Chapter 541.1: Inseparable Relationship (1)
Chapter 541.1: Inseparable Relationship (1)
Wilhelmina’s body stiffened when she saw the words written in Teresa’s notebook. Her orange eyes slowly began to widen.
Seeing that her point had gotten through, Teresa put down her notebook and contemplated the possibility of what she had just brought up.
Even though Roel had made it clear that he wouldn’t take Wilhelmina as his scapegoat during the Challenger Cup, it still didn’t change the fact that she had worn the armor for a long time… not to mention that she was still wearing the armor for reasons she was unwilling to admit.
The armor had failed to fulfill its purpose when Roel first awakened the Kingmaker Bloodline, but since their meeting a year ago, Wilhelmina had been able to vaguely sense Roel’s condition through the armor. In fact, it had been affecting her emotions over the past year.
Not too long ago, she had fallen into an extreme panic when she suddenly realized that she couldn’t sense Roel’s presence anymore. Her mood severely undermined her performance on the battlefield. It was only when an emergency report from Rose of Dawn arrived and informed her about Roel’s victory over Flooding Death that her heart was finally set at ease.
Her current bouts of nervousness were different from what she had previously felt from Roel, but it was definitely possible for the two matters to be linked. The armor she was wearing was an old relic built on unknown technology, and there were still many mysteries surrounding it despite attempts to decipher it. It wouldn’t be surprising for it to have unexpected abilities.
The two women fell into deep thought. Wilhelmina stood at attention while Teresa fiddled with her quill.
“Do you really think that it’s possible? It’s one thing for me to sense his physical condition, but can something as abstract as emotions really be shared?
If your vow can bring the two of you together across dimensions, I don’t see why it’s incapable of telepathy.
“Theoretically speaking, yes, but…”
Wilhelmina’s voice trailed off halfway through her words. Teresa scribbled on her notebook once more and lifted it up.
If it isn’t a problem on his side, could your nervousness really be due to those two princesses?
“No, I’m certain that it’s not because of them. The three of us have different responsibilities. There’s not much to compare among us.” Wilhelmina shook her head, decisively refuting the stress hypothesis.
Teresa thought that her reply made sense.
The three female commanders who were currently contributing the most on the frontlines were Noyce Fortress’ Lilian Ackermann, Tark Stronghold’s Nora Xeclyde, and Saint Fran Fortress’ Wilhelmina Cambonyte.
All three of them were from Saint Freya Academy, and they were of similar ages and positions. Even in terms of appearance, there was no clear winner among the three of them. It was only normal for the soldiers on the frontlines to compare them given the similarities they shared, but in truth, each of them took on vastly different roles on the battlefield.
There was no doubt that Lilian Ackermann was the strongest among them, having reached Origin Level 2. But based on her accomplishments thus far, her greatest strength lay in defense.
Her strategic maneuvering of the armies and fortresses she summoned through her Kingdom Origin Attribute made her the most resilient shield of humankind. Under her leadership, despite Noyce Fortress’ disastrous lack of geographical advantages, it still turned into an impregnable stronghold capable of fending off enemy forces that were several times larger.
Nora Xeclyde was the latest among them to reach Origin Level 3, but she wielded the greatest group offense capability. In particular, her strength shone in frontal battles in open spaces. Any enemy who came into contact with the terrifying assimilation power of her Angel King Bloodline was doomed to crumble away.
In the battles before last autumn, she had been able to obliterate the enemy’s defenses with a single large-scale offense spell. What was even more frightening was how the Theocracy’s army was unaffected by the Angel King’s power, allowing them to charge fearlessly amidst the rain of golden mana. A one-sided slaughter ensued.
Last but not least, Wilhelmina Cambonyte was the one with the most balanced stats among the three, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have any outstanding strengths. She was a terrifying monster when it came to single-point penetration breakthroughs.
The combination of her Swordheart and Dragon Bloodline granted her frightening penetrative prowess that made her an unstoppable force despite only being at Origin Level 3. The classic example of how her strength came into play was how she and her knights dispersed the enemy forces with their fearless charge, turning around a disadvantageous situation.
It was futile to compare the achievements of the trio when each of them possessed vastly different capabilities. In fact, most of the soldiers on the frontlines simply rooted only for their own people.
After much thought, Wilhelmina was forced to concede that it was likely that her bouts of nervousness stemmed from Roel’s side, but she had no idea what she could do about it. She hesitated to even write a letter to ask about it.
Haven’t you written to him before?
“I did, but those were work correspondence. We have never exchanged any personal letters.”
…
Teresa’s eyelids twitched. How was she supposed to respond to something like that?
On the other hand, Wilhelmina felt distressed. Nora or Lilian could have directly written a letter straight to Roel to ask about it, but she thought that it was inappropriate for her to do the same. She would have been acting more intimate with him than they were supposed to be.
“We are only friends, and it has been a year since we last met. To write to him all of a sudden… It’s one thing if my gut feeling is right, but he would be very confused if that’s not the case.”
You’re not wrong, but Mina, those two wouldn’t even consider that.
“…It’s different. One is his childhood friend; the other is his bloodline kin. I am only an outsider,” Wilhelmina replied with a tinge of bitterness in her voice.
Teresa frowned. She angrily picked up her quill and hurriedly scribbled on her notebook.
Outsider? What in Sia’s name are you talking about? You’re his guardian. You sacrificed ten years for him!
“But I didn’t do anything for him. I should have protected him back when he was still weak, but I failed to find him. Even when we were in the academy, I only caused him more trouble by trying to enforce my selfish philosophy on him.” Wilhelmina’s head hung even lower.
Teresa’s quill screeched to a halt. She didn’t know what she could write to console the armored woman with grayish-blue hair before her.
To Wilhelmina, Roel was not someone whom she could carelessly approach. The Kingmaker Clan was a special existence to the sequestered houses of the Knight Kingdom. Their children grew up with stories depicting the Kingmaker Clan’s heroic exploits and sacrifices, and they were taught that these were the people whom they ought to serve.
At its core, the Knight Kingdom was a country founded by and developed for the Kingmaker Clan. Wilhelmina, despite being the princess of the Knight Kingdom, was raised as a guard and a scapegoat for Roel. It wasn’t just her duty but her raison d’être. This inculcated a sense of inferiority in her regarding Roel, forcing their relationship into that of a liege and a subordinate.
Teresa wouldn’t have thought that there was anything wrong about this had it been in the past. She herself also carried a fair amount of respect for Roel, but after becoming cognizant about Wilhelmina’s feelings, she knew that their current dynamic wouldn’t work out.
The distance that naturally formed between those two as a result of their unequal relationship would make it impossible for anything to blossom between them.
Yet another sigh escaped from Teresa’s lips.
Wilhelmina’s heart began filling with worry. If the cause of her nervousness was really Roel, could this mean that he had encountered some kind of trouble?
It’s possible, but he should be in his fiefdom right now.
“That means that it isn’t the deviants’ doing. Could it be the evil cultists, then?” Wilhelmina suggested.
Teresa gave it some thought before nodding in agreement.
After some discussion, the two of them decided to request an audience with Friedrich Cambonyte, the king of the Knight Kingdom and Wilhelmina’s father, to report the matter.
Meanwhile, in the distant Ascart Fiefdom, Roel’s circumstances turned for the worse.