Chapter 13: The King's Invitation

"Good morning, Master."

Loren groggily opened his eyes to find Mirrorheart straddling him.

"What the hell are you doing..."

Having lived over twenty years in his previous life and twelve years after transmigrating, this was the first time Loren encountered such a situation. The man who remained unshaken even when facing Outer Gods was now genuinely panicked for the first time:

"Could you let me go? I need to use the bathroom..."

"You could just go ahead and use it, I've always been prepared for this kind of situa..."

"I..."

Just as Loren was about to say more, he saw Mirrorheart make a shushing gesture:

"You wouldn't want Naclis to see you in this state, would you..."

"I'm sorry, Master. I've endured for so many years, and I can't hold back any longer. I have a premonition that our peaceful life will soon be shattered. To avoid regrets later, you can punish me however you wish afterward..."

In that brief moment, Loren mentally reviewed ten different torture methods, only to realize they would all count as rewards for Mirrorheart...

But you're right—even though Loren's power had recently surged dramatically, he couldn't break free from Mirrorheart, whose strength barely exceeded that of an ordinary person.

It was simply an unspoken understanding between them.

When Naclis woke up, she found herself alone with only a bloodstain beside her, causing her to panic instantly.

"Master Mentor!"

Naclis rushed out anxiously and spotted Loren sitting at the dining table. After just one night, his arm had already regrown halfway—it would likely fully recover by the next day.

Seeing that Loren was unharmed, Naclis finally relaxed, slowing her pace as she took a seat beside him.

"Master Mentor, what's with the blood on the bed? Did your wound reopen?"

At this question, Loren suddenly choked up. The humiliation was too much to bear.

Truthfully, he could have used Void-walking to escape, but Loren felt that running away would have been even more humiliating.

"It's nothing..."

Before Loren could fabricate an excuse, knocking sounded at the door, giving him a sense of relief:

"I'll get the door."

He truly had no idea how to explain this to Naclis. Was he supposed to say that while she was sleeping, her dear father figure had been assaulted right beside her...

"Master Mentor."

As expected, the people outside were from the church, though different from yesterday's group. The leader, like Valentina, showed his face—proof of his exceptional status.

Loren didn't recognize him; he wasn't among those who had acted alongside Loren yesterday.

Loren then traced the symbol of the God of Bountiful Harvest over his chest, equivalent to bowing to the man before him. At the same time, he noticed what stood behind the man—the remaining treasures from yesterday's Outer God followers had been delivered as promised.

"Your contributions to the church have not gone unnoticed by us or His Majesty. Therefore, the King wishes to invite you to the royal capital and hopes you would honor us with your presence."

"Certainly, I will definitely attend."

The visitors weren't here to assign blame—they had no grounds for it anyway. As an important figure in the church, it was perfectly reasonable for Loren to study the offerings meant for the Outer Gods first and report later. They were merely reminding him not to hoard everything for himself, which Loren had never intended to do in the first place.

Actually, they could have simply taken a portion directly, but doing so would only offend Loren. Waiting for Loren to offer it to them later would actually strengthen their relationship.

"Contact the church when you're ready, and we'll arrange your transportation to the capital."

With these words, the Scarecrows prepared to leave, placing an entire sack of treasures right at Loren's doorstep.

"Wait, these ordinary gold items have no research value. You should take them with you."

Loren filled a small bag with gold and handed it to the Scarecrow, while Naclis stood behind him, silently witnessing the dirty dealings of adults.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Loren closed the door. Just then, Anna emerged, prompting Loren to announce the news:

"Start packing your things. We'll depart for the royal capital once my arm has healed. You two haven't ventured far from this place before, have you?"

"Are we going out to play?"

Hearing this, Anna leaped directly from the second floor, landing as steadily as a cat before dusting off her hands. Loren swatted her hand as she reached for food:

"Go wash your hands."

Unlike the excited Anna, Naclis seemed less enthusiastic. Hugging her own arms, she appeared reluctant to leave this place where she had lived peacefully for twelve years.

But she understood priorities—Loren's decisions were never wrong, as he had proven once again yesterday.

The two witches had been raised by Loren like canaries, rarely leaving home. Their identities as witches meant constant potential danger.

Loren never expected them to achieve great things either. After raising them for so long, he genuinely regarded them as his own children—he only wanted them to live well.

The King's invitation was merely a minor interlude. Everything else proceeded as usual today. After the meal, Anna and Naclis practiced musical instruments at home. As a musician himself, it was natural for Loren to teach the children some instruments. Moreover, he wasn't acting without purpose—just as the game was named "Finale," many aspects of this world were closely connected to music. There was even a BOSS who would instantly kill anyone who didn't speak in rhymes.

Naclis played the violin with elegant movements, producing equally beautiful music. Meanwhile Anna, usually lazy and undisciplined, displayed remarkable proficiency at the piano, though she grew bored and left after just a short while. For her, music was merely a pastime—Loren never forced them to do anything. Naclis worked so hard only because she didn't want to disappoint Loren.

Most of the time, they practiced martial skills, which had fewer restrictions than magic and aligned better with Anna's Arcane Ability.

"Mirrorheart, what instruments can you play? You've been with Master Mentor for so long—he must have taught you something, right?"

Anna lay sprawled on the sofa, legs draped over the backrest, looking utterly bored.

"I wanted to learn to play the flute, but Master refused to teach me."

"Is that so? I could ask Master Mentor to teach me first, then pass it on to you. He spoils me the most!"

Seeing Anna's innocent expression, Mirrorheart ultimately stopped the girl just as she was about to seek out Loren.

Meanwhile, Loren was still examining his spoils. Money held little meaning for him—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Loren one of the world's most renowned musicians. His fame extended far beyond just followers of the God of Bountiful Harvest; even devotees of the God of Light and Fire across the ocean had heard of him.

What Loren truly wanted were magical materials. However, he didn't keep all the magical materials either—he only selected those he might find useful or that were difficult to purchase with money.

After organizing everything, Loren began preparing for his journey to the royal capital. This trip couldn't be a wasted opportunity.

The Gedlan Kingdom where Loren resided was merely a tiny nation compared to others. The main reason Loren stayed was the abundance of opportunities here—this land hosted far more Outer God followers than other countries.