Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

That's why I said it... Luo, have you really thought this mission through?

This is no easy task. A child who cannot be saved by his father, a child who cannot be saved by his family—do you think you can change that?

"I...I'm fine. Anyway, there's always a last resort, isn't there?" Rhodes replied after a moment of thought.

No matter what, Ivina has to be tied up and taken away. And, what Rhodes hasn't actually said is—

This is actually a poor choice.

The worst possible solution would be to kill Ivina directly and shred her body, so that she wouldn't be used as a vessel to fill the [Demon Echoes].

He shows no pity for a stranger; fundamentally, he is also a self-interested individual.

Anyway, he'd tried his best, and if the result was still "unredeemable," then he might as well kill her beforehand.

He has always been good at killing young girls.

Because witches are basically all in the form of young girls.

After all, very few men can maintain their rationality after falling into the Demon God race.

Most men, due to their greater muscular strength, become several times more powerful than women after falling into the demon race. Consequently, they find it increasingly difficult to control their violent power. Therefore, those who can maintain their rationality are either sages or... sickly young boys.

In short, since all the demons were witches, Rhodes had killed at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands, witches along the way, by cutting them in half or dismembering them.

But let's talk about that later...

When was her coming-of-age ceremony?

"It's December 25th. But Miss Ivina's birthday is actually the 28th."

"That means there are ten days left. We have to bring her back to the academy within ten days."

"Hmm?" Felicity, though aware of the truth, still feigned ignorance and asked, "Why? Shouldn't this coming-of-age ceremony be used to open her heart?"

"I can't wait any longer. The witch is most likely to make her move when there are a lot of people around."

"……oh oh."

Rhodes didn't respond, but he felt a little uneasy.

December 28th.

Ivina and Cecilia share the same birthday!

This day was truly unforgettable for him.

After all, once it gets to this point, Cecilia will definitely come looking for him... wanting him to celebrate her birthday with her.

What a coincidence... There are plenty of coincidences in the world, it's just a birthday, Rod thought to himself.

Then, his eyes glanced into the distance—

At this moment, the city buildings of Phillips were passing by in his eyes.

Many people dressed in formal attire pulled their hats tighter and hurried to complete their tasks for the day.

But... every now and then, one can see the remains of the huge clock tower that was destroyed due to the mutation of the demonic seed.

A palpable sense of panic and discontent permeated the crowd.

This is the current Linlank Empire.

Even under control, there are at least three to five cases a day on average of [Star God Seed] falling into [Demon Seed].

Therefore, the figures of military knights can be easily spotted in towns, always on high alert.

but--

Thump, thump, thump—

The train roared out with the power of magical steam, but soon fell silent.

Following this was a magical notification sound.

[North of the city, arrival; North of the city, arrival—]

Chapter 25 I'm Here to Kidnap Your Daughter

Compared to the residential neighborhoods, the Duke's Palace is located at the northernmost point of Phillips, and also has hundreds of acres of open space.

Under a clear blue sky, the sunlight shines on this land, making everything appear golden and magnificent.

The most dazzling feature, of course, is the long stream that is about two hundred meters away from the mansion.

The long stream separated the mansion from the residential area, with only an arched bridge in the center for passage, which now shone brightly in the sunlight as if sprinkled with gold.

The moment Rhodes and his companions stepped onto the bridge, it signified their entry into the Duke's territory.

However, they did not show any emotion and remained indifferent.

Because they were being followed the whole way.

From the moment they got off the train until they reached this point, a person had been following them for ten minutes. The shadow that had been following them stopped on the outskirts after they crossed the arched bridge.

Even now, when Rhodes turns his head to look back, he can still see that shadow under the tree.

Ok……

Wearing a black cloak and with a petite figure, what else could she be but a witch?

However, Rhodes did not intend to hunt her down.

Killing a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl who you can't even follow properly... it wouldn't help at all.

Most importantly, now that he's entering the Duke's mansion, he absolutely cannot reveal his goals and intentions.

He dared not say he could deal with the witches hiding in the Duke's mansion.

His current identity is nothing more than a guest preparing to participate in a coming-of-age ceremony.

Rhodes' eyes were fixed on him:

"Killing her now won't help; it's a waste of time."

"Lilith, once you enter the Duke's mansion, do not reveal your strength."

"Furthermore, your identity has been changed to that of a second-year student at Stasen Holy Academy, my friend, and you've been promoted to the second level, understand?"

"Hmm." Lilith nodded slightly, her lips moving slightly.

"Let's go." With that, Rhodes formally crossed the arched bridge and entered the Duke's territory.

At that moment, the cloaked witch standing in the shade of a tree in the distance slightly raised her eyes, gazed at Rhodes, and nodded.

She pressed her finger to her ear and covered her mouth with her other hand, whispering as if giving a heads-up.

"Lord Cangwen, Lady Cecilia's prey has entered your mission territory. What should we do? This area's missions are your responsibility..."

The young girl was clearly unfamiliar with stalking; even her tip-offs were limited to this level.

But this is to be expected, since even among witches, there are huge differences in their level of mischief;

Some people are forced into this situation by life, while others fall into depravity due to greed; of course, it's impossible to generalize.

zizi——

The sound was interrupted, but a curious voice still reached the girl's ears:

"Oh? It's Mr. Rhodes?"

"Yes, he was accompanied by the second princess, Felicity, and... a blue-haired woman whose identity I don't know."

"I'm watching it."

"Ok?"

The cloaked witch looked up at the enormous clock tower located in the center of the city behind her—

She couldn't see the figure, but she was sure Lord Cangwen must be there.

And that is indeed the case.

The Plague Demoness was currently dozens of meters in the air, her toes resting on the tip of the clock tower, her eyes blinking slightly.

She had jet-black hair like Cecilia, but her eyes were a deep blue, like the ocean, and when she smiled, sharp teeth appeared.

“If he comes by himself, then I’ll just have to try it… I’m sorry, little Leah, I really want to try it.” She lightly licked the edge of her lips with her tongue, then began to hum a cheerful tune—

"The only sheep was skinned, two lambs were tied together and burned alive, screaming in agony, and three lambs... their heads were crushed in agony, tears streaming down their faces."

"Rhodes, why did you come to the Duke's mansion? You'll die!"

……

...

slam-la-

"Please have some tea." The purple-haired maid, Daphne, was pouring tea for Rhodes and the others. She bowed slightly, then left the room and closed the door behind her.

Rod didn't pay any attention.

The interior of the Duke's mansion was indeed luxurious.

At least the fabric and cotton of the soft red and gold sofa that Rhodes was sitting on were the same as the sofa he had at the college.

Moreover, against the corner of the wall are rows of bookshelves that look quite tall, surrounding the central glass lamp.

Of course, none of that matters; what matters is the person opposite them—

She wore a heavy dress typical of medieval noblewomen, and her long, jet-black hair was slightly curled. Even though she was over forty, one could still see the remarkable figure she had in her youth.

This is the mistress of this estate—the Duchess of Sanders.

She smiled kindly:

“Your Majesty Rhodes, it is a great pleasure to have you attend Ivina’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

It goes without saying how terrible the surname of the name 【Rod Chivenlance】is.

The reason why the nation with the smallest territory among the twelve divine nations, with a population of only one percent of the world's population, enjoys the same respect as the other eleven nations, is simply because of the terrifying nature of the God of Souls.

The divine seed of the God of Souls is the rarest and most disgusting divine seed in the world.

Almost all fifth-tier hero-level and above [Soul Seeds] can directly see into the enemy's thoughts, sense the enemy's actions, and relay the perception to their teammates.