Summoning the Holy Sword

Power was the start of corruption.

And this applied to Rhode.

After dealing with the trouble in Highland City, Rhode instantly felt a weight off his shoulders and became much more idle. Marlene and the others were responsible for internal and diplomatic affairs while Orchid Heart was in charge of training. Apart from occasional barks from the losers of the Country of Light, everything was peaceful. There was also nothing serious enough that required his attention within the territory. Although he was looking out for movements from the Country of Darkness, he predicted that the Dark Dragon would need more than a year before launching an attack. Besides, the attack might even be delayed because just like in the game, the Dark Dragon lost more than he gained. Moreover, the Holy Maiden Statues were positioned by the border of Munn Kingdom and unless the Dark Dragon came up with a way to deal with them, he wouldn't act recklessly. Of course, this wouldn't remove the possibility of him targeting the Void Territory over Munn Kingdom. After all, the Dark Dragon had no choice but to attack the Munn Kingdom in the past. But now that Rhode had the Void Territory, the Dark Dragon didn't need to risk the dangers to attack the Munn Kingdom. As long as he occupied the Void Territory, his undead armies could swiftly take over the entire Light Mainland.

Fortunately, Rhode had taken security measures. Back then, he had purposely left out an area of land of Chaos around the junction of the Country of Darkness when he expanded his dragon soul protection. This way, even if the Country of Darkness tried to attack the Void Territory, they could only start by attacking the Land of Atonement or opening up the land of Chaos. No matter which choice they chose, Rhode had his ways to resist their attacks, especially after awakening the other Christie and Marlene. The four legendary generals who gave him the most headache in this situation suddenly looked less threatening now.

Come to think of it, he couldn't find the other Deity Warden hidden in the library. Ever since Grandia was built, he stopped seeing her and had no idea where she hid herself.

Under such a circumstance, Rhode realized that he was bored and idle. Even though he could learn from Canary and Mini Bubble Gum and lead others to ruins and dungeons, the thought of his 'unlucky looting aura' made him give up on this idea. On the other hand, their luckiest charm, Marlene, was busy working all day, so it was impossible for her to accompany him to loot corpses. At least for now.

Initially, Rhode thought that he could use this time to accompany Christie but times had changed. She had to grasp the powers of the Deity Warden under the guidance of her other self. According to the other Christie, if Christie could master the use of the Deity Warden's power, she could strengthen her body and get rid of her weak constitution. After hearing this news, Christie immediately focused her attention on mastering her skills and so, Rhode naturally couldn't spend time with her.

As a result, Rhode found himself slowly 'rotting' away…

"Hmm…"

He puckered his brows to the glaring sunlight. Then, he turned around and opened his eyes to find the naked, golden-haired young lady with her arms wrapped around his. She gave a satisfied smile in her sleep. Rhode shook his head helplessly, withdrew his arm from her embrace, and stood up to tidy his clothes.

There was only one thing he could do now. Yes, everyone knew what that was.

But even as the dragon soul heir, he didn't pick his partner openly as this would easily cause chaos in his harem. He would find a particular partner sometimes while at times someone else would look for him and Anne was the most eager one. Perhaps as a Shield Warrior, she didn't need to train and apart from helping Orchid Heart with training the soldiers, she was basically always around his side. Besides, as a half-beast, she lacked shamelessness of a pure human. As long as she was in the mood, she would seek his affections even in an empty alley. Fortunately, she knew her limits and had never behaved that way in public.

As for Marlene and Lize, Rhode would sometimes do it with them alone or together. Lize was slightly less busy so she came knocking on his door more often. On the contrary, Marlene was too busy and seldom took the initiative, which was why Rhode went looking for her more. Of course, he didn't find her just for his enjoyment. He knew that she had been busy with work and also hoped to use this chance for her to relax. But he wouldn't force her if she wasn't interested. He would simply accompany her throughout the peaceful night.

In fact, Rhode didn't mind spending the night together with multiple women. He might not have the energy to sustain them in the past, but after awakening the dragon soul heir's power, his energy was a few hundred times more than a human's, where he wouldn't feel exhausted even after 'battling it out' with 10 women. The best evidence for this was when he needed the entire night for Anne to be satisfied. But now, he needed only half the night and she would be drifting off into her sweet dreams. In fact, he was curious to see how it would feel like to bring Canary, Anne, Lize, Marlene, Celestina, Nell, and the others to bed. But it was a pity that they weren't interested or didn't have such intentions.

However, Anne wasn't mindful and was oddly welcoming of that idea instead. On the other hand, Lize and Marlene expressed that unless there were the two of them with him, it was extremely humiliating to reveal themselves to others on the same bed. Canary mentioned that she didn't mind since she wouldn't die no matter how violent the night was and it would be fine trying out a new experience. Rhode was even considering changing her thinking. As for Celestina, although she might reveal her uncharacteristically shy side in private, she would rather die than to embarrass herself before others. As for Nell, she recognized herself as a tool and slave which gave her the lack of rights to be on the same bed as others. As for Shira… Although it was thrilling for him, not anyone could survive her fatal plays. Perhaps she wouldn't reject the idea, but considering the possibilities of her destroying the other women, Rhode gave up on the idea.

As a result, Rhode's plan to spend the night with multiple women basically had no chance of happening… At least for now.

I should go check on Christie's training.

Rhode looked for a final time at Anne who was curled up and drooling in her deep sleep before leaving the room. If it were in the past, Angelina would be waiting outside his room now. He had to admit that even though vampires held a strong desire for authority, she indeed had the talents of a secretary or perhaps a mistress. As long as he wanted something, she would arrange the schedule and also knew how to weigh up one's words and observe one's facial expression. Frankly speaking, even though Rhode disliked such a person, he knew that someone like Angelina was essential as his subject. He had no intention of building a tranquil and beautiful dreamland. Although the management system built on Starlight was fairly complete with him as the leader, this was still the standard like a child playing house. If it weren't for the fact that he possessed powerful strength and a dragon soul protection, sooner or later a naive system like this would eventually fail. Therefore apart from the bright and fresh appearance, it was also necessary to have some hidden pillars.

Perhaps in the future, he might really consider giving her some authority.

But it was a pity that Angelina wasn't with him at the moment. After they returned to Grandia, Mini Bubble Gum snatched her away and for some reasons, Angelina seemed to him like a prisoner on death row, filled with unprecedented despair… Or maybe he was mistaken?

If Angelina could read his mind, she would surely tell him that it definitely wasn't a mistake!

At this moment, this pitiful royal vampire was kneeling on the ground and lowering her head on the soft, red carpet as though she was on the guillotine, waiting for the blade to slice through her neck. Mini Bubble Gum leaned back on the chair gloomily. She rested her chin on her hand while her other hand tapped impatiently on the seat handle as though she were a demon lord who was about to punish her incapable subject.

"I remember telling you to lure Leader to bed… Why didn't you complete your mission?! I spared your life because you look rather adorable and yet you failed my mission?! Hmph! I thought vampires love doing that, so I got you to do it. Look at how useless you are!"

"I'm truly sorry, Madam Bubble!"

Angelina lowered her head without hesitation. Theoretically speaking, Rhode was her direct superior, but Angelina clearly knew that this young lady was her ultimate predator. Not only that, but she also gave an impression of a time bomb that would explode at any second.

"Useless trash. It seems like it was a mistake to pin my hopes on you…"

Indeed, just as Angelina expected, Mini Bubble Gum raised her right arm. Angelina instantly turned ashen as she knew the difference in strength between them. She couldn't escape the attack even if she used all her might!

"P-Please wait! Madam Bubble!"

"What are your last words?"

Even though Mini Bubble Gum said so, she didn't put her arm down. Instead, the white, dazzling, sacred radiance on her hand shone increasingly brighter. Angelina knew that it was now or never. Perhaps she shouldn't say it but at least it might secure her a lifeline!

"… I have a way to satisfy your desire, Madam Bubble!"

"… Hmm?"

Mini Bubble Gum tilted her head while holding up her right arm. The coalesced sacred energy slowly dissipated. Angelina wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Erm… Please pardon my rudeness. If His Majesty were any other man, he couldn't possibly resist my charms. Although I'm not as alluring as the Lustful Demons, not everyone is immune to the charm of vampires."

"Of course, how can those oestrus dogs compare with Leader?"

Mini Bubble Gum nodded in satisfaction. Then, she recalled something and let out a snort.

"Hmph. How can a bunch of useless idiots who were killed by me and forced to delete their accounts be compared to Leader? Indeed. If Leader was one of those weaklings, he would have knelt and licked your shoes already."

I don't even want those useless trash to dirty my shoes…

Angelina cursed inwardly before speaking anxiously.

"Just as you've said, Madam Bubble. Although I have some advantages, there are lots of women who were more attractive to His Majesty. My charm is ineffective to His Majesty and no matter what, I'm also a captive and His Majesty is constantly wary of me. So, even if I want to do anything to…"

"Hmm… That makes sense. Leader isn't an idiot who will drop his pants at the sight of a woman. Since that's the case, it's indeed my lack of consideration."

Mini Bubble Gum nodded and put her hand down. Angelina heaved a long sigh of relief, sensing the blade above her head slowly retracting. But… This was only the first step to the 're-investigation' and any misstep would bring her back to hell.

"So… It will not be possible to complete the mission by myself. Also, in such a short period of time, His Majesty won't possibly treat me as an intimate partner. I'm just something with manipulative value to His Majesty…"

If it were others who heard such words, one would definitely feel pitiful for an adorable young lady like her. After all, cuteness was justice and since such a cute vampire loli had joined their camp, the protagonist should trust her unconditionally, warm up her ice-cold heart of a vampire, and do anything for her. Wasn't this supposed to be how the story went? It was completely cruel of Rhode to not trust her unconditionally and even use her!

However, Mini Bubble Gum apparently didn't have such thoughts. She simply nodded and waited for Angelina to finish her sentence.

"So… I… What I meant was… If Madam Bubble has any thoughts, you can speak to His Majesty directly. I learned that His Majesty is one who values relationships. Besides, if it was you who showed your concern and love and took the initiative, I'm sure His Majesty will not reject…"

Boom!

Mini Bubble Gum smacked the seat handle which immediately shut Angelina's mouth up. The latter lifted her head with trembling fear, only to find the former blushing.

"Take the initiative… How can I possibly ask Leader about it! Do you think that I'm some shameless vampire?!"

"No…"

Angelina curled up instinctively to the overwhelming pressure. Even though Angelina was smart, she totally couldn't figure out what Mini Bubble Gum was thinking. After all, there wasn't a law or regulation that forbade a young lady at the age of 14 from doing anything. Moreover, age was just a number in the Country of Darkness, where there were plenty of vampires like Angelina who maintained their youthful form. Therefore, it didn't matter if they were following the standard of the Country of Light or Country of Darkness because Mini Bubble Gum's age was enough to engage in love-making… Angelina just couldn't understand what was so difficult.

"Forget it, you just won't understand."

Mini Bubble Gum gnashed her teeth and glared at Angelina. In fact, she didn't mind; if not, she wouldn't have chatted with him nakedly back then. But the problem was that it was over the webcam after all and different from reality. Besides, according to Mini Bubble Gum's observation, Rhode didn't seem to lust for girls her age. In fact, this was the norm in modern society. Perhaps Rhode might be interested in a high school student like Canary, but he would be thrown into jail if he were to make his moves on a junior high school or elementary school student.

Mini Bubble Gum had secretly observed Rhode in the past, but it was a pity that he saw her as a younger sister like Christie. This left her at a loss. If she confessed, only to be treated as a younger sister, she would be out of luck. It was due to this reason that she thought of using Angelina for an experiment. If Rhode was interested in her, she might stand a chance, wasn't it?

The pitiful Angelina got implicated while just being present…

Mini Bubble Gum had no other solution after hearing Angelina's explanation. Indeed, Angelina was different. She was just a captive and Rhode wasn't one who would throw himself to any women. This inspiration was simply too naive.

But… Am I really out of solutions?

Mini Bubble Gum's eyes glinted. Then, she pointed her finger at Angelina.

"By the way, Leader should be free tomorrow night, right? Good. I want you to meet Leader with me and you don't get to refuse, do you hear me! Yes, and put on something slutty; wear your vampires' most shameless clothes!"

"… Yes, Madam Bubble."

Angelina gave some serious thoughts. Am I better off dying?

The boiling water vapor emerged from the bottle and spread out its aroma in the room. Lapis narrowed her eyes and scanned the potion in her hand. She shook the bottle slightly and the potion color slowly transformed from green to pink. She nodded in satisfaction and showed a smile. Then, she picked up a black feather.

"Next… The Lustful Demon's feather. Yes. This is the last ingredient…"

Lapis muttered under her breath and suddenly, she felt uncertain. Is this the right choice?

Then, she shook his head hard.

I can't wait anymore. I don't have any advantages over others in the first place. If this continues, I will not have any hopes left!

Lapis showed a determined gaze. She inserted the feather into the bottle before squeezing in a cork. Shortly after, the potion instantly had some strange chemical reactions. The black feather dissolved, formed a white mist, and vanished entirely, while the pink potion returned to its clear, original state. Lapis lifted the bottle sternly and after confirming that the potion had stabilized, she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Miss Agatha?"

"Yes, Madam Lapis. Is anything the matter?"

The door opened and Agatha entered the room silently.

"E-Erm… I would like to ask if Sir Rhode has any plans for tomorrow?"

"As of now, there are no plans. Would you like to invite His Majesty? If so, do you need me to inform…"

"Ah! No, no!"

Lapis waved her arms in a fluster.

"It's nothing. I just want to know what he is up to tomorrow night… By the way, Agatha, please don't tell Sir Rhode about this."

Agatha looked at Lapis silently and nodded.

"Okay, Madam Lapis."