Chapter 50: The Maiden’s choice
The meeting took a long time, and by the time the Duke and the elders left, their moods were heavy.
Ronan and the rest of the Duke Family were waiting outside. Most of them glanced at Ronan from time to time, either sneaking looks at him or wondering whether they should strike up a conversation.
"Everyone, please return to your quarters. The Duke Mansion will be under lockdown until further notice."
"Effective from tonight."
An elder spoke, causing everyone to suck in a cold breath.
What?
Things were much more serious than everyone had thought.
But the one who freaked out the most was Ronan.
What the hell?
If the Duke Mansion was going into lockdown, didn’t that mean the number of guards would increase?
The patrol rotations would fundamentally change.
No, no, no...
This was bad.
They would be cut off from the outside world without knowing what was happening.
Ronan wasn’t exactly one of them.
He was an undead.
A free bird.
Technically, a runaway slave...
But you get the point.
Just as Ronan was thinking about what else he could do, an elder approached him.
"We’re sorry for the inconvenience. If the Maiden wishes, we can escort you out of the capital and ensure that you remain safe. We’re sorry for dragging you into our mess."
The elder bowed slightly.
Ronan’s eyes widened.
Heh...
Wasn’t this a solution?
With this, he could safely leave the Duke Mansion.
Hell, he could even leave the capital.
He would be free to go anywhere else, gather more information, and stay away from all the political undercurrents.
And most importantly...
He could stay as far away from Bama as possible.
But...
With this opportunity right in front of him, Ronan found himself hesitating.
He clenched his fist.
When he first came to the human world, the first thing he wanted to know was the difference between the current era and the second life he had lived.
Yes, after his first death and transmigration into this world, that life had been short-lived before he was crushed by a boulder.
But when he awoke, he was nothing more than a ghoul in the Abyss.
To him, it had felt like the blink of an eye.
But for the people of this world, thousands of years could have passed.
That brought with it a huge gap in information that he needed to survive.
Leaving now...
It would be pointless.
He didn’t know his way around this continent.
What if he fell into the wrong hands?
He was weak.
He lacked strength.
Yet in just the few days he had spent here...
He had learned to speak.
He had evolved into a Ghoul Lord.
No...
Grandpa Cedric had always said that great men were forged during difficult times.
Then, in this trying time, a great ghoul would be forged as well.
Another thing...
His two Traits required him to kill and devour in order to grow stronger.
Didn’t that mean he should embrace war?
With that thought, Ronan realized that the Duke Mansion was actually the best place for him to be.
This...
This was jackpot.
"Elder..."
Ronan looked at the elder.
"You’ve accommodated me these past few days. It would be a shame to leave during your time of crisis."
"I’ll stay."
"I might not be strong enough to assist you, but at the very least..."
Ronan struggled to say the next words.
Dammit.
I’ve died twice. Why am I still ashamed?
And so, Ronan said something he would grow to hate for the rest of his life.
"I want to stand by Bama in this trying time."
BOOM!
"Aww..."
Everyone around them couldn’t help but clutch their chests as their faces flushed.
This was it.
True love.
The kind of love they had only read about in stories...
They were witnessing it in real life.
It seemed all the effort of the Young Master had not been in vain.
Even the elders were surprised.
The Duke, who had been standing nearby, nodded slightly.
You’ve got yourself a good girl, son.
Treat her well.
The Duke couldn’t help but think.
But among everyone present, the most stunned was Bama.
His heartbeat skipped.
His face became completely flushed.
Sir Selak... you’re the best at picking girls.
Bama couldn’t help but think as he felt his heart being captured all over again.
Bama swore that, until the day he died, he would only pursue the Maiden.
Meanwhile, Yen stood behind Ronan.
She had heard everything.
She was shocked.
But more than that...
She felt a slight discomfort in her chest.
She didn’t like hearing Ronan say those things to Bama.
Yen gritted her teeth.
What is happening to me?
Don’t tell me what Ronan is saying is actually getting to me...
It can’t be that I...
"Argh! Annoying!"
Meanwhile, Ronan closed his eyes.
A small, lonely tear rolled down his cheek.
He felt that he couldn’t show himself to the other transmigrators.
He had let them down.
What a disgrace.
But then Ronan smiled.
The road to the top was always rough.
Well...
Unless you had climbing gear.
Or just skydived from a—
Wait.
That wasn’t the point.
Whatever was happening now wouldn’t matter in the future.
Because Ronan could finally see it.
His gigantic palace floating above the heavens.
Goddesses serving him wine.
Demon Empresses giving him massages...
Life....
It was good.
"Master... let’s go. We’re the only ones here."
Ronan suddenly felt someone tapping him.
He broke out of his trance.
"Huh? What happened?"
He looked around to see an empty passage.
"Has our president peed his pants again?"
Yen’s face twitched.
It took her a moment to explain.
"You seem to have... closed your eyes for quite a while."
"The elders said you weren’t to be disturbed. They didn’t know if it was something people from your continent did, so they dispersed the crowd."
Ronan narrowed his eyes.
"They thought I had fallen asleep, right?"
He stared sternly at Yen.
Yen looked away.
"Whatever. Let’s go."
Ronan spoke.
Yen nodded, and the two entered their room.
Meanwhile, the Duke had already departed.
His destination was the Royal Palace.
At this moment, the King was patiently waiting for him.
An armed elite squad of King Realm experts stood guard inside the room.