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Chapter 151: Soar

What kind of person was worthy of being deemed as beautiful and noble?

It was hard to give a concise answer to this question, but perhaps it would help by first asking what the concepts ‘beauty’ and ‘noble’ represented.

... Well, Roel was not one to analyze questions in such a philosophical manner, but he thought that he at least had the moral compass of an ordinary person.

A mother worthy of being deemed beautiful was one who looked upon her children lovingly. A mother worthy of being deemed noble was one who carried great virtue and frequently took into consideration the wellbeing of her children.

A beautiful face that was maintained by elaborate care, as well as nobility built by trampling others; these were no more than illusory bubbles that would pop once the winds of a new era arrived. All falsehoods would be unraveled, revealing the shallowness of it all.

Looking at Charlotte, Roel suddenly understood why he felt so indignant on her behalf.

Ah, so that’s why. I didn’t think that there would be so many similarities between us.

He revealed an enlightened yet helpless smile as he glanced at the light in his hand.

Roel Ascart seemed to have come to life from the moment he recalled his previous life, but that wasn’t right. It was faint, but he still remembered his tyrannical yet fragile self of the past. It lurked at the corners of his mind, almost out of reach, but not entirely out of sight.

It was a child, suffering and confused from having lost his mother at a young age. It was a pain that he could never circumvent while growing up. His childhood was accompanied by a strong desire for kinship and affection, but his desire was never fulfilled. It was probably from there that he turned crooked.

Roel and Charlotte were quite similar in the sense that they struggled growing up in a household that was almost forever empty. Whenever night descended, they would be left alone in their rooms, accompanied only by the moon.

Roel pitied Charlotte, but he also pitied his younger self.

However, what was different about them was that Charlotte did have a mother.

Adelicia’s actions didn’t bring about any physical harm to Charlotte, but Charlotte’s nonchalant attitude had pricked Roel’s nerves, leaving him feeling greatly irked. He felt like Adelicia had tossed something which he desired but couldn’t obtain on the floor, trampling harshly down on it.

“Someone once told me that roses that bloom under harsh conditions tend to be even more moving and beautiful. Miss Charlotte, your resilience, in my eyes, is like a golden rose.”

Amidst a faint glowing light, Roel looked into Charlotte’s eyes as he spoke. His golden irises seemed to radiate in the darkness, giving him a look that was dignified yet mysterious. Crimson mana began manifesting around his body.

Charlotte also returned the gaze unblinkingly, and she seemed to feel a sense of companionship from him.

“!”

A few short seconds later, Charlotte’s pale face gradually turned utterly red.

With a gentle smile, Roel lifted his hand, and the crimson mana began to spiral into the incubator, causing creaking sounds to echo until the glass was no longer able to handle the pressure and cracked.

Kacha!

The box shattered loudly, and bits of light began spilling out of Roel’s hands.

Meanwhile, on another observation platform some distance away, a bundle of light unfurled its wings under the loud cheering of the Austine nobles. It was a beautiful Nightglow Butterfly with brilliant green wings. Its luminescence lit up all of the faces around, and the pureblood nobles of the Austine Empire began singing and dancing joyously.

A smile could be seen on Adelicia’s face.

The most beautiful butterfly emerging amongst the pureblood nobles had been a tradition for the Milton House for many years now. It signified their superiority and nobility. However, this year, the butterfly was hatched using mana from one of the empire’s princes, making it more beautiful and radiant than ever.

As soon as it broke out of its egg, its wings spread out wide before the cheering crowd.

There was not a single person who doubted the standing of this butterfly. It was the largest and most beautiful Nightglow Butterfly they had seen over the years, and the purebloods saw the glory of the great Austine Empire in it.

The atmosphere was brought to a high as passionate exclamations could be heard here and there. But soon, the crowd began to realize that something was amiss.

“Wait a moment, why isn’t it setting off?”

“It’s bizarre indeed. None of the butterflies have flown off yet.”

Looking at the sky above, the Austine nobles realized that something was wrong. The young masters and misses from the noble houses began to whisper to one another while the guests from afar watched the butterflies circling above their heads, unaware of the anomaly at all.

Soon, there was only a single butterfly that remained unhatched in the entire venue.

Everyone’s eyes fell upon the black-haired boy standing by the corner of one of the observation platforms.

Roel was currently still channeling his mana toward the incubator. He had already seen the butterfly hatched by the pureblood nobles of the Austine Empire, which convinced him to give it his all.

He wasn’t doing this just to vent his own frustration toward Adelicia. More than that, he wanted to give Charlotte a present. He wanted the butterfly he hatched to be strong and beautiful like the girl standing before him. Its birth shall herald the new leader of the Leumann Forest’s Nightglow Butterflies.

It shall be born as a king!

Too focused on the deed at hand, Roel was oblivious that by the horizon of the world, a humongous skeleton was also looking intently at the happenings here. His eyes were shining as he awaited the miracle that had long been buried in the sands of time.

“It’s complete.”

Several seconds later, Roel muttered softly. Following that, a dull thud sounded as a radiant outburst of light gushed forth, filling the platform with light. The incubator cracked, and the egg inside fell to the ground, reduced to fragments.

Following that, all of the butterflies gathered in the area began moving.

Countless glowing spots stopped momentarily before rushing toward one of the observation platforms, reminiscent of soldiers who had received an order from their superior. The green butterfly hatched by the pureblood nobles even took the lead to circle around the light that had just broken free of its egg, like a general protecting its king.

By this point in time, Charlotte and Roel were already completely shrouded amidst the light, but the two of them paid it no heed. The girl stared dazedly at Roel’s outstretched hand, where a golden butterfly was currently unfurling its golden wings, revealing the insignia of a golden rose.

“Soar.”

Roel whispered a silent blessing toward the small lifeform.

In response, the golden butterfly rose into the air. It circled the auburn-haired girl several times before perching intimately on her shoulder for a brief moment. Then, it began charging toward the endless darkness of the night.

The brilliance it emanated evoked shouts of excitement from the crowd. Its light was as magnificent as a shooting star. Countless Nightglow Butterflies swiftly followed its lead, creating a drifting trail of light amidst the night sky, vying against the twinkling stars of the sky.

“It’s a King Butterfly!”

“That mana reaction... Is that butterfly a demonic creature? It’s a mutated beast!”

“Ah? Doesn’t that have a really low probability of occurring?”

The confirmation coming from the transcendents provoked a huge uproar from the crowd. The couples gazed into the sky as they discussed the magnificent sight they had just witnessed.

The host made use of this opportunity to declare grandly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have actually managed to incubate a mutated Nightglow Butterfly on this very night. This is a miracle brought about by the love and fortune amassed by everyone present. Without a doubt, this is a historical moment that will be remembered even years from now!”

Those words stoked the emotions of everyone present, raising the heat in the atmosphere. The youthful couples cheered in delight as they celebrated this momentous occasion.

Meanwhile, Roel fell deep in thought.

Mutated beast? Surely not. The egg is perfectly ordinary, so why... Why did it suddenly turn into a demonic creature?

Could it be that if sufficient mana is infused into a Nightglow Butterfly, it could evoke a mutation?

Roel was baffled, but before he could make sense of it, the host had already led the crowd to him with a voice amplifier in hand.

The host saw Roel lowering his head contemplatively whereas Charlotte was hardly moving at all. With his many years of experience dealing with nobles, he chose not to proceed on to the next event right away but instead enquire about their relationship carefully.

“Mister, allow me to thank you for presenting us with such a moving sight. If I may ask, what is your relationship with the lady over here?”

“Hm? Ah, we’re fr...”

“C-couple... We’re engaged.”

“Hm?”

Charlotte suddenly interrupted Roel’s response, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise. The two of them had spent quite a number of days together by now. Roel thought that he knew the girl standing before him quite well. However, at this very moment, she suddenly appeared a little foreign to him.

Charlotte’s face was cloaked in shyness. She was biting onto her lips softly as emotions rippled in her eyes. Her usual cold, nonchalant face had turned completely red, and her body was stiffened up tensely too. Her hands were grabbing onto the hems of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles were starting to appear a little white.

Her auburn locks swayed lightly with the night breeze, and her red gown looked ever more resplendent with the dim luminosity from the Nightglow Butterflies in the background.

At this moment, Charlotte carried a frightening level of charm that seemed to endlessly draw one in, making it impossible to resist her. Just a glance was all it took for Roel’s heart to be left on the verge of exploding.

“I see. The two of you are an engaged couple. It looks like we may proceed with the Kiss of Fortune Ritual as planned then!”

The host heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Charlotte’s words, and the atmosphere hyped up once more. Roel blinked his eyes blankly, and after quickly inquiring, he discovered that there was actually a continuation to the legend of the Nightglow Butterflies.

The lady would return the gentleman’s gift with a light kiss, symbolizing her blessing and affection. It was said that the queen of the Rona Kingdom had reciprocated to Emperor Charles II in such a manner back then, and it brought him a life of good luck. The Austine Empire grew rapidly under his rule, and he passed away peacefully out of old age.

Crap, I accidentally went too far.

Upon hearing the tradition, Roel’s face immediately stiffened up. He never thought that something he had done out of a whim would actually put them in a spot. Charlotte had only brought him here as a convenient plus one so that she could be spared the hassle. She wouldn’t have thought that he would incubate the brightest butterfly and be forced into giving him a kiss.

“T-there’s no need for it. I appreciate the reminder, but we don’t really believe in such stuff. Hahaha.”

Roel waved his hand at the middle-aged man, hoping to reject this darned superstition. As a proper gentleman, he wouldn’t force any lady’s hand. However, the auburn-haired girl before him fell into a dilemma hearing his words.

I-if it’s only a kiss...

“Don’t look down on fate... T-this is just reciprocation.”

Charlotte took in a deep breath, and before Roel’s shocked eyes, she began walking closer and closer. She looked at his lips and struggled a little, but in the end, she still placed a light kiss on his right cheek.

(Affection Points +10,000)

It had been ten days since then, but a familiar mana pulsation began to appear once more.