2 more chapters will be published today after 4h.
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If Renji allows Nova to harm herself to provide a chance for a contract, he will question his humanity. .𝒎
Nearly fainting with anger, Renji sternly reprimands the naive Dragoness and seriously warns her against such self-harmful thoughts. He insists that there will be no contract if she continues this way, which finally makes her abandon this crazy idea.
With that option gone, Nova is left with only one path.
“Master, let Nova help you regain your strength.”
“How?”
“Just like how you trained me before!” Nova energetically gestures to Renji with a fist.
‘Uh…’
Renji looks at the earnestly-faced Nova, feeling a twinge in his heart. When he recalls how he raised Nova – soloing dungeons, being thrown into hordes of monsters, getting killed countless times, and barely clearing them with ‘Save-Load’ tactics – his expression freezes.
“What’s wrong Master?” Nova, seeing Renji’s stiffened expression, was puzzled.
‘Wasn’t this how Master helped me regain my power and awaken my potential? Isn’t this the right way to help Master… or is there a problem?’
But then, as if realizing something, Nova quickly adds:
“Don’t worry Master you don’t have to be concerned about the training ground being too low-level for me!”
“In fact, to keep my training up, I’ve privately bred a batch of monsters from five hundred years ago. Though only seven or eight Disaster-rank monsters are left, I think they should be enough for Master! If not, there are also dozens of Danger-rank monsters, I can capture them and put them in the training ground too!”
Renji: “…”
‘It seems the rumors in the revolutionary army about the brutal Empress privately breeding terrifying monsters as pets for amusement are not entirely false…’
After insisting on the serious matter of Nova exterminating all those monsters under the guise of “not sparing remnants of the old days” Renji realizes he needs to start correcting Nova’s one-track mind to prevent similar devilish training ideas in the future.
And the first step is, of course…
“Come here Nova, come closer… let’s sit down together first”
Renji takes Nova’s hand, which, unlike Suthia’s soft and delicate hands, is much firmer and more resilient. Her skin was compact and elastic, feeling slightly hard to the touch, which is normal for a Vanguard accustomed to close combat, with hands weathered by battle and constantly gripping weapons.
interestingly, at first, Nova’s hand in Renji’s palm indeed feels firm, but as he continues to touch it, it seems to soften under his warmth. The once solid ice melts away, becoming increasingly soft.
In just a few breaths, what were once the hands of the mightiest Vanguard warrior now become utterly yielding, softer even than those of the “Special Ability” or “Cleric” class. The strength in Nova’s fingers fades away rapidly, leaving her hand limply resting in Renji’s palm, completely at his mercy.
Cough!*
‘Focus, Renji! This is not the time of hand-squeezing!’
Renji self-reflects and promptly diverts his attention from Nova’s surprisingly pleasant hand, clearing his throat.
“Listen, Nova, think about it, how often did I personally enter the battlefield in our many fights?”
Nova thinks seriously for a moment and then shakes her head, “Not often.”
Indeed, in the early stages, Renji mostly stayed at the back of the battlefield, commanding rather than engaging directly.
But in the later stages…
Seeing Nova about to make a point, Renji quickly squeezes her hand again. Nova’s cheeks flushed red and her heart raced, and she feels a tipsy warmth she’s never experienced before, momentarily forgetting what she was about to say.
Seizing the opportunity, Renji continues explaining, “So for me, regaining strength doesn’t require training in that way. No, I should say my greatest power has always been here.”
“The greatest power… is still here?”
Nova was confused again. ‘Could it be that Master’s weakness is a facade?’
Seeing Nova’s puzzlement, Renji pauses briefly, maintaining eye contact with clear eyes. While one hand continues to squeeze hers, the other gently moves to Nova’s head.
Renji strokes Nova’s soft red hair, caressing her head, and speaks with a tone of pride and confidence:
“Because it’s all of you.”
“Us?”
“Exactly, you all are my wings, my strength. As long as you take good care of yourselves and live well, my power will never fade!”
Renji’s passionate speech touches Nova, bringing a lump to her throat. Indeed, she realizes she had a shallow understanding of power regarding her master, while he had already been thinking at a higher level.
But soon, Nova senses something amiss.
“So… why didn’t you come to find me directly master?”
“Because I wanted to prepare a reunion gift for you! After five hundred years, I couldn’t just come to see you empty-handed!”
“Is your reunion gift these rebels you want me to subdue?”
Nova tilts her head in her classic, puzzled manner.
“Cough, cough*! No, no, Nova, I just wanted to help these demi-humans reawaken their ability, to find the root of their cursed bloodline, to make your Dragon Nation great again. That’s the gift I wanted to give you.”
Hearing this, Nova feels even guiltier. Unable to manage, she has left her nation in a mess for five hundred years, now relying on her master to clean it up.
Speaking of the demi-human’s bloodline issue, Nova immediately remembers what Karl told her. Even though Karl asked her to keep it from her master, she couldn’t do it.
So, she told Renji everything Karl said – the demi-humans’ bloodline being cursed, the possibility that original members of the Old Alliance are still alive, and… the likely involvement of Miyuki behind the Old Alliance.
Then, Nova proposes to Renji, “Master, come back to the imperial capital with me. I’ll hand over everything in the Dragon Nation to you. This was what I prepared for you, anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll eliminate anyone who disobeys you. With all the power of the Dragon nation you should be better able to help the demi-humans, right?”
As Nova speaks, her tone shifts from tender and submissive to that of the dominated Empress who makes countless people tremble in the Dragon Hall.
Especially when mentioning “those who disobey” her tone turns chillingly cold, and the murderous aura emanating from her convinces Renji that she would not hesitate to bloodily purge the imperial capital’s power structure for him.
Precisely for these reasons, Renji hastily waves off the offer. Becoming an emperor is far too exhausting, something he’s already experienced once in his first playthrough. Now, he just wants to enjoy his time with his wives. Besides, taking on such a high-profile role would be like setting himself up as a target. If he becomes too obvious, the remaining members of his group might also want to take over powers, complicating things further. Renji was aware of his limitations; he might have unified the world in the game, but in reality, he’d rather not.
Why be a toiling emperor when you can be a carefree prince? Moreover, with the looming threat of the Old Alliance and its ties to Miyuki, staying hidden is safer. If he were to come into the spotlight, all these dangers would become more prominent, a scenario Renji dreads to imagine.
Hence, it’s better for him to keep seeing his wives one by one, in secret. This is the wisest way
‘Wait… does this sound a bit unfaithful?’
‘Nah…! It’s for world peace!’
There’s also the matter of Renji not trusting anyone else with certain issues. For instance, he needs to personally investigate Miyuki and the Old Alliance.
So, Renji tells Nova to return to the imperial capital and continue her role as the empress. Together, they can work both openly and covertly to reform the her Nation in no time.
But unfortunately…
“No! Master, I don’t want to go back.” Nova firmly shakes her head at Renji’s suggestion, unwilling to leave him.
In fact, where Renji had previously been holding Nova’s hand, now she grasps his hand tightly, refusing to let go or even consider leaving his side.
Moreover, Nova comes prepared with a compromise, thanks to a previous tip from Lena. She has thought hard and finally found a middle ground that allows her to stay by Renji’s side while still “surrendering.”
That is…
“Master Ashen, I’ve decided before coming here. If you refuse to take over my Nation, then it holds no meaning for me. So…”
In the revolutionary army’s tent, under the light of a burning oil lamp, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Renji, Nova speaks earnestly and firmly:
“I want to join you in the revolution army! We’ll overthrow the Dragon Nation together! And Defeating the Empress!”
Renji: (⊙_⊙)
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