Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Paladin Aslan
The knives exploded—one became a tactical mine, the other a flash bomb—sending smoke and light to blind Lucius.
Melusine carried Aslan on her back, rushing out of the manor at full speed.
The noise drew the attention of the party guests. Lucius' men arrived and saw him standing amidst the chaos.
"Your Highness, here—"
Lucius waved them off, a smile spreading across his face.
"A thief, that's all. Nothing more."
He liked this—the trickery, the fighting. War was survival, and as a battle maniac, Lucius respected that. Following rules too strictly was boring.
Dismissive, Lucius prepared for the carriage ride back to the capital.
"Just run," he muttered with a smile. "It makes conquest sweeter."
He considered commissioning a portrait of Miss Estee Lauder to hunt her down, but that plan was doomed.
Aslan had already torn his skirt halfway and donned magical armor.
From now on, women's clothing was a phrase Aslan would never again utter in his heart.
Though Aslan never expected his actions to leave a strong impression on Lucius, thinking back, wasn't the Roman emperor a bit… fond of Arthur? Wholeheartedly trying to win him over?
If Manaka knew, she'd likely try to find and beat Lucius up.
Yet, Aslan accomplished his mission.
Now, knowing where the Venus gem was found, he could search for more Mecha fragments.
Even if none were there, his detector would help.
It was a bit troublesome—he'd have to travel all over the empire.
Previously, Aslan worried Mecha fragments sank into the ocean like Atlantis, but finding wreckage on land proved otherwise.
To fully shed Estee Lauder's shadow, Aslan set aside the Sword of Glorious Victory and took up the Spear of Destiny.
Walking as a Christian Paladin in the Roman Empire, many secretly called him the Paladin—a title he never even knew.
If Aslan's name lived on, he might be remembered as a heroic spirit bearing that identity.
Fortunately, this era was tolerant of Christianity, unlike Nero's reign.
Though some still whispered about the old Roman gods, Christians respected him.
Religious shifts took time, and this balance would last for a while.
Since Aslan was always searching for something, some Christians speculated he hunted demons with his holy spear.
If one day he was summoned as a paladin, he'd answer confusedly, "No, I'm not."
Sadly, no Mecha fragments were found at the Venus gem location.
Over a year and a half had passed since the first unexpected battle with Lucius.
Though fragments were found elsewhere, they offered limited help.
In a normal timeline, it was unlikely the Mecha God's body survived intact after fighting the White Titan.
But these fragments helped narrow magical fluctuation ranges and served as material for forging equipment—key to Aslan's goals.
He hoped to one day explore the Greek mythology loss belt and dissect the Mecha God completely to understand its creation.
Clad in silver armor and holding the holy spear, Aslan marked a cross on his map.
He stood and addressed the refugees following him:
"Everyone, I'm heading east next. There's frequent war there. This place seems good for long-term settlement. Why don't you stay here?"
This was the last Mecha fragment site found in the west.
Possibly because it belonged to the god of agriculture, the land was fertile.
Yet monsters still dwelled here, keeping the area from prospering.
To reclaim the fragment, Aslan had wiped out the monsters—creatures that had thrived since the Age of Gods thanks to the fragment's power.
This fragment was the strongest discovered so far in the west.
Aslan hadn't expected that acting as a Christian would win the respect of many believers.
Though friction remained between religions, these people were among the persecuted.
Why so many refugees? It was a mystery.
Now was the time to settle them here.
-End Chapter-
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