Chapter 66: The Radiant One

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Words couldn't describe how Roel felt when Nora unfurled her wings of light and shielded him behind her.

He had considered many possibilities. Perhaps Nora would attack him; perhaps she would try to communicate with him peacefully; perhaps she might try to put some distance between them to guard against him; perhaps she would feel desperate, with no choice but to kill him.

However, he never imagined that Nora would actually show her back to him.

While Roel didn't possess an Origin Attribute, he was not completely powerless. On the contrary, he definitely bore a means that could heavily injure Nora—the Ascendwing Short Sword.

This was a weapon that Nora had activated for him, and it allowed him to easily breach the defenses of an Origin Level 5 transcendent. If Roel had set his mind to betray her right now, she would be utterly defenseless given the close range. By daring to give him her back, she was displaying her full trust.

It was true that Nora had been good to him all this while, but he never thought that she would go to such an extent for him. Was she confident of defeating the enemy standing before them?

No, that wasn't it. Roel had no idea what trump cards Nora had up her sleeves, but he was able to sense some of her emotions. It was nearly indiscernible, but the hand she was holding his with was trembling. She was definitely not as calm as she portrayed herself to be at the moment.

Nevertheless, given that they were suddenly shoved into this dark and sinister art studio, surrounded by terrifying paintings that really left one nauseated, her current performance had already far exceeded Roel's expectations.

There was another person who was equally surprised, Peter Kater. He never thought that the mind games that he was skilled at would instead actually further affirm the young girl's will to stand against him.

"Princess of the Xeclydes, you seem to carry some misunderstandings toward us. You deem us as evil cults who ought to be put to death, but that doesn't mean that we're mindless butcherers who go around causing meaningless deaths.

"I have a good idea of both of your strengths. Your Highness, I am confident of defeating you with an overwhelming advantage if you challenge me to a battle. If you're worried that I'll renege on my promise and take your life after killing that boy over there, you need not be. If I wished to, I could have taken both your lives already. There's no need for me to propose such a roundabout manner of doing things."

After hearing the long speech coming from the assassin, Nora looked at him calmly and replied with a few snappy words.

"Are you done speaking?"

"What?"

"I, Nora Xeclyde, as the successor of the royal family, am born with great responsibilities on my shoulders. When it comes to work, Roel is my subordinate. As his liege, I am duty-bound to protect him. When it comes to private relationships, Roel is my close friend. I am obliged to respect and stand up for him.

"I am his guardian, and I'll shield him from unreasonable harm that others seek to inflict on him. This is the responsibility that I, as a Xeclyde, bear. Are you asking me to put down my responsibilities and my pride to collude with the likes of you? Don't insult me."

Nora's forceful words stunned Roel. It felt like he was finally catching a glimpse of the charisma she had before her loyal group of followers. He opened his mouth, but he had no idea what he should say. All he could feel was the dryness of his throat.

The saying 'Subordinates will put their lives on the line for those who recognize their worth'... wasn't exactly appropriate for this situation. That being said, Nora's attitude had indeed moved Roel. The interweaving rays of light behind her back looked glorious, but they were nothing compared to the light she held in her heart.

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