Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 53: Let Lornis Take Over

Romon’s ears were filled with Janice’s prayers and his eyes with the towering statue of the Goddess of Wisdom, but his mind was occupied with the Simulator Blueprint.

He kept a close watch on his [Culture] stat—if there was even the slightest fluctuation, it meant the professional ritual was working.

One second passed. Two seconds. Three... A full minute went by before Janice finally recited the perfect closing words to her prayer.

And then—

The [Culture] stat, which had been stagnant, suddenly jumped by 10 points.

"Gained 10 Culture!" Romon rejoiced inwardly. It wasn’t a huge number, but it proved the ritual actually worked.

With this in mind, why not simply hire people to build a full temple to the Goddess of Wisdom? Staff it in three shifts, day and night, with prayers offered up around the clock?

He was about to share this idea with Janice when he caught sight of her priestess robes and the pendant at her neck—a symbol of her own faith.

Once, most people in Stone Town had worshipped the god she served. After the old Thune Lord lost Stone Town, the area was flooded with Nightingale Lord’s propaganda and faith, costing her church not only followers but also the funding to keep it afloat.

So, when Stone Town was restored, she’d come to join the army, just to make ends meet.

If he were to ask Janice to now serve the Goddess of Wisdom, it would be an even greater insult than what Nightingale Lord had done.

Throughout history, any "restoration lord" might be a tyrant or a sage, but he must never be a fool.

"Janice, I think I just felt the Goddess of Wisdom’s gaze upon me. Thank you," Romon said.

At his words, Janice hurriedly rose and bowed. "It’s my duty to serve you, my lord. If the goddess did look this way, it’s surely on your account."

"I have another favor to ask."

"Please, anything, my lord."

"I’d like you to teach my maid about theology. To be blunt, I know your faith is with the God of Fertility—but I truly need the Goddess of Wisdom’s blessing right now. That means I must add a priestess for her worship. I won’t force you; I’ll have someone else take on the role."

Romon’s honesty moved Janice. For a lord to speak so candidly to her meant he truly saw her as one of his own.

For this sincerity alone, she would follow him through fire and water.

"My lord, you needn’t trouble yourself. You’ve already given me more than I could ever repay. Aside from my daily healing duties, I’m hardly useful. If you have need of me in this, then please use me directly. Your maid should focus entirely on your health. Of course, if she does need to learn theology, I’ll teach her everything I know," Janice replied, returning his sincerity in kind.

"Well... all right, Janice. Thank you for this." Romon gave her shoulder a gentle pat, then asked curiously, "Is it really all right for you to serve both the God of Fertility and the Goddess of Wisdom? Won’t your god mind?"

"Rest assured, my lord." Janice gave a small smile. "The God of Fertility and the Goddess of Wisdom are both benevolent goddesses in the same pantheon. Theological texts record their friendship in the mortal world. Serving both is no problem—and it’s my honor."

"That puts my mind at ease."

"My lord, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go make preparations. I’ll assign this task to the nuns under me—we’ll offer worship together. We can devote the first half of the day to the Goddess of Wisdom, and the second half to the God of Fertility. Would that arrangement be acceptable to you?"

"That’s perfect. Go ahead. I’ll also notify the local craftsmen and security, of course—and the owner of this estate."

After parting with Janice, Romon opened the Simulator Blueprint, searching for the princess.

For now, after all, the property still belonged to her, and with the nuns coming and going daily, they’d need some protection along the way.

He soon found Princess Angelia’s marker at the labyrinth.

As usual, she was grinding the first floor’s Magic Mirror boss. She’d long since mastered her fear and could solo it effortlessly, but she still hadn’t stopped.

Romon waited outside as dusk settled. The craftsmen finished up and left for the mess hall, and only then did Angelia emerge.

"Huff... Huh? Romon, were you waiting for me?" The delight on Angelia’s face immediately swept away her post-battle fatigue. She darted up to Romon and whispered, "Do you want to...?"

Romon and Angelia were now well acquainted with each other’s desires. For the sake of their "fifty-fifty plan," they made a habit of deepening their relationship every day. freewёbnoνel.com

Still, Romon’s original intention tonight was just to give Angelia a heads-up—he didn’t want her to be surprised if she found a group of nuns roaming her estate.

But since she brought it up herself, as a man, he certainly couldn’t back down.

"Let’s go for a walk around your estate," Romon said, naturally taking Angelia’s hand.

Her palm was warm, her body heat still high from her fight with her inner demons. Even though she now had a 100% win rate, she still fought with everything she had, like a lion pouncing on a hare.

After such exertion, sweat and other traces were cleansed by the enchanted jewelry at her neck, leaving only that pleasant warmth behind.

Perfect—he’d see what it felt like when she was this hot.

The two of them quickly made their way to the garden square. By now, all the craftsmen had left for dinner.

With no one else around, Romon quietly pulled Princess Angelia into a clean, secluded corner.

And before he could say another word, Angelia—with her senses already in disarray—leaned in and kissed him, taking the initiative.

"Sir Romon, you’re so bold—having a princess with you for... outdoor adventures," she teased, though her actions spoke much louder.

Romon lay back on the stone floor, and she immediately straddled him.

"So warm, tonight..."

"Hmph, you’re not allowed to hold back today. If you want to finish, then hurry up. And be careful—don’t let anyone see us."

"As you command, Your Highness."

But honestly, as night fell, this area was all but deserted—at most, a wild animal from the woods might wander by.

"Angelia, there’s something I wanted to tell you. I’m planning to assign people to formally worship the Goddess of Wisdom. The statue’s been standing empty ever since it was built, and I’m hoping her blessing will be with us."

"Mmm..."

Angelia’s reply was soft and breathless, her face flushed, her body shivering in rhythm—clearly, she’d suddenly reached her peak.

It had been less than a minute, and she was already like this.

"Nervous?" Romon gently stroked her back in comfort.

Angelia held Romon tightly, whispering, "It’s your fault for suddenly mentioning the Goddess of Wisdom. She was the goddess I worshipped back in the royal court. The moment you brought her up, I felt... an intense emotion, like someone was watching us."

At her words, Romon instinctively glanced at the Simulator Blueprint. It didn’t seem like his Culture stat was increasing from this.

Only then did he say, "Well, you’d better brace yourself. I’m still going strong."

The more he watched Angelia lose herself and spiral out of control, the more fired up Romon became.

From dusk to midnight, under the bright moon, he even heard Nini’s footsteps approaching. But after hearing Angelia’s muffled cries, she tactfully stayed a short distance away.

"I can’t take it anymore, you bastard. Are you trying to let me meet the Goddess of Wisdom in person?"

By the latter half of the night, Angelia was too exhausted to move, collapsing against Romon’s shoulder and biting him weakly with the last of her strength.

Romon didn’t feel any pain—maybe Angelia couldn’t bear to really bite down.

The moonlight cast its silver glow, reflecting a second pale moon in the large damp patch on the stone floor.

"You’ve soaked all my clothes. As the lord, I guess I’ll have to walk back to the castle stark naked," Romon said, his fingers digging deep into Angelia’s soft flesh.

"Then... call Lornis over," Angelia murmured, drained. "I can’t beat you, anyway. Let Lornis take over for me—someone needs to put you in your place."

"My voice won’t carry that far."

"Then... what about Nini? Isn’t Nini always lurking around like a shadow?"

Hearing the princess call her name, Nini, who was standing guard in the shadows nearby, trembled all over.

She’d already witnessed Romon and Princess Angelia’s entanglements more than once—and had even been present for the princess’s first time.

She knew Angelia was particularly sensitive; every time after such a bout, she’d need plenty of water and nourishment to recover.

So, without hesitation, she took out her water flask and stepped forward.

"Your Highness, please drink."

"Knew you were there," Angelia said, taking the flask without ceremony. Nini’s flask was shaped like a cat’s head, with two cat ears serving as spouts—one a slow flow for rationing on special missions, the other a regular spout for normal drinking.

She took a sip and then rolled over to lie beside them.

"You take over."

Nini could hardly hold back any longer. With the princess’s permission, she immediately knelt down and got to work.

Romon settled in to enjoy the service, and meanwhile opened the simulator in his mind.

The cooldown had only a few hours left—by dawn, he’d be able to launch the next simulation. This time, he intended to find out exactly what trick the Nightingale Lord was up to.

What role did Highmount Fortress play in all this?

Forewarned is forearmed.

...

At dawn, Romon awoke in the castle.

Last night, Nini had helped carry them both back, while Lornis was already up before sunrise, making soup in the kitchen.

He lay in bed, mulling over his next move, while launching another simulation.

The men from Highmount Fortress had already been killed by Thune Lord’s subordinates. They would not let this go easily. Rather than sitting around waiting for the Highmount Fortress army to strike, it was better to take the initiative.

They’d already sent an assassin, and even slashed the lord’s pet—if that wasn’t war, what was?

He had every reason to strike back!