Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

……

……

The imperial capital—Iliad Imperial City.

The roar of the Star Train broke into this peaceful, enormous city.

At night, the cotton-like snowflakes fell continuously like soft feathers.

As soon as Rhodes and his companions stepped off the train and into this area, they felt the temperature drop and the completely different atmosphere. Feather-like snowflakes landed on their shoulders and quickly melted into droplets of water mist.

It was already seven o'clock at night, and the moonlight was completely obscured by the wind and snow, but the streetlights on the ground were still lit in rows, casting a hazy glow.

a little cold.

But it's alright.

Because of the considerable crowd, at least Rhodes and his companions were swept away and headed towards the city center of the imperial capital.

Meanwhile, the clamor of vendors hawking their wares echoed from the edge of the platform in the distance.

These people naturally took advantage of the opening of the star trails to find a place to sell their goods. Even at seven o'clock at night, it was still a bustling time for the market in this prosperous city.

Of course, the chaos caused by the demons has actually reduced the festive atmosphere quite a bit, but there are still enough people to keep up.

Meanwhile, burly knights clad in silver armor and wielding mithril spears stood guard on watchtowers every ten meters, preventing the shouting crowd from getting too close.

Rod ignored the ordinary merchants because his goal was clear: to get to the cathedral.

He looked up, gazing at the vast city and the landmarks on the map.

For Rhodes, returning to this familiar and bustling city after several years didn't feel too strange... After all, no one forgets the feeling of home just because they haven't been home for a long time.

However, his cautious approach still allowed him to compare the buildings in different directions.

From the moment they stepped off the vehicle, it was destined that they would be surrounded by enemies throughout this entire second playthrough.

He spoke slowly:

"We are currently in the southern district of the capital."

"Like Philips, the capital city of Elijah is divided into four regions: east, west, south, and north. The northern region is the noble region, which is where the imperial palace is located."

"The western region belongs to the military region, which is where I need to go to exchange materials."

"As for the eastern part, it is a densely populated area with a large number of people, which is where the church and the college are located."

"Because we, or rather Natalie, are now being targeted by our own country's spies in the capital and by witches, we must ensure that we do not separate in our next operation."

“Anyone we pass by could be an enemy; we must get to the cathedral as quickly as possible.”

"From now on, Lilith and I will be responsible for protecting everyone."

Getting to the cathedral as quickly as possible is the safest way.

Although it is clear that a witch is lurking in the cathedral, as one of the most prosperous places in the capital, the cathedral is mostly frequented by devout local residents. In other words, at least you won't be assassinated by a powerful figure from the Dragon God Empire while walking down the street.

"Yes!" Ivina nodded, gazing into the distance.

There are so many people.

People dressed in cloaks, noble clothes, and even the kind of cloth attire typical of adventurers—people just like Elenora were everywhere.

Of course, the excitement was triggered in an instant, but the sudden chaos in his heart was also triggered by the vague gazes of these people.

A strange sense of lingering fear welled up in Ivina's heart; she felt there were more eyes on her than in any other situation before.

She quickly transformed from her lively and energetic self back into a curled-up, panting kitten, staying obediently behind Rod and tugging at his clothes.

"Rhodes, there are so many people."

“Hmm.” Rod understood that Ivina felt a certain amount of unfamiliar fear, so he naturally reached out and took her hand that was clutching the hem of her clothes.

My hands are warm.

Both Rod and Ivina felt a sense of warmth and security in each other's hands.

Rod's voice drifted out softly, blending seamlessly with the gentle, cottony snowflakes floating in the city:

"There's nothing to be afraid of. In fact, most people here aren't necessarily that strong."

"Hmm... I know, and standing behind you, holding your hand, I'm not so scared after all."

The girl's voice was soft, but she ultimately entrusted her peace of mind to Rhodes.

That's not enough; she's still too immature.

Even the smallest difficulty has to be handled by Rod...

No, starting today, she has to suck Rhodes' blood more and more, and try to break through and advance to the fourth level as soon as possible, so that she can at least be of some use.

of course.

Given the large number of people, let Rod handle it.

She had childlike fantasies in her mind, hoping that one day the princess would turn into a knight and rescue the knight.

It's a bit silly, but that's okay.

only--

"Clear the way, the royal family advances, make way."

"Clear the way, the royal family advances, make way."

"Thank you."

Several powerful shouts from knights rang out, dispersing the crowd from the middle of the avenue.

An overwhelming pressure swept over them instantly, but the nobles and commoners who had stepped aside uttered no curses, only gasps of surprise and joy:

"It's Cedric Calder..."

"Such magnificent golden armor, such dazzling short golden hair, like a sharp blade."

The sound of armor clashing suddenly rang out clearly in front of Rhodes and his companions.

Most importantly, by the time Rhodes noticed the voice, the so-called "royal family member" was already standing in front of them.

The figure on horseback came into Rhodes's view.

He had light golden hair, just like Felicity, that shone brightly in the sunlight. He was strong and broad-shouldered, and just sitting on his horse, he seemed like a castle that could make people feel at ease.

At the same time, heavy and intricate golden armor covered every part of his body—if one were to describe him in the most appropriate word, he would undoubtedly be—a paladin.

Despite his physique, his face appeared gentle and dignified.

A back that never bends, a youth's spine.

That's right.

This person was Cedric Calder—the true first heir of the Linlank Empire, and a noble man who defended the empire to the very end in the first playthrough and died a martyr.

To use a more affectionate term, he was Felicity's brother, a friend of Rod's.

"Rhodes, Felicity, and all distinguished guests."

"Cedric."

"Elder brother."

Rhodes and Felicity responded quickly—the unexpected situation naturally made them unable to resist calling out his name.

No one expected that Cedric would personally come to pick them up.

No, the key question is how he knew they got off at this station?

Despite the doubts, Rhodes and his companions didn't need to be overly suspicious of this absolute teammate and friend who would die a heroic death in the future.

Cedric's voice was calm, almost unassailable, yet his words were reassuring:

"I've come to escort you."

As the words fell, Rhodes smiled slightly:

"Perfect timing, let's chat while we're on the way."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"The messy engagement."

...

...

Cedric dismounted and walked alongside Rhodes. Most of the other girls obediently stepped back, except for Ivina, who still held Rhodes' hand tightly and stood on his other side.

Cedric, of course, saw this scene. A look of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he frowned slightly. "Rhodes, who is this?"

“Ivina Sanders, daughter of the Duke of Sanders.”

"So that's how it is, it's the legendary Blood Demon."

"Huh? What Blood Demon? How rude of you..."

"I apologize, but I didn't mean to be derogatory by using the term 'Blood Demon.' On the contrary, I'm quite interested in your legend."

“Then you’d better not be interested.” Rhodes interrupted abruptly.

Cedric's eyes narrowed.

Rhodes's absolute protective attitude is enough to guess the relationship between Rhodes and Ivina...

Putting aside the fact that the girl is so physically frail, and that his old friend might have some kind of unusual fetish, the key point is that this is going to cause trouble.

Yeah... what should we do?

"Rhodes, you already know about the engagement. What are your thoughts now?"

Cedric chose to explain in person.

It is indeed very troublesome.

Rhodes deliberately held Ivina's hand instead of Felicity's in front of him, wasn't that a deliberate way of saying—

【I'm not getting engaged. I have someone I like. Felicity is just a sister to me!】

Is this the same old cliché plot of flipping a table to escape for love?