Chapter 96: Life Is So Hard
Chapter 96: Life Is So Hard
A week later, in a classically designed room, a suave black-haired boy dressed in noble clothes sat on a sofa with dead fish eyes as he listened helplessly to a recount of his ‘glorious deeds’.
He was Roel Ascart, the successor to the Ascart House. A lad who was so unlucky as to suddenly encounter king-level assassins the day right after the new year.
While he was safe thanks to Holy Eminence John’s protection—he even managed to awaken his bloodline by a stroke of luck—his life didn’t return to normal after the incident was over. On the contrary, things seemed to be getting worse.
“The rumor you mentioned… how far has it spread?”
After hearing Anna recount the rumor she had heard at the market, Roel was rendered mute for a moment before he asked with a flicker of hope in his eyes. Anna took some time to think of an appropriate way to convey just how widespread the rumors were before speaking.
“While I was purchasing supplies for the Ascart House, I met a total of 7 people from the merchant association. Of them, 6 asked me if the rumors are…”
“Alright! You need not say anymore.”
Roel hurriedly waved his hand to stop Anna from completing the sentence. Just thinking about the rumors made sweat trickle down his forehead, and he quickly wiped it off with his arm.
The rumor was a story that had recently gone viral in the Holy Capital. From the members of royalty and high nobles all the way down to ordinary foot soldiers and servants, anyone who hadn’t heard the story must have been living under a rock. It was a literary masterpiece that combined all of the elements necessary to make a bestseller, just that such effort was completely wasted on mere gossip.
It was said that in Holy Capital Loren, there were two childhood friends who grew up together. They were both the sole successors of prestigious noble houses, and they came to fall in love with one another. However, as the two of them were already engaged, they were unable to come together as a couple.
But, on the first day of the new year, the two of them found themselves unable to curb their feelings for one another any longer. Making use of the opportunity when the elders of their families were gone, they promised themselves to one another and eloped. Yet, in this moment of steaming, passionate bliss, evil cultists exploited a weakness in the defense of the Holy Capital caused by the festivities and assaulted them.
After an intense battle that included many narrow encounters and crises, the two lovers managed to defeat the evil cultists by a narrow margin, but the boy ended up suffering severe injuries during the fight. In order to save her lover, the girl offered him her first kiss in order to evoke a spell to heal his wounds.
However, this act was discovered by the rescue team dispatched to save them, and it was reported to the elders of their respective families. Their secret romance was exposed, they were grounded by their houses and punished severely for it.
The end.
Despite the simplicity of the story, there was a surprising amount of contention over it amongst the populace and the circle of nobility. There were many elements in the story, but the key point was ‘lovebirds being forced apart due to an engagement’. This was a thorn that stabbed deep in the nerves of many people.
The freedom to love was one of the few cases where commoners felt superior to nobles. Due to the nature of the circle of nobility, the marriages between nobles were ever cursed to be used as political tools.
Due to the presence of such contention, the story spread further and further, and it eventually evolved into a social movement. Nobles who had been through similar experiences couldn’t help but shed a tear while recalling their pasts, and the masses vehemently objected to such irrational practice. In a rare show of unity between nobles and commoners, they demanded that the two lovers in the story be allowed to get together!
Yes, that was right. Everyone actually knew who the protagonists in the story were. The scene about the girl giving away her first kiss to save the boy bore a great resemblance to the legend about an angel’s first kiss… though the so-called legend was a mere rumor too. Rumors regarding the royal family tended to spread the fastest, after all.
Roel would have enjoyed this drama as a spectator, but no, instead he was stuck with a leading role. He didn’t have the luxury to sit back and watch the show idly anymore!
Sighing deeply, he leaned back and stared blankly at the ceiling as he recounted the situation that day…
At the end of the battle between Victoria and Wade, he ended up sustaining severe injuries due to having borrowed Grandar’s power. Victoria made use of this opportunity to urge Nora to make a move. Following that, the countdown struck zero, and they were brought back to the real world. The journey back involved intense turbulence and distortions, resulting in both Roel and Nora, who weren’t in good conditions in the first place, to lose consciousness.
He later heard from others that he and Nora had only disappeared for an hour that night. However, when the two of them finally returned, they were cloaked in dirt, and he was severely injured. Also, somehow, their postures were incredibly intimate.
This should have been nothing much, but alas, the mana impartation effect Victoria mentioned really happened. That resulted in the bishop who discovered them not daring to separate them recklessly. It was only later when professional healers from the church arrived that the two were finally separated.
Indeed, their intimate sleeping posture was on full display for a whole half hour! This was no different from a public execution for their reputations!
To make things worse, this sight was broadcasted to Carter and Alicia through a communicator, which resulted in Alicia throwing a tantrum. Alicia was usually very mild-mannered, rarely losing her temper. However, once she was triggered, it was really not easy to placate her at all.
The following day after the incident, she returned and bawled tearfully before him.
“Big brother Roel! Am I not good enough for you? Do you not want me anymore?”
“Of course not! Where did you hear those words from? There’s no way that I wouldn’t want you!”
The wronged look on Alicia’s tearstained face made Roel’s heart squeeze in pain. He simply couldn’t stand watching her cry. He reached out to pull her in and hug her, but astonishingly, Alicia actually turned around and ran away tearfully, rejecting his embrace.
“A-Alicia?”
This refusal was a heavy blow to Roel, causing him to just stand there foolishly, unsure of what to do now.
What’s happening? Why did things not go as I expected? Shouldn’t Alicia reciprocate my hug and finally break out in a smile?
Under Anna’s disdainful gaze, Roel stood in a daze for a very, very long time.
A week had passed since then, but the cold shoulder Alicia was giving him still showed no signs of thawing. Alicia seemed to be busy with something, so Roel didn’t have any opportunities to see her. She wasn’t even at the dining table during mealtimes! Apparently, she had received permission from Carter to have meals in her room.
In other words, Roel had just been fired from his feeding job.
“Is this the end of the world? This must be the end of the world, right?”
Roel muttered to himself with dead eyes. He swallowed his food tearfully as he prayed that a day would come when Alicia finally changed her mind and came down to this dining table to reconcile with him.
He sighed deeply as an unprecedented wave of lethargy swept over his soul. This must be how Garfield felt when he was deprived of lasagna.
“I’m going to die if I don’t get a dose of Aliciatonin soon…”
Listening to the weird mumblings of Roel, Anna couldn’t help but think of just how despondent Alicia had become over the last few days. Her appetite had been getting worse and worse. In the first place, Alicia was a small eater. Previously, she would still try her best to eat a little more when Roel was feeding her, so that they could stay together for a little longer. But, over the past week, Alicia’s food intake had reduced by half, or perhaps even more…
Anna thought about how worried the maids taking care of Alicia had been, and she sighed mournfully. For the children’s happiness, she felt that she should find an opportunity to help the two of them reconcile and renew their bond.
Oblivious to Anna’s thoughts, Roel felt that everything in his eyes looked dull and boring. He had no motivation whatsoever, and he didn’t want to do anything at all. He sent Anna away before lying down listlessly on the sofa.
“Everything has been so vexing recently.”
Roel placed his arm on his forehead as he muttered to himself. Far too many things had happened recently, and he felt that he needed to take some time off to think things over.
It had been a week since he had returned from the Witness State and parted with Nora, but they hadn’t been able to meet with one another ever since then. According to Carter, Nora needed some time in order to stabilize her Silver Bloodline, and during this period of time, she couldn’t get too excited.
Roel couldn’t understand what ‘getting too excited’ had to do with meeting him, but in any case, it did seem like they were being kept apart from one another for the time being. In a sense, the rumor that had been going around wasn’t completely unfounded.
“I wonder how Nora is doing at the moment…”
After having gone through so much together, Roel’s impression of Nora had improved greatly. It would be a lie to say that he didn’t care about her. In fact, there was a tinge of worry within him that simply wouldn’t settle down until he could finally verify with his own eyes that she was safe and sound.
Another thing that Roel did after returning to this world was to check historical records, and he realized that there had been no changes to history at all. It was still stated that Wade was defeated by the returning Holy Eminence Ryan, and Victoria and Ponte hid in the Labyrinth Villa till the very last moment. Knowing this, his heart was set at ease as he affirmed his own deductions.
Most likely, the world that he was brought to previously was just a short snippet of history. Anything that happened there wouldn’t interfere with the real world. Roel’s role was just a Witness, not a time traveler to change history.
It made it seem like everything Roel and Nora did in that world was futile, but that wasn’t really the case either. While they had indeed gone through great danger, nearly losing their lives on several occasions, they had received rewards proportionate to the peril they went through.
In terms of strength, Roel had awakened his bloodline, received Grandar’s blessing, and advanced his transcendent abilities significantly. He felt that he should be able to reach Origin Level 5 very soon. Meanwhile, Nora had successfully awakened her Silver Bloodline, which led to her already crazy fast growth speeding up even more.
In terms of mental maturity, the two of them had grown by quite a bit after all the ordeals they had been through together. They had peered through the fabric of time and witnessed the fearless and brave spirits of Wade, Felder, Victoria, and Ponte as they strove to fulfill their visions for the future of the Theocracy. The experience had changed their thoughts on many matters, leading them to start peering beyond just the surface when looking at matters.
Roel believed that their mental growth was far more important than their power growth. Prodigies like Nora didn’t lack power; what they lacked was wisdom. The education of young nobles was still rather conventional, which led to them viewing the world in a simplistic, one-dimensional manner. They lacked the ability to truly think from other perspectives and utilize the power that was bestowed upon them effectively.
This experience was probably the best practical lesson she could have, imprinting wisdom greater than any book could impart to her. It would help her decide on the path she wanted to walk on as a ruler and save her unnecessary detours.
The only problem was the attitude she was taking toward him…
“Surely she wouldn’t treat me in the same manner that Victoria treats Ponte, right? That can’t possibly be. We aren’t in that kind of relationship in the first place. Ha hahaha.”
Roel consoled himself as he forced out a laugh.