novelraw Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Ch.145 Could… could you make it for me this time?
I just heard what kind of insane suggestion?
“Seduce Selena?”
I laughed at Icira’s words.
“Come on—that’s way too much of a joke.”
Had her usual rigidity softened from interacting with humans?
I wondered where she’d picked up such a terrible joke.
“It’s not a joke.”
“Sigh… Selena’s a fanatic… Do you really think that’ll work?”
Icira just blinked silently at my words.
“So the rest of the Hero Party are all perfectly sane, then?”
“Well…”
“I’ve heard the rumors—how utterly lost the Saint, that high elf over there, and even your own disciple have become.”
“Well…”
Granted, Cecilia, the Saint, maintained her image in public—but anyone close to her would instantly realize she was completely unhinged.
If the standard for selecting saints here was outright madness, it’d be easy to understand why she became one.
“You have a talent for it—a natural gift for charming mentally unstable women. Why not use that to seduce the fanatic and make her betray the King of the Dead?”
What is this—a new form of psychological warfare?
“Don’t say such nonsense.”
“Then, after seeing how you’ve already charmed every powerful, unstable woman around you, can you really deny you have a knack for it?”
I couldn’t help but burst into a hollow laugh.
“I never wanted that kind of talent! And now you’re telling me to add a fanatic to the list too? Ugh… Just imagining it is horrifying.”
Let me take stock of the women already after me.
‘Leah’—in the original plot, a witch so misandrous she’d burn you alive for brushing shoulders with her.
True, she’s milder now—but she still casually threatens to set my head on fire or kill me, her own master, at the slightest provocation.
‘Scarlet’, the brooding Hero—
not as mentally broken as in the original, but she still caused shocking chaos: starting revolutions on the Old Continent, even becoming the King of the Dead herself.
‘Cecilia’, the Saint—
her mind’s a flower garden. No further explanation needed.
‘Mia’, the high elf—
in the original, she was obsessed with human skin. When she says she ‘likes’ me, it feels like she’s admiring my epidermis. Utterly chilling.
And all these mentally unstable Heroes…
now you want me to add a ‘fanatic’ to the mix?
I already have no idea how they’ll react once the King of the Dead is gone—
what on earth makes you think of people like this?
“Then… is there any other way? Like entering the vessel’s mind and persuading her directly?”
“Well…”
We haven’t found a method yet—but Icira’s logic didn’t add up.
“No… if persuasion could’ve worked, she wouldn’t have pushed me to the brink of death in the first place.”
Icira just shrugged at my words.
“Who knows? The Church of Death believes the dead reunite in paradise after death. Maybe… she intended to meet you again in the afterlife?”
“Oh, that’s way too speculative. It’s far more likely she approached me from the start for my life and the conceptual artifact.”
This isn’t some cheap romantic spy drama where you fall for your assassination target!
I realized Icira would’ve made a great screenwriter back in modern Korea.
“It’s worth a try.”
She said it with utter seriousness.
I reflected on my time with Selena.
Now that I thought about it… we used to get along well.
But at some point, something changed.
She started acting strangely one day.
What if she’d used ‘regression’ and reset herself?
“Hmm…”
I mentally drafted a short story.
What if she’d confessed her faith in the Church of Death to me?
Of course, I’d try to stop her—she’d be disappointed—and then used regression?
But that felt like a huge leap.
Icira’s theory had some plausibility, but the probability seemed low.
“Even if we force the pieces to fit, the chance is still slim—there’s no evidence at all.”
She nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. There’s no proof—especially with regression involved. But it’s still one option we must consider. After all, do we have any other methods?”
When I thought about it… she was right.
There were no other options besides the one Icira proposed.
“So I guess I’ll have to actively look for ways to turn Selena’s heart.”
“Well, that’s the conclusion. But as a woman—and trust my intuition—I think what I said earlier is the right answer.”
Should I even consider a dragon as a ‘woman’?
“I agree with you, Lady Icira! Baron, you clearly possess something that appeals deeply to such ladies.”
“Shut up… Please. I’m already stressed enough.”
Appealing to those madwomen?
How utterly terrifying.
That kind of thing must never happen—under any circumstances.
Giovanni smirked darkly.
“But isn’t it great? They’re all beautiful.”
“Then you take them.”
“W-well… I already have Ellis.”
Seeing Giovanni flustered, I gave him a sly look.
“I’ll talk nicely to Ellis for you. I’ll even throw in the Pisa estate—why don’t you go live happily with them?”
I wasn’t joking.
If I could just get them off my back, I’d gladly give away the Pisa estate—the most valuable asset I own.
Money can be earned again… but entanglement with them? Ugh.
Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.
***
Several days later.
Things had been unusually quiet.
Roy probably had to walk—or struggle all the way to the Seal Stone without Altarion’s Staff.
“Serves him right.”
I sneered inwardly at the King of the Dead.
But back to the matter at hand…
“Crafting the artifact will take some time… Hmm…”
How could I possibly persuade Selena?
This part left me completely clueless.
—Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
—Creak.
Edward entered.
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah. Been well?”
I stood and gestured to the sofa.
“Just been researching, as usual.”
His research held the key to whether we could kill the King of the Dead or not.
“How’s it going?”
“Thanks to Lady Icira, miniaturization is progressing well. Dragons really are incredibly intelligent.”
“That’s a relief.”
Hearing the artifact was on track eased my worry.
If we could extract Roy’s soul from Selena’s body, it’d be easy.
But… what if there was ‘something else’?
Given his ‘infinite recursion’ cheat ability, I worried there might be another trap I hadn’t anticipated.
Like that time a completely unforeseen mechanic appeared—’seeing the pot lid after being startled by a turtle’—giving me a massive headache.
“Yes. Once we capture the King of the Dead, I’ll use this artifact to explore human minds. It could be the key to helping countless people trapped in suffering.”
Edward looked proud.
It felt strange seeing a wicked lich work so earnestly for humanity—
especially when Edward still looked like a sinister, bare-boned lich.
‘But… how do I persuade Selena?’
I knew so little about her.
I couldn’t even tell if the stories she’d shared during our past travels were true or lies.
The orphanage she mentioned was likely real—but probably run by the Church of Death.
After all, that place was a factory for fanatics.
Anyway, the reason I’d called Edward today was:
“By the way, Cecilia’s coming today—could you stay in the Imperial Capital for a few days?”
“Huh? Saint Cecilia?!”
“Yeah.”
I’d promised each Hero Party member one day of rest per week.
This week’s visitor was Cecilia.
“So I should transform into a human again, like last time?”
“Yep, that’ll do. I’m counting on you.”
He cheerfully nodded and shifted into a human form.
“Don’t worry! Should I go now?”
“Yeah. Icira should be here soon.”
—Knock, knock.
Speak of the dragon…
“Come in.”
Icira entered at my permission.
She glanced at Edward and asked,
“Ready to go now?”
“Yeah. Edward’s prepared.”
Icira nodded.
“Teleport.”
Edward and Icira vanished—
and moments later, Cecilia and Icira appeared in my office.
“Oh? Father Hans!”
It was a long time since I’d seen Cecilia in person—
though we’d been chatting regularly through the enchanted notebooks.
—Dive!
With teary eyes, she dashed forward and threw herself into my arms.
“Hnn… I missed you so much.”
M-missed me?
Their obsession seemed to deepen by the day—
and I felt cold sweat trickle down my back.
“Didn’t you miss me, Father Hans?”
I quickly shook my head.
“Of course I did, Cecilia. I missed you terribly.”
…Though not that way.
I’d happily see her as a friend—but never as a woman.
“Huhuh…”
She suddenly burst into tears, catching me off guard.
“W-why… why are you crying?”
“It’s just… it’s been so… so long! Sob…”
Seriously? Was it that long?
Was it really worth crying over?
I’d actually seen her in the Imperial Capital—not just her, but others too.
It was awkward when Cecilia, who used to glare at me accusingly for ‘acting,’ started behaving like this.
Why did every woman around me act this way?
Knowing she’d keep crying unless I did something, I softened my voice and whispered tenderly,
“Why cry on such a good day? Didn’t I always say your smile is your most beautiful look?”
I gently pulled her back and looked into her eyes.
“Are you really going to spend our first private time in ages… crying?”
Cecilia blushed faintly, shook her head, and wiped her tears.
“Hehe, no! I can’t just cry when I’m finally alone with Father Hans after so long.”
She gave me a sly smile.
I reached out and wiped away her remaining tears.
“That’s right. I prepared a lot for your visit. Oh—did you eat yet?”
She shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“Oh? Then I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare breakfast.”
As I turned to step outside and relay the order—
“Could… could you make it for me this time? It’s been so long…”
She asked shyly.
I’d cooked for Cecilia a few times before.
Not that I couldn’t—it was just bothersome.
“Alright. Shall we head to the kitchen together?”
Review at
NovelUpdate
One for All200[Get access to 20 premium chapters each for over 30 series.
Check out List at Membership page]Unlock next 20 premium chaptersValid for 30 daysPurchase