Chapter 182

Cain’s eyes flicked from the wide back of his captor to the rapidly changing scenery and back.

“Master… What are you doing? Seriously…”

Cain was adaptable… or maybe he just resigned himself quickly.

The mysterious black knight had magic dripping out of his severed arm. If Cain’s eyes didn’t deceive him, that was a fabled death knight, servant of necromancers.

Even if I’d known earlier, I was too weak to move. Second, I didn’t think that someone who’d sacrificed his arm to save me would suddenly turn on me.

“I heard legends that death knights have their own wills and egos, despite being controlled… But what do I know? Whew.” Cain reached up and rubbed his dry lips. He was certain that he was dehydrated now. They had to have been moving for at least half a day, and Cain still didn’t know where he was being dragged to. The death knight had not said a word the entire time, nor did Cain have the energy to ask.

So instead, he just kept wondering.

“God… This is a mountain trek, and I don’t recognize any landmarks. I can’t even think properly around this guy…” The slightly unsteady knight scratched his head. “The Mercenary King has come. I need to recover my strength and fast. But Master Sanders must be worried by now, right?” He looked worried. “No! He can’t know! He’s out there fighting—if he hears his people were defeated, he won’t be able to compete properly. My god, I’ll have to throw myself onto his sword.”

Cain’s head was too fuzzy to imagine what Joshua looked like right now. His loyalty was overriding.

Later, he would realize that his worries were pointless. A knight should be worried about himself and his principles during battle, not his comrades.

It may be more accurate to call Cain a “servant” rather than a “knight.”

Lilith Aphrodite was not only a beauty, but she was also a philosopher and the sword of the Hubalt Empire. The combination of sage and swordswoman was a dangerous one indeed. Her pretty face, voluptuous body, and skill with the sword drew men’s eyes wherever she went.

On top of that, she had her family.

The Hubalt Empire had a unique dual-ruler structure. One was the Emperor, whose position was passed from generation to generation; the other was the pope, an equally powerful and symbolic position, who was carefully chosen. The pope was chosen on two principles: first, God’s blessing, judged by divine power; second, their reputation, judged by the high-ranking priests’ votes.

There was a family in the Hubalt Empire which had given birth to no less than three popes: the Aphrodite family—the family of Pope Marzel. As her name suggested, Lilith was the Pope’s niece. She was one of the few students directly taught by the Knight of God, Chrysler john Sebastian, along with Christian. Both students were the best in their fields in the Empire. At the moment, Lilith was the only woman in Hubalt with more power than the Princess.

I’m a little annoyed right now. Lilith pursed her lips. Her senses—about a hundred times more sensitive than a normal person’s—could feel someone looking at her. And it was a woman’s gaze.

“You know what? Since you’re connected to this, Mr. Akshuler, do you know the name of the girl currently wanted by the Mercenary King and the Imperial family of Avalon? I think she’s called… Iceline jean Rebrecca.”

Lilith had a pretty good memory, almost as good as Jero’s. She was also the current Moon Master. But that aside, the woman in question was standing right in front of her. Staring at her. Iceline’s eyes hadn’t moved since they first landed on Lilith.

Am I that pretty? Or maybe…

Every time beauty and elegance were discussed, the Avalon Empire never failed to come up, especially since they had three of the most beautiful women on the continent… one of which was Iceline. It didn’t bother Lilith that Iceline was rated on the same level as her, but it did bother her that their skills and styles overlapped. They both had a cold aura, but their skill—swordsmanship and magic, respectively—were top-notch. If it weren’t for the Rebreccas, Lilith would most certainly have been considered one of the great rising stars.

Lilith was about 20 years old, but she was very good at her job—both as a knight and managing the Moon Gate. Iceline was around the same age, maybe a little younger.

All that contributed to driving Lilith’s impression of Iceline lower and lower.

You refused to kiss me because of this girl? Lilith felt something she’d never felt before, and it drew her porcelain face into a scowl. He was… thinking about this girl… right?

They say that love makes fools of people.

“I don’t know what to say.” Lilith smiled. “By the way, Mister Akshuler, won’t you introduce me to your companion?”

“Wha—What?” Did she say Joshua was her boyfriend, even though she isn’t interested in men? “Oh, uh… she’s my…”

While Akshuler was struggling to find words, Iceline stepped forward.

“My name is… Selena1.”

Akshuler gaped blankly.

“Hmm?” Lilith feigned ignorance. “You didn’t give me your surname… Are you a commoner?”

“I’m not sure…” Iceline shrugged her delicate shoulders. “You never know. Maybe I’m a princess in disguise.”

“Uh… Ic—Selena, why would you joke like that?” Akshuler tried to puzzle out Iceline’s strange expression.

“I’m also Joshua… ‘precious friend.’”

“His… ‘precious… friend?’” Lilith’s polite smile shook for a moment, but she fixed it before Iceline and Akshuler could notice. “Friends… Friends…” Lilith had put a lot of thought into that word lately. She’s basically a commoner now. Friends with a king? Who is she kidding? Lilith looked Iceline up and down, paying particular attention to certain parts of her body, and smirked. “It’s a little difficult being friends with him.”

“That’s—” Iceline was no dullard. She may have made a name for herself in spite of her broken family, but she knew where she stood. It was not something she could afford to ignore.

“Ah, don’t get me wrong! After all, Joshua is very mature for his age.” Lilith saw Iceline’s flustered reaction and was quick to stop the other woman before her emotions got the better of her. Lilith was not that kind of person.

However, Lilith didn’t forget to advertise her body. Whilst Iceline wore a thick robe that covered her from head to toe, Lilith wore only a single piece of leather armor of a light cotton shirt. The slightest movement highlighted her thin waist and full breasts even more.

“UOOOOOOOOOH—!2”

“Wow, those rumors about a goddess in Hubalt weren’t kidding.”

“Getting kicked out of my house is okay now. This is a good way to die.”

Men suddenly forgot that they’d squandered their fortunes and swallowed dry lumps. Their eyes were faintly pink with infatuation. Astonishingly enough, Lilith didn’t seem bothered by the attention—on the contrary, she wore a satisfied smile.

“Fake…” Iceline mumbled, just loud enough for Lilith to hear.

“What?” Lilith kept smiling, but her forehead creased. “What did you just say—?”

“Excuse me…” Someone interrupted them.

Lilith looked around and discovered that the man handling the payouts had spoken up.

“Um… There are a lot of people waiting, so I’d like you to continue your conversation elsewhere if you don’t mind…?”

Lilith closed her mouth awkwardly.

“…Ah, yes.” She smiled bitterly. “I’m sorry for disturbing your work.” Lilith turned to Iceline, and her voice dropped into a low whisper. “I’m just talking to this… girl.”

She turned back to the manager. “I’m here to get my paycheck.” Lilith produced a palm-sized piece of paper, obviously of high quality, and set it down with a distinct clack.

“Silver paper?” The tent buzzed with excitement.

People who bet less than 10,000 gold received a white paper. People who bet more than 10,000 but less than 100,000 gold received a softly glowing silver paper. They were treated with advanced magic, making them impossible to alter, and were the only way to process your earnings.

Akshuler’s was white. Lilith’s, as the crowd had noted, was silver. She had bet over 10,000 gold on Joshua.

“I think I bet… 50,000?”

“Oh my god!” The gamblers went wild.

50,000 gold at those odds yielded an entire 600,000 gold.

The skinny man stared at the silver slip, but his veneer of professionalism had cracked. He looked confused.

Much to Lilith’s confusion, Iceline laughed and swaggered up to the table.

“That’s it?”

“What? What are you—”

Iceline slapped down her chit.

Lilith peered at it. There was something odd about its color. It wasn’t silver like hers was; it was bright yellow.

“…Gold?”

1 TLN: should be celine, selene… but its too close so I made it selena ↩️