An awakened, especially a dual mage, a term used to describe a person who can walk multiple paths of magic, marrying a commoner was rare. It was ill-advised even. After all, even a weapon master or a level-1 mage has double or triple the lifespan of an average person, depending on the quality of the class weapon they awakened.

The lifespan of commoners averaged around fifty to hundred years, but they were most suspectable to falling ill or getting killed. In a world where thunder could start rumbling in the sky out of the blue and flashes of swords could be seen all of a sudden, the life of a normal person could be cut short easily if they were unlucky enough to get caught in a scuffle between two experts or chance upon a beast.

That's why even a stunning beauty would be overlooked by a righteous awakened if she was a commoner. But it seemed like the Armored Knight was so enamored with his childhood sweetheart that he couldn't wait to marry her. No one noticed that he had other attentions, ones so nefarious that it would any sane man disgusted.

The only problem stopping their union from happening was the fact that he had no savings and couldn't give them a bride price.

As told before, the Armored Knight lived an extravagant life, although he was a soldier stationed at the border. Spending on pretty things and buying the best wines and highest quality meat was a common occurrence in his life. One day he would be cleaning up undead close to the border. Then the next day, he would be in the embrace of a beauty with a dozen more singing and dancing for him.

The villagers weren't ignorant. They were aware of his bad habits. He was a piece of trash in their eyes. Even comparing him to a dog was a disgrace. After all, in their eyes, a man who liked to sleep around was a manwhore. Such a man didn't deserve the most beautiful woman in their village!

But there was nothing they could do!

They could hunt pheasant, but a magical beast was a different story. They couldn't even harm it. Instead, they would be the ones who would be swallowed by it. And he was stronger than a magical beast. They didn't know by how much, but they were sure that going against him would be like picking a stone to smash their own foot.

They didn't dare protest against their marriage, letting nature take its course.

The last thing that's needed to be mentioned is that the person in question was more than willing to be his wife. She was being forced to become his wife. Rather, it was her own intention. She was still in her world, trapped in a fragile bubble that would burst with a poke, believing that he would stop sleeping around once she married him.

Remembering the novel up to this point, Roy couldn't help but curse, 'Oh, how disgustingly naive she was!'

The village head wasn't as naive as she was. But he had a promise to upkeep, and she only had eyes for him. Breaking them up would be troublesome. It might destroy his peaceful life. Like a sorry excuse of a father, he went ahead with it.

'Is he even a man? A father like this is really hateful!' Just remembering this part of the novel sent waves of anger surging throughout Roy's body. That time when he read it for the first time, his reaction was more deranged. He had directly thrown the book down and stomped on it, cursing the village head repeatedly. As a result, his neighbor shouted at him to lower his damn voice.

'Ah, that day was quite embarrassing.' thought Roy while scratching the side of his face. He brought his hands down and put them in his pocket, amplifying his swagger. Each time he tapped the ground with his toe, a distance of a hundred or so meters would be covered, leaving behind a deep depression in the ground and his footsteps. He was bolting through the vast forest, reaching its other end.

Shadowless wasn't struggling to keep up with him.

At this moment, Delilah glanced at Roy's back and examined him closely, recognizing the vast difference between them.

'Just a month ago, he was having a hard time fighting me. It was close to a draw, but he pulled a fast one on me by using that runic stone. And now he has surpassed me by a long short. There's a grand chasm between us, and it's not going to be easy for me to cross it.' She felt an urgent need to become strong, as otherwise, she would become useless to him.

Back to the story

Considering the Armored Knight's status and what he could go on to become in the future, it was a good choice for a commoner like a village head's daughter to marry him. The day of their marriage was decided by the aunties and announced to the whole village. That day the hearts of many young, sturdy, and single villagers shattered!

Their reaction was priceless! They felt that the most precious cabbage in their village was about to be eaten by a wild and disgusting pig that was driven by lust and had no morals!

As the day of the marriage drew near, the village head reminded the Armored Knight of the local custom. It was set by their ancestors, the very first settlers of these warm lands. It had never been ignored. They couldn't ignore it either. Or else what would the villagers say?

No matter how little, the Armored Knight had to provide them with a bride price before he could take her home. Otherwise, the village head feared that his reputation would go down the drain.

'Stubborn old man.' The Armored Knight cursed him in his heart but kept a smile on his face, not letting anyone know his real intention. 'Does he seriously belive I am marrying out of love? I am only attracted to her beauty and the various benefits she can bring me. Once I am done having fun with her, I will start prostituting her. There are many high ranking soldiers wirh weird fetishes, and she is the face they like the most!'

'Ugh! If only this village weren't under the supervision of the Count, all these troublesome matters could have been skipped. I could have just directly kidnapped her.'