In the days to come, Roel shared the current progress of his transcendent abilities with Carter, which greatly astounded the marquess.

  “You have reached the bottleneck of Origin Level 4? Are you certain?”


  “Yes, I’m certain about it. I’ve been sensing a feeling of power satiation within me recently, especially after the Challenger Cup,” replied Roel.

  Those words convinced Carter. A feeling of power satiation was a sign that one was on the verge of a breakthrough to Origin Level 3. He had been through that phase himself, but even so, Roel’s progress was way too fast.

  All this while, Carter believed that Roel’s fast growth was due to the late awakening of his bloodline. He thought that Roel’s accumulated effort had sprung him forward, allowing him to develop his transcendental abilities at an unprecedented rate.

  But still, reaching the bottleneck of Origin Level 4 within less than two years was utterly ridiculous. It broke the common sense of the world.

  Carter initially thought that Roel was able to win the Challenger Cup due to the ancient spell that temporarily boosted his power to Origin Level 3. However, from the looks of it, Roel was quite a fearsome transcendent even without the ancient spell.

  It made Carter look at Roel with a conflicted gaze.

  The laws of the Sia Continent dictated that great power came at a great cost. Roel must have braved through untold dangers to undergo such swift growth, but the youth had never before said a word about it to him.

  Carter realized that he was never there for his son, and it filled him with guilt.

  When his failure to care for Roel in his childhood years turned the latter into a rebellious little tyrant, he swore to himself that he would do better. Years had passed since then, but he found that he was still in the same position as before. He was still never there for his son when his son really needed him.

  There were many excuses he could make for himself, such as his duties as a noble and the huge contributions he had made to humankind, but without a doubt, he was a failure as a father.

  He couldn’t bring himself to imagine what would have happened if Roel hadn’t matured early and learned to maneuver around on his own. If something had really happened to Roel, he would have wallowed in regret.

  The mixture of guilt and pride he felt for his child made the marquess sigh softly.

  He shook off those thoughts from his mind and started imparting to Roel his experiences in making a breakthrough to Origin Level 3. His insights provided Roel with a deeper understanding of transcendental abilities.

  Even though Roel had defeated multiple high-level transcendents to date, that didn’t mean that he was necessarily stronger than them. Most of his formidable accomplishments were achieved in the Witness State, where the ancient gods were not as limited by Roel’s own strength and were thus generally stronger.

  He could raise his power to Origin Level 3 with Peytra’s Blessing, but that was a quantitative improvement, not a qualitative one. That was why he was anxious to end the battle with Wilhelmina during the finals of the Challenger Cup. He knew that he was still lacking compared to a real Origin Level 3, especially in terms of his understanding of transcendental powers.

  That was why he wanted to seek the guidance of an experienced high-level transcendent, and Carter, as a veteran Origin Level 2 expert, fitted the bill. Through the explanations, he also became cognizant of the gap between him and Carter.

  The term ‘Origin Level 2 transcendent’ was synonymous with ‘powerhouse’ in the Sia Continent.

  Origin Level 2 transcendents wielded great say even in major countries like the Saint Mesit Theocracy and the Austine Empire. Every single one of them were renowned prodigies of their respective eras, the survivors of countless battles. Their skills and control of mana had been continuously refined with time and accrued experience, and that was something Roel struggled to match.

  He was starting to get a rough grasp of Carter’s strength through the latter’s impartation of knowledge.

  Most likely, Carter was an expert even amongst Origin Level 2 transcendents. That would explain how he became the Chief Magician of the Saint Mesit Theocracy and defeated the patriarch of the Knight Kingdom’s Bess House during a friendly spar.

  Roel gave it some thought, but he didn’t think that he would be a match for his father even after using Peytra’s Blessing. The gap in each Origin Level was a huge hurdle to overcome. He might still stand a chance against an Origin Level 2 scholar, but against a veteran fighter, the most he could hope for was to be able to stand his ground.

  After several days of learning from Carter’s insights, he finally found a direction for him to work toward. Once again, he buried himself in the library’s historical records and patiently awaited Chris’ arrival.

  It was for the first time Carter and Chris were meeting each other after twenty years, so there was bound to be some degree of awkwardness between them. Chris had also proven herself to be inept in the field of romance, such that it wouldn’t be surprising for her to stutter in Carter’s presence.

  Given so, it was impossible for Roel not to feel nervous about it. He had spoken to Alicia about it, and the two of them had agreed to help her whenever the conversation got too awkward.

  But before Chris could arrive at the Ascart Fiefdom, a convoy filled with goods arrived first.

  …


  In the lounge of the Ascarts’ manor, the servants were busy transporting exquisite boxes containing valuable treasures to the lounge, where they opened the boxes one by one to ascertain the goods.

  Not too long ago, a convoy from the Holy Capital’s Labyrinth Villa arrived at the Ascart Fiefdom, bringing with it many valuable treasures from nobles all over the Theocracy. The purpose behind their gifts was simple—to congratulate Roel for winning the Challenger Cup.

  Roel’s victory was so abrupt that the nobles hadn’t been able to make any preparations in advance. Thankfully, it was not their first time encountering such a situation, and they had just the countermeasure for it.

  They would first deliver their congratulations before sending in the gifts later on.

  One could technically view those congratulatory letters to be debt notes. They were all nobles, so it wouldn’t do for them to make empty promises. Whether it was to uphold their pride as nobles or their own credibility, they would usually make sure to deliver the promised gifts.

  As the receiver of the gifts, Roel had his own responsibilities too. It went without saying that he had to write a reply letter upon receiving the gifts, but other than that, he also had to evaluate the value of the gifts and record them down.

  He would have to make sure to reciprocate with a gift of equivalent or slightly higher value when occasions that warranted a gift arose, such as the other party’s birthday.

  It really didn’t matter whether one had the financial means or not. It was the way of the nobles to put on a wealthy appearance even if they had to go into debt for it. Given that Roel had just become the number one person of the younger generation, they would have to make sure to send something worthy of his stature.

  “Belfast Marquess House, an untarnished Golden Bear skin tapestry. Estimated value: 3500 gold coins.”


  “Weiss Marquess House, Seven-colored Calming Flower Vase, magic tool. Any flowers in it will permanently remain in full bloom, and the fragrance it emanates treats insomnia. Estimated value: 4000 gold coins.”


  “Lucerne Ducal House, ‘Forest of Twelve Deers’. Decorative ornament, one of the masterpieces of famed painter Weygin. Estimated value: 5000 gold coins.”


  …


  Roel sat on the sofa and enjoyed a cup of tea while listening to Anna’s explanation on each of the treasures. However, when it came to a little wooden box inscribed with the Xeclydes’ insignia, Anna’s voice suddenly trailed to a halt.

  “Young master, this…”


  She was stunned for several seconds before she carefully brought the wooden box up to Roel.

  Sensing that something was amiss, Roel put down his teacup before taking a closer look. The interior of the box was inscribed with a beautiful artwork depicting one of the church’s legends, and at the center of the beautiful artwork was a ring bearing the insignia of the Xeclydes sitting quietly upon precious red satin.

  “This is…!”


  Roel’s golden eyes narrowed the moment he caught sight of the ring. He pulled the box closer to him to take a closer look, but his face only turned even grimmer.

  A ring bearing a noble house’s insignia was a token only core members of a noble house were qualified to carry. Its significance was bound to be even greater for royal families like the Xeclydes. This was the type of gift that the receiver would have to humbly reject even if the Xeclydes were to offer it to them.

  In other words… Holy Eminence John wishes me to visit him?

  Roel frowned. He spent a few seconds thinking about it before making his way to Carter’s room.