After carrying Lance down to their room, Ardor and Bella finally cleaned themselves and sat down together with the other girls, who returned after refreshing themselves. Their faces held a look of question as they stared at him.

“Yes, alright. I’ll share it,” Ardor nodded.

As he recounted his experience, the scathing heat, the intimidating ball of fire, all he felt was awe as his fear had subsided by now.

He looked at the ladies, who seemed even more eager to reach Shawbrook and get that power, then saw a downcast Minnie.

“Don’t worry.” He approached her. As she looked up to meet his refreshing gaze, he continued, “You’ll be able to do other wonderful things!”

“Really?” He saw hope in those eyes. “But I don’t even have any talent for it!”

Ardor remembered using this excuse while not giving her the Soul Flower and now had to deal with the consequences.

“You have talents in other areas. I promise that!” Ardor’s gentle smile and his track record of always being right reassured her and brightened up her mood. Seeing his actions bore fruit, he left to his seat, sitting beside his love.

“So, when are you getting more of them?” she asked while looking at Lance’s group of youthful and mature beauties.

Ardor sweated for a bit, remembering what would happen if he did that, as he only wanted permanent harem members. He looked at his limbs. ‘

I still want to keep them.’ Then looked at Lance’s so-called harem. ‘He’s just using them to earn LPs for me! In fact, none of them are permanent members!’

Then he finally saw Jeanne pouting. ‘But how can I tell this to her?’

“Soon, very soon. You already know they don’t have a pleasant history with me,” he replied, trying to give her reasons.

Jeanne immediately caught a mistake.

“What about Minnie? What has that maid done to harm or hurt you?” she asked, as she had gotten pretty close with the others over the days and knew more about them. Even they didn’t reject her, knowing she was the partner of their man’s boss.

“Minnie’s someone Lance got on his own. I can’t really take her away, can I?” Ardor insisted and finally received a nod of understanding from Jeanne.

“You, of course, can! You can do anything! After all, I’m yo-” Ardor instantly lunged towards his clone and shut Lance’s mouth as he woke up from his sleep but was still groggy.

The shock of the collision instantly woke him up, and he realized the blunder he almost made.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm.” They heard his nasal voice as he struggled to speak. <Let me save this!> he insisted through telepathy.

Ardor carefully looked at his serious face and let go of his hand covering his mouth. As the ladies remained shell shocked at his action and got curious about why he blocked Lance’s mouth, Lance wiped his lips.

He looked at his main self. “Boss, you’re the first man to touch my lips!”

The mood instantly got weird, as Lance didn’t use a normal tone to say that.

“And please let me finish!” he insisted. After not seeing Ardor object, he continued, “After all, I’m your subordinate, and you’re my boss! Not just someone I work for, but someone I respect and am completely loyal to! So it’s only natural that you can do anything!”

His excited words gave the ladies a sense of clarity between their relationship, but Ardor didn’t notice Jeanne’s slightly puzzled gaze behind him. 

As one attuned to shadows and trained in the art of lying, she felt something familiar in Lance’s words. But since her traumatic experience with the slave traders years ago, she couldn’t completely remember her older memories well.

“But even if you’re fine with it, I won’t do it,” Ardor replied, looking at Lance.

Lance smiled and stood up. With an exaggerated bow, he said, “Then I thank you for your generosity!” He looked at Minnie, who had just realized this entire conversation was about her. “What are you doing? Thank my master!”

She woke up from her trance and kept her palms closed while bowing. “I thank the grandmaster for his generosity.”

Ardor grinned. “Grandmaster? I like the ring of that!”

After letting Lance know the magical event that he missed, Lance only had one question.

“Why was I affected much more than others?”

Ardor looked away, feeling guilty while Lance thought of something else.

‘Is it because I was not born naturally? I must get stronger and make up for any defects!’

If Ardor heard this, then he would certainly let Lance know he was thinking too much. That the power behind his creation was from a god and if even god could only make imperfect beings, then who created them all?

After some casual chat, everyone looked forward to the shop tomorrow and retired to bed.

Of course, Jeanne accompanied Ardor while Lance took a room with Bella and Minnie. Lastly, Alse and Isabella insisted they were feeling a breakthrough come near and wanted to train overnight.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” reminded Lance before following Bella, who walked with small steps and a slight wiggle in her hips.

She looked back at him in apparent desire, and he met her with a similar gaze. Minnie felt like she was trapped in between two predators and let them do whatever they wanted to her.

Alse and Isabella looked at one another and understood that both shared similar thoughts.

“This is a new chance, honey. We must take it!” Alse spoke as Isabella nodded.

…

After having breakfast at the buffet hall, Ardor returned with a red fruit among other things. But they didn’t remain in his sight. Only the red fruit did. As the ladies did their own thing, he took out a manual from his bag.

“The Fruit of Flame and the Crimson King’s Records,” he stared at the items. “Let’s finally get started and begin my journey to becoming the Crimson King!”

Ardor asked the others to not disturb him and occupied a room for himself.

‘I hope those 200 LPs were worth it. But 200? Just because it’s rare?’ he felt cheated. But knew he could always earn more, and these kinds of treasures were always more useful for him.

Ardor ate the fleshy fruit that tasted both sweet and sour and wiped his fingers clean. He felt some heat travel across his esophagus and into his stomach. There, the heat instantly spread!

Despite the knowledge that he shouldn’t feel something inside his stomach, Ardor felt heat. Lots of it.

He almost screamed, but struggled to remain silent, as this was not a process that could be disturbed. Else the consequences were serious. 

His gaze turned firm, remembering the flaming oppression his father had given him and felt anger. His rage felt hotter than the flames as he absorbed the fruit’s benefits.

His skin turned similar to a cooked red crab, as his clothes finally gave in and ignited, forcing him to tear them and throw them away in a corner lest he set himself aflame. The sudden movement caused him greater pain as he grunted, but eventually held it in.

He thought of his love. ‘Being the talentless one I am, I will do everything to get stronger. To stand by your side and grow alongside you!’

Staying in the airship all these days and discussing with the third group present had broadened his horizons, and the faint glimpses he got of Lemari and fewer chances to have her answer his questions let him know of the difference in talent.

‘I will not be left behind!’ he roared!

The intense mental struggle lasted long enough for his body to stop producing heat gradually. Tiny red dots invisible to the naked eye entered a few inches below his navel, and the quantity of red dots, flame elements, in his soul also increased slightly.

He felt a kind of affinity he had never felt before and clenched his fist, feeling potential power as he allowed something to enter his body and gradually settle in the spot a few inches below his navel.

“My dantian?” he muttered, recalling the explanation given in the Crimson King’s Records.

He saw the book remain beside him all this while. Not a single archaic paper had caught fire, and he could only attribute that to the special materials used to make it.

“And why would the Crimson King write his records on paper that would burn? Won’t that be ridiculous?” he chuckled.

Right now, Ardor was more focused on becoming an Apprentice Warrior.

His excitement made him forget everything and as Jeanne paced in front of the door, feeling heat and some sounds of struggle within, he opened the book and saw the chart of the human body with an explanation on how to become a Beginner Apprentice Warrior.

‘Today is my twenty-third day in this world.’ Ardor’s entire being exuded excitement. ‘This is the day I leave my powerless mortal status behind!’