(TL: Oh boy, three a.m.!)
Trouble, or Goddess of Fortune?
Grasslands spread out before me.
The sky was high, and the sun hid behind the clouds to produce an unpleasant chill on my skin.
(If the sun came out, it’d definitely be warm.)
Winter was nearing its end. I held up a spear, as I remained wary of my surroundings.
I asked May to take on quilin form, and strapped a saddle on her to practice swinging a polearm on horseback. The spear was borrowed from Aria, by the way.
“Hey, don’t hit my head when you swing that thing around. If you hit my horn, I will bite you.”
Watching me sit on her back, and deal with monsters, she seemed more concerned that the spear would collide with her head.
Porter was parked on a well-maintained road. Aria leaned her back to the machine as she watched over us, while Eva kept lookout.
Clara was riding on Porter’s roof, looking over at us.
“I’m making sure not to, but… horseback fighting sure is hard.”
I was practicing it at the Sixth’s suggestion, but I didn’t have a horse to begin with. There was no helping it, so I had May take on quilin form instead.
Aria sighed.
“Hey, isn’t this ridiculously luxurious? Not having a horse, do riding a divine beast instead?”
Eva looked around, before agreeing with her.
“Only Lyle. And wait, why horseback? It’s storybook hero standard fare, so I’ve not any complaints, though.”
Aria seemed amazed as she looked at Eva.
“That’s your problem? You’re just going to ignore the fact he’s seriously preparing for war?”
On the way back after completing our requests, I would practice horseback spearsmanship whenever we’d found a group of monsters. On top of it being hard to balance, I got the feeling it would be easier to fight if I got off.
We found three goblins, and I urged everyone to let me fight alone.
May trampled the Goblin that stepped out in front of her with her forelegs.
“Oy!”
When her sudden movements destroyed my balance, May laughed.
“I mean, it aimed for my legs. And wait, how much time are you planning to spend on these small fries?”
Fighting on a horse was truly difficult.
From within the Jewel, I even heard some laughing voices from the ancestors. The Sixth.
『Try properly fixing the axis of your body. There’re loads of people on the battlefield where it’s hard to tell apart the movements of man and horse.』
I’ll be troubled, even if you tell me that.
At the very least, it’ll be bad if I can’t get the form together, I told myself as I practiced.
After we defeated the Goblins, Clara came down from the roof to collect up the magic stones.
Aria came beside her.
“Hey, let me have a go next.”
I dismounted from May, and confirmed it with her.
“May, is that fine with you?”
She didn’t sound too interested.
“I don’t really care.”
Aria took her spear back from me, and happily jumped onto May’s back. She had been a noble lady- albeit for a limited timeframe- and it seems she’d ridden horses before.
Her spear-toting figure atop a quilin was quite majestic.
“It’s been quite a while, but it sure is a nice feel.”
There, May.
“Ah, she feels more stable than Lyle.”
I averted my eyes from the two of them.
“… It really has been a long time since I last rode.”
And ended up giving an excuse. Perhaps finding that interesting, Aria sent May running with her right hand on her spear, and her left gripping the reins.
Having finished collecting the magic stones, Clara removed her gloves as she spoke.
“She’s skilled. She’s got it down nicely. I’d heard Aria was born into a warrior household, but… really, if she was a man, it wouldn’t be strange if she became a captain or general.”
I looked at Aria.
“You’re right. But in the present day, there are plenty of women who play quite large parts on the battlefield. I’m not sure about queens, but there’re the two maiden of the Great War, and the holy maiden. See, three of them right in the area.”
Clara gave a sigh, before turning to face me. And her eyes were more focused than usual.
“And that holy maiden is the problem here.”
I had transmitted the info I’d received to Clara. She’d read through the documents. So Clara knew about the current Holy Maiden as well.
Of course, the current one was terrible.
The Theocracy of Zayin was a country that pledged its faith to the last Goddess.
There wasn’t any problem in that, and in general most religion in itself consisted of devoting yourself to one of the Goddesses. The problem lay in this generation’s representative.
(Priests generally succeed their roles through blood, so they’re not much different from nobles. Yet the country’s top is decided by looks and talent?)
From among the consecrated virgins in service to their temples, irrelevant to bloodline, one that excelled in appearance and talent would be selected as the next holy maiden.
And because of that, there was a tendency for proficient ones to be selected.
At times, due to the circumstances of surrounding countries, a noble’s daughter would be sent into nun hood, and make her way all the way up to holy maiden. The high priests that held the roles of ministers seemed to be the ones actually carrying out the ruling, but the holy maiden had her share of authority.
And the High Priests were no monoliths in time.
(For a theocracy to go picking fights with everyone around it… that’s no good, isn’t it?)
Zayin’s history was also a history of war.
But perhaps because the predecessor had been of the moderate faction, the squabbles had died down for the past twenty or so years. Up to then was simply awful, and perhaps the newer generation had a grudge with Lorphys, as she had tried to get into a large-scale war with them a number of times.
(Waging war just after taking power…)
Having heard of Zayin’s situation, the ancestors’ reactions coincided. The Fifth and Sixth sounded particularly irritated.
In order, Third and up.
『Their reason for war is terrible. I’m getting the urge to support Lorphys unconditionally.』
『Just what could they be thinking? Should we get them back, and put a trauma so deep in their skulls they’ll never wage war again?』
『… Their rationale for war is non-existent. Zayin’s side is out of the question. Definitely out of the question.』
『Crushing them will feel more refreshing.』
『We won’t be able to put Lyle in power, so I must refuse. Just trying to manage that country will take up all of Lyle’s time.』
… And it ended up I wouldn’t be fighting on Zayin’s side.
The Fifth said that even in the time he was alive, they irrationally attacked the feudal lords around him a number of times, and he was an individual who’d been forced to endure it.
He couldn’t forgive them on an emotional level.
When I got the urge to breath out a sigh, a response came up on the 【Search】 Skill. A yellow point was being chased.
I immediately called out to everyone.
“Someone’s being chased. Clara, return to Porter. Aria, stay up there, and follow us! Eva!”
I called out to Eva, and had her look in the direction the chased signal was in.
Among us, she had the greatest eyesight, so after staring a bit…
“A few carriages are being pursued. They’re large carriages, so it doesn’t seem they’ll be able to get away. But…”
With a perplexed face, she addressed me.
“It’s strange, I mean the ones chasing them don’t look like bandits. There’re definitely some circumstances behind that one.”
Hearing that from her, I began to consider it.
(So a chase with circumstance? Maybe it’s best we don’t get involved?)
The carriages turned right towards us.
“Lyle, what do we do?”
On Eva’s question, I decided to help them. When I touched the Jewel, the Third let out a bit of a fed-up voice. But he sounded a little happy.
『Playing hero, is it? Well, there are times when the ones being chased are the ones in the wrong. And wait, the ones doing the chases do seem to be directing some hostility towards us.』
The Sixth.
『Be careful. Those movements aren’t a simple bandit’s.』
I issued out orders.
“Clara, move Porter to put it between the pursued and pursuers. May, turn back to human form. Everyone hop onto Porter, and keep the pursuers company.”
We boarded Porter, and Clara began driving it. I moved myself to the moving Porter’s roof, gripped the Jewel in my left, hand, and brought out the Bow.
Eva also came up top, and stood stanced with her own bow.
The ones chasing the carriage was a group of males on horse-top wearing full-body robes.
When they saw that we were approaching, they immediately sent three our way.
“Ten pursuers… no, they have some more behind.”
Their movements were one thing, but their decision to send three our way was also a swift one. The Fifth gave me a warning.
『Lyle, don’t hold back. Your enemy is coming with the intent to kill. There’s the possibility the party being chased are completely in the wrong, so risking death for their sake is simply absurd.』
The Seventh.
『You’ll have to consider how to seal their lips as well. How troublesome. Good grief, in such a busy time.』
I took a deep breath, and made a pose to pull the bow.
After locking onto the enemies with the 【Select】 Skill, I didn’t hesitate to fire my arrows of light. The bolts came towards them, and the three riders immediately changed course, and took evasive action.
But the arrows followed along, and pierced through their robed figures.
One in the chest, another through the shoulder.
However, the third man in the center used his horse as a shield to escape the arrow. And after landing on the ground, he began sprinting our way.
I fired the next one, but this time, he tossed a knife to shoot it down.
“He saw through it?”
The Seventh raised his voice.
『I see. He at least has something going for him, in trying to challenge all of us alone.』
Eva shouted out.
“There!”
She fired an arrow. Perhaps she had some hesitation, and the projectile missed its mark. Our party had little experience fighting human opponents.
He quickly closed the distance, so I turned the Bow back to its Jewel form, and pulled my sabre.
(This one’s fast!)
Before I could remove the Jewel’s chain entwined around my arm, he jumped towards the roof of our speeding Porter.
The hand that emerged from his robe was clenched around a weapon.
I pulled my spare sabre to parry the slash from his dagger. And making a landing on Porter’s roof, he locked glares with me.
While we exchanged such pleasantries in that narrow space, Eva fired an arrow from behind me.
And in that instant, I stepped in to slash at him.
The man had prioritized stopping my attack over the arrow. With the bolt now stuck in his thigh, his movements grew worse. I used a sabre to ward off a blow from the dagger in his left hand again, before using my other one to cut forward.
(Too shallow.)
It’s not that I didn’t move in far enough.
My opponent sacrificed an arm to avoid a fatal blow.
As his left hand flew off somewhere, the Third let his voice from the Jewel.
『Lyle, kick him away at once!』
By the Second’s 【All】, I could sense a peculiar swelling in his body’s Mana, and I could feel the impending danger.
I immediately put it to action. His eyes opened wide, and after the robed man fell from Porter’s roof, he rolled along the ground a number of times, and exploded.
Eva behind me looked at the man who’d just erupted into flames.
“… He blew himself up.”
Her expression indicated she couldn’t believe it. When I looked in back towards the direction of the carriages, the pursuers immediately turned to retreated.
And another explosion sounded.
Turning around, I saw the place where we’d incapacitated the other two was also a torrent of flames.
The pursued carriages dropped speed, and began coming towards us.
And I noticed of the two I’d shot, it was the survivor who’d initiated the explosion.
“Just what is this?”
When I muttered that, the Fourth let out his voice.
『Once more, it looks like you’ve picked up quite a troublesome one.』
–
–
–
We met up with the carriages, and observed the area before disembarking.
The horses the pursuers rode were riding off into the distance, and the pursuers themselves along with them. Even when I checked it up with Skills, their responses were moving farther and farther away.
Aria looked at the burning spots.
“No sane men would blow themselves up like that.”
May stepped down in human form.
“Personally, I don’t think there’s a sane one to find among humanity.”
And the ones to step off of the carriage was but another group of robed figures. As they stood on guard, a single short old man removed his hood.
With desolate white hair adorning his head, he grew a lengthy beard. He was quite thin, and while his eyes naturally drooped, the rings under them were something horrible, making his face look villainous.
But…
“I give my deepest of gratitude for saving us. I am called 【Gastone】. From the look of things, you seem to be adventurers.”
I nodded, and Gastone-san deeply lowered his head.
“After you’ve only just saved us, I know it may be inexcusable of me to ask, but could you possibly take up a request of ours? We’ll put out a reward, of course.”
From the Jewel came the Sixth’s voice.
『Definitely suspicious. Politely cut all ties with him here. Saving his life was already more than enough.』
Is what he said, but even if I was to refuse, I couldn’t help but be curious over the contents of such a request.
“We’ve only just completed a requests ourselves. There’s a limit to what we’ll be able to do.”
And Gastone spoke.
“It isn’t anything difficult. I’d like you to take up guard duties. There shouldn’t be a problem if we make it to Beim. If you’ve completed a request, would you already happen to be on the way there?”
It became quite hard to decline. There were some enervated voices from the Jewel.
But if it was only escorting them, or so I thought, as another robed figure came down from one of the carriages. From the build, probably a woman.
“Gastone, what shall we do about the ones who were attacked?”
There, Gastone-san began to panic.
“Wah! I’m sure I told you not to leave the carriage!”
Other woman were aboard it, and they all wore the same robes. When Gastone hurriedly tried to return them all inside, the first woman took off her hood.
“I give my thanks for coming to our aid. When we were first assailed, there was a carriage that fell behind. If possible, I’d like you to go to their aide. I’ll pay in full for your services.”
Gastone-san held his right hand to his face.
And I looked at the woman. I had seen a sketch reminiscent of her among the documents.
“… Could you be…”
Clara came up to me, and seeing the woman’s face, she was also quite flustered.
“Lyle-san, this is bad. Really bad!”
Aria.
“Eh? Something up with this lady?”
May.
“Ah~ right, that sketch. This person does look like it.”
While she seemed a little irritated at Aria’s statement, the woman let it slide. Blond hair, and eyes a light blue.
I had heard her age was in the mid-thirties, but I felt she could pass for her late twenties.
“I have served as the previous generation’s Holy Maiden of Zayin, my name is 【Thelma Zayin】. And I want to officially make a request. Would you take up our escort?”
The woman who named herself as the previous Holy Maiden looked right at me.
I felt a cold sweat break out, but some cheers were risen in the Jewel.
The Third seemed to be hitting against the table.
『Lyle, you did it! Let’s take up the former Holy Maiden’s request here!』
『With this, Lyle can get involved in this story! What’s more with a former-leader diplomacy card! How shall we use it, men!』
『Don’t let her get away. Definitely don’t let her get away! Secure her at once!』
『The fact she was running means there was a need to flee Zayin, or perhaps those were pursuers from Lorphys… this is getting fun!』
『Good things happen to good people. He did his good deeds by the day, and the Goddesses have blessed him with fortune for it. They can be useful now and again, I see. Very well, listen to her situation, and think up how you’re going to use it.』
I thought.
(Even when a troublesome ones come along, these guys rejoice…)
Are you in the US by any chance?
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Michigan.
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r u ‘Murican?
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I’m seriously tempted to say: “Oh, Japan?”
:P
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thanks a lot
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So the guys that killed themselves are from Lorphys? if yes then siding with either side seems dangerous.
Thanks for the chapter :D
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They blew themselves up, so no one can really say for sure.
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well after reading it again,it’s pretty unlikely for it to be Lorphys,my bad.
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That reminds me of the Unitologist suicide bombers in Dead Space 3
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Well, the author is definitely making a reference to religious zealots, so obviously they are from Zayin “theocracy “
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hmm good point,i forgot that internal disputes can easily happen in that kind of country.
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What on Earth make you think that way? Any normal people would blow themselves up?
No it must be a religious fanatic.
And target a former religious leader? OF COURSE it’s the fanatics support the current leader.
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Every good assassin has their cyanide pill at the ready.
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And their black full body tights so they can wear it when on camera?
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There is a personal pill of suicide, and there is a group pill of suicide. Base on the scene, I guess the last kill got a master command to trigger his comrades’ explosion.
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If you can remember that far back, it was also a tactic used by the Viet Cong in Vietnam. It’s hardly limited to “religious” fanatics, it’s just that the “enemy/flavour of the day” these few years happen to be religious fanatics.
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Snort~ Specifically? Because the most famous example (about the only) of that type, the baby Le Van Tam, is now suspect to be a set up, a PR piece, and the boy supposedly attacked an US military depot, not civilian.
The second most famous example would be the monks burn themselves to protest the religious oppression from South government, ally to USA at that time. The family that ruled the south was a Christian fanatic type, with one cardinal. And this case prove my point~
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Let’s not forget the suicide pilots of ww2. But there’s a difference between using suicide bombing to accomplish your goal and using it to take the enemy with you.
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Japanese’ bushido was practically a religion.
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Well of course the pursuers might be from both sides but with what we know about both current states I would guess that they were from Zayin (since the new Holy Maiden seems a more radical one and the former is likely a peaceful one who might wanted to stop the war – being chased as a result by fanatics).
Thanks for the great chapter.
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Considering they’re suicide bombers, religious fanaticism is a strong possibility.
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Thanks for the chapter
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Thanks!~~
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This is a nice development. Thanks a lot
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“… And it ended up I wouldn’t be fighting on Zayin’s side.”
my my, that’s one quickly fulfilled flag… yup, yup.
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But these… attackers seemed like they were zealots. Or at least that’s what they looked to me, so I don’t think they’ll be fighting on Zayin’s side.
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Lol it’s 3 PM here.
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Thanks for the chapter
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Its 3 in the morning Yorai pus up a chapter. I have work later in that day… Oh well I gotta read TTwTT (End my suffering)
Thanks for the chapter.
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Judging from how a knightly unit (Alette’s group) from that country acted, I find it highly unlikely that the attackers would be from Lorphys, though that doesn’t mean there aren’t any with that mindset. The more likely template is that Thelma belongs to the moderate faction in Zayin, and the current ruling faction is trying to get rid of her.
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That is quite likely but there’s always the possibility of a third power trying to kill off a person with large influence without getting noticed.
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or take her out and pin the blame on the radical faction or lorphys to kick start the war, silence the loudest voice for peace
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I think it’s along those lines.
It’s definitely Zayin, that’s for sure.
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Man fantasy has been picking up suicide bombers lately. Sword Oratoria and now Sevens…
『Don’t let her get away. Definitely don’t let her get away! Secure her at once!』
They just captured an important quest line lol
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That line just like a bandit’s line….
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Welp, all the ancestors are merry bunch~~
Thanks for the chapter~~!!
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thank for the update
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And just when I thought that Lyle might raise some flag with the Holy Maiden when she’s mentioned, he definitely did right afterward.
Thanks for the translation as always.
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Thanks 4 the chapter!
Lyle! Take all the princesses, female heroes, knights and generals in the area and make them your women! Also take this former Holy Maiden! Bring peace through marriage.
Hey! I can dream right. The current Lyle would never do the things I wrote above.
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She’s more than twice his age.
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A MILF is always good :p
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Virgin MILF? :)
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Well, she is a maiden, so HVMILF?
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I think you underestimate the appeal of variety in a harem. Also I just feel like it probably wouldn’t emphasize the holy maiden being the most beautiful if she wasn’t a candidate.
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You don’t learn riding on an untrained horse… ;)
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To that, she is (or at least was) a consecrated virgin.
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I was just joking anyway :)
But in the past, there’s cases of “virgins” who just went and did buttstuff instead. Or any other kind of sex that does not involve defloration. Yeah I know, most likely that won’t apply here, but I sure can imagine some technical virgins who’ve done lewder things than some non-virgins have.
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And that’s a problem beause…
Hell, she’s even a virgin cougar (probably… provided she didn’t give in to a life of debauchery after stepping down as a Holy Maiden); how better could it get?
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Faith to the last Goddess.
aka Novem
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But the world’s Goddesses only go up to Seven, according to the ancestors.
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Yoraikun to talk me. I’m honored.
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Evil Goddess or whatever. Novem is laifu.
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It this a hint that Aria will ascend to be War Maiden and help Lyle usurp the throne.
I hope she will , I’m allow to dream, right?
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The comments of the Ancestors at the end reminded me of the comments in a blog after a cliff
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Correction?
Not having a horse, do riding a divine beast instead?
Not having a horse, SO riding a divine beast instead?
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Delete After Read
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Thanks for the chapter
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Assassins be like – “ALLAHU ARKBAR”
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The third be like – “It’s a trap!”
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The VC in Vietnam used to do that as well, one fanatic with a huge grudge carry a demo charge into the command bunker, blow the whole place up.
Think they had a scene in Platoon(?) that showed that tactic.
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Dude, the way you put it has a very negative feel.
A brave sacrifice when regarded from the enemy’s point of view turn into an irrational fanatical act.
The situations are completely different so I advise you to hold your emotions in check.
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Likely new Holy Maiden tried to off her ex-boss, and Lyle’s Ancestors is going “Holy Sista!” “Go get her, boy!”‘
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I think I could hope our Mr. Lyle riding on Quilin form’s May in battle field shouting: “Marvellllllllloussssss!”
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Thanks for the chapter!
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ミ /彡
..ミ、|ミ //彡 Thanks!
ミ.|.ミ/ ./.| Nepu!!
.|//|. []. ∧_∧
/. [] (´・ω・`)
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(Perfectly viewed on mobile)
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Lyle’s on the way for the Revelation route.
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Thanks for the chapter
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So the current holy maiden acts in a completely unreasonable manner, with no (apparent) justification.
Perhaps I’m grasping at straws, but I do recall someone who had a way of making people act irrationally… though this doesn’t really feel like her M.O.
My thanks to you, Yoraikun.
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Long live the Ancestors and their reactions.
Shame they’ve been dead for ages.
I’m also curious how the next generation Walt will experience owning the Jewel…
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I’m dying to see if Lyle will be a serious ancestor or slowly adapt Mr. Lyle traits throughout his life and become one of them.
I’m pretty much convinced on the latter, though. I’ve always thought that Mr. Lyle is, at least partially, Lyle’s real personality, or a facet of his personality in general, and the thing that prevents him to act like that the most is his lack of self-confidence. If you think about it, that’s the major difference between Lyle and Mr. Lyle.
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What a coincidence. Thanks for the chapter
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If they worship the last goddess, then wouldn’t that mean that they worship Novem? She should just go order them to surrender to Lyle ;)
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According to the ancestors, known goddesses only go up to seven. Novem would be nine.
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Ahh, so they worship his sister. Probably best to not bring up that connection then ;)
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If you were paying attention to the lore, claiming to be the ninth goddess… isn’t exactly the best thing to do.
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I was at the time, but I’ve forgotten it now. I’m sure the author will remind us when it becomes important again though.
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Well a troublesme one
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Zayin pledging its faith to the last Goddess… wouldn’t that be Novem (‘s memory) ?
“or perhaps those were pursuers from Lorphys” > blowing yourself up seems more like something religious nutjobs do, so I’d go for Zayin.
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I love how the ancestors are aware of Lyle’s MC powers what with his flag-triggering abilities and devilish (un)lucky disposition and they get excited every time it shines through.
Heck, even his disregard for the ancestors’ advice by the end is probably what fully put him in the ”Joining with the previous rule to put down the new one” path.
Or at least I think it’ll go like that. Zayin does NOT look like a cool faction to side with, and I’d absolutely hate for Lyle to go against Alette. I need her in the harem.
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NO ONE REQUESTS LIKE GASTONE
NO ONE’S A GUARD TO HOLY MAIDENS LIKE GASTONE
AND IN A PINCH NO ONE FINDS MCs LIKE GASTONE
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