Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength

"Mr. Ronald, may I take a walk in the village?"

After the four visitors had dinner at the Adler mansion and watched Ronald begin to instruct Edward to arrange for their rest, Dominic couldn't hold back any longer and proactively made this request.

Dominic's mind was preoccupied with the beautiful girl, Il, whom he had just met outside.

Because he had the main purpose of visiting Ronald in mind earlier, he managed to suppress his feelings, but now that both parties had amicably unified their opinions, Dominic naturally couldn't contain the impulse within his heart.

As for Ronald...

He certainly wouldn't stop the future manager of Black Mountain Town, especially since most residents of Culpis are 'kind-hearted and hospitable,' and there were no safety concerns.

"Mr. Dominic, you are of course free to walk around!"

"However, there's actually nothing particularly special in Culpis; after you take a walk, you might still be disappointed."

"How could that be!" Dominic immediately shook his head, "What I love most are these beautiful villages next to nature. Here I can only feel the fresh air and see cute little animals."

"..."

Ronald and Dominic exchanged a few simple words.

But the investigators sitting nearby, upon hearing their conversation, looked a bit tense.

They didn't think that Dominic, an ordinary person with no ability in spellcasting, could freely wander a place ruled by an original holder, especially in such a pitch-black night!

Quickly, an investigator could no longer hold back and spoke up:

"Mr. Ronald, isn't this a bit..."

"Don't worry!" Ronald casually waved his hand, unconcerned with the investigators' tensions, "There's nothing dangerous in Culpis, so there's no need to worry about safety."

"..."

"Since that's your intention."

The investigators certainly wouldn't contradict Ronald's intention. After symbolically expressing their thoughts, the small conflict dissolved into nothing within the mansion.

After finishing today's dinner, Dominic naturally left the mansion and headed toward the village of Culpis.

Il... what a pleasant-sounding name!

But with a girl having such a name, what could her surname be?

More so, such an extraordinarily beautiful girl residing in this kind of village, judging by where she lives, didn't seem like a kept woman of Mr. Ronald's.

Not to mention the countryside environment!

How could it possibly nurture such a beautiful girl?

With this thought in mind, the answer was simple.

Dominic believed in his heart that this girl named Il must be a noble descendant whose family met with a sudden change, leaving her helpless and drifting to Culpis, and then she was allowed by Ronald to reside here.

If as the future leader of Black Mountain Town, I were to invite Il to live in Black Mountain Town, surely she wouldn't refuse.

The more Dominic thought about it, the happier he became.

And in a sense, he had accurately guessed all of Il's story.

Indeed, she was 'a noble whose family faced a sudden change,' and then 'drifted helplessly to Culpis,' finally 'allowed by Ronald to stay here.'

"..."

"Hello, sir?"

With anticipation and excitement, Dominic walked into the village, planning to find the flower shop mentioned by Il.

But just as he was engrossed in envisioning a bright future, a voice as cold as if devoid of any warmth appeared before him, along with the light illuminating the path at night.

Dominic looked up and was stunned once again.

This... how is this possible?

What blocked his path was a young girl dressed as a maid.

And what left Dominic at a loss for words was that she was similarly of surpassing beauty! Although she was slightly less compared to Il, who he had been enamored with earlier, this appearance wasn't something one could casually encounter.

Moreover, this time, unlike Il before.

The maid outfit she wore clearly indicated her as a household servant in service to the nobility, unavoidably linked to the mansion he had just left.

So...

What exactly is Culpis?

Dominic, shocked, was full of thoughts once more.

Could it be that Mr. Ronald Adler had, beneath his young and energetic handsome appearance, hidden a beast's heart of desire, thus always yearning to unleash on beautiful girls?

Perhaps only by the capabilities of such a great figure could such a number of beautiful girls be gathered?

"Hello, sir?"

As Dominic stood dazed, the girl in front of him spoke again.

The chillingly cold tone that seemed to freeze one's soul brought back Dominic from his confusion, and he suddenly snapped out of it, responding mechanically amidst stammering:

"Hello, miss!"

"I'm Dominic from Black Mountain Town, planning to take a casual look around this village."

"..."

"Black Mountain Town... Dominic..."

Standing before Dominic, Costate began constructing her own logical deduction.

In fact, because Edward joined the mansion's service, Costate had a lot of time outside her maid duties. Under such circumstances, the maid herself invested more time in patrol duties, which is why she bumped into Dominic at this hour during his outing.

But at the same time,

Seeing Costate's thoughtful expression, Dominic grew tense again.

After the impact of the first meeting, he now noticed the lantern in the maid's hand.

This was not like any lamp he had seen in Gride, yet it emitted such a bright... even heartwarming light!

Perhaps what this maid held was...

A magical artifact granted by Mr. Ronald?

"Costate, I'm the maid of the gentleman."

"Just finished my patrol work in the village."

Dominic had some uncertainty, but Costate had already jumped into logical deduction and started the self-introduction.

Seeing her taking the initiative to speak, Dominic shelved his surplus thoughts and straightforwardly stated his purpose:

"Hello, Miss Costate."

"In fact, I received an invitation from Miss Il earlier, planning to visit her at the flower shop."

"However, it's late now, and it's my first time in Culpis, so I really can't figure out the exact address..."

"Il?" Upon hearing Dominic's query, Costate's eyes showed some puzzlement. Why would a perfectly good human being look for Il, the beast?

Was he planning to add a little midnight snack for her?

Some doubts arose in her mind, but Costate, after all, was her usual self, not paying much attention to anyone other than Ronald.

So the maid didn't give Dominic any hint, simply raising a hand to point toward the north of Culpis village:

"Il's flower shop is in the northern direction of the village. It's surrounded by many flowers and plants in a newly constructed wooden house, you'll easily recognize it."

"Thank you for the reminder!" Dominic immediately nodded in gratitude.

He dared not try to mess with this maid-servant of Ronald by making any moves.

So after a brief conversation, he promptly headed in the direction Costate pointed.

Leaving only the maid standing there with a subtle expression.

It seemed she couldn't fathom Dominic's purpose in seeking out Il.