With her hands folded gracefully in front of her, Marlina, although dressed in plain adventurer's cloth, maintained an air of serene elegance and slightly narrowed her eyes.
"You are simply acting according to your own will, serving Mr. Ansel, aren't you?"
Before Nerilia could respond, Marlina continued, "So, like I threatened Milo and Inothea, will you try to win them over to Shadewell's side? But as Margarete, I can leverage Faust's na. As Shadewell, who can you rely on?"
She tilted her head slightly, smiling, "An organization that walks in darkness, unknown to anyone, would you recruit them under Mr. Ansel's na?"
"Ah... strength, showcasing strength is also a possibility, but Inothea has already experienced a far more terrifying power, hasn't she?"
With eyes gleaming with a dark light, Marlina stepped forward, her tone and deanor unknowingly carrying an innate... cold and oppressive force.
"Or do the mbers of Shadewell believe they can match Mr. Ansel's might?"
"You..."
This girl, usually gentle and serene, who had never shown any signs of coldness in records and seed as docile as a lamb, now left Nerilia montarily at a loss for words with her current deanor.
"…Heh." After a brief pause, Nerilia chuckled, her darkly tinted lips curling slightly. "You've grown, Marlina."
"People always need to grow."
Marlina smiled. "Do you have anything else to say?"
The next mont, she was suddenly yanked into the air.
Nerilia's ghostly figure appeared instantly in front of Marlina, her slender fingers clasping Marlina's throat and lifting her off the ground.
However, there was no malice in Nerilia's action; she held Marlina's neck for a mont without causing pain before setting her down again.
By the ti Marlina regained her senses, she was already back on the ground.
Instinctively touching her neck, Marlina's voice turned cold. "What is the aning of this, Lady Nerilia?"
"I was showing you what you need."
"…"
This ti, it was Marlina who fell silent.
It's strength, or power.
"You're right, Marlina." Nerilia admitted frankly, "At present, Shadewell can't and doesn't intend to take control of Dispute Fortress directly from you, but I still need you to hand it over."
"You seem quite fixated on this," Marlina observed. "Is Dispute Fortress that important?"
To Marlina's surprise, Nerilia's response was entirely unexpected.
"It's not about Dispute Fortress; it's about you."
The tall, slender woman glanced at Marlina. "Lord Ansel has never afforded any mortal the kind of favor he's given you. I can't gauge the limits of your abilities, but based on the trust Mr. Ansel has placed in you, I can conclude that you possess extraordinary potential."
"Your assessnt flatters ."
"Just stating the facts."
Nerilia said calmly, "With Mr. Ansel's support and Dispute Fortress as your base, you could build an extensive network radiating outward. Given Mr. Ansel's trust in you, you indeed seem capable of establishing such a network here."
"But having the ability doesn't an you'll make the right choices."
Marlina tugged at the corner of her mouth, surprised that the evaluation she had applied to Seraphina was now being used on her.
"So, after all that, you're still sticking to your theory?" The girl looked up at the cold-faced Nerilia. "I'm no help to Mr. Ansel, right? Even if I have the ability."
"…No."
Nerilia's response once again left Marlina in a state of confusion. "That was indeed the case before, but now I have a different idea."
She extended her hand towards Marlina, saying, "Join Shadewell, and we will guide you on a path where you can truly help Lord Ansel."
Marlina was taken aback for a mont, then burst out laughing. "Can't take control of Dispute Fortress, so now you want to take instead?"
"The control of Dispute Fortress is irrelevant; it's you that I want."
Nerilia's seriousness made Marlina's smile fade slightly. She stared at Nerilia for a long while, then asked with so confusion, "Is this... a spur-of-the-mont decision?"
"A spur-of-the-mont decision."
"I see..."
The girl pondered for a mont, then shook her head and refused. "I'm sorry, Lady Nerilia, but I don't believe my path is wrong, nor do I think... only Shadewell's path is the right one."
She had already seen the path Ansel was taking—a difficult, grand, blazing path, like a miracle of the sun.
Marlina had witnessed Ansel's joyful and relaxed deanor while completing tasks, his feigned nonchalance and even harsh coldness, yet always sincerely fulfilling the requests of the common people...
Ansel had changed, freeing himself sowhat from a pressure Marlina was unaware of. He began to see the world differently and wanted to change it, wanted to… beco the sun. Therefore, she wanted to be soone who chases the sun, who bathes in its light, not soone who lives in the shadows.
The Garden was her true ho, where her talents could be fully utilized, where her strength… could be completely devoted to Ansel.
Once again being refused, Nerilia this ti did not show the disdain or mockery she had at the clock tower.
She rely nodded slightly and said calmly, "It's okay, you'll figure it out eventually. But for now, you remain an opponent of Shadewell, and we will still try to stop you from continuing, without harming Lord Ansel's interests."
The woman reached out towards Marlina's neck but did not exert force, only gently clasping it. "Do you rember what I said to you earlier?"
"…The thing I need."
Marlina's breathing beca a bit unsteady as she looked directly into Nerilia's eyes and whispered, "Power."
"Cease your efforts now and settle for performing the most basic secretarial duties by Lord Ansel's side," Nerilia withdrew her hand, uttering words that truly moved Marlina for the first ti:
"After the expedition to the Western Lands, Shadewell will provide you with a thod to achieve the status of an extraordinary being. The effect surpasses that of the Water of Redemption, though the difficulty of achieving it is high, you are worth it."
Marlina remained silent, while Nerilia, unperturbed, patiently awaited her response. Find more adventures on empire
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