Caelus pushed open the castle gates and walked inside, where he saw a group of young women dressed in uniform white ceremonial attire, all of whom were above average in appearance and figure.
There was also a white-haired man sitting on the throne.
"Huh? Who are you?"
The moment the man saw Caelus step into the castle, he asked with an expression of extreme impatience.
"Greed, avarice... I have collected enough. My heart is already filled with curiosity and the desire for knowledge."
Caelus said this, and then, before the man could say or do anything, a giant mouth made of nothingness tore open beside him.
That giant mouth could not be observed, could not be sensed, and could not be detected.
That mouth bit down on the person in front of it. The Sin Archbishop who symbolized Greed was thus gnawed and chewed by that void mouth. Despite possessing the ability to stop the time of objects, he could not stop the void's consumption, and in the end, he followed in the footsteps of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, being devoured completely.
Caelus looked at the many young women stunned in place and said, "Everyone, you are free."
Then Caelus turned and left. Unfortunately, this Sin Archbishop of Greed didn't know much. The movement patterns of the remaining three Sin Archbishops, Sloth, Wrath, and Lust, were too random, and the information was quite scattered, making it impossible to accurately find those three.
Even fellow Sin Archbishops like Gluttony and Greed did not know the specific actions and thought processes of the other Archbishops.
"The Authority of Greed is to stop the time of individuals and objects, as well as to place one's own heart inside the body of a member of the opposite sex to avoid the price one must pay, thereby ensuring the long-term use of the former ability."
"The Authority of Gluttony is to consume memories and even a person's existence, though the condition for activation is that one must know the person's true name. By consuming a person's memories, one can acquire all the skills they have learned and replicate them. It also has the ability to transform directly into another person, though there is a possibility of one's own existence being overwritten."
After Caelus summarized the abilities of the two Sin Archbishops he had consumed, he began to look forward to what kind of knowledge the Sin Archbishops of Sloth, Wrath, and Lust would bring him.
"I wonder how Subaru is doing over there. I hope he hasn't died again after just a few short days."
Caelus thought to himself, recalling how the other party had previously activated the power of memories, briefly reproducing Rem's physical abilities and even restoring the horn Ram had lost.
Although it didn't last long, only for a short while, it successfully reversed the desperate situation at the time.
It was a pity, however, that because his body was already on the verge of collapse, coupled with the forced activation of the power of memories, his soul had also suffered trauma.
Under those circumstances, if Caelus hadn't used the power of Abundance to treat Subaru, he would have undoubtedly died. Time would have started over again, and in that timeline, the bonds formed with Ram and Rem would have vanished once more.
At that time, Caelus tasted the intense emotion deep within Subaru, the desire to prove himself, a fanatical emotion akin to that of a martyr. That emotion allowed Caelus to collect another special flavor.
Subaru did not die, and the bonds he had formed did not disappear with the time loop. The figure named Subaru was deeply etched into the hearts of Ram and Rem. Ram had even briefly possessed the horn she had once lost because of Subaru.
This boy who called himself the protagonist managed to win over a pair of twin sisters, albeit at the cost of his life.
"Caelus, can you help me persuade Felt? I really can't come up with any good solutions now. I can't exactly use her family to force her, can I?"
As soon as Caelus returned, he saw Reinhard speaking to him with a headache.
Over these past few days, although Felt had been learning in various areas, such as noble etiquette, the historical heritage of the kingdom, and similar subjects, she had indeed studied them. But whenever the subject of participating in the Royal Selection came up, she absolutely refused to cooperate.
Reinhard had been trying to persuade her for many days, but it still hadn't worked. He couldn't really use the child's only family member from the slums as a bargaining chip to force her, could he?
"Where is her family member?"
"I've arranged a place for him to stay in the city. His daily meals and clothing are all well taken care of."
"Have you tried letting that family member persuade her?"
"I spoke with Old Man Rom personally, but if we continue to talk in that manner, I fear he might sacrifice himself to sever this bond, forcing Felt to abandon her past and welcome a new beginning. Although I can understand Old Man Rom's intentions, wouldn't doing so make us seem a bit despicable?"
Reinhard sighed helplessly. It was precisely because he had sensed this inclination that he was unwilling to let Old Man Rom talk to Felt.
Otherwise, that Old Man Rom would definitely do something to make Felt completely separate herself from her past in the eyes of outsiders.
But a person's past should not be something to be discarded. It is an important part of who a person is. It is both a shackle and a driving force for growth. How can one just say they will abandon it?
Perhaps due to his mother's awakening, which brought about a drastic improvement in the family situation, Reinhard was no longer pursuing absolute correctness as he had before. Although his father did not love him as he once did, under his mother's persuasion, he was attempting to ease the somewhat stiff relationship between father and son.
Although the rift between father and son still existed, after all, Heinkel had always believed that it was because of Reinhard that his mother had died, because there was now a wife in the middle acting as a buffer, he was learning to let go and accept things.
"Felt is at that rebellious age right now, and coupled with the fact that she has lived in the lawless slums since she was little, she has developed her own set of values... How about this: tell her that after becoming Queen, she will have the protection of the Dragon and the loyalty of the strongest swordsman in the kingdom. If she wants to do something, no one can stop her, even if that means getting rid of those annoying nobles."
"Is it really okay to say that?"
"Because she hasn't become Queen yet, she naturally doesn't know what kind of responsibilities she will have to bear once she sits in that position. You shouldn't be thinking about how she will govern the country after she becomes Queen, but rather how to make her want to become Queen. Otherwise, if you, the knight, are always driving the monarch forward, wouldn't that seem a bit overstepping?"
"You are right, my friend. Thank you for guiding me through my confusion. As expected, no matter when it is, you are always able to help me. I really don't know how to thank you..."
Reinhard sighed with emotion. This friend he had made had saved his family, helped him find the lost royal princess, and even told him how to get this royal princess to vie for the throne.
With so much kindness accumulated, how on earth could he ever repay it?
The other party was not greedy for money, did not crave status, and had no collecting habits, though reading could be considered a hobby.
Although he could add intelligence on the Witch Cult as a reward, no matter how he looked at it, that could not compare to the favor he had received.
It couldn't be repaid. It really couldn't be repaid.
(To be continued.)