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Chapter 534.2: I Want It All (2)

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The Ascart Fiefdom’s reserve army was thinner than usual.

The Ascarts had fully backed the Xeclydes in the internal war against the Elrics. In particular, Carter and his personal guards had achieved the most spectacular result, swiftly taking down key fortresses and cornering the Elrics. It was just that outstanding military contributions were often accompanied by heavy casualties.

And less than half a year after the internal war concluded, humankind’s united army was abruptly formed. That was hardly enough time for the Ascarts to recuperate from its losses, but as the de facto second-in-charge in the Theocracy, they still dispatched a sizable number of troops to the frontlines.

These two consecutive setbacks had left the Ascart Fiefdom with barely enough soldiers to hold its own against invaders, but Roel wasn’t too bothered by it. He didn’t know what danger Artasia was warning him about, but it was unlikely for it to be an invasion.

As long as it wasn’t an invasion, the reserve army was unlikely to be of much use.

Roel was leaning toward the possibility of an assault by high transcendents. If his deduction was on the mark, a small group of elites would be much more useful in dealing with the threat instead. Coincidentally, he happened to have the right force for that—the heretic army.

The heretic army might be few in number, but their average strength was impressive and they were absolutely loyal to him. In particular, Cynthia, Rodney, and Woode were able to match Origin Level 2 transcendents with the blessings of the ancient gods.

In the study room, Roel ordered his three capable aides to uphold order in Ascart City and apprehend anyone who looked suspicious. His three aides, however, couldn’t understand the rationale behind his orders.

“Milord, does this mean that suspicious personnel has slipped into the city?”

“…No, they might not be in the city yet.”

“Ah?”

Roel looked out of the window and sighed softly.

He was not the same person he used to be. If transcendents of the Sia Continent were divided into tiers by their fighting prowess, he would rank extremely close to the top. At the very least, it would take an Origin Level 1 transcendent or something close to pose a threat to him.

Something that the Witch Queen considered a threat would surely be capable of dealing devastating damage to Ascart City from the outside.

Roel spent a moment in thought before answering Cynthia and the others’ confusion.

“The enemies we’re facing this time around are different from before. This could be the greatest threat we have ever faced. There’s no guarantee the enemies are in the city, but it’s still worth a try. Don’t recklessly engage any suspicious personnel you find. Instead, I want you to report to me right away. Your safety should be prioritized above all things else. Understood?”

“Understood, milord.”

Cynthia and the others bowed in acknowledgment. After leaving the room, they quickly arranged for their subordinates to thoroughly comb the city.

Alone in the study room once more, Roel turned toward his other two ancient gods for advice. While Grandar and Peytra weren’t as knowledgeable as the Witch Queen, the vast experience they had accrued as Race Sovereigns granted them invaluable insights into situations.

Silence descended on the room after Roel shared his story.

Peytra, morphed into her little golden snake form, lay on the study table, deep in contemplation. In a distant sunset plain, the crimson eyes of a skeleton giant flickered. There was not a sound to be heard other than Roel’s light breathing.

A long time later, Peytra finally broke the silence.

“To be honest, I can’t imagine what kind of enemy you’re up against. There aren’t many human transcendents in the present era who can threaten you. But since that annoying woman took the trouble to warn you, it’d be best to take it seriously,” the Primordial Earth Goddess said.

She didn’t make light of Artasia’s warning despite her dislike for the Witch Queen, but that was all there was to it. After all, she didn’t possess the ability of precognition, and there was only so much she could decipher with limited information.

Even so, Peytra’s words unintentionally piqued an epiphany in Roel.

If both Grandar and Peytra agreed that it would be difficult for the human transcendents of the present era to threaten him, it was likely that Artasia shared the same view. In other words, the enemy Artasia was warning him about wasn’t a human transcendent from the present era.

Roel was reminded of the Treant High Priest. He had to admit that the Fallens made formidable foes, especially since many of them possessed enigmatic means. His several near-death encounters proved the severe threat they posed.

“We are forced to go on the defense here since we don’t have any information on the enemy. Peytra, I’ll be counting on you.”

“I understand. I’ll construct a barrier. But Roel, don’t you think that you should prepare other hands?”

“Prepare other hands?”

“You can seek reinforcement from your allies.”

The little golden snake lying on the table straightened its posture as it said those words. In the distant plains, a skeleton giant raised his head, implicitly expressing his agreement with Peytra’s words. Yet, Roel remained hesitant.

Seeking reinforcement was a move Roel had considered… but he was disinclined to do so.

He had never been fond of troubling others over his own issues, preferring to solve problems on his own. This could be seen in his tendency to share happy moments over difficult ones. It might have been a trait he had inherited from his previous life as a lone adult living in the city.

Of course, he was also afraid of endangering his loved ones.

His attitude had been a constant frustration for those around him. Charlotte and the others were constantly worried about him, knowing that he tended to keep things to himself, and Alicia even had an outburst because of that not too long ago.

Thinking back about how distressed Alicia had been that night when she lashed out at him with quivering words, Roel was forced to reconsider his habits. It was also then that Grandar finally spoke up.

“A warrior should have the courage and determination to shoulder everything alone, but you should also know when to entrust your back to your comrades.”

“Grandar is right. You aren’t alone anymore. With both the Savior and the Mother Goddess on the verge of reawakening, you’re more important to humankind than you can possibly imagine. The humans ought to do everything they can to protect you if they know what’s better for them.”

Under the persuasion of the Giant Sovereign and the Primordial Earth Goddess, Roel finally relented and accepted the proposal to call for reinforcements.

From the urgency of Artasia’s warning, there was a high chance that Roel would meet with danger in the short term, though the exact time remained uncertain. In any case, there was no point calling up distant allies for reinforcements.

Fortunately, the closest ally to him was the Xeclydes in the Holy Capital.

Roel was confident that if he called for reinforcement, Holy Eminence John would dispatch an army of troops over even if he didn’t personally head over.

The other nearby ally whom he could seek help from was the Sorofyas in Rosa.

Regarding that, he had no doubt that Rosa would do everything it could to help him if he asked for assistance, considering how he had just saved Charlotte’s life. It was only unfortunate that Rosa didn’t have a Origin Level 1 transcendent in its ranks, making it a less ideal choice than the Xeclydes.

Who should I seek help from?

That was an easy question. It was obvious that he had to request help from both of them!

Roel’s very act of asking for reinforcement was a stance in itself. With there being no significant difference in the traveling time for both allies to get to Ascart City, whomever he requested help from would be deemed to be the more ‘trusted’ one.

This alluded to whom he relied on more—Nora or Charlotte. In other words, he was choosing between the two of them. If he foolishly treated this as a single-choice question, he would be doomed!

Roel hadn’t lost his mind yet. He wasn’t about to step onto a landmine of his own volition. Besides, with the enemy being unknown, he would rather err on the safer side of having more reinforcements than otherwise.

So, he took out a quill and paper and began writing his letters.

In the sky far above the Ascart Fiefdom, a monster that looked like a hybrid between a falcon and a crow dived through the clouds toward an overcast mountain range, bearing news from the man with an indistinct face.