I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

After all, even she alone would find it difficult to contain a mountain baby, though her abilities were strong enough to kill one.

Merthy giggled at her reaction. "He fought against a mountain baby…and survived apparently".

Ziza raised a brow in surprise, and perhaps a bit confused. "If he fought against that beast and survived….and Azby and her teammates still weren't able to recognize his identity….then does that mean he was, perhaps, not using his original fighting style?"

Merthy's gaze widened in realization as a sudden silence descended upon them.

It dawned on them at that moment just how strong Raph actually was and how skilful he seemed to be with the sword.

Merthy sighed. "....Thank goodness we didn't fight him".

Ziza sighed as well, her gaze shifting upwards at the ceiling.

"....We should involve him in our plans…he may prove more useful than we give him credit for".

"...He's the son from a knight household…and the strongest at that. It should be expected, I guess". Merthy chuckled in defeat as they both took a sip from their beverage.

"How do you plan on uniting Border Town?" Merthy asked.

Ziza remained silent for a few seconds before dropping her cup of tea and closing her eyes. Merthy sighed and dropped her mug as well. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

This she was also used to. Her guild master was currently using her psychic abilities to watch over the town. She did this whenever she was about to make a serious decision. After all, growing up in this place taught her a lot of things, and she wished to right the wrongs that were done to the town, and its people.

In fact, Ziza had saved Merthy and a lot of others in her Guild, and they had formed the Cat guild in a pretence to bring stability to town.

"We need to monopolize the power". Ziza said, snapping Merthy from her thoughts.

At that moment, Merthy felt a deep emotion, she had never felt in a while, fear. "Monopolize it? How would that help?" She asked.

"The Calla Lily clan doesn't have the kind of justice I wish to have to determine what is right or wrong, the Drifting Wheels Gang doesn't have any sort of moral compass, the Rugged Coin Clan are made up of self-centred robbers, who only wish to fill their pockets and the Watchers have no goal whatsoever in aiding this town".

She explained, her eyes slowly opening at the same time.

"Every single one of them is incompatible with my goals and will either stand in my way or remain neutral…and we don't want that".

Merthy remained silent for a moment, but then a sigh escaped her lips. "I know you want this town to be united, but I hope you aren't letting this kid…Raffaelo Jun, affect your judgement. Yes, I admit he could be a trump card, but we should be wary of the consequences once he is no longer here,". She said, took a pause and then continued. "Not to mention, we still can't trust him".

Ziza giggled. "We aren't trusting him, but the contract we signed. A contract of bond as he called it….and he can be used far more than just any trump card. Have you forgotten the wolf girl with him?"

Merthy remained silent for a moment, her thoughts reeling in.

Her guild master was right about one thing, and that was that the other leaders of the four groups she had just listed weren't on the same line as they were.

They wished for a prosperous town, but the others simply wished to rule and take what was theirs.

She could also confirm Ziza's suspicion of Elsie's strength; after all, she felt it, too.@@novelbin@@

Elsie was by far stronger than her, and with the aid of Raph, it was like sealing the cap of a jar.

She sighed. "We shouldn't depend on Raph and his girlfriend….let's take matters into our own hands".

Ziza nodded. "Of course….but first, I guess we help Raph complete his task".

Merthy nodded as they both picked up their beverages at the same time.

Ziza stared at her cup of tea for a moment and flashed Merthy a smile.

"Cheers?" She said with her teacup stretched forward in the air.

Merthy smiled and stretched hers as well before replying. "Cheers".

The sound of ceramics clicking against each other lightly echoed, and a subtle silence suffused the atmosphere, leaving a tranquil aftertaste.

****

Raph's eyes opened suddenly, as he sprung up from his bed. His gaze appeared woozy, with a slight bit of discomfort etched in it as he rubbed them.

'Hah….that was….an interesting sleep'. He thought when Elsie's leg suddenly stretched towards his.

He glanced at it, and then at the girl who slept carefreely next to him, his gaze lingering on her bare skin.

For a moment, he sat there mesmerized by the sight, with Elsie's ears twitching ever so slightly, and her subtle snores echoing in the air.

A tranquil peace was suffused around her, and so was the blanket, which covered up most of her body, except for her legs.

'...She wore a nightgown, right?' He wondered, as he forcefully removed his gaze from her features and towards the ceiling instead.

A short yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his body before looking up at the right corner once again.

A scowl grew on his forehead as he asked. "Do you need something?"

There was a moment of silence before the ceiling was suddenly ripped spatially, revealing Ziza, who was smiling sheepishly at him. She was still seated on the chair in the white room that served as her office or room of solitude.

"Oh, Oh, Oh. It seems nothing escapes your sight, Master Raph".

His scowl grew firmer and thicker. He could not deny how uncomfortable he felt hearing his name since he was currently undercover, but he could trust in her spatial control. 'Besides….connecting two rooms through space….just how far does her psychic abilities go?'. He wondered but brushed off the thought nearly immediately. It wasn't his place to know after all.

Information couldn't leak out, especially since Territorial Spaces were nearly impenetrable to spies.

'.....unless the spy is also a level 90 to 100 Psychic mage…'

Even the Merlin Household would find it difficult to penetrate her fortress of space.

"I still have business to do in town. I'll get back to you once I'm done". Raph said with a loud yawn as he attempted to get up from the bed.

Sadly, Elsie suddenly wrapped her legs and arms around him, like he was her giant teddy bear, making it difficult for him to even move a muscle.

He simply glanced down and sighed.

Ziza's giggle echoed before she tapped on her chair.

"I know that. Just wanted to fill you in on the situation".

"Oh?" Raph muttered before looking around the room. "Right, there's no clock here".

Ziza clicked her finger. "That can be easily fixed".

A pendulum clock appeared from thin air, directly opposite the end of the bed.

He glanced at it and his gaze slowly waved. "It's nine already? Just how long were we put for?" He asked.

"Well…technically, you guys fell asleep at four in the night, so I can understand". She explained.

Raph clicked his tongue in realization. 'Time will be a little hard to tell around here…'

"Are they gone?"

Ziza nodded in response. "They left about an hour ago," she replied.

"Oh…." He sighed yet again, perhaps letting the information sink in. It was only for a week, but he had felt close to them, perhaps to the extent that he wouldn't wish for anything bad to happen to them. '....and that's exactly why I can't let Cruz get away so easily'.

He had snuck a mana tracking device into Cruz the night before he was set free by Azby and her teammates. After all, it was difficult to predict what he could do at the moment.

'Courtesy of Fiona'. Having a genius Mage, who was also the Mage Master of a tower came with his benefits, and he was going to reap bountifully from it.

"Alright then. I'll get to business…". He glanced at Elsie. "Once she gets up".

Ziza nodded in agreement. "Alright then, I'll send in Merthy and Cartwyn to come help".

Raph raised a brow at her. "Cartwyn?"

"Yes, I have over fifty members after all". She replied with a smile. "Some have already taken the cargo to the Eastern Frontiers base, but a lot more are around…expect to see them during your stay".

Raph frowned a little before turning his gaze away. "Alright". A part of him was expectant of the disapproving gazes he would get from her other Subordinates, but then again. '...I'll just whoop their ass if they complain'.

Sometimes, especially when dealing with a group of people, showing them a glimpse of your abilities helps set up an image. An image he was hoping would teach them to back the fuck away from him.

"Well then, greetings to you, and I hope your tasks grow successful". She said before the space was sealed shut, returning the room to its single appearance.

The silence that followed was repeatedly tranquil, and he was going to enjoy it a little bit more when he suddenly felt something change. His gaze slowly shifted to Elsie, who was staring right back at him, her crimson gaze burning holes in his.

Her lips curled into a cute smile as she said. "Good morning, Husband~"