Little Tyrant Doesn’t Want to Meet with a Bad End

Roel had never thought that it could be possible to devour a person’s existence, even when taking into account the possibilities of mana and transcendent abilities, before his encounter with Shrouding Fog.

The overwhelmingly powerful Deviant Sovereign Banjol’s bloodline ability allowed him to pierce through all defenses and remotely plunder an enemy’s heart. It was a terrifyingly powerful ability, but it was nowhere close to devouring a person’s entire existence.

It didn’t take long for Roel to grasp the implications of Silver Devourer’s side effects.

The term ‘existence’ likely didn’t just refer to his mana, ability, or body. It was more of a karmic concept, and that was likely the reason that child was able to show herself before him.

A doubt had floated into his mind while he was chatting with Lilian that day: Why did our daughter suddenly appear at this juncture?

It had been two years since the start of Lilian’s pregnancy. Supposing their daughter truly had the ability to travel back in time, their daughter could have gone even further back and met them at an earlier point in time.

Lilian did suggest that their daughter’s interference had helped him avoid a possibly tragic fate, but he couldn’t help but think that her interjection came at a rather peculiar time. 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥.𝗰𝗼𝐦

For instance, if their daughter had hoped to avoid this series of events, she could have sent a warning through Lilian a year ago, before he went missing, so that he could prepare himself for what was about to come. Even if there was some reason she couldn’t do that, the least she could do was to tell Lilian he was still alive to ease her worries.

Yet, their daughter only appeared before Lilian when Roel was already surrounded by the deviants. He had previously thought that this was just a coincidence, but he now wondered whether it had something to do with Silver Devourer’s side effect.

Perhaps, the thinning of his existence had created a chance for his daughter to temporarily manifest through some kind of magic tool or the dreamscape. This would mean that the thinning of his existence had brought about some unintended benefits.

However, that didn’t mean all was well.

As a matter of fact, he had been suffering from some problems that he belatedly realized were caused by the thinning of his existence, such as his dwindled mana. He had previously thought it was due to his soul’s impairment, but he now knew the culprit was something else.

On the one hand, he was glad that it was not an issue with his soul, but on the other hand, it alarmed him to the possibility that he might vanish into thin air if he overused Silver Devourer.

The greater the power, the greater the price?

Roel decided to temporarily seal off Silver Devourer. While he was thinking about how he should deal with this matter, the auburn-haired woman next to him suddenly offered her help.

“Darling, why don’t you let me give it a try?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s a side effect arising from the Six Calamities, right? As long as it involves the power of the Six Calamities, we, the High Elves, should be able to suppress it to some extent.”

Remembering how Flooding Death had gone after Charlotte due to their ability to interfere with the Six Calamities, Roel nodded. “I see. How should we go about it?”

“All we need to do is to touch,” Charlotte replied as she leaned in for a light kiss.

Her mana began to surge as their bodies pressed together. Much to Roel’s surprise, his mana roused to life and began fusing together with Charlotte’s mana.

“Wait a moment; won’t this affect you as well? You have been ailing for a year now,” Roel exclaimed.

“Darling, what are you saying? That’s a psychological problem. I’m completely fine now,” Charlotte replied with a smile.

“But…” Roel was still worried, knowing how Charlotte had languished in the past year.

With a sigh, Charlotte placed her hand on Roel’s cheek and asked, “Darling, who am I to you?”

“…” Looking at Charlotte’s earnest expression, Roel paused for a brief moment before repeating the answer he had once told her: “You’re my wife.”

“That’s right, but I’d prefer your answer to be faster next time.”

“I was thinking of saying that we’re a family.”

“!” Charlotte widened her emerald eyes, and her face turned a little red.

Roel suddenly remembered some matters and began uttering his apology, “I’m sorry, Charlotte. I was planning to have a talk with my father when I returned from Rosa, but I was distracted by the Fallens’ invasion of Ascart City…”

He was explaining the reason he had hesitated to answer with the term ‘family’.

Taken aback by the explanation, Charlotte hesitantly replied, “About that, darling… I am already a member of the Ascart House, at least in name.”

“Hm?” Roel blinked in confusion.

Charlotte quickly explained the matter.

In the months following Roel’s disappearance, Charlotte succumbed to her depression and never recovered. It didn’t take her long to display inclinations of self-harm. Worried sick for his daughter, Bruce Sorofya approached Carter for help.

While Carter didn’t approve of Roel and Charlotte’s relationship, he still respected Charlotte as a business mogul and a key supporter of the united army. He couldn’t bear to see her languishing like that, and he was also moved by the deep sentiments she harbored for his son.

To make up for the harm he had done to Charlotte by obstructing their relationship, Carter wrote a public letter acknowledging Roel and Charlotte’s engagement, going as far as to declare that the Ascart House would always be open to her as long as she was willing.

This meant that Carter was willing to fully acknowledge Charlotte as his daughter-in-law.

While it was not known whether Roel was alive or dead, as long as Charlotte wanted it, she would be officially recognized as his wife, and she would be recorded in the Ascart House’s genealogy as such.

This matter provided some solace to the despairing Charlotte. It was through this that she found the strength to pull herself together and head to the frontline.

“I’d only sully your reputation if I continue wallowing in depression after becoming your wife. Now that I think about it, that was probably what my father and Uncle Carter intended. I can’t help but feel like I have fallen for their ploy… but I’m grateful to them for that.”

“I am also grateful to them for that. Charlotte, I want you to promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you mustn’t think of doing anything foolish, all right?

“Darling…”

Looking at Roel’s worried eyes, Charlotte nodded. The two of them took their time to enjoy each other’s warmth before their bodies slowly separated.

“So, I am now your wife in name and in spirit. A couple ought to tide through difficulties together, right? Darling, stop suppressing your mana and obediently hand it to me.”

“But…”

“No ‘but’s. At most, I’d just feel a slight discomfort reminiscent of a cold. This is a small price to pay to hasten your recovery. Besides, there’s something you need to do, right?”

“You’re referring to…”

“Alicia.”

“!”

Roel’s body abruptly tensed up as he stared at Charlotte in shock. The latter looked at him with an ambiguous smile.

“What’s wrong, darling? It can’t be that you think of me as a vile woman who wishes for Alicia to never return?”

“Of course not, but the two of you often fight…”

“We do fight often, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re childhood friends. Besides… I owe her one.”

“You owe her one?”

“Alicia had approved of Uncle Carter’s acknowledgment of our marriage and even convinced him to go through with it. It was through such mutual support that Alicia, Nora, Lilian, and I were able to keep ourselves together while you weren’t around. I’m now officially Alicia’s sister-in-law.”

“I see…”

Those words hardened Roel’s determination. He took one more look at Charlotte before gradually releasing his mana to her. Slowly, their manas fused together as one.

…