Nolan busied himself moving through the Goddess's residence, as if there would always be endless matters waiting for him to handle.
He had only just soothed Malenia on one side before he had to rush off to look after Trina on the other.
He had only just finished dealing with a few trivial matters before he had to hurry off to inspect the troops.
He had not even had time to catch his breath before wayward girls and confused princesses needed him to comfort them.
In short, time flowed endlessly onward like running water, leaving him no moment of leisure to stop and rest.
Nolan darted back and forth through the crowds, feeling like a brick that got carried wherever it was needed.
He had already stayed at the Haligtree for several months, and during this time, the troops from the Land of Shadow had completed their reorganization as well.
However, this was not because Nolan was especially skilled at commanding troops and waging war. It was thanks to the help of those two great generals, Messmer and Malenia.
The two of them spent almost a month forcefully turning what had been an elite remnant army and a bunch of drifting Flying Dragons into a strong force capable of rivaling any lord's army.
Messmer received a reward for his contribution this time, which was a fatherly round of praise... and that left Malenia utterly speechless, to the point that she nearly spat blood.
This older brother had clearly been born more than a thousand years before her, so how was he still like a child who had never grown up? He truly had no ambition.
Malenia decided that she absolutely could not be so pathetic. She had to show the desires and needs befitting an adult, and so she asked Nolan to help relieve her fatigue.
After all, as a Lord, Nolan ought to fulfill his duties as a ruler. Satisfying this small request from Malenia was hardly difficult. Spending a night asleep in the Valkyrie's chambers was enough to solve the problem.
But whenever she thought of Trina, Malenia still felt a little embarrassed. Matters like this required some privacy.
To prevent any scenes she did not want to see, she specially arranged for numerous Cleanrot Knights to stand guard outside the room, with a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten, tightly guarding against any possible intruders.
Speaking of her sister, tonight's arrangements were more or less the same as usual. Malenia had found her Knight Commander early and said with a serious face, "I have important matters to discuss with the Lord tonight. I do not wish to be disturbed."
And so, by now, every Cleanrot Knight had been deployed, personally led by that terrifying Cleanrot Knight Commander. No one aside from the spiritualized girl would be allowed near the room.
Finlay had no objections to this dirty and exhausting work. After all, she was already used to such things.
She was only worried that Trina could also enter spirit form. If she failed to stop her and caused her lord to die of embarrassment, then Finlay herself would be swept out the door.
She had just finished arranging the last Cleanrot Knight's post when she saw Arl rushing over in a hurry. "Quick, quick! Her Highness is looking for you. She wants you to come at once!"
Finlay was a little surprised. She truly could not understand how such a wonderful thing could possibly fall on her head.
She had personally seen those two lords enter the room. There must have been plenty of people who wanted an audience with them, but what virtue or ability did she possess to spend this beautiful night together with them?
Finlay could not help reflecting on how she usually treated Arl. Could it be that she had not been kind enough to him, and now this brat was deliberately trying to set her up?
Of course, the knights all knew very well what those two lords were doing in the room every night.
Going in at a time like this would be far too lacking in tact. If she ruined their mood, who knew how they would make things difficult for her later?
Neither of these difficult lords was exactly a good person.
Just like Trina, the older sister. Her Highness guarded against her strictly as well, let alone an intimate friend like Finlay, who was not even allowed to stand outside the door and attend them.
Finlay thought that, sure enough, close friends and brothers were still the more reliable ones. Malenia and Nolan must have seen how pitiful she looked standing outside and wanted to give her a little warmth on this cold night... as if.
Still, when she imagined whether those two would become completely uninhibited once she entered the room, Finlay felt a chill run through her.
"Your Majesty Nolan, Her Highness Malenia, it's Finlay. I've come to attend you. May I enter?"
Finlay knocked carefully. For the first time, the steel-like female knight understood what fear was.
After quite a while, the door finally opened slowly, and Nolan appeared in the crack.
"You heartless woman can actually be scared? That's rather interesting. Come in." The teasing look on Nolan's face put the female knight slightly at ease.
Finlay thought that if this man had some ulterior motive, he definitely would not be wearing that expression. And anyway, how was she heartless? Could anyone in this world fight without a heart or lungs?
Her mind was filled with countless questions, displeasure, and frustration. But since she had been ordered here, she could hardly turn around and leave, so she forced a smile while gritting her teeth and pushed the door open...
"You're actually playing this wildly? Wait, why does this woman look so familiar? She looks just like Her Highness."
Finlay had only just pushed open the door and had not even taken a single step inside when she suddenly let out a low cry of shock. The cry was not loud, but Nolan could hear it clearly.
Inside the room, two women stood side by side. One was tall, over two meters in height. That was her lord, Malenia.
The other was an ordinary woman around one meter seventy tall. But aside from her figure, she was almost identical to her lord in every other respect.
"Stop shouting and come over here to take a look." Nolan pulled the female knight Finlay into the room and shut the door firmly behind her.
"I can't handle this many people on my first time." Finlay was helplessly dragged farther into the room by the man, but her gaze remained fixed on the smaller version of her lord draped in a bedsheet.
"And although I know a lot of people secretly call me a tough woman, I'm not a real man. So even if you try to tempt me with a woman who looks just like Her Highness, I still can't do it."
The corner of Malenia's eye twitched. She silently swept a glance over her Knight Commander.
This world was tolerant toward the strong. With Finlay's strength, she had earned the right to be indulged.
Even if she did not share a relationship with Malenia that was both subject and friend, a hero like her would be treated like a treasure by any faction.
"Let me introduce her. This is the personal guard Malenia sent to protect me, Cleanrot Knight Millicent." Nolan pointed at the red-haired woman wrapped in a bedsheet as he introduced her.
"A Cleanrot Knight? The Order got a new member, and I, the Knight Commander, didn't know?" Finlay's eyes widened, and she froze.
A woman who looked so much like her lord becoming a Cleanrot Knight would definitely cause a sensation within the Order.
"You... you two have gone too far, haven't you?" The more Finlay thought about it, the more her scalp tingled.
Looking at those two similar faces, she immediately thought of a possibility. In this world, there truly were ways to turn one person into many.
"Hey, hey, hey! Get your mind out of the gutter! None of the things you're imagining happened! The Valkyrie's Highness only had her follow me after I left the Haligtree!"
Nolan reached out and flicked Finlay's forehead, smiling as he spoke.
"Huh? You should have said that earlier! You scared me to death!" Finlay struck her right fist into her left palm. "I understand. I'll have Old Roy rush the work, and the armor and weapons will be delivered tomorrow."