A New Addition

He was not just laying down Arrays in the middle of the cities which he visited solely to utilize them for their intended uses–he was also blatantly trying to attract his fellow competitors. What better way was there to hunt than to sit back and relax while his prey stepped right into his trap?

Eliminating his fellow Heaven's Chosen to obtain their Talents was not his only goal. After all, especially during these early days, due to almost everyone still possessing their single use life-saving items, doing so was exceedingly difficult. More than likely, he would merely be capable of forcing them to use them, leaving him practically empty-handed. Heck, others would presumably benefit from his 'good deeds', considering that they'd be able to pick off his already defeated opponents for 'free'.

Therefore, he had to either kill other Heaven's Chosen from Named Families before they could use their trump cards–which was close to impossible, as a mere thought was enough to trigger them–or he would have to 'defeat' them in another way. Vigdis was about to fall into the latter category.

Just like every one of her status, she also had an item that would allow her to survive and escape, no matter which situation that she faced. However, once she used it, it would be gone forever. It was a lifeline she'd much rather have than not have. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, she would never activate it!

She wasn't delusional enough to believe that Theodore would keep her at his side without any restrictions–indubitably, if he allowed her to 'survive'–or rather, to keep her trump card–she would lose her Heaven's Chosen Level. That was a setback, for sure, but should he be eliminated in the future, she would regain both it and her freedom.

Unless he either tried to make her a Slave–which would keep her from using her life-saving item to protect herself from him once successful–or made an attempt on her life while being his Servant, she wouldn't have to worry much. Nothing was more important than her survival! Bowing her head was not a big deal, as only the final one standing has the last laugh!

'That aside, my chances to win it all are extremely low to begin with. Those like me are primarily cannon fodder to fatten up the Pillars' and Supreme Pillars' descendants. Even amongst the Rún, I'm far from the most outstanding. To find a capable Leader is also a viable path.'

Most Supreme Pillars of today were amongst the first to follow the past Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress. So now that a new generation was about to take over, only two people would be capable of rising to those most supreme positions. Everyone else would either have to fall in line or be eradicated. Therefore, one could also attempt to protect one's family by serving a candidate who was likely to win.

The Winter Family had an outstanding public image, and Theodore in particular appeared impeccable. While everyone knew that his saint-like bearing couldn't possibly be all that there was to him, he had kept up the visage perfectly all this while, never letting the mask slip. As a result, although Vigdis felt a bit unsettled in his presence, something deep within her screaming at her to be careful, she did not think of him as a bad choice.

'Maybe, I could be considered to be lucky. To have the opportunity to board his war chariot early is something many others can merely dream of!'

She wasn't the least bit surprised at the revelation that he had been lying in wait for her, as she had long since recognized that this was exactly what had happened.

"Then congratulations on reeling me in. You've got me. May I ask what you plan to do with me now?"

Although behaving submissively, she didn't lose her confidence completely, as she knew that she could exit this stage whenever she wished. She couldn't appear to be too weak in front of the one who might become her 'employer' either.

"Considering that you have not taken any hostile actions against me and have wisely given up resistance immediately... I accept your application. Do you want to become my Follower?"

Internally a bit flabbergasted at the fact that he had encountered exclusively female Heaven's Chosen up until now, Theodore soon made his decision. A Heavenly Emperor needed his Heavenly Court, therefore walking this path alone was completely counterproductive to begin with. He was a bit interested in her runic tattoos, but not enough to outright murder someone who he had no enmity with, and who had already surrendered to him. As a Named Family member–even one with her trump card still intact–she was more than qualified to join his camp.

[ Theodore Winter has offered to become your Leader.

Will you accept this offer and become his Follower?

Warning: Your Heaven's Chosen Level will be transferred to Theodore Winter as a result, causing you to lose the qualifications to be a contestant in the Heavenly Succession. ]

Having made her choice, Vigdis accepted in a heartbeat, only to be pleasantly taken aback by the overwhelming amount of Attributes reinforcing her. Her Endurance especially skyrocketed to an almost unbelievable extent!

'What exactly has he been up to for him to end up with such lopsided Attributes!? Also, my Energy didn't increase at all, so that means he hasn't broken through to the Energy Refinement Stage yet. Is it even possible to become this strong in the Body Refinement Stage?!'

With widened eyes, she stared at Theodore in shock, scrutinizing him as one would an alien creature. This man was even more absurd than she had anticipated! Initially, she had planned to keep her Status Panel mostly to herself, to have some aces hidden up her sleeves. But now, she instead felt that it would be a good idea to obtain the full support of her new Leader. That way, she herself would be growing faster, as well!

'But I shouldn't jump the gun. For now, I'll see if he is trustworthy first. Still, there is a high chance that the future is looking brighter than expected.'

Just like every other Named Family member, she had experienced a large number of illusory lives, resulting in her not easily compromising herself. She might not be as much of an 'old monster' as Theodore, but she had seen her fair share of tragedies and betrayals, making her cautious by nature. Even her choice to become one of his people had been a thoroughly calculated one–one that had given her a significant positive surprise.

"I'm looking forward to working for you. My name is Vigdis, one of the seven Heaven's Chosen of the Rún. It pains me to admit, but I can only rank fourth amongst them."

In response to her self introduction, he reached out a hand and helped her up, the threatening pressure which he had been exuding earlier completely retracted. To his allies, he had always been kind and friendly–not only out of the goodness of his own heart, but also because they would work harder for him if they liked him more.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vigdis! Just call me Theodore, or Theo–as that is the name that I'm going with in this world. If there's anything you need, let me know–that way, I can keep an eye out for it."

Although it had been simply a formality which he hadn't expected her to respond to with anything of substance, she paused for a while, a deeply contemplative look on her face. Eventually, she spoke, her expression a conflicted one–as if she was about to take a leap of faith. However, he could tell that it was merely a cautious probe.

"I can strengthen myself by absorbing metallic items or precious ores. So if you can provide any of those which you don't need to me, I'll be very grateful."

Raising an eyebrow, he realized that she likely possessed a not insignificant Growth-type Talent. Before his greed for it could overtake him, though, he stayed calm and asked a question instead, portraying an intrigued appearance.

"Is the absorption instant, or does it take a while?"

Sighing helplessly, Vigdis furrowed her brows, as if recalling something annoying.

"It's the latter. But I really wish it wasn't."

She had no clue how narrowly she had just escaped a murder plot. While Theodore was not lacking time at the moment, the further that he progressed, the less free time he would have. If Vigdis' Talent had allowed him to instantly assimilate metals and ores, then he could have treated it as an additional strengthening method without many downsides. But because he could already obtain Attribute Points by slaying others, he simply didn't need what her Talent could provide him with. If he had time to absorb, he also had time to kill–others, that is.

'At the very least, I have pocketed a considerably promising subordinate. Her limit is definitely not the level of a regular Named Family member, so I lucked out.'

Showing an encouraging smile, he chose to reciprocate her trust, completely ignoring the fact that he would have taken her life in cold blood eventually if her abilities had been tempting enough.

"I see, so you have a Growth-type Talent too. Mine allows me to strengthen myself by taking the lives of other beings."

The beam on his face was in stark contrast to the spine-chilling words which he had just uttered, causing her to momentarily freeze in her tracks, before a realization set in, making her relax a little. Revealing this to her was indubitably a step in the right direction. After all, if he planned to end her, he wouldn't have told her that he would benefit from doing so.

"Then the reason you enthusiastically exterminated evil is that it makes you more powerful, right?"

Not avoiding her blunt and straightforward question at all, he nodded, a smirk playing across his lips.

"Exactly. They are the perfect prey. Not only do their deaths benefit me directly, but they also enhance my public image. That aside, I do not rejoice in killing the innocent, so any opportunity to avoid doing so is a good one in my book."

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he clarified his stance. Before John and Theodore had fused, he had not been repulsed by the idea of taking the lives of the virtuous. But ever since then, he would choose to not do so unless it was either necessary, or he would benefit from it enough.

"... I understand, Theo."

Smiling at him for the first time, the way that she looked at him changed. As someone who had seen far too much, she could tell that he was being genuine. And apparently, he really wasn't that bad of a guy. It appeared that she had truly lucked out.

"By the way, you're now the third Servant who has joined my side ever since the Heavenly Succession began. The other two were also Heaven's Chosen, but they were born in this world–so cut them some slack, alright? They're still amidst gathering their bearings. One of them became my Follower and lover, the other my Retainer."

Giving Vigdis a rough idea about the situation which she would soon be confronted with, he revealed a piece of information that caused her to widen her eyes in disbelief.

"Two indigenous Heaven's Chosen in a single world, and so close to one another? That's extremely rare! For a world to have a singular Heaven's Chosen of its own is already quite uncommon."

His expression turning amused, he shot her a strange glance.

"I actually met a third indigenous Heaven's Chosen as well."

The shock in her heart intensifying, she asked a question which she really should have known the answer to.

"Oh? Then what happened to them?"

"They're dead. I killed them."

For a moment, the two fell silent, then they couldn't help but chuckle. To them, the taking of a life was utterly ordinary, akin to eating and drinking. If they cared too much about the lives and deaths of others, then their thorough education would have been deemed a failure.