Odyssey of the Blind God

Even though the Empress didn't really like Nial's idea because it could be considered a reward rather than a punishment, she could tell that Nial thought a lot about what they should do with Celine and her family.

Celine's parents were commoners without great talent. They had barely reached the Mirae rank and couldn't be considered powerful in any way. Even their Familiars were extremely weak.

Meanwhile, Celine was currently only at the Origin rank. She was only six years old but she had great talent. Her future was bound to be filled with obstacles and opportunities, which would allow her to become strong enough to influence the Lacardian Empyrean Void.

Nial wanted to make use of that. Thus, he told his mother that Celine should become his servant and that her parents should be trained as servants of the royal palace.

For many, this was a reward, and it was certainly the same for Celine and her parents, considering that the crime they had committed was severe.

It was difficult to become a servant in the royal palace, but Nial proposed that the entire family would be accepted into the royal palace. His reasoning was pretty simple.

He didn't want to kill Celine and her parents, and he wanted to make use of Celine's exceptional talent. As long as her parents were doing well, Celine wouldn't even consider attacking him. Even if she were to think about it, Celine wouldn't dare to attack him. After all, her parents would be in the royal palace, and they would be killed before she could make a move.

Summarized, Nial's reasoning was to pick up and nourish an exceptional talent for himself and the entire empire, and to ensure that this exceptional talent wouldn't start wreaking havoc and go up against them.

Nial knew that this kind of punishment was not worth mentioning. It was actually more of a reward than a punishment, but that was not actually something he could be concerned about.

Staring at Celine, the vivid picture of the three women kept resurfacing in his mind. It was somewhat bothersome, however, it also made him feel warm around his heart. He could tell that he had a deep connection to the three women, even though he had never seen them in the first place. This was a little weird, but it was not actually something Nial intended to research, not for the time being at least.

Celine and her parents accepted the 'punishment' gratefully. They burst into tears and hugged one another. This caused the Empress and Nial to feel a little bit weird because they were still seated on the throne, looking down on their subjects. Nial diverted his gaze and he smiled brightly at his mother.

"Why are you smiling like this, you troublemaker?" She teased lightly, pinching his cheek. Nial continued to smile without saying a word. He was glad that his mother bend the royal laws a little to create the best possible outcome.

The Empress was still worried about the assassins and that the hidden agents around Nial had been killed without anyone noticing. However, it was not as if killing the little charming girl in front of her would solve the issue. The Lacardia Empyrean Void might even get a bad reputation if falsified rumors were to spread.

'The royal family killed innocent children with a heavenly talent to prevent an uprise of commoners.'

Something along those lines was certain to spread through the entire Lacardia Empyrean Void the moment they killed Celine and her parents. Thus, it was better to make use of the little child's exceptional talent.

"Celine, are you willing to be trained as the Crown Prince's personal maid?" The Empress thus asked.

"As a personal maid, you do not only have to do everything the Crown Prince asks you to do, but you need to be strong enough to protect him from all harm. If he is in danger, you will have to protect him, even if your life is on the line."

"..."

"The Crown Prince is likely to face many more assassination attempts in the future. Because of the danger, he will have to face, I need someone inconspicuous, yet powerful by his side. You would have to undergo a certain ritual to increase your strength rapidly in order to reach the strength necessary to protect the Crown Prince.

It would be painful, and you take permanent damage from the ritual, are you fine with that?"

The Empress could order Celine to protect Nial with her life on the line. She could even force the little charming girl to sign a Soul Contract, a contract whose clauses had to be respected and followed, otherwise, the Soul Space of the party breaking the contract would shatter.

However, the Empress did none of that.

She didn't force Celine to do anything because the most important was to find out whether Celine understood what Nial had done for the little girl, despite her assassination attempt. The Empress wanted to see how far Celine would go if her personality was actually good, and if her heart was at the right spot.

"I will do anything! Please, allow me to stay by Nial's side and make up for the grave crime I committed!!" Celine shouted out loudly in a high-pitched voice.

"I am very good at enduring pain as well, I think. There is no need to worry about me, your majesty. I will undergo the ritual as long as that means I can atone for my sins!"

Celine was smiling brightly as she spoke those words. It looked like she was overjoyed to be able to stay by Nial's side. She couldn't even be bothered about the warning the Empress gave.

The ritual she spoke about was extremely dangerous, and it was not unlikely to die from it.

However, Celine was just smiling brightly as if it would be a walk in the park.

No matter what others would say, Celine felt that Nial was worth being protected.

She may only be six years old, but she could tell that Nial's actions were not something that should be taken lightly.

He went up against the Empress, his mother, the ruler of the Lacardia Empyrean Void!

Celine was grateful for the helping hand Nial reached out, and she was not stupid enough to slap it away.