It felt so good to be close to the witch!

But what if?

Perhaps, this young man in front of me really does have a way to remove the pollution?

Anyway, it's just a trial...

With that thought in mind, Shanica nodded slightly: "If you don't mind the trouble."

“Miss Shanika, physical contact is necessary during the decontamination process, please understand,” Roy explained beforehand.

“It’s alright.” Shanica reached out and placed her left hand flat on the wooden table.

It has to be said that Shanika's skin is exceptionally good. The warm luster is even more beautiful than the finest white jade. The moment Roy's fingers touched it, the feeling of sinking in and then bouncing back was unforgettable.

Suppressing the ripples in his heart, Roy activated his innate ability, [Infinite Desire].

In an instant, a surge of powerful energy poured into his body, causing his remaining 700-odd strands of battle qi to rapidly increase.

Compared to the white-haired, silver-eyed witch Ais and the fox-eared witch Elena, Shanika's level of corruption is closer to the limit because she vents it more intensely.

When the energy in his body approached the absorption limit of 1000 strands of battle qi, Roy quickly shut down his talent and cut off the energy absorption channel.

The long-lost feeling of being "full" made Roy a little uncomfortable, but he didn't show it on his face and maintained a confident and composed demeanor.

As she felt about one-two-hundredth of the pollution disappear from her body, Shanika could no longer maintain her composure.

She stared blankly at Roy's fingers resting on her wrist, then looked up at him, dumbfounded. Sensing that he was completely free of any trace of corruption, she murmured in disbelief, "Gone... really gone!"

With a "crash," Shanika suddenly stood up from the wooden chair. Because of the force of the movement, the wooden chair she was sitting on tilted backward and fell to the ground with a "bang."

But Roy was no longer able to pay attention to any of that at that moment.

His face was now enveloped in a broad, soft glow, accompanied by Shanika's trembling, excited voice: "Thank you, thank you, Roy!"

Seeing Roy absorb the witch's corruption, Red was stunned into silence. He didn't react until the healing witch stood up and hugged Roy. He was about to draw his knight's sword, which he was holding tightly, but then stopped.

The healing witch's behavior didn't seem to indicate any malice towards Roy, which made him hesitate. In the end, he suppressed his intention to make a move.

Chapter 15 Heart to Heart

(Please continue reading!)

Inside the witch's room.

Shanica quickly released Roy, righted the overturned wooden chair, and sat down again.

Her fair face was flushed with emotion, and the upper part of her white dress with yellow stripes was covered in messy wrinkles.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roy, I got a little emotional."

Shanica tidied her disheveled hair, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in her usual elegant and gentle tone. However, her eyes, fixed on Roy and unwilling to look away, proved that her emotions were far from calm on the surface.

The change from "Roy" to "Young Master Roy" reflects a shift in her inner attitude.

Roy was fully aware of this.

He pursed his lips. The healing witch's "enthusiasm" was so heavy and suffocating that it had almost made him breathless.

Taking a deep breath, Roy spoke softly, "Miss Shanika, the way I just removed the pollution from you was my innate ability. It allows me to absorb pollution without side effects, but it also has limitations. Due to my current strength, I can only absorb a small portion each time. And this is also related to the cooperation I want to discuss with you next."

"I wonder if you would be willing to offer me any help you can? In exchange, I will cleanse you of the pollution."

“This is truly an unprecedented talent…” Shanika smiled gently.

She stood up, walked a short distance from Roy, slightly lifted her skirt, curtsied, and said gracefully, "I am happy to serve you, Young Master Roy."

"Then I hope you will take good care of me from now on, Miss Shanica."

You can call me Shanika.

“…Shanika, in that case, you can just call me Roy.”

“That won’t do.” Shanica extended her right index finger and pressed it against her cherry lips, making them slightly indent. “Young Master Roy is my ‘Young Master,’ and those two words cannot be omitted.”

"...Whatever you want." It was just a form of address anyway, so it didn't matter how he addressed her. Roy organized his thoughts and said, "Shanika, there's something I need to tell you first. Although we've reached an agreement, we can't let you leave right now."

After briefly describing his current situation, Roy said apologetically, "I'm sorry to trouble you to stay here for a while longer. Once I find out who's behind this, I'll come and take you out."

“It’s alright.” Shanica’s eyes shone with a gentle light, the dark lines around them lessening, making her gaze appear even brighter. “I’ve lived here for many years, so I don’t mind waiting a few more days.”

"I'm glad you understand." Roy nodded, then stood up. "Then I'll be leaving now and come back to see you in a while."

Shanica nodded slightly, said nothing more, and then watched Roy and Red's figures disappear through the doorway.

After the two left, Shanika went to the hammock woven from vines and flowers, hugged her legs, buried her face in her knees, and a glint of water glistened on her cheeks.

Her emotions were far more intense than they appeared in front of Roy; after a brief release earlier, she had been suppressing them ever since.

She was on the verge of losing control, and her fear of pollution was far stronger than others could imagine.

Now, Roy's appearance is undoubtedly the only ray of light in her darkness.

……

Inside the dimly lit prison corridor.

Red and Roy, who had put his helmet back on, walked one after the other.

After leaving the prison and returning to the lord's manor, back to Roy's courtyard, Red couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "Young Master Roy, what you just did..."

“That’s my explanation to you, Uncle Red.” Roy said softly as he took off his heavy armor and helmet. “This talent ability was awakened in the critical moment when I was captured by the Ice Witch the night before last. It was precisely because of this talent ability that I was able to save my life from the Ice Witch.”

"To be honest, I don't know why I awakened my talent."

“So that’s how it is…” Red murmured, then he suddenly looked at Roy: “Young Master Roy, you must never let anyone else know about your talent.”

"Not to mention that your awakening of a talent usually possessed only by witches will trigger an investigation by the temple and cause unnecessary trouble, even if the temple doesn't react, if other nobles or even the imperial high command find out, your future fate will probably be..."

“I know,” Roy smiled. “But you are the person I trust most.”

“…” Upon hearing this, Reid fell silent.

Having followed Lord Blackrock for most of his life, and having never had a wife or children, he had long regarded Roy as his own son.

Now that Roy trusts him so much, not even hiding such an important matter from him, Reid feels both gratified and moved.

“Oh, right, Uncle Red, this is the complete book of the Explosive Breathing Technique that my father asked me to pass on to you. It contains some secret techniques.” Suddenly, Roy remembered something, reached into his pocket, and, using his clothes as cover, took out the book of the Explosive Breathing Technique from the storage space of the [Original Sin Cube], and handed it to Red.

“Such a precious item…” Red was somewhat surprised, but before he could finish speaking, Roy said, “You should keep it. Your mastery of breathing techniques far surpasses mine. You can master the secret technique first, and when I advance to the Bronze level, I can ask you to teach me.”

"Moreover, Blackrock Territory is currently in turmoil. If you master the secret technique and increase your strength, we will be safer."

Upon hearing this, Red took a deep breath and silently accepted the breathing technique booklet.

He knew Roy was right; if they couldn't overcome the current crisis, the Turenbelle family would have no future.

Now is not the time to be sentimental.

"I'm a little tired, so I'm going to rest now. Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Uncle Red."

Roy smiled at Red, then turned and went inside.

Knights were never allowed to enter the lord's mansion, which was the residence of the lord and his son Roy. Now that Roy had been "captured" by the Templar Knights, no knights would be allowed to enter. In a sense, this was a case of "blind spots."

Red's residence was right next to this small courtyard. Unless the visitor was far stronger than Red, it would be almost impossible to sneak into the courtyard without his knowledge.

Watching Roy walk into the room and close the door, Red looked down at the precious booklet in his hand that recorded the secrets of breathing techniques, then went to the corner of the courtyard wall and began to study it by the dim candlelight.

He needs to master the breathing technique as soon as possible and improve his strength as much as possible. Only in this way can he better help Young Master Roy.

As for sleeping and resting?

For the Bronze Knight, going without sleep for a few days would be tiring, but it wasn't a big deal.

Chapter 16 Late Night Visit

(Please continue reading!)

The candles were dry and unlit, and the crimson moonlight streaming in through the cracks in the window brought only a little light to the dim room.

Luo Yijing sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the night view outside the window, her heart filled with flowing thoughts.

Choosing to be "frank" with Red to some extent is essential. While the talent [Infinite Desire] is powerful, it seems less important compared to his true secret—the [Original Sin Cube].

How did he escape from the witch's clutches that day, and how did he suddenly recover to his original state and even become stronger than before? All of these require a reasonable explanation.

The "Infinite Desire" feature solves this problem very well.

Men who awaken their innate abilities are extremely rare in the history of the empire, but they are not nonexistent.

If Roy wants to develop in the future, he will inevitably have to go through a lot of things with Red, so revealing some information to him in advance is an essential step.

Judging from Red's performance tonight, compared to imperial laws and temple taboos, Red values ​​the honor of the Turenbel family and the safety of Roy, the lord's son, more.

This is actually quite normal. In this world, the various lords and families are more like independent small kingdoms than subjects of the king. While lords are required to pay taxes to the empire regularly, in reality, within their territories, the word of the lord carries more weight than the laws of the empire.

This is an unavoidable drawback of the feudal system after it had been in place for a long time.

Knights who serve a lord are essentially bound to that family, not to mention the lord's squires; their fates are intertwined.

Having covered up for Red, Roy had finally accomplished something he had been looking forward to.

Next, we will focus our attention on the people behind the scenes.

If this guy isn't caught, Roy's future development will inevitably face significant difficulties. With an enemy who is plotting to kill him and has already taken action, no one can feel at ease.

At the Templar Knights' pace, they should be able to escort "Roy" to the Cathedral Temple in Rafa Province in about two more days. And if the mastermind has any other plans targeting Blackrock Territory, these two days will be the perfect time to act.

Of course, if the person behind the scenes is really so patient, and intends to wait until Roy is burned at the stake in the temple before taking action, then he can only wait.

But it's highly unlikely.

While the temple has the right to arrest or even imprison the son of a lord, it must have irrefutable evidence to execute him by burning him at the stake.

The round trip would take a long time, and it wouldn't be surprising if it dragged on for a year or two.

Therefore, the timing for the person behind the scenes to make their move is most likely to be in the near future.

Under the moonlight, Roy sighed.

The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. The Black Stone Territory currently lacks an intelligence system and is practically "blind," leaving it with no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

Having finished his deliberations, Roy prepared to begin refining his battle aura.

Even if the person behind the scenes comes to light, in the end, the only ones who can actually make a move are him, Red, and the knights under his command.