When he returned, Rohan noticed a bonfire near the church. Beside it, Keana sat, slowly turning a wooden rod over the flames as a wild boar roasted above it.
It had been a while since Rohan had eaten something like that. The scent of roasted meat lingered in the air, rich and tempting, making him pause for a moment before he walked over and sat beside her.
"Mind if I have some?" he asked.
Keana gave a small shrug. "Take it."
They ate in silence for a while, the only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the occasional shift of the meat over the flames. Nearby, construction carried on, with Arminius shouting every now and then.
At some point, Rohan spoke. "I wanted to ask about—"
"We don't need to drink blood to survive."
She cut him off before he could finish.
Keana kept her eyes on the fire as she spoke, her voice flat, almost rehearsed. "That's just something humans say about us. We can live just fine on meat and clean water."
Rohan paused, chewing slowly. He hadn't been planning to ask about that at all. He only wanted to know who had cast the floating lightbulb spells inside the church.
Still, he said nothing. He simply nodded.
"And garlic," she added after a moment. "We can eat that too."
Keana was still staring into the fire, like she hadn't been talking to him at all.
"…Alright," Rohan replied before he took another bite of the boar.
Rohan decided not to correct her and simply kept eating. Once he finished, he thanked her, rose to his feet, and made his way toward the others to help with the construction.
After hours of labor, the house was finally complete. By the time they finished, the sky had already turned pale blue with the coming of morning.
For a moment, Rohan simply stood there, looking at it.
The structure was simple, but solid. Five bedrooms and a single living room. Built by skeletons, guided by people who had only met days ago. Yet somehow, it stood like something that had always been there.
There were no beds yet, so they would have to sleep on the bare wooden floor. Still, compared to before, it was more than enough.
With the housing problem now resolved, Rohan retrieved his bone blade from Luciana and set off toward the city. He had many things to take care of today.
Naturally, Arminius wanted to go with him, but Rohan refused. If Arminius left as well, the fighting strength at the church would be too thin. Even though the others could protect themselves, and the church granted them a boost in strength, he could not shake the feeling of unease.
Besides, Diana and Tiara were always by his side. From what he could tell, both of them were likely Azure Mages, which was more than enough for now.
"No, no, I'm not going because I'm worried about you," Arminius said quickly. "I just want to look for some magical items. Yesterday, I didn't get anything good."
"No. You stay," Rohan replied firmly.
This time, Arminius did not argue further.
By now, Rohan had come to understand something clearly. As the Storm God, he could exert a certain pressure on his followers, making it difficult for them to disobey him.
And he did not like that, despite such authority giving him tremendous benefit.
So in order to not be a tyrant, Rohan had already made a promise to himself not to abuse that authority. If he did, he would be no different from the slave master he had killed a few days ago.
To him, the line was simple. Any command he gave had to benefit both himself and his followers. And more importantly, there had to be an equal exchange.
He had already asked much from Luciana, Arminius, Edmund, David, Merlinda, and even Rin. The only reason he did so was because he felt they owed him. Because all of them had benefited from the rings that originated from him.
And Rohan intended to keep it that way.
After some time, and without encountering any obstacles, Rohan arrived inside the city. After confirming that Merlinda was indeed in her castle, he made his way toward her. Otherwise, it would be a waste to travel all that distance only to find out she was somewhere else.
A few hours later, he finally arrived at a nearly mile-long bridge. This time, Rohan chose to take his time crossing it, rather than jumping into the moat below.
Once he crossed the bridge and found himself before a tall open gate, the guards simply gestured for him to enter, as if they recognized him.
After stepping inside, Rohan noticed Eurasia asleep on a couch in the vast hall. Since he had no business with her, he ignored her and asked a butler to lead him to Merlinda.
A few minutes later, he entered her bedroom, while Diana and Tiara remained outside.
And as if she had been waiting, Merlinda sat at the edge of her bed, facing the door.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.
"Well… look at you," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Walking in like you own the place."
A small smile formed on her lips.
"The man who frees slaves in the middle of the night." She paused, studying him. "I was just starting to wonder if you'd come to visit me."
He looked at her for moment. She doesn't even try to hide it…
However, he did not want to dwell on it for long. He still needed to meet David and Edmund afterward. Without hesitation, Rohan asked for her help.
Instantly, Merlinda tilted her head, looked almost disappointed.
"Oh…" she said softly, dragging the word out. "That's a bit dull, isn't it?"
She shifted slightly on the bed. "But fine," she continued with a faint smile. "You've been… entertaining lately."
Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee.
"So let's make it interesting." She leaned forward just a little. "I help you…"
"…and you help me."
"Deal?"
"Sure. Let's hear what you need help with," Rohan said, settling into a nearby chair.
"It's simple. I need help getting my sister and my father to let me leave the castle," she said. "I want you to convince them."
Rohan frowned instantly.
"Hold on. How exactly am I supposed to convince your father or your sister?" he asked, clearly confused.
"It's very simple," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "You'll flirt with my sister. Pretend to like her, maybe even love her."
"Then, after some time, you'll ask her to let me go outside. And trust me, she'll listen."
"She always does when it's her boyfriend asking."
"And once she agrees, my father will soften. He always does. After all, my sister is his weakness."
At that moment, Rohan resisted the sudden, overwhelming urge to walk straight out of the castle.
At this point, it might be easier to relocate the church.
As he felt both curious and suspicious, he decided to ask.
"Tell me, what happened to her ex-boyfriend? Assuming she's single right now."
"Oh, she's single, all right." she confirmed.
"And her ex? Mm. Dead. She killed him for cheating."
Rohan's expression didn't change, as if he had expected as much from Merlinda.
Yeah… I'm not getting myself killed over a simple church. I'll just move it tomorrow.
And besides, I'm not going to degrade myself with that kind of personal, intimate deception.