Not even ash remained of the powerhouses' remains used for the sacrifice.
They were entirely converted into nutrients and absorbed by Roland.
The original Roland Morningstar Lucifiel had only dared to undergo such forbidden rituals—which carried a ninety-nine point nine nine percent death rate—because he relied on the ability 【Original Sin · King of Pride · Lucifer】; let alone performing two simultaneously while constantly exploiting bugs.
“Forbidden rituals are great. I ought to use forbidden rituals more often...”
Roland thought to himself as he carefully observed his surroundings.
This was the northern part of the St. Romanvia Empire, location of the largest mountain range in the territory, the Verus Mountains. It was a wasteland difficult for ordinary people to tread upon, covered in snow year-round. At present, Roland stood outside a cave atop the highest peak, which he had blasted out of the mountainside himself.
The sky here was gloomy and gray.
Even sunlight could barely penetrate it.
Snowflakes drifted down onto Roland's palm, cool to the touch.
The tactile sensation brought him a sense of clarity, sweeping away some of the excitement and unfamiliarity brought by his past-life mindset, while also bringing a touch of composure. He was still himself, whether then or now. His expression returned to its usual indifference, with an unfathomable pride hidden deep within his golden eyes.
After pondering for a moment, he vanished from the entrance of the cave.
An explosion followed immediately, completely burying the sins committed here.
At the foot of the mountain, Roland strolled leisurely through calf-deep white snow, wrapped in a cloak made from a Sixth-Rank Snowfield Wolf King. The smooth, off-white wolf fur wrapped warmly around his neck. Although he wouldn't feel cold even if he were naked, he had to admit that wearing it felt much more comfortable.
The Lucifiel family residence was in Lucifiel City.
Indeed, the largest human settlement in the north was named after his family's surname. After all, his nominal father was the Grand Duke of the North, second only to one and above tens of thousands. It was located roughly three hundred kilometers from the main peak of the Verus Mountains.
However, the nearest town was only fifty-some kilometers away.
A small town under the jurisdiction of the Avalanche Domain, where the local baron was from the Crims family.
Roland had some impression of them; they were an extremely fallen noble house. Once, at a Northern noble banquet, the eldest son of the Crims family had flatteringly told him that after inheriting the title, he would completely submit to the Lucifiel family as a vassal family, asking only that Roland let him hang out with him.
That said, those words undoubtedly carried the intentions of Baron Crims himself.
Because their family had declined to the point where they couldn't even nurture a Fourth-Rank warrior.
The only reason they could drink at the same banquet as him was that noble blood flowed in their veins, though by now their title existed in name only. Calling him a baron was practically no different from calling him a mayor, lording his authority over nothing more than a small town. Naturally, Roland looked down on such people.
Nor did he plan to have any dealings with them.
There weren't many people in the town.
At least, hardly anyone could be seen on the streets.
It was too close to the Verus Mountains, so wild beasts often roamed nearby. But that wasn't even the main reason; temperatures over ten degrees below zero were truly unsuitable for a stroll, making mere survival a challenge.
Walking toward the central district, a few figures finally came into view.
It felt much more lively and inhabited here, as if the temperature itself were slightly higher.
Most importantly, one could tell at a glance that those living here were slightly wealthier households. Familiar with the layout, he turned into an alley, lightly knocked on a stone brick at the dead end at the far front, producing a crisp sound, and then pressed it down. A section of the wall instantly flipped open, revealing what lay behind it.
“Welcome back, my Lord.”
A short, ugly middle-aged man rubbed his hands together and spoke with a smile.
Respect and fanaticism showed on his cunning face.
“We have been waiting for you for a long time.” The man smiled as he welcomed him inside.
Roland merely glanced at him without responding.
The man was long accustomed to this.
Had any other cultist dared to speak to this lord with such familiar words, their head would likely have fallen on the spot. It was only because Ethan had served as an informant for him for many years that he dared to say a few extra sentences; otherwise, he wouldn't even be qualified to speak with him.
“I am returning to the Northern Capital.”
Concise and devoid of any emotion.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
The Northern Capital was an alternate name for Lucifiel City, meaning the capital of the north.
As the teleportation magic circle lit up, two black crystals appeared in Roland's hand, dark magic swirling across their surfaces, and he tossed them toward the man.
“Thank you for your generous gift.”
Magic crystals corrupted by the Fallen Mother Goddess.
This was hard currency within the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess. It couldn't be considered precious, and at the very least it was useless to ordinary transcendents—even carrying a fatal risk. He had plenty of these, as an old friend often liked to send him such useless garbage for no reason.
The Grand Duke's mansion, in the bedroom belonging exclusively to Roland.
After a flash of light, Roland's figure appeared. Only now did he finally let out a sigh of relief. He changed into casual clothes, collapsed straight onto his twenty-square-meter bed, closed his eyes, and rapidly scanned through his memories.
After a long while, his golden eyes opened.
He murmured to himself, “There are still two months before the main storyline begins?”
Roland had already decided on his next move. He could no longer remain sitting behind the scenes like in the original plot, because one day in the future, when the protagonist's party discovered the truth of the event, they would definitely come to crusade against him with the title page of the Book of Truth. This was not a game.
In other words, he had to collect the title pages of the Book of Truth a step ahead of the protagonist's party.
And as the main developer of this game in his past life, he knew all of this all too well.
Moreover, with the aid of his past-life memories, he didn't think he necessarily had to stand in opposition to the protagonist's party this time. Even if he did, it would only be under circumstances where he had flawless plans and stood in an invincible position.
“Hmm... looks like I'll have to relive my student days again.”
Right at that moment, a knock sounded on the door.
A pleasant voice sounded from outside.
“Young Master, you haven't eaten anything since last night.”
The voice carried a touch of concern.
“Come in.”
Roland's voice was very soft, without any hint of displeasure. He was gentle and patient with servants and anyone else, steadily acting as a mild-mannered person—just as he had before, and just as he did now, maintaining the humility and politeness a noble ought to possess at all times.
This was Roland Morningstar Lucifiel's usual persona.
Uncontending, ungrasping, and non-confrontational—the exact opposite of most nobles.
A young girl clad in a black-and-white maid outfit bore a touch of bashfulness unique to adolescence, her cheeks and ears flushed red. Outside the door she had been able to speak a full sentence, but now, seeing the young master in person, she found herself somewhat tongue-tied instead.
It wasn't because Roland was harsh in his daily life.
On the contrary, as mentioned above, Roland treated everyone with gentleness.
But no woman could face this face without flustering.
“Y-Young Master, you haven't eaten anything in a long time...”
She was somewhat flustered. Even though she had trained so many times, she never acted like this even when encountering the head maid or the young lady.
Roland smiled slightly, noticing her embarrassment. “It's alright, don't worry. I'll just eat with everyone at dinner. I'll have to trouble you to inform me once more when the time comes.”
Rate on N.U.
