Chapter 488.2

LTBE – Chapter 488.2: A Sweet-Sour Taste (2)

As a matter of fact, the main army of the deviants was already on the verge of arriving at humankind’s border after years of traveling. The vanguards of both sides had already clashed several times now.

The changes in the macro environment spelled a heavier workload for Rosa’s logistical team, leaving Charlotte with no choice but to quickly handle whatever documents she had so as to not hold up the war effort. Even Roel had to make a compromise with the huge stakes involved here.

At the same time, this matter further stoked his motivation to advance his transcendental powers.

So far, Roel hadn’t been to the battlefield and it wasn’t certain whether he would lead an army of troops in the future, but based on his current circumstances, he might be able to contribute more by moving independently.

He had discussed this matter with Principal Antonio prior to leaving Saint Freya Academy, and the latter’s words left him with a lasting impression.

“Child, I understand how you feel. Your father is at the eastern border; it’s only natural that you would want to join him at the frontlines. However, I believe that you can contribute much more by staying here.

“You might be able to contribute as an outstanding general at the frontlines, but you wouldn’t be irreplaceable there. In contrast, your presence here curbs the Fallens and the other evil cultists, which I believe is of vital importance. You have been through that incident four hundred years ago. You should know how important internal stability is during tumultuous times.

“Burst-type transcendents also aren’t suited for prolonged fights. There’s little meaning for you to join the battlefield just to wear yourself down fighting against normal troops. If you truly wish to contribute to the frontlines, the best way you can do so is to become our ace and make a vital breakthrough for us when it really counts.”

“…”

After hearing Antonio’s logical analysis, Roel had no choice but to admit that he would be able to contribute more to humankind by dealing with the evil cultists, though that didn’t mean that he couldn’t contribute to the war efforts at all. On the contrary, what he did here could significantly affect the outcome of the battle at the eastern border.

Brolne’s scholars had found that the Sia Continent’s mana concentration had been steadily rising, even exceeding its highest ever record in the past thousand years. Many believed that this was beneficial to humankind. A higher concentration of mana accelerated a transcendent’s Degree of Assimilation and augmented the prowess of their spells.

As a matter of fact, the golden generation had been growing at a rapid pace over the past year. Some of the more talented ones like Kurt were already making preparations to advance to Origin Level 3 whereas Lilian had already reached Origin Level 2 for several months now.

This would have been unthinkable in the past.

It was often said that heroes are born in times of chaos, and this adage was proven true on the Sia Continent. Only a few of humankind’s upper echelons who knew the truth about the Sia Continent’s history knew that this was an ominous omen, and it unnerved them.

The Sia Continent’s mana concentration rising to its highest ever in the past thousand years also meant that the problem they had to face was going to be the largest ever. Humankind was not the ‘chosen race’ in this world. The fact that the mana concentration had risen beyond its previous peak meant that the enemy they had to face was going to be monstrously powerful.

It made them shudder just to imagine what they were up against.

It was almost as if the tragedy of Tark Stronghold was a prelude as to what was to come.

As if the Savior’s awakening wasn’t terrifying enough, the Mother Goddess’ Six Calamities had been showing an unprecedented level of activity too. In fact, the Saints Convocation, otherwise known as the worshipers of the Mother Goddess, had started making moves recently, just that they had been overshadowed by the Fallens.

This was the worst possible situation.

Both the Savior and the Mother Goddess were known to be existences that surpassed the gods, and the two of them had started making their moves. This situation bore uncanny resemblance to the disaster that ended humankind’s golden era of prosperity back in the Second Epoch.

The only difference this time was that the Ardes and the Twilight Sages Assembly were no longer around.

Understandably, the upper echelons of major countries felt uneasy. This was especially so for the descendants of the Twilight Sages Assembly led by Friedrich Cambonyte, the ruler of the Knight Kingdom. They believed that this was the disaster foretold by the apocalyptic prophecy, and they were pinning their hopes on Roel.

Curbing the evil cultists was merely a small goal for Roel.

As the Ardes’ descendant and Rose of Dawn’s leader, it was his job to prevent the Savior’s awakening and suppress the Six Calamities from causing destruction. That was a responsibility far more important than protecting the eastern border, for that would be dealing with the problem at its root.

Even the invasion of the deviants was an event that occurred due to the Savior’s awakening.

Once Roel found a solution to the problem, the Knight Kingdom, the Country of Scholars, the Saint Mesit Theocracy, and the Rosa Merchant Confederacy would provide him with their full support to resolve the problem once and for all.

It was fortunate that he was on good terms with all of humankind’s major countries with the exception of the Austine Empire. These countries all carried high hopes for him and the Rose of Dawn. To meet their expectations, Roel knew that he had to grow swiftly.

While he was busy taking care of Charlotte, he still made sure to squeeze out time to advance his transcendent powers. Saving the world was important, but so was keeping his loved ones safe.

“Lord Roel, I have prepared the fruits with revitalizing properties.”

“Good.”

Upon hearing the message relayed to him via mana, Roel put his book down and headed to the opposite room, where he received a fruit platter from a maid. He then returned to the study room and made a detour to pick up his book before heading over to Charlotte’s side.

He calmly picked up a slice of fruit with the fork and delivered it toward Charlotte’s mouth.

His sudden approach naturally caught Charlotte’s attention, causing her busy hands to screech to a halt. She raised her head and stared hesitantly at the slice of fruit that was being delivered to her mouth.

On the other hand, Roel continued reading his book, seemingly oblivious to her dilemma.

“…”

In the end, Charlotte caved in and slowly opened her mouth to have a bite of the crimson fruit suffused with mana. A sweet-sour taste spread inside her mouth, reflecting her current feelings.

One of Roel’s conditions for allowing her to work was for her to heed his instructions. She could only work a certain number of hours each day, and she had to strictly follow a rest schedule. These were based on the recommendations made by the Sorofyas’ principal doctor, and Roel was determined to enforce them.

He also took charge of her diet since it was also a key aspect to ensuring a smooth recovery.

The doctors couldn’t have imagined that the diet they had painstakingly crafted would end up becoming a way for the two lovebirds to show their affection for each other. The maids, however, seemed weirdly excited about it.

“You don’t have to do this. I can eat by myself.”

“Yes, that’s what you told me at the start too. The fruit platter ended up untouched,” Roel prodded Charlotte’s cheeks as he replied.

“That is…”

Guilty as charged, Charlotte meekly averted her eyes. The feeding session continued while the two of them carried on with whatever they were doing. It was a warm yet peaceful atmosphere.

The maids couldn’t help but smile whenever they saw their tender interactions while passing by the study room, though the people in question didn’t seem to be aware of that. The fruit platter was finished before they knew it, and Roel proceeded to carefully wipe the edges of her mouth with a wet handkerchief.

It was such a natural transition that Charlotte didn’t even know how to turn him down.

“We’ll be arriving at Rosa soon.”

Feeling too embarrassed, Charlotte tried to change the topic.

“Indeed. Before I knew it, we had already spent half a month together.”

“At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before I become utterly incompetent in my daily life.”

“Hm? I don’t think there’s any difference in what I’m doing from Grace.”

“???”

No difference? How could there be no difference?!

Just thinking about the intimate care that Roel showered her over the last few days with was enough to make her avert her eyes out of embarrassment. Even though he wasn’t as meticulous as the experienced Grace, there were little things that he occasionally did that made her heart run wild.

It has been a year since our last meeting, after all. I guess this much intimacy is fine too… 

The embarrassed Charlotte came up with an excuse to justify the situation. She didn’t bother explaining anything to Roel. Instead, she licked the traces of fruit juice lingering at the corner of her mouth.

A sweet-sour taste suffused from the tip of her tongue down to her heart.