Melina felt the warmth of the hand stroking her head and frowned slightly, a trace of displeasure in her voice. "Not interested."
Nolan protested in exasperation, "How could you think that? Do I look like that kind of person? Besides, there are children here. I'm not expecting them to go out and kill people!"
"I just want them to have some power to protect themselves in this world. Men are all villains, especially men like me. Could you really bear to watch them fall into my clutches?"
Nolan said it with a smile, his tone half joking.
But Melina did not play along. She only stared at the hand slowly leaving the top of her head and gave a gentle shake of her own.
"Exactly! Let them master the powerful strength that belongs to them alone, then kick a big bad guy like me away without the slightest mercy."
Nolan nodded with a smile, his eyes full of encouragement, as if he were cheering on the young girl who was about to become a teacher to others.
After he left the dark, damp dungeon reeking of rot, what spread out before him was a shimmering lake district.
The view suddenly opened wide. He could not help turning back and looking over the group carefully. The party that had originally numbered only five had somehow swelled to more than a hundred before he knew it.
The Numen captured and thrown into the dungeon should never have been so few in number, but after such long, bitter years, there truly were not many who could survive in a place like that.
"Look at this group. In the blink of an eye, it's grown to this size. People really are fascinating."
Nolan turned back with a smile, his gaze passing over the Numen who still refused to leave. They gathered together and followed close behind him, like sunflowers turning with swaying stamens.
They had more or less adapted to their current situation. After talking along the way, some chose release, but most stayed by his side.
"In a certain sense, you really are looking more and more like a true Lord. Countless followers behind you, and the number of beauties in your palace..." Trina muttered in a muffled voice.
Hearing that last line, Nolan understood what the little goddess was hinting at. After all, when he glanced back, he could not see a single man besides Miquella.
Nolan wisely shut his mouth. Ranni had already fallen asleep, but arguing with three people by himself was not a smart choice either.
Still, Nolan had a clear conscience.
He truly had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to bully men or force women, nor was he some tyrant who abducted innocent girls. Everyone behind him was following of their own will.
And so, after a long period of waiting, time gradually washed away the tense, dangerous atmosphere that had hung in the air.
Only after confirming that it was safe did Nolan slowly put away the bright smile on his face and scratch his head.
"Hmm... I vaguely remember a small village to the north. Why don't we head there first, see what the situation is like, stock up on supplies while we're at it, and then go to The Scadutree?"
The white-haired older sisters and younger girls behind him barely had any decent clothes on them, and Nolan had not expected that one trip outside would somehow turn him into a clothing wholesaler.
The supplies in the Spirit Rings had long since been used up. Some of them had simply found scraps of cloth and draped them over themselves, barely covering their bodies.
In short, apart from weapons and potions, the Tarnished Lord was so poor that all he had left were runes.
For Nolan as a Lord, the several hundred thousand runes on him were no longer enough to raise even a single "level," but in the Lands Between, they could still buy plenty of good things.
"I wonder whether the people of The Scadutree accept runes."
By common sense, something like runes, which contained a strange power, ought to count as hard currency anywhere in the Lands Between.
But the Land of Shadow was a special case. The Hornsent civilization that lived here was exceptionally mad and savage. What if their way of trading was robbery?
Then Nolan could only do as the locals did.
Ever since learning that even young children were among those vessel women, Nolan's disgust toward the Hornsent Race had reached its limit. He even felt there was no need for this Race to continue existing at all.
There were very few things Nolan needed to think about right now. Kill any Hornsent he ran into, protect the people around him, and retrieve the Enchanted Great Rune. His goals were simple and clear.
When his gaze swept over the lake district, one brief look was enough to make him lose any interest in exploring deeper.
Because in his memory, aside from the Ghostflame Dragon, there did not seem to be anything worth seeing there.
Nolan was like a nouveau riche. His sights had grown far too lofty.
In his view, making a special trip here just for a half-dead, low-value Flying Dragon really was not necessary.
So the group chose to rest briefly by the lakeside. Time passed quietly, but the sky never showed any obvious change.
Just as Nolan finished packing and was about to lead everyone away, he felt a faint movement on his shoulder.
He quickly turned his head and saw Ranni slowly lifting hers, giving him a friendly gesture of greeting.
"Morning, Nolan," Ranni said softly, her voice clear and pleasant, like the warmth of the first morning light passing through the mist.
"Morning... though it seems you slept for a relatively short time this time," Nolan replied with a smile.
"Perhaps my mind was more active. Laziness in thought often causes the soul to sink as well. Or is it my imagination? It feels like there are more Numen now," Ranni sighed.
"It's not your imagination. We did rescue a few more after you fell asleep. They seem to like me quite a bit and are willing to come with me."
Nolan stood and started walking north, waving an arm to signal the people behind him to follow.
"After all, what you did counts as salvation for them. Speaking of which, you're not planning to look after them forever, are you?"
Ranni asked softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
Her gaze moved across the white-haired women, and a faint unease rose in her heart.
"We'll take them with us for now. Once we leave this place, there'll still be time to think about the rest."
Nolan answered casually, sounding quite relaxed.
"My domain is fairly large. I should be able to give them at least one place to live."
"Come to think of it, Liurnia of the Lakes has only just been through war and is exactly in need of people. The royal family could accept them."
She clasped her four small, delicate hands together, as though seriously considering something.
"That depends on what they want. I brought them out on my own, so I don't plan to force them." Nolan shrugged.
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