Chapter 379 - 171: Dawn Judgment
"I thought my count was off~ So there really were two naughty Guards who snuck out~"
Hearing the voice, which was alluring yet laced with a hint of chill, Vian froze. The words she wanted to shout, to tell the blonde woman to flee, were caught in her throat as if choked by a gust of wind off the sea.
Her face was ghastly pale in the orange candlelight, and beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks. After a few seconds of silence, she struggled to open her mouth. "You... stay away from me. She’s... the First Officer."
Wei’en was taken aback for a moment before he realized. ’Were those words... directed at me?’
’Is she worried I’m too close? That I’ll be dragged into this and punished by Clelia?’
"Heh..."
’Such unexpected kindness... from a noble lady?’
Wei’en watched her, feeling a surge of emotion. ’Compared to her, the nobles of the Caster City State... well, the nobles led by Count Ernst, are absolute trash!’
"Go away!!"
Perhaps his soft laughter was too jarring on the silent Ronan, or perhaps her desperation and helplessness made it impossible to maintain her noble composure. Vian clenched her fists and shouted through gritted teeth.
In the sea below, the blonde woman heard Vian’s cry. Anxious, she clung tightly to the fin of a large, spiny fish and surged toward the Ronan.
’Damn it, someone on the ship must have found Vian. Please, don’t let it be that terrifying Clelia!’
On the ship, Wei’en watched the noble lady. Her body trembled as she leaned against the Statue of Lady Storm for support, yet she was still urging him to get away. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Clelia, you’ve scared this new Guard of yours. It seems she hasn’t quite adapted to her new role yet, has she?"
’It’s easy to take a liking to kind people.’
’Still, if I want this kind noble lady to survive, I’ll have to come up with something.’
’Clelia would never let someone who crossed her off easy... unless they were more powerful than she was.’
"So? Are you planning to plead for her?" Clelia shot him an alluring glare as she walked straight over. Her short skirt rippled in the sea breeze, and with the rocking of the Ronan, that pair of luminous white pendulums rose and fell in turbulent waves.
"You—what?!"
Wei’en took one look and quickly turned his gaze to the noble lady—or rather, the statue beside her.
’What the hell? Does Clelia belong to the Eternal Life Association, or is she a follower of the Braless Sect?’
’She doesn’t even wear one to sleep...’
Hmm,
’Then again, it seems she really doesn’t need to.’
He stared unblinkingly at the Statue of Lady Storm, as if the blue, fluorescent sculpture held some deep fascination for him. "You misunderstand. I just think your Queen’s Guard is lacking certain... necessities."
"Lacking?"
Clelia paused mid-stride, then covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "Captain, you haven’t even met them yet. How would you know what they’re lacking? Or did you perhaps sneak down to the ship’s hold while I was away?"
’Captain? Who?’
Vian, standing nearby, heard the title and stared blankly at Wei’en. The address even managed to dispel some of her fear. ’Is he... that young man with the long red hair?’
’He doesn’t look like him...’
’No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about that!’
’Vian, you should be grateful he wasn’t dragged into this because of you. More importantly, you need to figure out how to get Haisa away from this dangerous place!’
The corner of Wei’en’s mouth twitched. Forcibly suppressing the urge to look at Clelia, he said with a deadpan expression, "...Am I to understand that this is the reason you set up an Isolation Array in the ship’s hold?"
Clelia walked around the Statue of Lady Storm, ignoring the delicate noble lady. She brazenly puffed out her pendulums, their pointers prominent. "Of course! It’s to guard against our Captain, who has been to the Basil District and Nocturnal City—twice!"
She deliberately stressed the word "twice," as if certain that for such places, the first visit was for scouting, and the second was definitely to enjoy the services.
Wei’en: "..."
’This is slander, right?’
’When did I ever go to those places twi—... okay, yeah, it was twice.’
’Twice to the Basil District: once to buy materials for a Mechanical Puppet, once to wipe out the Bone-Eating Worm infestation.’
’Twice to Nocturnal City: once to buy materials, and once when I was forced to flee there with Old Ceres.’
’It was all strictly business!’
"...I think your Guards are lacking a certain... etiquette," Wei’en said, deciding to ignore Clelia’s ’slander’. "You wouldn’t want them—the members of the Queen’s Guard—to all be as, erm, uninhibited as you."
The surging pendulums, their pointers cast free, were like the restless waves of the Cordo Sea.
"Uninhibited?" Clelia stared into his eyes as if trying to read his true intentions. After a few seconds, she broke into a knowing smile. "Are you sure this isn’t just about saving this beautiful, elegant noble lady?"
"Of course not!"
Wei’en felt her probing gaze and scoffed inwardly. ’As expected, this clever woman isn’t so easy to fool.’
’In that case, don’t blame me for resorting to unconventional means.’
’Talent: Deception - Psychological Control!’
’What was the description for the Psychological Control aspect of the Deception talent again? Something about using words or gestures to guide and alter a person’s emotions, decisions, beliefs, and behavior?’
Wei’en reviewed the talent’s description in his mind, then tilted his head slightly to meet Clelia’s eyes.
To better leverage his Deception talent, he also secretly raised his Spirit level to ten thousand.
"But you can’t deny that as a noble, the etiquette training she has received since childhood would make your Queen’s Guard even more exceptional, can you?"