Chapter 245 (1): More Suitable for Adults

Cerci’s inquiry yielded nothing. Due to his harsh choice of words, he was placed under house arrest during the Holy Maiden selection, forbidden from leaving the Prophet Sanctuary. Virgil was suspected of using Cerci due to his failure to stop Cerci, and thus, he was also grounded.

The High Prophet position, which Wayne carelessly dismissed, was highly desirable to many. For Virgil and Cerci, especially, it was their lifelong goal.

Losing to each other wouldn’t be shameful, but losing to an outsider? It was obvious how foul their mood would be.

***

On March fifteenth, Prussia tore up another treaty—one she had just signed last September, the ink barely dry.

The weaker party in the treaty was a small nation that Windsor and Franc had brutally betrayed. Facing the mighty Prussian military, she raised both hands in surrender without a moment’s waiting. In fact, it wasn’t so much a surrender since the process had taken zero seconds; the nation had effectively lined up to welcome her invader.

Meanwhile, Wayne was enjoying Veronica’s punishment under her.

He was experienced in the art of angering Veronica. Today, he leveraged the pastries she had made for afternoon tea. After praising her improved culinary skills and seeing her smile, he suddenly pivoted and praised Vera as the goddess of cooking.

It was a fun ride.

Wayne enjoyed it, and he suspected that Veronica did, too. Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain why she had fallen for the same trick again and again. It was hard to say who among them was deceiving the other.

Considering that Veronica was a tsundere who could not take initiative without him giving her a reason, Wayne had grounds to believe that he had been manipulated.

The older brother, feeling sorry for her younger sister, didn’t expose her little trick, even thoughtfully putting his hands on her legs to support her.

(눈_눈)

Again?

Senna looked at the siblings, speechless. She had to suspect that their relationship wasn’t purely familial. The sister was too obsessed with her brother, and the brother...

“Ahem!”

Senna cleared her throat, interrupting the siblings’ intimate interaction.

Having confirmed Vice Captain Garvin’s intention to recruit Wayne, she prioritized Wayne over Veronica. The temptation of having the Nature Knight in her pocket was too great, so the Holy Maiden role lost its appeal. Still, she had to pursue both rather than letting go of one.

After all, making Wayne the Nature Knight was only Garvin’s wish. Whether Wayne could actually become the chosen knight would depend on Moula and the Goddess of Nature. The former would have to hand over the Elemental Mantra—the knight’s legacy—and the latter would have to acknowledge Wayne’s talent. Only then could the new Nature Knight take over.

Otherwise, everything would be nothing but talk.

In this situation, it was imperative for the siblings to maintain the appropriate distance. They absolutely shouldn’t roughhouse so hard that they create a life out of their clash.

Veronica jumped off her mount and apologized with a blush before running off to the second floor like it was part of a routine. Wayne shamelessly straightened his clothes without the slightest panic.

“Apologies, Master Senna. I was so bored that I teased Veronica a little.”

Don’t tell me you do this at home, too? Doesn’t Silvia ever correct your behavior?

What a terrible mother. She pays too little attention.

Senna reprimanded Wayne as a paternal figure. The siblings’ relationship was showing signs of going down the wrong path. If they didn’t restrain themselves, sooner or later, Wayne’s brotherly affection for his sister could harden.

Wayne nodded and accepted the advice agreeably. He wasn’t going to change, of course. He would do the same next time.

“Master Senna, I thought about the career path you told me to consider, and I still believe that it’s better to be more practical. I don’t intend to become the Nature Knight. That’s too lofty a dream.”

Wayne politely declined, putting the blame on Tuba—on High Prophet Tubert.

“To be honest, after you left the other day, I encountered a mandrill that perfectly merged with nature in the forest. It claimed to be the High Prophet and, after praising my talent, extended an olive branch, offering to take me as his student.”

With every sentence he said, Senna’s expression darkened further. When he believed it was about the right time, he added fuel to the fire: “The degree at which the High Prophet is able to merge with nature makes me envious. I crave his knowledge, very much so. That’s the path I should take.”

Senna scowled, seeing Silvia’s defiance on the face that was strikingly similar to Auston’s.

Look at the son you two raised. He has both of your flaws!

Senna’s fist clenched in her sleeves. She said coldly, “When Tubert sought you out, what else did he say?”

“Um...” Wayne smiled awkwardly. “Not much. He praised your noble character but also said things I shouldn’t tell you about. I hope you understand.”

“Do you believe those words, Wayne?”

“Master Senna, you’re my master’s master. I don’t want to lie to you...” Wayne paused, then said frankly, “My rational mind tells me that High Prophet Tubert was slandering you to make me distance myself from you. He also made many offers to tempt me into becoming his student willingly.”

“And if you follow your heart?”

“The reality is that you never contacted Master Silvia after she pulled out of the Holy Maiden selection. She had led a difficult life until last year, when things finally saw some improvement.”

“You respect Silvia a lot.”

“Yes, I see Master as my mother. She’s far more important to me than Auston.”

Senna’s eyes twitched. Filial piety was a good quality, but it was quite vexing when she didn’t benefit from it.

She knew very well what the root problem was. If she were given another chance, she wouldn’t have ignored Silvia, but would have instead moved in and raised Wayne as her own son. Unfortunately, it was too late to say these things now.

Senna tried to establish a familial relationship with Wayne, but to no avail. Twenty years of standing by and letting Silvia suffer made Wayne resistant to her. Dragging this out wouldn’t change anything.

Since talking about feelings was useless, it was time to be practical.

Her expression turned icy. “You asked me about the curse of dragon blood because you were worried about Silvia, yes?”

Wayne nodded. It wasn’t only for Master, but also to eliminate the hidden threat to Veronica. Possibly Megan, too. If she was suffering from a curse, too, she should be included. After all, she would be Wayne’s stepmother as Auston’s lover. No one in the family should be excluded.

“I’ll contact Vice Captain Garvin and have him seek out Sir Moula. What you need to do is display your talent and prove that you can handle being the Nature Knight,” Senna said. “Once you succeed, I’ll tell you the way to lift the curse and help Silvia break free of her shackles. I know her. She must have stayed at Gold rank because of her curse.”

Wayne frowned. Things were getting tricky. He truly didn’t dare to touch the Nature Knight’s weapon. If something went wrong, not only wouldn’t the curse of the dragon blood be broken, but he himself would suffer, too.

“Master Senna, may we each make a compromise? I’ll turn down the High Prophet, and you’ll tell me how to break the curse, or alternatively, tell me how the curse manifests?”

Senna’s silence was obviously a refusal.

“How about this? You tell me the way to break the curse, and I’ll turn down the High Prophet immediately, crushing his hope.”

Senna huffed out a laugh. The young man was pretty good at playing with words, reversing the cause and effect to make her the benefiting party. She had to admit that she was somewhat tempted.

“Don’t play your tricks on me, Wayne. I’m not Silvia. Auston may have fooled Silvia, but you’re not fooling me.”

Wayne’s lips twitched. She should watch the way she phrased it; Silvia and Auston had gotten married.

After a bemused moment, he said with a frown, “I can accept your deal, but I won’t refuse the High Prophet either, since I’m interested in the legacy. If he becomes furious due to humiliation, you have to take responsibility.”

“If you become the chosen knight, he won’t dare to get angry.”

“The operative word here is ‘if’, Master Senna. Things can go many ways. I need a safety net to fall back on.” Wayne argued for himself. They had to each take a step back, or they would be going in circles forever.

Senna remained silent for a long while. A moment later, she seemed to have come to a decision, her brows relaxing. “Fine, but there’s one thing I need to confirm first.”

“Please, go on.”

“Can you remain merged with nature in your normal state?”

“I can, but not as powerfully as when I’m in my elven state. Once I get used to the feeling, I should be able to do it.”

“For how long?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, in half a month.”

...So soon!

Senna became even more confident about Wayne becoming the goddess’s chosen knight. She had never met a child as clever as he was. Garvin was right. It would be a waste for Wayne not to become a knight.

“Master Senna, why did you ask? Is that important?”

“Very!” Senna reached out to Wayne with her thoughts, knocking on the door to his well-guarded mind. When the door cracked open by a hair, she said with a snort, “You have no trust in me at all, Wayne!”

“One can never be too cautious, Master Senna.” Wayne smiled slightly. Caution was crucial in preventing a misstep. As they said, there could be nothing wrong with being careful.

Senna looked at him with appreciation. She agreed. To deal with a disobedient child, shackles had to be applied.

“Half a month later, withdraw from the Holy Maiden selection. Before Vice Captain Garvin contacts Sir Moula, I have something important to give you.”

“Can you give me a hint, Master Senna?”

“It’s dragon blood.”

“???”

“Just like Silvia was in the past, you’re an excellent talent with an ordinary bloodline. To ensure that you can gain the goddess’s favor, I’ll give you dragon blood.”

“Master Senna, you aren’t trying to control the Nature Knight, are you?” Wayne made a face. Her inexplicable confidence—no, her overwhelming arrogance finally showed him a side of her that was typical of Dragonbloods. The woman wasn’t very smart, either.

He understood why Silvia hadn’t told her about the original bloodline. It wouldn’t be the first time Silvia set her master up, but the fact that Senna hadn’t done any investigation...

Oh, she had to have made a false assumption because she saw his elf form.

Wayne stroked his chin. What a wonderful misunderstanding. Interesting. He suddenly looked forward to how the matter would pan out.