Chapter 71: Responsibilities

"What’s wrong, Claire?" He asks before Claire answers his question via telepathy.

(Carlene told me that the griffin that attacked them might be from a dungeon outflow of a dungeon before it turned into a lake. In short, their misfortune was indirectly our fault. Carlene wants us to take responsibility for them.)

(What?)

Azrael is not expecting this sudden revelation at all. He orchestrated a fake dungeon outflow to wipe out the people around the dungeon, but he failed to see this outcome. It is like killing somebody from afar with a stray bullet coming from a machine gun someone rapidly fired.

(Are you sure that the griffin was one of the monsters we unleashed?) Azrael has to ascertain it.

(There is no griffin in the kingdom. Therefore, it undoubtedly came from the dungeon.)

My bad. Perhaps I should have asked Claire about the behavior of each of those monsters.

(I get that we were the reason for the monster attack, but why do we have to take care of them?)

Even though he is responsible for the incident, Azrael cannot decide whether he should take responsibility for it. He is concerned that they would also take risks if they were to go with that.

(Carlene said that they have nowhere to go. Their territory is probably under the control of the empire as we speak, and their plan to escape overseas has been compromised since they lost almost everything in the attack. They also exhaust their funds for accommodations and medications.)

(If we were to take them, which I personally don’t agree with, where should we put them in? There’s no way we could let them stay on the island.)

His stares at Claire are becoming sharper. The sleeping noblewoman’s maid, who is watching them constantly changing their facial expressions, is confused by what she is seeing, as she has yet to realize she is witnessing a telepathic conversation in person.

(We can have them stay in my former villa.) Claire suggests. (It hasn’t been discovered, and it needs people to maintain it. I think they are suitable for that job.)

Thinking thoroughly of her words, Azrael glances at the two women before he lets out a defeated sigh. Deep inside, he also feels a little guilty for the things that have happened to them, and he wants to atone for those unseen consequences.

(As long as they don’t make a mess, I’ll go with it. But why did you agree to this anyway?)

(I may sound like a hypocrite for giving the empire the signal to invade the kingdom with my disappearance, but I don’t like having a bad aftertaste for something I did. It’s a habit of mine to make my name as clean as possible.)

(If you say so.)

"Looks like you have settled it down." Carlene says after finishing their mental discussion.

"Yeah, much like that." He replies nonchalantly.

"On another topic, have you thought about making a name in the empire? We will be glad to welcome someone like you in our ranks."

"I have no comment on that statement at the moment."

"I know you might say that. But anyways, can I talk to you in private? There is something I want to give you."

◆◇◆

At the end of the corridor of the second floor of the inn, just next to the glass doors to the balcony, Azrael and Carlene stand there to engage in a private talk.

"So what is the thing you want to give to me?"

"It’s as trivial as a simple token of gratitude for taking up both my favors."

"Okay, but why not give it to Claire as well?"

"I want this especially for you. Please accept this, Azrael."

Carlene then raises her palm upwards to the chest level before an opening of a subspace appears above it. A dark blue magic core as big as a golf ball fell to her hand. Judging by the size, he concludes that it might come from a human.

"Please take it, Azrael."

"I guess I’ll take it."

She hands the magic core to Azrael’s palm. After that, Carlene put her left hand on the back of his palm before closing his hand with the other hand. The warmth and softness of her hands portray her genuine sincerity. There is no way she can give it away without a particular reason.

"This is... a magic core? This seems to be something important."

"That’s right. This magic core holds sentimental value to me. This belonged to the man I loved in my past life."

That revelation would not be that of a surprise for him if she said that this core belongs to someone important in her life. He might have an idea whose core is this. But what he cannot understand is why she would hand something this sentimental to someone else she just recently met, basically a stranger.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"I’m certain."

"But why? We just met today, and you have trusted me this much?"

It is not like he does not want the magic core. He would still accept this blue gem despite the fact that he has dozens of purple magic cores in his inventory. It is true that he and Claire help her, but he thinks that this gift is just too valuable to her to be a payment.

She is also making a gamble since there is no certainty that Azrael will help her again in the future, wasting away her precious memento.

"It’s merely a matter of responsibility, I think." Carlene curves her lips before she turns her head to the glass doors to the balcony, gazing at the city outside under the afternoon sun. "My priority is the safety of the empire, where my descendants reside. Rewarding my benefactor is one of the responsibilities I should do to keep our trust with each other. It’s not fair if one was left behind, no?"

First of all, you are looking at a kingdom city. Nevertheless, I guess this is a fair trade. He does not let out what is in his mind, especially the former.

"Also, I trust my intuition, and Claire sticks with you." Carlene then shifts her attention to Azrael. "I have a feeling that you could become a big player in the future events of this world."

"How can you say so?"

"Given how much power you have gained in just a short course of time, more people would eventually notice your existence. As desperate or ambitious they can be, they would definitely approach you and make an offer or force you to join their side."

Now then he realizes it: the energy he released during his fight with Vordoth actually reached the senses of Zyren, whose location is hundreds of leagues away. If his current power can reach that much, how about when he continues to grow up?

It was fortunate that Zyren and Dareon are reasonable people and have become his allies later on. In case more powerful and sinister people perceive his existence, he might be overwhelmed and die or be put under their control.

His plan to stay low-key while trying to find the truth about his reincarnation might not work if he still continues to gain more power. It would be challenging for him to stay hidden later on.

If people, especially nations and large organizations, found him, he would be forced to step onto the stage and reveal himself to the world.

"That might be bad. Are you suggesting that you are going to earn my trust before anyone else could?"

"Much like that. That’s why I was trying to convince you to slowly make a name for yourself in the empire. You can become an adventurer or an imperial knight. I promise that the empire will have your back, or if you prefer no backing, we will respect your decision."

"You didn’t even try to hide it." Azrael is impressed by her transparency. "By doing that, it’s like telling the world that I am on the Siafran Empire’s side. I appreciate your offer. I see the benefits of it, but I cannot just ignore the risk that lingers on it."

"I understand you, Azrael. You don’t need to give your answer right away. I truly appreciate it for accepting my request. We cannot risk asking you for more."

"Very well. I’ll come to the empire once I have made my decision. Anyways, thank you for this gift."

A pitch-black circle appears in thin air behind his palm before he inserts his hands into it to gently put the magic core into his Dimension Storage.

"Well then, let’s wrap it up here. I expect you in the empire, Azrael."

Carlene concludes the conversation before she walks down the corridor. She is even walking with elegance, he observes, staring at her swaying cheeks.

Afterwards, Carlene leaves the Kingdom of Roheazul before the sun sets. As they have agreed, Claire takes the kingdom’s noblewoman alongside her maid and the injured knight to her secret villa as soon as she wakes up at night.