Chapter 386: Before The Mission
Michael was momentarily taken aback. One part of him felt honored that Robert had shared something so personal with him. While on the other hand, he couldn’t help but wonder how the Lord had made him out to be the best person to ask for advice.
Ironically, although Michael was well-known in certain online circles, especially among particular groups of single women, he didn’t believe he truly understood the subject as a whole. Because of his past, his mind was wired to operate with a lethal degree of emotionless logic. As a consequence, his own emotions were greatly suppressed.
Having devoted himself to fighting for humanity and his loved ones, he was extremely proficient in slaughtering aliens and warfare. Beyond that, however... He was, at best, average in other areas, or so he told himself.
Still, Robert was a dear friend who had helped him on several occasions. If Robert had judged him to be the most suitable person to ask about his opinions on marriage, then Michael would respond as genuinely as he could.
"I’m happy for both of you." Michael whispered, guessing that Robert wanted to keep his plan to propose a secret.
"Should I assume you want my opinion... Or help setting up the perfect date?"
Robert chuckled.
"Oh, gods, no. Livia is a practical business woman. Anything overly romantic or beating around the bush would just annoy her... Especially given her role as Minister of Defense. It would be wiser to ask her directly than to plan something grand."
"Is that so..." Michael murmured. By all accounts, it seemed Robert had things well in hand. Perhaps, rather than advice, he simply wanted to get it off his chest and tell someone his plans.
"A—Anyway..." Robert cleared his throat.
"This might come off as a bit blunt, but if she says yes, can I count on you to be my best man during the wedding?"
"..."
Michael blinked slowly, then lightly tapped Robert on the shoulder.
"It will be my honor."
Robert let out a sigh of relief, color returning to his face.
Soon after, the crew reached the capital’s headquarters.
"Halt!"
Unlike last time, they were met by a group of tense-looking Grandmasters.
Most of the plague had been contained within the feline district. However, the politicians who governed the city, home to nearly half a billion people, remained prime targets for attack. As a result, the building’s security had been tightened several times over, especially with the cultists still at large.
"Do you have permission to enter?!" The oldest Grandmaster bellowed. "If not, get out of here!"
The pressure on the guards had grown so intense that some didn’t even recognize Robert’s face. After all, the Lord had spent a considerable amount of time away from Magmorious, aiding Michael’s faction in securing victory in the tournament. In his absence, some had even forgotten how he looked.
"C—Captain!" Though one of the new guards recognized the familiar-looking handsome face.
"Not now, rookie! Learn when to follow orders!" The captain barked, unwilling to back down.
Unwilling to risk the advance of his military career and his life, the newcomer stepped closer to his superior and whispered something in his ear.
"Oh..." Suddenly, the captain felt lightheaded.
"F—Forgive us!" The guard stammered, bowing and letting them pass.
A Lord could still be infected by the plague, yet the guards, being merely Grandmasters, didn’t have the authority, or perhaps the courage, to examine his condition.
Robert laughed, finding the guards amusing rather than annoying. He wouldn’t stoop so low as to make their job any harder by flattening his status.
The crew visited Livia’s office, which had grown several times larger now that she had more free time to settle into her role.
Notably, the increase in the room’s size paled in comparison to the towering piles of papers stacked high all around her desk.
"Robert!" Livia’s tired eyes lit up with vitality as she rushed to embrace the Lord.
The two shared a few moments in each other’s presence before realizing Michael’s crew was still in the room. Albeit a little bashful, Livia quickly recovered and greeted them as well.
"It’s reassuring to have you with us once again." Livia sighed tiredly.
She quickly briefed them on the capital’s affairs. One of the reasons she hadn’t been able to divert a larger force of the city’s troops to deal with the cultists was the Hreh’Tar aliens.
The last time Michael had been on Venus, the two Monarchs who had been residing in the lava lake had been neutralized. However, the planet was far from free from the aliens’ influence.
With the Hreh’Tar’s ability to turn even a healthy soldier into a source of nourishment for their offspring simply by striking them with their monstrous tentacles, they were among the most dangerous aliens to eliminate. Reckless assaults would only result in mounting deaths, which would, in turn, strengthen the aliens’ ranks.
To make matters worse, the tunnels dug by the rogue AIs under the capital, while useful for advancing their transportation capabilities, had somehow become compromised by aliens, who had found refuge in their shallow corridors.
Currently, Livia’s goal was to ensure no aliens found their way into Magmorious’s domain. If that were to happen, the city’s half-billion population, consisting mostly of civilians, would be reduced to breeding grounds for their forces.
Unlike the androids who had once run amok, the Hreh’Tar could rapidly increase their numbers, turning the situation into a dire catastrophe the likes of which humanity had never experienced before.
With the fate of half a billion humans resting on Livia’s shoulders, it made sense why she had resorted to calling Michael for help.
"It pains me to ask you to aid in our affairs, but I am truly at my wit’s end." Livia admitted grimly.
Michael shook his head. "There’s no shame in asking us to do what we’re meant to do... Purge any alien life from our territories."
Visibly relieved, Livia enlisted Michael and his crew to help the soldiers eliminate the aliens in the hardest-to-reach depths of the underground tunnels. The ones causing the most trouble.
’Undoubtedly, the shield form of Heaven’s Judgment will come into play.’ Michael mused internally. ’With her protection, the chances of being infected by the Hreh’Tar have dropped significantly.’
With their next mission clear, the crew was about to depart until Robert’s voice halted them.
"Before that there’s one thing I need to do first."
The Lord suddenly declared, dropping to one knee, offering Livia the mesmerizing ring.
"Would you marry me?"