Lock felt bored as he left the 'Dragon's Breath' inn, seemingly with nowhere to go.
A few days ago, Zesshi Zetsumei and the Black Scripture had returned to Theocracy, presumably to discuss the matters Lock had spoken to them about, and to help expedite the preparations for Theocracy's Magic Caster unit.
Clementine and Brain were currently training diligently; perhaps because Zesshi Zetsumei had left, the little cat had recently become energetic again, looking as if she had come back to life.
The date for the engagement ceremony had been set, and nobles from various regions were rushing to the Royal Capital, almost all having arrived.
As for Eight Fingers, due to the Great Tomb's interception, they probably had no profits left, so Lock was too lazy to bother them. He would sweep them into the trash during the upcoming legal reforms.
It's worth mentioning that, according to Lana's report, the Great Tomb seemed to have abandoned all those villains. The relevant personnel were withdrawing from the Kingdom, and the old man Sebas at the entrance had also disappeared, leaving the pitiful slave Tierra by Lana's side as an ordinary maid.
Lock speculated that it must be because he took Clementine away, preventing Tierra's sister Nia and Ainz, disguised as the Adventurer Fifee, from becoming too entangled. That's why Ainz discarded Tierra instead of taking her back to the Great Tomb.
However, upon leaving, Sebas had requested, or rather, threatened Lana to take good care of Tierra and informed her that he might return to visit.
As expected of an NPC with positive karma, Sebas was truly a white lotus standing out from the mud of the Great Tomb. Lock highly approved.
"Vier, we're going to the Royal Palace."
"Yes, Master."
Following Lock's command, the magical carriage, driven by a servant, headed towards the Royal Capital.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital's training tower...
Gazef struck Climb to the ground with a single sword. Such a scene was not uncommon, especially in recent days, becoming a frequent daily occurrence.
Looking at Climb, who was gasping for breath on the ground, Gazef shook his head and advised, "Climb, I must have told you many times, it's meaningless to push yourself too hard."
Hoo Hoo Hoo~
Climb couldn't speak at all at this moment, not only because of the dull pain throughout his body, but also because he had no strength.
These past few days, whenever he closed his eyes, he would see the Golden Princess Lana being snatched away by that giant demon beast. And each time, when he tried to act, to save the Princess, he felt as if his limbs were firmly bound by iron chains, unable to move.
Roaring and screaming were useless. Every time he woke up, his mind was filled with the image of the Princess lying on the ground, covered in blood.
This situation tormented Climb; every minute and every second was an ordeal.
If only I could be stronger!!!
The feeling of self-reproach always kept Climb from calming down. Even though the Princess had returned safely, it made him even more unable to face the Golden Princess Lana.
Therefore, in these past days, his training volume had more than doubled.
In fact, Gazef could understand Climb's feelings. After all, on that day in the Royal Hunting Grounds, his monarch was also almost carried away by a demon beast.
This also made him realize how powerless he was, which is why he trained with Climb. On the one hand, it was to look after this passionate and impulsive young man; on the other, to further improve himself, although this method would likely have little effect.
If Lock were to describe it, it would probably be: on this day, the two finally realized that humans, as a species, have limits.
"Alright, you should go guard the Princess now," Gazef said after pouring Climb a small blue potion and healing his injuries.
Climb nodded somewhat dejectedly, then stood up, bowed to Gazef in thanks, and walked out of the training ground.
After Climb left, from a corner of the training ground, a member of the Kingdom Warrior Troop, Gazef's Deputy Director (subordinate), emerged from the shadows.
The Deputy Director (subordinate) looked at the young man's disheartened back and sighed, saying, "It seems he suffered a great blow!"
"After all, he went through something like that," Gazef said with emotion, feeling deeply regretful. "If he can't get over it, he might eventually die because of this state."
As a guard, while not every day is fraught with danger, the job is certainly not easy and requires constant vigilance.
Especially now, the Golden Princess has gained the support of many small and medium nobles, and her influence is rapidly growing, already affecting the interests of many people.
Who knows when those people will lose control; an assassination attempt might occur then.
As the Golden Princess's guard, if Climb remains in this state, he will eventually suffer a tragic death.
..."Yes," the Deputy Director (subordinate) naturally understood Gazef's meaning, but this was not his concern, nor could he change it. He avoided the somewhat heavy topic, saying, "Speaking of which, the Earl has been quite the talk of the town recently! Not only has he won over a large number of nobles, but even the King's influence seems to be subtly expanding. Now, those noble faction fellows probably can't sit still, can they?"
Gazef glanced at the Deputy Director (subordinate) and didn't want to dampen his optimism.
On the surface, the situation did appear that way. The engagement between Earl Lock and the Princess meant that the King had gained significant support. At least the noble faction, which had once feigned compliance, rarely openly opposed the King's proposals in political discussions, as they all feared the powerful army under Lock.
Yes, various pieces of information about Lock had now spread throughout the Kingdom's noble circles. Not only was the size of the Tiger Knight Order confirmed to be three thousand, but even his actions of circumventing surrounding nobles, bringing their surrounding villages and towns under his management, and recruiting people from nearby cities to train elite soldiers, had been reported to various nobles by spies.
But no one dared to express an opinion on this matter. The nobles of the Royal Capital were like blind and mute people, because the first few noble faction members who impeached Lock had choked to death while eating at home, one of whom was even an honorary Earl.
It proved that in a world with mysterious powers, military might is the best foundation and the basis for reputation.
As various proposals beneficial to the country were passed, many ambitious individuals began to feel that perhaps if the Golden Princess inherited the Kingdom's throne and ruled with Lock, the decaying Kingdom would flourish and head toward the right path. Consequently, many pragmatic nobles and talents joined the Princess's ranks.
Perhaps, this was also within the Earl's expectations!
Gazef sighed. As a commoner, he could not interfere in these matters; perhaps even the King was helpless.
On the other side, Climb returned to his residence, changed into armor made of mithril, and then headed to the Princess's chambers to begin his daily guard duty.
"Yo! Climb!"
When he arrived at the entrance of the chambers, a warrior standing at the door, with a long sword at his waist and silver armor, greeted him warmly.
Although Climb was not happy, he still politely bowed to the other party and said, "Lord Mark, Lord Polo!"
"Didn't I tell you, we can't be called 'Lord'. You can call us by our names," the man Climb called Mark seemed uncomfortable, scratching his head and saying somewhat helplessly.
He looked to be in his twenties, not much older than Climb. In contrast, Polo, standing on the other side, appeared calm and capable, exuding the maturity and dignity of a middle-aged man.
Climb looked up. Although the melancholy in his eyes could not be hidden, at least a smile appeared on his face. "How can I do that? Both of you are stronger than Lord Storonoff. I cannot be so disrespectful."
Earl Lock sent these two to protect the Princess. Although at first Climb couldn't help but feel a sense of rejection toward them, after spending a few days together, he realized that both of them were as gentle and kind as Lord Storonoff.
Mark, like Gazef, came from a border village near a forest, a commoner by birth.
This could be seen from his daily habits: not wasting a bit of food, wearing ordinary linen clothes under his silver armor, and enjoying cheap ale.
Moreover, he was very considerate of Climb during daily training, never arrogant as Lock's subordinate, and never bullying the weak because of his own strength. Instead, he meticulously taught him warrior techniques.
Although perhaps because he was too weak, Climb often only half-understood the techniques taught by Lord Mark, only grasping a little superficial knowledge.
But this was enough to make Climb respect this Lord even more.
"Then I'll be going first," Polo said in a muffled voice from the side, then completed the handover with Climb and went to rest.
In fact, the Princess no longer needed Climb to guard her. After all, the strength of Mark and his companion was already unparalleled in the entire Royal Palace. If someone could break through his defenses and harm the Princess, even a thousand more Climbs would be useless.
In other words, I am no longer needed, and I am no longer the Princess's only guard.
Perhaps this was the real reason for Climb's despondency. If he couldn't become a useful person, wouldn't he have wasted the kindness the Princess showed him when she saved him? Wouldn't that prove that the Princess's judgment was wrong?
This was the one thing Climb felt he could not tolerate.
But what can I do? Climb secretly glanced at Mark beside him and thought to himself, If only I could be like Lord Mark!
At that moment, a person's figure suddenly appeared in his mind. Perhaps this person would have a solution!
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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