536-542

Chapter 536: Celestina's Bet

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Celia and Celestina stopped probing for an answer from Rhode. After all, they had followed him for a long time and moreover, the souls of the summoned spirits and summoner were interlinked. From a certain perspective, Celia and Celestina understood Rhode more than Marlene and Lize did. The sisters sensed that something was off when they discussed this topic, but they couldn't figure out what the problem was. Perhaps Rhode wasn't aware of it himself.

"This is interesting. It seems that there may be some extra reward?" Celestina narrowed her eyes at the tightly shut door and revealed a peculiar smile. "I didn't expect that this aloof, unapproachable man had this side of him. Huhuhu... This is a really great chance..."

"B-Big Sister?" Celia waved her hand and interrupted. "What do you intend to do? I think we are better off not provoking Master because he seems to have ulterior motives... After all, we're only spirits and it won't turn out well if we offend our Master."

"What are you talking about? My adorable Sister..." Celestina lifted her chin and puffed out her chest confidently. "We aren't just ordinary summoned spirits. As Holy Spirits, we have our pride and self-esteem, and we must understand our Master. If he can't spiritually communicate with us, how are we gonna unleash our full potential? Could it be that you haven't felt the restriction of this contract and you're satisfied with your current state? Hmph. I will never be satisfied... Back then in Hell, those idiots only followed my lead, but what about now? Perhaps in their eyes, I'm inferior to an imprisoned Demon after losing my strength! It gets me fuming whenever I think about this!"

Celestina gritted her teeth, grabbing onto a thorny whip that had sneaked out of her sleeve. She tugged violently and Celia couldn't help but shrink.

"Don't lie to me that you don't care at all. Do you still remember that loathful Duke Devil? Ridiculous! Back then, even a thousand bastards like them were simply powerless under our attacks and now, we have become unimportant, worthless onlookers..."

Celia gaped but she said nothing. It was true that they had possessed powerful strength and were once the heart of the world, but now, even though they existed, they were deeply sealed as though a burly muscleman was bound in heavy fetters and chains and carrying a large boulder on his back. It would be unbearable for any ordinary human, not to mention presences like Celia and Celestina.

Celia knew the way to regain her strength, and that was through the summoning spirit's oath, which was also the restriction. Although she was not reconciled to, she hadn't been as mindful as Celestina. Instead, she felt that if Rhode were willing, he would possess the strength to unlock her seal sooner or later.

"I can't wait that long anymore. You can do whatever you want, my adorable Sister. I don't know what our Big Sisters are thinking, but... I have no intentions of keeping silent. I will never give up even with the presence of the oath!"

Celestina glared at the tightly-shut door and returned to her room. The Edward Trade Association had arranged for individual guest rooms and she didn't need to withstand the 'humiliation' of sleeping with that human.

"Ha..." Celia let out a sigh. Her elder sister had always behaved this way. But this was also a strong point about her. Her arrogance, confidence, and attitude to work for her own goals. Celia admired her.

... Even though her methods were indeed problematic...

Celia turned toward the thick wooden door.

Big Sister. Master isn't an easy person to deal with... I hope you wouldn't suffer over it.

Dinner was over.

Emily scurried to Rhode's room and this presented a great chance for him to gain an even more favorable impression with the Chairman's daughter.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Seren," Emily entered with her usual enthusiastic smile plastered across her face and gleaming gazes of anticipation. She bowed respectfully, clapped her palms to summon a couple of servants to arrange the tea sets and desserts. It seemed like she would be in for a while. "This is our specialty blueberry cake. It tastes delicious and I know Miss Seren will like it too..."

Of course, this was merely an excuse. Shortly after, she jumped right into the topic and consulted Rhode about his experiences as a Travel Merchant. Her questions weren't simply about bargaining in the stages of trade or the price fluctuation in various cities as she had known about them. She was thirsty to know how a Travel Merchant would deal with dangers and calamities during a journey.

Although she had asked all sorts of questions, Rhode cleared her doubts perfectly. Almost every triumphant player was a successful merchant and even ordinary players had completed thousands of mission related to protecting merchant groups. The most traditional way of brushing up one's reputation in a country began with such missions and one could steadily climb up. Once the 'Respect' reputation had been reached, there would be Travel Merchants distributing protection missions. And when one's reputation was promoted, one could get close with the nobles and help them manage commercial transportation and trades.

Even though Rhode hadn't experienced them personally, he had seen them happen himself. But he wasn't sure how Emily eventually became a Travel Merchant after completing this mission and left Fiat. However, this wasn't a question that he needed to worry about. He just needed to teach everything that he knew to this young lady according to the mission.

"There's indeed some inconvenience for Travel Merchants, but... there's an important point that you must remember. You are your most important companion. There will be full of troubles in the outside world and sometimes, you can't rely on others, but only yourself. This is very important, Miss Emily."

"Rely on myself... Is it?" Emily laid down her teacup and looked at Rhode with widened eyes, as though she were engraving his every single word into her brain.

"That's right. Profit is the most important for merchants. But timely choices to give up are also crucial. I've seen several merchants clutching onto their wealth on the verge of death and eventually losing their lives. I think that is really unfortunate."

"But... shouldn't merchants uphold such mental spirits?" Emily blinked curiously. "I think it isn't wrong for merchants to harbor such thoughts, Miss Seren. Perhaps it would be right for normal humans, but money is our blood and wealth is our lives. How can one be qualified as a merchant if one doesn't have the thirst and dedication to pursue wealth?"

"What you described is reasonable to a certain extent, Miss Emily." Rhode picked up the knife and fork to lightly slice a piece of cake, sending it into his mouth gracefully. His natural movements were like that of a well-bred young lady of the blue blood.

"But I don't look at it that way. Wealth may be important for merchants, but they only get to live once. You can earn money that you've lost but never your life. There's a saying in my hometown: "Wealth is a mere worldly possession, and one can't bring it to their graves". Besides, a successful, outstanding merchant should have such confidence. I think that the merchants who can't let go of their wealth and end up losing their lives made a foolish choice. They chose to escape, and not face it."

"Eh? Why's that?" Emily said curiously.

She could understand the so-called 'foolish choice' because sacrificing one's life for money was indeed dumb to many people. But she actually disagreed. As merchants, it was their mission in life to earn profit and gather the riches. If they lacked the dedication for wealth that surpassed ordinary humans, how could they earn their current position and rich financial status?

"It's simple." Rhode stuck out a finger. "They were afraid. They feared that they would become penniless after losing everything and could even go bankrupt. They didn't believe that they possessed the ability to start all over again. They weren't confident in themselves, which was why they chose to avoid and death might be a better choice for them rather than the horrifying reality. I do understand their worries and fears. After all, this is a tough test for every merchant. But... If they are only engrossed in earning profits and can't extricate themselves, I think they will not be successful."

Emily pondered in silence. She lifted her head and her eyes glinted in clarity. "Thank you so much for your advice, Miss Seren."

Emily had benefited from this tea break tremendously. Not only did she gain insights into Travel Merchants, but she also received plenty of practical suggestions. Rhode felt that Emily would require basic self-protection swordsmanship for rough situations. Also, he thought that it would be great if she could hire some trustworthy companions from promising, large-scale mercenary groups and guilds to protect herself instead of hiring some mercenary teams. After all, those mercenary teams were basically a crime syndicate. They would bait one on the hook by acting out as really passionate and snatch all one's belongings afterward. Rhode had met several such instances in the game.

Emily engraved Rhode's words in her memory. They conversed for a few hours and she left reluctantly after the clock struck midnight, considering that Rhode had come from afar and would be exhausted from her 'interrogation'. Of course, Rhode feigned casual and spoke about the reasons that he came here. He wished to establish a silver ore trade with the Edward Trade Association and he hoped to examine the silver ore mine personally. Emily promised and nodded without the slightest care in the world.

This was more than enough for Rhode.

"Hu..." Rhode heaved a sigh of relief and nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that his plan worked smoothly. The young lady had a favorable impression on him and he had gained her promise. Although Emily was as sharp and witty as most merchants, she lacked some crafty qualities. Perhaps it was because 'Miss Seren' had the same gender and was about the same age as her.

"I really can't understand, Master. What's the point of you sucking up to that girl?" After Emily left, Celestina sprawled languidly on the sofa and gazed at Rhode in disdain. "With your capabilities, you could've settled everything much quicker. Must you make it so troublesome?"

"I'm sick of hearing your complaints, Celestina." The smile on Rhode's face vanished.

Celestina revealed a pleased little smile and raised her hand. "That's right. I'm kinda sick of it too... Master, shall we play a game?"

"Game?" Rhode twitched his brows in astonishment.

Celestina stuck out her proud chest and gazed at Rhode arrogantly. She turned her wrist and a luxuriously-patterned bowl emerged on her hand. Three die laid within. "A game to pass time. Got to say, I'm discontent that you simply curried favor with a lowly human. No matter what, you're our Master and yet, you lowered your head before another human. I can't accept this at all. So... Shall we have a bet?"

"What bet?" Rhode pulled over a chair and sat opposite her, gazing into her scarlet pupils.

Celestina cupped over her mouth and chuckled. "It's simple, Master. It will be a best of three and if I win, you will act according to my orders tomorrow. But if you win, I will be the obedient one. How about that?"

Rhode hesitated as he stared deep into her eyes. "That sounds unfair. Even if I win, isn't it the same as now?"

"Oh? That's not the case, Master... If you win, you can do whatever you want to me," Celestina narrowed her eyes and displayed an inducing smile. She crossed her slender legs wrapped in black stockings, kicked her foot cheekily, and leaned back with a victorious smile. "I shall not complain about anything. What do you think about the bet? Master?"

Rhode adjusted his gaze to the equipment in her hand. He pondered for a few moments before taking over the black bowl.

"I'll go first. Surely you wouldn't mind that?" Rhode said.

"Of course, Master," Celestina smiled even wider. "I think... this will be an interesting night..."

Chapter 537: A Wonderful Night

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

This was supposed to be a wonderful night for Celestina. Demons were best in exploiting every advantageous opportunity and a game like this was merely recreation for them. In order to lure a human soul, they had to make use of every loophole in the rules. Of course, the 'toy' wasn't exactly an ordinary one. Every side of the dice was specially produced with a hidden spell that could modify the collision sound within the dice cup and only the Demons could differentiate between them. Celestina had chosen this game confidently because the winner had been decided even before it started.

In fact, the game started off like she had predicted. With the help of the 'Adorable Trick' (named by Celestina), she guessed Rhode's dice accurately while he lost the second round without even being close to his guess. The Demon young lady grinned proudly and she just needed to win one more round.

Even though she was pumped with confidence, she didn't dare belittle Rhode's intelligence. She had discovered from their daily interactions that he was strangely familiar with the cheap tricks Demons would employ. This was also the reason why she had proposed a best-of-three instead of a best-of-five. After all, if they had gone with the best-of-five format, he would have more time to figure out her tricks and come up with a counter solution.

But Rhode eventually surprised her and she guessed wrongly in the third round!

"How is this possible..." The Demon young lady gritted her teeth and stared unbelievably at the three faced-up dice with six points each... That shouldn't have happened. It clearly should've been three sides of threes...

"It's your turn, Celestina." Rhode gestured expressionlessly.

Celestina let out a snort and took over the dice cup. "Hmph, what's there to be happy about? It's just a mistake on my part. If I treat this game seriously..."

She shook the dice cup at her shoulder-height and her scarlet eyes gleamed.

Bam! She slammed the dice cup on the table, smiling slyly at Rhode. "Alright, Master. It's your turn now. Let's see if you'll be as lucky as before..."

Rhode ignored her taunts and shrugged his shoulders, sweeping a glance at the dice cup. Then, he erected a finger slowly and his mouth curved into a smile. Celestina's expression turned pale.

How is this possible? How did he find out? Are my movements too slow? No no no, that's not possible. But, how did he know... Celestina froze to the spot as soon as she saw Rhode's pointed finger. She bit her lip fumingly as she couldn't figure out how he discovered her trick. It seemed that she didn't truly understand this man as much as she had thought.

Rhode gazed at her conflicting expression silently. In fact, he knew what she was up to ever since she showed the dice. In the game, Rhode had led his guild into battling the cunning Demons in Hell and had a fair share of losses and victories. From the beginning, he lost more than he had won. But victories started going their way when his group unleashed their treacherous and shameless nature as players. If he wasn't even capable of this, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to leave Hell with a massive pile of god-like equipment and proceeded to sweep the entire continent.

And now, he naturally wouldn't avoid Celestina's taunts. Besides, he was somewhat irritated by her jeering of his female dress-up all day long. It seemed this was a great chance to re-educate her on their Master and Servant relationship.

Rhode lifted the dice cup and the three dice stacked together in a tower, unveiling a single red dot at the very top. "I won, Celestina. You haven't forgotten our bet, right?"

"... Hmph. I am a woman of my word." Celestina bit her lip unwillingly and looked around the room for any signs of hope. Celia had returned to her room after sending Emily off while Celestina had chosen to play this stupid bet with Rhode. Great, now I don't even have a reinforcement to back me up.

There was an instant when Celestina had thought of spiritually communicating with Celia to get her out of this terrible situation. But her pride denied that cowardly thought. It's just a small little bet. What can this man even do to me? Hmph. As he has mentioned, I will still listen to his commands as per usual even if he won. What's there for me to worry about?

"So then, what do you want me to do, Master?" Celestina's confidence seemed to have restored itself and she lifted her head with a smile. Rhode revealed a gentle smile in response, and this expression left Celestina with a bad hunch...

"Alright then. I shall not hold myself back, Celestina."

It was late at night.

Emily laid on her bed and faced the flickering stars outside the window excitedly. She couldn't wait to experience the life of a Travel Merchant after hearing all the descriptions from 'Miss Seren'. In fact, she was imagining herself driving a carriage through the country, mountains, and forests and living her days by the sea... This was her hope and dreams. She shut her eyes and entered dreamland gradually.

In the other room, Celestina was biting her lips and kneeling between Rhode's legs. She lifted her head miserably before this brutal man. She had never expected that he would give her such an order...

"Do it, Celestina."

"I-I know. Why are you in such a hurry... That's why I say that all you Humans are..."

Celestina ground her teeth as she observed Rhode's smiling expression. Then, she shifted her attention to the huge lethal weapon before her. No matter how much he resembled a woman, he still had what a man was supposed to have.

I didn't expect it to be this big...

Celestina drew in a deep, cold breath between her teeth and she hesitated no more. After all, as a noble Demon, breaking a promise was more torturous than anything else. Besides, isn't it just doing this? Hmph, it's not like anything will happen to me...

Celestina extended her tongue to gently lick the presence before her. Then, she put the content in her mouth and moved her head from back to front. "Hmm... Mm... Mm..."

She felt a little uncomfortable as she heard the muffled noises from the sliding of her mouth. But even so, she looked up stubbornly and stared at the man before her. Hmph, an insignificant Human enjoying this treatment from me. Maybe he has become too excited to stay calm anymore...

But she didn't expect that Rhode was still displaying his leisurely contented expression.

"You don't have to worry about me, Celestina. I can still go on."

Who's worried about an irritating bastard like you!!

Celestina was itching to bite off the thick, warm thing in her mouth. But she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and calmed herself down. At this point in time, all she wanted was to wipe that carefree expression off his face entirely.

Okay then, I'll show you what I got!

Celestina sped up her motion, licking non-stop, stimulating his every sensitive point. But these were far from enough for him. "Although I'm happy that you're trying so hard, this will just go on and on to nowhere, Celestina."

Suddenly, Celestina felt Rhode's hands on her head and before she knew it... "—!"

She widened her eyes in shock. The thick presence penetrated deeply into her throat, leaving her in an unbearable state. Rhode pushed his hands against her head and started thrusting his hips. He treated her as though she were simply a tool and shoved his entirety into her. She couldn't catch her breath and could only withstand the impact helplessly like a doll. Her consciousness began to fuzz and as she tried to speak, Rhode rammed her head once more.

"Celestina, it's almost out. You have to swallow everything, okay?"

Swallow? What? Wait, it can't be...!!

Before she could protest, a strong pump of warm current exploded in her mouth and gushed into her throat. All she could do now was to gulp the fervent, fishy liquid helplessly.

"Urgh... Urgh..."

The young lady's snowy white neck throbbed and Rhode finally released his hands in full satisfaction. Celestina pulled herself out, turned around, and coughed harshly.

Cough... Cough cough...

After a few moments, Celestina raised her head furiously and her scarlet eyes gleamed with indignant and abhor. "Are... you satisfied, Master? How dare you do this to me..."

"Satisfied?" Rhode lowered his chin and gazed at Celestina. "This is only the start. Haven't you seen it, Celestina?"

Celestina's expression turned ashen as she gaped at the terrorizing creature swelling up. "H-How is this possible..."

"This is why I said this isn't the end yet... Place your hands on the window ledge and turn your back against me."

"...!" Celestina hesitated.

She turned around slowly and Rhode gently lifted up her short skirt to reveal her slender legs wrapped in suspender-stockings and her round, ample buttocks. Rhode saw the thin, contrasting white undergarment. "I didn't know you like white too, Celestina."

"...!" Celestina felt her face burning.

She gaped but she could say nothing. Rhode fondled her buttocks and a hard object that resembled a shaft pushed against her. This was the first time she felt this fearful. She turned around indecisively and asked with a shaky voice. "N-No..."

But, before she finished her sentence, Rhode pushed forward and penetrated her mercilessly.

"Ah... Ah!!... Ah!!"

The sudden, immense pain forced her to swallow her words. She sucked in deep breaths with a widened mouth. Her legs shivered non-stop, enduring the pain that had infiltrated her body. Rhode heaved a peculiar sigh of relief. "I didn't expect this to feel so good... It's indeed Celestina..."

"Mm... Urgh... Urgh...!"

Celestina clasped onto the window ledge with her pale fingertips, biting her lips tightly to stifle her groans. It was no wonder that she felt this much pain. After all, Rhode didn't show the slightest degree of affection toward her and he thrust into her violently. Celestina felt as though her body was impaled by a massive, burning steel column, splitting her into two from the middle. Moreover... She was still a...

"Eh, Blood?" Rhode noticed a trail of fresh blood dripping from between her legs. "Celestina... Could it be that... this is your first time?"

"What... What a joke..."

Perhaps she had gotten used to the immense pain or maybe due to her prideful nature, she let out a snort in response.

"... A-As a high-class noble, I have... countless men who wished to please me... Ss... I don't... don't... give a damn about you. This is only because... Ss... I recently had my period. Besides, you treated me so brutally... Ss... This was why I..."

"Ah, I see. I'm so sorry about that, Celestina. Alright, let's end this quick, then." Rhode nodded apologetically, but she didn't know if he truly empathized with her or if he did that on purpose. Then, his following actions answered for itself. Rhode grabbed her slim waist and once again shoveled rapidly as though he indeed wished to end everything quickly.

However, this was undoubtedly a torture for Celestina. She thought she could bear the grieving pain until the end, but she finally yelled out under Rhode's rough violation. "Ah!! ... S-Stop! Please! Stop now!"

Rhode halted abruptly after hearing her mournful screams. "Does it really hurt that much? Celestina, I don't think I'm that gigantic..."

"S-Sorry..." The always prideful Demon young lady lowered her head. "A-Actually, this is my first time... I hope Master can... can... be much gentler..."

"Alright. I shall do it slowly, then."

The corner of Rhode's mouth twitched as he observed Celestina blinking her tears away. This was the first time he witnessed the soft side of this Demon young lady. He slowed his movements and roamed his fingers around her body.

Celestina had the perfect curves and the tender, soft skin of a high-class Demon. Rhode felt as though he were touching a fascinating art piece. The fragrant, infatuating scent from her body assailed his nostrils and her painful groans transitioned into bewitching moans. "Mm..."

Smack! She felt a sharp pain on her buttocks as she began to enjoy the fondles. She felt two to three more similar smacks and she realized her snowy, tender skin had swelled in red palm marks. She turned around and looked at Rhode in shock. "W-What are you doing?!"

"Nothing," Rhode calmly waved his right hand. "It felt good to the touch so I accidentally... Don't you feel comfortable?"

"What are you talking about! This treatment is for children... Why would I feel comfortable!"

Although she yelled sternly, her gaze was wandering hesitantly. In fact, she actually felt great. The mild aching felt as though a lightning bolt had spread throughout her entire body, numbing her in satisfaction. But this 'humiliating' action was something that her pride couldn't accept. While the pain brought her a strong sense of thrilling rejection and she shouldn't be treated this way, she still yearned to be on the receiving end. This psychological conflict had triggered an unprecedented excitement and anticipation.

When Rhode treated her lies for real and caressed the area where he had slapped, a sense of reluctance and regret emerged deep in her heart... But shortly after, she was once again immersed in his affectionate care. "... Haa... Ah..."

Her spotlessly-white cheeks flushed and the reactions of her feverish body announced to him that she was ready. He adjusted his position and turned up his gear. "Celestina, spread your legs wider."

"Mm..."

Perhaps this was the first time that she was this obedient. Rhode pandered to her movements and thrust himself forward with all his might.

"Ahhh! ... Mm..."

Celestina let out cute, faint breaths, swinging her hips to satisfy her greed and thirst for pleasure. The arrogant young lady had complied to her avaricious instinct and this stimulated Rhode's desire to conquer and subdue.

"Ah... This is truly..."

While Celestina laid down her strong pride and enjoyed the erotic moment, Rhode was faced with a huge test. The enticing points of high-class Demons had burst out completely. Her scent, temperature, and tender body had sucked him in entirely. There was an instant where he wanted to zone out from all his thoughts and purely indulge in this ecstatic pleasure. All the battles, conflicts, conspiracies... He refused to think about any of them and he just wanted to enjoy this body before him.

Fortunately, these emotions clouded his mind only for a moment. But this was enough to astound him. Although Canary and Marlene were also attractive females, he had never had the thought of giving up his rationale like a mare in oestrus, tempted into disregarding possible dangers. From this aspect, even though Celestina was different from her fellow Demons, she was still a dangerous presence instinctively. Rhode finally understood why so many heroes had given up on their pride and served the terrifying Demons after experiencing this for himself. The soul-snatching pleasure to be in seventh hells was indeed easy to make them lose their heads and even lives.

At this moment, the interactions between them were getting more intense. Celestina's body trembled as she craved insatiably for Rhode's invasion. Rhode shoved quicker and faster, both of them reaching their climaxes. "Celestina, I'm almost there...!"

"... Ahh... Ahhh!!" Celestina shivered uncontrollably as a warm, powerful stream rushed into her body. Then, an extreme high rushed in her blanked out mind...

Chapter 538: A Strange Rumor

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The next morning, Rhode followed Emily's lead on the chariot to the silver ore mine operated by the Edward Trade Association. Of course, Rhode had heard from Emily that her father, the Chairman of the Edward Trade Association, would receive him personally and discuss the business trade with her. Rhode wasn't surprised by this arrangement. Even though his disguise was outstanding and his identity of coming from the Country of Light was a great cover, merchants would always be merchants, and no matter how profane, money-making was their main priority. If Rhode didn't bring out enough sincerity and attitude, the Edward Trade Association wouldn't be blindly deceived by him.

"That's the excavation mine that our Edward Trade Association controls, Miss Seren." Emily pointed delightfully and Rhode nodded in agreement. He narrowed his eyes and turned toward where she had pointed. The image looked exactly the same as in his memory. Nothing had changed.

"It's a pity that Miss Celestina is feeling unwell and she can't come on this trip with us..."

Emily's words dragged Rhode out of his reverie. He simply smiled and Celia, who was seated beside them, tilted her head curiously and gazed at her Master. It was apparent that this Battle Angel wasn't convinced of Rhode's excuse of Celestina not acclimatizing to the environment. After all, Celia knew better than anyone else what her elder sister had been up to.

However, she was rather inquisitive about the exact happenings last night.

Although Celestina was a formidable presence in her eyes, Rhode wasn't a Master who was easy to deal with. He was smart, decisive, cunning, and sometimes sinister. Moreover, he was never mindful about his pride nor appearance. As a Holy Sword Spirit Card, Celia maintained her self-conscious even when she wasn't in human form. But she was more like a spectator instead of a participant when she was in her weapon form.

Due to this reason, Celia had observed Rhode's battle style countless times and frankly speaking, she wasn't able to accept its cruelty. There were many times when he performed shamelessly and was unregretful after the whole incident. What made her knit her brows the most was that Rhode was different from the humans she had met before. The humans would find an excuse for themselves after doing a bad deed, but Rhode would behave as though he liked to do it. This crazy wildness was somewhat unbearable for a kind, orderly Battle Angel. But she eventually tolerated this point of his because this was her mission and she understood the situation. No matter what, at least he was progressing in the situation and she admitted that there were indeed many situations that couldn't be resolved by screaming justice slogans.

This was why Celia didn't believe that Celestina could give Rhode a hard time. But she also didn't feel that Rhode would do anything to Celestina. After all, they were summoned spirits who had a Master-Slave relationship, where not only did the spirits need to respect their Master, but the Master must also return a certain extent of respect back. Celia observed that Rhode had always treasured his summoned spirits, which was why she felt that even though Celestina was taken advantage of, she would just yell out in fluster and exasperation and everything would return to its usual state.

But this time, the situation was apparently different.

Celestina shut herself in her room and refused to come out, asserting that she needed more rest because she wasn't acclimatized to the environment. This reason was still plausible for an outsider like Emily, but it sounded totally like an excuse for another summoned spirit like Celia. Although Celia did check in with Celestina spiritually, Celestina stuck to the statement that she simply needed more rest and Celia had no choice but to accept that explanation.

However, even though Celia wasn't aware of what had exactly happened, there was something that she was sure about. Master must have tortured Celestina bad enough. She had been with Celestina for so many years and this was the first time she had seen her that miserable. If it were in the past, Celestina's arrogant nature would force her to stand out, no matter what failures she had faced. Celestina and Rhode were similar in a certain aspect. They were determined to do what they wished to and they wouldn't come up with any excuses after doing it, no matter if the consequences were good or bad. Therefore, if it were a normal conflict, it wouldn't be possible for Celestina to behave like an ostrich. This proved that she was afraid of Rhode...

But... What exactly did Master do to Big Sister?

This question lingered in her mind. This pure Battle Angel counterpart racked her brains and she couldn't figure out what methods Rhode used to discipline her elder sister. Could it be that both of them fought? And Master defeated Big Sister? That isn't too possible... Even though Big Sister's powers were diminished due to the seal, their fight wouldn't end easily if they had fought seriously and I would surely have detected some signs of activities.

In fact, Celia's guesses weren't exactly wrong. Last night, Rhode and Celestina had indeed gone into a 'huge battle', and Celestina surrendered to Rhode's 'violent smashes'...

The chariot entered the mine.

Unlike the busy mines in Deep Stone City, this mine seemed relatively unfrequented and the atmosphere was rather tense. Rhode knew the cause of that. The instant he exited the chariot, he spotted a dozen fully armed soldiers surrounding the mine, holding crossbows and swords, backs against the group. It seemed that they weren't preventing miners from escaping, but to stand guard from intruders.

"You must feel surprised, Miss Seren," Emily showed a bitter smile. "These are our Edward Trade Association's private soldiers. They are here to guard against outsiders who are looking to cause trouble in our mine... After all... This is in the deep mountains and sometimes there will be..."

Emily paused while Rhode had understood their purpose.

It was apparent that the private soldiers were guarding against the Howard Family members. In Fiat, the secret struggles between the two families were known to the public. But this was great news for Rhode because he was pondering on schemes to incite the Edward Trade Association and now, it seemed that the Reformist Party's declaration of independence had tensed up the mood in here. The air around him was as though filled with gunpowder and it would explode so soon as he lit a spark.

Emily led the group into the mine and Rhode spotted the Edward Trade Association Chairman, Phillip Edward: a tall, slim man with two artistic mustaches above his lips. He wore a ridiculous scarlet, skintight outfit and a hat of peacock feathers. Edward was surprised to see that the woman arriving to discuss business with him was such an outstanding beauty. He actually turned up his nose when he first heard from his subordinates about Rhode and his two maids. This was what most normal men thought. Beautiful women were nothing more than just flower vases. They were visually attractive but useless in reality. Moreover, a merchant's nature was to upsell an ordinary item. This was why Edward refused to take his subordinates' words seriously. But now, this experienced and knowledgeable merchant's pupils shrunk instantly. He gazed at the black-haired young lady unbelievably like the entire world had turned black and white apart from her. "Greetings, Miss Seren."

Of course, as a Chairman, Edward didn't drool like the village workers. Instead, he smiled and approached her with an extended arm. Rhode smiled and held his hand. "Greetings, Chairman Edward. I'm Miranda Seren... I think you are aware of my purpose for coming to Fiat. As a reputable Trade Association in the Fiat region, I'm sure you won't let us down."

"That's for sure, Miss Seren," Edward nodded hurriedly. If he had some doubts about Rhode's identity, these words from Rhode were enough for him to dispel his doubts. Although Rhode responded ordinarily, Edward sensed an aura from 'her'. It wasn't the overbearing arrogance of young people, and neither was it the enticement of powerless 'flower vases'. Instead, it was an overwhelming pressure like a massive mountain standing before travelers who had to lower their heads and travel around it.

Even though knowledge, appearance, and style of conversation could be disguised, a person's natural temperament couldn't. Edward was confident in his foresight and intuition. It would suit Rhode's identity even more with an arrogant and determined attitude because the Country of Light was much stronger than the Munn Kingdom and their people had always looked down on those in the Munn Kingdom. Moreover, even though this 'Miss Seren' was the one who initiated the business trade, Edward knew clearly that the one who wished to seize this opportunity was himself. The other party was obviously aware of this, and this was why she assumed this gesture.

Edward conversed with Rhode for a while and both sides ended up with a satisfactory result. Rhode hinted to Edward that in addition to representing the Seren Trade Association for business purposes, there was also a disguised form of support from the Country of Light to the Southern Reformist Party, which was naturally heavenly news for the Edward Trade Association, which belonged to the Reformist Party's camp. After listening to Rhode's hint, Edward adjusted his attitude swiftly. He knew that his Trade Association was a small force neglected by the Reformist Party. This was why in Fiat, the Edward Trade Association couldn't entirely eradicate the Howard Trade Association, which was snatching his business. If I received the support of the Reformist Party, the entire Fiat region would've already belonged to the Edward Trade Association!

Harboring such a thought, Edward behaved exceptionally passionate because he knew that if he could be linked to the financial groups in the Country of Light through the Seren Trade Association, his position in the Reformist Party would develop tremendously. Of course, Rhode was aware of his plans and adapted to his taste. Rhode wasn't here to blather pointlessly. After a while, he made it known that he wished to enter the mine to investigate the situation.

But Edward revealed signs of reluctance. "Of course, Miss Seren. But the mine is a little dangerous and there is dust everywhere. Are you sure..."

"I'm also a merchant, Chairman Edward. As merchants, isn't it only right to investigate our commodities?"

"That... that's true, Miss Seren," Edward nodded helplessly, which raised a few doubts. Rhode knitted his brows slightly and gazed at Edward before turning to Emily. "Is there something wrong with Chairman Edward?"

"Eh? Miss Seren?"

Rhode's sudden question flustered Edward. Although it was only for a moment, Edward quickly regained his cool. But it seemed that things weren't that simple for Rhode.

"How can there be any problems, Miss Seren. It's just that the dirty mine will stain the clothes of a beautiful lady like you. Besides, you are also aware that the miners are a bunch of barbarians who don't know manners. I'm afraid that they'll offend you..."

"Are there really no problems at all?" Rhode looked into Edward's eyes sharply.

Edward shrunk his body unknowingly. He felt her stare was as though a sharp knife puncturing his heart. He let out an awkward laugh and retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat on his forehead. "That... actually, I heard from the foreman that they discovered some movements in the deep mine these past two days. Although it didn't disrupt our daily operations, everyone was rather worried. That's why... Miss Seren, you'd better not head down for safety's sake."

"Oh?" Rhode responded in surprise. He knew that there were no creatures in this mine before the Earth Element creature's seal was unlocked. But now, the seal was still intact and there shouldn't be any creatures down there.

Could it be...

A thought cropped up in his mind. "There shouldn't be any danger since it doesn't affect the daily operations, Mr. Edward. I would like to personally take a look if it's possible, to understand the actual situation. If not..." Rhode paused on purpose and he smiled at Edward who was dripping with sweat. "I'm worried that the extraction speed of your Trade Association wouldn't meet our demands."

"... Alright then..." Edward sighed hopelessly.

After all, he knew that 'Miss Seren' had discovered that something was wrong with the mine, and his Trade Association would be in the short end of the stick if he continued to stop her from entering. Furthermore... That was nothing more than just a rumor, so it shouldn't be anything problematic...

Edward let out a long sigh.

Chapter 539: Deep into the Mine

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Clank. The group strode into the mine and spotted half-naked, sweaty miners swinging their tools with loud bangs resounding in the rising dust. This indeed wasn't a great tourist attraction. Moreover, the hygiene conditions in this era were lagging hugely. The miners worked 24 hours a day and relieved themselves in self-dug holes. The putrid smell and mixture of body odors assailed their nostrils everywhere they went. It wasn't ridiculous to describe this place as Hell.

Emily puckered her brows while covering her nose and even Edward coughed unbearably, placing his handkerchief over his mouth. To some extent, this might be the reason why he wasn't willing to enter the mine.

Rhode and Celia remained expressionless. After all, they had experienced smells that were much more disgusting in the battlefields. Their unfazed behaviors astounded Edward, and Emily respected this 'Miss Seren' even more. 'Miss Seren' seemed extremely delicate and compared to her, Emily felt that she was more of a pampered lady, to which she felt rather awkward about.

"Sir, Miss, please be careful. The path here isn't even here."

Of course, apart from them, one of the foremen had joined their group, in charge of leading the way and describing the current situation of the mine. Compared to the sweaty, half-naked miners, the mighty, two-meter tall foreman was neatly dressed and if it weren't for his seemingly overwashed jacket, perhaps this man would have given them a refreshing feeling. At this moment, they entered deep into the silver ore mine, and he introduced to them passionately.

"We have worked here for many years. Honestly, this mine is truly a gift bestowed to us from the Gods. Currently, we can produce about..." Rhode inspected the mine shaft before them as he listened and compared them to his memories of this place. His thoughts were immersed on what Edward had mentioned. He believed that this dungeon must be one that hadn't been initiated yet and his purpose wasn't to eliminate the BOSS. Instead, it was to trigger the start of this dungeon.

Judging from the situation, there was a huge possibility that someone else had initiated the dungeon before him. After all, he was extremely familiar with Fiat. Apart from the Earth Elemental creature dungeon, there was nothing else such as a secret passageway that connected to the underground world or a strange portal that sealed the Demons and Devils. If there weren't any Earth Elemental creatures, this mine would just be an ordinary one. This was why the chances of the Earth Elemental creature being alarmed by humans were high if there were any strange situations going on.

In the game, neither of the two families were aware of its presence and they accidentally broke the seal and released the creature.

Rhode didn't believe that illogical accidents that differed from the game would happen. However, he discovered that not everything remained unchanged after the incident with the Necromancer turning into a Lich. Situations would change according to the changes in environments and choices. Perhaps the two Angels would have suffered a terrible death if Rhode hadn't led Gillian into the historical remains and the Necromancer wouldn't have transformed the Battle Angel into a phylactery instead of his Undead Spirit.

What about now?

Rhode knew that this mine was separated into two. The right side was exploited by the Edward Family while the left side was Howard's territory and sooner or later, both families would bump heads. The reason why the Earth Elemental creature had awakened was due to their conflicts that damaged its boundary. However, all these were under normal circumstances. In the game, the Reformist Party didn't declare war with the King's Party and the strength of both families were rather balanced. But now, the Reformist Party had declared war with the King's Party in this world and the Howard Trade Association's stance naturally became awkward. Moreover, the Edward Trade Association had seized the opportunity to strike them down. When Rhode arrived at Fiat, he noticed that it was completely deserted outside the Howard Trade Association entrance. It was apparent that they were put under tremendous pressure, but would the Howard Trade Association give up just that?

Rabbits bite when they're anxious too.

"Before entering here, I've heard that there was some unrest recently? I would like to know more about the situation." Rhode interrupted the foreman's words.

The foreman's expression stiffened. He peeked toward his chairman for permission and Edward shook his head hopelessly before eventually nodding in agreement. The foreman turned back and smiled awkwardly. "It's nothing much actually, Miss... Recently, everyone has heard some strange noises around the mine and those guys were somewhat worried... Heh, how huge of a problem can it be? It must have been some random sound of wind... How embarrassing to think that these burly men are as timid as mice..."

"I don't think so." Rhode twitched his brows. "If that is the truth, I don't think the miners would be that frightened, isn't it? Mister? Just like you've mentioned, the miners have been working here for many years, so surely they won't be scared of the sound of wind... I'm starting to doubt if your Edward Trade Association's silver ore extraction has made any developments over the years."

"Uh..." The foreman's expression stiffened even more now.

Edward saw that the situation was far from good and he hurriedly smooth things over. "It's like this, Miss Seren. As you've said, the miners surely wouldn't be worried if it was only the sound of wind. But... I'm not afraid of telling you that there were indeed some strange incidents which made them so frantic. That is..."

"In other words, the situation in your Trade Association isn't looking too good?" Rhode smiled, gazing into Edward's eyes while cold sweat dripped down Edward's cheeks. Edward believed that he was fortunate to negotiate business with an eye-pleasing beauty, but now, he was panic-stricken because he clearly understood the meaning behind those words. From the start, Rhode had used the reason of 'checking on the extraction operations of the silver ores'. But now, it seemed that everything had gone smoothly and it would be difficult to continue their conversation thereafter. After all, the bunch of bastards from Howard Trade Association...

"It's not that, Miss Seren. It is just..."

"—!"

Suddenly, a deep roar sounded from the deep mine. Although it wasn't loud, it resounded clearly in their eardrums through the echoes of the mine. Everyone turned forward in unison.

"W-What happened? What's that sound?" Edward puckered his brows worriedly. He hadn't been down into the mine after hearing all the strange happenings in the mine and he didn't take their words seriously. But now, he finally discovered that the situation was indeed dire. That wasn't the sound of wind. That was obviously the roar of a monster!

But this was a mine and not a forest. Why would there be a monster?

"—!"

Another bellow sounded and this time, and it was much closer. Before Edward reacted, he heard several blood-curdling screeches from nearby.

"W-What happened?" Emily shrunk her body nervously.

The deep mine shaft was exceptionally dusky under the burning flames. The private soldiers that Edward had led down with him surrounded them swiftly with their weapons, protecting their employer and guests. Edward turned toward Rhode with a bitter smile. "Miss Seren, the... the situation isn't looking too good. I think we should leave this place now and discuss later. What do you..."

"Waaaa!"

A series of miserable shrieks erupted once again. Several ashen-faced, bloody miners bolted from the other end, swinging their arms frantically. Emily screamed in fear and the private soldiers moved up to stop the fleeing miners.

"What happened?" The foreman demanded.

The miners totally disregarded the shiny sword blades before them. They looked into the pitch-black tunnel behind them and turned back around, shuddering. "Monster, Sir. There's a monster! A terrifying monster!"

"Monster?" Edward walked up to them hurriedly. "What monster? What exactly did all of you see?"

Rhode approached one of the private soldiers and drew his sword hanging on his waist. He took a step forward, pulled Emily from the tunnel wall, and brandished the sword in his right hand!

The solid tunnel wall rippled strangely like a pond of water and a pitch-black, gigantic worm struck out from within. It widened its disgusting, complex-looking mouth and hissed horrifyingly. Rhode dragged Emily to safety and pierced the monster's mouth with the sword.

A dazzling spiritual radiance erupted and the blade airflow blasted the monster far away. Its two-meter long, thick body was slashed into multiple pieces, but there was no blood. Instead, the monster puffed into a cloud of powder and vanished in the air.

"T-That is..." Edward and Emily widened their eyes at Rhode unbelievably.

They had never expected this delicate-looking lady to possess such impressive swordsmanship! Oh, Lord. That's spiritual energy... This young lady is just over 20 years old and she possesses such formidable powers... Is everyone from the Country of Light as powerful as her?

Emily looked at Rhode with glistening, admirable eyes and she had even forgotten about the dangers. Not only was 'Miss Seren' intelligent, but she also possessed exquisite and powerful swordsmanship. Ah... I didn't expect that I would meet someone like her. If I can be as powerful as her, becoming a Travel Merchant won't be a dream anymore.

"W-What is that?" Edward was apparently more concerned about the monster than Emily.

Rhode shook his head. "It seems like some kind of elemental creature. But I'm not exactly sure what it is."

Of course, this was a lie. Rhode was sure that this monster was a creature created by the Earth Elemental Spirits. But... Why did it appear here? What exactly was going on?

"Monster! Monster!"

The miners screamed at the top of their lungs and darted off after pushing the private soldiers aside.

"Don't run, be careful...!"

Before the foreman finished his sentence, strange ripples formed on both sides of the tunnel wall. Then, three weirdly-shaped worms struck out and brushed the frantic miners. The three monsters didn't give chase to their prey. Instead, they turned around and hissed at the enemies before them. On the other end of the tunnel, four to five similar monsters had emerged, hissing and surrounding Rhode's group slowly. They were trapped.

Something's wrong!

Rhode scrutinized their movements. Even though pure elemental creatures appeared alive, they could also be considered lifeless. The pure elemental creatures despised humans and would massacre every human as long as they stepped into their territory. Besides, these elemental creatures were abnormally brutal and hard to deal with. This was the reason why the mine in Fiat region was completely sealed after the Earth Elemental creature was awakened. But now, these elemental creatures had let off the miners and turned their attention on Rhode's group? There seemed to be a mismatch of their usual chaotic and straightforward battle style to their movements. Could it be...

Rhode swept a glance at the ashen-faced Edward, who was shuddering from head to toe.

Could it be that these Earth Elemental creatures are being manipulated by someone?

Chapter 540: Escape

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

What exactly are these monsters?!

Even though the Earth Elemental creatures appeared large and clumsy, their movements on the ground were extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, they had arrived before the group and pounced at them.

The private soldiers who were protecting Edward's group were horrified and they brandished their swords to fend off the monsters. However, their sharp blades couldn't leave a single scar on their boulder-like surface and the private soldiers flustered to the powerful reaction force.

"Go away! Go away!"

One of the private soldiers yelled and hacked his sword at the worm-like Earth Elemental creature. Clang! The immense reaction force compelled the pitiful soldier and he tumbled to the ground. He looked up frantically and the monster lifted its upper body and widened its mouth to strike with its razor-sharp boulder teeth. "Waaa!"

It punctured the soldier's armor and ripped out bloody flesh and bones. The soldier shuddered with rolled eyes, waving his arm helplessly to escape the ordeal. The monster's sharp teeth tore his body into half and his screams stopped abruptly.

"Oh, Lord..."

Everyone looked vacantly with ashen expressions. Their knees weakened after witnessing the monster demolish his body and his blood splashed everywhere. Not only him, but the other private soldiers were also attacked by the monsters. In an instant, the tunnel was filled with the revolting smell of blood and screams that make their hair stand.

"R-Run!"

The foreman, who had promised that nothing huge would happen, turned around immediately and darted toward the exit. But a razor-sharp thorn struck out from above and punctured his fragile skull. Then, a ferocious mouth fell from the tunnel ceiling and devoured its prey in a single swallow.

"M-Miss Seren, what should we do?" Emily hid behind Rhode, shuddering and clasping his sleeves.

Emily was terrified. After all, Edward and Emily were nothing more than ordinary merchants and they had never experienced countless massacres like Rhode, so witnessing a corpse was enough to startle them. It must be a huge shock to ordinary humans who witnessed a human become a corpse before their eyes. However, Emily behaved bravely and even though she was afraid, she continued to stand firmly on the spot. On the contrary, Edward's legs had as though softened into a pile of mud, unable to move an inch.

"We have to leave this place," Rhode charged forward and brandished his sword. The Earth Elemental creature that had devoured the foreman's corpse turned to face him and pounced forward. However, Rhode was unfazed. As the creature's sharp claws were inches away from ripping his body, he leaned to the side and dodged in an undescribable gracefulness. He turned his wrist and slashed the creature into half like slicing a cream cake. The fatal blow sent the creature crashing to the ground, vanishing into filthy dust instantly.

About level 10 to 15. Something's wrong with the difficulty!

It was apparent that these Earth Elemental creatures were low in level. Although their unique properties had given them the upper hand against ordinary humans, they weren't actually powerful at all. But, this was entirely opposite with what Rhode had remembered! According to his game experience, the Earth Elemental creature should have been between the range of level 35 to 40 after it was completely awakened! But now, they actually possessed only half of their strength... The Earth Elemental Spirit hadn't been fully awakened, but it definitely wasn't in deep sleep within the seal.

What exactly is going on?

Rhode shot a look to Celia swiftly and the latter arrived at Edward's side to support and pull him to Rhode and Emily's side.

"Chairman Edward, we are gonna leave this place now. I hope you can keep up with our pace. No matter what happens, don't leave our side. Understand?"

"Ah. Oh. Okay, Miss Seren."

Edward was completely out of his wits. Perhaps he would agree to anything Rhode said to him at this point. However, Rhode wasn't in the mood for jokes. He swept a glance at the pale-faced Chairman and turned around immediately to focus his attention on the creatures that had emerged from the shadows. No one noticed the glint of excitement in Rhode's eyes. "Let's go!"

"Ss—!"

The group bolted toward the exit and two Earth Elemental creatures arched over in a towering manner, their mouths formed by sharp rocks widened ferociously. In the blink of an eye, the creatures sprung toward the group. Rhode swung the basic sword in his hand and glittering spiritual radiance streaked across the dark tunnel. The infinite light blades interwove into a large net and shattered the enemies completely.

So powerful...

Emily widened her eyes in astonishment. Rhode's attack was as though a myriad of dazzling, yet deadly meteors. The red-haired young lady had even forgotten about the threats catching up behind her. She held onto 'Miss Seren's' left arm and kept up with her quick pace. Meanwhile, Edward staggered along with Celia and the latter brandished her sword to drive away the creatures that attempted to pounce on them. The Earth Elemental creatures standing before Celia showed signs of hesitance. As the highest form of the Light Element, Celia also possessed pure Light Elemental strength and from a certain aspect, the Light Elemental composition of Celia was similar to these Earth Elemental creatures apart from their attribute properties. Even though these creatures who relied on instinct to attack could deal fatal damage to 'impure' humans, they were at a complete loss in the face of a pure Light Elemental Battle Angel who was higher in class than them.

The creatures behind weren't giving chase as tightly as before after they had witnessed Celia's threat. Everyone seized this opportunity and dashed toward the exit through the opening that Rhode had created. There was not a single person along the way and discarded tools were scattered everywhere. It seemed like the miners had gotten away immediately after hearing the commotion.

The deep, dark tunnel had as though no end to its horizon and there was not a single guide shown under the flame torches. Emily felt that she had been trapped entirely in this underground maze and all she could do was to follow 'Miss Seren' before her blindly as she supported her panting father with gritted teeth. Emily feared that the path they had chosen was incorrect. Apart from the slope that clearly meant to them that they were heading upwards, there were no other indications.

"Haa... Haa..."

Rapid breathing echoed in the mine and Emily could clearly hear the hisses from close behind her. She wanted to turn around, but she bit her lip and focused her attention before her instead. She was afraid that the creatures would pounce onto her the very instant she turned back and she would die a painful, miserable death like the private soldiers... She shivered every time the images of their deaths flashed in her mind. The darkness around her felt like a massive, terrifying creature that was about to devour her entirely...

As Emily and 'Miss Seren' ran passed the corner of the tunnel crossing, hopeful, dazzling rays of the sun shone brightly before her eyes and blinded her slightly. This was the first time that she had praised the beauty of the world from the bottom of her heart.

"Quick. We're almost there!" Rhode turned back to Emily.

The exhausted red-haired young lady's legs had almost given way beneath her. She tried her best to support her father as they reeled forward while Celia brandished her sword and calmly eradicated the relentless creatures behind her.

"...!"

At this moment, a series of roars shook the ground beneath their feet, shaking crushed rocks and dust off the ceiling. Rhode halted as a sudden ominous premonition clouded his mind.

Earthquake? No, this is...!

Boom! A burst of wind and dust exploded before him as though the tunnel wall had been smashed by a powerful force. A half-human-sized fist appeared before his face and he knew that he couldn't dodge in time. He let out a snort and positioned the sword before him swiftly.

The gigantic stone fist collided with his sword and an intense airflow erupted. The heavy collision panicked Emily and she almost threw up from the shock, while Edward lost his balance and fell to his bum instantly. Rhode pushed back the ambush and cracks revealed on the standard-issued sword blade. In the blink of an eye, the blade shattered entirely.

The gigantic, stone fist's momentum stopped after sliding over a few meters due to the intense reaction force from smashing into Rhode's sword. The fluttering dust dispersed and the obstacle revealed itself.

That was a three-meter tall, massive, human-shaped figure. It looked like a giant and its enormous body blocked the entire exit. It had short legs and long rock arms like a stone gorilla.

Stone Giant.

Rhode tossed the bladeless hilt and gazed silently at the Stone Giant. Finally, a much more threatening presence had emerged. The Stone Giant was considered one of the most troublesome presences among the Earth Elemental creatures. It had slow movements, but powerful strength. Moreover, it possessed self-restoration and increased defenses abilities in this favorable environment. Ordinary fighters couldn't match up against such a creature at all.

But Rhode wasn't any ordinary fighter.

"W-What is that? Miss Seren?"

"I'm not too sure, Miss Emily," Rhode answered without turning around.

He slid his right hand into his pocket and grabbed the hidden dagger calmly. After all, he had faced much more ridiculous setbacks in the game and this typical BOSS appearance in the final stages of an escape was nothing out of the ordinary. "I will try my best to attract its attention, Miss Emily. Please use this chance to leave with Chairman Edward."

"B-But, what about you? Miss Seren?"

"Don't worry about me, Miss Emily. I will leave immediately after you guys have left safely. I'll handle this monster by myself just fine... I guess you understand what I mean."

"..." Emily didn't answer immediately. "I understand, Miss Seren. Don't worry, I will try my best."

"Good, Miss Emily. Don't forget about the story that I told you that night."

Rhode smiled at Emily and turned toward the Stone Giant, squinting and raising his right arm.

Madaras answered his calling.

"—!"

The Stone Giant sensed the threat emanating from the weapon on the tiny human's hand. As a pure elemental creature, it was sharply sensitive to anything that interfered with magical aura. Madaras came equipped with 15% magical immunity and it was like a natural enemy to the Stone Giant. It bellowed in rage and stepped forward, swinging its clenched left fist.

Shing! Rhode sprung forward and welcomed the attack with his dagger fearlessly. The spiritual radiance glinted on its striking blade like a dazzling meteor streaking across the sky.

Boom! The unbearably loud collision felt like a huge hammer crushing into their chests and this was only the beginning. Rhode withdrew his dagger and in the blink of an eye, the dagger transformed and split into countless blade rays, devouring the Stone Giant's fist. Violent gales burst out from the impact and the powerful explosion shook the entire mine.

Rhode didn't attack using a skill. Instead, it was an attack using his Master Stage level spiritual energy and the Stone Giant definitely couldn't withstand it no matter how valiant it was. Moreover, Rhode's lineage wasn't human and his strength was much higher than the ordinary human race. The impact crumpled the Stone Giant's left arm and it flinched a few steps backward and revealed an opening. "Now's the chance, Miss Emily!!"

Emily grabbed her father's arm and ran toward the opening while Edward gritted his teeth and keep up as closely as possible. He was panting hard, but his desire for survival pushed his heavy feet forward.

The Stone Giant didn't notice Emily and Edward at all as it fully focused its attention on Rhode. As an elemental creature without senses, losing an arm meant nothing to it. The Stone Giant raised its other available arm and struck toward Rhode with all its might. This time, Rhode didn't face it head-on. Instead, he rolled to the side and dodged, gesturing to Celia to escort Emily and Edward to the exit. Celia felt rather astonished by his decision, but she didn't question it. She sheathed her weapon and dashed toward them.

The Stone Giant hurled another punch toward Rhode.

It's about time.

Rhode twitched his brows slightly after glancing at Emily, Edward, and Celia's position. He rolled away from its attack and shot for its body. Madaras emanated an incredible spiritual radiance and punctured its body deeply.

"—!"

A deep, ear-deafening roar echoed in the mine, numbing Rhode's ears. A bright radiance erupted from its eyes and the entire mine began to shake violently along with its transformation. Shortly after, large rocks fell from the ceiling and flew toward the Stone Giant.

"Waa!"

Emily hid from the flying rocks, but Edward had been struck. He shrieked painfully and tumbled down the tunnel slope like a rolling gourd.

"Father!"

"Mr. Edward!"

Emily cried out frantically and Celia reached out for his arm as quickly as she could. However, at this moment, Rhode shot a look at Celia and her movements halted subtly. Her fingers had almost grabbed onto Edward's arm. She watched helplessly as he rolled down the tunnel toward the Earth Elemental creature.

Chapter 541: Deep Underground

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Edward crushed into the wall heavily. He hadn't given up all hope yet. Even though his head was spinning, the hisses around him made his hair stand. He instinctively jumped onto his feet to escape, but an excruciating pain came through from his right leg. Then, an immense strength hauled him back. "No!! Help m—"

The screams came to an abrupt end.

"Father!"

Emily had as though forgotten about the dangerous situation that she was in. She gazed blankly at the tunnel and a violent gust of wind blowing against her ear dragged her back to reality.

Boom! The Stone Giant crashed to the ground and its gigantic body had been severed by a dozen blade marks. Although the Stone Giant could absorb the surrounding rocks to repair its body, its self-restoration ability was too weak in the face of Rhode's wild attack. "Be careful, Miss Emily!"

"Eh? Ah...!" Emily looked up, frightened.

At this moment, the 'paralyzed' Stone Giant had turned its attention toward her. The magical radiance in its two eyes flickered brightly from the dark tunnel. Emily froze to the spot and this was exactly the instinctive response when a life was confronted with danger. In this instant, Emily had never felt this clear-headed. The time around her had as though slowed down incredibly. She witnessed the horrifying creature widening its mouth and bellowed at her. It extended its right arm and the gravel hovering around its arm merged into it. Then, it blasted forward.

Clang! A shadow emerged beside Emily and rolled away with her to dodge the Stone Giant's attack. The ice-cold, solid punch brushed the top of her head and the engulfing air pressure swept her fiery long hair. 'Miss Seren's' voice sounded in her ears. She looked up and 'Miss Seren' had hacked into the Stone Giant's head, and she retreated swiftly to her side. Without speaking a word, Rhode carried Emily in his arm and darted into another tunnel. Shortly after, Emily spotted a glaring radiance flash across them, along with ear-deafening roars and rolling dust striking her face...

"Argh..."

After a while, Emily regained her senses and it was pure darkness before her.

"You're awake?" Rhode asked.

"Argh... Where am..." Emily turned to the voice.

'Miss Seren' sat beside her while she leaned on the tunnel wall. The coldness on the rock wall spread through her thin clothes and woke her up entirely with a shudder. "This is... I..."

"We're still in the mine, Miss Emily," Rhode said with a smile.

He patted off the filthy dust on his body and stood up to scrutinize the blocked tunnel exit. After dealing a fatal blow to the Stone Giant, it had chosen to self-destruct. However, Rhode had seen through this possibility and he carried Emily into another tunnel to decline its 'fervent invitation' to end in mutual destruction. Although the might of the Stone Giant's self-destruction was powerful, it was too hard for a level 30 creature to harm a Swordsman who had truly entered the Master Stage. On the contrary, Emily had fainted after she crashed into the wall from the explosion.

But even though both of them weren't gravely injured, the explosion had left them in huge trouble because the fragile tunnel wasn't as fortunate. The Stone Giant's self-destruction had entirely buried the tunnel entrance and a portion of the main tunnel collapsed. It was no longer possible to exit through the original route. In other words, they were trapped in the mine.

"So... Miss Seren, what should we do?" Emily asked in a shaky tone after listening to Rhode's explanations.

Rhode pondered for a few moments and said, "It's simple, Miss Emily. We can continue to head down and search for another exit. It has been completely blocked off here and I believe that even though the people outside will be trying to rescue us, they won't succeed in a short period of time. There will usually be a few emergency escape routes in the mine for the miners to flee from swiftly. I think that we're better off searching for exits instead of resigning to our fates."

"But..." Emily said with a distressed look. "The mine is so complicated. What if we get lost... And those creatures..."

"I've been to many different mines and I do know a thing or two about mine structures so I don't think it will be a huge problem. As for the creatures... I've searched around before you woke up and it seems that they are equally frightened and have left here. So, don't worry, Miss Emily. If anything were to happen..." Rhode kneeled down and held Emily's hands into his. "I will protect you, Miss Emily."

"..." Emily gazed in astonishment. "Miss Seren... How do you remain this calm?"

"As a Travel Merchant, this isn't the first time that I've faced such a similar emergency situation," Rhode's expression gloomed. He lowered his head and released Emily's hands, which made her feel somewhat regretful and disappointed because she felt as though she had lost a reliable support that she had been looking for for a long time. "I'm sorry, Miss Emily. I never expected that there would be such ferocious creatures here. If I noticed it earlier, your esteemed father wouldn't be..."

"..." Emily fell into silence. She refused to recall what had happened. However, Rhode's words harshly dragged her back to reality. That's right. She was here because this 'Miss Seren' had insisted to check on the situation after hearing about the rumors. She and her father entered the mine with 'Miss Seren' and they faced such an incident. Now, her father had died, while she was trapped in this dark underground mine, unsure if she could live to see the light.

Emily clenched her fists and bit her lips so hard that bleed a little. She had never thought that it would be this easy to part with someone so dear forever. Her father who was just with her moments ago had left the world for eternity and she had never predicted that she would fall into this crisis. Emily thought that she was dreaming. She was still sipping on the hot red tea in the breezy morning, savoring the delicious cakes, longing to be a successful Travel Merchant. But now, she was stained with mud and trapped in this filthy, pitch-dark underground. Emily realized for the first time how easily a serene and peaceful life could be destroyed just like that.

"No... This isn't your fault, Miss Seren." Emily calmed down gradually and shook her head. The pain of losing her kin continued to haunt her. Although this young lady before her was indeed the main culprit who had caused the death of her father and landed her into this plight, Emily believed that she didn't do it intentionally. Besides...

"It was us who were too careless and negligent. Sorry, Miss Seren. In fact, Father has heard about the strange happenings going on in the mine a few days back, but he didn't send anyone to investigate the cause. If we carried out investigations promptly, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..."

"There are no ifs in this world, Miss Emily." Rhode's calm voice sounded. "No one can change the past and the only thing we can do now is to not let down the things that have happened. We pay a huge price for our mistakes, but we also learn from them so we won't commit the same mistake... Lift up your head, Miss Emily."

"..." Emily lifted her head and gazed at the beautiful face before her.

Even though they were in a dusky tunnel, 'Miss Seren's' face calmed her down as though her presence had turned the darkness into nothing terrifying at all. She nodded with might and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. She stood to her feet and displayed a stiff smile. "Sorry to make you worry for me, Miss Seren. Let's get on the way... If not, the creatures will be back."

"It's great that you think of it this way, Miss Emily." Rhode nodded and displayed a comforting and gentle smile. He turned around and let go of the dagger hilt hidden in his skirt. "Let's go."

All the paths in the underground mine were as complex as Emily had mentioned. The miners excavated this place like mice in search of wealth hidden in the soil and dug out multiple tunnels. Some of the tunnels were interconnected while some led to dead ends. Even miners were unsure of the exact number of tunnels that they had excavated. However, this wasn't a problem for Rhode. Before the Stone Giant had self-destructed, Rhode chose this tunnel as he knew it would lead them to a path where the Earth Elemental seal was. Of course, Rhode had his fair share of dizziness when he first entered this mine and lost his way for a long time. However, he knew every single tunnel underneath Fiat at his fingertips after clearing this dungeon several times with his group. He could identify which tunnel would lead to dead ends, treasure chests, hidden BOSSes, and rare Elites. After all, the 'Walking Library' had a deserved reputation.

Of course, Rhode couldn't act like it was a walk in the park in front of Emily. After all, the excavation of mine followed many conditions and rules. It would be too suspicious if an outsider like Rhode was familiar with a mine that he had entered for the first time.

Before the Stone Giant self-destructed, Rhode had sent Celia out of the mine. With Celia and Celestina around, he wasn't worried that he would miss out on any first-hand information. In fact, Rhode had communicated with Celia while Emily was still unconscious and the Battle Angel informed him that the explosion had blocked off the tunnel completely. The Edward Trade Association had also dispatched members to check on the situation and according to the miners, the intense explosion had caused the mine to become oddly fragile. The miners outside would take a long time before they could clear the blocked tunnel and rescue them. This was exactly what Rhode needed. If not, why would he even need to put up such a show with his abilities?

And now, his mission was about to be accomplished. The mine had been sealed off and the Chairman of Edward Trade Association was a goner. It would take a while before Emily recovered from her shock fully even though she had accepted her fate. Granted that they finally settled all these troubles, perhaps the outcome of the war between the King's Party and Reformist Party had been decided. This was a great sign for Rhode. But he couldn't let down his guard yet because he had a much more important problem to resolve, and that was who exactly 'awakened' the Earth Elemental Spirit.

As a player, Rhode knew about the sealed Earth Elemental Spirit underneath Fiat. However, the aborigines had no inkling at all and it was impossible for them to learn about anything regarding the underground creature. If not, Edward would've done something as soon as he heard about the strange happenings in the mine. The Earth Elemental Spirit wouldn't awake by itself and Rhode knew how strong the seal was. It was as strong as a safe and unless one deliberately crowbarred it open, there were no other ways to unlock it. If one were to say that the seal had loosened itself... Even ghosts wouldn't believe it.

Rhode refused to believe that this was coincidental. He wished to find out the hidden truth about who exactly awakened the Earth Elemental Spirit and the person's motive.

Both of them walked in the complicated underground maze slowly, their footsteps echoing in the quiet tunnel. The creatures that launched attacks on them had disappeared to nowhere as though they never existed. Emily followed closely and tugged onto Rhode's sleeves. She wasn't as nervous as before, but she felt a little giddy after spinning around the similar-looking tunnels...

"Miss Seren? What are we..." Emily broke the silence when Rhode halted and scanned the surroundings.

At this moment, Rhode cupped over her mouth swiftly and both of them stuck closely to the rock wall. Emily heard a sound coming from the other end of the silent tunnel. That was a human voice.

Emily widened her eyes in bewilderment.

Was someone else here apart from them?

Chapter 542: Friends & Foes

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Rhode and Emily had to listen closely to the faint voices that resounded in the tunnel. Leaning against 'Miss Seren', Emily held her breath and stared at the dark end of the tunnel. Her heart was pounding. She clenched her fists and placed them on her chest. An indescribable nervousness clouded her mind and she couldn't breathe.

Rhode noticed Emily's nervousness, but he didn't have the time to console her. Instead, he leaned against the wall on his side and listened carefully. The voices were dull and stammering and it didn't seem to be coming from the other side of this wall. In other words, the voice was most possibly coming from in front of them... Rhode knitted his brows and waved his arm before him. However, he realized that this wasn't the gaming world and there weren't any map plug-ins available for him...

But even so, Rhode had some other ways.

He kneeled down and scanned the ground cautiously with the radiance of the torches hung on the wall. He slid his fingers along the wall to the ground and rubbed the broken ore fragments gathered at the corner. Emily blinked curiously and was about to ask when she changed her mind after gazing at the dark tunnel ahead. What is Miss Seren doing?

After several minutes, Rhode grabbed a nail-sized smooth stone from the pile of gravel and held it before him. He shut his eyes and transmitted a tiny bit of spiritual energy into it and a system prompt emerged before him.

[Discovered shattered crystal fragment]

I was right.

Rhode nodded slightly. The crystal fragment had solved his doubts. It seemed that they were almost arriving at the other mine; the crystal mine that belonged to the Howard Family. But... weren't they moving too slow to reach the Howard Family's mine?

Rhode turned to Emily and said softly, "Miss Emily, is there anyone else around apart from us?"

"Hmm..." Emily pondered for a moment and said hesitantly. "... If I recall correctly, the Howard Family owns a mine around here too. But... theirs is far away from ours."

After all, the Edward Trade Association produced mainly silver and iron ores while the Howard Trade Association's main business relied on magical crystal ores. Both families had different material requirements and it wasn't possible for them to operate on the same piece of land. Besides, the iron and silver ores buried in the soil were unlike the magical crystals that usually grew out of the soil. Due to the magical properties in them, the rock qualities around them were poor and high purity silver and iron ores couldn't possibly exist. This was why it wouldn't be easy if both sides were to lay hands on one another. Although tunnel cutting was a common occurrence in a huge city like the Deep Stone City, a Trade Association in this small place didn't have sufficient manpower and equipment for it. This was why they mostly searched for naturally formed caves to explore and dig for mineral resources. Such caves were common below Fiat and sometimes it wouldn't be surprising if a cave had bored through the mountain.

Rhode explained to Emily in detail swiftly and she gaped in astonishment. After all, she wasn't familiar with such knowledge since she had been living her days in the Trade Association. No matter what, they wouldn't allow a girl like her to mine.

"Miss Seren, what you meant was... We might have entered the Howard Family's mine?" Emily's voice was filled with a joyous tone. She felt as though they had spent a long time spinning around this dark underground maze. Was it 10 minutes? 20 minutes? An hour? Two hours? Half a day? Or a whole day?

No matter how long the time had passed, she was extremely exhausted and her stomach was rumbling with hunger. Every inch of her body was aching and she had to stay vigilant against the threat of terrifying creatures lurking in the darkness. She was delighted and hopeful after hearing Rhode's explanation. Although the Howard Family and Edward Family didn't have the best of relationships, surely they would still prefer to be with humans than to be left alone in this scary place, right?

"Not yet. The voices sound far away. But I think there should be a tunnel leading us there from the front. Miss Emily, please be careful. The cave ahead hasn't been dug through yet, so we have to proceed cautiously," Rhode stood up and grabbed the torch by the wall. He smiled at Emily. "Let's go, Miss Emily."

"Okay, Miss Seren," Emily calmed down unknowingly after looking at 'Miss Seren's' gentle smile. Not too long ago, she was still anxiously hoping to leave this dark, terrifying underground world. But now, she had the sudden urge to spend more time with her here.

While Rhode and Emily entered farther down, the surface was in utter chaos.

Celia gazed at the screaming and quarreling crowd from the side. She held her forehead and sighed hopelessly.

The members of the Edward Trade Association arrived at the scene hurriedly and they broke out in disputes after listening to the explanations of the miners and Celia. The disputes had gotten worse after the members were informed that their Chairman had died. Some of them believed that they should clear the blocked tunnel as soon as possible to rescue Miss Emily and 'Miss Seren'. After all, one of them was their Chairman's daughter while the other was a guest from the Country of Light, which made it difficult for them to answer to any mishaps. The other half of the group objected their suggestion violently because the mine was oddly fragile and it wouldn't withstand further pressure. It might cause even more damage if they forced their way in and it wouldn't be too late if they searched for other entrances and dispatched men to rescue the victims.

Both sides quarreled endlessly. One party accused the other that they were unwilling to rescue Emily because they were looking to annex the entire Trade Association. The other party expressed that their decision was purely for the sake of the miners and their own safety. If they were to unblock the tunnel under such circumstances, it would equal to committing suicide and they couldn't possibly do that!

Celia didn't join their fight. Even though, strictly speaking, she should be the one who was most worried, Rhode had given her an order through the spiritual communications that her job would be done after she had spread the news that Edward had died in the accident. She was dubious of Rhode's decision and she finally understood after witnessing the scene before her. She didn't wish to get involved with such troublesome matters either.

Celia let out a long sigh. She shut her eyes and contacted another person. "Big Sister Celestina?"

"... What do you want?" Celestina answered unwillingly.

Her voice sounded as though she was still brooding over the incident last night. It was no wonder that she was upset. Her virginity had been taken away in such a horrible manner, and she was like a pitiful slave at the mercy of a Human. Celestina gritted her teeth at this thought. She had never been this humiliated in her life! If it was possible, she wished that she could commit suicide and end this nightmarish experience. But it was a pity that she couldn't do so... Because as summoned spirits, they would revive even if they were dead.

It was due to this conflict of emotions that Celestina had chosen to shut herself in the room, announcing that she was not acclimatized to the environment and what remained out of sight remained out of mind. She refused to see that annoying man.

Celia scratched her head. She was unable to figure out what exactly had happened to Celestina. She simply treated that this as just her elder sister throwing a tantrum and she got right into the main topic. "Big Sister, Master has met into some trouble in the mine and he is trapped inside right now..."

"What has it got to do with me!" Celestina interrupted furiously. "Isn't he still alive anyway? I don't believe that anything will happen to that sly, cunning bastard! Anyway, you're still around for him. I'm not feeling too well so don't disturb me anymore!"

Celestina cut off the spiritual communications without hesitation. It seemed that she was determined to not be involved with this problem... Celia sighed helplessly and she opened her eyes to the clashing crowd.

Although you sounded as though you hated Master... I feel that you still trust him a lot, Big Sister...

Celia should be glad that Celestina couldn't hear her thinking aloud.

Sneeze! Rhode rubbed his nose as he gazed into the pitch-dark cave before him. Unlike the previous cave with signs of excavations, the dense natural essence was still retained around here. Above him were full of ice-cold stalactites hanging down, and the ground beneath his feet was uneven and slippery. Rhode had long gotten used to such an environment, but Emily shambled her way behind him. It was apparent that this environment was too harsh for this young lady. But even so, Emily didn't grumble, and she moved forward with determination glinting in her eyes.

She still isn't aware, it seems...

Rhode had received news from Celia about the situation outside. As he had expected, Edward's members had gone into a frenzy after hearing that their Chairman had died. Authority was the best bait for fishes. Edward had died and Emily wasn't around to take over. What future was there left for Edward Trade Association? Also...

Rhode glanced at Emily.

After she returned to the surface, perhaps it wouldn't be the same Edward Trade Association that she was once so familiar with anymore. Will she continue to say there?

"Miss Seren?" Emily came to a stop and called out in uncertainty.

At that moment, they heard sounds of clashing weapons and human voices, and lights could be seen vaguely.

Rhode grabbed her hand with a smile. "Don't worry, come with me, Miss Emily. Everything will be fine."

Rhode lifted the torch while leading Emily with his right hand, striding forward. Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel and turned into the corner where the light had spilled in from. They saw a hopeful sight.

A land of shining magical crystals bloomed like flowers in the wide cave. In the middle of the magical crystals garden stood some fully-armed men. The men turned toward the sound of footsteps and drew their weapons hurriedly as soon as they spotted Rhode and Emily.

After all, this place was in the deep mines and it was surely strange for anyone to meet two young ladies here. To Rhode's surprise, there wasn't a single miner in this magical crystal mine! The men before them were equipped with steel armor, crossbows, with a sword and shield on their backs. They seemed like private soldiers and adventurers!

But how was this possible? The mine was a private territory and surely they wouldn't allow adventurers in, so what were they doing in the Howard Family's mine? Could it be that the Howard Family had fallen to this pathetic state that they couldn't even guard their own mine? This wasn't logical... Besides, wasn't it strange that these people appeared during this sensitive period?

"Who are you?!" One of the men bellowed immediately.

The other men raised their crossbows and aimed at Rhode and Emily. Compared to Rhode, Emily was more familiar with the Howard Family. She stepped out bravely. "Uncle Carter! It's me, Emily!"

"Emily?" The man puckered his brows and gestured to his men to lay down their weapons. He narrowed his eyes, scanned Emily from head to toe, and asked in astonishment. "It's really you. What happened? Who is that woman with you? What are you two doing here?"

"There was an accident in our mine, Uncle Carter. It collapsed and monsters attacked us. We came here because we have no choice and we didn't expect to stumble into your mine..." said Emily.

When Emily mentioned the word 'monsters', Rhode sharply detected that the man revealed a slightly strange expression. He scrutinized the man with knitted brows and he discovered that not only were these people dressed strangely, but the items in their hands also weren't mining tools. Instead, they seemed like mysterious-runes or odd ornaments that were obviously not used to repair the mine or to worship the gods.

It seems that the situation is indeed not that simple...