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Chapter 533.2: A Fleeting Warning (2)

Wilhelmina and Teresa had been consistently writing to Roel through Rose of Dawn’s communication channels by including personal texts in their regular official reports.

Wilhelmina remained rigid even in these personal texts, writing in an extremely formal manner, though it did fit her overly earnest personality. In contrast, Teresa was much more casual. She had gotten close to Roel as juice-drinking buddies.

Through the letters, Roel got a rough idea of how Wilhelmina was faring.

She had been extremely busy at the eastern border. Most of the time, she was either hacking down enemies or on her way to hacking down more enemies. It couldn’t be helped since her scope of responsibilities had expanded due to her advancement in her Swordheart.

For more than a decade, Wilhelmina had hidden her identity under a thick suit of armor, awaiting the moment to fulfill the vow to the Kingmaker Clan. Growing up in a stressful environment like this was beneficial to her growth, but once she grew to a certain point, her heart started to fall into confusion.

The heavy responsibility heaped on her shoulders and the huge sacrifices she had to make were so crushing that she needed to find an outlet for her stress. She unwittingly channeled those emotions onto Roel, which led to their confrontation at Saint Freya Academy.

Such self-suppression contradicted the conceptualization of Swordheart, dulling Wilhelmina’s blade. However, during their battle in the Challenger Cup, Roel shattered the shackles she was wearing, liberating her heart. That sparked swift growth in her.

According to Teresa, Wilhelmina’s Swordheart underwent metamorphosis after her confusion was vanquished. The armor she wore amplified her growth, and the battles she fought in the eastern border reinforced her fighting prowess.

With these in mind, it was now much easier for Roel to write a response letter to the Knight Kingdom. He first spent a moment in contemplation before picking up his quill.

Using the same sincere and amicable tone that Friedrich took, he first thanked Friedrich for his concern before tactfully declining his offer to have Wilhelmina guard him. He claimed that he didn’t want to impose on Wilhelmina when she was undergoing a phase of swift growth.

Once he was done writing the letter, Roel heaved a sigh of relief before entrusting the letter to Anna to have it delivered. After settling this issue, he dived back into his work.

Anna’s departure caused a slip in Roel’s efficiency, but he didn’t pay it much mind. Not too long later, a silver-haired woman suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Lord Brother, you are…”

“Alicia? It’s nothing much. I couldn’t fall asleep, so I figured that it would be good to settle some documents.”

“That’s not the problem. Lord Brother, it’s New Year’s Day.”

“…Indeed,” Roel replied, looking at the bustling crowds in the distant street.

Alicia softly sighed. She had long known that Roel was a workaholic, but she didn’t think that he would continue work right after their prayers. Even if he couldn’t sleep, there were other things he could have done to relax.

“Lord Brother, why didn’t you call me? I could have played the piano for you.”

“How would you fall asleep then?”

“It’s only one night. It doesn’t matter. Besides, Lord Brother, you also know the effects of my bloodline.” Alicia insisted Roel find her the next time he was suffering from insomnia.

Roel responded to her plea with a nod.

Alicia was a high transcendent with a physical constitution far superior to that of ordinary mortals. It wasn’t an issue for her to stay up for days on end. On top of that, her Silverash Bloodline nourished her with boundless life force and kept her in tip-top condition.

Nevertheless, Roel had no intention of calling her over at night. He didn’t think that it was right to disturb other people’s sleep just because he was suffering from insomnia, and to be honest… he didn’t dare to meet her at night.

It had become much more difficult for him to detect Alicia’s little tricks now that she had made a breakthrough to Origin Level 3. She was particularly dangerous at night, as that was when she was suffused with life force. He still hadn’t forgotten how she had drugged him a few years back, and he didn’t want to commit an irreversible mistake because of that.

“Lord Brother, why don’t we try some spells? I am well versed in quite a few sleeping spells,” Alicia suggested.

“Those spells are unlikely to work on me due to my immunity. Don’t worry about me. Working calms my mind too,” Roel replied as he signed yet another document.

Alicia sharply noticed an implied detail in Roel’s words. She concernedly looked at Roel for a few seconds before hesitantly posing her question.

“Lord Brother, are you still feeling uneasy?”

“Mmhm. It might be because I’ve diverted my attention away, but I’m feeling better now.”

“I see… I’ll help you with your work.”

Unable to think of any solution to Roel’s problem, Alicia could only offer her help with the stack of documents. Roel understood how she felt and didn’t turn her away.

Perhaps it was due to their tight bond, or because both of them were on the same page from having settled many administrative issues on the fiefdom, but the work efficiency noticeably shot up with Alicia’s help.

Their symphonious coordination continued for nearly an hour before Anna finally returned. Seeing that, Roel proposed for the two of them to have a walk in the streets, as per his initial intention.

“It’s New Year’s Day. Our city is more bustling than ever due to the population inflow. Alicia, you should take a look around on my behalf.”

“But, Lord Brother…”

“Don’t worry about the documents. I’m only here to pass my time, so it doesn’t matter if these documents get processed more slowly. I’ll probably be heading to sleep very soon anyway.”

“…All right, I understand. I’ll bring a gift back for you.”

Alicia could only back down under Roel’s persuasion. After declaring that she would find a New Year’s gift for Roel, she left for the bustling streets together with Anna. The study room abruptly plunged into silence, which left Roel feeling a little uncomfortable.

He shook his head to clear off those feelings before burying his head in work once more.

Time ticked by.

The pace at which Roel was clearing work began to slow down as fatigue gnawed at him.

“I’ll just rest for a bit…” Roel murmured under his breath after clearing another stack of documents.

Surrendering to his shutting eyelids, he laid himself down on the table. His breathing grew long and deep, as his consciousness dissipated into the darkness. Just as he was about to enter dreamland, he suddenly heard a familiar voice yelling urgently at him.

“Run away!”

“!”

Roel jolted upright. His golden eyes widened to the brim, stripped of any traces of exhaustion. There was a simple reason behind his shock.

It was Artasia’s voice.