Chapter 75: Loyalty
2xk“……sir.”bYSevN
yBHdj“……”JFuLTg
96ncAA“……sir!”kjQ8L
kKW“……”aYDeqCK
Q9Q“My lord!”lmufU
FQ9PX“Huh? Yes?”2nmqEm
pnI81Stephan jolted in surprise.XbB
GAWOVqXHis assistant was shaking his shoulder while tilting his head.KMmqg
7g17d76“Are you alright? Do you realize you have not said a single word during the entire trip?”Ekefgjz
xraV2sQ“Ah, I’m fine.”V0xBdF
76KOf course he was fine.PXmhwGa
vOdIKStephan turned his head and looked out the window.03V9o
8DBVThey had already left Herman Pascal’s house, and the carriage was moving.4AQ3Rx
kpnWvV“When did the carriage start moving?”UqaDhkO
0ve“Thirty minutes ago, sir.”06N
Ocj“Thirty minutes……”0pj
khR5zmKHe did not remember those thirty minutes.0JjAY
x69UHe did not even remember finishing the meal.GeMj6
QXlStephan’s mind was covered by a thick fog.ZzgiOui
M8fLHBNAnd just when that fog seemed to clear, it wrapped around him again.pMwLQ
OVjAUThat fog was formed by Herman Pascal’s words.jZFvz1
yONYIt was obvious that he had tried to intervene directly.CsIic
sel7Because someone like Herman Pascal.elI
kbLyRThe great merchant.OcZgy
SHgJOThe respected trader.FluI9V
0zqWould never have acted like that if he did not consider it important.GDX5W
2I1NfNAfter all, had anyone in the family ever shown interest in the east?uPjMnXp
AmD9qStephan thought and thought.UOm
jAfy5But it was not a problem that could be solved simply by thinking.zc3
nN1x“Where is the carriage heading?”q3dw
jL3xkTc“Where else would it go? Home, sir.”cmp
CJr“Ah, right. Of course……”3hVI
lyGCgwHe had asked something too obvious.gjCJp
QZ9NknJWhy had he asked something like that?9uO
SJIStephan questioned himself.5JgPO
RPHlpSyDeep down, a part of him did not want to return home.ILH
6VeLDThen where should he go?YQVG
DGBThe destination was clear.cDKU
ClR“How are the horses?”9cEs
c5BpzT“They are in good condition.”LWFrP
RuCB“Then we are not returning. We are going somewhere else.”ufeckkJ
ewzaQCu“Where to?”jdw
dX7bA“To Castle Valdrova.”UBo
tyidx“Without preparation? It will take several days. We would need to prepare clothes, send letters, and all that. Let us return first.”U8LTz1
gLunwiL“Stop talking and let’s go.”3yn
yMXq2Seeing him so absent-minded, the servant could not say anything more and ordered the coachman to change the route.q7h
zo5bgThe fog once again filled Stephan’s mind.WxGT1
H4c5And he moved forward within that fog.56uUrSr
Ylu‘The Far East.’gnZF3y
S11What exactly was the Far East?GsLBm
SyGlFFrom time to time, people appeared dreaming of a gold rush in that unexplored land.D4QqbW
WgmXBut they always failed.equaE
OzjlhAnd that was natural.vb9
irP1ndDemonic energy was a calamity that not even immortals could control.9oOv87H
FLRcFHow could a human possibly overcome it?3uLm9
0REzSYThe result was as obvious as a moth throwing itself into a flame.01qBx
eg0s2LAnd despite knowing that.xWJ
zGjEWhat was he trusting in to come this far?JMd1
0ANL‘Could it be because of the magic stones?’j2FjW
GOLZaStephan had become obsessed with those stones.5VlzE
yX3P6iHe smelled them.7QAl
4WOSDrHe examined them.muN2
e09PSZBut Herman had not reacted the same way.U4lgqvh
9G4pNEGNeither had Tilda.ZgSwbA
Q2jxjNor did Merchit seem interested.1tjVzo
XUiPxUnIf they had sensed the same thing he did, they would have desperately tried to seize them or sabotage him.teK2
qQtStephan wondered.IsJT
PSDi6Ns‘Then am I the one who is wrong?’w1K2sA6
lGDHe wanted to believe in himself, but he had always been like this.Isdx
dOTbZ6A person who convinced himself he was objective and then fell because of arrogance.JK1bWq
VfG9X3His father, Herman Pascal, had always shown him with his own eyes the miserable end of those merchants.6Cx6Rz
hwErOJvIt was advice both from a father and from a man who had attained wealth.62qH
7ZTJ4Am I being arrogant?9Y9GgES
v7KKAm I simply blinded and therefore seeing Perda as a savior?A4JC
tLxFWhat if he is also just another swindler?Fty
i0iqKWill I not end up like all those who died believing only in themselves?uYK1iQ
G4Bn0The doubt would not leave his head.tURRXDd
dWYWas he truly prepared to entrust his life to that man?buDGt
oDYxHe was afraid.88aizI
JVxNcsAfraid of remaining trapped within the Empire, slowly dying because of tolls and restrictions.HUSMr
WWMHSgHe needed something to dispel that fear.6et9
uLDOJyAlcohol?DG9qu
zypWomen?WJaG
WfJtOr perhaps……?tqZ3z5
aOd“Sir!”AVRH
jQd“Uwah! You startled me! What? Why? What happened?”Xyc5
7J6yWc“We have arrived, sir! Please come back to your senses!”zOMfnB
yaVP2“What? We already reached Castle Valdrova? In just a few minutes?”5PC
54LHBRn“What are you talking about? Four days have passed.”I7t
h0lAn entire four days had passed while he remained completely absent-minded.BT0F
7hC67dvHe smelled bad from not properly washing himself, and his luxurious robe was stained with yellowish marks from bodily fluids.n6LEG8
tWF0YWhy had he come here?okkMeD
kfsVAnd then he realized that question was absurd.z1A
K5qbm6Had he not come precisely to find that answer?xCSp
usYWStephan crossed the inner castle searching for Perda.BO9hOk
NLB8Perda was beside Vernell.s6A6X7q
c686IThey seemed to have just finished an important conversation.qk3
5KT“What is it?”Zho9m
6lNPerda asked.OPDddyj
q3V6hu“I… well……”F6BzExb
zOeR0rWhat exactly had he come to say?QkSm5
QG8zFbOnly one sentence echoed in Stephan’s mind.1nq
8nDThg‘I will withdraw from this.’piHM
9v1CRHe could not trust himself.untk
feENUHe feared ending up as a beggar.Wxy
qEZSo he intended to cut ties right there.RxXK
7VkWQ7That was what he wanted to say.VNI1W
j1SYIBut Perda spoke first.Gtzc2n
VqTb94D“I have good news. Rector Escolea made Vernell a major proposal.”z0NQf0
m6gxbAt those words, something different came out of Stephan’s throat.pV9D0g
QouN8yB“W-what kind of proposal?”TQRN15
6g9“He said he offered him the main position at the exhibition that will be held in Hallim in two weeks.”S3qC
jnaLStephan felt as if something had struck his head hard.L2q3kF
zmGThe fog disappeared, and a ray of light pierced through his mind.cDbZwZA
b2lJ5“Congratulations! The main position at the Escolea Exhibition is something huge, right?! At least that is what I understood!”nBi2
mqr3du“Yes. It is an honor for any scholar.”Bfut
iLrY3RuBeing recognized among those extremely demanding scholars carried enormous meaning.d4d
LIBEven among merchants, it would attract attention.AYzsc
xX0T0Z6And nine times out of ten, that meant money.Vm1
Szkfbq“I cannot just let this pass by. What do you say we eat and drink today to celebrate?”P0OIaj
7cn“Haha, I think you are getting ahead of yourself a little too much……”QZKmqH
Gz1Djst“Bah, who cares!? Even if I have to pay for it out of my own pocket, I will organize a grand banquet! Hahaha!”4Rfgi
VyBLS1Stephan burst into loud laughter.SeN
DCRIXDHis exaggerated gestures were unlike him, but everyone assumed he was simply very happy about the news.Vw6m
g2A“Stephan.”Uvp
SYZq“Yes?”oCg
umORX“Didn’t you come to say something?”CO3oFq
hVyPerda asked.SKnd
DbcStephan scratched his head and answered.WK9dO
MPRuF“Ah, that… I just came to say that we should give it our all. Haha!”JS1m
bN10xbbThe fog that had covered Stephan’s mind had already disappeared.foP6jU
1hnWZb1I will trust myself.vsulRK
oiGgfeEven if I end up as a beggar.1XXCw
A23nI will move forward without regrets.uQBjt
3bAN***sjH
rLnYMkVOne week later, Lorga and Valdrova officially announced their alliance.GssoK
UCoThe continent of Serdes was completely shaken.cBP
urowSSGIt was an alliance between a Guardian Dragon and a Cursed Dragon, beings incapable of mixing like water and oil.jMhmb
lhGeNThrough the Grand Council they had exchanged opinions countless times, but their conflicts had always ended unresolved.JFMQyL
Jj31And now they were saying that the Cursed Dragon and the Guardian Dragon had formed an alliance.GZcWk
w9xzrVTMore and more people suspected that Lorga’s side must be mistaken or confused.pWytg
H03iErika’s position was as follows.Yzd
CTtGqT5— Although Valdrova caused a second catastrophe, her regent has demonstrated the will to leave the past behind and conquer the Demon Lands, so we decided to support and accompany his purpose.xkvli
u0yBSuperficially, it was the perfect excuse.MagR
z1EHer support added strength to the bold announcement of the young regent.ECsJ6Jv
dsXEven so, the majority still believed the conquest would fail.IeZMYFY
OQFP— Even if the Blue Eyes support him…YskYG
5VV2— How could a mere human accomplish something that all previous purification attempts could not?bKdYT
hTOZIlFSince Godwin’s death, no one had approached the Demon Lands.N9i0RO
VA1H4xAnd everyone who tried had died.7OKd
9pywqdyHowever, there were also quite a few people who began placing expectations on Perda.9Jjbk
GJn— What if it truly is possible to conquer the Far East?DyVo7kq
iDXJ4YB— Recovering those beautiful lands of the Far East that only exist in history would be an immense achievement.KHydvk
TgP5In any case, the wind had begun to blow.HBh8
JQHAnd for that small ship drifting alone, any current was favorable.9Ld
5eBilgB***d66N
twYsblHallim.GxcPb
Hu7l2vThe city of gambling and entertainment.NybqFz
MYCd8The same place they had once visited to recruit Zed.oBg
KGA5FNow they had returned for the exhibition.rZOrqkg
crqg6MSThe difference was that this time Ruri was not accompanying them.XliHiS
TEndTR8Perda already had enough people around him, and now another Dragon Spawn was also staying within the inner castle.Fjxuq
y1fQRRuri still held a small suspicion that Isabella had arrived to sabotage something.Wwc
TfOE2WgAnd since there was nothing wrong with keeping watch over her, Perda decided to leave Ruri behind.6MoEfkO
kMVHzxrBefore departing, she told him only one thing.8Gs5
WNg“Do not gamble.”oQkb34
kRDu9i“Are we not short on funds? Making money there would be perfect—”KJACd
T2n0“No. Gamble.”wimlY
Q8BKmURuri’s silver eyes shone with such intense killing intent that it seemed a Magic Blast could fire out at any moment.b0vLMvT
nW0And seeing her like that, a rebellious feeling emerged.S1a
Jn5What expression would she make if he gambled away his entire fortune?RFK2l4
tOmzkBut since he only had one life, he ultimately engraved those words into his heart and departed for Hallim.Ztd4
pBjcOzeStephan had returned earlier to prepare the necessary accessories for the main presentation and planned to meet them there.nAk6
eMqVernell continued organizing the contents of his presentation inside the carriage, unable to relax for even a moment.ZUmM
nPwSince it was an important event, Perda spared no support and prepared an environment where he could focus without distractions.y4ULh
xlGmOIyBesides them, the knights Zed and Malcolm were also traveling.oq8OI1V
nVxFW“Huaaaah! Will I really be okay? Are you absolutely sure?”BIgTWe
lydAnd also Penelope.FzGSwb1
hnaNcQShe was screaming like a marmot lost in a prairie.uJCpOk
d46gXuPJust as they reached the entrance to Hallim and were about to complete the entry process.pmlwWWw
hCdOnly one step away from the protective magic circle defending the city.XqxJW
hgTh“I already told you that you will be fine, so let go of my arm, damn lunatic.”lkI
S5wXZed pushed Penelope’s head away.dS4a
iRHXN9But she kept clinging desperately while continuing to complain nonstop.XuiJl
7ytf“I heard it while I was in hell! They say demons cannot enter Hallim! And if they try, their bodies melt! My half-brother died like that!”npkey
JKA2“No, seriously, you are fine. All of that is a cheap lie meant to scare you, so trust me and walk in.”fgoc
sM9VE4“Are you sure I will be okay? I am not going to die?”pMD
5BXXZed eventually got tired of answering.ja9jlKz
35AAtInstead of arguing further, he grabbed Penelope’s arm firmly and dragged her directly forward.Lgc58LT
401wZgShe started screaming like a cat being dragged toward water.PuhSVVx
GWs“Aaaah! What are you doing? I do not want to die! I do not waaaant to—! Ugh, I feel like my stomach is twisti… huh? Nothing happened?”kfKwU
59veLSThe moment she stepped inside the magic circle and confirmed she was still intact.68g9fO
EnFt4Her tearful, terrified expression disappeared instantly, and she stood up abruptly.QSVqwn
l6N2“Human magic barriers are nothing impressive.”97IshHe
zBovvDE“……”b7om
ZNVPVIOZed looked at her as though she were pathetic.4w8x
feR9And everyone else did the same.d3isI
Yekqzc‘Bringing her here might have been a mistake.’X1Qovr
gaxPenelope possessed Sitri’s Life Vessel.8DgDwi
9RkBQ6lJust in case, they decided to keep her close and brought her with them.2TX
RsuBkBesides, they still did not completely trust her.j8Hn5
HLFClaThey feared that bringing a demon with them would cause problems, but it turned out to be an unnecessary concern.IJweGX
bPEJzcUAfter absorbing Sitri’s Life Vessel, Penelope had acquired a special ability.Yr9qvU
b0AmMost common demon-detection spells could not identify her.4PhCyYT
m75peEAs long as she maintained human skin, she was practically indistinguishable from a human.Q3UG05O
not‘And in the end, the most problematic one was herself.’Z2za
gBiBuMaThey expected her to be noisy and troublesome, but she exceeded all expectations.lGcN
MEJ7ZAShe was like a storm.Z7A1wr
orOMlHThe type of person with whom problems appeared even if she stayed still.jDc
N0sHow the hell had Sitri ended up losing the Life Vessel to someone like this?J0z
31AV‘Even so, there must be a reason.’TOVpnR
dPrEverything had a reason.KMAq
XEJTOXkAnd Perda decided not to overlook that.eum
6b4zO3“Tell me about your abilities. You are Sitri’s descendant, so do you use illusions?”cUzAD
mnkYKBJ“Yes. Some simple illusions and certain spells to deceive people.”ODHjSU
ngUSN“Then you are an Arcane Trickster.”YREU
xuDRgi“Oh, that name sounds cool. Yes, something like that.”ssq1MS
0L7Penelope nodded proudly.joMb
CVFo6VThen Zed snorted.KbOfbhI
MRNKbh“Arcane Trickster? More like a Trouble Maker.”0iP
Hkh“What did you say?”sRkH7kW
mq8k3Penelope’s pink eyes glared murderously at Zed.E3EI
IHh65OAnd he brought his face closer to hers without backing down.Zy9ydAL
NnZUQt“Did I lie? Not a single day around you is peaceful!”PPtdm
K0MfBn“That is not my fault! Who told you to attract the attention of a witch like that? If you keep picking up women everywhere, of course things like this happen!”iM9Raqr
oBe01j“You think I do it because I want to? I know perfectly well what things should not be touched!”2vSwt
1yQcUThe two began yelling at each other.cAdoi
QITPerda left that scene behind and reflected on Penelope’s and Zed’s abilities.YbNv
9hxqxZArcane Trickster.2czB
CZ5Penelope and the great thief Zed.9Fj
Fo2Az“Looking at it that way, you two would probably get along quite well.”e8FZppV
EgOZJ“Huh?”ov6y
WhnSuoOZed looked at Perda as though he could not believe what he had just heard.w1aW
O2W8“With all due respect, could you stop associating me with this brainless crybaby?”rTxhCc4
gaSm“Is she not the woman you like?”tvyd
oaTYe“You say that as if I pick up any random thing lying around. I refuse to associate with someone whose mere existence only causes trouble.”ONC3
J5V“And do you think I want to associate with such a violent man? I like women. And only beautiful women! I want to absorb the life energy of beauties without restraint!”2Dl
lHPC“And who was the one absorbing my energy yesterday?”Flpsp
cKgd9lY“I also have to eat! Eat! I only take enough to maintain myself in the human world! That is why I can keep looking human!”3O9u
9hhJVWThey were so noisy.aNx2
m6IeagQPerda decided to retract what he had said.0uVJ
wEXPC“If you want, I can find new partners for you.”X1v0zt
QonBA“Huh?”wVcx8
i4c5c“Huh?”Ebltwvz
sTLThLThe two who, just moments ago, looked ready to kill each other showed strange expressions upon hearing that.gtO
T6qqWhat was wrong with them now?UfEk
Ol9Rz“Ahem… w-well, actually I would prefer to keep the current situation.”KeLW
N6V“Why?”myGX
OzJjO“Because it is not easy to find a man so attractive and skilled at seducing beauties……”aERRxy
jaDWell, Penelope was understandable.G046lyG
B7cGocUBut he could not understand Zed’s reason.egc47gY
3IFkLbY“She absorbs my energy and then erases the memories of the girls I conquer……”3eZM
RIvHearing that, Perda realized he had been mistaken.45ZT
pEfGXw‘The two of them were exactly alike.’jqNjsR
mz50IThere was no more compatible pair.pfrk
3yyUOYAbsolutely forbidden to separate them.TCSBr5
esv***aaC92J
iWr7s1The Escolea Exhibition had rented out one of Hallim’s casinos entirely.eRO3oqX
ZlrhTIt was one of the largest casinos even within the city of entertainment.PDjm0bX
84zKzNThe perfect place to host nobles, merchants, and scholars.X6V9oJO
JvoCxuWhen Perda arrived, they were just finishing the preparations for the first day of the exhibition, right before the opening ceremony.bwc
sG9szSl“Oh, Regent! Did you arrive without problems?”3wmnzu
qDbI3fSStephan, who was wandering nearby, quickly approached and greeted him respectfully.U07a8Zs
FMaPPq6“I arrived safely. And you?”GCmqpg
7N2W“I am also doing well. The exhibition stand turned out exactly as we planned. Would you like to see it?”Q63
ldMS6b“That is precisely why I came, is it not?”Aj1
OYpfO8Stephan began guiding Perda.J6fk
8XQiAs they walked, Perda observed from the side how the exhibition functioned.vvzoU
cIzOWThe scholars displayed their inventions in stand form.u6AjsvA
Gw9Then merchants and nobles walked around observing them one by one.F4kg8O
jjQMXAnd all the participating researchers burned with ambition.MXXW8
h0EUc9lA researcher always lacked money.fOSp6uZ
mhb4That exhibition was a crucial moment for continuing their research.Djj59oh
bA0WVWAnd the ones filling their pockets were precisely the merchants and nobles attending the event.vxOQ42C
0WwtCWith some luck, even Perda might end up becoming the sponsor of one of them.DCEBsd
DgCNPerda casually observed the displayed objects from the entrance.HyxCOun
KNO‘Nothing particularly interesting.’jd2m
T0oiAll he saw were theories without practical application or products with no commercial value.fcblo
KlgUThat was why they seemed so relegated to the outer areas.nl0VfYW
64dyHowever, the further he advanced toward the center of the exhibition, the larger the stands became and the more extravagant the objects were.RKTXK
Z6XkAmong them were even inventions that would be useful in the future.YaVRZA
KmpVernell’s stand was located right in the central area.xzFa
5T48Built with support from the Pascal Company, Vernell’s stand was as eye-catching as the large booths sponsored by major corporations.0NLq
ZNgJkgz“What do you think?”2nSbCK
nsy“It is well made.”ay0GHN
41dS4“Right? We brought decoration specialists to build it, hahaha.”Tph
1E7OcEVAnd precisely because it stood out so much, it attracted the attention of many people.tRl2V
xCoh6The stand was ready.1WU
9hYSBut there were still no products displayed.M6csSI8
OznNzUVThat was because Perda had to bring the magic stones.Xs6KT
lAAgt0“By the way, where are the magic stones we were supposed to prepare?”yFl3x
En6zm“It seems Vernell has them. Where is he?”BTl9Q
Eei2“I think he went to the lodging first.”n7zC
GkY“Without saying anything?”iiuMWJx
KCp3CeAfter spending several days without sleeping properly, perhaps he simply wanted to rest before the main presentation.ZoUz
B45TPerda knew better than anyone how hard Vernell had worked.JsU59
zZhNq“I will go fetch them.”XCaE9A3
73g“No, I will go.”fBs
wWgM9ISince he had nothing else to do anyway, Perda decided to go personally.jWqy3
pidIgnoring Stephan’s insistence, he walked toward the lodging.5vfOe3E
exkBut contrary to what he expected, he did not find Vernell resting in the room.C9rd
2hJMIHe found him in one of the hallways leading toward the inn.tCTc7NE
U5zYAnd Rector Bernard was there as well.5guyza
Lw50NOThe two seemed to be having an important conversation.IEZ4hd
3w4VPerda listened from a certain distance.9jc
HB4“Vernell Marquis.”7Owf
wPTcRector Bernard looked at him and said.4ct5EDc
ytawFWe“I must say I am deeply disappointed in you.”CbVzl
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Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationWhat did he just say.