you to kill?"

    Allen was silent... It was one of Isabelle''smands that confused him.

    That night, she could have taken her orders from Allen, as she said she wanted to save everyone. She even allowed Theobald to kill others, so why couldn''t he?

    "You wouldn''t understand what Isabelle was thinking anyway," Allen said, taking his eyes off Felicia.

    Felicia then pulled Allen''s hand to make him look at her.

    "Allen, didn''t I promise... I''d show you a sword that can help rather than harm people. I''m sure Isabelle asked you to learn the sword so that you can protect others... People you care about... Whether it''s your mother or Isabelle. Even if you fail now, she wants you to be able to protect others with your sword in the future.

    For now

    Protect me.

    Come with me. Follow the same path as me until I can fulfill my promise to you."

    Allen couldn''t argue with anything Felicia said. Now he was confused at Felicia, who had gone so far as to contradict Allen.

    ''Why does this person care so much?'' Allen thought.

    At first, Allen thought that her actions had something to do with her high noble pride. But the trembling in Felicia''s hand that Allen felt in his hand couldn''t exist because of pride alone, which made Allen even more curious about Felicia''s motives.

    "Well...

    I won''t change my mind about revenge. I''m still going to do it. But I will also watch over you and protect you until you can fulfill your promise. The deadline is until I kill those people. Try to stop me if you can."

    Allen said with a resigned face, giving in to Felicia''s words.

    Felicia smiled. Maybe this wasn''t what she wanted, but for now, this was what was needed.

    "I won''t let you kill anyone else," Felicia said.

    Then, in his heart, Allen thought

    ''There''s no way she can stop me, but I''ll follow her for now. I still need to utilize her until I can kill them all. I will kill every soldiers in this kingdom!''

 Chapter 58 Angry Power

    ?When he woke up that morning, Felicia told Allen to rest all day. Despite being asked to rest, Allen couldn''t stop moving his body. So he did small exercises like squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc. As he did so, he realized something was wrong with him. He took off his shirt and found arge shoulder scar.

    "What is this?"

    He then remembered the night Harald crushed his hands and shoulders.

    "Is this Felicia''s god''s blessing?"

    Of course, it couldn''t be because if it were Felicia''s, there wouldn''t be such a big scar on his shoulder. Felicia''s ability was not to heal but to rewind time within her garden. If Felicia had used her ability, there would have been no scar.

    Unable to think of anything else, he gave up and decided to ask Feliciater.

    Allen then looked at his chest and touched it.

    "Isabelle..." muttered Allen.

    There was no longer the Wolverlope family crest, proof that Isabelle and Allen''s ve contract had ended. Thest time he was with Isabelle, he was still a ve, which meant that Isabelle did not break the contract. So, the crest was gone because of Isabelle''s death.

    Thinking back to that night, Allen was angry again. His mind was furious, foggy, and filled with hateful resentment. A ck aura came out of his body and surrounded it. Then Allen''s scarf wrapped around his hands, forming a weapon.

    Someone called out to him, "ALLEN!" from the door. It was Felicia.

    "What are you doing?" The ck aura that enveloped Allen slowly disappeared, and the weapons in his hands turned back into his scarves.

    "Nothing," Allen said as he turned his face away.

    "I see..." Felicia replied briefly. She wanted to ask but couldn''t. Allen would definitely not answer her, and Allen would be unhappy if she asked.

    "I told you to rest, but it seems like you didn''t do what I told you to do!" Felicia immediately changed the subject, returning to her usual self.

    "I just don''t think it''s necessary. I want to move my body a little."

    Looking at Allen, who was not wearing a shirt, Felicia turned her body around again and then said,

    "O-okay, whatever you want. I told the others that you''re not awake yet, so at least don''te out of this room yet. If you do, I''ll get scolded."

    Felicia then closed the door and left.

    Allen looked at his hands. He realized that sometimes he couldn''t control his anger.

    "Reig, what happened?" Allen asked.

    Reig turned from a scarf into a small slime. He took out his hand and pointed at Allen''s head.

    "What?" asked Allen, who didn''t understand what he meant.

    Reig thenically showed that he couldn''t exin it well. Then Reig turned into a goblin. The first goblin he absorbed.

    "Allen... Angry... Power," Reig said in monsternguage.

    Allen and Reig''s conversations were always in monsternguage. Apart from the fact that they were used to saying it in thatnguage, Allen also did it in case someone overheard his conversation.

    When he discovered that Isabelle had overheard him talking to Reig, he suddenly became afraid; what if someone else heard him talking about something more secret? like his abilities, his mother, or his goal of killing Leofric.

    "Anger and power?" asked Allen with a confused face.

    Reig nodded, and then, after a few seconds, he turned back into the slime.

    "Eh? That''s it? Why don''t you transform it longer and exin it to me? You don''t want to exin it?"

    Reig shook his head.

    "So, you can''t?"

    Reig nodded.

    "Does this mean you won''t be able to shapeshift for long?"

    Reig shook his head.

    Allen then decided to think about the "anger and power" that Reig was referring to. and he had the answer in just a few minutes.

    "Reig, if it''s wrong, just shake your head, if it''s right, nod."

    "Perhaps, our unification happened because you ate the mana inside me?"

    Reig nodded<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Then, when I get angry, something other than the mana inside me will increase, and you will feed on this anger to gain power? That''s why you suddenly turned into a sword, to make me channel my anger into something?"

    Reig nodded

    "And then you can''t shapeshift for a long time because I used too much of my mana to defy Isabelle''s orders, forcing you to make me flee."

    Reig nodded

    He wanted to be angry with Reig for not listening to what he said¡ªthat he didn''t want to leave Isabelle¡ªas he ran away from her. But Reig chose to listen to Isabelle because he knew that if they stayed there, Allen would die.

    "Thank you, Reig."

    Instead of getting angry, he chose to say thank you. Reig''s actions at that time were the best; if he had decided to stay there, he would probably have been killed by that person.

    "I''m just weak. If I had been stronger back then, I might have been able to get Isabelle out of there."

    ...

    The next morning. Rachel prepared new clothes for Allen. It was a scorching day, but Allen asked Rachel to give him warm and closed clothes. Allen said since he came to the house, he has felt very "cold."

    Rachel was wearing clothes slightly different from the ones she wore at Isabelle''s house. She wore maid clothes that were a bit more luxurious than what she was used to.

    "Lord Boldenville asked you to dine with them," Rachel said.

    "Felicia''s father?"

    "That''s right. Please, in front of the lord, behave yourself. This is not the same as Earl Wolverlope''s house."

    Allen ignored her; after all, he had no intention of messing anything up.

    Boldenville''s house looked more luxurious than Wolverlope''s. The window curtains were thicker,pletely blocking the sunlight from outside. As Allen walked behind Rachel through the dining room, many maids opened the curtains. Some were wiping the vases in the corridor, located beside the doors of the rooms, and some were wiping the floor.

    Upon seeing Rachel, the maids would stop cleaning for a while and bow their heads slightly to greet her.

    The maids'' faces didn''t look too happy; some looked tired. Then some of them looked at Allen with disgusted faces. The atmosphere in this house made Allen feel even colder because it felt very different from the one in Isabelle''s house.

    In Isabelle''s house, the maids who worked looked very cheerful; no one looked depressed, and all of them greeted passers-by with a smile (except Iskaria).

    Could it be because Isabelle''s house isn''t as shy and luxurious as this person''s? They probably don''t like striking things as much as I do, or so Allen thought.

    After walking for about half a minute, they arrived at the dining room.

    "Good morning, Lord Boldenville. May God and the angels bless the Boldenville family. I have brought the child as you requested," Rachel greeted.

    The dining room had no doors. There were two gates into the dining room that had beautiful and intricate floral carvings; where Allen entered was the east gate, while the other gate was the west gate. To the north of the dining room was a firece that was not lit at the moment, while to the east, there was arge window with a gold cover. The dining room was no less luxurious than Isabelle''s workroom. The roof had a circr slope; on the top was a painting of a strange scene Allen didn''t understand, and the floor was covered by a thick and soft red carpet, simr to the one Isabelle had in her room. Even the walls were red; everything in the room looked red.

    Then, in the center, there was an oval and long white dining table made of ss, covered by a red table mat. On the table were many types of ss with gold decorations. then tes with the same food.

    On each side of the table were ten chairs. Four on the left, four on the right, and one on the other two sides. At that time, there were five people at the table.

    "So this is that kid. As I heard, you really have ck hair," said Reynold, sitting at the far side alone.

    ording to Rachel''s request, Allen pinned a few strands of his white hair into the bandana he was wearing, so that even if it was slightly visible, no one would think it was white hair. Even so, everyone in that room recognized Allen''s white hair.

    except for one person in the room.

    "Are you sure you want to let this slum boy into your house, sir?"

    He was the personal knight of Lord Boldenville. Wulfgeat Gilot Petley, a twenty-year-old knight with short orange hair and brown eyes. Allen was asked to hide his hair because of the presence of this person.

    "Watch your mouth, Wulfgeat; as I said, he is my guest," said Felicia, sitting on the left, along with her mother.

    "Oooh... I''m sorry, mydy. However, as a nobleman and knight, I feel bad if you make a peasant one of your friends. Moreover, a former ve." Wulfgeat replied with a smug tone.

    "Wulfgeat, we''re eating; please talk about thatter," said Ayde, Felicia''s mother.

    Then another person was sitting next to Wulfgeat, who looked ufortable at the table. He didn''t listen to the debate and just ate while bowing his head.

    a woman dressed in a white fire church gown.

    Allen knew who she was.

    She was the person Allen met for the first time. And also the person who made Allen curse his mother.

    "It''s been a long time, Miss Lavinia. Hate to see you''re still alive HAPPILY."

 Chapter 59 Table Manner

    ?"Miss Lavinia, so you''re still alive."

    When Allen said that, Lavinia shuddered, she stopped moving her spoon, then lowered her head. She didn''t answer Allen''s question, it seemed that she already knew about Allen living in this house, and for some reason, she was currently staying in the Boldenville residence.

    -HUP

    Rachel suddenly grabbed Allen''s head and forced him to lower his head.

    "For now, don''t talk too much, Allen. I won''t let you create more trouble for Lady Felicia," Rachel whispered to Allen.

    Then Rachel raised her head and looked at Reynold.

    "Forgive me, my lord. As reported, this child has no manners, he has not been taught about that at the Wolverlope residence. Please tolerate all his behavior for now," Rachel said.

    "I understand."

    Rachel removed her hand from Allen''s head.

    Wulfgeat, sitting on the right near Reynold, snorted about Allen''s behavior.

    "How impolite, you uncultured peasant. You are talking straight when there''s a nobleman in front of you. You should address people of higher status than you first! Don''t you have any respect?"

    Regardless of Wulfgeat''s treatment of Allen, Reynold immediately asked Allen to sit down.

    "Allen, sit down," he said as he ate.

    Because of Rachel''s order, Allen decided to follow the rules of the house. He immediately sat in the closest ce, in the chair at the end of the table opposite Reynold.

    The moment he sat down, people immediately put on shocked faces. They had just realized that they had underestimated Allen''smon sense.

    "How dare you sit in the guest of honor''s seat! You''re just amoner and a former ve! Get out of there!" shouted Wulfgeat while brandishing his sword.

    "Stop Wulfgeat! We''re at the dinner table!" snapped Reynold.

    In a noble house, table manners must be followed, one of which is seating. The seat opposite the head of the family is a special seat for guests whoe to the noble residence, usually given to people of equal or higher status.

    Since Allen knew nothing about this, Reynold closed his eyes specifically for that moment.

    After Wulfgeat sheathed his sword, Reynold asked Allen.

    "You called out this priestess''s name earlier. After healing the prince''s wounds, she is currently serving in my territory as a fire priestess, a direct envoy of the Bishop. I invited her to stay in my house because she would greatly assist us in exploring our region''s dungeon. Did you already know Miss Lavinia?" asked Reynold.

    "Yes, a little," replied Allen briefly.

    "Uh, really?!" said Felicia in surprise.

    ''If I''m not mistaken, Allen came in caged after being picked up from the dungeon, right? Does that mean he knew Miss Lavinia inside the dungeon?'' Felicia thought.

    Reynold then looked at Lavinia, who was just eating while bowing her head. It seemed like she hadn''t heard their conversation at all.

    "Miss Lavinia?"

    When Reynold called her name, she responded in surprise.

    "Y-yes, sir?!"

    "Where have you met Allen?"

    "Sa-I met him when I visited the Barkaley region."

    "Ooh... during Prince Leofric''s raid?"

    "yes, sir."

    "Since we are currently eating, I won''t ask further. Please tell me more in-depth in my officeter,"

    "O-okay, sir."

    Reynold then took a bite of his food. As he did so, he immediately realized that Allen had not been given food either.

    "Eat up," Reynold continued.

    One of the maids uncovered the te. Inside, there was meat and grass (?) thered in red sauce.

    Again, Allen''s behavior surprised others. Allen ravenously ate all the food on the te with both hands. Because the water was too far away, he stood up, stepped on his chair, and climbed onto the table to get his kettle.

    -SWUNG

    A knife flew towards Allen''s face.

    -GRAB

    Allen picked up the knife with his left hand. Then he put it on the table. Allen had more or less figured out who threw the knife. But when he looked forward, Wulfgeat was sitting with a shocked face.

    The only one standing was Reynold. He was the one who threw the knife at Allen.

    "I lost my appetite," Reynold said.

    Reynold sat down again. Then two waiters appeared from the gate behind him, taking his te and spoon.

    "Felicia, I was originally very disappointed when I heard you chose a ve to be your knight, but I was wrong. I''m very very very overly disappointed in you now; I didn''t expect you to give our family symbol to a fool who doesn''t know manners."

    "His behavior is one of the reasons he can be friends with me, father. He doesn''t care about social status, and I still want him to keep it that way."

    "You''re really starting to be a rebel."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m tired of being your puppet, father; from now on, I''ll do the things I like. Don''t worry, father, I won''t bring shame to the family name. I''ll make Allen understand basic things. After all, I told you not to bring Allen to eat here in the first ce, but you still forced Rachel to call him."

    "I have to see my daughter''s future personal knight before my eyes. You can see almost all of that person''s personality at the dinner table. There''s no mistaking it; you''re ying with family symbols. But I also can''t forbid you, after you give that knife to him, this peasant should be your personal knight. I hope he can die soon, after which I will choose a new, better knight for you."

    "Take it easy, father. Allen is strong; he won''t die that easily," Felicia said confidently.

    Felicia then peered at Allen, who had been watching her from the moment she spoke. Therefore, Felicia realized that she had praised Allen too much, making her look like she was interested in him in front of her family.

    "B-but he''s not very strong, just ordinary, but he has quite a lot of potential," Felicia said with a flushed face.

    Seeing Felicia talk like that, Wulfgeatughed.

    "Hahaha... Geez, what''s so special about this kid that you should choose him to be your knight,dy Felicia? You shouldn''t choose him solely on the basis of your emotions or because he''s your type."

    "Ha-HAAAH?! Who would be interested in this guy anyway?! I made him my knight because of his abilities!" said Felicia with an even redder face.

    But when Felicia saw everyone''s faces, she realized they didn''t believe her, so she continued...

    "At the very least, Allen is millions better than you, Wulfgeat. I''m sure in five minutes you''ll lose against Allen."

    "Hmph! Very funny, Lady. You just said something you shouldn''t have said. There''s no way a peasant boy like him is better than a nobleman like me. You''ve never seen my abilities. I was once the vice chair of Division 5 and also a former padium-ranked dungeon explorer."

    "Vice chairman, huh? Since you''re now an Earl''s knight, they expelled you for ipetence, right?"

    "Felicia! That''s enough!" snapped Reynold.

    The atmosphere at the dinner table became unpleasant. Felicia''s face looked very upset, as did Reynold, who couldn''t stand Felicia''s attitude. Meanwhile, Ayde and Lavinia couldn''t say anything. Lavinia continued eating as if nothing had happened; Ayde shuffled her te.

    Wulfgeat looked very upset; he red at Allen with an angry, red, and annoyed face.

    "I can''t ept this, Lord Boldenville. Saying that a seedy peasant like this boy is stronger than I hurts my pride as a noble and your knight. Please allow me to discipline him."

    "Discipline?"

    "How about we prove the boy''s strength? If he is strong enough to be Lady Felicia''s knight, he deserves it."

    Wulfgeat then stood up, took out his sword, and pointed it at Allen.

    "Allen, I will challenge you to a duel. If you''re not as strong as Lady Felicia says, you need to get out of this house!"

    Allen just sat down; after all, he didn''t know what to do in response. Rachel had also asked him not to talk much.

    But because of the silence when Wulfgeat challenged him, he felt he had to respond.

    "Then, if I win? What will I get?"

    "That''s not likely to happen."

    "Then I don''t want to do it."

    "Of course, you must! This is a noble order! A peasant like you has no right to refuse what a noble says!"

    Allen then looked at Reynold.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Reynold.

    "If I win, can I get five times more food than now?"

    Hearing that, Feliciaughed,

    "Allen, you''re not full at all?"

    "Totally,pared to what Isabelle gave me, it''s scant. Does this family spend all of their money on those shiny things?"

    "Pfft" a chuckle now sounded from Ayde. Since everyone was looking at her, she tried to hold it in and put on a poker face.

    "Sorry," she said as she took a bite of the food on her te.

    "You peasant! You have no right to give orders to a noble like that! I''ll kill you!" snapped Wulfgeat as he shook his sword at Allen.

    "Wulfgeat, stop," Reynold said.

    Wulfgeat then sheathed his sword and sat down.

    As for Reynold, he picked up the rag next to his te and wiped his mouth and hands.

    "Alright, if you can defeat Wulfgeat in 5 minutes, I''ll give you ten times more food than now."

    "Huh?! Wait, dad?! 5 minutes? Why is there a time limit?" said Felicia, surprised.

    "First, he disrespected our family by saying that Wolverlope''s family is much better, so think of this as a punishment for him. Second, you, yourself, told Wulfgeat that Allen could beat him in five minutes."

    "But! Only five minutes?! I didn''t really mean it at the time-" Felicia hadn''t finished speaking when Allen cut her off.

    "3 minutes," Allen said.

    "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! DID YOU JUST UNDERESTIMATE ME?! YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME IN THREE MINUTES?!" shouted Wulfgeat.

    ''This guy, I can tell from his physique, he''s not stronger than Theobauld and Ottar''

    "Of course I am. I''m getting ten times as much anyway; it''s not fair if it''s only 5 minutes."

    "YOU PEASANT B*STARD!"

 Chapter 60 Wulfgeat Strategy

    ?"Did you hear about the other-worlder child who just came to this residence?"

    "Yes, what''s the matter?"

    "Lord Wulfgeat challenged him to a duel!"

    "Thar''s crazy! Why would Mr. Wulfgeat challenge him? He''s just a peasant, right?"

    "I heard Lord Wulfgeat likes Lady Felicia, but Lady Felicia defended the boy at the dinner! She openly praised him in front of everyone!"

    "Lies! There''s no way Lady Felicia could be interested in a peasant!"

    "No! I''m not lying; I was there during that incident; Lady Felicia haspletely changed since she returned from the Wolverlope residence! She even denied Lord Boldenville''s words!"

    "Is that really true?"

    "It definitely is! Now that everyone is in front of the house, the duel is about to begin!"

    "Let''s see! I can''t wait to see how that kid gets destroyed by Mr. Wulfgeat!"

    The events at the dinner table spread among the maids of all the residents. Due to word of mouth to mouth, the rumor even developed into a love triangle between Allen, Felicia, and Wufgeat, even though it had nothing to do with romance. The rigors of the maids'' daily lives made them imagine many things for their entertainment.

    Now the Boldenville family, Lavinia, the maids, the errand boys, the gardeners, almost everyone went out to see how Allen and Wulfgeat dueled.

    "Why are there so many people watching?" asked Ayde.

    "Don''t they have something to do?!" Felicia snorted in annoyance.

    "Let them for now," Reynold didn''t care about the absent maids. He more or less knew there would be unpleasant rumors spread, so by letting them watch this fight, he hoped any rumors would soon disappear.

    ''My personal knight''s honor is at stake here. I don''t want people to know that Reynold thought he challenged amoner just to be a punching bag.''

    They dueled in therge field in front of the residence, which is usually used for parking carriages.

    "You should get ready to leave here, filthy peasant."

    Wulfgeat took out his sword, which looked very striking. The hilt was gold, and colorful diamonds decorated the hilt. He then threw down his scabbard and assumed a stance Allen had never seen before. His legs and torso were open, and he held his sword with one hand, looking like he was ready to sh.

    ''He appeared to deliberately show his body to me for attack. Most likely, his sword style focuses only on offense and not defense. From his body, he is not as strong as Theobauld, which means maybe he is quite confident with his agility.''

    While thinking of a strategy, Allen took out his dual des from his back.

    Unlike Wulfgeat, who exposed his body, Allen covered his body by crossing his hands and holding knives in front of his face. His body was slightly hunched, one leg in front and the other behind, preparing to defend and retreat.

    ''I don''t know what god''s blessings he has or what sword style he uses. For now, I should focus on defending to glean as much information as possible. Then just in case...''

    "Reig, can you merge with me without turning into a weapon? I want to focus more."

    Allen intended to use a parallel mind so that he could dodge while analyzing his opponent''s fighting style.

    Allen''s scarf then spread around his body slowly, unnoticed by others. Reig intended to protect Allen''s body, as his opponent had a huge appetite for killing.

    Reynold approached, holding a gold coin in his hand.

    "The duel will begin when this coin falls; during the duel, it is forbidden to strike the head and stab the abdomen. The duel will end when one of you surrenders or faints. And the duel will end if Allen cannot defeat Wulfgeat in 3 minutes."

    Although Reynold mentioned the rules, Wulfgeat didn''t care. Allen''s presence really bothered him. He had already felt humiliated by him at the dinner table. Felicia''s words had really escted his emotions.

    ''I will definitely kill him! I''ll show the others that it was just an ident!'' thought the increasingly brutal Wufgeat.

    Reynold tossed the coin.

    Then in 3

    2

    1

    -CLANK

    "I''LL KILL YOU, YOU F*CKING PEASANT!!!"

    Wulfgeat ran towards Allen and swung his sword at his head. Allen dodged his attack with one of his des.

    Wuflgeat then repeatedly shed his sword into Allen''s face. Because Allen took all of his shes with his de, he gradually retreated backward.

    " So you''re just going to stick around?! You can''t beat the great Wulfgeat!"

    Sometimes Wulfgeat attacked Allen''s body, sometimes his legs, but all of them were held back by Allen.

    Seeing the fight, Felicia looked surprised, which relieved Reynold; he thought his daughter had finally realized that the person she made a knight was weak.

    With disappointment, Reynold said

    "Felicia, what are you going to do from now on? With that caliber, I think he can''t take care of you. We''ll inevitably have to find a mentor for the boy so that he bes strong enough to protect you. Not only that, we''ll have to hire a high-level dungeon explorer to escort you in the future, and that will cost a lot of money-"

    "Father..."

    Felicia didn''t stop showing her shocked face.

    "Father¡­ Wulfgeat really is a padium rank, right? If I''m not mistaken, he''s also always boasted about it to me." Felicia asked.

    Because of Felicia''s face, Reynold was now confused.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes, so what? is he stronger than Theobauld the mithril?" asked Reynold.

    Reynold thought Felicia was surprised to see Wulfgeat, who was much stronger than she imagined.

    But...

    With that confused and surprised face, Felicia pointed at Wufgeat while saying

    "Is the Padium rank really this weak?"

    Felicia''s question, shattering all of Reynold''s expectations and thoughts

    "Huh?"

    Meanwhile, In Allen fought with Wulfgeat.

    Wulfgeat, whounched attacks with a big smile, that smile was gradually disappearing. He began to wonder why none of his attacks were always parried by Allen. Even though he had repeatedlyunched attacks as strong as possible, everything could be dodged easily.

    Allen, who had been trying to analyze Wulfgeat''s n, became even more confused because he felt that Wulfgeat hadn''t done anything.

    ''Hm? Don''t tell me this is the only thing he can do. And if I''m not mistaken, he was running earlier, right? Not lightning steps or shunpo? I guess it has something to do with his god''s blessing. But it''s been more than a minute, and he still hasn''t done anything. This is not his strategy to buy three minutes, right?''

    Allen looked again closely at Wulfgeat''s movements and realized that Wulfgeat''s attack pattern was always the same.

    ''His movements are very slow, and his attacks are very predictable. Compared to Theobauld, he really is nothing. Even Felicia should be able to figure out the direction of his attacks easily, but of course, she can''t possibly withstand them.''

    Not wanting to waste time, Allen immediately intended to end the duel.

    As Wulfgeat, with all his strength, attacked Allen''s head, Allen parried the blow with the de in his left hand and then swiped at it with the de. As he swiped, Allen''s body spun clockwise, then he kicked Wulfgeat in the stomach.

    "Akh!"

    Wulfgeat was immediately thrown backward, destroying one of the carriages at the end of the field.

    "Ah, I identally used all my strength. Is he dead?"

    The whole crowd was suddenly silent because everyone was shocked by the battle as Allen suddenly made a very fast movement that they couldn''t see clearly; they didn''t even know how Wulfgeat could be thrown back.

    "Hey there! Check his condition!" Reynold ordered one of the groundskeepers to check on the motionless Wulfgeat.

    Fearfully, the groundskeeper walked slowly over to look at Wulfgeat''s body. Then, after sinking into silence, the groundskeeper cried out

    "He¡­he''s fainted! MR. WULFGEAT HAS FAINTED!"

    "WHOA!"

    Hearing that, the audience''s shocked voices could be heard clearly behind Reynold.

    "That''s crazy! He defeated Mr. Wulfgeat!"

    "That arrogant Wulfgeat is defeated!"

    "Did you see his movements earlier? What was he doing?"

    "I don''t know, that kid suddenly did something with his de, and then suddenly Wulfgeat was blown away!"

    Although they kept their voices down as much as possible, Reynold could hear them clearly.

    "SILENCE! An insult to royalty will not be forgiven!" Reynold shouted.

    Reynold realized that what the workers were saying was true.

    ''This child is really strong as Felicia said. Who exactly is he?

    And then Felicia''s reaction earlier¡­ what has she learned at the Wolverlope residence?''

    Allen then quickly ran to Reynold.

    "How''s the time? Is that more than 3 minutes?"

    Reynold forgot about the time, but it should be faster than three minutes. So Reynold just nodded.

    "Huft, thank goodness. I thought I''d be stuck with his strategy."

    "Hmm? What strategy?" asked Felicia.

    A little tiredly, Allen exined his thoughts to Felicia.

    "That guy is probably stronger than I imagined. He deliberately hid his true abilities from me to buy time and make me lose. He even deliberately slowed down his movements and exposed a lot of gaps. I couldn''t help but analyze his tricks. Fortunately, at thest moment, I could attack him with a single strike."

    "Aaah, I see¡­ That''s why his movements look slow, so it''s all part of his n."

    Hearing the two of them talk made Reynold''s head spin.

    ''What is this kid talking about? A n? a strategy to buy time? How could that be? Those were Wulfgeat''s usual moves, and he always managed to defeat the criminal who attacked me in just a few strikes! Wulfgeat is honorable; he wouldn''t use such a cowardly n to win!'' thought Reynold.

    The duel ended with Allen''sndslide victory, exacerbating the rumor among the maids.

    And that night, Allen ate the entire portion of roast meat in his room with satisfaction.

 Chapter 61 Small Development

    ?The duel with Wulfgeat had a huge impact.

    After Wulfgeat regained consciousness the next day, he returned to his territory, asking Reynold for a leave of absence. This shouldn''t have been allowed because he was supposed to be Reynold''s personal knight until he was 30 years old, but Reynold allowed it. His pride must have been shattered, especially since he was defeated so miserably in front of the crowd; the maids would see him with different eyes.

    Likewise with Allen, the maids, who previously only saw him with a stern face, now greet him with a smile. They don''t want to make enemies, not because they respect him but because they try to get close to him. Allen was a peasant just like them, so they thought that their lives might change a little if they could get close to him. Of course, Allen knew that. He was used to being paranoid about people, including the maids in Isabelle''s house.

    Because he always checked every expression on the maids'' faces, he knew that the maids in this house had a smile that felt "different" from the maids in Isabelle''s house, and he hated it. Every time the maids smiled at him, he felt disgusted. So he stopped to look at their faces, even if they called out to him.

    Because of Allen''s bad manners, he was no longer allowed to eat in the dining room. So, the maids brought Allen''s food to his room. A few maids tried to flirt with Allen to make their lives easier. Thanks to Rachel''s warning, Allen was able to avoid those people. In addition, when Allen saw those people approaching him, it made him want to vomit, so Allen ordered the maid to put his food in front of the door, and then he took it himselfter.

    Seven days have passed since he woke up in this house. Because of his habits at Wolverlope''s house, Allen always got up early and cleaned the soldiers'' training room. The training ground of the Boldenville house was indoors. It was spacious and had the only rough floor in the house. But the equipment was less than in the Wolverlope residence; there were only arrows and long swords, while the Wolverlope residence had many types of swords. It seemed like the Boldenville residence didn''t care about each soldier''s skill, so they only invested money in general weapons. Allen came to clean that room and do a little stretching with some equipment.

    After 8 o''clock, the soldiers, one by one, entered the training ground, which made him ufortable, so he went out to practice his mana control.

    Allen''s current goal was to take revenge on the kingdom. He had the faces of several people he wanted to kill. Like, the leader of the secret army, Harald, then Ottar, after which he intended to kill all the royal soldiers one by one.

    ''To achieve that, I need to be even stronger. If I can control the two manas within me, perhaps I will receive my god''s blessing, though I still don''t understand the concept.''

    On his way out of the house, in the corridor of many rooms, Allen met someone he knew very well, Lavinia.

    Seeing Allen, Lavinia immediately looked scared. As for Allen, when he saw Lavinia, he made a disgusted face. It was as if that day, he felt like the unluckiest person to see Lavinia. Lavinia''s scared face immediately turned into a guilty face. After their eyes met, Allen just walked on, ignoring the silent Lavinia, who was bowing her head.

    Arriving outside, Allen was awaited by Felicia, who was wearing her formal attire. A fancy red dress with a ck flower pattern. Rachel was also wearing a different outfit than usual. She wore a ck dress with a white cor, Rachel''s official personal maid outfit.

    "Allen, today we are going to visit Barony Andoram. Be ready in 10 minutes; I will be waiting here."

    In front of the Boldenville residence were tworge gardens. In the middle was the carriage parking lot, while to the left and right were gardens that each had a white pavilion. Felicia sat in the pavilion with tea and various sweets on the table.

    "I can''t; I have something to do; just go with Rachel." Allen kept walking, ignoring Felicia.

    Felicia immediately stood up and shouted.

    "HEY! You have no choice! As my knight, you have to escort me everywhere! You promised to follow me as long as I let you stay here!"

    ''How inconvenient.''

    Allen paused, then let out a long sigh.

    "Alright alright... I''ll go," Allen said with a bored face while turning inside.

    "Watch how you talk to me!" Felicia shouted, was ignored by Allen, and entered the residence.

    "That Allen¡­ he doesn''t even try to hide his displeased face."

    Rachel then smiled, looking at the cheerfully angry Felicia.

    ''Lady may be angry, but she seems to be having fun. Even though Allen''s treatment is bad, it''s proof that Allen is different from the other children who y with Lady, who is always shy and introverted around her. I hope that with Allen, Lady can forget about Mr. Waldo.''

    The night when Rachel brought Felicia home from Wolverlope''s house, Rachel immediately exined about Waldo to Reynold and Ayde. Then, while prostrating herself in front of them, Rachel begged them not to say anything about Waldo.

    ''Thank goodness... Lady Ayde is miraculously pregnant, and perhaps that''s why Lord Boldenville wants to pretend about Mr. Waldo''s death; he must be in a good mood. But I hope he''s doing it because he still loves Felicia...

    No...

    It must be so...

    Lord Boldenville must still love Lady Felicia; it''s just that the way he expresses his affection is different.''

    Allen had already walked out of the residence in neat clothes in just five minutes.

    He was wearing the same clothes that Wulfgeat had used earlier. It was the official dress of the Boldenville family''s personal knight. The clothes were finally finished three days after Allen arrived at the residence.

    "I don''t like this outfit, theyers on it make it hard for me to move my back and shoulders. It must have been made for someone who uses a long sword." Allen said this while trying to move his hands freely.

    The shirt was dark red, with a ck topyer nted diagonally to the right. On the left chest was the Boldenville family crest, and on the waist was a belt to hold the long sword. The clothes looked heavy on the right side because they were designed to hold the sword on the left.

    "Besides, I don''t like this rose crest," Allen continued.

    "Don''t talk that way about the Boldenville family crest! That crest has a higher price than your life! Take good care of it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    However, you look better now. Besides, you can also use the long sword, right? But just in case, you should keep your dual des. You can rip those clothes off under certain conditions."

    "Isn''t the coat of arms worth more than my life? I''ll do it anyway without being told."

    ''The clothes aren''t too bad; they''re thick, so I feel warm. The problem is that it is hard for a dual-de user like me to move around, and there''s no ce to store it. But I always keep my de inside Reig''s body, so it''s no big deal,'' Allen thought.

    They climbed into the litter and departed for the Andoram Barony residence.

    Unlike Wolverlope''s residence, which was located on top of the mountain and at the edge of the city itself, Boldenville''s residence was in the center of the city. So as soon as they stepped out of the fence, they immediately saw rows of houses and stalls of traders whose building structures and ces more or less looked simr to the Wolverlope''s city.

    When Allen looked out the window, he could see many different kinds of human expressions that he could see. When he was shopping with Felicia when he was in Wolverlope''s city, he didn''t pay much attention to them.

    Now, when Allen saw them, he had mixed feelings. He knew that people were different. And those people outside might be one of them. Those who smiled were not necessarily good, and those who were arrogant were not necessarily bad.

    "Humans didn''t hate each other, so don''t hate humans," his mother''s words shed back into his head. Then, every time he remembered that, he remembered all the hatred that humans had shown him. He remembered the faces of the people who looked at him with such deep hatred in Barkaley territory, and all of those people were no different from the people he saw now.

    ''You''re wrong, mom; humans hate each other too. They will hate those who take away anything from them. It''s the same with me. I seem to hate humans even if I kill them all.''

    "Allen, what''s wrong? Your face looks bad. Did you forget to eat your breakfast?" Felicia asked.

    Allen''s face, at that moment, was the same as when he first woke up in her house. Felicia knew that Allen must be thinking about something bad, so she tried to distract him from those thoughts.

    "It just so happens that the snacks from this morning haven''t run out yet. Be happy, Allen. I will give some to you." Felicia opened the bag on Rachel''sp, took out the biscuits, and thrust them straight into Allen''s mouth.

    Allen grabbed it with his mouth, biting and biting until his lips touched Felicia''s finger.

    With a flushed face, Felicia immediately withdrew her hand.

    There was a strange awkwardness after that.

    But without concern about it, Allen said

    "Then I''ll have them all," Allen said as he pulled out the bag of biscuits.

    Nervous and stuttering, Felicia became angry at Allen''s behavior,

    "Wait, don''t take them all; they''re snacks forter in afternoo-"

    -BREAK

    The train shook violently, and because Felicia had stood up a little while scolding Allen, her body fell forward.

    Then -GRAB

    Allen grabbed Felicia''s body, which was about to fall in front of him.

    Felicia''s body was lying on Allen''s body, and their faces were very close. So close that they could feel each other''s breath.

    "You idiot, don''t stand on the train," Allen said with a t face.

    Felicia''s face turned bright red.

    ''Too close!'' she thought.

    Allen then grabbed Felicia''s shoulders and pushed her a little to keep her away from his body.

    "What''s wrong?" said Allen to Felicia, who was covering her face with her hair.

    "Nothing!" yelled Felicia.

    Looking at a flushed Felicia, Allen thought

    ''I would probably still hate humans even if I killed them all. But I don''t know why I can''t hate this girl, no matter how she treats me.''

    After that, Felicia came out of the carriage and scolded the coachman.

 Chapter 62 Knights Duty

    ?Two hours had passed since they left home, and now they were outside Boldenville''s city, entering a road surrounded by forests.

    "Hey, I never asked you, but what is a knight? And why am I suddenly bing your personal knight?" Allen asked.

    Felicia then made a surprised face.

    "I thought you already knew about that, so you never asked."

    "Yeah... I didn''t really have time to ask; I had other things on my mind."

    Felicia then exined to Allen about the knight.

    Knight was an honor bestowed on soldiers who served nobles or on a noble who served other nobles of higher status. In fact, most knights were nobles who served other nobles. Knights usually serve their lord for 20 years, after which they will be told to choose whether to continue serving their lord or manage one of the territories owned by their lord. Typically, nobles who be knights are the third or fourth child of a particr family; because theycknd, they can leave home andter be thendlord assigned by their lord.

    After exining the basics about knights, Felicia exined the Boldenville family''s tradition of selecting personal knights.

    "In the Boldenville family, our ancestors chose their knights by giving each family a special knife."

    ''Before, I did not intend to have Allen as my personal knight, before. "I gave him the knife at the time in the hope that if he survived, he would be instantly epted by my family for holding the knife," Felicia thought.

    "So now I have to take care of you and guard you for 20 years?" asked Allen.

    "Not really, you have the right to quit; I also have the right to fire you. Twenty years is just the main requirement if you want territory, and even then, it only applies if you serve the head of the family. My mother is currently pregnant, so if I have a brother, I won''t be the head of the family. So the rewards will be money and some sort of living guarantee. But if its sister, I will be the head of the family and can grant you a territory after 20 years."

    Allen continued to ask

    "What are the knight''s duties? Do I just need to protect you? Then it''s the same as what I did at Isabelle''s house, right?"

    "More or less, your existence is only to protect me. But that''s just the basics. Perhaps it would have been different if I had given the knife to someone older, but since we''re the same age, you should follow the same path as me."

    "What does that mean?"

    "First, you haven''t been baptized yet, so you have to be baptized in the same church as me during the Whitmoon Festival; since the father is a follower of the Church of Fire, you and I will be baptized in the Church of Fire.

    Secondly, at the age of 13, I will enter the academy city in the south, Oxwadeshire. And you have to study with me there for ten years," Felicia exined.

    "Ten years..."

    Allen closed his mouth and looked down, thinking about how long ten years would be for him.

    Seeing that, Felicia began to worry that Allen would leave her because he didn''t want to be entangled for ten years in the academy city, let alone 20 years with her.

    Felicia was a bit awkward person and was known to be arrogant, and the other nobles looked down on her ever since she fell during a dance at her birthday party. So shecked the confidence to make new friends at the Academy.

    She was even convinced that no one would befriend her. She hoped that Allen woulde with her to school. But Felicia knew that Allen most likely wouldn''t; she hadn''t even asked Allen if he considered her his friend.

    Seeing Felicia''s worried face, Rachel held Felicia''s hand.

    Felicia looked at Rachel, who was smiling as if to tell her that she would do something.

    Rachel then looked at Allen and said,

    "Allen, keep protecting Felicia forever; if you can''t do that, at leaste with Lady Felicia to the academy!"

    By giving two choices, Rachel deliberately asks Allen to be Felicia''s knight forever to make Allen think, "instead of this, at least this is okay," to increase Allen''s chances of apanying Felicia.

    "Maybe Lady Felicia won''t be the head of the family, and I hope so. But if you be Lady Felicia''s personal knight, you will earn a lot of money!"

    ''This is still not enough,'' thought Rachel.

    "Besides, joining the Academy is a good thing. Nomoner has ever entered an academy, your life will be secured, and you will be an educated person!"

    ''Still, not enough, Allen''s heart won''t be moved just by this thing. From the beginning, a person who doesn''t even care about social status like him won''t be moved by money and wealth.

    Think Rachel! Think about what this child wants...

    Think of Lady Felicia''s life!

    Lady Felicia needs Allen! And I need him to distract Lady from Waldo.

    He must apany Lady to the Academy!

    The offers made by Rachel did not make Allen stop "thinking," which meant that Allen was still hesitant about the decision to go to the Academy.

    The desperate Rachel recalled all of Allen''s behavior from when she first met him until now.

    And finally, she reached one conclusion.

    "If youe to the academy with Lady Felicia, you will eat delicious meat every day."

    When Rachel said that, Allen''s eyes immediately widened.

    ''He responded! That''s right! He has always eaten meat with gusto at the Wolverlope residence; even her duel request yesterday was tons of beef every day!''

    Felicia, who saw Allen''s face and realized that it could make Allene with her, she then added

    "The food you''ve been eating is only avable to noble families! If you be my knight, you''ll never eat that kind of food again! Do you want to live every day eating only bread?" Felicia asked.

    And Felicia''s words also changed Allen''s expression to be more interested.

    Rachel added

    "Five portions of beef in the morning, five portions of chicken in the afternoon, and five portions of rabbit at night! I can cook it in different dishes, stewed, grilled; it''s up to you!"

    Allen lowered his hand. His face widened, thinking about how his daily life at the Academy was with Felicia and Rachel''s offer.

    Then after a few seconds, Allen turned his face away and said,

    "What else can I do? I have to apany you to the Academy, then. I still want to eat for free."

    Hearing that, Felicia immediately smiled happily, as did Rachel, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

    Rachel then grasped Felicia''s hand tightly.

    "We did it, Lady!" she said.

    Felicia smiled and nodded.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Seeing that, Allen was confused,

    "What are you doing? Do you want me that bad to be your personal knight?"

    Felicia withdrew her hand from Rachel''s grasp and then, embarrassedly, said

    "Not that I''m happy about it! You''re strong, so I need to ensure you take care of me! Besides, we have a promise; since I can''t show you what I promised you anytime soon, I have to increase the deadline!"

    "What the hell... You don''t have to think about that promise anymore."

    "No way! It''s important. You must be taught well about morals, you ignorant peasant!"

    "Whatever... Listening to your talk makes me tired."

    Allen''s scarf moved to wrap around his entire body.

    "What are you doing?" asked Felicia.

    "I''m going to sleep. Wake me up if something happens."

    "Ugh, he''s really incapable of doing his job. How clueless."

    The journey to the Baron territory by fast horse-carriage only took 4 hours, so 2 hours after Allen fell asleep, they arrived in front of the Baron territory''s gate. The carriage was stopped by two gatekeepers, who asked for identification and the reason for their arrival.

    Rachel was holding the letter brought by the Earl, so she intended to give the letter to the guards.

    "Lady, please wake Allen up. I''ll give the letter from Lord Boldenville to the guards."

    Felicia nodded, and Rachel went out.

    "Though I am ady, why should I wake up my subordinate who deliberately neglects his duties."

    As Felicia tried to wake Allen up by shaking his shoulders.

    -GRAB

    "Ouch!"

    Allen immediately woke up and grabbed Felicia''s hand.

    "Let go!"

    Allen then let go of her hand.

    "Oh, do we finally arrive?"

    "What the hell did you do just now! My hand hurts!"

    "I thought someone was trying to attack me. Even when I sleep, I always try to be vignt."

    "Well, with such strong instincts, at least you''re doing your duty as a knight."

    The carriage door opened, and two guards looked inside the carriage with Rachel. After a few seconds, the guards put their hands on her chest and bent over. Then they did the same to Rachel.

    Rachel got back into the carriage, and the train resumed running.

    "Did something happen, Rachel?" asked Felicia.

    "Yes, it seems that a suspicious person entered the town. That person set fire to one of the houses and then ran away. That''s why they''re conducting a thorough investigation into all carriages arriving and departing."

    "Are weing at a bad time?"

    "It seems so; let''s hope the event can finish without problems."

    "O hey, where are we going, and what are we doing?" asked Allen.

    "A tea party. I got an invitation from Baron Andoram''s son. Then, because of the invitation, my father asked me to give a letter to the baron."

    "What are you going to do at the event?"

    "Drink tea, eat snacks, and chat."

    "Is that all?"

    "Yes, what else did you expect?"

    Allen let out a long sigh; he didn''t expect their long trip they did was just for tea.

    "Why would you waste time on something like this?" Allen said sarcastically.

    "It''s because there will be many peopleing this time, and all of them intend to enter Oxwade Academy, so I want to increase my rtions at the academy as much as possibleter."

    "How stupid..."

    They finally arrived in front of Andoram''s residence in just a few minutes. The carriage entered the iron fence opened by the guard; when they entered, many maids were already waiting in front of the residence.

    To the left was a garden, and it seemed that the event had already started. As soon as the carriage passed, they all stood up.

    They stopped in front of the residence, where the maids greeted them.

    When Felicia came out, the girls in the park immediately approached.

    "Miss Felicia! You really came!"

    "I can''t believe Miss Felicia ising!"

    "I''m grateful to be able toe to this tea party."

    The tea was a tea event organized by the baron''s daughter. It was wrong to send a letter to the Earl toe to her residence in the first ce, but somehow that child actually sent a letter to the Earl''s ce and asked her toe to her residence. It was very rude and hical. But Felicia ignored it; she took Andomera''s mistake as an opportunity for her.

    "Good afternoon, everyone; sorry for my tardiness," Felicia said as she lifted her skirt.

    When Allen saw the girls approaching Felicia, Allen immediately averted his face, then thought

    "Disgusting, everyone put on fake faces, I hope this tea thing is over soon."

 Chapter 63 Other Noble

    ?When they arrived at the Barony Andoram residence, Felicia took a deep breath, and when she released it, there was a slight tremor in her breath.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Allen.

    "Nothing," Felicia replied.

    Felicia was feeling nervous. Many things happened at her birthday party, so she got nervous when she had to meet the other nobles, especially those the same age as her.

    The carriage door opened; Rachel came out first and was followed by Allen. Allen reached out his hand to Felicia to help her out of the carriage.

    ''Good job, Allen.'' Rachel said.

    Rachel told him along the way that small details like that were very important for nobles. As Felicia''s personal knight, there were many things that Allen had to do, such as pouring drinks, looking around, and then checking on his master''s condition. As Rachel had expected, Allen let out a long sigh as Rachel mentioned his duties.

    ''At least in a noble residence, he should do his duties well,'' Rachel thought.

    Rather than a personal knight, Rachel wanted Allen to be Felicia''s friend, so she agreed to ignore all of Allen''s disrespectful actions toward Felicia. But that was only allowed when it was just the two of them. In front of other nobles, he had to behave like a knight. Nobles were very sensitive to such things, if Allen did something inappropriate, then Felicia would be humiliated by other nobles.

    "Remembered to what I have said, Allen. Don''t do something stupid." Whisper Rachel to Allen.

    "I know! No need to tell me over and over!"

    After that, five girls with conspicuous clothes approached them.

    "Miss Felicia! You really came!"

    "I can''t believe it, Miss Felicia ising!"

    "I''m grateful to be able toe to this tea."

    When Felicia arrived, the girls who were also attending the event gathered. There was one person who stayed behind, and that was the daughter of Barony Andoram, Urs Monde Andoram.

    Felicia approached her and greeted her.

    "Thank you for inviting me to your tea," Felicia said with a smile.

    "Tha-thank you foring to our residence, Lady Felicia," Urs replied.

    Urs was sweating slightly and looked anxious. The baron sending a letter invitation to the earl''s house just for tea was impolite.

    "You don''t need to think about unnecessary things. I''m really happy to be able toe to this beautiful residence of yours," Felicia said.

    But her face still did not lookfortable.

    "Thank you very much, Lady Felicia."

    The people, aware of Urs''s reaction, started trying to change the subject,

    "Lady Felicia, who is the man next to you?" asked one of the girls.

    "He is my personal knight; his name is Allen."

    Allen put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

    They then fell silent for a few seconds,

    "Hmm?"

    still silent, as if waiting for something.

    "Pardon me?" asked Felicia.

    "With all due respect, you haven''t told me his surname."

    "His name is just Allen; he''s just a peasant."

    "!!!"

    They then made shocked faces while looking at Allen, but those faces onlysted a few moments until they smiled again.

    Allen was immediately disgusted when he saw them, so disgusted that he felt his stomach acid rising up to his neck, so he had to hold his mouth slightly to keep from vomiting.

    From behind Felicia, Rachel whispered something.

    "Lady, it''s time,"

    Felicia nodded, then she lifted her skirt again.

    "Ladies, please start the event without me; I must first greet the Barony to deliver the Earl''s letter."

    The girl answered her greetings, and then they left.

    The butler led them inside the house to barony''s room.

    Felicia immediately let out a long sigh.

    "Are those kind of people you want to be friends with?" asked Allen in a slight whisper.

    "Shut up, Allen. You are so noisy."

    ''But I whispered though.''

    Felicia seemed to understand the meaning of Allen''s question. Felicia also knew clearly that their smiles were just an act. They probably didn''t really want her toe to the event.

    "Why did they make that face when they heard about me?" Allen asked Rachel.

    "Because you''re a peasant. Earls never make peasants their knights. Let alone your hair; perhaps this social fact surprises them more."

    "Then why are they just smiling like fools?"

    "They wouldn''t dare say anything that could criticize Lady Felicia, the earl''s daughter."

    "Nobles really are stupid."

    Rachel just ignored him.

    "We have arrived, Lady Felicia." The butler said.

    "I give you my thanks; go back to work."

    The butler nodded and left.

    Felicia opened the door. Inside was a fat man standing in his purple tunic, and beside him, a tall man with ponytail hair. There was a sword hanging from the man''s wrist. It seemed like he was a bodyguard or personal knight of the barony.

    "Wee to our residence, Lady Felicia," it was the Barony of Andoram.

    Felicia, Rachel, and Allen returned the barony''s greeting by bowing slightly. The earl''s social status was indeed higher than the barony, but the status of the earl''s daughter and the head of the barony family was not higher.

    "Please forgive my daughter''s impoliteness for inviting you with just a letter."

    "That''s fine. I am happy to ept your daughter''s invitation this time."

    Rachel then gave the letter from the Earl to Felicia, and Felicia gave it to barony.

    Barony opened the letter and read it.

    After reading for about a minute, he closed the paper and started asking questions,

    "Who''s that kid over there?" Barony asked, pointing at Allen.

    Allen put his hand to his chest and bowed,

    "He is my personal knight; his name is Allen. Just Allen." Because of the previous incident, Felicia stated unequivocally that Allen was just a peasant.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh my, you chose a peasant as your personal knight? And not only that, he''s also a child," the baron scoffed.

    "Don''t worry; he''s the equivalent of a padium-ranked dungeon explorer," Felicia replied.

    "Padium? This kid? Hahahaha, no kidding,dy. I suggest you dismiss this child immediately. Don''t let something dangerous happen, and you can''t be properly protected."

    Rachel kept looking at Allen, afraid that he would suddenly get angry or say something rude. But fortunately, Allen didn''t seem to care about what the baron said. He just kept quiet, doing everything as he was told.

    "Te-thank you for giving your valuable advice, but I have no intention of firing him," there was a hint of annoyance in his words. But barony didn''t stop there,

    "You really should follow my advice, I used to appoint a peasant as my knight. I actually really liked him because he was quite strong. But suddenly, he cooperated with the rebels and nned to kill me. Peasants are just trash who will do anything for money. Maybe that boy has a face and hair you like, but don''t let your lust control you, mydy."

    Because Rachel began to hear the barony''s diatribe not only against Allen but also against Felicia. She immediately shouted at him.

    "Watch yournguage, sir. I will not allow the insult to the earl''s daughter-"

    "YOU SHUT UP MAID! A COMMONER LIKE YOU HAS NO RIGHT TO CRITICIZE A NOBLEMAN!"

    The baron was out of breath as soon as he shouted.

    Then everything went silent.

    From behind, Allen could only see her back, but he was sure Felicia was making an unpleasant face.

    And that somehow annoyed him more than listening to the barony ramble on about how inferior he was.

    Allen stepped forward, approached Felicia, and peered at her face from the side.

    "Seems like you need a mirror, Felicia. Your face really looks bad right now."

    Even if Felicia was in a bad mood, she could put on an unconcerned face because she was always trained to pretend.

    But no matter how hard Felicia tried to conceal it, Allen was able to detect the true feelings hidden by humans.

    Allen''s actions made barony angry.

    "What kind of mouth do you have?! You''re Lady Felicia''s personal knight, and she''s noble! You should call herdy, you filthy peasant!"

    "You also shouldn''t talk out loud anymore; your breath stinks."

    "Wha!"

    Allen advanced towards the barony and looked at him with a face of hatred, disgust, and condescension.

    "Wh-what are you going to do?! Why are you looking at me like that?!"

    Instead of answering barony''s question, he spoke to Felicia.

    "I''ve been misunderstood, Felicia.

    I know that nobles are people who are highly regarded and respected; that''s why they do things that make them respected.

    But so far, the only nobles I''ve seen are Isabelle and you, except your father and his knight. Isabelle is unmistakably doing things for her subordinates. Felicia, I may not like how you talk to others at first, but you always do everything you can to help others.

    Then I assumed that all nobles would be like that, being proud because they had something to be proud of, but I was wrong.

    Like this filthy guy in front of me. They''re just people who look down on others to elevate themselves, who arepletely useless and can''t do anything."

    Allen then turned around and grabbed Felicia''s wrist.

    "Let''s go home; I''m sick of watching you refrain from cursing at this trash."

    Rachel could only cover her face.

    ''Even though I asked him to keep quiet, it still turned out like this.

    But...

    I''m d he said it,'' Rachel thought.

    Barony, who had been gaping for some reason, was sweating with fear.

    Allen took Felicia''s hand and led her to the exit.

    "We''re leaving first," Allen said.

    When Allen said that, barony seemed to regain his senses suddenly.

    "KILL THAT PEASANT!" he shouted at the person beside him.

    "YOU DAMN PEASANT! HOW DARE YOU HARASS ME LIKE THIS! I''LL KILL YOU AND CHOP UP YOUR BODY!"

    The man took out his sword and immediately ran over, trying to sh Allen''s head.

    "ALLEN!" shouted Rachel.

    Allen then pushed Felicia towards Rachel. He then spun around and pulled his sword from its sheath.

    -SLANK

    Barony''s bodyguard''s sword was thrown and stuck in the floor in front of barony''s foot.

    "HIIIIII!!!" With a terrified expression, Barony fell.

    After that, Allen immediately came forward, trying to sh the soldier''s hand.

    But

    "ALLEN ENOUGH!"

    Felicia stopped him.

    "Why?" asked Allen.

    Felicia didn''t answer him. Instead, she came forward and greeted the barony.

    "Thank you for your time; sorry for my knight''s rudeness."

    After Felicia said that, she turned around and walked out the door.

    "Come on, let''s go home. I''ve had enough of it here. It''s so smelly and disgusting. I want to take a shower right away."

    They left there, leaving the barony looking angry but scared in his room.

    .

    .

    .

    "Say, Felicia, why are you staying there? Isn''t your father''s status higher than his? He can''t possibly mess with you, right?"

    On the way out of the residence, Allen asked Felicia.

    "That''s from my father."

    "What?"

    "A letter from my father. He was the one who asked the barony to tell me that so that he could get me to fire Allen."

 Chapter 64 Past Trauma

    ?"How did youe to that conclusion?" asked Rachel.

    Felicia had concluded that her father had asked the baron to denounce Allen so she could fire him and rece him with a new knight.

    "It''s obvious from the way he talks. First, my father suddenly left me a letter when I wanted to go to the baron''s ce. Then, secondly, the baron started mistreating Allen after reading his letter. Not only that, he even insulted me too, which means he was sure that the earl wouldn''t get angry no matter how harshly he treated me," Felicia exined angrily.

    "I think you''re just overthinking, mydy. There''s no way Lord Reynold would do something like that."

    Felicia paused, then looked at Rachel.

    "Are you serious? This is my father we''re talking about, a man who hasn''t even seen me in over ten years. My rebel is the result of his behavior!"

    Felicia then takes a quick step forward. Allen, who saw the angry Felicia, could only remain silent. Allen had never had a father, so he didn''t fully understand Felicia''s anger.

    Leaving the house, Felicia went straight to her carriage without greeting the girls in the pavilion. She intended to leave immediately because she didn''t want to talk to them anymore.

    From the beginning, the earl''s daughter did not need to deal with lowly nobles. Her arrival was intended to make more friends at the academy, but now that her will was shattered, her mood had deteriorated thanks to her father.

    But even so, the baron''s daughter, Urs, approached her.

    "Where are you going, Lady Felicia? The tea party is about to begin."

    Felicia sighed; she was already unable to maintain her fake smile, so she looked at her with a wry face.

    "I''m sorry, Lady Urs, I have to go home immediately; convey my apologies to the others; I have some sudden business," Felicia said as she lifted her skirt.

    "Bu-but, everyone is waiting for you! Especially..."

    A boy then appeared from the pavilion, approaching them.

    "Nice to see you again, Lady Felicia."

    His hair was dark blue, and his eyes were brown. Upon seeing the boy, Felicia''s face immediately turned gloomy.

    "Umm, do you still recognize me?" the boy asked.

    Felicia lifted her skirt and said,

    "I-yes, of course, I do, Mr Brian."

    When Felicia was ten years old, he was one of her future fianc¨¦es. And he was the reason Felicia fell at the dance. The son of Barony Bivey, Brian Bivey.

    ''There''s no way I can forget him; hepletely ruined my life that day. But on the other hand, I can''t me him; I met Sir Waldo because of this person.''

    Even so, Felicia couldn''t stop thinking about the events of that day; she still didn''t like being around Brian.

    Moreover, Felicia had tried to make the event a sess at the time, so she had a lot of pride and confidence in the party, and while Felicia felt at the peak of her nobility, she fell because of Brian''s dance mistake. As a result, she was traumatized. She''d never forget the looks of those who witnessed her fall that day.

    ''The Bivey family must havee here because of the whitmoon festival. But why did hee to Andoram''s residence? Did Andoram invite all the baron families?'' thought Felicia.

    "I would like to apologize for that incident. I hope you can choose me again as your fianc¨¦."

    "Wha-"

    "What did you say, Mr Brian?!" shouted Urs.

    With an annoyed face, she continued.

    "No, I''m already your fianc¨¦e! Do you intend to cancel the engagement? What about our parents'' consent?!"

    "Our engagement was only forced; from the beginning, I did not agree to this engagement. I epted it because my father forced me to. But if Lady Felicia had agreed to be engaged to me, I can convince father to cancel our engagement."

    "You can''t just break it off like that!"

    With a long sigh, Felicia finally understood the situation.

    ''Brian Bivey is Urs Andoram''s fianc¨¦. Urs must have invited me because it was one of Brian''s conditions toe to her house,'' Felicia thought.

    Because of the failure of Bivey and Felicia''s engagement n, Bivey decided to spread his influence among the Andoram family. Unfortunately, Brian, who had liked Felicia since the birthday party, did not ept this one-sided engagement.

    The Bivey family may decide to stay in Andoram as the whitmoon festival approaches. Because Brian refused to talk to Urs, Urs decided to host a tea party and invited Brian to attend. Urs purposefully invited Felicia to the event to entice Brian to attend. Urs knows what she did is impolite, but she still sends the letter, hoping Felicia does note to her residence. Urs was already prepared to ept her punishmentter, but now he was surprised to see Felicia reallye to her residence. As a result, the current situation exists.

    "Felicia, can''t we go straight home?" Allen whispered near Felicia''s shoulder.

    Seeing Allen, who looked close to Felicia, Brian immediately protested.

    "Wait! What are you doing?!"

    "Huh?"

    "Who are you? Why are you too close to Lady Felicia?!"

    Urs then took the opportunity.

    "Mr. Brian, he''s Lady Felicia''s personal knight; he''s a peasant favored and loved by the Lady, so give it up."

    Felicia, of course, immediately got angry at her.

    "PARDON ME?!"

    "Is that true?!" Brian asked Felicia.

    "Of course not! He''s just my subordinate."

    "No, she must like it. Why else would she make a peasant the same age as her personal knight? You must give up, Mr Brian; Lady Felicia will not agree to reengage." Urs persisted and continued to try to heat Brian.

    Because of themotion, the noble children who were sitting in the pavilion came closer, which was a situation that Rachel disliked the most.

    ''Oh no, why does Mr Brian have to be here? And Lady Urs even said fianc¨¦-fianc¨¦ multiple times. That word shouldn''t be mentioned in front of Lady Felicia! I have to do something...''

    Annoyed by Urs''s words, Brian then looked at Felicia and asked,

    "What do you like about that boy?" he asked.

    Felicia, who was already tired, answered him immediately to get things over with quickly.

    "Every part of him. Every single good thing in Allen is not present in you, except social status. Are you satisfied now? Mr. Brian?"

    Brian''s face turned bright red. Embarrassed and frustrated at Felicia''s answer. On the other hand, Urs breathed a sigh of relief because it turned out that what she had mentioned was not nonsense, so she didn''t have to fear punishment.

    It was like a confession, so the girls who saw it were immediately hysterical.

    "UWAAA. Did you hear that?"

    "It''s just like the y I watched yesterday!"

    "The love between the princess and her knight, then the prince trying to separate them out of jealousy of their rtionship!"

    "I didn''t think something like this really existed!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Felicia immediately realized that she had said something embarrassing in front of everyone. She had been thinking about how she could get home, so she said something like that out of the blue.

    "Wait! You''re wrong!" but it was toote; they weren''t listening.

    Felicia then looked to the side at Allen''s face.

    Allen''s face was expressionless until he noticed that Felicia was staring at him. At that point, he tilted his head in a perplexed manner.

    Felicia then looked at them back and said,

    "You''ve gone too far! I already have a fianc¨¦, and his name is Wald-" While Felicia was still speaking, Rachel abruptly interrupted her.

    "GUEST WHAT? LADY URSULA, there is no rtionship between Allen and Miss Felicia; please don''t say anything careless."

    ''almost... These children must have known the news that Mr. Waldo had died. People will be confused if Lady Felicia says anything about Mr. Waldo here!'' Rachel thought.

    Then, to divert the conversation and solve all the problems, Rachel said

    "Allen is strong; that''s why he became Lady Felicia''s knight; he even defeated the padium-ranked dungeon explorer yesterday."

    "What? This kid?"

    "No way."

    "Is he that strong?"

    ''Good, this is going in a better direction,'' Rachel thought.

    "Right, the reason I chose Allen is that he''s strong. There''s no special reason other than that. So, please let me go home peacefully," Felicia said.

    "Wait!" Brian, who heard Felicia praising Allen, was annoyed.

    Brian then looked at Allen with an annoyed face and said.

    "Allen, I challenge you to a duel; if I can beat you, you must stop being Lady Felicia''s knight!"

    "Huh? Mr Brian, what are you talking about?" protested Felicia.

    Allen let out a long sigh ''oh no, not this sh*t again,'' he thought.

    "Alright, can we get started?" said Allenzily.

    Brian asked the butler to bring two wooden swords.

    "Lady Felicia, if I can win against Allen, please reconsider our engagement," Brian said.

    Urs grabbed Brian''s shoulder and said, "Mr. Brian, this is impossible. This duel has nothing to gain for Lady Felicia; there is no way thedy can ept it-"

    "Very well," Felicia replied confidently.

    "If you can beat Allen, I will consider it. But if you lose, you really should give up."

    Brian nodded, holding his wooden sword confidently.

    Then he looked at Allen, who was standing in front of him, while thinking

    ''There''s no way I''m weaker than this peasant. Just keep an eye out; I''ll use my god''s blessing to knock him out right away!'' Brian thought.

    "Allen! Finish it quick!" said Felicia.

    "I''ll do it without you telling me to!" replied Allen.

    ''D*mn, he underestimated me!'' thought Brian.

    Rachel held the coin and tossed it.

    Then when the coin struck.

    -WUUUSH

    -BREAK

    Brian''s wooden sword shattered instantly, and Brian fell to the ground.

    "Wh-what happened?" Brian couldn''t see; his hand was clearly shaking violently and possibly dislocated; he was extremely perplexed by the situation.

    "Allen, let''s go," Felicia said.

    Then, when he could finally see clearly, he found out that in front of him there was Allen, who was standing and looking down on him from above.

    The other nobles'' children were also shocked and speechless. None of them could get a good look at Allen''s movements. In their eyes, they only saw the moment when Brian suddenly fell.

    "Here''s your toy," Allen said as he threw it in front of the fallen Brian.

    Then Brian looked at Felicia, who had lifted her skirt,

    "Thank you for inviting me, Lady Urs. I apologize for the mess my subordinates made." And then she turned to get into her carriage.

    .

    .

    .

    Just as Felicia''s carriage exited the residence, another carriage entered the Andoram residence.

    "Whose carriage is that? Is the tea party already over?" asked the girl in the carriage as she passed Felicia''s carriage.

    "Pardon me, mydy. I don''t know who it is, but from the shape of the carriage, it seems to be the earl''s carriage."

    "Earl? At the baron''s tea? How wonderful of Urs to invite the earl to her residence."

    When this girl arrived, she went straight to the pavilion, where people were drinking tea.

    "Sorry for my dy; there were some hitches on the way." The girl said as she lifted her skirt.

    Then she realized there was something strange about the atmosphere; they were all silent, like something had happened. In addition, a man was sitting alone some distance away, looking at the sky.

    "Did something happen?" the girl asked.

    "Ah, it''s nothing; thank you foring! Lady Jane Barkaley. It''s a pity you couldn''t meet Lady Felicia; I heard she was engaged to your beloved brother."

    "Felicia, so that carriage was Lady Felicia''s?!"

    "That''s right."

    "How unfortunate. I have a lot to say about brother Waldo."

 Chapter 65 My Happiness Is My Mother

    ?Inside the carriage, Felicia sat and devoured her snack. Her face looked annoyed and tired.

    Allen looked at her face for quite a long time.

    "What?" said Felicia in a slightly angry tone; she realized that Allen had stared at her,

    "Nothing," Allen said as he averted his face while covering his mouth with his scarf.

    ''She looks like a rabbit chewing biscuit,'' Allen thought.

    She had eaten it with gusto for two minutes. When she realized there was nothing more she could scoop out of her snack bag, Felicia bent her head.

    "Allen... about that time¡­"

    "Hmm? Which one?"

    "When with Mr Brian, I said what I liked about you-"

    "Aah¡­ You don''t need to exin; I know you lied to get home quickly. I''m pretty good at reading other people''s lies," Allen replied.

    "It''s good that you understand. After all, I already have Mr Waldo."

    When he heard that name, Allen couldn''t help but be more curious.

    That''s because he felt he had heard that name before and thought it was important. So he asked

    "Who is Waldo?"

    Hearing Allen ask that question, Felicia immediately perked up

    "He''s the most important person in my life!" she said as she stood up slightly.

    "No, I''m asking about his existence as a human being, not your opinion of him."

    "He''s a wonderful person!"

    "No, I told you I wasn''t asking about-"

    Felicia then continued

    "Mr. Waldo is the one who saved my life."

    Felicia''s expression changed, and she smiled like the happiest person in the world, making Allen unable to take his face away from Felicia. Now he began to wonder, what could make this girl smile so happily?

    "The night I met Mr Waldo, I felt reborn. He was the reason I lived and wanted to be stronger, all for that person only."

    "You live for someone else?"

    "That''s right! I live to make him happy. That''s the path I want to take in life, and that''s how I achieve my happiness. His happiness is my happiness too."

    "His happiness is your happiness..."

    ''So that''s why she can smile like that...'' Allen thought.

    Allen had never seen such a smile. There was no pretense in it, and there was no sadness in it either, unlike the ones his mother and Isabelle showed.

    ''did I used to smile like that too?'' he thought.

    "Allen, one day you will meet the person who will be your happiness," Felicia said happily.

    "I''ve already met her."

    "Eh?"

    Allen''s expression changed, and then, while covering his face with his scarf, he said,

    "My mother... My happiness is my mother."

    ''And the ones who took it away were the humans.''

    "I see... I don''t care about your past anyway," Felicia said while trying to scoop up another bag of snacks.

    -BRUAG

    Suddenly the carriage shook from its sudden stop, and it seemed to have hit a rock so violently that Felicia almost fell off. If Rachel hadn''t grabbed her right away, Felicia might have been seriously injured.

    "AW! What the heck?! What is that coachman doing?! He''s making a mistake like this again; I will ask father to fire him!"

    Allen then looked at Rachel while holding his left shoulder. That is Allen''s signal for something dangerous.

    Seeing Allen''s signal, Rachel''s face turned slightly pale, and she nodded.

    "Lady, I''m sorry; please calm down," Rachel said as she covered Felicia''s mouth.

    -KNOCK KNOCK

    From outside, someone knocked twice on the door.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Rachel.

    Allen immediately got ready; he squatted on the chair while holding his sword.

    "Please excuse me, Lady. It seems that the wheels are a little damaged by the rocks, so I''d like to rece them. Could you please get out first?" That was the coachman''s voice. Rachel immediately replied

    "Why do we have to get out? Can''t you fix the wheel while we''re inside?"

    "Um... That would be difficult. Because the wheels have to be lifted first."

    "Alright, please open the door. I am currently holding mydy."

    The coachman opened the door.

    As he opened it, he became confused.

    "Wait, why are you alone inside? I was sure I heard Miss Rachel''s voice earlier?" The coachman could only see Allen alone in the carriage.

    "That was my voice," Allen said.

    "Wh-what?"

    Allen jumped toward the coachman and stabbed him in the shoulder.

    "AKH!"

    Then, when Allen got out, he looked at the wheel.

    ''There''s no problem with the wheel! This coachman is up to something!

    The signal given by Allen to Rachel was that there were many people following them. And they weren''t just regr people; they also had killing intentions.

    As soon as Allen confirmed the wheel, he looked inside the carriage and said

    "Rachel, do it!"

    Rachel''s god''s blessing may cause her to be overlooked by her surroundings. Allen was unaffected by her god''s blessing because he had seen her since the beginning.

    -BRUG

    Rachel once again made Felicia faint by chopping her lower neck.

    "Forgive me, Lady."

    -SYUUUT

    A long arrow shot into Allen''s back. But the arrow couldn''t enter his body; it only stuck slightly in the back. Allen picked up the arrow and threw it back where he had received it.

    As a result, there was a scratching sound from behind a bush in the forest. From there, a man immediately ran towards Allen.

    Allen immediately threw his long sword at the man and pierced his neck.

    "D*MN, THEY''VE ALREADY NOTICE OUR PRESENCE!" Then from all directions, many adult men suddenly appeared,ing out of the underbrush.

    They were the bandits who were trying to loot Felicia''s carriage.

    "One, two, three, four... there are twelve of them. Do I need to fuse with Reig? But it''s still a long way home; if I fuse, I''ll get tired and won''t be able to handle the other bandits on the way."

    Allen''s two hands then grabbed something behind his head, more precisely at the back of his neck. He pulled his dual des from inside Reig''s body. Rachel peeked out, seeing with whom Allen was fighting.

    "Bandits, but it doesn''t seem like ordinary bandits."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The bandits were wearing various clothes. Not the usual diverse clothes, but clothes that looked as if they were working inside the city. Some were wearing aprons; some were carrying iron hammers in their hands. And most of their clothes were stained with blood.

    They were, somehow, looking at Allen with scared faces. Their bodies were thin, and their eyes were slightly ckened.

    "They were not experienced fighter," Allen thought.

    Allen looked at their trembling bodies, some holding swords carelessly with careless postures.

    "DIE!" one of them ran toward Allen, raising their sword like a mace. Then followed by several others.

    ''They''re amateurs. The only strong one is probably that archer,'' he thought.

    Then Allen, without hesitation, threw one of his des at the nearest person. The de pierced his neck, causing him to fall. But before his body reached the ground, Allen immediately jumped on the person''s body, stepped on his body and took back his de. He did this in just a second.

    Allen then threw the bandit close to him with his right de. With his scarf, he pulled another bandit in front of him and stabbed him with his left de. Allen used the same technique with others: throw the de, bind and pull the enemies with the scarf, and retake the de.

    "Amazing," said Rachel, who saw Allen move so quickly that he defeated all the bandits with just one strike.

    "HIIIII!!!!" Finally, one person was left hysterically scared beside the carriage. Allen''s scarf tied up his body, so he couldn''t escape.

    "ALLEN! DON''T KILL HIM!" shouted Rachel.

    The man was immediately shocked because Rachel seemed to have magically appeared beside him.

    Rachel ced the unconscious Felicia on the seat and then got off the train.

    "Whose orders are these? Why did you attack us?" Rachel asked.

    Bandits didn''t need an borate reason to attack a passing noble carriage for money. But Rachel''s suspicions had nothing to do with that. From their clothes and the way they fought, they couldn''t be ordinary bandits; they were too weak. Weak bandits would avoid a noble carriage of the earl''s ss or above because there must be a strong personal knight inside. So bandits who target noble carriages must be pretty confident in their abilities.

    "I-P-P-P PLEASE PARDON MY LIFE!" eximed the man

    "Answer my question first!"

    "W-we were sent by a Norttish girl with white and slightly ck hair!"

    "Norttish girl?"

    ''Who? Is he joking? And her hair... does anyone else have two-toned hair like Allen?''

    Then Rachel continued

    "Answer my questions, and not only will your life be spared, but we''ll also give you some money, so be honest."

    "I''M NOT LYING! We were sent by a Norttish girl! Her clothes are strange, and her way of speaking is scary too!"

    "Why would she tell you to attack Earl Boldenville''s carriage?"

    The man showed a confused face,

    "Earl Boldenville?"

    "You don''t know that you attacked the earl''s litter?!"

    "N-no! I didn''t know about that! That Norttish girl told us to rebel against the baron of Andoram! We attacked the carriage to increase the cost of our rebellion!"

    "Rebellion?"

    "That''s right... Barony Andoram has gotten very rotten. The taxes in our territory are higher than in other territories, and we''re not allowed to leave Andoram territory with our goods, so we''re all starving."

    ''I thought they were doing this on someone''s orders, so that means it has nothing to do with Lady Felicia... should I turn a blind eye to this.''

    "Allen, let him go; we have nothing to do with this person," Rachel said.

    "Don''t order me around..." muttered Allen as he took off his scarf.

    Rachel took a money bag from her pocket and gave it to the man.

    "Go; you can use that money to flee Andoram territory with your family. As for this matter, I''ll try to discuss it with our lord, Earl Boldenville. But don''t get your hopes up, our lord is a bit¡­ prudent."

    "Tha-thank you!" he said as he ran from there.

    After they could no longer see the man, Rachel looked at the unconscious coachman.

    "What are we going to do with him?" asked Allen, who walked over.

    "Leave him here. This coachman was only promised a share of the profits. Since the coachman conspired, I originally thought this was an order from the Andoram barony."

    ''And I think it''s also Lord Boldenville''s order. He probably wants to kill Allen, and since he knows my god''s blessing, he believes I can bring Felicia back to the manor alone. But hopefully, it''s all just my imagination... I believe Lord Boldenville still loves Lady Felicia,'' Rachel thought.

    Then Rachel looked at Allen,

    "What?" asked Allen

    "Are you okay?"

    "As you can see, I''m fine."

    "No... I mean... I''m the one who asked you to kill the people who endangered Lady, so you don''t have to feel responsible about them."

    "I killed them, and I did it because they were trying to do the same thing to me."

    "But Lady Felicia certainly wouldn''t have asked you to do this."

    "Of course, isn''t that why you made her faint? So that she wouldn''t have to know that I killed people because of her?"

    Rachel averted her face, feeling guilty for Felicia and Allen.

    ''A child this small, he shouldn''t be used to killing others, but I have no other choice; it''s all for Lady,'' Rachel thought.

    After that, they continued their journey, with Rachel riding the horse.

    .

    .

    .

    "Hey, wake up. We have arrived," said Allen.

    "Hmm, stop it..." muttered Felicia.

    Not waking up yet, Allen continued to poke Felicia''s cheeks more roughly.

    Felicia then slowly opened her eyes.

    And when she opened her eyes, she could see Allen''s face above her, looking at her with an annoyed face.

    But she didn''t care about Allen''s annoyed face; her eyes immediately widened in surprise at the sight of Allen on top of her face. Currently, her head was on Allen''s thigh; she was sleepingfortably on hisp, and she remembered that she was a little delirious. So Felicia immediately raised her head to get up, but

    -BRAK

    "OUCH!"

    Their heads hit each other because Allen lowered his head to wake Felicia up, and Felicia immediately woke up without thinking.

    "DON''T IMMEDIATELY GET UP LIKE THAT!" shouted Allen.

    "WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?! WHY AM I SLEEPING ON YOUR LAP?!" shouted Felicia with a bright red face.

    "That''s because you fell asleep on the way! Because Rachel reced the coachman, she forced me to let you sleep on myp!"

    "Wha¡­ what? Why would I sleep there?! What was Rachel thinking?!"

    "I don''t know either; she just insisted on forcing me."

    Then Felicia held her head and thought

    "Falling asleep on the road? Me?"

    "Yeah."

    ''When did I oversleep? If I''m not mistaken, someone knocked, and... oh no.... My head is spinning the more I think about it.''

    [Illustration]

 Chapter 66 Alicia Regina Wildenhall

    ?Two weeks before the whitmoon festival begins.

    People in the capital became increasingly busy preparing house decorations and other equipment needed for the parade. Simrly, the gatekeepers were overburdened day and night as they dealt with the long lines in front of the gates.

    Houses in the capital have been decorated with lotus flowers of various colors, and merchants change the theme of their merchandise ording to the festival, some selling flowers, some selling cakes in the shape of princely silhouettes, and many more. As the capital''s poption has almost doubled, the main street has be crowded with horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians.

    Hungry peasants misused these crowds. They begged for money on street corners. But most peasants would be chased away by shopkeepers, so only a few did it.

    And the other way they get money is...

    "THEFT! ANYONE, THAT KID STEALING APPLES!"

    is to steal.

    This crowd became a golden opportunity to escape from the guards.

    The thief was a little boy who was 5 or 6 years old and had tattered clothes. He ran desperately towards the slums, pushing the people around him violently.

    He looked at the apple he was holding with a smile, wishing he could share it with his family.

    But

    -BREAK

    He fell to his knees. The apple rolled forward, and he looked at it with despair.

    When he immediately tried to stand up, he couldn''t move; the nt''s roots were wrapped around his legs. It was the root of the nt that made him fall. He tried to pull it with all his might, but it was useless; there was someone who approached him.

    "You''ve been trapped, little thief."

    The boy lifted his head and saw a pretty man with short hair and a dark yellow color. He wore armor covered in white cloth. On his chest was the crest of Wildenhall Kingdom. And because of his actions, people looked toward him and realized who he was.

    "That armor... he''s the knight of rounds!"

    "Knight of rounds?!"

    "Who is he? Who is he?"

    "That''s Mr. Sewel."

    "His body is small and so pretty..."

    "This is the first time I''ve seen the knight of rounds so close!"

    A peg was stuck next to the root wrapped around the boy''s leg. The man picked up the peg, and the root was untied.

    The boy became terrified because the knight saw his crime directly.

    Momentster, a woman in an apron came out of the crowd. She looked at the boy and hit him on the head.

    "BASTARD PEASANT THIEF!" She was the owner of the fruit shop that the boy had stolen from.

    Then from behind the knight, another person wearing the same armor appeared. He was also one of the knights of rounds. He was tall and well-built. His short hair was the same dark blue color as his eyes.

    He carried the fallen apple in his hand and gave it to the shopkeeper woman.

    "Here you are."

    "Tha-Thank you very much, sir," said the shopkeeper, who blushed and felt embarrassed when the man smiled at her.

    "Ah, Tobias, you took the apple! I meant to give it to thedy!" said Sewel with an annoyed face.

    Tobias made no expression, implying that he was used to his colleague''s attitude.

    He looked at the little thief and stared at him with a furious face.

    "I-I-I..I''m sorry sir..." the little boy said as he bowed his head; he was crying, and his body shook. Not hearing an answer, the little boy raised his head and found Tobias ring angrily at him.

    "Sorry is not enough. If everything can be solved with forgiveness, you won''t regret what you did!" Tobias said.

    "I''m sorry! Please forgive me! I meant to give it to mom and dad; they haven''t eaten anything for two days!"

    "Nonsense! I won''t believe a thief''s dirty mouth! Thieves are viins, and viins are not to be trusted!"

    Beside Tobias, Sewel lookedzily disgusted.

    ''oh no, there he goes again,''

    Tobias lifted the boy''s hand roughly and then...

    -SLAP

    He pped the boy so hard that the boy''s saliva came out of his mouth.

    "Akh! Ha ah... I''m sorry," the boy whimpered.

    "No, you cannot be forgiven! Your sins will not be forgiven, and you must be punished! Justice will not allow you to continue sinning!"

    Tobias proceeded to p the boy across the face.

    -SLAP

    -SLAP

    -SLAP

    -SLAP

    -SLAP

    With each p, the other people who saw him started to feel sorry for him. Even the shopkeeper couldn''t bear to see it.

    "Sir, I think that''s enough, I got my stuff back, so there''s no need to continue."

    "ENOUGH?! YOU JUST KEEP QUIET! HE''S A CRIMINAL! HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED!"

    Tobias pped him ten times. And by the tenth p, the boy was unconscious.

    The boy''s face was unrecognizable, his hair a mess, his eyes wide without light, and he was drooling with blood in his mouth. Meanwhile, his cheeks were swollen with blood. Quite a lot of blood was sttered on the ground.

    "My gloves got dirty," Tobias said as he took off his bloody gloves and threw them on the ground.

    "Let''s go, Her Highness Alicia is waiting for us," he said to Sewel.

    "Fine... We werete from the beginning because of what you just did. I only meant to return the apple."

    "That''s not enough; he must be punished to deter him."

    "No, no, that''s not a ''deterrent'' anymore. What you did could ruin his future and hope for life."

    "What did you say?!" Tobias then grabbed Sewel''s neck roughly.

    "Did you just criticize the rules that the council has made?!" Tobias was furious and almost used all his strength to strangle Sewel.

    "What if I do? Are you going to kill me? Then do it..." Sewel replied with a big smile on his face.

    A few seconds passed, and the people around him began to move away, worried that there might be a fight between the knights in the city.

    But Tobias finally let go of her hand.

    "Let''s go," he said.

    "Pfftt... okay okay."

    ...

    Arriving at the royal castle, Tobias and Sewel were immediately greeted by the unpleasant face of the person wearing the same clothes.

    "Oh no, don''t make that face, Miss Fleur. Are you that unhappy to see us?"

    She was Fleur Lymsey Wake, the number 1 holder in the Knight of Rounds, or arguably the strongest among them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s because you look annoying." She said it with an ufortable face.

    "Oh no, don''t hate me. Are we a team?"

    "NO!"

    Ignoring their problem, Tobias asked

    "Are we the only threeing?"

    "No, you''re almost thest. The others are already resting in their rooms; some are out patrolling the city; the only one who hasn''t is number 10, Birawa Budiono," Fleur replied.

    "Birawa, huh? He never shows up on schedule and is always ''my pace''," Sewel said.

    "Just leave it, he''s an other-worlder; the culture in his world is different from ours."

    Fleur then looked at Tobias, who seemed to want to ask something. Then, after thinking for a few seconds, Fleur immediately knew what he wanted to ask.

    "Aaah, you want to meet her highness? She''s in the east garden pavilion; she''s reading a book, so don''t disturb her until she''s finished."

    "Th-thank you!" replied Tobias with a flushed face.

    Just as Fleur said, Tobias went to the garden on the castle''s east side.

    There was a white rose garden. As he walked a little, he could see the figure he wanted to meet in one of the pavilions.

    A girl with long golden hair was there. Her hair was loose and almost touched the ground. She was dressed in a long white sleeveless gown with slightly transparent bottoms. She was the first princess and the third prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, Her Highness Alicia Regina Wildenhall.

    There was a stack of thick, dull-colored books on the table. And there was tea and some sweets on the table.

    Alicia was reading one of a rtively thick book.

    She was alone, whereas usually princes were not allowed to sit alone without their maids or personal knights.

    Seeing Alicia, Tobias'' face once again flushed, mesmerized by her beauty. Tobias immediately tried to smell his body, worried that the smell of blood was lingering on it.

    Tobias wanted to call out to her, but Alicia''s face looked very focused, so he didn''t want to disturb her.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    However, when Alicia was about to drink her tea,

    -CRACK

    "Ah!"

    The ss fell onto her thigh and then shattered below.

    "Your highness! Are you alright!" shouted Tobias, who immediately ran over to Alicia and suddenly patted her thigh with his cloak.

    "Tobias?!"

    Then, after a few seconds, Tobias realized what he''d done was embarrassing and disrespectful. His face turned bright red, and he immediately raised both hands.

    "PARDON ME, YOUR HIGHNESS!" Tobias shouted.

    Tobias then slightly peered into Alicia''s face, afraid she was angry with him. But instead of getting mad, she smiled.

    "It''s okay, Tobias. You did it because you were worried about me, thank you very much."

    ''She''s an angel,'' Tobias thought.

    "So, what do you need me for, Tobias?" Alicia asked.

    "So-sorry! I just...wanted...to...see...you..."

    ''AAAAAAAAAAAA! What did I say?!''

    Alicia once again smiled, and she closed her book.

    "Alright, let''s chat for a while. You can sit down."

    "Tha-thank you!"

    "Where are your gloves? Did you break them?" asked Alicia, looking at Tobias'' ungloved hands.

    "Thi-this is because I just punished a criminal. So my gloves are a little dirty,"

    "Fufufu, no need to be so nervous. You''re now a knight of rounds! You''ve be a great person. It''s different from what you were when you were amon soldier."

    "But, you''re the princess, one of the princes; my status is still far below yours!"

    "Talk to me casually. I don''t really care about social status."

    ''I know that... you''re the reason I''ve risen to this level as amoner,''

    Alicia poured the tea into a new ss and handed it to Tobias.

    "Here you are," Alicia said.

    "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Tobias drank the tea in one gulp."

    "Fufufu" Alicia chuckled at his behavior. Tobias, who saw that smile, immediately melted, unable to stop looking at her face.

    Then, her smile slowly faded after a while, and her face became serious. She stroked the book on her desk, then said

    "Hey Tobias, tell me how Daemon Servus is moving?"

    Tobias'' face also became serious, and he began to tell Alicia what he was facing in the southeast fortress.

    Daemon Servus is an organization made up of humans and demi-humans that worships the Devil. Based on royal secret forces research, this organization intends to restore the glory of the demons as it was 1,000 years ago. There is no information on how they do it, nor is there any information about their members. What is known about them is that they often ughter viges by draining all their blood. Three viges had already perished. And everyone in the vige became a dry, bloodless corpse.

    "I met one of them in the western region, but because of my carelessness, he managed to kill himself before I could scoop up the information; please forgive my carelessness," Tobias was a person who took his work very seriously, so even though it wasn''t his fault directly, Tobias became very desperate.

    Alicia knew Tobias'' nature well, so she immediately tried tofort him.

    "Don''t talk like that, Tobias!" Alicia held Tobias''s rough hand, and it made Tobias blush instantly.

    "You-your highness?!"

    "You''ve done your best for the kingdom! Don''t beat yourself up. I think our kingdom needs people like you! I need you!"

    Then slowly, Alicia let go of Tobias''s hand again and moodily said,

    "But¡­ I''m actually not happy you came here."

    Before Tobias could react, she continued.

    "It''s not that I''m not happy to see you! I am, but I feel the council''s decision to summon all the knights of the rounds to the capital was wrong. Daemons Servus can attack at any time, not to mention bandits, and many things that make the presence of knights of rounds more necessary. But the council chose to protect their capital so they would not be embarrassed by other countries."

    Tobias then smiled; it was because of Alicia''s kindness that he wanted to serve this person for the rest of his life, but he was toote. Alicia had already chosen her personal knight before he became strong.

    "Princess Alicia, take it easy. They''ll be fine; my subordinates are strong."

    "Hmm?"

    Seeing Alicia''s slightly surprised face, Tobias realized he had addressed her without respect.

    "MA-PLEASE, I BEG YOU PARDON! YOUR HIGHNESS!"

    "No-no-no problem! I''m even happier if you call me by my name."

    "There''s no way I''m doing that! Please forgive me! Forgive me!"

    "I told you it''s okay!"

    Alicia smiled and thought

    ''Hopefully, this peaceful life will continue forever.''

 Chapter 67 Inside The Boldenvilles Guild

    ?The visit to the Andoram residence did not go well. On the one hand, Felicia was upset and angry that the events in that ce had caused her to meet with the Bivey family''s eldest son and was mad that her father could be rted to this matter. But on the other hand, Felicia was also relieved that she no longer had to pretend to be friends with other nobles.

    Allen''s presence in Felicia''s life undoubtedly negatively influenced her nobility. But for Rachel, Allen was the one who relieved Felicia''s stress and gradually made Felicia more open.

    Everything was for Felicia''s happiness. So she had to stay close to her.

    That''s why, right now, Rachel is confused and worried because she won''t be with Felicia for a while. After all, Felicia went to the dungeon to gain more experience.

    ording to the Boldenville family advisor, the Oxwade academy would be conducting regr exams in the dungeon, which is why Felicia needed the experience of exploring the dungeon. Since the Boldenville family''s dungeon had already beenpleted on five floors, Reynolds sent Felicia to the 1st and 2nd-floor dungeons for practice.

    "What should I do? Will Lady be okay without me?" said Rachel to Felicia.

    "You''re noisy, Rachel, since when did I depend on you? You''re just my personal maid, and I wouldn''t depend onmoners like you. Also, we''re only going to explore the first and second floors, so don''t worry too much," said Felicia.

    ''No, Lady. I''m not worried about your safety because Allen wille with you. The problem is, I''m afraid that someone will leak information about Mr. Waldo''s situation in my absence.

    "Allen, we''re leaving soon; what are you doing?! I''m swelter!"

    They were currently in front of the house, and since they were only going to the guild, they used an ordinary carriage.

    Felicia was wearing armor and dungeon gear; her head was covered by a helmet, and chainmail almost covered her entire body. While Allen was simpler, he only wore a little chainmail on his body and a helmet on his head.

    Since it was Felicia''s first time wearing armor, she felt hot and sweaty just from standing.

    "I''ll just walk," said Allen, sitting quite far away from their position.

    "Huh? There''s no way I''m going to let you do that! Hurry up and get on! We talked about this yesterday, right?" Felicia shouted.

    Allen let out a long sigh and then reluctantly sat inside the carriage next to Felicia.

    "Wait, why do you sit beside me this close?" protested Felicia.

    "I can''t help it; I don''t want to be near her; move if you don''t want to."

    The person Allen was referring to sat at the front of the carriage. Because Allen wanted to avoid her, he sat near Felicia to force her to move from there.

    "What kind of knight would do something like this to his master!" protested Felicia angrily.

    They weren''t traveling alone, Reynold had asked for two people to watch over the two of them, but now only three were on the train.

    And the third person was the person Allen least wanted to see, Lavinia Merden.

    Allen made his voice heard by everyone, so Lavinia could listen to how much Allen disliked her. And Lavinia''s reaction was just quiet while reading a book, trying not to think about what Allen said.

    ''What''s the matter between Allen and Miss Lavinia?'' Felicia thought.

    Rachel then gave Lavinia a bag of potions, and they set off.

    Before entering the dungeon, they had to get permission to enter it at the explorer''s guild in the southeast, located a few kilometers from the dungeon.

    Fifteen minutester, from the Boldenville residence, they reached the Boldenville region explorer''s guild.

    The Boldenville region''s dungeon-explorer''s guild was huge. The entrance of the explorer''s guild was 5 meters high and 3 meters wide, open from morning to night. All sorts of people went in and out of that door, and most of their clothes were filthy with blood.

    Inside was very spacious, like a ser field filled with people. There were a few tables with seven chairs on the right and left of the chamber, while the center was filled with people queuing in front of the receptionist.

    There were five receptionists serving the explorers. Each of them had their own duties. Lavinia went to one of the rows of receptionists that had no line.

    "Wee to Boldenville Guild Explorer. Would you like to register?" the receptionist asked.

    All the receptionists had clothes that looked the same. They wore white long-sleeve shirts that were a little tight, then green skirts that were tied from below the chest to below the knee. The men wore in white shirts with dark green pants.

    Lavinia handed the receptionist a letter and said,

    "This is a letter from Lord Boldenville; these two children will enter the 1st and 2nd floor dungeons under my supervision, and one more person is yet toe."

    "And you are?"

    Lavinia took out a dark green metal te.

    "Miss Lavinia Merden, huh? Where is the other supervisor?"

    "Sorry, he hasn''t arrived yet. We''ll meet him as soon as we get to the dungeon, but he''s also padium-ranked just like me."

    "Since it''s a request from Lord Boldenville, it should be fine; please wait a moment; I''ll give this letter to the guild manager," the receptionist said as she entered the room behind her."

    It seemed like it would take a while, so Lavinia asked Felicia to sit in the chair to wait for her.

    "Aaaah! How long do I have to wait?!" protested Felicia as she took off her helmet and ced it on the table.

    "That woman said it would only take a minute," Allen replied.

    "It''s not just that! After we''re done, we still have to wait for Wulfgeat here."

    "Wufgeat?"

    "Don''t you remember? He''s the father''s personal knight that you beat in that duel."

    "Ooh, that guy. Why are there always so many annoying people around me? Anyway, why are we being watched by these two? I''m enough on my own."

    "There are so many things we can''t predict in the dungeon. So even if you''re stronger than someone of padium-rank, there''s no guarantee you''ll survive. We need experienced people to enter."

    "How inconvenient,"

    Although Allen disliked going with Felicia into the dungeon, he was a little interested in dungeons. He wanted to know what an actual dungeon was and whether the dungeons elsewhere were the same as his home. He liked the dungeon but felt unlucky to have to explore the dungeon with Lavinia and Wulfgeat, the two figures she hated the most in that residence.

    "EXCUSE ME!"

    Suddenly someone made a loud noise from the entrance. Everyone immediately looked toward the door.

    "Can someone lend me a horse?!" he shouted again.

    One of the receptionists came out of her post and approached the man.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hey, look..."

    "Isn''t he one of the knights of rounds?"

    "What is he doing in the Boldenville region?"

    Everyone knew him. He was one of the most famous knights of rounds. The reason was because of his arbitrary behavior, then because of his ck hair.

    "Sir, I will discuss it with the guild master first; please wait at the table for a moment," said the receptionist who approached him.

    The man then held the receptionist''s chin and brought her face closer.

    "Oh really? Is it alright, if I wait while having a drink with you, Lady?" the man teased.

    "I''m sorry, I''m still working... but if it''s after work... I''d love to," said the receptionist, who blushed at the invitation.

    "Hmm... I''ll leave tomorrow then. I''ll stay in the city tonight."

    The receptionist bowed her head and ran to the room at the back.

    Since people were looking at him, he looked back at the others, but they immediately averted their faces, pretending not to see anything.

    As the man looked around to find a seat, his eyes fell on something he was interested in.

    That was Allen, a ck-haired boy sitting with a girl.

    "Allen, that guy is looking this way!" whispered Felicia.

    "Huh? Why?"

    "I don''t know."

    The man then walked over to Allen and grabbed Allen''s shoulders.

    ? "Hey man," he said to Allen.

    "Allen, do you know him?" asked Felicia.

    Allen looked at that man and said,

    "I don''t know you."

    For some reason, the manughed.

    "HAHA, of course not! I called you because we''re the same."

    "What does that mean?"

    "Your hair! You''re an other-worlder, too, right?"

    The man extended his hand to shake Allen''s.

    Because of the atmosphere and the people looking at them, Allen was forced to ept the man''s handshake.

    "My name is Birawa Budiono; in our world, I''m from Indonesia; I was transferred to this world when I was about to die; what about you?"

    ''Indo-what? What is he talking about?''

    "Oh, I know, you don''t want to spread your information, huh? I understand that; maybe you''re from America? Or Japan? In my country, the crime rate is low, so people easily give their information to each other; even people''s personal information can be easily essed on online sites.

    But wait! Let me guess, are you from China? Or Arab? From your appearance, did youe to this world through reincarnation? That''s a very rare case, but it could happen. How old are you in that world?"

    ''This guy talks a lot; I don''t understand what he''s talking about either,'' Allen thought.

    "No, I don''t understand what you''re talking about, can you leave me alone?" Allen said to Birawa.

    "Aah, sorry, you don''t like being talked to, huh? I''m sorry, I like to meet other other-worlders because not too many havee to this world, so I want to chat about that world. I miss our world.

    "Indeed, I don''t like being talked to, but the main reason is that I don''t remember about myself in the other world, so I literally don''t understand everything you just said."

    Previously, Allen had talked about this with Isabelle. Because of her predominantly ck hair, Isabelle asked Allen to pretend to be an Other-worlder so as not to arouse deeper suspicion. The setting is Allen had forgotten his memory in another world.

    "Amnesia, huh? HAHAHA you lied in the most mainstream way, did you? It''s okay; you don''t need to exin further. Just meeting other other-worlder makes me happy."

    ''He doesn''t believe it...''

    Birawa then looked at Felicia, which made Felicia shudder.

    "A-a-what''s troubling you, Mr Knight?" Felicia said, smiling.

    After staring at Felicia for a while, Birawa patted Allen on the back.

    "So pretty... She''s so pretty! Hey, you have a beautiful heroine, man! In 10 years, I''m sure she''ll be even more beautiful,"

    "Stop doing that!" said Allen while removing Birawa''s hand from his back.

    "I also have my heroine. Unfortunately, she seems to hate me. Do you want to know who she is?"

    "No, I don''t want to know."

    "She is the leader of the knight of rounds; she is gorgeous and strong! I became a knight of rounds because she was the one who picked me up when I had just gotten into this world. And we will meet after a long time in the capital. I can''t wait to see her again."

    ''I told you I don''t want to know; what''s wrong with this guy? He''s on my list of people I dislike the most.''

    "Yes, I pray that you can win your heroine, Mr. Nameless," he continued as he punched Allen''s back once again, but Allen swatted it away with his right hand.

    "Hahaha, good reflexes, as expected from an other-worlder."

    After that, Lavinia came, and they immediately left from there.

    ''"See youter, Allen. I have a feeling we''ll see each other soon."

 Chapter 68 Felicias First Killing

    ?"I hate that guy," Allen said as he left the guild.

    "I also dislike him; he talks endlessly without considering that others may not want to listen to him. We don''t even know each other yet."

    When Lavinia finished dealing with the dungeon exploration permit, Birawa approached her and began flirting with her, but she immediately rejected him because she was a priestess. Then finally, when the three of them left the guild, Birawa waved his hand and said "goodbye" repeatedly in a loud voice, making Allen ufortable because of people''s gaze.

    It took about 10 minutes from the guild by carriage to the dungeon. When they arrived, Wulfgeat was already there, talking to the dungeon entrance guard.

    "Good thing we went ahead without waiting for him! It turns out he arrived first!" Felicia said it in annoyance.

    The Boldenville region dungeon was covered by a mountain. More precisely, the mountain was the first floor of the dungeon. The entrance to this dungeon is a cave. Around the cave was an iron fence, and ten soldiers guarded the dungeon.

    "Miss Lavinia, Lady Felicia, you''ve finally arrived," Wulfgeat said as he saw them.

    "Don''t make it seem like we''rete! Why didn''t youe here instead of the guild? We were supposed to have gathered at the guild before leaving!"

    "I''m sorry, Lady Felicia. But there are some things I need to prepare."

    "Geez, why don''t you just do it at the guild?!"

    Wulfgeat then looked at Allen''s face in annoyance.

    "Tch,"

    Lavinia took out her scroll and gave it to the warrior.

    "Understood. You may enter the dungeon, Boldenville family party."

    As they entered the dungeon, the air immediately turned cold. Moreover, it was very hot out there, so the suddenly cold air made them feelfortable.

    "S-so, this is inside a dungeon? It''s brighter than I thought," said Felicia, who was gawking while looking around.

    Like in the Barkaley region, this dungeon was illuminated by glowing crystals attached to almost every corner. The floor and walls were rocky, like a quarry.

    "Lady, each dungeon has a different mechanism. Some dungeons spit fire randomly, and there are dungeons where the maze changes. In Boldenville''s dungeon, the mechanism is a hole. So we have to be careful any time a hole can appear, whether small orrge," Lavinia exined.

    "Isn''t that dangerous?!"

    Just as Felicia asked, the ground in front of them immediately turned ash and made a hole about 30 centimeters deep.

    "No need to worry. So far, the deepest hole made by this dungeon is 1 meter, so it''s not too dangerous. It''s just that it can be dangerous on certain asions if you''re not careful."

    They jumped over the hole and continued forward.

    Wulfgeat then went on to say more.

    "That''s right; for example, if it suddenly appears while you''re taking a step, you could be knocked down and have your head smashed by a crystal that happens to be in front."

    "It''s even more dangerous when fighting monsters. We have to be careful."

    Felicia then asked, "How do you know about this? I thought your ss wasn''t a specialist, but a medic priestess?"

    "Dungeon specialists aren''t people who know dungeons, but who know and can analyze them with their mana. Specialists focus on absorbing and understanding mana. A specialist can even know how deep a hole the dungeon will create in front of them. I only know a little about this dungeon because I... and my friends explored it once."

    "Your friends? I thought you were a solo priestess, so the Boldenville family invited you. What are your friends doing now?" Felicia asked again.

    At that moment, Lavinia''s face turned somber.

    Softly, she said, "They died in the dungeon,"

    "I see..." Felicia only replied briefly, knowing that she shouldn''t ask any further questions.

    As for Allen, he knew who killed Lavinia''s friends. And Allen''s feelings when listening to Lavinia''s story were

    Not caring

    He didn''t care about Lavinia losing her friends.

    He didn''t feel that his mother was at fault there at all, and he would no longer support the actions of humans more than those of his mother. His mother must be more right, and he believed that.

    "How long are we going to walk?" asked Allen.

    "Tch, you peasant, is that the extent of your patience? We will be there soon!"

    They continued walking until they reached the end, where there were five different entrance halls. Several people came out of there tired.

    "Which one do you want, Lady?" asked Lavinia.

    "Hmm, which one..." still thinking about choosing his lucky path, Wulfgeat impudently walked straight into the center.

    "Hey! Why are you deciding which way to go?" shouted Felicia.

    But Wulfgeat wasn''t listening.

    "Well, what else can I do... Let''s just follow him,"

    As she walked, Felicia looked at her surroundings. There were many types of grass and water running down the walls. Then, on several asions, she could see wooden boards that showed the way.

    "Miss Lavinia, isn''t there a lot of precious minerals in the dungeon? Why didn''t I find them earlier?"

    "That''s because it was taken away by the first person who arrived. The minerals inside the dungeon are unlimited, but they appear slowly, and for the first floor, it''s almost impossible."

    "Why is that?"

    "Because the mineralse from demonic mana, or monsters, to be more precise. Monsters have soul cores that make their bones valuable. So they must first decay for decades to turn into minerals."

    "Ew! So the diamonds I always wear are actually monsters?"

    "It may or may not be. Minerals are not only found inside dungeons. And minerals don''t necessarilye from monsters. But the assumption that all the minerals we buy are former monsters isn''t wrong either."

    ''Soul cores... Does mom have those too? And if she does, what can be done with it?'' thought Allen, refusing to ask Lavinia.

    Besides, the scene in front of him now irritated him because Felicia made an excited face when she heard Lavinia''s exnation, which made Allen think again that he might have made that face when Lavinia told him about the outside world.

    "Alright, we finally arrive," Wulfgeat said as he opened therge door in front of him,

    They came to arge door made of wood. Allen had seen that door before. In Barkaley''s dungeon, it was the door to the room with full orcs.

    Allen was instantly ready with his sword; he could sense the movement of living beings in the room.

    The door openedpletely.

    And inside, as Allen said, there was a movement of living beings.

    "Aaaah, I''m sorry, I failed again!" cried a girl whose body was covered in sticky liquid."

    "It''s okay; it''s okay. You can try again next time."

    Inside was a party of six. And all of them were roughly 18¨C20 years old.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Geez¡­ There''s someone else.

    Hurry up and get out, everyone! Thisdy wants to use this room!" Wulfgeat shouted at them.

    Their faces instantly turned annoyed; one of them even tried to yell at Wulfgeat.

    "HUH?! ARE YOU-" but before the girl could finish speaking, the friend next to her immediately closed her mouth and signaled for her to shut her anger. They knew that it was not good to deal with nobles.

    The moment Wulfgeat released his grip, the door closed again.

    "What are you doing, Miss Lavinia?" asked Felicia, who saw Lavinia only silently lowering her face.

    "Ah, forgive me, mydy."

    As she watched the party, Lavinia recalled when she first joined her party while exploring her first dungeon.

    ...

    "What are we going to do here?" Felicia asked.

    "Of course, your first kill."

    "Kill?!"

    "That''s right; you''re going to kill monsters here; get ready."

    Felicia took out her rapier, feeling a little nervous.

    "Where are the monsters?" Felicia asked.

    "Wait a little longer; those guys just finished them off."

    A few seconds passed, and something like water came out from the center of the room. By the way, just like in the Barkaley dungeon back then, there was some kind of crest circle in the center of the room, and that water wasing out of the center.

    "W-what? a slime?"

    "That''s right, go kill it, mydy," said Wulfgeat.

    Felicia walked forward, aiming her rapier at the slime. The slime walked toward her,

    "It''sing towards me! What should I do?"

    "Lady, just stab that ball thing inside it!" shouted Lavinia.

    Inside the slime, there was a ball thing, moved all over the slime''s body.

    "Be careful, Lady, don''t let it get close to you; it''ll melt you!" shouted Wulfgeat.

    "Wh-what?!"

    Then quickly, Felicia stabbed the ball inside the slime''s body.

    -THRUST

    But she missed it. She didn''t pierce the ball properly.

    "You have to do it sharply and quickly. Because if you do it weakly, you''ll only push the core!" Lavinia shouted.

    Felicia closed her eyes and muttered,

    "Sharp and fast."

    "Sharp and fast."

    "Sharp and fast."

    "Sharp and fast."

    "Sharp and fast."

    After mumbling it many times, he opened his eyes and then

    -THRUST

    He stabbed the slime core. The slime melted, leaving only its core on the floor.

    "Congrattions on making your first kill, Lady," said Wulfgeat.

    "Hmph! This kind of thing is easy for me!" Felicia said proudly.

    Then Felicia continued.

    "Miss Lavinia, are these slime cores useful?"

    "Unfortunately, no, no one uses slime cores to make weapons. So its value is equivalent to that of a normal stone." Lavinia then picked up the cores.

    "Wait! Your hand will melt!"

    But even though Lavinia was holding the slimy core, her hand was fine.

    "Wulfgeat, you lied to me, didn''t you?!"

    "I did everything so you could do it quickly."

    "That is so cruel; I feel like you are ying me."

    "Let''s continue our journey; we''re going to the goblin room," said Wulfgeat, who continued walking ahead.

    "GOBLINS?!" responded Felicia in surprise.

    "Wait, Mr Wulfgeat, shouldn''t we let Lady Felicia kill more slimes first?" asked Lavinia.

    "You want to criticize me, youmoners?! If Lady Felicia wants to get stronger, she should kill stronger opponents immediately!"

    Felicia then grabbed Lavinia''s wrist.

    "I think what Wulfgeat said is right. I must be stronger soon; if there''s a shortcut, I''ll take it."

    "But..."

    But they didn''t listen to Lavinia. They continued to walk to the next room.

    Allen, who had been silent, continued to watch Wulfgeat''s movements, and he realized something.

    "He''s hiding something."

 Chapter 69 Die You, Die You, Human Hate

    ?Leaving the room, they came to another hallway. On the way, Felicia repeatedly fell on her face because the holes suddenly appeared on the ground. And Wulfgeatughed many times because of it.

    "I will not tolerate this humiliation, Wulfgeat! I will tell father about your behavior!" Felicia shouted.

    "Yes, do it,dy. Tell him that you were insulted by me for falling so many times," replied Wulfgeat while holding back hisughter.

    Then

    -Bugg!

    This time it was Wulfgeat who fell.

    "BUAHAHAHAHA" Felicia, Sheughed out loud next to Wulfgeat''s head, no longer caring about how her face looked whenughing.

    Wulfgeat, with a poker face, got back up and walked without looking back.

    -Bugg!

    Once again, someone fell.

    It was Allen; his right foot went into the hole, and his longsword fell to the ground.

    "HAHAHA, Allen got stuck too!" mocked Felicia.

    Felicia''sughter sounded funny, making Laviniaugh, but she tried to hold back herughter.

    "Ugh!"

    Lavinia picked up Allen''s fallen sword and gave it to Allen.

    Allen rudely picked up his sword and continued walking forward.

    Lavinia could only stand still, enduring her hands'' and hearts'' pain.

    They arrived at another door.

    Unlike the previous one, Wulfgeat only pushed the other side while preparing to hold his sword. Allen and Lavinia also became a little more alert.

    "Allen, protect Lady Felicia," Lavinia said.

    Allen didn''t answer her; he just stood in front of Felicia.

    Wulfgeat opened the door.

    Inside, about ten goblins were gathered in the chamber''s center.

    Realizing the door was opened, the goblins immediately looked at them.

    "QUMAN!!!" the goblin shouted.

    The goblin picked up its weapon and lunged at Wulfgeat. Before it could, Lavinia hit the goblin with her staff.

    Wulfgeat came forward, stabbing the other goblins approaching, followed by Lavinia, who protected Wulfgeat''s back as much as she could.

    ''Thismoner girl is sure talented. She was just a medic but could provide support in the field. The rumor about her being the best priestess might be right. and I don''t like it.'' Thought Wulfgeat.

    As for Allen and Felicia, who were outside the door, they just stood still, as most of the goblins didn''t even reach them.

    After a few minutes, Wulfgeat and Lavinia had almost killed all the goblins, and left one for Felicia to kill.

    "Lady, here you are," Wulfgeat said.

    Felicia had her sword ready from earlier; by watching their fight, she knew she had to kill the goblin just like they did.

    Lavinia and Wulfgeat stepped backwards, as did Allen.

    The goblin wasn''t wearing any weapons, so it shouldn''t be too dangerous.

    "Hyaaat!" Felicia came forward, trying to stab the goblin, but the goblin jumped at her.

    "AAAAKH!" Felicia shouted as she brought her sword closer to her body.

    As a result, Felicia''s hand was wed by the goblin.

    "It hurts!" cried Felicia.

    But Felicia immediately regained herposure because people were watching her. She didn''t want to look pathetic in front of anyone. So she endured the pain, held back her tears, and held her sword firmly.

    "careful¡­ careful¡­ careful." Felicia muttered over and over again.

    ''calm down, Felicia, you can see the movement; it should be easy,'' Felicia thought, trying to convince herself.

    Felicia increased her focus and then looked at the goblin again.

    "HYAT!"

    Then -THRUST

    Felicia managed to stab it.

    But her stab wasn''t deep enough. The goblin immediately fled from her.

    "I FAILED!" shouted Felicia as she closed her eyes slightly.

    "Lady, don''t close your eyes!" yelled Lavinia.

    Felici immediately opened her eyes, and it turned out that the goblin wasn''t attacking her; the goblin was in pain, holding the chest that Felicia had stabbed earlier.

    "AGHU! AGHU! QUMAN! QURTS!" The goblin screamed, yelled, and cried.

    "Kill it now!" shouted Wulfgeat.

    But Felicia could only stand still as the goblin crawled as best it could out of the room. When Felicia saw the goblin hurt, she realized she had stabbed it. She wondered how it would feel to be stabbed like that if she were a goblin. It must hurt. Felicia then subconsciously let go of her rapier.

    "Haaah Haaah Haaah," she gasped for air, recalling the sensation she felt as she stabbed the goblin''s flesh with her trembling hand.

    "Lady, take your rapier!" shouted Felicia.

    Felicia attempted to pick up her dropped rapier. She needed to kill the goblin to improve and grow stronger.

    Then suddenly, Allen walked and approached the goblin.

    -Swung

    "AARGH!!! AAAAAH!!! AAAH!!! QUMAN!!! QURTS!!! QUMAN QATES!!!"

    Allen cut off the goblin''s arms and legs, which made it unable to run anywhere. Allen then threw the goblin''s body in front of Felicia.

    "Allen?" said a confused Felicia.

    "Kill it; I''ve made it unable to move. Even if it moves, you should be able to kill it."

    Felicia saw the goblin''s face. He was crying and moaning like he was begging for mercy.

    "It''s taken so long... Maybe it''s not time for you to do this? Do you want to give up?" asked Allen.

    "N-no! There''s no way I''m giving up!"

    Felicia lifted her sword, pointing it at the goblin''s sprawled body.

    "AAAaaAAaAaaaAA!" The goblin screamed in terror while crying.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do it!" said Allen.

    Then

    "HYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" while screaming, Felicia stabbed the goblin''s body.

    "Xie cou! Xie cou! Quman qate! Onexac akk cou xestrocex!" the goblin shouted until he died.

    "W-what did he say?" asked Felicia.

    "Die you, die you, human hate, one day all you destroyed," Allen says.

    Hearing that answer, Felicia became nauseous and suddenly thought about why she should kill the goblin. The goblin was already immobilized, and Felicia''s life wasn''t threatened at all, but she killed it.

    "Wait¡­ Allen, do you understand monsternguage?" asked Felicia.

    Allen was silent, then Wulfgeat approached them.

    "HAHAHA Nonsense, Lady. Please don''t believe it. How can any human speak the monsternguage?!" said Wulfgeat.

    Allen didn''t reply to his words, and neither did Lavinia, who remained silent even though she knew that Allen could.

    "Do we need to rest first?" Lavinia asked Felicia. But Wulfgeat immediately replied

    "No need; there''s a better ce to rest ahead."

    "Wait a minute, sir, we should at least givedy a soul-strengthening amnis."

    "Whatever."

    Lavinia made a fire symbol in front of Felicia and activated the amnis

    "Angel''s heart," Lavinia muttered.

    Thanks to that, Felicia immediately felt better.

    After a few seconds, they continued walking outside.

    ...

    "Miss Lavinia, this is the first floor; how can there be monsters here when the first floor has already beenpleted?" asked Felicia.

    "It''s because of the demonic mana, mydy. Dungeons always produce demonic mana. That demonic mana gives monsters life. For example, those slimes were just a collection of liquids in the dungeon until the demonic mana gave them a soul. As for goblins, they mostlye from the second and third floors. Because they''re weak, they can''t get food on the lower floors, so they have to go upstairs to steal human goods and food."

    "Then why not just seal the second floor''s hole? So they cannot go upstairs."

    "No one wants to do it. Because dungeon explorers also need monsters. And since they won''te out of the dungeon, no one thinks it''s necessary to seal the hole."

    In the middle of their conversation, Wulfgeat called out

    "Hey, hurry up, we arrive," Yelled Wulfgeat.

    They finally reached the end of the first-floor hallway. And somehow, Allen seemed to remember that ce. It was a chamber that looked simr to the Barkaley dungeon, the ce where his mother died. But unlike Barkaley''s dungeon, there was a veryrge hole in the center.

    Seeing that ce made the fire of hatred inside Allen''s heart arouse. Allen felt like going back in time, seeing his mother dead in front of him.

    "What is this hole, Mr Wulfgeat?" asked Lavinia.

    "You don''t know about this? This hole appeared about two months ago. No one knows how deep it is, but the explorer on the fifth floor also found the same hole."

    "Does that mean it''s connected to the fifth floor or further?"

    "No idea."

    Lavinia stepped forward, looking into the hole. And it was true; she couldn''t see the bottom, only that she could asionally see a monster flying down there.

    "That''s the Crimson bird! That means we can only see up to the third floor. Do they never fly up?"

    "As far as I heard, never, probably because the demonic mana on the first floor is soft. Let''s go to that room. We should rest first before going to the second floor." Wulfgeat said.

    "What room? And why are we eating there?" asked Felicia, confused.

    Lavinia answered, "It''s a resting room, a ce that exists on every floor, and there''s no demonic mana in it, and it''s the only clean ce in the dungeon."

    Hearing Lavinia''s exnation, Allen immediately realized what room it was.

    It was the room he used as his home in the barkaley dungeon. Where he grew up and where he lived with his mother.

    "Miss Lavinia, please open the door; let me look for the Chrysanthedad flower."

    "Yes, sir."

    Wulfgeat went to the corner, where there was a pink-white flower.

    "Why would Wulfgeat need to take that flower?" asked Felicia.

    "The Chrysanthedad flower is a flower that can absorb the poison in monster flesh. So by using that flower, we can eat monster meat," said Lavinia as she walked to the door.

    "Monster meat?! We''re going to eat monster meat?!"

    "Yep, depending on how you cook it, it can be delicious; I wasn''t used to eating it before I got trapped in the Barkley dungeon, but ever since I got trapped in the Barkley dungeon, I''ve-"

    Lavinia unconsciously said the moment the Queen Orc captured her and made Allen cook for her, then she immediately looked around, looking for Allen. She was afraid that Allen wouldn''t like it if she told him, and actually, she didn''t like telling people either.

    "Where''s Allen?" asked Lavinia.

    But Lavinia didn''t see him.

    "Over there." Felicia pointed behind Lavinia. It turned out that Allen was at the door of the room.

    ''Allen... what do you intend to do?'' Lavinia thought with worry.

    Allen stood there, looking at the door for a long time while fantasizing that everything he had been through had never happened.

    "What if...

    What if everything was just a dream...

    What if, when I open this door, I can see the tree...

    Then inside, various weapons have been forged...

    Then, if I sleep there at nightfall, I''ll hear the noise of forging swords...

    If that happens... I''ll nevere out again...

    I will nevere out of the dungeon again...

    I will forever be in there, spending my time with my only happiness." Allen thought while holding the octagon-shaped handle in front of him.

    Allen pulled the handle, opening the door.

    Then, from inside the door, a bright light shone out, so bright that it was almost blinding.

    With tears in his eyes, Allen murmured

    "Mom, I''m home."

 Chapter 70 The Orcs Instinct

    ?That ce was very warm¡ªthe kind of warmth Allen craved. He wanted to sleep there, together with his mother.

    Allen knew that ce no longer existed. After all, he was in a different dungeon this time. But still, standing in front of a door that was very simr to that one made Allen wonder. Then his suppositions turned into hopes.

    a hope that never came true and one that Allen already knew would note true.

    But he still hoped.

    His little heart wanted it.

    When he opened the door, he wanted his mother to stand there, scolding him for going out.

    Scolding him for going outside that door

    Telling him it was dangerous outside.

    Allen took hold of the cold doorknob and pulled it.

    A bright light came out of the door as Allen pulled it, so bright that he had to squint his eyes. Allen knew what light was; it was the crystal light reflecting the outside world, precisely the same as the one in the dungeon of the Barkaley region.

    "Mom, I''m home," Allen muttered.

    The door then opened.

    Allen''s eyes immediately adjusted to the bright light.

    But inside...

    It was not the same as what he was used to seeing in the Barkaley dungeon.

    He thought he would see a river, grass, flowers, and a big tree.

    But what was in front of him was...

    A bunch of angry-looking orcs are eating other orcs lying on the ground.

    Allen didn''t enter; he was speechless as his expectations were shattered instantly.

    It would be a lie if he thought he would meet his mother, so he didn''t expect that.

    But the horrible scene he saw in front of him was far from his expectations.

    ''Isn''t this supposed to be a beautiful ce?'' thought a confused Allen, shocked by what he saw.

    Because the door was open, the orcs immediately screamed hysterically.

    "UGHAAAAAAAA!!!"

    They ran out of the door desperately. It was as if they couldn''t stand being there and wanted to leave the ce immediately.

    "ALLEN!" shouted Lavinia.

    Lavinia''s shout made Allen instantlye to his senses; he tried to jump to the side, but it was toote; one of the Orcs pushed him, so just as he was about to jump, he leaned slightly to the side and fell.

    "ALLEN!!!" shouted Felicia, who no longer saw Allen in the crowd of orcs; she tried to chase him, trying to see Allen, but Lavinia immediately held Felicia.

    "DON''T, LADY! ALLEN WILL BE FINE!"

    Lavinia knew very well how strong Allen was when she met him; there was no way Allen''s body could be destroyed just by being crushed by a few orcs.

    Rather than that, seeing many orcs, Lavinia thought

    ''ten, twenty, thirty, so many! What are the orcs doing in that room?! Isn''t there a room without demonic mana?! Orcs can''t stand being in that room; thest time I saw a monster inside it was Queen Orc. And the reason she could survive was because she had arge stash of demonic mana. Whereas ordinary orcs don''t.''

    The orcs ran out, and when they saw Lavinia and Felicia, they headed straight for them.

    "Lady! Let''s quickly go back!"

    "What about Allen?!"

    "He should be fine, trust me. I know him very well. Let''s go!"

    Felicia then looked around and was confused as to why she hadn''t seen anyone else besides them.

    "Miss Lavinia, where is Wulfgeat?"

    Lavinia was immediately surprised. She looked towards the corner where Wulfgeat had taken the nt, but he wasn''t there. The flowers hadn''t been picked either.

    ''By any chance, did he leave us? Did he know there were orcs inside, so he asked me to open the door? If so, then how did the orcs get in there?''

    As she was thinking that, from the hallway where they entered, Wulfgeat was standing, looking at them with a shocked face.

    "Wulfgeat, where have you been?!" shouted Felicia.

    "I''m taking a shit! What the hell is going on?!"

    "Sir, the exnation will beter. Can you hold off these orcs for a minute? I have a n!"

    "Alright! Come here quickly!"

    ''Why didn''t he juste here? Does it have anything to do with the way his abilities work?

    Lavinia and Felicia immediately ran to the door, followed by the orc behind them.

    But their running wasn''t as fast as the orcs, so Lavinia ran while drawing amnis circle. Since amnis couldn''t be written in the air while running, Lavinia wrote it on her palm.

    "Fire spirits who aid God''s affairs and angels who see us,bine your abilities, and save us from your enemies," Lavinia said, pointing her palm at the orcs.

    "me wall."<novelnext></novelnext>

    mes came out of her palm. It burned the orcs behind her.

    "Is it over?"

    "No, I''m not a caster; my ss is a medic. The wall of me only slowed them down. Since I''m chanting with prayer, I hope the power is enough to kill the orcs."

    The fire did kill the orcs, but only those directly hit. Those behind them, however, continued to advance through the mes, running toward them.

    "What should we do?!" shouted Felicia.

    "Calm down,dy. The fire was just buying time. I have an amnis that can defeat them, but it needs to be activated just above the ground and takes about a minute. We''re almost in the hallway. There''s Mr. Wulfgeat there who can help me buy time until I can use the amnis-"

    -BREAK

    Lavinia fell, a small hole suddenly appeared in front of her step, and because she didn''t look forward well, she stepped on it and fell.

    "Miss Lavinia!"

    "Don''te here! Keep running! I sprained my leg! I''ll catch up!"

    "No way!"

    Felicia tried to lift Lavinia.

    "Let go, Lady!"

    "No way!"

    After standing up, Lavinia started running again. She forced her sore legs to run.

    ''This pain is nothingpared to being dragged by the Queen Orc.''

    But it was useless; even though she forced herself to run, she was not fast enough to get to the hallway.

    -WUUSH

    One of the orcs threw his mace at Lavinia. Lavinia''s reduced speed meant the orc could now see and aim at Lavinia''s back nicely.

    "La-dy, run," Laviniay helplessly, blood pouring out of her mouth, and her spine was probably crushed from the mace throw.

    Felicia returned, pulling Lavinia''s fallen body.

    "I won''t leave you!"

    Then Lavinia copsed, unconscious.

    "LADY, HURRY UP! HERE!" shouted Wulfgeat.

    But Felicia didn''t listen to him. Instead, she took out a knife and cut her hand to activate her god''s blessing. Her blood dripped around Lavinia''s body and grew roots and flowers.

    "Miss Lavinia, now that you''re in my garden, you''ll be fine."

    The garden shone brightly in the room, its light overpowering thoseing out of the resting room.

    While holding her hands together, Felicia said

    "You are my personal knight, so you must protect me; it''s your duty, your obligation, and your promise..."

    "LADY, HURRY UP!!!" Wulfgeat repeatedly shouted from a distance, but Felicia ignored him; there was no way she could ignore Lavinia alone.

    Felicia then yelled as she looked at the approaching monstrous orcs.

    "DO YOUR JOB, ALLEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNN!"

    -SWUNG

    Right after Felicia shouted, Allen came from above like a cannon, bisecting the orc''s body in front of her.

    "Allen! Where have you been?!" said Felicia, angry with tears in her eyes.

    Allen looked at Felicia, who was expressionless and not saying anything. Then he looked at Lavinia and sighed.

    "Watch out!" shouted Felicia when she saw another orc trying to attack Allen.

    Allen was still looking at Lavinia; without turning his head forward, he swung the sword in his hand.

    -WUSH

    His sword split the hand of the orc, who was about to hit him with ease.

    "How stupid. You should have left that woman and saved yourself," Allen said annoyedly.

    "If I did, I have a feeling that you wouldn''t havee," Felicia replied.

    Allen snickered, leading Felicia to believe that Allen was deliberately letting Lavinia die first and then helping her.

    ''I didn''t expect your hatred for Miss Lavinia to be that big. What has she done, Allen?'' Felicia asked in her mind.

    Allen then threw down his long sword, took out a dual de from inside his scarf, and started killing the orcs in front of him.

    Quickly and swiftly, Allen attacked all the orcs mercilessly but with enough energy. Striking only their necks and chests.

    "Crazy crazy crazy! This kid is much stronger than I imagined!" Wulfgeat shouted in his heart. But he wasn''t amazed; he was scared and annoyed.

    "UGHAAAAA!!!" The orcs started screaming, trying to run away; some began to leave Allen and turned to attack Felicia, but Allen didn''t let them.

    Allen continued to sh wildly at their flesh. Spinning, jumping, and impassively killing all the orcs, they were frightened when they saw Allen''s red eyes. They didn''t think or have good sense, but their instincts forced them to run away. It was the first time they were afraid to see humans.

 Chapter 71 Felicias View

    ?The crimson eyes

    ck hair mixed with blood

    The smell of death is in the air

    Much blood spurted out every time he pierced the orc''s body¡­

    And then¡­

    The hidden anger.

    "So this is Allen''s true power?"

    Felicia knows Allen is powerful. He was almost as good as that great Theobald. But the power that Felicia saw now was the power to swing his sword at a living being.

    His hands and sword were covered in purple blood. And so his body, sttered with orc blood. Allen withdrew his de, which was stuck in thest orc''s stomach. Without expression and also without looking tired, Allen looked at Felicia.

    Felicia immediately shuddered at the sight of Allen covered in blood. And not only that, but even though Allen didn''t show any expression, Felicia knew that Allen was angry.

    "This orc isn''t dead yet, but he seems to be immobilized; I''ve cut the back of his ankle," Allen said to a silent Felicia.

    "The-then, what should I do with that?" Felicia was trembling and somehow scared.

    "''What'', you say? Of course, it is for you to kill. That''s what you came here for, right? To kill monsters."

    "N-no, I think today is enough."

    "How can that be? You have to be stronger. If you run away now, then in the future, you will have to enter this dungeon once again, and at that time, you will force me toe back with you into this dungeon. I don''t want to enter this dungeon again. It contains only bad memories."

    "N-no, so-sorry, I can''t."

    Allen sighed.

    "Do you know why you were told to kill monsters?"

    "To be stronger, of course."

    "Not exactly... It''s because you''re so naive."

    "Naive?"

    "Right, I don''t know if you realize it or not. Don''t tell me¡­ you feel pity for monsters?"

    "I-I? pity them?! No way!"

    "Your father, Wulfgeat, and that woman, they don''t doubt your swordsmanship. They may have even praised you for being able to hold a sword at that age, though I''m not sure how old kids typically be proficient with rapiers.

    When I threw the goblin corpse at you, did they stop me? No... They didn''t stop me from helping you defeat the goblin because it''s not defeating the goblin you need... But killing it..."

    Felicia''s body began to shiver. Once again, she remembered the cries of the goblin she had killed, and she felt the strange sensation in her hand again as she stabbed the goblin.

    Allen approached Felicia, looking at her with his red eyes that looked down on her.

    "Your kindness is not only to humans but also to all living things. I don''t know if that''s a good thing or not. But to me, it''s a bad thing. An awful thing.

    All this time, I''ve been thinking... why do you care so much about me? Why do you want me to stop harming people? Is it the fact that I am a human being like you? Or is it because you don''t want me to hurt creatures like you?"

    "W-what are you talking about, Allen?"

    Allen continued,

    "Both are wrong; when I saw you who was scared just now, I was finally convinced. The reason you care about me is that you pity me. You look down on others because others don''t think the same as you.

    Then do you realize? Your treatment of the monsters today... it''s no different from how you treated me. Those eyes¡­ you look at me the same way you look at these orcs.

    You didn''t kill them because you felt sorry for them.

    You also care for me out of pity

    Your naive way of thinking makes you equate humans with monsters. It makes me think... do you think I''m a monster¡­ and you''re just as scared of me as you are scared of monsters."

    "No! That''s not true! I''ve never-"

    "Then hurry up, kill this orc. This ce is not my home. But the resemnce makes me remember things I don''t want to remember. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

    Felicia remained silent, sitting with her face bent down, looking at her hands that still couldn''t stop shaking.

    Allen sighed once more...

    Convinced that Felicia would not move, Allen approached her and then held her hand.

    "HiiI!" Felicia started to throw up when Allen''s bloody hand touched her hand.

    "Come on, let me help. I''m your personal knight, after all," Allen said.

    Allen pulled Felicia''s hand, not caring about Felicia''s tired condition.

    Then they arrived in front of the surviving orc. The orc was silent, panting, looking at the ceiling. He was already in a lot of pain because his stomach was stabbed; unlike the goblins, who groaned when they were about to die, the orc would stay still, trying as much as possible to calm down to heal faster using their regeneration ability. Since they were just ordinary orcs, their regeneration was very slow, but their power was enough to stop blood flow.

    "Kill it..." Allen said.

    "N-no, Allen. I said no, I-I can''t do this anymore."

    "Hurry up."

    "Please, I can''t."

    Felicia cried, her mind full of many things.

    Allen lent one of his des to Felicia.

    "You can use this."

    The de was also covered in blood, and Felicia could see his frightened face from there. Then Allen grabbed Felicia''s hand that was holding the de.

    "Wait, Allen!"

    Using Felicia''s hand, Allen stabbed the orc in the neck.

    "Stop..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Allen continued to pull out her hand and thrust it into the orc''s neck again.

    "Stop!"

    Felicia couldn''t get her hand out of Allen''s grip.

    Allen kept thrusting at that orc.

    "STOP!!!"

    After several thrusts, the orc finally died.

    and Felicia fainted from the heart pain.

    "How stupid..." muttered Allen.

    Allen let go of Felicia''s hand; then he carried Felicia''s unconscious body.

    "You''re overdoing it," From behind, Wulfgeat approached them and held Allen''s shoulders.

    "But you didn''t stop it. You just watched from there. Aren''t you afraid too?"

    Wulfgeat instantly became angry again, squeezing Allen''s shoulders even harder.

    "Don''t get cocky, kid, just because you killed 38 orcs yourself."

    "38? I thought it was only 20."

    "20?! You are a stupid peasant. Even though there were 38 of them, but you counted 20. A fool like you doesn''t deserve to be Lady Felicia''s knight."

    Allen smacked Wulfgeat''s hand, removing it from his shoulder. Then he jumped forward, away from Wulfgeat.

    "How did you know there are 38 of them?! I killed one in that room, and another orc ate the other. What are you nning?!"

    Wulfgeat wasn''t there from the start. He went to relieve himself somewhere and reappeared after all the orcs were out. Wulfgeat shouldn''t have known how many orcs there were, let alone the exact number. Even though some orc corpses were piled up after Lavinia burned them, and there were dead orcs in the room that Wulfgeat could not see, he knew that there were 38 in total.

    Why did he know that?

    "You are hiding something! I realized it from the start! What are you nning to do?!" shouted Allen.

    Wulfgeat''s face then took on an annoyed look; then he muttered something...

    "You''re annoying... That girl is annoying too... You''re all annoying... You''re all bothering me; you''re all putting me down. I can''t stand it... I can''t stand your insults... You''re just a peasant and a former ve, but you look down on me.

    I despised that little girl from the beginning; she never made her family proud, and now she''s tarnishing the earl''s noble name by befriending a peasant, HECK! SHE EVEN LIKED A PEASANT AND MADE HIM A KNIGHT!"

    Allen disregarded everything Wulfgeat said and uttered

    "You were the one who locked all those orcs in that room. So that they could kill Felicia and me? I don''t know how you did it. But unfortunately, your n failed. All your efforts were pointless; I''m alive, Felicia is alive, and that woman is alive too."

    Wulfgeat then smiled widely and began tough.

    "HAHAHAHAHA"

    "What''s so funny?!"

    "Do you know what my god''s blessing is?"

    Allen looked around. Since Wulfgeat still looked confident, it meant he still had a n. Maybe his god blessing was some kind of trap, or summoning of monsters.

    But neither was true.

    "My god blessing is called, My Intruder."

    The moment Wulfgeat mentioned it, Allen immediately fell. His body suddenly went limp, unable to move at all.

    "Wh-what happened?!" shouted Allen.

    "My blessing is to send my mana into other people''s bodies to mess with their mana. Once my mana enters the target''s body, it will disrupt the opponent''s mana, paralyzing their body for a whole day. The question is, when do I put my mana into your body?"

    Allen immediately knew the answer

    ''Shit! I was caught off guard! I was too wrapped up in my anger!" Allen thought.

    That was when Allen let Wulfgeat grab his shoulders. And he let Wulfgeat hold it for quite a while.

    "Well, I don''t need to tell you the answer," Wulfgeat said as he got closer to Allen.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    Wulfgeat choked Allen''s neck with his right hand and Felicia''s neck with his left hand.

    "You want to kill me this way? It''s no use; your hands won''t be strong enough to break my neck," Allen said.

    "I will kill you, you filthy-mouthed peasant!"

    With all his might, Wulfgeat strangled Allen''s neck...

    But¡­

    "WHY?!"

    No matter how hard Wulfgeat tried to strangle him, he could not. He wasn''t strong enough to choke Allen.

    "You know why you can''t? It''s because you''re weak. Your blessing is also the sneaky kind that''s useless in a fight. I misjudged you during the duel; you''re just a big-mouthed noble."

    "STOP TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT!"

    Wulfgeat then moved closer to the hole.

    And...

    Throwing Allen and Felicia''s bodies into therge hole in the center of the room...

    ''SH*T! I provoked him too much!" thought Allen.

    "HAHAHA TAKE THAT! YOU WILL BE EATEN BY THE MONSTERS ON THE 6TH FLOOR! THERE IS NO WAY A CHILD LIKE YOU COULD LIVE ON 6th FLOOR! AHAHAHAHAHAHA"

 Chapter 72 Falling

    ?"It''s finally over¡­ Now that those two are finally gone, I can regain my honor. I will tell Lord Reynolds that Felicia and Allen were pushed into the pit when fighting the orcs."

    When Reynolds asked him to be the overseer, Wulfgeat finally felt relieved of all his frustration because he, who shouldn''t be able to touch the earl''s daughter, finally got an excellent opportunity. To prepare for his murder of Felicia and Allen, he purposefully told them to assemble at the guild, then deliberately arrivedte.

    Luckily, just as he was about to make a n, someone with a dark red robe came up to him and gave him a tool to control the orcs. Although the tool could only be used once, Wulfgeat made good use of it, he put 38 orcs into the room. But he didn''t expect that the orcs would resort to cannibalism when they didn''t receive demonic mana.

    "Lavinia! Wake up! Hey Priestess!" shouted Wulfgeat to the unconscious Lavinia.

    Lavinia woke up, and she immediately sat up and looked around.

    "WHAT HAPPENED?!" she shouted suddenly.

    "A serious problem has happened!"

    "What''s wrong, sir? What the hell is going on? Where are Lady Felicia and Allen?"

    "Calm..."

    Wulfgeat told Lavinia what really happened. He told her about Felicia healing Lavinia''s wounds while she was being swarmed by orcs and about Allen killing the orcs. After piling up all the truth, he gave a little spice of a lie at the end, which was...

    "After that, Lady Felicia felt faint and walked toward the pit before falling into it helplessly because she had been made to kill the orcs. Allen dove into the pit to save her. I have tried to reach them, but I can''t¡­ I can''t any longer see their figure inside that hole."

    "OH MY! We must immediately report to the guild and organize a rescue team! Since the one who fell was Lady Felicia, surely the earl will give orders to the guild to rescue his daughter!"

    "I don''t know; I have my doubts about that."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Lord Reynolds might not love his daughter, he always felt that Lady Felicia was a burden."

    "Sir, what are you talking about?! That''s impossible! There''s no way a father would let his daughter die!"

    "Maybe not, but do you think they could survive after falling six or seven floor? And maybe down to the tenth floor. Then, if they survived the fall and could reach the sixth floor, do you think they could survive on the sixth floor?! There''s no way those two little kids could survive.

    I''ve known Mr. Reynold for almost three years; even if he loved his daughter, he wouldn''t waste his money looking for something that is most likely dead or maybe doesn''t exist anymore."

    Lavinia then immediately approached the hole, and she saw the crimson bird flying around the hole. She didn''t want to believe what Wulfgeat said, but everything he said made perfect sense.

    ''Allen is strong, but his strength won''t be enough to defeat the monsters on the 6th floor. Then, when they fall, there''s no way the crimson bird will just let them fall,'' Lavinia thought doubtfully.

    But she didn''t want to give up.

    ''There must be a way...''

    Lavinia ran outside.

    "Where are you going?!" shouted Wulfgeat.

    "I''m going to search for help!"

    "It''s futile!"

    "Even so, I need to save them! I have an idea!"

    "What are you doing this for? Why did you want to save them? Why did you want to save that peasant child?! When he''s trying to kill you?!"

    Lavinia immediately stopped and looked back.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You don''t know Lady Felicia, and I don''t know about your rtionship with that ck-haired peasant, but it doesn''t seem like a good thing..." Wulfgeat said as he approached Lavinia.

    ''This guy, why is he acting so casual when the earl''s daughter just died under his responsibility?''

    "Allen... I heard him when he was talking to Lady Felicia.

    He was fine from the beginning. He didn''t get hurt, but he didn''t save you; he just hid when those orcs came out to attack you.

    And Lady Felicia said he deliberately waited for you to die first, then he appeared and saved Lady Felicia, but because Lady Felicia healed you, both of you could be saved."

    "Did Allen really say that?"

    "No, he didn''t. That''s just Lady''s assumption, but do you think it''s wrong from the circumstances?"

    Lavinia pondered; she recalled Allen''s tearful face when looking at her inside Barkaley''s dungeon, begging for help to cure his mother. And actually, Lavinia could have tried to use her god''s blessing to heal Queen Orc, but she turned away from Allen''s face when he asked for her help, because she also wanted Queen Orc to die.

    Then, when she saw Allen for the second time, Lavinia was sure that Allen really hated her. And his hatred must have been so great that he wanted to let Lavinia die.

    Lavinia then clenched her fists.

    Her decision not to heal Queen Orc was not wrong. But strangely, she felt guilty for not being able to help Allen that day because when she saw Allen''s crying face, her hatred for Queen Orc instantly disappeared. But even though it was gone, she still didn''t want to cure Queen Orc.

    Lavinia looked straight at Wulfgeat, then said

    "Even so, I will try to save them. As long as there is hope, I will save them. I am a priestess... And a priestess''s job is to save people."

    Lavinia turned around and walked out of the room.

    Wulfgeat, who was left there, began to feel annoyed; he felt a sense of defeat for failing to make Lavinia desperate.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Tch. What a crazy priestess. I meant to make her desperate to lower the child''s chances of surviving. But whatever she did would have been pointless. Let it go."

    Seeing Lavinia''s face, which looked so confident, made Wulfgeat a little doubt they died. So he tried to convince himself that there was no way Allen and Felicia could survive there.

    ...

    As Allen was thrown into the pit with Felicia, Allen cursed to himself how careless he was to let humans touch him.

    "If this keeps up, I''ll die!" thought Allen.

    His body was still immobilized due to the Wulfgeat god''s blessing, which made him unable to move for one day.

    Meanwhile, below Allen, he felt the killing lust of the monsters. He saw tworge birds flying below him. Allen remembered that Lavinia called the birds crimson bird.

    This crimson bird is ck and red; its body looks like a rock filled withva, which slightly glows around it. It has four wings that resemble abination of chicken and pterosaur wings. While its head has the texture ofva rock and the shape of a chicken''s head, it has a long beak that extends up to a quarter of its body. Its body size is probably around 10 meters, with a beak of 3 meters.

    "It''s going to eat us! I have to do something!

    Shit! Did Reig also get affected by that guy''s mana too?!"

    The Crimson Bird then stopped flying, hanging on the hole''s walls while opening its beak to catch its prey.

    Allen closed his eyes, trying to concentrate fully on his mana, then imagined the other mana inside him being contradicted.

    "I have to throw away that guy''s mana."

    Slowly, the demonic mana inside Allen began to adjust Allen''s divine mana that Wulfgeat''s mana had contaminated. The two mana conflict within his body, making Wulfgeat''s mana disappear from his body.

    Then¡­

    Allen, who should be paralyzed for one day...

    was healed in less than a minute.

    "Finally! I can move my body a little!

    REIG!" shouted Allen to Reig.

    Reig immediately picked up Felicia''s fallen body and tied her. After that, it pulled Felicia''s body into Allen''s arms.

    Allen then prepared to use the crimson bird''s body fornding.

    Considering the point of fall, Allen was able to fall on the left side of the beak, which helped him gain a foothold. Of course, Allen didn''t intend to stand there. He was using that to fix his position. And then, he tied his scarf to the crimson bird''s beak.

    "Ghaa!"

    Allen''s ties to the beak made the crimson bird''s beak close. Because Allen hung on its beak, Allen''s and Felicia''s weight caused the crimson bird''s high drop.

    Keeping its bnce, the crimson bird flew while raising its beak upward.

    The other crimson bird took this opportunity to eat Allen and Felicia. Still, when the bird was about to eat them, Allen immediately removed his scarf from the first crimson bird''s beak and tied it to the crimson bird that was about to eat them. The crimson bird that was tied up flew back to where it had been, while the crimson bird that was tied up with Allen tried its best to get back up.

    This gave the other crimson bird the perfect opportunity to devour Felicia and Allen. Nevertheless, as the bird prepared to eat them, Allen immediately untied his scarf from the first bird and fastened it to the other crimson bird about to eat them. The tied-up crimson bird flew back to its original location as fast as it could, while the red bird that got tied made every effort to get back up, as it was scared of something below.

    "What''s wrong? Why are they so desperate? When I have shown no desire for killing them?"

    They continued to descend and drop until everything became dark. There were no crystals below that illuminated the dungeon, and strangely, instead of getting tired, the crimson bird was even stronger trying to fly upwards.

    Realizing its strength was not enough, the monster immediately hit its head against the wall to make Allen fall. As a result, Allen''s bonds were untied, and the crimson bird flew quickly upwards.

    "No! Reig! Tie it up one more time!"

    Reig extended again, trying to reach the crimson bird''s legs.

    But it didn''t reach...

    The crimson bird had already flown very far up.

    "AAAAAAAAA!!!"

    As Allen thought he would die, he tried his best to stand, ending up just breaking his leg if they fell.

    -SPLASH

    As it turned out, Allen and Felicia fell into some pretty deep water. Since the fall wasn''t too extreme, they could escape death.

    Since they didn''t fall from very high, they fell under 2 meters of water. Allen immediately opened his eyes and looked for Felicia in the darkness.

    "blubblubblub" Allen tried to call Reig, but without hearing his voice, Reig immediately understood what he had to do.

    Allen''s scarf changed shape into a crystal that hugged his neck. And the crystal was glowing. Allen could see in the water as the crystal glowed...

    Felicia, who had fainted...

    And behind Felicia was a huge, eyeless fish face...

    Looking at him with a smile.

 Chapter 73 Fear

    ?The first time Allen felt fear was when he was too young, either 5 or 6. When he first went outside his house and met a wolf-type monster. Then he got scared again when he fought the goblins for the first time. After that, many things happened until finally his mother died, and he wanted to take revenge; Allen became a person who would not be afraid of anything; that''s what he thought.

    He fell into the dungeon and saw that face at the bottom of the deep water.

    A fish without eyes smiled at him while showing off its sharp teeth. Then, when the mouth opened, the pointy teeth filled the entire mouth. Its tongue was tiny, located at the end of the oral cavity; if not for Allen''s good eyes, humans might not be able to see the tongue.

    Allen, who thought he had thrown away all his fear for revenge, turned out to be naive. And realize fear may have no limit; something more frightening can always appear. If he is not mistaken, this is maybe just 6 or 7 floors of the dungeon. There was a scarier and more powerful monster out there.

    His heart was beating so fast. Even though it wasn''t visible, Allen''s body was probably breaking out in a cold sweat.

    The fish slowly approached, about to put the unconscious Felicia in its mouth, but when it did that, a few secondster, Allen snapped out of his trance.

    "REIG! HELP ME!" shouted Allen.

    The light slowly disappeared as soon as Reig turned back into a normal scarf. Reig immediately tied Felicia up and pulled her and Allen up, then reached out as far as he could, feeling for all the ces to hang.

    Fortunately, thend was close, and there were rocks that Reig could tie to pull Allen, but because he couldn''t see well, Reig didn''t know what he was actually tying. He didn''t care and dragged Allen and Felicia to thend.

    "GAH!"

    Allen immediately gasped for air. He felt like he had been underwater for a long time because of his fear, and he was relieved now to be able to take a deep breath. He tried to quicken his breath, but he ended up coughing.

    "Reig, one more time, please..."

    The texture of Allen''s scarf turned back into crystal. And the crystal instantly illuminated some distance around them, allowing Allen to see a little more clearly.

    Allen then looked at Felicia, who was also lying next to him. Felicia''s chest was up and down, which meant she was still breathing, although her eyebrows showed that she didn''t look okay.

    They were at the edge of water andnd, a kind of beach, except there were only rocks there.

    When Allen tried to keep himself calm, he suddenly felt his nape hair rise, and he felt many monsters looking at him with murderous lust. The atmosphere became scary because Allen couldn''t see a few meters around him, which meant the monsters were still watching them.

    ''I don''t know why they don''t attack us immediately, but for now, I should move slowly and carefully to make them not suddenly attack us,'' Allen thought.

    "Reig, let''s get out of here first."

    Allen lifted Felicia''s drooping body and walked slowly and to nowhere.

    It was so dark, he didn''t even know if there was a ceiling or not; the hole they fell into was nowhere to be seen.

    "Thank goodness I asked you to eat those crystals," Allen said.

    When they reached the Boldenville dungeon, Allen asked Reig to eat almost everything they passed, such as rocks, crystals, and even the corpses of orcs and goblins.

    "Unfortunately, you can only transform into one thing."

    Reig could shape-shift into what he ate but couldn''t use them all at once.

    "If you could be a scarf and a crystal at once, it might be helpful."

    They continued wandering; Allen wanted to get away from the water anyway. He had just gotten a new trauma there. He didn''t want to see that fish again.

    But the truth was that it was no different outside. Allen was still afraid of anything he could encounter here. Darkness is a natural fear of humans because they can''t predict what will appear in front of them. Allen was still in a cold sweat, and his body was trembling.

    "I''m definitely going to kill that guy!" he muttered. His hatred for Wulfgeat increased to the point that he wanted to kill him. He promised himself to kill Wulfgeat if he survived.

    After a long walk, she finally saw a little light. The light was like hope for him. He ran straight to the light.

    Allen, who ran to the light, immediately got goosebumps once again. He felt the monster that had been watching him earlier getting closer, and the first thing that appeared was a swarm of spiders almost twice his size.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The spiders looked more like the bodies of many-legged bats; when he saw them, Allen jumped up and stepped on them without hesitation. But the moment he started stomping, the other spiders started shooting webs at him.

    "Wha-what is this?!"

    Sticky webs enveloped his body. And he couldn''t shake it off, so he jumped and ran even faster toward the light, but they kept shooting webs and covering Allen and Felicia''s bodies with that. There were tons of spiders around him, shooting webs continuously, while the spider he stepped on was crushed, leaking green blood; the blood was also a little sticky and slippery, so Allen had to spend extra effort so as not to make himself slip.

    The webs bound him more and more until Allen finally couldn''t even move anymore.

    "ABARE! REIG!"

    As Allen shouted that, the webs binding Allen and Felicia were instantly destroyed. He knew he didn''t need any more light, so he activated Reig''s rampage and ran toward the light as fast as possible. Along the way, Allen just swung his arms randomly to open a path forward while walking in a zigzag manner to avoid the spider webs.

    Finally, they reached the ce where the light was. The light turned out to be located inside a small cave that looked like a room. And inside, there were light crystals that sometimes shone, sometimes didn''t. After Allen put Felicia''s body down, it turned out that the two of them were not alone there; there were five ck rabbits inside who were looking at him with red eyes. The rabbit was a little bigger than an ordinary rabbit, and the difference with normal rabbits was that it stood like a cat, had a long tail, and had silver horns on its forehead.

    The rabbit immediately jumped towards Allen to chase him away, but Allen immediately split the rabbit.

    Since the spider outside was still shooting its web, Allen hit the top of the cave door. Just as Allen turned his body to hit the top of the door. The rabbits jumped towards Allen and pierced his thighs and back with its horns.

    "Akh!" Allen endured the rabbits'' stabs and continued to hit the top of the cave entrance.

    As a result, the cave door was blocked with rocks, making it impossible for the monsters to enter and also making it impossible for him to get out.

    Allen immediately turned around and killed all the rabbits in the cave. After that, he immediately took off his shirt and checked his wounds.

    "They stabbed pretty deep..." said Allen as he used his shirt to press on his wounds.

    "My head is getting dizzy. Is it because my mana gets sucked by Reig when we fused?"

    Allen realized that he always felt tired whenever he used Reig...

    ''That means the fusion requires a lot of mana and stamina. I won''t be able to use it so often,'' Allen thought.

    Although they were now confined, Allen finally felt safe from the monsters. That cramped ce was many times better than having to meet the monsters that were out there.

    Then, because he already felt safe, the cold wind of the dungeon immediately pierced his bones, which made him shiver a lot.

    So Allen not only took off his shirt but also took off his pants, leaving only his shorts. Reig then wrapped his body around to keep Allen warm.

    "Haaah! Haaah! I''m sorry!" Felicia was suddenly delirious, and when Allen saw her, Felicia''s body looked very pale, and cold steam came out of her breath. Reig immediately held Allen''s cheek as if he wanted to tell him something about Felicia.

    "I won''t do it," said Allen, who seemed to understand what Reig meant.

    But after that, Reig immediately separated from Allen''s body.

    "Wait! What are you doing?! I''m cold!"

    Even though Allen said that, Reig didn''t go back to covering him. He turned into a small shadow and went back into his shadow.

    "Oh my! Why did you suddenly be annoying like this? Why do I have to save her?!" shouted Allen.

    Still, Reig did note out of his shadow.

    "OKAY OKAY! I''ll do it!"

    Allen then approached Felicia and began to undress her.

 Chapter 74 Inside The Cave

    ?"Why do I have to do this?! Reig somehow always tries to save this girl, even without my orders. There''s some kind of unwritten contract between us to take care of her, but there shouldn''t be any need for me to go to this much trouble."

    Allenined while undressing the unconscious Felicia. He first removed her iron armor, then moved on to her chainmail, leaving only her underwear and panties.

    To keep them warm, Allen needs to light a fire. But since they were practically trapped, Allen couldn''t just go out and look for things to burn.

    Allen then saw the rabbits lying around. When he saw them, Allen immediately got the idea to make a fire, so he took one of the rabbits and ced it in the center.

    "I hope there is a fire spirit here¡­"

    Allen made a fire symbol and amand spell around the symbol. After finishing, he managed to activate the fire amnis he had learned.

    "d the fire spirit exists. But how do we know they exist or not? I thought the fire spirit didn''t show up in moist ces."

    The amnis only shot a small amount of fire directed at the rabbit.

    "As I expected, it is small and weak; if I''m not mistaken, Lavinia can make it bigger. If I chant, can it be more powerful?" Allen said curiously. He recalled that he could not use amnis properly when he first learned it at Isabelle''s home. Allen could use amnis, but it was always weak, as if he were constantly out of mana for some reason.. Likewise, if Felicia had activated, there would have been more fire. But right now, a small fire was all he needed.

    "I''m not going to use a big fire in this cave anyway." he muttered.

    The rabbit turned out to be instantly glowing with fire.

    "Haaaah... good," exhales Allen.

    The rabbit''s body was not burning, but its horn was. Allen remembered seeing the same texture and shape in his home. It was something his mother used when going out. The rabbit horn was a material that grew on living things; if we burn that material, the fire will not goes off for about an hour.

    "Now that''s enough, right?!" Allen uttered irritably, calling for Reig toe back and cover him.

    Reig came out of Allen''s shadow and transformed again into a scarf. But this time, he didn''t directly cover Allen; instead, he sat Felicia up and wrapped her body.

    "Wait! Why her?! After we lit the fire, she should be fine now!" protested Allen.

    Allen''s protests were useless because Reig hadn''t intended to just wrap Felicia in the first ce. He tied Felicia up to make her sit down, and then after that, Reig immediately reached out to Allen and also wrapped him.

    "Haaah... why did it be like this..."ined Allen.

    Reig sticks Felicia''s and Allen''s bodies together and wraps them together. So now Allen and Felicia were sitting next to each other while being covered or tied up by Reig.

    "Of course, it''s warmer this way... but... for some reason... I don''t feelfortable with other people this close. And because I could feel her soft body beside me, it made me feel¡­ a¡­ bit¡­ weird¡­" Allen thought as he slowly fell asleep. Using Reig''s rampage exhausted him because it sucked up much of his mana.

    Half an hourter, Felicia woke up.

    "Wh-where am I?" When Felicia opened her eyes, she immediately saw the fire in front of her.

    "And also... what is this? It''s so warm¡ª" When Felicia turned her head slightly, she realized Allen was sleeping next to her, and his head was on her shoulder.

    "Wha-wha-wha, wha what happened?!" cried the perplexed Felicia as she noticed Allen''s head next to her, which instantly brought her back to reality.

    "Allen! Get up, get away from me immediately!" shouted Felicia as she smacked Allen lightly.

    But suddenly, Felicia felt strange; she realized something more important, that her skin was now touching Allen''s sleeping skin beside her. She could feel Allen''s body next to her very well. and that made her panic even more.

    "Don''t tell me... Allen and I are almost not wearing anything right now?! KYAAAAAA! What the hell is going on?! Why am I almost naked, and Allen is sleeping naked next to me?! Then what is this cloth wrapped around me?! Could this be the scarf that Allen always used to wear?! AaAAAargh! I can''t get this off!"

    Felicia''s face became so red that it reached her ears. She wasn''t even thinking about how she got in here. All she could think about was how to get untied and get away from Allen.

    "GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OUT!"

    But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t get the bonds off. The strange thing was that even though the scarf wasn''t binding her that tightly, Felicia still couldn''t get them off.

    Finally, Felicia decided to wake Allen up.

    "WAKE UP!" Felicia banged her head against Allen''s as hard as she could.

    -BUGG!

    "Akh! Why is this kid''s head so hard?!"

    But it was useless; Allen was still asleep, even though she had banged her head hard. He slept like the dead, but he was alive; Felicia could clearly feel Allen''s breathing next to her, which was actually the most ufortable thing for her.

    "Why don''t you just really die, Allen!" shouted Felicia in the cave.

    Felicia tried many ways; she shook her body many times but failed. She wanted to try moving her hands, but she refused to touch Allen''s body; she didn''t want to make the mistake of holding something else.

    "OH MY GOD! WHAT SHOULD I DO IN THIS SITUATION!"

    Nothing...

    There was nothing she could do.

    Felicia realized that, and she finally gave up. She ended up just staying still, enduring the embarrassment and pride that felt like being torn apart. The more she moved, the more she felt strange because Allen''s body against her moved as if caressing her, and then Allen''s breath next to her was tickling her neck. So she just stayed still while repeatedly swearing.

    "When you wake upter, I will kill you... Just watch; I will kill you... I will really kill you... You peasant... you crazy peasant... this is abuse... this is a serious offense... I will kill you... I will definitely kill you..."

    ...

    Almost half an hour had passed since Felicia woke up. Finally, Allen opened his eyes, and because he felt Felicia''s soft body next to him, he immediately turned his head to the side.

    "Ah, you''re awake," Allen said tly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Felicia silently looked at the fire in front of her, her face flushed, her body sweaty, and watering out of her eyes.

    "Reig, it looks like she''s warm enough; let her go," Allen said.

    "ARE YOU REALLY WANTING TO DIE? DON''T JUST LET GO RIGHT AWAY!" Felicia was strangely angry, which confused Allen.

    "W-what''s wrong?" asked Allen.

    "DON''T LOOK AT ME!" said Felicia angrily as she used her head to bang Allen''s head.

    "Argh!"

    Allen immediately looked the other way as Felicia ordered.

    "NOW TAKE THIS OFF!"

    "Reig, let go."

    Reig then released them both.

    Felicia took the opportunity to pick up the clothes beside her and covered her body with them.

    Then she picked up Allen''s sword and swung that at Allen''s head.

    -BAM

    Felicia hit Allen''s head with the sword.

    "AGH! What are you doing?!" yelled Allen in pain.

    Felicia swung again; of course, Allen immediately came forward, picked up that sword, and grabbed Felicia''s hand.

    "I''m going to kill you and kill myself!" shouted Felicia.

    "What''s wrong with you?!

    You''re just a coward; how could you possibly kill me? If you wanted to kill me, you would have used the sword''s de to cut my head instead of bam it to me."

    "After harassing me, next, you want to insult me?! You perverted peasant! Let me go!"

    Allen picked up his sword and immediately released his grip. Felicia fell and bowed her head.

    "I''ll kill you... I''ll really kill you..." Felicia repeatedly mumbled.

    "You look feverish. Is the heat making you crazy?"

    Felicia lifted her face again and shouted.

    "YOU''RE THE ONE WHO''S CRAZY! WHY DID YOU UNDRESS ME?!"

    "I see... so that''s why you''re upset...

    It was because Reig forced me to."

    "Rei- what? At a time like this, you''re lying?! There''s nobody inside this fricking cave beside us!"

    "Haaah... whatever... Anyway, I did it because Reig forced me to. Your clothes were wet, so I took them off, and to keep you warm, Reig wrapped us together."

    "wrap?"

    "Yes, Reig did it. He''s my scarf."

    Allen''s scarf turned into a small slime; then, he waved a small hand at Felicia.

    "Wh-what''s this?!"

    ''it looks cute.''

    "I told you, he''s Reig. He''s my scarf, and he''s my friend. He''s the one who forced me to save you¡­

    Gosh... if I knew it would turn out like this, I''d rather just let you freeze to death."

    ''What the hell?! Why is he talking like that?!'' thought an upset Felicia. She had been the victim just a moment ago, but now she felt guilty for hitting Allen out of the blue, when he had only meant to save her.

    ''No, no, there''s no way I can forgive him! What he did was too much!''

    "Reig,e back," Allen said as he sat down again.

    Reig then turned into a scarf and wrapped around Allen''s entire body.

    "Those things are really fickle," Felicia muttered, amazed.

    Then suddenly, Felicia could feel a cold wind that pierced her bones. The ce was very cold, and Felicia felt like her blood might freeze from the cold. Felicia immediately grabbed her clothes, but they were damp. If she put it on, it would only make it colder.

    "How''s it going? Want toe in?" asked Allen, who offered for Felicia to get back inside the scarf(nket) with him.

 Chapter 75 Inside The Cave (2)

    ?Felicia finally gave in

    The coldness overcame her shyness

    So while trying to clear her mind, Felicia joins Allen inside that nket.

    "It''s so warm..." Felicia said as soon as she got inside Reig.

    Felicia, who was starting to feel warm and relieved, finally calmed down a bit and asked

    "So, why are we stuck here?"

    "Wulfgeat," Allen replied briefly.

    "What?"

    Allen told Felicia everything that happened. About Wulfgeat messing up with his mana, strangling them, and throwing them both into the hole, about the birds, the fish, and the spiders.

    "D*mn Wulfgeat! I never liked him because he always looked down on me! When I get back, I''ll definitely report this to Father!" cursed Felicia.

    "Don''t forget to tell him about you fainting from killing orcs,"

    "WAH! RIGHT! You have done too much! Why did you have to do that to me?! I told you I couldn''t do it!!! Don''t force me to do something I don''t want to do!"

    "I told you you must do it to be stronger."

    "I''m just not prepared... normally, people aren''t prepared for that."

    "But I can, so you should too."

    Felicia then fell silent, thinking about how she had killed the goblin and the orc. Imagine how hurt she would be if she were them. Then she sped her trembling hands together, trying to forget everything, and then said,

    "Thank you, Allen."

    Since Allen had not answered anything, Felicia looked at Allen and saw that he had a shocked look on his face.

    "Why did you have to be so surprised?!"

    "Well... no... it''s just... I didn''t expect you to know the word ''thank you,'' I thought you would be super angry with me because I forced you to do that. And I imagine you will fire me as your knight because I create some trauma inside your head."

    "What do you think I am?! Maybe you were thinking of yourself when you forced me to do it, but still, everything you''ve done is also necessary for me.

    Besides...

    You took the trouble to save me inside here...

    If I were not with you... I would have been in the bird''s belly."

    "Well... good then..."

    "Don''t look here!" Felicia pushed her hand against Allen''s face, who was staring at her.

    "Don''t forget to thank Reig."

    Felicia stroked the scarf with her cheek, murmuring, "Thank you, Reig."

    A small hand came out of the scarf and stroked Felicia''s cheek.

    "Hii! You scared me!"

    As the fire slowly started to dissipate, Allen immediately came out of its nket.

    "What are you doing?!" asked Felicia while covering her face.

    "Adding fire. We don''t know if the fire spirit will be here forever or not. Because the crystal is not lit every time, it means not all spirits are always there at the same time."

    "How did you find out about that?"

    "From someone... I learned about it back at my house. There was arge crystal above my house, and it took in light from outside. As for the crystals around us today, they shine because of the spirits."

    Allen took the dead rabbits and pulled out their horns. He ced the horns where the fire was burning.

    After that, he went straight back to Felicia''s ce and wrapped himself up next to her.

    "Don''t look here!" Felicia said as she pushed Allen''s head again.

    They then fell silent again, looking at the fire that was burning even bigger. Thinking about their fate now, what should they do now? And what will happen in the future?

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "Are we going to die here?" asked Felicia.

    "Don''t be stupid... I''m not going to die here."

    "Then how do we get out of here?"

    "I could just smash the door of this cave to get out."

    "But there are monsters outside, right? What about food?"

    "We can eat this rabbit first. Once the food is gone, we''ll get out and find a way to get back upstairs."

    "Are you sure you can defeat the monsters outside?"

    "If I''m with Reig, maybe I can. The problem is light; it''s so dark outside that we can''t even see what we''re fighting."

    "Then we''re stuck. Do you perhaps have a n?"

    "Yes... there is, but I was thinking of something else. Reig can turn into a crystal for lighting, and since I''m no longer carrying you, I can fight a little. But¡­If we encounter a monster that I can''t handle on my own, then I need Reig''s help, and Reig has to return to being a normal scarf. But since Reig returns to its original shape, then we have no light, and I can''t fight without light."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "But there are many crystals inside this cave. Why don''t we just bring the crystal outside?"

    Allen looked at Felicia again with a surprised face.

    "Huh? Didn''t you think about that in mind?"

    "I-yeah, I was not. I was thinking of bringing this horn, but it''s not going to work for a while, and I originally thought of making you carry it."

    "There''s no way I can hold that horn! It must be so hot! AND ALSO, STOP LOOKING HERE!" Felicia again pushed Allen''s head.

    Allen then looked back at the fire and thought of another n to get out.

    "Alright, we''ll get out once our clothes are dry," muttered Allen, who was already convinced to get out of there.

    -GROWL

    "!!!"

    Allen looked at Felicia, whose face was turning red. It was the sound of Felicia''s stomach rumbling.

    "Don''t look at me like that! I can''t help it! I haven''t eaten anything since I entered the dungeon!"

    "Haaah... yeah yeah yeah... I''m getting hungry too. I''ll cook the rabbit."

    Allen got out of his nket again

    "Ugh¡­So cold..." muttered Allen.

    He approached the rabbit, picked up his de, and started skinning it.

    "But it''s a monster, right? Is it okay if we eat it?" asked Felicia worriedly.

    "No problem, I have poison resistance. I have eaten monsters'' meat since I was born, so it''s fine."

    "Then what about me?! I can''t handle poison! I won''t be able to eat it!"

    "Then what? Do you want to eat it or not?"

    Felicia then looked around her.

    "Does this ce have any Chrysantheda flowers? Miss Lavinia said we can eat monster meat if we use it."

    "What kind of flower is that?"

    "It blooms like a rose, is red-white in color, and has a strained stem."

    "Hmm... if I''m not mistaken, Reig has one."

    "Has one?" Felicia inquired, perplexed.

    Allen approached Felicia and put his hand inside the scarf.

    "Wait! What are you doing?!" because the scarf was wrapped around Felicia, it looked as if Allen was putting his hand inside Felicia''s body, even though he was only putting it inside Reig''s body.

    "Is this the flower you said?" asked Allen as he pointed out a flower with the same characteristics as Felicia had mentioned.

    "Right! BUT! Where did thate from?! Did you take it from my body?!"

    "Reig can recreate anything he''s eaten. When I got to the dungeon, it just so happened that I asked him to eat many things."

    "WAH! REIG IS AMAZING!" said Felicia in shock and awe.

    Because she was a little stuck, Felicia asked again about Reig''s ability.

    "If Reig can make anything he eats, why didn''t you ask him to make a crystal for lighting when you were outside?"

    "That''s because the crystal can only shine if there''s a spirit. If Reig changes his body structure into the crystal itself, then the crystal can shine because of Reig''s mana, not because of the spirit."

    "In that case, you should have asked him to eat the nket, mattress, and meat."

    "I didn''t think I''d be trapped in a dungeon. Besides, things don''t work that easily. It takes a lot of mana to create something, and Reig only seems to be able to create things he knows very well. For example, I once asked him to eat an apple, but when I ate the apple he made, it didn''t taste as sweet as a real apple."

    Allen then returned to the rabbit while holding the flower.

    "Then does it mean the flower possibly will not absorb the poison?!" said Felicia.

    "I''m sure it will¡­ Because the crystal was working too. I still don''t know much about Reig''s abilities, so don''t expect much.

    By the way, how do I use this flower? Do we crush it andbine it with the rabbit?"

    "I don''t know... Miss Lavinia never told me."

    Allen looked at the flower again. The only thing that made this flower different from other flowers was probably the stem. The stem was tense and hard like a needle. Then Allen looked at the bottom of the stem; there were no root marks, meaning this flower grew without roots. Then where did it absorb something to live on?

    Thinking about it more, Allen concluded that the flower was absorbing something from the tip of its stem.

    "Maybe it will work like this¡­"

    Allen poked the stem into the rabbit''s body.

    Then a few secondster, the flower seemed to bloom more, twisting as if it was about to change into a new shape, and its color then changed to purple.

    "Oh, I see..."

    "That is how the flower absorbed the poison."

    As the flower''s color changed entirely to purple, Allen removed the flower from the dead rabbit and started cooking the rabbit. While burning the rabbit, Allen went back under the nket and waited for the dish.

 Chapter 76 Friend

    ?As Felicia huddled near the bonfire with Allen in the cold, dark cave, the thought of the sulent rabbit meat roasting over the me filled her with anticipation. Her hunger had grown to immense proportions as she saw the rabbit meat on the fire. With gusto, she devoured the rabbit meat, not caring about its nd taste, but only thinking of her great hunger.

    Allen somehow didn''t feel too hungry; he just ate it little by little while watching Felicia, who devoured it quickly. Allen somehow feels happy and unhappy at the same time. Allen''s mncholy feelings were the satisfaction he felt after giving someone else food and the feeling of displeasure because it reminded him of Lavinia when he first gave her soup.

    ''I should have brought green flowers and white fruit; it will make the meat more delicious." Allen muttered while eating his meat.

    Felicia had finished eating and now had no more worries about her body. Now that her worries were gone, she remembered the things that happened upstairs.

    "...Your treatment of the monsters today... it''s no different from how you treated me. Those eyes... you look at me the same way you look at these orcs. You didn''t kill them because you felt sorry for them. You also care for me out of pity..."

    Those were the words Allen had said to her before. She told herself that it shouldn''t be a big deal. After all, she was a noble, and he was a peasant; it was only natural for her to feel pity for him.

    ''Allen''s eyes at that time... he really looked very angry... there''s no mistaking that he was trying to take out his anger on me,''

    But still. Even though he was just venting his anger, the words Allen said back then were true from his heart, making Felicia unhappy.

    Then she recalled Allen''s other words.

    "...All this time, I''ve been thinking... why do you care so much about me? Why do you want me to stop harming people? Is it the fact that I am a human being like you?"

    Felicia, at that moment, wanted to answer...

    "Because I want to be your friend, Allen."

    "What?"

    "Eh?!"

    Without realizing it, Felicia said it out loud.

    "You want me to be-"

    "FORGET! NOW! FORGET IT!" shouted Felicia as she pushed Allen''s head to the other side again.

    "I see..." replied Allen, expressionless.

    Felicia realized it was the perfect moment to be honest with Allen. If she didn''t share her true feelings and just stuck to this rtionship, then his loyalty to her would result from their agreement, not any emotional connection. She couldn''t help but wonder what would happen if he met someone more promising. Would he remain with her? Or maybe he will leave her?

    Steadying her heart, Felicia said

    "That''s right!... I want to be your friend, Allen."

    Allen nced at Felicia again, looking at her as she lowered her face, which was flushed to the ears.

    In fact, they were currently only wearing underwear under one nket, but that already didn''t embarrass her at all. She was even more ashamed of saying a simple but deeply meaningful thing, which made her feel low for asking someone else.

    "Sure..." Allen replied.

    Felicia immediately raised her head and looked at Allen, who was now also looking at her. Their eyes met, and their heads were very close.

    "A-a are you sure?!" said Felicia excitedly, moving her head forward slightly. Allen immediately spontaneously move his head back a little, then nodded,

    "Y-yeah."

    Felicia smiled, then suddenly realized their faces were too close,

    "Don''t look over here!" Felicia again pushed Allen''s face to look at the other side.

    "Would a friend hit a friend like this?" protested Allen, who was getting fed up with what Felicia was doing.

    "Friends don''t peek at others!" Felicia''s face was angry, but her heart felt very happy.

    Finally, she had the friend she really wanted.

    Something she''d never get with her arrogant personality.

    Felicia was baffled by Allen''s quick eptance of her; after she had said those terrible things to him, she couldn''t quite fathom why he had given her such an effortless ''yes''.

    ''What was Allen thinking?'' she wondered.

    Allen''s thoughts when Felicia asked him to be her friend were... a curiosity about rtionships and his mother''sst request to him.

    Every time he saw a human, Allen''s blood seemed to boil,

    He hated seeing the nobles.

    He hated seeing maids smiling.

    He hated seeing the faces of the humans he killed.

    and he hates everything about humans.

    Then, what about his mother''sst request? She had wanted him to live and not hate humans. But if he hated humans, that meant he was trampling on herst wish¡ªa thought that gave him a headache just thinking about it.

    After he met Isabelle and the people in her house, his hatred for humans should have slowly disappeared, but Isabelle was dead, they were all dead, and they were also killed by humans, making him hate humans even more.

    Then he woke up in Boldenville''s house with a deep hatred for humans. But at that moment, he felt a hand grasp his tightly. He looked up to see Felicia''s face, with gratitude and relief washing over her features. Showing her face that she was d he was alive.

    Felicia was the only human that Allen could not hate. And by bing Felicia''s friend, Allen gained hope. Hope to fulfill his mother''sst words.

    "Allen, now that you''re my friend, do you want to tell me about yourself and why you hate so many people and Miss Lavinia?" Felicia asked.

    Allen opened his mouth slightly. Felicia was now his friend, no different from Reig. He always told Reig everything, so he had to tell Felicia everything too.

    But...<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Next time," Allen replied briefly. He still couldn''t tell Felicia everything. He didn''t want to tell her because it would only make him angrier, and he''d probably vent his rage to Felicia again.

    "I see... No problem," Felicia didn''t want to ask more either, her face looking very disappointed, to herself.

    ''I''m still not good enough to be trusted by others,'' Felicia thought.

    A few minutester, the fire they had lit began to fade.

    Allen got out of his nket and held the clothes lying on the ground.

    "They''re already dry, let''s get out of here," Allen said as he threw Felicia''s shirt and armor at her.

    "Don''t throw it at me, and don''t even look at it!"

    "Haaah, what a hassle."

    ...

    After they finished dressing, they started to leave.

    "Are you sure you can destroy this?" Felicia asked Allen about the rock blocking them from getting out of that cave.

    "Of course." Allen then used his foot to crush the sticky crystals on the wall.

    "I-I know you''re strong, but I didn''t expect it to be that easy. I saw people pull them out with tools! Not with their leg."

    "This is not the time to be amazed, quickly pick up the crystals and put them into the bag that Reig had prepared earlier."

    "Alright..."

    While picking the crystal, Felicia murmured, "I didn''t expect to be ordered around by a peasant."

    Felicia began to pick up the crystals and put them into the small pouch created by Reig. The small crystal shards were put into the pouch as much as possible while Felicia held therge shards.

    "It''s done,"

    After Felicia was done, Reig pulled out a stone mace.

    "Ah, that''s the mace of the orcs," Felicia muttered.

    Allen swung his mace as hard as he could towards the cave exit.

    -BOOM!

    The rocks covering the road were immediately thrown out, and Felicia could only gape at them.

    After that, Felicia threw the small crystals in the pouch simultaneously all over the ce. Of course, the crystals thrown were not enough to illuminate the dark dungeon. They nned to spread them all over the ground to at least illuminate the ground.

    And then¡­

    almost everywhere...

    Spiders were crawling around, waiting for Allen and Felicia toe out of the cave.

    "KYAAAAAAA!!!"

    Felicia spontaneously screamed as she saw so many spiders, some even attached to the walls.

    -SHOOT

    One of the spiders shot its web at Allen''s face. But Reig was quick to protect him.

    "Wait inside until I finish half of it!" shouted Allen.

    Felicia nodded.

    Reig changed the texture of his scarf to crystal, and he immediately glowed. Allen, using the mace, came forward and mmed it into the spider bodies around the cave.

    Because he was not carrying anyone this time, Allen could freely and quickly avoid the spiders'' web shots. With agile and cunning movements, Allen jumped up and down quickly, his mace powerfully wielded in his grip.

    Readying himself for battle, Allen prepared to dodge the spider''s relentless webbed shots. Knowing that the spider could use its legs and head to attack him, Allen quickly plotted out a course of attack involving vertically destroying the spider''s body.

    Progressing steadfastly forward, Allen advanced upon the spiders, his devastating mace striking a crippling blow to any spider that would challenge him. Despite their urgent webbing of thick strands, the spiders could not make an advance against Allen''s might. Instead, they simply stayed put and frantically fired webs at him from their location.

    Felicia threw all the crystals she had in her possession all over the ground, especially on the dark side. Then, after a few minutes, the ground was filled with crystals, so the floor seemed to glow, making Allen could almost see every spider on the ground.

    "This mace is already useless, Reig. Long sword, please."

    Reig turned back into a normal scarf, and then Allen immediately pulled the long sword from inside his scarf.

    Now he could jump onto each spider and stab them directly.

    Amid the chaos around her, Felicia watched in awe as the dark blue floor suddenly changed to a glimmering green so striking that it was almost like looking into an emeraldgoon! It was the spilled blood of the spiders. Heaving and slicing, his de tore through the air like a wild beast, piercing and shredding its way further and further through their ranks. It seemed with each subsequentsh of his sword, he gained more power and momentum, creating a tempestuous storm of steel and carnage. Because of Reig''s crystal transformation, Allen looked glowing, so Felicia could clearly see what Allen was doing, and at that moment, she remembered Allen when killing the orcs.

    "Why was I scared back then?" Felicia thought.

    Allen had the same expressionless face when he killed the orcs and the spiders. But when Felicia saw him now, she no longer felt afraid of Allen.

    Allen didn''t look like a monster; instead, he now looked like

    "a hero..."

    Probably because Allen wasn''t swinging his sword in rage and hatred at the time.

 Chapter 77 Horror And Terror

    ?After an hour of struggling, Allen finally defeated all the spiders. Spider remains sttered across his shirt and stained his skin, some spidey blood dripping off his body. Since the crystal inside the bag had already run out, Felicia gave the bag to Allen to clean the sticky blood on his body.

    "Are we going back up through the water? Maybe Reig can catch the crimson bird again?" Felicia asked.

    "No, that''s impossible. The crimson bird has already flown up, they''re probably afraid of the monsters on this floor, and I don''t think going back to the water is a good idea either. This floor must have a way to the upper floors."

    "I saw a path on the left. I saw some spidersing from there," Felicia pointed to the dark path on the left.

    "Okay, let''s go there."

    Felicia walked back to pick up therge crystal and carry it. By then, Reig had already returned to a normal scarf to save his mana, so their lighting now depended on the crystal.

    "Is that heavy for you? I can carry it," Allen pleaded when he saw Felicia''s face, which looked a little troubled.

    "Are you stupid? You have to protect me. How could I let you carry this thing-"

    But suddenly, the crystal''s light dimmed.

    "Eh?! WHY?! DID I MAKE A MISTAKE?!" cried the panicked Felicia.

    "Calm down! What if you called the other monsters here?! The crystal''s light disappeared because the spirit is no longer here!"

    ''Damn, this is the worst scenario I can think of. We''ll have to use Reig for lighting if there are no spirits. What if we encounter a strong enemy?''

    Reig then turned into a crystal and shone.

    "Shouldn''t we go back into the cave first? For some reason, I suddenly feel like it''s getting colder," asked Felicia, who was getting scared.

    "I''d like to, but if we go back in, I feel like we''ll lose our chance of survival. Besides, we might starve to death there."

    "We don''t have to fear starvation because Reig can create the rabbit meat many times over, and he can also create the rabbit''s horns for lighting," suggested Felicia, who remembered that Reig could create anything.

    "However, that would consume a lot of mana. Reig absorbed my mana to make those things. If we dy the trip, my mana could run out just to make food, which would make me unable to fight monsters anymore. Remember, there''s no mana in the dungeon."

    "Why don''t we just wait for help in the cave?"

    "Help? Are you sure anyone would send help to someone they thought was dead?"

    "What about the other dungeon explorers? We probably could meet them here."

    "That''s what I was hoping for, but at least we''re currently on the 6th or 7th floor. Lavinia said that this dungeon had beenpleted up to the fifth floor. We needed to get to the fifth floor if we wanted to meet the dungeon explorers. And I don''t want to waste my mana creating food and other weapons. We better use it efficiently, especially for lighting."

    They then began to walk a little...

    Yes¡­ just a little...

    Just a few meters from where they had been standing...

    They were still inside the spider-infested room...

    They just walked a few meters, but their eyes immediately caught an apparition that stunned them.

    "A-a-a-a-a"

    Allen and Felicia fell silent.

    Reig''s light was barely able to illuminate the monster that now stood in front of them. Its face was distorted and intimidating, withrge horns protruding from its head and a nose that seemed almost asrge as their bodies. Its piercing nose bore a hefty piercing, and its lips were thick and slightly lolled. The mere sight of it was enough to send chills down their spines. Whatever it was, it was immense. Even Reig''s light could only light up a portion of its head. They remained frozen in horror and terror, unable to move or speak. Every second felt like an eternity as they stared in, terrified of the creature in front of them.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "Sta-stay calm," Allen said not only to Felicia but also to himself.

    Allen tries to reach Felicia''s hand so he can pull her out at any time.

    -THRUST

    Without Allen realizing it, something sharp came from the darkness, piercing his body.

    "BUAKH!" Allen immediately vomited blood. It turned out that what stabbed him was the fingernail of the monster in front of him, which was almost as big as his hand. The monster slowly withdrew its finger again.

    Felicia looked at Allen, who was in pain, blood wasing out of his stomach very quickly, and it made her realize her fear.

    "GYAAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAaAAAaAaAaAaAAaaaaa!!!" Felicia immediately screamed with a trembling voice.

    But at that moment, Allen jumped straight to Felicia, picked her up, and ran away from there, back to the cave.

    "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS FLOOR?! ARE DUNGEON''S MONSTERS LOOKS LIKE THAT?!" thought Allen, who became very panicked.

    "ALLEN! YOUR WOUND?!"

    "HEAL ME WHEN YOU GET TO THE CAVE!"

    -RMMBERU RUMBLE<novelnext></novelnext>

    But the monster punched the cave entrance when Allen was close to the cave.

    "SHIT!"

    Allen immediately returned to running in the other direction.

    ''At this rate, our only option is the path that Felicia mentioned earlier! But that means we have to get past the monster! I''ll have to do a fusion with Reig to defeat it, but if I do, where will we get the light from?!''

    Allen''s blood continued to flow out, and Felicia could feel the warmth of Allen''s blood on her.

    "ALLEN! YOU MUST BE HEALED IMMEDIATELY! IF YOU DON''T... YOU WILL DIE!"

    "TCH!"

    Allen could feel his body getting weaker and weaker. He used everything in his head to think of a way out of the situation.

    He ran to the shore of the water where he had first fallen, then ced Felicia right in front of arge rock.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Felicia shouted.

    "QUICK! ACTIVATE YOUR GOD''S BLESSING! I''LL GO INSIDE THE GARDEN WHEN IT STARTS GLOWING! I''LL DISTRACT THE MONSTER WHILE YOU ACTIVATE IT!"

    "BUT WILL IT WORK?!"

    "WE HAVE NO CHOICE! JUST TRY!"

    With trembling hands, Felicia took the knife from her waist and sliced open the vein of her right hand.

    As quickly as possible, Felicia made a circle of blood.

    "GAH!!!"

    Suddenly Allen''s body was thrown back very quickly, and as a result, Allen crashed into Felicia, who was activating her god''s blessing.

    "AKH!"

    There was a rock behind Felicia, so they both hit the rock very hard. At the same time, Felicia''s god''s blessing activated, and now they were right above the garden Felicia had created.

    The garden glowed, healing Allen and Felicia simultaneously, and the glow allowed them to see the monster they were facing clearly.

    "Mi-minotaurus?" muttered Felicia when she saw the monster in front of her. But it wasn''t a minotaur.

    It just had a head and body simr to a minotaur. Its mouth was slightly forward, like a horse''s. Its horns turned out to be six, with cow ears.

    Then its body...

    Was ck and veryrge... 10 times? No, Maybe the whole body was 20 times bigger than the Queen Orc. It was Allen''s first time seeing a creature bigger than his mother.

    And it wasn''t the same minotaur that Felicia saw in the book. The minotaur''s body was only up to the waist, while from the waist down, it was a horse''s, like a centaur''s. But it also had six white wings on its back, like a pegasus.

    "ABARE! REIG!"

    Allen had no other choice. He could feel the monster''s aura, and he knew they would not be able to run away from it.

    He had to defeat it, and it had to be fast! Because theycked light.

    Felicia didn''t have time to be surprised by Allen and Reig''s change. She didn''t even think that Allen could win against the monster.

    Allen jumped quickly to the minotaur''s neck, but even with Allen''s speed, the minotaur managed to shift its head back a little. But that didn''t mean Allen couldn''t hurt it; he managed to injure its neck a little.

    "D*MN! NOT DEEP ENOUGH! I LOST MY ONLY CHANCE TO WIN! AT THIS RATE... THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT."

    But no...

    The light that had started to fade once again became bright.

    "ALLEN! LEAVE THE LIGHTING TO ME!" Felicia shouted.

    Allen looked back and nodded. He once again jumped onto the minotaur to attack it. Fortunately, Allen was faster than the minotaur.

    Felicia tried to calm herself down; she had to support Allen and do something so that Allen could fight well. And that was by using her god''s blessing.

    "I didn''t expect to use my god''s blessing just for lighting," Felicia muttered.

    ''Smaller and smaller,'' Felicia thought as she made her garden.

    Felicia tried to make the circle of her garden as small as possible. As a result, the smallest circle she could make was the size of her fist. If it were any smaller, her god''s blessing wouldn''t activate. And the room would glow for five seconds every time she used it.

    "Allen, I won''tst long. Hurry up and kill that thing."

 Chapter 78 It Hurts So Much

    ?Minotaurs are monsters that have human bodies and bullheads. Minotaurs are well-known for their powerful physiques, particrly their heads, which can crush human bodies simply by pushing them.

    They weremonly found on the 4th and 5th floors, and the minotaur they saw this time was probably not what Felicia had read about in the book. With its enormous body and half of it being a horse, what kind of creature could it ram with its head? At least not a human. And if it wasn''t human, then he evolved ording to his circumstances on that floor.

    The room was not a good ce for Allen to fight. Hecked the foothold to jump onto its head because the area was so vast. Moreover, the minotaur could not keep up with Allen''s speed, so he had to move as soon as he stepped on something.

    The minotaur was always trying to catch Allen, who was jumping back and forth. Allen, who fused with Reig, could see the minotaur''s movements more clearly, he sometimes jumped onto the minotaur''s horse''s back thinking it was his blind spot, but the minotaur turned out to be able to use his tail to whip his body.

    "Akh!"

    Not expecting the whipping of the tail, Allen was thrown to the wall on the left.

    The minotaur immediately used its fingers to attack Allen. Still, when the centaur''s fingers and hooves were about to pierce Allen''s body, Allen immediately climbed on top of its fingers and walked through the centaur''s hands towards its head.

    As he walked over to the centaur''s hand, he scraped his sword against it, but not deeply enough. It was just a scratch for the minotaur. The minotaur''s other hand was about to swat at him like a mosquito, but Allen could jump onto that hand quickly, and using that hand as a foothold, Allen pushed his legs so hard that he could jump like a cannon into the minotaur''s face.

    "UGHAAAA!"

    "I will take your left eye first."

    As soon as Allen stabbed the minotaur''s eye, its shrill scream reverberated painfully through Allen''s ears, and in response, it punched its own face with an animalistic fury. Allen quickly jumped away but he stumbled. Suddenly, the minotaurshed out at Allen''s body as he plummeted downward, its powerful other hand keeping aim unswervingly as it swung with deadly uracy. Allen, realizing his desperate situation, managed to protect himself from the minotaur''s forceful attack with both his hands.

    "AAAKH!"

    "ALLEN!" yelled Felicia.

    Allen''s body was thrown to smash a bit of the dungeon''s rockery floor. The Minotaurus, holding its painful eyes, now used its foot to step on Allen''s fallen body.

    Allen immediately rolled to the left and shouted,

    "DON''T THINK ABOUT ME! FOCUS ON YOUR BLESSING!"

    ''Allen... please... be safe,''

    Felicia''s face was slowly turning pale, her breathing wasbored, and her hands were numb, but she continued to make her garden for light,

    "If only my blood coulde back if I were inside my garden, then I could use my god''s blessing indefinitely."

    Of course, she can''t. Felicia had tried that before. If Felicia could revert time in her garden, she was curious to find out if the same power applied to herself. She wondered if she used it on herself, would her blood and mana alsoe back to her? After taking a chance, it turned out that the exhaustion of her mana was not affected. Probably, her actual blessing is not reverting the time, or mana was not bound by the time.

    "Mr Waldo, please give me strength..." Felicia muttered.

    Back to Allen. He began to think about targeting its eyes and legs first. Even though he didn''t have time, he had no other ns.

    But when he did, its feet could nimbly move around to avoid Allen''s attacks.

    "What should I do?! Should I just attack its eyes? That way, we can at least run away from here. But after I use Reig''s rampage, I will fall asleep for a few hours, and during that time, what about that girl? Can she survive in this dungeon alone?!"

    Allen concluded that the longer he forced himself to use Reig''s rampage, the longer the cooldown would be. Previously, when he used it to attack the spider and enter the cave, he fell asleep for about an hour. Then again, when he forced himself to escape from Isabelle''s territory, he slept for three days. There was no way he could leave Felicia in here for three days. What about food and water?

    "I can''t run away! I have to kill this monster! If I do, there will be a way! I''ll definitely live! I won''t let that girl die either!

    "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    Allen once again jumped quickly towards the minotaur. He had to kill it; to do so, he had to take out its right eye. If it couldn''t see, then attacking it would be much easier.

    This time, Allen jumped onto its back and ran in a zigzag manner to avoid its tailshing. Allen charged up to its back neck and

    -THRUST

    He stabbed the minotaur in the back.

    "REIG!"

    As he stabbed its back, Reig, a small sword, turned bigger.

    -SPLOSH

    "UGHAAA!!!" The monster cried out in pain.

    Because the sword was stuck in its back, Allen was whipped by its tail again to the left.

    Reig''s sword, which had be fused in Allen''s hand, grew in size.

    The angrier he got, the stronger Reig became. Reig could feed on Allen''s angry emotions and turn them into his own mana.

    That way, his sword was almost as big as when he fought Leofric.

    The minotaur immediately attacked Allen, whonded on the ground. As the minotaur''s hand reached down to try and grab him, Allen used its arm as leverage, climbing on top of its hand and scraping his sword against it. This time, however, the sword stroke would be different. Deadly. Allen made an incision so deep that the monster screamed out in pain, thrashing its arms wildly to shake Allen off. Unfortunately for the minotaur, Allen had clung too tight and stayed in the fight.

    Allen immediately jumped up. The minotaur, who didn''t see Allen, tried to check his surroundings; it turned out that Allen was on his horn, the only ce he couldn''t feel. Allen used that opportunity to stab the minotaur in the head.

    "GHAAAAAA!"

    He stabbed it hard.

    The minotaur shook its head vigorously, but Allen maintained his position while pushing his hand as hard as he could to stab its head.

    "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    "GHAAAAGHAAAA!!!"

    The minotaur tried repeatedly hitting its head to make Allen fall, but it was useless. Allen was right near his horn, so when the minotaur hit his head, his hand was injured by his own horn. The minotaur was also too frantic to pick up Allen with his fingers.

    Then because it was desperate with the pain...

    The minotaur''s eyes went to the other person in front of it; the minotaur slightly walked forward, and...

    -BWAK

    "Huh?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The minotaur seemed to kick something. Allen raised his head and looked at what he kicked.

    It was Felicia.

    Felicia was kicked into the rock behind her, her body stuck to the rock, looking crushed, and her blood sshed everywhere.

    Seeing that, Allen subconsciously weakened his stab at the minotaur''s head. The minotaur, somewhat calmer now, picked up Allen and threw him against the wall.

    ''What?

    ''What happened?

    ''Why did he attack that girl?''

    Allen got up, looking at Felicia''s body, which was drooping, motionless, and helpless.

    "OI!" called Allen to Felicia.

    She didn''t answer

    "OI! GET UP!" called Allen again.

    She still didn''t answer

    "OI! HURRY UP AND GET UP! THE LIGHT IS FADING!"

    She still didn''t answer

    "OI! I SAID GET UP!"

    The light illuminating the room suddenly disappeared, so everything in the room slowly went dark.

    "Why that didn''te up in my mind..."

    "Why didn''t I think at all that this minotaur could have attacked her while fighting with me..."

    Reig slowly turned back into an ordinary scarf... Allen''s body began to weaken. He then walked slowly, with a limp, towards Felicia. At the same time, trying to reach his hand to Felicia''s body lying on the rocks.

    "Is she going to die?"

    "Is that girl going to die too?"

    "Just like mother..."

    "Just like Isabelle..."

    As Allen walked over to Felicia''s body...

    -BAM

    The minotaur, whose head had been stained with his own blood, punched Allen into the wall.

    He didn''t just hit him against the wall once, but several times.

    Until finally... Allen did not move, but his body was not destroyed. His bones were crushed, and his blood flooded his head.

    Allen looked at the minotaur, who kept hitting him repeatedly.

    __It hurts...

    It hurts so much...

    Why do I have to take all these hits...

    Why do I have to be here...

    I feel so tired...

    I just want to sleep...

    Maybe everything is a dream...

    And when I wake up, everything will be back to normal___

    Allen looked at Felicia''s lying body, and then suddenly, he remembered all of Felicia''s words in his head.

    "Allen, I will show you the world without hurting anyone."

    "You are finally awake, Allen. I thought you were dead. Well, actually, I don''t care whether you live or die, but I''m d you''re awake. Be thankful! It''s all because I saved you."

    "Thank you, Allen. You took the trouble to save me inside here."

    "Because I want to be your friend, Allen."

    Over and over, Felicia''s face shed through his head.

    "Is that girl really dead?"

    Then when he saw the minotaur in front of him, the monster that had killed Felicia. Allen''s blood boiled again.

    Allen stood back up... then he showed the minotaur a very tense aura, so the minotaur became scared and stopped hitting Allen.

    "Calm down¡­ it''s not your fault..."

    "This time, it''s all my fault... I''m the one who failed to protect her...."

    "But you must be prepared... I will take out all this anger and hatred on you."

 Chapter 79 The Peak Of Mana

    ?Allen was unmistakably in a situation between life and death.

    Allen was already bleeding heavily, and his body had be paler than usual. Despite this, the minotaur relentlessly continued pounding away on his fragile frame which was now leaning against the shakedown wall. His attempts were futile, as Allen''s body was too resilient. Even though his body wasn''t destroyed, he was far from safe. It was only a matter of time before Allen sumbed to death.

    The light from Felicia''s god blessing that was getting dimmer and dimmer made Allen even more desperate. There were no more strategies he could create to kill the monster.

    He gave up and began to close his eyes.

    But suddenly, his mother''sst words shed through his head

    "Live, Allen."

    Not just his mother but Isabelle as well, and that made him instantlye to his senses and open his eyes

    "What am I doing?" thought Allen while trying to stand up.

    "If I die here, it''s the same as not being able to obey mother''sstmand and herst wish."

    With all his might, he tried to stand up, and just then, a strong wind began to surround him.

    Allen red at the minotaur through his sharp, red eyes. He was angry, not at the minotaur, but at himself for trampling on his mother''sstmand and neglecting to protect Felicia, who was trying her best to support him.

    "It''s not your fault... But I will take out all this anger and hatred on you."

    The minotaur was filled with fear as he hit Allen again, faster and stronger this time. His hand bled from the impact against the dungeon wall, and he used his feet several times to strike Allen''s body. Though the mist had clouded Allen''s figure, the minotaur could tell that if he had managed tond a more powerful hit, there was no way Allen could have survived. The light had also vanished, leaving no opportunity for Allen to attack the minotaur in a pitch-ck room.

    Despite the logic of the situation, the minotaur was worried. He did not feel victorious at all; something was unsettling him.

    "Are you satisfied?" said Allen.

    The mist began to dissipate, and the minotaur saw the battered Allen.

    ? Reig fused with him into a sword in Allen''s hand, but it was small. The small sword couldn''t pierce the minotaur''s thick body.

    Allen, who was standing, looked at the minotaur with hatred. Then he remembered that he hated not only humans but also monsters.

    "I now possess this resentment and rage. Since then, I''ve never stopped being angry or hating anyone. I feel as though everything has culminated at this point."

    The mind also embodies mana. The user''s will and emotions can also affect mana, and due to the hatred and anger Allen felt, the mana flow in his body was rushing.

    Allen could feel something new going through his head. It was like all the blood in his body was flowing up to his head, giving him something new.

    "BE PREPARED FOR YOUR DEATH!"

    As he shouted that, Allen stabbed himself in the stomach with Reig.

    "!!!"

    That confused the minotaur, which made him dy attacking Allen.

    Allen''s body trembled as blood oozed out of his mouth, eyes, and ears until he was covered in it. But it was too dark for him to make sense of what was happening. All he couldprehend was this pain was the consequence of his ability. A strange ck liquid, thicker than blood, gushed from his stomach - the spot he had just stabbed himself with. It filled the floor around Allen and slowly crept up towards the walls and ceiling, so some of the water was falling like blood flowing down. They abruptly dripped down like a hand slithering towards every ce.

    The only one to witness the scene was the minotaur, who started to take a step back in shock - only to find its feet immersed in the wet, scalding darkness. It was clear to the minotaur that this was not blood, but he knew it was something much more sinister.

    "Now, I no longer need to look at you to attack."

    The ck liquid was moving around like a living slime but in hand shape.

    Allen raised his hand slightly as if reaching for something, and as he did so, the water under his hand rose until it turned into a sword-shaped ck liquid.

    -SLASH

    Allen swung its sword. But he was far from the minotaur, so it shouldn''t be able to reach the minotaur.

    -THRUST

    Without the minotaur being able to imagine, there was a thorn piercing its horse''s belly from below.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "GHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    In the minotaur''s deep scream,

    Allen muttered

    "God Blessing: The Spillege Mysanthrope"

    The peak of his hatred, and the peak of his anger, then the emotions he had when he was on the verge of death, all the emotions that peaked and overflowed, made his mana perform a mechanism that triggered a new ability.

    A god''s blessing that can make him reach his enemy anywhere.

    A god''s blessing to kill everything he hates.

    Having no other choice, the minotaur ran towards Allen quickly.

    "It''s useless."

    Allen swung the liquid sword in his hand again

    -THRUST THRUST THRUST

    The water beneath the minotaur''s body swirled, solidified, and advanced to pierce the minotaur''s body.

    "With this ability, I don''t need light. As long as you are trapped inside my ability, I can attack you whenever and wherever I want."

    Allen leaped forward with lightning speed, his sword held high above his head, and as it sliced through the air, a stream of ck liquid coalesced into powerful thorns, tearing through the minotaur''s body from the ground. The minotaur was enraged, trying tosh out and strike Allen again and again - but each time its mighty fist woulde close, raging thorns shoot up, blocking the blow and pushing the beast back. As the monstrous creature hollered in a fury, it realized its attack was futile; he began to gallop in zigzags, faster than the water could form into thorns - desperately looking for an escape.

    "Do you think by buying time, you can wait until I run out of mana? You seem to think you can survive as long as this liquid doesn''t exist. In that case, I''ll grant your wish."

    Like a whirlpool, the liquid flowed back towards Allen and created a circle, slowly rising to cover his body. The ck liquid shifted as if alive, forming a tight ball that enclosed him within. The water ball suddenly broke apart, leaving only his bare skin. Some water covered Allen''s body like armor, and strange tattoos had taken their ce, crawling along his flesh like a permanent ink painting.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    He raised his hand, and all the ck liquid around him moved into that hand, bing a huge new sword filled with ck mud.

    Upon seeing that, the minotaur immediately ran towards the exit as fast as it could.

    That monster knew that if that thing hit him, he would die.

    "toote¡­"

    Suddenly, Reig came out of Allen''s shadow, turned into a small slime, and ran quickly toward Felicia. He then became a circle, covering Felicia as if trying to protect her from something.

    Allen swung his sword.

    That ck liquid was his mana and also his blood. And now all of that liquid had materialized into a gigantic sword. As he swung it, the ck liquid came out of the sh and seemed to shoot at the minotaur. Time seemed to slow down as the liquid hit the creature, but the liquid had be something entirely different - it almost looked like an effect of the sword, an effect of the liquid traveling so fast that it became a sh in thin air. Before the minotaur could even think of itsst breath, Allen''s attack had reached its mark, resulting in the minotaur being split into two and the dungeon walls behind it crumbling and copsing. The power of the liquid attack was so great that Felicia, far to Allen''s left, was almost hit by a flying rock.

    "Finally... I have finally defeated that thing¡­ Felicia¡­"

    The ck liquid suddenly disappeared, like water that goes underground. Allen then fell and was exhausted. Allen tried to drag his body as far as he could, reaching for Felicia, who was lying far ahead. But before he could reach her, he copsed unconscious.

    As for Felicia''s blood slowly spread across the floor, finally reached the entire floor surface around her, and was consistently coated in a pond of her own blood that created a circle pattern. The blood began to make small, delicate nts sprout from the floor. Every second, a new life would grow, with bright leafy greens stretching towards Felicia''s body. Then the nts glowed, and so did Felicia''s body.

    It illuminated the dungeon room, and the result of the light was

    "Cough! Cough!"

    Felicia, who was coughing, let out a little blood from her mouth.

    She then sat up, looking around.

    "Am I still alive?"

 Chapter 80 Ill Be The One Who Saves You

    ?"It hurts... it hurts... it hurts..."

    "What happened? Why does it feel so painful?"

    Felicia, who was kicked by the minotaur, slowly raised her head, looking at Allen, who was lying far away in front of her.

    "No... I can''t die... I have to give Allen light... I have to... use more of my mana."

    At that moment, the blood scattered around her finally formed a circle. Every drop of her blood became a nt growing around Felicia''s body. The nt shone brightly, and its rays healed Felicia''s broken body.

    When the nt disappeared, Felicia''s blood in her mouth made her cough.

    "Cough! Cough! Am I still alive?" she muttered after she sat up.

    The crystal stones that were spread out on the floor shone. Felicia could immediately see the huge body of the minotaur that had fallen in front of her, crushed by the dungeon''s rock debris.

    "Did Allen manage to defeat that monster?!"

    Then, as the crystal glowed, Felicia concluded that the spirit was suddenly back because that monster was finally dead. Felicia then found something very familiar to her. It was a brown cloth with jewels on it. When she saw it, she immediately twisted her face, looking around the room and searching for the person who owned the cloth. It was the cloth Allen used to tie his head with.

    Then Felicia stood up, looking straight ahead. She could see Allen''s body drooping near the wall.

    "ALLEN!"

    Felicia immediately ran towards Allen.

    Allen was lying on his stomach, not wearing any clothes, and there was a fist-sized hole in his stomach. His blood flowed from the hole, creeping around him.

    "What the hell is going on?"

    Felicia turned Allen around and tried to listen to his heartbeat.

    "Thank God! He''s still alive!"

    She pulled Allen''s body away from that blood pond, and then she sliced her hand to use her god''s blessing.

    But once the blood fell and was absorbed by the rocks,

    The nts only grew a few milimeters and then suddenly broke.

    "Huh?"

    Felicia realized that she had run out of mana.

    "Why at a time like this?"

    Felicia continued to drip her blood around Allen''s body, but it was useless.

    "Please, please."

    She sliced her left hand this time; the blood came out more, but it was still useless.

    "WHY?! I HAVE TO SAVE ALLEN! PLEASE WORK!"

    Desperately, Felicia repeatedly sliced the knife on her wrist, and now that she was no longer inhibiting the bleeding, she let the blood flow out.

    If there was more blood, maybe the nt could grow faster. That''s how Felicia thought.

    But it was still useless¡­

    Felicia''s desperation grew to a peak as she heard the sound of footsteps. Familiarity with the sound drove her to a state of paranoia - it was a voice she recognized all too well.

    -TAK CRACK CRACK CRACK

    It sounded like sharp objects rubbing against a stone. The sound of the spider monster''s feet. They entered the room because the minotaur that had threatened them was gone.

    "No way..."

    Felicia fell into despair. There was no way to escape from there; the only way out had also been closed off by the spiders.

    "I''m scared... I don''t want to die..." Felicia muttered while hugging Allen''s head.

    "Sir Waldo..."

    Then out of nowhere, a ck slime moved rapidly toward Felicia.

    "Reig?! You''re Reig, right?! Where have you been?!" shouted Felicia.

    A small hand came out of Reig''s body, patting Felicia''s cheek gently.

    "Reig, what do you want to say?"

    Reig pointed to Felicia''s left,

    He pointed to the cave that the minotaur had destroyed. From inside the cave, there was a bright light.

    "That light... crystal light! Do you want me to go there? But how do I get in?"

    Reig didn''t respond, or rather, couldn''t respond. Reig then jumped into the hole in Allen''s body and closed it with his body.

    "Reig! Are you trying to save Allen?!"

    To stop the bleeding, Reig then fused to the same shape as the hole in Allen''s body.

    "So, you haven''t given up yet, Reig," Felicia muttered.

    Felicia then looked around her; there were tons of spiders approaching them. The spiders were about half a kilometer away, while the cave was a bit closer.

    Felicia then lifted Allen''s body.

    "Ugh! You''re so heavy!" Felicia said as she wrapped Allen''s arms around her neck and pulled him up.

    "I understand, Reig. As long as we can reach the cave again, we can survive, right? I''ll believe you can do something when we get there. I won''t die here, and I won''t let Allen die here either."

    Felicia started running as fast as she could while pulling Allen''s heavy body.

    Because of Felicia, the spider was approaching them faster and faster.

    Felicia continued to pull on Allen''s drooping body, forcing herself to survive.

    "It''s okay; I''ll definitely be fine. Everything will be fine. We''ll get out of here!" Felicia muttered, even though she could feel her body''s weakness just from walking a few meters.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When she was getting closer, suddenly

    -SHOOT

    The spider started shooting its web, covering Felicia''s left hand.

    "!!!"

    Despite the dangerous situation, Felicia was not ready to ept defeat. She persistently pushed her exhausted body closer towards the cave''s entrance in a desperate attempt to escape the advancing spiders. No matter how hard she tried, the spiders kept gaining ground and the webs they spat out wrapped around her body.

    Eventually, her weakened state became unbearable, and she fell to the ground, her legspletely immobilized by the thick webs. Despite all this, she still held on to a glimmer of hope. Seizing her rapier, she desperately cut away the webs from her legs and then lunged forward with all her might, finally piercing the spider that stood in her way.

    -SLASH

    Felicia shed her rapier at the spider, piercing right through its head. Much to her surprise, the spider''s body yielded beneath the de, far more fragile than she had expected. She nced down at her rapier, which was now covered in green blood, flowing down to stain her hands.

    "Somehow I''m not afraid anymore," she muttered.

    Felicia then looked at the spider she had just killed,

    "Fufu" Surprisingly, Felicia smiled. She managed to raise her sword and kill a monster. Instead of the goblins and slimes, this was where Felicia felt she had actually killed a monster. So she considered the spider to be her first kill.

    "I''ll have to tell Sir Waldo about my first kill experienceter," Felicia muttered.

    Felicia looked at the approaching spider, and then she looked at Allen, who was lying on the ground,

    "Geez, Allen. Why am I the one who is protecting you now? Aren''t you my knight?"

    She then stood tall, pointing her rapier at the spiders.

    "But it''s okay, Allen. Because this time... I''ll be the one who saves you!"

    The spiders shot out their webs again; Felicia, whose armor was already dangling due to damage, immediately threw it forward, resulting in her armor being the one which is hit by the spider web.

    Then she quickly stabbed her fingertips with her rapier.

    "I can feel it; my mana is running low."

    She quickly drew a me symbol in front of him, along with amand spell around the me.

    ''The crystal glows because there are spirits around. I have yet to learn how to confirm the presence of elemental spirits. But I hope the spirit in this room is a fire spirit,''

    After finishing, he shouted

    "FLAME ARROOOOOW!!!"

    It was a level one fire amnis. The most basic fire amnis that almost everyone could use. The mana required was only a little, and it wasn''t very useful in a fight because it only shot out a little fire.

    That is how it should be¡­

    But in front of the circle of amnis that Felicia was making now, there was a fire resembling a spear, almost the same size as her body, from the tips of her fingers. She felt the intense heat rising from her palms as the spear grew in size. Soon, it had expanded to its maximum, and Felicia released it like a cannon of fire, incinerating all the spiders that stood in its way.

    The sheer power of the fire amnis left Felicia feeling tired and weak. Her head seemed to spin, and her consciousness faded away.

    After using the amnis, Felicia immediately felt tired. Her head was dizzy, and her consciousness began to fade.

    -TWING

    Felicia stabbed her rapier into the floor, trying to bear the weight of her falling body with the sword.

    "I-I can''t faint here yet... I have to save Allen..." she whispered, holding tight her rapier.

    Felicia''s chest was heavy, and her hair and face dripped with sweat. She had to save Allen and get back to safety. Taking a deep breath, she looked around and noticed that not many spiders had she killed. Felicia''s amnis did not have an area effect. But she had to put an end to this battle.

    Panting and sweating profusely, Felicia eximed, "I-I can''t faint here yet... I have to save Allen..." Determined to survive, she mustered all her strength and picked up her rapier again.

    Though her vision was blurred, her hair was messy, and so was her face, she still hadn''t given up yet.

    In a barely audible whisper, she spoke to herself,

    "I''ll... live... I''ll live... and take Allen with me... We''ll go home." With that, Felicia squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and began to randomly swing her rapier with a weak sh, determined to make it out of this alive and take Allen back safely.

    -SHOOT

    The spider shot Felicia in the head with its web, causing her to fall backward onto Allen''s stomach.

    The spider was finally right in front of the two of them and was preparing to bite Felicia''s body to infuse its venom into its prey.

    "I-I can''t d-die here..."

    Felicia gripped her rapier tightly, but she no longer had the strength to lift it.

    Now that she waspletely desperate, water was leaking out of her eyes, and she could no longer maintain consciousness; she closed her eyes.

    Until she heard

    "Abare Latius Anguis"

    It was a man''s voice that Felicia had heard before, but she didn''t really remember whose voice it was.

    At that moment, it was as if a long creature swung over Felicia, sweeping away all the spiders and separating their bodies and some of their legs.

    "I''m sorry I''mte, but thankfully I came at the right time. I came at your friend''s request... what''s her name again? La.... Labinia? That beautiful priestess."

    By then, Felicia had already fainted,

    "Oh, they''re already unconscious. Are they dead?"

    From the darkness, what emerged was one of the knights of the rounds, Birawa Budiono, who had previously decided to stay overnight in the city.

    He then checked Felicia''s and Allen''s heartbeats.

    "Wow! They''re still alive?! Seriously? Howe?!" Birawa shouted in Indonesian.

    Then he looked around and muttered:

    "But these kids are great; how could they kill this many Bat Arachne? They even destroyed a very strong dungeon wall."

 Chapter 81 Thank Goodness

    ?"What is this? Whose eye is this?"

    The consequence of using Allen''s god''s blessing was a severe injury. As he was bleeding, Reig fused with Allen''s hollow body to stop it. Allen remained conscious, unable to move or open his eyes but still feeling the wounds across his body. Because Reig fused with Allen''s blood and mana, Allen was now connected to Reig''s mind.

    "Ugh! You''re so heavy!" said Felicia. Allen could see Felicia, who was trying to carry him.

    "What are you doing?" but even though he tried to say that, his mouth didn''t move, like his consciousness was far away. He saw and heard everything through Reig''s body and mind.

    "It''s okay; I''ll definitely be fine. Everything will be fine. We''ll get out of here!"

    He looked at Felicia deeply, taken aback by all she had done for him. He had grown so ustomed to thinking of her as someone who merely pitied him that he couldn''t help but feel strange about it. As his mind wandered, he began to reflect on his earlier thoughts about her. He had assumed that she had nothing but sympathy for him and the situation; however he now knows how wrong he had been. He watched as she forced herself to save him, and he could no longer deny that she genuinely cared.

    "Geez, Allen. Why am I the one who is protecting you now? Aren''t you my knight?"

    If Felicia had felt a sense of pity for Allen just in the same way as the monsters, there was no way she would have tried that hard to save him there.

    "I-I can''t faint here yet... I have to save Allen..."

    The enthusiasm and unwavering look on her face shocked Allen; he had never seen anyone like Felicia before.

    "I''ll... live... I''ll live... and take Allen with me... We''ll go home."

    Felicia was different from everyone else

    He knew that because he had been following Felicia, she was the strangest of the humans he had met.

    But before, he thought Felicia was different in a bad way.

    Allen, on the other hand, thought she was different in a good way, and he was starting to see the good in it.

    She''s special

    She''s not someone who would betray others

    Nor is she someone who would abandon others

    He is the true embodiment of his mother''sst words

    "Do not hate fellow human"

    just as his mother had said, and he could not help but feel special about that. Felicia had changed Allen''s view of humans, and he was now certain she was truly extraordinary.

    Allen had be so overwhelmed by the hatred and anger he felt inside of him that he had begun to search deep down within himself for a solution, although he wasn''t aware of it. He had be desperate for help and found salvation in Felicia. Whenever he was with her, he could forget the world and all the hatred within it, if only for a moment. He felt soothed and entranced by her presence, and if he could stay with her a little longer, he knew he could forget his pain.

    So he had to protect her

    He had to protect this girl at least

    She wouldn''t let Felicia end up like Isabelle or his mother.

    But....

    -SHOOT

    The spider shot Felicia in the head with its web, causing her to fall backwards onto Allen''s stomach.

    "No..."

    "You idiot, run!"

    "Get out of here, just leave me alone..."

    The spider was finally right in front of the two of them and was preparing to bite Felicia''s body to infuse its venom into its prey.

    "NO!"

    "DON''T!"

    "MOVE!"

    "MOVE MY BODY!"

    "WHY CAN''T I DO ANYTHING?!"

    "WILL I LOSE AGAIN?!"

    "WILL I ONCE AGAIN LOSE THE PERSON I CHERISH?!"

    "RUN AWAY YOU STUPID GIRL!"

    Allen couldn''t move; he could only scream at the sight of Felicia, who now fell helplessly, and just then, the spider was about to bite Felicia,

    "I-I can''t d-die here... All...llen..."

    Felicia gripped her rapier tightly, but she no longer had the strength to lift it.

    Now that she waspletely desperate, water was leaking out of her eyes, and she could no longer maintain consciousness; she closed her eyes.

    Allen tried to move his hand, reaching out to Felicia who had copsed motionless, but his consciousness was also slowly fading, and he was no longer able to see what happened next.

    "FELICIAAAAA!!!"

    ...

    "AAAAH!"

    Allen woke up with water in his eyes.

    "Where is this?"

    He sat up immediately, looking around.

    His clothes were missing; he was only wearing long pants that had been cut into pieces. When he looked at his stomach, there was a puncture mark there. It was the same scar as the one on his left hand when it was cut off.

    But Allen didn''t care about that. The first thing he thought about when he woke up was Felicia. Thest time he saw Felicia was when the minotaur kicked her, and the spider was about to eat her. That worried him.

    "Allen? You''re finally awake!" Hoping that it was Felicia''s voice, Allen immediately looked at the door.

    But no, it was Lavinia.

    "Where''s Felicia?!" shouted Allen.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lady Felicia is next to this room."

    Allen immediately went outside. Pushing Lavinia, who was standing at the door.

    "Felicia..."

    Allen opened the door to the room next to him.

    And there was Felicia asleep on the bed.

    "She''s alive... thank goodness."

    Allen approached the sleeping Felicia, and as he approached, Felicia slowly opened her eyes.

    "Allen?"

    Allen stared at her for a long time.

    Just then, Lavinia also entered the room and warned

    "Allen! Lady Felicia is still recovering her mana; let her rest first."

    Felicia then sat up, half asleep.

    She tried to squint her eyes, looking at Allen who was staring at her.

    Then after a few seconds Felicia was fully awake. And she could see Allen clearly in front of her.

    "ALLEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?! AND WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!" screamed Felicia.

    Suddenly¡­

    She saw something unusual on Allen''s face

    Something that surprised her even more.

    Allen, at this time, gave her a smile.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    He then came forward and hugged her tightly. His body trembled, like he was trying to contain the emotions that kept bubbling inside of him. He had failed to save his mother and Isabelle, the one person he was supposed to save. Here he was, trying to save Felicia, the one who had saved him in all those moments of despair, but he had failed. He was overwhelmed, knowing that Felicia was still alive despite his failure. She realized in that moment that she would not be able to carry this burden of guilt herself, and that she desperately needed her friend to help her.

    "E-EEEH?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    His body trembled, holding back his tears, showing how d he was to know that Felicia was still alive. He also tried to contain the emotions that kept bubbling inside of him. He had failed to save his mother and Isabelle, the one person he was supposed to save. And again, he had failed to save Felicia, the one that had saved him in all those moments of despair; if she died, he would fall into despair. But now she was still alive

    alive...

    and scolded him again as usual...

    her face was also annoying as usual...

    "Thank goodness, you''re still alive...." whispered Allen.

    Felicia suddenly fell silent, as Allen, who was hugging her, seemed like a different person; the sight of Allen''s vulnerability struck her with a wave of sympathy, and she felt relieved that Allen who always looked like a mature man who held their pain, was actually nothing more than a fragile soul who longed for affection.

    Lavinia, standing nearby, realized he was still the same Allen she had met in the dungeon. He is just a child raised by a monster without human affection. He is just a kid with a tender heart, forced by the situation to mature.

    Lavinia then walked out of there, leaving the two of them in the room.

    ¡­

    "Yo!"

    Outside the room, a dark-haired man stood waiting for Lavinia, the one who had rescued Allen and Felicia from the dungeon.

    Lavinia immediately bowed before the man.

    "Thank you very much, Sir Birawa, for saving those children. As you wish, I will try to join your party for a month."

    "That''s fine. Allen is my other-worlder friend! You''re very lucky to have me here. My armacar is suitable for hit and run in the dungeon. Besides, I honestly felt troubled when I saw you desperately standing in front of my lodging. It''s impossible for children to keep alive on the 6th floor. But because you believed in them, and your eyes demonstrated that belief, I attempted to save them.

    Well¡­ "However, I was surprised that they were really still alive."

    "Then, what floor did the hole lead to? Is it really the 6th floor? And where did you find them?" Lavinia asked again.

    "The 8th floor."

    "Eighth floor?!"

    "I won''t be able to survive if I stay there for long. Especially if I meet the guardian of the eighth floor, the Great Minotaurs."

    "The Great Minotaurs..."

    "Have you ever met it?" asked Birawa.

    "Yes, once. But our party only saw it from a distance because my spirit weakened when I saw it."

    "It would be troublesome to encounter it because the spirits will stay away when it''s around. Moreover, it''s very dark there. Without the light from the crystal, there''s no way to defeat it. Then we can''t stay on the 8th floor for long either; the human body won''t be able to withstand the air pressure and poison for long. When I found the two of them, they were already surrounded by the 8th floor''s little insects, the Bat Arachne."

    "Are there only bats arachne there?"

    "Yup, there were only them. The two children fought desperately against those spiders. I can see from how many spider corpses there are around, and the shining crystals spread all over the floor."

    "Thank goodness it''s just spiders... Again, thank you very much!"

    "Hahaha, that''s fine. What''s certain is that you''re now part of my party. How about that person? It''s been a day. Did they finally find him?"

    "No, Mr Wulfgeat ran away when he found out you wanted to look down there."

    "Yeah.... He won''t live long; his name and wanted poster will be stered everywhere, especially since he''s a nobleman; sooner orter, he''ll be found and executed."

    "It seems so..."

    Birawa then turned around and said,

    "Then, let''s go to the capital! My heroine is waiting for me!"

 Chapter 82 Because You Are Here

    ?After surviving the dungeon, Felicia told her father everything that had happened. And her father''s reaction when she told him was

    "You don''t have to lie that far."

    "Huh?"

    He didn''t believe her.

    He didn''t believe that Wulfgeat had thrown them both into that pit.

    But there was no evidence.

    There was no possibility that Wulfgeat had seeded.

    "But father, I''m not lying! You heard it from Miss Lavinia, right?"

    "Of course I did."

    "Then why?!"

    "You two are the same. Neither of you told me anything that proves Wulfgeat did that. First, you and Lavinia were both unconscious when it happened; how do you know that Wulfgeat was the one who threw you into the pit?"

    "Allen told me that-"

    "Allen, right? He told you about it, and Lavinia said the same thing. Why did you trust that kid? He''s a former ve whose origins are unclear, whereas Wulfgeat is a respectable noble; there''s no way he would do such a thing; he is my personal knight. Besides, you already know that Allen is stronger than Wulfgeat; how could Allen let himself be thrown into the pit? Then how did Wulfgeat control the orcs?"

    "Th-that is..."

    "You don''t know how embarrassed I am for using their son, who worked as my personal knight for ten years, of being a traitor simply because he left the town immediately afterward, and you even dispatched our search warriors and sent them to Baron Petley''s territory?"

    "Father! Believe me, he really throws both of us into that pit!"

    "It''s not just a matter of believing or disbelieving. Even if I believe that kid''s word, we still can''t use others without evidence."

    Reynold held his head, overwhelmed by having to order the other soldiers to bring back the soldiers who had already left.

    "Even though I''ve been busy with the whitmoon festival preparations, you''ve made such a big deal out of it. Now I have to go directly to the barony territory to apologize, and then I also have to give the apology money. You messed up a lot this time. Get out of here; leave me alone. And get ready with your whitmoon festival preparations."

    Felicia could only remain silent, holding back the frustration inside her that her father didn''t believe her, and not only that, she was being med for what had happened to her. Even though she had just returned home, she once again had to endure the burden and guilt given to her by her father.

    "I apologize for my behavior, sir Reynold," Felicia lifted her skirt and then left the room.

    She ran out while holding back her tears and frustration.

    Rachel stood in front of Reynolds'' room door, waiting for Felicia.

    "Lady, you don''t need to overthink about it. What matters is that you''re safe now. Let that guy hang around. We just need to be wary of people like him in the future."

    Felicia looked at Rachel, and then she sighed and said

    "Rachel, go get my training equipment ready; I want to vent this frustration."

    "Yes, my Lady."

    ...

    Inside the Boldenville residence''s training ground room, Allen was weightlifting. He thought back to what had happened to him in the dungeon.

    "So that was my god''s blessing. Strangely, at that time I could feel my entire mana gathering in my brain; then it was like my prayers were suddenly answered and I instantly gained a new power, and for some reason its name also immediately popped into my head. What exactly is a god''s blessing? Is there really a god who gives us abilities?

    But I don''t think I''ll be able to use it often. The risk of using it is too big. I have to find a way to use it as efficiently as possible without getting seriously injured," Allen muttered.

    Allen then stopped weightlifting and sat down. He walked a little and picked up the sword.

    "Maybe I''ll try splitting my hand first-"

    "Stop!"

    Before Allen could cut his hand open, Felicia arrived.

    "What are you doing?!" shouted Felicia, who immediately approached.

    Without thinking about Felicia, Allen cut his own hand open.

    "WHA-"

    "aah"

    Blood poured out of his severed left wrist.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!"

    Felicia instantly injured her hand, and activated her god''s blessing.

    Allen''s hand on the floor disappeared while his severed hand slowly grew back.

    ''Hmm? Does it disappear? Is this how turning back time works?'' thought Allen.

    "Why did you do that?!" shouted Felicia afterward.

    "Do you remember in the dungeon? I got the god blessing when I fought with minotaur."

    "For real?!"

    Allen nodded. "It''s just that the payoff was quite big. I had to lose a lot of blood to activate it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Blood huh... since blood is part of our body that contains the most mana, it''s no wonder that your god''s blessing is also rted to that-Wait... Don''t tell me you cut open your own hand to try to activate it?!"

    "Yes, because I''m trying to figure out my own ability mechanism. I don''t want to pierce my stomach continuously. But strangely, my god''s blessing is not active. Do I have to split even more?"

    "ANYONE WOULDN''T SPLIT THEIR HAND TO DO THAT! WHAT IF YOU DIE FROM THAT?!"

    "Well... I won''t die just because of that."

    "Huh?! Where did that confidencee from?! Don''t you remember the time you almost died while using this ability of yours?!"

    "Because you are here."

    "Hmm...?"

    "As long as I am together with you, I am sure you would heal me right away."

    "WHA-!"

    Felicia lowered her head, holding her blushing face, and slowly drew the rapier from her waist.

    -SWUNG

    She thrust it into Allen''s face, and Allen immediately bent his body backward to avoid it.

    "What''s wrong with you?! Do you want to kill me?!"

    "YEAH! No matter how bad your wound is, I''ll heal you immediately!" Felicia repeatedly thrust her rapier at Allen, and he always managed to avoid it well.

    "Stop it! I can do it myself! If you do that, you''ll stab me in the wrong ce and hurt like hell!"

    "I don''t care! I don''t care! I don''t care!"

    Rachel looked at them with a smile and said, "Looks like a lot of things happened in the dungeon. Thank goodness they''re trapped in there-" "Wait! What was I thinking?! How can being trapped in a dungeon be a good thing?! Rachel! You shouldn''t be a bad maid like that!"

    Rachel then left, preparing tea and sweets for Allen and Felicia.

    Even after an hour had passed, Felicia couldn''tnd an attack on Allen until the end. She knew that she never would, but she was still upset. She hade to vent her frustration, but now she was even more upset knowing how weak she was.

    "What''s going on?" asked Allen, who realized Felicia looked angry and upset.

    Felicia sat in the chair Rachel had set up, sipping her tea quickly and irritably.

    "Father doesn''t believe me about Wulfgeat," said Felicia.

    "Oh... never mind; just forget it. In the end, we survived; at least we won''t see him again."

    "There''s no way I can let him run! He really meant to kill me! People like that should get theireuppance."

    ''Well...she''s right. I''ll kill him if we meet again, but I couldn''t search for him if I were with Felicia,'' Allen thought.

    Felicia put down her tea and stood up immediately.

    "Allen, hurry up; you should take a bath."

    "I haven''t finished training yet."

    "After this, you shoulde and learn to dance with me."

    "Danc- what?"

    "A dance! Tomorrow we will leave for the capital. After the baptism, we will go to the pce to attend the prince''s birthday party and dance together."

    "Dance?! You mean those stupid moves you used to do in your room alone?!"

    "It''s not a stupid move! And I''m not alone! I''m with my mentor!"

    "Haaah, why would I do that?"

    "Because I''d rather dance with you first than with anyone else! I don''t want to dance with someone I don''t know!"

    Actually, Felicia was just scared. When she danced on her 10th birthday, she fell because of her partner''s mistake. So she wanted to dance with someone she knew as much as possible. If she danced with Allen, she at least knew what mistakes Allen would make. So she could avoid embarrassment if something happened.

    "Alright... but don''t me me if something happens," Allen said with a displeased face.

    "Good answer. No problem! You will learn a simple way to follow my step."

    Felicia walked away from there, leaving Allen in the room.

    Then on the way, she stopped and sat down on the floor.

    "Fyuuuuuh..." Felicia let out a long sigh.

    "Is there a problemdy?!" asked a worried Rachel.

    Felicia shook her head, then stood back up.

    ''It''s a relief that Allen is acting like his usual self. But it''s a little annoying too, as if I''m the only one overthinking about what happened yesterday.'' Felicia thought as she re-imagined Allen''s smiling face hugging her tearfully.

    After seeing Feliciae out of that room. Allen looks at his hand and determines,

    "Good. Leofric is probably in the capital and will join that party. I will kill him when the party is over."

    10 days left before the whitmoon festival begins.

 Chapter 83 Inside The Capital

    ?"Lady, shouldn''t you be wearing peasant clothes?" asked Rachel.

    "No way! I won''t wear ugly clothes other than to the dungeon! Who would want to bepared to a peasant!"

    Rachel was worried that if she wore noble clothes in the middle of the city, someone would attack her, as the capital had a higher crime rate than the Boldenville region. Besides, in the Boldenville region, everyone knew Felicia, so there weren''t many people who wanted to mess with her.

    Nine days before the whitmoon festival started, the Boldenville family finally arrived at the capital. The Boldenville family brought two carriages, one for family members and the other for maids and goods. As Felicia''s knight, Allen was supposed to ride a horse beside the carriage, but since Allen couldn''t ride a horse, he sat in the storage carriage.

    They left early in the morning and only arrived at the capitalte afternoon. Even in the afternoon, the entrance was still full of merchants queuing outside the capital, but since Boldenville was a noble, they entered through the north gate, which had a smaller queue.

    During their stay in the capital, they stayed in the noble district, where the nobles lived and rented small houses. The noble district was located near the royal castle, and it still took an hour by horse to get there, so they got there at night.

    The next morning Felicia wanted to go out to the capital''s shopping center; Felicia insisted on going in noble clothes even though Rachel had warned her.

    "Nobles have to wear nice clothes! What if I run into another noble on the street? The Boldenville surname could get a bad name!"

    "Only you nobles go to the shopping center,dy. Most nobles don''t walk out of town."

    "I want to go anyway! Don''t stop me!"

    Rachel sighed, then she looked at Allen with a worried face.

    "Allen, please really protect Lady this time; don''t let the previous incident happen again," Rachel said, referring to the thing that happened inside the dungeon. Whichever side of the story you took, there was no mistaking that Allen was why Felicia had fallen in there.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely protect her this time."

    Allen''s face was not the one Rachel was used to seeing. Usually, he said it because he was forced by circumstances, whereas now Rachel could feel that he meant to protect her not because of coercion but because he wanted to do so.

    "O-Of course you should! It''s your job after all!" Felicia said as she turned around.

    Rachel couldn''t apany them this time. She was the only maid who could be trusted with the Boldenville family''s finances, as her family had been serving the Boldenville family for generations. Since she had just arrived, she had to lead the other maids in preparing for the pce banquet and other items like clothes, jewelry, and drinks, and decorating the house in case other nobles visited. Even though it was a rental house and good enough for nobles to live in, the earl''s family had too much prestige to be lumped in with other nobles.

    Allen and Felicia went to the shopping center after paying for a rider and horse at the post house. A post house is a post office that delivers mail and often uses transportation services ording to a specified route.

    "Well, as expected to the capital! Lots of people! Lots of food! And lots of merchandise!" Felicia shouted with excitement.

    "Lots of danger too," muttered Allen.

    Arriving at the shopping center, they got off.

    "How much is it?"

    "Three-no, four silver coinsdy!"

    "FOUR SILVER COINS FOR A RIDE?!" Felicia said it so loudly that everyone around her immediately looked at them.

    "Hii!!!"

    "Are you trying to trick me? What''s your name? Just so you know, I''m the earl''s daughter. I''ll send a soldier to look for you if you lie!"

    "Ma-I am so sorrydy! It''s only one silver coin! Please don''t report this to anyone!"

    "Geez, you think you can fool me that easily. Just because I''m a kid, you think I''m stupid! No wonder you''re so skinny; you must have been working with dirty tricks all this time!"

    Felicia took out three silver coins from her pouch and gave them to the coachman.

    "Umm...dy?"

    "Just take the three coins. In exchange, you shouldn''t lie anymore!"

    "T-THANK YOU LADY!"

    The coachman left there, continuing his work happily.

    "What did you do that for? Do you care about him that much?" asked Allen, who wondered why he should give more money to the lying coachman.

    "Of course, for myself. Everyone was listening to the conversation earlier, so there won''t be anyone trying to trick me in the future just because I''m a noble and a child."

    "I don''t understand. There''s no guarantee that others won''t do the same. If it were me, I''d break the coachman''s arm as a spectacle, the rumors would spread, and the fear would keep others from messing with you."

    "What a brutal way to think! I won''t do such a thing, and I won''t let you do it!"

    "Just a suggestion..."

    Felicia immediately attempted to purchase food nearby, arge meat satay. People around them couldn''t stop looking at Felicia because she was wearing expensive clothes and shouldn''t be walking in the middle of the city without soldiers. Moreover, Allen who was beside her didn''t look like a bodyguard at all, even though he was wearing a knight''s outfit.

    "It costs two copper coins,dy."

    "Here it is."

    Just as Felicia was about to eat it, Allen grabbed her hand.

    "Don''t eat it yet,"

    "Why?!"

    "Let me eat first; there could be poison," Allen said as he ate the top part of it.

    ''Allen seems to care too much about metely¡ªnot that I''mining, but for some reason he''s be more aggressive, and his actions frequently startle me, which is so annoying...'' thought Felicia.

    "Why didn''t you just say you want some too!"

    In the end, Felicia also bought Allen one for him to eat.

    Just as she walked a few steps forward, someone bumped into Felicia naturally, grabbed her pouch, and ran quickly.

    "ALLEN!" shouted Felicia.

    "I know..., Reig, two knives."

    Allen pulled out two knives from his scarf and threw them straight at the running thief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Akh!"

    The two knives stuck into the thief''s back, and he fell down instantly. Felicia and Allen immediately approached him; Felicia took the money bag while Allen took the knives.

    "Allen, don''t throw your knife!"

    "Why? If I chase after him, I''ll have to leave you alone. How could I do that?"

    ''Huh? What the hell?!''

    "He''ll die if you do that," Felicia said irritably.

    "How foolish. Let him die, he''s already stolen your money."

    "He doesn''t deserve to die just for stealing."

    "You and your crazy thought. You should really stop caring about everyone you''ve never even met. I don''t think it''ll do you any good if you keep acting like this."

    Felicia picked up the knife and was about to sh the tip of her finger, but Allen immediately grabbed Felicia''s hand, stopping her from activating her god''s blessing.

    "Why are you stopping me?!"

    "Don''t waste your mana like that, he''s not dead, and the wound isn''t that severe. I didn''t throw him a knife with all my might, so the wound shouldn''t be too deep."

    Allen randomly took the money from the pouch Felicia was holding and threw four bronze and two silver coins to the thief.

    "Take it, use it for medical treatment, and get out of here," Allen said.

    The thief stood up, took the money and ran away.

    "Don''t act on your own like that!" yelled Felicia.

    "You''ll end up doing that too; I should do it directly so you don''t have to use your mana for useless things."

    "But-"

    "It''s also your fault for showing your money around. Rachel warned me about this, I didn''t expect something like this to actually happen. The capital really is a dangerous ce; if possible, I want you to return home."

    "Alright! I was wrong! I''m not going home! Next time just use a rock to stop them, will you?!"

    "Sure, I didn''t think of that earlier."

    "Aaargh! You really pissed me off! Let''s go and shop more-"

    -PUK

    Irritated, Felicia immediately turned around and walked forward without looking properly, resulting in her bumping into someone.

    "Ouch!" Felicia fell to the ground.

    "Oops, you''re too small, I didn''t see you." there was arge person there, in front of Felicia,rge enough to remind her of when she first met Ottar. He was wearing a robe, and their heads were covered with a hoodie so Felicia couldn''t get a clear view of the person''s face. All she could see were his sharp purple eyes, looking at her like an insect that could be crushed at any time.

    "Uwah, look what you did to thisdy. She''s a noble. If you hurt her you''ll die," Besides that man, there was another man whose body was smallpared to his. That man was also wearing the same robe, which also covered his face. He offered his hand to help Felicia up.

    "Please forgive my friend, she''s a careless person. Pfft, though he''s not as careless as you who ran into someone this big," the man chuckled, clearly mocking Felicia, but Felicia couldn''t respond. She somehow felt scared.

    -PLACK

    "Stay away!"

    Allen went straight ahead, pped the person''s hand, and took out the longsword at his waist. At that moment, Allen felt something worse than scary Felicia. He could feel an intense killing aura on both of them. Although it wasn''t aimed at Felicia, he couldn''t ignore these two men standing in front of them.

    "Hooo do you want to fight? I can fight you." The big man said as he moved his face forward. Allen unconsciously holds Felicia''s body and steps backward quite far.

    "Don''t do that Adam! Leader has asked us to gather as soon as possible," the man beside immediately pulled the big man''s body.

    The little one turned to Allen and said.

    "From your clothes, are you the knight? You must be so talented that a small kid like you bes a royal knight. Once again, please forgive us, we will leave here soon."

    What took Allen by surprise was that they didn''t mock him for being a knight like the others did: "A kid like you be knight," or "Lady Felicia must choose him because she likes him," everyone seemed surprised about him bing a knight, but they didn''t, which meant they could judge how strong he was just by looking. Allen knew that the two people in front of him were strong, and there was no way he could fight those two while protecting Felicia, so he immediately agreed,

    "It''s okay, you can go; we''ll be leaving soon too," Allen said as he put Felicia down, pulled Felicia''s hand, and left.

    "Fufufu, did you see that kid? He looks like an other-worlder. Could he be the one Nishizaka is looking for?" asked the small man.

    "No way, Nishizaka already said that the other-worlder who moved in with her is the same age as her."

    "Don''t you think that boy is amazing? especially those eyes. The leader''s woven clothes which are supposed to make us inconspicuous are useless to that kid. Maybe he has a unique skill that can read auras?"

    "There''s no need to bother; a talented kid like him is what I need in the future. My instincts tell me that we will meet again. Right now he''s still weak, but he will definitely be stronger in the future. I can''t wait to kill him the next time we meet," he said with a big smile on his face.

    "Instincts, huh? Your fighting instincts are so great that you can predict people. But he''s still a kid; your instincts can''t predict to that extent."

    "Strong people will always be connected to each other. We will definitely meet again if he keeps living and bes stronger."

    The two men continued walking

    They reached the noble district

    and then entered one of the houses there.

    "Leader, we''ve spread everything out as ordered," said the small man.

    Inside the house, a white-haired man was sitting covered in blood, and in front of him was the corpse of a girl. The man held the girl''s head while sewing something into her brain. He was the leader of the terrorist group Noctem Dolls, Ivaylo.

    "Wee back, Adam, Ralph. Let''s wait a moment. Our other friends will be here soon."

 Chapter 84 The Dolls

    ?The two girls were standing outside the door of the room inside the rental houses in a noble district, debating they wanted that room. One of them was a white-haired girl attempting to persuade the other to give her that room.

    "Hey! I want this room because I need it! Give it to meeee!"

    "Mary, don''t you forget ''firste first served'' is one of this group''s rules?"

    "That only happens if we''re all at the same start! I had to help him clean the house first! That is why I''mte! I want the end room because there''s less light here. You don''t care about light, right?! Then just give your room to me!!!"

    "I don''t care about the light, but I don''t like it when the ce I took first is taken away. Just go, find another ce."

    "YOU ARE SO CRUEL ELINOR! I HATE YOU!"

    Because of the rules in that group, Mary gave up on that room. She went straight to the first floor with an annoyed face, met a man sitting downstairs, and hugged him from his side, spoiling him.

    "Masteeer! Elinor won''t give up her room! In the beginning, I should let you clean the house yourself."

    The man smiled, then stroked Mary''s head gently.

    "Don''t be like that, Mary. We don''t know what god blessings the guards and nobles here have; I need you to clean them up quickly."

    "But in the end, they are so weak! You alone are enough to clean them up by yourself!"

    "We arecking information. As payment, you can sleep in my roomter."

    "REALLY?!"

    "Yes."

    "Hurraaay! If possible, I want to sleep with your real body, not a doll."

    "Okay."

    After a while, Mary realized that her master had just stroked her head with his dirty hands. She immediately grabbed her white hair and realized that blood was smeared on her head.

    "WAIT! MASTER! WHY DID YOU STROKING MY HEAD WHEN YOU''RE COVERED IN BLOOD?! AAAAAAAAH I HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER SHOWER BECAUSE OF YOU!!!

    "It''s because you jumped straight at me; it can''t be helped. I didn''t mean to do that."

    "Ugh, liar¡­ Elinor too, master too, the dolls always get on my nerves!" Mary then left and went to the back door on the right to bathe again.

    Mary''s master, Ivaylo, was currently cutting off a girl''s head after inserting his needle into her brain. Ivaylo''s clothes were slightly clean, but his hands were covered in thick blood, and stters of flesh. He chuckled when he saw Mary''s angry reaction after he deliberately rubbed her head.

    -RING RING

    The house door had a bell, so when people entered, the bell would ring loud enough to be heard all over the house.

    "Leader, we''ve spread everything out as ordered," said the man who had just entered the house.

    That man was Ralph, he had blue eyes and short pink hair, and he was also a member of the Noctem Dolls. He entered the house with Adam by his side after a walk in the city.

    "Wee back, Adam, Ralph. Let''s wait a moment. Our other friends will be here soon," Ivaylo said.

    "Eeeh? The others haven''t arrived yet?! I tried toe early so I wouldn''t bete," said Ralph.

    "Cih, didn''t I tell you we''ll be the first to arrive? It''s better if we fight with that kid first," said Adam. Arge man with dark blue spiked hair and violet eyes.

    "Wrong, you''re not the first to arrive. Mary, Elinor, Arthur, and Nishizaka arrived first. They are already in their rooms," Ivaylo replied.

    "Then the only ones who haven''t arrived are rissa and Norman. Haaah, they took so long. That kid must have gone on a date with rissa before finishing their work."

    -RING RING

    "Who you said dating? Watch your mouth Adam! and don''t call me a kid!" from the door, Norman entered with rissa.

    Norman had the small body of a 12-year-old, but he was actually 30 years old. He had dark purple hair and dark red eyes.

    Then behind him, rissa, a woman with dark pink braided hair and yellow eyes.

    "The area where we spread the dolls is further away than you guys, besides this woman keeps buying a lot of food on the street. That''s why we''rete!" Norman snapped while pointing at rissa, who was closing the door.

    rissa was immediately shocked and turned around,

    "I-I''m sorry! That''s because I-I''m so hungry!" rissa said clumsily as she hung her head in shame.

    "That means you''re dating. Has this little kid finally be an adult?" teased Adam to Norman.

    "I told you we didn''t! Don''t try to tease me like that. That''s really annoying, or you want me to kill you right now?!" Norman said so while throwing off his robe and holding the short sword behind him.

    "Hoo, you wanted a fight. It''s been a long time since I''ve fought with a strong man, I will be so d if you want to be my partner." Adam said this while showing the fighting position.<novelnext></novelnext>

    -BAM

    Suddenly, both of their bodies felt heavy and they almost fall.

    "!!!", they held their bodies as tight as they could while keeping their stances.

    "CLAAAARRIIIISSAAAAAA!" Norman shouted.

    rissa who was behind Norman was pointing her palms at both of them.

    "Y-you twoo! Y-you are don''t allowed to fight!" shouted rissa.

    Their bodies were getting heavier and heavier until the floor cracked.

    -CLAP

    Ivaylo pped his hands and said, "That''s enough, rissa. They were just joking."

    "E-e-e-eh?! REALLY?! I''m sorry!" Norman and Adam''s bodies were light again. They were sweating as they tried to escape the heaviness they felt.

    Norman immediately approached rissa and angrily punch her on the head.

    "You idiot! You really used your powers seriously on us!"

    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"

    "Hey, Adam! You give her a little punch too!" Norman shouted.

    Instead of getting angry, Adam smiled.

    "That feels so great, rissa. I haven''t seen your skills in a long time. It turns out you''ve gotten stronger. I want to fight with you sometime."

    "Hah?! Oh my f*cking god! Why is no one in this group as sane as me!"

    "Never mind, Norman. Please don''t be angry. If you keep getting angry, you will always be short until death faces you," Ralph taunted as he punched him in the back.

    "Anger has nothing to do with that! And DON''T TOUCH ME! AND DON''T TELL ME SHORT!"

    "Fufufufu" Ivaylo''s littleugh made the others stop talking and look straight at him.

    Ivaylo had just washed his hands; he wiped them and put on his gloves.

    "I''m d everyone has gathered here happily."

    Upstairs, there were already Elinor and Nishizaka standing in front of her room, looking up at everyone.

    Mary was in the bathroom.

    Then thest member...

    "E-everything is finished. Le-leader..." was Arthur.

    He came out of the door on the left behind Ivaylo.

    "Thank you for your hard work, Arthur," said Ivaylo with a smile.

    Arthur''s face was pale, his hair was a mess, and his body from chest to toe was covered in human blood.

    ''They''re all crazy,'' Arthur thought.

    ''14 soldiers can be defeated alone without even needing to move. Especially Mary, that short norttish girl is very dangerous; I heard she can pull out all kinds of torture tools from her body. But what I saw earlier was just thorns. She split her own body to open her stomach, and from her stomach came out iron thorns that pierced everyone at once.

    Then that other-worlder, Nishizaka. I don''t know exactly what kind of power she has, but the screams of the people inside can''t be heard outside because of her.

    And each person here is more or less as strong as them. What am I here for? Was my god''s blessing so attractive to Ivaylo that he made me join this group? Or does he just want to make me a janitor in this group like he''s doing to me now?''

    Arthur had just finished collecting all the corpses from the house, gathering them into one room. He couldn''t help but vomit multiple times, yet in the end, he had to grow ustomed to it.

    After that, Mary came out of the right door wearing only a towel. Her long white hair covered her body as if it had be luminous and merged with the towel, plus her skin was so pale that she looked like a white object. The only thing that was really visible to others were her red eyes.

    "So, leader. Since everyone has gathered, can you exin our purpose this time?" asked Elinor who jumped from top to bottom.

    ''Amazing¡­ Even though they don''t know the leader''s n and goal, they''re already doing his bidding. Why do they trust that person so much?'' Arthur thought.

    Ivaylo then stood up, and with a smile, he said,

    "Our next job is.... to take his majesty''s life, King Henry Sheraton Wildenhall, at the end of the Whitmoon Festival, after Prince Francis'' birthday party."

 Chapter 85 The Dolls (2)

    ?"Our next job is.... to take his majesty''s life, King Henry Sheraton Wildenhall, at the end of the Whitmoon Festival, after Prince Francis'' birthday party."

    "!!!"

    After Ivaylo said those words, the entire room fell intoplete silence. You could have heard a pin drop, and it was clear that no one in the room knew what to make of what had just been said. Some of them looked confused, as if they had heard wrong or if Ivaylo was merely joking. What he had just said was either too shocking for them toprehend.

    Everyone didn''t move and kept silent until...

    -DING DONG

    Until someone rang the house bell.

    "Nishizaka! Aren''t you making this house invisible from the outside?!" shouted Norman. He knew that his voice wouldn''t be heard by anyone outside because of Nishizaka''s ability.

    From the beginning, they didn''t sense anything from outside the house because of Nishizaka''s ability to lock everything inside the house.

    "I can''t," Nishizaka replied briefly.

    "How useless!"

    "Leader, what should we do about this guest? Should we just kill them? But we''re disguised here because we don''t want to get caught, right?" asked Ralph.

    "W-why don''t we just kill them secretly?" asked rissa.

    "Fools! This is a noble district; if that is someone''s subordinate, and that person suddenly disappears after they reach this house, everyone will panic, someone will report to the soldiers and the knights will get suspicious! Think with your airhead, rissa. The council has already discovered our presence in this town!" Norman eximed.

    "Hiiii!!! P-Please forgive my foolishness!"

    Ivaylo then took out a thin needle.

    "God blessing: Desperate Seamstress"

    Ivaylo''s hand worked quickly, he stitched together the body parts of the corpse lying on the floor. One-by-one, his hands raced to connect the bones and organs of the girl. In just a matter of seconds, the head of the girl he was holding had met the rest of her body on the floor¡ªthe work wasplete.

    It had taken him ten seconds¡ªhe had done something that most wouldn''t have considered doing; even the other member never looked at him work that fast.

    "God blessing: A Doll''s House," once again Ivaylo chant another blessing

    Arthur couldn''t believe what he was seeing. Ivaylo had just held a ck needle the size of a chopstick and pierced it into the back of the girl''s corpse''s head. The needle shone a little, and the dead girl''s eyes opened. Almost in a dream-like state, Arthur watched as the dead girl slowly turned her body to face Ivaylo and then it bowed.

    "What can I do for you, master?" the undead spoke, looking at Ivaylo expressionlessly.

    "Please talk to the guest who came, don''t let them go inside, okay? If they insist..." Ivaylo picked up the knife on the floor and stuck it into the undead''s body.

    "If they insist on entering this house, just use the knife to stab them," Ivaylo said.

    "Yes, master."

    Nishizaka and Elinor entered their room. Mary suddenly leapt onto Arthur and began dragging him away. "Come with me", she eximed.

    Arthur was already aware of where she was taking him¡ªthe room full of corpses where he had been working. As Mary dragged Arthur into the room, the others remained cautiously in the living space, keeping as far back as possible and out of sight to avoid people outside seeing them directly through the door.

    "rissa, give your robe to the doll," ordered Ivaylo.

    "A-alright Master!"

    "Why did you suddenly call him master?!" whispered Norman to rissa.

    "So-sorry, I just got carried away!"

    rissa put on the robe of the undead, or the doll, to hide the knives and blood that stained her. As soon as the heavy fabric settled around her, she moved towards the door and then gently opened it with a smile.

    -CLACK

    On the other side stood a maid woman dressed in a ck gown with a blue ponytail and ck eyes. She held a yellow box in her arms.

    "Sorry for my sudden visit. May God bless Barony Erster. My name is Rachel. I am the maid of Earl Boldenville''s family; our rental house is next to yours. This is a gift from Lord Boldenville to Barony Erster, and I would like to present it to him in person."

    The doll lifted her skirt slightly, smiled, and then said,

    "Thank you very much for the gift. Unfortunately, the barony is currently out with the whole family. I will give this gift to him after they return."

    Rachel''s face instantly turned worried.

    ''Out? Why did the entire family out at this hour? And where? Church?''

    Rachel then asked her

    "May I know where they went? Or what time will they be back? I''lle backter after they get home."

    The doll slowly moved her hand to the knife in her stomach.

    "I do apologize. I don''t know when they will return either. Would you like to go in first and wait inside?" the doll asked.

    "Umm..."

    ''I can''t just walk into the barony residence, and I still have four other boxes to deliver before the afternoon.''

    "Has he received souvenirs from other families before?" asked Rachel.

    "Yes, they have; they always leave the souvenir to the maid. But the souvenirs given to us are not so valuable; if you are giving us something essential, I suggest you go inside and wait."

    ''But I cannot wait...''

    Rachel began to think about what she should do again while the doll slowly reached out its hand to Rachel''s body to pull her inside so she could kill her silently.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''But I heard that Barony Erster is very kind to its maids. From this one maid alone, I can tell she takes good care of the maids. Her skin looks smooth, and her hair is shiny, just like a noble. A nobleman who cares for his maids like that must be good,'' Rachel thought, trying to convince herself.

    "I''ll just leave it to you. Please convey my apologies to the barony when they arrive," Rachel said.

    The doll released her grip on the knife, smiled, and took the box.

    "Thank you very much. May God bless the Boldenville family."

    "May God bless the Erster family."

    Rachel left, and the doll came back in.

    "Thank you very much," said Ivaylo to the doll.

    The doll slowly set down the box it held and lifted her skirt. Suddenly, a mysterious aura began to waft out from its body. After ten seconds, the doll fell inert, returning to a lifeless corpse resting on the ground.

    The other members walked back to Ivaylo. Along with Elinor, Nishizaka, Mary, and Arthur came out of the door.

    "No matter how often you look at it, it''s still amazing. Unfortunately, Leader''s god blessings are not the type I want to fight with," Adam said.

    "Do you think so? I thought it was kinda boring. No special effect happened, and no BAAM or GYAM thing happened," said Mary.

    "Hahaha, but Leader is surely amazing. We usually only have one type of ability, while the Leader has five! Don''t you think how amazing it is! Five gods'' blessings!" Ralph exined proudly.

    "That is not really correct Ralph. I only have one god blessing, just like you guys. It''s just that each needle has a different function."

    "Still, it''s amazing!"

    Norman looked at the lying doll and said,

    "Leader, don''t tell me you deliberately sewed up the corpse because you knew something like this would happen?" asked Norman.

    "No-no, I''m not that smart. I just made it as a precaution."

    ''Is that so?''

    "Instead of that, shouldn''t we discuss our next job!" shouted Ralph.

    "AAAAAH! THAT''S RIGHT! WHAT DID YOU SAY BEFORE, LEADER?! I HAVE NOT MISHEARD ANYTHING, RIGHT?!" responded Norman in shock.

    Elinor then jumped from the second floor and eximed

    "Killing King Henry, are we really going to do that?"

    Adam, who was still shocked from the beginning, said with a trembling body:

    "Leader, are you concerned that all the knights of rounds are currently in the capital? Then if we kill the king, we''ll have to deal with those princes; the most troublesome ones will be the second, fourth, and first princes."

    Ivaylo then looked at Adam with a smile and said

    "Why are you trembling, Adam? Are you scared?"

    Ivaylo asked that even though he already knew the answer.

    Adam''s answer was

    "I''M HAPPY!"

    Adam looked like a kid going to the yground. Adam''s face was beaming with a wide grin, his eyes melting with joy, and his body shaking in anticipation. He seemed to be overflowing with happiness, as if all of his worries had disappeared in a moment.

    "THIS WAS MY FEELING THE FIRST TIME I KILLED SOMEONE!"

    I WANT TO FIGHT THEM!

    I WISH TO FEEL THE POWER OF THE KNIGHT OF ROUNDS!

    I WANT TO FEEL LEOFRIC''S GREATNESS!

    AND I WANT TO FIGHT PRINCE ELDRITCH, WHO IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD AS THE STRONGEST!

    LEADER, I WILL FOLLOW YOU FOREVER!"

    -PUK

    Norman then kicked Adam''s leg a little.

    "Don''t get too excited; your voice is destroying my ears," Norman said.

    "That''s right Adam! You can''t kill them alone! I want to fight rounds too!" said Ralph.

    "Adam is always like this, he yells incoherently and in the end he only kills one at most," said Elinor.

    "You''re wrong Elinor! It won''t happen likest time! I''ll kill at least five of them this time!" shouted Adam.

    "I-If I, I-If possible, I want to have a part in killing the king, I-I don''t want to fight with anyone else," said rissa as she raised her hand.

    "Huh, me too, but I don''t have the right to refuse anyway," said Mary.

    As for Nishizaka, she was just silent while looking at her sword.

    Arthur was also deafeningly silent, speechless in the face of the bizarre people in front of him. No, he slowly began to feel that he was the one who was strange for being the only sane one there.

    "Arthur, are youing too? We need you and your ability," Ivaylo said as he smiled strangely at Arthur.

 Chapter 86 Francis Ismenia Wildenhall

    ?"Your Highness! Your Highness! Where are you!"

    In the capital city, inside the castle. The maids were busy running around. This caught the attention of the third prince, Alicia, who was sitting in the flower garden alone. She heard the sound of someone''s feet rushing, which disrupted her reading session. A while after, a maid was running around in a frenzy, and they kept yelling, "Your highness," Their arms were full of fancy fabrics, polish for furniture, and another task for preparing the whitmoon festival and the prince''s 12th-year party. They look so busy, yet they are still searching for "Your Highness." What made them so panicked that they had to put work aside?

    "What''s the matter?" Alicia asked a passing maid because the maid did not refer to which "highness" they called; she thought they were calling for her.

    The maid was immediately surprised to see Alicia calling out to her.

    "I''m sorry, princess!" the maid yelled as she bowed.

    The maid realized she was rude in front of the princess for not addressing her directly. It was because all workers in the castle had to greet or bow first to the royal family when they saw them. Usually, a royal family who came out of the castle would be apanied by their knight or soldier, so the workers who passed the royal family would immediately know their presence because they saw the soldiers or the guard. But Alicia was alone in the flower garden, so the maid didn''t know she was there.

    "It''s okay; I wondered why you looked so panicked. Is there a problem?" Alicia asked again.

    "His highness, Sir Francis, escaped from ss, princess. Lady Sabine instructed me to look for him immediately."

    "Oh, that boy... he skipped ss again. Is he really going to grow up after his baptism?"

    ...

    Eight days before the whitmoon festival begins.

    One hour ago,

    A boy was looking at the sky behind his study window. His hair was golden yellow, a color that only the royal family had. His blue eyeballs shone brightly, but his face looked sluggish and bored.

    Why not? He had already spent an hour listening to his private tutor talk to him about noble etiquette, public morals, and royal politics. Meanwhile, he drifted in his mind, thinking about the exciting adventure in the dungeon where he killed the legendary dragon with a single sh of his sword. After a few hours of daydreaming, his teacher, who had noticed it, hit the table in front of him hard.

    "Oh your highness, you have to listen to me this time! You are the prince of this kingdom; you should at least know basic things like this!" his teacher shouted fiercely. The teacher was an old woman with round sses and purple bobbed hair.

    "But Sabine, it''s all so boring. I don''t think I''m cut out for learning morals and ethics," he said as he pushed arge book on his desk.

    The boy was the fourteenth prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall. He was currently studying in his study room with his private tutor. His study room was more like his private room. He sat on a sofa, and Sabine stood before him, holding a small 30x30 centimeter chalkboard.

    "Huuh¡­ Well¡­ It looks like you won''t be able to focus on your study now. Then what do we do? Should we start practicing dancing?"

    "Haaah, that''s just as boring as studying. Why should I practice dancing?!"

    "Whitmoon festival ising up; you must be good at dancing to keep your face. If you''re bad at dancing, you won''t attract anyone to be your fiancee."

    "What are men dancing for? None of the heroes in the past were good at dancing! And all of them had beautiful wives! The hero Osgood was a big ugly man, but he had the most beautiful princess wife in the world; and the hero Allen I heard was only a peasant yet he had an elf wife! Do you know what they all have inmon?!"

    The prince stood up and drew the sword on his back.

    -CLANK

    But he couldn''t pull it out; the sword was stuck in its sheath. His hand wasn''t long enough to pull it out properly.

    "Uooogh!"

    "Yo-your highness..."

    She pulled it again but still couldn''t. The sword was still stuck in the sheath.

    "Ukh! Why at a time like this!" muttered Francis.

    Because he was trying to be cool but ended up being embarrassed, his face turned red. He then used both hands to pull at the sword on his back, lifting it gradually so that it coulde out.

    -CLANK

    The sword fell; he picked it up awkwardly and immediately pointed it at Sabine.

    "That is this! Sabine!"

    "''this'' what?" because of the awkward situation, Francis''s conversation pause became long. So she could notprehend what the prince meant.

    "The heroes! The reason they can have beautiful wives is this! The power of invincibility! Like my brothers Eldritch and Leofric!"

    Sabine held her head as she shook it.

    "That was in the old days, my prince. Strength is important, but nowadays, people also look at ethics and manners. Your brothers already have good manners. Besides, are you sure you can be stronger than your brothers? If you can''t, and it turns out that your ethics, manners, and intelligence are poor, what will you do?"

    "That is why I should train more! I didn''t have time to study ethics! Don''tpare me with my brothers!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Prince Francis, overwhelmed with anger, snatched a book from his desk and hurled it at Sabine. Caught off guard, Sabine reacted by throwing her arms up in defense.

    "Ouch!"

    As a result, her sses flew off her face and shattered on the ground. At that moment, a deafening silence engulfed the room. Feeling powerless and ashamed, the prince didn''t say a word. Unable to bear it any longer, he turned to the window, opened it, and jumped onto the tree outside. Startled by this sudden act, Sabine shouted at him in panic, "Wait! Your Highness! Don''t go anywhere!" Her voice could not reach him even in her desperation as he swiftly ran away.

    "MAID! CAME INSIDE!" called Sabine.

    "Yes, mydy?"

    Sabine put on her broken sses, then sighed.

    "Prince Francis has escaped; please find him immediately!" she said.

    "Yes, mydy."

    After the maid left the room, Sabine sat on the sofa with a long sigh

    "That child... even though the whitmoon festival is imminent, he still didn''t know the basics of being an adult noble."

    Suddenly someone opened the door without knocking, making Sabina immediately startled.

    "Who''s there? This is the prince''s room; knock before-"

    "How dare you talk to me like that, Sabina."

    It was Prince Francis''s mother and the eighth Queen, Queen Ismenia Whyburgh Wildenhall.

    She wore a luxurious dress covered in goldces, draping various diamonds around her neck. Her bright blue hair was tied up with gold strings. and eyeshadow on her amber eyes.

    Sabina immediately recognized the queen. Her entire body shook in shock. She couldn''t believe that the Queen hade to the prince''s room without knocking. Despite Sabina''s surprise and confusion, she bowed deeply in respect.

    "I- I apologize, your majesty! I didn''t see you properly!" Sabina immediately bowed in apology. For someone old enough, bowing that low made her waist hurt.

    The Queen stared at Sabina briefly before speaking, "I want to kill you for what you did, but for now, it''s okay. I want to see my son, Francis. Are you aware of his whereabouts?"

    "I do apologize, your majesty. The prince is resting after a long hour of study; he will return soon; please wait a moment."

    "Ah, no need. I just want to take him to visit the ailing king, maybe next time." Queen said as she walked away from there,

    However, Queen Ismenia abruptly turned around and said

    "Ah, right. How was his learning progressing? Is he ready for his birthday party?"

    "With all due apologies, he is still not ready. I will make him ready before the party."

    "I see; as long as he can perform well in public, I don''t care. I believe you are the best person to teach that child; after all you are the one who breastfed and raised him longer than I. But if he performs poorly at the party..."

    Queen opened the fan she was holding, covered her face, and then peered around the fan at Sabina.

    "If I''m humiliated because of that child, I will absolutely kill you." Her eyes looked into the dark, looking at Sabina seriously and grippingly.

    "Y-yes, your majesty."

    Queen got out of there.

    At that moment, Sabina immediately sighed while holding her gouty waist.

    On the way out, the maids who saw the queen started gossiping,

    "How arrogant when she is only the youngest queen and is often called by the king to his room."

    "She''s the lowest in the royal family, so she behaves like that to people lower than her."

    "She''s just the king''s bedmate, no different from a concubine."

    "But, isn''t she a former concubine?"

    "Pfft, that''s right."

 Chapter 87 Exploring The Prison

    ?Prince Francis was feeling overwhelmed. Throughout his life, he had beenpared to his genius older siblings. Today, he had been pushed too far and had decided to skip ss. Sneaking out of the castle, he felt mixed emotions as he reyed Sabina''s words in his mind. With his heart heavy, Prince Francis made his way out of the castle, wondering if he could ever exceed the expectations others had for him.

    "That old woman, you already know how strong my siblings are, but you''re still preventing me from bing stronger. You never let me train my sword skill and instead forced me to study ethics and even some sh*t dancing thing! Strength is everything in this world."

    As the prince walked along the corridor, the maids passing by were taken aback when they saw him unapanied by a soldier or a knight. Without taking much time, they all lowered their heads, curtsied, and hurried away, leaving the prince to move ahead. Same with the soldiers; they were astonished, wondering why no one escorted the prince. They quicklyposed themselves, bowed to him, and walked away, on their way to inform the superiors about the prince.

    "Damn, if I stay here too long, I''ll get caught!" muttered Prince Francis.

    After traveling a little distance, Francis came to a ce he had never been.

    It was the castle''s underground prison, one of the most dangerous ces in the castle, but also safe since most high-level soldiers were there.

    "That ce is a prison, right? Somehow it didn''t look like the prison I saw in the book."

    The prison is underground, and the building looks more magnificent because it is next to the castle.

    Francis peered at the prison from afar; two soldiers were guarding the entrance.

    He then walked casually and steadily. He was approaching the soldiers while puffing out his chest.

    "Hey stop there kid-"

    As the soldier started to point his spear at Francis, the other soldier turned pale and immediately stopped his friend.

    "STOP!" the soldier shouted.

    "Wh-what are you doing?!"

    "Don''t ''What are you doing'' to me! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Don''t you recognize that face?!"

    The soldier then looked at Prince Francis longer, and suddenly his face turned pale as well. He stood straight, put his hands on his chest, and bowed.

    "I apologize for mistaking you! Prince Francis!"

    "O-okay! It''s fine! I forgive you!" Prince Francis rounded his voice to look more mature and authoritative.

    "By the way, what brings you to this filthy prison, your highness?"

    "Mom- Her Highness Ismenia asked me to gain more experience about criminals; I ordered you to step aside," Francis said nervously.

    "Without a bodyguard, your highness? Please wait a moment, I will call Sir Maximillian first-"

    "Wait! Don''t call him!"

    "Wh-why?"

    ''If they call uncle, he will force me back to study!'' Francis thought,

    And then Francis said, "Her highness said I must not disturb others working, especially uncle Maximilian."

    "B-but your highness, you can''t go in unguarded. Pardon me, did Queen Ismenia really ask you to?"

    ''Damn! I''m going to get caught! I don''t want to go back and study!''

    "Eee, she said; one of the prison''s soldiers will guard me. So, you¡­ as your punishment for pointing your spear at me, you shoulde with me."

    "YES, YOUR HIGHNESS! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

    Still shaken by his previous treatment, the soldier epted immediately without reporting the prince to his superiors.

    They went to the basement, where many criminals were locked up.

    "WOAH, WONDERFUL! THIS IS LIKE WE ARE EXPLORING THE DUNGEON!"

    "Your highness, don''t just walk around; please stay together with me," eximed the soldiers.

    In the underground prison, Prince Francis found an amazing sight, a room filled with barred cells, each of which locked up a criminal. The prince chuckled, "So, these are all the dark figures hiding in the castle! We should watch our step, or lest we get ambushed!"

    The soldier doesn''t know what to do, whether he should join the prince''s game or not.

    "Well, hero, let''s get out of here then. I don''t think it''s safe here," the soldier finally decided to follow the game for the prince''s shake. He did it while holding back the embarrassment of being seen by other soldiers.

    Being called a "hero" made the prince excited, so the prince waved his hand,

    "Don''t worry; we''ve got this. Come on!"

    Since only rocks and prisons were underground, he felt like he was adventuring in a dungeon. He huffed happily while swinging his sword back and forth.

    "Your highness, be careful with your weapon; it might hit a rock and hurt your hand."

    "I know about that! Don''t dictate to me!"

    After a while, he bes aware of the strange odor that is creeping inside his nose.

    "What is this smell?!"

    "It''s the smell of blood, your highness. About a week ago, an extraordinary event happened here."

    "What happened?! Tell me!"

    "Sorry, your highness, Sir Maximillian forbade us to say anything about it.

    ''Aah, that man again.''

    "Fine!" snapped Francis in annoyance.

    They cautiously began exploring the basement, studying each cell and the criminals within, ensuring a safe distance. After a while, they had seen almost all the cells and the criminals inside. Most of the criminals were limp and didn''t talk.

    After advancing more profoundly into the prison, Francis''s eyes were drawn to one of the prisoners who looked different. It was a little girl who was probably the same age as him. He tried to get closer to get a better look at the girl.

    -CRING<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he approached the bars, he realized the girl''s legs and hands were chained together. The girl had tan skin, and the most striking thing about the girl was her bright, white hair.

    "SINT! Get away from me! Human!"

    "HIII!!!"

    Francis was scared; he spontaneously retreated backward and fell.

    He was frightened because of the red eyes of the girl who was looking at him with deep hatred.

    "Your highness! Are you alright?" the soldier shouted.

    The prince immediately stood up and straightened his clothes.

    "It-its-not that I''m scared! I just slipped!" yelled the prince, embarrassed; he didn''t want his soldiers to look down on him because he was scared because he saw a girl.

    "O-okay, your highness..." replied the soldier.

    Francis looked at the girl again; now he was silent, bowing his head.

    "Your highness, you''d better note any closer. That girl always yells at people passing in front of her bars."

    "IRRITERT! Stop talking about me human! Just get away from my sight!" The girl came forward to shoo them away. Her eyes were full of hatred, as if she wanted to kill the two humans before her. Her hands and feet were bleeding from forcing her body to escape.

    "Let''s get out of here, your highness,"

    They then moved on. Prince Francis walked while looking at the girl''s face, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl''s red eyes that did not stop ring at him.

    "What did that girl do?" asked Prince Francis.

    "You don''t know about that? That''s because-"

    "BECAUSE SHE EXISTS" Suddenly, arge man stood behind Prince Francis and touched his shoulder. Francis was instantly terrified and shouted, "UWAAA."

    That person was Maximilian, the head of the knights, and the leader of the soldiers in the kingdom.

    "Don''t surprise me like that, uncle!" screamed Francis afterward.

    Maximilian looked at him with angry eyes for a moment.

    Then he sighed,

    "I heard from the soldiers that you walked this way." Maximilian then looked at the soldier standing next to the prince. The soldier immediately turned pale and began to fear because he realized that the prince had deceived him, and now he was taking the prince to prison.

    "You escaped from Sabina''s ss again, right? Because you disappeared, everyone is now frantically looking for you. They also have other work to do to prepare your 12th party," Maximilian scolded Prince Francis.

    "I-I don''t want to study! Studying is useless! That''s why I can''t be as strong as my brothers!"

    "You seriously think so?"

    "Huh?"

    "Let me say it clearly¡­ GIVE UP; you can''t be stronger than princes Eldritch and Leofric. Everyone knows that. Sabina did nothing wrong, and you did nothing wrong either. It''s just that these two are too extraordinary."

    "T-it can''t be like that! How do you know that I won''t be able to be as strong as them?! I haven''t gotten my god''s blessing yet, and I still haven''t gotten my armacar either!"

    "That''s the problem. All princes receive their god''s blessing at the age of 11, but Prince Eldritch received his at the age of nine. In contrast, you haven''t even gotten it yet. Do you know why? It''s because you''re the youngest and weakest. That''s why you must make up for it by studying a lot!"

    Upon hearing that, Francis'' face instantly turned haggard, as if reality had pped him. Was it true that he could not be stronger than his older siblings? Is it really true he was the weakest prince? He has been waiting for his god''s blessing since he was nine, but he is now twelve and has received no blessing.

    Seeing the prince''s depressed face, Maximilian once again sighed, then said

    "Well, it''s not that you can''t be stronger. Hard work also pays off, as evidenced by Prince Harald or Tobias in the Knights of the Round. You just won''t be able to outdo princes Eldritch and Leofric."

    Maximilian then pulled Prince Francis'' hand with some force.

    "Let me go! I don''t want to study! I want sword training!"

    "Just give up your highness. You only need to study until the whitmoon festival ends. Afterward, you will be handed over to Oxwade Academy, where you can train with the strongest swordsman."

    But despite such persuasion, he still didn''t want to study. From the beginning, he didn''t want to study because he was justzy. However, because of Maximilian''s strong grip and strength, Prince Francis gave up and could only obey.

    Francis'' screams and resistance weakened as he and Maximilian passed through the Norttish girl''s bars again.

    "HIIIII!" it turned out that the girl was still staring at him, making him shudder and gulp down his saliva.

    He immediately ran forward, pulling Maximilian away as well,

    "What did you say earlier, uncle? About that girl''s crime," asked Francis.

    "You don''t even know about that yet? You really have a lot to learn."

    "Never mind, just tell me!"

    "That child is a Norttish, a cursed nation with white hair. Their existence is very dangerous because their bodies can spread disease and harm many people. That is why they should be imprisoned and then we will kill them."

    "HUH?! Spread disease? Does that mean this prison is already full of diseases?!"

    "They use mana to do it. Inside the prison you always see flowers, right? That flower can prevent humans from using mana. These Norttish, their mana can explode, and that explosion can spread disease. The other-worlders call it radiation. When that happens, thend will be barren, spirits won''te, and the poison will spread everywhere."

    "Then, the reason she was imprisoned is¡­"

    "Because she exists."

    "Because she exists? So she was locked up and killed because they were born into this world?"

    "They are a disease, a virus created in this world to give us trials. We must kill them in order to ovee god''s trials."

    Prince Francis had faced off against Maximilian many times, and he knew that under his burly, hardened exterior was still a good person. He had never feltpletelyfortable around him but never was his unease so strong as when he looked upon Maximilian''s face this day. Francis had never been scared of him, but now he found himself fearful of the uncle he knew, for with this expression, Maximilian seemed like a bad guy.

 Chapter 88 Instant Confident

    "One two, one two, one two."

    "One two, one two, one two."

    The prince had been having a hard time with his dance training. He was rehearsing with Sabine, who was trying to teach him the steps of the walzer dance. He was finding it much more difficult than he initially anticipated and was having a lot of trouble keeping up with Sabine''s instructions.

    "Ow! Your highness, oversee your step and follow my movements well. Right now, I am the one who leads you to shows you how to lead. At the party, you will be the one who leads your partner!" Sabine insisted as the prince stumbled and almost tripped over his own feet again.

    "Ugh, why do I have to do this." groaned Prince Francis.

    After Maximilian dragged Prince Francis back to Sabine''s ce, Sabine immediately yelled at Prince Francis for acting arbitrarily.

    Sabine then promised the prince a sword practice after her ss ended. At first, Francis wasn''t too enthused when Sabine promised him sword practice after every lesson, but knowing that his training partner would be Tobias, one of the knights of rounds, he quickly epted her terms.

    And now, he has a little regret for epting her terms. He had to attend Sabine''s boring sses and heard her yelling voice many times. Plus, he hates The dance sses because they drain his energy and soul.

    "One two, one two, quick step, and spin."

    During the quick step, Prince Francis slipped and fell.

    "Ah, what a fool thing am I doing?! I can''t do this anymore!" grumbled Prince Francis.

    "You''ve only been learning for a while; of course, it feels quite difficult. Walzer is the easiest type of dance to learn, so in five days, you should be able to master it. Remember, if you don''t learn properly, I will ask Sir Tobias to stop training you."

    "Umnungungungu!" grumbled an annoyed Francis, he then continued his practice.

    The ss ended when the midday bell rang. And right after the chime,

    "HOORAY! IT''S OVER!"

    Francis slipped out of Sabine''s grasp and left.

    "Why he was so excited with a sword..." Sabine sighed, but smiled afterwards.

    After changing her clothes, she went straight to the training ground in the open field at the back of the castle building. Walls surrounded the castle''s training grounds, just like Wolverlope''s residence. There were many types of weapons on the shelves around, the ce was quite spacious, and many soldiers were also practicing sparring, but some stopped, stunned at something. It was Tobias who had gotten there first. He was swinging his great sword at a stagnant speed. Prince Francis who came along, was also stunned and amazed by how big Tobias'' body and muscles were. Then he recalled what Maximilian had told him, that Tobias was one of the people who became a knight of rounds because of his hard work.

    As Francis walked up to Tobias, Tobias stopped swinging, aware of Prince Francis approaching him.

    "Your highness! You have arrived."

    Francis nodded, still looking at Tobias who seemed very cool to him.

    Tobias sheathed his great sword and picked up two wooden swords.

    "How about we start with sparring?" Tobias suggested as he tossed one of the wooden swords to Francis.

    Francis did not reflexively receive the wooden sword, so the wooden sword hit his head,

    "Ouch!"

    "Your highness! Are you alright?! Forgive me for suddenly throwing it!" said Tobias.

    The soldiers who saw him immediately chuckled,

    "Why he felt sorry. How could it be Sir Tobias'' fault."

    "Most people will reflexively pick it up."

    Of course they said it in a small voice so as not to be heard by Prince Francis.

    The prince then picked up the fallen wooden sword and said,

    "O-okay, let''s begin."

    For some reason, his body trembled a little from being seen by so many people. He began to feel afraid to show his embarrassing side.

    "You are free to attack me, I want to see your skill and your moves."

    Gripping his sword tightly, Francis advanced forward while shouting.

    "HYAAAAT!"

    He was trying to stab with his wooden sword towards Tobias'' head. Of course, Tobias immediately struck his wooden sword to make his attack miss.

    In the end, Francis just randomly attacked Tobias, thinking, "as long as I can hit him."

    Despite Francis'' poor moves, the onlookers didn''tugh at him because each of his moves was filled with vigor, and Tobias cleverly parried them so he didn''t disgrace Prince Francis. The onlooker slowly returned to their activities, choosing not to look further into their training.

    After repeatedly attacking, Tobias finally hit the hilt of Francis'' sword, which made the wooden sword fly upwards.

    "Well, I guess this is where sparring ends," Tobias said.

    "How was it?! Did I fight well? How am I doing?" Francis asked with some concern.

    "Your body moves too much, and your swing is still weak; then you clearly showed me the direction of your attack, so it''s very easy to read. You still have a lot to learn."

    "I-I see¡­ What should I do then?!"

    Tobias then handed Prince Francis his wooden sword. Telling him to hold the sword.

    "Have you never practiced the sword before?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have, but only the basic moves."

    "If you have, you shouldn''t have attacked me like that; trying to stab suddenly only creates a chance for your opponent."

    "I-I thought it would be an unexpected attack."

    "Why would you do an unexpected attack in sparring?"

    "Because it would be cool if I could hurt one of the rounds."

    Tobias let out a long sigh; he finally understood what Sabina meant by saying he was a "slightly troubled prince."

    "To get stronger, you must be patient, study consistently, and most importantly, don''t give up!"

    "That''s easy! I can do that!" answered the prince excitedly.

    "No, you are holding a sword not just to be stronger."

    ''But because you''re hungry for attention,'' Tobias thought, deciding he didn''t need to say it for now.

    "Of course, I want to be stronger! I know my own desires!" shouted Francis.

    Tobias then had a deep thought; he was sure that his teacher''s teaching method would not be suitable for Prince Francis. Tobias wants to give up because of that, but he already promised Sabina to train the prince; he forces himself to believe that Prince Francis will one day be a great prince, so he continues training him.

    "All right, your highness. Let''s continue,"

    Prince Francis stood up and nodded vigorously.

    ...

    In the afternoon, their training was finally over. Prince Francis looked so exhausted that he could only lie down while breathing heavily. As for Tobias, he felt that his soul was tired from having to teach the stubborn prince.

    When they were exhausted, Prince Francis suddenly said

    "Hey, can I use that too?" Prince Francis pointed to the great sword leaning against the wall, which Tobias was swinging.

    "Do you want to use that?"

    Francis nodded.

    ''I knew it; he must just want to be conspicuous,'' Tobias thought.

    "I can''t, your highness. You are still small and weak. Your body will not be able to lift it."

    "What?! Are you underestimating me too!"

    "No, that''s not it. You just can''t yet."

    "Hmph! What the hell? You think I''m not stronger than my other brothers, right?!"

    Francis looked at Tobias with a disappointed face, thinking that Tobias was just like everyone else.

    Tobias then replied

    "What? No. You''re already pretty good! You''ve been learning the basics of the sword since you were a kid. When I was your age, I only did scratch for food in the trash. You will definitely be stronger in the future!"

    His words touched Prince Francis deeply, and gave him a spark of hope. He understood that Tobias was only trying to motivate him, and with that newfound confidence, Prince Francis was determined to practice more to be a better swordsman than Tobias. He believed that if he put in more effort, he would definitely be better than Tobias. He became optimistic, thinking he could solve all his problems if he tried.

    But that was immediately shattered when suddenly two people came to the practice field,

    "E?"

    "E E?"

    "Don''t tell me it''s the spoiled little brother?" said one of them.

    "Or maybe it''s thezy little brother?" said another.

    "Hwi! Or maybe it''s the weak little brother! Nyahahahaha," they both said simultaneously while looking at each other''s faces.

    Francis immediately became annoyed and looked at the two men while pointing at them with his sword.

    "Leave me alone! Get lost!" said Francis.

    They were the 11th prince and the 12th prince of the Wildenhal kingdom. The 11th prince, Edward Helena Wildenhall. The 12th prince, Edmund Helena Wildenhall. The two were twin brothers who looked almost exactly the same. If not for their differentlybed hair, then no one would be able to tell them apart.

    "E! Does our cute little brother just brandish his sword at us!"

    "What should we do? Does that mean we''re being challenged to a duel?"

    Pointing your sword at another person was the same as inviting them to fight, but since they were currently inside the pce, it would be considered an invitation to a duel.

    "No! I''m not-" But before Francis could say that, he looked at his sword and Tobias'' face. Suddenly he gains confidence.

    And with pride, he eximed

    "That''s right! I challenge you to a duel! Come here! Both of you will be defeated by this sword."

    ''I''ll show you the results of my training with the knight of rounds!'' Francis thought naively.

 Chapter 89 The Weakest Prince

    "That''s right! I challenge you to a duel! Come here! Both of you will be defeated by this sword."

    "Ea! That''s our brother, so vibrant and brave."

    "Amazing,, you''ve changed so much since we met you three years ago!"

    They talked as if they were continuing each other''s sentences.

    ''The 11th prince and the 12th prince¡­ Apparently they resemble each other more than I thought. Most princes look alike because of their yellow hair and blue eyes, but they look more identical. I heard they just arrived this morning from Oxwadeshire. Princes are great; they don''t even get tired after a long journey,'' Tobias thought.

    "I''ll show you that I''m different from thest person you saw!" shouted Francis as he pointed his sword at them.

    ''I''ll show you the results of my training with the knight of rounds!'' he thought.

    ''Prince, you''ve only been training with me for a few hours," Tobias thought as if he could read Francis'' mind.

    "?el, ?el... Then I''ll dly ept your challenge," Edmund said.

    "?el, ?el... Be careful, don''t go overboard, or you''ll hurt him... pupupu," Edward teased.

    "What a big head you have! You must use all your strength to beat me!" shouted Francis.

    "Buahahaha okay-okay. As you wish, I won''t hold back. I will give my all," said Edmund as he picked up a wooden sword.

    Having justpleted their practice, the other people began to assemble around the duel, eager to watch the spectacle it promised. Even the maids and other workers who were merely passing by would stop to watch them.

    The news of the duel was spreading like wildfire, and reached Sabine''s ears who was still in Prince Francis'' room,

    "Miss Sabine! Prince Francis is dueling with Prince Edmund!" yelled the maid.

    Sabine''s face immediately turned pale and worried, and then she immediately stood up and ran there

    ? "Your highness! You can''t do that!" she shouted to herself.

    The crowd of people cheerfully bombarded the training ground, eager for the captivating duel that was about to take ce. It was apparent that the suspense of the event had electrified the atmosphere. Francis stood and readied himself. He appeared to be in a fighter''s stance, anxiously awaiting themencement of the duel.

    "Ea! That stance, I remember when I was still using them on the first day of the academy,"

    Edmund''s words confused Francis; what did he mean?

    Edmund also began to show his stance, which surprised Francis and Tobias.

    "That is the SwordHorstance! A half-horse stance¡ªdid he learn that from the sword master at the academy?!"

    SwordHorstance, he stood with his left foot in front and his right foot behind. His left hand pointed forward, while his right hand was behind him while holding the sword''s hilt in reverse, so the wooden sword was almost pressed against his back.

    "What the hell?!" shouted Francis, who suddenly felt inferior as he realized that his brother had learned something else that was cooler. As for him, he was only using the basic sword stance that his mentor had taught him.

    "?¨¡ I''m serious, don''t overdo it. At least don''t attack his face; you''ll get scolded by mom!" shouted Edward from outside the field.

    "I know, I won''t inflict anysting wounds. After all, the special whitmoon festival for him will start soon."

    The anticipation was suffocating¡ªseconds stretched into minutes until Tobias stepped forward, stating the rules of the duel while holding the coin in his hand. The air was filled with expectation as the viewers braced themselves for the exciting spectacle yet to unfold.

    Then in

    Three

    Two

    One

    -CLING

    The coin dropped, and the duel began.

    "OK, this time I''m going to make you regret ying with me!" Just as he thought that, Edmund was already in front of him.

    "Eh?"

    Edmund spun around as if about to somersault, and the wooden sword on his back swung to Francis'' waist.

    -WHACK

    "GHAKH!"

    Francis'' waist was defenseless, so the attack hit him right in the ribs. As a result of the attack, he was slightly thrown to the side.

    ''Wh-what is this? Sa-so painful! D-and he''s so fast!'' Francis thought.

    "What! You didn''t even have any reaction to that attack. At this rate, what''s the point of me using my sword skills? Just a normal attack would have sufficed," Edmund said.

    "haa... that kid is venting his stress excessively again. I would have aimed for his left thigh," Edward said.

    Francis could not move in pain; he held his ribs which might have been broken. He groaned, holding back his tears.

    Not stopping there, Edmund relentlessly approached Francis and hit him all over his body.

    "Akh! Ah! AAaakh!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Cum l¨¡! Aren''t you going to give up? I''ll keep attacking you if you haven''t surrendered; those are the rules of the duel!"

    Of course, he won''t give up, not when so many people were watching. But he didn''t realize that the people who thought he was the weakest prince now thought even worse. They looked at Francis with sad, disappointed, and pitying eyes. Francis was not the son of a noble queen but a concubine raised by amoner.

    "Poor thing, he''s just amoner born amongst princely geniuses," was what people thought when they saw him.

    Edmund hit Francis with a smile, venting all of his fatigue from the academy to Francis.

    Tobias was silent, not breaking it up or bothering them. To him, it was normal. They had a duel, and it should not be interrupted. If he interfered, he was tarnishing the honor of Prince Francis. Plus, Tobias didn''t feel that Francis looked disgraceful at all. In fact, to him, Francis looked great for not giving up until the end.

    But only Tobias thought so¡ªnot the old woman who had raised that child,

    "Your highness! That''s enough! Stop it!"

    Sabine came to interrupt their duel. Her face was pale and she was sweating; how could she not? Her old age and aching back forced her to run as fast as she could to the training ground, quite a distance from her room.

    "E,. Old Sabine is here," said a visibly annoyed Edward.

    "Da! Leave the duel alone, Sabine!" shouted Edmund.

    Sabine immediately approached the helpless Prince Francis and checked his body.

    Sabine immediately covered her mouth in shock at how badly Francis was in front of her. Francis was wearing a fairly thick, tight ck training suit but it had been ripped to shreds, even though Edmund only used a wooden stick. His body was covered in wounds, with blood oozing out from there and traces of wood shards stuck in the wounds.

    "Sa-bi-ne... Don''t bother..." muttered Francis when he saw Sabine''s face in front of him. But just then, Francis began to close his eyes.

    "Look your highness! Prince Francis has fainted; you win!" Sabine shouted at Edmund with tears in her eyes.

    "Damn, I haven''t had enough of this."

    Tobias then stood up and dered Prince Edmund''s victory.

    "Uhum... Hereby, this unconditional duel is won by Prince Edmund!"

    At first, there was nothing but an eerie silence in the room. Nobody pped or cheered; there was nothing to celebrate. Not like a determination duel, this was bullying. All witnessed Prince Francis'' suffering, so no one dared to make a sound.

    Suddenly, Prince Edward broke the ice. He slowly hit his palms together and started pping alone. Everyone was left bewildered, and then slowly¡­ they all joined him in pping. It was as if they were forced to p and be part of the moment.

    The atmosphere was electric with that single p from Prince Edward. Finally, everyone felt forced to cheer in support of Prince Edmund because he won in the end.

    "You''re a great prince."

    "As expected of a prince of this kingdom!"

    "Your skills are amazing!"

    The stretcher came, and the soldiers carried Francis along with Sabine. At that moment, Francis, who had not fully passed out, could hear them. He then thought:

    "A-are they cheering for me? Are they pping for me? Does that mean that my hard work and unyielding spirit can reach their hearts even if I lose?"

    Little did he know that the cheers were not for him.

    Edmund smiled proudly, quite satisfied with his actions; he threw his sword to the ground and walked over to his twin brother.

    Then

    -CLAP

    A thunderous p was heard in the middle of the field. That made everyone stop pping and cheering.

    They looked towards the person who did it; it was Tobias. He lowered his hand and said,

    "This duel, indeed, ended with Prince Edmund winning. His skills are extraordinary; his speed and movements are probably on par with the hellstone-ranked explorer."

    Edmund smiled proudly again, having been praised by one of the knights of the rounds. Edward punched Edmund on the shoulder, jealous that he didn''t go down to fight Francis.

    Then Tobias continued

    "But Prince Francis did not lose."

    His words took everyone by surprise, as well as Edward and Edmund.

    "Da! What do you mean? It''s obvious he lost miserably!" shouted Edmund.

    "Do say what you''re thinking," Edward said.

    "Prince Francis had practiced dancing with Sabine from morning until noon, then he continued sparring with me from noon until afternoon; no wonder he was so exhausted and couldn''t react to Prince Edmund''s attack."

    Everyone became silent, realizing they hadn''t thought about that when they mocked Francis in their minds.

    But a loss is still a loss, no matter the circumstances.

    Then Tobias continued

    "True, losing is losing. But that only happens if Prince Francis gives up! Even though Prince Francis was tired and overwhelmed, he still didn''t give up until the end! This means we wouldn''t know the duel''s oue if he was in his prime!"

 Chapter 90 Wave Of Frustration

    "What the hell did Sir Tobias do?! Why did he should say that?!"

    The 11th and 12th Princes, Edward and Edmund walked irritably in the castle''s corridors. They intended to make Francis the target of their frustration and exhaustion, but after hearing what Tobias said about their duel, they were even more irate.

    "SHIT! "I SHOULD HAVE PUNCHED FRANCIS HARDER AGAIN UNTIL HE GIVES UP!" eximed Edmund.

    Edward trudged along silently, his annoyance bubbling inside of him. It wasn''t directed at Tobias, as it had been in the past. This time, he was annoyed because he felt controlled by someone else-his sister. The injustice of it simmered within him, and with each step he took, the atmosphere seemed to thicken, the emotions intensifying.

    "Congrattions on your victory. How did it go? Is Francis getting stronger?"

    Refusing to be escorted, Edward and Edmund left the castle and went to the rose garden. Their sister was there, and she looked at them both with a smile.

    "Your ears are as wide as ever, Sis Alicia. I never told you that Edmund won the match," Edward said.

    "Oh? Edmund won it? I didn''t know that. "I thought Edward was the one dueling Francis," Alicia eximed, surprised.

    ''Liar,'' thought Edward who became even more irritated when he saw Alicia''s face, which he thought was feigning shock.

    "Where did you start predicting everything from, sis?" asked Edward seriously.

    "Eh?! What?! What predictions?" Edmund was confused, not understanding what Edward was talking about.

    Edward then exined

    "When we got to the castle, who weed us home?"

    "Sis Alicia."

    "Then who told us to go to the training ground to vent our stress?"

    "Sis Alicia-"

    Edmund then realized what his brother meant.

    Edward thought all of their actions from when they arrived at the castle until they met her now were all Alicia''s n. He had been merely following her lead since they first came; he now felt like they had both been dancing in her hands

    "First, you told us toe to the training ground to vent our stress. For some reason, Francis happened to be there.

    Secondly, when we arrived here, you immediately said ''congrattions'' on Edmund''s victory, then asked us about Francis. Even though we hadn''t said a single word about the duel with Francis, even if you heard about the duel from the waiter, the result wouldn''t have reached your ears that quickly because we left the training ground as soon as the duel was over.

    You knew that Francis was at the training ground, then you asked us to vent our fatigue at the training ground; somehow, you could specte that Francis would offer us a duel, and now you eagerly want to hear the result."

    Edward''s lengthy exnation made Edmund think so, too, while Alicia just chuckled,

    "Fufufu, you''re overthinking it. I found out about it from a passing waiter. The whitmoon festival is soon, right? The servants often walk here and there."

    Edward was getting annoyed; then he said:

    "AH! Whatever! You liar!" he turned around and walked away, followed by Edmund behind him.

    Seeing the two of them again, Alicia chuckled again.

    "My brothers are so cute," she thought.

    After that, she returned to her book, thinking about Francis.

    "I hope with this, Francis will have some character development." Alicia thought.

    ...

    Francis slept on his bed in the afternoon sunlight that almost filled part of his room. His body was covered in bandages and bruises. He had been given a potion to heal his wounds. Still, the effect of the potion was not instant. The mana in the potion would be dispersed throughout the body after being transported by blood, just like food, so the result of the health potion would be seen at most an hour after taking it, but it only affects minor wounds.

    Beside Prince Francis'' bed was Sabine sitting on a chair while reading a small book. She repeatedly looked toward Francis to check whether he was awake or not.

    But it seemed unnecessary because Francis

    "Ah!" woke up with a loud noise. He sat up right away after waking up.

    "Your highness! You shouldn''t move too much; your wounds have not healed yet."

    "What happened to the duel?!" he asked sadly. Sabine stayed quiet, her head bowed. Prince Francis knew he had been defeated, but he still asked, desperately hoping for a different answer.

    "I know, after all, I''m the weakest prince," he grumbled.

    He had put so much effort into training but still ended up losing. He wondered how he had been beaten so easily.

    Sabine looked up at him with a sorrowful expression. She said quietly, "You may have lost the duel, but you have not lost yourself. Remember that. The most important thing is that you never give up," NO, Sabine did not actually say that.

    Sabine wanted tofort him. Like she used to, she had seen the prince grow since childhood.

    Prince Francis had carried a heavy burden since he was a child. He was expected to be the same genius as his older siblings, so Sabine alwaysforted him. Every time he fell, she would pick him up again; every time he slipped, she would help him up; and every time he got lost, Sabine always found the way for him.

    Finally, after much thought, Sabine realized that she had been the main reason why the prince was so spoiled and unwilling to listen to others. She had always been there to help him and make his life easier, so of course he had be used to it and expected it. For the prince to learn how to handle his own issues and be a better person, she had to stopforting him and start being sterner.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Still, it was hard for her to adjust her behavior toward the prince she loved and cared for. But Sabine knew it was for his own good, so she held her ground and forced the prince to learn independently.

    "You lost against Prince Edmund. It can''t be helped; you are the weakest prince of all."

    The prince''s face, which was actually looking for some constion from Sabine, immediately changed.

    "Bu-but! I got the apuse at the end!"

    "Apuse?"

    "That''s right! I got apuse because I survived to the end! I didn''t give up until the end!"

    "That''s not an apuse for you, but for Prince Edmund who won."

    Of course he was aware of that, but he didn''t remember the people cheering his name.

    Sabine continued,

    "Not only that, but you are now injured because of your recklessness in challenging Prince Edmund. Your bones are broken, so you must rest for five days to recover fully. This means you can''t even practice dancing, nor can you practice swordy. Your recklessness and naivety gave you the worst results."

    "Sabine, what are you-"

    "Right now all you need to do is rest. Don''t move too much, and don''t go anywhere; you''ll only get even worse results if you argue-"

    "Sabine!"

    Sabine held her mouth, realizing that she had said too much. She then bowed and left the room.

    "Take care of yourself, your highness."

    Francis felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He had just lost a duel to someone much more skilled than him, and this was a stark reminder of how he was the weakest among his siblings. Sabine who had always been there tofort him, was now gone, leaving Francis feeling lost and alone in disarray. Francis held his nket tightly and the tears cascaded down his cheeks as his emotions mixed with anguish and sorrow overwhelmed him. The sound of his cry traveled out of the room and reached Sabine who was still standing outside. She couldn''t take it any longer, and soon tears started rolling down her face too. All she could think to do was pray for him and hope he would find the strength he needed to carry himself through this bleak time.

    Then the next day, when Sabine came into the prince''s room.

    He was already awake, standing up while swinging his sword.

    "Your Highness! What are you doing?! You should rest!" said Sabine.

    "I was just swinging the sword; I asked the healer, and they said swinging a sword would be fine."

    "..."

    "One more thing. You can start your ss as usual; I will try to learn carefully this time."

    ''What happened to him?'' thought Sabine in confusion.

    ''Whereas he was still down yesterday, he has suddenly turned as usual?''

    Sabine approached Prince Francis and pinched his cheek.

    "Ow! What are you doing?" prince Francis shouted angrily.

    "Oh, sorry. I thought you were a different person,"

    "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

    "Nothing... it''s just, why so sudden?"

    Francis stopped swinging his sword. He lowered his head and then said

    "I''ve been thinking about it. Everything that happened yesterday was embarrassing. If it continues like this, I will really be the weakest prince as people say. Therefore, I must try to change."

    "Prince..."

    "Yes, if possible, I don''t want to learn to dance; it''s really pointless."

    Hearing Sabine''s answer, Sabine then thought

    ''Yeah, he''s still the same person,''

    Sabine had seemingly remembered every little detail about the prince''s life since the day he was born, including a defining moment when he was five. It had been a breezy spring day when the prince, a brave and adventurous soul from the start, had somehow managed to identally wander off into the nearby forest and face off against a menacing wild boar. By no fault of his own, the young prince was ovee and left in tears, clinging to Sabine''s leg as they made their way home.

    However, Sabine never forgot the prince''s determination, despite the setback. The prince trained for days to prove his strength, focusing with all his might and eventually overcame the boar. After ten days, the prince proudly returned and presented the boar, who followed with a smiling face, to the amazed Sabine.

    ''He''s always been this kind of person,'' Sabine thought.

    "Don''t talk nonsense; dancing is important too. But because of your current condition, we can''t practice dancing," said Sabine.

    "Then there is a point to getting injured, hahaha!"

    3 days before whitmoon festival begin

 Chapter 91 Meet The Designer

    Inside a rental house in a noble district, the rhythmic pping of hands echoed throughout the space. It was apanied soon after by the sound of shoes scraping on the slippery floor. Knowing it was someone doing dance training, the maid peered from the kitchen to see a boy and girl concentrating intensely as they moved gracefully and confidently. They followed the beat of the p, their feet swiftly gliding across the room with amazing synchronization.

    "Well donedy, you''re almost perfect!"

    Felicia and Allen spun around the spacious floor in the living room, their limbs moving gracefully. Rachel stood watching them with the five other maids who peered toward the door. A smile spread across Rachel''s face.

    Meanwhile, Felicia''s mother, Ayde, was confined to her bedroom by her husband, Reynold. Though it had been difficult for her to rest because Reynolds wanted to explore the capital, he had been adamant that she must avoid any risk to their unborn child. Reynold was in his room, intently focusing on the preparations for the festival.

    Since they were both busy, Felicia took the opportunity to practice her dance onest time in the living room.

    "Lady, Allen, you really have to look at each other''s faces today. This is thest day of your practice; the habit will carry over into the night party. You don''t want to mess up the dance like what happened on that night, do you?" Rachel shouted from the edge.

    Their dancing was nearly perfect, but their faces and expressions were not. Allen looked to the right while Felicia looked at her feet. Not because she doubted her steps but because she couldn''t see Allen''s face for some reason.

    "I know!"

    Felicia slowly raised her face, looking straight into Allen''s face. Likewise, Allen was also looking at Felicia.

    As they looked at each other, Felicia began to think about everything that happened in the dungeon, from wrapping themselves up without clothes to the smiling Allen who hugged her after. Felicia''s face turned red, unable to bear the embarrassment.

    ''Why am I suddenly thinking about that!'' Felicia thought.

    As for Allen, when he saw Felicia''s face, he recalled how annoying Felicia was when they first met.

    Rachel smiled when she saw them, thought her n was getting closer. Rachel nned to make Felicia forget Waldo at least before they went to the academy. Because at the academy, there would be a lot of obstacles to hiding Waldo''s death.

    They practiced for an hour. They had already perfected the dance from the beginning, so the rehearsal was just to ensure it was perfect.

    "Huh... you''re doing great, Allen," Felicia said with a bit of heavy breathing, exhausted.

    "What?" asked Allen, who didn''t seem tired.

    "It''s been less than a week since you learned to dance, but you''ve perfected it quickly."

    "I see¡­ I think that''s not true. I can master it faster because dance movements are almost the same as foot movements in sword training. Quickstep, sinking, stretching, swinging, or pulling. The most different ones are probably twisting and turning. So all I learned from the beginning was how to step, lead, and the direction of movement."

    "That makes sense, but it also doesn''t seem so; you seem to be the only one who applies sword training to dancing."

    "I''m not sure; people who are used to moving fast should be able to dance more easily subconsciously."

    During their debate, Rachel came to hold Felicia''s hand with a shocked face.

    "Lady! I''m sorry! I forgot you had to go to Miss Wolfhart''s today!"

    "That''s right! I forgot! I''ll take a quick shower and change first!"

    "Who''s Miss Wolfhart?" asked Allen to Felicia.

    "Don''t you remember? She''s that crazy woman offering me clothes at the market district."

    "Ooh, that woman. I remember; I just forgot her name."

    Two days ago, a suspicious woman suddenly pulled Felicia''s hand when they went to the market district after meeting Adam and Ralph.

    "Hey can you-" but before that suspicious woman could finish her sentence, Allen punched her in the stomach and kicked her.

    -GAH

    Allen stood there, his arm still outstretched. He punched the woman so suddenly and hard that she was thrown far back. No one truly knew why he had done this as it all happened so quickly. The woman struggled to her feet, wincing in pain and ring at Allen with fury in her eyes.

    She shouted, "Why did you do that all of a sudden?!" Her voice was so loud that several people nearby turned to look at the scene. As they did so, the cloth covering the woman''s head fell away, revealing her short ck hair. Everyone seemed to realize the toughness of the situation when they saw two ck hair people with a noble. They quickly looked away, ignoring them to avoid the problem.

    "Same hair as Allen''s," Felicia said.

    Allen then approached the woman and pulled her clothes

    "That should be my question; why did you suddenly pull her hand?"

    Not answering the question, the woman turned her face away from Allen, looking at Felicia behind Allen.

    ''So she''s after Felicia. That strange; I thought all ck-haired people would be more curious about other ck-haired people, like that guy,'' Allen thought while remembering one of the knights of rounds, Birawa.

    "W-were you a noble who wille for Prince Francis'' 12th party?" he asked Felicia as if she had forgotten about Allen who had just kicked her body.

    "I-yeah, who are you? What do you want from me?" asked Felicia.

    Suddenly, she burst into tears, with blooding out of her mouth because of Allen''s kick.

    "Hey!" yelled Felicia.

    She broke away from Allen and prostrated herself before Felicia while holding her legs.

    "LADY! My name is Ca Frederica Wolfhart. PLEASE! WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THE DRESS I MADE FOR YOUR WHITMOON FESTIVAL?!"

    ''Three names? Is she royalty? But she has dirty clothes...''

    "Dress?"

    "That''s right! I''m a tailor and a dress designer! I want someone to wear the dress I made at Prince Francis'' party!"

    "From your clothes, you''re a peasant, right? No way! I won''t wear clothes made by a peasant. You should improve your appearance if you''re a dressmaker."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The thing is, I don''t have money for my own clothes."

    "Oh, so you''re trying to trick me out of money! To the point of extending your name like that. I won''t fall for that!"

    "No! That''s my real name!"

    "How rude; you really think I''ll believe you?"

    Felicia quickly turned around and looked at Allen, saying angrily, "Allen, let''s go home; just leave her."

    The woman then fell and fainted.

    -BAM

    Because of the sound of the fall, Felicia stopped. So did Allen, who more or less knew why Felicia had stopped walking.

    "Not this sh*t again..." muttered Allen.

    Felicia turned around and approached the woman.

    "Allen! Quick take her to the edge."

    "No, I''m not your errand boy; if you really want to save everyone you meet, you should be able to do it yourself."

    "GuuH! What a useless knight! It''s your fault for kicking her too hard in the first ce!"

    "There''s no way I didn''t do it."

    Felicia grabbed the woman''s shoulders and tried to pull her to the edge. There were too many people passing. She didn''t want to use her god''s blessing in the middle of the street.

    Seeing Felicia struggling to pull the woman, even with all her strength, Allen let out a long sigh, giving up on how stubborn Felicia was.

    Allen lifted the woman''s body and threw her over the edge.

    "Can''t you do it a little more gently?!" shouted Felicia.

    "You''ll heal her in the end; why does it matter?"

    Felicia shed her hand and activated her god''s blessing.

    The bright light made the people around them look at her, but they returned to their activities as soon as the light disappeared.

    "The people here are strange. They ignore the problem as best they can, as if it always happens every day," muttered Allen as he watched people''s reactions,

    The woman coughed and slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Felicia before her eyes, she immediately woke up with a start.

    "WAAAH!"

    "You''re awake; then I''ll leave now."

    Once again, the woman immediately held Felicia''s hand.

    "Wait!"

    "Hey! Let me go!"

    The woman knew that Felicia was different from the nobles she had met. Nobles wouldn''te to themoners'' market district. So she thought it was a golden opportunity for her to meet them.

    "At the very least, would you like to see the design of the dress?!"

    "NO!"

    No matter how many times Felicia pulled on her hand, the woman wouldn''t let go of her grip.

    "I told you, there''s nothing good about saving random people," muttered Allen; he already knew that the woman wasn''t too dangerous, so he let Felicia be bothered by her.

    "Aaah! Alright! I just need to see the picture of the dress, right?! So let me go!" shouted Felicia, finally giving in to the woman''s stubbornness.

    "Really?! Thank goodness! Someone finally listened to me!"

    Felicia adjusted her shirt that the woman had pulled.

    "So, where''s the picture?" Felicia asked.

    "Oh, it''s at my house. Can youe?"

    "Your house?! How is that possible? You really want to set us up!"

    "No! I''m serious! Pleasee to my house! No worries about anything! I really just want you to show my design!"

    Felicia looked at Allen, intending to ask his opinion.

    Allen shrugged and said, "I don''t think she''s lying, but I''m not sure what she''s hiding."

    Felicia looked at the woman. The woman was now raising her teary eyes hopefully, trying to make Felicia feel pity for her.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaah... okay, I''lle to your house!" and the woman''s n worked.

 Chapter 92 Agreement

    Felicia and Allen walked only a few meters from the market district to Ca''s house.

    Ca''s house turned out to be a small ruin on the second floor of a butcher shop. There were only stone walls and windows. There is no roof, just a cloth that covers the ceiling, probably leather; the many stitches on the fabric indicate that it was worn and patched many times. It was a butcher shop downstairs, so the stench made Felicia want to vomit when they got there, so she used her gloves to cover her nose and mouth.

    From inside the butcher shop emerged arge man with a fat stomach but bulky and muscr-looking arms. He was wearing a green apron sttered with blood.

    "Hey Ca, I''ve been looking for you to deliver the order; what took you so long? Where have you been-" the man''s angry face immediately turned into surprise as he saw Felicia and Allen behind Ca.

    From their clothes alone, the man knew Felicia was a noble and Allen was her bodyguard.

    "We-Wee dear¡­dy," he said nervously while gaping.

    He then pulled Ca''s hand and whispered to her

    "Hey! What''s going on?! Did you end up doing something dangerous?!"

    "How rude! I won''t do it!"

    "You''re a crazy woman, so I wouldn''t be surprised by what you did!"

    "Stop talking like that! I really did nothing!"

    Ca then looked at Felicia and introduced her to the shopkeeper.

    "Uhm... Lady Felicia, let me introduce you; this person is Ulfketel, whose name is hard to pronounce so you can call him Ulf, kettle, shopkeeper, or uncle butcher man. He is the one who has picked me up since I was stranded in this world."

    Ulfketel ced his hand on his chest and bowed to Felicia.

    "Good afternoon," Felicia murmured.

    "Lady Felicia came to see the clothes I''ve made. So don''t think anything strange," Ca said to Ulf.

    Ulf, who was still bowing his head, said,

    "Lady Felicia, thank you for giving this girl a chance. I apologize if she has been rude to you-NO-I''m sure she has, but she is not a bad person. Please give her a chance," Ulf said.

    Ca then smiled a little, listening to Ulf''s words. Then she punched Ulf''s shoulder and said

    "Stop being rude! I haven''t done anything to thedy!"

    ''No, you really have, if you met another noble, your head would have been cut off,'' Felicia thought.

    Seeing the rtionship between them, Felicia was finally convinced that Ca wasn''t someone she needed to worry about. Although it was still possible that she was an imposter, she should at least give her a chance.

    "It''s my pleasure; I just came to look around," Felicia said.

    "Thank you very much," Ulf said.

    "Then, pleasee this way," Ca said as she led them to the stairs beside the house to go to the shop''s second floor.

    Felicia looked at Allen who didn''t seem too bothered by the smell.

    "Allen, why are you okay when you smell this?"

    "This is nothingpared to the smell of goblin''s pee and blood,"

    "Wh-what?! Smell of pee- what!"

    Felicia just remembered that Allen was raised differently from her.

    "Hahaha, your reaction is the same as when I first came here, but over time you''ll get used to it," Ca said.

    After climbing a few flights of stairs, they finally reached the front door of Ca''s house or room.

    "Wee to my sweet home," Ca said as she opened the door.

    Felicia stepped inside and immediately felt overwhelmed by the mess she encountered. She''d heard stories about what the inside of a peasant''s room would be like, but she wasn''t prepared for what she saw. To her left was a table filled with stale bread and meat, and to her right were bedclothes that looked stretched thin and frayed with age. A mix of wood scraps and the tattered fabric was scattered on the floor, making it difficult to see the floor.

    Yet amidst the clutter and filth, one thing stood out from the rest and caught Felicia''s eye. A dress, perfectly modeled and disyed on a wooden stand at the center of the room. It was a garment of the highest quality and totally out of ce among the squalor. It was in sharp contrast to the surroundings, and yet in its peculiar way; it provided a sort of beauty amidst the chaos.

    The dress seemed to shine in Felicia''s eyes inside that dark, ugly room. She felt a spark in her heart as she noticed the vibrant yellow fabric and the intricatece detailing. In the dim light of the room, the dress seemed to take on a magical quality; the fabric almost seemed to sparkle and the delicate ruffled flourishes appeared to glimmer like gold. Though she knew the fabric wasn''t gold, Felicia felt the dress was indeed a treasure. She knew nothing couldpare to the beauty of this handmade dress. As Felicia marveled at the sight of it, she couldn''t help but feel a deep appreciation for whoever made this masterpiece of the time and respect for its valuable beauty.

    "It''s beautiful," Felicia murmured absentmindedly.

    Ca immediately smiled and quickly said

    "You have a good eye!"

    Felicia approached the dress and reached out to it.

    "Aaah, so delicate," Felicia murmured as she gave the dress a touch of admiration. Her eyes zed over, and her heart raced, as she fell in love with the dress in front of her.

    After a few seconds, Felicia came to her senses and excitedly asked Ca.

    "So, who made this dress?" she asked.

    "I told you, I made it!" shouted Ca.

    "Don''t lie; you don''t even care for your clothes; how can you make such a beautiful dress?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ca was getting angry, so she picked up the paper on the table and showed it to Felicia.

    "Look at this!"

    "I-this! Don''t-don''t tell me¡­"

    "Right, that''s the final result of the dress."

    "No way! So this is how the final result will be?! So beautiful! I thought this dress was finished."

    "Of course not; that''s just the base."

    Looking at the picture on the paper, Felicia was once again amazed. She wanted to put it on and surprise everyone in the castle; she wanted to appear to be the most beautiful in the pce and make her father proud.

    "W-well I believe you now. So, when can you finish it? I''m going to buy this dress," Felicia said with some embarrassment, trying to cover up her interest.

    "That''s actually what I wanted to discuss. I want you to buy this on terms and a contract on the paper of a nobleman''s agreement," Ca said seriously.

    Hearing that, Felicia''s face also turned more serious,

    "A filthy peasant like you, where do you know about the nobles'' agreement?"

    "it does not matter where I know about it. I wanted to ask if you could do it or not. Just so you know, I''m just a peasant; even without your buying it, you can snatch this dress; that''s why I''m showing you this half-finished product."

    "I see¡­ I''ve heard about people from other worlds, some of them are highly knowledgeable and participate in the development of culture in this world, but I didn''t know that people from other worlds also pay attention to fashion."

    Felicia bowed her head, thinking deeply about the contract she had mentioned. The noble''s agreement was a contract made on two papers using the blood of each party. If one party vites the contract, the other party will get the church''s "judgment."

    However, this contract usually only applied to the two nobles; she had never heard it could be used for a peasant because peasants had no rights from the beginning, so the nobles could arbitrarily take away their belongings.

    "Well, I might be able to do it; tell me your terms and conditions," Felicia said.

    "Really?! I''m d you''re listening!"

    Then Caid out her terms

    "First, I want the rights ofmoners,

    Second, I want you to wear this dress to the prince''s birthday party and introduce it to the nobles as my brand.

    Third..."

    There was a slight pause in the agreement, which made Felicia think that the third was the worst of the previous two.

    "Third... Please give me the money now!" Ca said it while kneeling and bowing her head.

    "Wh-what?" Felicia was confused.

    Ca lifted her head, then embarrassedly said,

    "Actually... I didn''t finish the dress because all my money was gone. I''ve been stranded in this world for five years; This dress is an effort of my five years of hard work. Now my money is gone just to make this base."

    "Haaah, I thought you would ask for something else impossible earlier."

    Felicia immediately took out her pocket and then handed her three gold coins.

    "T-THREE GOLD COINS?! ARE YOU SURE?! I REALLY JUST NEED ONE GOLD COIN!" cried Ca in shock.

    "Right... I can give you three gold coins; in exchange, I need you to trust me."

    "Trust?! You want to buy my trust with money?!"

    "I didn''t mean it that way!"

    Felicia sighed, then continued

    "Unfortunately right now, I''m just an only little girl who is neither the heir of a family nor a fianc¨¦e of a famous noble; I''m just an immature child,"

    ''Eeeeh?! Really?! I thought she was a high-ranking noble or one of the princes! She looks too smart and mature for a child! The age in this world is a bitter than I know, and as far as I know, children are forced to mature faster in a certain era; maybe that''s why she sometimes looks like an adult?'' Ca thought.

    "I can''t give you anything right now other than money. I can''t take care of your noble contract either, so you can''t be amoner soon. But, I want you to be one of my aides, working under me and with my family. That way, I will give you enough money for all your work, a decent ce to live, and decent food to eat. Decent food and life to the shopkeeper''s uncle too,"

    At first, Felicia''s words didn''t tease her until she mentioned the shopkeeper.

    Felicia extended her hand to the kneeling Ca, then she said

    "Do you want to work as my subordinate?"

    Ca was mesmerized by Felicia''s face at that moment, a face that was honest and charismatic, so she unconsciously took Felicia''s hand and said

    "Yes, mydy."

    Felicia smiled and thought,

    ''With this, I will create my ownpany to guarantee my wealth in the future, and I will make Mr Waldo more proud of me."

 Chapter 93 The Stranded Other-Worlder

    Stranded, summoned, reincarnated.

    These were the three methods for other-worlder toe to this world.

    Of the three methods, reincarnation was the leastmon. Otherworlders who experience this will gain memories of their previous life when they got their god''s blessings. These other-worlders will not have ck hair because they have epted the mana of this world from a young age. Some schrs at the academy argue that they are not other-worlder because they were born and raised in this world.

    Summoned and stranded other-worlder have the same reason and condition: mana. One thousand years ago, other-worlder were summoned from other worlds to this one to help fight a war against demons. This process required a lot of mana and was usually done by angels. Stranded other-worlder, on the other hand, are people who stumbled across a mana turmoil that connected this world to another and were identally stranded here. These people appear randomly, depending on which direction the mana is connected. This is what happened to Ca.

    Ca Frederica Wolfhart was born in Ennd to a low-ie family. Despite this, Ca was ambitious and craved a better life. She was only 20 years old, but she already knew that a career as a seamstress here was not right for her. Knowing her family disapproved, Ca decided to migrate to France, where she believed she could find sess.

    Ca started working for a fabric shop in France, selling their materials such as fabrics, shawls, essories, and more. She also took up sewing in her free time, motivated by one day bing a famous designer. Ca''s hard work and ambition were ever-present, and although she had no family with her in France, she was determined to make something of her life.

    One day when she finished delivering a fabric to the client, she decided to make a detour because of the riot that urred on the street she usually passed.

    On the way, she met a little girl selling bread, who looked sad and very desperate because her bread waspletely untouched, even though it was alreadyte afternoon.

    "Stupid little girl, it''s obvious no one wants to buy it; she should just give up," Ca thought. Ca was a selfish girl who always thought of herself while looking down on others. But then, Ca decided to buy her bread with a small tip given by her client. But even though to Ca she hadn''t done anything out of the ordinary, the child smiled broadly and thanked Ca for buying her bread.

    "Thank you sis!" the girl said cheerfully.

    Ca smiled back and put the bread in her apron pocket. She wasn''t starving; she was even confused with herself for wanting to help the child. Perhaps she saw herself in the girl because she was currently doing the same thing, not giving up on achieving something.

    She then continued on her way to return to the shop but suddenly saw a strange multicolored light shining brightly in one of the narrow alleys that people rarely pass through. Ca was not one to look for trouble; she always tried to avoid it if there was trouble or something strange happening. But she was somehow moved to approach the strange light when she saw the light. So she tried to reach out to it, until suddenly

    -WUUUSH

    He fell, like doing a no-clip.

    She was suddenly transported to a vast expanse of meadow, clean air, and bright blue sky.

    "Wh-what''s going on? Where am I?!"

    The first thing Ca did was... run.

    She kept running while shouting for help, hoping someone would answer her.

    "HELLO?! IS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE?!"

    "PLEASE, ANYONE! ANSWER ME!"

    But it was useless; in that vast expanse of meadow, there was only her alone.

    She panicked, not knowing where to go, not knowing what to do. She ran here and there, calling people while crying. But she could not find anyone there. Finally, after running far enough until night fell, she fainted, exhausted body and soul.

    The following day, she woke up hungry, and not having the energy to walk any further, she finally decided to give up.

    "There''s no food anyway, I won''t be able to live much longer."

    She was tired, body and soul, and she decided to die because she no longer wanted to live because of her suffering.

    Then she suddenly felt a lump pressing on her stomach; she remembered that she had bought bread before arriving at that meadow.

    She had already given up, but the bread made her remember the bread girl, and she also remembered that she had a dream to pursue.

    "This bread forbids me to give up," she muttered.

    The bread was enough to make her walk a little further again

    It had been almost two days since she hadst eaten properly, and she was literally starving.

    At the end of the meadow, she finally saw the edge of the forest she had been desperately searching for. She knew she could find something to eat if she could make it the rest of the way. Hopefully, she could hunt fruit trees or animals in there. With her little strength left, she made her way through the trees.

    However, as she walked further into the forest, her hope dwindled. She searched, but there was nothing to be found. The trees had no fruit hanging from their branches, and some even had no leaves. There seemed to be no life in the forest at all.

    Exhausted and discouraged, she kept walking. She hadn''t eaten for almost two days and her hunger was stronger than her fear. Bringing her hands to her stomach, she realized how weak and malnourished she had be. She felt like she could barely keep her eyes open and fell.

    "This is it... this is the end. Yeah¡­"

    Then when she couldn''t walk anymore, she could hear the sound of the bushes; she raised her head, looking in the direction of the sound.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A man with a big body and curly green hair looked at her with a shocked face.

    "Juf, wat is der bard? Giet it goed mei dy?!" the man shouted.

    ''Whatnguage is that? I seem to have heard it...'' and she fainted.

    "Dat hier, is dit famke fan in oare wrald?"

    ...

    "That''s how I wake up in this world,"

    Ca exined this to Felicia and Allen.

    "Hmm... looks like you''ve been through a lot; thanks for trusting me by telling your story to me," Felicia said.

    "It''s okay,dy! There''s no need to thank me. Since I came to this world, I''ve been cared for by uncle Ulf. I can do nothing except skew, so if the dress I made makes Uncle Ulf happy, I''m okay with giving myself to you.

    I often greeted the nobles to offer my dress, but none wanted to see it. As for you, you gave me a chance, so I thought it would be an honor if I could be your subordinate."

    Felicia then became embarrassed, hearing thatpliment from this person.

    "Well, I''ve always had a good eye for judging people!" Felicia said proudly.

    Allen, who heard Felicia say that, immediately muttered, "How arrogant, when you first saw her you didn''t even believe she could make clothes,"

    "Shut up, Allen!"

    Felicia then reached out her hand once more and said

    "I haven''t properly introduced myself yet. My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville; I am the daughter of Earl Boldenville.

    ''Oh?! An earl?! No wonder she has so much money,'' Ca thought.

    Ca then shook Felicia''s hand.

    "My name is Ca Frederica Wolfhart; thank you for having me."

    Ca then looked at Allen and asked:

    "What about you? From your hair, you''re also an other-worlder, right? What''s your name?"

    "A-allen. Just Allen."

    Felicia surveyed Ca''s intricate design for a dress. She furrowed her brow, doubting that it could be finished in the allotted four days. Judging by howplicated it is, it will bepleted in a ten days-long process. Furthermore, the chosen fabric and materials took a lot of work.

    "I''ve already given you some money. But can this really be finished before the whitmoon festival?" Felicia asked.

    "To be honest, it''s difficult. But I will try to finish it quickly!"

    "So then... Do you need an assistant to get it done faster? I have a maid that I trust a lot. Or perhaps a better ce to work?"

    "No need,dy, for now, I want to do it myself. This money is more than enough to get it done."

    "Very well. I look forward to your work."

    ¡­

    Finally, one day before the whitmoon festival. After Allen and Felicia finished their dance practice, they went to Ca''s house or Ulf''s shop. This time Rachel went with them to see the dress that herdy would wear.

    But when they got there

    "Wh-what happened?" said Felicia in shock and confusion.

    As soon as they arrived at Ca''s house, they knew something was wrong. It looked like a storm had hit it¡ªmuch worse than when they had arrived just a few days earlier. Shockingly, Felicia could see that both the door to the shop and Ca''s room were broken into and destroyed. As she cautiously stepped inside, it became clear that nobody else was in the house.

    The carnage inside Ca''s room was worse than when she hade before. The table was smashed to pieces, the cupboard had been ruined, and the dress was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 94 The Peasant

    "Wh-what happened?" said Felicia in shock and confusion, seeing the broken house before them.

    "Maybe they ran off with your money?" said Allen.

    "That can''t be true-" It wasn''t that she didn''t think about the possibility that Ca would lie. She was trying to erase his doubts about Ca because she had directly spoken to her, so Felicia knew at least what kind of person she was.

    But the possibility of her lying was always there, so when Felicia was faced with that reality now, she felt upset because she felt like she was being fooled.

    However, her irritation immediately disappeared when someone started calling out to them.

    "Lady! Lady Felicia!"

    It was Ulfketel, the owner of the butcher shop. Seeing Ulfketel who immediately called out to her, Felicia immediately felt relieved.

    "Shopkeeper! What happened to your shop? And where is Ca? Is she okay?" said Felicia.

    ''She''s worried about us?'' Ulfketel thought.

    "Ca is fine. Our shop has moved to the market district."

    "Moved? Why? What''s wrong here?"

    "Let''s talk as we walk."

    Ulfketel walked in front of Felicia, and when they were some distance away, Ulfketel began to exin,

    "May you didn''t realize that our house was near a slum district and most of our district is a peasant."

    "What?! So your house is not part of the slum?! I thought I entered a slum yesterday!"

    Felicia had never visited a slum district before, so she didn''t know what the people''s slum standards were.

    ''If it''s not a slum, does that mean the slums are even dirtier and uglier?!'' Felicia thought.

    As for Ulfketel, when he found out that Felicia didn''t understand slums, he cleared his doubts. He had previously thought that Felicia was just a wealthymoner''s daughter. The problem was that no noble would want to set foot in a peasant area, let alone enter his house, just to look at a dress made by a peasant.

    "Our house is not very good, but it is still within reasonable limits. Most slums only have houses with cloth roofs. It''s more or less like Ca''s room."

    "I see... Then, what exactly happened to your house?"

    "We were attacked."

    "Attacked?"

    "Yes, by other peasants. Probably from the slums," Ulf said calmly, which surprised Felicia.

    "Why were you attacked? You''ve been fine so far, right?" Felicia said.

    Ulf was silent. He found it difficult to answer.

    "You really don''t know the reason?" Allen suddenly spoke as if he knew.

    "Wh-what?"

    "Because of you. You''re the one who got them attacked."

    "M-me?!"

    Ulf then sighed, not expecting that Allen would mention it, "you don''t have to think or worry about it anymore, Lady Felicia." Ulf said.

    But Felicia was curious; she wanted to know the reason.

    "Allen! Howe? Why is everything my fault?"

    "Since you came to Ulf''s house, many people have been watching you. They must be after you, although I don''t know what they want in the shopkeeper''s house," Allen said.

    "It must be money," Rachel continued.

    Ulf nodded and said, "That''s right... When they find out that a noble is visiting a peasant house, they will find out what the noble is doing. I was shocked when Ca said that you gave her three-big-gold coins."

    "So, they destroyed your house because you received money from me?" said Felicia with a scared face.

    "I told you before that it''s not your fault,dy. As soon as I heard from Ca that she received money from you, I immediately asked her to rent a house in the market district because I knew we would be targeted if we held that much money. The people around us suspected we had gotten the money from you, so they looked for it in every corner of our house."

    "Why didn''t you report to the knights or soldiers?" said Felicia.

    Since Ulf didn''t answer right away, Rachel took his ce, saying, "Because they''re just peasants,dy. Peasants are still not official citizens of the capital; they have no right to protection and no obligation to pay taxes."

    "Why wasn''t I told these important things?!" vented Felicia.

    Rachel then replied, "It''s not necessary,dy. This is the least important part to learn among the nobility. The most important things that noble children should learn are manners, noble ethics, business, and how to be strong."

    Felicia became a little depressed, knowing someone could die because of her actions.

    "Idiot, you''re thinking too deeply; this uncle already said that everyone is fine, and he already got a new house because of the money you gave him," Allen said.

    ''This boy, why does he have such an attitude toward hisdy? Isn''t he just a mere subordinate? Isn''t he afraid of being beheaded?'' Ulfketel thought.

    Felicia then shook her head and said,

    "You''re right; I should remember this very well. Rachel, next time if there''s anything strange about my actions, just tell me! And I want to know more about this kind of thing."

    "Yes, mydy."

    ''Maybe I should have just gone with thedy that time,'' Rachel thought as she saw Felicia''s distressed face.

    Finally, they arrived at Ulfketel''s new home. When Ulfketel got there, he was immediately greeted by a girl who was about five years old.

    "Daddy!" the girl shouted as she jumped into Ulfketel''s arms.

    "Olivia!" Ulfketel replied to the girl, hugging her like the most precious person he had.

    "Lady, this is my daughter. After my wife died, I lived with her."

    "Leidy?" asked the little girl.

    Felicia lifted her skirt, then said, "My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville; nice to meet you little girl."

    The girl was stunned to see Felicia, so she cried out

    "How beautiful?! Daddy, is she a princess?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hey, don''t talk like that! Please forgive my daughter, Lady Felicia."

    "It''s okay; my heart isn''t that weak to get angry at a child''s joke. Besides, it wasn''t an insult at all."

    After that, they entered the house.

    It was just a tiny house, but it looked better than the previous one.

    "Did you buy this house with the money I gave you?" Felicia asked.

    "Yes. That''s why I told you not to think about what happened to us before. Thanks to you, we can now live in a better house."

    Felicia smiled a little. Then she said

    "You should thank Ca for that too," Felicia said.

    "Hahaha, you''re right. I always doubt her since the beginning. I didn''t expect she really could make clothes for a noble¡­" said Ulf, smiling.

    ''You are too kind; you doubt her skill, yet you still care for her and let her live in your house,'' thought Felicia.

    They went to the second floor, where Ca continued her work.

    Ulf knocked on the door of her room,

    "Hey, Ca! Lady''s here!" Ulf shouted.

    But there was no answer.

    "Ca?! Are you in there? We''reing in!"

    Ulf opened the unlocked door. The door opened, and they could see a room that was not too different from Ca''s old room. Threads and scraps of cloth were scattered on the floor, and tes of food were arranged in the corner of the room.

    Ca was inside. She was lying on her stomach in front of the door, like a dead person.

    "Ca! Are you okay?" asked Felicia.

    "Aaah, she must be okay; you don''t have to worry; she''s always like that every day after work," said Ulf.

    As Ulf said, Ca didn''t faint; she was just exhausted. She slowly raised her head. Her face looked weak, tired, and pale.

    "Lady, it''s finally done. Your dress is finished."

    A clothes disy was in the center of the room, covered with a clean white cloth, which was most likely the dress Felicia had ordered.

    Rachel came forward and opened the cloth covering the dress.

    "S-so this is the dress thedy is referring to?!"

    As everyone in the roomid eyes on the magnificent victorian dress, they marveled at its beauty. It was golden white, with a flower decoration delicately ced on the chest. Rachel and Felicia stood in awe of the masterful craftsmanship that had produced such elegance.

    "Amazing! Amazing! Ca! You''re a genius!" cried Felicia.

    "Hehe, I gave everything to that dress. Please look beautiful in it,dy."

    "Don''t worry! I''ll be the most beautiful at Prince Francis'' birthday party."

    By wearing the dress, Felicia felt that she would forget all her nervester and forget her past trauma.

    The next day, the first day of the Whitmoon Festival began. The Whitmoon Festival had finally arrived and the city was alive with multicolored flowers swirling in the gentle summer breeze. Everyone was in high spirits, with many children wearing white clothes with flowers in their hair circting around the fountain in the center of the city. Nobles andmoners mingled in the same white dress; however, their clothing designs still gave away their social standings. The celebration started with a full-hearted cheer that echoed throughout the town square.

    Commoners just wear in white clothes, while the nobles re-stitch the clothes, add creations to thece, and make it look like a different but still white outfit.

    "I don''t like these clothes," said Allen, who was wearing the same white dress as the nobles.

    "Why?! Do you want to wear the same thing that themoners wear?!" shouted Felicia.

    "That''s much better. This clothes are harder to move in."

    "You should have told me that yesterday! You won''t have to move muchter since nothing will happen during the Whitmoon Festival."

    "Yeah, I hope so."

    They started walking when everyone started walking to the church of their choice. At that moment, Allen offered his hand to Felicia.

    "What''s this?" Felicia asked.

    "Eh? Rachel told me that I should hold your hand."

    "Why is that?!"

    "I don''t know."

    ''Rachel told me that the whitmoon festival is the most dangerous time because everyone is off guard. But she didn''t want me to tell Felicia about it, I wonder why."

    "I won''t do that?! That''s embarrassing!" shouted Felicia.

    "This girl¡­ she''s so stubborn."

    Allen immediately took Felicia''s hand forcefully and held it tightly.

    "Let''s go," Allen said.

    Giving in to how firm Allen''s grip was, Felicia nodded. Knowing Felicia had already given in, Allen held her hands more gently.

    Observers couldn''t help but notice Allen and Felicia''s special connection. Their tenderness toward one another undeniably affected those around them, softening even the hardest of hearts. The warmth radiating from their bond was contagious, ensuring everyone in the vicinity felt a certain level of infatuation for these two.

    "Hey, look at those two kids over there; they''re so cute."

    "You right! Like young brides!"

    "Gyaaah! Why are you saying that?! They''re still kids!"

    "You''re just jealous because you haven''t gotten a partner yet!"

    "Shut up!"

    A wave of stares echoed around them, making Felicia''s cheeks flush and her heart flutter with embarrassment. Desperately trying to keep her cool, Felicia nced around to find curious eyes hovering with unspoken questions and assumptions.

 Chapter 95 The Whitmoon Festival

    Whitmoon Festival''s first day, Moon Day.

    It was the day children reached the age of twelve and would be baptized in the same church as their parents.

    The city was alive with the scent of multicolored flowers swirling in the gentle summer breeze. Everyone was in high spirits, with many children wearing white clothes with flowers in their hair circting around the fountain in the center of the city. Nobles andmoners mingled in the same white dress.

    The fountain in the capital''s center is connected to five main streets. These roads led respectively, to the royal castle, the church of fire, the church of water, the church of soil, and the church of wind.

    On each street, a parade leads the children to the church. The 8 o''clock bell rang, signaling the parades to lead the children to church. Consciously walking in unison, the children stepped forward and created a path. Suddenly, a mysterious light shone above them. In awe, they looked up and observed the spirits illuminating their way to the church. Red light for those walking to the fire church, blue light for those walking to the water church, yellow light for those walking to the soil church, and green light for those walking to the wind church.

    The one Allen and Felicia entered was the fire church.

    The main church of the fire church was not in the capital, but the size of the church in the capital was bigger than the main church. They needed to climb 20 steps to enter the church because the entrance alone was 15 meters high. And when the door opened, they could see the shining luxury of the church.

    It was sorge that it could amodate all the children in the city. At the front was a kind of stage and pulpit, and behind it again wererge ornamental windows in red and white. The floor was shiny ck, covered by a red carpet. The children were invited to sit in rows on the red carpet.

    Once seated, Archbishop Benedict Spelman entered with his official red-and-white attire and walked to the pulpit carrying arge red-and-gold book.

    "Wee to the Church of Fire, my beloved children."

    When the children heard his voice, they immediately looked at the archbishop in awe. His voice had power, which made them want to listen to everything he had to say.

    "I will exin the origin of this world''s creation and the church''s origin in the world."

    The archbishop opened his book and began to tell the children how the world came to be.

    __The angels who live in the sky, every day they live to worship god, singing praises and songs to him with wisdom. Until one day, one of the angels stopped doing so. That angel was known as "the big brother of all angels," one of the strongest and the oldest; he was known as Satan, or now as the Demon King Satan.

    Starting from the creation of the creatures'' races in the world, Satan felt that all the races were just inferior beings and should only submit to him; because of his pride, he was punished for a hundred years.

    Satan felt that he had the right to taste the first woman of each race, and because of his lust, he was sentenced to a hundred years.

    During his sentence, Satan felt that it was unfair that the creatures in the world were not required to pray more than the angels; out of jealousy, he was sentenced to one hundred years.

    Satan ate the forbidden fruit in the sky, and because of his greed, he was sentenced to one hundred years.

    Satan felt he deserved a higher position, even though he was already at the top of every angel; because of his greed, he was sentenced to one hundred years.

    After being punished for five hundred years, he rebelled by stopping to pray to god; he was expelled from heaven because of hisziness.

    He was fuming with rage that had built up inside him, rage caused by the angels and god. This boiling dislike of god pushed him to the point of wanting revenge and led him to steal god''s divine power. He crafted his own power with that, something god could never possess, which was the ability to control the demonic mana. After that, he could retreat from the gasp of god and take refuge in a ce that could not be reached; it was there that his demonic mana flourished.

    The great angels were once omnipresent, their presence extending over every corner of the world. It was due to the flow of mana that was present everywhere, allowing the angels to exist in all ces. But they began to face a significant challenge when the influence of demonic mana increased globally. With this, the supervision of the angels over all affairs was hampered as their power diminished in all respects. This also meant that the angels could no longer exist as they once did in every ce in the world.

    That''s where the war between the angels and Satan begins.

    Angels give mana and god''s blessings to the creatures in the world, while Satan creates infinite monsters from demonic mana.

    Finally, because the power of the angels was not enough to fight Satan, they summoned seven heroes from another world.

    Hero of Chastity, Jeanne Bailey

    Hero of Temperance, Hayden Lawson

    Hero of Generosity, Shao Huan

    Hero of Diligence, Allen nlea

    Hero of Patience, Shimomura Keishi<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hero of Gratitude, Vienna Bradley

    Hero of Humility, Osgood Hallfridsson

    Satan was defeated with the hero''s help, and his death sent the demons and monsters to hell, the underworld.

    Even after the death of Satan, his rage still burned with a ferocity that seemed never to cease. Satan has won from the beginning since he managed to steal the power of god. The implications of this feat were far-reaching, as the power he stole from the divine had a dramatic effect on the world; like a butterfly effect, the divine mana and demonic mana were intertwined, existing inextricably side by side like two sides of the same coin.

    Satan won before the war started. Starting the war itself was wrong. It led to countless deaths and sparked a series of negative emotional responses that wouldn''t go away - like revenge, anger, and many others. These emotional responses created a cascading ripple effect of upset and turmoil, leaving the families and loved ones of those who died in the war unsatisfied. Even karma seemed to take a negative hold¡ªwhile the deceased may have moved on, the ones who died are not. The pain and suffering of the dead people seemed to linger, and that emotion manifested unlimited demonic mana.

    If demonic mana is spread worldwide, then monsters can live anywhere and be created anywhere.

    The angels united their powers to stop this, locking all the demonic mana into a dungeon.

    Even though Satan was dead, his sins remained in the world, and the church was created to avoid the sins Satan had left in this world__

    After finishing the story, the archbishop closed his book. At that moment, the children immediately felt rxed because before, they felt that their bodies were being controlled to remain silent, listening to the archbishop''s words.

    The Archbishop wasn''t done yet; he continued

    "That''s why my children, control your emotions; don''t let negative emotions control you because that can lead to disaster."

    The archbishop walked about ten steps from where he was standing, and then two foster priests came, removing the podium from the stage. At the same time, another foster priest covered the floor with stic; four other foster priests brought arge tub of water.

    The priest who owned the church climbed onto the water-filled tub, letting his clothes get wet.

    "My children, please line up; we will begin your baptism," said the Archbishop.

    Perhaps because of the gentleness and charisma exuded by the Archbishop, none of the children disobeyed; they stood up and lined up without any fuss.

    At that time, the children took turns being bathed by the priest. Once finished, they were immediately warmed and dried by the fire spirit.

    Meanwhile, the children were in another church: the wind spirit blew them dry, the earth spirit sucked water and turned it into nts, and the water spirit ate the water on their bodies.

    The event ended with a prayer together.

    That was how the first day of the whitmoon festival ended.

    "Do we have to do that every day?" asked Allen, who felt bored and ufortable with everything that happened in the church.

    "Tomorrow might be even more boring, Allen. The highlight and happy day of the whitmoon festival is on the fourth day," replied Felicia.

    ...

    They did the same thing on the second day of the whitmoon festival, Tubas Day. They weren''t baptized anymore. In the church, they were taught about the scriptures and their rules.

    On the third day of the whitmoon festival, the Weald Day, they will practice simple things that the scriptures tell them to do, such as smiling at others, giving alms in moderation, shaking hands, etc.

    And finally, on the fourth day of the whitmoon festival, thrust day.

    In the other ce, Ivaylo was in a dark room, his fingers nimbly sewing the adorable dolls. He had been working for hours and almost finished when Adam suddenly burst in.

    "Leader, shall we start now?" Adam asked with eagerness in his voice.

    Ivaylo paused and looked up from his work, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Let''s kill them all," he said quietly.

 Chapter 96 The Trust Day

    The highlight of the whitmoon festival, day four, trust day.

    On the fourth day, the children were gathered at the fountain, each receiving a basket. The baskets were filled with different kinds of bread. The elders required each child to carry their basket and spread small moments of joy around the entire city. They will walk around the city while giving bread to the poor. In addition, to make them have the behavior of giving alms to others. This makes the whitmoon festival a day when everyone should be able to be happy.

    Thest day is the most unrestrained and joyous day for everyone in the city; unbaptized children can walk around the city with the parade while spreading flowers. Adults in each district will sing unique songs while dancing the morris dance, spinning around and holding hands in pairs.

    Since they will be traveling around the city, the walk will be very long so they will take a break every two hours. For the nobles, walking that far is not easy, so their servants will usually carry them. Not only because they get tired quickly but also because they have to be prepared for Prince Francis'' birthday party.

    "We''ve been walking for over two hours; maybe it''s time I asked Rachel to carry me," said Felicia.

    "You''re not tired yet, are you?" asked Allen.

    "No, but if I exert more energy, I won''t be able to make it through the dance."

    Felicia looked around, searching for Rachel. When she finally found Rachel, who was walking on the sidewalk while looking at Felicia, she immediately raised her hand, signaling to Rachel that it was time for her to carry Felicia. But Rachel shook her head with a smile.

    "Hmm? What''s wrong?" Felicia thought, confused.

    Allen then said, "I was asked to do this after you were exhausted, but it''s fine from now on."

    "?!!"

    Allen stepped forward and, without warning, bent down and lifted Felicia''s body in his arms. He held her close and tenderly, like carrying a princess, cradling her as he would an adorable child. Felicia was almost too surprised to speak, and she gasped as Allen lifted her from the ground.

    "W-wha-wha-what are you doing?!" she shouted, her face red from heat and fatigue and now even redder from embarrassment at Allen''s sudden gesture.

    "Don''t move too much; you''ll fall," replied Allen.

    "Why do you have to do this?! Put me down!"

    "Rachel said that I should lift you up when you get tired."

    ''Rachel! What was she thinking?! What is she nning to do by humiliating me like this?!'' Felicia thought.

    "E-enough already! I''m fine! Just put me down!"

    "I told you not to move! You''re so stubborn! Look around; others are also being carried by their subordinates! You don''t have to feel ashamed for being the first to get tired!"

    ''That is not the reason I''m mad! You foolish guy. What actually happened in this guy''s head?! Does he really have no shame at all?!''

    Felicia then looked around, only to find that everyone else was also looking at the two of them in amazement. When Felicia looked at Allen''s face, Allen simply ignored the attention and continued to hold Felicia in his arms. Felicia found it hard to admit that it was oddlyfortable, and with a hint of a smile, she decided to enjoy the ride.

    Felicia raised her head again, looking at Allen''s face. Seeing Allen''s ordinary-looking face made her both annoyed and relieved. She was relieved that he didn''t seem to mind when she was with him and that Allen''s face was no longer the same as when she first met him.

    Then Felicia remembered the smiling Allen again; suddenly, she was in a daze again, as if she realized she was still doing something embarrassing in front of many people.

    "A-allen, aren''t you tired too? Am I heavy? I can ask Rachel to carry me, so just put me down," Felicia said in a small, soft voice.

    "It''s fine; we''re just taking a normal walk; it''s not hard at all. Then you''re not heavy at all, light as a sword," Allen said.

    ''I wish mother were this light back then, too,'' Allen thought as he remembered how hard he pulled his dying mother.

    -PUK

    Felicia then hit Allen''s chest, and although Allen didn''t feel any pain, he was a little annoyed at being hit for no reason,

    "Don''t equate me with a sword," Felicia said with annoyance.

    "Yeah I lied; you''re much heavier."

    "Don''t call me heavy either!"

    "How annoying..."

    Then suddenly, they stopped walking.

    "What''s wrong?" said Felicia, confused.

    "Maybe something is going on ahead. Many soldiers are passing around."

    "Eh? Soldier?!"

    "You didn''t realize? I thought they were soldiers protecting this group."

    Then Felicia looked around; as Allen had said, quite a few soldiers were running around. Then Felicia saw someone quite familiar,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Allen, look over there," Felicia pointed behind Allen.

    "That''s Sir Birawa. He also looks panicked and has a serious face," Felicia continued.

    "Do you want to greet him? If you do, do it yourself, I don''t want to meet him; he''s annoying."

    "Don''t talk like that! He''s the one who saved our lives in the dungeon. We''ll meet him to say thank you, but not now. We''ll visit him tomorrow."

    ...

    Coinciding with the parade, Fleur Lymsey Wake, the number 1 holder of the knight of rounds, was already treated to the gruesome scene in the morning.

    "Undoubtedly, this is the work of rissa, the witch of dread, from Noctem Dolls."

    In almost every corner of the city were corpses whose entire bodies had been smashed until all their flesh and bones were thin.

    "Have you fought them before? Ma''am?" one of the soldiers asked Fleur.

    "No, but I''ve met two of them."

    "Are they much stronger than you?"

    "I don''t know; I''d have to fight them head-on if I wanted to know. But..."

    "But?"

    "Their leader, Ivaylo, There''s no way I can win against him."

    Fleur''s face was quite scared but threatening look, which let everyone know that something had happened between Fleur and the Noctem Dolls in the past.

    "At this rate, we''ll have to stop the festival. It''s too dangerous for the prince."

    "Stopping the whitmoon festival? That''s impossible!" said the person who suddenly came behind.

    He wore the same armor as Fleiur, one of the rounds, Tobias.

    "Tobias, what do you mean? Don''t you understand how dangerous this situation is?"

    Fleur''s voice was round and dignified, like a woman with a man''s voice. Because of her power and strength, Fleur became the leader of the rounds; even though she was a woman, she didn''t have a feminine side.

    "That''s not it; I heard you''re from a distant country, so maybe you don''t know about this, but the whitmoon festival is not something that can be stopped. It''s an important religious day, when all the spirits gather to give their blessings. You can see how many spirits are hovering over each child''s head. They only do it on this day; if you stop or postpone it, the children won''t get enough blessings."

    "Blessings? What are you thinking about that for? If they die, then the blessing is useless. The spirits are just having fun with them by giving them a bit of mana to match their human selves. Humans can live without spirits; so far, I don''t need amnis to be stronger."

    Seeing the two rounds arguing, the others panicked; if something happened between the two of them, then no one could stop it, so they tried to calm the atmosphere as much as possible

    "Miss Fleur, calm down."

    "Sir Tobias, you don''t have to go to such lengths to oppose Miss Fleur," but all the soldiers'' words were ignored; they continued to argue,

    "Let''s not waste time here; we need to stop the festival," Fleur said as she walked away.

    But Tobias grabbed Fleur''s hand, stopping her in her tracks,

    "What are you doing?" Fleur''s voice at that moment shook the fear of the soldiers, making them take a few steps back, away from there.

    Tobias was no less sinister; he retaliated as if he werepletely unaffected by Fleur''s pressure.

    "I won''t let you stop the festival. If you do, many kids who want to be casters will lose their potential."

    "I told you! Their potential is useless if they die!"

    "Why did you make sure that they would die?!" Tobias'' words seemed to stab Fleur, who was not expecting that Tobias would say that.

    "Why, you say? Don''t you know what the Noctem Dolls are capable of? You''ve never seen them have you?! They can kill everyone in an instant!"

    "Isn''t our job to protect them?! If you are really the strongest in the rounds, you should try to protect them! Not destroy their talent and have them run away!"

    Fleur''s anger could not subside, but she knew Tobias had a point. She then irritably pulled her hand that Tobias was holding forcefully, then she said

    "How dare you stop me from saving them. If anything happens to those kids, I''ll definitely kill you," Fleur said, walking away while putting on her helmet.

    "They won''t die! We''ll protect them!" Tobias shouted at Fleur, who was already walking away.

 Chapter 97 Little Angel

    The fourth day of the Whitmoon Festival ended at 3 o''clock without particr obstacles.

    The series of murders suspected to have beenmitted by the Noctem Dolls simply ended there. After randomly killing more than 20 people on each side of the capital, they made no apparent movements.

    Based on the investigation of the 3rd division knights and knights of the rounds, all the ces the Noctem Dolls chose to kill were Whitmoon Festival travel routes. So the parade route on that day often changed. No one had any answers as to the motives behind the Noctem Dolls actions, but tensions ran high¡ªso high that even the knight of rounds, who was meant to be attending Prince Francis'' birthday party, felt they had no other choice but to remain at their post and help guard the castle that day.

    Two hours before the prince''s birthday party started...

    "Aw!"

    "I''m sorry mdy, putting this on was a bit difficult."

    "Be careful next time!"

    Inside Felicia''s room, Ca and Rachel were helping Felicia put on the dress Ca had made.

    "What exactly is this? Is it really necessary?"

    "Of course, to maintain posture. That support garment ismonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape."

    "What is this called? This is my first time wearing this."

    "It''s called a corset, mdy."

    "Don''t make it too tight; I don''t want to mess up my dance with this."

    "I agree; it should be worn during dance practice, too," Rachel said.

    It was gettingte, and finally Felicia emerged from her room, the image of a beautiful princess emerging on the top of the staircase. After an hour of struggling with herplicated dress, she hade down the stairs,ing into view of her family that had already been in the living room below. Reynold, Ayde, awaiting the final touches of the night - Felicia.

    The moment Felicia walked into the living room, everything seemed to stop. Ayde opened her mouth in awe, Reynold had his eyes frozen on his daughter, and Allen just stared at her, quietly taking in the sight of Felicia. Everyone in the room seemed to have been taken aback by the sight of her in that strange-but-beautiful dress that had taken so much time and effort to get on. It was so beautiful and elegant.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    When Felicia came downstairs, Ayde immediately ran over to her and yed with her cheeks.

    "Felicia! You''re so beautiful!" Ayde''s voice seemed to make time go back, make everyone stop daydreaming.

    "Mom! Don''t touch me like that; you''ll ruin the makeup," Felicia said.

    "Oh sorry, you''re too pretty. Your dress is amazing; I want them too!" shouted Ayde excitedly.

    Then following behind Felicia, there was Rachel who was wearing her official maid outfit, along with Ca who was wearing the same outfit as Rachel. Ca would also being along to see her first-designed dress debut at tonight''s party.

    Felicia then looked at Reynold and said,

    "How is it, daddy? It''s enough to get you to invest in mypany, right?" Felicia asked, as she prided herself.

    Reynold turned his face away from Felicia and stood up.

    "Alright, I was wrong for underestimating that peasant''s ability before. It would be best if you hadn''t done anything embarrassing with such a nice dress," said Reynold as he walked out of the room.

    Hearing that, Felicia felt upset, as Reynold was still underestimating her. Ayde, who understood the matter, said

    "He just can''t be true to his word, just like you. It''s not that he underestimates you," Ayde said as she smiled and stroked Felicia''s head.

    Ayde then walked out as well, but before she did, she turned around and said, "I''m sorry, Felicia, I''ve been cold to you," she said.

    Felicia touched her chest and sighed with relief. She also smiled, feeling very happy that she might have opened her parents'' hearts to her even if it was just a little.

    After that, Felicia looked at Allen, who was still looking at her in silence with a t-face.

    "W-what''s wrong?" asked Felicia nervously because Felicia felt that Allen''s expression was more than just t.

    A few minutester Allen was still looking at her

    "H-hey! Say something!"

    Then when Felicia started yelling at him, he turned his face away, and said

    "Nothing, let''s go," Allen said as he left the room.

    "What the hell?!" said Felicia who was somehow annoyed.

    Behind Felicia, Rachel was also a little upset that Allen wasn''t doing what she told him to do. Rachel''s annoyance was conveyed to Ca who was beside her, so Ca was a little afraid of Rachel at that time.

    They finally left the house and went to the castle.

    The Boldenville family members sat in the litter carriage. While Allen, Ca, and Rachel sat in the coachman''s seat. Rachel drove the carriage horse while Allen and Ca sat beside her.

    "What the hell was that Allen?" asked Rachel in a heavy tone.

    Just a little, Ca could tell when Allen heard Rachel''s voice; he shuddered a little.

    "W-what?" said Allen while looking to the side.

    "Don''t say ''what,'' didn''t I ask you topliment thedy in the dress?! Why did you just silence?!" snapped Rachel, but in a slightly lower voice so the person behind could not hear her.

    "I''m just¡­ tired of your orders," Allen said hesitantly as if the reason had only urred to him.

    "Allen, you promised that you would do the trivial things I asked you to do; that''s why I want to cook you two different kinds of dishes every day. Then why didn''t you do such a small thing?"

    "I-I just couldn''t say it earlier."

    "Couldn''t? What''s so hard about saying ''you look beautiful, mdy'' to her?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know! Okay?! Don''t push me!" because of the loudness of Allen''s voice as he yelled at Rachel, Felicia who heard him ask from inside the train,

    "Is there a problem, Allen? Rachel? Ca?"

    "Nothing Lady! Everything is fine!" Rachel replied.

    Rachel then looked at Allen, let out a long sigh, and said,

    "Then it''s not that you don''t want to, but you can''t? Exin to me why you couldn''t. "I don''t understand why you were silent at that time."

    "Aaaah! I was going to say it! Okat?! But when she was suddenly in front of me, those words couldn''te out of my mouth! Are you satisfied? Now don''t ask me about this again! And don''t talk about this anymore!" snapped Allen, annoyed with Rachel who kept cornering him.

    Hearing Allen''s answer, Rachel¡­ instead of getting angrier,

    She smiled¡­

    Rachel had been trying to get Allen closer to Felicia all this time. She had pressed him to do things like hold her hand, carry her around, and more - all in an attempt to bring Felicia and Allen closer. Though Rachel was pleased that Allen was willing to follow her instructions, she was irritated at hisck of enthusiasm. Offering no resistance, it seemed he had zero interest in Felicia.

    ''This is a good development! Allen had beenpliant to all of my requests up to this point, seemingly with indifference. He never seemed to think much of whatever he was asked to do - Hisck of care extended even to whatever the requests may have been. But this time was different. This time, he, surprisingly, had said no.

    Was this sudden change in his behavior because of Lady Felicia? It seemed likely. Rather than saying no to my requests directly, he felt awkward to doing so face-to-face with the Lady. All of this may have been because of Ca''s dress. The dress she had made suited Lady Felicia so well that Allen was clearly struggling to praise her! It was such a sight to behold that it must have moved Allen in some way; Allen must have thought that Lady Felicia looked beautiful in that dress; that''s why he hardly said that because it likes saying his true feelings,'' Rachel thought happily, thinking everything was going ording to her n.

    But she still needed to encourage the two of them. So she made a whip and candy effect on Allen.

    "Whatever, since you broke your promise, from tomorrow, you will only eat three servings of regr roast meat," Rachel said.

    Ca then looked at Allen, who looked even more upset because of what Rachel had said. She was also confused; why would three servings of roast upset him? How much did the boy usually eat?

    "But!" Rachel then continued,

    "If you whisper it during the dance with thedyter, then I''ll forgive you,"

    Allen''s face still looked upset; he was now fighting with himself. Should he say such an embarrassing thing? Or get a small portion to eat tomorrow?

    Then after considering it for a while, he said,

    "Okay, I''ll tell herter."

    ...

    .

    .

    .

    MY NAME IS MARION JHONSON! I am the second child of Earl Jhonson''s family and the most beautiful noble in thend!

    __Inside a carriage, there is a girl named Marion Jhonson, a pink-haired girl with long flowing hair. She also wore a shy hair ornament and a luxurious dress filled with all kinds of jewelry.

    HOHOHOHO! Today at the prince''s ball, I will be the most conspicuous person among all the girlsing today!

    I''m wearing the most expensive dress in the capital, made by the best tailors and dressmakers, with the best materials!

    On top of that, all the jewelry I wear is from thetest jewelry brand carved by the best craftsmen in the capital! It''s all my hard work crying day and night in front of dad for a whole month!

    With this dress and jewelry, I''ll definitely be the most beautiful! And then I''ll steal Prince Francis'' heart!

    I can''t wait to see Prince Francis'' face when he sees me. Will he be stunned with a very red face? Or maybe he''ll walk up to me and ask me to dance?! Then he''ll ask me to be his fiancee?!!!! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I CAN''T WAIT TO GET TO THE CASTLE!!!

    Marion''s beauty attracted many noblemen who wanted to be her fianc¨¦. Especially because of Felicia''s failure on her 10th birthday, she became the most famous because people who hoped to be Felicia''s fianc¨¦ moved to her. Her birthday party was also vivacious, she almost danced with more than 20 men and never fell or showed her tired face.

    "EARL JHONSON HAS ARRIVED AT THE PALACE!" The soldiers guarding the door would shout at the noble''s arrival in the ballroom.

    As Marion entered the castle ballroom, all the nobles in the room immediately looked at her, stunned by her beauty and elegance.

    "So that''s Marion Earl Jhonson?!"

    "She''s beautiful!"

    "Is she the one who will be with the prince at the dance?"

    "It seems so; I''ll try to take my chances after the prince!"

    Marion had a sharp ear; she kept practicing it because she liked to listen to thepliments around her; she puffed out her chest, trying to walk more gracefully; in her heart, she smiled very happily,

    "Hohoho, keep praising me! I am Marion! The most beautiful girl in the world!"

    But the sound of praise was only temporary...

    "EARL BOLDENVILLE! HAS ARRIVED AT THE PALACE!"

    Marion had been feelingpletely self-conscious after all the stares and murmurs she had been getting from the crowd, but just then, she stopped hearing the praising voice, prompting her to pry her eyes open and look around.

    To her dismay, the people had all shifted their attention from her to someone behind her. Annoyance ring up in her, she angrily spun around to see who had caused them all to lose interest in her.

    And, to her disbelief and surprise¡­

    All she saw was a little angel¡­

    who was far more beautiful than her.

 Chapter 98 Under The Moonlight

    ? Two years ago

    It was Felicia''s 10th birthday party.

    On Felicia''s birthday, the Boldenville family was bustling with activity. The maids were busy arranging the tables with the finest tableware and filling them with the choicest dishes. The garden was decorated with flowers in full bloom, making the atmosphere exude an aura of magnificence. As the sun began to set, the earls and barons arrived, one by one, in their horse-drawn carriages, all dressed in their finest garb, to see how the Boldenville family''s seedlings had grown.

    Amidst the buzzing of the nobles, Felicia, the graceful youngdy and the daughter of the Boldenville family, weed her guests wearing a beautiful dress made of silk that shone like the stars. The noble families present were the heads of their respective families, along with their sons, who would undoubtedly be Felicia''s future husbands. Usually they brought their second or third child to make them the future head of the Boldenville family.

    Felicia, whose birth had disappointed her father, Reynold. She had to look beautiful and elegant before the other nobles to get the best husband to continue her family name.

    That''s why she tried hard daily, day and night, learning to write beautifully, dieting, and learning dance. Everything she did was to make her father proud and ept her as his daughter.

    The day came when she would show the results of her training. Practice makes perfect; that is how she thought it would be. She was already confident, stepping into the ballroom beautifully and gracefully.

    People watched her with amazement; she had be the beautiful person her father had hoped for, and the noble boys and even adults were scrambling to ask her to dance.

    Felicia smilingly epted their hands at random, not seeing how nervous the person she was holding was.

    "My name is Brian Bivey! Nice to meet you!"

    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Brian," Felicia said, gracefully lifting her skirt.

    Brian nervously took her hand when Felicia wanted to start her dance pose.

    The music started, but Brian was still silent as if he didn''t know what he was going to do,

    "Mr. Brian, please hold my waist," Felicia said.

    "O-okay!"

    It was a littlete because the music had already started, but Felicia was still able to follow the dance well, even though it made her do the lead for a while,

    Then Brian stepped on Felicia''s foot.

    And he stepped on her in people''s blind spots.

    The pain in her leg made her lose bnce, she was doing the lead at the time to match the dance with the music, so it was as if she was the one who made a mistake.

    "Pa-pardon me! Lady Felicia!" shouted Brian.

    "It''s okay, Mr Brian, we can start again-"

    As she struggled to regain herposure, Felicia could feel the weight of her embarrassment pressing down upon her. She looked up to face the crowd, hoping for some support or at least a kind word to help ease her shame. Instead, she was met with a sea of smirks and raised eyebrows. People were already starting to look at her sarcastically, their condescending gazes cutting through her like a knife. Felicia didn''t know that falling during the dance was the end of her.

    Her father then approached her, looking down on her too

    "Daddy, I''m sorry, I was-"

    "Get out of here; you''re embarrassing me," said her father.

    As a result, Felicia immediately stood up, bowed her head, and walked out the door.

    "I want to get some fresh air first," she said, still trying to maintain her family''s dignity in front of the other families. It was clear to Felicia that this was the end. She had hoped to leave asting impression on the nobles and her father, but now all she could do was slink away in humiliation, knowing that this mistake would forever define their view of her. As she walked off the dance floor, head bowed in shame; she ran away quickly.

    With a heavy heart, Felicia tried to rush out of the house to her favorite garden, her mind consumed by the piercing stares she received from her father and the people around her. Every pair of eyes seemed to be screaming at her, criticizing her every move and judging her harshly. The weight of their expectations and the pain of their disappointment was crushing her spirit and suffocating her soul.

    As she ran, her tears blurred her vision, and her steps became increasingly unsteady. Eventually, her emotional overload caused her to stumble and fall. The impact of her body hitting the ground reverberated through her, as did the harsh noise of her cry of anguish.

    Rachel, who had been walking behind her, was startled by Felicia''s outburst. She paused, unsure of what to do. But as Felicia''s sobs grew louder and more uncontroble, with a sympathetic nce, Rachel turned and walked away, trying to give Felicia the moment she needed to collect herself and regain her strength. Though it was difficult for Rachel to leave herdy in such a vulnerable state, she knew that sometimes all she could do was retreat and hope that time and space would heal the wounds of the heart.

    Felicia stood up and walked to the fountain in her garden. She could see the reflection of her face in the water. And she hated it. It was the face of the person who had let everyone down. She had sacrificed so much

    Refraining from eating the food she liked, refraining from practicing day and night, refraining from learning as much as possible, refraining, refraining, refraining, refraining for everything. And the result is now¡­ a failure.

    She didn''t know how to look at her father''s face tomorrow, let alone her mother who had been ignoring her a lottely. With tears streaming down her face. Her heart ached with sorrow and despair, and she felt like she couldn''t bear the weight of her problems anymore. The water in front of her looked tempting, and she had the urge to plunge her head into it and forget everything.

    Just as she wanted to drown her head, she hears rustling from the nearby bushes. She froze in ce, listening intently for any other signs of movement. After moments of tense silence, a man emerged from the foliage, looking disheveled and flustered.

    "Who''s there?" asked Felicia, her voice quivering with fear and suspicious

    From the bushes came an adult man, who crawled out of there with his clothes in disarray and a leaf on his head.

    "Forgive me for interrupting your time,dy. I was walking to raiding air, but I walked too far."

    Felicia eyed the man warily but sensed no malice in his demeanor. He seemed genuinely apologetic, and his apologies sounded sincere.

    "Are you the one who attended my birthday party today? You''re pretty presumptuous toe out when the earl''s son is having a birthday, huh."

    She then made a surprised face, after which she quickly bowed her body

    "I apologize for my impudence, mdy. My name is Waldo Barkaley, and I came here to dance with you."

    Felicia turned her face away, looking sadly back at the fountain in front of her,

    "Go inside; other girls may be prettier and better at dancing with me. I''m not fit to be anyone''s wife."

    Waldo chuckled, then he walked over to Felicia.

    "You''re more mature than I thought. Although you still have a bit of a childish streak," Waldo said with a big smile.

    "Are you trying to mock me? You really don''t fear punishment from the earl, do you?" replied Felicianguidly, then she continued

    "Whatever you say, I''m not going to do anything anymore; I''m finished."

    "Yeah, no wonder. After crying so hard, you must have wanted to die because you were so embarrassed at the thought of someone else listening to you."

    "?!!"

    "Hmm?"

    "What did you say?! D-d-did-you just peeping at me weren''t you?! Y-you saw me crying?!" Felicia shouted with anger and embarrassment on her face; now she really wanted to die from embarrassment, as Waldo had said.

    Waldo was finally in front of Felicia, standing tall and smiling at her. At that moment, Felicia realized that he was taller than she thought.

    Waldo knelt gracefully in front of Felicia, her eyes fluttering with surprise as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the cool wind brushed past them, rustling the leaves of the trees around them. As they gazed into each other''s eyes, the nket of clouds that had obscured the moonlight slowly began to shift, and a soft glow illuminated their faces. At that moment, Felicia felt as if time had stopped.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Happy birthday, Lady Felicia."

    Those words were...

    Those were the words Felicia most wanted to hear at that moment. Even though it was her birthday party, Rachel was the only one who wished her a happy birthday. It was as if everyone didn''t care about her, but only about her family name. People came there not because of her but only to use her as political material.

    Waldo''s sincere words touched Felicia''s heart deeply,

    ''Apparently, someone remembered my birthday,'' Felicia thought as happy tears rose.

    "You want to cry again? Haha It turns out you really are still a child."

    Felicia, embarrassed, immediately removed her hand from Waldo and wiped her face.

    "Don''t call me that! I feel humiliated!"

    Felicia then looked at Waldo''s hands, which were scratched from walking through the bushes.

    "Your hand..."

    "Oh, this? It''s fine; everything will be fer with the health potion."

    "Did you bring it with you?"

    "Not at the moment."

    "Then it will leave a mark."

    Felicia then bit her thumb hard, blood came out of it, and she used it to activate her god''s blessing.

    "Ooh, you really are as talented as the rumors say; getting a god''s blessing at the age of 10 is amazing."

    It was the first time Felicia had used her god''s blessing for someone else. Waldo watched in amazement as Felicia''s god''s blessing was like magic that shone beautifully with flowers.

    Momentster, Waldo''s hand was healed to its original state, with no scars, nor were there any signs that it had ever been injured.

    "Very good,dy. Thank you."

    "You don''t need to force yourself to praise. It''s not very useful."

    "What do you mean? Isn''t that great? You can heal others as you please."

    "My god''s blessing is not very useful; if you want to heal wounds, you can use potions; no need to bother using a lot of mana just to heal others."

    "A lot of mana? How many times can you use it?"

    "Only once a day."

    Waldo then fell silent and recalled the rumors that had spread about Felicia. Felicia''s talent was extraordinary, but her divine blessing was not.

    Waldo stood up and said

    "From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you,dy."

    Felicia turned her face away, then said, "There''s no need to say that; I''m just healing a small wound. Only small wounds can be healed with potions."

    "I thank you for your decision to heal me, even though your mana is only enough to use once daily. You gave me something very precious that you can only do once a day. It shows that you really care about me."

    Felicia looked back at Waldo, her eyes sparkling.

    "Your godly blessing is amazing."

    Waldo once again said something that had a great impact on Felicia, and it didn''t end there,

    "If you keep practicing and can use it many times, I can''t imagine how many people you''ll save with your abilities."

    Waldo''s happy smile made Felicia feel like she was doing something useful for the first time. The god''s blessing she had always cursed was now the most beautiful part of her, allowing her to be useful to others.

    From this point on, Felicia decided to help as many people as she could to see their happy smiles.

    "Shall we dance, Lady?"

    Felicia epts Waldo''s hand, and then they dance under the moonlight.

    .

    .

    .

    "Hey! Hey! Hurry up and get off!" shouted Allen, holding Felicia''s hand to get off the train.

    "Lady, is there a problem?" asked a worried Rachel.

    Felicia shook her head, then she said

    "Nothing, I''m just remembering something that hasn''t crossed my mind in a while."

    Felicia took Allen''s hand and got off the train. But she once again stayed there. Looking at Allen''s hand that she was holding.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Allen.

    ''Allen''s hand was bigger and rougher than I expected. Just like Sir Waldo''s,'' Felicia thought.

    Without answering Allen''s question, Felicia walked into the pce, this time also trying to be as beautiful as possible. Just like she did before, and it worried her.

    Will everything be okay?

    Will I be able to do well this time?

    Sir Waldo, please give me courage.

    While thinking that, Felicia approached her parents, who were waiting at the door of the castle ballroom. Then she hesitantly stepped into the room.

 Chapter 99 Francis Birthday Party

    Prince Francis'' birthday party was attended by not only the country''s nobles but also by nobles from abroad. Ministers from the Duchy of Benchmandy in the south, Ministers from the Kingdom of Saxcolony in the southeast, and even the enemy kingdom of Denscratch in the east. Their arrival was also a form of respect for the aging King Henry.

    "You''reing too, Minister Vagn Balle; I thought you wouldn''t ept an invitation from your enemy, Wildenhall," asked Minister Ailmar from Benchmandy.

    "We are invited; of course we wille. Our king always wished for King Henry''s death, but since he seems to be dying soon, he sent me as an honor; how strange¡­ Maybe he sees King Henry as a rival or something?"

    The Pce Ballroom was the most spacious room in the entire pce, evenrger than the royal chamber. The room was arranged with tables on each side, serving an array of mouth-watering dishes.

    Prince Francis stood tall between two massive pirs at the far end of the room. In the center of the pirs was arge seat, but it remained empty, as the prince had no time to sit down. This was understandable, for an hour before the event began, the room had been filled with nobles eager to meet the prince. Francis was busy shaking hands with everyone who came his way, grinning widely and conversing politely. He was clearly trying his best to leave a good impression on each guest. The event hadn''t started, yet he was already doing his best to maintain his friendly demeanor. Despite the fatigue, the prince continued greeting guests, wishing them well and thanking them foring.

    Finally, she could sit there after more than half an hour of standing and smiling.

    "It''s finally over!"ined Prince Francis.

    "Not yet, your highness. You have to be prepared for the guests that will keeping," said Sabine who was standing next to him.

    "But I''m already tired; can''t I greet them while sitting down? From the start, they all have a lower status than me; why do I have to stand for them?"

    "Because tonight you are the main character, Prince Francis. Everyone here came because of your birthday, so you have to answer them," Sabine said, trying to convince Francis with her sweet words.

    "Oh! That''s right!" It worked; he wrote "main character" into his favorite dictionary.

    As Sabine''s said, there were still others toe.

    "Happy birthday, your highness..." a rather heavy female voice. Francis looked at her with a bit of amazement until he came to his senses and stood up to shake her hand.

    "Thank you very much, Miss Fleur. You look beautiful in that dress," Francis said.

    "Haha, how often have you said that to all thedies here?"

    "About 20 or so, but my words are honest; I just can''te up with anything better."

    "That''s great."

    ''Good, your highness. As per training, you must say that repeatedly,'' Sabine thought.

    "But I don''t feel like this outfit suits me at all," Fleur continued. She was wearing a red dress that went all the way down.

    "That''s not right! As Prince Francis said, you are very beautiful!" said a ck-haired man behind Fleur, Birawa Budiono, one of the knights of the rounds. He was wearing a knight''s official outfit simr to the other knights. So at first nce, they looked like nobles and their personal knights.

    "I apologize for the impudence of my subordinate, Prince Francis; he is indeed a bit unique from others," Fleur said.

    Birawa then came forward and shook Francis'' hand with both hands.

    "Smat ng tahun, Pangeran Prancis!"

    "Eh? What did you say?"

    "Oh, I''m sorry, I often mix thenguage of my home world with this world... I mean, happy birthday, prince Francis."

    "Thank you foring to my birthday party, Sir Birawa."

    "You remember me?! I''m so happy to be remembered by the prince of this country!"

    "Yeah... I don''t think there''s anyone in this castle who doesn''t recognize you, noisy one," Francis whispered.

    "So, what are you doing here? I heard Rounds is busy guarding the entire castle," Sabine asked.

    "Oh, we''re-"

    "DATING! We''re going on a date after not seeing each other for so long!" said Birawa, who interrupted the conversation.

    Fleur immediately punched Birawa in the face to shut him up.

    Then she continued,

    "We''re here to work."

    "But, you''re not wearing knight clothes," Francis said.

    "This room is a ce we have to guard. About my armor, Queen Regina ordered us not to wear it because of the feast."

    "I understand, let''s hope nothing happens here," Sabine said.

    "That''s right... then I and this fool will leave here first."

    Francis waved his hand at them, then sank into his chair again.

    Sabine then lowered her head to Prince Francis'' ear and said,

    "Your highness... the party will begin in ten minutes. What do you think, Prince Francis? Is there anyone you''re interested in? Which girl would you like to dance with first?"

    ''Uh, this is my least favorite question,'' thought the prince.

    ''Why is this old hag always talking about women? I wasn''t interested in finding a partner to begin with. Instead of doing useless things like that, I''d rather practice my sword.''

    But as Sabine said, Francis kept looking at all the women in the room.

    ''Yeah... maybe I''ll pick the one who looks the most nervous and themest. If my dance partner makes a mistake, I can stop the dance anytime.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What about that girl over there? She walks gracefully and looks confident. Her name is Marion Johnson; she''s an earl''s daughter with the best background of any girl your age. I''ve heard that many men would like to choose her as a partner," Sabine whispered.

    Francis looked at Marion, then thought

    ''Uwaaah... there''s no way I''m going to dance with someone like her. She looks good at dancing! Are you trying to embarrass me, Sabine?!''

    Then at thest moment before the start of the feast, the soldier shouted the name of thest nobleman to arrive.

    "EARL BOLDENVILLE HAS ARRIVED AT PALACE!"

    Everyone''s eyes were fixed on the entrance. The first reason was that they were thest to arrive right before the party started; the second was because they were Boldenville''s famous nobles. Reynold entered with Ayde holding his hand.

    And the third reason...

    Because of the girl behind Ayde and Reynold.

    As soon as Felicia made her entrance, everyone in the ballroom was immediately captivated by her stunning presence. She entered the room with a graceful and confident stride, her long dress flowing elegantly behind her.

    The room fell silent as Felicia arrived, and every set of eyes in the crowd was fixated on her every move. Her beauty was undeniable, and even the most reserved of guests couldn''t help but stare in awe at the breathtaking sight before them. As she moved across the room, every step seemed to be more graceful than thest, and her infectious energy bubbled up in the hearts of everyone she passed.

    The atmosphere in the room was electric, and it was clear that Felicia had wholly stolen the show. Even the soft murmur of conversation that had permeated the room before her arrival had ceased, leaving only the sound of her dress rustling against the smooth wooden floorboards.

    Everyone admires Felicia and her beautiful but unique dress except Birawa.

    "Hmm? Aren''t they Felicia and Allen?" said Birawa.

    "Do you know them?" asked Fleur curiously.

    "Yes, I met them on the way here. But she''s so brave, why she wore clothes so different from everyone else? Isn''t she embarrassed?"

    "Why are youmenting on that? She''s wearing a very unique and pretty dress; why should she be embarrassed?"

    "Unique?" Birawa looked at Felicia''s dress again; then, he realized something.

    "Ah! That''s right! In this time and in this world, that kind of dress didn''t exist! I didn''t pay much attention to it."

    "In your world, does everyone wear those clothes?"

    "Not really... Just a few people were wearing a dress like that."

    While looking at Felicia, Birawa thought,

    ''This world is a littlete in various ways, at first, I thought this world was the usual medieval-like isekai manga because the food was good, then there was paper, pens, sword skills, and many more things that made the development in this world look messy most likely because of the other-worlders who came from various ages. That girl''s clothes probably never existed in this world...

    If I''m not mistaken...

    Victorian? Renaissance?

    I don''t know....''

    ...

    The whispers and nces from every corner of the room were unsettling, causing Felicia''s face to droop with anxiety. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her hands trembled, and her heart raced faster than ever before. The sparkles on her dress seemed to magnify the attention she was getting, making her more nervous by the second. The memories of the past flooded her mind as she tried hard to suppress them. It was simr to her birthday party two years ago when people had looked down on her. The mere thought of it made her nauseous.

    She surveyed her surroundings, she could feel her confidence slipping away. It was then she noticed not a single person could take their eyes off her. More than just admiring her dress, it was obvious they were fascinated by her. Felicia couldn''t bring herself to meet their gaze, but she knew they were all staring at her intensely. The attention only intensified her anxiety, and she could barely stand still, her legs were shaking uncontrobly.

    Felicia could feel the walls closing in on her. She tried to regte her breathing and search for an escape route, but she was trapped. She had to face the situation and maintain herposure. As the stares continued, she felt more vulnerable than ever before, exposed to a room full of nobles.

    ''They must be amazed at the dress; they must also be amazed at how beautiful I am right now,'' Felicia thought, but Felicia wasplimenting herself not to show off to herself but because she was scared.

    It was no different from what happened two years ago; she looked beautiful, and people were also looking at her expectantly.

    ''If this situation continues, someone will ask me to dance!''

    Unable to contain her anxiety, Felicia looked back toward Allen.

    "Did you just give up?" muttered Allen.

    "Hurry up!" shouted Felicia.

    Allen came forward, and he grasped Felicia''s hand.

    "This way, no one will ever ask me to dance again-"

    But Felicia was too naive. One person at full speed approached her and offered her his hand.

    "W-WO-WOU-WOULD YOU LIKE TO DANCE WITH ME?!"

    He was the 14th prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall. He blurted out, his face as red as a tomato, and he looked very nervous in front of Felicia. Felicia was taken aback by the prince''s sudden appearance and equally sudden request.

    ''I know she''s beautiful, but she already has a dance partner, your highness!'' Sabine thought. Everyone around them watched in surprise as the prince made his move.

    Felicia could feel the tension in the air as she tried to understand what was happening. Should she dance with Francis, even though she didn''t want to? Is it okay to reject the prince? And what about Allen, standing beside her, holding her hand?

    As she looked back and forth between the two, Felicia couldn''t help but feel confused. Did Francis not know you can''t ask someone with a dance partner to switch? And why was he so nervous in front of her, anyway?

    ''Prince?! Why would you offer me a dance when I''m already holding someone else''s hand? Doesn''t he know about this? Or is it possible that my honor to his party is being tested?! What should I do?!'' thought Felicia.

 Chapter 100 Before Dance

    Prince Franciszily watched all the girls in the ballroom. So far, there was no one he was interested in; his focus was only on the one who looked nervous and trembling. In the middle of the dance, he intends to deliberately make a mistake to look like his partner''s mistake.

    Firstly, there was no way he would ask out a girl from a famous noble family who must be an expert dancer. Secondly, there was no way he would ask an older person because surely, if something happened, people would probably see him as the problem.

    After looking at several girls, he finally found some suitable candidates.

    "Sabine, when does the dancing start?" Francis asked.

    Sabine unrolled the paper in her hand and then she said...

    "ording to the program, you will do it after the other queens and princes enter the room."

    ''In that case, I''d better ask her before the event actually starts; I don''t want the queen and my brothers to notice how I choose my partner,'' Francis thought.

    Sighing, he took another look at all the royals in the room, then thought,

    ''Look at those girls, all dressed up in such a way to meet me, but none of them knows that I don''t care at all. Hahaha, how pathetic. Woman weren''t really important to my life in the first ce; rather than thinking about them, I''d rather focus on swordsmanship. Well... if there''s someone prettier than my sister, Alicia, I might think about it. Although I doubt it...''

    Just as he was thinking about it, thest guest entered...

    "EARL BOLDENVILLE HAS ARRIVED AT PALACE!"

    Felicia glided into the ballroom; all eyes were upon her. Prince Francis had been greeting guests when he first saw Felicia. He had heard rumors that the young woman was stunning, but nothing had prepared him for the sight before his eyes. As Felicia drew nearer, his heart rate quickened, and he couldn''t help but stare.

    The prince was used to being the center of attention and was the party''s main star, but with Felicia''s arrival, he suddenly felt overshadowed. He should have been angry or jealous, but he found himself in awe of her beauty. It wasn''t just her dress that was captivating; it was her face and the way she carried herself with grace and confidence; Francis found that Felicia''s face was much more beautiful than the dress she was wearing.

    ''I-I should ask her...'' Francis, who thought that girls were just people to be used, immediately changed when he saw Felicia. He was smitten and knew he had to find a way to capture her attention. For the prince, nothing else mattered but the captivating beauty of Felicia. Now his mind was immediately filled with the feeling of asking her to dance, which made him not think about the people around him.

    He walked quickly toward Felicia. Then nervously, he stopped in front of Felicia and gave his hand to her.

    "W-WO-WOU-WOULD YOU LIKE TO DANCE WITH ME?!"

    ''Oh no! I identally bit my tongue! Do I look pathetic in her eyes?!'' Francis thought. He closed his eyes, not daring to look at Felicia before him. Whereas he could usually maintain his confidence and assume that everyone was beneath him, suddenly all his confidence was gone in front of Felicia. Moreover, hecked noble manners and didn''t even know Felicia already had a partner. He now only wanted to ask her to dance.

    As for Felicia, she was currently at a loss as to what she should do.

    She didn''t want... REALLY didn''t want¡ªto ept the prince''s hand.

    She feared she would make a mistake if she didn''t dance with Allen first.

    The problem was that he was the prince; there was no way she could refuse the prince''s invitation. People would consider the Boldenville family to be very rude to the royal family.

    ''Prince?! Why would you offer me a dance when I''m already holding someone else''s hand? Doesn''t he know about this? Or is it possible that my honor to his party is being tested?! What should I do?!''

    He didn''t know, and he didn''t see. He probably didn''t care about it either.

    Then when she saw Francis, who seemed to be inviting her sincerely, Felicia saw Allen. Allen, who understood the situation, immediately released Felicia''s hand.

    Felicia, who had no other choice, epted Francis'' hand.

    Francis, who felt the sensation of Felicia''s hand, immediately raised his face with excitement. He became delighted that Felicia epted his invitation, without knowing that everyone in the room could not refuse his invitation.

    "I will dly dance with you, your highness," Felicia said softly.

    Francis immediately stood up straight. And he stiffly replied

    "Th-thank you, Lady..."

    "Felicia..."

    "My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville," Felicia said.

    Allen stepped back to where Rachel and Ca were standing, then in a small voice, he said,

    "At this rate, I won''t have to praise her anymore, right?"

    "No, you must. Look for any time, just today you must praise thedy as I said," Rachel replied with her horrible smile.

    As she held Prince Francis'' hand, Felicia realized that Francis was nervous. And that made Felicia''s mind wander to her childhood trauma once again. The memory of their stare andughter still lingered deep inside her, causing a lump in her throat.

    The atmosphere was filled with high expectations, and every eye was upon them. Felicia didn''t want to disappoint him by declining his dance, but her anxiety was rising.

    Francis gently took Felicia''s hand and led her to the center to prepare for the dance. Felicia took heavy steps, trying hard not to sweat, but it was unavoidable. Now Felicia''s hands were also shaking slightly from fear. The stares of the people repeatedly pierced Felicia''s confidence.

    But suddenly...

    Just as they were about to start moving, she felt someone grabbing her right hand from behind. Her body tensed up, causing the prince''s steps toe to a sudden halt. Felicia Slowly turning around

    It was Allen...

    Felicia found herself face to face with Allen

    Who had conspicuously pulled Felicia''s right hand in front of everyone.

    "What are you doing Allen?" she muttered, feeling confused and somewhat surprised by his sudden intrusion.

    Allen then slowly opened his mouth and said,

    "Felicia¡­ t-today... you look..." but he couldn''t say it very well... Allen had an expression that Felicia had never seen before, and she didn''t understand what kind of expression it was.

    And somehow when she saw his face, the nervousness that Felicia had been feeling earlier instantly disappeared, reced by nervousness at what Allen would say that time. She had never seen Allen act this way before, and she couldn''t help but feel drawn to him in that moment. His expression was a mix of nervousness and sincerity, and she struggled to figure out what he was trying to tell her. As she waited for him to say something, her heart was racing.

    Allen then continued...

    "Today you look beaut-" but before Allen could finish, someone else cut him off,

    "What are you doing? Pulling someone else''s partner''s hand like that?" asked Francis, who wondered why he was trying to interrupt his time with Felicia.

    ''You did more or less the same thing when you asked me to dance, your highness'' Felicia thought, responding to Prince Francis'' words.

    Allen sighed, realizing he couldn''t say it any longer; he then looked Felicia in the eyes and said

    "Rachel said you''ve been practicing well so far, and unlike before, she''s not your only friend in here this time," Allen ignored Francis, which irritated him, but Francis had gotten the answer to his question.

    "Rachel..." murmured Felicia with relief, then she continued, "Is that all?"

    "She also told me that you look nervous and won''t be able to dance well. Is that true? If it''s true, then you''re terrible; I didn''t expect you to mess everything up after so much practice. So what''s the point of forcing me to practice the dance with you? What a fool..."

    Francis immediately got angry at Allen "Hey! Who do you think you are to say such a thing-"

    "Hahaha...." Francis'' anger instantly dissipated as Felicia suddenly chuckled; he was surprised to see Felicia''s reaction, and that smile again captured Francis'' heart.

    Allen was also surprised, even though he thought that Felicia would scold him, but sheugh instead.

    "You''re right, Allen. If I''m still messing up after that crazy training, I must be stupid."

    Then Felicia continued

    "Allen, You may leave, but for speaking presumptuously in front of me, prepare for your punishment."

    It''s a lie.

    Allen knows that¡­ He ced his left hand on his chest, bowed his head, and then returned to Rachel''s.

    "Your highness, please forgive my knight''s conduct; he is indeed that type of person; I will punish himter," Felicia said.

    "N-no problem! That kind of thing doesn''t bother me at all!" Francis replied nervously.

    In the back, Allen stood again near Rachel and Ca, more precisely behind Reynold and Ayde.

    "So, how was it? Did you say it?" asked Rachel.

    "I couldn''t; that banana-haired kid got in my way," Allen replied.

    "Well, that means you''ll have to whisper it at the dance," Ca continued.

 Chapter 101 Oddity

    A few minutes had passed, but the dance had not yet begun. Felicia was chatting with Francis in the center of the room, being watched by everyone.

    "Don''t you think they look verypatible? Sir Brian?" Urs Andoram asked her fianc¨¦ Brian Bivey.

    "Ugh! It should''ve been me, not him!" growled Brian, who didn''t seem to dispute what Urs said.

    Brian stared wistfully at them. Watched her with Prince Francis, with her smile lighting up the room. He had felt a sharp ache in his chest as he watched from the sidelines, wishing he could take his ce. He couldn''t help but feel a pang of regret as he remembered what had happened that day. If only he hadn''t made a mistake at that dance, Felicia could be his fianc¨¦ now, and he would have been dancing with her at Prince Francis'' birthday party.

    Brian then looks at Boldenville''s family, and he sees Allen. Brian stuck out his tongue when their eyes met, giving him a mocking look.

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Allen asked Rachel.

    "You don''t have to think about it; he''s just a jealous kid."

    When she saw Brian, Rachel was reminded of the incident two years ago; then, she realized that she hadn''t seen the other nobles in the room. She had to remember at least who hade to the party, as she mightter give Reynold a report on the visitors.

    Then Rachel''s face met with someone quite familiar.

    "Why is she standing there?!" thought Rachel.

    A woman was looking at Felicia and Francis in the corner of the room. When she saw the woman, Rachel immediately turned pale.

    "Are you okay?" asked Ca.

    "No, I seem to have done something rude."

    "What was it?"

    Without answering Ca''s question, Rachel approached the woman.

    "Umm... excuse me, Lady Erster..."

    Rachel confinc now, Rachel wondered to herself as she stood before the young woman. The woman looked at Rachel and said,

    "A servant? What''s the matter? Don''t you dare talk to me if it''s not important!" the woman said.

    "I truly apologize for being so rude!"

    Rachel put her hand on her chest and lifted her skirt,

    "I am Rachel, the maid of the Boldenville family. I apologize for being rude to you a few days ago."

    ''Her character changed? What exactly happened?''

    Barony Erster was a noble who lived next to the Boldenville family''s rental house. Rachel had given gifts to the Erster family before, but since the entire Erster family was not home then, she had left the gifts with the maid. And right now, the maid who received her gift was in front of her, wearing the same expensive clothes as the nobles. Most likely, that maid was a noble and a member of the Erster family. Rachel''s eyes widened in surprise at the revtion that she had been interacting with a noble this whole time. She couldn''t help but feel a tad misguided and guilty for treating her like a maid.

    ''Why was she wearing maid clothes at that time? And ept my parcel as if she were really a maid? ''No wonder her beauty appears to be too well-groomed for a maid; surely she was just disguised(?), but why?'' Rachel wondered.

    "Who are you?! I don''t know you! Stay away from me! I don''t want to listen to what the maid says."

    "I''m sorry, I''m just here to confirm about the parcel I gave you a few days ago, at that time-"

    "Lady has already received it. Can you not ask any further?" Behind the woman stood a man dressed as a knight, with long dark brown hair and blue eyes.

    The man was handsome and had a smooth voice, but Rachel could feel a tense aura from him, which made her fearful and want to get away from there immediately.

    "That day, there was a specific reason why ourdy had to wear maid clothes, so please don''t ask any further," he continued.

    Rachel, who was frightened, could only nod slightly. She wanted to ask so much, but her instincts told her to keep quiet if she didn''t want to get caught up in something dangerous.

    Allen appeared from behind Rachel, clutching Rachel''s left wrist.

    "W-What''s wrong?"

    Allen red at the man as he said

    "Rachel, Reynold called," he said.

    "O-okay¡­ Well then, Lady Erster, and sir..."

    "Olyavi, you can call me Olyavi."

    "Sir Olyavi, I will take my leave. May God bless the Erster family."

    Allen and Rachel left there.

    When they reached the ce where they had been, Allen pulled Rachel back.

    "What are you doing? I need to see Mr. Reynold."

    "I lied; he didn''t call you."

    "Why?"

    ''something seems wrong,'' Allen thought.

    "If I''m not mistaken, Illska was locked up underground because of her white hair, right? If others see her, she will be arrested right away?"

    "Yeah, they are Norttish, dangerous people who can cause mana explosions."

    "In that case, what about that man you talked to before? What color is his hair?"

    "Umm... brown?"

    Rachel''s answer made Allen certain of several things,

    ''Rachel can''t see it; probably everyone in this room can''t. Because he had white hair, and proudly showed it to everyone, but no one noticed,''

    Allen then looked at Felicia

    ''Something is going to happen...'' Allen thought.

    Meanwhile, Barony Erster¡­

    "My apologies, Master Ivaylo." Lady Erster said, speaking to the man behind her in a small voice.

    "That servant really ruined everything, didn''t she? "I knew she''d be an obstacle from the moment she walked into the Erster family''s rental house, but this should be thest obstacle she could do. Fortunately, she does not care about other people''s affairs, so she probably won''t dig deeper into this."

    Ivaylo then looked at Allen and thought

    ''So it''s that good-eyed kid that Adam met in the market district; if what Adam said is true, then there''s a possibility that he can figure out my disguise. Maybe I should execute the n sooner thanter.''

    Ivaylo smiled and continued, "But before that, I have to witness it myself... the princes..."

    A few seconds after Ivaylo said that,

    The doorman at the front of the ballroom announced something

    "ATTENTION EVERYONE!"

    The moment he shouted, everyone immediately looked at therge door on the 2nd floor. The door opened, and from there, a woman wearing shy clothes came out, guarded by four knights beside and behind her, followed by six other women wearing very expensive clothes with gaudy trinkets.

    "QUEEN REGINA HYENSON WILDENHALL, WITH THE QUEENS, HAVE ARRIVED!"

    Everyone then ced their hands on their chests and bowed. Saluting the queen. Since the king was ill, Queen Regina had the highest status in the room.

    The queen stopped on the upper balcony, looking at everyone who came into the room,

    "Enough," as she said, people raised their heads again. The queens went downstairs; they sat on the luxurious chairs at the end of the room beside the stairs.

    After the queens sat down, the guard again shouted about the arrival of the next visitor.

    But before the guard announced the next group''s arrival, Allen red hatefully at the door above. He could feel that the aura of the person he hated the most was there.

    "THE PRINCES OF WILDENHALL KINGDOM! HAS ARRIVED!"

    The room was huge, and more than 100 people were in it, but not a single voice was heard; everyone was silent, waiting for the arrival of the princes. They could hear the footsteps of those about to enter the room.

    "He''s here!" thought Allen.

    The first to emerge from the door was...

    The third prince, Alicia.

    She was followed by the second prince Harald, and seven other princes behind her. Their golden hair was shining, and they all had beautiful and handsome faces, making everyone in the room mesmerized by them. Their arrival was more anticipated than that of the queens. Unconsciously, they all put their hands on their chests to salute the princes.

    "Brother, could you walk at the front? Since brother Eldritch isn''ting, that means you should be the one who stands at the front," said Alicia to Harald.

    "Don''t joke around, sister. How can I take all those stares? I don''t want to be too conspicuous, so I chose a normal outfit this time," Harald replied.

    "You should be more confident; you are a prince and one of the princes who has contributed the most to the country."

    "Haha I am just me, and this is enough. Thank you for giving advice."

    "Sigh... I hope Leofric can give you some of his confidence to you, brother Harald."

    Finally, thest prince entered, dressed in clothes that were not as fancy or shy as the other princes'', but he was the most striking.

    "Greetings all, weakling," he said from above, looking down at everyone below.

    He was Leofric Regina Wildenhall. His body was only covered in a pajama-like white cloth, and he confidently showed his sexy front to the visitors. His clothes were loose; if it weren''t for some colorful cloth tied around her waist, they would probably just fall off.

    Surprisingly, the nobles in the room were not upset by Leofric''s treatment; instead, everyone was amazed by his character. Clothing symbolized the elegance and dignity of the nobles, but Leofric, even without wearing his official clothes, was already elegant enough for people without the slightest hint of looking stupid and undignified in front of others. All the visitors looked at him with admiration.

    except for one person...

    Allen...

    Who had sped his hands so hard that his palms were bleeding, and his fingernails were peeling off.

    Seeing Leofric in front of him, made him recall everything that happened in the dungeon,

    And he recalled the moment when his mother was stabbed in front of him by that person.

    Allen remembered every second of the incident, reying it in his head like a movie and repeating over and over again his mother''s expression as it happened.

    ''LEOFRIC!''

    Thought Allen with angry

 Chapter 102 One Step

    "With your current abilities, you can''t possibly defeat Prince Leofric."

    "Before you kill Leofric, you should practice first; you won''t be able to defeat him if you can''t even win against Theobauld."

    Theobauld and Isabelle''s words repeated in his head. It made him both frustrated and calm at the same time.

    ''Leofric is the strongest person in thisnd, and I was defeated by his not-so-strong brother, meaning I''m still not strong enough to defeat Leofric at this moment. I must find more information about his strengths, abilities, and weaknesses. He inexplicably stopped Mother''s regeneration ability when he fought her, meaning I can''t fight him carelessly.

    But...''

    The blood from Allen''s hand became thicker and turned almost ck. The ck blood churned in a circle and turned into a small spear.

    ''If I kill him secretly, maybe I still have a chance!'' Allen thought.

    He was ring at Leofric, who was above him,

    At that moment, Leofric was suddenly looking at him.

    Their eyes met. As the two men locked eyes. Allen felt his heart race as he realized just how strong he was. He could practically taste the tension in the air as Leofric red down at him, his eyes promising some kind of retribution if he did something.

    ''Damn, I exude too much killing aura!'' Allen thought while averting his face.

    But to his surprise, Leofric simply smiled dismissively before turning and descending down the stairs. Allen let out a breath he didn''t realize he had been holding and felt himself rx as the tension dissipated.

    Allen grasped the spear he had made with his ck blood, and the spear shattered again, turning into ordinary blood.

    "Allen! What''s wrong with your hand?" said Ca, noticing a lot of blood falling below Allen''s right hand.

    Allen looked at his palm; then he realized what he had been doing with his right hand from earlier,

    ''That was my god''s blessing; why is it active at this time?'' Allen thought.

    Rachel then pulled Allen''s hand and used her handkerchief to clean his wounds.

    "I don''t know what your problem is with the princes, but don''t do any nonsense when thedy is here," said Rachel, who took another glove from her pocket and put it on Allen.

    "I know," Allen replied.

    ''If I want to do it, I should attack him when he''s alone, after the party, or when he''s resting; that way, I can kill him on the spot,'' Allen thought.

    Allen forced himself to stay calm. He could have attacked him right now, but he suppressed that feeling because he didn''t want Felicia to see it.

    It turned out that Leofric was not alone; behind him was a girl with short white hair who had deep ck eyes.

    The girl behind Leofric was not Norttish, and everyone knew it.

    She was a dungeon relic, an adfeqtus reliqua owned by Leofric, Heit. Her white hair symbolized that she was created by mana, her body itself is the embodiment of mana. What made them different from the Norttish was their eyes. The adfeqtus reliqua have symbols in their eyes. No one knows the meaning of the symbol, including the relics themselves. Other than the eyes, they also glowed slightly, as each spirit had a contract with them.

    "That killing aura just now was strong, master. Will it be okay to ignore it?" Heit asked Leofric.

    "Ignore it, I''ve baited him but he didn''t attack right away. I am d to meet him again here. Because of Aunt Isabelle''s death, I lost that child; I didn''t expect him to be with the Boldenville family."

    "I''m still confused, master. Actually, what was your purpose in hiding the child? Is it really because of Queen Orc''sst request? I think that''s pretty ridiculous for someone like you."

    "Well, you''ll see. That child is irregr; perhaps everything that happens in this world will not be affected by him. He can be used for many things."

    Then finally, the princes came down from upstairs.

    When the princes had descended, the event began.

    ''Damn, I was supposed to be the main character this time, but it feels like all my brothers are taking it! I have to stand out anyway!'' Francis thought.

    Francis then looked at Felicia, and Felicia smiled back, making Francis nervous again as she was currently holding his hand.

    ''Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! You''re the main character!''

    "Your highness... please hold my waist," Felicia said.

    "W-well okay!" nervously, Francis touched Felicia''s waist.

    Francis reminded Felicia of Brian. His behavior was more or less the same as back then. But this time, he wouldn''t fail again. Felicia didn''t want a repeat of what happened two years ago.

    ''I don''t want Allen to make fun of me either,'' Felicia thought.

    At that moment, Felicia suddenly recalled Allen pulling on her hand. Felicia was sure that Allen was about to say something. Felicia smiled a little, and thought

    ''That mere Allen; how could he startle me like that. I thought you were going to take me away,''

    Felicia straightened her head, looking at Francis'' nervous face, making her chest ache again.

    "Your highness. You don''t need to be nervous. You just need to, dance as usual, and I will do something in case anything untoward happens," Felicia said.

    "T-thank you! Take it easy! I''m the prince! I won''t mess up!" replied Francis.

    Queen Regina stood up from her chair.

    Everyone became silent as they ced their right hand on their chest.

    "I wish a happy birthday and a happy baptism to my beloved son, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall. We hope Francis bes a useful prince for the kingdom. Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the party."

    As Queen Regina sat down,

    The dancing begins with the first performance of the two main characters of the party, Francis and his partner Felicia.

    Then in the third rhythm

    2

    1

    As the music yed, Francis took his first step, wobbling slightly as he found his bnce. At the same moment, Felicia also took her first step, determined to ovee her fear of embarrassing herself in front of the nobles. The room was filled with the sound of pping and cheering as the two toddlers took their first steps, and Felicia felt a burst of pride swell in her chest.

    Felicia''s gaze swept across the room, taking in the noble guests. She knew that many of them had attended her failed dance partyst time, and she had been gued with embarrassment and shame ever since. But as she took her first steps, she silently vowed to ovee her fear and not let her past mistakes define her. And as the second and third steps continued, she felt herself growing more confident with each passing moment, secure in the knowledge that everything would be fine.

    Until she saw Prince Francis''s face.

    Felicia raised her head with a small smile and met Francis'' face, not even looking at her. He looked down at his feet. He was making sure that all his steps were correct. And Felicia realized that Francis might not have perfected his dance.

    Generally, nobles included dancing in their sses and learned it one hour per day a week from the age of six. Then they practiced every day as they approached their 10th and 12th birthdays. That''s why being good at dancing wasmon and natural for all nobles; if anyone made a mistake, it would be considered very embarrassing.

    As for Francis, he only practised dancing for a few days, and even then, it was at thest moment when he was injured. Before that, he was always against practicing because he thought it was useless, so to catch up with his older siblings, he only learned the sword.

    The result of hisziness was...

    Today.

    -WHACK

    Francis stepped on Felicia''s foot.

    "I''m Sorry!" said Francis, who felt embarrassed and broke out in a cold sweat from stepping on her foot.

    "It''s alright, your highness. It was my fault because I suddenly changed the way of dancing."

    "Changed?"

    ''That''s right;e to think of it, there''s no way a lead would step on a follower''s foot,'' Francis thought.

    Felicia changed the way she danced. She took the lead while looking like she was doing the follow, pushing on Francis'' feet slightly to show him which direction to go.

    ''A-awesome! I feel like I can dance perfectly, without thinking too much, but...''

    Francis looked into Felicia''s face. Their eyes met, and Felicia returned it with a smile.

    Francis immediately averted his face in embarrassment.

    ''Aaaaah! Daaamn! I look so pathetic in front of her! I should have listened to Sabine and practiced more!''

    At that time, Francis repeatedly stepped on Felicia''s feet.

    Every time he did so, Felicia always followed him nicely. Her foot hurt, but she still tried to maintain her smile, as if she really did not think about it.

    Instead of the prince''s footsteps, her mind this time was more focused on how she had to lead and follow simultaneously, so she did not feel the pain at all.

    Francis repeatedly cursed himself every time he stepped on Felicia''s foot. Feeling embarrassed in front of Felicia.

 Chapter 103 The Dance

    Felicia and Francis'' dance performance was perfect. Felicia''s striking dress offset Francis'' gorgeous hair. This caught everyone''s attention; they were confused about who to focus on.

    In fact, the Queen, who initially only came because of the ministers and nobles, was immediately interested when she saw their dance.

    "Who is that girl?" asked Queen Regina to one of the maids behind her. Before the maid could answer, Alicia suddenly appeared behind and said,

    "She is the daughter of Earl Boldenville''s family, mother."

    Queen Regina nced back, looking at her only daughter beside her chair.

    "Call me her majesty on official asions," the Queen said coldly.

    "Fufufu, unfortunately, we only meet on official asions. I don''t know what you''re doing in the back and the king''s room,"

    "You don''t need to interfere in the affairs of this kingdom. You''re a woman; taking care of royal affairs is impossible. The only thing you can do is to be beautiful and smart. One day you will be a queen in another kingdom to increase the influence of this kingdom."

    "Take it easy, mother; you are the one who knows best about my achievements in this kingdom. I will choose my own path and what kind of king my future husband will be."

    Queen Regina was silent, unable to reply to her daughter''s words.

    Alicia Regina Wildenhall was the only prince who meddled in the kingdom''s affairs. While the other princes excelled in strength, Alicia excelled in intelligence. People called her Alicia the Foremost of Noble Princess

    The first prince, Eldritch, had the reputation of being the strongest person who hadpleted the dungeon when he was young.

    The second prince, Harald, contributed to the arrest of criminals.

    The fourth prince, Leofric, contributed to warfare.

    Meanwhile, the third prince, Alicia, contributed to the spread of the territory. She was the only prince who managed to expand the territory of the Wildenhall kingdom by almost a quarter. In the past, the northern part of the Wildenhall kingdom consisted of small states. Due to the poor rtions between the northern states and the Wildenhall kingdom, the kingdom decided to start a war on those states. At that time, Alicia went directly into enemy territory. And no matter what she did, Alicia managed to persuade everyone to surrender and choose to join the Wildenhall kingdom.

    ''This girl is too smart but hesitant to sacrifice people; maybe we should be warier of her than Eldritch,'' Queen Regina thought.

    After giving a small smile, Alicia looked back at Francis and Felicia.

    "So, why are you suddenly asking about the Boldenville family''s daughter?" Alicia asked.

    "That girl seems to be very talented. Does she have a fianc¨¦e?"

    "Yes she did, but her fianc¨¦e already died under Leofric''s charge."

    "I see; that embarrassing dungeon raid he did?"

    "Barkaley Dungeon is one of the irregr dungeons."

    "What matters is the result. He seemed to intend to surpass Eldritch, but everything he did was impossible."

    "Don''t talk like that, Mother. He is your son. You should be more proud of him."

    ''This kid has already started advising me; how annoying.''

    "Why are you curious about that child? Do you want to set her up with Francis?" Alicia asked.

    "Don''t try to make meugh... That girl is too perfect for him. You already realized my purpose, didn''t you? That girl is dancing alone right now while maintaining her posture, make-up, and dress, which is probably very heavy and tight. That''s the kind of woman the kingdom needs."

    ''And she looks easy to manipte,'' thought the Queen.

    "So your n is..."

    "We can use her as a queen candidate for the next king."

    ...

    As they twirled and spun across the dance floor, Felicia''s every movement was fluid, graceful, and perfectly in sync with the music. She could feel the rhythm coursing through her veins, and she directed Francis with the tiniest of gestures. It was as if they were reading each other''s minds.

    The other guests had been watching their dance with polite interest. Felicia felt a surge of pride as she realized she had impressed everyone in the room. For so long, she had suffered because of her trauma with their eyes. But now she can dance perfectly.

    When the music finally came to an end, the room erupted in apuse. Felicia felt a wave of gratitude wash over her as she and Francis took their final bow. She had proven to herself and to everyone else that the Boldenville family was worthy of respect, admiration, and a ce in the highest echelons of society.

    Felicia was quite confident in her appearance, which made her believe that many people might be fascinated by her. It used to scare her, but no one would mess with her now that she had a fianc¨¦.

    "Thank you so much for dancing with me, Your Highness," Felicia said as she lifted her skirt and saluted him.

    "N-no need! I''m the one who should be grateful for the opportunity to dance with you, Miss Felicia."

    After the prince''s dance performance was over, one of the maids approached the two of them, carrying a tray with two sses of water. The maid gave one ss to Francis and one to Felicia.

    Francis turned around and said,

    "First, thank you to the queens who took the time toe to my birthday party. I would also like to thank my wonderful brothers and sisters. Then to the guests who came to this party. I, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall. In mying of age, I will do my best to exceed your expectations of me and then take on the task of contributing as much as possible to this kingdom. I am proud of this kingdom and will give my all to it."

    ''Great, your highness¡­ I''m surprised you could say that word perfectly,'' thought Sabine.

    ''I am d I don''t forget this sentence; I don''t want to look disappointed in front of her,'' thought Francis.

    Francis then raised his ss and said,

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Cheer up, dance, and drink the food that the servants have prepared for you. May God bless the kingdom of Wildenhall, All hail Willons! All hail Wildenhall!"

    Francis drank the water in the ss, followed by everyone in the room.

    "ALL HAIL WILDENHALL!"

    After that, the music started again. The other royals started dancing with their respective partners.

    Prince Francis was immediately approached by many noble girls who tried to introduce themselves to him, inviting him to dance again.

    Likewise, with Felicia, several noblemen of various ages approached her and asked her to dance.

    ording to the manner, she had to ept at least one or two more people to dance with. She took the hand of the person who first invited her. But the moment she held that person''s hand, Felicia suddenly remembered Allen''s face.

    ''Even though I don''t need to dance with him anymore, but we''ve been practicing! I should at least dance with him once-''

    Felicia nced at Allen, but she couldn''t see him clearly.

    Because...

    Someone stands in front of Allen, covering Allen from Felicia''s eye.

    She had long, golden-curly hair. She was probably a few years older than Allen.

    But from that hair color, it was obvious that she was one of the princes...

    "Good evening..." she called Allen, while waving her hand.

    "Who?" asked Allen briefly.

    Her eyes were emerald blue, and her golden hair covered almost one eye. Her eyebrows were thicker than the others, which annoyed Allen because he couldn''t help but stare at that.

    "Aha-ha-ha... stop looking at me like that; I hate it," sheughed in a small voice. Then she continued

    "Well... other-worlders do have their own quirks, and I don''t hate it." Her voice was slightly shaky and soft but not feminine. Her tone was more insulting.

    "My name is Margaret Albreda Wildenhall, ninth prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom and daughter of the fourth queen Albdreda."

    "Would you like to dance with me?" she said again as she held out her hand to Allen.

    "No, I can''t dance."

    Allen''s short and rude answer made Rachel flinch and feel angry and anxious; no one in the room could refuse the prince''s offer. The offer was just a gimmick; every word of the royal family was an order!

    "Hoho¡­ho¡­ho no? How rude¡­ I really hate that."

    Margaret leaned closer to Allen''s face, then whispered

    "But are you sure? I can help you kill that man..." she said.

    Allen immediately understood the girl''s meaning. At that time, Allen immediately took Margaret''s hand and said,

    "Alright, let''s dance."

    Margaret smiled wickedly.

    They walked together to the ballroom floor and started dancing.

    There, they talked in secret.

    "Tell me everything you know," Allen whispered.

    "Don''t talk like you''re threatening me; I hate that."

    "I don''t care..."

    "Yeah, I don''t care about your reaction either. I just want to say that I hate it."

    "Quick! Tell me what you want to ask me to dance."

    She put her mouth close to Allen''s ear and then whispered.

    "I''ll tell you when the right time is to kill brother Leofric."

    Allen grasped, his anger flowed again

    "How did you know about that?!"

    "After you exuded such a strong aura of hatred, it''s impossible for me not to know. I believe a few people in this room are aware."

    ''That time... I was a bit careless, letting the hatred get the better of me.''

    Allen analyzed all the actions of the girl who was currently dancing with him until he reached a conclusion,

    "What do you want?" asked Allen. He thought that the girl probably wanted a deal with Allen.

    "Smart kid¡­ I hate that. But I won''t say that."

    ''This girl isn''t lying about telling me how to kill Leofric. But if she doesn''t want to tell me her n and purpose, that means my move is also favorable for her.''

    Seeing the two of them dancing, the audience looked at them in confusion,

    "Hey, who is that person dancing with Princess Margaret?"

    "I don''t know; it seems he is an other-worlder who belongs to the nobility."

    Felicia was also confused and felt strange when she saw them dancing.

    ''Allen, what are you doing? Why did you dance with the prince?''

 Chapter 104 Similar Situation

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    The gathering of the nobles was a highly anticipated event for everyone in attendance. It was a time when members of the nobility coulde together, show off their wealth and power, and make important connections that could benefit them in the future. For the theme, it was a chance to see and be seen, to impress and be impressed.

    Some were there to promote theirpanies, while others were promoting their children and showing off their aplishments. Still, others merely enjoyed the event and took in everything around them.

    Normally, during the royal family''s party, like the prince''s birthday party, the main focus would be on him and the queen. However, on this particr day, most of the nobles gathered around one of the nobles who seemed to be taking center stage.

    Earl Boldenville.

    Clearly, this family was very conspicuous that day and managed to capture everyone''s attention. As the gathering continued, it became clear that this noble was someone to be reckoned with, and many were vying for their favor and attention, even some prince came to him.

    The earls took turns asking Earl Boldenville about the dress worn by Felicia. In front, they said they wanted to buy the dress for their children and wives, but in their hearts, they wanted to investigate and steal the idea.

    However, many, especially girls, asked honestly how to get such a dress. The mass of people overwhelmed Reynold, and he couldn''t even touch his food.

    "That girl... how dare she overwhelm me like this," Reynold said as he looked at Felicia.

    "Don''t talk like that; this is an excellent thing for our family," said Ayde.

    As his promise to Felicia, since Ca had shown good results, he had to promote it to the nobles, then give the capital to Cater.

    Ca stood near Reynold like an ordinary maid to listen to the nobles'' arguments and match their tastes to the clothes she would maketer.

    Boldenville had intended to hide Ca as a designer in case anything happened to her. But that was probably impossible since her hair color exined everything.

    On the prince''s side, several men nced at Alicia from afar to ask her to dance, but she was unapproachable. No single man was in the room who dared to ask Alicia to dance. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman who could literally expand the country. Men would feel low when they were with her, and there was no way they could control her.

    As for Harald, he was busy moving from ce to ce to get food. He was trying to keep himself busy so that the girls would stop asking him to dance and the nobles would stop talking to him. Seeing him like that, Alicia approached him.

    "My brother, Harald. Would you like to dance with me?"

    Harald''s face immediately turned gloomy, then he answered quickly.

    "No, there''s no way I want to. Everyone will keep looking at the two of us if you do."

    "I insist; quick¡­ ept my hand," Alicia said with a frightening smile.

    Harald felt a sense of unease creep up his spine seeing his sister''s smile broaden, a tell-tale sign that trouble wasn''t far behind. She could be brutal when things didn''t go her way, and Harald didn''t want to risk facing her wrath. Without a word, he acquiesced and took his sister''s outstretched hand, giving up for whatever was toe.

    The two princes became dance partners. It was a rare thing for people to see back then. So they stopped talking and looked at the two of them.

    ''uh, everyone is looking at us; how sucks,'' Harald thought.

    "Sigh... what exactly do you want, little sister?" asked Harald.

    "Brother, can you see the dark brown-haired knight to our southeast?" Alicia said. With his abilities as a secret soldier, Harald could nce almost 180 degrees without having to rotate his eyeballs. And he could see the person Alicia was referring to. It was Ivaylo who was in disguise.

    "Yeah, what''s wrong with him?" asked Harald.

    "That person, wearing something that can hide their identity, Please keep an eye on him. He must be nning something, but it''s strange; if I were him, I would be doing my n while we were dancing. This means his goal is not for the princes or the people here. But why is he here?"

    "Alright, I''ll keep an eye on her. I will also mention this to Captain Fleur."

    "Ah, I meant to say it myself earlier. But that''s fine; you can tell her."

    "Then, what about the other one? I could sense his murderous aura when we all arrived. Does he also have a connection with the person in disguise?" asked Harald.

    "I don''t know, but most likely not. My conclusion is that the boy has a grudge against one of us. And most likely Leofric. We should focus more on the man in disguise; I have a bad feeling."

    "Alright."

    .

    .

    .

    Felicia had her first dance with Francis, after which she had two more with other nobles. She intended to stop at the second but had no choice. Right now, she had to promote the dress she was wearing.

    ''Allen, why is he dancing with Princess Margaret? It can''t be Allen who asked her, right?''

    At the third dance, she was no longer focused. In her head, she was only thinking about Allen, who she saw giving his hand to the princess.

    After finishing the dance, Felicia immediately let go of her partner''s hand and headed straight to Rachel''s. She wanted to ask Allen about it immediately.

    When she arrived at Rachel''s, Rachel immediately gave her a handkerchief and asked her to sit down.

    "Should I loosen your dress?" Rachel asked.

    She would no longer need to dance if she loosened her dress now.

    "No, I want to keep this on," said Felicia.

    Felicia looked around, and since she didn''t see Allen nearby, she thought he was still with the princess, but no, Princess Margaret was talking to the other nobles right now.

    "Where''s Allen?" asked Felicia.

    "He went out for a while and said he wanted some fresh air."

    "I see..."

    ''What is he doing? Doesn''t he want to try dancing with me?'' Felicia thought irritably.

    After a few minutes, Allen didn''t show up either; Felicia decided to go outside.

    "Well, Lady, I''ll report it to Mr. Reynold."

    "No need; father will definitely approve; he is currently upied with business matters."

    "Do you intend to go alone?"

    "Of course, don''t follow me."

    Felicia walked out

    Rachel could not stop worrying that Felicia would be alone out there. She repeatedly assured herself that everything was safe. Plus, Rachel was sure that Felicia''s intention of going out must be because of Allen, so she felt that this was an essential part of the development of their rtionship.

    The ballroom is located in the southeast of the pce, near the rose garden. That night, the outside of the pce was bright and beautiful. But none of the crystals were lit; the brightness of the night was caused by the two perfectly circr moons in the sky.

    As Felicia strolled through the winding paths of the castle, she somehow could feel Allen was somewhere in the area. And then, just a short walk away, she spotted him. Her eyes fixed on the scene before her - Allen was standing by the fountain in the charming center of the rose garden.

    Felicia could sense the gravity of the moment, and the way Allen looked at his right palm only heightened her intrigue. She wondered what he was doing there, why he had chosen that particr spot, and what thoughts were racing through his mind.

    But as she approached him, all other thoughts lost their significance. There stood Allen, under the bright and silvery glow of the full moon, looking breathtaking. His ck hair shone like a ck diamond behind the moonlight, and his red eyes glimmered with an intensity thatmanded Felicia''s attention.

    The entire scene looked like something out of a fairytale. The fountain was a gorgeous backdrop, and the moonlight reflected off of its surface, casting a soft luminescence onto Allen''s face. And there he stood, almost like a prince from some mythical story, his whole being illuminated by the moon''s soft light.

    She felt a jolt of surprise and a wave of unfamiliarity. She had known Allen for quite some time now, but it was only at this moment that she felt how drawn she was to him. Every feature of Allen''s face seemed more pronounced, more striking - his pretty but rough skin, quite a sharp jawline, and piercing, beautiful red eyes. She couldn''t believe she had never noticed before how attractive he was.

    As Felicia tried to approach him unnoticed, Allen, who had always been sharpening his sense of his surrounding, immediately picked up on her presence. He turned in her direction, and Felicia saw his face in the moonlight. Then, she saw the man he was - confident, strong, and mysterious. Her heart raced, and she couldn''t help but feel a pull toward him. Whether it was his knight''s suit, different hairstyle, or the moonlight that intensified his features, Felicia knew that Allen had captured her attention in a way that no one else had before.

    No...

    Maybe someone has attracted her like that before.

    Maybe what made her heart race was not his appearance.

    But the situation

    It is simr to when she first met Waldo.

 Chapter 105 Under The Moonlight (2)

    Chapter 105

    As Felicia tried to approach him unnoticed, Allen, who had always been sharpening his sense of his surroundings, immediately picked up on her presence.

    "Oh... it''s just you," Allen said in a disappointed tone.

    "What did you mean by ''just''?! I walked all the way here to find you, but you responded to me like that?! As if I''m some insignificant person!"

    "Looking for me? What for?"

    Allen''s question made her also wonder to herself.

    ''It''s because you''re not inside! Don''t you want to dance?!'' she thought.

    Actually, she felt a sense of embarrassment admitting it, that she yearned for Allen''s presence, longing for him to be there after her dance performance. Stand before Rachel, looking at her and join her on the dance floor.

    That''s why she didn''t want Rachel to loosen her dress. She wanted to... try to dance once with Allen.

    ''But if I tell him about the dance, I will look like I want to dance with him!'' Felicia thought.

    Then Felicia noticed the right hand that Allen had been looking at. It was bleeding and quite severe. Felicia immediately approached Allen and held his hand,

    "What happened? How can you hurt your hand this badly?!" Felicia shouted.

    The wound on Allen''s palm was not from a knife sh, the wound was not neat but messy as there were rips everywhere.

    "Even your nails came off?! What''s wrong with you?"

    "I''m trying to use my god''s blessing. So I need to bleed my hand."

    "Can''t you just do that at home? We''re in the castle!"

    After that, Felicia repeatedly cursed at how stupid and uncaring Allen was to himself.

    "Stay there," Felicia immediately activated her god''s blessing.

    Since she didn''t have a knife with her, she bit her thumb to draw a blood circle. After she spilled the blood, she sat down and prayed. A variety of beautiful flowers grew around them. Then it shone, beating the two moons'' light. When Felicia did that, Allen''s gaze seemed transfixed on her. He hadn''t even bothered to look at his own hand anymore.

    Ever since Felicia came out in her dress, Allen unconsciously looked at her the entire evening. He felt somewhat uneasy about constantly looking at her, as he couldn''t sense the people around him every time he did so. It was almost as if Felicia''s presence was dulling his senses.

    Felicia stood up while looking at Allen''s fully healed hand. She didn''t realize that they were so close. She always made her blood circle as small as possible. So when she raised her head to look at Allen, Felicia gasped, immediately backing away because Allen''s face was so close in front of her.

    "I-I''m sorry..." Felicia said it with embarrassment.

    "Why?"

    Allen''s question annoyed Felicia but also tickled her a little. Just before, she saw Allen as if he were a different person, but it turned out that he was still the same Allen she used to know.

    "Forget it..."

    Felicia looked around; then she started to feel a sense of deja vu,

    ''Fufu,e to think of it, I met Mr Waldo in the garden, near the fountain, just like now.

    At that time, Mr Waldo saw me crying after I foiled my dance. He came out of the bushes andughed at me. Then just like Allen, he also hurt his hand, and I used my god''s blessing after that.

    While everyone looked down on me, Mr Waldo thanked me and praised my god''s blessing. I will never forget his word. He said that my god''s blessing is¡­-''

    "Your god''s blessing is amazing,"

    Hearing that, Felicia was immediately confused. Did her inner voicee out? Could she have said it out loud?

    But no... She looked ahead and was sure that Allen had said that just now. Allen looked at his hand, which was now perfectly healed.

    "Wh-what?" Felicia spontaneously said that. It wasn''t a question, but rather words that came out in surprise.

    "I said... Your god''s blessing is amazing. It''s more like creating something out of nowhere more than manipting time. Look..." Allen showed Felicia his fingers.

    "My lost nail is growing back."

    No... Felicia didn''t care about that right now...

    She was shocked that Allen had said the same thing that Waldo had said that time...

    Because everything looked the same just like back then...

    It was as if Felicia went back two years ago when she first met Waldo.

    And the feelings she was feeling right now...

    When she saw Allen that time...

    Probably no different when she saw Waldo.

    There was a flutter in her heart that left her breathless. It was a feeling that she knew all too well, for a fire had smouldered within her for quite some time. The thought crossed her mind that seeing Allen was probably no different than how she felt when she saw Waldo.

    They both found themselves serene and peaceful. The only sounds that could be heard were the soothing trickle of the fountain and the gentle caress of the nighttime breeze. They stood together, lost in thought, silently contemting the meaning of this unexpected awkwardness under the starry sky.

    Felicia originally wanted to ask about Princess Margaret to him, but somehow she hesitated. She felt that it was not the right moment.

    Instead, it was more appropriate for something else.

    Felicia boldly extended her hand and said

    "Shall we dance?"

    ''I finally said it!'' she thought.

    For some reason, she really wanted to do it now. She was tired and wanted to rest. But if she didn''t do it now, she felt that she would regret it someday. Right now, she feels very happy. She was overjoyed that everything was going the way she wanted it to. And she wanted to rectify the inconsistency of the n she had built.

    And that was dancing with Allen.

    "Huh? Why would I do that?" Allen replied coldly.

    ''This brat!'' she thought, annoyed.

    "OH COME ON! JUST TAKE MY HAND!" snapped Felicia.

    "Has your brain melted from being inside for so long? What are you dancing for if no one''s watching? Didn''t you want to show off your dress?"

    "I DON''T CARE ABOUT THAT ANYMORE!"

    "Hah? Seriously? Then why did you ask me to dance?"

    Her heart racing, she looked up at him with disbelief and confusion. The air was thick with awkward silence for a few moments as she searched for the right words to say. "I-it''s because..." she stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment.

    "D-Don''t you think your dance training will be useless if you don''t dance with me?!" She blurted out, feeling her cheeks go red.

    As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. But it was toote to take them back now. All she could do was wait for his response, her heart still pounding in her chest.

    Allen lowered his head and put his hand to his mouth. Thinking that what Felicia said might be true.

    Suddenly Princess Margaret came to his mind,

    "Ah... there''s no need. I already did that earlier with someone else. If I''m not mistaken, she''s one of the princes; I forgot her name."

    Felicia became even angrier because she suddenly mentioned Margaret.

    "Oh my goodness! Do you really need an excuse to dance with me?!"

    "Of course I-"

    Allen suddenly remembered his promise to Rachel; he shouldpliment Felicia before this night''s end!

    ''That''s right; I haven''t kept my promise to that woman...''

    "Okay, let''s dance," said Allen, extending his hand to Felicia.

    At the sight of Allen''s outstretched hand, Felicia''s nerves kicked in and she gracefully epted his offer. They locked their fingers together and stretched their arms to the right, while Allen''s other hand rested gently on the small of Felicia''s back and Felicia''s hand grasped Allen''s shoulder.

    As they glided across the garden''s floor, Felicia couldn''t help but wonder how someone who could wield a sword with such brutality could hold her so delicately. Then they started dancing. With music that only the two of them could hear. Under the bright moonlight. In the rose garden, looking at each other''s faces.

    Felicia was tired because she had already danced with three people. And her dance with Francis made her even more tired because she had to adjust to him. But when she danced with Allen now, all her tiredness disappeared.

    The wind takes away her sweat, blowing her hair beautifully. And Allen was such a good lead that Felicia didn''t have to exert much effort.

    _This way...

    Everything has gone ording to the original n...

    I''ve surprised my father

    Then surprised the entire nobility

    And then promoted my dress

    And now, I can dance happily__

    They had been dancing for about 10 minutes when Felicia finally signaled an end to their impromptu performance. She couldn''t help the huge grin spreading across her face¡ªit was all perfect.

    "Fufu, perfect Allen, I adore you-" she began to gush before Allen abruptly pulled her hand away.

    Felicia''s smile faltered, reced by a look of confusion as he drew closer, his mouth near her ear.

    Suddenly, he whispered softly,

    "Today... you look so pretty."

    The unexpectedpliment caught Felicia off guard, causing her to stutter out a shocked,

    "H-hweeh?!"

    Shock again

    Very shock

    Super shock

    After dancing with Allen, she finally got rid of everything that was bothering her. At that time, she waspletely

    released, free/relieved/andpletely defenseless, then Allen suddenly attacked her with his words in that state.

    A mental attack

    A critical hit right in her heart.

    Despite the chilly night wind, Felicia''s skin suddenly became hot after hearing Allen''s words. He slowly let go of her hand, causing Felicia to stiffen like a rock.

    Too embarrassed to look at him, she couldn''t help but steal a nce at Allen''s face¡ªand find him covering his mouth with his right hand and avoiding eye contact. It was the same look she had seen before, when he pulled her hand away when Francis took her.

    The face of an utterly embarrassed man.

    But this time, Felicia could see his face clearer, closer, and redder.

    Felicia spontaneously turned around and said

    "Th-thank you!" as she walked away, unable to bear the embarrassment and awkwardness of the situation.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    She then ran as fast as she could, away from there. Away from the tense situation that could cause her to die of a heart attack.

    ''What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?! !!!!"

    Felicia then squatted down in the pce corridor, hugging her face with her hair. Her body was getting hotter, and her heart was beating faster.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" she shouted in her heart while thinking of Allen''s shy face.

 Chapter 106 Leofric Advice

    "I swear I won''t do this again; I won''t allow Rachel to make me promise things like this!" Allen said after Felicia ran away.

    He sat on the border of the fountain, bowing his head.

    ''O no, my heart is beating so fast! Why?!''

    Again the new feeling made him ufortable.

    But this was different from before.

    This feeling made him forget... the hatred he felt. Whereas a few minutes ago, he was still filled with resentment, but suddenly it all disappeared when he danced with Felicia.

    One hour ago, when he danced with Princess Margaret. Margaret told him he would get to kill Leofric if he stood in the rose garden.

    Allen didn''t sense the lie on her face, but he knew she was hiding something. Because of the resentment and hatred surrounding him, he ignored all the possible consequences if he followed Margaret''s words.

    "Come to think of it, why can I get a chance to kill him just by standing here?!"

    But everything Margaret said made sense.

    She talked about the suspicious movements at the ballroom, about Norttish in disguise, and the princes who would follow the Norttish. Based on Allen''s conclusion, he was told to wait outside because of the chaos that the Norttish would create, and after that, Leofric would fight the Norttish. Then, when Leofric wins the fight, he will let his guard down, Allen will have a chance to kill Leofric at that time.

    ''Even so, I shouldn''t immediately trust her just with that weak conclusion. First, why does she know everything?!'' Allen thought.

    Unlike earlier, he was now thinking more rationally, which bothered him a little.

    He stood up, then looked down, seeing her face in the fountain.

    "Mother..." he muttered.

    He suddenly thought about his mother because he felt he would forget everything if he didn''t.

    "When I was with Felicia, I forgot all the hatred I felt. I''m afraid that makes me forget my hatred that I have and makes me forget about you, mother."

    Allen could feel that he was slowly changing. Usually, every time he thought of his mother, he was always stricken with a deep grudge for remembering his mother, who was killed in front of him.

    But this time, the grudge was getting dimmer; he only felt sad.

    "You are a human being, so don''t hate your fellow human beings," her mother''sst words were so strong and fragile.

    Thatst request was something that seemed impossible to achieve, but if being with Felicia might be possible... If being with Felicia could make him forget all that hatred, maybe he could fulfill his mother''sst request.

    Allen''s desire were mixed. The desire not to forget that hatred and to be someone his mother wanted. Right now, the hatred was stronger, but the desire to eliminate it was also strong.

    Then...

    I should take the middle way soon...

    That''s how Allen thought. The middle way means getting both at once.

    ''All I need to do is kill Leofric tonight and then set my next goal to see the world Felicia promised. I don''t need to kill other humans... I don''t need the soldiers who killed Isabelle... I only need Leofric. ''If I kill Leofric I will definitely move forward,'' Allen thought.

    .

    .

    .

    __1 hour ago in the royal ballroom.

    "Master, please pass me that biscuit over there," Heit said.

    "Take it yourself," Leofric replied.

    A few minutes ago, the nobles approached Leofric, but he ignored all their words; he just ate the dish in front of him with Heit. To the point that people wondered what for...

    "''What did hee to this party for,'' that they must have thought, master."

    "You think I care what the nobles think?"

    "If master cared, you wouldn''t be wearing such clothes."

    Heit nced at the nobles still looking in their direction; as she did so, they turned their faces away.

    "They forgot that this is lil-Francis'' birthday party. Poor thing, not a single person came to this party because of him," Heit said as she finished taking the biscuit.

    "That stupid little brother wouldn''t have bothered or even thought of that. Look at him now; he''s looking at other girls while dancing."

    "He''s a boy; of course, he would be attracted to one or two girls in this room."

    After finishing the dance, Francis greeted his brothers, who hade into the room in the order of the eldest brother. Starting from Harald, then Alicia, and then Leofric.

    Francis approached Leofric and greeted him.

    "Thank you foring to my birthday party, elder brother, Leofric. I''m so d you coulde to my birthday party."

    Leofric took a sip of the wine from his ss, then said,

    "No need to be so formal, my brother. I don''t need such stiff respect from my younger brother. As long as you truly look up to me, it is more than enough," Leofric replied.

    Francis smiled excitedly; Leofric was his brother whom he respected greatly. He admired him greatly and wished he could be like him.

    ''Brother Leofric is great; he can act ordinary and very elegant just by wearing that pajama, even people won''t protest at anything he does. Being strong is great; people will look up to you no matter what you do!'' Francis thought.

    "Hey... don''t forget me..." Heit said.

    "Ah, of course" Francis approached Heit and stroked Heit''s head,

    "Thanks foring to my party, Heit."

    "Hmm... you''re getting better..." said Heit, who looked happy when her head was stroked.

    Emboldened, Francis asked Leofric,

    "B-brother! Can I be stronger?! Just like you?!" Francis asked with anxiety, afraid that Leofric would scold him or demoralize him for asking something that might be obvious.

    "Probably..." Leofric replied briefly.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    But with just that brief answer, Francis was still curious, so he continued to ask

    "Is it really true?! Even though everyone says it''s impossible?!"

    With Leofric''s answer, Francis should not have asked further. Because by asking further, he could fall and lose confidence. But that didn''t mean Leofric was lying, and this time the one who answered his question was Heit,

    "It might be difficult, but reaching one''s strength is nothing impossible. The mana is wider than you think, lil-Francis."

    "M-meaning? They say you can''t be strong if you''re not talented!"

    "That''s not entirely wrong," Leofric replied.

    Leofric put down his knife and fork and continued

    "I can assure you that you are not a talented person."

    Leofric''s words made Francis lose his confidence, pierced his chest, and made him instantly despair.

    "Master, don''t bully him like that..." Heit said.

    Then Heit, with a mouth full of breadcrumbs, said,

    "Indeed, Francis is not talented, but talent is not what determines everything. As I said earlier, mana is limitless."

    "I still don''t understand! If I''m not talented, of course I won''t be stronger than a talented person!"

    "Calm down... Do you know what answers one''s talent?"

    "Wh-what?"

    "Mana"

    Heit put down the cake, cleaned his hands with a tissue, then exined.

    "The power of manaes from human emotions; try to think about the strongest emotion inside you. You are brave and never give up. If you maintain your determination not to give up and the emotion to keep stronger, then mana will answer ordingly. You can take an example, Tobias. He''s a knight of rounds member with no talent, but I can say he''s one of the strongest of the other members. That''s because he has something he wants to aim for; that something, that feeling of his, is probably stronger than anyone else''s; that''s why he managed to catch up with those gifted humans."

    "S-so¡­ that''s it... Then, what do you think I should do next?"

    "Of course, by trying twice as hard, or maybe ten times as much as a talented person."

    Leofric then stood up, preparing to leave, followed by Heit.

    As he prepared to depart, Leofric turned to his younger brother and spoke with a solemn tone,

    "So try to catch up my strength, if¡­ you are determined to do so. Although I doubt that."

    These words hung in the air, making Francis determined to prove his worth. His heart began to race at the prospect of chasing his brother''s footsteps, and he was eager to begin his training immediately. It became clear that with enough effort, Francis could truly be greater and stronger, and discovering his talent no longer seemed like a distant dream.

    "No! I will definitely chase after you! Brother Leofric!" Francis shouted with excitement, encouraged by their conversation. Leofric ruffled his brother''s hair with a grin and dered, "Well, that''s good to hear. Since I''m full, I''ll leave first."

    Francis protested lightly, knowing his brother had a habit of ruining his hair, which caused Leofric to chuckle. But his parting words were serious,

    "Keep chasing me, keep training, even after my death." And with that, Leofric departed, leaving Francis feeling both inspired and confused

    ''dead? Is he talking about when I grow up?''

    Heit picked up the basket containing the cake and followed Leofric.

    "Goodbye, lil-Francis. I really hope to see you again someday," Heit said.

    Francis watched Leofric and Heit leave with a smile.

    Right after Leofric left the room, Princess Margaret was suddenly behind Francis.

    "How nice... I envy you, little brother."

    "Uwaa!" cried Francis, surprised.

    "Big sis, stop surprising me like that. Why did youe to me when I could havee to you?" Francis continued.

    "Do you know that you are actually fortunate?" asked Margaret, ignoring Francis'' question.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You are loved by everyone... I hate it so much..."

    ''Ugh, I never liked this woman; she said she hated me so many times, but she always talked to me first. I don''t know what''s in her mind,'' Francis thought.

    Margaret then continued

    "Leofric never talked to me like that nor gave me any advice. He always looks down on others below him and is cold to others. And that smile of his... I never saw him smile like that except when he was with you. His smile was always cold and full of ridicule; I don''t need to tell you how much I hate him whenever he shows me that smile. And the other princes definitely don''t like him either."

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "I wanted to say that I hate you too. Harald, Alicia, Leofric, Elizabeth, and even elder brother Eldritch all pay more attention to you than his other siblings."

    "You''re overreacting; they''re all our siblings! You shouldn''t say you hate them! Sabine said siblings should help each other, which is why the brother-Leofric, gave me some advice. If you ask him for advice too, he will definitely give it to you too."

    Hearing Francis, Margaret became annoyed and muttered in a small voice, "aaah, this is why I hate you so much, so in and happy. You know nothing about this kingdom."

    "What?"

    "Nothing... Thank you for your suggestion; I''ll probably ask Leofric for advice. IF ONLY I really could meet Leofricter."

    Margaret turned around while waving her hand, then she continued

    "Oh, one more thing... I don''t really want to say this to you; who knows nothing..."

    "What?"

    "Prince Leofric is the prince who has the most enemies. You may not realize it, but many people are after Leofric''s life tonight. I suggest you stay in the ballroom until the end of the event. Otherwise, you will be implicated."

    Hearing that, Francis thought

    ''What a fool; although many people are aiming for his life, there is no way they will seed. Brother Leofric is the strongest person in the kingdom!''

 Chapter 107 The Explosion

    -CLAP

    As soon as the queen pped her hands, the guests in the room ceased their activities and turned their attention toward her. Besides the queen were the three ministers from neighboring countries, who hade to congratte the young prince; their presence added a certain gravitas to the room.

    "I''ll take my leave first; we have some state business to attend to. Guests, please enjoy the meal, and once again, I wish my son a happy birthday."

    Everyone in the room apuded as the queen, a few soldiers, and the ministers approached the staircase leading to the 2nd floor. The guests watched their departing figures with admiration and respect.

    After that, the other queens, except for Ismenia, also left the room. Each queen was also followed by their children. There were 14 princes in total, but only nine attended Francis'' birthday. Since the queens had left, only four princes were left in the room: Harald, Alicia, Margaret, and Francis.

    ''The Queen and the Ministers have gone out; even Leofric has left. But that suspicious man still hasn''t moved. What is his purpose? Or maybe I''m just wrong in concluding that he''s suspicious?'' Alicia thought about the brown-haired man who was hiding his identity.

    Since the Queens had already left the room, Harald suddenly approached the man.

    "Master, prince Harald is approaching you," said Ivaylo''s puppet,dy Erster''s corpse.

    "I can''t help it; let''s get started."

    Suddenly

    -DUARRR

    There was an explosion from outside. As a loud explosion shattered the silence, everyone jolted with fear. The sound came from the castle''s front gate, causing confusion and terror to grip the minds of those inside. "Wh-what''s going on?!" stammered one person, while another cried out, "An explosion?!" In an instant, chaos erupted, and fear paralyzed everyone as they struggled toprehend what was happening.

    Rachel immediately pulled Ca aside and approached Reynold and Ayde.

    When something unexpected happened, Rachel was ordered to use her blessing. By chanting the name of her blessing, Rachel could hide anyone she touched within a certain limit.

    "Wait! Not now. Your blessing is only active for about 2 hours. We should use it carefully if something worse happens," Reynold said.

    "Rachel! Where''s Felicia?" asked Ayde.

    "She went out! Don''t worry, Lady; she''s with Allen," Even though she said so, she was actually very worried. But she had no other choice now; she had to trust Allen.

    Distracted by the explosion, Harald realized that the mysterious man he was about to capture was nowhere to be seen.

    ''Damn!'' he thought. He couldn''t chase after him, rather, he shouldn''t. In this unexpected situation, he had to be able to protect everyone in the room.

    "EVERYONE, NOBODY OUT OF THIS ROOM!" shouted Fleur.

    Alicia, without being distracted by the sound of the explosion, ran straight to Fleur and Birawa and told them about the mysterious man.

    ''That explosion bothered me. It happened after Leofric left this room, or rather, after Leofric had moved away from here. Which means he deliberately waited for Leofric to leave here to carry out his n!'' Alicia thought.

    "CLOSE ALL DOORS!" shouted Fleur.

    But before the doors closed, a badly wounded soldier, running with a limp, arrived at the door. Dying, he said

    "E-everyone! Beware! They''reing! The Dolls! THE NOCTEM DOLLS ATTACK THE CASTLE!"

    Just then, everyone panicked again; the Noctem Dolls had brutally killed the nobles one by one. The nobles had an intense fear of them. These dolls didn''t discriminate; they were usually after those who were corrupt and guilty of crimes. As a result, the corrupt nobles became even more afraid, knowing they were next on the Noctem Dolls'' hit list.

    "CLOSE THE DOOR! JUST IGNORE THAT SOLDIER! HE''S ALREADY DEAD!" shouted Fleur as she ran towards the door.

    ''Shouting the enemy''s name when the explosion had just urred, that soldier had already failed in his duty. Doing so only caused panic!'' Fleur thought.

    Without thinking, the soldiers guarding the door immediately closed the door.

    "What are you doing?! Why are you closing the door? We want to go home!" one of the nobles shouted.

    "If the Noctem Dollse, they''ll kill us all!"

    "Calm down! This is the safest ce!" shouted Fleur.

    "Who do you think you are to ban us?!"

    Amidst the tension, Alicia immediately shouted.

    "Don''t panic." Her shout echoed and was very loud. It made everyone stop talking and look in her direction.

    In front of Alicia was a circle of non-attribute type amnis that made Alicia''s voice audible to everyone.

    Alicia gave Fleur a slight wink. Fleur nodded<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "Birawa, we need to get out of here; we''re going after that guy. We should also tell the other knights of rounds about this," Fleur said.

    "Eh? Are we leaving people here?"

    "Yes, right now this is the safest ce. We need to find the mastermind of this incident and protect the queens who have left here!"

    Fleur and Birawa walked to the left door to follow Ivaylo who most likely exited through that door.

    At the same time, Alicia tried to calm down the people in the room and distract them from letting Fleur and Birawa out.

    "My fellow citizens, hear me! Let not the panic grip your hearts and run amok in your minds. Within these walls in this room, we are well-protected by an army of brave knights from each noble, ten hired mithril ss dungeon explorers, and over one hundred tireless warriors who stand ready toy their lives down for our safety. Fear may have seized your thoughts, and the unknown dangers beyond may seem overwhelming. But I tell you this ¨C this room is now the safest ce in this castle. Enemies enter through the front door, and you know how scary Noctem Dolls can be at night. If youe out you have the possibility of facing them alone, whereas inside, you will not be alone. So let us gather our strength, rid our hearts of fear, and trust in the might and courage of our defenders. Don''t worry about the situation outside! The knights of rounds will definitely do something!"

    Many still seemed to disagree, but they all chose to believe in Alicia. Her achievements were enough to make her heard by everyone.

    ''Noctem Dolls... The opponent this time will be very troublesome,'' Alicia thought.

    ...

    As Fleur and Birawa exited the room, their eyes immediately fell upon a ghastly sight. Lying strewn across the corridor were several corpses, most of them servants and soldiers. The cause of their untimely demise was evident as they observed the deepcerations on their necks.

    "Captain, these corpses are most likely bait for us to follow," Birawa said.

    "Even so, we have no other clues. Since there are corpses, it means the killer also passed through here. Even if they lure us, we must still eat the bait this time."

    "Understood."

    They started running as fast as they could, following the perpetrator''s lead.

    Until they heard a scream

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    As they made their way down the corridors, they eventually arrived at the right end of the castle. It was there that they stumbled upon a girl, decked out in party attire, who was yfully poking the maid walking in front of her.

    "It''s you! The woman with the suspicious man!" Birawa shouted.

    The woman was the corpse of Lady Erster, Ivaylo''s puppet.

    "Master asked me to bring you here and give him a little more time to leave," said the doll.

    "Master, you say?!" muttered Fleur.

    Upon hearing that, Fleur was suddenly angry, and her anger quickly surged through her veins, causing her mana to overflow out of her body. Her face turned beet red, and she clenched her fists tightly as she tried to contain her emotions

    "What''s wrong, captain?" asked Birawa.

    "I''m sorry, I was reminded of a criminal. He could make human dolls, and the dolls called him master. Then each of his puppets would make an expressionless face when killing someone."

    "That''s right, Captain Rounds. I am the puppet of the person you''re referring to, I am here under orders to obstruct you."

    Hearing her statement, Fleur''s mana overflowed even more, making her mana continue to radiate from her, the energy pulsing through her body like an electrical current, making Birawa instantly shudder. It was the first time he had seen his captain so angry.

    Sensing a threat, the puppet grasped her small knife and stood in a fighting stance.

    "Hinder me? Seriously."

    Fleur hurried towards the doll, swiftly closing the distance between them. The doll''s eyes widened in surprise, and she stepped back as if to retreat. However, Fleur''s hand shot out and firmly sped the doll''s head.

    Without warning, Fleur forcefully pushed the doll''s head down onto the floor with a loud, sickening sound of bones shattering.

    "BRAAAK!"

    The doll''s head was instantly destroyed, causing the ground beneath her to copse. Fleur''s hand was now covered in the sttered blood of her victim, which she expertly wiped clean using the doll''s clothing.

    "The ones attacking us, no doubt, are the Noctem Dolls, and the mysterious man in the room is Ivaylo, their leader. Remember well, Ivaylo has the ability to create dolls from the corpses of dead people. I don''t know exactly how he does it. The process is probably aplished by channeling his own mana into the brain of the puppet he makes. So if you break his legs or arms, the puppet he made will continue to live and kill people ording to his orders. The only way to stop the dolls is to destroy their brains," Fleur exined.

    "I see..." replied Birawa, briefly.

    "Let''s get out of here; we need to find Ivaylo immediately. I''ll kill that guy!"

 Chapter 108 Hatred

    Chapter 108

    The council asked the knights of the rounds to return from their duties to keep the castle safe. And to ensure security, they also hired dungeon explorers of mithril level and below to guard the castle.

    With just one knight of rounds, it was enough to fight hundreds of people. And now all the knights of rounds were gathered in one ce. There was no way anyone would dare to enter the castle.

    But... an explosion urred.

    The explosion came from the main gate of the imperial pce. At the time of the explosion, Fleur initially thought it must have been an ident, but Alicia quickly dispelled that notion by revealing a suspicious person in the room. Plus, they were interrupted by a dying soldier who told them that the Noctem Dolls were responsible for the attack. Fleur clearly met one of Ivaylo''s dolls. The Noctem Dolls were attacking the pce, and they would not stop until they had what they came for.

    "Hurry up and find Ivaylo! He must still be in the pce! His target could be the queen, the king, or worse, the foreign ministers!" Fleur shouted.

    "Or so they think," thought Ivaylo, who had predicted everything Fleur was thinking.

    In the dark corridors of the pce, Ivaylo walked leisurely while carrying someone''s corpse. The moonlighting in through therge windows made a beautiful mix of blue, white, and blood colors. Ivaylo looked out the window; smoke billowing with huge red colored mes came out from the direction of the gate, and it made him unable to stop smiling,

    "It''s beautiful," Ivaylo said.

    "Oya oya... You''re right... I also like shy explosions." Someone else was there, answering Ivaylo''s question.

    Ivaylo nced at the source of the voice, which came from the corridor turned in front of him.

    "Good evening, Leader of the Noctem Dolls, Ivaylo. It''s nice to see you here. By the way¡­ Do I need to introduce myself?"

    "Fufu... No need. No one in this kingdom does not know your name, Your Highness, Leofric. But by the way, I heard that all princes have personal knights who look after their prince''s security. But I''ve never seen yours,"

    "Hmm! No need to worry. I alone have enough to consume all of my enemies."

    Leofric arrived with Heit who was still in the human form beside him.

    ''Master... this guy...''

    ''Norttish... Their mana is much more numerous than the average person,''

    "I''ve never fought a Norttish before. But from what I see, it looks like you only use small needles. Are you really able to fight against my big needles?"

    After Leofric said that. Leofric raised his hand and said

    "Heit, Revenite." As he muttered that. Heit glowed, then he turned into a small grain and formed the silhouette of arge spear in Leofric''s hand.

    The light seemed to shatter, and within the light was Leofric''snce, an Adfeqtus Reliqua.

    "So, show me how you can be my good stepping stone," Leofric said.

    Ivaylo smiled a little and threw the corpse he was holding forward.

    It was a corpse wearing the knight of rounds armor. Which he seemed to defeat quickly without any significant fatigue.

    "Is this enough? I heard that Rounds contain people who have abilities above mithril. So I should have the qualifications to be able to fight with you."

    "Interesting... then I''ll show you my seriousness..."

    Outside...

    When he heard the explosion, Allen was surprised that everything was in ordance with what Margaret had said.

    "Everything that girl has said so far is true. The explosion was most likely an attack that was about to take ce on the castle. Then during the attack, the ballroom would be closed. Going out at a time like that is a good thing. If I''m locked in there, I won''t be able to get out; there are too many strong people inside, and those inside will probably be fine."

    As Allen sat alone on the fountain, his mind wandered to Felicia. He couldn''t help but wonder if she had returned yet. For all he knew, she could still be outside. His heart raced at the thought of her being alone and exposed to the dangers that lurked in the shadows.

    "SH*T!" Determined to ensure her safety, Allen stood and chose to find Felicia first. After that, he would escort her to the room and go back to look for Leofric.

    He ran as fast as he could to find Felicia. On his way to find Felicia, Allen stopped, something caught his attention. From a distance, he could see Leofric, the very man he despised, standing by the window. He was the one responsible for his mother''s death, and the mere sight of him made Allen seethe with rage. In that moment, his mana overflowed, and before he knew it, he was consumed by uncontroble anger.

    "Leofric!" he roared as the fury within him took over.

    As Allen stood there, his hand tightly clenched, blood oozing from his palm, The blood that came out was also ck. He had once again identally activated his god blessing. His anger was all-consuming, and he had forgotten about his primary objective- to find Felicia. However, Allen somehow retained his presence of mind and refrained fromshing out openly.

    Meanwhile, Leofric looked at the corpse of the knight of rounds in front of him and how Ivaylo didn''t look tired. He concluded that the knight of rounds could be killed easily by Ivaylo.

    "Looks like I won''t have to hold back," Leofric said.

    "I''m d to hear that..." said Ivaylo, taking out a doll from his pocket. It was a doll that looked simr to Leofric.

    "That doll looks ugly," said Leofric.

    "Really? This is you. A doll that I made ording to you, actually I quite like it. I feel like the great prince Leofric is in my hands."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Your taste is terrible. There''s no way a collection of cloth and thread can depict my majesty."

    "It''s a pity you don''t like it... I thought that we could be good friends."

    "I don''t intend to befriend someone who will be a corpse."

    ''Master, you can''t y games this time. Just finish him off right away; I have a bad feeling about him.''

    ''I can sense a bit of mana inside the doll. His god''s blessing is likely rted to the doll he made, and since he hasn''t done anything yet, some conditions must are required to activate it, and probably he hasn''t reached those conditions yet,'' Leofric thought.

    ''In that case, I''ll just eliminate that possibility.''

    Leofric twisted his grip on Heit. He held Heit upside down this time.

    ''He turned the handle; I''ve never seen anyone use ance upside down,'' Ivaylo thought.

    Leofric raised hisnce and thrust it into the floor.

    "Abare: Heit."

    From Heit''s body, a lot of tiny lights came out. The light did not produce a bright light, so it was most likely not just a light to exin.

    Ivaylo held one of the lights.

    "This feeling... This is not just an ordinary light," Ivaylo muttered. Then he thought,

    ''Heit''s ability, Leofric''s adfeqtus reliqua is to negate everything thates into contact with hisnce. I also thought it would be limited to that, but I didn''t expect the rampage to be like this. At this rate... this guy won''t be able to be defeated,''

    As Ivaylo touched the light around him, he felt his mana was missing.

    ording to Ivaylo''s conclusion, the people affected by the light would lose their ability to use mana. Which meant Heit''s rampage skill was negating mana around her.

    "This doll is no longer useful," said Ivaylo.

    "Oyaa, you finally realize? This is an absolute victory. Without mana, you won''t be able to do anything,"

    "I''m impressed... But your highness... Do you know where we are now?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "We are right next to the ballroom, where everyone is currently gathered."

    "So what? Do you want to threaten me with those people''s lives? I don''t care..."

    "Of course I know about that... It''s just that I feel bad about killing you in front of so many people like this,"

    "What are you saying..."

    "It feels too sad to make you die like that,"

    A long andrge spear of light appeared from behind Ivaylo.

    '' What a fool, you must think that the mana activated outside Heit''s rampage range will affect me. You''re underestimating Heit; she literally makes all the mana around her nonexistent. Every mana won''t be able to reach me,'' the spear disappeared right in front of Leofric.

    But... the spear wasn''t just one.

    Little did he know, however, that a real spear was hiding behind it, ready to strike his chest.

    The spear throw was strong and fast enough to pierce Leofric''s chest. The force of the throw was so strong that it propelled Leofric backwards, mming him into the sturdy door of the ballroom and obliterating it.

    -TWANG

    Pinned to the wall on the second floor, his body was in an unnatural position, and Leofric was motionless. The sound of the impact had startled the entire ballroom. When they looked up, they saw the once-mighty prince, now impaled on the wall.

    Leofric''s body was stuck on the wall of the ballroom. The left side of the second floor.

    Allen went straight into the ballroom to check on Leofric. When Allen walked in, he was speechless. The sight before him was too much to bear. He fell to his knees, staring in disbelief. Leofric''s body was motionless, and his eyes were nk.

    ''A-are you kidding me....''

    Allen''s heart raced. Ever since he saw Leofric stab his mother, he has wanted to seek revenge on Leofric. The air in the ballroom felt thick and heavy as Allen struggled to catch his breath. His mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. Had someone beaten him?

    With Leofric lying lifeless in front of him, he knew that he could never have carried out such revenge. He became silent, not knowing where to vent his hatred anymore.

 Chapter 109 Noctem Dolls Invasion

    Raised In Dungeon Volume 3

    Prince Francis''s birthday was the second most festive after the first prince''s birthday.

    Its timely alignment with the Whitmoon Festival made it even more marvelous. This convergence drew crowds of well-wishers from all corners of the realm to the capital, eager to extend their congrattions.

    The prince''s birthday is divided into two events. A first event is a noble event that will be held on the first night of the prince''s birthday. The second event is the prince''s plunge in a horse-drawn carriage into the city. The prince will wave his hand to the people, and the people will throw flower petals at the prince while wishing him a happy birthday.

    The unfortunate illness of King Henry heightened the grandeur of it all. This illness caused several nobles from countries far and wide to visit the ailing king. While there, they also used the opportunity to attend Prince Francis''s birthday celebration.

    Moreover, the festivities were also a topic of discussion due to the ensuing events. Several unforeseen troubles urred before the party. These incidents were enough to put a damper on the festivities and increase the event''s poprity. Of all the problems that arose, the one that caught the council''s attention the most was the Noctem Dolls movement.

    Because of the Noctem Dolls'' movement, the pce guard was tightened to avoid any unwanted problems.

    "Ten mithril-ss dungeon explorers, then several dungeon explorers underneath. Plus, the return of knights of rounds from all over. Don''t you think this is too much? Odbert."

    "OF COURSE! THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY! I don''t understand what the council is thinking. Those criminals, the Noctem Dolls? I alone should be enough to take them out!"

    "Don''t joke around at a time like this; I''m talking seriously."

    "I''m not joking."

    The knights of rounds was divided into two-person teams that guarded each side of the castle.

    Isaac Mabel Styward and Odbert Edgehum guarded the main gate of the castle.

    Isaac Mabel Styward was a nobleman who rose to be a rounds because of his reputation at Oxwade Academy as the best student. He has bright navy blue hair and a tall body of 25 years old, one of the youngest in the rounds.

    The other, Odbert Edgehum, is a former peasant who rose to rounds after defeating one of the rounds in the sword tournament. The top of his head was bald, and the rest of his hair he kept in a ponytail at the back, was colored a deep green. He had a muscr and extensive body, bigger than Ottar. He was the one with the strongest defense in the rounds.

    Thebination of the two as brains and brawn was perfect for holding off enemiesing in from the front. That''s why they were given the position in front of the castle.

    "No, what''s excessive is if all the knights of rounds are put in one ce. There will be many areas that don''t have enough defenses. It''s as if the council believes only this area will be attacked."

    "So you said the council is letting people other than in this ce die, is that it?"

    "Don''t say that out loud! If someone hears it, you''ll be attacked."

    "Hmph! Do you mean Tobias? I don''t care about him. If he attacks me, I''ll attack back!"

    While they were talking, someone called out to them from behind.

    "What''s wrong with me?" it was Tobias, who came with Sewel.

    "Looks like they''re talking bad about you, Tobias," Sewel said.

    "O-of course not, we''re just praising him for obeying the council," Isaac said.

    ''That''s what I mean by badmouthing. But to Tobias, it''s probably apliment,'' Sewel thought.

    Odbert, who seemed to have forgotten their previous conversation, asked,

    "Why did youe here? Shouldn''t you guard somewhere too?" Odbert asked.

    "Haaah... right, about that. Princess Alicia asked the two of us to go around the city because she was worried that something might happen outside the city. And this guy just agreed without even asking my opinion," Sewel replied while banging on Tobias'' armor.

    "Of course! We can''t doubt the princess''s opinion! We must ay her fears! Come on, let''s go; the princess must have a reason why we should leave this ce," Tobias replied as he walked away.

    "Since the party is about to end, it''s best if we just go around. Take good care of this ce, and don''t die," Sewel continued, following Tobias behind.

    After they went outside the gate, Isaac then said

    "He''s so dependent on Princess Alicia that he even ignores the council''s orders. He can''t possibly get her."

    "Gain what?" asked Odbert.

    "Princess Alicia''s heart, of course."

    "WHAT?! Did he want to kill the princess?!"

    "No, I didn''t mean that... Sigh... Never mind."

    Two rounds ran toward them thirty minutes after Tobias and Sewel''s departure. They were J Fysher Fitsralp and Stannard Downe Osteler. J was the only caster-type knight of rounds; it was said that she rarely used amnis because she could defeat her enemies only with her sword skills. Then Stannard is a shield and sword user.

    J and Stannard wear knight of rounds helmets, so their forms are not clearly visible. No rounds actually wore their helmets except in a pinch, not to mention they usually solved problems with a single strike. So their arrival with full tes confused Isaac.

    "WHERE?! WHERE ARE THE DOLLS?!" shouted Stannard.

    "Noctem Dolls? There aren''t any. No one went inside," Isaac replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Huh?! Are you serious?"

    "HOW RUDE. If any Dolls got in, do you think I would let them get in alive?" Odbert retorted smugly.

    "You guys don''t know anything that happened inside the pce. One by one, people in the corridors are dying! Lord Maximilian is looking into it. And he ordered us to go to the front gate immediately!"

    "Where did theye in from?! No one has passed by since then!" said Isaac.

    "If no one came in, then it means they got in before we guarded this ce. Or maybe..." after J gave a slight pause, Stannard continued,

    "There''s a traitor among the nobles, or there could be a blessing that allowed you to sneak in."

    Isaac was doubt to hear that, so he exined

    "There is no possibility of God''s blessing; the lie detector of the church noticed the entry of all the nobles! And all nobles are asked the reason foring. If anyone can enter, he must be able to make himself able to hide his manapletely-"

    "A god-blessing user who can hide mana?! They wouldn''t havee through the front gate if they existed because I''m here! No one can get past me like that! The Dolls were just a bunch of terrorists looking for money; there''s no way someone like them is great enough to defeat me!" shouted Odbert.

    Right after Odbert said that,

    There was a very bright light appearing behind him. It came from the front gate, and in an instant, the front gate erupted with an earth-shattering explosion. The explosion was so powerful that it sent a hundred soldiers at the gate, scattering in all directions. mes billowed upwards, shrouding the entrance in an infernal ze.

    Isaac''s ears rang with the deafening boom, and when he regained hisposure, he found himself lying amongst the smoldering rubble. J''s voice roused him from his daze, urging him to get to his feet. He shook his head, trying to clear the sand from his face, and stood up unsteadily. Isaac realized that he was the only one among the rounds that had fallen due to the explosion.

    Looking around, Isaac discovered that the gate waspletely obliterated, and the aftermath left a trail of destruction around. About 100 soldiers were guarding the front door, and now Isaac could see the bodies of those soldiers floating and falling around him. Bodies of soldiers were strewn about like macabre dolls, apanied by the debris of the gate that fell like snowkes.

    The enormity of the situation hit Isaac like a ton of bricks. This ce, once seemingly imprable, has been breached. And he knew that he would need to summon all his strength and courage to face whatevery ahead

    A group of people were inside the fire, walking leisurely towards them.

    Three, no, but five people.

    ''Noctem Dolls? What a fool. They came through the front door. We''re lucky that J and Stannard just got here. At least we''re not outnumbered!'' Isaac thought.

    The five figures were finally clearly visible to the rounds.

    "Hoho, we''ve just entered and already been treated by four knights of rounds. How lucky we are," Adam said.

    "Lucky you said?! You idiot, we can''t reach our destination fast enough!" shouted Norman.

    "Umm... You guys have to hurry; right now, the leader seems to be fighting a great guy," said Arthur.

    "You don''t need to think about the leader; there''s no way he can lose," replied Ralph.

    "...." rissa didn''t say anything; she was trying her best to activate the barrier around them to avoid being hit by the fire.

    On the Rounds side, J acted quickly to activate the amnis, but she was stopped by Odbert, who suddenly interrupted her with an emotional outburst.

    "Wait," he yelled, stepping forward with fierce determination.

    "I alone am enough to fight them. I''ll prove that the council is too worried about them. Bringing all the Rounds here is damaging my pride! THAT MEANS THEY''RE JUST SAYING I''M WEAKER THAN THESE FUCKERS-"

    -CRUSH -SPLASH

    Odbert''s sentence was cut short as his body was immediately crushed, falling to the ground as if struck by a heavy hammer from above.

    "!!!"

    The sudden incident made the rounds immediately surprised and immediately prepared with their weapons.

    What happened to Odbert was the same as what happened to the vigers whose bodies were destroyed during the whitmoon festival.

    ''This is the Witch of Dread''s, CLARISSA''S ABILITY!'' Isaac thought.

    "CLARISSA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU JUST KILLED HIM INSTANTLY! I ALREADY SAID I WANTED TO FIGHT THEM ALL AT ONCE!!!" shouted Adam.

    "Hwaaah! Fo-forgive me! I-I did that because of Leader''s request!"

    "Leader''s?"

    Norman then replied,

    "Don''t yell?! You hurt my ears! rissa''s special amnis will be instant death to those weaker than her, so Leader said to at least gauge the rounds'' abilities first."

    Isaac looked at Odbert''s corpse, which had no visible shape; he could hear what Norman said. Isaac knew Odbert''s strength, so he was shocked to know that he was still weaker than rissa.

    "I UNDERESTIMATED THEM TOO MUCH!" thought Isaac.

 Chapter 110 On The Front Gate

    The explosion echoed through the castle, its force pulsating beneath the feet of all within. As the shockwave subsided, five mysterious individuals emerged from the mes, casually approaching the four knights of rounds who stood guard at the front gate.

    The mysterious attackers were the Noctem Dolls, whose goal was the king''s life.

    As the youngest member of Rounds, Isaac was very proud of his title and his seniors because he was currently standing amongst powerful people. So even if a criminal as powerful as Dolls came, he was confident enough to handle it together with the other Rounds members.

    However, one of the Rounds members with the strongest defense, Odbert Edgehum, was now just a ttened mass of flesh and blood lying in front of Isaac.

    "Is this the Witch of Dread''s god''s blessing?!" said Stannard.

    "The powerful Odbert died in just an instant," said a shocked Isaac.

    Isaac and Stannard stood quietly, listening intently as Adam scolded rissa for using Instant death on her prey. Isaac couldn''t help but feel shocked when he realized that rissa''s ability could only work on individuals weaker than her. This meant everyone on their team, including Isaac himself, was probably vulnerable to rissa''s deadly powers. The realization sent shivers down Isaac''s spine - they all could die at any moment.

    "T-that''s a lie-" rissa seemed to want to rify her ability, but Norman jumped up and covered her mouth.

    "Shut up! You don''t have to say it; a psychological attack is necessary. With this, they can feel how weak they are right now in front of us."

    "Lie, what does that mean?" asked Arthur who became curious.

    In a slight whisper, rissa exins with a hesitant tone,

    "E-eeeh... that ability of mine, it somehow only works as a surprise attack. Instead of suppressing their bodies, I suppress their mana. However, if someone is vignt, their mana bes harder to suppress. Simrly, the mana of a strong person cannot be well suppressed."

    Recalling a past incident, rissa had utilized this ability to intervene in a potential fight between Norman and Adam. Their bodies would have been destroyed if they were weak, simr to Odbert. However, since they were strong, the effect only rendered them unable to move.

    "A-a-and then, M-my abilities aren''t very useful on people who are already vignt. I-If someone starts to be vignt, their mana array will be tenser and harder to suppress. I-it means I can no longer instantly destroy the knights'' bodies."

    Norman then kicked Arthur''s butt from behind and said,

    "Hey, there''s no time to talk; quick, show us the way!"

    "A-alright."

    Arthur sat down and folded his hands in a prayer position. He closed his eyes and beads of sweat trickled down his face, a clear indication that he was struggling. He was attempting to activate his god''s blessing ¨C

    "God''s Blessing; Eyes of the Angel,"

    When Arthur opened his eyes, they shone with a brilliant blue light. His god''s blessing granted him the unique ability to see the flow of mana. Over the past five years, he diligently honored his god''s blessing and realized that everyone''s mana looked distinct. So Arthur can see people''s mana through the wall. Arthur''s task was to locate Ivaylo, Nishizaka, the Rounds, and the King.

    "I''ve found them," Arthur said.

    "Alright, let''s go," Norman said.

    On the Rounds side, J was behind Isaac and Stannard. She was doing something with her blood on the ground this time.

    ''I must deliver a message to all the rounds!'' J thought.

    J was about to use amnis to message all the Rounds members. That way, people could know what was really going on.

    ''finally!''

    "TO ALL KNIGHT OF ROUNDS! THIS IS JANET SPEAKING!"

    At that moment, like electricity in the head, all the Rounds members could hear J''s voice. As soon as the words left J''s mouth, All Knight of Rounds felt a chill run down their spines.

    "J? She''s usingmunication amnis?!" eximed Birawa, his eyes wide with rm.

    "When J has usedmunication magic, it means the situation is really critical," Fleur exined.

    As the members listened intently, J''s voice continued to crackle through themunication devices.

    "Currently, the pce is under attack by Noctem Dolls! That explosion blew up the main gate of the pce. And we''re facing five members of the Dolls. Their goal is most likely the king''s life! And now... The strongest defense, Odbert Edgehum, is dead! I repeat, Odbert is dead!"

    The news was dire, and tension filled the air.

    "?!! Odbert, is dead?!" said Sewel.

    "How can he be dead? A sword couldn''t cut through his skin!" shouted Tobias.

    "Right now, I''m asking all Rounds to hold off the Dolls at the front gate! I''m ashamed to say that the three of us won''t be enough to defeat the five of them."

    The voice then trailed off.

    "How about it, captain? Do we need to gather at the front gate?" asked Birawa<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "No, our focus is Ivaylo. The one in front is likely a decoy for the soldiers. We can''t let Ivaylo move alone inside the pce."

    As J finished her message, Tobias with a guilty feeling, said,

    "We''re sorry, J. We won''t be able to help you."

    Suddenly Sewel''s voice rang out urgently,

    "Tobias! Don''t just stand!"

    In the heart of the city, Tobias and Sewel were engaged in a fierce battle against thousands of zombies - each one more terrifying than thest. These weren''t just ordinary zombies, either. They were humans who had been brought back to life by Ivaylo, an evil doll that the Noctem Dolls had unleashed upon the kingdom. As Tobias and Sewel fought through the monstrous horde, the air around them seemed to thrum with a pulse of danger.

    Back at the front gate, J, who knew that no rounds would be able toe, was now ready with her rapier.

    "I''ll support behind you and cover you two. You two don''t need to worry; attack them with all your might," J continued.

    Isaac and Stannard nodded.

    Norman then picked up rissa and ran, followed by Arthur behind him.

    ''They are running? So they don''t mean to defeat the three of us here? Whatever they are going to do, we have to stop them here!''

    Suddenly, a bright orange fireball shot out from beside them. Norman turned his head and saw that it was J, her rapier held high as she aimed at him.

    "I''m not letting you leave here!" J shouted, her eyes zing with anger.

    "AAARGH! RALPH! DO SOMETHING!" yelled Norman.

    "Sigh... Alright," Ralph muttered, clearly annoyed but still willing to help.

    Norman kept running, dodging fireballs left and right as J hurled them at him from the amnis circle she made with her rapier, But Ralph was a master with a whip, and he swatted each fireball away with ease.

    Isaac suddenly appeared in front of them, his eyes zing with determination. Ralph readied his whip to defend them.

    "Where do you think you''re going?!" Stannard growled

    Before the two of them could reach them...

    "ABARE: LIGANS!" a chain whipped out in front of Isaac and Stannard, shattered the floor.

    "HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON ME! I AM YOUR OPPONENT!" shouted Adam.

    The chains wrapped around Adam''s hands again. The rest of the chain snaked into an object attached below his shoulders.

    "RALPH! STAY OUT OF THIS! THEY ARE MY PREY!" said Adam.

    "Sigh... again, I can''t fight anyone. This is why I''m toozy to pair up with you," Ralph replied.

    In the meantime, Norman, rissa, and Arthur had moved away. Now that rissa was gone, there were mixed feelings in Isaac''s heart. Happy that they didn''t have to fight rissa, then angry at himself for letting someone as dangerous as her get away.

    "Fighting the three of us alone? Don''t joke around. You underestimate us!" Stannard ran straight to Adam.

    He raised his sword and shed it at Adam.

    "HAHAHA, THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!" shouted Adam, excitedly,

    Stannard''s sword was aimed at Adam''s shoulder; he intended to destroy Adam''s Armacar first. However, his hands were immediately wrapped around the chains. Stannard changed his attack, now using his shield to push Adam''s body.

    But

    ''He''s not moving!'' Stannard thought.

    After pushing forward with all his might, Adam didn''t even move from where he stood. Adam smirked. He calmly loosened his grip and paced his hands together. Stannard retreated back, Without warning, Adamunched forward with lightning speed, his movements graceful yet deadly. Stannard barely had time to react; his shield was raised just in time to deflect Adam''s fierce kick. Adam followed up with a barrage of punches and kicks, each strike expertly aimed and executed precisely.

    Stannard struggled to keep up with Adam''s movements, his shield barely keeping him in the fight. In the middle of the fight, Adam uttered,

    "Hehe, so weak. I am d we are not having a 1v1 fight. Because I can easily beat you in no time,"

    [ILLUSTRATION]

 Chapter 111 Adam Vs Three Rounds

    As the battle between Adam and Rounds raged on, J stood behind Stannard and Isaac, keeping watch on Ralph in case he did something. Suddenly, she saw a group of soldiers slowly approaching.

    "DON''T COME CLOSE! YOU''LL DIE!" she shouted, hoping to ward them off. But one of the soldier captains replied, "But! We can''t let the Rounds fight alone!"

    J scoffed at thement. "You''re just a burden! Don''t interfere!" she yelled, knowing that the soldiers would only worsen the situation.

    Just then, Ralph appeared from afar, wielding his powerful whip. His sudden presence startled the soldiers, who scrambled to prepare for battle.

    "I will be your opponent,e forward," Ralph challenged.

    Without hesitation, the soldiers attacked Ralph with various amnis, there was also a soldier who was trying to activate their god''s blessing. However, Ralph''s whip was faster and deadlier than they had expected. In seconds, Ralph killed dozen of soldiers, the soldiers immediately losing their heads in a second.

    "I think I don''t need to use my god''s blessing here," Ralph said.

    Although J had been prepared for an attack, she was still shocked by the oue. Now, she should focus on both of them.

    Adam, who easily attacked Stannard, began to underestimate his abilities,

    "Hehe, so weak. I am d we are not having a 1v1 fight. Because I can easily beat you in no time."

    A shard of ice quickly shot through Adam''s ankle. The moment it hit the ground, the ice traveled until it froze his ankle.

    Looking at the source of the ice shot, it was Isaac''s god''s blessing; he used it silently, so the ice wasn''t strong enough to freeze his entire leg but could give a sudden attack to Adam. It was enough to make Adam stumble and give Stannard a chance to attack him.

    Adam deliberately dropped his body to avoid Stannard''s shield push. Stannard wasn''t stupid enough to fall for that, so he canceled his attack in the middle, and used his sword to stab Adam vertically. As Adam dropped his body, he kicked Stannard''s entire body with his right leg. Isaac''s frozen leg was strong enough to allow him to adjust his position quickly.

    "UGH!"

    ''So strong, he can kick me that far. Even though his body is no bigger than Odbert''s,''

    Stannard was thrown back, but not too far.

    Isaac coated his sword with some clean mud, and then he shed his weapon towards Adam; as the mud shot towards Adam, the mud turned into sharp ice instantly.

    ''Just before the mud shot out of his sword, the mud turned to ice, along with a small section of his sword. His god''s blessing probably; to cool the surrounding area,'' Adam thought.

    Using his hands, Adam hit his icy leg; his leg broke and was bleeding. He immediately somersaulted backwards and ran to avoid the icy slush that Isaac had shot. On thest piece of ice, he kicked it with his injured foot. As a result, his injured foot is being frozen, but now he uses the ice to stop the bleeding and get a good foothold.

    "That was great! Just what I expected from the Rounds," Adam said.

    Isaac and Stannard gathered around, followed by J, who decided to also fight Adam.

    "Come on, give me some excitement!" shouted Adam.

    The Rounds didn''t speak to each other, but it was as if they already understood each other''s intentions.

    Stannard made his way to the forefront, with J and Isaac closely following behind him. They immediately split up in different directions, with J sprinting towards Stannard''s left and Isaac to his right. In one swift motion, Stannard jumped as high as he could and passed Adam,nding behind him.

    Acting quickly, J unsheathed her rapier, activated an amnis, and conjured several fiery balls before unleashing them towards Adam. Meanwhile, Isaac was unleashing his own attacks in the form of ice sts. Adam struggled to dodge the onught of attacks from both sides.

    J thenunched a fierce attack from Adam''s right, forcing him to turn in that direction to defend himself. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Isaac immediately attacked from Adam''s left nk. Stannard followed closely behind, lying in wait to ambush him.

    "Should I help you?" asked Ralph.

    "No need, don''t interrupt my fun!" shouted Adam excitedly.

    His enthusiasm and smile made Stannard''s blood boil, as he felt Adam was still underestimating them when he had been cornered like that.

    Stannard jumped up and dived at Adam, readying his sword and shield. Adam then extended his chains again, aiming at the ground a little far away from him. He immediately pulled his body with the chain afterward, so he managed to dodge Stannard''s attack.

    Adam quickly used the chain in his other hand. He shot the pointed-sharp chain from his armacar. Quickly, the chain shot towards Stannard. Stannard tried to block it with his shield, but Adam intentionally missed from the start. His aim was the ground behind Stannard. Skillfully, while dodging the shots of ice and fire, he jumped high and pulled himself down when he reached the top.

    -WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH

    With incredible speed, he managed to kick the shield that was covering Stannard''s body.

    -BREAK -SPLASH

    The kick was strong enough to cause Stannard''s body to bleed. His hands were broken, and his legs also made it difficult to hold his body. Because of the force, the pce floor that Stannard was standing on was also destroyed.

    "One is over," said Adam.

    Stannard then muttered:

    "Abare: Temperantia."

    Stannard''s shield glowed, the light taking the form of another shield in front of him,

    -BAM

    The shield-shaped light pushed Adam like an explosion, and Adam was thrown far up.

    "Wh-what''s going on?" said Adam when he realized he was looking at the sky. His body was in free fall. Adam twisted his body in the sky.

    And from below, icy thorns were waiting for Adam.

    "God Blessing: Ice Arrows" dozens of sharp ice arrows shot at Adam. Adam covered his front with his hands, but it was useless; each ice attack froze into his veins.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But it still didn''t kill Adam, it made him unable to move.

    ''My hands are frozen! I can''t extend my chain!; Adam thought. Adam looked down; J was drawing an advanced fire amnis above her.

    "Spirit who gives blessings to humans, gather your power and explode the sinners in front of me," as she chanted her amnis, the fireball in front of her amnis circle grew bigger and bigger until it was as big as a house.

    "Exploding Sun," the huge fireball shot upwards.

    Adam was now in freefall with a massive fireball in front of him. Falling from the air made him unable to run anywhere; if anything, he had to use his chains to pull him somewhere.

    He looked at the mes before him, wondering how he would survive being hit by that thing. And at that moment, he smiled with great joy.

    "HAHAHAHAHA," heughed.

    "Crazy guy, he''s going to die soon with that," said Stannard, whose wound was now frozen by Isaac.

    In the midst of hisughter, Adam thought,

    "Oooh this heat; I haven''t felt the tension between life and death in a long time!"

    After that, he shouted

    "ABARE: LIGANS!"

    Before he can do anything, Adam goes into the fireball, and as soon as he is inside, J splits the amnis circle.

    -BAAAAAM

    The fireball broke apart, bing an explosion of magma that leaped to the ground.

    "It''s over," J muttered.

    "Oooh, is she dead? Then it''s my turn," said Ralph.

    After a few seconds, a piece ofva caught their attention. It appeared denser than the rest and was falling in a round,et-like shape. The group watched in silence as theet crashed onto the floor, leaving a deep, damaging imprint in its wake.

    "He can''t be alive, right?" Isaac spoke first, breaking the silence. However, before anyone could respond, the sound of chains nking filled the air, emanating from the fireball.

    The group watched in fear as a fiery explosion erupted from the ball, and out of it emerged Adam. He had chain marks imprinted all over his body.

    "H-He''s still alive?!" Sannard eximed, surprised.

    "He used his armarac''s rampage skill to envelop his entire body in chains. That may have avoided the explosion, but he should be dead from the heat he felt all over!" J reasoned.

    A few secondster...

    Adam jumped up from there, his shirt already on fire, allowing everyone to see all the burns caused by his chains.

    "Hahahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHA... I really thought I was going to die." Adam said.

    ...

    Arthur guided Norman and rissa on the way to where the king was resting.

    "AARRGH! CAN''T YOU RUN FASTER?!" Norman asked Arthur.

    "I''m sorry, this is already the fastest."

    "So slow! I can still go faster even while carrying this fatso! I''ll leave you if you slow down!" shouted Norman.

    "Fa-fa-fa-fatso?!"

    As they ran, Norman became curious about how Arthur''s blessing worked, which he thought was one of the reasons why Ivaylo had put him in Dolls.

    "Hey Arthur. You want to find someone, right? With your god''s blessing, that should be easy. Why did you have to get into the Dolls to do it?"

    ''I can''t say I''m too scared to refuse Leader''s invitation,'' Arthur thought.

    But Arthur already had an answer to that question,

    "That kid I''m looking for, he''s a bit weird," Arthur said.

    "What do you mean?"

    "My god''s blessing is not to see others through walls, but to see the mana that flows. The mana flows ording to the body''s shape, including the hair. So I can more or less see the silhouette of the person behind the wall."

    "You have said that before! So why didn''t you look for that kid by yourself?! Didn''t you see that kid''s appearance, his mana before?!"

    "No... I''ve seen him, but not his mana."

    "HUH?! DON''T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH! JUST EXPLAIN!"

    "That kid... From the moment I met him, I couldn''t see the mana inside him at all. He was empty, like he had no mana at all."

 Chapter 112 Third Explosion

    "Hahahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHA... I really thought I was going to die." Adam said as he walked up to them, with a creepy smile and fire on his back.

    "Aren''t you done yet?! I have already done here; if it takes too long, I''ll take them from you!" Ralph shouted.

    As J, Isaac, and Stannard gazed ahead, a sense of dread consumed them. Suddenly, all three looked back, their eyes locking on the approaching figure of Ralph. Ralph was walking towards them with a pile of gruesome warrior corpses behind him.

    Despite the knowledge that they had expended a considerable amount of mana in their previous battle, the trio held a glimmer of hope that they still had enough strength left to take on Ralph. That hope soon faded as they realized that Adam, the one they had been so desperate to defeat, was still alive.

    A sense of urgency filled their minds as they understood they needed to use every scrap of mana they possessed to defeat Adam. Though it meant leaving themselves vulnerable to Ralph, they knew there was no other way.

    "I told you, don''t interfere with my fight!!!" Adam shouted at Ralph.

    "That''s because you''ve been messing around! Use all your abilities; it''s just them after all."

    "I meant it that way, after pushing me this far, I have no choice but to get serious," Adam replied.

    ''He''s not serious yet?! His strength from earlier hasn''t been serious? Was that just a bluff? Isaac thought.

    J then said,

    "Right now, our best option is to kill Adam first. No more holding back, just attack him with everything you''ve got-"

    Suddenly, chains rushed towards them.

    -THRUST

    "I get you," Adam muttered.

    The chain pierced J''s stomach. They were shocked and unable to react immediately to the attack.

    ''His chain is faster than thest one!'' Stannard thought.

    Isaac immediately used his sword to cut the chain, but it was toote; J was directly pulled by Adam close to him.

    As she was pulled, J looked forward. Adam''s arms, chest, and head were now wrapped in his own chains.

    ''W-What is he trying to do?!'' J thought.

    Adam clenched his right fist, and an aura surged through his body. As he tightened his grip, the fist began to emit a pulsing glow, an aura that seemed to enter into his very being. He aimed his fist at J''s body and struck out, the energy within him driving the blow with incredible force.

    "God Blessing: Perses Tantrum"

    Adam hit J''s body with his fist.

    -BOOOM!

    Instantly, a massive explosion urred. Making the castle tremble once more. The st was so powerful that it sent Stannard and Isaac flying backward, even though they were not standing too close to Adam.

    "SO WHAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION ON THE GATE BEFORE WAS HIS GOD BLESSING!!!" said Isaac.

    ''I mistakenly thought it was the witch of dread''s magic. Or maybe they made us think so because when the explosion happened, the witch used amnis to protect them from the st,'' Stannard thought.

    As they were thrown back, the mist covered everything.

    The once grand front now looked terribly destroyed. The floor was charred and cracked, the fountain reduced to rubble, the once lush garden was now a lifeless wastnd, and the smell of smoke intensified. That ce looked like something catastrophic had happened there. J''s high-level fire amnis had ravaged the pce while Adam''s explosion added to the chaos. mes licked at the walls everywhere you looked and billowed towards the sky. The ce burned like hell.

    Isaac could feel a sticky liquid on his face. At first, he thought it was his sweat from the thunderous heat. But he realized it was too thick for sweat.

    The fog began to clear, and he could finally see what was happening. What was stuck on his face was not sweat, but blood. And that blood was also sshed on his armor.

    "Oh my god!" Isaac muttered as he saw the scene in front of him.

    "JANET!!!" shouted Stannard.

    The impact of Adam''s god''s blessing was brutal. In front of him were a pair of lying legs wearing holy knight armor. Unmistakably, it was the remains of Janed''s exploded body. In front of them were traces of blood on the floor, along with J''s brain and entrails. And the blood reached them. So Isaac and Stannard''s clothes and faces were sttered with J''s blood.

    "SH*T! The reason he''s still alive after getting into J''s fireball is because he''s already used to the sensation of burn and explosion!" Isaac said.

    ''Most likely, the explosion he made with his god''s blessing also affected himself. That is why he covered the important parts of her body with her chain. His body epted that explosion many times!'' Isaac thought.

    "Who''s next?" asked Adam.

    Isaac finally determined himself to kill Adam with all his might. He chooses to forget Ralph for now. As Isaac gripped his sword tightly, he uttered,

    "Abare, Thracam"

    Arge amount of water flowed out from Isaac''s sword, enveloping all parts of it. Seeing that, Adam thought

    ''Armacar who can create water with mana, such a weapon should be useless in battle, but it would be a different story if he used his god''s blessing.''

    Adam lengthened the chain a little, then grasped it.

    "COME ON!" he shouted.

    Isaac came forward, followed by Stannard.

    Isaac swung his sword, and the water sshed up with each swing and turned to ice. So each swing produced arge amount of ice, shooting toward Adam.

    Adam pushed the ice away with his chain. But the ice was not deflected well.

    ''The ice froze my chain,''

    That means any object hit by the ice will freeze. If Adam blocked or deflected the ice, it would only freeze his entire body. So there was no other choice but to run from his attack.

    While attacking Adam without giving him an opening, Isaac thought,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Giving my mana periodically into the armacar, plus activating god''s blessing simultaneously, is consuming much of my mana. I should kill Adam here, after which I can leave Ralph to the others.''

    Even so, he was already quite desperate. There was no guarantee that help woulde. But he still had to fight.

    Stannard helped, he blocked Adam and attacked him with his sword; of course, Adam managed to hold him off, but that time Stannard''s goal was not to attack Adam. He let go of the shield and touched Adam''s chest.

    "What''s this?!" Adam immediately pushed him away. Stannard had just touched his chest with his left hand. Nothing hurt, but there was a palm print on his chest.

    "I caught you," Stannard said.

    Stannard smeared his own hand with his blood. And using that blood, he marked Adam.

    Adam immediately tried to erase the mark, but it was no use. The mark stuck there like he had a birthmark that wouldn''t go away.

    ''What''s the point of this mark?! Most likely, this is his god''s blessing. But if the conditions of use are simple, it''s usually not something destructive," Adam thought.

    Stannard pointed his hand at Adam.

    "God''s blessing: North and South."

    Suddenly Adam''s body was thrown backward.

    After being thrown, his body was pulled towards Stannard.

    ''He can push and pull people with that hand!'' Adam thought.

    But Adam could see the risk of using his godly blessing. Stannard''s face looked pained, and he held his left hand with his right.

    ''North and East, my god''s blessing makes me able to pull and push people who have my palm mark. Unfortunately, using it isn''t easy. The bigger the person, the harder it is to pull. I need to be physically strong to control it,'' Stannard thought.

    Adam, who already knew, immediatelymented on it.

    "Hahaha you''re unlucky that your opponent is me! My weight is almost 300 kilos! It should be quite difficult for you to lift my body! Besides, your body was already destroyed by my previous attack! What else can you do?!"

    "Of course, just to support my friend."

    Adam looked to the side. An enormous ice spear flew in front of Isaac. There was a circle of amnis underneath that kept the ice flying.

    "Die!"

    The huge spear quickly shot at Adam like a cannon.

    "SH*T!" Adam said.

    Unable to dodge, Adam wrapped himself in his chains again, covering his head and body.

    ''It''s useless; the ice will freeze your whole body. And even if you use a st, your hands will still touch the ice, and you''ll freeze instantly,''

    Then Adam''s hands glowed, activating his god''s blessing. But he didn''t hit the ice, but the ground before him.

    "?!!"

    -BAM!

    The explosion threw Adam''s body all the way up and out of the influence of Stannard''s blessing. Adam lost his left leg in return because his chains did not protect it.

    Adam''s body was still, not moving.

    "Oh, did he faint to save his life?" said Ralph.

    Ralphzily held his whip and prepared to fight.

    "Looks like it''s my turn," said Ralph.

    Stannard turned back to face Ralph, as did Isaac, who immediately ran towards Stannard.

    ''So, what is the n? My mana is already thin, and Stannard''s condition is also severe. Even this guy has seen all of our abilities. We already can''t give him a surprise attack. If this guy is as strong as Adam, we won''t be able to win!

    Suddenly. A chain quickly pierced their backs and pierced through to the floor.

    "AHK!"

    "BUAKH!"

    Blood poured out of Stannard and Isaac''s mouths.

    "D-didn''t he faint?!" thought Stannard.

    "I- Iam sure he was!" thought Isaac.

    "HEY! WAIT! DON''T DO IT HERE!" shouted Ralph, who quickly tried to get away from there.

    Adam, who had looked unconscious, regained consciousness in no time. He shot his chains at Isaac and Stannard and then pulled his body closer to them.

    "God''s blessing: Perses Tantrum."

    As the sky lit up with a bright light, Isaac and Stannard looked back, scared. They knew they had underestimated the power of their opponent, and they vowed never to do so again, but there will be no "again" anymore.

    They could hardly believe their eyes as they watched a glowing fist hurtling towards them, moving so fast it looked like a falling meteor. Before they could react, the fist crashed into them with a deafening BAM!

    This was the third explosion that night, marked by the defeat of three Rounds members at the hands of just one Dolls member. The impact of that explosion had left Isaac and Stannard sprawled on the ground; Isaac was still alive because of his god''s blessing. He used his ice to freeze the fire and the impact. But still, he is dying, struggling to catch his breath. Then he looks at Stannard in front of him. After finally regaining full consciousness and being able to see everything clearly, Isaac realizes the one thing he sees is only Stannard''s bodyless head.

 Chapter 113 The Source Of Hatred

    It was probably about twelve years I lived inside the dungeon. It was a boring and slow life filled with daily activities such as chopping wood, undergoing rigorous training, nting crops, and asionally cooking. However, out of all these activities, cooking was the only one that provided even the slightest diversion from the drudgery of life in the dungeon. It was the only time I could momentarily forget my confinement amidst the nd and uninspiring surroundings. At least until she returned

    She... is my mother.

    My mother never allotted much time to me. However, I felt sheer delight in those brief moments with my mother. Outside of them, everything was a bore. I yearned to depart, but my mother''smands not to go outside echoed in my head.

    I can''t go out.

    I must endure this boredom

    I must be able to live in this house.

    Until finally, mother brought a human. That human told me many things about the outside world. It made me want to get out of that ce even more. That human gave me the courage to go out.

    But because of that human, I said something terrible to my mother for the first time.

    What was I thinking at that time? Saying something so cruel to mother just because of a human.

    "Humans are the problem. They are wrong; they are bad."

    "I should never meet humans."

    I wanted to apologize

    I wanted to tell her that I was sorry

    So I went to see her right away.

    But...

    Humans once again messed things up.

    In front of my eyes, I can see it.

    That person...

    That human...

    He killed mother in front of my eyes!

    "MOTHER CAN NO LONGER FIGHT! I''LL CONVINCE HER NOT TO ATTACK YOU! IF YOU CAN CURE HER, I''LL DO ANYTHING! WHATEVER YOU WANT! I CAN DO IT!!! SO PLEASE!"

    No matter how many times I screamed for help, no one wanted to help me. Of course I know that. They were humans, and mother was a monster. There was no way a human would help her.

    But at that moment. I could see that person''s face.

    Leofric smiled when my mother died in front of me.

    Why did he do that? Was my mother''s death amusing to him? Was my desperate face so funny to him?

    I hate him.

    Of all humans, I hate him the most.

    He''s the real problem

    I want to kill him!

    I will kill him!

    I will avenge my mother''s death!

    Otherwise, it''s not fair¡ªafter he had singlehandedly destroyed my life, I couldn''t just sit back and let him get away with it. He had killed my mother and was now living his life as if nothing had ever happened. As if my mother''s death was just a minor inconvenience that he could easily brush aside. I will make him pay for what he has done.

    And finally, as I entered the pce, I met Leofric again. My eyes locked on him, whom I loathed with such intensity that it was almost unbearable. The anger that surged through my veins was uncontroble, and I longed to seek my revenge. My body shook uncontrobly as if it were weighted down with the burden of my deep hatred. The memories of my mother''s warm, gentle hands that slowly became cold flooded my mind; her life had been taken by the man standing before me.

    I knew then that nothing would stop me from fulfilling my vow to end his life. The desire to get the satisfaction of watching hisst breath escape from his lungs would be worth every moment of pain I had ever experienced. I knew that once he was gone, all these negative emotions that had suffocated my heart would fade, leaving me free to live my life once more.

    My urge to kill him was immense, but as soon as he stood before me, I found that I couldn''t draw my sword. It was as if fate had intervened and denied my desire for revenge.

    He had already been killed by someone else. The realization hit me hard¡ªI should have been the one to end his life.

    The absurdity of the situation seemed almostical.

    "You''re joking, right?" I asked in disbelief. "

    You died here?"

    There was no way he could have simply perished without my involvement.

    just like that?

    just because of a spear that''s even smaller than your weapon.

    I can''t ept...

    I can''t ept this!

    THEN WHERE SHOULD I¡­

    WHERE SHOULD I GO TO VENT ALL THIS HATRED?!__

    ...

    A bright room, filled with noble guests. Sumptuous food and drinksy on the tables. The ce was now celebrating one of the happiest days of the royal family. But slowly, a cold aura crawled into the bodies of everyone in the room.

    The door was shattered; what destroyed the door was a spear that suddenly shot out. Everyone in the room fell silent, unable to believe what they saw above them.

    Leofric Regina Wildenhall, the 4th prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, was now hanging on the ballroom wall. His blood was sttered profusely behind him, and stters decorated the room''s walls, flowing all the way to the floor. From the amount of blood and how Leofric seemed motionless, it was inevitable that he was dead.

    When Allen walked in, he was speechless. The sight before him was too much to bear. He fell to his knees, staring in disbelief. Leofric''s body was motionless, and his eyes were nk.

    ''Are you kidding me?''

    Allen''s body gave out beneath him, weakness seeping through his limbs until he could no longer stand. He fell to his knees and cast his gaze upon the corpse of Leofric - a man he despised more than any other. The emotion bubbling up inside of him was overwhelming, and with a head bowed low, he squeezed it tightly between his hands. His breathing grewboured and sweat began to pour down his face. All the pent-up feelings, desires, and unwavering hatred towards Leofric now created a defense mechanism. Allen had to let it out; he had to vent it on someone ¨C anyone ¨C or anything

    __Humans...

    That''s right; it was all humans'' fault from the start

    I just need to kill all the humans, and then surely, this tightness in my chest and this coldness will disappear.

    He wants to scream

    He wants to scream and kill everyone.

    But just as he was about to do so, the sound that was about toe out of Allen''s throat instantly stopped as a woman called his name.

    "ALLEN!" the call made Allen open his eyes.

    That was the name given by mother...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    How dare a human mention it so easily. Don''t mention my name with your filthy mouth!

    Then Allen raised his head, seeing the woman in front of him looking at him with a desperate face. A maid who always made him food, Rachel.

    That desperate face reminded Allen of another person he also hated, Lavinia. He wanted to jump towards her and tear that face into pieces. Split the body and scatter it all over the room. Then he set the whole ce on fire and turned all the humans into the roast meat he used to eat.

    At that moment, Allen was outraged. His fist bled on his hand, and ck-colored blood came out of the wound.

    Rachel then ran towards him and asked him,

    "Where is Lady Felicia?!"

    That single word

    Felicia¡­

    Rachel''s question made his head empty.

    The ck blood turned into normal blood, and her angry face turned into a shocked face.

    "Huh?"

    Felicia... That name made hime to his senses from the anger that shackled him.

    ''Felicia... Felicia... Felicia...'' he repeatedly said the girl''s name in his head. Then he recalled all the moments he had spent with Felicia, from when he met her until tonight. Which also made him remember all the people in Wolverlope''s house.

    And finally...

    He remembered thest time Felicia had left him in the rose garden. He had originally thought that she had gone back into the room. But from Rachel''s question, he realized that Felicia was in danger, probably looking for him and waiting for his help.

    Quick as a sh, Allen left there.

    His minds, which were full of hatred, now turned into a goal,

    He had to find Felicia.

    ...

    Felicia ran past the ballroom. She ran away from Allen as far as she could without any particr purpose. She couldn''t calm down, thinking her feelings for Allen might be the same as those for Waldo.

    ''After all, why did he suddenly say the same sentence as Sir Waldo said? That''s totally giarism!'' Felicia thought, still holding back her embarrassment, holding her raised and flushed cheeks.

    Then an explosion urred. Which made Felicia''s consciousness, which had been floating around in her mind, now return.

    "Explosion? An enemy attack?" When she calmed down a bit, Felicia realized that she had gone to the right corridor of the pce. Because of the explosion, she immediately ran back into the ballroom.

    But when she almost reached the rose garden...

    She met three suspicious strangers wearing ck hoodies. One with a short stature, almost as big as her, was carrying arger woman, and beside them was a red-haired man.

    "AAARGH! GUIDE US WELL! YOU CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS, CAN''T YOU?"

    "I''m sorry, but... there''s no other way faster than this,"

    "T-take it easy. I-I don''t feel the presence of humans here as much as in other ces,"

    Felicia met up with Norman, Arthur, and rissa, who were about to find their way to the king''s resting ce.

    ''Who are they?!'' Felicia thought.

    ''No, forget about that. I have to run!''

    Just by their presence, Felicia immediately felt an overwhelming sense of threat. Felicia''s body suddenly went limp, and the overwhelming pressure she felt left her unable to move.

    ''Oh my gosh, I''m going to be killed! I don''t have my sword with me right now!'' Felicia thought.

    "Arthur, kill her," Norman said.

    "?! Why?!"

    "Because you''ve never killed someone before! Since you aim to kill someone, you should at least get used to the sensation of killing people. At least kill one or two people!"

    "I mean, why do we have to kill her? Can''t we just pass by?" asked Arthur.

    "Why do you think we blew up the front gate?! So that the soldiers can focus on getting there! If we let this girl go, she might report us to the soldiers, right?! And probably the knight of rounds will chase for us after!"

    "B-but, she''s still a kid; maybe we can make a deal to keep her quiet-"

    "DON''T MAKE EXCUSES YOU COWARD! JUST KILL HER!"

    Arthur hesitantly drew his sword, then looked at his face in the reflection of his sword. He saw his face in doubt.

    As Norman said, he agreed that he should have the courage to kill others, but killing a child... He felt that it was too much for him.

    "HURRY, KILL HER! WE DON''T HAVE MUCH TIME!"

    Arthur immediately raised his sword and started shouting

    "HYAAAAAA!!!"

    But he stopped immediately.

    Looking at Felicia''s terrified face in front of him, he suddenly remembered his sister''s face, whom he had left.

    He saw that his sister would have the same expression as Felicia. And that made him think that if he killed Felicia, it would be like killing his sister.

    He slowly rxed his hand, lowered his sword slowly, and said.

    "No-norman, I-"

    -THRUST!

    From behind Arthur, Norman quickly came forward, stabbing Felicia in the stomach with his right hand.

    "Buakkh!"

    Felicia vomited blood.

    Arthur, who saw Felicia''s face, immediately feltpassion, anxiety, and fear.

    "I told you we don''t have much time..." Norman muttered coldly.

    Meanwhile, after running for quite some distance, tracing all the way from the room to the rose garden, Allen finally caught sight of Felicia standing at the end of the corridor.

    "Huh, Felicia... I finally found-"

    In front of his eyes, he could see Felicia was standing with her stomach stabbed by someone''s hand.

    "Felicia?"

 Chapter 114 Leofrics Body

    Just moments before the loud explosion shook the grand hall.

    Francis deeply conversed with Sabine. He had hoped that their conversation would be enough to avoid having to engage with the nobles.

    He told Sabine about how he admired Leofric, who always looked charismatic and shy. He wanted to be like Leofric, who controlled everyone with his strength, easily ignoring people''s words because he was the strongest.

    Of course, Sabine was worried when she heard about that.

    Sabine was apprehensive about Francis bing someone like Leofric. She didn''t even wish for him to possess the same strength as Leofric, although his mother, Queen Ismenia, would have a different opinion. But when she saw Francis''s face light up with enthusiasm and eagerness as he spoke of bing the strongest, Sabine could not help but support his goals.

    "You know, Sabine. Brother Leofric told me to try to catch up with him," Francis said with a big smile on his face. It was the same face he had when he first boasted about his quarry to Sabine.

    Then he continued,

    "I... I will be stronger someday! Then I''ll challenge Brother Leofric to a duel! ---- NO! I''ll challenge him to a duel every time hees home, that way, I''ll be able to measure my own progress!"

    ''There is no way you can do that,'' Sabine thought.

    "I understand, Sabine. You must be doubting me! I know¡­ you don''t have to say anything. I''m still weak. But Sabine, do you know that mana will answer your determination if you never give up?! Just watch me, Sabine! One day I will show you that Francis Ismenia Wildenhall will be the strongest man in thend!"

    Sabine smiled, then recalled how she used to breastfeed Francis. The child whose whole body she used to be able to hug with both hands was now so big and was slowly starting to turn into a reliable man,

    "Haha, I can''t wait to see those moments, your highness. The important thing is that you must learn something else too!" said Sabine.

    "Ukh! I knew it! After what happened today, I will also study harder!" said Francis in embarrassment, remembering that he really looked terrible in front of Felicia earlier.

    Francis was the main character this time; he felt happy. Everyone was looking at him; he was dancing with the kingdom''s prettiest girl. Sabine was always supporting him, Leofric was giving him advice, and Heit was giving him hope.

    And that happiness...

    Immediately crushed by sight in front of him...

    The brother had always been proud of, yearned for, and loved...

    was now hanging in front of him, with spear nted deep in his stomach.

    "It can''t be true..." muttered Francis, frozen, unable to believe what he had witnessed.

    The room fell silent; everyone was shocked at the sight before them. Suddenly, Francis snapped out of his daze and rushed toward his brother''s lifeless body, screaming in agony.

    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! BIG BROTHER!"

    His cries shattered the silence, and chaos erupted as everyone joined in on his mourning.

    "KYAAAAAA!!!"

    "PRINCE LEOFRIC IS DEAD!!!"

    "NO WAY! DID DOLLS KILL HIM?!"

    "IF DOLLS CAN KILL PRINCE LEOFRIC, THEN WHO CAN BEAT DOLLS?!!!"

    While everyone was frantically looking at Leofric''s hanging body, one person looked unusual. A maid ran over to the boy as if Leofric''s death didn''t matter to her.

    The one who saw them was Alicia.

    Her brother''s sudden and tragic loss had left Alicia reeling with shock. Despite her typicallyposed demeanor, she was utterly stunned at the sight of his lifeless body, unable toprehend the reality of what had just happened. Though a glimmer of hope remained that he might still cling to life, Alicia couldn''t shake the overwhelming sense of dread that had settled deep within her heart.

    Her brother''s sudden and tragic death had left Alicia reeling with shock. Even Alicia, who was quite confident in her calmness, was utterly stunned at the sight of his lifeless body, unable toprehend the reality of what had just happened.

    And what brought her out of that shock was not Francis'' scream. But an overwhelming aura of hatred overflowed from the direction the maid was running. That aura of hatred was so thick and dense that it gave Alicia goosebumps.

    It was as if... there was a monster between them.

    "That boy... If I''m not mistaken, the other-worlder young knight of the Boldenville family. What was he doing near the broken door? Is he the one who killed Leofric?"

    That boy, Allen, immediately left the room, looking for Felicia outside.

    Then, amid the panic, Alicia looked at her brother, Harald, who seemed to be trying to catch up with Allen.

    "WAIT! DON''T CHASE HIM!" Alicia shouted.

    Harald stops as he hears Alicia''s words.

    ''So Harald also found himself in shock as well. I am curious about that boy, but there was something even more crucial at hand: the spear that thrust Leofric''s body.''

    Harald went straight to his sister.

    "What''s wrong? Why aren''t we going after that kid? Isn''t it obvious that he''s the culprit?"

    ''Harald does not have enough confidence. But his ability to understand the situation is outstanding. He already has his thoughts about this, but he still chose to listen to me and ask me about it. I''m d that he trusts me,'' Alicia thought.

    Then the second explosion happened. It sent people into another panic. But the panic was quickly dispelled when they heard the sound of shuffling feet from the main door on the second floor.

    From the door, appeared a swarm of soldiers. These soldiers were led by Maximilian Beatrix Glenham, the Head of the Knight. And the captain of second, sixth, sevent, ninth knights, the 12 Milites.

    "UNCLE!" Alicia shouted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Maximilian gazed upon Alicia, his finger aimed towards Leofric''s lifeless body that hung starkly against the wall.

    As with the rest, Maximilian and the other captain stood in stunned silence, unable to fathom what could have defeated Leofric. He immediately ordered his soldiers to remove Leofric''s body from the spear. After that, he went over to Alicia.

    "Is His Highness really dead?!" asked Maximilian.

    "I can''t feel his mana at all," said Alicia.

    Since Alicia was a specialist, Maximilian immediately believed what she said.

    "So, why did you forbid me from chasing after the boy?" Harald said.

    "You mean the culprit? Where is he?!" asks Maximilian.

    "No, he didn''t do it," Alicia replied.

    "How do you know that?" asked Harald.

    Alicia pointed at Leofric''s body, Harald and Maximilian turned their heads, looking in the direction Alicia was pointing.

    "The answer is in that spear. That spear is ancer-type armacar, which can extend and retract. We all know who the owner is,"

    Harald and Maximilian were immediately surprised to hear that, then looked at the spear more carefully.

    "The owner is Swithin Magisend Robins, one of the Knights of Rounds."

    As soon as Alicia said that, a second spear shot out. Towards Leofric''s body,

    Harald reacted instantly, pulling out his sword, jumping, and deflecting the spear.

    -TWANG

    "As expected of Prince Harald," a voice came from the broken door.

    "Why are you doing this, Sir Swith?!" shouted Harald.

    Swith walked casually into the room. While everyone thought he was a traitor, Alicia found him very strange.

    Alicia then used her hands to form a window, after which she muttered,

    "God''s blessing: Appraisal,"

    Alicia''s god''s blessing, appraisal, could allow her to see directly into a person''s mana at a certain distance. And when she did that, she could analyze and measure almost all the data that the target she was looking at had.

    With her blessing, Alicia immediately realized what was happening to Swith.

    "Why am I doing this? Of course, it''s all for the master," Swith said.

    "Harald! He''s not Sir Swith! He''s already dead, and his body and all of his organs are controlled by someone else!" Alicia shouted.

    Alicia pondered the strange urrence of Sir Swith''s lingering mana. A person''s mana should vanish upon their death unless they possessed such a steadfast willpower that their mana granted them the ability to sustain it in the world even after their death. However, Sir Swith''s mana was peculiar. It was not of the ordinary variety that any person left behind.

    ''It was probably someone else''s mana thatpelled his to remain, despite his passing,'' thought Alicia.

    Without hesitating, Harald lunged toward Swith with his sword, ready to strike. However, Swith was prepared and quickly used his second spear to defend himself, sessfully parrying Harald''s attack. But Swith didn''t stop there; he seized the opportunity and hurled Harald backwards with a mighty force, sending him flying far behind.

    "Milite Captain, please guard the nobles. Uncle, Please help Harald; I will analyze Leofric''s corpse!"

    Maximilian nodded, while Alicia immediately approached Leofric''s corpse. Alicia''s ability could be activated from afar and without a chant, but the further she was from the target, the less information she could see.

    As Leofric''s lifeless body was stuck on the wall, Francis stood over him with tears streaming down his face. Alicia approached, but she felt something was off as she drew nearer. "Maximilian ordered the soldiers to take Leofric''s body," she wondered, "so why is Francis here alone?" As ifpelled, Alicia felt drawn to the body, hoping for answers.

    When Alicia looked up, it turned out that the dozens of soldiers ordered by Maximilian to retrieve Leofric''s corpse were nowhere to be seen.

    Instead, blood was pouring down, indicating that someone had cut them all down earlier. What surprised Alicia was that no one realized that there was an attack above. Even she herself didn''t realize it.

    Something strange happened, but Alicia chose to ignore it for now. She knew she couldn''t sense Leofric''s mana, but a closer inspection might reveal something new that would exin what happened now. But before she could even lean in¡­

    -WHUUUUSH

    a sword appeared before her in a sh, warning her to stay away.

    Then there was something else that surprised Alicia: the shape of the sword now in front of her. A sword that was very famous among other-worlders.

    A katana.

    From above jumped a ck-haired girl wearing a mask that covered her face and one eye. The woman held the katana with ease. As she stepped back, the ck-haired girlnded gracefully in front of her, blocking her path. Her one-ck eyes were hard and determined as she gripped the katana''s hilt.

    Alicia could feel the tension in the air and knew she was not dealing with an ordinary person. She could sense the power emanating from the other-worlder woman before her and instinctively knew it would be foolish to make sudden movements. She tried to speak, but her throat felt dry and scratchy, and no words came out.

    The woman held the katana backwards. Then she started to say something. Her voice was low and measured as she spoke:

    "Abare: Hisanna Funjin Saigai no Tsurugi"

 Chapter 115 Freedom Restraints

    Momentster, Leofric''s corpse, Heit, and the spear that pierced him fell.

    From above jumped a ck-haired girl wearing a mask that covered her face and one eye. The woman held the katana with ease. As she stepped back, the ck-haired girlnded gracefully in front of her, blocking her path. Her one-ck eyes were hard and determined as she gripped the katana''s hilt.

    "FRANCIS STAY AWAY FROM THERE!" shouted Alicia.

    The moment the woman reached Alicia, she kicked her. Alicia was thrown far back.

    ''The Noctem Dolls have an other-worlder on their side?!'' Alicia thought at the time. Then her body was received by Margareth, who was behind her.

    "Thank you," Alicia said.

    Margaret just snickered, not answering her.

    Swith quickly approached the ck-haired woman and pulled Francis'' hand. Now he had the upper hand with Francis as his hostage.

    "Akh! LET ME GO! Let me go!" shouted Francis.

    "Hey! Let him go!" said Maximilian trying to take Francis back.

    But Swith was cunning and quick. Before Maximilian and Harald can reach him, he grabs Francis''s sword and points it at Francis''s neck. The de cut his skin, but not deeply enough to cause harm.

    The female other-worlder who infiltrated was Nishizaka from Noctem Dolls. With a cold and expressionless face, she then shed her palm with her katana. The metallic tang of blood fills the air. She reversed her katana and pointed the tip of it at the floor. The room fell silent, the only sound being the soft scrape of metal against the flooring, and then she muttered

    "Abare: Hisanna Funjin Saigai no Tsurugi"

    She let go of the de, but it didn''t fall to the floor; instead, it slowly disappeared from the tip of the de.

    Alicia observed with her god''s blessing as her sword dissipated before her eyes; seeing everything that happened through her appraisal, she understood how Nishizaka''s armacar rampage skill worked.

    ''Her sword wasn''t destroyed, nor did it disappear. Instead, it dispersed throughout the room. The reason she shed her palm was to trace her blood to the katana. So, her mana now spread through the room along with the katana. Probably she wanted to activate her god''s blessing. And her mana would need to spread throughout the room to do it.''

    They realized they had to do something, but no one could move. Alicia couldn''t either; they had Francis captive. So they could only stand still, watching as Nishizaka began to kneel to activate her god''s blessing.

    "Kami no Mikago (God''s blessing): Jiyuu no kousoku"

    The entire room was glowing, making people panic even more. The light wasn''t bright enough to blind people, but it was still very suspicious.

    "What''s going on?! The room is glowing! Are we going to explode?!" said Maximilian, representing all the questions of the people inside.

    Alicia answered him, "Uncle, it''s not the room that''s glowing! It''s the dust from the shattered sword. It carried the mana and spread it all over the room!"

    Harald gave Maximilian eye contact to attack them immediately.

    Realizing that things might get worse, Harald rushed forward to attack Nishizaka before she activated her god''s blessing. Meanwhile, Maximilian tried to take Francis away from Smith.

    With his quick reaction, Smith threw Francis at Harald. Smith''s actions surprised Harald, but Harald intended to avoid Francis and focused on attacking Nishizaka, who was activating his god''s blessing. But after that, Smith threw his sword at Francis.

    "WHAT?!"

    Harald was forced to catch Francis to avoid the sword. Smith picked up his spear and deflected Maximilian''s sh with it.

    It all happened in three seconds. And that was enough time for Nishizaka to activate her god''s blessing.

    The light in the room seemed to avoid Nishizaka''s body. It was as if an invisible circle around Nishizaka grewrger until the light now enveloped the entire room. Or rather, the dust from her shattered sword covered the whole room.

    Right after she did that, the nobles, who already knew the situation was worse than they thought, immediately tried to leave.

    "I won''t be trapped and be captive here! I''d better go! The dolls inside are just as dangerous as those outside!" she said.

    But as she quickly ran to the door, she hit her head.

    "Wh-what is this?!"

    At the ce where she had poked her head, there was a puddle of some sort. The light that spread throughout the room now looked like a barrier.

    It was a barrier that kept everyone in the room from getting out. Seeing that, Alicia immediately knew what god''s blessing Nishizaka had.

    "Her god''s blessing is to create space. The condition for its use is that its mana must be dispersed. She smears her blood on her sword, then uses her sword''s rampage skill to spread it throughout the room," Alicia exined.

    "So, what''s the purpose?"

    With a scared face, Alicia answered Harald''s question.

    "He wants to lock us all up here!"

    "Why would he do that?"

    "I don''t know, maybe-"

    "Ladies and gentlemen..." Nishizaka began to speak, her voice was small, smooth, and emotionless.

    Captain milites, and Maximilian prepared to attack them again, but Alicia signaled them to remain silent. She needed more information about the Noctem Dolls. Besides, if they attacked now, it would only cause more casualties.

    Nishizaka continued,

    "Before that, there are a few things I must rify here:

    First, I don''t have the slightest desire to kill you. Our goal is not to kill you; my goal is not to kill you either.

    Second, I will exin how my god''s blessing works. My god''s blessing is creating a space that istes us from the outside world.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Everyone inside this room is under the control of a rule that I made. The rule is that no one is allowed to lie. You should know that I am also affected by this rule, so everything I say is the truth," Nishizaka exined.

    "HUH?! YOU THINK WE BELIEVE YOU!"

    "A CRIMINAL LIKE YOU DOESN''T DESERVE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH!"

    "CAPTAINS! JUST KILL HIM!"

    Nishizaka pped her hands, and arge wave of sound came out from her p, making everyone silent.

    "I will not attack; I will only attack you unless you attack me first. I''m sure I would lose if everyone in this room attacked us. But at least I can kill half of you."

    As she said that, a gripping aura came out of her, which made everyone believe that she was capable of it and could do it.

    Suddenly, from behind Nishizaka, a knight jumped toward her and drew his sword. But Nishizaka, with her speed, got behind the knight, even though the knight had not shed his sword.

    Nishizaka held his head and smashed it to the floor.

    ''That was fast, but not a speed I can''t match,'' Harald thought.

    "Well, I should have started killing all of you, but since it was the first time, I forgive,"

    The knight''s head suddenly met an abrupt and fatal end, crushed and ruptured. The gruesome result was a gory explosion of blood and sttered brain matter, causing the witnesses to freeze in silent horror. Their fear grew as they pictured themselves in the knight''s ill-fated shoes.

    Nishizaka then continued,

    "As for why I made up the lying rule, it''s because I wanted to ask all of you some questions; please answer... Do any of you know an other-worlder named Higashiro Yamanaka? He was stranded in the same ce as me. If anyone can answer, I will release everyone here and guarantee the safety of everyone."

    "YOU THINK WE''LL BELIEVE YOU!"

    "PROTECT US?! WHAT A FOOL?"

    Everything Nishizaka said made Alicia even more confused.

    As far as Alicia knew, the Noctem Dolls were an organization of assassins whose targets were mainly corrupt nobles. However, that didn''t mean they did it in the name of justice because, in the process, they didn''t mind killing ordinary people either. If one was caught, they wouldn''t reveal their friend''s identity even after death. So Alicia thought this organization had a strong bond with each other, like a family.

    But... From Nishizaka''s reaction, she didn''t seem to care about the Noctem Dolls themselves. It was as if she were only moving ording to her purpose.

    Among the many nobles shouting at Nishizaka, one noble raised his hand.

    "Wait! I seem to know who he is!"

    Nishizaka, immediately raised her head with high hopes.

    "Really?" asked Nishizaka.

    The nobleman came forward; he had a fat and short body. He approached Nishizaka with a big smile on his face.

    "If I tell you, will you release and protect me?"

    "Of course, I swear."

    "Then let me go alone to my house right now! I''ll tell you after we get out of here."

    ''Stupid, how could he believe you,'' was what most people thought at the time.

    "Alright," and Nishizaka''s reply left everyone shocked.

    "Seriously?! Then I know him too!"

    "I actually know about him too! There are many other-worlders in my territory!"

    "Me too! Let me go first!"

    "I''ll release everyone who knows," Nishizaka said.

    ''Is she serious? Even without any special abilities, I can tell if everyone is lying,'' Harald thought.

    Nishizaka approached the short noble who first said he knew about it.

    "Before I take you out. Please answer my question first. Is it true that there are other-worlders in your territory?"

    "T-that''s-true," the noble replied fearfully.

    "Then, is it true that he is about the same height as me, and his name is Higashiro Yamanaka,"

    Seeing Nishizaka''s face hiding behind the mask made the noble be scared and sweat profusely.

    "Answer quickly. Did you really know about Higashiro Yamanaka?"

    "Y-YEEEEES!"

    Nishizaka instantly twisted her robe to cover her body, then suddenly

    -SPLASH

    The nobleman''s body burst like a balloon, his blood spreading throughout the room so that it hit the people around him.

    "This is the consequence of the lies you made, the vition of the rules inside this isted room."

 Chapter 116 A Lie

    Fleur''s frustration mounted as she realized Ivaylo''s schemes had manipted her. Determined to uncover the suspicious man inside the ballroom, she ventured to the far right end of the castle. The horrifying sight of numerous corpses scattered in the corridor cemented Fleur''s belief that she was on the right track and would find the culprit by tracing the trail of the bodies.

    Though she did indeed discover the culprit responsible for the dead body, she was not the true mastermind behind the chaos. At that moment, Fleur did not doubt that Ivaylo was the one pulling the strings, deliberately leading her away from the ballroom.

    ''Probably, Ivaylo used the god''s blessing of being able to hide his existencepletely to trick me. But I''ve always been vignt, so it''s likely that when we went out of the ballroom and chased after the corpses, he was just standing behind the door with the person who can conceal existence!'' Fleur thought.

    Now, Fleur and Birawa intend to look for Ivaylo. And finally they returned to the ballroom. They saw that the left ballroom door (or the castle''s right side) was now destroyed. Making Fleur sure that all her hypotheses were correct.

    ''?! I can''t sense anyone''s mana inside the ballroom!''

    Fleur took out her long sword, which had a silver rose on its hilt. As she reached the destroyed door, she attacked the air.

    -TWANG

    The sword she drew hit something. Like a solid wall. Though there was nothing there.

    "Sh*t!" cursed Fleur as if she knew something was there.

    Birawa tried to touch the air Fleur was attacking.

    "Something is blocking us from entering the ballroom, and it''s powerful."

    Fleur and Birawa could see what was happening inside, they tried to call out to the people inside, but there was no reaction.

    "This must be one of the Dolls'' blessings."

    "And-"

    Fleur and Birawa were shocked because inside, they saw Swithian, one of the knights of rounds, holding Francis as a hostage.

    "Swithian betrayed?!" said Birawa, shocked.

    Fleur took a deep breath and released it, trying to calm herself down.

    As we approached the building, I couldn''t help but notice the imposing presence of the strong individuals inside.. Despite their strength, I tried to reassure myself that we had nothing to worry about. It was unlikely that they could see us or even leave the building.

    However, my instincts told me that Ivaylo was not among them. I suggested we take a detour and head towards the left side of the building in search of him. "We know where we''re going anyway," I added confidently as we changed our course.

    "There are many strong individuals inside. Maximilian and some captains of the 12 Milite were among them. We shouldn''t have to worry about what''s going on inside. Maybe people inside can''t see us and can''t get out. My instincts told me that Ivaylo was not among them. I suggested we detour and head toward the left side of the building in search of him."

    ...

    Inside the ballroom.

    As soon as the deceitful nobleman burst into pieces, the others who had nned to lie to escape swiftly fell silent upon witnessing the severe ramifications of the dishonesty.

    "As expected, humans will always lie when their lives are threatened. No matter what, lying is one way to live in this world."

    Nishizaka looked at the other nobles and said,

    "You should be grateful to this man. He has shown you the fate of those who lie."

    Harald immediately asked Alicia about Nishizaka''s god''s blessing. Was it really the consequence of lies, or did Nishizaka have a god''s blessing to blow up people''s bodies?

    "No, although she might be hiding something, but everything she said is true. I saw it in my appraisal. New data has been added; her god''s blessing is made an isted space and gives rules inside the space as she wants. But I believe the more unreasonable and the stricter the rules, the weaker the consequences for vitors."

    In this case, Nishizaka only gave a simple rule, "Don''t lie," which resulted in everyone who vited it dying a horrible death. If she added the rule that "everyone should speak what they hide and not lie," then the consequences of viting it would be weak, such as knife cuts, overheating, or perhaps freezing.

    ''I can utilize these rules!'' Alicia thought.

    "I think I can answer. I''ve heard about Higashiro Yamanaka and the person who most likely knows about him," Alicia said as she walked up to Nishizaka.

    "Is it true? Do you really know something about him?" asked Nishizaka.

    Alicia looked at the blood clot beside her, thinking she could be that clot after she answered this question. But she had her own ideas about how to face Nishizaka''s god''s blessing. And if she let things go ording to the Noctem Dolls'' n, it would definitely end badly.

    Alicia made up her mind and said

    "YES," replied Alicia.

    When Nishizaka asked her, Alicia finally knew the conditions of the rules. Whereas before, many people lied, but only that one noble person exploded.

    The condition is This rule only applies when you talk to Nishizaka. If you lie without speaking directly to Nishizaka, then the rule won''t use. That''s why when the short noble came forward, Nishizaka asked him again, "Is it true?" and now, when Alicia asked, Nishizaka also tried to confirm it and asked her, "Is it true?".

    ''At a certain time, I can lie if I don''t speak directly to her. After all, it''s just a matter of wordy. All you need to do is not lie. But words can be embellished without lying,'' Alicia thought.

    "What''s your name?" asked Alicia.

    "Nishizaka," she replied briefly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Nishizaka, I can give you information rted to Higashiro Yamanaka, but on one condition: You must answer all my questions," said Alicia.

    "No problem. But is it true that you have information about him?" asked Nishizaka once again.

    "Yes, I do."

    In the room, everyone could feel a warning hung in the air: anyone lying would meet their death. Alicia waited with bated breath, fearing that the consequences of her words would be fatal. However, after a few tense seconds had psed, she realized that nothing had happened.

    Meanwhile, Nishizaka concealed her emotions behind a mask, but her surprise was unmistakable.

    "YOU KNOW SOMETHING?! ABOUT HIM?! HIS WHEREABOUTS?! HIS CONDITION?!" Nishizaka eximed in a rare show of expression. From the start, she didn''t think anyone would know about her friend. But because Alicia''s body now stands in front of her, without any sign of exploding, it led Nishizaka to believe that Alicia held the key to finding her friend, which she had been desperately searching for since bing stranded in this world.

    Alicia then covered Nishizaka''s mouth with her index finger and said

    "Answer my question first, and I''ll tell you everything I know about him and what others know about him," said Alicia.

    Nishizaka quieted her racing thoughts and attempted to regain control of her emotions. She knew she needed to suppress her nerves and return to her usual self as quickly as possible.

    Alicia signaled Harald to do something so they could no longer make everyone a hostage.

    Alicia''s question was

    "Why did Dolls attack the pce?"

    Nishizaka answered to kill the king.

    "Why do you want to kill the king?"

    Nishizaka replied that she didn''t know, and probably none of the other members knew either; the only one who knew the reason was their leader, Ivaylo.

    ''Ivaylo... he must be keeping important information to himself. Or maybe he predicted that Nishizaka would tell everyone else everything she knew, so he deliberately kept important information from Nishizaka,'' Alicia thought.

    To be sure, she asked other questions rted to Noctem Dolls, such as

    "What is the purpose of Noctem Dolls?"

    Nishizaka replied that she didn''t know

    "Why did you enter Noctem Dolls?"

    Nishizaka answered to look for her missing friend. She didn''t want to exin why she had to enter Noctem Dolls to look for him.

    Alicia eagerly implored Nishizaka to divulge the specifics of her friend''s abilities - from the type of weapons they wielded to the god''s blessing they have. However, Nishizaka''s response was disheartening: she confessed to only being familiar with 4 of the individuals: Arthur, Elinor, Mary, and Ivaylo. And even then, she was unaware of the details of these 4 powers. It was then that Alicia''s suspicions were confirmed - Nishizaka had likely been admitted into the room because Ivaylo knew she possessed the least information regarding the Noctem Dolls.

    Finally, Alicia stopped to ask questions that Nishizaka couldn''t answer. She went back to ask about everything rted to the current situation.

    "What about your n? What is the makeup of your n to attack the pce?"

    Nishizaka answered everything. Starting with the massacre of the Erster family and then making them puppets to bring Ivaylo in. Then Elinor, who had the god''s blessing of "emptiness", entered the castle without anyone knowing. They divided the team into four parts. Ivaylo, his doll, and Elinor in the ballroom during the party; Nishizaka with Ivaylo''s doll in the ballroom after the party; Adam, and Ralph at the front gate; then those in charge of killing the king were Norman, rissa, and Arthur.

    "What about you? What''s your goal here?

    The goal was to lock up all the knights, ten Mithril-level dungeon explorers, the princes, 12 captain milites, the head of knight Maximilian, and the strongest knights of rounds Fleur and Birawa. Ivaylo figured they would fail if the strong men in the room wandered around, so he locked them inside and made them note out for 2 hours.

    "Things didn''t go ording to n. Fleur and Birawa left before Maximilian came in. So did the other queens and princes."

    "What was that explosion? And what was its purpose?"

    Nishizaka replied

    "The explosion was to trigger panic inside the ballroom. Then, bait all the royal soldiers to go to the front gate."

    "You''re letting just two people fight the royal army?"

    "No, two people are needed to fight the six rounds that will most likelye to the front gate. Meanwhile, the soldiers will fight the human puppets."

    When she heard "human puppets," Alicia''s skin crawled with fear. It was as if things she didn''t want to think about shed through her mind.

    "W-what do you mean by human puppets?"

    "Before the whitmoon festival started, the leader ordered us to spread the dolls all over the capital. I don''t know how it works, but those dolls will turn ordinary people into dolls. Ordinary people will be puppets for two hours at most. And during that time, they will fight the soldiers to create a situation of mutual killing between themoners and the soldiers."

    "WHAT?!"

    As Alicia heard that, a troubling realization washed over her. Tonight, the capital would be a site of immense bloodshed. She had dispatched Tobias and Sewel to check on the capital. However, Alicia couldn''t shake off the fear that they might lose control and kill innocent people they mistakenly believed to be too far gone to save.

 Chapter 117 Nishizakas Disappointment

    ''I should deliver a message to Tobias and Sewel! But because of the istion room, I cannot connect with Tobias. I should do something with Nishizaka''s blessing,'' thought Alicia..

    Trying to buy time, Alicia had bombarded Nishizaka with a flurry of questions, hoping to catch her off guard. Meanwhile, she had secretly signaled Harald and Maximilian to take action against the guests. As Alicia continued to stall for time, she couldn''t help but wonder if they could act fast enough to prevent any casualties outside. She must get out from here and save the people outside who are controlled by the Dolls.

    However, Nishizaka''s patience gradually wore thin as she grew increasingly irritated with Alicia''s constant questioning. It reached a boiling point when she finally snapped and asked Alicia a direct question.

    "Oi... that''s enough, right? Now tell me everything you know! Where is Higashiro now, and what is his condition? Then how did you find out about it?!" Her words were cold and piercing. Her question contained a threat that she would kill Alicia if she didn''t answer her question. Nishizaka did that because there was a right to remain silent in that no-lie room.

    Alicia could no longer run away from Nishizaka''s question. So she answered...

    "I don''t know, I''m sorry."

    "Hah?!"

    Harald and Maximilian immediately came forward to catch Nishizaka. The god''s blessing is connected to mana; if Nishizaka dies here, then the effect of her blessing will also disappear.

    Swithian immediately blocked Harald and Maximilian with his spear.

    Nishizaka looked around, and it turned out that all the nobles were already on the far side of them. Then each side was protected by a 12 Milite captain.

    ''SHE TRICKED ME!'' thought Nishizaka, who felt like a fool for not noticing the others slowly forming a line away from her. Swithian might have noticed, but he kept quiet because it wasn''t part of the orders given by Ivaylo.

    But how? How did Alicia deceive her? Nishizaka looked at Alicia, whose body was still intact. This meant that she also didn''t lie and say that she really "didn''t know,"

    At that moment, Nishizaka immediately thinks back to all of Alicia''s words from the beginning. And Nishizaka immediately realized how stupid she was. No, rather Nishizaka realized how easily Alicia tricked her.

    ''What matters is that I didn''t lie. I''m just hiding the truth,'' Alicia thought.

    Alicia''s first sentence is: I''ve heard about Higashiro Yamanaka and the person who most likely knows about him.

    That made Nishizaka narrow his question to "Is it true? Do you really know something about him?"

    Of course, Alicia knew something about Higashiro because she had heard about him from Nishizaka. What Alicia knew about Higashiro was all the information provided by Nishizaka. Then what Alicia meant when she said, "I know the person who most likely knows about him," was that person was Nishizaka.

    Nishizaka, she assumed that Alicia knew something about Higashiro that she didn''t know. Fueled by this false assumption, she felt obliged to leak every bit of information about the Noctem Dolls to Alicia. However, to her surprise, Alicia didn''t give her any information about Higashiro in return.

    Because she believes that Alicia''s words hold any truth, she realizes, with a heavy heart and a sense of disappointment, that seeing her friend again is nothing more than a pipe dream. The hope that had been sparked inside of her by Alicia''s words was now extinguished, leaving behind a feeling of being let down and hurt.

    Nishizaka couldn''t help but feel betrayed. She had trusted Alicia and believed her; she thought there was a chance she could reunite with her friend. But now, it was painfully obvious that Alicia had lied to her. The realization hit her hard, and she felt a lump in her throat.

    As she sighed, trying to push back the wave of emotions, Nishizaka couldn''t help but think about how stupid she had been. How naive to have believed that something coulde out of the blue and bring her and her friend back together again.

    ''Since she manages to trick me like that, it means she already knows how my blessing works. And she figured it out just from her observation of the noble who first broke the rules... How cunning and terrible woman. I think I understand why leader told me to be wary of her," Nishizaka thought.

    "Modore (Come Back), Hisanna," as Nishizaka said it, the surrounding dust grains approached Nishizaka''s hand, and the dust continued to gather and turned into her katana as before.

    Nishizaka directly pierced Swith''s abdomen, and her katana also hit Maximilian''s because Maximilian stood before Swith.

    ''Damn, I didn''t expect her to stab her friend from behind!'' Maximilian thought. With this, he could go one-on-one against Harald.

    Harald pushed aside the bodies of the two people beside him. Then he approached Nishizaka.

    Nishizaka immediately shed at Harald, and Harald protected his head with both hands. As a result, the sword wounded both of Harald''s hands. Of course, Harald did it on purpose. So without any shocked reaction, Harald lunged toward Nishizaka and sshed his blood on her.

    "Blood?! What is this for?!" Suspicious of what Harald would do with the blood ssh, Nishizaka took off her robe and threw it forward, resulting in Harald''s blood ssh onto the robe

    -SWING

    The sound of a sword darting was heard from the robe that Nishizaka threw. From that robe, a sword came out that was aimed at her face.

    ''Why did it suddenly appear from there?!''

    -CRACK

    Cannot dodge, Harald''s sword reaches Nishizaka''s mask. As a result, the mask broke, ttering to the floor. Blood streamed from her face and sttered onto the mat. She clutched her bleeding features in agony, gasping in pain. The spectators looked on in horror as Nishizaka''s true face was finally revealed to them. On her left eye was a deep ck stitch mark - the unmistakable signature of a member of the Noctem Dolls.

    Nishizaka looked at Harald, who thrust his sword into his own palm.

    ''That person''s god''s blessing is also space rted. If it weren''t for this mask, I would have died,'' Nishizaka thought.

    As Nishizaka stood amid the chaos, various types of amnis shots were fired at her from all directions. These shots were delivered by dungeon explorers employed by the kingdom. Nishizaka fearlessly deflected all the shots with her sword and moved elegantly to avoid them all at once. Meanwhile, Haraldunched furious attacks on Nishizaka from all angles. None of the amnis shots hit Harald; all of them were expertly aimed at Nishizaka.

    But Nishizaka was not alone in this battle. With her was Swithian, who had sustained a horrific wound that caused a great deal of blood to gush out of her body. Even with that wound, Swithian didn''t die; to kill a doll controlled by Ivaylo, one must at least separate its body and head.

    Nishizaka picked up the sword lying on the floor and attempted to hurl it at the nobles. However, the Milite captains could swiftly swat it away, and Nishizaka realized that taking a hostage at such a time might not be possible.

    "Give me a moment," Nishizaka said to Swithian. Swithian nodded, taking Harald''s and the amnis'' attacks at the same time.

    Nishizaka sat down and began to pray.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Kami no mikago: Kisei no kakinaosu"

    Nishizaka''s body glowed, and just like before, the light on Nishizaka''s body expanded and covered the entire room.

    "I''ve rewritten the rules of this room. From now on, you are all forbidden to attack me!-"

    -WUUUSH

    A fireball shot out from Nishizaka''s right. The fire came from the amnis that Margareth activated.

    "MARGARETH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" shouted Harald. Margareth had just broken the rules made by Nishizaka to not attack her, and it made him think that Margareth would explode.

    "ukh!" but she didn''t explode; Margareth was now holding her head which was in a lot of pain.

    "The higher the risk to the user, the higher the impact. The lower the risk, the lower the impact! her god''s blessing is only dangerous when the rule is risk her own life!" Alicia said.

    "TCH! That woman really pissed me off!" muttered Nishizaka, holding her left shoulder that had gotten burned by Margareth''s amnis.

    "When the rules she made have no risk to her, the consequences will be weak! And the consequence of breaking the rules this time is a mild headache!" Alicia exined.

    Everyone went back to attacking Nishizaka, and as Alicia said, their heads hurt every time they attacked Nishizaka.

    But that didn''t mean it wasn''t a nuisance. Having a sudden headache while attacking people disrupted their uracy.

    With that bad uracy, they cannot risk shooting an amnis. So the dungeon explorers also came forward with their weapons. Nishizaka''s movements were very agile, assisted by Swithian who could sacrifice his body at any time, making them difficult to attack. Instead, Nishizaka repeatedly managed to split the head of the dungeon explorer who approached her so fast and easily.

    Nishizaka''s big problem is Harald.

    Harald repeatedly threw his blood at Nishizaka; Nishizaka had to take cover from other people''s bodies and clothes to avoid the blood. There was so much blood on the floor that he didn''t know which way Harald''s sword coulde out. Again and again the sword appeared from under her feet, and Nishizaka had to be wary of all her steps now. Until finally she could not move properly. If not for the head-spinning effect of Nishizaka''s god''s blessing that lousy Harald''s uracy, she would have died in a second

    Swithian''s presence was so disturbing that Harald decided to defeat Swith first. While Nishizaka was still busy fighting the dungeon explorers, Harald used the opportunity to ssh his blood on Swithian''s chest; He put his sword in his hand, then he muttered.

    "Abare: Cre," Harald''s sword thorns instantly bloomed inside Swithian''s body. As a result, Swithian''s body was destroyed, leaving only his head, hands, and feet.

    ''Forgive me, Sir Swith,'' Harald muttered.

    Behind Harald, Francis watched the whole fight with shock, fear, sadness, and anger.

    He saw the person responsible for his brother''s death before him. From their fight, Francis could tell that he was no match for them.

    But when he saw Leofric''s corpse lying on the ground, it made the blood inside him boil, and he wanted to avenge his brother immediately.

    ''I will help brother Harald! Two are better than one! When that woman is off guard, I will definitely kill her!'' Francis thought.

    Francis looked around, Sabine was treating Maximilian''s wound which seemed to be quite severe, along with other dungeon explorers. As for Alicia, she was on the 2nd floor, don''t know what she was doing, but she was standing in front of the door with a very serious face.

    For Francis, that moment was his chance. There would be no one to stop him if he came forward now.

    He slowly picked up the sword of one of the dungeon explorers beside him. Then waited for an opportunity to attack Nishizaka.

    Nishizaka, who already realized that the situation was getting dangerous because the Swith doll was already no use, had to find a way to reorganize the situation. And she found it when he looked at Prince Francis.

    As soon as the Swithian body was destroyed, Nishizaka ran straight to his target. To get the situation under her control, all she needed now was a hostage.

    When Nishizaka looked at Francis, Francis immediately shivered in fear. But he forced himself to raise the sword. His courage and desire to avenge Leofric''s death allowed him to ovee his fear.

    Without anyone to guard her, Nishizaka ran towards Francis.

    "FRANCIS!" shouted Harald, who also tried to chase after him. Harald''s shout made everyone look toward Francis, who was now raising his sword.

    "YOUR HIGHNESS! DON''T!" screamed Sabine.

    Francis raised his sword and shouted, "HYAA-" His head hurt tremendously as he did so. Francis vomited from his pain. That pain was the consequence of breaking the rules of the room by not attacking Nishizaka.

    Francis could only stay still and close his eyes.

    Then suddenly

    -THRUST

    "!!!"

    Sabine used her god''s blessing.

    Her god''s blessing was a cover move, which allowed her to move in front of the person she marked. For the past ten years, she had marked Francis with her mana.

    Nishizaka had never intended to use her sword. However, when Sabine appeared out of nowhere to protect Francis, Nishizaka spontaneously plunged her katana into Sabine''s stomach. It was a gut-wrenching sight for Francis. His eyes fluttered open to see the sharp de of Nishizaka''s katana inches away from his face. He felt a sudden jolt of fear, causing him to recoil slightly. As the pounding headache subsided, the sight before him became clearer. He saw Sabine''s motionless back. Sabine stands before him with a sword piercing her body, making the blood flow to the sword''s tip.

 Chapter 118 I Caught You

    __To me, Sabine is my mentor, teacher, and caretaker.

    I don''t remember when I first met Sabine, but because I don''t remember, I''m sure it was when I was very young. That''s what I heard from my mother, Queen Ismenia.

    Compared to my mother, I spent more time with Sabine. That''s because mom was always busy. She said she was burdened with a lot of work from the pce, even though I don''t know what she was actually did.

    As a child, I desperately sought my mother''s attention, desperate to gain some recognition for my efforts. I tried everything I could think of - I trained alone in a conspicuous manner, asked her to dress me, even attempted to kill wild pigs¡ªbut it seemed to no avail. No matter what I did, my mother never looked at me or gave me any kind of recognition. It was almost as if she didn''t even see me, and everything I did was too ordinarypared to my older siblings.

    Despite this disappointment, one person never failed to praise me: my mentor, Sabine. Whatever it was, Sabine always took the time to acknowledge my efforts and encourage me to keep going.

    If I''m not mistaken, I was six years old at the time. I don''t remember much before that, but one thing that made the biggest impression on me at that age was when I cried in front of Sabine.

    Everything that I want to do with mom, Sabine is always the one who takes over.

    Sabine was the one who told me I was great for practicing swordy; she told me I was great for killing a wild pig, and she even sat next to me when I was too scared to sleep at night.

    "Actually, I wanted mom to praise me," I cried.

    "I know, your highness," Sabine replied gently as she rubbed my small head.

    "Actually, I want mom to be the one to y with me,"

    "I know..."

    "Actually, I want my mom to be the one to sleep with me,"

    I know..."

    My heart was broken at that time. Because all the efforts I made to attract mom''s attention were all useless. I held Sabine''s hand and looked at her while crying,

    Then I said what I shouldn''t have said.

    If you knew that, why are you here? Why is it that whenever I want my mom near me, you''re the one? I just want to be with mom, not Sabine. I don''t want to be with you. I hate you! I never wanted to be with you! PLEASE! STOP TAKING MY MOM''S PLACE!"

    I snapped at Sabine in a high tone.

    In the dimly lit room, I could see the tears streaking down her face, and an immediate wave of regret washed over me. Despite always feeling uneasy around Sabine, I had just made her cry, yet I couldn''t bring myself to apologize. I didn''t realize it then, but I''m sure that''s how I felt.

    From that moment on, I stopped seeking my mother''s attention. I knew only Sabine woulde if I did, and I hated it. But even though I stopped doing it, Sabine was always near me. She was my mentor, but why was she always hovering nearby?

    Yes... I hated her.

    I hated Sabine for always forbidding me to practice swordy. She was nagy, grumpy, and stubborn, and her old face annoyed me.

    Yes... I hate her,

    She was always angry with me. Even though I am a prince and she was just my mentor, she has the courage to pinch, punch, and even punish me.

    I do hate her.

    But why?

    Why did my heart suddenly be very painful when I saw Sabine, whom I hate so much, stabbed before me?

    The sword thrust should have been directed at me, but Sabine used her body to protect me. The woman''s sword stabbed her right in the stomach.

    Oh no, what does this mean?

    Is she going to die?

    Is she going to leave me?

    No way, you are not going to die, right?

    After everything you have done for me¡­ You took my mother''s ce, punished me whenever I skipped your ss, and didn''t even cheer me up when I lost a duel to Edmund.

    And now, you are going to die?

    That can be true, right?

    Sabine¡­

    If you die¡­

    then to whom¡­

    To whom should I vent all my frustration on mom?

    To whom should I me when I fail?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    And to whom should I vent all this affection¡­ I don''t have others¡­

    You are more mother than my real mother. After all, you have stolen her ce in my life.

    In utter shock, I witnessed the woman who killed Brother Leofric also stab Sabine. As she drew back her sword, Sabine''s limp body fell to the ground right before me. Without thinking, I reached out to embrace her body, hoping to somehow bring her back to me. However, the vile woman violently grabbed me, her sword pointing sharply at my trembling neck.

    "Everyone, please don''t move," the woman said.

    "Hey! Let him go!" shouted Uncle Maximilian in pain.

    Despite my desperate attempts to break free and reach Sabine''s body, I found myself trapped, my body locked in this woman''s cruel grip. All the while, Sabine''s blood continued to seep out onto the floor.

    No¡­

    Sabine¡­

    I struggled as hard as possible but couldn''t break the woman''s hand lock.

    Damn... it''s all because I am weak.

    It was because I was weak that all this happened.

    My mother ignored me because I was weak, and my brothers also looked down on me because I was weak. Then I couldn''t reach Sabine''s body because I was weak.

    AGAIN!

    I CAN''T DO ANYTHING!

    I WISH...

    IF EVERYONE WAS AS WEAK AS ME! THEN I COULD FIGHT ANYONE WHO LOOKED DOWN ON ME!!!

    And maybe I could¡­ save Sabine

    ...

    God''s blessing is bestowed upon humans through mana; to get the blessing it is essential to reach the limit of the mana inside the mana gate. When the gate reaches its limit, mana will seek a way to release from the gate. This activates the divine intervention, bestowing the blessing upon the person.

    A person''s god''s blessing is directly proportional to their determination and desire.

    Francis had reached the pinnacle of his mana long before he found himself in a dangerous situation. And this moment was the right time to spill out all the full mana inside his body.

    As hey held hostage by a woman who had already shown her mercilessness by killing his brother Leofric and his mentor Sabine, his boiling emotions drove him to seek vengeance through all the mana he harbored.

    He was enraged, frustrated, and determined to end the woman''s life, and this was the opportune moment for his mana to unleash from the gate.

    Desperate to protect herself from others. Nishizaka resorted to a drastic measure: she seized Francis and held him hostage to make the others halt their attack. Francis struggled to break free from his captor''s iron grip, but suddenly he stopped rebelling.

    Francis made a sudden move that caught her off guard. He slowly took out the knife from his left pocket and quickly thrust it toward Nishizaka''s leg.

    But to Nishizaka, such a small knife thrust was not too dangerous; it failed to inflict significant damage on Nishizaka. Nishizaka retaliated by snatching the knife and aiming that knife at Francis'' hand. The sharp pain pierced his flesh, causing his body to tremble.

    "Francis! Don''t act rashly or you could die!" shouted Harald.

    Francis remained silent, bowing his head. The sudden stillness confused ripple through the room. The once-whiny and weak Francis seemed to have undergone a drastic transformation¡ªhe didn''t even react to the knife wound inflicted upon him!

    After a moment, Francis raised his head and stared upwards at a 95-degree angle. His eyes met the cold, unfeeling gaze of a woman who had just killed Leofric and Sabine.

    "I caught you," Francis dered, his voice vibrating and spooky.

    He red at Nishizaka. Though he only said three words, his re gave Nishizaka sudden goosebumps.

    ''What does he mean by caught me? I am the one who is currently making him a hostage,'' Nishizaka thought.

    As Nishizaka stared at Francis, she couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease settle into her chest. It wasn''t just her, though; she could tell by the way the others were silent that they were feeling the strange energy emanating from Francis. The air became heavy and still; silence stretched endlessly around them. It was as if time had stopped or was moving in slow motion. The room became so quiet that if you dropped a needle, people could probably hear it.

    Then, Francis spoke. His voice was soft but trembling, yet it carried an air of authority that demanded their attention.

    "God''s Blessing..." he said, and with those two words, Nishizaka felt a sudden chill run down her spine. She couldn''t exin it, but she could feel his skin break out into goosebumps. It wasn''t just her either; she could see everyone else in the room was experiencing the same sensation.

    Nishizaka immediately threw Francis away, retreating backward. Even though Nishizaka had released the hostages, none of them attacked Nishizaka. Everyone was still fixated on Francis, who looked strange.

    Francis red at Nishizaka and said,

    "The Masque of Red Bridle"

 Chapter 119 The Masque Of Red Bridle

    "God''s blessing: The Masque of Red Bridle"

    Anticipation filled the air, everyone awaited the oue what will Francis do. However, time seemed to stand still as the seconds ticked away with no visible result. Confusion settled everyone like a dense fog, for Francis had just said his god''s blessing. None of them could fathom what was happening, except for one person - Nishizaka.

    As Francis turned, Nishizaka found herself frozen in fear. In the distance, a strange, masked creature was soaring towards them in a blood-red cloak. Nishizaka couldn''t make out its features, but the creature''s inhumanly long fingers were visible even from afar.

    A wave of terror washed over Nishizaka as she realized the creature was heading straight for her. Despite her fear, she found herself paralyzed, unable to move as the creature closed in. Then, with a single swift movement, it stabbed her, plunging its fingers deep into her chest and gripping her heart.

    Nishizaka felt a jolt of pain, but her fear had locked her in ce, and she was powerless to retaliate. The creature maintained its grip for a few seconds before releasing her, and Nishizaka copsed to the ground, shaken and struggling to regain her strength.

    Nishizaka was scared out of her wits, as behind Francis, she saw a strange masked creature flying in a blood-red cloak Nishizaka couldn''t make out its features, but the creature''s inhumanly long fingers were visible even from afar. A wave of terror washed over Nishizaka as she realized the creature was heading straight for her. Despite her fear, she found herself paralyzed, unable to move as the creature closed in. Then, with a single swift movement, it stabbed her, plunging its fingers deep into her chest and gripping her heart.

    "AKH!"

    Strangely, the creature suddenly disappeared, Nishizaka went back to check her chest, pierced by the creature''s fingers earlier, but there was nothing there. It was as if everything she saw was just a fantasy.

    But Nishizaka remembered the fear she felt at that time was real.

    Francis walked over and picked up his sword. Then ran towards Nishizaka.

    ''What the hell was that? Is his god''s blessing only giving terror? Then its not really a big deal,'' Nishizaka thought.

    Francis swung his sword at Nishizaka, and Nishizaka ducked it. As they shed their swords, that''s when Nishizaka felt something strange.

    Not only Nishizaka, Harald and others who were watching also noticed the strangeness.

    "What are they doing? Are those terrorists doing a sword-ying with the prince?"

    It''s not strange that someone would say that. Because Nishizaka, who had been moving agilely and brutally swinging her sword through people''s heads, now looked very slow, as if she was ying swordy with Francis.

    ''What''s going on? Why does my body feel so heavy!'' Nishizaka thought.

    Francis relentlessly swung his sword at Nishizaka, determined to defeat her. Nishizaka could easily see Francis'' movements but could not have a little time to react. She found herself struggling to keep up with Francis'' attack. Her body felt frail as if it could not keep up with the movements her eyes and mind required. Every swing of the sword felt like an immense effort, as she fought to defend herself against Francis'' sh

    "Hey look! Wh-what''s that!"

    Everyone realized that beside Nishizaka was a tiny creature wearing a mask and a red robe. It was a doll-like creature, the same appearance as the creature that gripped Nishizaka''s heart before flying beside Nishizaka.

    ''Since when has that thing been there?!'' Nishizaka thought. She immediately kicked Francis with all her might to get him away from her. Nishizaka then tried to p the creature that was flying beside her. But her hand went right through the creature as if it was just a hologram.

    "Hey! What are you doing?" Nishizaka asked Francis.

    "Guess what..." Francis came forward again and attacked Nishizaka with his might. His movements were slow, but Nishizaka was just as slow as Francis.

    After shing swords with Francis, she tried to analyze it; Nishizaka came to the least reasonable but most reasonable conclusion she could think of.

    ''This puppet probably appeared when he activated his god''s blessing. Judging from the simr movements between him and me, it was apparent that his ability must be to equalize status. Upon engaging inbat, I came to the realization that my movements were as sluggish as his, and my strength was no different from his, weak and unremarkable.."

    But even though they were now equally strong, Nishizaka was still slightly superior due to her experience, technique, and the effect of her blessing that hurt Francis'' head.

    Harald didn''t understand what was happening but thoughtlessly approached them.

    Nishizaka realized Harald''s action and intended to run away immediately, but her body could not follow her mind. At that time her strength and speed were on par with Francis, the weakest prince in the country.

    ''I''ll have to retreat!'' Nishizaka thought.

    Nishizaka''s body shone. As Harald was about to sh at him with his sword, Harald''s sword bounced off. Francis also went to attack her glowing body but could not.

    "What is she doing?!" said Harald.

    The bright light slowly disappeared. A transparent square now surrounded Nishizaka''s body.

    Nishizaka bowed her head, looking tired and in pain. She was panting, and from her eyes, it could be seen that she was exhausted.

    "Kami no Mikago: Bougyo No Tenka"

    Harald tried to hit her as hard as he could, but his fist couldn''t reach Nishizaka; it was like hitting a tough wall.

    ''Bogyou no tenka, is the advanced level of Jiyuu no kosoku. I can create a new isted space inside the space. Unfortunately, because I isted myself inside the soace I created, I need double the mana to use it, I can only use this once in three days, and it can onlyst for 5 minutes. Since I''ve already used my god''s blessing twice, I can only use this skill for 2 minutes. I have to get out of here quickly!'' thought Nishizaka.

    Nishizaka, with a limp leg, exhausted, walked quickly towards the exit. Her speed was taken away, her strength was also taken away, plus her mana was depleted. There was no chance for her to continue the mission anymore.

    "Stop her!"

    At first they tried to stand before Nishizaka, but their bodies immediately bounced off. Then everyone activated long-range amnis. Various kinds of amnis were fired at her, but none of them worked. Nothing could hit Nishizaka inside that space at that time.

    "I''ll be there soon..." said Nishizaka.

    Then suddenly

    -CRACK! CRASH!

    Like broken ss, the istion space surrounding Nishizaka shattered, and her aura enveloped the entire space.

    "What happened? I still have mana; why did it suddenly shatter?" said Nishizaka in confusion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "GET HER!" shouted Alicia.

    Harald quickly headed towards Nishizaka. Nishizaka tried to run as fast as she could, but Francis''s blessing was still active; the red mask puppet was beside her, making her speed and strength as weak as Francis''s.

    Harald grabbed the back of Nishizaka''s head and smashed it against the floor.

    "AKH! Why?! Why did my space get destroyed?!" said Nishizaka, who could finally show her angry expression.

    Then behind Harald, Alicia slowly walked towards Nishizaka. Nishizaka tried to look back, and from Alicia''s face she was sure that Alicia had done something.

    "You''re the one interrupting everything again! Did you? What are you doing?" asked Nishizaka.

    "I''m just analyzing the flow of your mana in the wall and returning it back to ordinary mana."

    "Huh?"

    "Of course, I won''t exin further,"

    ''My appraisal isn''t just looking at people''s status. The advanced form of this god''s blessing is Evaluation and Analysis. I can see the flow of how blessing works and then rearrange them. The mana of god''s blessing is like a tangled thread. All I need to do is straighten the thread again so that it turns into ordinary mana.

    "What should we do with this woman, sister? Since we intended to kill her from the beginning, should we just kill her?" asked Harald.

    "Hmm... We were about to kill her before getting out of this room. Since that matter is over, we no longer need to kill her. She''s a little different from the rest of the Noctem Dolls. We can use her to gather more information."

    Suddenly, Alicia could feel the tension of someone''s aura behind her. Looking behind, she saw Francis, with a fierce determination, charged towards them, wielding the sword that glinted with the ballroom''s light. Francis''s mind clouded with a burning desire for revenge as memories of Sabine''s senseless murder flooded back. It was an overwhelming force, driving him to take matters into his own hands no matter the cost. As he closed in on Nishizaka, his tiny fingers tightened around the sword''s hilt, his heart racing with adrenaline.

    Seeing Francis'' behavior, Alicia immediately pulled his hand and did a chop to Francis'' back neck. Francis immediately fell.

    ''I-I can''t move!'' Francis thought.

    "Don''t do that, Francis. We still need her, and this is not the right time for you to kill someone," Alicia said.

    "What did you say sister?! We have to kill her immediately! She was the one who killed Brother Leofric and Sabine! There''s no way I''m going to let her live!"

    Alicia knew this pattern; she had seen desperate people like this many times while trying to reconcile the rebels with the kingdom. And she knew that whatever she did and whatever she said to Francis would be useless.

    So Alicia drew an amnis circle above Francis'' head and activated

    "Sleeping Wind"

    "Sister! Don''t! Let me kill her! I want to kill her! I want to kill her with my own hands..."

    Francis fell asleep in the effects of Alicia''s amnis.

    As soon as he fell asleep, the doll flying beside Nishizaka disappeared. Nishizaka''s strength and speed returned to normal, but Harald was already holding her so well that she couldn''t do anything anymore.

    "Take good care of her, brother Harald. Before I deliver the message to Tobias, I must examine Leofric''s corpse. There''s something strange about their actions. Nishizaka and Swithian keep preventing me from appraising the corpse."

    "Alright."

    Alicia quickly ran towards Leofric.

    But suddenly¡­

    "Abare: Personator"

    An invisible rope was binding Nishizaka and Leofric''s corpses. Alicia immediately noticed it as she approached Leofric''s corpse; from her passive appraisal, she could see an unnatural mana flow around Leofric.

    "Brother! Don''t let her off from your hand!" Alicia shouted.

    Nishizaka''s body was pulled by something, and so was Leofric''s. Both of them quickly darted out of the room.

    The door opened, and everyone looked towards it.

    "Oh, we arrived at the right time, Ralph."

    "It''s all because you''ve been having fun for too long, Adam. Nishizaka almost got caught; Leader still needs her ability."

    A big man was at the door, his body and hands covered in thick chains. The man was now clenching his fist, and his fist was shining bright.

    ''Wh-what the heck is that?! All the mana around is gathering inside his fist!'' thought Alicia who could see everything with her passive appraisal.

    The man smiled and said

    "God''s blessing: Perses Tantrum"

    Alicia immediately shouted, "EVERYONE GO AS FAR FROM THE DOOR!"

    Adam smiled and said, "toote!"

    -BAAAAAM

    The Ballroom explodes by Adam''s blessing.

 Chapter 120 How To Save

    Leofric''s corpse stuck in front of him, making Allen forget everything. He wanted to end things with Leofric. If he killed Leofric, he was sure that all the things that burdened his heart would disappear. But Leofric was now dead, making him need to vent his hatred and anger on someone else.

    It just so happened that he was in the pce, and Allen thought he should take out his anger on all the humans he could meet.

    But all those feelings disappeared immediately when he heard Felicia''s name.

    He never imagined that Felicia would still be outside. He frantically searched for her trail as he stepped out into the cold night air. Heart racing with each passing moment, he moved swiftly through the darkness, chasing after her.

    After what felt like an eternity, he finally caught up to Felicia. Worn and out of breath, he was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw the unthinkable scene. Before his very eyes, someone had stabbed Felicia''s body. Allen was just silent as he struggled to process the horrifying scene before him.

    "Felicia?"

    Time seemed to slow down at that moment, as if all his thoughts were focused on the moment of death before him.

    Felicia somehow noticed Allen''s presence. She looked to the side with a pained look on her face.

    "Allen...I''m sorry..." Felicia said. Allen could hear her voice saying that. His face, which initially looked relieved, turned into a face of shock and depression. Because Felicia''s face at that time was the same as Isabelle''s and his mother''s faces when they left him.

    As soon as the person who attacked Felicia pulled his hand from her body, Felicia''s body fell down. That''s when Allen regained consciousness; he quickly rushed towards Felicia and held her body before she fell.

    "Allen... I''m sorry, I''m going to trouble you again." Felicia said.

    The blood didn''t stoping out of the wound, and neither did the wound in Allen''s heart. Felicia looked so helpless with her weak body.

    That''s when he realized that all this happened because he was too focused on Leofric, which in the end, he didn''t kill him either.

    Without Allen realizing it, water was already leaking out of his eyes, soaking Felicia''s unconscious face.

    At that moment, time seemed to stop just for them. And that stopped time was immediately forced to run by the killing aura that Allen felt nearby.

    The killing aura was so strong that he felt a huge figure lunging towards him.

    A sword swung,

    Allen spontaneously retreated backward, but he was slow to react.

    -SWING

    The sword grazed his face, giving a diagonal cut across his right eye. Blood flowed from the wound, covering half of his face.

    "We finally meet again..." said the one who swung the sword. His hair was red, and his eyes were blue. It was Arthur, apanied by rissa and Norman to kill the king.

    Leofric''s demise brought him a mix of emotions. He had always despised him, but the thought of death was still a bitter pill to swallow because he was not the one who killed him. Plus, his sentiments quickly turned to rage again when he saw Felicia, someone he cared about, get attacked, making his anger reach its peak.

    "YOU HUMANS!!! YOU TOOK AWAY MY REASON TO LIVE! NOW YOU''RE TAKING MY REASON TO DIE!" shouted Allen while holding Felicia''s body tightly.

    Allen''s existence, his anger, and his hatred used to dominate everything. During his mother''s death, everyone was controlled by the fear Allen gave off. But now, Allen''s screams did not dominate the three people in front of him at all.

    "Do you remember me?" asked Arthur in front of Allen, who was holding Felicia. At that moment, Arthur''s face looked normal, but Arthur''s aura spread brutally and crazily around him. The hatred that Arthur had umted over the years was already bubbling up when he saw Allen in front of him.

    "I knew it; I was right all along," Arthur''s voice, which was usually soft and foolish to Norman and rissa, now sounded heavy and harsh. Arthur''s hatred and anger were no less intense than Allen have before him.

    "You are a monster that will harm humans! I have told the prince many times, but he looked down on me and locked me up for trying to kill a monster! This time I''m not bound by any rules! I WILL DEFINITELY avenge Sir Waldo here!" said Arthur.

    ...

    When he saw the situation in front of him, Norman thought

    ''So he is the other-worlder Arthur is looking for. This is bad; without Arthur, we can''t find the king any faster.''

    The people of Noctem Dolls have their own goals and paths, which should take precedence over Ivaylo''s orders. And when their members are confronted by their goals, other members are forbidden to interfere. Norman was at a loss this time as to whether he should force Arthur to leave in the middle of work or let Arthur take care of the boy first.

    But the problem was...

    "I-I don''t think Arthur can win against him," rissa said.

    Norman agreed. He nodded and said,

    "I waspletely unaware of his existence until he suddenly embraced the girl. He was fast enough that I couldn''t react. And with those red eyes, he must be the one Adam and Ralph met at the market. Adam praised his strength just by looking. I hate him, but because of his experience, he can judge people''s strengths well."

    "A-at this rate, d-do-do we need to use my god''s blessing on Arthur?" asked rissa.

    "Let''s look at the situation first; your god''s blessing consumes a lot of mana. I will protect him if Arthur''s life is in danger. If he refuses toe afterwards, you can use it."

    "A-alright¡­"

    On Allen''s side,

    when Arthur was talking, he didn''t listen to him at all. His mind was nk; Leofric, who was his reason to live, was dead, and even Felicia, who was his reason to die, was probably dead. He looked at his hands, which were covered in Felicia''s blood. Then suddenly, he realized something,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Blood?"

    Allen immediately looked at the ce where Felicia was stabbed. Felicia''s blood spilled on the ground, slowly growing a nt. The nt grew slowly without light but withered soon after.

    Then Allen remembered that he had previously seen Felicia die in the dungeon. At first, he thought of Felicia''s death as a dream because she was still alive after she regained consciousness. But after Allen thought more deeply about Felicia''s god''s blessing, he realized something that hadn''t urred to him. Felicia may have died at that time.

    "Reig, unite with me," muttered Allen.

    At that moment Allen merged with Reig because he needed mind eleration. He needed more time to think to put the puzzle together in his head.

    ''While in the dungeon, I distinctly remember that the monster killed her, but somehow she came back to life. Probably because her blood activated her god''s blessing, that means Felicia''s god''s blessing can activate even if she faints! Which makes it impossible for her to die as long as she has mana!'' Allen thought.

    If Felicia dies in a state where her blood flows a lot, then her blood will automatically activate her god''s blessing, and after that, her god''s blessing will heal Felicia''s injured body.

    What Allen was doing by embracing her body right now was making Felicia unable to heal. He had to put Felicia on the ground and let her heal herself.

    The problem was that Felicia couldn''t survive if he had just put her on the ground.

    As Allen gazed upon Felicia''s blood in front of him, he was taken aback that the garden of nts created by that crimson liquid had been short-lived, wilting away just as quickly as they had bloomed. Allen pondered on this bizarre urrence, wondering if it had anything to do with Felicia''s present state of unconsciousness. It dawned on him then that she would need his protection during her recovery, as the nts may take some time to be active again.

    Then a new problem arose that he hadn''t thought of before,

    ''Eh? How many times has she used her god''s blessing today?" Allen thought.

    Previously Felicia could only use her god''s blessing twice a day because she had to make arge circle to activate it. If Felicia has improved her skill, she might be able to use the big circle three times a day. She had previously used her god''s blessing to heal Allen''s hand; after that, her god''s blessing had also just activated itself in front of Allen.

    In the worst case, Felicia could only use her god''s blessing once more to heal her own body.

    Allen checked Felicia''s body; she still wasn''t dead. So he had to find a way to stop the bleeding until her own god''s blessing healed Felicia. Chances were, if Felicia died, her god''s blessing would also vanish.

    "Reig, inside the dungeon, you did something to save me after I used my god''s blessing, right? Please do the same for Felicia." Allen talked about how Reig closed the hole in Allen''s body while in the dungeon. Reig then separated from Allen and covered Felicia''s wound with his body. He has now emerged with Felicia.

    ''This way, Felicia can live for the next few minutes.'' Allen thought.

    Allen ced Felicia''s body on the ground and then looked at the three people before him.

    Another problem he had to face now was taking care of Felicia while she recovered from the three people in front of her. Allen sensed a strong aura in the two people behind Arthur, making him less confident that he could defeat them. This meant he had to devise a n to escape after Felicia recovered.

    But right now, he didn''t have Reig.

    He couldn''t utilize mind eleration to fight against them. Let alone the three of them; even in one on one, he could only defeat Arthur.

    And even if he fought against one of them, would the other two remain silent when they saw Felicia''s recovering state?

    As Arthur continued to ramble on about how much he hated Allen, Allen just ignored him. He kept thinking, thinking, and thinking.

    There was no way he could kill the three of them

    There was no way he could run away from the three of them while carrying Felicia

    How could he escape from them if he survived until Felicia recovered?

    Looking at the situation, there must be a reason why they killed Felicia, and they would do it again if she woke up.

    ''What should I do?

    ''What should I do?

    ''What should I do?''

    Allen then looked at Felicia''s lying body. Then when he saw her face, he remembered how Felicia had never given up on saving him in the dungeon.

    And that made him, who was already desperate, think of a way he had never thought of before.

    What mattered to him now was Felicia''s safety.

    Arthur, having finished rambling, walked up to Allen, saying "Hey! Get ready... Monster Boy. I''ll kill you with my hands,"

    ''Go on a rampage, you monster! Go berserk like when you killed Sir Waldo!''

    ''Well, how will this fight end? I hope the boy can defeat Arthur instantly; that way, I can kill the boy right away and bring Arthur to search for the king,'' Norman thought.

    Just as he was about to point his sword at Allen, Arthur stopped in shock, as did Norman and rissa, who did not expect what they saw.

    As Arthur stood before the object of his deep-seated loathing, he watched with a mixture of surprise and confusion as his nemesis lowered themselves onto the ground, both hands touching the earth in a gesture of submission. Arthur, Norman, and rissa, who had felt the rage that Allen had, immediately sensed the shift in the atmosphere, the intense hatred that had consumed them dissipating as if by magic. It was evident that Allen had no intention to fight.

    "I beg you... please let this girl live," Allen said, with trembling voice.

 Chapter 121 To Forgive

    At the Barkaley Barony training grounds, before Leofric''s dungeon raid begins, Arthur met Waldo Barkaley, the eldest son of the Barkaley barony.

    As the eldest son, Waldo had to lead the raid troops to raise the family name and serve as the Barkaley family''s overseer for the soldiers participating in the raid. Waldo was so scared of what he would face that he didn''t feel up to challenging the dungeon. Then Waldo''s fear was instantly dispelled when Arthur said

    "No worry Sir. I will protect you no matter what happens."

    Arthur''s words had a transformative effect on Waldo, instilling a newfound sense of courage in him. After that, a deep bond formed between these two families; Waldo often invited Arthur''s family, his sister Susan, for the meal after training. In their free time, Waldo would sometimes also bring his sister along. Despite only having known each other for a mere week, their close rtionship was quickly noticed by the entire town, which couldn''t help but remark on how much they looked like brothers.

    To make Arthur even stronger, Waldo taught Arthur swordsmanship and sparred with him every day; Arthur has never won against him.

    "At this rate, I''ll feel ashamed for this weak body for saying to protect you," Arthur said.

    "Haha. Your learning speed is amazing; you''re even better than me in the way of learning; you justck experience. Besides, your words alone are enough to give me courage. If coupled with your prowess in swordsmanship, perhaps I would feel small as you would defeat me in every field."

    "You praise me too much," Arthur replied with some embarrassment.

    "No, you''re wrong. I''m not exaggerating... I may be currently stronger than you. But one day you will definitely be stronger than me. By then, you won''t have to think about protecting me anymore. Do what you do, protect your sister, and do not use your power to kill others."

    "S-sorry, I don''t understand what you mean," Waldo''s words sounded deep to the uneducated Arthur.

    "When people have power, they want to achieve something higher and use it arbitrarily. It creates a system of ''the strong will eat; the weak will die'' in this world. I wish for a world where everyone can live, not only with strength. I want people with power to use their power to protect, not kill others. I hope you will be that kind of person."

    Arthur still didn''t understand the details, so he only answered the parts he understood.

    "For sure, you don''t want me to be a murderer, right? Don''t worry Mr Waldo; I need the power to kill monsters and challenge dungeon! And I will only use this power to protect you and your dreams! I will never kill a human!"

    Then the next day, when they finally entered the dungeon.

    Arthur had not kept a single promise he had made to Waldo.

    Waldo''s body being split in half by Allen made him realize how weak he was and how rotten all the sweet words he had said to Waldo were.

    "Using this power to protect him? What the hell? What power are you talking about? You don''t have it at all," Arthur said to himself.

    As he watched Waldo die in front of him, he could only remain silent in the dungeon. He was frightened by the figure of Allen in front of him. The boy he knew in the dungeon turned out to be a monster who killed everyone, including the person he respected the most. It was at that moment that Arthur''s purpose changed. Since he couldn''t protect Waldo, he had to avenge him. So hatred grew in him, and he broke his promise not to kill humans.

    No, he doesn''t think about killing humans; he just wants to kill Allen because Allen is not human to him. But the hatred bubbling up inside her turned out to be only a small amountpared to Allen''s hatred. The hatred Allen had for humans was much greater than his, making him unable to do anything about it.

    Arthur bore witness to everything that happened on that fateful day. As he stood there, he saw Allen''s tear-streaked face contorted in anguish before the Queen Orc''s corpse. The raw agony etched on Allen''s face mirrored the pain that Arthur and his sister had felt when they were torn apart from their parents. Arthur realized his hatred wasn''t big enough at that time. Because he "rationalized" that Allen''s searing emotions, which eventually drove him to take the life of Waldo, were only "natural" under the circumstances.

    He felt sympathy for Allen and thought that what Allen did was not totally wrong.

    But all of that was only in his subconscious.

    When he thought about how he had broken his promise to Waldo and how his life would now go on without Waldo, his ego forced him not to ept Allen''s actions, and he med Allen based on

    JUSTICE

    Arthur''s ego forces him to hate Allen by making up various reasons why he should hate him.

    -After Waldo died, what would happen to his family? When Arthur thought about it, he hated Allen even more for killing Waldo.

    -After Waldo dies, what about his sister who already liked Waldo? His hatred grew more

    -What will happen to Waldo''s fianc¨¦e, who always waits for his return? His hatred grew even more.

    He thought about everything many times, and the hatred grew unnaturally within him.

    Waldo''s death was natural? That''s impossible! The boy was at fault!

    Were the humans at fault for attacking Allen and Queen Orc? That was impossible! From the beginning of the child''s existence, it was wrong! A monster with humans is impossible!

    That child will never be a good human in the future!

    He will only bring disaster

    He is a monster inside a human vessel!

    And that is not something that should exist in this world!

    His denial made him think that he had to hate that child. He had to kill the boy, or even if he didn''t have to... At the very least, the child would meet his end at the hands of Leofric. His denial had escted into something far more sinister, and there was no turning back now.

    But no,

    Leofric decided to let the boy live

    ''Huh? Are you kidding me? If you don''t want to kill him, then I will do it myself!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Then he was imprisoned by Leofric for trying to kill Allen. While he was in prison, he could no longer see his sister.

    And to add to her hatred for Allen, she med Allen. Because of Allen''s existence, he was now leaving her sister alone.

    ''That''s right; I left Susan alone because Allen killed Lord Waldo! Because of him, I was forced to avenge Sir Waldo and leave Susan! Everything is his fault! He''s a monster that shouldn''t be allowed to live!''

    ''THAT BASTARD PRINCE MUST BE WRONG TO HAVE ALLOWED THAT CHILD TO LIVE.''

    ''You''ll see, that child will be a terrible person who will only kill! He will kill all humans because he hates them so much. He will continue to hate humans until he dies!''

    But...

    "I beg you... please let this girl live," Allen said with a trembling voice.

    When she finally met with Allen again, the person she hated so much and wanted to kill was now pleading in front of him.

    "I can feel the hatred you feel for me. That means you don''t need this girl, right? I will give you my life, so please let this girl live," Allen said again.

    Allen had lost his purpose in life because Leofric was dead. He already had no other ideas to save Felicia. So he chose to beg. At least he wanted Felicia to live.

    Arthur couldn''t believe what was in front of him. Allen, who used to rampage like a monster, killing all the humans brutally, was now begging for another person''s life.

    "Don''t y with me..." Arthur''s voice began to tremble like he was going to cry.

    "WHY! WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THAT GIRL?! YOU! THE SON OF A FILTHY MONSTER! WHO ALREADY HATES HUMANS BECAUSE YOUR MOTHER DIED! THEN WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HUMANS?!" Arthur''s aura exploded brutally. His desire to kill Allen was growing, but if he killed Allen now, he would be the same as when he was defeated. He wouldn''t be able to get rid of the hatred inside him. If he killed Allen, who didn''t resist at all, then there would be no point in him harboring hatred for revenge.

    All his expectations of Allen were shattered.

    Arthur could see it... Allen, whom he thought would only be a monster who continued to kill humans, was now protecting a human. Allen''s eyes which he saw now, were different from Allen''s eyes before. Allen''s eyes looked sincere and desperate; he really just wanted to save the girl behind him.

    Looking at Arthur''s face, Allen slowly replied,

    "This girl is... an important person to me. After I lost my mother, my only goal was to avenge her, so I held an excellent hatred toward humans. But after I left the dungeon, I met good people who were happy to help others. This girl was one of them. She was always trying to get others to ept her and do good things for everyone, even for people like me who often looked at her with a hateful gaze.

    So I beg you... You can take this life, but please let this girl live."

    Allen''s answer made Arthur even angrier.

    Because in front of him right now...

    Allen looked simr to the Queen Orc as he desperately asked Leofric and him to let Allen live.

    ''THIS IS NOT TRUE, RIGHT?! THIS MUST NOT BE TRUE! YOU''RE NOT THIS KIND OF PERSON, ALLEN!"Arthur thought.

    "SCREAM! GO BERSERK! SHOW YOUR STRENGTH! YOU''RE A MONSTER WHO KILLS HUMANS! THERE''S NO WAY YOU''RE PROTECTING SOMEONE!"

    As Arthur stood there, his tears filled his eyes, yet they refused to fall. His voice grew hoarse, and anger coursed through him. He wanted to vent his frustration, but he couldn''t bring himself tosh out any longer. Arthur didn''t know what to do if Allen became like he was now. He had no idea how to handle a situation like this.

    Allen bowed his head, then said

    "I''m sorry."

    Arthur shook his head, still not believing what he saw, but Allen did things that were not in ordance with what he thought.

    At this rate...

    At this rate...

    I''m the one who looks like a murderous monster!

    That''s what Arthur thought. Who saw Allen as simr to the Queen Orc.

    And just then he remembered Waldo''s words to him "I want people with powers to use their powers to protect others, not to kill others. I hope you''ll be that kind of person."

    This means that the person Waldo is hoping for is someone like Allen. Who is currently protecting the people who matter to him. While Arthur was the opposite, he used his power to kill people who were trying to protect others.

    Arthur''s tears, rolling down his eyes, now fell. So did the sword in his hand.

    He bowed his head and covered it with both hands, crying over everything he had done.

    Not only had he broken his promise to Waldo to protect him, but he had also trampled on Waldo''s hopes for him.

    "I''m sorry, Mr Waldo."

 Chapter 122 Saving Felicia

    The aura of hatred emitted by Arthur slowly disappeared, leaving Arthur just sitting and crying with his head bowed.

    "I''m sorry... I''m sorry..." Arthur mumbled.

    ''Are they going to let us go?'' Allen thought.

    Allen could think of various reasons why Felicia could be attacked here, but he couldn''t think of why Arthur could feel such deep hatred for him. Although Arthur looked a little familiar to him, Allen actually didn''t remember Arthur''s face or anything about him at all. Because he had killed many people, he was sure his hatred must have something to do with it.

    ''It would be great if they would let us go... but... once I''m out of this situation. What will I do? Leofric is dead, I have no reason to live any longer..."

    Allen then looked at Felicia. The nt was now slowly growing and shining; Allen could see Felicia slowly starting to heal herself.

    ''Since I have no reason to live anymore, I should at least save her tonight,'' Allen thought.

    Just as he let out a sigh of relief, a figure suddenly move in front of him. It was Norman with a menacing look. His aura sent shivers down Allen''s spine. Allen was startled, as he had not heard any footsteps or sensed Norman''s presence.

    ''He''s so fast!

    Allen''s heart pounded in his chest as he frantically tried to devise something. But before he could think of anything,

    "You think I''ll just let you go?"

    Norman lunged at Felicia with his hand.

    With all his strength, Allen used his sword to ward off Norman''s attack. But since it was just an ornate default sword, it broke immediately after shing with Norman''s nails. But Allen had predicted that his sword hand would only slow down his attack, so he moved his hand forward even more. As a result, Allen''s hand received Norman''s attack.

    "What?!" Norman was surprised that his nails could only scratch Allen''s hand.

    Allen from the beginning, deliberately made his feet stand on tiptoe. So in this state, Allen pushed his body with his feet, used his head to hit Norman''s head very hard.

    Norman was thrown back, but he quickly regained his position. Norman then wiped his nose, which was bleeding because of Allen, and looked at his hands.

    ''My nails are broken... That kid has a strong body and strength. Are all Other-worlder this strong? No, as far as I know, Nishizaka doesn''t have such a strong physique.''

    "No-Norman... Please don''t kill the girl; I need her alive!" said rissa.

    "Huh?! What did you say?"

    "T-the girl¡­ She is the reincarnation of a hero."

    Norman showed a surprised face, then scratched his hair,

    "Aaaagh! So the reason you were smiling earlier was because you saw that girl''s god''s blessing! No wonder her god''s blessing can activate while she is unconscious.

    We''re in the middle of work! Can you just forget about that girl for now!"

    "If we split up now, I''m afraid I won''t be able to find her again," rissa retorted.

    ''What are they talking about? Hero? reincarnation?'' Allen thought.

    Allen then looked at Felicia, who seemed to still need time to heal,

    "No, I shouldn''t have to think about that; these people seem to need Felicia, so at least she won''t be killed here. But we don''t know what they will do after¡­ I have to do something to protect her."

    Allen looked at Arthur, then thought

    ''It seems that guy''s decision has nothing to do with these two. That means myst choice is to fight them!''

    Then Allen suddenly felt tremendous pain all over his body.

    "?! What is this?! An attack from them? But I don''t remember receiving any attacks other than that boy''s nails?! Is this his god''s blessing?!"

    Ranged mana attacks are usually rted to physical forms, such as creating fireballs or ice spears. Sometimes non-physical forms such as Leofric''s god''s blessing also turn mana into sound. Then a type of god''s blessing that doesn''t need to materialize mana is a type of marker. The user would mark the target, and then he could activate his god''s blessing on the marked target. Allen was worried that this painful feeling was happening because Norman had marked him.

    The tremendous fear that Allen felt was actually not too dangerous or disturbing; it was just that he felt it was just the "beginning". He was worried that something would happen afterwards.

    But he wasn''t the only one who was surprised. It turned out that Norman and rissa were also surprised.

    "What are you doing, rissa?!" shouted Norman.

    "I''m sorry, I''ll do it again!"

    ''Do what?'' thought Allen.

    rissa smudged the circle of Amnis in front of her. Then once again, she drew the same circle of amnis. rissa''s symbol was not the symbol of fire, water, earth, or wind. It was the symbol of a non-elemental spirit that Allen had never seen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Is she going to attack again?!" thought Allen while being a little wary.

    "Reverse mana river!" shouted rissa.

    And once again, Allen felt an excruciating pain in his body. This time it was worse and more disturbing.

    ''This turned out to be an amnis?! Are they going to use this to make me lose focus?!''

    Allen looked at Norman and rissa, who were still surprised by the results.

    "Hey! Why is he still alive?! I told you not to mess around! We need to get to the King''s ce quickly!" Norman shouted.

    "I-I already did! And it should work! I-I even chanted the amnis name!"

    "That''s because he''s already alerted, right?!"

    "N-no! I could feel that it worked... B-but somehow his body didn''t crushed."

    Norman knew what rissa was capable of. rissa was a top-ss caster, one of the strongest casters known as the Witch of dreed, so surely nothing couldn''t be wrong with how she chanted the amnis.

    ''rissa''s self-made instant death amnis, reverse mana river, could instantly destroy the bodies of people weaker than her. Previously, rissa had used it on one of the Rouds, and he died instantly. Does that mean this kid is stronger than Rounds? But I don''t think so,'' Norman thought.

    "T-that is not correct, Norman," rissa said as if she could hear Norman''s thoughts.

    "I-if the person is stronger than me, the amnis won''t work. But, in this boy, the amnis was active and it worked. It''s just that his body wasn''t destroyed."

    "HUH?! Exin well! If the body isn''t destroyed, it means your amnis failed, right?!"

    "I''m sorry! Umm... You see... This amnis uses air to disrupt the flow of mana. S-so, there''s no mistaking it, that kid''s mana has been messed up, and the body should have been destroyed. B-but... strangely, he didn''t..."

    "I still don''t understand!"

    That time they wouldn''t understand. rissa used amnis to mess up Allen''s mana. But none of them thought that Allen had two types of mana. So even though rissa''s amnis worked, Allen was still alive because of his demonic mana. That''s why Allen only felt slight pain throughout his body. Because the flow of his divine mana suddenly centred in his stomach and exploded.

    "Aaargh! I meant to kill him quickly so we could go straight to the King''s ce! But your instant death was useless! And now we''re wasting time!" Norman shouted.

    Then Norman closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. A menacing aura came out of Norman''s body. It gave Allen goosebumps again.

    "From the start, rushing is a bad thing. So let''s just kill this kid carefully but surely."

    Norman held the short sword at his waist. The sword had a slightly unique shape that was half the length of his hand.

    ''A short sword? But his stance is strange... Why is he using both hands to hold the short sword?'' thought Allen, confused because the sword should be light enough to be used in one hand. In addition to the inappropriate way of holding it, his standing was also strange for a short sword user.

    ''Felicia is recovering soon; when she''s done, I''ll run straight away using Reig! The possibility of winning against the two of them is very small!'' Allen thought.

    While Allen was thinking, Norman suddenly appeared in front of him again. Norman''s stance turned out to be a stance to move quickly towards him.

    "You''re dead..." Norman muttered.

    As Norman said it, Allen could feel the feeling of his imminent death. Norman swung his sword up and down, like he was holding a great sword. He didn''t have a weapon at the time, so Allen focused his eyes on the sword Norman was swinging.

    And hap,

    Allen stopped Norman''s sword swing by gripping the de with both hands like pping.

    ''I knew his physique wasn''t normal. Probably much stronger than Adam,'' Norman thought.

    But that didn''t mean Allen could brush it off with his hands; he used all his strength to block the sword''s swing and had to be skillful to hold it in his hands.

    ''But... your strength is not enough to stop my sword," Norman said.

    Allen suddenly felt the sword he was mping down on getting heavier and heavier. But at the same time, Norman seemed to stretch his grip, so Allen quickly let go of the sword and backed away. But even though he dodged, Allen still felt the overwhelming threat that wasing. And ording to Allen''s feelings, that threat was after his life

    "Abare: Pervenire Mors," Norman muttered.

    Norman''s short sword instantly shot forward, piercing Allen''s left abdomen.

    "Gakh!" Allen vomited his blood; he felt pain and heat in his stomach.

    "I told you that I would kill you surely and carefully."

    Norman could extend his weapon; that''s why he''s holding his short sword like before!

 Chapter 123 The Spillege Mysanthrope

    Norman''s sword suddenly became heavy and heavier, which made Allen immediately step back. Surprisingly, as Norman''s sword became heavier, his grip weakened, which gave Allen a chance to retreat but raised a big question: why did the sword be heavy while his grip was weakened? But before Allen could think about the possibilities, his stomach was pierced by Norman''s suddenly extended sword.

    ''Pervenire Mors is a sword made from the monsters of Old Cato in the 8th-floor dungeon. They use their nails which can extend and retract, to catch their prey from afar. Its power wasn''t the best, but it could be deadly depending on how you use it.''

    Just as Norman thought, Allen''s stomach was sessfully pierced by his armacar but not through the back. This was because Pervenire Mors did not have enough strength to prate Allen''s body, and Norman didn''t use enough strength to push his sword forward in a surprise attack.

    "A physically strong person is a bad opponent for Pervenire Mors, but at least with that hole in his stomach, he can''t move much and will die instantly from blood loss," Arthur thought.

    But no, it turned out that instead of Allen trying to escape from his sword, he grabbed Norman''s sword and thrust it further to prate his own body.

    "?!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    Norman instantly pulled back his sword, shortening it to its original length. Allen copsed, breathing heavily in pain, and lowered his head to look at the deep wound. Blood oozed profusely from his stomach.

    "I must increase the hatred inside me," Allen said. At that moment, thoughts passed through Allen''s head, dredging up painful memories that fueled his hatred for humans, the world, and even himself.

    ''With this... the conditions have been met,'' Allen thought.

    Allen raised his head, fixing his re on Norman. A tense aura filled the air as their eyes locked, and Norman felt goosebumps form on his skin. Suddenly, Allen''s face underwent a drastic transformation. Once appearing as a man driven to protect the girl beside him, he now resembled a ferocious monster poised to eviscerate anything in its path.

    ''He''s going to do something!'' Norman, from his position immediately pointed his sword at Allen and used his rampage sword skill.

    "Abare! Perveni-"

    "GOD BLESSING..." Allen''s aura became more gripping. Thus interrupting or possibly devouring Norman''s who was about to activate his sword rampage skill.

    "The Spillege Mysanthrope"

    Allen activated his god''s blessing; he used his left hand to ruffle his abdomen, deepening the wound from Norman''s sword stab. Then came out ck blood that quickly spread around, drowning the surrounding 30 meters area calf-deep.

    "What is this?!"

    "L-lets quickly move away from here! This child''s blessing might be very dangerous!" Norman quickly grabbed rissa''s body and jumped back as far as possible; he ran away from the area inundated with ck blood. But as soon as Norman was almost out, a blood pir resembling a scythe stuck out from below, forbidding anyone inside from escaping.

    Norman looked at Allen, who was panting while holding his wound. There was a kind of tattoo that crawled from the wound all over Allen''s body. Norman stomped on the liquid with his feet,

    "This is... Blood? It can''t be..."

    "N-no... T-this liquid¡­ All of them are mana manifested into a liquid thicker than blood," rissa exined.

    "You''re kidding me... Is this the blessing of the same space type as Nishizaka?"

    "P-probably not. Nishizaka''s god''s blessing is to create an isted space with her mana. T-to activate it, she has to spread her mana with her armacar''s rampage skill. As for this boy, he didn''t spread his mana through any intermediaries. All he needs to do is make a fairly severe wound on his body. And he can trap people inside the territory he created."

    "And from what I can see, he''s currently in pain. That means this god''s blessing didn''tst so long... But..."

    Knowing what Norman was about to say, rissa continued

    "But... the higher the risk of the mana users, the stronger the god''s blessing will be,"

    Then Allen''s body was surrounded by a ck liquid that flew around him. But it wasn''t just an ordinary liquid. The liquid turned out to form something that looked specific. The silhouette of little Allen carrying a spear flew around Allen like a fairy.

    "rissa."

    "Alright..." Sensing the threat from Allen, Norman immediately asked rissa to activate the amnis buff.

    Soil amnis "y Guardian" for anti-physical attacks

    Fire amnis "Phoenix Cuddle" to resist attacks

    Air amnis "Increase Wind Step" to increase speed

    Air amnis "Wind of resistance to mana control" for anti-mana-disrupting attacks

    While using the amnis buff, the target who gets it will not be able to move for one to three minutes because their body must adjust to the amnis that will be installed.

    That''s why no one will use the amnis buff in the middle of a battle. One minute was plenty of time to kill people.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    In an immobilized position, Norman could see Allen pulling some kind of liquid-shaped sword in front of him.

    When Allen swung the sword, he could control the ck blood, altering its shape to target his opponent. In this case, Norman who was unable to move was easy prey, with Allen able to strike him anywhere and anytime within his blood territory.

    But rissa didn''t just use the four amnis. rissa immediately drew the amnis circle of the non-attribute elemental spirit, "No Dy,"

    At that moment, Norman''s body was instantly able to move. Allen sliced his sword through the air; the liquid substance under Norman''s feet twisted and shaped itself into arge thorn that sprang out to strike its target.

    Norman dodged and weaved his way through the thorny-shaped blood, his movements quick and agile. However, Allen was always one step ahead, anticipating Norman''s every move and directing the thorn ordingly. So despite Norman''s impressive speed and agility, he could not evade all the thorns that Allen hurled at him, receiving deep scratches and tearing his clothes. Only thanks to rissa''s amnis buff, Norman''s wounds would have been even worse.

    Norman pointed his sword at Allen, then muttered, "Abare: Pervenire Mors."

    Norman''s sword instantly extended to pierce Allen''s body. Allen created a wall of blood in front of him to deflect it.

    "So he can also use the blood as a shield. At this rate, we won''t be able to get anywhere near him."

    Allen''s attacks were very systematic; when Norman thought he was getting closer, it turned out that he was just trapped bait to throw him further.

    "It can''t be helped... It''ll waste a lot of time if we keep running around. rissa, use your god''s blessing on that boy."

    "E-eeeh?! But how? My god''s blessing can only activate if I connect with the target''s mana. If we can''t get close to it, then I can''t activate my god''s blessing either."

    "ARE YOU STUPID?! WHAT DO YOU THINK WE''VE BEEN STEPPING ON?!"

    Just then, rissa remembered that everything that overflowed beneath her was Allen''s mana. Which meant, rissa could connect to Allen''s mana just by standing there.

    "O-okay... Please distract him-" rissa said.

    Norman threw rissa''s robe forward, blocking them from Allen''s view. Allen immediately poked at the robe. But there was nothing underneath.

    Allen was then surprised again by Norman who had suddenly gotten closer to him.

    "Pervenire Mors." Norman''s sword once again extended, stabbing straight at Allen. And in the same way, Allen created a wall of blood in front of him to protect himself.

    But Norman did that not to attack Allen, but to cover his eyes from rissa.

    rissa was currently sitting in a sea of Allen''s ck blood. Her pink eyes shone brightly as if there were stars in them. She made a hand gesture in the shape of a heart and a human by putting her hands together.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    As the wall of blood that covered Allen returned to normal, rissa caught Allen''s figure in the heart shape she had made and then prayed to activate her god''s blessing.

    "God Blessing: Season of the Soul, Spring."

    Various small flowers grew incredibly fast from rissa''s direction towards Allen. Suddenly rissa''s body went limp andy motionless on the ground like a corpse. As for Allen, he felt a tremendous heat enter his body. The heat seemed to force its way into Allen''s body, so he felt like a hot, sharp object was slowly stabbing it.

    "AAAARRRGH!!!"

    ''What is this? My body feels like it''s going to boil!'' Allen sat down. Then his body suddenly bes motionless.

    At that moment, Allen seemed to lose consciousness. His scattered ck blood instantly disappeared from the surface, swallowed by the ground. It looks like rissa''s god''s blessing made Allen''s blessing turn null.

    "It''s finally over," Norman said.

    ''rissa, the Witch of Dread, is not only a nickname because she memorized and created many amnis that no one would even guess, but she also has a god''s blessing that is terrifying to the third degree.

    rissa''s god''s blessing, Season of Soul: Spring, is a god''s blessing that extracts souls into mana.''

    "Summer, winter, spring, and fall; are phrases past heroes used for the seasons. Since rissa uses spring, it means she probably also has winter, summer, and fall. The only one I''ve ever seen is spring, which is rissa''s ability to transfer her soul into the opponent''s soul."

    rissa possessed a rare and extraordinary ability. She was endowed with the blessing to transfer her soul into her opponent''s, enabling her to gainplete control over their body. Once she had taken over her target''s body, rissa could use their blessing with incredible proficiency. It was as if she had been born with their blessing.

    And rissa was now inside Allen''s body and could control it perfectly.

 Chapter 124 What Inside His Body?

    "God Blessing : Season of Soul, Spring."

    Various small flowers grew incredibly fast from rissa''s direction towards Allen. It was rissa''s god''s blessing that could make her soul move into the souls of others. One of the conditions for its use was that her mana had to be connected to the mana target. Normally she would have to get close to her target or use her armacar to suck her opponent''s blood, but since Allen was spilling all his mana around, rissa could use her god''s blessing on Allen.

    When rissa entered Allen''s body, Allen''s god''s blessing was immediately cancelled, and the ck blood scattered around slowly disappeared. Allen''s body which rissa had entered, now just sat looking at the sky; there was some dy time before rissa could control Allen''s body permanently.

    "It''s finally over," Norman muttered.

    Norman then sheathed his sword and approached Felicia,

    "Wow, she''s really recovered from that severe injury. As expected of a hero''s reincarnation."

    The fascinating concept of reincarnation extended beyond the idea of souls descending from other worlds into this one. Although quite rare and virtually non-existent, there were instances of people from this world being reincarnated back into the same world. This miracle only happened to the great heroes of ancient times, as they were the ones destined to be bound by the reincarnation system of the world. Since their lives were tragically short, their souls were ceaselessly reborn into new bodies, although each new incarnation had no recollection of the past. Nevertheless, it is whispered that these heroes are held together by an unbreakable thread of fate that assures their reunion whenever a critical situation threatens the world''s peace.

    rissa''s goal was to find those people; rissa believed that Felicia was one of the reincarnated heroes.

    "Maybe we should meet Mary first to keep this child in her stomach," Norman said while lifting Felicia''s unconscious body.

    Norman then looked at Arthur, who was still gloomy, doing nothing.

    ''Arthur is in his territory, but that kid didn''t even do anything to him...'' Norman thought.

    "Hey Arthur! Let''s keep going! I don''t care what happens to you, but you must finish your work quickly!"

    Arthur didn''t answer,

    "HEY STUPID! DON''T YOU DARE IGNORE ME! ANYWAY, AFTER I DROP THIS KID OFF, YOU HAVE TO LEAD US! OTHERWISE, I''LL TOLD CLARISSA POSSESS YOU!"

    ''This is why I hate rookies!'' Norman thought.

    As Norman was about to return to rissa''s,

    "s t o p"

    Suddenly, Norman felt a tense aura from behind him, making him unable to move.

    ''What is this aura? I''ve never felt anything like this before...''

    He felt an overwhelming hatred aimed at humans, and suddenly Norman realized something when thinking about it more.

    ''No, I''ve felt this type of mana before. If I''m not mistaken, it was when I was about to retrieve the core for Pervenire Mors on the 8th floor of the dungeon. This isn''t the aura that humans have! It''s something else! The aura of monsters!''

    The aura felt like it was piercing all parts of his body.

    -THRUST

    And, in fact, something did pierce Norman''s body.

    As Norman cautiously nced over his shoulder, his heart skipped a beat. There before him stood Allen, his blood-red eyes fixed upon him with an unnerving intensity. He clutched something dark and sinister in his hand, the ck thing, forming a lethal weapon that made Norman shudder. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his left side as the weapon plunged deep into his flesh. He watched in shock as Allen''s perfectly-coiffed hairdo unraveled before his very eyes, revealing a shock of some white hair that had been meticulously hidden until now.

    "Tch!" Norman bit his own tongue to allow himself to move away from the tense aura. He immediately retreated backwards while holding Felicia''s body.

    ''What was that just now?! Isn''t rissa controlling his body?!'' Norman thought.

    "Ng-AH!"

    rissa suddenly woke up in her own body, with profuse sweat and tired eyes. Her breathing wasbored, and her whole body was shaking, like she was scared.

    As rissa''s eyes suddenly opened, she became aware of the dampness on her skin and the heaviness in her chest. Her vision was blurred by exhaustion, and her trembling fingers brushed away the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Her heart pounded in her ears, the sound echoing like a warning in the silence she had created. As she struggled to catch her breath, rissa felt a surge of fear course through her body, like an icy grip tightening its hold on her.

    "NO! NO! NO! NO!" screamed rissa who suddenly remembered everything inside Allen''s body.

    "HEY, WHAT''S GOING ON?! WHY DID YOU GO BACK TO YOUR BODY?!" yelled Norman.

    rissa grabbed her head and scratched it like crazy. Water came out of her eyes, apanied by blood that flowed afterwards. She tried to quell the panic rising within her, willing her thoughts to slow down and make sense of what was happening. But despite her efforts, the images in her mind remained chaotic and fragmented, like a nightmare that wouldn''t release its hold on her. Every muscle in her body tensed as if preparing for something she couldn''tprehend.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As shey there, still caught in the grip of terror, she said:

    "A-that kid... that kid... H-his soul is so horrible!"

    "HEY! HANG IN THERE! EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!"

    rissa shook her head repeatedly,

    "I-I AM SCARED!... his soul is cker than anything in this world!... No, it can''t be! It can''t be his soul! There''s something inside him! When I entered his soul, so many eyes were looking at me!!! The real terror!"

    ''Eyes?''

    "N-not only that... this fear... this horror... is just like what this soul felt a thousand years ago... During our battle against the demon king, SATAN!"

    rissa is one of the reincarnated heroes; she has no memories of her past self, but the determination within her is still there. That is, to gather back all herrades and... devour them with her mouth.

    The moment she entered Allen''s body, something inside Allen''s body brought back the fear and trauma she felt a thousand years ago when fighting the demon king.

    "That kid... what the f*ck he actually is?!" Norman looked at Allen and noticed a significant change in him.

    A ck substance coating part of Allen''s body seemed to be sticking to his left hand, forming a long sword.

    "?! Is that another of his god''s blessings?! But how could it be?! The aura I feel around him is different. It''s like he''s turning into someone else!" Norman uttered.

    ''Maybe this is also why Arthur couldn''t see the boy with his eyes; there was something strange about his existence. His ck and white hair also bothered me. Even an other-worlder shouldn''t be have different hair colors.''

    Allen at that time had already surrendered himself to his demonic mana which suddenly rose because rissa entered his soul. Then that demonic mana made Allen consumed by hatred and anger. The anger Allen felt fed Reig and made him fuse with a part of Allen''s body, just like what happened in the dungeon when fighting Leofric.

    Norman looked at rissa, who was still in shock, and then he held rissa in his right hand

    "Let''s go; let''s leave this kid alone. Lingering here is even more dangerous," Norman lifted Felicia on his left shoulder and rissa on his right. Despite his small stature and currently severe injuries, Norman could still lift them both at once and move nimbly.

    ''We will take Arthurter; the kid won''t kill him anyway,'' Norman muttered.

    "I told you to stop..."

    "!!!"

    Before Norman knew it, Allen was beside him, ring at him with a sinister face. Allen then stabbed Norman in the head. In that super short time, Norman threw rissa and Felicia behind him and drew his sword. He blocked Allen''s attack with his short sword. After dodging it, Norman took a blow on Allen''s left hand that had slid in earlier, as if he had expected Norman to withstand his attack just now.

    Norman was hit by Allen''s punch and was thrown a few meters back. But while being thrown, Norman pointed his sword at Allen. The de extended towards Allen, and just like before, he seemed to have expected Norman to do that, so he easily swatted it away.

    ''That''s crazy¡­ He really guessed everything I was thinking... It''s like he has a parallel mind that can make him fight and think simultaneously, but such things are only possessed by adfeqtus reliqua users,'' Norman thought.

    "I haven''t seriously fought in a long time...and I feel I don''t want to¡­ But I had to be serious now," Norman said.

    Norman set up his strange stance again. This time, Norman rushed towards Allen, vertically attacking him with his short sword. Unlike before, Allen could block Norman''s sword with the Reig that was now fused to his hand.

    But

    "Abare : Pervenire Mors,"

    "God blessing: Bestowed our Sin."

    As Norman muttered it, Norman''s sword grew in length, its de glinting menacingly in the moon. Suddenly, with a resounding thud, the sword''s weight became unbearable, causing Allen''s legs to buckle beneath him. Despite his best efforts to protect himself with his hands, they too were crushed under the overwhelming pressure of the weapon, exacerbating the impact on his already bruised and battered body. The floor beneath them also shattered, forming a ratherrge hole under the weight of the sword and Allen''s body. Reig managed to keep himself from being cut in half by Norman''s attack, which took Norman by surprise.

    "Hoo¡­ As I held the sword in my hands and recited my god''s blessing, I estimated that it probably weighed a daunting 10000 pounds now, a fact that would make even the most seasoned warrior wince. I was impressed and astounded by your body''s resilience. Usually, people would die almost instantaneously from being crushed by a 1000-pound sword, let alone one that weighed ten times as much. In fact, many individuals had lost their lives, split in two by the sheer force of this weapon."

    This time Norman looked at Allen who was still alive, and saw him looking in pain because his body was now crushed.

    "I hope this is really ''over'' now," muttered Norman.

 Chapter 125 One Word

    ''My body hurts so bad,''

    Allen could sense the effects of the fight that he had recently endured. He noticed that his body was in a battered state; his bones were broken, and there was a likelihood that some of his internal organs had been destroyed. He also has wounds he incurred while activating his god''s blessing. At that moment, hecked the strength required to move. Reig now had no choice but to close the wound on Allen''s abdomen.

    "Reig, that''s enough... I don''t think I can take this anymore," Allen said without a sounding out of his mouth, but by merging with Allen''s body, Reig knew what Allen wanted to say.

    As Alleny motionless on the ground, his mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. The bloodstains around him seemed to fade away as he fixated on the vast expanse of sky above. Despite the chaos and violence surrounding his final moments, Allen couldn''t tear his eyes away from the breathtaking colors and patterns stretching across the heavens. With each passing second, he felt his grip on life slowly slip away. The inevitability of his passing brought a sense of regret and peace. As his breaths grew shallower and the world around him grew dimmer, Allen realized that if he died here, it was simply his time. And with that eptance, he surrendered himself to the splendor of the sky, allowing himself to be consumed by the beauty of the moment. The sky he saw was full of stars, and two moons caught his attention; the moonlight made his eyes shine.

    ''It''s a beautiful sky; Illska might love them. But even in this beautiful world, I didn''t want to live here without Mother. After Mother passed away, every day was painful; I felt that there was a rope that tied my heart tightly, and that rope was something that I had to finish. I believed that the rope would be destroyed once I killed the humans.

    This vengeance is my way of life. I can''t let the person who killed my mother roam around out there without feeling any pain.

    But that person is now dead, in someone else''s hands. Instead of being happy, the rope binding my heart tightened even more. I probably didn''t care about that person. I only wanted to take out all my anger and hatred on him. I wanted to kill him with my own hands.

    Because he was already dead...

    Now I have no purpose in life anymore...

    So, that''s enough¡­

    Reig, I already have no desire to continue living in this world... I''m sorry...''

    ...Allen''s mana slowly weakened, and Reig, who was no longer getting his mana intake, also began to weaken. Allen''s eyes slowly lost their shine, and the whole world began to look dark to him.

    Then a light shed.

    A hot, reddish light passed in front of his eyes,

    "ALLEEEN!!!"

    That voice...

    The scream brought Allen instantly to his senses. It was as if all his remaining mana was flowing rapidly toward his head.

    "Hang in there, Allen!"

    Allen turned his head to the side with all his might, looking toward that very familiar voice.

    There Felicia, who seemed to have fully recovered, was pointing her hand at Norman with a circle of amnis fire in front of her.

    "Oi! rissa! Do something with that kid!" Norman shouted at rissa.

    But rissa was silent, still frightened, and looked shocked because of what happened to her inside Allen''s body.

    "Shit! Why am I teaming up with these two useless people!" cursed Norman.

    As for Allen, when he saw Felicia, he thought

    ''Fool, why are you awake... You''d better stay asleep so they won''t hurt you. From the situation, they probably won''t kill you, you probably will be fine,'' Allen thought.

    "Allen! Don''t just sleep on that filthy ground!" said Felicia as she ran towards Allen.

    ''Shut up, you''re should be quiet; this man already looked so pissed off''

    Norman was immediately in front of Felicia with lightning-fast steps.

    "Alright, fooling around is over. That kid will die soon, so give up on him," Norman said. He lifted Felicia''s body onto his shoulders and started walking away from there.

    "No! Noooo! Let go of me! I have to save him!" Felicia repeatedly tried to rebel, she hit Norman''s head and body, but Norman didn''t seem to feel anything from her blows. Felicia still had a little bit of mana. But she didn''t want to use that mana to attack Norman. She had to use it to save Allen, who was lying far away in front of her, with severe injuries.

    "Allen! Don''t just sleep there! Hurry up and save me!" shouted Felicia, hoping her selfish words would make Allen stand up.

    Allen again put on a new face that she had never seen before. And Felicia knew exactly what was going through Allen''s mind at that moment.

    It was the same face she had seen on herself as she cried at her 10th birthday party.

    The face of despair. Who had given up on everything in this world.

    Felicia stopped rebelling. She began to try to reach out her hands to Allen''s sprawled body.

    She had to do something

    She had to say something

    When she was down like that, what could she do?

    Was she going to let Allen stay there, waiting for death to take him?

    But what could she do?

    What could she say to Allen at a time like this?

    She was just a selfish little girl who thought only of herself, was arrogant, and always looked down on others. She couldn''t say anything to Allen.

    Then Felicia remembered the moments she had shared with Allen. And all of them would have been lost if she hadn''t said something.

    .... something

    I have to say something...

    What made Allen so desperate...

    What made Allen hate humans so much...

    Her mind tried to focus on the one problem in front of her. She quickly reyed all the things she had ever talked about with Allen. Allen''s face and words shed through her head.

    One word...

    One word...

    One word is enough...

    One word that could get Allen back on his feet...

    And Felicia finally came to a conclusion...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She began to scream:

    "Allen!... Please, live!"

    For Felicia, those were just Isabelle''sst words that she heard from Allen as he woke up in her house. She knew that Allen must be suffering from the loss of someone he cared about so much, and she was sure that Isabelle knew it too. Maybe that''s why Isabelle said that word in herst moments.

    Felicia looked at the same face of Allen that Isabelle had seen before. To them, Allen looked like someone who wouldn''t care about himself after finishing his heart matter. Those eyes were not those of a person who wanted to live, but those of a person who tried to tear apart all his enemies.

    For Allen, those words were not only Isabelle''sst words. But thest words of his mother.

    Allen''s eyes, which had looked limp and lifeless, suddenly became wide open. His pupils shrank, and his tears came out.

    Felicia''s words reminded him of one important thing.

    That is his mother''sst request.

    "Live, Allen." Allen seemed to hear Queen Orc''s voice once again.

    And the memory of his life with her returned to his head every time he heard those words.

    "Live, Allen." He remembered when he woke up in the morning and saw his mother working

    "Live, Allen." He remembered how heughed,paring the size of his hands with her mother''s

    "Live, Allen." He remembers the hug from his mother that was so warm

    "Live, Allen." Then he remembered his mother''s smiling face as she said it.

    Queen Orc was dead, but her requests and memories were still alive inside Allen.

    If he died here, he would have disappointed his mother again. And he hated that because he had disappointed his motherst time and had not apologized to her.

    At that moment, Allen''s will to live was revived.

    But it still wasn''t enough.

    His condition was now entirely beyond help. Breathing was difficult, and he could feel his breath slowly getting shorter.

    There was nothing he could do to recover

    All he has now is mana. What should he do to utilize his remaining mana?

    Attack Norman with amnis?

    ''No... My amnis is too weak, and anyway, with his speed, there''s no way he doesn''t dodge it,''

    Using a smaller amount of ck-blood?

    ''No... just like before, it will only be dodged, and there is no guarantee that he will lose with that attack. What I need right now is something that can kill that guy outright or maybe get me and Felicia out of here.''

    Allen looked at his stomach, which Reig was currently entering to stop the bleeding.

    Then he remembered

    that Reig might be able to do something.

    "Reig... you really don''t need to stop my bleeding," Allen said.

    Allen had not thought of any other possibilities that he could use from the beginning. That was to leave everything to Reig.

    Reig was indeed a conscious weapon, but he was not entirely Allen''s weapon, as he acted independently without Allen''s orders. So Allen knew that Reig had done something behind his back when he didn''t ask for it, and he was hoping that Reig really had that "something".

    "Reig, I''ll give up all my mana, eat them all, so please save Felicia."

    Reig elongated, came out of Allen''s open abdomen, and brought himself closer to Allen''s face,

    "Don''t worry; I don''t intend to die again. I want you to save Felicia because I believe she will do something to save me. I know she''s that kind of person. So do it... save us from this situation."

    As for Norman, he was finally relieved that Felicia had not rebelled, but he was also annoyed that things had not gone ording to n. He even thought that his job might have failed. Because Arthur and rissa had be useless just because of the mental attack given by the boy.

    ''When I get back, I''ll report that the two of them screwed up the job!'' Norman thought.

    When Norman was about to lift rissa''s body.

    Suddenly...

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Felicia screamed. Norman sighed and wanted to shut Felicia up immediately,

    "HEY! IT''S ENOUGH! JUST GIVE UP-"

    -BRUG!

    Something huge kicked him from behind, and he was thrown several meters forward, crashing into the wall of one of the buildings.

    "What''s... what happened? Isn''t that kid still alive?"

    Norman heard the hoofbeats of a horse that was quickly heading toward him. But he couldn''t see it clearly because the fog from the ruins obscured his view.

    When the mist slowly cleared, he could finally see the creature''s silhouette in front of him.

    Norman couldn''t help but be surprised by what he saw.

    In front of him now was a monster with a veryrge body. Part of its body was a horse''s body, and part of it was the body of a minotaur.

    Unmistakably, it was The Great Minotaur that Allen had defeated on the 8th floor. Norman had seen it once, but its shape slightly differed from what he remembered.

    The Great Minotaur in front of him was pitch ck.

    Norman sighed as he saw Felicia running toward Allen''s body. And realize the minotaur is not a regr monster because it kicks him to save Felicia.

    He concludes that there might be another surprise from Allen.

    "What the hell¡­ I am really unlucky. I feel like fighting the main character with the biggest plot armor ever," he thought.

 Chapter 126 Monster Inside Palace

    The Great Minotaur was the same Minotaur that Allen had fought when he was trapped in the dungeon. The creature was massive in size, with muscr arms and legs that rippled with power. Its horns curved menacingly, adding to the intimidating presence it exuded. In the dungeon, when Allen fainted and defeated the minotaur, Reig secretly absorbed the minotaur''s body. Now Reig has transformed into the great minotaur, a centaur-bodied minotaur with a height and width of almost 40 meters in the middle of the pce.

    The appearance of the giant minotaur shocked all the figures in the pce.

    Everyone started to get goosebumps, like electricity was flowing through their bodies and making them stoned in surprise. The minotaur''s existence appeared after Adam''s third explosion, right after Adam and Ralph saved Nishizaka. The hoofbeats of the minotaur sounded as loud as a bomb repeatedly exploding. That''s because the minotaur''s feet dashed with a strong foothold on the pce floor, which was always destroyed with each tter.

    Alicia was taken aback as she saw the monstrous creature suddenly appear in the pce. The sheer size and ferocity of the creature, whose massive form towered over the pce walls, sent a shiver down her spine.

    "Demonic mana?! A monster? No way!" everyone could sense the minotaur''s presence because of the demonic mana inside it.

    "The monster came out of the dungeon... Don''t they need to absorb demonic mana to live? Then where did ite from?" said Harald

    "It could be someone''s god''s blessing that could capture that creature inside their body," utter Alicia.

    Birawa and Fleur, too, stopped pursuing Ivaylo''s figure as they looked at the giant figure outside.

    "It looks like it''s fighting something," said Birawa.

    "I didn''t realize that Dolls also had this kind of ability," Fleur replied.

    "Are we not going there?"

    "Ivaylo is our priority," then Birawa and Fleur ran back to find Ivaylo.

    Ivaylo was sitting in a room, sewing. Feeling the demonic aura of a monster, he came out of the room and red at the monsters outside the window.

    "Woaaah... Unbelievable..." It was the first time Ivaylo got surprised because the minotaur was not in his ns, and it was one of the unexpected things that could happen. There is no n A, B, C, or Z that can predict that thing. But he was somehow happy, even though the minotaur''s presence could threaten his ns.

    Even Adam and Ralph, who were going to the next point in their n, also immediately stopped. As their carefullyid ns were forgotten, they gaped in disbelief at the monster that now raged far away.

    "That direction, isn''t it where Norman and rissa go?" Ralph said curiously.

    "I''m jealous; it looks like they''re fighting an extraordinary person," Adam replied with a surprised face while smiling.

    "No, you should think about our work. If it''s really against rissa. Then rissa can''t use instant death on him, and chances are the two of them are overwhelmed against them."

    "Yeah... Although, in the end, I''m sure the boy will definitely win," Adam replied.

    For soldiers, As the minotaur let out a thunderous roar, sending the gathered soldiers into a frenzy, they could feel their hearts racing in their chests and their minds struggling toprehend what was happening. It was as if a nightmare hade to life¡ªa surreal and terrifying experience that left them feeling disoriented and vulnerable.

    Having received a report from Alicia about the human puppets that would attack the pce, some soldiers left the pce to deal with them. But the minotaur''s presence caught their attention, leaving them at a loss as to what to do about it. The monster that appeared in the pce could endanger the lives of the royal family. Or the people who Ivaylo is controlling.

    "Don''t stop! Just save the people first! Remember! Don''t kill! Just capture all the people who are being controlled! I''ll take care of the monster!" Alicia shouted using a loudspeaker amnis.

    "YES YOUR HIGHNESS!"

    "Brother, please bring me there; we must get there quickly," said Alicia.

    "Alright..."

    Harald carried Alicia''s body then quickly ran towards the minotaur.

    "Shouldn''t we go to Father''s ce? Most likely the Dolls probably went there too," Harald asked.

    Alicia then replied,

    "No... The only people who can go to the king''s room right now are those who are rted to the king, which means only the princes. Among the princes, those who know Father''s current position are you, me, Leofric, Mathilda, and Elizabeth. If we go to the father''s room, and someone is following us, they will seed in finding the king''s room."

    "But, does this person exist? If I am being followed, I sure will realize their presence. And I''m sure Mathilda and Elizabeth will realize it too."

    "You don''t have time to doubt it anymore; someone actually entered the ballroom without suspicion. The possibility is very high; I would not be surprised if someone were literally behind us right now."

    In the shadows, there was a girl''s voice sighing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Sigh... Leader, n B has failed. At this rate, we''ll really have to rely on Arthur''s eyes," it was Elinor, one of the Noctem Dolls. Her entire body was purplish-ck; she was running behind Harald and Alicia without the two of them noticing.

    Elinor''s god''s blessing was the Heart of Darkness; she could hide her entire body with her mana. What made her ability pletely hidden" was the set of conditions she had to fulfill in order to use it. Those conditions are: She can''t touch other people''s mana, nor can she attack other people while shrouded in darkness. So Elinor rarely used it to kill; she used it to extract information from people. She had infiltrated the pce since the Noctem Dolls arrived in the capital. Unfortunately, she couldn''t pull information from rooms full of mana, so she could never get into the rooms of the prince and the council with their many protectors.

    Elinor''s task was to follow Alicia or Harald to find out the location of the king, who was said to be impossible to find even if you opened all the doors in the pce. In fact, Elinor had searched the room for as long as she had been in the capital and still couldn''t find it.

    But Alicia had expected it, so Ivaylo''s n B to follow Alicia has failed.

    ''Following Alicia and Harald is useless. The other princes don''t seem to know anything about this, so there''s no point in spending time looking for other princes. If I''m not mistaken, I should move on to n C, the royal prison.''

    Back to Norman. Reig, now transformed into the great minotaur, quickly, systematically, and carefully kicked the running Norman. Felicia didn''t get hit because Reig softened the part of the leg that was going to hit her, turning it into a normal shadow. The result is Felicia was fine; she just Felicia threw back but not as far as Norman.

    When she saw the shadow mark on Reig''s leg, Felicia immediately came out of her panic.

    "Reig?!" said Felicia, shocked.

    Felicia remembered that Reig could turn into "anything" he ate. Because Reig had only turned into something small and simple so far, she had no idea that Reig could be such arge creature.

    Felicia patted her cheek, trying to wake up her still-shocked self.

    She had something she had to do.

    That was to save Allen.

    ''My body is not tired yet; I can feel it... My mana is still flowing inside me,'' muttered Felicia who immediately went to Allen''s.

    As soon as she arrived at Allen''s lying body, Felicia was in shock. She covered her mouth, and water came out of her eyes.

    There was a mark where Norman''s sword had diagonally smashed into Allen''s body. Probably all the bones inside him had been shattered. Then the wound on his abdomen was very severe.

    Allen was unconscious, but it wasn''t just a faint. Felicia could see that Allen''s eyes were still open, but no light was inside them. Allen''s red eyes, which always seemed to shine, were now dark, almost ck in color.

    "No... Don''t..."

    Felicia tried to hold Allen''s chest.

    And...

    "!!!"

    "Allen!"

    He was still alive.

    Felicia noticed there was still some breathing inside him.

    Not having time to sh her hands, Felicia immediately bit her arm as hard as she could.

    "HMAHWOIHKGADJFJWFJGJDSGDAK!!!" She endured the pain of the bite. The thought of stopping the pain was instantly lost because she had to save Allen as soon as possible.

    And she had to do it.

    Her blood came out faster, and she carefully made a circle with her blood around Allen.

    "Allen... You can''t die... You can''t die here!" As soon as she said it, flowers grew in her blood, bing a garden. Felicia was quite surprised because she thought she couldn''t use her god''s blessing anymore. It was already the third time she had used her god''s blessing.

    Allen''s wounds were slowly healing,

    When Felicia finally breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out that the flowers that grew were short-lived. They soon withered and returned to the ground. Allen''s wound wasn''t covered too much, it was still very severe. So what she did was almost useless.

    "Huh?! Why?!"

 Chapter 127 Norman

    Trying to calm down, Norman tried to understand his enemy,

    "Although god''s blessing may seem boundless and limitless, it''s still crucial for there to be some logical exnation as to how it operates. However, the same cannot be said for this child - all of their abilities simply do not add up or make sense. First, he can control his blood and confine people to it. Second, he can also transform with his armacar into a weird-looking shape. Third, rissa''s reaction to him shows that the amnis that attacked his mana is useless. Fourth, he can summon this big monster. Some underlying principles orws must govern his actions, and I am toozy to think about it now."

    After Reig threw Norman away, Norman slowly stood up and wiped the dust off his body. The kick caused no fatal injuries because Norman was used to being thrown around when fighting Adam, so he already had his own way of minimizing the impact.

    Instead, there was the fatal wound inflicted by Allen, the hole in his left stomach that he had always endured. He prevented the blood froming out too much with his mana, but he needed to fully concentrate on the mana if he wanted to do that, which also consumed a bit of stamina. He had originally intended to ask rissa for help with that, but due to rissa''s current condition, he had to do something about the wound himself.

    "Freeze" Norman tried to activate amnis to at least cover the wound with ice, but nothing happened.

    "Damn, the fire spirit isn''t here."

    Reig ran towards Norman and tried to kick him; this time, Norman jumped the other way to avoid his attack.

    "I have no other choice, to fight more seriously; I have to let this bleed flow." To focus on fighting Reig, Norman let the blood from his body continue to flow.

    This time, Reig again ran towards Norman and intended to kick him away.

    "Abare Pervenire Mors" Norman''s sword reached the sky, its length exceeding Reig''s body. It was now right in front of Reig who was running,

    "God''s Blessing: Bestowed Our Sin," the long sword fell with incredible speed. Fortunately, Reig had time to react and dodge the long sword, only for him to fall immediately due to suddenly forcing his feet to move from there.

    Norman''s sword fell to the floor and shattered it.

    "Sigh...Missed."

    Norman''s sword rampage skill is elongated. Norman coborates it with his god''s blessing which could make objects he touches be heavy. Reig''s body would split in two if that sword attack hit him.

    As for Felicia, she was currently at a loss.

    "Why?! Why can''t it heal?"

    Felicia had activated her god''s blessing. But the flower withered as soon as it grew. This meant she still had mana, but it wasn''t strong enough to heal Allen''s wound. Felicia was starting to feel tired; her mana was probably low, so she couldn''t recklessly spill her blood again on Allen.

    In that short time, she thought, thought, and thought.

    The vibrations from the battle in front of her made her unable to ignore what was happening. She needed an answer to her problem and tried to observe everything around her.

    "Is there nothing else I can do?"

    There was Arthur who had fainted because of rock debris, and then rissa who was still depressed and scared. Then the soldiers started slowly increasing, watching Reig and Norman''s battle from afar.

    Realizing the presence of others, Felicia immediately tore off her clothes and covered Allen''s head. His white hair should not be visible to others. As she observed her surroundings, the most striking thing was the fight in front of her.

    And it was that fight that gave her the clue

    "God''s Blessing: Bestowed Our Sin," as Norman activated his god''s blessing, Felicia instantly realized what she had forgotten.

    Her mana and amnis lessons with Thurstan at Isabelle''s house. She remembered Thurstan exining about amnis.

    "Remember Lady, Allen. Mana is a powerful force that is deeply connected to our emotions. Reciting the name of a magic spell can sometimes cause one to subconsciously pour emotions into the act of casting it. For some, prayer can greatly amplify these feelings and emotions, while others may intentionally be angry to augment the potency of their amnis. However, please do not mention what amnis you are going to use. Under some circumstances, keeping the particr details of one''s amnis abilities as confidential as possible is advisable. This is because the less one''s opponent knows about your amnis, the greater the advantage you will have and a greater chance of seeding in your objectives," that was what Thurstan taught to her.

    Felicia had forgotten one important thing that had not urred to her, and Norman made her realize it. Why did Norman mention his god''s blessing when he charged his sword? If he had kept quiet, he would haveunched a surprise attack.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What Thurstan told me applies not only to amnis, but also to god''s blessings!"

    ''Most likely, my god''s blessing only grew briefly this time because I was panicking. All I could think about was how to save Allen as soon as possible. It was that feeling that made my mana answer only momentarily. As I usually do, I had to calm down. And since I only have less mana now, I should use it as efficiently as possible.''

    Felicia used her own nails to deepen the wound, with blood oozing from her palms. While spreading the blood around Allen, Felicia prayed,

    "To the God who always loves us and the angels who watch over us. Answer my prayers, give me more of your blessings so that I can wrap the wounds on this boy and the wounds that will appear in this heart. Restore him, so he may serve you more,"

    Felicia prayed to calm her heart while giving off strong emotions as she recited the prayer using her god''s blessing.

    The sh between Reig and Norman grew more and more intense, unleashing earthquakes and the piercing sound of swords shing. Reig darted around the battlefield while Norman extended his sword repeatedly, and near where they were fighting, Felicia prayed with great calmness.

    In the midst of the chaos, a flower began to sprout, slowly unfurling until it radiated with a bright glow. The light, a god''s blessing from Felicia''s prayers, shone like a beacon of hope amid the darkness of the ongoing battle.

    "God''s Blessing: Garden of Eden,"

    As the light grew brighter, it caught Norman''s attention, causing him to divert his focus momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Reig swiftly kicked Norman aside. Yet, in the same breath, Norman managed to grasp Reig''s leg, keeping himself rooted to the spot.

    Norman jumped back, with blood starting to trickle down his body.

    He pointed his sword at the ground, then used his rampage sword skill.

    "Abare Pervenire Mors" The result was that his sword was stabbed into the ground, and Norman flew upwards like a cannon suddenly approaching Reig.

    Norman quickly returned his sword to its original shape. Norman was now flying in the air, his sword glinting with the moonlight. He aimed his sword straight at Reig''s chest. With a deft twist of his wrist, he used his sword''s rampage skill, extended it, and quickly stabbed it into Reig''s massive chest.

    "UGHOAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    A blood-curdling scream rents the air as Reig thrashes wildly in agony, trying to extricate himself from Norman''s sword. The sound echoed through the entire castle, causing the nearby people to cover their ears in horror. It was a sound that would remain in the ears of the witnesses for many nights toe.

    Norman''s sword was still lodged inside Reig''s chest. Without wasting any time, he used another of his skills to weigh his sword, increasing the damage to the monster''s already wounded chest.

    "God''s blessing: Bestowed our sin."

    The de suddenly shot downward, splitting the creature''s body in two.

    A silence descended as Norman stared at the gruesome remains of the once ferocious beast. With a sense of satisfaction, he withdrew his sword from the carcass, wiping the blood off it.

    "Now, one problem is solved," Norman uttered as he returned his sword to its original length.

    "No way..."

    "That kid, defeating that monster all by himself?!"

    "Who is he?!"

    After Norman bravely defeated the monstrous creature that had been terrorizing the castle, his shredded shirt, tattered and torn from the fierce battle, slowly slipped off his sweat-drenched body. The soldiers saw a deep, jagged scar stitched like a cross on his left chest.

    At first, the soldiers assumed that the Dolls had created the terrifying monster and that Norman was merely a valiant hero from the kingdom who hade to save them. However, when they caught sight of the mark on his chest, an unsettling feeling began to spread through the crowd. It was unmistakable - that mark denoted membership in the notorious criminal association that had long gued the region.

 Chapter 128 Mission Failed

    Blood streamed down on Norman''s body, and now he was staggering while he went towards Arthur''s faint body. It looked like the castle debris had hit him with such force that Arthur barely breathed. Norman gritted his teeth and hoisted Arthur''s limp over his shoulders. After that, he went to rissa, who was still sitting there and still frightened while holding her head.

    -Thrust

    Norman stabbed rissa in the back with his small sword,

    "Huh?"

    "n A has failed; let''s go back. We have to leave this ce immediately and tell Leader about it,"

    "Aaagh! It hurts!!! So huuurtts! N-Norman, W-why did you do this to me?!"

    Norman''s body then staggered, and he fell down along with Arthur.

    "Norman?"

    "Look at how bad my condition is right now. Only you can get us out of here!"

    Fear still ran through her mind, but because of Norman''s condition in front of her, she quickly drew an amnis to escape from there.

    Using the blood from her back, she used the blood to draw a perfect circle around them, weaving her mana with precision and concentration. This wasn''t just any amnis; it was a third-level fire-type amnis called Shooting Star. An amnis to run away from that ce. It required a lot of mana and a long time to draw, especially since she had to make an amnis circle containing three people inside.

    As she meticulously drew the circle, Norman sensed danger approaching them. It was a fireball that suddenly shot at them. Without hesitation, Norman opened his eyes and sprang up to meet the iing fireball. The ball struck him square in the chest, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

    "Norman?!" shouted rissa.

    "Fool! Don''t stop! Just finish your job quickly!" replied Norman.

    The attack came from the person who was currently running quickly toward them. And their figures instantly annoyed Norman,

    "I''m really unlucky,"

    Those approaching were Harald holding Alicia who was drawing anotherrger type of amnis.

    Fortunately, they were far enough away. They would arrive in a matter of 20 seconds. So all Norman needed now was to fend off Alicia''s direct attack.

    But there was something strange. The amnis drawn by Alicia did not emit anything. Then Alicia rotated the me symbol in the center, and at that moment, another circle of amnis was automatically created around the first amnis she had drawn.

    "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! Ten? No, twenty fireball circles?!" Norman said in surprise.

    Alicia muttered, "Unlimited Fire Ball,"

    And from each circle of amnis, shot many fireballs at Norman.

    "Damn it! I can''t dodge them all!" Norman tried his best to ward off the fireballs shot by Alicia; of course he couldn''t; he used his own body as a shield to protect rissa and her amnis circle.

    "Norman! It''s done!" said rissa.

    Norman immediately jumped into the circle. rissa knelt, her amnis circle glowing brightly around their bodies. She closed her eyes and focused all of her mana into the circle.

    The three of them glowed, then shot away from there likeets.

    ''Again, we failed to catch one of them,'' said Alicia.

    Alicia looked around. The floors and buildings around them were destroyed by the monster that suddenly appeared, but the monster that caused it was nowhere to be seen.

    The reason is, when Reig''s body was split in half, Reig returned to an ordinary shadow and entered Allen''s body. Reig used Allen''s demonic mana to turn into a minotaur, and all his mana was now gone.

    Alicia then realized the existence of Felicia, who was shining brightly because of her god''s blessing.

    "She healed him? But with that wound, there''s no way that child could still be alive," Alicia thought. Moreover, at that time, Alicia couldn''t see Allen''s mana through her appraisal, so she thought that Felicia was just doing something in vain.

    But as soon as she got closer, it turned out that Allen was still breathing, even though he was dying but Allen was still alive, and his wound was slowly healing.

    ''He''s alive?! But, why can''t I see his mana before?!''

    Alicia activated her god''s blessing even more closely, then again put on her appraisal.

    "God''s blessing" That''s when she finally saw Allen''s mana, which was still a little left. To Alicia''s confusion, why couldn''t she see this mana earlier?

    As if his mana had just entered in a short time.

    In addition, Alicia couldn''t get a good read on Allen''s status. From Allen''s mana, she could only see his physical strength, health points, and some other things that were not clearly visible. It was as if something was covering Allen''s mana.

    "Maybe it''s because this boy is in the process of recovering from this girl''s god''s blessing," Alicia thought.

    "Alicia, don''t we need to go after them?" asked Harald.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I''d like to go after them, but that would be a waste of time. I could see his mouth saying that their n had failed. From their condition, it looks like they won''t being back. But just in case¡­ Brother, please chase after the two who kidnapped Leofric''s corpse. If you''re alone, you might be overtaken," Alicia replied.

    Harald nodded and left.

    "Alright, now what I need to do is..."

    As Felicia concentrated deeply on healing Allen lying in front of her, Alicia stood behind her and touched her back.

    ''Great, she was so focused that she didn''t realize I was touching her back Alicia thought.

    With a gentle touch, Alicia then drew an amnis circle on Felicia''s back and muttered a spell,

    "Transfer mana from self to right hands," she whispered.

    ''No matter where you look, this girlcks the mana to save him. I will transfer my mana," she decided to transfer her own mana to Felicia, not only to save Allen but to make sure Felicia had enough power to save other victims.

    As the transfer urred, Felicia could feel an unexinable warmth spreading throughout her body. The spell was working. She could sense the flow of mana returning to her with each passing moment.

    Alicia read the look on Felicia''s face and gave her an encouraging smile.

    "I heard people called her blessing useless," she said.

    "Howe? Beautiful blessings like this can save many people."

    Felicia couldplete the healing process with renewed strength. Even though Allen was still unconscious, he breathed normally.

    Felicia finally feels relieved because Allen was finally safe. She immediately hugged Allen''s fainted body and muttered

    "thank god¡­"

    As Felicia was in a world of her own, Alicia tapped her on the shoulder and said

    "Umm, hey,"

    Felicia was immediately surprised by the figure behind her. Then she realized that someone had helped her earlier when she healed Allen.

    She didn''t expect that person to be one of the princes.

    "Forgive me for my impudence!" Felicia said.

    "Save that forter; I want you to return to the ballroom and save other injured people there."

    ...

    Fleur and Birawa had been sprinting through the castle halls, but now they suddenly slowed their pace. They walked until they came to arge door in one of the corridors. That door was a room for the congregation to pray, a substitute for a church that was nestled inside the walls of the castle.

    They could sense the weighty atmosphere within as they approached the foreboding threshold. To Birawa, it was just the aura of an ordinary evil person, but to Fleur, she recognized, with a sharp pang of familiarity, the unmistakable energy of someone she hated very much.

    They stopped in front of the door, and Fleur slowly opened it.

    In front of themy the ghastly scene. Five male bodies littered the floor; their souls had long passed on. At the far end of the room sat the sinner himself, calmly sewing a knight''s head of the rounds onto another inanimate figure. A repulsive sight to behold.

    "Ivaylo..." Fleur muttered angrily.

    Each Knight of Rounds was divided into two teams. The Rounds corpse in front of them was Eustace, the hammer wielder on the same team as Swithian. Fleur had more or less expected Eustace''s death since she saw Swithian in the ballroom.

    "It''s been a while," Fleur asked Ivaylo.

    "Miss Fleur¡­ who is now the strongest in the knight of rounds, I didn''t expect you to remember me still," replied Ivaylo, who continued sewing.

    "There is no way I can forget you. You''re the one who killed my little brother."

    "Aaah... That time was really a very sad day even for me. Toka, I identally turned that good boy into a doll because I wanted to stay with him forever."

    With such an obvious provocation, the experienced Fleur did not fall for it. Fleur and Birawa walked over to the silent Ivaylo. Then Fleur said

    "Birawa... be careful; he has instant death ability. Watch all his movements and analyze his abilities carefully,"

    "Yes, mydy."

    Ivaylo raised both hands. And when he did, Eustace''s body stood up; they could see threads binding Eustace''s body. Then Ivaylo took out a ck needle and pierced Eustace''s head.

    "God''s Blessing: A Doll''s House,"

 Chapter 129 Ivaylo Vs Rounds

    "A doll''s house."

    As Ivaylo activated his god''s blessing, Birawa and Fleur immediately dashed toward Ivaylo. Fleur used a sword with a rose pattern, while Birawa used a great sword shaped like a standard long sword.

    When they started running, Eustace also came running,

    "Go," said Ivaylo

    "Yes, my master,"

    Eustace heaved his hammer high above his head, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he zeroed in on his target, the formidable Fleur. The two shed with a resounding boom as Eustace''s hammer collided with Fleur''s sword. Yet, despite the overwhelming force behind the hammer, Fleur stood her ground, matching Eustace blow for blow.

    "Abare: Lacing," Eustace muttered.

    Suddenly, a deafening st fired like a rocket from behind Eustace''s hammer, propelling it forward with even greater ferocity. Fleur barely had time to react as the hammer hurtled towards her, sending her flying back towards the door.

    But Fleur was not one to stay down for long. She quickly picked herself up and retreated to a safer distance, where she could regroup and catch her breath. Meanwhile, the valiant Birawa seized the opportunity to strike, lunging at Eustace from the side with his greatsword.

    As Birawa''s de shed with Eustace''s hammer, a shower of sparks erupted between them. The suspense was palpable as the two battled fiercely, their weapons ringing out with every strike.

    Eustace was now on the defensive. However, he was not so easily defeated. Summoning all his strength, he brought his hammer down with a thunderous crash, shattering the ground beneath Birawa''s feet. It was a close call, but Birawa dodged the impact just in time, rolling to safety before springing back to his feet.

    Just as Birawa and Eustace were shing swords, Ivaylo took out two dolls from the patchwork. One of them looked familiar, as the doll resembled Fleur wearing a ball gown. The other was just an ordinary doll without hair or clothes.

    Birawa couldn''t shake the strange feeling that had been creeping up on him since heid eyes on the doll. Instant death was a powerful god''s blessing. With such a powerful blessing, using that ability won''t be easy. As Birawa watched Ivaylo hold the two dolls in his hands, a sense of foreboding settled deep in his gut. He was sure that the dolls were somehow connected to Ivaylo''s god''s blessing.

    Just then, Fleur sprang into action, her lightning-fast reflexesing to Birawa''s aid in the heat of his battle with Eustace. Without a second thought, she lunged towards Eustace, her sword glinting menacingly in the dim light. With a deft strike, she managed to plunge the de into Eustace''s chest and muttered.

    "Abare, Ligans Rosis,"

    From Fleur''s sword came numerous thorns wrapped around Eustace''s entire body. Taking a deep breath, Birawa steadied his hand and gripped his sword tightly. Without hesitation, he swung the de in a powerful arc, his aim true, and with a sickening crunch, the de came crashing down on Eustace''s neck, severing his head clean off.

    "How cold, even though he was yourrade in arms, but you tragically killed him."

    "He''s not our friend anymore, I don''t care about walking corpses," Fleur said.

    "As I expected from Miss Fleur, you even killed your own brother with that sword. Even though I turned Toka into a doll to live longer. Everything was also Toka''s request. ''I want to stay longer with my big sister,'' he said. So I granted his request, but you killed him just because he became a little more different."

    "Shut up, don''t mention Toka''s name with your filthy mouth again!" This time Fleur was provoked; she ran rashly towards Ivaylo.

    Ivaylo smiled. It wasn''t his usual smile. He was smiling because he was trying to hold back hisughter. Birawa immediately warned Fleur about that,

    "Captain! Be careful!" Birawa shouted.

    Fleur then fell to her knees as the corpse lying on the floor held her legs. It turned out that the headless male corpse on the floor was also a puppet.

    "The corpse below is also a puppet? Didn''t Ivaylo influence the brain to control the puppets?!" thought Fleur.

    ''It can''t be wrong because he also controls Lady Earster and Sir Eustace, but we can kill him as soon as their heads are cut off,''

    That''s how the two of them thought. Ivaylo deliberately sent Lady Erster to fight with them to make them think so. Even though Ivaylo can also control headless corpses, corpses that have lost their heads can only move haphazardly and without direction. Then they could onlyst a few minutes.

    Of course, the headless corpses were easily defeated by Fleur and Birawa. Birawa concluded that if their brains were missing, it meant that what controlled them was in their spine.

    Unfortunately, that short time was more than enough for Ivaylo. While Fleur was still lying down, a needle pierced her face, and like an injection, it absorbed Fleur''s cheek blood.

    "Huh?!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ivaylo pulled the thread of the needle.

    "This is bad! He took my blood!" Fleur shouted.

    "It''s over. Goodbye, Miss Fleur."

    With a wider smile than usual, Ivaylo stuck the needle containing Fleur''s blood into the doll he had prepared. By cing Fleur''s blood in the doll resembling her, Ivaylo could kill her instantly, like he did to the Archbishop.

    But...

    "Abare, Serpen Draconis."

    -BUZZ

    "!!!"

    Before Ivaylo could stick the needle into his doll, Birawa activated his sword rampage skill.

    Birawa''s sword, Serpen Draconis, is a long sword that mirrored the proportions of a great sword he had obtained from the fearsome dragon lurking on the 9th floor. Serpen Draconis was a peculiar sword, boasting a unique design in which flesh was covered by sword metal. Whenever Birawa invoked his rampage skill, the fleshy fibers of the de became inly visible, while the metal appeared to fracture into ten sections. The sword transformed into a spine, capable of extending out to strike his adversaries. Due to the remarkable attributes of this sword, Birawa was able to rescue Allen and Felicia during their perilous dungeon exploration. By wedging the tip of his sword into the wall of a chasm, Birawa could pull himself up unscathed.

    Ivaylo, who didn''t expect this rampage skill, was forced to lose the two puppets he had made; if it weren''t for his extraordinary reaction, maybe both hands would also be injured.

    "Sorry for making you help me, Birawa."

    "It''s okay, captain. Please don''t make any rash moves in the future."

    "You really thought it through, Miss Fleur. By bringing someone like him, you won''t give me any extra time," Ivaylo said as he took out a new in doll from inside his shirt.

    Without answering Ivaylo''s question, Birawa pulled his sword back to its original state and said,

    "a blessing that can make your enemy 100% dead. Such a powerful blessing must probably have three or four conditions to be met.

    And from the fight earlier, I''m sure of a few things. First, you have to make a puppet that looks like your target, second you need mana from your opponent, and blood is the most basic thing if you need someone else''s mana; and third you need quite a lot of time to kill just one person, and that process should not be interrupted at all. Unfortunately, as long as you fight with me, I won''t let you use that anymore," Birawa said.

    ''That is exactly correct¡­ how troublesome, Other-worlder. I can''t help it, I have to use another ability.'' Ivaylo thought as he put the doll back into his shirt.

    Birawa''s reason for taking the trouble to exin his opinion was twofold. One, he wanted to give Fleur time to stand up and calm down. Two, he wanted Ivaylo to think that using instant death would be a waste to him, so he made sure Ivaylo locked down that ability.

    ''So far he has used two types of needles. Judging from how they are used, each needle seems to have a different function. The first is for controlling dolls, and the second is a syringe-like needle for sucking blood. ''I must be alert to the other needle that he still hides,'' Birawa thought.

    ''A strategic approach towards augmenting your god''s blessing is to opt for a fitting armacar. Ivaylo is the best example of this; he can maximize his god''s blessing by having a well-suited armacar. However, despite the coherence of that statement, it still doesn''t make sense what kind armacar he has. An Armacar is a monster''s core, its weird if he has the entire sewing set from the monster''s core. Nheless, specting over such matters is trivial now; I should focus on how his ability works and use my blessing towards him,'' thought Fleur.

    While strengthening her resolve, Fleur said,

    "Without you, Birawa, I would not be standing here alive. It''s just been mere minutes since we stepped foot in this room, and I would have surely perished. I suspect that our opponent is concealing more than we can fathom. The fact that he is waiting for us, suggests that he has probably orchestrated several unforeseen surprises to counter our every move, So..."

    Fleur''s face looked like someone overflowing with anger. But it wasn''t anger that was controlling her; it was her trying to control that anger to make it her own. With that face, she looked at Ivaylo and said

    "So, while I''m holding him back. Just use me as bait and kill him along with me,"

    Birawa''s face turned anxious. But that face onlysted for a moment; he closed his eyes in order to dispel all his feelings.

    And slowly, when he opened his eyes, he said

    "Alright, captain. From now on, I will kill the Birawa Budiono character."

 Chapter 130 Hes Dead

    ?

    Ivaylo walked slowly, drew a needle from his jacket, and as he drew it, the glint caught the dim light of the room. Before Fleur and Birawa could give any reaction, Ivaylo had already begun to approach them with lightning speed. They instinctively move to a different side, so Ivaylo must choose his opponent.

    As Ivaylo lunged forward, he made a feint towards Fleur, throwing the needle in her direction. Fleur, however, was quick to react, expertly brushing the needle aside easily. Fleur then stooped forward to pick up the needle, only to realize toote that Ivaylo had attached an invisible thread. In one fluid motion, he yanked the thread back, the needle swiftly returning to his hand.

    Birawa seized the opening and attacked Ivaylo from the side; with incredibly appropriate timing, he used the needle he just took back to swat Birawa''s sword out of the way. At that moment, it was clear that Ivaylo was a force to be reckoned with - a ruthless assassin with unbridled skill and cunning.

    ''It''s just a small needle, but it can hold my sword!'' Birawa thought.

    Instead of just taking Birawa''s sword swing, Ivaylo deflected the direction of his sword with the needle,

    ''Not only does he have good reflexes, but his physique is surprisingly strong,'' Fleur thought.

    After deflecting the direction of Birawa''s sword, it missed and hit the floor, and in that short time, Ivaylo had taken out another needle with his left hand. This time the needle was ck, and there was a strange sphere at the base of the needle. He immediately thrust the fragrant needle into Birawa''s chest. Birawa, aware of the danger, let go of his sword and protected his chest with his left hand. As a result, the back of his left hand was pierced by the needle.

    Fleur quickly rushed forward, thrusting her sword at Ivaylo. Ivaylo dodged, and he somersaulted backwards away from there.

    ''He backed away? That means the goal has been achieved!'' Birawa thought.

    Birawa quickly picked up his sword and

    -SLASH

    Birawa severed his left arm off with his sword.

    "Hooo" not only Ivaylo, but Fleur was also shocked by what Birawa did. Without thinking, Fleur immediately made an amnis circle to stop Birawa''s bleeding.

    "Freeze,"

    That froze Birawa''s hand up to his elbow.

    "Why did you realize it?" Ivaylo said.

    "As I examined the puncture wound on my back hand, I couldn''t help but notice something off about it. Unlike any other sewing needle, this one had a strange storagepartment on it. I remember a poisonous needle from my favorite video games resembling that."

    "Exactly... Since fighting the two of you might be difficult, I tried to kill one person first, but you turned out to be smarter than I thought, as expected of an other-worlder,"

    "Thank you for thepliment. You know¡­ the country in my world is very fond ofpliments from outsiders. To me, that praise is a power that allows my mana to overflow even more."

    ''But in this way, I''ve already lost my left hand; the difficult thing about losing your hand is not enduring the pain but getting used to my movements with it. Losing a body part can have an impact on movement,''

    "Hahaha, I like you. After this, I will make you one of my puppets."

    Ivaylo again quickly ran towards the injured Birawa. He once again threw his needle at Birawa''s face. Fleur immediately swatted it upwards; now Fleur was the one who came forward to fight Ivaylo.

    As they faced each other off, both fighters were incredibly fast and precise in their movements. There was no wasted energy or unnecessary movement as they tried to outmaneuver each other. Both were equally skilled, and their fight was full of clever tricks and tactics. Ivaylo used his needle to deflect Fleur''s sword while Fleur seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike. Their fight continued to shift and move; Ivaylo did this so that Birawa couldn''t attack them rashly.

    ''With that small body, he can be the equivalent of a captain. What''s disgusting are his eyes that repeatedly nced at me; he observed my movements while fighting with Captain. It''s crazy, as if he has two brains and can focus on two different things,'' Birawa thought.

    Fleur, who was fighting with him, also felt that Ivaylo''s eyes were not looking at her while fighting, but Fleur was sure that Ivaylo was also focusing on her.

    ''This guy deliberately keeps a close distance from me while using a lot of energy to switch his position. If his position weren''t fixed like that, surely Birawa wouldn''t have rashly attacked him because his sword could have hit me,'' Fleur thought until she smiled and said

    "That must be what you''re thinking, right?"

    "!!!"

    Birawa activated his sword rampage skill; his sword extended and attacked Ivaylo. Ivyalo, surprised by the attack, tried to dodge, but Fleur''s movements became faster and faster, locking all his ways to run.

    -THRUST

    The sword tore apart Ivaylo''s abdomen, and so did Fleur''s. But Fleur''s was just a normalceration, almost like a scratch, while Ivaylo''s looked really bad.

    ''I underestimated him because of the closeness of the two of them; I thought he wouldn''t endanger Miss Fleur''s life,'' Ivaylo thought.

    As Fleur had said earlier, she allowed Birawa to ignore her safety by attacking Ivaylo. Both of them were professional knights who abandoned their personal feelings to kill their opponents.

    Suddenly, a person came out from the left and right curtains. That person was Ivaylo''s puppet, who seemed to be a soldier. They quickly moved to stab Fleur and Birawa.

    ''This kind of puppet won''t be able to stop us.''

    Fleur and Birawa split the heads of the two puppets in unison. That''s when Fleur immediately realized that something was wrong,

    "Birawa! Watch out-"

    And simultaneously

    -BAM!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The corpse exploded.

    The explosion wasn''t very powerful but could cause an ordinary person to die.

    "Desperate Seamstress," Ivaylo activated another god''s blessing, his hands quickly sewing back his wide-open stomach. And the stitches were so neat that there were no visible stitch marks.

    "You used someone else''s corpse to distract us; how cruel," Fleur said.

    "Don''t get too sentimental; they''re just corpses at the end of the day."

    "Yes, it''s a pity you did it in vain."

    "Hmm?"

    Fleur pointed her sword at Ivaylo. Then Fleur said:

    "God Blessing: Hond Rose, Red."

    Ivaylo looked above his head. There was a red rose floating there that was twice the size of his head.

    "This is your god''s blessing. Now that I think about it, 15 years ago, you didn''t use it on me," Ivaylo said.

    ''It''s likely that the activation conditions were full when he was sword fighting with me, though I don''t know what it does. But it doesn''t seem like it will kill me right away,''

    "So, do you want to exin how this rose works?" asked Ivaylo.

    "Of course not!" Fleur ran quickly towards Ivaylo and started swordfighting with him again. Birawa immediately helped Fleur this time. He repeatedly attacked Ivaylo without thinking about Fleur''s condition.

    As a result, Fleur''s finger was severed, her leg was badly injured, her shoulder was bleeding profusely, and the wound on her stomach was also getting bigger. In exchange for all of that, Ivaylo got even worse wounds than her.

    And with every wound Fleur gave him, the rose petals on top of Ivaylo''s head became less and less.

    ''These rose petals are the number of attacks she gave me. This might be getting serious. I''m really going to die if these rose petals run out,'' Ivaylo thought.

    Gradually, Ivaylo stopped attacking. He now focused more on defense, as attacks came from Fleur and Birawa simultaneously. Now there were only 5 rose petals left. But even without those petals, Ivaylo also looked like he would die because of his severe wounds. Surprisingly, Ivaylo was more worried about the roses on him than the wounds on his body.

    Although not as much as Ivaylo, Fleur also had many severe wounds. But that didn''t stop her from continuing to attack Ivaylo.

    "Five..." Fleur started counting the remaining rose petals on top of Ivaylo''s head.

    "Four..."

    Ivaylo''s movements started to be unbnced.

    "Three..."

    "Two..."

    Until finally, Ivaylo retreated very quickly backward and raised both hands.

    "Alright, I give up," Ivaylo said.

    Even though Ivaylo said that Birawa''s sword swung from afar, aiming for his head. Ivaylo, with his left hand, tapped the edge of Birawa''s sword to deflect its direction.

    "How cold, you should have listened to me... I said I gave up, just catch me..."

    "There''s no way a surrendered person would smile like that. Besides, even if you surrender or say you want to kill yourself here, I won''t allow it. Because the one who will kill you is me!" While saying that, Fleur thrust her sword towards Ivaylo.

    But as soon as she arrived

    -BAM

    "Captaaain!"

    Ivaylo''s body ruptured with an ear-splitting detonation, simr to the explosive aftermath of the malevolent puppets but with a more intensified impact. Fleur''s proximity to Ivaylo proved to be a fatal mistake, as the front half of her body was charred to a crisp. Scarlet droplets gushed forth from the seared flesh, painting a gruesome picture of the deadly urrence.

    "Akh....ah! Ivaylo! What about Ivaylo?!" Fleur shouted with her burned mouth

    Birawa checked the source of the explosion.

    But there, nothing was clearly visible. Only blood and a few sshes of entrails, indicating that Ivaylo had really blown himself up there.

    "H-he... He is dead," Birawa said.

 Chapter 131 The Plan

    ?

    As Ivaylo''s eyes flickered open, he found himself in a dimly lit room. Gradually, his vision adjusted to the surroundings, and he noticed a girl standing beside him. Her hair was long and white as snow, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her intense gaze was fixed on him, and it appeared as if she had been waiting patiently for him to wake up.

    "You''re dead again, Master. This is the third time you''ve died, and all three were pointless deaths," the girl was Mary, one of the Noctem Dolls.

    Ivaylo sat up, then picked up his shirt that was hanging on one of the coffins. They were in a rather luxurious room that was dimly lit by moonlight.

    "It''s a shame; we need Miss Fleur''s body, and that other-worlder''s too... If we make them be our puppets, we can more easily proceed with the n," Ivaylo said.

    "But you lost... Does this mean that the n to assassinate the king failed?"

    "Not really... Miss Fleur''s body is needed for another n, not this one."

    "Well... Whatever it is, please don''t do anything rash again. The doll bodies you made are now down to six. Each of them was made with the mana you collected for one year. So running out of three bodies in just one month is detrimental," Mary exined.

    A Doll''s House was Ivaylo''s blessing granting him the ability to control other corpses to be his doll; he could also use this blessing for himself. He created an absolute doll''s body from a corpse, possessed a seemingly inanimate form, and was capable of immersing himself within the dolls'' bodies. So Ivaylo had been fighting with Fleur with the doll''s body he created, and when he died, his soul would move into his real body.

    "This time I can''t help but die. Miss Fleur''s god''s blessing is really dangerous. That rose is directly connected to my mana, so if I get hit once more, my original body will definitely die as well,"

    "Yeah, I could see that earlier; all your ns fell apart because of that other-worlder. You have to use your real body to defeat the two of them. If you use a doll''s body, you won''t be able to maximize your abilities."

    "I prefer a puppet body; my physique bes stronger than with my real body. If I use my real body, I''m afraid they''ll die instantly from my mana."

    -KNOCK

    Then someone knocked on the door four times

    "Come in," Ivaylo replied.

    The door opened, and in front of it stood rissa and Norman, carrying Arthur.

    From their condition, rissa still looked depressed, Norman''s wounds had disappeared, but his face still looked tired and in pain.

    "Wee back," said Ivaylo.

    "We''re sorry, leader, the n failed."

    "I know... I can think of various reasons why you might have failed, but please tell me about themter. Don''t worry about the n... you didn''t fail."

    Hmm?

    "What do you mean Leader? Aren''t we going to kill the king by relying on Arthur?"

    "Well... If it really works, of course I''m happy, but it''s just a n on top of a n."

    "What does that mean?"

    "The n had already worked when Leofric died. The whole thing was just a decoy to catch the kingdom off guard. Norman returned, Ralph and Adam escaped, and I lost too. Now they''ll think it''s all over. That''s what we''re taking advantage of.

    All we need to do now is wait for Adam and Ralph to arrive, after which we will continue our n."

    ...

    Two hours had already passed as the dust settled after the explosion in front of the gate. As Alicia stood among the chaos, one of the soldiers approached her with a grim report

    Previously affected by Ivaylo''s dolls, the sea of humans had slowly returned to normalcy. However, the haunting reality of the casualties reached an rming number of thousands. Once-ordinary people became the targets of those under the influence, while soldiers and civilians suffered alike in capturing the infected. The affected individuals were now temporarily locked up, awaiting further investigation.

    "What about the host? Did you find the doll that Ivaylo released?"

    "No, we didn''t find it,"

    ''Norttish has a lot of mana capacity, enough to control the entire city. But maybe I''m overreacting if I think the puppet host can still spread Ivaylo''s doll to the people,''

    Then suddenly Alicia realized one thing she hadn''t heard before:

    "Tobias! What about Sir Tobias?! What happened to him?" Alicia wasn''t worried about his body at all. She was worried about something else.

    Alicia''s heart sank as she realized that her worst fears were confirmed. The tense atmosphere surrounding them only intensified, making it hard for Alicia to find the words that would convey the raging emotions that were bubbling up inside her. She searched for a glimmer of hope, but there was none to be found in the soldier''s mncholy features.

    "Sir Tobias... is currently confining himself to the prison."

    "Oh... I see..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Alicia touched her sore chest. It hurt a lot that everything was really happening, just as she had feared.

    But she still tried to stay strong; the situation in the pce was still chaotic, and she had no time to mourn and no time to be sad.

    "Please tell the prison guards to leave him alone and lock the cell. He needs time to recover; I believe he will be recovered soon."

    "Yes, your highness..."

    Tobias had a very heavy trauma when he was a dungeon explorer. He killed his party members, who became zombies on the seventh floor. It was only one person at first. Tobias tried to save him, even though someone who had be a zombie could not be saved. In the end, all of his party members became zombies because of that, and he was forced to kill them alone.

    Learning from that experience, he would no longer hesitate about what he would face. And he once again faced a situation that was more or less the same as back then.

    The vigers controlled by Ivaylo were walking like zombies, and Tobias thought they couldn''t be saved. Tobias killed many people until he finally heard from Alicia through the soldiers that the controlled vigers could still be saved. This fact pped Tobias very hard. Because he had just killed many people with his sword, killing the innocent humans he was supposed to protect. The guilt he felt was so great that he put himself in prison. Now Alicia could only hope that Tobias could still return to being the Tobias she knew.

    Alicia was in the ballroom. The spacious ballroom was now home to people who had been badly injured. The one working inside was Felicia. She was in charge of saving as many people as possible with her god''s blessing. Severed limbs, permanent injuries, shattered knees, all could be healed by Felicia. Felicia repeatedly received mana transfers from other people to continue working.

    Felicia''s god''s blessing was so beautiful that people started nicknaming her "Maiden of Eden Garden," a girl who brought a garden of Eden that gave hope to everyone.

    "Next! Hurry up and bring the next one!" Felicia shouted repeatedly while drinking a stamina-boosting potion.

    Even though Felicia''s makeup had worn off at that time, she was sweating profusely, her face looked very tired, and her eye bags were ckened, but everyone still saw her as a beautiful rescue maiden.

    People were already starting to survive; the Noctem Dolls were nowhere to be seen. So many people already thought that it was all over,

    The only one who didn''t think so was Alicia.

    "We can''t be rash just yet, uncle. Please have the Milite Captains deploy troops in every corner of the castle," Alicia said to Maximilian and the captains.

    ''There are a few things that still bother me. I still can''t see them aplishing anything. Is killing Leofric and destabilizing the castle really their goal?''

    A short while after that, Harald arrived.

    "How is it, brother Harald?! Were you able to find the two of them?"

    "No, I lost track of them. Strangely, all traces of their mana seemed to disappear suddenly in the west gate."

    ''The west gate... Why would they run that way? Most importantly, why did they need to carry Leofric''s corpse?

    "Umm then..." Harald then acted strangely,

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "Umm...No... It''s probably not important."

    "Why? Just tell me! I need all the information!"

    "This may sound crazy, but I just saw Leofric in the west window when I returned here."

    Harald''s words seemed superfluous to Alicia, yet their impact was akin to a lotive hurtling through her thoughts, shattering the walls of her mind andying bare a path previously hidden.

    "ARE YOU SURE YOU SEE IT?!" Alicia shouted with a shocked, scared, and anxious face at Harald.

    "Ugh, this is why I didn''t want to say it..."

    "ANSWER QUICKLY! IT''S IMPORTANT!"

    "I''m not too sure, OK! I only saw a bit of his hair from the side; from the silhouette, it looks simr, but it could be someone else."

    "THAT''S ENOUGH! WE HAVE TO GO TO THE KING''S CHAMBERS QUICKLY!"

    "But Alicia, you said we shouldn''t go there because we might be followed."

    "That''s useless now!"

    ''Why didn''t I think of this earlier?!'' Alicia thought.

    ''Brother Harald wasn''t sure, but I couldn''t think of any other possibility. Ivaylo has the ability to control people''s corpses into his puppets. If he knows that the only ones who can find the king''s chamber are the blood descendants of the king, then he can use Leofric''s corpse to do so!''

 Chapter 132 The Kings Chamber

    ?

    King Henry Sheraton Wildenhally in his bed, gued by illness. It was a precarious situation - one where he and others knew he wouldn''t be able to save his own life in this precarious situation. As a result, he was ced in his resting room of the pce, the King''s Chamber. With its hallowed air, this sacred room was deemed fit for only a select few. ess to open the room was granted only to those with a royal bloodline - namely, the king himself and his children.

    "It is located in the western part of the pce. But even if you open all the doors in the pce, you won''t find it because only those who have royal blood can open it, right, mydy?" asked Ivaylo.

    Ivaylo was talking to a woman wearing arge and conspicuous dress. The room had no light, so her face could not be seen clearly.

    "That''s right,"

    ''But based on Arthur''s vision, he saw the king''s mana to the east. Is this some kind of illusion of space? Maybe the actual room is in the east, but to open it, we need to go to the west room.''

    "May I ask you something, mydy?"

    "No, you may not. Just do as we say, and you''ll get the reward you ask for."

    "Fufufu, alright. I wondered why one of the queens tried to kill the king. Was it your wish, or is there someone behind all this?"

    "I won''t answer that; just finish your task," the woman said as she left the room.

    The room was the ce where Ivaylo woke up, and when the woman was there, most of the members of the Noctem Dolls had already gathered inside the cramped space.

    Norman, Nishizaka, and Arthur appeared to be the worst injured, while Elinor was nowhere to be found. Despite the setbacks, the rest of the group appeared to be in good condition and ready to continue with their n.

    "What exactly are we epting the queen''s request for, Leader?" asked Ralph.

    "Right, it''s not because we need money, nor is it because you want me to go on a rampage, right?" asked Adam.

    "For now, please keep the questions in your mind. What is certain is that what happens here will have a good impact on us," Ivaylo replied, putting his finger to his mouth.

    "Mary, please put the one who can''t fight into your stomach."

    "All right, Master."

    "Wait! I don''t need to; I''m already healed. Although I am not fully healed, I can fight," Norman replied.

    "I-I too, I-I''m fine. Forgive me for suddenly bing useless," uttered rissa.

    Ivaylo smiled and replied, "Well, don''t push yourself."

    Following Ivaylo''s orders, Mary timidly made her way toward Arthur and Nishizaka, the pit of her stomach beginning to churn with unease. As she approached them, her stomach began to expand at an rming rate - growingrger andrger until it was the size of a fully grown human body. Slowly, her stomach opened wide, allowing Adam to deposit Arthur and Nishizaka''s bodies inside. And just as slowly as it had opened, Mary''s stomach began to close again - trapping these two within her.

    ''I really don''t like the feeling inside Mary''s stomach,'' thought Norman.

    The Noctem Dolls exited the room, then casually walked a few steps to the right. A man with long yellow hair was standing at the far end of the room. Holding the doorknob in front of him, he twirled it around. That man was Leofric; he was the one who was opening the door to get to the king''s room.

    "If I''m not mistaken, that''s the door to the basement. Is the king''s room really inside there?"

    "Let''s see whether the royal family''s mana can really take us to the king''s room or not,"

    Everyone stood behind Leofric. Leofric beckoned everyone to stand behind him as he opened the door. They were all curious to see whaty beyond the entrance.

    -SREET

    To their surprise, it was not the dark, dingy basement they had expected. Something else awaited them. It was a hexagonal room, with each side adorned by a white door. Ivaylo and hispanions enter this room from one of the doors, and as they enter, a bridge-like path materializes, leading them to a spectacr wreath in the center. This room was unlike anything they had ever seen; it resembled a garden of otherworldly beauty, seemingly detached from reality. Although it was night outside, the room was drenched in vibrant daylight, and no matter how high they looked up, the walls seemed to stretch on infinitely.

    "I can''t believe there''s a ce like this in the pce!" Adam said.

    "It''s like inside a dungeon''s resting ce," said Mary.

    There were many flowers in there, and the ce smelled pleasant and soothing. Water flowed from a statue holding a jug, forming a river around the room.

    "Wait, where is Leofric''s corpse? He disappeared?" said Ralph.

    "Oh, about that... The order given to him was only to open this room, after which he returned to that room," Ivaylo replied.

    As exined earlier, a wreath was in the middle of the room. Not just an ordinary wreath. It was arge altar. With transparent colored crystals, creating a rainbow on top.

    Ivaylo walked slowly to it while the other members quickly went to each door in case someone entered. And as Ivaylo approached, he could clearly see inside the crystal, a frail, frail-looking old figure was seen inside the crystal, surrounded by flowers.

    "So this is King Henry''s current condition; if people left him alone, he would probably die in a few years; there is no point in asking us to kill him, that means they want to kill the king as soon as possible," Ivaylo said.

    "!!!"

    Ivaylo was immediately a little surprised when he saw the king, who was sleeping in the crystal, slowly opening his eyes.

    "Who..." said the king.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "!!!"

    No, that''s not what he said from his mouth. A voice entered Ivaylo''s head, and probably everyone in the room heard it. Some telepathy.

    The voice of the mind did not sound like the voice of the old grandfather in the crystal because his voice sounded fit and robust.

    "Nice to meet you, King Henry Sheraton Wildenhall. My name is Ivaylo, and I am a Norttish. I havee here to kill you," Ivaylo said, certain that it was the king who was speaking.

    "Norttish... Finally, one of you gets to me."

    "Oh? If you think I have a grudge against you, don''t worry, I didn''te for a grudge."

    "Hmm? Grudge? What have I done to you?"

    "Haha, I understand; it was the first king who massacred our tribe three hundred years ago, not you. But still, that should be enough for my people to take revenge on you as well. His descendants, and those who maintain the Norttish rule of capture and ughter."

    "Aaah I see. But I was also responsible for the massacre of your n three hundred years ago. I don''t understand why Norttish should have a grudge against me."

    "Hmm?" Ivaylo thought, ''It looks like this king has a logical facy. Maybe he has different morals than others. Well he was the great king at all; he saw a different world from us. But what bothers me is¡­''

    The king suddenly said

    "Oh... you outsiders don''t know. I thought your elders had already told you the truth..."

    "Unfortunately, I killed all the elders... They also sent people to watch me. What does that mean? Why are you responsible for what happened three hundred years ago when you were still unborn?"

    After that, there was a slight pause in their conversation. That pause created a strange situation.

    "I see...So that''s how it is... I see... I understand now," said the king.

    What the king said confused Ivaylo.

    Ivaylo had grown ustomed to leading conversations and dominating others with his wealth of information and the effortless use of the word ''kill.'' He relished the feeling of superiority it gave him. However, for the first time in his life, he felt inferior¡ªnot just to anybody but to the king, who couldn''t even speak for himself.

    As the two engaged in dialogue, Ivaylo couldn''t shake this newfound feeling of inadequacy. He realized that the king probably had mastered the art of listening, asking the right questions, and interpreting responses with just a few words, leaving Ivaylo feeling as though he had already given the king what he wanted to hear with minimal effort. The king uttered only two simple words, "I see," and Ivaylo knew immediately that the king had everything he needed.

    "Leader, we should just kill this old man right away; I have a bad feeling," Ralph said.

    It wasn''t just Ralph, others felt it too. Although their n was perfect, they sensed that someone would soone from one of the six entrances.

    "He''s right; you''d better kill me quickly."

    There was no anxiety in his words for someone who was about to die. And strangely, his words contained an invitation and an order for them.

    ''What a difficult old-man to deal with,'' Ivaylo thought. If he killed the king, he would be uninformed, and Ivaylo''s pride would be damaged by being in a situation where he was ordered to be killed. Ivaylo wasn''t a romantic person with pride inside him, but in this case, he felt very scorned if he killed the king now.

    The king was currently in charge of the situation in the room. He closed his eyes while smiling at Ivaylo, which made Ivaylo a little annoyed, although the smile on his face had not disappeared.

    "You don''t want to kill me?" the king asked again.

    Ivaylio still looked at the king with a smile, then sighed after a while.

    "Huft... I lost... Well, I''ll kill you soon,"

    "Good... For your information, you can''t destroy this crystal easily. Perhaps the blessing of the big man over there is enough, or the high level amnis of the big-breasted tall girl over there," he referred to Adam and rissa.

    "How do you know our god''s blessing?!" said Adam, shocked.

    "Why would I answer that if I''m going to die anyway?"

    Adam immediately got angry and approached them.

    "Leader, we really should kill him right away; this old-man is annoying me."

    Ivaylo began to think...

    It had been a long time since he had been in this kind of trouble. If he killed the king, he would get what he wanted from the queen, and then everything would go ording to the queen''s n, and it would also go ording to his n.

    If he didn''t kill the king, he wouldn''t get anything from the queen, and in the future, they wouldn''t be trusted by people as a group that could work well, and that would affect his future ns.

    After thinking it through, Ivaylo smiled and replied,

    "We-"

 Chapter 133 First Appearance Of The Genius

    ?

    "We will destroy the crystal and bring the king''s body. I still want to ask him many things," Ivaylo replied.

    Upon hearing Ivaylo, the king erupted into a sudden fit ofughter that echoed throughout the room. It was a loud and hearty outburst that left him gasping for air. He could also be seenughing inside the crystal, his mouth wide open and slightly crying.

    "I''m d to hear that. That''s not the answer I guessed. It looks like one of you can move things, huh,"

    "Damn, why does this grandpa even look happy?! He is irritated me so much!" shouted Mary.

    As for Ivaylo,

    ''So he doesn''t know all our abilities; maybe he could see everything outside the castle inside this room,'' he thought.

    ''Well¡­ We will find out about thatter.''

    Ivaylo took out one of his needles and quickly thrust it into chrystal who was protecting the king.

    -CLING!

    "As he said, it''s hard. Adam, use your god''s blessing."

    "Okay, Leader. Do I need to be serious?"

    "Yes, just do it; I''ve tested the hardness of this crystal,"

    "Alright."

    Adam stood determinedly as he gazed at the king sleeping inside the crystal. The room was quiet, the only sound being the flowing water and others'' breathing.

    With a deep breath, Adam closed his eyes and drew upon the mana in the room.

    "God''s blessing," His hand began to glow as he formed a fist with his right hand. The mana gathered into his fist, creating a strong wind that swirled around him.

    "You''re serious about asking me to use all my strength, right?" Adam asked again.

    "Yeah, just do as you please. Even if he dies, we''ll just return to the status quo," Ivaylo replied.

    As the wind grew stronger, Adam felt a surge of power coursing through his veins. However, his confidence was soon challenged as he heard the king coughing.

    "cough-cough" was a deep, guttural cough that seemed to reverberate through the room, but Ivaylo was sure it was just a fake cough to break Adam''s focus.

    Adam was known to be an exceptionally focused individual. His attention was unwavering, and his skills were unmatched. However, the king''s cough disrupted Adam''s focus and dispelled the aura gathering in his fists. Adam couldn''t believe what was happening to him. He was an expert at blocking out distractions, but this was different. The simple cough by the king managed to disrupt Adam''sser-sharp focus, and his god''s blessing was canceled.

    "Fufufu, what are you doing, Adam? You lost your focus with just that," mocked Ralph.

    "Shut up! I don''t know either! All of a sudden, everything just fell apart!"

    ''This Old-man really controls the air,'' Ivaylo thought.

    Adam tried everything to get back on track, but suddenly the king spoke,

    "Sorry to bother you but... it looks like you''rete," said the king.

    "HAH?! Shut up old man! I''ll get you out of there right away!" Adam shouted at the king while striking a pose to punch him.

    In a soft and limp voice, the king then said

    "It''s a shame that I can''t join you, but you''re really are toote..."

    All the members of the Noctem Dolls suddenly felt goosebumps on their bodies when they heard that from the king. The atmosphere in the throne room suddenly shifted, as a sense of impending danger filled the air.

    The king simply closed his eyes and bowed his head, a peaceful expression on his face. then continued

    "He''s already here..."

    "!!!"

    -PUK

    Adam fell down, as someone suddenly pushed him aside.

    That person was not one of the Noctem Dolls, and his presence could not be sensed by a single person there except the king. No one knew how he got in, nor did anyone know how he could stand next to adam and push his big body without much effort.

    He was a white-haired boy, with ck eyes.

    From Ivaylo''s eyes, he knew that the boy was not Norttish. There was a strange symbol in his eyes.

    He was,

    A human form of an Adfeqtus Reliqua.

    "Stay away from the king."

    The boy''s voice broke the tense silence, making everyone suddenly panic,

    "WHO ARE YOU!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!"

    "THIS KID WAS PROBABLY THERE ALL ALONG!"

    "BUT HOW DID HE GET IN?!"

    Adam, Ralph, Mary, Norman, and rissa. All of them immediately attacked the boy.

    "PERSES TANTRUM!" Adam

    "ABARE PERVENIRE MORS!" Norman.

    "Ultimate Wind Protection!" rissa''s amnis to protect everyone from the impact of the attack.

    The brutality of the attack on the little boy was shocking, yet the Noctem Dolls members knew better than to underestimate his power. Despite his small stature, he had a knack for blending into his surroundings and appearing in their midst unnoticed.

    The Noctem Dolls retreated backward, taking up fighting positions.

    As the ash and sand gradually cleared, the child revealed himself to be even more menacing than they had initially thought. His ck eyes appeared to have the power to drill deep into their very souls, causing their hearts to race.

    Their unease was further heightened when the child abruptly spoke up in a loud,manding voice.

    "Make way for master!"

    ''Master? His user?''

    Just as he said that

    -Click

    Suddenly, the doors far in front of them burst open, and a figure with white armor stepped inside.

    In walked a man that none of them recognized. The moment he entered, everyone could feel his overwhelming aura. His presence alone seemed to fill the entire room, making the air thick with a sense of anticipation and unease. Even the strong and fearless Noctem Dolls were not immune to his aura. His eyes swept over the group, sizing them up with a sharp gaze.

    All eyes were drawn towards him like a ma. The man''s body was powerful, towering over everyone else in the room, maybe smaller than Adam if his body doesn''t cover in pristine white armor, gleaming in the light. But it wasn''t just his impressive stature that inspired awe. His sky-blue eyes shone like a bright sea, illuminating his surroundings as if they were bathed in a blue light. The effect was enthralling, making it impossible to look away from him.

    And then there was his hair - a mane of pure, golden hair. It cascaded down his back, framing his chiseled features with an ethereal glow. His appearance made it impossible not to be taken in; every aspect of him exuded strength and power that was impossible to ignore.

    "Long time no see, Father; I''m not d you''re still alive," the man said.

    "Fufu, I''m not happy you''re alive either. You''re interfering with my fun," replied the king.

    Who the hell was he?

    None of the people in the room knew. But from his hair alone they had guessed that he was one of the princes. Moreover, that fact was corroborated by the way he spoke to the king.

    The man casually walked inside, approaching the king.

    "I lied¡­ I can''t just let you die, father. Not now¡­ If you die, I will immediately be crowned king ording to tradition."

    "Though if you hade a littleter, those kids over there would have already caught me. What brings you back? Eldritch."

    The name dawned on everyone.

    Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall, the first prince and crown prince of the Wildenhall kingdom. No one didn''t know that name. Because Eldritch was the one who contributed the most to the kingdom and was a genius born once in a thousand years. The strongest figure that Leofric wanted to pursue.

    Some say that he is the reincarnation of the hero

    Some say that he is the hero himself

    Some say that all angels have blessed him.

    He was a genius child who couldplete a dungeon when he was 15 years old and thenplete another dungeon alone when he was 18 years old.

    The genius had not shown his face in the kingdom for five years; for the Noctem Dolls who rarely visited the capital, they had not seen Eldritch''s face for a long time. That''s why they didn''t realize who he was.

    Oh it turns out, he wasn''t alone.

    There were four other people behind him walking after him. One of them was a ck-haired girl who was quite striking from the other three. From her hair it was obvious that she was an other-worlder, but she was striking not because of her hair color alone but because she was the most inconspicuous of the three.

    Because the other three people were children. Two girls and one boy, and all three of them had white hair.

    "Nortish? He brought Norttish with him?!" said Norman.

    Ivaylo then answered him, "It seems that because you were injured, your senses were dulled. No, it''s not Norttish. If you look at their eyes and how they walk, you should realize."

    Norman widened his eyes in surprise, as did the rest of the Dolls.

    "No way! Those kids are!"

    "Adfeqtus Reliqua. The prince seems to havepleted more dungeons over the past few years."

 Chapter 134 Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall

    ?

    "Ara ara ara, there really are people in this room; it''s a good thing we prepared first," said one of the white-haired girls behind Eldritch.

    "Their aura... evil... they are... enemies..." said another white girl.

    "Hweee!!! Masteer! I don''t like it this bright!" said the white-haired boy.

    "Eldritch, I don''t want to interfere with your problems anyway! I feel that they are very threatening, don''t let them kidnap me!" said the other-worlder brought by Eldritch. She was the only one who called Eldritch by his name.

    "Arara, how arrogant of you little girl; it''s impossible for someone as ugly as you to be kidnapped by someone."

    "Huh?! I''m an isekai girl! There must be many people who want me!"

    Noctem Dolls were wary of the people. Standing before them was thepany of the first prince, Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall, renowned as the strongest human to ever walk thend. The Noctem Dolls, who had previously exuded unwavering confidence in their own abilities and dealt with Rounds easily, found themselves inexplicably recoiling from Eldritch''s presence. It was as if they recognized his superiority on a deep, instinctive level that left them feeling weak and vulnerable. Despite their training and experience, they were no match for the raw power emanating from the prince, and they knew it.

    Eldritch came with five other people. Four of them were children, while the other was a woman with short ck hair.

    "Denia, thank you for giving me the way," Eldritch''s voice was heavy and rough. A voice that could dominate others and make others feel inferior in front of him.

    "All for the master!" said the little white-haired boy who ran over while hugging Eldritch''s left leg. He was the first to enter the room. They don''t know how, but he could enter without the Noctem Dolls noticing him.

    Ivaylo looked at Eldritch carefully and then thought,

    ''Four adfeqtus reliqua, that''s crazy... I don''t know how to fight it either. With just one weapon, you can have two parallel minds. How about four or maybe five? Maybe the way he fights is much higher than we can imagine. Then there''s no guarantee that he only has four. The armor is also quite conspicuous; it could also be the adfeqtus reliqua.

    "Eldritch... you''re finally home, even though I''m about to be killed by those people over there."

    "As usual, you are looking for the most beautiful death. Too bad father, you''re still needed now. At least for the next week," Eldritch replied.

    "What are you nning to do? Are you finally interested in ruling this country?"

    "Absolutely not, just think about it yourself."

    Eldritch finally nced at the Noctem Dolls, who were currently ready for battle.

    "Norttish huh..." uttered Eldritch upon seeing Ivaylo.

    "Nice to meet you, Prince Eldritch. My name is Ivaylo, I havee to kill the king."

    "Ivaylo... you have so much mana."

    ''He''s only interested in my mana?

    "Yes, thanks to this body; what about you? Aren''t you grateful to be born with such an extraordinary talent?"

    Eldritch didn''t answer him. He got closer to the king''s altar and looked at it expressionlessly.

    "If you want to kill the king, do it next week. I''ll ignore everything that happens here, so leave."

    Huh? Just like that?

    That''s how the Dolls thought. After revealing his figure to those who wanted to kill the king, Eldritch even intended to ignore them.

    As if their existence was not a nuisance to him at all.

    As if the existence of the king wasn''t important to him either.

    Eldritch was very cold and probably only moved ording to what was in his head without thinking about the people around him.

    Nobody knows what was on his mind right now, but it was clear that he had just considered the Noctem Dolls'' no threat.

    And the only one seething over this was,

    Adam.

    -Thrust

    A chain quickly shot toward Eldritch''s head. Eldritch shifted his head slightly, and now the chain was stuck behind Eldritch.

    "Master! How dare you attack him!" shouted Denia, one of the children."

    Before Denia could react with his power, Adam darted quickly toward Eldritch. He pulled himself up by his chains toward him.

    "PERSERUS TANTRUM!" said Adam, shouting his god''s blessing. With a confident grin, he stepped onto the battlefield to face his opponent. The distance between them closed rapidly as he charged forward, his fist cocked back and ready to strike. His hand glowed, and the glowing blow was aimed at Eldritch''s unprotected head. But as soon as he caught a glimpse of Eldritch''s face, a strange, scary feeling crept into his body.

    -BAM

    He smiled as he met a strong opponent but simultaneously felt a cold sweat as he faced the Eldritch.

    "HAHA! HOW DOES IT FEEL! PRINCE?!" shouted Adam. Upon impact, he expected to feel the satisfying sensation of his knuckles connecting with flesh. But he was surprised that the effect of his punch only created smoke around him.

    As soon as the smoke cleared, he was shocked again because the prince didn''t look hurt at all. Even though Adam could feel his fist just hit his face, nothing happened to his face, as if Adam had never hit him.

    Casually, Eldritch wiped his armor. Then said,

    "That''s enough, right? What happened just now was also an exception. Leave this city, and I''ll let you guys at least live."

    "!!!"

    Adam tried to calm down, quickly jumping as far back as possible.

    ''Just before I hit him, some kind of barrier blocked my hit. It''s the same feeling as when I hit that boy earlier. Could this be his ability?'' Adam thought.

    "How about it, Leader? Shall we retreat first? This ce is too small to fight freely," Adam said.

    "There''s something I want to try." Ivaylo replied.

    In the middle of Ivaylo''s conversation with his members, Eldritch once again asked,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How was it? I just came here, so I''m a little tired. If possible, I''d like you guys to decide quickly."

    "Fufu... We''re willing to go as long as we can take the king''s body with us," Ivaylo replied.

    "Sigh... It seems pointless talking to you guys."

    Eldritch then approached the king and touched his crystal.

    "Denia... You''ve deployed your mana in this room, right?"

    "Yes master! I did it right before we entered here!"

    "With this many people, we probably can''t move too far. So just put us in a wider area."

    "Yes, Master!"

    The boy raised both hands.

    "God Blessing!" Then he pped.

    -CLAP

    The room shone brightly for an instant. Then surprisingly...

    All of them were now outside the castle, more precisely at the front of the castle, where Adam was fighting with the Rounds.

    "Teleport?!" said Adam

    "Is it possible to move instantly like this?" asked Norman.

    rissa replied, "N-no... Mana is indeed connected to each other, but moving humans to another ce is a little impossible. L-Let''s say it''s like every little part of our body has to be moved simultaneously. And each part requires a lot of mana."

    "What about Mary? Doesn''t this work simrly to Mary''s stomach?"

    "Of course it''s different you idiot!" shouted Mary.

    While on the Eldritch side.

    "Ugh¡­ I''ve never used to Denia''s ability. Isekai is really a bad ce for a girl like me."

    "I am sorry big sis, but I cannot control my power over the weakling, so there will be a slight headache for someone like you."

    "I feel underestimated."

    Eldritch was holding the king''s crystal and said to the king

    "Since you are no longer in the room, you can no longer speak. Your words will not be able to fool me."

    He picked him up and put him in the back, giving him to the boy who had moved everyone,

    "Denia, please take care of him," Eldritch ordered.

    "Yes, Master."

    Eldritch approached the Noctem Dolls again.

    "Now that we''re outside, you may be able to use your full power, but so can I. And if you''re defeated here, you''ll be defeated. And if you are defeated here, there will be many soldiersing to capture you. Are you still not thinking of retreating?"

    Ivaylo, with a sly smile replied

    "Of course, we''ll retreat..."

    After a slight pause, he continued

    "But we''ll take the king first."

    -WHIP

    Without realizing it, the crystal that contained the king''s body was pulled towards the Noctem Dolls.

    Eldritch was surprised by that, as well as Denia who was guarding the crystal. It turned out that Ralph had tied his armacar to the king''s crystal.

    Ralph''s armacar was the Chameleos, a monster that could merge with its surroundings. And it wasn''t something that could be realized.

    "So you refuse to follow my orders." Eldritch, who had made a surprised face, calmed down instantly.

    Then he continued

    "You guys are powerful mana users, I may have no choice but to kill you."

    "Howl, Revenite..."

    "Yes, Master." Eldritch summoned one of his Adfeqtus reliqua. Howl. The boy''s body behind him glowed, and then his body morphed into the silhouette of a weapon approaching Eldritch''s hand.

    The weapon was arge great sword that had a unique shape. There was a hole in the center, so the great sword looked like a sword split in two that was joined together.

    Eldritch raised the sword high, then muttered

    "Howl, Dai Abare"

    The shoulder/guard part of the sword opened, changing into a wider shape. Light poured out of the hilt, and then the light shot into the sky, separating the clouds in the sky. And suddenly a huge thunder shot to his sword.

    "Control Weather," uttered Eldritch.

 Chapter 135 Mary And Marisa

    ?

    "Dai Abare: Howl, Control Weather."

    Eldritch said that while pointing his sword to the sky, the air around him seemed to crackle with electricity. He channeled his mana through Howl, and then a burst of bright light erupted from that sword. The mana surged with immense power, and the light shot straight up into the sky like a beacon.

    As the light dissipated, the clouds in the sky began to thicken, turning ck and ominous. The rumble of thunder echoed through the air, and the lightning within the dark clouds crackled and shed with ferocity. Eldritch''s control over the weather was absolute, and he had brought about this storm with his sword. The Eldritch mana conveyed through Howl, controlled the weather, turning it cloudy.

    ''He changed the weather?'' Ivaylo thought.

    Sure that Eldritch might do something that could attack them all in an instant, The Noctem Dolls were immediately alert and split up, attacking Eldritch from all directions.

    "Whatever you''re doing, perhaps it''s your ultimate attack that you can only use once!" Adam shouted.

    -GLAR

    From above Adam, lightning shot at him with incredible speed and power.

    "AAARRGH!!!"

    And instantly, Adam was scorched, falling down surrounded by mes."

    "One down."

    ''No way! Adam, who has the strongest physique among us, fell down in one attack?!" Norman thought.

    "Mary, put the king inside your body," said Ivaylo.

    "Okay..."

    Just as Mary was about to be big, a lightning bolt shot toward her. It wasn''t a surprise attack anymore, so Mary had the chance to dodge it.

    Ivaylo looked at the ck clouds in the sky and traced how far the clouds spread.

    ''The clouds spread quite far. It''s not an exaggeration to think that this ck cloud is the limit of his attack. Probably he now controls the sky and could attack everything behind it.''

    Then Mary and Ralph were startled by arge hand that suddenly appeared before them. The hand-picked up the king''s crystal and ced it behind Eldritch.

    "What was that?!" said Ralph in surprise.

    "It was the boy''s hand that grew... no... its more strange than it," Mary said.

    "Why do you think I told Denia to keep the crystal?" said Eldritch. And Eldritch''s words made rissa sure of her hypothesis from earlier.

    "T-That boy... Denia is the adfeqtus Reliqua who teleported all of us from the room... S-so we can assume he has an ability rted to controlling the space," rissa said.

    Since Eldritch was now convinced that rissa had realized it, Eldritch continued to exin.

    "Denia possesses a blessing of space maniption. His mana grants him immunity to the limits of space, allowing him to effortlessly reach and handle anything within his sight without any hindrance from a distance.

    How about now? Are you guys going to give up?"

    ''If he has immunity to space, then running away is useless. He can take our bodies and put them back on the Eldritch as long as he sees us,'' Ivaylo thought.

    Norman was the fastest to get close to Eldritch. He thought the two behind Eldritch would bother him when he arrived, but he was surprised that they just stayed there.

    "I''ll take this as a no for an answer," Eldritch said.

    Norman then heard the rumble of lightning.

    ''He''s going to do that thunder shot again!'' Norman then put his feet on the ground and moved in a zigzag.

    -GLAR

    Lightning once again shot, but not at Norman, but at Eldritch. The lightning shot at his sword.

    And with his sword as an intermediary, Eldritch shot the lightning toward Norman.

    "AAAAAARRRRGH!!!"

    Norman fell, suffering the same fate as Adam.

    Seeing how Eldritch''s lightning attack worked, Ivaylo could nowe forward, pulling out his blood-sucking needle.

    Lightning shot again at Eldritch''s sword, and Eldricth immediately shed the lightning at Ivaylo; Ivaylo immediately dodged.

    ''It seems that the lightning power will be reduced if it''s shot repeatedly and in session. The first attack on Adam was probably the most powerful,'' Ivaylo thought.

    In that precise moment, the skirmish escted into a fervent sh. Bolts of lightning incessantly struck from Eldritch''s sword, illuminating the gloomy battleground. Ivaylo attempted to approach Eldritch and draw his blood, but his repeated efforts were in vain, as he could not close in on him. Eldritch, steadfast like a rock, stood his ground and did not budge even an inch. He kept attacking Ivaylo without even moving, leaving Ivaylo hopeless to take his blood.

    "It''s no use. I cannot take his blood without using that thing. Mary, let''s do it," Ivaylo said.

    "Master?! Are you serious?! In front of everyone?!"

    "We have no other choice."

    "Alright..." Mary replied hesitantly.

    Ivaylo then muttered

    "Marisa, Revenite."

    That startled everyone there, including Noctem Dolls members who were watching.

    Revenite, they had seen Eldritch do it before. It was a phrase used to retrieve his weapon which turned into a human.

    That was when everyone knew that Mary was not Norttish but Adfeqtus Reliqua, Ivaylo''s weapon.

    ''That girl turned out to be an adfeqtus reliqua. No wonder her mana isn''t as much as the average Norttish. She must have done a lot of things to hide the light and symbolism of the Adfeqtus Reliqua,'' Eldritch thought.

    "That weapon... where did you get it? Which dungeon did youplete?" asked Eldritch.

    "If I answer that, will you hand over the king to us?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''He didn''t answer. As far as I know, no dungeon has beenpleted individually; every dungeon has a finished record in every state, which means he''s also one of the dungeon''s oddities. Of all the dungeons I''vepleted, three dungeons don''t give adfeqtus reliqua. It''s as if the weapon was taken away before the dungeon waspleted,'' Eldritch thought.

    "I''ll ask you one more thing..." said Eldritch.

    "Go ahead."

    "By any chance, have you ever heard the name ''Kallen?''"

    ''Kallen? If I''m not mistaken, she was the name of the girl who got Arthur out of prison. What''s the deal with that girl?" Ivaylo thought.

    To find out Eldritch''s reaction, Ivaylo answered him honestly.

    "Yes, I know. One of my friends was saved by her."

    Without warning, the atmosphere surrounding Eldritch shifted drastically. His once calm andposed demeanor had been reced by an overwhelming aura of tension that seemed to radiate from every fiber of his being. With a keen intuition, Ivaylo could sense the palpable surge of murderous intent that seemed to engulf Eldritch entirely. And yet, as terrifying as this killing aura was, it was nothingpared to the sheer hatred lurking deep within Eldritch''s heart. It was an intense and all-consuming hatred that Ivaylo could almost taste in the air around them.

    ''Looks like he has a deal with this Kallen girl,'' Ivaylo thought.

    "I changed my mind; I''ll arrest you all."

    Ivaylo immediately took out one of the in dolls from his pocket.

    "Desperate Seamstress,"

    Quickly, Ivaylo sewed the in doll.

    ''He is¡­. sewing?'' thought the other-worlder that Eldritch brought. Not only her, but Eldritch''s party was also confused by what he was doing.

    Eldritch began to raise his sword high.

    "Abare, Howl."

    A huge bolt of lightning struck Eldritch''s sword, but this time it was a little different; the lightning didn''t stop striking his sword.

    The Noctem Dolls, knowing what their leader was about to do, began to get up and attack Eldritch.

    Eldritch swung his sword, and lightning struck quickly at the approaching Ralph.

    -BREAK

    A rock suddenly rose in front of Ralph, protecting him from the lightning shot by Eldritch. Behind her, rissa was seen cing her hand in the middle, surrounded by a circle of amnis.

    Eldritch fired another bolt of lightning, this time at Norman, and rissa once again raised a rock in front of Norman, protecting him from the lightning.

    "How annoying caster,"

    This time lightning struck from the sky towards rissa.

    -CLANK

    It turned out there was some kind of amnis in the form of a barrier around rissa.

    "Arara... Eldritch-boy, that caster is strong enough to withstand Howl''s lightning. How about if you use me instead?" said one of Eldritch''s adfeqtus reliqua.

    "No, if I use your power, everyone will die."

    rissa''s mind raced as she focused all her energy on activating a third-level fire amnis, building until a massive fireball emerged, nearly asrge as the one J had unleashed moments before. She aimed for Eldritch, summoning all of her fear and channeling it toward him. With a swift flick of her wrist, the fireball hurtled through the air towards the unsuspecting Eldritch - only for it to veer off course suddenly, curving to the left and avoiding its target with strange precision. rissa stood still, incredulous, her mind racing to understand what had just happened.

    "Why?!" said rissa.

    "My armor can deflect any kind of ranged attack."

    It was then that Ivaylo was convinced of something,

    ''It''s true, that armor isn''t ordinary armor; it''s also adfeqtus reliqua. That means he''s currently using two adfeqtus reliqua at once. Is that the limit of its use?''

    The Adfeqtus Reliqua had great power, and when it turned into a weapon, it would absorb mana from the user. Ivaylo thought that even if Eldritch had more than four adfeqtus reliqua, he wouldn''t be able to use more than two because that would require a lot of mana.

    "It''s done," Ivaylo said as he finished sewing.

    "Is it just me or does that puppet look like you, Master?" said Howl.

    "Let''s see what he can do with it," Eldritch continued.

    Eldritch finally moved from where he stood.

    In an instant

    -WHUUSH

    Eldritch was already in front of Ivaylo. Eldritch''s movement was so fast that Ivaylo didn''t even have time to react. Instead of using his sword, Eldritch stuck his hand on Ivaylo''s neck.

    -GRAB

    Eldritch strangled Ivaylo with his left hand.

    "Pervenire Mors!" Norman''s sword extended, stabbing towards Eldritch, Eldritch casually dismissed Norman''s sword with a Howl.

    ''He swatted it away, meaning his armor doesn''t work for ranged attacks but only works for emissions or projectiles,'' Norman thought.

    When one finds themselves being choked, the natural impulse is to struggle and break free from their opponent''s grip. For Ivaylo, however, things were a bit different. Ivaylo is using a doll''s body. Wrapped tightly within a lifeless doll''s body, he remained dispassionate about the physical harm inflicted upon him, even if he could feel how hurtful it was. With calcted coolness, Ivaylo retrieved a needle from his pocket and quickly plunged it into Eldritch''s hand.

    -Syut

    The needle sucked Eldritch''s blood.

    "Taking my blood, huh? Does this mean the conditions for using your blessing have beenpleted?"

    "Yups¡­ Goodbye, Prince Eldritch; I will use your corpse very well."

 Chapter 136 Pain And Malice

    ?

    Mana has unlimited possibilities; it can create gods blessings that may be beyond human reason. That''s why the battle between mana users is always a battle of information; as much as possible, you have to hide information about your god''s blessing before you can make a surprise attack.

    One of Ivaylo''s abilities is pain and malice, abination of Mary''s rampage skill and Ivaylo''s god''s blessing. This ability can make her enemy die 100% tortured inside Mary''s body. But the conditions for using it are too strict. He had to create a doll simr to his opponent''s. If the opponent wears different clothes, the ability will not activate, so the only way to create it is while fighting. What about the percentage of resemnce? The resemnce between the puppet and the real person is only based on Ivaylo''s preference. If Ivaylo thought it was the perfect result, his god''s blessing could work. So Ivaylo has to take each doll seriously.

    Since activating it was difficult and took time, Ivaylo used his other god''s blessing. Ivaylo''s other god''s blessing, desperate seamstress, can make him sew quickly. Even so, he needs at least one to three minutes to finish one doll to achieve perfection. That one minute is more than enough for his opponent to attack Ivaylo while sewing.

    To ovee this, he had another god''s blessing, A Doll''s House. An ability that allowed him to control people''s corpses into obedient dolls. This is how he bought time to activate his blessing.

    Ivaylo always hid how his ability worked from others, even if they knew they would usually die immediately after dealing with him.

    Now when dealing with Eldritch, he revealed everything, including the matter of Mary, who turned out to be his adfeqtus reliqua.

    The battle between mana users is ultimately a battle of information, and since no one knows what the opponent is doing, they will usually wait or go straight ahead to defeat the opponent before they can activate their abilities.

    "Humans are afraid of the unknown, so they will choose to act immediately before it happens."

    Ivaylo now felt lucky because Eldritch was an ordinary human who immediately charged toward him.

    Eldritch must have been wary of Ivaylo''s god''s blessing, that''s why he immediately intended to strangle him before Ivaylo could get a chance to activate it, but it was a boomerang.

    Ivaylo felt a sense of relief as Eldritch closed in on him. For Ivaylo, this attack was an advantage. He had been waiting for this moment to activate his god''s blessing, which required the opponent''s blood. However, he knew from previous fights that taking it from the Eldritch was impossible. So he decided to be blunt and show the process of his god''s blessing, hoping that Eldritch would take the bait. To his surprise, it worked. Eldritch approached him, unaware that Ivaylo was plotting behind the facade of his desperation. Ivaylo reached out, snatching at Eldritch''s arm and using the opportunity to draw his blood.

    "Taking my blood, huh? Does this mean the conditions for using your blessing have beenpleted?"

    "Yup, you could say that if I escape from your grasp, I can win."

    "Then I just don''t have to let go of this hand of mine."

    "I can''t guarantee that."

    Ralph used his whip to pull Ivaylo''s body but failed because Eldritch''s grip was so strong. Then he switched to attacking Eldritch''s body. Because the whip was not a hard object, Eldritch could not simply ward it off with his sword, as a result Eldritch wrapped the whip around his hand and pulled it hard, causing Ralph to be pulled forward.

    Norman used his armacar''s rampage skill to attack Eldritch. Ralph and Norman united to attack him.

    "You think an attack like this can break my grip?"

    "Of course not," Norman replied.

    Coming in like a cannon, Adam was suddenly in front of Eldritch, his presence immediately looming before Eldritch. With the quick functioning of his two parallel minds, Eldritch swiftly acknowledged the situation. ncing towards rissa, he detected a peculiar energy radiating from her, activating a non-attribute amnis. "So that''s how she did it," Eldritch muttered under his breath, piecing together rissa''s cunning n of deceiving his vision to allow Adam to approach undetected.

    "PERSESS TANTRUM!" shouted Adam.

    Adam lunged forward, his mighty fist poised to strike an earth-shattering blow. Eldritch could feel the raw power emanating from his opponent and knew Adam''s fist was full of mana. Just as Adam was about to unleash his devastating attack, something unexpected happened. With a sudden burst of strength, Eldritch released his grip on Ivaylo and swiftly snatched the wrist of Adam''s clenched hand.

    ''Even a surprise attack like this doesn''t work on him?!'' thought Adam.

    -BAM

    He drove the muscr limb down toward the ground with incredible force in a lightning-fast maneuver. The earth trembled beneath their feet as the ground crumbled and fractured, unable to withstand the sheer power of Eldritch''s strike. However, just in the nick of time, Adam managed to temper his immense strength, holding back just enough to prevent the impact from ricocheting throughout his body.

    "After receiving Howl''s full power, you''re still alive; I''m impressed. You guys are probably the most powerful humans I''ve met besides Leofric and the academy principal."

    "And we will be thest humans you see," Ivaylo said.

    Ivaylo stuck a needle filled with Eldritch blood into his doll, and then he pulled the threads on the doll.

    "Dai Abare: Marisa, Pain and Malice."

    Suddenly the air grew heavy with a sense of unease; arge and creepy doll emerged from behind Eldritch, its eerie presence sending shivers down to Eldritch''s party. The numerous hands protruding from its back made it even more unsettling, as though some unseen force controlled it.

    As Eldritch took a step back, he noticed something even more disturbing: she started to hold his hand and open her own womb. Seeing that doll, the Noctem Dolls party realizes that the main doll that Ivaylo always carried with him had a face uncannily simr to Mary''s.

    "So this is the rampage skill of your adfeqtus reliqua," Eldritch said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Eldritch''s lightning-speed move attempted to flee from the sinister Mary doll. However, the doll seemed to hold an inexplicable grasp over him, steadily approaching him with outstretched arms. Knowing his run will be in vain, Eldritch uses his sword and ruthlessly aims for the doll''s fragile hands. Yet with each slicing motion, the doll remained unscathed, her grip on Eldritch unwavering.

    Struggling to break free, Eldritch grimly realized the doll''s unimaginable power¡ªit represented mana itself, an unbreakablew. He was trapped, unable to move or break free from the doll''s grip.

    "I can''t run, and this doll also can''t be attacked in any form, meaning she is the concept of mana itself, aw that can''t be broken. Unfortunately, this ability doesn''t suit me," said Eldritch.

    ''Not suit?'' thought Ivaylo.

    The doll ended up holding both Eldritch''s hands, and the other hands also joined in holding Eldritch''s stomach and legs.

    Surprisingly, a curious glint sparked in Eldritch''s eyes. Rather than cowering in fear, he surveyed his surroundings intently, as though locked in an unspoken battle of wits with his captor. What n was forming in his mind? Even though he knows he will die?

    Eldritch muttered, "Veniverum, Howl. Veniverum, Crestfaren."

    Eldritch''s sword and armor shone, transforming into their human forms, leaving Eldritch only with his shirt and long pants. It turns out his armor was also an adfeqtus reliqua called Crestfaren; among other weapons, Crestfaren alone had a different form. All of them had the form of children, while Cresfaren was more of a strapping old grandfather.

    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "MASTER!" shouted Denia who was worried about Eldritch. Especially after seeing Eldritch remove his armor and sword.

    "Denia, don''te here; you have to guard the king''s body."

    "But!"

    As Mary''s stomach suddenly tore apart, an agonizing scream, like that of a wounded animal, escaped her lips. To her utter horror, a massive spear suddenly came out of her stomach and impaled Eldritch''s abdomen. He hurled out a seemingly endless stream of blood, staining the ground around him and leaving behind a ghastly pool of crimson.

    "MASTEEEEER!!!" Denia voiced her desperate cries.

    The grotesque Mary doll, a twisted creation of her own making, was inside her stomach, filled to the brim with instruments of torture and unimaginable horrors. As the doll slowly devoured Eldritch''s body, it was clear that he would never be able to escape the torment that awaited him.

    "No way... Eldritch is dead?" said the other-worlder.

    In their stunned disbelief, the girl and Denia could hardly believe what they saw. It was a nightmare that they couldn''t hope to wake up from. The realization that Eldritch was gone forever left Denia feeling numb and helpless.

    ¡­

    "It''s finally over, Leader. Now we just need to take the king''s body," said Norman.

    Eldritch was already dead.

    But something was wrong.

    Ivaylo couldn''t help but feel odd about the reaction of Eldritch''s adfeqtus reliqua.

    The only one who had a normal reaction was Denia, then the other-worlder girl. The others didn''t look surprised, scared, or angry at all. They just stood there as if waiting for something.

    "Norman, tell rissa to activate the shooting star for all members."

    "Eh? Why?"

    "Just do it."

    "CLARISSA! ORDERS FROM THE LEADER! SHOOTING STAR FOR EVERYONE! FAST!" Norman shouted.

    "A-alright!"

    Ivaylo was still thinking,

    ''Not only the behavior of the adfeqtus reliqua, but what Eldritch did was also odd. He doesn''t look desperate when facing death, I guess he''s that type of person, but the weird thing is, his words at that time...''

    ''Unfortunately this ability doesn''t suit me''

    What did he mean by that?

 Chapter 137 Denia

    ?

    Denia clutched the king crystal tightly, his fingers trembling with a mixture of grief and anger. He had just witnessed the brutal murder of Eldritch at the hands of the Noctem Dolls. One of his party members approached him with a grin and said,

    "Arara, what a crybaby."

    With anger and confusion, Denia yelled at her.

    "Sister Destroia, why are you acting as if nothing happened?! Our master just died! At this rate, what should we do next?!"

    "Hohoho, I''ll praise your fondness for our master when you''ve only been with him for a month," said Crestfaren, an old adfeqtus reliqua.

    Another adfeqtus reliqua approached Denia and rubbed his head.

    "Denia... poor thing..." said the girl.

    "Sister Guiltia too; why is everyone acting so casual?!"

    Destroia then proudly said,

    "You''ve only been here a month, so you don''t know...

    Eldtitch-boy is unbeatable."

    As the group stood together, a sudden and chilling anomaly was created in their midst. The air crackled with energy, and all eyes were drawn to the inexplicable phenomenon.

    "Good job keeping the crystal as I ordered, Denia."

    "!!!"

    Suddenly Eldritch appeared. Without everyone realizing it, it was already beside Denia whispering those words. Confusion and terror rippled through the Noctem Dolls as they struggled toprehend what was happening before them. Eldritch, whom they all believed to be dead, seemed toe back from death suddenly. Shocked and bewildered, Denia could feel Eldritch''s presence beside him perfectly; that was undoubtedly the master he knew. Eldritch wasn''t wearing any clothes, just like when he was born into this world.

    "Master!" Denia shouted.

    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "Eldritch! Why are you still alive!"

    In Eldritch''s party only Denia and the other-worlder were shocked by the sight.

    "Revenite, Crestfaren" Crestfaren glowed, then was attached to Eldritch''s body as armor. Eldritch was now back to normal.

    "You''re kidding me..." muttered Norman, unable to believe what he saw.

    "This ispletely out of the ordinary," said Adam.

    "Sigh... what should we do now?" said Ralph.

    "S-should we run? Leader asked me to make a shooting star to run, right?" said rissa.

    Mary, the little doll in Ivaylo''s pocket, spoke

    "Master, what should we do now? Do we run straight away-"

    Ivaylo was stunned when Eldritch, whom he had believed to be dead, suddenly came back to life. The shock on his face was evident, and his previously beaming smile vanished instantly. It was the first time Mary had ever seen Ivaylo so taken aback. However, just as quickly as the smile had disappeared, it returned to Ivaylo''s face, though it was now tinged with concern and desperation. His grin was now clearly forced, and it was quite obvious that he was worried about the implications of Eldritch''s return.

    "Fufu... So can you exin what exactly happened, prince?" asked Ivaylo.

    Eldritch didn''t answer, he muttered

    "Revenite, Howl." Howl returned to being a sword in Eldritch''s grasp.

    Ivaylo whispered to the other members of the Noctem Dolls,

    "Mission failed; we''ll get out of here soon," Ivaylo said.

    But it seemed like Eldritch could hear him.

    "You guys seem to have misunderstood something... But well, as a reward for killing me once, I''ll just exin this one. Unfortunately, I have an oath to tell this matter to anyone who asks." said Eldritch.

    "Misunderstood?" asked Ivaylo.

    "God''s blessing, I have a blessing that makes any mana attacks toward me not affect the first strike. Any kind of mana attack will be wasted on the first strike, so you should use your god''s blessing twice on me. If the opponent''s blessing form is instant death, like yours, then my body will be destroyed, and I only need to separate a little of my mana outside to make a new body. The concept of death in your blessing does not affect me."

    "That means all I need is your blood again, and you will die if I use this twice," Ivaylo replied.

    Then Destroia came forward, looking at the Noctem Dolls with a sharp gaze.

    "Aaah, I can''t stand how you guys look at Eldritch. You are the most arrogant people I''ve ever met. It''s like you''ve got a big head for killing Eldritch just once."

    Destroia pointed at them and then continued,

    "You really think that Eldritch can be approached that easily?

    You really think that Howl''s weather control only depicts one lightning bolt? With a parallel mind, Eldritch could have struck all of you simultaneously, but he chose not to.

    Do you really think Eldritch would rashly strangle Norttish there out of fear of the opponent''s god''s blessing?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He did it all purposefully because Eldritch wanted to see your god''s blessing!"

    "See our god''s blessing? For what?" Ivaylo then realized... before Eldritch died, Eldritch had said "It doesn''t suit me," indicating Eldritch''s real purpose. Hearing the exnation from Destroia, he realized something.

    At that moment, Ivaylo''s eyes red, and with a strange smile, he said

    "Prince Eldritch, you have the ability to... take of other people''s god''s blessing?"

    "!!!"

    Ivaylo brought up a surprising fact.

    "Taking someone else''s god''s blessings? That''s not possible, is it?" said Ralph.

    "How does the system work?" said Norman.

    While Eldritch says, "Destroia, you talk too much."

    "Anyway, I''m more worried about you exining it. You still have the god''s curse, right? In the battle between mana users who always hide information, the curse of forcing you to tell the truth is annoying. I exined everything so that they wouldn''t have to ask deeper questions and realize the curse you have."

    Then someone called out from a distance,

    "BROTHER ELDRITCH!" Everyone who was there looked at the source of the voice. It was Alicia who was running toward them. The noise outside seemed to have called many people to the front gate.

    "The illusion effect has worn off," said Eldritch.

    "That one blessing can onlyst for small things," Destroia said.

    As Ivaylo looked around, he saw many soldiers heading towards him. Coupled with the knowledge that Eldritch was currently unbeatable, Ivaylo already had no choice but to run away.

    "I see¡­ So he uses illusion. We have not realized all of this, and the soldier did not realize us because of the illusion created by Eldritch. We didn''t see him use amnis, so it looks like it was one of the blessings that Eldritch stole. It''s scary to think that he could have 10 or maybe 100 god''s blessings that he hid." said Ivaylo.

    "Leader! It''s finished!" shouted rissa.

    All the members of the Noctem Dolls quickly entered the amnis circle rissa had made.

    -GLAAAR!!!

    A massive bolt of lightning struck them, and the shield that had been protecting rissa shattered instantly and shot them all, hurting them all from the lightning, but the timing was perfect; as soon as they were struck, they instantly turned into fireballs and quickly flew to the west likeets.

    "Do you think I would let you guys go?" said Denia.

    Denia is an adfeqtus reliqua that enables him to break free from the constraints of space and distance. As a result, he was able to effortlessly p away a Noctem Dolls''s fireball with his left hand whilepletely ignoring the concept of distance.

    "Kyaaaaaa!" cried rissa.

    The fireball was thrown firmly to the ground by Denia''s p; rissa''s amnis failed, and they had no time to wait for rissa to make a new circle, and even if they could, Denia would easily be able to p them. He could easily dominate his opponents, as the farther away they were, the smaller they appeared in his eyes, making them easier to defeat.

    It turned out that Ivaylo had expected that too.

    Adam had been ready with his fists from the moment they entered the amnis circle.

    "PERSERUS TANTRUM!"

    Adam punched the ground, blocking them from everyone''s view.

    "It''s no use," Denia said.

    Denia used both of his hands to catch all the Noctem Dolls inside the ash. However, just as he managed to pick them all up, he felt an odd sensation, like something had evaporated from her hands.

    Eldritch noted, "Their mana has disappeared."

    Denia cautiously opened her hands and rubbed off the ash and smoke covering the Noctem Dolls. Much to her surprise, she found they had vanished into thin air, leaving no evidence of their presence. There was; however, something still remaining there.

    It turned out to be arge Mary doll that had been lying on the ground. Suddenly, without warning, there was a loud noise that shook them. The Mary doll screamed and then exploded with incredible force.

    "They also have a teleport type of blessing. It looks like we really let them go."

    "Arara¡­ It''s the first time someone could run from you, Eldritch-boy."

    "They¡­ Strong¡­ But not really¡­" said Guiltia.

    "I am sorry master! I am not strong enough!" cried Denia.

    "No worries, I just got you one month ago; remember this mistake to be a better weapon for me."

    Eldritch clenched his fist and said

    "They do know about Kallen, but it looks like they didn''t have any good information about her. Kallen¡­ she must have something to do with the anomaly in the dungeon."

 Chapter 138 The Maiden Of Eden Garden

    ?

    The Noctem Dolls'' invasion left the kingdom in shambles, with casualties among soldiers, nobles, andmoners. Even though Noctem Dolls was just a small group of several people, it caused a devastating impact. Most Knight of Rounds members lost their lives, leaving only Fleur, Birawa, Tobias, and Sewel remaining. Fleur suffered severe injuries from the explosion, while Tobias fell into depression, and struggled with the weight of killing innocent people. Tragically, the fourth prince Leofric, also passed away, and his body was taken by the Noctem Dolls.

    The night after the Noctem Dolls escaped from Eldritch, everyone could not help but be surprised by the figure of Eldritch who suddenly appeared in their midst. Falling into silence due to the shock of Eldritch''s figure, the audience suddenly cheered because Eldritch managed to defeat all the Noctem Dolls alone. He was indeed the pride and hero of everyone in the kingdom.

    Alicia ran towards him with her breath taken away, and when she reached Eldritch, she jumped up and hugged him.

    "Wee back, big brother! I miss you so much!" Alicia said. If people saw the current Alicia, they might be surprised because she looked like a little girl who missed her brother.

    The next day was supposed to be the day of Francis'' birthday celebration with themoners. The parade was set up, the carriages were decorated, and so were the streets throughout the city. But it was all in vain. The happy day was instantly ruined because of this incident.

    The carriage was reced with a carriage full of white flowers carrying the statue of Leofric. The whole city mourned Leofric''s death and all the fatalities. Because of this, the ministers, who had originally nned to stay for a few days, went back to their country the next day.

    That noon, Francis woke up in his room.

    "Sabine? Are you there? I just saw a nightmare."

    No one answered.

    Hearing no answer, Francis sat up.

    "Ouch..."

    He could feel his whole body ache as he moved. It was then that he remembered everything.

    Everything that happened that night, when he stood looking at Leofric''s body pinned to the wall, and when he could only stand still when he saw Sabine using her body to protect him from the attack, then when he could not bring himself to sh his sword at the person who killed them,

    Francis immediately stood up and ran outside his room. He could feel the excruciating pain of his bones shifting in his body, but he didn''t care. He wanted to see Sabine, the nagging teacher he had always hated.

    Deep inside, he still wanted to think that everything that happened was really just a dream.

    "Sabine... sabine... sabine... sabine..."

    The maids, workers, and other people in the pce called out to him, but he kept running. Running to Sabine''s room on the first floor, where the workers lived.

    That fateful night reyed in his mind like a broken record, each detail etched with painful rity.

    Once he reached Sabine''s room, with trembling hands, he opened the door.

    ...Just as he had feared,

    The room was neat.

    Although he had never entered before, he frequently stole a nce into Sabine''s room as he walked by. To his surprise, the belongings that were usually there, were gone. Instead, the room bore an impably tidy appearance with only a bed and table, indicating no one else lived there anymore.

    "No..."

    The reality hit him hard. He desperately wanted to see her onest time, to feel some sense of closure or understanding. Maybe even to apologize for his past behavior toward her.

    Entering the empty room, Francis felt a sense of crushing despair. Sabine was truly gone, and there was nothing he could do to change that fact. Tears welled up in his eyes, flowing down his cheeks unchecked. He stumbled towards the bed, grasping the sheets with shaking hands.

    "Sabine..."

    The sound of her name on his lips was a desperate plea, a cry for her toe back. But all that answered him was the deafening silence of her absence.

    ¡­ A few momentster,

    While he was still sobbing, someone called out to him from behind.

    "Umm, your highness?" that person''s voice...no... that olddy''s voice¡ªwaspletely familiar to Francis.

    Quickly, he looked back.

    "Sabine?"

    At the room''s door stood Sabine, hugging a stack of books.

    "Yes, your highness?"

    "Sabine? Is it really you?"

    "Yes, of course. What are you doing in my room?"

    Francis ran toward Sabine and jumped on her.

    "Prince Francis?!" The books Sabine was holding were thrown away, scattering around her. Francis hugged Sabine tightly while letting his tears flow freely.

    "You really are Sabine¡­ Thank you¡­ Thank you for not leaving me alone¡­"

    .

    .

    .

    "336 people, do you know what this number is? Brother Harald."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Alicia invited Harald to talk to her in the flower garden where she usually sat. At that time, Harald already felt bad because Alicia would talk about something serious that he probably didn''t like.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "That''s the number of people saved by that girl," Alicia said.

    "Girl who?"

    "Of course you don''t know. You''ve always been ignorant of your surroundings. Rumors have spread in the pce and among the soldiers about the Maiden of Eden Garden, Felicia Ayde Boldenville.

    You don''t know how extraordinary her divine blessing is. These 336 people were dying and couldn''t be saved with potions. And thanks to this girl, Sabine is still alive."

    "Huft, thank goodness then. I don''t want Francis to suddenly be an edgy-vengeance-hungry person at 12; he still needs a mother figure."

    Then he asked,

    "So, what does this story have to do with me? Do you just want to tell a story?"

    "Before that, let me tell you about it further."

    Alicia drank her tea and continued to tell the story of what happened the night after Eldritch expelled the Noctem Dolls.

    On that night, the cheers and shouts of triumph at the Eldritch''s arrival gave them hope, making everyone finally feel at ease that the danger had disappeared.

    But not on therge field in front of the castle. It had be a ce where the sick were gathered; primarily soldiers and wounded citizens were gathered there to be treated. The ones responsible for caring for the sick were the 10th Milite Division members, consisting of soldiers trained to handle the wounded.

    "Next!" It was Felicia''s shout, which sounded a little hoarse because she had shouted so many times. The two soldiers carrying the stretcher headed straight toward her and ced the injured person in front of her.

    The injured person this time was one of the soldiers, and his condition was very severe; his neck was bitten while securing the citizens under Ivaylo''s influence. Also, knife stab marks on his abdomen made it impossible for him to survive, even with the help of potions.

    "I can''t anymore... Please tell my wife myst words."

    "There are nost words! I will save you, and you will go back to your family!"

    Felicia used her god''s blessing to save the soldier. The shining light and beautiful flowers that grew when Felicia activated her blessing stunned everyone, especially amid the chaos; they looked extremely beautiful.

    Felicia''s god''s blessing instantly healed the man''s neck and stomach wounds. Miraculously, he could even stand up immediately and happily jump up and down because he was still alive.

    "Thank you so much Lady!"

    "NEXT!"

    Felicia was only focused on the person in front of her, so she ignored the other people''s thanks. Of course, no one was angry with her about that. To them, Felicia was the savior of their lives.

    Beside her, Alicia sat while drawing amnis on Felicia''s back. Alicia''s task was to use her mana to activate the amnis that could transfer mana from other people to Felicia. Every person healed by Felicia would transfer their mana to Felicia through Alicia, so Felicia''s mana would never run out.

    But mana wasn''t the problem anymore; the problem was stamina and also the amount of blood.

    "Felicia, I think this is enough. You''ve saved more than 50 people," said a worried Alicia. Felicia was forcing herself to use stamina potions and blood enhancement potions, which were unhealthy for her. The stamina potion wasn''t a magic potion that took away tiredness, but a potion that temporarily dyed it. On the other hand, the blood enhancement potion was just a potion that provided nutrients and made the blood pump quickly.

    "No, your highness... I can still save more people! They need me. NEXT PLEASE!"

    Felicia''s face was already pale, and her eye bags were already quite ck. She really looked like she was at her limit.

    Alicia felt ashamed of herself because the real reason she had told Felicia to stop was not only because she was worried about Felicia''s condition but also because Alicia was also at her limit. She was already tired of doing transfer mana amnis repeatedly.

    With determination, she didn''t want to lose to Felicia; she also had to persevere and be able to save more.

    ___Alicia finished her story.

    "At that time, we managed to save 336 people, and this time I quite regret what I did."

    "Regret? Why?"

    "I was careless... Drinking that much stamina potion and the blood-enhancing potion wasn''t good for that child."

    "I see... taking potions is like torturing yourself; I used to do it to survive the training the captain gave me; I took up to three potions a day and ended up fainting for three days."

    Recalling what happened to him, then Alicia looked sad; Harald thought of the bad things that happened to Felicia because of drinking it.

    "Wait! What about that girl?! I only took three and slept for three days because of it. How much did that girl drink?"

    Sadly, Alicia answered,

    "That girl once said she could only use her god''s blessing twice a day because it required so much mana and drained her stamina, making her pass out. Think about it, big brother... Twice a day is her limit, but she used it over 300 times at that time. Can you think how many potions she drank?"

    Thinking about the amount in his head, Harald suddenly shock.

    "How is the girl''s condition now?!"

    Alicia turned her face away, and while holding back tears, she said

    "Based on the physician''s spection, she will be asleep for three years."

 Chapter 139 Cold Princess

    ?

    "Drinking that much stamina potion, plus the blood-pumping potion. I guess we should be thankful the girl only slept for three years."

    "You''re really so careless, Alicia."

    "I know, even though I have all the information. I knew that she could only use her god''s blessing twice a day, and I also knew the bad effects of the potion, but it didn''t popped into my mind how dangerous it was at the time. I was too blinded by the girl''s heroism and the feeling ofpeting with her. In the end, all I could think about was what I should do and what things I should sacrifice for people. Little did I know I sacrificed one high-quality human for 300 people. Whereas that girl didn''t need to go that far,"

    "..."

    "What''s wrong? Why did you suddenly be quiet?"

    "Nothing; I think I have no right to criticize the way you think."

    "I see..." for some reason, Alicia didn''t want to ask more about Harald''s meaning because she felt it would be a long debate.

    "So, why did you call me here? Was it really just to tell me about this?"

    Alicia rubbed her eyes, and her face quickly turned serious, as if the sadness she felt just now had never happened.

    "Maiden of Eden Garden, this epithet is too much for a child. She will go through many things with that name."

    "Agree, I think kids should go to school first and think about politicster. I mean, look at me, I avoided politics until now even when I was an adult."

    "Unfortunately, you probably can''t avoid it anymore, brother."

    "What does that mean?"

    "That girl is the answer. Undoubtly, that girl''s name will skyrocket tremendously among the nobles and royal family. Actually, such a heroic act can be obtained by an ordinary physician, but at that time, our brother, Eldritch, also went home."

    "Meaning?"

    "Brother Eldritch is revered by all as a hero; everyone knows the disaster that night was ended by Eldritch. But Felicia rose to the asion and became a hero in the eyes of the soldiers. Her heroic actions were rumored to be on par with those of Eldritch. Whenever someone speaks of the great deeds of Eldritch that night, they inevitably follow it up with the story of how Felicia saved countless lives. There would be many people targeting the girl as a political tool. No... there were even moves from nobles to use her before she became a hero.

    "I don''t understand what you''re trying to say." Harald replied, confused.

    She sipped her tea again quietly.

    "Our mother, Queen Regina Wildenhall, has had her eye on that girl from the beginning, she intends to make her a candidate for a queen, and she ns to make that girl be your wife."

    -SPUUURT

    Startled, Harald spurted out the tea while he was drinking.

    "Are you kidding?"

    "Brother Harald, you should know when I''m joking and when I''m not."

    "No no no, this time I doubt it, and I hope I really doubt it. Anyway, where did you get that conclusion from?!"

    Alicia bit her lip; She was hesitant to exin it to Harald.

    But after thinking for about a minute in silence, Alicia decided to tell him.

    "I''m going to say this because I think Brother Harald is the person I trust the most here."

    "Uhm... Okay," Harald replied hesitantly.

    "Actually this is just a small hypothesis with the smallest possibility, but because this is the most worrying result and because all of this is POSSIBLE to happen, I''m bing vignt and thinking about future actions.

    I suspect A royal insider hired the Noctem Dolls."

    "There is an impostor among us?"

    "Don''t say it like that! I am not joking!

    I am unsure if there were not; my hunch is solid about this. Someone is nning this attack, and the goal is to kill Father. If Father dies, then there will be a vacancy on the throne. Brother Eldritch should have ascended to the throne, but that wouldn''t have been possible if Eldritch hadn''t been in town. So Eldritch''s arrival yesterday must have been unexpected for everyone.

    Since Eldritch, the crown prince, is absent, the one who controls the kingdom is the one with the highest power, namely our mother. Queen Regina.

    I once spoke to Mother about the future queen, and she said she would use Felicia as a puppet queen. She will make you a temporary king, and if you marry Felicia, a hero, people will slowly ept you as king."

    "You suspect our mother?!"

    "Listen first...

    Everything that happens will benefit to her, but there''s a big hole here in this spection, which is... you never knew that Felicia would be a hero, but mother must have thought of a n to make her be a public figure.

    I still have another spection...

    IF, for example, it''s NOT our mother OR she didn''t n to make you king, then the culprit wants the vacant throne to divide the kingdom.

    Because if no one bes king, everything can be determined by how many nobles support.

    Harald''s brother only has a few noble alliances, so you won''t be able to be king. Eventually, the kingdom will be divided because each noble has a candidate they want to be king."

    "I''m sorry, I can''t follow your way of thinking... I think the reason Norttish killed the king was simple; he hated him. Norttish must have tremendous hatred and vengeance for the kingdom, so it''s no wonder that there are Norttish who try to kill the king."

    "Well... I hope things are indeed that smooth... I just wanted brother Harald to know about this, so you know what actions you will take based on this information," Alicia said.

    Harald stood and then said,

    "What''s important is that whoever has that kind of n, all the ns you mentioned have been ruined because Eldritch is back. This story is useless to me; I''m leaving first."

    "Where to?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "To say hello to brother Eldritch, we haven''t seen each other for a long time. Aren''t you going to see him too?"

    "Hmm... Yeah¡­ Sure I will¡­ but right now he''s probably surrounded by our other siblings... I want to meet him when we are alone."

    "Sigh... What a brocon." Harald left while waving his hand.

    Alicia continued reading her book,

    ''There are too many problems happening simultaneously. This internal problem is one of the most troublesome. And then there''s the matter of Severus Daemons''s move which keeps destroying the countryside.

    I was naive to think the council''s choice to withdraw Rounds was reckless because they also needed to guard their posts. But in the end, nothing wrong happened in the territories they left behind. Unfortunately, most of the Rounds are dead, even though they were qualified and valuable to the people. I hope Tobias recovers quickly; we''re short of strong men.

    If only the captain of the secret division was here, maybe we could capture at least one of the Dolls, but he''s away on a mission.''

    There was suddenly a sound of footsteps going towards her; Alicia immediately knew whose it was, and then she greeted her,

    "Wee, Margareth."

    Margareth Albreda Wildenhall appeared in front of Alicia with an unpleasant face.

    "Your imagination is amazing, Alicia. I hate it."

    With a smile, Alicia replied

    "Imagination? Ohh, you were eavesdropping on my conversation with Harald."

    Alicia''s smile made Margareth even more annoyed, ''Don''t y dumb, you should know what kind of blessing I have, but you didn''t even try to speak slowly; it was obvious that you had noticed me from the beginning. And even then, you still talked about it with Harald, meaning she deliberately made me hear it too.

    "What do you mean? What''s your purpose?"

    Without further ado, Alicia immediately answered, "I thought you should know about it because I want you to trust me too, my little sister."

    "Aaah stop calling me little sister; I hate it.

    Then what about your real goal? What do you really want to aplish?"

    "What? Peace for the kingdom, of course. I want to clean the kingdom from within, then create a system where everyone can live happily in the kingdom."

    "You give me the creeps, you know? You''re the one I hate the most among all my brothers."

    "Pardon?"

    "I hate your smile, I hate the way you think. Are you asking me to help you with your n? Don''t be silly, I don''t want to be one of your pawns."

    "You seem to have misunderstood something, Margareth, I''m not at all-"

    "No, I''m not misunderstanding anything. I know how those eyes of yours look at others."

    "Margareth, calm down; let''s sit down and talk."

    "No. I''m not going to sit down, because that will only get me into your cunning n!"

    The air became thick; Alicia didn''t understand Margareth''s actions. She had always hated people, and she understood that and the reason why she was like that. But she was sure that Margareth must not have hated otherspletely, in fact, she shot a fireball at Nishizaka to confirm how her god''s blessing worked; then she also held Alicia''s body when Alicia almost fell. But this time, Alicia could feel that the rejection she was experiencing now was too big.

    "Alicia, I hate you. Do you know why I hate you? Because it''s the way you think that makes me most nauseous. You are the one who wants to save others, yet you ignore the value of a human being."

    "I don''t-"

    "Don''t you realize? That''s what makes me hate you even more. Alicia, you really are a hypocrite.

    I heard everything you talked about...

    You see humans as tools to be used. It''s obvious from the way you use the word ''quality,'' for humans, like determining the quality of meat."

    Was it true that she didn''t value humans? She was a person who wanted peace more than anything else.

    Margareth then continued,

    "You care about Tobias because you think he''s a ''quality human being,'' you also care about the rounds for the same reason. That girl too¡ªwhat''s her name? Felicia? I heard what you guys were talking about earlier, you said

    ''That time I sacrificed one high-quality person for 300 people''

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Again you said something disgusting, determining the value of a human being with the word ''quality'' for someone trying to be holy like you; that''s the most disgusting thing you can say.

    Still in denial?

    Don''t you remember what Harald said when he heard you say that? He said.

    ''I have no right to criticize your way of thinking,''

    Fufu, Harald must be thinking the same thing as me. It''s like he''s thinking about your feelings, unlike me. What is more important is that today should be a day of mourning for the death of our beloved brother, Leofric. But I don''t see you sad at all. If you ask me, I hated him from the start, so I was even happy when I found out that he died.

    But you¡­ you keep saying your love to your family, but I doubt you feel sad for Leofric''s death."

    Hearing Margareth''s long chatter, instead of being sad, Alicia tilted her head

    and smiled.

    "You really are a hypocritical cold princess."

    [Illustration]

 Chapter 140 After Incident

    ?

    "It''s cold... mother... everything feels cold."

    Little Allen struggled on his little bed, looking for warmth around him, but Allen found nothing there, he couldn''t find a nket, nor could he find anyone who could hug him to keep him warm. He opened his eyes, then looked around. There was his mother standing near him, her face was gloomy and dark, looking at him expressionless.

    "Mother..."

    He couldn''t lift his body up. His body felt heavy; he wanted to get up and call out to her, but he couldn''t. His voice wouldn''te out of his mouth; he tried repeatedly to call her until finally, she walked away from there.

    "Don''t leave me¡­"

    Then appeared Isabelle, who was doing the same thing. Looking at him with a pitying face then, she turned to leave.

    "Don''t go! Don''t leave me!"

    And finally Felicia. Felicia just stood there, looking at him with a pitying face. Then slower than the others, she started to turn away.

    "!!!"

    Allen''s eyes snapped open, jolting him awake from a nightmare-filled slumber. He found himself in his bedroom at the Boldenville residence, his heart racing and sweat beading on his forehead. Without hesitation, he leaped out of bed and went to the second floor, where Felicia''s room was. Frantically, he burst through the door and find Rachel massaging her stomach.

    "Wee; I''m sorry, but could youe out until I''m done?" Rachel said.

    Allen sighed, then closed the door.

    "I did it again..." muttered Allen.

    Allen, a boy who did not have the status of a nobleman, should have been prohibited from entering Felicia''s room. Moreover, Felicia''s state at that time was only wearing a piece of cloth because Rachel was massaging her entire body. But Rachel''s reaction was indifferent. It was because she was too tired to reprimand Allen. Allen had done the same thing many times since they arrived at the Boldenville residence.

    That night... after Felicia sacrificed herself to save many people¡­

    When Rachel was not by her side, she took Reynold and Ayde back to the rental house, and when she returned, she saw Felicia had fallen down after using her god''s blessing on others.

    Quickly, Rachel chased after her and picked up her body. Alicia ordered her to be given to the royal physician. After she was brought there, the physician diagnosed her with extreme exhaustion. Due to the excessive consumption of stamina potions, Felicia would not wake up for three years at thetest.

    "Three years?! No way... Lady Felicia... How can that be?"

    "Normally, the stamina potion won''t work after you drink it more than two times in a day or seven times in a week. Not only does it interfere with health, but the function of the potion itself will disappear if people consume it frequently. But this girl can drink more than 200 potions a night and maintain the potion''s effect. I''m more surprised why she''s still alive after doing so."

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "Are you saying that she should be dead?" asked Reynold.

    "No! That''s not it, my lord! I''m just saying that this girl was strong enough to withstand the potion''s effects."

    The next day, the Boldenville family traveled straight back to their residence, arriving within a day and a half. While Ca''s matter was put on hold, she went with Reynold to the Boldenville residence.

    Since Felicia might not regain consciousness for three years, as a precautionary measure for the after-effect, the doctor rmended moving her body daily, wiping her body, and feeding her nutritional potions twice a day. Rachel took on the responsibility, and every morning she would massage Felicia''s body and carry out the prescribed body movements as instructed by the doctor. On the first day, Allen burst through Felicia''s room, which made Rachel angry and chase him away.

    On the second day, he did the same thing.

    Until one week passed, Allen was still doing the same thing. Rachel knew that Allen had no bad intentions. She felt that she more or less knew what was on Allen''s mind, and it was possible that what he was thinking was the same as hers. That''s why she was tired of reprimanding him, so as soon as Allen entered Felicia''s room, she would immediately ask Allen toe out.

    "Allen, you cane in now," was also what she said when Rachel had finished her routine.

    But just like the previous days, Allen was no longer standing at the door...

    Allen...

    He always had nightmares, and they were all the same dreams. He dreams about losing people who were precious to him. Since arriving in the capital, Allen has rarely used Reig as his scarf. But now he uses his scarf again, and he was wearing a fairly thick shirt; he was back to the way he was when he first came to Wolverlope''s residence.

    As he returned to Boldenville''s residence, Allen''s demeanor resembled his initial arrival at Wolverlope''s residence. His expression was devoid of emotion, and he often kept his gaze downward, speaking only on rare asions. Within the confines of the house, Rachel was the only individual who made an effort tomunicate with Allen. She would frequently enter his room with meals, attempting to engage him in conversation despite his apparent disinterest.

    Since he had not done anything for three days, Rachel gave him servant jobs, such as sweeping, mopping, and buying groceries at the market. At first, Rachel thought that he would refuse like he used to do, but Allen just nodded and obeyed what Rachel said, and he did so with the same face, a desperate and expressionless face that obeyed whatever was told to him.

    He was like a ve who had given up on life.

    Then a week passed, and Reynold finally called him to his workroom, followed by Rachel. The call from Reynold worried Rachel because she knew that Reynold was still in a bad mood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Allen... you''re fired. You can no longer live in this residence and never see Felicia again."

    Rachel then looked at Allen.

    With his dark eyes, Allen looked at Reynold with a shocked face. His eyes widened, his pupils shrank, and he gaped slightly.

    When Rachel thought he was about to say something, he closed his mouth and bowed.

    "Allen, do you know why I fired you? It''s because you''re no longer useful here. I know Felicia''s current situation is not your fault, but at thest second, I realized that you had left Felicia outside alone. You''ve failed as a knight."

    "S-sir! with respect. Allen didn''t do nothing! He reced my work while I tended to Lady Felicia''s body!"

    "It doesn''t change anything; we don''t need extra manpower to clean up. He is now nothing more than someone who feeds, drinks, and sleeps for free. Allen doesn''t need to be Felicia''s knight anymore."

    Bowing her head, Rachel thought,

    ''No... that can''t be. Allen still can''t leave, I still need him, Lady still needs him! I have to think of a way to keep Allen here!''

    But before Rachel could find a solution, Allen said,

    "Alright..."

    Allen turned around and walked toward the door

    -GRAB

    "Wait! Allen!" Rachel firmly grasped Allen''s hand as he was about to leave.

    "What?" Allen answered briefly.

    Allen''s answer.... and his face when he said it... made Rachel sure of something.

    ''Ah it''s useless... This boy, he won''t listen to anything I say,''

    Rachel slowly released her hand. Then she took something out of her pocket and gave it to Allen.

    When Reynold saw what she had given him, he immediately shouted at Rachel.

    "Rachel! Don''t do anything nonsense!"

    Allen looked at the thing that Rachel put in his hand,

    "This is... a knife?"

    "The Boldenville family''s knife, it''s a family symbol given to you by Lady Felicia. I kept it because I thought you might lose it anytime."

    Rachel turned back towards Reynold and bowed her head,

    "With all due respect and apologies, I in no way meant to act against Lady Felicia''s wishes; everything I did was for her sake, and I in no way meant to go against Lord Reynold''s decision.

    Allen will remain Lady Felicia''s knight, but your decision to dismiss him was correct, and your reasons were the most reasonable. However, all decisions will remain in Lady Felicia''s hands. With this, Allen should be able to get a chance to return to this house."

    Reynold was annoyed that his servant was acting out of turn, but he could not reply to what Rachel said at all. What Rachel did was a criticism of the nobility; Reynold could have fired her or whipped her legs 50 times as punishment. But he knew Rachel''s worth. Not only did Rachel work very well, but she also had a god''s blessing that was good for the family''s safety.

    With a heavy heart, he sighed and said.

    "Whatever. Get out of here."

    Rachel bowed her head, gratefully saying,

    "Thank you very much for your consideration. May God always bless the Boldenville family."

 Chapter 141 Whats The Point Of Me Living

    ?

    On the day I made the contract with Isabelle, my sole purpose for living was to take revenge on the humans who had taken my mother''s life.

    As a result of Isabelle giving me the prohibition to kill, I found myself able to hold back my hatred for humans. I became more mindful and cautious in my actions, ensuring that I did not kill people. However, that all changed when Isabelle passed away, leaving me to seek refuge at Felicia''s home.

    During my stay with Felicia, I slowly realized that humans like her exist. She showed me kindness andpassion. My once-vehemence against humans slowly dissipated through her behavior, even though I still don''t trust them.

    Looking back, I am¡­ maybe very grateful for Isabelle''s and Felicia''s eptance. Without them, I could have spiraled further down the path of destruction.

    But even so, the pain in my chest was still there, and I knew the way to get rid of it was to remove all this hatred by venting it out on that person¡ªthe one who killed Mother, Leofric.

    However, Leofric didn''t die at my hands; someone else killed him.

    Instantly, the hatred inside me exploded, and it disappeared as soon as I saved Felicia.

    But since that hatred is now gone...

    Because this sense of vengeance has also disappeared...

    I was now empty.

    An empty shell with no purpose in life.

    What should I do in the future?

    Leofri is dead; I no longer need to be stronger.

    Looking back on my life, I couldn''t help but feel that everything I had done had been in vain. My purpose had vanished, leaving me with a sense of hopelessness. That night, I had decided to end my life. However, I could not follow through with my n due to Felicia''s intervention.

    She reminded me of something my mother had once told me: that I should live no matter what. Her words struck a chord, and I realized I still had a reason to live. My mother''s wishes were more important than my despair, and I need to make something of my life again.

    Living... What then?

    What''s the point of me living?

    ...

    Allen found himself lost in life, unsure of his purpose. He decided to apany Felicia to the academy to gain rity, hoping that time would heal his uncertainty.

    However, upon awakening on morning, he saw Felicia fast asleep¡ªa sleep that wouldst three long years. With this dark twist of fate, he realized that his ns had crumbled, as Felicia would no longer be able to attend the academy. Deeply distressed and without direction, Allen blindly followed Rachel''s daily orders. Bute afternoon, he would go to Felicia''s room, sitting listlessly with nothing to upy him.

    "Allen, you''re fired."

    That''s when he knew it was toote. There was no time to think, and it was unlikely that he would find any purpose in staying at Felicia''s house.

    So he nodded in agreement and left.

    Suddenly Rachel stopped her. Then Rachel asked her to return to the house one day when Felicia was awake again.

    It was like Rachel was trying to give him a new purpose, but it wasn''t a reason to live. As Reynold had said, he was no longer needed in that house. Felicia might be safe because she wouldn''t leave the house, so she doesn''t need a knight. Without Allen on her side, everything was still going well; he was useless, not the person that this house needed.

    But once they were outside Reynold''s room, Rachel said.

    "This knife, the symbol of the Boldenville family. A symbol of thedy and knight''s rtionship. But thedy must not have had that in mind when she gave it to you. To her, it was an invitation to be friends. She just wanted you to be her friend and stay by her side. Allen, I beg you¡­ pleasee back to this house beforedy wakes up. Even after 3 year passed,dy Felicia will still go to academy, and she will need you."

    Allen held the knife tightly. Then he pulled something out of his scarf¡ªa rope.

    The rope was tied to the knife, and then he tied it around his neck.

    "This way, I won''t lose it," Allen said.

    Rachel smiled, then said

    "Allen, I believe that you cane back here."

    Rachel repeatedly gave Allen reasons toe back. She wanted to say that the house could be a "home" for him, but the one who owned the house was not her, and Allen was not treated well in this house, so there was no way she could say that.

    Allen was still expressionless; he didn''t answer Rachel, turned around, and left.

    Before leaving the house, he stopped by Felicia''s room on the second floor.

    In that room, Felicia was sleeping gracefully on an expensive red bed. Allen gently approached her, then reached up to Felicia''s face.

    He carefully brushed away a strand of hair from her serene face. As he stared at her for a moment, memories of his time spent with Felicia flooded into his mind.

    "I''m a noble, you know! Of course I can do it!"

    "What the hell! Why are you looking down on me like that! A noble like me can do it easily!"

    "You are finally awake, Allen. I thought you were dead. Well, actually, I don''t care whether you live or die, but I''m d you''re awake. Be thankful! It''s all because I saved you."

    As Allen remembered Felicia''s words, her face, and all the annoyance that came with it, a heavy sadness weighed on him. Despite this, he managed a smile and spoke sincerely to her sleeping form,

    "You really are a wonderful person. Of all the humans I''ve met, you''re the most wonderful human."

    He walked to the door and opened it, hesitating as he nced back at Felicia. Shey undisturbed, caught in a peaceful slumber. For thest time, Allen whispered a heartfelt goodbye.

    "Goodbye. I wish I could have been with you longer."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Closing the door behind him, Allen left the house. As he made his way to the outside world, a stream of emotions overcame him, leaving him feeling hollow and mncholic.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    ...

    Allen, who had nowhere to go, decided to just return to the Barkaley''s region. He wanted to return to his dungeon and look back at the house he had previously left.

    To go to the Barkaley territory, Rachel helped him find a merchant train to the Barkaley territory. Since Rachel vouches for Allen as a great bodyguard, he can ride on the merchant train as a bodyguard. Before leaving, Rachel also gave him something else.

    A license te.

    "This is proof of your citizenship; you are now amoner with this te, so you can easily enter Barkaley territory during the inspection. It was a gift from Lord Reynold for your contribution during your stay in his residence."

    "Okay. Goodbye then," Allen said.

    "Not goodbye. But, see you again."

    Allen did not reply; he left with the carriage heading to Barkaley territory.

    The merchant wagon was carried by a man from the south coast with his grown son. They were selling spices bought from the seaside town to the northern region. They were supposed to hire two dungeon explorers to escort them to the Barkaley region, but since their merchandise didn''t sell well in the Boldenville region, they didn''t have the extra money to hire more people. Then Rachel came to them, offering the former knights of the nobility something free of charge. All they needed to do was provide Allen a food and a ride to the Barkaley region.

    They thought they were lucky to get that opportunity, but as soon as they saw Allen, the smiles disappeared from their faces.

    "Dad, are you sure you''re still going to Barkaley territory? What if some bandits attack? Due to Prince Eldritch''s announcementst week, rtions between the nobles had soured, and the roads leading to each region became deserted."

    "What can we do? We don''t have any money. But like our previous trip, let''s hope there won''t be any bandits attacking."

    "We''ve been tricked by the nobles again; such a small child, how could he possibly fight a group of bandits by himself."

    "Hush! Don''t speak out loud, if he listens to you, he might report the matter to the noble he serves!"

    "Before he does that, we just need to dispose of him. He definitely won''t survive out here alone."

    Half a day passed, and just as they feared, a group of bandits came to intercept them. The bandits also came by carriage. Which meant their movements were organized.

    "Hey, I''m tired of saying this over and over again, but you already know what''s going to happen to you, right?" said one of the bandits.

    "We''re really going to let you go; just leave all your stuff and return to the city. We''ll both benefit equally."

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® The father-son merchant couldn''t do anything; they raised their hands and nodded to leave.

    "HIIII! I TOLD YOU WE''D BETTER NOT GO IF THERE ARE NO BODYGUARDS!"

    "HEY LITTLE BOY! DO YOUR JOB!"

    Allen stood up and pulled the dual de from his scarf.

    "Have you guys run out of money to hire a kid like this?"

    "Scram kid, no need to fight; we don''t intend to take your life. The ve trade is currently in decline, and it''s a bit troublesome."

    Allen then replied:

    "I have no desire to kill you; just leave us."

    The bandits looked at each other''s faces, thenughed.

    "HAHAHA! KIDS DO LIKE TO JOKE AROUND!"

    "We''ve changed our minds; we''ll capture and sell you all!"

    Letting out a disappointed sigh, Allen said

    "I see. Then I have a reason to kill you now."

    -SYUT

    Allen threw his sword at the bandits. His dual des stuck right into their foreheads.

    Everyone was stunned to see Allen in action. And as soon as the two corpses fell, everyone immediately drew their swords from their sheaths.

    "FUCK YOU!"

    "DON''T MESS WITH US!"

    Without any fierce determination in his eyes, expressionless Allen unsheathed his sword and charged at the bandits, taking them by surprise. One by one, he sliced through their ranks with expert precision, leaving the air thick with the scent of blood and the sound of battle cries.

    As the banditsy dead at his feet, the others looked on in stunned silence. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled his sword at the remaining thieves, striking them right between the eyes and silencing their screams forever.

    The energy of the fight was palpable, the tension mounting with each passing moment. So much so that even the normallyposed merchant was shaking with fear.

    Looking at Allen, the merchant who underestimated him was now scared. What Allen does is so brutal that it makes them unable to stand. What scared them the most was that he did everything without expression, ying people without feeling anything, like he didn''t care about people''s lives.

 Chapter 142 Back To The Second Day

    ?

    Back to the second day after the Noctem Dolls invasion.

    Francis stood on the practice field, gripping the massive sword that was nearly as tall as he was. He swung it back and forth in strong, fluid motions, his muscles flexing with each swing. He practiced tirelessly, determined to build his strength and master the unwieldy weapon that he adored.

    As Francis continued to swing the sword with impressive ease, several soldiers gathered behind him, their voices hushed with awed admiration.

    "How long has he been swinging that sword?" one asked, eyeing Francis with astonishment.

    The soldiers watched in silent awe as Francis continued his practice; even his movements were untidy.

    "He''s been doing it since this morning; it''s probably been 7 hours."

    "The prince hasn''t rested either. What''s the point of him doing that?"

    "Perhaps because of Lord Tobias'' condition? I heard that Prince Francis visited him yesterday night."

    The soldiers did not know that their voices were loud enough for Francis to hear, but actually Francis could not even hear them. Francis was swinging the great sword for practice, but was just trying to calm down. He was thinking about what had happened to Sabine.

    It wasn''t about Sabine being stabbed, but because Sabine''s room looked clean. After Francis hugged her at that time, Sabine exined to Francis that her tenure was over. She would return to her hometown and be a teacher at the church.

    Sabine was a private teacher of the princes'' manners who had worked since Harald was born. Francis was thest prince she taught because he was the youngest child. Sabine''s contract ended when the prince was 12 years old because the prince was going to be handed over to Oxwade Academy, so the kingdom no longer needed Sabine''s existence. Looking at the king''s condition, it was unlikely that the king would bear any more children, so the kingdom''s contract with Sabine had already ended.

    "That old-hag! Why did you go home? I thought you wereing with me to the academy!" thought Francis.

    The academy had a dormitory system, but the students were allowed to bring twopanions, a personal knight and a personal servant, who they could meet each night after sses ended. Francis had initially contemted asking Sabine to apany him as a servant, yet hecked the courage to do so as she was amoner and had never done servant work. He feared that Sabine would rebuke him for the audacity of asking her to take on such a role.

    The guards began to look at Prince Francis'' diligence with admiration when Francis was not focused on his sword swing at all; his mind was far away, thinking about Sabine¡­

    and Felicia.

    ''Maiden of Eden Garden, not only is she beautiful and kind, but she also possesses great god''s blessings. I must thank her for healing Sabine,''

    Thoughts of sadness that Sabine was going home, then gratitude and admiration for Felicia, were mixed in his head. He probably didn''t realize that his sword swing was slowing down as he started to run out of steam.

    "Ooi Francis! Long time no see!"

    Hearing the voice, Francis immediately let go of his sword and looked at the source of the voice. The sword Francis held was thrown a few feet forward, and he finally realized his stamina was at its limit.

    Even though the maids had repeatedly called Francis to rest, Francis could not listen; he was too focused inside his mind. But when he heard that person''s voice, his focus immediately broke and he instantly returned to reality, as the existence of this person was so big that he could not ignore it.

    "Brother Leonard!" shouted Francis.

    Leonard Elia Wildenhall, the fifth prince. Compared to the other princes, he had a muscr andrge body. He was almost as big as Ottar, smaller than Odbert of Rounds. His hair was tense,bed back, and then he had a beard that closed around his face, making him look like a lion.

    "I''m sorry I couldn''t make it to your birthday party. There was a bit of trouble in the northern region."

    Francis raised one hand with a smile. He was still having trouble breathing; his voice earlier was thest sound he could let out.

    "Sigh¡­ this is the result of reckless training."

    Leonard lifted Francis'' body with just one hand.

    "Whoaaa!"

    After that he ced him on a nearby chair, and allowed Francis to rest for a while.

    After about 5 minutes of Leonard telling Francis about himself, Francis could finally breathe normally.

    "Alright, can you tell me what happened that night?"

    Since Leonard was not at the castle, he went to Francis to find out what had happened that night. He had previously tried asking Harald, Alicia and Margareth, but none of them wanted to answer him properly. That was when Leonard knew that something was wrong, so he asked Francis about the whole situation.

    "So that''s it... when you tried to attack that woman, Alicia knocked you out. Thank goodness she did that."

    "It''s a little annoying that I couldn''tnd an attack on her."

    Leonard then hit Francis very hard on the back.

    -PLACK

    "Ouch!" Francis'' body was thrown forward.

    "Hahaha! Your body being thrown now is proof that you are still weak. Firstly, you could not sense that someone was attacking you, even though I did not try to hide my intentions at all; secondly, the moment you felt the attack on your back, your body should have been able to withstand it; thirdly, you were thrown but stayed still, you should have immediately got up and attacked me!"

    ''That''s because you attacked me when I was tired!'' Francis thought.

    Leonard stood up and left, saying

    "Don''t train too hard, and take good care of your body!"

    ''In fact, it''s because of you that my body hurts now.''

    Once he was away from Francis, the smile on his face disappeared, and then he thought

    "Leofric''s death was nned; the arrival of the Noctem Dolls must be an insider''s plot."

    ¡­

    Because of the training, plus the blow to his back, Francis tiredly walked with a slight limp back to his room. He held his shoulder, which was still sore.

    Halfway to his room, he saw one of his brothers standing by the wall near the flower garden with a serious face.

    "Richard, what are you doing?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Richard Adeline Wildenhall was Francis'' older brother who was a mere two years above him, the 13th prince. His hair was styled in a short cut, with a trailing braid of lengthy locks adorning his back. He was one of the princes who did not attend Francis'' birthday party.

    Francis'' call surprised Richard as if he were afraid that someone could find him.

    Richard turned his head and saw Francis; he quickly pulled Francis'' hand and then closed his mouth forcefully.

    "HMMPH!!!"

    "Fool! Don''t speak out loud! They''ll wake up!"

    ''Who are they?''

    Francis forcefully let go of Richard''s hand. Then he peeked from behind the pir. In the garden was Alicia who was talking to Margareth. Being too far away, he could not clearly hear what they were discussing.

    "Sister Alicia and sister Margareth... why do you have to hide?"

    "Can''t you see?! They''re arguing!"

    Margareth then walked away from the flower garden, and as soon as she reached the corridor, she turned her head to the right, looking sharply at the peeping Richard.

    "EEEEK!!!"

    "She noticed us!"

    Richard quickly ran away from that ce, followed by Francis behind.

    Once a little further away, Richard turned around and immediately pulled Francis'' shirt off.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! YOU''RE INTERFERING!"

    "Huh?! You think it''s my fault?"

    "Of course! If you hadn''te, maybe I could have heard what they were talking about!"

    "HAAAH?! I saw Margareth looking at you! She probably knew from the start that you were peeping and letting you because she was sure you couldn''t hear them!"

    "Don''t talk back to me you stupid brother-"

    Out of nowhere, a pair of arms wrapped around Francis and Richard, pulling them in for a tight embrace. The two brothers were caught off guard as they were squeezed tighter and tighter into this woman''s chest, and struggling for air.

    "Alright, that''s enough! Don''t fight!" came a scolding voice. These two blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden intrusion. As they looked up, they met with the sight of arge woman holding them captive in her embrace.

    "Hmpph!"

    "MMMHPPPH!!!"

    She hugged them with both hands, pressing their bodies against her chest which was significantly bigger than their heads.

    "Puah! Sister! Stop it! Your chest will make me faint!" shouted Francis.

    "GO AWAY! GORILLA WOMAN! YOUR GIANT CHEST IS DISTRACTING! GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!!!" shouted Richard.

    She was Elizabeth Helena Wildenhall, the 7th prince. A striking figure with ponytailed golden hair that was tied to the right. Despite being female, she was a monk-type fighter, opting to wear a fist-type armacar to showcase her physical powers.

    As her younger siblings scolded her, she tightened her grip and said,

    "Oooooh noooo! My two little brothers are so cute!" she eximed while brushing his cheek against their face.

    "HMMPH!!!"

    "HOMHMPHMPHMPHMHMPMHH!"

    She did so until both of them actually looked close to fainting. After she let go, they both coughed.

    "Sister¡­ please don''t do that again."

    "You gori chick! Gori chick! Gori chick! I hate you!"

    "ahahaha, sorry sorry... the faces you two make when you want to fight look so cute, so I couldn''t resist hugging you."

    Then she continued,

    "By the way Francis, do you still not have a personal knight?"

    "Eh? Not yet... They said I should have one to bring to the academy after baptism, but I haven''t decided at all."

    "You have to decide quickly. At least within this week."

    "Why is that?"

    Then Richard replied, "You fool! Brother Eldritch''s inauguration as the new king will be in a week! We will stand with our knight!"

    "Brother Eldritch is the new king?! I didn''t hear about that!"

    "Aaaah... if I''m not mistaken, you fainted for a day," Elizabeth uttered.

    Elizabeth with a smile continued,

    "You should be prepared, when Eldritch bes king, he might pass a new rule that the council cannot oppose. A knight is necessary to protect you."

 Chapter 143 Nam Jihye

    ?

    "Eldritch will be king?"

    Eldritch''s party, which consisted of the adfeqtus reliqua he had obtained in the dungeon, was now gathered in the opulent pce dining room. The table was adorned with an array of dishes, tantalizing to both the eye and the nose; all these weapons were eating surprisingly gracefully. Two of them had control over the wind spirit; they wielded their powers over the gusts, causing the tes, food, and ss to dance delicately in the air, and fly to them. All of them were adfeqtus reliqua, except for one person, an other-worlder.

    "Jihye, why are you surprised? Of course Master will be this kingdom''s king, the crown prince after all. This day has been determined since he was born," Denia said.

    "Jihye... beautiful... but... stupid..." utter Guiltia.

    "Hohoho, if I''m not mistaken, we already told her that our master is the prince of this kingdom," said Crestfarren.

    "I KNEW THAT! What surprises me is that the inauguration is a week away. I didn''t expect things to go so fast," said Jih-ye.

    Nam Jihye, was an other-worlder brought by Eldritch when he happened to find her in the middle of his adventure.

    "That shouldn''t be surprising news. The king''s condition was already unwell. In fact, just a week ago, someone attempted to kidnap him. Fortunately, our arrival prevented the king from falling victim to the attempt. Without our intervention, the king would surely have perished, leaving a sudden vacancy on the throne. Master really came up with surprising timing for everyone," said Howl.

    "It''s not that the king will die anytime soon; it''s just that he''s at an age where he can''t fight back," Crestfaren exined.

    "Ugh... I don''t like this kind of royal family''s thing. I feel like I shouldn''t have to know so much about the troubles in this world. I want to stop being associated with Eldritch immediately and go to a remote vige and open a restaurant instead!"

    "You should be grateful Eldritch-boy picked you up. Do you think other-worlders can survive well in this world? Since you have no nationality, you''re very good prey for very. Not to mention that your ck hair will have a high price," Destroia said.

    "You don''t have to say that! I''m grateful enough to suddenly appear in a river where a handsome prince is bathing," Ji-hye replied with a giggle. Because she kept getting scolded and made fun of, she tried to fight Destroia back.

    "AAARGH! Don''t mention that again in front of me, you pervert! Don''t you ever think that it was a meeting of fate or something!"

    The dining room door swung open with a creak.

    Eldritches inside. He was resplendent in his official clothes, intricately designed and made from luxurious materials. Eldritch''s clothes were a reflection of his position of power. As a prince, he was expected to dress in a manner that conveyed his status andmand, and his official attire did just that. Every detail spoke of his elevated position in society, from theyers of his robes to the opulence of his adornments. The thick fabric of his robes hung heavily from his broad shoulders, embellished with precious stones and intricate embroidery, showcasing his status and wealth.

    "What are you doing, get ready," Eldritchmanded, his deep voice carrying authority. Two maids stood dutifully behind him, ready to attend to his every whim. With a subtle hand signal, he beckoned them to enter the room and assist in doing something.

    "Pardon our intrusion," said the maid. They geld Jihye''s hand, then pulled her out.

    "Eh? What''s wrong?"

    "You will be taken care of by these two maids."

    "Eeeeh?! Wait! I haven''t finished eating yet!"

    As for the Eldritch relics, they instantly changed their clothes with mana, match Eldritch''s clothes.

    "Let''s go."

    ...

    Inside the dressing room, Jihye struggled with the two maids, who continued to dress her roughly.

    "Ouch! That''s hurt!"

    "Please bear with it."

    "You need plenty of things to improve your elegance."

    A month ago, Jihye suddenly arrived in this world, and the first thing she saw was Eldritch bathing in one of the secluded hot springs.

    Confused by the situation, she could not leave there right away. Eldritch was the only person she could see, so she simply turned around and asked him what was happening.

    Eldritch understood what had happened to Jihye and continued the bath without caring about Jihye behind him. He exined to Jihye the situation she was going through. About the other-worlders, the angels, and where she was now.

    Since the ce where she appeared was very scary, she asked Eldritch to at least take her out of that ce, and Eldritch easily agreed. But after they got out and reached the settlement, it turned out that Eldritch was still carrying her and ended up reaching the pce.

    ''I''ve been with him for a month. At least I know what kind of person he is. He is sure handsome¡ªmore handsome than my idol oppa. But he is cold, and I could sense many redg if I stayed with him for long. He has great power¡ªgreat enough that even without him moving, he can solve many problems. But he still doesn''t use it to help people. He doesn''t care about people, and doesn''t care about the problems happening around him,'' Jihye thought.

    ''Then, why did she choose to bring me here? Eldritch is not the type to help others. It wouldn''t be strange if he left me alone when I first came to this world,''

    After much thought, the maid finished putting on her dress without realizing it. She was now unaware of the stunning transformation she had undergone. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was taken aback by the European-style dress that adorned her body. The intricate detailing on the dress amazed her, leaving her in awe of its beauty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Jihye''s dress, typical of those worn during the middle ages, was made up of severalyers. The inneryer was a in, linen chemise dress that came up to her ankles and had long sleeves. On top of this, Jihye wore a dress known as a surcoat, which was open at the sides and buttoned along the front. The surcoat was made of wool or silk, with borate embroidered designs. Her dress was cinched at the waist with a leather belt, and she wore a pair of leather shoes that were tied withces. The final touch to Jihye''s outfit was her headwear, which consisted of a wimple and a fillet.

    Jihye smiled to herself as she admired her reflection, feeling as if she had stepped back in time

    "You are very beautiful."

    "As expected, the other-worlder''s dark hair matches this dress perfectly."

    "Beautiful," Jihye said to herself as she turned slightly, looking at the details of her dress.

    ''But the design is different from the manhwa I usually read¡ªnot that detailed but still historical. That means it''s probably from an older era than the fantasy isekai I usually read. But as far as I know, if time goes back further, sanitary items like soap and shampoo should not have been invented yet, but they have. Well¡­ maybe I shouldn''t think about it. This is isekai after all.''

    And when she saw how beautiful she looked in the mirror, she immediately realized something.

    ''OH NO! Maybe Eldritch brought me here because he''s in love with me and loves me at first sight! AAARGH! That could be it!''

    Try to deny it; she shook her head and said, "N-no, there''s no way such a thing happened; there''s no way such a manhwa plot would suddenlye to me."

    "What is it,dy?" asked the maid.

    "Ah nothing! Thank you for helping me. What should I do now?"

    The door to the room opened. Outside the door stood two twin teenage girls with short pink hair, holding a bouquet of lilies. They wore dresses simr to the one Jihye wore but simpler and shorter.

    As soon as Jihye saw them, they began to bow and say,

    "Miss Nam Jihye, we havee to escort you to the inauguration room. His Highness is already waiting for you."

    "Ah b-well¡­ okay!"

    ''What the hell is this?! Why do I feel like I''m getting married?!''

    The twin girls walked before Jihye, escorting her to the inauguration ce. After walking a few meters away, she finally arrived in front of arge door that looked more conspicuous than the rest. She was sure that this was her destination.

    "Hmm? Where is Eldritch?"

    ''I thought he would stand before the door waiting for me!''

    "Already done? Good." Eldritch suddenly appeared behind Jihye; then he offered his hand.

    "Hmm?"

    "Why did you silent? Hug my hand."

    "Eh? How so?"

    Consumed by Eldritch''s intimidation, Jihye could not help but obey his orders. She quickly embraced Eldritch''s left hand.

    ''Sh*t! What the hell! Why do I have to do this?!"

    Therge door opened. A very bright and dazzling light came out of there. And a shouting voice was heard.

    "The crown prince, Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall! Together with his future empress, Nam Jihye! Enter the chamber!"

    ''HMMMMMM?!!!!''

    ''Didn''t I hear it wrong? Future of what?!''

    "Don''t forget to smile," Without Eldritch telling her to do it, smiling was the easiest way to hide her surprise.

    "I demand you for a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long exnationter, YOUR HIGHNESS."

    They began to step into the room on the red carpet, followed by the two twins holding flowers behind them.

 Chapter 144 Before Inauguration

    ?

    The second throne room was the secondrgest room after the Ballroom. It eclipsed even the main throne room in size. The walls, fashioned from impably painted concrete, were adorned with gleaming gold carvings that entuated the unique patterns etched into the walls. The well-crafted granite floor boasted intricate patterns, yet they were lost in the overall splendor of the room. Directly leading to the king''s throne, a luxuriant red carpet stretched from the entrance, creating a grand walkway to the seat of power.

    During official events at the pce, the king can be seated in the throne room, meeting guests from outside the castle. In contrast to the primary throne room, the second throne room serves as a space for internal royal affairs, amodating arge number of people. Notably, unlike the main throne room. The king''s throne is not the only seat on the elevated tform. Positioned at the center and the highest point, the king''s throne is surrounded by ten seats arranged in a semicircle on the stairs below. Each seat is designated for the council, with five located on the tform''s left and right sides of the tform.

    The current king was not present in the room because he was ill; he reced the king''s position to sit there was Queen Regina, as the empress. While the other five queens make a line in far front of the knight line.

    As for the princes, they stood beside the red carpet with their respective knights beside them. Their mother''s rulership determines the order of the princes. From the second queen''s child to the third queen on the left, then the fourth queen to the sixth queen on the right.

    Because it was a very important official event, there were also a lot of people there. Despite the incident that happened yesterday, the heads of each noble family were forbidden to go home because of this event. Reynold was even forced to return to the capital because of this. The nobles at that time wore their official uniforms, long furry robes, and furry hats. They lined up on the right side of the room.

    Then on the left side of the room were the knights. Most of whom were from the 12 Milites. Each captain stood at the front of the line, followed by a line of their members at the back.

    The room was already filled with all the important characters. Before Eldritch entered, they were chatting about the Noctem Dolls attack and its connection to today''s inauguration.

    As for the princes,

    "He suddenly left home, and no one med him, then suddenly returned and immediately became king. How annoying; the world really revolves around Eldritch,"

    "Mathilda... don''t speak so loudly in this room," Alicia admonished her sister.

    Mathilda Elia Wildenhall, the sixth prince. She is sarcastic and has a face that people think is scary because she is always sullen.

    "Ah! Hear me! Was I the only one who originally thought that Leofric would be the king? Because of brother Eldritch''s absence for so many years, I thought father would die first and Leofric would be made king right away," Elizabeth said excitedly.

    "Don''t mention dead people''s names here; aaah, I really hate this family," Margaret responded.

    "BAHAHA, why Leofric? Isn''t Harald the eldest brother after Eldritch? He should be the king if that''s the case!" Leonard shouted.

    "Hey... can you guys please not offend me? I can''t be the king. It''s very troublesome," Harald replied.

    "Well, as you can see, brother Harald''s reaction is like that, not someone who would be king," Elizabeth retorted.

    "How sad... why one of the eldest brothers has no confidence and ambition, a bad example for the family," Mathilda said with a disgusted face.

    "Well, naturally, I''m used to scorn, so if you keep talking, trust me, it won''t affect me."

    The only one who found the whole conversation strange was Francis. To Francis, his brothers were extraordinary people and also strange people.

    They easily talked about Leofric''s death without any emotion at all, as if his death was no big deal at all. And no one looks worried about their father''s condition; maybe only Francis does.

    When he was about to talk about it with Richard, Richard replied to him.

    "Stop talking to me! Its not strange at all! Leofric was justme and arrogant. He didn''t choose his personal knight; no wonder he died."

    Interrupting their conversation, the 8th prince, Gerard, hugged Francis and Richard with both hands.

    "Hahahaha... Don''t you think It''s funny? the one who calls himself the strongest is the first to die than his other brothers."

    "Let me go! Don''t touch me!"

    "Oh Francis, you''ve decided on your knight," Richard said, looking at the figure of the man behind Francis.

    "I-yeah, do I need to introduce you? He is-"

    "Aaah no need! Introductions like that would be long! Did you forget that knights are forbidden to speak at official events while the prince is chatting?!"

    After much thought, Francis took Sabine''s advice on choosing his own knight. Sabine had suggested that Francis pick a person who was both loyal to him and brave enough to sacrifice themselves for him. After weighing his options, Francis finally settled on one person he believed fit the criteria: a warrior who had retired from dungeon exploration and held the rank of padium. This warrior was part of the 2nd Milite division, which was responsible for guarding the royal prison. He was the same person whom Francis had fooled during his visit to the prison. The warrior had been swept up in the excitement of Francis'' "adventure game" and as a result, had be Francis''s favorite. He had even expressed a desire to be Francis''s knight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I see..." Francis said with a disappointed face.

    "Del pel... a knight is a person who will always protect you, but it seems like you chose the weak one, very disappointing," said the twins, Edward.

    "E... you''re weak too, and your knight is weak too, so it''s a duo of the weakest people huh? Hahaha." Continued the twin, Edmund.

    Behind Francis, his knight closed his eyes, unable to bear the scorn given by the princes,

    ''Prince Francis, forgive me.'' Thought the knight.

    Francis then replied, "I have chosen the best! He might one day be better than the other knights!"

    As Francis said that, the other knights looked at him,

    ''Prince! That''s enough! Sorry to disappoint you, but I''m no better than the others!''

    Then suddenly, the 9th prince, Rond, patted his hand. He was just doing an ordinary p, but that one p echoed throughout the room, making everyone look straight at him. He stole everyone''s attention with just one p.

    "Alright everyone, I think that''s enough chatting. It''s been a while since we got together, so it''s okay to talk a lot once in a while, but right now is not the right time. Look..." Rond pointed towards the door.

    "The main character has arrived."

    Everyone in the room reflexively looked at therge door behind him.

    And just as he said, the door slowly opened.

    "Alicia, do you think if Eldritch bes king, something will change?" asked Harald.

    "Hmm... To be honest, I can''t guess brother Eldritch''s thoughts at all. I don''t know what he''s been doing these five years or his goals. I only know that he''s gained a lof of power since thest time I saw him. We never expected he woulde with five adfeqtus reliqua."

    "How strong was he now?"

    Alicia''s pupil shape turned into stars; she activated her blessing, watching the silhouette walk in.

    "He''s currently holding back her aura, but I know if we put all our mana together and add in all the people in this room, we still can''t match half of his mana."

    "aha-ha-ha," responded Harald, half surprised; he was the one who stayed with Eldritch the longest and knew how strong she was. And his sister might now be able to develop further.

    In his mind, he actually still had his own conclusions on what would happen in the future,

    ''After this inauguration, Eldritch bes king and must attend the council meetings. That would probably ruin the ns that mother had built with the council. To solve this, perhaps the queen will marry off Eldritch to Felicia or someone else she has prepared. That way, mother could still have control over the kingdom by creating a puppet queen for Eldritch. With the rmendation of two to four queens, brother Eldritch, who had no interest in her, probably wouldn''t try to evade.''

    In the middle of his thoughts, the royal guard shouted the name of the person who had entered.

    "The crown prince, Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall! Together with his future empress, Nam Jihye! Enter the chamber!"

    The announcement that echoed in the grand chamber was aplete shock to everyone present. Alicia was the first to express her confusion by uttering,

    "Huh? Did I just mishear?" All shared her bewilderment in attendance, as they too, thought they had misheard the announcement.

    However, their doubts were quickly dissolved as Eldritch made his grand entrance with a stunning ck-haired girl by his side. It was clear to everyone that this was no mistake but the unveiling of the future empress. The murmurs grew louder as people whispered,

    "The future empress?" All eyes were fixed on the woman beside Eldritch as they tried to decipher what kind of woman that could take the cold-hearted Eldritch would be.

 Chapter 145 The Coronation

    ?

    "Eldritch''s future wife?"

    "I thought the Queen would choose one of the princesses from outside the kingdom."

    "What is the benefit of marrying the other-worlder?

    As Eldritch gracefully entered the chamber with Jihye by his side, the low murmurs of the courtiers gradually transformed into a deafening buzz. The room had fallen silent as all eyes gazed upon the striking couple standing before them. The other princes were now speechless at the sight of it.

    Since the future empress he had chosen was an other-worlder, they could not fathom what benefits Eldritch could have by marrying that woman.

    And just as all the princes began to think so, Alice replied,

    "Love... isn''t it?"

    Alicia''s words at that time disgusted all the princes. Everyone knows Eldritch was the strongest figure who didn''t care about women; even his fianc¨¦e broke off the rtionship because of it. He is cold and heartless.

    "You''re kidding..." Harald said.

    Alicia then exined

    "I''ve heard a little about Jihye. She was rescued by brother Eldritch when she arrived in this world, and then they spent a month together. There could be a seed of love growing between them, right?"

    ''Yes, whether it''s love or not. Surely this sudden announcement about Jihye shocked our mother-''

    As soon as Alicia looked at queen Regina...

    Alicia smiled widely, unable to contain herughter.

    The queen was visibly in shock. Her eyes widened in surprise; she also slightly gaped her mouth and began sweating.

    "Fufu... geez mom, you just made the funniest face I''ve ever seen. Looks like what brother Eldritch did had to shock you," Alicia muttered.

    Aware of Alicia''s gaze, the queen put on another poker face, maintaining her elegance.

    ''So that''s it, this is just my spection, but it seems that brother Eldritch also knows the possibility that mother will choose an empress for him. By announcing his future wife here, all of mother''s ns will be ruined.

    Her first n was to make Harald or Leofric be the king, but it failed because of brother Eldritch''s arrival. Since her n failed, she decided to use her puppet to be the new empress, but Eldritch instead brought his future wife and announced that she would be the future empress. Next, you might put your doll as the second queen, but you should know that the power of the second queen is much lower than that of the empress.''

    Once again, Alicia covered her mouth with a grin, stifling herughter as she bent over.

    "What''s wrong?" asked the person standing behind her, Alicia''s personal knight, Akuto.

    "No, nothing. Sorry to worry you."

    ''Brother Eldritch, what kind of surprise will you give us?'' Alicia thought, looking at Eldritch and Jihye, who passed in front of her.

    The king''s coronation, this event began with the singing of the foster priests of the orphans, whom several priests guided. Their singing apanied the coronation. Each chant is a way of praying to God.

    After Eldritch and Jihye finally reach the bottom of the stairs to the throne, they sing faster, and their voices be rounder. Apanied by the chant, a man from the knight''s row came out, walked straight and stood beside the queen''s row on the left, and then yelled,

    "The Arcbishop and the Council, will enter the chamber!"

    The council entered from the upper left and upper right doors, walking straight to their seats, but the seats were not filled. The Archbishops walked to the front of Eldritch. Because the position of the wind archbishop had not been determined since Cornelius'' death, only three archbishops came to Eldritch''s coronation.

    "That one archbishop has ck hair," Jihye whispered.

    "Doumer Chaundeler, he''s the archbishop of water church, he''s an other-worlder," Eldritch replied.

    Eldritch and Jihye turned to face the entrance.

    The entrance opened, and then a line of the four churches entered, each carrying a staff with its elemental spirit symbol. Representatives of each church would stand in front of the knights and noble ranks. Then thest line was the line of foster priest children wearing white clothes, consisting of thirteen people, three of them carrying the book, the royal crown, and the king''s scepter. They were apanied again by the aristocratic knights.

    As soon as the line arrived in front of Eldritch, the child holding the holy book came forward, then said

    "Your majesty, as children of the kingdom of God, we wee you in the name of the king of the kings."

    Eldritch replied, "In his name, Ie not to be served but to serve."

    The boy came forward and gave the book to Archbishop Benedict Spelman.

    "The grace of our lord, the love of god and the fellowship of the Holy spirit..." he mentions the oath intended for knights and nobles, which everyone will answer simultaneously.

    After that, he will lead a prayer to God to bless the king who will be inaugurated. Once the prayer is over, the children below will lead the song, followed by the children above.

    After the singing, the promise to serve the king is made by the council.

    The timees for the coronation of the king.

    The three children holding the royal symbols¡ªthe crown, holy book, and scepter¡ªknelt in front of Eldritch.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Our new king, Prince Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall. It is with great humility and pride that I stand before you to remind you of the importance of remaining ever mindful of thew and the book of the God.

    As our rulers, Prince Eldritch will dedicate their entire lives to upholding the principles outlined in this sacred book. This is the most valuable thing this world has to offer. Within its pages lies the very wisdom necessary to guide our actions and decisions, and so we must heed its teachings and respect its authority.

    Let us take heart in the knowledge that these are the lively articles of God and the royalw by which our new king will govern."

    Eldritch held the holy book, and then Archbishop Benedict Spelman opened the book and read the oath to Eldritch.

    "Your majesty, the church established byw whose settlement you will swear to maintain ismitted to the true profession of the holy book. In so doing, we''ll seek to foster an environment where people may live freely. The coronation oath has stood for hundreds of years and is enshrined inw..."

    Archbishop continued,

    "Are you willing to take the oath?"

    "I am willing," was how Eldritch should have answered.

    But...

    Eldritch was silent at that moment.

    He didn''t answer the oath.

    Eldritch stood before the council, his eyes fixed on the book that was offered by the church in front of him.

    Arcbishop Benedict''s voice echoed in the chamber as he repeated the question that had been posed to Eldritch moments before.

    "Your majesty, are you willing to take the oath?"

    But Eldritch remained silent, as though lost in thought.

    Whispering voices began to rise as people began to nce at each other in confusion. What was the reason for Eldritch''s prolonged silence? Was he unsure of his willingness to take the oath, or was there another reason for his hesitation? The longer he remained silent, the more suspicion grew in the hearts and minds of the gathered council members.

    "What happened?"

    "What is he doing?"

    "Why is he silent?"

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eldritch finally let out a voice.

    "Haaah... I''ve followed the coronation ceremony ording to my oath to my mother." Eldritch said.

    Eldritch turned his gaze to the crown and released his hand from the holy book.

    "Now, I don''t want to add any more to my oath to god."

    Starting to feel strange about Eldritch, Benedict said,

    "Your majesty, what are you talking about-"

    Eldritch approached the magnificent crown at a steady pace, his eyes fixed on the glimmering jewels that adorned it. With a graceful hand, he reached out and lifted the crown. As he did so, a shimmering energy surrounded him, filling the room with an otherworldly glow that left all those present breathless.

    ''So this is all over brother Eldritch''s mana,'' Harald thought,

    ''Again acting on his own, does he have no respect for the kingdom?!'' Mathilda thought.

    ''Brother... What exactly are you nning?'' thought Alicia.

    The princes stood in rapt attention, mesmerized by the sheer brilliance of Eldritch''s aura. They watched in shock and confusion as he held the crown aloft.

    Then suddenly¡­

    Eldritch released the crown from his grip¡­

    Letting it drop to the ground with a resounding clunk. The room fell silent as he spoke, his voice clear and unwavering,

    "I will not be king," he dered, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with a sense of finality.

    The crowny abandoned on the floor, glistening as it rolled haphazardly toward the middle line of princes.

    Eldritch looked at all the princes and said,

    "With my resignation as crown prince,petition for the throne will begin."

    At that time, most of the princes knew that this throne war would shed a lot of blood.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

 Chapter 146 Throne War

    ?

    "With my resignation as crown prince,petition for the throne will begin."

    Then he continued,

    "Thepetition for the throne was set to kick off with the participation of the princes, and the proceedings would be carried out in the form of a democratic election. All registered citizens would have the right to cast their vote, and the election would not be concluded until at least 70% of the popr vote was obtained."

    After mentioning that, the aura spreading from Eldritch slowly dissipated, but even so, everyone was still frozen, trying toprehend what they heard.

    The one who spoke first was...

    "How naive, you think the council will ept this?" asked Queen Regina, who stood up to show her disappointment at Eldritch.

    Alicia then thought,

    ''That''s right, brother. Just because you stepped down from the throne doesn''t mean you can decide to start apetition for the throne. I wonder why mother is disappointed in Eldritch''s choice; can''t she get rid of Eldritch without doing anything? Since brother Eldritch has already stepped down from the throne, it means that Harald will be the next king, and if Harald also steps down, it could be me or maybe Leonard who will be king. There is no need to hold an election that consumes so much time and effort! The council will not decide to do so.''

    The whispering voices began to sound loud; everyone doubted Eldritch and still wondered why Eldritch was doing all this.

    Eldritch turned to look at queen Regina with a sharp gaze. But that didn''t affect the queen at all; instead, she tried to dominate Eldritch back,

    "As the queen and your mother, I cannot ept your treatment of this sacred ceremony."

    "Don''t refer to yourself as a mother, auntie Regina. I only have one mother; she was a fool to marry that bastard king."

    "Putting aside your contempt for the king, do you think Queen Odelina will be happy with your decision?"

    "My mother''s wish was to see me with her own eyes at my coronation. She wanted to see my coronation with my future wife in tow, and I have just fulfilled her wish. My vow to her is over."

    ''Aaah so that''s it, you brought me here just to fulfill your vow to your mother. I really shouldn''t expect much from this guy; he''s called the coldest prince after all,'' Jihye thought with a slightly disappointed face. Inside, she still hoped that Eldritch loved her because then Eldritch might still have a human heart. So she would try to love Eldritch back and even pretend to love him if necessary. That was, after all, Eldritch''s reward for saving her.

    Queen Regina could not say anything when she thought she could attack Eldritch''s heart by mentioning her dead mother; Eldritch replied coldly and provided the logic in the promise she made with her mother.

    The Adfeqtus Reliqua Eldritch disappeared, then appeared suddenly around him.

    "Auntie, do you know the original form of the crown?" asked Eldritch.

    "What do you mean?"

    Eldritch looked at the crown and asked, "Why are you silent? Isn''t it time to show your true self? King''s crown?"

    The princes immediately looked at the crown that was lying on the ground.

    ''Did he just talk to the crown?'' thought all the princes.

    Because Eldritch was not a joking figure and always gave surprises to everyone, they really thought that the crown would start talking,

    But no, the crown was just silent.

    "So you don''t want to talk, or maybe you can''t talk in the first ce."

    Eldritch raised his right hand, signaling his relics to attack the crown.

    The relics began to glow, and they pointed their hands at the crown together. The rays that were all over their bodies began to move to the tips of their hands, then the rays shot into the crown.

    "What happened?"

    "What is the prince doing?"

    After firing the beam for a few seconds, they all stopped.

    "As expected, we can''t do anything to it," Howl said.

    "It is... probably¡­ asleep..." Guiltia said.

    "This feeling...I felt the same when master pulled me out!" said Denia.

    "Eldritch-boy, it''s most likely that this thing does have something we can''t reach, so this crown is just as you predicted," Destroia said.

    The Adfeqtus Reliqua were the negative emotions of warfare locked inside the dungeon, they also had an inexplicable connection. Once they found their siblings, they could sense their presence while fighting, which was why Eldritch ordered all his relics to attack the crown.

    Crestfarren continued what Destroia wanted to exin.

    "This crown is the Adfeqtus Reliqua."

    Once again, that shocking fact seemed to hit everyone over the head, shooting into their minds like a pistol shot.

    "If it really is an adfeqtus reliqua, then everything makes sense. The reason why the Norttish massacre continues and why father suddenly changed after wearing the crown," Eldritch said.

    "The crown is adfeqtus reliqua?" Harald said.

    "How do you know that, Eldritch?" asked Mathilda.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You''ll know once you have them."

    Then Leonard said, "So what if it''s true? Crowns are dungeon relics, so what''s wrong with that? What are you trying to say, Eldritch?"

    Eldritch turned around to look at the queen and the council, then said:

    "You must already know about this; at least some of you do. The ceremony we are performing is not just a coronation ceremony as kings, but a ceremony of transferring the will of the crown. The crown has a will of its own, and the will of the crown will be passed on to the next king.

    I am the next rightful king, I am the one who should continue the will of the crown, but I refuse the crown, and as the rightful owner, I can insert a rule on the crown.

    That rule is the election. Currently, the crown will not allow anyone to wear it other than the person who is legitimate under the new rule. If you want to try it, go ahead, the crown will damage all your mana and then damage your brain. Only the crown''s legitimate and recognized heirs can wear this on their heads."

    "Crestfarren, revenite," Crestfarren glowed and then attached himself to Eldritch''s body as armor. Then Eldritch picked up the fallen crown again.

    "I will add a new rule. The election will be held when the youngest prince is 25 years old. Until then, I don''t expect any bloodshed from my fellow brothers."

    Hearing that, the princes thought this...

    ''That means... As long as we don''t kill directly... It''s allowed.''

    "Prince, do you know what thispetition will bring to the kingdom?" asked the man far ahead of Eldritch, standing behind Archbishop Benedict.

    "Archbishop Doumer Chaundeler..." muttered Eldritch.

    "A bloodbath, and not just between princes but between nobles, knights, andmoners. All of that is very likely, I''m sure you already knew about it, and even though you knew that it would happen, you still chose to do it. Why, your highness? Why do you have to do this? If you don''t care about this kingdom and don''t want to be king, just leave. You don''t need to make a show of this struggle," Doumer said.

    "Doumer Chaundeler, you are my mentor who has taught me many things about the other world. Among all people, other than my mother, you are the person I respect the most."

    "Thank you for your respect, but that does not answer my question."

    "Because I did not intend to answer your question. If I answered it and saw your reaction, then you would be a person I no longer respect. But I will say a few words,

    This struggle for the heir will be the event that leads me to my goal. Your imagination of this bloodbath that has not yet happened is the thing that the council must stop.

    This should be enough to answer your questions."

    Eldritch walked to the outer door, followed by Jihye and her relics, and out of the room.

    "God''s blessing, space illusion," Eldritch muttered, activating the illusion that made him no longer visible to people.

    But,

    "Brother!" while everyone was still lost in thought due to the sudden information, one person who didn''t care about that, exited the room ahead of the others and entered the istion room created by Eldritch.

    "Francis..." muttered Eldritch, looking back, seeing Francis who had called out to him.

    "I haven''t... I haven''t talked to you yet! There are many things I still want to talk about, and many things I want to do with you!"

    For Francis, Eldritch was his idol, the strongest figure that everyone always talked about. He even started training and sparring with Eldritch gradually five years ago. Leofric was originally a recement for Eldritch who never came home. But now Eldritch had returned. Since Eldritch''s return, he had never had the chance to see him because of what happened to Sabine and Felicia, and every time he tried to meet him, the other princes were also talking to him.

    "We haven''t even had dinner together like we used to," Francis said, pouting with a hint of water in his eyes.

    "Uuugh... this kid is so cute! Hey Eldritch, can we stay for a while?" asked Jihye.

    "HAH?! Of course we can''t! We''re already-" as soon as Destroia wanted to say something, Howl immediately covered her mouth.

    Eldritch then approached Francis and took him by the shoulders.

    "Are you burdened by Leofric''s death?"

    The moment Eldritch asked that, tears instantly came flooding down her cheeks.

    "OF COURSE!" replied Francis.

    "Everyone is weird! Why did everyone act so casual when brother Leofric died! Why did everyone not care about his death at all? I feel strange myself, and I''m also forced to hide my tears from everyone! It''s as if I''m the only one who''s sad here.

    I''m sorry...

    I''m sorry for crying like this, even though I''m a prince and a man, but I couldn''t hold back my tears anymore when you asked me."

    At that moment, Eldritch rubbed Francis'' head, and what Eldritch did surprised Jihye and all the relics.

    Not only from his actions but also from his face.

    Because at that time, Eldritch smiled for the first time.

    "You will be a good king."

 Chapter 147 Doubt

    ?

    Eldritch announced his abdication, signifying the start of a throne war that would ensue once the youngest prince reached the age of twenty-five. Before his departure, Eldritch confided in Francis with words of encouragement, stating his belief that Francis had the potential to be a good king. The enormity of Eldritch''s words filled Francis with excitement, and he immediately vowed to be king. Though he was unsure he could win against his other siblings, Francis knew he had a few years left before he turned 25. With newfound determination, he vowed to improve himself physically, intellectually, and emotionally, striving to be his strongest, smartest, and best version.

    "I didn''t expect that you really thought so; I hate and envy your face that doesn''t worry about anything," in the middle of his training, Margareth greeted Francis with her personal female knight standing behind her.

    "Sister... what is your business with me?"

    As soon as Margareth came, Francis'' knight quickly approached Francis. Margareth looked at Francis''s kight with a smile and then said

    "Fufu, it seems your knight is no better than you. Equally stupid and unable to think properly,"

    Her smile disappeared, then she continued

    "Don''t worry; I won''t kill him. I''m not stupid enough to do that," Margareth said.

    Francis turned to his knight because he seemed to understand something, so he asked.

    "Kill? Rudy, what is she talking about?"

    Francis'' innocent look made it hard for Rudy, his knight, to exin it.

    "Umm... about that..."

    "If you want to be king, try to think for yourself with that little brain of yours. But... since I''m a veeery nice sister, let me tell you,"

    Margareth looked up directly into Francis'' face, looking at him with a sharp gaze, making Francis jerk back slightly; Margareth''s aura at that moment was so threatening that he felt a little afraid of her.

    "You may think the way to win the election is to be strong and win the people''s hearts, but actually the most effective way is to reduce your rivals."

    "Reduce... rivals...?"

    "That''s right, we just need to kill our rival; that way themoners will have few choices."

    Margareth intended to pressure Francis to make him worry, but Francis'' reaction was,

    "Hahaha! What are you talking about? We''re siblings, aren''t we? How could siblings kill each other?"

    That answer made Rudy sigh; he felt happy that Francis didn''t know such things yet and worried about his innocence.

    Margareth''s face, which received Francis'' answer, did not look good. She was upset because she felt like a fool for teasing Francis. Deciding that Francis could not relieve her stress, Margareth left.

    "Well... you better be careful from now on, good luck." She said this before leaving.

    Rudy had always been the silent observer, always quick to pick up on the intentions of those around him. And he understood what Margaret intended to said. And because of that, doubt crept in and began to gnaw at him.

    The task at hand was no easy feat. Francis was a prince with aspirations of bing king, and Rudy was but a mere knight tasked with protecting him. He had previously agreed to protect him because he had no idea that things would turn out like this. As the reality of the situation began to sink in, Rudy couldn''t help but question his own abilities.

    In the heir war, it wasn''t just about protecting Francis from outside threats; Rudy now had to also worry about other princes who had the same goal as Francis. Thepetition was steep, and Rudy felt he was over his head. As he mulled over his doubts, Rudy couldn''t help but feel a sense of guilt. He had promised to protect Francis with all his might, and now he was questioning whether he could fulfill that promise. The weight of responsibility was heavy, and Rudy was scared that he didn''t have enough ability to protect Francis as his personal knight.

    "Your highness... It seems that I am not suitable to be your personal knight."

    Francis confusedly asked, "Why is that?"

    "Compared to other knights, who may be as strong as mithril, I am only padium. The reason I became a soldier was also because I was no longer able to challenge the dungeon. A coward like me is not worthy of protecting you."

    Francis probably understood his knight''s feelings. They were both weak and wanted to be stronger; at that moment, Francis realized that was probably why he agreed to choose him because they were simr.

    "You can''t quit, do you think how long it took me when I decided to choose you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I-I am really sorry! But I-" Not yet finished speaking, Francis cut him off by saying:

    "Sabine... she was already leaving me," Francis'' face suddenly turned gloomy.

    ''Sabine, if I''m not mistaken, she''s the mentor of the princes.''

    "When she left, I yearned for her to carry me away with her. I pledged to cast aside my royalty and settle for a simple life with her, as her son, but she refused. She insisted that it was my duty to uphold my obligations to the kingdom. I''m currently the prince, and that status will never change. I am chosen to serve people, and there is no escaping this duty.

    Admittedly, the burden seems daunting, but brother Eldritch has faith in me. My brother even imed I would be a worthy king. Thus, I will do my best to fulfill his expectations."

    "Your Highness..."

    " And to you, my knight, I picked you not only because I fancied you, but because there was no other person I trusted more to stand by me, but now that you''ve be my knight, I think all you need to do is try your best to carry out the duties you''ve been charged with. I trust you, and I hope you trust me too."

    Rudy''s face became teary; it was the first time he had ever heard someone else say such a thing to him.

    "Your Highness... Thank you very much! I will try my best to protect you!" he said while kneeling in front of Francis.

    "Good..."

    In his heart, Francis was a little surprised.

    ''Wow... just like sis Heit taught me, it turns out that these words have an effect; thank goodness I memorized them. Since Sabine left, I''ve had no one to talk to. This person seems easy to talk to, which is why I chose him; Sabine also said this kind of person is good for me. From the beginning, if I be strong, the knight is not too important, right? Brother Eldritch and brother Leofric don''t have one, so that must be true.''

    He became curious about something because of the mention of Leofric and Heit''s names.

    ''Oh¡­ If I am not mistaken, Heit is an adfeqtus reliqua, a weapon taken from the dungeon. But where did she go? Is it because brother Leofric died, and she suddenly died with him?''

    ...

    ...

    ...

    After sessfully escaping from Eldritch, Noctem Dolls returned to the basement of one of the ruined churches in the slums. As of now, they were still there, to see the situation further. And as surprised as everyone was, Ivaylo did not expect Eldritch to resign and start an heir war. But not all the members of the Noctem Dolls were surprised by that; one of them seemed to have known everything from the beginning.

    "Eldritch Odelina Wildenhall, we really can''t touch him at all, and I can''t guess his way of thinking either. I also didn''t expect that you were also using us here," said Ivaylo.

    Almost all the members of Noctem Dolls were gathered in the dim room. Busy with their own businesses. Some were ying chess and cleaning their armacar, and some were doing nothing like Arthur and rissa.

    The Noctem Dolls numbered ten people, but one person hadn''t shown up for a long time. And the reason for that was because he was busy in his life. One person among them had not be a fugitive from the state.

    "Oya? Didn''t I tell you our rtionship is of mutual use, don''t think you can control me easily."

    The tenth person, or perhaps the ninth, had entered before Arthur. He was reading a book, sitting on the rocks on a thick carpet, keeping himself from getting dirty. Then beside him was a girl with shining white hair, asleep and leaning on his left hand.

    Ivaylo chuckled, put his doll into his pocket, and said,

    "Fufu, you said that Alicia is the smartest, but I''m sure she''spletely unaware of this, isn''t that right? Prince Leofric."

    Leofric Regina Wildenhall, the 4th prince of the Wildenhall kingdom and the number nine member of the number one criminal organization in the kingdom. Beside him, Heit, was sleeping peacefully with drooling out of his mouth.

    "It would be better if you didn''t underestimate her; even a slight mistake would make her suspect us. Her appraisal was very dangerous; she could have realized that my corpse at that time was just your doll."

 Chapter 148 The Truth

    ?

    "Fufu, you said that Alicia is your smartest sister, but I''m sure she''spletely unaware of this matter."

    Almost all the Noctem Dolls members were gathered in that dim room. Busy with their own businesses. Some were ying chess and cleaning their armacar, and some were doing nothing like Arthur and rissa.

    One of them was Leofric Regina Wildenhall, the 4th prince of the Wildenhall kingdom, as well as the number nine member of the number one criminal organization in the kingdom. Next to him, Heit, slept soundly with drooling out of her mouth.

    "It would be better if you didn''t underestimate her; even a slight mistake would make her suspect us. Her appraisal was very dangerous; she could have realized that my corpse was just your doll at that time. It almost happened because someone went against the n," said Leofric, ncing at Ralph ying chess with Norman.

    "Aaah! So you''re ming me! Just so you know, this is all because Adam didn''t let me join the fight! I don''t have the same speed as you guys! That Isaac guy won''t let me off the hook if I leave there!"

    "Why dwell on the past? I understand we are out of n; what''s important is that we make it in time to get the body before the princess can see it," Adam replied.

    As Adam said, there was nothing more to worry about what happened in the past; there were things that interested Ivaylo more,

    "Competition for the throne; due to your death, nobody will know that you will participate in thispetition. The princes will probably engage in a brutal contest for the throne and end up killing each other. You just need to kill thest prince to secure the coveted position of king. Nevertheless, I assume you made this n because you knew earlier about the uing throne war and Eldritch''s involvement. You already knew everything from the beginning. You really hide all this information by yourself and manipte all of us to do what you want.''

    "Oya oya oya? Isn''t this that kind of group? We utilize each other, hide everything from each other, but still work together. You created this group to utilize us, we knew about it and followed you anyway. From the beginning, we didn''t care about each other''s business. What matters is the result. Your goal was to obtain the symbol of the kingdom, the spectre. I don''t even know what you used it for, and I don''t care. Now you have it and have reced the spectre with a fake one."

    "Unfortunately, I stole it; I should have gotten that thing from the queen; the loss from this incident is trust, so the queen won''t hire us anymore. But that loss is already gone because of this throne war, and as you said, everything went smoothly. But I''m asking because I''m curious, not because I''m angry or anything. Just¡­ When did you already know all of this event would happen?"

    Without thinking, Leofric immediately answered.

    "When Heit touched the crown."

    "Hoo..."

    "That crown is not just a mixture of gold and minerals. It is an adfeqtus reliqua. Since you already have one, you must know that fellow adfeqtus reliqua can sense each other''s existence. When Heit touched it, she knew it was an adfeqtus reliqua. And I guessed Eldritch''s n from there."

    "That''s a bit too far. Just because you guessed Eldritch''s intentions doesn''t mean you cane to an ending like this. I''m curious about when did you know that Eldritch wasing to the kingdom?" asked Ivaylo curiously. And at that time, it wasn''t just him, the others were also watching him. Because Leofric this time actually controlled all the members of the Noctem Dolls without Ivaylo realizing it, and that made their mission almost failed, and many of them were injured.

    "Fufu... That''s easy... The answer lies in the incident that killed Lewin," Leofric answered honestly, making everyone resume their activities.

    "Suicide together in prison," Ivaylo muttered.

    "Right, the culprit of that suicide incident is Kallen; I''ve heard about her from Eldritch. When that suicide happened, I asked my subordinates to spread rumors throughout the kingdom so that sooner orter, Eldritch woulde back home."

    "I see... When we faced off, he also asked me about Kallen."

    "Unfortunately, I don''t know who Kallen actually is either. What''s certain is that as long as we know his goal, we can also control Eldritch''s move."

    Leofric thought, ''Well¡­ There''s no way I''m going to tell him how I know the exact time when he''sing. Since I''m already dead, I have to move stealthily. Noctem Dolls is the most profitable group for me to get stronger. They will be able to help me clear the dungeon with only 10 people. I still need more relics.''

    "Thank you for answering; I appreciate it," Ivaylo replied.

    "You really should appreciate every second you have with me."

    Ivaylo then asked again,

    "I wonder, why is this throne war important? Why doesn''t the council just choose a king without using the crown?"

    "You were in the room during the announcement, weren''t you? Inserting your doll into one of the soldiers. Did you not guess it at all?"

    "Unfortunately, I didn''t have Mary with me at the time. My disguise would have been blown if one of the Eldritch relics could sense her presence."

    "Fair enough, I didn''t think about that."

    With a big smile, Leofric closed his book and looked at Ivaylo.

    "The King''s Crown is believed to be the first adfeqtus reliqua ever created. I did some research while in the castle but only found a little information about that. First, it can amplify the user''s charisma, granting them control over the masses just by donning it. Second, the crown harbors the soul of the first king, William, thus allowing whoever wears it to be possessed by his spirit and continue his unfinished determination. The council will still do the election because some council members or possibly the Archbishop must be devout worshippers of the first king to ensure that the next king is chosen only with the crown''s help.

    Eldritch must have known about this, which was probably also why he didn''t want to be king. The council would be overwhelmed by it because this way, King William would fall asleep again until a new king was decided."

    Hearing that exnation, Ivaylo became aware of his conversation with the king in the room.

    At that time, the king said he was also responsible for the Norttish assassination three hundred years ago. That is what it literally means: Ivaylo was not only talking with King Henry but also with the first king, William.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How interesting... If we really manage to get the king''s body, I should be able to get a little closer to my goal.

    So? Even though you already knew about it, why did you still choose to be king? Wouldn''t you just be controlled by the will of the crown?" asked Ivaylo again.

    "Did you forget that I have this kid?" Leofric pointed at Heit.

    "Oooh I see... with Heit, you can remove all the impact given by the crown."

    "I don''t need the charisma the crown gives me; I already have plenty of it."

    "hahaha... so confident," Ivaylo chuckled...

    As the moon entered through a hole from above, Ivaylo stood up and posed one final question:

    "One more question... That night, our battle ended in my victory. But who do you think would win if we were to fight more seriously?"

    The smile faded from Leofric''s face. The group fell silent, each member pausing in their activity to await his answer. After a moment of contemtion, Leofric replied, his demeanor calm and confident.

    "Of course, I will win."

    His wordscked any hint of arrogance, for he spoke with a certainty that only came from true confidence. The others cannot calcte it, and maybe Leofric too, but Leofric''s confidence makes them think the same. Leofric was not told that without thinking; he even took a moment to reflect upon his own words before settling on his answer.

    "Then what about me? It''s been a while since we''ve fought. Do you want to fight once again?" asked Adam.

    "it was just one year ago. I''m not interested in sparring with you, so no." Leofric''s answer was sarcasm. Adfeqtus reliqua users had an advantage inbat because they could use parallel minds; there was no way ordinary weapon users could be evenly matched against them. So if he fought with Adam, the answer was obvious. Leofric would definitely win.

    "Yep... It''s about time; let''s move out of here." Ivaylo said as he stepped forward.

    The Noctem Dolls began to stand up and prepare to leave the ce.

    "Finally yes... It took so long to prepare; I was getting bored," said Ralph.

    "Where are we going after this?" asked Norman.

    "O hey, this little guy was sleeping yesterday so you didn''t listen to him, right?" said Adam.

    "OW SHUT UP! Don''t piss me off! My body is still recovering!"

    "Dungeon conquest... In order, we will do Leofric''s request," said Ivaylo.

    "Geh! I haven''t gone in there for a long time. It''s sozy to go into that horrible ce!" said Ralph.

    Ivaylo chuckled and said

    "Take it easy. This time, the conquest will be easier because we have Prince Leofric, Arthur, and finally... our new member."

    From the shadows, two people could be seen walking towards them. One was an adult woman, and the other was a girl.

    "Leader, you mean to leave before I arrive, right?" the adult woman was Elinor.

    "How could I? I already knew you wereing, so we started preparing," Ivaylo replied.

    Then standing with Elinor was a little girl. Her eyes were big and red; her skin was tan; and her hair was long and white down to her feet.

    "Irritende! Dungeon: I don''t like going there; my revenge n could be hampered by it. But what else can I do? It''s a member request," her voice sounded gruff, and at the beginning of each word she always mentioned her emotions in Norttishnguage.

    "Don''t be openly displeased; one day I will change the kingdom to your liking, princess," Leofric replied to her.

    The girl was the new member of the Noctem Dolls, member number 10, and future queen of the Norttish, Illska Svanhild Utvalgtesrike.

    ''Allen, I will make our promisee true,'' Illska thought.

 Chapter 149 Forced To Be Mature

    ?

    Raised in Dungeon Volume 4

    ...

    My name is Susan Lambert, ten-year-old girl. I was a poor peasant who worked at a food tavern on the main street of Barkaley region.

    My job was to take the dishes, put down the drinks, and clean the tables and floors.

    It wasn''t a famous tavern, nor did it have amazingly delicious food. But this tavern managed to draw a steady stream of customers due to its modest price.

    Since the prince did the dungeon raid a few months ago, Barkaley region has be more crowded, and the tavern had also be more bussier.

    Most of our visitors were dungeon explorers, often showing grim and gloomy faces when they entered this tavern. I wonder what they had gone through in the dungeon?

    The owner of this restaurant, whom I usually call Master Rodion, is a fussy, sullen, cynical, and grumpy old-man. But whenever a customer entered the tavern with a gloomy face, the owner always provide exceptional service by offering the customer his original soup for free. It was truly remarkable to witness the immediate transformation in their demeanor as they indulged in the savory broth.

    I had the opportunity to taste the soup myself. The taste was rather ordinary, but its warmth calmed my body. Perhaps the tavern''s master possesses a god''s blessing that soothes those in need? I couldn''t say for certain, but I can attest that the tavern''s fanbase has been created solely because of the soup. Peoplee to this tavern not for the food or service but for theforting warmth that permeates the moment they step inside.

    Then this time...

    In the middle of a rainy day, this tavern was visited by a rather unique person.

    A boy with ck hair and a long ck scarf, he seemed to be a little older than me and younger than my brother. As I took a closer look, his eyes were a pretty red color but dark and plunging.

    "Ah¡­ So kids also make that gloomy faces too," and that was worse than the dungeon explorer who came to the restaurant.

    "Susan! Why are you daydreaming?! Bring me a towel!" that boy entered with master who was also wet from the rain.

    "Wait a minute!"

    I wonder what that kid was going through that could make him put on such a glum face? Is he also a dungeon explorer? But big brother said a kid can''t be dungeon explorer yet.

    He put on the towel I gave him and gently wiped his body and face.

    "I think you should just take off your bandana-"

    -PLACK

    When I tried to take off his bandana, he hit my hand instead.

    It hurt so much... I wanted to cry.

    "It''s okay," he said. When I heard his voice, I held back my tears because he seemed to be in more pain than me.

    His hair was ck; I''d never seen anyone with ck hair before. Are there many of them outside the city? I can''t help but be mesmerized by his looks. ck hair, red eyes, and pale skin. Everything he had felt foreign and unique.

    "What do you want?" he asked, aware of my gaze.

    "Nothing! I''m sorry."

    Before I knew it, Master Rodion had returned to the kitchen. And as I had guessed, he was making soup. Master''s soup was a potato and mushroom leek soup, I believe only this tavern selling this soup. The reason the master wanted to give it away for free was because it was simple to make, and the ingredients were cheap.

    "What is this?" asked that boy as I ced the bowl before him.

    "It''s the tavern''s original soup. Master Rodion wanted to give it to you for free, please eat it."

    As usual, whenever I gave this food to people, I would immediately go away and watch them from a distance.

    That boy''s gaze lingered on the soup for quite a while, probably he did it in 5 minutes. I don''t know what he was thinking, but his face looked increasingly sadder.

    And finally with a heavy heart, he picked up his spoon. I watched him closely, observing how his hands shook as he ate and how his breathing became shallow and uneven.

    And then I saw it¡­

    he was crying¡­

    the tears streaming down his face, his body racked with sobs that no one could hear. He strated to eat the soup with devour, and his tears were still flowing non-stop as he ate it. Rather than the other people who came, he was overdoing it.

    Those dungeon explorers... then this boy... what has he gone through? What kind of pain could drive him to such despair?

    After eating, he just stayed there until the store was about to close. Until finally master engaged him in conversation. Because after closing I still had dishwashing duties, I couldn''t hear him very well, but after that the master told me everything.

    His name was Allen; he was a so-called other-worlder; master said he might have just gotten stuck in this world and had no way to go home. So that kid, Allen, will live and work at this tavern for a while.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "So that''s it... it must be pain for him to be separated from the family," I said.

    Then master looked at me with his scary eyes and said "What about you? You live alone too. Why don''t you stay at the tavern? I don''t like your habit of beingte either."

    Master, he''s scary and often scolds me; I hate him! But I can''t quit this job. Even though I''m tired, I have to keep doing it because I live alone. I need money to continue living.

    "I don''t want to. If I stay here, what if brother Arthur suddenlyes home and finds I''m not there?!"

    "Arthur is probably dead! Just give up; you have to think about your own safety!"

    "No! There''s no way brother is dead! He must be alive somewhere! I heard it from the people who went to the dungeon!"

    After that, I went straight outside. Leaving Master behind.

    ''She is only ten years old, but circumstances have forced her to be mature,'' thought Rodion.

    That''s right... Initially, I didn''t live alone. After my parents died, I lived with my older brother; his name was Arthur Lambert. His earnest desire was to enrol me in the academy, but the paltry earnings from his stint at the bar thwarted his aspirations, so that dream slowly faded away.

    Then suddenly, in the midst of uncertainty and struggle, a glimmer of hope shone upon us.

    One day, the prince visits this region and deres he will doing a dungeon raid. The cherry on top was that each participant in the raid would receive ten sacks of wheat as a reward. The very thought of it was exhrating. With ten sacks of wheat, we could save money and mitigate our expenses until winter. This would allow my brother to pursue his long-standing ambition of take me to the academy. That way, big brother can focus on earning money for my school.

    Honestly, I wasn''t keen on going to the academy; my heart yearned to remain with my brother forever. I can''t let him bear the burden of sustaining us alone. But he said,

    "You have talent and amazing god''s blessing; I''m sure you''ll be sessful someday if you go to the academy."

    It seems like people who get God''s blessing at the age of 10 are considered talented, and so am I. And somehow, the dream my brother made became my dream too.

    That''s when I realized that I had to earn money so that the wheat we saved wouldn''t go to waste.

    I worked at this tavern and earned a decent sry. I keep the money because I''ll use it to reach my dream.

    But...

    Big Brother didn''te back after the dungeon raid.

    No, he didn''t die. People saw him; our neighbors saw him alive.

    Prince Leofric took him to the capital.

    I don''t know what he did, but I hope he returns soon.

    I''m lonely...

    Living alone is cold and lonely.

    I want you toe back soon and hug me again like you used to...

    "It''s so cold..." I muttered on the way home.

    The tavern is located near the main road of the Barkaley region, while my house is in a remote area far from the main road. I had to go through a narrow alley to get home. No guards were patrolling around because it was far from the main road. So every time I came home, I always ran fast. I often felt like someone was following me, but I seemed to run faster than the average person, so I was always safe. Once I got home, I felt safe because my neighbors were a good family. No one dared to touch my house while I was away because of them.

    After running and running, I arrived home.

    And every time I arrived, I always stayed silent in front of the wooden door. I waited and hoped...

    When I opened this door...

    I hoped Brother Arthur was already inside, asleep, waiting for me toe home.

    But of course, when I opened the lock, I immediately realized.

    "Ah, he''s not there."

    Our house was only two plots. And the two of us slept together in front of the door. A straw mattress was covered with a cloth that could be seen once the door opened.

    I closed the door, walked slowly to the mattress, andy on it.

    "Brother... when are youing home?" I said, crying through the tightness in my heart.

 Chapter 150 Drugoymir Restaurant

    ?

    Allen, who had arrived in the Barkaley region, had to wait until nightfall to enter the dungeon because people who have not registered with the dungeon explorer guild are prohibited from entering the dungeon.

    Once night fell, Allen sneaked into the dungeon alone.

    When he got inside, he realized that the ce was peaceful. He didn''t sense any monsters; in some ces, there were wooden signposts. This dungeon''s system was "change" or "re-structured" at a certain time; the dungeon would re-structure its path so that many people would get lost, and that''s why those pieces of wood were put everywhere. Once Allen tried to get lost, he could return to the main path because of those wooden clues.

    After walking around looking at everything, he realized that the dungeon hadn''t changed much. Even the ce where the goblins wanted to rape Lavinia was still there, although the position of the room was different.

    As he walked down the path, he deliberately tried to go all the way around the dungeon. He was afraid that he would not find that room once he got to the end of this first floor dungeon. A room, where he and his mother lived together.

    He remembered very well what happened at that moment. Once the dungeon reset happened, the room was already gone, covered by the new walls.

    Finally he reached the end of the first floor. He stopped and looked around, his eyes scanning the area, trying to take it all in. It was here that everything had happened, where his life had changed forever. He stood there for what felt like hours, lost in his thoughts and memories, trying to make sense of it all.

    Usually, when he thought of this ce, hatred would well up inside him, consuming him fiercely. But now, only a deep, overwhelming sadness threatened to drown him. He had only lost one here, but the pain was hard to bear. And now, as he stood alone, he realized that he no longer cared about humans or his grudge. The one who killed his mother is already dead. It was all meaningless now.

    His eyes wandered to the right, and that''s when he saw the door. The one thing he had been looking for, the one thing that could give him some sense of closure. His heart leapt with excitement and he rushed forward to grab the handle.

    But he couldn''t pull it¡­

    His feelings held him back, a mix of fear, doubt, and uncertainty gripping him tightly.

    It was like dejavu, the same feeling he had felt every time before something terrible had happened. Every time he had ignored it, thinking he could handle it. But now, as he stood there, his mind filled with memories and regret. This feeling makes him unable to open the door. Whenever he opens the door with this kind of feeling, something bad will happen.

    Starting when he opened the door to the goblin room, he saw Lavinia almost raped by goblins.

    Then when he opened the door in Boldenville''s dungeon, there were orcs eating each other.

    Allen''s hands were trembling, not only because of his fear but also because his hope of seeing his mother again would suffocate his heart. He was afraid that his mother wouldn''t be there once he opened the door. That was a sure thing, and Allen knew it. But still, he couldn''t open the door.

    And with a heavy heart, he turned and walked away, knowing that the door probably would always be there.

    Without realizing it, he had been in the dungeon all night; he repeatedly met dungeon explorers and ignored their calls.

    Until Allen came out of the dungeon at noon, it was raining. Fortunately, the guards only checked the dungeon explorers who entered, so Allen was not suspected at all.

    Without caring about his surroundings, Allen rain-walked in the city''s center. People repeatedly called out to him, but he couldn''t hear them.

    -BRUG

    He bumped into two men wearing hoods.

    "Huh? What the hell are you doing?"

    Allen raised his face for a moment, then lowered his head.

    "Hey! Answer my question!"

    The man kicked Allen, throwing his body two meters back.

    "This kid is so annoying. His face doesn''t change even if I kick him."

    "Is he a stray? Let''s capture him and sell him to a ve trader."

    "How can a slum boy like this be worth much?"

    The man approached and lifted Allen''s head.

    "Woah, his hair is ck! He must have sold for a lot of money!"

    While firmly holding his sword, Allen muttered,

    "I''m being attacked... I have to fight back..."

    As soon as he was about to split the two heads in front of him,

    -BREAK

    Someone kicked him from the side.

    "Hey where have you been? I''ve been waiting for you at the stall for a long time!" it was the voice of an old man, hoarse and sounded very angry.

    ''Who is he?'' Allen thought because it seemed like the old man was talking to him.

    The old man then looked sharply at the two men beside him and said.

    "Huh?! What business do you have with my nephew?!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Terrified, the man replied, "No no... he just bumped into us, we just wanted to help him stand hahaha..."

    "Then we''ll leave first. No need to report it to the soldiers okay?" the other man said as he ran from there.

    Allen turned to the old man. He was shortpared to the average adult, only slightly taller than him, probably because he was hunched over. His face was full of wrinkles, and his stomach was slightly distended.

    The old man sighed, and then he said

    "Why are you silent? Come help me bring these things."

    There were bags of food and some vegetable ingredients discarded on the ground. It seemed like the old man threw them all when he kicked Allen earlier.

    Allen somehow obeyed the old man''s words. Allen stood up from the ground where he was previously seated and began picking up the scattered vegetable pieces. After he finished, he gave them to the old man,

    "Are you crazy? Asking me to carry this heavy stuff?! Hurry up and bring it to my ce!"

    ''Didn''t you carry it yourself just now?'' Allen thought.

    Feeling trapped in an inevitable situation, Allen decided to follow the old man''s request since he had nowhere to go. He carried the luggage all the way to his house.

    It is just a few meters until they reach the old man''s house. It was a small tavern, roughly measuring five meters.

    "Wee to the Drugoymir Restaurant," said the Oldman.

    As he walked in, he was greeted by the sight of five wooden tables and chairs ced in the cramped space. Dimnterns lighted the tavern, and the atmosphere was deserted but warm.

    As they entered, a girl named Susan came up to them, wielding a cloth. The old man take the luggage and force Allen to sit down and rest for a while...

    "So... what do you think of my soup?" asked Rodion.

    Rodion sat down in front of him as soon as Allen finished finishing his soup.

    "So-so," replied Allen, curtly.

    "I knew it."

    "But... so warm and delicious."

    The soup Allen ate made him recall his happy times in the dungeon. When he cooked for his mother, then ate the soup together. He also remembered the good times when he cooked and ate with Lavinia. Rodion''s soup gave him a little energy to think clearly.

    "I knew it."

    There was a long silence after he answered. Rodion observed Allen from foot to hairline. And from his face, he guessed what had happened to Allen.

    "For now, stay here for a few days. I need a strong male employee, but I don''t have much money. In exchange for the soup you have to work without pay in this tavern, understand?"

    ''Didn''t that girl say the soup was free?''

    Allen looked around the ce, and then he replied

    "Alright," he didn''t have any goal from the beginning. He had nothing, so there was no harm in staying there for now.

    "Once we closes, I''ll teach you the basics. What''s your name?"

    "Allen."

    "Allen, from now on call me master Rodion."

    Rodion went to the back kitchen to meet up with Susan.

    "Master, who is he? Did you save him?"

    "Saved him? You fool, don''t talk to me like that. I won''t waste time saving people. I just need a free new worker."

    "New worker?! So that boy will be working here?"

    "Yes, he''ll also be living here."

    Rodion exined Allen''s situation to Susan and what a person with ck hair meant. At that moment, Rodion thought,

    "Saving, you said?.. maybe you''re not wrong, Susan. I did meet him when people were trying to attack him. But I didn''t save the boy; I saved the people who were pranking him. That child could have killed those two with just one sh,

    This world has gone mad, making such a small child into a murderer."

 Chapter 151 Happy Tears

    ?

    -SPLASH

    "Whaaa!"

    "Wake up; it''s time to get ready."

    At approximately 4 o''clock in the morning, Rodion abruptly roused Allen from his peaceful slumber by sshing icy cold water all over his face. The sudden shock of the liquid pouring onto his face made Allen alert, and he immediately shot up from his sleeping position. Although he had every right to be angry with Rodion for the unexpected wake-up call, Allen''s emotions were overridden by his surprise at the fact that he had not realized Rodion was approaching. Usually, Allen''s acute sense would have alerted him to the presence or any sound of even a footstep approaching him. Yet, much to his amazement, he had beenpletely oblivious to Rodion''s approach.

    "Why are you staring? Quick, follow me," Rodion said.

    ''This old man... who exactly is he?'' Allen thought.

    The previous night, Allen had been taught basic things like wiping tables, cleaning the attic, washing dishes, and delivering food orders, all of which he would do once the tavern was open.

    Allen was ordered to get up at 4 in the morning. Rodion had said that if he couldn''t get up by himself, he would throw water on his face. Allen just nodded, as he was sure that he could get up once Rodion came near him.

    The tavern did look 5 meters wide, but it was bigger than Allen thought.

    It had a small second floor containing three rooms. The second floor only covered the upper part of the ce where customers ate, while the upper part of the kitchen was empty until the roof of the house. The first floor was divided into the customer''s dining area and the kitchen. The customer area took up only 3 meters, while seven meters back was the kitchen.

    In the center is the cooking area; a simple stone construction surrounds the burning wood, with a long stone hanging the metal cauldron over the fire. Then there are cupboards and various kinds of food hanging on the walls, such as meat, coconuts, and others. There were also multiple barrels where fruits and vegetables were ced.

    Rodion took one of the logs in the corner of the room and set it upright on a rock. He split the log into four with an axe.

    "Look, do this until the wood runs out," Rodion said.

    Allen nodded and started splitting the wood,

    "Wrong! You have to split it right down the middle! If the wood is too small, it won''t burn for long. It won''t burn deeply enough if you make it too big!"

    He split the wood again as instructed.

    "Don''t just use your hand muscles! Also, use your upper arm muscles to lift, and slide your back when you lift the axe, when swinging you need to strengthen only your arm muscles!"

    ''This old man is so noisy.

    About an hour passed, and Allen finished cutting all the wood while Rodion prepared something else.

    "It''s done," Allen said.

    "Good, nowe here."

    A raised stone shelf was attached to the wall; Rodion used it as a table to prepare the ingredients.

    " I''ll teach you how to make that soup from that time. This is a recipe I got from an other-worlder; it''s called Russian potato soup."

    "What am I learning this for-"

    "Because you have to help me when I cook! Just shut up and do what I ask!"

    ''This old man is really noisy.''

    Rodion taught Allen to cook. Starting from scratch, everything. Because he wasn''t very experienced, Allen was often scolded by Rodion.

    "Oh my! You don''t need to peel the body of the potato! You only need to peel the skin! I feel sorry for the potato farmer!"

    "Don''t split the leek so big! It needs to be smaller!"

    "You cut the mushrooms too small! You''re destroying the shape!"

    Then on to the cooking process,

    "Don''t grill too big! The soup won''t be cooked!"

    "Put the wood in slowly until everything burns well!"

    "Raise the hanger again, if it''s too low the fire could get into the soup!"

    Allen gradually felt his patience running out. His ears started to go deaf just from hearing the old man yelling and screaming beside him.

    "It looks like it''s done; turn off the me and use the wind amnis to remove the smoke."

    Allen drew a circle of amnis in front of him.

    -FUUUSH

    The wind came out of the sweet circle, blowing the smoke all over the room.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

    "Huh?! Didn''t you tell me to use the amnis wind to get rid of the smoke!" shouted Allen, who hadpletely lost his temper.

    "All you''re doing is blowing the smoke all over the ce! You''re useless!"

    Rodion quickly drew different wind amnis,

    "Wind spirit, please gather all this smoke." All the scattered ck smoke was sucked into Rodion''s circle of amnis. Once the smoke went through the circle, it turned into small ash grains. The little ash was in Rodion''s hands for him to throw out.

    "You should learn this amnister."

    ''Old man is such a pain in the ass,''

    Rodion then poured his soup into a bowl, and tasted it.

    "hmm... not bad."

    Rodion then stood up and said,

    "I''ll take a quick shower; you turn on the oven first. What we need now is to keep all the ingredients warm,"

    Rodion went to the room to the left of the kitchen. Allen put everything Rodion instructed into the oven made with brick and wood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Allen then tried the soup.

    "It''s a bit nd,"

    Allen then stood up, opened the cupboard; and took some spices and arranged them on the table.

    "If I''m not mistaken, this tastes like the green leaves in the dungeon."

    He added many new things to his cauldron without Rodion''s knowledge. He often had to taste the soup because he didn''t know the right amount.

    Suddenly he felt another warmth inside him.

    Without realizing it, he was happy.

    While cooking, he thought of what new things he could make by adding other ingredients.

    But as soon as he finished, Allen thought

    ''What the hell am I doing... what am I doing something like this for. What do I expect here? I woke up to water sshing, my ears hurting from the old man''s shouting, my hands burning, and my sweat making my body sticky.

    What''s the point of all this, anyway?

    After I cook, what then?

    I''d better leave this ce as soon as possible.''

    -Knock knock

    Someone knocked on the back door.

    Allen put down his spoon and opened the door.

    "Ah! Allen!" she was Susan, the little girl who also worked with Rodion. She was surprised that it wasn''t master Rodion who opened the door.

    "How did you know my name?"

    "Eh?! You don''t remember me?! I was the one who brought you food yesterday!"

    "Oh, the little girl from yesterday."

    "Umm can you step aside a bit? It''s cold here."

    Allen shifted his body, letting Susan into the kitchen.

    "Aaaaaaaah... it''s really very cosy here. Master''s kitchen in the morning is the best. Unfortunately during the day, this ce gets too hot."

    Susan turned around and extended her hand to Allen,

    "We haven''t gotten to know each other properly yet. My name is Susan Lambert. What''s your name?"

    "Allen," Allen replied as he epted her hand.

    "Yup, nice to meet you."

    The girl immediately turned around as soon as she smelled a good smell behind her.

    "This smell... is master cooking something new?" she looked at the contents of the quart, there was the potato-mushroom soup that her master used to make there.

    ''Hmm... it''s a normal soup. But why does it smell so good? Is it because I''m starving?'' Susan thought.

    "I''ll have some," Susan took the pot and put it in the bowl. Allen looked at Susan carefully, he didn''t know what came over him; he wanted to see Susan eat her food.

    -Slurp

    Susan ate a spoonful.

    She didn''t show any particr expression.

    Then she ate another spoonful

    She still showed any expression.

    She spooned more soup into her mouth, this time faster and in a hurry. Until finally the soup ran out.

    Susan put the soup down...

    Then...

    While she held her cheeks, she said

    "THIS IS SO YUMMY ¡­!!!"

    Susan''s cheeks looked flushed, her eyes slightly teary, and her face overjoyed. So happy that the joy reached Allen, melting something frozen in his heart.

    Allen remembered all his hard work to make that bowl of soup. He remembered how Rodion had berated him while making it. At first when Rodion ate the soup, he felt empty, as if his hard work had gone to waste. That''s why he added some spices to the soup, which was the result.

    Susan''s expression as she enjoyed her meal was priceless. Allen painstakingly tried to hold back his tears. He looked at his hands, which were blistered, dirty, and smelled of spices. They were the hands that had produced the satisfaction and smile of the girl before him.

    "Allen, what''s wrong?"

    Tears streamed down his face without him realizing it.

    "Eh? No... This is..."

    He was confused. What were the tearsing out of his eyes? He didn''t feel anything sad; why did he need to cry? Why couldn''t the tears stop when he didn''t feel sad at all?

    Allen didn''t know then that it was the first time he cried from happiness.

 Chapter 152 First Customer

    ?

    (DRAFT / UNEDITED)

    In the morning, a female dungeon explorer with arge sword entered. Her body was muscr, with some scars left. This restaurant was her favorite because of its cheap price.

    "Lately, I''ve been sozy to explore the dungeon. The minerals have started to run out, and you have to dive to deeper floors if you want to profit. Unfortunately, I don''t have any priests to invite, and I can''t find any party that needs a silver vanguard like me. Maybe I should look elsewhere? I will try to go to Boldenville''s dungeon next time."

    Ever since she first ate the soup made by the master at that tavern, eating that soup became her routine every morning before he went to the dungeon.

    "The soup they serve here tastes so ordinary, but somehow it''s addictive. You will want it again and again, and there''s some warmth and a nostalgic feeling to it. But since I''ve been tasting it every day, I''m starting to feel bored; maybe this will be thest time I am eating here," she thought.

    "Wee, soup as usual, right?" asked Susan as soon as the woman sat on the chair.

    Susan brought the soup from the kitchen. This soup was not the usual one made by the master but one that had been slightly modified by Allen.

    "Please enjoy¡­"

    ''Hmm? Does this soup always smell this good?'' she thought as Susan put the soup on her table.

    Once he put the soup in her mouth,

    "Hmm."

    She covered her mouth with her finger; her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and then after that, she downed the bowl, finishing it all in one gulp.

    ''It''s so deliciouus!''

    After finishing it, she realized that there was a ck-haired boy peeping at her from afar.

    ''A new worker? Did he make it?''

    The woman put her money on the table and gave a tip because the soup she ate was delicious. She then left without saying anything.

    "Today, I think I will try my best to explore the dungeon... I might stay in this region a little longer," the woman said, showing a bright face and ready to start her day.

    Inside the tavern,

    "Hmm... that woman has always been quiet since she came here a month ago; I thought we could see her new expression after tasting Allen''s soup." Susan said.

    To Susan, the woman just looked like a starving person who wanted a quick meal.

    Susan looked at Allen.

    Allen was petrified, still looking at the table where the woman was sitting. He clutched his chest tightly.

    At that moment Allen felt a new sense of satisfaction,

    ''What is this? What should I call this emotion? There is¡­ there is a blooming flower in my heart''

    Susan may not have realized it, but Allen knew. The woman''s expression was really satisfied after eating his cooking. As soon as she finished her meal quickly, he felt a flower blooming inside his chest; he had just discovered a new sense of feeling.

    He felt that he did something that was appreciated by others.

    Susan picked up the bowl and the money on the table.

    "He left more money." There was a small note under the bowl that said, "Thank you; this is from me to the cook."

    As soon as Susan gave it to Allen, Allen took a long look at the paper and money on his palm, making him feel the warmth once again.

    The next customer entered, a mother and two children. The mother who ate it also showed the same expression as the woman earlier, while the children ate it with gusto, saying, "yummy! Mom its tastes so good!"

    "Yeah.. yeah you''re right¡­ you are absolutely right. Thank goodness we came here."

    "Tomorrow will wee again?!"

    "Sure, fortunately the price is cheap."

    The next customer

    Then the next one

    Next again

    And the next one

    Everyone who came, at least, will order the soup. After they ate, they walked out of the restaurant with satisfied faces.

    "Allen, have you ever cooked somewhere?" Susan asked.

    Allen nodded,

    "In the past, I cooked for someone." But he used to only do that inside the dungeon, without knowing there were cooking methods and types of food that Rodion told him about.

    "No wonder your cooking is so good, that someone must be happy to be able to eat this delicious food every day."

    Susan''s words made Allen think back to his time in the dungeon with his mother.

    ''Are mom really happy to eat my cooking?''

    Back then, Allen didn''t understand how to look at other people''s expressions at all. And his mother never gave any opinion on his cooking. But once he remembered that Lavinia hadplimented his cooking, he hoped that his mother also liked it too.

    "I hope so."

    "Ah! You''re finally smiling!" Susan shouted.

    "Is that so?"

    "It is! Even if it''s just a little, you just smiled!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How''s smiling?"

    "How you said? Like this!" Susan showed a smiling face.

    "There is no way I am putting that kind of face on."

    "Duh, I am really sure!"

    ''Smiling, huh, did I also have that face when I lived with my mother?''

    Until finally in the evening, Susan returned to her house.

    "Bye, Allen."

    Allen answered her with a nod.

    After Susan went home, she looked into the cauldron of her soup from earlier, which now had a little left.

    Looking at his soup, Allen recalled the faces of the people who had eaten it. Allen clutched his chest, trying to ept the new feeling that came to him.

    "Seeing people finish their food with satisfaction is the highest pleasure of a cook," Rodion said beside Allen.

    "Master Rodion."

    "That''s the reason I keep cooking even though this ce is deserted. So what about you? Do you like cooking?"

    "I-I still don''t know," Allen replied, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

    "Well, I understand your hesitation. You can''t suddenly throw away all the things you''ve worked so hard to achieve."

    "What do you mean?" asked Allen.

    "From the way you walk, the way you swing the knife, and the look in your eyes, it''s obvious that you''re not just a mere kid. You must have a certain goal you want to achieve, and I''m sure it''s not a good one. My advice is to give up. Give up and do something better¡ªsomething that you like and that other people like. Something that doesn''t harm others."

    "I-"

    "I know, you don''t want to tell me. No need to mention anything; I don''t care about that either. Maybe today is not the right time for you to tell me. But at least I''ll give you some advice."

    Rodion looked at Allen and then said

    "Sometimes, once you realize that you''ve fallen too deep, remember the smiles of the people who enjoyed your cooking. I hope you can still climb up. You''re still young, you have a long life ahead of you," Rodion said.

    The advice Rodion gave was iprehensible to Allen, but he knew that it was deep and he was just too stupid to understand what it meant. The reason he thought so was because Rodion''s face when he said it was really serious and full of emotion.

    "What does that mean?"

    Without answering Allen''s question, Rodion left him and said

    "Clean up everything as I instructed you yesterday; I''m going to bed first."

    Allen looked at his hand again and said,

    ''If I start cooking, what''s the point of my training this whole time?''

    The next day, the tavern was crowded for the first time. It seemed like the rumors about the delicious soup in the town tavern had spread among the dungeon explorers. And since the one who made it was an other-worlder, they were all the more curious about the soup. The people in town might not be too familiar, but the dungeon explorers already knew about Otherworlders. Otherworlders were important in the cultural development of that world, so once they heard that the soup was made by Otherworlders, they knew that they shouldn''t be surprised by it.

    After all, what Allen made wasn''t anything extraordinary, he just added some recipes from the soup made by Rodion.

    Due to therge number of people who came, Rodion told Allen to stay in the kitchen all day.

    Then in the evening, once all the customers had gone home and the tavern had closed. Allen, Susan, and Rodion start to clean everything.

    "Wow. This is the first time this tavern has been filled with visitors. Master, can I ask for some extra money?" asked Susan.

    "Hmph! Do you think this soup was made with ordinary ingredients? We add expensive salt, chicken stock, and a lot of extra spices that this kid gave us. We only have a small profit."

    "Eeh?! Then raise the price!"

    "Only the rich can eat this soup if it''s raised."

    "What does that mean? We''re selling food; of course only people with money can eat our food!"

    -PUK

    Rodion hit Susan on the head with the broom.

    "Ouch!"

    "Susan, the fleeting nature of wealth can sometimes cloud our moralpass, leading us down a path of greed. Remember that you are the ones who are almost swallowed by the cruelty of this world; you don''t need to be the one who swallows others."

    Rodion closed his eyes, then said

    "It''s not only the wealthy who crave the taste of delicious food."

    The words went straight into Allen''s head like a gentle breeze.

    Allen once again squeezed his chest. Remembering the customer, especially the mother and children who ate his soup yesterday. They areing here because of its cheap price, and they look so happy because they could eat the soup before them.

    ''That feeling again...

    The tremor I felt in my chest when I heard it

    Like something inside me is slowly changing.''

 Chapter 153 Uncertainity

    ?

    The tavern swarmed with people as soon as Allen began his cooking. It wasn''t just the soup that drew them in, but the delectable dishes Allen had whipped up. However, despite his newfound life as a cook, Allen''s life was still uncertain.

    Although he started to like cooking, he couldn''t shake the feeling that it came at the cost of relinquishing his past.

    He felt that his current actions would throw away his old self.

    If he continued cooking, his sparring with his mother seemed pointless; his training with Theobauld and her amnis training with Thrustan were also pointless.

    He would forget everything about his past as if he were trying to escape from his personal battles, not resolve them.

    Despite his doubts, he kept cooking, finding and developing new recipes. He did it because he still had nothing to do.

    And today

    One month, 93 days have passed.

    The month of fire ended, and we entered the month of wind.

    Unlike usual, Susan walked upstairs to Allen''s room on that cold morning. As soon as she entered Allen''s room, Susan tried to wake him up by moving his shoulders, but before she could reach his shoulders,

    -GRAB

    Allen immediately woke up and pulled Susan''s hand.

    "HWEEEEH?!"

    Allen pulled Susan''s body into his arms and then locked her neck with his left hand.

    "Allen! It''s me, Susan! Let go!" cried Susan in pain.

    ''Susan? What is she doing here?!''

    Allen immediately came to his senses and let go of Susan''s body.

    "Sorry, master told me to wake you up."

    Allen nodded. Suddenly he realizes he didn''t use any bandanas to cover his hair.

    ''What should I do?! Did she see my white hair?! Why did Master tell her to wake me up?!'' Allen thought.

    "Then I''ll go down now; put on your clothes first," Susan said.

    "Wait!"

    "Yeah?"

    ''Iskaria once said that my white hair is the source of trouble. If she reports this to the soldiers, I will be arrested, and master could also be arrested. Should I kill her?" thought Allen.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Susan again, confused by Allen''s expression.

    "Did you promise not to say anything about my hair?" asked Allen; somehow he couldn''t kill her when seeing her face.

    "What''s wrong with your hair? ck hair is rare, but I saw it on the first day."

    ''Huh? What the hell was that reaction?''

    Allen immediately got out and went to the bathtub, looking at the reflection of his face in the water.

    "The white hair is gone," Allen said as he ruffled his hair.

    He reyed everything people had said about his hair.

    "White hair is the sign of a Norttish."

    "Hide your hair; it only adds to the problem."

    "You shouldn''t show it in town."

    "Use something to cover your hair."

    The white hair that he thought was the source of the problem had somehow disappeared. It was no longer there; he no longer needed to hide anything on his head.

    "Allen, what''s wrong with you?" asked Susan outside the door, her voice sounding worried.

    "It''s nothing. Tell master to wait a little longer."

    "Okay."

    Allen returned to his room and put on his clothes. When he wanted to tie his head with the bandana, he thought,

    "Now it should be okay not to wear it," Allen muttered.

    As soon as Allen reached the kitchen, Susan and Rodion seemed to be preparing to leave.

    "You''re finally awake, sleeper brat." Rodion said."Oh? You don''t wear a bandana today, is something good happened."

    "It''s nothing," Allen replied.

    Allen looked at Rodion, who was lifting things. He realized that Rodion looked frail and weak. His walk was hunched over, and he often held his waist in pain.

    But the sound of his steps could not be heard at all.

    He was thinking about how Rodion got into his room without him noticing. Allen had originally thought that his sensory acuity had decreased. However, it turned out that he was still as usual when Susan entered.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Who is this old man anyway?'' meaning Rodion had some kind of ability or perhaps habit to move silently.

    ''What the hell am I thinking about this anyway,'' Allen decided to ignore it. He approached Rodion and asked,

    "Why do we close the tavern today, master?"

    "Not just today; during this wind month, we will only open the shop for regr customers. This time we have to buy groceries to prepare before the water month begins," Rodion replied.

    "So, we''re going to the market? Is it okay if Ie too?" asked Susan.

    "No, we''re not going to the market."

    "Then?"

    "We''re going to the Barkaley estate."

    ...

    The Barkaley estate region was one of the main sources of the Barkaley region. Before the dungeon operation system could run like it did today, the estate was one of the Barkaley territory''s wealth sources. The estate''s owner was the barony itself, and the people managed it.

    The garden contained various kinds of fruits and vegetables, located a few meters beside Barkaley''s residence.

    When Allen and the party arrived, a soldier called out to the three of them.

    "Hey Mr. Rodion, are you going to buy our potatoes again? I heard rumors about your soup."

    "Right, this time I''ll bring a lot; I brought two of my men here to carry it."

    "You should have rented a carriage instead."

    "Carriages are very expensive."

    The soldier looked at Allen and Susan,

    "Poor you guys¡­ this old man must exploit you."

    "Ah no, I love working with Mr. Rodion," Susan replied.

    Allen was silent.

    The soldier looked at Allen for a long time, and then he realized one thing,

    "You... have we met before?" the soldier asked.

    "Huh? Is it because you''re drunk that your brain is dull? What are you talking about? She''s an other-worlder who just came to this world; how could she have been here before."

    "Hmm... that''s right... Maybe I just mistook him for that kid."

    "What kid?" asked Rodion.

    "Old man, you shouldn''t have shut yourself in the shop. You know that I went on a dungeon raid with the prince... That time, we met a ck-haired boy in the dungeon.

    That boy was so strong, he could kill tons of orcs by himself. He killed many warriors in the dungeon. Do you know my best friend Karl? He was also killed by that boy.

    It seems that he was a child raised by monsters, so once the prince killed the monster, he became angry and killed many people."

    The soldier looked at Allen, observing his body from top to bottom. Allen began to prepare; he could pull the knife from inside his scarf at any time.

    "Ah if I''m not mistaken, he''s also the same age as that kid over there, although his body is a little smaller. I couldn''t see his face clearly because his hair was long then."

    "Do you suspect this subordinate of mine?" asked Rodion.

    Allen gripped the knife firmly behind his body until blood came out of his hand. The hatred he should have kept inside somehow suddenly came out. In front of him was now the one who attacked his house. And that person was now telling everything as if he had done nothing wrong, as if the death of his mother was natural while the deaths of others were wrong.

    "Haha, there''s no way I''d suspect anyone you brought, old man. Besides, that kid back then wasn''t an other-worlder; he had a bit of white hair on his head," the smile on the soldier''s face slowly disappeared, then he said,

    "Anyways, we shouldn''t me that kid."

    "Hoo... and why is that? He''s already killed a lot of your friends, right? Aren''t you angry?" asked Rodion.

    "Of course, I''m angry at him; he killed my friends. But that was then. Not anymore.

    On that day, I saw the boy crying in front of the monster. His cries were so loud, and the sadness really radiated from his face. Since the child was still alive until then, the monster probably raised the child as its own. In any case, we should be the ones at fault for attacking them.

    As soon as I thought of that child''s crying face, I immediately thought of my child at home.

    He was just an ordinary kid whose parents were taken away. Anyone would do the same if their parents were killed in front of their eyes. I would do that too.

    It''s just that the boy has great power.

    And that power gives him a chance to vent his hatred by killing the people he hates."

    Allen weakened his grip, then returned his sword to Reig''s body.

    "I wish someone could teach that boy that taking revenge only adds more hatred, and it will only end up hurting."

    That was the first time Allen could actually hold back the hatred inside him. Allen could not hate him once he saw his honest smile. That soldier really didn''t think about his hatred anymore. He looked like a free person.

    ''I wish I could smile like that.''

 Chapter 154 The Estate Of Barkaley Region

    ?

    "Father! I brought the fertilizer! Can I go now?"

    "You''re not done yet! Bring ten more bags!"

    ''Aaah damn it! Why do I have to work on this dirty garden? I''m supposed to meet Mr Wyncall today!''

    My name is Pascoe, and I''m eight years old. My father has been one of the gardeners at the Barkaley estate for 15 years. That''s why our house was ced near the garden.

    As the son of a gardener, my father has taught me many things about gardening. But to be honest, I wasn''t interested in it at all. I didn''t want to grow up to be a gardener.

    The reason is that gardeners aren''t cool!

    All they do is get their hands dirty in the dirt, and they don''t make much money either; that is why we can''t eat delicious food. Instead of being a gardener, bing a knight or a soldier is better. Then we can go to war and kill many people for the kingdom!

    Fighting is a man''s romance; that''s what Mr Wyncall said. By killing many enemies, we can earn honor from the king, and if we''re lucky, we can be knights of the princess!

    I hope one day I can be the princess''s personal knight and then end up marrying her.

    What? Do you think it''s not possible?

    Can''t amoner possibly marry the princess?

    Of course it''s possible!

    The proof is that heroes in the past could do it.

    The hero who defeated the demon king, among the seven of them, there is one person I like the most.

    The human exterminator, Allen!

    Unlike the other heroes, he was not summoned to the human kingdom but to the elf kingdom. As a peasant in the elf kingdom, he made the elf princess his wife. Then he could kill many demon armies alone.

    One day I want to be as great as him, be strong, marry the princess, and then kill many enemies.

    "Hey! Don''t daydream! Hurry up and bring ten more fertilizers!"

    "OKAY!!!"

    ''Aaah... but unfortunately, it will be a long journey, and it might be impossible if this father is still alive,'' I thought then.

    As I brought in the fertilizer and was about to put it in its usual ce, my attention was abruptly captured by an extraordinary presence that came before me.

    Mr Rodion, he was our regr customer and father''s close friend, followed by a girl and a boy behind him.

    I stood there, amazed at the sight of the boy. It was as if his mere existence had reignited a sense of wonder and excitement within me. I couldn''t help but remember the tales I had heard about the hero.

    The hero from a thousand years ago, the human exterminator, Allen. He has strict ck hair and fiery red eyes. And that boy resembles that trait, as Allen hade back to life and walked toward me.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    The Estate of Barkaley Region

    It is situated close to the Barkaley family''s residence, specifically below it.

    The Barkaley residence is situated on elevated ground, encircled by a garden, and the house is attached to a cliff located beneath the Barkaley residence. The estate is divided into plots, each allocated to a gardener family, with the nobility entitled to 40% of the estate''s profits.

    Rodion frequently visits this estate to purchase reasonably-priced cooking ingredients from his friend Peter, who manages one of the plots. Peter, an elderly man who is 50 years old, operates the farm run by his friend Peter. An old man who was already 50 years old.

    "I didn''t expect you to actuallye," Peter said, wiping his sweat.

    "Did you think I was lying?" asked Rodion.

    "You didn''t even promise anything about it. It doesn''t matter if you don''te. Besides, your tavern is having a sessful period, so it''s best not to abandon it."

    Peter was slightly taller than Rodion. When Susan looked at them, they looked like brothers because they had the same expression, always frowning like they were angry.

    "The water month is near, and you''ve only just loosened the soil. If this continues, you won''t have enough food for the water season," Rodion said.

    "Usually without your help, I can harvest it before the water season starts."

    "That''s because you do it together with your wife and son, right? With your wife''s current condition, there''s no way she could help you work."

    They chatted as they walked to Peter''s house near the cliff. Allen and Susan could see Rodion and Peter are seemed fighting but enjoying their time.

    As they reached Peter''s house, they were weed by a woman who looked as if life had weighed down on her shoulders. She was around thirty years old, but the lines on her face told a different story. Her eyes were exhausted but still shone with a hint of warmth. An eight-year-old child stood by her side, holding her clothes thightly.

    "This is my wife Iva, and my son Pascoe" Peter introduced them to Allen and Susan, gesturing towards them.

    "She usually helps me with the gardening, but, you see, she''s in no state to work right now."

    She was pregnant and had reached an old age of pregnancy.

    "Wee Mr. Rodion; thank you for wanting to help my husband; sorry for the trouble,"

    "No need to be reluctant; these two behind me will also help you two. They are still young, so they can do any kind of hard work.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    You two,e here and introduce yourselves."

    Susan and Allen approached them and started introducing themselves.

    "My name is Susan,"

    When Allen began to introduce himself,

    "I''m Alle-."

    "ALLEN!"

    Pascoe, the little boy beside Iva, shouted with sparkling eyes.

    "Allen the human exterminator! You really are a hero Allen!"

    ''Allen the human exterminator?'' thought Allen, confused.

    "Allen... Oh, you mean one of the heroes in the holy book? Come to think of it, you look just like the description," Iva said.

    "Allen! I can''t believe I actually met a hero!"

    Rodion said, "There''s no way this kid is that hero; he just arrived in this world for two months."

    "But he looks alike!" the boy shouted again,

    "Ooh, so he''s the rumored other-worlder. It must be because of his cooking that your tavern became sessful."

    "I really didn''t want to hear it from you, but yes, he is."

    "Eh?! Cooking?! Allen! Why are you cooking?! It''s women''s work! It''s not cool!"

    "No-not cool? What does that have to do with being cold?" said Allen, confused again. It was a new phrase he had picked up.

    "You should kill-"

    "That''s enough, Pascoe. Talk to himter; you''re making Allen ufortable."

    "But I want to-"

    "Mom said enough!"

    "Okay, okay! I''ll just go away!"

    "Pascoe! Come here; you have to greet the others too!" shouted Iva, but Pascoe was gone in a sh.

    "Allen, please forgive our son; he''s still young and loves the hero stories."

    "uhm," Allen only replied with a slight nod.

    Peter said with a slightly worried face, "It''s a bit worrying because he seems to want to enlist as a soldier because of that story. Of course I''m against it, I don''t want that boy to be close to death."

    "Instead of talking here, pleasee inside. I''ve prepared some food." Iva said.

    "That''s not necessary; we can get right to work. Our time is already tight."

    "Oi oi... my wife has prepared breakfast for you. Do you want to waste it? Come in first and eat with us," Peter said.

    "Oh my¡­ Okay. If it''s already prepared, then what else can we do. Tomorrow you don''t have to make food for us."

    Susan whispered to Allen, "He said that, but actually he must be happy to eat with his friends."

    Allen nodded and replied, "Yes, I know."

    ''Master is weird, but I love how weird he is.''

    They went inside.

    It was a simple house with only one chair. The front room was a cooking area surrounded by stones; they ate around the cooking area.

    "I heard Allen is a good cook; I''m sorry if the food isn''t good," Iva said.

    "It''s okay," Allen replied.

    "Hey, that''s where you should said it''s still delicious!" said Susan.

    "Just tolerate this kid''s attitude; he still doesn''t know much about this world. If he makes a mistake, just hit his stupid head," said Rodion.

    "No, it''s okay. I''m very happy just having you guys eat together. I really like the crowd at meals. You see, since he left... I feel a little lonely when I eat," Iva said with a sad look, making Susan curious.

    "Who is he?" whispered Susan to Rodion.

    Even though she was whispering, Peter beside her could hear her. So he answered,

    "What she means is our first child. He died at the end of thest water month. A stupid child, he insisted on joining Prince Leofric''s dungeon raid. As a result, he was killed there by a boy with ck and white hair."

    As Peter recounted the devastating news of his son''s passing, Allen''s hand froze mid-air, still clutching the morsel of bread in his hand. A shiver rippled throughout his body, an eerie sensation that left him feeling both numb and ufortable in the position he found himself in, sandwiched between two grieving parents. Deep down, Allen knew that he was responsible for the death of Peter''s son, and the weight of that knowledge was suffocating him. Tears pricked at his eyes as he struggled to hold back the overwhelming emotion that was threatening to consume him.

 Chapter 155 Plowing With Patience

    ?

    The tension in the air was palpable as Peter talked about his dead son. But after that, Rodion started to speak intimately about what caused the awkward situation, and both were able to findmon ground to move forward. The atmosphere lightened considerably, and they could eat the foodfortably.

    Susan was assigned to care for Iva, who was in thete stages of pregnancy. Iva''s requests were small but necessary, and Susan promptly fulfilled them. She made sure Iva wasfortable and had everything she needed.

    Meanwhile, Allen, Rodion, and Peter made their way to the fields to begin their work. They were in charge of preparing the soil for the new season, which required a lot of hard work and dedication.

    "Allen, for now all you need to do is loosen the soil," Peter exined.

    "Okay."

    "Do you see the rope on the ground? You need to loosen the soil next to that rope. We''ll nt seedlings there, so they must be neatly plowed next to the rope. Be careful not to cut the rope."

    "nt? Seedlings?" asked Allen.

    "That''s right. Why do you ask?"

    "Aaah... this kid doesn''t know anything at all. You can think of him as an adult baby," said Rodion.

    "Is that so? He looks bigger than Pascoe. He must have also learned about this in the other world, right?"

    "No... I... In my house back then, I only took the nts that were already growing from the beginning; I don''t really remember myself in the other world either," Allen said.

    "Hmm... memory loss huh? Then what can I do? I have to teach you from the beginning. For now let''s start loosening the soil."

    Rodion started plowing thend by himself while Peter taught Allen the basics, such as what to nt, what to nt for, the results, why the soil needed to be loosened, and how to hoe properly.

    At the beginning of hoeing, Allen swung it vigorously, thinking that by hoeing vigorously, he could get the job done faster.

    "Ah! You broke the hoe! Don''t hoe that too hard; you''ll just end up breaking the hoe. Just do it with enough force," Peter said, looking angry.

    "How are you going to take responsibility for this? Allen?" asked Rodion.

    Peter retorted, "What the heck are you talking about Rodion? What responsibility? He came here to help my family; there''s no way I''m going to ask him for money."

    "He''s a kid; an old man should teach him how to be responsible," said Rodion.

    Allen bowed his head slightly and said, "I am sorry; I will pay you backter."

    "Sigh... I told you there was no need. For now you can use my metal hoe. Don''t break it again."

    "Allen, metal hoes are expensive, almost as much as swords. Don''t break it again," Rodion said.

    "Shut up, old man! Just get on with your work!" shouted Peter.

    Allen tried to plough it lighter to the ground. This time with less force.

    "Yup, that''s right, keep plowing it like that. I know the feeling of wanting to finish your work quickly.

    Although it may be tempting to rush through your work, remember that everything requires patience, Allen. Avoid hastiness and work at a steady pace to avoid mistakes. Like this broken wooden hoe, you break it because you swing too hard to work faster. Remember Allen, impatience only leads to bad consequences.

    Well, this is also why our son asked us to buy this metal hoe, so we can get the job done faster without breaking the hoe."

    There was a slight change of emotion when Peter said that, which made Allen stop hoeing and look at Peter''s face.

    "As the old man over there said, metal hoes are almost five times more expensive than wooden hoes. We didn''t originally intend to buy this hoe, but our eldest son, Fenton, forced us to buy one. He hoped that with this hoe, we could save more money in the future. Of course I insisted, saying there was no need.

    And now that we bought it, this hoe exists because that kid went to the dungeon that day. Because of that boy''s sacrifice, we have enough money to buy this hoe. There is always aplicated feeling every time I use this hoe. As my son hase back to life and told me he was right all along."

    Allen turned his face away from Peter and continued his work.

    "Oh, I''m sorry for suddenly mentioning this unimportant thing again. Just continue your work."

    Allen had aplicated feeling when he heard Peter''s story because he told the story of his son whom he had killed.

    This is caused Allen''s intense desire to clench his hands tightly. But he holds it. He endeavored to desist from crushing the hoe''s handle with his grasp.

    In moments like these, when his emotions overflowed inside him. Allen often overexerted himself to vent it out, like clenching the sword tightly, wielding it with extra zeal, striking wood with increased force, and many other things. So he wanted to use the hoe with all his might to vent his emotions now. But he understood that it would just break the hoe again, and damaging it would only give Peter more trouble.

    Hence, he learned to rein himself in.

    If his emotions came out, he would destroy the hoe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He had to learn to restrain his feelings without taking them out on something else.

    He must be able to be patient.

    He wasmitted to developing himself to be more patient, understanding that if he was impatient here, it would only lead to bad consequences.

    ...

    Thend managed by Peter is about 1 hectare. Approximately three-quarters of thend is used for nting. To loosen the soil, it would take five days to plough alone. Since they were working in threes this time, it could probably be done in 2 days. They ate together again at noon. And onte afternoon; Allen, Susan, and Rodion went home.

    "How was it Allen, working at Peter''s ce?" asked Rodion.

    "Tiring."

    "Eh? You don''t look that tired," said Susan.

    "It''s very hard to use enough strength to swing the hoe; besides, we must bend over all day. I wonder why a weakling like Peter still looks fit after doing this every day."

    "A weakling, you say?"

    "Yeah, I''m pretty confident in my stamina and strength. But still, bending over all day will make you sore."

    "That''s how gardening is; it has nothing to do with how strong your strength is. In farming and gardening, you have to have the ability to be patient and have a lot of stamina. Allen, the only thing you have now is stamina. I heard from Peter that there are many parts that you hoe too deep, and there are also parts that are not in line."

    "Yes, I''m sorry," Allen said without showing any expression.

    "It''s not a big deal, so it doesn''t matter. I just wanted to say that you still need a lot of knowledge and experience. Learn from your mistakes now, and don''t repeat them in the future."

    That word made Allen silent for a moment, and then he said,

    "Alright."

    Allen looked at his hands; the skin was blistered and smelled of dirt. At that moment, he thought,

    ''So this is the kind of hard work Peter does every day. And from the food and the house, it looks like he doesn''t earn much.

    When I lived at Isabelle and Felicia''s house, I didn''t know that money was so hard toe by. On the other hand, Felicia often gave her money to others without a care in the world.

    Peter was a poor man, and I had just destroyed one of the hoes he used for his livelihood. No wonder Master was so angry with me then. How am I supposed to rece the hoe?''

    As he thought that, Rodion then said:

    "About the hoe that you destroyed, no worries. I''ve already given the money to Iva. You''ve been working at my ce for nothing, so just think of it as me giving them your sry."

    Susan looked at Rodion with some disgust and said:

    "Uwaaah¡­ even though the money you gave must have been only a fraction of Allen''s work all this time. You should be paying Allen''s sry every day!"

    "Noisy, I''ve been giving him free food and shelter. He should be grateful for that."

    "Allen, you should also say something about this! Otherwise, you will forever be used by this old man!"

    "It''s okay... I don''t need money either. If I have, please just give it to Peter."

    Allen''s words surprised Susan and Rodion; they looked at Allen for quite a long time.

    "What?" Allen asked.

    "No, it''s just that I didn''t think you were the one who said something like that. I thought you were a more cold person," Susan said.

    "Am I?"

    "YEAH! Even I don''t remember you talking too much! You just nod and shake your head more often."

    "I see¡­

    Maybe¡­

    I might have changed a bit."

 Chapter 156 Planting

    ?

    The tilling of the soil was finallypleted the next afternoon. As he surveyed his finished soil with a sense of satisfaction, Rodion told him that his hard work was far from over.

    "Preparing the soil is only the first step of gardening. There is still so much to do, like nting, watering, fertilizing, and many other long tasks involved in cultivating and maintaining the garden. You need to brace yourself for moreborious days ahead if we intend to reap great results from your toil," Rodion said.

    "After this, we will use the tilled soil to nt the seeds," Peter exins.

    "So, the nts don''t just grow; someone nted them?"

    "Some nts grow on their own; maybe it has something to do with their environment. I don''t know, either. All I know is how to nt them."

    "So, what are you going to nt?"

    "In this soil month, we will grow potato seedlings. Potatoes will grow quite well on cold days. Since there are only 88 days left in this month, we need to get it done before the water season starts."

    "Can''t we nt anything in the water season?"

    "Of course, everything will be covered with snow in the water season."

    "Snow?"

    "You''re asking that? You really are a grown-up baby. Just wait; you''ll understand once you see it."

    "I understand."

    Pascoe came over them from behind. His arrival was heralded by the sound of shuffling. As he made his way towards them, Allen could see that he was dragging arge sack behind him. There was wood underneath the sack that scraped against the soil to reduce friction.

    As Pascoe drew closer, it became clear that the sack was filled with seeds.

    "Dad, here are the seeds," Pascoe said as he walked towards them. His voice was breathless, and his arms were trembling a little from the effort of lugging the sack all the way from the barn.

    Allen rushed over to him, eager to take the burden off from Pascoe''s shoulders.

    "Let me bring it for you," he said.

    As he picked up the sack, Pascoe and Peter suddenly looked surprised.

    "Oh you''re really strong as Rodion said," Peter said, admiring how Allen can lift that pile of seedlings with just one hand.

    "I can''t believe you are around 12 years old."

    With excitement, Pascoe yelled, "I knew it! You''re actually a hero Alle-"

    "Pascoe, that''s enough. Stop that," Peter said with an angry face.

    "Okay..."

    Allen opened his sack; inside was a bunch of potatoes smaller than an eyeball.

    "These are... small potatoes?"

    "No, it''s a potato seedling. Haven''t you seen that yet?"

    "Never¡­"

    "Now we just need to put these seedlings onto the loosened soil. Remember, you have toy them parallel."

    "I understand."

    "Pascoe, teach Allen how to do it. Remember, don''t make Allen ufortable with your mouth!"

    "OK!"

    They split up in each corner.

    "You just need to put it like this?"

    "nt the seeds a little deeper."

    The four of them began to ce the potato seeds on the loosened soil.

    During this time, Pascoe asked Allen a question,

    "So Allen, are you really not the hero of 1000 years ago? You forgot your memory, right? You could be his reincarnation or something."

    ''He talked about it again. I can''t say that I don''t actually have memory loss, and I''m not an other-worlder though,'' Allen thought.

    "No, I''m sure that I''m not that hero," Allen replied.

    "But there''s still a possibility that you''re his descendant!" said Pascoe.

    "If you say so, it could be true."

    ''Besides, I don''t know anything about my real parents.''

    Feeling more interested, Pascoe continued to ask

    "Can you use a sword?!"

    "Yes, a little."

    "Really?! Then why are you cooking?! Cooking is women''s work!"

    ''This kid asks too many questions.''

    "Because I like doing it," Allen replied.

    "You must be lying," Pascoe said.

    "Why would you say that?"

    "If you can wield a sword, how could you possibly want to cook! Using a sword is also a man''s romance! A man bes a man once he starts killing! That''s what Mr. Wyncall taught me!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Man''s romance, Allen did not know what that phrase meant, but for now, he ignored it. He knew that this kid probably thought killing was a good thing. And he couldn''t agree with that. Because so far, he had never felt pleasure when killing someone. He knew that taking a life was never something to be celebrated.

    As he thinks about it, he sees his hand and hallucinates the blood flowing from it. It is not his blood; it''s someone else''s. He started to feel the weight of the soul.

    "There is no way killing is good," Allen muttered.

    "Hmm? What did you say?"

    Allen kept nting the seed and then said,

    "Maybe you''re wrong... there''s no way using a sword is better than hoeing. When I grasp the hoe, I don''t feel any emotions welling up inside me.

    There is no blood smell, only soil smell.

    There is no anger or screaming voice, only a bird''s chirp.

    There was only calmness and a pleasant sense of fatigue."

    It was still 2 o''clock, but the afternoon light had already begun to appear, and it shone on Allen''s sweaty face.

    At that time, Allen smiled slightly, then said

    "I hope I don''t have to hold a sword anymore."

    The wind blew towards Pascoe as if it were waiting for Allen to say it.

    At that moment, Pascoe was sure that Allen was

    "Liar..."

    Allen stopped nting, looking at Pascoe,

    "You''re a liar. You must have never held a sword before. I was wrong. There''s no way Hero Allen would say those words. You must be a nobody, just an ordinary kid like me!"

    Pascoe walked away, leaving Allen to work alone.

    Allen looked at the small potato in his hand. It was thest potato he had to nt. And as he nted it, he thought,

    "I wish I was an ordinary kid as you said."

    As for Pascoe, he had mixed feelings.

    Because when he saw Allen earlier, he was actually convinced that Allen wasn''t lying at all. He must have used a sword; there was no way that person would lie. But he didn''t want to believe that someone who had the opportunity to use a sword would throw it away, preferring instead to hoe, something he hated.

    ...

    Once they had finished the job, Allen was stunned at the sight of the loose soil before him.

    "What''s the matter? Silent like that," Rodion said.

    "Is this really finished?" asked Allen.

    "Of course not. But the hard part is more or less done now. If we''re lucky, we can harvest the potatoes at the end of the month."

    Allen looked to the left; some potatoes had already grown first because Peter had started working on them a few months ago.

    "Will the leaves grow like those over there?" asked Allen.

    "That''s right."

    "How so? Does the soil contain mana?"

    Allen remembered how the nts in Felicia''s god''s blessing worked; they grew as soon as Felicia dripped her blood onto the ground.

    "Of course that''s not how it works, you idiot. Once the seedling is ced in the ground, it will begin to take root, absorb nutrients, and god make it grow."

    "The God¡­ I see¡­"

    Peter came over and looked at Allen''s work.

    "It''s done, good."

    "Is it really done? Is this the only way the little seedlings can grow into new nts?"

    "Of course. The seeds nted earlier in the future must be well taken care of. The potatoes won''t be able to grow on their own; we have to water them daily; when it rains, we have to ensure there isn''t too much water.

    These seedlings will start to grow, and we must take care of them so that they can grow well."

    "Then we must do our best to grow them," Allen answered.

    Looking at Allen, who keeps looking at the garden, caught Peter''s attention. He couldn''t help but think, ''Today he is talking more than usual,''

    Although for Rodion, he had already noticed this change since yesterday.

    Allen had a keen sense, making him able toprehend what was happening around him without even looking up. He could more or less know what was going on by hearing and sensing others'' presence. This made him keep his head down, as he believed there was no need to see something that did not contribute to his revenge.

    However, today as Allen nced up at the garden in front of him, he was amazed by the sight of the twilight that dewd the soil. It was the first moment Allen saw something without any hatred in his heart.

    From a distance, Susan called out to them.

    "Mr. Peter! Master! Allen! The food is ready!"

    "Did you hear that? Let''s eat."

    "Damn, I told you so many times that we don''t have to eat at your house!" said Rodion.

    "Don''t be shy, old-man."

 Chapter 157 Its Beautiful

    ?

    "Mr. Wyncall... Is there any way I can be a soldier quickly? It seems like it will take forever if I wait until I''m older," Pascoe asked the soldier before him.

    For several months, Pascoe had been close to one of the soldiers named Wyncall. And almost every day, he came to see Wyncall at his duty station and told him many things.

    "Of course, you can''t; you must grow up to be a soldier first... But."

    Wyncall drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at Pascoe.

    "You can learn to use the sword from now on."

    "Wow, a real sword!"

    "Want to try holding it?"

    "I AM!"

    Pascoe grasped the sword''s hilt, his small hand struggling to lift the weighty metal. As anticipated, the sword proved to be cumbersome and difficult for Pascoe to wield.

    "See?" Wyncall remarked. "You''re still a child, and the sword is too heavy for you. But don''t worry, with practice and dedication; you''ll soon be able to lift it effortlessly."

    "Can I take the sword home?"

    "Of course you can''t. If you bring it home, your parents will take my sword and report it to Mr. Barkaley."

    With a sad face, Pascoe said

    "Then... how can I learn from now on? You told me many talented people are in the outside world, so I must learn as quickly as possible."

    Wyncall smiled, then held Pascoe''s shoulders firmly,

    Wyncall''s hard stare bore into Pascoe, making his heart race and anxiety seep into his bones.

    "How about you start bing a man?" Wyncall demanded. Pascoe''s confusion was palpable.

    "Be a man?" he asked, unsure of what Wyncall meant

    "Right, although you still can''t lift a sword, you can still do THAT."

    "That...?"

    Wyncall removed his hands from Pascoe''s shoulders; then pointed his sword at his neck.

    "Killing...

    Since your parents always forbid you, how about you just kill your father? That way, you''ll be free to do anything."

    "Kill... father?"

    Like a sudden jolt, Pascoe immediately said,

    "No, I won''t be able to do it; Dad''s body is so big, I could be killed back if I do it," he said in a panicked tone, then he turned back home and said,

    "It''s gettingte; I''m going home first, Mr. Wyncall!" he shouted.

    Meanwhile, Wyncall sighed, thinking that his n had failed; he was a little disappointed.

    "He was scared. I got carried away again. Maybe Pascoe is still too early for doing that."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Seven days passed.

    Almost all the basic treatments to the potato fields had beenpleted in those seven days. All that was left to do was to wait while watching the fields for intruders such as chickens, dogs, and other animals. Sometimes the waterway was also damaged, so they dug up the waterway almost every day.

    Since all the basics were done, Peter was able to work on his own. That day was Allen''sst day helping Peter.

    Acting quickly, Allen rushed to her side before she could even scream. As he approached, he noticed that her belly was muchrger than that of an average pregnant woman, which may have been causing her difficulty in walking.

    As Allen rested on a rock near the house that afternoon, his eyes were drawn to Iva walking alone.

    "Iva? Where is Susan?" Allen said.

    She appeared to be in pain and was struggling to stagger forward when she suddenly copsed, falling on her stomach

    -WUSH

    Acting quickly, Allen rushed to her side before she could even scream. As he approached, he noticed that her belly was muchrger than he had seen before.

    Iva''s belly was now bigger than the average pregnant woman, which may have been causing her difficulty in walking.

    "Allen! Huft¡­ thank you so much," Iva said weakly.

    "What are you doing walking alone like this? Didn''t Master Rodion tell you that Susan will help with everything?"

    "I thought I could walk by myself to get a drink, it turns out I''m not strong enough to carry it."

    "I''ll return you to the chair."

    "Thank you."

    Allen gently lifted Iva and carefully ced her into the chair where she usually sat. The chair''s seat had a beautiful curvature covered in soft cushions. From Susan''s story, it seemed to be the chair Peter had made for his first pregnancy.

    "Allen! What happened?" Susan shouted from behind Allen.

    "Iva almost fell. You need to be more careful."

    "I''m sorry, Ms. Iva!" cried Susan, bowing her head.

    "It''s okay; you just went to the restroom for a while. It''s my fault for moving by myself," Iva replied.

    "Allen, do you have a job after this?" Susan whispered.

    "I don''t have any; why did you ask?"

    "Umm... Actually I haven''t finished in the restroom because I heard Iva''s voice. Can you please look at Iva''s for a while?"

    "Yes, no problem, go ahead."

    "Thank you!"

    Susan left there. Since Iva said she wanted water earlier, Allen quickly went to get a ss of water and gave it to Iva.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Thanks again."

    As two minutes passed, Iva noticed Allen''s curious gaze fixed on her pregnant belly. Finally, she couldn''t help but break the silence,

    "Do you want to touch it?" Iva asked if he wanted to touch her belly.

    Caught off guard, Allen immediately looked away, attempting to rify that he wasn''t staring at her belly inappropriately.

    "No!" he eximed, "That''s not it."

    A few seconds of silence, Allen looked at them again and said,

    "I''m just curious. Are there really humans living inside there? It seems strange that humans could live in such a small and cramped space."

    "Fufu, you really don''t know anything. All humans are made like this. They will be born inside their mother''s belly before being born into this world."

    "Really?"

    "I''m sure about that."

    "Does that mean Master Rodion was also born from his mother''s belly?

    "Of course."

    "What about Peter? Is he too?

    "Of course."

    "Then what about me? Was I also born from a mother?"

    With a small but sad smile, Iva answered him,

    "I''m sure of it."

    Iva had heard about Allen''s situation from Peter. Iva heard that Allen was stranded alone in this world, then grew up alone somewhere, with no parents and no memories.

    "Is that so..."

    ''So I am really not Mother''s real child. My real mother is somewhere in this world, or maybe already dead,'' Allen thought.

    As Allen answered her, Iva began to feel that the story might not be true. The sadness on Allen''s face made Iva feel that the situation might be much moreplicated than that.

    "Do you want to try to touch my belly?" Iva asked.

    "Is it okay?"

    "Of course."

    Allen gently ced his hand on Iva''s pregnant belly.

    And as he did so,

    -PUK

    He felt a sudden movement and quickly withdrew his hand, causing Iva tough.

    "What was that?!" he eximed, his voice filled with shock and fear, and his face looked exaggeratedly surprised.

    "Did I just make the stomach angry?!" asked Allen again.

    Iva reassured him with a chuckle,

    "Hahaha... No, no... Take it easy. It''s just the baby kicking."

    Despite the reassurance, Allen couldn''t help but feel both surprised and frightened by the unexpected movement.

    "The baby kicked? Why? Did I make them angry? Wait, they could move inside that?!"

    "They do it often. I don''t know why... Maybe he wants to get out of there quickly and see their mom?"

    "How about your feeling Iva? Did it hit you? Did the kick hurt your stomach?!"

    "Hahah no¡­ no problem¡­"

    "It''s strange... Even though there''s no air in there, apparently they can live inside, even have consciousness."

    "Pfft hahaha..."

    "What with that suddenugh?"

    "Sorry, it''s just that your expression of constant surprise is so cute. It made me want to give birth to this child quickly and show it to you."

    Iva gently rubbed her belly, and then said.

    "I want to show you how small and cute this baby is and see your reaction after.

    I wish I also could see them," Iva said with a sad look on her face, making Allen curious,

    "What does that mean? They are going to be born soon, right?" asked Allen.

    "Yes... but we won''t know if they could be born safely or not because we are a poor family.

    I''ve been pregnant six times. When I got pregnant for the first time at 17, the baby died due to ack of nutrition.

    Then my second pregnancy, I miraculously gave birth to Fenton because there was a visiting doctor from the city.

    I gave birth to a girl in my third pregnancy, but the child died immediately at only four months old in the water month.

    During my fourth pregnancy, I sessfully gave birth to Pascoe. Thankfully he was born in the month of soil; at that time we were having a big harvest, so that kid had enough nutrients to live on.

    Then my fifth pregnancy, my son again died at one-month-old,

    And now, in my sixth pregnancy, I will try to make this child live. I wanted to see them grow up and y with Pascoe and you, Allen."

    Allen gazed upon Iva''s face; despite her old age, it remained beautiful and radiant. Weariness had etched faint lines on her features, a testament to the tremendous effort and happiness she carried within while carrying their unborn child. Allen was astounded by her indomitable spirit and unwavering strength, and he marveled at the awe-inspiring sight before him.

    This is how every mother feels about their child.

    It''s fabulous

    It''s wonderful

    And it''s beautiful.

 Chapter 158 I Will Believe You

    ?

    Even though Iva had already reached her old age, her face had wrinkled and her eyes were haggard. She looked in pain with the huge belly she had to carry constantly, to the point that she couldn''t even walk properly, but strangely her face was happy.

    In that pain, she held hope and happiness; she poured all her efforts into the baby in her belly.

    And that moved Allen''s heart.

    At that moment, Allen suddenly remembered what he had learned from Peter,

    "The seeds must be well taken care of. The potatoes won''t be able to grow on their own; we have to water them daily; when it rains, we have to ensure there isn''t too much water. These seedlings will start to grow, and we must take care of them so that they can grow well."

    Recalling those words, Allen immediately said

    "Oh, so that''s what it means..."

    Allen felt that Peter wasn''t just teaching him how to take care of potatoes but also the basic things you should do to take care of others.

    ''The baby in Iva''s belly is like a seedling in a potato, and to make it grow sessfully, we must take good care of it,'' Allen thought.

    "Sorry for the wait; thanks for looking after Ms. Iva, Allen," Susan said.

    "No problem," Allen replied.

    Peter and Rodion arrived, joining the group already gathered.

    "Let''s eat first before we go," Rodion spoke up, suggesting they eat before setting off. Maybe it was because today was thest day to help Peter''s family, so he didn''t refuse to have lunch at Peter''s house as usual.

    The meal was yesterday''s leftover soup, so all they had to do was reheat it.

    "Father, mother, I''m hungry," said Pascoe who arrived.

    "Oh my! Where have you been? You''re supposed to be helping out in the fields!"

    "Ma-sorry, I was just ying with the other kids."

    "Well, sit down quickly; this is Allen and his friends''st day here. You have to eat this time."

    "Okaaay..."

    They started eating their food together.

    "You guys have been really helpful. Thank you so much Mr. Rodion, thank you so much Allen, and thank you so much Susan," Iva said, smiling gratefully.

    "No problem, after all I was also paid by the master during this time, so I don''t feel bad about epting it," said Susan.

    "But you eat for free while you''re here," Pascoe muttered.

    -BAM

    "Don''t talk like that in front of guests!" said Peter as he hit Pascoe on the head.

    "Sorry..."

    Iva continued, "Thank you again, Mr. Rodion."

    Rodion looked at Iva "If you want to thank me, give birth to them safely," he said. "And you too¡­ you must stay alive after giving birth to them."

    Rodion''s words sent shivers down Susan''s spine. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard.

    Susan murmured, "Eh?" in disbelief.

    And not just Susan; Allen stopped eating his bread and looked surprised and confused by what Rodion said. He was taken aback and didn''t know what to say.

    "You haven''t told them yet, Iva?" asked Rodion.

    "You haven''t told them either, Peter," he continued.

    Peter and Iva''s faces looked ufortable; ording to what Rodion said, they still had other secrets.

    "Sigh... The chances of your baby dying are fifty-fifty, so at this time, you should be honest with everyone so that stress doesn''t build up in your head," Rodion said.

    "Hey, what does that mean? What does ''if it survives?'' mean?" asked Susan worriedly.

    Chewing his bread, Pascoe said,

    "Mom''s going to have two babies."

    "Two babies?" asked Allen.

    "Twins," muttered Susan.

    "It may be amon urrence for most parents to wee a single child into this world, yet on rare asions, God blesses us with two. Mr Rodion expresses it as if it were a misfortune, but it is not. These twins were like a tender caress to my soul as I felt a sudden rush of gratitude that overwhelmed me. It was as if my prayers for a second chance had been answered all along and that all my little angels who had left this world too soon were reborn in this blessed bundle of joy."

    "Is there anything bad that happens when you are born to have two babies?" asked Allen.

    "Giving birth to one is already difficult," Peter replied, his face a little sad and worried looking,

    "Every time you give birth to a baby, the mother is always on the edge of death; she could die at any moment. We had to try to get this child out, and when we did that, we prioritized the baby''s safety," Iva exined.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Why is that? What is the requirement for a baby to be born? Where did the babye out from in the first ce?" asked Allen.

    "Allen really doesn''t know anything..." said Pascoe.

    Rodion then signaled for Allen toe closer, and Rodion told Allen how babies are born.

    And as soon as Allen listened to him, his face which had been confused, turned into a face of surprise and disbelief,

    "No way! How could it?! How could ite out of there?!" Allen knew how human flesh worked. He had even forced his wounds to open wide when using his God''s blessing. That''s why he simply couldn''t imagine how a baby could get out of such a narrow ce. And even if it could, it would be painful and cause injuries.

    "So this is what you mean by ''even a born one is difficult.'' How could you possibly give birth to two children?!"

    Peter then continued,

    "Iva has always been able to survive because she has a strong physique; after all, she always helps me with the farm. But now that Iva is not as young as she used to be, her condition does not allow her to give birth to just one child, let alone two."

    "No worries Peter, as long as I can endure, I can give birth to them safely, and I will too. I just need to maintain my health and fitness,"

    Confused by Iva''s words, Allen thought,

    ''Iva, is it really alright? Why are you so sure of your words? Is it true that a baby is a blessing? If it''s killing you, then what''s the point of giving birth to them?''

    Allen simply didn''t understand why Iva could look happy when her life could end soon.

    The atmosphere became dark... Everyone was silent, thinking about Iva''s future.

    Even Allen, who had just heard about the birth, knew that Iva''s chances of survival were slim.

    Iva had said she could give birth well all this time because she had a good physique and was in good health. But Iva''s condition now looked severe in Allen''s eyes. She might look fine on the outside and smile all the time. But Allen knew that she always looked in pain. Her sweat didn''t even stop soaking her clothes. She repeatedly squinted her eyes in pain. Her back might not be strong enough to lift her belly.

    Let alone two children; one child might have killed her.

    But...

    Iva had said that she didn''t think about dying at all. She said she would try to stay alive and see the two children.

    ''Iva also said that she wanted to see my reaction when I saw the baby...''

    Allen breaks the silence.

    With a trembling voice, Allen posed his question once more, a glimmer of emotion shining in his eyes

    "Iva... you once told me that as long as you have good nutrition, sufficient energy, and excellent health, you would be able to survive and bring both of these children into this world. Isn''t that so?"

    People looked at Allen with puzzled faces. Allen''s face when he asked was a hopeful face that they had never seen before.

    At the sight of Allen''s hopeful expression, Iva''s heart swelled with feelings of hope and adoration. She could feel the tears building up behind her eyes as she slowly nodded her head in agreement.

    "Yes!"

    "Then I''ll do something. Can you leave everything to me?" Allen said.

    "Something? What are you trying to do?" asked Peter.

    "Rancid boy, don''t try to do something you''ve never done before. You don''t even know anything about pregnancy and childbirth; there''s no way you can do anything," said Rodion.

    "That''s right, Allen. Don''t talk like that! It''s not good!" said Susan.

    Iva looked at Allen, who was looking at her with his bright red eyes.

    ''Those eyes... somehow he looks very reliable,'' Iva thought.

    ''Whereas when he first came here, his face was gloomy and always slouching, but now he''s looking me straight in the eye, asking me to leave all these problems to him.''

    Iva knew when she saw Allen''s face that he was different from the others.

    Everyone else, even her own husband, had given up on her.

    They didn''t think she would survive after giving birth to those two children. But Iva kept her spirits up, and continued to believe that she would survive.

    And that belief slowly faded, influenced by the despair of those around her.

    And now, when she saw Allen, that belief grew again.

    Allen was the only person who hadn''t given up on her.

    ''There''s no way I''m going to say no to those eyes,''

    The air was filled with a sense of warmth as Iva stood up and grasped Allen''s hand, their souls intertwining as they shared a moment of pure tenderness.

    "Allen... with all my heart¡­ I beg you...

    Please let me see the faces of these two children.

    I will believe in Allen, who also believes in my children and my safety."

 Chapter 159 Responsibility

    ?

    "What are you trying to do?! Are you stupid?! Are you going to kill that girl?! You''ll only give her family high hopes! And it will be the most painful thing for them once the girl dies!"

    "Master, I have no intention of letting Iva die."

    "You''ve gone too far!"

    The argument had raged ever since Allen dered his intention to save Iva and her two babies. His words brought hope to the devastated family, who had given up all hope of seeing their loved one survive.

    Yesterday, after Iva relied on Allen and dered her trust in him, Allen immediately said,

    "You can''t eat this dish for now. It''s not good or worth eating. I''lle here again tomorrow."

    "Allen! That''s enough! Stop talking nonsense!" shouted Rodion.

    "Master, I''ll do it... I''ll try to save her," Allen said.

    Allen''s first step was to ensure Iva received wholesome and nutritious food. With that in mind, he was up early the next morning, rushing to the kitchen and gathering different ingredients. The noise he made woke Rodion, who was upstairs, and they quickly found themselves in a heated argument.

    "Are you going to bring the ingredients here? I don''t care if you can pay or not. The issue is that we''re saving those ingredients for the month of water. If you use that, then we can''t surviveter."

    -Puk

    Out of nowhere, a potato fell under Allen.

    "Wh-what?" said Rodion in shock.

    Then

    -plok plok plok plok pluk

    Countless potatoes began falling from Allen''s scarf, leaving Rodion in shock.

    "Master, this is this scarf''s ability. I can use my mana to double whatever this scarf eats. This way, you won''t have to think about starvation on the water month."

    Rodion picked up the fallen potato and then looked at it carefully.

    "This is indeed a potato. I can''t believe this kind of god''s blessings existed."

    Rodion was thinking of the skill that he thought was Allen''s god''s blessing. With that skill, he could have imitated all the materials around him, including gold and money. Putting aside the gold, if his ability could duplicate everything, why did he need to put those materials in a bag?

    "Why don''t you just double the salt and vegetables? that way, you don''t have to take the food in this kitchen," Rodion said.

    Allen pulled an apple from his scarf and tossed it to Rodion.

    "Try eating that apple."

    After Rodion tried the apple, he said

    "It tastes nd."

    "Right, it''s nd. I can create many things, but the taste will be nd once I try to create food.

    Peter and Iva said she should take care of her nutrition and health. So I''m afraid that if I create food from this ability, it might not have the same perfect nutrition as the fruit vor. This is the limit of this ability, and I can''t risk giving Iva unfit food."

    Rodion approached Allen, then

    -BUG

    He punched Allen in the face.

    "Are you awake?" Rodion asked with an angry face.

    Allen could have dodged the punch, but he chose not to.

    Sighing, Allen said

    "Master¡­ How about you? Are you awake? If emotions control you, you won''t think clearly."

    "Who the hell is not thinking clearly here?! Are you daft? You don''t know how their family''s mentality is when given great expectations like yesterday. If you overestimate the hope you give them, the despair they''ll receiveter will be monumental! And who''s going to take responsibility?! Answer me that, damn it!"

    "The despair you say is only created if Iva really dies; I will try to make her live."

    "I TOLD YOU THAT''S IMPOSSIBLE! A rancid kid like you who just arrived in this world and just learned about pregnancy, there is no way you can do something about it.

    About nutrition and health, what do you know? Giving her a lot of food doesn''t mean she''ll be healthy! What if you''re just giving her more fat and more carbs than she should have?! What if you just increased the glucose in her body?! What if you give her foods that are abstinent for pregnant women?!

    Have you thought of all the possibilities?!" Rodion''s shout was not loud, but it was deafening. His exhausted and hoarse voice as he shouted showed how explosively angry he was now at Allen.

    Allen looked at Rodion''s face, still with the same expression, full of passion but also full of despair; he also didn''t know what to do, but he still wanted to keep trying.

    "Why do you want to save her so badly? You weren''t even their friend before. You didn''t even care much about other people''s lives before."

    After a few silent pauses, Allen replied with a slightly trembling voice,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She was a mother that I might have wished for.

    Looking at Iva, I felt the warmth of my mother again when she was with me. I want to protect her, see her give birth to a child, and see her survive. I want to see the moments of a mother holding her baby.

    Does Master really not want to help her?"

    "If I could, I would too."

    "But you can! I need your help, Master. Iva needs it!"

    "I''m old; I can''t do anything."

    "Master..." Allen put down the bag he was holding, then said,

    "You must know something, right? Perhaps... you''re an other-worlder?"

    Allen''s question made Rodion''s eyes widen in surprise.

    "If so, I need your help. Don''t you have any knowledge from your world?"

    Without answering him convolutedly, Rodion already knew he couldn''t run away and find another excuse anymore. Maybe Allen is really convinced now.

    "When did you realize it?" asked Rodion.

    "I realized just now that when you said words I couldn''t understand, glucose, carbohydrate, fat, and then somehow you were so sure that I would make a mistake, as you know something about pregnancy."

    "That''s not proof that I''m an other-worlder."

    "It''s just one of the proofs. All this time, I''ve seen your unusual movements. The way you walk, etc., your habits are very different from Peter''s family and the families I visited before. It''s as if you have a different culture from them.

    As for yournguage, I''m sure that phrases aren''t thenguage of this world. Your tavern''s name, Drugoymir Restaurant. I asked our customers about that, and they didn''t know what drugoymir means. Your surprised reaction makes me certain that you''re an other-worlder."

    "There is still a possibility I am from another kingdom with a different culture," Rodion answered.

    "Eh? There are other kingdoms than Wildenhall?!"

    Rodion was once again surprised, then regretted all the words he had said so far.

    ''I was caught off guard; I didn''t expect that he wouldn''t know that there are other countries besides Wildenhall. That means I just revealed my own identity to him. Innocence is really scary.''

    Allen wasn''t done yet; he continued

    "Last, my hair. You''re the one who secretly changed my hair color, right? How did you do it? I''ve tried to cut that white hair many times, but it grows back as soon as I sleep. That means you didn''t cut it; you used something, probably your blessing. And you did it when I was sleeping. The only person who can enter my room while I sleep is you, Master.

    I''m sure you can also change your own hair color; you hide your ck hair from others."

    Rodion sighed once more, then turned his body back toward Allen. Allen interpreted that as Rodion''s rejection.

    For Allen, Rodion was hisst card; he was sure that Rodion knew something, so he believed he could save Iva. Now that hope was gone, and he had to go it alone.

    A new sack floated towards him; Allen caught it, then confusedly looked towards the person who threw it.

    "You''ll have to work hard this time; let''s prepare, we''ll bring many things," Rodion said.

    Allen, at that moment, smiled and shed a few tears.

    "Master..."

    "I wasn''t a doctor in my world, but my job forced me to learn a little about it. At least I know what things are good for pregnant women."

    Rodion turned his body back around, looking at Allen smolderingly in front of him.

    "Allen, what you''re about to do right now has a big responsibility. This responsibility is not something you can pay for like the hoe you broke. Even your life will not be enough to pay for this.

    If Iva dies, you will be med for her death.

    Even so, are you still going to save her?"

    Allen wiped his tears, then, with a strong determination, he answered,

    "Iva said that she believed me, who believes in her safety. If I don''t believe in her safety, then I will disappoint Iva.

    So, I didn''t think that she would die at all.

    I believe she will be saved, and I will make that happen!"

    Rodion walked to Allen, looking at his face for a long time. And then,

    He touched Allen''s shoulder and said,

    "You''ve changed, Allen."

 Chapter 160 How To Save Iva

    ?

    To maintain health and increase Iva''s stamina and physique, Rodion asked Allen to make a meal made of beans, fish, milk, eggs, and chicken liver, and the dessert was oranges.

    With those ingredients, Allen made fried food that had been given many types of spices. Because the food was expensive, Allen only made a ration for Iva. As for the others, Allen made them a regr soup of potatoes and mushrooms.

    "Allen... This is really good..." said Iva.

    "Of course, Allen is a great cook!" said Susan proudly.

    "This soup too. You said it''s a cheap soup, but how can it taste this good? What did you use?"

    "I can''t say; Master forbade me to say," Allen replied.

    "This is our signature soup; how could we give the recipe to anyone else," Rodion replied.

    "You cheapskate! I won''t give the recipe to anyone else!" shouted Peter.

    "I''m a merchant too! I''ve already lost money making this soup at a low price; how could I increase my losses by sharing my recipe."

    Iva chuckled a little at Rodion and Peter''s argument; then Iva stole a subtle nce towards Pascoe, who was currently devouring his meal with immense gusto. She couldn''t help but ponder over how appetizing the food must be.

    "How''s Pascoe? Did you like it?" she curiously inquired.

    When Iva asked him, Pascoe shuddered slightly.

    Allen observed him with anticipation, waiting for Pascoe''s response. After a moment''s hesitation, Pascoe slowly gazed down through his bowl of simmering soup and finally spoke,

    "Yeah, not bad," Pascoe replied. A light pinkish glow could be seen creeping up on his cheeks, a clear indication of his shy manner.

    At that moment, Allen rethought Rodion''s words,

    ''It''s not just people with money who want good food.''

    Now, he trulyprehends the intended message. Allen had sampled Iva''s insipid cuisine for the previous few days and couldn''t fathom how they enjoyed that food. Now Allen could see the joy they would feel upon consuming delicious food. Allen could discern the contentment in Iva, Peter, and Pascoe''s countenances. They relished his culinary creations and were delighted to partake in them.

    "But, are we really going to eat this every day?" asked Iva.

    "Of course, I''ve promised to provide enough nutrition for you."

    "Isn''t this too luxurious? It feels like this fish is also very expensive in the soil month. Especially at a time like this," Iva asked, worried.

    "Don''t worry about that," Rodion replied. "We''ve already discussed the money you''ll pay us. You must give us your monthly harvest money to repay the debt. This way, you won''t have to stress about money. Remember, stress will only worsen your pregnancy. Don''t let our efforts go to waste."

    With deep reverence, Iva humbly lowered her head and spoke in a quivering tone.

    "Mr. Rodion, Allen, and Susan, I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

    Her genuine and solemn expression surely melted the hearts of the trio, filling them with a sense of worthiness and recognition.

    "Don''t thank me; give birth to your child first; after that, you can say that every day in front of my shop."

    "I''ll remember that," Iva said.

    "Iva, from now on you have to make an effort too," Allen said.

    "Of course, I''ll eat enough and rest enough.

    "No, you won''t rest," Allen replied.

    "Eh?"

    Rodion then exined,

    "You will exercise. Until your child is born, you must exercise. If you feel minor pain or are tired, you must endure it. But if you feel stomach pain, you can stop."

    "Rodion?! Are you as crazy as that kid?! Iva''s pregnant! She''s always exhausted, and you tell her to exercise?!"

    "What''s wrong? You''ve always trusted me. Why are you hesitating now? Do you want your wife to survive or not?"

    "That is..."

    With a determined nod, Iva made her intentions known.

    "I''ll give it a try, and I''m determined to do whatever I can." And so, the mission to ensure a sessfulbor for Iva began.

    Their duties were divided into three.

    Rodion was in charge of the exercise.

    Allen is in charge of food and sometimes helps Iva do his exercise.

    and Susan was responsible for caring for all the women''s personal needs, such as bathing, toileting, and changing clothes.

    In order to maintain her health and increase her stamina and physical strength, Iva was asked to undertake a series of exercises every morning for an hour. These included squats, the butterfly position, lunges, and various forms of yoga. They were confident from the beginning that their n would work without obstacles.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    However, they knew that just performing well-structured exercises wouldn''t be enough. Iva was pregnant with twins, and their birth could be fatal for her.

    One week

    Two weeks

    Three weeks pass.

    They were doing well; there would be no obstacles from the start. But, just doing that shouldn''t be enough to help Iva.

    Rodion knew that, and Allen knew that too.

    He needed one more thing¡ªthe most important one.

    "Master, I haven''t asked about this yet. But isn''t there a person in charge who usually helps babybor?"

    That afternoon, Allen as usual would go with Rodion to the market to select the groceries that would be brought to Peter''s ce. They often discussed what steps they should take to ensure Iva''s safety.

    "Of course there is; we can ask a baby shaman or a physician when doing so. There are some physicians in this town, but they are very expensive."

    "It turns out that money is indeed a very important item. I finally understand why Susan got so angry when you set a low price for the food."

    Allen then thought of an obvious thing that strangely hadn''t urred to him before, "Should I double the money with my scarf?" he asked.

    "No, that will only add another problem. Money can''t just be spread around in this world. Some people regte its distribution. Even gold can affect the city''s economy if it''s not regted."

    "Econo-?"

    "That''s not important right now. I know the basics of babybor, but I''ve never actually tried it. Plus, I''m too old to do it."

    "Aren''t any physicians or healers willing to work for free?"

    "There are, but you know that''s not enough. The healers here can only do low-level healing and eventually add potions. If there are any great healers, they must belong to the Barkaley nobility, but I''m not sure they would lend them out."

    "Why is that?"

    "Nobles can only use noble physician. There''s no way a noble would lend his physician to amoner, and there''s no way a noble physician would heal amoner."

    "Is that so..."

    ''Whereas the nobles I know even used their own power to save everyone and then fainted for three years, it seems that is quite strange in this world.''

    "Hey! Stop daydreaming! Think about it again tonight!" said Rodion. abit exasperated. Allen shook himself out of his thoughts.

    Allen had been lost in thought. He kept thinking about how to save Iva as he walked alongside Rodion towards the market.

    Without Allen realizing it, they were already standing in front of the tavern''s door. Rodion swung open the door of the quaint tavern. A wave of warmth hit him as he stepped inside, and he was greeted by the familiar sight of Susan wiping down the wood-paneled bar. However, something was different today. There was a stranger in the tavern, a woman Rodion had never seen before, leaning across the counter and asking Susan about soup.

    "Is it true that there''s no more soup? My boss asked me to buy it immediately." Her voice wasced with panic and impatience. Rodion could see the desperation etched on her face.

    "Unfortunately, this tavern is closed during the soil-to-water month, so our cook isn''t cooking anytime soon."

    The woman looked panicked and a little pushy.

    "What''s going on? How did you get inside? Isn''t there a ''closed'' sign on the door? Aren''t you blind?"

    Without looking ahead, Allen remained focused on his thoughts, determined to find a way to make Iva''sbor a sess.

    ''There must be...

    There must still be a way to save Iva...

    I have to think harder...'' he thought.

    Little did he know that the figure in front of him might be the key to Iva''s salvation.

    "Allen?" the woman''s voice echoed in his ears, jolting him out of his daze. Her voice was familiar to him, and upon lifting his gaze, his suspicions were confirmed.

    Allen raised his face, looking at the woman.

    The woman before him had long brown hair cascading down her back in a braid, her piercing green eyes taking him in. She adorned a striking fire church priestess outfit, radiating a sense of power and authority that caught Allen off guard. He gawked at her, a mixture of surprise and

    And also

    out of fear, washing over his face.

    "Are you really Allen?" the woman said.

    In surprise, Allen muttered

    "Miss Lavinia."

 Chapter 161 Reunion

    ?

    The Queen Orc killed my friends.

    Then the Queen Orc kept me in the dungeon''s resting room.

    My emotions were overwhelming; I was sad, I was angry, and I was scared.

    I often thought of just dying, but there was one thing that made me feel like I could survive in that dungeon.

    That was¡­ my curiosity about the child raised by the Queen Orc.

    I knew that mere curiosity wouldn''t be enough to make me stop despairing. Most likely, I was able to survive because of that child''s innocence.

    The child was raised by Orcs, who didn''t know anything, and he always tried his best to get close to me and make me his friend.

    Eating together, telling stories together, chatting, and then his smile. Maybe he was the one who kept me from giving up hope. But I didn''t try to reciprocate in the slightest; instead, I intended to use his body to escape from there.

    Even though I was almost raped by a goblin in the end¡­

    I was grateful now¡­

    That at that time, I undid my intention to kill him.

    I don''t know if this is called regret or not, but my heart always thinks that I regret it.

    When that child lost his mother, I could only watch him without doing anything. Even though he was crying for help, I could only stay silent. I couldn''t save his dying mother, even though I had the power to do so.

    How could I? I was too hesitant to do so back then. In front of everyone, in front of the prince, and she was the one who killed my friends?! There was no way I could heal that Orc.

    But Allen''s despairing face always showed up in my head.

    He was just a 12-year-old boy who lost the mother who raised him.

    There should have been another way to save that boy from despair.

    One month passed, and I met him again at the Boldenville home.

    And as expected, he hated me.

    It was a natural thing, it was amon thing, and it was ordinary.

    He looked at me sarcastically, and that face reminded me of him crying again and again. I''m sure he wanted to tell me that he knew I ignored his plea that day, so that face of his tightened me.

    Allen, what were you doing when I didn''t see you?

    From your face, it seems like you''ve gone through a lot of things that I can''t imagine.

    Did you kill a human? Did you kill a human because of your hatred for me?

    Does it mean I am also responsible for every human life that you killed?

    If only...

    If only I had healed Queen Orc back then...

    Maybe Allen would still be the innocent child I like. Always smiling and full of curiosity.

    And now...

    I suddenly saw him again after a few months.

    In Barkaley territory, where it all started.

    Allen is currently standing in front of me, looking at me with fear.

    ...

    Rodion''s tavern was closed at the time because they had to help with Iva''s birth, but someone came in. That person was Lavinia, the first human that Allen met in this world.

    He couldn''t hide his intense dislike and fear of her. Allen was tormented by the fact that Lavinia knew more about him than anyone else alive. Her presence was like a sharp needle piercing Allen''s tender scars. Allen was painfully reminded of the dark past, making him feel vulnerable.

    "DON''T TOUCH ME MONSTER!!!"

    "AT THAT NIGHT, I REGRET I DIDN''T KILL YOU!"

    Those were Lavinia''s words that he couldn''t forget. He did not think about that during his meeting with Lavinia at the Boldenville residence because his hatred made him indifferent to everything except his grudge.

    But once his grudge was gone, and he started trying to change, he remembered that all his actions towards Lavinia were really pathetic.

    And now she''s afraid that Lavinia still hates him, like before.

    "Allen? Are you really Allen?" asked Lavinia.

    "Mi-miss Lavinia?" responded Allen a little nervously.

    "Oh my! It''s true! But your hair-"

    "Allen, do you know her?" cut Rodion off immediately.

    "I-yes," Allen replied.

    "Really?! But didn''t Allen juste to this worldst month?!" said Susan in surprise.

    ''Oh I remember... In Boldenville, he used the other-worlder gimmick to live. But what happened to his white hair?'' Lavinia thought.

    "I-I''ll put these groceries back," Allen replied, walking straight back, passing Lavinia and Susan.

    Lavinia then held Allen''s hand and said, "Wait!"

    As a result, Allen let go of the bag he was holding, and the groceries scattered on the floor.

    "What?" asked Allen.

    "Umm..." Feeling awkward because she had just reflexively held Allen''s hand, Lavinia couldn''t answer him.

    ''He''s avoiding me...'' Lavinia thought.

    Lavinia released her grip slowly, "Do you mind if we talk a bitter?" she said.

    Allen didn''t look at Lavinia''s face; he immediately picked up the food scattered on the floor.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Sorry I don''t have time right now; just go."

    "How about tomorrow?! Do you have time tomorrow?!-"

    Intending to dig deeper, Rodion said, "Allen, we''re not that busy. Go back and make some soup for thisdy," he said.

    "B-but master!"

    "Just do it quickly!"

    Lavinia''s current existence is quite dangerous for Rodion. If she knew Allen, then Lavinia knew about Allen''s white hair. Suppose Lavinia tries to find out about it. In that case, Rodion''s ability to change Allen''s hair color might be discovered by Lavinia.

    Putting Allen''s feelings aside, Rodion should know what kind of woman Lavinia is. Since Allen was ufortable with her, it could be that she wasn''t a good woman, and that was really dangerous.

    "Little girl, we''ll make some soup for you; for now, sit down first," Rodion said.

    "A-alright."

    Because of his bad feelings, Allen quickly went to the back and cooked as Rodion instructed. While Rodion sat on the chair in front of Lavinia and asked her a few questions.

    Once he finished talking to Lavinia, Rodion returned. At that moment, Susan approached him and asked

    "So, who is that beautiful woman, master?"

    "No idea; probably Allen''s ex-girlfriend."

    "EX?! W-w-w-a woman, that beauty is Allen''s ex-girlfriend?!"

    "I don''t know the details either. What is certain is that she was the first person Allen met once he arrived in this world."

    "Ooh... so Allen likes mature women like her... hmmm..."

    Rodion had reached a conclusion that held significant value with regard to Lavinia ¨C she was, without a doubt, someone who would never hurt Allen nor reveal his matters to anyone else. He noticed that she demonstrated remarkablepassion and understanding towards Allen''s predicaments whenever he conversed with Lavinia, making her the ideal confidant for him to ovee his past troubles.

    Plus, Lavinia was also a priest. She must have some healing techniques. Rodion thought of taking advantage of that. If Allen could persuade her, she might be able to help Iva.

    An hour passed...

    Allen finally came out of the kitchen carrying a warm bowl of soup; he gave the soup to Susan.

    "You should give it yourself," Rodion said.

    "B-but, I can''t-"

    "Allen, if you want to part forever with your past problems, you must ovee them. She''s not a bad girl, and I''m sure you know that too."

    Allen still hesitated; he didn''t want to talk to Lavinia. At least for now.

    "Allen, look at that girl''s face.

    She seems to have a lot of things she wants to tell you. And I''m sure she won''t say anything bad.

    Has that girl helped you in the past? If she has, then this is the time to repay her.

    Take responsibility for the trouble you''ve caused."

    Responsibility...

    Those word seemed to bind him, but somehow were also word that would guard him in the future.

    With strong determination, Allen stepped up, approaching Lavinia with the soup he brought. He, who now raised his head, could clearly see Lavinia before him.

    Lavinia lowered her head with a very sad face.

    ''Miss Lavinia, she looks tired. Did something bad happen?'' Allen thought.

    When he saw her, Allen felt magically transported back in time. The small tavern looked like his home in the old dungeon, and he was walking on the green grass.

    _Ah¡­ I see... this is just like how it used to be...

    I was walking towards the human that my mother brought while carrying a bowl of soup for her to eat.

    That human... Miss Lavinia was also sad and bowed her head at that time.

    I must do something to make her happy again_

    As soon as Allen arrived in front of Lavinia, Lavinia lifted her head, looking at Allen who was bringing her a bowl of soup.

    ''Allen, his expression seemed troubled, as if he didn''t know how to act,'' Lavinia thought.

    Allen opened his mouth,

    "Qec, qofare cou..." Allen said.

    "!!!"

    Lavinia was shocked...

    A few secondster, Allen was too.

    Because Allen felt like he was back in the past, he subconsciously said the same thing to Lavinia when he first met her.

    "Master, whatnguage is that?" asked Susan behind Rodion.

    Realizing that they shouldn''t be listening to the two of them. Rodion pulled Susan''s clothes into the kitchen.

    "Never mind, let''s just leave them alone," Rodion said.

    Allen quickly ced his soup in front of Lavinia, and then he said

    "No, forget it-"

    "Tqanlsou," Lavinia replied, smiling.

    Lavinia''s smile somehow made Allen''s nervousness disappear.

    Allen then shifted his chair and sat in front of her.

 Chapter 162 Youre Back

    ?

    Susan, who couldn''t resist her curiosity, peeked behind the kitchen curtain. Even Rodion, who forbade it, started to get curious; he also peeked beside Susan.

    Although they couldn''t hear their conversation, they knew that there was a slight change in Allen''s face that should have been expressionless.

    In just a month and a half, Susan and Rodion could somehow feel the atmosphere around Allen changing when he showed emotion.

    "Allen looks happy," Susan muttered.

    Allen''s face looked more like someone who had difficulty responding, but Susan could tell he was happy, as well as Rodion.

    "I wonder what they''re talking about?"

    "Whatever it was, I hope he didn''t forget that we must use that girl to save Iva."

    An hour passed, and once Lavinia had finished the soup in her bowl, she said

    "At that time, I apologized for throwing away your soup; maybe it would have tasted just as good as this soup,"

    "No way, we were in the goblin''sir back then. There weren''t any nts there, so it probably tasted nd."

    "Still, I feel guilty for venting my anger on you, even though you also came to save me."

    As soon as Lavinia was about to be raped by the goblin, Lavinia said the worst thing she could think of at that moment, "DON''T TOUCH ME MONSTER!!!" To Allen, it should have been a normal thing because he really was a monster''s child. Still, because Lavinia said it with hatred, Allen knew that it was words that hurt him.

    "Me too... I-I''m sorry..." Allen replied stammeringly.

    "It''s okay; you weren''t wrong from the start-"

    "That''s not it! I''m sorry because I still feel that what my mother did wasn''t wrong, and you guys were the ones who were wrong.

    I don''t even feel that what mother did to you was her fault..."

    "..." Lavinia couldn''t answer him. To Allen, his mother was everything, and it was true that the Queen Orc was not to me there, but that didn''t mean Lavinia was at fault.

    Everyone back then had their own reasons for being there. It''s just which side you were on back then. The side of the monsters, or the humans.

    And Allen was still on the side of his mother, who was a monster.

    That''s what Lavinia thought.

    "But..." Allen continued,

    "But, I met one of the soldiers who did the dungeon raid. And he said, ''I don''t me that kid at all, and I''m sure none of us do,'' his words made me feel like I was the one who was at fault. I was the only one at fault in this world.

    When I thought that it wasn''t me who was wrong, I also thought they must me me for killing their friends. But they didn''t me me either.

    Even Miss Lavinia too, didn''t me me at all... And that makes me doubt, could it really be me who is wrong here?"

    Lavinia''s heart swelled with emotion as she took in the sight of Allen before her, his face etched with clear doubt and remorse for his mistake. She couldn''t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him as she watched him struggle with his own thoughts.

    "Ah... Allen, you''re back," she thought, her heart aching but also happy for him.

    As she continued to gaze at him, it suddenly struck her that the sad and gloomy Allen she had known at the Boldenville residence was no longer the same person standing before her. This was the innocent, helpless boy she had befriended in the lonely dungeon so long ago. As if the Allen she met with the Boldenville family never existed, the Allen in front of her now was the little boy she used to meet inside the dungeon.

    ''At this time, what should I say to him?'' Lavinia thought.

    Lavinia tried to extend her hand to reach Allen''s cheek,

    "Miss Lavinia?"

    Before Lavinia could touch him,

    -BRAG

    Susan fell behind them, making a loud noise and breaking the atmosphere.

    Lavinia reflexively pulled her hand away.

    "Susan, what are you doing?" asked Allen.

    "So-sorry... I just slipped a bit, hehehe."

    Rodion sighed, then walked over to the two of them.

    "Allen, you''re not wrong at all," Rodion said. "You''re just a kid who wanted to defend your mother."

    "Master..."

    "Eh? What are you talking about? Mother? Allen''s mother?" Susan said in confusion; she was the only one who didn''t understand the situation.

    Looking at Rodion, Lavinia thought, ''All this time, Allen must have been able to change because of working in this ce. This person must have made Allen back to the way he is now.''

    With a suspicious face, Allen said

    "Master, are you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

    Not wanting to bother with that, Rodion changed the subject.

    "By the way, priestess, do you have a healing amnis?" asked Rodion.

    "Umm... Yes I do,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Allen immediately understood Rodion''s meaning when he asked about the healing amnis.

    ''That''s right! Not just amnis, even Miss Lavinia''s God''s blessing is regeneration! We can ask Miss Lavinia to help with the birth of Iva''s child!''

    "Miss Lavinia! Can you help us?!"

    "Eh?"

    They then talked about Iva''s pregnancy, which was approaching old age. Based on the calction of the day, Iva would give birth at the beginning of the water month.

    "A water month... That''ll be difficult," Lavinia said, "If she gives birth at the beginning of a water month, then there won''t be enough food and nutrients for the baby, the baby could die in 40 days."

    "There''s no need to think about food! What''s important is Iva''s condition of having to give birth to two children," said Allen.

    With a sad face, Lavinia replied

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t wait here until the water month."

    "Why?! Please! Can you do something about it?!" Allen spontaneously took Lavinia''s hand and grasped it.

    "I have to save Iva no matter what! I promised her, and I have to take responsibility to save her! So, please stay only until the beginning of the water month!"

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    Lavinia was once again surprised. Allen unconsciously grasped Lavinia''s hand, just as he did when he was inside the dungeon.

    Seeing Allen''s serious and honest face, Lavinia''s heart melted; she wanted to grant his request.

    But...

    "Sorry, I can''t," Lavinia replied.

    Allen slowly removed his hand from Lavinia. ''Again, she rejected me, just like she did before,'' he thought.

    "Why?"

    "Do you still remember Birawa Budiono? The other-worlder we met at the Boldenville residence. He''s a knight of rounds and is currently talking to the barony. I''m currently in the same party as him. We''re also just traveling here. In seven days, we will leave for Herrwade territory."

    "Can''t you postpone the trip until Iva gives birth?" asked Rodion.

    "Unfortunately not. In fact, we''d like to leave as soon as possible. We are waiting for the other party members who will be arriving in seven days."

    "Do you mind telling me why you have to hurry?" asked Rodion again.

    After thinking about it for a moment, she decided to tell them.

    "Daemon Servus, have you ever heard of them? They are Satan worshipers who want to bring back the glory days of the devil to the world. For the past ten years, they have been attacking viges one by one and sucking all their blood. There are suspicious movements in Herrwade that are most likely Daemon Servus''s act. We cannot dy to save the hundreds of people there," Lavinia exined.

    Hearing that, Allen was distraught again. He now had to think of another way to save Iva.

    "Have you talked to the church about this?" asked Lavinia.

    The church could help save Iva. They were full of priests who could perform amnis healing.

    Lavinia took money out of her pocket,

    "To ask the church for help, you have to make an offering to the God. Just use this money."

    Lavinia handed Allen a gold coin.

    "Wow, gold coins; this is my first time seeing them!" Susan shouted.

    "Isn''t this too much?" asked Rodion.

    "The birth of a child is uncertain. So use the coins so Iva can stay in the church for a few days before she goes intobor."

    Allen took a long look at the money, then grasped it.

    "Miss Lavinia, thank you."

    Lavinia smiled,

    "Thank you for the soup; it was delicious. I''ll probablye again tomorrow," she said, then walked out of the tavern.

    Just as Lavinia was about to close the door, Susan handed her a package.

    "What''s this?" asked Lavinia.

    "This is the soup. Didn''t youe here to bring this to your boss?"

    Lavinia''s face instantly turned into shock.

    "That''s right! I have to deliver this soup to Birawa as soon as possible! Thank you, I have to go!"

    The next day, once they arrived at the church, the church''s response was

    "Sorry, all of our healing priests are being hired by dungeon explorers in other regions. There was a sudden request from the nobles of Herrwade and Druwich."

    It was as if even God refused to save Iva.

 Chapter 163 Her Only Good Times

    ?

    "Yeah, I didn''t expect much either," Rodion replied once they were home from church.

    "What do you mean? Didn''t you think of following Miss Lavinia''s advice in the first ce?" asked Allen.

    "I did, if we let Iva stay in the church, we can ensure her safety. But I''m sure Iva doesn''t want that either. Staying at the church means she''ll be separated from her family, and that''s not pleasant for an expectant mother."

    "Then, why did you agree and still try to ask the church?"

    "Are you deaf? I told you because it would ensure Iva''s safety. Iva too, even if she''s not happy about it, as long as she''s alive, she should be able to endure it."

    Allen''s despair disappeared as soon as he heard Rodion''s opinion. Because now he was sure that Rodion must be thinking of something else.

    "Do you have something in mind, Master?"

    "The money given by the priestess is more than enough to answer our hopes. With this, we can pay an expensive physician for her safety.

    If Iva suddenly feels like giving birth to her child, can you quickly move her?"

    "I have carried Iva before; she was light as a great sword. I can carry her in 10 minutes from her house to our tavern."

    "That''s more than enough."

    "So, it''s all over? We can ensure Iva''s safety?"

    "Of course not, idiot," Rodion said as he punched Allen''s shoulder. "This way, we can at least save her at a critical moment AFTER giving birth. Remember that she''s going to give birth to two babies, so she could die in childbirth.

    Now it all depends on Iva''s spirit and strength. What we need to do is keep Iva healthy and energized so that she can give birth properly."

    Allen bowed his head, still thinking that it might not be enough.

    He wanted to do something more visible, and Rodion knew that he was overthinking it now. It was because he kept telling Allen about ''responsibility'' that it weighed on Allen''s shoulders.

    "What I want to say is that you should also calm down. You no longer need to think about everything alone.

    You''ve done everything well," Rodion said as he gently touched Allen''s back.

    Feeling a little embarrassed, Allen could only bow his head without answering anything until they reached the tavern.

    ...

    Drugoymir Restaurant puts a closed sign in front of their entrance during the soil and water month to help with Peter''s garden and Iva''s pregnancy. However, they continue to serve regr customers only during the afternoon. The restaurant offers takeout services exclusively through the back door to amodate patrons. Thus, the loyal customers who visit must purchase food through the takeaway service.

    So the next day, when Lavinia came back to the restaurant at noon, she couldn''t go inside because the door was locked. She didn''t know that they were closed during the day.

    And she could onlye the next day in the afternoon because she happened to see Allen and Rodion enter the tavern.

    "I forgot that you guys were going to the pregnant woman''s ce," Lavinia said once inside.

    "I also forgot to tell you yesterday that we were closed," Rodion replied.

    Lavinia sat at the front table and gave Rodion the bowl she had used yesterday. She ordered the same soup and asked for one to take home.

    "By the way, why did Miss Lavinia look panicked yesterday?" asked Allen.

    "It was all because of Birawa..."

    "Hmm?"

    "Birawa Budiono, he''s a more troublesome man than you hear and know.

    Because he heard rumors of your soup, he forced me to buy it for him. If I didn''t, he wanted to go without food for the whole day, and he also vowed not to go on a mission if I didn''t buy it for him. So I was forced to buy this soup at that time.

    Even now, I have to order one to take home. It seems like he really likes the soup."

    For the takeaway order, Rodion prepared a bowl with a tight wooden lid; the orderer was also obliged to return the bowl to the shop, which was why only regr customers were allowed to do so. As for Lavinia, she intends to give her bowl away for free.

    "So, what about that pregnant woman? Can she be transferred to the church now?" asked Lavinia.

    "Actually the church can''t ept her," Allen replied.

    "What?! Why?"

    Rodion exined to Lavinia the reason why the church couldn''t ept them,

    "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. The priests are currently deployed to guard the two territories."

    "What''s wrong with those two territories?"

    "Do you remember the strange movements that took ce in Herrwade? Actually, it all started with the Druwich residence. The Druwich nobles captured ten satan worshippers. And from the information, many of their other members are still scattered around the northern region. So the priests were deployed there just in case and-"

    Realizing that she had said too much, Lavinia immediately bowed her head and said, "Sorry for giving useless advice! I should have thought of that beforehand!" Lavinia said, changing the subject immediately.

    Not going to dig deeper, Rodion replied

    "No need to apologize; you already gave us one gold coin. That''s enough to hire a top-ss physician to ensure Iva''s safety."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Oh, good then."

    One hour left, and Allen came over with Lavinia''s soup. Instead of returning to the kitchen, he sat before her and watched her eat the soup sincerely.

    "What''s wrong?" Lavinia asked.

    After being silent for about 30 seconds, Allen said

    "To ensure Iva''s safety, can you teach me the healing amnis?" He said that with determined eyes.

    "But don''t you tell me you have no time?"

    "I can still spare some time to practice."

    "Understandable, but I also have insufficient time to teach you."

    "Can''t you?! Just one hour a day?!"

    "One hour a day won''t be enough to learn healing amnis. Especially since I''m leaving in just five days."

    "That''s okay; I''ll try to learn it in just five days!"

    Lavinia once again smiled, somehow seeing Allen begging made her heart melt.

    Whether because of guilt

    Or because he loves him like his brother,

    Lavinia felt that she couldn''t refuse Allen at all, even though she knew it would be futile.

    "Alright, I''ll teach you."

    Allen once again pulled Lavinia''s hand and grasped it.

    "EXCELLENT!"

    Although he said it expressionlessly, Allen looked excited; Susan and Rodion, who were looking behind, did not expect at all that he was the same Allen they met back then.

    To Susan, the current Allen looked like her brother Arthur, he was as excited as Arthur when Arthur went to the dungeon.

    "I am happy for you, Allen," Susan murmured, looking at Allen with her sparkling eyes.

    ...

    Because Allen already learned about how to use amnis with Thurstan, Lavinia said what he needed to do was to memorize themand and the shape of the amnis circle to be used,

    "The amnis circle for healing amnis is the most difficult to memorize and draw than other types of amnis. It is said that the spirits have good destructive power than healing. That''s why themand is moreplicated than the general amnis."

    Lavinia drew her amnis on paper and handed it to Allen,

    "This really looks difficult," Allen muttered.

    "If you want to get to the next stage quickly, memorize it until tomorrow. Right now let''s discuss something more important."

    "More important?"

    "Yes. I have a contract with the fire spirit so I can use the amnis wherever I want. But as for you, it will be useless if the fire spirit isn''t present."

    "Do you know how to get the fire spirits around?"

    "It is not possible for human eyes to see ordinary spirits. Typically, only casters possess the ability to discern the presence of spirits, utilizing specific amnis to do so. Knowledge of fire spirits entails recognizing their affinity for hot and dry environments. While a single hot location is optimal, a humid locality will still host fire spirits, although their efficacy may be reduced. To fully employ their strengths, the number of spirits present is just as critical as their environment. Therefore, it will be best If you make a hot spot in the middle of a humid ce, so every fire spirit that is scattered in the humid ce will be gathered around you.

    ''I see¡­ I remember when I was trapped in the dungeon with Felicia. At that time, fire spirits must be gathered around us,"

    "Okay, I''ll keep that in mind."

    The next day

    Lavinia was surprised that Allen had memorized theplicated amnis in just a day.

    ''Oh, I forgot that he was a fast learner.''

    "Miss Lavinia, what''s the next step? I''ve drawn it in the air, but for some reason the spirit isn''t answering my call," Allen asked.

    "That''s because that was the first stage; the healing amnis is a level 2 amnis, which requires you to draw it in twoyers."

    "I see... Then I only have to memorize one more, right?"

    Smiling, Lavinia taught Allen with enthusiasm.

    At that moment, Lavinia was transported back in time,

    Her only good times inside the dungeon were when she taught the little boy about the outside world.

 Chapter 164 Ive Really Become A Craven

    ?

    "So what do you think, Pascoe? Do you want to continue to the next exercise?" asked Wyncall, a Barkaley soldier who often apanied Pascoe.

    But Pascoe, lost in his thoughts, remained silent momentarily and lowered his gaze to the ground before him. Wyncall noticed the unusual behavior and quickly inquired,

    "What''s wrong Pascoe? Are you sick?"

    Realizing his actions, Pascoe shook his head and apologized.

    "Ah no! Sorry, it''s just that I''ve been thinking about a lot of things," he exined. His mind was preupied with a host of thoughts and concerns that were weighing heavily on him.

    Despite Wyncall telling him something that used to excite him, he could not fully grasp what Wyncall said due to his introspective musings; the look on his face betrayed a deeper sense of turmoil that he was finding difficult to shake off.

    "If you daydream like that, you''ll be left behind. Remember that many people in this world want to be soldiers."

    "That''s right! I need to practice a lot! I need to get stronger!"

    "Then, let''s do as I say."

    Daydreaming, Pascoe didn''t hear what Wyncall said.

    "Yes? Do what?" asked Pascoe.

    "You didn''t hear me, did you? Well, that''s okay, I''ll repeat it.

    Now you have to find a stray dog and give it to me. Can you do it?"

    "Of course I can! Father once asked me to catch them! What are stray dogs for?"

    "For you to kill, of course.

    I''ll hang the dog to a tree, and then after that you''ll use this sword to stab its stomach many times; that way, it can be a helpful practice for you in the future!" Wyncall said with a mischievous grin lit up on his face.

    Pascoe shuddered inwardly. He usually saw Wyncall as someone he admired, but now Wyncall looked scary. Pascoe felt Wyncall had suggested something that seemed wrong.

    ''This kid... his morals are so hard to control,'' Wyncall thought as he saw Pascoe''s fearful face.

    "Aaaha... Sorry Mr. Wyncall. I''ll do it next time; I''m in a hurry right now! Goodbye Mr. Wyncall!" he shouted, his feet propelling him away from Wyncall, and he immediately ran away from there.

    "Sigh... This is not good. He''s already a failed experiment."

    ''Though things like this would be better if we taught innocent children who still don''t know anything. Pascoe is a bit different; it seems like his parents taught him morals well.''

    "Mr. Wyncall!" this time, another child approached Wyncall.

    ''Well, since the previous one failed, I can try it with another child.''

    ...

    "Mr. Wyncall has been looking scarytely," muttered Pascoe as he returned to his house.

    "Why did I suddenly be this timid? Mr. Wyncall just wanted to teach me how to use a sword."

    Ever since Pascoe met Wyncall at the end ofst water month, he had felt his goal of bing a knighte closer, and he had vowed at that time to fulfill whatever training he gave him.

    Buttely, Pascoe had begun to fear Wyncall, and now he often daydreamed. Not only when he was with Wyncall but also when he was helping his father in the garden.

    The reason for his daydreams was none other than,

    "Pascoe... You''re back early again today. Have you finished ying?" was his mother, Iva.

    "I-yeah, the other kids are busier because they help their parents!" Pascoe said, lying. From the beginning, he had no friends close enough to y with.

    "I see..."

    ''I''ve really be a craven,'' Pascoe thought as he looked at his mother, who was stroking her pregnant belly.

    "Since I''m still unsatisfied ying, do you want to y with me?" asked Pascoe.

    "Eh? ying with you? But I can''t move much."

    "That''s okay! I just want to y ring toss."

    "Alright¡­But if I win, do you want to change your ytime to help Dad in the garden?"

    "HAHAHA Don''t underestimate me mom! How could I lose?! Mr. Wyncall praises my uracy, and I can easily beat the other kids!"

    Pascoe rushed towards the barn, his mind preupied with one single thought - finding the y. He was excited because he could be ying with his mother after a while. As he found the wooden y for ring toss, he returned to his mother. Sprinting, panting heavily, sweat streaming down to his forehead. The tiredness didn''t matter, though, as he couldn''t wait to y with his mother.

    "Mother! I found it! Let''s y-"

    But as he went back to his mother, he saw Allen and Rodion walking on the way to the house. Pascoe could see his mother''s determination to get fit and healthy, but his heart sank as he looked at them, indicating their game would have to wait.

    "Ah, Pascoe. Let''s yter; mom will do exercise first."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "O-okay..."

    ''I''ve really be a coward...''

    The next day, Pascoe didn''t even go to visit Wyncall; he was just at home, ying with his mother, telling stories, and collecting insects, sometimes he showed his mother the sword art moves that Wyncall had taught him, even though they were all lies.

    The next day, the next day, and the next day, he became closer to family. He never yed far away. Part of his day was spent ying with his mother, and the other part was helping his father.

    "Mom! Now I''m going to show you the most difficult twisting style to do-"

    Allen and Rodion came,

    "Ah sorry Pascoe. Please show it next time,"

    "Eh?! No way! I want to show you my spinning style!"

    "Show it next time, mom will definitely see itter."

    Pascoe puffed up his face, annoyed and angry.

    "NO NEED! YOU DON''T NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN!" Pascoe threw down his wooden stick and ran away.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Rodion, who had just arrived.

    "That... Pascoe has been getting spoiledtely. Not that I''m bothered, but over time he''s be more and more selfish," said Iva.

    "Yeah, that''s not surprising; kids get more and more spoiled with their parents, especially when their parents'' time is taken away like now."

    Allen looked at Pascoe who was running away; seeing his expression, Allen realized it, it was the face of someone who was angry and getting scared.

    "Allen, why stay still? Do your job,"

    "Okay..."

    Pascoe didn''t run very far; he ran until he was behind the bushes beside his garden. From the beginning, he didn''t intend to go anywhere. He wanted to cry, spend his time alone as usual, and see his mother behind the bushes.

    "Why does mom have to exercise like that?! She should spend her time with me!" muttered Pascoe.

    Pascoe peeked at his mother''s activities behind the bushes.

    As usual, he could see his mother trying to improve her stamina. Sweat was pouring down her shirt, her wrinkled face was always twitching with fatigue, but her eyes were always burning with enthusiasm.

    It was ever since Allen promised them to save his mother.

    Pascoe, who did not care about his family and only focused on his goal, had been so consumed by ambitions that he had seen his family as an obstacle in the way of his goals. However as Pascoe watched Iva''s struggles to ensure the child in her belly, his heart began to soften and he slowly became spoiled and craven.

    It had been several days since Pascoe had seen Iva''s struggle, and Iva''s efforts grew a sense of worry in Pascoe''s heart.

    Iva''s efforts to give birth to the child in her womb normally make Pascoe think

    ''Was I also taken care of like that when I was in mom''s belly?''

    ''Did mom use to rub her belly when I was in there too?''

    The deep sense of trepidation within him echoed and hit him. He had never considered the pain and sacrifices his mother went through when she bore him in her womb. The ache, the nausea, the sleep deprivation. He was sure Iva also felt that when he was inside her belly.

    He began to understand his mother''s predicament and also how dear his mother was to him. And that is what created fear in his heart.

    That cravenness was the fear of loss.

    Pascoe had often heard that Iva could have died giving birth to the two children in her stomach. Although Allen promised Iva he could save her, Pascoe knew it was probably impossible. Because before going to bed, he always heard his father crying about it, which made his trust in Allen nonexistent.

    He became spoiled because he felt that he had to spend more time with his mother.

    He stopped ying with Wyncall because it would only shorten his time with his mother.

    He wanted to spend all his time with his mother until she died. But Allen and Rodion keep stealing his time with his mother.

    Suddenly, in the middle of her walk, Iva fell down.

    "M-Mom!" Pascoe immediately stood out of the bushes, worried about his mother. But just then Allen was able to help her up.

    "Is your stomach starting to hurt, Iva?"

    "It''s okay, Allen. I can still walk a little more,"

    Pascoe couldn''t hear them. He only saw them from afar.

    ''I''ve really be a craven.''

 Chapter 165 For Her Sake

    ?

    "Iva, is there something stuck in your mind?" asked Rodion as Iva repeatedly failed to focus on the yoga instructions he was giving.

    "Remember Iva, you shouldn''t stress or overthink too much. If things are weighing on your mind, I am afraid you can''t give birth properly," Rodion continued.

    Iva hadn''t meant to hide anything from the start, so he told him,

    "Pascoe... his face when he was angry made me can''t stop thinking about it."

    "You mean Pascoe''s behavior just now?"

    "Yes, actually he always treats me like that¡ªangry and noisy." She paused momentarily, reflecting on how she had just looked at Pascoe. "But the expression he had just now...he really looked angry with me." Her mind was fixated on his face. "I can''t forget that face, and it seemed like he really wanted to y with me. Can''t I spend a little time ying with him?" she said to Rodion.

    "Unfortunately you can''t. Once the water monthes in, you''ll get more rest."

    But if that thought kept weighing on her mind, it wouldn''t end well either, so Rodion made a suggestion.

    "Let Allen y with him; that should be enough."

    "Me?"

    "Yes, you are the hero, Allen. He admired you from the beginning, right?"

    "Master, you know it''s wrong. It seems like he''s starting to hate me now."

    "Teach him a few perfunctory sword moves; he''ll be interested."

    Reluctantly, Allen replied, "Okay."

    From the beginning, Allen''s only job was to cook, so once the morning cooking was done, all he had to do was keep watch in case something happened. As for Susan, she was in charge of keeping the soup and food warm. And since the pregnant woman would have to relieve herself frequently, she also had to go back and forth to the bathroom to help her.

    In an instant, Allen was able to find Pascoe who was peeking behind the bushes.

    "Wha! Allen! What are you doing here?" Pascoe shouted.

    "Iva was worried about you, so she asked me to take her ce ying with you."

    "I see..." said Pascoe, sitting down and hugging his legs.

    "But I don''t want to y with you..." Pascoe paused, thinking about how his mother struggled. "Allen, could you let me y with Mom more? Could you tell Mr. Rodion to shorten the exercise? Please, don''t take my time with mom."

    "I can''t; we do this for the sake of Iva."

    Allen appeared to have an innate understanding of Pascoe''s emotional state. The young boy''s demeanor showed a sense of longing for his mother''s presence, like he was Allen who was constantly waiting for his mother''s return. Allen couldn''t help but empathize with Pascoe''s plight, knowing the deep-rooted loneliness that must be weighing heavily on the child''s heart.

    However, the present situation is different. Pascoe had be the cause of Iva''s stress, which was a cause of concern for Allen. If Pascoe continued down this path of disruptive behavior, it could have detrimental consequences for Iva and her baby.

    ''What should I say to this child? How should I act? How can I get this kid to take the weight off of Iva''s shoulders?''

    After thinking for ten minutes, Allen finally put his mouth close to Pascoe''s ear and whispered something to him.

    ...

    "That''s enough; let''s rest," Rodion said.

    "Iva, here''s the soup and water!" said Susan, cing it beside Iva.

    Sweating and exhausted, Iva replied, "Thank you very much,"

    ''Iva still wasn''t focused. That child is still weighing on her mind.''

    Suddenly,

    -TRAK TRAK TRAK

    They then heard the sound of wood shing. Their footsteps crunched along the garden path; a rhythmic shing noise caught the attention of Iva and Rodion. Curiosity piqued, Iva and Rodion looked at the source of the sound from the side of the garden, and they paused for a moment. Iva saw Pascoe and Allen practicing, or rather, ying with wooden swords. Allen''s face was expressionless, but Pascoe smiled and looked happy with every swing he made.

    "Peter! Allen! Helm me here!" It turned out they were lost in their own world,pletely unaware of Peter, who called them to help. Iva watched them silently, admiring her son''s tenacity and resilience.

    ''He really likes to swing the sword,'' Iva thought as she saw how happy he looked. She never encouraged Pascoe to pursue his interest because she was afraid of the soldier; she was afraid Pascoe would die just like his older brother. But now, as long as Pascoe was happy, she was okay with it.

    "Good job, Allen. This way, Iva''s mind won''t be burdened with that kid."

    "Allen... where did he get that wooden sword?" asked Iva.

    "I don''t know; I''m not sure either," Rodion replied.

    ''Probably it came from his scarf. What a versatile ability.''

    After all their business was done, during dinner Pascoe began to tell stories happily,

    "You know what? It turns out that Allen is really good with a sword! We''ve only been sparring a little, but I can feel that he''s a real fighter! Just as I thought, Allen is a descendant of past heroes!"

    Iva was surprised to see an excited Pascoe in front of her, as if what happened this morning had never existed.

    ''Thank goodness Pascoe is happy again,'' Iva thought.

    From that moment on, Pascoe stopped being spoiled with his mother and did incessant ytime with her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Don''t you want to y today? There''s still a little time before Allen and Rodione,"

    Pascoe shook his head and said, "No need; I need to practice swinging more. Allen says it can help us think clearly and empty our minds. Although I don''t know what that means."

    "I see... That''s good."

    He stopped ying with his mother and began gravitating towards Allen. Not only did they practice swordy together, but Pascoe also found himself readily engaging in all manner of games and tomfoolery with Allen.

    The next day,

    "Allen! Let''s y Ring Toss!"

    "It''s an easy game,"

    "Wow! You can throw all the rings urately!"

    The next day again,

    "Allen! Let''s use a real sword!"

    "No way!"

    The next day,

    "Allen! Let''s use the arrow."

    "I never practiced before, so it would be disappointing."

    "I believe you can do that."

    Then the next day,

    "Allen!"

    As their bond deepened, Iva couldn''t help but notice how much more independent and self-reliant her son had be. With Allen by his side, Pascoe looked happy, like he explored the world around him with newfound confidence, finally allowing Iva to focus on her regr activities well.

    Truly, Allen had be a much-needed breath of fresh air for both Pascoe and his mother, bringing joy andpanionship into their lives in a way they had never experienced before.

    That is how Iva thought¡­

    One day, Iva''s stomach hurt. Iva''s stomach started to hurt. She fell, held her belly, and felt a sharp pain that grew more intense every second. Eventually, the pain became unbearable, and she couldn''t ignore it anymore.

    "AAAAAKH!"

    "IVA!"

    "SUSAN! BRING SOME HOT WATER!"

    "Okay!"

    "HANG IN THERE, IVA!" shouted Rodion.

    "Rodion?! How is it? Is Iva''s child finally born?!" Rodion frowned, recognizing the worry that hung in Peter''s words. "No... these symptoms are notbor symptoms," he said slowly, realizing the gravity of the situation.

    "No... these symptoms are notbor symptoms!"

    Suddenly, Iva felt wetness between her thighs, and before she knew it, blood had soaked through her bottom and flowed onto the floor.

    "Iva is bleeding! Allen! Take her to the physician we went to yesterday!" eximed Rodion, who had rushed over after noticing Iva''s behavior.

    Meanwhile, Iva struggled to stay conscious as the pain became more overwhelming. As she gradually lost consciousness, she saw Pascoe looking at her with a shocked and sad expression. In his hand was a wooden sword that he slowly removed, perhaps realizing that there was nothing he could do to help ease Iva''s agony.

    "Mom?"

    Allen was silent, looking at Iva.

    With Iva lying on the ground, clutching her belly in pain, Allen knew that something was terribly wrong. He could see the blood seeping out of her gown, and his heart raced with fear for the safety of Iva and her unborn child.

    "ALLEN!" shouted Rodion, making Allene back to reality.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and began running as fast as his legs would carry her towards the physician''s house. As Allen swiftly made his way through the house, everyone were startled by their sudden disappearance; all they could feel was the fleeting breeze of Allen''s steps as he vanished into the distance.

    "What happened? Where did they go?!" Peter''s heart raced with worry, and Susan was quick to follow with a question in search of some answers.

    "Master? What actually happened?" Asked Susan.

    While everyone else seemed to be in a frenzy of confusion, Peter knew that Allen''s swift and sure-footed nature would ensure that he would lead Iva to safety.

    "Allen could run that fast, no worries, he will definitely bring Iva safely. We should prepare to go to the physician''s house."

    They would soon follow him to the physician''s house to provide any support and assistance they could.

    In that moment, Rodion knew that he had made a mistake. Hisck of knowledge and experience in medical led him to overlook the fact that Iva was pregnant with twins. He had only thought of caring for her as he would for a normal pregnant woman without considering the special attention that twin pregnancies required.

 Chapter 166 Just Kill Them

    ?

    As they returned from the physician''s ce, a sombre air hung over them that afternoon. Huddled around the dining firece, the afternoon sun''s rays shot through the window as they remained silent, processing the news.

    The advanced healing amnis had sessfully resolved Iva''s bleeding, but the situation was still grave. It was a relief to know that the fetus was unharmed, but the exnation from the doctor wasn''t much of afort. It seemed like amon urrence, especially for mothers pregnant with twins or older moms. However, it still brought a heavy weight to their hearts. The physician also said the bleeding wouldn''t harm the baby but was dangerous to the mother and would affect thebor process.

    As they pondered what the future held, the reality of the situation had started to sink in.

    "Actually¡­ I wasn''t really want to y with Allen..." muttered Pascoe, breaking the silence.

    "I actually want to y ring toss with mom..."

    "I actually want to show my sword y with mom..."

    "I actually want to show mom my archer uracy..."

    "I actually wanted to talk to mom about a lot of things..."

    "But Allen said that I shouldn''t worry her. Allen said that I would be a burden to mom and could make her die; that''s why I endured it. I don''t want to be a bad boy and kill mom

    I refrained from ying with mom."

    "Allen, is that true?" asked Rodion.

    Allen was silent as he bowed his head. He didn''t know what he did was a bad thing.

    "But look now! Mom suddenly fell and is now unconscious! Is everything really okay?!"

    "Take it easy, Pascoe; the doctor said she''s still fine."

    "I KNOW IT! The problem is, will mom really be able to survive once she gives birth?!"

    No one could answer that; no one was really sure of that. They all still didn''t know if Iva could give birth safely.

    The bleeding this time might be normal, but it only proved how weak Iva''s body was. That made it impossible for her to give birth safely.

    "Aaa...aaah..." Iva suddenly woke up, opening her eyes.

    "Wh-what happened? Are my baby save?" she asked.

    Everyone immediately stood up and approached, except Rodion, who just sat in front of the firece and moved the charcoal.

    "Mom!" Pascoe jumped to Iva and grasped her hand tightly.

    "Are you okay?" asked Peter.

    "How do you feel?" asked Susan.

    "Do you need a drink?" asked Allen.

    "Don''t worry with your baby, they are fine," Rodion said.

    "Thanks god," Iva murmured as she heard it from Rodion. Then, she shook her head and said,

    "I''m fine. In fact, I feel very healthy right now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "This must be the effect of the healing amnis. I hope it''s not a temporary effect," said Rodion.

    Pascoe hugged his mother''s hand tightly, bowing his head as he sobbed. He couldn''t help but feel a deep worry welling up inside him. His tears flowed a little as Iva gently stroked his head, trying tofort him. Iva was surprised by her son''s tears and couldn''t help but wonder what was causing him such distress. "Pascoe, why are you crying? Mom is now healed," she said gently.

    "Mom... this is enough, right? You''ve really recovered, right?"

    "Yes, mom is already cured..."

    Pascoe let go of his mother''s hand and turned to face Rodion. Rodion lifted his head, and in front of him he could see Pascoe was crying, "Mr. Rodion, mom is already cured, that means starting tomorrow she won''t be doing any exercise, right? Mom can already y with me all day outside, right?"

    He knew what Pascoe was thinking, and dreaded the task of telling him the truth. If he lied now, it would only cause more heartache in the future.

    "I''m sorry, Pascoe," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "The doctor said he woulde and check on her for an hour a day. Then Iva should do light exercise without getting out of bed.

    Your mom can''t get out of her bed anymore."

    "What the hell... So mom can''t even move from the bed anymore?"

    Iva tried to get off the bed and approached Pascoe. "Pascoe-"

    "ENOUGH! LETS STOP ALL OF THIS!" shouted Pascoe, looking at his mother with water streaming down his face.

    "MOM, Why?! Why did you have to get pregnant? Why did you have to give birth to a child?!"

    "Pascoe!"

    "I don''t understand! Why did you have to give birth to them?! Why do you think pregnancy is good luck?! Giving birth to them will only kill you!"

    "Don''t worry Pascoe, I''ll be fine."

    "Lies! Lies! Lies! I know that mom could have died. How important are they to you? Those babies aren''t even born yet! Are they more important than me?!"

    "Pascoe is important to mom too, I love you very much Pascoe."

    Pascoe rushed over to his mother, his heart pounding with emotion. Then, he spoke the words that had been simmering inside of him for a month, "IF YOU TRULY LOVE ME, THEN ABORT THEM!"

    A sudden silence fell over the room as his words echoed in everyone''s mind. Iva, was particrly taken aback, unable to believe that her son had just made such a request.

    "Abort? Where did you hear such a thing?" she said it in shock and disbelief.

    Allen immediately shut his mouth; there was a time when he asked Rodion about another way to save Iva. And that way was to abort the baby. Allen knew Pascoe was present behind them when he talked about that, but he didn''t know that was something that Pascoe shouldn''t have heard about.

    Apparently, if the baby died, then Iva would be saved, and everything would go back to normal. But since that was definitely not what Iva wanted and not what Allen wanted, Allen didn''t think about using that method at all.

    "Just abort them! Just kill them! That way mom will be safe!"

    -SLAP

    Iva pped Pascoe across the face.

    And that p, for Pascoe, was a p that hurt many times more than his father''s punch.

 Chapter 167 Dont Let Yourself Become Like Me

    ?

    "You can''t talk like that! Pascoe!" Iva shouted with teary eyes.

    "No! I will not stop! Just abort them! I don''t care about them!"

    Iva pulled Pascoe''s shirt off and pped him once more,

    "JUST KILL THEM!"

    -SLAP

    "I DON''T CARE ABOUT THEM!"

    -SLAP

    "IF MOM CAN LIVE WITH THEIR DEATHS, THEY BETTER BE DEAD!"

    Iva''s anger peaked, and she intended to p Pascoe with all her strength,

    "IVA!" Peter rushed forward and intervened, pulling Pascoe''s arm away from Iva. Pascoe struggled against Peter''s hand.

    "HOW LONG CAN I LIVE WITH YOU IF THIS KEEPS UP?

    IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME! YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM BOTH!

    I KNOW MOM WILL DIE! SO PLEASE LEAVE THEM ALONE AND STAY ALIVE WITH ME!

    WITHOUT MOM I''LL BE LONELY!"

    The tears that had been pooling in Iva''s eyes began to fall down her cheeks, soaking her nket.

    For Pascoe, it was the first time he had ever seen his mother cry.

    Pascoe rebelled, broke free from Peter''s hand, and quickly ran out of the house crying, tears in his eyes.

    "Wait! Pascoe! It''s getting dark! Don''t go out!" shouted Peter

    "Allen! Take care of him!" said Rodion.

    "O-okay!" Allen dashed out of there.

    "Please Allen!" shouted Peter.

    As the afternoon progressed, the daylight began to fade, and the first signs of nightfall began to appear. Amidst the fading light, a flurry of snowkes started to dance in the air, adding a touch to the scene. Allen was taken aback by the unexpected arrival of snow, which he had never seen before. He looked up at the sky, mesmerized by the delicate kes falling gently from above.

    "What is this white thing?!" Allen muttered to himself, his curiosity piqued as he cautiously reached out to catch a snowke in his hand. As itnded softly on his palm, he felt the chill of the snow and was surprised by its unique texture. Without hesitation, he tasted it, feeling the cold-melting sensation on his tongue

    "It''s water, it doesn''t seem dangerous. But if something this cold is piled on top of our heads, it might be dangerous! I need to get to Pascoe as soon as possible!"

    Far ahead of Allen, Pascoe was seen running as hard as he could in the cold afternoon, tears running down his cheeks and unable to stop.

    Then he stumbled, and fell.

    "AAKH!"

    "Pascoe!"

    "Don''te here!"

    Pascoe cried, his body shaking, then he tried to sit up again.

    Allen knew right then that he had to say something to Pascoe. This time it had to be something true. Not something that seemed to deceive his feelings like he did before.

    "Pascoe, you have to trust your mom that she''ll survive. I''ve done everything I can, and I''ll keep trying to find a way for Iva to survive, so calm down! Let''s go back, she''ll survive."

    "How could I believe that!" Pascoe''s voice trembled, he was still crying.

    "You have to believe! Iva loves her babies. She said she wanted to see her baby''s face, which means she would have done it!"

    "How can I believe that mom would sacrifice herself for those kids. She doesn''t love me at all."

    "Why? That has nothing to do with it; Iva obviously loves you!"

    "Where did you get that? Mom would care more about that child than me! She''d leave me with dad and give those two kids to us!"

    "Iva is not that kind of woman; you should know that, right? That she loves you! She loves her children!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    When you were in her womb, she must have made every effort to give birth to you! She must have been so grateful to finally give birth to you!"

    "I KNOW IT! I know it, but...

    But...

    Now I must have grown up to be a child that she didn''t love...

    That''s why she gave birth to a new child! She''s disappointed in me!"

    "For what?!"

    Pascoe turned around, and looked at Allen with his swollen eyes. Pascoe''s body shook with renewed sobs,

    He shouted

    "BECAUSE I MADE HER CRY!!!

    Aaaah!!! Aaaaahaaaa HAaa!!!

    She loved me! And I make her not! Now mom must hate me!"

    Allen looked at crying Pascoe, and that made him hold his cry. ''I see, so that is how I look like at that time. Desperately crying because our loved one will hate us,'' Allen thought.

    With a trembling voice, Allen answered, "T-That''s impossible."

    Pascoe threw a rock at Allen,

    "That''s possible!"

    "That''s impossible!"

    He kept throwing rocks at Allen.

    "That''s possible!!! You don''t know anything! I was a bad boy! That''s why mom hates me! She wants to find a recement for me!"

    -GRAB

    Allen hugged Pascoe, gently but firmly enough that he couldn''t move much. Pascoe''s crying immediately stopped because of his hug.

    "I''m sorry... I lied," Allen said.

    "The truth is I don''t know what was going through Iva''s mind either. I also don''t know if what you said was right or wrong. Maybe it''s possible; maybe Iva hates you and wanted to rece you, I don''t know¡­

    I don''t understand anything."

    Allen had only been studying the outside world for less than a year; he didn''t know what to say to someone who had been in the outside world longer than him. So he chose to tell his heart to Pascoe. He told him his true self.

    "Pascoe, I also have a mother, she''s a fierce mother who always hits me, but I feel warm when I''m with her. She must love me just like how I love her, that''s what I thought.

    But the truth is I doubt it, is it possible that I''m the only one who loves her? Could it be that she really hates me and wants to ditch me? That''s why I lied to you. Because if Iva doesn''t love you, maybe my mom does too.

    But I kept believing that she loved me.

    Then I made a mistake; I told her that I hated her. And I regret it.

    Our job as children is to ensure that mom will continue loving us. If we be bad children, mom might not love us. So to regain back her affection, what do you think we should do?"

    With a trembling voice, Pascoe replied, "Apologize?"

    "That''s right, Pascoe.

    Whether Iva loves you or not is not important now. What matters is, do you love her? If you love her, you have to do something to make her not hate you.

    You made Iva cry, so you only need to apologize to her now.

    Apologize immediately, don''t let yourself be like me.

    Because,

    I never had the chance to apologize to my mother until the end of her life."

 Chapter 168 Taking Susan Home

    ?

    After safely escorting Pascoe back to his home, Allen, Rodion, and Susan walk through the snowfall towards their way homes. As they trekked through the cold air, Allen''s thoughts drifted to his recent conversation with Pascoe. Over and over, he reyed the words exchanged between himself and Pascoe, hoping desperately that he had said the right things.

    As they finally arrived at their destination, the snow clung to their clothing and weighed down their limbs.

    Allen couldn''t shake his feelings of unease. The conversation with Pascoe had left him unsettled, and he couldn''t help but wonder if there was something he could have done differently.

    "Susan, today you really have to stay here. It''s already starting to snow," Rodion said.

    "I won''t! I''m going home!"

    ''Yeah, stubborn as I expected,'' Rodion thought.

    Rodion took the umbre and two thick cloths from the storage shed and gave them to Susan and Allen.

    "In that case, Allen. Take Susan home."

    "Eh? But wouldn''t that bother Allen?"

    "No problem," Allen replied.

    Susan''s house was located a little far from the main road; they had to walk two kilometers to get there.

    On the way, Allen was daydreaming, still thinking about Iva and Pascoe. Susan was also silent, she knew that Allen was thinking about something, and she didn''t want to disturb him.

    "Susan, do you have a mom?" asked Allen suddenly.

    "Yes I do. Why so sudden?"

    "Where is she right now?"

    "Mom passed away..."

    Allen continued asking, "Do you think your mom loves you?"

    "Of course, I know that mom always loved me."

    "How did you know that?"

    "Eh? I don''t know how to answer that if you say so.

    Maybe it''s because she always tries to make me stop crying, stroke my head, or scold me when I do something wrong."

    "Then what about Iva? Does she hate Pascoe?"

    "Why do you ask?"

    "I talked to Pascoe earlier. He was crying because he thought his mother hated him. But I can''t give him a definite answer.

    Because I don''t know at all.

    I don''t know if she hates him or not."

    "Of course, I''m sure she doesn''t hate him."

    "Why? How can you be sure?"

    "You saw, didn''t you? How Iva loved the two babies in her womb. How she tried to give birth to them normally.

    I''m sure when Pascoe was in her womb, she did the same.

    She was willing to endure pain for her baby; she was willing to be exhausted for her baby; she was even willing to kowtow to you because you gave her hope that she wasn''t sure she could grant.

    Allen, if I be a mother, I can''t possibly not love the baby I''ve worked so hard to raise..."

    Susan''s exnation made Allen sure of many things.

    There was no doubt that Iva would love Pascoe.

    But...

    What about Allen?

    ''Then maybe mother doesn''t love me since I wasn''t even born from her belly,'' Allen thought.

    ...

    On the way to Susan''s house, Allen suddenly felt someone''s gaze behind him.

    "Susan, you''re being followed," muttered Allen.

    Susan just gave Allen a little smile while she bowed her head.

    "You already know? Or maybe you have good senses and have known about them since the beginning?!" asked Allen.

    "No, that''s not it. I didn''t feel it; I just knew. It''s happened quite often."

    "Often?"

    "Yes, every time Ie home from the tavern, people always follow me. It''s normal because I''m carrying money."

    "Isn''t this dangerous? How have you been able to escape them?"

    "Usually I just run to the house as fast as possible and lock the door. But now there''s Allen, so maybe it''s okay."

    "No way that is okay. I''ll try to deal with them now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Don''t! It''s useless."

    "Why?"

    "Just by attacking one person won''t change anything. It''s not just that person who knows I have money. Sometimes two people follow me, sometimes three. I find myself trailed by one to three individualsplete strangers seeking for money. Those are just random people who need money."

    Allen didn''t understand but knew how stubborn Susan was, so he wouldn''t ask further. But he suggested, "Then you should just stay at the tavern."

    "I said it''s fine, I''m fine. Look, we''re already here."

    They finally arrived. Allen scanned the small, unremarkable house in front of them. It''s just a one-meter-long concrete house, with wooden doors and windows. It''s dirty and weathered but sturdy enough to withstand thieves entering the house forcibly.

    "Master suggested me to use my money to upgrade the window and door, so it would be fine."

    "I see¡­"

    ''If Master already knows about this case, maybe this is something we shouldn''t worry about. Or probably the reason he asked me to take her was because he wanted to know Susan''s real situation,'' Allen thought.

    "Susan, wee," a thin adult man from the house next to Susan''s approached them,

    "Allen, he''s my neighbor, Mr Gorste. He was my father''s close friend. Our families have been quite close for a long time."

    "Greetings, I''ve heard about you from Susan. You''re that handsome other-worlder, right."

    "Mr. Gorste! Don''t say anything that could cause misunderstanding!"

    Allen just nodded.

    Susan then exined, "Do you see his house next door? Mr Gorste runs a woodworking business. He often stays up all night doing crafts, so don''t worry. No one will attack me at home."

    "Don''t worry, Allen. Our family is always looking out for Susan."

    "I understand, I''ll be going then," Allen replied as he turned back.

    "See you tomorrow."

    As soon as Allen turned back, he could feel that the people following Susan were starting to disappear. He looked around; hungry people were sitting on the streets, and many were drinking in front of the minibar.

    "People following Susan are people who are desperate for money. Tomorrow, I''ll force her to stay at the tavern instead."

    Meanwhile, as usual, the moment Susan stepped into her small, lonely house, she locked the door behind her, shutting herself away from the rest of the world. The silence within the four walls echoed the emptiness in her heart.

    Then she buried herself in her rough straw mattress. She clutched onto her brother''s pillow, a smallfort in her otherwise deste existence. She whispered to it, her voice filled with loneliness and despair.

    "Brother... today was more tiring than usual. When are youing home?"

    A wave of sadness swept over her as she faked herself to realize that her brother was nevering back. The weight of his absence was heavy, and Susan couldn''t help but let her tears fall. Her sobs echoed through the stillness of the night until she eventually cried herself to sleep.

    ...

    The night was bitter and cold. Because of the water month, the dawn starts at half past seven, making Susan to wake upte. Susan had snuggled up in her bed, drifting into a deep slumber as she waited for the dawn to break at half past seven.

    However, her peaceful sleep was soon rudely interrupted by a loud knock on her door.

    -KNOCK KNOCK

    "Oh no! I overslept!" cried Susan while immediately lifting her body.

    "I have to take a shower first!"

    Groggy and disoriented, Susan nced towards the door, half-believing that the sound was just another fragment of her dream.

    Then there was another knock on the door.

    -KNOCK KNOCK

    She heard the knock again, more insistent this time. Excitement flooded her veins as she realized it was no dream; it could only mean one thing. Her older brother had returned from his travels abroad! She sprang out of bed, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she hurried towards the door.

    "No way! Big Brother is home!"

    Fumbling with the lock, she flung open the door, her heart pounding in her chest.

    "BROTHER ARE YOU-"

    But to her dismay, it wasn''t her beloved brother on the other side.

    "I originally intended to wait, but since it''s been a while, I might as well knock," it was Allen, standing at her door in his thick winter clothes.

    "Allen? Why did youe here?"

    "I talked to the Master about the person following you. He said he had often forced you to stay at the tavern, but you didn''t want to. So he asked me to pick you up every day."

    Disappointment washed over her, but simultaneously, a sense of happiness blossomed in her heart as Allen was in front of her house again, offering himself to pick her up.

    "Oh, is that so? You shouldn''t have to do something like this."

    "I''m just doing what Master asked; after all, your house isn''t that far away."

    "I see, thank you, but sorry, I will ask you to wait again. Can you wait a moment? I''ll get ready."

    "Alright."

    Susan closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her face flushed with embarrassment. She closed her eyes, trying to push the memory of how she had mistaken Allen for her brother out of her mind. She held on to the door, trying to steady herself.

 Chapter 169 I Hope We Can Meet Again

    ?

    Due to Susan''s oversleeping, they started departing for Peter''s abode, which did notmence until approximately 9 o''clock. However, their initial ns for Peter''s ce were different. They were now prepared for their things in front of the tavern. Allen, burdened by a massive duffel bag that was three times his size, was filled to the brim with various household appliances. On the other hand, Rodion, carrying a much smaller pouch, held the remaining spices left in their kitchen.

    "Allen! Can you really carry all that by yourself?!" yelled Susan.

    "No problem."

    As Allen heaved the bulky bag over his shoulder, the bustling morning crowd around him seemed to stop their morning routine and start to be aware of Allen''s presence. Suddenly, he hoisted the bag easily. As Allen lifted it up, people gaped "Whoaah," they eximed in amazement, their voices now filled with awe for the weirdly-strong little boy.

    "I''m more worried about the rope. Don''t you have any way of not breaking it?" said Rodion.

    "Don''t worry, it won''t break." The bag didn''t have any rope, so Allen tied his scarf to his back and the bag.

    "Alright, let''s go," Rodion said once he locked the door.

    The water month had begun, and Iva''s child''s birth was also approaching, expected in two weeks. Allen and Rodion decided to sleep at Iva''s house until she gave birth. As for Susan, she would be shuttled by Allen from her house to Peter''s.

    "Alleeen!" a familiar-woman''s voice called behind him. Allen turned around and saw the woman running towards him. She was wearing a priestess outfit and carrying a fire church staff in her hand.

    "Miss Lavinia, I thought you had left the town in the early morning."

    "Almost, I happened to be passing by here. So I just wanted to say goodbye first before you left. How about the healing amnis? Have you mastered it well?"

    "I have; it''s just that the use is less efficient because it seems like the spirits don''t like me."

    "That''s probably more than enough. It should be able to help a littleter."

    "Yeah."

    After that, they fell silent in a fairly awkward situation.

    "Well then, I''ll see you next time," Allen said as he turned around,

    "Allen!" called Lavinia again, making Allen turn around once more.

    "Yes?"

    Lavinia''s heart had aplicated feeling when she saw Allen in front of her. He had turned into the new Allen, who was fighting for something. It made her repeatedly rethink her mistake of ever intending to use him to escape from Queen Orc.

    She realized how evil she was as a human being back then, once she was shackled by darkness to the point of wanting to kill Allen with her hands.

    But there was one more thing that stuck in her mind¡ªsomething she couldn''t tell Allen.

    He regretted that he didn''t try to persuade the prince to let her raise him, as a result Allen became gloomy and hated humans. She always thought that Allen would forever be like that if she didn''t do something. And she foolishly thought that she would one day return to Allen and teach him properly about love andpassion for others so that Allen could change.

    But...

    Allen has now changed,

    and he changed without any intervention from her.

    This indicates that she was too arrogant to think she should do something for him, as she was the only one who could do something about him, without thinking that Allen is also a human being who can change for the better without her.

    In the end, she also wanted to use Allen for her own satisfaction. She perhaps, craved Allen who used to be so dependent on her, an innocent boy who knew nothing.

    Allen is now grown up, a better person. He stood on his own, and had his own desires and goals.

    ''In the future, I am certain that without my presence, you will blossom into an even better version of yourself. You will encounter various experiences, whether it''s hard or happy. As of now, it is imperative that I release myself from the burden of past sorrows.

    I hope we can meet againter,

    And at that time...''

    -Chu

    "!!!"

    Lavinia gently kissed Allen on his left cheek, which surprised Rodion and Susan, leaving them frozen in awe.

    "Goodbye, Allen. I hope we can meet again,"

    Allen was also left perplexed and speechless, holding his cheek as he still felt the lingering sensation of Lavinia''s soft lips.

    He felt a strange feeling in his heart that he couldn''t exin.

    ...

    "You finally arrived, where have you been?" asked Birawa at the exit gate of Barkaley territory.

    "I''m from Allen''s ce, saying goodbye. Have the others arrived?"

    "Yes, they''re buying snacks. We''ll be leaving soon."

    "Snacks? In morning?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I can''t help it; our friend is said to get hungry very easily. He also said he will be responsible for bringing his own food, so I am okay with it."

    Without waiting long, the person they were waiting for arrived,

    "Oh, Lavinia. I haven''t seen you in a long time. You look better this time," said a caster with a purple robe and purple hair in a long braid.

    "Petrone... That time thank you so much for curing my mana poison,"

    Petrone is a talented caster who graduated from the academy with top marks. Leofric previously hired her to raid dungeons with him because of her talent.

    "Rather than poison, it''s more like an obstacle to mana''s path to exit the body. All I need to do is burn the seeds inside your stomach without destroying them."

    "That sounds difficult,"

    Then beside Petrone, was arge man in white armor carrying arge bag filled with food.

    "Mr. George, it''s nice to see you again," Lavinia said.

    George nodded with a bright smile on his face.

    "He was very happy when he found out that you were going to apany him. He said he was grateful for healing his wound."

    "What are you, the trantor?" said Birawa.

    "Oh, boss. Greetings," Petrone called out as Birawa interrupted them.

    "Where''s the other one?"

    "I''m here... sorry for beingte; I had to change my equipment beforeing here." a tall man came with arge wooden arrow hanging from his back

    "Aaah yeah, as I expected. it turns out that the archer called by the boss is you, Maurice."

    "Hmm? Did you miss me?"

    "Aaah don''t talk like that; you make me hate you even more."

    "Nice to see you again, Miss Lavinia," Maurice said, looking at Lavinia with smile.

    "Nice to see you too."

    ''Uh this is a type of handsome guy that I didn''t like,'' Lavinia thought.

    Birawa then patted his hand and said,

    "Alright, enough chatting; let''s continueter on the trip. There is a mission waiting for us.

    Again, I will exin to you what kind of enemy you will face." As Birawa patted his hand, everyone started to prepare themselves for what he said.

    Birawa tightened the sheath of his sword; Birawa turned his attention to the rest of the group. His expression was grave and sinister as he began to speak.

    "We''ll be fighting hundreds of Daemon Servus''sbatants," Birawa continued, his tone unyielding. "These are not mere adversaries but true fanatics with no regard for their own lives. They will stop at nothing to achieve their objectives. ording to the information, the ones we''re facing now are not ordinary sect members but one of their high priests, the Order of Seven Devils, Alester." The gravity of the situation was palpable, and Birawa''s words were enough to make anyone''s blood run cold.

    "I hope everyone has already made wills for their respective families," Birawa concluded, his words final. The weight of his words was not lost on the group, as the atmosphere shifted instantly. Everyone''s faces became serious, and the gravity of the situation washed over them.

    "I don''t need to; I didn''t think I''d just die anyway," Petrone said.

    "I already gave it, just like Petrone I didn''t mean to die either," said Maurice.

    "Yes, no one here wants to die. What about Mr. George?" asked Birawa.

    George replied with a thumbs up.

    "Good... How about you, Miss Lavinia? Have you said goodbye to your family or those you hold dear?"

    Lavinia gripped her staff tightly.

    Birawa asked Lavinia because Lavinia was the only one who had been with Birawa since their encounter in the Boldenville region. Birawa had never seen her speak intimately with anyone else, so Birawa deduced that Lavinia was probably an orphan raised by the church. She had no one more precious to her than her friends. And those friends had already been killed by the Queen Orc.

    Right now, the one she considered precious, was probably the person she cared about, like a younger brother, Allen.

    "I have said my good bye to my brother," Lavinia replied.

    Allen

    I hope we can meet againter,

    And at that time,

    If we can meet again,

    I hope I can eat your soup again.

 Chapter 170 Id Like To Hear More About You

    ?

    Rodion''s group causes a sense of curiosity among the bystanders. As Allen made his way down the main street, carrying a bulging backpack on his shoulders, people couldn''t help but stop what they were doing and take notice. The sight of a small boy carrying such a hefty load was unusual, and many onlookers were left wondering what could be inside that bag.

    However, despite the stares and whispers, Allen seemed unfazed, his eyes looking straight ahead as he made his way to his destination. He was still holding the cheek where Lavinia had kissed him.

    "Allen, are you still thinking about that kiss? What a guy," Susan said mockingly. Rodion was silent; he felt that if he responded, he would be a disgusting old man who was interested in young romance.

    Allen did, indeed, admit that he didn''t hate what Lavinia did to him. But what made Allen think was not just the kiss. It was Lavinia''s expression as she waved her hand. It looked happy but also sad.

    And maybe she also made that face when she kissed him on the cheek, so he thought that her expression must have something to do with him,

    ''Humans areplicated,'' thought Allen, who gave up trying to understand her.

    -Srek

    "Ah."

    Allen was knocked down by a rock covered with snow. Susan and Rodion, rather than worrying about Allen, they were more worried about therge bag he was carrying. If it fell, there would be some things that were damaged and could no longer be used.

    But despite being knocked down, Allen amazingly used his left hand to support his body to get back up.

    "I¡­incredible..." muttered Susan.

    Rodion approached Allen with an annoyed face and said, "This is the result if you don''t focus on the road ahead!" Rodion said while hitting Allen''s head.

    It wasn''t that Allen didn''t see the stone; it was because the stone was tripped by the snow that he fell down. And as soon as he remembered about the snow, Allen immediately returned to his world and asked Rodion.

    "O he, by the way, what is all this white thing? I actually meant to ask when I got home yesterday, but I had a lot on my mind at that time."

    "Allen... are you kidding?" asked Susan.

    Allen tilted his head, confused about why Susan would take that as a joke.

    "Right, of course you are not. You never joke anyway. It seems like the other world doesn''t have snow." said Susan.

    "Oh, so this is the snow Peter was talking about. I thought this was some kind of amnis or someone''s blessing."

    Rodion then exined, "Snow is normal rain that turns into ice as the day gets colder."

    "So this is water? I thought it was sand," Allen said, sitting down and picking up a handful of snow.

    ''Cold...'' Allen thought.

    He grasped all the snow and felt a slight sensation of water flowing from his hand.

    "It''s really water, I''m now starting to understand the concept of the four months. It seems like they happen in a row every year. What will happen to all this snow if the water month ends?"

    "They will melt. In the wind month, the trees will grow leaves again, and we can start nting again."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I see. So this is why we need to finish nting the potatoes before the water month begins quickly. In the water month, we can''t nt anything."

    Realizing Susan''s gaze, Allen asked, "What?"

    Susan shook her head "Nothing... It''s just that I just realized that you''re really like a big baby."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes, even though you are older than me, you don''t know anything about this world. Other-worlders are sure a strange presence."

    "For me, Susan is the most strange child I ever met. You act more mature than everyone else. Even though you''re only two years different from pascoe and me."

    "Hehehe, it''s because I''m a precocious girl!"

    "Why did you look happy? Is there any advantage to being precocious and an adult?"

    "Of course! When you grow up, you can live independently, earn money, drink bitter coffee, know how to separate sugar and salt, and...

    You can endure pain and do not have to cry.

    I want to grow up quickly and stop crying for every sad thing that happened to me."

    There was a strange stress in Susan''sst words;

    Allen couldn''t help but notice the sadness etched on Susan''s face, a look that seemed all too familiar to him. He had been indifferent to other people''s emotions in the past, but seeing Susan in such a state tugged at his heartstrings. He somehow didn''t want to see her like that. But he knew his limits. Despite his desire to intervene, he recalled Rodion''s words that stressed the importance of respecting people''s privacy. We shouldn''t interfere too much in people''s affairs. Even if we want to help them, sometimes people don''t like to be asked questions about their problems. Take Iva''s pregnancy, for example. He easily made false promises to Iva, which he himself wasn''t sure about.

    But even so, Allen still doesn''t regret his choice at the time.

    And neither did he feel like he would regret his choice to meddle in Susan''s problems.

    "Susan, after Iva''sbor is over, I''d like to hear more about you," it was the first time Allen felt interested in someone else''s problems.

    ''We''ve been working together for three months, but I have no idea what kind of trouble she''s in,'' was what he thought before he asked that.

    Hearing that, Susan''s face blushed. She immediately turned her face away from Allen and said,

    "I''ll look forward to it."

    Susan''s eyes zed over, as if she were looking forward to the person who asked her that. And she was happy that it was Allen.

    On that day when Susan saw Allen''s eye while he was promising Iva''s safety. He became a figure to rely on, and she was jealous of Iva when he said that. Because, wants someone to save her from her suffering while waiting for her brother toe home.

    For Susan, Allen was a substitute for her brother.

 Chapter 171 May He Live A Good Life

    ?

    "Good morning, Mr. Peter," Susan called as they arrived.

    "Morning."

    From that day on, Rodion and Allen became regr guests at Peter''s house and would always sleep in his room since Peter chose to stay close to his wife who rested in a chair nearby.

    Upon Allen''s arrival, he, Rodion, and Susan swiftly organized the less important items in the storeroom. The kitchenware has not been deemed a priority and was ced in the living room to be sortedter.

    As Allen was settling in, he retrieved a bag filled with cooking ingredients from the pack.

    "Allen, what are you doing?" asked Pascoe who jumped into Allen''s back.

    "I''m going to start cooking."

    "Can I try it too?"

    "Didn''t you say you hate this because it is a woman''s job?"

    "That''s why I''m going to try it. I''ll show you that I can do women''s work."

    Although Pascoe said that he was ying with Allen out of restraint, but in reality he was really having fun when he was with him. So he became increasingly attached to Allen and started copying whatever Allen was did.

    Susan immediately prepared hot water and wiped Iva''s body. Once done, Rodion would instruct Susan on what she needed to do to help Iva exercise, such as massaging, pulling shoulders, twisting arms, and so on.

    As soon as he was done, Allen went straight to help Peter shovel the snow that had umted in the garden.

    "I can''t see the nts. Are there any possible ways we failed?"

    Allen asked because, in the middle of soil month, the stems and leaves of the potatoes looked tall and lush. But strangely, now everything was withered, as if the nts had died. Moreover, they were covered with a little snow as if they were never there.

    "Don''t worry, that is how potatoes look when they are ready to harvest. What we will eat is not the leaves or stems. It''s the seeds inside the soil."

    "Does that mean there are a lot of potatoes inside the soil right now?"

    "That''s right. We can harvest them in a week."

    "In a week..."

    Peter''s curiosity got the better of him as he turned to Allen and asked,

    "Are you¡­ probably wanted to see it so bad?"

    Allen nodded his head in agreement; apanied by a smile, as he gazed over the potato garden he had nted.

    "I wonder what the thing I''ve nted myself will turn into."

    Peter looked at the big baby with amazement. He loved those moments when Allen said something that should be ordinary but sounded extraordinary once he said it. No wonder; he was a child who didn''t know anything yet, so every development made Peter happy with him.

    "Do you remember the first time you broke the hoe?" asked Peter out of nowhere, suddenly erasing Allen''s smile.

    "That time, I really apologized for what I did."

    "No need; the money has been reimbursed anyway."

    Peter looked back at his garden and said,

    "Actually, it was a hoe that our son used; it was a gift I gave to Fenton once he had hising-of-age ceremony."

    Peter did say that Allen shouldn''t have thought about it. But somehow, hearing that story made his guilt increase even more.

    "You know, that feeling when you hold a hoe? It''s a moment when you feel at peace, as if you''re one with nature.

    But for me, it was a time when I could mourn my son.

    Ever since we heard of his death during the dungeon raid, I kept using the hoe I gave him. Whenever I swung the hoe, I felt regret for letting him go to the dungeon that day.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    If only I had stopped him.

    If only I had listened to Iva''s words back then.

    If only I hadn''t been tempted by the prince''s gift back then.

    Those thoughts of wishful thinking always popped into my head whenever I used that hoe.

    That hoe was one of the precious things he left behind."

    A feeling of guilt washed over Allen, not only because of the matter of the precious hoe he destroyed but also because of the possibility that he might have killed Peter''s son in his rampage. Every word Peter said was like a knife stabbing straight into his heart. Peter seemed to be ming him for everything that happened to his son.

    "But Allen, you destroyed him. It was a precious thing for me, but also a curse.

    At that moment you broke it, I realized...

    I should have done it from the beginning.

    With the destruction of the hoe, it was like I was released from the shackles that bound me. I stopped thinking stupid things about the past.

    The breaking of that hoe was the moment I was freed from my stupid thoughts about that kid. I''m sure that kid wouldn''t want me to think that badly of him."

    With a heavy heart, Allen then asked

    "Do you regret letting your son go to the dungeon?"

    "I don''t regret anything anymore. Our family was in critical condition at that time because the entire garden had failed, and Pascoe was sick. We were in great need of food, which is why he volunteered to join the dungeon raid with the prince. He wanted to help the family and ensure we could stay happy forever.

    So I don''t regret anything.

    I don''t regret anything anymore. Thank you for destroying that hoe."

    The sight of Peter''s grateful face caused Allen''s heart to ache even more, a searing pain that coursed through his body with each passing moment. He knew it would not be easy, but he needed to know what Peter thought about it. With a trembling voice, Allen summoned the courage to ask the question weighing heavily on his mind.

    "If, for example, your son was killed in the dungeon and you knew the killer, would you hate him?" Allen asked, bracing himself for the answer that was sure to follow. It was a poignant question that cut to the heart of the matter at hand, revealing the raw emotions beneath the surface.

    For Allen was the one who had taken Peter''s son, the one who had robbed him of his future and shattered his dreams. The weight of that knowledge hung heavily on Allen''s conscience, sending waves of guilt and remorse crashing over him with each passing second.

    But he needed to see whether Peter''s heart was filled with hate and anger or whether there was still a glimmer ofpassion and understanding left in his soul.

    Peter, with a smile, answered

    "If you mean the ck-and-white-mottled child brought by the barony, then I will proudly say

    I won''t hate him."

    Allen''s eyes zed over, feeling a sudden warmth from all his blood.

    "I''ve heard stories about that boy from the soldiers. On the day of his judgment, I saw that boy. I couldn''t believe such a small child was responsible for the deaths of 100 soldiers.

    But it was a fact; that kid really killed people.

    I was angry, so I took the stone and wanted to pour my anger on that kid. But at the moment I saw the child''s face,

    That face was unfortunately not the face of someone who kills for no reason. It was one of the saddest faces I''ve seen in my entire life.

    So I stopped my hand and walked home."

    Peter looked at Allen, and continued,

    "Wherever he is now, may he live a good life."

 Chapter 172 Youve Killed Him

    ?Proxy Connection Failed!

    As Allen settled into Peter''s house for the first night, a biting chill descended upon him. He quickly realized that the inadequate nkets provided by his host would not suffice. Allen had to create a few woolen nkets with Reig to keep him warm in such conditions.

    But, to his dismay, nature was not on his side. A mighty snowstorm blew outside, its ferocious gustsshing against the windows and walls of the quaint country house. The howling winds only added to his frosty difort, making it even more difficult for Allen to drift off.

    Finally, as his eyelids grew heavy and exhaustion overtook him, Allen fell into a restless sleep. But his slumber was disturbed by a vivid dream that transported him back to when his beloved mother passed away.

    This was a recurring dream that he always saw every time he slept. But now it was different; he dreamt of standing inside the dungeon where his mother was dead, but he didn''t see his mother there this time. What he saw were the soldiers who attacked him; Allen moved swiftly to dodge them.

    "Why are you attacking me?" asked Allen in the dream.

    But the soldiers didn''t hear; they didn''t even have ears to hear or eyes to see. As Allen faced the onught of soldiers, he was forced to fight back with all his might.

    Each swing of his weapon produced a sickening sound as it connected with his enemies; the soldier screamed loudly with a disturbing face. Allen was troubled by the sight of their twisted, pained expressions. Because he didn''t like seeing that face, Allen killed them in one attack, this is also the reason why Allen uses all his strength in each sh. So that his opponents die instantly without him being able to see their expressions.

    In that dream, the soldiers were inexhaustible. Frustrated and desperate, Allen continued to fight, unaware that he was trapped in a never-ending cycle of violence and death. As soon as he killed one, five more came out. He battled more and more soldiers, and he realized that his enemies were multiplying before his very eyes. He was overwhelmed, surrounded by an endless sea of foes.

    Until finally, Allen got fed up and shouted

    "Don''te any closer! Why are you attacking me?!"

    The soldier didn''t answer, but now Allen could hear the murmurs of the soldiers,

    "Kill him!"

    "Kill him!"

    "Kill him!"

    "You murderer!"

    "You took my friend from me!"

    "You''ve killed him! You must die!"

    Allen immediately shuddered in fear. As soon as Allen looked at their faces more closely, he could see tearsing out of their eye holes.

    The soldier approached again, and Allen quickly cut down everyone in front of him at once.

    They increased and continued to increase.

    Then, after a while, all the soldiers who came were gone, and he finished killing all of them.

    Except for one, a man approached him, trembling and carrying a wooden hoe.

    "I''m going home, I have to go back to see my family," the man said.

    Looking at the man, Allen immediately knew who he was. From his face and hair, he looked a lot like Iva.

    "You''re Iva and Peter''s son! Fenton!"

    Allen stood up...

    "Wait! What are you doing?!" shouted Allen to himself.

    Allen stood up and walked towards Fenton.

    "Stop! Don''t kill him!"

    But even though Allen shouted, he couldn''t hear him. He couldn''t move his own body.

    "DON''T!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His body ran towards Fenton quickly and shed off his head.

    "Aaaah! AH! AAAAAAAAAAAJH!!!!" Allen screamed as soon as he split Fenton''s head open.

    He could move his body again, but it was toote.

    "Father... Mother... Pascoe... I''m sorry," said the rolling head.

    Allen let go of his two swords. He shook his head and told himself that it wasn''t his fault,

    "No! My body moved on its own! It''s not my fault!"

    He retreated backward while repeatedly telling himself he was not at fault.

    "You were the ones who came for me in the first ce! You were the ones at fault! It was because of you that mom died! You took everything away from me!" Allen shouted.

    Then he copsed and fell backward. As soon as he looked down, it turned out he fell because he had tripped up on someone''s head.

    "AAAAAAAAAH!"

    Allen looked behind him, there he could see a pile of the corpses of all the people he had killed. The pile of corpses suddenly raised their heads and looked at Allen angrily.

    "KILLER!"

    "KILLER!"

    "KILLER!"

    "KILLER!"

    "KILLER!"

    ...

    Allen was roused from his sleep, and he was met with a diforting surprise that his body was drenched in sweat despite the blistering coldness of the room.

    It was as if he had been battling a great demon in his dream, causing panic to rush through his veins. The sound of tiles scraping was still clearly audible, signifying that the snowstorm outside had yet to relent. Its noise disturbed the peace of the night and added to the current state of confusion that Allen found himself in.

    Holding his aching head, he muttered under his breath,

    "What did I dream?" His mind waspletely nk - he couldn''t recall anything from his dream. However, the haunting feeling of it being important and frightening left him uneasy.

    Then just as he was about to lie down again, he heard a shout.

    "IVA!"

    It came from outside, in the front room. And it was Peter''s voice.

    Allen quickly went to their ce, and when he got there he saw Peter holding Iva''s body. From Iva''s face, it looked like she was in a lot of pain.

    "Rodion! What happened to Iva?!" shouted Peter to Rodion, who Allen didn''t realize was behind him.

    Rodion''s face looked shocked and scared.

    "Iva! Don''t tell me that..."

    "THEY ARE GOING TO BE BORN! MY CHILD WILL BE BORN!" shouted Iva softly in pain.

    Those were words that absolutely no one there had expected, and they were probably the beginning of the terrible panic they would face.

 Chapter 173 Who The Heck Are You?

    ?

    During a turbulent snowstorm in the middle of the night, Peter and Iva''s frantic shouts roused everyone out of their slumber. As they assembled in the front room around the crackling warmth of the firece, it became apparent that Iva was clutching her stomach in difort¡ªa clear sign that she was about to give birth to their child.

    "Dad! What happened to Mom?" Pascoe shouted out to his father to exin his mother''s condition.

    "Go back to your room Pascoe!" replied Peter.

    Then Peter looked at Rodion and asked, "Rodion?! What should I do?! Should we take her to the physician immediately?!" shouted a desperate Peter, waiting for his friend, whom he relied on so much to help him find answers.

    But Rodion didn''t know what to do either.

    That night was a blizzard, and the storm was strong enough to almost break the roof tiles. There was no way they could take Iva, in pain, to the physician. No one could get out of the house in such a violent storm.

    "Didn''t the physician say they''d be born in two weeks? Why were they born today?"

    "I don''t know about that either! What''s certain is that the child will be born now! How do we handle it?!" snapped Rodion.

    Since they were twins, Rodion had already thought about the possibility that they might be born earlier than expected. In the event of an early birth, it would be imperative to have transportation avable to take Iva to the physician promptly. Unfortunately there is no car in this world. Yet Rodion had faith in Allen''s reliability and knew he could depend on him to transport Iva safely.

    Suddenly, a terrifying thunder descended upon them, causing great concern for Iva and the babies. The situation was now critical as the storm intensified. Even if Allen could navigate the treacherous conditions and return, it would be impossible to transport Iva in such dangerous weather. Iva''s safety and the babies'' health were seriously jeopardized.

    Iva cried out in pain, clutching her stomach tightly.

    "AaAarrgh! They hurts! My stomach hurts! Please do something! I can''t bear it anymore! " she eximed. Her baby had decided to arrive earlier than expected, and Iva was struggling to cope with the sudden onset of contractions.

    "Iva! Hang in there!" cried Peter with a worried and desperate face.

    Hearing Iva''s piercing cries, Rodion stepped forward with a determined look on his face.

    "It can''t be helped; Iva has to give birth here. I''ll lead the operation," he dered, surprising everyone present. Despite not having any experience delivering a child, Rodion was determined to step up and help Iva in her time of need.

    "Wait! Are you serious?" Peter eximed in disbelief, his eyes widening at the thought of an inexperienced Rodion delivering a baby. Rodion began to roll up his sleeves and start approaching Iva.

    "Hey! What are you doing?!" shouted Peter again.

    "Saving your wife. She had already hemorrhaged before. If we leave her as she is now, she will die, and the child in her womb will die too!"

    "Haemorrhag-What?! Wait, do you have the experience of giving birth to a child?! There''s no way I''m going to let an old man like you touch my wife!"

    "Sigh! You idiot, we don''t have any more time!"

    Rodion then looked at Pascoe and ordered, "PASCOE! QUICKLY HEAT THE WATER!" shouted Rodion.

    "Eh?!"

    "YOU CAN DO IT, RIGHT?!"

    "I-yeah!"

    Pascoe quickly carried out Rodion''s order. Peter was still confused about what the old man was doing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With a scowl etched upon his face, Rodion red at Allen before letting out a deep sigh,

    "This is all your fault, Allen; it''s because you gave them hope that now I am forced to do this. Later, if anything happens to me, take responsibility for my tavern," he muttered under his breath.

    "Master?" Confusion etched on Allen''s face as he tried to make sense of Rodion''s sudden words.

    Rodion''s frustration mounted, and he grabbed at his hair, then muttered,

    "God''s blessing: Spryatat''sya za skaloy."

    Suddenly, his hair began to glow, changing into a new shade that left everyone in the room stunned.

    Shocked by the disy, Peter shouted

    "RODION! YOU ARE! WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

    Rodion locked eyes with Peter and replied,

    "Hmph! That''s really nice of you Peter. We''ve been friends for ten years; I''m d you never asked, even though you suspected me of hiding something."

    "Master... you... aren''t you an other-worlder?" asked Allen in confusion.

    "Yes Allen, I am indeed an other-worlder."

    "But why... Why do you have white hair?"

    Everyone watched Rodion with shocked faces. Rodion''s hair transformed from brown to a pure white color, the signature mark of the feared curse n, The Norttish.

    But their shock is pointless now because...

    "AAAAAKH!!! MY CHILD! MY CHILD WILL BORN! PLEASE!!! HELP! EVERYONE!" Iva''s scream alerted everyone.

    "Iva! Hang in there! We will do something!"

    Peter looked at Rodion, the friend he had been trusting had been hiding something extraordinary from them. For a moment, it made him doubt his trust in Rodion.

    His suspicion of Rodion had started since he first knew him because Rodion had a lot of strange knowledge that he didn''t understand. Sometimes he would say something that soundedplicated and speak anguage he didn''t recognize. Maybe he was a spy or something. But after a few years of knowing Rodion, Peter discarded his suspicions.

    But...

    Since Rodion is showing it now, it must mean that Rodion is really determined to save Iva.

    Peter knew that Rodion must be showing this to him because he knew him so well. Rodion must have believed that Peter would believe him after doing so, and Peter was annoyed that it was true.

    "Rodion, my friend, please save Iva," Iva was in too much pain to argue or consider any alternative options, Peter just had the option to hope Rodion really did something for his wife.

    "I understand... I''ll exin everything to youter. For now, let''s save Iva."

 Chapter 174 My Belly Hurts

    ?

    It hurts...

    My belly hurts so much¡­

    The anguish I''m experiencing surpasses any physical agony I have ever endured. Even though my twins have yet to take their first breath, the torment is on par with that of delivering a single child.

    The waves of excruciating pain rip through my body, each contraction more intense than thest__

    "Good, do it slowly; put a big pillow behind her neck. Pascoe, is the water done?!"

    "Yes!"

    "Put it here, don''t forget the towel."

    Allen came in with a potion in his hand and said, "Master, this is a healing potion and a stamina potion. Are six really enough?"

    "Yes, the human body cannot receive more than five potions in a day. Give the stamina potion to Peter."

    "Only the stamina potion?"

    "Yes, keep the healing potion away from here first; don''t let anyone here reach it besides you," Rodion said with an even more severe face.

    "What should I do?" asked Peter.

    "Hold your wife''s hand and keep talking to her. Give her the stamina potion if she looks like she''s about to faint. Remember, she only needs to drink it twice, so you must be able to see her condition well; if you give her to them just out of pity, we can''t give her a healing potion after she gives birth, and she will die."

    "Alright!" Peter replied.

    "Allen, do you have anything to bind someone instantly?" Rodion asked a strange question, but Allen knew it was not the time to ask,

    "I do! I can use my scarf quickly."

    "That''s more than enough,"

    Iva''s birth process was like hell on earth for them. Although Iva was only wearing one piece of clothing at the time, she didn''t care if anyone else in the room saw her crotch. The pain she felt took away her embarrassment, and that''s what Rodion and Allen couldn''t bear to see.

    "The hole doesn''t open properly! We don''t have any options, Allen. Knife!"

    "Here!"

    "R-Rodion! W-what are you doing with that?!"

    "AAAKHKHKH!!!"

    Rodion split Iva''s crotch hole a few centimeters to pull out the baby inside. Blood oozed out of there profusely, making Allen avert his eyes.

    "RODION-"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "CALM DOWN! There''s a potion here! Keep talking to her! Don''t let her faint! Her strength is still needed to get the babies out!

    And Allen, don''t look away; look at everything carefully. You''re the one who promised Iva''s safety; you have to keep an eye on everything that''s happening right now,"

    "O-okay¡­"

    Iva pushed; Iva''s screams; Iva''s cries; with each passing moment, Iva was pushed to the limits of her endurance, each breathing in ragged gasps. The weight of her body feels unbearable, and the helpless sensation of being unable to control what is happening overwhelms her.

    It is the kind of pain only a mother could bear, yet the thought of embracing her precious newborn twins at the end of it all gives her strength to endure.

    Yes, it is the kind of pain only a mother could bear, but Iva''s pain somehow spread to everyone in the room.

    Pascoe''s heart sank as he witnessed the anguish etched across his mother''s face during the birthing process. Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain that his mother was experiencing, Pascoe cried out for the operation to be halted. His pleas fell on deaf ears, but Rodion continued their work. Seeing Pascoe''s distress, Rodion quickly intervened, asking Allen to lock him in a separate room to spare him from the traumatic sight. However, the distress proved to be too much for Pascoe. Soon enough, he began banging on the locked door in a frenzy, tears streaming down his face as he screamed in despair.

    The excruciating ordeal persisted for what felt like an eternity, despite the clock indicating only two hours had psed. Iva''s clothing was drenched in sweat and stained with blood, while her contorted face betrayed the agony of childbirth. Overwhelmed by the sight, Peter broke down in tears. Meanwhile, Allen struggled to maintain hisposure, not wanting to appear desperate or helpless in front of Iva and Peter. As he stood there, watching Iva''s excruciating pain, he resented the situation and wished he could make it all go away. For a moment, Allen considered uttering the unthinkable, "forget the baby, just kill the baby," but he knew better than to voice such a sentiment. It would only serve to demoralize Iva further and put her life in even greater peril.

    After two hours had passed,

    They could hear a baby crying.

    Rodion gently gave the baby to Peter.

    "Iva! Look, your child is born... Look at this face; it''s a boy, and he looks like Fenton."

    Iva''s face looked weak and pale; her eyes were droopy, like she was about to faint and probably couldn''t see her baby properly. The blood didn''t stoping out of her crotch, and

    "Rodion! Hurry up and give me the healing potion!"

    "No! It''s not over yet!"

    The hell was not over yet. There was still one more child that needed to be born.

    "But Iva''s not strong enough! Iva! Hang in there! I''ll give you the potion!"

    "NO! If you give her the potion, then her crotch will regenerate; we''ll start all over again!"

    But the hardness of witnessing a mother''s pain during childbirth can be an overwhelming experience. For partners or loved ones, it can be an intense emotional rollercoaster, filled with feelings of helplessness, fear, and anxiety. Witnessing a loved one''s pain and difort duringbor can be distressing, as one feels powerless to alleviate the suffering. The added pressure of wanting to remain calm and supportive while simultaneously grappling with one''s own emotions can be daunting. And now that stress and desperate Peter have a chance to save her, that is what Rodion was afraid of from the very beginning.

    "It won''t do any good if Iva dies! Look at her face!" Peter put the baby beside Iva and quickly took the healing potion.

    "Allen! Tie him up!"

    "Huh?!"

 Chapter 175 Thank Goodness

    ?

    "HURRY!"

    "Reig!" Reig attacked Peter and bound his entire body up to his mouth. Peter writhed there, wanting to say something but unable to.

    "Iva! Hang in there! You must be able to give birth to your child safely! Don''t sleep! Take a deep breath! Get the second baby out!" shouted Peter.

    ''What? What happened? My stomach... it hurts... Is my child... my child okay?'' Iva thought.

    She couldn''t; she didn''t seem to hear anything. Then someone held her hand. Iva looked toward her, and she could see Allen carrying a baby.

    Allen spoke softly to Iva, hoping she would hear him despite her intense pain.

    "Iva... look at this creature. Isn''t he amazing? It turns out that humans started with this tiny creature. I wonder how this child grew up in this condition. Do we need to feed it? Or pull his body to be taller? I only have memories from when I was five years old, so I don''t remember what mom did to me before that.

    I don''t really want to say this, but isn''t her face simr to a goblin''s? It''s just that the nose and ears are smaller."

    Iva probably didn''t hear him, and Allen knew it, but he continued to converse with Iva. She had told him earlier that she wanted to see how he would react to the birth of their twin babies. At that moment, Allen couldn''t help but feel tremendous sadness and awe at the same time. Witnessing the intense pain and struggle that Iva went through to bring their babies into the world filled him with a sense of humility.

    "That''s right, Iva... twins, two babies, both of them. Remember Iva; you told me that you wanted to see my reaction after they were born. Just a little more... Just hold on a little more, Iva," Allen tried his best to hold back his tears andfort Iva, but his emotions got the best of him, and tears streamed down his face.

    Iva reached out to her baby, stroking the crying baby''s head gently; then grasped Allen''s hand.

    "Allen... Can you let go of Peter? I want to hold my husband''s hand,"

    Allen then nced at Rodion, and Rodion nodded permission.

    Allen released his bonds.

    "Iva!" Peter shouted while carrying a healing potion in his hand." Iva immediately grasped Peter''s hand.

    Quickly, Allen took the potion from Peter''s hand.

    "Allen! Give it to me!"

    "Peter... look at Iva, she''ll survive... I trust her. You see, she has promised to thaw her child safely."

    "NNNNGGHG!" Iva continued to convulse, waiting for the next child to be born. Her face, already desperate and weak, again forced her again to give birth to the second child.

    "Good Iva! Keep it out!" shouted Rodion. Peter continued to call Iva, then prayed beside her to God to deliver her child safely.

    "This is really dangerous... She still can''t get it out properly. If this is continued, the baby will be saved, but Iva won''t. If the baby is already out, I bet Iva will give up on her life."

    "Master, is there no way for us except to wait for the baby toe out?" asked Allen.

    "There is another way; we can pull the baby out using a vacuum, but that''s a thing that only exists in another world."

    "How does that work?"

    "You need to cut a hole big enough for the object to suckle the child''s head, and then we will pull the baby out."

    "I see. Reig, you hear that, don''t you? Can you do that?"

    "Reig?" muttered Rodion in confusion.

    Allen''s scarf spun unnaturally, turning into a mass of ck slime.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What is that thing?!" shouted Rodion.

    Reig then responded by taking out his hand and showing the thumb symbol to Allen, indicating that he could do it.

    "Good, please do it."

    Reig first tied himself to Allen''s right hand, and then he entered Iva''s womb.

    "Wait- he can do that?! Then, don''t just stick to the baby''s head! This method has a lot of side effects. It''s better to pull out a part of her body!"

    "Reig, do as the Mastermands."

    After a few seconds. Allen began to pull Reig from the outside,

    "HMNGAAAH!" screamed Iva in pain.

    "Slow down, you fool; give it to me!"

    Rodion pulled Reig while reaching for the baby''s head that came out.

    After a while, Reig finally came out with the crying baby; he also pulled the centa out, so it was really over now.

    "Iva! Look, your second baby is born! It''s all over now!" shouted Peter.

    Peter gingerly lifted the newborn. He presented the baby to Iva, whose face remained twisted in pain. With empty eyes, she gazed at the ceiling above her. She eventually summoned the strength to turn towards her newborn and take a look. Meanwhile, Peter held both babies with a wide grin on his face, but tears streamed down his cheeks,

    "Hahaha, we''ve got two baby pairs. One boy looks like Fenton, and the other girl looks like you! We''ve got the baby girl you''ve always wanted!"

    Iva smiled, looking at her children blurry, her face etched in exhaustion and serenity,

    "They''re... so... cute... my... angels..."

    "That''s right! They''re so cute! The boy I might ask to help in the fields, while the girl, you should teach her to sew so she can be the most beautiful woman! No-no, maybe I shouldn''t decide on my own.

    Let''s let this child choose what they want. And one day, our children will be happy to choose their path."

    Peter continued to babble with tears flowing incessantly from his eyes, leaving traces of moisture on his face. Iva, meanwhile, pretended to be able to hear her husband''s voice. Her ears were ringing from the piercing screams of agony that apanied the birth of her child. Her body ached relentlessly, the dull pain that seemed to throb through her every fiber, but her smile showed she didn''t feel the slightest pain.

    ''My children¡­ have been born safely... thank goodness...''

    Iva then looked at Allen and Rodion, who looked panicked, as Iva cried and said

    "Rodion, Allen, then tell Susan too... Thank you so much¡­ for your hard work... Thank you so much¡­ for helping me¡­ giving birth¡­ these two children safely..."

    After that...

    Iva slowly closed her eyes.

    "IVA! OUR CHILDREN! LOOK! OUR CHILDREN IS HERE!" shouted Peter desperately.

    Iva heard him, but her body refused to cooperate any further. The pain was slowly but surely taking over her body, and she knew she couldn''t resist it anymore. She felt the world tilt, closing her eyes as she drifted unconscious, hoping the pain would fade away.

 Chapter 176 You Are Our Hero

    ?

    I saw a light¡ªa very bright light.

    I walked down in the dark forest, and my eyes were drawn to a bright light ahead of me.

    It was so bright that for a moment, I couldn''t see anything else, but as my eyes slowly adjusted, I made out the vague shape of a person standing amidst the brilliant radiance.

    Suddenly, a voice shattered the silence of the night, piercing through the blinding light.

    "Mom!" it cried out, and in that moment, I knew that person was my son, my dead son.

    My heart racing, I moved closer, squinting and shielding my eyes from the brightness until the figure finally became clear.

    "Fenton!" I ran toward him. He was waving to me while holding a baby. Then underneath it was a basket, from which I could hear the baby crying.

    "Fenton, where have you been?!" I shouted angrily.

    "Hahaha, take it easy I''m happy here. How''s mom? Are you okay?"

    When he asked that, I immediately remembered what happened to me. I looked back and saw an endless wilderness.

    "Aaah¡­ I see... I gave birth to those two children..."

    "You did a good job, Mom."

    "The one you''re carrying, could it be..."

    "That''s right! This is my sister. Mother''s second child. Then in this basket is the third child, and the fourth, look at them."

    I peeked into the basket and saw two adorable children looking at me. As I show my face, they stop crying and reach out to my face happily.

    "They look healthy and happy," I replied.

    "Of course, I''ve been looking after them all this time. What about Mom?"

    "Eh?"

    "Do you want to look after the children with me?"

    "I- I do!"

    "Then,e with me... It''s very happy there. There is no poverty, no hunger,

    and no violence."

    ...

    "Iva?" Peter called out to her.

    But she didn''t answer.

    "Hey, Iva, open your eyes; look at our children."

    Iva still didn''t answer.

    "Iva!"

    "Rodion! Iva''s not answering me! What''s going on?!"

    Pascoe somehow managed to break down the door; he ran towards his mother and called out to her.

    "MOM! MOM! Wake up Mom!"

    "It''s bad; the blood flowing won''t stop!

    Allen! Give the potion to Iva!"

    "Okay!"

    Rodion held Iva''s neck pulse and listened to her heartbeat,

    "She''s still alive," as Rodion said it, there was a sense of relief that washed over them, but a momentter, Rodion continued

    "But her condition is critical. She''s bleeding profusely, and potions can''t just heal her."

    Iva''s wounds slowly healed, but the potion was not enough to make her healpletely. In fact, Iva''s heartbeat had started to weaken.

    "Next potion!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Allen gave Iva the second potion, which had little effect once again. Iva was still not breathing, and the wound was still not fully healed.

    "Do we need to give another one?!"

    "It''s useless! This is the limit! I''ll do something!

    Allen! Use the healing amnis during that time, and do anything you can to save her! I give you permission!"

    Rodion ced his hands on Iva''s chest, then pumped her chest.

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Just stay there! Pascoe and Peter! Keep calling Iva."

    Allen looked at the mess body in front of him. Iva''s stomach constricted, and blood kepting out of her crotch.

    ''Since it''s stormy outside and warm here, the fire spirits must be gathering in this house right now. I hope there are enough of them to use it many times,'' Allen thought.

    Allen started drawing the healing amnis of fire spirits that Lavinia had taught him. To use it, he had to focus on which part he needed to heal; the higher your knowledge of healing, the higher the healing effect.

    The amnis was active, but it didn''t have much effect. Of course, Allen was still inexperienced andcked knowledge. Lavinia only taught him how to close external wounds. If the wound was inside the abdomen, then his knowledge and healing did not reach that deep wound.

    ''Which part should I heal? Which part is injured?" Allen didn''t really know about that.

    Then Allen remembered something.

    Something that happened in the dungeon.

    "Reig! Go back inside Iva''s body and close her wounds like you did to Felicia and me!"

    Reig immediately entered Iva''s body.

    After a few seconds, Reig came out

    "Abare, Reig."

    After he muttered that, the door to the house opened wide, the wind surrounding him as Allen''s body slowly merged with Allen''s.

    "Allen! What are you doing?!" shouted Peter.

    "Leave him alone! Quickly close the door!" replied Rodion, who continued to pump his heart.

    Reig flew around Allen, and slowly the two of them merged. But this time, Reig did not merge with Allen as a weapon,

    Instead, it became a ck wing on his back.

    Everyone stopped calling out to Iva and looked at Allen in amazement. Even Rodion who kept pumping Iva''s heart immediately stopped doing so.

    "A-Allen?" Pascoe said in amazement. There were ck feathers from his wings scattered in the room.

    "Allen, what the hell are you?" said Peter.

    Rodion, who realized that he was distracted, immediately resumed pumping Iva''s heart,

    "There is no time to be amazed!" Rodion shouted to the others.

    When Allen and Reig merged, Allen could have two focuses. He could also choose to increase his mind eleration. Allen''s goal was mind eleration and the merging of memories between Allen and Reig.

    Reig entered Iva''s body to know which position was injured. By understanding the position, Allen can increase the performance of his healing amnis.

    Then another way to increase the healing effect of amnis is through prayer. Since Allen still didn''t know about religion, the results might not be as good as Lavinia''s, but he still tried.

    Allen drew a fire spirit symbol and added hismand, then he prayed to God from the bottom of his heart, to heal Iva.

    ''God, I may not know anything about you, and I may not have done things that obey yourmand; in fact I may be a sinner who ispletely against your righteousness, and I still don''t even know if your existence is true or not. But I beg you; please give me your power to heal Iva.''

    With a deep breath, Allen activated his amnis

    "Angels who watch over us, please wrap his wounds with your love, ask for power from your god and flow into every cell of his body, and restore him so that he has the strength to serve you more."

    The amnis circle that Allen made was weak, but because of Allen''s prayer, and then the prayers of everyone in the rooming together, the amnis circle shone brightly and dazzlingly.

    When he saw Allen, Pascoe thought, ''Allen, I''m sorry to doubt you. You may not be the same Allen as the hero of 1000 years ago...''

    ''But for me, you are our hero.''

 Chapter 177 Your Family Is Waiting For You

    ?

    Iva stood frozen in the middle of the dark forest, clutching her two children protectively to her chest. Meanwhile, Fenton, who remained resolute, forged ahead towards the enticing light in the distance. Suddenly, Fenton halted and called out to his mother.

    "Mom, why did you stop?" Fenton asked, his eyes ncing back at his mother.

    Iva turned around to face her son and paused for a moment before responding,

    "No, it''s just that I feel like someone called me."

    "Someone?"

    "Yes, we have two guests at home. Do you remember Rodion who helped us so much when Pascoe was about to be born?"

    "Oh yes, that grumpy old man. I remember him clearly, we owe him a favor."

    "Rodion brought a child with ck hair. That child is honest, innocent, and knows nothing about the world. Whenever he learns something, his face looks shocked, and his expression is very cute."

    "So that''s it..."

    "It''s because of that child that I was able to hold myself with the struggle I face this far, giving birth to my two children safely. I want to see his expression when he sees my two babies. I also wanted to see him holding my babies.

    And somehow, I heard his voice calling me over. "

    "Mom looks happy."

    "Really? Does my face look that clear?"

    "Haha, yes..."

    "That boy... I promised him that I would survive. I believed it with all my heart, but I can''t seem to keep that promise."

    Fenton carefully ced the sleeping baby back into the wicker basket, tucking a soft nket around their tiny form. His gaze fell upon his mother and the other baby as he strode towards them, holding out his arms to take the baby.

    "What''s wrong Fenton?"

    "Mom... these babies, may I know how you grow your children so they can grow up to be good children?"

    "Sure. You should give them good nutrition, make their mother breastfeed them; then we also have to teach children to do good, have them know the value of a grain of wheat, then teach them love, and much more."

    "Thank you mom. But does that mean those children need you now?"

    "My children?"

    "The twins. You gave birth to them, right? Now you have to raise them well, as you said."

    "But I already..."

    Fenton''s lips turned into a smile, but it didn''t reach his eyes, filled with profound sadness.

    "Look behind you Mom," he said softly.

    Iva looked back,

    Iva turned to look, and her eyes widened as she saw something that she had never imagined she would. In the distance, a light emerged from the endless wilderness, growing brighter and brighter until it was impossible to miss. And as the light grew brighter, she began to make out the shapes of her loved ones - her three children and her husband waiting for her back home.

    Ovee with emotion; Iva began to cry, her body racked with sobs as she longed to be reunited with those she loved,

    "Fenton... I''m sorry..." she whispered through her tears.

    "It''s okay..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I''m sorry Fenton..."

    "It''s okay..."

    "You''ll have to look after the kids alone again..."

    "I''m fine..."

    "I can''t leave them, I can''t leave Peter yet, I can''t leave Pascoe, and I can''t leave the twins. I still have a lot of things to do with them. I still have to take care of my two children so that they grow up to be good children."

    "Go mom... I''ll wait for you hereter. When we meet again, I hope I see your face more wrinkled."

    Iva''s heart ached as she watched her son disappear into the distance, a lump of sadness forming in her throat. Her mind raced with memories of Fenton''s childhood and the times they spent together. Iva ran towards Fenton, wishing she could hug him onest time, but she couldn''t reach him as hard as she tried. Fenton was getting further and further away; Fenton''s departure felt like a physical tug on Iva''s body, pulling her away from him.

    "Fenton! Take good care of them! Wait for me there; I''ll take good care of your brother and sister here too!" cried Iva with a trembling voice.

    "Mom!!! Please give my regards to Father and Pascoe! And the twins!"

    "I will! I''ll definitely tell them! I''ll tell them my children are happy in a faraway world!"

    Then Iva''s hand was grabbed by someone, making her stop running.

    "I finally found you, Iva."

    "A-Allen?!"

    "I''vee to pick you up. Come back; your family is waiting for you, AND I, am waiting for you."

    Iva''s hand grasped by Allen began to glow brightly, and the bright light devoured them both.

    ...

    "My children..." muttered Iva in her sleep.

    And as soon as she opened her eyes, she could see her husband and son crying. Their eyes were red, and their tears still hadn''t stopped.

    "You guys... why... crying?" murmured Iva.

    Hearing Iva''s voice reach their ears, a sea of happiness immediately washed over them both. Pascoe and Peter''s tears turned from sad to joyful. Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, they looked at Iva with a newfound hope, shouting out her name in unison.

    "MOM! MOM! MOM!!!"

    "IVA! THANK GOODNESS! YOU''RE SAFE... YOU''RE REALLY SAFE!"

    Filled with gratitude and happiness, Pascoe and Peter continued to cry and express their gratitude. Despite still feeling weak and tired, Iva couldn''t help but feel a sense offort as she stroked their heads, basking in the warmth of their love and affection.

    Then Iva suddenly remembered something important.

    Allen...

    Just before waking up, she had dreamed of Allen holding her hand, and she wanted to thank him for being there for her.

    Exhausted and weak, Iva raised her head slightly and nced around the room for Allen. She couldn''t help but feel grateful for his presence, but her heart sank as she couldn''t see him anywhere.

    "Where''s Allen?" she asked weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Looking down towards her thighs, she saw Allen soundly asleep, with his head resting on her leg. A sense of relief washed over Iva; she smiled at his peaceful expression. After a closer inspection of Allen''s face revealed the effects of the tremendous effort he had exerted to help her give birth to the baby. Sweat covered his forehead, and his skin was flushed, indicating how much he had worked to seed thisbor.

 Chapter 178 We Dont Hate You

    ?

    "Oh gosh, I''ve told you how to carry them. Just hug him like I taught you; it''ll be fine."

    "Look at him; his body is so small and weak; what if I identally crush his body?"

    "Why are you suddenly afraid? Didn''t you hold Judith when she was first born?"

    "At that time, I somehow held her in the right way because I wanted to show her to you. But now it''s somehow difficult."

    The next day, Iva forced Allen to try holding the two children. But Allen kept refusing because he couldn''t hold them.

    "You promised, right? Let''s quickly hold your hands. Since you''ve already held Judith, let''s try to hold Ha," Iva forced with a big smile on her face.

    Giving in to Iva''s grin, Allen raised his hands, trying to hold the baby in his arms. The other child was carried by Susan beside Allen.

    "Hahaha, they really look alike. I can''t tell which one is Ha and which one is Judith," Susan said.

    Allen just watched the baby squirm on his hand. He watched the baby''s tiny face.

    So this is... how every human looks when they are born..."

    Then he recalled all the events that happenedst night. And he realized that giving birth to these two children required a lot of struggle.

    The child wriggled and shifted in Allen''s arms, fixating its wide, curious eyes on his face. As the infant''s tiny fingers began to reach towards Allen''s face, he obliged by leaning his head closer to the child, allowing them to explore his features.

    "So soft," Allen murmured.

    Suddenly, the baby''s small hand connected with Allen''s cheek in a swift p. A warm feeling spread through Allen''s chest, finding humor in the yful interaction with the child.

    "How''s Allen? Aren''t they cute?" Susan spoke up beside him, joining in on the moment.

    Couldn''t take her face off the baby, "I suppose this is what cute is," he responded, chuckling as the baby continued to wiggle in his hold.

    Allen''s red eyes zed over at the two children who looked back into his eyes.

    "Allen, they are my children who were saved thanks to you," said Iva.

    "But I saved Iva, not these kids."

    "It''s the same thing, Allen. If it wasn''t for you, these children might not have had a chance to live. If I had died before giving birth, then the child wouldn''t have been able to survive in the middle of such a storm."

    "I see..."

    Allen didn''t understand...

    Iva said that they survived because of Allen, whereas what Allen sawst night was Iva''s incredible fight and effort while giving birth to her two children. There was no way the little effort Allen put in couldpare to that. Allen couldn''t even imagine what it would be like if he were in Iva''s situation.

    "Ha and Judith," Allen muttered.

    Then suddenly Ha burst into tears.

    "Huweh?! What''s wrong?! Did I mess something up?!" shouted Allen, panicking.

    "Allen, calm down, he''s probably just hungry!" said Susan.

    "Hu-hungry? Oh he wants to eat. Then I''ll get some bread."

    Iva took Ha back and started feeding her.

    "Fufu, no need, Allen. When they were babies, they only needed to drink their mother''s milk."

    "Only drink water? How can they be full?"

    "Duh, don''t confuse a baby''s stomach with yours Allen! Their bodies are small, and of course their intake is also small," Susan exined.

    "J...I see, I see."

    Looking at Iva, who was breastfeeding her baby. Allen began to wonder about himself. All this time, he didn''t care because he believed there was only one mother, Queen Orc. After seeing Iva''s struggle while giving birth to her child, Allen became curious about his mother. Did his mother also give birth to him with such difficulty? Where is she now?

    Since Allen and Rodion''s business with Peter''s family was over, they prepared to go home.

    "Then, we''ll leave now; thank you for everything," Allen said.

    "No need; we should be the ones who thank you. Thank you Allen, and thank you Mr Rodion."

    "Just pay me by taking care of the baby," Rodion replied.

    Allen, Rodion, and Susan stood before their house, saying goodbye. As soon as they started walking away, Iva put her son on the bed and ran towards Allen.

    Since Allen was walking behind Rodion and Susan, they realized that Allen wasgging behind, so as soon as they turned around, they saw Iva on her knees, hugging Allen gently.

    -Hug

    "Allen... Thank you for all the effort you have given us. Because of you, I was able to give birth to my two children safely, and because of you, I can now still live happily with my family."

    "I-I only did it out of curiosity."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I don''t care about your motives, nor do I care who you are. Since you''ve given me hope for the safety of me and my babies, I will still believe in you.

    Even though you might be the killer of our eldest son."

    "!!!"

    Allen''s eyes widened in surprise, his heart raced with fear, and his body trembled. As Iva voiced it, Allen''s world came crashing down. He struggled topose himself as he heard what Iva said, which had been haunting him since he knew he had killed Fenton. His mind raced as he tried to defend himself, but his voice faltered as he asked in a quivering tone,

    "S-since when did you find out?"

    Allen didn''t know to say anything more than that. He had been living in fear when he knew about Fenton. But he had buried the fear after he asked Peter that he no longer grieved for his son.

    "Peter knew... He told me about you asking him about the killer.

    Even so, I expected it from the start. Peter probably expected it too, which is why he told you about Fenton. Because Peter wanted to believe you."

    "I-Iva... Do you hate me?" from Allen''s trembling voice, there was a slight sob.

    "No Allen... I don''t hate you... I believe that the current Allen is a different Allen from the past. I''ve heard the story from Fenton''s friend, and I''m sure you were just desperate at that time...."

    In Iva''s hug, Allen began to cry. Susan and Rodion, who realized it walked over from there, leaving them alone.

    "I''m sorry... I took away your precious son. The child you worked so hard to raise... I killed him."

    Iva continued to stroke Allen''s hair gently, giving him an overwhelming warmth.

    "Allen, every human being has faults. What you need to do now is to change into a human who will never repeat those mistakes again.

    Fenton''s death did make me sad, but that incident has passed; if I grieve now, I will only suffer. I must move forward for Fenton and for my family too.

    There may be many people out there who don''t forgive your actions. But Allen..."

    Iva removed her hands from Allen''s shoulders, then smiled at Allen''s tearful face.

    "Even if many people won''t forgive you... We will forgive you.

    So from now on, be a useful person to others; that way, you can make up for the mistakes you''ve made in the past."

    Peter and Pascoe approached them,

    "Ah, I see... You really told him about it."

    "Peter?" Allen said.

    "Whatever mistakes you''ve made are all in the past. Don''t cry. I told you, didn''t I? If I knew my son''s killer''s condition, I hoped he would live a good life.

    From now on, you will probably meet one of one the rtives of the people you killed. There will be many difficult things that you will go through in the future. I hope you can handle their hatred with a cool head."

    "Okay..."

    "What are you talking about? Murderers?" asked Pascoe.

    "You''re a kid, Pascoe. One day you''ll understand," replied Peter.

    "I''m a big boy! I can use a sword!"

    "Hahaha when you grow up, you should be as strong as Allen."

    "I''m sure I''ll be even stronger when I''m as big as Allen!"

    Iva held Allen''s cheek and yed with it.

    "Duuh... Allen you don''t have to think about it too deeply... We don''t hate you... How could we hate our Savior?

    If you feel yourself falling, just remember Allen.

    To us, you are our savior; to Pascoe, you are a hero!"

    "Ah! Mom! I was the one who wanted to say it!"

    "That''s it! Stop crying!"

    Then they heard the sound of a baby crying behind them.

    "Oh dear, we shouldn''t have left the kids!"

    After Allen had finished crying, he raised his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. Then he looked up and uttered those familiar words, "Thank you... One more time, then... See you soon..."

    Peter, Iva, and Pascoe knew the time hade, so they began to wave their hands. As he turned around, Allen took onest look at his friends before making his way down the road and out of sight.

    And then, just before he disappeared from view, Peter yelled out to him, "Alleeen! Don''t forget toe back in a week! You''ll see your potatoes growing, right?"

    Allen''s head suddenly turned back in their direction, and he broke into a smile. Waving his hand, he confirmed, "Don''t worry! I''ll definitelye!" As he disappeared from view.

 Chapter 179 Hard And Cold

    ?

    "Allen, hasn''t it been a week?" Susan asked.

    "What week?"

    "The potato, you told me then that you would return to Mr Peter''s ce after a week."

    "Oh... that''s right. But aren''t there still three days left?"

    Rodion then came and said, "You should check it from today; a week is just the estimated time."

    "I see¡­ But I''m not sure I can visit them; our tavern is getting quite crowded.

    Almost a week has passed since the birth of Iva''s child.

    Drugoymir Restaurant, originally nned to be closed until the end of the water month, reopened. The original reason for closing the tavern was to save food during the water month. But after Rodion knew about Allen''s - Reig''s ability to double food, he reopened it, intending to give food to poor people who only had money and no food stores.

    Since Allen''s potatoes were a little ndpared to regr potatoes, they mixed real potatoes with the copy potatoes, so the vor didn''t change too much.

    As they were reopened during the water month, they instantly got busier, leaving Allen with no time to visit Peter''s family again. Although once in a while, Peter and Pascoe came to buy soup there.

    "Go tomorrow... But you have to cook a lot early in the morning. So we''ll just need to heat up the food," said Rodion.

    "But what about serving the customers? Susan alone must be overwhelmed."

    "It''s okay; you don''t have to worry about it. The tavern isn''t as busy as it was when Allen first came. I''ve been alone here from the start, so it should be fine."

    "If you say so, fine. I''ll visit Peter tomorrow."

    ...

    After Allen finished the five barrels of cooking rations for the day, he left for Peter''s ce.

    "He looks happy," Susan said.

    Allen didn''t show any expression on his face. Still, they could understand when they saw Allen trying to get to Peter''s ce quickly while cooking.

    "Hmph. He must be anxious to get to the fields again. I hope he doesn''t stop cooking because of that."

    On the way to Peter''s ce,

    Allen saw a luxurious horse-drawn carriage traveling down the main street. It was followed by five to six other horse carriages.

    As soon as the carriage passed by, Allen immediately twisted his scarf to cover his face.

    "Miss Lavinia said that the nobles of this town still have a grudge against me. I should hide my face as much as possible when they pass by," Allen muttered.

    After the carriage passed, memories flooded back into his mind. He recalled the days when he was mercilessly whipped by the nobleman and locked up in a cold, dark prison. Angry emotions began to boil within him as he remembered the unjust treatment he had endured. The hatred he harbored for the nobleman had grown deep within him. THAT WAS how he thought back then.

    Today, as he stood there lost in thought, he couldn''t help but recall the nobleman''s face during those brutal beatings. The expression on his face didn''t seem like that of someone who enjoyed inflicting pain on others. Could it be possible that the nobleman had also gone through a personal loss¡ªperhaps someone he held dear that Allen had taken away?

    The idea of empathy towards the one he once hated seeped into his mind as the carriage drifted off into the distance.

    ''I hope I can apologize to him someday,'' Allen thought.

    Since Rodion most likely already knew everything about Allen, he told Rodion what happened to him during his time in the dungeon until he left the dungeon. Allen told Rodion about Peter and Iva, who forgave his sin, and then he said that he wanted to apologize to those who had lost their families because of him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    At that time, Rodion told him that Allen shouldn''t carelessly talk to others about his past and about killing people in the dungeon. Because not everyone could forgive him as Peter and Iva did.

    Finally, Allen arrived at the estate.

    There was a strange, ridiculous feeling inside him because this was the first time he hade to Peter''s house alone, without Susan and Rodion, and it made him feel uneasy.

    "Uhm¡­ When youe to someone''s house, what should you do?" Allen thought.

    He had never greeted anyone or said anything once he arrived at the estate. So far, only Susan and Rodion had greeted Peter once they arrived.

    "If I''m not mistaken, we must say our weather greetings. But, when Rachel says greetings, she sometimes uses a lot of words, while Susan just says a normal greeting? Which one should I follow?"

    While Allen struggled with that thought, he had already arrived at the Barkaley estate without realizing it. And at that time, he didn''t care about the greeting at all. Because he saw Peter, he ran straight to him as soon as he arrived.

    "Allen!"

    "Peter! Umm... Good morn-"

    "I''m sorry Allen..."

    Peter''s face looked sad and panicked; after he could breathe regrly, Peter then said:

    "Our potato field is destroyed."

    ¡­

    Upon his arrival at Peter''s ce, Allen was greeted with a devastating sight. He discovered Peter''s potato garden looked messed up, like it had been ransacked, with each potato pulled up from the ground. To make matters worse, the soil waspletely loosened, leaving a trail of chaos in its wake. Allen''s heart sank as he realized the potatoes, which should have been ripe and ready to be harvested, were all frozen solid from the snow.

    As he made his way towards the garden, Allen caught sight of Pascoe and Iva, scouring the frozen soil, hoping to find some edible potatoes.

    "Are they really inedible?" asked Allen.

    "If it''s a normal month, maybe they can be eaten, but today is water month. Potatoes are good in cold ces, but if they freeze, they won''t grow and be useless."

    Allen approached the garden and picked up a frozen potato scattered on the ground. He took a bite of the potato.

    "Hard and cold..." muttered Allen.

    Peter recalled how Allen was looking forward to harvesting the potatoes; seeing Allen''s disappointed reaction made Peter''s heartache.

    "Allen!" called Pascoe as soon as he saw Allen standing with his father.

    Iva, beside him, also immediately looked at Allen, her face full of sadness for showing him this messed-up field.

    Iva called him to cheer him up "Allen-" but Allen suddenly said,

    "It can''t be helped..." Allen said, "If it''s broken, it can''t be helped. I was just curious about the results. I also saw Peter''s harvest at that time. So it''s okay," Allen said with a disappointed look on his face. Allen couldn''t help but feel a sense of despair at the destruction before him and wondered who could have done such a thing to Peter''s beloved garden.

    "I''ll help pick them up," Allen continued.

    Allen picked up the frozen potatoes along with Peter and the others. Peter, Iva, and Pascoe didn''t talk to Allen; they left him alone to pick up the potatoes because they thought Allen did not want to talk then.

 Chapter 180 The Culprit

    ?

    Once they had picked up all the potatoes, Peter asked Allen to use the amnis fire to burn the frozen potatoes. The result is that only a few potatoes were left, not including the ones that failed.

    "Are we going to eat these failed potatoes?" asked Allen.

    "Yes, even though they failed, they are still filling; we need as much food as possible for the water month."

    The failed potatoes were ced in the firece to be roasted potatoes and be eaten immediately.

    "So, how did thingse to this?" asked Allen.

    "As you can see, it''s man-made," said Peter to Allen, "Since they didn''t take the potatoes, it''s not thieves. And it wasn''t just our farm that was attacked; it was every farm in the Barkaley area."

    "Every area?"

    "Yes, all of them. The neighbor''s carrot garden, onions, spinach, potatoes, mushrooms¡ªeverything was destroyed. As a result, Barkaley''s farm ie has halved, and everyone is now in a panic."

    "Has the culprit been identified?"

    "Not yet."

    Momentster, there was the sound of armor shing from outside. Two soldiers were running on the road ahead, followed by several vigers. Curious about what was happening, Peter and Allen approached them.

    ¡¤?¦Èm "What''s wrong? Where did everyone go?" Allen asked one of the soldiers.

    "They say the culprit has been found."

    "Really?!"

    Peter and Allen also followed the group. They walked for a few meters until they came to a crowd of people under a tree. In the crowd, people were shouting angrily. The two soldiers who were running quickly entered the crowd. Allen and Peter also tried to follow the two soldiers.

    When they managed to get free from the crowd, it turned out that inside was a boy who was probably Pascoe''s age; his face was swollen, and his body was full of bruises; it seemed that the residents had beaten him.

    "What''s going on? Why is this boy tied up?" asked the soldier.

    All eyes turned to the boy whoy on the ground, his hands and legs tied up with rough ropes.

    "He''s the culprit! He''s the one who damaged the field!" A furious woman from the crowd pointed at the boy, her face contorting with disgust.

    The soldier approached the boy, carefully examining his features. It was apparent that he had suffered terribly at the hands of the vigers. His legs were pale and reddish, with traces of mud and dirt. His hands were also ghostly white, suggesting he had been destroying the fields without gloves.

    His clothes were tattered, but they seemed damaged even before the vigers beat him up.

    "Could someone tell me how you got him?" the soldier asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

    The vigers exploded into a frenzied cacophony of voices, everyone trying to get their version of the story across. The soldier tried to calm them down, but it was like trying to put out a raging wildfire with a drop of water.

    "Hey, Jack! Why did you do it?!"

    "Do you know what the consequences will be after doing this?!"

    "This is a big deal!"

    "You''re really inconveniencing others; what have we done to you to make you do this?!"

    This child, called Jack, was an orphan who grew up on an estate. He did every job on the estate and received food in return. People believed they had treated the boy nicely all this time, so they wondered why he was suddenly rebelling like this, especially since the boy had no parents, so they couldn''t ask anyone forpensation.

    "Hey, don''t you want to say something?!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Jack just sat there, sobbing.

    "The whole estate was damaged, right? Did he really do it all by himself overnight?" Allen asked that at just the right time when everyone was quiet and whispering so everyone could hear him.

    "That''s right; there''s no way he did it alone."

    "He must have had other friends."

    "What do you think, Mr soldier? What should we do with this kid?"

    The soldier then replied:

    "Unfortunately, Lord Barkaley is now away. You know that this estate is the food source for the entire region during the water month. Because of this case, the lord will have to buy food supplies to Herrwade City."

    ''Herrwade City? If I''m not mistaken, that''s where Miss Lavinia went because of the suspicious movements of the church''s enemies,'' Allen thought.

    "Yes, it''s good that our lord will try to do something about it. But this kid''s gang will definitely do something if we leave it alone."

    Peter then came forward and grabbed the boy by the shoulders.

    "Hey Jack, do you know me? You used to y with Pascoe when you helped out on our farm."

    Jack nodded, he clearly remembered the person who always gave him food, especially since he was also one of Pascoe''s friends.

    "Can''t you say anything about your other friends?"

    Muddy shook his head; he then cried and bowed his head.

    "What should we do now? Do we have to torture him to talk?" asked one of the people behind Peter.

    Peter then yelled at that guy "Stupid, that''s just going to put more pressure on this kid! What kind of adult tortures a child!"

    The crowd fell silent, and they did not mean to suggest it in the first ce. It was just that they were now angry and panicked because what was happening at the moment was really too much.

    Peter spoke again to the boy,

    "Tell us, son, tell us why you did this. How did you damage all the fields? If you stay like this, the soldiers behind me will take you to jail, and lord Barkaley could punish you by cutting your hand and maybe your head. I''ll ensure they won''t take you if you tell them everything."

    Hearing Peter''s words, the boy raised his head and asked, "Is it true?"

    One of the soldiers immediately protested, "s, Uncle Peter! You can''t just decide that! The boy must be taken to prison and judged by Lord Barka-"

    Behind him, someone punched the soldier hard on the head and said, "Ohe on, just let Jack go; he must be doing all this for a reason; someone is probably treating him since he is just an orphan; he has no one to rely on."

    Other people joined the defense "Right, just let him go. We''ve beaten him up bad enough; he''ll regret it after this."

    After hearing the defense of many people, the soldier sighed and said "Sigh, alright. For now, we''ll keep our mouths shut. In fact, it will be even more dangerous if there is a mastermind behind this incident."

    Peter turned to the boy and said, "How is it now? Look at these behind me. They are all nice people who will help you. Can you tell us what really happened?"

    The boy bowed his head and said.

    "We... We were told by Mr Wyncall to do it."

 Chapter 181 Why Estate Matters

    ?

    During the early times in Barkaley, the nobles developed an estate system with the intention of providing employment opportunities to the peasants. The main objective was to ease the burden of royal taxes that they had to pay. Under this system,mon people were granted ess tonds for cultivation. They were required to pay the nobles half of the produce harvested from thend.

    After the discovery of dungeons in the Barkaley region, the tax burden was slowly reduced, and the Barkaley region was on the road to betterment.

    Even so, that doesn''t mean that farming on the estate isn''t important. During the water month, when the city''s waterways froze and the snow posed a challenge for merchants to travel in and out, the estate yed a vital role in providing sustenance for the city''s locals. However, the once bountiful ntation now breaks, with someone having caused the crops to fail miserably. Consequently, Barkaley found itself grappling with an acute food shortage, leaving its popce partially deprived of sustenance in the future.

    "This ntation is the only ce that produces food for the entire town of Barkaley. If the ntation is damaged or destroyed, then people cannot buy food even if they have money. In this month of water, food is more important than money.

    We still don''t know how much is damaged and edible, but if each farm loses half of its crop, we can onlyst until the middle of the month. Everyone will be hungry and cold for several weeks," Peter exins.

    "There''s no food, so there''s not enough nutrition for everyone, everyone will starve, and Iva''s child could die fromck of nutrition," Allen concluded.

    "Yeah, something like that. But the barony must be nning something to deal with it, so it''s better not to panic for now."

    "Oh? I saw the nobles'' carriage when I was going here. Probably they already did something to solve this problem?"

    "Of course the Lord has worked," said the soldier, "Once we told him about this matter, he asked us to investigate further while he was going to the Herrwade to buy some food."

    To solve this problem, Lord Barkaley brought five horse-drawn carriages to Herrwade territory to purchase some food, such as nts and livestock. He also invited the merchants who were staying in Herrwade toe to his territory. That way, there would be enough food to sell.

    The culprit was found to be a small orphan boy named Jack. The citizens beat him up for his actions, but he was forgiven soon after. At that time, Jack told Peter why he did it,

    "We... We were ordered by Mr. Wyncall..."

    "Mr. Wyncall?! Who is he?"

    "Isn''t he the soldier who yed with Pascoe?" asked Allen.

    "Oh that''s right! That guy... I haven''t really seen his face."

    Not just Peter, everyone had also heard of Wyncall.

    "My son yed with him too. He said he was a Barkaley soldier."

    "Right, my son too. He taught my son many things, so I let him."

    "Hey Mr soldier, do you know this Wyncall man?"

    The soldier confusedly replied, "I''ve never heard that name before. Where is he assigned?"

    "Since he''s always ying with children, of course he''s assigned to the estate.

    "That''s impossible! There is no estate guard soldier named Wyncall!" the soldier shouted.

    ''If I''m not mistaken, Pascoe once said that the soldier promised to teach him the sword and gave him a sword,'' Allen thought.

    Allen then came forward and asked Jack.

    "Did he promise you anything?"

    Jack nodded; He started crying again and exined.

    "Yes, Mr. Wyncall said he would put me in the Barkaley army and make me a strong boy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    At first, it was just practice swinging.

    Then he made me kill insects.

    Then he made me kill dogs.

    And now he''s asking us to destroy fields. I did feel something was wrong when he asked that, since it had nothing to do with swordy. But since he''s my teacher, I can''t refuse. I''m afraid Mr. Wyncall won''t teach me anymore."

    "No wonder so many stray dogs have diedtely."

    "You said ''we,'' or are all the kids who talked to him involved in tonight''s events?" Peter asked.

    Jack nodded.

    Just then a roar of voices rang out from the crowd. They couldn''t believe that their son might also be involved in the act.

    Jack exined, "Mr. Wyncall said that we were told to sneak around at night to damage the garden. Afterward, we were told to take a bath so we wouldn''t get caught.

    Since I don''t have a house, I usually bathe in the river. But the river was very cold and icy now, so I didn''t dare go in. I was just hiding, but someone found me.

    I''m sorry... I''m sorry..." Jack cried.

    Another rumble could be heard in the crowd; they were talking while making their own assumptions about the story.

    Some of them had angry faces and went straight home to see if their children were involved in with this incident.

    "Everyone calm down already! We''ll investigate this matter further. That Wyncall guy might still be around! For now, don''t panic about the food. As I said before, Lord Barkaley had to go to Herrwade City to buy some supplies," shouted one of the soldiers.

    Everyone finally dispersed; they went home and wanted to ask their children about the incident.

    The residents also chose to keep quiet about Jack''s problem because this problem may not just be the fault of one person but the fault of all the children. This means each damaged garden is the responsibility of the children who have destroyed it. They all just hoped that they would not be punished for this incident by the barony.

    "Umm¡­ Why Herrwade?" asked Allen to the soldier once everyone dispersed.

    "Why did you ask? That doesn''t matter where it was."

    ''Oh shoot, I forgot Miss Lavinia told us to keep quiet about her matter in Herrwade.''

    "Nothing, I''m just curious."

    Even so, the soldier still answered.

    "Herrwade is the closest region to Barkaley, and they are close to the sea. Probably they will have enough food for the water month because of it."

    "Okay, thank you."

    Allen thought, ''That is so understandable but also weird, like everyone walked off from this region. First, Miss Lavinia and Birawa go to Herrwade, and then the barony brings many soldiers with him.

    I have to tell Master Rodion about this.''

 Chapter 182 Saving People

    ?

    Peter stormed home immediately after discovering the culprit who had ruined the garden. His face was contorted with anger, a sight that frightened Allen when he saw it. "What''s wrong, Peter? Why do you look so angry?" Allen asked

    "Why did you ask that?! Of course it''s because someone is trying to poison the children with their thoughts! Almost everynd manager here has a wife and children, and each of their children is likely destroying the fields."

    "The-then?"

    "Don''t you understand Allen! It could have been Pascoe who ruined the fields too!"

    "Huh?! Wait! You can''t just jump to conclusions!"

    "You know how hard it is to grow those potatoes. You should be just as upset as I am, Allen! When I found out that it was probably my son who pissed you off, my blood boiled!"

    "What the hell is that?! I told you that I had no problem with those potatoes. Everything is fine, and I''m not upset!"

    "Liar! After all you''ve done and shown such hope in wanting to see the results of what you nted, I can''t help but sympathize with your disappointed face this morning!"

    "OK!"

    Allen came forward to stop Peter, who continued to walk on.

    "I was indeed upset. That''s true. But please think carefully, don''t just get mad at your son just because of my annoyance.

    We must first ask Pascoe if he really had a hand in this destruction.

    I have a good sense of whether someone is lying or not. So let''s calm down and ask him nicely first."

    After hearing that, Peter let out a long sigh and regained hisposure.

    "Alright, let''s ask first."

    They went straight home and asked Pascoe about it.

    "Eh?! No, I haven''t spoken to Mr. Wyncall since I yed with Allen!"

    "Is that really true? You didn''t lie, right?" asked Peter.

    "That''s true! I couldn''t kill a dog, so I felt that Mr. Wyncall probably hated me and had given up on me. Luckily there was Allen, so I could continue learning swordy with him."

    Peter breathed a sigh of relief, d his son had nothing to do with that person.

    "What''s wrong with Mr. Wyncall?" asked Iva.

    "He''s the one who caused this tragedy. They say he told the children to destroy the garden."

    "EH?! REALLY?!" shouted Pascoe.

    "From the soldiers'' reactions, it looks like that Wyncall isn''t even one of Barkaley''s soldiers."

    "B-but he''s wearing the same clothes as the soldiers here," said Pascoe.

    "Are clothes like that hard to find?" asked Allen.

    "You can ask a tailor to make them, but to use official clothes without the consent of the nobility is punishable by death."

    "So, everything Mr Wyncall has said to us is a lie?" Pascoe said.

    "From now on, you should talk everything to whom you were talking, to whom you are friends with, and what are you doing outside, understood?!" Peter said.

    "O-okay¡­"

    ...

    Allen returned to Rodion''s ce and told him about what happened at the estate.

    "That man might be a spy," Rodion said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Spy?"

    "It means an outside intruder who wants to get information from his opponent."

    "What do you think about this? Master."

    "It''s quite serious. It''s normal for a spy to enter every city. But since he''s getting in on the action, we should be wary of his actions.

    Most likely, his goal is to reduce the food supply. By reducing the food supply, the nobleman will leave with the soldiers, leaving this ce with his secretary.

    Perhaps this estimate of mine sounds exaggerated. Doing so will lead you to an obvious conclusion.

    He wants to starve everyone here. If everyone starved, including the soldiers, this region would lose its defenses."

    "Isn''t that... really dangerous?"

    "Yes, I told you. If someone, some party, or something attacks this region, then this region will lead to the end."

    "If this region is destroyed, this tavern will also be destroyed?"

    "That''s right."

    "Then we can''t stand idly by. Master! Tell me what to do!"

    Rodion turned to Allen, his brow furrowed in suspicion, "This has nothing to do with the reciprocation you asked earlier, right? Because it''s useless, and if something happened to this city, we just need to run."

    By reciprocity, Rodion referred to his desire to apologize to the families of those he had taken from them. Though it was a difficult task to undertake, Allen believed that it was a necessary step in order to gain their forgiveness.

    However, Rodion argued that if Allen truly believed in the power of forgiveness, he would not use it to improve his image. Doing so would be nothing more than a hollow and hypocritical act.

    Rodion suggested that Allen should focus on saving lives and helping those in need based on his feelings rather than trying to manipte others into forgiving him. After all, true forgiveness shoulde from the heart, not because they are forced to.

    "No, I''m not doing it because of the people here alone, but because I want to keep this tavern. I want to see the smiles of my customers again.

    I¡­ wanted to help everyone not just because I need forgiveness but because I know everyone has the right to live, and if I know something could take that life from them, I can''t just stand and watch them die."

    Rodion looked at Allen again, and then he regretted asking that question earlier.

    Actually, even if Allen nned to make everyone forgive him, Rodion wouldn''t have minded. Because in the end, Allen would do everything he could to save people.

    ''Saving people... huh?'' Rodion thought. He remembered when he first met Allen.

    His face was gloomy, downcast, and wet, followed by soulless red eyes that looked like they would burn everything in the world. Allen, who used to not hesitate to sh his sword into people''s necks, was now trying to save everyone.

    "All you need to do is cook," Rodion answered as he continued peeling the potatoes.

    "Cook?!"

    "That''s right. If my assumption about the spy is true, what do you think the spy''s next move should be now?"

    "Waiting for his friends to arrive?"

    "Wrong; the spy is now waiting for the people and soldiers of the kingdom to starve. If they starve, they won''t have the strength to fight the troops that might attack us."

    ¡¤?¦Èm "That means..."

    "Yes, we need to energize everyone during the water month. That way, even the spy will think twice about sending his signal to his friends who will attack. I guess that''s my prediction about this incident."

    "Prediction..."

    ''Master said so, but it seems like he''s pretty sure of his conclusion.'' Allen looked at Rodion, who was working with an admiring gaze and said, ''Master is really great; he really knows everything every time I ask him.''

    "The spy doesn''t know about your scarf''s ability to duplicate things; your ability is more useful than you thought. You really could erase the famine in this world."

 Chapter 183 Secret From Husband

    ?

    The room was engulfed in darkness, except for a faint light that illuminated the source of dampness and coldness. Drops of water fell continuously, creating a pool at the center of the room. The silence was deafening, and the tension was palpable.

    There stood a man dressed as a royal warrior with a Barkaley insignia. He was watching the water falling in the pond and had probably counted it a thousand times, as if he was waiting for someone.

    The sound of clomping feet could be heard, making the man let out a long sigh, "You''ve finally arrived."

    A person in a red robe with a hoodie appeared from the darkness. The robe had the insignia of a multi-antlered animal. The antlers were like a deer, but the shape was closer to a lizard or a dragon devoured by a snake.

    "Wyncall, have you finished all your business here?"

    "More or less, I''ve finished influencing the children to destroy the fields. Right now, some of the children may have already killed their own parents."

    "If that works, can I assume the Barony Barkaley are on their way to Herrwade?"

    "Yeah thanks to you messing up the information outside, the people here don''t know that our people are currently controlling Herrwade."

    "Then, as nned, we will invade this region in the middle of the water month. But if something unexpected happens... master is testing what move you will do to solve the problem."

    Wyncall smiled and replied, "That''s good... My n is smooth here, making me feel a little bored. I hope someone will spoil my ns; that way, I can show the high priests that I am apetent follower."

    The red robe person turned around then said "With your abilities, you might be able to fill the high priests'' empty seats."

    "Thank you for thepliment. By bing one of the Order of Seven Devils, I will be able to serve my lord more, then avenge myself on the church and the angels."

    That person left there while saying, "Until next time, I suggest you hide here first. If anyonees, kill them. Because besides the ntation, the dungeon is also one of the food sources."

    "Dungeon, huh? Barony said this ce was a blessing for their territory, but a newly discovered dungeon would make it easy for people to hide and utilize it in many ways."

    "In 10 weeks, we, Daemon Servus, will destroy Barkaley''s territory."

    "All for the sake of the eternal, Heil Satan,"

    "All for the sake of the eternal, Heil Satan."

    ...

    It had been a week since the estate was destroyed. Everyone was still surviving on what food they had. Still, it was likely that the food rations would onlyst for another week, which made Barony''s wife, Theda Helme Barkaley, start worrying.

    Her concern wasn''t only about the food rations, which would be avable once her husband returned home. But she had no news about her husband, who had not returned since he left for the Herrwade territory a week ago.

    "What do you think about this situation, Branwhait? Is it possible that my husband is stuck in the snow on the way?" Theda asked Barkaley''s secretary and right-hand man, Branwhait.

    "I honestly can''t imagine. We are not close to the hills. And the road to Herrwade''s territory is not low-lying; they should have returned yesterday along with the merchants."

    "Then maybe, they could have been attacked by bandits?"

    "It would take a lot of bandits to fight the 50 soldiers of Barkaley. If I were a bandit, I wouldn''t attack a carriage carrying 50 warriors like that; it''s not worth it."

    "At times like this, Waldo can usuallye up with a solution..."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Lady, at times like this, you shouldn''t think negatively; it only damages your health."

    "I know! Its good Jane is at the academy right now. If she were here, she would be stressed out trying to fill the void left by Waldo."

    Theda then stood up from her chair,

    "Lady, are you going to that ce again?"

    "I can''t think clearly in this situation. I want to get some fresh air first. Please take care of the rest, Branwhait."

    "Ohe on Lady, I can''t handle it all alone! I also need your approval on this additional foodstuffs and soldiers request!"

    Theda removed the ring on her finger and threw it at her secretary.

    "Wait- LADY! You can''t give me the family crest lightly like this! Lord Barkaley will be furious with you!" shouted Branwhait after receiving the ring for the Barkaley family seal.

    "Let it be. I''m tired today. I want to see the flowers on the estate!"

    "Today is a water month! You will only see snow!" before she could hear him, Lady Theda had already walked away from the room.

    Lady Theda Helme Barkaley, had a secret that she hid from her husband. Because of her passion for flowers, she always took the time once every three days to visit one of the estate''s flower gardens.

    Buttely, since the middle of the estate month, Lady Theda had never been to the flower garden again.

    Lady, feeling self-conscious, donned a modest wardrobe and took a leisurely stroll down the bustling high street. Upon stumbling upon a rather unappealing tavern, she was sceptical. She merely nned to grab a quick bite to eat and be on her way. However, the moment Theda took a sip of the potato soup, her eyes widened in astonishment. It was so delectable that she couldn''t help but return every three days to satisfy her craving.

    "I can''t wait to eat those soup again!" Theda muttered excitedly in her room.

    She walked out and intended to go to the tavern again, Rodion''s Drugoymir Restaurant.

    Upon arriving at the tavern, she was immediately greeted by Susan,

    "Wee back ma''am."

    ''Oh this is that weird rich woman,'' Susan thought as she saw Theda at the door.

    Theda might have intended to disguise herself, but in truth Susan and Rodion knew that Theda was not an ordinarymoner. Looking at her clean clothes and how nice she smelled from far away.

    "Umm, please have thatmon soup."

    "Alright, please wait a moment."

    After five minutes passed, the soup finally arrived.

    "This is the soup you ordered," Upon hearing the voice that sounded like a boy''s., Theda raised her head and saw the ck-haired boy.

 Chapter 184 Deja Vu

    ?

    Theda was freezing, looking at the ck-haired boy in front of her. Normally Allen would ask his customers, "What''s wrong?" because he had been stared at like that. But since it already happened so many times, Allen no longer asked. He already realized how rare ck hair was in this city. Although it had been a long time since he felt that kind of stare because these days, people already knew him as "Rodion''s nephew''s ck boy."

    It wasn''t that Allen didn''t serve customers often, but Theda''s visits were usually in the morning or evening, during less busy times, so Theda had never seen Allen before. However, she had heard rumors about him.

    "Uh, please enjoy," Allen said with a slightly awkward walk back to the kitchen.

    "Wait," Theda called after Allen, "have I seen you before?"

    Confused by her question, Allen replied, "I don''t know; I''ve certainly never seen you before."

    "I see..."

    A slight feeling of dejavu bothered Theda as she looked at Allen. Theda felt she had seen him before, but she was also sure it was probably her first encounter with him. Since she had never seen the ck-haired boy in the city before, nor had she seen anyone like Allen before, except¡­ the ck-and-white-haired boy who killed her son. However, she is sure Allen is a different person. She felt the atmosphere emitted by Allen was different from the gloomy killer child she saw at that time.

    Choosing not to think about it too much, Theda enjoyed the soup in front of her.

    After finishing, she realized that the soup she had eaten this time was slightly different.

    "Umm, you over there, can youe here?" called Theda to Susan.

    "Yes?"

    "The soup¡­ Today it tastes a little nder than usual. I wonder what''s wrong?"

    "Uh... sorry I can''t answer the question; maybe you can ask the cook directly."

    "Oh? Is heing today?"

    "Yes? Oh you were never able to meet him before. You already talked with him earlier."

    "Don''t joke. Are you saying that the little boy made this soup?"

    "Well, it''s true."

    She was already quite surprised that Susan, who was smaller than her daughter, was already working as a waitress and that she was doing it well. She didn''t expect anything that would surprise her more.

    "Did you call me?" asked Allen.

    ''So this kid makes that delicious soup... amazing... he reminds me of Waldo, who started learning earlier than any other child,'' Theda thought.

    "I want to protest-no..." carried away by her noble habits, she almost protested to the little boy, just like she used to do to the chefs of the upper-ss nobility parties.

    "I have a question about today''s soup. It still tastes good, but I think the old one tastes better. Did something happen?"

    Allen couldn''t answer that the potatoes and some of the ingredients she ate were copies of what Reig made,

    "Ah, that''s because it''s the water month. We''re trying to conserve our foodstuffs."

    "Oh is that so? Then especially for me, can you make something more delicious?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Allen nced at Rodion, who was in the kitchen.

    After Rodion nodded in favor, Allen replied, "Okay."

    Susan then approached Theda and asked, "It will take quite a long time because it will use a new cauldron, which also needs to be heated first; maybe about half an hour, is that okay?" Susan asked like that because she realized that Theda was undercovering in, and she always came home in a hurry after eating soup.

    The reason was also that Theda went there without her husband''s knowledge, so she had to hurry home beforehand if she didn''t want to get caught. It wasn''t that her husband would forbid it; it was just that if he found out his wife was going to themoner tavern alone, he would invite the cook to the house, and if that happened, she couldn''t enjoy her meal as an ordinarymoner like she had been doing all this time.

    "It''s okay, I have a lot of free time today," was true and false at the same time.

    Right because her husband was away, she was free to roam for however long she wanted. Wrong because she still had work piled up in her husband''s room that he left to Branwhait.

    More than half an hour passed, and finally, Allen came with the soup she had requested.

    "Here is yours," Allen said.

    As soon as Allen ced the soup in front of Theda, he returned to the kitchen and carried arge sack out of the tavern.

    "Eh? Why is he leaving? I still want to talk to him," Theda said.

    Susan then replied, "Maybe some other time because Allen has to go to the estate every afternoon."

    "What''s he doing there?"

    "Selling food, or rather handing it out, because he gave a low price. The estate''s condition was critical because their fields were destroyed, so he distributed food to the people there."

    "Wh-why? Why would he do that?"

    "Redemption," Rodion came out of the kitchen towards them, "the boy is probably searching for himself. What he lives for, what he can do for others, and what he should do in the future. However, he''s still a selfish kid who wants people to eat his cooking."

    Hearing that, Theda remembered Allen''s reaction when she asked him to make a better meal.

    ''He was a little hesitant... it must have been because the ingredients really weren''t enough.'' Theda then felt ashamed of herself for selfishly asking for something more. She thought that since she was a customer and had money, she could buy as much as she could. But it was the water month, and money was not as valuable as food at this time.

    Realizing something, Theda then asked.

    "Don''t tell me this tavern hasn''t been too crowded these past few days because you''re limiting the customers?"

    Rodion realized that Theda had learned something he shouldn''t have. He replied, "Yes, because food is very important nowadays. The customers whoe here are mostly only those who really have money. Those who don''t have money wille directly to the estate and eat that kid''s cheaper cooking."

    "Then why didn''t you tell me about this? At this rate, I''ll look like a greedy person who wants to eat other people''s rights."

    "It''s because that child knows that you''re not satisfied."

    "Huh?"

    "You probably don''t know because he didn''t show any expression. But he was quite frustrated to see your face disappointed with his cooking."

 Chapter 185 The Queue

    ?

    Theda felt a sense of urgency to finish the soup quickly and find out what Allen was doing there. However, she suddenly paused mid-sip, remembering how selfish she was before. She realized that she needed to appreciate and enjoy the special soup that Allen had made, before she went.

    Theda lowered her spoon, slowing the pace of her eating.

    "Huff... so good," Theda said with teary eyes.

    She savored each spoonful of the savory soup, enjoying the warmth spreading throughout her body. She took her time, enjoying every second of the meal.

    "Thanks for the soup," Theda said, feeling content with the moment.

    "Fufu, if Allen had seen your face just now, he would have been very happy."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, Allen always peeks behind the kitchen to see how the customers react. I hope he can see your reaction just now."

    "I see..." ''What a strange child,'' Theda thought with a slight smile on her face.

    "It may not be much, but I think I should leave some extra money for now."

    Theda took out a small gold coin and gave it to Susan, "Thank you very much! Pleasee again next time."

    Theda nodded. She went out and intended to find Allen.

    ...

    Since the estate was nearby, Theda boarded a carriage and was driven to the front of her house. She saw a long line at one of the gardens. As soon as Theda got off the carriage and headed there, she saw that at the end of the queue was Allen, along with three people helping him. Peter, Pascoe, and then a small boy with dark brown hair, Jack.

    Behind them was a cart with three types of vegetables: potatoes, carrots, and spinach.

    The crowd came to buy the vegetables they were selling. Peter took the money, Pascoe and Jack brought the vegetables, and Allen put the vegetables in a bag.

    The price of the vegetables was calcted based on how big the bag was.

    Theda approached one of the customers and asked,

    "What is this queue? Why is everyone gathered here?" Theda asked.

    "We want to buy vegetables. The food here is three times cheaper than at the market."

    One of the shoppers thenmented, "That''s right, how can they make a profit if the prices are this cheap?"

    "Maybe it''s because it''s a failed product? I tried it yesterday, and it didn''t taste very good; it was a bit nd."

    ''nd...'' as Theda listened, she remembered the nd soup she had eaten earlier. At first, she thought they had reduced the spice in the dish. But it seems that they didn''t. They could mix good potatoes and bad potatoes to reduce expenses.

    ''But the boy said he was saving potatoes because of the water month. What does saving food have to do with mixing good potatoes with bad potatoes? And what does it have to do with taste? If they were saving potatoes, they should have reduced the portion instead of removing the vor from the soup.

    They seem to be hiding something.''

    Theda then moved closer to Allen, "Wait, Miss... you can''t break through the queue!" shouted the person at the back.

    In the middle of it, before everyone shouted to Theda to not break the queue, there was a louder shout at the front of the queue.

    "YOU FRAUD!" the shout made everyone not care about Theda anymore.

    "What does that mean?" Peter asked the man.

    The man picked up the fallen potato and showed it to Peter and Allen.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "This potato and all the items you sell are highly suspicious!"

    The man turned around and continued, "Don''t you realize after eating this food for seven days?! Not only does it taste nd, but it''s not filling either!"

    People started whispering,

    "That''s right, my son''s portions have doubled too."

    "No matter how much salt we add, it only makes the food saltier, and in the end, it''s just like eating salt."

    "The carrot vor is almost gone, like we''re eating raw bread."

    "But..."

    The whispering changed over as someone elsemented, "But what''s the harm? We need food too, and it''s so cheap."

    "True, it''s a little suspicious, but it''s better than not eating at all."

    "You suspect too much!"

    The angry man started shouting again, "You fools! Look at the shape! It looks nice and perfect, but why does it taste nd?! What if it''s not an ordinary vegetable but something that contains poison?! Maybe these people picked it up in the dungeon! I saw it yesterday! This ck-haired kid was standing in front of the dungeon!

    None of the nts in the dungeon are worth eating; they are usually poisonous or in the form of potions or medicine, which should not be eaten unless you are really sick. Usually, no dungeon nt looks simr to a nt in the outside world. Still, the possibility is always there because dungeons are known as demonic ces, and no one knows what strange things can happen inside.

    "Allen, is that true?" asked one of the queues.

    "I dide to the dungeon, but only up to the outer door. Other than dungeon explorers are forbidden to enter."

    "Huh! Maybe you have someone smuggling your stuff out!"

    "I don''t. Don''t worry, it''s not poisonous; all the food here is worth eating, even though it''s nd and not very filling."

    "I''m sure you''re hiding something! Don''t eat this food! Go away everyone! I''d rather be hungry than eat this stuff!"

    "Wait-"

    -SLAP

    Theda walked forward and pped the man.

    "HAH?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WOMAN!"

    "Soldiers there, hurry up and capture this guy," Theda said to the two soldiers guarding the queue.

    "Eh?" the soldiers just looked at her in confusion.

    Theda pulled her hair tie, letting her dark brown hair fall to her knees. She straightened her body, clenched both her hands, and lifted them in front of her stomach.

    Standing like royalty, the two soldiers immediately realized who Theda was.

    "!!! Lady Barkaley!"

    "Sorry for not answering your orders directly!"

    The people in the crowd were immediately shocked; they began to put their hands on their chests and bow their heads.

    "WHAT?! Lady Barkaley?!" the man shouted; he was then immediately tied up by the soldiers.

 Chapter 186 Invitation As A Guest

    ?

    In themotion in the queue, a woman pped the man who created themotion. When the woman removed her hairpin and let it loose, the soldier immediately realized she was Lady Barkaley, Theda Helme Barkaley.

    "How stupid; if this food is really poisonous, howe the effects haven''t been seen for a week," Lady Theda said, "if you don''t want to buy them, just leave this ce. No one will mind. Those who buy will be full, while those who don''t will be hungry. It''s that simple."

    After asking the soldiers to confine the man to the city jail, Lady approached Allen, who bowed his head.

    "Take it easy," Allen raised his head again. Meanwhile, Jack, Pascoe, and Peter were still bowing their heads in fear.

    "Do you mind if youe to our residence after this? I''ll invite you as a guest. There are many things I want to ask," hearing that made everyone wide-eyed in surprise. Let alone inviting as a guest, even entering the noble residence was the rarest thing amoner could do. Commoners could only enter the noble residence once they had the status of a soldier, maid, or ve.

    "I can''t," Allen replied quickly.

    "Oi! Allen! What are you doing?! You can''t refuse a noble''s request!" whispered Peter beside him.

    "Depending on your reason, I can forgive you," Lady Theda said.

    "Lady, look at these lines. Many people might need these potatoes right away. I can''t leave them right away and let them starve tomorrow."

    ''This kid really thinks of others rather than himself, doesn''t he? Or is he just a fool who has no respect for nobles?''

    Understanding Allen''s answer, Theda continued to ask.

    "Then the person beside you..."

    "I''m Peter, one of the groundskeepers here."

    "Peter, I will ask Allen toe to my residence tomorrow. So the one who takes care of the sales for tomorrow is you, is that possible?" asked Theda with a hint of intimidation; plus, she set Allen''s schedule as if Allen had agreed toe tomorrow.

    "Of course I can!" replied Peter.

    "Allen, I''ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow," Theda said as she left.

    "Wait Lady!" called Allen, stopping Theda''s footsteps and making her turn around.

    "I cane tomorrow, but can I bring my guardian with me?"

    "Guardian? Oh you mean the master of that tavern?"

    "Yes."

    "That''s fine; you can bring him with you."

    ''That master seems to know a lot of things too, after all this kid is probably still too young to understandplicated conversations.''

    Receiving an invitation from a noble to visit their residence was a rare urrence that had never happened before for me. It was customary for a noble to issuemands rather than invitations tomoners like myself. However, this invitation was not apanied by any expectation ofpulsion. While nobles did not have the authority to take amoner''s life, they were still subject tows that regted their actions towards us and future generations.

    Themoner receiving an invitation from a noble to visit their residence was a rare urrence that had never happened before. Because from the beginning, if a noble asked amoner toe to his house, it would be an order that must be obeyed. However, a noble could not usurp amoner''s right to life; nobles did not have the authority to take amoner''s life or their future without their consent. They were still subject tows that regted their actions toward themoners.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Rodion and Susan were half surprised when they heard this from Allen.

    "I knew thatdy was rich, but I didn''t expect her to be andowner''s wife," Susan said.

    "And you madly refused her request. If she thinks you''re insubordinate, she could just kill you for rejecting the noble''smand, you idiot," Rodion said as he held his aching head.

    "No worries, if that happens, I won''t retaliate; I''ll run."

    Rodion smacked Allen''s head "That''s not what I mean, stupid! It means you won''t be able to work here anymore!"

    "Master you don''t need to dwell on the past; we were told toe anyway."

    "Yes, you''re dragging me into your problems! Now what should we do¡­"

    "About what? We just need toe, right?!"

    "''Just'' you say," Susan shook her head, "there''s no way we''re going toe to the manor house in these shabby clothes."

    Rodion then took out a small gold coin from his pocket and said, "Fortunately, we got extra money from that noble. Let''s go to the market immediately. We should buy something a little cleaner and more decent."

    ...

    The tavern had to close the next afternoon because Allen and Rodion had to leave for the Barkaley residence. On that asion, Susan was asked to clean the tavern.

    The Barkaley residence was arge house with an iron gate that allowed us to see inside. Unlike the Boldenville residence, there were not many flowers, only grass covered the ground.

    "What''s wrong? Are you surprised to see a big manor building?" asked Rodion to a stunned Allen,

    "Yes, I was." Actually he kept staring at it because he felt ufortable because he had been inside that house before when he was tied up and whipped in its basement.

    At the gate, two guards escorted them to the front door, and at the front door, two maids escorted them to Barkaley''s workroom.

    For some reason, Allen felt nostalgic when he walked into the big house, especially since Barkaley''s study was on the second floor.

    As soon as he opened the room door slowly, Allen felt as if he was back to when he first opened the door of Isabelle''s workroom.

    "Lady Theda, your guests, Allen and Rodion, have arrived," the two maids said in unison.

    "Wee; you may sit down," said Lady Theda, who was not sitting in her desk chair. In the chair was a short man with sses who was writing, looking tired behind the stack of books in front of him.

    As for Lady Theda, she was drinking tea while sitting with her legs crossed.

    "Let''s talk about potatoes."

 Chapter 187 Convince

    ?

    Allen and Rodion sat down as Theda ordered.

    "Allen, I want to say that I''m actually a fan of your soup. Especially the one yesterday; it was amazing."

    "Thank you."

    "But before that, I received a soup that wasn''t very appetizing. You said it was to save the food supplies, but somehow I felt that something else made the soup taste nd, especially the potatoes and mushrooms, which tasted like they had lost their original vor. What exactly is this based on?"

    "Before answering the question, may I ask why you came to our tavern in disguise?" asked Rodion.

    "I wanted to mingle with themoners and experience the same cuisine that themoners experience. How their situation is, how they feel, and howmoners treat othermoners."

    From that answer, Rodion tried to deduce what kind of person Theda was. He hoped that Theda was a person who could care about people, and from her exnation and then from the way she was interested in Allen, Rodion felt that Theda was a person who would not just abandon his people; NO, rather he hoped that Theda was such a person.

    Because he wanted Theda to understand Allen''s condition, and if Theda understood, she would be a good weapon against the enemies that MIGHTe.

    "Thank you for answering my selfish question," Rodion said, "Are you interested in buying our food supplies?"

    "Ah, actually I wanted to talk about that. Based on my observations, you guys have a good amount of food for everyone. So I''d like to buy them from you so I can give them to the remaining soldiers here. Also, I will sell the rest to the people so they don''t starve."

    Allen then asked in confusion, "Why do you need to buy them? If you also intend to sell it again, why don''t we work together to sell this food to the people?"

    It was not a question that either of them could think of. Because from the start, the idea of working together like that would only happen if the two already trusted each other.

    "Hahaha yes, that could be too. I would like to cooperate like that." Lady Theda put her tea back on the table, then stopped crossing her legs. "How about it, Mr. Rodion? Can you just trust me? I''m a regr customer at your ce; can''t you just conclude that I''m a good woman?"

    Allen''s innocence made Theda speak her intentions clearly, without hiding anything or nning anything. She just wanted to gain the trust of the two of them first because Theda believed that they were the key to solving the difficulties they were currently experiencing.

    "Alright, I''ll trust you. I can''t think of any other way to save the city from the attack without your help."

    "Save the city? An attack?"

    "Right. In the near future, the enemy might take advantage of the famine to attack the city," Rodion continued.

    "You''re presumptuous! You can''t talk about such foolish imaginings in front of ady!" shouted Branwhait at his desk.

    Theda raised her hand, signaling Branwhait to be quiet.

    "I will listen."

    "Do you know a soldier named Wyncall?" asked Rodion.

    "Yes, I have heard of him from the army. He is the mastermind of this incident; my soldiers still haven''t found him."

    "He incited the children to destroy the fields, and then two children tried to kill their parents because of his incitement. If he still hasn''t been found, we shouldn''t look for him anymore. It will only waste the soldiers'' energy."

    "For now, let me keep your suggestion. Do continue."

    "Wyncall is the one who disguised himself using a soldier''s clothes to get inside; we can conclude that he is a spy. Spy means he is under someone''s subordinate, and his superior''s order is probably to destroy the fields to starve the soldiers and people."

    Branwhait stood up and pointed at Rodion "Hmph! From what I''ve heard, it''s all just this old man''s imagination! You''re just overthinking things."

    Theda then said, "Yes, I also more or less feel that you are overthinking it. That wouldn''t be the reason this ce was attacked."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Allen began to speak "I heard that thendlord went to Herrwade to buy food supplies, but why hasn''t he returned yet?"

    Theda''s face turned worried. "Actually, he said he would be back in five days. But he hasn''t returned until now."

    "About that, I heard from my acquaintance that there are enemies of the kingdom and enemies of the church in Herrwade. Did the barony go there with concern because he knew about it?"

    "No, I''m not sure. What enemy do you mean? And where did you know?"

    "From my acquaintance, she''s the priestess of the Church of Fire, named Lavinia. She''s in the same party as Birawa who once visited here. Is it true that Birawa didn''t say anything about his mission to Herrwade?"

    "N-no, I didn''t hear anything about it. Branwhait, do you know anything?"

    "I-I don''t know about that either."

    The atmosphere was getting heavy, and Theda''s worry filled the room. Theda who initially doubted Rodion and Allen slowly gained a sense of trust in their story, even though she didn''t want to know.

    The problem was that everything made too much sense.

    The spies, the destruction of the garden, the departure of the barony with many soldiers, the arrival of Birawa and his party at the manor house, the suspicious movements in Herrwade, the enemies of the kingdom and the church, and then her husband''ste return from his trip.

    Suddenly there was the sound of fast-moving feet from outside the room.

    -BAM, the door rudely opened.

    Outside, one soldier was panting.

    "What''s going on?! How dare you enter a nobleman''s room without greeting!" Branwhait shouted.

    "Ma-sorry sa-I..."

    The soldier took a deep breath, then continued.

    "Lady, Mr Branwhait, I''d like to inform you of something urgent. An explosion was urred in the city prison and freed all the inmates inside."

    "!!!"

    "WHAT?!"

    "Exin in detail!" shouted Theda.

    "The viger you had arrested at the estate, he suddenly screamed and blew himself up. As a result, three soldiers died and damaged the prison cell; all the prisoners inside are now escaped and roaming the city."

    It was then that Theda couldn''t help but believe Rodion''s prediction.

    To solve the hunger problem, Allen distributed food at a low price; perhaps the somewhat-enemy-party perceived it as a threat to their n, so they sent someone to make the people hesitate to buy Allen''s food. But their n failed, and the guy ended up in prison.

    He chose tomit suicide, meaning he didn''t want to spread any information about their movements.

    "Rodion, Allen. Exin to me every piece of information you have."

 Chapter 188 Thedas Promise

    ?

    The prison in Barkaley County, fortunately, didn''t have any high-profile criminals. Most were just people who broke the fifth and fourth tier of the criminal code, such as thieves and troublemakers. Some of them have vited the third tier were rapists and murderers. Because of this, Theda was forced to order all the soldiers to search for the escaped prisoners and lock them back into their cells.

    Reportedly, the explosion opened only five to six cell doors. The rest were opened manually by the criminals to free everyone.

    "It seems like everything you said now makes sense, Master Rodion."

    "I had hoped that it was really just imagination."

    ''This old grandfather has a way of thinking that doesn''t suit him. As if he was already experienced in this field, perhaps he used to be a former knight or something?''

    "For now, you two could go back home and meet me back tomorrow."

    "About that prison, do you mind if I help? I heard there''s a murderer among them," Allen asked.

    "No way! I don''t know what kind of ability you''re hiding, but you''re the one who''s needed now! What happens if you get killed!"

    "..." Rodion held Allen''s hand, then shook his head.

    "In that case, sorry."

    "We''ll leave now."

    On the way back, Rodion exined to Allen that he didn''t need to help the soldier do his job. He was just a kid who happened to have great strength.

    "If you participate in capturing the prisoners, you will return to your old selfter."

    "What does that mean?"

    "You don''t need to understand."

    The old Allen, meaning a murderer. Rodion had been instilling in Allen the things that made him an ordinary boy. If possible, he wanted Allen to utilize his abilities only to help others withoutmitting violence.

    "Children only need to follow adults; you should rely on them as long as they are around. Don''t think of solving your own problems," Rodion said.

    "W-well... okay," Allen just replied without understanding what he meant. For now he kept Rodion''s words.

    ...

    The next day, she returned to Theda''s room.

    As soon as they entered, Theda already looked exhausted. She was only wearing casual clothes whileying her head down on herfortable couch.

    "With this, the food supply for the next three days has been used up for the search. There are 20 prisoners in all; five dangerous ones have been captured, while the rest we''ll just give up. If what Rodion said is true, we can''t afford to spend more manpower and food."

    "About the food, you don''t have to worry," Allen said.

    "Hmm? Is your food supply really that much? I thought three days of searching would make the food you gave us insufficiently."

    Allen looked at Rodion, and Rodion nodded, indicating that he agreed to whatever Allen was going to do.

    "From now on, I want you to promise not to tell anyone about Allen''s ability," Rodion said.

    "Will that ability solve all the problems we receive?"

    "That''s right."

    "Then I''ll take an oath. In the name of God, the ancestors of the Willons, and my mother Helme. I will not divulge anything about this boy."

    Rodion nced at Branwhait, and then Theda said, "Branwhait, did you hear that? Leave this room immediately."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "But Lady, I can''t leave you alone with them!"

    "Branwhait, is that a criticism of the nobility?"

    With fear and displeasure, Branwhait put his hand on his chest and said, "No Lady, forgive me. May God bless the Barkaley family," and he left the room.

    "Thank you very much, Lady. I''m sorry, I just didn''t believe in that man." Rodion said.

    "Watch what you say; he is our trusted man. Don''t be too quick to thank me. I only swore not to spread Allen''s abilities, that doesn''t mean I still don''t have the right to kill and imprison you. Your actions have already vited a lot of harassment against the nobility."

    The atmosphere became tense; realizing that she was the one who made the atmosphere be like that, Theda said, "Aah forgive my bad behavior. I''ve been trying my best to earn your trust. I''m just desperate with everything that suddenly happened to me."

    "Make sure youe to our tavern; Allen will make you a delicious soup that can ease your shoulders."

    "I''ll look forward to it."

    After that, Rodion asked Allen to show Theda his skills.

    Reig tied himself to Allen''s right hand.

    "God blessing..." muttered Allen.

    An apple magically came out of his right hand.

    "T-this apple is?! It just came out of your hand?!" cried Theda, shocked.

    "It didn''te out of nowhere. This ck scarf is my ability. I can double whatever this scarf absorbs. I can take out as much as I want as long as I have mana."

    "A-amazing! This is really amazing! With your ability, we can solve the famine and all the problems happening now! Amazing!"

    Allen gave the apple to Theda and asked her to try it,

    "I see... I finally understand. The reason the potatoes and mushrooms tasted nd.

    Your ability can double anything, but it reduces the value of the original thing that was absorbed. That''s why it tastes nd, and that is also why it is not very filling.

    But as long as it can solve hunger, it doesn''t matter.

    If I ask you to take out potatoes, how many can you create in one day?"

    "About 100 sacks, or you could say 300 kg of potatoes."

    "That''s a lot! You must have a lot of mana. Oh you''re an other-worlder; that must be why!"

    Rodion then exined his n, "Actually we wanted to give this away for free, so that all the people and soldiers could eat this food. But that would only raise suspicion, from the people, from the soldiers, and also from the enemy."

    "I understand, I will buy the potatoes at the right price."

    There were three lies they told Theda.

    First, making potatoes was not Allen''s god''s blessing, but Reig''s. Rodion asked Allen to hide it as if it was his god''s blessing.

    Second, the limit of potatoes Allen could create exceeded 300kg. Rodion deliberately made Theda believe it because he didn''t want Theda to exploit Allen''s ability.

    The big reason why Rodion asked Allen to lie was because there was still a possibility that the enemy was also in the Barkaley residence.

 Chapter 189 Danger Is Approaching

    ?

    Two weeks passed...

    Thanks to Allen''s help, the Barkaley region had made it through the water-month famine.

    Hearing about this, the hiding Wyncall became even more annoyed as his n gradually crumbled.

    "What the hell! Where did they get that much food?!" shouted Wyncall, echoing in the room dungeon.

    Wyncall had been fervently hoping to impress the high priests with his skills, but fate had other ideas. Despite all the meticulous nning he had put in, everything crumbled to dust, leaving him with a bitter taste of disappointment. Not only did he fail to secure the coveted seat of the Order, but the attack on Barkaley, which was supposed to be swift and decisive, was now in danger of being dyed. This, he knew, would have a profound impact on the organization and its grand scheme of things.

    The sound of footsteps was heard from the darkness, a woman in a red robe entered.

    "Wyncall Doreward... I am your third observer. I have heard the situation from the second overseer; reports indicate that you failed to weaken the Barkaley region."

    "He is wrong, I didn''t fail. In fact, Lord Barkaley left this territory with 50 of his soldiers for Herrwade. If we attack the Barkaley residence now, the possibility of victory remains."

    The woman replied, "There is, but it will be risky. We, the Servus, must ensure our victory. You, should know that the knight of rounds is heading towards Herrwade. The high priests decided to concentrate forces there. Even two of the high priests are currently in that ce."

    "Two high priests? Is the enemy that difficult this time?!"

    "Other-worlder, knight of rounds, and he is one of the strongest, Birawa Budiono. He is the one who killed one of our high priests in the past. We can''t underestimate him."

    "So that''s why you guys are concentrating our forces there."

    "That''s right. Wyncall Doreward, you have been recognized and trusted by the Ordo. Your abilities and intelligence are entrusted with weakening the defenses of the Barkaley region; that way, the Servus can attack this region without the need for the high priest''s participation.

    Your past aplishments should be enough to show howpetent you are at handling matters. But this time, you have failed."

    "I told you I didn''t fail!"

    "I consider your n a failure, but since you yourself consider it a sessful n, High Priest Allester ordered you to lead the assault troops."

    "I-I''m leading?"

    "If you are confident enough in your n, you can bring 100 Daemon Servus members to attack the Barkaley residence."

    Wyncall was silent for a while, calming himself down by closing his eyes.

    Then he replied,

    "I will ept 100 Servus. But tell High Priest Allester that I must postpone the invasion for a week for preparation.

    If he agrees, send troops to the promised ce; otherwise, you can kill meter due to my failure."

    "I understand; I will convey this message to him."

    "All for the sake of the eternal, Heil Satan."

    "All for the sake of the eternal, Heil Satan."

    ...

    One week...

    Allen and Rodion,

    Since they had already sold a lot of potatoes to Theda, Allen no longer needed to sell vegetables in the garden. Theda had arranged everything for sales, distribution, and profit sharing.

    Allen now returned to the tavern, cooking meals with real potatoes and mushrooms. No longer needing to save, they finally had enough real food until the end of the water month.

    Although the problem was still not solved, Allen could finally rx his shoulders. His mind was no longer upied by other people.

    And since he started feeling rxed, he suddenly thought about his old promises. One of them was a promise he had with Susan.

    When he drove Susan home, Allen always asked her things that he didn''t understand about the world''smon sense.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Susan once told Allen that he looked like her brother, but to Allen, Susan even looked more like a sister because she was so reliable and knew so many things.

    "No, I don''t know that much. I only know ordinary things. You''re the one who doesn''t know things that ordinary people should know," Susan said.

    On the way home, Allen asked Susan about something he should have asked long ago.

    "Susan, have you been able to tell me about yourself?" asked Allen.

    Susan smiled sweetly, thinking, ''ah it turns out he remembers about it.''

    In the middle of the falling snow, they walked under the umbre, and Susan began to tell Allen her story.

    "I have a brother, my only family after both my parents died ¡­We split up once he decided to raid dungeons a few months ago."

    Raid dungeon... Every time Allen heard those words, he knew they would bring him back to the past. He was always afraid that the people around him would still be unhappy with him because of what he did back then.

    "It looks like you also have bad memories of the dungeon, Allen. Despite your memory loss, perhaps you were trapped there before?"

    Trapped... perhaps it could be said that those words were true. Currently, Allen is still trapped there, haunted by his past.

    Once he spent two months with Rodion and Susan, he saw and got to know the customers who ate his food happily and met Peter''s family. It made him know the price and value of life even more.

    And he had, in the past, easily taken those lives.

    With dread, Allen asked, "Is your brother lost in the dungeon?"

    Susan shook her head and said, "No, he was captured by Prince Leofric for ignoring his orders. But where and where he is now, I don''t know," Allen breathed a sigh of relief; he was happy that his brother might still be alive out there.

    Susan continued, "Until now, I have always waited for him at home. If hees back, I will show him I am now a grown woman who can care for myself, not a little girl who always whines for his help."

    Allen looked at Susan with admiration. If it was him, maybe he couldn''t ovee all those problems alone. Someone had always supported him. Starting with his mother, then transferred to Isabelle, then transferred to the Boldenville residence. As for Susan, she was alone, trying to survive, hoping her brother would return one day.

    "Your brother wille back; I believe that," Allen said.

    Allen realized that he was once again giving hope to others, just as he had done to Iva. He knew it was probably wrong, but he couldn''t help but say it, knowing it would make the other person happy.

    "I believe that too. If hees backter, I''ll introduce you to him."

    "You''d better not."

    "Eh? Why?"

    "It''s okay, I''m just... notfortable with new people."

    "Fufu, are you perhaps shy?"

    "It''s not that..."

    "Take it easy, brother Arthur is a good person.

    He will definitely be happy to see you.

    He will definitely wee you with a smile."

    Susan whispered, "Until then, please remain my brother''s substitute."

    She thought, ''After that¡­ I hope the three of us will live forever.''

    That night¡­

    Arge of fire was seen from the front gate of Barkaley Region.

 Chapter 190 I Envy You

    ?

    The gatekeepers were divided into shifts. The shifts were usually divided alternately, but in the Barkaley region, everyone''s work was fixed between day and night.

    One of the soldiers who was supposed to have the day shift asked the night shift soldier for a shift swap because he wanted to eat together with his family.

    "Dad, can''t you sleep with Eri today?"

    "Eri... You heard earlier, right? Dad purposely didn''t work during the day because it''s you wanted to celebrate his birthday today. Didn''t you force him to celebrate together?" said the mother.

    "I''m sorry, I can''t sleep with you today. Just for today, Eri," her father replied.

    "I see... Well, Eri is happy that Dad doesn''t have to work during the day for Eri."

    "Thank you Eri; don''t sleep toote."

    "O-okay, I promise."

    "What the hell is that? Why do you sound hesitant?"

    "No! Nothing! Just go! I''m going to bed early."

    "Aaah, okok, then, I will go now."

    Behind her, her mother smiled while holding back herughter. After her father left the house, Eri said, "Mom, is it okay today?"

    "Yes, but only until midnight; after that, you have to sleep."

    "Yey!"

    Eri''s desire to be beautiful led her to practice sewing with her mother. One day, after dedicating herself to the craft, she almost finished sewing a beautiful scarf and decided to surprise her father with it. However, things didn''t go as nned, as she had fallen asleep early the day before and hadn''t had enough time toplete the scarf.

    Her mother insisted on telling Eri that she could finish it the next day until her mother lied and said that the gift had a limit of 1 day after the birthday. So she should at least try to finish the scarf for her beloved father that night.

    The father, as soon as he arrived at the gate, was greeted by the other soldiers who usually worked the night shift.

    "Oh no, I forgot," said the father when he saw the other soldier.

    "Geez, why are you only wearing the soldier''s clothes? It''s colder on the night shift than the day shift," his friend retorted.

    "Yes! I totally forgot. Since I ran here, my body was warm, so I didn''t feel the cold too much."

    "Shouldn''t you go home first to pick it up? It''s going to be cold tonight."

    "Hmm..." the father remembered his daughter''s scarred hand. He realized what his daughter was doing for him. If he went home now, he might disturb his daughter''s work.

    "No need; I''ll just get some cloth from the guard room."

    The father walked towards the guard room and picked up a dirty, thin cloth. He wrapped it around his body and immediately felt a chill. It wasn''t much different from what he felt before he put on the cloth. However, the thought of his daughter at home warmed his heart. "I can''t wait to try Eri''s scarf. It''ll be so warm," he said to himself.

    He took two to three of the cloths to cover his body, then went out grumbling,

    "Hey, we should start washing these cloths tomorrow; they''re already starting to stink-"

    But his friend didn''t answer. Horror washed over him as he saw the gruesome sight that greeted him. His friend was standing lifeless, his head partially detached and rigidly still. It was a scene that belonged in a nightmare, made all the more terrifying by the strange woman that stood over him.

    "Huh?"

    In front of the dead soldier was a woman in a bright red robe, shining like blood illuminated by the moon.

    The woman was holding the dead soldier''s cheek while crying.

    "Aaah I envy you," she whispered softly. There was something sinister in her voice and the way she held his friend''s cheek as she spoke. "Your life and blood now belong to Milord."

    The fear was immeasurable, and he could sense that she was dangerous. He couldn''t move or make a sound in front of that person. The only thought that crossed his mind at that moment was to<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    RUN

    I MUST

    RUN

    -TRACK

    There was the sound of someone stomping on wood. He nced to his right; seven other people were in the same robe as the woman walking toward them. One of them was holding a grail with both hands, as if offering something.

    -SLURP

    That dead warrior''s blood came from the top of his split head. At the same time, the grail shone, and the man''s blood coagted like a circle on the grail. Little by little, that blood flowed into the grail.

    The woman who killed the warrior removed her hand from the corpse whose blood had been sucked dry. Then she turned to him, and with a very happy and weeping face, she said,

    "I too... envy you."

    That woman''s ck-eyed gaze was so terrifying and... so beautiful.

    And her gaze made this soldiere to his senses.

    He started moving and quickly ran from there.

    "I must report this to the others! I must report this immediately!"

    He took out the whistle around his neck. And as soon as he wanted to blow it

    -SLASH

    The woman shed at him from behind, creating a long, deep gash from the top of his head to his back.

    The soldier fell, then tried to reach the whistle as best he could.

    "I-I have to... tell everyone... so that they... can escape..." he muttered while imagining the faces of his wife and daughter at home.

    -SYUT, the woman plunged her knife into the soldier''s hand. Making him unable to even move or do anything.

    ''I''m sorry... Eri...''

    The woman looked at the soldier while crying,

    "You also don''t need to be sad anymore; you are currently united with Milord."

    The woman then took her de and drew an amnis with it.

    She carved the amnis order on the dead soldier''s back.

    "Dark fire spirit that moves at his worship''smand, answer my call and activate the eternal holy fire."

    The amnis circle glowed. He then picked up the man''s body and threw it at the front gate.

    -WHUSH

    The soldier''s body was engulfed in mes. White-colored mes burned the gate.

    "It''s beautiful..." the woman said with a blush on her face, crying in admiration.

    Then she continued,

    "I really envy everyone in this city."

 Chapter 191 The Red Robe

    ?

    After Allen dropped Susan off, he went back to the tavern and fell asleep.

    Rodion had kept a secret from Allen, but the truth was that it was all toomon for Rodion to hear Allen''s screams in the night. It all began when Allen stayed at Peter''s house. Rodion woke up to the sound of Allen''s voice and realized that Allen had woken up too. Since that moment, Allen has been screaming in his sleep frequently.

    One night, Rodion decided to check on Allen''s condition by entering his room. He found Allen sleeping miserably, drenched in sweat, and with his scarf wrapped tightly around him. However, when Allen woke up, he had no recollection of his terrifying dreams.

    Then, the night after, Allen dropped Susan off.

    Rodion and Allen woke up.

    Allen didn''t wake up because of his nightmare, nor did Rodion wake up because of Allen''s screams,

    Rather, it was the screams of the people outside.

    Not just one scream but a lot of screaming sounds from outside. And as soon as Rodion went out and peeked at what was happening behind his window, he could see a huge white fire burning at the entrance gate.

    "Master! What''s going on?" shouted Allen, who immediately came out of his room.

    "Allen, they, the imaginary enemies we discussed, decided to attack. What I feared really happened."

    "What?! What should we do then?"

    "For now, we will hide."

    "H-hide?! We have to help Theda!"

    "No! Didn''t I tell you that adults should solve adult problems!" shouted Rodion.

    "If I''m not mistaken, Master said that the attackers were probably a big organization. They kept attacking even after their n to starve people was futile. Doesn''t that mean that the remaining Barkaley soldiers were enough for them?! Are you sure adults can solve this problem as you said?"

    Rodion strongly agreed with Allen''s opinion, and it was likely that Theda would be defeated here. Barkaley''s soldiers weremoners with copper and silverbat powers. If there was a great one, it was probably their captain. But the enemy must have attacked because they already knew information about the soldiers.

    "Allen, for now, bring Susan here."

    "What about you, Master?"

    Rodion went downstairs with Allen; he showed there was a basement under the kitchen firece.

    "I will hide here until the problem is solved. This ce has a little water that canst up to three days alone. Bring Susan and Peter''s family here."

    "Alright!"

    For now, Rodion has dyed Allen from doing anything dangerous. If he brought someone back, surely Allen would focus more on bringing them back than fighting.

    ...

    That night, Susan drifted into a dreand where she was reunited with her beloved brother. He gazed at her with warm, tender eyes while gently caressing her hair. It was a blissful moment that filled Sussan''s heart with joy and contentment. But s, the dream was nothing but a cruel illusion, a mirage conjured up by the malevolent forces at work.

    In an instant, Susan was jolted awake from her reverie, only to find herself staring into the face of a figure draped in a red robe and hoodie. The sight of this shadowy intruder sent shivers down her spine as she realized that she was not alone in her room. Her heart racing, Sussan struggled to process the sheer horror of the situation.

    ''Who was this person, and what were their intentions?''

    But then, something even more unsettling urred to her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Susan realized that not just one intruder was not just watching her but several. Five pairs of eyes were trained on her, their gazes as cold as ice. The weight of this realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt paralyzed with fear. What kind of twisted people would invade her house? Susan could only imagine the worst as her mind raced with horrific scenarios.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    With every passing second, the suffocating silence of the room became more unbearable. Susan could hear her heart beating in her chest, a rapid thumping that threatened to burst out of her ribcage. She struggled to find her voice and speak out against the invaders. But her tongue felt heavy and numb, as if it was glued to the roof of her mouth.

    ''W-WHO ARE THEY?!'' Susan screamed in her heart. Her voice wouldn''te out, and her body couldn''t move.

    They were chanting something in anguage that Susan didn''t understand.

    ''No! I''m scared!''

    In that dreadful moment, Sussan was trapped in a real nightmare. There was no escape from the terror surrounding her and no haven to retreat to. She could only wait and pray that the intruders would leave her alone. But as the minutes ticked by, it became painfully clear that the worst was yet toe, as they took out a knife with a strange handle. It was blood red with a snake wrapped around it.

    One of them raised the knife and pointed it at Susan''s body.

    ''NO! I WILL DIE!''

    As the man in red began to thrust it into Susan''s stomach,

    ''BROTHEER!!!''

    -SWING

    A small knife flew from outside the door into the man''s back, making the man immediately shift to the side and pick up the knife stuck in his back.

    Susan turned to the door, and with a feeling of great joy and relief, she shouted, "ALLEN!"

    Allen quickly jumped inside, then covered Susan with his arms.

    "Don''t touch her!" shouted Allen while covering Susan with his right hand.

    "Can you stand up?" Allen asked Susan. Susan replied, "Y-yes, thank you! Thank you foring!" her voice shook slightly as she held back her tears.

    ''Who are these people? Is this the enemy of the church that Miss Lavinia was talking about?'' Allen thought.

    As he analyzed everyone, Allen also thought, "These five people I can easily defeat... but..." he looked at the knife he threw at the man earlier. The knife was covered in blood and looked like it stabbed into the person''s vital parts.

    ''No! I can''t think about that right now! I have to focus on saving Susan!''

    The people in red started to move; Allen immediately lifted Susan''s body and prepared to run away.

    But...

    Instead of attacking Allen,

    Those people sat prostrate in front of Allen. It was as if they were listening to Allen''s orders not to touch Susan.

    "Wh-what? What are they doing?!"

    Thinking it was his chance, Allen escaped Susan''s house and quickly went to Rodion''s ce.

    ''These people... who exactly they are?!''

 Chapter 192 Attack Them

    ?

    Theda was so tired from organizing the vegetable sales that she didn''t sleep. Feeling tired and stuffy, she opened her office window, intending to get some fresh air before falling asleep.

    Then from a distance, she suddenly saw a light that grew bigger and bigger. Looking more clearly, she realized it was white fire, not light.

    "That is... eternal holy fire!" Theda knew about that fire. The fire, which had been reported to appear frequently in attacks on cities over the past decade, also featured prominently in one of the holy book verses. It was the eternal holy fire, often used as a symbol for Satan in cold times. An embodiment of both hope and destruction, this me was thought to consume everything in its path, branding every follower of Satan with its mark. Hope for Satan''s followers and destruction for those who didn''t follow him. But in the end, every one of his followers was devoured by his soul.

    "Oh no! I must run!" said Theda.

    She picked up her clothes and her dead son, Waldo''s sword that was stuck on the wall.

    "Waldo, please forgive Mother for abandoning the people, but please protect me," Theda said. Theda didn''t understand the order of the soldiers and all things rted to the war, so she had to hide at least until it was over.

    ''What Rodion predicted was right; there was an attack on the city! But I didn''t expect the attack to be carried out by Daemon Servus'' the enemy of the church as well as the enemy of the entire world, who worships Satan.

    Theda opened her front door, about to summon her soldiers, but no one was there.

    "What the hell! Did they leave me alone and go to sleep? You useless soldiers!"

    She shouted that while feeling terrified. She had a bad feeling, and the atmosphere around her was strange.

    Once she descended down the wooden staircase, Theda could hear murmurs ofmotioning from the front room.

    "Lady! You''re apparently still awake!" called Branwhait, along with 40 other soldiers who looked terrified.

    "Branwhait! Can you organize the soldiers?!"

    "Whether we can or not is irrelevant! We must protect the city as much as possible! Lord Barkaley has entrusted me to guard this ce, and I will guard you if anything happens.

    Lady Theda, run away from here! We''re all buying time."

    Theda immediately felt ashamed of herself. She thought she had to run away because it was in her nature as a noblewoman and wife.

    If she ran away, then Barkaley still had hope; she would rebuild the city together with her husband.

    But a city without people¡ªwhat good is it? When she discovered that the Servus Daemons were attacking them, Theda became frightened and did not think about it.

    "No! I will not retreat. I will also guard the territory that my husband has inherited."

    ''Even though we''ve found a dungeon in our territory and improved the city''s economy a bit better than other territories, there''s no way everything will just be destroyed!''

    Lady Theda thought back to what Rodion had told her, and she realized that this Daemon Servus'' attack was probably forced.

    "If it was Servus who starved the city and forced us into a weakened state, meaning they didn''t have enough troops to attack the city, we still have hope."

    Theda hugged Waldo''s sword tightly; then she murmured, "Waldo, please protect us."

    She withdrew her sword and shouted to her soldiers, "We have nothing to fear, they are cruel, but the Servus are just ordinary people controlled by Satan. ording to my information, they nned yesterday''s famine because they wanted to weaken our army.

    Our army is beyond their reach since we miraculously overcame the famine."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The soldiers looked at Theda with admiration; the woman who used to be weak and only used her noble status to look down on others now looked brave.

    "Is the warrior captain here?"

    "Yes, I am."

    "Lead the troops; I don''t understand things about war."

    "Yes, My Lady."

    -SREEET

    Slowly, the front door creaked open with a haunting sound.

    Three figures, draped in flowing red ropes. Their heads bowed as they chanted an unfamiliarnguage. The hair on her arms stood up as she watched them, and everyone inside that room is sure to feel the same.

    The silence was broken by the voice of the person standing in the center of the trio, "You are Lady Theda Helme Barkaley, are you?" asked the suspicious person. As she looked at the robe, fear took hold of her. Theda knows who they are, shuddering at the realization.

    ''The symbol of the goat eaten by the snake! They are Daemon Servus!''

    "Everyone! Attack them-"

    -SLASH

    Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air, shattering the silence. Theda spun around in horror to see that one of the figures she had known so much, Branwhait, had lowered their hood, revealing a face twisted in agony as his had split in two and fell to the ground with an eerie thud.

    "ATTACK THEM!" Theda scream.

    ...

    When Allen and Susan arrived at the Tavern, Allen knocked on the secret underground door four times. The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit underground hideout.

    "Master!"

    "Hurry up and leave or they''ll find out about this ce!"

    "Okay!"

    Allen ushered Susan inside, ensuring she was safe before leaving for Peter''s ce.

    As soon as he stepped outside, the chaotic scene hit him. Screams echoed through the streets as people ran towards the estate. Allen hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. When he looked right to the front gate, he saw a massive white me burning in the distance. A surreal sight; it was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

    And then the flying blood clot appeared. It seemed to be sucking all the blood around it, creating a terrifying vortex of violence. Allen couldn''t exin what was happening, but he knew that he had to get to Peter''s ce soon if he wanted to save them from this surreal thing.

    "What the hell, what the hell is going on?!"

 Chapter 193 Please, Close Your Eyes

    ?

    Allen increased his speed, now running almost like he was disappearing, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, hoping that he could have time to save Peter and his family.

    Judging from the situation, they should be fine since they were at the farthest part of the front gate, but there was no guarantee that there would also be an attack at the back.

    Then, as Allen had expected, he could see that Barkaley''s house was on fire once he arrived at the estate, which made him even more worried about Peter and his family.

    Arriving there, Allen immediately opened the door to Peter''s house with force.

    "Peter! Iva! Pascoe! Are you here?" he shouted.

    "Allen!" shouted Pascoe, apanied by a crying baby.

    They turned out to be hiding in their warehouse. Allen was a little relieved that they turned out to be okay.

    "Allen! What are you doing?" shouted Peter.

    "Quickly leave here and head to the Tavern; Master has prepared a hiding ce under the Tavern; there''s also water and food there!"

    "Really! Then let''s go there immediately."

    "Reig, please."

    Allen''s ck scarf suddenly transformed into a ck horse, surprising all the Peter family. The astonishment was palpable, and Pascoe could hardly contain his excitement as he shouted out in amazement.

    "Amazing!"

    "A-allen, how did you do it?!"

    Peter''s family struggled toprehend how such a miraculous transformation had urred. Allen, however, was determined to keep moving and urged them to follow quickly.

    "I''ll exin itter," he promised, sensing their confusion. "Right now, we need to hurry!"

    Peter attached his vegetable cart to the horse and quickly moved towards the Tavern.

    While still at the estate, Allen caught sight of Theda running from her house wearing pajamas and clutching a sword, with a noticeable limp and a bleeding shoulder.

    "Theda! Come here! Quick!" Allen called out urgently.

    "Lady Theda?!"

    Theda lifted her head, and upon seeing Allen in the distance, tears streamed down her face, and she pushed herself to sprint faster toward him. Allen quickly dismounted from his carriage and made his way towards Theda, intending to pick her up. But as he reached out for her,

    -Syuut

    He instead received her body as she fell into his arms. "Theda?" he eximed in shock.

    A knife was hurled at Theda''s back. The same knife the people who attacked Susan''s house used was there.

    "A-llen... I''m sorry... you should... run..."

    "THEDA! THEDAA!" Theda then copsed with a severe wound on her back. Allen withdrew his knife and drew a fire spirit healing amnis.

    By using the healing amnis, the wound was healed, but since Theda was still unconscious, Allen didn''t know whether it only covered the external wound or not.

    Reig and Peter approached them, "What about Lady Theda?!" shouted Peter.

    "Is she okay?!" said Iva.

    "We''ll take her too! Master will definitely do something about her!"

    -SYUT SYUT SYUT<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Three more swords were thrown at them at once. Allen quickly caught all three swords with his hands.

    Three people approached from the direction Theda ran.

    "Unbelievable; you were able to catch all that by yourself?"

    a man''s voice, and it was a familiar voice.

    "Mr. Wyncall!" shouted Pascoe.

    The man opened his robes and said, "Oh Pascoe, we meet again."

    "Wyncall... So this man incited the children to destroy our fields! I can''t believe he was the Servus!"

    "Unfortunately, it''s all useless. We''ll have to provide more strength to attack this ce. Since most of Barkaley''s forces are in the Barkaley residence, we''ll have to sneak around all day to exhaust them first."

    "Why! Why do you have to attack this ce?!" asked Allen.

    "For the sake of the eternal Satan."

    "Sa-satan?"

    "Right! This is a holy ceremony! What do we have to do for Milord''s resurrection! And one way to aplish that is to capture that person, Lady Barkaley.

    She''s not dead yet, is she? I just gave her a little poison to make her fall asleep, hope the wound won''t hurt her too much."

    Knowing that Theda was only asleep, Allen felt a little relieved.

    Peter then exined, "The Daemon Servus, they are the ones who have been attacking viges and towns for the past ten years to fulfill the request of their master, Satan, the enemy of God and the church."

    ''So the enemies of the church are these people; shouldn''t they be attacking Herrwade and Druwich? Then why are they here now? Lack of information? Didn''t Miss Lavinia know that they would attack this ce too?'' Allen thought.

    He then thought about how to get out of the situation.

    Reig couldn''t be separated too far from Allen. So he couldn''t ask Reig to take them to the Tavern. Besides, there was no guarantee that the road to the Tavern would be free of enemies, so he couldn''t leave them alone.

    If he decided to run away with Peter here, they would find Rodion''s hiding ce, which wouldn''t do any good.

    ''The only thing I have to do now is fight them!''

    It turned out that it wasn''t just the three of them who were there; there were several other people with the same robes around them, ready to strike with the knife.

    "Don''t kill the noblewoman," Wyncall said.

    A knife moved quickly, simultaneously, from each side.

    Knives shed from all directions, their glinting des threatening to pierce through flesh. But, quick as lightning, Allen grabbed one of the knives mid-air and deftly danced around the rest, slicing them away easily.

    "!!!" Wyncall and his ilk were left stunned and amazed by Allen''s lightning-fast reflexes and raw agility.

    "Reig, please protect them all."

    The horse-shaped Reig, before anyone could blink, began to disintegrate into inky ck mud. The sludge quickly engulfed Peter and the families, wrapping them in its dark embrace.

    "What the hell?! What is that horse?!" shouted Wyncall in shock.

    "Wait! Allen! What are you going to do?!" Panicked, Iva cried out to Allen, demanding his next move.

    Allen met her gaze, revealing a sad smile. He gently reassured her, "Iva, I will definitely protect you and your family. Please, close your eyes. I don''t want you to witness what I will do after this."

 Chapter 194 It Really Is You, Milord.

    ?

    The twins cried in Iva''s arms. But Iva couldn''tfort them at that moment. Neither could Peter, who was covering Pascoe''s ears with both hands.

    "Dad, what are you doing?" asked Pascoe.

    Peter couldn''t let Pascoe hear everything that was happening out there. Outside of the ck circle that was currently protecting them from the des of the Satan worshippers.

    From inside, they could hear the sound of screams and the shing of swords tearing through flesh. And the sound of people screaming in pain because of it. It overpowered the cries of their two babies, who were obviously closer to them.

    ''Allen, I hope you''re okay,'' Peter and Iva thought.

    Outside the ck circle,

    Wyncall saw the person¡ªjust a mere boy¡ªwho had ruined all his ns and the boy who might ruin his ns.

    With lightning speed, Allen darted forward towards the stampede of the Servus, delivering powerful punches, swift shes, brutal stomps, and bone-shattering neck breaks. With their razor-sharp knives and ferocious energy, the Servus were no match for Allen''s honedbat skills and swift reflexes. In a matter of moments, the once-terrifying Servusy motionless before him, defeated by Allen himself.

    "What the hell are you! Who the hell are you! Why are you in this city?!" Wyncall drew a fire amnis, then fired it at Allen. Allen held the hand of one of the Servus and used it as a shield from the fire amnis.

    -SYUT

    Allen threw the Servus knife at Wyncall. Wyncall immediately dodged the knife and came forward to face Allen.

    As Allen also came forward

    -WUSH

    "Time backward," Wyncall immediately stepped back as if he had nevere forward, from the beginning not intending to fight him and just making Allen think so. Startled and caught off guard, two Servus members were suddenly already beside Allen pointing their knives. Allen tried to spin and dodge, but the two Servus began to re up and explode.

    "Take that..."

    -BAM

    It was only a small explosion, but it should be enough to kill a human.

    From within the smoke, Allen somersaulted backward.

    "He''s alive?!" said Wyncall.

    The explosion only damaged his clothes and slightly burned his skin.

    Allen looked around; there were still many Servus about to attack him.

    ''If I had used the blessing here, I would have killed all of them, but without Felicia, I''ll just die from blood loss!''

    Allen nced at Wyncall, standing with three people behind him who still hadn''t moved.

    ''Until those three moves, I shouldn''t use my god''s blessing except in critical circumstances.''

    -SYUT

    In a sh, the air was punctured by the whirling of knives as they sped towards Allen. But he was ready. With unwavering precision, he arced his body to the side and made a lightning-quick movement to catch the two knives that were savagely pointed at him.

    ''It will be useless if the leader dies first. I have to kill all these red-robed, and then I canbine with Reig to defeat the three of them!''

    More knives were shot at him.

    Allen shifted his focus to the ordinary members. He deftly swatted away the throwing knives that were aimed in his direction. His movements were quick and calcted, and each swipe delivered deadly uracy. He shed everyone with both knives, jumping at them and making sure each move killed one person.

    Allen''s body was drenched in blood, causing his appearance to resemble that of a monster once again. He took a moment to nce distantly at the onlookers who watched him, their faces contorted with fear. That''s when he realized that he might be back to his old self, who easily killed others.

    A woman cries

    A woman in a red robe walked far behind, apanying the other three people holding the blood grail.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Aaah, that''s beautiful..." said the woman with an amazed face, flushed, and mesmerized by Allen, who killed each Servus member efficiently.

    Allen reached out to the woman; he intended to split her head with a single sh.

    -TWANG

    The woman used her knife to block Allen''s attack.

    ''This woman is strong!'' Allen had used all his strength, but the woman seemed to dodge his de casually.

    The woman raised her face, looking at Allen with her dark and frightening ck eyes. Her face was flushed, and she looked aroused while smiling happily.

    "I finally found you!" the woman shouted.

    Allen was immediately creeped out; he spun around and used his foot to step on the woman''s sword to get away from there.

    ''What the hell is this woman? She''s so... Disgusting!'' Allen thought.

    Allen heard footsteps behind him; as soon as he looked back, he immediately shifted to the side. Wyncall walked up to Allen-NO he walked up to the woman with a shocked and scared face.

    "Mother... Mother Laveya... Why are you here?"

    -WUSH

    Suddenly, the woman was already in front of Wyncall, and she hugged him gently.

    "Wyncall... you did a good job..."

    "Mo-mother Laveya didn''t you ovee Druwich''s territory? What about Herrwade? I heard that the high priest wouldn''te here because they were focused on fighting the Rounds. Then why are you here now?!"

    "Wyncall..."

    "Yes?"

    "I envy you..."

    -TRUST

    "Akh! A a! Aaaakh! Mother... Why?" The woman, Laveya, pierced Wyncall''s neck with her knife while crying and gently stroking Wyncall''s head.

    "Wyncall, you have done your duty well. Now you can be one with our lord."

    Wyncall writhed in pain, trying to break free from Laveya''s gentle yet strong embrace. Until he finally died.

    As soon as Wyncall died, his blood was sucked into the grail.

    Laveya released Wyncall''s body and looked at Allen with a big smile.

    "I have finally met you, Milord."

    Allen once again got goosebumps,

    His instincts told him that there was no way he could defeat that woman. So he immediately shouted,

    "ABARE! REIG!"

    As soon as he shouted that, a strong wind seemed to be absorbed by Allen. The circr Reig instantly broke apart as if sucked in by the wind, and he merged with part of Allen''s body.

    Allen''s white hair, which Rodion had turned ck, slowly returned.

    Laveya looked at it with fascination and murmured, "It really is you, my lord, Satan."

 Chapter 195 The Monstrous Shape

    ?

    Reig breaking apart and merging with Allen allowed Peter and his family to see what was happening around them.

    The brutality of what was happening shocked them so much that Iva vomited. Pascoe, who was originally still excited because he knew that Allen, his hero, was fighting to save them, was now afraid.

    Separated heads and ribs were seening out of their bodies, and then there were also those whose bodies were split in two. The brutal scene made them unable to believe and did not want to believe

    that Allen caused everything.

    They saw Allenbine with his scarf and change into a monstrous shape, and then they saw Allen''s white hair returning. There, they were fully convinced that it was Allen who killed their son under those circumstances.

    Theda opened her eyes and saw Allen in front of her; she muttered, "Allen... It turns out... my hunch was right... He''s the one who killed my son, Waldo..."

    Allen looked at Peter and his family, who were looking at him with fear.

    ''...''

    Allen''s face turned sad for a moment, then he looked at the Servus and said

    "Don''t you dare touch them!"

    The moment he said that, the Servus let go of their knives, and they started kowtowing.

    Laveya hugged her body like she was holding something back from getting out of control.

    "Aaah don''t worry milord, I''ll free you from that mortal body," she said as she took out her knife and quickly charged towards Allen.

    Allen received her attack; they fought at a speed that the eyes could not follow. Every attack Laveya delivered was intense, fast, and powerful, and she did it while crying in joy.

    ''Even after I fused with Reig, I don''t feel like I can win at all!''

    The woman might have a superior stat, but Allen had a parallel mind that allowed him to be slightly superior in battle.

    But superiority wasn''t enough.

    Allen nced to the left and found that the prostrate Servus started to stand up again, and then they began to approach Peter and his family.

    "I told you not to touch them!" shouted Allen.

    Using his parallel mind, he used his left hand to deflect Laveya''s attack. He then quickly moved near Peter and Iva to protect them.

    "I have no other choice," muttered Allen.

    Allen stabbed his stomach.

    "Ukh!"

    "Allen?!"

    As soon as he withdrew his hand from his stomach, he muttered, "God blessing: The Spillege Mysantrhope."

    The blood from inside his stomach turned thicker. It spread to the surroundings until it confined all Servus to its territory.

    Reig, once in the form of a sword, split apart, turning into armor attached to Allen''s right hand.

    Allen picked up the blood sword that appeared in front of him and swung it.

    -SWING

    That one swing twisted the blood under his opponent''s feet and stuck up like thorns, piercing them to death.

    "A-Allen, are you okay?!" asked Iva who was both worried and a little scared.

    Allen looked at Iva with a smile and shook his head.

    Iva held her husband''s hand firmly; she realized that she should not look scared in front of Allen, who was trying to save them.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Almost all the Servus in the scope of Allen''s god-blessing attack were dead, leaving only the woman and the three others with Wyncall.

    Laveya looked at the blood with a hateful face,

    "Aah so that''s it... This is the blessing given by God to you. This is so heart-wrenching to see... You are so great that you have the blessings of the angels. I really must free you immediately," Laveya said.

    Laveya ran nimbly, dodging Allen''s bloody attacks.

    Once in a while, she threw her knife at Allen, but Allen created a wall in front of him to dodge the knife.

    ''Attacking him like this is pointless, as expected of a vessel of milord, but you are still so young. With such a big hole in your stomach, it''s a testament to your weakness.''

    Looking at Laveya''s increasingly strange movements, Allen realized, "This woman... is she just running to buy time?"

    Laveya threw a book up. And when she did that,

    -TRUST

    Laveya''s body was finally sessfully stabbed by Allen.

    But Laveya was still not finished, and Allen knew it. She raised her head and looked at Allen with a smile.

    "Demon''s Curse: Turn Null"

    At that moment Allen suddenly felt like time had stopped.

    And in that stopped time, everything was ck and white.

    -CLAP

    A p was heard, and the world returned to color.

    "Abare Book of Legis: Diaboli lingua spinis"

    The book thrown by Laveya released a lot of ck rose thorns. The thorns instantly bound Allen. The thorns were so sharp and strong that they made Allen unable to move.

    "Wh-what is this?! What''s going on?!"

    Allen looked at Laveya and realized that there were many strange things around him.

    "Why is your body... I should have pierced it; tell me what happened!" Allen shouted.

    Laveya suddenly felt a surge of pleasure inside her,

    "Aaah this is the firstmand you gave me. I didn''t want to answer it, but I had to! Alright

    Alright alright alright, I''ll answer it."

    Laveya caught the book and said, "Turn Null; my Demon''s curse can cancel all forms of god''s blessings, mana, and attacks.

    Cancel means to make it never happen.

    Your attack on me never happened; that''s why I''m fine.

    Then since you never used your god''s blessing in the first ce, that means... the hole in your stomach is also gone."

    Allen immediately realized that he no longer had any wounds in his stomach. It was as if he had never stabbed himself in the first ce.

    "Do you know of any other possibilities, milord?

    If your god''s blessing was never active, it means that your blessing never killed the other Servus members either."

    Allen immediately looked around and realized that all the Servus he had killed with blessing were still alive and were prostrating themselves around.

 Chapter 196 As You Wish, Milord

    ?

    Laveya''s demon''s curse can cancel an attack along with the events that the attack has caused. In this case, she activated her power when she touched Allen''s mana and made it seem as if everything had never happened.

    Allen''s god''s blessing made Allen have to spit out a lot of blood, which he mixed with his mana. To activate it, he had to perforate his own body so that it could activate faster. Because his god''s blessing was canceled by Laveya, the hole in his stomach never existed. And all the effects that Allen''s god''s blessing had, such as: stabbing Laveya and killing all Servus members, never happened.

    "Even so, there is still one thing that does not affect this ability of mine,

    It is mana.

    Even though I canceled your god''s blessing, it doesn''t mean the mana you spent will return. They only disappeared as payment for using your god''s blessing earlier.

    Now that you''ve probably lost power, thankfully, we''re not in a dungeon, so you can''t absorb demonic mana," Levaya exined as she approached Allen and held Allen''s chin.

    ''This woman is always talking nonsense about me, as if she knows everything about me,'' Allen thought.

    "Even so, milord. I know that you might still be able to escape this situation. That''s why I''m going to make you an offer."

    "An offer?"

    The woman continued stroking from Allen''s chin to his neck and then to his chest, following the lines and tattoos created when Allen activated his god''s blessing.

    "That''s right, milord, an offer. I want you toe with me. If you surrender and give me your whole body, I will let them go." The woman pointed at Peter and his family, directed by the Servus'' knives.

    "Choose quickly, milord."

    That was not an option for Allen. It was a threat that had a clear answer. If he surrendered, Peter and his family would die. However, even if he didn''t, Peter and his family would still die, and in the end, he would also be captured.

    To that woman, it was her offer and her mercy.

    "What about everyone in this town? Are you also going to leave this town and let them all live?! Can you bring everything back with your power?"

    "Too bad my power isn''t that omnipotent. A time limit must be kept, and the attack came from the attacks of many of my subordinates, not just from one person, as you did earlier. So it''s impossible. But I''ll give you another reward since you''ve thought of it well.

    I will be leaving this ce and never attacking this ce again in the future."

    As Laveya said that, one of the three people behind her immediately came forward to protest,

    "Mother Laveya! We can''t do that! We have toplete the ritual ording to our gospel, Diabolic Liber!"

    Laveya removed her hand from Allen; then she bowed her head.

    Allen could feel the horror and anger that Laveya felt in front of him, then

    -SLASH

    "Huh?"

    In one diagonal sh, the body of the man who spoke earlier was split in two. The other two took out their knives and alerted.

    "Mother Laveya! Why are you past the line? This is not in ordance with the Ordo''s wishes!"

    "I don''t care about the Ordo''s wishes; we''ve already gotten our master back. Just sacrifice enough, and we can resurrect him. The Cloven Grail can be filled in any region."

    "What you''re doing is crossing the limits of The Order''s Reverse Testament!"

    Both of them immediately ran away from there.

    Laveya opened her book.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Abare Book of Legis: Eternal Fire Spear"

    In her book, she shot a spear with white mes that killed both of them instantly.

    "You killed them? Then what about the others? Aren''t you going to kill all your subordinates?" said Allen.

    "They''re fine; they have an oath to obey the high priest. While those three are the overseers of the Ordo. Since I found you, I can tell the other high priest you killed them. Well... That doesn''t mean that I''m not in trouble.

    But that''s okay.

    I don''t care about anything.

    As long as you agree toe with me, then everything will be fine.

    Don''t worry, I won''t kill you; I will guide you to be a good vessel."

    ''Vessel... I''m not familiar with it but it seems to have something to do with my actual lineage,''

    Ever since witnessing the birth of Iva''s child, Allen''s curiosity about himself has been sparked. However, his intrigue was short-lived after he discovered his possible connection to a treacherous organization. The mere thought of it filled him with fear, and he yearned to be free from its grasp. Why couldn''t he continue living his normal life without the looming threat of danger constantly hovering over him?

    Couldn''t I just keep living as I normally do? Without any interference from the danger that was happening now?

    Allen looked at Peter''s terrified family, hugging each other. Then he saw Pascoe, who was staring at him.

    With the same terrified face that people gave him¡ªLavinia, Felicia, and then the people he had killed.

    Allen realized that he would most likely always bring trouble to those around him.

    He was probably a dangerous person that dangerous people wanted.

    ''I''m not... a person who deserves to coexist with humans,'' Allen said.

    Allen smiled at Pascoe. Pascoe''s expression instantly changed when he saw Allen''s sad smile.

    "Hey you, woman. Who are you?" asked Allen.

    Laveya put her hand on her nose and bowed her head, a Daemon Servus'' form of respect for her superiors,

    "Laveya... Anastasia Laveya. One of the Ordo of Seven Devils, High Priest of Daemon Servus. A user of the Book of Legis as an intermediary with the milord''s power."

    Pascoe was looking at Allen. Allen was saying something to the woman.

    And after Allen said it, the woman''s eyes got big, surprised, and joy was drawn to her face. Then the woman

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA

    AAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA

    AAAAAAAH!!! MNGGH!!! IYAAA! I AGREE!!! OK!" sheughed with a flushed face while hugging her own chest. Her face was passionate, and her voice was deafening to Peter''s family.

    Allen looked at the woman with an angry and vengeful face.

    But Allen also looked as if he had determined something.

    "As you wish, Milord."

 Chapter 197 My Perfect Plan

    ?

    Allen didn''t look like he was giving up at all

    But somehow, that face also looked desperate

    Whether he gave up for what and was desperate for what, only he at that time knew.

    "Then you shoulde with us, Milord."

    "A-allen..." Iva and Peter could not speak.

    They were terrified. Not only were they afraid of their own deaths but also of the deaths of their children.

    They realized that Allen must have done something and sacrificed himself to keep them all safe. And now they were upset.

    Because just a little bit

    They were a little relieved, relieved of the fear they were about to face had already disappeared because of Allen''s sacrifice.

    "Book of Legis: Cor Imperium," muttered Laveya.

    The book opened again, and from within, it created a circle simr to the amnis but without the symbols of the four elemental spirits.

    "Stop the rape and murder; the ritual is over," she said in front of the book.

    Realizing that there was no reaction and that something was different from usual, Laveya repeated it again.

    "The ritual is over; everyone gathers around The Cloven Grail."

    There was still no response,

    "This is strange..."

    Suddenly there was an attack from behind the mist¡ªan elongated sword that seemed to stab quickly toward Laveya.

    -SRING

    Laveya deflected the sword''s direction, which was no ordinary elongated sword. Rather than a sword, it looked more like a collection of metals connected like a human spine.

    "Thunder of Wrath"

    Lightning suddenly struck Laveya. Not fast enough to block it, Laveya threw her book up.

    Not having time to cast a spell, the impact of the lightning bolt reached Laveya, making her body tremble and burn slightly from the strike.

    "It looks like we have an unpleasant visitor," said Laveya.

    Allen and Laveya looked straight at the direction of the sword.

    There was the silhouette of a man walking leisurely with a great sword in his hand. Allen widened his eyes once he saw clearly who it was.

    Because ording to the information he knew, that person shouldn''t be in this town.

    "Allen... Good job on distracting that woman," the man said.

    He had short ck hair, was an other-worlder, and was one of the knights of rounds.

    "Birawa! Why are you here?" shouted Allen, confused.

    Laveya was also confused. The Knight of Rounds, who was supposed to be baited toe to Herrwade, was now in Barkaley territory.

    "I''m curious too; will you answer that?" asked Laveya as she signaled the Servus to capture Peter''s family.

    "Land of Deadly nts,"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The roots of a red flower emerged from underneath the Servus and wrapped around their bodies. The red flower had a mouth with many teeth and ate some of the Servus.

    "Huft, the work this time is quite tiring," said a girl with blue braids who came from behind Peter''s family and came forward to protect them.

    Three arrows shot from Laveya''s side, Laveya easily dodged two, but the third arrow translucent through her knives and pierced her shoulder.

    "Mana arrow, huh?" muttered Laveya.

    "Good job, Petrone. As expected of a mithril-ss caster," said Maurice, who shot the arrow.

    "Of course, setting up amnis is my specialty; as long as I''m on the spirit side, I won''t be defeated," Petrone replied.

    "UMU!!!" The sound of arge exhtion of breath came from behind Laveya. The man in armor with therge shield, George, was already preparing behind her.

    And finally...

    "You fought hard, Allen."

    That soft voice was like a melodious chant and fluttered warmth into Allen''s ears.

    Allen looked back, and when he saw her, he held back his tears.

    "M-miss Lavinia..."

    Lavinia smiled; she began to draw the fire amnis

    "Angels in heaven, release him from the bondage of the evil forces that oppose the power of your god."

    The ck roots that bound Allen turned into ordinary roots. Lavinia pulled on the roots, releasing Allen from the shackles.

    Laveya tried to understand the situation. ''Did they realize our trick from Herrwade? Then what about the other 100 Servus who are ughtering humans? There''s no way they''re spreading across the region to kill Servus.''

    "You must be confused with the perfect n I''ve devised?" Birawa said with a confident smile.

    "..."

    "We never went to Herrwade in the first ce; we stayed in Druwich. The message about the suspicious movement was a false one. The Ordo''s real destination from the beginning was the Barkaley region.

    The reason was dungeons.

    The Ordo only had one adfeqtus reliqua, so they should attack the newly discovered dungeons to increase their power. Moreover, the Barkaley region was a settlement focused on ntations far from other cities. Coupled with the throne war, this ce is the most isted ce from other cities because the nobles here only have good rtions with Herrwade."

    From behind Birawa, a horse approached. On the horse rode a fat man in noble armor.

    "You are... Lord Barkaley!" said Laveya in surprise. It was then that Laveya understood the whole situation.

    The one that killed 100 servus in the entire region was the soldier Barkaley had brought with him when he left the city.

    Lord Barkaley left the city not to buy food supplies but to hide from the Servus so that they could strike back once the Servus attacked. The one who instructed Lord Barkaley to do everything was Birawa. During his visit, Birawa asked Lord Barkaley toe out with many soldiers so that he could n a counterattack.

    Since there was suspicious movement in the form of Barkaley''s prison exploding, Birawa was immediately convinced that Barkaley was the real target of Daemon Servus.

    "You''re quite observant; I thought you were a fool."

    "Yeah, you''re not the only one who thinks I''m stupid."

    "We really can''t underestimate you; who''s to say that we didn''t attack Herrwade either? It could be that one of our high priests is headed there."

    "You don''t have to bluff; one of the Rounds has been there from the start. If anything happens, it''s his responsibility; I trust him."

    "You have a trusted friend, huh... Fufu... I envy you."

 Chapter 198 Fallen Angle Appear

    ?

    Laveya stood there, searching for a way to run. George loomed menacingly behind her while Maurice stood to her right, his bow fully drawn and aimed at her. Lavinia and Allen stood to her left; their eyes were full of malice, and Petrone was poised to unleash her amnis at any moment. Standing directly in front of her was the Knight of Rounds, Birawa, who had callously killed other High Priest before.

    ''I see, this party is a suitable party to fight High Priest Allester. That means he''s not that good at predicting who wille to attack the region.''

    The table has turned. Laveya now had nowhere to run. The only troops she had were six, and then the one holding The Cloven Grail that kept sucking the blood of the dead.

    Rather than paying attention to the conspicuous Cloven Grail, Petrone looked at the red book with a silver chain that Laveya was holding.

    ''So that''s the Cursed Gospel that each high priest has,'' Petrone guessed.

    ''Birawa must have invited me to the party so I could analyze that book.

    A book that can make you use demonic mana. By using demonic mana, she can use the demon''s curse and also nullify many things rted to mana.

    The book made her run away from the angels'' surveince.

    Surprisingly, all the books are armacar. I wonder what kind of cores the devil made to make those nine books.''

    Laveya suddenly burst into tears.

    "I want to give up..." Laveya said.

    "I want to die..."

    "But if I die here, I won''t be able to be one with Milord."

    "So sorry...

    I won''t die here..."

    Laveya immediately opened the book, and the sheets of the ck book quickly flipped randomly. The ck sheets glowed red.

    "Abare Serpent Draconis," Birawa said, advancing towards Laveya while brandishing his sword. Meanwhile, Maurice shoots a god''s blessing in the form of an arrow at Laveya.

    "Lava Bursts!" shouted Petrone at the same time as Birawa, spewingva-shaped amnis fire that shot directly at Laveya. The six people behind Laveya advanced, covering Laveya with their bodies. In return, they were the ones who received the attack, then

    -BAM

    They instantly exploded.

    The explosion created a mist that made them unable to see Laveya.

    "Did she run away?" said Maurice.

    "Petrone! Keep attacking with your amnis! Maurice and George, stay ready! If shees out of there, catch her!" Birawa ordered.

    The fog slowly dissipated.

    The silhouettes of the two people left after the explosion were visible.

    It was Laveya and the cup holder.

    Laveya stabbed the cup holder with her knife while the book flew above her, still glowing red.

    "Book of Legis: Summon Satan," Laveya said with a smile and a happy cry.

    "What did it say?!"

    "Summon Satan?"

    They then realized that the grail was already empty, and no more blood was flying on it.

    -TIK TIK<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    There was blood dripping down.

    It came from the sky above.

    Everyone immediately looked up at the sky.

    "Wh-what the HELL IS THAT?!" shouted Lord Barkaley.

    Suddenly, everyone was silent, like the calm before the storm. The screams of soldiers pierced through the air. Their cries echoed through the night as they witnessed an otherworldly terror unfold before their eyes. A massive eye loomed in the sky, piercing through a portal from another dimension. It oozed with blood, like a grotesque beast thirsting for its prey.

    "My lord, I havee for you. I offer you all the human blood that we have taken for five years."

    -SPLASH

    Unable to look away, they watched in horror as a massive, unfinished hand with long ck nails shed through the air and plunged into the eye from behind. The hand looked like an unfinished hand, with no skin and only rudimentary muscles, causing blood to spurt gradually from around the hand, like a severely burned hand. The sound of tearing flesh and shattering bones echoed throughout the deste battlefield. Blood spewed from the wounded eye, pooling around the hand like a macabre offering to the entity lurking in the sky, but it''s truly not the angels.

    The soldiers were frozen with terror, unable toprehend the monstrous abomination they had witnessed. The hand twitched eerily, as if alive and hungry for more destruction.

    "See you again, everyone," Laveya said.

    The hand slowly caught Laveya, and the dumbfounded Birawa immediately realized that Laveya would run away using it.

    "Petrone! Attack that hand!"

    Petrone prepared to draw amnis fire and aimed it upwards at the portal where the hand appeared.

    "Exploding Sun"

    A huge fireball appeared in front of Petrone''s amnis.

    Then it shot quickly into the hand.

    -BAM

    But it was useless. Petrone''s exploding sun did not affect the hand at all. The hand slowly entered the portal.

    "Damn! She got away!" said Birawa.

    Birawa said that without realizing that everyone was currently in a strange state. As he looked around, he could see that his party members had headaches; some soldiers were scratching their own faces until they bled, the sheer brutality of the scene left them traumatized; all of them seemed to get a mental attack from seeing that horrible figure.

    "Then the reason I''m stunned is not because of my carelessness but because of a certain effect given by that hand!" thought Birawa.

    "Phoenix Scream," muttered Lavinia, drawing her fire amnis.

    The 100 meters around Lavinia glowed, bringing everyone back to their senses. Some of them were forced to sleep by this amnis to recover their mental state.

    "Thank you Lavinia," Petrone said.

    "Instead of that, what was that? What was that hand?"

    There was no mistaking that Lavinia''s phoenix scream had wiped out the effect of the mental attack. However, the fear and horror Petrone felt when she saw those eyes being torn out by that huge hand still lingered in her mind, so Petrone''s face still looked scared and tired.

    "Summon Satan... The reason for Daemon Servus to collect human blood for that grail is to summon Satan back to the world. I don''t know how they did it.

    It could be that we just saw the process of summoning Satan. And because she didn''t have enough blood, they were only able to summon his hand."

    "Then just now..."

    "We saw the figure of a fallen angel who defied God and created a war with the angels 1000 years ago."

 Chapter 199 At That Night

    ?

    Laveya had managed to escape in the most conspicuous manner possible. With her sudden disappearance, the attack on the Barkaley region came to a halt, ending all the violence and horror that had gued the area that night.

    The incident had resulted in a great number of casualties, causing a wave of fear and despair to spread across the region. However, since Allen was engaged in a fierce battle with Wyncall''s subordinates, the majority of the Servus were called by Wyncall to fight Allen, greatly reducing the expected number of casualties. Despite this, the toll on themunity remained significant, with many lives lost and countless others left traumatized.

    The causalities are about one per eighth of the humans living near the front gate.

    Children, women, and men were found alive but had lost their sanity. Members of the Daemon Servus desecrated them as a form of their holy ritual. They rape them while they are dying from knife thrusts in their stomachs.

    For Servus, "Do as you will" is their ideology or the religion''s precept. During the ritual, the seven cardinal sins of humans must ur to increase the negative emotions and make them turn into demonic mana that The Cloven Grail eats.

    Because of this incident, the Barkaley region took some time to recover. The manor house, the houses, the fields, and the front gate were destroyed. Everyone had to work in the cold of the water month.

    Even so, the Barkaley region was the luckiest region, as it was the only region to survive after the attack from Daemon Servus. As for the other towns that survived, they usually regressed to the point where their nobles had to start at 0.

    And Allen...

    Since that night, he has nevere out of his room.

    Without Allen''s cooking, the tavern slowly began to quiet down, empty of customers. It returned to being the old tavern visited only by poor customers.

    Rodion didn''t force Allen to do anything.

    Susan often invited him to talk from behind the door of his room, but Allen did not answer.

    Peter and Iva refused toe to see Allen. They said they didn''t deserve to meet him at that time. Then they also told Susan to send their apology message to Allen.

    "What exactly happened to him that night? Why did Allen be like this?" Susan said.

    Susan had heard some brief stories, but no one wanted to go into detail. To be sure, Allen did note wounded, which meant that his heart was currently hurting.

    "He''s probably starting to realize it," Rodion said.

    "Realize what?"

    "The scars on his body"

    "Don''t tell me he never realized them all this time?!"

    "He has only realized the scars on his skin. He hasn''t realized the many scars that always remain inside his body.

    But now he realizes,

    Wounds made by others are easier to forget than those made by oneself."

    ...

    That night, after Laveya escaped.

    Lord Barkaley immediately got off his horse and approached his wife, Theda.

    "Theda! Is that you, Theda?!" he shouted as soon as he saw her unconscious near Peter''s family.

    "Lord Barkaley, calm down, your wife¡ª"

    "How can I be calm? Look at how much blood ising out of her!"

    The barony looked at Birawa and shouted, "Birawa! You''ll have to take responsibility if anything happens to my wife! It''s because you asked me to follow your crazy n!"

    "Calm down, Lord Barkaley; that man already told us she''s fine. You should be thanking me because the damage you sustained was small."

    Lavinia approached Theda and said

    "Lord Barkaley, please excuse me for a moment. I will cast healing amnis on Lady Theda."

    "Please!"

    Lavinia drew healing amnis. At the same time, she also activated her god''s blessing to hide it. So it looks like she just activated the healing amnis.

    As she finished, Lady Theda immediately coughed and opened her eyes.

    "Theda! Are you alright?!"

    "I-yeah..." Theda said.

    "She only has a few wounds on her back and shoulders. Don''t worry, Lady Theda is almost healed."

    "Oh, thank God," said Lord Barkaley as he hugged his wife''s body.

    Lord Barkaley then lifted Theda and ced her in Peter''s carriage. Then he looked at Allen; their eyes met.

    Allen immediately averted his face while trying to find a cloth to cover his white hair. But it was useless because Lord Barkaley had already seen him.

    He came closer.

    And in front of Allen, Lord Barkaley snorted. Looking at him with a hateful gaze.

    "Hmph! I didn''t expect you to be alive. I thought you were dead, killed by Prince Harald along with Earl Boldenville."

    Barkaley raised his hand, trying to hit Allen,

    "Lord Barkaley! Wait!" said Lavinia, but Petrone stopped her. She, who both knew Allen''s identity, was most aware that Allen deserved any retaliation from the people whose families had been killed. One or two blows would have been fine.

    But...

    Lord Barkaley abandoned his intention once he saw Allen''s back.

    It was full of scars from theshes he kept giving Allen for almost a week.

    Lord Barkaley lowered his hand and said, "While my troops were hiding around Herrwade, I received a letter from my wife."

    "My wife told me about the state of the territory being fine, and then she told me about the boy who had always helped her.

    That boy is a good cook and loves to help others with all he can."

    Allen raised his head to look at Lord Barkaley.

    He saw Barkaley''s hateful face, trying to contain his anger in front of Allen.

    He then said, "That''s funny... My wife is talking and asking for help from the boy who killed her own son.

    What are you going to do now? After killing the people in this region, will you live as if everything never happened?

    What a disgusting peasant! Don''t ever show your face in front of my wife again.

    I''m sure she''ll never want to see your face again once she finds out that you''re her son''s killer.

    You murderer."

 Chapter 200 Susan Knows

    ?

    It''s been three days since Allen locked himself in his room.

    Susan brought soup to Allen''s room and ced it in front of the room.

    But the soup she had put in yesterday was still there, untouched.

    ''Allen did not eat his soup again,'' Susan thought.

    "Allen, I''ll put the soup in front of the door. Don''t forget to take it if you''re hungry," Susan said.

    Allen didn''t answer anything.

    Susan even began to doubt if Allen was in there or not. But Rodion said he still listened to Allen''s screams and criedst night.

    "Allen... are you not going toe out today either?

    Will you also note out tomorrow, either?

    The next day... the next day... and the next day?"

    Susan gripped his hand tightly; she didn''t like the current Allen. Rodion said that Allen needed some time alone, but Susan couldn''t take it anymore.

    "Allen! I''ve actually tried to cook myself! I''ve tried to make a soup simr to yours! Wait for me! I''ll make it especially for you!" Susan shouted. Then Susan went downstairs.

    She made her way downstairs, disregarding Rodion, and decided to try her hand at making soup. She told Allen that she had been practicing cooking on her own, but the truth was, it was all a fabrication. She had never cooked before because the idea of wasting food for the sake of training was something she couldn''t bear. However, on that day, she didn''t care about any of that; all she could think about was Allen and wanting to do something for him. It felt like the right thing she needs to do for him.

    Two hourster, Susan went upstairs, carrying her self-made soup with an injured hand.

    "Allen, here''s my soup; I''ll leave it at the door; make sure you ate everything! I''ve tried so hard to make one! Mr Rodion even scolded me because I wasted so many ingredients! So don''t leave any!" Susan spoke with a trembling voice as she went downstairs to continue her work as a waitress.

    Susan peeked several times to see if Allen had eaten his soup, and every time she looked, the soup bowl was always there.

    The time when the tavern was closed.

    Susan went upstairs and suddenly felt disappointed to see that the bowl was still there.

    But when she approached the bowl,

    It was empty.

    And that made her very happy.

    Allen must have eaten her soup sometime ago.

    "How is it, Allen? Does it taste good? I''m sure you''ll say no; I don''t think my self-made soup is good. It''s not going to be as good as yours."

    Susan then picked up the bowl and leaned against the door.

    "The soup you make tastes so good. Do you know how many customerse to order your soup? Even a mercenary came from afar just to ask about your soup.

    They miss your soup...

    I miss it too...

    So hurry,e back; everyone is waiting for you."

    Susan then stood up and was about to leave.

    "I..." she suddenly heard Allen''s voice.

    Susan immediately returned to the door and listened to him.

    "Yes?!" Susan said.

    A few seconds passed until Allen continued,

    "When I made that soup and remembered the faces of the customers, it made me very happy. But...

    I''m not the one who deserves to feel that pleasure.

    As Master said,

    I kept falling into the pit of guilt that haunted me.

    Master Rodion once told me that you must wash your hands thoroughly when cooking. When you cook, the first thing you should do is have clean hands and a clean heart.

    But I...

    I am dirty...

    My hands are already too much stained with blood."

    -TWANG

    Susan dropped her bowl and ran downstairs to Rodion.

    "Master! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I don''t understand what Allen is talking about! What does it mean that his hands are stained with blood?!"

    "You may be a child, but your mind is mature. You should know what does that means yourself, right?" Rodion said as he continued wiping down the tables.

    "No! I don''t understand. Exin to me what does that mean?! Why is Allen talking as if he''s a-"

    "Murderer," Rodion cut in.

    Rodion then continued, "I''ve never told you this, but Allen is the one responsible for the deaths of many people. He did something irrevocable.

    He has taken the lives of many others."

    "I-that''s..."

    "That''s the truth."

    Susan bowed her head, still unable to properlyprehend the matter. Rodion then continued, knowing it was probably time for Susan to know about this.

    "The dungeon raid that your brother participated in. Do you know how the raid ended?"

    Susan replied, "Of the many soldiers who participated, only dozens remained; they were all attacked by-"

    Susan covered her mouth with her hand. Starting to realize everything, from beginning to end.

    "No way! But that boy has a white hair and c-"

    "I hid it; I changed Allen''s hair color topletely ck. If you see him right now, you could see his white hair return to its original color," Rodion exined.

    Rodion continued his work, then he said,

    "Allen was the one who killed almost all the soldiers back then,

    He also killed Peter''s eldest son, Fenton.

    And... He was also responsible for your brother''s disappearance."

    "Brother Arthur has nothing to do with it."

    "There are many connections. I''ve heard the story from the priestess.

    The prince captured your brother for trying to kill his quarry. The prince''s quarry was Allen, the boy found in the dungeon."

    "No way... There''s no way brother would do that-"

    "WHAT IF.

    What if Allen was killed the eldest son of the Barkaley family? You and Arthur were pretty close to him, right? Waldo Barkaley, I''ve heard rumors of the closeness of your family. To the point that it makes many peasants here jealous and spiteful."

    Susan froze, speechless.

    "Look at your face now. Are you starting to hate Allen because of this story? After all that Allen has done for you?

    As you know, Allen still doesn''t know anything about this world.

    He doesn''t know anything about anything.

    And now that he''s learned how heavy human life is,

    He realizes that everything she does is irrevocable."

 Chapter 201 The Hands Of A Murderer

    ?

    Again, Allen was dreaming the same dream, where he killed everyone in the dungeon. Every night, The longer Allen remembered everything that happened in his dream: about people he had killed. In the town of Bivey, bandits, and even Servus entered his dreams.

    Repeatedly in his dreams, he felt the sensation of tearing flesh, warm blood sttering on his face and arms. He did that for the sight of his agony filled him with dread and anger, leading him to swing his sword recklessly. This feeling of violence and destruction was something he couldn''t control, even when he realized that his enemy had surrendered. The dreams haunted him, filling him with a sense of guilt and shame. They left him with an overwhelming feeling of dread because of the violence he inflicted and the sight of his mother, who he couldn''t save.

    In his dream, he saw his mother, Queen Orc, standing in front of him with a body full of wounds and arge hole in her body. Queen Orc said

    "Allen, humans hate monsters, not fellow humans."

    "Mother!" Allen shouted at her.

    Queen Orc then smiled,

    "Allen, L-" before hearing what his mother said, he found a corpse grasping his leg.

    "!!!"

    Allen woke up...

    Now he fully remembered what happened inside his dream.

    Allen fell asleep on the cold wooden floor. As soon as he woke up, he walked to the table and picked up the headband his mother had given him.

    He sped it to his chest, then he sat up, crying.

    "Mother... I finally understand what you meant.

    I understand why you told me not to hate humans.

    But it''s toote! I''ve killed so many humans because of this hatred.

    Mother, I was a bad kid...

    Even after your death, I couldn''t obey yourst words."

    -TWACK

    His door room suddenly burst open, causing him to jolt upright. To his disbelief, standing in the doorway, was Susan holding a steaming pot of homemade soup

    "H-how did you get in? I am sure I locked it-"

    "Hey Allen... You must have heard about my brother from Mr. Rodion right?" Susan''s face looked dark; Allen had no idea what Susan''s expression was. All he knew was that her voice was shaking as she asked.

    "Yes, I heard it from the master a few days ago.

    I am the one who caused your grief. I am responsible for your brother''s loss," Allen said, trying to answer it honestly. He was broken this time, and he wanted someone to punish him.

    Susan immediately answered Allen''s wish,

    She hurled the piping-hot soup directly at his face, scalding him in the process. As if that wasn''t enough, Susan screamed at him

    "You murderer! You murderer! You murderer! You killed young master Barkaley! And you drove my brother away from me!

    After you''ve done all that, you think that by helping people, your sins will be forgiven?!"

    "Susa-"

    After he wiped the hot soup from his face, he realized that Lord Barkaley was standing behind her, along with Theda, Peter, Iva, Pascoe, and all of the other people whose families Allen had cruelly taken away. It was like a courtroom full of intiffs, ready to condemn him.

    Lord Barkaley, with a hateful look, said,

    "That''s funny...

    After you killed all their families,

    now you''re having fun here, cooking for those whose families you killed.

    What a disgusting peasant.

    Once they find out that the food came from the murderer of their family, they will definitely throw the food you made."

    Susan then walked back and said

    "Allen, I will never forgive you."

    The floor of his room suddenly copsed, then shattered, creating an abyss that Allen couldn''t see the end of. He fell into the abyss.

    Allen tried to reach out his hands, asking for their help

    "Susan! Master Rodion! Peter! Ivaa! MISS LAVINIA!" but they only saw his lowly fallen figure, full of vengeance and hatred. Just like how he had always looked at other humans. He knows that everything he does to others is as cruel as how the prince has taken his mother from him.

    Then Allen saw Felicia.

    She also stood there, looking at Allen with a face full of disappointment.

    "Felicia! Felicia! Please help me!"

    "Allen, you failed to protect me. You must have never tried to protect me in the first ce. That night you left me alone outside the castle. You only cared about your grudge against Leofric.

    Thanks to you, now I can''t get up anymore," Felicia said,

    Felicia left, letting Allen continue to fall into the abyss.

    "NOOO! PLEASE! DON''T LEAVE ME!"

    Allen fell off his bed.

    He woke up again from his dream.

    His body was full of sweat from fear.

    "Reig!"

    Reig appeared from within his shadow.

    "Reig... thank goodness..."

    He was relieved to be able to confirm that it was no longer a dream.

    The implications of the dream hit him hard - this was his subconscious speaking to him, revealing how much guilt and shame he carried. It was a painful reality check, forcing him to confront the harsh consequences of his past actions.

    "Allen, live," said the Queen Orc.

    "Allen, live," Isabelle cried.

    "Allen, live," Felicia shouted.

    All three of them were telling him the same thing.

    To live.

    Allen hugged his legs together and cried again.

    "Am I someone who deserves to live?"

    "Is someone like me allowed to live?!"

    "No matter how evil someone is, they must have been born from their mother''s womb like Iva''s two babies.

    Their mother must have loved them and waited for them to be born from her womb.

    And their mother must havebored hard to give birth to them, just like Iva, who almost lost her life giving birth to those babies."

    Allen looked at his hands, which were already calloused from holding swords and des.

    And those calluses were proof of how many times he had killed humans with those two hands¡­

    "These are the hands of a murderer, who has taken away the hopes of many mothers while giving birth to their children."

 Chapter 202 Vash And The Orphanage

    ?

    That morning, Allen was awakened by a loud banging on the door.

    The knocking, no, the pounding on the door, came from downstairs, at the tavern''s front door, which was repeatedly pounded so hard that it would disturb anyone who heard it, especially for Allen who had a sharper sense than anyone else.

    "Mr. Rodion! Mr. Rodion! Anybody! Is anyone inside?!" he shouted. It was like a little boy''s voice.

    At first Allen ignored it, just lying there looking at the sky from his bedroom window. But the noise continued for two minutes.

    "MR. RODION! ARE YOU IN THERE?! HEEEY! ANYONE!!!"

    ''Are Master and Susan not in the tavern today?'' Allen thought.

    Since the boy hadn''t left and kept pounding the door, Allen decided toe out of his room and tell him that no one was home.

    ''I have to cover my head.''

    Allen''s hair was back to normal, so he had to wear something to hide it. He put on a white cloth to cover all his hair.

    Once he went downstairs and opened the door, there was a child around Susan''s age. He was wearing some kind of dull, long red robe that was dirty and worn out.

    "If you were inside, you should have answered!" the boy said irritably.

    "Umm... yes, sorry." Allen replied.

    Suddenly, the boy''s gaze shifted to Allen''s face, his expression growing serious. Normally, it wouldn''t have been out of the ordinary for others to stare at Allen due to his unique hair. However, Allen had covered his hair with a cloth this time, rendering itpletely invisible. So why was the boy showing such a strange gaze on Allen''s face?

    "What?" asked Allen.

    "Hmm I''m sure you''re someone I rarely meet around here. But have we met before? Your face looks familiar."

    "Maybe we have," Allen said, lifting the cloth slightly and revealing his ck hair. "I used to sell potatoes at the estate and often walk in the marketce. Maybe you''ve seen me somewhere there and remembered my face because of my unique hair color," Allen said.

    "Oh... yes, perhaps so," he said.

    Then he took out a piece of paper from inside his shirt and gave it to Allen,

    "I''vee to give this letter. From His Grace, Bishop Nichs Westbrook, to Mr. Rodion."

    "Oh well, I''ll take it. Master Rodion is currently away; I''ll give it to himter," Allen said as he closed the door, but

    -PUK

    The boy''s foot blocked the door from closing.

    "What?" asked Allen.

    "Is Mr Rodion really not inside?"

    Convinced that there was absolutely no one inside, Allen replied

    "Yes, he is not here. Don''t worry, I''ll give it to Master Rodion-"

    "Can''t it be now?!"

    ''What''s wrong? Why does this kid look so desperate?''

    "Well, it can''t be helped, he''s not inside. So what?"

    That boy hesitantly asked, "Are you perhaps Mr Rodion''s apprentice or something?"

    "Hmm... yes more or less so."

    "In that case, can you cook?!"

    "I-yes I can."

    "Can youe with me to church instead of Mr Rodion?!" he shouted.

    "To church? And to cook?"

    "Yes!"

    Allen didn''t want to cook anymore.

    Allen was feeling overwhelmed with emotion. For a while now, he has been avoiding cooking altogether, despite the fact that he used to love it. It seemed that every time he tried, all his past failures woulde flooding back to him, reminding him of his mistakes and how he had harmed others with his hands. How could he have fun cooking while feeling so guilty?

    "I''m sorry-"

    "Please! If you''re Mr Rodion''s apperentice you can read too, right?! Can you at least read the letter first?!"

    Allen gave up on the enthusiasm and desperation of the boy in front of him. He opened the letter and read it.

    There were a few words that Allen didn''t understand, but the conclusion of the letter was to provide 50 servings of food for the orphans in the fire church, which would be paid for by Bishop Nichs Westbrook.

    The boy then exined, "Actually, the church offerings during this water month were very low because everyone was trying to save food. We have only eaten a little for the past twenty days, and now everyone is starving. Tragically, a few children have even died. Luckily Bishop Nichs arrived at our region''s church. Though he didn''t offer money to our church, he requested that the cooke directly to the church and prepare food with the children. That is why Bishop Nichs left this letter for the cook regarding his n."

    ''Master really left at a very inopportune moment,'' Allen thought.

    After the boy shared his heart-wrenching story, he couldn''t say no to the boy. The boy and the others were starving and in desperate need of nourishment, and he knew he couldn''t turn them away. Despite his own reservations about cooking, he couldn''t help but bring the food to the boy and hope that someone else would cook there.

    "Alright, I''ll be there."

    The boy immediately let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks God."

    Allen entered the kitchen and got the ingredients to make the soup.

    ''I hope Mr Rodion wouldn''t get angry if I took this all without his concern. Well, this is bishop''s order at all, and they will pay, so maybe it is okay,'' thought Allen.

    The boy also went inside, trying to help.

    "I can bring this one," he said, pointing to a small bag of spices.

    "That''ll help," Allen said as he held up therge bag of potatoes. The boy looked at Allen admiringly and said, ''It''s great that you can carry such a big load when you''re just a kid.

    ''This kid talks like he''s an adult.''

    Then they started going to church together.

    On the way, the boy asked, "What''s your name? How did you be an apprentice of the cook? And what about your hair color? Why is it ck?"

    "My name is Allen; my ck hair is because I''m an other-worlder; I became Master Rodion''s apprentice because he picked me up."

    "Other-worlder?"

    "That''s what people from other worlds are called."

    "Oh... yes, like the heroes in the holy book? You also have the same name as one of them."

    "Yes, like that, but I am not the hero. We only share the same name."

    "Of course you are. There is no way a hero is someone who cooks in this small region."

    ''What the hell¡­ why does this boy react differently with Pascoe?''

    Realizing that the situation had be silent and awkward, Allen asked back,

    "How about you?"

    "What?"

    "Your name and how you came to work at the church."

    The boy, with a sad face, answered,

    "My name is Vash. I don''t work at the church, but I''m part of the church orphanage."

    "Orphanage? What is that?"

    The child was surprised. "Seriously? You don''t know the orphanage?"

    "Yes, I am an other-worlder after all," Allen lied and felt guilty.

    "An orphanage is where the church houses children who don''t have parents."

    Puzzled, Allen asked, "No parents? Do children like that even exist? As far as I know, all humans are born from their mother''s belly."

    "Of course, they are born from their mother''s belly! Let me finish my sentence.

    The children in the orphanage are children who grew up without parents."

    "Growing up without parents..."

    "That''s right, for example, if both parents died when they were young, the children who have no family will be ced in the orphanage and taken care of by the church to be foster priests."

    "I see... are your parents dead too?" Allen asked with a t face.

    Vash''s eyes widened in surprise because it was the first time he had met someone who bluntly asked that question in front of the people living in the orphanage,

    "That''s right, my parents are dead. Thest time I had my mother, she died while giving birth to my little sister. Now me and my baby sister live in the church," Vash said sadly.

    Seeing Vash''s face made Allen feel sorry for asking him. After hearing his story, Allen knew why Vash could be so desperate that he had to bang on the tavern door.

    An orphanage is a residential institution for children created by the church. It is specialized only for taking care of children who no longer have parents.

    The children who lived in the orphanage wouldter be foster priests once they had been baptized, so those who lived in the orphanage were only children under the age of 12.

    As soon as they arrived at the church, Vash led Allen to the orphanage, which was tucked away at the back of the churchpound. The orphanage''s design was centered around a vast field, with rooms built all around it. Curiosity took hold of Allen, and he peeked through the window of one of the rooms. Inside, he could see nothing but wooden walls and dirty mats strewn across the floor, on which the children slept. The sight brought back a flood of memories for Allen, as he had once been locked up in a room like that in Barkaley prison.

 Chapter 203 My Hands Were Dirty

    ?

    As they arrived at Church''s Orphanage, Allen expected to find a plethora of noisy children like Pascoe, but to his surprise, the atmosphere was dreary and silent. The children he encountered were thin and lethargic,cking the vigor expected of children their age. The robes Vash wore even looked much nicer than the children''s clothes, which were just a thin cloth that looked very cold.

    The only thing keeping them alive in the cold water month might be the room. It was warm inside the church because all the priests had contracts with fire spirits.

    "The church does take care of the children here, but in the end they only get food from donations from worshipers and foster priests," Vash exined. "There aren''t many robes like this one; we only wear them when we leave the church. I am the leader of this kid, so the Bishop told me to deliver the letter, so I wore it."

    The children then realized the presence of Vash and Allen, and they immediately gathered around them.

    "Vash! You''re here!"

    "Are you the cook?"

    "You''re still a kid!"

    "Hurry up! Give me the food!"

    Vash, who was probably the oldest person there, yelled at them, "Quiet! We have to cook these potatoes first!"

    They immediately ran away from the angry Vash.

    "Let''s go to the kitchen."

    On the way to the kitchen, Allen saw the baby orphan''s room, which looked more decent than the other rooms.

    "Is there anyone who take care of this baby room?" Allen asked.

    "No, the female foster priest sometimeses here to take care of their poop. And the milk is given by the congregation''s mothers whoe every sabbath day, not a few whoe once every three days to feed two or three of them."

    Allen, who has seen baby Iva, knows how weak babies are. They must be taken care of not just every day but every second. And Iva always feeds her babies almost ten times a day. How could those babies stay alive if they were only breastfed once a week?

    "That''s how it is; not everyone can take care of those babies. Most of the babies thate here will die. That''s why I have to try harder."

    "?"

    "My sister. She''s three months old, and so far I''ve always asked the neighboring mothers to breastfeed her. I was the one who took care of the baby room all this time, together with some of the foster priests. I have to keep the room clean and keep everyone alive."

    ''No wonder it looks better than the other rooms,'' Allen thought.

    "We''ve arrived. You can cook here."

    Inside the kitchen were two teenage female foster priests who immediately came over to the two of them.

    "Vash, who is this kid?" asked one of the foster priests with an unpleasantly intimidating face.

    "He''s the cook that His Grace, Bishop Nichs, asked to cook food for the children."

    "Really? You didn''t steal the ingredients and bring a random kid to cook, did you?"

    "No! I have his letter. Allen, gives it to them."

    Allen gave the letter to the foster priest,

    "This is for Mr. Rodion; if I''m not mistaken, his name is Allen right? You really stole it! You think this is something that can be forgiven?!"

    Allen immediately introduced himself, "I''m Allen, I''m Master Rodion''s apprentice; I was asked toe here to rece his ce."

    "Even if you''re his apprentice, I''m unsure you can cook! Give us the ingredients, and we''ll cook it."

    "No! No! Let Allen do the cooking!" shouted Vash with a worried face.

    "Why?! We''ve offered to help; a kid like this can''t possibly cook; let us do it all!"

    "Because if you cook it, I''m not sure everyone will get a share!" Vash shouted.

    "HUH?! Are you going to use us of stealing your rations?!" the foster priest raised her hand and was about to hit Vash. "You really are a child who-"

    -PLACK

    The Foster Priest pped him, but instead of Vash, Allen stepped forward to receive the p.

    "Wh-what are you doing?!" said the foster priest.

    Allen grabbed the foster priest''s wrist, then squeezed it slightly, "Ouch!"

    "I can cook myself, probably better than you guys. So just leave us alone," Allen said. Allen abandoned his intention to let others cook after seeing these foster priests'' attitudes towards Vash. He concluded that there might be somethingplicated going on in the church.

    "How can that be! You''re just an outsider! You''re not the one who decided-"

    "What''s all the fuss about?" suddenly came a man''s voice suddenly came from behind.

    He had arge build, almost twice as big as an average adult male. He was wearing white full-te armor that covered his entire body.

    "Sir Pdin! Nothing happened here! We''re just disciplining the two of them!"

    A pdin is the highest-ranking knight in the church.

    "What did they do?" the Pdin asked.

    "This kid was delivering a letter from the Bishop to one of the cooks in town, but he brought someone else here instead."

    Vash immediately defended himself. "I wasn''t bringing some random guy! Allen is Mr Rodion''s apprentice!"

    "Allen?" muttered the Pdin.

    The Pdin then approached Allen and looked at his face very closely.

    "Allen... Allen... Allen... Allen..." As if trying to remember something, he repeated Allen''s name over and over again. "OH! Allen! You are that Allen! No wonder I feel like I''ve seen you before. But I didn''t recognize you because you look a little different and have this ugly hair cover."

    "No way..." "This kid..." "He is the pdin''s acquaintance?" the foster priest spoke in quick session.

    Confused, Allen asked, "Have we known each other before?"

    "You don''t remember me?! I''m Ottar! We met in Wolverlope territory! Together with that arrogant noble princess."

    "Ottar..."

    Allen then remembered.

    He had met the Pdin three times. First, at Wolverlope''s fire church, when he intimidated Felicia. Secondly, at Wolverlope''s residence, when he was about to interrupt Allen''s duel with Theobauld. And thirdly, he fought with Ottar once when Ottar joined the attack on Wolverlope''s residence. However, Ottar certainly wouldn''t remember his fight with Allen because Allen was covering his head with Reig at the time.

    Then it could be said that Ottar was also the one responsible for Theobauld''s death.

    "Oh, yes. I remember you clearly now," Allen said.

    Allen, even when he still hated humans, he respected Theobauld as his teacher. If this were him back then, surely he would have hated Ottar to the point that he wanted to kill him. If anyone had hurt Theobauld, Allen knew that he would have sought revenge with blind fury.

    But as Allen stood there, staring at Ottar, he realized that things were different now. Even though he had hatred for him, he would not kill him. Allen knew he couldn''t bring himself to actually kill another person¡ªnot after everything he had been through. It simply wasn''t right. He knew that he didn''t deserve to kill another person and didn''t have the right to take another person''s life.

    Besides, there was something more important. Something else was nagging at the back of his mind.

    If Ottar had been aware of Allen''s presence in the Boldenville residence before, he would have known about his distinctive white hair and probably known that Isabelle had once enved him.

    "Are you worried about something? HAHAHA Just rx; I won''t do anything outside of my job. I don''t care about your situation or anything. We''re just here to investigate the Daemon Servus that attacked this city seven days ago."

    Allen let out a sigh of relief. Ottar continued to ask

    "So, what''s your business here?" asked Ottar.

    "Help us!" shouted Vash suddenly beside him.

    "Help?"

    The two foster priests immediately realized that Vash was trying to report them to Pdin and say as if they were at fault. So they immediately cut Vash off and said to Ottar, "SIR PALADIN! This orphanage boy was asked by his grace to deliver a letter to the cook in town, but he brought someone else instead," said one of the foster priests.

    "He''s not someone else! Allen is Mr Rodion''s student, so that shouldn''t be a problem! Right Allen?"

    Allen replied, "I-yes. The letter was addressed to Master Rodion, and I''m here to rece the master as a chef."

    "You''re a cook''s apprentice now?" asked Ottar.

    "Yeah."

    ''Cook, huh? So that is why he looks so different,'' Ottar thought. ''The look on his face? No, but the atmosphere around him is softer, unlike before when it was piercing and full of anger.''

    "Where is Master Rodion?" asked Ottar.

    "He wasn''t home at the time," replied Allen.

    "That''s why we offered to let us do the cooking since Allen has brought the ingredients. Come here, give it to us," said the foster priest.

    "No," said Ottar. "Just let him cook. What''s the problem? After all, Nichs is also Allen''s acquaintance."

    "Bi-bishop too? Allen, who exactly are you?" asked Vash in surprise.

    "I''m no one; he''s just exaggerated everything, In fact I never really met the bishop face to face," Allen replied.

    Ottar then said, "As a condition, I''m going to ask for a little, okay? Leave two bowls for Nichs and me."

    "O-okay."

    At that time, Allen couldn''t help but have to cook even though he didn''t want to.

    "Can I take a bath first?" Allen asked.

    Confused, Vash asked "Why?"

    "Because my hands are dirty."

 Chapter 204 He Was A Good Person

    ?

    My name is Vash, and I live in an orphanage with my baby sister, whose name is Milley.

    When Milley was still in mom''s belly, Dad often worried about how to raise his daughter because he would need a lot of money in the future.

    Suddenly the Prince came to town and offered a lucrative job.

    Father, seeing the potential benefits it held for our family, agreed to apany the Prince on his daring quest to raid the dungeon. He willingly embraced this perilous endeavor for the sake of our well-being ¨C for my sake, for my delicate mother''s, and for the unborn Milley.

    However, fate dealt us a cruel blow. Father never returned from the treacherous dungeon raid. His life was tragically cut short within those harrowing depths, leaving my distraught mother burdened with the heaviness of his absence and the weight of her impending motherhood.

    Priestess nche, then Caster Petrone, told me that I shouldn''t cry. I must be strong, taking my father''s ce to protect my mother and sister.

    But I failed.

    I didn''t have time to call a priest or healer when my mother was inbor.

    My mother died after giving birth to Milley.

    Now I have to live in an orphanage with Milley.

    I have to be more mature and work harder.

    Although the situation in the orphanage is not very decent for us to live in, I will try to make it decent, for my little sister.

    I won''t fail to protect my sister again this time.

    But day by day, that failure is getting closer. In the water month, we didn''t have enough food for everyone.

    The orphanage is a difficult ce not only because there is no money but also because of how selfish the foster priests are.

    Because of the food shortage, the foster priests who didn''t have enough food started taking the food rations of the children in the orphanage. Even the ten sacks of wheat the father gave ran out very quickly; they said it should be well distributed.

    Fortunately, Bishop Nichs visited our church. Unlike the other visiting bishops, he didn''t make a mary donation to the church but a food donation for the children at the orphanage. After that, I went straight to Mr. Rodion''s ce.

    That''s how I met Allen, the boy with ck hair and red eyes who felt very familiar.

    Yes, he''s like the ck-and-white-haired kid who used to be herded by Lord Barkaley for killing many people.

    Since he has very long hair, I couldn''t see his face clearly, but I remember his eyes looking at me¡­

    He looked at me angrily because I was the first person to throw a rock at that boy.

    "Give me back my father!" I shouted back then.

    The boy looked a lot like Allen.

    But that was impossible.

    That kid should have died being punished by a prince or something.

    And even if he was alive, there was no way he would be someone like Allen.

    He was a bad person, a ruthless killer who didn''t hesitate to kill many people, taking away our father, our brother, and our friends.

    As for Allen, he is a good person. Although he is a little lethargic, but he is a person who thought about the people around him.

    In a short meeting, I could tell he is definitely not a bad person.

    ...

    "Can I take a shower first?" Allen asked Vash.

    During the water month, no orphanage children or foster priests would bathe. Because the water would be extremely cold. Vash had already told Allen that, but he insisted that he wanted to shower, so Vash took him to one of the bathrooms in the orphanage, a small room with a water tub.

    As Allen took off his clothes and began to soak, Vash kept noticing Allen''s scarred back.

    "What''s wrong with that?" Vash asked.

    "Do you mean these wounds? I got them during my punishment."

    "Punishment..." Vash didn''t want to ask further. Because it would definitely be a long story.

    Beyond his expectations, Allen only washed his body a little. It was just that when washing his hands, he repeatedly rubbed them as if he had a stain that was very difficult to remove from his hands.

    Surprisingly, when he did that, his tears came out. Vash also chose not to ask anything about it.

    ''What a strange person,'' Vash thought to Allen.

    After bathing, Vash gave Allen his clothes back, and they started cooking.

    At first, Allen burned the firewood, then proceeded to put the cauldron of water on top. Vash didn''t understand cooking, nor did he understand what a cook usually did. But Vash knew that Allen was very skilled.

    His hand when holding the knife, then when he split the mushrooms, and the way he sprinkled the spices and tasted the broth made Allen look very impressive in his eyes.

    But... Allen''s eyes looked sad and forced, as if he didn''t like cooking.

    "Allen, why did you be a cook apprentice?" asked a curious Vash.

    Allen looked at Vash; he didn''t know how to answer.

    "You don''t seem to like cooking; there must be a reason, right?" asked Vash again.

    Allen looked back at his soup and stirred it in the cauldron. After thinking for a while, Allen answered.

    "I¡­" He looked like he didn''t want to talk about it.

    But somehow, he forced himself to

    "I was a murderer."

    Allen said, which made the atmosphere around them change. Vash was so shocked that he identally dropped the bowls he was holding.

    "What are you saying?" said Vash.

    Allen continued, "I''ve taken the lives of many people who I didn''t even know.

    A few weeks ago, I realized that everything I did was wrong, and I should be punished for all the wrong I''ve done. But being punished is not enough. Punishment won''t bring back the lives I''ve taken. When I thought I should just die, I immediately thought it wasn''t the right thing to do. My death alone is not enough to pay for what I have done."

    ''Allen, a murderer? No way...'' Vash thought.

    "So Vash, I actually enjoy cooking, but I try to make myself unhappy. Because I, a murderer, don''t deserve to feel that good feeling."

    Upon hearing Allen''s story, Vash was rendered speechless. As the details unfolded, his mind became a maelstrom of thoughts. A once favorable opinion of Allen was called into question, and doubts began to take root. The boy that Vash believed to be kind had revealed himself as a cold-blooded murderer.

    After he thought so, Vash walked up to Allen and held his head.

    "Vash?"

    -SRET

    Vash pulled Allen''s hair covering, allowing him to see the white hair that was stuck between his ck hair.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Allen and Vash walked in silence, carrying two bowls of soup into the Bishop''s room.

    A few moments ago, when Vash pulled the cloth covering Allen''s head, Allen quickly took it back and covered it.

    At that time, Vash looked at Allen for a long time in silence, making Allen sure that Vash had seen his white hair.

    "The soup is finished, right? Let''s take it to Bishop Nichs'' room," Vash said as he turned around and picked up his bowl.

    Since then they didn''t talk anymore, and the atmosphere between them became awkward, making Allen think of everything about Vash.

    Vash once told him that he lived with his baby sister in an orphanage because his mother had passed away. Then what about his father? Where did his father go?

    What if, for example, Vash''s father also died? If that''s true, then his father died this year because his mother had just given birth.

    If all that was true, it was possible that Vash''s father was one of the people he had killed. Allen might be overthinking it, but it was possible because Vash tried to undo the cloth covering his hair.

    It was as if he wanted to confirm whether Allen was the one who had killed his father or not.

    Allen nced at Vash who was walking beside him, and he immediately felt a feeling of fear and guilt. If everything he thought was true, then he was the one who had made Vash and his sister suffer.

    After walking for a few minutes, they finally arrived in front of Bishop Nichs'' room.

    "Good afternoon, your grace. I am Vash and the cook Allen, hase to bring you a bowl of soup."

    "Come in."

    Vash opened the door.

    Inside they saw four figures.

    Bishop Nichs, Pdin Ottar, and two more.

    "Allen, did youe here?" Knight of Rounds, Birawa.

    And another "Thank goodness you came," Priestess Lavinia.

    Allen didn''t answer; he just bowed his head. At that moment he realized that Lavinia was the one who asked Bishop to specialize in Mr. Rodion''s Tavern to cook food.

    "Waah that smells so good! I''d love to stop by your tavern, but am very busy now. Next time make one for me," said Birawa.

    Allen did not answer him.

    "That''s probably all we have to report; we''ll be heading north soon. Goodbye, Your Grace, Nichs. May God bless you," Lavinia said.

    "Thank you for your hard work. May God bless your journey," the bishop replied.

    Birawa and Lavinia left the room; Lavinia had visited the tavern earlier, and she already knew how Allen was doing. Now she could only hope that Allen could once again change.

    "Take care of yourself, Allen," Lavinia said as she passed Allen.

    Allen, however, could not answer anything.

 Chapter 205 With Bishop Nicholas

    ?

    The Bishop''s room was almost identical to an ordinary nobleman''s. A desk at the far end for the Bishop''s, then a table and sofa for the guests in front of him.

    "It''s been a while since we''ve seen each other, Allen," Bishop Nichs said.

    Nichs spoke to Allen as if he knew him intimately, but he didn''t remember Nichs''s face. He had never really paid attention to him.

    All he knew was that Nichs had round sses and was pale.

    Now that he looked again, he paid more attention to his face. Bishop Nichs'' eyes radiatedfort, plus the wrinkles on his cheeks and under his eyes gave him a good old-fashioned grandfatherly vibe. It was very different from Master Rodion, whose wrinkles were on his forehead and above his eyes, evidence that he was angry more often than he smiled.

    "Fufu, even though I said so, I''m sure you don''t remember me. Our meeting back then was a bit awkward. My existence was a threat to your master, Isabelle. So even if you hate me, I don''t mind either."

    Again he met a person who was rted to his past. At that time, Allen wanted to forget everything that happened in the past, but as if God did not allow it, the events in the past always attacked him back.

    "I don''t deserve to hate anyone," Allen said as he bowed his head down, not daring to look at the person before him.

    As if he was betting, Ottar immediatelyughed in front of Nichs, "HAHAHA See? As I said, this Allen is so different that you can''t even recognize him."

    Ottar approached Vash and picked up the soup bowl he was holding.

    "I''ll eat this outside; this ce is too stuffy to enjoy Allen''s homemade soup that Birawa praised," Ottar said, getting out of there.

    "Vash,e here," called Nichs. "Here''s the new letter; you can return and serve the finished meal to the orphanage children. You can show this letter if any foster priest wants to take away your rights."

    "T-thank you very much! May God bless you and the Church of Fire!" said Vash as he epted the letter. "Allen, let''s go."

    "Vash can go back first; I have something to talk to Allen about."

    "W-well, excuse me."

    Vash left, leaving Allen alone with Bishop Nichs.

    As soon as Vash left, Nichs sat back and rxed in his soft chair.

    "Well... it''s been a long day; my back hurts," Nichs said as he stretched a little. "Allen, you''re probably tired too; please sit on the chair, just put the soup on the table."

    Alen sat down as requested. Nichs sat in front of Allen and ate his soup.

    After one mouthful, Nichs drank the soup water solemnly.

    "Haah... This is delicious. You''ve really be a cook''s apprentice, Allen. When I heard about you from Ottar, I doubted his words for the first time."

    Nichs put his soup on the table, then looked at Allen''s face carefully.

    "You really don''t look like the same Allen I saw back then."

    Nichs took something out of his pocket and ced it on the table. It was an oddly shaped knife with a hole in the de.

    "This knife is my self-defense; the circle in the middle is for putting poison; one sh can make a normal human faint, then..." Nichs opened his robe slightly and showed that chainmail was attached to his body underneath the robe. "It''s also a little safety measure to keep me alive if you suddenly attack me. That''s what I think of you, Allen.

    Since you weren''t found at the Wolverlope residence, I thought you knew that I was responsible for the attack on Wolverlope territory. But you don''t seem to know anything about it."

    "How so? What do you mean by you being responsible?"

    "I was the church person who reported that Isabelle was hiding a Norttish."

    Allen was struck hard by the harsh reality that unfolded before him. The figure standing right in front of him was none other than one of the very individuals he held a deep hatred towards. Ever since he managed to flee from the Wolverlope residence and found himself awakening in the unfamiliar Boldenville residence, Allen had harbored intentions of seeking vengeance for Isabelle. However, the identity of the person who deserved to bear the brunt of his anger remained unknown.

    Yet at that moment, it became ringly evident that this Bishop was the culprit ountable for the distressing incident.

    But...

    "Why, did you report it?" asked Allen, holding back emotions that shouldn''t have been there in the first ce.

    Nichs answered, "Do you know why Norttish is dangerous? Norttish can cause massive mana explosions, making the region toxic and uninhabitable for hundreds of years."

    "So you reported Isabelle for hiding Illska because of that rule? The rule to kill Norttish? Because the kingdom told you to?"

    "No, Allen. I did it for everyone else who lived in the territory.

    I can''t help but think that the Norttish existence could have taken away all the men, women, and children in that region."

    ''Even Isabelle wouldn''t have wanted that to happen; she would have had a way for Illska not to be like that. The proof is that Illska didn''t explode even after several years underground,'' Allen thought. To him, the bishop was just looking for reasons to justify his actions, whether from the church or the kingdom. Bishop probably just wanted to maintain his position.

    "But Allen," Bishop Nichs continued, "Before you hate me, I feelpelled to express my remorse for my actions on that particr day. Looking back, I strongly believe the punishment inflicted on Isabelle was excessively severe. Moreover, I failed to consider the potential repercussions of provoking Isabelle''s ves, ultimately leading to a tragic incident that imed numerous lives.

    Undoubtedly, I bear responsibility for the loss of lives that urred that day. It was my actions that ultimately resulted in their demise.

    Had I refrained from reporting the Norttish, perhaps those unfortunate souls who perished that night would still be alive today, and probably the mana explosion that wreaked havoc would have never transpired.

    The guilt and remorse for what I did that day will forever remain with me."

    Allen... hated Nichs for doing that to Isabelle, but Allen knew he had no other choice.

    Allen knew that the Bishop also had his own reasons; he was also in a situation that made him have to do that. And now he regrets it, just like him.

    Then that''s when Allen realized,

    The people he killed whether they were evil or not, whether they were bandits or criminals, didn''t they all have their own reasons? Didn''t everyone also have something they were fighting for? Even the soldiers who raided his mother''s dungeon also had families and were fighting for their families.

    In this world, everyone has a reason for doing things. And he easily killed those people without knowing their reasons.

    "There''s no way I can hate you..." Allen said. "I am a murderer, and I am a hated person; I have no right to hate others."

    That is how Allen felt.

    "Allen..." Nichs touched the back of Allen''s trembling hand and said, "There is no such thing as the right to hate; it just grows inside you and me. Our job as human beings is to try to eliminate those feelings.

    Not only eliminate those feelings in yourself but also in others. If you know that other people hate you, you just have to try to make them not hate you anymore."

    Nichs words touched Allen''s heart, "What then?" asked Allen with a hopeful face from the person in front of him, expecting an answer that could eliminate something that made his heart ache.

    "You have to change; you just have to be reborn," Bishop replied. "You have to be a new person who won''t repeat the mistakes you''ve made in the past. Help others until they forget you were a murderer. Until they remember you as someone who helped them, not as a murderer."

    "C-changed? Can I change?!

    After everything I''ve done to everyone?!

    After I''ve killed so many people''s families, can I still be forgiven?! Can those who have lost their families forget I am a murderer?!"

    Nichs smiled at him. "Everything you have done will never vanish, you must face your past bravely.

    Allen, what do you have now? What can you do for others?"

    "I-I''m just a poor man, living off the master."

    "You have a strong body and the ability to cook. That''s all enough, Allen."

    "T-that''s all enough?"

    "Right, there''s no need to push yourself. You do have to face your past, but you also have to be happy. I''m sure you like cooking; no one who doesn''t like cooking can make soup this good. And I will definitely enjoy this soup more if the one who made it is also happy."

    A little more encouragement¡­

    That is what Bishop Nichs thought. He could see that Allen was changing for the better.

    "Allen, what do you want to do in this world?"

    At that moment, Allen thought of everything that had happened to him so far. From inside the dungeon until he was sitting in that ce.

    He had many bad experiences, but he also had many good experiences. He met Lavinia, he met Isabelle, he met Master Rodion, he met Peter''s family, and he also met Felicia.

    He wanted to live in a world where he only had those good experiences over and over again. And he didn''t want his bad experiences to happen to anyone else.

    "I see," muttered Allen.

    He understood the meaning of Bishop Nichs'' question. He asked it to make him understand what kind of world he wanted and what he had to do to grant it.

    "Human hates monster, not fellow humans," that was his mother''sst word, and now Allen was sure what his mother intended to tell him. Queen Orc definitely didn''t know that humans also hate each other, but hatred just raises another hate and makes you unhappy, she must be wanted Allen to be happy in the human world, and to do that, Allen needed to erase the hatred in his heart.

    Allen raised his head, looking at Bishop''s gently smiling face in front of him. With bright red eyes full of determination, he replied

    "I cannot answer it. However I love cooking and I will keep doing that. But I am still cannot sure I will be the cook. I am determined to further my understanding of humanity by learning and growing. In the meantime, my focus will be on assisting others and endeavouring to dissolve any hatred directed towards me."

    Bishop closed his eyes and nodded "That''s enough. Learn more about humans, use your strength for others, and I am sure others will forgive what you''ve done."

 Chapter 206 Forgiven

    ?

    "In the end, you really didn''t send any signal to me. Is he really okay to be left alone?" asked Ottar in Bishop Nichs'' room.

    After speaking with Nichs, Allen stepped outside and was met immediately by Ottar, who had just finished his soup. As Ottar made his way inside, his eyes fell upon Nichs'' knife resting on the table. In that very moment, Ottar realized that Nichs had never intended to use it against Allen from the beginning.

    "Achaa... you really didn''t use that knife at all."

    "I will not repeat the same mistake," Nichs said.

    "How will you convey this to the Arcbishop? Will you lie?"

    "We haven''t reported Allen to him from the beginning; all we need to do is keep quiet and let the boy live in peace."

    "Live in peace... huh? Do you really believe that?

    The ck and white haired child mentioned in Daemon Servus'' ck gospel. That child likely has something to do with them.

    Then the attack that happened in this region was all because of that child, right? Those Servus must have heard the rumors about the child and came here to confirm," Ottar exined.

    "I had full faith in him; the conviction in his words waspelling. Rather than resorting to capturing and executing him, I am inclined to provide an opportunity for him toprehend the value of human existence. Under no circumstances would I let him slip into the clutches of the demons.

    Don''t you notice the transformation urring within that child? Genuine growth is taking root, gradually altering his disposition for the better."

    Nichs turned to Ottar and said, "Given the circumstances, can I rely on your discretion regarding Allen? It is crucial that the others remain unaware. I intend to discuss with Rodion the possibility of devising a strategy for Allen to conceal his conspicuous white hair."

    Ottar scratched his head "Well, whatever you say. I''m a double agent, but the fact is that I owe you a lot of favors, so I''ll obey you this time.

    It''s just that... unlike you, I''m not sure about his future.

    A terrible fate awaited him since he was born with that hair."

    "Although I doubt it, I still believe that he will not reach that terrible destiny."

    ...

    Allen probably wanted a world where everyone could happily taste his cooking.

    Ah, how nice it would be if that really happened.

    He no longer needs to swing his sword to sh others

    He no longer needs to use his strength to hit others

    He also no longer needs to see the screams and desperate faces of others when he kills others

    As Bishop Nichs said, in order to achieve the world he wants, he must change.

    The path he had to take now was: first, to apologize to the people he had harmed.

    Rodion had told him that he should do it slowly, and he agreed, but...

    To this one person, he wanted to say it right away.

    To Vash.

    There was no doubt about it; Vash must be holding a grudge against him.

    And the first step he had to take in order to move forward was to apologize to Vash.

    "Vash!" called Allen, seeing Vash carrying the mat.

    Vash turned to Allen, looking at him with a dark gaze.

    "Allen, have you finished talking to the bishop? Good, now hurry up and help me."

    "O-okay!"

    Helping others... that was also something he had to pay attention to if he wanted to be reborn. And it could start from that orphanage.

    In the corridor of the orphanage, the children gathered to partake in their meal. On the floor, mats were carefullyid out, providing a makeshift dining area where they could sit together. However, before they could savor their humble sustenance, they patiently formed a line to receive a single bowl each. Allen and Vash were in charge of putting the soup into the bowls.

    "Thank you very much" expressed one of the grateful children, a smile spreading across his face. Allen nodded, a warm feeling swelling in his chest. Continue to others who keep thanking him.

    As the children savored each spoonful of the nourishing soup, their faces lit up with delight. One of the youngsters couldn''t contain his excitement and eximed,

    "Hmm! So tasty!" Thisment was followed by a chorus of agreement from the others, who hungrily devoured Allen''s soup with gusto. It was a simple meal, yet it felt like a feast fit for kings to them.

    Allen watched this heartwarming scene unfold before him, his eyes glistening with tears. In that moment, he realized what he truly longed for - to bring happiness and nourishment to people''s lives through his cooking. The sheer joy radiating from the children''s faces fueled his ambition, as he yearned to recreate this feeling for others.

    "Allen, this is really amazing. Thank you," expressed Vash, his voice filled with gratitude but his face is still gloomy.

    "I''m d you liked it."

    Allen wanted to apologize to Vash about his father. He wanted to talk to him nicely. And he thought, maybe the situation was good.

    But for some reason, he suddenly felt scared. The apology couldn''te out of his mouth. It was like his brain refused to tell him that.

    ''Admitting my own mistakes in front of someone is harder than I thought,'' Allen thought.

    That''s when suddenly, Vash spoke first.

    "Allen, I''m sorry,"""" Vash said with tears in his face

    "Huh?" said Allen in confusion.

    "II''mm sorry because I have thrown a rock at you""

    Threw a rock? What did he mean?

    "My father is a rancher. We lived in the far district of Barkaley. One day our cattle were sold off because of debt. We had no money," Vash continued, "That''s when my father went to the dungeon at the prince''s request. In return, we got ten sacks of wheat."

    Allen immediately understood the direction of the story, he immediately prepared himself to receive any insults or punches that Vash wouldnd on him.

    "But my father didn''te back from the dungeon; my father''s friend said he died there. Left me with my mother and sister. Eventually my mother also died of depression during childbirth. That left me and my sister.

    When everyone gathered on the main street, I saw you looking sad in the iron cage brought by Lord Barkaley.

    I was so angry that my head felt like it was about to boil.

    To vent, I picked up a stone and threw it at you.

    After that, all the other angry people also joined in and threw you, leaving you badly injured."

    "That''s no big deal! The wounds I feel are nothingpared to the wounds the people have felt when they lost their families.

    You too, you lost your father because of me."

    Vash shook his head,

    "No, that''s not it... you''re wrong."

    "Wh-what?"

    "After that incident, I asked my father''s friend how he was in the dungeon, how he fought in the dungeon, and how he died.

    Do you know how my father died?

    He escaped from an orc attack, got lost in thebyrinth and was found by the party inside one of the rooms. He was died because a goblin killed him."

    "..."

    "You didn''t even kill my father; instead, I med you for my father''s death. I continued to hate that child even after knowing the truth.

    Then...

    I heard your conversation with Bishop Nichs."

    "Wh-what?! You heard it? From where?!"

    "Outside the door, Sir Pdin forced me to wait there."

    ''No wonder he hadn''t prepared anything by the time I finished talking to the Bishop,''

    Vash continued,

    "Allen, I will support you.

    I''ll be a witness to the good you''ve done.

    I know that the portions you made this time were more than fifty. You made everyone in the orphanage eat their fill today.

    So, please forgive me for throwing you out that time."

    "I-I..."

    "I know I don''t deserve to be forgiven; I know that I might have severely injured you. My first stone throw made everyone imitate me, and I started throwing it at you too."

    Allen found himself at a loss for words as he grappled with a response.

    It puzzled him how to acknowledge and ept someone''s apology properly.

    He didn''t hate Vash, in fact, he admired Vash for his remarkable ease in extending apologies sincerely and directly, even while he himself remained unconvinced and silent.

    Allen''s apology was supposed to be the first step toward change, but now Vash''s words make him think of something else.

    Vash said that he didn''t deserve to be forgiven.

    Reflecting on societal norms, he wondered how an act as minor as throwing a stone could be deemed unforgivable while his own grievous crime of taking a life went unpardoned. It begged the question: would people ever be willing to extend their forgiveness toward him?

    As the afternoon sun cast a gentle glow upon the surroundings, Allen abruptly departed the church, leaving Vash''s question unanswered.

 Chapter 207 Susans Feelings

    ?

    That snowy afternoon, with a bag of money from Bishop clutched tightly in his hand, Allen walked back home. Confusion and emptiness seemed to weigh him down, the same as the heavy snowkes that had settled on his weary head.

    How could he change? What steps could he take to alter the course of his life? Doubt lingered in his heart as he wondered if apologizing was truly the right thing to do.

    What if that person doesn''t want to forgive me? What should I do?

    He thought about it because it was difficult for him to convey his desire to apologize to Vash. As much as he wanted to say it, it turned out that he hadn''t done anything wrong to Vash in the first ce, which made his determination to apologize futile.

    Instead, Vash offered his sincere apology to him. The reason behind this gesture stemmed from the fact that he had once hurled a rock at him, albeit trivially for Allen. Yet, Vash firmly believed such an action could not be easily forgiven.

    He couldn''t help but ponder the weight of his actions. If the mere act of throwing a rock could be deemed unforgivable, then what about him? He had taken another person''s life. The heaviness of this realization settled in, causing his heart to ache with profound remorse.

    What if, once he apologized to them, he mustered the courage to apologize and witnessed the faces of those he had wronged contorted with the same hatred and disdain he had once felt for the feared Lord Barkaley? The very thought sent shivers down his spine as he could not bear the sight of that unmistakable wrath being directed toward him.

    His face was full of hatred that he felt for Lord Barkaley. These fears were amplified by the haunting words of Lord Barkaley, which incessantly echoed in his mind.

    "That''s funny... After you killed all their families. Now you''re having fun here, cooking for those whose families you killed. You disgusting peasant."

    "Once they find out that the food came from the murderer of their family, they will definitely throw away the food you made."

    The weight of those words pierced his soul, leaving an indelible mark of anguish.

    ''The children in the orphanage all ate my cooking with gusto.

    They say thank you to me

    They say my cooking is delicious

    They devour it with relish

    But...

    They are the ones who have lost their parents. And I could be the one who killed their parents.

    If they knew that I was the one who killed their parents, would they still eat my food? Would they say thank you to me?''

    Consumed by guilt and the relentless tumult of conflicting emotions, he found himself lost in the abyss of his remorse. Every waking moment became a painful reminder of the irrevocable harm he had caused, and the uncertainty of forgiveness loomed over him like an endless storm.

    He needs the certainty.

    The certainty about what Bishop Nichs has said to him.

    ¡­

    From the Tavern window, Susan saw Allen walking with his head of hair almostpletely covered in snow. Perhaps his clothes had gotten wet from it, and he could have gotten a fever from it.

    Worried about Allen''s condition, Susan immediately went out with an umbre.

    "Allen!" shouted Susan.

    Allen stopped walking, and so did Susan. They started looking at each other but were afraid to be the first to talk.

    For Susan, she suddenly remembered that Allen was the reason her brother was away from her now, and that thought always bothered her because it made her suddenly afraid of Allen.

    She feared that she would hate Allen once she saw his face up close.

    Susan started to ask, but without looking at Allen''s face, "I was worried that you wouldn''te back, but thank goodness you did-"

    "Susan!" called Allen. Inevitably, Susan also began to look at Allen''s face.

    His face was expressionless, but Susan knew that he was desperate for something.

    "Am I not suited to being a Cook?"

    Allen''s question made Susan instantly forget all her awkwardness. It was a silly question, but Allen would ask it seriously and spend all day thinking about it.

    "Of course. When I first saw you, I didn''t think you were suited to be a cook. But your cooking is good, and you''re also good with a knife, so I''m really sure you''ll be a good cook."

    Allen bowed his head; it was not the answer he wanted to hear.

    "I possess and train my knife skills, honed not for culinary purposes but with an ominous intent to extinguish lives swiftly. I have tirelessly trained my hands, mind, and body through relentless dedication, fueled by my intense loathing for a specific person I desire to kill."

    Susan then asked, "What happened to that person? The person you wanted to kill. Is he dead?"

    "Yes, he is dead. But it was someone else who killed him, not me. That''s why the hatred I''ve been umting and the effort I''ve been putting into killing that person have been in vain."

    "Then isn''t that good?! You don''t have to think about the hatred within you anymore! That person is dead, meaning you don''t need revenge anymore! You can just cook!"

    "That would be good if I had only targeted him.

    But I''ve killed many people in my path and on my way to defeat him. Including people in this town."

    Allen held his chest, then looked at Susan with teary eyes.

    "Hey, Susan. With this blood-soaked body, am I suited to being a Cook?"

    Doubts arose inside Susan, making her unable to answer him.

    As for Allen, he kept asking.

    "Susan once said that I resemble your brother. Even though I''m the one who made your brother leave here.

    And the reason he was left was

    Waldo Barkaley..."

    Waldo Barkaley. Susan and Arthur had been close to the noble family for a short time. To Susan, he was a savior, a brother, and also her first love. Once she heard that Allen was the one who killed that man, she immediately understood the reason why her brother never came home.

    Allen was really the root cause of everything that had happened to her.

    "Come to your senses, Susan. You''ve been thinking about it since yesterday, right?" she muttered to herself.

    "Susan" called Allen, again. "Do you hate me?"

    ''Do I hate Allen?'' was the question Susan had been thinking since she first found out who Allen was.

    And the answer to that question was,

    "I don''t hate you. I can''t hate you," Susan had thought about it carefully. She should hate Allen, and she had even tried to do so. But she couldn''t.

    Although the memories she had gone through with Allen were short, she knew that Allen was not a person she could hate.

    Then, right now, she could see in front of her Allen, who was standing under the cold snow, desperately looking for the answer to her question. His eyes were zed, and perhaps his hands were shaking. He was afraid. He was afraid that Susan would hate him and that everyone in the world would start to hate him. Just like when he received that hatred from Lavinia, he received it again from Lord Barkaley.

    He was afraid that Susan would also say hurtful things to him.

    Looking at him, Susan was sure there was no way she could hate him. Even if she wanted to, she couldn''t.

    "I am sorry, brother¡­ I can''t hate Allen, just like you hated him to chase after him until now." Susan muttered.

    "I don''t hate you, Allen," Susan said again.''

    "Why? Why don''t you hate me when I''m the one who made you suffer like now."

    "You see, I didn''t know the old Allen. The Allen I knew was just a big, curious baby."

    "You know me now, I''m a murderer."

    Susan finally walked over to Allen while opening her umbre.

    "Yes, I know."

    "I probably just happened not to kill your brother, instead, I killed the person he respected AND you respected."

    "Yes, I know."

    "Even so, do you really not hate me?"

    Susan finally arrived in front of Allen. Since Susan was shorter than Allen, she had to stand on her tiptoes so that her umbre could reach over Allen''s head.

    "I''ve been thinking about it since yesterday. Even though you''ve done all that in the past, somehow I can''t hate you at all.

    The old you might have killed a lot of people, but I don''t know about that. What I know is that the Allen of today is different from that I saw back then, inside the iron cell. The current Allen is very kind and likes to help others. He''s not someone who would kill anyone.

    That reason alone is enough for me not to hate you."

    Allen looked at Susan, who smiled sweetly while thrusting the umbre before him. Then he thought of what Bishop Nichs had said to him.

    "You must help others so that they remember you as the one who helped them, not as a murderer."

    ''You were right, Nichs,'' Allen thought.

 Chapter 208 Those Too Will Never Go Away

    ?

    Allen immediately drove Susan home, eager to avoid any confrontation with Rodion. As they pulled up in front of Susan''s house, the two of them locked eyes, lost in deep contemtion about their recent conversation.

    Overwhelmed by fear, Allen mustered the courage to express his distress. "I''m worried that I''ve taken even a week off from work; Master Rodion might kick me out," he confessed hesitantly to Susan.

    Aware of Rodion''s true nature, Susan reassured Allen with apassionate tone. "You must understand, Master Rodion isn''t the type to take such drastic measures. Show bravery, Allen, and humbly apologize to him. I''m certain it will make a difference."

    "I''ll try, thank you, Susan," Allen turned around and started walking away.

    "Allen!" Susan called, making him turn around, looking at Susan curiously.

    "You asked me about the chef and such. However, it is not my ce to provide an answer. It should be posed to Master!"

    Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Allen''s hand shot up into the air and waved as he eximed

    "I''ll do it!"

    The encouragement from Susan, made him run as fast as he could back to the Tavern.

    At that moment, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of happiness wash over him, knowing that what Bishop Nichs had told him was true. Yet, a tinge of embarrassment also pricked at his conscience. It had been an entire week since he hadstid eyes on Rodion because of his depression, and now he was about to see him again.

    As he reached the tavern door, a wave of anticipation coursed through him. He paused for a while, taking a deep breath and tightly gripping the door handle, gathering his nerves andposing himself before stepping inside and met him.

    -KLICK

    An enticing aroma of spices, drifting from the bustling kitchen, weed him in. And amidst the vorful scents, a waft of warm smoke traveled through the air, revealing the presence of a crackling fire within. Intrigued, he made his way toward the source of the smoky fragrance.

    Upon entering the kitchen, his eyes fell upon the sight of Rodion diligently splitting firewood all by himself. The only sound that filled the room was the rhythmic thud of the axe meeting the wood, entuated by the crackling of the fire.

    "Master!" called Allen.

    Rodion didn''t answer; he just kept quiet and continued splitting the firewood.

    "Master... today I cooked again after a long time.

    I''m cooking for the children at the orphanage.

    Master, you once told me that I would fall into a hole one day. And when that happens, I must remember the faces of the people who enjoyed my cooking.

    You were absolutely right, Master.

    You were right about everything.

    I fell into a very deep hole, seen by people who held a grudge against me with eyes full of hatred. I wanted to die then, not caring about anything that would happen to me.

    But cooking saved me! The smiles of the children who ate my cooking, then the customers who had been enjoying my cooking. EVERYTHING! Gave me the strength to get up!

    I want to keep cooking! I want a world where people can enjoy my cooking!"

    Allen expressed emphatically. However, his words seemed to float away into thin air as Rodion remained focused on chopping the firewood, showing no signs of acknowledgment.

    Allen then asked.

    "Master, is it really okay?" but that word, that sincere word, a heartfelt question resonated with sob like the sincerity of a child tearfully pleading for forgiveness. The impact of how Allen''s asked that reached deep within Rodion, making him stop his axe.

    "Is it okay if I continue to work here and cook for others?

    After what I''ve done to them, after what these hands have taken away.

    Is it okay if I use these dirty hands to cook and hope for their happiness?"

    Rodion threw his axe at Allen quickly. Allen caught the axe with his right hand.

    It was then that Rodion finally looked at Allen with his furrowed brows and scary face.

    "How dare you let me split this wood alone! Get to work!"

    "O-OKAY!!!"

    Allen immediately followed Rodion''s orders. He carefully split the firewood one by one.

    He originally thought that by holding that axe, a weapon, he would remember the horrible events he had gone through in the past, just like when he cooked in the church before.

    ''Huh? What is this?" thought Allen.

    But, this time was different.

    As he lifted that axe, splitting the wood in half, and produced a loud -CLANK sound, strangely, it resonated and made him feel calm.

    ''What is this feeling?''

    Every time he swung it, that sense of calm continued to envelop him, just like when he was hoeing in the first time.

    ''How can you feel so calm and happy now?'' he asked to himself.

    Rodion wiped his sweat with a cloth, then he said

    "You asked a stupid question, Allen. You cook, and people eat it; you''ve really be a cook now."

    "Huh?"

    "You''ve probably taken a lot of people''s lives. That will never go away, and you must continue to bear the burden and responsibility for the people you have killed.

    But...

    You''ve given good food to the poor customers here.

    You saved Iva and her two babies

    You''ve also given decent food to the orphans.

    You''ve also solved the hunger problem in this city.

    And many, many more good things you''ve done.

    Those too will never go away.

    If you like cooking, cook, cook for yourself and for others. Be happy for yourself and for others.

    One day all your sins will be covered by your good deeds."

    Allen''s tears started flowing.

    One thing is for sure, he already understood and knew what he would do in the future.

    Master Rodion was in front of him, like a father who showed him how to live in the world, and gave him advice when he fell.

    "T-thank you Master!"

    "You can change...

    No, you have changed, Allen.

    From now on you will go through many things. Whether it''s good or bad, but all the actions you choose to take when facing them, you must do so without regret."

 Chapter 209 Bedell The Weak Soldier

    ?

    Chapter 210

    "Huh, even though it''s Miss Rachel''s request, I shouldn''t have to risk my life like this."

    I was one of the soldiers working in the Boldenville residence, one of those weaklings who didn''t have the courage to challenge the dungeon.

    I had tried registering and entering to explore the dungeon, but my limit was only up to the first floor. Going down to the second floor, I was already almost killed by the rage wolf''s attack. With nothing else to do, I was introduced by one of the Boldenville residence''s soldier recruiters. And now I''m a soldier there.

    People say being a soldier is dangerous, but as long as I''ve been working with Lord Reynold, we haven''t had any attacks. Even if there are, they''re just ordinary thieves.

    Lord Reynold is a cautious man, so he always brings 50 to 100 soldiers when he leaves the territory. With such numbers, bandits wouldn''t even dare to approach us.

    In essence, being a soldier at the Boldenville residence was very advantageous. You wouldn''t be exposed to danger, nor would you have to work much, but you could still receive weekly money.

    One of the joys of being a soldier was that I could travel to any city to escort Lord Reynold. Normally wemoners wouldn''t be able to travel the city due to danger and the need for a lot of money, but since I''m a soldier, I can travel for free.

    Buttely, Lord Reynold has not been meeting with the outer nobility.

    The reasons are threefold.

    One, is the Throne War. The fight for the crown had bred an aura of unease among the heads of prominent families, as each of them had already made their choice on who they believed should ascend to the throne. With their preferences firmly established, they found it arduous to engage with other noble households that held different opinions. Yet, amidst the tumult, Earl Boldenville stood as a beacon of impartiality. As one of the revered high nobles, he maintained a neutral stance, navigating the delicate bnce that hade to define this tumultuous affair.

    Two, the birth of the sessor of the Boldenville family. Lady Ayde sessfully gave birth to a healthy boy, as Lord Reynold''s wished. Now Lord Reynold spends a lot of time with his son so that he can be a good sessor to the family.

    Three, the Boldenville family is now in mourning because of Lady Felicia''s heroic actions; she experienced a long sleep that was said to have been asleep for three years

    And now...

    Three years have passed...

    I don''t know where Miss Rachel found out, but Lady Felicia had reportedly had a reaction to waking up.

    And right after Lord Reynold and Lady Ayde heard that Lord Reynold paid a visit to the pce. I don''t know the rtionship; perhaps he was ordered to report it directly to the royal party.

    On his trip to the kingdom, I didn''t go along.

    The reason was

    "Bedell, while Lord Reynold away, please fetch Allen at Barkaley for me," Miss Rachel said that to me.

    Allen, the ck-haired boy who was Lady Felicia''s knight.

    Knights were mostly nobles andmoners who had reached the Padium level above. Especially for the Earl, there was no way they would take amoner as a knight. But it seemed that the boy was Lady Felicia''s favorite. There were too many rumors around saying that Allen and Felicia were already engaged because their closeness was no longer a rtionship between knight and master.

    Actually, we had a bandit attack once during our journey to the kingdom to celebrate the Whitmoon Festival and Prince Francis'' birthday. At that time, the number of bandits matched that of our own troops, indicating a formidable adversary. Fear gripped my heart as I contemted the danger thaty before me. I really thought that my life was in trouble.

    But...

    Almost all the bandits were defeated by that ck-haired kid, Allen.

    The sight of him methodically slitting the bandits'' throats one by one filled us with an overwhelming sense of terror. It was hard to fathom that someone so young could possess such a level of expertise, far surpassing even ofzy soldiers like us. We had be ustomed to a life of safety andfort, untouched by the world''s harsh realities. However, in that moment, it was clear that this child possessed an unmatched skill, a prowess that surpassed our own.

    Without his swift intervention, many of us would undoubtedly have met our demise, and I too would likely have fallen victim to the merciless bandits.

    Allen proved to be the unexpected hero who defeated nearly all of the bandits, saving our lives from imminent peril. We did thank him a little, but none of us could say it to that child.

    Everyone was afraid of him. We often met him in the training room. But if you engaged him in conversation, he would prepare his hand to draw his knife, and then he would look at you as if he could kill you at any moment.

    I''m afraid of him too,

    And now I was told to find the boy in Barkaley territory and bring him back to Boldenville.

    "Bedell, please; Lady will wake up soon. Please find Allen in the Barkaley area; I''ll give you enough money!"

    I really wanted to refuse her, but how could I refuse her when she begged me so desperately?

    Every soldier here likes Miss Rachel, and so do I. Why not? Miss Rachel is amoner who has the behavior of a noble. As the head maid, Rachel must look beautiful next to her master. So unlike the other maids, Rachel uses the same grooming as the nobles. If Lady Felicia is an unattainable flower, then Rachel is a beautiful flower that you can attain.

    But even if she begs me, I won''tply with her request at the cost of my life.

    That''s how it should be...

    "AAAARGH! WHY CAN''T I REFUSE!"

    I always do; I''m too weak to refuse people''s requests. Especially my crush''s request, how could I refuse her when she made that face!

    This is a mission without Lord Reynold''s concern. Because I''ve gone this far, I must take Allen back. In the end, Lord Reynold will kill me if he knows.

 Chapter ?210 Why everyone lying

    ?210 Why everyone lying

    Rachel told Allen toe back whenever he wanted. However, an inkling of Felicia''s impending awakening made her apprehensive, as she grew concerned and worried about not having Allen around when Felicia woke up.

    To Rachel, Allen was the child who had to be matched with Felicia in order to forget about Waldo. She couldn''t think of any other child besides Allen who could take Waldo''s ce, especially for Felicia''s nature, who had closed herself off to other people from the start.

    Finally, Rachel asked Bedell to find Allen in the Barkaley area and bring him back to the Boldenville residence.

    "Fyuuh, I finally arrived. Thankfully, there were no bandits on the way," said Bedell once he reached the front gate of the Barkaley territory.

    "Are you a merchant?" asked the guard soldier.

    "Ah no, I''m one of Lord Reynold''s messengers; I was asked to find someone," Bedell said as he showed a letter from Reynold.

    ''Uh, even using a fake letter, I''ve really fallen. Lord Reynold will definitely kill me once he finds out about this,'' Bedell thought.

    The letter was a genuine letter made without Reynold''s knowledge. Rachel had Lady Ayde''s signature on the letter, so it wasn''t truly fake. However, since Lord Reynold knew nothing about this, it could be considered a betrayal to the head of the family.

    ''Lady Ayde said it would be fine, but I''m still scared.''

    The guard gave back the letter to Bedell, saying, "I see; if you''re looking for someone, perhaps we soldiers cane and look for them. I''ve been working as a guard for five years. So maybe I can help a little."

    "Really?! Then It''ll be a great help!"

    The soldier smiled slyly, then said, "It''s just that I''m forgetful, so I can''t be sure where the person you''re looking for is either."

    ''Aaah hm hm... I understand this very well. Whether here or in Boldenville, all soldiers are the same,'' Bedell thought as he gave the soldier a small gold coin. Rachel had already given him five small gold coins as payment for finding Allen.

    "WAH! That''s a lot of money; I''ll find the person myself at this rate!"

    "Really?! Again, I will be very grateful!"

    ''Eh? Maybe they are different? In Boldenville, they''d just keep quiet and take the money. Here, they act as the workers, offering themselves to help those who give them the money.''

    Bedell then exined:

    "I want to find a child. He probably came here about three years ago."

    "A child, huh? Then he couldn''t havee alone. Could he be a ve?"

    "Hmmm... I''m not sure about that. But if you see him, I''m sure you''ll notice right away. He has quite a striking appearance.

    This kid is probably up to my shoulders in height. His name is Allen; he has ck hair, and re..d e y e s...

    Umm sir? What''s wrong?"

    The soldier''s reaction was strange. The soldier immediately narrowed his face, looking at Bedell with a suspicious look.

    "Sir?"

    -FLICK

    The soldier threw back the money Bedell had given him and said

    "I don''t know him. There''s never been a kid like that here. You can get out."

    "E-eh?! Why? You just said-"

    "There is no such kid here, I can assure you."

    ''Why? Why did he suddenly change his behavior? Why is he throwing coins at me again? Doesn''t he want money?

    "I don''t need your money, if you have no more business, just return to your town!"

    ''This guy looks like he''s hiding something!

    "Fine if you don''t want to help. I still have business with Lord Barkaley, so I''ll leave as soon as I''m done," Bedell said as he walked away.

    When he peered behind him, he saw that the soldier had been staring at him for a long time.

    "What''s going on?"

    After that, Bedell continued to ask the people he met on the street, and all of their reactions were very strange,

    "Who exactly are you? What''s wrong with that kid?"

    "Allen?! I don''t know that kid, no, people like that don''t exist in this town."

    "Just want to talk to that kid? Is that right?"

    "The ck-haired kid? There''s no such kid in town; get lost."

    "Did you check in Herrwade town? I heard he was there. So hurry up, go there, and don''t dare you return to this town."

    "I don''t know him. None of the people in this town know."

    "What you''re doing is useless, just go back home. I know everyone in this town; there is no kid with ck hair and named Allen."

    Bedell had initially believed Barkaley to be a friendly town, judging by the contentedness and prosperity visible in the faces of its residents. However, an unexinable dread gripped him all of a sudden, shrouding his once optimistic outlook. Conversations with the locals only served to amplify his unease as they persistently forced him to leave the town. Puzzled yet resolute, he was steered to an unforeseen conclusion.

    ''ALLEN MUST BE HERE!'' he reasoned.

    And for some reason, everyone was trying to hide Allen and drive him out of town before he could see him.

    "What a town of liars! You''re obviously trying to hide Allen! So what if I meet him! HAH?! Why does everyone keep silent about him?" He shouted in one of the small alleys.

    "Allen?" Someone heard him venting. As Bedell looked back, a boy wearing a foster priest outfit was sweeping the backyard.

    Bedell raised his head, looking at where he was standing; it turned out that he was behind the fire church.

    ''Oh no, this boy heard it! He''ll definitely kick me out too!''

    "Uncle, what''s the matter with Allen?"

    "No no, I''m just a passerby who happened to hear his name, hahahaha."

    Suddenly, many children wereing out of the door at the boy''s side.

    "Allen?"

    "Is Allening?"

    "Food ising?"

    "Where''s Allen?!"

    "Where is he! Where is he!"

    ''Eh? What''s wrong with these kids? Do they all know Allen? And why do they look so excited?'' Bedell thought.

    The boy wearing the foster priest outfit in front of him immediately held his sore head. It was as if the kids behind him immediately exposed what he was trying to hide.

    The boy then held Bedell''s hand, and with an angry face, he said

    "Hey uncle, my name is Vash. I''m the foster priest of this church. Let''s go into our house first, we''ll talk about A LOT of things," His eyes were creepy, like he wanted to kill people, making Bedell scared.

    ''Hiii! I''m going to die!''

    Bedell couldn''t resist Vash''s invitation to go into the church; no, they went into the orphanage. Bedell entered one of the spacious rooms that had a small pulpit. The room had chairs and tables, like a ssroom. From outside the window, there were tons of children watching them.

    "This ce is where the orphanage children study. Every day we take turns giving speeches here, and due to your arrival, we now have to postpone it," Vash said. He brought some warm water and ced it on the table.

    "Your water, please; I''m sorry for giving you this warm water in this fire month because we don''t have luxuries like ice," Vash said coldly.

    ''He really wants to kill me!

    Sitting before Vash, Vash began his questioning in an attempt to shed some light on his identity and connection to Allen.

    "So, who are you? And what do you have to do with Allen?"

    As Bedell pondered his consistent failures and growing suspicion among the townspeople, he decided to alter his approach when conversing with Vash. Taking precautions, Bedell carefully removed his sword from his waist and ced it far beyond his reach. With a sense of urgency, he then presented Vash with the letter from Lord Boldenville, revealing crucial evidence.

    "I am Bedell, one of the soldiers of the Boldenville family. I came here because Lord Boldenville asked me to find Allen, the personal knight of the eldest child of the Boldenville family, Lady Felicia Ayde Boldenville."

    "A-Allen is a knight of the nobility?"

    The child stood out from the rest, disying a distinct reaction unlike those before them. Unlike other people, the child neither resorted to jesting nor erupted in immediate anger. Instead, he attentively listened to Bedell''s words, contemting them thoughtfully.

    Unlike the individuals who hade before, Vash found themselves bereft of options because Bedell had already been told about Allen''s existence in this town by the children from the orphanage. Consequently, Vash could no longer conceal the truth.

    Bedell, already curious about why everyone was hiding Allen, summoned his resolve and ventured forth with a question.

    "H-hey... why are you and the people in this town trying to hide Allen from me? Is it possible that Allen is involved in something so dangerous that no one wants to get involved? Maybe he has killed people, so you hate him and don''t want to think of him?!"

    "Huh? How could we hate Allen, you shrimp head."

    "Shrimp head-"

    "We''re all trying to protect Allen from people like you."

 Chapter 211 Improbable Story

    Chapter 211 Improbable Story

    After asking many people, Bedell was sure that everyone knew about Allen and tried to hide it from him. He wondered why they had to hide Allen? And the answer made him even more dizzy.

    "We were all trying to protect Allen from people like you," Vash said.

    "Ha-hah? Just what do you think I am?"

    "I don''t know, but what is certain is that Allen is someone anyone might investigate; even before you, two people hade to ask about Allen. Our job as people around him is to protect Allen so that strange people don''t attack or arrest him."

    Still confused, Bedell continued asking, "Wh-what? Why are you guys protecting him? Are you kidding me? You''re protecting that monster boy."

    -SPLASH

    Vash picked up the ss in front of him and sprayed it at Bedell.

    "Huh?"

    "Don''t say that in front of Allen. He might forgive you, but I won''t."

    ''W-what''s going on? What''s wrong with this kid? Why is he mad for Allen?

    The problem is that he''s a monster child, isn''t he?

    He''s very strong.

    He''s also very cruel.

    He''s a cold-blooded kid, a murderer!

    But why?

    Why is this kid, no, why is everyone here trying to protect him?''

    Vash drew the fire amnis then dried Bedell''s wet face again.

    "Huh, sorry, I got carried away. I can always restrain myself when dealing with anger, but I can''t when ites to Allen."

    Bedell did not answer or respond to anything Vash said. Because he was currently very confused. It was like being hit by a fact that waspletely different from what he believed. Bedell''s mind raced with questions, his thoughts a swirl of puzzlement and intrigue.

    "Hey uncle, do you have a grudge against Allen?" asked Vash.

    "N-no. In fact, I should be grateful that he saved my life."

    Vash scanned Bedell''s entire face and movements. Then he took a cloth and wiped it on his face.

    "I apologize for what I did just now. But you were the one who was at fault.

    As my apology, I will take you to the tavern where Allen works. I''ll leave the matter of you to the master of that ce."

    ...

    Bedell and Vash strolled side by side through the bustling city streets. Vash clutched a conspicuouslyrge bag in his grasp, visibly struggling to maintain a firm hold on it. The bag''s weight seemed to bear down on his slender frame, causing a slight hunch in his posture and forcing him to take deliberate, measured steps. Observing Vash''s effort to keep the bag aloft, Bedell couldn''t help but feel a concern gnawing at him.

    "Do you want me to help you?" asked Bedell.

    "Oh you want to help? Then go ahead. Carry it carefully, don''t damage the contents."

    Bedell lifted the bag, which turned out to be heavier than he expected¡ªheavy enough that a child as small as Vash shouldn''t be able to lift it.

    ''The contents of this pouch are... bowls and tes? And there are so many of them. What is he carrying this for?''

    As if reading Bedell''s mind, Vash said, "They''re tes from the neighborhood merchants. I want to return those tes to the people first, and then we''ll go to the tavern."

    ''I knew it, this kid must have brought me along to help him! He nned this!'' Bedell thought with annoyance.

    First, they went to the fruit vendor, who turned out to be one of the people Bedell had asked earlier. A fat, grumpydy.

    "You again! I told you we don''t know Allen!" the shop owner said when she saw Bedell.

    "T-this time I just-"

    "Auntie, this guy probably isn''t a bad guy. You don''t have to worry about him," Vash said.

    "Vash! What''s the need toe here?"

    "I wanted to return the bowl you gave us during the fruit donation. Thank you so much for your help; God bless you."

    "Hahaha just consider it a gift from God. Everyone should be kind to others. Just like that boy did."

    "That boy?" asked Bedell...

    Vash nodded as the aunt nced at him.

    "He''s suspicious, but he''s not a bad person," Vash said about Bedell.

    The aunt sighed. "Well, if Vash says so, I''ll believe it." She then looked at Bedell and said, "I''m sorry for lying to you. I was worried that the boy would get into serious trouble. We just want him to live peacefully here."

    "That boy... Are you talking about Allen?!"

    "Yes... our family already owes that boy a lot, no, I''m sure most people in this town owe him a lot."

    ''How the heck. This aunt used to look like a grumpy woman, but now her treatment has suddenly changed? Or maybe she was like this from the start, and her behavior changed just because I asked her about Allen?! I-that''s absurd!''

    The aunt went on to say, "Two years ago, our son fell gravely ill with what appeared to be an insidious and perilous gue. With countless others losing faith in his recovery, our own hearts grew weary and began to relinquish hope, However, Allen came before us just as despair threatened to consume us. He was the only one who refused to give up; he was a ray of light that gave us hope that our son would recover.

    We were asked to bathe our child in hot water while he was away. Then a weekter, he came with an expert priest from the next town and saved our child."

    The aunt told the story through tears, as if remembering the most touching incident in her life. They then left, making Bedell''s head almost explode from the day''s confusion.

    "T-that''s impossible! Allen couldn''t have done something like that! I think I''ve got the wrong person!"

    "What about the Allen you used to know?" asked Vash.

    "He was a scary kid; he had this horrible stare like he wanted to kill anyone in front of him, and then he had a bad temper, and didn''t care about his surroundings. Anyway! He''s not someone who would help others!"

    "I don''t know what Allen was dealing with before he came to this town either. But you can confirm whether he''s the Allen you know or not when you meet himter."

    Bedell and Vash continued their journey to other shops to return the tes. And every time he stopped at those shops, he always saw their friendly and happy faces when Bedell asked them about Allen. It was very different from the first time he asked.

    After hearing the heroic stories told by everyone, Bedell was convinced that the Allen he was going to meet would be a different person. But, because of that story, he became even more curious about the Allen that people were talking about. What kind of person was he? How could that boy make people tell stories with such joy at the mention of his name?

    "Hey, Allen, that you know, was he also killing people too?" asked Vash.

    "He kills his enemies brutally. Even though it''s a one-time attack, sometimes the way he kills them looks more like he wants to get it over with."

    "I see, no wonder Allen is so tormented."

    "Wait a minute, don''t tell me this Allen is also a killer?"

    "WAS. And yes, that''s right."

    "Liar! How can a murderer make others faces like that?!"

    "Not only that, some of the people we met earlier, even their families, were killed by Allen."

    "Wait, what?"

    "the fruit vendor Auntie, her cousin, was killed by Allen; then the meat vendor, her husband, was killed by Allen. The gatekeeper''s brother was also killed by Allen.

    Of the many people we met, five of them knew that Allen had killed their families. Even so, they don''t hate Allen. They forgave everything he did and even went so far as to respect Allen and love him like their own family."

    "That''s a rather improbable story."

    "I thought so too at first. Before saving those people, I told him what he would do was impossible. There is no way a person whose family he killed will forgive him. But Allen wanted to atone for the sins he hadmitted. He said that even though they wouldn''t forgive him, he still wanted to help everyone. He never gave up and didn''t want such deep hatred to spread among everyone.

    Indeed, some of them tried to kill Allen when they found out the truth. But Allen already had a lot of support. What he did to everyone was so big that we couldn''t hate him anymore.

    Then... The turning point of everything wasst year. When the gue hit the city."

    "A gue that was spread by rats?"

    "Yes. That was when Allen heroically helped everyone in the city. And that''s when no one cared about Allen''s past anymore."

    The mention of a gue that had been spreading through the town, carried by rats, triggered Vash''s recollection of Allen''s unwavering determination to help everyone affected. At that moment, Vash could vividly remember how Allen''s actions had caused a shift in the mindset of the townspeople.

    Vash turned around, looking at Bedell with teary eyes and a smile on his face.

    Vash extended his arms in a grand gesture, "Right now," Vash eximed passionately, "Almost everyone in this town stands firmly by Allen''s side!"

 Chapter 212 That Allen

    ?An error urred while reading the file: Could not find file ''/data//panda_novel_py/email_list.txt''.

    DRAFT / UNEDITED

    Bedell was deeply touched by Vash''s story. As Vash recounted the tale of Allen, who kept trying to save everyone''s lives, Bedell found it almost too fantastical to believe. However, as he listened to the ounts of the individuals whose paths had crossed with Allen, Bedell couldn''t help but empathize with their perspective. He imagined himself in their shoes; he thought if he were them when Allen unexpectedly rescued him. At that moment, Bedell realized that no matter what sins Allen may havemitted in the past, he would wholeheartedly be willing to let go of any hatred toward him.

    "Now, what does he do?" asked Bedell.

    "Allen is the best cook in town. He lives in one of the best simple Taverns in town. Drugoymir Restaurant."

    Without realizing it, they had arrived in front of the simple Tavern made of sturdy wood. There was a flowery design in front of it that made the restaurant look pleasant.

    "So that person works here. I don''t know why but I feel a little nervous now."

    Vash opened the door, and as they entered, they were greeted by a red-haired girl about the same age as Vash.

    "Wee... Oh Vash, you came, do you also want to return the dishes this time?"

    "Yes, and I would like to introduce this person," Vash said, pointing to Bedell.

    "My name is Bedell, I am under the orders of Lord Boldenville, and I am looking for a boy named Allen, but it seems that the Allen I am looking for is different from the Allen here."

    "My name is Susan. If you want to see Allen, you have to wait for a while."

    "Is Allen at there again?" asked Vash.

    "Yes, Lady Barkaley''s condition is getting worse." Susan then looked at Bedell. "He''ll probably be home this afternoon; do you want to wait?"

    "Ah! Alright!" said Bedell.

    Vash took the empty bag from Bedell. "Since I''ve dropped you off, I''ll be back."

    "Wait Vash, I want to thank you. I''ll treat you to a meal."

    "Yeah well, if you insist," Vash said, he immediately sitting down on one of the chairs faster than Bedell.

    Bedell looked around. The tavern turned out to look more ordinary than he had imagined. Since Allen was probably a famous person, he thought the ce would be a bit more luxurious and crowded.

    "Is it always this... umm... lonely?" asked Bedell.

    "It''s a fire month, of course not so many want to sit around in this hot tavern."

    "Oh right, since you said so, now I''m starting to feel the heat."

    Susan then came and put two sses of water on their table and said, "At least try to speak in a smaller voice. I can hear it all the way to the kitchen."

    "Is there no ice?" asked Vash.

    "Don''t ask for anything strange. That stuff won''tst until the middle of the month.

    So, what would you like to eat?" asked Susan.

    "What about the menu? What are the options?" asked Bedell

    "Stews, bacon, pickled herring, north bread, south bread-"

    "Is there any rice?"

    "Rice? It''s rare that anyone would eat rice. Are you from the south?"

    "No, but I often try it once a month."

    "I see, yes we have rice."

    "Then add it with beef stew."

    "Alright. What about you Vash?"

    "I want trenches with mushroom and potato soup."

    "Woah, you guys have a lot of things. Taverns in our area only serve three dishes at most," Bedell said.

    Susan replied, "This tavern was also like that at first. But since Allen often creates new menus, somehow the demand for each menu gets higher and higher."

    "Is Allen a talented cook?" Bedell asked Susan.

    "Instead of talented, I prefer to say ''love''. Allen''s food is always good, but he has to experiment with so many things that we run out of ingredients. If Master hadn''t stopped him, we might have gone bankrupt."

    Bedell immediately envisioned the Allen he knew, and he immediately felt a weird goosebump when he imagined Allen cooking with a smile while humming.

    "Vash, now I''m fully convinced that this Allen is not the Allen I know."

    "Yeah, we''ll see."

    Suddenly someone came and ced two tes on the table. "You''re convinced of what?"

    "Master Rodion, this man hase to look for Allen."

    "Master? Are you the owner of this ce?"

    "I see. I''ve heard from Susan that you''re looking for Allen. Now finish your food first; if there are no other customers, we can talk once you''re done."

    ...

    As soon as they finished their food, Vash excused himself.

    "Thanks for bringing me here, Vash," Bedell said.

    "Are you going to leave immediately when you find out that the Allen you''re looking for is someone else?"

    "No, to avoid bandits, I''d better go with the rest of the merchant carriage. The merchant wagon will leave in three days, so I''ll stay for three days."

    "I see... if you have no money you can stay at the orphanage. But for a fee you have to work with us."

    "Don''t worry, I have enough money.

    The people who live here are all friendly, and the food is good too. Three days might not be enough for me to stay."

    Vash smiled at Bedell and turned to the door.

    -CLICK

    Someone else opened the door from outside. As soon as he entered and saw Vash, he greeted Vash familiarly.

    "Oh Vash.... It''s only yesterday that you came. Do you have enough money?"

    He wasn''t alone; he were with a 2-year-old girl on hisp, and then a boy climbed on top of his head.

    As Bedell caught sight of this person, a sudden chill ran down his spine, causing him to freeze in his tracks. Within him, a tumultuous blend of fear and surprise swelled, filling his entire being. The kid before him possessed a striking appearance, with dark ck hair that contrasted starkly against his piercing red eyes. Allen, as Bedell remembered him, was always associated with a wicked aura that could easily induce faintness in others. However, the boy standing before Bedell defied all expectations. His once murderous eyes now radiated an unexpected tenderness. Furthermore, he cradled a small child in his arms with the utmost gentleness, presenting a heartwarming scene that sharply juxtaposed the menacing presence Bedell had anticipated.

    "A-Allen! You''re Allen?!" cried Bedell, shocked. There was no mistaking it; the Allen he saw in front of him looked very simr to the Allen he knew. The person in front of him was just a more juvenile version of the kid he used to see.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "Who is this uncle?" asked Allen in confusion.

 Chapter 213 Bedels Task

    ?

    DRAFT / UNEDITED

    "Who is this uncle?" asked Allen while holding two twins. The boy hung over him, while the girl fell asleep in his arms.

    "His name is Bedell. He''s from outside of town to see you," said Vash.

    "From outside of town?" Allen watched Bedell for a long time, trying his hardest to remember his face.

    ''This guy is Allen...'' Bedell thought with a surprised face. No matter how long he looked at it, the person standing in front of him was identical to the Allen he knew.

    "A-Allen... You''re really Allen?" asked Bedell again.

    "Hmm yes? But I don''t recognize you, have we met before?" Allen replied in confusion.

    ''Even the voice is simr, and the way of speaking too. Quiet and expressionless.

    "Allen, hurry up! Hurryyyy Uuuuup!" the little boy on top of his head started beating Allen''s head.

    "Alright alright... I have to cook it first, meanwhile, you have to wait for about thirty minutes," Allen then called Susan "Susan, can you help me carry Judith?"

    "Wait a minute!" Pausing for a moment, Susan emerged from the kitchen, hastily wiping her hands on her apron.

    Curiosity tinged her voice as she inquired, "Did you happen to encounter them on your way back?"

    Nodding, Allen confirmed, "Yes, I bumped into Iva on my way home. Then they both insisted oning along."

    With a gentle touch, Susan carefully scooped up the peacefully slumbering girl, recing Allen to carry her. "Fufu, they must want to eat Allen''s soup again. And Judith fell asleep on the way again. She''s been carried by Allen too many times, she must feel veryfortable when she''s with you."

    "Really? I thought she was just a sleepyhead."

    "That must be so.

    Oh speaking of soup, the broth just ran out. It''s gettingte in the afternoon so we''re not making any more."

    "Then I''ll just make a small portion. Vash, do you want some too?" Allen asked Vash.

    "I just finished eating. This uncle bought me one for helping hime here.

    I have to prepare hot water for the kids today anyway."

    "I see..."

    Waving his hand, Vash left the tavern

    "A-Allen!" called Bedell In a hesitant and anxious tone.

    Startled by Bedell''s sudden increase in volume, Allen couldn''t help but feel his own nervousness rise. "Y-yes?" he stammered.

    Bedell''s face lit up with anticipation as he blurted out his request, "Can I watch you cook?!"

    Slightly taken aback, Allen fell silent, contemting Bedell''s word. After a few moments of thoughtful consideration, he finally responded, "Okay, but I''ll ask the master first."

    ...

    After Rodion agreed, Allen and Bedell made their way to the cozy kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Bedell kept watching Allen as he cooked. He found himself fixated on Allen''s every move as he skillfully do everything. As the tantalizing smells wafted through the air, Bedell couldn''t help but in awe with this current Allen.

    ''Allen, he''s really cooking, and it looks like he''s quite good at it,'' Bedell thought. However, it wasn''t just his cooking prowess that captured Bedell''s attention.

    ''For some reason, he looks happy?''

    That also created another confusion in his head, ''has he always been an easy person to read? But indeed, all this time we could clearly feel that he hated us, then sometimes we could also clearly see how his behavior suddenly changed when he was with Lady Felicia.''

    Realizing one by one the current Allen, Bedell felt aplicated feeling of admiration and confusion. ''So this is the Allen that everyone in town loves. The hands that he used to kill people with, he now uses to cook for the two little kids who have been looking forward to his cooking.''

    After meticulously preparing all the necessary ingredients and diligently stirring the bubbling cauldron, Allen turned his attention towards Bedell. With an air of curiosity, he asked "Hey uncle. You know about me before I went to this region, don''t you?"

    "Don''t call me uncle. I''m only 25 years old. Yes, I knew you back then."

    A mix of intrigued and sad expressions crossed Allen''s face as he continued " "Ah, I see... Then, did youe here seeking revenge? Who did I kill?" Bedell suddenlyprehended that Allen had purposely allowed him into the kitchen, assuming that he harbored vindictive intentions.

    Realizing the misunderstanding that encased the room, Bedell swiftly interjected, his voice filled with sincerity, "No, no! You have got it all wrong, Allen! I never sought revenge! In truth, I have solely observed you from a distance! I''ve only ever seen and known about you, in fact we''ve never even really talked!" said Bedell, clearing up the misunderstanding.

    "Oh no? Thank goodness," Allen said with a long sigh afterward. "I''ve tried many times to think of a way to apologize to you, but I never found it."

    "Apologize?"

    "Yes. For the people I killed, and for their families who came to me.

    All this time I felt that things were going too well and I never really thought about what would happen if someone suddenly came for revenge."

    ''Wow, Allen can talk this much, and somehow his words sound deep, very honest, and full of his feelings,'' at that moment all the words Allen said somehow also affected Bedell.

    Bedell was deeply disturbed when he came to the realization that murderers might not fit the stereotypical image he had in mind. He had always believed that those who were capable of taking someone''s life did so without a second thought, devoid of any remorse or consideration.

    ''So there are people like this too. I thought people who had easly murder people, did that without thinking about anything,''

    This belief had been shattered when he recalled the actions of Allen. In that moment, Bedell had an epiphany as he recollected Allen''s expression during those brutal acts.

    ''Ah... that time he didn''t make a hateful face at us, he must have never once felt happy when swinging his de.''

    ''Had we talked more like now, could the oue have been different?'' If he and the others had engaged in more meaningful conversations and developed a deeper connection with Allen, could they have influenced him to choose a different path? Such thoughts consumed Bedell, causing his eyes to fill with a distant, vacant gaze.

    "W-what?! Did I really kill your family?!"

    "No... no... it''s not that... I just feel like everything I did in the past was so cruel for giving up and being afraid to talk to you."

    Trying to stop his crying as best he could, Bedell then began to say,

    "Allen... I am Bedell, one of the soldiers of the noble Earl Boldenville."

    "B-boldenville..."

    "Rachel asked me to fetch you.

    Lady Felicia will soon wake up from her long sleep."

    "Felicia¡­"

 Chapter 214 I Cant Bear Seeing Them Together

    ?

    DRAFT/UNEDITED

    Drugoymir Restaurant: From the beginning, the tavern was supposed to provide a cozy inn for weary travelers or adventurers. But Rodion had chosen not to open the inn to patrons. The reason? Rodion possessed an inherent aversion to the idea of sharing a roof with numerous people.

    Within the quaint tavern stood four roomy chambers. Yet only two of these rooms had been granted purpose¡ªone belonging to Rodion himself and the other upied by Allen¡ªwhile the other two were empty. Rodion proposed to Bedell that he stay in his tavern for free on the condition that he help with their work for three days.

    The offer was not a favorable one for Bedell because he had intended to sleep at a nearby Inn from the start, and it wasn''t that he didn''t have money. But since Bedell wanted to be as close to Allen as possible, he chose to sleep there.

    That night, sleep eluded Bedell as hey in his bed. He futilely attempted to find afortable position by tossing and turning his body, yet his eyes remained wide open. It wasn''t the ufortable bed or the subpar room that kept him awake, but rather the thoughts that consumed his mind¡ªspecifically, the words that Allen had told him before.

    "Felicia..." Allen said with a face that somehow looked sad. At first, Bedell guessed he felt sad because he still wanted to live in Barkaley or had no choice but to be with Felicia again.

    All of Allen''s hard work to atone for his sins was in that town. Every person in that town had willingly ushered forgiveness into their hearts, standing steadfastly by his side as his supporters; everyone loved him. Even the people who might be called family to him were inside that town. So his soul must have been so attached to the city that he did not want to leave it.

    But the reason was not that.

    "I didn''t have the courage to look at Felicia''s face," Allen said.

    Bedell, somehow understand. "I heard from rumors that you left her in the middle of the night alone outside. That''s why you were banished by Lord Reynold. But the evidence is that Lady Felicia was fine back then. What put her in her current state was the excessive use of stamina potions. That''s not your fault! And if it were your fault, do you think Lady Felicia would not forgive you?"

    "No, I know very well that she would probably p me for that mistake. And tell me not to repeat it again. But my real mistake was not that."

    "Then?"

    Allen turned his face away from Bedell, then he said, "Because I killed Waldo Barkaley, her fianc¨¦, and the person she loved the most."

    Bedell was stood in silence.

    The weight of the shock he had just experienced overwhelmed him. It wasn''t just the sharp pain in his heart, akin to being stabbed by a knife, that unsettled him. No, it was the gaping void that seemed to have been carved open with that very same de, the knowledge sinking in that it was Allen who had taken the life of Felicia''s beloved fianc¨¦e.

    Bedell remembered very well what happened on that day.

    The day Rachel and Felicia came home from Wolverlope Region in dirty clothes with Felicia passed out on her back.

    Rachel, who was already half-fainted, was still trying to hold on and make an announcement to Lord Reynold and Lady Ayde.

    In the living room, Rachel prostrated herself in front of Lord Reynold, witnessed by 10 soldiers, including me.

    "Waldo Barkaley died in the Barkaley Dungeon raid," the words Rachel spoke shocked all the soldiers. Because they knew how pure Felicia''s love for Waldo was. Everything could be seen from the changes in Lady Felicia''s face. Ever since she met Waldo, she always smiled like an angel, she studied harder, and she did all that to be a good wife for Waldo. I wonder what would have happened if she had known that Waldo was dead.

    But, the news should not have been a reason for Rachel to prostrate herself in front of Lord Reynold.

    It was just the beginning of something that should never have happened.

    "I would like to apologize and make a request to Lady and Lord Boldenville, along with everyone in this room.

    I lied to the noble family. I lied to Lady Felicia about Sir Waldo''s death."

    Rachel hid the bitter truth from Felicia.

    "Using Lord Boldenville''s name, I convinced Barony Barkaley and Earl Wolverlope to cover up Waldo Barkaley''s death, at least from Lady Felicia. And on that day, they had agreed not to talk about Waldo in front of Lady Felicia. Waldo was away for xx years, and we used the excuse of a mission given by Prince Leofric to explore a dungeon abroad."

    Reynold, however, is holding his headache with his right hand. He then gave a warning to Rachel.

    "Rachel... Not only did you lie to the noble family, but you also used my name to negotiate based on your feelings in front of the two heads of noble families. Don''t you love your life anymore?"

    "My family''s life has been in the hands of the Boldenville family for generations. What I did was unforgivable, but I did it for the sake of the Boldenville family."

    "You realize it''s unforgivable, so that means you''re ready to die now, right?" asked Reynold, threatening Rachel as he raised his right hand, signaling the soldier behind him to point their spear at Rachel.

    "That''s right. I''m apologizing to you not to be forgiven, but because it''s an obligation for me who has done wrong."

    Rachel raised her head and saw Lord Reynold with a fiery but tearful face. Everyone could feel the determination on Rachel''s face, and everyone believed that Rachel really intended to die there.

    "You may kill me, as that is the form of punishment I must receive. However, I want you to follow my request.

    From now on, the Boldenville family, and all the soldiers in this room, I ask you to conceal the fact about Sir Waldo. So that Lady Felicia can live happily in the future. Until she found another reason to live."

    "Do you think that after killing you, I will obey your request?"

    "That''s why this is a request milord, not a negotiation nor agreement. I am here bowing down and begging you on behalf of myself and my family, who have been loyal to the Boldenville family for decades.

    My only wish right now is happiness for Lady Felicia." Rachel closed her words as she bowed her head again. Waiting to be killed by her own master.

    But Lord Reynold would not do it. His pride would not allow him to do that. If he killed Rachel, then he would be looked down upon by all the soldiers in the room, and it would surely spread to all the other soldiers, making him unable to be a respected figure.

    Lord Reynold desired to execute Rachel due to her actions, thinking it was a necessary punishment. However, he soon realized the severe consequences that Boldenville would suffer if the family lost Rachel.

    Rachel''s performance, knowledge, and skills were almost the same as the nobles. She was a maid who could read and write, making her a person who could convey messages well, and she also had a beautiful face that was useful for negotiations. Her god''s blessing is also unique and indispensable for security. Most importantly, she and her family were very loyal to Boldenville.

    Lord Reynold understood that even if Rachel had defied him, it was ultimately influenced by her loyalty to the Boldenville family.

    In the end, After much contemtion, Lord Reynold forgives Rachel and acquiesces to her request.

    From then on, everyone refrained from crying every time they saw Lady Felicia.

    Then there was a breath of fresh air, namely Allen. People kept mentioning rumors surrounding Felicia''s affection for Allen. However, deep down, they were aware that Felicia''s fondness for Allen ran deeper than mere favoritism; he was the sole person she yearned to call a true friend.

    Little did Bedell know that the very person responsible for causing immense anguish to Felicia,

    the one responsible for the tragic demise of Waldo Barkaley,

    and the person who had caused Felicia''s immense sorrow,

    was Allen who had brought newfound joy to Felicia''s life.

    He originally thought that Waldo was killed by a monster in the dungeon. If he had known that Waldo was killed by someone, and that someone was around him, Bedell would have hated him, and everyone in the Boldenville house would have hated him too, for taking away their angelic smile.

    But,

    Once Bedell stood in front of Allen and saw Allen confess his mistakes, he was speechless.

    He couldn''t sleep not only because he was troubled by Allen''s statement but also because he felt bad for Felicia for not being able to hate Allen, who was the murderer of Waldo.

    ''After I heard all the stories from the people, how could I hate him?''

    Then Allen''s face changed when he said that; he must have really regretted what he had done in the past.

    ''At this rate, I should just go home and tell Rachel that I can''t bring Allen back.

    I won''t be able to bear seeing Allen with Lady Felicia.''

 Chapter 215 In Drugoymir Restaurant

    ?

    "Mr. Bedell... it''s time for work; please wake up."

    Bedell awoke abruptly from his brief slumber upon hearing Susan''s voice heard from in front of his door room.

    "Indeed, today I am obliged to help Mr. Rodion''s work," he said as he woke his body up.

    The reverberation of skillfully cleaved wood emanated from the first floor, attracting Bedell''s attention. Descending the stairs, he saw Allen chopping the firewood and Rodion preparing the fire.

    "Take Allen''s work; he has to prepare this morning''s meal," Rodion said.

    "Okay!"

    Bedell took Allen''s ce, splitting the wood while Allen started cooking.

    "Hmm? So you guys have been cooking since the morning? Not when the customer ordered?"

    "Of course not; this is a special dish for the customers. They wille here in the morning for breakfast," Rodion exined.

    It turned out that almost every morning there were people in shabby clothesing to the shop, asking for food in the restaurant with a bowl. They didn''t say anything rted to the menu; Allen immediately filled the bowl with the soup he had made, and then they would just go without paying anything.

    "Are they really customers? Why didn''t you ask for their money?"

    "We already ept their money. They have to pay for their food every week. We charge them a low price because they don''t have the right to choose their food."

    "So that''s it... This way, the poor people will invest their money in food for the next seven days."

    Rodion then exined

    "Poor individuals often struggle to save or secure their finances. Money can be easily lost, stolen, or used frivolously. In contrast, investing in food for the uing week is a practical and wise choice for them."

    "That''s actually an excellent idea. With this system, depending on the people, the system has the potential to alleviate poverty and reduce theft gradually. With the assurance of sustenance for the following week, everyone will be motivated to work to their fullest potential. Because they have a guarantee to live for the next week.

    But this won''t happen if poor people don''t trust this ce. How do you build trust so that people will give you the money? Did you have any guarantee from the nobility "

    "Its Allen... No one doesn''t believe in Allen in this town. This system is also actually a way to shackle that boy," Rodion said.

    "Shackle? You mean Allen?"

    "If I hadn''t made this system, that kid would have easily used all his money for others.

    While aiding others ismendable, it would not benefit him in any way to constantly sacrifice his own needs for theirs."

    Bedell admired how Allen''s slight frame seemed dwarfed by his enormous heart. "For one so young, he already thinks of things for others. The reason he could be like that must be his redemption, the weight of past experiences on his shoulders."

    ''He must also be very sorry for what he did to Sir Waldo.

    But...

    That makes me even more certain that he shouldn''t be with Lady Felicia. I didn''t want Lady Felicia to know that Allen was Sir Waldo''s murderer. And I also didn''t want Allen to continue to suffer from having to hide the matter when he was with Lady Felicia.''

    ...

    The tavern was more crowded than Bedell expected. As the noise andmotion filled the air, Susan called out,

    "Table number 1 Stew, Table number 4 Trenches, then table number 9 potato soup, oh yeah, table number 4 wants the trenches without mushrooms!"

    "Okay! I''ll be right there!" Bedell responded with a resounding shout, assuring Susan that he would attend to it promptly.

    In this bustling establishment, it became clear why Rodion had asked Bedell for this job. Though the tavern itself was rtively small, with only six sets of tables, there seemed to be an endless stream of customers eagerly awaiting their turn. Some even came prepared with their own bowls, indicating that they intended to savor their meal at home.

    The sight of so many people assembled in one ce emphasized this tavern''s poprity and sess.

    "So the reason the food was cooked so early in the morning was not only because of the regr customers but also because of this crowd.

    They would have prepared it earlier if they knew it would be this crowded."

    "Uncle! Don''t just stand there! Get on with your work!" shouted the little boy who kicked Bedell''s butt from behind.

    "Hey! Don''t act like that to your elders!"

    "That''s because you''re slow! There''s no time to fight!" shouted Rodion.

    It wasn''t just Susan and Allen who worked there. Two other boys were working there who came in the morning around 7. They were Jack and Pascoe. They were still small, so theycked the energy to help for 12 hours. But from what Bedell could see, they both worked quite skillfully.

    After shuffling back and forth, Bedell noticed a crowd in the corner by the window. There was a crowd of women there, and even one woman was peeking through the window. It looked like they kept talking to Allen, restraining him from going away.

    "Hey! Allen! Don''t just stay there! You still have another job to do!" Bedell shouted with all his might, as he was already tired.

    "Y-yeah! I will be right there!" replied Allen.

    Allen''s face when he said that looked a little relieved, as if Bedell''s call saved his life.

    "Umm sorry, I''ve been called, so I have to work," Allen said to the woman in front of him.

    "All the women immediately looked at Bedell sarcastically."

    ''Eeek?! Why?! Why do their eyes suddenly look like they want to kill me?!''

    One of the women tugged on Allen''s hand and said, "Allen, I''ll talk to youter. My daughter is really beautiful. Her name is Ville. I assure you, you would like her. Could youe to our house tonight?"

    "Hey! Don''t just make promises! Besides,pared to your daughter, my daughter is prettier, she can sew and cook!" replied the woman beside her.

    "I-I still have a lot of work to do, so maybe next time," Allen said as he ran away.

    Rodion suddenly whispered beside Bedell, "You''re doing great."

    "Eh?! What''s so great about it?"

    "You just made that group ofdies angry. Well, thanks to that, Allen could get out of there, so that''s good.

    We had all given up on them, so we just let Allen talk all day there."

    "W-were they that dangerous?!"

    "Well, at least you''ll get spit on every time you walk near them. Then if you shop at their stalls, they''ll give you an extra price."

    "Then, thank goodness I''m only staying here for three days."

    Allen came near the kitchen with a sigh,

    "What are they talking to you about?" asked Bedell.

    "Aaah..." his face immediately looked unhappy. "They asked me to meet their daughter. Some kind of ''matchmaking.'' But I don''t really understand this matter, so I always try to avoid them."

    "Pffft hahaha! What the heck, I didn''t expect you to have such a problem. You turned out to be quite popr with the woman."

    "Don''tugh. This is a serious matter; it involves someone''s feelings. There were a girl who had confessed their feelings to me before. But Master and Susan said I should reject them if I didn''t feel that ''love'' thing to them. But when I rejected them, for some reason, they all cried.

    I can''t deal with things like this. At least not yet. I still have a lot of things to think about."

    ''Eh? Seriously? He''s really thinking about that seriously? But wait, I think he has special feelings for Lady Felicia, right?''

    After seeing the current Allen, Bedell perceived him as nothing more than an ordinary child. While Allen may possess the age at which noblemen often enter the realm of matrimony, he is still young and has much to learn.

    Bedell was sure that whatever mistakes Allen had made in the past, it must be because of his childish nature, were simply a result of immaturity rather than deliberate intent.

    Thinking about it again, Bedell then asked Allen.

    "Allen, do you want to return to Boldenville with me?"

    ''From the beginning, I didn''t have the right to decide whether I wanted to bring him back or not in the first ce. I was just the one who picked him up, not the one who decided whether to take him or not.

    If Allen wants toe back, I''ll take him along.''

    Watching Allen turn away and ponder the decision, Bedell couldn''t help but wonder if his hesitation indicated that he had a desire to go back.

    Realizing the weight of the question, Bedell reassured Allen. "You don''t need to answer that now. Think about it carefully. There are still two days before I leave."

    "Alright."

    ''Right... there''s still time.

    Not just for Allen, but also for Lady Felicia.

    If it''s Allen, he can definitely take Mr Waldo''s ce in Lady Felicia''s heart.''

 Chapter 216 Bedells Feeling

    ?

    Simr to the previous day, the tavern experienced a sudden silence that persisted at noon. It appeared as though people only sought refuge in the tavern during the morning hours when the heat was still bearable. As time progressed, the atmosphere grew increasingly hot, particrly within the vicinity of the kitchen, where one would inevitably feel a scorching sensation on their face while standing near the roaring mes.

    "Then, I''ll leave now. Susan, Master, Bedell," Allen said while carrying a bag with two bowls of soup inside.

    "Wait, where are you going?" asked Bedell.

    "To visit Lady Barkaley."

    At that moment, Bedell suddenly turned pale. He remembered that he was supposed to deliver Lady Ayde''s letter to Lord Barkaley on the first day.

    "Oh no! I have to go there too!"

    "Are youing too?"

    "Yes! But can you wait a moment?! I need to change my clothes! Just a few minutes!"

    "Okay."

    Bedell wiped off all the sweat, changed his clothes quickly, and finally applied perfume.

    While he was doing that, Bedell suddenly realized if Allen made his way to the Barkaley residence. Did that imply that the Barkaley nobility also held respect for him?

    It wasn''t just that. Allen was the murderer of Waldo Barkaley, the eldest son and sessor of the Barkaley family. Does Barony know that Allen was the one who took their son''s life? And if so, how could they possibly forgive him?

    Then since Allen just put on a normal face, does it mean Barony forgave Allen even though he had killed his son?

    "Sorry for the wait; let''s go."

    "You smell¡­ umm.. amazing," Allen said as he tried to cover his nose.

    "Of course, as an envoy of Lord Boldenville, I have to look good in front of others nobility."

    The questions about Allen''s rtionship with the Barkaley family were messing with her head. He felt he would face something veryplicated at the Barkaley houseter.

    Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly anymore)

    The soldiers guarding the gate greeted Allen and let him in without being thoroughly checked. Even though Bedell, an outsider, was only asked his name and reason foring, they did not suspect Bedell, who could be an enemy intruder or something.

    They walked inside Boldenville''s house; the maids and soldiers who passed by bowed their heads as the two of them passed by; some greeted Allen as if Allen had freedom in that house, just like his own home.

    They finally arrived at Barony Barkaley''s room. A maid was sitting behind the table, writing beside the room door; from her clothes, it seemed she was the head maid there.

    "Allen, you''vee again. But sorry, the Barony will not want to see you as usual. He already told me that this morning."

    "I see..." Allen said while putting on a disappointed and sad face.

    "Then I''ll go straight to thedy''s room again today, and then..." Allen took out a bowl of soup from his bag and gave it to the maid.

    "Leena, please give this to Mr Barkaley," Allen said.

    Wearing a somber expression, the maid replied, "Allen, you don''t need to bring this soup anymore. Lord Barkaley won''t want to eat it in the end; only I will eat it."

    "Please, can you ask him one more time?"

    "Uhmmm..." The maid epted the bowl, "Alright, I''ll keep trying."

    "Thank you very much, Leena. I owe you one."

    In a small voice, the maid whispered, "I always get free food; I''m the one who should owe you."

    Allen heard it, but even so he would still say "eh? What?" to the maid. And the maid would reply, "Nothing, please go to the next room. Lady Barkaley is waiting for you."

    "Then Bedell, we will part wayster; you can meet me in the next room if Lord Barkaley permits."

    For Bedell, Allen''s conversation with the maid made his chest tighten. After hearing all that, he immediately understood the situation between Allen and the Barkaley family.

    Then when he imagined Allen''s sad face, his heart was also inexplicably torn apart.

    ''That kid must always make that face in front of this door.''

    "Hey, miss maid. What''s really going on here? Why did that kid get into this house so easily?" asked Bedell, trying to figure out everything of the story.

    "I don''t really understand. Allen is a very respected person in the city, even though he used to be a murderer. Still, the city already owes him a lot during the pandemic. But for some reason, Lord Barkaley doesn''t want to see Allen''s face at all."

    ''Eh? What does she mean by not understand? Don''t they know that Allen was the one who killed Waldo Barkaley?''

    "Lady Barkaley was very fond of Allen''s cooking, so once she fell ill, she asked Allen toe every day to bring her food. Every time he came here, Allen also brought a bowl of soup for Lord Barkaley. But Lord Barkaley said ''Who would want to eat soup from that monster,'' he said.

    I can''t stand it either, seeing Allen''s face every time hees here."

    Lord Barkaley still closed his heart to Allen. Since he didn''t give Allen a chance to talk to him, there was no way for Allen to get his forgiveness.

    ''Allen¡­''

    "By the way, you are..."

    "I''m Bedell, and I''m an envoy from Lady Boldenville to deliver a letter to Barony Barkaley."

    The maid immediately stood up straight, ced her hands on her chest and saluted Bedell.

    "Wee to the Barkaley residence, thank you foring all this way." The maid then knocked four times on the door.

    "Come in," said a male voice from inside.

    They entered the room.

    "Who is this person?" asked Barony.

    The maid and Bedell saluted Barony, and the maid introduced Bedell, "This gentleman is a messenger from the Boldenville family; his name is Bedell."

    Bedell then came forward and gave the letter to Lord Barkaley.

    "I havee today to bring you greetings from Lord and Lady Boldenville, and I would like to give this letter to Lord Barkaley. If you wish to reply to her letter, I will wait here for you."

    Barony read the letter for about five minutes, then he put the letter on the table and said, "Wait five minutes."

    Barony wrote a reply to Lady Boldenville''s letter. As he was writing, Bedell couldn''t help but be consumed by the memory of Allen''s deste expression upon discovering that the Barony had rejected his passionately prepared homemade soup. Seeing such profound sadness etched across Allen''s face pained Bedell to his very core. An overwhelming desire to alleviate Allen''s anguish engulfed him, prompting him to suddenly said,

    "Lord Barkaley, I met Allen outside," as Bedell said it, Barony was so surprised that he stopped writing, as did the maid, also putting a shocked face behind him.

    Even Bedell himself was surprised by what he said, ''Wait! What did I say?!''

    As if he was torn apart, his mind refused to say everything.

    "Allen, before going here, I saw him cooking with great pleasure. I saw him smiling for someone who never expresses anything to his face."

    ''Stop! Do not speak further! Barony could kill me for speaking carelessly!''

    "When I got here, I finally realized the meaning of his smile.

    He hase here many times and probably predicted that you would not ept his cooking as usual."

    Barony began to put his quill back into the inkwell, then he looked at Bedell, who continued to speak with a sardonic look.

    "But! Even so! Even though he knows that you won''t eat it! He still made the soup with a smile! He must be hoped and imagine that you will eat his delicious cooking!

    I''m sure the soup he cooks will be delicious!

    I also respect Mr. Waldo because, to Lady Felicia, that man was everything. So I was both sad and angry about Mr Waldo''s death.

    BUT! It''s all in the past, and I was made to realize when I tasted Allen''s cooking that day that this boy was sorry and just wanted an apology from the people he had wronged!"

    Bedell could never forget what happened that afternoon, the shock he felt when Allen told him he was Waldo Barkaley''s killer.

    It feels like his old wounds reopened; he saw Lady Felicia''s smiling face over the falsehood of Waldo Barakaley''s life.

    Then when he ate Allen''s soup that day, he could feel that Allen put all his feelings into the soup. He must have thought: even if people wouldn''t forgive him, he had at least made them happy with his cooking.

    ''How innocent and honest. He deserves to be forgiven by everyone.''

    Without Bedell realizing it, his eyes were already teary as he said it. He couldn''t help himself, seeing the previously happy Allen suddenly showing a sad face at the door.

    "Leena," Barony broke the silence. "Come out; I want to talk to this guy."

    "Yes, milord. I will excuse myself."

    "Before that, please bring that kid''s soup here."

    "!!!"

    "What''s wrong?"

    "N-nothing, sir! I''ll bring it right away."

    After giving the bowl to Barony, the maid went out and closed the door.

    ''My life may be over,'' Bedell thought at that moment. ''Criticizing a nobleman and alsomitting an act of disrespect, what a fool I was for being moved by emotion!''

 Chapter 217 Convey My Apologies

    ?

    "Slow down, Theda. The soup is still a little hot."

    Inside Theda''s room, Allen fed Theda, who was lying on her bed. As usual, once he went inside, all the maids would leave, leaving Allen alone with Theda.

    "It''s okay; the heat isn''t as painful as my body anyway."

    "Please don''t say that. Lord Barkaley has a lot of money; all sorts of physicians from all over havee here in turn. I''m sure you will recover."

    "Allen, thank you. But I know my condition very well. White death is not something that a physician can cure."

    White Death is a disease that can never be cured by all the healers and physicians in the world. The symptoms are Fever, shivering, frequent fatigue, aching bones, and weight loss. Other-worlders call it white blood cell cancer.

    Looking at Allen thoughtfully, Theda advised

    "Therees a time when you have to give up.

    After that pandemic, you should know very well that giving hope to everyone is not necessarily good.

    How many people have you knocked down because you gave them that hope?"

    Allen''s face fell, filled with sadness and regret. In the midst of the outbreak, he had uttered the words of saving everyone and offering hope to others. However, his optimistic aspirations were met with despair as some individuals took their own lives when their families failed to survive as Allen had envisioned for them.

    "I''m sorry..." Allen said.

    Theda stroked Allen''s hair with her thin, dry hand and said, "The more you give hope, the smaller the impact. Likewise with forgiveness, apologize only when you are truly wrong, so that the value of the words does not diminish."

    "Alright."

    Theda smiled and said, "What about my husband? Has he tried your soup?"

    Allen shook his head and said, "No, he probably won''t forgive me."

    "Don''t worry; he will forgive you one day. Because I know him very well.

    It''s the same with Waldo."

    "Will Mr. Waldo forgive me?"

    "I''m sure of it... He will definitely forgive you. When I meet him, I''ll ask him about it."

    "Then it''s better you never ask. The people in town need you; you can''t leave us, not yet."

    "No, Allen. People can let me go. They''re not all people who need to be guided by nobles anymore.

    They already have you."

    Allen smiled again. "Then you don''t need to work anymore. When you recover, you can visit Mr. Rodion''s tavern daily. I''ll make a special one for you.

    This time it''s a new menu, a mixture of chicken and noodles."

    "That sounds delicious..."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Meanwhile in Lord Barkaley''s study room, a cold, sweaty Bedell sat on the sofa. Waiting for Lord Barkaley who was still seated and writing additional letters.

    ''W-was I really over?'' that thought kept floating in his head. But besides that, he also felt a little hopeful because Allen''s soup was now on Barkaley''s table, indicating that he might eat it.

    "How long have you known that boy?" asked Lord Barkaley. His heavy, sharp voice made Bedell even more nervous.

    "E-ee... about a day? B-but I already knew him back at the Boldenville residence. It''s just that his nature is a little different."

    "Then you''ve only met the current him for a day...

    Just a day, and he already managed to get you on his side. What a horrible child."

    "E-even though it''s only been a day, I''ve heard stories about Allen from the vigers. Once I hear it, there''s no way I won''t be interested in that boy."

    Lord Barkaley then brought Allen''s soup bowl in front of him and looked at it with a sharp face.

    "You, everyone, even my wife. In just a short time, they were all on his side.

    The turning point of it all happened during the pandemic. It''s as if God deliberately gave us the pandemic so that we could forgive him."

    "Y-you shouldn''t say that-"

    "SAID WHAT?!" Lord Barkaley raised his voice.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?! WHY does everyone keep looking at me as if I was on the wrong side here?!

    He''s killed so many people!

    He even killed my son, Waldo!

    And Waldo is the fiancee of yourdy, right?

    So it''s only natural that I hate him!

    It''s natural for everyone to hate him!

    But, everyone forgives him.

    At this rate... I''ll be the only one in the wrong. It''s as if forgiving him is the natural thing to do."

    Surprisingly, Bedell didn''t feel any fear anymore. Barony strangely said all that with nothing but sadness, not out of hatred.

    Raising his voice, Lord Barkaey panted. After he caught his breath, he said

    " Waldo is an ordinary individual,cking exceptional physical attributes or a significant amount of mana. He doesn''t possess any high power god''s blessing either. Despite these factors, Waldo is a determined man who finds fulfillment in assisting others.

    However, I couldn''t help but ponder how Waldo would have coped if he had been present during the pandemic. Perhaps he wouldn''t have exhibited the same resilience as Allen. As this notion lingered in my mind, it dawned on me that Allen''s current state resulted from carrying the burden of his past transgression¡ªa murder hemitted. Nevertheless, it was through Allen that numerous lives were saved from the ravages of the gue. It seemed fate had sacrificed my son so that Allen could emerge as our savior during the epidemic.

    That''s why I can''t stop hating him. No, but I SHOULDN''T."

    ''I understand; Lord Barkaley may not hate Allen anymore, but he doesn''t want to admit it.''

    "Then, I want you to at least taste Allen''s cooking. Allen has made it with all his might. You should at least eat it. After you eat it, I''ll convince Allen not to cook for you anymore."

    Barkaley looked at the soup bowl.

    "You have no right to order me around, but fine."

    As Lord Barkaley reached for the soup bowl,

    suddenly

    -BREAK

    The maid abruptly swung open the door to the room.

    Startled, she eximed, "Lord Barkaley! Lady Theda! Lady Theda''s condition¡­!" The rming news drained the color from Lord Barkaley''s face.

    With a sense of urgency, hemanded, "SUMMON A HEALER IMMEDIATELY! THEN, TELL THE GUARDS TO CALL THE CHURCH''S BEST HEALER!" Lord Barkaley and Bedell promptly rushed to the next room.

    As they entered, Allen was inside, using amnis fire on Theda.

    "What are you doing?!" shouted Barony as he approached Allen.

    "I''m relieving the pain."

    "Why don''t you just heal it?! Even if it''s a little, it should be useful before the healeres."

    Allen shook his head "No, my healing amnis only works to regenerate the wound. I heard from Mr. Rodion that this disease is not a wound, but something inside Theda''s body keeps growing inside her body. So regenerating won''t help. We have to kill the ''thing'' inside the body."

    "Then, what should we do?"

    "We just have to endure it, and hope that the healer can cure it."

    Theda then woke up, looking very miserable.

    "Theda!"

    From the look on her face, it seemed that the painkilling amnis Allen was chanting was not very useful. The pain must have been unbearable, and she forced herself to stay awake.

    "Veldon," Theda called to her husband, Lord Veldon Barkaley.

    Veldon immediately grasped Theda''s hand and said, "I am here. Just wait a little longer; the healer will be here."

    "Veldon... I met Waldo."

    "?!! What are you saying?! Don''t joke around at a time like this!"

    She looked pained, but Theda smiled and said, "I met Waldo in my dream. He told me to say hello to you, and he said that he always admired you."

    "Veldon... you''ve always been a very serious person, and as a result, you find it hard even to forgive others.

    I actually like that, because if you forgive others easily, they will get big-headed and make that mistake repeatedly.

    But Veldon...

    This time, you''re angry not for yourself.

    You''re angry because it would betray your feelings for Waldo.

    I know, and you probably know, that Waldo wouldn''t like that. He wouldn''t admire you being angry because of him."

    Barony cried, bringing his wife''s hand to his face.

    "Allen," Theda called.

    "Allen, I want to apologize to you."

    "Huh?"

    "On that day, when you were transferred to the Wolverlope region. Because I was angry that you killed Waldo, I reported to Bishop Nichs that Prince Leofric brought Norttish to Wolverlope''s region."

    "Eh?"

    "I did so in the hope that the church would arrest you for your white hair. But I didn''t expect that Lady Wolverlope would actually hide the Norttish.

    I''ve always regretted doing it.

    I apologize."

    Not caring about what Theda said, Allen while touching Theda''s right hand, said, "I forgive you. I will forgive all the wrongs you have done in the past.

    All the sins and all the burdens you are feeling right now, you can let them go and throw them away from your body."

    Knowing that he could not do anything else, Allen softly whispered, "Now, rest in peace. Convey my apologies to Mr. Waldo."

    ...

    Once the physician and healer came and checked on Theda, she was still alive.

    But as Allen said, they didn''t use any amnis healing. In the end, they only took precautions to dy her death.

    However, Lord Barkaley refused.

    "Let her rest," he said tearfully.

    Theda copsed with a smile on her face. If treatment would only dy her death, it was better that she died with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 218 Last Time Walking With Susan

    ?

    As the evening settled, Allen embarked on his journey to drive Susan home. Along the way, he remained lost in deep contemtion, thoughts swirling within his mind about what happened at Barkaley''s residence. Susan just looked at him with a smile. And then, as they reached their destination, Susan spoke softly, breaking the silence.

    "Allen, we''ve arrived. See you tomorrow."

    Abruptly awakening from his daydreams, Allen quickly apologized, realizing that he had neglected to fully engage in the stories Susan had shared earlier.

    "Ah, I''m sorry," he confessed with sincerity. "I didn''t attentively listen to all of your stories from earlier."

    "It''s okay; I''m used to it. I stopped telling you halfway through anyway. Lady Theda''s death must have made you sad."

    "That''s true, but somehow I feel a little relieved. Theda had suffered too much with the disease for over two years."

    "So that''s it; if you think of it like that, that''s good then. Then, see you-"

    "Susan, this may be a pointless question, but I still want to suggest it.

    Can''t you just stay at the tavern from now on?"

    It had been two years since he hadst asked Susan that question. She couldn''t help but wonder why Allen was asking her now, and she suspected that it had something to do with Bedell. This spection appeared because, as Allen and Bedell came back from Barkaley''s residence, Allen''s demeanor suddenly turned very serious. It reminded her of the times when he was about to embark on a mission to rescue Iva, so she couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease.

    "So that''s it; you''re going to another city with Mr. Bedell," Susan guessed.

    "Yes... My regrets in this town are a little over. I''ve already discussed it with Bedell, I''ll be leaving in 2 days."

    Susan looked away, "I see, that''s good, are you going to see her? The girl you told me about."

    "I have an appointment I want to keep with her."

    "Two days... huh... it turns out that our time will only be that short."

    "That''s why I won''t be able to pick you up anymore. I won''t be able to protect you anymore."

    Hiding her sadness, Susan replied, "It''s been three years since I kept waiting for my brother Arthur toe home. Maybe, as Master Rodion said, I should give up now."

    "That''s not true...

    He wille home; I''m sure of it.

    You just moved a little further away. If hees here, he''ll definitely visit the shop."

    "That''s right, you''ve made the tavern famous; I''m also sure that big brother will look for me."

    What Susan feared wasn''t exactly that. Her fear stemmed from the possibility of Arthur merely passing by without any intention of acknowledging her presence without wanting to greet her.

    As three years psed, her big brother still hadn''te home. Now Susan was already growing up, and the doubt started to creep into her: Did her brother still cherish their bond or not? Did he still love her or not?

    "Oh my, what is my brother doing? Is it possible that he has found a woman and is living happily somewhere?" muttered Susan.

    "Did you hope for it?" asked Allen who could hear her clearly.

    "A little. If he''s really happy out there, then I am okay If I never see him again.

    The past three years have been very tough for me. I was alone at home, then working alone without talking properly to anyone.

    Whereas now I''m fine. It might be a little lonely without Allen, but there''s Pascoe and Jack at the tavern. Plus, I can cook now, so Mr. Rodion and I will cook together once Pascoe and Jack are more reliable."

    "Even though I''m there, I don''t talk much either, so it''s probably the same whether I am there or not," Allen said.

    "No, of course it still felt lonely without you. For example, I can''t talk to you at length like I do now."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes it is..."

    When Allen and Susan were spotted in front of the house, a person addressed them. "Good evening, Allen and Susan," he called out.

    The person who spoke appeared to be a middle-aged man with tired eyes entuated by his round spectacles. It was evident that he had been through a lot, as his disheveled appearance suggested.

    "Good evening, Mr. Gorste," Susan replied courteously.

    "Good evening."

    Mr. Gorste then grinned and said, "Standing together in the middle of the night and even in front of the house, you guys are so good together," Mr. Gorste''s joke was too trite, so Susan just smiled back.

    "How is the condition of your child? Does she feel better today?" asked Allen.

    "Hm? Oh yes, thanks to you, she is now fast asleep. Thankfully it''s just a cold. She has to go to work tomorrow."

    "If she''s just recovering, you shouldn''t force her to work."

    "Aaah I understand; see youter; I have to continue my work." Mr Gorste went back into his house.

    "You better not mention it, Allen," Susan said.

    "About what?"

    "I don''t know; Mr Gorste''s home situation is not very good. His craft business hasn''t been selling welltely, so his wife ran away from home. Now, he needs his daughter to work to pay the food and sry."

    "I see... Master Rodion once told me that I shouldn''t pry into other people''s family matters, so don''t tell me more."

    "Haha, you said that when you were also curious about my problems before."

    "That was three years ago; I''m still not studying enough. But still, I am d that I peered into your problem."

    "Hahaha, I''m also d you asked it."

    ...''three years...''

    "Bye then," Allen said, turning his body away from there.

    "See you again. Please say my greetings to Mr. Bedell!"

    Susan looked at Allen''s back as he slowly moved away.

    "Three years, huh... It''s been that long. It feels like it was a week ago that I met you. It''s been a fun time, Brother Allen."

 Chapter 219 When Grudge Perish

    ?

    One day before Allen returned to the Boldenville residence.

    After he had a conversation with Rodion about his departure, Rodion advised Allen to keep it a secret from the townspeople in order to avoid creating a crowd. On that day, Allen went to each of his close friends, informing them about his departure while also sharing his new specialty soup, which he carried in a bag.

    "Are you going to deliver the food to Lord Barakaley today too?"

    "Yes."

    Bedell smiled bitterly; he had promised Lord Barkaley to tell Allen not to deliver the soup again. Whether Lord Barkaley had eaten it or not, he should have told Allen about the incident.

    "Goodbye then. I hope he epts it this time."

    Bedell chose not to say anything. Since this was also Allen''sst day in the city, he should let Allen keep trying until the end.

    On the way through the city, Allen was often greeted by people.

    "Allen, where are you going with such a big item?"

    "Do you want to see the twins?"

    "Allen, you have nothing to do today? Then drop by my house for a while."

    "We''re cooking grilled meat; have a taste."

    Allen endured the tightness in his chest every time he had to lie by answering "next time" to them. He was already too close to the city, the thought of leaving them made him want to cry.

    First, Allen went to the church orphanage. He was immediately mobbed by the children as soon as he got there.

    "Allen! Food! Allen! Food! Allen! Food! Allen! Food!" they shouted as they surrounded Allen.

    Vash immediately came to scold them, "Patience! And don''t forget to wash the te after you eat!"

    Allen told Vash about his departure. Vash at that time, with a smile replied

    "Somehow, I guessed this would happen someday. Don''t worry; you can go. I''m a second-level foster priest now. I''ve been entrusted to control the orphanage''s food by the church.

    Don''t forget toe back from time to time. May God bless you."

    Second, Allen went to Peter''s ce. When he arrived, they greeted Allen warmly. Ha and Judith, who were ying, ran and jumped on Allen. Meanwhile, Peter, who was working, stopped farming and immediately weed him.

    "You''re finally leaving," said Peter.

    "Eh? What does that mean?"

    "It''s not that we''re happy you''re leaving. It''s just that somehow we feel you''re too big to live in this small town," Peter replied.

    "I don''t understand."

    "You don''t have to understand what he''s saying. Peter does talk out of turn sometimes. What''s big, you are just a kid," Iva said.

    "I don''t know where you''re going. But wherever you''re going, we grant you everything you are willing to do. Come visit us sometime."

    "Yes, I will definitelye back."

    After that, Allen went to the Barkaley residence.

    As usual, he entered casually, as if it were his own home. What was different this time was the maid sitting at Lord Barkaley''s door. Before Allen could ask, she was already knocking on his door.

    "Sir, Allen is here."

    Allen went inside; he could see Barony looking out the window. He had probably been standing there since morning, and saw Allen walking into the house. At that thought, Allen again became scared, so he began to lower his face.

    Thest time he saw Barony Barkaley''s face was at Theda''s funeral. But at that time his mind was full of Theda, so Barkaley''s face that was still ringing in his headst time was none other than his face that looked at him angrily.

    "What a disgusting peasant. Once they find out that the food came from the murderer of their family, they will definitely throw the food you made away," were the words that traumatized him.

    As he entered the Barkaley residence, he imagined that Lord Barkaley was still looking at him through that window with the same face as that night.

    ''I think I have failed again... I don''t think I can give him this soup now,'' thought Allen, who suddenly felt insecure.

    Without any signal from Lord Barkaley, the maid walked out of the room and closed the door, leaving Allen alone with Barony. The maid''s exit made his chest tighten even more; his head ached; his heart pounded for fear; and sweat began to pour down his body.

    Lord Barkaley turned around, and Allen reflexively closed his eyes at that moment.

    "Allen..." called Barony in his loud, rumbling voice.

    "Yes?" replied Allen.

    "Through this small window, I have witnessed your atonement. You saved people from the gue, embraced the poor, gave food to the orphanage, and then gave my wife the dishes she loved the most so she could smile on herst day."

    Allen raised his head, he looked clearly into Lord Barkaley''s face.

    Lord Barkaley''s eyes looked straight into Allen''s teary eyes, the eyes that were continuing to plead with the Barony about what happened to his son. And the answer from Lord Barkaley was,

    "Allen, I forgive you."

    The answer he had always wanted to hear made the tears trapped inside his head escape from his eyes, falling freely down his cheeks to his chin.

    Allen sat down, watching his tears fall onto the red carpet below him.

    Barony approached Allen; he lowered his head and sat in front of him, holding his back gently.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "You''ve done very well to remove the curse of the grudge that lingers inside me. All the actions you''ve taken have extinguished the mes of anger that continue to churn inside me.

    I''m sorry for leaving so many scars on your back. But every time you look at it, don''t remember my face scolding you. But remember that you once sinned and how you have worked until now until that sin has disappeared from you.

    Those wounds are now

    are a form of your efforts.

    Return to the Boldenville residence and meet Lady Felicia.

    Protect her with all your strength so that one day the firewood of anger in Lady Felicia''s heart will never burn."

    Allen raised his head; He saw Lord Barkaley''s usually fierce and sinister face, furrowing the eyebrows on his forehead to cry.

    "After that, go to the academy and meet my daughter there. Please save that child; the time has still stopped for her since her beloved brother died."

    That''s forgiveness

    Was the end of Allen''s redemption in the Barkaley Region.

 Chapter 220 Master Rodion

    ?

    The eptance of Lord Barkaley''s apology allowed Allen to move forward. Now all his regrets in the region were gone, allowing him to focus on the problems he would faceter.

    And because of that, he immediately realized that he would feel bad for the people who had helped him and those who had loved him. So he went one by one to the homes of the people he had bothered, telling them that he would be leaving town soon.

    Unlike what Rodion predicted, everyone understood it; they responded with a smile, then prayed for Allen to leave the city.

    That time, Allen spent until midnight.

    He hurriedly returned to the tavern as soon as possible. Since it was closed, the light from inside the tavern had disappeared, and the front door was locked.

    The moment Allen grabbed the doorknob, nostalgia immediately carried him away to three years ago, when he was brought by Rodion to this tavern. He took three steps back, watching the front of the tavern with mixed feelings.

    At that moment, he realized,

    ''I haven''t thanked Master yet,'' Allen thought.

    Quickly, Allen went straight to the back door, hoping that Rodion was still awake.

    As he opened the door, warmth immediately washed over his skin, which had been frozen by the cold night.

    Inside the kitchen, the fire was still burning. Rodion was using his bony hands to swing an axe, chopping firewood.

    "Master, why did you chop wood thiste?" asked Allen.

    "Because no one can chop them for me tomorrow," Rodion replied.

    Allen remembered that Rodion had always cut wood at night before so that he could start cooking in the morning. With Allen gone, no one could chop the wood for him anymore. If there was, it would be Jack and Pascoe, but they were only 11 years old and didn''t have the strength to cut the wood.

    "I-I''ll do it for you," Allen said, feeling a little guilty.

    "No need. I''m done; sit at the table at the front; you want to talk, right?"

    "Can''t we just talk here?"

    "The heat burned me here. Let me sit somewhere cooler."

    "O-okay."

    Allen sat in the front, waiting for Rodion to get ready. Suddenly he thought about Susan, whom he hadn''t picked up tonight.

    "Master! What about Susan?!"

    "Don''t worry; she''s been dropped off by Bedell."

    "Oh thank goodness."

    After a few minutes passed, Rodion came out with two bowls of soup and ced them on the table.

    "Master, what is this?

    "You haven''t eaten since before, have you? I haven''t, either. Let''s eat this soup first."

    Allen held the warm soup bowl, and looking into it, he realized that the mixture was unusual. Since the tavern had been following Allen''s recipetely, he hadn''t seen that soup since three years ago.

    "This soup is..."

    "It''s called Cawl Kennin in my country. It''s the favorite soup of my mother, who used to roam the west."

    "Your mother, are you talking about the other world?"

    "That''s right. Try eating it."

    Allen poured the soup into his mouth.

    As he did so, his body was again transported to the past. The time when Rodion first brought him into the tavern.

    Allen''s life before he came to that tavern was only filled with hatred and revenge. Once his grudge was gone, he immediately became empty, walking here and there aimlessly. He didn''t even dare to enter the Barkaley dungeon. He, who had nothing left, was saved by Rodion. Soaking wet and cold, Rodion brought him into the tavern and gave him the food.

    As he ate the soup in front of him, he couldn''t help but remember all the things that happened back then, making Allen end up crying again.

    "Eh? Huh... sorry, I didn''t mean to cry," Allen said.

    The soup he ate in front of him was nd, just like that day. But somehow the soup was very warm, making him want to eat it all up.

    Rodion didn''t say anything. He just ate his own soup in silence. In the room, there were only Allen''s unceasing sobs as he ate all the soup before him.

    ...

    Ten minutes passed until they finished the soup.

    "How does it taste?" asked Rodion.

    "It''s nd; now I''m starting to worry about leaving the tavern."

    "You''re speaking arrogantly now. Without you here, this tavern will still be sessful. Even though I can''t cook, Susan has learned your recipes, and she can definitely out-cook you."

    "I hope that''s true.

    But even though this is nd, I don''t hate it at all.

    It''s... very delicious, Master."

    "Hmph! No need to try to cheer me up. I''ve never been good at cooking."

    "Master..." Allen looked at Rodion with a more serious face. "Until when are you going to lie like that?"

    Lies.

    Allen had more or less realized it three years ago.

    Rodion''s knowledge was beyond Allen''s reasoning, and it was also why Allen had once suspected him of being an other-worlder, but...

    ''But even among other-worlders, he''s still much smarter.''

    For three years, he had met several other-worlders who came to the Barkaley region to conquer the dungeon. At that time, he realized that other-worlders were basically ordinary people with a civilization different from his world. But that didn''t mean they were smart, and it didn''t mean they all had something beyond reason.

    Ottar had even told him that other-worlders were mainly enved because they came without citizenship. Most of them had neither useful knowledge nor extraordinary god''s blessings. Sure some of them were strong, but they are also a good-quality humans, even in their real world.

    "Basically, other-worlders are people who are much weaker than us; it''s just that they have a better absorption of mana," Ottar exined at the time.

    Because of this, Rodion was a figure who opposed the things he believed in. He must not be just an ordinary other-worlder.

    Plus, his hair back then was white instead of ck.

    "Master, with your knowledge, it''s not that you''re not good at cooking, but you deliberately make your dishes tasteless."

    It all makes sense then.

    No one was not good at cooking if they had that much knowledge. It would probably make sense if Rodion were just an ordinary "smart" person.

    But after Allen lived with Rodion for three years, he realized many things about him. First, he could do martial arts and it was at an advanced level.

    Second, he could hide his whereabouts, and he used to walk silently.

    Third, he was proficient in medical science; it was strange that he had that knowledge but he had no experience with it.

    Fourth, he can create medicine that has never existed in this world. Compounding medicine shouldn''t be something that can be done without skill. And it''s no different from cooking.

    "Why don''t you ever cook well?" asked Allen.

    Rodion drank the water slowly.

    As Rodion put the water on the table, he looked at Allen with a strange look.

    His face was t, severe and angry face as always, but his gaze was piercing. It was the gaze of one who was used to death and saw others as if they were nothing but a piece of meat.

    "Because my hands are already too dirty with blood."

    "!!!" The aura he emitted as he said that pierced Allen''s body. But that aura wasn''t the weight of mana, but purely from the emanation of fear that Rodion gave Allen just through his gaze and voice.

    "Di-dirty?! Wh-what do you mean?" asked Allen. But actually Allen himself knew what he meant. People who have that kind of gaze are the only ones who see the tenderness of human flesh when it is shed.

    "No, you don''t need to exin," said Allen. "Just like me, Master must have done many things that might be unforgivable. BUT! That shouldn''t be a reason to stop yourself from cooking.

    Didn''t you say it yourself? If your hands are dirty with blood, you should just wash them.

    You said If you love to cook, cook for yourself and others.

    You said, One day all your sins will be covered by your good deeds.

    And you also said that even though I''ve killed many people and soiled my hands with blood, I can still cook. I can still use my hands to help others.

    Then why? Why do you still seem to be trapped in your past?! Is everything you say a lie?"

    Rodion let out a long sigh, "Geez, you''ve really changed, Allen. You''repletely different from the snot-nosed kid I met three years ago."

    "Master!-"

    Rodion covered Allen''s face with his right hand, signaling him to shut up, and then he looked back at Allen with that strange-severe face.

    "How many humans do you think I''ve killed?" Rodion said. "I have no idea myself. I''ve been doing that since I was little.

    You may think that you''ve killed a lot of people, but I can assure you that if you were mmed with me, the pile of corpses you''ve umted would be no more than a bunch of rice in a field."

 Chapter 221 Master Rodion (2)

    ?

    "My real name is Rodion Raskolnikov, a former member of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti; for short, we can call it the KGB."

    "Kei-ji-bi?"

    "That is the name of a military organization that focuses on foreign and domestic investigations. In the kingdom, it''s simr to the 13th Milite Division, the royal secret army. As a member of the KGB, do you know my duties?"

    Allen sat in silence, his mind grappling. He didn''t even know what the 13th Division in this world looked like. However, he more or less understood. Listening to Rodion speak, he found himself torn between curiosity and disbelief.

    Rodion leaned back in his chair and met Allen''s gaze gravely. "My role," he began, his voice tinged with a weariness umted from years of experience, "primarily involves undercover operations, infiltration, investigation, and elimination. As a member of the KGB, it is my duty to pursue and eliminate all state dissidents and target religious people."

    The weight of those words hung heavily in the air, leaving Allen with countless unanswered questions and countless unfamiliar words. But what is important to ask is¡­

    "What drives you to continue down that path? Is it simply because it''s your job?"

    Rodion paused, his eyes reflecting a tumult of emotions as he tried to articte hisplicated motivations. "It''s not just a job, Allen," he finally responded, his voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and determination. "This work may be shrouded in secrecy, and its morality may be dubious. Yet, I believe that through it, I can protect my country, ensure its stability, and prevent chaos from consuming our society. It is a burden that I bear for the greater good, even if it isn''t always clear-cut."

    Rodion looked at Allen with that sharp look again and said, "I am killing for justice."

    ...

    Rodion Raskolnikov was born in Leningrad into poverty.

    At that time, I thought that with money, I could free myself from poverty and live happily, doing great things that many people would remember. I tried to convince myself that certain crimes could be justified for extraordinary people like me. Especially if the crime wasmitted by a bad person.

    There was a rich old man who lived across the street from the apartment. Everyone owed him money, and so did my mother. Debt collectors often visited my mom at home, and she had such a strong mental attack that she ended upmitting suicide. At first I thought everything was Mom''s fault because she was in debt. But it turned out that everyone hated the old man too. They said he was amoral and had no empathy for humans.

    That''s why I killed him. Killing that man would be justice, since everyone hated him.

    I took all the money in his pockets and went home, hiding the money under a rock near a tree at the back of the building.

    The first killing I did went smoothly. But in addition to the satisfaction I felt from killing him, there was a paranoid feeling that made me openly express my fear. I could feel that everyone knew about my murder.

    Finally, I was met by two police officers. At first, the policemen only asked about my mother''s suicide, but because I overreacted when the policeman mentioned the old man, they suspected me, and when they found the money under the rock, they arrested me on the spot.

    I was put in jail.

    I was confused and began to feel guilt for what I''d done.

    Until someone came along, offering me a job. He said that I could be ''extraordinary.''

    My powerful figure butck of origins seemed to attract that person to me.

    I was trained to be a spy. Learning manynguages, and filling my brain with a lot of knowledge, that way I could infiltrate and disguise myself as anything; coachman, carver, doctor, etc.

    I ended up bing an ''extraordinary'' person. My superiors and colleagues praised me. The government also praised me.

    They said I was the one who had created peace in the country.

    I killed nationalists.

    I killed political rivals.

    Even killed religious leaders

    All the killing I did was justice, and those who were killed because of this ''extraordinary me'' were victims of something even more extraordinary.

    Until one day,

    I was ordered to kill a drug dealer. The man prostrated himself before me, begging for his life.

    He promised me that he would never repeat his mistake again. That he would be a better person who served his country.

    Iughed.

    I''ve seen countless people I''ve killed say the same thing. Just for fun, I let him go. After all, I didn''t kill him ording to the schedule given to me from the start. So I thought I could dy it first so thatter I could catch him still making the same mistake. I wondered how he would plead with meter after breaking his promise not to return.

    But,

    That person really lives without doing anything.

    He worked as a farmer, living with his wife and child in the vige.

    From a distance, I observed their every move with intrigue. A peculiar sensation, akin to a delightful tingle, coursed through my stomach as I witnessed the three of them having soup on their nice table. Their synchronized movements and synchronizedughter filled the air, captivating my attention.

    They sat down with contented expressions, eagerly savoring their soup, and an inexplicable serenity washed over me. It was as though I, too, were partaking in that nourishing broth. This unexpected notion stirred something deep within me.

    Seeing them eating the soup with happy faces somehow warmed my stomach as if I were eating the soup too.

    And that made me stop killing.

    It wasn''t because he had shown remorse or disyed his redemption to me, but rather the revtion that the warmth that emanated from within me coincided with when he tasted his soup.

    Killing had been my trade, and I had the capability toplete any task bestowed upon me. Even the role of a chef. However, despite my abilities, I had never truly experienced the pure joy andforting warmth that a simple dish could evoke.

    ...

    "After that I ran away and tried every home-cooked meal sold in the vige tavern. Every mouthful of that food brought me happiness. It was then that I began to think that if I went back to killing, perhaps I would once again forget the taste of the food."

    Rodion finally told Allen about his past, which was not too surprising to him. It was just that.

    "Isn''t that a good story? In the end, Master chose to live peacefully and not kill others, so why do you pretend you can''t cook?"

    "You''re misunderstanding something, Allen.

    It''s not that I''m stuck in the past. I''ve reached that pit of guilt, just like you.

    I only realized the weight of human life when I was cooking. All the dishes I made were the fruits of my knowledge gained from and FOR killing many people. I even used my own cooking to kill people. The feeling that I could have poisoned people with that warmth made me no longer able to make good food.

    I always cut down on ingredients that I didn''t think would be healthy, hence creating this soup.

    A nd soup that no one likes."

    Allen shook his head "You''re wrong, master. I love your soup. And I''m sure everyone else does too.

    The soup you make is a special one for the people who eat it. So all the effort you put into it reaches everyone''s heart. Including me."

    Rodion looked at Allen with eyes that radiated warmth.

    "HMph, you''re really getting good at talking now."

    "This is all thanks to you, Master Rodion.

    You are the one who brought me here and taught me many things about life.

    ''Even though you''ve killed many people and soiled your hands with blood, you can still cook. You can still use your hands to help others.''

    I''m sure you made those words not just for me but for yourself. You can say that because you''ve also been in my shoes, falling into an endless pit of guilt.

    You saved me, meaning your blood-soiled hands are no longer visible."

    Allen bowed his head, then he softly said

    "Thank you so much for everything; you are the person I respect most in this world." It was a moment of deep connection and vulnerability between the two. Allen''s words were an expression of his sincere gratitude for Rodion''s support and guidance throughout these three years. For Allen, he was what people called as "father."

    A brief silence hung in the air, leaving Rodionpletely speechless. In that moment, a wave of joy washed over him, filling him with pleasure. Abruptly, he seized his bowl and violently hurled it at Allen''s head.

    "Ouch!" cried Allen in pain.

    Disregarding the reaction, Rodion hastily responded, his shyness hindering his sincerity, "Never mind, just go to sleep. You should prepare to leave tomorrow. You''re going to see her, right? That girl you were talking about."

    "Yes, hearing your story made me want to see her right away."

 Chapter 222 Thank You For Everything

    "Wait, Master. You still haven''t exined one thing."

    "What else? Do you still have questions? All those stories should have answered your questions."

    "Your hair. You haven''t exined your hair to me yet."

    "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I was actually nning to tell everything when Iva gave birth so that Peter could believe in my existence. But he was too nice; he never asked, and you never asked either.

    You should be looking into the past of your acquaintances, but you don''t even care about it."

    "Peter and Iva won''t care about your past anymore. They''re already convinced that you''re not a bad person."

    Rodion didn''t respond. He went to the kitchen to clean up the remains of his work; Allen also came back to help, and Rodion began to tell the story there.

    "This story shouldn''t be too important, but I feel it will be useful to you. As someone who has unnatural hair, you should know this."

    Rodion paused, then continued, "I came to this world because someone summoned me. A girl who has white and slightly ck hair."

    "Two colors!"

    "Yes, she''s just like you, but she has a predominantly white color. Rather than being summoned, it''s more like being forced. You see, she''s smiling very closely. My body somehow tried to get closer to her. But suddenly I fell straight down, like going into a hole, and suddenly I had fallen in the wilderness."

    "I see... That''s how people from other worldse to this world."

    "I don''t think so. There are various ways for people from other worlds to get here. And it seems that the way I came to this world is a little different from the average person''s.

    Allen, what about you? I''ve heard it''s a lie that you''re from another world. But is it really true that you''re not from another world?"

    "I honestly don''t know; thest memory I can recall is when I was five years old."

    "Yes, normally humans also only remember themselves at that age. But your ck hair should have something to do with people from another world."

    "Why is that, Master?"

    Rodion exined, "As soon as I arrived in this world, I considered it a blessing because this way I could start my new life without the shadow of the government chasing me.

    Even so, I still searched for information about the other world.

    What I got was,

    The hair of humans in this world is affected by mana, although I don''t understand what their color is based on. To be sure, ck hair means that the person has never touched mana in their life.

    Simply put, there is no mana in other worlds, which is why the hair of people from other worlds is ck. But this is not entirely true because in other worlds, although most people have ck hair, there are also people with blonde, brown, and even white hair."

    "Does that mean that those with hair colors other than ck have mana even in your world, Master?"

    "No, hair color in our world has nothing to do with mana. It has to do with something called pigment."

    "Pigment..."

    "It''s one of the things that determines hair color. The pigment in hair suddenly bes lost once someone from another world enters this world.

    And those other-worlders, even if they were blonde before, their hair will automatically turn ck once they get to this world."

    "Then what about your white hair, master?"

    "It''s actually not my original hair. I originally had blonde hair. But as I got older, the pigment in my hair started to die, which made my hair color disappear, turning into a white color.

    And I think that''s why my hair didn''t turn ck. Because my ck hair was damaged from the start, turning into white.

    I was transferred to this world when I was already 60 years old."

    "Then with your god''s blessing, you turned your hair brown."

    "I only realized that this white hair was very rare and very forbidden when I got to the city. I was chased by the soldiers back then. I ran and hid for a month until I finally realized I had god''s blessing.

    God''s blessing, the strangest thing in this world besides mana. This power seems to be based on one''s emotions and determination. Since I used to be a KGB agent, I greatly needed an instant disguise. It seems this ability was acquired when I was young and materialized inside me once I got mana in this world."

    Hearing that, Allen thought, ''I see, then I got such a godly blessing because mana granted my wish by giving me the power to kill everything I hate, including myself. What a fool, if I had lived without hatred, I would have gotten a better god''s blessing, such as Felicia has. A god''s blessing that benefits others.''

    Rodion looked at Allen with a serious face, then he said

    "What about you, Allen? Why do you have such an unnatural hair color? Do you really not know anything about this?"

    Allen shook his head.

    "I don''t know. I don''t know anything about myself; I only know that I grew up in a dungeon with my mother, and she was not my real mother."

    "You should know about yourself, although I''m sure you might not have a good past."

    ''That priestess once told me that the reason for the arrival of the Satan worshipers was because of this child. But there''s no way I would tell him that,'' Rodion thought.

    "I know that my existence might not be a good thing; from the Satan cult''s attack three years ago, I realized a couple of things, and I am sure it is bad. That''s why, if I know it''s a bad thing, I feel I shouldn''t find out.

    I just want to be quiet and hide without showing my white hair forever. In fact, I want you to change my hair permanently."

    Rodion replied, "Unfortunately, my god''s blessing can onlyst for a week at most. But there is actually another way to change hair color without using mana. By using herbs and blending them into hair dye."

    "Really?! Can you teach it to me?"

    "No problem."

    ...

    The next day, early in the morning, Allen and Bedell were ready to leave. They gathered at Peter''s house because that''s where Bedell kept his carriage and horses.

    There were Peter''s family, Rodion, Susan, and Vash, who saw them off.

    "Are you sure we''re leaving this early? Do you know why I chose to leave on this day?" asked Bedell.

    "It''s fine; we''ll meet the merchants in the end. Besides, I''m pretty confident that I can defeat the bandits," replied Allen.

    Peter and Iva looked at Allen with emotion, with Ha and Judith half asleep in Iva and Peter''s arms.

    "Allen, do you want to hold them onest time?" asked Iva.

    "Umm, no need. They are asleep."

    "It''s okay; this is thest time you''ll be carrying them. It''s so they won''t be sad because tomorrow you won''t be able to carry them to the tavern as usual."

    Allen looked at Ha and Judith, then approached them and carried them both at once.

    "Allen?" murmured Judith in his arms.

    "Hmm?" Allen rubbed his cheek against both of their heads. He imagined that the child who used to be so small had changed so much in just three years. Those two children were the ones he had seen grow since they were still in Iva''s belly.

    "Are you leaving?"

    "Yes..."

    "When will you be back?" asked Ha.

    "I don''t know, but I will definitely be back. When I am away, you will have to take my ce helping Peter and Iva, okay?"

    "Okay..." then they both fell asleep in Allen''s warm embrace.

    Allen gave them both to Peter and Iva.

    "Then I''ll go then, Peter, Iva, Susan, and..."

    Allen looked at Rodion.

    "Master, I''ll leave," he approached Rodion and hugged him tightly with teary eyes.

    "Take good care of yourself, Allen." Iva said.

    "I''m sure everything you''ll doter will end well," Peter said.

    "Don''t forget to send a letter to the church," said Vash.

    "I have memorized all your recipes, so you don''t need to worry about the tavern. Instead, my cooking skills will surpass yours someday," said Susan.

    Then Rodion,

    "Everything I know, I have taught you. From now on, you must learn for yourself, about yourself, about human beings, and about this world.

    But you can''t walk alone with the sin still on your shoulders. You have to build good rtionships with people so they open their arms to you. But don''t be too kind because people can use your kindness for their own good."

    That time, Rodion held his teary eyes and said, "I will miss you, my son. I''m really proud of what you''ve been doing so far."

    Allen once again hugged Rodion.

    "Master, thank you again for picking me up that day.

    Thank you for kicking me when I was about to kill those pedestrians.

    And thank you for teaching me to cook.

    I won''t forget everything you taught me, and I won''t forget all the kindness you gave me."

    Allen then left with Bedell, looking back as he waved with a smile.

 Chapter 223 Back To House

    "Bedell, I need to visit somewhere first, can we?" asked Allen, stopping Bedell''s carriage.

    "Yes, that''s fine. We''re supposed to leave in four hours with the merchants anyway. Is there anyone you want to meet?"

    "Not anyone; I just want to visit this ce onest time."

    "Okay, where is it?"

    "Barkaley Dungeon."

    It had been three years, or maybe almost four years, since he hadst been to the dungeon. During these three years, Allen could only stare at the outside of the dungeon without having the courage to go inside.

    "Do you have the license?"

    "I have," Allen said, showing his copper te to Bedell.

    As they finally arrived at the entrance, Allen''s hands began to tremble uncontrobly. Memories flooded back, reminding him of the countless lives he had taken within inside that room. Instantaneously, the haunting sensation he once experienced resurfaced within his very being.

    Looking at Allen''s trembling hands, Bedell asked, "Do I needpany?"

    Allen shook his head. At least for thest time, he really wanted to ovee all his fears alone.

    Allen took out the headband that Queen Orc gave him, then grasped the headband with his trembling hands.

    He went inside.

    At that moment, a wave of chilly memories again rushed over him. As he pressed forward, his gaze swept the surroundings, and he could see that he had once stood in that ce, and he also realized that ce was the same ce where he had conversed with some nice soldiers long ago.

    ''Oh right, I used to talk with a soldier here. He was the one who told me about Allen the exterminator''s story. Where is he now?'' Allen couldn''t remember the soldier''s face. He only knew that that person was very kind to him; he tried to keep away the thought that he might have killed that soldier.

    Eventually, he reached the conclusion of his journey on the first floor, standing before an imposing metal door. With determination, he pushed it open.

    Suddenly, his mind revealed a harrowing sight: his own mother being ruthlessly stabbed by Leofric. The sight sent a jolt of pain through Allen''s chest, causing him to instinctively clutch at it.

    However, as he surveyed the scene once more, he noticed something had changed within him. Unlike his previous visit here three years ago, fear and sweat no longer gripped him. Instead, a deep sadness filled his eyes as he remembered everything in that room.

    "All the things that have happened to you are the things that made you who you are today," was one of Bishop Nichs'' words that encouraged him one year ago after the outbreak. It gave him the courage to look at everything bravely.

    He then walked to the door of his house. It should have been gone since the dungeon reset, but as Allen walked towards it, he realized that it had only moved a few meters to the left.

    Allen raised his hand and grasped the doorknob. With trembling hands, Allen opened the door.

    "Mo-mother¡­ I''m home," Allen muttered.

    The light from inside instantly dazzled Allen''s face. But once he could see well, he could see that everything in the room was the same as it was three years ago.

    He looked left, right, and forward. Where Lavina was handcuffed, where he was training, and where he was sparring with his mother, although it was a little different because some things disappeared there, it was still the same ce.

    Allen walked closer to the tree.

    As soon as he got close

    -TANG TANG TANG TANG

    With a surprised face, he heard a very nostalgic sound.

    The sound that apanied his sleep at night.

    The noise that somehow made himfortable and not lonely.

    "Mother?!" shouted Allen quickly running into the tree.

    Intrigued, he ventured into the room to discover the truth.

    And indeed, his eyes confirmed what he had suspected.

    Before him sits Queen Orc in her usual chair, diligently honing her sword with a resounding clink against the hammer. Overwhelmed with emotions, Allen couldn''t help but shed tears of joy, his heart yearning to embrace her.

    However, a peculiar sensation tingled within him, giving him pause. As his gaze shifted, he noticed something amiss. Behind the formidable Queen Orc, nestled beside the bed,y a little boy, peacefully slumbering amidst the hard nk sound. It''s him¡ªthe small Allen.

    And at that time, he realized that everything must be his imagination.

    In an instant, as if delicate strands of cotton unraveled, the enchanting scene shattered and vanished into thin air.

    "Who are you?" A grown man''s voice suddenly sounded behind him. He quickly looked back and set up a stance to defend.

    The man was standing there beside the entrance to the tree house. Allen realized that he might have been so carried away by emotions and nostalgic feelings that he didn''t realize that the man had been there all along.

    "Who are you?" asked Allen.

    The man was wearing a strange dark red armor that Allen had never seen before; even the armor looked unique whenpared to the dungeon explorers he had seen.

    He wasn''t wearing a helmet, so Allen could clearly see his face. His eyes were sharp-ck, and his hair was short-ck.

    "I am one of the dungeon specialists checking thepleted floors every year. How about you, kiddo? Are youing here alone?"

    "I-I''m just an ordinary dungeon explorer; my rank is still copper."

    ''He must have heard me yelling, mother, right?" Allen thought.

    "What country are you from? I mean in other world. Britain? Germany? French?" the man asked.

    "I don''t know; I hit my head, so I don''t remember anything about that world."

    The man looked at Allen more closely, looking at him suspiciously.

    "I feel like you''re quite simr to the kid who used to live here," he said.

    "Ha-hah?! What did you say?! Who lived here? Do you know something?!"

    "What? Didn''t you see it earlier too? A little boy with ck and white hair was sleeping around here, right?"

    ''Wha? So it wasn''t a hallucination?

    "Aaah you must be confused. I have a space maniption kind of blessing. I can see an event at any time in a room; what you saw earlier was an event of what happened here about 6 years ago."

 Chapter 224 His Dream

    ?

    That man was an other-worlder. As he said, he was a dungeon specialist who visited Barkaley''s dungeon once a year.

    Allen actually doubted his words. Because as long as he had seen dungeon specialists, they all never wore anything as shy as this guy. Most of the specialists were also skinny because they were not the type to attack the monsters.

    This person''s body was quite muscr, and he wore unique armor and a powerful-looking sword. Anyway, this person looked more like a great vanguard than a specialist.

    But he doesn''t really care about that. For now, he wanted to know about his blessing.

    "I have a space maniption kind of blessing. I can see an event that had happened at any time in a room; what you saw earlier was an event of what happened here about 6 years ago."

    "Amazing! You can do that kind of thing?! Then, can you show me what happened 15 years ago?!" shouted Allen, hoping he could find something about himself when the Queen Orc took him.

    However, what he actually wanted was just to see his mother''s face again.

    "Aaah sorry, that can''t be. Searching for traces takes a long time, and jumping that far would take a lot of mana."

    "I... I see..."

    Allen was gloomy; he had slightly expected that things wouldn''t go that smoothly.

    "So, what about you? What are you doing here?"

    Allen was then confused. He didn''t want to tell this person about his past. Rodion also forbade him to do it to random people.

    "I-I just went in to rest after entering the dungeon."

    The man once again looked at Allen with a suspicious look.

    "You seem to be hiding something."

    Trying to keep the man from gathering information about him, Allen asked, "So what is your purpose in looking at this ce''s past?"

    The man moved his face away from Allen, and then he answered

    "I''ve beening here for three years, which means I''ve seen a lot of things happen in this room."

    ''A lot of things...'' Allen thought.

    "That''s when I realized the abnormality in this room. So distorted, but also so beautiful.

    This tree house¡ªno, this entire room proves that monsters and humans can coexist.

    Even though monsters always hate humans, and vice versa, but how can two individuals here create such a close rtionship in this room? How can a brutal Queen Orc do everything she can to protect their rtionship with human, from the explorers who will try to separate them?

    I will continue to search for the answer."

    "Humans and monsters, living side by side? Is that possible?"

    "I don''t know, something is shackling us all to hate each other, but no one knows how to break the shackles. Other than the two individuals who have been in this room."

    Allen looked around the room, and recalled his time with Queen Orc in that room. When he bathed, when they talked, and when he fell asleep.

    "Maybe what these two need is a good talk. It would be beneficial for both sides to understand that they do not have any intentions of violence and can actually gain advantages by cooperating," replied Allen, who spoke using the preferences of his life and Queen Orc.

    Giggling at his response, the man found it intriguing yet somewhat naive.

    "Hahaha, interesting answer but also beta. If monsters could rid themselves of their innate desire to harm the angel''s subordinates, there might be a possibility for that to be done."

    Allen didn''t listen to the man. He still continued to look at the room with teary eyes.

    That man

    looked at Allen''s face with a smile.

    "Allen, your journey from here will probably be longer. After parting with the people who continue to help you, you will be faced with problems that only you can ovee on your own. Even so, I have hope for you, that one day you can fulfill my dream," the man said.

    "Wait, what? You know my name?!" shouted Allen.

    "Hehe, actually I knew it from the beginning. My people once sent me to investigate you to learn how you stopped the gue in this city. But the people in the city kept pushing me away."

    "I-I see..."

    ''I''m now unsure which of his words are lies and which are truthful,'' Allen thought.

    "Then I''ll go first," Allen said.

    "Eh? Is that it? You don''t want to ask me more questions?"

    "There''s no need. You want to learn how humans and monsters coexist, right? I''m interested in your god''s blessing and would like to watch what the child and the monster do here, but I''m also in a hurry.

    I just want to say goodbye to this town and this dungeon."

    "I see... Good luck on your journey then."

    "Thank you."

    Allen walked away from there. The man looked at Allen from behind with a smile, then called out to him.

    "Allen! What do you think about my dream of monsters and humans living together?! Is that really impossible?!"

    Allen turned around "I don''t know! But I believe it can be happened!"

    The man smiled, then waved his hand.

    "Alleeen!"

    "Yeah?! What else?!"

    "I haven''t said my name yet!"

    "Oh yeah?! What''s your name?!"

    "My name is Higashiro Yamanaka! Remember that name! I hope we can meet in the future!"

    "Nice to meet you Higashiro! In the meantime, please show me your god blessings again!" shouted Allen before closing the door.

    Inside the room, Higashiro was still smiling.

    "Sir, I didn''t realize that Allen is such an amazing person."

    Then he thought, ''I don''t know how small the chance is for me to meet him again, especially since we are in different worlds. But hopefully, once we meet¡­

    We won''t kill each other...

    Because as a monster, I must continue to hate humans.''

    "Nishizaka, what are you doing right now? Is she doing well in this world? I hope she can stop looking for me and live in this world happily."

 Chapter 225 On Way Back Home

    ?

    Noctem Dolls

    a criminal groupprised of ten members. Their most recent crime involved infiltrating a castle with only ten individuals. While the attack ultimately resulted in failure, this did not indicate theirck of sess in achieving their objective. After all, Ivaylo, their leader, would never take risks unless he was confident in the oue. That''s why there was no failure in his n.

    Except this time,

    The Dolls sessfullypleted the dungeon within a year, yet despite their tireless efforts, the oues did not align with their dedication. Regrettably, they could not find the coveted Adfeqtus Reliqua they had hoped for inside the dungeon.

    "Who would have thought that there was nothing there," Ivaylo said.

    "Oh my, that''s right. When I finally finished everything and headed home, it turned out that all our efforts were for nothing," Norman said.

    ''This is very strange... A dungeon that has no adfeqtus reliqua? Then how can those dungeons operate properly without the core?'' Leofric thought.

    The dungeon was an extremely dangerousbyrinth, even for people as powerful as the Noctem Dolls. Once they knew that they came out without getting anything, their bodies were so tired, and they began to feel toozy to do anything.

    "How about it, Leofric? Can we just give up first?" asked Ralph.

    "B-bu-bu-but... we haven''t... fulfilled Leofric''s request. Leofric wants to get it as soon as possible," said rissa.

    With a cool head and a slight smile on his face, Leofric replied, "No need, I''ll give up on the dungeon first. We have to find information about the disappearance of the core dungeon. Entering another dungeon without knowing there is adfeqtus reliqua inside will be useless.

    Hearing that, Ivaylo then said, "Alright, let''s undo that intention. From now on, we will be divided into groups of two. We''ll meet in about five or maybe ten years, but please stay in this country this year because there might be something needed with all of you."

    Ivaylo took out a small Mary doll from his pocket.

    "Each of you, please keep one of these dolls; with this doll, your mana will be more closely connected to my mana. Just for once, I can call or summon you to mine."

    "Irritende. Having this near me feels like you''re watching me wherever I go," Illska said.

    "It''s nothing to worry about; the condition for using this skill is to tell you the truth. If I don''t exin how it works, then the skill can''t activate. Besides, even if I say I can summon you, you have the right to refuse the summonster. Well, the only members here who don''t know about this are maybe only Arthur and you, my Queen."

    As usual, they gathered in the dim room. This time, it was in one of the underground ruins in the city.

    ''These people are really strange,'' Arthur thought. ''They canplete floors one to seven with ease. The eighth floor onward required trust-rted cooperation. Even though they fought with each other, they strangely trusted each other.

    Even Prince Leofric, who I knew was an arrogant person who didn''t care about others, could immediately trust these members. Isn''t he a member who just returned after five years? Why would he still trust the criminals he left behind for five years?''

    But Arthur realized that at that time he shouldn''t have tried to dig deeper into the Noctem Dolls.

    Because what he wanted to do right now was...

    "Leader..." called Arthur to Ivaylo, amidst all the other members staring at him intently.

    "Umm, I''ve used my eyes so many times for you, in the castle, in the kingdom of Saxcolony, and then now, in the dungeon. For the past three years, I have always obeyed everything you wanted.

    So..."

    With a heavy breath and a shivering body, Arthur said

    "Can I go home now?" he asked, his voice filled with desperation and fear. Arthur had be all too familiar with this pattern of speech over the past three years of working with Ivaylo and his associates. He had witnessed how Ivaylo often treated others as expendable pawns, using them until they were no longer useful before discarding them without hesitation. This realization haunted Arthur, leaving him constantly worried that he would meet a simr fate now that he was deemed useless.

    "Alright. It''s fine; you can go home now. Thank you for all your help," said Ivaylo, who smiled familiarly. But those words did not reassure him at all. He could have been killed on the way.

    "Is that really so?! Are you really going to let me go?!"

    "Hahaha, sure I will. I swear on the name of my mana and dolls."

    Of course, that swear still didn''t convince him, and Ivaylo understood. So Ivaylo continued, "Nishizaka, please."

    Nishizaka stood up, shed her palm with the sword, then muttered, "Abare, Hisanna Funjin Saigai no Tsurugi." Nishizaka''s sword shattered into pieces, spreading throughout the room.

    After that, "Kami no mikago, Jiyuu no Kosoku." The dark room lit up in an instant.

    "I''ve added a rule not to lie in this ce."

    Ivaylo raised his hand. "I swear, I will let you go home safely."

    Then Arthur also raised his hand and said, "I swear, I will not say anything to anyone about the Noctem Dolls; I will use my own mana as a form of my word."

    From in front of Arthur''s chest, a light appeared.

    "Modore, Hisanna," Nishizaka''s sword returned to its original state, and then he smeared the blood on his hand onto the sword again.

    -Thrust

    Nishizaka stabbed Arthur''s glowing chest. But no blood came out.

    Nishizaka withdrew his sword and said, "With this, my mana is already embedded inside you, along with the oath you have taken. If you break the oath you made, your heart will be instantly crushed."

    "I ept."

    "Now, you would believe me, right?"

    Arthur bowed his head and said, "Thank you very much, leader. I''m going home now."

    ''Finally, I can meet you again, Susan.''

 Chapter 226 On Way Back Home (2)

    ?

    "That''s crazy, Leader; I thought you were going to kill him earlier," Adam said.

    "How could I break a promise I made?"

    ''But he shouldn''t have had to ask Nishizaka to use her god''s blessing for such a trivial matter. It''s strange that the Leader didn''t kill him immediately; what is he nning?" Norman thought.

    "Wait, Arthur," Ivaylo asked, "do you have a way to return home?"

    ''Actually no, I don''t know where this is, but there must be a way back, right?'' Arthur thought.

    Ivaylo suggested, "You can take Nishizaka with you. If you depart without her, our numbers will be uneven. Please apany her until I gather everyone together again. Can I entrust her to your care for the next few years?"

    "Eh?!"

    Arthur hesitated briefly before ncing at Nishizaka and disying an unpleasant expression. He thought to himself, "I initially wanted to decline... But perhaps she is preferable to the others."

    With that decision made, they departed from their current location and embarked on their journey towards the Barkaley Region.

    ...

    Arthur and Nishizaka were in the dungeon in Benchmandy Kingdom, located south of the Wildenhall Kingdom. To his surprise, Nishizaka possessed invaluable knowledge of the route back to Wildenhall, and she could read and write, making their journey back to the kingdom easier.

    Making use of a cargo ship that transported rice, they embarked on their voyage towards their destination. Throughout the entire journey, a profound silence lingered between Arthur and Nishizaka. It was evident from her expression that she had no interest whatsoever in apanying him to the Barkaley Region, and somehow, it made Arthur feel a bit unpleasant.

    "You really didn''t kill me on the way, did you?" asked Arthur on the ship.

    "I won''t," Nishizaka replied.

    "I thought you were sent to apany me so you could kill me. Well, Leader could have been looking for a hole in his oath. But after seeing your actions, it looks like you really didn''t."

    "Stay alert; I can kill you at any time, outside of the leader''s orders."

    Arthur smiled and said, "I am not sure about that. We''ve only known each other for three years, but I know you''re not someone who kills people. You only kill when it necessary. After walking this far, killing me would be pointless too."

    "How naive."

    "But I was right about you not liking killing.

    Nishizaka, why did you join the Dolls?"

    "To find my friend."

    "Yes, I already know. Higashiro Yamanaka, right? The one who came to this world together with you. But I don''t think you''re cut out for Dolls, and you don''t need to be in Dolls to find that person either."

    "That may be true, but Dolls are the fastest way to find him."

    "Why is that?"

    "You''ll understand when you be a Dolls member."

    "Is three years as a Dolls member not enough to understand?"

    "You''re wrong; you were never a Dolls member to begin with."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You were only used by Leader so that he could use your god''s blessing."

    "I know about that, but I really have entered as a member, right?"

    Nishizaka unbuttoned her top shirt, causing Arthur to react with a mix of embarrassment and shock. He eximed, "Wai-wha?! What are you doing?!"

    "This." In response, Nishizaka disyed the scars and stitches above her chest, exining their significance.

    "T-this is the same stitch mark Adam had on his face," Arthur said.

    "We the Noctem Dolls, each receive these leader-bestowed stitches as proof of membership. As for you, he has never given you these stitches. That''s why Adam and Norman don''t protest Leader anymore, because they know Leader only uses you for a short time and kills you after."

    "I-is that so..." even though Arthur heard about it and was a bit shocked when he heard it, but he didn''t care anymore. He was tired of following the Noctem Dolls'' criminal activities. Killing, engaging in acts of violence, and participating in uwful activities did not align with his moralpass. His heart yearned to return to the sanctuary of his home, where his loving sister waited patiently for his safe arrival.

    After a long and exhausting journey, they finally arrived at Losweight Ind, one of the port cities of Wildenhall Kingdom. As Arthur stepped off the boat, he couldn''t help but take a deep breath of the invigorating ocean air. It was as if all the burdens weighing him down had magically evaporated upon witnessing the breathtaking view of the sea and the bustling ships docked at the harbor. Relief washed over him, knowing he had finally reached his destination, only a short distance from his humble abode.

    ncing over at Nishizaka, Arthur noticed the signs of fatigue etched on her face. Despite wearing a mask that concealed part of her visage, there was an unmistakable spark in her eyes that mirrored Arthur''s sense of relief now that their arduous journey had ended.

    "Nishizaka," Arthur gratefully nodded towards hispanion, " I can''t thank you enough for guiding me here. From this point onward, I already know the way back home."

    "You seem to have misunderstood. The task given to me is not to follow you home. It''s to apany you until there''s another call from the Leader through this doll."

    "Hmm? Does that mean you''ll stay with me even after we reach the Barkaley region?"

    "Yes."

    "No-no-no, you don''t have to do that! Our house is small and dirty. A pretty girl like you isn''t fit to live in the slums!"

    "Did you forget? Do you think I''ve lived in a pce all this time?"

    ''Oh yeah, on second thought...'' Arthur recalled that Noctem Dolls always rested in random ces. And upon further recollection, he had never seen Nishizaka sleeping. She was always sitting down and cleaning her katana.

    "B-b-but how do I introduce you to my sisterter?!"

    Nishizaka held her chin, thinking for a moment about the answer. After a minute, she said,

    "Wife... is probably the best choice. People won''t be interested in anything more than romance once they hear that."

    "What?! No, I can''t do that!" Arthur''s face flushed with embarrassment.

    "Why?"

    "About that....

    I don''t know...

    I feel like it''s wrong."

    With a t and round face, Nishizaka answered, "I don''t feel like it''s right either."

    ''Oh no, what would Susan tell me if I suddenly brought a wife home?''

 Chapter 227 Behind the Door

    <h4>Chapter 227 Behind the Door</h4>

    As Master Rodion had expected, the tavern became a little quieter. Some of those who came to the tavern only came to take food home, knowing that Allen was no longer there.

    Even though it''s still one day since Allen left the town, I''m already starting to miss him. I thought I could put up with this loneliness again since I''ve gotten older, but as Master said, I''m still a little girl who wants someone to rely on.

    "Susan, are you daydreaming again?" Jack asked me.

    "Ah, sorry Jack. I''ll wash the dishes right away."

    I reced Allen''s empty position. Every time I stood where Allen was stood, "so this is how Allen saw things before," I felt as if I saw everything Allen had ever seen whenever he was here.

    Mom left me

    Dad left me

    After that, Brother Arthur left me

    And now, Allen also left me.

    Aaah, when could I ovee this loneliness? Am I not adult enough to hold my tears?

    ...

    "Susan, how is it? Where are you nning to sleep? Are you going to sleep in Allen''s room?" asked Rodion.

    Susan thought for a while, her face looked toward Rodion, but her eyes looked far past him.

    "I will use the other room," Susan replied. There was no way she wanted to sleep in that room.

    Susan had already decided to stay at Rodion''s ce the day Allen left. They had already moved most of her things there.

    "What about the rest? Do you want me to apany you?" Rodion asked because it seemed like Susan wanted to return to the house to say goodbye.

    Susan made the decision to leave her house, realizing that she had reached the point of giving up on waiting for her brother. This choice marked a turning point in Susan''s mindset, prioritizing her own safety and happiness moving forward. She believed that staying at the tavern was the most optimal option because it not only symbolized her departure from waiting for her brother but also signaled an end to her expectations of Allen''s return as well.

    For Susan, leaving the house meant she had reached the point of giving up on waiting for her brother. This marked a turning point in Susan''s mind, prioritizing her safety and her own future. And she was sure that staying at the tavern was the best choice for her, as now, she no longer waited for her brother only but Also waiting for Allen to return.

    "There''s no need this time; I''ll just pick up the money chest I left behind."

    "HAH?!" Rodion was instantly angry. "You left all your money at home?!"

    The money that Susan had collected little by little was still stored in a chest, half buried behind the mat of her house.

    "How could you leave that much money in an empty house? At this rate, I really have to apany you there!

    Do you think people will just look at you when you carry that chest?!" shouted an angry Rodion.

    "It''s alright, Master. I won''t bring the money here."

    "What?"

    "I want to give it to Mr. Gorste. You know? The man next door to my house. He''s been looking after us since we lost our parents. Then he also took care of me when my brother left. It''s because of him that the money is still there."

    "Are you serious? Didn''t you want to use that money for school?"

    Susan shook her head. "I''ve given up on that dream. There''s no way a peasant can go to a noble school. Plus, I''m already happy enough with cooking.

    Instead of that, I have to return the favor to Mr. Gorste. He was in financial trouble. His job was gone, his wife had run away, and his daughter''s illness worsened. I can even hear his screams and cries from my house."

    "Even so I don''t think giving away all your money is wise."

    "The money I''ve collected all this time is really just desperate money I wanted to collect because my brother left. In hope, If I go to the academy, maybe I can survive on my own. But I already have you and this tavern. I don''t need that money anymore.

    I feel like I''ll be moving forward by giving the money to those who need it more.

    Hehe, just think of it as a kind of redemption for me."

    Rodion saw the seriousness in Susan''s eyes; she must want to stay in her house onest time too, "Alright, don''te home toote," he didn''t want to disturb herst time in that house.

    "Then, I''ll leave."

    Just as Susan was about to walk out of the door, Rodion called her, "Susan," Susan looked back at Rodion, "You are a good girl; from now on you will definitely be an even greater woman. So just forget your brother, and be happy." Rodion said.

    Susan smiled emotionally, saying, "Master, that day, thank you for letting me work here. For me-NO, for all of us, me and Allen, you are the father who raised us. Thank you so much for everything," knowing that she mentioned something a little embarrassing, she just left and ran from there.

    ''Right, I have to move forward.

    Time moves around me, but my time is still stuck on the day Brother Arthur left.

    From now on, I will study more diligently with Master Rodion.''

    Susan moved on autopilot, her reverie about life making her unaware that she had arrived in front of her house.

    "Hahaha, I''m just like Allen," said Susan, who remembered that Allen often daydreamed whenever he apanied her home.

    Susan opened her door.

    "Eh? Unlocked?"

    As the door open...

    Susan''s eyes widened in disbelief...

    Standing before her was...

    An adult man... His hands gripped tightly onto the crate that held all the money she had diligently collected over the past three years. His expression was a mix of shock and despair, mirroring Susan''s own emotional turmoil.

    "Mr. Gorste?" Susan called.

    In surprise, Gorste let off the crate. Making the chest full of coins fall to the ground.

    With a severe face, he desperately came forward and then¡­

    He stabbed Susan in the stomach with the knife.

    "Mr... Gors-te?"

    The knife pierced Susan''s stomach, causing a stream of blood to flow instantly. In the same moment, coins were thrown into the air, scattering around her. As she look at the stabbed knife, Susan was immediately aware of the intense pain searing through her abdomen. That single stab seemed to drain the warmth from within her, reced by an icy coldness that slowly consumed her entire being.

    It was then that all the memories of her life shed through her head.

    All her moments with her family

    All her moments with her brother

    All moments in the tavern

    And all moments with Allen.

    "YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE B*TCH!!!" shouted Gorste.

    ''Mr Gorste¡­ why?''

    Susan held her bleeding stomach; her legs were weak, and her head started spinning. She gradually sat down in pain, and she trying to catch her breath.

    ''Master Rodion, I''m sorry for being such an ipetent child.''

    Gorste removed the knife from Susan''s stomach; he held the knife with both hands and pointed it at Susan''s face.

    "How does it feel?! It hurts, right?! It hurts a lot, doesn''t it? But my pain is much greater than yours!" his hands, voice, and lips trembled as he shouted that.

    ''Brother Arthur, I''m sorry for always spoiling you.''

    "You didn''t think about me being in trouble at all! You''re so ignorant! Even I''ve been taking care of you and your house!"

    ''Pascoe and Jack, can I leave the tavern work to them?

    "With this much money! You should be able to give me some! What an ignorant child! Ignorant! Ignorant! HOW UNGRATEFUL! You just looked! You never help me when I need it! You should at least give me some money! Help me! Do you think I guard your house just for free?!! HAAAH?!" Gorste threw down his knife, gathering the scattered coins into the crate.

    ''Allen... I... I..."

    "Take that! This is your reward for being ignorant!" Gorste closed the door and ran bloodied out of the house.

    As for Susan, with little strength she had left, she pulled her body up to the wall in front of her and leaned against it.

    __My house only consists of two rooms.

    The front room is where my brother and I sleep; once the door is opened, you will see two simple mattresses made of straw near the wall.

    The wall was very cold, but my brother always gave in to me by sleeping near the wall. That little thing is something I always remember every time I sleep___

    Susan leaned herself against the wall, now the warmth in her body had disappeared entirely,

    ''Aaah this wall is so cold; it''s so cold that it feels like it''s radiating throughout my body. Why can brother Arthur sleep with this cold?''

    Her head began to spin, and her vision began to blur.

    Her tears fell freely as she recalled herst conversation with someone she cared about besides her family.

    ''"Allen, I have memorized all your recipes, so you don''t need to worry about the tavern. Instead, my cooking skills will surpass yours someday," She said to Allen.

    "I''ll leave my job at the tavern to you," Allen answered. ''

    Allen''s smile was the best farewell smile she could get when he said it.

    A smile full of hope but also sad because of the separation, she thought that she had to realize his hope. That smile made her believe she had to let go of her brother and focus on what was in front of her.

    And now she had betrayed that smile.

    She would never pass on Allen''s cooking skills, nor could she make up for Rodion''s kindness to her by bing Allen''s recement.

    ''Allen... I''m sorry... I don''t think I can keep my promise to you.''

    __Every morning

    Every night

    Every day

    I always sat on this wall, looking straight at the door before me. Because I hope

    Every hour

    And every second

    I always hoped that the door would one day open.

    And brother Arthur would be standing there, saying "I''m home" to me.

    And then I would hit him

    And scold him as much as I could

    And tell him that he''s a fool for leaving me___

    The door of the small room opened...

    The light from outside filled the room.

    Susan kept looking at the door because she could see the silhouette of a person she knew very well from behind it.

    ''Am I hallucinating?'' she thought.

    In front of her, she saw Arthur looking at her with a severely shocked face.

    "S-Susan?"

 Chapter 228 Heâ€™s not normal

    <h4>Chapter 228 He''s not normal</h4>

    On the day Arthur and Nishizaka departed, the Noctem Dolls still lingered around the dungeon.

    One of them, Norman, approached Ivaylo, who was still sitting and sewing his doll.

    "What do you want, Norman?" asked Ivaylo.

    "So, do you want to exin about Arthur? It seems too strange that you just let him go," Norman said.

    "Ah yes, I also agree with Norman," Elinor continued. "Nishizaka''s oath is very important because it can only work for one person. Plus, Nishizaka wouldn''t want to kill Arthur. So what''s the point of keeping him alive?"

    "Maybe his eyes?" Adam interrupted. "That eye helps us a lot, even in the dungeon. Not only do its advanced detection capabilities allow us to perceive mana with great precision, but they also enable us to identify and decipher the various spirits that are present wherever we are. We can get a lot of information just by having that eye. Who knows what it can do when its level increases."

    "Relying on information to fight is very weak. Whatever that ability is in front of me, it will be neutralized immediately," Leofric said.

    "Irritande, those who have no intention of joining just leave. We don''t have time to persuade people who don''t want to be members," Illska said.

    Ivaylo stopped sewing, put his doll in his pocket, and took out a new doll shaped like Arthur.

    "He sure has interesting eyes¡­" Ivaylo said. "But what''s more interesting about Arthur is his sense of justice, which is often contradicted by his selfishness."

    "And what does that mean?"

    "Nishizaka is the type of person who kills if necessary, and actually she hates killing people. This type of justice believes everyone has the right to live unless that person threatens her.

    Unlike Arthur, when he followed us, he didn''tment at all on how we killed people, even though I''m pretty sure we''re quite ruthless in dealing with our prey.

    He''s not normal."

    Elinor then thought, realizing what Ivaylo meant, "Ooh I see¡­ So that is why I feel something strange about Arthur. In some way he looks very normal, but somehow at certain times he looks strange."

    "What do you mean by strange?" asked Ralph.

    "Umm, Arthur is weak and has less mana, and he also refuses to kill, so his work in this group are only cleaning tasks such as taking care of corpses."

    "Then?"

    "As a normal person, it should take time for him to get used to it. But he seems to have gotten used to it from the start.

    Whenever I see him seeing the corpses, his face always looks at them disgustedly."

    Ralph snorted, "What''s strange? I also feel disgusted by the corpses sometimes."

    "Well, we''re not normal to begin with; we''ve killed so many that humans just feel like insects.

    As for Arthur, he hasn''t killed anyone and has a high sense of justice, as we know. Then why did he just act normally when caring for a corpse?

    And his eyes, when taking care of the corpse, it looks more like

    He was disgusted by the dirt on his hands."

    "Thank you for exining, Elinor," Ivaylo said. "Arthur is a person with abnormal tendencies who desperately strives to fit into society''s idea of normalcy. He probably didn''t care about human life from the beginning, except for the people he considered human.

    Like his Mr. Waldo... and then maybe his sister."

    "I still don''t understand, though; what was the reason you let him go?" asked Norman.

    "Of course we''ll let him join us someday. That''s why I asked Nishizaka to apany him."

    Ivaylo then concluded his exnation with

    "This enigmatic puppet appears devoid of empathy, manipting emotions like strings on a puppet. A liar who wants normalcy.

    Such a person can''t possibly have a normal life. He will definitelye back to us."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "HELP! HELP ME! HELP ME! SOMEBODY PLEASE AAARRRGH!!!"

    Mr. Gorste''s cries echoed through the room after Arthur paralyzed him and gradually skinned his right hand.

    "This is the hand of the person who killed Susan, and then these skins have touched the money that Susan had left behind. I will kill you once I separate them from your body," Arthur said.

    Nishizaka, who usually never made any expression, even slightly, made a face of shock at the scene in front of her. Ivaylo had already done various kinds of torture to extract information from people, and of course, the scene in front of him was no worse than what Ivaylo was used to.

    Only, the one who did it was Arthur, the supposed innocent one among the Noctem Dolls, could now carry out such horrifying acts with an unsettling calmness. The excruciating screams of Mr. Gorste seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.

    "Aaakrrghg!!! Aaaakhkrh!!! AaAKKHKHKRH!!!"

    Next to Mr Gorste, there was his daughter sitting on the bed, silently watching her father screaming and being skinned by a person she used to know very well.

    -SPLASH

    After finally being able to move, Gorste sshed his blood on Arthur''s face. Gorste managed to break free from his restraints and forcefully ssh his blood onto Arthur''s face. He desperately tried to escape the scene and reach his daughter, whoy on her bed.

    "Arthur! I''m sorry! I''m sorry for what happened to Susan! You remember Mawa, right? She used to y with you a lot! You even promised to get married! I will bless you! So please let us go!" Mr Gorste was still babbling forgiveness, pouring out heartfelt apologies in an attempt to persuade Arthur to release him.

    Meanwhile Arthur.

    "Uh, I''m such a fool. If I skinned him, of course the effects of the paralysis would dissipate.

    Look, Mr. Gorste, you''ve soiled my face, how disgusting, I hate blood. Even though I''ve gone to the trouble of wearing gloves."

    Arthur drew his sword.

    "Wait! Arthur! Listen to me first!"

    "This is your fault, Mr. Gorste. I had gone to the trouble of leaving Susan for Mr. Waldo, because I thought I would look like an ordinary man by taking revenge. But it seems I did too much, so I gave up killing Allen."

    Arthur then cried,

    "Susan was... the only form of normalcy I craved. She was the sister I loved the most."

    -THRUST

    Arthur stabbed Mr Gorste in the neck.

    More blood poured out of Mr Gorste''s nose, mouth, and throat, and the blood on his hands was already flowing so much that it almost flooded the floor below.

    "Eh? It looks like I missed. It''s hard to aim for the throat." Arthur drew his sword and stabbed it once more, right in the middle of Mr Gorste''s neck.

    "Huh, he finally shut up."

    Arthur sshed the blood on his sword and sheathed it again.

    "Arthur, what about me?" called Mr Gorste''s daughter, Mawa. "Aren''t you going to kill me?"

    "No, I''m not interested in killing people. You''re not someone who deserves to be killed,"

    "Why? I''m also a bad person because I''m the one who caused my father to steal.

    My illness makes me won''t be able to walk; without my dad to take care of me, I won''t be able to live. So kill me."

    "Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I wasn''t thinking about you. What I mean is that I don''t think my energy is worth using to kill you. Maybe I''ll consider it if you''re willing to pay."

    -SLASH

    Nishizaka quickly advanced and split Mawa''s head open.

    "What are you doing? Don''t you like killing?"

    "This girl could no longer live; I killed her because I thought it was necessary," Nishizaka replied.

    Arthur paused for a moment, then he closed his mouth and said,

    "Hahahaha! Right, so that also includes ''killing if necessary,'' I thought you only killed if you got attacked or ordered."

    Arthur wiped his tears fromughing and smiled brightly at Nishizaka "Nishizaka, thank you so much for creating this space with your god''s blessing. This way, people can''t hear what''s going on inside."

    Nishizaka looked at the smiling Arthur. It was, unmistakably, the smile of the innocent, honest boy she was used to seeing during their journey here. She originally thought that smile was alluring because it contained the purity of a good human being, but now her view has changed, that smile and the smile Arthur gave, were still the same smile, and that''s why it looked terrible.

    For Arthur, killing that person was somon that he could still smile like that.

    Nishizaka reached into her pocket, pulled out a small doll from Ivaylo, and then squeezed it tightly.

    As she did so, the doll emitted a bright, dazzling glow that caught Arthur off guard. Startled, Arthur eximed in surprise,

    "WHA?!"

    Just then, a male voice sounded from nearby, saying with astonishment, "This is much faster than I anticipated." In an instant, as soon as Arthur opened his eyes wider, he couldn''t help but let out a loud scream of shock again.

    "WHAAAA!!!" To his amazement, all the members of the Noctem Dolls had suddenly appeared in the room alongside him.

 Chapter 229 The End Of Beginning

    ?

    In an unexpected turn of events, the entire Noctem Dolls team converged in the room, their eyes immediately fixated on the lifeless body sprawled out on the floor and on the bed.

    "HIIII!!! Why is there a corpse here?" rissa couldn''t contain her shock and eximed in a high-pitched voice.

    "Arthur, don''t tell me you are responsible for this?" asked Norman.

    Arthur solemnly nodded in response, confirming that he was the one who did it.

    "So what Ivaylo said was true," said Leofric.

    "HAHAHA your looks don''t reflect your character at all!" Adam punched Arthur in the back.

    Ralph approached the corpse, and his gaze fixed on every intricate detail of it. "He skinned him after poisoning him. This means that he''s been contaminating his sword with poison since the beginning."

    "Ah... so he had premeditated intentions to take lives in case an unforeseen circumstance arose," Elinor proimed, her voice filled with a mix of shock and realization.

    As Ivaylo approached him, Arthur instinctively backed away, causing him to slip and fall backward, blood staining his feet. In that moment, a wave of fear washed over Arthur''s mind as he thought, ''Oh no! So this is his n! The doll he gave to others was to summon everyone in one ce, just like he did when we escaped from Prince Eldritch!

    Now he''s going to kill me!''

    Instead, after a few seconds had passed, Arthur didn''t feel anything, so he slowly opened his eyes, and saw Ivaylo in front of him smiling and offering his hand.

    "What do you think, Arthur? Do you want to join the Noctem Dolls?"

    "Huh?"

    "The Noctem Dolls are a group that utilizes each member''s abilities to achieve their own goals. In exchange for that, you must follow my orders in order to achieve my goals as well."

    Ivaylo took out a needle the size of a little finger from his pocket. The needle was white, and it looked more like a peg with a unique pattern.

    "Once I stick this needle in you, you will have a hook mark somewhere on your body; it will signify the mana contract between me and the members, so do you have a goal to achieve?"

    Arthur looked around him. He felt scared of having to face these people. The feeling he felt right now was the same as when he was first captured and forced into the Noctem Dolls.

    A threatening feeling that makes his hurt keep pounding

    And...

    The feeling of ted, the joy of the fear.

    The normal life he tried to maintain was now shattered. The feeling of mncholy within him became heightened.

    "Nishizaka," Arthur called out.

    "What?"

    "What did you hope for when you entered Noctem Dolls?"

    Of course, Arthur already knew what Nishizaka hoped for, but he hoped she would answer something else.

    "My wish is to find my lost friend in this world." After a brief pause, she continued

    "Then I will bring him back with me to our world."

    That was the answer Arthur wanted to hear.

    "Is your world peaceful?"

    "Japan is the most peaceful country in my world."

    "Are there castes and very?"

    "Everyone has equal rights."

    "Then... is there school?"

    "We go to school five days a week, for 10 hours."

    Arthur thought about it for a moment, then he replied:

    "That sounds like fun; then I''d like to set that as a goal."

    "!!!"

    "What?! Something that simple? Are you sure?" asked Norman.

    "Since my sister''s passing, I have found myself without a sense of purpose in this world. Moreover, the consequences of my actions with you all have tarnished my reputation, resulting in my face being widely recognized throughout the entire kingdom.

    Regrettably, I feel as though I am left with no alternatives or options at this point. So, I think following Nishizaka to her world sounds good, to create another normal day for myself."

    "Fufu, well, then the contract is made."

    Ivaylo threw the needle at Arthur. The needle pierced right through his heart.

    "Arkh!"

    This was seen from the tip of the needle that converged on each member.

    "The original name of my God''s Blessing is ''a tale of two cities,'' the ability to ''connect or linking'' mana. By using my adfeqtus reliqua, I can use various forms of ''linking,'' and one of them is connecting the stories of one member and another.

    An ability to unite the feelings and memories."

    ''I can feel it,'' Arthur thought. ''I can feel the feelings of all the membersing through me. They all have their own goals, and their feelings are also conveyed to me.

    Noctem Dolls, the reason they can trust each other, and can help each other, and keep the secrets of the group is because they all share the same feelings.

    Now the other members'' goals are my goals too.''

    Once those stitches were created on his chest, Arthur Lambert fully became a member of the Noctem Dolls.

    "Once again, wee to my Doll Box, Arthur Lambert."

    ...

    ...

    ..

    "SUSAAAAN!!!"

    Susan''s consciousness, which had begun to fade, returned as soon as she saw her brother in front of her. Her determination and desire to see her brother was so strong that they forced the mana inside her to stay awake, at least to see his face for a while longer.

    ''Brother, thank goodness, you''re finally home,'' Susan thought.

    But...

    A transformation slowly took ce as she looked at her brother''s tear-streaked face. His expression shifted from sadness to overwhelming anger, his features contorted with rage. He must have seen the trail of blood left by Mr. Gorste. She dreaded the consequences that awaited him once he fully grasped the truth - there was no doubt in her mind about the fury he would unleash upon Mr. Gorste.

    ''No! Big brother! Don''t do it!'' Susan shouted in her heart.

    Arthur gentlyid Susan''s body onto her bed, then, with a rage face, he walked out of the house.

    ''Brother! Wait! Don''t leave me again! Stay here!''

    It was useless; her voice didn''te out. And her consciousness slowly faded back.

    Until finally...

    Her gaze fell upon a crow perched just outside. The bird''s eyes seemed to lock with hers, fixated on her wounded body as if anticipating her demise.

    "This is the perfect timing to try my god''s blessing," Susan thought.

    Susan''s eyes shining slightly, with a faint glimmer in her own eyes, Susan met the piercing gaze of the crow head-on.

    ''With my remaining ounce of strength, I shall summon all my energy and harness my mana to switch bodies.''

    Susan had been bestowed with a god''s blessing that allowed her to swap bodies with animals. However, she had only mustered up the courage to try it a handful of times, specifically with a cat. The experience of undergoing such a profound transformation filled her with immense fear. Particrly rming was the sight of her own lifeless form as she transitioned into the animal''s body, creating an overwhelming sense of terror within her.

    Moreover, Susan''s blessing came with limitations. Her body-switching capability wouldst no longer than a minute. Once she inhabited an animal''s physical vessel, her consciousness would persist until the mana within that creature waspletely depleted.

    Then what if her original body died? What would happen to her consciousness after a minute?

    But this time, she didn''t need to think about it; she focused on seeing her brother and telling him to put out his anger.

    ''That face was the same face when Allen came to the tavern. If this continues, brother will follow the same path as Allen in the past!''

    The light in her eyes dimmed...

    And that faint light shot out quickly into the eyes of the crow looking at her corpse.

    Startled, the crow flew away.

    Then after an hour.

    Susan opened her eyes,

    She found herself in an entirely different form - that of a crow

    "Did it work?!" confusion swept over her as she tried to speak, only to be met with the piercing cries characteristic of the bird. She couldn''t help but wonder if her transformation had been sessful. Susan looked around and realized she was somewhere in the forest. But she didn''t know where it was. Moreover, she didn''t know how long she would remain in the crow''s body.

    One minute, three minutes, up to ten minutes passed, and she still had consciousness.

    "Is it okay to assume that I havepletely be a raven?" thought Susan.

    But the problem was not just that.

    She had already be a crow, and her reason for bing a crow was for her brother.

    But if she came back to this state, would anyone believe her? And how could she talk with him?

    In the midst of confusion, Susan finally concluded.

    The one person who might be able to understand her situation was probably Allen.

    ''That''s right! I often see Allen talking to his scarf! I''m sure he could do something if I met him!''

    Susan decided to fly, searching for a way to the Boldenville region.

 Chapter 230 The Black Sabbath

    Chapter 230 The ck Sabbath

    Raised In Dungeon Volume 5

    Road to Oxwadeshire Academy

    ¡­

    The Satan''s worshipers have an ordo called The Ordo of Seven Devils; they are all high priests of Daemon Servus who lead the organization. Each of them possessed the Book of Legis, which allowed them to use demonic mana outside the dungeon.

    Once a year, they have a day called the ck sabbath, on which they do nothing strenuous and eat nothing. And on the ck sabbath, the High Priests of the ck Church gathered.

    In a very dark room, there was a veryrge coffin, about four times bigger than a human body. Underneath the coffin was a red light, which was the room''s light source, but it was dim, not bright enough to make you see the room entirely.

    Ten people were surrounding the coffin, sitting on a silver chair with a carved snake and goat that was 3 meters high; they were the high priests who gathered after five years of separation around the world.

    The High Priest, Father Alester, plucked a single strand of hair from his head and ced it within a cup, the cloven grail. The other nine high priests followed suit. As they do this, an ethereal glow emanates from the grail. After that, the contents were spilled onto the coffin in the center of the room. Astonishingly, in an enchanting disy of magic, the blood seamlessly permeated into and was absorbed by the coffin, akin to water being absorbed by parched soil.

    "They are so exiguous," Father Alester said.

    "No wonder, because someone had used the blood and souls that we have collected over the past five years," said one of the high priests.

    "So my feeling about that was right, huh? That''s why my cup was also drained immediately."

    "Summoning Lord Satan in an imperfect state, what were you thinking?"

    "How selfish, even though I''ve always wanted to do it but always refrained from doing it. You''re not someone who deserves to be a high priest."

    After much babbling about how angry everyone was that their five years of effort had disappeared, Father Alester finally spoke to Laveya.

    "Mother Laveya, can you exin to us why you used this?"

    "Trial and Salvation, and then lust," Laveya replied, smiling.

    "Hooo..."

    "First, with this we can confirm that the contents in the cup are not affected by space, meaning that all ten cups are connected to each other. Secondly, it''s obvious that we can summon Milord using the grail, and the summoner can give orders."

    "!!!"

    Even though they had never tried it, they already knew that it could summon Satan based on its book. However, the information that "Summoner can give orders to Satan" is new to them.

    "Commanding Lord Satan, how presumptuous."

    "I''m just sayingmands for his body parts; after all, I''m still doing it for the sake of him."

    "For the sake of him?! Are you joking?! Aren''t you just afraid of death?!"

    Without answering it directly, Laveya thought, ''Of course not; I already have a good vessel to be my next Milord.''

    "Please let Mother Levaya exin first; questions can be askedter," Father Alester said.

    Laveya continued, "I received information about our milord''s new vessel."

    "Satan''s vessel?!"

    "Did you really find it? Where is it now?!"

    This time, Father Alester spoke: "This is indeed contrary to what I said earlier, but let me ask.

    You found our lord''s vessel, but why didn''t you bring it here?"

    "I was dealing with the Rounds Birawa Budiono, if he was alone, maybe I could handle it, but he brought a party that was quite troublesome to fight, so I wanted to escape as much as possible to save my life. At least I want to tell you the information about our Lord''s container."

    "borate."

    "As the book says, he has ck and white hair and control over demonic mana. It''s just that I can''t take him home because of the knight of rounds and..."

    "What?"

    Laveya thought back to her encounter with Allen and recalled the whisper Allen had said to her that night.

    "He was killed," Laveya replied, lying.

    "Ki-killed?!"

    "Unfortunately, one of their priests realized we wereing for the boy, so they quickly killed him."

    "Then what you''re doing is pointless!"

    "We haven''t needed a master vessel in years!"

    "Finding the vessel''s existence in this vast world will be very difficult; if he dies, we have to wait another ten years for a new one to be born."

    "Having a vessel is useless if our master can''t even be born in this world, and it''s because someone used the five years soul to create the fake one."

    In the room, there was babbling from everyone. Themotion was instantly dispelled as soon as Father Alester tapped the hand of his chair, which, surprisingly, made a loud noise.

    "So this is the information you wanted to convey to us, to the point that you sacrificed the souls we collected for five years?"

    "That''s right," Laveya replied.

    "Every little second of information is important, but it''s not as important as the collection of souls in the grail you have used. You should die at that time rather than convey this unnecessary information to us." Alester said.

    "Yeah, I understand, and then I''m sorry¡­ I just knew that he was killed after I performed the summoning ritual."

    Everyone looked at Laveya with a face that looked upset. Laveya admitted her mistake, but with a smile on her face.

    ''Is it possible that Laveya is a traitor?'' Alester thought at that time, he had a feeling that Laveya was hiding something from them, or maybe lying.

    You see, all high priests are people chosen by their lord, and their faith in realizing their lord''s dream is very high, so it is certain that high priests are loyal to Satan.

    Moreover, Laveya''s reputation as an assassin was very useful for Daemon Servus'' future movements, so he could not just remove her from that position.

    "Since it has already happened, what can we do? No matter how much we argue about it, things that have already happened will nevere back. Plus, we still need Mother Laveya as the high priest.

    But of course we can''t just leave her like that. As punishment, Mother Laveya, you are not allowed to use the grail, nor are you allowed to use the book of legis, do you understand?"

    "I understand, Father Alester."

    "Anybody have an objection?"

    "NO OBJECTION," said everyone.

    In her heart, Laveya thought, "Milord, Allen. As promised, I will keep you hidden until that dayes. There cannot be anyone else more suitable as Milord''s vessel than him."

    As soon as she re-imagined the Allen she met that day, her face turned red again; her eyes widened like they were going to pop out, then she hugged her body tightly and strongly.

    " I can''t wait to see you again, my lord."

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    After discussing Laveya''s mistake, they went on to discuss the threat they would face in the future.

    Specifically, the reincarnation of heroes.

    "Unlike our master vessel, heroes can only reincarnate once every 1000 years. And ording to Liber''s Reverse Testament, all the heroes'' reincarnations will be in the same era in 10 years. We can assume that nine of them have already been born in this world and are just waiting for the 10th to be born.

    Heroes are the source of havoc for our lord, they have strange but excellent luck and destiny and many minuses and haxes to defeat our lord. Therefore, before our Lord rises, we must kill them. That way, we can have 1000 years to build our strength before the next hero is born."

    "Speaking of heroes, haven''t we already know one of them? Percival Dmare Benchmandy, the prince of the kingdom of Benchmandy. Why haven''t we moved to attack him from now on?"

    "Father Joshep, you just took the ce of the father who Rounds killed, so maybe you don''t know we can''t touch Percival anytime soon," Alester replied.

    "Why is that?"

    "Because Percival is currently at Oxwade Academy, we should wait until he finishes his studies."

    "I still don''t understand. Why don''t we just attack the academy? With our strength, it would be enough, right?"

    "It''s not that easy; the academy has an army equal to the country, and there is the headmaster, Eliphas Ingranius, the person called ''untouchable,'' and ''strongest caster'' and ''the sorcerer king'' in the world. If we attack the academy, even if we win in the end, the losses will be huge."

    "Then..." Joseph stood up while covering his mouth and nose with three fingers of his left hand; Showing respect, he spoke, "I will attack the academy alone."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Of course, if we capture the hero and put him in the cup, we can increase the supply of souls for 10 years. With this, we will speed up the birth of our master."

    "Doing that yourself¡ªhow arrogant."

    "But, if he seeds, then the benefits will be huge."

    "Attacking the academy has been put off for a long time, maybe it''s time."

    Laveya said, "Father Joseph, if you intend to cover my mistakes, thank you; I don''t need it."

    "Don''t talk anymore, bitch. I just want to speed up the birth of our Lord so that we can all rule this world even faster."

    ''Yup, her guts are out, he likely wants to rule over the milordpletely; his desire is to use the milord for his own selfishness,'' Laveya thought.

    Then finally, Father Alester decided.

    "Alright, but be careful. Prepare an escape route if necessary. I will send information about the academy to you through my subordinatester."

    "Thank you, Father Alester.

    With my trope, I will invade the Oxwade Academy alone."

    "Any objection?"

    "NO OBJECTION"

    ...

 Chapter 231 The Untouchable Eliphas

    Chapter 231 The Untouchable Eliphas

    The position of the ck church was unknown to anyone. Everyone moved there through the Book of Legis in a particr ce. Each of the high priests had a life and upation as a human, disguised among the followers of angels.

    "Conceal thy movements, for my adherents are scarce in number, but they possess the power to guide multitudes," was the first sentence of the Reverse Testament book. So although the Daemon Servus were few in number, they were all people of great influence in their respective countries.

    One of the high priests was Father Joseph; his real name was unknown; he was one of the Ordo of Seven Devils, the Daemon Servus''s High Priest. He had the height of an average adult, with slight wrinkles on his face. He was also the high priest who reced the previous high priest, whom Birawa the Rounds had killed.

    Upon making the decision tounch an assault on the academy alongside his loyal followers, he briskly traversed through the streets of Oxwadeshire City, his countenance marked by an unmistakable annoyance.

    "That woman, Mother Laveya, must be hiding something."

    He, or perhaps everyone in the room, was aware that Laveya was hiding something, just as Laveya also knew that everyone was aware of it.

    "But, which one?"

    There was a lot of information given by Laveya, and the most important one was, "The one who summons Satan canmand him." Although Laveya might be lying, everyone believed that particr point everyone believed. Because Laveya and everyone in the Ordo would never lie about Satan.

    "Father Alester should have also forced her to exin further! Ruling Satan must have restrictions and conditions other than using the blood of the cloven grail."

    Many holes were left in Laveya''s information.

    Laveya''s information was riddled with numerous unaddressed gaps. The specifics regarding the request, the parameters for its utilization, the appropriate timing for invoking it, and even the assurance that Satan''s hand would be summoned were all conspicuously absent. Thisck of rity left Joseph in a precarious position, uncertain of how to proceed or make sense of his predicament.

    "Father Alester must have deliberately kept quiet about this; as the first and oldest high priest, he probably knew about it from the beginning, but he kept quiet so that only a few people knew about it."

    After pausing, and thinking about his n to attack the academy, Joseph''s smile became even wider.

    "Yes, let it be. Father Alester and Mother Laveya will all be unable to move once I get the hero''s blood. If I put Percival''s blood into my grail and then kill the 200 ves I keep underground, I will immediately summon Satan and make a contract with him! That way, I''ll be Satan''s direct subordinate!"

    The town of Academy, Oxwadeshire, is in the central part of the kingdom of Wildenhall. A 5-meter-wide river and rock walls surround the town. In addition, the academy is also surrounded by walls that are oddly shaped and irregr. It was as if the walls were made of sand that tried to cover the entire city in a circle but stopped halfway.

    "There is only one entrance for the carriage, and from the shape of these walls, the people inside would immediately notice if anyone entered through the top, and since this is an academy, they must have guards and human amnis detection, meaning that going through the top is impossible."

    Joseph entered the academy, and he bustling scene of individuals adorned in distinctive school attire. Among them, he noticed a group of adults donning uniforms that set them apart from the students. Joseph spected that these individuals were responsible for safeguarding and overseeing the city''s welfare.

    Joseph decided to wait until nightfall to attack Oxwade Academy in the city''s center.

    That night, the streets were still not quiet. It would probably never be quiet as many students wandered around and hung out at night. But that was an advantage for Joseph because then he could walk casually to the academy casually without being suspected.

    He then recalled Joseph and Laveya''s expressions during the discussion, and he realized that both of them were underestimating him.

    "They were both convinced from the beginning that I wouldn''t be able to get in. The academy must have many strong people to stop just one high priest. I assume that at least 5-6 high priests are needed to attack the academy.

    That means if I wanted to attack the academy with only 200 people, I would have to infiltrate one by one at regr intervals, and that would waste a lot of time and be troublesome."

    Walking towards the back gate of Oxwade Academy, Jospeh tried his best to hold back hisughter while thinking, "That must be what you guys think, right?!" Joseph shed his hand and drew arge circle of blood on the ground beneath it.

    "God Blessing, Calling Servant," Joseph muttered. ''You look down on me because you don''t know my god''s blessing, and you don''t think I''ll use it either!''

    For the high priest and all members of the daemon servus, using the god''s blessing was sphemy; doing that is forbidden by the Ordo because it was equivalent to asking angels and spirits for help. However, there is no written rule in the order that actually states that they are forbidden to use the god''s blessing. In fact, one of the reverse testaments says "Do as you will, and follow your desire," which Joseph interpreted to mean that he could use it as long as it was for his own desire to be the only direct subordinate of Satan.

    From the circle of blood he created, one by one, people in dark red robes came out, all of them were the Servus led by Joseph.

    "I already know Percival''s position and where he is sleeping. 200 Servus should be enough to create an uproar; in the middle of the uproar, I will kill Percival and put him in the grail!"

    Suddenly, a voice whispered next to his ear.

    "Oh my? Your n is simpler than I thought." The hoarse voice instantly shattered Joseph''s superhumanposure, causing him to jump backward into the forest behind the academy''s wall.

    "WHO ARE YOU?!"

    ''No, that look, he matches the data Father Alester provided.''

    An old man two times the height of an adult human, with white clothes covered with various nts, also wore arge hat topped with various nts. The nts on top of him were moving around, not because of the wind, but because the roots were moving unnaturally. His hair was not visible because it was hidden under his hat, but his long beard could be clearly seen hanging down until he had to tie it around his body.

    "Eliphas Ingranius the Untouchable!" shouted Joseph.

    "Hmm hmm of course you know me; I''m quite famous in this world, but I hope with my name spread, people like you won''t even try toe here."

    Joseph immediately prepared with the Book of Legis, then ordered all his men, "Attack the academy!"

    All of them immediately ran quickly, jumping towards the academy; originally he did that to measure the ability of the famous Eliphas, but as it turned out,

    ''He let them pass?!''

    In an instant

    -BOOM

    One of the academy''s buildings exploded, which was also one of Joseph''s ns.

    "Hahaha! This way, the academy will be destroyed! Are you just going to stand by and watch the academy crumble?!"

    "It''s fine anyway; from the start, taking care of it will be tiring, and I also don''t want to use the troublesome magic to kill you all at once."

    "Magic? FUHAHAHA? What the hell is that?! You''re just pretending to be brave! I know about you; you never run, right? Although you have great mana, and vast knowledge, in return, speed was taken from you! A curse earned from too much knowledge!"

    "You misunderstand; it''s a curse but not a side effect."

    Eliphas raised his hand and pointed his finger at Joseph.

    ''What the heck did he try to do?!''

    In front of his finger came a ray of light, and it swirled around to form an imperfect square with a circle in the center. The circle was like a collection of two luminous threads, ck and white, trying to destroy each other, but because of it, the energy of ''destroying'' was bing bigger and bigger.

    ''There''s no amnis circle, that means, is that his god''s blessing?''

    "Not at all," Eliphas replied as if he knew Joseph''s thoughts.

    "It''s amnis; closest to magic. It''s just that you don''t realize it when I use it.

    Mana is affected by emotions and thoughts, and because of the god''s curse I have, I have gained the ability to ''reach my enemy quickly,'' so even though I walk slowly, I have an eleration that is 10 times better for mana.

    As a bonus, I''ll tell you something. This ray you see in front of you is a ray that can only be created for ten years."

    The Book of Legis shone, and Eliphas was shot with two ck arrows from behind.

    "You think I''m going to let you bber on!" shouted Joseph.

    "You will be a bad student."

    In an instant, very fast and very precisely, the light was hurled at Joseph,

    As a result, Joseph''s body was instantly burned, melted, and destroyed in just an instant. However, Joseph felt like he had been melted for ten years.

    "You can call it magic. I named it ''God Particle,'' but I realized this ability was too dangerous and would cause a tremendous explosion. That''s why I included an amnis mixture that creates gamma rays around it.

    This ability also has a time dtion effect, which works between mana and the world. Meaning, the time dtion between ''feelings'' and ''reality'' makes the mind run fast, and the world feels really slow to you.

    Although here you die in an instant, in your mind, you have already felt the dissolution of that body for ten years while alive."

    Eliphas sighed, then looked deep into the forest.

    "Have you understood? Hopefully by showing this, you will note to the academy in the next 100 years, or forever," it turned out that someone was watching Joseph. Because Eliphas noticed it, the watcher immediately got goosebumps and fled in fear.

    "OOohh... How long have I been standing? 10 minutes? That''s 5 hours in that world. My body must be very sore."

    "That''s because you used your god''s blessing to fight the weak!" his staff suddenly spoke, with ady''s voice.

    "This is very necessary; in this century all heroes will be born, and I want to make the academy a peaceful ce of learning for them."

    Eliphas pped his hands, making the whole world monochrome, and the monochrome world was sucked into Eliphas'' hands.

    The academy burned down, and everything was as if it had never happened.

    "Controlling space, time, and amnis simultaneously is really tiring; I''ll ask Elis to bring me a lot of wer."

 Chapter 232 Back to Boldenville

    Chapter 232 Back to Boldenville

    ''Lady will wake up soon,'' was my hope.

    Actually, I didn''t know for sure if Lady would wake up, buttely she had been showing signs of movement, sometimes her fingers moved, sometimes her forehead wrinkled. Excitement came over me as soon as I realized it. I carelessly reported the ''''uncertain information'' to Lord Boldenville that she would wake up soon, even though I wasn''t sure.

    But, if Lady Felicia were to wake up, she would surely feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness and be forced to understand the changes around her. The loneliness she would feel would definitely lead her to sadness, making her think back to Mr. Waldo, who was no longer alive.

    To avoid that happening, Allen had to be beside her when she woke up.

    ''It''s been five days since Bedell''s departure to Barkaley territory; what is he doing?''

    A number of worries filled my head, although, with Lady Ayde''s permission, I had just ordered one of Lord Reynold''s soldiers for my selfishness. I told him toe with the merchant, but the possibility of him being attacked by bandits was inevitable.

    "Miss Rachel! Mr Bedell is back!" one of the servants shouted to me in the middle of my daydream.

    Surprisingly, as I know about it, the feeling I had was not one of happiness.

    As I went outside, I could see Bedell in Boldenville''s carriage, and behind him was some sort of item covered by a worn-out cloth. A profound sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over me. Intrigued, I looked at it intently, only to discover a young boy secretly concealed within its confines.

    He would timidly cast furtive nces in our direction every now and then. As I focused on his ebony locks, a somber realization dawned upon me; the unsettling sensation coursing through my veins. When I saw his ck hair, I was finally convinced that the feeling I had was a sign of bad news.

    That is the same feeling before I know about Mr Waldo''s death in Wolverlope residence.

    ...

    Rachel approached the carriage, which hade to a halt in front of the grand Boldenville residence. Upon seeing Rachel''s sudden appearance, Bedell looked at her with bewilderment. It took a few moments for Rachel toprehend the confusion on his face before she realized that she should extend a greeting. She woke from her daydream, swiftly closing the distance between them and warmly greeting Bedell.

    "Wee back, Mr. Bedell. Thank you very much for your hard work; I will return the favor someday."

    "E-eeh... then would you like to go eat together with me at the market district tomorrow-"

    "Don''t get ahead of yourself," said the other maid, "you''re getting paid on this mission, after all. Miss Rachel just said it to you as a formality; don''t get chocky about it!"

    "Sorry Mr. Bedell, I can ept your invitation, but I''m currently busy taking care of Lady Felicia''s body and housework; maybe at other times."

    ''Miss Rachel, that is the same as saying no,'' the maid thought. ''She never had time for a date, she always worked from morning until night.''

    With a shameful and guilty face, Bedell said, "N-no need to force yourself! I''m just asking; if you don''t have time, then it''s no problem!"

    "Alright, thank you very much."

    Rachel nced back, her eyes darting to the passenger sitting quietly in the carriage. With a hint of uncertainty, she softly called out, "Allen... isn''t it?"

    Bedell nodded, then called out to him, "Allen! Why are you just sitting there? Hurry down and say hello to Miss Rachel! Oh sorry, maybe he was asleep?"

    "No, I saw him looking at us a while ago," Rachel answered.

    ''Sorry, Allen. I think I can''t follow your request anymore,'' thought Bedell, as Allen told him not to talk about him since he felt suddenly afraid when he arrived.

    Allen stood with his back turned towards them, slowly descending from the rear. It was clear that he felt a sense of difort upon seeing the people in that residence. It was hard to see the people who used to know him since he was the edgy kid who hated everyone.

    As Rachelid her eyes on Allen''s face, a wave of relief washed over her. ck hair, crimson red eyes, white skin, and especially that ck scarf, and brown bandana.

    ''Maybe that bad feeling is just dejavu or my imagination,'' she pondered.

    To Rachel, the kid now standing before her was undeniably Allen, but more mature.

    "Umm... Good afternoon," Allen said without making eye contact with Rachel.

    ''No... he''s a little different,'' Rachel thought. Allen really never looked at other people; his gaze was always downward, but when he did look up while speaking, his vacant red eyes seemed to prate right through the person in front of him. It felt as though he was studying their every move and analyzing them deeply.

    "Allen... you..." Rachel paused, she seemed to want to ask something. Because of Allen''s changes, he knew that Allen must have gone through a lot in the Barkaley region during these three years. but she aborted in the middle and said, "Wee back, Allen."

    In that moment, Allen''s gaze finally fell upon Rachel. As he observed her standing before him, he was able to see her with newfound rity. Her fairplexion, captivating blue eyes, and even the arch of her eyebrows ''Oh yeah, Rachel has always been this kind of person,'' Allen thought, speaking as though he had never truly seen Rachel before.

    As for Rachel, Allen''s once daunting red eyes now appeared luminous and radiant in the sunlight, charming her with their beauty. This unexpected transformation sparked a sense of awe within her.

    "I''m back..." Allen replied.

    Rachel''s face lit up with a smile as she suggested, "Would you like to look at Lady Felicia''s condition? I''m sure she would wake up soon, even though I don''t know when."

    Allen hesitated briefly before uttering, "I am..."

    "To proceed properly, you should meet Lady Ayde first," Rachel assured him.

    "Bedell, does Lord Barkaley give you any?" asked Rachel.

    "Right! I almost forgot he left the response to Lady Ayde''s letter. What should we do? Lord Barkaley gives two letters; that one must be for Lord Reynold! Will we get fired if Lord Reynold finds out about this?!"

    "No worries; I will try to talk with Lady Ayde."

 Chapter 233 Before Felicias Room

    Chapter 233 Before Felicia''s Room

    Allen, Rachel, and Bedell met Lady Ayde. Inside her room, she was resting alongside her three-year-old son. Bedell immediately gives Ayde a letter he received from the Barony Barkaley.

    "Fufufu... I see... that''s good," she said.

    Lady Ayde''s initial expression showed apprehension when ncing at Allen. However, once she finished going through the letter, her countenance transformed into one of pure joy as she warmly greeted Allen with a radiant smile.

    "Wee back, Allen. I will be happy to receive you in this house."

    "Th-thank you very much," Allen replied, trying to be formal.

    "You''ve really changed; the old you would have been more sassy."

    "I regret what I did in the past."

    "That''s okay! You can be more rxed with me. After all, you are Felicia''s knight. I hope you can continue to protect her in the future until the death depart you."

    "Uhm... Lady Ayde, you should not speak like that¡­ just¡­ yet," Rachel said.

    Realizing what she said, Ayde immediately covered her mouth in shock "Aaah of course I didn''t mean to marry you off or anything like that. I mean, as a knight! To protect her as knight!

    Rachel, Bedell, Allen, don''t tell Reynold about this, okay? He''ll be furious."

    "I understand." Allen replied.

    Allen removing his ne from under his shirt. "Rachel said that if I have this, my status as Felicia''s knight won''t change."

    "Of course, that is the symbol of House of Boldenville, if Felicia gave you that, that means she really trusts you as his knight."

    "I see¡­ I never thought she would think about me like that."

    "Have you seen how Felicia''s condition?" asked Ayde.

    "Actually not yet..."

    "Oh? I thought you would see her as soon as you arrived since three years ago you used to check on her daily. Why don''t you take a look at her now? Though, she probably didn''t change that much since three years ago."

    As Allen nodded, the sleeping boy in Aude''s arms woke up "Hmm? Mo-ther?"

    "I forgot to introduce you to our son. His name, is Michael Ayde Boldenville; he is Felicia''s younger brother. Would you like to hold him a second?" asked Ayde.

    "No, he looks sleepy."

    "That''s okay, he''s just taking a nap, and he''s been asleep for two hours. I insist you"

    Allen nced at Rachel, her face hinting that he should carry him.

    Rachel whispered to Allen, " Lady Ayde had long desired a baby boy. She eagerly sought out rumors and advice on how to ensure the birth of a son. She even conducted various experiments in hopes of having a boy. So when she finally gave birth to a son, Lady Ayde started believing in the rumors. There is a rumor that babies carried by great people will pass on their talents to the baby. She asked everyone in this residence to hold youngmaster once, and even she insisted the guest hold him as well."

    "Is that so? Maybe I do not have talent, but I will hold him as requested." Allen gently scooped up the boy, causing the boy to instantly fully awaken. The boy had striking blue eyes and light brown hair, bearing a resemnce to Felicia. They gazed at Allen inquisitively before yfully tugging on his hair.

    "Don''t try to eat that, young master," Allen said to Michael, who seemed so interested in Allen''s hair. Allen lowered his head slightly, letting Michael ruffle his hair.

    Rachel and Ayde, who saw Allen, were once again surprised because the person in front of them was a different Allen from the one they had met before.

    "Allen, you seem to be used to lifting children? Others usually lift them like they''re lifting things," Ayde said.

    "Yes, I once helped an acquaintance of mine give birth to a baby, and both of them weirdly were very attached to me."

    "So you helped childbor?!" shouted Ayde in surprise. Rachel and Ayde looked at Bedell.

    "Yes, there are twins named Ha and Judith in the Barkaley area, who are the same age as the young master. Every day theye to see Allen at the tavern. As I heard the story,Allen helped their mother give birth to them."

    "Tavern?" Rachel asked Allen.

    Allen replied, "For the past three years, I was picked up by the tavern master and worked there as a cook."

    "Huh?!"

    "Allen"

    "as a cook?"

    Lady Ayde opened Barony Barkaley''s letter, saying, "Oh, it also says about you working as a cook, but I thought it was a joke. Don''t tell me that you are also very good at cooking."

    "Allen''s cooking is delicious; you should try it once, mydy," said Bedell.

    "Well, I''ll try; I''m a little curious about Allen''s cooking. Would you make it for me?"

    "Of course," Allen replied.

    "Ah sorry, you don''t have to do it now; you can meet Felicia first in her room; after three years of separation, I am sure you want to see her face."

    Allen''s face immediately turned gloomy.

    "Alright," Allen replied.

    They then excused themselves from the room and started walking towards Felicia''s room.

    On the way to her room, Allen couldn''t stop thinking about Felicia''s face in his dream.

    ''I shouldn''t show my face in front of Felicia,'' Allen thought.

    Allen, overwhelmed with guilt and remorse, could not summon the courage to confront Felicia after he tragically ended the life of her beloved fianc¨¦, Waldo Barkaley. Haunted by vivid memories of Felicia''s face that had gued his dreams, Allen found himself unable to bear the thought of encountering her once more. Above all else, he dreaded the prospect of meeting her gaze, burdened by the fact that he was responsible for such a profound loss to her.

    And after he thought about it further, Allen remembered how happy Felicia was whenever she started talking about Waldo, and that thought made his heart continue to sink to the bottom of his blood.

    -CREAAK

    "Come in," Rachel said after opening the room door.

    But he couldn''t move from there.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Rachel.

    Allen found himself unable to move, rooted in front of the door. Momentster, he uttered a remorseful apology, "Sorry, I couldn''t see her face this time. Maybe I''ll see her next time."

    The overpowering sense of guilt that consumed him prevented him from reuniting with Felicia and relishing the sight of her once more. It had been three long years since theirst encounter, but Allen''s thoughts always circled back to Felicia whom he failed to save. Then he always thought about how he has be the source of Felicia''s problems.

 Chapter 234 The New Occupant

    Chapter 234 The New upant

    The Boldenville residence was abuzz with excitement as a new upant took up residence. This person, known to be a guest and a knight of Lady Felicia,manded and was supposed to be in a position of high status within the manor, but¡­

    "That looks heavy, let me help carry it," what truly surprised everyone was the person''s humble nature and willingness to lend a helping hand to the maid whenever he crossed their paths. Despite his esteemed position, this individual embodied humility andpassion, earning the mix of shock and admiration of all who encountered him in the Boldenville residence.

    "Today I''ll do the shopping at the market; you guys can continue doing other tasks," going to the peasant market.

    "Today''s meal is on me," cooking like a servant, and not only that, his dishes were also distributed to all the servants and soldiers in the manor.

    "Eh? What''s this?" asked one of the soldiers guarding the gate, the maid gave him a small bowl of soup.

    "It''s a blessing given by Lady Ayde," replied the maid.

    "Really? I don''t think Lady Ayde has ever done anything like this. In fact, she was the one who opposed our raise because we weren''t working that much, right? Then why all of a sudden?"

    The maid brought her face closer and whispered, "Actually this is from Allen; it''s just that since these ingredients belong to Lady Ayde, he asked us to tell everyone that this is from Lady''s."

    "Allen? Which Allen?"

    "Lady Felicia''s knight! Don''t you remember? He was dismissed three years ago. Three days ago, he came back to his manor as Miss Rachel''s wish."

    "I know that too! What I''m surprised about is, is it really Allen was the one who cooked?""

    "I saw it with my very own eyes!"

    "I wonder what lightning struck him to make him be like that."

    The soldier ate his soup.

    "You kidding me? This is too delicious! No way Allen made this! You''re really not lying, are you?!"

    "Whatever! The old Allen is gone now; he is changed as he has switched bodies with someone!"

    The rumor about Allen beingpletely different spread to every maid and soldier. And it was no longer just a rumor when they saw firsthand that Allen was always helping others. And the fact that he gave the soup to everyone secretly made others believe he had no hidden intentions when doing so.

    "Allen¡­ doing good is fine, but you really need to restrain yourself this time," Rachel said as she touched her headache''s head.

    "Sorry, Master Rodion often scolds me for this too."

    "Maybe it would be fine if it was all yours, but how many ingredients did you spend-" Rachel walked over to open the kitchen cupboards, but she realized there were still many food ingredients left.

    "Eh? No way. Even though the trash can was that full?"

    "I only used the ingredients I brought with Bedell, and then some of them I created with my god''s blessing," Allen said as he showed Rachel Reig''s ability.

    Rachel shockedly tried to hold the apple created by his hand.

    "S-so this is your god''s blessing? Amazing, it''s really a real apple."

    "Just it taste nd, so it might only help a to reduce the use of ingredients."

    Rachel looked at the apple carefully, and at that moment, she had an idea.

    "We can use this ability!"

    "On what?"

    ...

    On the seventh day, Lord Reynold returned from the capital, looking tired. Greeted by the seven maids, he walked straight to his wife''s room and rxed his weary body on the sofa.

    "Good work, sweetheart," Lady Ayde said as she kissed Lord Reynold and handed him a ss of water.

    "The kingdom is in turmoil at the moment. Rtions between the nobles are getting awkward because of the throne war," Reynoldmented.

    "Have you decided on your king yet?"

    "Not yet, or I probably won''t be able to."

    "Why is that?"

    "I''m the only earl who has remained neutral until now. If I choose one of them, the people who want to use me will definitely choose the same, and others who feel threatened by us will start targeting us."

    "That''s... a little too dangerous, isn''t it?"

    "I''ve already said in front of all the nobles that I won''t favor anyone. And with the advancement of the House of Felicia''s clothingpany, they definitely have no intention of making a move¡­ just yet.

    Besides, if a noble is actually killed in an obvious manner, it only worsens their vote count."

    Reynold then looked at his son, who was hiding behind Ayde. It was obvious that his son was still afraid of him.

    "Has this boy been studying?"

    "Yes, he has."

    "Good."

    Ayde then whispered something to Michael. Michael immediately ran to one of the tables and picked up the soup bowl on it.

    Slowly, carefully, and step by step, he walked up to his tired father.

    "Fa-father, you look tired¡­ so, here it is," he said.

    "What is it?" At the sound of Reynold''s voice, Michael was immediately half-frightened.

    "Michael," his mother called with a smile, signaling him to be braver. Michael continued walking and handed the soup to Reynold.

    "You''re tired, I thought this leek soup would take the fatigue off your shoulders. Michael was helping the cook make this," said Ayde.

    Taking the bowl from Michael, Reynold tried the soup.

    "How was it?"

    "This is thest time Michael uses his hand to cook; I won''t make him work like a servant." Reynold replied, more or less in line with Ayde''s expectations.

    "I''m¡­ sorry," said Michael with a sad face, along with Ayde rubbing his head gently.

    "But it''s delicious, though," Reynold said, without looking into Michael''s eyes.

    "Th-thank you," Michael said with a slight joy.

    Staring at the soup, Reynold said,

    Do peasants always eat this kind of soup?"

    "I think so, but Rachel said the ingredients used here are a little too fancy formoners."

    "Rachel made it?"

    "No, there''s a cook who just came here. I''d like you to meet him today, can you?"

    "What?! Aren''t you... moving on your own again?

    I told you we have to be wary of outsiders in these sensitive times, right? What if this soup is poisonous? What if the cook was a spy from another family?!"

    "I understand, but especially for this one, the safety is guaranteed. Because the cook is someone we know very well."

    Ayde then called out from inside, "Rachel,e in."

    "Excuse us," Rachel answered from outside.

    The door opened,

    Rachel walked in, along with someone Reynold knew very well. And upon seeing him, Reynold''s face was instantly annoyed and filled with anger.

    "Allen..." Reynold grumbled.

 Chapter 235 Reason

    Chapter 235 Reason

    "Why did youe back? Felicia is still asleep; you have no business and no rights in this house."

    "About that, I-"

    "I am the one who called Allen my lord!" Rachel shouted.

    Reynold''s face bes angrier upon hearing that.

    "You... Just because I forgave you before doesn''t mean I allowed you to do everything! I only gave you one forgiveness, and now you''re going rogue. Do you think I''ll follow your wishes likest time? Twice you''ve moved on your own, and the third time I won''t forgive you. This is not only disobedience but betrayal!"

    "Lord Reynold, I''m sorry for giving you trouble all this time; I''m d you didn''t punish me before, but I want to make sure that Allen is useful this time."

    "I don''t care anymore." Reynold''s voice really indicated that he didn''t care; he was tired and wanted to rest immediately. Even raising his voice was reluctant. "You''ve already broken too many things. I don''t know what you''ll do in the future if I forgive you again."

    "Sweetheart," Ayde said, appeasing the angry Reynold, "Please read this." Ayde handed Reynold a letter.

    "This is a letter from Lord Barkaley. Although Rachel was selfish this time, it was me who allowed her selfishness, otherwise, I''m sure that Rachel would have given up if I had not allowed it.

    I was the one who brought Allen back."

    Reynold looked at Ayde with his tired and angry face, and then he let out a long sigh. He picked up the letter and read it.

    After about five minutes of reading the letter, Reynold throws it on the table. "All right," Reynold said. "I will give permission to talk."

    Allen came forward with a slightly downcast face; the person he once only thought of as an annoying rich man was now a figure he was quite afraid of. He realized that the decision of the person in front of him would determine Rachel''s fate.

    "What is this?" asked Reynold as Allen ced the hickory wood in front of him.

    "This is a bowl of soup. This bowl was created by my master in the Barkaley region, which allows you to carry food without spilling it," Allen exined.

    Reynold examined the bowl carefully, then he realized one thing, "Don''t tell me, the cook who came to this house was you? And you are the one who made this soup too?"

    Allen nodded awkwardly.

    Unlike the others, Reynold immediately understood the whole situation from the letter Barkaley gave.

    About Allen working at the tavern and the possibility that the Allen in front of him was also not the Allen he was used to knowing.

    "You? That murderer was now using his hand to cook for others? That''s funny," Reynold said, opening Allen''s old wounds. It was simr to what Lord Barkaley had said to him.

    "Sweetheart, that''s not nice," Ayde said defensively.

    "Not that I think killing is wrong; the fact is he kept our soldiers alive back then, but still, he''s just a peasant whose presence is no longer needed in this house.

    No, you''re amoner now, right? Why not just stay in the Barkaley region forever?" asked Reynold.

    "Because I have a promise," said Allen. "I have regrets and a promise I want to fulfill to Felicia. And I also wanted to make Felicia keep her promise to me."

    "Her promise to you?"

    Felicia had told him that she would show Allen a world without violence, where people practiced swordy not to hurt others but only to protect others. Although that promise was full of contradictions, he wanted to know how Felicia would make it happen.

    And then he wants to protect Felicia to redeem his sin toward Waldo.

    "I... can''t say." Allen, who felt that it was something Felicia should tell her parents herself, "But, by keeping that promise, I''m sure that one day Felicia will be able to forget Mr. Waldo!"

    ''That''s what I don''t like,'' Reynold thought. ''Didn''t he realize? Forgetting about Mr Waldo means you are getting along with Felicia, and I''m sure that is what Rachel nned. Allen is just a peasant, and I won''t let you take my daughter.''

    "Lord Reynold!" shouted Rachel, taking a few steps forward.

    "Allen is unmistakably a human being who has the ability of 1000 soldiers; I don''t think making him a bodyguard here is a disadvantage, especially in these crucial times. Besides, he also has a very good god''s blessing, which is more useful than mine!"

    "Oh? I forget. It''s been three years since that day; of course, he already has one," Reynold muttered.

    "Allen, show it to Lord Reynold."

    Allen enveloped his hand with Reig''s, and from his hand came out the wooden bowl.

    "W-what is this again? Exin!" Reynold was in shock; he knew but still needed an exnation to be sure.

    "My blessing is a duplication. I can create any object I have touched and analyze it. The size limit I can create is only three sizes of my palm, and the number I can create until my mana runs out.

    For example, I can create this bowl up to 100 pieces per day."

    "That''s... quite¡­ amazing," Reynold said honestly. This was the first time he had ever really praised someone.

    "But the strength and benefits of a person''s god''s blessing are directly proportional to his weaknesses. An ability like that, it must have its drawbacks, right? Besides the limit of use."

    Allen nodded. He created an apple in his hand.

    "So you can even create food," Reynold muttered.

    "The drawback of this ability is that the quality of the duplicated object will be much worse than the original. For example, this apple has a nd vor and little nutrition. Then this bowl has much weaker strength than the original."

    "But this bowl still looks sturdy?"

    "That''s because my master spent a lot of money to make it with the pockholz tree, with the strong pockholz wood; even though it''s only half weaker, it still though like ordinary wood."

    "I see..." Reynold was pensive for a while, thinking about the positives and negatives of having Allen at home.

    Reynold tried his best to refuse Allen, but there was no more room for Reynold to refuse, and he felt annoyed at being controlled by Rachel. ''This girl must have thought of many things before entering this room.''

    "Well, I ept you to work here on the condition that you follow all my orders regarding using your god''s blessing."

    Rachel let out a long sigh, as did Allen.

    "S-I understand," Allen replied.

    "Thank you for listening to my request; I can ept any punishment," Rachel said.

    "Yes, I''ve thought about your punishment."

    With a feeling of dread, Rachel waited fearfully.

    "You are not allowed to apany Felicia to the academy."

    It was a surprise attack, but she understood it was a small price to pay for what she had done.

    "I understand, Lord Reynold."

    Although it was a very shocking and sad punishment for her, it didn''t mean she was about to part with Felicia forever. Felicia would being home twice a year; besides, there was Allen, whom she could trust to look after Felicia at the academy.

    ''Yeah, Allen is beside her; the current Allen would be able to protect her. I think that is also a reason why Lord Reynold parted me with mydy.''

    "Then, Allen..."

    "Y-yeah?!"

    "Is this soup the only thing you learned during your three years in the Barkaley region?"

    "N-no, there are several menus in the Barkaley region that I mastered."

    "Then teach them all to Rachel; I want her to master everything you can until your departure."

    "Yes, my lord!" replied Allen.

    Reynold stared at Allen a little longer, still unable to believe that Allen, who used to look at him with hatred, now looked nervous in front of him, which strangely made him feel even more at ease and a little annoyed that he couldn''t scold him anymore.

    "That''s all; go away. I want to take a rest; don''t call me until dinner."

 Chapter 236 Regret and Doubt

    Chapter 236 Regret and Doubt

    The Boldenville family kitchenprised three distinct areas. The primary room served as the cooking space, while the left side housed an array of ingredients. On the right was a designated room where the maids would take their turns resting. In addition to their culinary duties, the maids would also spend time in the kitchen to consume leftovers. Moreover, they yed a crucial role by delivering food to each soldier stationed in Boldenville at specified daily intervals.

    Cases of food theft were rare because Lady Ayde always counted the ie and expenses every week, so any suspicious movement would be easily founded, and if someone were caught stealing, Lord Reynold would cut off their hand and dismiss them from the house.

    The kitchen suddenly became overcrowded, making it impractical for cooking. This was because of the presence of a peculiar individual who caught the attention of the maids, causing them to gather and observe him in the kitchen.

    Since Reynold ordered Rachel to steal Allen''s recipes and cooking methods, Allen''s status as a guest had changed to Lord Reynold''s personal cook and soldier for a while, so Allen spent most of his time in the Boldenville family kitchen.

    Allen, unfamiliar with and not adept at teaching others to cook, told Rachel to watch and ask questions during the process. So while Allen cooked, Rachel stood beside him, watching his movements.

    The unusual choice of spices, the way he smelled the ingredients, and then his skillful hands with the knife made the maids who entered the kitchen pause and watch him cook. Beyond their admiration for Allen''s skill, there was another feeling in their hearts when they suddenly saw another side of Allen, who was used to looking like a troubled child, a cold-blooded scary killer, but now cooking like a professional.

    (ILLUSTRATION)

    "Everyone get out!" shouted Rachel as the situation started to get out of hand. "What are you all doing here? You still have other jobs, right?!"

    "We''re sorry!!!" they all shouted, exiting the kitchen and resuming their work.

    "Are you okay?" asked Allen when he saw Rachel starting to look congested.

    "It''s fine; I should have been used to this, buttely, it''s been getting tiring."

    "No wonder, you''ve been taking care of Felicia''s body since morning; during the day you have to help Lord Reynold''s work; sometimes you''re also asked to take care of the young master."

    "Yes, I didn''t expect that I would have to learn to cook now. I''m starting to feel the fatigue."

    "Is there anything I can do for you?"

    "Of course not, the only thing I want from you is to look after Lady Felicia."

    "Felicia..."

    Seeing Allen''s face as he said it, Rachel finally asked, "Do you really not want to see her?" Rachel had never asked Allen why he didn''t want to see her, and since more than seven days had passed, she thought she needed to give him some encouragement.

    "If you still think about what happened that night, you don''t need to worry. Lady Felicia won''t hate you for leaving her. After all, you have saved her from the Dolls."

    "It''s not that," Allen replied briefly. After that, Allen stayed silent while stirring the soup in the pan, looking at the swirling soup while thinking in doubt. ''I can''t pretend to be happy in front of her knowing that I was the one who killed the person she loved.''

    Three years passed, and he never got used to facing people whose families he had killed.

    "Allen, tonight, try to meet Lady Felicia."

    "Maybe some other time."

    "I insist. You can''t go on like this. If you want to protect her, you have to get used to that guilt-NO-you should serve Lady Felicia with that guilt. It''s something you need to endure for the Lady''s sake."

    "Umm, I''ll think about it."

    "I told you, I insisted. Why do you think I brought you here so soon? What if Lady Felicia wakes up when I''m not by her side? I don''t want her to wake up alone. She might need a drink of water, or she might be hungry, or she might force herself to walk outside out of confusion.

    I want you to apany Lady Felicia in my absence, understand?"

    "I-I-"

    "You have toe tonight anyway; otherwise, I''ll be very disappointed," Rachel came out of the kitchen while bamming the door.

    "Hey! Don''t you still want to learn to cook..." uselessly, Rachel had already gone far from the kitchen.

    Outside, Rachel walked quickly, grumbling, "I know that he has changed, but if he doesn''t want to meet Lady Felicia in the end, it''s better for him to be his old self! The old him wouldn''t have been so awkward andplied right away!"

    ...

    In the kitchen, Allen remained quiet andposed as he readied himself for his uing encounter with Feliciater that evening. As he stirred his spoon absentmindedly, his mind wandered back to the moments he had shared with Felicia, particrly the time they had spent together inside the carriage on their way to Andoram family.

    Allen never forget Felicia''s expression at that time; even for his old self, who hated humans, he was mesmerized by the smile she showed at that time, which made him feel rxed and unable to listen to her talk for ten minutes.

    "Mr. Waldo is a wonderful person!"

    "The night I met Mr. Waldo, I felt reborn. He was the reason I lived and the reason I became stronger, everything I did and I will do is for the sake of him."

    Just then Allen asked, "You live for someone else?" and Felicia confidently replied

    "That''s right! I might live to make others happy. That''s the path I want to take in life, and that''s how I''ll achieve my happiness. His happiness is my happiness too."

    Allen snapped out of his reverie after smelling a rather strong odor from the soup he made.

    "Woaaa!"

    Allen immediately turned off the me and noticed that the soup he was cooking was already quite dry.

    "Huft, at this rate, I''ll have to make it from scratch."

    While cleaning up everything he had done, Allen remembered Felicia, which only made his doubts grow.

    "There''s no way I can see her face again."

    There was no way he could see her, especially when he knew that he would be the cause of the disappearance of her smile.

    Allen murmured "His Happiness is my happiness too."

    If Felicia know he was the one who killed her fiancee, she probably would hate him, like how he hate Leofric.

 Chapter 237 Its just like me

    Chapter 237 It''s just like me

    When the evening began, Rachel would help Lady Ayde calcte the daily ie and expenses. Her only time with Felicia was in the morning when she was stretching and nourishing Felicia''s body; she couldn''t allow anyone else in the house to see Felicia''s current body except her family and Allen.

    But to her, Allen weirdly did not want to meet Felicia.

    ''He has changed; he must have learned somemon sense by now that he''s not as sassy as he used to be,'' Rachel thought as she quickly walked to the kitchen to confirm to Allen that he had to look after Felicia that night.

    Opening the kitchen door, Rachel immediately said, "Allen! Tonight, don''t forget-"

    But only the maid was resting in the kitchen, while eating the leftover soup Allen had made.

    "If you''re looking for Allen, he went outside just five minutes ago."

    "Huh? What is he doing outside on this rainy day?"

    On a cloudy, rainy day, Allen sat alone in the white pavilion in the flower garden, where Felicia usually sat for her tea time.

    He pressed a stone against the nearby pond, daydreaming as he watched the raindrops ripple. He tried to think of all his encounters with Felicia in order to prepare to meet her again, but the thought that a lie had created all that excitement made him even more afraid.

    ''Felicia has been living without knowing Mr. Waldo is dead,'' Allen thought.

    In the middle of his reverie, a bird flew over¡ªa crow. It was raining, but the crow looked very desperate, pping its wet wings, looking for something. The bird on a rainy day caught his attention.

    Then it fell down.

    Allen went straight to the spot where the crow fell. In the front yard, not far from his position. He picked up the crow and quickly brought it to the pavilion. Allen created a dry cloth from Reig and wrapped the crow with it.

    Once he looked closer at the crow, he realized that he had seen the crow before.

    "This crow looks like one that used to live in Peter''s tree," Allen muttered.

    In Peter''s tree, Allen had found a crow''s nest¡ªnot that he had never seen a crow; it was just that the crow''s color caught his attention.

    "They are called Cornix Raven; they are one of the types of crows that are often seen here," Peter said at the time.

    What attracted Allen to that crow was the color of its feathers. Unlike other crows that are entirely ck, around the belly and the neck of the cornix have a white color, just like his two-colored hair.

    "I heard that the Barkaley region is halfway between the southern and northern regions. Since Boldenville is still in the south, does that mean this bird ordinarily lives in the south?" muttered Allen.

    Allen could feel the crow getting weaker and weaker; he quickly used fire amnis to dry the bird''s body, then added healing amnis to the bird.

    "Hopefully, this simple amnis could cure you."

    After a few minutes passed, the rain stopped, and the sun began to set. Just then, the crow woke up.

    "Thank goodness you''re okay," Allen murmured.

    The crow immediately flew around Allen and started to let out a loud raspy

    "CAW CAW CAW CAW!!!"

    "Wh-what''s wrong?" said a confused Allen.

    "CAW CAW CAW!" the crow kept shouting at him.

    "You can go home now; the rain has stopped," said Allen.

    Finally, after 2 to 3 minutes, the crow was silent, but it was a strange and weird silence, especially its eyes, as it was trying tomunicate with him.

    "Do crows usually cry?" muttered Allen as he saw water starting to fall from the crow''s eyes.

    The crow slowly flew closer to Allen andnded on his shoulder.

    "Don''t you want to go home?" asked Allen.

    Surprisingly, the crow shook its head.

    "Do you understand what I''m talking about?!" shouted Allen, surprised.

    The crow nodded.

    "O-wow, I''ve never really talked to an animal; maybe they all could understand what humans say."

    The crow pushed its head against Allen''s cheek many times, the same thing Reig used to do whenforting him, and Allen spontaneously said "thank you," to the crow, just like he used to do when Reig treated him like that.

    Reig instantly transformed into slime and tried to push the crow off his shoulders.

    "Caw! Caw! Caw!"

    Reig extended his arms and pushed the crow continuously.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    "No Reig, just leave it there. It probably has a situation that makes it not want to go home.

    Also, didn''t I tell you not to transform in public? Master said that you''re not an ordinary creature in this world, don''t let people know that you''re not just a scarf."

    Reig then hit Allen''s face and said, "Ouch!" Then he turned back into a normal scarf.

    "Hey, what was that? Are you angry?

    If so, I''m sorry for making you have to hide like this. I''ll try to keep talking to you."

    Allen''s scarf twisted around his neck gently, showing that it epted his apology.

    "Thank you, Reig," Allen said while holding his scarf.

    ...

    As for the crow, she perched on his shoulder while looking at Allen, who was still daydreaming in the pond.

    "Allen, even though I finally found you, I didn''t expect you would look that sad," she thought. The crow was Susan, who managed to transfer her consciousness to the animal.

    "The only way I canmunicate with him is by nodding and shaking my head. So I have to do something to make Allen realize that this bird is me. If he can realize it, I''m sure he can do something about me, and then I''ll find a way to find brother Arthur---That is how it''s supposed to work. But it looks like Allen has a problem, and I can''t ask him to help me suddenly."

    ¡­

    "Allen, there you are; what are you doing?!" shouted a woman behind him.

    Allen looked back and found an annoyed Rachel walking towards him.

    "This time, you can''t run away, Allen! You really have to see her!"

    "I-yeah. Don''t worry, I''ll take care of her after dinner."

    "Promise?! I hope Lady really wakes up tonight, and if that''s true, someone should be by her side as soon as she wakes up.

    And if it happens while you''re with her, don''t say anything about Mr Waldo; you''ll have to go along with everyone else. Do you understand?"

    "Yes, I won''t say it."

 Chapter 238 It wasnt over

    Chapter 238 It wasn''t over

    "Why do you always waste your powers to help others? They didn''t think it was an amazing thing for them, though," three years ago; Allen posed a question to Felicia as he carried her through the city due to her exhaustion after using her blessing.

    "The limit is only twice a day, and every time you use it, you get so tired that you can''t even stand your legs up, and sometimes you even faint."

    "Are you seriously asking me that?" asked Felicia.

    Allen astonishedly asked, "Is my question that strange? At first, I thought you were just a fool who loved being used by others."

    Felicia hit Allen''s head, but her exhausted energy made the blow feel just like a leaf falling on his head; he could barely even feel Felicia''s energy.

    "See? you don''t even have the strength to punch me. As for the humans you helped, it''s not like they''ll remember what you have done to them; even the soldiers you helped are talking about you behind your back; ''the earl''s daughter has useless talent,'' they say."

    "You''ve said enough, Allen. I don''t allow you to keep talking."

    Allen let out a long sigh, "whatever," expressing his indifference.

    They continued their stroll through the vibrant city, immersed in the hustle and bustle surrounding them. After taking a few more steps, Felicia finally spoke.

    "I just want eptance."

    Allen remained silent; he just kept walking while listening.

    "Because I was my father''s unwanted child, I always tried my best to get his eptance. I studied until I threw up, practiced dancing until I turned pale, and had many meetings with disgusting-grown men who wanted to be my fianc¨¦.

    I held back, held back, held back, and held back, hoping that I would be epted as his daughter one day. But all the things I did turned out to be useless. Father didn''t see me; he didn''t even consider me his daughter. He saw me as a political tool to extend his greediness."

    Allen could feel Felicia''s hand slightly gripping Allen''s neck, hugging him while she was half crying.

    "But Allen, I met a wonderful person. He smiled at me and said that this power of mine could be useful to many people. He epted me and looked at me as myself.

    That''s when I gave up on making Dad proud; at least I wanted to be useful to others; at least others could ept me as the me who saved them.

    The people I healed showed me happy smiles and thanked me. So when you say that nonsense about them saying I''m useless, it really hurts my heart."

    "But it''s the truth."

    "Even though it''s the truth, I want everything to remain a lie. I don''t want to know what they''re talking about behind my back. As long as I can save them, and they thank me, I''ll be happy."

    "That''s it?"

    "Are you disappointed? When you know that I did everything for myself, not for others."

    Allen was silent. He didn''t know what to say at that moment. He wasn''t satisfied with her answer, but he wasn''t disappointed in her either.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ''Felicia, you''ve misunderstood,'' Allen thought on his way to Felicia''s room with Rachel.

    ''The feeling of happiness you get when you heal others must be the same as the feeling I get when people eat my food deliciously.

    It''s a feeling of pleasure because other people are happy too. It''s not selfishness; you''re doing something for someone else and loving it. You are not just a girl who wants eptance, but a girl who cannot bear to see others suffer.''

    "Come in," Rachel said as she opened the door and went inside.

    With a deep breath, Allen cautiously stepped into the confines of Felicia''s room.

    As he entered, his eyes fell upon her delicate figure resting peacefully on the elevated bed, sheltered beneath a vibrant red mosquito. The delicately drawn curtains remained parted, allowing the gentle glow of the moon to cascade into the room, casting an ethereal light upon Felicia''s serene countenance and graceful form as she slumbered.

    "..." Allen looked at Felicia, who was not much different from her old self.

    "Because her body didn''t receive nutrients well, Lady''s growth wasn''t good enough, so her body is only slightly taller than she was in three years ago," Rachel said.

    She really does look like someone who is asleep, but with skin as pale as snow. However, despite her peaceful appearance, Felicia''s breaths remained discernible.

    Allen cautiously reached out his hand toward her.

    "What are you doing?" Rachel interjected abruptly, causing Allen to flinch and hastily retract his hand.

    "I-I just feel that she will wake up if I shake her body," Allen said.

    "If it really worked, she would have woken up a long time ago; it''s not like you used to-" Rachel realized that Allen didn''t seem to be listening to her at all. Allen seemed to be in his own world, staring deeply at Felicia with his expressionless face.

    "Then I''ll leave first. I''ll be back by midnight; please take care of thedy until I get back."

    "Okay."

    Rachel departed, leaving Allen in solitude with Felicia''s motionless form.

    As Allenid his eyes upon Felicia, an amalgamation of sorrow and yearning surged within him, intertwining their mncholic tendrils.

    Yet amidst this emotional maelstrom, he came to a profound realization - it was not the act of seeing her that filled him with trepidation; instead, what if she woke up while he was waiting for her in that room?

    Overwhelmed by this apprehension, Allen consciously turned away from her, averted his gaze, and started sitting on the chair, seeking sce upon a nearby chair and finding a book on the shelf.

    He sat there while reading the book.

    Susan, who had been resting on Allen''s shoulder, began to fly andnded on Felicia''s wooden bed divider.

    "She''s so pretty," Susan thought. "So she''s the girl Allen always talks about. And she''s also Mr. Waldo''s fianc¨¦e.

    No wonder Allen was so sad. Apparently, his redemption wasn''t over yet.

    What would happen to her when she discovered Mr. Waldo was dead? Besides, the one who killed him was also the person closest to her."

 Chapter 239 Sudden Visit

    Chapter 239 Sudden Visit

    "Sorry for the long wait; I didn''t expect you to be here," Reynold said as he sat on the sofa in his work room. His face looked a little unhappy with the sudden guest sitting in front of him.

    "I really hate people who arete, and I hate being the one who waits for them, and getting the tea your servant gave me makes my hate grow even more," the girl replied. a teenage girl reluctantly sipped on the tea that didn''t quite match her taste preferences. Despite her personal dislikes, she maintained a smile, but a sly smile. She has wavy golden hair cascading down her shoulders, and her diamond-blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight from the window of the workroom.

    "No wonder, that tea is a guest tea whose vor is more universally liked by many people. Is there a specific tea you would like? Princess Margareth."

    Princess Margareth Albreda Wildenhall, the 10th prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, suddenly came to the Boldenville residence, apanied by her personal knight, arge man with red hair.

    "No need, the thirst in my throat has disappeared; although I hate this tea, that doesn''t mean my body rejects it."

    She finally drank the tea, then muttered, "Aaah, it really tastes bad."

    ''Of all the princes I''ve met, this kid is the one I dislike the most,'' Reynold pondered, reflecting on his encounters with numerous princes.

    ''Her countenance exuded an air of omniscience, despite her being no more than a sly and arrogant youngdy. Unfortunately, her arrogance lives up to her reputation. Although not as smart as Alicia, she did possess enough intelligence to hold a ce among the esteemed Imperial Students within the academy.

    My gut feeling has always been that this girl''s way of thinking is quite destructive. It almost seemed as though she possessed a misguided thirst for power¡ªif perchance she were to reign supreme as a king, it wouldn''t be long before she destroyed the kingdom with her callous hands.'' Reynold looked at her deeply, and then asked

    "Your Highness, what business have youe here for?"

    "You really don''t like small talk; I hate it," Margareth said.

    "Small talk only wastes my time. Your arrival could lead to opinions, especially at a time like this."

    "Hmm¡­ borate it."

    "If the nobles know that you came here to a house whose position is still neutral, it wouldn''t be surprising if they assume you want me to be your ally."

    "You don''t have to worry about that," said the knight standing behind Margareth. "We''re on our way back from the academy to the castle and in a normal carriage, so our arrival is unlikely to raise any strange rumors."

    "Carrying your highness in an ordinary carriage? Are you in your right mind? What about thefort? And the risk of the princess being attacked by bandits."

    "I''m a mithril-ranked dungeon explorer; there''s no way those bandits can touch the princess."

    "That''s enough, Bertoph. I never allowed you to speak," Margareth said.

    "Very well, princess," replied the knight without showing a guilty face.

    "As you might have guessed: yes, my visit is rted to the election of the throne war," Margareth said.

    Reynold sighed, "Do you want me to vote for you? Shouldn''t you know that, as the only neutral earl, I can''t vote for either prince yet? Let alone you. The nobles who support you are almost all nobles who have bad rtions with me."

    "Yes, if you want to vote for me, that would be great, but I know you won''t.

    Do you know who holds the most votes now?" asked Margareth.

    "The election hasn''t started yet, so I don''t know for sure."

    "Possibilities are fine. I don''t want an exact number. I just want to hear your opinion as an earl."

    Reynold put his hand on his head, thinking for a moment. Then confidently, he replied:

    "The second Prince, His Highness, Harald Regina Wildenhall."

    "Why?" asked Margareth, but her face did not look surprised at all.

    "Prince Harald is a highly qualified candidate for the role of king amongst the nobles due to his unique qualities. While some may perceive hisziness as a weakness, it actually serves as an advantage in fostering strong rtionships with all the nobles. Hisck of political involvement allows him to maintain an unbiased perspective, ensuring that he remains neutral and uninvolved in any internal conflicts or power struggles within the noble circle. This ignorance bes his secret weapon, endearing him further to the nobility, who appreciate having someone like Harald who prioritizes their harmony and doesn''t meddle in their affairs behind closed doors."

    Margareth stood up, then as she walked towards the window, she said, "Number two must be sister Alicia, who probably knows everything about the noble affairs. But that''s why certain nobles approached her; they probably contracted with that woman to find out their opponents'' information."

    Margareth paused for a while, then continued.

    "This time, Brother Harald has the highest support from nobles, but most of the nobles still haven''t made their choice.

    That''s why, as one of the influential earls, I want you to start choosing someone. Someone who can change the flow of this election."

    "Change the flow of the election, you say? There are still a few years left before Prince Francis grows up; that''s too long to actually choose someone."

    "I know; that''s why you just need to pretend to vote. You can''t change your vote when the election begins."

    lights¦­¦Ïvel "Before I agree, may I know who I should vote for?"

    Margareth turned around and showed a sly smile.

    "Choose Francis."

    That answer shocked not only Reynold but also Bertoph, who was standing behind the sofa.

    "F-francis?"

    "I bet the one who chose him is still zero; after all, he is a famous nameless prince."

    "But why?"

    "The motive¡ªI can''t tell you¡ªbut the purpose is to confuse the nobles. If someone like you suddenly supports Francis, I''m sure they will be confused and rethink their choice.

    Then those who are neutral will start supporting Francis in order to be close to you."

    Reynold shook his head disapprovingly. "If you are not willing to tell me your motives, then I cannot agree. Plus, I have nothing to gain either."

    "You have the advantage. Although I''m not as smart as my sister Alicia, I know many things too."

    Margareth walked slowly towards Reynold, her voice barely audible as she leaned in to whisper something in his ear. The words lingered for a moment before reaching Reynold''s mind, causing his face to instantly contort with surprise. His wide eyes searched Margareth''s face for answers.

    "D-how did you know about that?" Confusion filled the air as Reynold stuttered.

    A cunning smile appeared on Margareth''s lips as she responded with a sly tone, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "So what? Do you want to make this trade deal?" Her confidence exuded from every word.

    Reynold''s mind raced, desperately trying to process the situation. He grasped his head tightly, searching for the answer deep in his mind.

    "I''ll need some time to think about it first," the words slipped hesitantly through his lips, revealing a hint of uncertainty.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    After the meeting, Margareth decided to rest at the Boldenville residence for a day.

    Bertoph, who was intrigued by her n, couldn''t help but seek further rification.

    Inquisitively, he inquired, "So, what was your n to do all this?"

    "As I said earlier, I want everyone to vote for Francis. Then I''ll try to get close to him and ally with him. After that, if I kill him, all his supporters will switch to me."

    "Why do you believe that his supporters will switch to you?"

    "Because from now on, I will be on good terms with Francis; I will make a beautiful sibling rtionship with him for the next ten years so that they think that Francis and I really have the same ideology."

    "I see¡­ That n is very you."

    Seeing her knight satisfied with the answer, she thought, " The n is workable, but the probability of sess is too low; I also don''t want to get close to Francis. My real intention is to make Lord Bodlenville my ally.''

    ''He said he would think about it, meaning he''ll visit me at the castle when he''s sure of his choice. And even if he rejects my solicitation, he still needs to visit me; rumors will spread that Lord Boldenville and I made a deal, and that could also sway the neutral votes in my favor, then-''

    Margareth''s thoughts came to a halt as her mind went nk, consumed by the sound of sword swipes that pierced through the air. This familiar noise had reached her ears before, but this time it grabbed her attention and drew her eyes toward the window. There stood Allen, engaged in rigorous training with his fellow soldiers. The sight captivated Margareth, momentarily detaching her attention.

    "Princess?" asked Bertoph.

    "Bertoph, I found my old toy."

 Chapter 240 Become the Forgotten

    Chapter 240 Be the Forgotten

    The Boldenville residence had its own indoor training ground. Residing within this space, a symphony of rhythmic shes and resonating swordy filled the air. For onlookers such as Lady Ayde and her son Michael, these harmonious sounds were akin to music, captivating their attention as they observed the sparring before them.

    Sparring for sword practice was conducted by Allen and one of the off-duty soldiers. The soldier was seen desperately swinging his sword at Allen, while Allen could easily ward off his attacks.

    "Hey! Hurry up and lose!" shouted the soldiers surrounding them, whoughed together after, indicating that this was not the first time the sparring partner had fought Allen.

    "A-amazing," said Michael in his mother''s arms.

    "Of course, he''s your sister''s knight," Ayde replied.

    It wasn''t just Allen''s moves that amazed Michael, but also the fact that he still didn''t look tired even after fighting the fifth person. He also hadn''t taken a single hit from his opponent so far.

    ''Ooooh my, Lady Ayde is looking this way!'' thought the soldier who fought Allen.

    Ayde was well aware of Allen''s strength, but she never anticipated that her soldier would be defeated so swiftly and effortlessly, without even inflicting a scratch on the opponent. The shocking oue left Ayde with a cold and annoyed expression as doubt started to creep into her mind regarding the capabilities of the Boldenville soldiers.

    Meanwhile, Allen couldn''t shake off the feeling that he was engaged in this fight without any intentional purpose. As a result, worry began to consume him, primarily for the safety of the house.

    ''I just realized that this world has a lot of strong people, like the one who attacked Felicia in the castle, then the leader of the Servus. Lord Reynold seems to know that; maybe that''s why he relies on numbers rather than quality, their pay may be low.''

    As Allen emerged victorious in his battle against the 10th opponent, a hush fell over the arena. Suddenly, a slow and deliberate apuse broke through the silence, sending chills down everyone''s spine. All eyes turned towards the sound, searching for its source. It was then that they noticed a yellow-haired girl standing tall with an air of authority, apanied by a loyal knight at her side.

    "Excellent..." resonated in the voice of the yellow-haired girl, her tone exuding both admiration and intimidation.

    "Princess Margareth, my respects to you," Lady Ayde said, bowing her head to Margareth, followed by Michael, Allen, and all the soldiers.

    "Allen, you''ve gotten a little bigger and more handsome."

    "What? Did Princess know Allen?" muttered the soldier.

    "I don''t know! Maybe they met once in the castle?"

    Margareth continued, "I hate it so much; I wish you''d stay small because I less hate small people; they are easy to crush."

    Allen had only lowered his head because he was following the others, but since the girl mentioned his name, Allen cautiously lifted his head, stealing a quick nce at Margareth, who stood before him. However, Margareth gently tilted Allen''s chin upward before he could fully make eye contact.

    "Ah, you really are that Allen; you have a different way of gazing, so I thought that I was mistaken."

    Their faces were very close, only a few centimeters apart, and Margareth observed every inch of Allen''s face.

    "H-have we met before?" asked Allen.

    Margareth was a little surprised by Allen''s reaction, and then she pushed Allen''s head back.

    "Haha that''s funny. All my life, I''ve always been known by the whole kingdom, and I''m always on the side of people who often forget other people''s faces. I didn''t expect that there would be a chance for me to be the forgotten one."

    Allen''s expression turned into one of confusion as he furrowed his brows, attempting to recall the identity of the girl standing before him. Given the circumstances, he felt a pressing need to recognize this person adequately, especially if they held significance or importance in his life. Considering any potential previous encounters or connections that might have urred between them, Allen pondered whether there could have been any unresolved issues that happened in the past. He should know if he had anything wrong with her in the past.

    Lady Ayde approached them and then told Allen, "Allen, this person is the tenth prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, Princess Magareth Albreda Wildenhall. You''ve already danced with her once at Francis'' birthday party."

    "EEH?!"

    "Allen..."

    "Danced with the princess?"

    "Is Allen perhaps connected to the royal family?!"

    "But why?"

    The soldiers immediately whispered excitedly in the back once they knew that fact. Allen who used to be just a peasant, knew there was no way the princess would give her hand to a peasant. And moreover, what excites them more is,

    "I heard that Lady Felicia had a dance with Prince Francis that was supposed to be with Allen."

    "But Lady must dance with Francis because of duty."

    "Then, does it mean Lady saw Allen dancing with Princess Margareth?!"

    They started gossiping like girls, excited at the thought of how jealous their Lady''s faces were when she saw Allen dancing with someone else.

    Of course, it''s all just their fantasy; they like imagining a pure love triangle of children.

    "You do not even remember our intense dancing; you''ve really failed as a man, Allen. We have talked about many things together. About you and about my brother," Margareth said.

    "So-sorry, I will try my best in the future. I just don''t remember things from the past very well, let alone insignificant things like dancing-"

    Allen then realized everyone looked at him strangely, including Lady Ayde, who saw him with a very shocked face.

    "H...hmmm... not important, huh? What the hell was that..."

    Allen immediately closed his mouth, realizing he had probably once again let loose with a taboo subject he didn''t understand.

    Margareth raised her face and looked at Allen with a murderous gaze that gave Allen goosebumps.

    "I hate that. That is the sentence I hate the most in this world."

    Allen could feel that the gaze given by Margareth was not ordinary hate.

    She had only said a few words, but the hatred on her face was almost the same as that of the people whose families had been killed.

    "Your Highness! Please forgive Allen''s presumptuous behavior; I will definitely punish himter. For now, please calm your anger-"

    "No need."

    Margareth let out a long sigh; then her face turned back to her usual self; She seemed to dispel her hateful aura in just a moment.

    "I''m used to hearing that from my own mother." even so, her face was still full of hatred.

    ''What''s with this girl? She''s the weirdest type of human I''ve met,''

    "Bertoph, what''s your judgment on this kid? You''re good at judging people, right? If you fought him, who would win?"

    "I don''t know."

    "Being uncertain means he was strong enough to make you doubt your own judgment.

    Try harder, you useless knight; you''re just toozy to appraise him."

    "Aaaargh, fine. As you wish, my Lady." Bertoph walked closely to Allen and observed him.

    "With that body''s flexibility and the precision of his every move, I would have a hard time defending myself. I have a lot of things to prepare if I want to fight this kid."

    "So you will lose?"

    "Probably."

    "What about a fight to the death? What are the odds that you can win against him now?"

    "A fight to the death? Of course, 90 percent I''ll win."

    The knight then looked at Allen with murderous lust, making Allen take a few steps back and immediately take out both his swords.

    "Why are you asking? Do you want me to kill him?"

    "That would be good, but..."

    Margareth looked at Lady Ayde''s face, which seemed to have turned pale and troubled,

    ''From her reaction and how she defended Allen, he seems important in this house,'' Margareth thought.

    "Not so, I still want to be on good terms with Earl Boldenville."

    Margareth looked at Ayde, then she said "But of course I still have the right to punish him, right? Ayde."

    Ayde could only nod

    "Of course, but please don''t destroy him."

    "No worries," Margareth said as she walked over to Allen, "This kid was doomed from the start. At the moment I first met him, I could tell just by the look in his eyes that he couldn''t be saved anymore."

    Margareth again held Allen''s face and looked deeply into Allen''s red eyes.

    "Aaah, you are indeed the same boy I met back then. But where did that hateful look go?" Margareth murmured. Allen could feel Margareth''s breath near him, so he pushed Margareth''s shoulders as gently as possible to get them away from his body.

    "Your Highness, please forgive me for what I said earlier, I didn''t mean to break your heart at all."

    "I know... That''s why I hate you. The way you said it so naturally without a single negative emotion inside, made me hate it even more.

    As punishment, you must apany me while I''m here."

    "Apany you?"

    "Today and tomorrow, until I leave this residence, you will be my servant."

 Chapter 241 I liked the dish

    Chapter 241 I liked the dish

    In the realm of a prosperous kingdom, where status and hierarchy were paramount. Unlike ordinary nobles, the royal family had the right to decide on one''s life and death. If a royal family received a clear insult, an affront so severe that it was universally acknowledged as an unmistakable form of disrespect, it would not be surprising if a peasant had his head cut off on the spot because of it.

    Margareth had the right and choice to do that to Allen, so asking Allen to be her "servant" for a day was a form of mercy.

    "Yes, mydy," Allen replied when he saw Ayde''s pale face. ''It seems like it would be dangerous for me to refuse,'' he thought.

    Margareth then smiled slyly. But that smile disappeared as soon as she saw the faces of everyone in the room, which were originally tense, be disappointed.

    Not just the soldiers, but even Ayde and Michael as well.

    Before Margareth could ask, Ayde asked with a worried face, "Your Highness, I apologize for my impertinence, but do you have any important business with Allen right now?"

    "What does that mean?"

    "It''s lunchtime soon, so can you use Allen after lunch is over?"

    Margareth''s face was filled with confusion, "What does that mean? What''s the connection between lunchtime and Allen?"

    "Well, Allen is the cook in this house. And he has to start cooking, not just for me, but also for all the soldiers here."

    "?"

    "?"

    "Hm?"

    "Are you kidding?-"

    Margareth looked around, then saw Allen.

    "I''m begging you too," Allen said as he put his hand on his chest. "Can you forget about the punishment for the next hour? It doesn''t have to be until after lunch, just until I finish cooking."

    To her surprise, all the soldiers joined in and pleaded for Allen to be allowed to cook first. They all bowed their heads in unison and said,

    "We also ask for your generosity!"

    "Please, let Allen cook first!"

    "We will also be your servants for a day to rece him!"

    Margareth and Bertoph were immediately shocked.

    "What the hell?"

    Confusion, surprise, and anger were all mixed up inside her. For the first time in her life, she felt intimidation other than from her family. As a person who always hates everything, she really likes to move not ording to people''s expectations; she likes to make others upset with her decisions. But, seeing the people in front of her, bowing to her, just because of Allen, made her feelpelled to ept them.

    ''Allen, who exactly is he? What makes him so special to them?!'' Margareth thought irritably.

    ...

    lights¦­¦Ïvel ...

    ...

    Margareth Aldebra Wildenhall was originally known as a quiet child who often cried. But suddenly, once she received her god''s blessing at 9, her nature changed. She publicly mentioned everything she hated, even to her mother and the king. Her mouth became a razor, cutting anyone who heard it.

    Her striking and beautiful stature, coupled with her haughty and misanthropic demeanor, made her aura eerie, so that whenever she stepped into a room, people would immediately look at her with a bad feeling. And she enjoyed that feeling¡ªa feeling that everyone was watching her and intimidated by her presence.

    And now, as she sat in the kitchen watching Allen cook, it was as if she never existed. Not only was she ignored, but Margareth was sure that Allen had probably forgotten she was even there.

    "Risa, can you please get more water in the back?"

    "A-alright!"

    "Bell, turn on the fire on the side, and start heating the rest of the water."

    "Okay!"

    "Palmer, if I''m not mistaken, there are ear mushrooms in the back of the house. Can you get them for me?"

    "I will!"

    In front of Margareth, Allen worked quickly with the maids. The maids were initially afraid to work while being watched by Margareth, but Allen instilled confidence and alleviated their initial apprehension. They grew ustomed to her gaze as time passed and gradually disregarded her presence altogether. It seemed as though Allen''s contagious enthusiasm for the cook profoundly affected the maids, as they became engrossed in the tasks he assigned them,pletely oblivious to the tension within the room.

    ''This is humiliation... This is really humiliation," Margareth thought. She was sitting in the main room of the kitchen in a plush chair that the soldier had brought her. It was near arge window, and Bertoph stood outside it.

    Since the kitchen was not a ce for nobles, Margareth changed her clothes into the most ordinary clothes Ayde had, and she wore a mask to get rid of the kitchen''s unpleasant odor, but the smell still pierced her nose until she kept holding her nose with her hand.

    "Lady, you''d better wait in the dining room," Bertoph whispered.

    ''He''s right,'' Margareth thought. ''What am I doing here?''

    ''I came to see how Allen was cooking. But it seems he''s quite good at it, to the point where all the soldiers are begging me to let him cook.''

    Margareth looked at Allen, who seemed to be busy with the ingredients, and she immediately remembered the Allen she had met who had tried to kill her brother in front of everyone.

    ''Cooking? Seriously! I originally asked him to be my servant to see his panicked face, but it turns out he wasn''t far from servant status to begin with!''

    Everyone had alreadypletely ignored Margareth, even the knight, who was watching Allen seriously.

    ''Aaah I hate this,'' Margareth thought. ''Staying here and watching him cook¡ªI''m such a fool.''

    Margareth finally stood up from her chair. The maids immediately reflexively looked at her, feeling anxious. When Margareth started walking, they immediately dropped what they were doing and saluted her.

    "Hilda, please take the meat," only Allen did not salute.

    Margareth looked at Allen sharply. Maid, who was standing next to Allen, tapped Allen on the shoulder to make him realize about Margareth.

    "Ah!" Allen looked back and saw Margareth standing there, along with Bertoph, who seemed to have entered through the window.

    "So-sorry for my impudence. Had we passed an hour? Please wait a little longer!" Allen said.

    Margareth was silent. And Margareth''s silence deafened the room. About a minuteter, Margareth turned around and walked towards the door.

    "I''ll wait in the dining room," she said before walking out of the room.

    ...

    Because of Margareth''s presence, the dining table became a little awkward; Ayde and Michael were silent as they bowed their heads.

    Margareth sat on the guest chair, along with her knight, who sat to her left. The maids then came with the food and ced it on the table. After they prayed, the hood was removed.

    "What is this?" asked Margareth as she looked at the food before her.

    "It''s called leek soup, your highness. It''s specially made whenever guestse," Ayde replied.

    "Don''t patronize me; I know what this is. Are you seriously giving this to a guest? Isn''t this peasant food?"

    "What do you expect? The cook is also a 15-year-old peasant," Bertoph said.

    "Well, why don''t you eat it first, your highness. If you don''t like it, we can rece it with something else," said Reynold who had already started to spoon the food into his mouth.

    Margareth stares at the food.

    ''It looks good and smells good too; it''s probably fine,'' Margareth thought.

    She then looked at Bertoph, who had already started eating the soup with gusto.

    Hesitantly, Margareth began to lift her spoon and put the soup into her mouth.

    ___Five minutes passed

    Allen came to the dining table in new clothes. Reynold asked him toe to the dining table when the guests arrived. And beforeing, in five minutes, he had to take a quick bath and change into the official Boldenville family knight clothes because as a cook, he would be asked many questions by the guests.

    As Allen arrived at the dining room,

    "I''m full," came Margareth''s voice, and the clink of her silver spoon fell to the floor. Allen was at the entrance gate behind Margareth.

    Rachel picked up the spoon, and then just as she was about to clear Margareth''s te, Rachel looked at the soup, which was almost untouched, it seemed like she had only eaten up to five spoons.

    "Was the dish not to your taste?" Rachel asked.

    "Aah no, I liked the dish. It''s good," said Margareth. "But I hated it, hated it so much that I didn''t want it to fill my body; please bring me an ordinary loafter."

    She then stood up "I will go to the room provided. I''m a little tired today." She turned around and saw Allen standing behind her.

    "So you''re there apparently; that''s good. Come to my roomter. There are many things I want to talk to you about. About the old you and my brother, Leofric."

    "A-alright," Allen replied. His heart ached to know that the person in front of him hated the food he made so much that he didn''t realize she spoke Leofric''s name.

 Chapter 242 I wanted to see the old you

    Chapter 242 I wanted to see the old you

    Francis'' birthday party.

    When I first saw him, his ck hair and red eyes were beautiful.

    Among the apes who admired us, he alone looked at us with hatred.

    Those red eyes of his, shining crimson red but also dark and gloomy, looked at Leofric with pure and deep hatred.

    I held back tears at the sight of him and also held back the grin on my mouth that I couldn''t hide until the end.

    "Who is that girl?" I asked one of the gate guards about a beautiful girl who could be lined up with us, wearing clothes we had never seen.

    "She is the daughter of the Boldenville family, mydy," but I didn''t care about the girl; my question was only to trigger my question afterward.

    "Then, the ck-haired one that talked to her earlier?"

    "That''s her knight; if I''m not mistaken, his name is Allen."

    "Allen..." I started to get interested in him.

    The one who had such a deep hatred must have been the one whose happiness was smashed to pieces. A pure form of hatred that even I myself didn''t feel because, I had no happiness to begin with.

    That''s why I told him about Leofric''s ce in the castle and how Leofric would meet the Dolls back then. I wondered where that hatred would lead him, what would happen if he killed Leofric, and how he would act if he saw Leofric dead.

    Where would that hatred take him? Just thinking about some of the possibilities makes it hard to hold back myughter.

    And sure enough, to my surprise, Leofric really did die. And it wasn''t the boy who killed him.

    "Amazing," I muttered when I saw Allen''s distraught face as he watched Leofric die before him.

    "That''s the face I want to see¡ªthe face of someone who doesn''t know where to vent his hatred. And how that hatred will affect everyone."

    Although it probably wouldn''t be able to kill Harald, at least his rampage could definitely kill all the nobles in the room. When that happens, the kingdom will definitely be destroyed inside.

    I was too excited andughed a little when I thought about it.

    However, the maid interrupted, shouting a name at him.

    "Felicia."

    That name woke him up from his tantrum and made him leave the room, leaving behind the corpse of Leofric that he hated so much.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel ...

    Twenty minutes after lunch, Allen went straight to the guest room where Margareth was resting.

    As he stood at the door, her knight came out beside the room''s door.

    "Oh, you finally came," said the knight.

    "I won''t interfere with whatever you guys are doing inside, but if anything happens to Lady, I''ll kill you on the spot.

    Though something had already happened to her, "The knight left.

    Allen then knocked on the door.

    "Come in," Margareth answered inside.

    Allen went inside and was immediately surprised when he looked into the room.

    Over the past two weeks, Allen had gotten to know the ins and outs of Boldenville Manor House well; he often helped the maids move things around, so he was also familiar with the contents of the guest rooms and how they were arranged. But what he saw at that moment waspletely different from the guest room he knew.

    The room was in such disarray that a typhoon had ravaged its contents. The sheets had fallen off, the feathers inside the mattress spilled out, the floor was cluttered with women''s clothes, and the walls had scratch marks.

    The only thing that looked okay was the mirrored cab. Margareth was sitting there, wearing only a long white one-piece dress, looking into the mirror with a slightly bloody face from her own scratches.

    Margareth looked back, looking at Allen with a nk stare.

    "Since I said something bad about your food just now, I thought you would get depressed and kill yourself; thank God you didn''t." Her voice became softer than usual. However, the content of her words was still heartbreaking, so the softness made her words more painful to hear. "You look so fine, huh? Not like me."

    Allen had seen those eyes; they were the same eyes he had seen three years ago, when he first came to the Boldenville residence.

    "Take care of my wound," Margareth said.

    "Eh?"

    "Can''t you? Take a cotton swab and treat my wound."

    Allen approached Margareth, and instead of taking a cotton swab, he used fire amnis to heal the wound.

    "I see¡­ You can also do healing amnis; I really hate it. We could increase our intimacy if you do a normal treatment."

    Allen tried not to ask her about the room; instead, he asked more important questions.

    "Why do you hate me? Have I done anything to you in the past?"

    After trying to recall past events, Allen finally remembered Margareth. She was the one who told him Leofric''s position that night. And that''s why he walked out of the castle, leaving Felicia to search for him alone.

    "Huh you think you''re the special one who I hate? You''re wrong; I don''t just hate you; I hate everyone, and not just everyone; every nature, every living thing, and every thing, I hate them so much."

    "Huh?"

    "I hate my brothers and their reputation; I hate the soldiers who are willing to give their lives for the kingdom; I hate the people who can only stay silent in front of the kingdom; I also hate the happy people; I hate the dancing seed! I even hate the rock who didn''t do anything! I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate everything in this world to the point that I could vomit because of them!"

    Allen could only be silent, confused, and pensive, looking at the person in front of him, whom he found so strange.

    "What I hate the most is people who live happily while they have big problems.

    Yes, people like you."

    "What do you mean-"

    Margareth immediately threw her chair away, looking at Allen very angrily.

    "It didn''t mean anything! I hate the meaning itself! I hate you for asking me that! I hate everyone who tries to ask that!

    What do you think I look forward to when I see you? I am stressed out! Where is the old you? I wanted to see him so badly! I''d love to see your eyes full of hate! To Leofric and all the people in this world!

    Yes, you''re just like me; you should be just like me! A human who gave up and craved hatred!

    But you... You lost it...

    You''ve lost that hatred inside you, and are even cooking happily.

    I hate, I hate, I hate it so much."

    Margareth became uncontrobly angry, she was about to use her hand to hit the mirror, quickly Allen held her hand.

    "Don''t touch me!"

    Allen reflexively released his hand, while Margareth immediately pushed Allen''s body away.

    Margareth immediately sat down and panted. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly; she immediately regained herposure afterward.

    "Hey, Allen..." she said softly.

    "How can you lose the hatred inside you? Where do you go to vent all that hatred?"

    Allen realized that this conversation would lead to something he didn''t like. But even so, he answered anyway.

    "Because I''ve found something that makes me happy."

    "Something that makes you happy? Huh, don''t tell me it''s cooking?"

    "That''s right, I like cooking. I feel happy when people eat my cooking with satisfaction; that is all I need."

    "Then how do you feel when you see people who won''t enjoy your food? People like me?"

    "It feels painful."

    "Ha! I know it! Now are you going to hate me because of that? That''s good."

    "I can''t do that; something must be wrong with my cooking that doesn''t suit your taste."

    "That''s not true; I really like your cooking. It tastes good, didn''t I tell you?"

    "But why didn''t you finish it?"

    "I was full."

    "My master once told me the characteristics of a hungry person; I know you are still hungry. This room is the result of your hunger; you are angry and stressed because you are hungry."

    "What do you know about me? I''ve always been like this, taking out my hatred on the things around me, whether my stomach is full or not."

    "I''m sure that''s not true. If you were really full, I''m sure you would think more clearly!"

    "HAHA! Alright I admit, I''m still hungry. I''m so hungry that I don''t have enough energy to destroy this house!

    Do you know why I don''t want to eat your food?

    Because of the warmth I feel when I eat, it really calms me down. What a great soup, filled with a disgusting sense of love. I can feel your hard work, and I remember your smiling face while you were cooking. That''s why I hate it.

    The soup you made made me suddenly feel the warmth of love!

    And if I ate it all, I could sense the hatred I felt, and the hatred I had umted over the past ten years would disappear!

    It''s as if the soup you made denies my existence and what makes me who I am!"

    Allen looked at Margareth like a shattered mirror. It was a perfect form of hatred. It was how he looked back then, before he was able to meet so many good people. She will always try to reject the kindness of others.

    ''Master, Susan, Felicia, what should I do? I really want to save her.''

 Chapter 243 Margareth Albreda Wildenhall

    Chapter 243 Margareth Albreda Wildenhall

    When Albreda married the king and became his fourth queen, her deepest desire was to have a son who would carry on the legacy and be a future leader. However, Albreda remained childless, while the fifth and sixth queens were blessed with sons who were highly regarded by all. This unfortunate circumstance caused Albreda to constantly feel inferior in the presence of the other queens and nobles. She developed a sense of paranoia as she interpreted their smirks and whispers as mocking remarks about her inability to conceive, even though the king chose Albreda as his wife not only for her beauty but also because he believed she possessed the ability to bear him an heir worthy of continuing his bloodline.

    As time passed, she finally became pregnant and gave birth to a child. However, much to her surprise and the expectations of others, the child was a girl who was born with a congenital heart defect. This unexpected turn of events left her feeling both confused and disappointed. Unfortunately, rumors began to circte suggesting that she had an affair or used amnis to conceive the child. These rumors were clearly false, as her daughter possessed the king''s yellow hair and blue eyes. Despite this evidence, Albreda couldn''t escape the judgmental nces and disdain from many people, reminding her once again of how she was still looked down upon in their eyes.

    That child was Margareth, the 10th prince of Wildenhall Kingdom, and the only child Albreda had until now.

    Margareth had been ignored by her mother all her life and was considered a disgrace to her own mother.

    ''I am an unwanted child,'' was how Margareth thought of herself.

    Eventually, Margareth had enough of everything. At the age of 9, she came alone to the pce prison and killed one of the criminals with her own hands.

    That''s where she got her god''s blessing.

    At her 10th birthday party, everyone in the kingdom apuded her.

    "Getting God''s blessing at that age, he is indeed a genius child like other princes."

    "I knew he was really the king''s son, a prince who could make the kingdom better."

    "I''m sure he''ll surpass his sister Alicia one day."

    ''What a hairy ape,'' Margareth thought at that moment. She nced at her mother, who was also pping, smiling at the praise from everyone.

    Margareth took a deep breath in front of everyone, and with the most beautiful smile she could put on, she announced:

    "I hate the knights, I hate the people, I hate the nobles, I hate my family, and I hate this kingdom. My wish for the future is the destruction of this kingdom, leading it to the beautiful underworld.

    For those who hate this kingdom too, I hate you too, so don''t expect anything from me; don''t think that I will be someone as great as my siblings because all my hopes for this kingdom are nothing more than a desire to bury it."

    After Margareth delivered her powerful speech expressing her deep-rooted animosity towards the kingdom, a profound silence fell over the room, abruptly halting the rhythmic apuse. It was a moment that left asting impact on everyone present. The transformation of Margareth, who had previously been known for her timid and sensitive nature, into an ominous figure reminiscent of an evil princess struck fear into the hearts of all who witnessed it.

    Hatred after hatred piled up inside her, making her feel powerful and superior to others. Having a unique character made her feel happy and differentiated her from her genius siblings.

    As fate would have it, she crossed paths with Allen and discovered an unexpected connection¡ªa shared, profound loathing.

    However, much to her dismay, after three long years of not seeing him, the Allen she once knew had transformed into someone remarkably gentle. The piercing gaze that belonged to him now exuded warmth and tenderness.

    In those very eyes, she found herself feeling foolish as they silently conveyed the message that true happiness could only be attained if she were to release her deep-seated animosity, just as Allen had done.

    But if she forgot her hatred, what was left of her?

    "He must still have that hatred, I''m sure. I will make him feel that hatred again. If I make him my servant, I''ll make hime back to his senses. I''ll tease him until he hates the whole world again! Maybe I will kill Felicia in front of him. I wonder what would happen to him if I did that."

    But that thought was instantly shattered when she saw Allen cooking. She knew right away that there was no way she could bring back that look in his eyes.

    "Hey tell me, Allen. How could you lose the hatred inside you? Where did you vent all your hatred?"

    Leofric was already dead, and he must have killed many others to vent it all. But no matter how many he killed, it wouldn''t be enough. Just like Margareth, who would not feel enough until she couldpletely destroy the kingdom she hated so much.

    ''I can''t take it anymore... This child, I might as well kill him; if he exists, I feel like my existence in this world is being denied.''

    Margareth began to grasp the broken ss.

    Allen immediately grabbed her shoulders while bending his head.

    "I told you not to touch-"

    "You said you were still hungry, right?" Allen asked.

    "Yes, so what?"

    "You also said that no matter if you''re full or hungry, your feelings won''t change; you''ll still be stressed out because of the hatred you have."

    "That''s right; I don''t care if you believe it or not, my feelings have nothing to do with the food I eat, whether I like the food or not, I will still hate everything to its roots."

    Allen lifted his head, looked at Margareth, and said

    "Then let''s prove it."

    "What?"

    "My master said that a hungry person can''t think; I''m sure that''s true, and I''m sure you''re the way you are now because you''re hungry.

    I will cook you the food you like, and if you like it, you must finish it without anything left."

    ''Huh, whatever, I''m already tired of dealing with this guy.''

    With more tender eyes, Allen said

    "Then, after you eat, let''s talk.

    I''ll listen to your problems, and I''ll tell you my problems; I''m sure that way we''ll understand each other. And I''m sure you will get better when we understand each other."

    Allen, in Margareth''s eyes, now looked shining and very reliable.

    And she thought it was very disgusting.

    "No need; I don''t care about you anymore," Margareth said. "You don''t need to be my servant anymore. I''m tired of dealing with you, go away, don''t deal with me anymore."

    ''How pathethic, how disgusting,'' Margareth thought. ''He must be feeling sorry for me; I''m really fed up with people who have that high sense of justice like him.''

    "Huh how so!" said Allen, raising his voice slightly.

    "You''re free, go away," Margareth replied with an unconcerned look on her face.

    "No! We need to talk; you can''t just let me go all of a sudden."

    "Of course I can; I''m the one who gave you the order; now get lost. I''m sick of you continuing to pity me. That justice of yours makes me want to vomit. You don''t have to think about me anymore; just go."

    Allen then scratched his hair.

    "What a stupid princess," he muttered.

    "Huh? What did you say just now?" asked Margareth, unconvinced.

    "I said you''re stupid, an idiot, and so troublesome! I indeed care about you a little because you resemble me back then, but that doesn''t mean I really pity you."

    "Haha now you''re suddenly changing your character? You don''t need to provoke me; it''s pointless."

    "It''s because I''m already annoyed with you."

    "Of course you''re annoyed, I''m doing it on purpose so that you start to grow hatred within yourself-"

    "Enough with the hate; I really don''t want to hear it!

    I''M JUST PISSED because you didn''t finish your food!"

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t care about you at all; I''m trying to listen to you and engage you in conversation so that you will once again eat my cooking and finish your food!"

    "What the hell is that-"

    "You''re annoying! You''re not finishing your food, even though you like it! I don''t understand that at all! That''s why I made that useless bet. So that you''d actually finish your food."

    "I told you that I hate-"

    "That''s what makes you annoying! You think of useless things! If you like it, then eat it; if you don''t like it, don''t eat it!"

    ''This guy¡ªdoes he really have this kind of personality?'' Margareth thought. ''As far as I know, he''s a quieter, less expressive person.''

    Allen brought his face closer to Margareth while holding her shoulders.

    "What-"

    "Remember, today I will cook a new soup for you. Wait at the pavilion in the garden, I''ll deliver it in ten minutes! Understood?" Allen asked with annoyed and angry eyes.

    "Wh-what?! I don''t-"

    "UNDERSTAND?!"

    "O-okay," Allen''s intimidating aura defeated Margareth.

    At that moment Allen immediately left the room.

    "Remember! Wait in the pavilion! I don''t care about your problems AT ALL; you just have to finish your food!"

    Then he closed the door violently.

    "I remember this feeling; just like Felicia back then. But she''s more annoying than her."

 Chapter 244 Lets Talk

    Chapter 244 Let''s Talk

    "You''re annoying."

    "I did it because I couldn''t stand your attitude."

    "You have to finish your food anyway!"

    Whilebing her hair, Margareth recalled Allen yelling at her. Not that she had never been yelled at. Her mother often did that to her, but her mother''s yelling was always rted to her existence, her birth, and her value as one of the princes.

    "I''ve never seen anyone yell at me with those eyes," she muttered. Having experienced all sorts of hateful things directed at her, she knew that Allen was yelling at her without a hint of hatred in his eyes. Even though he was yelling, even though he was upset, even though he was angry, but his eyes showed kindness and concern.

    "Finish your food!" Allen said before.

    What Allen did made Margareth somehow feel calmer now, making her want to quickly taste the soup that he would maketer.

    After brushing her hair and wearing new clothes, she went straight to the Pavilion in Boldenvill''s garden. She waited there for Allen while looking at the flowers.

    After a long wait, Margareth could finally see Allen starting to walk towards her.

    "I am d you really came; I had time to go to your room first just to make sure," Allen said.

    "Well, I just want to prove you are wrong," Margareth replied.

    "So, where''s the food?"

    "Here," Allen indicated the bowl he was holding.

    "This is the food? I thought it was a wooden ball that you picked up on the trashcan."

    "This is a special bowl made by my master. You have to open the lid first to see the food inside."

    "I see... Peasants can think like this too; I really hate smart peasants.

    Where are the tes and spoons?"

    "? You can eat directly from the bowl."

    "Are you kidding me? You''re asking me to eat the food on the wood base?"

    "Is that really a problem? Don''t worry; the wood has been polished, so it''s clean."

    "Haaah..." Letting out a long sigh, Margareth immediately picked up the bowl. "I can''t believe I''m actually going to eat this."

    But what she couldn''t believe even more was herself agreeing toe to the pavilion, and herself waiting for Allen toe with the soup.

    "Don''t look at me while eating; I hate it," Margareth said to Allen, who was sitting in front of her, looking at her with a curious face.

    "O-okay," Allen turned his body slightly, looking the other way, but every once in a while, he would steal a nce at Margareth.

    Margareth started to open the bowl, and the fragrance went straight to her nose, making her still-hungry stomach rumble.

    "I really hate this."

    She then ate the soup.

    One spoon, two spoons, three spoons¡ªshe continued to eat the soup slowly. Her face, however, looked ordinary. Still, like a princess trying to eat gracefully, which worried Allen a little. "Doesn''t she like it?" "Did I make the wrong choice by bringing her a different soup from earlier?" Many questions popped up in his head as Margareth did not show any expression on her face.

    But the truth was, for Margareth.

    With every spoonful she tasted, she could feel the soup''s warmth, which seemed to have a transformative effect on her. She could imagine that Allen had poured his heart and soul into creating this dish, and the person who made it must have wanted nothing more than for her to savor every bite. The main reason was not because Allen felt sorry for her or cared that much about her; rather, it was born out of annoyance that Margareth hadn''t finished the soup earlier.

    After she was done eating all the soup.

    She took out her handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

    Allen uneasily waited for Margareth''s impression of the food. He was worried that she really didn''t like it.

    "Allen..." Margareth spoke softly, and that softness seemed to be followed by painful words.

    "Y-yes?!" replied Allen.

    Margareth then smiled at him. Her smile, however, was not the usual sly smile that she usually showed. It was really just the sweet smile of a girl who felt happiness from the bottom of her heart.

    "Let''s talk; there are many things I want to talk about myself," Margareth said.

    Allen then replied, "Yes, let''s talk."

    ¡­

    __Allen, the soup you gave me is really a terrible soup. I felt calm, not wanting to think about my hatred for a while.

    As the warmth of that soup entered my body, I felt like something on my body was dancing around the campfire, so cozy and warm.

    No wonder the soldiers acted like that toward you; no wonder the people are on your side. You are indeed a person who deserves it__

    During that moment, Allen and Margareth engaged in a deep conversation. Allen excitedly shared his positive experiences during his time in Barkaley, painting a vivid picture of the wonderful moments he had encountered. On the other hand, Margareth expressed her immense animosity towards everyone, conveying her intense hatred. As they conversed, unbeknownst to them, the sun quietly descended beyond the horizon. In this dimming light, fireflies fluttered around them while a gentle glow emanated from the moon above, casting an enchanting atmosphere over their exchange.

    "It''s strange, I don''t know why I could talk this long with you about so many things. I feel sofortable when I am with you," Margareth said.

    "That''s probably not because of me. It must be because you''ve eaten. A hungry body makes you go crazy."

    "Oh my, you really can''t help yourself. Earlier you said it was just stress; now you''re calling me crazy."

    "I don''t need to restrain myself anymore now, because the only person in front of me is Margareth, right? We''ve be friends."

    "Friends? Fufu¡­ yeah, that''s right, I''ve probably always... Ever since I was a little girl, I''ve probably yearned for something like this. Someone who would talk to me as who I am."

    Margareth reached for Allen''s hand, touched it gently, and said, "I don''t hate it."

    Margareth then sank into her thoughts, ''Then if, for example... for example, the old me also talked to mom properly like this, what would it be like now?''

    Margareth looked at Allen in front of her, who still seemed to be enjoying telling another story about the tavern. However, his face did not show much expression; Margareth knew that he was having fun.

    ''If it''s with Allen, the future will be so much fun...'' Margareth thought.

    Realizing that she had just thought of something embarrassing, her face immediately blushed. ''What do I think? He is four years younger than me! And also a peasant! No way I could feel¡­''

    "What''s wrong?" Allen asked because Margareth still touched his hand like she wanted to say something serious.

    Margareth gulped, trying to increase her courage. And then she called, "Hey Allen."

    "Yes?"

    "What if... from now on, you and I..."

    Suddenly...

    "Aa!" Allen stood up.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Margareth.

    "It''s gettingte; Rachel asked me to look after Felicia!"

    "Felicia?"

    While cleaning up the bowl on the table, Allen left immediately.

    "In that case, I''ll see you again. I''m d you want to befriend me; we can talk another time!"

    "Allen wait-" But Allen was already gone, leaving her alone in the pavilion.

    "Yes, I can tell you another time," Margareth muttered.

    "Felicia... The Maiden of Eden Garden. I forgot that she was still asleep. Perhaps I''ll visit her this night."

    Since it was gettingte, she went straight to her room and changed her clothes again for dinner.

    Apparently, Allen was only responsible for lunch, while Rachel and the other maids would make the evening meal as an exercise for Rachel to remember all the recipes Allen had.

    "This soup is so different from the one Allen made," she thought.

    After finishing the meal, Margareth immediately prepared again to visit Felicia in her room.

    "Bertoph doesn''t need toe; you can rest right away," Margareth said.

    "Okay, then I''ll go to bed. You can use the vibrating amnis to call me."

    Margareth really just didn''t want Bertoph to interfere with her time with Allen. She wanted to see Allen soon and wanted to talk some more.

    ''This time, will he tell me more about the outbreak? I wonder how he handled it,'' Margareth thought with a smile, excitedly walking towards Felicia''s room.

    However, as soon as she arrived...

    She identally heard Allen''s voice.

    "I''m sorry."

    At that moment, Margareth immediately erased her presence and walked slowly, peeking out of the door that was not closed tightly.

    Margareth saw Allen looking at the sleeping Felicia while resting his elbows on the mattress in a prayer-like position.

    What surprised Margareth was Allen''s eyes, which had tears in them that never stopped.

    Then Allen''s gaze, as he looked at Felicia, was a gaze she had never seen.

    Margareth left there, and went straight into her room.

    "I see¡­ Looks like their rtionship is not just ady-knight rtionship," Margareth muttered while hugging her legs on the bed.

 Chapter 245 Troublesome Rival

    Chapter 245 Troublesome Rival

    The maids were taken aback by Allen; their surprise was evident in their expressions. However, this time was different from before; their astonishment stemmed not just from Allen himself but from the notable change that had urred around his presence. Their curiosity and bewilderment grew as they observed the person who was stuck next to Allen.

    "What are you looking at?" asked Margareth to the maids, who kept watching her.

    "N-nothing! Please excuse us!" The maid immediately bent down and ran out.

    "What''s wrong with them? Looking at me strangely like that, I hate it."

    "Yeah, no wonder... It''s because you suddenly got close to him like that," muttered Bertoph behind her.

    ''I can''t focus on studying if Your Highness is here,'' Rachel thought.

    Inside the kitchen, Allen was cooking as usual, but this time, there was Margareth beside him, who was sitting near Allen, looking at him cooking. She was dressed in usual peasant clothes and wore an apron because asionally she would also pick up ingredients for Allen.

    Bertoph was also more rxed. He sat behind Margareth while reading a book and eating an apple.

    "Ah, it smells good; do you mind if I taste it?" Margareth asked.

    "No problem, but it''s quite hot, so be careful," Allen replied.

    Margareth then opened her mouth in front of Allen.

    "Hmm?"

    "Why were you silent? Feed me."

    "?!!!" the maids behind her could only stay silent, guessing a million possibilities about what happened between them.

    "The spoon is also hot; take it carefully," Allen said while feeding Margareth with a casual face. Margareth, meanwhile, smiled contentedly as Allen fed her.

    Seeing that scene, the maids roughly realized what might be going on between them. Especially after some of them saw Allen and Margareth sitting in the pavilion until the evening.

    ''Allen...''

    ''We didn''t want to say this...''

    ''But you''re a...''

    ''WOMANIZER''

    The maids thought simultaneously. Although they knew that Allen did not do it on purpose, it was precisely for that reason that he became a dangerous male flirt, someone who unconsciously flirts with other women.

    ''This is bad...'' Rachel thought.

    ''Of all the love rivals, why must it be with one of the princes? And it''s also the most dangerous. Princess Margareth is in the academy; even though they are in different batches, they will definitely meet often at the academy.

    Princess Margareth was also the type of girl who never gave in, even if Allen didn''t reciprocate her feelings. And she was definitely the type of person who would use any means to make Allen hers.

    But the main problem wasn''t just that.

    If Princess Margareth tried to keep Felicia away from Allen, the first thing she would do would be to find information about Lady Felicia. If she knows that thedy doesn''t know about Waldo''s death yet, she can use that as a weapon!''

    Rachel kept thinking about it, so she didn''t focus on learning how to cook at all. Especially since she wouldn''t be allowed to apany Felicia to the academy, she couldn''t do anything if Margareth nned something there.

    ''I can rely on Allen, but he may not always be by mydy''s side during school,'' Rachel thought.

    "Ugh, after you closed the quiver, I immediately realized that this ce really stinks. I''m surprised you can stand working here; I hate the smell," Margareth said while covering her nose with her handkerchief.

    "I''m already used to it. Besides, the smell you smell is not the smell of dirt but the normal smell of cooking ingredients. If you sit in the kitchen for a few days, I''m sure you''ll get used to it."

    "Unfortunately I don''t n on doing peasant work. Instead of doing this, I would rather learn archery. Oh right¡­ I remember the academy also teaching things like this."

    "Hmm? The academy also has cooking sses."

    "Yeah, the academy has almost all kinds of sses. As long as there is a demand from multiple students, they will call in teachers from outside. Why are you asking? Are you going to join the academy too?"

    "I think so; isn''t that right?" asked Allen to Rachel.

    Rachel, who immediately broke out of her reverie, replied, "Y-yes, your highness. Allen will be going to the academy as ady''s knight as well as a student there."

    "I see... Then you may not have the right to join the cooking ss."

    "What does that mean?" asked Allen.

    "Knight who is also a student must choose the same ss as theirdy. I''m not sure if Lady Felicia will choose that ss."

    "I see..." Allen didn''t take it too seriously. As for Margareth, an idea immediately popped into her head.

    "By the way, since I saw you cooking, maybe I''ll take a cooking ss too."

    "Don''t lie; you''re not even interested in cooking," Allen said.

    "Maybe, but I''m sure it will be useful for me in the future.

    So...

    If you be my knight, you can choose any subject you like, especially cooking ss."

    Rachel immediately looked at Margareth''s sly smile with fear.

    "This is the one I was afraid of."

    ...

    That afternoon, everyone gathered in front of the manor house to see off Princess Margareth. For inconvenience reasons, Reynold changed Margareth''s carriage to a better but not as shy one.

    At the moment of her departure, Margareth silently looked at the pavilion where she was talking to Allen.

    "Lady, everything is done; we can leave immediately," said Bertoph.

    Margareth then turned her body around, looking at everyone.

    "Thank you for letting me rest in this residence; I don''t hate it," she said as she lifted her skirt slightly and lowered her body slightly as a token of her gratitude.

    What she did was a natural thing for a guest but not a natural thing for her to do, so it made everyone spontaneously return the favor by cing their hand on their cest.

    "I hear you''re quite interested in our cook," Reynold said, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

    "Yeah, a little. I don''t hate him," Margareth replied.

    "If you want to take him on as a knight, I''ll dly give it to you. Think of it as a token of our good rtionship from now on," Reynold said.

    ''Lord Reynold... it turns out you really mean to keep Allen away from Lady Felicia!'' Rachel thought. ''But...''

    Margareth, looking at Allen, and gave him a small smile. "There is no need," she said. "I have no desire to add more burdens. You think how much money I''ve spent on this big guy in the back."

    "I... I see," Reynold replied. ''I didn''t expect her to answer it with a little joke.

    "Allen," called Margareth

    "Yes?"

    Margareth leaned closer to Allen, her mouth almost touching his ear. She whispered something softly.

    "What does that mean?" asked Allen, perplexed.

    With a smile, Margareth responded with an enigmatic reply. "You''ll understandter," she assured him, leaving a sense of anticipation in the air. "See you at the academy," she added confidently. "I''ll be waiting for you at the top." Although baffled by her words, Allen nodded in silent agreement.

    Even though he didn''t understand, he nodded.

    Margareth gracefully boarded the carriage and departed into the distance.

    ¡­

    "Lady, you really changed overnight. Does this mean you''re going to retract all your evil ns?" asked Bertoph.

    "Huh, how could I? Even though I want Allen to be mine, my desire to destroy this kingdom will never fade. The hatred within me still burns and will never be extinguished."

    "That''s good," replied Bertoph. "I thought you''d turn into a good woman overnight; I''d leave you immediately if that happened." But yeah, I thought you''d take the boy with us, especially after Lord Boldenville offered it."

    "I won''t."

    "Why is that? The previous you would have done it in the first ce; even if you don''t like that boy, epting the offer will give you an advantage by having a good rtionship with the Boldenville Family."

    "If I force him toe, Allen will hate me. I don''t want him to hate me."

    __Three hours ago, Allen flicked the head of Margareth, who was trying to get close to his face.

    "Don''t tease me like that; I won''te with you just because of the cooking ss. I''ve been doing this as a hobby from the start."

    "Ouch, flicking one of the princes; in this world, you must be the only one who can do it."

    Allen ignored her and continued, "Besides, I can''t suddenly be your knight. I''m Felicia''s knight, and I can''t leave her-NO-I can''t possibly leave her after all the things I''ve done."

    That''s when Margareth realized that no matter what she said to Allen, he would not change his mind and be hers instantly.

    "Maiden of Eden Garden, out of all the girls, I got a troublesome rival instead."

    ¡­

    That night, Allen looked after Felicia again. He told Felicia what he had talked about with Margareth, including how he had offered to be Margareth''s knight.

    "There''s no way I can ept that Margareth, she''s more annoying than you. Taking care of you is already difficult, let alone a girl like her.

    But, as long as you sleep, I will probably never feel such hardship. So just a little bit, I feel happy when Margareth bes my friend; I remember the days I spent with you when I was with her."

    Allen then looked at Felicia''s face again and continued speaking.

    "All this time, I''ve always thought that maybe you shouldn''t get up. Because I still didn''t dare to look at your face.

    But right now, when I''m with Margareth, for some reason, I want to see you again and want you to talk to me again. Maybe I''ll tell you a lot of lies once you wake up, but that''s okay; it''s my punishment for what I''ve done to you."

    That night, Allen fell asleep while looking after Felicia.

    Then

    The next morning,

    when Allen woke up.

    "Ah! I overslept! Why didn''t Rachel wake me up?!"

    Allen immediately stood up and went to the door.

    Suddenly,

    "Allen?" a very familiar girl''s voice was heard behind him.

    Allen, with his heart racing in shock, slowly looked back.

    "Felicia?"

 Chapter 246 You dont need me anymore

    Chapter 246 You don''t need me anymore

    "Mr. Waldo."

    I feel like I am drowning in the deep ocean.

    You could see the light from the sea''s surface, but your body kept being pulled to the bottom of the sea.

    It was terrifying.

    Because as you continue to sink, you see less and less light. I couldn''t remember how long I had been sinking; all I knew was that the light had started disappearing.

    I kept trying to reach the light because if I lost it, I might not be able toe back.

    I cried out in fear

    I cried and cried

    But my voice doesn''te out in the sea

    Nor could my tears be seen in it.

    Just as the light was about to disappear, a new light appeared. The hand of someone I knew shone towards me, grasping my right hand that wanted to grab it.

    A feeling of relief immediately enveloped me; the grip of that person''s hand was so warm, and the light emitted by that hand was so soothing.

    I pulled that hand away, brought my whole body close to him, and hugged him to my chest.

    I fell asleep because of the tenderness of the hand.

    Then suddenly I found myself transported into a lush garden and started walking along the river.

    As I looked around the garden, I couldn''t help but be captivated by the abundance of vibrant flowers and nts that adorned thendscape. Many unique nts were standing next to the beautiful nts, creating a harmonious tapestry of natural beauty.

    It felt like I had stepped into the Garden of Eden, a nt paradise where every conceivable nt in the world gracefully coexisted.

    The view was not much different from my God''s blessing, perhaps becauseing here was always my wish, and God blessed me with such skill. All I wanted was a quiet ce, surrounded by flowers and nts, that would continue to heal the pain in my heart.

    After strolling along the gentle banks of the river, my footsteps gradually led me to its end.

    At the end of the river, a wave of anticipation washed over me. There, in that blissful moment, stood the person whom I loved so much. He Gently caressed the vibrant roses that flourished beside him.

    "Mr. Waldo!" I eximed, with overwhelming joy welling up inside my chest.

    With haste, I dashed towards him, my heart pounding when I saw him. As he turned towards me, a hint of surprise reflected in his eyes; I soared into the air andnded securely within his embrace.

    Mr. Waldo epted my body and turned it around after he embraced my body.

    "Be careful; what if you fall?" asked Mr. Waldo.

    "I believe that you will ept me... you always have."

    You always epted me as I am, making me a more confident girl.

    For some reason, when I hugged him, I realized that I missed him a lot. An overwhelming sense of longing washed over me. It felt as though he had been absent from my life for a long time.

    In the gentle embrace, his hand tenderly caressed my head.

    "Felicia, why are you crying?" he gently inquired.

    "I don''t understand either."

    "Is something wrong? Did I not ept you very well?" he asked, referring to when I jumped toward him.

    "No! It''s not that. I just... somehow feel like it''s been a long time since I talked to you like this and hugged you like this. Hahaha, that''s weird."

    Mr. Waldo smiled and said, "You''ve always been crying since we first met."

    "I don''t always cry! That must be a false memory!"

    "No, you''ve always cried.

    From the very beginning,

    When I was about to leave the next day we met, and again the next day, you were always crying because you didn''t want me to leave."

    "W-was that true?"

    "After you showed such a sad face, how could I just leave you? I always thought that if I left you like that, you could disappear at any time. If I wasn''t promising you that engagement, you definitely wouldn''t have let me go home."

    I nodded "That''s right! If you left me, there''s no way I could survive in this world."

    "Why is that?"

    "Because you are my reason for living and the reason I can survive in this world where nobody needs me."

    Waldo''s smile disappeared, "Is that so?" he said. "Are you sure no one needs you in this world?"

    "Everyone rejects me¡ªmy father, even my mother. Everyone saw me at the ball as a political tool. I don''t want to live in a world like that anymore."

    "You''re wrong, Felicia."

    "Huh?"

    "You''re not a little girl who can only cry now.

    You help people when you can without thinking about the bad things they''ll say about you.

    You might think you''re doing it because of me, but the truth is, you''re a good girl who wants everyone''s happiness."

    "Mr. Waldo?" I asked as I saw his sad face.

    "Felicia... you don''t need me by your side anymore, do you?"

    "That''s not true!" I shouted, tugging at Mr Waldo''s shirt. "I will always need you! You''re the one who gave me the meaning of life! You also praised my blessings, telling me I was a girl who could save people! And you''re also...

    The only person who believed that I was able to do anything and needed anything in this world.

    I... without you, I''m just a puppet of my father."

    Mr. Waldo smiled, then replied, "You''re wrong, Felicia. Don''t you remember? There''s also someone who will always protect you. He trusts you, thinks that your God''s blessing is amazing, praises everything about you, and he''s also the one who sees you for who you are."

    Mr. Waldo took my hand, touched the palm gently, and said, "And he was also the one who held your hand when you fell into the deep sea."

    At that moment, a flood of memories surged within me, reminding me of someone who was also very important to me¡ªmy one and only treasured friend. In an instant, recollections of ourst encounter shed across my mind, evoking a sense of longing.

    "Allen!"

    I immediately looked around, looking for Allen if he was in the garden. I suddenly remembered thest time I saw Allen. He was injured after trying to save me.

    "That''s right, Allen was injured! I have to save him! Reig must be waiting for me.

    Mr. Waldo, did you see-"

    However, I turned my gaze back to Mr. Waldo, and to my surprise, he had vanished from his previous position right in front of me. My eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, and there he was, already sitting on the boat in the river. The tranquil waters began separating us, gradually carrying him further and further away from my reach.

    "Mr. Waldo!" I shouted at him. My heart lurched in my chest as I watched Mr. Waldo float away on the peaceful river.

    I ran after him.

    I ran with all my might.

    Because if I didn''t chase after him, I felt like he was really going to leave me forever.

    "Mr. Waldo! Don''t leave me!" I called out, my voice carried away by the wind. But he didn''t respond, his gaze fixed on the horizon as if he were looking at something I couldn''t see

    I cried again.

    It seemed like Mr. Waldo had overestimated me. How could a weak girl like me stop crying?

    "I''M STILL A WEAK GIRL WHO NEEDS YOU BY MY SIDE!"

    I kept running until I finally fell.

    "Felicia!" called Mr. Waldo. "When you run, you might fall like that many times. But remember, you''re not running alone! There will always be someone around you who will help you up! Never lose hope and be stronger!"

    "Mr. Waldoo!"

    As I chased the boat. The edge of the river loomed dangerously close, threatening to swallow me whole. Just as I was on the brink of losing my footing

    -GRAB

    A firm hand reached out and grabbed hold of mine. In that fleeting moment, as our hands interlocked, a familiar sensation washed over me - reminiscent of the tight grip I had experienced when plunging to the depths of the sea. It was a feeling filled with warmth and an undeniable longing for him.

    ....

    ...

    ...

    That morning, Felicia woke up from her sleep.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel As she slowly opened her eyes, she immediately turned her head to the right.

    There was a ck-haired boy, sitting and resting his head on her bed. And that boy was grasping her right hand tightly.

    ''Eh?! Who is this?! Where is Rachel?!'' thought Felicia, who was starting to panic and get confused.

    ''The only person with ck hair in this house is Allen, but that can''t be him, right? He should be smaller, and I can''t see his white hair.''

    ''How could you leave me with a stranger? What was Rachel thinking!''

    Somehow, despite her confusion, Felicia didn''t feel at all bothered by his presence. The grip of the boy''s hand beside her, somehow, made her feel calmer.

    A few minutester, Allen immediately removed his hand and got up.

    "Ah! I overslept! Why didn''t Rachel wake me up?!" Allen immediately turned around and ran to the door, not realizing that Felicia had opened her eyes.

    As for Felicia, as soon as she saw Allen''s face and red eyes, she immediately called out to him.

    "Allen?"

    Allen stopped.

    Then he slowly turned his body toward Felicia.

    "Felicia?"

 Chapter 247 A Guilt Feeling

    Chapter 247 A Guilt Feeling

    When Allen saw that Felicia had finally awakened from her long slumber, a rush of emotions surged through him. Without giving it a second thought, he hastily fled from the scene, his heart pounding in his chest. He swiftly made his way to where Rachel and Reynold were waiting and immediately told them about it.

    "Lady!" Rachel eximed, crying. Behind her were several maids, who followed her. Rachel immediately hugged Felicia.

    "Rachel?!" Felicia said, she was shocked that Rachel had never hugged her like that. Perhaps because of Allen''s influence, the caste wall between Rachel and Felicia was thinning.

    "You''re finally back... thank goodness," Rachel muttered.

    Felicia, however, was immediately confused by what Rachel had said.

    "Back? What does that mean?"

    "From your long sleep," came Reynold from outside, along with Ayde and Michael.

    "Fa-father, mother, and... who is that?"

    Michael hid behind his mother''s body when Felicia saw him.

    "This is Michael, your brother, who was born three years ago."

    "Th-three years ago?!"

    Once all the maids were told to depart, Reynold followed suit, citing unfinished tasks that required his attention. As a result, Ayde, Michael, Rachel, and Felicia were left as the sole upants of the room.

    Despite Rachel''s dedicated care over the past three years, Felicia''s health has remained fragile, and her skin looks weak and pale. The absence of adequate nutrition has had a significant impact, evident in her noticeably wrinkled skin. Felicia''s growth has also been stunted, with minimal physical changes urring since three years ago.

    Slowly and deliberately, Felicia was informed about the situation. The unsettling situation unfolded within the pce, from the events that had transpired to the bestowed title she had acquired from others. About she had been in a deep slumber for three years. Moreover, about Allen in these 3 years.

    "So that guy just now was really Allen... It seems like he''s changed a lot in the past three years," Felicia muttered. "Where did he go?"

    "Aah... I asked him toe, but he said he couldn''t meet you for a while, so I''ll ask him to look after you tonight," Rachel replied.

    "I see..."

    Felicia looked at her right hand and recalled her dream from earlier.

    ''So Allen was holding my hand all along,'' Felicia thought with slightly teary eyes. She somehow wanted to see Allen once again.

    Throughout the day, Felicia remained quietly resting in her room. Despite Rachel''s daily care, it seemed that Felicia''s muscles were still not working properly. Slowly, she began to exercise, moving her hands and her grip. While exercising, she kept looking at the door, hoping that Allen woulde. She wanted to talk to him about many things, and one of them was that she didn''t want Allen to feel guilty about what he did that night. Because from the beginning, she was the one who walked away from Allen, not Allen who left her.

    However, that whole day, even after nightfall, Allen was never came.

    ...

    The next day, Felicia emerged from the confines of her room, determined to make progress in her recovery journey.

    Because her leg muscles were still not functioning properly, she walked using a wheelchair to exercise her hands. The physician outlined a strict regimen to rehabilitate her legs. For five hours daily, Felicia was instructed to use clutches to gradually strengthen her leg muscles and reim her ability to walk independently again.

    That morning, Felicia came to the training room for leg rehabilitation with Rachel. But as she entered the room, Felicia immediately saw Allen jumping out of the window.

    "Wha-what the hell is that?! Hey Rachel, what does that mean?!" Felicia shouted.

    "I don''t know either; maybe he still feels guilty about what he did back then."

    "How annoying! If he really felt guilty, he should have met me face-to-face and apologized in person!"

    ''But how could he think of that! He''s supposed to be the type of person who doesn''t care about other people!''

    When Felicia made her way to the training room, she had anticipated encountering Allen engrossed in his swordy or injuring his hand for his blessing experiment. However, upon arrival, it became immediately apparent that Allen was actively avoiding interaction with her.

    From that point forward, Felicia wandered aimlessly throughout the house in search of Allen. Yet every time she managed to locate him, he would promptly distance himself from her presence. Whenever she saw him, he would immediately walk away from her.

    __Three days passed, and Felicia still hadn''t spoken to Allen.

    "Aaah! How annoying! Why do I have to be the one to look for him?! He is my knight! He''s supposed to protect me, not run away from me!" shouted Felicia as Rachel brushed her hair.

    "It''s alright, Lady. Just give him some time."

    Rachel somehow wanted to have Felicia all to herself, at least from now on. If Felicia started to get along with Allen, she would probably spend a little time with her. Especially since she was not going to the academy, she would not see Felicia for a long time.

    Felicia''s body curled into a tight ball. She hugged her legs tightly against her chest, seekingfort from herself. As she rested her head on her knees, her mind began to wander, reying the events that had transpired three years ago. The image of therge, gaping wound on Allen''s abdomen shed before her eyes, reminding her of the immense danger he had faced to save her not once but twice. The memories of their harrowing escapades in the dungeon and the treacherous battles in the castle overwhelmed her, filling her with a profound sense of guilt. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, apanied by a sorrowful admission that echoed in the silence of the room.

    "Does he really feel guilty? Is it possible that he ran away because he couldn''t stand my attitude?" she whispered, her voice weighed down with regret. "I''ve burdened him too much. I forced him to protect this weak, helpless version of myself." As she uttered those words, a profound sadness settled deep within her heart, knowing that her actions had brought harm not only to herself but also to Allen, who had risked his life for her.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel Surprisingly, it was the first time Rachel felt happy when Felicia was sad, because that sadness meant that she already considered Allen more special.

    Besides, ''Since thedy woke up, she hasn''t mentioned anything about Mr. Waldo. Perhaps Allen''s distant behavior is a good thing for her.''

 Chapter 248 I am glad to have you by my side

    Chapter 248 I am d to have you by my side

    "If he really doesn''t want to see me anymore, then whatever. I feel stupid for having to look for him," Felicia said.

    ''I was wrong, Allen; you really should talk to her now before shepletely gives up on you!'' Rachel thought.

    Despite Felicia''s words about giving up on searching for Allen, each time she ventured out in her wheelchair, her gaze inevitably wandered, desperately searching for Allen. However, after three agonizing days of fruitless searching, a realization struck her - there was one ce she had yet to explore. The kitchen, an unlikely location where she doubted Allen could possibly be found.

    That afternoon, Rachel left Felicia alone in her room because, at that hour, Rachel would be helping Reynold in his room. Felicia then tried to go to the kitchen alone in her wheelchair.

    "Lady, let me help you," asked one of the maids who stood in front of her room.

    "No need! I wanted to walk alone; I am just going to check something in the kitchen."

    She goes to the kitchen. Once she arrived at the kitchen, Felicia sat in front of the door, holding the doorknob.

    "Huh, what an idiot. No way Allen is here," Felicia muttered.

    The door swung open, but it wasn''t Felicia who opened it, but the person on the other side of the door.

    "Allen!" eximed Felicia, clearly surprised.

    "Fe-felicia..."

    They both uttered it, staring at one another in awkward silence.

    -CREAAAAAK,

    Allen swiftly attempted to shut the door, but not fast enough! In a swift reaction, Felicia extended her foot to prevent it from closingpletely.

    -BAM

    "OUCH!" The door mped down on Felicia''s foot, and it was quite tough.

    "Ah! Sorry, I didn''t mean to!" said a guilty Allen.

    Felicia clutched her leg, visibly distressed by the intense pain. Her gaze hardened as she directed it towards Allen, conveying anger and frustration. In response, Allen immediately tried to run away from there.

    "Hey, don''t run away!" Felicia tried to exert effort to rise from her wheelchair. Unfortunately, her muscles were not fully healed, causing her to stumble and copse with a resounding crash.

    -BRAK

    "Felicia! Are you okay?" Allen, who had partially climbed to the window, quickly returned to Felicia to help her.

    Just as Allen was about to pick her up,

    -GRAB

    Felicia immediately leaped her whole body forward and wrapped her arms around Allen''s body firmly.

    "I finally caught you."

    "W-what! So you were just pretending to be in pain?!"

    "Fool! I really fell! Now my whole body hurts." Then, with a smaller voice and face pressed against Allen''s stomach; she said, "Thinking that I''m burdening you hurts me more."

    "What did you say?"

    "Why do you keep running away from me?! If you keep running away, how can I possibly know what you''re thinking? You must have something to say to me, right?!"

    "N-no, I have nothing to say."

    "Huh?! You liar! Why are you suddenly reluctant? If you have something to say to me, just tell me everything! You''ve always said all the bad things to me!

    You clearly showed that you were tired of dealing with me back then.

    You also didn''t hesitate to say that I was annoying.

    You also yelled everything you thought."

    "That''s true," Allen said. "I used to be very stupid, I''m sorry for saying bad things to you. I didn''t think at all about the feelings of people who could have been hurt by my words.

    Now that I think about it, I must have caused you a lot of trouble."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Starting from my arrival at this house, I immediately yelled at you, even though you tried so hard to get me treated here.

    You made me a knight so I could get protection from Lord Boldenville, and the evil me thought of using that for my revenge on Leofric.

    In the Bivey region, I also made a bad move on your noble friends; perhaps they hated you for that.

    In the castle too, I left you that night alone until you were seriously injured, and in the end I also fainted and failed to save you, and then..." in his heart, Allen continued

    ''I''m also the one who killed the person you love.''

    Because there was a long pause between Allen''s words, Felicia lifted her head, looking at Allen''s face, which looked very sad. That red, teary eye looked directly at Felicia''s eyes and said, "Maybe I should have never met you."

    ''What the hell is that...'' Felicia thought.

    "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT... YOU, STUPID ALLEN! YOU LITERAL IDIOT!"

    "What?!"

    "DON''T ACT LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME!" shouted Felicia as she smashed her head into Allen''s chest.

    "I''ve fed up! With my father! With my royal status! That''s why I brought you here! To piss him off! So that I can finally fight him back!"

    "Felicia?"

    "In the Bivey region you made me hated by my friends?! What the hell! I don''t care about them! They''re just people who approached me because of my status!"

    "Th-then, what about that night? I made you-"

    "Yes, it was your fault! Even my sleeping for three years is your fault!

    It''s all because you danced with me that night!

    It''s all because you said I was pretty that I couldn''t stand to throw up and left!

    It''s all because¡­ you stupidly said my god''s blessing is amazing, don''t you think how happy I was when I heard that?!

    I felt acknowledged, and then I suddenly got excited myself and healed all the soldiers!

    Everything is your fault!"

    "I am¡­ sorry"

    "YOU IDIOT!" Felicia hit Allen''s chin with her head.

    "Ouch!"

    Felicia looked into Allen''s face while pointing at his chest.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    "After I''ve told you this much, don''t you get it?!

    I wanted to tell you that it was all a good thing!

    Meeting you was the best thing that happened in my life! You''re the only friend who thinks of me as me. You''re always honest and tell me things the way they are.

    That''s why you shouldn''t say that we should never meet. I am d to have you by my side."

 Chapter 249 He/She still the same

    Chapter 249 He/She still the same

    Allen and Felicia, sitting in the kitchen, were bathed in the afternoon light that prated through the window behind them.

    When Felicia started crying and told Allen that she needed him, the sense of responsibility in Allen''s heart overflowed.

    Allen then hugged Felicia''s body tightly. At that moment, he decided, ''If you need me, then I will protect you as much as I can. One day, if you find out that I was the one who killed Mr. Waldo, I''m willing to die at your hands.''

    Felicia somehow felt that Allen''s embrace was not only a way for him to calm her crying but also a way to calm his own fears. So Felicia also ran her hands down Allen''s back in reply to his hug.

    ''Poor Allen..'' thought someone watching them behind-a crow that had been perched on the window.

    ''I didn''t expect their rtionship to be this close. I couldn''t bear to see Lady Felicia crying. When I saw those tears, I immediately imagined how she would cry when she knew about Mr. Waldo''s death, and then how she would react when she found out that the second person she trusted the most was the murderer.''

    A doubt arose in Susan''s head, seeing that Allen had already endured too much suffering.

    ''Even if I find a way tomunicate with Allen, I will only increase his burden. I can''t ask Allen to help with my problems. I will find my brother myself.''

    Susan gave up on asking Allen for help then, but that didn''t mean she would abandon him. Susan heard Allen and Margareth talk about the academy, and she decided to go to the academy with Allen. If she went to the academy, there would be a clue on how to make her strong as an animal, strong enough to fight against predators and humans. In addition, she also had to figure out how tomunicate; maybe some amnis can make her speak like a human.

    In the room, it wasn''t just Susan who saw Allen cuddling with Felicia.

    There were other people, who couldn''te out because they heard Felicia''s voice. One of the maids was in the break room, hiding and trying to pretend not to hear.

    But after Felicia''s scream, she couldn''t resist peeking at them.

    Allen must have realized it earlier because the maid was also helping her cook before Felicia came, but since Allen wasn''t the type to be bothered by such things, he let it slide.

    "Oh my, I saw something extraordinary," the maid muttered while biting her finger. She was the one who witnessed everything, and her heart was racing.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Rachel walked into Felicia''s room with a big smile on her face.

    "Good morning, Mdy."

    Felicia immediately got up from her bed, swiftly making her way towards the chair where she awaited her pampering session. Rachel couldn''t help but notice an unusual weariness that had settled upon her. The telltale signs of exhaustion were etched beneath Felicia''s eyes, manifested as a faint, shadowy darkness entuating the presence of eye bags.

    Concerned by this sight, Rachel asked, "Lady, I can''t help but notice you seem more tired than usual. Have you not had sufficient rest?"

    "I had not, unlike you, who seems to have slept very well; I can see that in your radiant face."

    "Really? I thought I always looked like this every morning."

    That was a lie.

    Rachel was indeed a little more excited than usual. Because she knew that Felicia and Allen were on good terms, and not only that, she also knew literally everything that happened between Allen and Felicia in the kitchen.

    She heard that from one of the maids who stayed in the kitchen during the incident, and that romance story spread very quickly by word of mouth, which made all the maids in the house know in detail what happened yesterday.

    ''Now I am confident enough to hand Lady Felicia over to Allen,'' Rachel thought.

    "How about you,dy? Did anything feel ufortable when you fell asleep?"

    "A lot! That''s the old mattress I slept on for three years, right? Hurry up and get a new one. It''s hardened and ufortable; the mattress is slightly bumpy; and theting has holes. Mosquitoes got in and bit mest night," Felicia said, pointing out the many parts of her body that were swollen from mosquito bites.

    That was a lie.

    The mosquitoes did bite her, but it was because she got out of the mosquito.

    ''I can''t sleep,'' Felicia thought that night. She wandered aimlessly in her room. She would asionally look out the window and see the moon and the night sky.

    And the reason she couldn''t sleep was

    ''Allen,''

    While being groomed by Rachel, Felicia recalled what had happened yesterday and realized that everything she had done was embarrassing afterward.

    ''There''s no way I can sleep after what happened yesterday,'' thought Felicia, whose face blushed every time she thought of how Allen hugged her and how she hugged him back.

    "If you''re tired, you might want to eat this soup first for breakfast." Rachel ced Allen''s special bowl in front of Felicia.

    She ced the steaming bowl in front of Felicia with great care, creating an enticing aroma that instantly awakened her appetite.

    Overwhelmed with anticipation, Felicia eximed, "This is exactly what I''ve been longing for!" She indulged in a mouthful of the warm and vorful soup and couldn''t help but express her delight, "It''s incrediblyforting and absolutely delicious..." In no time at all, Felicia devoured everyst spoonful of the savory broth.

    "You''ve improved at cooking over the past three years, Rachel. At first, I thought it would taste strange because it''s like peasant food." The bags under her eyes disappeared, and the sleepiness and fatigue were gone. She felt fit to do her daily activities.

    ''I wanted to tell thedy that she''s been eating Allen''s food all this time, but I think she should know about it herself. That way, maybe it could trigger some events.''

    "Alright! I''m going to have a longer rehabilitation today. I must get well as soon as possible topensate for the lost three years."

    Rachel picked Felicia up and put her in the wheelchair. Then she took her to the training ground.

    As usual, the training ground at 9 morning was filled with off-duty soldiers. Ever since Lady Ayde saw Allen and a soldier fight during Margareth''s visit, Ayde had forced the soldiers to train more.

    "Good morning! Lady Felicia!" the soldiers shouted simultaneously as Felicia entered the training ground.

    Felicia immediately looked to the center of the training room; this time, Allen was talking to her mother, Ayde. She felt a little more relieved that this time Allen didn''t run away like before.

    ''After looking at him again, I realize Allen has really changed. He''s a little taller than before, stronger arm, and bigger bodies,'' Felicia thought as she reminisced about the time when he embraced her.

    Felicia''s face immediately turned red like a tomato, "Aaaah I can''t stop thinking about yesterday! If someone sees us, they''ll think we''re doing some nasty things! I already have Mr. Waldo! I can''t let people think about me and Allen that way!"

    Felicia grabbed her hair and covered her flushed cheeks, "I wonder what Allen will think about yesterday? Probably, he also felt a bit of hassle."

    Upon seeing Felicia and Rachel, Allen directed his gaze towards Felicia and greeted her with a slight bow. His expressionless face clearly showed that he was not thinking about yesterday''s events as much as Felicia did.

    "Well, he''s still the same Allen; there''s no way he''d be interested in something like that," Felicia said in a disappointed tone.

    "Lady?"

    "It''s nothing! Let''s start the rehabilitation."

    Three hours passed; Ayde and Michael had already left the training ground.

    Felicia, who had been walking for three hours, rested at her tea table with the tea that Rachel had prepared. As she sipped her tea, Allen sat next to her.

    "I also want some," Allen asked Rachel.

    ''Ah yes, he''s still the same Allen,'' thought Felicia, who remembered that Allen had always been a man of no manners.

    In the midst of a rather awkward situation, a profound silence hung in the air, as they chose not to speak but remained silent. Rachel couldn''t help but let a smile grace her face as she observed their interaction. It wasn''t just Rachel who was captivated by this scene; even the soldiers and maids on the training ground couldn''t help but feel their hearts flutter and flowery. Word had quickly spread regarding what transpired between them yesterday, adding an extrayer of intrigue to their current demeanor.

    "Umm... about yesterday..." Allen started the conversation.

    "Y-yes? About when? I don''t feel any IMPORTANT events happened yesterday," Felicia replied with a slightly shaky voice.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    "I''m sorry. The pain in your leg got worse," Allen chose to ignore that word.

    "Oh about that, no problem."

    "Then I also want to apologize for running away for the past three days."

    "Yes, that''s fine."

    "Then about yesterday that-"

    "Ah never mind! You don''t need to apologize anymore! I forgive you for everything you''ve done!" Felicia said as she hit Allen on the head.

    Then she continued, "We''re friends, aren''t we? Whatever mistakes you''ve made in the past, I''ll forgive you."

    To Felicia, it might have been just an embarrassing word, but to Allen, it was like a breath of fresh air as well as a storm.

    ''I hope you still think so even though you already know the truth,'' Allen thought.

    Seeing Felicia say that with a flushed face, Allen spontaneously stroked Felicia''s head gently.

    "Wha-?" Felicia''s face blushed again, followed by everyone''s shocked faces at the sight of her.

    "Thank you," Allen muttered.

    Felicia immediately swatted away Allen''s hand, "Ha-haah?! What are you doing?! Get away from me; you stink!"

    "Eh? Really?"

    "Rachel, let''s get out of here! We can continue for another two hours in the afternoon!"

    "O-okay, mdy," Rachel said while holding back herughter.

    Felicia left there, feeling annoyed. "That Allen, he''s just like Mr. Waldo. They easily stroked my head as if I were just a little girl!"

    However, Allen "Now that I think about it, she was always like that, annoying as always."

    Then he sips the tea and realizes something after drinking it, "Ah, I took it wrong. This is Felicia''s tea."

 Chapter 250 Education Level

    Chapter 250 Education Level

    One month.

    In thete water month, the cold mornings began to feel warm, but it was still cold enough that you could see steaming out of your mouth. Even so, those on the training ground never felt the chill of the morning once they started practicing, including Felicia and Allen, who were currently sparring with their wooden swords.

    "Lady! Fight!" shouted the watcher soldiers, seeing Felicia having trouble withstanding Allen''s sword attack.

    "Allen, aren''t you a little too serious? Lady is struggling because of you!" the soldiers shouted.

    Felicia immediately red at the soldier. Although she said nothing, her eyes eximed, "Don''t underestimate me!" to him.

    "So-sorry."

    ''I want to do that too, but this girl is really stubborn; if I hold back too much, she''ll be angry,'' Allen thought.

    It was one-sided, and Felicia could only move backwards against Allen, who was always targeting her sword. Although her eyes could follow Allen''s movements, her body was not so flexible and quick to react to his attacks.

    After several consecutive attacks, Felicia finally fell down.

    "Huft... I''m really still too far away."

    Allen then offered his hand to Felicia and said, "Good job today, as usual. You''ve more or less improved."

    "What''s improving?" Felicia took Allen''s hand and stood up. "It feels like my sword is just a punching bag for your sword."

    Allen then looked at Felicia, who stood before him for a while.

    "What?" asked Felicia, confused by Allen''s gaze.

    "Nothing," replied Allen. "It''s just that you''ve grown taller."

    "You just realized that now? Sometimes I really doubt your good sense.

    Well.. Thanks to the rehabilitation, I somehow can catch up with the kids my age."

    Felicia then stood closer to Allen and measured their height, saying, "Although you are still a little taller than me."

    "Good job, Lady." Rachel handed Felicia some water and a towel. "I know practicing swordy is also necessary, but you don''t need to do serious sparring with Allen as you did earlier."

    "I agree; just because you can''t beat me doesn''t mean you''re weak; your talent isn''t just in swordy."

    "Rachel, you don''t understand. Allen doesn''t either. In a week, we have to leave for the academy. I can''t bring shame to the Boldenville family name there.

    Moreover, the academy highly values martial arts because that''s what''s most necessary to protect oneself."

    "I see... I thought people came to the academy to learn. It turns out that we have to be strong first before we can enter the academy."

    ''No, Allen. People go to the academy to learn. These nobles just don''t want to be underestimated by their peers,'' Rachel argued in her mind.

    "By the way, shouldn''t we have entered the academy two years ago? I remember you saying we would enter the academy at the end of our 12," Allen asked.

    "Yes, that''s right. But you know, we have the situation now.

    The academy has several levels of education. Primarium, Secundari, Praeterea, and Superius. And we have to attend all four sses to graduate from the academy.

    We didn''t join primarium because it''s formoners wanting to get a secundari schrship. So we''re supposed to start secundari school at the age of 12 or 13, whichsts for three years. But since I slept for so long, we''ll start from Praeterea as transfer students."

    "Didn''t you say we have to follow four levels of education? Primarium may not be necessary, but we should at least take secundari to graduate, doesn''t it?"

    "Well... you don''t have to think about such rigid things. As long as there''s money, we can just jump to Pareterea."

    "Money..."

    "Don''t get us wrong," Rachel said. "We''re not bribing them to admit us to the academy, but bribing them to ept our excuse to skip sses. Lady Felicia sleeping for three years isn''t normal, so they could ept her under a few conditions."

    "Right, one of them is merit." Felicia continued. "Even though we''ve paid the bribe, we have to prove that we deserve to jump straight to Praeterea. Do you understand now, Allen? The reason I have to get strong quickly?"

    "Compared to the other kids, you startedte. They started studying three years ago, so you have to catch up for three years in a short time?"

    "That''s true, but what I want to say is not just that.

    Jumping sses is not only a form of flouting the academy system but also an insult to the advisors in the secundari''s ss. Because I was able to enter the academy without their guidance."

    Rachel took the towel from Felicia and handed her the bottle. While Felicia drank, Rachel took Felicia''s ce, exining.

    "An academy system that upholds all kinds of knowledge. People like us who enter with money are an offense to them. This time we found out that the examiners are those who tutored in secundari''s ss. They must be intent on propping up Lady at all costs."

    "That''s why!" Felicia eximed as she passed the water to Rachel, "I have to show my ability! My talent! That makes them have no choice but to ept me to the academy; that makes them think that I''m someone who doesn''t need to be taught in secundari ss!"

    "I see¡­ Then we still can''t be confirmed that we could enter the academy," said Allen.

    "Hmph! Who do you think I am? I''ll definitely make them ept me," Felicia said, pointing at herself proudly.

    "Wooah...amazing..." Allen praised her halfheartedly. "What about me? Do I need to learn more?"

    "Probably unnecessary; even if you aren''t epted, you can still stay at the academy as my knight.

    But yes, I will force you to be epted."

    "Yes, I know this; from the beginning I had no choice right?"

    "Impolite! Don''t talk as if I''m enving you. You also want to enter the academy right?!"

    "A little."

    "Then you must show something extraordinary in front of the examiner. Maybe you can use that god''s blessing of yours?"

    "eeeh... don''t want to. Using that ability feels so painful."

    "No need to worry; I''m there; I can heal you right away."

    "It has nothing to do with that. I just don''t want to feel the hurt."

    "Aaah whatever, you just have to get into the academy as a student!"

    ''Academy huh?'' Allen thought. ''If the academy is a ce to learn, that''s where strong people are born. Then the teachers were also strong, right?

    Maybe one of them knows how to remove it from my body.''

    What Allen was referring to was his demonic mana, and whatever resided inside his demonic mana.

    He realized that it was not something he should have, and he did not want to have it because it was probably what made dangerous people like servus attracted to him.

    After a short break, Felicia picked up her rapier.

    "Allen, let''s continue; please copy Master Theobauld''s movements this time."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    A house at night.

    The interior of the house is illuminated by the fire in the kiln. Then there were blood stters decorating all the interiors inside. On the wall of the room, there was a Boldenville soldier''s coat hanger.

    A corpse was lying on the bed¡ªa naked adult woman whose neck was slit so profoundly that blood-soaked the mattress.

    "Stop! I beg you to stop! I''ve told you everything I know about that child! Why are you doing this?!"

    Beside the firece was a man who was also naked with a cloth covering his entire head, begging for his life to the woman in front of him. The woman who was cleaning her knife in the boiling water on the firece. That woman was Laveya, one of the high priests of Daemon Servus, who was currently under sentence.

    "I can''t let the one who knows about the milord stay alive; rest in peace. I''m sorry for not being able to let you merge with him. But think of yourself as one of the lucky ones for serving milord. After all, I''ve already paid a sufficient down payment for your hard work."

    "Wait-"

    Laveya sliced the man''s neck quickly, leaving part of the man''s head hanging behind him.

    "Excuse me," came a voice knocking on the door from outside.

    "Come in," Laveya replied.

    The child entered, and she did not look surprised by the scene in front of her. She was wearing the same ck robe as Laveya; the hood of her robe made it so no one could tell who she was when looking at her. But from her height, she was more or less a 15-year-old child.

    "Is doing this going to be okay? Mother. What if Father Alester notices your movements? He might know about your n for Allen?" the girl asked.

    "No worries," Laveya replied casually, then she exined. "I paid this soldier to sell the information about Allen and quit being a Boldenville soldier. As I expected, he went straight out of town with that much money and spent it on prostitutes. By killing him outside Boldenville, no one will know I killed him for information. They would think that I was just doing my hobby of killing perverted men."

    "Then, what is our next step? What information did you get from this man?"

    "Allen is going to Oxwade Academy, and that too as a praeterea ss transfer student."

    "!!!"

    "The academy is a ce Daemon Servus cannot touch. But I''m lucky because you, my biological daughter, are also a student at Oxwade Academy."

    "What should I do, mother?"

    "I want you to watch over him, be good friends with him, and I want you to be able to bring him to our home someday."

    Laveya then held her stomach and murmured, "I wonder what it would be like if I had a baby from a milord''s vessel."

 Chapter 251 Painful Lie

    Chapter 251 Painful Lie

    That morning, Allen and Felicia set off for the academy city, their departure being apanied by a group of house residents. In front of the prestigious Boldenville Manor House, several maids and soldiers diligently carried the luggage that was destined to apany them to the academy.

    "Are you sure you only brought that?" asked Felicia, who saw that Allen''s luggage was only one bag.

    "Yeah, I didn''t have much to begin with," Allen said. ''Most of the things I use, like clothes and pants, can be created by relying on Reig, so I only brought the essential things,'' he thought.

    "You''re such a minimalist; how can you live with only a few things?" Felicia said.

    "I think I am still normalpared to you, who brought that much."

    Whether it was mirrors, cabs, or other tertiary items, all of them were Felicia''s stuff and all put into the carriage.

    A crow then flew onto Allen''s shoulder.

    "Are you going to bring this bird to the academy too?" Felicia asked,

    "I didn''t really mean to."

    "It''s really attached to you. Maybe you can actually start keeping it."

    "I don''t think I can do that. My Master said that bird always wants to fly free. So I''ll let her do whatever she likes. If she wants toe with me, then that''s fine."

    "Is everything done? Are you sure you''ll be okay for the exam?" Ayde asked Felicia.

    "Take it easy Mother; I have the privilege of being the Maiden of Eden Garden!"

    "How can you say that out loud when you said you were ashamed of that title yesterday?" said Allen.

    "Shut up; I just wanted to give a convincing sentence. I still think it''s embarrassing."

    Seeing Allen and Felicia exchange sentences, Ayde felt relieved and smiled. "Good Luck, Felicia, Allen."

    Felicia directed her gaze towards Michael, who timidly took refuge behind Ayde''s legs.

    ''Oh yeah, I haven''t talked to him much these past few days,'' she thought.

    With a gentle push from Ayde, Michael was encouraged to step forward and bid his sister farewell. Squatting down in front of him, Felicia patiently awaited his greeting, eager to hear what he had to say.

    "B-big sis, see you soon; good luck with your study," Michael said shyly.

    Felicia couldn''t help but smile when she saw Michael act shy. She hugged him, eximing, "My brother is so cute."

    "Big sis?!" cried Michael as he suddenly got a hug.

    Felicia gently stroked Michael''s head in her embrace, then murmured. "Michael, you''ll have to practice and study many things in the future to meet our stupid father''s expectations. But, if you''re fed up, you can leave the house ande to me, and I''ll be sure to do something for you."

    "A-alright?"

    Felicia nced up at the window in the room where her father was working. Reynold was looking at her through the window. And as their eyes met, Reynold turned himself away from the window.

    "Thank you, and I''m sorry," Felicia murmured again to Michael.

    She felt guilty for feeling relieved at Michael''s birth. She was relieved that the duties and burdens she had been feeling would be passed on to her brother. That was why she intended to return home if her brother was not able to be the head of the family. And if she was to rece her brother, it meant that she would have to marry someone else worthy of being the head of the Boldenville family in the future. Surely that person''s status would have to be equal to or above hers.

    "Lady, it''s time," Rachel called behind her.

    "Eh? Already? What about you? I don''t see much of your stuff.

    "My one backpack is enough. The stuff I use is mostly just stuff to serve thedy."

    "I-I see..." replied Felicia hesitantly, ''but there''s no way she can live with just one piece of clothing,'' Felicia thought. ''Well... we can buy other things once we get to the academy city.

    "Maybe we should increase the number of soldiers? Isn''t ten too few?" asked Ayde.

    "Don''t worry about that; I am here with her. I''ll never leave Felicia forever," said Allen with a confident and calm face.

    Embarrassed, Felicia also said, "Y-yes... that''s it; as you know, Allen has the strength of more than 100 silver-ranked soldiers, and if anything happens, there''s Rachel, who can hide me from danger."

    ''Since Reynold has already thought of this, probably everything should be fine,'' Ayde thought.

    Felicia waved her hand to them and walked to the carriage, followed by Allen and Rachel.

    Before getting in, Felicia stopped in front of the carriage door, silent and with a sad look on her face.

    "What''s wrong, Lady?" asked Rachel.

    Felicia turned her head to the left, looking at the residential town of Boldenville in the londs.

    ''Does she miss the city?'' thought Allen, as did Rachel.

    But that wasn''t it; she wasn''t looking at the city but trying to look far straight into the northern region.

    "If I enter the academy, the chances of us meeting will decrease. I''ll probably be even busier while he''ll be busy organizing his own region," Felicia said.

    At first, the two of them did not understand what Felicia was talking about, but their blood rushed to their hearts once they understood a momentter.

    "Mr. Waldo... It''s been three years since he left to dungeon raid; I heard four years ismon toplete the dungeon, so I hope he''s doing well."

    Lies were painful, and when one decided to lie, another lie appeared to cover up the previous one.

    "Don''t worry, Lady." Rachel said. "Mr. Waldo will be fine," she said that as she gently touched Felicia''s shoulder.

    As for Allen, "It''s so hot here; I''ll wait inside the carriage," he said, turning away while refraining from hitting himself.

    During these three years, Felicia rarely talked about her fianc¨¦, and Rachel and Allen never thought that keeping a lie would be so painful for them.

    Felicia turned around and walked into the carriage.

    "You''re right; Mr. Waldo is strong after all. It''s impossible for someone like him to just die. He''ll definitelye back."

    "..."

    Because Felicia didn''t hear Rachel''s footsteps following her, she looked back and saw Rachel''s sad face.

    "What kind of face is that?! I won''t forgive you if you''re sad because I longed for my fianc¨¦."

    "Fo-forgive me, mydy," she said while trying her best to hold back her tears.

    "Don''t think too much about it; I''ve got you and Allen by my side this time. I won''t be sad just because Mr. Waldo left in just a few years; it doesn''t mean he will leave me forever."

    With a heavy heart, Rachel replied her with a smile.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    In the hallway of Oxwade Academy

    An adult but quite short woman with a round witch hat was walking with a tired-looking face. She then stopped at one of therge doors in the academy hallway, took a breath, and went inside.

    "Excuse me," she said as she opened the door. "I came as you wished. So what matters do you want me to do, Principal Eliphas?"

    While not resembling a typical principal''s office, the room exudes a unique charm that sets it apart. Its interior is adorned with a fascinating array of antique equipment, reminiscent of the old world. Adding to its allure, the room boasts a captivating feature¡ªan elegant staircase that leads to a small room above. From below, one can still catch a glimpse of the enchanting roof above. With its distinctive and meticulously curated decor, this room embodies antiquity''s essence. It stands as a testament to its unrivaled uniqueness.

    "Uweeek Petrone... you really came just because of that thing, huh? How disgusting." A small, white-haired girl was sitting on the stairs, feeding a strange-looking fish in a small aquarium. The girl''s eyes were red, and inside her eyes there was a strange symbol, indicating that she was an adfeqtus reliqua.

    "After being offered that thing, how could I note? By the way, it''s nice to meet you, Horivaid."

    "I told you many times to call me Hori; I disgust that name. Are you doing that on purpose?"

    "Oya oya¡­ You girls are as close as ever," said Principal Eliphas, sitting behind his wooden desk.

    "Where did you get that from? It looks like your brain''s contents run to your beard''s growth."

    Ignoring Hori''s words, Eliphas put his quill into the ink ce and said, "Wee back, Petrone. How was the adventuring life? Was it fun?"

    "More or less, than that, is there a particr reason you called me here? If possible, please do it quickly; I want to leave the academy immediately."

    "Why is that? Do you have any important things to do after this?"

    "Not really; I just don''t like staying in this ce for long."

    "It''s good that you have nothing to do. Because I will need your help soon."

    "A favor?"

    "Two new students will be entering the praeterea ss this week, and I want you to be one of their examiner."

    "Examiner? Do I have the right to do that?"

    "I''ll do something about it. What''s important is that I want you to judge them honestly."

    "Transfer students at a time like this; they must have gotten in with bribes, right? There''s no way the secundari counselors can ept them. Then you want me to cheat by getting them epted into the academy? I refuse, I don''t like being associated with such political things. That''s also the reason I threw away my noble name; don''t you remember that?"

    "You misunderstand my word, Petrone; I want your fair judgment. At least I want a neutral party on the examiner''s side to examine that child."

    "Then, if I don''t acknowledge them, can I thwart them from the academy?"

    "Of course, do as you please. If they weren''t good enough to be admitted even after defying the academy system, then they didn''t deserve to be here."

    "Then it''s an easy job. I''ll excuse myself then; please prepare that thing you promised me."

 Chapter 252 Oxwadeshire, the Academy Town

    Chapter 252 Oxwadeshire, the Academy Town

    The Academy Town Oxwadeshire is one of the regions located in the south of the Wildenhall Kingdom. The town is covered by a roofless dome of unknown material. Surrounded by arge river and rocks, the academy town looked like an isted region with only one gate to enter. A solid concrete bridge connecting the region to the outside world.

    Although the academy town looks isted from the outside world, it is the most visited town by people from all over the continent because it has the best school. The Oxwade Academy, where people from all over the continent, in every country, wille to study at the school. There are currently five hundred thousand students enrolled, making up most of the city''s poption.

    Although Oxwadeshire was within the Wildenhall Kingdom, the kingdom did not have much influence over the city based on their agreement, so it was like a sovereign state that also had its own council and was led by the headmaster of Oxwade Academy, Eliphas Ingranius.

    The bustle of the city was immediately felt by Allen and Felicia, who had been waiting for 4 hours to queue to enter the city. As the new school year was about to begin, the city was getting busier than the royal capital. As soon as they started queuing, the rest of the apanying soldiers went home. Now there were only four of them with the coachman.

    "Are we there yet?" Felicia asked the coachman.

    "Already, My Lady, we will go straight to the rental house district."

    "Good... I''m already tired."

    As they entered the gate, they immediately heard the noise of the bustling city, but the noise was a little strange, with all kinds of sounds that Allen had never heard before. So he opened the curtains of the carriage door and noticed something extraordinary.

    "Felicia! What''s that?!"

    He pointed to something outside.

    "What? Why are you so surprised?"

    "That too! That one too!"

    "Aw I just realized that you''re a side-country boy who doesn''t know anything... No wonder you''ve never seen a demi-human."

    "Demi-human?"

    "Yup, the academy town connects humans around the world and other races worldwide."

    After a pause, she realized Allen had heard her seriously and was asking for more exnation.

    "Demi-humans are a half-human and half-beast. They are basically furries that resemble humans. The incredibly short ones are dwarves, while the pointed-long-eared ones are elves."

    "Amazing, where have they been all this time? Why have I never seen them?"

    lights¦­¦Ïvel "We humans do not coexist with other races. The cultural differences between races cause tremendous culture shock. It would be better if we lived separately so as not to create hatred.

    Oxwadeshire is the only town on this continent with residents of different races."

    "Does that mean they can live harmoniously in this town?"

    "I don''t know; it''s possible; I''m new to the academy, so I do not know too much. From what I know, they juste to study. I''ve read that the reason this city has survived despite the gathering of all kinds of races is because of Principal Eliphas.

    Everyone, all kinds of races, respected him. And he has an extraordinary charisma that can influence every race."

    "So people like that really exist."

    The carriage then suddenly stopped very roughly.

    "Hey! Be careful; what happened?"

    "Pardon me, Lady. The line also suddenly stopped."

    "a traffic jam? Maybe we should havee a week earlier," Rachel said.

    "I can''t help it; I''m already tired of being on the train. I''ll walk all the way to the rental house.

    Rachel, please look after our luggage and take us to the rental house. Allen ising with me." Felicia said as she prepared her bag and gave it to Allen.

    "Do you know the way to the rental house?" asked Rachel.

    "We have a map; based on this map, we just need to follow this carriage line."

    "All right, Lady. Be careful on the way."

    Felicia and Allen got out of the carriage.

    At first nce, the buildings in Academy Town appeared strikingly simr to those found in the main district of the capital city. However, there was a noticeable distinction: the majority of structures in Academy Town were three to four stories high. Their boundaries could only be distinguished by the varying colors of their walls. This unique architectural characteristic added to the charm and identity of this vibrant neighborhood of different races.

    Upon stepping out and venturing into the city, Allen found himself captivated by his surroundings. The city''s inherent charmy in its diverse races and the presence of unprecedented elements not seen in the previous city he had visited.

    "Somehow, it feels like I''m not in the world I''m used to," Allen said.

    "No wonder; you''re not the only one who thinks so because the technology in this ce is a bit different and a bit more advanced than the outside world."

    The term "a little more advanced technology" refers to certain technologies that are prevalent among elves and dwarves but notmonly utilized by humans due to the inability to replicate them without ess to blueprints. These races tend to withhold their innovative ideas from others. A prime illustration of this is the gas stove observed at food stalls and the water wheel spotted in the river. These examples highlight how certain technological advancements remain exclusive to specific races. Since the academy has many kinds of races, the technology in the academy town is more advanced in this world.

    When Allen tried to peek into some of the buildings, he could see the words "Special restrooms for demi-humans," "vegetarian eatery," and other weird building names that he never saw in other cities.

    "You were disgusting humans; you did that on purpose, did you?!" The voice sounded strange in Allen''s ears; it buzzed like two voices were speaking at once.

    Allen immediately looked around him, searching for the ce where he heard the voice. Felicia, who immediately knew the voice''s origin, ran straight to the source of the sound.

    The source of the voice came from the crowd of people at the end of the line.

    "Oh, this must be the reason for our traffic jam earlier," Felicia said.

    They both peered through the crowd, and a man was leaning against the river railing.

    "Did you perhaps just make an usation against me? An honorable human being has just been used by a fishy beast!" the man said. He spoke to the creature in the river.

    "Felicia, what is she doing down there?" asked Allen, because what he saw was not one, but ten scaly creatures looking at the human above him with angry faces.

    "Those are Sirens; they are sea creatures."

 Chapter 253 Academys Rule

    Chapter 253 Academy''s Rule

    On their way to the academy town''s rental housing district, Allen and Felicia encounter a crowd that is the reason for a traffic jam. And its source is in the feud between humans and the scaly creatures that live in the sea, Siren.

    "The sea creature, Siren. They used to be ssified as demi-humans because their characteristics were simr to those of marine animals. But because they have apletely different habitat from animals onnd, some schrs have made the statement that they are a different race from demi humans."

    "You disgusting human," said the female Siren.

    "What are you saying? How dare a fish like you talk to its predator."

    "You think you''re the highest being when all you do is what bastards do."

    "Huh?"

    "The ban on throwing trash into the river is an agreement we made with the academy council. From the way you''re talking, it looks like you''re one of the visitors from out of town. Is it possible that these honorable humans cannot read their own writing?" Their voices echo and sound oddly like a mix of birds chirping, whales, and humans.

    On some of the riverbanks, signs list the prohibitions and agreements made by Siren and the city of Academy.

    1, prohibition of throwing anything into the river, especially trash and garbage, including food.

    2, prohibition on the use of the river as a dumping ground

    3, prohibition against bathing in the river

    4, although sirens have rights over the river, they are never allowed to attack humans.

    Instead of Siren''s ban on self-defense, the academy stepped in to solve the problem.

    "JUSTICE IS THE BASIS OF PEACE!" the loud shout suddenly sounded from the east. As everyone turned their heads to the right, there was a muscr woman with an enormous, troll-like body that was 4 meters tall.

    When she approached, everyone could clearly see that she was a demi-human bear with braided hair like a viking.

    "Hey, isn''t that her? Why is she wearing a uniform on a holiday like this?"

    "The vice chairman of Oxwade Academy''s disciplinarymittee, Bernadette Honeycup"

    The disciplinarymittee was filled with students who kept the peace in the academy. Their position was above the soldiers, and they had the right to punish offenders.

    "Wh-what the hell, why are you looking at me like that?! You scum demi-human!" the man shouted as he saw the female bear in front of him staring at him with murderous lust.

    "Freedom is not only granted by the oppressor," another woman''s voice could be heard behind her, who was also wearing the same school uniform as the bear woman. "It is the oppressed who must fight for it." The woman continued. Her voice was smooth and soft, but it sounded tense and intimidating.

    "Oxwade Academy''s student council president! Kethryllia Othorion Eruvrantish!"

    "The chairman of the student council and the vice chairman of the disciplinemittee walk together?"

    "Wow she has pointed ears; does that mean the girl is an elf?" asked Allen.

    "Lower your voice; they hate it when humans talk about their ears. I don''t want to get involved with people like them before joining the academy."

    Kethryllia is a striking elf with flowing golden tresses reminiscent of royalty. Her hair was elegantly restrained despite its length, exuding a sense of regal poise and authority. She carried herself with grace, her emerald-green eyes sparkling with intelligence and wisdom. Kethryllia''s fairplexion seemed almost ethereal, untouched by the world''s harsh realities. Yet, there was a hint of sorrow behind her smile, suggesting that she had witnessed the darker side of life.

    Her aura truly sets her apart from others. A palpable presence surrounded her,manding respect and admiration from all who crossed her path.

    The elf approached the man, then held his chin, looking into his eyes.

    "Vitions of the rules agreed upon between the races are located on the first sheet of the academy city rules. As I said before, the oppressed are allowed to fight for their rights.

    Before I took you to prison, I permitted the sirens to punish them."

    "HII!!! WHAT are you going to do to me?! I''m the son of the owner of the biggestpany that makes transactions outside the city into this city! I will stop the transaction if you do some horrible thing to me! You can''t do anything to me!"

    "No matter what your duty is and no matter what your position is, in this city, you will be considered equal by the other races. I don''t care one bit what happens to you."

    A harmonious chorus of their voices began to fill the air. Observing this peculiar sight, Kethriyllia instinctively took a few steps back, sensing an imminent disturbance. Just as she retreated, a sudden wave of sickness overwhelmed the man, who uttered a loud and repulsive sound: "UWEEEEK"

    He involuntarily expelled what seemed like an endless stream of fish from his mouth, and he fainted after that.

    Witnessing this grotesque scene, Kethriyllia said, "How disgusting," She expressed her disgust by flinging her gloves to the right and igniting them in mes as if attempting to cleanse herself from the repugnance that unfolded before her.

    "Bernadette, lose your temper; let''s leave all this to the soldiers. We still have business to do."

    "Alright."

    After they left, the soldiers immediately came and arrested the man.

    "Fyuuh, for some reason, my heart feels like it''s going to stop when I see this spectacle," Felicia said.

    "Siren, what were they doing? They were just singing, but the man suddenly spit out the fish?" asked Allen.

    "I don''t know; there''s no way I''d know something like that. Maybe it was some kind of amnis? I heard that the Sirens have a close rtionship with the water spirits, so they don''t need to use the amnis circle to give orders."

    "I see... there are still many things I don''t know."

    "In the future, there may be many things that surprise you. I visited the academy town once but was still surprised by some of the developments here."

    They continued their journey to the rental house. And since the matter was already settled, Felicia''s carriage arrived at the rental house not long after they arrived.

 Chapter 254 The Teacher Council

    Chapter 254 The Teacher Council

    As soon as you enter Academy Town through the front gate, you should immediately see the academy building because it is located on a teau and is positioned in one line with the gate on the main road. A main road was four times bigger than the other roads, which could fit five horse-drawn carriages, and at the end of the main road was the academy building.

    The academy building was a sleek gray color, and some parts of the walls looked like they were made of cement covered by granite. In front of the academy building was a field made of concrete floor that was twice as big as the building itself, and the area was surrounded by tall columns. More or less, it looked like the colosseum but only one level high.

    In front of the building, there was a group of people in teacher uniforms. Their uniforms were ck with long backs that almost touched the ground. They were wearing square schr hats with blue string dangles.

    Some of the academy town''s soldiers were lined up behind and a few meters in front of them. Then a few target dummies for the examinees to arrive

    There were seven professors, and the professors were sitting on simple wooden chairs with tables in front of them. From their faces, it was obvious that they were miserable that they were forced to test the transfer students, Felicia and Allen.

    "Geez, how can the principal allow a test for transfer students in Praterea''s ss? That kid isn''t really a transfer either; they are someone who''s never been to school before."

    "I''m sure it''s not just the principal; the teacher council must have had a hand in this. They must have received quite a lot of money to enroll these new students."

    "Receiving bribes¡ªgosh, the academy is really moving in a bad direction, whereas in the past it wasn''t this rotten."

    Most of them were elderly people in their 50s to 70s. Three were women, and four were men.

    But apparently, one teacher didn''t join in the conversation with the other teachers.

    "Is she the young teacher that the teacher council mentioned?"

    "Petrone, that young girl was one of the top and former imperial students. But she dropped out as soon as she submitted her thesis, even though her professor hasn''t graded it yet."

    One of the examining teachers, Petrone, sat alone while bowing her head and repeatedly pounding the heels of her shoes on the floor.

    "AAARGH! THE HEAD OF THE SCHOOL F*CKED ME!" screamed Petrone, startling all the teachers beside her.

    "Just watch out! I''ll definitely cut off that principal''s long beard!" she muttered in annoyance.

    ___ A week ago, after Petrone left the principal''s room

    There was a soldier who stopped her exit from the academy.

    "What the hell is this? Move aside. Just so you know, I no longer have any connection with the academy; even if I destroy your bodies, I can escape at any time," Petrone said with her index finger glowing.

    "Petrone..." called someone behind her.

    "Sigh... Professor Oswald, what''s going on? Is this all your doing?" Oswald was wearing a professor''s shirt with a purple rope hat, a hint that he was on the teacher council. When Petrone saw Oswald, the light on her finger immediately disappeared.

    "More or less, but it''s not my doing; it''s the principal''s. Let''s go inside," Oswald said as he invited Petrone to enter the room to his right.

    "This is why I hate the academy," muttered Petrone, who seemed to give up fighting when she saw Professor Oswald in front of her.

    They went into the room.

    "I hate this room," Petrone said once she entered, or perhaps was forced to enter.

    The teacher council chamber, had the same systemization as the Wildenhall king''s chamber, except that the council chamber could be entered at any door using the council member''s ring.

    The council chamber was more like a small and simple courtroom, with a dais in the center for those conducting thesis examinations, while the eight councilors sat on a high tform.

    Petrone stood at the dais below, looking up at the councilors, who looked like they were reading something.

    "So, why am I required to be here? Have I done something that isn''t in line with the academy? If I''m not mistaken, I''ve already left this school on good terms."

    "Quite the opposite," replied one of the council members.

    "Huh?"

    "A few months ago, we read your thesis on mana mutation and god''s blessing maniption."

    "What?! Didn''t I throw that thesis away?! Why is that thing in your hands-"

    Petrone finally realized

    Someone else had the thesis: her supervising professor, Oswald. Professors should not be allowed to publish a thesis without their students consent. If he intended to publish it under his own name, or steal the research, there should have been no need for the council to call Petrone here. So probably, someone knew about the content of the thesis and forced Oswald to give that thing to the council.

    The only person who could do that was

    "That oldman!" The headmaster, Eliphas Ingranius

    ''No wonder he suddenly called me to the academy and offered me that amnis book. He must have arranged all this so that I coulde back here! And the reason he''s only calling me now, must be because I have reached adulthood a year ago!''

    Petrone could only remain silent in front of the teacher council. It wasn''t that she felt cornered; she just felt furious that once again she was back in the clutches of the principal''s hand that she hated.

    "Petrone Morgana Mappleleaf-"

    "Don''t call me by that name!" shouted Petrone, looking at the council angrily.

    Ignoring her anger, the council continued.

    "Your thesis is a new breakthrough in mana, but it''s still full of holes."

    "First, you still haven''t done any experiments."

    "Second, you still haven''t validated some of the things you state in your thesis, which sound usible but are of doubtful truth."

    "Third, you haven''t really finalized your theory."

    "Fourth, one of the contents of your thesis states that

    <God''s blessing is not a blessing given by God but a power possessed by humans and created by humans themselves. Which is just a concept triggered by the power of angels, not angels who give it to humans.

    The statement sparked controversy in the church because it was considered sphemy."

    "I don''t agree with that statement either," said Petrone.

    "Hooo? You made it yourself."

    Petrone then continued, "I did have that thought, but some things don''t match reality, like the name of God''s blessing. If humans created their own blessings, how could the names of God''s blessings pop into their heads? God gave them the power, and God gave them the name," she exined.

    "But in your thesis, you also exined that the names of god''s blessingse from people''s subconscious, which subconsciously appear in their brains when their emotions peak."

    "That''s just nonsense. I was too imaginative back then," Petrone replied.

    The council was silent for a while, then continued.

    "Well whatever it is, it seems the contents of your thesis were leaked to the church. And the church is suing the academy for it."

    "WHAT?! Has this school copsed so much that the students'' data could be leaked like that?! I told you I think it''s nonsense anyway!" shouted Petrone.

    "No matter what it is, even if you think it''s nonsense, there''s no mistaking that it has brought you to an excellent stage."

    The councilor who was directly in front of Petrone took the judge''s gavel and struck it.

    "With this, the teacher council decides unanimously.

    Petrone Morgana Mapleleaf, due to the church''s demands, the academy will oversee you for a few years until the church confirms your thesis wasn''t sphemy. Then because you have promising research, we will make you one of the Praeterea ss professors, and you will be allowed to use the research room on the seventh floor."

    Petrone''s face instantly turned gloomy. In shock, she muttered

    "Y-you''re kidding, right?"

    __Then today, in front of the academy building.

    Petrone, who had be one of Oxwade Academy''s professors, now had to test the bribe students who were about to enter the academy.

    "I''m really going to cut off that beard! When I met him, I swore I would cut-no-I would burn that long beard!!!"

    "!!!" Petrone suddenly remembered the principal''s words while talking to her. When the principal asked her to be an examiner, she asked, "Do I have the right to be an examiner?" And the principal''s reply, "I''ll do something about it."

    "That old grandpa really tricked me from the beginning! The book isn''t worth it to make me spend my years in this academy!"

    ''Just watch! I won''t dance on your hands anymore!

    These two children who are about to be tested must be part of another of his strange ns; I''ll give them a difficult test and will definitely fail them both!'' thought Petrone.

    Allen and Felicia came to the test field.

    The private exam to enter the academy began.

 Chapter 255 Transfer Student Report 1

    Chapter 255 Transfer Student Report 1

    My name is Hilma Fledging, and I am one of the teachers of the mana ss in Primarium and Secundari sses. My speciality is to teach the students the basics of mana and amnis. This is my report on the two new students who will be entering the Praeterea ss in this unusual year. This report will provide the student''s information, what happened in the entrance test, and my personal opinion about them.

    In this context, the individuals referred to as "transfer students" are not truly transfer students but rather individuals who gained admission through alternative channels. This unconventional method involves providing a specific sum of money as a bribe to the academy and to the boards of teachers, essentially engaging in dishonest practices to secure enrollment.

    Or it should be to secure the enrollment.

    The boards of teachers, however, openly told the examiners about these bribes. That''s when we found out that the board wasn''t taking bribes to get them into the academy in the first ce but was doing so to show the nobleman that what he was doing was futile. That''s why the examiners were taken from the teachers of the secondaries, and all of them agreed not to pass the two children.

    That is what I thought.

    But the arrival of a new teacher as an examiner, Petrone, changed our perception of the test. Her arrival indicated that some of the board members wanted a neutral vote among the examiners. This exam might have something to do with the politics going on between the boards and councilors, and these two kids might be used as tools for their ns. But that reason made me even more convinced not to ept that child into this school.

    However...

    The results of the private-entrance test conducted at the end of the month of fire

    The two participants, namely Felicia Ayde Boldenville and her knight, Allen.

    Both passed with almost full votes.

    ...

    Report of the first tested student, Felicia Ayde Boldenville.

    "My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville. Nice to meet all the examiners."

    ''Boldenville? I see; she''s the daughter of that Earl Boldenville. No wonder she has enough money to bribe the board.''

    The name Earl Boldenville was quite famous in the academy, especially among the teachers. Because the school''s new uniforms were also ordered at their sewing house, the House of Felicia, and named after his eldest daughter.

    Besides the quality of the clothes, the House of Felicia was famous because the owner of the name was nicknamed the Maiden of Eden Garden by the kingdom. It was said that she yed a big role in rescuing many soldiers who fought during the invasion of the castle by the Dolls.

    Of course, not many people from the academy really believed in that story because it had a lot of holes, like the story about the girl drinking a lot of potions, even though the potions only had the effect of three to four bottles.

    Her manners were already good, as expected of a noble. But manners alone were not enough to jump into the Praeterea ss.

    Jumping into the Praeterea ss means she has mastered almost all the basics of study that we teach in the secundari ss. And since she just jumped into the praeterea ss, we could-NO-we should assume they deliberately didn''t enter secundari because they didn''t need the basic sses.

    "When you entered the academy, what subject would be your focus in your studies?"

    "Caster, I''m pretty confident in my amnis and mana."

    "Then show us a basic amnis shot at the target provided."

    The girl drew the most basic type of amnis attack, a fireball. People who saw it would immediately know what she drew. Moreover, she was writing slowly. The average student would indeed write amnis orders that slowly, but that meant she was not worthy enough to enter through the inner passage.

    "Fire spirits of god''s subordinate, answer my call, and burn the target before me, Fire Ball."

    -SHOT -BAM

    "..."

    That was the fastest fireball shot we had ever seen.

    Some of us were stood there in awe. There was no particr intensity to her voice, but she couldmand the fire spirits to do that fast shot, and in that moment, we couldn''t help but wonder if there was something more to this student than met the eye. The fireball that erupted from her outstretched hand was nothing short of extraordinary. The mes danced and twisted in mid-air, glowing with dazzling brightness without much dy and shooting at incredible speed. As it reached its target, a burst of heat radiated from the mes, engulfing the object in a fiery inferno. The sheer power behind this spell left us astounded as we realized the depths of the student''s skill and connection with the elemental forces. It was a moment that would forever be etched in our memories, a testament to the limitless possibilities that could ess our minds since it was just her basic fireball.

    "T-that''s that is just normal. The average person in this academy can do that if they scrutinize the fire and order the spirits properly," said one of the examiners who was trying to prevent the girl from being epted.

    What he said was not entirely wrong. There are indeed many people in the academy who can do it, but it should be done using a second-tier amnis, where you add a bit of speed energy to fire the fireball. Whereas what we saw was a singleyer amnis.

    "That''s only for the secondyer amnis. But what if she used the secondyer on her amnis? I wonder how fast it will be," said the new professor, Petrone. "But yeah, it''s not something that can get you epted here because it''s not something extraordinary."

    I saw that girl''s expression that day,

    She was smiling, hearing that from the Petrone.

    "Alright," she said with her fake disappointed face. "Then, how about this."

    ''She drew a secondyer to the amnis. But just increasing the speed shouldn''t make us more amazed.''

    That''s how I thought at first.

    The girl stood confidently, her hands outstretched and palms facing upward. As she began to chant incantations, small flickers of me danced around her finger, growing brighter and hotter with each passing second. The intensity of her concentration was evident on her face, reflecting the determination and focus she possessed. Gradually, the fireball growing bigger and be the size of a head. But it was not the size of the fireball that would leave us astonished.

    but rather its astonishing color.

    "No way, the color of the fire turned blue!"

    Gasps echoed in the surrounding air as the mes transformed into a mesmerizing shade of blue. It was not something amon student or even a teacher could do. The transformative power of the fire, with its rich blue hue, held a mysterious energy that seemed to pull us all closer, capturing our attentionpletely.

    The blue fire. It burns with an intensity that can easily surpass that of red fire, its heat radiating with a strength that is 1.5 times hotter. Such a fiery spectacle could only be achieved by adding specific materials to the inferno at precisely the right moment, just as the amnis was activated. In certain circumstances, the blue fire served a practical function. The military, for instance, harnesses the power of blue fire to swiftly dispose of war corpses. Its intense heat allows for a more efficient and rapid incineration process.

    Surprisingly, this girl didn''t do anything particr to the fire. The fire seemed to transform, changing color on its own. All she did was vary the casting slightly. Perhaps, she created the fire while adding a bit of her own mana by creating acitelina and propane in the fire. But she should be able to create that unsure in her own mana without releasing them as amnis, and she did that while casting the fireball.

    At that moment, we understood that we had witnessed something truly extraordinary. The girl''s ability to summon and control the rare blue fire showcased her remarkable talent and expertise in the realm of amnis.

    She was definitely a child beloved by the spirits.

    Without furtherment, everyone passed her over.

    ¡­

    Report of the second tested student, Allen.

    "My name is Allen; I''m a knight of Lady Felicia. Nice to meet the examiners."

    ''Being a knight in a famous earl''s family, plus his ck hair, he must be a talented other-worlder.''

    By then, everyone was getting serious about the test and began to think that this kid was just as outstanding.

    "Please show us the basic amnis."

    He did the same with the girl. A fireball basic amnis

    He drew the amnis faster than the girl, but the power of the shot wascking; it was too ordinarypared to the girl.

    "As expected, a kid who doesn''t understand amnis won''t be epted in the Praeterea ss; you must attend the secundari first."

    "Really? I thought using the firstyer of amnis was the limit of eptance?" Allen asked.

    "That''s for those who enter normally. Not bribing like you!"

    This kid was definitely not an expert in using amnis like the girl before, so I asked.

    "What can you do? Where do you focus on studying if you get into the academy?"

    "I''m pretty confident in my physique, so probably anything rted to that, like vanguard training or defender."

    "Then show us what you''re capable of," said Petrone, who made a quick earthen amnis. She created arge boulder above the boy''s head.

    "Professor Petrone! Are you going to kill him?!" I shouted.

 Chapter 256 Transfer Student Report 2

    Chapter 256 Transfer Student Report 2

    ''Allen? That kid was apparently handed over to the Boldenville family,'' Petrone thought as she saw Allening along with Felicia.

    ''Ist saw him in Barkaley Region, and at that time, he seemed to still look the same as he did back then. But now he''s really changed a bit.''

    ...

    The report of the second tested student, Allen.

    From our observations, he doesn''t have any particr talent. The amnis heunched were ordinary, even rtively weaker than the others.

    "I am confident in my physique," Allen said.

    And perhaps, because he spoke like that, Petrone ate his words raw, overtaken by his audacious statement, and would respond most unexpectedly and dramatically.

    Petrone created an amnis with a flick of her wrist; a massive rock materialized above the boy''s head, hanging menacingly in the air. Everyone suddenly gasped and held their breath, their eyes wide with anticipation, expecting the worst. However, the boy showed no signs of fear or doubt. With calm eyes, he reached up and effortlessly grasped the gigantic boulder. It seemed as though the world''s weight did not affect him as he held it in his hands with remarkable ease and strength. With a powerful swing, he hurled the rock aside like a mere pebble, leaving the examiners speechless and their jaws dropping in astonishment.

    I looked at Petrone, wondering what she would think if the boy couldn''t do it? Or did Petrone know that he could?

    "Is this enough?" asked Allen.

    It should be, but it wasn''t anything out of the ordinary because, in the academy, many could lift a rock that big. Especially the demi-humans could more or less do it, even though they wouldn''t carry them like pebbles.

    "How about sword art? Do you have a sword style that you can show?"

    If you want to be a vanguard, you should at least have a sword or martial art to show off. But,

    "I can do my master''s sword-soil, but I can''t do any performing arts because I''ve never been taught such things."

    "Hmph! I knew it! He''s just a kid other-worlder. There''s no way he''d have any advantage on the sword after arriving in this world!"

    "Then let''s try another test," said Petrone.

    Petrone fired various amnis to prove his strength and endurance. Refusing to let them make contact with his body, he effortlessly caught each shot with his bare hands. This disy showcased his remarkable resilience and highlighted his exceptional uracy and keen eyesight. His precise hand-eye coordination left no doubt about his capabilities.

    But still

    Even though we''ve seen it all, despite our extensive experience and the surprises that he brought, we had numerous reservations about epting him. We could stille up with a thousand reasons not to ept him. It was different from the situation with the girl who made us seriously consider admitting her to the academy, as her exceptional talent could certainly be further refined with our guidance.

    Five out of the seven examiners did not pass him.

    "Thank you very much for your time," said the boy, who didn''t seem to care much about the result.

    "Nonsense!" shouted the girl, Felicia. Who seemed to care more about this boy''s results than the boy himself.

    "Allen! You have to enter as a student!"

    "Not necessarily; Rachel said I can still take care of you as a knight even if I''m not epted."

    "I want you to study with me too! I don''t want an uneducated knight!"

    "How selfish..." muttered Allen.

    The boy again asked the examiner, "Can I still show something else to be epted?"

    "Huh?! Of course you can''t! You''ve already failed; we won''t-"

    "Wait," Petrone interrupted. "What are you going to show?

    "I''m going to show you my god''s blessings."

    "A god''s blessing is a blessing; it won''t show how talented you are!" the examiner shouted.

    Petrone replied, "This kid is already talented enough to enter this academy as a vanguard and defender. If his god''s blessing is extraordinary, he has the right to enter the academy."

    "So what? Do I need to show it?" asked Allen.

    "Go ahead, but your blessing at least, could defeat the sixth-floor monster. Or we won''t pass you; that is eptable, right? Professor Petrone."

    "Whatever."

    ''I see¡­ The sixth floor was a level for padium. There is no way a student could do such a blessing. And since there is no monster target here, we canment negatively on the blessing, and we are free to thwart the child no matter how strong and useful it may be.''

    That kid nodded, and then he drew his sword.

    and cut his right hand''s vein.

    "What are you doing?!"

    The boy then said, "I''ll hold back a bit, but... please be careful."

    ''Careful? What does this kid mean?'' That was how I thought at the time.

    "Spige Mysanthrope," the blood that flowed from his vein turned thicker, both the liquid and the color, and then it suddenly seeped into every crevice of the surroundings.

    "W-WHAT''S GOING ON?!"

    "WHERE IS THIS?!"

    The examiners, bewildered and fearful, struggled toprehend the bizarre phenomenon unfolding before our eyes.

    Yeah, it''s literally all over the ce.

    You will be brought into a void world where almost nothing exists. There are no academy buildings, no floors, not even a sky.

    Only that boy, the examiners, and our chair and table were carried inside. Our initial shock gave way to a wave of terror as we encountered the unknown depths surrounding us. Everyone rose from their chairs, instinctively trying to distance themselves from the spreading darkness. Stepping backward, we only deepened our sense of dread. Our feet sank into the unsettling, viscous sea of crimson that pooled around our ankles. The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating, as we grappled with the overwhelming fear of the impending unknown.

    Everything was happened so suddenly, and because of shock, some of us started to chant the amnis.

    Suddenly, without any warning or respite, the liquid that had consumed everything unleashed its relentless assault. It shed our bodies like sharp des, tearing through our flesh and inflicting excruciating pain.

    "Am I dead?" was what I thought at that moment.

    I really felt death at that moment.

    Until finally, that kid disabled his ability.

    The details of the boy''s ability were that he could use his blood to create a new area filled with mana. The distance at that time was approximately ten meters. ording to the soldiers, they saw some sort ofrge sphere covering us from the outside. This meant that almost everything wasn''t a hallucination; it was really his mana covering everything, creating a domain where he could do anything to his opponent.

    The only hallucination we saw was probably that shed blood. That boy from the beginning only locked us into his domain, but because his mana was so tense, we were made to think that he was attacking us.

    While in there, I take a nce at the boy''s face.

    His red eyes stared at us with deep hatred, like a monster.

    At that time, Without furtherment, everyone passed him over.

    __A week ago

    "Allen, regarding your god''s blessing, is there no way to activate it without hurting yourself? If possible, I want it to be your ace card in case the examiners won''t ept you," Felicia asked after they finished sparring.

    "I can''t. Just like you, injury is a requirement for its use."

    "But you don''t have to cut a hole in your body to make it, right? How about just a little cut?"

    "That also works too."

    "Yeah I know, there is no way it''s pos- EH?! SO THAT''S POSSIBLE?"

    "I sometimes auto-activated it when my hand was injured. And in the past three years, I''ve often dabbled in testing some things about my god''s blessing."

    "Would you mind exining it to me? It''s not fair that you know all the details of my blessing while I don''t."

    Allen took the de of his sword and cut his left hand deeply.

    "First, what''s needed is enough blood flow to turn it into mana,"

    Blood flowed profusely from his cut veins.

    "Second, when I want to activate it, I have to make myself ovee by negative emotions."

    "Negative emotions?"

    "Such as hatred, sadness, and the strongest is anger. All I have to do is force myself to remember the bad memories of the past, at which point the flowing blood turns even more intense and flows around."

    Allen''s flowing blood turned a deep red, close to ck, and it spread all around, covering the floor, up to the ceiling.

    "WHAAA!" Felicia was scared because she was trapped in darkness, plus her feet were soaked in Allen''s blood, which scared her to death.

    Momentster, the blood melted, disappearing into the earth.

    "Wh-what was that?!" Felicia eximed, her body shaking in fear.

    Allen was seen activating the healing amnis to close the wound on his hand. Then he approached Felicia and pulled her to her feet.

    "I''ll exin it in more detail."

    Allen''s blessing makes him able to spread his mana around, creating his own domain. But apparently, he could cover the surroundings with his blood. So, he created a new space inside his mana by closing off all ess to the outside. To people outside, they would see a huge ck ball.

    Allen''s blessing allowed him to manipte the blood he expelled. So once the person was trapped inside his domain, he could freely attack them at any time.

    The form of attack was not just weapons or thorns; it depended on what Allen imagined. And in some cases, Allen created his young self to stab his opponent directly.

    The stronger the blessing, the higher the risk; it can happen the other way around. So if he only cut his veins, the power of his god''s blessing would be weaker than when he stabbed his stomach.

 Chapter 257 Please take care of her

    Chapter 257 Please take care of her

    "What the hell is this?! Why is this ce so small?!"

    "I think it''s spacious enough,dy."

    ''It''s even bigger than my room,'' Rachel thought.

    "What spacious?! At this rate, how am I going to ce all my stuff?"

    "Then we''ll have to sort it out."

    Since Felicia and Allen had been epted as academy students, they had to leave the rental house and move their belongings to the dormitory that had been prepared. Rather than a dormitory, it was more like a rental room located in the student dormitory district.

    The student dormitory district was strategically located in a slightly remote area of the academy, specifically to allow students to pass by various stalls. In terms of gender segregation, there were no excessively stringent regtions in ce. So the male and female dormitories are not far apart, but ced randomly. There is also a male dormitory building located next to the female dormitory. The only rule in the dorms regarding gender is to limit visits to the evening. So once night fell and night descended, the dorm keeper and dorm manager would conduct room inspections for every student.

    "Allen! How''s it going in there?" asked Felicia to meet Allen in his room.

    "No problem!" replied Allen.

    Allen''s dormitory building was right next to Felicia''s; their rooms are across from each other. So they could talk through each other''s windows.

    ''With this distance, I can also jump straight to her room if something happens,'' Allen thought as he stroked the crow''s head on his shoulders.

    "You seem to need a house, too," Allen said to the crow. "Do they sell birdhouses in the market district too?"

    Allen didn''t have much luggage to begin with, so he didn''t do anything particr to his room. On the other hand, Felicia had brought so many things that they covered the entire floor of her room.

    "Lady, please choose carefully. You can only choose 10 of these 50 items."

    "Only 10?! Are you serious?"

    "Don''t worry; I''ll clean up the messter. For now, I''m going to the district market to buy some ingredients for dinner. Once I get back, please finish your selection. Remember Lady, just 10," Rachel said with firmness.

    "Ra-rachel, since when did you be this presumptuous with me? You''re talking like Allen."

    "I''ve been like this for a long time. Please choose quickly, My Lady."

    After leaving Felicia''s room, Rachel went to the market district to pick up some essential ingredients. A familiar face caught her attention as she stepped out of the building. It was Allen, who coincidentally emerged from his own dorm building apanied by his crow.

    "Allen, are you going to Lady Felicia''s room?"

    "No, I''m going to the market district to see if they are selling this birdhouse."

    "What a coincidence; I also want to buy some cooking ingredients for tonight; please help me bring the goods. About the birdhouse, if I''m not mistaken, I saw one at the craft house."

    "Alright, but is it okay to leave Felicia alone?"

    "Once we get to the dormitory, she''ll be safe. After all, Lady isn''t someone we will protect 24/7."

    "I see..."

    They then went to the market town together.

    "Allen, about Lady, once again, please take good care of her."

    "No problem," Allen nodded.

    "I''m sorry for telling you this so many times, but this time I''m no longer by her side, and the secret about Mr. Waldo could also leak out at any time, so I feel like I need to tell you this."

    "..."

    "The current Lady may have forgotten a bit about Mr. Waldo, unlike before. I can tell by her face that she is still having fun. I hope that will always be the case in the future.

    But still¡­ Right now, she is still unable to ept the fact. When she finds out the truth, she will definitelye to you for an exnation. And when that happens, please save Lady."

    "I-I''ll try my best," Allen said hesitantly.

    ''No wonder he hesitated, unlike usual; this is a difficult even for him,'' Rachel thought.

    ''The lie I made on that day was already too big for me to carry alone, so I was honestly relieved when Allen turned into what he is now and was willing to work with me to cover it up. As time progresses, the lie will inevitably growrger, and the impact will solely be on myself. My greatest desire is for Lady to experience joy and happiness. If she were to discover the unfortunate truth regarding Mr. Waldo''s death, there is a high likelihood that she would contemte ending her own life. Therefore, I made up this lie in order to give her time to enhance her love for her life and her love for herself. My fervent aspiration is for Lady to be overwhelmed with such immense delight that she cannot fathom relinquishing it, and she must find someone special to make it true.

    And right now, Allen is the only person who can make that happen. By being Allen''s friend, Lady will definitely not kill herself when she finds that out, I am sure, I believe it, and I hoped for it.''

    Rachel and Allen ended up shopping for a lot of things, from kitchen utensils, food ingredients to various types of fruits. Allen deliberately forced Rachel to buy a lot because that day was thest day Rachel would be by Felicia''s side, so they intended to make onest party for Rachel.

    The shopping was ended in thete afternoon, when the sun set.

    "Alright, maybe this is enough for tonight," Rachel said.

    "We''ll make a lot of delicious dishes for your departure."

    "Fufu, you shouldn''t overthink it."

    "No, Susan, my coworker said that farewells should be celebrated with a party to give the impression of happiness and not sadness."

    "Then I should thank Susan for that."

    ''You''re wee,'' thought Susan, who was perched on top of Allen''s head.

    The two of them then walked under the afternoon light in silence.

    During that silence, Rachel suddenly thought of Felicia, who had been in her arms since she was a baby until she grew up. She suddenly burst into tears When she thought she had to finally part with her.

    "Rachel?" asked Allen.

    "It''s okay; I''m not that sad. Half of it is a joy tear."

    "I''m sorry, you have to part with Felicia because of me."

    "Of you?"

    After thinking about it a little more, Rachel suddenly understood what Allen meant. Allen was indeed the reason she had to part with Felicia. As Felicia''s personal maid, Rachel was meant to reside in the dormitory alongside her; that is how it was supposed to be.

    However, she faced the consequences of parting with Felicia due to her decision to contact Allen without Reynold''s consent. Rachel was devastated when she was punished for being stripped of her position as Felicia''s personal maid and reduced to serving only the Boldenville family.

    "It''s okay," Rachel said. "It''s not your fault. It is my desire to call you back. You are Lady Felicia''s only friend and the only person who can rece Mr. Waldo."

    "Rece? What does that mean?"

    Rachel shook her head. "You don''t need to know," she said with a smile. "One thing is for sure: as I watch your sudden change, you have be a better person, and now I''m more and more convinced that calling you back home was the right choice."

    A strong wind blew away the flower petals that decorated the street in the dormitory district. At that moment, Rachel turned around and faced Allen. The scene made Rachel look beautiful but gave a deeper impression of sadness.

    "Allen..."

    Rachel sat to match Allen''s height, and she grasped Allen''s hand firmly. Her straight eyes, looking at Allen, looked hopeful and determined.

    "I will leave Lady Felicia to you. I believe you are the right person for her; please, from now on, take care of her."

    Allen was startled.

    When he saw Rachel''s determined eyes, he could feel Rachel''s hope for him begin moving through her grasp to his heart.

    [ILLUSTRATION]

    Allen''s red eyes shone because of the sunset; those were the determined eyes willing to grant Rachel''s hope.

    "Rachel..."

    Rachel''s feelings were so sincere

    "I..."

    Plus the feeling was also the same as what he felt

    "I will..."

    The feeling to continue protecting Felicia, from now on, and always¡­

    "I will always protec-"

    -THRUST

    But even though their feelings were the same...

    "I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

    That doesn''t necessarily mean it canst forever...

    "FINALLY!! FINALLY AFTER THREE YEARS OF HOLDING THIS GRUDGE, I FOUND YOU!"

    Rachel spontaneously let go of Allen''s trembling hand. She slowly looked at the figure that suddenly came and pushed Allen from behind.

    But Rachel knew it wasn''t just a simple push because blood wasing out of Allen''s mouth.

    That figure was a girl who used her knife to stab Allen in the back.

    "Ra-rachel¡­" Allen said with a trembling voice.

    And that girl was someone Rachel knew very well because they had visited her area several times to strengthen the rtionship between the engaged families.

    "Miss Jane Barkaley..." Rachel murmured in a trembling voice.

    "Brother Waldo... I finally avenged you. My knife finally pierced his body."

 Chapter 258 His Sister, Jane

    Chapter 258 His Sister, Jane

    Unlike myself, who possesses a natural talent in mana, Brother Waldo has had to rely solely on his training and spiritual development since childhood. Many nobles oftenpare the two of us because of my talent. However, little did they know that Brother Waldo was amazing.

    Brother Waldo was a kind person, his kindness towards everyone being deeply beloved by others except the noble. In contrast to my tendency to immerse myself in study within the solitude of my room, he actively engaged with soldiers and demonstrated exemry leadership skills.

    His ability to easily connect with others and inspire them made him stand out as a truly exceptional person. Despite not possessing the same magical talents as me, Brother Waldo''s genuine qualities far exceeded anything I have.

    Most importantly, he was the one who still loved me even though people alwayspared him to me and kept insulting him as an untalented noble.

    I loved him with all my heart. He always encouraged me; in his busy schedule, he always made time for me and listened to whatever I asked of him.

    And then Brother Waldo, died in the dungeon.

    But what killed him wasn''t a monster! It is a child who was raised by a monster¡ªno, I am sure he was definitely a monster!

    AND KILLING A MONSTER IS OKAY FOR A HUMAN

    So that day...

    When he was about to be sent away from home, I took the opportunity to kill him.

    "You murderer! Give me back my brother! Brother Waldo! Give him back!" I shouted.

    But at that time, I realized that my knife couldn''t pierce his monster body¡­

    "I will kill you! I will search for you and kill you! I will definitely kill you! The one who killed my brother should die! HE SHOULD DIE!"

    Today¡­ At this moment...

    Finally...

    After over three years of bearing this hatred and grudge, I finally met him again in an unusual ce, Academy Town.

    And this time,

    I could feel it clearly¡ªthe sensation of my hand piercing his back deeply.

    ...

    Rachel, tightly clutching Allen''s hand, suddenly jerked backward in a state of utter disbelief. Overwhelmed with shock, she lost her bnce and tumbled to the ground. In that chaotic silence, everything they bought from the market fell to the ground, scattering across the pavement. With dusk settling over the city, the street they were traversing appeared eerily deserted, devoid of any prying eyes or onlookers.

    ''What is this knife?! My body can''t move properly. And also, it''s really hot!'' Allen thought in confusion since it was impossible for a normal knife to pierce his flesh.

    ''And where did this persone from?! I can''t feel her presence!'' thought a panicked Allen.

    Allen who could feel the hot knife piercing his back, slowly looked back, and he could see the person who pierced him. A girl who looked a lot like Theda, and he had seen that face many times in the painting that was framed on the living room wall of the Barkaley house.

    The second child of the Barkaley family, Jane Theda Barkaley. She had short hair and was about the same age as Allen. Her green eyes resembled Theda''s, with a mole on her left, and her blue hair was simr to her father''s.

    With a menacing glint in her eyes, Jane uttered the chilling word "Die," as she forcefully twisted the knife, prating deeper into Allen''s back. Reacting swiftly, Allen retaliated by forcefully pushing Jane away from him, causing her to stumble and fall backward.

    "Allen!" shouted Rachel. The adrenaline pumping through her veins allowed Rachel to regain control of her body, rushing to Allen''s side and cradling his fallen body.

    "P-please get this off," said Allen in pain. He quickly starts to draw the healing amnis.

    "It''s useless," said Jane, trying to stand up. "You think this will end the same as before? I''ll make sure you really die!"

    Filled with a mix of fear and panic, Rachel bravely pulled the knife from Allen''s wounded body. By the time Allen finished chanting his amnis, the wound was closed but not closed very well since it was deeper, and Allen''s amnis was not good enough to heal everything.

    "A-Allen..." Rachel said with a trembling voice when she saw something unordinary on the knife "This knife is poisonous."

    "!!!"

    Allen held tightly to his body, which was pierced by the de. Reig automatically moved to the wound and closed it from the inside. But it was useless; the poison had already spread throughout his body.

    ''Damn! Sh*t! Sh*t! I''m going to die! At this rate, I''m really going to die!'' Allen thought.

    He then looked at Jane, who was looking at him with a smile, satisfied with his death. From that smile, Allen could tell how long the girl had been holding a grudge against him. And he realized that if he managed to kill Leofric, he would probably put that face on too.

    ''Why am I afraid of death all of a sudden?'' thought Allen. He could see Jane was still babbling and shouting expletives at him, while Rachel didn''t stop shouting something at him, but he couldn''t hear her anymore.

    ''This is probably my punishment,'' thought Allen, who had resigned himself to his situation.

    ''Three years ago, I had thought that something like this would happen someday. And in fact, some of them in Barkaley actually tried to kill me. I should have known that it woulde to this, so after I made my atonement, I intended to give my body to those who held a grudge against me.

    That should have been it...

    But they were all too kind.

    The people in the town were too kind to make me think that I still deserved to live.

    But in the end, I''m still a murderer.

    I''ve only been misunderstood.

    There''s no way a murderer like me should be allowed to live happily.''

    Allen then rxed his body, epted that it was all worth it, and he... gave up on surviving.

    Slowly, Allen closed his eyes.

    "FIRE BALL!"

    A handheld sized fireball shot very quickly toward Jane. Jane, who noticed the fire ball, shifted her body to the left, but the speed of the fire ball did not give her time to do so.

    "Akh!" Jane''s shoulder was hit by the fireball, and the clothes around it burned along with some of her hair.

    ''This doesn''t hurt?'' The effect of the fireball was only to give her a burn. And when she looked in the direction of the shot, there was Felicia with the crow, running towards Allen and Rachel.

    "Allen!" Felicia shouted.

    As Felicia ran closer, Jane knew that it was the Felicia she knew¡ªher brother''s fianc¨¦e.

    ''Lady Felicia? What is she doing?!'' she thought.

    "Lady! Thank goodness you arrived."

    "Thanks to this crow, she brings your ribbon to me."

    Quickly, Felicia took out a knife, cut her hand, and activated her god''s blessing to heal Allen.

    "Allen, how could you get hurt by someone like her?! Aren''t you my powerful knight?!"

    As soon as the vegetation around Allen''s body grew and began to glow, that''s when Jane knew that Felicia was healing Allen.

    "Hey, what are you doing?" muttered Jane.

    "Why are you doing that?! Why are you healing him?!" screamed Jane.

    After Felicia had finished healing him, she turned her gaze towards Jane, filled with anger and hatred. However, amidst the intensity of her emotions, her tears revealed a different side to her feelings: a genuine sorrow for the person she had just mended. It was aplex situation where mixed emotions converged and conflicted within Felicia''s heart. Despite her outward disy of anger, her tears betrayed the depth of care she held for Allen who really would die.

    And to Jane, she can''t help but find it confusing and funny to see Felicia doing that for Allen.

    "What are you doing to my friend, Miss Jane. Mr Waldo would be disappointed if he saw you like this!"

    When she heard that, Jane was immediately confused.

    "Huh? Your friend? Are you kidding me?"

    "Do you think I''ll forgive what you''ve done? What did Allen do that made you have to kill him?!" Felicia shouted.

    ''Huh? What the hell?" Jane thought angrily, "What the heck did you just say? Is there something wrong with your brain?! Don''t you know he has-"

    "Lady Jane!" shouted Rachel, cutting off Jane''s words. Rachel''s shout sounded desperate like she was trying to raise her voice as loud as possible until it sounded hoarse. And that shout made Jane stop talking.

    It wasn''t just her screaming, her face was also desperate. Her mouth was trembling, and her eyes were zed over as if she were holding back her tears. Then those eyes, as if they wanted to convey something to Jane.

    While sping her own hands tightly. Rachel knelt down and continued to bow to Jane.

    "Lady Jane... Please calm your anger. We should talk about this properlyter, when Mr Waldo returns from his dungeon raid. I know you must still miss Mr Waldo as much as Lady Felicia''s. Especially after he still hasn''te back after three years."

    Rachel said something thatpletely confused Jane.

    "Returns from the dungeon raid?" Jane asked confusedly.

    "What the...

    Rachel, why are you talking like that...

    What exactly-"

    -CHOP

    Before Jane could finish her sentence, someone hit her neck from behind. Making Jane fall unconscious instantly.

    It was the elven woman that Allen and Felicia had met on the first day in town, Oxwade Academy''s Student''s Executive Board, Kethryllia Othorion Eruvrantish."

    "Before one of you exins the situation, has that stabbed student been properly healed?" asked Kethryllia.

 Chapter 259 Until the Secret Revealed

    Chapter 259 Until the Secret Revealed

    "No way... so Lady Felicia didn''t know Brother Waldo was dead all along?! How could that be?"

    "The day Lord Barkaley came to Wolverlope''s residence, Lady Felicia asked him about Mr. Waldo, and that''s when I made up a big lie. I told Lady Felicia that he was away on a dungeon raid under Prince Leofric''s orders."

    The fastest dungeon raid could only bepleted in three years. So that lie would work, plus it was a fact that Waldo was doing a dungeon raid, even if it was only one floor.

    "That''s not what I asked!" shouted Jane. "I know how much you love her, Rachel. How the heck did you still look fine while uttering a lie?"

    "I don''t feel fine at all! Every night, every time I went to bed, I couldn''t stop thinking about my decisions that day! But in the end, I did all this for Lady!"

    Amid their conversation, Allen''s eyes fluttered open, gradually awakening from his deep, faint sleep. As his senses adjusted to his surroundings, he realized he was in a dimly lit room, lit by the faint glow of a flickering firece, and Rachel and Jane were talking beside him.

    Feeling disoriented and slightly bewildered, Allen struggled to recall how he had ended up there. To his surprise, a voice emanated. "You''re finally awake, too," said the woman. As if on cue, Allen''s gaze shifted towards her figure, sitting just beyond the reach of the fire''s gentle glow. It took his tired eyes a moment to focus, but recognition soon dawned upon him; she was none other than the elven girl he had encountered near the river earlier.

    "Look ahead; your judgment has already begun. Don''t worry about the human girl Felicia; she''s still sleeping and won''t awaken soon, so you''re free to say ANYTHING you know to Jane."

    Allen was actually more confused by this elf, who should know nothing about him. What did she know? What was she nning? And why was she sitting beside him? But he didn''t even have time to think about it all because, the moment Allen woke up, Jane suddenly realized his presence.

    -CLANK

    Jane immediately approached him and tried to reach out to him but couldn''t because they were chain-binding her.

    "Miss Kethryllia! Why are you tying me up like this?! Let me kill that monster!" shouted Jane.

    "There''s no way I''m letting you off the hook after I saw you attempt to murder a fellow student in front of my own eyes," Kethryllia replied as she petted the white wolf that was as big as her body and sleeping in front of her.

    ''In front of my own eyes, she said,'' Rachel thought. ''That means she saw everything from the beginning but still let Allen die. That meant something caught her attention, and she suddenly appeared and saved us. As I suspected, this school isn''tpletely white either.''

    "But he''s the one who killed my brother! I have to avenge him!"

    "I don''t care about that. Your points in the academy are not enough as payment for your deeds; they will reach negative numbers when you kill him. That''s why I''m stopping you."

    "Miss Kethryllia, as the victim party, do I have the right to release Miss Jane?" asked Rachel.

    "That right should be with the boy who was stabbed." Kethryllia looked at Allen and asked.

    "What do you think, Allen? If I give this key to her, maybe she will release Miss Jane, and then Jane will definitely kill you. Are you still going to let this servant receive the key?"

    Allen bowed his head, and then he said.

    "As Jane said, I was the one who killed her brother. And not just him; I''ve killed many people in the past.

    So whatever Jane does to me, I should be the one who deserves it.

    It''s up to you."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes."

    Jane''s eyes were still fiery. She could finally vent the hatred she had been harboring there.

    Rachel received the chain key, and then she approached Jane and unlocked the chain.

    Right after Rachel opened the handcuff chain, Jane wasted no time andunched herself at Allen, who had another knife concealed in her upper thigh.

    -THRUST

    The knife she used this time was not the same as before; it was just an ordinary knife that she had secretly kept in case of emergencies. Therefore, itcked the power to inflict a deep wound on Allen''s abdomen.

    However, despite its weakness, Jane still experienced a simr sensation when she plunged it into Allen''s back earlier¡ªalbeit slightly softer, because she didn''t stabbed Allen but Rachel.

    "Rachel?!" Rachel had swiftly intervened and positioned herself between Jane and Allen in an attempt to shield Allen.

    Startled, Jane immediately let go of her hand and stepped back.

    "RACHEL!" shouted Allen.

    "Don''t move, Allen!" shouted Rachel.

    Feeling the pain in her stomach and the blood flowing from the knife, Rachel tried to breathe regrly. In a heavy voice, she said,

    "Miss Jane, is this the end of your anger?" Rachel asked.

    "No way! Until I kill that child, this rage will never be extinguished! All you did was for nothing!"

    "I know that... but I''m going to do it anyway. Because I am Lady Felicia''s personal maid, I have given my body and soul to her. This is the embodiment of my loyalty, determination, and love for her," Rachel said, looking at Jane with eyes that looked weak from the pain but were also burning with determination.

    Rachel, holding her knife-pierced stomach, knelt in front of Jane.

    "Lady Felicia is a very fragile girl when ites to Mr. Waldo. If she knew about his death, she would fall into despair. I don''t want that to happen.

    But,tely, she has started to cheer up even without Mr. Waldo, and I believe it''s because she has Allen by her side, who has be a good friend to her."

    "Don''t crack a joke with me, you crazy..." Jane said. "How can you let someone who killed her fianc¨¦ be with her?! He''s the one who killed him! He''s the root of Miss Felicia''s sadness! You shouldn''t have let them be together!"

    "Unfortunately, I only found out about that today..."

    "Of course you only found out now. There''s no way that monster would tell you something like that. He must have wanted to use Felicia for his own purposes."

    "THAT''S NOT TRUE!" shouted Allen.

    "Shut up you murderer! You have no right to say anything to me!"

    "Miss Jane..." said Rachel. "Even though I made a mistake pairing Allen and Felicia, I still had no choice. You''ve seen it yourself, haven''t you? How the Lady''s face looked when she found out you tried to kill Allen."

    She remembered it clearly, because that face pierced Jane''s heart as if she were the evil one there.

    Allen stood up and approached Rachel.

    "What are you doing! Stop right there!" shouted Jane.

    Allen did not stop; as he reached Rachel, Jane approached him and punched him in the face with all her might, but Allen remained silent,

    He took the knife that stabbed Rachel, then drew a healing amnis "Angels who watch over us, please wrap her wounds with your love, ask for power from your god and flow into every cell of her body, and restore her so that she has the strength to serve you more."

    As the wound closed, Allen pulled Jane''s hand away, holding it in his.

    "What the hell is this?"

    "If you want to kill me with this knife, you have to stab me from the eye to my brain.

    But, please, I don''t want to die now.

    Could you give me some time?"

    "Wait?! I don''t have time for that! I want to kill you immediately, chop up your body, and feed it to the pigs."

    "Yes, that''s fine.

    You can do anything to my bodyter.

    But for now, please let me go.

    Please give me time to protect Felicia and time until Felicia can stand alone even after she finds out about Waldo''s death."

    Looking into Allen''s eyes, Jane''s anger boiled over. Because she saw his honest eyes, it made her feel that what she was about to do was wrong.

    "I also beg you, Miss Jane." Rachel said while kowtowing. "I live with this lie; if you kill Allen, then I have no reason to maintain this lie anymore. So, before you do, please kill me first."

    The determination of the two of them, trying to gnaw at it. Suddenly the overflowing anger had nowhere to go.

    Jane started kneeling down while pulling her hair again. Then as she sat down, she hit the floor repeatedly.

    "F*CK! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" she shouted. The blow left her hand bloody and shattered, but even so she continued to hit.

    "Why! Why are you suddenly change? Why... did brother Waldo have to die at the hands of someone like you!"

    Jane looked at the two of them again, gripping the knife tightly this time.

    Suddenly

    -THRUST

    She thrust the knife into Allen''s eye.

    "MISS JANE!" cried Rachel.

    But Jane didn''t stab him deeper. She withdrew the knife only damaging Allen''s eye.

    "I''ll let you go this time," Jane said. Then she imagined Felicia, who used to smile with her, talking about how wonderful her brother was. "But, I''m not doing this for you. I''m doing this for Felicia."

    "Thank you very much, Miss Jane," Rachel said.

    "Allen, I''ll take the same sses as you and keep an eye on you. If someday, the secret is revealed or you are about to be killed by someone, I swear, I will definitely kill you before it happens."

 Chapter 260 Truth to cover up the lies

    Chapter 260 Truth to cover up the lies

    Felicia''s head felt heavy and ufortable, probably because she wasn''t sleeping on the luxurious bed she was used to at home. Half asleep, she remembered that she was already in her school dormitory, living in a small room without her expensive personal belongings.

    But something was strange. Even though that room was small and ugly, her head at least could feel a bitfortable because the pillow and mattress were items she chose to bring with her.

    She then opened her eyes...

    "You''re awake."

    Felicia''s heart pounded in her chest as she sat up, her eyes wide with a mixture of relief and fear. She scanned the room, taking in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom.

    "Rachel..."

    She fell asleep on Rachel''sp, sitting on the edge of her bed, with a gentle smile on her face. The sight of her maid filled Felicia withfort, but still, there is something odd that she had forgotten.

    "Allen!" she shouted, "What about Allen?! Didn''t that elf take him earlier?!" her voice quivering with a mixture of emotions. She remembered vividly the time when Allen was stabbed and the elf that had taken him earlier, the panic and desperate Allen''s eyes, just like when Allen almost died in the castle.

    "Worry not, Lady. Allen is in his room. Thanks to your help, Allen is fine now."

    A single tear of gratitude welled up in Felicia''s eye. Suddenly, she wiped her face before the tears could fall and said,

    "Oh... I see... Well, it''s not that I''m worried about him. After all, I''ve used my abilities on him, of course he''ll recover."

    ''She really is so cute,'' Rachel thought with a smile but a bit sad on her face.

    "What about Miss Jane? Wait... What exactly is going on? Why are we suddenly in the room?"

    "Miss Kethryllia put you to bed because she was worried you might get angry. She''s helping us solve Miss Jane and Allen''s problem."

    "Really? I didn''t know that they knew each other before."

    "No wonder, that''s because Allen is from the Barkaley region dungeon," Rachel''s voice was hushed; her words felt heavy as she shared the unsettling information with Felicia. "I heard that after the soldiers discovered him, he was locked up in the dungeon of the Barkaley residence."

    That is a one step forward for Rachel to reveal her lies. When she shares this information with Felicia, she will definitely know about Waldo if she tries to learn a little about it. But there is no other way to cover up the lie. Rachel had to give a little truth to cover up the lies.

    Felicia was shocked with surprise. Her thoughts swirled like a whirlwind of confusion and concern. She recalled everything about Allen, and she realized one thing: she realized with a sinking feeling that she knew remarkably little about Allen''s past.

    "I apparently don''t know anything about Allen."

    She remembered that Allen once said he was raised by orcs in the dungeon. She certainly didn''t believe that story; even now, she is still hard to believe.

    "What happened between Miss Jane and Allen? Do you know anything about it, Rachel?"

    Rachel''s expression grew sombre, and her voice was heavy with the weight of the truth.

    "Miss Jane was angry with Allen because... Allen was a murderer."

    Felicia''s heart skipped a beat at those words. The word "murderer" hung like a dark cloud, shrouding her imagination of Allen in a veil of uncertainty. She thought of their countless times together, his infectious smile, and his tender moments. How could Allen, who had always been so kind and gentle, be linked to such a heinous act? But no, that is the recent Allen. The past Allen she knows is gloomy, strong, angry, hateful, and has much negative emotion and aura overflowing from his body. She never believed and didn''t want to consider it. But that Allen probably did that.

    ...

    The morning sun cast a warm and golden hue over the bustling scene near the gate of the academy town, and a bustling scene unfolded as numerous horse-drawn carriages made final preparations for departure. These merchant carriages had been granted permission to enter Oxwade Academy and were exclusively reserved for human travellers. Among themotion stood Rachel, diligently loading her belongings onto the Boldenville family carriage

    With her preparationsplete, Rachel turned to her youngdy Felicia, and Allen, who had been standing nearby, watching the flurry of activity. A wry smile graced her lips as she told them, "Then I''ll take my leave first," Rachel announced with mncholy in her voice.

    Felicia and Allen were standing nearby. Overwhelmed with emotion, Felicia rushed towards Rachel and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

    "Lady?!" eximed Rachel, taken aback by the unexpected disy of affection

    The hug persisted for a meaningful moment before Felicia eventually released her hold on Rachel.

    "You''ve crossed the line between maid and mastertely! I''ll punish you when I get home!"

    "I''ll look forward to it... Lady too, don''t forget to wash your hair,b your hair, and tidy up your room-"

    "Never mind! Did you still think of me a child?! I''m not some nobleman who does what his maid tells her to do! I''m an independent woman now!"

    At that moment, Rachel remembered Lord Reynold''s decision to separate her from Felicia.

    It wasn''t a punishment for Rachel at all. It was a test for Felicia. Reynold must have wanted his daughter to be independent, especially since she would be living without the Boldenville family name in the future.

    ''I see... Lord Reynold is also thinking about Lady Felicia,'' Rachel thought.

    Rachel raised her head, walked over to Felicia and bowed before her.

    "Lady..."

    She took off Felicia''s shoes and kissed her feet.

    "Take good care of yourself..."

    "Of course... If anything happens, there''s Allen here."

    Just then, Rachel''s expression changed; she nced at Allen, which made him immediately bow his head, frightened.

    "Rachel?"

    "Then I''ll leave first."

    Rachel left the academy town together with the merchant carriage.

 Chapter 261 Itâ€™s all your fault

    <h4>Chapter 261 It''s all your fault</h4>

    As Rachel left and the academy town gate was closed, there was a long silence between them. Felicia remained silent as the carriage pulled out, as did Allen, who had a sad face.

    Felicia turned around without saying a word. She went to the river and walked along it. Allen was behind her, following Felicia without knowing where she was going.

    The river''s crystal-clear waters glistened in the gentle sunlight, creating a picturesque backdrop for the enchanting scene. At the water''s surface, you could see a siren swam gracefully. Each ssh of water transformed into a small, vivid rainbow that hung in the air for a brief moment.

    "Allen, look. Aren''t they very pretty?" said Felicia, who finally began to speak.

    "I... don''t really understand," Allen replied.

    "Those sirens are creatures that like to show off their beauty; they use water spirits to create rainbows. For us, their appearance should also be pleasing to the eye. So we pay for their performances with admiration and smiles. Because they like to be praised."

    "I see..."

    "Gosh, you really can''t create a good mood."

    "Mood?"

    "You''re so gloomy today! Walking with you is annoying!"

    "Is that so? Susan also said I''m not a good chatter."

    As Felicia''s gaze remained fixed on the river, devoid of any passing sirens, Allen shared the silence. He raised his head, his eyes drifting upward to the expansive blue canvas of the sky. However, in the depths of his crimson irises, there appeared to be a vacant reflection, as if the boundless sky failed to resonate with his thoughts or emotions.

    "I heard about your problem with Miss Jane from Rachel," Felicia said.

    Allen had also heard about it from Rachel. Rachel had confided in him the previous night, expressing her intention to divulge the truth about his past to Felicia. The gravity of the situation had hung heavily over him since the moment Rachel left, knowing that Felicia desired an important conversation. As he recalled, Felicia was leading him to the secluded part of the riverside, Remembering that he had deliberately taken her to see the river in the loneliest ce. He couldn''t help but wonder if it was meant to be a farewell or a form of retribution for his past actions.

    Yet, it wasn''t the prospect of facing his own punishment that clouded his countenance. Instead, his heart was heavy because he no longer cared about the consequences because he would give his life to Jane one day.

    "They say you''re a murderer. You killed many of Jane''s family soldiers, including her friends who joined the raid into the dungeon."

    What made Allen''s eyes even darker and his face even grimmer was... the lies that kept piling up.

    "That''s right; I''ve knowingly and angrily killed many people with my hands."

    Lie after lie kept piling up. It was like a piece of iron was hanging over his heart, which was getting heavier by the day until his heart felt like it would fall out.

    "No wonder Miss Jane is so angry."

    That night, Rachel told Felicia everything that had happened, with a bit of spice of lies rted to Waldo''s death.

    First, Rachel that the Barkaley family had discovered Allen long before the ill-fated Leofric and Barkaley dungeon raid. So Allen had always been locked up in Barkaley''s prison long before the dungeon raid. With this, her suspicion that Allen killed Waldo would disappear.

    Secondly, Jane''s anger was caused by her friends whom Allen killed. By telling her that Allen is a murderer, Felicia is made to believe and ept Jane''s actions toward him. So that Jane and Felicia still have a good rtionship.

    "What about now?" Felicia''s voice trembled with worry as she gazed at Allen.

    "Eh?"

    "How do you feel now? Would you do it again? Do you regret it?" Felicia''s questions hung in the air, heavy with anticipation of Allen''s answer. But sure, she knows the answer.

    "Of course, I regret it now."

    "Then that''s enough," Felicia replied with a warm smile, her eyes brimming with understanding. She turned to look at Allen, her wordsced with a deep emotional connection.

    "I can''t imagine the current Allenmitting an unprovoked murder.

    Allen... I trust you... I will try to make Miss Jane forgive you."

    How kind this person is, how forgiving, and how naive this person is. But as soon as he thought of the lie and thought that Felicia might hate him as much as Jane when she found out the truth, it made him sadder.

    But he couldn''t do anything about it now; he was powerless to change the past.

    He could only whisper, "Thank you for epting me as myself, Felicia. I''ll do my utmost to protect you."

    ¡­

    That night... After Allen and Rachel came out of Kethrillya''s particr room. Allen, who saw Rachel still injured in pain because of Jane''s stab, tried reaching out her hand.

    "Rachel, it seems the healing isn''t working as well as it should. Let me try once more," he offered, his voiceced with concern.

    -PLACK

    Rachel angrily swatted his hand away.

    Her eyes bore the same intensity that had haunted Allen for three long years, a constant reminder of his past deeds. Even the passage of time had not dulled the fear those eyes instilled in him."You murderer," Rachel said while holding his hand. Her body trembled, and tears came to her eyes.

    -ILLUSTRATION

    "You murderer," Rachel seethed, clutching her hand and trembling, tears welling in her eyes. She let her anger and despair flow freely.

    "It''s all your fault!

    It''s truly your fault!

    Why did you have to kill Mr. Waldo? Do you know what it''s like for me to witness Lady pining for him every night? Do you know the agony I endured, crafting lies to protect my made-up lies?

    WHY? Why has everything turned out like this? Why did you have to kill Mr. Waldo? Why it was you¡­ who has killed him¡­"

    Allen lowered his head, just like how he had been dealing with the people who scolded him. He was so afraid to look straight into their eyes.

    "I... I''m sorry," Allen stammered, the weight of guilt pressing heavily upon him.

    Rachel fell into a heavy silence, then slowly turned away, distancing herself from Allen.

    "I never should have entrusted Lady Felicia to you," she said with a deep sense of regret, her voice trailing off as she walked away.

 Chapter 262 Agreement to Eliphas

    <h4>Chapter 262 Agreement to Eliphas</h4>

    "Aaaaaah!!! W-we havete!"

    "Huh?! Don''t suddenly yell! My head hurts!"

    Amid a vast grasnd, at the boundary between the Water and Fire regions, a brilliant moon illuminated the night sky, casting its gentle light upon the oasis pond nestled within the heart of the meadow. The moonlight created a mesmerizing reflection on the pond''s still surface, a sight of exquisite beauty yet one marred by the grim horror unfolding in its proximity.

    A blood clot was next to the horse-drawn carriage. The carriage looked like it belonged to a nobleman. What appeared to be a noble''s carriage also doubled as a transport for soldiers, whose lives had been abruptly cut short. The nobleman''s guards, now lifeless,y strewn about the area, their lifeblood seeping into the earth.

    In the pond were two members of the Noctem Dolls, rissa and Norman, who were clearly the cause of the catastrophe.

    Norman was seen washing his blood-soaked body. Meanwhile, rissa seemed to be forced by Norman to wash his clothes with the amnis she had. Her scream earlier indicated that she stopped washing Norman''s clothes.

    Norman walked over to rissa, took her half-damp shirt and put it on.

    He tried to make amnis fire before her, but there was no reaction.

    "Damn, fire spirits aren''t around. Oy! rissa quickly uses the water spirit to dry my clothes!"

    "We''re toote!!!" rissa shouted again.

    Norman stepped on rissa''s thigh with his left foot and crushed it.

    "I''ll listen to you after you dry them! Hurrryyyy Uuuup!"

    "It hurts! It hurts! Okay!"

    rissa spontaneously drew water to suck the moisture out of Norman''s shirt. Her face looked a little tearful. And it seemed that the crying was not because of Norman''s footing.

    "So, what''s toote?"

    Hugging her own body, she said, "The hero''s reincarnation is already be the Academy student."

    Every member of the Noctem Dolls had a distinct purpose. rissa''s sinister ambition was to seek out and consume all those souls reincarnated as heroes. The bond among the members ran deep, intertwining their emotions andpelling each to advance the ambitions of the others. So as rissa said the news about the hero''s reincarnation, Norman too experienced a pang of disappointment, tinged with a trace of sorrow.

    "Well... what can we do? We''ll just have to find the other hero before she graduates," Norman said.

    Then why are they upset? Why did it matter to her if the hero''s reincarnation became an academy student?

    It was because rissa made a contract with Eliphas, the principal of Oxwade Academy . Eliphas had imposed a formidable condition on her¡ªshe was prohibited fromying a hand on any of his students. The genesis of this pact is traced back to a time when rissa had set her sights on Percival, a direct descendant of heroes, who happened to be a student at Oxwade Academy. Principal Eliphas captured rissa and put her on the verge of death. It was during these dire circumstances that the principal and rissa forged their agreement: he would spare her life on the condition that she refrained from harming any of his students.

    rissa''s only recourse was to bide her time, patiently awaiting the day when Percival wouldplete his education at the academy, marking him as her next target.

    Then, secondly, rissa''s search led her to the descendant of another hero, Felicia, in Wildenhall castle. rissa, at that time couldn''t dy capturing Felicia because she was afraid that Felicia would enter the academy. After she failed to catch her, she had to do the mission that Ivaylo did.

    Three years had passed since then, or, at this juncture, and rissa, apanied by Norman, was en route to the Boldenville family residence, intent on capturing Felicia. However, they arrived toote. Felicia was now enrolled as a student at the academy, presenting rissa that she should patiently await Felicia''s graduation before she could eat her.

    Then after three years, or at this time. He and Norman were on their way to the Boldenville family home to capture Felicia, but they were toote. Felicia was now an academy student.

    "I-this is because we were too slow to find the horse! W-we should have just destroyed the town earlier to get their horses!" rissa shouted,

    "Killing everyone in town takes a lot of time too. Besides, it''s also very tiring."

    "I-I have the amnis to destroy them all at once!"

    "Then you''ll also kill me and the horse!

    Besides, how did you know that girl was already an academy student?"

    "I-I had left a trace of my mana within her. Itcks any tracking capability but allows me to sense her presence when I''m nearby. A-Additionally, with my mana residing within her, I could bestow my god''s blessing upon her. H-However, the mana has abruptly vanished. Likely, the child has now be a disciple of Mr Eliphas, and the mana has dissipated due to my contractual bond with Mr. Eliphas.."

    "What can we do? We have to find another one now."

    "I-It will be very difficult... we''ve already found two heroes in one country, plus me three. This ce is indeed a meeting point of the entire continent because this is where the great war was fought, but I''m sure that the heroes are scattered not only on this continent. A-and there are three people already, it''s hard to believe that the fourth person is also on this continent right now."

    "Then there''s only one choice," Norman said as he walked to the nobleman''s carriage. He took one of the soldier''s gloves, put it on, and moved the bodies away from the carriage.

    "C-choice?"

    "We go..."

    "W-where?"

    "Oxwadeshire... It''s the only ce where people from all over the continente, I just hope all the heroes are there. Besides, we just need to make a new agreement with that old fart. Although we can''t touch his two students, we can at least ask him where the rest of the heroes are."

    "C-can he do that! Is he willing to show us?"

    "It depends... the old man likes interesting things, so if we give him some entertainment, he might be willing to show it to us in some way."

    "Hi-entertainment? W-what does that mean we''re going to try to kill him?"

    "How stupid... there''s no way I''m going to do that," as he said, he quickly jumped onto rissa, lifted her up, and threw her into the carriage.

    "Ouch! I-I wish you could be more gentle,"

    Norman looked straight at rissa, and with a grim face, he said

    "You know that yourself, rissa. Don''t ever try to fight the Untouchable Eliphas. There is not a single being in this world who can defeat him."

 Chapter 263 The Market Frenzy

    <h4>Chapter 263 The Market Frenzy</h4>

    Eight knocks

    The ninth knock woke Allen from his slumber.

    "Caw! Caw!" cried his crow from inside the cage that had been left open.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Allen.

    "Caw! Caw!" the crow looked toward the window.

    The knocks wereing from his bedroom window. Behind the curtains, a silhouette of an oddly moving object came into view.

    The moment Allen opened the window, a colossal bird, almost asrge as his body, greeted him. It was a harpy eagle, its chest puffed out with pride. Its body was adorned in a leather suit replete with numerous pockets, and on its back, a massive leather bag hugging, appearing to be brimming with something.

    Allen quickly popped his head out and scanned his surroundings. It wasn''t just on his balcony; various birds had perched themselves on every dorm room balcony, including Felicia''s, which was directly across from Allen''s. However, it seemed Felicia had yet to awaken, leaving her bird persistently peaking at her window.

    After proudly disying its achievements to Allen, the bird turned around.

    "Is this for me?" Allen inquired, though he knew it wouldn''t reply. Nheless, he reached for the substantial bag strapped to the bird''s back.

    The bag revealed three sets of Oxwade Academy uniforms and several books and letters.

    It became apparent that the academy had dispatched these birds to deliver students'' possessions to their respective dormitories. And it seems that the only one who looks confused is him, while the other students look used to the arrival of this package delivery bird.

    The harpy eagle seemed to possess an uncanny ability to discern when its human recipient had concluded their bag inspection. It promptly departed once Allen had finished scanning the bag''s contents.

    Allen looked across the room again. The eagle that hadnded on Felicia''s balcony was still knocking roughly on her window.

    "I knew it woulde to this."

    Allen put his bag down on the bed, put on some clothes, and jumped into Felicia''s room, startling the bird perched in her room.

    "Felicia! Felicia!" called Allen as he knocked on her window.

    But there was no answer.

    Instead, it seemed to create another problem.

    Allen could feel a thousand stares around him. But he didn''t know it was unusual for a male to wake a female up in the morning, so he continued calling out to her.

    -SWOOSH

    Two minutes passed before Felicia finally opened her window, and her expression was anything but pleasant. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her drowsy visage conveyed her irritation, leaving her harpy bird jittery.

    "You''re finally awake too; this bird is delivering something-"

    Before he could finish, Felicia seized the cor of Allen''s shirt and yanked him closer. "How long have you been calling me like that?!"

    "About a minute?"

    "YOU''RE INSANE!!!" Felicia pped Allen, but he easily deflected her hand.

    "I-I''ll wait in front of the dorm," stammered Allen as he hastily retreated into his room.

    "WAIT! GET BACK HERE!!!" Felicia''s voice trailed after him....

    ¡­

    About an hour.

    Allen waited in front of Felicia''s dormitory with a crow perched on top of his head. Some people looked at him with a smile, and most held backughter. At first, he didn''t care much, but over time, the gazes of the studentsing out of the dormitory made him anxious. Allen picked up his crow and stroked his head, pretending to do something not to look so awkward.

    Felicia finally came out of the dormitory, wearing her usual expensive and frayed clothes.

    "Felicia-"

    "Don''t talk to me yet," Felicia said.

    She walked on, leaving Allen behind. Allen followed her but kept a few steps behind her, feeling he would be scolded if he walked next to her.

    Once they walked quite a distance from the dormitory, Felicia stopped, sitting on one of the stone benches in the park district while letting out a long sigh.

    "haaah... I can''t believe you actually did that in the morning," Allen thought that she would explode again like this morning. Still, it seemed that time had already exhausted her. "No, I should have known that you were the type of person who would do that," Felicia continued.

    Of course, after knowing how the people around him looked at him, he also began to understand why what he did earlier was inappropriate.

    "As Rachel said, you really can''t get up early in the morning. I bet you haven''t cleaned your room either."

    "That''s rude! I already cleaned my bed by myself!"

    "Of course it''s just the bed... and you''re not denying about getting up early."

    "..." "It''s not that I can''t do everything without Rachel! It''s just that the time it takes to do everything myself is too much!"

    "Yeah, you should also know I''m not the one to me here."

    "You are! You think how those girls are looking at me?! They seem to think that we''re some kind of newlyweds!"

    "newlyweds?"

    "FORGET IT!"

    After resting for a few minutes, they started walking again, making their way to the market district.

    In the bag from the delivery bird, they found the cappa usa; threeyers of academy uniforms and some essories. There were also two letters. One had a fancy wax seal with a harpy eagle on thick leather. It was the official admission to Oxwade. The other letter, made of in leather, listed the stuff they needed for the uing school year at Oxwade.

    "A pair of alloy greaves, silurus steel shoes, muste thermal, etc... There are also many items needed. I thought we just had to enter school, and the academy would already have everything ready

    " That''s why most academy studentse from noble families. Common folks can''t easily afford these things. And the school can''t give them away for free. Maybe that''s why they ask students to buy their own stuff. So those who can''t afford it might need to borrow from older students or something," Felicia exined.

    "How much does each one cost?" Allen inquired.

    "I''m not sure, but I hope our budget is sufficient for both of us. Anyway, if we run short of money, we can always ask Reig to replicate the items from the store."

    "My master said that shouldn''t be done. The issue is, the items reproduced by Reig tend to be of lower quality, which essentially amounts to stealing in the end."

    "I know that, I was just joking. Have you forgotten that I''m the wealthiest noble child in the kingdom? We won''t run out of money. Let''s speed up and purchase these items; I want to try traveling around the academy town," Felicia dered as she quickened her pace.

    However, Felicia''s enthusiasm waned when they arrived at the market district.

    "What in the world..."

    The market was teeming with students, a chaotic and dense crowd.

    Not surprisingly, it wasn''t just Allen and Felicia who had received the letter; all the iing students destined for secunda and praeterea sses had received it, and they all required almost the same equipment.

    "There''s no way I''m going through this crowd!" Felicia eximed in exasperation.

    "I can get in; let me buy the things we need."

    "No, I don''t trust your taste. I want my cute but cool school supplies!"

    "How inconvenient..."

    "At this rate, we''ll have to wait until the afternoon," Felicia mumbled in frustration.

    But as she said that, a group of students passed, and Felicia suddenly heard their conversation.

    "It''s a good thing we arrived early; we wouldn''t want a repeat ofst year," one of the students remarked.

    "I remember giving upst time and ending up with old and worn-out gear," another studentmented.

    "Those old shoes made me the target of ridicule, you can''t even imagine!" added a third student.

    "Ugh! Don''t remind me of the time I got humiliated in alchemy ss for using a secondhand potion bottle from the shop! And it stinks because it was the owner''s pee bottle!"

    Listening to their conversation, Felicia''s anxiety deepened.

    "Allen... Let''s find a way in!"

    "Are you certain? Even if we manage to break through, I''m not sure we''ll be able to choose the items we want in this mob."

    "It''s simple. Let''s seek out the best and less-crowded spots. Such ces are usually overlooked because they''re expensive."

    The two of them forged their way through the crowd.

    Yet, the oue was disappointing. They ended up with only average items.

    "At least we have something decent to wear," Allen consoled.

    "This won''t do! How will the other nobles view me if I use a normal, sooo ordinary things?"

    "Just bear with it for four weeks. The shopkeeper mentioned that traveling merchants visit every four weeks."

    -CLANK

    There was the sound of equipment nging in the middle of their way back, and it wasn''t too far away.

    Still in the district market, a student could be seen looking down to collect his fallen items.

    "Hey, look up here."

    That student seemed to be being bullied by, obviously looked superior, another student. And from the looks of it, it seemed like they were the ones who made his belongings fall and scatter on the ground.

    "Look at these shabby things of yours, as expected of a peasant. You should started digging a noblend instead of going to school."

 Chapter 264 Clash of Justice and Prejudice

    <h4>Chapter 264 sh of Justice and Prejudice</h4>

    Many people say that academies are only for nobles due to their substantial tuition fees and the high cost of required equipment. Furthermore, there are additional expenses associated with research and theses, particrly at the superius sster.

    However, it is not unattainable for peasants ormoners to gain admission to the academy. Schrships offer a pathway to entry. To qualify for these schrships, one must maintain consistently high grades in the primarium and secunda sses. Nevertheless, it''s essential to note that these schrships are not rare; each year, at least 50 non-nobles secure a ce in the praeterea ss.

    Receiving a schrship implied that the student bore no financial burden and was exempt from tuition fees and academy expenses.

    "What the heck? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think you have the right to be angry at us? The one who is paying for your school fees?!" the noble student eximed.

    That''s right, even though schrship recipients didn''t pay directly, their expenses were still shouldered by the nobility, leading to a slight overspending of noble students'' finances for schrship programs. This implied that they could attend school due to the financial support provided by the nobles.

    "You may think you''re smarter than us, but in the academy, that intelligence isn''t very useful if you''re not at the top!" remarked another student, kicking his equipment and sending it tumbling down the street.

    When Felicia saw them, anger welled up inside her.

    "Those people! Why do people like them always have to show up?! We should call the guards!"

    "It won''t make a difference," said Allen, gently gripping Felicia''s shoulder. "Look around. The guards are turning a blind eye, and most pedestrians seem indifferent. This seems to be the norm in this area."

    "Then we''re the ones who have to do something."

    "Do what?"

    "Of course we should-"

    "Save him?"

    The way Allen interrupted her left Felicia feeling uneasy.

    "What do you mean? What are you trying to say?"

    Allen let out a long sigh...

    "I may still not understand humanmon sense, but something like this has happened in the past, and it never ended well. Are you sure that saving him today, will truly save that person?"

    Allen had attempted to emte Felicia, who always extended a helping hand to those in need. Yet, during his three years residing in Barkaley, he had encountered experiences that drew him into the grey side of moral territory.

    For three years... he helped a lot of people... and as a result, everyone in Barkaley liked him. However, the whole truth was moreplex.

    At Barkaley, there were some person who couldn''t bring themselves to forgive Allen. They were the ones whose lives had been pushed to the brink, those who had given up hope from the very beginning. These were the slum-dwelling peasants, and when Allen extended help as a form of "apology," many among them tried to exploit his kindness.

    "Humans aren''t all good, and doing good deeds for others doesn''t always result in receiving the same in return," he wanted to say that to Felicia. But if he did that, then he would be defying the sense of justice that Felicia believed in.

    Plus, there was still no assurance that Allen''s perspective held the ultimate truth, and maybe will never be.

    "I know what you are trying to say¡­ But when people are in distress, how can I simply turn away?" Felicia replied, her determination unwavering.

    Releasing his grip on Felicia''s shoulder, Allen contemted her unwaveringmitment. ''You''re indeed that kind of person,'' he thought with a smile. ''Otherwise, I wouldn''t hold such high expectations of you.''

    As Felicia strode forward and began to yelling at those noble students...

    "Stop, you wicked humans!"

    Another figure stepped in, preceded Felicia, scolding them.

    It wasn''t human, but demi-human, distinguishable by its soft, fluffy, bright yellow and yellowish white fur¡ªa member of the Samoyed dog family, standing resolute.

    "Tch! Demi-humans don''t need to meddle in human affairs. Go away, you filthy little dog."

    The Samoyed demi-human remained steadfast, with a fierce glint in his eyes, "No, I won''t. I''ll rescue this weak from your wickedness, from all of you!"

    A mocking scoff followed. "Evil? You think you have the right to decide who is evil here?"

    "Of course! An evil person is one who oppresses others!"

    The arrival of the demi-humans shifted the dynamics, capturing the attention of onlookers, including the previously unresponsive soldiers, who now began to take notice. The situation was no longer going unnoticed.

    "It seems like they only care if there''s an interracial dispute," Allen said. "Now you don''t have to interfere."

    "They''re really just watching, not taking any action," Felicia said.

    One of the noble students turned toward the gathering crowd, his voice cutting through the tension. "Behold, everyone! This demi-human is attempting to interfere in human affairs!"

    With a bold stride, the student who had been shouting advanced a forceful kick aimed at the victim of the bullying. "You really troubling us now," he bellowed as he delivered the kick.

    "I told you to stop!" the demi-human yelled as he pushed the student.

    Receiving the blow from demi-human, the noble student yelped in an exaggerated manner, dramatically propelled backwards until his body collided with the unyielding wall behind him.

    "OUCH! My hand! I think it''s almost break!"

    "Oh my, what happened to you?!"

    "LOOK! That demi human is trying to attack him!" cried out another noble student. "He''s already vited academy rules!"

    Panic painted the demi-human''s face as he stammered, "N-no, I merely gave him a nudge-"

    "Your strength is clearly beyond human limits! You ought to know that!"

    Gasping forposure, the bullied student gathered himself, his voice trembling but defiant. "Ukh, as the victim, don''t we have the right to defend ourselves? Attack that dog!"

    "WAIT!" shouted demi-human while making a ready-to-fight stand.

    The soldiers began to move towards them, but before they could do anything, two flying bowls suddenly whizzed through the air, finding their mark on the heads of the three students with pinpoint precision.

    "Akh!" they eximed in pain.

    "Who did that?!" one of the students barked at the bewildered crowd, his hand nursing his throbbing head, but no one offered a response.

    "Are you okay?!" Swiftly, Felicia was already making her way toward the distressed victim of the bullied. Allen, reluctantly drawn from the crowd, trailed after her.

    ''Geez, why did you chase him?'' thought Allen.

    "Hey woman! You''re the one who hurled those bowls!" the student shouted, his voice using. It was actually Allen who did that.

    "If I am, so what! You''re royalty, right? Aren''t you ashamed of doing this in public?" shouted Felicia.

    "Of course not; why should we be? He''s a burden on the academy! Peasants who don''t contribute anything!"

    "Of course not! Why should we be? He''s nothing but a burden on the academy! Useless peasants!"

    Felicia couldn''t hide her disappointment. "You imbeciles. I thought you had a legitimate reason, but it seems you''re just venting your anger. Nobles who can only prey on the weak are truly a disgrace. It''s embarrassing to think that you represent the Wildenhall kingdom''s nobility."

    "What did you say?!" The three students drew their swords, advancing with hostile intent towards Felicia.

    "You''re seriously bringing out your swords to fight your fellow man?!" shouted the demi-human.

    "She attacked us first!"

    Before the situation could escte further, Allen acted swiftly. With remarkable agility, he intercepted the three aggressors, rendering them powerless by striking their necks, disabling their legs, and disarming them.

    "GUAKH!"

    In the blink of an eye, all three were incapacitated and fell to the ground, their swords ttering as they hit the cobblestone path.

    The spectators, a mix of students and onlookers, watched Allen''s swift and precise actions in stunned amazement. Whispers of awe rippled through the crowd as they marveled at his extraordinary skill. The demi-human, a bright-eyed Samoyed with a fluffy coat, observed the scene with wide-eyed admiration, offering an enthusiastic, "C-Coool!" and shing a wide grin.

    "Allen, you didn''t break their bones, did you?" said Felicia.

    "No worries, I won''t make you use your blessing on them."

    Despite the pain surging through their body, the injured noble student gradually regained consciousness. His anger remained as fiery as before, and he red at Allen and Felicia, his voice trembling with rage.

    "Do you think I''ll just let this slide? Do you have any idea whose son I am? Huh? I''ll make sure to make your time in this school unbearable!"

    He didn''t stop there, hurling profanities and insults at Allen and the others. The onlookers began to regard the student with disdain, their patience wearing thin. Curiously, the soldiers stood still, seemingly preparing to intervene, but not taking immediate action.

    In truth, they were not indifferent. They were waiting for someone.

    Then, a male voice cut through the growingmotion. "What''s all this racket? Who''s causing trouble now?" As he spoke, the crowd quickly parted to make way for him.

    The man was dressed in academy attire, even on a day off. On his left chest, an emblem bore the image of a harpy eagle clutching a shield, the symbol of the academy''s disciplinarymission.

 Chapter 265 New Encounter

    Chapter 265 New Encounter

    A student who wore the school uniform even on holidays. His chest bore the emblem of a harpy clutching a shield, a symbol representing his esteemed position within the Oxwade Academy Student Disciplinary Commission.

    "Where have you been? Isn''t it your duty to patrol the market district today?" the soldier shouted at him.

    His deep violet hair tousled from an apparentck of care, turned to face the soldier. His eyes, as dark as the midnight sky, appeared strangely small and lifeless, akin to the vacant gaze of a dead fish. This student bore the unmistakable signs of sleep deprivation, visible in the heavy, dark circles beneath his eyes.

    Don''t yell, soldier, sir," he drawledzily, his words dripping with anguid. "I had just woken up, so my head aches a little," he exined.

    About the incident with the bullies before, the soldiers weren''t idly watching, but they couldn''t intervene in every situation that unfolded before them. Their intervention was reserved for scenarios when themotion escted beyond a certain threshold or when it involved interspecies conflicts. the primary responsibility for addressing student-rted issues rested squarely on the shoulders of the students themselves. At Oxwade Academy, a unique body known as the Student Disciplinary Commission (SDC) maintained order and resolved internal conflicts. Thismission operated autonomously, separate from the Student''s Executive Board.

    The inner workings of the SDC were such that each member had a designated territory to safeguard. In the case of this purple-haired student, his purview extended to the bustling market district. This division of territories ensuredprehensive coverage and efficient conflict resolution, allowing the SDC to fulfill its crucial role in preserving order within Oxwadeshire.

    "Alright, what''s the matter here?" inquired the purple-haired student, his tone calm and not really curious.

    With an usatory finger pointed at Allen, the noble student raised their voice, eximing, "THEY''RE WRONG! While we were conversing with thatmoner, this demi-humanunched an attack on us! And when we attempted to defend ourselves, these two humans initiated an unwarranted attack against us!"

    "HUH?! Why are you twisting the story? It all began because you were bullied this student, and the demi-human intervened to stop you!" countered Felicia indignantly.

    "SHUT UP! I''m sure everyone here saw that it was you who initiated the altercation!" dered the noble student, scanning the onlookers. To his chagrin, the crowd''s sardonic expressions made it clear that no one sided with him, despite the possibility that his im held some truth.

    The purple-haired student retrieved his emblem and pressed it. A transparent, miniature harpy emerged from this emblem, almost like a manifestation of mana itself.

    "ording to academy rule number... I can''t recall the exact number," he admitted, raising an eyebrow as he directed his emblem toward the noble student. "You will be penalized with a deduction of 10 academy points for viting the rules," he dered, tapping the emblem against the noble student.

    As this unfolded, Allen couldn''t help but wonder, ''What are these points?'' He observed the mana, released from the emblem, swiftly soar towards the academy. Once it had gone, the purple-haired student reattached the emblem to his chest.

    "F*ck! We''ve done nothing wrong! Why are you docking our points?!" the noble student fumed, clearly frustrated by the situation.

    "No, no matter how you spin it, public opinion is against you, especially given that I''m privy to all the details," the purple-haired retorted, unwavering in his stance.

    In a fit of anger and entitlement, the noble studentshed out, "You, you lowly peasant! How did someone like you end up in the disciplinarymission?! Didn''t I''ve paid to make you turn a blind eye to us?!"

    "Paid? So the rumors about the SDC being influenced by money are true?" remarked the demi-human, his skepticism evident.

    The purple-haired reacted swiftly in response, delivering a resounding kick to the noble student''s mouth, leaving him bloodied. "That''s enough, noble lord. It won''t bode well if individuals like you continue spreading false usations. Didn''t I just mention that I was unwell, which is why I was asleep?"

    With an intense, menacing re, he added, "If you spout nonsense again, I''ll take action, and you won''t like it."

    Silenced by both the tears and the ominous aura exuded by the purple-haired, the noble student could only muster a quiet response.

    "Leave, now. Your injuries are probably minor. After all, nobles always have their maids to tend to their needs, right?"

    Carrying their injuredrade, the three noble students departed, leaving behind.

    "Hoaam... I''m really working too much now," said the purple haired.

    The purple-haired student approached Allen and remarked, "Truth be told, I''d like to impose some form of penalty on your group as well, but given that you two haven''t begun your study in this academy, my hands are somewhat tied."

    Intrigued, Allen inquired, "What about those three? Are you just going to let them walk away?"

    "Indeed," the SDC member affirmed, "they''ve already received their punishment through point deductions, which I believe is more than sufficient."

    Allen, still puzzled, probed further, "What exactly are these points, and what do they signify?"

    , "I see, you must be one of those who gained entry to Praeterea through a connection, right? It''s truly astonishing how the nobility today can manipte practically everything with their wealth. If you''re eager to learn, you''ll have to pay me, or you can simply wait for the official announcement during the first day of school celebration."

    "About your movement earlier," began the purple-haired man, "how did you manage to throw those three bowls at them? I didn''t see anything in your hand beforehand."

    Allen replied calmly, "You might have missed it, but I was holding them, and I hurled them at the trio to halt their advance."

    The purple-haired man looked at Allen for a long time. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alright, I''ll take your word for it. By the way, I''m Hussain, and I serve as the chairman of the disciplinarymission. You''ve piqued my interest to some extent. What''s your name?"

    "Allen."

    "Hmm, Allen, is it? I''ll do my best to remember that," Hussain responded with a nod, signaling the beginning of an unexpected acquaintance.

    he then walked away from there, leaving them behind.

    "U-umm... Lady... thank you for caring about me, I''m fine," said the bullied student.

    "It''s okay, what''s your name?" asked Felicia with a smile.

    "My name is Jenkins, I''m a first year schrship student in the Praeterea ss."

    "You can also thank the demi-humans over there."

    "?!"

    "I-I''m fine! You don''t have to thank me! I didn''t do much anyway."

    "Of course, you didn''t do much, Allen did. But... of all the people standing here, you were the first to try to save him," Felicia uttered.

    The demi human looked at Felicia with tears in his eyes, she had never heard anything so kind to him before, let alone from a human.

    "S-since I didn''t do anything, Jenkins, I can help you carry your things! It looks like your hand is still hurting from that guy''s kick earlier-" The Demi-human tried to pick up Jenkins'' belongings that he was hugging tightly, but...

    "DON''T TOUCH ME YOU SH*TTY DOG!" shouted Jenkins, making shocked faces at Felicia and Allen, and somehow, the demi-human''s face only looked slightly surprised.

    Jenkins then realized that his words had shocked Felicia, "S-sorry about me, Lady," he said as he ran off with his things.

    "Wh-what the hell is that? why is he acting like that to the figure who saved him?! Besides, he only apologized to me?!" said Felicia in annoyance.

    "I thought you already knew, and that''s why you saved him," Allen said.

    "Yes, I know very well how bad rtions between races often ur in the academy, but I didn''t expect that someone like him would say such a bad thing to the demi-human who saved him."

    As for Allen, he more or less already knew that people like Jenkins were people who shouldn''t be saved. Not because of his racist nature but because of how his eyes had given up on everything when he was bullied by the three people. Even if Felicia saved him today, the next day he would also be bullied by the others.

    "It''s okay Lady, I didn''t think much of it," said the demi-human.

    Felicia stood up, dusted off her dusty skirt, and extended a hand,

    "You seem like a pretty nice and smart dog. My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville. What''s your name?"

    The demi-human wiped his hand on his shirt thenid his paw on Felicia''s hand.

    "My name is Sharik, Sharik Preobrazhensky. I''m also a first year student of the praeterea ss."

    Felicia looked at Sharik''s hand with some surprise. Sharik was also surprised just a few secondster.

    "Ah, I''m sorry, I meant human greetings!"

    Felicia chuckled "Hahaha" as she took his hand and greeted him.

    "Nice to meet you, Sharik."

    After that Sharik also got acquainted with Allen and showed his admiration for Allen''s technique.

 Chapter 266 There is still a secret

    Chapter 266 There is still a secret

    "It stinks in here!" Felicia eximed, covering her nose with her handkerchief.

    "That''s rude! I didn''t think so," Sharik responded, gently setting the materials he had purchased from the market district onto the wooden table.

    Sharik and Felicia were inside an equipment store that remained eerily empty. The shop was a family-owned business belonging to Sharik, nestled in a remote corner of the market district, far from the bustling foot traffic.

    Despite herment about the smell, Felicia walked further into the store, her curiosity piqued by the array of equipment on disy. Sharik couldn''t help but think, ''Even though she said it smelled, she still walked in and took a good look at our equipment, I guess she must be a good human!''

    "Ugh, even though there are much better options here, I can''t say I''m fond of any of these," Felicia admitted, her discerning eye scanning the equipment in front of her.

    Sharik''s shoulders slumped, "The prime selections were snatched up by an early bird this morning. But don''t fret; my father probably can find a solution."

    "Your father?"

    Sharik went into the back room, leaving Felicia alone for a few minutes. When he finally emerged, he was apanied by an older dwarf who had the air of someone deeply knowledgeable about the craft.

    "Father, this is my friend, Lady Felicia," Sharik introduced, his face brimming with warmth and pride.

    Felicia''s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her thoughts racing. ''Father? But he''s a dwarf?!'' She concealed her puzzlement behind a graceful smile and lifted her skirt slightly as a sign of respect.

    "Good afternoon, Mr. Preobrazhensky? It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

    "My name is Adelskold, I am not the biological father of this dog," His voice carried a hint of irritation, though, to be fair, his features already appeared somewhat grumpy from the start.

    Adelskold wasted no time on pleasantries, cutting straight to the point. "Hmph! Human and youngdy... I''ve heard you''re in need of improved school supplies. I can craft them."

    Felicia felt a sudden weight in her chest at the sternness of his tone, but she didn''t want to appear intimidated. "Really? That would be wonderful. If possible, I''d like them to have a touch of elegance," she replied, doing her best to hide her apprehension.

    Adelskold''s eyes narrowed, and he huffed, "Of course it''s not possible¡­ I know you''d have your own preferences. I can create something exceptional, but I must admit, I have trouble understanding human tastes."

    Felicia nerves still on edge from the dwarf''s stern demeanor, couldn''t help but let a note of pleading slip into her voice. She spoke softly, her words carrying a small, earnest heart, "Could you possibly add a touch of cuteness to them, please?"

    Adelskold''s gruff exterior seemed to soften just a fraction. "I can do so, but only if you provide me with blueprints. Do you have any?"

    Her heart sank as she confessed, "I-I don''t have any..."

    Adelskold''s response was as direct as ever, "Of course you are. No way a littledy could create that."

    Determined not to give up, Felicia offered an alternative, "Could you, at the very least, incorporate my family''s rose crest into all the equipment? That way, they''ll align more closely with my tastes."

    Adelskold pondered this for a moment. "Hmm. Well, since you''re Sharik''s friend, I suppose it won''t be a problem."

    Felicia sighed in relief. "Phew, that''s a relief."

    The dwarf retreated back into the room again as he said, "You can expect them in about a week."

    "A week, just in time for the admission ceremony."

    Felicia''s attention shifted towards Sharik, who appeared distracted, his gaze continually returning to the store''s entrance. Sensing his unease, she inquired, "Is something matter?"

    "No, I was wondering where Allen went."

    Ever since he saw Allen, Sharik seemed to have a certain affection for him as a figure he admired.

    "I don''t know, But considering he left me his scarf, he probably wanted to leave me a little longer. Perhaps he went to explore something in the market?" She tried to sound reassuring, but in truth, she couldn''t shake the disconcerting feeling she''d had when shest saw Allen. His usuallyposed face had carried an air of seriousness, and it left her feeling more than a little uneasy.

    ...

    Half an hour ago, Sharik invited Allen and Felicia to his house because his house also sold some equipment that Felicia needed. At that time, Allen asked Felicia for permission to leave her for a moment, and in that time, he left the reig with Felicia. He then embarked on a quiet quest of his own, discreetly following a trail that had caught his attention.

    Allen followed someone''s trail until he reached one of the dorms. Within the room, he discovered not just one person, but several of them¡ªthree to be exact. These were the very individuals who had earlier tormented Jenkins in the market.

    Their bodies were injured and they gathered in one of the dorm rooms after finishing their treatment.

    "Damn it! That b*stard girl! Then her servant! Then the dog! I''ll make sure they pay for this," one of the noble students seethed in frustration.

    "It''s partly Hussain''s fault for noting to our aid, even though we paid him generously," another student chimed in.

    A third student, more level-headed, shot a disapproving look at hispanions. "You''re both fools! You nearly jeopardized our entire arrangement with the disciplinarymission! It''s an open secret that you never reveal your dealings with Hussain."

    "But we paid him to keep things hushed up!" one of the others protested.

    "The money won''t do you any good when the situation spirals out of control," the sensible one retorted.

    Hidden in the shadows, Allen listened closely to their conversation, ''Just as Sharik suspected, Hussain took their money to turn a blind eye,'' he mused silently.

    The conversation took a darker turn as one of the noble students vented, "In any case, we need to teach that woman a lesson! She''s the one who vexes me the most! Posing as a defender of justice!"

    Another student suggested, "Tomorrow, we should send someone to tail her and discover which dorm she resides in. We can make her time at the academy a living nightmare!"

    "But what if we get reported to the SDC?" a cautious voice chimed in.

    "Don''t fret. We haven''t vited Hussain''s rules yet, so we can simply pay him off again, with more money this time, to ensure he remains silent and out of our way," one of them proposed, their n of vengeance.

    Behind the concealing wall, just outside the window, Allen couldn''t help but release a long, thoughtful sigh. His thoughts wandered back to Felicia, and he couldn''t shake the sense of responsibility he felt for meddling in other people''s affairs.

    ''This is precisely why you find yourself entangled in the troubles of others,'' Allen couldn''t help but think, reflecting on his own choices and actions. He had sensed the anger in the nobleman''s eyes when he''d issued the warning to Felicia, a warning he knew wasden with intent. His curiosity had driven him to follow him, suspecting something was amiss.

    "As she surrenders! I''ll shout at her to lick my shoes! Besides, she''s pretty too, it''ll feel great if people see her being humiliated!"

    "We have to show that the world is not so kind to sanctimonious people like her!" they repeatedly said harsh things about Felicia to vent all their anger.

    As the three noble students continued their vile discourse about Felicia, Allen felt a sudden rush of anger. He had initially only intended to eavesdrop on their nning, but their derogatoryments stirred something within him.

    ''That girl might be naive, and her naivety could lead her into unfortunate situations like this one. But...'' Allen''s thoughts veered towards a more hopeful perspective, ''I''m the only one who knows and believes that she may one day bring a glimmer of hope to everyone...''

    The shadows concealed his emotions, but they couldn''t hide his resolve to protect Felicia, a resolve that ran deep, rooted in his faith in her potential.

    With a swift and resolute motion, Allen leaped into action, his foot making contact with the window of the noble students'' dorm room.

    -CLANK!!!

    The upants of the room were thrown into a panic, their voices trembling with surprise and rm.

    "Who''s out there?"

    "You... You were with that girl!"

    "What''s your business here?"

    "Hey, you! Quick, run and get the dorm mother and the disciplinarymission. He''ll face severe punishment for this!"

    One of them made a desperate dash for the door, but before they could escape, Allen''s de shed with incredible speed, preventing the escape attempt and casting a shadow of impending doom.

    Indeed...

    Allen, who once imed to regret his actions towards his action in the past, now exuded an overwhelming and palpable intent to kill.

    "Hii!!!"

    "Someone! Help us!" They cried out in desperation, their pleas ringing out into the corridor, their faces etched with sheer terror. It was an aura they had never encountered before, a determination to kill that sent shivers down their spines, making it clear that this was a threat unlike any they had ever faced.

    ''Felicia... forgive me for lying to you again...''

    In an unexpected and eerie twist for them, Allen drew his de and deliberately shed his own wrist, allowing a rivulet of his blood to flow forth.

    "It''ll be a hassle if you scream, so I''ll lock you up." he dered, his voice resonating with high pressure.

    "God blessing, Spillege Mysanthrope." the crimson blood covered everyone, engulfing them in an uncanny and unsettling space contained within the circle of blood Allen had created.

    "HWAAAH!!!"

    Inside this new space, an overwhelming sense of emptiness and dread enveloped them. They felt trapped, much like blind individuals thrust into a cage with a lurking tiger, knowing danger loomed at every moment.

    "Help us!"

    "Is there anyone out there?"

    Allen''s voice echoed through the surreal space, his emotions still turbulent but reined in.

    "Don''t move," he intoned, his voice now eerily smooth yet undeniablymanding. It resonated as if it whispered death itself into their ears. "From this moment onward, never involve yourselves with us again."

    ''Felicia¡­ Actually, I... haven''t really stopped being a murderer''

 Chapter 267 One year ago

    Chapter 267 One year ago

    One year ago in the Barkaley region.

    It was a moonlit night when Allen encountered a man who appeared to be only slightly older than himself, writhing in agony near the Barkaley Dungeon.

    Unable to ignore the man''s suffering, Allen lent a hand and took him to the tavern. However, upon witnessing Allen bringing the stranger into his residence, Rodion immediately got angry and forced him to take the man to the guard or church. The main reason was that the man was covered in blood despite having no significant injuries.

    "I told you that you can''t always help every people you see!" Rodion shouted.

    "But how could I possibly turn a blind eye? He is so¡­ shivering and frightened," Allen voiced his concerns.

    "You needn''t shoulder the burdens of the entire world. If you keep assisting everyone in need, there will be no end to it."

    "Then what about you, master? Why did you help me that time?"

    Rodion couldn''t answer that...

    Rodion is grappling with aplex web of emotions and thoughts. He probably knew the answer, but he couldn''t put it into words, and he couldn''t exin to Allen what the difference was between what he did then and what Allen was doing now.

    "Anyway I don''t agree to let him be here, give him your soup and get him out of here!" Rodion said as he moved away from Allen and that person.

    Allen looked at the person with a pitying gaze.

    ''I don''t know what he had gone through, but he was cold, lonely, and hungry...''

    As Allen instructed the stranger to tidy up in the bathroom, an unexpected interruption urred in the dead of night ¨C a knock on the door.

    "Yes?" Allen inquired.

    Standing at the threshold was a familiar face, the gatekeeper soldier known to Allen, seated atop a horse alongside an unfamiliar fellow soldier.

    "Allen, you were at the dungeon today, weren''t you? Did you happen to encounter a young man around 16 years old with dark green hair? He might have had some injuries," utter the gatekeeper soldier.

    Uncertain about the stranger''s involvement in a potentiallyplicated matter, Allen replied, "I didn''t see anyone like that, he lied.

    The soldier, clearly frustrated, sighed, "Well, that''s a tough break."

    Perturbed by the situation, Allen asked, "What''s going on?"

    The soldier beside him, visibly agitated, promptly borated, "This young man is a dangerous fugitive. He escaped from our town of Druwich and is responsible for a number of deaths during the outbreak. He exploited the chaos to steal food, and in his escape, he took the lives of several more people."

    "I see..."

    The Druwich soldier probed further, "Are you absolutely certain you didn''t see him?"

    The gate soldier quickly came to Allen''s defense, saying, "Hey, there''s no need to doubt Allen. He''s the most trusted person in this town."

    Though relieved by the show of trust, Allen couldn''t help but feel a pang of guilt.

    "Alright then, I''m sorry for the inconvenience," the Druwich soldier replied.

    "Yes, don''t forget to get some rest."

    "That is also if I have time."

    Allen closed his door and released a deep, exasperated sigh.

    "I had a feeling he wasn''t a good person," remarked Rodion, who had suddenly appeared. "You shouldn''t have lied and should''ve turned him in. There''s no reason to protect a prisoner."

    Allen remained silent, grappling with his thoughts. He had been contemting affording the stranger a second chance. After all, he himself had received a second chance thanks to Rodion''s help.

    Then¡­ why shouldn''t he extend the same opportunity to someone else? But as far as he know, Rodion always true.

    "I understand, master. I''ll give him to them-" Allen began to

    But then, a voice echoed from the kitchen bathroom, "You''re going to hand me over that soldier?" The man emerged from the bathroom, unclothed and drenched, his wetness seeping into the tavern''s floor. His face bore a haunting blend of fear and desperation. Despite having taken a warm shower, his anxious and wide-eyed gaze made him appear chilled to the bone, and his unusually dark, puffy eye bags were a testament to his exhaustion.

    The journey between Barkaley and Druwich, a day''s ride on horseback, suggested that the man had likely traversed the distance without sustenance, evading capture by the guards. As he stood there, he couldn''t help but entertain a glimmer of hope in his heart, nurtured by Allen''s kindness, the nourishment he had provided, and the lie he had told to protect him.

    "Please, don''t report me! I promise I won''t kill again! On my way here, I had to defend myself from soldiers, but it was only to escape. If I return, I''ll face certain death!" he pleaded, lowering his gaze and clutching onto Allen''s pants, tears streaming down his face. He cried out, "No, I don''t want to die! I want to live, I still...," but his exhaustion overcame his voice, and his sobs filled the room.

    Rodion looked at Allen''s desperate face, with over two years of acquaintance underpinning their understanding of each other. Particrly after Allen''s actions during the outbreak, Rodion had a strong sense of what the boy would decide.

    Allen implored, gazing at Rodion with a mixture of uncertainty, hesitation, and hope, seeking his answer.

    However, Rodion remained silent. In his view, this was a moment for Allen to make a decision for himself.

    "Do what you want... But ensure my tavern remains uninvolved," Rodion said as he distanced himself from the scene, leaving the final decision in Allen''s hands.

    He provided the stranger with clothing and a small sum of money through the back door, instructing him to flee from Barkaley.

    "Thank you, but what I need most right now is not money, but a ce to hide. Can I stay here for one night?" the man implored.

    "This ce doesn''t belong to me, and I don''t have the authority to permit you to stay here. Master Rodion has already made it clear not to involve his shop, so I can''t allow you to stay," Allen regretfully responded.

    Desperation etched on the man''s face, he inquired, "Where am I supposed to hide then?"

    As Allen pondered their predicament, the distant sound of approaching horses grew louder. "Hey! They''re getting closer!" he eximed.

    Just then, another elderly gentleman passed by. "Allen, what''s the matter?" he asked.

    "Mr. Prey, sorry, but could you fetch the firewood next time?" Allen swiftly replied. Knowing that was when Allen chopped firewood for his tavern, Mr. Prey was a regr visitor who came nightly.

    "No problem, but... is there a problem?"

    Without hesitation, Allen implored, "Soldiers are pursuing this man. Can you offer him shelter for the night?"

    Mr. Prey''s eyes widened in shock. "This man... the one the soldiers are hunting for? Allen, why are you getting involved in this?" he scolded.

    "S-sorry... I just couldn''t stand by," Allen uttered.

    Mr. Prey observed Allen for a few moments, recalling the numerous times Allen had lent a helping hand to the city and to him personally. In truth, it would have been unusual if Allen had ignored someone in dire need.

    "Alright, but I can only hide him in my firewood shed," Mr. Prey relented.

    "Thank you very much!" expressed both Allen and the fugitive in unison. In a clever ruse, the fugitive assisted Mr. Prey with carrying firewood from Allen, using it as a guise.

    Meanwhile, above, Rodion, who had overheard their conversation, let out a lengthy sigh. "I hope I won''te to regret this decision," he murmured.

    The sun rose the next day, starkly contrasting the dark cloud of despair that loomed over Barkaley.

    The entire town was shocked upon receiving the devastating news of Mr. Prey and his wife''s brutal murder in their own home. Both had been viciously attacked while they slept and their possessions, including their horse and carriage, had been stolen. Everyone was left in mourning and disbelief.

    For Allen, the weight of guilt grew heavier with each passing moment. He couldn''t escape the agonizing realization that his earlier decision to shelter the fugitive had unwittingly sown the seeds of this horrifying crime. As the news of Mr. Prey''s murder reached his ears, he knew he had unwittingly contributed to the chain of events that led to this tragedy. A crime so heinous that it had imed the lives of two innocent people.

    With a heavy heart, Allen followed the horse tracks, his determination overshadowing the soldiers'' pursuit. It took only a couple of hours to locate the fugitive, not far from the Barkaley Region.

    The man was riding in Mr. Prey''s stolen horse-drawn carriage, a smug smile of satisfaction etched across his face for having escaped with considerable money.

    Seeing that self-satisfied smile drove Allen to act without a second thought. He leaped in front of the horse and, with a heavy heart, swiftly ended the fugitive''s life by slitting his throat.

    Allen''s heart weighed heavy with remorse for his earlier choice and his life irreparably altered due to his initial decision to provide shelter for criminals.

 Chapter 268 Seeking Answers

    <h4>Chapter 268 Seeking Answers</h4>

    Since Allen had left in pursuit of the fugitive, Rodion had stood in front of the Barkaley region''s front gate, patiently waiting for him.

    "Master," Susan called, her voiceced with concern, "it''s raining quite heavily. We should return momentarily to retrieve an umbre."

    Rodion remained as immobile as a stone monument. Despite the rain gradually drenching his clothing, his gaze remained unwavering, affixed to the very road down which Allen had disappeared.

    "Master!" Susan implored once more, "I''ll go back and get an umbre for you!"

    As Susan departed, Rodion''s watchful eyes finally discerned the familiar silhouette of Allen emerging from the distance and making his way toward the gate. A mix of relief and trepidation coursed through Rodion. He longed to run after Allen, yet a peculiar reluctance held him back, perhaps fueled by the premonition of what he already suspected ¨C the grave actions Allen had undertaken in pursuit of the fugitive.

    After a few minutes, Allen finally reached the spot where Rodion stood waiting. Both men were shrouded in silence, their heads bowed, and the only discernible sound was the rhythmic patter of raindrops.

    "Master..." Allen began, his voice weighed down by the burden of what he had done. "I... I killed the fugitive," he confessed, his words heavy and strained.

    As he continued, remorse etched into his every word, "The moment I came upon the lifeless bodies of Mr. Prey and his wife, I realized, to my horror, that it was my own hands that had brought about their demise. I saw my bloodied hands were killing them both."

    From the beginning, Allen had been riddled with doubts, yet his apprehensions were powerless in the face of his own innate naivety.

    When he found him, the fugitive was inexplicably drenched in blood, despite disying no apparent injuries. His journey from Druwich to Barkaley, one which surely spanned a considerable distance, appeared to have left the bloodstains rtively fresh, not the traces one might expect after the passage of a full day.

    It became increasingly apparent that the fugitive had left a trail of death in his wake on the road to Barkaley, and the mounting evidence that he had resorted to violence even within the city to get inside.

    Allen''s suspicions were undeniably present, yet he made a conscious choice to extend his trust and belief.

    He wanted to help people in trouble,

    He believes everyone can change,

    much like Rodion''s benevolence had once saved him

    However, as he confronted the grim reality before him, the once-clear boundaries of his morality had blurred into shades of grey.

    "Master, at that time... did you already know about it?"

    Rodion was silent, and after a prolonged pause, Allen ventured to ask once more, his voice carrying a hint of apprehension.

    "When master kept asking me to hand that man over to the soldiers, did you already know that things would end like this? Were you deliberately letting me make my own decision so I would regret it in the end?"

    Rodion remained shrouded in silence. As if showing Allen that what he said was the truth.

    Allen inched closer to Rodion, his voice tinged with rising intensity as he confronted his master,

    "Did you intentionally let Mr. Prey and his wife die just to make me learn about my naivety?!"

    For Allen, Rodion''s every action had always seemed purposeful, guided by a deeper wisdom meant to benefit him. He clung to the belief that Rodion acted for his greater good. However, if it were indeed the case that Rodion had orchestrated the demise of those two innocent lives as a harsh lesson, the idea felt unbearably cruel. It was akin to the notion of sacrificing more lives for the sake of his own education, a concept that sat heavy with moral wrongdoing in Allen''s conscience¡­ and that was definitely wrong.

    Rodion...

    Instead of answering Allen''s question, he asked

    "What do you think is right, and what is wrong?"

    The query, vast and intricate in its implications, cast a shroud of uncertainty over their conversation. Nevertheless, Rodion pressed on, seeking to further illuminate the situation''splexities. "If time were to rewind and grant you the opportunity to determine the fugitive''s fate anew, what path would you choose?"

    Allen''s response was swift and unwavering. "I would unquestionably heed your counsel, handing him over to the soldiers, and then¡ª"

    "Then the soldier will kill him," Rodion continued. Rodion interjected, his voice measured and sombre. "In doing so, you would be sealing the fugitive''s doom. As you''re already aware, his crimes are so heinous that he might face instant execution at the hands of the soldiers. It''s no wonder that Druwich''s soldiers beheaded him on the spot, bearing his severed head as testament. In such a scenario, would you not bear the burden of me for surrendering him to the soldiers?"

    Puzzled, Allen questioned, "What are you driving at, Master?"

    "Much like how you hold yourself responsible for the tragic demise of the husband and wife, would you not also carry the weight of guilt for the fugitive''s death had you handed him over? You''d then find yourself pondering, ''Why did I not shelter him?'' or ''Why did I not let him escape?'' The cycle of self-me would be unending.

    Rodion observed Allen''s face, which now bore the weight of a painful realization. "B-but if I had chosen that path, at least Mr. Prey and his wife would be alive right now! It''s all because I put my trust in the fugitive," Allen confessed.

    "B-but, if I chose that, at least Mr. Prey and his wife are alive now! It''s all because I started to trust the fugitive!" Allen said.

    His belief in the inherent goodness of humans began to crumble.

    "I''ve taken another life.

    I believed I had changed, but it''s just more of the same.

    The moment I saw that man smile, knowing he killed because I saved him, I lost control. I''m no different from my old self! The one consumed by hatred and anger!"

    Allen paused and looked at Rodion with a sombre face.

    "Master... I was even contemting that killing might be the right thing to do."

    A dark cloud of doubt settled over his heart. Allen grappled with the notion that there might have been a time when killing was justified. However, he countered his own thoughts with conviction, "Killing is not right, it cannot be right, and it cannot be justified."

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Today,

    Then at this time, once he finally finished the matter with the three noble students, on his way back to reunite with Felicia at Sharik''s ce, Allen finally realized Rodion''s question. "What is right and what is wrong."

    With every step, the weight of this question bore down upon him, and he couldn''t help but murmur to himself, "Master Rodion might not know the answer either."

    Allen had expressed to Rodion his belief that the fugitive deserved to be killed, but Rodion had maintained a thoughtful silence. Rodion didn''t say anything about it because he didn''t know the answer. The reason for his reluctancey in the ambiguity that surrounded the notion of who, if anyone, could justifiably determine someone as deserving of death.

    The concept of deserving to be killed begged the question: who possessed the authority to make such a grave decision? It was a question that vexed Allen deeply. He understood that he wasn''t the one to wield that power, nor was it his role to make that determination. It became apparent that Rodion, too, grappled with the uncertainty of who should hold this authority. This was precisely why Rodion hadn''t provided a ready answer ¨C he wished for Allen to discover this profound truth independently. Through the process of seeking answers, Rodion hoped that Allen would continue to mature and grow.

    As Allen walked, his mind was consumed by deep thoughts. He arrived at Sharik''s house and found Felicia waiting for him inside. Allen was preupied with his own thoughts and had a hunch that he might be closer to the answer he sought.

    "Allen! Where have you been? You need to go through your things. I can''t make choices for you," Felicia eximed, with impatience in her voice.

    "Sorry, I''ll take care of it," Allen replied, his focus slowly shifting from his contemtions to the task at hand.

    Felicia paused, studying Allen''s face intently. "Is everything all right?" she inquired. Her words conveyed a genuine concern that warmed his heart.

    "Nothing''s wrong," Allen assured her, emotionless, but that somehow assured Felicia that everything was really okay.

    As Allen shifted through the equipment, he engaged in conversation with Felicia. Their exchange triggered a memory from the day before he parted ways with Rodion.

    "Master, I''m going to meet someone who might be able to give me the answer," Allen said.

    Rodion inquired, "Who is this person?"

    "She is a noble girl who once promised to show me a world where swords can be used to harm no one else and a world where kindness is met with kindness."

    Rodion responded sceptically, "Hmph, sounds like a troublesome and naive girl."

    "True," Allen agreed, "but... when you look into her eyes as she says that, you can''t help but believe her."

    Rodion conceded, "Very well. Keep taking care of that girl. If you believe she can provide the answers to the questions you seek, then you must continue to ce your trust in her."

    As Allen pondered this memory while conversing with Felicia, he clung to the belief that the answer he sought might indeed be found within her. He saw her naivety as a guiding light that could lead him to the answers he sought.

 Chapter 269 Which Faculty?

    <h4>Chapter 269 Which Faculty?</h4>

    "Allen! That was amazing! How can you be that fast?! No, it''s not just that; you''re so strong! I can feel it!" Sharik eximed, his voice brimming with genuine awe and excitement. He reached out to shake Allen''s hand with his furry paw, his wagging tail showing just how interested and impressed he was by Allen''s abilities. Allen, too, couldn''t help but be captivated by the movement of Sharik''s tail.

    "Ah, sorry, I seem to have disturbed you. We Samoyeds highly value strong figures; that''s why I was a little overzealous," Sharik said, releasing Allen''s hand.

    "Not at all, Sharik. No matter how I feel about it, I should thank you for trying to praise me; you didn''t do anything wrong," Allen replied.

    "Even so! As an apology or a token of our friendship, I''ll definitely give you the weapons for free!" Sharik dered enthusiastically.

    "Hey! Don''t talk nonsense!" Mr. Adelskod shouted from the back room. "If you want free stuff, at least prepare the materials yourself!"

    Sharik shrugged and turned to Allen. "Uh, sorry, he''s stingy and a bit grumpy," he exined.

    Allen couldn''t help but show a slight smile upon hearing Adelskod''s voice.

    "Oh wow, you can smile too!" eximed Sharik in surprise.

    "I wish I could do it consciously. Expressing myself is quite difficult," Allen admitted.

    "If you''re not doing it consciously, does that mean Dad''s voice is so funny that it makes you smile?" Sharik asked.

    "No, that''s not it. You said Mr. Adelskold was a stingy man. But he offered us free weapons. Doesn''t that mean he''s so nice that he''s willing to offer his services for free?"

    Sharik looked at Allen silently, his admiration for Allen growing with each passing moment. "Dishonest and hot-tempered, but always caring for those around him. He reminds me of my master in my hometown."

    "Allen''s master... I wonder how strong he is," Sharik mused.

    "He is the most powerful man in our town," Allen said, his voice filled with a mixture of respect and nostalgia.

    Feeling ignored by the two of them, Felicia couldn''t hold back any longer and decided to interrupt their conversation.

    "Hey, if you''re done talking, hurry up and do something with this stuff," Felicia urged, pointing to the pile of items she had diligently gathered on the floor. Among them were various ironware and school supplies that-maybe-they mighte in handy at ater time.

    "Do you really have to buy this much?" Allen questioned, his brow furrowing as he surveyed the pile.

    "I think it''s too much too," Sharik chimed in as he examined the assortment.

    "Preparation is important! We don''t know what we''ll go through at the academy!" Felicia defended her decision.

    "If that happens, we can always go back to the Sharik Shop and buy themter," Allen suggested as he approached the items Felicia had collected.

    Felicia was exasperated. "Hey, why are you giving them back? I told you this was all important!"

    "Rachel once told me that I should hold you back from this kind of extravagance. I didn''t understand what she meant at first. Now I understand that you really just want to spend money on something that you won''t necessarily use."

    Felicia was visibly frustrated. "That''s not true; these things could be useful in the future!"

    "We only need two pairs; if they break, we can simply buy more here. Now, help me put this stuff back into ce," Allen reasoned.

    "How dare you, Rachel, you still forbid me even when you are not around," Felicia muttered under her breath.

    "I''ll help too," Sharik offered, his loyal nature shining through. However, just as he was about to lift the items, something caught his attention, diverting his focus.

    "Wait a moment... Why is Felicia gathering things for Allen? Do you happen to know the specific items he needs?" Sharik inquired, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Doesn''t each faculty have different requirements?" Sharik inquired further, seeking rity.

    Felicia''s eyes widened with sudden realization. "Ha? Huh? What faculty?"

    "You don''t know that! How did you get in here? Every student who enters the Praeterea ss will be divided into several faculties based on talent and interest," Sharik exined.

    "I-I don''t know about that." Felicia turned to Allen for confirmation. "Allen, have you ever heard of that?"

    ""Yes, the information was included in the letter that the eagle delivered this morning. Didn''t you read it? It was the ornate one with the symbol," Allen inquired.

    "Now that I think about it, I haven''t read it. This morning, I was in such a rush that I left my dormitory without even considering it. Well, thanks to Allen, the one who caused that scene. Luckily, I brought both letters just in case," Felicia admitted.

    "That''s strange. If you received the letter, it means you were admitted into one of the faculties. Weren''t you asked to select the faculty of your choice?" Sharik inquired.

    "No, I don''t remember being asked to make a choice. How did you go about it?" Felicia asked.

    "I made my selection during the final exam when I was in the secunda ss. By the way, which branch of the secunda ss are you guys from?" Sharik questioned.

    Felicia and Allen exchanged a nce and remained silent for a moment before it was Allen who finally spoke up. "We''re transfer students. Felicia fell ill and couldn''t attend the secunda ss."

    The surprising revtion once again took aback Sharik. "Eeh?! Is that even possible? I was under the impression that the school didn''t ept transfer students. But it does make sense. I find it odd that I haven''t heard your names until now."

    Felicia hesitated to disclose the true reason behind her admission, but she slowly opened the letter, carefully reading its contents.

    "The Faculty of Enchanter," Felicia finally revealed. "But what exactly does this faculty entail?"

    "As the name implies, it''s where students learn the art of amnis," Sharik exined. "And Allen, what does your letter say?"

    "Allen is my personal knight, so naturally, he''ll be in the same faculty as me," Felicia assumed.

    "No, I read it this morning. I''m assigned to the Faculty of Advanced Fighter," Allen rified.

    Upon hearing this, both Sharik and Felicia disyed shocked expressions.

    "I knew it!" Sharik eximed enthusiastically. "Given your skills, I was certain you''d be ced in the fighters'' faculty! By the way, I''m in the same faculty. Let''s attend the same sses!"

    While Felicia spoke, her frustration was evident. "Hold on a minute! Why are you in a different faculty from me? As a knight, you should be following the same path as me. I''m not trying to belittle your talents, but there shouldn''t be anything in the fighter ss that you need to learn. You''re already strong enough to be a Mithril dungeon explorer!"

    "Mithril? You can''t be serious..." Sharik interjected, clearly surprised by the mention of Mithril.

    Without addressing Sharik''sment, Felicia continued to question Allen. "Why didn''t you choose the same faculty as me?"

    Allen responded calmly, "Even if you say that, you know we weren''t given the choice. Perhaps it''s because we took a different route to enter the academy, and the academy made the decision for us based on our talents demonstrated during the entrance exam."

    "Ugh, that''s right... Then we should request a transfer from the schoolter!" Felicia suggested.

    Sharik interjected, "I''m not so sure about that. Our school is quite strict when ites to the rules. I''m afraid if you make an exception like that, others might start requesting transfers as well."

    "You don''t need to worry about anything. I can have Reig apany you, so even without me by your side, I can still ensure your protection. I promise I will see you after the ss is over." Allen assured Felicia.

    "T-thank you¡­" Felicia said shyly. But then, Felicia''s response hinted that her concern ran deeper. "But that''s not the problem..."

    Observing the dynamic between Felicia and Allen, Sharik''s curiosity was piqued. He mused, ''I know that Allen is Felicia''s personal knight, but for some reason... their rtionship seems unusual, not like the typicaldy and knight rtionship... maybe they are...''

    As Sharik contemted Allen and Felicia''s connection, he concluded. ''Perhaps they are actually teachers and students?! Considering Allen''s status as the equivalent of a Mithril dungeon explorer, it''s possible that he''s not really a knight but Felicia''s sword instructor! He might have taken on the role of a knight to supervise Felicia''s development! That must be it!'' Sharik thought, convinced of his theory.

    Seeing that Felicia was concerned about being apart from Allen, Sharik proceeded to exin the school''s system to her.

    "Even though you''re in different faculties, it doesn''t mean you''ll be in separate ssrooms every time."

    Felicia sought rification. "What do you mean?"

    "Faculties and majors only determine the interests of the students. So the ss division will consist of 50% general sses and 50% specialized sses. In the general ss, all first-year students will be together, while the specialized sses will be for each major."

    "I see," said both Felicia and Allen in unison, theirprehension of the system providing some relief.

    After that, they continued to talk about the school system.

 Chapter 270 Renew the Contract

    <h4>Chapter 270 Renew the Contract</h4>

    The headmaster''s room.

    In that serene ambience of the headmaster''s room, Eliphas stood by the window, his gaze fixated on the panorama outside. Before him stretched a tranquil expanse of sky and water, their reflection intertwining, creating an illusion as if the room itself existed in another world.

    Inside this ethereal chamber, Eliphas was with a striking white-haired, adfeqtus reliqua, girl named Horivaid, or simply Hori. She appeared suspended in mid-air, her body defying gravity as she floated gracefully, her silvery locks cascading like a ghostly waterfall. Hori''s attention was captivated by one of the room''s aquariums, which inside that was a firebird flying in the water.

    As she flew to Elipha''s desk and saw the waterfall-like-desk, Hori suddenly sighed, then said,

    "Two other-worlders, six humans bearing Wildenhall blood, the elves future queen, and even the reincarnations of legendary heroes. You''ve certainly gathered a unique mix of students here. As expected... your attraction to your students is truly disgusting, Eliphas."

    Eliphas responded with a mischievous grin. "Hoho, perhaps it''s because of my age. After living for more than two centuries, you find ample ways to keep life entertaining, don''t you agree with that?"

    Hori remained unimpressed, replying, "I don''t care... My ageless body doesn''t guarantee maturity. We were never designed to mature; our physical form is but a projection of our mana core. Conversing with beings like me, your perception of space, time, and emotions would be vastly different."

    Eliphas persisted, "Even so, as an adfeqtus reliqua, you should share the same excitement as I do, don''t you?

    A look of disgust crossed Hori''s face. "That''s precisely why I find it repulsive. I can sense your mana swaying."

    Eliphas couldn''t help but chuckle as he continued to gaze out the window. His uncharacteristic silence intrigued Hori, as Eliphas was usually reserved only when he was contemting something unsavory, something disgusting, and she knew it.

    "Is there something you''re waiting for?" Hori asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

    "Hmm? Yes, you could say that is true," Eliphas replied, a hint of mystery in his voice.

    "Tell me! What are your ns this time?!" Hori''s impatience showed in her question.

    Eliphas simply grinned. "You''ll find out soon enough."

    True to his word, it wasn''t long before Hori sensed the arrival of two distinct and unmistakable presences, their auras resonating with an unusual quality.

    Hori couldn''t contain her unease any longer and turned to Eliphas. "Eliphas... these two, they aren''t the ones you''ve been waiting for, are they?"

    Eliphas met Hori''s inquiry with an enigmatic smile, one that held the secrets. "Exactly."

    The frustration that had been simmering within her boiled over. "I detest those two, and now, I detest you even more. I hope you didn''t use me to deal with these kids"

    The heavy door of the room swung open, revealing two figures who were no strangers to Eliphas. They entered with a certain cautiousness.

    " "Eliphas," one of them began, the words carrying a note of caution, "we''vee to discuss the renewal of her contract."

    The other figure, visibly hesitant and still wary from past encounters, added, "A-are you certain he won''t deceive us this time? I''d rather not be fooled like we were before."

    Eliphas smiled,ing closer to the two as if to hug them,

    Eliphas greeted them with a warm smile, approaching as if to embrace them. "Wee back to your cherished school. It warms my heart to see that you both remain in good health. Norman, rissa. I''d be even more delighted if you would refer to me as your teacher."

    "No, I have no part in this academy anymore," Norman dered, his face disying clear annoyance.

    Meanwhile, rissa remained in the protective shadow of Norman''s figure, still hiding behind him.

    Eliphas couldn''t help but chuckle. "Even after a decade, you''re as short-tempered as ever."

    Norman wagged a yful finger at Eliphas, his eyes alight with mirth. "It''s all your fault, you old man!"

    With a reminiscent smile, Eliphas leaned in and added, "Just so you know, your reaction reminds me of Petrone''s. Looking back, the two of you were quite the spirited and endearing pair."

    "Huh? Don''t tell me Petrone is at the academy now? That can''t be true, after what she did back then," Norman said, genuine surprise coloring his voice.

    Eliphas nodded, "She''s even a teacher here now."

    "Petrone? A teacher?" Norman fell into a thoughtful silence before bursting intoughter. "Hahaha! That fiery little midget is an actual teacher? and at the academy she used to hate so much?! I''d pay to see the exasperation on her face."

    "Looks like you missed her... you''ll cross paths with her soon," Eliphas'' expression shifted, his voice taking on a serious tone.

    "What do you mean¡ª" Norman said, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

    "You won''t find the heroes," Eliphas stated with an air of omniscience, as if he held all the answers, understanding both their purpose.

    "W-what does that mean? Why are you saying that? A-are you going to kill us?" rissa inquired, her voice a mix of fear and curiosity.

    "I also want an exnation, Eliphas. Don''t you already know everything since we arrived?" Norman chimed in, eager to understand.

    Eliphas answer, "I am a cursed being, and your designs for me are superficial at best. I remain indifferent¡­ I literally don''t care about your stuff at all."

    rissa couldn''t hide her shock. "S-So, you''re deliberately withholding information about the remaining heroes? I-if you don''t care, why don''t you give us their location?"

    A deep silence settled in as Eliphas disclosed the revtion, "You can''t find them because all the heroes are currently enrolled as students in this school."

    "?!!"

    rissa''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible..."

    Norman''s voice quivered with anger "Are you toying with their destinies? You know the use of such power is forbidden in this world! You conveyed that to me!"

    "As I said, I am a cursed-being."

    Tears welled up in rissa''s eyes. "AAaAAaaaah!!! A-a-At this rate, my contract won''t make me eat a single hero! I''ll have to wait another agonizing ten years for them to graduate from this school."

    Just as despair settled in, the door behind Norman and rissa mmed shut, splitting the room''s contents into two parts, effectively keeping them separated from the rest of the room.

    Instinctively, Norman unsheathed his sword. "Eliphas! What are you doing?"

    rissa let out a frightened cry. "HiiiiiI!!! T-this is the same mana maniption he used to deceive me!"

    Eliphas reassured them, "Don''t worry, I''m not trying to harm you. As per your request, I will renew the contract."

    Seven ethereal swords descended from the ceiling, forming a circle around Norman and rissa.

    "ELIPHAAAAAS!" Norman eximed.

    Eliphas, holding a staff formed from the relic Hori, spoke with an imposing aura. "Let''s forge a new contract... From this moment onwards, until all the heroes graduate from the academy..."

    Norman and rissa, both skilled mana users who were confident in their abilities, couldn''t help but feel dwarfed by the Untouchable Eliphas.

    Approaching them with a faint smile, Eliphas continued, "You two should be the teachers of this academy."

    Their stunned expressions mirrored each other.

    "WHA-"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    In the dawn of the Soil Month, as leaves drifted down to nket the earth, the stately trees within the academy shed their verdant attire. Only the indomitable maple trees held onto their foliage, refusing to sumb to the season''s gentle yet insistent persuasion.

    Amidst this autumnal transformation, the Oxwade Academy opened its doors to a new beginning. The school year''s inaugural ceremonymenced, marking the beginning of new story¡­

 Chapter 271 The History of Academy

    Chapter 271 The History of Academy

    Raised in Dungeon Volume 6

    Oxwade Academy Arc

    ...

    Oxwade Academy, a name that had etched itself into the annals of history. It would be surprising if there were anyone in this world who was not familiar with that name.

    The institution had a rich and illustrious heritage, tracing its origins back a staggering 500 years. In its nascent days, Oxwade was no more than a congregation of intrepid researchers delving deep into the enigmatic realms of mana and amnis. However, as the number of curious minds flocked to its doors, the visionary headmaster at the time recognized the growth potential. With foresight and ambition, they transformed this gathering into a bastion of knowledge and enlightenment, a thriving academy.

    What once had been a ce for amnis enthusiasts now embraced a broader spectrum of studies. Oxwade Academy expanded its curriculum to include the art of swordsmanship. With each decade, its reputation as an institution of immense repute continued to ascend.

    The founders of this institution were the first divers group that existed in the world, a melting pot of races and backgrounds. For that reason, Oxwade could be a sanctuary for all races.

    Sorted from thergest poption, the races that upied the academy town and those who attended Oxwade, were; Humans, demi-humans, dwarves, elves, dark elves, demi-humans (sirens), and Aarakocra.

    Among these races, humans held a substantial numerical advantage, their poption towering over the others at a ratio of five to one. The driving force behind this numerical disparity was simple geography. The academy''s strategic location on the human continent made it readily essible to humans, while other races had to embark on arduous and lengthy journeys to reach its town.

    This racial diversity, while a testament to Oxwade''s inclusive vision, had not been without its challenges. Indeed, on two asions in its storied history, Oxwade Academy had teetered on the precipice of destruction. Through rigorous revisions, countless discussions, and the wisdom of generations, the institution has weathered these storms. Over time, the residents of Oxwade hade to believe that the current rules and governance represented the most perfect equilibrium, creating a harmonious meeting ce for individuals of all races.

    A prevailing belief, shared by many, was that the stability and enduring prosperity of Oxwade hinged upon the unwavering presence of Eliphas, whose influence and wisdom were seen as an imprable bulwark against the gravest of challenges. As long as Eliphas is alive and graced the academy with his guidance, the Oxwade will not have any severe problems.

    That was the history of Oxwade Academy, as told by Sharik to Allen and Felicia.

    The knowledge about Oxwade''s history had been imparted to students in their Secunda ss. It was an integral part of the curriculum, to make students maintain harmony in a multi-racial society. However, as they advanced to the Praeterea ss, it was anticipated that these foundational lessons might not be revisited as the advanced curriculum delved into more specialized and intricate subjects.

    Now in the middle world, in the year 1249, Allen and Felicia embarked on their journey in Oxwade Academy and began their study as Praeterea students.

    ¡­

    Oxwade Academy ushered in its academic year at the dawn of the Soil Month. This tradition had long been embedded in its history. In the present day, the entrance to the academy was adorned with the vibrant hues of the maple tree, casting its enchanting glow over the building.

    With the admission ceremony ted tomence in just an hour, Allen was already in a state of preparation. He then jumped into Felicia''s room next door and knocked on Felicia''s window.

    "I''m awake; just wait outside," Felicia''s unexpected reply caught Allen off guard. He didn''t expect the spoiled girl he knew would wake up before Allen pulled her out of bed.

    As Allen stepped outside his dorm, the scene that met his eyes was the daily morning of academy town. Many students walked in unison. The entire student body, d in the same cappa usa, resembles a river coursing toward the same destination. Amid this sea of students, Allen''s presence stood out, and curious nces were cast in his direction, the reason is his ck hair. Because of that, Allen couldn''t help wondering whether he had dyed his white strands to ck or not.

    Hair held a profound significance in this society, reflecting one''s identity. For the church, covering your hair (until itpletely covered) is unholy, and coloring or cutting it is sphemy. The one is allowed to cover their hair is when exploring the dungeon, the soldier on duty, and every necessary situation for safety. For those who concealed their hair or, even more so, those who had none at all, it signaled a deliberate attempt to mask their true selves. Such an act was considered a suspicious act of anonymity and was met with stern consequences. Soldiers were tasked with the responsibility of apprehending anyone who sought to hide their hair, as they were perceived as potential threats to the established order. For Allen, if, for example, it rained or his hair suddenly got wet, the truth of his unique appearance would be immediatelyid bare for all to see; his white hair would be immediately obvious. This vulnerability made him a target for the authorities and the church, which could enact dire consequences.

    "ALLEN!" someone shouted from afar.

    It was Sharik, adorned in attire identical to Allen''s, the sheer enthusiasm of his greeting setting him apart in the crowd. Plus, there were no demi-humans in this dorm because the dorms were basically grouped by race. The presence of a demi-human like Sharik was particrly noticeable in a dormitory exclusivelyprised of humans.

    "I can''t wait to go to school with you now! I don''t know what amazing things will happenter," Sharik proimed, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

    "Don''t expect anything; I don''t mean to do anything prominent, and keep your face away; you are too close. This bird is getting scared."

    Sharik''s curiosity extended to the unusual crow perched atop Allen''s head, the Cornix Corus crow.

 Chapter 272 That old promise?

    <h4>Chapter 272 That old promise?</h4>

    "Oh! A familiar! Does this bird also have something special like you two?!" Sharik inquired, intrigued by the crow on Allen''s head.

    "Not really, but perhaps she is special in her own way. She''s a smart bird."

    Sharik observed the crow, noting its demeanor. "Oh right," he mused, realizing that the crow was doing something that crows don''t normally do, "She looks angry, but she''s not beating her beak at me. That crow would normally peck you on the nose if it was angry."

    Continuing to fix his gaze on the crow, Sharik ventured further. "Allen, have you ever tried to talk to it?"

    Allen nodded. "I''ve spoken to her numerous times, but she''s never given me a vocal response. She typically gazes into my eyes without making a sound."

    "Are you sure he didn''t give you an unusual response?"

    "No, she just silently looked into my eyes."

    With a puzzled expression, Sharik questioned, "Silence, you say? What do you mean by it?

    Allen, growing more curious in turn, asked, "What are you getting at?"

    Sharik exined, "No animal usually remains silent and maintains eye contact when you speak to them. They usually pay little attention to others. This is... odd, in a fascinating way."

    "I see... does that mean it''s good?" asked Allen again.

    Sharik, who knew that Allen did not understand at all, began to exin.

    "Perhaps you should consider taking her to the Aarakocra. Birds that possess high intelligence sometimes find themselves far from their nativends. It''s possible that shended here, seeking refuge after being unable to return to their territory."

    "Aarakocra, the winged race," Allen mused, recalling Sharik''s prior description of them. "But if I''m not mistaken, you once said they are among the most elusive and challenging races to engage with."

    Sharik nodded. "That''s correct. Aarakocra are known for their lofty self-esteem. To them, those without wings are beings of the underworld,cking the divine gift to explore the skies.

    "Then it will be difficult to get this bird to meet them," Allen said as he gave the bird above him a breadcrumb.

    Meanwhile, the crow, Susan, contemted her own situation. "Aarakocra," she thought, "Perhaps if I can meet them, I might find a way to live independently. I don''t want to burden Allen by seeking his assistance."

    The streets gradually grew less crowded as time passed, and Allen''s concern grew. He couldn''t help but fret about Felicia, who seemed to be taking an unusually long time. "She''s taking quite a while," he remarked.

    Allen intended to return to Felicia''s balcony and wake her up, but fortunately, he didn''t have to do so, as Felicia appeared behind him.

    "Thank you for waiting," Felicia greeted him, her voiceced with a sense of triumph. She was d in the same cappa usa as the other students, but her appearance set her apart from the rest. Felicia''s hair meticulously styled, cascaded in neat waves and was gently braided with an intricate binding. Bathed in the morning sunlight, her luxurious locks seemed to radiate, casting an enchanting glow that entuated her entire presence, enhancing her already stunning beauty.

    She was wearing the same cappa usa as the other students, but unlike the other students, Felicia''s hair was more neat, wavy, and slightly braided with a binding; her dense hair in the sunlight made all of Felicia''s body also looked radiant, including her face which was surrounded by the reflection of the rays.

    With a proud smile, Felicia inquired, "How do I look today?" She eagerly awaited Allen''s approval, showing the results of her hour-long makeover alone without Rachel''s help.

    However, after a prolonged silence looking at Felicia, Allen reacted.

    "Were you trying to prove that you can finally handle things on your own? You should be doing this, and ideally, you shouldn''t waste time on it like you did today."

    Hearing that, Felicia''s cheeks puffed up, pouting with irritation. She didn''t receive the reaction she had anticipated from Allen, and it was a source of disappointment for her.

    "I knew it! You idiot!" Felicia eximed, walking past Allen and Sharik, clearly miffed by the response she had received.

    Agitated by Allen''s unexpected outburst, Felicia turned around with an angry expression. "What are you waiting for?! We''re already runningte, right? Let''s hurry."

    Allen and Sharik, remaining silent, exchanged puzzled nces. "Why is she suddenly angry?" Allen said to Sharik.

    Sharik shrugged in response. "I don''t know; I can''t always fathom human emotions either."

    However, it wasn''t the argument that had sparked Allen''s internal turmoil; it was the sudden recollection of a forgotten promise he had made to Rachel.

    Upon arriving at the academy, Rachel reminded Allen of this promise. Initially, Allen had been angry with Rachel, as he believed the promise should have only been valid during the Francis''s birthday. Rachel, however, countered with, "I never specified when it would be valid."

    "Why am I even remembering it now," Allen said as he covered his face with his left hand, hoping that he had really forgotten about the promise.

    He quickened his pace, moving ahead of Felicia, and faced her, leaving her puzzled by his abrupt change in behavior.

    Felicia questioned, "What''s the matter?"

    Looking around to ensure no one was listening, Allen said to her, "I promise this will be thest time I am saying this."

    He leaned his face closer to Felicia''s face, towards her ear, and whispered,

    "You look as beautiful as ever."

    With that, Allen promptly turned away and walked off alone, leaving Felicia stunned.

    Sharik tried to keep up with Allen, seeking an exnation. "Hey, what did you say to her? Why is Felicia just standing there?"

    "Good then, I''d rather not see her for a while," Allen replied cryptically.

    Sharik was puzzled. "Why''s that? Are you sure it''s a good idea to leave Felicia like this?"

    Meanwhile, Felicia remained frozen, her hand still resting on her ear and neck, where she had felt the warmth of Allen''s breath.

    In a hushed tone, barely audible to anyone but the small bird perched nearby, Allen muttered, "Reig, take care of Felicia." With that, Reig took off andnded at Felicia''s feet.

    Felicia would catch up with them after five minutes.

 Chapter 273 Cultural Differences

    <h4>Chapter 273 Cultural Differences</h4>

    The entranceway to Oxwade School was framed by a picturesque row of majestic maple trees, their vibrant leaves forming a stunning natural archway. As you approach to the academy territory, there is a unique form of an intricate circr enclosure. This was not your typical fence; its a circrbination of gates, like one floor of a colosseum. The circr perimeter was defined by a series of gates strategically positioned at regr intervals, allowing ess to the school''s grounds from any direction one chose.

    A grand andrge building, that''s what Allen thought as he called back when he first arrived at the academy building. Yet, as he gazed at the building now, he noticed that the building was considerably smaller in his eyes.

    It wasn''t that the building was getting smaller; rather, it was Allen''s perception that had undergone the size of the building. The building seemed dwarfed by the sheer number of students converging upon it.

    As he watched a continuous stream of students pour into the academy building, he couldn''t help but feel a doubt,

    "There''s no way everyone will be able to fit in," he thought.

    But everyone was, surprisingly, fit inside. They managed to easily enter the building, assisted by the Disciplinary Commission, and some members of the Student Executive Board. Because of they assistance, the students were able to enter the building without experiencing any ufortable crowding or getting stuck, which was quite strange because the building seemed cannot contain this sea of people.

    However, referring to the gathering as a mere "sea of people" wouldn''t do it justice. What struck Allen most was the incredible diversity that characterized this assembly. It wasn''t just a homogenous sea of faces but a dynamic tapestry of different races.

    All the students who walked toward the academy were in groups; surprisingly, most were mixed-race. It became evident that many individuals, such as Sharik, were many of them who didn''t care about being friends with other races.

    Sharik reached out and tapped Allen''s shoulder, "Allen, look at them," Sharik urged, his finger pointing skyward.

    Sharik touched Allen''s shoulder and said, "Allen, look at them," Sharik pointed upwards.

    Allen followed Sharik''s gaze, "So they are Aarakocra," he mumbled. His eyesnded on the sky creatures.

    "This is also the first time I saw them in front of mine," Felicia said, mesmerized by their presence.

    The Aarakocra, often referred to as sky creatures, were a captivating presence. They soared gracefully through the air, effortlessly gliding over the school''s grounds before descending with an air of natural elegance. Their humanoid forms, resembling a fusion of avian and human characteristics, made them unmistakable. Feathers adorned their bodies, their wings the most distinctive feature. As they made their way toward the school, they stood out against the backdrop of more typical students.

    It was impossible not to be captivated by the Aarakocra. Even those who might have previously focused their attention elsewhere, perhaps on Allen''s unique hair, momentarily turned their gaze to them, mesmerized by their ethereal presence.

    "Wait, it looks like you Praeterea ss students," a lizard-type demi-human female senior wearing the school''s harpy eagle emblem called out to Allen''s group. "New students of the Praeterea ss should wait in the outer field."

    Allen and Felicia looked at the field, and several people were standing still. But their focus shifted to a particr spot where something unexpected was happening.

    "HOEEEK!!!" a tall female elf among the new arrivals suddenly doubled over, throwing up vomit at the female dwarves who stood in front of her.

    "What are you doing?!" shouted the friend of the dwarves who was vomited on by the elf. The dwarf who were vomited on remained silent. Based on the stories of others who had witnessed the incident, it appeared that the dwarf had found the elf''s handkerchief fallen to the ground and was trying to return it to her, but she was getting elf''s vomit instead.

    *The elf coughed. "I''m sorry, I can''t help it," then she wiped her mouth with a new handkerchief. Then she continued, "You girls are too disgusting, so when this little dwarves talks to me, my vomites out immediately. But don''t worry, our vomit shouldn''t stink."

    The dwarves sure were not pleased with the elf''s response, as the elf seemed to be mocking them. "What the heck is that?!" shouted the dwarf, "He just wanted to give you the handkerchief you dropped, but why the attitude?"

    Receiving the dwarf''s yell, the elf was confused.

    "Hm? I already apologized, right?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Is there something wrong with the way I spoke?"

    The dwarves, humans, and demi-humans who had witnessed the incident gaped in disbelief as the elves looked confused and didn''t know what made the dwarf angry with her. One of the dwarves couldn''t contain her frustration. "Saying she is disgusting is rude!" she shouted, demanding an exnation.

    "Yeah, I can''t help it. She''s disgusting, so should I lie?" the elf said.

    The elf''s response, delivered with an innocent expression, did little to alleviate the tension. Their nonchnt demeanour, in contrast to her rather inappropriatement, created an unsettling atmosphere. She clearly felt guilty, but her apparent detachment made here across as creepy.

    "You have to pay for what you did!" the dwarf dered, her frustration boiling over.

    The elf, however, remained unapologetic. "Didn''t I say I was sorry?" she retorted. "Are the barbarian tribes really this destructive?"

    There was no right and wrong side; that''s what Allen thought when he saw it. It wasn''t that hecked the ability to make a judgment, but rather that such a judgment would be futile. The lines of division ran deep, and even the students at Oxwade School were not immune to these divisions. Some believed the elves were in the right, while others stood firmly by the dwarves.

    "Cultural differences," Felicia mused, offering a sinct exnation for the situation.

    "What''s that?" Allen inquired,

    Felicia rified, "Simply put, theirmon sense is different. Just like Sharik bonded with you because of your strength, each race may have unique values and beliefs. What they consider right and just may not necessarily align with the views of other races.

    For elves, they must be honest, and the rich of apology word differs from us. For the dwarves they cannot stand with over-honest reaction as they are being underestimated directly by the elves.

    Even though I have known about it, I still underestimated the significance of these differences."

    Allen contemted the situation. ''That means they don''t understand each other, huh?'' he thought. The profound impact of cultural disparities on the students'' interactions became increasingly evident, and Allen realized that fostering understanding and unity among the diverse races at Oxwade School would be far more challenging than he had thought. He started to doubt how the academy survived to this point? While small problems like that alone can create big problems.

 Chapter 274 Following the Rule

    Chapter 274 Following the Rule

    It''s fascinating to observe the differing perspectives between the Elves and Dwarves in this situation. For the Elf, apologizing holds significant weight, and they believe that once they''ve expressed remorse, the issue should be resolved. However, the crucial difference lies in the interpretation of the apology. The Dwarf perspective diverges, as they could have epted the Elf''s apology, but what made it difficult for them was the derogatoryments about their odor and appearance.

    While the Elf may have considered their remarks as honesty, the Dwarves perceived it as an affront to their dignity. It wasn''t merely about rejecting the Elf''s perspective, but rather about feeling humiliated by such candid observations. This divergence in cultural understanding and the varied significance attached to words and actions emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity and the challenges of navigating intercultural rtionships.

    Amidst the heated dispute between the elves and dwarves, the members of the disciplinarymission arrived, casting a calming influence over the situation. It was a spider demi-human whose six hands expertly conjured amnis quickly.

    "That''s enough, you two. Thank you for being a good example," the spider-human chimed in, employing the amnis to effectively cleanse the vomit that clung to the dwarf''s body, making it as clean as before.

    "In this case, Mrs. Elf, your points will be deducted," the spider-human dered.

    The elf, her frustration clear, responded, "Why is that?! Didn''t I apologize already?!"

    The spider-human exined calmly, "Although in your culture, such an apology might be sufficient, within the academy, different standards apply. All races residing in this city are expected to adhere to the academy''s rules, and our policies prioritize respect and mutual understanding among all students, regardless of their origins."

    This judgment underscored the importance of impartiality and the need for students to adapt to the institution''s unique set of rules and norms.

    The spider-human proceeded to draw another amnis circle, this time situating it in front of her mouth to amplify her message. This amnis had the purpose of increasing the volume of her voice, ensuring that her message reached all those gathered around.

    "To all Praeterea students who have arrived, if you don''t want something like this to happen again, you must read the academy rule book in your packet. Within those pages, you''ll find crucial information not just for our academy but for understanding and respecting the unique aspects of each race."

    Her words carried a stern but necessary tone. "If you find yourself unwilling to invest the effort in learning about the cultures and customs of other races, you are, of course, allowed to leave the academy."

    A wave of unease swept through the students as they realized that many among them hadn''t thoroughly perused the rule book provided. The same was true for Allen and Felicia; they had concentrated their efforts on absorbing the rich history, locations, and other facets of academy life that Sharik had imparted during their secunda ss.

    Apparently, those who entered the secunda ss were not always mixed race in one ss. So, this marked the first asion for many of the students to closely interact with peers from various races and backgrounds.

    After all the senior students had entered the building, the spider demi-human once again announced something.

    "My name is Loukia Miskakou, and I am the secretary of the disciplinarymission. Since our chairman is currently away, I will take his ce to guide the new students."

    "For now," Loukia continued, her tone authoritative, "you must form a line and proceed one by one through the three doors of the academy. You can see that student executive members are stationed at these entrances to verify your eptance letters."

    As Loukia ordered, all the students lined up for the letter check. The purpose of this inspection extended beyond mere verification of the letters'' authenticity; it also served the crucial function of organizing the students into groups once they entered the academy building.

    As Allen cautiously peered into the building, he couldn''t help but wonder,

    ''Where did everyone go?''

    His initial expectation had been for the academy building to be bustling with a multitude of students, but to his astonishment, it appeared far less crowded than he had envisioned.

    As Felicia approached the student executive board member for inspection, the exchange took an unexpected turn. The board member scrutinized her eptance letter and asked, "Felicia Ayde Boldenville, is that really your name?"

    Felicia confirmed, "Yes, it is."

    The student executive board member then observed, "Then behind you is your personal knight, Allen?"

    "Right," Felicia replied, her curiosity evident. "Is there any problem?"

    The student executive member paused momentarily, saying, "No, please wait a moment." He then approached one of the teachers who stood in the background and shared a brief exchange.

    Puzzled by the dy, Felicia turned to Sharik, seeking an exnation. "What is it?"

    Sharik responded with a shrug, equally perplexed. "I don''t know... I don''t know either."

    The student executive board member returned and handed Felicia''s letter back to her, directing her to proceed. "Here''s your letter; please take the elevator on the right."

    The student executive board member returned and handed Felicia''s letter back to her, directing her to proceed. "Here''s your letter; please take the elevator on the right." Felicia inquired, her curiosity piqued.

    The student executive board member paused for a moment, then broke into a yful grin. "Ah, sorry... I am not -pfft- trying to mock you. It''s your first time here, so it''s perfectly normal. You can always askter. For now, please proceed over there, and you can inquire with the person inside."

    "O-okay," Feliciaplied with the instructions, but her annoyance was unmistakable.

    Once they were out of earshot, Felicia turned to Sharik, casting him a sharp gaze, clearly frustrated.

    Sharik felt the gaze of the hostility from Felicia, scared. "Oh no, I forgot to exin about the academy itself. Is she angry? Would something like that be considered treason to a human?!"

    Allen stepped in to offer reassurance, saying, "Don''t worry, it''s just her upset face. You''re not too troubled. Maybe she will just ignore you for a day."

 Chapter 275 Academy Building

    Chapter 275 Academy Building

    "So everyone goes down through this thing," Allen said.

    With Allen, Sharik, and several fighter faculty students aboard, they found themselves in an elevator that plunged deep underground. This elevator answered Allen''s question about why everyone who entered the building seemed to disappear. It turned out that those who entered mostly went underground.

    "I wonder how this elevator thing works?" Allen inquired.

    "I don''t know, this is the dwarves'' technology; maybe we can find out if we look in the library," replied Sharik.

    Their conversation was unexpectedly interrupted by a stern voice from behind, "The spreading of our technology is strictly prohibited."

    A female dwarf introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Geirhild. Let''s be friends!" She was short, her hair a cascade of red waves, her skin tanned, and her eyes a piercing shade of bright blue.

    "No problem, I''m Allen."

    "Sharik,"

    Geirhild''s bright blue eyes fixated on Allen, her face lighting up with an excited smile. "Meeting an otherworlder for the first time is quite a thrill, so it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Unlike humans, Dwarves didn''t engage in the formalities of handshakes. Thus, Allen responded with a slight nod.

    "In our ce, this contraption is known as the ''Heis.'' It''s one of the Dwarves'' greatest inventions, with numerous other innovations stemming from it. The Dwarves generously shared this technology with the academy as part of a coborative agreement. In return, the academy permits Dwarves to pursue their studies here. Nevertheless, the academy is strictly prohibited from disseminating our technology."

    Sharik, intrigued by the arrangement, voiced his curiosity. "I''ve often wondered about this secrecy. How can you trust that the academy won''t inadvertently leak your discoveries? After all, many academy members also have homes on their own continent and could potentially reveal your work to others, couldn''t they?"

    Geirhild responded confidently, "That''s because Principal Eliphas has given his solemn assurance. When he speaks, not a single Dwarf questions his word."

    ''The headmaster''s name again,'' thought Allen, who was getting curious about the figure of Eliphas that everyone was talking about.

    Geirhild continued, her expression growing more serious and somewhat somber, "Besides, even if it were spreading, we wouldn''t mind it too much; we aren''t even concerned about that. The reason we keep it under wraps is rooted in our faith.

    Not all technology is universally beneficial."

    Geirhild''s countenance shifted, her face taking on a more solemn and contemtive look. However, just momentster, her enthusiasm returned as though she had suddenly recalled she had something more matter.

    Geirhild''s enthusiasm was palpable as she shouted, "Right! I want to talk to you more!"

    Allen, somewhat perplexed, inquired, "About what?"

    Her tone suddenly shifted as she responded, "The other world! Other-worlders drive 50% of the technological development in this world. I want to know what there is in that world that can inspire me!"

    Allen offered a sincere exnation, saying, "I''m very sorry, but I''m an other-worlder who entered this world by ident. I don''t remember anything about that world."

    Geirhild''s initial excitement instantly gave way to disappointment, and her countenance reflected the change.

    "Oh sh*t," she clearly disappointed. "Well, then¡­ there should be no reason for me to make you my friend."

    ''Her nature immediately changed.''

    Geirhild extended her hand toward Allen, a gesture that left him with a million questions swirling in his mind. As he momentarily stared at her hand, she broke the silence, saying, "Why are you staring? Let''s shake hands; it''s human culture, right?"

    The idea of a handshake seemed strange to Allen, given that he believed Geirhild had lost interest in him since he wasn''t the person she initially sought. However, Geirhild had a different perspective on their interaction.

    "Since we''re already acquainted, that means the fate of friends already binds us. Different from humans, we value our words," Geirhild exined.

    Allen epted her hand, going with the flow of the situation. He was left with mixed feelings, uncertain about whether he should form a friendship with someone who had just assessed the value of a human based on profit.

    "Do all dwarves like technology?" asked Allen, trying to dig further about his "new friends," keen to learn more about their culture.

    "Why did you think so? Of course, we don''t."

    "Eh?"

    "None of us love technology; we live with it. Our hands are constantly at work, inventing new things to survive. Dwarves are small creatures that rely on speed. We do possess some strength, but our stamina is limited. This is why we must depend on tools to fend off wild animals."

    "I see..." Allen''s perspective shifted as he absorbed this insight. The dwarf women he had encountered were notably smaller than him, yet their hand muscles were significantly more robust.

    The elevator gradually slowed down, indicating that they were almost at their destination

    -CLATTER

    The elevator arrived at the intended floor, and as it made a ttering sound, Allen''s body immediately faltered and copsed to the ground.

    "Allen? Is there a problem? You don''t look well," asked Sharik, worried.

    Geirhild offered a potential solution: "Maybe you''re feeling queasy from your first time on the elevator. I have a cure for that."

    ''No, it''s not a queasy,'' thought Allen.

    However, Allen was certain this wasn''t a mere queasiness. His head throbbed with pain, and his body was wracked with shivers and goosebumps. This sensation had been present since he entered the elevator but had reached its peak upon reaching the ground floor. Though the symptoms resembled a queasy, Allen was convinced it was different. He couldn''t shake the feeling that it was akin to the turmoil he had experienced in the past¡ªwhen his mother had passed away and when the mana gate had opened.

    ''Something entered my body and mixed with my mana!'' Allen realized with a sense of dread. It was the demonic mana, which was once again encroaching on his divine mana. Having lived close to divine mana for an extended period, Allen struggled to familiarize himself with the newfound demonic mana within him. Just like when he entered the dungeon in Barkaley territory, he always felt this feeling.

    ''But why here? Why is there demonic mana here?'' Allen wondered, perplexed by the presence of demonic mana that suddenly entered his body and should not be the ce where the demonic mana existed.

    Allen stayed silent for a while while being helped by Geirhild, who gave him a drink. It took him five minutes to take a short break. Fortunately, the event didn''t start until all the Praeterea students arrived downstairs.

    "Feeling better already? Geez, I thought you were a strong person, but you''re already nauseous just entering the elevator," Geirhild said mockingly. "Here, take some more of this water; it''s not medicine but a regr vitamin drink."

    With each sip of the water, Allen gradually began to feel better, the mysterious difort that had overwhelmed him earlier slowly subsiding.

    Allen''s senses gradually returned, and he became more aware of his surroundings. He found himself standing at the edge of an immense and expansive hall.

    "This is..." Allen began to say.

    Sharik, always ready to provide information, swiftly responded, "The Great Hall of Oxwade Academy, and the first floor."

    The Great Hall of Oxwade Academy was nothing short of impressive. Its grandeur was undeniable, and it was a vast room that couldfortably amodate more than a thousand students. Upon stepping inside, the room''s sheer size was immediately striking.

    Rows of long pews, reminiscent of church seating, stretched across the hall, divided by faculty. These pews were already upied by students who had taken their seats, waiting for the proceedings tomence. One would notice a second floor, where additional student seats were arranged in descending tiers, creating a multi-tiered amphitheater effect. The design was meant to ensure that every student in the room had a clear view of the center stage.

    The focal point of the room, situated at a slightly elevated tform, was the area reserved for the teachers'' seats. It is arranged in a semi-circr fashion, facing the rest of the hall. The chairs were ornate and had high backs carved with delicate patterns and symbols. At the center of this semi-circle was a special ce, elevated even further, where the principal''s seat was located. The chair was fashioned from a strange material, and its glowing softly. In front of the teachers'' seats was a pulpit made from the same unusual material as the principal''s chair. The pulpit seamlessly blended with the room''s overall atmosphere, appearing to be an organic part of the hall.

    Illuminating the room was a rather unconventional source of light: a strange, floating crystal. It emitted a radiant glow that bathed the entire hall in a mystical, otherworldly light. It was a sight that left Allen in awe, as he had never encountered a floating crystal before.

    The peculiarities of the Great Hall didn''t end with the floating crystal. There were also the presence of unusual creatures that were unlike any found on the surface. Flying cats, rabbits, glowing snakes, and several other seemingly harmless monsters added to the room''s surreal ambience. These creatures, residing within the academy, seemed to defy the norms of the natural world, further emphasizing the feeling that this ce was indeed like in a realm separate from the ordinary world he had known.

    When Allen gazed upon the extraordinary sight before him, he couldn''t shake the feeling that there was only one ce in the entire world that might resemble this magical chamber. The presence of the bizarre creatures only added to his growing conviction.

    "You mentioned ''first floor,'' what exactly does that mean?" Allen inquired, trying to convince himself.

    Sharik''s eyes widened in surprise as he realized the crucial detail he had omitted. "Ah!"He forgot one important thing that would have beenpletely unthinkable for him if Allen hadn''t known about it.

    "I forgot to say. The Academy building is, in fact, a conquered dungeon."

 Chapter 276 The Great Eliphas

    Chapter 276 The Great Eliphas

    The opening ceremony for the new academic year of praeterea ss began.

    All students had gathered and arranged in clusters ording to their respective faculties. Some seniors from the disciplinarymission and the student executive stood nearby, where the teachers were seated. Their distinction was evident through their headgear, each adorned with differently colored cloth.

    The teachers donned ck straps, the members of the disciplinarymission wore green ones, those from the student executive sported red, and the praeterea students wore blue straps.

    The secretary of the disciplinarymission, a demi-human spider, stepped out of her chair and proceeded towards the rostrum.

    "Dear students, wee to themencement of the new academic year for praeterea. I am Loukia Miskakou, and I am your host today," Loukia warmly greeted the students. He then delved into a concise history of the academy.

    In the midst of Loukia''s speech, Sharik anxiously scanned the surroundings. "Have you seen Felicia?" he inquired, his gaze sweeping across the enchanter faculty row.

    "She''s in the front row," replied Allen.

    Sharik attempted to rise from his seat to catch a glimpse in her direction, and indeed, there she was, obscured by a massive demi-human, making it quite challenging to discern her precise location from their seats.

    "Amazing! How did you know? Is this some of the fighter sense of yours who can see through the wall?!" Sharik marveled.

    "I saw her sitting there earlier," Allen responded. However, that was a lie; he could feel Reig''s position on Felicia''s body.

    After Loukia''s speech concluded, she proceeded to initiate the event''s program. "I would like to respectfully invite the principal of Oxwade Academy, Eliphas Ingranius," Loukia announced.

    At the mention of Eliphas''s name, a small cheer rippled through the rows of students. They appeared as intrigued as Allen about the enigmatic figure of Eliphas, even though it was not the first time they had seen him.

    ''Which one is he?'' Allen thought, confused because he was sure that there he wasn''t sitting in the teacher''s row.

    A slight tremor rippled through the hall, and the audience quickly discerned the direction of the tremor.

    "The Great Eliphas..." Geirhild murmured, ncing back, followed by Allen and all the students.

    Eliphas Ingranius made a conspicuous entrance at the back of the hall. He was garbed in a white robe, adorned with a unique pattern, and interspersed with red and gold stripes. A grand triangr white hat adorned with ermine fur rested atop his head. He held a unique staff in his hand, a wooden implement embellished with several metalponents, crowned by a floating ck circle, enveloped by wooden intricacies.

    The tremor that apanied his arrival wasn''t merely a momentary disturbance. It emanated from something at Eliphas''s feet. "The ground under him... is moving?"

    Eliphas didn''t stride to the front of the hall; rather, the hall carried him forward. The ground beneath Eliphas''s feet elevated, resembling a long, like shaggy carpet, conveying him towards the pulpit.

    "How did that happen?" asked Allen.

    The floor appeared to defy naturalws, as if it shifted solely to transport Eliphas to the lectern. Despite the room quivering due to this phenomenon, there was no trace of the ground protruding.

    "The staff moved it," Geirhild exined. "It was the adfeqtus reliqua of the Great Eliphas, Horivaid. It has the ability to control the entire dungeon ording to its owner''s will. That''s why this dungeon can be a safe ce for everyone. He used that power to create the academy."

    "Then the way he walks is not intentional," Sharik added.

    "Rumor has it he was cursed by the gods due to his knowledge and power, which had transcended the limits of god''s creation," Geirhild continue. "God put a curse on him, took the agility from his body, that is a limit that god give to superior being like him. To be honest, I still don''t believe the story."

    "If that''s not the case, then he''s justzily walking," Allen remarked.

    Sharik, concerned about Allen''s outspokenness, cautioned him, "Allen, you... you really dare to say something like that to the principal, If not for the noise in this ce, you might have already faced retaliation from other students.

    As Eliphas finally reached his pulpit, he surveyed the room, taking in the expectant gazes fixed upon him. Slowly, he began to part his lips.

    In that fleeting moment, all surrounding noise ceased, and every eye in the room was trained on Eliphas, eagerly anticipating his words.

    "MY DEAR STUDENTS."

    That sentence...

    It was a simple utterance, void of any ostentatious ir, and without any particr amnis¡­.

    Yet, when the words left his lips, a profound hush fell over the audience, and a collective shiver coursed through them. His voice, though soft and tinged with a hint of hoarseness, possessed an inexplicable power, resonating through the entire chamber.

    "So soft, yet somanding. He really knows the exact moment when all the sounds in this room disappearing," Allen mused.

    On the other hand, Loukia was also contemted the same thing as Allen, "No, that is not just the timing. it''s as if he''s woven a nket of silence over the world, allowing only his voice to pierce through, like silencing the entire room at will."

    Eliphas cleared his throat twice, this time draw the an amnis voice, and began to address the gathered students.

    "I''ve heard that young people these days don''t have much patience for long speeches. I won''t bore you with an extended oration. Some of the senior students present may have already heard simr words from me in the past."

    Once again, after the whole world fell into an intense silence, with firmness, Eliphas locked his gaze onto the audience before him.

    "Learn and survive," he dered.

    "Nescience is a sin, knowledge is a weapon, and morality is a shield. When you step through these academy doors, your purpose is to learn. Absorb all the knowledge bestowed upon you, for one day, you will wield that knowledge as your most powerful weapon."

    n that moment, every student felt a deep connection with the old man speaking to the audience, all of them felt like he was talking to them one-on-one, looking them straight in the eye.

    "These words do not apply solely to the fighter faculty, the enchanter faculty, or any particr discipline. They are universal, transcending all fields of study. With knowledge, the world you perceive today will expand before you, unveiling new perspectives and enabling more precise actions.

    When you undertake something with regret, learning turns that regret into valuable knowledge. Though learning may not solve every problem entirely, but learning gives you options to solve your problems."

    Eliphas''s face slowly broke into a warm smile, and this smile had an almost magical effect, drawing every eye in the room towards him. Heartbeats quickened, and the audience collectively held their breath.

    "Now that I''ve opened the door, step inside and embark on your learning journey. There is nothing to worry about, for Knowledge is something that can never be wrested from you."

    Everyone looked at him with tension and excitement welling up inside them, their emotions running high. Every person there harbored dreams and aspirations, seeking something that could bring about profound change. All the people there were people trying to fulfill their dreams. Allen, clutching his chest tightly, was no exception.

    "Knowledge is something that can never be wrested from you," Allen murmured, echoing Eliphas''s profound words. Those words etched themselves deep into his consciousness and settled firmly in his heart. For Allen, strength had always been paramount, especially after enduring the loss of everything he held dear¡ªhis home, his mother, and the many other things that had been taken from him. He bore these losses in silence, like heavy burdens on his shoulders.

    There are so many strong people in that world.

    He still didn''t have the confidence to defeat someone like Leofric, the man who had taken his mother and home from his.

    Allen often pondered, "If only I had been stronger back then." However, the sands of time had shifted, and even with his current strength, he grappled with doubts about his ability to ovee that haunting situation.

    But what if... back then he had "knowledge," if he was smarter than the others, if he learned more from Lavinia.

    What if... he had learned the healing amnis earlier... maybe his mother would still be inside the Barkaley dungeon right now.

    Maybe he could leave the dungeon and work at Rodion''s ce, then on his days off visit his mother in the dungeon.

    Such hopeful scenarios, yet impossible, yed out vividly in Allen''s mind, conjuring a faint but genuine smile upon his lips. "Father Nichs," he acknowledged with gratitude, "once again, your word is always true," he said as he recalled Bishop Nichs that telling him to meet Eliphas.

 Chapter 277 Here we give the tempest

    Chapter 277 Here we give the tempest

    "Allen, isn''t he amazing? His presence and the eloquence of his speech are truly mesmerizing," Sharik marveled after Eliphas stepped down from the pulpit. However, Allen remained silent, his hand tightly gripping his chest, tears welling up in his eyes.

    ''To this extent? I always thought Allen was more the cold type,'' Sharik thought.

    "Hey, your friend is calling, don''t just ignore him!" Geirhild nudged Allen on the shoulder.

    "Geirhild! I''m okay! Let''s not disrupt those who are immersed in their emotions,"

    "Ah, my apologies," said Allen, who quickly realized his inattentiveness. "Did you say something?" Instead of revisiting the earlier conversation, Sharik''s curiosity shifted to another topic.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked about Allen''s teary eyes.

    "Nothing," Allen replied briefly. It took a moment for him toprehend the significance of Sharik''s question about his sudden silence. "I was just reminded of someone from my hometown," Allen exined, his eyes distant, lost in the past.

    "Where is your hometown? In another world?" Geirhild inquired curiously.

    "No, it''s in Barkaley, where I was first summoned to this world," Allen replied.

    Before Sharik could inquire further about Allen, Loukia on the pulpit, raised her voice.

    "Next, opening remarks from the chair of the Student Executive Board, Miss Kethryllia Othorion Eruvrantish!"

    In contrast to Eliphas''s quiet presence, the whispers in the room grew louder, and everyone began talking about Kethryllia.

    "Kethryllia Othorion Eruvrantish, isn''t she stunning?"

    "I wouldn''t even think of approaching her; getting close to someone like her is impossible."

    "The next potential queen of the Eruvrantish Empire, she''s truly demonstrated her leadership skills by rising to the position of chief executive, even though she is a woman."

    Unlike human societies, elven culture held women in high regard. In the elven continent, the queen governed the empire, and women yed vital roles in managing state affairs. Men within elven society typically worked as hunters,borers, or, in some cases, became consorts of the queen.

    Humans often held a condescending view of elven culture, particrly for their apparent reliance on women, not to mention the eptance of women as leaders. Recognizing the disdain humans often held for female leadership, Kethryllia shut their criticisms by proving her mettle as the chief of the student executive board of the academy.

    With a charming smile, Kethrylliamenced her speech.

    "Survival belongs to those who, in the face of trials, choose to evolve and thrive, and here we give the tempest to you. May the tempest can alter the courses of lives."

    A hush fell over the audience as they contemted her words.

    Her voice was a soft melody that gradually took on a weightiness, stirring emotions for no apparent reason. "Learning and surviving, if I''m not mistaken, that''s what Mr. Eliphas mentioned in his earlier speech. However, it''s quite amusing that he never delved into the concept of survival. Perhaps it''s because these two words may not immediately appear rted and can even seem contradictory."

    Kethryllia''s words hung in the air, her presencemanding the room''s attention, leaving a profound impact on the audience, making your heart beat for no apparent reason.

    This time, her smile took on a sinister edge, as if she relished the power of controlling the room''s atmosphere.

    "Everyone has the right to learn, but the reality is rather amusing. This academy doesn''t merely facilitate learning; it molds students intopetitors. While some of you might have heard about it from the upperssmen, this information has never been officially disclosed during the secunda ss, so allow me to rify."

    Her words carried a weight that left the audience hanging on her every syble.

    "Once you enter the praeterea ss, the grading system will shift from earning points to acquiring and stealing. As always, you can umte points through your merits but also lose them if you vite the academy''s rules. However, you''ll have the option to engage in duels, wagering your umted points. And for those who exhaust all their points...

    will be expelled from school."

    A shocked silence gripped the assembly. Even those who had heard whispers about these rules from the seniors found this revtion astonishing. The upperssmen rarely discussed these details, so secunda ss students had only heard snippets through the grapevine.

    "So, the rumor about only 10% of students advancing to the superior level is true?"

    Those who failed to progress beyond the praeterea ss bore their shame in silence, keeping the knowledge of their expulsion closely guarded.

    Kethryllia announced as she gracefully descended from the podium, leaving the audience stunned.

    Loukia returned to the podium.

    "Thank you to the chairman of the student executive board. Next, we would typically allow the chairman of the disciplinarymission to exin the academy''s new rules for the praeterea ss, but since he is currently absent, I will stand in for him."

    Loukia then proceeded to outline the academy''s most crucial regtions.

    "First, let me rify the academy''s point system. Each student will maintain a record of points during their time in the Praeterea ss. You are required to study in the praeterea for a total of four years and umte a certain number of points to qualify for advancement to the superius ss. For those who exhaust their points, there will be a grace period of a few weeks to regain the necessary points. Failure to do so will result in expulsion from the academy.

    Each of you has received a rule book, delivered via harpy, which outlines the specific rules and their corresponding point deductions for vitions. Points can be gained throughmendable achievements, but they can also be taken from individuals who breach these rules.

    The academy maintains an official duel system, strictly overseen by the disciplinarymission, and the oues of these duels are final.

    Additional points and point multipliers will differ for each student, particrly those holding positions within the school, such as student executives and othermissions. For example, the disciplinarymission will receive weekly point rewards based on their respective roles."

    "How can we check our points?" Allen inquired to Sharik with genuine curiosity.

    "You can ess your points at the grading altar on the first floor or within this hall. See the maroon curtain behind the teachers'' seats?" Sharik pointed to therge curtain.

    As Sharik mentioned it, the maroon curtain became visible to all.

    "If you manage to secure a spot in the top 10, your name and points will be inscribed there," Sharik exined.

    "What are the benefits of being in the top 10?" Allen asked, his tone revealing a sense of urgency.

    "ess to additional floors," Sharik began to exin. "Ordinarily, students are limited to the first three floors of the academy. However, once you break into the top 10¡ª"

    "Can we go down to the 10th floor?" Allen interjected, his voice brimming with anticipation.

    "E-Well, I''m not entirely sure, as no one has ventured down there yet. Perhaps if you im the number one spot, you might be granted that privilege."

    "Why is that?" Allen probed further.

    Geirhild chimed in, "Because when you hold the number one position for a month, the headmaster may be willing to listen your requests."

    "Just listen?"

    "That''s right, it''s not confirmed yet, but everyone will try to climb to the highest rank so that they can convey their requests to Eliphas; people believe that, depending on the request, Eliphas may grant it."

    "Pfft-" A mocking voice cut through the conversation, originating from a figure positioned in front of Allen, Sharik, and Geirhild. The individual turned around to face them and sneered, "You folks genuinely believe you can ascend to the number one rank?"

    The man was unfamiliar to Allen, but his presence reminded him of someone he deeply disliked - Leofric. With his blonde hair and emerald-blue eyes, the simrities were striking.

    "People like you have no chance of reaching the top. It would be wise to abandon your lofty aspirations," he taunted, his words dripping with scorn.

    As Allen saw him again, he finally remembered he had seen him before in the castle.

    He was the 14th prince of the Wildenhall Kingdom, Francis Ismenia Wildenhall.

 Chapter 278 Another purpose

    Chapter 278 Another purpose

    Deep within me, there was something inside me. Something terrible alive there, and I was sure of it at the moment that daemon servus''s woman came to me.

    And the one who realized this, besides me and that woman, was Bishop Nichs.

    Bishop Nichs instructed, "There, you will encounter a man named Eliphas; he has both knowledge and power that could shake the angel''s mind. Seek his aid, and perhaps you can attain what you want."

    He also offered me money to go to school, but I refused because I was convinced that the costs involved were substantial. Besides, I had another option: to meet Felicia again and attend the academy with her.

    My goal at Oxwade Academy was to seek Eliphas''s help with my mana gate. I wanted him to either remove it, tell me how to remove it or provide any guidance that would allow me to be fully human.

    ¡­

    As Allen thought about his determination in the Oxwade, Francis woke him from his daydreaming.

    "Pfft¡­ People like you have no chance of reaching the top. It would be wise to abandon your lofty aspirations," he taunted.

    Geirhild, surprised by Francis''s sudden interruption, asked, "Who are you?"

    "You don''t know who I am! I am the prince of this kingdom! Francis Ismenia Wildenhall!!!"

    "Prince Francis!" Sharik suddenly eximed with a big smile. Recognizing the prince, Sharik couldn''t contain his excitement and eagerly extended his hand to shake Francis''s.

    "Nice to meet you! My name is Sharik! I admired your fightst month!"

    "Fight?" Geirhild questioned.

    Francis, a touch arrogant, responded, "Hmph! You should follow how to act with your friend. He''s good at ttering people! It''s not good to look down on people who are obviously more honorable than you."

    Geirhild, trying to rify the situation, pressed further, "Hey, what fight?" she asked to Sharik.

    Sharik chimed in, exining, "The Secunda graduation battle! Prince Francis fought very gantly!"

    Francis''s face lit up with excitement as he realized that Sharik knew about his aplishment. "It turns out you know about that too! You really are a good judge of people! What was your name?"

    Sharik proudly introduced himself, "Sharik Preobrazhensky!"

    "As a reward for your admiration, I will remember your name."

    "Thank you very much!" Sharik responded with genuine appreciation.

    Geirhild, however, didn''t seem to share the same enthusiasm and quipped, "Huh? What''s so great about this kid? He just looks like a big-empty-headed human noble."

    Francis, a bit shocked by the remark, retorted "B-big-and empty head?!"

    Sharik, wanting to prevent further tension, interjected, "You should see it with your head!" He continued to exin, "Prince Francis'' opponent at that time was a huge demi-human bear. On the verge of defeat, he shouted his blessing, and at that moment, the bear''s movements also slowed down. With extraordinary determination, he was finally able to win it!"

    Sharik''s excitement drew the attention of those around them, and Francis began to feel slightly embarrassed by the sudden spotlight. He tried to calm the situation by yfully patting Sharik. "He-hey, that''s enough."

    But Sharik was unstoppable,

    But Sharik was on a roll and couldn''t contain his enthusiasm, proiming, "You can''t imagine how incredible that moment was! His torn armor, and the blood running down his face, made him look cool for winning against her!"

    Geirhild didn''t seem overly impressed by Francis''s victory in the graduation battle andmented, "So the point is that he won at thest moment when he almost lost? Doesn''t that mean he was just lucky? Besides, Secunda''s graduation battle is only for those with bad grades. That means it''s not just his borderline fighting skills, but his brain can''t keep up with the lessons either, right?"

    Everyone in the vicinity stifledughter at this, let alone the reaction of Francis, who was already tomato-red in the head and had to bow his head in shame.

    Laughter rippled through the onlookers, and Francis, already embarrassed, had to lower his head in shame.

    "HEY YOU OVER THERE!" Loukia''s sharp voice rang out, addressing the students who were causing a disturbance. She fixed them with a stern re, her eight eyes revealing her displeasure.

    "This year''s praeterea ss is sure all brave and had no shame. How could you make a fuss in the middle of the event and in front of the teachers and principal!" Loukia scolded.

    Sharik and Geirhild immediately stood up, shouting in unison, "Forgive us!" The other students followed suit, suppressing theirughter as they apologized.

    "As per the rules, we will deduct three points each from the entire fighter faculty!"

    "WHAT!" The fighter faculty students expressed their outrage at the unexpected deduction of points.

    However, Eliphas intervened, raising his hand to calm the situation. "We rarely see the three races get along like this, plus in the middle of this boring ceremony, they provided entertainment. There''s no need to give them a punishment."

    "If that''s what you''re saying, then I understand. Even though Mr. Eliphas said that I will mark the four of you from now on! If you get into trouble again, I will be the one to take away your points!" She directed her stern warning at Sharik, Geirhild, and Allen.

    In the face of the spider''s eye''s stern gaze, Sharik and Geirhild could only apologize, realizing their actions.

    "She said ''the four of you,'' I''m not included, right?" thought Allen, who probably was included because he was sitting between the three of them.

    ...

    Hallie Lydia Johnson, the daughter of Earl Johnson from the Wildenhall kingdom, muttered to herself, "I didn''t realize there was a point deduction for one faculty. The three of them almost reduced Prince Francis'' points!"

    She held a piece of paper she had been reading repeatedly, and her distinctive long pink drill hair stood out in the crowd. Hallie had a personal past with Prince Francis, as she had previously failed to be his dance partner on his birthday.

    "Oh no, I can''t lose focus. I have to get ready," she mumbled to herself as she prepared for the next program. It was the speech for the new student selected from the secunda ss. This time, she felt confident about her chances because she had consistently ranked in the top 10 of secunda.

    "I never expected Felicia, the girl they call the ''sleeping princess,'' to end up in the same faculty as me, but I''ll deal with thatter. Right now, I''ll prove through my speech that I deserve the respect of all praeterea students!"

    After the rules were read, the new teacher gave a wee speech, and the faculties were introduced. Then came the moment of anticipation: "Next, remarks from the new students."

    Among the students, there was spection about who woulde forward.

    "Do you think Princess Amnestria will step up?"

    "Nah, she was only number 10 yesterday, and she''s good at just one thing, right?"

    "Could it be Hallie?"

    "No doubt about it, Hallie will surely go up. She''s been number one several times and has numerous skills!"

    Hallie, trying to maintain herposure, secretly reveled in their praise.

    After a brief pause, Loukia opened the letter she had received. Her face showed shock as she read aloud, "A word of wee from the new student of Praeterea ss, from the Enchanter Faculty, Felicia Ayde Boldenville."

    It was a name that caught everyone off guard, including Hallie and Felicia.

    "Huh?" Felicia reacted, clearly bewildered.

 Chapter 279 Representative Student

    Chapter 279 Representative Student

    The name "Felicia Ayde Boldenville" echoed through the Great Hall of Oxwade Academy, creating a stir among the students. Whispers of confusion and doubt permeated the air as students exchanged uncertain nces.

    "Felicia? Who is that?"

    "You don''t know either?"

    "Was she ever ranked in Secunda''s ss?"

    "Even if she did, it must have only happened once or twice, because if she got ranked consecutively, people would remember her name."

    "But... it feels like I''ve heard her name before."

    Confusion intensified as the whispers grew louder. The disciplinarymissioners, including Loukia, attempted to restore order, but the noise affected not only the students but also the teachers and themissioners themselves. They were confused by the appearance of the name.

    In the five years she had spent at Oxwade Academy, and during her three years as a member of the disciplinarymission, Loukia had never witnessed a situation where someone without merit would ascend the stage to represent the other students. Felicia''s unexpected appearance had caught everyone off guard.

    Felicia, however, made her way onto the stage with a measured grace, attempting to conceal any signs of confusion, nervousness, or fear that might betray her true emotions. Despite her fake smile, a storm of thoughts raged within her.

    ''I''ve never heard of this! What should I do? What should I say?'' Felicia''s mind raced as she maintained herposed smile. It wasn''t that she couldn''t improvise or speak confidently; rather, it was the fear of unintentionally saying something inappropriate or offensive due to herck of knowledge about the academy''s diverse cultures.

    Once Felicia reached the pulpit, she took a moment to analyze the speech temte by recalling how Loukia had performed earlier. Adopting a poised demeanor, she began her address:

    "Ladies and gentlemen, Headmaster Mr. Eliphas, esteemed faculty, and fellow students." With a graceful lift of her skirt, she greeted them. "I am Felicia Ayde Boldenville. I stand before you today as a proud representative praeterea student of our beloved Oxwade Academy."

    As Felicia lowered her skirt and raised her head to address the rest of the students, some of them realized who Felicia was.

    "Boldenville... isn''t that the name of the noble who owns the number one fashion store in the kingdom?"

    "I remember that name. If I''m not mistaken, the daughter of the Boldenville family is The Maiden of Eden Garden... Felicia."

    "The Maiden of Eden Garden?"

    The revtion of Felicia''s identity as The Maiden of Eden Garden sparked a murmur of curiosity among the students. While only the humans were familiar with Felicia''s nickname, it was still a significant portion, as humans constituted 50% of the students. However, even among the other races that might not have been aware of Felicia''s achievements, the Boldenville family name carried weight. This was evident from the family crest discreetly embroidered inside of their clothes.

    "Incredible¡­" Kethryllia murmured, her eyes fixed on Felicia''s figure as she gracefully presented her speech.

    Behind Kethryllia, a man approached andmented, "Oh, the world seems to being to an end."

    The smile on Kethryllia''s face disappeared as she turned to look behind her, clearly recognizing the voice.

    "Hussain..." she muttered with a displeased expression.

    "*Yaaawn... Good morning, chief executive. It''s good to see you happy this morning," Hussain said as hezily sat beside Kethryllia,ying his sleepy-looking head down.

    "You''d better keep sleeping today," Kethryllia replied sarcastically.

    "I actually wanted to. But being the chair of the disciplinarymission is hard enough. You have to be awake to keep up with events like this," Hussain exined.

    "Even though you say so, you usually don''te either. Why are you suddenly forcing yourself toe today?" Kethryllia inquired.

    Hussain shifted his gaze towards Loukia, who was seated in the host''s chair. Kethryllia followed suit, also looking at Loukia.

    Loukia''s eight eyes red angrily at Hussain.

    "I still want to live," Hussain quipped.

    ''He speaks as if he could just die,'' Ketrhyllia thought.

    "Besides..." Hussain continued, returning his attention to Kethryllia, "I feel like if Ie, I can see that creepy smile of yours crumble."

    Hussain shifted his attention to Felicia, who was in the midst of delivering her speech. Observing her, he thought, ''That kid... this year''s representative praeterea, huh? She came forward without holding the text; did she memorize it? But the announcement was sudden, and her speech didn''t match the usual temte.

    Hmm? Wait...''

    Suddenly, realization dawned on Hussain. He remembered meeting Felicia at the district market with Allen and Sharik. "Isn''t that the girl who entered through the inner passage?" he asked.

    "I heard that she made a pretty good impression among the secunda teachers during the exam; maybe that''s why she became the representative," Kethryllia replied.

    ''Liar,'' Hussain thought.

    "Poor girl..." said Hussain. ''So, this elf is what made that kid be a representative. That''s a pity, the purpose of this elf might be to create an enemy for that kid.''

    The whispers among the students continued as Felicia delivered her speech at the podium: "Within these walls, we wear the cloak of learning, the cloak of friendship, and the hat of wisdom. Together, let us seek knowledge."

    Despite Felicia''s eloquence, the gossip about her existence persisted:

    "Maiden of Eden Garden. Why nobody know about her so far? Shouldn''t someone of her status be well-known in the academy?"

    "I heard she was sick and had been asleep for years. But if she''s our age, shouldn''t she still be in secunda right now?"

    "If no one knows about it, then maybe she never entered secunda?"

    "So, what, did she use some insider connection to bypass secunda?"

    "Come on! You''re being absurd! How could the academy resort to such unfair practices?"

    "Well, think about it! Her family owns the clothingpany that designs our uniforms ¨C House of Felicia, remember?"

    "Ukh!"

    "Maybe the academy got these clothes for free, and in return, they amodated her entry. It''s the only way she could have joined the academy and be a representative student without any notable achievements."

    Sharik, catching wind of the spective chatter, turned to Allen with a puzzled expression. "Hey, Allen, did you secure a spot in this school with money?"

    Allen nodded but felt the need to rify, "We were tested first. The money was for the chance to take the test, not a guaranteed eptance."

    "Hmph! So, it''s true then. How disappointing!" Geirhild expressed her disillusionment.

    "But they were also tested by the school! So it must be fine, right?" Sharik interjected.

    "You think I''ll just believe it? People get into this school with money. The test could have been a gimmick," Geirhild argued, crossing her arms defiantly.

    ''Yeah, she''s not entirely wrong. In the end, we did get in because we paid the school a significant sum,'' Allen admitted to himself.

    "Shut your mouth, dwarf!" a voice interrupted them loudly, drawing attention from those nearby. It was Francis.

    "Huh?!" retorted Geirhild.

    "What''s wrong with going through an insider? She''s the one who earned the title of Maiden of Eden Garden; that alone should be enough for you to recognize her greatness," Francis defended.

    "Maiden, whatever that is, that title is only given by the human side, right? If it wasn''t earned in the academy, then it''s not that great," Geirhild retorted.

    "What are you saying?! You''re doubting the judgment of our kingdom-" Francis began before being abruptly cut off.

    "Hey, you two, that''s enough. That spider has been watching you two for a while," Allen interjected, sensing the looming consequences of their heated discussion.

    They both immediately fell silent, realizing they had garnered unwanted attention. ''I don''t want to be med for these two anymore,'' Allen thought

    After more than five minutes had passed, Felicia gracefully concluded her speech with a simple, "That''s all from me. Thank you." As she gracefully returned to her seat, a wave of apprehension and self-doubt swept over her. Her mind raced, wondering if she had inadvertently made any missteps during her address.

    Breathing a sigh of relief, she reminded herself, "I''m here to forge connections. It''ll be hard if a lot of people antagonize me," Felicia thought.

    With this, the new student opening ceremony ended, and the new school year of the praeterea ss began.

 Chapter 280 Faculty Orientation

    Chapter 280 Faculty  Orientation

    After the opening ceremony ended, Allen wasted no time in making his way to Felicia, who was also actively seeking out his presence in the crowd.

    "Good job," Allen praised, just emotionless as Felicia thought will be.

    Felicia let out a sigh of relief, her expression a mix of weariness and difort. "I don''t know why, but everything feels so suffocating. It''s like every gaze is piercing through me. Did I say something wrong?"

    "Well¡­ they discovered that you gained admission to the academy through a connection."

    "So that''s it..."

    Surprisingly calm, Allen asked, "You''re not surprised?"

    "It''s no surprise that they knew; they must have been surprised because they never heard my name in the secunda ss. I had hoped to blend in, to learn without drawing attention. But, well, that n clearly went out the window."

    As Felicia spoke, Allen couldn''t help but notice something amiss. ''She said that calmly but her hands were still shaking. Just like in the castle,'' he thought.

    Sharik''s voice rang out in the bustling hall, "Allen! Hurry up, they''re asking us to gather over there!" He gestured towards one of the doors on the right side of the hall.

    "Then I''ll go first-" Allen said, but suddenly Felicia''s hand firmly gripped Allen''s robe.

    "Hey..." Her voice softened. "Allen, you came here to follow me, but do you really have a purpose for entering this academy?"

    There was a purpose.

    After learning about the academy''s ranking system, he harbored a desire to ascend to the top because he needed to converse with Eliphas about the demonic entity residing within him.

    "I came to the academy as your knight, but actually, I also have my own purpose; I will talk to you about thatter," Allen admitted, without any intention of hiding anything.

    Felicia released her grip on Allen''s shirt and smiled. "So that''s it, then go," she said with a wry smile. However, observing her, Allen sensed an underlying sorrow. Unbeknownst to him, Felicia had intended to advise him to rectify the error in his faculty selection, realizing that being in the fighter faculty meant they would be separated for a while. As Felicia''s knight, Allen should have chosen the same path. Yet, Allen also has a purpose in the academy, which makes it difficult for her to voice. She also wanted Allen to choose the path he wanted to.

    "Don''t worry," Allen reassured, his hands gently steadying Felicia''s trembling form. "I''ll have Reig take care of you. If there''s anything, I''lle to you right away, and he''ll surely manage until then."

    Reig that was in Felicia''s shadow came out as a ck, fluffy cat, and jumped into Felicia''s arms.

    "Is this...?!"

    "The ck cat that you failed to save earlier, I had Reig eat it. I heard that the school allows students to bring familiars."

    Felicia hugged the fluffy Reig-cat tightly, her face nuzzled into its thick fur. "It smells like you," she murmured, a sense of calm andfort enveloping her.

    "Does it? Maybe because he ate it when I hugged this cat when it died?" Allen replied nonchntly.

    "N-no! I''m just kidding!" Felicia hastily backtracked, her cheeks tinted with a subtle blush. "Then I''ll get together with the others too! Take good care of yourself," she said, attempting to shift the focus away from the awkward

    Allen turned around and went to where Sharik and the others were.

    ...

    Guided by their respective senior, each faculty made their way through distinct doors that led to different door. Beyond the door awaited a lengthy corridor, each section marked byrge doors reminiscent of the grandeur in the great hall.

    The hallway, although reminiscent of a dungeon, exuded an unexpected cleanliness. The stone walls, fashioned from gray stone, bore intricate abstract patterns, adding an air of mystique to the surroundings. In stark contrast to the somber walls, the floor, crafted from a slightly slippery granite, mirrored the movements of those who traversed it. As students walked, the floor reflected a subtle, distorted image of their own feet.

    "Wee to the executive room of the Advanced Fighter Faculty," the senior announced as the students entered.

    Surprisingly, the room resembled more of afortable break room than a typical office space. Soft sofas reced rigid chairs, and the walls adorned with pleasant green cloth added a cozy touch to the atmosphere.

    "Before you start ss in the third hour, we''ll introduce you to the faculty."

    The Advanced Fighter Faculty, he exined, housed various majors, including Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, Archery, and Defense. Each major would allocate additional study time tailored to its specific discipline.

    The breakdown of learning time was outlined as follows: 50 percent general sses, 30 special sses, and 20 percentpulsory sses.

    50 percent for general sses, providing students with opportunities to explore subjects beyond their faculty, such as Fighter Faculty students engaging in Enhancer Faculty lessons..

    Another 30 percent was dedicated to special sses, delving into the intricacies of each major.

    Finally,pulsory sses are lessons for each major. In essence, this structure allowed students to immerse themselves in aprehensive educational experience, blending general knowledge, faculty-specific skills, and coborative learning across different majors.

    "Since you haven''t selected a specific major yet, we''ll be focusing solely on special sses," the senior informed the assembled students. "The objective of today''s session is to help you determine which major aligns with your preferences. You''ll be showcasing your proficiency with each weapon provided."

    Allen leaned in to whisper to Sharik, curiositycing his voice, "So, does that mean nobody has settled on a weapon in the secunda ss?"

    Sharik rified, "In secunda ss, there''s nomitment to a specific major. I typically use a shield and sword, but our skills in archery,nce, and swordy are all evaluated. By the time you pass praeterea, most students have a grasp of the fundamentals for each weapon."

    "So, this demonstration is essential to guide us in choosing our majors, right? If everyone already made their decisions in secunda, showcasing skills with other weapons now seems a bit redundant?" Allen said.

    "I heard that this is essential data for the faculty," Geirhild beside him responded. "They want to assess each student''s proficiency in various fields, especially for the Arcanede Festival."

    "Arcanede?" Allen questioned.

    Francis, positioned behind Geirhild, interjected, "The festival to determine the strongest. Seriously, how do you not know anything? How did someone like you get into this school? What are you doing in secunda?"

    Tired of Francis''s constant interruptions, Geirhild sighed and retorted, "You''ve been bothering us all day. Don''t you have any friends?"

    The question seemed to catch Francis off guard, his face turning red. "You can''t be so careless! I''m the prince of this town! I also have a friend! one or two!"

    Then why didn''t you go with your friends? Why were you eavesdropping all this time?"

    "I can''t stand hearing this ck-haired kid''s ignorance! That''s all!"

    "Stay away, then," Geirhild instructed, motioning for Francis to move aside.

    "Ukh! Without you even telling me, I''ll go too!" Francis huffed as he walked away.

    Unfazed by themotion, Allen, who was still curious, continued to inquire, "So, what''s the Arcanede? Can we earn points from there?"

    "Of course!" Sharik responded enthusiastically. "It''s the fastest way to earn points! The Arcanede Festival, or officially the Field of the Cloth of Arcanede, is the grandest festival in Oxwadeshire. Studentspete to be the best, and those who emerge victorious receive a substantial number of points. This is where the real hierarchy starts to take shape, as each rank carries a significant gap."

 Chapter 281 Skill Test

    <h4>Chapter 281 Skill Test</h4>

    The school began with aprehensive skill test

    Led by the student executives, everyone was ushered onto the specially designated field within the dungeon ¨C an arena tailored for the fighter faculty. The field, resembles a modified dungeon rest area. And the lighting from the crystals on the ceiling made it look like daylight, even though it was underground.

    "Let''s start with archery. We''ll be calling out your names individually," announced one of the student executives.

    "Excuse me, are we going to do it in these clothes?" asked one of the students to a senior.

    "Oh, my apologies. You can shed your outerwear. Seniors will provide hangers for you," assured the senior.

    Without hesitation, Sharik discarded not only his outer garments but also the underskirt he wore. "Ah, finally free from these cumbersome clothes. Wearing this stuff only results in my fur getting tangled!" It wasn''t just Sharik; other demi-humans with dense fur followed suit, choosing to strip down, except for the female one.

    "You only need to aim for the target. If you miss, it''s perfectly fine. Keep in mind; this is primarily data for the faculty, and there are no special points assigned for this exercise. However, exceptional performance may pave the way for point bonuses in the future."

    The first name was called.

    "Rasheeda el-Mkooti, please step forward."

    Rasheeda, a tall dark elf with captivating ck skin, moved gracefully to the designated spot. Despite being an elf, her ears remained concealed beneath a makhfi al''udhun, a veil draping her head. Only a portion of her face and the hair framing her bangs peeked through the veil.

    -SHOOT

    Rasheeda''s arrow found its mark, piercing the chest of the target with impressive precision. The onlookers erupted in apuse, acknowledging her skill. Rasheeda''s ster performance set a high bar, and a subtle tension settled over the rest of the participants. However, the crowd refrained from jeers, because it could be that those who had poor uracy were just not good at using arrows.

    Until next, the name was called out.

    "Next is Akiyama Basilia Northam."

    Akiyama Basilia Northam, it was obvious that her first name did not match her family name. The girl was the one other than Allen, who the surrounding students always noticed. Her presence also caught Allen''s attention several times. She sat at the very back and seemed to be the type of person who tried to be inconspicuous.

    "Aren''t you trying to make friends with her?" Allen asked Geirhild, and the reason why Allen was asking was that Akiyama''s hair color was the same as Allen''s hair color. Deep ck, with dark-brown eyes, an other-worlder.

    Geirhild sighed, reminiscing, "I tried. She was quite renowned back when she was in secunda, but she declined my invitation. Did you notice it when you looked at her? It seems like she''s intentionally keeping others at bay."

    "Quit the chatter, pay attention!" Sharik interjected, his excitement evident. When Sharik showed enthusiasm, it usually signalled the recognition of some intriguing "power" that he admired.

    All eyes were fixed on Akiyama. Unlike her peers, she didn''t hastily draw her bow. Instead, she gracefully rose, lifting the bow with slowness but gracefully. After raising it, she looked left and right as if ensuring no one would be inadvertently affected by her demonstration. Everyone who saw her knew that what she was doing was an art in archery, a skill likely imported from another world. And then, with a decisive release:

    -SWUNG

    The arrow exhibited a subtle bend, yet its trajectory remained unwavering. It pierced the thick, five-centimeter wooden target provided by the senior.

    "I-INCREDIBLE! This target is five centimeters thick!" eximed someone in astonishment.

    Akiyama, unfazed, let out a sigh, cing the bow back on the table. "Thank you."

    A round of apuse erupted once more, surpassing the earlier ovation for Rasheeda, underscoring the extraordinary nature of Akiyama''s disy.

    The moment arrived for Allen.

    "Next up, Allen Boldenville."

    Boldenville, the surname Allen had adopted upon bing a knight of Felicia, marked his connection to his noble benefactors. Knights not of noble birth, like Allen, would typically inherit their master''s surname. What distinguished them from the nobility was that they were not allowed to put their mother''s name as their middle name.

    "Allen Boldenville! Isn''t he here?"

    Allen, oddly quiet, seemed lost in thought. Sharik roused him from his reverie with a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Allen, it''s your turn."

    "Ah!" Allen snapped back to attention and swiftly took his ce.

    ''Her stance is so magnificent. She reminds me of Theobauld''s sword-soil stance.''

    Contemting Akiyama''s technique, Allen grasped the bow, attempting to mimic her movements. ''If I''m not mistaken, she did it like this.''

    Sharik, observing Allen, wagged his tail in excitement. ''ALLEN! Are you trying to imitate Akiyama''s archery?!'' Sharik thought.

    Silence enveloped the scene once more. Allen, oblivious to his surroundings, focused solely on replicating Akiyama''s actions. His intense concentration seemed to maize all eyes toward him. Even Akiyama, previously indifferent, lifted her head, her gaze fixed on Allen with widened eyes.

    ''The stance, the movement of hand muscles, fingers, and then... right, she also turned her head to look around.''

    Allen closed his eyes, exhaling deeply until he felt the rhythmic pulse of his heartbeat.

    At the zenith of concentration, he released the arrow.

    Akiyama keenly observed; Allen''s arrow mirrored her own, gracefully bending upon release.

    -WOOSH

    However, it veered off course, missing the target and sailing to the far end of the room. The resultant murmur of disappointment filled the air.

    "Fyuh, just a kid trying to imitate."

    "Poor uracy."

    "He must be seeking attention by imitating her."

    While some spectators dismissed Allen''s missed shot, a few discerning individuals recognized a more intriguing detail.

    "The arrow reached the end of the room," contemted the chief executive.

    "If it hadn''t missed, it would have obliterated the target," pondered Rasheeda.

    Akiyama, unflinching, averted her gaze, feigning indifference.

    Allen inspected his hand and admitted, "This is tough; my grip slipped in the middle."

    "Too bad, Allen," Sharik consoled.

    Geirhild, intrigued, inquired, "Did you and Akiyama study at the same ce?"

    "No, I just found her moves beautiful, so I thought I''d try to imitate them."

    "I-imitate, you say?" said Geirhild, surprised. ''Wait a minute, maybe they knew each other in their previous world? There''s no way she really copied him in one look.''

    You managed to mimic that well in just one attempt! Amazing!" cheered Sharik.

    "Amazing? Didn''t you see that he missed?!" protested Francis from behind.

    "Can you do archery too?!" Sharik asked Francis eagerly, prompting a sudden retreat from the once confident Francis, intimidated by Sharik''s sparkling enthusiasm.

    "Umm... y-yeah, quite a bit."

    Finally, the moment came for Francis

    "Francis Ismenia Wildenhall."

    Imitating Allen and Akiyama''s motions, Francis went unnoticed. However, his actionscked the finesse disyed by the previous participants. Surprisingly, his arrow found the target''s left abdomen, a result that even he found astonishing.

    "See, I can do it too!" he proudly dered. However, his aplishment wentrgely unnoticed amidst the aftermath of Allen''s attempt.

 Chapter 282 The Unveiling Light

    Chapter 282 The Unveiling Light

    Compared to the archery demonstration, the demonstration of the use of other weapons was less conspicuous. The way to test the use of other weapons is through a small duel with a senior examiner. Senior examiners who are experts in certain fields will test the students. Rather than show their skill in public disy, the assessment method involved individualized trials. Aplished senior examiners, each a specialist in their respective weapon category, meticulously examined the students'' proficiency.

    During the students'' demonstration, all the seniors abruptly halted as a sign of respect for the figures entering the room. This unexpected pause prompts the new students to also stop and turn their attention to the approaching figures.

    "Wee, Chairman Davis."

    The iing figure was none other than Davis yton, the executive chairman of the Faculty of Advanced Fighter. A demi-human lion with a mane of splendid golden fur, Davis''s imposing figure stands out, almost twice the size of everyone else present. His presence exudes authority, making him look like both a teacher and an adult among the students even though he is the same student as everyone else.

    "How did the meeting go? Is there an issue with our faculty?" inquired the vice chair. The meeting in question was the disciplinarymission meeting convened right after the opening ceremony, signalling the Davis chairman''s dual role as a member of the SDC.

    "No issues, really. It''s just that Miss Loukia was upset because our four students disrupted her speech earlier," Davis exined.

    The vice-chair breathed a sigh of relief. "Miss Loukia can be quite idealistic. I was worried our faculty might be disqualified from the festival just because of a disagreement involving four individuals."

    "Talking about the Festival, how are the students this year?" inquired the vice-chair.

    "Just normal," he quickly replied. "Some are talented, and some are not."

    "Can you give me some examples?"

    "So far, I can only identify three talented individuals

    Starting from Other-worlder Akiyama Basilia Northam, ording to the rumors in the secunda ss, she already mastered archery, with skills possibly equal to or surpassing that of a third-year senior. I''m confident she doesn''t need much more studying to outshine the others.

    Next is the dark elf, Rasheeda el-Mkooti. Initially, I thought she was an archer, but she''s not. She''s mastered nearly all the weapons given to her, and her true expertise seems to lie in spear handling.

    Thest one..."

    "What''s wrong with thest one?"

    "Allen Boldenville. Honestly, I''m not entirely sure about him. He possesses a robust physique, probably on par with the vice-chairman of the SDC."

    "Comparable to that bear?"

    "Indeed, but for some reason, he consistently attempts new things during the tests. In this particr assessment, he even observed and studied the movements of other students, so I can''t make a definitive judgment."

    "So, he''s more focused on learning and studying than the actual test?"

    The vice-chairman nodded in agreement.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    The day''s ss concluded with the faculty skill test. Afterward, students received a piece of paper containing the subjects for selection.

    "Allen, have you decided on any sses yet?" inquired Geirhild.

    "No, I''ll wait for Felicia. I want to be in the same ss as her as much as possible," Allen responded.

    "Oh, right. You have the same name as her. And you?" Geirhild turned to Sharik.

    "I''ll take the same ss as Allen!" dered Sharik.

    "You really bonded with him, didn''t you? I might need to reconsider my ss choices now. Asking you guys seems pointless. I''ve got ns for drinks with friends in the entertainment district, so see youter," Geirhild mentioned before leaving.

    "Drinking? Aren''t you underage?" Sharik questioned.

    "Dwarves are allowed to drink alcohol at the age of 10," Geirhild exined, waving her hand and departing.

    Allen and Sharik encountered Felicia right after Geirhild''s departure. Allen noticed Felicia''s downcast expression as she emerged from her faculty door.

    "Felicia!" Allen called out, rushing towards her.

    Upon hearing Allen''s voice, relief washed over Felicia, and she ran towards him, embracing him tightly. Sharik''s ears perked up in surprise, questioned, "Eeeh? What''s going on?"

    Felicia buried her head in Allen''s chest, holding onto him with a trembling body, visibly frightened.

    "What happened?" Allen asked.

    In a shaky voice, Felicia replied, "I miss Rachel. I want to go home."

    Curious gazes from onlookers surrounded them. Allen gently released Felicia and took her hand.

    "Sharik, we''ll discuss ssester. Right now, I''ll take Felicia to her dorm," Allen said, leading Felicia towards the elevator.

    "O-okay. Be careful," Sharik replied in a worried tone.

    Grasping Felicia''s hand with a mix of firmness and gentleness, Allen guided her away from the academy, seeking a quiet ce where she could freely express her feelings.

    "Girls don''t like to show their sad faces in front of many people, so if you want tofort her, it should be in a quiet ce." was what Susan had said in the past when he needed to deal with a girl.

    As he pulled Felicia along and peeked behind him, Felicia lowered her face and looked like she was about to cry. The hand he was holding was still trembling.

    ''What made her fall like this?'' Allen wondered.

    Allen finally decided to take Felicia to the riverbank beneath theforting shade of trees. This was the same spot where Felicia had once brought him to witness the enchanting siren song. The area was less frequented, providing a serene escape from the bustling crowds on the other side of the river.

    Once they arrived, Allen and Felicia settled onto one of the benches by the river, enveloped in a thoughtful silence. Allen patiently waited for Felicia to find the words to share her story.

    "I thought I''ve changed," Felicia whispered, her voice audible enough for Allen to hear.

    "I was ready for it to be like this, but I''m still scared of them. Those people''s eyes," Felicia confessed, tightly sping her hands together as if trying to restrain the tremors of fear coursing through her body. Then she began to tell Allen what happened.

    In the first ss of the Faculty of Enchanter,

    Felicia faced relentless rejection. Not only from her ssmates, but also from the seniors. As someone who entered Praeterea through money, it was a disgrace for them in the enchanter faculty. Moreover, some people worshipped talent, hating people who controlled everything with money.

    She wasn''t even given a chance to showcase her abilities. The senior in charge deliberately neglected to call her name.

    "I''m a noble, the first daughter of the Boldenville family; I must uphold the honorable image of a noble in this kingdom. It''s imperative not to appear weak in front of everyone.

    I should always smile, to give my all and appear wless among my peers. However, that alone wasn''t sufficient. I had to expand my connections. My father enrolled me in the academy with the intention of fostering rtionships with other noble children, so I made an effort to approach them.

    But they didn''t even want to talk to me. They were afraid that the others would alienate them too for getting along with me. Eventually, the effort took a toll on me, making my stomach churn, and forcing this smile made me nauseous. The eyes of those who looked at me, were not much different from those who saw me fall during that day''s ball dance.

    They all look at me with disappointment and look down on me."

    For someone who had always strived to be perfect, being looked down upon would mean ruining all the effort she had put in.

    ''Rachel, you truly understand Felicia the best,'' Allen reflected. ''Just as you once told me, Felicia is an awkward person, who can''t form rtionships with others because of her trauma. That''s why you wanted me to be at the academy with her. She needs someone she knows by her side.

    But...''

    Allen couldn''t shake the memory of Rachel''s face that night. "What a murderer. I shouldn''t have entrusted Lady Felicia to you." Rachel, who knew Felicia intimately, had already withdrawn her blessing. The resentment in Rachel''s eyes that night felt genuine, and her regret resonated with Allen.

    ''Perhaps if I had left the academy and enlisted solely as Felicia''s knight, things might have turned out differently. But is that the right course of action? Do I even have the right to make that decision? Rachel is already reluctant to entrust Felicia to me.''

    Seeing Felicia in such a despondent state drained Allen of his resolve. The Felicia he knew was meant to be a resilient woman, always striving to attain what she desired. Witnessing her so disheartened left Allen hate himself more.

    It was not the Felicia he wanted to see.

    "Felicia," Allen called in a soft voice.

    "I grew up in a dungeon, and I''ve killed a lot of people."

    At that moment, Allen decided toy bare everything about himself, carefully glossing over the part where he took Waldo''s life. Felicia kept her head down, listening to Allen''s story.

    "I''ve traversed thisnd steeped in hatred, fueled by a desire for revenge. I''vee to view all humans as fields of hatred, selfish creatures who snatch away others'' happiness for their own gain. My disdain deepens with every encounter."

    "My eyes always see the chinks in people''s good behavior, so I could maintain my hatred.

    like Isabelle who I once thought made me a ve just for her toys."

    Allen stood up, moved his face out of Felicia''s line of sight, and continued.

    "Then there''s you, the human whose the bad I can''t find, and it used to piss me off."

    Felicia raised her head, looking at Allen.

    "I was upset because I couldn''t believe a human like you truly existed¡ªa person willing to sacrifice for others and consistently strive to save as many as possible. I devised numerous scenarios in my mind, searching for cracks in your goodness, but I found none. Stubborn, unwavering, tirelessly helping others. There were moments when I found your spirit and efforts annoying and seemingly futile, but..."

    Allen turned around and looked at Felicia. Without realizing it, Allen smiled and said.

    "That trait of yours is what made you the first human I liked."

    Felicia''s eyes widened in surprise at Allen''s confession. At that moment, Felicia had a shback.

    "Useless noble,"

    "Lady, you don''t have to try so hard,"

    "Her god''s blessing is so ordinary, even though she''s the only daughter of the Boldenville family."

    "She fell at the dance? Is she not studying well?"

    "She''s always alone inside her room, sozy."

    "I''m disappointed in you; get out of my sight."

    Those were all the remarks she faced. And again, everyone in his ss seemed to echo simr sentiments.

    But now, Allen in front of her, dered, "You are the most amazing human being I have ever met," with a gentle smile, a rarity for her to witness.

    Tears that had been held inside her head welled up. She attempted to wipe them away with both hands.

    "Ha-hah? What the heck..." she said in a trembling voice. "You''re talking too much."

    Her tears continued to flow.

    "I-it''s not that I''m crying because you praised me. For me, your word is just a tiny firefly light."

    And that firefly light

    could provide warmth to those lost in the dark of night.

 Chapter 283 Their Hope and Purpose

    Chapter 283 Their Hope and Purpose

    "The hatred still hasn''t dissipated."

    It was after the pandemic problem in Barkaley slowly began to recover. Seeking sce, I confided in Bishop Nichs,ying bare the weight of the burden I carried.

    "I am a murderer," I confessed, haunted by the ghosts of those whose lives I had taken. "I tried to help them find eptance, to make them understand about me and ept my forgiveness, but a sudden weariness overcame me."

    Their hateful gaze bore into me, fierce and unyielding, as if I alone bore the me for the tragedy. As If I am the only one who wrong here. Even though they were the ones who decided to join the raid dungeon, even though they were the ones who tried to attack Mom, but it seemed like the guilt wasn''t in them, and I was the one to me.

    Why did I do this?

    Why do I have to save them?

    I often don''t care much about apologies and gratitude. Still, time and time again, the feeling of anger always arises when I see those ungrateful people!

    It was then that I realized this hatred was abnormal. So, I sought counsel from Father Nichs, hoping for insight. His response was:

    "I can''t answer all your questions, the church and my archbishop forbade me to do that," he admitted, "But I know someone who might be able to help

    Head to Oxwade Academy and seek out my teacher, Eliphas. Perhaps he can provide a solution to your problem. But his character is a little unique, so perhaps you can''t just talk to that person."

    At that moment, I knew and realized what Bishop Nichs meant.

    That person looked at me like a book.

    He knew everything, and he was even aware, extending to the suspicions nesting within me, particrly regarding the demonic mana entwined with my very being.

    Demonic mana I have.

    It is said that monsters hate humans because of the war that happened 1000 years ago. But what if the monsters'' aversion to humans went beyond historical grievances? What if mana orchestrated it, an intrinsic force guiding their animosity? And what if the demonic mana within me served as the insidious seed of my own disdain for humanity?

    And this demonic mana inside me might be the seed of the hatred I have for humans. This malevolent energy was not a passive observer but an active catalyst, amplifying my emotional storm of hatred. It wasn''t confined to mere thoughts or intentions; it manifested as a sinister trigger, nurturing and fanning the mes of hatred.

    If it was the old me, I might have sumbed to the darkness, yielding to the impulse to extinguish those I despised. But now that I''ve changed, I can control my hatred. I can restrain it.

    Yet, the awareness of this demonic presence instilled a profound fear. The encounter with the Daemon Servus heightened my trepidation. I sensed that this evil force lurking within me held the potential to wrest control of my body, turning it against those dearest to me.

    ...

    "I see," Felicia said after hearing Allen''s story. "So, your objective at the academy is to ascend to the highest echelons, earning the privilege to seek Eliphas for something."

    Allen nodded. He was reluctant to tell it because it seemed like he was using Felicia to get into Oxwade. In fact, he also wanted to witness the promise Felicia had made to him.

    Felicia stood up, walked past Allen to the river fence, and looked at the river with Allen.

    "You are my knight. Your path in life was set to be loyal to me once you agreed to ept the Boldenville family knife. I have the right to make you quit the academy," Felicia said. Her eyes looked at the river sadly.

    "I know," Allen replied, knowing those words Felicia would say if she told him everything. Felicia disliked being used the most because of her rtionship with her father.

    "But I won''t do it. There''s no way I could do it," Felicia replied. "You''re not only my knight but also my friend. I will not break my friend''s dreams and goals."

    Felicia turned to Allen, who had been gloomy but now smiled at him.

    "Thank you for telling me everything. Once I knew you weren''t just following me, my shoulders got slightly lighter. By listening to your problems like this, I became more energized."

    "Why is that?"

    "Hmm? I thought you were telling me because you knew it."

    "No, I told you because I felt it was necessary. I promised earlier that I would tell you everything."

    When he parted with Felicia in the academy''s great hall, Allen had to tell her everything because he saw Felicia''s sad face. He felt that he had betrayed her by having his own way alone.

    Felicia reflected, "Well... seeing that you were always so gloomy in the past, I always thought that you didn''t have a goal or path in life. Seeing that you''re now also eager to achieve your goals makes me remember my reasons for entering the academy."

    "Not because of your father?" Allen inquired.

    "There''s no way I would do something for that man."

    ''So it means for Waldo,'' thought Allen w, suddenly feeling sad, remembering that Felicia would try her best for someone who is no longer alive.

    But that wasn''t it. "I want to be a schr," Felicia announced, breaking Allen''s expectations.

    Her aspirations continued, "You know, while I''m studying various subjects to be perfect, it seems like I''m enjoying myself, especially when studying amnis. I want to delve deeper, improve my skills, and then show Mr. Waldo that I''m no ordinary woman. I will achieve great feats and earn myself a noble title."

    In that moment, Felicia''s dreamy eyes became one of Allen''s favorites. Perhaps it was the river''s influence, making her eyes sparkle and the wind tousling her thick hair, revealing Felicia''s smile and dream drawn on her face.

    She already had a goal

    That was a sign of progress

    a step toward what Rachel had desired for Felicia. "I don''t want Lady Felicia to continue depending her life on Lord Waldo. I want her to have her own life choices and dream of what she will be. Once that happens, please support her with all yours, Allen."

    This was the moment.

    "That''s great, when you learn amnis, you''re always excited," Allen said.

    Although she still hadn''t forgotten about Waldo

    "You''re a go-getter, so I''m sure you can do it."

    But at least she''s starting to take steps toward the future she wants.

    "I''ll support you every step of the way," Allen affirmed with a smile, gently holding Felicia''s hand that rested against the river railing.

 Chapter 284 Enroll the Class

    Chapter 284 Enroll the ss

    "Allen, which sses are you considering?"

    "I''ll opt for the same sses you''re interested in."

    "Oh my, haven''t we discussed this already? We each have our paths to follow."

    "But Felicia, we''re already in separate sses for the special andpulsory courses. So we should, at least, share the same general sses."

    "We will, indeed."

    Students possessed the liberty to select their preferred sses, yet they were obliged to meet certain requirements for graduation, which includedpleting a specific number of courses.

    "Is my input irrelevant here?" inquired Sharik.

    Allen, Felicia, and Sharik found themselves in Sharik''s home, the esteemed school equipment and armor shop, Adelskold.

    "Aligning my ss with Allen''s is as far as I can go. I won''t willingly join a ss that offers no practical value for me; it will be useless." retorted Felicia.

    "Oh, that''s cruel! I was hoping to join your discussion as well," Sharikmented with a glum expression.

    "Speaking of seemingly useless sses, I''m actually considering one of those," Allen confessed.

    "What ss is that?" inquired Felicia, curious.

    "This one," Allen pointed to his chosen paper. "The Study of Healing."

    "EEEEEH?!!!" eximed Sharik in surprise.

    Felicia, perplexed, questioned, "Why the loud reaction?"

    Sharik turned to Allen, incredulous. "Are you serious about studying healing? Aren''t you a vanguard?"

    "Yeah, but I want to delve into healing as well," affirmed Allen.

    "But healing is notoriously challenging, isn''t it? You have to memorize a plethora of body parts and intricate details!" Sharik protested, attempting to dissuade Allen.

    "That''s precisely what intrigues me. I believe it could prove beneficial in the future," Allen exined.

    Sharik wore a visibly confused expression before reluctantly stating, "I-I guess I might consider healing studies too..." It was evident he wasn''t enthusiastic about the prospect but waspelled by the desire to be in the same ss as Allen.

    Felicia also inspected the healing study on her paper. "Are you sure about this? Doesn''t this ss seem pointless for you?" Allen questioned.

    While it might be considered useless for Felicia, who could heal nearly anything with her abilities, she responded, "Perhaps, but my god''s blessing also has a time limit for wounds to be healed. Though not highly useful, I believe it still holds some value."

    While immersed in their discussion about chosen sses, Adelskold, the proprietor of the armor shop, interrupted them with a tone of irritation.

    "Why is it so crowded here? This is an armor shop, not a tavern," he grumbled.

    "Pa-pardon us, mr Adelskold..." Felicia replied, a hint of fear in her voice.

    "I also apologize for disturbing you; I can help you out a bit," Allen offered.

    Adelskold ced a ss of water on the table and instructed Sharik, "Hey Sharik, bring the rest of the water and bread from the back."

    "Ah, good!"

    Adelskold continued, "Next time, choose a more suitable ce for young people."

    In an uncanny reminder of Master Rodion, gruff yet benevolent, Allen epted the ss and, with a smile, said, "Thank you, Master Adelskold." As he drank the water, a sense of nostalgia washed over him, longing to reunite with the people of Barkaley once again.

    ''I wonder what Susan and the others are doing now. Well, most likely at this hour, she''s being scolded by Master Rodion for wasting ingredients for cooking practice, and she will frustrate and vent everything in front of me." Allen thought. ''But I am not there anymore. So she probably just venting alone," a sudden worry filled him.

    ''Hopefully she''ll be able to meet up with her brother soon.''

    ...

    ¡­

    ...

    In the bustling corridors of Oxwade School, two new teachers crossed paths. Both were alums of Oxwade and had returned under simr circumstances. These new teachers are Petrone, a former mithril dungeon explorer, and Norman, one of the Noctem Dolls.

    As Petrone caught sight of Norman passing before her, a surprised and displeased "Geh!" escaped her lips. Norman, in turn, emitted a "cih" sound as they identally collided in the corridor.

    However, after the unexpected noise, they locked eyes and

    "BHHAHAHAHAHAHA" almost in unison, burst intoughter.

    "HAHAHA Look at that teacher uniform you''re wearing! It doesn''t fit you at all!" teased Norman.

    Petrone quickly picked up on the teasing. "Pffft, you too! Your clothes are too big for someone of your stature. The school must not have appropriate attire for short!"

    "HAAAH! Watch what you say! Even though that old man instilled an oath not to kill anyone in the academy, I can still split those two hairs of yours!"

    "Well, just do it then, but could your hand reach them? Little kid, don''t try to talk about impossible things; you''ll trip."

    "Haha, the one who tripped should be you. Where are your ugly round sses? Did you use amnis to change them? Trying to use your face to attract students? How tacky."

    A tense silence followed as they both suppressed their anger.

    ''This guy/woman is so annoying,'' they thought simultaneously.

    The oath imposed on Norman extended beyond merely refraining from killing students to intentionally causing harm for unclear reasons, including personal feelings such as annoyance. On the other hand, Petrone,cking the oath, couldn''t harm or attack Norman despite her hate for him. Despite her hatred, she acknowledged Norman''s strength, and any intention to harm him would require an advanced type amnis, which is inappropriate for doing it in the school corridors.

    "By the way, where is rissa? Didn''t youe with her?" Petrone inquired.

    "Hmph! I''m under no obligation to tell you," Norman retorted as he walked away, brushing past Petrone.

    "Of course there is; murderers like you are required to tell everything to others, otherwise there would be no ce for you in society."

    "Bleh bleh bleh, thank you for the advice, most holydy. I don''t intend to blend in with society."

    ''This child is really annoying!'' thought Petrone. Frustrated, she finally became blunt.

    "HEY! I''m seriously asking! At least tell me that she didn''t do something that old man Eliphas told her to do!" Petrone shouted.

    Norman stopped and turned his head. "No, she didn''t do anything rted to that. In fact, she''s not even under any oath to the old man," he exined.

    "Huh?"

    "It''s more like she already had a different oath before, so the second oath doesn''t work on her anymore."

    Petrone cared little about rissa''s actions; her primary concern was Eliphas'' purpose for enrolling them in the academy. The atmosphere grew more serious. Perhaps in acknowledgment of the gravity of Petrone''s question, Norman queried her.

    "Have you seen the current list of teachers and students at the academy?"

    Petrone promptly replied, "I have. You''re aware of it too," confirming she also had seen the list.

    "I wonder what the old man is nning?" Norman mused.

    ''What is he nning? That''s my question too,'' thought Petrone. ''Other-worlders, heroes, criminals, and even... demons are here. And the list of students, too, are all important people from each continent and country. Coincidence? Let''s hope so. But with this shorty here, plus rissa and me, that old man must be nning something, and it must be serious.

    "I don''t know; there''s no way I can get inside his head," Petrone said, waving her hand dismissively as she left. "Don''t forget to give rissa my regards."

    "Huh?!"

    "Tell her I''ll kill you for sure."

    Norman sighed and shouted, "Tell her yourself!"

 Chapter 285 Bad Hobby

    Chapter 285 Bad Hobby

    "My name is Felicia Ayde Boldenville, the first child of the noble Earl of the Boldenville family. You could say I''m Allen''s lord or master," Felicia proimed with pride, whipping her hair confidently in the elevator as she made her way to ss that day. "Geirhild. I don''t care about human nobility," Geirhild replied.

    "Geirhild. I don''t care about human nobility," Geirhild retorted, her tone devoid of interest.

    "I know. I heard about you from Allen," Felicia replied, attempting to bridge the gap.

    "Then you should know I won''t be friends with just anyone."

    "How rude. I''m not just anyone, am I? I''m Allen''s master."

    "I didn''t even intend to be friends with Allen in the first ce."

    Felicia''s expression turned somber upon hearing Geirhild''s blunt statement.

    "Why do you still want to be friends with this barbarian dwarf?" Felicia turned to Allen for an exnation.

    Sharik, interjecting, offered insights. "For dwarves, the term ''friendship'' cannot be given casually. They highly value their connections, forming bonds thatst a lifetime once made. When dwarves make a promise of friendship, it is amitment that endures until death."

    Allen continued elucidating, "On the day of the opening ceremony, I forged a friendship vow with Geirhild. So, I''m the only one who is friends with her now. Though, I don''t mind either. Dwarves are unique; they exhibit genuine warmth once trust is established."

    In the guidebook Allen had read, it seemed that dwarves were notoriously secretive, sharing neither information about themselves nor the intricacies of their technology with anyone outside their circle of friends. Now that he was friends with Geirhild, the girl was willing to answer all of Allen''s questions without objection.

    In fact, the dwarf could have broken off the friendship, but since Geirhild did not, Allen assumed that Geirhild had no regrets about being friends with him in the first ce.

    Geirhild rified, "Yeah, that''s the deal. I''m only here because of Allen. People like you, however, are the type I detest. I don''t understand why your behavior mirrors that of the prince. Human nobility is irksome."

    Felicia shot back, "You''re annoying too! It turns out I don''t really like dwarves!" A thought of Adelskold lingered in her mind.

    They finally reached the door of their ssroom.

    The room fell into an immediate hush upon swinging it open, and every eye turned toward their group. An ufortable tension enveloped the space, fueled by the judgmental gazes fixed upon them. It wasn''t hard to discern the cause ¡ª Felicia''s entrance into the academy was based solely on wealth, unlike her peers who had earned their ce through the rigorous secunda test.

    Allen couldn''t help but recall Felicia''s pallor from the previous day

    ''No wonder she was so pale yesterday. She must not be able to withstand this kind of tension,'' Allen thought, and he still thought so even now.

    Allen gently nudged Felicia and began, "Hey, let''s¡ª"

    But.

    "Keep looking at me, I like to see people lower than me looking at me," Felicia said, cutting in before Allen could speak.

    Shock and anger immediately contorted the faces of onlookers, sparking a barrage of whispered criticisms directed at Felicia. Undeterred, she continued walking, indifferent to the opinions swirling around her, and settled into a random chair.

    The study ssrooms in Oxwade adhered to a simr design ¡ª lecture halls equipped with rows of seats extending from top to bottom, ensuring everyone had a clear view of the teacher.

    And this ss was the amnis control ss, which was 90 percent taken by Praeterea students. And that''s the usual number because this ss is one of the popr ones. So the ss used was also one of the biggest ssrooms in Oxwade.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Felicia as Allen kept looking at her.

    "Nothing," Allen replied. "I don''t think there''s anything to worry about."

    "What is it?" asked Sharik, curious. Allen couldn''t help but reflect,

    ''Sharik... I thought a dog had a more sensitive sense than humans; it doesn''t seem so for him.''

    A woman entered the ssroom once Allen and the others settled into their seats.

    Initially, the students continued to murmur and take their time finding their ces. However, as soon as the woman seated herself at the teacher''s desk, a sudden hush fell over the room, and the students scrambled into position. The white strap on her hat hinted at her role ¨C she was the teacher.

    ''I never expected the day I''d be a teacher woulde,'' Petrone mused as she eased into the expansive teacher''s chair. Unfortunately, the stone chair offered no cushion, leaving her unable to truly rx. Despite this, she remained seated, sighing and attempting to buy herself some time beforemencing the lesson.

    "Teacher, can we start the lesson? It''s already running out of time," protested a student.

    Petrone nced at the speaker, recognizing the distinct hair drill. "Ah, that hair drill," she muttered to herself. ''If I''m not mistaken, the one with that style is from the Earl Johnson family. Geez, I''m really unlucky to have them in my ss.''

    The girl with the pink drill hair was Hallie Lydia Johnson, she was among the top-ranked students, and had been rumored to be the expected representative. However, Felicia had taken that position instead.

    "Aaah, yes. Wait a minute, I''m gathering souls," Petrone replied with a casual wave of her hand.

    "Please do it seriously! We''ve spent a lot of money to study here!" Hallie eximed, her frustration evident. "Unlike the Boldenville family, we don''t have enough money to bribe the academy to give us a pass."

    ''Eh? Suddenly mentioning Boldenville? Bribing?'' thought Petrone, puzzled by the sudden mention of the Boldenville family and bribery thought, ''Oh, she''s referring to the two kids who took the entrance test yesterday. But they were also tested first, and that test should be impossible; no one seems to know about it.''

    "I also asked you to continue the lesson, teacher," Felicia chimed in with a smile. "I honestly want you to take a short break so that you can maximize your performance to teach us, but poor people never have enough patience and enough brain capacity to understand that."

    ''How dare she,'' Petrone thought.

    Unable to contain her anger, Hallie stood up and pounded on her desk. "I can''t ept what you just said! Miss Felicia! Insulting me like that, do you think it''s forgivable?!"

    "Really? I think you deserve it. What a shameless person," Felicia retorted, her tone unyielding.

    "What did you say?!" Hallie''s face reddened, her anger reaching its peak.

    "STOP," amanding voice echoed from behind, emanating from a demi-human gray wolf with a hideous face. "I don''t care about human affairs; just get the lesson started! Then that drill-haired girl over there," he pointed at Hallie, "Just realize that you''re here to dy today''s lesson!"

    Next to Hallie, a man slightly taller than her, drew his sword. "You dog," he sneered, "I can''t let your filthy mouth say such things to Lady Hallie!"

    "I don''t care, and I don''t want to care. You want to ask me to fight? Then I refuse. My time is too precious to spend it on something useless," the gray wolf replied dismissively.

    ''Damn, at this rate, the ss will be even more chaotic, and I''ll get the me!'' thought Petrone. "H-hey, everyone¡ª"

    Before Petrone could speak, another person burst into the ssroom, creating a loud noise that instantly drew everyone''s attention.

    "SORRY LATE!" It was Prince Francis, looking sweaty and disheveled as if he had sprinted to ss after oversleeping.

    "W-what''s wrong?" he asked in confusion. "I shouldn''t be toote, right?"

    His arrival diffused the tense atmosphere in the ssroom. Petrone seized the opportunity to regain control, pping her hands together. "Miss Johnson and her bodyguard, please sit down and mind your own business. Let''s get started with the lesson."

    In the back, Felicia maintained her smile, seemingly satisfied with the chaos she had stirred.

    "You can stop smiling now," Allen said.

    "HO HO HO, I can''t believe I didn''t do this yesterday. It turns out that fighting and provoking people is a lot of fun," Felicia eximed.

    ''What a bad hobby,'' thought Allen and Sharik, sharing a silent agreement.

 Chapter 286 Praeterea Advance Class

    <h4>Chapter 286 Praeterea Advance ss</h4>

    Petrone stood at the front of the ss, her gaze sweeping across the assembled students.

    "Since you guys are already Praeterea, I''ll assume that everyone has learned the basics of amnis. But I feel like I should exin about my own version of amnis," she began.

    Petrone started her ss with a brief exnation.

    "Amnis means river; it indicates which stream is in our body. Which stream will we give to the elemental spirits by givingmands through chants or the amnis we want to cast. So humans can only use amnis when spirit exist. Fortunately, " Petrone continued, " Headmaster Eliphas has full control over the dungeon, so all the spirits are present in this academy."

    Petrone gracefully drew a circle of amnis, the ethereal lines shimmering in the air. With a swift motion, she conjured a small fireball that hovered in front of her, only to vanish in an instant.

    "This is the fundamental amnis, and it''s also a mandatory skill. Do you understand why mastering basic amnis is obligatory?" she inquired, her eyes scanning the room.

    Hallie raised her hand quickly, blurting out, "Because it has the shortest cast time and canunch a quick attack!"

    "I knew you''d say that, but unfortunately, that''s incorrect," Petrone responded.

    "Why? I''m positive about my answer!" Hallie protestested.

    ''What a smartass,'' Petrone thought. ''She must always be challenging her teachers and championing righteousness.''

    Petrone then directed her attention to someone with real-life battle experience in the room. And of course, he was,

    "Allen," petrone pointed to him. "Why did I think she''s wrong?"

    Petrone asked.

    Everyone looked at Allen,

    waiting for his answer, though skepticism lingered in their eyes. ''How could he know? He''s also a student who entered the academy without studying at secunda. The teacher is probably ignorant to put him on the spot,'' echoed the unspoken sentiment among the students.

    Allen replied, "I''m not sure,

    amnis isn''t my forte, but definitely not for a quick attack.

    Such a small burst of fire is practically useless for an effective assault."

    A basic answer that makes others think "oh right, why didn''t I think of it?" and it made Hallie look at Allen cynically.

    "Why was she angry?" Allen asked.

    "Just ignore her, Allen. She just felt humiliated by the ss because of you," Geirhild answered.

    Rasheeda, the dark elf, gracefully raised her hand, taking the opportunity to contribute directly to the discussion.

    "The utilization of basic amnis is used for daily life works. Apart from its practical applications, we can employ it as a diagnostic tool for determining which amnis is essible," Rasheeda exined, her tone cool andposed.

    Petrone confirmed, "Exactly," then she proceeded to draw another set of basic amnis, this time representing water, earth, and wind.

    "Elemental spirits are not always around us, and we don''t know when they are. Just now, Hallie was able to give a spection like that because she only used the amnis in the academy, which could we confirm the presence of all elemental spirits.

    But what if you''re in the middle of nowhere? Or maybe in a dungeon?"

    Petrone posed these questions to the ss.

    "For an enchanter, all one has to do is identify the presence of an elemental spirit. We can find out by using all the basic amnis of each element. If the amnis is active, then the spirit is there; if not, then it is not present around you," she exined.

    Hearing the exnation, the students whispered, "What a hassle it is to be an enchanter."

    "That''s right," responded Petrone, acknowledging she had overheard thement. "That''s why to be an enchanter, you need to learn a lot. An enchanter doesn''t just have to memorize one type of elemental amnis, but all types of elements. And even though it''s troublesome, you all should know that enchanters have a broader future."

    Curiosity sparked among the students, and Allen, turning to Felicia, asked in a hushed tone, "What does ''broader'' mean?"

    "Enchanters are highly educated and knowledgeable people, so even if they don''t be real enchanters in the end, the knowledge learned can still be used for other things."

    Returning her attention to the ss, Petrone continued her exposition. "In Sekunda, it might have been exined that the most important thing about using amnis is the speed of drawing the spell cile. That''s important, but I think something else is more crucial."

    She paused, and continue "That is mana control."

    Petrone raised her hand and drew the same basic fire amnis as before. However,

    -BURST

    The fire shot was sharper and faster.

    "Mistress! Did you just use advanced amnis?" asked one of the students, awe and confusion evident in their voice. And the reason of its confusion is, they could see the spell circle should be just to spell basic amnis.

    "No, this is basic amnis."

    "But it was faster and sharper than usual!"

    Petrone smiled, getting a question that matched her prediction made her feel amused.

    "I control the mana inside my body. You guys generally use mana to cast magic without preparing anything, but actually, we also have to control the mana thates out and will be given to the spirit.

    And the method is,

    In your heart."

    "In our heart?"

    "Mana is influenced by the heart and emotions. All you need to do is use your imagination to deceive your feelings. If a substantial amnis can be cast when emotions overflow, then small and sharp magic cane out when you restrain your emotions.

    An emotional enchanter will fire powerful and destructive amnis but also consume a lot of mana. Whereas a calm enchanter would fire small but deadly amnis, and also use their mana efficiently.

    The time is only one minute, while you are writing themand, you must force your body into a calm state while imagining the shape of the sharp amnis."

    A profound silence fell over the room as everyone contemted the intricacies of manipting mana within themselves. Realizing the thoughtful expressions on their faces, Petrone decided to prompt them into action.

    "Let''s practice on the training field," she dered

    There were numerous fields on the second floor of the academy, each allocated to the Praeterea sses that emphasized practical, hands-on learning. One field per three ss was the norm on this floor, offering ample space for students to hone their skills.

    "Ah, you are free to take off your outerwear. But this shouldn''t be a physically taxing lesson, so whatever," Petrone informed.

    Amidst the shuffle of students adjusting to the practical setting, Petrone observed the student as they began they practice of refining their basic amnis.

    "Well, with this, my existence is no longer necessary. I canzily read the book I just got yesterday," Petrone thought, a subtle smile ying on her lips. Her goal, it seemed, was to embraceziness. By entrusting the students with the hands-on practice, she could indulge in a moment of respite¡ªno need for constant supervision or extensive exnations.

    However, if there was anything happened because of Petrone''s ignorance, that would be¡­

    "An idents," she pondered. ''But there can''t be idents in a basic amnis training."\''

    If there was any bad thing for what Petrone was doing now it was... idents.

    ''But there can''t be idents with base amnis.''

    The most potentially dangerous of the basic amnis was the fire-type amnis. Yet, even its effects wereparably mild, akin to a match tossed into damp wood.

    "No matter how many times I try, the result is the same. At this rate, my mana will run out first," Sharik confessed.

    "The point is you just need to empty your mind while thinking," Felicia exined.

    "Wha-what? Empty your mind while thinking?"

    "That''s called calm. All you think about is the amnis you''re going tounch in that short period of time."

    Felicia demonstrated, and just like Petrone had done earlier, her amnis me emerged sharper and faster. Onlookers watched with admiring nces.

    Rasheeda followed suit, drawing a basic water amnis. What should have been ordinary running water transformed into a sharp, precise shot.

    Observing the sesses of others, Hallie couldn''t remain silent. "Why can''t I do it?!" she shouted in her mind, oblivious to the fact that such thoughts hindered her progress.

    Meanwhile, Francis sat quietly, sharpening his sword, seemingly uninterested.

    "Prince Francis, don''t you want to try it?" asked one of the students next to him.

    "I don''t need to," replied Francis, seemingly unconcerned.

    "Perhaps you can do it already!"

    Francis, carried away by the praise of others, replied "That''s it! I have no intention of showing anyone how it works! This is just basic amnis, my tutor had teach me in the castle."

    "Amazing!"

    "As expected of this royal prince!"

    "I thought princes must all be geniuses."

    Meanwhile, Allen.

    He couldn''t cast the amnis.

    Let alone casting it, even drawing it gave Allen trouble. Difficult enough to make his head dizzy and break out in cold sweat.

    "Allen, don''t you want to try it?" asked Felicia.

    "I-I''m trying."

    Allen created an amnis circle, but his slow pace resulted in the mana dissipating beforepletion.

    "Allen, what are you doing?" Felicia asked, confused.

    ''It''s weird, my body feels heavier every time I try to use mana,'' Allen thought.

    "Is it possible that Allen can''t do it either?!" Sharik eximed excitedly. "I thought so, we faculty fighters don''t need to learn mana theory like this!"

    "No, Allen should be able to do it, in fact, faster and more precisely than anyone else," said Felicia. However, she sensed something amiss with Allen. "It looks like he''s just not feeling well."

    ''This is probably¡­'' Allen guesed the reason of his headache. "My demonic mana overflowing inside the dungeon," he thought.

    Because the academy itself was a dungeon, and in the dungeon, there was demonic mana, his use of divine mana was disrupted, making it difficult for him to use it

    "That unsurprising thing we have here," came a voice from behind Felicia, walking towards them.

    Felicia look behind, that was a man that previously sit next to Hallie, probably, Hallie''s guard or something.

    "There''s no need to use the excuse of not feeling well. He can''t use amnis, can he?"

    "''Allen Boldenville,'' from his name, he''s your knight, isn''t it?" said Hallie, appearing next to the man. "Get the family name because you don''t have one, then the rumors are true, that you appointed amoner as a knight, how pathetic."

 Chapter 287 Annoying Classmate

    <h4>Chapter 287 Annoying ssmate</h4>

    Divine mana and demonic mana, conflicting forces, now coursed through Allen''s body, a peculiar and dangerous coexistence that defied all logical exnation.

    Based on Petrone''s spection, Allen''s body had anomalies due to living raised in a dungeon, which was also impossible. Humans who live in a dungeon would not be able to withstand demonic mana, and many other factors make that impossible, even if he lived in the "safe territory" in the dungeon. The concentration of the ce, the air pressure, and many more factors make the baby wouldn''t survive living there.

    But Allen survive.

    Petrone''s spections stop at the "Other-worlder" concept, which is still mysterious. The other-worlder''s body adept at absorbing mana,?must have also absorbed the demonic mana inside the dungeon, and then supported by a (probably) Nortish body that has arge mana capacity and control, making Allen adaptable in the dungeon.

    Approximately how the mana gate that Allen has? Is it possible for two opposing things to enter his mana gate?

    After spending 10 years in a dungeon with demonic mana, he got used to it. When he left and encountered divine mana outside, his body adjusted, and his mana gate started favouring divine mana. Surely the mana gate inside his body was dominated by divine mana once he get out of dungeon.

    But now, the demonic mana is still around at an academy, that''s essentially, a reconstructed dungeon. Going deeper into the dungeon forces him to absorb more demonic mana. This creates a bit of a tug-of-war in his mana gate as it tries to bnce between the divine and demonic mana.

    Just like the Queen Orc when first obtaining divine mana, Allen''s body was currently in a state of mana flow adjustment.

    "My head still hurts, and my fever hasn''t gone down yet," muttered Allen. He felt that since he entered the second floor of the great hall, but his strong body was able to endure all that pain, and only reduced 50 percent of his supposed strength.

    What''s going on, Allen?" Felicia inquired, observing Allen as he repeatedly drew amnis slowly.

    ''Maybe because of the adjustment, I can''t bring out the mana to draw the amnis circle,'' Allen thought.

    "There''s no way someone who came in with the power of money could have draw it. He probably didn''t know how to draw amnis. Well¡­ he''s just amoner who happened to be elevated to knight, has no ability, nor is he educated," Hallie said. "Unlike thatmoner, my knight, rke Reeva Whiteham, entered the academy at a young age, he also graduated with good grades for me."

    It became evident that the man standing beside her was her knight, the very same individual who, like Allen, had enrolled in the academy under the banner of his master. As rke sneered, he xpress his disdain. "Seeing people like you makes me nauseous," rke said.

    "Are you saying that to me, rke?" said Felicia, "I am the daughter of the Earl?Boldenville,pared to you who is just a baron, do you think your words just now can be forgiven?"

    "Of course it can, I allowed it," Hallie defended. "The Whiteham family is under the earl Johnson family."

    If it was the past, perhaps Felicia had the right to punish rke''s mistreatment, plus with so many witnesses, such a thing would have been possible. But the situation now was different.

    The throne war had widened the gap between the nobles. With the clear support of each noble, their good and feigned good rtionshippletely turned into a rtionship of "mutual benefit." Earl Boldenville could not interfere with Earl Johnson''s affairs, they could not impose any economic sanctions on the other family.

    "Why did they mention each other''s surnames?" asked Gerihild, but it wasn''t that she was seriously asking, she was just astonished by the nature of humans who glorified the position of their parents.

    "I don''t know, I don''t really care about human affairs either," Sharik replied.

    Replying to Hallie''s words, Felicia said "Is that so? Well I''m fine with not punishing him, I''m just bluffing."

    "Bluffing? Just say that you want to use your father''s wealth and name to get back at us."

    Finally Felicia felt tired of dealing with them, "Oh really? It''s up to you guys. I realize I was wrong," Felicia waved her hand as she turned around.

    "You do realize that, people like you are-" not finishing her line, Hallie was immediately surprised by Felicia who suddenly turned her face and looking down at her.

    "That''s right, I realized that I was wrong. I should have ignored the buzzing flies from the beginning, instead of wasting my precious time by joining in the babbling."

    "W-what did you say?!"

    Felicia interrupted again, "If you have so much time, why don''t you continue practising your amnis?

    Oh yeah, that''s right. You can''t, can you? That''s why you''re taking out your inability on us.

    How pathetic."

    Themotion between them began to attract the attention of the people around. All the students looked in their direction.

    "You said it huh... you said I was pathetic huh?" grumbled Hallie, she had never felt this humiliated before.

    Hallie took off her gloves and threw them at Felicia. Felicia turned around and looked at the glove with surprise.

    It was then that all the students'' eyes literally stared at them.

    "I, Hallie Lydia Johnson, challenge you to a duel!" Hallie''s statement echoed in each student''s ears.

    "Seriously?"

    "Challenging to a duel at the beginning of year?"

    "Our points haven''t started to be identified yet, is that possible?"

    Suddenly came the voice of a little girl, answering everyone''s questions. "Of course it''s possible."

    The girl seemed to appear suddenly in the middle of everyone.

    "Since when has she been there?!" muttered the others in surprise.

    Her appearance was that of a 10-year-old little girl, with long pink hair and a ponytail. On her back was an axe as big as her body. Although her body was small, people could confirm that she was also Praeterea from her uniform. In addition, the emblem on her chest was more striking than her appearance.

    It was the student executive board emblem.

    The girl turned her head to Petrone, and asked "Teacher, aren''t you supposed to break them up?"

    "I''m not new to the academy, I know that teachers can''t do much about student duels. Please continue with your business." Petrone said as she continuedzily.

    "Oh no oh no, even teachers would have the right to interfere in student affairs if it''s during ss time. But I guess, if you let it go, that''s fine too."

    She then looked at everyone and raised both hands.

    "My name is Daphne Amaya Isleman, Praeterea second year, and a member of the student executive!" her voice was also childlike.

    The little girl continued, "Oh no no no? Why am I here? It''s because I saw an argument, and someone dered a duel in public. Then I''ll assume the two are having an official duel.

    In a nutshell, a duel bes official when both sides have something at stake. In a duel, the student executive will be the supervisor and guarantor. We, the student executives, will judge and guarantee the loser to pay for their loss.

    So, can I assume you guys want to have an official duel?"

 Chapter 288 Bet and Stake

    <h4>Chapter 288 Bet and Stake</h4>

    The Academy''s most popr tradition, the duel.

    A duel will ur if both parties agree and set equal stakes. The student executive board served as both guarantor and supervisor, ensuring that official duels unfolded only under their watchful eyes.

    Typically, the stakes of these duels rested on student points, making Praeterea''s challenge on the first day unusual. The initial week saw the points frozen and rankings undetermined

    Everyone was looking at Felicia, waiting for her decision. And Felicia''s decision was,

    "I refuse."

    Some were surprised, while others remained unfazed. Among those taken aback, spection arose that the discourse and disagreement might have been rooted in pride¡ªan issue nobles typically embraced with enthusiasm. If a refusal followed, it was often attributed to fear or a perceivedck of confidence in victory, regardless of the actual reasons.

    "Hah! Of course, you won''t ept; you must be afraid," Hallie persisted, aiming to provoke.

    On the other side, those less surprised discerned Felicia''s rationale for declining the duel, which was.

    "Why should I ept your challenge? What''s in it for me?" Felicia questioned, highlighting the absence of a clear system for equal exchange or a defined stake in this particr duel.

    "M-money. I canpensate you through this duel!" Hallie dered.

    "Are you kidding me?" Felicia retorted with a hint of mockery. "You yourself imed I entered solely with money. Now you''re offering me more? Am I not already the affluent one?"

    With no patience for further nonsense from Hallie, Felicia turned to Daphne and asserted, "There will be no duel here. You can go back."

    ''I know I am just a bar, but I am your senior here. These noble is sure is annoying,'' Daphne thought.

    Daphne secured her ponytail and expressed disappointment, "Oh no no no... Too bad, my instinct led me to believe the duel would actuallymence."

    Meanwhile, Hallie struggled to ept the humiliation. Being not only dismissed by Felicia but also viewed as an overeager individual seeking recognition by the entire ss was a blow to her pride. Despite embodying that very persona, she was reluctant to have everyone perceive her in such a light.

    In short order, she devised a n to provoke Felicia, and she found it.

    "Your knight''s name is Allen, isn''t it?" Hallie remarked. "How could he gain entry to this academy through wealth? I''m certain his strength is nothing remarkable. You just saved some random other-worlder and fell for him, right?"

    Felicia retorted, "Let me rify, Allen is the most formidable individual in this academy. I wouldn''t be surprised if he could attain the top rank in the first ss."

    "Pfft hahahaha, how could amoner like him achieve that? He simplycks the mana to create an amnis circle!" Hallie scoffed.

    "It''s amon misconception. Allen is a student in the fighter faculty," Felicia exined.

    Hallie countered, "Still, it''s peculiar. The prerequisite for advancing to the praeterea ss is the ability to use basic amnis. So, regardless of the faculty, all students in praeterea''s ss should be able to control their mana!"

    The utilization of amnis held significant importance in battles¡ªblocking attacks with fire amnis, creating blind spots with soil amnis, disrupting vision with water amnis, and even dispelling fog with wind amnis. It wasn''t a coincidence that the school mandated all students to, at the very least, master basic amnis to progress to the praeterea ss.

    Hallie, now feeling triumphant, dered loudly, "I knew it! That kid is just a useless freeloader here! Judging from your thoughts, no wonder he used you to get into this academy!"

    Even Petrone, who had been idling nearby, couldn''t escape the cacophony of Hallie''s words. Exasperated, she thought, ''Geez, her nonsense is so loud. Why does this kind of thing always happen in the academy?'' Petrone thought. ''Felicia Ayde Boldenville, then Allen. Both of them are abnormal students at this academy- youthful yet mature by the environment, both in mind and strength. There''s no way such cheap techniques could provoke someone like them.''

    However, right after Petrone''s contemtion, Felicia unexpectedly responded, "H-huh?! Don''t speak recklessly if you don''t know anything!" she shouted emotionally. "Come! Let''s start the duel! Allen is incredible! He can defeat your knight in an instant!" Sumbing to the bait, Felicia fell into Hallie''s trap.

    "Alright! Then this will be a battle between our knights!"

    ''Eh?'' thought Petrone in confusion. ''Did I misjudge them? Maybe she''s just a little girl like the others?''

    "Aha aha ahahaha!" Daphne''sughter echoed in a high-pitched tone. "My instincts are never wrong. Let''s initiate the official duel."

    Felicia, brimming with resentment and annoyance, approached Allen. "Allen! Quickly disy your true power! Just use your god blessing!"

    "You kidding me," muttered Allen. ''Using the blessing is akin to revealing my information to others. If I have to face the powerful individuals in this academy, I should avoid utilizing the blessing or the rampage reig as much as possible.''

    Daphne inquired, "What are you betting on?"

    "I want, once she gets her points, all her points to be transferred to me!" Hallie dered. "Felicia''s points for me, and Allen''s points for rke."

    Confusion rippled through the crowd. "Eh? Can you really do that?"

    "Oh nonono, you can''t do it."

    "Huh?! Why is that?"

    "Firstly, you can''t risk all the points you have, so students are forbidden from going all in. The limit for awarding points in a duel is 80% points at most in a single bout. While there are exceptions for certain duel types, at least for now, going all in is prohibited. Furthermore, there''s no guarantee that both participants will receive enought points when the point identification ispleted. Such uncertainty is not allowed in a duel. That''s why there are no duels before the point identification isplete."

    Having exined this, Daphne released a long sigh and shook her head in disappointment. "No further response, huh... Geez, I anticipated it, but it seems like you guys don''t even need an official duel to continue. Just have your own duel."

    "Wait!" Felicia called out as she noticed Daphne starting to turn around.

    "The stake is, I want Hallie not to bother us forever!"

    Daphne sighed once more, "Didn''t you hear? The stakes should be something more tangible. There''s no way the student executive should keep an eye on Hallie just to ensure she doesn''t talk to you."

    "It''s a real deal, but we just need a gimmick," " Felicia stated. "We''re going to wager money to make this duel official. My demand remains the same¡ªI want her to never speak to me again at the academy. With this many witnesses and the duel made official, breaking her vow would be deeply embarrassing for her," Felicia exined.

    "Oh, I see... Understandable," Daphne acknowledged.

    Hallie grinned deviously, "Alright, I agree too. I''ll give you the money, and on top of that, I want your knight to be mine!"

    "What?! Isn''t that unfair?!" Sharik protested.

    ''I don''t care about that weak knight,'' Hallie thought. ''If I can separate him from Felicia, she''ll be even more upset!''

    "Alright, I agree," Felicia dered.

    "Oi! Are you serious?! Giving Allen away?!" Geirhild shouted. Although Geirhild hadn''t initially cared about their business, Felicia''s statement about Allen being handed over made her reconsider since Allen was her friend.

    "Of course, Allen won''t lose anyway," Felicia reassured.

    "How can you be so sure?!" Geirhild questioned.

    Felicia smiled, her eyes radiant, "Because I believe in him." Felicia''s confidence surprised Geirhild, and with those words, even Geirhild found herself believing in Felicia.

    "Yeah, I''m not sure Allen can lose either. I feel sorry for the other party over there," Sharikmented. Unlike Geirhild, Sharik was more excited, and his voice carried across the crowd.

    "Pity? For me?" rke retorted. Stepping forward, he discarded his outerwear and tossed it on the ground. "I''m a prodigious kid who''s been in the dungeon since I was 10 years old." He brandished his sword, and continue "Not just the first floor, I''ve followed the expedition team to the second floor! And I''m currently a recognized gold-level dungeon explorer. There''s no way I can lose to amoner without an education, who came from out of nowhere in another world like him!"

    "No, you will lose," Sharik said casually. "You know, we Samoyeds have always had a good sense to follow stronger people who arepatible with us. We choose our leaders and masters."

    Sharik pointed at rke and stated loudly, "My instincts tell me you are weak, and so everyone here. At least, weaker than Allen."

 Chapter 289 Duel

    Chapter 289 Duel

    "You are weak," Sharik''s words reverberated, a promation of superiorit like a palpable challenge. His confident eyes mirrored the certainty in his voice, leaving no room for doubt about the authenticity of his instincts.

    But, there must be a miss in his instincts.

    ''He''s just a newborn dog,'' rke thought, a subtle smile ying on his lips. ''I admit that he''s probably strong, but it must only be at a level stronger than the averagemoner since he''s a knight raised in a noble environment.''

    rke smiled, now taking out her sword from its sheath, ''Well,pared to me, I''m undoubtedly stronger. Experience is my advantage!''

    Upon entering the secunda ss, rke realized one thing,

    Most of the secunda students in the academy had never done any realbat experience. Unlike him who had actively participated in dungeon expeditions. This experience had propelled him to amendable rank, distinguishing him from his peers. Few within the academy could match his skill, and defeating him proved to be a formidable challenge for many.

    The distinction between the experienced and the inexperienced lies in determination! Those of us who have delved into dungeons are intimately acquainted with life-and-death situations. I''m sure just give a huge sh on his chest enough to scare him away.''

    Allen stepped forward, ready for the duel, but without removing his outerwear.

    "Are you certain you''ll face me in those thick clothes?" inquired rke.

    "Yes, even with restricted movement, I believe I can defeat you," responded Allen with unwavering confidence.

    "You ignorantmoner! I''ll unveil the might of a gold-ranked dungeon explorer!" rke retorted, his words echoing with the assurance of one who had conquered the depths.

    Daphne pressed her student executive symbol, summoning forth a manifestation of mana in the form of a harpy clutching an hourss.

    "This is the watch bird issued to all student executives," she exined. "Its purpose is to sound when the allotted duel time pses. Once this bird emerges, the duel is officially recorded, and the defeated party cannot evade the consequences of their loss.

    I will exin the rules of the duel."

    Oxwade Academy''s dueling rules by the Student Executive Board.

    Firstly, the use of advanced amnis, capable of causing permanent disabilities or fatal injuries, is strictly forbidden.

    Secondly, participants are permitted to use any weapon at their disposal, provided that the inflicted wounds are neither fatal nor result in permanent disfigurement.

    And finally, victory will be dered if one of the participants surrenders or falls unconscious.

    "The one who vites the rules will be promptly dered defeated, and the supervisor possesses the authority to intervene and ensure the vitor ceases their actions," Daphne asserted firmly.

    As Daphne raised her hand to initiate the duel, rke had already formted his strategy.

    Unlike the duels in secunda, Praeterea permits the use of amnis up to the intermediate level! Since everyone can employ amnis, the first step in a duel is clear: harnessing the power of amnis.''

    In the midst of a duel, employing amnis proved challenging due to its extended activation time, especially for amnis of advanced levels and above. While some adept enchanters could swiftly inscribe amnis, many students, including rke, found this to be an impractical task.

    Setting up amnis became feasible only at themencement of the duel, when the opponents were still at a distance. Numerous students held the belief that the one who sessfully activated their amnis first would secure victory.

    rke''s confidence radiated from his meticulous analysis of Allen.

    "If, for example, thismoner is as formidable as the dog ims, at least he can''t use amnis!" rke mused, drawing confidence from Allen''s struggle to invoke amnis during training.

    As he readied himself with his stance, rke also focused on his hand to swiftly draw amnis. "I''ll utilize advanced amnis of fire, tapping into his surrounding oxygen to induce dizziness. This way, I canunch a decisive attack.

    I''ve already won this duel!''

    Daphne, who raised her hand, continued, "The duel starts in three,

    Two,

    One,

    and...

    Before Daphne could utter the word "start," rke had swiftly begun drawing hismand amnis.

    "STAR-" However, the word "start" that Daphne was about to say, was never actually voiced,

    Because in front of her...

    rke had unexpectedly copsed to the ground, and Allen, who had silently positioned himself behind rke at an indiscernible moment, stood over him.

    The sudden turn of events left everyone in stunned silence, struggling toprehend what was happening.

    ''I-I can''t see the movement,'' Daphne thought.

    The student who really saw everything was,

    Rasheeda El-Mkooti. Ever since the arrow test, she had been watching Allen''s movements. "He''s fast, and experienced," Rasheeda thought. "That''s a technique demi-human wolves are used to, quick movements that blend into the ground. He went behind his enemy very quickly and hit his nape and back simultaneously."

    "Are you kidding me..."

    "rke lost?"

    "Isn''t he one of the front row rankers in the secunda ss?"

    Daphne bit her finger, a pang of regret surging within her for not paying closer attention. "Even though Miss Kethryllia asked me toe watch the two of them! At this rate, I''ll get scolded," she thought. Her gaze shifted to Allen, now surrounded by his jubnt friends, celebrating the victory.

    "Allen Boldenville," Daphne murmured. "He''s as formidable as Miss Kethryllia stated, but I didn''t anticipate him being this strong. His prowess rivals those at the top of the third years; soon, he might receive an invitation to be an imperial student. No, he might even surpass them. At the very least, his speed isparable to the chairman of the student disciplinarymission, Hussain!"

    "I can''t believe rke is really lost." Hallie''splexion paled as she witnessed the knight she admired copse so ignominiously. And as soon as she nced at Felicia, she could see Felicia''s extremely annoying smug smile.

    Sharik leaped with joy onto Allen, wrapping him in a tight hug. "HURRAY! I knew it was going to be like this."

    However, Allen, less enthusiastic about the embrace, pushed Sharik away, remarking, "Stay away, your furs are tickling me."

    "I also knew that Allen would win," Sharik dered, confidence undeterred.

    Geirhild, on the other hand, was the sole individual disying surprise, unable to fully believe in Allen''s power, much like the other students still grappling with the unexpected oue.

    Sharik turned towards the assembled students and proimed, "My instincts are never wrong. Allen is the strongest man in the academy!"

    ...

    ¡­

    ...

    Daphne walked out of the field room disappointed.

    Daphne exited the field room with a sense of disappointment hanging over her. "Miss Kethryllia must have forgiven me, but still, I don''t want to be a useless figure to her anymore! Aaaaaa!!!"

    Someone walked in, and greeted her. "Do you want me to help you? I saw everything, and I can exin to you what that boy did earlier."

    "Ooh?! Really?! Then-" Daphne stopped as soon as she realized who she was talking to.

    "Hussain!" said Daphne in an exasperated tone. "You''ve been snooping around for a while, haven''t you?"

    "No, I was just passing in front, and I happened toe across a dueling person," Hussain paused and continued. "So what do you think? Do you want to exchange information? I can exin the boy to you in exchange for you telling me what Kethryllia told you to do."

    Daphne puffed up her cheeks and looked away from Hussain, "Get a grip peasant, I don''t have time to talk to people like you. There''s no way I''m going to reveal anything to you."

    "Well, that makes sense," said Hussain. "What do you think? Is my new member strong?"

    "He''s- eh? A new member? What do you mean?"

    "I''ll make him a member of the student disciplinarymission."

 Chapter 290 Academy Life

    Chapter 290 Academy Life

    "Wee to the healing ss. I''m d that many students outside the healing faculty are choosing this ss this year."

    The Faculty of Healing and Psychian ranked third most prestigious, following the Fighter and Enchanter faculties. Those who chose this faculty were predominantly clerics and individuals aspiring to be psychians. Despite its prestigious standing at number three, it bore the distinction of being the most challenging faculty among all.

    "I am a teacher and cleric in charge of Oxwadeshire''s Water Church; my name is Norah Hamilton; you can call me Sister Norah. Since this ss is not avable in secunda, we will start with basic amnis healing."

    Despite her role as a priestess in the church, here she stood, d in a school teacher''s attire, much like any other educator. Though her stature was tall, the lines on her face hinted at the passage of time, suggesting she was approaching her fifties.

    Beside Allen, Sharik shook his head, expressing his disbelief. "I never imagined I''d end up choosing this ss," he remarked.

    "It''s your own fault for choosing the same ss as Allen, at this rate, how will you handle future sses?" Felicia said.

    "Sharik, I heard there''s an option to change your ss in two weeks," Allen suggested.

    "No." Sharik clenched his fists and stood up with excitement. "I won''t regret my choice!" he shouted, capturing the attention of everyone in the ss.

    Instead of being scolded by the teacher, Sister Norah remarked, "Mr. Sharik possesses amendable spirit and excitement. That is good, because to save others, one of most important thing is your spirit."

    Sister Norah continued,

    "Actually, healing is also part of amnis. So, more or less, systematic healing is also the same as amnis in general. Four elemental spirits exist, each associated with a distinct healing Amnismand. Furthermore, the domain of healing Amnis is categorized into four levels: Basic, Medium, Advanced, and Ultimate. The differentiating factor among the enchanter faculty lies in theplexity and procedural intricacies of the healing techniques, which is the reason why healing is separated from another amnis subject.

    Meanwhile, the actual amnis healing depends on one crucial thing. Does anyone know what that is?"

    Someone raised their hand and answered, "Is it praying?"

    "Exactly... Praying is also part of sessful healing. If we talk about theory, praying can make us pour all our feelings into our amnis. In terms of healing, elemental spirits favor praying over regr chanting."

    ''I see, now I understand.'' Allen thought, remembering one of the incidents in the past while in the Barkaley region, the incident when he healed Iva after she gave birth. Lavinia had once said to him "Pray with all your heart, Allen. Even if you don''t believe in God, you should still pray because God is merciful to all his creations."

    ''The bright light when I healed Iva was proof that God answered my prayers through elemental spirits.''

    "Then, the second important thing when using healing amnis is... happiness, excitement, and enthusiasm! As Mr.Sharik has.

    Unlike other amnis, this healing Amnis involves the convergence of our mana and the mana of the person we are healing. Consequently, the factors influencing the healing process extend beyond our control to include the mindset of the individual undergoing healing. The healing will likely seed if the healed person maintains a positive outlook.

    Hence, when extending our healing abilities to others, we must enthusiastically approach the task and cultivate a positive mindset."

    Sister Norah pped her hands lightly and continued, "However, there is no need for you to perform such tasks at this stage. Our primary focus is on learning. The initial skill you need to grasp is basic healing.

    Basic healing is specifically designed to address wound closure. To master basic Amnis, all you need to do is memorize themand spell and visualize the wound before you."

    Sister Norah then looked at Sharik and smiled. "So take it easy, for this semester you don''t need to remember the structure of the human body," that smile made Sharik shudder because sister Norah was really reading his mind at that moment.

    "Alright, homework for everyone is remembering eachmand spell from each elemental spirit. No need to force it, the final exam is also not tooplicated."

    ...

    After the healing ss ended, they went to the academy''s cafeteria on the first floor. The academy''s cafeteria provided various cuisines ording to the wishes of each race, except for sirens and aarakocra who had separate areas. From vegetarian to meat-filled meals were provided there, which were, of course not free.

    In cafeteria, the three of them met Geirhild who was sitting with her other dwarf friends. When she saw Allen, she waved her hand to the others and went over to him.

    "How was healing ss?" Geirhild asked.

    "Of course, it was easy!" Felicia said proudly.

    "I''ve done it before, so there''s no problem," replied Allen.

    As for Sharik, "These people are not normal. On the first day, we were told to memorize fourmand spells for healing, do you think normal people can remember them in a week?"

    They chose their food and sat at one of the empty tables.

    "But I still didn''t expect that you would actually choose healing. Is there a special reason?" Geirhild asked.

    "Not really, I just thought it would be useful for me."

    "For Allen, the fighter and amnis sses must be even more useless," Felicia exined.

    "That''s not true either, Miss Petrone''s exnation yesterday really helped."

    "Allen is already strong enough without using amnis," said Sharik, who began to devour the food in front of him. "No wonder he chose such an unusual subject."

    "What about you?" Geirhild now asked Sharik. "You were abat fighter from the start. Why did you join Allen in those unusual sses?"

    "Of course I prefer my instincts!"

    "I think you really need to change your chosen sses," Allen said.

    Felecia agreed, "following others will only make your grades worse."

    "No problem," Sharik replied. "From the start in this academy, all I''ve been interested in is learning to be a strong fighter. One or two extra subjects don''t change things.

    Then suddenly, someone approached.

    "Miss Felicia," the familiar voice made Felicia shudder. Felicia stood up, then she slowly turned to the person calling her and returned the greeting.

    "Your Highness... May I help you?" said Felicia as she lifted her skirt.

    "No need to call me like that, you can just call me Francis. It is said that there is an unwritten rule in this academy to leave our honorary names."

    Francis, and the four others behind him followed suit. Two men and two women.

    One of the people following Francis looked at Allen and reprimanded him "That one behind, you are also part of the Wildenhall Kingdom, right? Where''s your respect?!"

    As Allen tried to stand, Francis reached to lift his hand,

    "No need, didn''t I tell you we should leave the honorary name behind."

    "Very well, Prince Francis. How can I help you?" Felicia asked.

    Francis then offered his hand, "Would you like to have lunch with us over there?"

    "Huh? With you, my prince?"

    "Yes, I invite you to have lunch with me."

 Chapter 291 Lunchtime

    Chapter 291 Lunchtime

    "I invite you to have lunch with me."

    Francis said as he reached out his hand to Felicia, offering her to have lunch together. In the realm of Wildenhall nobility, such invitations carriedyers of meaning.

    ''It might be fine if hees and asks to have lunch with us, but extending this invitation in front of his other friends changes the dynamics,'' Felicia thought to herself.

    Being invited to lunch in the presence of other nobles was akin to a subtle suggestion to align oneself with Francis'' faction. On an ordinary situation, such an invitation might be brushed off, but amid the ongoing throne war, the situation became moreplex¡ªespecially considering Earl Boldenville''s reputation as an impartial noble.

    ''Is he deliberately extending this lunch invitation to solidify Boldenville''s alliance with him? But engaging in political maneuvers within the academy would also pose risks for him,'' Felicia pondered.

    With a sense of reluctance, Felicia attempted to decline as graciously as possible. "I regret to inform you, Prince Francis, that I''m presently sharing lunch with my friends. Perhaps another asion?"

    By suggesting "another asion," Felicia aimed to frame her response as a request for patience rather than an outright refusal, a delicate maneuver to avoid public scrutiny should Francis ept.

    "I-I understand..." Francis said, his face looking glum, reflecting disappointment. "I''ll extend the invitation again in the future."

    Felicia breathed a sigh of relief, contemting, ''If he epted that, then he wasn''t attempting to coerce me into his faction through the public eye. So why choose this moment to invite me to lunch? What is he truly plotting?''

    Francis harbored no ulterior motives, nor was he plotting some political thing; his desire to have lunch with Felicia was driven purely by the wish to spend time with her.

    However, those trailing behind Francis failed to grasp this intention. Their apparent irritation with Felicia''s response was evident as they questioned, "Miss Felicia, His Highness has extended an invitation to dine together with you; why did you choose to decline?"

    Irritation was shown in Felicia''s gaze as she observed them. ''Those must be the baron''s children, following Francis to elevate their family''s status. Their arrogance, fueled by their proximity to the prince, blinds them to the fact that they''re dealing with the earl''s daughter. I''ll remember their faces and address this with a stern letterter,"

    "Earl Boldenville is a nobleman who keeps his word. I''ve already made ns to eat with my friends from ss, and I can''t simply abandon the appointment we agreed on.so I can''t just leave them," Felicia exined, fabricating the situation.

    Upon noticing the friends Felicia was referencing, they scoffed. "A meal with friends? Seriously, Miss Felicia?"

    "As the daughter of a renowned earl, it''s beneath you to share a table withmoners. Associating with them is unbing. Just look at that dog; he can''t even eat properly," they disdainfully remarked.

    Geirhild then thumped the table. "What''s the problem if she joins us? Is there some issue with her sitting at this table with me?"

    "Of course! Dwarves are nothing more than sweaty barbarians! Lady Felicia doesn''t belong in suchpany, let alone with a dog. The prince only invited her because she''s the sole person of honor at this table."

    Francis immediately refuted, "eh? No, I don''t think so-" before he could finish, another protesting voice came out.

    "Come here, Lady Felicia; you''d better stay away from them."

    Geirhild snorted, ridiculing them. "So what if Felicia hangs out with me? She wants to eat with us; why does it bother you?"

    "How presumptuous of you to be a dwarf."

    "Huh?"

    "Dwarves don''t have much mana, right? They''re a barbarian tribe that can only make useless machines."

    Geirhild mmed the table until it cracked. Following the dungeon''s mechanism, the cracked table instantly restored itself to its original state.

    "You can talk badly about me, but calling our work useless is crossing a line," Geirhild asserted.

    Felicia swiftly intervened, "Geirhild, please stop¡ª"

    They cut Felicia''s words and keep provoking, "How dare you speak like that to a noble."

    But Geirhild wasn''t one to heed such warnings, especially from someone not counted among her friends.

    "This is the academy; your human rank holds no sway here."

    "Oxwadeshire is part of the Wildenhall kingdom. You''re here to adhere to human culture and follow the orders of nobles!" The promation echoed in the room.

    Francis, troubled, attempted to intervene, but the prevailing atmosphere seemed to swallow him.

    "What difference does it make whether you''re a noble or not? All I see is a bunch of weak humans, right?" Geirhild turned to Sharik and asked, "Don''t you think so, Sharik?"

    After swallowing his food, he responded, "Geirhild is right. My instincts tell me that you are all weak," apanied by a confident smile reflecting his trust in his instincts.

    The nobles clenched the hilts of their swords, anger etched on their faces. "Then I will show you the power of the nobles!" The tension in the air escted, prompting onlookers to retreat from the unfolding confrontation slowly. Allen rose to his feet and positioned himself in front of Felicia, with Sharik following suit, readying himself.

    -SHOOT

    Suddenly, the silence shattered with a resounding of the web.

    The spider web swiftly shot out, entangling the weapons worn by the nobles and the mace held by Geirhild.

    "!!!"

    "What is this? A web?" The nobles struggled as the spider web effortlessly retrieved their weapons. Geirhild, despite her reflexive grip, found her mace slipping easily from her grasp.

    "Gosh, Praerea''s first years always make the same mistakes."

    "Gosh, Praerea''s first years always make the same mistakes," Hussain, the chief of the student disciplinarymission,mented as he approached. His secretary, Loukia Miskakou, held a confiscated student weapon with her spider web.

    Hussain turned to Loukia and asked, "Aren''t you going to get angry?"

    "Instead of getting angry, I feel cringe because this happens too often."

    "Give us back our weapons!" protested the noble whose possessions were seized.

    "Take them back after two weeks," replied Loukia.

    "It''s a relic of our family!" the noble argued.

    Loukia promptly shot her into both of their mouths. She then proceeded to elucidate, "The Academy strictly prohibits students from engaging in violence in the dining hall, ssrooms, and special rooms. As disciplinarymissioners, we have two primary rights. Firstly, we are authorized to use force against those who break the rules. Secondly, we are responsible for reducing the coins of vitors."

    Continuing, Loukia rified, "However, the determination of how many points to deduct lies with the chair, vice-chair, and secretary. The remaining members of the disciplinarymission, approximately five people, must collectively approve the point deduction."

    Hussain pondered for a moment, then tilted his head. "Hmm... I''m the one deciding the point deduction in this case," he dered, pointing at everyone present. "Creating a disturbance in the anti-riot room results in a deduction of 50 points."

 Chapter 292 Have a deal with SDC

    Chapter 292 Have a deal with SDC

    "Each of you will incur a deduction of 50 points," announced Hussain with a stern gaze that swept across the room.

    "Huh?!" eximed Francis in genuine surprise, his brows furrowing.

    "I''m also deducted?!" gasped Geirhild, her eyes widening in shock.

    "Of course, you''re the one who applied more pressure. Even if the desk can be returned to its original state, you''ve still attempted to cause damage to the academy," Hussain exined.

    Francis then protested "What about me?! I didn''t do anything!"

    "What about me?! I didn''t do anything!" shouted Francis.

    "Where''s the proof that you didn''t do anything? It''s evident that you led the group," asserted Loukia, her eyes narrowing in suspicion

    Loukia, with her eight eyes, surveyed the students and issued a stern warning, "Here at the academy, the rules differ from the human world. If you wish to persist in ying your noble games, perhaps you should consider leaving school."

    Felicia stepped forward, breaking the tension in the room, and calmly interjected, "I think you all misunderstood."

    "Misunderstood?" Loukia questioned with intense gaze.

    "There''s no fighting here at all. We''re merely greeting each other by showcasing our skills," Felicia exined, her words causing a collective shock among the others. In denying the perceived reality that everyone had epted.

    Loukia vehemently argued, "That''s impossible; it''s obvious that you were fighting. You even tried to use your weapons."

    Felicia, undeterred, calmly exined, "It was just a little misunderstanding between us. I am the Earl of Boldenville, and this man here is Prince Francis. Our rtionship is quite amicable; a few years ago, we even danced together. It just so happened that he wanted to invite me to lunch, but I had a prior appointment with my friends. You''re familiar with the dynamics between nobles and peasants in human ces, aren''t you? There''s a significant gap between them.

    Felicia lifted her hand and gestured toward Francis, then continued her narrative, "The two subordinates of Prince Francis over there insulted my knight, Allen, simply because he''s amoner sitting on the same level as me. Insulting a peasant ormoner might be deemed normal in noble circles¡ªI have no issue with it, and Allen doesn''t either. It''s just that Geirhild couldn''t ept it."

    "Huh?" Geirhild looked genuinely confused, her expression reflecting she didn''t know anything about it.

    "Geirhild is a dwarf, and Allen is her friend. Do you know how dwarves treat their friends? She suddenly became angry because she took it as an insult. That''s why she hit the table till it broke, but after I exined it to her, she immediately understood, and now they want to try their skill."

    "That''s a lie," dered Hussain. "I''ve actually been in this room for a while now, and I see that the events don''t match up with what you''re telling me."

    Allen quickly retorted, "No, you only came into this room after our side started holding the sword."

    ''How did he realise where we were?'' Loukia thought.

    Felicia continued her exnation, addressing Loukia directly, "Miss Loukia, earlier, you held Francis ountable as the head of the group, implying he is responsible for the actions of his members." She then turned to Francis, questioning him, "Prince Francis, you didn''t deny anything that I said, did you? And, in fact, nothing bad urred between our friend, right?"

    Francis nodded vigorously, affirming, "Right! That''s absolutely right! You guys also agree, right?" He looked at his friends, who immediately nodded in agreement.

    "Since there is clearly no problem, can Mr. Hussain and Miss Loukia leave this matter alone? Although, will the disciplinarymission still take action even if there is no problem?" Felicia posed the question.

    Hussain shed a broad smile at Felicia, then he leaned closer to her face and whispered.

    "You know¡­ I don''t really care for your game. What are you guys doing and what happened here. It seems like you''re attempting to attack us with society, but it''s useless."

    Allen grabbed Hussain''s shoulders and pushed him forward.

    "Stay away from her," Allen said.

    Hussain, still smiling, taunted, "Make me."

    Allen, determined, gripped Hussain''s shoulder while exerting all his strength to push him. However, Hussain remained unyielding, his smile undiminished, showing no signs of exertion.

    "Allen, stop. If you do anything more than that, what I''ve done will be in vain," Felicia interjected, urging restraint. Allen reluctantly weakened his grip and pushed him slightly. As Allen push him, Hussain gracefully moved away from Felicia.

    "But yeah... your efforts will not be in vain. With this, we have an excuse to turn a blind eye to your problems," Hussain dered

    Felicia sighed quietly "Then you will-"

    Hussain cut her off, his tone sly, "It''s only two rosenoble coins."

    ''This guy, really is as rumored,'' thought Felicia, surprised by Hussain''s threat. ''Two rosenoble coins, that''s a significant sum of money. He must be well-versed in the contents of a noble''s pocket.''

    Hussain shifted his gaze to Allen, pointing at him, and proposed, "Or... you, be one of us."

    "Eh?" Allen was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion.

    Felicia, equally surprised at the abrupt shift in the conversation, questioned, "Pardon me?"

    Hussain leaned in, whispering discreetly so others wouldn''t overhear, "This incident happened because of a feud between students. If, for example, one of the disciplinarymittees had been keeping an eye on the situation from the start, then the incident would not have been an issue to be brought up at all."

    Hussain took a step back and inquired, "How about it, Allen? Are you willing to join the disciplinarymittee?"

    "WHAT?!"

    "A first-year student into the SDC?"

    Francis chimed in, his initial amusement giving way to surprise. He suddenly felt left behind and defeated by Allen.

    "Chairman! He''s still in the first grade, and we still don''t know his strength," Loukia protested.

    "No worries; I already know. I saw his duel this morning. He''s probably stronger than me," Hussain calmly asserted.

    "Are you...serious?" Loukia asked again, searching for confirmation.

    Hussain offered no reply

    Allen looked confaused, he wanted to answer "no" immediately, but he couldn''t ignore the weight of Felicia''s financial sacrifice to resolve the situation.

    However, Felicia walked straight up to Hussain and whispered, "Two rosenoble is enough, right?"

    Hussain chuckled, ying along, "Hahaha, okay." To avoid any suspicion of bribery, he added, "You can answer that tomorrow in my office; you might change your mind."

    As Hussain exited, Francis expressed his gratitude to Felicia and extended an invitation to lunch in the near future. Allen, however, remained contemtive, realizing that theplexity of the recent events hinted at a situation that wouldn''t resolve itself so easily.

    After Hussain left, Francis expressed his gratitude to Felicia and extended an invitation to lunch in the near future. Allen remained lost in thought, recognizing that the recent situation could not be easily concluded.

    ''If he saw my duel this morning, then he''s been after me since then,'' Allen thought, his mind racing with possibilities. ''Hopefully giving him money will really stop him. But I''ve seen someone like him before. He''s simr, a loan shark. People who will do anything to get what they want. It wouldn''t be surprising for someone like him to keep trapping us and continuously asking for money in return from Felicia until I became his property. He is cunning, clever, and has power.''

    "What''s wrong, Allen?" Felicia inquired as she noticed his contemtive state. "If you''re thinking about that money, you don''t have to worry; it''s only 1/10th of my allowance for the yers.

    Geirhild gasped, "You''re... really rich!" having overheard their conversation.

    "Of course I am, so... do you want to be my friend now?" Felicia offered, her gaze turning toward Geirhild.

    Sharik, startled, asked, "Eh? Are you sure you''d let someone be friends with you just because of money?"

    "Geirhild is fine, because she''s Allen''s friend," Felicia responded. In the end, Geirhild became friends with Felicia and Shark.

 Chapter 293 First Week

    Chapter 293 First Week

    In the rigors ofpulsory sses and the exclusivity of special sessions, Allen found himself separated from Felicia during those hours. As had be his routine, he entrusted Felicia''s safety to Reig, who remained by her side in his absence.

    Reig, attuned to Allen''s mana, functioned as a guardian, able to discern any threats or challenges that might infringe upon Felicia''s. Seeing how tight the academy''s security was due to the existence of the disciplinarymittee, reassured Allen that Felicia was, in all likelihood, safe from harm.

    Not until that day...

    Fighter faculty mandatory ss hours.

    Allen found himself face-to-face with an unexpected twist.

    The instructor for the ss was none other than an individual who, in a past encounter, had once killed him.

    The teacher was the person who had once killed him.

    "I never imagined I''d end up as a teacher in this ce. Life''s funny that way," the teacher remarked, and as he said that, Allen trying to conceal the unease that gripped him, held his breath.

    "My name is Norman, as you can tell from my name, I''m not a noble from any territory, so it''s useless for nobles to try to threaten me to get high scores."

    Allen, grappling with a surge of difort at the reappearance of someone from his ominous past, felt a shiver run down his spine.

    Allen''s initial encounter with Norman had been nothing short of disastrous. The memories of the castle incident during the Noctem Dolls invasion were etched in his mind. Norman had left him with a hole in his stomach and a shoulder split open; And Norman did all that while Reig was in a rampage state and fused with him. Norman''s prowess far exceeded Allen''s, and even as Allen continued to grow stronger, his current self, still adapting to demonic mana, seemed a far cry from a match for Norman.

    ''Why is he here?!'' Allen thought, apanied by a chilling realization.

    The recognition was mutual. Norman, too, couldn''t overlook the ck-haired kid who stood out distinctly from the others. An air of fear was also felt by Norman, who had once inflicted upon Allen.

    "You''re... that kid fromst time," Norman uttered, surprised. Then Norman realizes something. Norman''s perceptive gaze honed in on a subtle but significant change.

    "What happened to your hair?" he inquired, his curiosity revealing a keen observation that sent a jolt of panic through Allen.

    ''Sh*t, if he mentions hair, people will notice my white strands!'' hemented.

    However, Norman''s demeanor took an unexpected turn. After briefly donning a shocked expression, his face underwent a sudden transformation. "Ah no, forget it. I got the wrong person," he dered, as if dismissing the notion entirely.

    The change in Norman''s attitude left Allen both relieved and perplexed. Allen let out a quiet sigh, but didn''t go unnoticed by Norman, who, despite outwardly letting go of the topic, retained a keen awareness of the change in Allen''s appearance. The memory of Allen''s attempt to conceal his white strands resurfaced in Norman''s mind, providing a sinister twist to his thoughts.

    ''Of course, he would hide his hair,'' Norman mused with a wicked smile, a mischievous n forming in his mind. ''How good would it be for me to spill the beans?''

    He was so excited, his desire to spread Allen''s secret about his hair peaked.

    ''That kid must have been put in by Eliphas. If I reveal it, there''s no mistaking it, Eliphas will definitely feel upset!'' Norman thought. "But before that, I really need to know Eliphas'' true intentions," Norman strategized, recognizing an opportunity to deal with Eliphas.

    In the midst of Norman''s scheming reverie, a murmur from the students around him disrupted his thoughts.

    "Is he really our teacher?"

    "He could be the son of a teacher here."

    "Maybe this is a joke from the faculty."

    Norman, ever attuned to the whispers around him, swiftly reacted to the growing scepticism among the students. "Huh?! What are you doubting?! It''s not like you can see the white strand under this hat!" he retorted, his voice carrying a mix of irritation and defensiveness.

    "But..."

    "You''re short."

    "Dwarf has an adult face, but he really looks like a child."

    "He''s as tall as my 10-year-old brother."

    The whispers about Norman''s stature reached a level where even Allen, usually adept at maintainingposure, couldn''t help but feel a shiver down his spine because he could feel Norman''s overwhelming anger.

    "Hey, everyone..." called Norman, his voice cutting through the whispers. "I think the lesson is useless. Why don''t we have some sparring practice? I''ll be your opponent."

    ¡­

    The sparring session with Norman concluded abruptly, leaving an air of exhaustion and awe in its wake. Norman, unable to vent his frustrations more conventionally within the academy, had channelled his stress into the impromptubat with the students.

    "Since you''re all exhausted, ss is over... you can use the free time to rest," Norman dered, strolling off the field with a nonchnce. The students, scattered across the training area, sprawled out on the ground, their bodies weary and sore from the unexpected intensity of the sparing.

    "I knew it! I knew that teachers were strong!" eximed Sharik, lying down with a mixture of exhration and fatigue coursing through his body.

    "At this rate... we''ll have to... take a stamina potion before the next ss," muttered Geirhild, her breathingbored as she contemted the physical toll.

    Allen surveyed the aftermath of the intense sparring session, he observed a scene of collective exhaustion. Norman, strategic in his approach, had targeted non-fatal areas, limiting his strikes to a few broken bones that could be swiftly healed with advanced healing amnis. Despite the fatigue, Allen discerned that the injuries, while impactful, were not intended to causesting harm.

    Watching some students being carried out by members of the faculty executive for additional care, Allen contemted, ''I guess he won''t do any aggressive thing as long as we are in the academy,'' Watching some students being carried out by members of the faculty executive for additional care, Allen contemted.

    Post the demanding ss, the students dispersed to attend their respective specialty sses. The remainder of the day followed a routine of learning and exploration, with each ss offering a glimpse into the diverse facets of knowledge and skills that the academy sought to impart.

    More or less, life at the academy for the first week is just an initial introduction to each ss and faculty.

    Then a week passed,

    the introductory phase at the academy concluded, meaning that the introduction period waspletely over. This signified themencement of advanced studies, delving into subjects that had remained elusive during the secunda ss. The academic journey now entered a phase of heightenedplexity and specialization, where the intricacies of advanced knowledge awaited exploration.

    Moreover, the passage of this week held an additional significance. The points of the new students, frozen during the initial period, were now unfrozen, symbolizing their full integration into the academy''s academic structure. Their names would now join the illustrious ranks on the same altar as the upper-year praeterea.

 Chapter 294 The Altar of Stella

    Chapter 294 The Altar of Ste

    The orientation period of Praerea first year is over.

    The culmination of their efforts would be unveiled on the assessment altar. Each student''s name would be proimed alongside the precise tally of points they had rued.

    A hushed murmur permeated the gathered students, their excitement palpable as they spected about who would ascend to the coveted third altar among their peers. Each student contemted the points they had painstakingly umted throughout the week.

    "If we''re talking about talent, plenty of namese to mind," a voice whispered conspiratorially.

    "So far, the most outstanding is Rasheeda el-Mkooti. The dark elf who can do everything," another student chimed in.

    "The one who keeps up with her is probably Allen. He''s the one who Hussain directly recruited to enter the SDC, and his duel with rke is outstanding! But he has too many problems that could decrease his point."

    "What about Felicia and Hallie? Those two are always arguing and talented in theory. When ites to the most points, it''s definitely between them."

    "But let''s not forget Gustav the lion, the enigmatic Akiyama from another world, and the elven princess Vioriel. Each one carries a strong prowess."

    "As for the Aarakocra, their reclusive nature shrouds them in mystery. And among the sirens, there are undoubtedly hidden gems of exceptional talent,"

    With no sses scheduled for the day, some students lingered around the academy,pelled by the obligation to witness the first-day rituals at the altar.

    "From this altar, we can see who can go to the Arcanede festival," said the executive chairman of the faculty.

    "I hope our faculty makes the top 50," replied the vice chairman.

    Most students within the academy, particrly the first-year Praeterea, converged around the enigmatic altar on the third floor. Among them, Allen and hispanions navigated through the corridors, drawn toward the third floor.

    The third floor of Oxwade Academy was the trial ground, served as a multifaceted arena, hosting the grandeur of the colosseum, the depths test of dungeon, and the revered assessment altar.

    As Allen and his cohorts approached their destination, the atmosphere buzzed with a blend of curiosity and excitement. A mysterious ambience enveloped them. The darkened expanse was bathed in the soft glow of starlight emanating from an illusory crystal at the pinnacle of the floor. The entire arrangement mirrored the nocturnal expanse of the sky, casting an ethereal ambience upon the surroundings.

    Sharik voiced his exhration. ", "This is my first time descending to the third floor!"

    "This is my first time going down to the third floor!" said Sharik, excited.

    The others were also excited but didn''t show it as clearly as Sharik.

    As for Allen, when he went down to the third floor, he again felt a sudden dizziness because the demonic mana on the third floor was thicker than the second floor.

    ''I thought I had gotten a little used to it during this week, but apparently, the second floor is nothingpared to the third floor,'' Allen thought.

    On that floor was arge altar with the students'' names, ranks, and rankings written on it. The altar was made of ck glossy stone, and the writing was written in white with a bright blue light.

    There were ten altars in total, arranged in a circle. At the front was the first and most conspicuous altar, the top ten names were disyed there, with a list of the other twenty below in lowercase letters. The name disyed there would be called "The First Ste," as the most admired student in Oxwade.

    "Has there ever been a first year student who got the first ste?" inquired one of the students.

    "Fool, how could there be," came the dismissive reply. "First-year students only umte points from their weekly studies. There''s no conceivable way they could surpass the year-long efforts of seniors. At best, first years may ascend to the third altar, but even that is rare."

    "Percival, Kethryllia, Zuhair..." murmured Felicia, scanning the names of the top three point-holders at the moment.

    "I don''t know any of them," Felicia admitted.

    "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" eximed Sharik, his shock evident as he leaned in closer to Felicia.

    Allen intervened, pushing Sharik''s face away and adding, "I''ve never heard of them either."

    Geirhild, adopting a sarcastic tone, remarked, "What do you expect from them? Those two hardly attend sses; you shouldn''t be surprised at anything they achieve."

    Sharik retorted, "Oh? You''re right too. But at least, have you never heard of Sir Percival?"

    "I only know he''s the prince of the other side," Felicia replied

    Sharik excitedly began, "That''s very huge issue! Sir Percival is-" but Sharik''s story was cut short by the excited voices of all the students.

    Just then, faint moonlight shot from the crystal onto the altar. The points next to the altar seemed to change randomly, making the names on the altar change position, except for the first altar, whose name still did not budge.

    Until finally, the names stopped moving. The first altar had no changes; the most changes were on the third altar.

    The most surprising change was at the third altar.

    Everyone watched, a uniq case that should never have happened.

    In just a week, a few first-year students managed to enter the third altar.

    Creating a stir among the other students.

    "Miss Kethryllia! You definitely didn''t expect what happened at the altar!" said Daphne excitedly.

    Inside the executive student room, Kethryllia was seen lying down on her familiar body, arge white wolf. While she was reading, Daphne entered the executive room in a hurry.

    "Did my favorite manage to be one with the third altar?" asked Kethryllia.

    "Favorite? Are you talking about your sister, Vioriel? Yes, she made it inside."

    "I''m not talking about her."

    After thinking for a moment, she immediately realized what Kethryllia meant, "Oh, you mean Felicia. Yes, she made it to the third altar."

    "Then everything is as expected. More than three students will make it to the third altar."

    "That''s true, but it''s not just three students! There were ten first-year who entered the third altar!"

    Back to the third floor,

    Allen looked at the third altar, checking the names on it. There was Felicia''s name, and there was also his name at the very bottom.

    What surprised him was the name of the person right above him.

    "Jane Theda Barkaley," Allen muttered. Right at that moment, he could feel the killing air behind him.

    "Long time no see, the fun''s over, killer," behind him, Jane stuck her knife in Allen''s back.

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