Chapter 207: The Imposing Roel
In Hundred Birds Gallery, a black-haired boy stood at the center of a crimson skeleton manifested out of mana as he gazed quietly at the three girls who had gone all out against one another. Under his steely gaze, Alicia, Nora, and Charlotte glanced at one another, but not one of them made a sound.
It was all-out war just a moment ago, but a queer silence in the next.
Roel looked at the three girls grasping onto their weapons and couldn’t help but heave a deep sigh in his heart.
To be honest, he still hadn’t made full sense of the situation yet. From his perspective, just a moment after Alicia whispered into his ears, the door was suddenly sent blasting off. Then, the bottle of Golden Soul beside him shattered and wrapped around him, leaving him with only his mana to perceive the happenings in his surroundings.
While he wasn’t able to see or hear anything from inside the barrier of Golden Soul, his ability to perceive through mana was still fairly decent, though the trio outside caused such a huge ruckus that it made it much easier for him to do so.
Whether it be Nora and Charlotte’s initial outburst or their final showdown after negotiations broke down, Roel could sense them as clearly as if he was sitting upon a mountain of fireworks. Everything was rattling in his perception, leaving him dumbfounded.
They are fighting one another?
When that thought surfaced in Roel’s mind, his instinctive reaction was disbelief.
How could that be possible? I mean, look at who they are!
Nora, princess of the Theocracy and future successor of the Genesis Goddess Church.
Charlotte, the first miss of Rosa and heiress of the Sorofya House.
Alicia, the young miss of the Ascart House.
They were among the highest ranking young nobles on the Sia Continent, all of them role models for others. They ought to be graceful and magnanimous. Even in a state of rage, they would never vent their emotions violently but deal with it in a more mature manner. It was unthinkable to think that they would come to blows with one another just like that.
So, Roel shook his head, thinking that he had made a mistake somewhere. He thought that the Golden Soul might have simply amplified the pulsations of mana, distorting his perception. However, when the ground really rattled beneath his feet, he immediately jerked in horror.
He might have mistaken the mana pulsations, but surely he couldn’t possibly mistake the trembling ground beneath him?
What in the world could the three of them be doing to shake even the ground?
Roel didn’t have an answer to that question, but he knew for sure that this commotion definitely couldn’t be caused by a peaceful conversation between the three of them.
Out of anxiety, he decisively chose to make his move. It was while he was channeling his mana that he realized that his affliction had been completely cured, and his connection with Grandar had been re-established. While feeling amazed by Alicia’s means, he also gained the confidence to intervene in the fight and force the trio to mediate their differences.
And through borrowing Grandar’s power, he managed to achieve his objective.
“So, who wants to explain to me what you were trying to do earlier?”
In the room, Roel patted off the dust from his body before glaring at the stunned trio snappishly. Just thinking about what had nearly transpired earlier gripped his heart with fear.
They were not fooling around with their attacks earlier. If the three spells had really collided with one another and exploded, it could easily cause half of the mansion to collapse, and that would only be the start of their problems.
The true crisis would start when the news of their battle started being bandied about.
It was one thing to be on bad terms privately, but them turning against each other publicly was no laughing matter, not to mention that they even rolled up their sleeves and came to blows. Without a doubt, this would become a smudge on their reputation, and some might even use it as a tool to further their political agenda.
Under Roel’s stern tone, the three girls immediately thought of the implications of their actions and fell silent.
“You, Nora Xeclyde, represent the Theocracy and the church. You, Charlotte Sorofya, represent the Sorofya House and the whole of Rosa. You, Alicia Ascart, represent our Ascart House, me, and our father. Do you think that people of your standing have the privilege to wilfully do as you please?!”
Roel pointed his finger at the girls who had done wrong and harshly berated their thoughtless actions. Before his fury, Nora averted her gaze, Charlotte lowered her head, and Alicia began tearing up.
“It’s because wuuu it wasn’t easy for me to find an opportunity to have some private time with Lord Brother, but they interrupted me wuuu……” said Alicia with her voice choked up with indignance.
Her pitiful appearance stabbed deep into Roel’s heart, spurring an urge in him to rush forward and console her. However, with the other two present, he had to uphold an impartial front, so he forcefully pushed that thought from his mind. He exhaled softly and mellowed his tone a little.
“Regardless of the reason, you should have never allowed things to come to this point. Fighting amongst one another is completely unacceptable, not to mention that the three of you even caused such a huge ruckus in the middle of the city. All of the high level transcendents in Rosa should have already sensed what you did; it won’t be long before my father and the others arrive here. How do you intend to explain the situation to them?”
The question Roel posed loomed heavily above the heated minds of the trio. Putting aside Charlotte and Alicia, who would soon be berated by their fathers for their dangerously wilful actions, even Nora’s face had turned slightly pale as well.
“If we claim that it’s a spar…… no, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll be able to pass it off with that.”
“Father and the others wouldn’t believe that.”
You don’t say! Sparring right before a patient like me? One would have to be as dumb as a rock to believe something like that!, Roel scoffed in his mind.
He glanced out of the window to see the maids and guards who were rushing over. Not wanting there to be too many eye-witnesses, he bellowed for them to stay away before turning his attention back to the three girls. This situation made his head hurt too.
He had to find a way to cover up this matter before the elders arrived, otherwise it would be no joke if it led to a conflict amongst the executives of their respective powers.
“Grandar, it looks like I can only have you take the fall for this one.”
“Feel free to use my power to conceal the mana pulsations lingering in the area.”
After much consideration, Roel apologized to the massive skeleton, though Grandar didn’t think too much into it. Crimson mana swiftly swept across the room, casting a layer of undead reanimation upon everything in the room.
“This should be enough, right?” murmured Roel as he nodded in satisfaction at his handiwork.
He was just about to thank Grandar when he suddenly felt something choking him as it climbed up his throat. The next second, he spurted out blood from his mouth.
The hell, what’s going on here? Is this a blood stasis?
Roel stared at the sudden burst of blood he spurted out with a look of confusion whereas the other three girls were utterly horrified. Nora immediately swooped over to Roel’s side, and Charlotte quickly followed suit. The nearest Alicia had already begun diagnosing his condition with her mana.
“L-Lord Brother? What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“Roel, c-calm down a little. I know that I’ve done wrong here, and I’ll reflect over my actions.”
“Darling, I won’t do this ever again, so please compose yourself.”
Alicia anxiously checked on Roel’s body as she asked about his condition. Nora’s body trembled a little as she uttered some rare, yielding words. Charlotte quickly wiped off the blood from Roel’s mouth, and she looked so nervous that it looked like she was going to burst into tears.
No no, you’re misunderstanding it. I didn’t spurt blood out of anger. It’s most likely…… Wait a moment!
Roel was just about to clarify the situation when he noticed the anxious looks of the girls around him, and an idea surfaced in his mind. He allowed his body to fall limp as he began breathing raggedly.
“T-the lot of you…… are really going to be the death of me. Huff huff. If you dare to do it again……”
“Wuuu, we won’t dare to do it ever again! Lord Brother, I will never wilfully get into a fight ever again!”
“Roel, I promise you that too. You aren’t in a good state at the moment, so calm down a little.”
“Darling, I know that it’s my fault, and I won’t do it again.”
Seeing how their loved one had been agitated to the point of throwing up blood, Alicia bawled sorrowfully as tears flowed down her cheeks. Under her influence, Charlotte also began weeping silently too. Nora didn’t have much experience with tearing up, so she cupped Roel’s cheek reassuringly to calm him down.
Under the coaxing of the three girls, Roel’s rage was finally dissipated. However, with his temper fading, another emotion accompanied by lust started to take dominance. The whispers and the physical intimacy was just too much for his already abnormal condition and surging vitality.
“Alright, I trust you. So…… can anyone bring me some ice cubes?” asked Roel through clenched teeth.