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Chapter 617: Abrupt News

Roel held Wilhelmina in his arms as he looked at the moonlit night with contemplative eyes. On the other hand, Wilhelmina frowned in confusion.

“Roel, what do you mean?”

“It’s as I have said.”

Roel lowered his head as he tried to uncover the rationale behind why he felt that way.

Supposing his last Witness State had really influenced the real world, it would complicate his relationship with the Mother Goddess. It was too early to say which of the two memories from the divergent timelines had a greater effect on Her, but it would be wiser of him to not make a reckless move and turn her into an enemy.

To avoid agitating the Mother Goddess, he had to rescue Alicia alone.

Taking a step back, as someone who had witnessed the Mother Goddess’ power, he knew it wouldn’t make a difference how many people were flung at Her. If She sought to take Roel’s life, Wilhelmina would just be an additional count on the death toll.

“Mina… what if I don’t plan to make the Mother Goddess the enemy?”

“Ah?” Wilhelmina gaped, but she quickly pulled herself together to ponder the matter. “…Are you hesitant to confront the Mother Goddess because of Her strength?”

“I won’t deny that’s part of the reason, but it’s more than that… In the most recent Witness State, She took care of me like Her own child and even saved my life.”

“!” Wilhelmina widened her eyes in shock.

Roel’s trump cards, Indestructible Body and Sia-fication, had come from the Mother Goddess. Were it not for them, he would have died in his battle against Banjol.

In the real timeline, the Kingmaker Clan had hurt the Mother Goddess time and time again, leading to the animosity between them. However, Roel had experienced the Mother Goddess’ boundless love in the Witness State, and it was simply too hard for him to turn against Her.

The Tripartite Alliance had prophesied the Mother Goddess’ awakening as one of the factors behind the apocalypse, which made Her an inevitable enemy for humankind. Roel’s current attitude was highly inappropriate, and he was prepared to face Wilhelmina’s disappointment.

But to his surprise, Wilhelmina didn’t say anything about the matter.

“I see…” Wilhelmina nodded as the shock on her face slowly faded.

…Huh? Is that all? Roel was confused by her response.

He thought that Wilhelmina would strongly chastise him for thinking that way. She was the successor of the Twilight Sages Assembly, as well as a strong supporter of the hawk faction.

The Twilight Sages Assembly had always deemed the Mother Goddess to be their greatest enemy, even in the Second Epoch. Be it the Six Calamities or the Saints Convocation, an evil cult comprising the Mother Goddess’ worshipers, they had been thorns in humankind’s back. Countless had died trying to stop them over the years.

Roel wouldn’t have been surprised if Wilhelmina berated him for his wilful and perhaps even naive thought, but her response was oddly placid. Thus, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “…Mina, are you really fine with that?”

“I don’t know. I’m still struggling to accept what you have just said, and I’m still doubtful as to whether the Mother Goddess has memories of the Witness State. However, I don’t think that I have the right to oppose your decision.”

“Hm?”

Is it happening again? Roel thought with a frown as he recalled Wilhelmina’s old habit.

Due to the vow, Wilhelmina saw herself as a tool for Roel’s protection, inculcating a mindset in her that she was second to him. That was why she was so torn when she fell in love with him. She felt unworthy and dared not voice her feelings. It was only when she encountered the threat of death that she overcame those shackles.

That was also not the kind of relationship Roel wanted, so he had many chats with Wilhelmina back then regarding this matter. However, it would appear she hadn’t freed herself from that deeply-rooted mindset of hers.

He grabbed Wilhelmina’s shoulders with the intent of emphasizing his point once more, only to be startled when he saw her demeanor. Her head was lowered, and her cheeks carried a tinge of redness. It was unlike the expressions she had shown when she proclaimed herself a tool.

“I’d have objected to it as a commander of the united army, but in my individual capacity as your future p-partner, I want to support you in whatever you wish to do, s-so…” Wilhelmina’s body trembled out of embarrassment as she looked at Roel with glistening orange eyes.

“…” Roel was stunned. The sharp contrast in her images rocketed his heartbeat.

He had known how innocent she was, having never experienced romance before, which was why her words packed a ton of power. His heart was put at ease, knowing that she had changed her self-evaluation.

“Mina, you are really cute.”

“Ah? A-are you complimenting me?”

“Of course I am.” Roel hugged Wilhelmina as his worry dissipated into thin air. After a long embrace, he broke the silence and said, “It’s getting late. We should sleep.”

“Now? I-I am not ready yet…” Wilhelmina immediately tensed up in Roel’s arms, and her heartbeat raced.

Roel let out a helpless sigh. He leaned forward and sealed her lips.

“!”

Wilhelmina’s eyes bulged the moment their lips met, and her cheeks flushed with redness. Seeing that, Roel pulled back and ended the kiss.

“All right, that’s all for today.”

“Roel?”

“We shouldn’t disrupt our pace just because of Principal Antonio’s words. Things are moving too fast for us, so it’s only normal for you to subconsciously reject it.”

“…I’m sorry,” the furiously blushing Wilhelmina apologized.

Roel wasn’t disappointed, since this kiss was already a huge step forward for Wilhelmina. It was just a month ago that she first held a man’s hand. He brought her to his bedroom, and the two of them embraced each other to sleep.

…

Roel spent his days after the Battle of Scorched Earth under Nora and the others’ protection. His condition had improved significantly after Charlotte dispelled the side effects from using the Crown’s Stones for him, allowing him to meet with his old friends.

The first group of people were the members of the golden generation from Pendor, such as Giant Kurt, Valkyrie Brittany, Selina, Juliana, and the others.

He was surprised by how much they had grown over the past year, be it in terms of strength or maturity. Their disposition had become more imposing, and he could sense strong camaraderie amongst them.

In his idle chatter with Wilhelmina, he learned that there was an incident in the past year where the deviants cornered an army made up of Brolne’s forces in a mountain valley. They were trapped for ten days before reinforcements finally arrived.

“One of the deviants’ Race Sovereigns launched a surprise assault, catching the united army by surprise. It was terrible. The army had already suffered a casualty rate of more than 50% by the time reinforcements arrived. Kurt, Selina, and the others were part of that army.”

Roel’s heart felt heavy when he remembered Wilhelmina’s words. He was exceptionally bothered by Brittany’s eyepatch, which prompted the latter to share the matter.

“Chief, I did lose one of my eyes in that battle, but it’s treatable.”

“Then why didn’t you treat it?”

“She suffered that injury to her eye just last year. She would have to retire from the frontline for a few months if she wanted to seek treatment, but that would mean that she wouldn’t be able to protect Geralt in the meantime,” Selina explained on her behalf with a warm smile.

Having her thoughts exposed embarrassed Brittany. She quickly changed the subject by explaining the circumstances back then.

That battle resulted in the death of many whom Roel was familiar with in Saint Freya Academy, but that difficult battle had also given birth to strong feelings within the group, including romance.

Roel’s two closest friends during his days in Saint Freya Academy were Geralt and Paul.

For the longest time, Geralt and Brittany’s romance had been the biggest problem in the Bluerose Faction. Brittany was a natural yandere due to the Valkyrie Bloodline’s traits, which led to her doing many things that traumatized Geralt back when they were young. As a result, their relationship never advanced no matter how Brittany courted him.

Roel intervened and resolved their misunderstandings afterward, but even so, they were only ordinary childhood friends then. Everyone thought that this situation would last for a long time, but the outbreak of war shook things up.

With the deviants’ Race Sovereigns showing up one after another, humankind was forced to mobilize all available transcendents, forcing Saint Freya Academy’s students to march off to the battlefield.

Many were sacrificed in the process.

The most dangerous encounter was none other than the battle Wilhelmina mentioned. That was the first time the Origin Level 1 winged deviant made its appearance. The sudden emergence of a powerful aerial enemy plunged the united army into chaos, and each army had to fight for their survival.

The commanding officer of Brolne’s army had lost his life in the midst of that battle, so Geralt, the deputy commander, took command. Stoked by the hatred from the death of his comrades, Geralt was exceptionally aggressive in the battle, which made him a target of an Origin Level 2 deviant.

In order to protect her beloved, Brittany, despite only being at Origin Level 3 then, fought a bitter battle with the deviant. With the help of others, she eventually managed to drive it away.

However, in the final phase of the battle, the deviants unleashed a rain of arrows upon the united army. Geralt and Brittany were too tired to escape, but Brittany didn’t abandon him. Despite being rejected by him time and time again, she used her body to shield him from the rain of arrows. In the end, she suffered nine arrows and fainted.

“You sure are brave,” Roel complimented, moved by her sentiments.

“I had no choice because I couldn’t think of any other solutions. He is much stronger than me.” Brittany shyly shook her head before sharing the latter part of the story.

The united army arrived shortly after the rain of arrows, but they couldn’t find Brittany and the others right away. She only survived the ordeal because Geralt dragged her to the emergency rescue point with his fractured legs.

No one knew how he found the strength to do it, but this reckless maneuver inflicted nearly irreparable harm to his legs. He wouldn’t be able to fight for the next few years, which was why he retreated from the frontlines and became a military advisor instead.

Roel was moved by their story. He agreed to become the witness for their wedding ceremony. To his surprise, after they concluded the conversation, Brittany suddenly took out an envelope and passed it to him.

“This is…?”

“This is a letter Geralt sent using our Rose of Dawn’s internal channels. He insisted you see this as soon as possible.”

“All right,” Roel replied grimly as he carefully stowed away the envelope.

He only opened the envelope after seeing off the group. His face quickly warped in shock. The letter was short, containing just a few key pieces of information.

Something happened in the Austine Empire. We lost contact with Paul, and we don’t know his current condition.