Sword of Salvation-Chapter 122: - Agreement and Heir

At a round table surrounded by four chairs in an upscale restaurant, Mariel watched with great interest as Selena and Julia sat facing each other. Mariel himself sat across from Sean. Unlike Mariel, who enjoyed the atmosphere, Sean wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Julia and Selena had yet to touch their food. Their mouths took turns speaking. Julia was like an interrogator, staring at Selena as if she were a criminal. But Selena remained unfazed. From what Mariel saw, she positioned herself like a superior patiently listening to a subordinate’s complaints.

Mariel hadn’t planned for this. Really. This was purely a coincidence. It was a coincidence that Mariel was in that alley. A coincidence that Selena found him there. And another coincidence that Julia discovered Mariel at that exact moment. No one had orchestrated the events that led to this dinner table.

However, Mariel would be lying if he said he had never thought about something like this. If this coincidence hadn’t happened on its own, it would have only been a matter of time before Mariel planned a similar "coincidence". To better understand women, observing such events was a necessity.

"Mariel!" Selena and Julia called out at the same time.

That simultaneous call meant two things to Mariel. First, they had finished "discussing" things with each other. And second, it was now time for them to put him on trial.

What would they accuse him of? What were they going to do?

Mariel had been waiting for this moment. So, he smiled innocently at the two women and asked what was wrong.

"You cheated on me with a mercenary named C? You seduced Empress Athenia? You did inappropriate things to Princess Julia and tempted her?"

"Not only did you approach me and Empress Athenia behind C’s back, but you also had a secret relationship with Selena. What is the meaning of this, Mariel?"

Even though Selena and Julia’s voices overlapped, Mariel could hear both of their sentences perfectly. However, he didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t know what words would be the right ones to answer those questions. If he said the wrong thing, his cheeks might become their outlet for frustration.

’On the difficult and winding road of playboy, it seems I am still at the beginner stage, huh?’

Strengthening his resolve. Steadying his thoughts. Taking a deep breath. After doing all three, Mariel looked at Selena and Julia in turn. The way out of this situation was to answer truthfully, but with an innocent expression of confusion.

Mariel had to tell the truth as innocently as possible while simultaneously giving the impression that he didn’t understand what was wrong. A teenager who was clueless about such matters, acting only based on circumstances. That was the perfect scenario to play in this situation, especially since Mariel was not even sixteen yet.

"Selena, what do you mean by cheating?" Mariel asked with his most innocent look. "What do you mean by seducing Athenia? What do you mean by doing inappropriate things to Julia? I don’t understand those questions. I don’t feel like I’ve done any of that."

"Besides," Mariel continued without pausing, "I don’t remember us being in any exclusive relationship. You also never forbade me from cheating. And as for seducing Athenia, I didn’t do that. I was simply doing my job as a mercenary who happened to be hired by Athenia. As for Julia, that accusation is completely baseless. I embraced her not out of improper desire but to save her. Sean can testify to that."

Sean reluctantly nodded, confirming Mariel’s statement despite Julia’s sharp glare threatening her.

"And Julia," Mariel continued, "I’ll forgive your accusations and slander just now. But I still don’t understand your questions. Do you think I should have refused a job from Athenia? Would you have preferred if I hadn’t saved you from life-threatening dangers? And about Selena—she kissed me and asked me to return the kiss the next time we met. I simply fulfilled her request. Was I wrong?"

Mariel didn’t direct that last question only at Julia but at Selena as well. The question, spoken with a confused look and an innocent expression, was the most important line in his script this time. He backed both women—especially Julia—into a corner while appearing completely unaware of what he had done wrong.

Julia fell completely silent. She understood what would have happened if Mariel hadn’t saved her. Because of that, she was at a loss for words. She might have realized that Mariel was steering the conversation toward aspects she hadn’t actually been questioning, but she couldn’t counter his argument. Even if she wanted to respond to his question, her mind was stuck on his earlier statements.

Selena, however, was different. She wasn’t affected by Mariel’s words at all. Instead, she smiled. Mariel couldn’t figure out what was going through her mind. Why was she smiling? Had she realized Mariel’s intentions? Or did she not care about the context at all and was simply enjoying watching him try to escape from this situation?

"Did you already tell the woman named C about me?" Selena asked after several seconds.

Mariel nodded slowly. "I didn’t tell C the details," he explained, "but clearly, she’s jealous. And since there’s nothing special between us, I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t possibly lie to her. I also didn’t want to hurt C. So, well, that’s how it is."

"Don’t you feel guilty?"

"I’m guilty?"

"It wouldn’t be fair for me to blame you because I didn’t say it directly myself. But I thought you would understand after what I did and said. So, I’ll consider this our mistake. I’ll forgive you this time. Besides, Mariel, I already told my grandfather that you’re my fiancé."

Mariel immediately choked, and Julia dropped her fork.

"Are you okay? Here, drink this."

Mariel took the glass Julia offered and drank half of it. However, relief didn’t come to him. Selena’s expression was full of seriousness—her shocking statement wasn’t a joke. She was completely serious about what she had just said.

"What do you mean? I don’t remember ever agreeing to something like that?"

Mariel tried to reason. After all, there was no way he would just accept it, right? Celinee would definitely kill him if he did. Lasyana would be furious—he would become a wanted fugitive in Neiracia.

"When I told you to return the kiss I gave you, you agreed, didn’t you? That already counts as acceptance. You might not realize it, but it’s okay. I’ll teach you a lot when we return to Camelot. And when you turn 17, we’ll get married immediately. So, before that time comes, you have to end your relationship with that woman named C, okay?"

"Wait a minute!"

That voice belonged to Julia.

"I’m sick of hearing you force Mariel, Selena. From what I’ve heard, Mariel isn’t interested in you. Stop forcing him. Accept that reality and get out of here."

"You’re not interested in me, Mariel?"

"Uh... you’re attractive, Selena."

"See? Mariel said I’m attractive."

"Ma-Mariel... you... you!" Julia slammed the table and stood up. "Sean, we’re leaving!" she snapped sharply before turning around. She left without looking back.

’Did I... fail? It would be difficult to control Stewart if Julia is really angry. This is an interesting development. But it seems like I have made Julia want me, huh? What should I do in this situation?’

"I’ve freed you from her, Mariel. Now you don’t have to worry anymore. And from now on, I’ll protect you from any woman. So, just tell me if anyone forces you again, okay?"

"...Okay?"

"By the way, there’s another reason I was looking for you," Selena continued with a serious expression. "You’ve heard what happened to Camelot, right? You know that Britticia has fallen into the dirty hands of Celtekhna, right?"

Mariel nodded. "That’s why I was wondering why you were here," he said. "With Camelot’s current situation, I thought you would be focused on preparing a counterattack. Or at least, you would be focusing on preparing for the enemy’s next attack."

"A while ago, Celtekhna and Camelot signed a ceasefire agreement. So, there won’t be any battles for now. Right now, Camelot is focusing on strengthening itself, while Celtekhna has shifted its attention to Esparossa and Maxesonia. Esparossa has already become a vassal of Celtekhna. They are now preparing an attack to subdue Maxesonia."

"Oh, is that why the Sterminatore’s members in this kingdom are flocking to Esparossa?"

Selena nodded. "Glazzier will lead Sterminatore in attacking Maxesonia," she explained. "From the beginning, Maxesonia and Esparossa had a bad relationship. So, this development isn’t too surprising. The only surprising thing is that Esparossa submitted to Celtekhna without resistance."

It was undoubtedly the work of Great Human Council. If Sterminatore was really their creation, it made sense for Glazzier to obey. But this wasn’t surprising. Levia was the demon who ruled over the demons on this continent, so it was natural for Glazzier to agree to lead Sterminatore in attacking them. Mariel didn’t know if Glazzier was aware of Great Human Council’s existence, but he could guess that the man didn’t care.

"So, what does this have to do with me?"

"Marry wants to hire you to free Britticia from Celtekhna’s grip. You don’t have to worry about the payment. You can name your price. But if you feel like you can’t do it alone, I’d be happy to help. So, will you accept?"

It was a tempting offer. Mariel wanted to accept it. However, if he did, he would miss the opportunity to take control of this country. But if he didn’t accept, he would miss the chance to sink his fangs more easily into Camelot’s throat.

"You know I’m a fugitive in Camelot, right?" Mariel confirmed. "It would be troublesome if I also have to deal with the royal soldiers."

"You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Marry will immediately remove your fugitive status once you arrive in Pendragon. If you’re interested, she’ll also give you a place among the Knights of the Round Table."

"Hm...."

"I’m not going to force you, so I’ll let you think about it." Selena stood up from her seat. "If you’ve made your decision, come to the most luxurious inn in three and a half days. Meet us in the most luxurious room."

Selena gently kissed Mariel’s right cheek before turning around and leaving just like that. She walked with an aura of triumph, at least in Mariel’s eyes. That woman was on a different level. Selena had her own uniqueness—in this aspect, she even surpassed Celinee.

"Sir, the total is 4800 escal."

Mariel blinked at the sound of the voice. His eyes, which had been watching Selena’s back, immediately turned to the source of the voice. And at that moment, he realized that Julia, Selena, and Sean hadn’t paid for their orders at all. The food Julia and Selena had ordered hadn’t even been touched.

"I’m the one who has to pay for all this?"

The waitress’s eyes immediately became dull after hearing Mariel’s unfunny question. Seeing her reaction made Mariel sigh. Being caught up in the situation earlier seemed to have reduced his brain’s efficiency by fifty percent.

Mariel sighed once more and handed over 24 platinum coins. Then he stood up and left the restaurant.