Chapter 456 - 192: Four, Four Heads?

Besides, and more importantly, after what happened last night, Wei’en had no confidence he could evade the Dawn Church’s pursuit next time.

They wouldn’t even need a particularly powerful Holy Professional to show up. If just one more Judgment Knight with strength comparable to Huberto’s had been there, he never would have managed what he did last night.

And if a projection of the Lord of Dawn were to appear again, it was anyone’s guess whether he could even escape!

If Clelia died again then...

The thought of this possibility made a wave of relief wash over him. He was grateful that Menor had arrived in time, and for the help from Black Jack and his crew.

"Later, I’ll take you back to the theater and partition off another area for you."

"Mm."

Clelia nodded as she stood and leaned close to Wei’en’s ear, whispering, "You don’t have to be so serious, you know. I’ll obey any command you give."

Wei’en flinched back, scratching his now-itchy ear. "Let’s hope so..." he said helplessly.

’Command?’

’If she’d obey *any* command, he would definitely make Clelia bare herself like that Teresa Witch!’

Seeing his expression, Clelia covered her mouth with a smile, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.

’I can’t let Wei’en carry all the burdens by himself. I need to find a way to have another breakthrough!’

’Although the Extraordinary characteristic of her puppets greatly enhanced her ability to survive, her powers were not only useless against Extraordinaries with powerful primordial energy—like the high-ranking Holy Professionals of the Dawn Church—but they also put her in mortal danger.’

At this thought, Clelia narrowed her eyes and asked, seemingly without thinking, "Have you finished translating that relic?"

’Translation?’

Wei’en paused. "Not yet. Last time, didn’t you say you weren’t in a hurry?"

Clelia gave a charming smile. "It’s just so boring staying in the theater all the time. I have to find something to do, don’t I? That relic is so thick; its contents must be fascinating. Maybe we could even discover some ruins from the Third Era in it."

"I see," Wei’en said after a moment’s thought, nodding. "I’ll find a way to finish translating it as soon as I can and give it to you."

"Mm, it’s not that urgent. Just translate it in your spare time."

"..."

Wei’en glanced at her, then turned to look at the distant sea. ’For her to bring this up so suddenly... she doesn’t seem ’not in a hurry’ at all.’

’Sigh, another thing to add to my to-do list.’

’I just have to hope Master-level Gonzalez is enough to translate the whole relic. Otherwise, for one hundred thousand survival points... I can forget about upgrading any other abilities.’

As the two of them spoke intimately, the guards nearby kept glancing over, suggestive smiles on their faces.

"So that Ghost Wizard joined the Eternal Life Association," Haisa said in a low voice.

While leading the others in etiquette training, Vian replied softly, "You’d do best to call him Captain."

"Hm?"

"Regardless, they’ve saved us twice—no, counting last night and the incident on the Storm Hunter, it’s been four times!"

Vian completed a maneuver, let out a long breath, and said calmly, "Focus on your training. We can discuss other matters during the break."

She knew what Haisa was thinking—

that for the proud heir of the Soyel Clan to be serving as captain of a guard unit was too great a sacrifice.

But Vian had her own plans. Compared to returning to the Northern Continent and her family, she would much rather stay on this ship, even if it meant being a mere training officer.

As for being the heir to the Soyel Clan... ever since she found out the clan had sold her to Massimo, that was no longer a concern of hers.

Haisa pressed her lips together, gave Vian a long look, and said no more.

’Four times?’

’It was clearly only the first time!’

"Raise the sails! Set course!"

Once all preparations were complete, Ronan returned to the captain’s quarters, gripped the helm, and steered the Leonard southward.

...

...

Around noon, after everyone had eaten a hearty meal on deck, Wei’en led the Queen’s Guard, Tina, and the others back to the theater. He had Clelia leave a single puppet in the ship’s hold to serve as an alarm.

Before long, he had re-partitioned the theater space, clearing out an area amid the audience seats for Vian and her people to use as a training ground.

He also set aside a dedicated rest area for them right next to the training grounds.

Clelia looked at the new training area and rest area, and just as she was about to express her satisfaction, she saw Wei’en staring at the guards. She pouted. "Alright, you can go now. I’m going to teach them some new things, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to watch."

Wei’en was speechless.

He glanced at the guards, who had all grown even more beautiful, then turned and left, closing the door behind him on his way out.

’I was just looking for a second to unwind. Honestly...’

"Tina, Gonzalez!"

Seeing him come out, the white-haired girl trotted over, took his hand, and led him toward the work area.

"Are you still going to study?"

"Tina. Study."

Wei’en was a bit surprised by her enthusiasm. He looked over at Miss Zombie, who was waiting by the work area, and said thoughtfully, "Shawa, you should study the Gonzalez language with her first. We can take our time with the Mechanical Puppets."

Miss Zombie’s expression grew even stiffer. Her hand, clutching her "Exclusive Workshop," tightened. "...Fine."

"What about me?" Zero asked, pointing at himself.

"I’ll check on your progress later. We’re going to build a Mechanical Puppet today."

"That’s great, Father!"

Zero waved his mechanical arm. "I want to make lots of me’s, so if I get damaged, I can just replace the broken parts."

"Oh?"

"Baba the driver taught me. He said I could do it, and he also said... MMMPH!"

Zero clamped his hand over his mouth, the gears in his eyes spinning rapidly as if he realized he had said too much.

Wei’en glanced up. The four Origin Spirits were all looking away, none of them daring to meet his gaze, as if they had a guilty conscience.

"What else did he say?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm..."

The ghostly heads frantically shot glances at Zero, shaking wildly from side to side to signal him to stay quiet.

Wei’en glared at them and huffed. "So that’s how it is. Has it been so long since you’ve tasted the ’Fist of Love’ that you’ve forgotten who’s boss around here?"

"No..."

"We didn’t say anything..."

"Nooo!"

"Father," Zero said, looking at the ghostly heads. His own head drooped as he whispered, "They said you want me to become stronger, so I need to work harder."

Wei’en looked at them, confused. "There’s nothing wrong with that. What else?"

"They also said that if I were like you, Father, and had four extra heads, I’d definitely become really strong!"

"What?!"

’Give Zero four more heads?!’

"You bastards, are you trying to get him taken apart? Four more heads... Four... four..."

The anger on Wei’en’s face suddenly vanished, replaced by a stunned expression. He mumbled, "Four heads, four heads... I feel like I’ve forgotten something important..."

PS: Bonus Chapter tomorrow!