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Chapter 454.2: Slowly Pushing the Boundaries (2)

At this moment of inner conflict, an unexpected individual suddenly appeared in Duke Brookley’s tent.

“That’s quite a predicament you’re in. It looks like I’ve made a timely arrival.”

“Ancestor! What brings you here?”

“Calm down. There is some business I need to attend to, so you can leave the rest to me.”

While Duke Brookley was wavering between his options, an old man who was revered by the masses as the Military God appeared in the Sezes’ base camp without any warning. It was a humble arrival devoid of any fanfare, but it induced a huge stir amongst the soldiers.

The Sezes’ soldiers roared in delight upon hearing the news, as if victory was already in their grasp.

However, in the midst of this joyous atmosphere, Layton Seze showed no reminiscence or fondness for the battlefield at all. He nonchalantly listened to Duke Brookley’s war report before gazing contemplatively at the jungle Roel and the others were camping in.

A long time later, he breathed out a sigh.

“… This day has finally come, Ro.”

After muttering some ambiguous words, Layton closed his eyes and quietly waited for nightfall.

…

“Lord Brother, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s docile.”

“…”

In the jungle, Alicia sat on top of the Emperor of Calamity and stroked its back as she spoke to Roel, who was standing on a massive tree branch just below her. Her words were relaxed and casual, but Roel found it hard to concur with her judgment.

He could have accepted the labeling of any of the other beasts as docile, just not the Emperor of Calamity. But as long as the Emperor of Calamity was able to help them in the upcoming battle, he couldn’t care less whether it was docile or not.

And the Emperor of Calamity was indeed able to pull its weight.

Roel looked at the demonic beasts loitering around the jungle with a ferocious glint in their eyes, and he nodded in awe. Alicia leaped down from the Emperor of Calamity’s back and landed beside him.

“How is it, Lord Brother? They’re obedient, aren’t they?”

“You did well. I didn’t think that it would be possible to instill discipline in the demonic beasts.”

Despite Roel expressing his amazement toward her ability, Alicia wasn’t satisfied with having just this compliment. Standing atop a massive tree branch, she looked at Roel with contemplative narrowed eyes before stepping forward to lean on his chest.

“Lord Brother, did I really do well?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, so you shouldn’t overthink it.”

Recalling Alicia’s earlier depression, he quickly consoled her, not knowing that he was falling into her trap.

“What about my reward?”

“Hm? W-well…”

“Hug me.”

“…”

Those words put Roel at a loss. He slowly reached out and hugged her. Her soft and warm body brought with it a surge of tranquility to his heart.

Alicia was also enjoying the sensations of the embrace, though many more thoughts were running through her mind. It was one thing if it had been like their usual hugs, but they had been separated from each other for so long that she felt like there was a vacuum in her heart. She wanted to fill it up with something, and she knew what that ‘something’ was.

I want to be closer with Lord Brother.

She raised her head and looked into Roel’s golden eyes. A moment of silence loomed between them before she finally spoke up.

“Lord Brother, can you kiss me?”

“Mm.”

Roel gently planted a kiss on her forehead, but to his surprise, Alicia didn’t reveal her usual smile. Instead, she shook her head.

“N-no, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is this…”

As she murmured, Alicia suddenly leaned forward and took his lips.

Roel’s eyes widened at the sudden assault. He instinctively wanted to push her away, but his hands stiffened in hesitation when he recalled the forlorn expression she had on her face earlier. He was worried that rejecting her at this sensitive moment would traumatize her.

I-it should be fine if it’s just a superficial kiss…

After an internal struggle, Roel couldn’t bring himself to push aside Alicia, so he found an excuse for himself instead. On the other hand, a gleam flickered across Alicia’s eyes.

Just as I expected, Lord Brother won’t turn me down if it’s just to this extent.

Her little victory brought a gleeful smile to her lips.

Without a doubt, a lip-to-lip kiss had already transgressed beyond what was permissible between family members. It was a risky move for Alicia to make, but she went through with it because she wanted to see what was acceptable to Roel.

Given her current position, she knew that she had to keep pushing boundaries and slowly get Roel accustomed to her. This was the only way their relationship could advance beyond that of family members to something more so that she wouldn’t lose Roel to the others.

A while later, she reluctantly pulled her lips away from his. Before Roel could say a word, she quickly followed up with some words of gratitude.

“Thank you, Lord Brother. I’m feeling much better.”

“W-well… That’s good, I guess.”

The warm smile on Alicia’s face made it hard for Roel to say anything harsh.

The night gradually deepened, and it was soon time for Roel to set off.

The simplest and quickest way to end this war was to defeat the enemy’s leader. After much consideration, he decided to work together with the Emperor of Calamity during the night assault to take down the Seze Duke.

Under Alicia’s command, the Emperor of Calamity set off to the battlefield while Roel trailed a distance behind it. The demonic beasts soon began their assault on the Sezes’ base camp, but both the Emperor of Calamity and Roel couldn’t help but sense that something was amiss.

At first glance, there wasn’t anything different about the Sezes’ base camp in comparison to last night. However, the Emperor of Calamity sensed a terrifying aura with its hypersensitive instincts that sent chills running down its spine. It halted its footsteps and fidgeted on the spot while nervously assessing the Sezes’ base camp.

It was about the same for Roel too, just that what he sensed was much more tangible.

His ability, Intuition of the Military God, alerted him to the strength of a hostile army and their morale. If what he had felt from Duke Brookley and the Sezes’ elite troops earlier in the day was just mild discomfort, the feeling he was getting from the Sezes’ base camp at this very moment was a lurching sense of danger.

It didn’t make sense.

How could an army that was forced back earlier in the day and was in the midst of getting ambushed by demonic beasts possibly have such high morale?

This anomaly immediately caught Roel’s attention. Before he could think things through, an unbelievable surge of mana suddenly gushed from the Sezes’ base camp.

Majestic dragons made out of condensed mana rushed into the sky and induced sparks of lightning. The clouds swirled and formed a vortex, causing the air on the plains to start revolving.

“!”

Upon sensing the surge of mana, the three ancient gods immediately opened their eyes and raised their heads, revealing a solemn look on each of their faces.

Roel could sense a familiar aura from that mana. It was something he had felt from Magician King Priestley Maxwell when he fought against him in the Witness State—the aura of a Race Sovereign.

C-could this be…

Roel widened his eyes before this intimidating aura. He realized that the most implausible and disastrous situation he had thought of had really happened.

In the distance, the tightly-shut gates of the Sezes’ base camp opened up, and a white-haired elder slowly made his way out. His deep eyes peered across the plains to gaze upon Roel. It was impossible to tell what was on the elder’s mind, but even the weight of his gaze was crushing.

Several seconds passed quietly, as if the calm before the storm. Then, the white-haired elder casually raised his hand.

That very moment, Roel felt a foreboding premonition.

“Sh*t!”

A curse slipped out from Roel’s mouth as blue light suddenly burst forth from the white-haired elder, blinding out the surroundings.