War and Love

In the end, Fina barely escaped death. She wasn't tied to a stone and left to soak in the icy seawater for a whole night by Angela. But even so, the half-night spent in the sea became a nightmare Fina couldn't forget. Li Lin no attempt to protect her this time. Although it was her first real combat experience, she was still his student, and it would be embarrassing for him to make such a fool of himself. In fact, thinking about it carefully, with Fina's speed, even without using those powerful ranged spells, but instead using low-level spells like Electric Claw for close combat, she could have achieved good results. But Fina clearly forgot the importance of flexible use of spells, which led to her crushing defeat.

After that, Rolandis remained extremely anxious, but neither Li Lin nor Angela seemed to bother her because of Fina's incident. The only tool she could use to escape was destroyed in her previous battle with Fina, rendering it unusable. Therefore, Rolandis had no choice but to abandon her escape plans and focus solely on being a hostage. She understood that trying to escape from these two was extremely unwise; if there were a next time, it probably wouldn't be so easily let go. Moreover, Mina clearly had no goodwill towards the woman who had harmed her sister. Although Li Lin's orders forbade harming her, giving her a hard time or making things difficult for her was not difficult for Mina.

So, Rolandis often had to eat dry, hard bread that smelled faintly of decay, and tough jerky that looked nauseating. These were the most disgusting foods she could find, but if she didn't eat them, Mina obviously wouldn't give her anything better. As a prisoner, Rolandis had no choice.

Where exactly are we going?

After walking for three more days, Rolandis finally couldn't help but ask. She was uneasy and panicked as they got further and further away from the bustling city. Although Rolandis knew that what she was doing was inappropriate for her status, she simply couldn't bear this kind of journey without even knowing her destination.

"Don't worry, when the time comes, you will be allowed to leave."

Li Lin, however, blocked her from saying what she wanted to say with a basically non-answer.

Dealing with Rolandis was not difficult for Li Lin; a few words were enough to shut the young lady up. Since her battle with Fina, Rolandis's attitude had changed. Li Lin had noticed this, and frankly, it was reassuring that the young lady was willing to listen; after all, she was a mid-level mage. If Rolandis really acted impulsively and decided to fight Li Lin and the others to the death, then Li Lin would have no choice but to respond with even more drastic measures. At that point, whether they could fulfill their agreement would be uncertain.

Angela has been unusually quiet these days. According to her, things are going more smoothly in Lalia than she expected. The Grand Duke, corrupted by the Caseli Magic Core, is gradually changing, and the atmosphere within the palace is becoming unstable. Although, according to Weijia's report, many capable and observant ministers have noticed the Grand Duke's strange behavior, they are currently preoccupied with the conflict with Kudel and cannot spare the time. This is relatively fortunate for Weijia. In any case, she is merely a subordinate who has received some small gifts from Angela; she is not Vampire Species and does not possess much power. It would be unwise to expect this woman to confront those powerful ministers head-on.

What should we do next...?

Li Lin closed his eyes, a slight headache creeping over him. Angela was engrossed in her game of thoroughly corrupting and degrading Lalia from head to toe, and surprisingly, she hadn't even bothered to find fault with Rolandis. In one sense, this was a good thing; in another, not being able to leverage Angela's devilish wisdom was a minor regret. The little one had plenty of clever ideas; a proper conversation would surely yield considerable help.

However, looking at it from another perspective, if Angela had such intentions, she probably would have already come up with a scheme back in Dragon Cry City. From this perspective, perhaps even Angela hasn't come up with a good solution. After all, she's a resident of another world and isn't familiar with this place. Although Angela usually speaks her mind without thinking, she's always very cautious about things she doesn't know. Perhaps in her view, since Li Lin didn't actively seek her advice, it meant he had no direction or plan. Therefore, being completely ignorant of this world's system, she naturally wouldn't rashly offer her opinions and disrupt Li Lin's thinking.

As for Nia...

Thinking of Nia gave Li Lin a headache. Ever since he slapped Nia that day, Nia had been ignoring him. This was understandable; in all the years since he created Nia, no matter what happened, Li Lin had never laid a hand on her. Nia's outburst was completely unexpected. In the following days, he tried to communicate with Nia Li Lin he had time, but Nia remained silent, simply maintaining her grimoire form, as if she were a real spellbook.

However, Nia shouldn't be so reckless. Even if she's throwing a tantrum, she wouldn't hide information that's crucial to Li Lin. Given Nia's meaningful words when she left, Li Lin isn't worried about this.

However, Nia's attitude right now is...

Nia?

Li Lin tapped on the cover of the Eternal Library.

"..."

There was no response.

Nia?

He knocked again.

"..."

There has still been no response.

What's going on?

Li Lin shook his head helplessly. Women's hearts are truly unfathomable. Nia isn't the type to hold grudges, is she? Why would she stop talking to him because of this? There should be a limit to sulking, right?

"Honestly, if I'd known this would happen, maybe it would have been better to get some male Weapon Spirit..."

Li Lin stopped abruptly after only uttering half of his complaint. The mere thought of holding a handsome man in his hands while he chanted incantations made Li Lin feel nauseous. Whether in the past or present, he had absolutely no interest in men.

"Forget it, women are better, even though they're a bit harder to guess..."

Li Lin sighed helplessly, then left the carriage to go outside and get some fresh air.

Just then, Angela, who had been sleeping soundly with her eyes closed, secretly opened her eyes, then revealed a smug smile, pounced over and picked up the Eternal Library.

"It worked! Sister Nia, didn't you?"

"Hmm... that's true."

Nia's voice was tinged with shyness, but also with excitement.

"I've been by Li Lin's side for so long, and this is the first time he's shown me such concern..."

"See? I wasn't wrong, was I? A haughty personality can easily win over a master."

"Although I don't know if this is good or bad, Miss Angela, isn't ignoring Li Lin a bit too much? I think..."

"No, no, no, please, Nia -neechan."

Angela smiled smugly, interrupting Nia's explanation.

"Love is a battle, how can you show weakness? With your abilities, Nia, there's absolutely no problem."

"... Even though you say that, Miss Angela, what have you done? Have you already failed?"

"Of course."

When faced with Nia's question, Angela puffed out her chest smugly and proudly. It was truly baffling why she could be so smug when announcing her defeat.

"I have utterly surrendered to my master, both body and soul, and have become his loyal captive."

"... I don't know why, but I always feel like you're quite arrogant, Miss Angela. You're the one who lost..."

"That's natural."

Faced with Nia's somewhat surprised question, Angela remarkably calm.

"For women, love is a war. But victory or defeat is not the key. The same is true of the conflict between a concubine and her master. When a woman fights against a man, she hopes that he will completely defeat her. In this way, she can at least prove that her choice was not wrong. The battlefield of love is like a battlefield. If you can't completely defeat your enemy, how can you gain his respect?"

"Um, this..."

Faced with Angela's words, Nia was momentarily speechless. Although she was learned and talented, as Weapon Spirit, Nia had never had anything to do with love. During the Magic Empire era, Nia focused solely on studying magic and collecting all sorts of knowledge. Even when she traveled with Li Lin, nothing too ambiguous ever happened. The two were practically inseparable, and perhaps because of this, neither Li Lin nor Nia ever considered it in that direction. Moreover, at that time, even if Li Lin accepted the servants sent by the gods, it was more of a pleasurable act, like eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, or drinking when happy—without any romantic involvement whatsoever.

However, after being separated for a thousand years, the emotions that had been hidden in Nia's heart began to sprout again, and Li Lin, who had returned to her, had indeed changed. At least, the relationship between him and Angela was no longer the one Nia had previously known, which was merely a simple physical desire for each other. Nia had witnessed their interactions several times, and the incredible harmony made her feel vaguely uneasy. In the past, Nia had only seen such harmonious interactions between Li Lin and the Elf Queen, but the difference was that their relationship was not that of lovers, but more like the contact between siblings.

It was precisely because she couldn't understand this relationship and her own feelings that Nia sought out Angela with a consultative attitude, hoping she could offer some advice.

"War... it just feels... a little strange."

"That's not true, Sister Nia."

Angela shook her little head, her white hair swaying along with it.

"This is merely a trial on the path to the right way. What is love? The interaction between a man and a woman is inherently a war. Especially for a charming man like Master. But so what? No matter what, humans aren't stray dogs. They don't wag their tails and run over to mate just because they see a pretty male dog urinating. If that were the case, when Master walks down the street, women would simply take off their clothes and beg him to sleep with them, wouldn't they?"

"... Li Lin probably wouldn't do that..."

There was a slight hint of distress in Nia's voice.

"Of course, it's wishful thinking for a woman with no looks to want to win the master's favor; she's even more foolish than Snow White in the fairy tale. But we are different. Sister Nia, can you imagine yourself running straight into the master's arms and offering him everything?"

"This..."

Did you hesitate?

Angela chuckled softly as she stroked the cover of the Eternal Library.

"Regardless, you are still a woman. It's natural for a woman to display her pride in front of the man she desires. This is a war; a woman bets everything to confirm whether the man she wants to entrust herself to is worthy of conquering her. Even if she loses despite betting everything, then as the loser, it's natural to accept it sincerely. If she succeeds, there's naturally no need to linger with such a man. A woman who gives up halfway, who can't even make up her mind, is only fit to be a plaything for other men, to be used and discarded."

"So, Angela, do you want me to succeed or fail?"

"This is an answer that you, Sister Nia, should find yourself."

The little guy chuckled as he left the Eternal Library, then glanced, seemingly casually, at Rolandis sitting opposite him, her expression grave as she pondered Angela's words.

"As for me, I merely wish to make up for some small losses from past failures. As for the woman... if you dare to reveal this to my master, I will tear your mouth apart."

With a light laugh, Angela jumped out of the carriage and followed Li Lin's retreating figure.

Silence returned to the carriage. Nia was still pondering Angela's words. Rolandis also deep in thought, surprised. They had never encountered such a view of love before. Regardless of whether it was correct or not, Angela's blunt and extreme proposition was indeed eye-opening.

"... But no matter what, it was still too rough."

"Um..."