Chapter 63

After the farce ended, the banquet resumed. After all the commotion, the nobles who had initially harbored doubts about Rhod gradually changed their attitude towards him. After all, the relationship between the Moon Principality and the Light Kingdom was very poor, and Rhod had the audacity to ridicule the envoy in public, leaving him utterly humiliated. This also changed the views of those who had harbored some hostility towards outsiders encroaching on their territory. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and this was definitely true.

Serek and Marin's support also made Rhod's backing exceptionally solid. One was a renowned swordmaster of Deepstone City, and the other was the sole heir of the Seneia family and a prodigious mage. With their status and strength, their recognition of Rhod meant he had the qualifications to stand on the same level as them.

As a result, there would be far fewer people in Deepstone City who would make things difficult for Rhod and the Starlight Mercenary Group. After all, no one would be foolish enough to invite such trouble.

Thus, during the rest of the banquet, people frequently came over to toast Rhod and chat with him. Many wealthy young ladies were secretly smitten with this handsome man, hoping to spend a night with him. This was not uncommon among the nobility; many wealthy young ladies and their maids enjoyed meeting handsome and charming men at such banquets and enjoying pleasant times with them. Just as men liked to boast about their one-night stands with beautiful women, spending a night with an excellent gentleman was also a topic of comparison among wealthy young ladies—men and women were often the same in such matters.

However, before these women could act on their fantasies, they were scared off by Marin's icy gaze.

"Shameless."

Watching another young lady in an expensive dress turn and leave, blushing under her gaze, Marin snorted coldly and took a sip of her wine. As a noble herself, Marin knew exactly what these women were thinking. As a proud and high-spirited noble girl, Marin naturally disapproved of such behavior.

"Miss Marin, did you come to invite me to drink or to be my bodyguard?"

Rhod, sitting beside Marin, watched the scene with a slightly helpless expression. In fact, Rhod was no stranger to such situations. Before he was transported, Rhod had dated several girlfriends, but none of the relationships ended well. Some were dumped by Rhod after deeper understanding, while others broke up due to the psychological pressure of Rhod being more beautiful than them. So, in such matters, Rhod was quite open-minded. If the other party was willing, he wouldn't mind cooperating to relieve stress. Although he already had two beautiful women sitting beside him, adhering to the principle that "rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows," Rhod had no thoughts about them. The benefit of a one-night stand was that the two strangers didn't know each other at all, and after it was over, they could part ways easily and without any follow-up issues. However, playing such a game with a woman he saw every day would be too stressful.

"What, are you still interested in those women?"

Marin, speaking, lifted her chin and pointed to the crowd. The wealthy young ladies, seeing Marin's gaze, scattered like chickens fleeing from a hawk, disappearing without a trace.

"At least give me a choice."

"Truly shallow."

Marin glared at Rhod coldly, but he was unfazed.

"Marin... you shouldn't do this. After all, it's Mr. Rhod's own business..."

Seeing the atmosphere become awkward, Liss, sitting on the other side of Rhod, hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

"What, do you want to let this man go wild? Liss, you can't be too lenient. If you are, you'll be taken advantage of when you get married!"

"M-marry?!"

Hearing Marin's words, Liss's eyes widened in surprise. She stole a glance at Rhod, blushing, but was then choked by the wine and started coughing violently.

"Cough... It's too early to think about such things, Marin, I..."

"What are you talking about? I was already being urged by my father last year. Hmph, fortunately, there aren't many men who can make me interested, otherwise... Oh, I guess you don't care about this now."

Saying this, Marin seemed to think of something. She looked at Liss with a hint of envy and shook her head.

"Your life now is not bad. You can make your own decisions. Unlike me..."

Saying this, Marin realized she had said too much, shook her head, and fell silent.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy, but Rhod soon spoke up.

"By the way, Marin, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it? If it's about some shallow woman you fancy, I don't want to hear it."

"It's about our mission."

Hearing this, Marin immediately turned to look at Rhod.

"What is it?"

"It's like this."

Facing Marin's gaze, Rhod did not show the fear that the wealthy young ladies did. In fact, the noble girl's eyes sometimes had a very intimidating presence, full of confidence, pride, and even unparalleled clarity, like a shining sword. In front of her, a slightly weaker man might not be able to hold his head up.

"I've decided to go alone."

"Why?"

Hearing this, Marin frowned. Although she had not known Rhod for long, she knew that this man rarely changed his mind. This was the first time she had heard Rhod back down.

"Didn't you hear from Liss how we met?"

In response to Rhod's question, Marin nodded. Although Rhod had told Liss not to spread the news about the airship accident, as Liss's close friend and a member of the mercenary group, Marin naturally knew the truth.

"As I said, I've always suspected that the Light Kingdom was involved in that incident. Just now, Serek told me that the Light Kingdom's spies are currently inquiring about me. It seems those guys are still determined to cause trouble. I think they will definitely come after me once I leave."

"So you don't want me to get involved."

"According to Serek, your status is not suitable for getting involved, and it's quite dangerous. The people of the Light Kingdom will do anything for their pride. Since they dared to secretly attack a merchant ship, they definitely don't want others to know it was them. Miss Marin, as you are not directly involved, they probably won't target you."

"What about Liss?"

Marin frowned and asked.

"There's no need to worry in Deepstone City. The Light Kingdom won't be foolish enough to act openly in the city. The base is well-protected. Be cautious, and there shouldn't be any danger."

Rhod was not concerned about Marin's worry. He now had control over the base and could activate some defensive functions. If someone invaded the base, Rhod would immediately receive a warning. The intruder would also face a certain level of counterattack and a magic signal would be sent out, and the base would quickly seal itself to prevent further intrusion.

"As for Liss..."

Saying this, Rhod looked at the girl sitting on his other side.

"After I leave, you should stay at the mercenary guild for a while. I'll ask Serek to take care of you. With him around, the Light Kingdom's idiots won't dare to make a big move."

"Okay, Mr. Rhod."

Although she was unhappy about leaving her newly acquired home, Liss knew it was a serious matter and nodded in agreement. Although she wanted to go with Rhod, her knowledge of spirit magic was too limited. Her healing spells were only effective against undead, not living beings. Following Rhod would only be a burden, so Liss ultimately suppressed her thoughts and agreed to Rhod's suggestion.

"Then, Miss Marin..."

After getting Liss's response, Rhod turned to her, but before he could finish, Marin had already given a straightforward answer.

"I refuse."

"Huh?"

"Although it's not my business, I am a member of the Seneia family. Running away in the face of a threat is not my style. Besides..."

Saying this, Marin narrowed her eyes.

"This is the Moon Principality, our country. If the Light Kingdom's scum want to act here, they'll have to ask us first. Mr. Rhod, I believe I can be of help. You helped me earlier, and now it's my turn to repay you. I hope you don't refuse. Although your strength is indeed great, two hands can't match four. An extra pair of hands is always helpful. Moreover, I am a mid-rank mage. The Light Kingdom's cowards might be able to hide their schemes from others, but not from me."

Hearing this, Rhod fell silent.

To be fair, Marin's words made sense. If the enemy planned to attack while he was in the Twilight Forest, it would likely be a surprise attack. Although Rhod could handle it himself, as a mid-rank mage, Marin could use simple barrier spells, making it easier to counter and monitor.

If the situation was a matter of life and death with no guarantee of success, Rhod would never agree to Marin taking such a risk. But now, he was confident, and if he had some help...

"Alright, I agree to your request, Miss Marin."

In the end, Rhod nodded.

"However, I believe you understand my conditions."

"I understand. I will follow your orders. After all, I don't want to die because of pointless pride."

"Then..."

Saying this, Rhod extended his hand.

"Pleasure to work with you."

"Pleasure to work with you."

Facing Rhod's extended hand, Marin smiled confidently and shook it firmly.

They didn't notice that at that moment, Liss, on the other side, was looking at their clasped hands with a complex expression. Her small hands gripped the hem of her dress tightly, showing her inner turmoil.

I need to get stronger.

This was Liss's only thought at that moment.

PS: Regarding the recent update times, someone in the group asked, so I'll explain here. It's getting hotter these days, and my room faces the morning sun, making it too hot to write in the morning. So now I update once in the afternoon and once in the evening. The times have changed, and that's how it is.