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This was a matter of Silian’s life.

“Hey, Silian. If you go through with this marriage, you’re going to die…”

Repenhardt spoke with a hardened face as he followed Silian. Silian then halted his steps and adopted a serious expression.

“Oh, Mr. Repen, do you really believe that outdated saying that marriage is the grave of life? That’s just a myth. In truth, marriage is a great ceremony to find the true meaning of life, a sacred contract that confirms each other’s sincerity before love and affection… No, this is not the time to praise marriage.”

As expected of a priest of Philanence, the goddess of love, Silian instinctively started preaching. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Repenhardt scratched his head, feeling embarrassed.

‘That’s not it. I meant you’ll literally end up in a grave…’

But he couldn’t reveal the truth here. Repenhardt placed a hand on Silian’s shoulder and spoke seriously.

“Silian, I also think you shouldn’t marry that woman.”

“Ah, finally, I have an ally! Sob, as expected, only you understand me, Mr. Repen. Everyone in our order keeps pushing, saying that she’s tall and beautiful, so why not marry her! If they like her so much, they should marry her themselves!”

“Um…”

Watching Silian’s emotional outburst, Repenhardt let out another sigh. It seemed Silian had been through a lot of mental stress.

“In any case, I’m running away now. I’d like to stay with you, but given the circumstances, I have no choice. It was fun, Mr. Repen. Goodbye.”

Just as Silian was about to bolt, Repenhardt grabbed him and frowned.

“Hey! Are you planning to leave right now?”

“If I stay here and get caught, what do you think will happen to me?”

“That may be true, but…”

Knowing Silian’s future, he couldn’t support the marriage. But he also couldn’t just let Silian go like this. He wouldn’t mention the top-quality potion now. Silian was one of the few precious comrades who acknowledged Repenhardt’s dreams.

“So, you’re going to leave my side now?”

“That, that’s…”

Silian’s expression quickly turned sullen. He didn’t want to leave Repenhardt either. He didn’t want to wander this harsh world alone, and Repenhardt, Siris, Russ, and Tilla were all dear to him.

“I don’t want to leave either… but look at the situation. Besides, we’re in the middle of a war; I can’t ask you or anyone else to come with me…”

Silian’s face fell, and his shoulders slumped. Repenhardt sighed, as did Siris, who had been following and watching the situation unfold. The soldiers in the front yard looked puzzled, whispering among themselves as they glanced at Repenhardt and Silian.

“Hmm? Is that the young saint?”

“Where is he going?”

“Did he have a fight with the mage?”

Looking down at the dejected Silian, Repenhardt’s mind raced. Unlike Silian, who was only concerned with leaving behind his comrades, Repenhardt knew he absolutely couldn’t let Silian leave his side for other reasons.

Judging by Silian’s current attitude, it was clear he had no intention of marrying Christine. But in the future, wasn’t there supposed to be the saintess Ellin? This meant…

‘He could be kidnapped, imprisoned, and raped by the Seiya Order later on.’

The concept of a man being raped might seem strange, but considering Christine’s current behavior, she seemed capable of going to such lengths. It was a highly probable future.

“Hey, hey, calm down and let’s discuss this. Do you really think she’ll stop chasing you if you run away? She chased you all the way here, didn’t she?”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Are you going to stop her, Mr. Repen?”

“Um, can’t we somehow make it work? Ignoring the feelings of the other person and following them around like this is counterproductive…”

“If she could be persuaded with words like that, I wouldn’t have left the Philanence Order in the first place!”

Indeed, the clergy of Philanence, the goddess of love, were truly divine experts in love affairs. Even the professionals among them couldn’t convince her; what could Repenhardt possibly do?

“Ugh…”

He needed to stop it, but he couldn’t think of a way. As Repenhardt frowned and groaned in frustration, a voice interrupted them.

“Silian! You’re all ready to return! Let’s go back and have our wedding!”

A tall, two-meter beauty was standing seductively, blocking the mansion’s gate, laughing charmingly. Silian had a panic attack.

“Ugh! I don’t know! It’s because of you, Mr. Repen, that I’ve been caught!”

At the iron gate of Count Hendrik’s mansion, forged from steel, Christine stood proudly, her chest puffed out as she smiled.

“Come on, Silian. Let’s go back. Let’s live happily ever after. We’ll have one son and one daughter.”

“I told you, no, Christine! I don’t want to! I really don’t! I can’t stand the sight of you, let alone love and marriage!”

Usually polite towards women, Sillan’s blunt remark was uncharacteristic. However, Christine showed no sign of anger or hurt.

“Oh, Sillan, you’re so shy.”

Repenhardt realized why Sillan had said such a thing.

‘Wow, she really doesn’t listen to anyone.’

In any case, he couldn’t just stand by any longer. Repenhardt subtly blocked Sillan’s path and spoke to him.

“But… why exactly do you like Sillan so much?”

Christine blushed and twisted her body. Despite the coquettish gesture, her towering height of two meters made it look more like a dragon awakening than a display of charm.

“Because if we get married, our child will have an average height!”

Repenhardt was momentarily speechless.

‘Isn’t that… surprisingly rational?’

At that moment, Repenhardt, too, couldn’t escape the mindset of a mage, detached from the intricacies of a woman’s heart.

Christine looked at Sillan with a hint of pity and asked.

“Sillan, do you intend to pass that curse on to your child?”

“What? Being short isn’t a disease! How is it a curse?”

Sillan yelled in frustration, but Christine continued as if she hadn’t heard him.

“Of course, you wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t either. You’re worried about not growing enough, and I’m worried about growing too much…”

Christine’s eyes gleamed with determination, a look of iron will.

“Our meeting is destined! Come with me. This is the fate bestowed by the Goddess.”

“No! I won’t go!”

“Do you intend to defy the Goddess?”

“When did the Goddess tell me to marry you? Don’t twist Philanence-sama’s words!”

“Seiya has granted permission! Naturally, the Goddess has too!”

Nothing draws attention like a lover’s quarrel. Soldiers in the front yard whispered among themselves, glancing between Christine and Sillan. Sillan looked at Repenhardt with a face on the verge of tears, his eyes pleading intensely.

‘Please save me!’

Repenhardt returned the intense gaze with one of his own.

‘I wish I could! But how?’

Suddenly, Sillan seemed to make a decision, his complexion turning pale. With the expression of someone about to perform a self-sacrificial ritual from legend, he gulped and turned to Christine.

“Sorry, Christine! But I already have someone I love!”

In that moment, Repenhardt chuckled and looked at Siris. He understood Sillan’s true intentions. This was the most clichéd yet effective method of rejecting someone’s confession, wasn’t it?

Siris also gave a wry smile and shrugged, indicating she would play along with the act.

Then, Sillan clung to Repenhardt’s thick arm and shouted, “I’m already in love with Mr. Repen! So I can’t accept your love!”

* * *

At Sillan’s bold declaration, the world seemed to freeze for a moment.

Christine’s mouth hung open, speechless.

“…”

Repenhardt’s mouth also hung open, speechless.

“…”

All the soldiers in the front yard stood with their mouths agape, speechless.

“…”

And Siris, crouched at a distance, was shaking with silent laughter. Though she made no sound, it was clear she was laughing so hard she was crying.

Sillan, holding onto Repenhardt’s arm, blushed deeply.

“Sorry, Christine. But Mr. Repen and I are bound by Philanence-sama’s red thread of fate.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. In the Principality of Chatan, Sillan had used a holy spell, the “Crossroads of Destiny,” to find Repenhardt. According to that spell, which connects fates, Sillan and Repenhardt were indeed “fated by the Goddess.”

So, it wasn’t a lie.

“That can’t be…”

Christine looked utterly shocked. Though she was someone who never listened to others, she knew well that Sillan would never lie using Philanence’s name.

Moreover, the strong Repenhardt and the delicate Sillan made such a well-matched pair at a glance. They seemed like a couple blessed by the heavens. In reality, they were more like a pair of muscular men, but Christine didn’t think that far.

“Oh…”

Christine let out a groan of despair and staggered. The soldiers, watching the scene, finally snapped out of their daze and began whispering.

“That… that was it!”

“They did seem like a suspicious pair.”

“Indeed, they look very well-matched.”

“Now that I think about it, I felt like I heard the significant line, ‘Will you leave my side?’ earlier…”

Compared to Christine and Sillan, Repenhardt and Sillan seemed like a much more reasonable couple. Well, considering common sense, there were more significant issues at play, but people tend to see what they want to see. The soldiers, one by one, started to understand and sent warm, supportive looks towards Repenhardt and Sillan.

And Repenhardt felt like fainting.

‘Hahaha…’

The chaos that struck his mind was as intense as when the Antares Empire burned, and he lost his precious Four Heavenly Kings. Regaining his senses, he whispered to Sillan.

“Hey! Why me?”

Sillan quickly responded, still with the expression of a girl in love.

“Not Siris! She’s not human! She wouldn’t even be eaten!”

“But there are other women!”

“Where?”

For a moment, Repenhardt was at a loss for words. The front yard of the Hendrik estate was filled with the camps of Prince Yubel’s army. The place was teeming with vigorous men, making even the maids afraid to approach. Indeed, the only “human woman” present was Christine.

“Maybe we can call one of the passing maids…”

“An ordinary person won’t do! We need a shock therapy!”

Indeed, the shock therapy seemed to be working. Christine, who never listened to others, now had a face as if her world had collapsed.

Repenhardt sighed deeply.

“And how are you planning to handle the aftermath?”

“With a tiger opening its mouth in front of us, are we supposed to worry about the wolf on the hill?”

It was a bold spirit, one willing to sacrifice flesh to take bones. However, it was not convincing at all, especially as he was hugging Repenhardt like a delicate girl.

Sillan, caressing Repenhardt’s chest, murmured in a coquettish voice.

“Since it’s come to this, we’ll have to reveal our relationship. My love, Repen.”

“Y-yes. My lovely Sillan.”

Repenhardt forced a grin, embracing Sillan’s shoulders, though internally he was screaming in despair.

“Oh, God! Why have you forsaken me!”

Christine, who had been staggering as if the sky had fallen, slowly lifted her head and murmured quietly.

“So that’s how it is…”

In that moment, Sillan and Repenhardt’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s what it was…”

Her voice was one of understanding. Sillan muttered hopefully.

“Is she going to give up?”

Repenhardt replied in a tone filled with despair.

“If I were her, I would.”

But that was underestimating Christine. Her eyes, which had lost their light, began to gleam again.

“Yes, true love always faces trials.”

Christine’s eyes shone menacingly, like those of a wild beast. Even Repenhardt, who had reigned as the Demon King in his previous life, burning half the continent and slaughtering thousands, felt a chill from her fearsome gaze.

Christine swiftly drew her sword from her waist. Pointing it at Repenhardt, she shouted full of murderous intent.

“In the name of true love! I, Christine the Holy Knight of Seiya, challenge you to a duel!”

The forced smile on Repenhardt’s face cracked once more, his expression souring.

“Now, what kind of development is this?”