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Chapter 221: Little Miss Angel And Her Chains

Cynthia’s pledge of loyalty came so abruptly that Roel took a while to digest the fact.

The influence that higher existences has over lower existences through the Origin Attribute is greater than I thought, Roel thought.

Oblivious to him, Cynthia didn’t just come to this decision under Peytra’s influence. Roel’s strengths were also in her list of considerations too.

It was a perfectly normal for heretics to follow their Holy Son since the latter was able to communicate with their god and bestow blessings, but the fact that Roel was a powerful and influential proxy fief lord definitely played a huge factor too. It meant that it was worth throwing their weight in with him.

While the Sorofyas treated the heretics fairly well, their faith still lay in the Three Main Origin Attributes. If any mishap occurred, they would have no problem severing their contact with the Ironwall Mercenaries. On the other hand, Roel was already one of their own as the Holy Son of the Unyielding Sect, so they could be assured that he wouldn’t abandon them.

Cynthia’s sudden decision was bold, but it was not made out of recklessness. Roel gracefully accepted her pledge of loyalty before moving on discuss the details.

Peytra’s blessing was a huge incentive, but humans were creatures with needs. Material rewards were equally important in spurring motivation too. He had watched far too many shows where humans killed one another over money to not be aware of this.

He did have the legitimacy here now as the Unyielding Sect’s Holy Son, but he had to have a tangible offering in order to reinforce and sustain their loyalty in him. It would be foolish of him to assume that the Unyielding Sect would unconditionally serve him, especially if they didn’t see a brighter future with him.

The Ironwall Mercenaries had been operating in Rosa for more than a decade now. They had invested greatly in their intelligence network and started quite a few businesses here, so it would be a huge pity to tell them to abandon all of these assets. At the very least, Roel didn’t intend to tell them to do something that would make them sustain such a huge loss.

On top of that, the Ironwall Mercenaries had been serving as Charlotte’s guards for quite some time now, so it could be unwise to shake things up unnecessarily. Guards who were strong and loyal were not easy to come by, so he was hoping to have them continue fulfilling that duty, or else he would regret it dearly if something were to happen to Charlotte.

In a sense, it was good that he had taken the Ironwall Mercenaries under his wing since it made them even more trustworthy, meaning they could be trusted with Charlotte’s safety.

So, after careful discussions with Cynthia, Roel decided to put in place an interim measure and divide the Ironwall Mercenaries into the ‘Ascart Fiefdom Headquarters’ and the ‘Rosa Branch’. The Rosa Branch would function as per usual whereas the Ascart Fiefdom Headquarters would provide the mercenaries with special spiritual support, lodgings, training facilities, and daily necessities. It required, it would help family members of the mercenaries settle down in the fiefdom and find work.

In terms of importance, Roel viewed the Ironwall Mercenaries to be even more important than the Ascarts’ military since this was going to be his private army.

In other words, even if he didn’t inherit Carter’s position as the fief lord, Cynthia and the her mercenary band would still follow him due to his identity as their Holy Son. They were going to be his most stalwart allies and greatest trump card.

On the other hand, Cynthia was moved by the resources Roel was willing to devote on them, and it affirmed her conjecture too—Roel really viewed them as one of his own.

The two of them ended up discussing the details for several hours before finally coming to an agreement. Roel invited her for lunch, but Cynthia rejected it on the grounds of her inappropriate attire. The clothes she wore under her armor were informal, and it didn’t seem polite to have a lady strip her armor either.

...

Time ticked swiftly, and soon it was time for Nora and Carter to leave for the eastern border.

“It looks like it’s time for us to part once more. Will you miss me?”

“...”

In the guest room of the Seyer Tower, Nora took a sip of tea as she looked at the black-haired boy in front of her with eyes filled with affection. Roel averted his eyes upon hearing her words, and it was only a while later that he finally sighed softly and gave his response.

“... A little.”

“Heh, I see... You seem to have become more honest over the last few years.”

“I just want to better use the limited time we have with one another. You tend to get quite busy.”

“Haa. There has been far too much work over the last two years.”

Nora looked a little regretful as she replied. She looked at Roel intently with her head resting casually on her hands when, all of a sudden, she rose to her feet.

“Nora?”

“Don’t move.”

As she walked closer, Roel felt a little overwhelmed by her presence and her fragrance, leaving his head a little dizzy. She put one knee on the chair Roel was sitting on before gazing down on him. Her hand reached forth to gently touch Roel’s chest.

“You know... the look of frustration you reveal during our partings is adorable, but it pains me to have to leave your side. It really is a dilemma.”

“... Do you know what my greatest regret recently is?”

“What is it?”

“I shouldn’t have encouraged you that day.”

Roel clutched his head in frustration as he said those words, but his response only brought a smile to Nora’s face.

“Your troubled expression looks alluring too. Haven’t I told you not to seduce me in such a manner?”

“I didn’t! Tell me how in the world am I seducing you, I’ll change!”

Sensing that Nora’s body had started her trembling and her breathing was getting a little heavy, Roel used ‘Protest’, but it was not very ineffective. Looking at the struggling youth under her, her face began to redden.

“Hey, won’t you allow me to shackle you up with chains?”

“... Isn’t the answer obvious?”

“Please, just once.”

“No way!”

Under the vehement objection of the black-haired boy, Nora could only pout in dissatisfaction. The rare show of childishness from her threw Roel off-guard, leaving him dazed for a moment.

“Forget it, I’ll let you off with a hug for now.”

Unable to realize her wildest ambition, Nora could only switch to something more feasible. She leaned downward and wrapped her hands around Roel’s neck, pressing their warm bodies together. The softness of her chest and clear heartbeat made Roel freeze up a little.

It had been a while since Roel had enjoyed the comfort of Nora’s embrace. The two of them continued hugging each other for quite some time before the latter’s breathing finally calmed down.

“This doesn’t feel too bad for a farewell either.”

“It is the normal way to bid farewell. You’re the one who is weird.”

“Talking bad about me again, hm? What a treacherous subject you are.”

Nora gently nibbled down on Roel’s shoulder, leaving the latter’s face flushed by this unexpected intimate punishment. There was a moment of amorous silence between them before Nora began whispering her parting words into his ears.

“You’re intending to head to the Karon Forest, right?”

“Yes, I’m heading there to look for a token.”

“Promise me that you’ll back down in the face of danger. Nothing is more important than your safety, do you understand that?”

“... Alright.”

Nora’s words filled Roel’s heart with warmth. The two of them continued whispering to one another for a while longer before finally separating from one another. Having received her sweet dessert, Nora hopped onto the carriage with a satisfied look and left with the Theocracy’s guards.

To some extent, she had fulfilled her goal here, having effectively nullified the engagement between Roel and Charlotte. After ensuring that Roel was healthy now, there was no longer any reason for her to postpone her plans any longer.

Her position as the princess of the Theocracy brought her prestige and glory, but it also placed great responsibilities on her shoulders. She had no choice but to devote most of her time for the welfare of humankind.

Roel understood where she was coming from too. She might appear domineering and forceful at times, but her heart was filled with justice, compassion, responsibility... and, well yes, sadism too.

The one next to leave after Nora was Carter. He didn’t have any special parting words for Roel, except for telling the latter not to get involved with other women and focus his efforts on furthering his transcendent abilities, especially survival means. He looked almost as if he was worried that his son would suddenly drop dead one day!

Roel was baffled by Carter’s inexplicable worry, but he replied with a nod to the latter’s advices. Carter gave him a pat on the shoulder before leaping onto his steed and rushing off.

With this, the crisis was finally over. All three parties that were involved in this almost ludicrous incident had returned back to where they had come from. To some extent, Nora, Charlotte, and Alicia managed to make some gains out of this too.

Roel exhaled deeply as the burden was finally lifted from his heart. He felt like he had just been put through the hardest trial of his life.

He did walk out with gains too, having successfully achieve his objectives too—dispelling the side effects from the spells and bringing the Unyielding Sect under his wing. His next step would be to look for the Drunkard Treant Isabella mentioned.

A good news was that the Ironwall Mercenaries had experience taking up missions in the Austine Empire, so Roel could rely on them greatly for the expedition. On top of that, their group wouldn’t stand out since it was normal for mercenary bands to travel around the Sia Continent for their missions.

It was just that Roel stumbled upon a small problem prior to setting off—Alicia.

“Lord Brother, why won’t you allow me to accompany you? You should know that I won’t be a burden to you anymore!”

Roel felt a migraine setting in when Alicia knocked on his door and requested to accompany him on the expedition, not hesitating to employ her tears even. Despite silver-haired girl’s pleas, he adamantly rejected her request.

He had to concede that Alicia was indeed very strong now, but that didn’t hinder Roel’s wish for her to remain safe. To his surprise, after realizing that he wasn’t going to change his mind on this matter, Alicia suddenly changed her tune and accepted his suggestion.

“I understand, Lord Brother. I’ll head back to the Ascarts’ manor first and wait for you to return then.”

“Ah? Y-yes, that would be great.”

Roel could instinctively sense that something was fishy from Alicia’s sudden change in attitude, but he didn’t dig any deeper into it. Having handled the two more difficult ones, he heaved a sigh of relief. The last one, Charlotte, didn’t need much of a farewell since she lived not too far away. On top of that, considering the collaboration projects between Rosa and Ascart Fiefdom that were in the pipelines, she could come over whenever she wanted to under the pretext of a business trip.

“Darling, take care of yourself. I’ll try to finish up my work here and visit you as soon as possible.”

Despite being in public, Charlotte gave a light kiss on Roel’s cheek as she made a promise to him. She stood on the city wall as she watched Roel’s convoy depart Rosa City. At the same time, on the carriage, Roel also turned around to look at the vibrant city he was leaving. He thought about his first meeting with Charlotte and the deal they had made with one another, and it all felt so surreal.

“Perhaps, fate does exist in this world?”

The black-haired boy traveling toward the Austine Empire under the cover of the night murmured to himself.

At the same time, under the silver moon, a fairylike figure melded into the shadows of the carriage, disappearing in an instant.