"Seraph, once we get to the capital we will split up. During the auction you should pretend you don't know me!"

Seraph says "What? Why?!

"During the auction I am likely to piss off quite a few people. I don't want them to attack you when they can't get a hold of me!"

Seraph says "Oh! Why do you think you will be pissing people off?"

"Because, I have a lot of crystal coins to spend and I won't be polite about winning bids. Between the sore losers and those greedy for my wealth I expect to make a lot of enemies!"

Seraph says "That makes some sense. Aren't you planning to leave after the auction? Meaning we won't see each other again once the auction is over?!"

"Yes, that is true. However, that was going to happen no matter what."

Seraph says "That is not what I want! But, I already know that I can't always get what I want. However, I really hope that we can meet again one day!"

"It is unlikely, but anything is possible!"

This thought seems to cheer the princess up a bit, but she stays quiet for the rest of the night. As soon as she heads to bed I open a soulscape and play with the kids for a few hours. The knights are taking turns, keeping watch so I don't have to worry too much.

Even if they can't deal with an attack, they can at least wake me and Grimgar to handle it. Although I really don't expect another attack, I doubt the enemy can react that quick. In fact, he probably doesn't even know that the attack on the princess failed yet.

Since the first attack went over without a hitch, the enemy probably assumes this one will as well. Unless he had someone with magical communication abilities he should be waiting for a messenger. We should be in the capital of the Magic Kingdom before he realizes the attack failed.

So, if I am right, then there is no chance of another attack happening while we travel. Of course, I could be wrong, but it is fairly unlikely given what I know so far. So, after ending the soulscape, I check on Grimgar who is currently working on his core.

If I hadn't stopped him he would have rushed out to go looking for more cores. However, I don't want him to absorb cores too quickly, it is better to take it slow. Otherwise his growth might be limited by advancing too fast and not having a good foundation.

That is the main reason I haven't been working on my core even though I could advance easily. Although, it has been long enough that I can probably advance again safely now. Since Grimgar is currently in the learning stage I decide to work on my core and let him observe.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Core Upgrade Progress: 100%!

Core Upgrade Completed!

Core Rank 3: +400 HP +200 MP All Stats +5!

Thanks to my rank still being low it doesn't take me long at all to upgrade my core. It only takes about an hour, I could have gone even faster, but that wouldn't teach Grimgar anything. If I was in a rush, I could probably advance my rank by several levels fairly easily.

"Did you see it?"

Grimgar says "Yes! It was very efficient!"

"That's because this is not my first time upgrading my core! Practice makes a huge difference! The first time I worked on my core it was horrible!"

Grimgar says "Didn't you have a teacher to show you the way?"

"Nope! I had to figure everything out on my own!"

Grimgar says "That must have been hard!"

"It was, it was also painful! Trying to modify your core the wrong way causes a lot of pain!"

Grimgar says "I will certainly keep that in mind!"

"Make sure to warn those you teach as well! Trying to rush to higher ranks can have heavy side effects."

Grimgar says "I will!"

Leaving Grimgar to meditate and work on his core, I get some real sleep until dawn. After breakfast, since the knights are recovered, Seraph insists I ride in the carriage with her. For the next hour she does nothing but ask me any question that pops into her head.

Luckily, we reach the border and I am given a break while she deals with the border guards. However, my reprieve doesn't last long, as soon as Seraph returns she goes back to asking questions. She is not asking anything dangerous, she wants to know the most random things.

It baffles me why she would want to know what kind of things I like to eat and drink. She should be asking me for advice on dealing with her enemy, but she doesn't ask once! Instead she wastes her time asking me about my likes and dislikes!

By the time we stop for lunch she has already given me a headache with her endless questions. Unfortunately, I don't manage to come up with a decent excuse and end up back in the carriage after lunch. Luckily, it should only be a couple of more hours before we reach the capital.

Once we reach the capital we will split up and I should never have to see her again. Well, I might see her during the auction, but I shouldn't have to interact with her. It isn't that she is a bad person, but she is far too pushy about things.

I understand that she is feeling rushed because we will have to part soon. However, she knows there is no chance for us, yet she keeps pushing it. It makes me want to use magic to make us reach the capital faster!

In fact, as soon as I think of it I reach out with my mana and give the horses a little boost. Not enough to make them hurt themselves, just enough to let them speed up a bit. It may sound mean, but the sooner we split up the happier I will be.

It is even to the point that I kind of regret saving her from becoming a sacrifice. I knew it was a bad idea to get involved with a princess, I just didn't think things would end up like this! I even ended up saving her a second time, purely by accident, could it be fate?

Am I going to run into her a third time even though I am trying to avoid her? I have never really believed in fate, but if I do run into her again I may have to start. Well, I will just wait and figure out what to do if it actually happens.

For now I just have to deal with a couple more hours of useless questions. After hearing 'why?' dozens of times, I start to sympathize with parents. It also makes me glad that I never had kids myself, I don't have the patients for that!

When the capital finally comes into sigh I have to struggle really hard not to cheer. When I see the unhappy look on Seraph's face I am glad that I controlled myself. I start saying my goodbyes immediately since entering the city together wouldn't be a good idea.