When Arnold got back to his room, he saw Ceru (in her angel form) laying on top of Liz's chest. Her little wings trembled every so often, sometimes rubbing Liz's nose.
Leaving the cute pair in peace, he sat on the chair beside the window and gazed out.
'They haven't moved yet, huh. They're playing it safe.'
The assassins were in the same place as before, watching him from afar.
'I'm gonna need to catch one of them and make them tell me who sent them.'
That's the only way to ensure they stop coming. If he just knows who it is, he can threaten them. Then again, they might be stubborn mules that will do their utmost to find a weakness to exploit so that they can kill him.
So far they haven't gone after his family. Maybe one of the high-class nobles sent the assassins but won't attempt to go after Marcus' family since, well, he's also a noble of the crown and their comrade. Jurnick will have them executed if they send assassins after the family as well.
Speaking of the emperor, he probably knows who sent the assassins. Hell, he might've even approved it. Honestly, Arnold isn't upset. It will probably stay that way even if there's a bounty on his head.
He reached a realm of strength where their actions won't impede him at all. One A.I clone can do the work for him even.
'I need to sleep.' Thinking so, he headed over to his closet and began to undress.
While in the midst of taking off his shirt, he suddenly remembered his interaction with Lunaria. It was very short but it stayed in his mind until now.
'I wonder what got her so shaken up…'
It wasn't fear alone that he saw in her eyes, but sadness as well. The former he could understand, the latter not so much. If Selia ordered her to join the fight, chances are the enemy is capable of killing her and she knows it.
Who could Selia be fighting to request backup from someone as strong as Lunaria? There's a possibility it could be Ekterina. Arnold can't exactly sense that woman since she's hiding her signature so he can't be too sure. But it's also possible that a new vampire lord is trying to get rid of Selia.
As mentioned before, there can only be one monster lord per region. That's the rule in the monster kingdom. That said, could there really be a vampire stronger than her?
'System, where is Selia right now?'
-Answer: Brynhildr Selia BloodForth is currently in the Mountains of Wails.
'Is she fighting someone right now? If so, who?'
-Answer: Error. Please try again later.
"Huh?"
This is a first.
'Maybe I can teleport there for a bit to scout the area.'
Nothing happened when he tried to teleport there using the Virgin's Blood artifact.
'Strange, did an administrator block off all teleportation to the Mountains of Wails before the reality convergence? Was a raid event taking place there? It wouldn't surprise me if so since there are four closed dungeons in that forest that only opens for legendary boss raid events.'
Something like that is possible. They often create a barrier like that in dungeons so that players can't teleport into the area. Even artifacts can be blocked off.
'I could probably teleport nearby but I can't exactly tell how big the zone is.'
Hopefully Selia isn't in any terrible danger. But seeing as how she sought Lunaria's support, she probably is. He would help out since they share an alliance but that teleportation block is a bit of a problem. There's no way he's flying all the way over to that place since he promised himself to never skip a day at the academy.
It leaves a bad taste in his mouth to not support someone who is supporting his city with military strength and security. His entire city basically relies on the Shadow Demons and Red Knights for preventing crime while a justice system is being prepared by the nobles that stayed behind.
"I'm sure she'll survive. She's a level cap monster lord, after all. I'll periodically check on her condition and send Luxtivin if something goes wrong."
Lunaria might be level 99 but she's also strong.
Arnold finished putting on his sleepwear and climbed into the bed. As if sensing him, his soulmate put her arms around him while sound asleep. Her soft body, giving off the gentle smell of flowers, rubbed against his.
Since he's a young man not even in his 20s, a part of him grew excited so it was a struggle to calm down.
Ceru ended up on his chest this time.
Feeling that warmth and comfort from the two, he drifted off to sleep.
◊◊
After attending every single class and listening attentively, it was now lunch break, his head full of new knowledge not from reading books by himself after lazing in class but paying attention to his teachers.
This new "him" surprised his teachers, especially when he raised his hand to answer questions that no one else could.
In any case, as mentioned before, he and Rina will be going shopping today.
It's supposed to be an authentic outing of lovers that everyone is supposed to witness.
Buying clothes for his lovers on a date isn't new to everyone but it does prove that their relationship is legit.
Speaking of clothes, when was the last time he bought himself something? He might look for some casual clothes for himself today.
Arnold, Wistorina and Myrena walked out of the academy gates.
Yes, Myrena was accompanying them today.
It's not that he minds it since she's devoted herself to him but as a junior part of the student council, there should be heaps of work that she should've received.
Maybe they let her off the hook since they're busy with important things.
Naturally, everyone's eyes were on the three of them.
The two of them were currently holding his hands, Myrena with a big smile on her face while humming and Rina red from her face to her ears.
The route they were taking to the shops were full of students going out to eat and whatnot.
"W-Why can't these people mind their own business…" Rina complained with her head down.
"They are in awe of his might and visage." Myrena said proudly as she leaned closer, "Rumors of his overwhelming strength must have reached far and wide. As such, peasants and nobles alike cannot help but gape at his beautiful and powerful form."
Such praise could make even Arnold blush. But he remained composed, "Remember, Rina, both of you are my lovers. Be like Myrena—proud to be by my side."
"T-That's impossible…"
The three crossed the packed road, surrounded by youths in similar attire to their own.
"Hm, she isn't inconveniencing you, my King, so I think it's fine if she's a little shy."
Arnold merely nodded.
'Well, at least she isn't acting repulsed by me which will destroy our whole plan.'
"My king, I've been wondering for a while now…"
"Hm?"
"Do you not have any subjects? Someone like you ought to have people at your call."
"I'm not a noble anymore so I don't have any."
He could always bring a peasant girl from his city since most of the families who moved there—hell, even those that have lived there for years—are poor but he would rather them work in his palace. That gigantic slab of magic concrete needs constant maintenance.
Aside from that, there's also various businesses that are going to open up in the future. For now, he knows that small markets opened that sells simple stuff like fruits, vegetables, homemade products, etc…
"Ah, so your fight with your father ended your relationship with your household?"
"Pretty much."
He was only officially banished from the household before but now he's not considered a Berkley even in secret. The majority of the family will scorn him and desire to sever ties completely. Most will even root for his execution.
That said, he will still protect them if need be. He doesn't have the time or energy to fix what he broke by himself.
"Would you like me to attend to you?" she asked a ridiculous question but her eyes were just too serious.
"What are you talking about? Since I accepted the title of Head of the Taelith House, you are going to become my wife so you can't be my maidservant."
They reached the shopping district which was filled with crowds of people even during work hours. Everywhere they looked they could see stores lining the streets. A lively mood was in the air, with children running around and people gossiping about the latest news.
"Still, it is a woman's duty to attend to her husband…"
-Condition: Lonely
Myrena is on the shorter side so that little window popped up when he looked down at her.
'What? Is she that desperate?' Arnold thought blankly after seeing that appear above her head.
"…I don't know how to iron my shirts. So I would appreciate it if you can do it for me."
-Condition: Determined
"Please leave it to me, O Glorious Dragon King! I will make sure not a single wrinkle is in sight!"
"Y-Yeah, I'll be relying on you…"
Rina was chuckling to the side but hiding her face so that he couldn't see.
They arrived at a high-end clothes store dedicated to mostly women clothing.
Unsurprisingly, this store had students from the academy inside it. Since noble girls love shopping at these kinds of stores, the stores make sure to always have the trending fashion in stock. If Rina is lost, she could always ask the other girls for guidance.
"Choose whatever you like."
"Okay. Uhm, I might have to see if the clothes fit… It's been a while since I cared to look at my own measurements…" she said with a blush.
That's not surprising. Why would a princess or noble girl care about their size when the servants can just take it and order clothes for them? It's no different to having chefs cooking for them every day.
"That's alright. I'll keep myself busy while you're gone."
She gave a small smile before disappearing into the aisles. Myrena, on the other hand, was browsing through the lingerie section. Not looking through the cutesy panties but the succubus-like underwear that have holes where there shouldn't be holes.
She was doing it openly with a serious expression on her face.
"My King, which color would you say is your favorite?" she faced him with that same serious stare.
"…I would say red."
"Ah, I see." Without saying anything further, she disappeared into the aisle of underwear, boldly showing why she asked that question.
Arnold shook his head mentally.
Thinking that Rina might be lost in this vast store, he thought to himself that maybe he could help her locate things. Needless to say, he's been here hundreds of times so maybe she doesn't need to muster up the courage to ask for help from others.
"—Do you think this one suits me better? Or this one?" Olivia's voice suddenly flowed into his ear just when he was about to leave an aisle.
Looking around the corner, he spotted Olivia holding up two fancy dresses of different style and color, with Luke sitting on one of the couches, watching her.
"I don't know…"
"But you are a man, Sir Luke. Hasn't Miss Norn asked you for recommendations on dresses before?"
"A-Ahahah, now that you ask that, I don't think Norn has ever worn a dress before." He scratched his cheek.
"Surely you jest…"
"She doesn't like them, just like how she doesn't like having long hair. One time she got so angry at Miss Claudia for not wanting to cut her hair so she took a sharp knife and cut is all off…"
"What about to her coming of age ceremony?"
"She didn't want one."
"She's a very strange girl… Maybe I should try to befriend her to get to know her better. Up until now, we've been avoiding each other."
"…Well, you are a princess so she probably thinks she shouldn't speak to you." Luke answered with a wry smile.
"Nonsense. I specifically asked your family to treat me like an ordinary guest and I have never once even ordered her around. Maybe…" she pondered to herself, speaking as if no one was there, "Maybe I should arrange a girls' trip? It's very popular among the female students. That's how they bond and with all the sights there are to see, places there are to visit, culture there is to discover—it will never get boring."
'This is surprising. She's actually willing to make a friend.'
She's not called the "Icy Princess" for nothing so it's not just a cliché. Never once had she made friends in the game. She had a lot of acquaintances but this was only due to business or academy matters.
Norn is just a commoner girl, whose friendship will provide no benefits to Olivia.
Maybe she realized she doesn't have long so she wants to make some happy memories at least. Then again, nothing changed from the game's storyline so she would've met her end quietly regardless.
Then again, Arnold could be misinterpreting her intentions. It's possible she wants to become closer with Norn, knowing Luke has feelings for her, so that there's no conflict between them.
She's doing exactly what Luke was trying to do with her and Arnold.
The only difference is that Luke actually likes Norn, whereas Arnold has no romantic feelings for Olivia at all.
Luke really rubs off on people if you spend enough time with him.
"I hope you've come up with plans for your date with her."
"Eh? Ah…"
"You've already forgotten about our discussion?" Olivia faced him a raised eyebrow, "I feel it's better if you cheer her up, not a stranger you don't know. The servants at the villa told me that she's made a lot of friends. Given the neighborhood the Berkley Villa is in, there are a lot of wealthy and noble residents in the area. I don't trust noble children to act like proper friends to commoners like her. She's at a vulnerable emotional state. Only genuine friends and family should be around her—you and her sister being the only family she has."
Olivia would know firsthand how cruel noble children can be since she's seen how her past bullies treated commoners. Most were from high-class noble houses and never knew a day of hardship. But they hate it when the less-fortunate are allowed to exist within the same spaces as they do.
It's rare for noble children to seek genuine friendship with peasants.
"I'll try…"
"Mm. If there's anything you need, please make sure to ask." Olivia grabbed a few clothing items from the basket sitting next to Luke, "I'll be right back. I just need to see if all of this fits."
"Ah, okay."
Olivia soon left his side.
For some reason, he was looking out of the window, over at the store across the street. He tapped his foot on the floor while staring back and forth between that store and the dressing rooms.
"Olivia isn't your master. If you want to go there, just go." Arnold approached him.