Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 343: Come back

"Mission failed, but not entirely failed—is that what you mean?" Catherine frowned and looked at Aldric as she asked.

Aldric nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. In truth, I never expected to return without completing the mission, but the situation at the time was too chaotic, so..."

"No, you did very well." Catherine shook her head. "You are a valuable asset to the Empire. Losing you would be a great loss."

"Besides, the seal of the Insect Queen remains intact. As for... the Insect King disappearing, that is not too concerning either."

"Insect King?" Aldric was startled upon hearing that.

"That’s right." Catherine nodded. "The Insect King is far weaker than the Insect Queen. Moreover, in that battle, he was gravely wounded—he doesn’t have much longer to live."

"Now, he can only use his shadow to launch minor attacks on the borders of the safe zones."

Hearing that, Aldric let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

Upon hearing Catherine’s question, he clenched his teeth and made a decision. "Your Majesty, during the mission, I discovered a genius—someone who could contribute his strength to the Empire."

"Ah!" Catherine was slightly surprised, a hint of interest appearing in her eyes. "It seems this person must be quite powerful or unique for you to risk recommending him, correct?"

Aldric nodded slightly, his expression showing some concern. "Your Majesty, he truly is special. It’s just that... he was the one responsible for the escort convoy attack."

Catherine suddenly frowned, her gaze turning cold.

Seeing her expression, Aldric quickly explained, "That... it was because his woman was taken by us. Besides, Your Majesty, I have a question I hope you can answer."

"Are those girls going to become test subjects?"

"So, you’ve figured it out?" Catherine wasn’t surprised. She simply asked calmly, as if she had already anticipated it.

Aldric shook his head and said, "I... I’m not certain. I only know that he said he wanted to save his woman, and for that, he had no choice but to go against both the Government and the Empire."

Hearing that, Catherine sighed softly before saying, "Aldric, is that person truly so special that he made you dig deep into the secrets of the Empire?"

Aldric gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, then looked at Catherine and said, "Your Majesty, I have always been loyal to the Empire—and to you."

"But at the very least, I ask you to help reinforce that belief, to let me know that I’m fighting for the Empire, for justice—not for the dark things hiding behind it."

Catherine sighed, looked at Aldric, and said, "In truth, humanity is searching for a way to create a god."

"A god?" Aldric was shocked upon hearing that, his face full of confusion and disbelief.

"That’s right. You didn’t mishear." Catherine nodded. "We need a god, Aldric."

"You already know that we have many heroes, many kings who possess terrifying power."

"However, no matter how powerful someone may be, they cannot defy time. And no matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger."

"What happens when the one everyone admires, the one they place their hopes and trust in, fails or dies? Humanity will lose hope, lose faith in themselves."

"That’s why we need someone who cannot die, someone invincible—a being that transcends time and human understanding."

"That is why we need a god, so that humanity can place their faith in that god, so that humanity can unite."

"Aldric, do you know how many Lords leave the Safe Zone every year?"

"Heh?!" Aldric looked confused and shook his head.

"More than 3,000 Lords leave the Safe Zone each year, and nearly 99% of them never return. They go missing, with no communication whatsoever."

"Wait!" Aldric quickly interjected. "Your Majesty, I... I truly don’t understand. Why would they leave the Safe Zone? Are they carrying out a mission that requires them to leave? Or is there another reason?"

"They lost faith." Catherine looked at Aldric and said solemnly. "They believe that here, they are being limited, unable to level up, so they choose to leave the Safe Zone."

"But their reasoning isn’t wrong either. The Safe Zone is indeed restricting their power."

"But... why?" Aldric asked, still confused.

Catherine shook her head and said, "Because... the Government and the previous Emperors feared that if any Lords became too powerful, they might betray them."

"Ah!" Aldric suddenly realized that the Empire might not be as righteous as he had believed. "But... how?"

Indeed, they were all Lords—how could someone restrict another’s level?

Catherine glanced at Aldric, sighed softly, her red lips moving a few times before she finally decided to speak:

"Because the Safe Zone... is actually a massive Territory."

"What?!"

...

"Finally back here again." Noan looked around and, realizing he was in Khorvath’s research room, let out a sigh of relief.

He laid her gently on the bed, then reached out his hand, intending to remove the mask she was wearing.

But the moment his fingers touched the mask, he paused, then withdrew his hand, allowing the NPCs to come in and tend to her.

He stepped out of the room and looked at the scenery inside his Territory, letting out another soft sigh.

"Looks like... this place really is the best." He glanced around, feeling a faint emptiness in his heart.

If it had been under normal circumstances, Vylyss would have probably shown up to welcome him back, or rushed to drag him into the bedroom to make up for all the days she missed him.

But now... it felt like no one was by his side. No—there were still many people around him. It’s just that... no one could replace Vylyss.

At that moment, Noan furrowed his brows, his gaze gradually sharpening with unwavering resolve.

’Looks like I can’t afford to develop slowly anymore. I... need to grow stronger.’

Suddenly, Noan remembered the words of Elvaria and Carlotta—that if he killed too many people, he would bear the burden of many fates upon himself.

From there, his growth would become increasingly difficult, and terrifying entities would begin to take notice of him.

Noan frowned, deep in thought, then came to a decision he believed was right.

"Zhisse, Malrik, Drakhan, everyone gather immediately. Prepare for battle."

...

"Heh?!" Caleb was using Skeletons to construct a defensive wall around the "resource production center" when he heard Noan’s voice echo in his mind.

He looked toward Austin, frowning. "Did you just hear the Master’s voice?"

"Of course!" Austin scratched his head. "But... why would Master want us to gather? Is he abandoning the mission here?"

Caleb frowned, scanning the area before saying, "Didn’t you hear what Master said? He told us... to wait for him here."

"Ah! Hahaha... Sorry, I only heard the first part. Didn’t catch the rest." Austin scratched his head with an embarrassed grin.

Caleb pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling like the Master’s power had been wasted on someone like him. If he had Austin’s power, he would’ve easily annihilated those rank D Lords.

But Austin?

All Caleb could do was sigh at his foolishness.

"Ever since you lost to Garek, you’ve been wandering around in a daze like you’re sleepwalking." Caleb frowned.

Austin shook his head, letting out a deep sigh. "I don’t know either. My mind’s been a mess lately—I can’t focus. And the energy inside me feels like it’s in chaos, like there are two forces fighting each other."

Caleb tilted his head, not understanding a word he said—after all, Caleb was just a regular person. Austin, on the other hand, had already acquired power and become a new type of existence.

In fact, Caleb didn’t even fully understand what "energy" was, so he was completely lost on what Austin was talking about.

Austin paid no mind to Caleb’s confused expression and lowered his gaze to his arm, which had morphed into a new form, radiating a strange purple glow.

Suddenly... the light grew more intense, releasing an aura full of destruction.

"What the hell?!" Caleb jumped back in shock. Even though he didn’t understand what "energy" was, he could clearly tell that standing next to Austin right now was incredibly dangerous.

He hurriedly ran a safe distance away, watching Austin with anxious, confused eyes. "Oy! What... what the hell are you doing?!"

Austin shook his head, his voice filled with worry and fear. "I... I don’t know, this thing..."

He looked at his arm, which was glowing with an eerie purple light as if it was about to explode, completely bewildered.

"Don’t move." Suddenly, a voice rang out, followed by a familiar figure appearing before them.

"Master?!"