Chapter 42: Ingrid, I’m Here to Help You~

But when he looked into her eyes—

Those honey-golden eyes truly no longer contained the previous madness, only sincere repentance and earnest pleading.

Maybe… she had genuinely seen the light?

It still felt a bit strange.

“Ingrid…”

Aiko’s voice rang out.

She stepped forward and looked at her former best friend. The coldness in her eyes gradually melted away.

“Have you… really thought this through?”

Ingrid raised her head and looked at her.

“Aiko…” 

Her voice was soft. 

“I’m sorry for saying those things to you before. You were right—I have nothing to give you and would only drag you down. But…”

Tears streamed down her face.

“But I really don’t want to lose you. Not just because of those memories, but… because you’re my only friend left.”

Aiko’s eyes also reddened.

She bit her lip, finally stepping forward and gently helping Ingrid to her feet.

“…Idiot.”

She said in a low voice, her tone slightly choked.

Abel watched this scene and let out a soft sigh.

He glanced at the others.

Prim looked displeased, clearly not welcoming the new member.

Sutis puffed out her cheeks and muttered quietly, “Another one trying to steal my knight…”

Aruma, on the other hand, was completely indifferent. She even gave Ingrid a nod—after all, the two had been rivals before, so this counted as becoming friends through fighting.

Elfi watched Ingrid thoughtfully, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.

“Lord Abel,” Aiko turned to him, her eyes filled with pleading, “could we… let Ingrid join as well? She’s really strong and will definitely be helpful. Plus…”

She bit her lip.

“Plus, she’s admitted her mistake. Please give her one chance.”

Abel remained silent for a moment.

He looked at Ingrid.

The silver-haired female knight stood beside Aiko.

Her eyes no longer held the previous frenzy, only uneasy anticipation and deep guilt.

His intuition told him this woman likely had some scheme. 

This change was too unnatural!

Only Aiko would trust her unconditionally!

Rather than letting her plot in the shadows, it was better to keep her under his direct watch and see what she was really after!

Anyway, once the time was right and he had gotten used to Sutis’s Angel Assimilation ability, he planned to head to Sky City to defeat the Goddess of Vengeance. 

It didn’t matter how many of these women tagged along!

He wasn’t planning on taking any of them with him anyway.

Abel made his decision.

“Alright,” he said. 

“But from now on, remember to follow orders. I can forget everything that happened before.”

A smile bloomed on Aiko’s face.

She took Ingrid’s hand and whispered, “See? I told you Lord Knight has a broad mind and wouldn’t hold your rudeness that day against you.”

Ingrid looked at her with complicated emotions in her eyes.

“Thank you, Aiko…” she said softly. “And… I’m sorry.”

Aiko shook her head without speaking, simply holding her hand tighter.

The atmosphere seemed to ease.

But at that moment—

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Prim finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

She strode forward and pointed at Ingrid. 

“Lord Abel, are you really letting her join? This woman just—”

Aiko defended her: “But Ingrid has realized her mistake! Can’t we give her one chance, Your Highness?”

Prim looked at Ingrid, then Aiko, and finally at Abel. Seeing no one else speaking, she let out a heavy huff and turned her face away.

“Do whatever you want! But I’m warning you—” She glared at Ingrid. 

“If you dare try any tricks, this princess will be the first to not let you off!”

Sutis also jumped in.

“Me too! My knight belongs to me. If you dare try to steal him, I’ll beat you up!”

Ingrid looked at the tall and short pair of “opponents” and smiled bitterly as she nodded. 

“I understand. I won’t… steal anything, Lady Sutis. This is simply my atonement. I’m very grateful to Lord Knight for giving me this chance!”

Aruma casually slapped her on the shoulder. “Long time no see, Ingrid. Has your mind finally become normal? Let’s go slay monsters together from now on! Oh right, do you want to have children? If not, can you help persuade Abel to have one with me?”

Ingrid: “…Huh?”

Everyone: “…”

Abel pressed a hand to his forehead. “Aruma, shut up.”

Elfi walked over to Abel’s side and whispered, “Young Master, that woman… I feel like something’s off about her.”

Abel nodded, indicating he was aware and didn’t need reminding. Only then did Elfi step back.

The group continued their journey.

The carriage simply became much more cramped.

It was already packed with five people. 

Now with Ingrid added, everyone was squeezed almost right up against each other.

Ingrid sat beside Aiko, head lowered, saying nothing.

Aiko held her hand and also remained silent.

Prim leaned against the window with her arms crossed, staring at Ingrid with a sour expression.

Sutis nestled in Abel’s embrace, occasionally shooting wary glances at the “newcomer.”

Aruma didn’t care at all and leaned against the carriage wall, dozing off.

Elfi still tightly hugged Abel’s arm, but those crimson eyes never once left Ingrid.

Abel closed his eyes, seemingly resting, but his mind was spinning rapidly.

The mutation of those bandits… was too strange.

Without an infection source, how could they suddenly turn into Divine Apostles?

Unless… someone had created an infection source nearby.

And why would that person make the bandits mutate at that exact moment?

Was it to attack Ingrid? Or to… send some kind of warning?

He recalled what Elfi had said earlier.

Ingrid’s change really was too quick.

But if her change was fake… if she truly had other motives…

Then was the attack on her just now a self-inflicted wound as part of a ploy?

Or was it really an accident?

He opened his eyes and looked through the gap in the carriage curtain at the scenery flying by outside.

The carriage continued onward.

Meanwhile, far behind them in the forest, a figure with purple-red long ponytail stood on a treetop, watching the departing convoy.

The corners of her mouth curled into a strange smile.

“How interesting…” she whispered softly. “That little kitten didn’t disappoint me after all.”

“Next, it’ll be fun to see how you perform, Ingrid~”

She turned and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

Only a light laugh lingered, scattering in the wind.

***

Soon, the group arrived inside the Marquis Territory. 

Compared to when Abel had left years ago, the territory appeared far more prosperous. 

This showed just how capable his older brother Julius’s governance was!

Prim was greatly surprised. 

“This level of prosperity is no less than the royal capital. As expected of Lord Julius!”

Abel did not deny this statement. 

At the same time, he felt a slight twinge of guilt. 

Leaving the family without saying goodbye back then and dumping all the heavy responsibilities onto Julius’s shoulders had truly been somewhat excessive!

The others also expressed their admiration. 

Aruma even said that the public security here was better than in the royal capital!

Look at the streets—patrols of soldiers could be seen at all times! She had visited this place several times before and loved the local specialty dishes the most!

Toward everyone’s praise, Julius remained very modest. He said, “As a subject of the kingdom, this is merely my duty. All glory belongs to His Majesty the Great King!”

“Since all the young ladies are visiting for the first time, please allow me to play the part of a proper host!”

Although Abel was not fond of this kind of social gathering, he knew it was proper etiquette, so he didn’t say anything.

They soon arrived at the Marquis’s residence. 

As the Noct Territory was a major trade hub in the kingdom, tax revenue was naturally extremely high. 

The Marquis mansion appeared even larger and more magnificent than when Abel had left!

Julius smiled gently. 

“The banquet has already been prepared. Please relax and enjoy yourselves, ladies. There may not be much free time after this!”

In the banquet hall, toasts and laughter filled the air.

The evening was quite harmonious overall. 

However, the competitive spirit between the women showed no signs of fading. 

Their subtle clashes continued out of Abel’s sight.

The next morning, Prim’s maid knocked on Abel’s door. 

She bowed very politely and said, “Young Master Abel, Her Highness the Princess requests your presence. She wishes to apologize for her rudeness that day and hopes that the two of you can reconcile and get along well in the future!”

Although Abel wasn’t particularly inclined to go, since she was being so sincere and offering another apology, refusing would make him seem rather petty.

So he could only sigh softly. 

“I’ll head over in a moment.”

The instant Abel left, the respectful expression on the maid’s face vanished instantly. 

Her brown long hair transformed in the blink of an eye into purple-red. She revealed an exaggerated and twisted smile.

—’Oh my, Ingrid little sister, I’m here to help you~!’