Chapter : 1345

  "I can use the travel time to design the interface," Lloyd thought. "I need to figure out how to connect the Heart to the suit's mana veins. The text said it uses 'Star-Fall' energy. Whatever that is. Probably just high-density mana."

  He felt a strange sense of relief. For weeks, he had felt like he was hitting a wall. Every time he tried to make the suit walk, it fell. Every time he tried to make it aim, it got confused. He felt like an imposter. A man pretending to be a genius.

  But now, the path was clear. The failure wasn't because his design was bad. The failure was because the components were bad. He was trying to build a spaceship with wood. Now, he knew where to find the steel.

  "The Golem Heart," Lloyd said aloud, tasting the words. "It sounds mythical. It sounds powerful."

  He started making a list of supplies. Money. Lots of money. Identification papers. A letter of introduction from the Royal Academy would help. He was a professor, after all. That carried some weight.

  "Professor Lloyd Ferrum, requesting access to the archives," he practiced saying. "Sounds very professional. Very trustworthy."

  He stopped packing for a moment and looked at the corner of his room where the lifeless chassis of the Aegis stood covered by a tarp. It looked like a ghost in the dim light.

  "Don't worry," Lloyd whispered to the machine. "I'm going to get you a heart. A real one. You won't be a statue much longer."

  He felt a thrill of anticipation. This was an adventure. A treasure hunt. It was exactly the kind of distraction he needed from the looming war and the messy politics of the capital.

  "Ramos," Lloyd said. "Here I come."

  He didn't know it yet, but the trip to Ramos would be easy. Leaving his house, however, was about to become the hardest thing he had ever done. Because before he could face the past in a museum, he had to face the present in his living room. And the present was very, very complicated.

  Lloyd finished packing his small bag with efficient, jerky movements. He didn't feel good. He felt like a man trapped in a room with the air slowly being sucked out. He grabbed his coat, his face set in a hard line. He was going to Ramos. He didn't care about permission, and he certainly didn't care about goodbyes.

  He threw the door open and stepped into the hallway, intending to storm past anyone in his way.

  Standing there, blocking his path like a specter of guilt and ice, was Rosa.

  Lloyd didn't freeze. He didn't smile. He stopped, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. The temperature in the hallway seemed to plummet, but it wasn't just her magic. It was the sheer animosity radiating from him.

  "Move," Lloyd said. His voice was flat, devoid of any warmth or humor.

  Rosa didn't flinch. She stood her ground, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. "You are leaving."

  "Observation isn't your strong suit, is it?" Lloyd sneered, adjusting the strap of his bag. "Obviously, I am leaving. Now get out of my way."

  "You are running away," Rosa corrected calmly.

  Lloyd stepped closer, invading her personal space not with affection, but with intimidation. "I am going to fix a problem. Unlike you, who is a problem. I don't have time to explain my schedule to a spy."

  "We need to talk, Lloyd," Rosa said, ignoring the insult. "About us. About this... situation."

  "There is no 'us'," Lloyd spat. "There is me, and there is the woman who sold my secrets to demons. We settled this. You were supposed to leave. Why are you still polluting my air?"

  "I changed my mind," Rosa said. Her voice was steady, maddeningly calm against his hostility. "I am not leaving."

  Lloyd looked at her with pure disgust. "You don't get to decide that. I divorced you. Remember? Get out of my house."

  "I came back," Rosa said. "This is my home. You are my husband. And I have decided that I do not accept your dismissal."

  "I don't care what you accept," Lloyd growled. "You are a traitor. The only reason you aren't in a dungeon is because your mother is a decent woman. Don't push your luck."

  He tried to shoulder past her, but she sidestepped, blocking him again.

  "No," Rosa said. "I have realized something, Lloyd. You are trying to get rid of me because you are collecting women."

  Chapter : 1346

  Lloyd stopped. He looked at her as if she had just spoken in a foreign language. "What are you babbling about?"

  "Princess Amina," Rosa listed coldly. "Lady Faria. You want to divorce me so you can marry them. You want a harem."

  Lloyd let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "Is that what you think? You think this is about lust? God, you are pathetic. I want you gone because looking at you makes me sick. I don't want a harem. I want a life where I don't have to sleep with one eye open."

  "That is what you say," Rosa said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper. "But the public will see it differently. Think about it, Lloyd. If you force me out now, everyone will say you threw aside your loyal, suffering wife for a foreign princess. They will say you are a power-hungry womanizer who abandoned his first commitment the moment he got a taste of royalty."

  Lloyd glared at her. His hand twitched towards his sword, not to draw it, but out of sheer frustration. "You wouldn't dare."

  "I would," Rosa challenged, her eyes locking onto his. "I will tell everyone. I will tell the court that I forgave you for your coldness. I will tell them I tried to save our marriage. But you, the cruel husband, kicked me out because I stood in the way of your political ambitions with the Princess."

  "That is a lie," Lloyd hissed. "A filthy lie from a filthy liar."

  "People trust the grieving wife," Rosa said with a small, terrifying smile. "Especially when the husband is suddenly engaged to a foreign beauty. Who do you think they will believe? The 'Saint of the Coil' who suddenly craves more power? Or the poor, discarded Rosa who just wanted to love him?"

  Lloyd stared at her. He hated her. He hated her more in that moment than he had ever hated anyone. She was trapping him. She was weaponizing his own reputation against him. It was brilliant, and it was repulsive.

  He knew she was right. If she played the victim card while he was courting Amina, his moral authority would crumble. The King would be displeased. The public would turn.

  "You are a monster," Lloyd said quietly.

  "I am your wife," Rosa replied.

  Lloyd clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw her out the window. But the strategist in him knew he was checkmated. For now.

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  "Fine," Lloyd said, his voice dripping with venom. "You want to stay in this house? Stay. Rot here for all I care. But don't think for a second that this makes us anything. We aren't partners. We aren't friends. We are enemies sharing a roof."

  "We will see," Rosa said. She finally stepped aside, clearing his path. "You may go on your trip, husband. But remember, you come back to me. Or the story I tell the world gets very ugly."

  Lloyd didn't look back. He stormed down the hallway, his blood boiling. He needed to get out of this house before he did something permanent. Rosa wasn't just an ex-wife anymore. She was a hostile combatant. And he treated combatants with zero mercy.

  Lloyd reached the main courtyard, panting slightly. He had survived Rosa. Now he just had to get to the stables.

  "Lloyd!" a voice called out.

  Lloyd winced. He knew that voice. It was Amina.

  He turned around. Princess Amina was walking towards him. She looked radiant. She also looked like she had news. Bad news.

  "Amina," Lloyd said, trying to keep walking. "I am in a bit of a rush. Very urgent rock business."

  "This will only take a minute," Amina said, matching his pace. "I received a letter from my father."

  "The Sultan?" Lloyd asked. "How is he? Still enjoying ruining my life?"

  "He is very happy," Amina said. "He is sending my uncle. To discuss the wedding date."

  Lloyd stopped walking. "The what?"

  "The wedding date," Amina repeated. "The three-month trial is going well, according to my reports. My father thinks we should formalize things. My uncle is coming to negotiate the dowry and the ceremony."

  "We agreed to a trial!" Lloyd hissed. "A trial means we test it! It doesn't mean we skip to the wedding cake!"

  "My father is impatient," Amina shrugged. "And he hears rumors. Rumors that you are trying to divorce your first wife. He thinks this means you are ready for me."

  Chapter : 1347

  "I am not ready for anyone!" Lloyd shouted. "I am ready for a nap! I am ready for silence!"

  "Well, you better get ready," Amina said. "My uncle is not a patient man. He brings a retinue of fifty guards and twelve elephants. He will be here in a week."

  "Elephants?" Lloyd squeaked. "Why elephants?"

  "Gifts," Amina smiled. "You will like them. They are very big."

  Lloyd felt dizzy. Elephants. Uncles. Weddings. It was too much.

  "I have to go," Lloyd said. "I have to leave. Right now."

  He started running towards the stables. He didn't care if he looked undignified. He was fleeing for his life.

  But fate was not done with him. Just as he reached the stable doors, a carriage pulled up. The door opened, and Faria Kruts stepped out. She looked fiery and determined.

  "Lloyd!" she shouted.

  "Oh, come on!" Lloyd cried out to the sky. "Is there a line? Did you all buy tickets?"

  Faria marched up to him. She looked angry. "My mother just wrote to me."

  "That's nice," Lloyd said, backing away. "Mothers are great. I love mothers."

  "Do not play dumb," Faria snapped. "Your mother, the Duchess, had tea with my parents yesterday."

  Lloyd froze. "Oh no. What did she do?"

  "She proposed a union," Faria said. "Between our houses. She told my parents that your marriage to Rosa is 'complicated' and that you need a partner who understands your soul. She practically offered me a ring!"

  Lloyd groaned. His mother. Of course. Duchess Milody was playing 4D chess with his love life. She wanted to replace Rosa with Faria. She was trying to build him a harem of political alliances.

  "Faria, listen," Lloyd said desperately. "My mother does not speak for me. I did not authorize any tea parties. I did not offer any rings."

  "Well, my parents are very excited," Faria said, crossing her arms. "They think it is a great match. They are already planning the engagement party."

  Lloyd looked around. He was trapped. Rosa inside the house with her blackmail. Amina in the courtyard with her elephants. Faria at the gate with her parents' expectations.

  He was surrounded. It was a pincer movement. It was a siege.

  "I have to go," Lloyd said. "I have a very contagious disease. It's called 'Commitment Phobia'. It's fatal. Goodbye!"

  He scrambled onto the nearest horse. It wasn't even his horse. It was a stable boy's pony. He didn't care.

  "Lloyd, wait!" Faria shouted.

  "We will discuss the elephants later!" Lloyd yelled back at Amina.

  "Don't forget you are married!" Rosa's voice drifted from an open window.

  Lloyd kicked the pony into a gallop. He rode out of the estate like the devil was chasing him. In a way, three devils were chasing him. Three beautiful, terrifying, political devils.

  He rode until the estate was just a speck in the distance. He slowed down, his heart pounding. He was safe. For now.

  "I am never going back there," Lloyd muttered to the pony. "I will live in the woods. I will eat berries. It is safer than dealing with those women."

  He took a deep breath. He had escaped. He felt like a soldier who had just run through a minefield and somehow kept all his limbs.

  "Ramos," he said. "Just focus on Ramos. Find the heart. Build the suit. Ignore the weddings."

  He steered the pony towards the main road. He needed to swap it for a real horse at the next town. But for now, the slow, bumpy ride was freedom. Sweet, silent freedom.

  He looked back one last time. He shivered. Fighting a demon lord? Scary. Fighting three women who wanted to marry him (or ruin him)? Terrifying.

  "Note to self," Lloyd thought. "Invent a potion that makes me invisible. Permanent invisibility. That seems like a good life choice right now."

  He rode on, leaving the chaos of his personal life behind, riding towards the chaos of his professional life. It was a trade he was happy to make.

  Lloyd arrived at the headquarters of the AURA company. It was a large building in the merchant district. It bustled with activity. Carts loaded with soap were leaving. Clerks were running around with papers. It smelled like rosemary and money.

  He walked into the main conference room. His team was waiting. Mei Jing sat at the head of the table, looking sharp and professional. Tisha was there, smiling. Rolf, the security chief, stood by the door like a statue. Günther, the finance guy, was counting coins.

  Chapter : 1348

  "Boss!" Tisha cheered. "You're alive! We heard rumors you were eaten by elephants."

  "Not yet," Lloyd said, taking a seat. "But it was close. Very close."

  He looked at them. This was his other army. His economic army. While the Wraiths would fight in the shadows, AURA fought in the market. And right now, he needed money. Lots of money. The Aegis project was expensive. The trip to Ramos would cost gold.

  "Report," Lloyd said. He switched into his CEO mode. It was easier than his Husband mode.

  Mei Jing stood up. She placed a large map on the table. It showed the eastern kingdoms.

  "We are doing well here," she said, pointing to their current territory. "The soap is a hit. The laundry powder is standard in every noble house. We have a monopoly."

  "Good," Lloyd said. "But monopolies get boring. We need growth."

  "Exactly," Mei Jing agreed. "That is why I have prepared this proposal. 'Operation Sunrise'."

  She pointed to the east. "The Eastern Kingdoms. They are rich. They have a lot of people. And they smell terrible. They still use ash and sand to clean themselves. It is a tragedy."

  "And a market opportunity," Günther added, his eyes gleaming.

  "We want to expand," Mei Jing said. "We open three new manufactories in the border cities. We hire local workers to lower costs. We flood their market with AURA soap. We make it cheap enough for the commoners but keep the luxury line for the nobles."

  Lloyd studied the map. It was ambitious. It was risky. Moving into new territory meant dealing with new laws, new guilds, and new bandits.

  "The logistics?" Lloyd asked.

  "Already planned," Rolf said. "I have hired mercenaries to guard the caravans. We have bribed—I mean, negotiated with—the border officials. The road is clear."

  "The finances?" Lloyd asked.

  "We have the capital," Günther said. "The profits from the last quarter are huge. If we reinvest now, we can double our revenue in six months."

  Lloyd nodded slowly. It was a solid plan. Mei Jing was a genius. She had taken his small idea and turned it into an empire.

  "Do it," Lloyd said. "Approve Operation Sunrise. Expand to the east. Make them clean. Make them smell like lavender."

  The team cheered. They were excited. Expansion meant bonuses. It meant success.

  But Lloyd raised his hand. The room went quiet. His face was serious. The playful CEO was gone. The Major General had arrived.

  "There is one more thing," Lloyd said. His voice was low. "This expansion is good. We need the gold. But it is also dangerous."

  He looked at each of them. "We are not just selling soap anymore. We are fighting a war."

  The mood in the room shifted instantly. The excitement evaporated. Tisha looked worried. Mei Jing narrowed her eyes.

  "What do you mean, Lloyd?" Mei Jing asked.

  Lloyd stood up and walked to the window. He looked out at the busy street.

  "The attack on the wedding," Lloyd said. "It wasn't just an assassination attempt. It was a declaration. The Devil Race is active. The Seventh Circle is moving."

  "We know," Rolf said, touching his sword. "We increased security."

  "Physical security is not enough," Lloyd said, turning back to them. "The enemy is not just using swords and fireballs. They are smart. They are insidious. They know that wars are won with gold as much as with steel."

  He walked back to the table and leaned over the map.

  "While we expand east, they will try to infiltrate us," Lloyd warned. "They won't send an army. They will send merchants. They will send corrupt officials. They will try to buy our suppliers. They will try to sabotage our shipments. They will try to introduce counterfeit products that hurt people."

  He remembered the counterfeit soap in Zakaria. That was a test run. A probe.

  "This is a war on two fronts," Lloyd declared. "Front one is the battlefield. That is my job. Front two is the economy. That is your job."

  He looked at Günther. "Watch the money. Look for strange investments. Look for shell companies buying up our raw materials. If the price of oil spikes for no reason, assume it is an attack."

  He looked at Rolf. "Watch the workers. The enemy will try to place spies in our factories. They will try to bribe our people. Be paranoid. If someone suddenly buys a big house they can't afford, investigate them."