With a smile on his face, Nolan politely extended his hand toward the woman who would very likely become his aunt in the future, taking her hand in a courteous shake.
He followed behind Rellana, stepping onto the crimson carpet lined on both sides by rows of imposing knights.
In that brief moment when he shook Rellana's hand, Nolan could not help taking a few extra looks at her.
The female knight was hidden entirely beneath her armor, so there was not much to see.
Yet the cool, aloof air that naturally showed in her every movement reminded Nolan of Ranni when she carried herself with solemn dignity.
When the two Princesses were dignified, there was indeed something similar about them.
Rellana strode ahead with her head held high, leading the group slowly toward the magnificent hall.
Trina, pressed close beside Nolan, quietly leaned toward his ear and asked in a low voice,
"My Lord, what do you think of this lady?"
"She's strong. A top-tier champion. Whether she has stepped into the realm of legend will take further observation," Nolan said with a nod.
Trina furrowed her brow slightly and spoke in a winding tone.
"That doesn't sound right. I clearly saw your eyes turn as sharp as a storm eagle's. You looked her up and down very carefully."
"That's right. The Princess has a balanced build, steady footwork, and a powerful waist and back. She could definitely swing those twin swords like a windmill and shave a mountaintop flat," Nolan replied quietly.
Trina looked utterly lost and asked suspiciously, "I can understand looking at her build, but what is this about shaving a mountaintop flat?"
"Build affects martial skill. For example, being too overweight can make movements... Wait, no. What did you think I was looking at?"
Nolan suddenly realized the little goddess's thoughts had wandered in a rather improper direction, and the corner of his eye twitched.
He muttered inwardly, wondering what kind of person this goddess took him for.
"Your first reaction after seeing her was to analyze the threat she posed?" Trina asked softly.
"What else? She's a knight loyal to Messmer, and we haven't determined whether Messmer is friend or foe yet," Nolan reminded her. "It wouldn't even be strange if we started fighting in a moment."
"But she is Ranni's aunt, after all. Ranni is about to wake up, so there shouldn't be any need to worry too much, right?" Melina said.
She had not revealed herself, but she lowered her voice and joined the conversation.
"An aunt? Do blood ties really matter that much in this world? Are there not enough examples of brothers and sisters killing each other and becoming enemies for the sake of gain?" Nolan asked quietly in return.
"Uh..." Trina did not know what to say.
Trina opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, yet not a single word came out.
She lay dazed on Nolan's back, her gaze flickering as countless thoughts churned in her mind.
After all, she herself was one of the participants in this brutal struggle for power between siblings.
When she and Miquella decided together to support the Lord she had chosen in ascending to that supreme throne, she had known full well that sooner or later, her hands would be stained with the blood of her kin.
Melina was gazing from afar at the red-haired man not far away, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
An indescribably strange feeling welled up in her chest, leaving her restless and uneasy.
"What a strange feeling. Did that man notice me?"
She murmured to herself, her brows tightly furrowed, her gaze never leaving the red-haired man for even a moment.
"My heart is beating faster. Is there danger?"
Melina whispered to herself as she tried to calm the turmoil in her heart.
Yet that inexplicable tension showed no sign of easing. Instead, it grew stronger.
Hearing Melina mutter to herself, Trina could not help letting out a soft laugh.
"Hehe, Melina, don't tell me you fell for that man at first sight?"
Trina even gave Melina a playful wink. Having one fewer rival here would certainly be a good thing.
"It's nothing like that. It's an even stranger feeling, as if he and I... know each other very well."
Faced with Trina's teasing, Melina quickly shook her head in denial, though she did not know why she felt so flustered.
Even so, she still could not ignore that red-haired man.
Sometimes, things were simply that strange.
Even when memories had long since shattered into fragments beyond recognition, blurred so badly that they could barely be pieced into a complete picture, there would still be certain indescribable sensations, like seeds buried deep in the heart, stubbornly taking root and sprouting.
Just as she had once stayed by Nolan's side despite there being no need. Just as now, despite remembering nothing, she still looked toward that Demigod.
"Lord Nolan?" Messmer was the first to break the silence, his expression still cold, like a child long accustomed to hiding in dark corners.
"Lord Messmer," Nolan replied, extending his right hand as well and clasping Messmer's firmly.
The instant their palms touched, Messmer clearly felt a powerful force coming from the other man's hand.
That hand was strong and firm, nothing like what one would expect from a fair, delicate-looking young man.
Messmer was secretly surprised. The aura displayed by this young Lord before him was truly unique.
For no reason at all, this young Lord reminded him of the father with whom he shared no blood. Both of them burned like fire.
Only that father's flame had been blazing and fierce, violent as a storm.
The young man before him was gentler, but deeper, and warmer as well.
Only now did Messmer have the chance to carefully examine this Lord who had saved the Numen.
In the letter from Castle Ensis, Moonrithyll had told him that this was a man who embodied both mercy and cruelty, perfection and ordinariness.
He was both the great champion who had saved the Numen and the terrifying demon who struck fear into the Hornsent.
He possessed an astonishingly perfect appearance and will, yet at times seemed just like an ordinary person.
Now, as Messmer truly faced Nolan, he finally understood what those descriptions meant.
The man standing before him was like a flame gathered from countless sparks, giving off a mysterious and captivating light.
Compared with the sins Messmer himself carried, that flame seemed especially pure and dazzling.
Nolan's guess had been right. Messmer had harbored doubts all along.
But the moment he saw Nolan with his own eyes, every one of those doubts gradually faded.
Nolan, however, was somewhat surprised, because the friendly exchange he had expected did not come. Instead, a war spear swelled in his pupils.
Bang!
The sky was torn open, and the air currents whipped into chaos. A single spear thrust blasted out a cannon of compressed air, making the Demigod's power impossible to ignore.
"Kid, what are you doing?" The spearhead grazed past the side of his face, and Nolan caught the war spear one-handed, grinning as he asked.
He had been wondering whether he should give this abandoned child a little fatherly love, only for the boy to attack him the moment they met.
Messmer's expression was ice-cold. "You should not have hurt Mother's... father."
What the hell?
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