Chapter 249 Rehearsal

Standing before Layland who was sitting on a luxurious sofa were Hadrian and two of his fellow Dukes who had decided to side with Layland. Layland's gaze was focused solely on the smiling Hadrian; he ignored the two people behind Hadrian who, for some reason, seemed eager to curry favour from him.

He couldn't understand why the three people did what they did--condemning the King for the atrocity that the Royal Family had done for generations and declaring their independence to openly join his side. He didn't expect and wish any of them to do that.

He wondered what they were thinking before making a decision. They might have seen the inevitable fall of the Kingdom--thus they sided with him to save their assets--but he still couldn't help suspecting that it might be the Kingdom's plot.

"Let's make everything clear," Layland said as he took off his mask and put it on the table before him. "What motivates you to make your decision? Please, don't lie. No one who has seen this face and dares to lie to me walks on this world."

"We understand that, Lord Layland," Hadrian replied with a smile. "I will be honest with our motivation; we can see the glory that decorates your path and we want to enjoy some of them. For that, we are willing to even become your slaves."

Layland waved his hand. "Don't call me Lord--it doesn't sound right to me yet. Just call me Sir." Gesturing at the sofa across him, he continued, "This is not a one-way talk, so have a seat--all three of you."

Nodding their heads, the three Dukes sat down. Layland looked at them one by one as he pondered what he should do about them. He had been so used to conquering and brainwashing that he was rather uncomfortable having people coming to him on their own accord to pledge their loyalty to him. He couldn't help suspecting there was a catch to it.

The three Dukes before him had made it clear that they wanted something in return for their loyalty--the privilege to maintain their assets and possibly multiply them. There was their interest that bound them to him yet he still couldn't bring himself to accept them under his wings.

Humming to himself, he intertwined his fingers and laid his chin on them.

"I have trust issues--in case you can't tell--but I also like to gamble. I won't turn you into my slaves. I will take your words for granted and see how much truth they hold. You may plot to stab my back but be prepared for what will await you."

Layland was smiling softly; however, Hadrian, who had been smiling since the beginning instantly lost his smile. He didn't have any intention to betray Layland yet he still couldn't help but feel chills down his spine.

Layland got up and put his mask back on. "In a couple of days, we will mobilize our army to Antares. You have two choices: use this information against us or keep distracting the Kingdom with the false information you spread and the rebel army."

Hadrian smiled wryly as he shook his head. Layland was already in the winning position. No matter what they did to hamper him would barely affect his triumph. Choosing to betray his trust at this crucial moment would be the stupidest decision they would ever make.

"I have figured out where the Holy Maiden is. She is with the Grand Paladin Jacques des Horten. She is practically untouchable now. Making an enemy out of Jacques means that you are declaring war against every Paladin in this world. I know you are going to decimate them someday but--"

"I know. She is not currently my focus--I won't chase after her this soon."

"I am glad to hear that."

Hadrian sighed in relief. Different from a Kingdom, the Temple was the world and so was its special force, the Paladin. Standing against the leader of all Paladins--a Grand Paladin means that you were challenging the whole world. Demons were powerful indeed yet the Verniculos Kingdom wouldn't be able to win against them.

At least, not now.

Layland understood it well; therefore, he focused on taking Antares down first to expand the Verniculos Kingdom's territory. He would take the rest of the human Kingdoms one by one before finally taking down the Holy Land of Thummendakh where the most powerful Paladin and the Supreme Priest dwelled.

....

Looking at the ash-blonde-haired woman standing before him with a quirked eyebrow, Layland wondered why she stared at him like a lost puppy. She had been like that ever since she heard that she wouldn't be following him to the Verniculos Kingdom.

"Can I ask you something?" the woman, Celia, asked with her hands clasped before her chest hopefully.

"Go ahead."

"Are you dumping me?"

"Why do you have to make it sound like I am an asshole of a boyfriend?" Layland retorted neutrally, earning no response from Celia. Sighing lightly, he pulled his mask down slightly and stared into her eyes. "What do you think?" he asked. "Do I look like I am?"

"Since it is you...I can't tell."

Layland mused about it for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Touch??." Shaking his head faintly, he said, "Anyway, I need you here with Neroel so you both can act as middlemen. A war is coming, so we need to keep the people on track. If we can't make them fight, at least, we have to make them stay."

"So, you are not dumping me?"

"I expected you to be worried about your father but it seems that I was wrong."

Celia said nothing about his remark and merely quirked her eyebrow, demanding the answer to her question. Layland blinked his eye at her insistence and sighed lightly.

"Yes, I am not dumping you. I still need you to herd these lost sheep, so--what are you doing?"

Celia was hugging Layland tightly. "Thank you for giving me a place to stay."

Layland instinctively turned to Neroel to ask for some explanation. Neroel stared back at him in confusion since he also didn't understand what was going on.

Millonia, Winerva, Lunea, Gabriela and Abigail--the girls who would follow him back to the Verniculos Kingdom--cleared their throats noisily as if they had suddenly contracted chronic throat cancer. Layland turned to them to ask for an explanation but they merely stopped coughing and stared at him neutrally, further bemusing him.

Shrugging, in the end, he patted Celia's back until she separated herself from him. She then looked at him with a small smile and a light blush on her cheeks as she fidgeted about in her place.

"Kuhum! Come back quick."

Pulling his mask up, Layland simply responded, "Just trust me and wait."

He turned around and walked toward the waiting Genelos with Millonia, Winerva and Lunea following closely behind; meanwhile, Gabriela and Abigail walked toward the Magic Carriage that was next to Genelos. As Layland was about to get on Genelos, a Portal was opened before.

Whoosh!

He stopped in his track as the malicious aura coming out of the Portal swept over the place. He quirked his eyebrow in bemusement. He was extremely familiar with the aura yet it had never been so violent. It was clear that the person was irked, yet he didn't know why.

A few seconds later, a masked figure came out of the Portal. It was a tall woman with long scarlet hair who was still exuding beauty despite having half of her face covered by her blind mask.

She stopped before Layland and looked up at him. At this moment, everyone was silent; even those who had never met her directly yet had heard about her instantly knew who she was.

"It has been some time, Valeria," Layland said warmly.

Valeria's face was facing his yet he could tell he didn't have her attention. She was busy scrutinizing the girls one by one, making them uncomfortable.

"It has been some time, my student."

"...are you dumping me?" D??j? vu struck him as he said it.

"Were we even a thing?"

An imaginative arrow struck Layland in his heart, making his breath hitch. "For all this time...I have been played! I think I am going to seek comfort in Millonia's lap."

"Hey, what the fuck, asshole? Why are you dragging me into your mess?" was Millonia's immediate response. She feared for her life.

"Awh...Everyone is rejecting me," Layland said dejectedly. He looked around and met Lunea's hopeful eyes. He would like to choose her yet he wanted to spice things up a little bit. "Are you going to reject me too?" So, he turned to Celia.

"Come!"

He smirked and was about to walk toward Celia when he sensed Valeria turning around. He immediately spun on his heel, dashed at her and hugged her tightly.

"I am sorry! I was stalling for time to figure out what I did wrong."

"What did you do wrong?" Valeria asked neutrally but Layland could tell that she was being hopeful.

"I didn't inform you about my well-being for the last forty-two days." So, he didn't disappoint her.

"And, why did you do that?"

"Because...I could feel you were always watching me." He would like to add, 'even when I was taking a bath,' yet he was smart enough not to.

Millonia turned around and hugged him back. "Don't do that next time."

Layland took his mask off and sighed. "Great. Now, we can use your portal to get back home."

Everyone was instantly appalled, meanwhile, Valeria's face darkened. He smirked at her reaction, raised her chin and leaned down to kiss her.

"I was kidding. I miss you more than you can tell."

Valeria tried to play it cool yet she couldn't hide the blush on her face. When she regained her composure, they returned to the Verniculos Kingdom.