It felt a bit hypocritical to criticize whoever had destroyed Eztie's temple in Honeyton for conducting a ritual within the town, only to turn back and do the same on the very first opportunity, but Nick had taken precautions to make sure no one would notice anything.

table border="1" class="chapter-table" style="border-collapse: collapse"

tbody

tr

td style="width: 99.0753%"

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongCONGRATULATIONS!/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongYou have completed [Crassius' Privilege]/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strong+33.500 Exp/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 1em"strong

You have participated in the defeat of [Owen Thessen - Lv. 41]/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongYou have participated in the defeat of [Miles Weimar - Lv. 49]/strong/p

pstrong+27.900 Exp/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongYou have completed [Ritual of Spiritual Relocation]/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strong+10.000 Exp/strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

No level up, but then again, Talbot did most of the fighting. Crassius' Privilege is somewhat complex to set up and requires either Vestal training, which I lack, or a spirit of innocence. At the very least, it should have gotten me closer to a rank-up for the affinity.

Considering what lay ahead, he'd need to improve his more esoteric skills if he wanted a chance at surviving the next year.

It's a good thing I'll leave soon. The thunderhoof herd won't know what hit it.

"So this is my new fief," a smooth voice murmured, and Nick turned to see Talbot pad around the training chamber. The protection spells had already settled nicely, but there was still one thing left to handle.

"So you can talk now, huh?"

Talbot turned to regard him with haughty amusement. "I could always talk. You just weren't listening."

Nick held back the sarcastic remark he wanted to make. It was true that he'd gotten better at understanding the spirit cat after developing his spiritual affinity, but even though he had just performed a powerful ritual, it hadn't ranked up.

Which meant either the cat had become better at communicating, which apparently wasn't the case, or…

Closing his eyes, Nick activated [Empyrean Intuition], focusing inward rather than on his surroundings for once.

He hadn't done it often before, since the System was usually able to tell him what changes he was going through, but for once, he felt like it might have missed something.

His [Arcane Circuitry] looked as sleek and efficient as ever, so he kept peering deeper. Below the constantly moving flow of mana, something had shifted.

Oh, it was nothing groundbreaking. He hadn't developed a new affinity, or even a skill. But it was easy to see why he hadn't noticed.

The connection he had with Talbot was once fragile, mainly there to uphold the contract they both signed. Now, it was a much stronger presence, though it still felt a bit faint, like a spell that wasn't fully cast yet.

Is this the result of both of us growing stronger? No, those two men didn't give nearly enough exp to justify this jump. But what else could it be?

After further inspecting the link, he finally found something.

Blood and trust. Talbot had been covered in Nick's blood while fighting the intruders. He had fought to protect House Crowley.

Such things had consequences. He'd already been a protector, bound to the farmhouse to watch over them, but that contract was made when Nick was weaker and less capable of handling spiritual magic.

It now appeared that the intense emotions he felt during the battle and ritual had been sufficient to strengthen their bond, or at least help him understand the cat better.

But what if…

Nick had always been too curious for his own good. He'd already accomplished all his goals for the night, and as far as he could tell, no one had noticed what he was doing. So when he started fiddling with the bond before it could finish settling, he should have expected it to react violently.

Still, he couldn't have predicted the sudden drain of power when he flooded it with spiritual mana, charged with trust, loyalty, and protectiveness.

It drank and drank, the suction strong enough that Nick was beginning to fear he would have to break it before he grew too weak, before it suddenly stopped, releasing him and turning into a much thicker, golden thread.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

table border="1" class="chapter-table" style="border-collapse: collapse"

tbody

tr

td style="width: 99.0753%"

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongCONGRATULATIONS!/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongYou have completed [Ritual of the Household Guardian]/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongHouse Crowley now has a Spirit Guardian/strong/p

pstrong+150.000 Exp/strong/p

p style="margin-bottom: 0"strongLevel up!/strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

Nick blinked back to the real world, seeing Talbot glowing with the same molten gold as the thread. When the light show finally faded, the cat was at least twice as big.

Still nothing compared to some of the monsters he'd faced, but clearly not just a house cat anymore. If anything, Talbot resembled a Maine coon, only with neater fur.

He felt his knees give way and only then realized how much mana this entire night had drained from him. He sank to the floor, deciding he could probably wait a few minutes before trying to stand again.

"You never do things by half, do you?" The cat said, padding over. He then rubbed his head against Nick's chest, and he knew everything would be fine.

Now I just need to find a way to hide that cursed brick. I have plans for that thing.

———

"It would have been okay if you told us, but the notification woke us up in the middle of the night!" Elena said critically, though she didn't stop petting Talbot, who seemed to be enjoying her ministrations very much, if the lazily swinging tail and half-closed eyes were anything to go by.

"I didn't know the System would inform you," Nick replied sheepishly. To be honest, he hadn't known exactly what he was doing beyond the fact that he could probably give the bond another little boost, but in the end, things had turned out fine.

"I don't think I've heard of another house with a Spirit Guardian," Eugene commented, looking around the chamber with great interest. "I know many have animals or even monsters they keep as a symbol of their house or for safety, but this is a first. And you say his binding to the building made it stronger?"

Nick nodded. It was even somewhat true and gave him a solid explanation for what he had done the night before.

Sure, his parents had learned not to question him too much, but it might have been a stretch to cast wards powerful enough to withstand a Prestige warrior's strength. This way, he could claim it was simply a consequence of the binding of Talbot to the Town Hall, which would soon be renamed, given their plans for renovation.

Eugene's fingers flickered with gentle flames, but Nick wasn't fooled. Despite their faint glow, they were very dangerous and could have shattered a shoddy ward.

When they were pressed against the wall, he immediately saw the wards activate, redirecting the destructive power throughout the entire structure.

A few seconds later, Eugene removed his hand and looked admiringly at the unmarked wall. "Well then, this is quite something. I will have to test just how much of a beating these things can take, but it's more than I expected."

"They are bound to our line," Nick explained now that his work was proven to be successful. "As long as House Crowley rules Floria, they will hold."

Such was the power of Vestal magic. Of course, if someone understood the intricacies of the sacrificial ritual he had crafted, they could probably weaken or bypass it over a few weeks. And there was always the risk that someone incredibly powerful might decide to strike them down, but there wasn't much Nick could do about that.

He was quite confident they wouldn't show any strain against anything below Prestige, and that without a focused effort to cause their destruction, even his father could train without fear of their collapse.

"Well, despite the late-night surprise, I have to say this is great work, Nick."

"Yes, we are very proud of you," Elena said with a bright smile. "Just because magic isn't our specialty doesn't mean we don't understand just how big of a deal this is."

Nick smiled back, though he internally doubted their words. Not that they were proud, no. He could see that much with his spiritual sight. But that they understood—that was impossible, because frankly, he hadn't even known this would happen himself.

Still, there was no use looking a gift horse in the mouth. His journey had been long and arduous, so it made sense that sometimes, things would come together unexpectedly.

"Madame, do continue your petting, if you please," Talbot meowed, earning an odd look from the adults.

"I guess this is something we'll have to get used to as well," Elena murmured, dutifully scratching the cat's belly.

Nick was eager to leave. He had finished everything he aimed to do in Floria, and had even made sure his parents would be safe in their new home.

Not that anyone would be reckless enough to attack now that Dad is so strong, but I'm sure someone will try their luck in the future.

Still, his duties as a son of a noble house required him to stay for one last thing.

Looking down from above the Town Hall's rooftop, Nick watched as a company of knights reached Floria's eastern entrance.

We should also set up a gate there. It was fine when our duty mostly revolved around the Green Ocean, but that's not the case anymore.

Of course, that would require some good urban planning. Walls had the unfortunate effect of stifling growth because they greatly limited space, so he'd need to ensure his parents left enough open fields for future expansions.

Floria had the potential to become a city over time if they played their cards right. Handicapping themselves at the beginning would be a terrible move.

People stepped aside and cleared the main road to allow the knights to pass unimpeded. The procession took a while longer because guiding such large horses through the town was challenging, and taking a shortcut through the market was not an option, as the stalls would slow them down even more.

Hmm, since we're going to hire a crew of construction mages, it might be a good idea to have them take a look at that. Not having a direct path to the Town Hall isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it would make invasion more difficult, but then again, magical warfare is very different from what medieval armies had to deal with.

Finally, the knights began to stream into the main plaza, silently lining up in ranks.

They cut quite an intimidating sight, riding their massive warhorses and dressed in plated, enchanted armor from head to toe.

If this had been his first time seeing them, Nick would have been wary.

With the help of a gentle breeze and some telekinesis, Nick hopped down the roof and lowered himself to the ground, stopping exactly next to his parents, who were just leaving the Hall.

Elena gave him a slightly exasperated look but stayed silent, simply gesturing for him to fall in line.

Eugene, on the other hand, only had eyes for the leading knight, who was riding a beast nearly twice as tall as Nick.

"Lord Crowley! The fourteenth special company of Royal Knights has arrived in Floria, as instructed! We await your commands!" The man shouted, his voice rumbling through the plaza.

"As Lord of this land, I welcome the fourteenth special company! We have much to discuss, and I value your counsel on the next steps. For now, relax! You will be provided with lodgings and food, so lead your horses to the stables and take it easy for today. Tomorrow, the real work begins!" Eugene replied, commanding despite being on the ground.

"At ease!" The captain shouted, and a ragged cheer escaped the company.

Nick spied his father's smile and wondered if he'd had run-ins with these men before. He certainly seemed pleased with their arrival.

The captain soon dismounted and passed the reins of his massive horse to another knight, who followed the rest of the group toward the stables.

Taking off his helmet, he revealed a handsome, if rugged face, and if Nick hadn't already known who he was, he would have recognized Sir Leon by his eyebrows alone.

The man quickly noticed him, and the look of naked surprise on his face showed he hadn't expected to see him again, especially not in these circumstances.