ã€ŠWorldéˆ¥æªš Strongest Became the Gameéˆ¥æªš Weakest Villainã€‹


 Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Long Dream

    Friends.

    "Hey!! Wanna hang out?"

    "Um, I am sorry, who are you again?"

    Lovers.

    "U-uhm... I really like you..."

    "Um, I am sorry, who are you again?"

    Family.

    "Big Brother! We''re going out for the movies~"

    "Um, I am sorry, who are you again?"

    "AAH! I hate you!!"

    I couldn''t have anything.

    After all, remembering people''s faces was impossible for me.

    How one looked, how their eyes were shaped, how their nose bent or how their lips crook. I couldn''t remember any of it. Despite seeing it all, I couldn''t register it. It was all a hopeless dream. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I focused, my brain just couldn''t understand any of it.

    "Prosopagnosia..."

    That was the name of the condition that gued me all my life.

    When young kids speak out ''papa'' or ''mama'' as their first words, mine were ''excuse me, who?''

    When nursery children fight about their favorite teachers, I never recognized even one of them.

    When kids start making friends and form cliques, I was the only one excluded from them all because I couldn''t find the people I was talking with just minutes back.

    When love blossoms and spring arrives for the youth and people gain in interest beyond friendship in each other, I, who was approached by men and women alike... didn''t even know the most popr girl in school who asked me out. To be fair, her face was in. Just like everyone else''s.

    Friends, Family, Love, Mentors, in the end, I found none of them.

    .

    .

    .

    And very fucking honestly dudes, I didn''t care!

    "Hey, Yujin, are you even listening¡ªHoly fuck?"

    Back at the public gym in the academy, I started stacking up some weights on the linoleum when such a voice entered my ears. Yujin, that was my name, but I ignored the voice saying it. It had been going on for a while now. Without paying it any heed, I stacked up all the weights andid down on the floor. Then, I picked up the weights and ced them on my back.

    "T-three hundred kilos...?"

    Three hundred kilos of weight discs. They added up to 650 pounds, the conversion was a pain in the ass. I wondered why the weights didn''t use the SI units as I slowly started raising my body up with my hands in push ups. Locks of my red hair came dripping down my nape and stuck to my cheeks, annoying.

    "Light..." I muttered.

    "Yujin, for someone as thin and pretty as you, you sure are a muscle freak."

    Calling me a muscle freak was offensive. I turned to the side to look at the person while still performing my perfect push-ups. Sure enough, it was a face I didn''t recognize again, but I had already gotten used to this person and his voice annoying me at every step of the way.

    "It''s light," Iined again. "If you''re going to bber, then get me more weights."

    "I can''t lift that shit."

    I saw the man''s face, but I couldn''t register it. I had practiced a lot, though, so I knew he was smiling right now. Or was he? I couldn''t tell after all.

    "In that case, should I just sit on your back?"

    "Sure."

    With that said, Albert, the bbermouth, jumped up the pile of weights on my back and added his own to my work-out. I started going down on the push ups again, satisfied at the slightly increased weight.

    "So, anyway," Albert continued bbering again. "In the game, you are next supposed to save the princess of the academy. The academy is pretty much based on our own. To see knights and wizards being raised in the Pantheon like hunters, ahahaha! Doesn''t the school princess remind you of something too, Yujin?"

    "Tsk."

    I clicked my tongue and focused on the work out.

    "Anyway, after you save her from the followers of Agares... you get to have a pretty steamy cutscene with her!" Albert started giggling manically as he recited the nasty details of the steamy cutscene with the princess.

    It was a few months ago when I met this guy. He was being bullied by some people who I didn''t recognize. Honestly, I didn''t recognize him either and am suspicious of the fact that he even is the one who I helped, but he recites it every other day so I have no choice but to remember it.

    I simply went to the bullies and flicked their heads, it wasn''t because I wanted to save him, but rather because I thought they were the ones who always got to the lunch line before me. They weren''t. I was put on a list for ''dangerously flicking'' students shortly after since I went after anyone who could have been the ones at the lunch line. Those fuckers always escaped me though.

    Why did I want to be the first at the lunch line?

    That was my motivation. My true goal and aspiration! The reason I was doing whatever I was doing despite being a magic type awakened!

    My dream. Was to be the strongest person in the world! Can a world''s strongest person ever be second in the lunch line? NO! That was obvious! I bunked sses, staked outside the cafeteria but all of it was to no results after being caught or sleeping in, but I didn''t give up.

    I could have kicked their ass while in the line, but that went against my pride as the one to be the strongest in the world.

    That said, I didn''t know why Albert was so persistent.

    "Do you get it now, Yujin? This is just the 23rd scene in the game though."

    "998... 999..."

    This guy was justing up to me everyday and reciting the scenes from the game. He was a slow yer though and he enjoyed critically scrutinizing every erotic scene in the game, so he wasn''t even a quarter through the game yet.

    "1007... 1008..."

    ¡ªRumble!

    "Hm!?"

    "Yujin, did you hear that!?"

    At Albert''s words, my head snapped up and I looked around. The air in front of me cracked open...

    "A-A.... Dragon..."

    "ALBERT! RUN!"

    The dragon''s w reached out from the crack, and impaled my chest. I punched it back whilst injured and broke its palm.

    "GWAAAAH!"

    A breath attack.

    It was the end.

    ¡ª

    "¡ªAAAH!"

    I woke up screaming in my bed. I panted while touching the luxurious white sheets and ran my hand through my white hair. At that time, the wooden door carved with intricate patterns was smacked open and in came a young maid with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

    "Young master Eugene, are you ok?"

    "Huh?"

    Eugene... yes... I didn''t recognize the maid, as usual, but the name was familiar to me. Eugene, that was my name. Why did it feel so estranged?

    "Young master Eugene?"

    "Yes. I am alright... I just feel like I woke up from a long dream..."

 Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Most Important Thing in the World

    After waking up from the strange dream, I first went up to the mirror and checked myself. Instead of my face, though, my eyes immediately went to the room''s reflection around me. A giant bed, great golden chandeliers hanging down. A wide berthed painting spread above my bed andvish chairs and tables made of intricate woodworking from the medieval eras.

    It reminded me of the fine details focused in the new-gothic era with the focus on shape and form in the renaissance era.

    Of course, as one of the strongest people in the world, being knowledgeable about architecture and carpentry was natural.

    "Strongest?"

    My head tilted to the side.

    Did I want to be the strongest in the world?

    Yes. Of course? Then why did it feel like a distant me, instead of the ever-burning inferno that used to seep into my bones and drive me ahead?

    How strange.

    I walked a step closer to the mirror and ced a hand on my reflection, the jade-like skin on my hand in clear view. Despite that, I couldn''t see my face all that well. I could SEE it, but I couldn''t UNDERSTAND it. I never knew what my reflection was about. I never knew how I looked.

    "Did I lose some muscles, though?"

    For some reason, I felt slightly lethargic, almost estranged from my own body. What a difficult emotion.

    I walked over to the window next and pulled back thevish blinds. Outside the sight of a wide garden weed me. Small animals like rabbits and squirrels danced about in the yard while the garden''s fences merged with rows after rows of trees. When I pushed the windows open as well, the rays of the early morning sun greeted me along with the sweet song of chirping birds.

    Judging from the height and the angle of the sun, it was about 5:30 AM.

    I woke upte.

    I should have woken up by 4:30 and taken a hundred rounds around Pantheon''s perimeter¡ªAra?

    Pantheon? What was I talking about?

    Slightly confused at my own thoughts, I tilted my head to the side and quickly moved to the attached bathroom in my room to wash my face and freshen up. After taking a light shower, I came out of my room and changed into a ck tunic and white trousers that matched my white hair and red eyes.

    Completely changed, I went up to the mirror again and brushed my hair carefully, parting them in the middle and swerving the locks to the back. It was necessary to take care of my looks as the one aspiring to be the strongest in the world. Strength was in aesthetics too, after all.

    I looked at the sun again. 5:49. My ability to tell the time like this was urate to a range of 15 seconds, so I wasn''t worried.

    I disliked beingte, but that didn''t mean I had to dwell on it. It was time to go out for a run.

    Pushing the door of my room open, I stepped out.

    "Ah... AH?!"

    At that moment, the maid who had entered my room a while back turned to me with a wide open mouth and widened eyes. The white and the red stood out too much. I couldn''t tell what she looked like, but for some reason, I felt she was a pretty person. It was just a feeling, though. That said, she barely seemed taller than me. Now then, why was such a person looking at me like this?

    I tilted my head to the side again.

    "What?" I asked.

    "Y-y-y-young masterrrr?" The maid reeled back while waving her hands and giving me an absurd reaction. What was this?

    "Do you have a problem...?"

    "H-how are you awake so early...? And? Did you justpletely change and fix your hair yourself??"

    What the heck?

    "Why are you so surprised about an adult changing his clothes¡ª?"

    "Adult? Ahaha, Young Master, 8 year old are not adults... before that... you never wake up even after so many tries and sleep deep into the noon!"

    Wait.

    Wait wait wait.

    Take a step back right there.

    I slowly looked down at my hands and feet. Then, I carefully observed my skin and muscles.

    I didn''t just lose some bulk... all of it was gone. My height was reduced to that of a shrimp...

    "oh no..."

    In a fluster, I pulled up my tunic at which the maid let out a loud kya while covering her face. I ignored her and stared at my stomach.

    "M-my abs.... My abs are gone..."

    My knees wobbled and I feel to the ground.

    My proud 6-pack abs. My great cuts made after amazing amounts of pain, all of them... all of them were gone.

    "No. My magic, my magic!"

    I screamed out loud like a madman and closed my eyes.

    "Y-young master! Are you alright?! Please put on your clothes again!"

    Ignoring the maid''s words again, I focused my consciousness on myself. I felt my soul moving at mymand and showing me the state of my core. A ck silhouette of my body appeared in front of my eyes and there, in the dantian, swirled a mass of purple.

    Unrefined.

    Wasteful.

    All the effort I had put into making my mana as fine as the dew drops formed on the petals of a spirit tree, all of it, gone. Only reced by an amount that was iparable to before.

    But what good is arge amount of bad mana and ki anyway?

    "This... can''t be..."

    My arms lost strength too and I fell t on the ground.

    "Oh my!" The maid screamed and covered her face. She was barely taller than me, who was the size of a shrimp. Then she must be a kid too. "The son of the Hall family has fainted! What will I do!?"

    She screamed and crouched down, her hand moving above my face as she hesitated to touch me.

    Hall?

    Did she say Hall?

    Eugene Hall... that was my name, yes. It sounded familiar, yet too distant. Where else had I heard it...?

    [Hey, Yujin. So there''s this minor viin that''s super annoying. He tries to assault the girls but gets sacked by them without even needing the MC. His name''s Eugene Hall, lmao. Very funny character, a waste of good looks. At least he gets them inpromising clothes!]

    No way...

    I am.

    I am that Eugene Hall?

    The Eugene Hall from the world of the Eroge that Albert used to speak about?

    The very Eugene Hall, who didn''t even have my amazing abs or wasn''t even the strongest character in the world?

    "I-I''ll call the doctor!" The maid yelped and turned around. She got on her feet, ready to set off. At that moment, I pushed myself up.

    A new fire started burning in my eyes.

    This shitty situation.

    This shitty Eroge...

    I will definitely crush it all.

    No matter what happens.

    "No matter what happens... I will get my abs back!!"

    "..."

    "Eh? What...?"

 Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Lily Lily

    Abs.

    The first thing to do on my journey of getting my abs back was to fix this body. It was the body of azy child.

    It was my body, for sure. I knew I was Eugene Hall. But I used to be Yujin the hunter before this in my previous life. Or maybe, it could just be that I have somehow received Yujin''s memories, or his ego taking over my own. Whatever the case was, I didn''t care.

    People like me who are the strongest in the world don''t really worry about those things. Our agency belongs to us and us only.

    Maybe others would be worried about things like this, but I knew that we as humans are ever-changing. The me at this moment is starkly different from the me in thest moment, and the me in the next moment will also be different from the me now.

    In this case, what truly mattered was the present. "Who am I?" It is a question that unconfident losers asked themselves to waste time. You are who you are, that''s all that matters.

    And I, I am the man who wants to get my fucking abs back. Even more, than being the strongest in the world, I only recognized myself by my amazing abs and muscles!

    With that thought sorted, I startedughing.

    "Kuku... Kukufu...."

    "Young master...?" The maid turned around again and looked at me, her voice now closer to apletely freaked out yelp.

    "The journey to the abs start from runs."

    For some reason, I did remember the way out of the estate. It was blurry, but it was there. Without looking at the maid, I brushed my clothes and started walking ahead. To be honest, my recovery speed was a bit too fast even for myself.

    I left the maid behind and walked out of the mansion, a wide grin stered on my face.

    ***

    I got out in the yard of the mansion. des of grass swerved from side to side while birds and small animals ran amok amongst the trees.

    I, the great Eugene Hall, followed behind them.

    Taking in deep breaths for three seconds, holding for four and exhaling for five, I ran around the yard just fast enough to tire myself out. The breathing technique only added on to the training. Stamina was closely connected to how much oxygen you could get to your muscles and how much waste you could remove from your muscles.

    The yard of the estate was about two kilometers in perimeter. I started tiring out in just half ap of running, and by the end of the first one, I lost my breathing.

    This body was weak.

    As hell.

    After running around the yard came pushups.

    Completely drenched in sweat, I took off my tunic and went to the clearing near the pond in the mansion''s backyard. It was still about 6:30 in the morning, and some sounds had started making their way to my ears. I ignored them and moved some pebbles away from my path before starting my pushups.

    I went down all at once... and plopped down to the ground.

    Dirt and dust from near the pond stuck my face and my skin. I guess even my hair was dirty.

    I clicked my tongue.

    "Such shit arm strength."

    It would take some time to gradually get there with this body. I looked around, and my eyesnded on a giant boulder.

    A good way to start was with an incline toward your upper body. Knee pushups are also a good start, but the work better for fixing your posture and technique than your strength. An incline on the other hand gives you just enough leeway to not put all your body weight on your triceps.

    I leaned on the boulder, and lowered my body again, till the point my nose could almost touch the boulder, and then pulled back up.

    Again.

    And then again.

    I kept performing push-ups. Muscle strength was one thing, but willpower counted too! As the one to be the strongest, I couldn''t work in sets here.

    How uncool was that?

    So, I went ahead and performed 300 pushups.

    By the time I was done, my hands were too tired to even be lifted up, but whatever.

    "These arms are getting in my way, I''ll make them settle somewhere."

    I locked my fingers, and picked up a boulder smaller than the one I was working with. There were a ton of them near the pond.

    With my hands busy now, I started performing squats, boulder in hand.

    300 of them as well.

    Next were sit-ups. It had only been 20 minutes since I started, no big worries.

    300 more.

    I wanted to work on myts, obliques and back as well... but a bigger problem was in my way.

    "Fuck, I can''t move."

    I was spent.

    The white clouds in the sea of blue, the orange-yellow tint of the early morning sun. A rich breeze filled with oxygen and the sounds of the still cheery birds.

    All of it was beautiful.

    For some reason, it felt like I was hearing them after a long time, despite hearing them everyday in Pantheon.

    Pantheon? Right, it was the academy that was in the memories of Yujin and not Eugene. I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths, enjoying the atmosphere. Training took time, it always did.

    That was the worst.

    This body had already lost years worth of time.

    Yujin, Yujin never received anything and didn''t care for it. Only strength mattered back then, so Yujin''s body pursued strength since just a few years old.

    I knew everything, would that help?

    Not ready to waste my time, I started focusing on my core. I changed up my breathing again to feel the mana inside my body and focused on my core.

    There, a sea of blue energy swirled inside my body. But the blue energy waspletely riddled with ck and white bits, parasitizing it.

    It was dirty, almost 70% of it were impurities. I would have to throw it all away. But even the remaining 30% was a huge mana pool. Further than that, when I condense it and turn it into arcana and then aether, it would reduce even further, but I would still have more than what Yujin did.

    Weak as it was, in terms of magic, this body was an absolute beast. With that, I could further reinforce my body with magic, but this body was too weak for it.

    I still couldn''t move, so I got to work by moving my mana slowly through my mana circuit.

    "Y-young master!?"

    Then, a voice reached my ears. It was strange for me to recognize a voice, but I had heard this one just a few hours ago so it was fresh in my memory. The same maid that had entered my room earlier was here.

    "What happened to you, Young master? Please hold on! I''ll heal your right now."

    She said and got on her knees. She carefully ced her hand on my bare stomach.

    Mana started seeping into my body.

    It was like a gentle warmth, like the first rays of the morning sun, the strange mana nketed my body and mind, and then.

    My muscles started healing.

    Ara?

    What is this?

    Like the top ranked healing hunters, or the advanced healing equipments, no, its even better? This maid is speeding up my recovery process by leaps and bounds?

    In almost no time, the muscles around my hand tightened, and then my feet and abs followed. All over my body, I could feel strengthing back, my muscles a notch stronger than before.

    Already? I was healed already? The effects of the workout were here already?

    The healing tired me out further, likely due to the high amount of work it needs to heal my body, but I still managed to fix my muscles.

    With this power... isn''t it possible to speed up my one month''s workout and finish it in just a day? Target different muscles, and then heal them back up? Rinse and repeat.

    I smirked again. With my body mobile once more, I immediately stood up and sped the maid''s hand.

    "You," I said, my voice low. "What''s your name?"

    "Yes...? Young master? You forgot about me? Lily?"

    I then wrapped my other hand around her hand. I couldn''t recognize her face, but the coarse yet soft feeling of her hand was etched into my mind. I could recognize her with this... I guess.

    I tightened my grip and looked into her eyes.

    "Lily, never leave my side from now on."

    "EH.....? EH?"

    You''re going to get me my abs back.

 Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Many Talents of the Strongest Man (1)

    After that, I continued training for three hours straight. It was nine thirty AM by the time I was done. I didn''t want to stop yet, but.

    "Haah... haah... young master, I can''t go on anymore..."

    What a hassle.

    Sitting limp on the ground was a wholly exhausted lily sping at her chest. I sighed when I saw her. She was good with healing butcked stamina and mana.

    She would be better off learning to refine her mana so that it would be possible to use her skills with lesser of it.

    I dusted my body and put on my ck tunic before walking over to her. My muscles had made great progress, and Lily barely looked any older than me.

    With her still gasping for air, I stood in front of her.

    "You ok?"

    "Haah... yes, young master. I''ll be fine. Haah... you have to prepare for different sses, I''ll prepare your breakfast so¡ª"

    I ignored her words and swooped her up in my arms. She was just a brat, who cared?

    A few strands of her hairnded on my arms as I held her coolly in a princess carry. Lily''s face flushed red as she went ''awawa'' while spacing out. I tried to focus a bit, and saw. Her eyes and hair.

    "A very pretty shade of brown."

    "Y-yes?" Lily asked, flustered.

    "Your eyes and hair, they are pretty."

    "Aaawawa! Young master, what are you saying¡ª"

    She was exhausted and needed rest.

    "Where''s your room?" I asked. "I''ll take you there."

    "I-I can manage! You can''t hold a maid like me..."

    "Man, it''s fine. Just tell me the way."

    I ignored her babblings and walked away from the pond back to the estate. The more rxed she was, the more I could use her healing magic.

    That and if she has any favorability toward me, she would just be that easier to use. I was not going to let go of this chance to earn some brownie points.

    Lily''s skin was soft and her weight light. She was barely two heads taller than me in the first ce.

    We eventually came to a stop in the passageway of the lowest floor.

    "Around here?" I asked Lily.

    "Uh, yes... My room is the¡ª"

    I dropped Lily down before she could tell me which room in the passage was hers.

    "You can go on your own," I said. She lowered her gaze and nodded. "Rest for now. Don''te out."

    "But your sses and breakfast¡ª"

    "¡ªShh."

    How dare you talk back to the one who will be the strongest in the world? Land a punch and then speak. Well, I wasn''t going to say that, so I casually reached up and brushed off Lily''s hair from touching her eyes.

    "I''ll handle it," I said. Honestly, looking at her from below like this felt uncool to me, but Lily instead blushed and nodded. "That said, why didn''t I see anyone else here?"

    "Oh well, that''s because it''s just the four of us here, young master. You, Keith the knight, and us two maids. This is the first time you''ve asked about the personnel."

    I closed my eyes and crossed my arms. Just four? I should remember the reason for something like this.

    I dug deep into my memories, speeding through the blurry faces and the unsettling voices. Deeper behind the memories of Yujin, the very very distant thoughts of my past entered my mind.

    Right, it was because I was kicked out of the main estate for some reason and sent to the dwindling mansion away in the territory.

    "Got it," I answered Lily and turned back. "Rest well."

    Lily said something from behind, but I didn''t pay it any attention. I was slowly able to recall the grounds of the mansion as I walked around. I had to remember it for the next matter of utmost importance.

    The constant healing and breaking had tired me out.

    I needed to get some food in my system.

    Off to the kitchen.

    ***

    -ck ck ck

    -sizzle~~

    In no time at all, I was now in front of the kitchen. I made sure to wash up beforehand to get rid of all the dirt and grime. When I reached in front of the kitchen, there was already someone there.

    Another woman in maid clothes, standing upright in front of the counter with her sleeves slightly rolled up. She seemed to be having a hard time managing many things at once.

    I took a loud step ahead.

    The maid heard the sound of my feet and turned to face me. She paused for a few seconds before speaking up.

    "Young master Eugene... what might you be doing here?"

    My, what a sharp voice. It was filled to the brim with animosity. Just what had I done to her? I didn''t remember it at all.

    "You," I said, continuing ahead. "What are you doing?"

    "You don''t have to be concerned with these matters, young master. I''ll tell Lily to attend to you¡ª"

    She continued bbering so I ignored her and climbed up on a small stool to check up on the counter. Sure enough, she was cooking. But...

    "Who is this food for?" I asked.

    "It''s for you... young master."

    "Ok, you get out."

    ... Awful. What kind of trash were they making here so wastefully? She didn''t understand the importance of temperature and spices! The food she was making waspletely focused on taste and portions.

    How was I supposed to get the optimal amount of proteins from this hastily cooked chicken?

    How was I supposed to get my abs back without protein?

    "Um... young master? What do you mean?" the maid asked again. Her voice even more hostile than before.

    "I said get out. I''ll cook."

    As the to-be strongest in the world, cooking was a cinch.

 Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Mistakes

    The maid did not leave the kitchen, but I didn''t let her involve herself in the cooking. She got pretty pissed and asked ''Is this a new tantrum young master?'' Which was, to be honest, way unnecessary, so I told her to shut up or I''d have her beheaded.

    Did the trick. Lol.

    I forced her to get me a stool and got to the cooking while standing on it. Curse my short height.

    I quickly prepared some toast and soup, omelets to go with the bread, chopped-up fruits in a sd, and brewed coffee. The entire time the maid was looking at me unnerved while biting her teeth. Before she could say anything, I red at her and shut her up each time.

    "Get some tes."

    The maid who looked to be in her early twenties moved at my words. Actually, she must be even younger if I had to judge her from the way her bone structure looked. I wasn''t an expert in guessing it though thanks to the changes mana brought for people, but it would be safe to assume she was in the range of 17 to 23.

    That would make her about 10 years older than me. And about 8 or 7 years older than Lily.

    She quietly mmed the tes on the kitchen counter.

    "Lily told me there are four people living in this mansion?" I asked, tilting my head.

    "Yes, what about it?"

    "Do you want us to share the tes or something? Get more out."

    I remembered Yujin being called harsh and rude a lot, but even in a different body and with different memories in a different world, I did not see any rudeness in my actions.

    The maid pulled her upper body back at my words and then lowered her head. Was she shocked or sad? I couldn''t tell. She slowly moved to bring out more tes while I listened to the kettle. As she was retrieving the cutlery, she spoke up again. The hostility packed in her voice and the tone lowered to a whisper.

    "What mischief are you nning now, young master?"

    "My, can a maid always be this out of line?" I snapped back without batting an eye.

    "Hah... How can you say that to someone who has raised you from the beginning?"

    My eyes opened wide when the hostility was reced by a sharp pang of pain in her voice.

    "You''ve ruined my life already, what more do you want?"

    What the hell was she saying to an 8 year old? Before that, what did she even mean?

    I closed my eyes and coursed through my memories again. Her words had left me unsettled. It was a hassle since the memories of the Eugene of yesterday were already ced behind the memories of Yujin. I had to recall a time greater than 16 years to remember what I even had for lunch yesterday.

    "You¡ª"

    "Shush it, let me think."

    I focused.

    The kettle trembled, the coffee nigh prepared.

    The sounds of the maid''s heels cking against the floorplimented it.

    Then, I remembered. It came flooding back like a river.

    As a six-year-old, two years before now, I had caused an ident causing a kettle of boiling water to fall on the youngest son of the Hall family''s head.

    I was ying around with my younger sibling when the mother of the child and the third wife ended up dropping boiling water on the small child due to a sudden jolt from me.

    It was an ident all around, but the wench twisted the story by saying that ''this motherless child is a psychopath, he''s jealous of the little one and tried to kill him!''

    In case one didn''t understand.

    The motherless child here referred to me, Mr. Eugene Hall. The head of the family, Count Hall was furious too, and on the insistence of his third wife, he had me sent to the faraway estate. Along with me was sent a young maid who had a bright career ahead of herself. As the one who had raised me since childhood, it was natural that she was med as well.

    Lily, the said maid''s apprentice was sent along with her.

    And Keith, who was an outcast in the knight order.

    After that incident, I, Eugene started harassing and pushing away the rest who were sent with me. They were frustrated too, but liked me at first. Eventually, that liking turned to dislike and then contempt as Eugene did not stop pushing their buttons.

    What a disgusting amount of irresponsibility showed not only by Marquis Hall but also by these kids here. In their defense, none of them were above the age of 20 and were still immature young children.

    Still, Eugene was surrounded by people who wouldn''t trust him or guide him. His turning into a petty viin in that Eroge was natural.

    Thinking on it now, though, ident or not, getting a toddler burnt was pretty horrible. I wouldn''t expect a 6-year-old to be able to avoid it, it was the third wife that should have been careful with 2 children.

    I sighed as I remembered everything. I admit, I was Eugene Hall and was more than willing to own up to my mistakes.

    But seriously? How brain dead were these guys?

    The kettle whistled.

    The maid stopped next to me and ced the cutlery down, biting her lips. How annoying.

    I slowly moved my hand and brushed off the hair from her forehead. I was standing on a stool, so she was within reach. I leaned closer, noticing the locks of ck on my hand.

    The maid widened her eyes.

    "Maria," that was her name. I remembered it while thinking back on my expulsion. "Do you want me to apologize?"

    I offered to say a word I did not like.

    It was a selfish word. A word that did not show any remorse or guilt.

    Personally, I thought repentance and remorse were to be disyed from one''s actions. Mistakes could only be ''corrected'' or ''made up'' for. In that equation, the emotional word did not hold any standing. It was nothing more than a shallow and selfish word that showed your intent to skirt responsibility and repentance.

    AND!

    Since all these guys were kids in the end, they definitely needed someone to show them how an adult handled problems.

    Did you say I was never an adult? Well fuck you then. I was 16, that''s old enough.

    I could just show them how to grow, and avoid saying sorry too.

    "Do you want me to say ''I am sorry''?" I asked again.

    With my palm still on her forehead, she lowered her head.

    Sorry.

    The word sucked. It hurt my ear.

    Essential as it may have been for rtionships, I never cared about those in the first ce.

    I raised her head with my palm and looked into her eyes.

    "I won''t apologize," I said.

    Don''t look at me like that, I wasn''t going to run away from my mistakes.

    "Just watch me instead."

 Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The to-be subordinate

    Maria took away the dishes for Lily and Keith. I moved to the dining room and indulged in mine. For a mansion that had only four people working everything was pretty pristine.

    The dining table with its wide marble stretching out from one corner to another was spotless and the chandeliers hanging in the room didn''t have a speck of dust on them. My feet sunk inside the fluffy carpet with each step as I took a seat at the head of the table and indulged in my meal alone.

    A lot of thoughts did enter my mind. Like what exactly I was doing here and what was the fate of the others, but what was important was whatever was on hand.

    As for the transmigration. Did that dragon have something to do with it? I hoped not, then everyone would be fucking off from Earth.

    Once I was done, I wiped my mouth, took the dishes back to the kitchen, and cleaned them up.

    Lily had mentioned some sses. I didn''t know what was up for me that well, so I walked out of the kitchen and to the front door.

    I had no idea what room or what ss I had to take, so this would be the best way to go. I''ll wait for whoeveres to teach at the front door and follow them back.

    My n spurred into action right away. I passed through the waving des of grass gracefully over the stone path as I found myself in front of the metal doors of the main entrance. These were slightly worn out and rusted, four people could definitely not maintain a mansion. Or should it be three?

    I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, since I was waiting anyway, I thought it would be a good time to work on my mana. Not like I had not been doing it.

    It was necessary to expand my mana circuit, so I had been pumping my mana through them at all times. As my mana swirled around in my core, I started feeling a throb in my dantian.

    "What the hell...?"

    My eyes opened up reflexively at the strange sensation. "Ki...? This body has Ki too?"

    As Yujin, I was a pure-magic-based awakener and hunter. I managed to ovee the shorings of my physical body by refining my mana all the way to the Aether stage and infusing it into my body, but the difference between the levels of Ki and the levels of mana for physical development was way too apparent.

    To think this body would be a dual type. It wasn''t anything rare to find a dual type. But for ME to be a dual type, now that was something even god wouldn''t ever want.

    I held in my smile. I was going to enjoy figuring out the way of Ki as well. Right as I was thinking so, a set of footsteps rang in front of me.

    I immediately ced my hand on my chest and smiled. "You are here, teacher, I came to greet you."

    The first teacher to havee in was a bulky man wearing clothes ofmon people and not of nobility.

    "Heh? What''s this? Did our dear young master eat a bug?"

    I looked up and frowned. I had no way of recognizing the face, but someone this unpleasant couldn''t be a teacher for a Marquis'' son.

    "Well then, who are you?" I asked, regaining the disinterest in my voice.

    "Young master did eat a bug, right?" The man said. He looked hugepared to my body. My head barely reached his stomach. It irked me a bit.

    "Small man, just name yourself."

    "Pfft. Did this brat just call me small man?!" The man then pped his chest and lowered his face. "It''s Keith, the only reason you''re living safe and sound, young master."

    Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he called me young master after calling me a brat.

    "Oh, so you''re Keith?"

    "For reals? Are you acting like we''re strangers?"

    He had a bulky yet lean body. He was a bit too tall. That there were only four people in the mansion was too convenient for me. I didn''t have to worry about recognizing people at all.

    "Alright, I am not interested in you anymore," I said. "You may go back."

    "Pfft!" Keithughed again. I looked into his eyes. He clenched his fist and brought them swerving down.

    I easily dodged his fist that approached my head and looked at him with disdain.

    "What are you doing, loser?"

    Keith stuttered on his words.

    "You dodged that... It was too fast for a kid...?"

    "The knights of Hall call THAT fast?" I tilted my head to the side and sighed. "What a shame."

    The man startedughing at my words.

    His small chuckle grew into a boisterousugh as he pulled his waist back and held his hand whileughing, the disdain in my eyes only growing stronger.

    "Hey young master, do you want to train with me sometime?"

    Hm, I slightly understood why he was called an outcast when he looked down at me again. This guy''s mood flip-flopping was one thing, but as far as the mind went, he was capable. Where the other two maids or pretty much anyone would be confused, this guy figured out the situation and even asked me to join him.

    "What can you teach me, slow and small man?" I asked, smirking.

    Keith huh, he might be an interesting guy. I had some hopes for him.

    "What do you want to learn? I bet you can''t do any martial arts or swing a sword."

    "Please. I can do them both better than you would in a hundred years."

    Keithughed again. "Yes, yes, I don''t doubt our talented young master at all. How about using your Ki then? Well, I doubt you have¡ª"

    "Are you good?" I interrupted him.

    Keith grinned.

    "Very good."

    I lifted my hand and he sped it back.

    "Deal. Tomorrow morning, I''ll sate your curiosity and you can teach me about Ki."

    "My, my, young master has grown perceptive. Deal it is, just don''t cry afterward."

    Saying that, Keith simply passed me by. He was surely not fit to be a knight with that attitude of his, but that''s what made him fun. As he went away, I realized I still had to think of the sses, so I called out to the man.

    "Hey, Keith! Tell me where I need to attend lessons first!"

    "Whaat?" Keith answered back without looking at me, he dismissively waved his hands as he walked away. "How in the world would I know? I''ll just send Lily for you."

    That works too.

 Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Many Talents of the Strongest Man (2)

    Lily came over in no time at all.

    "Young master!" she called out.

    I smiled and grabbed her hands as she came over to calm her down.

    "You shouldn''t run like this, my precious healing ve¡ªI mean, maid."

    Lily nodded while panting. Her hands trembled slightly and so did her voice.

    "Lily, what and where are the lessons I have to attend, huh?" I wasn''t uninterested in the lessons.

    The world had an undeniable fact, just like abs, Knowledge was Power! The strongest man in the world should naturally also be the most knowledgeable.

    It was the natural course of events. Natural, natural. Learning the different subjects and history of this world was integral. Even if 7 chapters had passed, this was still my first day in the world of this damn Eroge after all.

    "I''ll take you there, Young master... you shouldn''t have run off."

    "Don''t worry about it, just lead the way."

    At my words, Lily bowed and started walking. I had already let go of her hand, but she hadn''t left mine, so I give it a quick little shake and pulled it back.

    Lily and I passed by the mansion walls, from the paintings and sculptures to the marble stairs and finely carved gothic railings, we ignored them all and reached the third floor of the mansion. She led me to a room at the furthest corner of the floor that was a bit smaller than the two below.

    The room she opened up was a decently sized room with a red carpet ced on the ground and beautiful paintings on the walls again.

    The closets and desks were clean without a speck of dust and the giant window right across the door gave the view of the backside of the mansion, stretching into the rows of woods behind the ce. Smack dab in the center of the room, a beautiful white piano stood loftily.

    My heart raced when I saw the instrument.

    "Is the first lesson Piano?"

    "Correct. I know you dislike it... but please be patient¡ª"

    I scoffed and walked over to the piano.

    "It''ll be a bit before the teacher arrives, right?"

    Lily nodded slightly. "He should be here any minute."

    I grazed my hand over the piano, the touch of it making my heart beat faster.

    Eugene Hall hates the piano... huh?

    How strange that was.

    There was nothing that Yujin loved more, after all. I sat down on the seat and lifted my fingers above the keys, taking in a deep breath. Something calming...?

    "Lily, be a good audience and sit still, alright? I''ll y a neat song."

    "You can y a song already? Aren''t you learning scales?"

    "Pfft. Tell me if you recognize this one."

    I had made my decision. A good start, had to be.

    Fantaisie Impromptu.

    ***

    Maria was wiping down the dining table. Despite theck of manpower, it went against her conscience to not take care of ces her master visited, drifted apart as they were. Her ck eyes shone in the reflection on the white marble table as she spread her hands over it.

    Today, that very young master of hers had changed. He was acting mature, unlike he had ever before.

    She suspected he was even more dashing than his eldest brother, or even the count, not like those were big bars. Deep within his eyes, she could see the same spirit that she had seen in her first master and the child''s mother.

    She recalled that person as her eyes fell on her reflection. Her pristine face and jaded skin were beautiful to the point that even nobledies would double back after looking at her, it was a natural form of beauty that people rarely seemed to see with perfect features.

    But she herself wasn''t aware of her beauty that would make even pure ascetics reconsider their values for a chance to talk with her.

    The only thing she could see was the mixture of guilt and hatred that she had been seeing for the past years in her eyes.

    She disliked the young master that had troubled her so, she disliked her young master who showed no signs of being redeemable, she disliked her young master who disliked, she disliked her young master that took away her first master and his mother by being born.

    But she also loved him all the same. She couldn''t stand herself disliking him. She was guilty  and disgusted at herself who thought that way about the child she raised herself.

    Maria could feel her eyes filling up.

    ¡ªDUN

    She heard it.

    The sound of the piano.

    Soft notes started filling the silence the first one had made.

    High-pitched sounds of the treble clef came rushing out of the piano, slowly picking up speed. The bass seemed to be shaking the air in the mansion, and with it her heart.

    The intensity of the sounds grew with measure after measure. Like a tempest rising through the ground and evolving into a storm, the music etched itself into her mind and soul.

    Maria''s hands weakened, and she dropped the rag. Her back straightened as her heart made her stand still in ce. The music thralled her, and not just her as even the birds and animals outside had shut up.

    The first act went to a crescendo... and then followed a drop.

    Like an eclipse forming above the skies, the moodpletely changed. The previous tempest settled into a calming breeze reminiscent of the cold wind of spring. The corner of her lips tugged up as her head swayed to the music.

    As if entranced by the sounds, Maria moved. Her heart pulled her closer to the sounds. She found herself stepping out of the dining room and then up the stairs. Even when the sound intensified, it would calm down.

    The second act reminded her of the past.

    Scenes of the years gone by breezed through her eyes. When she held her young master in her hands when he would cry, and when she would lightly pat him. Like a mother calming a perturbed child, tension filled the music only to be sated the next moment. Her feet carried her up.

    The music teacher that had been assigned to her lord was also there on the stairs. He had stopped in his tracks, his eyes widened at the sounds.

    Their meeting broke them out of their slight trance, or it seemed as if it had, for the two of them didn''t share a word but rushed up the stairs. They passed through the floors, careful to not have their feet be loud. As they reached the top floor, they ran into the red-haired charming hunk of a man named Keith.

    That person who seemed aloof and uninterested was now smiling wildly in front of the room with the piano. The teacher and Maria walked over to the end of the passageway and in front of the room.

    The music picked up pace. The eclipse was gone and tension filled the notes that came gushing out of the piano keys. Their eyes widened and their feet stuck to the ground at the call back to the first act of the music, and then the variation leading up to the change.

    The piece wasing to a climax.

    The tension-filled notes went deeper.

    The sated child had started crying again, and the mother was nowhere to be seen.

    It went faster and faster leading up to the final crescendo of the piece.

    And then, just as suddenly, the sounds calmed down.

    A streak of tears dropped down from Maria''s eyes as the piece came to a calming end.

    The child had stopped crying.

    After two long years, the child had stopped crying.

 Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Many Talents of the Strongest Man (End)

    Some old man pped.

    There were two more people here. I could recognize Maria viva maid uniform.

    "Enchanting! Young Lord Eugene, I never knew you could y like this! As your teacher, I am wholly impressed, moved to tears."

    "Sure, sure. Name?"

    The old man tilted his head to his side. He did introduce himself as the teacher, so I didn''t care that much for the name.

    The other person in the room was Keith. I was surprised that I managed to y the entire piece while circting mana in my body. Eugene''s fingers were rather dexterous, even with the few mistakes I made, it would be impossible toplete the entire thing without enough stamina and muscle memory.

    After that, things went by at a fast pace.

    ***

    "Oh, dear! What''s this memory? You might be a great archeologist or a historian if you keep learning these facts, young master!"

    "Indeed, those subjects are heavily dependent on your ability to make connections and be familiar with factual events. I am very interested in the Gods'' Age, teacher."

    "Of course! The gods that choose the oracles and apostles are the same ones who ruled over thesends and still protect us from the evil demons!"

    .

    .

    .

    "Math wizard! Young master has turned into a math wizard overnight!"

    "No way, I am not even half as good as you, teacher."

    .

    .

    .

    "What is this... magic formation? Array?"

    "Oh well, teacher, it is but a theory, please do help me realize it if you see any worth in it."

    "Don''t worry, young master! If need be, I''ll even call out to the elves and court mages, no, such genius, even sorcerers wille running to you!"

    "What territory would this fall in, teacher?"

    "You already know that magic is a well-defined and rule-bound art, witchcraft deals with hexes and curses, and the ever-mysterious sorcery is the ability to bend reality. Something this detailed will have to be a part of magic, but the effects you are reaching out for are almost in the zone of sorcery."

    .

    .

    .

    "Unbelievable! Such grace! Such elegance! Such poignancy! Young Master, at this rate, you can be the best dancer amongst the nobles."

    "Oh dear, you tter me, teacher. Would you allow me to indulge you in some tea, the dancing must have gotten to you."

    "Gentlemanly to boot!"

    .

    .

    .

    Day after day.

    The words of praise poured into my ears.

    But that was the veryst of my concerns.

    Strength.

    Power.

    I had learned a lot about how things went here. Just like in my old world, people here used Ki and Mana too. Except, there were also gods and demons, and fairies? Gods used Holy magic while Demons utilized Demonic Energy. They all lived in their own hells and heavens so it was impossible for any human to utilize them.

    The part that mattered was only here, in Mana and Ki.

    Mana utilization was divided into three halves based on the refinement and efficiency one reached.

    The normal Mana, more refined Aether, and most refined and powerful, Arcana.

    One then just had to add properties and attributes to Mana through the magic circles and it would be manifested. From raining fire to destroying things into bits, a lot was possible.

    My goal was, of course, to reach the Arcana stage and start affecting the rest of the world. But more importantly, there was another thing that took my interest.

    Ki.

    Just like Mana, it was divided into different stages too but not about refinement and more on its usage.

    Six stages. Charge Ki, Aura Ki, Projectile Ki, Manifest Ki, Intent Ki, and Soul Ki.

    I had heard from Keith that there was more, but it wasn''t mentioned in any books.

    For now, I could not even use Charge Ki.

    Power. Pure Power.

    That was the only thing that filled my mind.

    And before I knew it, in my pursuit of strength...

    Four years had already passed by.

    I was now 12 in this world.

 Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Battle

    A wintry breeze pushed past my hair.

    An autumn leaf slowly made its way down from the tree, joining the fallen piles of red and gold.

    "Young master..."

    A whistle spread through the air as Keith pulled his de out of his scabbard and brandished it. The air seemed to have been sliced through as the sword curved along an arc and stopped in front of my eyes.

    "Go! Young master!"

    "Bring that Keith bastard down a peg, young master!"

    From the sides, the voices of Lily and Maria reached my ears as the two cheered on me while sitting on some couches we had ced on the Veranda.

    I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, unsheathing my de.

    "Pfft. You girls, the young master is still a hundred years too early to defeat me!"

    "Really?" I said, carefully taking a stance with the tip of my de in front of my eyes. "You are just a punk, Keith. I bet I''ll hand you your ass."

    Keith smirked. "Can you only bber? Come at me already."

    Sure.

    A cloud of dust rose through the ground as I pumped my Ki in my feet and zapped through the ground. Catching Keith off-guard, I stopped in front of him in the blink of an eye and swung my sword upward. Keith blocked the blow without much trouble, but his posture was shaken up. Why would anyone ever give up the first strike?

    Without hesitating for a moment, I lifted my leg and sent a low kick to his calf.

    Keith shuffled back and dodged the kick, shaking up the sword arm to break out of our deadlock.

    I dived in again, and a storm of sword strikes broke out. Like the bangs of a drum, the sound of metal hitting against metal filled the skies as our swords met each other faster than a normal person''s eye could move.

    Keithunched a downward strike, I redirected it with my sword and closed in for a stab. At that moment, he switched things up by swinging a punch at my face.

    Right as I stopped the punch, a kick came rushing toward my abdomen. I held my sword in front and blocked the kick, but was pushed back, leaving a trail through the ground below.

    "Young master." Keith held his sword in front of him, he held his zweihander with one hand while touching the base of the de with the other. "If you won''t get serious, then I will."

    As his hand coursed through the de, a reddish glow started oozing out from the sword. Charge Sword... huh?

    The glow that seemed to be wrapping the sword eventually started flowing into it, almost as if imbuing itself within the de. Sword Aura!

    Keith pulled his hand away from the tip of the de and held the sword in both his hands. His sword arced mid-air.

    I gripped my dius tighter and slowly engaged my mana core.

    "You better dodge, young master."

    Keith''s eyes held no pretense. He was out for blood. What could he do from this distance¡ª

    My thoughts were stopped in their track. Swifter than the wind, Keith brandished his sword and a wave of red energy came sting out at me.

    Keith had already gone a step beyond Sword Aura and was using Projectile Ki. I didn''t have the chance to voice my surprise as I stretched my palm forward in front of the oing wave of crimson.

    "[Honeb Defense]"

    Translucent hexagons formed around my palm like a honeb imbued with holy-element magic, the hexagons served as shields.

    Sparks flew out at point-nk range as Keith''s Projectile Ki and my mana shield shed against each other. I moved the seven hexagons to my will and intercepted every twist and turn the Ki attack took.

    Jumping out from my blind spot, Keith had already narrowed the distance between us and was swinging his sword at my waist. The sword aura in his de gleamed like a hawk''s eyes staring down its prey.

    My feet hopped off to a backflip. My body turned through the air while my hand coursed up my de. Purple Ki infused itself inside the dius.

    Inded back on my feet. Keith closed in again, but it was my turn to go on the offensive. The shields of the honeb defense gathered around the knight and rammed into his joints.

    Keith''s posture faltered.

    At that moment, I shed against him again. My sword left a scratch on Keith''s cheek. Instead of defending, Keith brought his sword toward my stomach instead.

    This bastard was leveraging his height.

    I had no choice but to jump and make some distance in front of his sword that hid no killing intent.

    "Bastard." I smiled and shook my sword arm that was tingling from the shes. "Projectile Ki at 23? What kind of absurd monster are you?"

    "Fucking hell?" Keith grinned and answered back. "Should you even be saying that? When did you learn Sword Aura!? Twelve-year-old monster."

    The chant wasplete.

    I snapped my fingers and looked at him again.

    "[ze Rain]"

    Fire-element magic circles formed in the air above us. Before Keith could react, balls of fire came gushing down from the skies. The zing balls haphazardly fell down in the yard of the mansion and Keith broke into a dance to avoid them all, shing and striking away any that would hit him while dodging the rest.

    I shifted my gaze to the side to see Maria and Lily casually enjoying some peanuts while watching the fight. Whatever sparks went their way collided against an invisible wall around the mansion and faded away.

    Keith closed in. He swung his sword.

    "Rise. [Earth Wall]"

    A wall of earth formed between the two of us. He promptly destroyed the wall.

    But I wasn''t sitting around. I lowered my stance and came stabbing the sword up from his blind spot beyond the Earth Wall.

    "Damn it!" Keith screamed and shifted his grip on his sword. He narrowly avoided the sword stab, letting his hair be caught in it. "[Azure Nine sh!]

    His sword came crashing down.

    It split halfway through its path. Then again, and then again. In the blink of an eye, nine des were out for my neck. I infused more of the aura in my de and struck toward the sky. It was aplete brute force counter to his skilled move.

    A brute force counter I could perform with my abundant Ki.

    A sh of purple and red blinded the two of us. Dozens of stings spread through my body and a giant force emerging from my sword pushed me back. I soared through the air and twisted in the air tond back on my feet, pushing another trail down on the ground.

    When I opened my eyes, Keith was standing much further from before with cuts all over his body as well. His condition was much better than mine.

    "Let''s end this now, Keith."

    That didn''t mean I had lost.

    "Bring it, young master!"

    I ced two of my fingers on the base of my de.

    My mana core pumped out my purified mana while my dantian surged the Ki in my body. My veins and mana circuit pumped at once, all of their energy coalescing at the tip of my fingers.

    Slowly, very slowly, and carefully, I merged the two opposing internal forces into my de.

    "[Synergy...]"

    Keith shuddered. Still grazing my finger up the dius, I took a bold step forward, and then another, and then eventually broke into a sprint.

    Ki surged from Keith as he prepared all his internal energy to take on the blow. My finger was almost at the tip of my sword. The white de gleaming purple was now filled with two opposing energies forced to merge into one. The coagtion of the forces sent whirs through my de as a ck light filled it.

    My hand quaked in front of the force, but my lips were tugged up in a smile.

    As I approached closer and closer, Keith''s mouth opened wider and sweat started forming over his body. "Y-young master!? The mansion might not be able to take it¡ª"

    "[WORLD...]"

    I lowered my stance.

    "[....END]"

    Light disappeared from my eyes. Only my de and my target were within my sight.

    "[SLAS¡ª]"

    ¡ªBOOM!

    An enormous explosion broke out from my hand. My eyes shed white before cking outpletely and my body wasunched away.

    "Young master!!"

    "Young master!?"

    Two shrill voices entered my ear.

    Argh, this throbbing in my dantian and core. The pain all over my body...

    I slowly lifted myself up and opened my eyes.

    In the ground where Keith and I were about to face off, was an enormous craterrge enough to make another pond.

    Lily and Maria came rushing to my side from the veranda. Their voices dripped with concern.

    "Tsk. I failed."

    As I muttered, Lily came next to me and got down on her knees. She gently touched my head and my chest.

    "Sir Keith! Did you have to be so brash!?"

    "What?! That brat did it to himself!! Heck, I am the victim, I almost died here!"

    I scoffed. No way would Keith die from just that. I would have to do it twice.

    Much to his chagrin, though, Lily seemed to have taken my scoff as a way of saying that the responsibilityy with Keith after all. She puffed her cheeks and worriedly started touching my head all over.

    I held her hands and pulled them away.

    "Healing sl¡ªLily... Don''t worry, these are minor injuries. Just heal the ones on the surface."

    "O-oh! Got it!" Lily flushed and nodded her head while Maria too crouched down and gently touched my wounds. Was I a damn exhibition here?

    Unlike my initial impressions, the more she trained with it, the crazier she got with healing magic.

    "Bring happiness and prosperity on this faithful child of god, [Heal]"

    A magic circle formed around her palms and a gentle, soothing light emerged from it. The light seeped into my wounds and the pain started fading away as the wounds closed up.

    Right then, a loud bang came spreading through the mansion grounds.

    "Open up!!"

    "Open the damn doors!"

    My eyebrows perked.

    What was this now?

 Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Brewing Troubles around the Hall Mansion

    "Keith." I gestured at him with my chin.

    Just like I would expect from someone who understood me more and more the more we exchanged our des, Keith lowered his Zweihander and walked over to my position to have Lily heal him.

    I, on the other hand, who had already had my surface injuries treated, went to check out the noise with Maria.

    "Young master, I think you should stay in." Maria voiced her concern as the sounds of the mob grew louder.

    We passed through the Veranda and went back inside the mansion to leave through the front gate and then move to the entrance of the estate. I shook my hand and dismissed Maria''s worries. At that point, Maria let out a short breath from her mouth.

    She did this every time she smiled. It served well for someone like me who couldn''t remember people''s faces.

    As we reached the entrance of the estate, the figures of about a dozen or so young men and women entered my sight. All of them had dirt in their hair and their clothes were torn down to rags, sewed up with great effort.

    I knew the mansion of the Hall family was in a vige that did not have any of our subordinate counts, earls, or barons looking after it, but I couldn''t get much else from the teacher that came by in a carriage every second day to teach me about the geopolitics of the Kingdom of Schwarz.

    That said, there was no way that beggars woulde up to this ce and make a fuss.

    "Open the doors!" One man on the outside screamed.

    "Nobody is looking after our vige! How long do you want us to go hungry?"

    "You, white hair! Give us your food in an hour or we''ll storm in! Our children are dying!"

    I crossed my arms at their words and raised my brow.

    Look. At. This.

    They''ve got all the elements of an effective request down! Context, specificity, time frame, and subsequent consequences.

    I was impressed, to say the least. But they were still making a fuss at my door. How would that reflect on my track record as the to-be strongest in the world?

    I walked closer to the entrance. Maria seemed to want to stop me but held herself back. With just the door keeping the mob away from me, their voices and threats grew louder.

    "Damn nobles! Aren''t you supposed to look after us?!"

    "Bring the head! If we''re going to die anyway, then we''ll fight and die!"

    Right then, I took over the control of the mana in the air surrounding the mob.

    This was the difference that made Ki and Mana opposing forces, while Ki came from within one''s existence, Mana was ever-present.

    Immediately, the manapressed the air around them and started pressing down on their bodies. The sudden concentration of hostile mana usurped the mana their bodies subconsciously imed as their own and ced immense pressure on them.

    "Gah!"

    "Argh..."

    A smile crept on my face as the mob fell to its knees. Men and women, old and young, none were spared from my presence. When they couldn''t open their mouths from the pressure anymore, I spoke up.

    "Fools."

    I ced my hand on the door and pulled it open. The metal door creaked as the few people who could still hold themselves looked up in surprise.

    "There, the door is open. What are you going to do now?" I walked out of the door and stopped right in front of the mob. With my hands behind my back, I stared them all down. "Go on, do what you wanted to. Barge in and take whatever you want."

    As I spoke, I further increased the pressure I was putting down on them. The vigers stuck to the ground while groaning.

    These guys. I understood they were facing a problem, but another important part of making a request was politeness. That set it apart from a threat.

    A lesson was due. As they were, any other fucker would have had them killed already. And what would that have achieved? Their children would have gone hungrier yet.

    "If you had attacked a baron or even a knight, something might have been alright. But do you know which ce this is?" I modted my voice and ended with a pause. Just as the tension in the ce rose, I continued in a whisper. "It''s the mansion of a Marquis, and I, am the son of a Marquis."

    I could hear gaspsing out from the crowd, gasps that made my smile widen.

    "Maria..." I called out without turning back.

    "Yes, your highness?"

    Perfect.

    "What is the sentence for threatening a noble, much less a Marquis of the Kingdom of Schwarz?"

    "It is a direct insult to the kingdom and the royalty on top of your esteemed highness. For such a crime... beheading would be considered too kind a punishment."

    I didn''t have to say much, the trembling people down at my feet were sign enough. Still, I decided to drive the nail in.

    "The door is open," I repeated in a very calm tone. "Go on, do what you want."

    That was when I realized my mistake.

    There was no point in pushing down the people who were already on the brink of death. I had underestimated the extent of their resolve and the depths of their hunger. Not just one or two, but almost a dozen of the people were clenching their teeth and fists and trying to stand up.

    Pushing them further would only take the momentum away from me. I took in a deep breath.

    It wasn''t like I was going to leave them like this anyway.

    People going hungry. Children dying. Their desperation toe at the doors of a noble and fight.

    I wasn''t punishing them foring to threaten me, no. I was getting at them for forfeiting their lives bying to attack a noble of this kingdom. Would it had been anyone else, all of their heads would have been rolling on the grounds. If they didn''t know I was a noble then that was even worse. Ignorance and brashness were sins of mankind.

    If they were dead, what would happen to their children? Of the ones left behind?

    Anger was irrational. But before being irrational, it was selfish.

    I despised it.

    I called out to Keith who hade up to the entrance with Lily a while back.

    "Keith, take Lily with you and bring out the food. Bring out everything except the bare minimum." At that moment, I rxed some of the pressure I was putting down on them with my mana.

    "Wh-what...?"

    "Did he say food?"

    "Lily knows where the food is¡ª"

    "¡ªAnd you''ll know better to bring out everything. Get going."

    Keith didn''t pose any objections, he only smirked and walked away with Lily following behind him. The gasps of the people who were on their knees were filled with shock and surprise, but the shock and surprise were magnitudes more pleasant than the one before.

    "Maria..." I called to the one waiting behind me while ignoring the mob of people ahead.

    "Yes, your highness."

    I was definitely irked by the people of the vige...

    "Prepare the carriage, we''ll be going to the vige and see things for ourselves."

    "Understood, please give me a moment."

    ... but the ones that let the vige get to such a state irked me more.

 Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Piteous Village

    The carriage came to a screeching halt. I opened my eyes and looked at Lily and Maria sitting in the back with me when the door of the carriage was knocked on.

    "We''re here," Keith said, opening the door for us.

    I let him escort the twodies first and then jumped down at the end. Then, Keith gestured at some of the vigers who had formed the mob to take out the rations from the carriage. With my arms still crossed, I looked down at the vige from a distance.

    Worn-out shanties and huts filled the ce as far as the eye could see. Few children with cheeks as thin as their bones ran around but not even half as fast as one would expect kids to. When they saw their parentsing back with a carriage, their eyes widened and they ran over to them.

    Some stables were built up on the sides, a few of them had dead cows while some others had dying horses and bulls.

    The ancients from the broken homes came rushing out at themotion, and their eyes widened as well at the sight of the carriage.

    "Mother! Mother, what is all this?"

    I saw one child screaming at a woman, who only got down on her knees and pulled the child into a tight embrace.

    Simr scenes broke out everywhere as the people of the mob that had barged into my home went back to their own and shared sweet tears with their loved ones. I didn''t miss one of the mobs slyly walking over to the person with the deepest hunch and exining things.

    "Oh! Great Marquis." The old man walked over to us and bowed in front of me. He went down on his knees and held back his tears.

    "How, how can we ever repay this? You have saved the lives of all our children, how can we repay this?"

    Idiot was appealing to me. We both knew there were more people here than the food couldst with.

    "What happened here?" I ignored his words and asked.

    "Lord, we were already a poor vige. The magistrate from the next town over sent a publican once a year and took away most of our growth. Lord, times became tougher each passing day for five years. Rain lessened, our crops deteriorated. We were struggling to feed ourselves, let alone pay our taxes."

    For a man so old, he spoke with great fluency. A testament of his desperation. He looked up and stared at my eyes.

    "Lord, the time came for us as well. The rain was abundant this year, and the crops were flourishing! It was the greenest we had seen our fields in ages... But then, a few weeks before harvest, a swarm of locusts attacked the vige."

    Fuck.

    "Our grains... our crops... they didn''t even leave the food our animals ate, what were we to get? Lord, we didn''t have anything to feed our young, nothing to keep our youth going. The animals that died caught diseases, eating even them was no better than swallowing our deaths. We old ones could do it, but how could we feed death to our children?"

    At that point, almost all of them broke into tears. The woman hugging her child before started sobbing, and so did her child. People all around me were crying, most of them, though, were tearsing down at the sight of hope.

    The longer I heard them, the more annoyed I got.

    Just what were these bastards thinking, charging into a suicide operation like that?

    What were they doing, giving up on their lives when they still held this much hope?

    "Lord... we can''t ever repay... what you have done..."

    Finally, the old man lost his pith and his voice cracked.

    "You don''t have to," I said and turned away. "It''s a noble''s duty to look after the people."

    I think I heard some surprised sounds, but I ignored it.

    "Let''s go, we''re leaving."

    I stopped in front of the carriage and extended my hand to Lily and Maria, after escorting them in, all of us got inside the carriage and Keith hit it up. The horses neighed and started dashing through the path again.

    As long as I could see the vige, those people were still kneeling with their heads down.

    After some time passed by inside the carriage, I closed my eyes and crossed my legs. At that time, Maria spoke up, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

    "Young master," she said. "There were about 80 people in that vige, the food will barelyst them a week even if they ration."

    "I am aware."

    "The money we get from the estate is also not nearly enough to keep them fed."

    Then, the small wooden window that kept the coach away from the coachman unsped and Keith''s voice came ringing in. He scoffed and spoke to Maria. "You think our young master didn''t think those things through? Ask the more important question, the more important one."

    Lily and Maria tilted their heads to the side while I opened one eye and stared at Keith''s back, resisting the smile that threatened to fill my face.

    "What important question?" Lily asked.

    Keith held the reins with one hand and supported himself with the other as he turned back and faced me through the small window. "Young master, how much authority are you nning to gain here?"

    I smirked and rested my back on the cushion of the carriage.

    "Enough to threaten the Marquis," I said. "Just watch, we''re going to flip this ce on its heels."

 Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Beginning of Planning

    "Nina! Where are you?"

    "Nina?"

    "Bwaah!" A child jumped out from behind a closet and screamed out loud.

    The mother of the child yelped and fell to her back, the floorboard below creaking wildly. In the next moment, the young mother puffed her cheeks and pouted.

    "Nina, bad girl!"

    "Ehehe..." Nina, the child scratched her cheek and wrapped her arms around her mother.

    The mother smiled and hugged her child back. "Nina," she said. "Don''t go out to y now, the sun is about to set. It''s too dark in the night to even stay in the home."

    "Yup, I also moved any small things from the floor before you came."

    A smile tugged at the lips of the mother as she started stroking the child''s head lovingly.

    "We''ll go out and eat with the entire vigeter, around a biiig campfire."

    Nina pulled back from her mother and spread her hands to the side "Biiiiig campfire?!"

    The mother spread her arms even wider than Nina''s and repeated. "Biiiig campfire!"

    "Yay!"

    "We have a lot of food now, so eat your fill, ok?" saying that, the mother embraced her child again, wiping away the small drop of tear that glistened near her eye.

    ***

    It was sundown by the time we reached back in the mansion. Today was a free day from the sses anyway since I and Keith had decided to spar. Just the day before, I had already finished multiple of my courses and their teachers had left. Now, only the magic, music, and discipline teachers had any business with me.

    As we stepped out of the carriage, Maria decided to move first and check exactly how much Keith had given away while I, Lily, and Keith went up to the study in the mansion.

    We opened the door to the study and the wide room with red carpets and mahogany walls entered our sight. I walked over in the light of the setting sun seeping in from the window that covered the entire wall and settled down on the sofa. Keith took a spot on the double-seater sofa adjacent to mine while Lily pulled out a box of matches and started lighting up the candles in the room.

    "Lily, darling."

    "Y-yes!?"

    "Brew some tea instead, would you? Have this jackass help you."

    I snapped my fingers and a small spark spread through the room, lighting up all the dozens of candles one after the other.

    "Fucking magic control monster..." Keith left a sour remark as he walked over to Lily. I had no reason to use my magic like this other than to piss Keith off. What else did he expect from someone who''s control was good enough to remove all impurities from his body? I even had my experience as Yujin, I didn''t mean to brag, but I was the very best in this field.

    I smirked and closed my eyes again.

    We were close to the border, that was certain. But it wasn''t close enough to see another country or even be in any danger, that ce was handled well by the Margrave in his territory that was actually adjacent to it. The territory of the Hall fiefdom was about a week away from the mansion, but the counts and barons in the way there were direct subordinates of the Hall Marquis.

    In a way, it was this specific territory around the mansion that was close to the Margrave''s territory, and by extension, the Ediab forest that was between the Schwarz and the adjacent country.

    The underdevelopment of the viges around didn''t make that much sense to me. Most certainly, for two people of equal rank in the kingdom, there would be fiercepetition. It wasn''t like we were from the theocracy or something, the people here were hellbent on one-upping each other, and what was a better way to do so than by showing off your might at the border itself?

    I stood up and walked over to the closet in the study, after retrieving a map, I spread it on the table in front of the sofas and stared at it. It wasn''t a very detailed map, but it did the trick for now. I had seen the map multiple times, but this would be my first time observing it with a goal in mind. Just the change in mindset revealed a lot of details one would generally miss.

    Surely, the viges around and the mansion itself were rather small when it came to the big scheme of things. Moreover, the two fiefs shared another border further up north with a strait passing through them and moving into the Duke of Mirxa''s territory.

    The Margrave would naturally keep themerce side of his territory near the strait, and that was also where the territory of our direct subordinate count.

    Still, for them topletely ignore this ce to the point of people facing starvation. It wasn''t the Marquis'' fault, but rather the responsibility of the baron ruling the next town over. Marquis'' fief or not, that guy was obviously tasked to take care of this distantnd on top of his own. But would the Marquis ignore it just because the baron wasn''t looking after it?

    I crossed my legs and thought some more.

    To have your people be pushed this far, you would either have to be a hapless fool or a helpless one.

    Helpless...

    I noticed something odd in the map right then.

    I had been talking about thebyrinth found in the Hall territory and thebyrinth city being made around it, but there was not a single mention of the ce on the maps.

    "Hey, Keith..." I called out.

    "No, actually, I can''t take you to a brothel, even to drink."

    "Heh!? Young master, that''s a no-no! You absolutely can''t go to such a ce!"

    What the hell were they on about. Before I could speak up, the door to the study opened and Maria sneaked in. I could see a ck cloud rising from behind her.

    "Keith bastard! You are trying to sully our young master!?"

    "Haah, Keith. When was thebyrinth in our territory discovered?" It was better to ignore these clowns.

    "Hm? Five years ago. Not in the map?"

    About the same time that the situation started deteriorating here. Now things made more sense.

    "Oh wait, before that!" Maria shouted, remembering something. "HOW CAN YOU GIVE AWAY ALL THE FOOD, DUMBASS?!"

    "Let''s just catch something!"

    I was going to have to hunt today.

 Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Conference

    All four of us sat in the study again. A sweet aroma wafted from the tes of pheasant meat we had prepared. The sun had already gone away and the stars were twinkling up in the sky.

    "So, let''s begin this strategy meeting," Maria said.

    "As per the Young Master''s requirements, what we need first and foremost is somerge and liquified capital to sustain the vige."

    "And a cigarette."

    "I''d like to try one too." I wondered how cigarettes were in this world, as Yujin, the cigarettes I knew of had arge amount of nicotine to get the smoking hunters high.

    "Excuse me? Did the young master say he wanted a cigarette?"

    "Big sis Maria, I suggest we behead Keith today itself. What about poisoning him in his sleep and then going for the swing?"

    "Try me anytime. I''ll give you special consideration and only use a finger to fend you off."

    "We''ll also need to make long-term investments," I said. "I am not going to end this by getting these people through the next harvest. What we need to do is to usurp all this potential money while we still have the chance."

    I wasn''t one to care about money like this, but being the strongest person would require you to have more than enough to get your way wherever, isn''t it? Hah, if we could be hunters, it would be easy to go into a gate and get a ton of money at once...

    "Keith. How much do magic stones go for?"

    "Hm?" Keith tilted his head to the side. "Depends, but to get enough you''ll need around 30 C-Grade magic stones."

    "30 stones just to feed the people!?" Lily eximed. She was twirling her head in circles, probably confused. "Just how much will the people eat?"

    "Tsk, kid. Of course, we''re also taking growth into consideration. What after they have food? Life doesn''t end there."

    C Grade was pretty tough already. Under the instructions of the adventurer''s guild that was set in ce by the Domham Empire, all monsters, dungeons, andbyrinths were set up on an S to F ranked grading scale. Dragons and the like went far above the grading scale, naturally.

    "Where will you even find monsters, young master?" Keith said. "I doubt there''ll be any around."

    "We have a ce, don''t we? The Ediab forest."

    So what if the ce fell under the Margrave''s territory? It won''t be a crime as long as no one knows.

    "Maria, Lily, I and Keith will be going to the forest and handling the monsters. Keith, I believe you must be registered with the adventurer''s guild?"

    "Don''t worry for a second, I''ve got it covered."

    I nodded and turned back to the two again. "Of course, we can''t rely on the magic stones to keep us supplemented long enough for the people to get on their feet, but it''ll handle many things for us. For a longer investment... Maria, it''s time to push out that book."

    "Already?"

    "Now is the perfect time."

    Maria nodded.

    "I''ll leave handling the old man to you."

    "I''ll take care of it, young master."

    "Keith, we''ll leave first thing tomorrow."

    We had a long day ahead of us now.

 Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Stamp for Profit

    The old piano instructor walked through the metal gates of the Hall mansion on the outskirts with a satisfied smile. His long tail coat fluttered in the wind as he rubbed the tip of his gray mustache under his monocle, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. At first, after teaching the two children of Hall the piano, his assignment to the third child in the outskirts came as a shock to the old man.

    Where was Icking? He wondered at that time. Geniuses they weren''t, but the two children of Hall were splendid when it came to the arts. His education surely wasn''tcking, so why would he be assigned to the failure bum who didn''t even live with the rest of the family?

    Oh, how much of a fool he was back then.

    Who would have guessed, that when that very failure bum decided to get serious, he would leave even this experienced yer of 40 years in the dust? Even if the young Eugene Hall didn''t have the same skill or grasp over the instrument as him, his talent for creating music was unprecedented! He was a geniusposer!

    The old man was honestly bitter about it, but eventually realized that he would have the title of the ''teacher of the geniusposer,'' and let it be.

    He was sure that the young Eugene Hall would always be tied to him, why would he go elsewhere when he was such a genius? The piano instructor had not a clue that Eugene''s magic, politics, dance, and even etiquette instructors were thinking the exact same thing.

    "Only someone blessed by god can change so much overnight, it''s all good for me though, hoho!" With such listless thoughts in his head, the old man passed through the mansion and was on his way toward the stairs leading up, when someone blocked his way.

    A ck dress with a white apron and sharp ck hair perfectly contrasting with the frilly skirt of the dress. The woman bowed gracefully, the mature and collected smile like roses adorning a beautiful vase. Comparing her looks to even those was an insult, the old man felt.

    His eyes were drawn to the fluttering sleeves of her clothes and then the modest ck bow settled on the apron above her chest. This beautiful woman who would make any man weak in their knees... the old man didn''t like her one bit.

    Every damn time he thought of getting along with his student and slowly tricking him into signing some deals and shows with him, this damn made would barge in with that pretty face of hers, smile like a fox, andpletely shut his proposal down.

    "Miss Maria, how are you doing today?" The old man asked. Instructor or not, Maria was a maid of a Marquis'' family, he had to be respectful.

    "Mr. Shilon, I have been doing well. Thank you for your consideration." Maria bowed deeper and then lifted her head in a smooth motion. "Unfortunately, the young master has left for an urgent matter today."

    What was this? Why wasn''t he informed firsthand? Shilon, the old man, held back his twitching eyebrow and spoke up.

    "I understand, then... I''lle again tomorrow¡ª" He turned around and was about to leave when he interrupted.

    "Before he left, he asked us to hand over apiled book of hispositions to you."

    When Shilon was a young man, his girlfriends would be pretty dissatisfied with his vigor. Even after multiple medications, Shilon''s girlfriends onlysted him through the day and left in the night. Had they seen him now they woulde running back. With a tenseness far exceeding that of a newly married man, Shilon turned back to the maid and screamed.

    "COMPOSITIONS!? HAND IT OVER!"

    In his daze, he didn''t notice the young maid making an ''ok'' circle with her hands.

    "Please, follow me to the reception room and I''ll bring it right away."

    "Do you think I can wait that long!? It is very urgent! VERY URGENT!"

    Maria only giggled and turned away from the fuming Shilon. At the same time, a younger maid who looked the same age as the young master came in from the side and guided the babbling old man to the reception room.

    The man took a seat on thevish couch, within moments, a tray filled with exquisite confectionaries and tea was ced in front of him, but he couldn''t pay them any heed. The thoughts of theposition book filled his mind. He eyed the door like a hawk staring down at a rat, and his prey walked in after five minutes which felt like five hours to him.

    He jumped off the seat and stood upright when his eyesnded on the bound sheets of paper.

    "The book!" He shouted, drooling at his face.

    Maria showed him a gentle smile and handed the book with one hand, the other hidden behind her back. Like a starving beggar seeing food for the first time in a week, Shilon pounced on the papers and flipped them open.

    "Oh! Ohhhh! It has some of the best and simplest pieces! Oh my god, this... people will kill for this!!"

    Before Shilon could read any further, the book was snatched away from his hands.

    "Now, then. Mr. Shilon," Maria said, taking the book behind her back, and drawing Shilon''s gaze with it. From the same hand, came out a scroll of papers with an official seal on it. "Please sign this deed first and we can let you take the book to a publisher."

    "What? Bring it here!"

    Shilon picked up the quill ced beforehand by Maria and dipped it in the ink. He skipped over reading the document and almost went to sign it, when his eyes fell on the figure written in very small letters.

    "100% of profits... will go to the author anonymously...?"

    "Is there a problem?" Maria asked, her smile as snake-like as ever.

    Shilon''s mind was in a jumble as he re-read the term over and over. Then, he lifted his head and sent a strained smile back at Maria.

    "Miss, it says 100% of the profits? Um, the publisher would like a share... and I would have to advertise and¡ª"

    "It also says that the profit share will be higher than the industry standard for the next publication."

    Her words were like sweet venom. Shilon was a caterpir stuck inside a spider''s web, and the way this spider wench closed in on him with each second didn''t help him one bit.

    Shilon took in a deep breath. Now wasn''t the time to back off, but to think. Think.

    Even if he didn''t negotiate for himself, a cut for the publisher. With a good arrangement with the publisher, he would be able to get some money as well. It wasn''t a big deal for Shilon to arrange for a publisher to sell the books, but with 0% of the profit? That was a challenge even for himself.

    "At least for the publisher... 20, no 10%! You should talk to the Marquis¡ª"

    "I''ll ask, Mr. Shilon." Maria was right next to his ears, her voice near a whisper. Sweat trickled down from pore in Shilon''s face. "Do you really want to be greedy now, and miss out on future money?"

    Shilon thought again. He was one of the biggest authorities in the kingdom when it came to music, it was a guarantee that Eugene Hall''spositions would be a great hit all over the continent.

    "But¡ª"

    Shilon''s words were interrupted again by a crinkling sound as Maria started rolling up the deed.

    "W-wait! What are you doing!?"

    "The young master instructed me to find someone else if you act like this. He understands that youck trust in his business..."

    Even if Maria said something after that, it didn''t enter Shilon''s mind.

    Not only was he losing this agreement, he was also having his rtionship with Eugene ruined. Shilon could absolutely, under no circumstances, let that happen. After swallowing his tears, he nodded meekly.

    "F-fine... I''ll sign it."

    Before Shilon could even finish speaking, the agreement was rolled open again and his thumb was soaked with ink. Maria firmly held his hand, her snake-like smile now closer than ever.

    "Now, stamp here."

    Despite her words, she pushed the old man''s hand on the paper. The old man himself bit his lips and stamped the agreement reluctantly. He felt his soul leave his body as he signed it.

    "I-I''ll be leaving..." he said, his eyes listless. Maria immediately ced the bound book on the table and stepped away from him, bowing again. Her snake-like smile was now reced by one befitting the charm of a person like her. Unfortunately, the old man didn''t have a shred of adoration for that.

    He sighed, picked up the document and the book, and walked out of the room.

    It was only when they heard the man leaving through the door did Maria and Lily sigh in relief.

    "Was this fine, big sister? The young master only said to negotiate for a 90-10 split."

    "It''s fine, it''s fine." Maria waved her hand and dismissed Lily''s words. "A better result will be appreciated, right?"

    Right then, they heard loud bangings on the door again. The man had closed the door after himself, and was trying to barge in again.

    "HEY!! OPEN UP!!" He screamed.

    "Oh, dear?"

    "What do you mean that the profit will be calcted from the publisher''s turnover?! And why does it say I have to bear 50% of the costs?! OPEN UP!"

    Lily saw a dark glimmer in Maria''s eyes as she cupped her cheeks and smiled.

    "It seems a dog is barking at our door. We should ignore it and it''ll go away."

    A shudder went down Lily''s spine.

    She decided never to get on Maria''s bad side.

 Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Quake! Ediab forest!

    -Snap.

    A twig snapped under my foot. Leaves crunched with every step we took as Keith and I passed through the thick overgrowth of the forest.

    I pushed away a few branches from my face and ducked under the trees to go deeper and deeper inside the forest.

    It was then. Under the dim and scant light of the sun that barely tore through the veil of leaves, a single blue creature fluttered from left to right.

    Its spherical body contracted and expanded in strange ways as it went ahead.

    "Is that a slime?" I asked, taking cover behind a bush.

    "Hm? Oh, it''s your first time seeing one right?"

    I stared at the almostical ck lines passing through the body for its eyes and mouth. Such cutesy monsters did not exist in any gates.

    "Do they have any magic stones?" I asked again. It was my first time seeing a monster as Eugene. Though I had raided many gates as a student of the pantheon, as the world-criminal Faceless, and as the mercenary Merci, the sight of a monster sent me excited all the same. It was a monumental moment in my life in this world as the strongest person.

    If I ever wrote an autobiography, I would probably dedicate a whole chapter to this scene.

    "Of course they don''t have magic stones!"

    "Pets?"

    "What are you on, young master? Did you eat a mushroom while I wasn''t looking?"

    Bastard.

    I clicked my tongue and stood up.

    "You should probably kill that one," Keith said, pointing at the slime. "You''ve never killed anything before, right?"

    I have. I have killed people too. And I will kill again.

    "You''ll get some experience."

    My ears perked at that word.

    "Experience...?" I parroted.

    Thinking of it now, my strength was onlying from my backbreaking, blood-boiling, sweat-toiling training. It made sense, generally. But Eugene was the petty viin of an Eroge. I wasn''t one to y games since it was a waste of time, but I was sure that the bastard named Albert talked about levels or something.

    A cold sweat went dripping down my back.

    It would make sense if there was a level system in this world. Then won''t I have hit a limit long back without increasing my level?

    "Hm? Yeah, you should know what it feels like to take down a monster." Keith then smirked and continued. "Don''t be like the kids and think you can absorb their soul or magic and get stronger, ok?"

    I sighed a relieved sigh and shook my head. This guy had me shaking my legs in fear. All my four years of hard work would have gone to waste if everything could be solved just by ''leveling up.''

    It was time to move on. I snapped my fingers and pointed them like a gun at the slime. A small magic circle formed at the tip of my finger and spun with a red glow, sigils, and emblems forming inside it rapidly.

    "[me Arrow]"

    At mymand, a small arrow of fire formed inside the circle and shot out. Beginner-Rank Spell, me shot. With the enchantment of the ''fire'' element and the endowment of ''momentum'' and ''shape,'' the arrow sted through the air. It almost hit the small slime, but the tiny creature jumped to the side right in time.

    It waspetent as well.

    The tiny slime looked at us as the fire arrow dissipated into thin air. I could see sweat shaking off of the blue monster''s body as its cartoonish eyes spun around like a knocked-out pokemon.

    "You missed?" Keith asked.

    I clicked my tongue and started walking again.

    "Let''s go," I said.

    "Young master? Haha! Young master? To think our young master is weak against cute things! What splendid dirt!" Keith hopped as he followed behind me.

    I couldn''t help it.

    The slime''s face was too simplistic for me to not understand it.

    "Hey, hey, if I stick my tongue out and wear cat ears will you give me some cash?"

    "I''ll be scarred for life, asshole."

    ***

    The Ediab forest, the ce separating the territory of the Marquis of Hall from the territory of the Margrave of Rosen. This forest that stretches out further than the kingdom of Schwarz had a single route passing through it that served as a highway between the two fiefs, and the rest were up to the people to defend.

    Though its depth had not been explored, the outskirts were rtively safe enough for even children to collect firewood from.

    That was why, I, a child, hade deep in. Deep inside here to fight against monsters, and what did I get?

    "A goblin. This far in and it''s just a fucking goblin."

    "Now, now, young master. I know you''re a psychopathic brat thirsty for blood, but can''t you just drink it from this thing too?"

    "Two goblins. I should kill this one closer first."

    I heard Keith grinning. Then, he pulled out his zweihander and charged at the goblin.

    Before the goblin could even notice the man charging at it, its head was removed from its body and went rolling on the ground. With a simple swing, Keith removed the few drops of blood that had stuck on his sword and turned to me.

    "Alright, the path''s clear, young master."

    I nodded and walked up to Keith. The corpse of the goblin was starkly simr to the goblins I had seen in the gates. Long ears, grotesque fangs, rotting green skin, and a pot belly that stank of the entire microbial system it had growing on it with the hides of a dead animal covering its body. The goblin even had the iprehensible face that was a standard feature!

    I leaned down a bit and looked at the tracks left by the monster.

    "It wasing here from the southeast, so let''s go deeper to the north." I crossed my arms and remarked. "There''ll only be weak monsters the way it wasing from."

    "Oh? You do know that a goblin''s corpse attracts other goblins, right?"

    "And?" I asked, unimpressed.

    "They''ll not leave you alone."

    "You, do you think I know nothing about monsters?"

    "Aw sucks," Keith was grinning again. "I thought I could have some fun acting as our young master''s teacher too."

    He had a bad habit of enjoying nasty things, I would need to straighten him up a bit before making him my subordinatepletely.

    "Hah."

    It only earned a scoff from me. Leaving the corpse behind, I started walking toward the north and Keith followed.

    One ant or a hundred, they would never make a difference.

 Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Speed hunting Persistent Bugs

    "3 o clock."

    ¡ªSWISH

    "GRAH!"

    "Keith, up."

    "Yeah."

    ¡ªSWISH

    "AHK!"

    Keith and I casually strode through the Ediab forest, moving deeper to the north by the minute. It was a rather pleasant journey with no obstructions at all. Of course, I was constantly using this time to refine my mana ad expand my channels as well. I also used this peaceful time to think.

    One thing I noticed different from my time as Yujin, was that the ants¡ªI mean, goblins here, were not even half as cowardly as the ones back there. Heck, I would even describe them as bold and courageous. They kepting at us over and over like pests despite them dying within a second each.

    I lowered my head and swung my sword to the side, slicing the body of another goblin through its chest. The two of us didn''t let our steps dawdle for even half a second as we charged right in.

    After walking for almost twenty minutes like that, I heard a low growl.

    "Hm?" I raised my brow and turned back to see a giant goblin, the size of three of the previous ones stacked on each other.

    This two-meter-tall monster was pushing away the trees above as it came rushing toward us. Its groin was covered by the hide of a lion while its grotesque tusks shimmered with the rotting flesh of god knows what creature. The iron club in the monster''s hand twirled and tightened menacingly as the monster came closer to us.

    The other goblins were smartly using this moment of distraction as they ran through the forest and started to surround us.

    "What''s this? A big ant appeared."

    "I''ll handle the hobgoblin, young master. You take care of the small ones."

    I stretched my hand out and pushed Keith back, shaking my head.

    "A hobgoblin''s an E-Grade, right?"

    "It is."

    "Good chance to test myself, stand back."

    "Fine," Keith sighed. "I''ll handle the small goblins¡ª"

    "I said stand back. I''ll be taking those on as well."

    Keith crossed his arms and whistled. He then gestured at me to go on with his chin.

    I took in a deep breath and tightened my grip on my dius. My feet took one step ahead, and then another. In moments, I broke out into a run toward the hobgoblin.

    As a child, even in my old world, I used to wonder. What was the correct ideology? Should one y around with its prey, or should one be like a lion, merciless and giving their all against it?

    When I fought and then fought, and then fought some more. I had times when Ized around with my skills. Where I would y with big prey just to tease it and smash down even small ones just because I wanted to give my all.

    I realized it toote.

    It was never a matter of strength. To give your all, did not disy your strength or your capability at all.

    "Intermediate Spell" A reddish hue emerged from my palm as an ethereal magic circle formed around my off-sword hand.

    Fighting an enemy with all your force or not doing so, was simply a disy of your sincerity toward your cause.

    I... considered myself a sincere person. At once, I twisted my body and turned my hand to my back. My eyesnded on the dozens of goblins jumping toward Keith. They were barely a meter away from him, but the man didn''t move an inch from where he stood.

    "[me Arrow: Hail]"

    13. The exact same number of arrows emerged from my hand as the ones surrounding Keith. The me arrows twisted through the air and pierced through the heads of each and every goblin approaching him.

    At the same time, I came in front of the hobgoblin.

    The giant monster buckled its feet and swung down the giant club in its hands.

    I tightened my hand on the dius. A purple hue filled the de.

    "Charge Sword."

    The first form of Ki maniption.

    The club came swinging down to my face. The size of the weapon was evenrger than my own. With a swing of my de, sparks rushed out as metal shed against metal.

    "Tsk." I clicked my tongue and twisted the surface of my sword. The de redirected the force of the attack and sent the club rushing toward the ground.

    Before the hobgoblin could hold itself against its club''s force, I turned back and swung my sword again. Four more goblins had approached me, hoping to sneak an attack in. I didn''t bat an eye as the charged sword mauled the goblins one after the other.

    Another came jumping at me from the top. I changed up the grip and pushed the sword up, skewering the monster through its chest. Then, I pivoted my feet and summoned all the strength in my arm to swing the corpse of the goblin on the one approaching. The hobgoblin rose again.

    My eyes swerved through the entire battlefield at once while I took a low stance. About 20 of them were down, and 24 more still surrounded us. Most were too far away, only two near the hobgoblin.

    "I wanted to try this for a while."

    I swiftly dodged the next strike of the hobgoblin. Mana concentrated in my hand as I spun behind the back of the monster like a dancer performing a routine. The ki infused in the de dissipated and was exchanged by the strong, dense force of mana as magic circles covered the length of the de.

    ''Adhesion,'' and ''sticity.''

    I imbued the properties in my dius, making aplete 360-degree turn around the monster.

    Just as I reached the other side, I threw my sword with all my might.

    The sword spun. A purple-ck membrane stretched from my palm.

    The spinning de like the saw of death passed through everything in its way, slicing off the necks of all the goblins as it made a giant arc around us.

    I didn''t pay the ughter any heed. Infusing Ki into my foot, I smashed the backside of the hobgoblin''s knee. The monster, too distracted by my shy move, keeled over to the ground. Before it could even make a sound, I lifted my leg high and hammer-kicked the back of its head.

    "Grah!" The monster''s face was shoved into the dirt.

    The de spun from my back to where Keith stood, and then curved right back into my hands. My foot stomped down on the hobgoblin''s head as I lifted the sword with both hands.

    "You should think before you try to bite someone, bug."

    A geyser of crimson flowed out.

    I pulled out a cloth from my pocket and wiped off my de as I walked back to Keith.

    Keith, on the other hand, was pping slowly.

    "Great job, young master," he said. "It took a total of seven minutes."

    "That long!?"

    "Don''t say that outside, ok? Thedies dislike people who find seven minutes too long¡ª"

    I sheathed my de and looked around. Quite a few corpses were strewed all over the ground. It was more than what one could count in a go. This added to the bugs we stomped on our way meant that we had likely cleared out an entire goblin settlement already.

    "These things worth any?" I asked.

    "Not really, aren''t we interested in C-Ranked monsters?"

    "True."

    With that, I shrugged and walked ahead. Keith smiled and pped me on the back as he turned to walk along.

    "What was that with the sword there? I got scared thinking you used projectile Ki."

    "No way, it was just an imitation..."

    "Let''s pick up pace, young master. We have a lot to hunt today."

 Chapter 17: Chapter 17: C Ranked Stone!

    Further North into the Ediab forest, we were closing in on the border of the Schwarz Kingdom and the fiefdom of the Margrave, but the forest showed no signs of thinning out nor of ending. The deeper one went the more difficult the monsters became, the Ediab forest that spanned through the length of three kingdoms was just that mighty.

    We had reached a small stream and decided to take a break. The water we had brought was enough to get us by, but we drank from the stream to save it anyway.

    "Think we''ll get fish in here?" Keith asked.

    "Fish monsters will be good, no?"

    "Those exist in thekes and oceans! The stream is too small for a monster."

    "Like a mantis shrimp?"

    "I heard there''s one that shoots bubbles like bombs."

    Insane.

    "It''s even human-sized, young master. And that''s when it''s not using magic."

    "Well, nothing to worry about. I''ll grow stronger than that in no time."

    Keith grinned at my words, seemingly amused by my confidence. Suddenly, the sound of his grinning was reced by a palpitable tension that one could cut with a knife as he immediately shut his mouth and lowered his stance.

    "Something''sing."

    I was surprised, but wasted no time in showing it. If he said so, that must be the case. I took a stance and pulled out my sword, at the same time, I began the chant for the [Honeb Defense]

    Then, it entered my sight. A shining yellow beak that looked as luxurious as it seemed macabre. ck feathers that spread through the skies like theing of the night. The terrifying head of an eagle, and the muscr body of a lion.

    "Griffon..." I said.

    "C-Ranked Stone!" Keith corrected me.

    The Griffon charged right at us. It''s ws gleamed a sharp shade full of killing intent as it screeched out loud. Keith and I immediately jumped into formation.

    The Griffon swung its w, and Keith engaged it with his sword. Putting in just enough force to counter it, Keith trapped the monster in a deadlock while I swerved under its body and shed at its chest.

    A sharp and deep wound embedded itself into the monster''s body as it screeched again and increased its altitude. The wings pped and the monster''s heavy body soared above the stream and the trees. We weren''t ones to give it any chance, though.

    Keith jumped off the ground and up in the air. He twisted his body and swung the heavy sword at the monster again. This time, it''s ws were coated with a fierce gale of wind magic as it crashed against Keith''s sword. Not prepared, Keith was slightly pushed back by the attack and was sent rolling over to the ground.

    "Keith!"

    "I am fine! You catch that thing¡ª"

    "KIEEEEK!" The griffon screamed again. A red magic circle formed in front of its beak and mana started coursing through the sigils being formed on the ethereal circle.

    Within moments, the monster sent a beam of crimson mes hurtling toward Keith.

    "[Honeb Defense]!"

    The seven hexagonal shield appeared on amand and dashed toward Keith. Before the mes could impact him, they came together and formed arger shield to block the mes. The mes were deflected by the shield and formed a dome around him. While still surrounded by the cover of fire, Keith suddenly spoke up.

    "Heck, young master! Isn''t this like, a really cool moving armor?!"

    I was focused on supplying the shields with my mana to keep them materialized, and Keith''s words annoyed me to no end.

    "Do you even know how much focus you need to be able to keep thew shields moving? There''s no way to use it in battle."

    "y support then, won''t you?"

    The mes dissipated, and Keith rushed out of the formation. He dashed through the ground and approached the flying Griffon above the stream.

    I clicked my tongue and snapped my fingers. At once, all seven shields danced through the air and surrounded Keith, his shoulders, torso, forearms, and legs, the seven shields divvyed up perfectly and formed a make-shift armor for Keith.

    Sensing the danger, the Griffon pped its wings harder than even before. A gale spread out from its wings, followed by the onught of dozens of ck feathers cutting through the air.

    Keith didn''t even bother dodging or blocking as he continued running toward the stream. The shields swerved all around his body and blocked every feather that approached him.

    I didn''t know if it was his consideration or something he did naturally, but Keith kept running to ces with fewer of the feathers. Either way, it greatly pissed me off.

    "Young master, feet!"

    Keith didn''t wait for an answer, he leaped up and went straight above the water. My brows furrowed as I increased the output of mana going into the shields and sent the ones guarding his legs further below. Using the shields as a foothold, Keith soared through the storm of feathers and closed in on the griffon.

    The two of them were mere inches away.

    Keith pulled back his sword.

    As ast ditch effort, the griffon slyly coated both its front ws with wind magic and swung them again, its speed much faster than the could catch.

    "Like I''d let you!" I screamed and pushed in my mana into two more shields that were already ced at its front ws. Like an impregnable fortress, the two shields were rooted firmly mid-air and stopped the ws in ce.

    "KIEK!"

    The griffon screamed again, and realization dawned on me. The w attack was a feint, it was loading up another fireball already. I could have dodged it with my high mana perceptibility, but Keith¡ª

    "TOO!" Keith screamed. He twisted his feet on the shield.

    His torso swung along his sword.

    Like a waterfall gushing down from the greatest peak, the sword in his hand burst forth through the air.

    The griffon''s mes formed¡ª

    "SLOW!"

    ¡ªAnd were sliced right through.

    The de passed through the mes, the magic circle, and then the beak and the head of the monster.

    In a single swing, Keith''s sword passed through the upper body of the monster and sliced it in two.

    Once the griffon was down, I sweeped away the shields holding Keith up to the Griffon''s corspe instead.

    A plop sounded out loud as Keith fell into the water, but at least my dear magic stone was safe. I pulled the shield toward me and ced the body of the monster down. The clean cut that passed through its head was quite crazy to see up close.

    "Bastard killed a C-Rank monster without even using a charged sword."

    There was truly no denying it, Keith was a genius.

    The sound of water dripping down entered my ears as Keith swam to the edge of the stream and tried to climb up.

    "Couldn''t have done it without you," he said, hearing my remark.

    "That shield of yours is pretty amazing, huh? You can probably add in a few more and make something crazy strong. Practice will make it possible to use in battle too."

    "Try to preach after you''re out of the water, clown."

    He wasn''t wrong, though. Back as Yujin, who was close to reaching the realm of Arcana beyond Aether and Mana, being able to use 360 shields to make the ultimate spell Aegis was something more than possible. Compared to then, saying my magked was not even funny as a joke, it was iparable.

    Not my strength, though. With Ki in the mix, I would be able to catch up to Yujin soon.

    At that time, a thought entered my mind.

    "Hey, Keith. What grade are dragons?"

    "Hm? Dragons are SS, there''s a lot more terrifying stuff."

    I wonder what world the dragon that killed me came from...

    "Anyway, young master, there should be more where this guy came from, right? Think you can handle thirty of them?"

    I didn''t. It was likely going to be difficult to take on 30 of them without getting any minor injuries...

    "I can do it while half-asleep," I said. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Feeling

    A crashing sound rang out as Keith stomped his feet on the head of thest of the griffons.

    "That''s 29. Should we look more for another?"

    It was already afternoon when we finished up with our hunt. Taking in the time to get out of the forest, the earliest we could reach anywhere would be by night.

    I shook my head from side to side as Keith looked over at me, his hands like that of an artisan dexterously cutting apart the monster and digging for its stone.

    "We should get a move on instead. We''ll not be exchanging them all at once anyway."

    Exchanging a single Griffon magic stone as a one-person team wouldn''t be all that surprising considering Keith, but exchanging so many at once would be the most effective way of getting Keith''s name to the Marquis'' ears.

    Once Keith got the final magic stone, he tossed it over in the bag on his back and the two of us started moving out of the forest.

    We hade in a considerably deep distance here to hunt the griffons. On our way back, the goblin crematorium we had set up. It stank. After walking for hours straight, the thick growth of trees started to dwindle and we reached closer to the edge of the forest.

    Tied to a tree not that far away were two horses. The makeshift pail of water in front of them was almost empty.

    Keith went up to the white horse and straddled the bag of magic stones to its saddle. The white horse was actually supposed to have been my personal horse, but I refrained from using it after Keith mentioned our hair color matched.

    I wasn''t one to judge another by looks, since I couldn''t, but I was sure that at least should look hot and cool at all moments. The to-be strongest in the world is also strong in the looks department.

    "Alright, ck and nche have been good kids here." Keith gently stroked the head of the two horses and they lowered their heads in turn.

    ck''s name was uncool, so I wasn''t going to mention its name to anyone. I pulled at its reins and ck lowered his head further, making it easier for me to climb on even with my short height.

    With a flick of the reins, the two horses neighed and set off again. Like the wind itself, we breezed past the woods.

    Amidst the clip-clops of the horse''s feet like drops of rain, I felt like messing with Keith again.

    "Hey, Keith."

    "Yeah?"

    "How are you so ugly?"

    ***

    Our horses dashed past the viges, and the mansion under the Hall estate, and reached the edge of the closest town to our ce.

    We left our houses outside the town walls with the guards after paying a small fee and went strolling through the town.

    The view of the night with the faint red of the setting sun seemed enchanting. The reddish hue spread all over the stone roads and sidewalks, illuminating the path ahead with a pretty shade like none other.

    A gentle breeze refreshingly pushed up the hair and the moods of the people returning home from a long day of work and the youth setting off for a long time of parties, carrying along with it the sounds of the hawkers and the scents of their wares.

    The two of us strutted to the central district of the town and stopped in front of the wide building housing the branch of the adventurer''s guild. Keith led the way and pushed the door open.

    At once, the sight of the adventurer''s guild filled my gaze.

    People young and old in armor covering their bodies and weapons adorning their hands.

    Dozens gathered near the tables and showcased their spoils for the day, while the rest had already ced out maps and were preparing for the next. Some young ones gathered at the restaurant and smacked their drinks at each other while others yed messy games of resilience and love.

    A bunch were gathered at the quest board while another bunch pestered the young receptionist for a date, only to be pushed away by the ones here for business

    It was a sight that I hadn''t seen before. So many people, so many strong people going out and chasing after quests and enemies that threatened the world. The excitement they held as they told the people the stories of their bravery, The tales of mystique, and the news of something new.

    For the first time in thest four years, I realized something that I hadn''t noticed before.

    When my eyes fell on the group of people wearing the robes of dozens of different upations listening in on the story of one young warrior and his magepanion, the realization truly dawned on me.

    This world wasn''t like my own. It was unexplored, unadulterated. The world, unlike Earth, was one full of mystery, where one living on this spot could not know the events of the next due to theckingmunication and exploration.

    How enchanting.

    I wondered how it would feel to see things one had never seen before, learn things one had never learned before, and feel things one had never felt before.

    The opportunity to experience all of it. It was in my hand.

    For a first and fleeting moment in my life.

    The ever-present, minuscule tinge of reminiscence for the earth... Left my mind.

    While I was lost in thought, a hand suddenly plopped itself on my head. I narrowed my eyes and turned to my side to hear Keith grinning.

    "Quite the fun ce, an adventurer guild eh?"

    "Sure is."

    Keith ruffled my hair and grinned even wider. "Let''s have you register sometime in the future."

    Before I could nod, the bastard pushed my head up and down with his hands.

    "Tsk. Just go and exchange the stone for cash. Do it at a good price."

    "Yes, yes, leave it to me. We''ll have more than enough to gamble the night away!"

    "Rat!" I pushed Keith''s hand off of my head and snapped. "We have to buy a lot of things for the vigers."

    "Right right. Hm? Why are you grabbing my clothes though?"

    "There are too many people here, you''ll get lost."

    "Haha, sure. I''ll get lost."

    Keith didn''t push my hand away and we went up to the reception. The day was far from over.

    .

    .

    .

    "And right then... I saw the ghost bandits."

    "God! How can you pull such a joke as an adventurer!? Even kids know there are no ghost bandits!"

    "It''s not a joke! The ghost bandits exist! I saw them near Ediab forest!"

 Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Change in the Village

    A young mother sat alone in her sunlit room. Her chair creaked each time she moved her back in the worry of what she would do next. Her stomach was full, and her child was looking much brighter than ever before, but how long would itst?

    The mother''s mind was gued with such thoughts. Once the children all slept or while they all yed, the adults always came together to discuss the future. The kind young master of the Hall estate had given them food tost a few days, they cut down on their portions to make itst longer, but the next sowing season was already too far, one wasn''t even to mention the harvest.

    They had to get by somehow and then make enough to buy the seeds.

    The mother and her friends thought of a dozen things, but what kind of work started without any capital at all? If they had money, they would have long since used it to get food for themselves and would have never had to rely on the son of the Marquis.

    The mother sighed, her eyes glistened under the light of the sun that passed through the cracked window and brightened her dusty home.

    "Mooom! Mom!"

    The mother''s ears perked. She turned to her back and saw her childe running to the door.

    "Nina? What happened?"

    Nina smiled, sweat dripping off her hair, as she tackled her sitting mother with her arms spread wide. "Thatdy! Thedy is here again!"

    "Thedy?"

    "Yeah! She made a store!"

    "Nina, what are you talking about?"

    Nina puffed her cheeks out wide and her mother chuckled at the sight. Unamused by her mother''sughter, Nina grabbed her hand tight and started pulling her along.

    "Come and seeeee!"

    "Alright, alright dear. Don''t pull me."

    The mother sighed and got off the chair. The worries from before had all disappeared at her child''s cheerful smile and the mother dly went along with her.

    Away from her worn-out mud hut and toward the center of the vige, the mother saw a sight she hadn''t expected to see before.

    In a ce where most people got their things by asking each other for them, a shop had been set up. Avish construction on wheels, the plywood frame of the ce shined brightly amidst the trees and over the grass as the hundreds of wares on disy stole the eyes of all that came to see it.

    Lamps and rugs, kerosene and timber, from toys for the young children to y with to mattresses for the old to rx on, the cart shop seemed to have everything one would need.

    Manning the shop alone was a familiar young girl with pretty brown hair and a face that seemed to make the mother wonder just how many had been sacrificed to bring this one girl to this world.

    The smile of the girl as she handed the toys to the children that came near looked like that of an angel, she would have been mistaken for an angel with her pretty almond eyes and soft lips had it not been for the maid uniform she wore.

    "Isn''t that girl..."

    Nina smiled at her mother''s reaction and pulled her further toward the shop. They ignored the rest of the vigers staring at the shop with wonder as they walked up to the girl.

    With a pained smile, the mother looked at Lily and said, "Miss maid, you should tell him that he won''t get anything here in this vige. Setting shop here is pointless¡ª"

    Lily pulled out a dress from the box behind her and bent toward Nina,pletely ignoring the mother. Unfortunately for her, the mother did not miss the tremble in Lily''s eyes as she leaned toward Nina and disyed the dress.

    "T-this! Little girl! I-I think it will suit you splendidly!"

    The mother''s eyes narrowed.

    "W-what say! Why don''t you take this?"

    Nina smirked at Lily''s words. She proudly puffed out her chest and ced a hand on her sides. "Sorrydy, but I don''t have money. Go and do this somewhere else, hehe!"

    The pride in Nina''s voice as she dered herself poor made her mother frown and bite her lips. What was she to do? Why was it that her child looked like she did good by refusing to get something nice? Just how badly had the child been affected by the poverty that she could do this in a heartbeat?

    "T-that..." Lily frowned, distressed, but her role wasn''t over yet. She tried to continue speaking when Nina''s mother grabbed her shoulder.

    "Miss maid, please. Stop this already. I don''t know what the young master is aiming for, but is it not clear that none of us have any money?"

    Lily shrank in front of the mother''s fierce voice.

    "Please leave this ce. If it isn''t clear then I''ll say it too. We are very grateful for the food, but no one here can buy your stuff."

    "So, you don''t have money, is it?"

    A sharp voice interjected the mother''s words. Lily breathed a sigh of relief as everyone''s attention turned to the smirking Maria that walked in from the back with a smug smile stered on her face.

    "Then, why don''t you work for us?"

    "Work...?"

    "Manualbor. You just have to work as we ask." Maria stopped in the center of the crowd and took her eyes off from Nina''s mother. Many others in the small vige had stepped out of their house after hearing themotion, and Maria''s eyes pierced through all of them one after the other, her words meant for everyone in the vige.

    "Don''t worry too much, you''ll be paid an ample daily wage. You''ll only need to work eight hours a day, and well, for the duration of the employment, we will be tending to your and your dependents'' catering. I see these as pretty good conditions."

    The vigers were stunned.

    They were having a hard time understanding what was happening here.

    This woman had just barged in and announced an employment offer to everyone. To the same people who had been doing nothing but farming and cutting and fishing for thest dozens of years in this distant ce.

    What were they even supposed to do for her?

    The dense silence was broken by the voice of Nina''s mother. She, getting a hint of what was going on, spoke out loud enough for everyone around to hear.

    "W...what will we be doing?"

    "Hm? Depends, from cooking to construction. We have a lot of things we need done."

    "T-the wage...?"

    "Let''s see... how does twelve bronze a day sound?"

    "Twelve bronze?!"

    "Oh my god! twelve bronze each day? I can buy a week''s worth of food with that!"

    "Twelve? Hey is it more than ten or less?"

    Maria''s smile deepened at the words of the vigers.

    "Time!" Suddenly, the mother spoke out loud. Everyone quietened down at her words and stared at Maria. "How long will we be working?"

    Maria smirked. "As long as it takes to turn this ce on its feet."

    An air of silence filled the ce.

    Summoning her courage, Nina''s mother clenched her fist.

    "I''ll... do it."

 Chapter 20: Chapter 20: State of Affairs

    A month had passed since I went over to the Ediab forest. The C-Ranked stones that we had pulled out were depleting fast and now only 7 remained. As the gentle morning breeze flitted up the piles of documents kept on my table, a knock sounded out on the study''s door.

    "Come in," I said.

    The door swung open and the creaking of wheels followed as Lily pushed a service cart in. On it was a kettle and some confectionaries arranged neatly. I nced at it and went back down at the paperwork kept in front of me. There were a lot of things to consider these days with the changes in the vige, or should I say viges, that I felt it necessary to prepare beforehand.

    "I''ve brought you some tea, young master." Lily kept her head low as she lifted the kettle and poured the tea into a cup before cing it in front of me. The girl gently curtsied and was about to leave when I clicked my tongue.

    "Lily."

    "Yes, young master?"

    "Sit and have some tea with me if you don''t mind."

    Lily beamed a smile, I guess she did, and nodded fervently. This was bing slightly annoying. By now, whenever Keith or Maria woulde in with any food they''d naturally sit beside me and join in on sating their stomachs, but I had to ask Lily to have a seat every damn time.

    I took a quick sip from the tea while Lily prepared her own. It was quite good.

    "Young master."

    "Mhm?"

    "The construction of the buildings are almostplete in the vige."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes, it sped up well since the other viges settled in too. Amodations for them are still an issue though..."

    I smiled at Lily who had the best intentions for the people in mind. I, on the other hand, was equally focused on getting a return on my investment and improving cash flow before thinking of the people.

    A few days after I started employing all the vigers and began the construction of a road from the vige to the path leading to the baron''s territory, the other viges in the surroundings got wind of the events and came asking for food and work too. They were more than wee, naturally.

    To begin the growth of the vige, the first and foremost thing required was supply lines. We began construction from the vige to the road leading to the baron''s territory, and another leading to the Ediab forest''s borders.

    When I went in there with Keith, we made sure to scout the outskirts of the forest for any danger, aside from a few small monsters that most adults could take on, there wasn''t anything to worry about. Lastly, to take this ''testing'' one step further, I had left our horses on the outskirts for a long time.

    If something had killed them, that would have been enough to deduce the safety of the ce. I remember Keith suggesting we keep them tied up so that we could ascertain the degree of the danger from the wounds they might have, he was quite simr to me in those aspects.

    The Ediab forest was a great source of natural resources, from lumber and firewood to fruits and game, it was a great ce to tap into and set up a small-time market from. Of course, relying on a forest was never going to be enough to change a vige, but we had to proceed in small steps.

    I had been feeding the people and paying them, and then having them spend the money I gave them in my own shops. We had also taken control of the way trade happened in the ce, not only inside the vige but also in the town of the baron. I had a monopoly on everything.

    I wasn''t growing a vige into a town anymore. It would be smelled up and used away by the Marquis the moment the vige grows big.

    What I was doing was creating an organization solely for myself. These people would be functioning only for myself and bringing me all the profit.

    That was the n, but honestly, I also wanted to help them.

    It was a win-win situation. I was going to make their living conditions better anyway, there was no reason not to make mine better at the same time.

    "Young master..."

    Lily stood up while I was lost in thought. She grabbed a cookie from the tes and leaned close to me from the back.

    "Have a cookie as well," her hands wrapped around my face as she brought the cookie close to my mouth.

    This kid was trying to act bold.

    It seemed a lesson was due.

    I didn''t pay her actions much heed and opened my mouth. Lily slowly dragged the cookie to my lips and I bit on a small part of it, not taking the entire thing in my mouth. Lily was about to pull her hands back when I grabbed her wrist and leaned my head back to face her. With half of the cookie still sticking out of my teeth, I mumbled out loud.

    "Haf sum too."

    "Y-yes?" Her act broke apart in pieces within seconds. "M-me? I''ll take some too!"

    Lily tried to break free from my grasp and get another from the tes, but I stopped her in ce and perked my chin, gesturing at the cookie in my mouth.

    "Y-y-young master..."

    I smirked and let Lily go, swallowing the rest of the cookie at once. That should serve her well enough to remember not to mess with me.

    Spinning the quill in my hand, I stared at the paper again. For some reason, Lily was still standing behind me. I would have loved to let her stay in shock or surprise, but duty called.

    "Lily, it''s time we take things to the next stage."

    Lily immediately forgot her bashfulness and jumped into work mode.

    The roads had beenpleted, and the buildings Imissioned were almost done as well.

    "First things first, we''re going to loan out some money to all the employees and have themmission us to build their residences. We''ll give them an interest rate of 2% and cut it off in small installments from their sries. Of course, the construction cost will be the absolute lowest it can go."

    "Understood, I''ll be informing the ountants we have selected right away."

    "Good, and also. It''s about time that my teacheres around for some money. Tell Maria to fetch him and bring him to me right as hees over."

    "Yes, young master. Please call me if you need anything."

    With that, Lily bowed and walked out of the study.

    My mind drifted back to the matter with my teacher.

    I sighed and mmed my documents on the table, ready to head out. I was itching to see how the ce looked now.

    If I was going to build up a town, I''d rather it be a town of art.

 Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Local Tour

    Apletely transformed vige stretched in front of me. Dry roads erected from stone stretched through the ground all the way toward my mansion and then further around to the road leading to the town. Behind the vige, apleted stone road spread through the grounds to the Ediab forest withmposts lining the sides, each far away enough for one person to light them and move ahead.

    "Oh! It''s the big brother!"

    Just as I was admiring thepletely upheaved town, an annoying voice greeted me. I looked down, in front, actually, to hear a kid''s giggle.

    "Who?"

    "Nina!"

    "Nina?"

    "Yup, nine years old Nina!"

    I tilted my head at the girl.

    "Nine years old Nina?"

    "Yup! You remember me!" I had no idea who she was.

    She had introduced herself like that. Was nine years old herst name?

    "Big brother, you should wear something better." Nina leaned closer and started inspecting my clothes, she then sighed and showed me a cheeky smirk. "How about getting something from the shops here?"

    My brows furrowed but I tried not to show it. Hand-picked clothes by Maria were any day better than whatever the vige was selling. Whatever MY stores were selling! I only shook my head and propped my chin, Nina understood the gesture and led me through the streets of the vige. Being guided by the locals was the most effective way to get a gist of things.

    My eyes swerved from end to end as I walked by the many people carrying different items in their hands.

    The vige itself had changedpletely. The people that used to look as if they would fly if I blew on them had turned into thick muscly folks with decent amounts of cuts and swell in their ''ceps. Their clothes had changed fromplete rags to beautiful yet modestly designed tunics and trousers. Of course, something like this wasn''t possible with only some magic stones.

    We eventually passed by a field hall covered by a shed where many old and young men and women sat around together with fabrics in their hands, cutting and sewing them in different designs away from the dust of the ongoing construction works.

    "Oh look, that''s Jaja''s mother!"

    I stared at the operation for a few seconds with crossed arms while Nina went over to talk thedies and old men around. I luckily didn''t enter their sights. I was going to wait for the child, but she started handing out water to everyone which was a true pain in the ass. It would have been a waste to wait.

    I sighed and walked over to the shed. The few that saw me immediately stood up and started bowing their heads.

    "Please, continue. Don''t mind me at all."

    "Lord! How can we¡ª"

    I noticed the child looking at me and tilting her head. Nine-year-old Nina wasn''t smart enough to understand I was the owner of this ce. As I gestured at the fools to cut it out and sit back down, they hesitantly did so. Instead of standing around, I went to the makeshift water station we had set up and started filling up some wooden cups to take them to the ones working.

    The sewing shop was a profitable venture.

    Not everyone could engage in manualbor. Old, sickly and feeble were plenty. So, instead of buying entire clothes we purchased only the fabric and made the people here sew them. The sewing made us a lot of money since we had quite the manpower for it.

    I heard that sewing machines existed but only in the most royal of boutiques around the kingdom. I thought of recreating it, but apart from the thimble, everything else was near impossible with mycking expertise in pure mechanical engineering.

    I quietly handed out the water to everyone and asked them their opinion on the workce and the working conditions. I had them tied to quite the contract and was forcing them to work long hours, like 7 or 8 hours... Maybe they were intimidated by me since they all just thanked me over and over...

    I luckily didn''t have to worry about grabbing the wrong kid and heading off.

    "Yo, big brother! Let''s go!"

    "Lead the way kid."

    Nina puffed her cheeks when I called her a kid and started guiding me out of the ce and through the streets again. We passed by the many stalls and stores I had haphazardly set up till I could create a good strip-store district.

    "Big brother! Those oldies really bowed a lot to you, huh?"

    "Of course."

    "Are you their big brother too?"

    "I am. You should bow as well."

    "Ahaha! You joke well, big brother!"

    "Tsk."

    Annoying brat.

    "They always talk a lot about some Eugene this or that saying how they''re all thankful."

    This brat! Were they feeding her words to tell me?

    "I almost thought you were that Eugene guy or something, ahahah!" Ninaughed and stretched her hands up. I could feel my forehead twitching, but I ignored it for now.

    "So anyway," Nine-year-old Nina continued. "Likest time, my mom bought a new bed and this thing called a kerosenemp? It''s not dark at night anymore, how cool is that!? I heard they''re putting up thosemps all over the ce, so we can y even at nights..."

    From then on, Nina went on and on.

    On and on.

    Seriously, we had gone past the ragged fields and were closing up on the buildings under construction and she still kept going. It was helpful at first, but I could eventually feel my ears giving in.

    "So this and this and that and that¡ª"

    "You. Why aren''t you ying with other kids?" I finally cut her off when I couldn''t bear it anymore.

    Not so far away, I could see many tall buildings being erected. One was the cast of a dome-shaped auditorium while others were two to three-floored buildings.

    "No one is ying," Nina answered, gazing at the buildings. "They are all at school..."

    ***

    Nina was smacked and was now being dragged by the ear to the school.

    Still, to think a school was already established, as I would expect from the hyperpetent Maria.

    The school was situated in one of the few buildings I hadmissioned. It was still ways off frompletion except for the frame. But that was the only thing we could build right now with the resources from the Ediab forest.

    I found the ssroom on the lowest floor of the building and stopped in front of the door.

    The ss in session halted when they saw me with Nina in my hands.

    "L-l-lord Eu¡ª"

    I instinctively shut the teacher up when she mentioned my name. My gaze went over the ssroom. The students of quite a range of ages were sitting in front of a board, writing on some tes. It was probably more convenient to do that...

    I sighed and tossed Nina inside.

    The teacher came rushing toward Nina and grabbed her, still staring at me.

    "I''ll send some paper here."

    Not like it was expensive.

    With that, I nodded and turned away.

    It was tough being an exploitative ruler.

 Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The First Round of Troubles

    A knock resounded on the door of my study yet again today. Before I could say anything, the door swung open and a giant tank of a man came rushing inside.

    "Young master, trouble. Let''s go."

    I mmed my quill down and picked up my coat at Keith''s words. We rushed out of the mansion as he began exining the situation.

    "It seems someone has sent a knight brigade to your zone. They don''t look strong, but they''re there on official orders."

    At the mansion''s front door, a young man stood panting heavily.

    "Maria was there at the time, she is dealing with them now," Keith said.

    When the young man saw meing down, he tried to pull himself up straight and bowed deeply, "Y-young master! T-they are trying to break everything¡ª"

    I ced my hand on the man''s shoulder and patted him, passing him by. "Leave it to me."

    It had barely been a week since I visited it and I had to go again, the territory was attracting eyes faster than I thought it would.

    Lily had already prepared ck and nche, we immediately got on the horses and set off through the path that was much smoother than before. Fixing up the road here had reduced the travel time from an hour and a half to just forty minutes.

    "What are you nning? Will we be kicking the baron out?" Keith asked.

    "Don''t worry about it."

    The first person to notice any change would be none other than the baron, and so would the first person to take action. He had anyway been collecting the taxes from the viges that had now merged under us.

    "Pick up the pace, Keith."

    The horses neighed and we dashed ahead.

    ***

    We reached the territory of the vige soon. It was already an insult to call it a vige, I''d have to bother with picking a name for itter.

    Right where the road widened and spread through the grounds of the ce, a bunch of people in armor much heavier than whatever Keith wore stood boldly, in front of them were the vigers with distressed looks and a single maid holding them back. The knights iled around a sheet of paper in their hands and screamed at the vigers.

    I could see little kids trembling behind the backs of the adults at the rear and a bunch of material and food syed out on the ground, some of the vigers at the forefront had small scratches and swabs of dirt on their hands and face, likely a result of the knights kicking them down.

    As we got closer, our horses grew quieter and their voices started reaching us.

    "Turn away right now," Maria''s familiar voice echoed. "You don''t have the qualifications to question the legality of this ce."

    "This bitch maid!" The knight with the paper in his hands clicked his tongue and stepped forward. He reached out to push Maria. "Do you not understand who ¡ª"

    "Hey."

    Before I knew it, the horse hade to a stop and all the people over there had stopped and were staring at me.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    What was this? It was as if my mouth had a will of its own, the chilling voice oozing out unknowingly. I stepped off of ck and walked over to the damn knights kicking up the fuss. Keith hurriedly followed and stood beside me.

    At our sudden appearance and the pressure I put down on the bastards, the knight at the forefront became flustered. His clunky armor shuffled as he turned around and screamed at my face.

    "Y-you brat! Who the hell are you? Can''t you see people talking here?"

    I increased the pressure I put down on him.

    The knight gnashed his teeth as his fellows took a step back. Pissed, he pulled out his sword and tried to charge at me.

    A silver shed in front of my eyes, followed by a stream of blood.

    "Ah...? AH!"

    The knight''s sword arm plopped down to the ground.

    Keith imposingly took a step forward, brandishing his sword to intimidate the ones down. The knight held his arm and screamed as he fell on his back. The other knights held their breaths. If I could only see the swing, then there was no doubt that these third rates had no idea when Keith had cut off their leader''s arm.

    Keith didn''t let his moment go slow. Without wasting a second, he stepped forward and mmed his foot down on the leader''s head, stomping it under his boots.

    "For the sin of raising your weapon against the noble leader of the kingdom of Schwarz,"

    Keith said, his voice as cold as mine was just a second ago.

    "The son of the magic of the kingdom, Marquis Hall''s third child, Lord Eugene Hall, I have cut off your arm."

    "M-marquis...!?"

    "That was the outcast son?!"

    "You want to die?! Shut your mouth!"

    I ignored the voices of the knights.

    "Keith..." I said.

    The man red at me for a second. I couldn''t see his eyes, but he couldn''t hide his murderous intent. Was he getting pissed because he thought I was going to hold him back?

    I sighed.

    "You insult me. The punishment is too small."

    Keith''s re turned into a wide-brimmed smile. He raised his zweihander again.

    "As you say, my lord!"

    Keith swung his de down again and chopped off the knight''s other arm too.

    We couldn''t kill him just like that, so this was more than enough. I was sure that the vengeful Keith or Maria would find this man some time and kill him anyway. There was a more pressing matter to tend to.

    I quietly walked over to the screaming shouting knight. Keith took a step back and sheathed his sword when he saw me approaching. Without paying the knight any heed, I bent down and picked up the sheet of paper he was so gantly waving about.

    "Hm, a letter from the baron, huh?"

    I said.

    The knights around all gulped.

    "Good, take me to him. Now."

    It was about to time teach him a lesson anyway.

 Chapter 23: Chapter 23.1: Flashy Entrance

    The smell of the air today was rather pleasant. So were the cries of the birds and the sobs of the rats guiding us through the streets.

    I sat peacefully on the back of the horse with Keith by my side as the knights that dumbly dared to charge at us earlier walked in a formation around us. The distance from the Baron''s town to the vige was about three hours by horse, with the path it had been shortened another forty minutes. But, I was quite a busy man. Two hours traveling?

    It would have taken even longer since the knights who were supposed to guard us were on foot.

    So I and Keith pulled out some whips and made the guards cover the distance in a little over an hour. I had to say, their training was quite unsatisfactory for how trash they acted.

    Dozens of people stared at us as the ragged knights heaved and panted with every step. The moment they hunched their backs, I would whistle and Keith would pummel them with his kicks.

    They should have never thought of trying to hit Maria. I, with all due respect, wanted to get their heads off already, but it wasn''t advantageous to ruin the rtionship with my future benefactor so soon.

    As we passed by the streets, ignoring the gawking people and adventurers, we reached the central area of the town and found ourselves facing the imposing estate of the baron. It was just a small mansion that the baron tried too hard to turn into a fortress.

    At the front gates of the mansion, I could see two people with protruding bellies standing with their hands on their hips while all the guards and servants stood behind him. Most of them were armed and ready. It seemed the Baron had noticed using in from a distance, I was d he wasn''t apletely ipetent troll.

    "What is the meaning of this!? Who are you?!"

    A strange loud voice called out from the pile of people. There were two fatsos, I couldn''t tell which one spoke since they were next to each other.

    "Step up front and speak," I yawned and said.

    "What did you just say? Do you not know who you are talking to, kid?"

    Fuck. Which one was it!?

    "Ok fine, whoever is the baron, raise your hand so I can tell you apart."

    I heard a stream of gasps at my words. Even Keith next to me seemed slightly surprised as he looked at me. I only pumped my brows at him and smirked.

    "This arrogant brat, fine."

    Suddenly, the two fatso''s moved to the side and a third person walked up from behind them. He was fit and had muscles on his body, even his clothing was rathervish. To think the real baron was standing behind them, I was tricked. I thought it would be just another knight protecting the baron when I sensed him but had no idea it would be like this.

    I took a look at the baron''s face, but it was pointless, I couldn''t ''see'' anything that could help leave an impression of him.

    The baron tried to take control of the mana around me and put in some pressure against me, but I negated it without batting an eye.

    "How bold," I said. "And how arrogant."

    "What?"

    "Baron, bow."

    "YOU¡ª"

    Before the baron could fight back, I started flooding the air around him with my mana instead and ced an amount of pressure that the one before couldn''t everpare to. The baron was a strong mage.

    He was beyond the apprentice stage and was a magic practitioner, but hisprehension and control couldn''t hold a candle against me, someone in the realm of an advanced mage. He tried to retaliate and take back the control of the mana around him, but it was futile in front of my absolute control over it.

    The baron''s neck tightened and his fists clenched. In moments, the man keeled over and fell on his knees, his head looking down.

    The knights around seemed to have seen this as a sign to move and were moving fast to unsheathe their des.

    "The third child of the Marquis of Hall, Lord Eugene Hall epts the Baron''s greeting."

    Another set of sighs and gasps rang out. The baron''s skin turned pale as he lifted his head.

    "L-lord... Eugene Hall...?"

    "Baron. Your knights disrespected my subordinate, so I cut off the strongest one''s hands," I was smirking widely now. I had already pulled back the pressure, but the baron was still on his knees from fear. "I hope you don''t mind."

    "I-I will personally punish him... my lord. How can this one atone for such a sin?"

    The baron was still confused, but he was quick on the uptake. He quickly lowered his head and sought forgiveness.

    "Baron, I see you have something to say about what I am doing with my territory near the Ediab forest."

    The baron gulped.

    "Let us move inside and converse, shall we?"

 Chapter 24: Chapter 23.2: Demands

    My body sank into the cushioning of the velvet couch. I stroked the cloth, cotton upholstery, it felt rather nice to the touch. I yawned and crossed my legs, resting my arms on the back of the couch.

    "So, lord Eugene..."

    Across me, the Baron spoke with his palms sped together. He seemed to be thinking about his next words as he shifted his eyes from here to there, it honestly annoyed me how low he had to look to see me, but I couldn''t be bothered about that right now. The baron nodded and pushed forward the tray filled with confectionaries and tea.

    I gracefully picked up the tea like I had been taught and slowly took a sip.

    "Is the tea to your liking, young master?"

    "What was it about the legality of my constructions on mynd, Baron?"

    The Baron''s smile froze over as he pulled himself back.

    "T-that... I wasn''t aware that ce was being built on your orders, young lord."

    "Hmm," I took another sip of the tea and nodded. "As you say, you ignored all investigation and looked over any possible threat that any organization capable of moving such arge force can pose and recklessly sent your knights to break things, correct, baron?"

    "Not at all, lord! That isn''t what I wanted to do! Just to check things..."

    As the baron panicked, I crossed my legs and leaned back in the seat, checking out my nails. I ignored whatever he said and sighed. Since he didn''t show any signs of stopping his excuses, I leaned forward and mmed my teacup on the table.

    At once, the baron shut his trap.

    "Baron. I don''t believe my father would like to listen to your excuses"

    The baron clenched his lips and bit bowed his head. "F-forgive my ignorance, young lord. I swear something like this will never happen again."

    "Tsk."

    The baron raised his eyes when I clicked my tongue. I twisted my face as deep as I could, and the result was the incessant trembling of the baron''s hands.

    "Young lord! Since you are developing the space, please allow me to make my mistakes right."

    I gestured at him to go on.

    "The ce falls on the way to the Ediab forest, correct? I''ll make it mandatory for all adventurers to pass through it, how about it?"

    A smile crept on my face unwittingly. Surely, one couldn''t be a baron without any hint of wits. This guy looked like a knight, but his head wasn''t that bad.

    The baron seemed to have been encouraged by my smile.

    "How about it, young master?"

    "You should do that, baron."

    "I-I''ll get right to it!"

    I cut off his words by eyeing my teacup. The baron noticed my gesture and looked at the butler standing behind him. Before the butler coulde up, I stopped him with my hand and stared at the baron again.

    "Ahaha!" The baronughed. "How lucky I am to pour tea for the young master!"

    This guy could also suck up to others well. Competency was always appreciated.

    The baron swiftly poured some tea into both of our cups and smiled, waiting for me before drinking his own.

    "Baron, this incident..." I took a sip. "It has made me rather concerned about the security of that town."

    "Please forgive this one! Young lord!" The baron bowed deeply again.

    "Tsk. Raise your head baron," I said. "Since you will be sending adventurers out, also send about half of your knight order to protect the ce."

    "Half?!"

    "Do you think that would be too little to train some people as well? You can send more, then."

    The baron frantically shook his head to the side and spoke up. "Not at all! It should be more than enough, a tad too much even."

    "I am just that concerned about safety, baron. Do you have any problems with it?"

    "N-not at all... young lord..."

    "Alright then," I stood up and dusted my clothes. The baron stood right after me and sped his hands together. "Send them by today."

    "... Yes..."

    I guess he lost the energy to even retort.

    "Lastly, don''t send anyone to collect any taxes there." Keith stood behind me as I set off to the exit. "No need to show me out."

    That handled most of my work here. Without sparing the baron a nce, I left the ce.

    ***

    Deep in the shade of the night, a single figure passed through the back alleys of the baron''s town. The robe-covered figure passed through the doors of the town at just the perfect time as he strutted deep into the forest, his bloodshot eyes gleaming under the light of the stars.

    Saliva and sweat dripped out of the man''s mouth, but no hands emerged from under the robe.

    Just like the bugs of the night, the figure kept calling out one name.

    "Dark Moon! Dark Moon Bandits!"

    The figure did not see, the gleam of a maid''s de behind him.

 Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Sitting Ducks?

    "The young man raised his hand and proimed, ''Let''s all live happily ever after.'' And they all lived happily ever after. The end..."

    "Young master, how was it¡ªUHHK!"

    Before the bastard in front of me could speak another word, I sent a wad of papers hurtling through the air and m his face. The man toppled backward, so I picked up the closest paperweight from my desk andnded a headshot straight on his temple.

    Keith jumped from the sofa in my study and knelt next to the annoying scriptwriter.

    "ONE! TWO! THREE!" Keith mmed the floor multiple times and raised his hands. "KO!"

    "Shut up!" I snapped. It was already annoying hearing that useless bastard''s script, now Keith was acting up as well.

    "Y-young master..." the scriptwriter, the most learned viger on our hand right now, slowly raised his head. I had high hopes for him when I heard he studied at a higher school in the count''s territory and returned, but his skills as a writer made me want to burst my eyes and gouge my ears.

    "Whatcked?" He asked.

    Whatcked?

    WHAT LACKED?!

    "Keith, kick this bastard down."

    "You got it," Keith stood up and was about to kick the man without a moment''s hesitation, but Lily dived in from the other seat and held his leg back.

    "Don''t! You still need a wage ve to write stuff, young master!"

    I rested my head on my hand and sighed. Lily was right, his output speed was good and whatever the case, he was asking for points he could improve on, he was a good SLA¡ªworker. Nothing was wrong with that.

    "Jim," I called out.

    "Y-yes!"

    I turned my head to the side and looked down at him, I wasn''t sure of things, but I bet I was looking cool right here. I learned it my from my etiquette instructor.

    "Your story...cks conflict."

    "Conflict?"

    "Correct, you don''t have anythinging in the way of people achieving things. A good story is made from conflict. If a conflict is resolved too soon, then too, the story will end up bad."

    "I see..." Jim nodded and slowly stood up, his eyes seemed to be somewhere else, but he was still listening.

    "Make something that makes a person''s heart throb. Remember, the best spice is tension. If your hero doesn''t lose even once, then what will be interesting about him? You need to make the people lean off their seats when they watch the y."

    "Lose... a problem!" Jim clenched his copy of the script he had prepared and crumbled it, his eyes sparkled as he shouted.

    He suddenly turned on his heels and marched toward the door of the study. "I understand! Young master, I won''t let you down anymore! I will make sure somethinges in the way of the mai¡ªACK!"

    The door to the study swung open and mmed his face with great force. All three of us flinched as Jim keeled over to his back.

    Maria emerged from behind the door, looking down at the man, she stuck her tongue out.

    "A conflict, just like that."

    Just like that.

    ***

    Keith tossed the fainted Jim out of the window and now the four residents of the Hall mansion sat together in the study. I took the head of the table on the single couch while the other three sat in front of me.

    "Young master, I found that guy whose hand you cut off." Maria broke the ice with her words, taking lead of the conversation.

    "Found? You mean, ground?"

    "Lily..."

    "At least make sense,"

    "C''mon, she tried."

    Lily lowered her head as the three of us went off, she must have been embarrassed.

    Seeing her like that, Maria coughed and tapped the table again.

    "Coming back, young master. That man had stepped out of the town and was heading to the forest route with a madder look."

    I raised one brow and urged her to continue.

    "He kept chanting a name like an idiot, ''Dark Moon Bandits.''"

    "We heard that name back at the adventurer''s guild, young master."

    Keith chimed in, crossing his hands.

    I nodded and looked at Maria again. "What did you find?"

    Maria nodded and leaned a bit further. "They seem to be posers."

    "What''s that?" I didn''t expect to hear that. Even Keith seemed a bit confused at her words.

    "The original Dark Moon Bandits are a legend, it is mostly a story from the Mirxa territory, so we don''t know about it further in the Hall fiefdom, but this ce that is at the edge has heard a lot of the stories."

    Maria then sighed and continued.

    "The original Dark Moon Bandits operated 60 years ago and were one of the biggest bandits in the Mirxa territory. The father of the current Margrave is said to be the one who took them down, and that was what got him his position after the war."

    "Then these guys are just fakes, huh?"

    "Did you hear about theming from adventurers?" Keith asked.

    "I did, a lot of them said they met the bandits. They are phonies because the original ones would never leave a witness alive. That said, it was quite the strong adventurers who said they came right back. The adventurer''s guild will likely take steps against them, but they will have to hand it over to the knights unless someonees to them with a request."

    I crossed my legs and thought.

    Bandits. Their base was in the Ediab forest. Someone from the knight order was also about to reach out to them after being driven to a corner, so we can''t exactly trust the knights yet. And since a knight like him would go to them fanatically, coupled with the testimony of adventurers, it also spoke a fair bit about their capability.

    There could be many things behind it, many reasons for their surfacing, but one thing was explicitly clear.

    They would be a thorn in our side eventually. We were like sitting ducks waiting for them toe to shoot us for now.

    "In such a case, there''s only one thing we can do."

    I could hear Keith smirk and Maria nod.

    "Let''s get those bastards before they can think of getting us."

 Chapter 26: Chapter 25: The Dark Moon Bandits (1)

    "Hey, new guy, did you hear something?"

    "Hear?" Not really, sir."

    "Is that so? Must be me."

    The crackling of the mes sounded from the distance as the two people d in shawls and cloaks continued standing upright with their spears in hand. Spikes were embedded on the ground behind them with strings of rattle-ready bones hanging through them. A settlement deep in the forest of Ediab.

    The two patrols yawned, yet again unamused by theck of sound in this ce. Not a single living breathing creature woulde up to them throughout the day. Even adventurers and wagons had to be looted by their gang personally moving down the settlement and to the enemies.

    If not for the words of their advisor, they would have long fallen asleep.

    In recent months, a wave of change had hit one side of the Ediab forest. The people living in the viges that could barely grow a rotting stick of wheat were now erecting giant buildings and roads, their scope of activity reaching well into the outskirts of one of the most dangerous forests in the world.

    "What danger though? We live deep in here and haven''t been wiped out," One of the patrolmented as he sighed into the sky.

    "New guy, are you perchance, an idiot?"

    "I am not the one saying perchance, sir."

    "Tsk. Bastard," the other patrol clicked his tongue and sighed. "Listen well, the forest is not small. It stretches through the width of three countries! There''s a ce in between the forest that they call Dawn''s Break. I''ve heard that''s a forbidden zone which would make even dragons run with their tails tucked behind their ass."

    "Is that so sir?"

    "Yeah," the patrol sighed and said. "The monsters on the outskirts are just runaway feeds, and even these are considered strong for most people."

    "I don''t know about that..."

    "Hah! This is why I hate kids. How old are you anyway? And you''ve only been here for a week, you''ll see how big the world is tomorrow."

    The young patrol lowered his shawl and turned to his partner, his eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow, are we doing something tomorrow sir?"

    The older one widened his eyes and stuck out his tongue. As if he had said something he shouldn''t have. The man scratched the back of his head and walked over to the young patrol. The spikes behind him revealing the small opening that they called the gate to their bandit hideout.

    With the orange hue of the small fire casting his great shadow all over the ground and the lines of trees and huts behind, the man leaned low in front of the young patrol and whispered loud enough for the forest to hear.

    "I wasn''t supposed to tell you," he said. His feetnded strongly on the ground and a twig snapped under him. It was crushed, trampled under his feet. "Tomorrow, the bandits finally strike that damn vige that''s been growing wild."

    "We are!?¡ª"

    "Shush!"

    The older one hissed and the younger covered his mouth.

    The mes swayed as the patrol''s lowughter filled in for its crackles. In the distance, the shadow of the bandit grew further and further over the settlement, nigh touching the tip of the darkness.

    "Some naive noble is funding the ce. We''ll plunder it all and gain back the name of the Dark Moon Bandits at nightfall tomorrow!"

    The younger patrol''s eyes widened and the older''s screech grew louder.

    "I even saw some pretty maids there. We''ll be taking all the children and women, you can enjoy with one your age as well¡ªUgh."

    A thud sounded.

    The shadow in the distance distorted. Streaks of ck soaring into the edges before falling back down.

    Before the light could even sway, the shadow''s head disappeared. In no time, its body shrunk and a thud sounded out in the air.

    The young patrol removed his shawl and threw it away, revealing his locks of white hair and gleaming red eyes as he looked down at the body below.

    With the shadow of the bandit gone, light fell on the huts behind. A gentle light brought by an all-swallowing me.

    The young patrol covered his mouth with his hands and called out like a bird.

    Loud shuffles rang from the forest as dozens of knights in full armor stepped out of the tree and faced the settlements of the bandits.

    The young patrol looked at them with a sweeping gaze as their armors and weapons gleamed menacingly. He tossed his spear down on the corpse and asked.

    "Which one''s Keith?"

    "Here, young master."

    "Alright. Keep quiet in there."

    The young patrol, the young lord, Eugene Hall turned away from the knights and stepped ahead toward the vige.

    One knight came running next to him and knelt ahead, holding up a dius in his hands.

    The young lord didn''t spare the knight as nce as he gripped his sword. His quiet yet determined footsteps encapturing all the ones behind him.

    "Let''s move."

 Chapter 27: Chapter 26: The Dark Moon Bandits (2)

    The ten or so knights from the Baron''s fief followed behind Keith and me, as we coursed through the vige of the bandits. We slowly made our way inside the huts on the sides and swung down our swords on the sleeping bastards. We had to move as fast as we could to cause as much damage as possible before they noticed.

    I stabbed another pair of the bandits in a hut when Keith spoke up.

    "Young master, had a good vacation?"

    "Absolutely disgruntling," I said, taking out my sword and shaking the blood on it off.

    About two weeks ago, we decided to make a n and tackle the Dark Moon Bandits in the study of the mansion.

    ***

    Back at the mansion, multiple thoughts and suggestions passed through our quartet after Lily''s unfunny joke attempt. After discussing things for a long, we came to a realization.

    "Just getting rid of them would be a shame, no?"

    "What do you mean?" Keith asked at my words.

    "I mean, it''s the Dark Moon Bandits with a big history behind, per what Maria says. Can''t we use that name for ourselves?"

    It was impossible for me to see their reactions, but I was sure they were inplete awe of my marvellous intelligence and resourcefulness.

    "That''s a dumb idea?"

    Maybe not.

    "W-why so...?"

    "Well, for one, young master. The Dark Moon Bandits with all their history are the enemies of the kingdom, won''t using their name as a noble be grounds for mutiny? Immediate execution even."

    "That''s unlike you, young master. I thought you would think a lot before bringing up such things."

    "Pfft."

    Their worries cracked me up. I thought Maria and Keith were used to my thoughts by now, but I guess I was a bit wrong since there weren''t many chances to be so bold."

    "What is it, young master?" Lily asked, her voice cracking.

    "If ites to the point where I am ever suspected of mutiny, it won''t be a bad idea to overthrow the royal family of Schwarz."

    The three around me stiffened.

    Silence filled our room for a while before Keith broke intoughter.

    "Young master, you always say the damndest things."

    "Is it?" I asked, amused.

    "You know, would you make me a promise?"

    "What is it?"

    "The first time you drink, drink with me, alright?"

    I cracked a smile at Keith''s words.

    "Yeah, I will."

    That was the beginning of my n to get my hands on a bandit troupe. The next step was, well, joining them as a member.

    It was an action that didn''t suit very well the man who was supposed to be the strongest in the world, but until my muscles grew harder than rocks, I would have to make do with this.

    I didn''t forget to make a note for my future self, though, down the line, I was going to buy a bandit troupe with just my name. For sure.

    ***

    Keith ced a hand on my shoulder as he wiped his de too.

    "Are you sure we should be wiping them out?"

    "Yes," I answered without hesitation. The smell of blood had started the fill the air of the bandit''s vige. We had to move even quicker now.

    "Don''t worry," I said. "I meant it when I said I want the Dark Moon Bandit troupe."

    The first and most important thing to do as a noble and as a leader was to make my knights believe in me. The ones from the Baron''s territory were helping me weed out all the worst of the worst in the troupe. In the eyes, not only would I be bringing them achievements, but also a great dose of nobility and responsibility.

    As for taking the bandit troupe, that could be done after wiping it for the public.

    ¡ªCLANG!

    "FUCK! INTRUDERS!"

    Loud sounds of swords crashing filled the night followed by a shout. The shout was suppressed by a groan almost immediately after.

    It seemed everything was silent in the night. Not a soul moved, not an insect cried, not a bird chirped.

    A second.

    Two.

    Three.

    And¡ª

    "INTRUDEERRRSSS!"

    ¡ªThe cover was lost.

    The pandemonium had begun.

    Keith smirked widely as he pulled out his Zweihander and swung it in the air. In the blink of an eye, the frame of the hut we stood inside copsed and the vige-scape revealed itself.

    About three bandits were dead on the ground around us, outside the hut walls.

    -CRASH!

    -CLANG!

    From all the huts within the forest, the sound of screams and metal hitting against metal flowed out as the knights engaged inbat with the out flowing bandits.

    "KNIGHTS!" I screamed as I jumped out of the broken hut and into the field. "DESTROY THESE PUNY FAKERS! VICTORY WAS OURS BEFORE THE BATTLE BEGAN!"

    "OOOOOOH!"

    "YES SIR!"

    "FIGHT!

    "KILL THEM!"

    The quiet night was immediately filled with the impassioned screams of my men as the vigorour knights crushed the bandits one after the other. A fire started out in the huts with blood as its fuel as dozens upon dozens fought one other. I was really thankful for the bandit uniform as I went ahead and killed every bandit that came in my sight.

    Victory was ours before the battle had begun.

    We were winning.

    Until that moment.

    A split spread through the forest all across the vige of the bandits, and then the earth trembled.

    At the other end of the vige with his mboyant blue mantle fluttering in the night wind, the leader of the Dark Moon Bandits stepped in.

    "Keith," I called out to my friend as I gripped my sword and smiled at the enemy. "This one''s mine."

    It was time to see the true fruits of my years of training.

 Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Leader of the Bandits

    A whip coursed through the air and wrapped itself around a knight that was pushing back three of the bandits alone. The knight groaned as he was pulled back by the force behind the whip. Right then, a ball of fire streaked down the sky and crashed against the whip. Before it could snap the neck of the knight, the whip was pushed behind and the owner dragged it away.

    At the very center of the battlefield that was destroyed by a single flick of that whip, a man with a blue mantle walked up, the whip in his hands. His eyes shifted away from the knights that fought his men and turned to the one standing across from him.

    White hair the color of snow.

    Eyes crimson, a shade as deep as blood.

    And a stern face that would never suit one with the frame of a young child.

    "Newbie... I should have known," the man said, his mantle fluttering against the wind, revealing the dozens of scars on his face and hands.

    "You," the child ring at him, Eugene, spoke out loud. "Which one are you again?"

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    A wave of silence filled the ce again.

    "Wasn''t the young master infiltrating this ce? Hey, did you guys mess with our young master of Hall?"

    "What the hell? Is the newbie actually scared? You knights, is the newbie actually an idiot?"

    Eugene clenched his fist and held in his annoyance at thements of the ones around.

    "Hah!" The mantle''d man scoffed. "You''re mocking me, huh? What a bold child."

    "No, I am serious. You seem strong, but the whole lot of the top brass uses that damned mantle and whip! Which one are you?"

    "ENOUGH!" A chilling wave spread through the air as the man extended his control over all the mana in the air. "A dying man doesn''t need to know my name!"

    The pressure exuded from the mana in the man''s control was strong enough to make the knights and the bandits all freeze. Even the attendant standing behind the man was fearful as his legs trembled.

    They all came to an immediate realization.

    ''This person is out of our league.''

    Even the knights who were trained enough to be able to use charged des and were as strong as intermediate-ranked mages were unable to move a finger.

    Then, something that shocked all of them happened.

    The tremendous pressure that they only felt the side-effects of scared them to the bone, but the one facing it head on waspletely emotionless. In front of killing intent that would chase a lion away, Eugene sighed.

    "I really am being serious though..." he scratched his hair casually, as if he were out on a stroll in a park. "Well, whatever."

    The air around him changed again.

    His eyes narrowed, his muscles stiffened, a cold, icy re like the coldest tips of a snowy peak, a blizzard.

    A blizzard emerged from his eyes as Eugene''s pressure filled the air.

    The knights and bandits held their breaths while the man in the mantle smirked wide.

    "Great, just splendid." The man said.

    "Leader..." the attendant behind him called out. "Please don''t destroy the vige."

    His word made Eugene knock his head back in realization. Right, the strongest one here was the leader after all. The rest must have left without informing the lower rungs like him.

    "Alright, Keith. You can have sses back there."

    "Tsk. I wanted to have fun too!"

    Keith and Eugene casually chatted, ignoring the leader of the bandits and his attendant, much to his chagrin. Immediately, the bandit leader flicked his whip.

    A whistle spread through the air as the whip cut through the skies faster than one could see.

    Eugene''s hand moved just as fast as he dodged the whip.

    A crater was left in its wake with a cloud of dust, but the child was nowhere to be seen.

    A gleam shed next to the leader''s face and he ducked low. From his left came in a swing of a sword right where his neck was mere moments ago.

    The leader pressed his hands on the ground and flipped to bring his legs down with all the momentum. Eugene crossed hands and ced his sword in front of them to take the hit. The leg of the leader crashed against his ttened de, his feet dug into the ground, but Eugene wasn''t pushed back at all.

    He sweeped his legs and kicked the man''s hands, forcing him to jump back and create some distance between them.

    "For a child," the man said. "You''re pretty damn strong¡ª" His words were held back in his mouth when he noticed the purple ki covering Eugene''s sword and his feet.

    "Double... type..." he mumbled, shocked.

    Eugene stretched his hand out and crooked his fingers toward himself.

    "Enough chit-chat..." he said. "Come here and die."

 Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Worlds End Slash

    "Enough chit-chat..." he said. "Come here and die."

    Things changed at Eugene''s words. The eyes of bothbatants sharpened like des while each of their breaths carried the weight of a hundred tons, all of it serving as a warning for the other.

    It happened.

    The whip of the leader dashed into the ground. It broke throughyers uponyers of the mountain as it went down in a straight line. Eugene''s aura disappeared as he switched to using mana again.

    Dozens of arrows of fire formed above the leader.

    Blink.

    The arrows streaked through the night sky like falling meteors as they made their way to the leader''s head while theunched whip rushed out of the ground and toward Eugene, taking hundreds of pieces of stone, dirt, and rubble with it.

    They both ignored the other''s attack as they charged straight ahead. Hexagonal shields appeared around Eugene while the bandits'' leader relied on his own physical prowess to avoid the fire arrows, causing him to take a few scratches and burns.

    The duo appeared in front of each other. Eugeneunched a wide straight at the man who tilted his head to dodge. He raised his leg to kick Eugene''s stomach at the same time, but Eugene''s hands were ready to push his leg away.

    In moments, a tempest of martial arts moves broke out in the air. Tens, no, hundreds of kicks and punches flowed out from both party each second as they engaged in intense close quarters that made even the fighting knights and bandits stop and bite their nails.

    "See, our young master isn''t one to lose," Keith said as he swung his sword down on the sses d attendant that was with the leader.

    Keith''s de was rxed and his posture was even morezy. No one here knew, but he was engaged in a very difficult battle that couldn''tpare to the one his master was facing.

    "YOU BASTARD! YOU''RE YAWNING!?" The sses shouted and Keith covered his mouth.

    He had lost his intense battle against the yawn.

    "Well, you should have been more interesting if you were going to take offense."

    The attendant stopped jumping around and came in front of Keith, his eyes darting toward the fight between his leader and the child noble who ended up being a powerhouse beyond anyone''s imagination.

    "You can watch if you want," Keith said, stifling another yawn. "I can beat you anytime, it doesn''t matter if you keep your guard up or down."

    The attendant bit his lips to the point blood flowed out of them, he knew it was true, overwhelmingly so. He thought buying time here would be good.

    "Is that child... a part of the zodiacs?"

    Keith raised his brow at the man''s question.

    Zodiacs, he had heard of them a rather lot. In fact, almost any one with a child, taking care of a child, or at the age of being called a child had heard of them. The twelve rising stars of the continent amongst the youth with the youngest being 7 right now and the oldest 17.

    Monsters was how they were best described. Geniuses in their fields that were sure to leave behind the rest of the world and advance things by dozens of years with their talent alone, from business to science, magic, swords, the zodiacs were all masters being taught by grandmasters.

    Keith scoffed.

    "Zodiacs?" he said. The attendant narrowed his gaze further at his words, suspecting his guesses to be correct. "Our young master is not a part of something like that."

    "!"

    "He''s even greater."

    The attendant scoffed. "He''s strong, sure." He pointed at the battle again, making Keith shift his gaze. "But he''s getting pushed back."

    "The Dark Moon Bandits, we are not the people..." the attendant propped up his sses as he smirked. "The true Dark Moon Bandits are our technique!!"

    The knights around gasped and groaned. Surely, it seemed that their young master was shrinking with each meeting of their weapons.

    "So that''s what he meant when he said he''ll ''take the bandits.''"

    Keiths cryptic murmurings made the attendant''s eyes shake. Then, a loud bang sounded out. He moved at once to see the raging battle in the distance. Standing even with his sword in hand, the young master of Hall had a small smirk on his face...

    ... while their leader had flown away and crashed into a hut, breaking it in pieces.

    "GRAH!" The leader shouted and sent his whip out again. Eugene countered it by running upwards. A sight almost impossible to believe broke out as the young boy started floating in the air, no, sprinting on it.

    No one here knew about the hexagonal shields of Eugene''s honeb defense. Dodging the whips with nimble movements, Eugene rushed ahead toward the leader who had got his footing back.

    The ground waspletely gouged out everywhere his whipnded and the ming arrows that served as Eugene''s arrowspletely destroyed his the huts around, making a clearing that would only be left by a natural disaster in the middle of the forest.

    As Eugene came in front of the leader, a stray strike of the whipnded on his torso. He was pushed back in the air but used the shields immediately to stop himself. Practicing it on Keith was rather helpful, but he had entered the limits of his concentration, and the leader seemed to have noticed that.

    "THIS IS IT!" He screamed. "You''re strong, kid. Maybe after 5 years I wouldn''t have stood a chance, but the switching between your Ki Dantian and your Mana Core has made a great toll on your body!!"

    The man raised his whip up high and swung it toward Eugene again.

    "DIE NOW!"

    Eugene clicked his tongue and whispered.

    "Indeed, it sucks to switch all the time between the two. Why does logic say one can''t use both?"

    Mana and Ki were opposing forces. One was external and other internal, one changed nature while the other harmonized it, the two could never act together.

    "...[Synergy]"

    The air around Eugenepressed as he ced two of his fingers on the base of his sword.

    The Ki Core in his Dantian spun like a raging tornado and his purple ck ki filled his sword. Charged Ki, Aura, a sight that no one would expect from a child that young.

    But that wasn''t the end.

    "Uh-oh. KNIGHTS! RETREAT!!" Keith stuck his tongue out and sent an urgentmand as he rushed away from the battlefield, his eyes still on the young master.

    The air around Eugenepressed.

    He could see light distorting as all the mana around coalesced in Eugene''s hands, his Mana Core raging more than a forest fire.

    "[World''s...]"

    Eugene dashed ahead. He disappeared from everyone''s sight as his hand moved forward on the de, covering it in his mana over his Ki.

    The knights and bandits held their breaths.

    "FUCK! DIE YOU BASTARD! FILMSY TRICKS WON''T WORK!!"

    The leader filled his Aura Ki in his whip and spun it around himself, creating a dome of death that destroyed even the air that came in its radius.

    "[End...]"

    The quiet voice boomed strangely loud. Right in front of the leader of the bandits, a sh of pure ck filled the people''s eyes. The spot where his de should have been was darker than even the night, like a void had appeared in thin air.

    His movements were slow, like a firefly tracing over ake, his hand guided the de in a single, cutting motion that took away everyone''s breaths.

    "[sh]"

    .

    .

    .

    For a split second, the wrath of gods descended down on the Earth, threatening it with an all epassing Death.

    An End.

 Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Capturing the Dark Moon Bandits

    The crack of dawn was upon the mountain deep inside the Ediab forest.

    Today was a special morning for the forest, for the ce that would have always been in darkness under the shades of its trees and the bandit vige inside that used to live in the darkness even during the morning was strangely bright.

    It was the first time the entire package the morning sun carried hadnded on the ce.

    The vige, no, the remains of the vige had turned into a clearing.

    And in front of it, a path ofnd in the shape of a crescent stretching almost a kilometer ahead...

    ... Had its shape changed from and covered with forests and trees to a wastnd of nothing.

    ***

    Strength left my body, but I didn''t let go of myself. With the sword next to my hand that was as numb as a paralyzed man''s, I stared at the scene ahead.

    "Weak..." the word left me.

    That was when I noticed the remaining knights and bandits gulp in the distance.

    "Did he just say weak?"

    "He meant the bandit leader... right? Not himself... right?"

    Such whispers reached my ears.

    ssless bastards, of course I meant myself. Who else was weak here if not me? Just obliterating everything in almost a kilometer was not even close to satisfactory. A single dragon''s breath destroyed everything in a radius of ten kilometers in the gates I had explored, and dragons were not even the strongest here.

    I remembered Albert''s words at that moment.

    Surely, he had said that there was someone who could remove an entire mountain from sight with the snap of their fingers.

    I was nowhere enough yet.

    That said, I was alsopletely drained out of strength.

    Without turning back, I called out after summoning all my strength. It wasn''t that I didn''t turn around, but that I couldn''t.

    "Keith."

    "Yes, yes, young master, just a moment."

    I heard a loud scream from behind me followed by Keith cheerfully walking over. He stuck his head in front of my face while still standing behind me, it was annoying to see an unrecognizable blur in front of my eyes after being exerted like this, but whatever.

    "What is it, dear young master? How can thiscking servant be of use to you, young master?"

    "Carry me, I can''t move."

    "Pfft."

    Bastard. I would have to set him straight.

    Using Mana and Ki in synergy was not only dangerous, but also tough to control. I had memories and experience as Yujin and the mana control of that time which would make even gods blush, that was what helped me manage to mix these two in the first ce, but controlling them was enough tougher so I always ended up using everything when I used the attack.

    Keith audibly smirked as he hauled me up on his back and carried me to the ce where all of the knights and bandits had gathered.

    Rolling on the ground was the attendant of the leader with his legs bleeding profusely while the rest of the bandits were being suppressed by the knights from the baron''s territory.

    "Good work, handle this well," I said.

    The knights all stopped and looked at me, they saluted without a word with impable form. It was even better than what they did when they saw me in the vige we had turned into a town now.

    "There''s no need to investigate this ce, I know everything about it."

    I couldn''t let the knights take them to the baron, though.

    "As for these people, bring them to our territory. There''s no need to fill the baron''s prisons with such scum."

    The knights had a strange air about them when I said that.

    "Young master even dived in danger himself..."

    "Not only is he strong, he''s also brave enough to infiltrate them..."

    There seemed to be an annoying misunderstanding going about which made me frown. The knights only perked up when I frowned.

    "Whatever, lets go."

    Keith nodded with me propped on his back and started descending the mountain.

    "W-wait! What are you going to do with us!? Newbie! Newbiee!"

    The attendant screamed from behind, but I ignored himpletely as Keith and I started descending the mountain.

    "Haah, Maria and Lily are going to kill me after seeing you like this."

    "Is it? I''ll hold a good funeral for you, don''t worry."

    "How cold, young master, how cold."

    We exchanged such light banter as we left the outskirts of the forest, on our way, Keith posed a question.

    "Young master, when you said you''ll be taking the Dark Moon Bandits, did you mean their technique?"

    What was this guy on about.

    "Their whip was definitely unique, I guess there must be something more with the original of these bandits¡ª"

    "That''s not what I meant at all?" I said. I struggled and reached into my pocket before pulling out a piece of paper.

    "What''s this?" he asked.

    I unfolded the paper and revealed a magic stamp inside it.

    "The Dark Moon Bandits under the leader very recently started spreading out. They were nning to increase their area of influence and sent all the top brass out. Of course, they''re weaker than the leader, but they''re good."

    "You mean..."

    "This seal will send carrier pigeons straight to the one you want."

    "Hah..." Keith scoffed.

    I had spent thest two weeks rolling about to take this seal.

    Take the bandits. Of course I wanted them alive.

    A bandit organization for myself alone, that was my n. I would have captured them and forced them under my wing, killed the leader and ordered them around. But these guys were already nning to increase their area of influence.

    After witnessing their crimes, not only did I get the chance to create a deep impression amongst the knights and the citizens by capturing the bandits. I also got to keep them alive since they had broken off.

    "The bandits are hoping to seed the old bandits. It is their passion, and they believe the key to that passion is in the hands of the leader, so they won''t betray him. The leader was the sessor of the original Dark Moon Bandits who didn''tmit as many atrocities as they helped the poor and the people with no one to turn to.

    They stealed from the rich and handed to the poor and worked against the injustice of the nobles of old.

    "The Dark Moon Bandits has a lot of followers who could be traced back to the people they protected. It''s those guys that tried to revive it under the leadership of the descendant of the leader."

    I could send them letters and orders as the leader. I had an entirely new information agency working around for me without knowing it was I they would be serving.

    "Was it fine to kill him?"

    "Hah, the leader was a pawn. The true sessor is someone else. He''s cunning."

    Keith looked up at me.

    "Who?"

    "The one you crippled a bit back."

    "Hah!"

    Keith scoffed and shook his head.

    I had everything nned out well.

    The foundation for things hade to an end. I would soon revive the Dark Moon Bandits who I had made sure to get in my own territory.

    As soon as I got back that day, even before resting, I saw the vige we were turning over on its head. The vigers with nothing to their name now had erected a town that would make even the baron''s jaw drop. It was justcking the most important ir to finish my image.

    I sent out an order as the owner of the territory, the de facto atleast.

    All artists who wished to make a name were to gather in my territory.

    The time to bring in a newndmark on this kingdom was here.

    After that, I could go back to training and be the strongest in the world.

    The very strongest.

 Chapter 31: Chapter 30.1: Apollon

    The crack of dawn.

    Two months had passed since I brought the Dark Moon Bandits under my hands. The baron''s knights were joined by Count Guitare''s knights after I swindled him into believing that this was a territory where he needed to put his money.

    We also collected a ton of sculptors, painters, and other artists to the point the vige was slowly getting filled with them, and once we had talent, we started teaching the other vigers as well. Most importantly, I promised my music instructor that I''ll help him earn money and had him open a school over here with his disciples.

    Of course, we just increased the amount of investment he was going to put into my book, so that evened out.

    It reminded me of the book as well. The publisher had handed it over to some of the biggest patrons of music in Schwarz including the royal pce and other nobles and it was apparently making waves here. Thank you, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, there were more people to thank than I could mention in a breath.

    I continued my training in the field of our mansion. Today was a big day for the territory, but that didn''t matter much to me. It was just a step on the way to having the strongest territory in the world, so my training continued.

    "Haaahm, good morning young maste¡ª"

    I turned my head to the side at the sound of the stifled yawn, only to see someone of a height slightly shorter than me. There was but one person in this mansion like that.

    "Lily, morning."

    "Y-young master, what are you doing?"

    What a weird question. Did she develop blindness too?

    "I''m practicing horse riding."

    "With the horse on YOUR back!?"

    "That''s why it''s ''horse riding'' though?"

    How rude of her. I lightly patted ck''s face as he whimpered and nuzzled at my face.

    "What if I have to carry a horse someday? It even doubles as strength training. A truly strong man is prepared for everything."

    "I¡ª Haah..." Lily sighed and held her head with her palm. "Right, I should be used to this stuff by now."

    The horse and I both nodded at her remark which only seemed to irk her further.

    "I''ll prepare breakfast, should I bring it to your officeter?"

    "No, let''s eat together with everyone today," I said. "We''re doing the first performance of the y tonight."

    Lily smiled, I think she did, as she cheerfully nodded and walked away.

    ***

    The morning was filled with tension all over the vige that was now as good as a city. Thanks to the revolutionary architectural style that the young master of Hall himself created, the ce was not onlypact and modernist but extremely beautiful and intricate in its design. It was a simple yetplex style that only the people hired and trained by the young master could manage to build.

    And the fruit of all thebors for the past months wasing to greet the people. But even more than that, they wanted to repay.

    They wanted to repay the young master that showed them the right way even in their desperation.

    The one that helped theme out of the worst of the worst and give a future to their children and adults alike. At not just one ce, but many.

    The artists wanted to thank the patron that epted and gave a tform to even the worse-off ones like them.

    They all wanted to thank their magnanimous and kind young master.

    Little did they know their strongest young master who lived in the modern world was more well-versed in business and management along with fine techniques than they could imagine. Every action he took benefitted him as well, well at least that''s what he liked to believe despite putting in much more than he could recover. It was possible to make this ce beautiful.

    He had done it already, and he was going to continue doing so.

 Chapter 32: Chapter 30.2: Apollon

    At the entrance of the ce, with a white-golden coat fluttering in the wind and the badge with the emblem of the royal pce, a high-ranking officer hade down to this ce to judge its status as a town created in the Marquis'' distant territory.

    Statues of various animals and people filled the roads of colorful brick as he walked in.

    "Color me surprised," he said, looking at the entrance that alone set a more vibrant and colorful vibe than most ces in the country.

    His feet strode through the ce as he looked at the houses and buildings made with darkened wood in different colors. All of their structures were strange. Hood moulds sheltered the lines of windows while beautifully sculpted pirs held them up. Domes and arches sat at the top with finials stretching through them.

    It was a beautiful sight that seemed like a greatly simplified and minimalistic version of the architecture found in the capital.

    The officer slowly pulled out a notepad from his pockets and made a quick tick on it as he walked ahead. People were moving around the ce with smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the evening breeze that blowed well in this open area. As he went in further, a small head appeared below him.

    He looked down to see a cute face smiling brightly at him.

    "Uncle! Are you here to watch the y?!"

    "U-uncle... I am only 23, child."

    "Yeah, that''s old!" The child smirked and said. "And I am no child! I am Nina, nine years old."

    The officer''s brow twitched at her words. Nine years old wasn''t a child? In what world.

    "Anyway uncle, you''ll get lost. I''ll guide you."

    "No need."

    "I insist!"

    The officer took a step ahead, ready to ignore the child, but she quickly stepped in front of him and started walking ahead. The officer changed his direction, but the girl noticed and swooped in right at time. In the end, he had no choice but to sigh and give up.

    "Alright! I''ll take you to the center first! The y will startte since one of the actors went missing."

    The officer raised his brow at this information he didn''t expect. Whatever the case, he made a small mark in his notepad. It wasn''t something rted to the status of the ce, but could affect the administration of the Marquis, or well, as everyone knew, the son of the Marquis who was actually leading this ce.

    Nina and the officer walked around the ce. His ears were hit by melodious tunes he hadn''t heard before as the got closer to the central za which had a beautiful yet modest fountain. Around it were people ying various instruments and others merrily bobbing their heads to it.

    "It sounds good, right?!"

    The officer nodded. Not far away from the elderly and the children enjoying the music, he could see a painter trying to capture this scene on his canvas while making sure no one was inconvenienced by his actions. The officer smiled and pulled out his notepad again. Then, he noticed something.

    "Why did the piano yer put money in that donation box? Don''t bylookers do that?"

    "It''s the fee for ying!"

    "What do you mean, child?"

    "Anyone can y the piano. You don''t have to pay anything as well since the young master said its free, but people do it anyway."

    The officer was slightly surprised, but smiled again. It was a ce that lived on its motto to encourage art.

    "Oh! I know a good restaurant! Let''s go there!"

    "Well, alright."

    "Thedy there is kind, she''ll give you a discount."

    After that, till the sun started to turn red, Nina and the Officer kept moving around the ce. Nina scammed a full set meal from the officer in a restaurant, an ice cream and even some cotton candy alongside more things, while the officer turned brighter and brighter at the friendliness of the people here and the quality of their goods.

    All of them were once poor and understood howpassion went much further than profits, it was a mindset that the officer didn''t acknowledge to be true, but respected nheless.

    At longst, after moving all over the ce, they moved to the theatre at one corner of the room. The dome shaped structure and its beautiful carvings were beyond the rest of the ce, yet simpler than what one would find at the capital. The officer was amused by this level of extravagance in simplicity as his notepad was now filled with check marks.

    Nina told him about a special entrance for VIPs and guided him through that ce. The officer would have rejected it at first, but since Nina talked a lot he had long since started filtering her voice out. They entered the ce and many people in different costumes looked straight at the two.

    "NINA! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF THE PLAY YOU HAVE DELAYED!?" An old man screamed in a quiet voice when he noticed Nina.

    The voice was different, so the officer that was focused on turning his head looking around all this time now looked at the man instead. He gulped.

    "Oh, I didn''t go missing, that uncle was lost so I was guiding him."

    The officer remembered the first of Nina''s words. She had definitely mentioned how one of the actors had gone missing.

    "Excuse me, sir." The man looked at him, his eyes twisted low. It was none other than the original vige chief that had talked to Eugene. "We will overlook this matter. Guests are to enter from the back, so please move there.

    "Right! Right, I am sorry!" The officer bowed his head and ran away from the door. He frowned as he walked toward the main entrance of the theatre, pulling out his notepad again, the officer cut off the remark he made about the administration. It was his fault for keeping the missing actor!

    As he showed his invite to the knight at the door, the man didn''t give him any special treatment other than a deep bow and an attendant to personally guide him to the seat.

    The officer slowly made his way up to the second line from the front, the first was reserved for the two counts and a baron who had invested in the ce. He took his seat quietly behind that line and turned to the side. Sitting there was a regal young child with hair as white as the moon and eyes as red as roses.

    He was short, but his presence was gigantic, he was quiet, but his movements suppressed all noises. He realized who the person sitting next to him was immediately and performed a short bow.

    "Young Master Eugene, I thank you for the invite." His status was high enough for him to not have to suck up to another noble, he was a noble son himself, but he was still at a rank lower than a Marquis'' child.

    Eugene looked at the man with a nk face, his gaze then shifted to the emblem the man''s shirt held and nodded.

    "I am pleased to see you here, Officer."

    The officer smiled and sat when Eugene pointed at his seat. There weren''t many others on this line barring the nobles'' guards and aides, which gave them a lot of space to chat. The officer was enraptured by the young master''s appearance. Not because of his beauty, but for something else.

    "Young master," he said. "You greatly resemble yourte mother."

    Eugene''s brow perked at this line. He looked at the officer with slight surprise conveyed through his brows.

    "It''s the first time someone has said that," Eugene said.

    How could a young child of barely 12 years have such a presence?

    The officer chuckled lightly, he found the joke humourous. He then looked at Eugene again and gulped. He wasn''t joking.

    "A-ah... I see..." The officer showed tact and didn''t say much else. It was extremely weird that no one said it. His mother was the star of the noble''s circle and this boy looked like her splitting image. It was more than just odd, but he didn''t say anything else.

    "Did you enjoy the town?" Eugene asked.

    Something clicked when he realized that the young master in front of him was the one who sent that child with him. The officer smiled at his insight and nodded.

    "It''s beautiful. Once I retire, I would like to live here."

    Eugene nodded, finding the answer satisfactory.

    At that moment, the light started going off as the y seemed to be starting.

    "But, young master," The officer whispered. "I didn''t see the name of this ce anywhere. What do you call it?"

    Eugene smiled and shifted his gaze to the stage. The curtain opened and the first scene was arranged.

    "The City of Art," he said. "Apollon."

    "Apollon..."

 Chapter 33: Prologue Arc - Epilogue

    The Dance of Apollon

    That was the y that the inept scriptwriter hade up with. In the end, I had to let Maria and Keith decide on the final script after being too annoyed by him, and the results of that were in front of me.

    The officer had said some weird things about my mother and whatnot, but I didn''t care. I didn''t know anything about her anyway. Information was relevant while Icked the strength to even be threatened, let alone be a threat.

    One might think that this attitude of apathy came from the fact that I was living as both Yujin and Eugene, but that wasn''t the case. I didn''t consider myself either. I was just me. The me at this very moment is me. People change frequently, and I considered my ''self'' to be like a rock at the ocean shore. One that changes every moment as the winds and the waves hit it until it is not anything anymore.

    I was me, that''s all that mattered.

    The curtain opened, and the y began.

    It was a beautifully simple story that fit the ce well and used the guidelines I had set well.

    It started with a disowned son of a noble who was unfairly kicked out of his family. He was pushed out all the way to a vige suffering from poverty and ignorance. He quickly got closer to the children and the adults of the ce despite his attitude of not wanting to see them at all, and eventually formed a bond.

    The son developed the vige together with the others, taking lead of the development with revolutionary tactics he had learned as a noble, he understood the spirit of caring for others and helping others in need while making a strong bond of friendship.

    As time passed and the son grew, the vige was much better and he was at the center of it all.

    Then came the climax.

    A bandit troupe had set its sight on the vige.

    The son felt loss as his friends were taken by the bandits and his town was threatened by them. He raised his sword and fought, fought and fought until he was bleeding from everywhere.

    After an intensely dramatic battle, the son managed to defeat the bandits threatening the ce, but lost his life as a result.

    The vigers felt the loss, and so did the noble''s family.

    As the y ended with the people realizing his heroism, the curtains folded.

    It was a simple yet beautiful y. A tragedy of great order.

    One I liked greatly.

    The man next to me sniffled while the nobles ahead gave a standing ovation.

    The y was well received. By others, and most importantly, by me.

    This was the essence of a story, of art.

    Pain. Loss.

    Tension.

    Any good story in the modern world held tension. There were threats, stakes, things to lose.

    As I pped at the stage.

    I felt again that I was now in the world of the game that Albert had told me.

    A game, written in the modern world.

    So, in the end, what was...

    ... what was the tension of this story?

    What was the threat here?

    A chill ran down my spine.

    Fuck.

 Chapter 34: Chapter 31: An Exit and An Invite

    Rain fell mercilessly against the tiled roofs of the lower huts and the makeshift ceilings of the shanties.

    A horse came to a screeching stop, the ck of its feet suppressed by the pitter-patter of the rains. In front of one such shanty deep inside the slums, a tiny figure wearing a raincoat hopped off the horse. The hood of the raincoat made of straws just barely managed to push off all the rain falling on it, but the figure seemed unbothered.

    Lightning crackled as the figure moved toward the creaking door of the shanty. Behind, another figure appeared on a horse as it jumped off.

    "Mydy, let me."

    The figure nodded and stepped back at the other''s urgent words. It watched as the neer carefully pulled out a sword in the rain that made even the ground muddy and carefully cracked the door open.

    The creaking of the door echoed.

    Lightning struck again as the two of them moved inside thepletely dark shanty. Blood slowly seeped out of the floor and the now ajar door. The smell of a rotting corpse was strong inside.

    In the dusty ce where mold and algae had lived longer than the owner of the residence himself, the young figure and therge one next to itnded their eyes on the small letter kept on the desk.

    The figure moved ahead and picked up the letter. It could see the rims of it being soaked in the rainwater that came in from the hole that took on the role of a window in this ce.

    Lightning struck a third time, its brightness came gushing in from the window as it illuminated the face of the young figure and the letter in her hands.

    The beautiful woman''s hands quaked.

    She clenched her fists, crushing the letter with it.

    "West..." she said. "We''ll have to go west."

    "West?" The knight with her parrotted her words, confused. "Where, youngdy?"

    "Make the preparations," the figure, the youngdy said. "We''re going to the Hall''s territory."

    ***

    A light weight pressing down on my stomach woke me up.

    A soft yet warm breath tickled my neck and my cheeks. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked up.

    Looking back at me were locks of ck hair. The locks fell down next to my face, they twirled at the bottom while acy white headpiece kept them together at the top. Up so close, I could barely make out the rosy lips that were opened just a slight amount, almost as if they were pushed apart involuntarily to remove the heat in breaths.

    As I moved my eyes further up, I met the eyes of the person above me.

    There was but one person who fit these features in the mansion, and she was right above me, to the point where our noses would touch at the slightest movement of either of us.

    "Maria, what might you be up to?"

    Maria''s fingers floated up as she held her body above me with just her knees and one hand. Her pale fingers softly streaked my forehead with their tips before brushing aside the hair that fell on my face.

    "Your guardian knight went to a brothel."

    Maria''s face moved closer and her heated breaths now struck right against my lips.

    "And Lily is just Lily."

    With nowhere for the air to go, my lips slightly spread open as well.

    "So..."

    Her eyes narrowed, her fingers grazed down my brows to the corner of my eyes before slowly flowing further down below.

    "I thought I should sneak up in your bed."

    She lowered her body further as I could start feeling her skin through her uniform on myself.

    "It''s just training," she continued, her voice no better than a whisper. "To see if you can respond to invaders in your room, you see?"

    Was that how it was.

    Smiling, I ced on hand on Maria''s back that was pressing against me and lifted the other to her face. I gently, very gently brushed my thumb over her lips, to the point where I won''t press her lips, but she could still feel every movement of my thumb.

    It may just be my imagination, but her body seemed to tingle.

    As I dragged my thumb to the edge of her lips, I forcefully gripped her chin in my fingers.

    Her breaths that fell on my lips and tongue now grew even hotter, as if ava was pouring out from inside her.

    "Young master..." she whispered, her voice sharp yet soft, sensual. "Is this, how you will respond to invaders?"

    I tightened my grip on her back.

    "No." I said. "This is how I respond to you."

    Maria''s eyes curved. She lowered her face¡ª

    ¡ªBANG!

    "B-BIG TROUBLE!"

    The door to my room shot open and Lily''s shriek came gushing in. Her eyes fell toward us before another shriek sounded out.

    "Hieeek!! I am sorrrrry!"

    Lily turned tail and dashed away, mming the door shut behind her.

    Maria and I gave ast look to the door before turning toward each other again.

    Maria smiled, I lifted my hands up in a surrendering position as she slowly got off of me. She hopped off the bed and bowed before turning away.

    I pushed away the nkets after she left the room and stretched my hands above my head.

    "I should quit sleeping in just my pants."

    ***

    After changing up, I went down to the dining room in the mansion where Maria and Lily were already present. Lily had a deep blush on her face, I guess, while Maria seemed as cool as usual.

    "That, uhm..." Lily mumbled as I sat down at the head of the table and gestured at them to take a seat. Maria usually sat and waited for me, but today even she was acting as if we had to keep up with these bullshit noble customs. They didn''t deny my gaze and sat down.

    "What is it?" I asked. "What''s the big problem?"

    Thest big problem I had personally faced was the finalization of the main script for Apollon''s first y, and that was already two years ago. What could bother me now?

    "That..." Lily mumbled again. She took in a deep breath and turned to us with a fiery gaze before shouting out loud. "The main family has sent a letter calling you back, young master!"

 Chapter 35: Chapter 32: Dropping Bombs

    Lily dropped a bomb.

    It was a bomb so big that Keith somehow caught the scent of it and came crawling in from the window of the dining room.

    "Wait what?! The marquis called us back?" He mmed his hand against the window and said. Maria let him in as that guy strutted through the room and took a seat next to me as casually as he could.

    Seeing as everyone had assembled, Lily ced the letter from the main family on the table and looked at me.

    "That... they are calling you to discuss Apollon..."

    Now?

    It had been two years since Apollon was recognized by the royal pce and was given the authority to collect taxes, have a knight brigade, and even appoint a lord or a mayor. Throughout it all, there had been no contact from the Marquis family other than a letter stating that I was the regent lord for the ce for the time being.

    But now. What was this about?

    "That and... they are inviting you to your eldest sister''sing-of-age ceremony and the founding festival."

    The founding festival, I had studied about it, no, I was preparing my territory to make big dough with it. A strong man needed cash, after all. It was a festival that took ce on the founding week of most territories in the Schwarz kingdom, with the Founding Festival of the kingdom itself being a month-long ordeal. That wasn''t a big issue, it was the other one.

    Maria and Keith leaned back on their seats while I stroked my chin. Coming of age ceremony, huh?

    "What''s her name?"

    "Yes?"

    "My sister, what''s her name?"

    "Uh..." Lily looked at Maria as if she was lost while the other two chuckled. They nodded their heads, mumbling ''as expected from our young master'' and stuff like that.

    "Vienna, Lady Vienna Hall."

    "What did you say?" A shocked gasp left me.

    "Her name is Vienna Hall," Maria repeated.

    I had never heard that name on a person before.

    "She''s smart and strong," Keith said. "She has reached the level of Aura Ki before 18, so that puts her at one of the top spots in the kingdom when ites to the next generation of nobles."

    "The quality here is rather low, huh?"

    "That''s not all, she''s also very talented when ites to administration. She has been managing arge chunk of the fief with the Marquis being busy with the dungeon city, and she''s heavily involved even in that."

    "Strong and capable... is she...?"

    Maria nodded at my suspicion. "Yes, she''s the top and the only candidate for the heir. A lot of subordinating nobles already call her the heiress."

    I stood up at once and pped my hands together.

    "The future marchioness, I absolutely must make a good impression on her."

    A strong man doesn''t worry about impressions on others for they are filled with kindness, but there exists a stronger way for evil ones like me, which is worry about every important impression. A meticulous man is just as strong as a natural, I wasn''t naturally able to leave good impressions, so being meticulous was my tune.

    But, there was another problem.

    I sat back down and crossed my legs.

    "We have to go there, even if we disregard the ceremony and the festival, the Marquis has broken the silence on matters of Apollon." I slowly leaned ahead and locked my fingers, resting my chin on them as I propped myself up on the table.

    "But I have a problem."

    "A problem?"

    "What''s the matter, young master?"

    It was time to tell them. At a ce that would be filled with people, this problem of mine was going to be a huge hassle. Whatever, a strong man had no need for hesitation.

    "I can''t see people''s faces."

    "Oh, we know," Keith said.

    "It was since you were eight, right?" Maria added.

    "I was so shocked that day... don''t worry young master, we won''t let you carry this burden alone."

    "Is that so...? You all already knew?"

    Was I that bad at hiding it?

    "How many times do you think you have said ''which one is Keith?'' Hahah!" Keith cackled, he held his stomach and startedughing loudly. "And that one time in the adventurer guild, you held my hand and said I''ll get lost HAHAH!"

    This bastard.

    "Keith! Don''t bully the young master!" Lily defended me, but she was powerless.

    As I was watching the two, Maria gently started stroking my head.

    "You were so shocked that you came to your senses that day, right?" She smiled widely and continued stroking my hair. "That event changed you into a rational and cool young master like your mother, of course we would notice."

    "Oh? Rationality?" I asked. "That wasn''t because of that."

    "That''s because I received the memories of another life."

 Chapter 36: Chapter 33: Like Her

    "That''s because I received the memories of another life."

    A bout of silence took over as I said that.

    A strong man didn''t need to bother with hiding these things. I didn''t think this information was worth hiding at all.

    "AHA..." A loud sound broke the silence, "Hahahahah! What are you talking about?"

    "Haha! Young master, you have the weirdest jokes."

    "Another life! I almost got scared there hahaha!"

    Keith, Maria, and Lily startedughing out loud while calling me silly. I didn''t not expect this, so I crossed my legs and waited patiently with a serious face.

    Keith noticed my look and stoppedughing. He leaned closer to me and whispered.

    "Seriously?"

    I nodded.

    Maria and Lily shut up as well as they watched me.

    "Can a person learn the piano and be a superb mage in just one night after not being able to see faces? I thought this one was more obvious than the other."

    Lily and Keith closed their mouths and continued staring at me. These two were attached to the me they knew now, so this reaction was only natural. That and well, it would be tough to ept things right away. But, there was also another person here who probably thought differently.

    I slowly turned to my side and looked at Maria. Her eyes must have been trembling, no, I was sure they were as her entire body in front of me shook as if she was put in the coldest ce on the with wet clothes.

    She cracked her lips open and let out a pained voice.

    "I... I always looked at you thinking... it was someone else..."

    Keith and Lily winced at her words, but I calmly observed her as she struggled to continue.

    "I always thought it was like this... but I didn''t want to admit it... t-there''s... there''s a small scar on the back of your neck, young master..."

    I didn''t know that. I didn''t know anything, since I had no idea what I looked like.

    "I checked and made sure it was you." Maria''s head dropped and she sighed. "This makes much more sense now..."

    Lily carefully grasped at Maria''s sleeves while Keith stared at me. I could tell from his shoulders that he wasn''t looking at me suspiciously at all, but instead with worry.

    In my opinion, Maria was too bothered.

    "So... are you not... my young master in the end? Are you not Eugene Hall...?"

    "I don''t know what you''re on about," I sighed and said. "As I exined, I got memories of a previous life and nothing else. I am still me. We have never discussed why I was kicked out of the family, but I remember that it was because I ended up hurting the youngest and my bitch of a stepmother wanted me gone."

    I spoke with all the seriousness I could muster while keeping a ''no big deal'' attitude about me.

    As I had thought, they all had their suspicions. It was best to clear it out right now than to end up harming our rtionship down the line. We already trusted each other enough to ovee this minor difference in perspective, there was no need to let it evolve into seeds of doubt down the line.

    "I, of course, don''t remember a lot of things since I was a child, but I remember the rest. I remember walking around the pond back at the main residence with you, Maria. I remember well how you once fixed me up after I got hurt chasing a dog. I remember you telling me about the flower that my mother used to love in the garden."

    Over the years, I had pulled up whatever memories I could from the time when I was just Eugene. It was tough, since it felt as if those events happened even earlier than the events in my life as Yujin, and Yujin''s life was unbearably eventful already by my current age of 14.

    Maria''s trembling intensified as I listed the events that tied us together. I still couldn''t think of it as a big deal, but this was still the person who had raised me since she was a young girl.

    I was more than willing to reassure her tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times. And I was equally willing to wait for her.

    "The only things that I forgot which I should have known are all of your faces. Nothing else."

    Another round of silence filled the room.

    For some reason, Keith and Lily were just shaking their heads between me and Maria.

    Just like before, I rxedly watched her as she gripped at the hems of her clothes and her fingers trembled.

    After many minutes had passed, Maria took in a deep breath and spoke.

    "Young master, your mother and I. My master... she... she hoped that you would always be happy."

    Maria''s voice contained more pain than it had yet.

    "S-she said, she wanted her son to be smiling, to trust others and to help others, to not doubt others, to not worry and just be himself... She... She didn''t want her child to be tainted by the sorrows and cruelty of this world... She didn''t want you to be like her..."

    Maria bit her lips.

    My mother was an idealist, it seemed.

    Atst, Maria raised her gaze and looked straight at me.

    I couldn''t see her face.

    Not one bit.

    "You''ve be so much like your mother that it''s scary, young master."

    My eyes trembled.

    Something pulled at my heart at her words. What was it? What made me feel this way?

    I couldn''t tell, but I could feel my heart racing.

    It was different from the racing of my heart from when I fought or made a breakthrough.

    I felt... regretful.

    Maria suddenly stood up and bowed.

    "I''ll start making preparations for us to leave."

    I could only watch as Maria walked out of the room without looking back.

    Keith and Lily looked at me as well, but I shook my head and shooed them away. They left chasing after her.

    "Was I... too insensitive?"

    What look did she have in her eyes as she left?

    For the first time in a long, long time. I cursed my inability to see a person''s face.

 Chapter 37: Chapter 34: The Hall Family (1)

    The carriage slowed down to a strut.

    After two days of traveling, we had now reached the center of Hall''s territory, the capital city of Dienin. There were only the four of us in the carriage with a coachman helming it. The atmosphere among the group was just as it used to be, Keith and Lily hade to terms with things in no time, but Maria was still not her usual self.

    "Young master, we are about to reach the Castle soon. May I suggest you prepare to present yourself to the Marquis as soon as we reach? There is a high chance that you will be greeted by the others lords anddies of the family at the door."

    Yes, she was overtly formal and distant.

    Not everyone in the world was mentally strong. Some things hurt some people more than they hurt others. I learned a valuable lesson from this incident. Stifling a sigh, I nodded at Maria.

    "The gift we have prepared for the others, make sure to bring them out."

    Maria nodded respectfully. She then continued speaking with all the grace of a maid and then some more. "Young Master, there might be someplications with your eldest sister. I don''t think she would take kindly to you."

    Was a formal maid supposed to be so blunt? Maria, you''re breaking your character! Her mind must truly be a mess right now.

    "Why?" I asked, though I wasn''t very interested, it was still valuable information that could make a difference.

    "Lady Vienna is said to be one with a lot of love for her siblings... Her ''three'' siblings."

    I had an eldest sister, an elder brother, a younger brother, and another youngest sister. Marquis Hall had five children with his three wives, one of whom the saints preserved. It seemed I wasn''t counted in Lady Vienna''s siblings here.

    "She is not only caring but also overprotective of them. Word from the maidwork is that she also keeps strong grudges."

    I sighed and crossed my legs.

    Strong grudges, huh?

    "Young Master, your brother Leon has a burn mark on the back of his neck."

    "Whatever, I''ll handle her well. I am anyway not looking to meet my sibling but the next head of the territory."

    Maria nodded and sat carefully again.

    Looked like there were tons of troubles waiting for me.

    ***

    We soon arrived at the castle of the Hall Marquis. The carriage came to a stop.

    I swung the door open and stepped out.

    Lined up in front of me were other employees of the ce, but no one seemed to be standing outrgely. Behind the faceless people, my eyesnded on the castle. Three beautiful towers of blue and white stretched out into the sky in a triangr formation. Below them, the fortified building made by alternating between bricks and stone bs came into sight.

    The building was vast and beautiful. Even the paint on the outer walls was maintained to a level of professionalism that made it seem that the castle was erected just yesterday. The bailey stretched a wide range forming the courtyard. Well-trimmed grass paths lead to the training halls, the garden, the pond, andstly the entrance of the main building.

    It all seemed as extravagant as the painting of a flower yet as natural as the flower itself.

    I ran my hand through my hair, pushing it back from the side as my ck coat over the white uniform fluttered in the wind.

    A gasp sounded from the side, it was low but I didn''t miss it. Many of the people standing in file to greet me were mesmerized.

    Hah.

    I flicked my hair again and smirked.

    They gasped again.

    This was fun.

    Next, I tried to pose and crack half a smile.

    They gasped again, but it was much softer.

    Maybe they liked it when I flicked my hair more?

    I did it again, and instead of gasps I could only hear ''heh''s

    "U-uh..." From the center of the servants, one especially graceful yet elderly servant stepped forward and performed a deep bow.

    "I greet Master Eugene, the lord of Apollon."

    Wow.

    Look. At. This.

    I guess the Marquis was clear that I am called as the lord of Apollon and not as the child of Hall.

    "I am Bartholomew, the head steward of the Dienin Hall Castle and the Hall estate. I hope there were no difficulties in your travel."

    "There weren''t."

    Bartholomew stood upright and stared at me for a few seconds. "Young master," he said, slightly emotional. "You have grown into a splendid young man."

    He was stepping out of the line as a servant of the Halls by saying that, but I didn''t mind it much since it was apliment.

    I merely nodded while looking at the inside of the castle.

    Bartholomew quickly understood my gaze and smiled.

    "The Marquis wanted to meet you right as you came, but some urgent matters have forced him to dy it. I hope you don''t mind it, Lord Eugene."

    "It is fine."

    "Then, I will guide you to your room, my lord. Please follow me."

    I gave a quick nce toward the other three. They didn''t have authority nor were they ''my'' servants but rather the servants of the Hall family, they would have to go do their own thing for the time being, though they would be assigned to me anyway.

    I followed behind Bartholomew as he guided me through the path and to the entrance of the main building. What was this urgent matter that came up? From what I had heard of the Marquis, he was sure to be a person to have fun nailing me down with his words, he didn''t seem one to push it aside.

    As we passed through, my eyes fell on another carriage being guided into the stables.

    A familiar insignia was marked on the carriage.

    One of two swords and a shield.

    Mirxa.

    Someone from the Mirxa territory, my direct neighbors, and the true guardians of the Ediab forest was here.

    Was this rted to Apollon too? Or was it my dearest informationwork that still thought it was a bandit troupe? Things were getting increasinglyplicated.

    Bartholomew pushed open the doors of the castle, letting me take in the glory of the entire ce. Red carpets and mahogany plywood surrounded the ground and the walls while beautiful paintings and statuettes were lined up in different ces at the castle''s entrance.

    I kept my gaze straight and regal, trying to think of any problems and their appropriate countermeasures.

    Bartholomew was about to lead me up the stairs when a loud voice sounded out from behind me.

    "Stop right there!"

    I stopped.

    Bartholomew turned around and looked at the source of the voice. Was he scared? His hands seemed to be saying so.

    I slowly turned back. In front of me were beautiful locks of gold hair cascading down the even more beautiful dress of the person.

    "Eugene Hall," the person said. She didn''t look old nor tall, she was probably the same height as me. "I, Vienna Golden Hall have been awaiting your arrival."

    There were thorns in her words.

    I couldn''t help but sigh.

    How unreasonable.

 Chapter 38: Chapter 35: The Hall Family (2)

    "I, Vienna Golden Hall have been awaiting your arrival."

    Damn it.

    Was she here to fight? Her tone sure did make it seem like she wanted to fight. What to do?

    Well, it wasn''t that bad for me, I was nning to meet her in the first ce. Though I brought a gift to present her on her birthday, I remembered I still had one of the first copies of the piano book I had made with me, I could hand that over.

    She wanted a fight? I''ll give her one. The strongest have to be strong with their tongues too. I didn''t mean to brag, but I was told as ''Yujin'' that there was some serious vocal percussion on a whole ''nother leveling from my mind. She wasn''t ready for my gangster torture.

    I ignored Bartholomew who seemed to have wanted to say something and walked up to Vienna Golden Hall. Her yellow dress which only covered one of her shoulders and sleeves fell on the red carpet like a draped curtain and the small paper fan in her hands covered her mouth. She coldly observed me watch closer while holding up her dress with the other hand.

    In front of her, I bowed lightly.

    "Eugene Hall, Lord of Apollon, Greets the Rose of the Halls."

    "Raise your head, Lord Eugene."

    Wow, she was truly full of thorns, but she didn''t flinch at my attitude either. I had to be bolder here.

    I immediately sped her hand holding her dress in my own and looked into her eyes. "Words is you are as beautiful as you are just, mydy," I walked closer to her, she stepped back, not breaking eye contact, but I was faster and managed to close the distancergely.

    "If that is truly the case, then the gods must have made no soul more just than yours."

    Her hand stiffened ever so slightly, she must have winced. Since I couldn''t judge faces, I had to be sensitive to these other details. Myplimenting her had two meanings, while one was to get her flustered, I was also drawing the line and telling her to not even think of treating me as her sibling.

    That alone would take away arge part of her justification to try and take revenge for whatever stupid thoughts she must have had.

    Vienna held in a sigh.

    "The rumors are exaggerated, lord Eugene."

    Of course they were.

    Oops, almost said that one out loud.

    "I must say, Lord Eugene. Your words seem as quick as your sword, to be able to take down a bandit brigade at such a young age."

    "It''s nothingpared to your etiquette and regality, mydy. I doubt many would havee greet their guests after sending them in."

    Viennaughed a stiffugh and I followed. Her behaviour was the furthest from etiquette, and my tongue was sure as hell not one with honor.

    "Well, you''ll have to learn soon as the lord of Apollon," Vienna continued. "What say, I give you some guidance today? We can even pit swords together and learn some?"

    "Oh dear, I believe I am fine not learning it, mydy. How can I hope to imitate the flutters of a beautiful flower like you?"

    That''s what we said, but the trantion was something like this.

    ''You little trash scoundrel who''s no better than a small-side regent only because my dad took pity on you, you think you can talk back to me? Come to the training grounds and I will crush your nuts!''

    ''Stop barking you bitch. You think a bimbo who only has her looks and status going for her can teach me anything? No way can I follow in your thottery, you professional prostitute.''

    Like I said, her words were full of thorns.

    Both our brows twitched as we looked at each other.

    "I insist, Lord Eugene."

    "I understand, if that is what you wish for, mydy."

    I left her hand and was about to turn away, then I acted as if I remembered something and turned back to her.

    "Apologies, mydy. I have heard you are quite the angel on the piano as well."

    Vienna smirked as she moved her fan higher. "Music is our Hall families pride, Lord Eugene. Please do stick around and listen, I am sure you won''t be able to hear such sounds elsewhere."

    As I expected.

    My teacher was way too cowardly to do anything at the Hall''s territory.

    I kept in a smirk with superhuman strength and pulled out the first copy of the book that I had written. I had brought it along to practice some pieces here in case they knew about my piano skills here, but since they didn''t this was even better. I had even signed this one while testing out my ''strongest signature'' so it was just splendid.

    I presented the book with both hands to Vienna.

    "Mydy, you must have heard of a scorebook making its rounds amongst the nobles,"

    Vienna pulled her head slightly back, observing me. "I indeed have, it seems to have been written by a genius."

    "I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the first copies of that book, mydy," I said, my smile almost leaking out. "If you don''t mind, I would like to present it to you."

    Vienna smiled and took the book from my hands with a light touch.

    "It makes a magnificent gift, lord."

    I smiled and bowed.

    "If I may have your permission now,"

    "Yes," Her gaze alternated between the book and me. "I''ve held you for too long, let us meetter in the evening."

    "I understand."

    Vienna walked away first, only when she was away did I raise my head and go back to Bartholomew. For some reason, that guy''s skin had turned paler as if he had seen a ghost, but that didn''t matter to me.

    "Let us continue, steward. I am quite parched."

    "Y-yes, please follow me."

    ***

    Inside a grand room painted gold with the jewels around, a beautifuldy alone on a chair. Her long dress that covered only one of her shoulders and arms fell down the back of the chair to a long trail.

    Vienna, the beautifuldy who would be offered diamonds for the fleeting glimpse of her smile was frowning.

    "He seemed lonely..." she muttered before shaking her heads to the side.

    Vienna knew she shouldn''t be having such thoughts about her enemy, but she couldn''t help but think that way. Her heart thumped when she remembered the beautiful blood red eyes of that child which were the symbol of the Hall family.

    He was sharp, very sharp. At first, she thought that the bandits were captured by Keith and not the child, almost everyone in the noble circle had the same thought. How wouldn''t they? Eugene was child famous for having been kicked out of the family, and his knight was none other than a renowned adventurer and one of the Marquis'' strongest and wittiest soldiers.

    Everyone believed he stole credit from Keith, and Vienna didn''t think any differently. She had heard excessively from her step mother about how he had burned her younger sibling. She didn''t expect much from someone who was a fiend since such a young age.

    "But... what must he have experienced to have such a cold gaze?"

    His gaze, it reminded her of her father who wouldn''t blink an eye beforemitting a massacre.

    No, it was worse. That boy''s gaze was much more intense, colder, ruthless.

    It reminded her of that woman.

    The woman she had seen only for the first four years of her life.

    Sighing, she shook her head again. She couldn''t be bogged down by these thoughts, not now.

    Vienna picked up the book that Eugene had given her. This scorebook was the real deal. She had heard from many different nobles that they were given a scorebook that were revolutionary. The different series of pieces inside and the tone they carried were as beautiful as the midnight moon, as bright as the morning sun, as soothing as a calmke, and as varied as the clouds it reflected.

    She was hoping to get her hands on it as pianist herself, but didn''t think that child would be able to get it, and an original copy at that.

    Vienna flipped open the first page of the book, and her eyesnded on the note at the back of the cover.

    [Author: Eugene Hall]

    Below those extremely shocking words was a small note.

    [This is just the author''s copy, as you wish, we will remove your name from the published version, young master.]

    "T-this... what?"

    Vienna had a hard time believing her eyes that day.

 Chapter 39: Chapter 36: What a Rude Kid

    A ball of water was currently floating in front of my eyes. It stretched and contracted, slowly breaking off into smaller fragments of different shapes as I tried to focus on not focusing on the water magic.

    After being left alone in the room assigned to me, I went for a light workout session before switching to some mana control training. I was to meet with the Marquis much earlier, but due to the Mirxa guesting in, it was pushed aside for now.

    I wasn''t worried about facing them anymore. I was prepared for most of whatever they could throw at me. Now I was just left with the real deal itself.

    I yawned out of boredom, and one of the cubes of magic lost its shape and turned into a sphere.

    "Tsk. Is holding up ny-four mana threads that tough?!"

    With a snap of my finger, the water moved to the bathroom inside my room and sshed away. It was just ny-four tiny little shapes to bother with, why was I fucking it up so bad? Yujin used to be able to handle more than three hundred of them at once.

    I sighed and blinked as another blob of water appeared before breaking off into many little shapes. It wasn''t that I was weaker than I was as Yujin.

    Though I had lost precious six years as a child here, my overall growth was almost the same if not better than what I was like as Yujin. Not only was I making great progress atpressing my Mana core into an Aether core, but I was also on the brink of making a breakthrough from Aura Ki to Projectile Ki.

    As per Keith, the Ki alone put me in a higher spot than pretty much all noble children in the kingdom and most of the continent. I had also increased my casting speed vastly and could use apprentice-level magic with many different attributes and properties without needing a magic circle.

    I was a jack-of-all-trades on the path of a master of all, unlike when I was Yujin and was a master of all trades on the path of a grandmaster. Hah.

    My mind suddenly came up with a crazy good idea. I could stick all these blobs of water close to me and move around while moving them at the same time. It might seem easy at first nce, but with how different each muscle moved, I could exploit it well.

    I quickly stuck all the water to myself and walked around. I did a few (hundred) push-ups, and squats, then I jumped on the bed. It was easy to manage when I was focused on it.

    Now, to stop focusing on it.

    I walked up to the door of my room and pulled it open.

    Standing outside was the butler who was introduced as Bartholomew''s second inmand. He was going to temporarily attend to me. I hoped it was him since I had no way to verify it.

    "Hey," I called out.

    "Yes, my lord?" He answered.

    "I want to walk in the garden, is that possible?"

    The butler flinched. He looked at me with a strange gaze and nodded.

    "It is possible, you¡ªI mean, my lord. Please follow me."

    I nodded and stepped out of my room. Before I left, though, the butler tilted his head at me.

    "My lord, you will be going out like this? Might I suggest you put on a coat? It is rather cold outside."

    Weirdo.

    "Sure," I said, not in the mood to engage with this weirdo at all.

    I went back in and came out with the same ck coat over my white clothes before following the butler down the stairs to the courtyard. We moved over another of the grass paths as the scenery around slowly started to change.

    Large trees filled my vision alongside rows after rows of the most exquisite of flowers in well-trimmed bushes. The butler stopped at the entrance of the garden and gave me a bow.

    "Please find me here if you need me, my lord."

    I nodded at him and walked inside the garden. Just as I stepped in, an enchanting breeze hit me, carrying the rich and lush scent of the flowers with it.

    This ce was magically enhanced.

    I enjoyed the fresh breeze with the chirps of the birds as I walked on the path through the garden. The garden itself was arranged like a maze with only the path below my feet leading me to different sections inside while bushes and trees blocked my path.

    As I went on, I stumbled upon a small field full of flowers of the same kind. The gorgeous petals that reminded me of a hyacinth and a rose at once swayed in the gentle breeze, their movements enchanting me.

    Red, green, yellow, white, blue, and ck, many of the flowers shared different colors forming a cascade that looked prettier than most jewels. I, though, had my gazepletely snatched by the one present in the least number.

    At the edge of the flower bed was the most beautiful purple I had ever seen in my life.

    Unknowingly, my lips curled up into a smile.

    It was then, a few short whispers filled my ears.

    I slowly turned to my side to see a group of people looking back at me.

    There were two people, one man and a young girl next to him, while two more were behind them maintaining a short distance. Seeing as they were inside the garden and wore quite varied clothes, they must be guests of the castle too. Since I didn''t know them, I thought I should give them a light smile and a nod.

    The smile was still natural on my face, and I wasn''t ready to wipe it away, so I nodded and ignored the group staring at me before turning back to the purple flower.

    "Haah?" I heard an exasperated sigh from the sides, the words would have never registered in my ears like another''s voice were it not for what followed. "Did that brat just ignore his father?"

    Wow, what a rude kid.

    What kind of kid ignores their father?

    That person must have a lot of trouble with his child. I wasn''t a father, but I was also not someone who couldn''t feel empathetic.

    "Hey, Eugene. Come here."

    My ears perked.

    I narrowed my gaze and turned to my side, only to see the regal young man beckoning me over with his hands.

    Did he just mention a kid ignoring their father?

    I was a kid, as much as I hated to admit it.

    And I did just, kinda, ignored someone.

    Just for good measure, I looked behind me on both sides. There was no one else.

    Fuck.

    That person was my father.

 Chapter 40: Chapter 37: Pushed Around

    I didn''t prepare for this one. I did think I might run into someone from the family while at the garden, but not into the owner of the ce, and I even ended up ignoring him.

    "Eugene?"

    As he called me again, I rushed over to my father and smiled.

    "My seek your forgiveness, my lord,"

    I could have made an excuse for not noticing him, but that would just be prolonging the matter. I hoped he wanted something from me so that the topic would change and it did.

    "Don''t fret it," he said, showing the middle finger to all teachers that bothered with teaching another eloquence. "It has been forever, you been well?"

    "By your grace, my lord."

    This ignorant buffoon! At my ear jab which directly tranted to ''who are you to ask you child abandoning son of a bitch?'' this man merely nodded as if it didn''t concern him. His daughter would have figured it out in an instant.

    "Well, you''re here at the perfect time."

    The Marquis of Hall, Ban Ket Hall said that and turned away from me, leaving me bowing as he talked to the other guest, the young girl.

    I wasn''t sure of the Marquis'' personality while at Apollo, but now I had determined that this guy needed to be fucked over. I wasn''t going to let him be for all the pain he caused me. If things had continued as they were, I would''ve turned into a minor viin in an eroge by the time I was supposed to join the academy.

    "Lady Sophia," he said. "I understand that you would like to travel around the city since you''re here early, but it would be too shameful of me to let my old friend''s daughter travel my city alone."

    The bastard hadpletely forgotten that my head was still down. I had lesser power here so I tried to act my level, but it was impossible if he was going to be like this. I ignored them and raised my head without caring about it. The strong wasn''t to be suppressed so easily.

    That said, their conversation was confusing. This girl was likely the daughter of Mirza here to attend theing-of-age celebration of my eldest sister, so why did he call her the daughter of his ''friend?'' i was sure that Keith said the Margrave and the Marquis are bitter enemies, it didn''t make sense.

    "So," the Marquis continued. "Why don''t you take my son Eugene along with you? He won''t serve well as a guide since he''s new here too, but he''ll be a great guard."

    What?

    Was i hearing things right?

    "As you saw just now, he''s good at getting along with others too, so you won''t have to worry. Please use him however you want when you go outside."

    "E-excuse me?" I couldn''t help but mutter. Did this oaf just tie me down to some noble daughter for no reason at all? Was I just reduced to a convenient man?

    No way was I going to let this happen.

    "I-I understand, lord Marquis," even the girl seemed flustered at how casually I was thrown on her. She turned to me and gave me a light nod. "I''ll look forward to it, lord Eugene."

    He had done it now.

    Many things were cleared out for me. The Mirxa child wasn''t here toin about me, and this Marquis didn''t really care much about my territory either.

    As casual as they may act, they were still calctive nobles. If things were that way they wouldn''t have let this happen. There could still be the possibility of this girl being stuck to me as a spy, but that was a needless worry since I was nothing but a flea in front of their statuses.

    So, I could push their buttons too.

    A smile crept up on my face.

    "You''re absolutely correct, O Father!" Spreading my hands as exaggeratedly as I could, I turned to my father. I tried suppressing it, but I couldn''t hold back the most sadistic face filling my facial muscles. "Your friend''s daughter is here, you should definitely send me with her. But that said, don''t you think a guide will be helpful too?!"

    "Ah, no! I am fine, really." Mirxa girl panicked and started swinging her hands around frantically. That was what I wanted to see! We''re not stopping here.

    "No, I insist, mydy. It is only natural that we do so. And a very strong one at that, I may be strong for my age and this ce is safe, but our precious guest needs to be treated ordingly! Isn''t. That. So.

    Fatheeerrrr!"

    Do you think you can treat me like a son whenever you want? Do it! Just be ready for payback!

    The Marquis flinched at my way of calling him father.

    "I-I''ll assign the vice-captain of the knight brigade. He knows the ce well..."

    The two butlers behind the Marquis had their jaws agape while the girl seemed to be shocked as well. It wasn''t over yet!

    I sped my hands together and shifted my gaze to the man again, pushing out my chin at him.

    "Da.ddy. Dear.Est!"

    The Marquis took a step back.

    "Don''t you think..." I whispered in a low voice and made as much eye contact as I could. After practicing for ages, I knew when I was staring at someone''s nose or when I wasn''t! "You should also give some money to the Lady as some allowance, yes? It''s only natural, yes? How about a thousand gold coins?"

    "T-thousand!" Mirxa girl gasped.

    All of our heads turned to her.

    For some reason, she was looking at me and shaking her head. But I just couldn''t hold my sadistic smile from growing evenrger.

    "SHE THINKS IT IS TOO LOW! MARQUIS!"

    "AH! Alright! I''ll give you guys more than enough money, alright? Just stop now!"

    I could see the Marquis gasping while taking another step away from me. I looked behind him, and the two butlers stepped away as well, then I looked at Mirxa girl, who also backed off.

    "I better get going now," the Marquis said. "I have to finish up some work."

    I wanted to bully him more, but I didn''t want him to pick up the matter of Apollon if he was going to forget it. From what I had seen and heard from the rest, this man was more than petty enough to do so with a smile on his face.

    "You guys rest for today since you''ve had a long journey, alright?"

    "Yes, my lord," the Mirxa girl bowed her head before I could. I and the Marquis looked at each other in that fleeting moment. He seemed ready to shoot some of his mana my way, but I was ready to dodge all the same.

    I bowed too and said. "Thank you for your consideration, Faaather."

    The Marquis nodded and left, leaving just the two of us alone.

    Since he was gone, I turned to the Mirxa girl again and bowed.

    "I greet you again, mydy."

    "You too, my lord."

    How kind.

    This girl was an angelpared to the sister I just saw.

    Her voice seemed nice too, I guess, I can''t tell.

    As I raised my head and looked at the red hair of this angel fluttering slightly in the wind, I thought she must be very beautiful. I had to ask her here and now.

    "Mydy, if it won''t be too rude."

    "What is it, my lord?"

    "Do you lift?"

 Chapter 41: Chapter 38: Impressions

    A youngdy with scarlet hair sat with her legs crossed in the guest room of the Dienin castle. The guest room was just as extravagant as the castle, putting the entirety of Eugene''s vi to shame with its splendor alone.

    The youngdy with scarlet hair leaned back as her hair tripped over her shoulders and fell on her back.

    "How did it go, mydy?"

    A knight kneeling in front of her asked. Thedy, Sophia vi Mirxa, the heiress of the Mirxa family, stretched her hands above her head and sighed.

    "I am grateful to the Marquis, he was ready to leave us be and lent us a bellboy as well to show that he wasn''t going to doubt us moving around at all... but.."

    "But?" the knight asked. "These conditions are already better than what we could have asked for."

    "The bellboy wasn''t a bellboy at all. Because of him, we are going to have to deal with the vice-captain of the knight''s brigade as well. Though, we are also going to get a lot of money, more than a thousand gold coins."

    The knight looked up at hisdy, slightly shocked. They couldn''t afford to have their movements hindered, and a vice-captain figuring things out was the worst. Even though the knight brigade here was just a guard detail and the real one was at the dungeon city, he would still be a fairly strong person who would be hungry for des. This wouldrgely dy their investigation.

    But that wasn''t the end of things. The Marquis was also giving them enough cash to buy a decent house in this city. What could have moved him so?

    "Just who is this person who caused this?"

    Sophia sighed again and rested her chin on her hand, her elbows digging into her thighs.

    "Eugene Hall..."

    The knight was shocked for the second turn in such a short time. Eugene Hall was a famous slouch who was said to have stolen achievements from his knight.

    Since the Dark Moon Bandits and the Ediab forest were both part of the Margrave''s matters, they had naturally looked into the situation before. And this knight, Sir Alec, was one of the people who went there personally.

    He had seen well, the destruction, no theplete annihtion that had taken ce in that battle. It still gave him the chills to think someone could wipe out such arge section of the forest in a single battle. There was no way a twelve-year-old could have done it. It was impossible. It must have been that man, Keith.

    "We have to move with that person, mydy?"

    "Listen well, Alec," Hisdy called out to him with a gentle voice. "That guy is smart. I don''t know anything about how strong he is, but I am sure he knows very well how to exploit others. He''s crafty, don''t take him lightly."

    "Is that so..."

    "Don''t worry. I know what you are thinking. The Marquis was unaware as well, he didn''t push him on us with bad intentions."

    Alec nodded and lowered his head again.

    He heard a plop. When he looked up, he could just see the legs of his master as she fell on the bed.

    "That and he''s a weirdo, we might be able to use him..."

    Alec sighed at her mutterings. He couldn''t hear thest part that the girl who wasn''t familiar with other men whispered.

    "He was pretty handsome too..."

    ***

    While Sophia racked her brain for her investigation, another simr conversation took ce in the castle.

    In the study of the Marquis, the blonde and charming Marquis was facing a pile of papers with his reading sses on. The golden frame of those spectacles perfectly framed his charming red eyes while the chains extended from them curved around his jaws, making the perfect frame for his looks that were no inferior to the royal painter''s magnum opus.

    "So, what did you think?"

    A yful voice posed the question to the Marquis.

    "What do I think?" The Marquis, Ban Ket Hall, narrowed his eyes and red at Keith in front of him. "He looked so much like that woman that I thought she crawled back out."

    "Should you be saying that about your dead wife, sir?"

    "Shush it, brat. I was scared out of my mind..." the Marquis lowered his gaze to the sheets of paper in front of him. He could vividly recall how that one woman with hair as white as snow used to rough him around like he was a rag. And today, that very woman''s child was following in her footsteps and bullying him.

    Keith knew everything about his state, yet he could joke around like that. It made the Marquis lose a bit of faith in the kid he had trained himself.

    "Keith... it seems what you said about him being unable to see faces was true..." The Marquis'' voice turned solemn. Keith, too, nodded with a serious look on his face.

    "He doesn''t even know what he himself looks like, sir."

    The Marquis ced down the papers in his hand and sighed again as if pushing out the bad mood from the room. "That said, he sure is quite the monster huh? He can already use Aura Ki."

    Keith narrowed his eyes at the Marquis'' words, then, he faintly moved his gaze away.

    ''I forgot to report he''s about to break through to the next realm...''

    Since the beginning, Keith had been reporting everything about his young master to his liege, the Marquis. And the Marquis had been forcing him to update him on every matter regarding his child.

    "Sir, do you think...?"

    "Just a few more years, Keith," the Marquis said. "I''ll clear away all threats to that child, he''ll have to live away from his home for just a few more years."

    "Sir," Keith said. "I believe he''s more than mature enough. Don''t you think it''s about time to tell him¡ª"

    "Never."

    Keith shut up in front of the Marquis'' resolved words.

    "I promised that woman that her heir will be safe. How can I tell that child now that the reason we threw him away was that his mother''s family was after his blood?"

    The Marquis took in a deep breath and shook his head again.

    "I''d rather that child hate me for all his life than her. We can''t tell him."

    "Well, you try that. I am sure he will figure it out." Keith smirked and leaned back on his chair, pushing it off the two front legs. "That person is smarter than all of us."

    The Marquis only red at Keith, but didn''t say anything else.

    "Oh, by the way," Keith said again. "I made a breakthrough."

    "What!" The Marquis eximed in joy. "Keith! You''re now a Projectile Ki user?!"

    Keith narrowed his eyes at the Marquis'' words, then, he faintly moved his gaze away... again.

    "Um, Manifest Ki..."

    "Sorry?"

    "Manifest."

    The Marquis'' jaw dropped right next to the papers kept on his table.

    He thought for a few seconds, but couldn''t process it.

    In the end, he sat back down and decided to use the most important technique a noble, the group that gets shocked a lot, needs more than anyone else.

    "What did you think of Sophia Mirxa?"

    Changing the topic.

    Keith smiled at the change and then closed his eyes. He raised his fingers in a ring and nodded. "She''s rather pretty, she''ll be a perfect fit for the young master¡ª"

    The sound of a swording out of its scabbard stopped him in his tracks as the Marquis jumped him without hesitation.

    Keith kept Sophia''s name out of his mouth for the next few months.

    ***

    A loud knock resounded in my room. I looked out the window, it was still just the afternoon.

    "Come in," I said.

    The door opened and a person in maid attire stepped in.

    "It''s me, young master. Maria."

 Chapter 42: Chapter 39: To Punch a Brat.

    I stretched myself on my bed and rolled around, moving the balls of water at the same time. This was working well, my control was improving.

    After rolling over to one sidepletely, I stopped and stared at Maria who was standing inside my room. The deputy butler was relieved from his duties and they let me have Maria again. I was more d than I could express. Lily, though, had slipped up and called me something weird so she was currently being straightened up by the castle maids. Yikes.

    I looked and Maria and started speaking.

    "Do you know who the guest that the Marquis had to attend to was?" I asked.

    "I have heard it was the heiress of Margrave Mirxa, young master." Her replies were still as detached and formal as before. What was it that was bothering her? I had an idea, but I didn''t know how I could clear it off.

    She didn''t seem to have any problems with my having the memories of a previous life. It must have been shocking, and she probably didn''t understand the effects such a thing had on one''s psyche or personality, only someone else who had faced the same thing would know, but that wasn''t my concern. As long as she knew it, I was happy. Her being upset had a different reason.

    "What do you think of her?" I asked.

    "She''s your age, young lord. But she''s brilliant. Powerful with her magic and a master when ites to administration. Lady Sophia vi Mirxa and her father, Margrave Dragoon vi Mirxa are both truly the ones fitting of being called the kingdom''s shield."

    Ahhh why her! Why is she so stiff? Usually, she would have no qualms about giving her impressions without using any titles. But still was acting like this.

    "Well, I was asked by the Marquis to stick with her from now on."

    "... Excuse me?"

    She flinched.

    I only chuckled and started performing some handstand push-ups since I was bored and wanted to continue training my magic.

    "I am going to be moving with her from tomorrow till she leaves, she wants to explore the ce."

    "I see... I''ll have to prepare well."

    "Something seems fishy to me."

    Maria flinched again.

    I finished my tiny set of 50 andnded back down on the bed.

    "What kind of person would want to see the capital city of their enemies?"

    There was another odd thing here. Despite both Keith and Maria calling them enemies, the Marquis had openly dered the heiress and her family as his friends. He was also supporting her in whatever fishy digging she was to do, so he attached me to her.

    It would not only shut up everyone who believes those guys shouldn''t be allowed to move around, but it also made it clear to the heiress that she wasn''t going to be monitored with a discarded son by her side.

    It was a witty move, that''s why I destroyed it.

    It wasn''t time to tell Maria any of it though.

    "That''s not all, her envoy was extremely tiny, and she is here five days earlier than the beginning of the founding festival. One could say it was to see more things as a to-be administrator, but something''s still fishy."

    I moved toward the window with my back turned toward Maria as I said that.

    "What is it, young master? I believe she must have been sent so early by the lord Margrave to dig up some dirt?"

    "The Marquis wouldn''t have ced me with her if that was the case," I opened the window of the room and stretched my hand outside.

    Right on time, a small dove flew over from the skies andnded on my arm. I pulled out the letter attached to the pigeon''s foot and brought the bird in. My back rested against the open window sill, the breeze from outside stroking my hair.

    "Thedy Mirxa left her territory three days ago."

    Maria gasped.

    That was almost the same time as us. The distance between Apollon and the Marquis'' territory wasn''t that great but was still considerable. We moved over rather rxedly, but those guys were clearly in a rush.

    "Why would they run all the way here, Maria?" I flipped the paper in my hand and picked up a quill from the table next to me. Writing a word of praise, I attached it to the pigeon and sent it back with the pigeon.

    "The moment I was left alone, I used the bird we had brought with us and sent it to the sses. He sure does work fast now after being beaten up so many times."

    Maria seemed to be hesitating to say something. This pretty much confirmed that the heiress of Mirxa was here with an ulterior motive. Others could investigate it too, but their Marquis was letting her be.

    If she was here to dig up dirt on the Marquis... or to hide dirt about the Margrave...

    "I could use both of them well..."

    Maria slightly lowered her head. "I''ll prepare well for us to move, young master."

    "Before that." I checked the time again. It was about to be evening soon. I was sure my dearest elder sister wasn''t going to let me go so easily. Since my first impression was fucked anyway, I would be taking it to the extreme, naturally.

    "Get me something easy to move around in," I said. "Something shy."

    "Are we going somewhere, young master?"

    I only smirked at her words.

    ***

    Evening rolled around. And as expected, my sister sent over someone.

    With the clothes that I looked the coolest in, I now followed that butler to the training grounds inside the castle.

    The entire grounds were emptied out, and the same person I had seen this morning stood alone in the center. Even her knight outfit seemed as extravagant as the dress from earlier.

    As I passed by the stands in the training grounds, my eyesnded on the empty stands which had almost no one other than a group of children on the other side. She had cleared out the stands as well, likely thinking she''ll be ''saving my honor,'' this girl was more decent than she let on, it seemed.

    I turned to Maria who immediately leaned closer and whispered. "They are your other siblings standing across you, young master. They are looking at you right now."

    I smiled at them and turned to the field again.

    "Maria," I said. "I''ll go punch a brat and be right back, ok?"

    "Hah. Please don''t overdo it, young master."

    Maria smiled.

    I couldn''t see it, but I had seen her smiling enough to know when she did it. And this was the first time she had smiled in a long while. I turned to look at her as she noticed what she did and turned gaze away. Was she blushing too? I couldn''t tell.

    In a better mood than before, I went inside the training grounds and stopped in front of my sister.

    "Mydy, thank you for your guidance today. Please do not hold back in my consideration."

    Vienna Golden Hall looked at me and started cing her pressure on me. I wanted to yawn at this almost unnoticeable pressure, but decided to stick my brows and act a bit.

    "Are you sure, lord Eugene?" She asked, smirking.

    "I''ll do as you ask, but I should you warn you..." Vienna narrowed her gaze coolly and whispered in a threatening voice, further increasing her pressure. "I am about to breakthrough to the Aura Ki realm."

    All that buildup for just that. How cute.

    I was really looking forward to straightening this girl up.

 Chapter 43: Chapter 40: Lesson

    "You better keep a magic shield on at all times," she gave me a final bit of her ''advice'' and sharpened her re and her grip, childish. "Here Ie, Eugene..."

    Vienna brandished her sword and then disappeared. I could hear a child gasp from the back, that must be that Leon kid. I continued holding back my yawn as I traced her movements with peripheral vision. She slowly jumped to the side, kicked herself off the ground, and very slowly reached above me.

    All of this probably took less than a second in real-time, but it looked like she was a tiny rabbit jumping around to me.

    What to do...?

    Vienna swung her sword down. I didn''t move my eyes yet, but I could still figure out her position and movements.

    Should I grab the de and smile at her?

    The sword came straight for my head.

    Or should I break it to bits and punch her?

    The sword was now just a few inches away from my head.

    Maybe I could take the attack and act like I''m super sturdy?

    I couldn''te to decide what was coolest.

    With a defeated sigh, I ced my hands behind my back and slid away from the spot using nimble footwork. My mind started working at normal speed again as Vienna''s sword swung in empty air, making a tiny little crack in the training fields below.

    "Hah!"

    "He dodged!"

    A few sounds came from around me. For empty stands, these guys sure didn''t let it feel that way.

    Viennanded back on the ground and turned to me. Her grip on the sword loosened slightly, it felt much more natural and even now. Her bnce was better than the first move as well.

    "It seems you are not all airs, Eugene."

    Was she chipper? I couldn''t tell.

    "Don''t look that way," Vienna continued. "I''ll teach you well!"

    I likely had a distraught face on. I just couldn''t decide how I should be beating her up!

    Vienna''s de started gleaming, and a red glow filled it. The glow swerved around the de like crackling lightning.

    Charge Ki.

    "Lesson 1," she lowered her stance. Her weight shifted to the balls of her feet, then to her calves.

    She shot off the ground again. Her speed was much better than before, if she was a rabbit earlier, then it felt like a cheetah was chasing after me this time.

    She went for a side swing, and I lightly turned my body.

    "Don''t steal!" She screamed,nding her feet on the ground. The de spun in her hands as she swung to the side again. The Charge Ki extended out of the de to increase her range.

    "Others'' Achievements!"

    Decided.

    I didn''t move to dodge at all.

    Just as the de reached my waist¡ª

    I started taking over the mana in the air to ce my killing intent on her. I focused it like a de and pointed its tip at her.

    ¡ª the de stopped immediately.

    Vienna involuntarily froze. She gulped while her eyes trembled.

    The kids behind her were confused, but I doubt their voices even reached her ears.

    In a low, very low whisper that only she could hear, I spoke. "Here''s your lesson one..."

    I took a light step forward, leaning into her ears. "Choose your enemies wisely."

    A spark shot up Vienna''s spine. She sucked in a sharp breath and retracted her sword. In the next moment, all her Ki focused on her feet and she dashed away.

    She charged like a cheetah, but ran even faster, like a falcon.

    Vienna created arge gap between where she was and where she stood. Taking in deep breaths, her eyes moved around to search for her enemy, but she couldn''t find anyone.

    Then, I tapped her shoulders.

    I was already behind her.

    In a primal fit of fear, she swung her sword behind her as best as she could, but I could still see it move well.

    I decided to dodge by stepping back.

    "Haap!" Vienna grunted and grabbed the de with both her hands. Her Charge Ki shimmered brighter than ever. "[Hall Style: Seven Seated des]"

    That was new.

    Vienna''s sword moved as if it had a mind of its own. Her feet, her torso, her arms, all of her body moved in perfect unison as she started her sword form. A result of back-breaking practice.

    Like a single person standing out in a crowd, the feints and fakes merged together topletely throw the recipient off and the style ended with a single, perfect, murderous swing that would settle the score.

    She changed her movements seven times and took in a deep breath.

    The ground of the training hall was now filled with shallow cuts.

    I stood next to her sword arm, a hand on my chin.

    "It''s good," I said. "But you need to move your fingers a bit more, you got the wrist down well but¡ª"

    "¡ªThe fuck!?"

    Vienna swung at me again, and I dodged again.

    Come on now, I was only helping her.

    "H-how... how can you..." her grip lost more strength as realization started sinking in. "Chantless Teleport? That can''t be... an emperor-ranked magician... no..."

    Of course not. I was only moving faster than her. I did use my ki, but I doubt anyone here could notice it.

    "So," I said. "Have anything else to show me?"

    "Huh?"

    "Then, I''ll give you another piece of guidance."

    I smirked and raised my own training sword. I lightly held the de between my fingers and stood as rxedly as I could. Formless.

    "Here''s your lesson. If you train hard enough..."

    Then, I disappeared.

    Gasps rang out as I appeared in front of Vienna. She used her de and filled it with Ki to block a straight charge at the perfect moment.

    "A single swing will be more than enough."

    I swung my de down.

    It shed against her Charge Ki, and dug through it. My swing went deeper and deeper, the Kiyer ended and the de shed against the sword.

    A loud snap sounded out.

    And the swingpletely destroyed her sword in two.

    Vienna pulled her hands back in disbelief, shifting her gaze to her sword.

    She was talented, but not experienced.

    "Two! Don''t look away during a battle!"

    I twisted my feet and dug a kick into her abdomen. The girl''s body bent like a slingshot before she was shot into the air.

    I immediately closed the distance and then hit her back with the hilt of my sword. Vienna dropped to the ground, gasping for air.

    "Three. Learn to take a few hits."

    With that, I held my de t and smacked it on her cheeks.

    The girl who was on her knees now fell to the ground.

    This sister of mine who was about to turn seventeen in a few days, I hoped that this would bring her down from her high horse.

    Kids these days, I swear.

    I left my sword on the ground and walked away from Vienna. Our dearest viewers who were none other than my other half-siblings werepletely frozen stiff.

    I left the field behind and started walking toward them.

    They all gathered behind one another, a blondie like Vienna at the front. These kids, one of whom was older than me, mind you, were scared witless. The Marquis did a fine job of keeping them innocent. Today, I felt proud after doing just a little bit of parenting.

    Well, now came the harder part.

    "S-stop..."

    I heard a muffled groan that probably didn''t reach anyone else. I raised my senses and noticed Vienna trying to stand up after seeing me. What a bitch to the bitter end.

    I realized there was no way I could get along with any of them. Neither these innocent, untainted kids nor that sadistic bastard of a Marquis. I still had to do what I had to do, though.

    In front of the children, I bowed lightly.

    "It is a great honor to meet all of you, the young hopes of the esteemed Hall family."

    "What do you..."

    "Aren''t you one too?"

    The youngest said some funny things.

    I quietly stood back up as a slightly exasperated Maria made her way over to us.

    "You all are truly bright, it is fitting to call you the stars of not just the Halls, but the entire kingdom." I wore the kindest smile I could. Not to brag, but I looked good, so no doubt they were all impressed by it.

    "H-he''s scary...!"

    Alright.

    I ignored the kids'' mumblings and continued.

    "For such esteemed people, I have brought a few gifts. I hope you could think of me whenever you use them."

    The kids shut up, and so did that Vienna. Maria only shook her head.

    Yup, after thrashing the eldest child of this family, I was now bribing the witnesses.

 Chapter 44: Chapter 41: Dinner Date

    The kids were happy with specifically tailored bribes and agreed to keep shut about things when I mentioned their sister''s honor. The eldest, Bill Yards Hall, seemed to have noticed that I was the one who would be in trouble, but understood the part of his sister''s honor as well. I left Vienna a potion that Maria had brought along and that ce was done with in no time at all.

    Dinner was simple. I didn''t have to be present anywhere, so I took it in my room.

    The evening went by. Maria was in my room, still acting rather detached.

    With the food in front of me, I felt rather weird.

    Over the years, I had gotten used to sharing my meals with others. It was likely the effect of my memories as Yujin. It was when I had donned a mask and entered a gate, with the masked persona as a viin, I was pretty much the enemy of many awakeners, but once I was stranded in a gate, a healer from an awakener''s party had ended up seeing my face.

    He called me a ''misguided'' kid and helped me out, not knowing that I was only chasing strength. That guy shared his meals with me, who had nothing to my name inside the high-difficulty gate. He had alsoter lost himself trying to save me.

    I sighed.

    That damn healer gave me a soft spot for both, kids and meals.

    "Maria, you won''t be eating?"

    "I can''t, young master. I will have my meals after you go to sleep, young master."

    I thought for a few seconds and sighed again.

    The food was too much for just one person anyway.

    I picked up the tes in my hands and walked over to Maria. She tilted her head to the side, as if asking what I was up to, but I didn''t bother with her reactions. With the service table not far away and some of the tes in my hand, I broke off a piece of the steak they had served and stabbed with the fork.

    "Young master, what are you¡ª"

    As she opened her mouth to speak, I quickly fed her the steak. The fork glided across her lips as I pulled them out before ignoring her and breaking off another piece for myself.

    "Young master..." Maria seemed conflicted, but I didn''t say anything.

    Disregarding the first six years of my life as Eugene, where I was just a normal kid, the remaining years where I had Yujin''s memory had totalled my age well up to twenty four. In a way, I was just as old as Keith.

    Here, where people lived up to be young till eighty and die at well above one fifty, Maria who was twenty four and Keith who was twenty five were both still kids. I didn''t count, of course.

    I had a soft spot for kids.

    I picked up another cut of the steak and dragged it toward Maria. She seemed to be hesitating for a few seconds, but I remained firm. Soon enough, she opened her mouth just a bit and ate it.

    I nodded, satisfied, and started picking up the few different dishes as well, making sure to feed both of us.

    Maria didn''t say much during the entire time, and I wasn''t one to break the silence either. Once we were done, I picked up a cloth and softly dabbed it over Maria''s lips to clean her up. Only after we were done eating did I move away from next to her.

    "I''ll... take the dishes away."

    Maria said in a soft voice. She piled up the dishes, but her hands were trembling very slightly.

    This girl. Her problem wasn''t that I had memories of a different time, but self doubt.

    I understood it well now.

    I had already heard from her and Keith about her rtionship with my mother. Maria probably wanted to safe-guard me from unnecessary sufferings but believed she couldn''t do it well enough.

    She was a kind soul, she must have realized sometime through the years that I had experienced some serious stuff as Yujin, and now that we were here, where she had the most memories with my mother, that feeling was overwhelming her.

    Humans were such fickle creatures. It was astounding.

    As Maria was about to leave, I spoke up.

    "I like the sound of your smile."

    Maria stopped in her tracks.

    Whenever she smiled, she would let out a cute littleugh.

    "I''m happy I got to hear it today."

    I turned away from herpletely and went down on the bed.

    It took a while before I could hear the sound of the door opening.

    As the door opened, the sound of a littleugh reached me as well.

    Maria left the room, and I rxed.

    "..."

    "Fuck, I have to work out a little after eating."

    The path to the strongest was a long one! I had to level up now to enjoy more beatdowns like I did with Vienna!

    That night, Maria returned with a word from Lady Sophia.

    ***

    The next morning rolled up soon. Dressed in a simple ck tunic and brown trousers that entuated my hair and eyes (ording to Lily,) I was waiting alone at the entrance of the Castle''s garden.

    Soon enough, a group of three strutted toward me from the entrance.

    "Lord Eugene, are you ready to leave?

 Chapter 45: Chapter 42: Running Around Town (1)

    "Lord Eugene, are you ready to leave?"

    I smiled at the crimson-haireddy in front of me. Showing aplete contrast from my sister, Vienna, Lady Sophia was like a cool autumn breeze. Not too cold, not too warm, just perfectly fitting and cheering you up. The way she slightly bent ahead as she talked was also something that I found rather beautiful.

    Well, to be honest, I was a little biased toward her. The reason was simple.

    "Lady Sophia, I am very happy to see you doing well. Did you lift today?"

    Yup, she lifts.

    "Uh... yes? I guess?"

    "Haha, splendid." I smile and nodded at the other two behind her as well. The two of them immediately got on their knees to greet me.

    "Knight Alec greets the young master, Lord Eugene."

    "Vice-captain of the Hall Knights, Buhini greets the young master, Lord Eugene."

    "Ah, the vice-captain came. Please rx in front of me, Sir Alex, Sir Buhini," I smiled kindly and said. The goal today was to investigate for me, so I kept a good and responsible impression. I failed to make a good rtionship with that Vienna, but I only did so because I had already found a recement indy Sophia here.

    If she was doing something interesting, I wanted her to think of me as a reliable person.

    Political authority was strength too. The strongest is strong in that way as well.

    "All of us share the goal of keeping Lady Sophia safe, so you don''t have to worry about any formalities with me. Let''s get along, yes?"

    Humble, yet drawing a line. Good enough.

    Lady Sophia and the two knights nodded. She walked up next to me and handed me a pouch of coins. "This was sent by the Marquis," she sent. "It''s for you."

    "It''s for your convenience, mydy. I can''t ept this."

    "No, I insist, my lord. We''re all going there together."

    "If that is the case, why not keep it for now and treat us to a meal today?"

    I looked at the two knights and smiled. They flinched and nodded at my gestures. Lady Sophia seemed to be in thought for a few seconds before sighing. "I understand, I''ll do as you say. In return, you find me something good, alright?"

    "I am unsure if any chef in the world can match your ss with their food, mydy. I might have to cook for you on my own to fulfill that wish, how say, one of these nights?"

    Lady Sophia lightly gasped, then nodded with what I think was a bright smile.

    "What a bastard?"

    "Smooth asshole."

    I heard the two bitter gents''ments, but chose to ignore them. I was sure that people knew me as a magician and not a ki user or dual core, but they should still be careful with me. I swear.

    "That said, mydy. How about we set off in my carriage? It will likely stand out less."

    "Ah! I was just about to ask you for it. If you would be so kind to allow us."

    "It would be my pleasure."

    Noble speech was truly too stiff.

    The group moved over to the stables. Sir Buhini went ahead and prepared the carriage for us before bringing it up to where we waited. He had already turned down one of the coachmen.

    Just as he came over, I smiled and started speaking again.

    "Sir Buhini, if you would be so kind, will you take the reins? I am sure you would guide us to the best ce."

    It was usually the role of the lowest ranked one to take the reins, which would be Sir Alec, but I needed Buhini out of my nose.

    It didn''t take a lot of convincing. The vice-captain was slightly conflicted at my words, but the moment Lady Sophia sped her hands and said ''that would be amazing,'' he shut up and got on the seat.

    I escorted Lady Sophia to the carriage and got in after her. Alec got inside too and the carriage kicked off.

    The two horses on rein were the ones I had brought with me, nc and ck, the carriage was one I had modified with a simple switch to block sounds, and the coachman, the one I didn''t want listening in, was outside getting the reins.

    These guys would be trapped very easily if someone was evil here.

    As soon as the carriage left the gates of the Dienin Castle, I snapped my fingers. With the touch of a button, the magic circles oneyer deeper than the carriage''s surface began shining and a noise-cancetion magic filled the carriage.

    Sophia''s posture stiffened. She was sensitive to mana.

    Before they could react, I crossed my legs and leaned back in my seat.

    "So!" I said, spreading my arms as well. "What are you guys sniffing around here for?"

    "What are you doing, lord Eugene!" Alec grunted but didn''t pull out his sword. His eyes were not looking to fight me, but instead to secure an escape route. What a talented bastard, he probably didn''t have a good impression of me but still kept the highest level of vignce.

    "Don''t worry, Sir Alec. I have already covered it with sound-proofing magic."

    "Tsk... What do you want from mydy, you¡ª"

    "¡ªAlec, no." Sophia stopped Alec with her hands. She must have realized something else.

    There wasn''t a mana stone in here. Or should I say, there was no need for one?

    I was supplying the mana for the required magic circle all on my own. It wasn''t a small amount, but since mine was purified so much I could handle it. And not to mention, my mana reserves were fucking huge.

    "What is this about... Lord Eugene?" Sophia asked.

    "Hah, I don''t like beating around the bush," I said. "I know you guys left the Mirxa territory just four days back. I heard there was some major sweeping in the slums?"

    A report hade in this morning from the Dark Moon Bandits'' Mirxa branch. I was giving them a lot of funds and managing information well, on top of that, I had given all of them the goal of getting rid ofpetition before engaging in banditry. The bandits were loyal, and sses was efficient. He had told me immediately about the sweep-up of the slums in the Mirxa territory.

    "I''ll ask it simply. Who are you looking for and why?"

 Chapter 46: Chapter 43: Running Around Town (2)

    "You¡ª"

    Lady Sophia ced her hand in front of Alec again, stopping him from doing anything. I sensed a hint of nervousness in the stiff way she moved, but it could also be that she was looking for something from me. She wasn''t just strong, but also very smart it seemed. I couldn''t help but keepparing the two heiresses in my mind. Should I beat this one up for fun too someday?

    "Lord Eugene," Sophia said. "You are correct. We are here to chase after someone, but I don''t believe it concerns you. We aren''t interested in having you tag along either, please feel free to move on your own."

    "What do you mean it doesn''t concern me,dy Sophia?" I leaned back in my seat, observing her with a haughty gaze.

    "It is a matter of myself, the heir of the Margrave of Mirxa, and I have received permission to investigate on my own from the ruler of thisnd, Marquis of Hall. While you, lord Eugene, are just the regent of a small city, you don''t even have a title of your own.

    And dare I say, you probably can''t even be called the child of Hall with your current status, what makes you think you can order me around like this?"

    I narrowed my gaze.

    The next moment, I took over all the mana in the air. Sophia noticed and tried to do it before me, but she was still just a child. Ipletely broke through her attempts with my speed and ced my pressure on them. The two of them widened their eyes.

    Next, I engaged my Ki core.

    Sharpened, like an invisible de that could cut through one''s soul, I pointed all of my killing intent at the two.

    Sophia''s head lowered while Alec started gasping for breath.

    Seeing them like that made me once again realize how satisfying strength was, and how much of it Icked.

    In the deepest voice I could muster, I spoke. "I will let you keep your life, is that not reason enough?"

    Alec clenched his chest, while Sophia''s breaths deepened. Yet, she looked at me.

    Despite being pressured like this, she had enough strength, no, enough confidence to look at me.

    "You won''t hurt us, lord Eugene."

    What.

    I hardened my pressure a step further.

    "Your eyes... it''s written all over them that you won''t hurt us."

    I stopped in my tracks for a few seconds. Then, I sighed and rxed my pressure.

    I still did want a good impression with her to back Apollon, this was all an act toward it on my part. I didn''t think I would get caught, though.

    I wondered.

    What kind of look did she have in her eyes?

    I smiled and released all of my pressure. At once, Sophia rested her hand on the carriage walls while Alec started heaving deeply.

    The window separating the coach and the coachman was knocked on. It was on the side where Sophia and Alec sat. I opened the window and saw Sir Buhini peeking at me.

    "Is everything alright? I felt something strange for a second there."

    "Hm, there''s nothing worrying here, Sir Buhini. Lady Sophia was just... giving me some guidance on magic."

    Buhini nodded and turned away. I closed it back and sat down on my seat, smiling at the two of them.

    "Apollon is a city running on tourism," I started, ignoring the two who were still trying to get a hold of themselves. "It is not a big city, nor one filled with something revolutionary... yet."

    Sophia turned to face me.

    "About 18% of my touristse from the Mirxa territory, and about 60% of theme from here, the Hall territory. It isn''t a big ce, but it''s close. So do you know whoes to visit it the most?"

    "... Who?" she yed along.

    "Themon people." I pointed outside the window, at the few people running about with their jobs. "A threat to themon people of either Mirxa or Hall is a threat to my people. And a threat to my people is a threat to me."

    I looked at Lady Sophia again, this time, with a serious, earnest gaze that I had practicedst night with Maria.

    "It does concern me, mydy."

    Sophia quietened down, and so did Alec. The noise-cancetion magic, which was really just a wind barrier, was still working well.

    After a short period of silence, Sophia looked at me again.

    Her movements carried the same cheerful color that I had seen earlier today as she smiled and nodded.

    "I was gravely mistaken, Lord Eugene. Not only are you powerful, but you are also kind at heart."

    SCAM SUCCESSFUL!

    Sophia, in a cheerful voice, held my hands. "I am very sorry for saying it didn''t concern you, Lord Eugene. You are right, a true noble is concerned with the peoples'' worries."

    "That''s not what I said at all." Did she cook stuff up now?

    "Ah? Ah... you''re shy, huh?"

    "No, I am being serious. I meant only what I said, ok?"

    "Sure!" Sophia giggled.

    The hell.

    She quickly dropped her smile after a few seconds and sat back. She crossed her legs and hands and started speaking like an equal. Sophia had deemed it safe and quickly got rxed, I liked that attitude.

    "Lord Eugene, what do you know about the Demons of Hell?"

    Was this what it was rted to? Demons of Hell were precisely what they sounded like. Demons. I remembered Albert telling me about some princess and some followers of Agares. Since it was a game world, it was loosely using the Ars Goetia as an antagonist group.

    But Agares was a demon of the 2nd rank and was already making moves in the early game, it was that very reason that I wondered what could the real ''tension'' of this game be. But unfortunately, I couldn''t find any clues yet.

    "I might know a thing or two more than any other person."

    "That makes things easier," she said. "A thief from our territory has received Count Raum''s blessings."

    Count Raum... Count Raum...

    I scanned through my head for any information on the name. The fortieth-ranked demon, though a low-ranked one. I remembered reading up on it. Raum was none other than an arsonist, a demon that liked to destroy cities.

    "He was about to blow up your city... huh?" I said.

    "You truly do know more than an average person. I am awed, my lord."

    "It is nothingpared to you, mydy, who can chase after such an evil even after knowing its dangers."

    "His capture was foiled. I had taken the helm when I noticed some oddities in the slums, I thought arge organization was making a move since every other power in the underworld was falling one after the other."

    What''s this? That sounds odd... oddly familiar.

    "Inded upon the traces of the demon worshipper then, my lord. We almost had him in our hands, but Raum''s ability lets him see a part of the future. He must have used a great deal of the blessing''s strength to escape ande to this ce... We have to stop him before something big happens."

    It did sound big. Currently, the Hall fiefdom was like a fruit ripe for taking. The weeklong founding festival was mere days away, and people were bound to gather. It was a prime time for demons like those.

    "Does the Marquis know?" I asked.

    Sophia only shook her head at my question. She fidgetted, likely thinking I''ll take objection.

    "I understand," I said, grabbing her hand. "I''ll do my best to help you,dy Sophia."

    She sped my hands back and raised them between us. "I can''t express my gratitude with words, lord Eugene."

    "Your smile is thanks enough, mydy."

    "Tsk. Asshole." the bitter gent''s whisper was still loud and clear.

    "That said..." Sophia continued, "We don''t really have any hints."

    I sat back down and thought.

    "In that case..."

    Raum. He was quite literally an arsonist in all demonology. He loved to see cities burn, but there was something he loved even more.

    "Let us go to a brothel."

    "Yes?"

    "A brothel. Alec, go tell Sir Buhini to move to a brothel."

    He loved to cuckold people.

 Chapter 47: Chapter 44: Running Around Town (3)

    A very awkward conversation urred between the vice-captain Buhini and the knight sir Alec.

    I was sure the bastard would have changed the brothel on me, so I made it a point to let him know that if he dared use me as an excuse he wouldn''t be walking anymore.

    With the excuse of ''reconsidering its legality'' all over the country, the knight somehow managed to get the vice-captain to take us to a brothel first.

    The two knights were still hesitant to continue so they decided to check in first.

    On the outer streets of the city with the cold cobblestone roads under our feet,dy Sophia and I stood in front of the three storey building that served as one of the biggest brothels around. The building was painted pink over its gypsum coating as dozens of bouquets hung from the many windows of the building. Beautiful curtains peeked outside, hiding the forbidden rooms inside.

    I stood a few paces away from that ce with a parasol in my hand, shadingdy Sophia from the sun, though most of it was covering me.

    "Why a brothel though, my lord?"

    "Raum is a demon obsessed with taking away men''s dignity, mydy. I''m sure his agent would be at a ce where he could do so best."

    Lady Sophia innocently tilted her head to the side.

    "And a brothel is such a ce?"

    "Imagine having to give away the partners you barely got with money. I''m sure a demon like that would do something this extreme. Definitely."

    "Extreme... Um... Well, I do hope we find him like this."

    I nodded satisfactorily at Sophia''s words. It was none other than I taking the helm. Finding the enemy was a given.

    ***

    We didn''t find him.

    Why? It was the perfect n?

    The morning sun was already gone and it waste in the afternoon now.

    We had already gone to pretty much all the brothels in the area, but we were still unable to find the thief. Each time, Alec and Buhini walked in, Buhini would check if the ces were following all the rules while Alec would be busy asking them for the thief''s description while avoiding the knight''s eyes.

    Really, how did we not find him?

    "Hoh! You are truly wise,dy Sophia. Many of these ces are breaking rules, even if notpletely banning them, we very well would have to tighten our hold on them."

    "Not at all, Sir Buhini. I was scared that my management wascking. Forgive me for having you guide me like this."

    "For the well-being of the people, this is nothing."

    I ignored the two''s conversation while shaking my head.

    "Um, lord Eugene...?" Sophia whispered. "It''s alright, you know! At least we are aware of where he isn''t?"

    "Could he be impotent?"

    "I... that might be a possibility...?" Sophia ced a hand on my back and started pushing me ahead. Defeated, I quietly let her do so. "Let us go to a restaurant, I''ll treat you guys every day wee out, alright?"

    I nodded quietly and started walking with her while the other two followed right behind.

    But. Why...

    I would definitely do that if I were him. No, I wouldn''t settle for that. I was going to go wild, I would dly seduce everyone. Everyone. Though I had never done that before, it was too annoying to chase another person. I liked being chased instead.

    "Well, you are certainly correct about Raum''s interests, lord Eugene," Sophia said, patting my back. This woman knew well how to use body contact to make someone rx. "We should continue looking for him in simr ces. Maybe we can track down who the most beautiful married woman is around?"

    "No, mydy. It is not right to fish in a dry pond, we should cut our losses while we still have time." The other two were a fair few steps behind us. Alec kept Buhini well engaged, so we didn''t have to worry about them overhearing us while we whispered. "That man will think of ways to burn the city, we have to trace that path down instead."

    "It is simple to think of, but tough to follow through, my lord. How can we investigate the business of the night during the day? Not only that, it will be tough to get anything at all. The underworld is varied and tight-knit, even our money can fall short."

    "You''re right, it is a time of fireworks, the number of people looking for explosives won''t be low¡ª"

    A realization hit me as I said that.

    I stood upright again as we neared the restaurant that Buhini said served the best meat.

    "Mydy," I said. "You say he''s a thief, yes?"

    "He is. Right."

    "How would a petty thief buy enough of anything to burn a whole city?"

    Lady Sophia stopped and narrowed her gaze.

    "He won''t..." she said. "He''ll steal it..."

    "And where do you think the most explosives would gather, now that we''re just a day away from the beginning of the founding festival?"

    "Hah! Firework nts..."

    A festival is right around the corner, with people ready to celebrate with a bang. Fireworks would be the goods in highest demand, and where else would all the explosive gunpowder go?

    "It seems we have a tail, atst," Sophia''s voice contained a slight chill.

    "You''re right, but we best not focus our avenues. We''ll have to be careful."

    "Yes," Sophia nodded. Then, she suddenly took her hand off my back and ced it on my cheek. Suddenly, she started pulling my cheek. "But first let''s eat."

    "What are you doing?" I asked.

    "I am sorry..."

    ***

    We looked around a bit more after finishing lunch. It was tough to trick Buhini twice, so we didn''t have much of a choice but to enjoy ourselves for the remaining few hours.

    Lady Sophia and I enjoyed ourselves a lot as we went through different cafes and stores, tasting different cakes and shopping for various essories.

    The day came to an end after I gifted her a brooch and she gifted me a pair of beautiful red cufflinks.

    I came back to the castle and went up to my room, a bag of gifts for the other three in my hands.

    As I stepped in, as usual, Maria was waiting for me.

    "Young master, you''re here."

    "Yeah, it was a tiring day. I''ll tell you all about it¡ª"

    "¡ªBefore that, shall we have dinner?"

    Hah.

    How nice.

    "Sure," I said.

 Chapter 48: Chapter 45: Touch

    Lady Sophia and Sir Alec were on the way back to their room in the Dienin Castle. The shade of the night didn''t seem to reach inside this ce that was lit up by thetest magic lights, leaving the hallways even brighter than in the day.

    "You''ve gotten rather close to the lord in no time, mydy," Alec said, his eyes looking at the mahogany cloths hanging from the walls in an attempt to avoid his liege''s gaze. "He did threaten just this morning and was more powerful than we could have imagined..."

    "Close? I don''t think so?" Sophia didn''t seem to mind Alec''s words at all as she replied in a chipper tone. "Isn''t it more of us beingfortable with each other? He''s an ally, a strong and noble one. If I act stiff and calctive and earn his ire it would be a much worse oue."

    Sophia then shrugged her shoulders and smiled widely. "Well, it''s not like I am not aware of the danger. He is just very expressive, so I can get a read on him easily."

    "Expressive?" For once, Alec turned toward his liege, luckily, she wasn''t looking at him while he wore his ''hoe''s gone mad'' face. "Mydy, his face is as stiff as a stone? And when he does try to rx, he looks like the leader of a demon cult!"

    "Tsk, you just don''t know how to get a read on people."

    "No, I doubt anyone other than you in the world can get a read on him." Alec sighed. "Still, isn''t sharing spoons going a bit too far...?"

    "He''s just so cute, it''s like he wears his emotions on his sleeves."

    Alec wanted to tell her that everyone wore their emotions on their sleeves if they were faced by thatdy, but kept it to himself. He was feeling rather disgruntled thinking about what he would tell this only child''s father when he goes back. That was when his liege threw him a lifeline.

    "I am sure that if I had a younger brother, he would turn out like him."

    "Oh?" Alec gasped. "So you see him like a brother, mydy?"

    "What else," Sophia narrowed her eyes and stared daggers into her knight. "Did you think I fell for him?"

    The knight, now relieved, didn''t think too far and started nodding.

    Sophia scoffed and flicked his forehead.

    "You runt," she said. "You''re the only one who falls for people after a single conversation."

    Alec blushed. "I do not!"

    "Yeah? What about when you confessed to that maid who brought everyone in the night training food, huh? Weren''t you convinced she liked you even though she was helping everyone?"

    "A-ah! Mydy, how¡ª"

    "Or about that time you asked the chief butler to let you marry his dead niece after seeing her picture."

    "AHHH!"

    Sophiaughed out loud while Alec buried his head in his hands, screaming lightly.

    Sophia found the day of investigation to be strangely fun. She was looking forward to tomorrow.

    ***

    A weird tension filled the room.

    Usually Maria would go out after leaving me some clothes after a bath. I stepped out of the bath like I normally do, with a towel around my waist, but for some reason Maria was still in the room.

    "What?" I asked.

    "Nothing," she answered.

    Since she was being like that, I decided to ignore her and get to my business. I stood in front of the mirror and started flexing my muscles one after the other.

    Seeing my abs almost made me melt. Oh, abs. How I had missed thee. My mind usually reflected back to when I had just received the memories of Yujin. Theck of abs was the worst nightmare I had ever faced.

    I was about to move over to the bed to pick up my clothes, when I noticed they were gone.

    "I''ll help you." Maria''s voice suddenly came up from behind me. I noticed she already had my shirt in her hands.

    Was this girl teasing me? She treated me like a child and started putting the shirt through my head.

    Embarrassing.

    I ran my hand through my hair and took the pants from her hands.

    "I''ll do it..." I said. "The food''s getting cold."

    Maria let out a few more breaths as she nodded softly. I ignored her and put on the pants over the towel before moving to the bed.

    "Let''s eat," I said.

    "I''ll... eatter... young master."

    Ah, my chance for revenge was already here.

    I dragged her hands and pulled her close to the bed.

    "Why?" I said.

    "I can''t eat with you¡ª"

    Before she could say anything, I pulled her down next to me. Maria seemed slightly surprised but didn''t take objections.

    "Eat with me," I said, firmly.

    Maria gave me a weak nod.

    I scooped up some of the pasta ced on the tes in front of me and dragged it toward Maria''s mouth.

    I wanted revenge, sure.

    But I enjoyed this too.

    That night, the cold food felt oddly hot.

 Chapter 49: Chapter 46: Family Business

    A cold breeze blew in from the window in front of me, carrying with it the scent of the two cups of tea from the table and a stronger scent of ink and paper. The rich blonde hair of the man sitting across me fluttered from the breeze.

    "So, how can I help you, faaather?"

    "Seriously son, why do you speak like that?" My father, Marquis Ban Ket Hall asked.

    "Does it annoy you?"

    "It does."

    "HAHAHAAHA!"

    The Marquis clicked his tongue when Iughed at his face.

    "I''m thinking of increasing tourism taxes..."

    "My sincerest apologies."

    Old fucker. I''ll get him someday.

    I was currently sitting in his office. Last night, my dinner hadsted ratherte and I didn''t get the chance to tell Maria about the demon''s machinations. I thought I would do so this morning, but here I was, summoned over to this man''s study.

    We both red at each other for a few seconds and then sighed. At once, the two of us took a sip of our tea and leaned back on our chairs.

    "Son¡ªTsk. Stop frowning."

    "Get to the point."

    "How''s it going with Lady Sophia?"

    "Well? She likes the ce. I am to meet her in an hour so can we make this quick?"

    It was nice that this guy wasn''t so stiff.

    "Yeah, yeah. I heard you''re the one who wrote the scorebook Sounds of Gaia?"

    "How?"

    "You even handed your sister the author''s copy."

    Right. The one I deliberately handed over to make her bitter. I didn''t think she''ll tell him right away.

    "Vienna was full of praise for you, she and Sydney both were hooked on practicing it."

    Sydney Opera Hall was the youngest of the Halls'' children. Seriously, how was this guy naming his children? I wouldn''t want to be one of his kids ever.

    Oh, wait...

    That said, I didn''t think miss high horse would be praising me. She probably learned a lesson.

    "She''s a good kid, don''t be too harsh on her."

    "Oh, I hold no judgments towarddy Vienna."

    The Marquis nodded. For a sadistic freak, he was rather docile.

    "Say, Eugene," the Marquis leaned ahead and said. "Will you y a piece on her birthday?"

    "Me?"

    "There''s a room on the topmost floor that is not used by anyone, you can practice there. Just one piece, how about it?"

    "Is that a request as the Marquis?"

    "It''s a request as a father."

    I leaned back, almost ready to sigh. This man, he surely loved his children, huh?

    A sadistic freak or not, this was a family man.

    The Eugene Hall in the game, the one I knew of was a petty viin. He was one who chased after booze and women, one whose heart was as foul as his tongue.

    I thought that the past I had experienced was the cause, but... Keith, Lily, Maria... I had faith in those three. No matter the case, they wouldn''t have let a person devolve to that degree.

    It must be something rted to his family as well.

    To my family.

    "Lord Marquis... Father..." I spoke up. "You didn''t love my mother, did you?"

    The Marquis held his breath. He seemed to be in thought for a few seconds.

    Then, he shook his head.

    "I didn''t. Not one bit."

    "Then why?"

    "We made a deal."

    I crossed my hands and closed my eyes. An unwanted child makes much more sense. It made even more sense if this ''deal'' was disadvantageous to the Marquis.

    "Your mother was... how to put it..." the Marquis lowered his head and hesitated to speak. "She was a terrible person. She was good to the ones close to her, but that didn''t change that she was terrible. I knew her since my academy days, so I was the one she turned to."

    "She wanted an heir?"

    "Yes," the Marquis nodded. "She wanted an heir to carry her blood. Not her family''s, but hers."

    I realized how little I knew about my mother.

    Her family name.

    Her own name.

    For some reason, I was never curious. And honestly, after hearing all this, I could care even less. Her identity and her ideals didn''t mean much to me.

    I took a nce at the wall clock kept at the side.

    It was gettingte.

    "Marquis, I have to go meet with Lady Sophia."

    The Marquis nodded and I stood up from my seat. "Come here tomorrow at the same time, I''ll tell you everything."

    Everything about my, Eugene Hall''s birth.

    Did a person''s birth truly define them? Sure, being born into a rich house or a poor one, a lucky one or an unlucky one, all of it changed the way a person was. But the circumstances that led up to their birth... I didn''t care about it.

    It was the Marquis and my mother''s thing to deal with. It affected my status and my livelihood, sure, but it didn''t affect me. I, Eugene, wasn''t affected by what led to my birth.

    I softly shook my head.

    "You don''t have to," I said. Learning she was a terrible person but very good to the people around her was a big help. I had gotten more than enough insight into Maria''s rtionship with that person from just that. A terrible person good to their people was bound to be a maniptor. I didn''t care about things rted to me.

    But, well, I''d be lying if I said I hated this Marquis as well, though we would never get along. If he wanted to tell me, I would be willing to listen. To his woes, not to mine.

    "I''ll y on the day," I said. "Please prepare that room for me."

    The Marquis sighed and nodded.

    "Sure," he said. "What a nonchnt man."

    "Hah, you''ll have to learn too if you want to seed in life."

    "Brat."

    We shared a softugh and I started moving toward the door. Just as I grabbed the handle, the man behind me called out again.

    "Eugene."

    "Yes?" I asked, not turning back.

    "I gave you your name... Eugene..."

    A soft pull tugged the corners of my lips upward.

    "I see..." I said. "It''s a nice name."

 Chapter 50: Chapter 47: Firework Thief

    I met up with Lady Sophia and others near the garden again. This time, the vice-captain had already prepared the carriage.

    "My, lord Eugene," Lady Sophia smiled when she saw me. "Did you sleep well?"

    "I did!" I said, smiling back. "What about you, mydy?"

    "I slept just fine too! Then, shall we set off?"

    At her words, we went out to the carriage again, though not before I offered a few words of greeting to the two other knights as well.

    We quickly got into the carriage like yesterday and set off again.

    We nned to check the town,ment about how busy it seemed, and suggest we check out the industrial buildings. It was a good n that Lady Sophia hade up with. As the carriage started moving, I activated the soundproofing magic again.

    "I think we should consider letting Sir Buhini in on the matter."

    "It is considerable, lord Eugene," Sophia said. "But I think we might be too hasty with that."

    As expected.

    I nodded. "I understand, but do keep it in consideration. If we do end up needing the knights'' help, the earlier we tell them the better."

    Sophia nodded and so did Alec.

    Eventually, we reached the za.

    With just a day left for the beginning of the founding festival, the hustle and bustle of the town were greater than ever. The cobblestone path and the stone and brick buildings all around were leaving behind their hues of gray and brown in favor of the shades of red and mahogany.

    People were putting up banners and gs, inviting others to the beginning of the festivities, and marking great deals like none other.

    The congestion of the city increased many folds as carriages ushered through the streets every now and then. The crowds moving around forst moment shopping and renovations alike made it almost impossible to move around peacefully.

    Our n seemed to be working well.

    After moving around a bit, Lad Sophia spoke up.

    "I believe it''s a bit too difficult to move like this."

    "I agree, mydy," Alec chimed in.

    "Sir Buhini." I patted his shoulders. "I think we should move to a ce with lesser crowds."

    Buhini nodded, ever the taciturn man.

    "How about going to the outer streets? Near the industrial lines?"

    "Is that a good ce, lord Eugene?"

    "We''ll both learn a lot, I believe."

    When I brought up learning, Sir Buhini seemed slightly conflicted but nodded eventually.

    We got back in the carriages and then to the outer zones of the city. Eventually, we found ourselves in front of the widespread industrial buildings at the northern ends of the city.

    The cobblestone roads were reced by well-cleaned dirt roads.

    The buildings around had enormous yards with more than enough space for therge caravans of goods toe in and go while all of them were made simply into a wide space with chimneys reaching out.

    This was the part of the city that not only forged the steel used all over the city but also where the bricks were smelt and the fabrics were processed. It was, in a way, the heart of the city.

    One that they seriously needed to move away from and rece with better supply chains. It was limiting the growth of both the town and the industries.

    Well, not my thing to worry about.

    We let go of the carriage and started moving about. First, with Sir Buhini taking the lead, we went to thergest factory one around.

    It was an iron Smithy that processed it from ore to final products with in-house cksmiths.

    It wasn''t a ce we wanted to look into...

    "So do you get it? You need to go to really high temperatures to melt the ore. Even magicians have a hard time reaching it at once."

    But we were here nheless. Tricking Buhini continually was not going to happen. It''s not like I didn''t understand where Sophia wasing from, but it was fine.

    "And so, we are shifting to thetest manabustors to heat it up rapidly in the st furnace¡ª"

    "Lord Eugene,"dy Sophia called out to me. "This seems to be pushing our ns back."

    And what was I to do about that?

    Though I wanted to ask her that, there was something else more important.

    "I think the opposite, mydy."

    "Hm?"

    We were whispering, so there wasn''t a problem anyway. As far as the employee turned lecturer from the Smithy went, even if he noticed us talking he better not dare interrupt two nobles.

    "Think of it. If he''s to steal arge amount of gunpowder, won''t he need to prepare a base first?"

    "Right. Some ce quiet and secure. There''s no better spot for a base than this industrial district, even more so during arge festival."

    "Yes, this is the best ce." I reaffirmed her words. There was no better hiding spot than here. "But while we will look at them, don''t you think hiding anything in the abandoned buildings be rather foolish."

    "Right. He would rather hide it in in sight. But while it would make sense that a fireworks production chain to have gunpowder in store, it''ll be used up eventually. He can''t hide it in any of those ces."

    "The next best option would berge ces like these, where there''s not only a lot of people but also a lot of storage and space. After all, nting them already would oust him by the citizens in no time. It''s possible he''ll make the swipeter, but he would have to prepare his base."

    We just had to find the signs of tampering.

    Sophia understood this immediately. She then sped her hands and went up to the employee-turned-lecturer.

    "You say a lot of interesting things," she said. "So, as you speak, why not give us a quick and thorough tour of the ce?"

    The employee flinched.

    "Quick and thorough, got it?"

    The employee nodded, and off we went again.

    ***

    I didn''t know how the day darkened, but even after moving through so many ces, we couldn''t find any other clues. After asking Alec to get some information from the knights about any recent adultery or robbery, we went back to our rooms.

    First the things from the Marquis and then theck of clues on the other end. My mind felt strangely filled today.

    As I passed by the rooms, I overheard the voice of a group of maids.

    "Lily, are you enjoying here?"

    At the mention of a familiar name, I chose to hide and listen through.

    "Um yeah! It''s not as fun as back home but I like it! The work is less and a festival ising up, it''s like a vacation!"

    Vacation.

    Those words rang in my ears.

    Sure, it must be feeling like a vacation to Lily and Keith who were rxing these days. Same with Maria who was currently fixing her emotions.

    At such a time, telling them about the demon would only throw them off.

    And well! I didn''t care if it did.

    I usually didn''t. Yet, when I thought that way today, I could remember the conversation from this morning.

    It seemed I was slightly affected by his words. Just slightly.

    I thought about my people in this ce. They deserved a vacation after continuously working in Apollon.

    I was thinking of letting them be and taking harsher steps to catch the demon, even if it screwed over both the Marquis anddy Sophia.

    ''She was a terrible person''

    That phrase resounded in my ears.

    I was of a different opinion. Someone who would stick out for their people was actually very strong.

    Just till I couldn''t anymore, only till then, I decided not to tell the others about this matter.

    When I entered my room, a repeat of yesterday''s events ensued.

    She looked at me, fidgeting.

    I sighed and held her hand in mine.

    Yawning, I stretched my back and plopped my head on Maria''sp.

    After a tiring day, I fell asleep withfort.

 Chapter 51: Chapter 48: Gunpowder Detective (1)

    The first day of the festivities began. The crowd couldn''tpare to before as many people from different ces coalesced in the city to enjoy themselves. Musicians and artists, many of them from Apollon as well, all started livening up the streets while the scent of sizzling meat and swirling ale filled the air.

    People walked shoulder to shoulder as they sang and danced and visited the dozens of different attractions that the witty business owners had put up.

    It wasn''t much different at the estate either. More nobles wereing in as the day of Vienna''s 17th came closer. People were considered adults by the age of 15 in this world, but they made their noble debut in their 17th year, hence theing-of-age was just a dyed celebration. I didn''t really understand why, but I didn''t question it either.

    "My lord, should we go into that one next?" Sophia broke me out of my thoughts with her words. She pointed in the direction of one of the buildings that were rented out to the firework businesses. I nodded and followed her inside.

    Just as the door opened, a darkened room appeared in front of us. The employees and the management all turned their heads up to look at us with a frown on their faces.

    There was a pile of finished fireworks on one end, while the people there sat idly in a gloomy atmosphere.

    "Lady Sophia," I called out in a whisper.

    "Yes," she said.

    ""Jackpot.""

    The group moved inside and the manager came rushing over when he saw the two dressed-up knights behind us.

    "Ah! How can I help you, esteemed guests?" He asked.

    "What happened here?" I cut to the chase right away. "You all seem, rather down?"

    "Ah..." the man held his tongue, but then his eyes fell on the two knights behind us. "Are you sent from the magistrate''s office?"

    I didn''t say anything and only looked at him. The man assumed it to be a yes and continued speaking. "That! Our gunpowder and our stars! Someone stole all half of it all."

    Bingo.

    We hadnded our mitts in the best ce.

    "Stars?" Lady Sophia chimed in from the side.

    "It''s what gives the fireworks their color and fuel," I said. "You can think of it as the firestarter needed to burn the fireworks."

    "Oh, yes! This young officer knows a lot," the manager said. Well, I did read up on the fireworks when I had the time, fireworks and gunpowder.

    "When was it stolen?" Sir Buhini jumped in at that moment, he asked us to excuse him and stepped in front. Of course, as the knight of this ce, it was his duty and his concern to look into these matters, the three of us were just outsiders.

    "It happenedst night, sir. All of us work together. We all know that they get their money from the profits, as it is now, we can''t even make up for the cost we spent sir! You have to help us."

    "I see," Sir Buhini nodded and stroked his chin. He then turned back to us and spoke in a low voice. "Let us move to a restaurant. You should eat and rx and I''ll send an investigation team here."

    "Sir Buhini," Sophia said. "I think we should stay here and help take a look."

    "No, this is not a matter that you need to involve yourself in, mydy."

    "I am sure the festivities make the knights busy. We can''t rx about the security of other ces because of this. Us investigating would be optimal."

    "I apologize, mydy, but the knights of Hall are more than capable enough to handle such incidents even in a busy time."

    Buhini was respectful yet stern, he was a person fitting the vice-captain title. Any normal person would have caved by now.

    Unfortunately, Lady Sophia was at a loss here.

    Sure, she was witty, but I didn''t see any way for her to ''hide'' the whole truth and convince him. She would have to either tell him everything or cook up a lie. But a lie would be much more dangerous if it is caught, even more so if she ends up needing the knights'' help. It would affect her reputation and trust altogether.

    I watched as Sophia and Buhini stared at each other. I couldn''t see their eyes, but I liked to imagine sparks flying between them.

    What to do.

    Even the manager seemed to be nervous about this matter.

    I sighed and decided.

    She was the one who couldn''t lie. Not me. Since she wanted to hide it and I wanted her to think well of me in case I need a backer in the future, taking up this little jab was more than fine. I anyway didn''t like the Halls, so taking a hit for the Mirxas was even better.

    I shooed away the manager who nodded and immediately walked off.

    "Sir Buhini," I said, gesturing at him to lean closer.

    Buhini again thought for a few seconds before leaning in.

    "We believe the remnants of the Dark Moon Bandits have made an appearance here."

    "What?"

    I was going to lie, sure. But that didn''t mean I''ll take the me. Her problem was that she didn''t want others to know that Mirxa had let go of a demon''s agent, this was the most concession I could offer her.

    "Yes. The city of Apollon and the Margrave of Mirxa were looking to catch these remaining rats. But, they seem to have a sharp nose for danger, these remnants managed to escape to the Hall territory."

    Buhini stiffened. He then sighed. "I thought you two looked well-acquainted, lord Eugene. Now it makes sense."

    We couldn''t use the Marquis'' name since it wasn''t an official but a tacit discussion. Our only option here was to make Buhini shut up and keep him on our side.

    "I understand. In that case, since the matter has shifted over to our territory, let us handle it."

    "Lord Buhini, you will be cing arge number of people in danger if you do that."

    "What do you mean?" Buhini started leaking some of his killing intent. It was less but focused.

    This man was at least at the Projectile Ki stage, at least. Unfortunately for him, I, who had faced a dragon''s killing intent from a different ne of existence did not feel much when faced with something like this. Even if it was stronger than me, it was just cutepared to that.

    "It''s because¡ª"

    "¡ªBecause one of them is a demon''s agent, sir Buhini."

    Lady Sophia intervened before I could make more lies. I widened my eyes and turned to face her, only to see her nodding at me lightly.

    BITCH.

    Don''t nod at me! If you were going to fess up then why the fuck did you wait till I brought up the Dark Moon Bandits?!

    Be more decisive you brat! I wanted to scold her, but the fact that she said it must have been because I suggested it yesterday.

    Buhini was frozen stiff. He didn''t say much nor did he ask much.

    After a while passed, he looked at me.

    "Is that true?"

    I nodded.

    "I''ll trust you in Keith''s name, lord Eugene."

    "Thank you."

    Buhini took in a sharp breath and held his forehead.

    "If this is the case, we will have to move carefully."

    "Sir Buhini," Sophia called out to him again. "Our first and topmost priority will always be the safety of the people. Always."

    Buhini nodded again.

    "You are a brave person,dy Sophia. I don''t have to be panicking because you''re handling it."

    Buhini turned to the manager who was ten steps away.

    "Take us to where the theft took ce."

    "Oh! Yes, yes! Thank you, oh knights!"

    Now all four of us were on the same page, even if we were reading different lines, this much was enough.

    Time to y detective.

 Chapter 52: Chapter 49: Gunpowder Detective (2)

    We were led to the storage room where the facility had kept the gunpowder by the barrels. The manager said they had left it untouched and it was in the same state as earlier.

    The storage room was like a small detached room from the main building''s frame, though it was still connected to it. It had its door and locks and a window as well.

    The storage room was almost emptied with only a single barrel left in ce. Gunpowder and dirt with boot marks stuck to the ground while many bits of broken wood were syed over the room that should have been filled with explosives. Even the stars were kept in the same room, and they werepletely heisted away.

    I turned toward Lady Sophia a couple of times as the two of us patted different parts of the ground and the walls while checking the explosives. Sir Buhini was observing the shoe marks while looking for bits of hair.

    Lady Sophia moved closer to me, and the two of us looked out the window.

    "There are very few shards inside, huh?" Sophia asked.

    "Is any of them?"

    Sophia shook her head. "I know what he looks like," she said.

    I nodded and turned back to the inside of the room. The perfect foot marks, the random sying of the barrel''s splinters. The cleanliness with which this room was turned into a mess was way too suspicious. It could only be an inside job.

    There was a chance this was not connected to our thing at all, but at the same time, a worse thought was present in both my and Lady Sophia''s minds.

    What if he had others working with him?

    If it was the movement of an entire cult, then the gods would have warned the church. So what was the case here? Well for one, for a demon worshipper, such amateur work won''t make sense since the demon was rather hands-on this entire time.

    "How good are you with judging faces, lord Eugene?" Lady Sophia asked.

    "The worst. The absolute worst."

    She turned to face me with what I could only guess to be shock. She chuckled and shook her head.

    "You''re at least good at inciting people though."

    "I got it," I said. At the same time,dy Sophia gestured at Alec to move around and cover the exit of the main factory.

    I walked away from Lady Sophia, who had now turned to face the line-up of workers.

    "Hah," I said out loud, patting Buhini''s shoulders. "Whoever stole from this ce must have no dignity as a man."

    Buhini turned to me and tilted his head, despite my words, my expression was stern. He reeled back and nodded.

    "I wonder what kind of half-blooded idiot of a thief would leave things like this. If I were in their ce, I would have killed myself long ago. Heck, such a stupid thief is only wasting oxygen by being alive."

    "You are correct!" Buhini chimed in. "We can''t even take in such a bastard to the prison, it''s like he wanted to be caught."

    "Sloppy! So sloppy! We''ll find the criminal in no time."

    "No time? Lord Eugene, I already know who it is."

    "Do you?" I faked augh and finally turned around with Buhini, facing the line of employees in front of me. "So, which one of you here has the keys to the warehouse? You shame for a man, raise your hand."

    "Argh!"

    One of them suddenly screamed and tried to bolt away. His eyes fixed on the door. He jumped over the tables in his path as he rushed straight for the gate, but right then, Alec swooped in and blocked his path.

    "That''s as far as you go."

    "D-damn it!" The runner screamed. "I¡ªI! AH! I''ll kill you, you bastards¡ª"

    The man was rammed in from the side as the knight from next to me disappeared and crashed into the bastard.

    "You damn asshole!" Sir Buhini shouted, pinning the guy to the ground with all his body weight. He stood upright and raised his fist, ready to knock him out.

    "Kahaaha! Die! Die!"

    That man continued screaming.

    Crazy. I had seen this before, it was a crazy guy.

    "Ah! He has a star and gunpowder on him!" Lady Sophia''s voice resounded, but it was a tad toote. A small me was rising from that man''s fingertips, and it was pointed right at his chest.

    He was going to explode. He was going to kill himself and take the rest with us.

    Fuck.

    "[Honeb Defense: Hexagonal Shields]" Mana rushed to the tips of my fingers before materializing into hexagonal shields. One, two, four, eight, sixteen,

    In the time that one could blink, the number of shields kept swelling up.

    "[64 Shields]!"

    The dozens of shields coursed through the air as they blocked the front of everyone in the room. Most of them wedged themselves between sir Buhini and the bastard as they tried to cover himpletely.

    "Lord Eugene! The bomb is separate¡ª"

    Lady Sophia used her magic to lift the explosive away from the man. I tried to wedge my shields in between them to keep him alive.

    A blinding sh followed. And then a thunderous bang resounded in the air. Sparks of red and yellow spread inside the room as the ruthless explosion swallowed the inside of the building. A strong resistance jammed against my body, but I didn''t loosen my hold on the shields.

    The light settled down as the explosion subsided, filling the room with ck smoke. I covered my nose with one hand as I focused the mana for the shields with the other. Through the wafting smoke, I could see Sir Buhini floating mid-air on the shields, he was scrunched up into a ball as he tried to protect himself from the explosion by covering his body with his Ki.

    I waited for the smoke to waft away before touching anyone''s shields, when a popping sound filled my ears.

    One after the other, the pops increased.

    The smoke from the giant explosion was whisked away as the piles of fireworks ced around started exploding one after the other.

    "Ah..." I could hear someone''s mutter over the sound of the explosions, but I wasn''t focused on it.

    Right below Sir Buhini, the bastard that had chosen to kill himself was still alive. His body above his chest was unharmed, my shield had stopped even a single spark from reaching him, but the rest had turned into an exploded char that looked like piles of mortar.

    I clicked my tongue and walked over to the moaning bastard.

    He turned his head toward me.

    "Haha..." heughed.

    I walked over to the bastard and removed the shield covering his head.

    This fucker was going to die.

    We couldn''t get any information out of him.

    "How... was¡ª"

    He tried to say something, but I stomped his face the moment he did.

    "If you''re going to die, just do that instead."

    The sounds of the rest of the fireworks exploding stopped. I turned away and noticed that everyone in the room was looking at me.

    With a snap of my fingers, the shields blocking them all disappeared.

    "That..."

    "We lost him," I said to the stutteringdy Sophia.

 Chapter 53: Chapter 50: Ballet of Ice and Fire

    Night came around faster than I had expected.

    We had dealt with the people of the factory after that happened. Well, I say we, but those guys were way too scared of me to talk with me.

    Lady Sophia gave them 70 gold coins aspensation for the damage and then further ckmailed them by saying they housed a criminal. They were likely to not act out.

    On the other hand, the explosion and death of a person itself was a bigger problem. While we wanted to capture him alive to get the necessary information, it was also to make sure no other problems rise up.

    We could have taken him away stating it''s for negotiation and no big problem would have happened, but with him dead, rumours were bound to leak out and rumours of such an incident wasn''t going to cover the knights'' eyes.

    Thankfully, sir Buhini understood how dangerous it was for the demons''s agent''s information to spread. He was nning to stop any investigations from the knights, but I didn''t let him do so.

    "We''re not dealing with static bombs now, but with people," was what I had said. "We need as many eyes as possible. Let the knights look into it. A person''s reputatier."

    Sir Buhini was very friendly after I said that as he said he''ll do his best to not let any connectione up to us, especiallydy Sophia.

    The person herself was biting her lips the entire time with clenched fists, but didn''t say anything to stop us.

    A long and tiring day hade to an end. One that pissed me off greatly.

    With a sigh, I climbed up the stairs of the castle moving to the second floor.

    I stopped on the floor.

    Our perfect ns were ruined, even if it was handled wellter.

    It was ruined nheless.

    Was it luck? Fate?

    Maybe. Maybe that was it.

    But all of those paled in front of strength.

    Icked strength. Again. Icked strength. If I was more powerful, keeping one person alive was one thing, I could bend even luck and fate to my will.

    My nails dug into my palms, causing blood to seep out.

    Strength.

    After a long time, I was feeling theck of strength again.

    More.

    I want more power.

    The power to change everything. That was my goal. The strongest in the world.

    My breathing was rushed and my mind felt heated. I couldn''t go back to my room like this.

    I clenched my fists even harder, soon, the pain started blurring out my thoughts.

    Like that, I walked further up the stairs.

    ***

    ''Prepare the topmost piano room.''

    When Vienna Golden Hall received that order, she was ovee with both shock and and anticipation.

    The room that had been locked for the past 14 years was asked to be opened again, and given to the heir of that room''s owner.

    The night had fallen deeply as the shade of the full moon colored the room from within the window.

    The single piano standing against the windows that stretched from the top to the floor of the room created a picturesque scene that sent her heart racing.

    But it was iplete.

    She was the one who was originally supposed to take over the room. But Vienna had refused it after trying for a short time.

    No matter how much she yed, she couldn''tplete the picture, she couldn''t fit in the room.

    It felt wrong. Especially so when she remembered the fading silhouette of that white haireddy sitting here all those years ago.

    A snap pulled her out of her reverie.

    Vienna turned to her side to see a young man standing at the door.

    His white hair the color of snow had dulled gray under the moonlight and his crimson eyes the shade of blood seemed tock a soul.

    On this person who she found to be the most interesting one she had met, she never expected to see that expression.

    Vienna was shocked. What could have made that person, her younger brother look like that?

    "Um, lord Eugene...?"

    "Yes?" An equally soulless voice answered. "Who are you? I was told I can use this room."

    Who? What was he...

    "Do you not recognise me?"

    "Have we met before?"

    Vienna''s jaw fell wide open.

    She took a step ahead to take a closer look. He didn''t seem to be pretending, he wasn''t lying either.

    "Lord Eugene..."

    "I''m very sorry. I''m not really good with faces..."

    Good?

    Vienna peered into his eyes for the first time since she met him. He was looking at her, but he wasn''t seeing her. It didn''t take an observant genius to notice it, how strangely his gaze moved.

    He couldn''t see her.

    ''He can''t see?''

    Vienna felt something choking her neck. Her eyes spun around beforending on his hands.

    "Lord Eugene you! You''re bleeding like crazy!"

    "Ah, this? Please don''t worry about it." Eugene ''looked'' at her again and smiled. "Can I use the piano now? If you don''t mind, mam?"

    Vienna stopped herself from saying anything else.

    The moment he came in, she had treated him like an enemy.

    What right did she have to worry about him?

    Vienna nodded. She swallowed all her questions, all her worries as she bowed.

    "I''m sorry, please go ahead," she said, and moved out of the room.

    She left the room, but didn''t move away. Quietly, Vienna stuck to the walls and stood outside the room.

    As if he didn''t have a clue, Eugenepletely ignored everything around him as he moved to the piano. Not a candle nor the chandelier, he didn''t look at anything but the piano.

    Blood dripped from his palms, staining the already red carpet.

    With the light of the moon as his guide, the boy raised his hands above the piano.

    Vienna slowly peeked in, and held her breath.

    His hands fell.

    A single note.

    The single note took all her attention.

    The rest started flowing out as he slowly moved his fingers.

    Vienna waspletely enraptured as the melody of the song yed out. Slow, precise.

    Like the bleak midwinter covered in snow, the notes filled her chest with sorrow and grief.

    She felt her heart ovee with emotion.

    As the sound of the piano spread through, the few small soundsing from the castle stopped.

    Vienna''s chest pounded as the grief contained in the notes increased. But she didn''t miss something deeper in it all.

    His fingers served over the piano, his body shook with each chord. Amidst the unceasing veil of sadness, like a single me burning in a snow storm, was a longing.

    His music contained longing.

    The chords heightened.

    The song moved toward the crescendo.

    The cruel snowstorm intensified, it raged and fell harder than ever, but the me of longing was unyielding.

    The sparks spread, from a single me to a raging ze, the battle between the two grew more and more.

    Her heart cried as the zes brightened with the snow. The music crescendoed, and the snowstorm was gone.

    The unyielding mes of longing had now turned into an all swallowing inferno.

    Vienna gripped her chest.

    The music wasing to an end, but she didn''t let go.

    The cruel snow was defeated by the mes, but what did it matter?

    Whether through ice or through fire.

    Her heart still ached.

    Vienna summoned her strength and raised her gaze.

    Thest note of the piece was yed.

    She could see it through her aching heart.

    Her picture wasplete

 Chapter 54: Chapter 51: Start with this

    "That explosion couldn''t have happened with just the stars."

    "What was that, lord Eugene?"

    I faced the two knights with my legs crossed, the onedy in our team next to me. In a secluded corner of the city, all of us were huddled up inside the carriage, without any driver of course.

    It usually wasn''t a problem, but Sir Buhini was so giant that he covered even the seat across him with his muscles.

    On the second day of the festival, the crowd out and about in the streets were worse than ever before. With even sir Buhini on our side now, we had no choice but to talk in the safest ce.

    And well, the carriage was the safest one. All the other safe ces were filled with people.

    "I looked into it. Just to be sure, I even consulted one of the schrs from the castle. It was impossible to make an explosion like that, even with some expert in explosives."

    "Then...? Do you think they used magic?" Sir Buhini asked.

    "Not magic," it was not me butdy Sophia who answered. "Alchemy."

    "Alchemy!?" Sir Alec eximed.

    Both sir Alec anddy Sophia had stiffened up.

    It would be increasingly more difficult to find the demon''s agent with alchemists in the fray. Well, that would be the case for someone without any knowledge of things.

    They were forgetting who our newest ally was.

    A cackling sound rang out as Sir Buhini grabbed his head and broke into a messyughter.

    Just as I thought.

    "Splendid. Those demon agents of yours made a big mistake."

    I smiled while sir Alec still stood in confusion. It seemed evendy Sophia had realized.

    We didn''t have just anyone with us, it was the vice captain of the knight order. He could take out any files on any criminal without any suspicion. Heck, he probably already knew more than the files did.

    "No alchemists escaped from your hands, right?" Sir Buhini asked.

    "No chance." Sophia answered.

    "Ahaha! Lord Eugene, I know exactly seven of those slimy bastards who would do anything for money. We weren''t able to make any cases against them, but that doesn''t mean we don''t know them!"

    I smiled bright and snapped my fingers.

    "Let us move then."

    "Right, just, excuse me, it''s tough to..."

    Sir Buhini squeezed us all against the carriage walls as he left.

    Well, atleast we were getting somewhere.

    ***

    Lady Sophia and I stood in front of a rundown cabin at the slums of the town.

    Mahogany banners andnterns had made their way even to this ce as the slums were filled with children and adults alike, some drowning themselves in alcohol and drugs, while others were running about to get out of their sobriety.

    I knocked on the wooden door.

    The broken door creaked open and revealed a bearded man.

    His eyes were shot red as he held a bottle of absinthe in his hands that reached out of the rags for clothes he donned.

    "Who are you guys? I''m not buying any cookies," he said, his breath reeking of alcohol.

    "Heard you can make me some mes?"

    "Heck? You''ve got the wrong person," the man said. The door kept creaking as the alcoholic''s hands trembled.

    I held in a sigh before reaching into my coat. I pulled out a bag of money and held it in front of me.

    The alcoholic looked down and then back at us. His stinky lips curved into a disgusting smile.

    "If you have things like that, you should start with it next time."

    The door slowly opened and the alcoholic reached for the pouch of money.

    He received the pouch of coins.

    And then a punch straight to his face.

    The alcoholic slid on the ground as the door swung wide open.

    Clenching and loosening my fists, I scoffed.

    "Why next time? I started with the tricks right away."

 Chapter 55: Chapter 52: Alcoholic Alchemist

    "L...ord Eugene?"

    "Shush."

    I quietened down the girl next to me and stepped inside the room. She awkwardly looked around for a few seconds before sighing and following right after me inside the room. Lady Sophia closed the door behind her while I snapped my finger and summoned a small orb of light with my magic.

    The room lit up in a second and the man on the ground came to view. His scraggly beard coupled with his stupid clothes and the bottle of absinthe in his hands made him resemble a desperate beggar more than an alchemist.

    Like a rat running for its burrow, the man iled around the room filled with ss sks and documents as he searched for something. His hands then fell on a vial.

    "Fucker! What''s your problem!?" He screamed and tossed the vial.

    I held my face in a disappointed frown as the vial stopped midair.

    Lady Sophia''s psychokinesis was very quick and precise. Magicians didn''t usually practice it since it wasn''t much more use than picking up a cup from afar or switching off the lights from your bed, but she made it seem like apletely different spell with her skills.

    "W-what!"

    This guy was panicking too much. This was already thest alchemist we came to, so we were really hoping he was the one who made that bomb.

    I didn''t have the patience to handle him anymore. We only had a few hours left before the day ended and left us with barely four days to make do with. A wasted day was not eptable.

    "Explosives, gunpowder, human bombs, did you make them?"

    Lady Sophia sighed and shook her head while the stupid alchemist froze in ce.

    "Are his eyes trembling, mydy?"

    "They most definitely are, my lord."

    Despite seeming disappointed, she sure was having fun.

    "Ldy... lord...? Are you guys nobles...? I''ll make anything for you, ok? I will."

    This fucker.

    I stepped ahead and clenched his hair in my hands and raised his body.

    "You asshole. You''ve colluded with a demon''s agent."

    "Demon''s agent¡ª?!"

    This was our guy after all. I punched him smack-dab in the face. It seemed like he would roll away from the force, but I was holding his hair tight, a handful fell off anyway but that was ok.

    We had already revised this for the first six, but this was the first time we got to use it.

    "Don''t believe me?" I asked and pped my hands twice.

    Alcoholic Alchemists. A person who wasn''t afraid of either the repercussions of making deals with thews of nature or the viles of alcohol, if there was one thing that could scare such a person...

    Right then, the door opened again and a young man wearing white priest''s robes stepped inside the room, and behind him, a tank of a human being covered in a white cloak with golden embroidery.

    "Church of the Sun God...?"

    Something that could scare such a person was none other than an inquisitor.

    I took a step back and crossed my arms. The metal hippo for a man stepped into the room, crushing the papers and apparatus underneath his feet before grabbing the man by his cors.

    "You demon worshipper!"

    "AAAAH! PLEASE DON''T TORTURE ME!!" The man screamed. "I don''t want to be tortured for ten thousand years! I didn''t do anything! I promise!!"

    The robed figures lips curved into a smile as he punched the guy. Seriously, all of them were having fun, weren''t they?

    "Then! Prove! It!"

    "Explosives!? You said explosives?" The alchemist shouted again, smacking his head against the ground. "That man came here a while ago! He gave me a lot of money and materials and told me to make bombs that could fit a human. It wasn''t tough so I did it! He didn''t show me his face but instead sent a different person each time to take a bomb!!"

    "HOW! MANY!?"

    The megaphone for a human tongue shook the entire house. This guy was too much in character.

    "15! I made 15!"

    Atst, the cloaked man smiled and dropped the person.

    He dusted his hands, as if proud of himself.

    At that time, the one in priest robes shook his head and pulled the few remaining hairs of the alchemist again.

    "Do you remember their faces?"

    "I''ll remember them! I''ll remember them!!"

    "Good, thene with us."

    The robed figure smacked the alchemist on the back of his head and knocked him out. The alcoholic alchemist fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth.

    The two figures knocked back their hoods, revealing their faces. It was none other than Sir Buhini and Alec.

    Sir Buhini startedughing like a maniac as the man fainted.

    "Truly, lord Eugene, what a splendid idea to dress up as priests and inquisitors," he guffawed as he spoke. "I never thought I''ll get to see one of those damned alchemists scared witless like this!"

    "Oh, he''s just getting started," I said. "We are lucky the demon''s agent was so focused on safety. We''ll be able to catch the exploding bastards with this."

    "I''ll verify he gets one the same as that one from the factory. That said, what do you mean he''s just getting started?"

    "We don''t have time, sir Buhini," I said and turned to Lady Sophia. She nodded and continued.

    "We''ll pin the me on him and utilize all the avable forces?"

    I nodded.

    "The mastermind behind the exploding people, this way we''ll all be safe and happy, right?"

    "I think it''s a splendid n," Lady Sophia nodded. "Finding out such a person on your own, you should be proud, Sir Buhini."

    "You..." Sir Buhinis''s face hardened. In return for keeping Sophia''s, or rather, the Mirxa''s slip-up hush-hush, we were giving him the credit for catching the mastermind. A mastermind we were cooking up. "You want me to engage in such dishonesty? After cooperating so much?"

    "It''s not dishonesty, sir Buhini," Lady Sophia said. "But rather a deal. You''re going to make a small lie to help keep the stability of this ce."

    "What do you mean?" He asked.

    "Do you think the Marquis doesn''t know how we are moving?" Sophia asked. "It''s natural that he does, and he is letting us move around despite knowing it. It''s because he wants to avoid any instability. But if the Marquis knows, then he won''t be the only one who does.

    The heiress of Mirxa and the extremely promising young lord who built up a city at just 14, it''s natural people will be vary of such a pair."

    "And if they find anything, they''ll be picking at the Marquis? Do you think he''s such a feeble ruler?" The knight said. "The Marquis of Hall lives by the de! Shall anyone dare to question him, they''ll lose their throats; shall anyone dare to point their fingers at him, they''ll lose their hands; and shall anyone dare re at him, they''ll lose their heads!"

    "And if it''s other the Marquises? The dukes?"

    The knight quietened down.

    "Fine," sir Buhini said. "Moving with this n will make it all seem like a coincidence, and will also settle any eyes peering at us."

    Politics was sure hard to keep up with. To think all of these were things that were only indirectly affecting us. I was looking forward to the schemes of the rulers of thesends.

    "Then, it''s settled," I sped my hands and nodded. "Let''s go back, I am starving."

    Things were looking much better now

 Chapter 56: Chapter 53: Why?

    After ying the piano for a short while, I returned to my room. I was nning on performing a varied form of the Swan Lake theme for Vienna''s birthday.

    I was tired today, but also rather chipper. We managed to track down the most significant concern that we faced. With this, not only would we be able to avoid the problem of the city being blown uppletely, but I could also get close to the Mirxa''s side and get a one-on-one negotiation done with the demonic bastard shall we catch him.

    Why did I want to know that?

    Hah.

    I was told not long ago that a demon, Raum, could see the future.

    It didn''t suit me to make a move if making it didn''t make me stronger.

    Demons were clearly strong, and someone who had contracted their strength was almost in my grasp. I would make the demons my underlings and take all their powers.

    I held in augh while thinking of my n that took me so many days toe up with. How splendid! How genial! Where would one ever find a person as amazing as myself?

    I pushed the door to my room open.

    Standing inside with her arms ced in front of her ck and white dress was Maria.

    "Young master," she said. "I was waiting for you."

    I nodded, my face slightly stiffening up.

    The tension between Maria and me had gotten stifling. What started as just teasing each other ended up being something that shook both of us.

    It was palpable.

    Things were not that different from before, but I could tell that she still wasn''t able to ept me as I was. And that caused more troubles between us. Even if we tried to act close, it all just ended up making the tension worse.

    I quickly picked up the towel from the back and went into the bath.

    The white walls of the bathroom and cold water filling the tub helped me take deep breaths and cool myself down. I wanted to suggest that Maria take a bath too, but I couldn''t help thinking that would go horribly wrong.

    Just as usual, I finished my quick cold bath and flexed my muscles in front of the mirror before moving back to the room.

    Maria was already standing there with my clothes in her hands. When she saw me, she ced them on a table.

    "Hm?"

    She turned back with another towel in her hands. I looked at my hands to see I hadn''t dried myself off well.

    "You''ll catch a cold, young master."

    "Is that so?" I asked. "I was so lost in my muscles I forgot to dry off."

    Once I got dressed, I held her hands and pulled her along.

    I sat down on my bed, holding both of Maria''s hands.

    Slowly, I leaned ahead to grab the tes when my cor was tugged on.

    Surprised, I was pulled up by my cors. Maria held me tight as she looked down at me.

    She ced one knee on the bed and twisted her body, locking me in with her legs as she stared at me, my cors in her hands.

    I could see her neckline clearly, her soft yet sharp jaw, and her plump, rosy lips.

    They came closer.

    Her lips came closer as she leaned in.

    The grip on my cor tightened.

    She had done something like this before, but this was different.

    Starkly different.

    As her lips approached my lips, my head cooled down.

    All of it. The heat in my head, the hastening of my breaths, the hesitation in my hands, all of them came crashing down to the ground as a cold, hard pail of reality wettened me from head to toe.

    I was blinded. By the trust, I held in Maria, no, by this heat that welled up from my chest.

    I was blinded.

    Her lips came right up to mine. Slowly but firmly, she mmed them together.

    She tried to.

    I ced my palm between us at the perfect time, stopping her from kissing me.

    Maria froze, but I didn''t feel much.

    I pushed her lips away and reeled my head back.

    "Maria..." I muttered. "Why?"

    Maria''s legs furthered away from me, and one of them fell to the ground as she leaned away.

    What kind of face was she making right now?

    Maria''s hands rose up to her lips as she lightly grazed them. "I..."

    She plopped down on the ground and turned away.

    "Maria!"

    I tried to reach out but stopped myself. Maria immediately opened the door of the room and rushed out.

    I could only stare at the door as she left.

    With a sigh, I fell back on my bed like a heavy brick tripping over. I covered my eyes with my arm and sighed again.

    Hah.

    It had been like this since I came here.

    What was I doing before this?

    Why did I not notice that she was not just being full of tension, but had her thoughts in a mess. Of course she did. Why else would she approach me like this?

    I thought that everyone would just have to ept things as they are. But I failed to see other possibilities.

    "This is not how the strong act..."

    My thoughts were already hardened. My values were already reaffirmed.

    I had to act like the strong.

    I had to figure out what was going on with her.

    ***

    The next morning came up before I realized that I had gone to sleep.

    I opened my eyes to see some cutesy locks of brown falling down on me.

    "Good morning, Lily."

    I said.

    "Mornin'', young master."

    "I heard you were having a lot of fun learning things again, so what brings you here?"

    "Maria says she has fallen sick, so I came instead," Lily smiled and tilted her head to the side before moving away from right above me. "Do you not like to have me here."

    I stood up from the bed and turned to Lily.

    "Of course I am happy, I am very happy to see you."

    Lily smiled.

    "Let''s train a lot today, okay?"

    "Ah¡ª!"

    I had Lily use her healing magic till she couldn''t stand anymore that morning.

    With the knights in the fray, the investigation proceeded smoothly and I got a chance to take a break.

    The day passed over and next the morning rolled in as well.

    Maria still didn''te back.

 Chapter 57: Chapter 54: Sit and Speak

    "Good morning... young master..." Lily''s voice reached my ears. Like a small rabbit hiding away, she tried to shrink herself as much as she could without stepping out.

    She really didn''t want to train.

    Even though each time we trained together I made massive gains.

    She wasn''t without benefits either! She was learning how to develop her healing magic which was monstrous. I was nning on raising her well and nting her as a religious leader in the future, how would such a n work if she wimps out like this every time? I would have tried to convince her, but something else was bothering me more.

    "Maria isn''t here yet, huh?"

    "Ah? Yes! She said she was feeling so sick she didn''t even let me visit her. Only the physician goes to her and says she''s resting."

    Falling sick all of a sudden.

    I knew Maria well enough to know she was keeping the physician in line with a knife in her hands and that she wasn''t actually sick. No way she was.

    I made up my mind after a day of letting her be.

    "Lily, guide me to her room. I''ll visit Maria."

    "Really?" Lily parroted. "You could alsoe to visit Keith or me like this someday, you know?"

    "Are you guys ill?"

    "No." Lily shook her head.

    "Let''s go then."

    "Ookay~"

    "Wait! Before that," I stopped Lily. "I have to finish my morning workout."

    "Haah..."

    ***

    After working up a tough sweat, I followed Lily to the quarters of the servants that was in one of the wings of the castle. Things were going well on the knights'' end. We were still in a rush to capture the demon''s agent, but the immediate threat was being solved and we had to make sure it was done smoothly, so we were sitting quiet and letting the knights handle it.

    Now was the perfect time to talk to her.

    "Young master, this is her room," Lily said as we stopped in front of the room at the furthest end of the passageway. There weren''t any other rooms close by, so there was no need to worry about any sounds flowing out.

    "I''ll take it from here."

    "Then, I''ll leave you be." Lily bowed. "Call me if you need me!"

    "I''ll call you to bother you."

    Lily left after I teased her a bit, and now I was alone in front of Maria''s room.

    I knocked lightly on the door.

    "Excuse me," a muffled sound came from the other side. "I am not well, please find the head maid instead¡ª"

    "Maria, it''s me."

    "..."

    The ce was silent for a few seconds.

    Right after, a loud thud rang out, followed by some screeches and the banging of a few drawers or closets.

    I knocked again.

    The sounds stopped as Maria rushed over to open the door.

    I was hit by a big surprise as Maria opened the door. Her hair was in aplete mess, falling on her ck negligee that barely hid her midriff through itss.

    "Y-young master?"

    I stopped my eyes from running amok and looked at her face.

    "Can Ie in?"

    Maria opened the door further and moved to the side. As I stepped into the modest yet sizeable room, she slowly closed the door behind me.

    Gloomy.

    Just as I had expected, the room was apletely clean mess that suited Maria. It was filled with things that were arranged with great precision, though, her chair was knocked over and the drawer with herb was half open.

    Gloomy was the best word that came to mind as the door closed behind me.

    I took a nce at the single bed and the cab next to it, this ce was better than my dorm at the Pantheon.

    I turned back to face Maria. She had her head hanging low as she held the rim of her ck negligee tight in her hands.

    "Young Master I¡ª"

    "Let''s sit and speak."

    I lifted the chair that had fallen and pointed at it. Maria hesitated for a few seconds before sitting down. I ignored her and went to the table in her room, picking up the kettle of water, I prepared some tea for the two of us.

    With the two cups in our hands, I sat on Maria''s bed facing her.

    "Young Master," Maria said. "I will leave the mansion. I will ask the head maid to send someone else with you and then quit as a maid."

    I sighed and crossed my legs, taking a sip of the tea.

    "Maria."

    The girl lowered her head again.

    "If you''re going to quit as a maid, I should ask sir Marquis to disown me, yes?"

    "What¡ª"

    "Why?" I asked again.

    Maria''s head jerked. She tightened her hold on her cup. "After what I did... I am not fitting to be by your side..."

    Sighing again, I leaned forward and ced my hand on hers.

    "I don''t want anyone if it is not you."

    "As your maid?"

    "Stupid." I scoffed and brushed away the hair falling on her forehead. "As my Maria."

    Her grip tightened even further, her hands almost trembling.

    "So tell me, why? Why have you been so sad since we came here? What has made you avoid me? Is it because of my memories, or is it something else? I don''t mind what you were doing, Maria, but not like this."

    "That..." Maria took in a few deep breaths. Then, she calmed herself down and raised her head, facing me head-on. Her tightened hands loosened as she resolved herself like the same Maria I had known for long.

    "Young Master, this servant is an orphan from the beast peaks further north," Maria began speaking.

    Her very first sentence brought up many questions, not only was she a person from north, a ce toiling with monsters, but also not of the neighboring country let alone this one. I didn''t say anything, though, and only listened.

    "My entire vige was ttened by a behemoth when I was only three with me as the only survivor. And the person who saved me was your mother,dy Charlotte Fonias, or as was her true name... Charlotte Godyer."

 Chapter 58: Chapter 55: Sit and Speak

    "Godyer..."

    Maria shook her head when I parrotted her words.

    "I do not know anything about the name, young master, no one else seems to either. She mentioned it on a whim, that was something she did a lot."

    I covered my face and nodded.

    Charlotte... a free person... It was a pretty name, and from what I had heard, a fitting one.

    How she had bothered the Marquis, how she had set up the circumstances that led to my birth. None of those mattered to me.

    But this matter bothered Maria, one of my people, and for that, I was willing to hear about Charlotte Fonias, Charlotte Godyer.

    God that''s a cringe name.

    Only I knew how relieved I was to be called a Hall instead of a Godyer.

    "Do you think it''s a stupid name, young master?"

    I nodded vehemently at Maria''s question, which incited a chuckle from her.

    "She thought the same..." Maria said, looking away from me. "You truly resemble her a lot."

    Maria''s voice cracked as she whispered those words.

    "Since I was not even a toddler, young master, she was my entire world." Maria acted unfazed, but the way her fingers curled over her cup spoke volumes to me. "She kept saying she decided to pick me up on a whim... that she was going to make me a servant and drag me around... I didn''t understand any of it at first, but even when I did, I couldn''t help but be grateful to her with all my heart."

    I took another sip of the tea. Whims, huh?

    "Do you know that it gets very cold up north, young master? That''s why they say people are born there with a frozen heart..." Maria sighed between her words. "But she was like a me that melted mine. I was dragged to all kinds of ces with her as she brought up trouble after trouble. She was on the run from her adoptive family, you see."

    Running away from an adoptive family? Was it a case of clearing away apetition for the sessor?

    "Why didn''t she kill them?" I asked.

    "She never got in the mood, apparently."

    Hardcore.

    "She kept a countdown, measuring time. It was when there were three years left in that countdown of hers."

    Maria''s voice started to crack again, but she didn''t let it take over her.

    "She came up to me all of a sudden and said, ''Do you know why I am keeping you around?'' I was ready to be thrown away if she willed or kept around if she willed. But still a child, I sure was curious."

    "She said it was because she decided, on a whim, to have an heir. She said she wanted someone to have her blood, someone who knew the joy of being weak, someone who knew the innocence of forgiveness, someone who knew the love of family. And that... And that I was the one who would be teaching this person all of it."

    I held in a sigh at her words. Things were lining up splendidly.

    "In a couple of years, she brought me to this ce. She said it''ll be our home."

    Maria took a deep breath, stopping for a few seconds.

    "Her countdown reached a zero, and she passed away giving birth to you, young master."

    I closed my eyes and crossed my hands.

    Maria let out a deep sigh before taking in a deeper breath. Like a child trying their best not to cry, Maria kept puffing her chest.

    "I used to think... you took her away from me. I used to think that way for a long time."

    The way she said I took away her everything and med me for ruining her life. All of that was because she lost someone important.

    "But... but then you changed, young master. It was when you got the memories of your previous life." She struggled to speak through her sobs, but I didn''t rush her. "You started resembling her more and more, even now, you continue to resemble her even further."

    Charlotte Fonias.

    One thing was very clear to me. From both the Marquis and Maria''s recounts, there was no denying the fact.

    She was strong.

    Absurdly strong.

    Strong enough to live life on her whims. I don''t think she was the strongest in the world, probably not even close, but she was the strongest in the well even if not the ocean. I resembled a person of strength, it seemed most natural.

    "Young master..." Maria''s dam finally broke as tears fell from her eyes, one drop at a time, she started crying.

    "It was all normal back there... but, when we came here... I remembered... I couldn''t even keep the promise I made to her. I failed herpletely, even though she trusted me... No, not her...

    I had failed you."

    My ears perked. She took a long pause.

    "All that guilt... it all made these emotions rise up in me... so I, so I, kept close to you."

    My eyes widened at her words.

    This girl. She still hadn''t sorted out her emotions. If she had, then I was greatly disappointed.

    "Maria," I spoke up, my voice sterner than I had imagined.

    Maria stopped and looked at me.

    Not like this.

    "To soothe your guilt... You thought you could make up to me by acting that way with me?"

    Maria''s eyes widened.

    "What! No! Not at... not..."

    The girl lowered her head again, clenching her clothes. This time, her entire body trembling.

    What more did I need to hear?

    It wasn''t a yes or a no.

    Maria hadn''t even thought of her actions from that perspective.

    I stood up from the bed and walked away. I didn''t say a word. She would find me herself when she thought of things. If she thought I was pissed off because of her motives then that was even better.

    Maria didn''t say a word as I walked out and mmed the door shut behind me.

    Running my hand through my hair, I sighed. I didn''t have to worry about this anymore. It would probably take her a few days before she could sort herself out. I had to go meet with Lady Sophia and Sir Buhini.

 Chapter 59: Chapter 56: Lots of Whats

    It was when I was on my way to the garden in order to meet with Lady Sophia and Sir Alec after leaving Maria behind. As I was passing through the enormous courtyard of the castle, a knight appeared in front of me.

    "Excuse me, my lord," The knight said.

    I smiled kindly and answered. "Yes, how can I help you, sir knight?¡ª"

    "Kahk!" the knight suddenly grabbed his chest and took a step back. "Fuck, you are doing that on purpose, right?!"

    "What?" That crass tongue. "Might you be my knight, Keith?"

    "Yes, yes, I am Keith, so stop talking like that ok? Fucking chills."

    "Oh, dear!" I straightened my back and spoke as nicely as I could, like a pampered flower in a pce, my words made honey fall into all my listeners'' ears. Though for this guy, honey seemed to be poison, and this flower had some fucking thorns. "How can I speak if not like this? Brave sir knight?"

    "No, please! Just stop and talk like a person."

    "Alright, alright, I''ll let you be since its been a bit."

    "What are you talking about? It''s not even been a week?"

    "Oh my! It seems you would like to hear me speak more? How about I sing a song for you, brave sir knight?"

    "It''s been forever, young master! Just stop making that face ok?"

    I cackled while Keith writhed in pain. That said, was my kind face really that bad? I mean. I was kind, right? I was very kind and very nice.

    "Where ya off to?" Keith asked.

    "Going to meet Lady Sophia, her knight is very much like you, you know?"

    "He''s very cool and manly and awesome?"

    "He probably gets rejected by women thrice a day."

    Keith stared at me.

    I stared back.

    "HAHAH!"

    "HAHAH!"

    A punch came hurtling my way, but I blocked it right away. The two of us stared at each other again.

    "HAHAHA!"

    "HAHHAHA!"

    A thought came into my mind when I blocked his punch. Regardless of how stupid he was, Keith sure had tonnes of life-experience. Instead of someone like me who was fighting and training all his previous and current life, Keith was someone who lived each day to the fullest.

    "Say, dumbass knight."

    "What is it, ipetent liege?"

    I red at him, but Keith crossed his hands. He seemed to be saying he wasn''t a dumbass either. Whatever.

    "Hah. What would you do topletely take a man''s dignity?"

    Keith suddenly flinched. Before I could ask anything, he had already taken five steps away from me.

    "I knew you were a sadistic freak, young master, I always knew you enjoyed hurting others, but do you also swing that way?"

    "Fuck are you talking about?"

    "You said all that stuff about taking a man''s dignity!" Keith muttered.

    Dignity...

    Was I, possibly, interpreting things wrong?

    What if... Raum doesn''t like cuckoldry, but rather...

    "Sodomy..."

    I waspletely absorbed in the thought. I forgot all about Keith as I grabbed my chin and walked away.

    "What...???" I heard such a confused voice from behind me, but ignored itpletely.

    ***

    "Lord Eugene, you''re early today."

    Lady Sophia was waiting at the garden with a parasol in her hands. Sir Alec followed right beside her.

    "Apologies, I met with my knight, Keith back there." I said. Moticing the lightness in her voice, I asked, "It seems something good has happened?"

    Lady Sophia covered her face andughed lightly. "Something good, indeed, something did happen." She then spun on her feet, her dress iling in the air. "You''ll hear it soon."

    "Did they find a way to make protein shakes in this world?"

    Sophia''s head jerked ahead before she turned back to look at me. "Umm... what?"

    "Never mind," I said. The joy she held wasn''t one of a lifter, but of a noble. My bad.

    As I followed behind Lady Sophia, her knight, Sir Alec turned to me. He had mellowed down a lot over the days.

    "My lord," he said. "By Keith, do you mean the Knight Keith who used to be an adventurer?"

    "Hm? Yes, I guess Keith was an adventurer a while back."

    "Ohh!!" Alec eximed. "I thought about it when Sir Buhini mentioned him, but you''re really the liege of sir Keith!"

    What the heck?

    "Is he a big deal or what?"

    As far as I remembered, he was an outcast of the knight''s order and a person who was sent with me for serious personality issues. That and his capability, now that I think about how the Marquis treated me, it was more than possible he sent Keith along being aware of his strengths.

    "He''s very famous amongst adventurers, sir! Even young knights like me were amazed by his feats!"

    "What did he do?"

    "My lord, the tale is one of the first things he did. When he was just 14, he registered at the same time as the current country''s Hero Party."

    Hero Party? Keith registered at the same time as the one''s blessed by the gods?

    "And, in three minutes, he wiped the floor with all five heroes! In three minutes!" Alec said with great excitement.

    "Wow, you have a knight fitting of your greatness, young lord." Lady Sophia barged into the conversation as we reached in front of the prison cell instead of the stables.

    Sir Buhini was standing in front of us all with no other knights around in sight.

    "You''re here," he said. "We have little time, so lets move in."

    "I guess we found some of the exploding bastards, huh?"

    "Right," sir Buhini nodded while Lady Sophia giggled. "We found 7 of them."

 Chapter 60: Chapter 57: Drunk Ramblings

    About half of the people nted with bombs were already caught.

    Just hearing that was rather surprising.

    I knew we were tight on time and that we had to work fast, but to think we could catch so many in a single day gave a statement about the capability of the Marquis'' second-best knight brigade, or rather, the entirety of the Hall fiefdom.

    "Here, this is the one in the best condition," Sir Buhini said. He led us to the cell in the furthest corner of the castle''s prison. The groans and moans of the other prisoners rang out like music in this smelly and moldy dark ce. I didn''t bother with looking at any of them, but it was obvious that they were all being tortured thoroughly.

    "The other knights have gone out to continue the investigation while the guards are on break, they''ll be back soon, so if you wish to ask anything do it now."

    I nodded and looked at Lady Sophia. She seemed to be thinking for a few seconds before she sighed.

    "Did you manage to get anything out of him?"

    Sir Buhini shook his head.

    "He refused to speak. I have no idea who the demon''s agent could be. He said that man wore a cloak and didn''t let him see his face, but the location..."

    Hm.

    These were all men who had their dignity stolen.

    "I think I can give it a shot," I said.

    Sir Buhini nodded and opened the door to the cell, letting me step in.

    I ignored the wet floor of the cell and the gruel of rotting and rusting scents as Inded my foot on the prisoner''s chest.

    The brown-haired man crashed against the wall. He looked at me with a hateful re, but didn''t act out.

    "I already told you everything..." he muttered, his voice as weak as a whisper."

    I slowly leaned down and whispered in the man''s ears.

    "Where''s your dignity, rat?"

    The man started trembling.

    Wow, just how bad did that guy do him?

    "Tell me, and I''ll get you revenge."

    "re-revenge...?"

    "Yes," I whispered, my tone lower. "Revenge."

    "I-I was just... I was just a chef... I was going to cook for a noble, but that man! He!"

    "He sodomized you?"

    "AH!" the man screamed.

    "Shush," I said. "I''ll get you a chance for revenge. Tell me, where was it?"

    "Where...?" the man seemed out of it. "After... after discussing with the butler..."

    "Alright."

    I moved away from the bastard and stepped out of the cell. The three people outside looked at me with curious gazes, but I ignored them and entered another cell.

    This one too.

    And the next one as well.

    All of them were people who were supposed to serve a nobleing to the estate in some way.

    To destroy the dignity of man. Dignities.

    It wasn''t their loves, nor their asses, actually a bit of both too, but more importantly.

    Raum disliked ''Dignity.'' ''Nobility.''

    "Sir Buhini," I said. "Stop your knights from moving around the city. The people we are looking for are all those who would be serving a noble in some way or another."

    "You mean...?"

    "Yeah," I sighed. "That guy was nning to attack the nobles all along."

    The many interpretations of a single term, the many applications of them, and the notoriety of a demon. What else could I be missing? How else was this guy following the ''wishes'' of Raum.

    It didn''t matter.

    I was going to crush all of them anyway.

    Right then, the guards of the prison stepped in. They stopped in their tracks and reached to their swords when they saw us, but flinched at sir Buhini''s sudden movements.

    "Lord Eugene managed to get us a great piece of information! Go and call back the knights right now, we have to change our methods!"

    "Yes sir!" Not a second of hesitation. The knights saluted and dashed away.

    "You should go back for now," Sir Buhini said. "We handled it here, but it won''t be possible for anything else."

    "Right," I nodded. "We''ll go back. Keep an eye out for the demon''s agent."

    "Yes, my lord."

    I and Lady Sophia nodded before leaving the ce.

    With nothing else to do, I decided to takedy Sophia and Alec up to the top floor and yed the piano for arge part of the day.

    ***

    I sat alone in my room. The sun had long since gone away and the mncholy night without a moon hade up.

    While looking at the glittering stars in the sky, I was practicing my wind magic by making a column of stable air that kept my chair just an inch off the ground.

    Right then, a knock sounded on my door.

    "Who is¡ª"

    ¡ªthud thud thud.

    A continuous chain of rapid knocking interrupted me.

    Holding in my confusion, I walked over to the door and slightly pulled it open.

    A ck negligee came in front of my eyes, greeting me from the other side of the door.

    Before I could say anything, the door was pushed open and the negligee-d Maria stepped inside my room. I took a few steps behind as she rushed to shut the door and covered it with her back.

    Then, my eyes fell on her hand.

    A bottle of aged whiskey. A high-quality one.

    "Young master," Maria spat, her voicezy. I could see her hair which would always bebed neatly now swaying slightly in the air.

    "Maria, are you drunk?"

    "Yes," she nodded.

    I sighed, exasperated. "What are you even doing? Did you walk here looking like that? What if someone saw you¡ª"

    "Young master, listen."

    "¡ªYou could''ve been in danger! Heck, what if you tripped from the stairs or something huh?"

    "Young master."

    "Are you sane? Just a single stroke of bad luck and¡ª"

    My cors were jerked as Maria shook me shut.

    "Young master!" she said. "You''re wrong!"

    I stopped my rambling and looked up at her face.

    "I thought about it, ok?" she continued, not a trace of drunkenness in her words anymore. She was still wasted, but her sincerity was shining through it. "Out of respect, I thought really hard."

    "Ok..." I said, slightly pushing her hands away.

    "I... I was not doing it out of guilt."

    My eyes widened.

    She had sorted her thoughts out. And her answer was one that made my heart race.

    "Sure, you resemble Lady Charlotte. Sure, I thought of you as my responsibility... but honestly?"

    "Honestly?"

    "Fuckkkk all of that!" Maria shouted. "I was doing it because I wanted to! Because I... I think I love¡ª"

    I pulled her closer before she could say anything and sealed our lips together. My taste was naturally in older women.

    I didn''t think about anything else as I kept kissing her. Her body weakened and let go into my arms, but her lips didn''t seem to have a thought of going away.

    Finally, I moved away from Maria, opening my eyes.

    Struggling to keep my breathing stable, I reached ahead and snatched the bottle of whiskey from her hands.

    I turned my back to her and looked out at the night sky.

    The moon wasn''t watching.

    "Oh my?"

    At once, I put my lips against the bottle and started sipping down the whiskey faster than a cup of water.

    "AHH!" I sighed as I drank more than half of it in a go and wiped my mouth.

    Should I be doing this?

    Morality? We both liked each other.

    Age gap? Well, logically speaking, we were the same age.

    Deception? No chance. She knew it all, she knew my age as well as I did.

    Interest?

    Taking another sip of the whiskey, I mmed the bottle back on the table and faced Maria.

    "There. See me only for myself, Maria. Don''t think of me as a responsibility or a duty."

    Maria nodded.

    I grabbed her hand and the bottle and jumped to the bed.

    "Let''s drink the night away."

    Sorry, Keith. I''ll be breaking our promise.

 Chapter 61: Chapter 58: Snails Against Rabbit

    I woke up after a short yet refreshing nap.

    I patted my hands around, but couldn''t feel Maria anywhere. I thought we had ended up sleeping after drinking the night away.

    "Young master?"

    I sat up and turned toward the door to see my dearest ck-haired maid standing at alert, lifting the hems of her skirt in a curtsy.

    "Where''d you get that?" I asked, scooting off the bed.

    "Work clothes?"

    Iughed and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    My clothes wereid out perfectly when I came back out. The time on the clock was already reaching noon.

    As I put on my shirt andbed my hair, my gaze hardened. With the Maria problem solved splendidly, or should I say turned into a booming investment, one of the things I had to care of was gone. Now only Raum''s agent was left.

    I checked my outfit again. A lot of new nobles wereing and going from the castle which made it even more necessary to look good. The ck suit and trousers with whitecings fit me perfectly, I probably looked good enough even without anything on. That must be the case.

    "Then, I''ll be going," I said, moving toward the door.

    "Bye, young master."

    "Yup," I waved my hands and stepped out.

    I rushed my way down the stairs and to the garden again. It was almost the time to meet up when I left, so I thought the others must be present there already, but that wasn''t the case.

    Confused, I then moved to the stables but my carriage was still inside.

    What in the world?

    As my feet dragged me to the knights'' office which was near the prison fromst time, I kept my eyes out for them. Unfortunately, the number of people here made it tough to understand who was around. In the first ce, why the hell were these nobles walking near the knights'' office?

    It didn''t take long to realize that a lot of them were normal citizens as well. With the crowd so big and the air so heated, of course, troubles would flock to the knights more than usual.

    "Lord Eugene?"

    I turned to my side at the voice.

    "I was just about to go look for you."

    "Lady Sophia," I smiled. "Have you been well?"

    "I had a lot of fun hearing you y yesterday, I slept well after that."

    "I await the time you let me hear your cello, mydy."

    "Most certainly, I''ll keep a show just for you."

    "So," I asked, looking around as we stepped into the building. "What are we doing here?"

    Lady Sophia''s voice grew exceedingly chipper as she spoke. "We have great news. The knights were able to locate fourteen of the people and have retrieved the same number of bombs."

    Fourteen?

    My head nked away.

    A demon that could get glimpses of the future, one that helped this ''agent'' escape the sly and cunning Sophia, was being caught this easy?

    "It was all thanks to your interrogation, it would¡ª"

    Lady Sophia continued speaking, but my mind phased her words out.

    It seemed as if time had slowed down as everything moved slowly. Extremely slowly, like a snail racing against a rabbit, the world itself couldn''t keep up with my processing speed.

    A mage, a Ki user, a hunter, before all of those, this was my strongest weapon. My greatest asset.

    Tens, hundreds, all kinds of situations and hypotheses were drawn up in my head before being scratched out. The memories of people''s demeanor, their postures, and minute gestictions, all of them made me push them into a list of suspects and people who were safe. I scourged through everything that had happened in the past few days to remember what could be wrong.

    "Our... Fur...nace..."

    My eyes shot pastdy Sophia and toward a person moving as slow as a clown in front of another equally slow knight. My head was heating up intensely.

    Furnace.

    The Iron ore and smithy.

    I remembered the fleeting lecture that the employee had given back there.

    ''And so, we are shifting to thetest manabustors to heat it up rapidly in the st furnace.''

    Getting in touch with an alchemist and nting fake man bombs. Only to direct the attention away from the real thing.

    The pieces clicked rapidly in my mind. The overheating of my head made it cave under pressure as things started moving normally all at once.

    "Ah? Lord Eugene, you have a nosebleed...?"

    I took in a deep breath.

    "Oh? W-what!? That is quite intense bleeding! Are you alright¡ª"

    "¡ªLady Sophia," I muttered as I took a firm step toward the smithy employee. "We may have a problem."

    One that I wasn''t going to let by.

 Chapter 62: Chapter 59: Bait

    The clip-clops of the horses rang in the air beforeing to a screeching stop. The horses neighed after having run at max speed. I jumped off ck and rushed to the road while Sir Buhini, Alec, and Lady Sophia followed behind.

    Gouged-out tire marks on the road and splinters and logs as remains of the broken carriage were on the road, some spots dyed ck with blood. A sense of incongruity seeped out of the ck marks.

    It felt as if I was seeing a fig tree grow underneath the ocean and was being convinced that it was the most natural ce for a fig to be, a full-sized one at that.

    Mana seeped out of my hands and formed an ethereal circle around the markings. One after the other, tiny magic circles glowing in shades of gold and purple covered the spot, their sigils and symbols filling the eye.

    I wanted my base strength developed to the max, so I hadn''t yet learned these analytical spells to a chantless level.

    "You can use [Analysis] too?" Sir Alec asked. "That looks like a high-level version."

    "It''s at an advanced grade. We should be able to get some clues," Lady Sophia confirmed Alec''s thoughts. Though they spoke lightly, even strangers would notice the tenseness in their bodies.

    "Truly, you are more talented than anyone has given you credit for. I have been humbled greatly through these days." Sir Buhini spoke this time. Was using analysis that big of a deal? I knew that it required an affinity with the rather strange ''Truth'' attribute of mana that only a tiny fraction could develop, but once you got a hang of it it wasn''t that tough.

    My expression hardened again as the magic circles spun to do their job.

    "This... I can''t find any mana...?"

    "No mana?" Lady Sophia parroted. Then, her head reeled back. "It can''t be. That bastard is already using demonic energy?"

    "Demonic energy?" Alec asked, so I gave him a rundown of things. It wasn''t a surprise to see him unaware, in fact, even I knew nothing more than the fact that it was a type of power borrowed directly from demons. Everything from its types to applications was a mystery.

    While the other three seemed stumped, I pped my hands and dismissed the spell.

    "That settles it. The person who stole those bombs was none other than the demon agent."

    Lady Sophia nodded, cing her hands on her chin.

    "Did you say he would target dignities? Hising over to the Hall territory wasn''t just a coincidence."

    "Wait," Sir Buhini interjected, "Do you believe he has infiltrated the pce? That''s impossible!"

    "Sir Buhini," Alec countered. "Didn''t you see this? If demonic energy is as mysterious as Lord Eugene says, it''s more than possible."

    Though hot-tempered, Buhini was a reasonable man, he clenched his fists and backed down.

    "Right," Lady Sophia said. "Instead of worrying about that, we should keep our cool and look for countermeasures. Tomorrow, the day of the founding and Young Lady Vienna''s birthday celebration are both tomorrow. We have to check the venue first and foremost, our VIPs are the ones at most threat here."

    I had already gotten on my horse while Lady Sophia said all of that. Time was of the essence and finding countermeasures was most important.

    The others saw me and rushed to their rides.

    With a flick of my hands, ck set off to the castle.

    ***

    Long hours of searching ensued.

    We enlisted the help of the servants preparing the banquet hall as well as used ast-minute drill with the knights and guards as an excuse, but it was all to no avail.

    If things continued as they were now, it could cause a disaster, and we would be the ones at the center.

    Standing inside a now-empty banquet hall, the initial four of us looked around with hardened gazes. I didn''t need to be able to see faces to tell what they were all thinking.

    Sir Buhini was about to open his mouth, but Lady Sophia was faster than him.

    "We can''t continue like this. I think I should go and inform the Marquis."

    Her strong sense of responsibility didn''t take precedence over her pride, but she knew well enough to value which of the two at the right time.

    Buhini rxed his fists as he nodded.

    "We must. Continuing this sneakily is not possible anymore. We have to enter a state of war with the demon''s agent¡ª"

    "¡ªand then what? Let him escape again?" I interjected, pushing myself off the wall. With my arms crossed, I walked over to the remaining three and spoke up. "That guy would win if we do so. Canceling the event would bring him just the right amount of mor for him to escape easily. And even if it doesn''t, he still was being shown bits of the future from his demon."

    This problem couldn''t be solved with brute force anymore.

    "So what do you suggest?" Buhini spat back snarkily. "Should we let the guests all die then?"

    "Let the event happen," I said. "That guy had long since clenched onto this worm, now we just run our hook through it."

    Lady Sophia lowered her head.

    "You mean to use the entire castle as bait...?"

    "Tsk. Tsk," I shook my head.

    A demon''s agent was out to wreak havoc. A demon that loved to destroy dignities, to steal and run, and to watch cities burn. A demon''s agent with explosives in his hands, one who had clearly shown hispetence over and over.

    "The castle is too small," I couldn''t hold back a smile. "We''ll use the entire the entire city as bait."

 Chapter 63: Chapter 60: Swan Lake (1)

    "Mydy, the nobles have started to gather."

    Vienna Golden Hall sat idly on a chair, her long yellow dress flowing down to the ground while the mirror reflected her face. A beauty that would drive many pageant winners to suicide was her every morning. Not much affected the girl, who was perfect in every sphere. In fact, she could count the problems of her heart on a single hand.

    But now, there was something that bogged down her mind even on such an important day.

    ''Will he get by? Is his vision just bad, or is hepletely blind? How did he defeat me like that?''

    Vienna was a person who kept her siblings at the top. Even more than her parents, who didn''t think much of marrying multiple times, her regard for her siblings was extreme, and this one person who was no better than an enemy of her younger brother was now filling her mind.

    If he were just a child night disowned, she wouldn''t have thought much of him, but that wasn''t it. He was overlypetent, not only was he strong but he also acted on edge as if he was no more than a guest at this ce.

    And more than all of it, the way he yed the piano.

    Vienna remembered it pristinely. Thement in the form of notes that his fingers soulfully screamed out, all of it was etched deeply in her mind.

    If not a family''s love, what else could such a person be looking for?

    If she knew that Eugene''s only longing was more strength and that he couldn''t bother with vying for a family, then she would have had a stroke right then and there.

    After taking onest look at herself, she turned to the maid she had kept waiting for so long.

    "It is two hours too early, we''ll adjust the time if all the nobles gather."

    "Two hours?" the maid tilted her head. "But, mydy, it is just thirty minutes from the decided time?"

    Vienna was stumped at the maid''s words. The two of them turned to the clock in her room and looked at the time. Vienna then turned back to see the maid nodding and smiling.

    She held in a sigh. Since the maid came from outside, the clock in her room must be the one that was slow. She would ask them to take care of itter.

    Sighing, Vienna picked up her golden paper fan and covered her lips as she stepped out of the room while holding a part of her dress. The maid followed right behind Vienna.

    As she moved down the stairs, she suddenly ran into a smiling boy. The child with hair the same blonde shade as herself came running to her with two more children following right behind, in the hands of the youngest was a small ck orb with red engravings. Vienna stopped and stared at the orb which exuded ominousness.

    "Sister!!" the oldest of her younger siblings, Billy Ard Hall, called out to her in a happy voice. "We found one too! Let''s go together!"

    "Found one?" Vienna voiced. "What is that thing in your hand?"

    The children came to a stop in front of her while hopping on their spots.

    "Sister, you look very pretty!"

    "Why, thank you, Leon. But that won''t change the topic."

    "I-it''s sister''s birthday..." the youngest one looked down at the orb in her hands while sticking her upper lip out. "S-so I''ll give it to sister."

    Vienna wanted to scoop up her sister in a tight hug when she saw her reddened cheeks, but held herself back. "Bill, exin. What is that."

    "Exin? It''s a bomb?"

    "B-bomb!?"

    A few eyes turned toward Vienna when she voiced it out loud. Some of the people in the castle seemed to be smiling happily while observing from a distance while some looked at the orb with fire in their eyes. The reaction of the people to a bomb ced hundreds of more questions in Vienna''s mind.

    She was certain she had said bomb. So why were they all so rxed?

    "W-what is happening here?" Even the brilliant Vienna was stumped.

    "My, could it be you were not aware of the event?" Billy asked. "Then maybe father prepared it as a surprise for you! Since you were holed in your room all day you must have missed the news."

    Billy extended a neatly folded pamphlet that he pulled out of his coat pockets and handed it to Vienna. The girl urgently pulled the pamphlet open and skimmed through it.

    [Celebrate the founding with a bang! A special event for the entire city of Dienin!!

    People of Dienin! The city needs your help! 10 bombs disguised as manabustors have been spread around the city by the Evil Squirrel Don Chiik!

    If the bombs go out, all the nuts in the city will disappear and no nut choctes will be made again!]

    "What in the world is this...?" Vienna was at a loss for words as she saw the crude illustration of a caped squirrel and a sad group of nuts. She held the paper tighter and read ahead.

    [Find the bombs all over the city and gather at the Dienin Castle Square at 7 PM to defeat Don Chiik and save the nuts! All finders of the bombs will receive a special reward like none other! Witness a spectacr fireworks show and many attractions to celebrate the founding eve!

    All finders must bring the bombs to Castle Square and inform a knight to maintain integrity!]

    "D-don Chiik? Bombs?" Vienna was shocked again. All this would require a high budget, one that she didn''t think would escape her eyes. How did her father even n all this?

    "This is the version for themoners," Billy said. "The nobles were informed by the knights. Quite a lot of them found some, I guess we have to keep the esteemed guests happier than the civilians." The child didn''t hide the sarcasm in his voice, but Vienna had not thoughts of it.

    Seven PM was just around the corner back when she was in her room.

    "Did you know about this?" She turned to her maid and asked.

    The maid bowed. "I am sorry, mydy. I thought you would be aware, almost the entire city knew. If I had known you were interested in participating¡ª"

    "S-sister can take my prize..." Sydney Hall spoke again, her eyes swelling up. "S-sydney doesn''t mind."

    Vienna wanted to eat up this girl who forgot to address herself in first person after seeing that cuteness, but held it in.

    "I didn''t know..." she muttered. It was quite the interesting event, but as one of the people overseeing everything in thesends, she couldn''t help but find it odd.

    While she was sitting in her room, her entire city was on its feet looking for apparent nut-stealing bombs.

    "Sister!" Billy spoke. "We''re gettingte, let''s go together!"

    "Y-yesh... sister can take¡ª"

    Unable to hold herself back anymore, Vienna pulled her younger sister in her arms and started walking toward the Castle Square with her siblings. Quite the crowd must have already gathered there with the entire city invited.

 Chapter 64: Chapter 61: Swan Lake (2)

    Lady Sophia stood around a raised podium in Castle Square. The beautiful look of the podium with its many flowers dancing in the wind with the nobles that upied itpletely betrayed the way she had rushed to create this ce.

    Even though many came to her, praising her looks or her pedigree, or even her achievements, she couldn''t pay any attention to her duties.

    Moving away from the crowd,dy Sophia leaned on the railings of the podium and talked to the knight standing guard.

    "How much time left?"

    "Yes? Yes... 10 minutes..."

    Nervousness shed on Sophia''s face. Usually, her knight Alec would already be asking her to not worry, but even he couldn''t hold in his frown.

    "Mydy, you should at least move away from this ce," Alec said.

    Sophia shook her head with a wry smile.

    "I want to. Seeing those clueless nobles walk around with the bombs is scary, but I can''t abandon my duty."

    As she said that, both she and Alec turned to the group of nobles gathering about the ones with the ck orb in their hands.

    The nobles with the orbs glowed with a yellow halo around them, All of them shared silly conversations looking forward to the kind of prizes that would be offered.

    A total of four bombs were in the hands of the nobles, with one of them in the hands of the youngest of the Hall family.

    And it was Sophia''s duty to keep the bombs in check. She did so by wrapping the nobles and the bombs in her shields. The bombs were to be informed to the knights when they were found, after which she and Eugene covered the people with their shields to double as a ''proof of identity'' of the finders.

    This was Eugene''s n.

    A risky, brash, yet admittedly efficient n.

    She could still remember the stone-cold young lord smiling manically as he exined his idea.

    It was impossible to reveal anything about the devil worshipper, but what was the issue with telling everyone about the bombs? He had set the entire city into motion and had them all look for what could have been their deaths with a smile on their faces.

    It was a smart n, but very rash.

    They knew nothing about the bombs, they knew nothing about the control the demon''s agent had on the bombs either. Since the demon''s agent had already nted the bombs everywhere, hispetency was elevated even higher. What if he had set off the bombs earlier in the day? If everyone else would hear about it, then the demon''s agent would too.

    ''I have faith in that guy''s faith in hispetency,'' those were the words Eugene had bombarded them with. ''I have faith that he will be greedy, so we''ll lure him out with everything.''

    A demon that liked to steal riches, burn cities and destroy dignities.

    They had collected riches as rewards, the city for an event, and even the dignities on a pedestal.

    The demon wouldn''t be able to resist it.

    They had nothing to go on for it other than Eugene''s words, and behold, the demon truly couldn''t hold its greed in.

    The loud crowd suddenly came to a shush as a handsome redhead stepped on the top of the stage.

    "Oh!? That''s Sir Keith!" Alec announced, forcing Sophia to turn.

    "Hah, even Lord Eugene can''t get on stage while keeping his shields up on six people, huh?" Lady Sophia felt a sense of relief, it was the first time she had felt happy after knowing someone wasn''t very strong.

    He was already keeping his shields on standby around the nobles while packing themoners up with his shields just in case.The strength she had seen that day was enough to scare her, a bit more and Eugene would already be at the level of the 12 Zodiacs amongst the youngsters.

    The sound of the young knight spread through the square, attracting the attention of the people.

    "Hello and Wee! People of Dienin! We''re here to celebrate the¡ª"

    The man''s voice was cut off by a deep voice.

    "¡ªMwahahaha!"

    A high-pitchedugh echoed in the air. At the same time, another person stepped on stage. The badly made squirrel mask with the scar and eyepatch was the only thing that looked barely correct in that get-up. The brown-furred clothes were not able to hide the muscles of the one on stage.

    "Sir Buhini fits the role..." Sophia muttered, her heart banging in her chest.

    "I am, uh... Don. Don Chiik!!"

    The squirrel costume screamed and the people broke into a cascade of boos. Light and smoke magic were used as special effects which made even the nobles stand in excitement and anticipation.

    "I am here to steal all your nuts!"

    At this point, Sophia''s chest was being pressed out like a dam on the verge of breaking.

    Anytime now.

    The strength of her shields increased.

    Anyone with a real bomb could tell.

    There was no better moment than now.

    "Now!!" Don Chiik screamed, he raised a button in his hands. "Go off! My bombs!!"

    And he pressed the button.

 Chapter 65: Chapter 63: Swan Lake (3)

    "Now!!" Don Chiik screamed, he raised a button in his hands. "Go off! My bombs!!"

    And he pressed the button.

    Silence filled the venue.

    And in the next moment¡ª

    ¡ªBOOOOM!

    An explosion rang out.

    Then another, and another.

    Sky-shattering, earth-shaking explosions rang out one after the other a total of ten times.

    "Come forth! Saviors of Dienin!" Keith''s voice filled the air again as the audience broke into cheers. In the distant sky, tens of streaks of colorful mes spread through the air forming some of the most beautiful fireworks the people hadid their eyes on.

    Sophia too, raised her head and looked up at the fireworks. Her stressed heart full of nervousness broke out into a giggle, and then into a full-blownughter.

    He fell for it.

    That bastard fell for it.

    The shields, the lights, all those efforts had paid off just well.

    He couldn''t see the future over and over, even if he did, it wasn''t a big problem.

    They switched out the bombs and handed the people a different one. They then made sure those people and their fake bombs stuck out. And to put the cherry on the cake, the bomb still went off.

    Even if that demon saw the future, he wouldn''t be able to tell anything wrong unless he saw this specific moment. The streets were empty, the skies were filled with lights, the people were screaming for the show.

    The demon had already very recently seen far into the future if it changed the way it would attack the city. There was no way it could have the strength to hide from the gods'' eyes and change things too greatly. Watching short spans would be its limit, and if it went long, then people from the Church of the Sun would havee here already.

    Eugene had foreseen any possible problem that could havee up.

    Lady Sophia sighed and turned to see the people running about. The intense beating in her chest would take a while to settle down now.

    The people who were covered with the shields started running toward Keith, the fireworks still going off in the skies.

    One after the other, more squirrels came in their way but were promptly defeated by the ones who could fight with a smile on their faces. They gathered near Keith and started punching the squirrel. An borate impromptu show began where Keith and some knights helped the neers on stage defeat Buhini and his gang of squirrels.

    People watched the show with hearty smiles.

    Atst, the squirrel was defeated and thrown into the air.

    "We did it!!"

    "Take that, Don Chiik!"

    "Nooo! My nuts!"

    Sophia watched the events, her face breaking into a wider and wider smile with each passing minute.

    They had done it.

    They had managed to avoid the worst.

    People broke into many cheers as the event settled down. Keith went on a well-crafted humorous speech about the ''saviors'' and the history of the city and the founding festival.

    Since an event had already started, they were nning to keep the people for as long as possible. Hopefully till the time for Lady Vienna''s celebration back in the castle.

    "Now! To wee the eve of the founding! We have a special piano performanceing right up!"

    Vienna, who was also watching everything from the sidelines with a scrutinizing gaze, perked her ears at those words.

    Her eyes fell on the piano brought up on the stage. It was the same piano that was in the room entrusted to Eugene.

    A sense of excitement filled her.

    "yed by the rose of ournd! The most beautiful and noble,dy Vienna Hall!"

    "Eh...?"

    Vienna''s eyes widened a moment toote.

    It was her name that was taken instead of someone else''s.

    She was never even informed about something like this.

    All eyes had turned toward her.

    Since it was pushed on her, she wasn''t going to embarrass herself in public.

    Right then, a ck-haired maid stepped up behind her and whispered in her ears.

    "Mydy. My liege had a message for you. ''Pay up for the performance that day,'' he said."

    Vienna understood everything when the maid said those words.

    She nodded her head and gave the maid a sidelong nce, only to see her with a smile on her beautiful face.

    "I was going to do it anyway," Vienna said as she took a step forward and to the piano.

    The n had changed.

    She was certain that person couldn''t see. But he figured out it was her anyway.

    She thought as she sat in front of the piano. She would show him.

    That melody of his. Thatment.

    Vienna''s finger rose above the piano¡ª

    As a Hall. As a musician. She was aching to answer it.

    ¡ªAnd the notes began.

    ***

    "W-why! How! How did this happen...!?"

    Down in the sewers of the city, a frustrated voice rang out. A ck-robed figure scratched its face incessantly, cursing at the air.

    "Fuck! It was all perfect! Lord Raum... I have failed! W-why this!"

    ck smoke started to rise around the figure''s feet as its voice grew increasingly hostile.

    At that moment, the sounds of a piano rang out.

    Fast and soft. Sharp. Weing yet foreboding. Like the call of a swan asking for a duet, the beautiful music reached the figure''s ears, much to its chagrin.

    And with the sounds of the piano, a screeching sound of metal rang out.

    The figure, the demon''s agent raised its eyes.

    Tap. Tap. Footsteps, slow and steady.

    Walking in from the corner with the tip of his de running over the concrete of the sewers. A person walked in.

    "Wow," his voice rang out all over the ce as the music of the piano continued.

    The intensity of each strike of the note made the figure''s heart beat with nervousness.

    "I heard itst time, but her Swan Lake Theme is beautiful."

    The man came into view.

    White hair the color of snow.

    Eyes red like crimson blood.

    And a smile reminiscent of death itself.

    The man across him ran his hand through his hair.

    "Eugene..." the demon''s agent grit his teeth. "Hall... You... Because of you¡ª"

    "Shut up," Eugene ordered. He raised his sword and pointed it at the man. "The ramblings of a dead man are worth nothing."

    "EUGENE HALLL!!"

    With the sound of the piano as their beat, the dance of the two began.

 Chapter 66: Chapter 64: Lets Dance, Shall We?

    Two streaks of light shed in the underground sewers.

    The demon agent''s hands twisted and turned intorge ws stretching for meters as he swung his hand at Eugene.

    Unfazed, Eugene countered with his de. The sharp sword-like ws smacked against the purple-yellow sword of the young man, sparks flying with each of their movements.

    Eugene took a step back and winded up for a giant swing. The agent jumped to his back and covered his chest with his ws. Just as he thought he was out of range, Eugene''s aura took form and dug deep into the nails of the agent.

    "Kahk!" The agent screamed in pain. "Aura Ki!? Weren''t you a fucking magician?!"

    Eugene brandished his de and smirked, his eyes like icicles. "I still am."

    The demon''s agent couldn''t make sense of it at first, but then the realization dawned on him. "D-dual... core¡ª"

    Eugene didn''t let him finish his sentence. In the next moment, hundreds of fireballs went darting toward the agent.

    "Fuck!" Distressed, the agent raised his hands. ckish energy filled his hands and formed a glowing barrier around him. All the fireballs shed against the shield and sizzled out, as if rotting away.

    Eugene smiled.

    "Interesting," he whispered.

    With a snap of his fingers, the lines of fireballs were reced by trembling bolts of lightning. The demon''s agent yelped and added moreyers of ck energy to his barrier.

    The agent filled his palms with demonic energy. His face contorted and an equal number of ck lightning formed in the air. Each ck bolt struck against the gold until both of thempletely fazed away into walls of grey smoke as if they didn''t exist in the first ce.

    This much expenditure would tire anyone. He took in a few deep breaths and calmed his heart while staring at the wafting grey smoke that the aftermath led to.

    A silver light streaked in front of him.

    "Gah!"

    The agent took a step back, the sword of his enemy scratched over his nose and took off a few strands of his hair. Without hesitation, the cold and sharp de swerved and arced down again, but the agent managed to block it with his ws in the nick of time.

    Like a cockroach scuttling away in the pipes, the demon''s agent ran as far back as he could.

    "T-this bastard!" he screamed. "Don''t get in my wayyy!"

    Eugene didn''t even bat an eysh at his growl. A chilling sense of foreboding climbed up the agent''s back as he realized it.

    That man.

    Eugene Hall.

    To him, the agent was just his prey, and he was just the hunter. Whatever the agent said, however the agent screamed, Eugene didn''t think of it as anything more than a chicken''s struggle before it would be butchered.

    That was all he was.

    "Ah..."

    The agent felt fear.

    Not from his strength, not from his sword, not from his terrifying dual-core that the world had long deemed as useless.

    The agent felt fear from his eyes.

    Those eyes that were writing his death.

    "AHHH! R-Raum!!" The agent screamed and turned heels. ck demonic energy swirled around his feet as the man took off. It wasn''t over. He couldn''t die, not like this. "Lord Raum!

    S-save me!!"

    Eugene smirked and swung his sword again before taking off as well. His Ki filled his feet as he dashed behind the agent. Much to his surprise, the agent was just a tiny bit faster the entire time.

    The two of them partook in a game of rat and mouse all over the sewers, from Castle Square to the deeper city. The agent ran without looking back and Eugene chased without stopping for a breath.

    The agent took a sharp turn around the sewers. Eugene followed around.

    His eyes caught a glimpse of the agent jumping meters high from the ground and going past a manhole, out of the sewers.

    "Well, this ce was cramped anyway."

    Eugene rushed under the open manhole cover and jumped out. The surroundings changed from the smelly concrete walls of the sewer to the empty houses of wood and bricks in a street of the city as his feet sprung him into the air.

    Eugene, still ascending, looked all around the ce for the demon, but couldn''t find him.

    A faint murderous intent reached him from above.

    Eugene''s eyes darted upward.

    A thick steel manhole cover was spinning through the air anding straight for his face. Behind the object the frame of the rat-like agent that had suddenly sprouted wings.

    Eugene twisted his body mid-air. His feet rested on the manhole cover as he kicked himself off it in midair and reached even higher.

    "What the fuck!?" the agent screamed. Despite his scream, he didn''t seem unprepared. The raven wings the agent had grown fluttered and crescents of ck energy darted toward Eugene, leaving him no choice but to counter with his sword.

    "Y-you won''t catch me, Eugene Hall!" The agent screamed and flew away as fast as he could. His lord''s blessing was reaching him again. The wings were the proof. He had to satisfy his lord, he would run away from the city now ande back to burn it to the ground.

    He would kill everyone.

    He would burn everyone.

    Steal everything.

    And make that bastard who ruined all his ns, that brat Eugene Hall, he would make him suffer.

    The agent went past the reaches of the city and neared a small peak. Thinking it best, the agent descended into the woods of the small mountain. His wings retreated and he glided down the veneer of leaves.

    Right below him the mountain ground.

    And a smirking white-haired man.

    "W-what...?!"

    Eugene Hall had found him again, and reached his location faster than himself.

    The agent fell back and took arge distance between the two of them.

    How.

    How was this possible?

    Maybe with Mana and Ki together, he could be fast. But how did he know where he was?

    It was then that the agent''s eyes fell on his hand. A speck of purple was gnawing away at his skin.

    "P-projectile... Ki? At that age...?"

    The third stage of Ki was something that even age-old knights couldn''t reach, then how did this young boy... it was impossible!

    "Good job," Eugene said, pping. His cold voice suddenly had a lot of soul. "I was thinking we should move this away. Now I can make a mess without worrying about a stupid city and its stupid people."

    "YOU BRAT!!"

    The agent screamed. Power surged through his veins as the blessing of the demon grew stronger than ever. His robes tore away as ck feathers stuck grew on his body. His mouth contracted and turned into a beak while the ck wingspletely assimted into his body.

    Like a crow, he screamed and transformed.

    Eugene only watched and pped, looking forward to a transformation sequence. He was hoping to take a few pointers for his sequence in the future, but this was too gnarly and ssless.

    The agent screamed again.

    "LORD RAUM! KILL HIM! KILL THIS HEATHEN!"

    A surge of demonic energy broke forth.

    The agent screamed in pain as demonic energy explode through his body like a tsunami in the seas. The trees around shriveled up and the ground trembled under the pressure of the demonic energy and the painful yet vigorous screams of the agent.

    "AAAAAAHHHK¡ª"

    His screams stopped.

    An even bigger surge of energy filled the mountains. As if a star hade crashing down, Ki and Mana rose in the air at a level that the demon''s agent had never felt before, and at its center was Eugene. He couldn''t help but shut up at the terrifying strength in front of him.

    Then, he saw.

    Eugene''s eyes.

    His lips.

    They were smiling.

    From a butcher killing mindlessly, he had changed. His was the face of something much more terrifying.

    He looked like a hunter excited to y with prey, to skin it alive and tear away its flesh.

    "Perfect," Eugene said, raising his de. "You''re strong! I like that!"

    "C-crazy..."

    His eyes screamed crazy.

    His voice screamed crazy.

    "Y-you''re a demon!" screamed the demon''s agent.

    "Is that so?" Manically, Eugene tilted his head to the side while bringing the de close to his lips.

    The sense of a fight. The air of something powerful.

    It had been six years since he had felt it. He couldn''t calm his heart in front of the excitement of a fight.

    "Whatever," Eugene said. "Let''s dance, shall we?"

 Chapter 67: Chapter 65: Demon vs Demon

    "Let''s dance, shall we?"

    The fully transformed agent of the demon charged at Eugene again. With a swing of his hands, dozens of spears filled with demonic energy formed in the sky.

    Eugene whistled and clenched his fists. His mana shaped an ethereal magic circle on the ground.

    "[Stone Execution]"

    Rows of stone spears dug out of the ground and matched the spears of demonic energy. The path leading to Eugene was riddled with spears, but it didn''t faze the agent at all. His wings pped against the wind as he darted around the rising spears like a bullet.

    The agent swung his ws at Eugene.

    Eugene dodged and parried with his sword with one hand and grabbed the neck of the agent with another. He pulled the agent low and kneed his stomach.

    "Futile!" The agent screamed and a haze of ck emerged from his body. Eugene raised his eyebrow and backed off from the agent.

    "Good instincts, brat!"

    The demonic haze grew stronger while more energy wrapped itself around the agent''s arm. With the immense concentration of the demonic energy, he swung his hand to the side.

    "Hm?" Eugene''s eyes widened just a tiny bit he smiled again. "[Honeb Defense: Hexagon Shields x128]"

    A hundred and twenty-eightyers of shields formed in front of Eugene.

    And the ck beam of demonic energy reached them.

    A crackling sound spread through the skies as the two collided. Dust rose from the ground before beingpletely disintegrated.

    The demonic energypletely seeped into theyers of shields one after another disintegrating thempletely.

    Ten, twenty, fifty, seventy, hundred.

    Only three shields were remaining by the time the onught of demonic energy ended.

    The demon''s agent focused the haze around his eyes to see Eugene beyond the shields, but no one was there.

    "Fuck! Where did he go?!"

    He urgently looked all around. In every direction, up in the sky. The ground suddenly trembled.

    His wings pped and he tried to escape to the sky.

    The ground he stood on was smashed to bits a crater formed with Eugene standing at its center. His sword swung upward, and a ray of purplish projectile Ki came dashing at the agent.

    It wasn''t even meters away.

    The agent contorted its body and dodged it just barely, but not before it dug at his foot.

    It was then, Eugene clenched his fists and pulled his arms down.

    A hundred orbs of projectile Ki had merged and were floating up with the rubble that he destroyed.

    "Crazy!!"

    The agent surrounded himself with his wings and bolted back down into the crater. Many small orbs missed, but dozens of them crashed into the monster, weakening him. The man screamed a silent scream, but Eugene was not listening.

    He didn''t care about anything anymore.

    Good? bad? Demon? Angel?

    None of it mattered.

    None at all.

    Eugene''s heart only seeked the thrill of a fight, the rush of beating up someone strong. The feeling of subjugation.

    Strength.

    If bing the strongest was just a mean.

    Using his strength to crush others was Eugene''s goal. His end.

    The white-haired boy suddenly darted toward the man and kicked his shin. The demon toppled backward, but not for long.

    Eugene twisted his torso. His leg pivoted, and his muscles bulged.

    Like the shell of a tank beingunched, Eugene swung his arms in a wide punch.

    The body of the demon''s agent curved frontward.

    "KAHK..."

    ck, demonic blood spewed out of his face while organs burst inside his stomach, the punch still digging in.

    Atst, came a release, the force caught up to his body¡ª

    "AAH!!"

    ¡ªAnd the demon''s agent flew past the ground. His back dug a path through the crater as he wasunched upward. Dozens of trees and boulders were crushedpletely as the man flew away, but his eyes, his eyes still held a fight.

    He looked at Eugene.

    This overpowering monster.

    Demon.

    That was the only exnation he could think of. Only an immortal demon could be so strong, so evil.

    He would kill him. Now and here. For his lord, for the real demon, the Count of Hell, he would kill him.

    The agent smashed against a tree and stopped.

    Blood flushed out of his mouth like a new-formed river. Gathering his strength, the agent infused his demonic energy into his bleeding body and stood up.

    He could see.

    In the distance, that man took a nce at his watch.

    There was no way his voice would reach two hundred meters away, but it felt as if those words were ringing in his ears.

    The words he said with that smiling, innocent, cherubic face of his.

    "I have an engagement at seven, so just die before that, ok?"

    Eugene rolled his sleeves and dusted his clothes as he made his way toward the demon''s agent.

    With thorns in his eyes, and every orifice still bleeding in his body, the demon''s agent watch Eugene with bated breaths. All of his demonic energy escaped him.

    Eugene came closer and closer.

    Just a few meters away.

    Step.

    After step.

    His eyes, his smile, not fading for a second.

    He was standing almost an arm''s reach from the agent. The light of the moon showed his silhouette to the agent, but that dark smile not hiding in the least bit.

    "F-fucking... demon..."

    "Rude to the end?"

    "Just... DIE!!!"

    Demonic energy rose from the ground all at once as a giant shiv made it''s way up.

    Eugene felt the coalition that was sent far deep into the ground a moment toote. He jumped to his side¡ª

    "ARGH!"

    ¡ªBut the shiv had already seared through Eugene''s palm, striking deep through it and stumbling out of the other side.

    The demonic energy copsed as the demon''s agent spat out more blood.

    Eugene grabbed his hand while the agentughed.

    "Hah... hahaha! Now... the demonic energy... will eat at your handpletely... you fucker¡ª"

    A sizzling hot ball of fire appeared around Eugene, engulfing the giant hole in his arms. The fire struck the demonic energy before it could spread, neutralizing them both.

    Eugene was melting away the insides of his hands, his flesh, nerves, veins, bones, blood... all with a smile.

    "Y-you..."

    "That was quite half-assed," Eugene said. He snapped his fingers on the other hand and the fire disappeared, taking away all the demonic energy with it. "I hope... you are prepared for the consequences."

    The smile stopped.

    The demon''s agent gulped, fear chilling him down to his bones.

    "[Honeb Defense]"

    Eugene whispered.

    "[Hexagon Shield...]"

    Mana coalesced around the agent''s back and shields formed behind him.

    "[x256]"

    They were all behind him.

    All the shields were formed in a line behind the agent.

    Eugene clenched his fists.

    "You won''t be running away now."

    And punched.

    .

    .

    .

    ***

    Sophia ran up the mountain. Arge surge of Ki and Mana together had emerged from just this ce. Thankfully, it was far and faint and only a few of the knights could feel it, in them the most was felt by Sir Keith and Sir Buhini.

    It was most likely the demon''s agent.

    She wanted to gather up more power, but Keith said ''it would be fine if my lord is after him.''

    She didn''t know what spurred that trust, but that was enough for the others to stop going after the demon''s agent. In the end, Sophia knew she couldn''t leave things be.

    As she took a few more steps, the scent of blood hit her.

    She dashed up the path.

    Her feet came to a sudden stop as she reached the battlefield.

    Hundreds, hundreds of meters of ground werepletely gouged out.

    Trees, stones, not even dirt remained.

    Standing in front of a tree was a familiar white-haired man. His pristine suit was speckless, but not he.

    Blood smeared his right hand while his left hand waspletely charred with a giant hole in the center.

    Sophia wanted to rush to him right away, but her feet refused to move.

    She saw it.

    She saw the euphoric smile on his face. His lips turned up into a toothy grin and his eyes curved in a manic re.

    "Who is it...?" He asked.

    His voice rang like the tolls of the devil. One wrong word and she''d be dragged down to damnation.

    "L-lord Eugene...? I-it''s I, Sophia..."

    Eugene turned to face Sophia. His smile disappeared and was reced with his usual stony face of his. The air that made him unapproachable, demonic, was reced by the kind wind he always had about him.

    "Lady Sophia...?"

    She sighed in relief and looked down.

    Her body stiffened again.

    At his feet, still pulsating, was a gnarly lump of flesh. Bones, muscles, blood, and veins, all of them had merged in one giant lump.

    An eye was rolling around on the ground while intestines were spilling out of the lump.

    Sophia was about to retch out¡ª

    "Lady Sophia... is it you?"

    ¡ªThose words made her swallow it up.

    She looked up and smiled.

    No way.

    She knew. It was impossible to think that Lord Eugene would do anything crazy like what she imagined. She was insulting her benefactor.

    "I-is your hand hurt... are you ok?" she asked, her voice cracking.

    "Oh? I am alright. It''s almost time I came back..." Eugene answered, casually walking toward her. "I am sorry, I couldn''t capture him."

    C-couldn''t capture.

    So that thing was something else. Sophia wanted to sigh in relief, but the next words made her swallow it up again.

    "That corpse probably can''t do anything, we''ll clean itter."

    He ced a hand on her shoulder and urged her to walk along.

    It was the corpse.

    It was the demon''s agent.

    Her eyes still trembling, Sophia turned and walked back with Eugene.

    "Hah... he destroyed all the shields in the end..."

    "W-what was that...?" Sophia muttered.

    "I was just thinking... I want to grow much stronger."

 Chapter 68: Chapter 66: Breeze of Normalcy

    "Young master, what have you made of yourself?"

    Lily''s harsh words rang in my ears as she used all her healing magic on my hand. Sweat dripped down her chin and onto my sleeves but I didn''t say anything about it. She was hard at work.

    "How did it go, young master?" Keith interjected, leaning on my chair.

    "It was fun."

    "Really? Would I have won?"

    "Hm... You would''veid him t."

    "Do you want me to get rid of the corpse?" Keith asked. I guess he was happy I said he would win.

    That said. I didn''t want anyone here seeing that corpse.

    "Don''t bother," I shrugged and waited for Lily to finish her first aid. My healing ve really was capable, she was getting rid of the burnspletely. It wouldn''t be possible to regenerate the destroyed bone and flesh right away, but a bandage and some opera gloves would get rid of it well.

    "I can hear your thoughts, young master."

    "Oh? So you can mind read while healing someone?"

    "T-that''s not what I meant..." She puffed her cheeks and turned away. "Stop thinking of me as your ''healing ve'' already."

    "It''s a form of trust, darling. I know I can go all out and leave myself to you."

    "Tsk..." Lily clicked her tongue and looked down at my hand, her output increased slightly. She got annoyed whenever I had her heal me.

    "But she''s also as easy as ever, huh?"

    "Tell me about it."

    "HEY! I am still in this room!"

    See, easy.

    Keith and I shared augh while Lily puffed her cheeks again. Right then, the door to my room swung open and another maid stepped in.

    Immediately, Keith pulled out his sword and stepped in front of us.

    "Alright, calm down¡ª"

    "¡ªMOVE!"

    Maria knocked the ready and set Keith off the ground with a swing of her hand and rushed next to me, a trail of smoke left in her wake.

    She grabbed my hands and stared at me with a teary face. The tears were enough to make even me, who couldn''t see her face, look away from guilt.

    "Y-youngng mashterrr... How! Whish bashturd! sniff..." Maria sniffled. And then her eyes turned cold. "I''ll kill him!"

    Lily flinched. What pressure.

    Sighing, I wiped away Maria''s tears with my fingers.

    "It''s ok. I already did that."

    "As expected of the young master! Amazing as always!"

    "Argh.. when did she be normal...?" Keith muttered from the side, but shut up when Maria red at him again.

    She stood up and looked me up and down.

    "You best change, young master."

    "Is that so? Get me something white then, and some opera gloves as well."

    "Right away!"

    Maria smiled happily and turned away.

    Not thatte from seven, Lily was done with her first aid, and off I went.

    ***

    "Entering! Lord of the City of Apollon, Lord Eugene Hall!"

    My name was announced and I entered the banquet that Ban Ket had prepared.

    Women and men in suits and gowns walked around the ce with wines in their left hand and food in the right. Some danced to the quintet ying in the side while others engaged in talk under the yellow-golden lights of the ce.

    The red carpet underneath and the blue clothes draped over all the tables filled with confectionaries and delicacies many won''t get toy their eyes on even once were all ignored by the haughty nobles. I didn''t recognize anyone, not like I knew anyone here in the first ce.

    I walked over to the pyramid of sses and took out the center-most pinot without knocking anything else over.

    Wasn''t this supposed to be done with champagne and not wine?

    Well, I didn''t mind the specifics as long as there was alcohol.

    As I moved away and was about to sip on the wine, a voice came from next to me.

    "Sir, I believe you aren''t fifteen yet?"

    I stopped.

    Right, people under 15 couldn''t drink. After drinking once with Maria and having all that fun today, I seemed to have unconsciously reached out for the alcohol.

    I kept the ss down and turned to my guest.

    "That is the case, I almost forgot."

    "Quite humorous. You''re truly not like the other nobles here, sir."

    I raised my brow at his words.

    This man d in a blue suit with a ck tie was saying some pretty something bold around all those ''nobles'' of his.

    "I assume you aren''t one?" I asked.

    "That is correct, I am just a filthy adventurer who happened to be in the ce and was invited by the lord."

    Adventurer.

    "You must be quite the amazing man. Don''t call yourself filthy like that, it''s fine to have some more confidence."

    "Pfft..." the man stifled augh. He picked up the wine ss that I had left down and gulped down arge sip.

    "Aah... Sir, you would get along very well with adventurers."

    "Is that so? If all adventurers are like you then they must be quite the friendly bunch."

    "Oh, I am an exception. They are all crazy and wild, something tells me that''s your type."

    "You''re observant," I said. At that time, a servant walked over with more sses of wine in his hands. I took a ss from him and raised it toward my pleasant adventurer friend.

    "Eugene Hall."

    The man clinked his ss with mine and smiled.

    "Call me Kai, a pleasure, Eugene."

    Wow, dropping the sir already. I was liking the guy more and more.

    "Pleasure''s mine, Kai."

    "That wound fresh?"

    I raised my brow.

    I was wearingyers of bandages underneath my gloves, no one should have noticed so easily.

    "Truly observant. Got it just an hour back."

    "Must''ve been quite intense," he said.

    "Crowds."

    "Haha! Come, Eugene. I''ll treat you to some lobster to cheer you up."

    "Nah, we''ll split the bill 50-50."

    Kai and Iughed and moved toward the food. The two of us indulged in the high-quality food as we shared stories.

    From tales of diving deep into mysterious dungeons and bringing out ancient relics to being blessed with godly items and even working in a war as a prince''s guard. Kai had done all kinds of things imaginable. His tales of being a fake pirate in the sky inds and visiting the underwater tomb before being kicked out immediately brought me tons ofughter.

    The main stars of the day, the Hall family, entered the ce and the event proceeded well.

    I also met withdy Sophia and a few of her girlfriends. They took a rather good liking to myself and Kai, who didn''t look like an old man but was still charming.

    Apparently, his long white hair tied in a ponytail and the green eyes on his calm yet sharp face along with my otherworldly beauty made us look like a pair of flowers waiting to be gobbled walking around to some of the unmarried olddies.

    Creepy.

    Kai and I didn''t forget to make a good joke of them amongst ourselves, though.

    I soon ran out of tales and incidents and just let him speak of his adventurers. The man brought normalcy into my day that I didn''t seeing.

    "Lord Eugene," one of the servants came up to me. "It is about time for you to y."

    "Ah! Right," I said and stood up from my seat. "Kai, I''ll be right back."

    "Make it a show Eugene! I''ll give you arge apuse."

    "You better," I said and walked away.

    I sat in front of the piano and the lights were dimmed.

    Now, I couldn''t y the Swan Lake Theme that my dearest sister (lol) had yed. I couldn''t make her look like an amateur.

    I raised my hands and yed a different song.

    From the first note to thest, all eyes were focused on me, while mine were focused on the piano.

    With a hole in one of my hands, I hadn''t a choice but to y something simple yet pleasant, and it seemed to have worked.

    A performance that didn''t overshadow any note yed by my sister earlier today, one that moved all the nobles to apuse.

    I gave them a bow and mixed in with the crowds again.

    By the time I reached my previous seat, my new friend was already gone.

    Under my te was a piece of paper.

    A flyer for the adventurer''s guild.

    Not bad.

    ------

    A/N: A special Author''s Note to show off the first fanart we have received! A beautiful traditional work of Maria done by @JxN216! She looks seriously beautiful, how do you do it? How? It''s attached to the paragraphments here! I am super stoked to see this!

 Chapter 69: Chapter 67: End of Swan Lake (1)

    "You''re leaving?"

    "Yes, Marquis. There''s nothing else left for me to do here."

    I and the Marquis sipped on our teas as we faced each other in his office again. Thankfully, much of the papers and clutter here was removed and it''s crisp smell had gone right out of the window.

    It had already been 2 days since the founding festival concluded. His work must have been reduced greatly as well.

    Today was the day Lady Sophia was also to go back, there wasn''t much else to do here for me.

    I had something else in mind.

    Not standing the silence, the Marquis spoke again.

    "Did you enjoy?" He asked.

    "Yes, it was a splendid celebration. Especially the city wide act."

    "Do you leave even a single opportunity to praise yourself?"

    "Never."

    Both of us red at each other for a few seconds before sipping on our teas again.

    "About the party," I ced my cup down. "There was a guest of yours, Kai."

    "Kai? Who''s that?"

    Oh?

    "He said he was an adventurer¡ª"

    "Kai...? Ah! That guy..." The Marquis suddenly grabbed his head and sighed. "Just... Stay away from him, ok? He''s a weirdo."

    "Is that so...?"

    If a weirdo was calling him a weirdo, then surely my normal friend was normal after all. I nodded with my arms crossed, satisfied.

    It was about time to move now.

    "Then, I should be going¡ª"

    "Wait."

    The Marquis stopped me.

    He shuffled his hands over a few of the papers on his desk and picked out a scroll.

    "Take this."

    "Sorry, I don''t take shady things."

    "Brat."

    I cackled and took the scroll. Opening it up, my eyes fell on the imperial stamp pasted at the bottom.

    "Thend of Apollon now belongs to you."

    "Yes?"

    "You''re no longer a regent but the lord. Of course, it''s still under my influence. You''ll be reporting to me for all the matters, but not as a regent but the lord."

    "Is that so..." I stared at the document in my hands.

    This guy was acting kind all of a sudden. This was very helpful for me. Especially for my future ns, this solved the biggest problem on my mind.

    "I heard everything from Lady Sophia."

    Those words made me look at the Marquis. Seriously, for apparent enemies they were way too close. This made it clear that all the rumors were false. But why. I was curious, but not curious enough to ask.

    "Hide that you''re a dual core."

    "What? Why?"

    How did he know in the first ce this bastard. Keith must''ve spilled that rat.

    "A dual core is rare, sure, but they''re also useless. If people find out someone can reach Projectile Ki stage and pull Advanced Grade spells it''ll be very troublesome for you. Get some status and thene up front."

    "Status, huh? That''s strength too so that was my n anyway. I''ll consider your words."

    "That''s good enough."

    I was about to get up when the Marquis stopped me with his hands again.

    He opened the drawer of his desk and brought out a box.

    "Take this as well."

    This weirdo. Was he doing all this out of guilt? Well, as the one on the received party, I didn''t have manyints.

    "What is this?" I asked.

    "It''s the core of a fae."

    "A what!?"

    The Marquisughed, enjoying my surprise.

    A fae? This bastard was handing out the core of a legendary magical being just like this? It would go for billions!

    "You are trying to concentrate your mana into Aether, right? This will help."

    "Are you ok in the head? Did you hit it somewhere?"

    "What, I have no use of it."

    "What about your children then?"

    "I''ve got more for them. Consider this an investment on a promising figure¡ª"

    I swiped the box on the table and pushed it in the pockets of my coat.

    The Marquis looked at my hands and clicked his tongue. He did say he was fine so who am I to reject it?

    "I am most thankful, Marquis," I said. "I''ll not forget this goodwill of yours."

    I said that and stood up¡ª

    "Kid."

    Fuck.

    I sat back down as he gestured at me to.

    "Do you truly not want to hear about your mother?"

    "I don''t care," I said. "I''ll care about it if it affects me. As far as her adoptive family goes, they can trying at me. I''ll clear them away."

    The Marquis seemed slightly shocked.

    "You already know a bit."

    I nodded. I already knew how this bit added up. He wasn''t one to give me a family, but he kept his responsibility as a parent.

    I, the one earlier, Eugene Hall, the child and the minor viin of that game. He was being protected by his father.

    "You can stop holding them back. I''ll be fine."

    The Marquis struggled a nod out of himself.

    "I won''t be stopping," he said.

    Then, the man reached into his pockets.

    Yes! My giving tree was giving more!!

    The Marquis pulled out another box from his pockets, a small ring box. He opened it up and revealed the beautiful purple stone ring. It''s ck body with silver embossments paired exceptionally well with the purple stone on it.

    "It''s your mother''s. I have no idea what it does or what it''s made of. But she asked me to hand it to her heir when the time is right."

    "I see..."

    A gift from the dead.

    "I don''t what she meant by the right time, but I''m guessing it must be when you are strong enough to protect it."

    "I understand," I said, taking the ring out and putting it on my finger. To my surprise, the ring fit perfectly on my middle finger on the right hand, almost as if it were changing shape to fit me.

    "Do you want to know if I find out anything?" I asked, feeling kind.

    The Marquis shook his head. "I''d rather not know anything else about that woman."

    "Alright. Thank you again."

    I kept sitting on his chair.

    The Marquis stared at me, and I stared back.

    "What?" He asked.

    "Nothing else?"

    "Get lost you brat!"

    The Marquis growled and I jumped out of the seat.

    "Hormonal imbnced old bastard."

    "You said that out loud!"

    I stuck my tongue out and rushed to door.

    "Well then, faaaather! Till next time!"

    "Get lost."

    Iughed and swung out of the door.

    "We''ll meet when you go to school anyway."

    I think I heard something stupid, but didn''t care much about it as I left.

    Maybe I could get along with that guy a tiny bit.

    Just a tiny bit.

 Chapter 70: Chapter 68: End of Swan Lake (2)

    The light of the sun was blocked by the parasol in my hands. Like an attendant, I walked next to Lady Sophia while shading her from the sun in the garden of the Dienin Castle.

    "Isn''t it custom to greet the owner of the house first andst, Lord Eugene?"

    "If he has any problems he''lle say it to our faces,dy Sophia."

    "Ahaha, you don''t grow any less bold." Sophia shifted her to see the flowers below. She lightly ducked and picked out a beautiful red flower, much like her hair. "It''s a shame I couldn''t eat the food you cook."

    "I''ll being to listen to your cello, I''ll bring some over then."

    "That''s a promise then."

    Lady Sophia smiled and covered her lips. I couldn''t see her face, but I was sensitive to this girl after being around her for longer than a week.

    Her movements were stiff, her muscles were tightened, her fists were clenched.

    She saw me that day.

    She saw me.

    I could feel my eyes widening up and my sight squaring down on her neck. The face that made me, Yujin, wear a mask and be branded a criminal was slowly rising again.

    I heard a sharp inhale.

    "Will you kill me?"

    As observant as ever.

    A smile slipped onto my lips. "What are you talking about?"

    Kill her? Why would I? What did I have to hide?

    Strength hid from no one.

    No one.

    "You know, lord Eugene," Sophia spoke. We continued walking like a pair of normal nobles engaging in sweet nothings, but I could see her stiffened up very well. "I have special eyes. It''s something passed down in the Mirxa family."

    "Oh? I might have heard rumors about the Mirxa''s wisdom stemming from an ability, is that what this is?"

    "Not exactly..." Lady Sophia''s eyes looking away from me changed.

    I held back my breath. No, it was stuck in my throat.

    I could see a golden gleam and a white crest in her eyes. The brightness of her eyes made drape curtains over them, but even that wouldn''t be able to hold it backpletely.

    "I can see a person''s disposition. The truths and lies in their hearts."

    "Disposition..."

    "Lord Eugene, people who are good-natured, who are speaking the truth, they all have a gold¡ªalmost white glow around them. That demon''s agent was ck."

    "ck, huh?" I repeated. "And what color was I?"

    Lady Sophia suddenly turned toward me. Her golden eyes came peeking straight at me, leaving even someone like me unable to escape their clutches.

    "You, Lord Eugene... You have always been a hideous shade of red. It''s grimy like blood yet pleasant like wine."

    I kept walking, meeting her gaze head on.

    "I trust these eyes. These eyes of my family, of the Mirxa blood."

    Suddenly, she looked away and punched my chest with her fists.

    "But I trust my, Sophia''s eyes more."

    She snatched the parasol from my grip and dashed ahead. We had reached the gates before I noticed. Alec and Sir Buhini were already at the carriage with the Mirxa crest, waiting for her.

    Lady Sophia twirled back and faced me again.

    "We''ll meet again, Lord Eugene."

    "Of course."

    I nodded.

    ***

    After Lady Sophia left, my carriage was already kept prepared.

    Lily, Maria and Keith were all in front of the carriage, waiting for me.

    "Y''all said your goodbyes?" I asked.

    "Oh? You''re leaving us young master? Goodbye!"

    "Lily cmon..."

    "That wasn''t even funny."

    "I-it''s alright, at least she tried..."

    Lily lowered her head in embarrassment and bit on her lips. She was about to jump on the carriage, but froze in ce when she saw one of the maids attending to us as we left. She must have been beat up crazy.

    "Let''s get going," I said. "I want to go back home and work out on my thighs."

    Keith opened the door for me and I stepped up. Before I could get on, a loud voice stopped me in my tracks.

    "Eugene!!"

    I stopped and stepped out.

    People who could call me Eugene here were either Kai or some high-ranked nobles. Kai wasn''t around, so it must be the second bit. Looking down on them would suck.

    I stepped outpletely and turned around gracefully. In front of me were the figures of a young girl and a boy.

    I pointed at them and turned to Keith.

    "Who?"

    "That''s your elder sister and elder brother."

    "Right."

    I bowed at my siblings,pletely ruining the goodbye moment they were probably going.

    As if to put a nail on my conjecture, they awkwardly fumbled over their words.

    "Um, so... I''ll not be around from now, but I''ll see you in the academy, okay?"

    "A-and! I''ll be around, so I''ll take you sightseeing the next time youe!"

    Vienna and Billy Ard said some of the strangest stuff I could''ve imagined on their own and then nodded as if they satisfied with themselves.

    What?

    I couldn''t just turn them down, no but seriously, where was thising from? Did they hear from the Marquis as well? That must be it.

    I awkwardly smiled and nodded.

    "I''ll look forward to it."

    I said.

    The two of them waved at me and I stepped back into the carriage. Right after me, Maria and Lily stepped in while Keith took the coachman''s seat.

    "Full speed home, Keith!"

    "Aye, aye!"

    Keith whipped the reins and the carriage set off at top speed.

    I left behind the Dienin City with a smile, thinking back on everything that happened here.

    My hands reached into my pockets and I clenched the flyer for the adventurer''s guild as we exited the city gates.

    We were full speed home.

    Until our carriage broke down, that is.

 Chapter 71: Chapter 69: Just Nice

    "Busted,pletely."

    Keith said, kneeling down in front of the carriage.

    "We can see that, asshole," Maria snapped.

    The entire rear end of the carriage was crushed. The wheels of the carriage had turned into grated cheese while the bumper and the springs had either be a free pile of firewood or had gone far far away in the trees. If a mythical spring tree grows here in the future, one would know who to thank.

    Keith dusted his clothes and stood up straight. All the bags with our luggage had already been pulled out, but there were seriously too many of them for us to carry back home.

    As if to put salt on injury, it was just the time we had chosen a longer route that took five days instead of three to get to Apollon. There wasn''t a particr reason behind it other than to check some new roads out which could be developed.

    "We''re already too far in, huh?"

    The path back and the path to were both roughly two and a half days away. Taking all these bags along... it would serve as good training. Should I duck-walk as well, just to make it more effective?

    Keith slowly started picking up some of the luggage and tied some around the horses. It would be too much weight for nc and ck to take not just the four of us and all the luggage as well, we still had to do something though. Just standing around was going to be the worst.

    Just as Keith put up some of the bags on the horses, a crackling sound reverberated in the air.

    All of us turned our gazes up.

    A drop of water came stumbling down the air andnded right in the center of my brows.

    In the blink of an eye, the single drop multiplied by dozens as an entireke seemed to have been pouring down.

    All of us were still looking up when I chanted the Honeb Defense and covered us, the horses, and the luggage in my shields.

    "Just nice," I said. "Perfect timing."

    "I mean, c''mon," Keith said. "Even for a novel, isn''t this too contrived?!"

    "Suck it."

    The rain only grew more and more intense as the area around us was shrouded with droplets, the visibility taking a giant hit.

    "I don''t think it''ll let up..." Lily muttered. All of us were dry with my shields, but it was a hassle to use them against the rain.

    I couldn''t keep all of them up for hours on end, for all we knew the rain would continue for a long time at this pace.

    In the end, we decided to move. I picked up all our luggage and wrapped them in my shields while I covered the rest with a shield above them.

    We had no choice but to leave the bits of the carriage behind as we made our way into the woods.

    "You''re like, a really convenient umbre young master."

    Keith was left in the rain.

    We kept moving for a long while. As we had thought, the rain showed no sign of letting up and the woods showed no sign of ending. Getting lost wasn''t a big concern for us since it wasn''t woods in an unknown ce. Walk deep enough and you''ll be out the other side.

    But the rain was a giant pain.

    The sun seemed to have gone away and the dirt in our path grew muddy.

    Would it have been better to just stay?

    As that thought entered my mind, a voice called out to me.

    "Young master..." Maria said. "Is that a house?"

    I looked up and stopped in my tracks.

    A run-down yet pristine house. Moss and vines grew out of its windows and the wooden logs making up its structure. All around, the trees had been knocked over and weeds and bushes had grown out instead.

    On the sides, a shed was also left erect though with a few holes on its top, but not enough to not keep the horses safe.

    I looked at all of them and pushed the door open.

    There truly seemed to be no one inside as dust came rushing out at us.

    "Alright! Jump in!"

    Keith rushed to tie the horses in the stables while the other two dived into the house with me and the luggage. Keith came rushing back and mmed the door shut, leaving just us and the stale air inside the giant two-storeyed wooden house alone, hiding away from the tempest outside.

    We all slumped down and sighed.

    "Man was that tiring."

    "I need to train more."

    "Seriously though, isn''t all of this too contrived?" Keith asked again.

    "What are you talking about, it''s nice."

 Chapter 72: Chapter 70: The House in the Woods

    I rushed up the stairs with Lily while the other two took the rooms downstairs.

    "The roof is surprisingly holding strong, huh?"

    Shaped like an Atrium with the top of the second floor well visible from the entrance, the wooden house that was no less than a vi on its own was very sturdy, though full of dirt. An empty chandelier hung from the center of the roof with dozens of spider webs sticking out around it.

    Lily ignored everything and walked right past the squeaking floorboards and checked out the rooms.

    "Oh! They''re huge! And there are beds!"

    "The kitchen and other rooms down here are big too!" Maria shouted back from below.

    Keith on the other hand pulled out his sword and stared at the couch in the room. It didn''t seem worn down, just dirty. I leaned on the railings of the second floor while watching the idiot swing his sword all over the couch, getting rid of ayer of furniture and dirt with it. When he was satisfied, he nodded and plopped himself on it.

    This bastard.

    "Ah!"

    Suddenly, Maria''s gasp reverberated through the ce.

    I hopped straight down to the lower floor and rushed toward Maria.

    "What is it?" I asked, swinging a door open.

    In front of me was Maria''s back, and a giant bathroom. The ground of the bathroom was dug out and reced with stones to create an artificial pond inside.

    "What the hell..."

    It was a bath.

    A huge bath.

    Lily and Keith both came behind me and peeked in, their mouths left agape.

    "Y-young master...!"

    "Young masterrr!"

    Even Maria turned to me with her palms pressed together in a plea.

    I wasn''t going to refuse them in the first ce.

    "Let''s clean this ce up! We''ll wait the rain out here."

    "Yay!"

    The three gave me a quick cheer of joy and set off right away. Lily pulled out some brooms and feather dusters from our luggage and handed them to Keith and Maria. I too rolled my sleeves up and picked up a broom.

    Thus began the major cleaning operation.

    ***

    The already passing day hadpletely left and the night had taken over the skies by the time we finished with the cleaning. Unfortunately, the rain showed not a sign of letting up.

    The dark house was now illuminated by the magic lights we had found while cleaning up, brightening the entire ce like a lighthouse.

    We sat on the couch with a table in front while letting our bodies rest a bit.

    "Young master, there was a tank on the roof for plumbing¡ª"

    "Took care of it."

    "And... the bath?"

    I smirked. "That too."

    Lily dived on me and wrapped me in a hug. "Young master, you''re the best!"

    I pushed away my materialistic, demanding maid and sat her on the couch.

    "Seriously, what''s such a ce doing in the middle of nowhere?"

    "What do you think?" Keith asked back. He started cackling like an idiot as he raised a box in his hands.

    "And what''s that?" I asked, crossing my legs.

    Keith opened the box and revealed over a dozen pills inside. Mana flowed through the insides of the box, keeping the pills optimal with a small magic stone attached at the top.

    "I found them cleaning. Contraceptives, highest grade..." Keithughed louder as he took a look at them again. "Preserved like one''s lifeline!"

    "This was a rich person''s love nest, then?" Maria asked.

    "Bingo!" Keith snapped his fingers and closed the box, slipping it back in his pockets. Hisugh didn''t seem to want to stop at all. "Seriously, to think someone would be so thorough! That guy must have one hell of a wife!"

    I ignored Keith''s ramblings and leaned my head back on the couch.

    "It''s toote to take a dip in that bath... huh?"

    All of them stopped moving at my words and lowered their heads.

    We could go in whenever, but I doubted anyone was in the mood to. But if the rain lets out, we would be missing out on the indoor pond.

    "Let''s just sleep for today and stay here another day, however the weather is..." the words slipped out of my mouth and all of them raised their heads with a smile. "We''ll figure out the carriage situation after resting."

    This time, all three of them dived on me and wrapped their arms around me.

    "Young master! You''re the best!"

    How did I end up with such materialistic followers...

    Poor me.

    ***

    The lights of our ''nest'' had been turned away.

    I was currently in the room on the upper level with the best view. I say the best view, but no view was really visible in the first ce. The room was the widest one, though, with a giant bed facing the windows and the drapes. The windows themselves were made of stained sses and ebony frames that went well with the wooden floorboards of the room.

    Red and blue carpets and wallpapers filled the rest of the simple room, setting up just the perfect view.

    After recing both the mattress and the sheets, Iid down on the bed. Surprisingly, I could stretch my arms over my head without being pushed out of the wide bed at all, I even had a lot of space to move with.

    It was when I was about to roll around and close my eyes, the door to my room squeaked open.

    A white apparition stood on the other side, staring down at me. It''s dark eyes were unmistakable in the night.

    "Ghost!?" I screamed and swung a ball of fire at the door. The ghost straightened up at once and ran out of the ce.

    "Stop right there!!"

    I didn''t let it go, though. Jumping down the bed, I ran toward the door and swung it open, but the apparition wasn''t around anymore.

    Disappeared,pletely.

    It wasn''t easy to escape my senses.

    It seemed... we had a problem on hand.

 Chapter 73: Chapter 71: Ghost Buster

    "I saw a ghost."

    My words seemed to have stunned Maria, Lily and Keith.

    The morning after I saw the ghost, we all gathered around the firece once more. The rain remained relentless and unstopping and therergely seemed to be no ce for any improvement whatsoever.

    Well, that was fine.

    We could still find a chance to go back. Or even if we were stuck here for a few more days, with the supplies on hand it was still alright. But not for too long.

    But before all of that. What mattered was the fact that we might just not be able to go back home.

    "What did you do then?" Maria asked. "Are you hurt? Who do I kill?"

    Aren''t ghosts already dead?

    "Big sis Maria scares me sometimes," Lily said, hugging herself. "I can''t stand ghosts, young master! Do something about this!"

    Who was the servant again?

    "What did you do then?" Keith asked. "About the ghost?"

    "I tried to punch it, but it was a little to far, so I sent a ball of fire hurtling at it."

    "You''re insane. Shouldn''t you have screamed and run away instead?"

    "Why when I could punch it?"

    Maria seemed to share Keith''s opinion. "You could have at least told us, young master!"

    "Then when would I have slept?"

    These guys don''t seem to understand how important a well rested body was for good muscles.

    Maria and Lily ced a hand on their head and sighed.

    "Anyway," I smiled and nodded. You guys be on the lookout for it, alright?"

    "Where are you going?" Keith asked.

    "I''m going to train! Good morning!"

    ***

    Keith, Maria and Lily could do nothing but look at each other as I walked out to the porch outside the house that had an awning of wood sticking out, to cover the from the rain.

    Below the awning sat a table for two and chairs for two, neatly looking out at the woods and the mountain top. It was quite the scenic ce to make a house at, I would admit. The house was pretty sick too.

    I sat down first and took in three deep breaths, then held for five counts and exhaled in bursts of seven. The Three-Five-Seven helped one look deeper inside one''s body.

    And the very opposite technique where I took in quick and sharp bursts of breaths, held and then exhaled at once let me spread my senses outward. Everyone used these breathing patterns to spread their senses outward, but there were also other ways to go about it.

    It was something that had never exactly been used all that well back on Earth since we could also just spread our Ki and Mana, but I found this method to be much economical.

    For not having any teacher that could tell me all this other than a useless Keith, I was doing pretty good.

    But of course, the path of the stronger was longer yet.

    I got on my hands and started performing some vertical pushups while maintaining the breathing patterns.

    When I extended my senses outward, I could sense the presence of the falling raindrops and the far off sensation of trees and leaves rustling.

    I also noticed something running around in the porch.

    Running around?

    My eyes snapped open and I got on my feet again. Standing at the end of the house was the same white apparition.

    It''s eyes widened extremely as it noticed me. There was no mistaking its dark re under the rain.

    I can''t see and therefore can''t tell? Fuck you.

    "Stop right there, ghost buster!"

    The ghost flinched and started running away. I jumped over the table to follow after it, but by the time I could reach the corner it had turned past, the ghost had disappeared again.

    But where would it go in this rain other than inside the house?

    What? Ghosts didn''t care about the rain? Well fuck you then.

    I pushed the window open and lunged inside the house. Maria and Lily in the kitchen flinched as they saw me.

    "Young Master?"

    "What happened? Is everything ok?"

    Of course not. I ignored the two and looked around the ce once more.

    My eyes went to the top of the stairs in this atrium shaped house.

    The ghost was standing there.

    "Come down here, punk."

    "Kreiee!"

    The ghost screamed and pulled out a sword.

    Keith''s sword.

    I cracked my knuckles and jumped to the top after hopping off of a shield and got to the skies.

    The ghost was slightly stunned.

    That was when Inded the finishing blow.

    "Keith is ugly as fuck!"

    The ghost stopped running away and turned to face me. That much time was enough for me to lunge off of another shield and m my foot in the ghost''s head.

    "Ow!~"

    The ghost rolled down the fence and fell to the lower floor at once.

    I dusted my hands while Maria and Lily ran over to the ghost to help it up.

    The ghost''s white veil had also been knocked out and standing there instead was Keith.

    "Got you, little shit."

    "How did you notice¡­" Keith asked, scratching the back of his head.

    "I told you it won''t work," muttered Maria.

    "Why would you use your own sword? Were you born an idiot, Keith?" Lily had no mercy either.

    I stretched my hands and turned away.

    "Whatever, I am going to sleep, you clowns."

    I pushed the door open and walked inside my room. The other three were calling out for me, but I ignored them.

    I went straight to the mirror in the room and touched the bottom of my eyes.

    "Phew, no eyeballs. I guess I wasn''t caught."

    How dare they act like a ghost in the middle of the night? I didn''t get to sleep a damn wink the whole time! To hell with them, to hell!

    Sighing, I pulled the sheets up and jumped inside them. It was finally time to go and sleep.

 Chapter 74: Chapter 72: Five Days

    Beating Keith was fun. He was strong to fight but still did get beat because he was an idiot.

    I woke up safe and sound finally after taking a good rest. Theck of sleep was getting to my head. Damned ghosts. It wasn''t like I was scared or anything.

    The sound of the rain was still fresh in the air.

    I stifled a yawn and picked out some clean clothes before heading downstairs.

    Breakfast was beingid out on the dining table in the center of the hallway, right across from the couch. I saw Lily and Maria bringing out the dishes while Keith waited with his arms crossed. He seemed to be in deep thought.

    "You considering stic surgery?" I asked as I walked into the room. Lily saw me and greeted me a good morning while Maria nodded.

    "stic surgery?" Keith repeated. "No, I just misced something yesterday. I wonder where it went."

    Keith wasn''t paying me any attention, he didn''t notice Maria stiffening up at his words.

    I held in augh and walked over to the kitchen to help the girls. Of course, seeing mee in urged Maria to walk over and smack Keith on the head, forcing him to help in too.

    Even while trespassing, it seemed that we still lived just as normally.

    I was looking forward to seeing this normalcy end soon. I had no qualms against it, but I was a person who liked change. Change signified growth. And my growth was hitting a limit. You can only do so much in one ce before running out of options.

    I had only three years left before the plot of the ''game'' began. I didn''t know much about it and that was a disadvantage. Considering the scale of games, the event that woulde up could be something only epassing the academy I had nothing to do with, or it could be a problem engulfing this entire world.

    At least strong enough to smack the game characters.

    We allid out the dishes and took a seat at the table.

    We ate in silence with only the cks of our silverware apanying the rain.

    "It doesn''t look like it will stop, huh?" Keith remarked.

    "I think the vines on the outside of the house are for aesthetics," Lily said.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Just saying."

    Silence filled the ce again.

    All of us finished eating one after the other. The soundspletely stopped, yet no one moved.

    I took in a sharp breath.

    """"ROCK PAPERS SCISSORS SHOOT!""""

    Our voices merged as all of us yed our hands over the table.

    Three papers, and one scissors.

    "YESSS!" Lily suddenly jumped off her chair and grabbed her winning hand. "I am going in first! Ahaha!"

    "Tsk, first is the worst position anyway!" Keith clicked his tongue and the three of us geared in again.

    We all pulled our hands back and chanted out.

    "Huhu, I take the win this time," It was Maria who said that. Thepetition for the bath was intense, and now the loser would be the one to gost.

    "Just watch, young master... I am not going to lose, like always."

    "You always do lose though?"

    "HAH! Those are ties, don''t lie now."

    I clicked my tongue and pulled my hand back.

    I was observing his hands while he was staring at mine.

    ""SHOOT!""

    As if in slow motion, both of our hands moved in front of us.

    Half of a second. I could see, his thumb loosened, all his fingers were opening.

    Fifth of a second, his fingers suddenly coiled back in. I changed my y too.

    Tenth of a second. His first two fingers shot open at once.

    It was a scissors!

    I, not changing my y, continued lowering my hand.

    Keith''s eyes curved into a slo-mo smirk.

    But my hand didn''t stop! I lowered itpletely and took it behind me.

    "Wha¡ª?"

    "You fell for it you fool! Yellow Cross RPS Attack!"

    I was ying with my other hand!! Rocks to kill his scissors.

    "GAH!" Keith sped his hands together and lowered his head.

    "Hah!" I smirked. "I win. Like always."

    The one second long intense match ended with Keith biting the dust. I was up third.

    By the time we were deciding the order, Lily had already dived in. She marched to her own beat for sure, I wondered where she got that from.

    ***

    Keith and I meditated while the other two finished up. Lily hade out and was chilling in her room while Maria had gone inside.

    We focused on refining our Ki for a while with a breathing technique. It was a simple pattern of taking in seven short breaths, holding it for nine counts, and exhaling thrice over eleven counts.

    The simple breathing technique made one more aware of the internal state of the body, while an exact opposite of inhaling over three breaths for eleven counts and exhaling for seven made the external awareness higher.

    "Tsk."

    I heard a tongue clicking.

    "These guys take too long! I''ll be in there for the rest of the damn day, just watch."

    "Sure sure, all yours, loser."

    It wasn''t the bathing order as much as losing that got to Keith.

    "Haah," Keith sighed. "If the rain doesn''t let up, some of us should go and get another carriage from Apollon."

    "Right," I nodded. Sitting here wasn''t of much help. Maybe if the weather was better we could have moved together, but since it sucked, we''d have to split up.

    "The way to and back would take five days, huh?"

    It was just when Maria was about to hit the one-hour mark when the door to the bath opened up and she stepped out.

    Both of us turned our gaze to see her with a towel wrapped over her hair while she donned a loose grey tunic. I was sure that tunic was mine.

    Before Keith could say anything, I picked up my towel and moved over to the bath when Maria suddenly held my cors and leaned closer. "Don''t I smell good?" She asked.

    I stiffened up slightly.

    She took a moment to nce at Keith who wasn''t looking and pecked me on my cheeks.

    What in the world was with that?

    I dispelled the magic and stepped inside the bath after kicking off my clothes. I dived in the bath and decided to take a quick soak.

    It was then.

    I noticed another white apparition standing outside the window.

    I closed my eyes and chuckled.

    "AAAAH! We''re leaving this ce!!"

 Chapter 75: Chapter 73: Volume After Stories (1)

    **sses and the Dark Moon:**

    ¡ª

    A great tragedy had struck sses of the Dark Moon. The wits and brains behind their operation. Exactly three years back from now, the young master of the house that was closest to the Ediab forest had decided toe and flip their grand idea of trying to revive themselves over.

    It was always like this. Even thousands and thousands of years ago, some man named the millennium wizard had killed the second generation of the Dark Moon, and the Mirxa''s were the greatest enemies of the fourth generation.

    It was widely assumed that the original Dark Moon and his seven whips thousands of years ago had helped a great hero ascend through the worlds. Whatever that meant.

    sses had hoped to revive the glory of the Dark Moon with the help of the greatest whip master he could find and indoctrinate.

    But as luck would have it, he was now stuck¡­

    "Say, sses. Shouldn''t you guys do something to expand now?"

    Stuck with a white haired, red eyed young tyrant in the name of a child who could easily cut off kilometers off of a forest like a goddamned superpoweredwnmower.

    "Expand¡­ how?" sses asked the man sitting in his office.

    From the day he had invaded their ce five months back, this man had decided to turn the Dark Moon into his bitch.

    With the seal of the leader in hand, he had made his move and started to manipte the people of the Dark Moon as if he was the real leader.

    It was a vicious method.

    The man leaned ahead on his table, resting his chin on his palm as he rapped his other hand on its side.

    "You''re plenty smart, sses. You can do a lot of things. First and foremost is to  find people in weak spots and help them out."

    sses tilted his head.

    "Help them out?"

    "Yes," Eugene, the tyrant, nodded. "You find people that are suffering from some loss and help them, tell them you are on their side and that the world, the society itself is unfair."

    A chill ran down sses'' spine. It wasn''t that he hadn''t thought of these things, it was that the man in front of him who was supposed to be a young lord here to stop such crimes was instead encouraging it.

    "You talk about your religion."

    "R-religion¡­?"

    Eugene sighed. "Whatever your Dark Moon cult thing is. You gotta get people tied in, you see. Make a book or a leaflet, tell them of the benefits. People of this world think of workce benefits as some kind of magic anyway."

    "I¡­ see¡­" sses perked his sses up. This was a trove of opportunity. If he could just do all of this and frame it on the kid in front of him, he would be rid of him forever and be the real Lord Dark Moon atst. "What next?"

    Eugene leaned further on the table.

    Why was he spilling in the first ce?

    It was then that he noticed. A box of choctes that was ced on his table. It was from a famous small shop in Apollon that sold wine choctes.

    "L-lord Dark Moon¡­" sses called. "Where did you get those choctes?"

    Eugene looked at the choctes and smiled, a stiff smile he who had not seen smiles could barely mimic.

    "My knight left it for me in the office. Have one if you want. I don''t like eating alone anyway. Food is made to be shared."

    "U-uh¡­ sure¡­"

    "Anyway, next you should make a casino."

    sses stopped his hands from reaching for the chocte.

    "What does that mean?"

    "Once you have indoctrinated people to your side, you make a casino. Of course, you indoctrinate in many ways, make songs and tales, fables and books, it has to be simple, crisp and memorable so that anyone from children to old people can remember these¡­ anecdotes?"

    sses nodded.

    What was this kid? He was starting to get scary.

    "Of course, there have to be more detailed tales to entertain the youth as well, but what''s most important is a simple summarization of your beliefs."

    The ideas he kept pulling out were enough to start a whole new branch of things.

    "W-what next, my lord?"

    "Right, I digress," Eugene hummed, nighying down on the table. "Next you do something smart which is building a casino. For the simple reason that it brings in three things."

    "Three things?"

    "Money. Status. Information."

    Eugene was having a hard time keeping his eyes open now, but he did so anyway in his spiel. And sses was gaining too much to let go.

    "Casinos are structured so that the more you win the more you''ll lose. People always cave to the thrill. Money. Running a casino with money and keeping your customers satisfied and safe naturally brings status. Andstly, the more important people you bring in and get drunk, the more information you can get."

    "Oh¡­"

    "What then? You utilize it to take grab of weak nobles and make them bend your way."

    "Splendid, just splendid Lord Dark Moon."

    "You need trustable people like you for these things, sses."

    Trustable people like you was a sentence born of pure drunkenness. The trove of information was going to keel over any moment.

    "Lord, lord, what then?"

    "What then¡­? You gotta be kings if you have information. Behavior that would suit¡­ the strongest¡­"

    Eugene keeled over and fell asleep. No matter how strong the person was, his body was still inexperienced with alcohol.

    This was how Eugene in fact first had alcohol with not Keith or Maria but with sses.

    And how sses gained knowledge of a way that he could bring the Dark Moon to a glory it had never seen before.

    It could reach to the level of the fourth generation where they became the arch nemesis of a grand family.

    Or even of the first generation and raise a hero from the back.

    Or even¡­

    Go beyond¡­

    "Long live the Dark Moon!"

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **First Time Cooking**

    ¡ª

    "Just watch me instead."

    The very day Eugene Hall had transmigrated into the world and had woken up, he entered the kitchen under the pretext of cooking and sent Maria out.

    Unable to understand anything, Maria clenched her trembling heart and rushed out of the kitchen and mmed the door shut behind her.

    She mmed her back against the door and let out a deep sigh.

    What was this new bullshit that her young master was pulling now?

    Why did he ever have to change from the little child he was all those years back?

    Why did she resent him so yet could not leave him alone?

    All those thoughts consistently gued her mind and her heart. Maria took in a deep breath and shook her head.

    It was then.

    "Ow! Ow!! Damn it, I cut my finger!"

    Maria looked back.

    "Fuck fuck, just how bad is your damned dexterity, Eugene Hall!? How can you even y any instrument with hands like these?"

    Sweat dripped from Maria''s forehead.

    "Fine, we''ll train the fingers right now, super chopping training go!! OWWWW!"

    Maybe she shouldn''t have left him inside alone?

    Maria thought in that line before shaking her head right and turning back to the room she was in.

    The young master deserved a little suffering for casually saying he''ll have her beheaded. It was only natural.

    Eugene managed to train his dexterity enough to deliver a killer piano performance not long after.

    Though he had to refrain from moving his fingers for a few days.

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **The knight''s daily excursions**

    ¡ª

    A great burden rested on Keith''s shoulders.

    Years back, he had been tasked by the lord that had saved his life to protect Eugene Hall. The one child of the Hall family that the parent could not protect himself.

    By all means, it was a tragic oue for a family life. Butpared to many people who were tortured by their own families, let alone the ones who didn''t have the privilege to call someone their family in the first ce like Keith himself, the young lord of Hall had had a rather fortunate life.

    But just because someone suffered a pain worse than yours did not mean you should not scream. The ones who always brought up worse pains were no better than contrarians and hypocrites who would scream the loudest when they face their own troubles.

    The young master had gone to sleep once again. It was time for Keith to begin his work in the dark of the night.

    He tied his money pouch and weapon to his clothes, donned a cloak over his body and set off once again from the mansion.

    On his way out, he was stopped by Maria.

    "Sir Keith."

    It was a time when he was still called sir by her.

    "What is it, Miss Maria?"

    "Are you setting off again? Just how many times are you going to keep ignoring your duties like this?"

    A dryugh left Keith.

    He looked back at Maria and smiled a wry smile.

    "I do not move to ignore my duties, miss Maria. Never. What I am actually setting out for is precisely toplete them."

    Maria stepped back.

    "The responsibility on a man like me is the greatest in this ce. Do not delude yourself."

    Maria was unable to say anything as she clenched her fists and red at Keith, walking way.

    Keith made his way past the doors of the mansion and jumped ahead.

    When night fell, under the orders of his master, he was tasked with getting rid of the people for him Eugene Hall was a big thorn in the sides.

    His hands were meant to be bloodied each night.

    That was his duty.

    Meant to be.

    Was.

    "Alright! There''s none of them Fonias in this ce again today, like every other goddamn day!"

    Keith pulled up his money pouch and smiled brightly. He jumped through the trees and made his way toward the town of the baron over to the east.

    He jumped the walls and went straight inside, his feet carrying him toward the red light district behind the house of the adventurer guild.

    Keith sported a nasty grin. Not long into his walk, he spotted the building named Sweet Honey and barged straight inside.

    The receptionist smiled.

    "Mr. Keith, you are here again today."

    "Why hello. Is She in and free?"

    "In and free."

    Overprotective and paranoid parents were the best!

    Keith mmed his money down and got the keys to the room he was to head to. Getting paid to do fuck all and go to a brothel every second night, what else could he ever need in life?

    Keith the knight, through the years, was a true victor.

    It all changed not long after, though.

    When his young master became a freak of nature and started living on three hours of sleep while training every other fucking minute.

 Chapter 76: Chapter 74: Volume After Stories (2)

    **Lady Sophia''s Few Days in Hell**

    ¡ª

    While the search to find the Apostle who had been blessed with the powers of Demon Lord Raum, Lady Sophia found herself stuck in a different kind of hell with the same kind of fury.

    Every time she would wake up and get to her make up, she would feel a sharp chill in her bones.

    And as she would pick up a parasol to walk the ticklish feeling away, she always found the same person at the door.

    "Oh? Is that you, Lady Sophia?"

    "L-lord Eugene, what a coincidence this early in the morning¡­"

    "I was just going out to LIFT. Why don''t youe join me too?"

    "L-lift?"

    "Yes. Let us LIFT together. LIFT."

    The first time it happened, she was in equal parts unamused as she was curious. She let the cat-killing half of her take the reins and went with him to the training grounds the first time around.

    She followed Eugene Hall to the training halls of the Hall family. Where he carried along two boulders in his hands.

    Sophia''s jaw dropped open.

    "W-w-what¡­?"

    "This? Oh it''s lighter than it looks. They don''t have good enough weights so we''ll have to improvise."

    Eugene said with a bright smile.

    Not good enough weights. Lighter than it looks. Those words were enough to sent jolts of understanding in her mind.

    Indeed. Yes.

    It must be light and hollow from the inside. No way any normal person would be able to pick up a boulder like that without using any mana or ki and justugh it off. Especially not when they were of that size and age.

    "Here," Eugene said, tossing the boulder over to her.

    Sophia used the signature psychokinesis of the Mirxa family just in case as she pushed the boulder away from her and ced her hand to catch it¡ª

    "OOOF!"

    Her hands were almost crushed under the weight of the boulders.

    "Are you alright?"

    Eugene asked, not seeing her grit teeth and gnawed eyes behind the giant boulder as she risked her life to keep it up.

    This little fuck. She wanted to bite into him right now and tear him apart for tricking her, but her life was already at risk just holding the damned boulder.

    "H-he¡­ he¡­"

    "Oh? You canugh with that much?"

    She was calling for help!!

    Eugene tossed the second boulder on top of the first one and she went even lower to the ground. Sophia had not cursed someone that much in her heart ever before. She would use her mouth to put it in words too, but she felt if she strained any other muscle right now it would tear apart.

    "Haha, I guess that is a little too much right now."

    Eugene grabbed both the boulders as if stealing candy from a child and juggled them in his hands.

    "You need to up you LIFT game, Lady Sophia."

    "Haah¡­ haah¡­ I guess I am a little lethargic today, Lord Eugene¡­"

    Saying those words, Sophia turned away and ran back to her room.

    Since then, she trained her psychokinesis like a madman.

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **Beauty is in the ear''s of the beholder??**

    ¡ª

    The day after the first of their suspects were dealt with, Eugene Hall returned to the Dienin Castle in a gloomy mood. The very air around him screamed gloom.

    Deep into the night when the sun had gone past setting and had started to sleep well, Eugene Hall made his way to the fourth floor of the castle, into the piano room prepared by the Lord of Hall especially for him.

    A note rang.

    All the servants moving on their way to sleep and the ones on night shift stopped in their tracks and heard the music with their eyes wide open.

    And before they could realize, a beautiful rendition of the Swan Lake started flowing out of the windows of the fourth floor, enriching every corner of the mansion.

    The people smiled and held their hearts. The grief and sorrow and the joy hidden in the piece were carried over to them in the most splendid way possible.

    All the people on their way to sleep were forced awake from the sounds. The ones that were asleep already also pushed their eyes open and their minds up to listen to the music that they would never get the chance to listen to again.

    Even the children of Hall, the wives and the Marquis himself sat up and heard the music.

    And soon.

    It came to an end.

    Sighs of relief and admiration left the servants. The longing carried in the music had touched their souls. And now, it was over.

    But the longing wasn''t gone yet. It remained and lingered in the air.

    "Beautiful¡­"

    "I am happy I wasn''t sleeping."

    "Really? I am happy I woke up."

    "When can we ever hear such a performance again?"

    As if waiting for that cue, the notes rang again and the music started to y all over again.

    The people in the pce smiled at the second round.

    It was pretty good the first time around, and they did all just say they wanted to hear it again once.

    Sure, maybe hearing it again right away did make it lose some sort of novelty, but it wouldn''t hurt that much.

    The second round ended.

    "Haha, it was still beauty¡­"

    "It was worth losing a little sleep over."

    "When can we ever hear such a performance again?"

    ¡ªDing.

    And it started a third time.

    The awkward smiles turned into slightly shocked gasps.

    "S-still good¡­"

    "When can we ever hear such a performance again?"

    "This fucker!!"

    ¡ªDing.

    After all, Eugene was practicing a session for another day.

    The servants did not get to sleep well into the night that day. The one who mentioned the performance over and over was tied up and tossed into the ponds of the mansion, but the curse didn''t end.

    The servants were in a very bad mood the next day.

    Eugene Hall practiced with a sound-proofing spell from the next day.

 Chapter 77: Chapter 75: Volume After Stories (3)

    **Knight Alec''s Many Rejections**

    ¡ª

    Knight Alec, a brilliant young man. Noticed by the Lord of Mirxa when he was young, he had dreamed since to be one of help to the Margrave in the threats of the forbidden forest of Ediab and the threats that had led to his growing up as a hardened warrior.

    Young and talented Knight Alec was equally as ambitious. He wanted to make sure that people all over the world would not have to pick up their swords to fight monsters.

    Yes. That was his young ambition. One that he was sure to forget about before he even turned fifteen years of age.

    So, knight Alec, now recognized for his skills and even assigned to the youngdy of the Mirxa household as he personal knight and escort had found himself facing the throes of one of the greatest monsters that people had to take down.

    Love!

    Unfortunately, young and naive Knight Alec had grown up with swords and the farthest resemnce of kindness he had felt was a German Suplex from his lord and employer Margrave Mirxa, who looked like damned Lion.

    So, naive Alec fell easy.

    "Miss, I think I am in love with you."

    "Hoho¡­ what a yful young man, ow my back¡­"

    "I have never been treated this kindly before. Nobody has given me bread from the kindness of their heart."

    "I run the bakery¡­ you paid me¡­"

    "We were meant to be!"

    "I am eighty seven years old!"

    Whether it be an old baker.

    "Mam, I think I am in love with you."

    "Hey, that''s my wife you fucker!"

    Or someone young but taken.

    Alec tried his hand everywhere.

    Every single maid in the castle of Mirxa.

    "Oh shit, it''s Alec!"

    "Run or he''ll confess to you!"

    And every single butler.

    "God damn it''s that yer Alec!"

    "I should teach him a lesson."

    "You fool, he''s a monster. He''ll confess to anything that breathes and that includes you!"

    Alec confessed and got rejected.

    In almost no time at all, theundry room of the castle had turned into an Alec death pool from rejection.

    The Margrave and his wife too frequently visited theundry to bet on how Alec will get rejected next and what kind of pain he will face.

    One day, the Head Butler of the house ced a bet that Alec would not just confess to everything that is breathing, but also to someone who has died.

    "Not happening. I bet a thousand gold."

    The margrave met the match with his old aide alongside a haughtyugh. The Marchioness added a thousand more to the pool, while the Young Miss bet five thousand on the Butler''s side.

    The servants, excited to get a share of all of that, started cing more bets on the Margrave''s side.

    They set up the perfect operation, and soon in the garden the butler made a pensive face and showed Knight Alec the photo of his dead niece.

    As luck would have it.

    "She''s beautiful. Miss Niece''s, you''re beautiful. Will you marry me?"

    "God damn it Alec! She''s dead!"

    From that day, Alec was shamed deeply and stopped being a confession monster. He felt a great sense of debt toward the Head Butler and acted as if he was the servant instead.

    It was an over all loss for the Alec pool, but at least Alec was normal now.

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **Crow Man''s Apostle**

    ¡ª

    A young man had fallen to the dark side. No joke. He had be deeply invested in demons and their things.

    He didn''t have much of a reason too. It was just something he had grown curious about.

    Raum, the name sounded cool and the powers did too.

    So the young man performed a ritual.

    The ritual to call the demon lord Raum. By offering the blood of ten hawks in a circle from hell, he could bring the god of the crows.

    And maybe the ritual worked.

    Because on his window sat dozens and dozens of crows.

    "L-lord Raum! Please make me your servant!"

    The crows looked at the man.

    "Caw!"

    And cawed.

    "Huh? Is that a yes¡­?"

    "Caw caw!"

    "A no then?"

    "Caw caw caw!!"

    Unfortunately, the poor young child could not speak in clicks and whistles or in caws. Since then day in and day out.

    "Lord Raum!"

    "Caw!"

    Whether the sun was up or down.

    "Please, servant make me!!"

    "CAW CAW!"

    During the summer.

    "I''ll give you some ice cream so please make me your servant."

    "CAWW!"

    Or during winter.

    "Oh, Lord Raum, pleasee inside, I have the heat turned on."

    "Caw caw!"

    "Servant, please."

    "CAWWW!"

    The resentment carried over for after year and finally the man reached a tipping point.

    "Goddamn it! It''s all because of humans! Oh, I wish I were a bird!!!"

    Thankfully, the crow managed to finish the apostle contract with his servant after many years, but had also gotten just slightly attached to the youngster.

    It was through sheer coincidence.

    The crow and the apostle then plotted many evil deeds, stealing from thieves, cing banana peels in the way of the people who ran away.

    Or like, bombing the city by making many people their servants.

    Poor apostle could never cross the line though and did not touch anyone.

    Yearster when their dreams wereing true, a young kid came around and killed the Apostle of Raum as if making Swiss cheese.

    It was deeply upsetting for the Demon Lord, but there was little he could do after having so much of his power destroyed along with his apostle.

    Since that day, down in Hell, Raum ced multiple sketches of Eugene Hall all over his room and trained day and night, summer and winter, none of which existed in the red skies of hell, all in order to defeat Eugene Hall and get his revenge.

    "Eugene Hall! Just you wait! I will definitely find you someday my archnemesis, I won''t let this slide!!"

    Eugene Hall.

    Had promptly forgotten the name of the demon lord he fought.

 Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Volume After Stories (4)

    **Bribery?**

    ¡ª

    The Lord of the Hall estate, Marquis Ban Ket Hall. Blessed with beautiful wives and children, intellect and strength, the Marquis had everything men would desire.

    Maybe not.

    But the implication was there. There were a few events too big to call hups, but he was an aplished man.

    Yes, aplished.

    He had hoped for nothing more than to let his children live afortable and happy life now. And that included the child estranged from him. The child himself had no sins, after all.

    The concept was too tough for a person to ept, the Marquis Ban Ket Hall whom did not just hate but utterly despised Charlotte Fonias was still the father of Eugene Hall.

    Even if he reminded him of her, he still wished that the child would live a happy life.

    And seeing his growth now after all these years made him realize that Eugene was a person of his own. He didn''t have any right to criticize him.

    Even if he was ufortable, wasn''t it human to learn to get above that sense and to learn to ept?

    The kid was also smart enough to raise a decrepit vige into a city, and also smart enough topel the Baron, the Count and even the Marquis himself into helping that city of his. Strong enough to bring down a historic group of bandits who had seen an uprising and to level forests as per what others said.

    It was quite the achievement. The Marquis was sure his children would be having an overall positive growth by learning from him.

    So when he saw his eldest daughter walking around with a swollen cheek and a look as if she had just seen the end of the world, the Marquis was shocked.

    "W-what in the world happened?" He ran toward Vienna asked. "Who did you fight?"

    It was then, the Marquis was set to receive a round two in terms of getting shocked.

    Billy, Leon and Sydney all stretched their hands and handed a chocte to the Marquis.

    "Take this dad."

    "Uh,hm."

    "And don''t tell anyone."

    He was being bribed!!

    His cute children had learned bribery and one of them was also beat up! Who did this? He was going to tear that person apart.

    "Vienna, tell me now!"

    "N-n-nothing¡­"

    "Big sis was fighting with big bro!" Sydney took no time to snitch on Vienna. She was prime example of a corrupt child who took a bribe and still did not do anything. Conscience be damned.

    The positive influence the Marquis hoped for was gone.

    He spent the rest of the day trying to get bribery out of the children''s options and teaching Vienna to look up even after facing a defeat.

    The Marquis was a busy man.

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **Don Chiik, the Master of the Nut**

    ¡ª

    A new sensation had appeared all over the Marquis'' territory.

    Starting from the grand founding festival, a great new super viin icon had made his name in the annals of history by appearing as a giant dome for the people.

    A cunning, almost devious scheme had led the people to manhandle bombs. There were dozens of way it could have gone wrong, but Don Chiik had managed to snap everyone''s attention to the game and not at the items in their hands.

    Behind the scenes, a great battle had raged on which led to arge part of a mountain being destroyed.

    Well with that behind the scenes, the front of the scenes werepletely taken over by Don Chiik.

    In days people had started selling masks of the vile fictional criminal, in months picture books, as seasons passed and spring came around, young orators took the streets for a picture theatre.

    Parents and children would gather alike as the Don Chiik lore was expanded.

    The Marquis was pushed into a great peril.

    "You''re saying that Don Chiik has be a cultural phenomena in Dienin, Bartholomew?"

    "Not just in Dienin, my lord, but in the entire fiefdom. Export of Don Chiik based material has shot up in the skies, and many people from all kinds of ces are rushing to Dienin to see the Don Chiik shows."

    "That''s not good¡­"

    Dienin was a fortress city. Many people going in and out was never unwee, it boosted economy, but it was sudden, far too many preparations had to be made to ensure proper movement like this.

    It didn''t take long for the phenomena to spread.

    From there, the Dienin and Apollon theatre groups partnered and performed and extended y from Don Chiik''s point of view.

    People being the suckers they were for evil characters, ended up getting hooked to the Don Chiik y. At the same time, an officer from the Confederacy was present in Apollon who became extremely infatuated with Don Chiik.

    Being a member of the forests, the officer empathized deeply with the character of the Master of the Nut. He took back dozens of books and paintings and stories depicting the viin''s not so viiny tales.

    There was even a book talking about how Don Chiik had actually appeared in Dienin that day to save the people from a bomb, which was met with widespread critical acim due to its rooting in real life events and further push of Don Chiik''s tragically heroic character.

    The author of that one was some suspicious guy only named Keith. He was lucky the book wasn''t found by anyone he knew.

    Eventually, the confederacy established a cultural trade with the Schwarz kingdom, exporting and importing more and more of Don Chiik. Don Chiik themed cafes and endorsed nut brands littered the streets of the confederacy.

    On a trip, the saintess of the theology further west eventually picked up a plush toy of Don Chiik and that started yet another aggressive cultural exchange from the theology that wanted to impress the princess.

    Not long after, be it in the Kingdom of Sages or the Kingdom of Pinot, everyone soon knew of Don Chiik.

    Don Chiik.

    Was bound to return.

 Chapter 79: Chapter 77: Volume After Stories (5)

    **Adventurer Keith**

    ¡ª

    Years before being employed by the Marquis of Hall, a young man from the Northern ends of Schwarz, deep in the territory of the Fonias duchy, was hailed as a prodigy in his small vige.

    With red hair that swept in the air like sparks of mes and a sword that swung like the breeze carrying it on, young Keith was gifted in more ways than one.

    The greatest of those gifts, though, was his grandfather.

    "Swing it harder, brat!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Creaking back, shaky breaths, the old man with wrinkly skin standing at the porch of a wooden house watched as his grandchild swung the sword in his hands.

    Now nearing a hundred and seventy in age, the old man had lived nearly two centuries.

    A gue had spread in the vige ten years back, where his wife, son and daughter inw decided to leave him behind. Before going away, though, they had left onest responsibility for the man who had been a great knight in his own youth.

    The old man shook his head and walked over to his grandson, adjusting the height he held the de at.

    "Child, you are powerful, but don''t be wasteful," he said. Keith looked at his grandfather whose hair was as white as the snow that kept falling around them.

    He could swear that years ago, he did not look this old.

    Back then, there was no way for Keith to tell anything but now that he had grown under his grandfather''s strict training and could perceive Ki, he could tell that his grandfather suffered from a severeck of it.

    "But I am strong," Keith had answered.

    "And how long can you keep that strength for?" His grandfather asked. Wincing slightly in pain. "Remember, Keith life is a long game. If you use up all your strength today, you will be weak tomorrow."

    Keith took in his grandfather''s words and adjusted his posture and height, paying attention to the finest of details to ensure most of his strength remained.

    "But just if you end up weak today doesn''t mean you can''t grow strong tomorrow," the child muttered, dissatisfied by his grandfather''s words.

    The grandfather stoked his grandchild''s head with a wry smile.

    ***

    The next day, the same events repeated once more. Keith and his grandfather stood behind their house in the pile of snow as the youngster swung his de and the old man watched.

    But today their training was slightly different. A beast had appeared in the woods behind the forest.

    The grandfather and his son were the vige''s protectors in such situations, but with the son gone and the grandfather weathered by his age, they had no choice but to call for knights. Today, though, the grandfather had made his appearance in front of the vigers and said that his grandchild would handle this.

    Now, stuck against a kobold, Keith swung his sword in the strict and rigid manner that his grandfather had taught him.

    Bookish were his movements, polished by years and years of practice.

    Yet, the boy being pushed back.

    The kobold swung its club at Keith''s shoulders while kicking his stomach. It would act as if ready to ram the club into Keith while spitting in his eyes.

    The poor child was left rather helpless in front of the monster.

    That was when his grandfather''s voice returned to guide him once more.

    "Remember, Keith. You should not grow too attached."

    "Can''t you see I am busy, old man?"

    "HAHAH! Just listen and fight then." The grandfather coughed into his fists before continuing. Though Keith had lost some of his cool from before and had lost the efficiency in his movements, his attacks had started to hit.

    The moment he turned against his grandfather''s lessons was the moment he started overpower the opponent.

    "People are like teachings. Each of them fit for their own. The teaching I impart on you is to guide your path, Keith. The destination is yours to make."

    "Speak more clearly! I don''t understand anything!"

    "Look at your sword, Keith. With my teachings as a base, learn to swing it in your own way. Never grow attached to anything. Be it the way you swing your weapon."

    A sword was a bad weapon against a club.

    A single collision on a bad angle, and Keith''s de broke into two halves.

    Startled, the boy jumped back with just the hilt and the small stump of the de still in hand.

    "Or your weapon itself. Don''t be attached to anything, use them all to your advantage."

    Keith closed his eyes and reimagined the way he had fought.

    Never be attached? That sounded like bullshit.

    As if to prove him right in his desperation, the part of the de that had broken apart was eventually reced by a new strength he had awakened within him, the strength of Ki.

    Keith calmed his mind and swung the sword in the same way his grandfather had taught him, a swing and the club was out of the kobold''s hand, another his de had lodged into the Kobold''s neck.

    Keith looked at his grandfather with a re.

    The old man was surprised by his grandchild''s actions but smiled eventually.

    To think he would be able use Ki to that level, his grandchild was truly a genius iparable to people who had been protecting a single vige.

    A few days after that incident,

    The grandfather who had been holding on his fleeting life for ten years with his Ki alone passed away. The gue that took his family had also targeted him, but for his grandchild, he could persist.

    To the end, he left his grandchild lessons that he shouldn''t have. He taught him to hold on with gritted teeth when he wanted the child to learn to fall and cry, he taught him to not love and be fleeting when he wanted his the child love and be loved.

    But he could pass away in peace.

    For his grandson was smarter than he could be himself.

    Conflicted between his mind and his grandfather''s teachings, Keith continued his life as he had learned. Never being weak and never going down.

    A decade and a handful yearster, he soon met another young child who ended his conflict.

    Keith could openly be weak and let him get attached to others atst.

    ¡ª

    .

    .

    .

    **Ban Ket Hall, the School Shuttle**

    ¡ª

    Ban Ket Hall. The scion of the Hall fiefdom, beloved only son of a very deeply in love couple, and a genius amongst geniuses though admittedly there were way too many of such geniuses too.

    Ban Ket Hall, though, was stuck in one of the worst generations in history when it came to geniuses in school.

    "Hey, Ban,"

    The voice of the woman with pure white hair sent chills down his spine. Holding his head low, the young man bit his lips and said.

    "H-how may I help you¡­?"

    "HUH?"

    "How may I serve you,dy queen?"

    Ban Ket Hall was deepy embarrassed to say any of it. But he knew that he would be beat up if he went against this devil in a woman''s clothing.

    "I don''t know, how strange¡­" the woman said. "Even when you piss me off like this I end up being soft on you, Ban."

    "T-thank you for your magnanimity,dy!"

    The person in front of him was the first of the scary bastards, Charlotte Fonias from the Fonias family. A person that was enough to make the sky tear and the earth tremble with her rage.

    "School is boring, if not for those books I wouldn''t havee here,"

    "I see¡­"

    "Not like I need the books either. You know what, Ban, go and get me something to eat."

    "Yes!"

    Ban turned around and started walking before he was pped on the back of his head with a purse of coins.

    "Take that. Get me something good."

    "Yes!"

    Ban ran out of the ss while the others snickered.

    Just as he was about to rush through the door, he hit a wall and was pushed back.

    "Ouch!" Ban yelped. He was one of the stronger students in school, but even he was sent knocking back from a single bump.

    "Ah, sorry, senior Ban!" The man smiled a very refreshing smile and stretched his hands at Ban. The blonde future Marquis epted it and stood up.

    "Thanks, Kai."

    "Don''t mention it!" Kai, the other one, smiled and waved away Ban''s words. "Have you been alright?"

    "HEY!" Before Ban could answer, the devil behind him screamed. "What did I say? Get me something to eat, bastard!"

    Ban smiled a wry smile and Kai.

    "I am sorry, I''ll see you in bit."

    Kai frowned but was unable to say anything to Ban. He let the man pass and turned to the woman sitting behind.

    "Senior Charlotte, let''s fight."

    "How about no? I am not on trash duty today."

    "T-trash duty!"

    "Go and take yourself out. You know you''re just going to be beat up anyway."

    Ban pushed all those voices back and continued running out. He soon jumped over the inds and made his way toward the building that housed the cafeteria for the students.

    But the cafeteria was empty.

    As Ban stuck his head inside, he noticed to people sitting as close to each other as possible in the center of the room, acting all lovey dovey while iming the ce as their own.

    He winced and was about to run out when he was stopped.

    "Ban, I saw you there."

    Ban scratched the back of his head and stepped inside again.

    "Morning, senior Hades and senior Persephone. I didn''t mean to disturb you guys¡­"

    "It''s alright," Hades, the senior with slick ck hair and a sharp grin waved his hand. "You know her, we empty the ce out just to be safe."

    The person in front of him who looked like the definition of the word beauty had white hair just like Charlotte''s, but a countenance that couldn''t be put on the same level as that wench.

    Persephone also had a strange condition which affected others more than her, but if they were really thinking of others here, they would have gone to private ce instead of sending everyone else to one.

    "Running errands for Charlotte again?" Asked Hades.

    "You should just stand up to that girl," Persephone continued.

    "Ahahaha!" Banughed. "I would love to but,"

    "But you''re just weak!" The one who spoke this time was the person at the counter. Ban turned around to see someone unexpected there.

    "Principal Lushan?"

    "Please, I am lunchdy Lushan right now."

    "Lunchdy¡­"

    "Look kid, if you''re just going to be weak then you''ll end up crushed in your future. Look at the Mirxa boy, he fights."

    "You didn''t do anything during that library incident."

    "I can''t control her either," Lushan shrugged. "More like I don''t want to."

    "I know, principal," Hades intervened. "He just doesn''t have someone he wants to protect or look cool in front of."

    Persephone blushed at that.

    "Ban, do me a favor," Lushan spoke up once more. "Take another lunch set B to the garden behind the school."

    Ban Ket Hall was confused, even the people who seemed to be on his side were asking him to work.

    Maybe it was his fault after all?

    But he didn''t have the energy to object. He did as he was told.

    On that day, Ban Ket Hall met the first of his wives and began the changeing in his life.

    But all that is a story for another day.

 Chapter 80: Chapter 78: When you disagree, take a break!

    A few days had passed since our little trip to the Dienin castle ended. I was in my study tending to some papers when the door was knocked upon.

    "Come in," I said. Sadly, this action of mine reminded me of Ban Ket Hall who was pretty much the same in this regard.

    "Should I wear sses to show people how it''s done?" I mused, signing another paper.

    "Is that a jab, young master?"

    I shifted my gaze up to see the sses-d friend. The current ''leader'' and the brains of the Dark Moon Bandit-sh-Information agency that was spreading its influence all through the country.

    His name was, sses. I guess it was.

    "sses, sit."

    sses pulled back a chair and sat across the table with a wad of papers between us. I fixed the files in my hands, pulled out a page from my notepad, and wrote down some corrections before tossing it on another pile.

    Seeing Lady Sophia use her psychokinesis so well made me slightly jealous, so I was practicing it too. I made a cup from the tea-table float up and dragged them through the air to my work desk, followed by the teapot. The utensils wobbled in the air as they came over.

    "You are just as crazy, young master."

    "I''ll spill the tea on you."

    sses adjusted his sses and coughed. "Apologies," he said.

    Lol, coward.

    "Did you bring it?" I asked, shifting my attention to the tea set on my table as I poured it into two cups. The tea was sent over by a count from the Marquis'' territory, it was a premium, apparently. People had gotten wind of the news that I was now the appointed lord of Apollon rather quickly.

    The city was growing too, it was natural for them to think my influence would only grow stronger, I was sure some might even be thinking that I had made the Marquis turn toward me and support me as my father.

    "I did," sses answered. I forgot he was here too.

    "Have you considered buyingrger spectacles?"

    "Seriously, are you insulting me, young master?"

    "Just saying." I shrugged and pushed the tea cup to him. sses gracefully curled his fingers over the cup and took a sip. His etiquette was on point.

    sses then ced the cup down and reached into his pockets. He handed me a document with a sigh.

    "Here''s the list of all the members of Dark Moon and their locations... I heard you pulled something crazy back in Dienin, is this rted to that?"

    "Not really," I said. "I just thought it''ll be good to encourage my employees if I ran into them."

    "What, will you beat them up? Will you kill their families or something?"

    "Those guys have families?"

    "Not really."

    "Didn''t think so."

    sses and I sat in silence again.

    It was my turn to hand him something. I pulled aside the lines of documents and took one out before tossing it to him.

    "This is...?" he asked.

    "Keep it. Don''t use it unless there''s an emergency."

    sses alternated his gaze between me and the paper in his hands. He then looked at the information I has asked of him and nodded.

    "I get it. I''ll keep things safe."

    "Good, if you ever feel like betraying us, consult with Keith. And open a cafe in the city or something."

    sses clicked his tongue at my words. I shooed him away and he left after bowing. As the study was left empty again, I stretched my hands above my head and yawned.

    Today.

    "I have a lot to clear up." With a smile, I dipped my quill in ink and got to work again.

    ***

    The day went faster than I thought as I engrossed myself in my work. All of us came out over to the dinner table at night, filling the four seats.

    Maria and Lily sat on the left while Keith took the right, and I sat at the head of the table.

    We engaged in small talk about the things around the city when I ced my hands down.

    "I am leaving to be an adventurer."

    All of them quietened down. They turned their heads to me in silence.

    After a few seconds passed, Lily spoke up.

    "When, are we leaving?"

    "Not we. Me."

    Maria dropped her knife. Keith too was looking at me with shock on his face.

    "What do you mean, young master?" he said. "Why would you go alone? That doesn''t make sense. I''ll go with you, I used to be a famous adventurer in my younger days¡ª"

    "I am going alone. You take care of things here, all of you."

    I had long reached a limit to my growth over here.

    I would have never been hurt by that stupid move that demon''s agent made if I hadn''t grown rusty. Even now, the bandages wrapped around the wound stung and were aplete eyesore.

    Going with them was an option, but not one I liked.

    Lily was fragile, though she was valuable as a healer, she couldn''t handle the harsh life of an adventurer.

    Maria was strong, but not strong enough. To be in life-and-death situations, I would have to go to ces that could threaten me with death. She wasn''t capable of standing it.

    And neither was Keith, to be honest. He would make many life-and-death situations not that big of a deal for me, but for how long? I had not just the knowledge of a different, more advanced world, but I also carried the experiences of then. My experience was much greater than Keith''s, who had only fought me for the past six years. He wouldn''t be able to grow stronger at the same pace as me.

    "Young master! You can''t go alone. What if you get hurt? Or if someonees after you? The life of an adventurer is not so simple!"

    "Maria''s right, young master. It isn''t good to go alone. Let''s all go together and I''ll show you the ropes."

    I sighed and crossed my legs.

    "Look, you guys need to take care of things here. And do you really believe you all can keep up with me? Maybe Keith could, but not you all. Keith should stay here to protect you."

    "W-we can try!" Lily said. "Why do you want to go in the first ce? Isn''t your city finally doing well?"

    Keith and Maria nodded at Lily''s words.

    Hah, these guys.

    "Alright, you know what? The breaking of the news might be too much for all of you at once," I sighed and shook my head. "Let''s do this. Think over it and convince me to stay tomorrow, and I''ll convince you to let me go, alright?"

    Lily bit her lips and turned her head away. She couldn''t say anything now.

    "Fine..." Maria muttered.

    "Good, let''s do that."

    Keith too let out a sigh of relief as we all started eating dinner again. We didn''t talk much after that and all of us went off to our rooms after finishing up.

    ***

    The next morning rolled over in no time at Eugene''s mansion. As she always did, Lily decided to go and check Eugene''s room who would already be out and about exercising. She would always catch a glimpse of him around the garden as she made her way up.

    Strangely enough, he wasn''t there today.

    ''Must be training somewhere else,'' she thought. It happened frequently so there was nothing to worry about. She moved to her lord''s room and opened the door in a single go.

    It was clean and tidy, just like always. No matter how much they told him not to, Eugene kept cleaning everything he found off without a moment''s hesitation. That was what made him so endearing for her, though.

    As she strutted around the room, her eyes fell on a folded piece of paper left on the bed in in view.

    "Eh? What''s this?" Lily muttered. She then shrugged and walked away. She couldn''t be reading his things now, could she?

    It waster when Maria went to his room after not seeing him for the whole day that an exasperated scream rang out in the mansion.

    "HE LEFT!!!"

    Maria shouted.

    The lord of Apollon was not seen again after that day.

    [Yo Maria! I bet Lily didn''t see this one, thanks for buying me time.

    Anyway, imma just go. I wanted to take you along, but I need to get stronger, so that''s a no.

    While I am gone, Lily is going to be lord. I already made her regent and had things approved by the Marquis, you can find the documents in my study. I also handled all the big things for the next three years, so get that from my study as well.

    Tell Keith he''ll need to protect Lily while she''s lord. You''ll also have to help her with her responsibilities, don''t let her go and don''te looking for me.

    I''ll be taking the stamp of the agency with me, but if you need some information go to sses. Go to him if any emergencyes up too, he''ll help.

    Goodbye. We''ll meet again soon.]

 Chapter 81: Chapter 79: Do ghosts do handstands?

    "Hey, old man! Get off that cart now!"

    "This is a robbery! Kehehe!"

    In the middle of a forest road, an old man in his cart was stopped by two thugs from the mountain. With knives in his arms, the bulky thug walked over to the old man and licked his de, sticking his face closer to the poor merchant.

    "Now, old man, what''s in those boxes?"

    "P-please let me go!" the old man trembled and rubbed his hands together. "I am just a small merchant!"

    "Kahaah!" the bandit screamed. Then hand over your fucking money and this cart now, small merchant! Give us everything you have!"

    The old man, trembling in his feet, stepped down and lowered his head. "Please, don''t do this!"

    "Shut up bastard!" The thug pushed the old man away as his skinny friend rushed over to check out their new ride.

    They got on the cart and flipped it off, making the horse rush ahead. The old man watched as they got a fair distance away and then.

    "[Thunder Strike]!"

    A whole fucking bolt of thunder came gushing down the skies and crashed into the bandits. A small explosion rang out in just the head of the cart as the two thugs wereunched into the air and mmed down to the ground.

    The old man hopped over to the bandits who were looking at him with betrayal and exasperation.

    "KAHAHAHA! I just love seeing you youngins make that face!! HAHAHA!"

    ***

    I was passing through a forest leading to the northeast of the country. It had been two days since I ran away from Apollon.

    The tree''s leaves fluttering in the wind under the rich blue skies, the sound of the cicadas and birds in the early morning, the sight of two dead burnt corpses on the road... ah, this was life.

    In the northeast of the Schwarz kingdom, above the meeting point with the empire, existed one of the seven greatbyrinths of the continent. The ce was an autonomous zone created by both all the surrounding nations and the adventurers guild.

    Unlike a few other greatbyrinths, the Deep Down Dive gradually grew tougher with its end not even close to sight after seven hundred years of exploration. It was a ce that was being kept in check by the adventurers and also served as a great way to boost the economies of all the countries involved. It wasrgely epting and free, the Deep Down Town was a haven for adventurers.

    Naturally, there was no better ce to register. Apparently, even Keith had registered at the same ce Schwars'' hero party.

    I pulled out my map and sighed.

    "Haah, It''ll take another three weeks to reach with this pace."

    Maybe I should stop walking while doing a handstand? If only I could move faster while going that way.

    Just as I thought that, a cart entered my sight. An old man was taking the creaky cart down the road with his horse, only some boxedden on the back. It was a ce perfect for doing a handstand and walking around while the horses did the moving. I could even do handstand pushups over there.

    Fixing my sight, I rushed ahead, forgetting to get down on my feet.

    "Stop right there!" I said.

    The old man driving the carriage turned around. He looked my way for a few seconds before breaking out in a scream.

    "KYAA IT''S A GHOST!"

    "What?! Did you just say I look like a ghost!?"

    "T-thunder strike! Thunder strike!!"

    I felt a surge of mana rising from the man''s hands. At once, I flexed my muscles and pushed myself off the ground and into the air. I flipped seven times above the trees beforending back in a handstand.

    A roaring sound echoed behind me as two strikes of thunder charred the ground I was on just moments ago.

    My head creaked as I faced the culprit.

    "Now you''ve done it old mannn!"

    "AAHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME!! I''LL NEVER KILL AGAIN!"

    The old man screamed something wild as he whipped his horse and rushed through the ground. I shouted back and started chasing after him, my hands taking long strides through the road.

    The old man made me chase him and his horse downhill for a long time before I jumped up again and got on the back of his cart.

    He noticed the weight and turned.

    "EEEEEEKK!" he screamed.

    I twisted my legs and kicked the old man''s face, sending him down on the ground before taking the reins of the horse with my legs and bringing it to a stop.

    He was a magician using intermediate attacks, so he would be too hurt, right? I thought that as I jumped off the cart andnded on the ground. I moved toward the old man with slow and steady hand-steps to check up on him.

    The man started trembling as I came close.

    "Fuck, old man, you ok?"

    Before I could get an answer, the old man fainted.

    Crap.

    ***

    The old man''s fingers twitched as he slowly became conscious again. Under the shade of the tree, he slowly moved and opened his eyes.

    "AHH!"

    "Dude it''s annoying now. Why are you even screaming?"

    "Ghost!"

    I turned on my hands and looked around. "Where?"

    "You!"

    Tsk. This man was calling me a ghost after all!

    I red at the old man, looking up at him from the ground. "I am just doing a handstand to train my muscles."

    "W-what...?"

    "Forget that, where are you off too, old man?"

    "W-wh-" The old man hesitated to answer, but when I stretched my legs he straightened up right away. "The Inva Duchy!"

    "Not anymore."

    "Yes?"

    I smiled and moved toward the cart. His destination wasn''t that far away.

    "You''re taking me to Deep Down Town."

 Chapter 82: Chapter 80: Deep Down Town

    "You here to register as an adventurer?"

    A giant wall stretching dozens of meters in the sky, fortified by my multipleyers. I was standing in the checking area of the southwestern gate. Inside this ce made specifically to enter aspiring and active adventurers into the town, I was being interviewed by a knight.

    The symbol of a peaky mountain with a snow cap was studded on the knight''s armor, it was the emblem of the Deep Down Town and not of any specific country or organization.

    "Right, here is my ID," I said, pulling out my tinum identification badge. The knight looked at the badge in my hands and gulped.

    "A noble? Sir, did you possibly run away from your home¡ª"

    "Of course not," I said.

    "Well, alright. I don''t think a runaway noble would be so collected in such a situation. I apologize for any inconvenience, sir."

    I waved at the knight, telling him it wasn''t a biggie.

    "That said, sir. You havee on a tight rope. The examination for the adventurers guild starts tomorrow, you should rush in right now and go to the guild house. It''s on the third block."

    "Thanks!" I said and moved toward the other side of the door.

    A different world opened up to me beyond the door.

    Giant houses and buildings going up three to five floors high filled my sight. With masterful nning, the structures of wood and bricks were lines up in perfect squares around the clean wide roads. The stone roads were cold as the bulged up into a sidewalk near the houses and ttened to a wide road for two carriages to move side by side.

    Hawkers and vendors rolled their shops on wheels around town while children rushed around, dragging their parents to different ces. A few kids were coursing through the perimeter of the giant walls, greeting the peopleing in.

    I slowly started making my way ahead through the streets. Every turn I took led me to more houses and even more structures out in the public. The streetmps on the sidewalks mentioned the directions while long boards stuck out of the different establishments.

    I followed the streets down, from tenth to fifth and then fourth, and atst, I came to the first.

    The number of buildings became scarce with each step beforepletely disappearing. Past the narrow streets, I rushed out into the main line in front.

    A section of the sky had fallen on the ground.

    Stretching hundreds of meters in diameter, a single, clear opening in the earth with its span reflecting the sky above.

    This was the greatbyrinth. The Deep Down Dive.

    A wave of nostalgia hit me at once. The shape and the entrance, the thrill of facing it head on. It was just like seeing a gate from Yujin''s lifetime.

    I took in a deep breath and moved through the streets again. I couldn''t go in just yet. There was still a little work left.

    Soon enough, I found myself facing the enormous building of the adventurer''s guild. People in armors and robes carrying weapons and staves moved around at a number that couldn''t even be mentioned in the same breath as the one I had seen with Keith.

    Manyughed and giggled while many others stretched their muscles and prepared to move to their work.

    "That guy said its on the third block... but."

    The entire third block was the guild house.

    Impressed, I went up to the front door and pushed it open. Since I was at the adventurer''s guild after all, there was something I wanted.

    I desperately wished someone from inside would say ''this ce is not for kids'' and then push me out.

    The door swung open and I stepped in.

    Many eyes turned toward me as I walked in. From the people eating at the in-house restaurant to the people on the second floor deck to even the ones chilling around at the lodge.

    Come! Tell me I can''t enter this ce!

    "That kid looks strong."

    "He''s also handsome, think he''s single?"

    "Didn''t you just get rejected by every girl who came to register, are you going for guys now?"

    "Hey, hey, what rank do you think this guy is? Looks like a veteran."

    "Fuck that''s a different matter. How do you even know I got rejected?!"

    I sighed and shook my head. Running my hand through my hair, I smiled.

    Of course, how could people think of attacking me after seeing my face?

    I strode up to the reception desk, walking past the chandelier illuminated room and its wooden floorboards as I stopped in front of ady. I mmed my hand on the desk and smiled.

    "I''d like to register, please."

    "Alright, just step back."

    Yup. Saw thating. I took a step back and smiled normally this time, just enough to show that I was a normal person. I had no idea if it had any effect, though, since thedy didn''t change her posture at all and started speaking.

    "You are not an adventurer, then?"

    "That is correct."

    "And you''ll like to register for tomorrow''s exam, correct?"

    "That is correct."

    "And did you make a contract with a system?"

    "?c¨®mo?"

    "System?"

    What the hell?

 Chapter 83: Chapter 81: System Contract (1)

    "What? He''s aplete newbie? Should we snag him up?"

    "He does seem strong, but how does he not know about the fairies?"

    "Do you guys think he''s single?"

    "Dude, just shut up."

    The voices around me grew more intense. Thedy at the reception sighed.

    "You''re lucky you came two minutes before the deadline," she pointed at the clock behind her. "Anyway, its ok if you don''t know. You''ll figure it out anyway. What name should I register you as? Remember this will be printed on your identification if you pass."

    I reached into my pockets to bring out my identification when she gestured at me to stop and shook her head.

    "You can just tell me your real name. The identification is not necessary."

    I knew that adventurers could use their guild card as an identification all over the world, but what was this about? First something about a system and now being told I can use whatever name I want? What would they do if a criminal takes up the job, would they protect even someone like that?

    As if she understood what I was thinking, the receptionist smirked. She was enjoying this, huh?

    "Don''t worry about that. You can give me whatever name you want."

    Any name...

    "Then, please register me as Kaiser."

    "..."

    "Pfft!"

    "Bahahaha! Kaiser he says!"

    "No way!"

    These guys were pissing me off. The receptionist chortled too as she shook her head and took in a deep breath.

    "Kaiser''s already taken, kid. Kaiser 1 to Kaiser 419 are taken too. How about you go with Kaiser420?"

    Was she picking out a username for me now!?

    But to think the name I used as Yujin was already taken. That many times.

    I sighed and shook my head.

    "T-then, how about..." A cool name. "Register me as Dawn, please."

    The receptionist shook her head. "It was taken up just a bit back."

    Damn it.

    "What about twilight then?"

    "Gone."

    "Morning!?"

    "Blep."

    "Fuck! Night! Give me the name Night!"

    "Just give up."

    The people around wereughing a bit too hard. I held in my desire to burn this ce down and let out a long sigh. "Dusk. How''s that?"

    "Man, you''re persistent," she said. It was only now that I noticed her tapping on a teal te below her table as she spoke. Was that aputer or something? Noticing my gaze, the receptionist smiled again.

    "Aren''t you a clueless cutie?"

    "The name."

    She tapped on her teal tablet a few more times. With each of her movements, the characters filling the tablets would change, it was just like watching a modernputer operate, but there was something different. I couldn''t understand the principle behind it, or more specifically, I couldn''t detect even a strand of mana flow.

    "You''re in luck. Dusk it is. We''ll have two parts of the day giving the exams tomorrow, probably."

    A sigh of relief left me. Choosing names was hell, I remembered my little sister trying to choose a name for all her gacha games and groaning about it. Every time I suggested Kaiser to her back then, it was always taken up as well. Some things didn''t change even in a different world.

    "Alright," she said. pping her hands together. "Age?"

    "Fourteen."

    "What, for reals?"

    I nodded.

    Some whistles came out from the deck above. I shifted my gaze to see a band of five heavily muscr men flexing their muscles and showing me a thumbs-up. I couldn''t see their faces, but people whoplimented others'' muscles were all good folks, so I showed them a thumbs-up back.

    The receptionist stood up, she looked me up and down, and entered something else in her tablet before stepping away from behind the desk.

    "That''s all you need?"

    "It is. Now follow me, kiddo."

    I shrugged and followed behind the receptionist. She was strict, but I guess one had to be so to rein in a wild bunch like adventurers. Though when I looked at the other counters, I didn''t think that was necessarily the case.

    The receptionist walked over to a door leading to the back of the room, waving at me toe along. As I passed them by, many adventurersughed meaningfully while some others wished me good luck.

    I made it a goal in my heart to take all of their names and get some new ones registered with a 1 added on. That''ll show them.

    The receptionist walked inside a narrow passageway after I closed the door behind us. She didn''t say anything to me as she led me to another thin door ahead. Therge wooden door in the passageway exuded a strange vibe.

    "Alright, go in," the receptionist said, sticking herself to the wall.

    "So this is where you smuggle organs from."

    "Just get in kid. Don''t pull such a joke with the people inside."

    I turned to the receptionist, who waspletely ttened against the wall, and tilted my head.

    "What''s inside, a judgment council?"

    "No, it''s what you have to make a contract with. The fairies."

    "Fairies...?"

    "I am warning you now, if you have a turbulent soul you''ll be killed right away. Same if you''re a wanted criminal anywhere in the world. The fairies don''t think much of it."

    The adventurer guild required you to form a contract with fairies?

    This was the first time I was hearing something like this. Could it be, the system she was talking about was rted to fairies too?

    Hearing the word fairy over and over, I remembered something. It was a fleeting line that Albert had once uttered.

    ''You click on the fairy button and ess the main menu, apparently, they used procedural programming and AI to make the fairy unique for every user, it was a neat feature.''

    Albert.

    These are real fairies.

    I was well aware of the existence of fairies, but my conversation with my teacher of magic and the many different books only talked about how they were unique beings of Alfheim who showed cooperation with the mortal realm.

    "So, you make a contract with a fairy everywhere?" I asked.

    "It''s not exactlymon knowledge since people just refer to them as systems," the receptionist replied. "But yeah, all adventurers aiming to go inbyrinths need to have one. The biggest school in the continent is the only ce other than the adventurer guild that is in a rtionship with Alfheim, so you''re pretty lucky here."

    I nodded stiffly.

    Just as I thought. There was too much of this world I didn''t know about.

    "Go in, kid," she said. "I wish you luck. Contract a nasty fairy, and you''ll be stuck for life."

    With those words, I opened the door and stepped inside. Darkness filled my sight and the door creaked shut, before the world changed.

 Chapter 84: Chapter 82: System Contract (2)

    Purple.

    The skies had turned many shades of purple.

    Trees of an ashy white and ivory spread around over the deep blue grasnds as their red and pink leaves fluttered down.

    Right in front of me, a beautiful teal boulder stood invitingly. A strange air of red and pink flowed out from it as what sounded like hymns of the breeze filled my ears.

    I took a step ahead. Strangely enough, I couldn''t feel the sensation of my muscles moving one after the other.

    This wasn''t my real body, but my soul. As I gazed down, around my dantian, an orb of ck and another of white swerved around in a dance inside my soul. The dual cores in my body were reacting to being summoned, or rather, transported with my soul to apletely different realm.

    "Cool home," I muttered as I walked over to the stone. It was asking me toe closer, who was I to refuse?

    I walked up to the gargantuan bolder that reached well above my head. I slowly ced my hand on the boulder and in the next moment, the strange energy seeping out of it surrounded me.

    A draining filling hit my body as both my mana and my Ki was being consumed by the boulder in a single go. I widened my eyes and tried to pull away, but it was impossible to do so, it felt as if someone had stuck my hand to the boulder with super glue and that I would sooner tear my arm off than move away from this boulder.

    I closed my eyes and decided to do the opposite. Guided by me, my energy smoothened out and coursed through my hands before filling the boulder at a much higher pace than before. My trembling cores were not agitated anymore as they spun to maximize my output.

    The boulder quaked.

    In the next moment, a crack spread through it.

    The crack moved up the center of the boulder, emerging from my hand. Before I could see it move, it spread over the entire boulder and snapped it in half, making it fall into two parts on the ground.

    A white ball of light appeared in the air where the boulder used to be.

    I blinked.

    And the blob of light was reced by a small bug-like thing.

    I could see human-like legs and arms stretching out of the bug that would fit in my palms as its translucent teal wings fluttered. Maybe the fairies looked down on humans because we were simr to their bugs?

    "Child, Imend you for summoning me."

    "Heck, this bug speaks?"

    "B-bug!" The bug shifted its hands back in shock before shaking its head. It took in a few deep breaths to calm itself down and then started pping its wings harder. Golden dust fell off the skies and made a trail in the path the bug took.

    "Child, I am no bug," it said. The bug came in front of my face and sped my cheeks with its tiny hands. "I am a fairy. Can''t you see this oh-so-beautiful face of mine?"

    The bug glowed.

    I moved my gaze away.

    I didn''t have the courage to tell it that its face was censored.

    "C-censored!? You rude brat¡ª"

    Wow, so she could hear my thoughts?

    "I can! It''s because I am a fairy, ok?" The fairy soared up in the sky and struck a pose with her hands on her waists. She was quite the weirdo huh?

    "Fairies are not just any randos you can call whenever you want," she said. "Alfheim itself listens to your calls and pairs you up with the fairy matching your soul the most, from potential to personality."

    "It can''t be!" I shouted.

    "Mwahaha! It is!" the fairy screamed. "If you think I am a weirdo, it''s because you''re a weirdo too!"

    "Nooo!" I sank to my knees and grabbed my chest.

    The little fairy stepped on my head and smirked. "Surrender to your fate!"

    "Kuh, kill me."

    We stopped andughed before standing in front of each other again.

    "Seriously though, I am very cool, ok?" I said.

    "Me too. You are not allowed to say otherwise."

    We nodded and she stretched out her hands. I met her hand with mine own.

    In that moment, white light surrounded me, no, us. The white light turned into a torrent swirling around with the two of us in the center.

    As the warmth of her hand reached mine, a single flowed in my mind.

    This fairy and me. We were the same. It was a feeling that went beyond just thoughts and character, it seemed as if our souls were part of a whole. She had said it herself, we were two souls who were destined to be together by Alfheim itself. It was the will of the world.

    I could have said many things to her. She seemed smart, quick-witted, someone I could get along with, but none of those words came out of me. There was no reason to convey those feelings, and she felt the same.

    I didn''t have to ask.

    I understood her.

    It was a truly surreal feeling as the white glow condensed and formed an orb where our hands met.

    "Titania," she said.

    "Eugene," I answered.

    The white glow intensified. In the next moment, the purple sky and the red leaves all trembled as a searing pain shot up my arm. My soul was being branded by Alfheim right here.

    Then, the pain disappeared.

    Like a pleasant luby ringing in my ears, Titania''s voice reached me.

    "Shall you seek hell or heaven, Eugene, for this lifetime that binds my eternal soul, I shall be your guide."

    The painpletely disappeared and the glow dimmed down. A stinging sensation remained in my hand where the white light left behind a branching anchor-marked stamp on me. Many lines spread through the anchor which reminded me of sturdy roots while the small sears left behind were like sharp leaves.

    It was only my hand that had stopped glowing.

    I didn''t have a clear picture of what was happening, but I knew that this was the contract that was to be formed. I understood without any effort that the words that left her were all true.

    Many books and even the receptionist had said that fairies had nasty personalities.

    This fairy should have been no exception. It was purely because of how well we understood each other that I knew, she would more than dly show me whatever path I choose. This feeling of our souls being connected was almost terrifying. As if someone was messing with my mind and my emotions, but at the same time, it was soothing. I was beingpleted.

    Matching her, the same honest truth spilled out of my mouth.

    "Whether it be the gods of the heaven or the demons of hell, Titania, for all shall stand in the path you point, I will make them bow to you."

    She was smiling. I didn''t need to see her to know this.

    The side over at Titania also cooled down and a simr brand was left on her palms.

    Suddenly, the purple sky cracked down. The trees copsed and the winds raged.

    Alfheim was kicking me out.

    "I look forward to living together forever, Eugene."

    "Just do your own chores."

    Titania giggled, and the world of Alfheim copsed.

    ***

    At the same time, in the royal pce of Alfheim, King Oberon and Queen Mab of the fairies received news they couldn''t bring themselves to believe.

    "My lord! The prison! The prison has been emptied!"

    "W-what!?" Oberon screamed.

    "The Queen of Evil Titania has been summoned by Alfheim!"

    Queen Mab fainted while Oberon bit his lips.

    After seven thousand years, the one sealed within the deepest coffers of the fairy kingdom, the queen of all evil, was released into the world.

 Chapter 85: Chapter 83: Stake out to Avoid Lines.

    "Kid, you''re alive."

    "It was like going in a bath. Why were you so scared?" I raised my hand and showed off the new tattoo that still hurt like a bitch.

    "Oh, that''s quite the clear brand. You must have contracted a strong system."

    I nodded and the receptionist started leading me out of the passageway and back to the hall of the guild.

    The few adventurers who had cheered me on waved at me and said some words of congrattions. Just how many people had died in there?

    [Quite a few. Alfheim deems inherently evil people as unworthy and sends out the faes to end them.]

    I stopped in my tracks.

    A strange window had appeared in front of me. The golden words etched on it were followed by a sweet, harmonious voice narrating it.

    The receptionist didn''t notice me and went behind the counter while I tried too push my hands through the window.

    The few adventurers looked at me andughed. When I pointed at it and turned to them, the shook their heads.

    No one else could see it?

    "Ara? You find this odd?"

    The translucent golden window disappeared in thin air and was reced by my fairy friend donning a gown.

    She swerved around in the air and then settled down on my shoulders. Swinging her legs, Titania pointed ahead.

    "Most fairies don''t like to see their humans, so they use that window tomunicate. I''ll just speak for simple things, don''t worry, no one else can see me."

    I nodded and stopped at the reception. Thedy was stopped tapping on her teal tablet and handed me a card.

    "You''ll need this during the examination tomorrow. There''ll be a line, soe early. It''s not easy to pass, so I suggest you keep yourself prepared."

    I took the card from her and looked around. Much to my surprise, the time I had spent inside Alfheim was longer than I had thought and night had already fallen.

    "Um, do you know any ce I can stay the night at?"

    The receptionist shifted her gaze up at me and crossed her hands. She thought for a few seconds before shaking her head.

    "Hm, majority of the hotels and inns should be jam-packed with people since it''s test season. The guild house is packed too, you''ll have to try your luck in the outskirts."

    Saying that, the receptionist pulled up a couple pamphlets and handed them to me.

    She exined the location of each inn and told me to refer her.

    "Then, thank you for everything," I said.

    "If you''re thankful then treat me to some food." She answered, waving me away. "And be on time, the line gets long and many people miss out."

    "Got it, thanks again!"

    With that, I exited the adventurer guild.

    "Waa!!" Titania spun in the air as she floated up from my shoulders. I had entered alone and was now stepping out as a pair, the adventurer''s guild was a dangerous ce.

    Titania seemed like a child seeing the stars for the first time as did a butterfly stroke mid-air while shouting gasps of admiration.

    "I-I totally forgot the outside world is pretty too!"

    I looked up and saw the stars. They seemed just like any other days stars.

    "Is it?" I asked.

    Titania suddenly floated in front of my face.

    "Look at the smile on this beautiful face of mine, the outside world is a tenth as pretty. No maybe a twentieth."

    "I can''t see your face in the first ce."

    I didn''t want to seem like a weirdo in a new town, so I kept my voice low while walking to the outskirts. There wasnt much of a need to, though. The prime of the night streets were behind me and the only ones walking around on the streets lit by the dim yellow street lights were either drunks or stragglers.

    Titania crossed her arms, not missing the pace of her flight even a bit.

    Then, she suddenly sped my cheeks with her tiny hands again.

    "You don''t have to see me, I''ll do that for you. I am the prettiest and cutest in the universe, got it?"

    I smiled and took a step ahead. Titania was shook off and left behind before she floated right back and nestled herself in my hair.

    "I don''t need to see to know that."

    "Right!"

    "Know that I''m prettier and cuter."

    I flicked my hair and smirked. Of course I was.

    "Aah! Dummy! Curse you! May you never get a girlfriend!"

    Titania cutely smacked my head, it felt like a tiny stuff toy trying to attack.

    "Oh hey, we''re at the inn."

    Titania stopped hitting me andid down on top of me, resting her cheek on her palms as I moved into the establishment.

    "Did none of your previous contractors show you the outside world or something?"

    I asked Titania as I entered.

    "I haven''t been contracted for seven thousand or something years. I forgot."

    "Sorry, sir. All our rooms are full."

    Well, no problems, I expected this. I moved to the next inn right away.

    "You must have been jealous of the other fairies then? I guess the skies of Alfheim can get slightly sickening with how much that world moves on it''s own."

    "Haha what? You''re lucky you didn''t say it in front of the terrific teal tablet or Alfheim would have smacked you. Anyway, it''s not like others can see the human world either. Though I never talked with them, I know that much."

    "We''re at capacity, sir."

    No problems. The third.

    "Why can''t others see it?"

    "It takes a lot of strength from both the fairy and the human to summon a fairy into this realm. Most of them only talk with their consciousness and don''t put in any effort."

    "Apologies sir, we can''t ept more guests."

    Fourth.

    "What about you?"

    "You''re strong so I brought my entire body into your seal!"

    "We''re full."

    "Sorry we''re at capacity."

    "All our rooms are booked."

    "This is a swinger bar."

    "No lodgings are avable."

    I dragged my feet back to the insides of the town. No matter where I checked. All rooms were booked. I even offered extra cash for kicking someone out but they outright refused.

    This was the worst. I would have had to sleep my first night out in the open.

    Just as I was thinking that, Titania spotted an obese person with a folded bag in his hands moving somewhere.

    "Eugene! That''s a tent!"

    "No way, I couldn''t see."

    "No need for sass, I''ll take cash instead."

    Making haste, I pulled the tiptoeing person by his cors.

    The man turned around and lowered his head whe twiddling his fingers.

    "W-w-what is it!" He said.

    I patted his shoulders in a friendly manner and smiled. "Where you going?"

    He looked at me when I acted nice and started spreading his scrunched shoulders one after another.

    "Ahha! T-this! I brought this tent just today. They''re releasing the limited edition Tin Rohsaka voodoo figurine 4000FGO, so I have to get in line!" His shoulders widened and he giggled between each word.

    "Wow, I am shocked for the first time in 10000 years, Eugene."

    That''s one bad trigger for the first shock in forever. Holding in my sigh, I looked at his tent.

    Clean. Completely.

    I patted his shoulders twice. I liked the guy, he knew something basic and important for all of humanity.

    "Bet you need that tent to be first in line?"

    That''s right. Whether it''s lunch line or figurine, being behind others was the worst.

    The man nodded twice when I asked that question.

    My lips curved into a wide smile.

    Still nodding, he started crying.

    Like a good child, he handed over the tent to me and sniffled.

    "I-I''ll still get the figure... You bastard."

    "Figure? Who cares about that. I am registering¡ª"

    The man suddenly screamed and huffed. "I should have known! Damn normie!"

    He suddenly screamed and turned away, shouting ''Tin~ Tin~''

    "Huh," Titania scoffed. "He must have been cracked in the head."

    "Really? He seemed normal to me." I shrugged. I totally understood where he wasing from. I used to do the same whenever a good weapon was about to be put for sale.

    "Then! Let''s go camp out in a good park!" Titania announced.

    "What? Why? We''ll be camping in front of the adventurer''s guild. There''s no way I''ll be second in line."

    With that, I heaved the tent up and moved to the adventurer guild again.

    "I''m starting to think you''re a bit cracked up there too..."

 Chapter 86: Chapter 84: Adventurer Examination

    "Excuse me."

    Light filled my eyes as the p of my tent was pulled up.

    "Fuck, aren''t you that kid from yesterday?" the intruder spoke, not letting me even collect myself as the harsh sunlight filled my eyes. "Dusk, was it? Did you seriously camp here all night?"

    I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

    "So it is," I said. "Am I first in line?"

    "You are. Now get this thing away from here."

    "Right, but who are you?"

    "Did you seriously forget... No way, good joke. Get rid of this."

    This bitch sure liked to boss people around. The intruder walked away from the tent and went inside the adventurer''s guild, unlocking the door herself. Must''ve been the receptionist, then.

    I looked at my hand and noticed that the glow from the ''system'' was rather dim. Titania must still be asleep.

    In no time at all, I picked up all my luggage and got out of the tent before kicking it away. The tent flew up like a kite and fell into the dumpster on the opposite end.

    I wasn''t going to sleep in a tent twice. I would make a shack instead.

    Eventually, the door opened up and the aspirant adventurers were let inside. About two hundred people were guided to the vast third floor of the guild-house that was turned into a library.

    "The first test is a written one. Please find your name tags and sit ordingly. The test papers are already ced there."

    The applicants all coursed through the room while a man, who seemed to be the proctor for the examination, continued exining the rules.

    "The exam time is 10 minutes from when I say start."

    I found my name just when the ridiculous time constraint was announced.

    "It''ll be graded right away, and if you get even a single question wrong, you fail."

    A lot of people had stopped searching for their seats by then and were staring at the proctor. I was smarter than that so I quickly sat down when¡ª

    "Alright. Time starts now."

    "HAH!?!"

    Footsteps shuffled around the ce as everyone rushed to get to their seats. Some who tried to sit on someone else''s seat and change the name were kicked out by the proctors who had blended in with the test-takers.

    Things were getting clearer about why the adventurer''s guild let anyone assume any identity. They were screened thoroughly, from the fairies to the guild members themselves.

    It was a necessary skill for adventurers to be quick on their feet, this was just one of those examples. Of course, honesty and trust were also important for people who entrusted each other with their lives.

    I flipped the paper on my table and greeted the questions¡ªNot.

    It was empty.

    There was some kind of trick they were pulling here. I tried to infuse both my mana and my ki into the paper, but nothing happened.

    At that same time, a tall woman in a suit suddenly sat next to me. I took a nce at her name tag and her paper, just to check if she was in the same boat.

    Dawn.

    So that was the one who had stolen my name, huh? I would have gone out for blood if only there weren''t like 420 of them.

    "You shouldn''t cheat," Dawn spoke, not turning at me.

    Wow, adventurers truly were observant.

    "You either," I said.

    "Hmph."

    Dawn harrumphed and looked away, and I did the same. We both had only moved our eyes just a tiny bit and were checking each other with peripheral vision. Of course, it was easy for me to notice a gaze unless someone was hiding their presence like a master, which neither of us did.

    "Five minutes left. We are down to 130 people."

    What happened!?

    I wanted to see what was going on but didn''t have the time. It was when I was about to write down some questions myself that a yawn resounded in my ears.

    "Eugy? Aahm... it started already?"

    Titania suddenly appeared atop the test paper, crossing her legs while stretching her hands above her head.

    She then cupped her chin in her palms and kicked at the paper.

    "Want help?"

    "Think you can do something?" I whispered back.

    Titania smiled and tapped her fingers on the paper. In the next moment, a reddish gleam covered the paper and characters started appearing on it.

    "Your turn," she said before rolling away from the paper.

    The words of the proctor made more sense now since there was only one question on the test.

    [Q. What should you do when you meet an enemy stronger than yourself?]

    "Hah!"

    I scoffed. It was a question fitting the group known as adventurers.

    [Answer. Run]

    Two ps resounded in the room right then.

    Everyone stopped and stared as the papers floated into the air and went toward the proctor on their own.

    "The test is over. Out of 234, only 40 people managed to see their questions."

    The proctor breezed through the papers in the blink of an eye as he took away a few of the forty papers.

    "And only 30 gave the right answer to the single question."

    Gasps rang out as he tossed the papers to the side and took a firm step ahead.

    "An adventurer, no matter where, needs four things. And we tested three of them."

    He pointed three of his fingers out as he walked around, eyeing who I assumed were the candidates that passed the test.

    "One is wits, or the ability to handle sudden situations. The second and possibly the most important, your rtionship with your guides, the system. Andstly, awareness of your capabilities."

    The proctor then turned to the people that failed and smiled.

    "I would suggest working on your rtionship with the fairies. You can try again next time, but the contract can be broken at any time."

    Hm? I spotted something wrong right there.

    I turned to Titania and pumped my brows.

    "Didn''t you say it is an eternal contract?"

    "Ours is!"

    Before I could say anything else, the proctor pped his hands again.

    "Alright, failures. Get lost. The ones I call for,e along. We''ll be testing thest of the qualities you need."

    "Which is?" someone asked, provoking a loud chuckle from the proctor.

    "Power," he said.

    Perfect.

 Chapter 87: Chapter 85: Promising Applicants

    A small crowd was gathered around a single arena behind the guild house. The stands could easily fit around a hundred or so spectators and were way over capacity from the people alone. A few people who seemed like veteran adventurers were standing opposite from where the 30 qualifiers, including me, stepped in from.

    Cheers rang out as spectators with popcorn and sodas in their hands watched use up to the wide arena. The same proctor as the first exam stopped us at the edge of the arena and went to the center on his own.

    He said something, but no one could hear him.

    The proctor then awkwardly faked a cough as some mages on the sidelines started casting an amplification spell.

    "Then, wee everyone to the, uh which is it? Whatever. Wee to another Deep Down Adventurer''s Guild''s Deep Down Test!"

    The crowd broke into loud cheers as he began saying some random stuff.

    "I thought the crowd will be bigger. Didn''t peoplee to spectate?"

    The receptionist did say that people flooded here to spectate. While the line outside was long, maybe this bit was too much for a country bumpkin like her?

    "Why would people spectate the entrance test of a bunch of kids?"

    I turned to my side to see a tall figure shrugging at my words.

    "And who are you?"

    "We just met!?"

    Oh, that Dawn girl.

    "Kaha, you sure don''t miss chances brother!" I was patted on the shoulder this time. I turned to see a young man in a yellow jacket and a ck beanieughing while tapping my shoulders.

    Now, who was this?

    "Who are you?" My question was put into words by Dawn.

    "What? You don''t know me, olddy?"

    Dawn grabbed the man by his shoulders and pulled him up. I could see his teeth like that of a shark glistening as he didn''t take his hands out of his pockets even when threatened.

    "Who did you call old? I am just 25, got it?"

    "That''s old, you hag!"

    "Now you''ve done it brat."

    Dawn pulled her fists back when a third person interrupted. It was a person in a tailcoat and a formal suit. I could see a monocle''s chain stretching up to his eyes.

    "Now, now. Both of you are young. Why not preserve your strength?"

    "Hah?" sharkie spoke. "Why are you butting in? You shouldn''t order old hags around, you know?"

    "Consider it the request of an elder."

    "And how old is this elder?"

    "65? Satisfied?"

    "Seems young to me."

    I nodded with Sharkie. 65 wasn''t that old now.

    "Hey, hey, hey!" Dawn scoffed. "You mean only women get old beyond 20?! HAH!?"

    "No, only you do! Hag!" Sharkie then stuck his tongue out and Dawn swung her hands in rage. At that moment, another person¡ª

    Fuck it. I don''t care. Why do these guys pop up like insects?

    "Oh, he stopped them both?"

    I was prompted by Titania''s mutterings to turn again. A man in full te armor had stepped in and grabbed Dawn''s hand with one arm while pulling Sharkie away with another.

    The full-te man scoffed and let them go.

    "Fight in the ring," he said. "I was trying to take a napzzzz."

    "Did he just fall asleep while talking?"

    "And he''s still standing. Eugy, adventurers sure are a unique bunch."

    It was before we could say anything that the proctor announced.

    "And so, we will begin the selection battle between the applicants and the adventurers. First up, applicant Roth and Iron-Ranked adventurer, Phillip!"

    At his announcement, the 65-year-old man who intervened before bowed at us.

    "Then, I''ll be taking my leave."

    "All the best buddy!"

    "Go show ''em!"

    Now Dawn and Sharkie were being nice. What flippant bastards.

    Crossing my hands, I ignored the rest and moved over to the seats prepared for the applicants. I was looking forward to it. Both Phillip and the old man looked rather strong.

    "But, why are you reining in your presence that much?" Titania asked, taking a seat on my head.

    "For fun, of course."

    ***

    At the side of the arena, right in front of the twobatants from both groups, the panel of instructors and judges working for the adventurer''s guild sat with quills in their hands.

    A woman with curly blonde hair among them sighed and shook her head. "Quite some talents gathered this time. I think we''ll be seeing five or six new adventurers."

    She and the two others looked at the stage where the old man with gray hair and a benign smile was facing off against the veteran adventurer Phillip. Unlike the scantly dressed Phillip who boasted the scars on his copper skin with a wide smirk, the formally dressed Roth didn''t have a single weapon in sight.

    In sight for normal people.

    "He''s a good assassin, if he could detect traps, the adventurers will see him as hot stuff."

    The tank of a man in the center of the panel said. He rested his chin on his hands as he observed thebatants, scrutinizing their every breath. At his words, thest of the panel who was in a simr suit to Roth and donned a cap with a walking stick smirked.

    "I am always jealous of you because of this. Why don''t such talentse over to the branch in the empire?"

    "I agree. Even the Schwarz kingdom branchcks talent."

    "Hah!" the capped man scoffed at the woman''s words. "You say that with ''that man'' in your rooster? Are you kidding?"

    "Tsk. I can''t im him for myself. Doesn''t that guy belong to the branch manager too?"

    At that, the two on the sides red daggers at the one in the center, the branch manager of the Deep Down Town adventurers guild. The branch manager, uncaring of theirints, sighed.

    They noticed his gaze fixed on a handsome boy sitting in the corner. He seemed muscr for a child, but the soft charm of a youngster wasn''t lost. His pretty face with the sharp jaw line and a high nose bridge perfectlyplimenting his deep red eyes gave the air of an androgynous beauty as his long white hair fluttered in the wind.

    "He''s going to be humiliated," The blondedy said.

    "Branch Manager has always had a soft spot for kids. You should pit him against an easy opponent," the hatted manager continued.

    The branch manager had different ns, though.

    "He''s fighting the second silver-ranked adventurer."

 Chapter 88: Chapter 86: First Time in History

    A grunt rang out, and the battle began.

    "Old sir, I don''t think this is a job fitting your age." Phillip, the copper-ranked adventurer lightly ced his halberd on his shoulder while grinning.

    "How strange," Roth replied, his benign smile not faltering for a second. "Some lovely children just told me that sixty-five is quite the youthful age."

    "Oh? You actually are young?"

    At that, a certain adventurer applicant expressed her displeasure, but her words went unnoticed.

    "Then, I won''t hold back," with that, Phillip lowered his stance and clutched his halberd before pointing it forward. Roth smiled and narrowed his gaze.

    The two of them disappeared.

    Phillip held his breath as he lunged where Roth stood, only to find him gone. Behind him, a dozen daggers flew down on his body from all directions. Philip twisted his body and dodged most of them, knocking away the ones he couldn''t with the t end of his weapon.

    Phillip''s eyes swerved around the ce as he flexed his muscles.

    Roth had disappearedpletely.

    "Assassin type! I rather dislike those cowards!"

    Philip stuck his gaze to the ground of the arena. The shadow of a de entered the fringes of his vision.

    Like a dancer, the adventurer twisted and turned, dodging all the attacks that came his way from their shadows alone.

    Yet, Roth was skilled. No matter how many weapons he threw and retrieved, he showed no signs of appearing in Philip''s eyes.

    ''Magic, or a blind spot.''

    Phillip narrowed his subsequent actions with a cool temperance. He raised his halberd high¡ª

    "If you won''te out. I''ll make you."

    ¡ªAnd smashed the halberd down on the ground.

    "Mhm."

    "These bastards don''t understand moderation."

    The two judges on both ends sighed and shook their heads. In the blink of an eye, dust and debris filled the battlefield, rising from the ground as the single aura-infused swing of the halberd destroyed the entire ring. With his footing now floating in the air, Roth appeared again.

    Yet, he didn''t seem fazed as he hurriedly kicked off the floating debris to jump back to the adventurer. He dived in front of the adventurer at max speed, stretching his weapon out.

    "Not bad, Mister!" Phillip grinned and turned away. All the spectators were left in shock as Phillip willingly showed his back to the approaching Roth, but the impact they envisioned never happened.

    Phillip casually struck his weapon in the air, and a second Roth wasunched from the battlefield. The first approaching one disappeared in thin air, it was just an illusion that the aged assassin had used to distract his target.

    "The match ends!" The proctor announced and magicians rushed to fix up the arena. Phillip walked over to Roth and helped him up with a bright smile.

    "So," the judge at the center, the manager of the Deep Down Town branch called out to Phillip. "What''s the verdict?"

    "I say he has passed with flying colors," Phillip grinned.

    The judges nodded at his words and then the branch manager stood up.

    "Applicant Roth, you are now officially an adventurer." He then looked at his fellow judges and nodded. "From the three ranks you can receive as a starter, you will be assigned the second highest, an Iron rank."

    "Way to goo!"

    The boy with the beanie screamed, and the audience followed. Cheers and cries broke out as the veteran and the newbie adventurer shared a handshake and left the stage.

    The proceedings went by quickly after the stage was fixed.

    As the judges had predicted, four more candidates passed the tests. A young wizard girl with pink hair whose face waspletely covered by her hat was assigned the Wood rank, following a series of failures, the next one to pass was the golden-haired man in full te armor. Women cheered loud when they saw his sharp face and kind smile.

    "Your type annoys me the most!!"

    His opponent was none other than the person who had constantly asked if Eugene was single after giving up on women, but had shut the fuck up after learning his age.

    "You me me for something out..zzzz Ah! Something out of... what was I saying?"

    "Bastard!!"

    To not many''s surprise, that match ended in the golden-haired man, Zechariah Arke''s defeat. But with his ability to transform his sword aura into pure lightning, he managed to leave hundreds of injuries on the adventurer, along with one on his image that would make women hate him after beating up someone good-looking."

    "Copper Rank."

    The branch manager announced and the audience cheered even louder for the highest-ranked applicant yet, and probably the only one for the entire test.

    Another one was given the wood rank when the shark-toothed boy entered the stage. He was paired up against another copper-ranked adventurer and a thrilling battle raged.

    A magician adventurer pitted against a boy who could transform his body into weapons. Eugene was vastly impressed when he saw the shark toothunching his hair and turning them into tiny spikes. He managed to drive the magician to quite the corner, but was excitable andcked foresight, causing him to fall for the trapid out by the magician since the beginning.

    The applicants were shaved off one after another and took the spectator stands until only a young boy with white hair and a beautiful, talldy with a few inches on the boy were left on the stage. Her soft features that seemed to give out a mature yet charming look weren''t unnoticed by others, though shark-tooth still liked to call her an old-hag, she was anything but.

    "Next, Applicant Dawn, and Silver-Ranked Praco."

    People gasped.

    This was the first silver-ranked adventurering up in the exam. Silver ranks were special, they were overtly powerful to the point that new applicants did not even have the option to be directly registered as silver-ranked.

    Even beyond their talents and strengths, the instincts and experience that such high-ranked adventurers developed with their life on the line against unchartednds and unvisited dungeons set them and everyone above in a league of their own.

    Silver, gold, and tinum were without a doubt elites amongst elites, but even beyond them, the Adamantium, Orichalcum, and Mythril Ranked adventurers were living legends regarded as VIPs all over the world.

    "Hey," The white-haired boy called out, leaning on his chin. "All the best," he said.

    Dawn was slightly taken aback by the sudden call-out from the boy who had chosen to stay out of all conversations yet. She didn''t know that once he had moved away, he was just unsure of who he was talking with earlier and thought it would be awkward to encourage people he hadn''t shared a word with before.

    With only two of them left, it was easy for the boy to acknowledge her.

    Dawn smiled. "Just watch this elder sister," she said.

    The boy only nodded in response.

    Dawn came up on the stage renewed for the fourth time and met a smiling adventurer with eyes as thin as a line holding a sword in his hands. The adventurer who didn''t seem the least bit shy was waiting patiently for Dawn.

    "Tough luck," Dawn announced. "You''ll be the first silver-ranked to lose in this exam."

    The adventurer tilted his head at her words and thenughed. "Lady, not a single adventurer has ever lost in front of an applicant in the entire world. And those are all copper-ranked."

    "Is that so? You''ll go down in history then," the suited Dawn smirked and pulled out the hairpin holding up her long violet hair. With a flick of her wrists, the hairpin expanded and grew into a staff.

    "Do you know what sets a silver-ranked apart from a copper-ranked?" the adventurer posed.

    "What is it?"

    "It''s..." the adventurer slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a rectangr object as ominously as he could. "this guild card. Ours is made of silver. That''s it really."

    Dawn''s forehead scrunched.

    Instead of waiting for someone to g them in, she clicked her tongue and rushed toward the adventurer.

    With her ck hairpin-turned-staff, she went toe to toe against the adventurer and his sword.

    An intense gust spread out and the spectators were slightly blown away as the two of them engaged in closebat that would leave knights frothing at their mouths.

    The adventurer''s techniques were practical, honed by fighting dozens upon dozens of beasts, but he was left stumped.

    Thisdy.

    This monster.

    Even though she swung her staff and twisted her pretty face in a grin suiting one of the many beasts he had killed, he was being vastly overpowered. Within those wild movements made to kill was a certain rhythm, a beautiful dance that held so much grace his practicability couldn''t ovee it.

    "Tsk," the adventurer clicked his tongue. The Ki coursing through his sword intensified. From the first stages of Charge and Aura to Projectile, and then Manifest.

    His Ki took a fluid, physical form however he wanted and crashed into Dawn. Much to his chagrin, instead of being intimidated by the adventurer''s full power, Dawn too increased her output and reached the same stage.

    "Manifest Ki!?" one of the judges eximed. "How in the world!?"

    "Is that all you got?" Dawn shouted and continued swinging. The intense battle grew bloody as both of them piled wounds upon wounds on each other.

    When the adventurer swung down, Dawn ignored the damage and stabbed. When he tried to block, she twisted her body to the extremes until a hitnded. She fought on and on until both of them were left panting.

    "Crazy bitch..." the adventurer muttered, earning a click of the tongue from Dawn.

    She suddenly stood up straight and scratched her hair, her violet hair turning red from the blood mixed in her hands. Though they had seen enough, no one wanted to interrupt the battle.

    "Let''s end this," Dawn muttered. She focused all her power in staff. The air around started contracting as she lowered her stance.

    Meeting her sincerity head on, the adventurer did the same.

    People watched with bated breaths as the amount of Ki surged through the skies.

    They charged.

    The two of them shed into each other at once and a cloud of smoke arose.

    A shockwave spread through the air from the sheer impact as everyone waspletely blinded from the onught, everyone except four people and a fairy.

    The cloud of dust slowly subsided.

    A cracked battlefield came into view.

    "I-It''s!!"

    The proctor screamed.

    "It''s a tie!!!"

    For the first time in history, an applicant had driven an adventurer to a tie.

 Chapter 89: Chapter 87: First Quest

    "I-It''s a tie!!"

    The sound of the announcer rang out loud, reaching my calm ears. I had already seen the oue of the battle through the smoke.

    Dawn and Pracoy limp on the ground, their bodies tattered up.

    The people broke into loud cheers while the priests and magicians on standby rushed to get the adventurer and the applicant.

    "You saw that? History, huh?" Titania posed such words to me while I was still reining all his presence in to the extreme. Had it not been for Dawn noticing me earlier during the examination, I would have nevere up with this method to surprise people and have some fun.

    Still, that thedy had made ''history'' irked me.

    The branch manager stepped up and announced the decision since the testing adventurer couldn''t bring up a verdict anymore.

    "An unprecedented victory, applicant Dawn will begin as a copper-ranked adventurer with priority for promotion."

    I clicked my tongue and dusted my clothes.

    "If I defeat my opponent, won''t I be directly promoted to silver rank?"

    As if on cue, the branch manager spoke up again.

    "As for thest match. Applicant Dusk... against Silver-Ranked Iffy."

    More loud cheers broke out as the next opponent was set to be a silver-ranked as well. But, eventually, the cheers almostpletely dwindled away when people looked at me and thought I was weak. I had never ''hidden'' my strength before, so this was interesting. Pretending to be weak just to mess with others wasn''t so bad, but at this rate, it would only make me seem cowardly.

    I noticed ady donning a red robe stepping up to the stage with a staff in her hands.

    "A magician, huh?"

    "Say, say, Eugy~" Titania suddenly started twisting on my head. "Should I give you a quest? It will be tough to pull off, but the reward will be worth it."

    A quest?

    That piqued my interest.

    As I faked stretching in front of the audience before moving to the stage, I continued speaking with Titania.

    "It depends on the content and the reward. The reward especially."

    If this was something like what existed in the game simr to Albert''s recounts, then the quests should help me better my skills.

    "Alright! It''ll be too difficult for you anyway so its ok to give up."

    "Tsk. Fine. I''ll ept it, now tell me what it is."

    Titania giggled again and snapped her fingers. A translucent window of gold appeared in front of my eyes with the most absurd content I had ever read.

    [Quest: Do the impossible

    Difficulty: Very Very Tough! >.0

    Content: Defeat the Silver Ranked Adventurer using only magic.

    Failure: Titania will be disappointed :(

    Sess: Titania will give you a big big hug~ (¤Ã¡ä¨Œ£à)¤Ã(¤Ã¡ä¨Œ£à)¤Ã]

    I cracked my knuckles and stretched my neck, augh threatening to spill out.

    "What what, too tough? I won''t me me if you refuse, Eugy!"

    "Tough? What gave you the furthest idea that something like this is tough for me?"

    Titania crossed her arms and thought. "I mean," she said. "Your posture and movements are very suited for the sword. Sure, your control over mana is good and strong, but a magician''s fight is tough you know?"

    I couldn''t hold back anymore as I stepped on the stage and broke into loudughter. The adventurer and many of the audience seemed to be thinking I was just mocking the game or myself by acting out of line, but I didn''t care about that.

    "Oh, dear Titania." I smirked and raised my hand at the opponent, whispering my words. "I use a sword simply because I am not used to it."

    "You brat, you don''t understand a silver-ranked''s ability even after seeing thatst battle, do you?"

    The wizard girl said something, but I didn''t care enough to hear.

    "Listen well, Titania."

    Whether it be this world or the old.

    My extreme efforts weren''t lost. Nor was myfort and strength, my values cultivated over years and years.

    "This Eugene... is a magician through and through."

    I slowly released the presence I was holding back.

    ***

    As soon as the young boy stepped up on the stage, the branch manager realized that all the judges were now on the same page.

    "I didn''t think someone could hide their presence to such an extremity," the hatted judge muttered. It was very clear to them now why the branch manager had chosen to pit this kid up against a silver-ranked at the end of everything.

    "You need to be more alert," the branch manager said rxedly.

    Soon enough, all the gazes staring at Eugene with ack of interest changed. The ones who could and even the ones who couldn''t, a primal instinct roared inside them, telling them this being wasn''t what they previously judged him to be.

    "Let''s begin," Eugene muttered on stage.

    Iffy''s lips cracked into a small smile as she realized the source of the confidence that this kid disyed.

    The proctor announced the start of the battle.

    And the air in the arena changed.

    It looked like just two people staring at each other to the normal spectators, but the trained ones wee left bbergasted at the disy in front of them.

    One after the other, an intense tug of war began as the two magicians fought for dominance over the mana in the air. All the neutral mana floating about was being imed by the two magicians at rapid speed, and then the first sh happened.

    With the neutral mana out, Eugene and Iffy tried to steal ownership over the mana the other had already taken over.

    Iffy''s face hardened as the mana in the air came to aplete standstill. She wasn''t ready to let go of her control, but wasn''t able to take it back either.

    The air started move under the immense pressure while small cracks spread on the ground of the arena.

    Right then, Eugene''s mouth twisted into a smile.

    "Not bad," he said.

 Chapter 90: Chapter 88: Magician Through and Through

    "Not bad."

    The control of all the mana in the air waspletely neutralized in the blink of an eye.

    Iffy leaped back and swung her staff.

    "[Fireball Barrage]"

    Dozens of fireballs mercilessly tore through the air at her cold voice. The balls of seething hot mes boiled the air and rushed toward the figure of the casually standing boy at the side.

    He snapped his fingers.

    "[Honeb Defense: Dormatio Domus]"

    The dozens of fireballs reached Eugene and crashed into an invisible wall before fading away.

    Iffy increased the speed of the fireballs until they covered all of the skies above the battlefield and sent them hurtling toward the boy,pletely blocking his vision.

    She tapped her staff twice on the ground and a wide magic circle formed over the entire arena.

    "[Field of Impalement]"

    Before the people could even blink, the entire arena grounds were filled with spikes. The aftermath of the smokescreen of mes hadn''t yet faded away when her next attack was already executed.

    Iffy watched with bated breaths as she clenched her staff tighter.

    Standing gracefully atop a stgmite with just a single foot was Eugene, watching the girl with a smile.

    "You''re on the vestiges of breakthrough to Arcana," he muttered. "Still, there is too much waste."

    "Hah, cheeky brat."

    Eugene raised two of his fingers into the air. "Watch and learn," he said.

    Mana started contracting in the air.

    "[Fireball Barrage]" As his fingers drew an arch, the words came spilling out.

    Iffy let out a chuckle when she noticed the lines upon lines of fireballs stretching up to thirty meters in the sky.

    In the next moment, Eugene clenched his fists.

    The vast balls of fire contracted into tiny, extremely tiny droplets of magma.

    "[Rain of mes]"

    An onught of magma fell from the skies with the flick of his wrist.

    "[Barrier]" "[Barrier]" "[Barrier]" "[Barrier]"

    Iffy scrambled to fix her defenses as smoke rose from the melting ground.

    Eugene watched with amusements from atop the stgmite. He couldn''t sense her location through her barriers and the smoke.

    In the next moment, an ominous presence neared him.

    Eugene twisted his head and body to the left as a spear of wood came rushing toward him. As if time had slowed down, Eugene avoided the spear by the breadth of a hair as he twisted to the side, the length of the spear passing right in front of his eyes.

    There, he noticed it.

    A small magic circle etched on the spear.

    Eugene smiled as mana crackled in the circle.

    She was a specialist in wood-attribute magic of the elemental series then. She noticed he would have had to bring his defenses to a minimum tounch his attacks. All this information flooded his mind as he saw a bold of lighting form from the circle.

    She wasn''t wrong, he did lower his defenses.

    Lower it.

    Eugene quickly controlled the shield he was standing on and sent up to block the attack. The tip of the stgmite dug through his boots and into his skin as the shield reached just in time to stop the bolt of electricity.

    His foot was impaled through as he narrowly blocked the attack.

    Blood was drawn.

    Eugene turned to his side to see a giant magic circle form where iffy was.

    "You''re strong, kid," she said, heaving as the giant magic circle started to spin. "If we drag this, I might just lose."

    It was almost as if he didn''t care about his impaled foot as Eugene casually twisted his body to face her again, or more urately, the magic circle.

    "You definitely passed, now go rest," she said.

    The glow of the magic circle grew brighter.

    "[Wood Magic: Hundred Lives Coffin]"

    The glow of the magic circle reached a peak.

    Layers uponyers of wood emerged from the circle as they coiled and sharpened.

    Theyers of wood reached the unmoving Eugene.

    They came to his face.

    Just as the root of the wood was about to touch his eyes¡ª

    ¡ªIt turned to dust.

    All the wood disappeared into the air as the magic circle suddenly copsed.

    Iffy was confused beyond reason as she frantically turned around. She tapped her staff and muttered many chants, but was unable to get the magic spells going again. Finally, her eyesnded on the boy in front of her.

    His crimson eyes were now glowing with a shade of amethyst.

    Interference.

    In all those fleeting seconds, this boy had not just seen through her spells, but had calcted and nullified everyst bit of her magic.

    His cold voice brought the trembling Iffy back to the ground.

    "Who gave a second-rate like you the qualifications to judge me?" he asked.

    He snapped his fingers.

    A magic circle slowly formed mid-air. It''s scale muchrger than the one Iffy had created.

    "[Trinity Series. Destruction Attribute: Breeze of Destruction]"

    The grandiose magic circle activated and disappeared. Unlike what the terrified audience expected, nothing big happened.

    At that moment, Iffy felt a gentle, almost calming gust of air blowing at her.

    And in the next moment, she fell to the ground.

    Every ce the breeze touched disappeared, as if it were ceasing to exist. From the arena to the clothes of the girl, only her body was left unharmed after great control by Eugene, but he made sure to take away all her energy.

    Blood started trickling down Eugene''s nose who had overused his brain a bit too much.

    Not a soul uttered a word as he roughly wedged his foot out of the stgmite and hopped on the ground, urging the breeze to disappear.

    ''Using the trinity series is still too much,'' Eugene thought. Amongst the powers of mages, this special series of attributes that went into the realms of heavens was a little too great for humans to control. Though, magic was fair to all, and anyone who dared was weed with open arms by any spell.

    Eugene let out a sigh and stretched his hand above his head.

    "Y''all don''t wanna announce the results?" he asked.

    At that, the silent proctor got a hold of himself and brought the mics to his lips.

    "For the first time... an applicant has won."

 Chapter 91: Chapter 89: Before Diving

    The examinations were wrapped up rather quickly after my victory. That was to be expected since not everyone would know how to react after what had happened.

    Even Keith and all the Hero Parties that take up the tests have never been able to defeat a full-fledged adventurer even though they were pit up against a silver-ranked as well.

    "That means people who are beyond a certain level of strength don''t give these examinations, and the reason is simple. Either a fairy won''t pick them, or the way to get to that level of strength is through fighting against the monsters and enemies the dungeons bring you. Knights or pre-existing adventurers."

    "I understand," I said. "So, can I leave already? I want to go into the dungeon."

    The receptionist, the same one from before, sitting across me, shook her head.

    "Can''t. You will be meeting some people soon. Also, you can''t dive today."

    How annoying. I expected to meet the bigwigs, but to think it''ll waste so much time as well.

    "Why?" I asked.

    "For one, you just finished the test. It''s dangerous." She slowly crossed her legs and folded her fingers while listing things off. "You don''t know anything about the monsters. Theyout of the dungeon. You don''t have any gear. Oh, and, since you camped out, you don''t have anywhere to stay either, right kid?"

    "Harassment."

    The receptionist chuckled at my words. She then showed me thumbs-up.

    "I''ll handle your lodging."

    "Will rooms be open?"

    "Nope. As I said, people are here to spectate. The event tomorrow where adventurers dive in with thetest recording alchemic device is a big deal."

    This woman dropped some big information without much thought. So people were supposed to enter with cameras tomorrow.

    "You should break yours," Titania whispered, merrily swinging her legs on my shoulders. I concurred. Having eyes on me would be annoying.

    "How are you nning to help with my lodging then? I am not going to stay with someone like you," I said, covering my chest and turning away. That seemed to have pissed her off as she clicked her tongue and clenched her fists.

    "Not me. Since that girl Dawn is going to be out ofmission, I''ll just fling you in her room. She was staying at the guilds'' dorms anyway."

    "She doesn''t seem the type to let that happen..."

    "You don''t worry about that," the receptionist''s voice contained an evil ir to it. "She said she''s 25, right? I''ll ckmail her with her real age... huhuhu..."

    It was when I was getting seriously weirded out by the apparent part-time voodooist that the door to the room swung open.

    Three people entered the office room at once. They seemed to be the judges that I had seen at the examination. Finally, the people I was waiting for were here.

    The receptionist performed a quick bow at the three as we stood up from our seats. She then turned to me.

    "Come find meter, I''ll take you around for your gear. Dungeons get tricky."

    "Right, thank you again."

    She waved at me saying it was not a big deal and exited the room as the three judges took a seat across me on the couch. One of them was too giant, though, so the hatted judge had to get up and move over to my end to sit.

    "Adventurer Dusk," the muscr man spoke up, leaning ahead. "I am the branch manager of Deep Down Town¡ª"

    "Right right, whatever," the hatted judge interrupted the other one and wrapped his arm around my neck like an old friend. "Enough about that. Tell me, boy, have you thought about moving to the empire''s guild? I''ll talk with a noble and get you a good ce to stay at¡ª"

    "I am a lord," I said without batting an eye. The judge clicked his tongue and moved away, he turned to see the muscr man and then flinched. Right after hearing my words, the woman who sat across me leaned ahead.

    "A lord in Schwarz?" she asked, at which I nodded. "So what are you doing in this shitty ce? I know the greatbyrinth is famous, but the deepest someone has gone was 850 floors seven thousand years ago! Even the strongest adventurer of all time has only gone to the 700th floor! You should make a name at thebyrinth that rose in Hall territory."

    "Myst name is Hall."

    The other one shut up too.

    Huh. This was fun.

    It wasn''t like I was hiding my identity, it also wasn''t like I could hide it from the branch managers of one of the continent''s backbones.

    "Are you guys done?" the muscr man asked in a low voice and the other two backed away.

    "Adventurer Dusk," he spoke again, reaching his hand out.

    I met his firm handshake with mine own. It was only now that I noticed that Titania had disappeared from the top of my head and had retreated into the brand marked on my hand.

    "You seem to have contracted an interesting system," he said, sending a strange chill down my spine.

    This guy was strong. Break my teeth with a single punch strong.

    I hated that.

    "Adventurer Dusk. We''ll promote you to Silver Rank after your first dive. We just wanted to see you once today. You are free to leave now."

    What the heck?

    The voice of that man and the rxed manner with which he sat made it seem that he had already received everything he needed from me. As if there was nothing he couldn''t get from his vision that he could from his words. It was a simr feeling to when Lady Sophia had stared at me with those abhorrent eyes of hers, but much worse. Much more abysmal.

    "I understand..." I said and stood up. Staying here didn''t seem good for neither me nor the Titania that had already retreated. "Then, I''ll take my leave since I am tired. Thank you."

    I turned on my heels and dashed out of the room. Till the end, those guys kept gazing at me.

    After that, I rushed down to the reception and took a few deep breaths.

    I tapped on my brand and whispered.

    "Titania. You ok?"

    Titania suddenly poked her head out of the tattoo, it felt strange to see a person emerge from the back of my hands.

    "Is he gone?"

    I nodded.

    "What was that about?"

    "His fairy wasn''t a kind one so I had to hide."

    There seemed to be more to things than what Titania told me, but that didn''t matter. I simply nodded and sighed.

    After confirming her condition, I walked up to the reception and leaned ahead.

    "Hellody," I said. "When do you get off work?"

    "Ah?"

    "Hey brat! I am on this counter damn it!"

    Fuck.

    ***

    In the room that Eugene had just left from, the three branch managers were left with crossed arms.

    "Did your system say something?" the woman asked the branch manager of the Deep Down Town.

    "Not really," he answered. I just had a feeling.

    "Is that so..."

    "Did you guys notice?" the hatted manager adjusted his cap as he smirked.

    "That kid... has a dual core."

 Chapter 92: Chapter 90: Deep Down Dive (1)

    My long tour of the Deep Down Town with the receptionist of the Adventurer''s guild came to an end after I treated her to the meal I had promised.

    Back in the room that was ''adjusted'' for me that belonged to Dawn, I tried to lie down, but a sense of incongruence grew in my heart.

    "Hey, hey, Eugy~" Titania called out. It took her a while to regain her carefree attitude.

    "What is it?" I asked, walking around the room. I couldn''t shake off the disgusting feeling that this tant trespassing brought, even if Dawn had allowed it. Maybe if she was in here I wouldn''t have minded it as much.

    "I didn''t give you your reward, did I?"

    At that, I stopped.

    The translucent window of the quest opened in front of me again.

    [Sess: Titania will give you a big big hug~ (¤Ã¡ä¨Œ£à)¤Ã(¤Ã¡ä¨Œ£à)¤Ã]

    "Will this hug make me stronger?" I asked, remembering the details of the game. It should serve as what Albert called ''stat points,'' I believed.

    "What? What''s with that?" Titania floated in front of me and tilted her head. "Why would that make you stronger?"

    "Don''t mind it," I said. Maybe she didn''t know.

    Then, Titania stretched her hands outwards and floated closer to me. The palm-sized fairy came up to give me a hug.

    I smiled and closed my eyes.

    Then, a presence grew in front of me. The feeling of something giant filled my senses. Before I could open my eyes, soft skin wrapped around my back and pressed down on my shoulders.

    A rich, citrusy aroma filled my nose as locks of hair fell near my nose while something stic pressed against my chest.

    I was shocked for a few seconds, but then, I smiled. My hands wrapped around the back of the now erged Titania as I leaned into her hug.

    What a strange, strange feeling.

    This fairy I had met for barely a day made me feel eased and homely in her embrace.

    We stayed like that for a long time.

    I didn''t get any stronger though.

    In the end, I decided to stake out the night in the library while learning everything I could about the dungeon.

    ***

    A group of adventurers was gathered around the door in the fence that separated the hundreds of meters wideke that served as the entrance of the Deep Down Dive.

    "Hey, Dusk, wasn''t it....ah, shit I need some coffee."

    I was approached by a man in full-te armor carrying a bag. He yawned but was kicked in the back of the knee by a beanie-d person.

    "You two..."

    "This guy totally forgot our names, didn''t he?" beanie said.

    "Of course not," I shook my head at that usation. "I remember you, Sharkie."

    "Tsk! It''s Megalodon! What do you even mean Sharkie?"

    "Same thing."

    "I agreeeezzzz."

    Full te fell asleep while speaking. Sharkie looked at him once and shrugged. His name was too long to remember.

    Since a lot of adventurers were gathered around the entrance, not many people noticed the odd group of newbies conversing in the shade of the red eaves of the buildings that phased away before theke.

    "Well buddy," Sharkie said. "Wanna party together? I brought some soda to take in."

    "A party?"

    "Yeah," he nodded. "The old adventurers are saying its best for us to party. Even the old man and that new magician and the other kid formed one."

    "So you guys were here to invite me to a party?"

    Not bad. These were plenty strong from what I remembered. That said, if I was in a party, I wouldn''t be able to freely throw myself in dangerous positions.

    "I don''t really get it?" Sharkie shrugged. "I just thought it''ll be nice to make friends."

    "Poor kid," Titaniamented and I agreed.

    "We can be friends," I said. "But I won''t be able to party together."

    "Not even an actual party instead of whatever this is supposed to mean?"

    "I can consider that."

    Sharkie suddenly nodded and showed me a thumbs up.

    We stood in silence for a bit, and he grew fidgety.

    He was surely rather bold with others. Did my win somehow elevate my position that high?

    Eventually, Sharkie broke out in nervousness and giggled before dragging the asleep full-te away.

    As I walked up to the front of the group, a few knights were about to open the fence that guarded the entrance to the Deep Down Dive.

    An employee of the guild walked up to me with a box in his hands.

    "Adventurer Dusk," he said. "Are you not going in as a party?"

    "Nope."

    The employee smiled. "The only ones not going as a party are two new adventurers. Well both of you did make history."

    I shifted my gaze around the front and looked at Dawn. So she was going solo as well.

    "That''s not the one, Eugy. The girl is at the back."

    Oh.

    "Here," the employee said, raising the box in his hands. "Please take one of these amulets and ce them around your neck. This will capture your surroundings and send it outside the dungeon. It''s a rare item so I''ll ask you to be careful, but there''s no problem if it does break."

    I grabbed the amulet he offered. The alchemic tool tied with a ck thread was just a green sphere with an eye of red drawn on it. As I ced the amulet around my neck, I raised my brows at the employee.

    "And who will be watching?" I asked.

    The employee grinned audibly at my words. "The entire city, from their homes. This is the pride of our Deep Down Town!"

    A TV was the pride of the Deep Down Town.

    "Then, I wish you the best." With that, the employee moved away.

    The door to the fence was finally opened.

    "The entrance to the Labyrinth is now open!" the knights announced and I rushed to the front, not ready to face a line.

    I was set at the front of all other adventurers as I stared at the edge where the ground ended and the crystal-clear reflection of the sky began.

    "Nervous, Eugy?" Titania asked.

    "Nervous?" I chuckled and raised my foot, hovering above the entrance. "It feels like I am going where I belong."

    My body fell forward.

    And I passed through the gate of the Great Labyrinth.

    The first thing that greeted me was the sight of an expansive patch of green below my free-falling body.

    And a deep dive down the skies.

 Chapter 93: Chapter 91: Deep Down Dive (2)

    My hair fluttered and pped against my face as I swam down the air. In the distance, I could see the oversized sun letting out a gentle light in this undergroundbyrinth.

    "Should I cut my hair?" I spoke, twisting my back toward the ground to reduce the pressure on my mouth.

    "You said everyone gets transferred to a random spot but isn''t the sky too much?" She had floated down to my back and tried to push me up, but failed within seconds and decided to pester me instead.

    Still falling, I casually chatted with her.

    "They said there''s a one in a thousand chance you''ll be transferred to the sky, even lesser chance of being so high up."

    "So you''re the paragon of bad luck, huh?"

    "How rude!"

    It wasn''t wrong though.

    Seeing as I was getting closer to the grasnds below, I turned again and stretched my hands outward.

    My mana flowed out of my palms and took the form of an ethereal magic circle. Sigils formed around the twoyered magic circle as it started spinning.

    The first of the two concentric circles of a magic circle decided the series it belonged to. Elemental.

    And the second, smaller one defined its attribute. Wind.

    Rapid calctions passed through my mind in the form of runguage and marks as I defined everything for the spell, from the intensity to the force.

    "[Wind Magic: Torrent]"

    The magic circle glowed brightly and a crashing wave of wind spread through it. Large gusts of air pushed against the fluttering des of grass now right above my nose before my body was impacted by the spinning torrent. The momentum of the fall was gently counteracted by the wind as it lifted my body and ced me down on the ground like a precious vase.

    I smirked at my disy and dusted my hands, prompting the torrent to fade away.

    The grass under my feet was crushed and bent, but the long strands of green everywhere else reached all the way up to my waist. With a hand on my forehead, I peered into the distance.

    And the stretch of grass just went on... and on... and on...

    As far as the eye could see, under the watchful gaze of the disgustingly in-proportionate clouds and the stic skies, the des of grass stretched to the horizon.

    "Now... how do we go around this?" Titania strutted over to my head and sat idly as I moved through the grasnds. Pushing the grass away with my hands, I took quick steps ahead. I had brought along enough resources tost me a month and then a week thanks to the receptionist of the guild, but I wanted to go past the first ten floors today itself.

    The terrain of the Deep Down Dive changed every ten floors and so did the difficulty. They had said a copper-ranked adventurer would struggle against the boss of the grasnds on floor ten, so staying here was useless for me.

    "The stars to the lower floors changes spots randomly as well."

    "Ehhhh? Isn''t that too difficult right off the bat? Should I transfer you out?" The main reason an adventurer needed a ''system'' was the emergency escape feature. Since a dungeon was not only dangerous but a ce where the gods'' powers didn''t reach, the main thing the system did down here was to guide the people to conquer these ces.

    Thankfully, I studied well on this ce.

    "There''s an easy way," I said. "The entrance to the lower floors is always in monster settlements."

    Just as I said that, a low growl entered my ears.

    I turned to the side and saw rows of brownish-red fur mixed in with the des of grass. A bony club glimmered as the monster slowly and steadily tried to sneak up on me.

    The monster lowered its stance as it stopped right next to me.

    I turned and crossed my arms as I stared at the being, a smile emerging from my lips.

    "No matter what world," I said. "A mixture of a goblin and dog, Kobolds and their iprehensible faces are a staple of fantasy."

    The Kobold growled, noticing me.

    "I think you''re the only one who finds it ''iprehensible''?" Titania remarked.

    And the monster leaped up at me. It raised its bone club high in the air and swung it toward my face.

    Yes, a Kobold made sense as a starting monster.

    Just before it couldnd its attack, I opened my eyes and red at the Kobold.

    Both my cores twisted and turned as the mana in the air bent to the shape of my killing intent, all of it pointing at the monster.

    The Kobold stopped in its tracks, its club nigh but touching my face.

    In seconds, the monster trembled. Its legs quaked as tremors of fear spread through its body.

    "Hmph."

    At a single scoff, the Kobold turned on its heels and started walking. It desperately pushed away the des of grass and rushed ahead, trying to get away from me.

    "Let''s go," I said. "We found a guide."

    Titania broke into aughing fit as I followed the Kobold through the patches of grass. Eventually, the one Kobold grew into two, then four, then eight, and soon enough, I was at the settlement of the Kobolds.

    Not a single of those monsters was spared from trembling as the original Kobold showed me the way down to the next floor.

    "Good," I said and waved my hands. The staircase made of stones was definitely something Kobolds could do as a trap. The Kobolds backed away at my gesture and I slowly started descending the nted stairs. The sight of the previous floor disappeared as I moved into the dark ground.

    Further down the stairs, a light emerged as the brown dirt of the ground disappeared. The sight of the stairs grew paler until they grew almost transparent as I kept moving down and down. I passed by the hole in the ground.

    And the world lit up again.

    All of a sudden, the sky stretched out in front of my eyes once more. This time, slightly different from the one before.

    The stairs below grew transparent as they curved in a spiral all the way to the ground. Far and far away in all directions, a dozen or so more transparent staircases reflected a few glimmers of the artificial sunlight.

    Titania got off my head and started floating down the spiral staircase.

    Walking down the skies one step at a time, I took in the breathtaking scenery and descended to the ground.

    "Not bad for something fake," I muttered.

    "Aw you liar, you thought the stairs are quite amazing, right?" Titania yfully poked my cheeks and turned my gaze away.

    With a sigh, I continued walking around until I found another Kobold, and the same process repeated.

    Second floor.

    Third floor.

    Fifth floor.

    Ninth floor.

    The stretch of thend grew narrower with each floor that passed, and atst, I was in a space no bigger than a kilometer in diameter. The same fake sky and sun still loomed overhead as only one set of transparent staircases led down here.

    As soon as I jumped off thest step, a translucent window appeared in front of my eyes.

    "Get ready, Eugy," Titania muttered.

    [Deep Down Dive - 1st Field Boss]

    A loud, ear-splitting scream entered my ears.

    From the distance, a five meters tall giant monster rose from the nket of green.

    [Kobold King - Difficulty ss B]

    That was at a level higher than the Griffon that Keith captured all those years ago.

    The monster''s gazended on me. Drool trickled from its fangs as it lowered the two clubs as tall as me in both his hands.

    I scoffed and reached into my spatial bag, taking out a pair of white gloves.

    I tossed my bag aside and put on the gloves.

    "GRRRRAAAH!" The Kobold King raged.

    Its forelegsnded on the ground. Its muscles clenched.

    And in the next moment, the Kobold King shot through the skies and came rushing at me.

    The Kobold King''s fangs spread and its face reached close to me¡ª

    ¡ªI swung my hand and pped it across the face.

    "Awooo??!" The Kobold King returned to its ancestral roots as it flew away.

    "Oooh!" Titania screamed. "W-was that a special technique from those age-old dramas!?"

    I adjusted my gloves and smiled. The Dog-man monster on the ground was a female.

    "How did you like my special technique, the Bitch p?"

 Chapter 94: Chapter 92: Deep Down Dive (3)

    Three jaws touched the table in the Branch Manager''s private office.

    Even the stoic muscr manager couldn''t hold back his surprise as he saw the happenings of the event. People who had already cleared a part of thebyrinth could jump in and out from the deepest floor they had visited thanks to the system, unless and until the floor was one that had never been conquered before.

    As such, they expected the newbies to not have many gazes drawn on them and most of the attention was expected to be fixed on the adventurers going deeper than the fiftieth floor. Yet.

    "Did he just?"

    [Smack! Smack!]

    Though no sounds emerged from the disy, the three branch managers all flinched as they saw the white-haired boy p the living shit out of the Kobold King.

    Eventually, the Kobold King whimpered like a dog and lowered its head.

    "What is this kid...?" the blonde manager spoke. It wasn''t an impossible sight, by any means, there just had never been a chance for a truly strong person to take on these weak monsters though.

    Still, this went beyond sense.

    They had raised their vignce to the max and inspected the child with their all, it was clear he was a rare type amongst the dual cores. If dual cores were people who were average at everything in a world where specialists of one were respected, this boy was on the path to bing a specialist in everything.

    Yet, this was not the level of power and strength they expected. Even for using your strength, to make that dog-like monsterpletely surrender from just ps was like saying arge wolf could tame a lion. It would be impossible until that person was a crazy beast as well.

    Eventually, the boy seemed to have noticed that just subduing the monster wouldn''t get him anywhere.

    He flicked his wrist and the Kobold''s head was pierced by a spike.

    "In just three hours, he has already gone past the first ten floors," the muscr manager muttered. "A monster with potential greater than Kaiser seems to havee into our ranks now."

    An adventurerparable to a living legend.

    A new fable was in the making.

    And he wasn''t alone.

    Just as Dusk descended the stairs of the tenth floor of thebyrinth, another adventurer reached the ce on her own.

    Dawn was right on his trail.

    ***

    I passed by the grasnds after killing the Kobold King. Unlike before, I wasn''t led to a lower floor in thebyrinth, but instead, a small one-room space opened up in front of me.

    "This is the reward room!" Titania, my guide for dungeon exploration swooped in front of me and enlightened me on the situation.

    The stones in the room started to light up, illuminating the entire ce as an altar appeared in front of my eyes.

    "You''ll find one every 10 floors, the reward changes depending on your performance."

    I had already read all of this, but I still nodded at Titania''s mutterings. It was her responsibility to tell me all this, so I let her do so.

    I reached my hand out at the altar when I saw a reddish fluid ced in a vial reminiscent of bones on it.

    "Should I use appraisal on this¡ª"

    "No, no!" Titania interrupted. "Dungeons are mysterious, they are ces where a god''s eyes don''t reach and ces where demons could easily mess with others. So, leave all appraisal of these dungeon items to me!"

    Though I had my fairy apanying me, she had already made it clear that she was one of the very few who could do so. Most other fairies used the ''system'' tomunicate and guide the adventurers and humans they had made a contract with.

    Navigation and escape in the dungeons andbyrinths were one of their simplest jobs, so was showing them a better path toward getting stronger.

    But the biggest reason the guild had formed a contract with Alfheim was to ensure that no demon could influence the humans and adventurers. Raum''s agent who had received a weak blessing and his ability to peek into the future made the threat of demons clear to my eyes.

    It would just be worse if the person affected was someone strong, like an adventurer.

    That wasn''t all, though.

    The reason the power of the gods didn''t reach these dungeons andbyrinths was that they were created by the ''world'' itself. And Alfheim, as the realm that maintained order and bnce in this world, was greatly cautious of thesebyrinths and dungeons. Helping the adventurers was also helping them tap into the secrets of the world.

    Though I had been told by the others to call the method ofmunication between the fairies and the humans a ''system.''

    It was this symbiotic rtionship between the humans and the fairies that fit the title of a ''system'' better.

    "Hey! I am done with the analysis~" Titania spoke. She snapped her fingers, and a translucent window opened in front of me.

    [Bone Potion

    Heals most injuries as long as they are not life-threatening]

    How informative.

    "It seems slightly better than the advanced potion you carry," Titania mentioned, and I tossed the vial back in my bag.

    The altar moved as I took off the vial and a new staircase emerged inside the trembling room.

    With a determined gaze, I started descending the stairs again. There was no need to take a break yet, maybe another ten floors were doable.

    As I stepped down the staircase, it naturally faded into a wider set of stairs as a dark and ominous ce enveloped me. Unlike before when the open skies greeted me, this time, the ceiling of the floor was a mere four meters high.

    Cracked walls filled all three sides while my feet pressed down on tiles floors. Cobwebs and trinkets of dust floated around as ayer of dirt was mixed in the air. I walked past the cracked paint in the narrow walls, ignoring the ragged state of the broken wallpapers and their adornments.

    Floors 11 to 20 of the Deep Down Dive, were a giant abandoned mansion.

    As I took another step ahead, my foot pressed down on one tile.

    An ominous feeling rose from my back as I twisted my bodypletely.

    In the very next moment, an arrow shot out from the walls and grazed past the air right where I stood.

    "Oh, dear?" Titania smirked. "There seem to be traps this time. Say Eugene, how about another quest? Would you like to see the invisible and avoid all traps for the next set of floors?"

    It wasn''t even a challenge.

    I dly epted Titania''s quest and soared through the Deep Down Dive again.

    Over and over, I passed by the different floors with next to no effort as time passed.

    And then, over three weekster.

    On the eightieth floor of the Great Labyrinth, I finally found the trouble I was looking for.

 Chapter 95: Chapter 93: Anomaly

    Floors 81 to 90 of the Deep Down Dive were a unique area, unlike the other floors. In the form of a great cave underneath the ground, the first nine floors were all directly interconnected and did not need one to clear the previous floor and find an entrance, instead, moving to any floor at any point was possible, thanks to a giant waterfall that fell from the center of grey rocks in the dark cave.

    In this blue-lit cave filled with bioluminescent kelp, the dozens of passages and their intricateyout with the waterfall had given rise to three different species fighting for dominance.

    Three crazy fucking species that is.

    I hid behind a small rock with my back pressed against the wall. The blue light from the moss and kelp around made the moisture on the rocks below glimmer as the sounds of light footsteps echoed in the distance.

    Slowly peering over my shoulders, my eyesnded on the winged harpy walking around in the distance. Its jaws hung low as it shifted its gaze left and right, its madder red eyes ring at everything around.

    Crazy.

    "I-I still can''t get a read on them at all..." Titania muttered. It was lucky that only I could see her form or hear her voice, or those harpies would have gotten on our case already.

    I had entered this floor with a wide stride after defeating the griffon that served as the eightieth floor''s boss. It was strong enough for me to think I was finally reaching a good spot in thisbyrinth, but as soon as I stepped in here, something absurd started happening.

    "Eugy! Another harpy came up."

    I quickly shifted my position and turned my back to watch. In the distance, another harpy with crazed eyes had located the previous one.

    I held my breath and watched, holding in my presence as much as I could. In moments, the two harpies noticed each other and rushed into one other. The first one swung its ws as the second jumped up into the air. Like a crazy maniac, the neer harpy took the entire brunt of the attack on its feet andtched onto the nape of the first harpy.

    It felt like I was witnessing a zombie apocalypse.

    Without hesitation, the graceful yet tricky wind-attribute monster wildly sank its teeth into its own peer and tore off its flesh.

    If it was just to this level, I wouldn''t have minded much.

    But the harpy swallowed the flesh in its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, the wound on its leg started to regenerate.

    Healing after eating each other was fucked, but not as fucked as what those harpies did next.

    Tears started to flow from the harpy''s eyes as it gnawed down the corpse, over and over, biting its flesh and crunching its bones. The harpy turned into a sobbing mess, yet it continued to eat up the corpse until not a chunk remained.

    As thest bit of flesh was swallowed, the Harpy suddenly stood up and walked away, as if it never cried in the first ce, the harpy simply returned to find its prey, whether it was its own kind, and to swallow it whole.

    "This is crazy..." Titania muttered, she too didn''t look like she could digest the sight in one go.

    This wouldn''t have scared me much.

    If I hadn''t seen the harpy that just died get scratched in front of my eyes and turn into this thing.

    "Maybe, this is a zombie apocalypse after all?" I muttered.

    My voice seemed to have been a tad too loud.

    No, it wasn''t loud. It was the harpy that had its abilities doubled after eating another.

    A ng rang out and the harpy that had just left returned to the blue passage in the cave.

    "Fuck..."

    The harpy''s eyes glimmered, and it shot off the ground.

    Its wings dyed red pped like crazy as a cloud of dust was left where the Harpy stood.

    I jumped ahead and rolled on the ground. The boulder I hid behind waspletely crushed into smithereens by the Harpy. As I got back on my feet, the harpy was right in front of me again.

    "KIEE!"

    It swung its ws.

    I took a step back and leaned behind. Then left, ducked, and then hopped, narrowly avoiding the monster''s onught with each movement. I didn''t even get the chance to catch my breath as I was forced to avoid even the scratch of a hair''s breadth on my body.

    The harpy swung with both hands and I hopped back.

    The eye of alchemy hanging from my neck fluttered ahead as I jumped back, and it was caught in the Harpy''s grasp.

    ***

    "Ah, sir," the branch manager heard a knock in his room. Though three weeks had passed and most adventurers hade outside of the dungeon, two of them were still inside the public''s interest in their adventures was still quite high. Even more so since they were just a floor apart at almost all times.

    "What is it?" the branch manager asked, his muscles bulging.

    "We just lost signal from adventurer Dusk."

    ***

    It broke.

    The eye monitoring me broke. I could have broken it myself, but it broke naturally.

    "Eugy!! Run, this bitch is crazy!!"

    I didn''t heed Titania''s warning as my mind cleared away. The pressure that would lead to my growth, I had finally found it.

    As the Harpy narrowed the distance and swung its arms again, I lowered my head.

    My feet pivoted on the ground as I twisted my body and spun, dodging the attack at the same time.

    Ki filled my fingers as I grazed it over the narrow walls of the cave, with brute strength, I pulled out a fist-sized rock from the cave walls.

    The harpy swung again.

    Still turning, I shifted my head to the side and dodged the attack. With my hand back front, I maneuvered at high speed and stuffed the fistful of stone into the Harpy''s mouth.

    A magic circle formed on my other hand and I brought it close to the harpy.

    "[Fireball]"

    A ball of fireunched out of my hands and crashed into the monster right away. Its mouth sealed, the harpy couldn''t even scream as it wasunched away.

    Before it could regain its footing, I pulled out my sword from my bag and rushed ahead. The harpy pped its wings and dug them into the cave walls toe to a stop. This terrifying monster''s mind waspletely unaffected by any pain or damage.

    As I charged, the harpy swung its broken wings.

    Small magic circles formed over its wings as its feathersunched out of the wings.

    "A ranged attack her¡ª?"

    I was forced to swallow my words as the feathers started ricocheting off the cave walls. They mmed against the narrow walls and grew even faster as they approached me.

    "Eugy! Those things have the same energy as the monster''s ws."

    Fuck. So I couldn''t be grazed by these high-speedser feathers either.

    I nted my foot on the ground and switched the grip on my sword. Purple ki filled its length and I twisted every muscle in my body.

    "Haap!"

    With a yelp, I threw the sword ahead. The de cut through the air and went past theyer of feathers, cutting down everything that came in its way.

    The harpy seemed surprised at first, but avoided the sword with a twist.

    Right then, it noticed my palm on the ground, a magic circle already formed.

    The harpy took a step back.

    "[Intermediate Magic: Stone Wall]"

    A pir rose into the cave grounds, right where the harpy stood. Its toe was taken up by the high-speed stone wall as it mmed into the ceiling, but the Harpy avoided the attack''s brunt.

    "KIEEK!" It screamed.

    I smiled and pulled my hand back.

    The sword that had gone through the passage was already behind the harpy, the string of Purple Projectile Ki still connecting it with me.

    Before the harpy could bnce itself after the magic pir, the sword pierced through its dantian and the stone pir in session before flying back into my hands.

    The feathers all around fell limp as the source of mana was cut off.

    I stared at the harpy slowly trying to get up as I panted and walked over to it. With a single swing of my sword, I pierced through its head vertically and cleaved all the way to its heart before pulling my sword out.

    I sighed and wiped the sweat off my head. My feet carried me to the end of the small passage in the cave. The passage entrance disappeared and the world of the cave widened.

    Intermediate Magic and Projectile Ki. This single harpy made me use most of my skills.

    I covered the top of my eyes and peered down, with the sound of the waterfall flowing a total of nine floors down, flowed the blood of three different species.

    All of them with madder red eyes walked around like crazed maniacs.

    There was an anomaly in the dungeon.

    I smirked, peering at the dozens of clueless monsters on the floors below.

    It was an anomaly that I was going to clear out.

 Chapter 96: Chapter 94: No appreciation for kindness

    A thundering growl rang out in the air.

    A hiss, followed by a spurt of acidic spit.

    "Woah, fuck!" I nimbly twisted my body to the side and dodged the spit. My handnded on the ground at the back and I kicked off the ground in a backflip to dodge another.

    My feet skidded against the ground as Inded. In the blue cave, on the eighty-fourth floor, twomias were currently going up against me.

    One of the Lamia''s charged right up at me, not giving me a single second of a break. The swift monster''s formless body slithered in the air as it came close to me¡ª

    ¡ªAnd thwacked its face against one of the invisible Hexagonal shields.

    I shifted the grip of my sword and stabbed ahead with the back of my hand.

    The first of the results of my training, a strong maniption of my active spells.

    The shield opened up from the center, just enough for the sword to pass in as I stabbed the Lamia square through its face. The Lamia screamed in pain but I didn''t bother with its sounds.

    "Now! Burn it up!" Titania squealed in excitement.

    The second of the results of my training. I could now use spells through my sword.

    Immediately, the aura coating was reced with ayer of mana, and strands of purple stretched out of the de. The mana formed a small ethereal circle passing through the Lamia''s body.

    "[Ignite]"

    Another intermediate-ranked spell.

    mes rose from my de and consumed the monster at once. The Lamia continued pping about in pain as it fell limp on the ground. This didn''t end it, of course, so I moved my hands at a quick pace and chopped off the monster''s body into many small pieces to avoid any mistakes.

    The other Lamia charged at me right then. Its snake-like tail dug into the cave walls.

    I ducked low and avoided the attack of the tail from right beside me. The tail went back into the wall and the Lamia kepting closer.

    "I wasn''t serving you food, you bitch."

    I was honestly getting tired. No, I had already exhausted myself greatly. If I was any less experienced I would have probably been knocked out on the way to this floor. That these monsters could climb up and down on their own was just another hassle.

    In a single go, I stabbed a few pieces of the old Lamia with my sword and dragged it along as I ran.

    "Come, have some barbeque bitch."

    The Lamia scowled and growled as it saw me hold up its food. Strangely enough, the should-be dead pieces of the Lamia were still writhing about as if they were alive.

    "Were you able to learn anything?" I asked Titania in a whisper as the Lamia approached.

    The monster growled and I stabbed the sword with the meat into its mouth.

    "Not much. It seems to be a strong demonic curse," Titania answered.

    That sucked.

    I had found a weakness amongst these bastards. It was when they were eating.

    Exploiting a weakness during training, I didn''t like it that much, but I decided to let it be considering many people even stronger would think of this as just a life-and-death situation and not training.

    Tears started spilling out of the Lamia''s eyes as it chewed on the meat of its brethren.

    "[Ignite]"

    With a simple mutter, the monster caught on fire and fell to the ground as well.

    Ignite worked rather well since the acid in a Lamia''s spit was a strong oxidizer, I had to stab them through the throat to set them on firepletely.

    I sighed and stepped back.

    Sweat dripped from my forehead as I rxed and let my body fall on the ground. I took deep breaths to calm myself down.

    This was definitely tiring. Fighting to the point of such exhaustion had made my Ki purer and my control was improving by the minute. With that ignite, I had reached thest dregs of my mana as well, and maintaining the hexagonal shields too was growing to be a bother.

    When running on fumes, I was sure that I''d be able to grow a step further.

    If there wasn''t a requirement like not getting hit, I probably wouldn''t have been pushed back to such a degree. The inability to receive attacks greatly narrowed the risk you could take.

    I was about to pull out some jerky from my bag when.

    "AAAH!"

    A scream, reminiscent of a grunt. Someone was making a final stand somewhere.

    "When did other people get to this floor?" I muttered, stepping up from the ground.

    "Are you going to check it out?" Titania asked as she sat atop my head. She was currently inspecting the curse ced on the monsters and had made me dig out quite several brains and hearts.

    "I''ll take a look," I said. If someone was in trouble, there shouldn''t be anything bad about helping them. Especially as adventurers.

    I rushed through the passageway in the cave and reached the wide opening on each floor that showed the fountain. I was on the eastern end of the dozens of meters wide center gap. With the width of the empty space in front of the waterfall, there was a very small need to worry about monsters creeping up on me.

    There could be a problem with Harpies in the sky, so I made sure to fuck up arge number of them first.

    Two of the twelve hexagonal shields I maintained floated in front of my feet. I took a step andnded on the shield as I made my way up the air.

    The higher I reached, the sound of steel shing against something came ringing out in my ears.

    "This is quite straining," I muttered, my heart feeling the full brunt of the mana on the verge of depletion.

    Then, finally, on the thirty-first floor right near the edge, I saw a group of three Arachnes circling a single person.

    Webs shot out as the many wed half-spiders jumped in and out, attacking the stick-wielding adventurer with perfect tactics. Thankfully, they weren''t able tond any attacks yet.

    I watched the battle for two seconds. I only needed to watch that long.

    "Yup, I can''t help her."

    I had pushed myself way too much to take responsibility for another person right now.

    "Wah! You devil!" Titania squealed as I slightly lowered the shields.

    "D-Dusk!?" A desperate scream rang out from behind me.

    Hah... Fine. Helping just once wouldn''t be a problem.

    "Kid! Run away and escape the dungeon! Something''s wrong with these monsters!"

    "As you say!" I shouted out loud and turned away from her.

    "Hoh? She''s smiling," Titania muttered.

    A sigh left me as I turned back toward the adventure stuck in battle. Adventurer Dawn, the apparent olddy who had made history in the battle before. ording to the adventurer guild''s receptionist, thisdy was actually in her thirties and not twenties.

    "Does any of that matter?" Titania asked.

    "Yup. I am making sure I know the worth of what I am going to risk myself for."

    I hadn''t really had any real conversations with her, but she was definitely not in my bad books.

    Immediately, I jumped off the shields and toward the battlefield.

    "Just kidding!" I screamed at thedy as four shields each passed me by and rammed into the trio of Arachne.

    Inded on the ground, pivoted my body, and in a fell swoop, picked adventurer Dawn off the ground. Hoisting her up, I dashed away from the arachne.

    "W-what!? What the hell!? Let go of me, brat! I''ll handle my prey on my own! Don''t interfere!!"

    Wow.

    Did people have no appreciation for kindness these days?

    Without hearing another word, I shifted my hold on Dawn and tossed her on the ground.

    "As you wish."

    "AAAAH!

 Chapter 97: Chapter 95: Negotiations are done with a sword

    "As you wish."

    "AAAH!" Dawn screamed as her back hit the ground.

    "Good job! Just because she''s an inhuman beauty does she think she can fling your kindness around like that?" Titania harrumphed. Was she praising her or insulting her? I couldn''t tell to be honest.

    The sounds of the Arachne''s feet (dozens of them) entered my ears from the distance. I had flung them into a passageway away from the waterfall. It wouldn''t have been possible to drop them down into the water from my angle.

    "So, that''s that. All the best," I said to Dawn. Just using the shields was straining my heart, I doubted I could pull any other magic for at least another fifteen minutes. It might seem short, but in a battle, each second highlighted the thin line between life and death.

    "Tsk, just go if you''re leaving," Dawn said, pulling back her words almost immediately. "It''s better that way. Go and get help, this is not something we can do?"

    "Oh yeah?" I said, puzzled.

    The biggest reason that the adventurer''s guild was so high on the entire system thing was that the fairies could use their abilities and remove someone from the dungeons.

    I was here for training. The moment I was on the verge of death, Titania would kick me out and get me the help needed.

    But what''s with this girl?

    Dawn wanted me to escape and call for help, but she didn''t do it herself. She didn''t even think of escaping by herself.

    Either she was a total buffoon, unlikely since there should be a fairy with her.

    Or something was wrong. I had already asked Titania to make sure that we can escape, so that wasn''t the issue. I knew Titania was stronger than your general fairy, yet¡ª

    A hiss sounded out while I was lost in thought.

    I immediately kicked Dawn, sending her away as I raised my sword and sliced down a web flying toward my face.

    Before I could retreat, one arachnid of the three appeared in front of my eyes. Using the long appendages for its feet as an array of swords, the half-human half-spider unleashed a barrage of attacks at me.

    Not letting go of my trail of thoughts, I moved just enough to avoid all the attacks. With extremely minuscule amounts of mana and aura left on me, this was pure physical training now.

    "Not covering your body with Aura?" Titania posed, slightly concerned.

    I had been doing so all this while since the requirement of not being even grazed was a constant, but that served as a level of insurance. Being on the very line that separated life and death was what counted as true training.

    As I continued dodging, my intentions were conveyed clearly to Titania without a need for words.

    "You actually are insane, aren''t you? I knew it since we first met. You''re totally gone in the head."

    "Isn''t it toote to say that now?"

    As if on cue with her words, the other two Arachne also joined in on the battle. They sent shots of their webs hurtling through the air at me. I swiftly jumped back in an arch. Performing a backflip, I took some high ground andnded on two of my twelve shields.

    I then fixed my hold on my sword. Another shield appeared behind my feet.

    Using it as propulsion, I jumped through the air and prepared to attack one of the other two when.

    "Damn brat!"

    My shirt was tugged at, and before I could realize it, I was being lifted into the air.

    My legs fluttered as I adjusted to the strange sensation of being carried. I looked up to see the hands of someone who should have been knocked down to the ground. The suiteddy was carrying me as we soared through the air, and from the back of her clothes.

    Came out wings.

    Wings.

    A person had wings.

    I knew of beast people, but Avians didn''t have retractable wings. They also couldn''t pass as a human in the adventurer guild of all ces.

    Right there, with me in her hands, wings sprouted from the back of Adventurer Dawn as she carried me through the air.

    Unable to process things well enough to offer some words, I ended up spouting the first thing that came to mind.

    "You can probably save up if you tailor your clothes. Or are those wings like, ethereal? Do they not tear anything?"

    "What!?" Dawn screamed. Her hands quaked as she dragged me to the lower floors. Her wings pped as she avoided even the stray drops of bullets from touching me and looked for a safe ce.

    "Ah!" Then, a shout only I could hear from a cutie only I could see rang out. "I knew it! This brand, it''s fake! This bitch has not entered a contract with any fairy!"

    With the front-row seat to dawn''s hands called my shoulders, Titania made a groundbreaking discovery. Adventurer journalists, my fairy has just brought you the next big sensational story!

    The feeling of floating helplessly decreased as Dawn entered an empty passageway on the thirty-fifth floor.

    Her wings pped onest time as she lost power in her flight. We crashnded and rolled on the ground deep into the empty passageway.

    "Ahk! Ahk!" I coughed and pushed myself off the ground. As I sat up, adventurer Dawn was already on her feet.

    She suddenly pulled me up and sped my cors.

    "What do you think you''re doing, sacrificing yourself for me? Stupid kid! Just a scratch and you would''ve be the pawn of a demon."

    Well, she was doing it out of worry so that was nice.

    I didn''t appreciate needless meddling though.

    In a swift move, I knocked her hand away from my cor. Before she could react, I swept her feet off the ground. With one hand, I grabbed her cors and with the other, I pinned her hands to the wall.

    My knee raised and dug into her abdomen, ready to attack at any moment.

    Dawn couldn''t utter a word as I did this.

    "Wow, pinning a beauty right after seeing her, you savage," Titaniamented from the side. Was that a jab since I couldn''t see the ''beauty'' of this beauty? What a trash fairy.

    "Now," I said, ignoring my partner. Thedy taller than me was now below my line of sight as I closed into her face. "I know you have made a fake contract. And those wings. Spill, what are you?"

    Dawn groaned. Her jaws ckened first, as if she was surprised that I knew of the fake contract. Then, she quickly regained herposure and turned away from me.

    Words weren''t going to work, huh?

    I couldn''t use mana or aura well, but she was cornered nheless.

    I let go of her cors and pulled my de from my waist. I pressed the edge of the sword on her neck.

    Dawn trembled and looked at the sword.

    "Shitty brat..." she said.

    "Answer."

    She scoffed.

    I drove the edge of the de inside, just enough to make blood start spilling out. This wasn''t enough, though, so I drove it in even deeper.

    As soon as it went over the range of intimidation and entered the depth that would denote murder, Dawn started trembling.

    "W-w-wait, stop! Stop!"

    "Answer." I continued driving the de in.

    "I-!! Fuck. I-I am an angel!"

    A smile spilled from my lips and I stopped driving the de in. She didn''t seem to have noticed though, as she screamed again with her eyes wedged shut.

    "I am a fallen angel looking for regressors, god damn it!"

    Hah?

    For what now?

    A chill ran up my spine at her loud promation.

    Was the spice of the storying in?

 Chapter 98: Chapter 96: A Regressor Laments

    A young child had a dream.

    It was a strange, long dream. A dream that didn''t seem to have an end.

    Every moment in the dream, his beating heart would ring in his ears. The desires of his soul would scream in his mind.

    Yet, he couldn''t act upon it.

    As if he was possessed.

    Nay, as if he was being puppeteered.

    He lived his life, but each time he felt the need to take a decision, a crossroads that would affect his life, it felt as if he wasn''t himself.

    As if someone was controlling him.

    It was a strange dream after all. Such strangeness was natural.

    But the contents of the dream were anything but natural.

    The events so real. The people so alive. The dream so bleak.

    It wasn''t distinguishable from ''life.'' From his ''reality.''

    Being a young orphan in the backwaters of the Empire, his luck in the dream shone through.

    As a seventeen-year-old, a teacher from the kingdom of sages noticed his talents and offered him and his childhood friend a schrship in the greatest academy on all of the continent.

    The boy and his friend, eager to learn and turn their life of loneliness in the faraway vige around, dly followed the teacher to the academy.

    It was intimidating, to say the least.

    Talents from the entire continent, children of nobles, princes, and princesses, people he could never touch were in the same ss as him.

    The academy promised equality, after all.

    His life changedpletely.

    In the greatest academy on all of the continent, he had be the top student in the entrance tests. Fame and strength followed him after he gave his speech as the freshmen representative.

    Looking back, he felt as if he was being controlled since that point. After enrollment, that was when the ''control'' began.

    It was a happy turn in his life.

    Hended in the top ss of the academy, intimidating people from everywhere had gathered in the ssroom.

    Right. There was him, his childhood friend, people he made strong connections with.

    And that man.

    That man with white hair and red eyes.

    That one man, nay, demon. He was in that ss too.

    At first, he bullied all themoners, calling them unworthy with his gang of nobles from Schwarz.

    The boy couldn''t stand to see an aspiring knight be bullied like this, and saved her from his viiny. They became good friends and eventually evenid together.

    Going down, he found the white-haired demon pursuing a young mistress of a great merchant troupe and saved her from his machinations.

    Needless to say, heid with her as well. Though, now that he thought about it, he didn''t feel in control of whatever he did with his friends and lovers.

    The white-haired stopped his petty bullying there, but he couldn''t be sure. After all, one of the demons of hell tried to attack the princess of the country the demon hailed from. After a long and intense battle, he managed to save the princess and entered a loving rtionship with her as well.

    He found out then that the other two of his friends, along with his childhood friend, had all managed to corner and pummel the white-haired demon.

    That was the end of his viiny.

    It should have been

    They lived their lives peacefully. The young boy faced many dangers and a surge of demons, he fought with them all, and the number of people he embraced grew along with it. From his childhood friend to the teacher, he owed his changed life.

    In the end, he found six main heroines and seven sub-heroines. Unfortunately, he couldn''t sleep with anyone other than the main heroines.

    Heroines? What word was that?

    It wasn''t a term he knew. Why did he use it?

    It was just like that. The boy felt exactly this confused each time he was controlled.

    It was a peaceful life down to the third year of his academy life, when the viin who was now the one being bullied changed.

    After defeating most of the demons in the upper rankings and earning the favor of gods and angels, the boy had grown conceited.

    He didn''t notice as the white-haired demon had contracted with a low-ranking demon.

    Things changed.

    The low-ranking demon possessed the white-haired demon''s body. He wasn''t talented at all, just a normal dual core, which was a surprisepared to his previous abilities, sure, but not something the boy and his partners couldn''t take on.

    It wasn''t something like that.

    The demon had other ns.

    They had given up thousands of lives, and the doors to the world were opened.

    Gods, not of this dimension, invaded the world.

    A new war, unlike what the boy had participated in, began. A war that united all the many races of the world, the gods and angels, and even the demons.

    The entire world against the outer gods.

    With the boy at the center, they fought and they fought.

    Losses piled up. The boy lost his lovers and his friends.

    Eventually, with the blood of the world on his hands, the boy made do.

    At the end of the world, he stood.

    He had won. The outer gods were defeated, and he was left on the verge of death.

    But at least they had won.

    No.

    They had been fighting the wrong war since the beginning.

    The enemy wasn''t the outer gods, nor were they anyone on the side of the world.

    The only, true enemy, was that white-haired boy.

    That boy and his low-ranking demon partner.

    {KAHAHAAH! I have won, ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ! You and your smug face! I have taken it all down. GODS! DEMONS!

    FAIRIES! YOU! NOTHING CAN STAND ABOVE ME!}

    Screaming those words, the white-haired demon red at him on the verge of death.

    Ah, what was his own name again? The boy didn''t remember.

    {I HAVE BECOME THE RULER OF THIS WORLD!!}

    And then, he made him watch.

    He was forced to watch, as everyone that he loved who remained were killed painfully by that demon. One after another. The demon who had obtained omnipotence destroyed all he loved.

    When nothing was left to destroy.

    {I am bored of you now}

    The boy was killed too. And something he didn''t understand shed in front of his eyes.

    [GAME OVER - BAD END]

    ***

    An orphan slowly opened his eyes.

    He clenched his fists and bit his lips.

    Unbeknownst to him, he wasn''t the only one to awake.

    All over the continent, from the house next to his to the royal pce of Schwarz, a total of six more people opened their eyes after a strange dream.

    "Not this time... Eugene Hall..."

 Chapter 99: Chapter 97: Human-Angel Conversation

    "What did you just say...?"

    "I know it''s a shocker, but truly, I am an angel¡ª"

    This stupid.

    "I don''t care about that. Regressor? What kind of Regressors are we talking about here? The ones that jump back in time?"

    Dawn tilted her head to the side, then nodded.

    "Yeah, that one."

    "Multiple of them?"

    She nodded.

    What the actual fuck?

    Was I hearing right? I shifted my gaze to see Titania with her jaw dropped open on my shoulders.

    It seemed I was hearing right.

    I stepped away from Dawn and crossed my hands. My head was a jumbled mess.

    A regressor? I was already aware that the future could be looked into, after all, Raum and his agent did the same back in the Hall fiefdom. I also knew from Lady Sophia that the ''future'' that is seen by these demons is just one ''possibility'' of many.

    So then, what was up with regressors?

    "You have questions, right?" Suddenly, a soft touchnded on the top of my head. The woman, no, the angel a bit taller than me slightly ruffled my hair. "Why don''t we sit and talk?"

    I didn''t brush her hand away but looked at Titania instead.

    "I''ll be able to analyze this curse soon. Her words seem interesting."

    I sighed and reached into my bag, pulling out a potion.

    Dawn watched as I poured the contents of the potion into my hand and rubbed it on the wound on her neck.

    "Ah."

    "Let''s talk then," I said, making sure I covered the entire wound. The effect started immediately since it was just a small injury without any Mana or Ki infused.

    Dawn let herself be treated without a noise. Once I was done, I tossed the vial of potion back and slightly stretched my hands. After peering over both sides of the passageway and making sure nothing was going toe here, we took a seat.

    Silence was necessary, so we stuck close together till our shoulders touched.

    Dawn didn''t say anything and only looked down at her hands.

    Taking another breath, I broke the silence.

    "How will you be getting out of this ce? You''re not stuck here, are you?"

    I could have jumped right into the heart of the matter, but I thought some padding was necessary.

    It seemed to havee across differently though, since the adventurer turned toward me with what I could only judge as a happy aura exuding from her.

    "It''s not like that," Dawn exined. "I can''t contract a fairy because I have simr abilities to one. From this ce would be tough, but I can get out of the dungeon from a reward room."

    "So we''ll be clearing the eightieth floor at the least. Got it."

    "You''ll apany me?"

    What was she even asking?

    "Of course," I spat.

    Dawn lowered her gaze again and nodded. Then, she suddenly raised her hand and pushed my head back.

    "Don''t brat. You should listen and just get out of here."

    "Tsk! You annoying wench!"

    "What did you just call your elder?"

    "Old hag!"

    "I''m 25! It''s not old!"

    "Oh yeah? Don''t lie, I know you''re in your thirties!"

    "HAH!? W-w-who told y-you a lie l-like that?"

    My shoulders drooped and a chuckle escaped me.

    "You''re too worried about your age!" I said, finding her reaction rather funny. "Don''t worry, people would describe you as an ''inhuman beauty'' no matter where you go."

    Dawn suddenly turned stiff.

    "S-stupid!" she suddenly pushed my shoulder and turned away.

    Heh. How cute.

    "Wow, you really are stupid, Eugy!" Titaniained on my shoulder as she tapped my cheeks.

    I sighed and shook my head. It seemed I was surrounded by some strangepanions.

    "Anyway, next, why are you a ''fallen angel''?" I was curious about this too.

    As if she didn''t expect the next question to be about her as well, Dawn turned to me again.

    "Well, kid, it''s because I came down to the mortal ne. I am not a full angel anymore, my abilities are sealed and I can''t contact anyone in the higher nes either."

    Dawn didn''t seem to think much about her state as she listed things off.

    "There''s no other angel here either, so don''t worry about that."

    "I see," I nodded. "Then, I''ll ask about the regressors. Are they a big deal?"

    "Hm, sort of?" Dawn tilted her head. "Well kid, the future is never set in stone. Every other second can change oues, all we can see is the probability of things."

    That was my understanding of things too. Demons that could see into the future like Raum were only able to see of the many possible oues. If it was all set in stone, then I would have never been able to catch Raum''s agent. The same could be said for stronger skills of future sight. Instead of seeing the future set in stone, they could see the more probable of all oues instead.

    "A regressor is different. Regressors have already lived through a future, they know of things unfolding as they should have."

    "But, if even a single change is made, won''t they end up changing the future they saw?"

    Dawn nodded. "That is not something to be relieved over. Look at it from a different perspective."

    I thought for a few seconds when realization dawned on me.

    "Because their small changes can twist the future, they can change it their way?"

    "Correct," Dawn nodded. "It doesn''t always work, even when it does it doesn''t affect the entire world, but the fact that it can be done is not to be ignored."

    This was definitely a problem.

    But, it didn''t concern me much, did it?

    "We can''t locate or do anything to these regressors either, so we choose to find and monitor them. After all, regression is not something that can be done without divine intervention."

    "Is that so...?"

    Dawn nodded again.

    She sure agreed rather easily to tell me all this.

    "So, Dusk..." Dawn suddenly leaned closer to me and narrowed her eyes. "Are you, a regressor?"

    Ah...?

    Ahhhh!

    Right, there were a lot of things that could point me to be one.

    From setting history in the adventurer''s exams to going so deep in the dungeon and even cornering the angel.

    I would suspect myself too.

    "No," I said. "I am not a regressor. But I do have memories of another life, in a sense, I am someone from another world who possessed this body."

    "Right, of course, you''re not a regressor¡ªHAH!?"

 Chapter 100: Chapter 98: Lets Get Out

    "W-what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

    "Ah, I kinda knew it but I''m interested in the details too!" Titania said. Thinking of it, I had never exined everything to her. Our connection made it so that she could figure out most things about me and I could figure out most things about her, but the details had to be told in the end.

    "Alright, I''ll tell you too."

    "W-who are you talking with?" Dawn asked, still surprised.

    "It''s mypanion, the fairy!"

    "The cutest fairy!"

    "Right, the cutest fairy."

    Dawn froze in ce. She raised her quaking fingers and pointed at my shoulders. "S-she''s there?"

    Thisdy sure stuttered a lot for someone so much older than me.

    "Right here," I said.

    "You can summon a fairy...?" Her words weren''t pointed at me as she sped her forehead and fell on the wall again.

    "Summon? Aren''t you more like, living here?"

    "Yup, yup," Titania nodded. "Because we''re both super strong."

    Dawn''s shock only increased with my words. How fun.

    In the end, I decided to give her a break and switched to the matter at hand.

    Slowly, I exined everything about myself. It didn''t take long, but it was tough to find the right words. I told the two a bit about my life as Eugene and the stuff here, but I refrained from mentioning anything about the game.

    Titania seemed to have noticed that I was hiding something, but didn''t say much about it.

    Was this a game world? I didn''t think so.

    I couldn''t see the people here as characters in a game, I couldn''t see myself as one either. In my eyes, this world turned on its own, its people breathed on their own, and they dreamed on their own.

    How could a world like that be ''just a game''?

    To me, this world and this life were all real, authentic. I didn''t think much of it being the setting for a game, that didn''t change what my life was, after all.

    The short yet long conversation came to an end and Dawn and I were left shoulder to shoulder in the quiet passageway.

    "This regressor thing," I spoke, but Dawn interrupted right after.

    "You don''t have to be worried. I don''t think the regressors will have anything to do with you."

    That was reassuring.

    "And, why did you be an adventurer?" I asked.

    "Adventurers are usually at the heart of all trouble. I thought this would be the best way to find the regressors."

    After that, I sighed and pped my hands. I pushed myself up and stretched a bit.

    My mana and Ki had greatly recovered after the rest.

    "Let''s get to the reward room quick and leave this ce then," I said, stretching my hand out to Dawn. "I''ll let you know if I ever run into a regressor, alright?"

    The regressors didn''t seem to be a problem for me. I could lend her a hand.

    .

    .

    .

    If only I knew back then, that the regressors were a problem for no one but me.

    ***

    Dawn and I then coursed through the rest of the floors. With two people fighting together, we managed to take on a bunch of monsters each and handle things well. From Harpies to Arachnes and Lamias, we killed everything in our way over the next two days and atst.

    A passageway behind the waterfall on the eighty-ninth floor led downward.

    We entered the dark passageway and passed through the incline before entering a narrow room at the bottom.

    "Nieth floor..." Dawn muttered.

    I had already read up on the nieth floor back outside, there should have been a whole troupe of the three monsters ready to face us, all of them at the peak of their species.

    But, there was no one here.

    "Are you ready, Dawn?" I asked, holding my breath.

    There wasn''t a sign of life here. The troupe that should have been in this ce had disappeared.

    It could only point to one thing.

    One of those bastards had eaten all of them.

    This ce that should have been an ambush spot had turned into a poison jar for all the monsters in here. A Gu cultivating the strongest of the three species.

    A mixture of them.

    Just as I stepped deeper into the ce, the world trembled.

    "It''s here..." Titania announced, flying up a distance from me.

    I pulled out my sword and another potion from my bag.

    A booster I had received on the fiftieth floor that could temporarily enhance my agility.

    I quickly gulped half of the potion and tossed the rest toward Dawn.

    Right then, a crack appeared in the ground in front of us.

    I lowered my stance, my breathing sharp.

    The blue and green light of the cave dimmed as if announcing the approach of the monster.

    "GRAH!"

    A scream resounded and I jumped toward a wall. Right where I was standing, a tail came peering out of the ground.

    Dawn jumped away too as another attack came at her.

    One, two, five, nine tails.

    The body of the monster peered out of the ground. Countless, sharp appendages emerged from the ground first while the giant body of a human followed, its sides riddled with the legs of the Arachne and nine tails of Lamia''s all sticking to its back.

    Giant wings and ten eyes. Its mouth transformed into a wing.

    An amalgamation of the best of the three species.

    The five meters tall monster stood tall in front of us. Its appendages shrunk and its beak opened.

    "KYAAAAAHHH!"

    The monster screamed, and the battle kicked off.

    Dawn pulled out her weapon at once and charged toward the monster.

    "[Honeb Defense: Hexagonal Shieldsx100]"

    A hundred shields formed in thin air and spread around the cave as Dawn charged into the monster.

    Her staff swiveled in the air as she curved it around. She jumped up, I boosted her with a shield and pushed her further.

    Immediately, she swung her weapon down on the monster''s eyes¡ª

    "Ptui!"

    ¡ªThe monster spat.

    All my shields converged in front of Dawn and blocked the acidic spit, a dozen of them melted while the force of the spit pushed the shields back and they crashed into Dawn, sending her flying away.

    This...

    This was going to be tough.

 Chapter 101: Chapter 99: Worlds End Beam

    "You alright?"

    "I am good."

    Eugene exhaled after hearing Dawn''s reply. She hadn''t been touched by the attack of the monster thankfully. A single spit had destroyed three dozen of his hundred shields.

    Taking in a short breath, Eugene lowered his stance. He hopped away from the walls of the cave and charged at the monster.

    "GRAH!"

    The monster screamed. Its enormous wings pped in the air and feathers the size ofnces came tearing through the wind.

    Eugene hopped and rolled in the air as he avoided everything he could. He kicked a stone and knocked away one of the feathers in his way and swung his sword at another as he rolled on the ground and leaped closer to the monster.

    The monster growled, and dozens of webs came hurtling toward him.

    Streaks of Ki passed Eugene by and crashed into the webs, sending them away.

    Dawn was handling the backup at the perfect time.

    Pushing myself off the shields again, he jumped in front of the monster''s mouth.

    "GRA!" It scoffed as if mocking them for repeating the same techniques. Its mouth contorted as it readied tounch a spit.

    Eugene smirked, and his fingers snapped.

    "[Intermediate Spell: me Lance]"

    Ance of fire formed in mid-air and rammed itself into the sides of the monster''s face. It wobbled slightly. Taking that chance, Eugene sent his mana to the ceiling of the cave and brought down a stctite from the top.

    The stctite rammed itself into the head of the monster, sending it wobbling even further.

    Eugene jumped on one of the many stone pirs and collected his mana tounch another attack.

    The ground below him trembled slightly.

    "Fuck!" He screamed as he jumped off the pir. The stone pir was crushed from within as one of the nine tails of the monster tore it apart from the inside. Before he could react, at a terrifying speed, the monster swung another tail and sent rows upon rows of debris toward him.

    Eugene, still in mid-air, brought his hands together and summoned the shields to cover him. A few of the stones passed through before he could block himself and nestled themselves all over his torso, sending him crashing to the ground.

    "Dusk!" Dawn screamed, brandishing her stick and rushing toward the monster.

    The monster raised its many sharp and tough legs to crush Eugene but was stopped by Dawn who mmed its stomach with a Ki shot.

    Eugene coughed the dirt away and pushed himself up. they hadn''t made direct contact with the monster yet by pure luck. He twisted his neck and massaged his shoulders as he stood back up.

    "This bastard..." he muttered.

    Dragging things on would be making it worse. Not only would he run out of Mana or Ki, but avoiding contact with the monster will be impossible. A single graze and they''ll be turned into whatever that thing was as well.

    Biting his lips, Eugene held in a sigh and made up his mind.

    Max firepower.

    "Synergy..."

    His whisper didn''t reach any ears, but itsmand was heard by the world.

    The entire cave started shaking tremendously as the mana and the Ki present inside shook. All of it was taken over by Eugene.

    The usual purple glow exuding his elements changed into a deeper, darker, malignant shade of ck.

    Both the monster and the adventurer froze in their tracks.

    Eugene ran.

    He swept two of his fingers over the t side of his de. The ck glow grew from the base of the sword and filled the de as far as his hand reached.

    "[World''s]"

    The trembling mana and Ki in the air coalesced in his de.

    "KRIEEE!" The monster screamed. Its legs wobbled as it slithered away from Dawn at a speed impossible for its size and rushed toward Eugene.

    "[End!]"

    The monster stopped in front of Eugene. It''s body morphed in a disgusting manner as its many legs shrank and gathered into a single, reinforced one.

    It didn''t matter.

    Eugene''s synergy could crush through everything.

    The monster''s leg swung down, and Eugene''s de dashed upward.

    "[SLASH¡ª]"

    ¡ªCrack!

    A loud cracking sound reverberated.

    The ck glowing de copsed and cracked.

    The ck energy stream back into Eugene''s body like a river flowing backward as the de of his sword snapped in half and turned into dust.

    The monster''s attack didn''t stop.

    Summoning all his strength and bearing the pain of the reverse flow, Eugene jumped back. His one hand held the broken half of the de as he jumped away, but he couldn''t avoid itpletely.

    The reverse flow of Synergy had given him a great boost, but his first finger was still grazed by the attack.

    Time seemed to have slowed down for Eugene as his mind rushed for solutions.

    In what would seem like an instance for everyone else, a long time passed in Eugene''s elerated thoughts.

    His gaze shifted on his hand.

    The curse would spread, it was a small cut.

    Next, he peered at the leg of the monster. The reinforced appendage was digging into the ground half a centimeter at a time for Eugene, who could see everything much slower than it was.

    Lastly, he looked at his other hand. Only a small part of the de was left, it was still sharp, though cracked.

    There wasn''t a better solution.

    Eugene twisted his hold on the weapon and brought his hand closer.

    Time moved normally again as he contracted his body, preparing for the aftershock of the monster hitting the ground.

    A surge of air and debris pressed against him, blowing him away, but he didn''t care.

    Without a shred of hesitation, Eugene swung the remaining part of his de on his other hand.

    And cut his finger off.

    His finger flew away, leaving behind an arc of blood, and Eugene wasunched away.

    "Eugy!!"

    "Dusk!"

    Dawn and Titania screamed. The little fairy rushed through the cave and toward herpanion while Dawn turned toward the monster.

    A sense of fear filled her. That attack was likely all of Eugene''s power, but it was left ineffective.

    She alone didn''t have enough strength to even hold this thing back, let alone defeat it.

    "At least..."

    Dawn held her breath and brandished her weapon again. Thest of her Ki filled the ck staff as her wings streamed out of her back.

    "KIekie!!" The monster smirked. It was mocking them.

    Dawn swung down her stick with all her mana and rushed into the monster. She engaged the monster in an intense melee as she attacked and distanced herself like a fly, piling up the minor injuries on the monster.

    It continued to attack her back, she was slowly running out of strength.

    "HEY FAIRY!" Dawn screamed. Even though she couldn''t see her, she knew that Eugene''s fairy was there all the time. She tightened her grip on her weapon and her wings contracted. cing all her strength in ast stand, Dawn kicked off. "Run with him from the dungeon!!"

    There was no reason for him to die with her.

    With her speed reinforcing her strength, Dawn used thest of her Ki to attack the monster''s reinforced legs. Her tremendous force managed to dig through after piling many hits on the same spot, and she cut off the monster''s leg.

    A shockwave spread from the impact, knocking her away as well.

    "KRAAAAK!!!"

    The monster screamed in rage as its leg dangled. It writhed about in a senseless rampage, crushing away parts of the cave with its tail and acidic spit.

    When it could think again, its eyes burned with an intense hatred for Dawn and rushed at her.

    Dawn, unable to even move, struggled and raised her weapon again.

    ''At least he escaped...'' she thought. She was ready to greet her death head-on.

    The monster stopped in front of her. All nine of its tails rose and peered over Dawn.

    The monster growled, seething in rage.

    It''s tails cut through the air and were about to smash into Dawn.

    "¡ªWho said you can look away, bastard?"

    The air stopped moving.

    At a scale even greater than before, all the mana and Ki in the wind trembled.

    Dawn cranked her gaze to the side in surprise.

    There, with the base of his white hair turning ck, stood a lone boy. His previously red eyes gleamed a shade of purple as jet-ck lightning cracked around his arm.

    "Swords? I don''t rely on that shit."

    Fear.

    Fear crept up the angel''s back.

    His low voice, his cold words, his immense strength.

    "Didn''t I say, Titania...? I am a magician through and through."

    All of it was fear-inducing.

    "Synergy"

    ck glow emerged from his body.

    "K-Kraa!!"

    The monster screamed and charged at Eugene. It had to, or else it would die.

    With a finger missing from his outstretched hand, Eugene only greeted the monster''s charge with a smile.

    "[World''s]"

    The ck glow coalesced at his palms. The monster hastened.

    "[END]"

    His voice nigh a whisper.

    Tiny ck wings appeared in front of his palms.

    "[Beam]"

    A butterfly.

    Two.

    Tens.

    Dozens.

    Hundreds.

    Thousands of ck butterflies emerged from his hand. Like a torrent of wind, the butterflies rushed through the air and toward the monster.

    The world inside the cave was covered in ck.

    The world inside the cave...

    ... was facing its end.

 Chapter 102: Chapter 100: Mask of Many Faces

    The darkness filling the cave subsided.

    My hand still stretched out, I panted as I struggled to keep myself standing.

    The clouding in my vision subsided and my head felt lighter, it seemed that the reverse flow had brought some changes to my body.

    I could feel it splendidly well with how my mana circuit and dantian trembled. The pain was out of this world, it was enough to make mepletely forget the finger I had cut off.

    The darkness faded further. Blood swelled up from my insides as I let out a painful sigh.

    I could see it.

    Thousands of holes in the shape of a butterfly wereden on the monster''s body. It should have fallen with how hollow it was, but not even air, mana, or Ki remained around it.

    The World''s End Beam had swallowed everything.

    Emptiness.

    I had created an emptiness in space.

    That was what the darkness was as well. My attack had even swallowed up the very light of the world.

    Those thoughts filled my head as a gust of wind appeared from all over the ce to fill up the void.

    The enemy threatening my life was gone, but I didn''t feel a single drop of happiness.

    "I need... to get stronger..."

    With that, I toppled forward and fell face-first on the ground.

    "Dusk!"

    "Eugy!!"

    Two screams reached my ears but I didn''t have the strength to answer back. Soon enough, I could feel Titania pulling my hair while Dawn tried to lift me.

    "Eugggy!!"

    "O-oh no... the mana flow... it stopped¡ª I-it can''t be!"

    "He''s dead!?!?"

    What the fuck?

    "I... am alive."

    The two of them sighed as I spoke in a soft mutter.

    For not being able to see or hear her, Dawn sure was in sync with Titania.

    "Can''t... move..."

    "Don''t worry..." Dawn spoke, wiping her eyes with one hand while holding me up with the other. "You did it, it''s over..."

    I know, you wench.

    Instead of getting sentimental can you please just fucking move to the reward room so that we can get out of here?!

    Ah, damn it. The words I wanted to say didn''t leave my mouth. I was subjected to hearing her cry and thank me for five minutes straight while Titania nagged me for being reckless and sticking with Dawn instead of running away. Of course, I was too tired and in pain to bother with that.

    Soon enough, Dawn stopped and finally, fucking finally, decided to get me some potions. They weren''t effective at all other than fixing up the cuts and gashes being thrown around had left on me. Then, she cleaned the stump of my cut-off finger and wrapped it with a bandage.

    I had recovered enough to speak, but not enough to move.

    "Let''s go..." I said, my voice more feeble than I liked.

    Dawn nodded and hoisted me up on her back. I wrapped my hands around her neck and my legs went on both sides of her back.

    How pathetic.

    "Eugy... your finger..."

    Titania suddenly came up to us while carrying the dusted finger. Its bottom was unevenly carved out and stones and pellets had dived deep into the flesh. A few deep burn marks showed off the cracked bones over the finger.

    Dawn, who noticed the invisible flying finger she was seeing was the work of the fairy stopped in her tracks.

    "This... Dusk, you..."

    I shrugged.

    "That''s one finger I won''t be getting back."

    "Should I chuck it away?" Titania asked.

    "Yup, toss it out. And burn it just to be safe."

    Titania threw the finger away without hesitation while Dawn kept staring at us.

    "She looks like she saw a ghost?" Titania exined. "Or like, is that the expression you make while looking at psychos?"

    That can''t be. Was there anyone in the world more reasonable than me?

    "Let''s get going, Dawn..."

    "Ah, yes," Dawn nodded and we started walking through the cave again.

    Eventually, we found a staircase at the far end going down to the reward room past the nieth floor.

    Dawn, still carrying me on her back, descended the stairs with a careful gait. Titania was, unfortunately, unable to find a way to reverse the curse of the demonic energy in such a short time, but it wasn''t impossible yet.

    The reward room was tiny, extremely so.

    Like all the others, after the first clear of a floor, the reward kept decreasing.

    Studded on an altar in the center, lit up by the yellow light emerging from the altar itself.

    A single ck masquerade mask sat on the altar. The mask with a simple yet stylish shape with its edges curving up didn''t even have a single string to keep it in ce. The entire mask was colored ck except for three white stripes running diagonally on its center.

    "Eugy, that thing has a strong demonic energy running through it."

    "It doesn''t look good to me, Dusk."

    The angel and the fairy could sense something I couldn''t. If it was like that, then touching the mask would be a big problem. Before I could decide anything, my right hand started to tremble.

    "Ah?"

    A purple glow emanated as the ring on my finger buzzed uncontrobly.

    "Mother''s ring?"

    The ring started tugging my body ahead. It was a sudden force that made Dawn step ahead with me on her back.

    The mask started whirring as I got closer to it.

    In the blink of an eye, a murky shade of red emerged from the mask. The fog-like energy floated up and dashed into the ring on my finger.

    We were left stunned as the energy waspletely absorbed by the ring, and then, as if nothing had ever happened, both the mask and the ring returned to normal.

    "What in the...?"

    "The demonic energy... is gone?"

    "Heh?"

    Dawn confirmed Titania''s words with her own assessment.

    "It turned into a normal mask all of a sudden?"

    "In that case..."

    "I''ll check it for you," Titania said and flew close to the mask.

    A translucent window appeared in front of my eyes.

    [Name: Mask of Many Faces

    *Type: Gear

    *Rank (Adventurer Guild Metric): Adamantium

    *Enchantment: Magically Enhanced

    *Ability: Can change your face as per your will thrice a day. The mask''s shape can be changed as long as it remains a mask. Unknown origin, unknown creator. Suspected to be of Demonic Roots]

    Adamantium, huh?

    That would put it at the third highest rank.

    It would be unheard of to find something like this below the four-hundredth floor.

    It seemed Dawn couldn''t inspect the mask as she looked at it weirdly.

    "Should we take it?" I posed. I was going to take it for myself.

    "I am not sure," Dawn muttered. "I don''t think it''s safe. Do you want it?"

    "It''s better than leaving it here, right?"

    In the end, Dawn handed me the mask, but she seemed reluctant as she did so, almost guilty. I guess she thought she was putting me in danger after I saved her, but I couldn''t help her with that.

    The reaction it incited from my mother''s ring made me inexplicably curious about the mask. Not to mention its rank. I didn''t care much for the ability, though.

    It was a bad match-up. How was someone who knew the least about faces to willfully change his face?

    After bagging the mask, I asked Dawn to put me down.

    "I''ll take you out now," Titania announced.

    I nodded and a sh of light filled my sight.

    In the next moment, the world changed.

 Chapter 103: Chapter 101: In the Hospital

    I was dropped out on the streets of the Deep Down Town, right next to the entrance of thebyrinth. Immediately as I and Dawn returned to the town, I was stuffed into the hospital of the adventurer''s guild.

    Interestingly, arge part of the second floor of the guild house was remodeled into a hospital. Even more interestingly, almost the entire hospital was full of patients. And, perhaps, most interesting of all, more than half of the bastards on the bed were there since they fought with each other.

    What a wild bunch.

    I had fallen asleep as soon as I wasid on the bed so I didn''t remember any treatment. When I woke up, I was already in loose blue robes. Bandages were scrawled over my chest and back and my hand around my finger was wrapped up as well. It sucked that my right hand was missing a finger now, I would have to adjust my posture with the sword for a while.

    I didn''t have to worry about magic, though. I only used spells that I had a hundred percent control over, so missing a hand or two won''t affect my spell activation.

    Just as I thought about magic, the mana circuits and Ki veins in my body started throbbing, sending up a wave of pain.

    I bit my lips and closed my eyes, stillying down.

    "Eugy... It seems I''ll have to go back to Alfheim."

    Titania''s mutters reached me.

    "What? Why?"

    Titania crossed her legs while sitting on my chest and rested her head on her palm. "The reverse flow of that world-end thing weakened you greatly. Just keeping my body in the mortal realm is taking a toll on you. If I stay here your circuits won''t heal."

    "It''s just Ki and Mana you know?"

    "Heh? Of course, it''s not?" Titania answered, exasperated. "It''s not just a simple mixture. It''s apletely different form of energy, like Demonic Energy or Holy Energy, it''s not as simple as just being Ki and Mana."

    "Is that so...?"

    I wasn''t aware of that.

    "In the first ce, mixing the two should be impossible. It''s because you have a more scientific understanding of Mana and Ki from your different world paired with your insane control that''s even making this happen."

    "Right... I was involved in a lot of research myself."

    "In that pantheon ce you mentioned?" Titania asked.

    I nodded meekly at her words.

    "I used to run away with thebs thinking a strong person should have the best of research centers, so they decided to just let me in."

    I had got the idea of mixing the two from the research that was being conducted in Pantheon as well.

    Titania didn''t say anything, but I could tell she was a bit shocked. How weird, it''s perfectly natural to steal research centers in my opinion.

    "Will you be safe?" I asked. Titania hadn''t said anything, but I had a feeling that she was different from all the other fairies, but not in a good way.

    She nodded.

    "It''s ok, I''ll freeload off my twin sister and her husband for a bit."

    "You have a twin?"

    "She''s not even half as pretty as me."

    "I am sure," I said.

    Titania suddenly floated over to my face and pecked my cheeks.

    "You were really cool," she said. "I''ll see you in a bit."

    With that, Titania suddenly disappeared.

    "Ah... now I am going to be bored.

    ***

    A few hourster, I ended up with a visitor.

    A seriously bulky, tank-like visitor.

    "No need to get up." The visitor, the branch manager of the Adventurer Guild of Deep Down Town said as he sat next to my bed and crossed his arms.

    "Are you alright?" he asked.

    "Never been better," I said, showing off my right hand.

    "Hm... It won''t be easy even with a prosthetic, the best you can do is a stiff metal finger to curl and open up."

    "That wasn''t what I was getting at¡ª"

    "¡ªIt must be pretty detrimental for you to lose a finger. A swordsman''s bnce is set up on years of foundation."

    "It''s alright, I am a magician after all."

    The manager kept staring at me as I said those words.

    Ah damn it, why couldn''t Titania be here and tell me what kind of face he was making.

    "I know you''re a dual-core."

    I saw thating damn it. Just how monstrous do your senses have to be to detect something like this? Even if we had a conversation, it barelysted a few minutes. It was a feat I wasn''t anywhere close to being able to pull off.

    "I see..." I said, hiding my thoughts.

    "I heard everything from Adventurer Dawn. You two should have left immediately after noticing there was a demonic curse."

    "No. The curse made them stronger the more they ran into each other. If we had dyed it for long then an unbeatable monster would have been born."

    "Hm, it was still dangerous."

    The manager was strangely talkative. He didn''t give off such an impression previously.

    "I think you survived purely by luck."

    "What? That''s not the case at¡ª"

    "What if instead of your finger, your torso was grazed?"

    I stopped speaking.

    "Your sword breaking apart was also a show of negligence. That''s not all, the head-on approach you two chose and the attacks you used to fight were absurd. I had been thinking since I saw you fight in the examinations, even there you dly let your foot be stabbed through just to win, didn''t you?"

    I wanted to argue, but I couldn''t.

    He wasn''t wrong.

    I hadn''t thought of it that way... but being told all of it so tly.

    From my equipment to my methods, all of them were based on my belief in absolute strength.

    "Kid," the manager continued. "You''re conceited."

    My eyes widened.

    This fucker, what did he¡ª

    "You fight like you''re the strongest, but you don''t really have the strength to live up to it. This isn''t called ''development,'' to abandon yourself just to win is conceitedness."

    I slowly pushed myself off, trying to sit up, and faced the manager with a stern gaze.

    Not development? I was putting my life on the line precisely for that. Did he think I was scouring that dungeon to find riches?

    "I am aware of my limits," I said, my voiceing out as a groan from the pain. "I fought how I did to train myself, not to chase some ideal."

    The manager pulled back slightly.

    Then, his shoulders bobbed up and down.

    His voice coarse, he startedughing out loud.

    From a small chuckle to a wall-shaking roar, the managerughed out extremely loud.

    "How funny," he said in between breaths. "To train? Like that? That''s stupid."

    "The heck did you say¡ª"

    "Five. No, three." He cut me off and pulled up three fingers in front of me. "I''ll train you for three years. I am the one who trained all three current Mythril Ranked Adventurers. Strong enough to live up to that style of yours, that''s what I''ll make you. What do you think?"

    "You... manager?"

    Suddenly, the manager let out his aura.

    The world seemed to be copsing inside as his pressure focused on me. My teeth jittered and my body trembled. I could see everything shaking, as if an earthquake had hit.

    It was intense. At the level of those Rankers amongst the Hunters from Earth.

    Dragon. This intense pressure reminded me of my murderer.

    Keith''s words came ringing in my ears.

    ''There''s plenty stronger than those dragons,'' he had said.

    In front of this, the monster that had almost taken my life seemed like an ant, no, it was even smaller.

    From deep within my heart, excitement welled up.

    This.

    Such power.

    My breathing grew heavy, it was getting harder to control my heart as drool started spilling out of my lips.

    Such strength.

    I wanted it.

    "Three years?" I asked, my excitement couldn''t stop me from speaking even through this pressure. The manager too seemed slightly shocked by my change, but I didn''t care.

    Greed for the power he had exhibited was flowing in me.

    If he refused to hand it over, I would willingly try to kidnap him and cut him open to find his secrets.

    "I''ll do it," I said, panting. "I''ll learn from you. So give me all of your strength."

    The manager blinked twice and the pressure he exuded disappeared.

    He broke into another loud chuckle.

    "Fine!" He said. "Take all of it if you dare!"

    ***

    The manager left soon, and I was left alone in the hospital room. Soon enough, the sun went down.

    The receptionist of the guild had shown her face in between. I mistook her for a nurse and was flicked on the forehead though.

    As the night deepened, the door to my room opened.

    A woman in a suit stepped inside.

    "Dusk, it''s me, Dawn."

    I opened my eyes and turned to her.

    "Adventurer Dawn, are you doing good?"

    "Yeah, I wasn''t as injured." Dawn walked over and ced a hand on my forehead to check for any fever.

    Right then, the door was opened again and the receptionist stepped inside again.

    "Hey, kiddo," she said,pletely ignoring Dawn. "Are you doing better now? Think you can move?"

    I nodded.

    "Good. Then get out, we need this room for someone else now. Stupid idiot lost his legs."

    I was left blinking in the record time it took for the staff of the adventurers guild to kick me and Dawn out and enter the room with someone else. The amount of consideration they showed me was to hand me a pair of crutches. The adventurer guild hospital was way too busy.

    "Um... Dawn, do you think you can help me find an inn?" I asked.

    "An inn? Thiste, what if you need a doctor again?"

    "No rooms are open in the dorm, so I have no choice."

    "In that case," Dawn turned me and smacked her chest. "Leave it to this sister. You can just sleep in my room."

    "Hah?"

    "Don''t worry. Just rx, I''ll take care of you!"

    And so I found myself (kidnapped) in Dawn''s room.

 Chapter 104: Chapter 102: Room Mates

    I stood in Dawn''s room with a hardened gaze. The adventurer had changed into a loose ck tunic and shorts before bringing me in. A faint, citrusy smell permeated the tiny room as Dawn fixed up her luggage and made enough room for both of us to walk around.

    "Make yourself home," she said. "Do you need anything?"

    I shook my head and tried to help Dawn, but was forced to sit back on a chair and watch her. It seemed I had gotten used to Titania''s presence in thest four weeks since I kind of missed her.

    After Dawn was done clearing up her room, I stood up again.

    "I''ll take the floor," I said. "Don''t bother with a mattress¡ª"

    "What. No. I''ll sleep on the floor."

    "No, it''s fine. You should sleep on the bed."

    "Brat," Dawn walked closer to me. "You''re injured, just sleepfortably."

    "Argh, it''s your room and your bed. I am fine with the floor, alright?"

    "Not alright at all! Shut up and sleep on the bed."

    "No, you sleep on the bed."

    "Damn it, you!"

    "You!"

    The two of us engaged in a stare-offsting a couple of minutes. In the end, she clicked her tongue and turned away. That''s what you get for challenging me in a stare-off, I am pretty much a cheat character when ites to that.

    Dawn ced her hands on her waist. I heard her grin as she turned to me again.

    "Fine, stubborn guy. Let''s both sleep on the bed."

    "Hah!? I''ll pass."

    "Why? You''re chickening out?"

    "Remind me who killed that monster again?"

    "That is that and this is this," Dawn scoffed. She then leaned lower to meet my eyes and twisted her lips into what I could assume to be a teasing smile. "Hah, you said you''re a mature adult, but you''re just too embarrassed to do something like this, right? If you disagree then just shut up and take the bed, we-ak-li-ng."

    What did¡ª

    What did this bitch just call me?

    I was already annoyed by that manager, but to think someone else would have the guts too.

    I bit my lips and turned away from Dawn. I walked over to the bed andid down on one end. Dawn smiled, thinking I was going to let her be.

    But no way.

    I lifted the duvet and patted the bed.

    "Come on."

    "Hah... I''ll just take the floor¡ª"

    I grabbed her hands before she could turn away.

    "Chickening out? If you''re going to give up then sleep on the bed and let me take the floor."

    "Chickening... How can youpare an angel to a chicken¡ª"

    I pumped my brows and smirked as an answer.

    "Fine," Dawn muttered as she sat on the bed and I sat up to get off.

    Before I could leave, Dawn turned off the lights from the switch next to the bed and pushed me down instead.

    "You¡ª"

    "You said it just now."

    A light breeze came in from the windows. The small door waspletely packed and dark with just some of the moon''s light peering in. It was barely enough to get our eyes used to the dark.

    Vaguely, I could see Dawn''s figure as she spread her legs inside the duvet andid on the bed.

    "Move a bit."

    I scooted to my side until my right shoulder touched the walls, but the bed was still too tiny for us to sleep together. More than half of Dawn''s body was out of the bed.

    "Um..."

    The previous atmosphere of confrontation was reced by a strange awkwardness.

    "W-we should sleep on our sides. I''ll face you... there''s no space on the other side."

    Without waiting for an answer, Dawn turned to her right and tried to get on more of the bed. I too turned to my right, feeling a soft pressure on my back.

    A stabbing pain went up the stump of the missing finger as the back of my right hand touched the bed.

    Insects called.

    It was quiet except for the sounds of the outside, that only seemed to be making both our breathing clearer.

    "Um, Dawn..." I said. "My hand."

    "Ah! I-it''s fine... you should sleep facing me."

    Ahhh! What was this? How did the atmosphere be so awkward? We were just beingpetitive, how did it turn into a couple sleeping next to each other for the first time?

    I had many questions in my mind, but I didn''t want to lose. Going down on the floor would just make her force me up, and staying up and forcing her down would be admitting that I lost.

    Like a soldier on a battlefield, I slowly twisted my body.

    The bed slightly creaked as I turned to face her.

    It allowed her more space, so she wriggled further in andpletely rested her body on the bed.

    With my right hand on my thigh without facing the pressure of my body, I was more rxed as well.

    But another problem was in front of my face now.

    Or should I say two problems?

    The two problems pressed against my chest, just slightly. The small amount of contact made it almost seem like I was doing something wrong.

    Dawn''s breaths hit my lips as our faces were right in front of each other.

    We both kept our eyes closed to distract ourselves as much as we could, but like a chain holding us in a prison, our breaths reminded us of the position right as we thought we had gotten away.

    Titania''s words came to mind.

    An otherworldly beauty with purple hair. Sharp features and a countenance that shouldn''t be on a human.

    I tried to ignore those thoughts, but my breathing had gotten slightly hotter. As if setting off a chain reaction, her breaths grew warmer by the second as well.

    As time went by, we slightly leaned closer while still beingpletely awake. We were so preupied with our minds that we had forgotten about our bodies.

    Almost instinctively, I adjusted my left hand and brought it closer to my face.

    The back of my hand grazed past her chest.

    My cheeks flushed and I saw the same effect on Dawn.

    Our skin touched on the cramped bed. She was soft, something one wouldn''t notice from a distance. But this up close, it was impossible to not sense her slightest movement.

    As Dawn''s breathing grew increasingly hotter, I closed my eyes.

    Just as I had noticed this up close, so did Dawn.

    Our lips parted slightly to let out the heat in our chests, it was useless though, since what I let out came back to me from Dawn.

    In the dark of the night, Dawn opened her mouth.

    "Are you sleepy?"

    "Not really..."

    "Funny, I can''t sleep either."

    ***

    It was 11 AM. I didn''t catch a wink of sleep at first but by the time the sun started to rise both of us fell asleep.

    I just had to take my time to heal, a night of less sleep didn''t matter.

    I realizedter that thinking so was my mistake.

    As soon as I reached the lowest floor of the guild house and was about to move to the restaurant, a bulky figure blocked my path.

    "Who?" I asked.

    "Your teacher from now on." the figure answered.

    "Oh? Mr. Manager, I was just about toe to see you after getting a bite¡ª"

    "Boy, didn''t you want to train at the verge of death?"

    I slowly nodded at his words.

    "Did you heal?"

    "Not yet, I can''t make either energy flow¡ª"

    "Perfect," the manager said, smirking. "It took you four weeks in peak condition to clear 90 floors, right?"

    "Um... pretty much."

    The manager crossed his arms. He muttered something about being strong and a Kobold King, and then he pped his hands.

    Before I could react, I was lifted by the back of my shirt.

    "Good. I''ll take your state into consideration then. The first part of our training is to continue the dungeon dive."

    "O-oh...?"

    "You''re going to the four-hundredth floor in a week."

    "Ah? It sounds impossible, but I can give it a shot," I said. If he was proposing a challenge for training, I would take it. "My spells and ki are sharp after all¡ª"

    "I know," the manager''s voice rang out.

    A chill ran down my spine.

    "That''s why we leave now when you can''t use either."

    And so began my training, My initial nning of keeping one foot in the mouth of death was reversed.

    For the next many months, many days, many hours.

    I only had one foot left outside of death.

 Chapter 105: Chapter 103: Sharky and Zachariah (1)

    Fresh on the roster was a duo that people had not seen forming that easily. Joining hands with the cool and handsome enigma of the Adventurer''s guild down in Deep Down Town was the hyper-active gremlin of the freshies.

    Sharky, or as some would call him, Megdon, had joined hands with Zachariah Arke.

    It was a team that could dive right into the toughest of troubles and handle most problems without issue. Their ticket to sess.

    "Well, since you guys are new I can''t give you tougher quests."

    Of course, things were not to go by Sharky''s ns.

    "Ce on, miss Rena. We''re two, we can handle a tough request easy!"

    "Don''t make me call the head receptionist." Rena puffed her cheeks and the two had no choice but to shut up.

    Actually, the other of the two was not speaking at all.

    Just a few days back, the dive in to the Deep Down Dive had ended and adventurer Dusk had been whisked away by the manager. Every adventurer was slowly getting to work.

    This was their chance to raise their ranks as much as they could, but it didn''t seem to be going their way.

    "Look, being an adventurer is not all about ranks. It''s about survival and experience. All your strength will go in vain if you don''t know to pick your battles."

    Sharky grabbed his head.

    "To get better quests, we need experience. To get experience, we need better quests. What is this, a corporate?"

    Rena sighed and swiped at the teal tablet in her hand.

    "There''s one thing you guys can do. Many crops in a vige out in the confederacy are getting frozen overnight. There''s little known about the threat, but judging from the scale it seems to be something copper ranks can handle."

    "Oh!" Sharky smirked. This was his chance. A strange mission with an air of mystery.

    "Look, as I said, there is no certainty yet. I don''t think it would be, but if its anything tough you retreat, got it?"

    Sharky nodded and stretched his hand out.

    Rena handed him the quest details on a scroll and got back to her seat.

    "Take the western gate."

    "Got it! Thanks!"

    Sharky rushed behind to his team mate and shook him awake.

    "Hey pikachu, we got a quest."

    "Zzz?"

    "Let''s get a move on."

    "Who are¡­ zzz¡­"

    It wasn''t really a partnershippletely agreed on by both sides, but that shouldn''t be a problem now¡­

    Probably¡­

    ***

    Preparations were made quickly. Thanks to the special nature of the Deep Down Town, there was little need to worry about how they would be going to their destination.

    Due to the special nature of the ce, the Deep Down Town was connected to three kingdoms, belonging to none of them yet open to all of them. From the south was the Kingdom of Schwarz, the Northeast held the empire''s connection and the north west, the forest confederacy.

    The carriage driver they had found this time gave them a discount since they were freshers and let them ride for just fifteen silver.

    On a trip that usually cost about 50 bronze.

    It was a very good discount, Sharky was going to keep this guy''s contact in handy for years toe.

    Not long after, they were told that they had reached the distance that they could travel by carriage and had to go to the vige themselves.

    Trudging their way through the narrow forest path, Zachariah Arke and Sharky strolled toward the vige.

    "Man, the travel is so annoying¡­" Sharky hummed. He didn''t want to do anything boring like this, he was hoping to swoop in, punch some bastards and take back some money.

    And if it made matters any worse, his friend here who he had teamed up with for his strength was just as useless as he had thought he would be. He just kept sleeping even when they were walking together for god knows what reason or how in the same vein.

    They reached the vige with Sharky being a downer the entire time, but soon, he managed to get his spirits back.

    The two of them met with the vige head and the other vigers.

    "Oh¡­ people in line are getting upset because the farms get frozen! It''s starting from theke for sure, though the ice thaws the next day, it''s little help."

    "When does it happen?"

    The vige head shook his head. "Everyone was too scared to stake out at night. But no matter what we do it always happens! Larry living near the farms did some magic in his school in the cities, brilliant kid, he even made some kind of sparklers or something but even that did not stop the freezing."

    Weak monsters and people should be scared of that stuff since they didn''t want to be caught. It could either someone from the vige, though the chances of that were next to zero, or a strong monster, or a natural phenomena.

    "Wait so¡­ we''ll have to stake out the entire night?" Sharky muttered to himself, but it didn''t miss the ears of the vige head.

    "You will? What a kind child! Thank you! Thank you!"

    And so began their job as stake outers.

    Hiding beneathrge patches of grass and behind the trees, as soon as the moon rose up, Zachariah and Sharky found themselves peering at theke and the fields.

    Or only Sharky did, since his friend was fast asleep.

    The slow start bothered Sharky, but he did not let him take him down. He just had to wait for a little and he''ll get to swoop in and take down.

    But¡­

    As the cicadas continued their songs and the stars twinkled one too many times, Sharky''s patience started running out.

    This was getting annoying.

    And his partner was just pissing him off.

    There was no sign of the culprit and even then he was the only one keeping an eye out.

    "Zzz¡­"

    "Damn this," Sharky hummed. "Fucking hell man, at least try to look for the enemy!"

    He grabbed Zachariah''s cors and pulled him up.

    It was then, Zachariah''s eyes shot open and his hand fell on his sword.

    He turned to the side and saw an icy mothfly fluttering out of it.

    "Look, there it is."

    Zachariah drew his sword and an arc of lightning fell on the icy monthly fluttering out of theke.

    Taking the chance, Sharky grinned and ran out of the trees. He was growingrgely impatient, and this was his chance.

    "Take this, Hand Guillotine!"

 Chapter 106: Chapter 104: Sharky And Zachariah (2)

    "Hand Guillotine!"

    Sharky''s hands stretched out like a falling guillotine as it cut off down his elbow. His bones had be chains and his palm a sharp de that aimed straight for the stunned, zapping fly.

    The fly sent out a breath full of ice and sent the man''s attack hanging back.

    "Huh!?" Sharky yelped, rolling his chains back inside.

    Zachariah took the chance to dash ahead. Like lightning, he raced through the forest and popped up in front of the mothfly, his de swung down charged by streaks of electricity.

    The fly snapped out of its shock then and narrowly avoided the attack.

    "Not so quick!"

    Sharky''s hair had formed a in the sky and was falling down. It trapped the icy mothfly in its grasp as Zachariah turned his sword back and stabbed it straight down.

    "Haha!" Sharky screamed. "I am not getting that hair back, but it doesn''t matter!"

    "Zzz¡­."

    It didn''t take more than a second for Zachariah to go back to sleep.

    As Sharky frowned and walked over to the river, his heart started pounding on his chest.

    Just like that, it was all over.

    The entire day felt like a waste.

    What was all the wait and hiding for when it was not going to give him any results?

    The disappointment of the experience hit Sharky like a truck.

    He even went bald for this damned mission, and all for what? Nothing.

    Lifting the dead mothfly, he straddled it on his shoulder and walked ahead, pulling the fast asleep Zachariah with his other hand.

    Wind breezed like a mncholy flute, hitting its note with the backings of the fluttering wheat fields.

    It was funny to see some strands of wheat frozen and somepletely dry and fluttering. The icy mothfly had a tendency of releasing a chill while eating, but it was still a monster that belonged in the dungeons and not outside of them.

    This was for the best.

    Sharky looked up at the sky with a sigh. The glimmering stars were pretty, so was the dark of the night.

    "Why did you be an adventurer?" Sharky asked Zachariah.

    The sleeping man stopped snoring at his words and yawned, standing up straight. He started to walk shoulder to shoulder with his partner and stretched his hands above his head.

    "To enjoy¡­"

    Sharky snapped his head back at Zachariah.

    "Enjoy? Where''s the fun when it ends that easily?"

    Zachariah pointed at the sky, his gazezily. He then slowly swept his hand around the fields all around them. In the shade of the night, the parts that were still frozen reflected the moonlight forming a beautiful sea of gold and silver.

    Sharky''s eyes widened.

    "Here is the fun, not in the battles."

    Sharky did not say anything and only watched the scene for a while.

    He still didn''t feel it to be anything special, not really.

    But¡­

    It looked a lot different that what it was just moments ago. What was nd and boring before was now beautiful, but still uninteresting.

    The two of them soon found themselves standing in front of the vige head''s house.

    They were thanked over and over, but it didn''t matter much to Sharky. He didn''t care about being thanked in the first ce.

    The night passed by while they stayed in the vige, and the next day, with a letter that held the vige head''s seal, the duo adventurers went back to the adventurer''s guild.

    The coachman from before who was supposed toe pick them up was not here and they had to spend the entire day walking back, but noin left Sharky this time.

    Why had he be an adventurer?

    There was not much of a reason. He had just left home to get away from his drunkard father and gambling addict mother.

    They beat him a lot when he was a child and so he beat them back and ran away, it was just that simple. With nothing else to do, he spent his days doing this and that.

    Going hungry wasn''t a problem, Sharky was a smart kid, he could easily work up a punch or two and get a job with just a few words. Neither thieves nor employers worried him.

    But he never stayed at one ce too long.

    He always wanted to explore more and more, unlike his parents who had fallen so far into a single thing that they started neglecting their child, he never wanted to do so.

    When he was an apprentice for a potter, or when he was working as aborer in construction, all he could think of was what was next.

    But down in that thought¡­

    He had lost thought of his now.

    When he traveled he thought of reaching the vige, when he reached the vige he thought of fighting, and when he fought he thought of going back.

    Only for those few moments where he was staring at the mystical sight with his new friend was the time he was truly living in his now.

    Sharky¡­

    Did not want to lose sight of that.

    He wanted to see more things like that. He had heard that being an adventurer had the most variety and so he had picked up that job.

    But¡­

    All he had done was stay stuck in his sight forward, he did not think he was to think of the now as well.

    In his battle against obsession, he had be obsessed with something else. It was the worst moves he could have made.

    He had learned his lesson.

    This job as an adventurer.

    He was rather interested in seeing what it would have in store for him next. One step at a time.

    ***

    Things changed slowly.

    He still wasn''t up to being an adventurer all that much yet. His thoughts kept fluttering ahead, but the time spent with his friend was surprisingly pleasant.

    "Hoho, can you help me plow my farm?"

    "You motherfucker, you''re using adventurers as farm hands?"

    "Zzzzz!"

    "Well no farmhand can do it."

    What he would have rejected a few days ago, he at least gave it a try.

    The two changed into straw clothes, boots and gloves. As soon as they stabbed the pitchforks into the grounds, giant dolphins came jumping out and pounced on them.

    "AAAH!"

    "ZZZZ!"

    "Don''t sleep aggressively bastard!!"

    It took a while, but they managed to kill the monsters. They were barely injured and arge chunk of the farm was plowed well by the dolphins.

    "Amazing! Now all farmhands can work on this, I won''t ask you to do this kind of work anymore¡ª"

    "It''s fine, it looks fun."

    "Zzz?"

    All kinds of experiences awaited the two, all of them that Sharky was seeking to try.

    From crossing mountains when they had to take a detour, to teaching children under the trees when a vige needed assistance.

    Thinking always of the then, always wondering how he wanted to be, Sharky had lost the essence of who he was.

    Instead of thinking of his then, he started to think of his now. The trick was simple, really. To counter the worried that stopped him from enjoying anything, he only had to learn to enjoy everything.

    "Congrattions, we''re promoting you two to silver rank."

    Rushing up the ranks in just months, he had hit the higher level. Joining teams with old man Roth and once even with Dawn, the only one he had missed was getting together with the monster named Dusk.

    But they still met every time he came back to Deep Down Town with newer and newer scars alongside the manager.

    Slowly, very slowly, Sharky and Zachariah were changing.

    The sleepy man had started tough while theughing one had started to smile.

    Even when they met with stronger adventurers.

    "Sorcerer, just make sure these two don''t get in our way."

    "You got it, tempo."

    He enjoyed when he was looked down on, when he fought back, when he was pissed and even when he messed their mission up.

    Laughing had be enjoyable.

    Looking for rare flower fields in his way had gotten enjoyable.

    Just sitting in the carriage and staring at the sky had gotten enjoyable.

    When a year passed and he had be a gold rank, partying was just as fun as all the adventures he had held and fighting more new kids during the next year''s intake was also as fun.

    Two years passed since Sharky gave the exams.

    He had truly be an adventurer.

 Chapter 107: Chapter 105: Two Years Later (1)

    The guild house of the adventurer''s guild in Deep Down Town was loud yet again today. Resting her cheeks on her palm, the head receptionist and the senior-most member of the house sighed.

    She had received many notices for a promotion and was even offered the positions from vice-branch manager to head of different departments, but always turned them all down. Tiring as it was, she enjoyed her quiet life with minimal responsibilities.

    "Morning!" Rena, the receptionist on the next counter greeted her, and she nodded back.

    "Ah, thetest edition of the ''Adventurer Time'' is here."

    "It is?" the head receptionist''s brows pumped up. "Give me a copy, ''Adventurer time'' is always fun."

    The head receptionist''s voice was louder than necessary, it made Rena flinch.

    Just as she mentioned ''Adventurer Time,'' the wild and hectic guild house was overtaken by a strange quiet.

    All the adventurers were eyeing each other, waiting to see who makes the first move.

    From the back of the restaurant, two of the currently highest-ranked adventurers still in the guild house walked over to the desk.

    "M-ma''am..."

    "Sharky? What is it?"

    "Y-you''re still calling me Sharky! It''s megalodon!"

    "Zzzz..."

    The adventurer with shark teeth and the handsome blonde who could now sleepwalk, the adventurer duo appeared at the reception desk and stretched their hands out.

    "Can we see the magazine for a while?"

    All the adventurers in the room nodded at Sharky''s words.

    The receptionist smiled amusedly. She flipped the magazine and handed it to Sharky easily. As if a dam broke, all the other adventurers flooded the counter too and started asking for copies from the other receptionists. Word spread immediately and adventurers all over thebyrinth town came rushing into the guild house to get their hands on the magazine.

    All the counters except the head receptionist''s were filled with people, making her crack withughter at the peril of her coworkers. A few newbies would try to get to the counter of the head receptionist as well but were pulled away almost immediately by their seniors.

    "Do you want to fucking die?!" they would scream.

    No one had the guts to bother her.

    Fitting in with the wild crowd, Sharky and Zachariah flipped open the pages of the magazine. At least one did, the other was looking over the beanie-d boy''s shoulders with his eyes shut close.

    Sharky flipped the pages at the same time as a dozen others.

    Past a few uninspired pages catering to sponsors, the parts that everyone was looking for came up.

    The lists. The rankings that adventurers all over the continent voted for.

    The first on the list.

    [Craziest Fucking Adventurers Active (Barring all Adamantium+ Ranks)

    1- Adventurer Dusk

    2- Adventurer Popipipipipo

    .

    .]

    "AH! The first name on the first list already!?" Sharky screamed, his words made all the other adventurers flinch.

    He aggressively flipped the pages over to the next.

    [Adventurers with drugs for brains (Barring all Adamantium+ Ranks)

    1- Adventurer Dusk

    .

    .]

    [Adventurers clearing the most requests (Barring Kaiser)

    1 - Adventurer Dusk

    .]

    [Adventurers that alldies would like to date! (Barring Kaiser)

    1 - Zachariah Arke

    ]

    "Oh?" One of the newbie adventurers said. "That Dusk guy is not on this list."

    Thedies in the room either blushed or looked away.

    "He''s a little crazy, so dating..."

    "I''d love to fuck him someday though."

    "He''s 17 right? Isn''t that a fine age?"

    "Oh? Is he single?"

    "Dude, you again."

    Crazy. The newbie decided to shrug those words off and turned to look at Zachariah Arke, who was sleeping while reading the magazine. Wasn''t that guy crazy too?

    [Adventurers that all gents would like to date! (Barring Kaiser)

    1 - Adventurer Silver Moon

    ]

    "Why is that Kaiser guy barred in this one too?" Sharky posed.

    "He topped that chart as well, so," it was the adventurer that had fought him in the tests who answered.

    [Receptionists Most Likely to be Hit On!

    1 - Head Receptionist of Deep Down Town Branch!]

    "Oh, mam! You''re mentioned here too!" Rena, the second receptionist said excitedly.

    "It''s every day for me," the head receptionist waved her hands. It was the thirty-fifth time she had topped that chart.

    "Really?" The same newbie muttered. "But didn''t everyone steer clear of her?"

    "Look at the next list, kid."

    [Receptionists who have destroyed the highest number of Adventurers!

    1 - Head Receptionist of Deep Down Town Branch!]

    [Receptionists who if you ask out you''re sure to reconsider your life choices

    1 - Head Receptionist of Deep Down Town Branch!]

    [Receptionists who will definitely kill you and chop you off and use you as fertilizer if you piss them off!

    1 - Head Receptionist of Deep Down Town Branch!]

    "These don''t even make sense what the fuck!?"

    "You''ll get used to it, Newbie," Sharky smirked, flipping the pages. "I was like that in the beginning too."

    Best hammer.

    Most insane Adventurer.

    People you don''t want to mess with.

    All these rankings were dominated by the same name.

    Adventurer Dusk.

    [Hottest Rising Adventurer in the Continent

    1- Adventurer Dusk (Solo-Cleared Five Star tinum Ranked Mission at tinum Rank)

    2- Adventurer Megalodon (Solo-Cleared Four Star Silver Ranked Mission at Gold Rank)

    3- Adventurer Roth (Team Cleared Two Star Gold Ranked Mission at Silver Rank

    .

    .]

    "PLATINUM RANK!?"

    A bunch of the adventurers screamed at once.

    "When did that bastard clear a tinum-ranked mission? Didn''t he set off just five months back!?"

    "Heh..." the head receptionist smiled. "That kiddo cleared it? If the magazine got wind of it, he should have cleared it a month back. He''ll be back today, huh?"

    Rena turned to the head receptionist with a wry smile. "You sure like him, right mam?"

    "Not really? I just remembered how he had no clue about the systems when he registered¡ª"

    "¡ªWhat''s all this noise?"

    The guild house quietened down. A muscr man reminiscent of a war tank descended the stairs. His low voice boomed over the guild house before his gaze fell on the magazines in everyone''s hands.

    "Ah," he muttered. "Continue."

    With that, the branch manager turned around and was about to leave, when the head receptionist called out to him.

    "Manager, your student cleared the mission."

    The manager froze.

    His hands trembled.

    "W-what...? Who?"

    "Dusk, about a month back."

    "A month!?" the manager growled like a line. "That brat isn''t dead yet? How did he clear that? He should have died."

    "Wow, how scummy."

    "B-b-business trip!" The manager shouted. "I have to go on a business trip. A business trip, I am leaving now."

    A spectacle that most adventurers had never even imagined in their wildest dreams unfolded as the Branch Manager rushed up the stairs and disappeared from their sight.

    The guild house remained silent until it was broken by the call of the newbie.

    "This page..."

    [Adventurers that the entirety of Deep Down Town Branch can''t defeat one vs all. (Barring All Adamantium+ Ranks)

    1 - Adventurer Dusk

    .

    ]

    Dusk.

    Dusk. That name.

    All the adventurers, regardless of gender, age, rank, or species crushed the magazines in their hands and mmed whatever was closest to them.

    "Can''t defeat all together?"

    "That dusk? That brat?"

    "He stole my ranking this time too... and this wild list."

    "Is he single though?"

    "Someone in the editorial department lost their heads, huh?"

    Rage spread in the entire room.

    What would usually have divided the adventurers had united them today, all against one person. Their lips curled into vicious grins and many adventurers bared all their presence at once.

    With the air of homicide looming in the guild, the palpitating tension was shifted at once.

    The door creaked open.

    Dusk, that little bitch.

    They were going to maul him apart.

 Chapter 108: Chapter 106: Two Years Later (2)

    Long white hair tied into a high ponytail.

    Half of a ck mask rested on the side of his face, but there was no sight of a string holding it in ce.

    Sharp eyes the color of blood.

    A smile, cold yet confident. A smile of the strong.

    A scar ran down his chin, from his neck to the center of his chest, leaving a deep mark on his pale skin.

    The top of his ck tunic was unfastened, showing off the muscles and the scar on his chest. His figure had bulked uppared to the almost androgynous look the older adventurers had seen two years back.

    Tied around his right shoulder was a heavy, clunky chain of ck. It coiled around his arm and reached to his scarred palm with a missing finger.

    The man at the entrance of the guild house raised his brows, amused.

    "Dusk...!"

    "That''s the bastard who we all apparently can''t defeat."

    "That little pretty boy? So what if he has a few scars... he can''t be that strong."

    The adventurers of the entire guild were one of heart. Their pride was stabbed in the center by the magazine after all. No one in the entire guild wanted to leave him be as he was right, quite a few were even more pissed to see him top the weird rankings in a row.

    How could one understand the emotions of an adventurer who acted crazy just to be a part of those rankings, and how would one understand the emotions of that adventurer when he doesn''t even enter the list?

    "Dusk," Sharky muttered. "Sorry, but could you please die for all of us?"

    At that line, the man''s cold smile grew wild. Fire kindled in his eyes as he raised his chin and red at them all.

    "What''s got you piss babies acting up?" Dusk asked, then, he sighed and started scratching his head.

    The head held her colleagues and pulled them all back, making them stick to the wall.

    "Mam?" Rena asked, pointing at the adventurer. "W-wasn''t Dusk a nice child?"

    "Ah..." the head receptionist sighed. "I guess, the intense training cracked his head a bit? Or should I say, he was already cracked, he just became aware of it?"

    Before they could continue, Dusk''s voice resounded again in the guild house.

    "Actually, the reason doesn''t matter."

    He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck.

    "I felt like kicking some ass anyway."

    "..."

    "AHHHH!!!!"

    "Get him!!"

    "Dusk! Fucking die!!"

    "Are you still single!?"

    An unreasonable battle between the Deep Down Town adventurer guild and Eugene, the youngest tinum-Ranked adventurer began.

    Eugene took a heavy step ahead as dozens of adventurers charged at him at once. For all the excitement and leisure on his face, like a machine, his eyes traveled all over the ce as he stared at the adventurers.

    "There are four gold ranks," A sweet voice only he could hear whispered.

    With a grin, Eugene mmed his foot down.

    "Weaklings out first!"

    The approached adventurers were thrown off their path. An intangible condensation of energy formed blunt weapons mid-air and crashed into them.

    "Woah!?"

    "Ack!"

    The more agile ones avoided while the slower ones were mmed by the phenomenon that appeared out of nowhere. With masterful uracy, the reception counter didn''t face any trouble as Wood and Iron-ranked adventurers were thrown away like confetti.

    "I-Intent KI!?"

    "Didn''t you say he''s a mage!?"

    "He''s a dual-core, dimwit! What kind of adventurer doesn''t know their enemy¡ªAck!"

    The shouting adventurer was punched and sent flying. Like a raging storm, Eugene dived into the adventurers and beat them up. His hands and legs were covered in his Ki, one attack and one adventurer, a very economic way of thrashing developed with a great amount of experience.

    "Move back!"

    "Magicians!"

    A few of themmanded and the line of adventurers retreated.

    "Oh?" Amused, Eugene raised his brow again.

    He blinked.

    Balls of mes. Spears of Ice. Trembling pellets and sharpened flowers of water, crescents of wind, daggers of lightning.

    As if elements weren''t enough, magical spells from other series from pure forms of mana to destruction and creation surrounded Eugene.

    "Interesting," his lips moved, but no one heard his voice.

    Any second, he would be hit.

    He shook his hand, and the chains wrapped around his arm clunked.

    "[Catene Di Adamas - Modo Difensa]"

    The chains glowed with a purple light.

    Not a single attack reached Eugene as the chains turned into a cloak around him. The long ck cloak blocked all the spells aimed at him while hundreds of shields floated through the guild and stopped the spells going for an AoE around him.

    "Tsk. Annoying fucks!"

    Eugene threw his cloak up.

    His figure stretched in front of their eyes as he dashed to the sides. The magicians were unable to react as he popped up in front of each of them and smashed them with a different spell of each element.

    He was about to move to thest one when a wooden spear was thrown at him. Eugene tilted to the side, then ducked as another spear emerged from the first.

    "Oh?"

    A stream of lightning came gushing out of the second spear. Eugene turned and pped away the streaks of electricity as he smiled at the mage.

    "Iffy, you''ve added ayer!"

    The same adventurer who had tested him two years back was facing him again.

    "I was promoted to gold so," Iffy shrugged. "You''re still as monstrous as ever, huh?"

    "I''ll go easy on you since we''re friends."

    Eugene dered a friendship that Iffy wasn''t aware of as he grabbed her front cors and tossed her into the sky. Iffy crashed against the ceiling of the floor.

    Dusting his palms, Eugene turned to the tanks and damage dealers with a smirk.

    "You guys are trash if you let your mages get hit," he said. "No worries. I am a mage too, so you still have a chance."

    "Ah?" One of them tilted his head in confusion.

    "[Trinity Series. Destruction Attribute]"

    The guild house quaked at Eugene''s words.

    "[Storm of Destruction]"

    An extreme wind blew with Eugene as its center. The tide of air crashed into the adventurers coiling around him. The wind destroyed the Ki that covered their weapons and sent them all flying away.

    Another of the gold ranks was taken along with the rest of the adventurers. Only Sharky and Zachariah, thest two gold ranks present in the guild remained standing.

    They were aware of Eugene''s consideration and stopped using their Ki immediately. The fine-tuned spell that Eugene used did not affect them since it only targeted Ki.

    "You two," Eugene turned at them. The cloak floating around returned to his arms and turned into chains. "That one''s half asleep, so you must be Zachariah and Sharky."

    "It''s! Fucking! Megalodon!!"

    Screaming, Sharky dashed from the ground and ran toward Eugene.

    "Modo Attio."

    The chains contracted and expanded before forming a thick silver sword.

    Sharky''s hands turned into des. He flicked his head and sent out his hair that became tiny needles before following up with his sword, but his target wasn''t in sight.

    A sh of lighting erupted.

    Sharky turned back to see his lightning-emitting friend being raised by the de of the crazed white-haired bastard.

    Eugene grinned while lifting the sleeping blonde with his sword. He flicked his hand to the side and the blonde rolled on the ground.

    "A-h...?"

    Sharky blinked.

    Thest thing he saw was a grinning face.

    He was smacked square in the jaw as he flew through the air andnded in front of the reception.

    "Haah, fun."

    Eugene stretched his hands above his head and walked up to the reception.

    "Ouh," Sharky groaned as Eugene stepped on him.

    He tapped the empty counter with a smirk.

    "Miss ''Number One Receptionist who if you ask out you''re sure to reconsider your life choices,'' would you have time to catch a coffee?"

    The head receptionist smiled at Eugene''s words.

    She sighed and shook her head.

    "You bastard... you''re on the wrong counter again."

 Chapter 109: Chapter 107: Call from the Empire

    The tter of silverware rang out as soft bossa nova yed in the background of a stylish cafe in the Deep Down Town.

    In front of me, the receptionist of the adventurer guild was chowing down on a chocte cheesecake while I watched her with my chins on my palms. Noticing my gaze, she scooped up a bit of the pastry and dragged it to my mouth.

    I naturally epted the cake while swirling the triple sweet double milk super duper extra whopper ice cocoa coffee.

    This ce called starquacks was a clear rip-off of starducks from Earth. The names were just as ridiculous and the prices just as absurd. If it weren''t for thedy receptionist here always dragging me to this ce and piling up a gigantic bill I wouldn''t have stepped inside.

    "So?" I said. "Where''s the old man?"

    "He said he''s going on a business trip as soon as I told him you''ll be back. How was the quest?"

    "It was easy," I shrugged, taking a sip of the coffee. "The vampire earl was rather weak, turned out there was a count behind his back, so I had fun."

    The receptionist clicked her tongue as if I was spouting bullcrap. Well, I couldn''t say I wasn''t aware of my change either.

    Just like what had happened previously as Yujin, and even that one time while fighting Raum''s agent all those years ago, I was slowly growing more and more addicted to the taste of blood on my hands.

    "You''ve be a pervert, Eugy."

    My hands twitched.

    Wearing a frilly white blouse and long ck skirt while sipping on a mini-coffee, Titania threw an especially hurtful remark. Her blonde hair had grown out a little and she was braiding it now, it seemed weird since she could control those things however she wanted.

    "He shouldn''t have left so soon, though. We had to extend an invitation to you too." The receptionist''s words pulled me back.

    As much as she ripped me off in Starquacks, I didn''t mind it much.

    ''''What kind of invitation?"

    "There''s a special request for the entire guild from the Empire. Say ''aah,''"

    "Empire? For the entire guild?"

    She fed me another spoonful of the cake. I was used to it, she had brought me freshly cooked food and looked after me the entire night more times than I could count.

    "The empire wants all adventurers above the tinum-Rank at its capital."

    My hands twitched.

    "Mass culling! You say ''aah''"

    I made her take a sip of my coffee with the straw.

    "I don''t think the empire would risk going against any of the three Mythril Ranked adventurers. It''s the same as going against a country."

    "What?" The Mythril rank was the topmost rank of the adventurers guild. Over its history, there had been longer periods without a single Mythril-ranked adventurer than with. Currently, there were only three Mythril-ranked adventurers, with one being hailed as the living god of adventurers and the strongest of all time.

    "They want ''everyone''? Has the empire finally gone mad and is nning to attack the heavens?"

    For a strong person, knowing politics and the state of surrounding powers was necessary. Even during my life as a wild and ignorant adventurer, lol, I was aware of the empire enough to know that everyone leading it at any time probably did obscene amounts of crack.

    From the beginning of the Empire''s history, it has been famous for its aggressive expansion policy, and when that came to an end, the rulers picked up extreme changes inside the country to develop the quality of life which led to a bunch of civil wars.

    Currently, the empire has been intervening with smaller kingdoms in the name of ''upholding peace and humanity.'' If it wasn''t for the Schwarz kingdom in the empire''s direct west and the Forest Confederacy of Lakna in the northwest, many ces would be without autonomy on this half of the continent.

    "It has to be a war on the heavens..." My hands twitched.

    "No, silly," the receptionist waved her hand. "It''s the seventeenth birthday of the third princess of the Empire. It falls on the day of the first Emperor''s coronation, so they will be celebrating it bigger than ever."

    Even though a person was considered an adult at the age of fifteen, since seventeen was the age that people made their social debuts and nobles and royalty of the entire continent sent their children to the academies in the kingdom of sages, the seventeenth birthday was considered a much bigger deal.

    "So they want security that they can show off about..."

    I sipped on my coffee and leaned back. Even for a statement to show their strength, this is still a bit overkill.

    "They must have contacted the mercenaries as well. I think even the wizards and sages must being there."

    "The key figures of the entire continent are going to gather at a ce," she nodded, still eating as peacefully as ever. "You''re a tinum-ranked adventurer too, so you''re invited on the mission. The youngest tinum-ranked might just get some special treatment like that of a noble."

    "Aren''t you a noble too?" Titania asked. I didn''t know when she had switched over to my shoulders from the table.

    I nodded. The receptionist didn''t know though.

    "Will you be there as well?"

    "I have to go as a coordinator. The adventurer guild thinks I am morepetent than I am."

    Was that sarcastic?

    "We have 10 tinum-ranked adventurers registered with our branch. Two of the Mythril-ranked and a number of the Adamantium and Orichalcum-ranked adventurers are with us as well. The manager will probably be going to all of them."

    It was a rule for the branch manager to personally present guild-sanctioned quests to their adventurers. It was a way of disying autonomy and respect, but I think it was just a way for the branch managers to escape my clutches. If he were here, I would have knocked him down for sure. I had already tried over 200 times in thest two years to cut him open, sess was just around the corner.

    "I''ll ask you in his ce," she ced down her spoon and looked straight at me. "Adventurer Dusk, would you ept the request of the Guild issued by the Empire to aid in the security of the imperial capital?"

    "What''s the pay like?"

    "Tsk. You are supposed to answer with yes or no when someone asks it so seriously."

    What was this, a novel?

    "Anyway, it''s quite high. About seven times the amount you made with thest quest."

    "Oooh!"

    "And well, it''s free money. You''ll also get a vacation in the empire during a big festival. Even though it''s fishy, there isn''t a need to worry about major danger since you will have many higher-ranked people around." She then sighed. "Being paid to go on a trip, how nice."

    I sighed and nodded.

    Honestly, my hands were twitching this entire time since I wanted to fight.

    A vacation would be a good change of pace.

    "Maybe I''ll feel better with a break. It''ll be a good time to recuperate as well."

    "You do need to recover," Titania added, nodding. "After all..."

    "My Mana and Ki have been at 20% capacity for two years now."

    The receptionist shook. The spoon dropped from her hands and fell on the te, making a loud ck.

    "20%? You''ve been running on fumes... for two years? 400 floors of thebyrinth... tinum-ranked quest... all of it?"

    A smile crept up on my lips.

    "I was training."

    The tinum-ranked quest was thest step of the hellish training that the manager had promised.

    The entire time, I was forbidden from recovering more than 20% of my abilities.

    And today, it hade to an end.

    "..."

    "Come to think of it, didn''t you turn seventeen too?"

    "I have a few months to go. So, when''s the set-off date?"

    "Next week."

    "Pack up Titania, we''re going on a vacation."

 Chapter 110: Chapter 108: Take a Detour

    A boy with spiky blonde hair had fainted at the counter of the adventurer''s guild. The other receptionists were already working on moving the litter of unconscious adventurers to the floor above for them to be healed.

    The biggest cause of injury amongst adventurers remained internal squabbles, and there were no visible signs of that changing anytime soon.

    The blonde-haired boy groaned as the pain of his broken teeth stabbed through his head. He rested his hand on the counter and pulled himself up, but slipped and fell back.

    From the counter, an envelope fluttered down, knocked off by his hand, andnded right atop his face.

    "Huh?" the boy tilted his head, his jagged teeth reminiscent of a shark in full view.

    When the pain coursing through his body mixed up with his natural stupidity, he ended up opening the envelope almost on reflex.

    It was but a series of coincidences. It would have never been a problem had it not been for him being knocked all the way to the very desk that all adventurers would have avoided like the gue. No information would have leaked.

    "Hah...?" The boy''s eyes widened as he read on. "Empire... birthday... tinum..."

    A spark appeared in his gaze.

    "I..."

    He muttered. His mind clear, his heart ready.

    "I can get a noble girlfriend!!!"

    An idiot hadtched his gaze on a distant dream.

    ***

    It was the next day when I went back to the adventurer''s guild. With my legs crossed over the table and my back resting on the couch, I sipped on a cool lemon Sherbet from a straw. My gaze fell on the groups of adventurersing in and going out.

    All of them were injured. Some with casts wrapped around their arms, others with bandages all over their bodies.

    A group of them wearing a path with sword embroidery on their clothes. A bald and muscr man at the head, it was the familiar Phillip and his party of three. Phillip had a bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach that was usually out in the open to show off his scars.

    "Yo, Phillip," I called out. "What''s up with everyone today? Did a Behemothe and put you all in your ce? Why is everyone injured."

    "Hahaha! I''ll fucking poison your drink. No, I''llce it withxatives."

    "Useless Useless Useless! Things like poisons orxatives don''t work on me."

    Phillip clicked his tongue. "Bastard, I am busy. I''ll teach you a lessonter."

    He walked away and left me tough alone.

    "Hey Titania, should I also beat up the ones who weren''t here yesterday? Just for fun?"

    Titania, still in her maturedy attire, shook her head.

    "It''s a huge hassle, let them all gather and take care of it at once."

    That was true. As expected of my smart and cute fairypanion.

    As if hearing my thoughts, Titania smiled and nodded haughtily. I finished the drink and ced it down on the desk¡ª

    "¡ªOh! Good sir, are you done drinking? Shall this servant bring you another round?"

    A chill ran up my spine.

    Wearing a tailcoat and gloves, inplete butler attire, Sharky with his sharp teeth said something absurd.

    I immediately stood up and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him around.

    "D-did I hit your head too bad? Oh god, what have I done? Should I hit you again and bring your brain back in ce?"

    "Hey, you bastard, I know it''s overkill but you don''t have to be so surprised¡ª"

    "¡ªAh, there you are." I sighed, cing a hand on my chest. "To think Sharky could say a long sentence without cussing even once, I almost thought someone switched you for someone else."

    "That''s your fucking problem!?"

    From behind Sharky, a person in full-te armor nodded, half asleep.

    "You too, fucking lightbulb bastard!"

    "So?" I spoke, interrupting the person who had not been possessed by a demon. "What do you want?"

    "A girlfriend."

    "Next life is your only hope. I can''t punch your face fixed. Impossible."

    Sharky clicked his tongue. He dragged Zachariah by his hand and the two of them took a seat in front of me.

    "That''s not it," he said. "You, when are you going for a next quest?"

    "I am not kidnapping a female orc for you. Just imagine how horrible it would be."

    He smacked his head against the table, his brows twitching. A small spark emerged from his teeth as they shed against each other with the slightest movement. How curious.

    "I heard you''re going to the empire in a week?"

    What the heck? Wasn''t it supposed to be a secret since it was sure to send all gold rank on a spree of applying for a promotion?

    I leaned closer to the duo. Taking a nce at both sides, I whispered.

    "How did you hear it?"

    "I overheard the head receptionist¡ª"

    A hand appeared from Sharky''s side. Zachariah, with his eyes wide open, shook his head while ring at his party member.

    It was not wise to mention you overheard the receptionist. It was not wise at all.

    Understanding the horror of his careless actions, Sharky''s face paled.

    He nodded at me and only then did Zachariah let go. His eyes closed again and he went right back to sleep.

    "Anyway..."

    "I can''t take you with, Sharky." I firmly shook my head. "It''s a big thing apparently, gold or below will be impossible."

    "No, no!" Sharky shook his hands frantically. "You bastard, that wasn''t my intention."

    "Oh?"

    "We picked up a quest toward the empire to kill a fucking Earth smander. You know Earth is not goodpatibility for our lightbulb here, right? So, we just wanted to ask if you would tag along till we take it down. Just in case."

    "This fuckwit is asking you to be his shield?" Titaniamented. "Something''s fishy. It''s even fishier than the empire."

    I agreed wholeheartedly. It wasn''t going to be a simple smander.

    These guys likely discovered something interesting.

    "What''s in it for me?" I asked.

    "You can have the corpse to yourself regardless of whether you help or not. We''ll just take themission fee," he smiled. He didn''t curse either.

    Something was horribly wrong with this guy.

    Thinking a couple more times, my curiosity won over my caution.

    In the end, I nodded.

    "Fine. A week from now."

    Sharky smiled brightly and stretched his hand. Oh my god, he was acting like a normal person.

    Hiding all my uneasiness, I shook Sharky''s hands.

    Just wait, you bastard. I''ll figure out your ns.

    ***

    Sharky smiled inwardly as he shook Eugene''s hand.

    ''Just wait, you bastard. I''ll definitely get a pretty empire girlfriend!''

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 111: Chapter 109: To the Empire

    The week passed by sooner than I realized. After a long time of rest, I managed to recover about 30% of my mana and Ki.

    "The rate is crazy slow?" Titania remarked as I checked over the room onest time, just in case I missed anything. Security wasn''t a problem in one of the bigger inns of the Deep Down Town, but I couldn''t leave behind something I might need.

    "It''s because the mana is constantly being refined into Arcana, and the quality of the Ki has to be at the best for intent Ki as well."

    "It''s still too slow..."

    I dragged up the bag on my shoulders and loosened the thread on the chest of my ck tunic.

    "The slower it is, the stronger it is."

    If need be, I could fill it uppletely withparatively impure stuff from the atmosphere, that would be what I would do most times. This just seemed more fun.

    I picked up the keys to my room and left the ce behind. The three flights of stairs passed by in the blink of an eye and I tossed the key to the son of the innkeeper.

    "Going away, Dusk?"

    "It''ll be a couple of months at least, feel free to give out the room."

    I stepped out into the streets of the town.

    Cold breezes greeted me as the air of the morning remained chilly.

    The skies were still dark with just a few streaks of sunlight making their way over, dying the ck night a shade of bluish-grey.

    I stretched my hands above my head and went past the empty streets.

    The wooden buildings on both sides had their windowsden with water over the night.

    The cold rocky streets of the town made loud thuds as my feet mmed on them, a sound one would rarely hear during the bustle of the day.

    The sight of small birds fluttering around the fountains and a few old folks stepping out of their homes to drop some feed for them was moremon now than seeing merchants and adventurers in full armor.

    I had visited a fair amount of ces around the vicinity of this ce in thest two years.

    But I always returned here.

    Home...

    "Should I buy a house...?"

    "What''s with that?" Titania asked, giggling.

    I thought over the words that came out of my mouth for a few seconds.

    "It sounds like you want to settle down or something. Did you find a lover? Even though I am here? Tell me, who do I have to kill?"

    Huh.

    Mornings made people weird, I guess.

    My thoughts trailed away after hearing Titania''s words.

    A lover to share your home with. Someone to ease the hardships and deepen the joys.

    I could imagine a home.

    And a person without a face.

    A faceless person waiting for me. A faceless person to trust in with all my heart, to share all my sorrows and joy with.

    "Hah," I scoffed. "Lover, huh? You say the damndest of things sometimes, Titania."

    "What? Why do I feel like I was just scolded? Huh?"

    ***

    The adventurer''s guild was quiet too in the morning. Only a few folks setting out for big missions were standing around the guild house while members of the night staff guided them through booking a ride and other things.

    The night staff seemed rather used to making negotiations for big travels and events. Depending on the time, the skillset of people changed vividly.

    I walked up to the meeting tables on the side of the guild house and leaned against the wall with a map in my hands. The capital of the empire changed massively each year thanks to its steady development, but having some knowledge about it was not bad.

    I had already studied up intensely on the Imperial culture and knew thenguage as well as I could breathe, so there wasn''t much of an issue with those things.

    Soon enough, a familiar hat popped up in front of me.

    Wearing a beanie and a yellow hoodie with long sweatpants was Sharky. Behind him with a bubble popping out his nose in a red polka-dotted night suit and cap was Zachariah.

    "Is he like this every morning?" I asked. I wanted to greet them first, but it was impossible.

    "He is," Sharky crossed his arms and nodded. "This fucker is always like this. He would automatically change his clothes at around 10 PM."

    "Six hours from now. As expected from someone ranked in the top ten crazy list of Adventurer Time. Those guys are a different breed."

    "You fucking topped that list!"

    "Ehhhh?"

    How rude of him.

    I was anything but crazy. No, I could argue I was perfectly normal, it was the rest of the world that was crazy.

    Yup.

    Even Titania would agree.

    "Anyway, Sharky," I spoke out. "Did you prepare everything?"

    "Right on sir!" Sharky beamed me a smile.

    Yeah, something was definitely wrong with this guy.

    I wasn''t going to get used by him.

    Despite being a simpleton, Sharky had surprisingly not blurted out his ns even once in thest week.

    I remembered very well that one time when we were ying a game of ''crush your opponent in arm wrestling or confess your weirdest with and socially die'' and he lost and confessed to Iffy, saying ''I want to grope you.''

    He then had the nerve to wonder if she would date him.

    He was sharppared to that. This absolute tool shouldn''t be able to use his sandpapered brain this much.

    Thankfully, I knew a way to make him speak up.

    A coachman soon neared us after spotting Sharky.

    "Adventurer sir, everything is prepared." The coachman spoke to Sharky. He then turned to me and bowed his head.

    Being famous sure had its perks.

    I hadnded the fastest in the top 500 list of the Deep Down Dive after going to the 400th floor.

    "Then," Sharky muttered. "Let''s set off to the Empire!"

    Mythril Ranked adventurers, I was looking forward to meet them.

 Chapter 112: Chapter 110: Low Blow

    The Atreus Empire.

    We passed through the western gates of Deep Down Town and reached a checkpost beyond the walls. The autonomous zone belonging to the Deep Down Town ended at that point and the border of the great Empire, the strongest power on the Eastern ends of the Continent began.

    The guard stopped us at the check post and started inspecting the carriage we were on.

    "Alright, three adventurers. Where to?"

    The guard asked in the Empire''snguage.

    Sharky was about to speak to him when I popped my head out the window and showed him my Guild Card. Seeing the tinum-ted card, his eyes widened and he smiled.

    "Adventurer Dusk?" he asked. "That Adventurer Dusk?"

    With a scoff, I flicked my hair and nodded. Being looked at like this reminded me of when people would stop and stare at my beauty. I was even more handsome these days since I had grown up so much.

    "I''ll give you an autograph when Ie ba¡ª"

    "Alright, you have to get off. We''re checking everything."

    "Yes?" I asked.

    The guard then pointed at his desk not far away, kept on it was an issue of the ''Adventurer Time'' magazine.

    "We''ve all heard how crazy you are. Get out, let us inspect it."

    S-nder!

    This was nder!

    I bit my lips and turned back. There, Sharky was looking at us with confused eyes. I nced at him, and then at the coachman who had his hand on his head.

    "Do you not understand the Empire''snguage?" I asked Sharky.

    "I leaveplicated things to that sleeping guy."

    I sighed and stepped out of the carriage. "They say you look like a criminal and want to check everything."

    "Hah?" The coachman sounded.

    "HAH!?" But Sharky''s scream was louder.

    "Low swing, Eugy, real low."

    Shut it.

    It isn''t my fault.

    ***

    The journey resumed after a minor setback. Sharky seemed especially bitter about things but didn''t say much.

    I alternated between sitting in the coach and going up andying on the roof of the carriage as we made our way through the outskirts of the Empire. The area was under the rule of a Margrave since it faced the Schwarz kingdom closely.

    With a sigh, I pulled out an envelope and looked over the contents of the request that the receptionist had handed me.

    It went into deeper detail about what was going on and what we were supposed to do.

    Guests from all over the continent were about to be greeted by the Empire. Adventurers were being tasked with maintaining the security of the nobles'' districts alongside the mercenaries and wizards.

    Some exceptional adventurers meeting certain conditions would be set along with some of the more influential nobles and guests for security. The knight orders were going to handle the security of the rest of the city, especially themoner districts.

    It made sense that they didn''t want the adventurers to know of themoners and their daily lives. It could be dangerous for any country to let another group be deeply involved with its security.

    That was where my worries rose from.

    It was deeply problematic for any country, and the Empire knew it well. Other than one or two adventurers being assigned directly to the nobles alongside the nobles'' knights, most adventurers, and mercenaries were tasked with maintaining the security of the noble ''districts.''

    To put it mildly, it was a useless posting.

    It shouldn''t have cost them a small amount tomission so many top-ss personnel.

    Sure, it was an event at an unprecedented scale, it was also the change of a century per the Empire''s calendar, which made it 500 years since the reign of their first Emperor. Guests of a caliber never seen before would all be in one ce.

    It would be perfectly logical to say that the Empire was doing this to show its strength.

    The Atreus Empire was fearless, after all.

    "It doesn''t sit right with me..."

    "You think they might be scheming something?" Titania asked.

    "It''s possible..." My gaze narrowed. I was not the only one who would be thinking this way. Going into a den of powerful people meant they were equallypetent.

    Even if the Adventurers weren''t good at politics and scheming themselves considering their straightforward nature, we were going to have people like the receptionist there.

    And the nobles of the other countries would notice too.

    They were either scheming something.

    "Or were they threatened...?"

    It seemed like a reasonable thing to do if you are threatened. But there were ws with this thought as well. Aside from the most obvious, who could threaten the empire, what kind of threat could they not handle themselves was also something to think about.

    The hired hands were being ced too close to the castle and the nobles.

    Sacrifices? But would they put sacrifices next to the people they want to protect the most?

    "Ahhh!" I sighed and scratched my head. "I''ll have to think carefully. I don''t understand it yet."

    Sitting up on the top of the carriage, I took a good glimpse around.

    The routes weren''t unfamiliar to me as des of grass and lines of trees stretched as far as the eye went. A clear blue sky and the breath of fresh air.

    The symbol of this abundance and rity, that was the Atreus Empire.

    I was looking forward to it.

    Soon, I would be facing a lot of people who were supposed to be stronger than me. Whether it was in strength or in status.

    How far had Ie in these two years. I was looking forward to finding out.

    "Hey, Dusk!" Sharky called out from below. "How long are you nning to stay up there?"

    "We''ll be reaching your quest ground soon, right? It''s alright."

    "Oh right!" Sharky suddenly peered out of the window of the carriage and looked at me. "I forgot to tell you, I misread the quest. The location of the quest is actually at Cadun vige, it''s a seven day trip."

    Seven days?

    "Motherfucker! Are you saying I have to stay with you for seven days?"

    Sharky sped his hand in a fist and smacked his head, his tongue sticking out.

    "Teehee."

 Chapter 113: Chapter 111: Earth Salamander (1)

    "What? So the head receptionist was supposed to be here too?"

    "Yeah, I''ll be meeting her again at the capital."

    "I''ll pray for the people who travel with her."

    Sharky sped his hands and looked up at the sky. His eyes closed, he started praying.

    "You guys are irrationally afraid of her," I said, exasperated.

    "Don''t say that bastard," Sharky cut me off. "She''s just irrationally nice to you is what."

    "Zzz... zzz zzz."

    Even our resident sleeper was nodding. As soon as it hit 10, he had changed into a full te armor faster than either of us could blink.

    "If Zachariah''s saying so too..."

    "So you trust the fucking lightbulb more than me? It''s over, isn''t it... My two friends have be each other''s friends and have left me behind."

    Sharky went into a spiel when the partition window of the coach was opened.

    "We''re at Cadun..." the Coachman said.

    Sharky alternated his gaze between us.

    "Get out," I told him. "Take the mister along, I can''t bear you for another day."

    "What a bitch?"

    "Out."

    Sharky scoffed and stepped out of the carriage at my demands. He seemed slightly sad as he stepped off and met with the coachman.

    I gazed outside the window as he stepped into the rows of small houses and lines of fields in the vige. A single main road with a church of the sun god separating it at the center. It was rather rare to see churches and temples in Schwarz, but the Sun God''s religion was the official religion of the Empire that most people followed.

    Sharky and the coachman were soon out of sight as they turned into one of the two streets around the church.

    Now was my chance.

    "Hey, Zachariah."

    "Zzz..."

    "Zachariah!"

    "Zzz..."

    He was deep in his slumber. Perfect.

    I leaned in closer to his ears and whispered.

    "What''s your n here? What do you and Sharky want from me?"

    "Zzz¡ª"

    "I''ll buy you as many Macarons as you want."

    "Sharky wants a girlfriend."

    I moved back a bit as Zachariah''s eyes shot open. He grabbed my hands and started spilling everything in a single go at the very mention of macarons.

    "He said we''ll drive you halfway through to the capital, make you take ownership of the corpse, and join you as your porters when you go to the capital. Since it''s a big festival, he wanted to use the chance to get to meet a beautiful nobledy and woo her."

    This fucker.

    He sold out his friend in a single breath!

    "Why are you helping him?" I asked.

    "He said there''ll be good pastries at the capital of the Empire. Now, Macarons."

    What a bastard, he wanted a reward for selling his friend out?

    "Shut up, where will I get Macarons here? I meant when we go back."

    "WHATTT!?!" Zachariah stood on his feet and exaggeratedly swung his arms around. He slumped down to the ground and heaved. "T-traitor... betrayal..."

    "Look who''s talking," Titaniamented. We were of the same mind.

    In the end, the heartbroken Zachariah went back to sleep, leaving me and the matter of the Macarons behind. This guy was way too easy.

    Soon enough, Sharky returned with the coachman in tow. A group of a few old folks was behind him to see him off. He got on the carriage and smiled.

    "They said the smander is appearing in a cave upstream."

    The coachman whipped the horses and the carriage set off. We entered the vicinity of the vige. Short and strong houses were on both sides of the dirt road. The carriage passed by the church and took the path turning toward the right. The number of houses slowly started falling as fields of different crops filled the ce.

    The road narrowed down and the many paths branched off into the fields. Soon, we came around a sharp turn and a giant river revealed itself.

    "This river flows down from the mountain and passes two more viges ahead," Sharky said.

    I rested my arm on the carriage window and leaned out. The soft breeze made my ponytail flutter. "Cadun is the closest to the mountain?"

    "Yeah. They noticed that the flow of the river lessened suddenly."

    It was a giant river in the distance stretching at least a few dozen meters wide. The river water that should be moving down at a rapid pace was currently reminiscent of a calmke with how slow it flowed.

    The carriage went past the rows of fields and neared the mountain that was the origin of theke. It was not a steep incline, so the coachman drove us further up. He had confidence in his safety since the other two had already told him that a tinum-Ranked was going to keep an eye on the carriage.

    "They went up to investigate?" I asked.

    "All three viges. The reward was put up with their fundsbined. The Terrifying Teal Tablet is a great thing..."

    Terrifying Teal Tablet was the name of the teal device that the receptionists had, resembling a tabletputer from Earth. It was amunication device that used the power of Alfheim to connect faraway ces. From registering to distributing quests, the great connectivity over the many branches of the guild was a major hand behind its sess.

    "The name is still a bit..."

    "It''s different in ournguage, you know?" Titania spoke up when she heard my mutterings.

    "Is it?"

    "Yeah! It''s pronounced @#$@*! @*#&$(@!~"

    "What?"

    "@#$@*! @*#&$(@!~"

    I blinked twice while looking at Titania.

    "It doesn''t matter," she flicked her palm. "I remember that eleven thousand years ago when the humans first made contact with Alfheim, they used to worship the teal tablet by calling it that name. They connected with Alfheim through coincidence and many things changed, but the name stuck."

    It was then that the carriage came to a stop.

    "Adventurers, the cave is right up."

    I opened the door of the carriage and hopped off. The mountain was faced with a steep incline upward right at the wide entrance of the cave where the river fell out from.

    Sharky came out of the carriage, dragging along the sleeping Zachariah as he stared at the cave.

    "Run out if you can''t handle it," I said. "If I go in it''ll die in a single shot."

    "Alright, alright, damn show off." Sharky and Zachariah stretched a bit and then dived inside the cave.

    The hunt for the S-Ranked monster, the Earth Smander, began.

 Chapter 114: Chapter 112: Earth Salamander (2)

    "Ok, I''ll get to work."

    As soon as the two clowns disappeared inside the cave, I hopped up the mountain to a higher point. The raggedy grounds with rows of stones sticking out made for an extremely uneven tform, but that wasn''t a problem for me at all. Each hop took me higher on the mountain and I eventually found a good boulder.

    "What are you doing?" Titania asked me.

    "Getting rid of those menaces."

    The boulder was thrice my size and was considerably thick. It would work just well.

    I stabbed my fingers through the stone and lifted it like a ball.

    "A-ah..." From down below, the coachman was looking at me with his jaws hanging open. He seemed to be doubting his eyes. I ignored him and tossed the boulder up a couple of times while descending the mountain.

    Then, I ced the boulder in front of the entrance of the cave. It rolled and hit the cave walls. With a simple kick, it was wedged inside the entrance, blocking the pathpletely.

    "Sir Adventurer..."

    I turned back at the coachman''s call. He was trembling in his boots while his eyes were stuck on the boulder.

    "What?" I asked.

    He looked at me, and then the boulder, then at me again. I didn''t know what he was thinking, but he seemed to be going through a dilemma.

    In the end, the Coachman let out a resigned sigh. "Sir, the river will be blocked."

    "Ooh!"

    I looked down and say that the alreadycking flow of water was further impeded by the boulder I had ced. It was good to keep those bastards inside...

    A small hole wouldn''t allow them to escape, would it?

    "Catene, go."

    At my words, the chains shot out of my arm and dashed toward the boulder like a small snake. The chains, covered with purple Ki, dug into the rock and made a wide enough hole for the water to flow out with high pressure but not enough for either of those two rats toe out.

    This would do, hopefully.

    The Chains of Adamas rushed back through the air and coiled themselves around my right arm. These chains were Orichalcum-Ranked equipment that I had found while clearing out a demon worshipper''s nest north of the Deep Down Town. Not only could they transform and work independently, but they were also weightless. Perfect equipment.

    "Then, mister. Let''s go to the capital."

    I got in the carriage and took a seat, not before tossing out those rats'' luggage though.

    The coachman seemed greatly hesitant. He muttered something about a tomb and paying respects as he sat on the carriage and whipped the horses again.

    "Haaah! So much more peaceful."

    "Those idiots really had a weird n," Titaniamented as the two of us stretched our arms above our heads.

    The carriage started descending the mountain much slower than it had climbed up.

    It continued in peace for a couple of minutes, and then.

    ¡ªBOOOM!

    The carriage trembled as the earth quaked. A crashing sound echoed behind us.

    The coachman tried to get the horses under control. Leaving him be, I hooked my hand around the window and flipped out to stand on top of the carriage.

    Crushed was a cute wordpared to what had happened to the boulder that I had ced. Streaming out of the cave was the body of a giant brown lizard. A mane of skin was stuck around its neck as it slithered its humongous body out of the cave. Each step it took made the earth quake as spikes shot out of the ground.

    The lizard''s breaths brought out a puff of dust and its screams made rocks form in thin air.

    Smander.

    The smander came rushing out of the cave, and behind it, came out two more people, their screams louder than whatever the monster did.

    "It''s a Greater Smander!!!" Sharky''s scream rang in my ears.

    Clouds of dust and stones floated my way as the carriage rapidly sped downhill. In the time I could blink, the monster covered meters of distance.

    "Those fucking dumbasses."

    I crossed my arms and sat down on the carriage while ring at the two.

    Not my fight.

    "HEY DON''T SIT!!!" Sharky''s voice was even louder than before. His fists had turned into a megaphone as he screamed those words out. "WE CAN''T FUCKING TAKE THAT ON!"

    I frowned.

    It wasn''t like a greater smander was that tough. Two gold ranks could take one down for the cheap price of a couple limbs. It sucked that theirpatibility was different, though.

    "Oh, Eugy," Titania, resting her stomach on my shoulder while looking behind us. She was cutely swinging her legs as she spoke. "The fields are here, if the smander gets close it will ruin those.

    "Hmm..."''

    Ruining people''s hard work didn''t fit my tastes.

    "Alright, I''ll handle it."

    The smander closed in. I jumped off the top of the carriage as dozen shields formed below my feet, creating a long footing. I hopped, stepped, and then sprinted down the line of shields.

    "KWEK!?"

    "Aw, is it confused seeing a flying person?" I wasn''t flying, but it must have looked like I was running in the air. What a cutie.

    I closed in on the monster.

    "Haap!" My fists clenched, and my muscles hardened.

    Ki coursed through my veins and filled my body with energy. I ran under its chin and kicked up.

    A thwack iparable to the sound before rang out. I could see the monster''s face bending in a pointed shape as its head shot up to the sky, followed by its body. A raging gust spread in all directions.

    The carriage behind came to a stop, and so did the two people running this way.

    I covered my forehead with my palms and looked up, a smile crept on my lips as the smander iled its arms around. "Daddy is proud to see you fly."

    "Ew."

    Titania''sments were unnecessary.

    I held in myints and snapped my fingers. In a go, the boulders and dirt the monster had formed coalesced in the air as an ethereal magic circle formed.

    The dust and stone broke apart and joined together to form an enormous stone spearparable to the size of the monster.

    "KWAA! KWAAAA!"

    The monster stopped in the air, and then came rushing back down. Just the tip of my fingers touched the bottom of the spear nearly five times my size.

    The monster screamed¡ª

    "KWAAAA!"

    ¡ªAnd its face was stabbed through the spear of stone.

    It was dead.

    With my finger as its axis, the spear spun along my hands, and as I flung it down, the spear tossed away the body of the smander.

    It arched in the air, forming a great curve.

    "Ah! AAH! It''sing this way!!"

    "ZZZ!!"

    Wow, he was sleeping aggressively!

    The two adventurers turned tail and started running away, but it was toote as the corpse of the monster went right over them and knocked them out.

    "There we go."

    Smander? Handled.

    Idiots? Handled.

    ***

    Sharky woke up a long time after he was crushed by the corpse of the smander.

    His teeth jittered and his muscles ached. As his eyes fluttered open, he noticed it was already dark.

    A groan left his lips as he tried to stand up, but something held his body in ce.

    He was sitting up, his arms were pushed back. Something hard hit his head.

    He looked down at his torso.

    Tied.

    With the hide of the Smander, as strong as the earth itself, he was tied down next to a rock.

    "W-w-wait what!?" Sharky screamed. "DUSK!? DUSK! DID YOU FUCKING TIE US UP!?"

    He looked around in a haste, but no matter where his gaze fell, he could only see trees and stones. Not that far below was the cave that had been their target.

    "DUSKK!!!" Sharky screamed again.

    "DUSSSSSSSSSKKKKK!!"

    No matter how much he shouted, his voice reached no one.

    "Zzz..."

    Somehow his friend was in his pajamas again, though.

    Dusk had left Sharky for a long date with loneliness.

 Chapter 115: Chapter 113: The Imperial Capital

    A scorpion scrawled its way over the damp walls of a cave.

    "The night of the red moon approaches soon."

    The scorpion, careful and wary, hid between the cracks of the cave walls as it made its way ahead, its eyes set on a centipede.

    "My liege, do we truly have to do this?"

    Step after step, the Scorpion crawled up to the thoughtless centipede.

    "The words of the ancestors are not to be taken lightly."

    The scorpion''s tail rose. It was ready to sting the centipede to death.

    "But, my liege, it has already been 500 years."

    A slither rang out.

    "The name of Tantalus Atreus stands on line."

    A hiss sounded.

    "He wille."

    Before the scorpion could sink into the centipede, its feet were taken off the ground. The scorpion could only il as its body was carried away into the cracks of the walls.

    "King Bm wille."

    ***

    It took another two weeks. A day before the start of a new month was when I reached the capital city of Midea.

    A city in the very center of the empire, Midea was one of thergest metropolises in the entire continent and the heart of the Atreus Empire.

    "It''s divided into different districts, right?" I leaned ahead on the carriage and talked to the coachman as we waited in line for the security check.

    "Yes, sir," he said. "There''s a total of seven districts in the Empire. There''s not much of a ban on travel between them, but each district is divided on status."

    I looked out the window and at the walls of the city. There were still a few carriages in line before us. Arge wall stretched up into the sky, though smaller than the one at Deep Down Town, no one could say that this wall wasckluster. Like a gigantic fortress, holes and windows were carved inside the thick walls.

    Banners of gold and purple bearing the crest of the Empire and its many knight orders hung over the wall in a makeshift coge while the top of the ce was decorated with frequent patrols and cannons.

    The gate we were at was as wide as the entrance of the Hall Family''s castle. The number 5 was etched on top of the door in the Empire''snguage.

    I could hear small chatter from the outside as many merchants and travelers waited in line around us.

    "It would have been faster if we had gone to the fourth district, sir."

    "No, this is fine. I''ll be taking a look around before going up to the guild house."

    "Oh?" The coachman turned around and reached into the pocket of his robes. He then handed me a scrunched pamphlet.

    "Are you giving me trash?"

    "No, no!" The coachman hurriedly swung his arms around. "It''s about a casino, sir. The nightlife in the empire is famed all over the world. It is just one of those ces."

    I opened up the pamphlet and looked at the information about the casino. I had heard that the Empire had quite the wild nights with a bustling culture of gambling and even red light zones, but for it to be somon even in the capital city.

    The maps I had seen didn''t mention them, but most books and ounts did.

    "Are there casinos in the upper districts too?" I asked.

    "Oh, of course. I just thought you''ll be morefortable here. Since you are so... uh... open-minded."

    Fucker.

    The carriage soon went ahead and our turn came up. I got off after going a bit deeper into the fifth district and the coachman stepped out too.

    "So, where to from here?" I asked.

    "I''ll travel in the empire a little, sir. It''s a good chance to make money near the capital." He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "If you are ever in need of some great wine, sir, the Dorsey Liquor store in the sixth district is run by my cousin. You''ll find great quality stuff for cheap there, even if it''s not wine."

    "Hah. I''ll keep it in mind," I said. I snapped my fingers and a bag of money appeared in my hands.

    "Ooh! This magic of yours is always a splendid sight, sir. For such a young person to perform Superior Grade magic¡ª"

    I tossed the bag of money to his face. The coachman grabbed it with a small smile.

    "I''ve put in a tip so quit it with the praises."

    "Haha, it was all honest, sir."

    I waved my hands, and the coachman bowed once again. I turned on my feet and walked away, leaving behind the coachman.

    The hustle and bustle of the city were iparable to what was in the Deep Down Town. Despite being one of the busiest ces, Deep Down Town remained a city focused on adventurers, while even the fifth district of the Empire wasrgely different.

    My eyes fluttered around as rows of two to three-storeyed buildings filled the surroundings. Brick lined up with gypsum and limestone supported the foundation of the buildings while the road below was a mix of stones and bricks creating an elevated sidewalk for the citizens to walk on, away from the carriages on the go.

    "Say, Titania, got any ce you want to visit?"

    "We''re moving around to get a good idea of the city, right?" My fairy partner asked.

    "In case something is up after all. It''ll be good to know how we can escape."

    It had be a frequent thought of mine to ensure escape routes and prepare for danger these days. Previously, I didn''t think it was necessary for problems I could handle, but once I started facing life-and-death situations willingly in thest two years, unlike how I was forced into them as Yujin, a different thought process started to bloom.

    A truly strong person is not only able to overpower anything with strength, but also through wits.

    Ah, the path of strength was ever-growing. What a beautiful road and what a beautiful destination power was.

    "Ground to Eugy! Come back~"

    "Apologies."

    "It''s ok, you''re at the age of delusions after all."

    I flicked my finger at the fairy who giggled and danced around me as we made our way through the streets of the empire.

    "Eugy, where are we going to be posted?"

    "Well, the first three districts are where the nobles reside. Lower-ranked nobles in the third district, dukes and marquises in the second along with external nobles, and only the Imperial Family and its guests could stay in the first district." I shrugged. "It''s likely going to be the third district."

    "Then then!" Titania closed up to my face and raised her hands excitedly.

    "Let''s infiltrate the first one! For fun!"

    I stopped.

    "Titania, are you a genius?"

 Chapter 116: Chapter 114: Unexpected Reunion

    A manhole cover in the streets of the first district was pushed upward as I peered out of the sewers and onto the streets.

    Wide roads of raggedy stones greeted me at eye level. Like a master straight out of a spy movie, I twisted my body and gazed in all three sixty degrees with the manhole cover on top of my head.

    "All clear."

    The manhole cover was pushed up, like a shadow stretching out of a person, I streamed out of the sewers. The manhole cover nked back down and fit perfectly in the streets, and I was already behind a light pole.

    Roads magnitudes wider than the ones in the outer districts spread all over the first district like the of a spider. The walls separating the districts were lined with nts and flowers while gardens and greenery remained thepanions of the open, spaciousnd of the first district.

    Dozens of castles, all independent of each other, stood boldly in the first district with the biggest and most luxurious one at the very center of the city. That was the main pce of the Empire and the residence of the emperor.

    More than five of the enormous castles in this ce were empty guesthouses while the others were for members of the Imperial family. The splendor and scale of this ce were already iparable to anything I had seen before, be it as Yujin or right now.

    "Hey, hey! I want to see these things closer."

    I agreed with Titania. Infiltrating the main pce was way too risky, but some of the others could be checked out.

    Like a small cat wading through a neighborhood, I stealthily moved around the streets of the first district, taking cover behind the manyvish benches and spots for rest when on the road and the asional giant trees and bushes inside the gardens.

    Not long after, I found a single knight moving toward an outpost of the Imperial Order.

    A thread of mana stretched out of my fingers and slowly danced toward the knight. He didn''t seem to notice it, so my mana went faster and wrapped around his feet.

    A general idea of his strength was carried over to my head from the thread. This was a spell I had created together with Titania''s observation abilities to get a clear idea of my opponents. It was stillcking to be used on strong people, but it could be a charm against weaker ones.

    Slowly, I moved to a tree in the man''s path. There weren''t any other knights in sight in all directions.

    Just as he approached the tree, I whistled.

    Like a machine, the man brought out his sword and took on a stance. Great reaction time.

    That was all I needed, though.

    I snapped my fingers, and a ck mask appeared in my palms from thin air. In a single breath, I pounced out from the tree and toward the knight.

    "Ah¡ª"

    My palm covered his mouth, and with the other hand, I stered the mask on his face.

    The mask wriggled slightly and took the form of the man''s face.

    "Gweh! geh!"

    "What''s your fucking name and rank?" I asked.

    "Gheh!!"

    "I''ll kill your wife, tell me now!"

    "W-what!? My wife is long dead!"

    "Tsk. Your mother then?"

    "My mother died ages ago!"

    "What the fuck, why are you so tragic? Answer me or I''ll kill you too."

    "Do it, scum!"

    "I''ll keep you alive and make you listen to mumble rap on loop."

    "Gah!! It''s Vren! Vren, third officer! Kill me!"

    "Alright. Thank you~"

    I pped the man across his face and he fainted. He hadn''t seen my face, so this was good enough.

    "Good job!" Titania cheered as I picked the knight up and carried him away. "You are a natural at this."

    "Hah, it''s all the power of modern pop."

    I dragged the man to the outpost that he was going to. Checking in through the windows, there didn''t seem to be anyone inside. I jumped in and took off the mask from the man''s face before it put it on mine. The mask adjusted a bit more as it made my face resemble Vren''s as if it were magic, information courtesy of Titania.

    "It would be easier if I could just see the faces."

    The mask of many faces was an overpowered item in my books. Just knowing someone else''s face was enough to change it per my will, but unfortunately, I was the person it suited the least. Titania had somehow helped me find a workaround by cing the mask on someone else''s face, turning it into a wide mask, and then using my mana to get the feel of the person''s looks.

    I quickly changed up and donned the man''s armor, leaving him alone in his underwear. For safety measures, I taped his mouth and tied him up before tossing him inside a closet.

    "Hey, there''s a marker here!" Titania said, pulling out a drawer.

    Since there was a marker, I and Titania also drew on the man''s face before setting out.

    "Do I look the part?" I asked Titania as carried around the sword of the knight and moved toward one of the castles on the outer edges of the district.

    "I think you need to hunch your back just a bit?"

    "This much?"

    Titania formed a square with her fingers and looked through it as if it were a camera. "Hmm, perfect," she said.

    I traveled all over the district for the next two hours as not many people seemed to notice me. It was normal for knights to move around alone for now, so there wasn''t much to fear. Though I doubted the same would continue when the adventurers and mercenaries were assigned their posts.

    After seeing most of the district and its manyndmarks, I finally found myself facing the castle that I was aiming to enter. It was the one with the least security, so there was a low chance of being found out.

    I neared the doors of the castle and noticed that the ones guarding the gates wore different outfitspared to mine.

    Going through the gate was going to be tough.

    I held in my breath and went to the back walls of the castle. In a single go, I jumped up without making a noise and leaped over the castle walls, making my way inside.

    "Let''s party¡ª"

    "Eugy! Hide!"

    Almost on instinct, I dived into the nearest bush andpletely hid at Titania''s urgent call.

    "What? What? What happened?"

    Instead of Titania, a different voice answered my question.

    "Your highness, are you going to visit the outer districts now?"

    "Yes, please do apany me, Dawn."

    Dawn.

    My mind nked at that name.

    "Titania... don''t tell me."

    "Yup, you said to tell you to hide whenever I saw her, right? It''s the same one."

    I waited inside the bush for a while as the sounds of the two people talking disappeared.

    Without wasting a second, I jumped over the walls as soon as those voices were gone and rushed out of the ce, back to the sewers. I maybe heard a few knights saying something about an intruder and a tied-up knight and whatnot, but that didn''t concern me. For now, my goal was to be as far away from that person as I could.

    I dived back into the sewers and left the way I hade from.

    "Guess who''s never going back to that district? Yup, me."

    "Seriously, what happened between you?" Titania asked.

    I didn''t have the heart to tell her.

    What would I say in the first ce?

    I kinda sorta passionately romanced her for an entire night until she couldn''t walk and then was taken away by the Branch Manager to train, leading me to not see her for two years after a one night stand?

    Yeah.

    As if I could.

    ***

    Dawn held her breath as she entered the carriage of her liege.

    This person with ck hair as beautiful as the night sky was a thinker who would frequently harden her gaze and stare at the empty sky.

    This person with looks so beautiful one would confuse her for a dream, was none other than the third princess of the Kingdom of Schwarz.

    "Tsk. I remembered that bastard again..." the princess mumbled.

    This person with a tongue drenched in poison and a heart full of des.

    "This year... I''ll see you this year, Eugene Hall..."

    Was one of the Regressors that Dawn had been searching for.

 Chapter 117: Chapter 115: Dog House

    "Why! Why is she here? Wasn''t she still a gold-ranked?"

    We had received a priority on the first promotion when we registered, so in a way, Dawn had not raked up any achievements at all. I had heard from others at the guild house that she woulde in now and then and take up the longest quests where she had to travel a lot.

    We missed each other every time, and I would have left a message or something for her.

    But I was advised sincerely not to. Most adventurers are crackheads and I wouldn''t have heard them out, but it wasn''t just anyone but Iffy who advised me against it.

    ''Call it a woman''s intuition. If you see her, you''re dead. I don''t care how strong you are, I think she might make gods themselves punish you. Just what did you do?''

    Those words and the expression of sheer terror on the face of the person who could smile after fighting against me during the tests were enough to convince me to avoid Dawn the best I could.

    It was still running away, of course, it didn''t suit me. But I had learned my lesson. Until I be strong enough, running away is more than eptable. In fact, pride is stupid.

    Right.

    "Seriously, what happened while I was gone?" Titania asked again

    "Don''t mind it much~"

    I diverted the topic like a master and started making my way out of the sewers. The sewers didn''t have any patrols, but for safety, they still had a great magic spell engraved all over them prepared at least by a dozen Monarch-Grade Wizards, so, of course, I made it recognize me as a safe person. It was easy for someone with knowledge of magic from two worlds.

    Soon, I found myself below the manhole that led out to the fourth district. Since I couldn''t y around anymore, I thought it would be a good idea to go and report to the Adventurer guild now.

    I climbed up the walls and pushed away the manhole cover. There wasn''t much of a crowd on this street near the edges of the district. Discreetly, I got out of the sewers and headed toward the Adventurer''s Guild.

    Unlike the other adventurer guilds I had seen, there wasn''t a presence of rowdy dolts in full gear making their way around town, but instead, a lot of people dressed rather normally made their way in and out of the adventurer guild.

    "Am I at the right ce?" I mumbled as I stood in front of the closed gates of the four-story building that served as the guild house in the capital. The guild house was a perfect testament to the guild''s standing being a small yet the most morous structure in the fourth district.

    But, why weren''t people wrecking it yet?

    "It''s the right ce, the insignia is unmistakable," Titania said, pointing at the mark of the Adventurers guild on top of the building.

    "But, it doesn''t feel like a dog house at all. It''s as if... people are in there."

    "I know right?" Titania said. She found it odd too.

    I opened the door with my brows knit together and stepped inside the guild. A lot of ''people'' were talking and chatting around the guild house at the meeting space and the pub which was amon factor in all adventurer guilds. They talked with each other civilly.

    "Oh, my god," Titania eximed. "That group is talking about the magazine whileughing!"

    Words that seemed like a crazy dream. I ignored them and walked up to the receptionist while trying to stand out as little as I could. Was this the power of the Empire''s adventurer guild? Were they possibly conducting gic experiments on adventurers?

    At the reception, ady with pointed ears greeted me.

    "Hi!" she said. "Are you here to register as an adventurer, sir? The next exam is a little far away¡ª"

    It was an elf. I had heard that elves weremon in the Forest Confederacy and the Central Empire, so I wasn''t that surprised. Elves were said to be extremely beautiful as well, so it made sense for them to be hired by the guild that had an image to maintain. It wasn''t something out of the norm, so I couldn''t rx well.

    I was expecting at least the receptionists to be wild to make it feel more like the guild.

    "Um," I spoke. I snapped my fingers and the quest card that I had brought along popped up in my hands. A series of gasps rang out from the receptionist and the people watching at the sight of Spatial Magic. "I am here for this quest..."

    "Oh no, you''re one of them..."

    "Pardon?"

    "No, I meant, can I please see your guild card."

    I handed her my card as a few people started gossiping from behind.

    "tinum ranked?"

    "He doesn''t look that old."

    "Oh dear, Deep Down Town Branch!?"

    I couldn''t enjoy the reaction of the people as the receptionist let out another yelp.

    "Yes, that''s me."

    "P-please follow me! And please don''t hit anything here."

    Oh?

    The receptionist stepped out of the counter and started leading me out the back door of the guild house. We left behind the different facilities of the building and stepped outside onto the street again as she turned into a slightly deserted corner.

    We stopped in front of a rather inconspicuous building. With trembling hands, she pointed at the door.

    I nodded at the receptionist and ced my hands on the door.

    As soon as it opened up.

    "MAHJONG!"

    "AHHH!"

    "FLIP THE FUCKING BOARD! I CAN''T STAND THIS GAME, WHO MADE DUOPOLY!?"

    Adventurers gathered in different groups were screaming at each other like a group of dogs at night fighting for their turf.

    All of their heads turned toward me as I opened the door.

    "NEWCOMER!"

    "BRING THE SHOTS!"

    With tears glistening around my eyes, I left behind the elf and jumped into the room. A table appeared in front of me out of thin air and seven sses of different tequ shots wereid out on it.

    "Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

    I picked up all seven sses and gulped them down in one go.

    "YEAAAH!"

    This. This was home.

    ***

    I don''t remember much of what happened afterward.

    It was the day before the quest officially began, after all, and quite a lot of people were still yet toe including all the Orichalcum and Mythril Ranked adventurers.

    The next day, I had woken up with an extreme hangover and was sitting in the pub of the normal branch when Titania suddenly raised floated up in the sky.

    "Eugy!" she screamed.

    At the same time, the door of the guild opened.

    "I smell my niece!"

    The Mythril Ranked Adventurers had stepped inside.

 Chapter 118: Chapter 116.1: Kaiser and Ophelia

    "You what your what?"

    I spoke out as Titania said something weird. God, this headache was killing me.

    Instead of answering, Titania fluttered toward the gates of the guild. I squinted my eyes and watched as the door of the normal guild house opened up.

    A dozen gasps rang out at once. It would have been calls for drinks if this was that other building. I had left it in the first ce to get away from those monstrous alcoholics.

    Argh, those gasps made me feel like I''d puke.

    Two shadows fell on the ground as the light of the sun peered in.

    From beyond the door, a tiny being flew into the building with great haste.

    "Ophelia!!"

    "Aunt Titania!!"

    I was left blinking as the two fairies started embracing mid-air.

    What in the world? Aunt?

    I pushed my body off the table and tried to walk over to the door. My throat burnt and my stomach rumbled as I walked, I could feel something rising up my throat.

    "Heh?" A strange voice said from behind the door. "Aunt? Did you say, aunt?"

    Steps rang out.

    And the two people beyond the door came inside the building.

    A woman and a man, both seemed to be taller than me. The woman''s red dress perked up against the ground while the man wore a messy cloak around his shoulders, his eyes stuck on the two fairies.

    The pain in my head continued, but I wasn''t away from thought. This man could be another person to have summoned a fairy and that fairy was Titania''s niece? I guess?

    Right then, the man''s eyes fell on me.

    He froze in ce before taking a wide step ahead.

    "Eugene!" he screamed.

    A dozen more gasps rang out as people watched the man in surprise. He rushed over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders.

    He started shaking me lightly.

    Fuck.

    "Eugene! What are you doing here¡ª"

    My stomach.

    "Who in the world are you¡ªAACK!"

    My head fell forward on the man''s chest and the dam around my neck broke as I ended up puking all over his cloak. The vomit streamed out like a geyser as I held him for support.

    "Ahh! Let go! Let go!!"

    "Uwaack!"

    He managed to break free from my grip as I leaned forward and took in a few deep breaths. I pulled out a napkin from my spatial dimension and wiped my face.

    "Hah... That feels much better now."

    The dozens of Empire Adventurers that were gasping before were left with open mouths, but I didn''t care. With a snap of my finger, an orb of water cleaned up the floor of the guild while another washed up my face.

    Sighing, I turned toward the cloaked man who was staring at his clothes and the woman in a red dress next to him. The woman took a few steps away and startedughing uncontrobly at the situation.

    "Right," I said, turning back to the man. "Who are you again?"

    "W-who!?"

    "Did he just ask ''that'' person''s identity?"

    "Who is this nutcase?"

    The man turned to me and spoke in a raspy voice. "Y-you forgot me already? I thought we were friends, Eugene."

    "No seriously, who are you?"

    "HAHAHA!" The womanughing held her sides. "This kid is a riot! Hey boy, what''s your name."

    "Hah?" I turned to the woman now. "Isn''t it obvious to introduce yourself first?"

    "Right right!" The woman pped her hands. She then raised the hem of her dress and performed a noble''s greeting. "I am known as the Death Queen, it is my pleasure."

    On instinct, I ended up performing a simr formal greeting. "It is an honor. I am called Dusk."

    "Haah!"

    "Oh my god! He''s that crazy guy number one in the rankings?!"

    "The one who sold a baron to a BDSM club because he didn''t get paid?"

    "Oh! I''ve heard a lot about you!" the woman said with a smile. She then pointed at herpanion. "This person here is called Kaiser, though it seems you guys know each other."

    Kaiser?

    That Kaiser?

    "Hoh!" I scoffed. "So you''re the fucker," I said, turning to the man who had almost cleaned off the cloakpletely.

    This bastard.

    He was the reason I couldn''t use the name I had used as Yujin!

    My lips curled up and my fists clenched down. Mana and Ki started flooding out of my core and Dantian as they curled around my fists.

    Kaiser, this name was famous for another reason.

    The strongest Mythril Ranked adventurer in history. The man hailed as the living god of adventurers.

    The Mana and Kibined around my fists and formed a ck glow. For a brief second, the building shook.

    Faster than most trained people could see, my stance changed and my fists shot outward at Kaiser.

    ¡ªBOOOM!

    A thundering crash resounded in the building, making the tables and windows tremble.

    "Woah? What''s the big idea!?"

    With a single finger, Kaiser stopped my punch.

    No matter how much I focused, I couldn''t find a trace of him using anything other than his physical capabilities. No mana, no Ki, no any other kind of energy.

    "Don''t tell me, you''ve truly forgotten! Even though I was who pushed you into bing an adventurer¡ª"

    Before I realized it, I wasughing.

    This strength. The ability to hold me down with a single finger.

    How long would it take for me to reach something like that?

    It didn''t matter.

    A specimen was right in front of me, and I was going to reach it.

    Stillughing, I stretched my palm out.

    A bastard who stole my name. A man hailed as the god of adventurers. Before all of those, this person was my first good friend in this world.

    "I remember well, Kai."

    "Hah," Kai, no, Kaiser smirked and grabbed my hand in a tight grip.

    "Good to see you again, Eugene," Kaiser said. "What do you think, about the life of my people? About the life of an adventurer?"

    I smiled again.

    "Uwaak¡ª!"

    "AHHH! DON''T PUKE ON MEEE!"

 Chapter 119: Chapter 116.2: Kaiser and Ophelia (2)

    Themotion settled down and the two Mythril Ranked adventurers joined me at the table of the pub. The pub was cleared out by the presence of the other two as they all stared at us with curious gazes. Even the elf receptionist, now joined by a cat-tribe receptionist, were staring at us intensely.

    Of course, none of us cared.

    Instead, both mine and Kai''s gazes were stuck on the two fairies happily sitting on the table with their arms crossed. Titania usually wore whatever fit the asion, but this other fairy donned a pure white dress thatplimented her tinum blonde hair and beautiful wings. I couldn''t see her face, but she must not look much better than Titania.

    "Still... aunt, huh? I thought amongst the few people who could summon fairies I was the one with the biggest achievement," Kai muttered while staring at Titania. The Death Queen tilted her head, I could tell from her gaze that she could see the two too, but didn''t seem to have a fairy of her own.

    "Big achievement?" I asked. "Aren''t they just fairies?"

    Titania suddenly flew up and pulled my hair down my nose. "Who are you calling ''just fairy''? I am a big deal, ok! No, the biggest deal! The biggest biggest deal!"

    Kai smiled at her antics. "It seems you don''t know, Eugene. Ophelia here is the daughter of the Fairy Queen Mab and the Fairy King Oberon. She''s a princess."

    "Oh?" I hummed. Ophelia was quite the big deal. I showed her a yful bow and the other fairy returned it with a giggle. "But, isn''t a princess more important than a princess'' aunt?"

    "HAH!" Titania screamed again. She pulled at my hair tight enough to make me frown in pain.

    "I disagree too! How can you insult someone like Aunt Titania!"

    "Ow ow, exin if you haveins!"

    Ophelia seemed to be waiting for those words as she stood up and ced an arm on her chest. "Then listen! Lady Titania is not the ''elder twin sister'' of the Fairy Queen, she''s an existence beyond anything of the like! She is! The great! Queen of Evil!!"

    "Oooh!" Both Kaiser and Death Queen started pping and Ophelia pushed her chest out, as if it were her achievements.

    Titania floated in front of my face and hummed.

    "What do you think now?"

    "You had a famous chuunibyou phase, huh?"

    Titania swirled aplete circle. A giant metal bat appeared out of thin air and smacked me square in the face. It was just an illusion, so I didn''t even feel it touching me, but I stuck my tongue outzily and yed dead.

    "Look, she''s a real queen ok? She used to lead a whole different kingdom of the Fairies! You have no idea what a bigmotion you caused when you broke her seal of seven thousand years!"

    "Woah, you were sealed for those seven thousand years!?"

    Titania scoffed. "Do you believe me now? I am amazing, right? I am better than Ophelia, right?"

    "Yes! Aunt is the best! Hey, human, say it too!"

    Hmm.

    I wasn''t convinced, but I wasn''t one to make my partner connected through my soul feel sad at all. I felt like teasing this princess a bit too, how dare she look up to my partner so much?

    "I don''t need all these achievements to know Titania is the best, little princess. Whether she was a queen or not, Titania would always be the best."

    "Euggggyyy!"

    Titania sped my neck and nuzzled her face against me in a tiny hug while the fairy princess grapsed her dress and snorted in anger.

    "Say, dusk."

    The Death Queen called me at that point. I looked at her with a smile, she seemed to be the most sane person here.

    "I apologize if it is rude... but have you heard the name ''Charlotte Fonias''?"

    My brows perked up.

    "I have. Why?"

    Death Queen hesitated a bit, and then spoke softly.

    "W-what''s your rtionship with her...?"

    "She''s my mum."

    "Oh! Eugy, you never mentioned your mother before."

    Death Queen nodded and turned away. "Oh, your mom... ok... HAH!?"

    The change in reaction was right out of a movie as she turned back to me and sped my hands.

    "Y-your mom!? You mean she''s alive?!"

    "Nope. No clue. Never met her."

    Death Queen let out a sigh with her hands on her chest and sat back down. She turned to face Kaiser, who was scratching his cheek awkwardly.

    "You knew?"

    "It''s hard not to. He looks like a clone of her."

    "You guys knew her?" I asked.

    "Ah... that is..." Death Queen hesitated to speak again.

    "Yeah, she almost killed us quite a few times. She was one person I doubt I could win against even now."

    Death Queen red at Kaiser.

    "Enemies, then?" I asked casually.

    Sighing, thedy answered. "Not just enemies. It would be better to say she was a hunter and we were her prey. Something like rabbits in front of a tiger?"

    To be honest, I was growing slightly curious about my mother now that everyone I knew was her turning out to be her enemy. Just what had she done?

    I shrugged the matter away.

    "Well, that has nothing to do with me," I said. "I hope you guys are of the same thought."

    The two of them nodded.

    Death Queen stretched out her hand and ruffled my hair.

    "Nothing to do with you at all, kid."

    It was right then, the door of the adventurer guild swung open again.

    Gasps rang out a second time today, but it was of a different kind. One of admiration.

    "Kai!!" Ophelia screamed. "Run!!"

    The door opened and a person with a familiar gait walked inside. The tiny fairy shuddered while Death Queen and Kaiser got into battle formation.

    "N-no no!"

    "Don''te closer!"

    "You bastards..." the person spoke. "I even prepared a different building to herd you up, and I still have to pick you up separately, huh!? Don''t you know today is the day the quest starts!? HAH!?"

    "AHHH! Death Queen! Help!"

    "Run run run!"

    It was the head receptionist of the Deep Down Town Branch.

    A tyrant everywhere.

 Chapter 120: Chapter 117: The Third Imperial Princess

    Authority amongst the adventurers was established in the blink of an eye as the receptionist dragged in the two Mythril Ranked adventurers by the ear.

    "You little shits, don''t you have any sense of responsibility?"

    Most adventurers were on their knees with their heads down as the receptionist continued tearing them a new one. Behind her, the three Branch Managers I had seen during the examination, along with a young man with long hair and a brown overcoat were also standing with their heads lowered. My master and the manager of Deep Down Town''s branch met my eyes and hid behind the other three.

    I didn''t make a move since I didn''t want to be singled out by the receptionist.

    "Idiots. Don''t you know the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess themselves wanted to assign you your roles? Do you take all this lightly?"

    "U-uh... Ma''am," the man in the brown overcoat tried to cate the receptionist with careful gestures. "Maybe it''s alright now¡ª"

    "Shut up, vice guild master."

    Damn, that was the second-highest authority in the entire guild.

    The vice guild master stepped back and lowered his head again.

    For all the fear in everyone''s eyes, there was also a lot of respect. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say she was one of the mostpetent people in the guild, and just like me, many people respected her a lot.

    Though, I was clearly receiving much better treatment than everyone else.

    The lecture came to an end and she sighed.

    "Get up, we''re moving to the first district now." With that, she turned around and left the scene of destruction.

    "What a savage woman. Distasteful."

    "Just say you''re intimidated too, Titania."

    Titania turned her head away and pouted. Soon, the group of adventurers all stood up and started walking out of the guild one after the other.

    ***

    The sounds of footsteps rang out in the hall of the Imperial Pce like the patter of a morning shower. With grace exuding from their every step, a young man and ady walked through the halls of the pce out to the grounds of the Imperial Knights.

    A row of knights and attendants walked behind their two lieges. A strange sense of strength and confidence filled the souls of all those who saw their regal backs.

    Dauntless.

    Fearless.

    These were the Crown Prince and the Third Princess of the Empire.

    Hair like the rays of the morning sun, and a beauty that could enshroud that very sun in the darkness of her charm, that was Anatolia von Tantalus Atreus.

    She used to be high and haughty at first, a child spoiled with love, yet she was cunning and benevolent for her age. A being that all the empire family was ready to pour their blood to protect, yet, one morning two years ago.

    She had changed.

    Cold, ruthless, calctive, an insight that would make one believe she could see the future itself. In just two years, the Morning Glory Princess had be an Oleander whose single whiffs sent mortals to peril, whose single whiffs mortals couldn''t resist.

    No one knew the cause of her change, but no one denied her growing authority and power, for all her decisions brought them prosperity that they couldn''t have expected to reach on their own.

    After all, who would have guessed?

    Who would have guessed that this princess was one that had indeed seen the future? She wasn''t aware of just her fate, but the fate of the entire world.

    For her family, her friends, her people... her lover.

    This time.

    "I won''t let you go this time, Eugene Hall..."

    "What was that, Ana?" The Crown Prince turned slightly to see his younger sister clenching her fists with a cold gaze. Immediately, she waved the matter away and smiled.

    "It is nothing, Lord Brother. I was just thinking what kind of curious people the adventurers would be."

    "You don''t have to worry about it so much. I am against you working in the first ce, it is your birthday after all."

    "Helping Lord Brother already makes me happy!"

    Her brother smiled and the two of them stepped out of the pce gardens. Anatolia''s eyes were strewn on her brother''s figure.

    She remembered this month very well from herst life.

    Before she could handle the matter of the bastard who had ruined her world in the previous timeline, she had to take care of this matter as well.

    The five hundredth anniversary of the Empire. On the same day as her birthday, the demon king Bm from the Infernal Hells hade out to clear out a debt that her ancestor had incurred.

    It was something that the Imperial Family was well aware of and had gathered such great power to face that very threat.

    Unfortunately, she had fainted and couldn''t hear most of the details as they were shushed down almost immediately after, but it was a war that couldn''t bepletely shushed down.

    A war that ended after a lot of stubbornness, that she wasn''t going to allow this time.

    Demon King Bm had been promised the most beautiful flower in the Empire of 500 yearster, one that could never bloom in any other ne of existence. And the war had ended only after he had taken that most beautiful flower.

    Luckily, she knew well how ugly that beautiful flower the Demon King chased after was.

    And, she was more than ready to hand that flower over to the Demon King.

    Her gaze shifted to her brother''s side.

    "Brother," she spoke in a hushed tone with yful smile. "I hope you will attend my birthday with thedy you fancy."

    Aletes turned to his sister with a slight blush, his sharp features one would not see on the most beautiful of sculptures made even his blushing face seem like the pinnacle of beauty.

    "What are you saying!"

    Anatolia covered her lips and giggled.

    She was well aware that her brother had fallen deeply in love with the daughter of a baron from the outskirts. Ady with a pure heart and a pure smile that couldn''t bepared to the cold, emotionless machine that his fiancee was.

    This time, with no sacrifices, Anatolia was going to make her brother''s lovee true.

    She was going to hand over his fiancee, and the ''beautiful'' flower of the Empire that was filled with ugliness to that demon king.

    And then, just like everything else, she would take care of that hell spawn and make her lovee true as well.

    Her cheeks flushed as she stepped up on the podium with her brother at the training grounds of the knights.

    Stretched out in front of them were the best of the best adventurers from all over the world.

    At the very back of that line, standing next to a woman who seemed to be a receptionist, Anatolia''s eyes fell on a familiar face.

    And her heart sank.

 Chapter 121: Chapter 118: Two Birds with One Stone

    How? Why? Since when?

    Dozens of questions flew past Anatolia''s mind. Had it been before she had grown, she would have nked out almost immediately. But now, even as her heart beat faster than her body could handle and her breaths grew more hastened than she could exhale, she didn''t lose track of her thoughts.

    Her eyes trembled. Her lips pressed down. She wanted to clench her teeth and fists but held herself from doing so.

    He had changed. Iparably so.

    Scars ran down his neck to his chest, a missing finger, hair long and sharp with a build that wouldn''t surprise her to be a result of years upon years of hard work. It was something unimaginable for the scum of a man she knew who couldn''t even do anything but harass women and then scream when he was shown his ce. But there was no mistaking that face.

    She couldn''t mistake those hateful eyes.

    The one who ruined her life, who killed her with his own hands, who abandoned his humanity and spurred the world toward destruction.

    Eugene Hall was in front of her.

    And he had changed.

    Dozens, hundreds, she thought a thousand thoughts.

    And all of them pointed her at the same thing.

    The way a person could change so much. The way a person could overhaul who they were andpletely turn their image on its head. She knew how it was possible because she was someone who had done that very thing.

    ''He''s a regressor too...''

    There was no other exnation. It was either the same thing as her, or to say that someone from another world had taken over his body, how absurd would that be?

    "Ana, are you ok?"

    Anatolia was taken out of her trance as her brother leaned toward her and spoke in a soft voice. She noticed that she had been breathing heavily and sweating all over.

    She forced out a chuckle as she wiped her forehead.

    "I am alright, lord brother, I apologize."

    "If you are not well you should rest, dear."

    "I was just a little dazed, it''s nothing."

    Ateles thought for a few seconds before sighing and nodding. He couldn''t express how proud he was of his sister who had matured so much, he was more than prepared to go back and tell every one of her tenacity at the dinner table.

    With a renewed smile, Aletes turned toward the adventurers and spoke, his voice booming with enhancement magic.

    "Heroes of the Adventurers, I, the crown prince of the Atreus Empire wee all of you with open arms for joining us on this auspicious time."

    Her brother''s speech began and Anatolia lowered her head.

    She narrowed her eyes and stared at the man at the back with the other tinum-Ranked adventurers.

    The woman standing next to him noticed her gaze and pped the back of Eugene''s head. Anatolia''s eyes widened in surprise as Eugene heard something from that woman and bowed his head lightly so as to not dismiss her gaze but not offend the speaker either.

    ''Eugene Hall... got pped and didn''t throw a fuss?''

    This much was enough to make him tie up and torture a maid in her previous life. The atrocities he hadmitted on that talented young girl named Lily still pained her heart.

    But, he got pped and even bowed?

    ''He''s grown cunning.''

    It was useless to imagine someone like him being a loser the entire time. They had all seen many years, and it was natural for him to grow smarter, even more so after making contact with the one called the smartest amongst all the nes of existence, his demon partner Dantalian.

    Her heart raced slightly as she focused her energy on her eyes.

    She peered into Eugene''s body, besides a single ring, there were barely any traces of demonic energy on him.

    Her heart pounded in excitement again as she realized the implications of her finding.

    He hadn''t made contact with the demon yet.

    ''Then, I can do something...''

    The situation wasn''t all that bad.

    No, it was fucking great. If she could stop him right now, then no problems would ever befall her friends and lover. She could live the happy school life that she had been aiming for.

    Anatolia''s lips curved into a cunning smile as a n formted in her head. She focused on finding holes within it and smoothening it out before making a couple more ns.

    She could do it.

    "Then, I would request all the adventurers to learn of their postings from the knights behind me. As for Sir Kaiser and Lady Death Queen, I would tell you of your posting personally."

    With that, the distribution of work began as the knights and servants walked around and informed the different adventurers of their postings after receiving appropriate data from the guild.

    Alete and Anatolia stepped down the podium and walked up to the two Mythril-ranked adventurers who knelt in their presence.

    "We greet the bright sun of the empire."

    "Please, rx yourselves. It is embarrassing for me to be greeted like this by people who have taught me."

    Kaiser stood up and scratched the back of his neck while smiling.

    "Sir Kaiser and Lady Death Queen, I would request that the two of you be posted at the pce."

    Most adventurers were going to be guarding the streets of the first three districts while some would be assigned to the most important members of the nobility as personal guards. It was necessary to prepare for the war that had been a havoc in her previous life.

    As her brother and the two adventurers finished exchanging words, Anatolia spoke up.

    "Brother, it seems I have recognized someone I know."

    "Oh? Who is this person?"

    Her brother asked and looked at the adventurers curiously. So did the other two adventurers, smiling.

    "It is that man at the back,"

    "Eugene?" Kaiser asked.

    "Yes..." a chilling voice left Anatolia. "Eugene Hall... the son of Marquis Hall from the Schwarz Empire."

    "A child of a Marquis? That''s interesting."

    "Say, Sir Kaiser," Anatolia asked. "Is he capable?"

    Kaiser looked down at his fists. A small scab had formed on his finger that he used to block Eugene''s attack.

    "Capable is putting it lightly. He''s someone with great skill."

    "Perfect," Anatolia smiled. Alete recognized this face she made over thest two years whenever she nned something cunning.

    "I was thinking, can''t we assign him to that Lady? The blooming flower of our Empire?"

    Eugene Hall.

    She was going to kill two birds with one stone.

    Along with the flower to be sacrificed to King Bm.

    She was going to handover the cancer of this world.

 Chapter 122: Chapter 119: Divine Punishment (1)

    "Hey, do you know the princess or something?" the receptionist asked me in a whisper as the princess and the prince talked with the Mythril ranked two in the distance.

    "Actually, I used to be a frog¡ª"

    "You''ll be executed."

    I was still talking when the princess suddenly moved away from the group. She slowly started making her way over to us.

    I immediately got on my knee and greeted the princess.

    "Raise your heads," the princess said and I stood up with the receptionist.

    "Are you not, Young Lord Eugene Hall? It is a pleasure to see you here. Thank you for heeding our call."

    At that, the receptionist whipped her face toward me.

    "He was really a frog...?" She was lucky her whisper was quiet enough for the princess to not hear.

    "I am honored to know this humble adventurer''s name has reached your grace."

    "Haha," the princess scoffed. "How would I not know the name of such a famous adventurer?"

    "She looks like she''ll murder you," Titania said from the side. I didn''t need to hear it though, her neck was clenched and her fingers were hardened in rage, it was clear she didn''t feel good toward me.

    Not many things fell in line either. For one, I was nowhere popr enough for royalty to know of me, and even if they did, they would know me as dusk and not Eugene.

    "Sir Eugene, for someone of your skills and fame, coupled with your lineage, I have just the perfect task. I hope you won''t feel bothered by it."

    "I will not let your grace down."

    "Then," she ced a hand on my shoulder. "I would like for you to be the one guarding the Lady of Acacia duchy."

    I flinched. Thedy''s grip grew tighter.

    I... I was told it would be a vacation. But I now had to guard the brat of a dukedom?

    "Is that no good?"

    "It is my greatest honor to be entrusted with this role by your grace. Please rest assured."

    "I got it," the princess said brightly. "Then, I''ll wish you a long and happy stay, Sir Eugene."

    We bowed and thedy walked away.

    After she was gone, I turned to the receptionist and poured.

    "You said I''ll get a vacation¡ª"

    "What the heck, you were seriously a noble?"

    Her priorities were different.

    I waved my hand as if to dismiss the topic. "So what, I am as good as disowned."

    "Heh..." The receptionist was slightly awed by my words but didn''t push the matter further.

    The gathering soon came to an end as the hosts prepared to go greet the mercenaries. They asked us to begin to right away before leaving.

    I asked around a bit and was told that no one from the duchy I was to go to was here yet and that I was free to move on my own.

    With most of the adventurers out for work, I returned to the external building in the fourth district with the receptionist.

    "So, what will you do now? I hear that thedy will be here after two days yet."

    I stretched my hand above my head while talking to the receptionist.

    "I guess I''ll go look around the ce some more. I already peeked into the first three districts yesterday, so maybe thest ones."

    "Hey, asshole, I heard something uneptable in there."

    "Must be your imagination." I looked away.

    "Then, while you''re out," the receptionist spoke. "Do you think you''ll be able to get some information?"

    "That was the n in the first ce."

    The receptionist nodded.

    Things had be even clearer now. The empire was nning something big.

    We needed information to seal this case. Looking into their movements before would have been problematic, but since we were here, it was possible tomission some information agency to look into movements that won''t be easily missed by the locals with low suspicion.

    "I have to go and meet with the rest of the managers and vice guild master," the receptionist sighed.

    "Leave this matter to me."

    "Yeah, also, you better take me out for dinner soon. Tomorrow soon."

    I chuckled and stood up. "Got it, I''llmission someone to find the best ce in the city."

    With that, I left the guild house again.

    Working as a close guard or not, since it was a quest I had epted, I was going to do it. No matter how suspicious it was of that princess.

    For now, it was time to sniff up the empire''s secrets.

    ***

    Information agencies were burrowed deep into society. Though there were a ton of open, surface-level agencies, getting important information from them wasn''t easy for strangers like me without knowing some special things about the agencies.

    For now, I made it a bigger goal to hear the rumors and what people around the town had to say about the situation going on in the capital. It wasn''t all that tough to get an ear on some rumors.

    First, I went into some pubs and bars and sat around people who had a lot of free time to talk about conspiracies and politics. Gradually, I brought them some drinks and joined their conversation. And then, after getting them tipsy and trusting, I lit a spark in the kindle.

    "Have you seen all these adventurers and mercenariesing in?" I said. "I wonder what is going on."

    "Oh, boy, now that you mention it! I have seen a lot of them too."

    "Really? Why adventurers, we already have knights."

    "Has something like this happened before?" Of course, it had, everyone knew that adventurers and mercenaries were recruited en masse for wars and expeditions, it was especially true in a blood-filled ce like the empire. I didn''t mention it outright, but it was enough to remind them of things.

    "I know,e closer." In a whisper, the drunk continued. "Don''t tell anyone else, but my nephew works in the supply units of the knight order. They recently brought in weapons from all over the Empire to the capital."

    And jackpot.

    It wasn''t enough to confirm the rumors, though, since people not only had a tendency to lie but also to exaggerate. Like this, I went over to multiple bars and taverns to hear as much as I could while keeping an eye out for information agencies.

    The sun started to go down with me in the sixth district. It was densely popted and much less managed than the higher districts, which made it a prime spot for such rumors.

    I stepped out of another tavern and held my head, a few information agencies had stood out that I could probably approach without much suspicion. I also had to look into the princess, thedy of the duchy, and a restaurant.

    "There''s so much to do..."

    "Oh?" A voice crawled up my back. "Care to share some of your troubles?"

    "Ah ah!! Eugy!! I-it''s toote."

    A chill went down my spine as I turned around. A woman with purple hair, now the same height as me.

    "Have you been well, dusk?"

    "D-dawn..."

 Chapter 123: Chapter 120: Divine Punishment (2)

    "Why did you stop? Make haste, vice-captain, we have to rendezvous with the other nobles soon."

    A voice resounded as avish carriage came to a stop at the outskirts of Cadun vige. The upants of the carriage were already desperate, taking a dangerous shortcut to cut their way through the hills.

    "That, mydy, it seems some people are tied up ahead."

    "Tied up?" thedy tilted her head.

    "Sister, you should wait here. I''ll go check it out."

    "I''lle along."

    The two lords and the knight stepped out of the carriage. Not far away tied up with a waning string were a boy with shark-like teeth and a handsome man half asleep.

    The two scions of the Hall Marquis had encountered a pair of gold-ranked adventurers on their way to the Imperial Capital.

    ***

    "D-dawn..."

    "Oh? How surprising, so you remember me?" Dawn took a step closer. Instinctively, I backed away.

    "H-how can I ever forget¡ª"

    "Why? I thought you didn''t remember all your one night stands. So, you fuck someone and then disappear once you''re bored, right?"

    Shit. I couldn''t say no here. It was my fault.

    "Oh!" Titania eximed from the side. "So that''s what happened."

    Suddenly, I felt her kicking my face with her tiny legs. "You''re scum! I am not helping you with this anymore. You better apologize properly."

    "Look, that wasn''t my¡ª"

    "Wasn''t what!?" Dawn took another step closer and grabbed my cors. Her hold loosened for a split second when she noticed the scar running down my neck to my chest. She quickly recovered and continued, albeit a little softer. "Choose your words wisely, scum."

    I was about to speak up when images of thest two years shed into my mind.

    ''Kid, you''re conceited.''

    The master''s words rang in my ears.

    There had been many battles where my life was pitted against enemies I couldn''t hope to defeat. To be scratched just one less time, to take just one more calm breath, I had employed hundreds and hundreds of cheap tricks.

    I could just lie.

    It was going to soften the blow for both of us. There wasn''t anything wrong with being cheap, was there?

    I would get away easily, and it would soothe Dawn''s anger easily as well.

    "I..."

    Before I could speak, another image shed in my head.

    That night, when I had gotten just a small glimpse of her face under the faint moonlight. It wasn''t easy to remember something I had only seen once before, but I did see her.

    Was lying the right thing to do?

    I had been cheap, yes, but wasn''t it all so that I can get rid of my conceitedness and fight head-on?

    Lying would just be spitting in the face of all that effort.

    I stepped ahead and ced my hands on Dawn''s.

    "I won''t deny that I was scared to approach you after the manager took me away."

    Her neck hardened as Dawn frowned.

    "But, I also remembered that fight. One wrong move and we both would have died... If something like that happened again, I might have lost badly. Even if you died, the result wouldn''t have changed."

    "What do you¡ª"

    I took another step ahead and sped her hands tighter. Dawn and I shared a deeply emotional bond, one that we verified with our bodies. Of course, I cared about her after that. What kind of asshole wouldn''t?

    "I wanted to be strong enough to face you. So that I could defeat not just one but hundreds of those monsters!"

    "Wow~" Titania sighed from the side.

    Dawn too loosened her grip as her breathing got heavier. I could feel her hand heating up in my grasp.

    Did it work?

    Was I safe.

    "What''s with that, bastard..." Dawn spoke in a soft voice.

    A smile tugged at my lips.

    She must have been blushing redder than a tomato!

    Suddenly, Dawn pushed me away.

    "So you didn''t talk because you were so focused on growing stronger?"

    "Strength is the most important, after all."

    "Haha... hahaha..." Dawn suddenly stared at the sky and startedughing. "I''ll cash in the favor, god."

    Another chill ran down my spine.

    "Please bestow his divine punishment."

    "Hah¡ª"

    The sky cracked before I could say a word.

    In the blink of an eye, a blue tint covered the world and a raging bolt of lightning fell on the Earth. I tried to move, but it was toote.

    "AAAAH!"

    Lightning spread all over my body before shing away. I scrunched my body and closed my eyes.

    And the lightning was gone.

    "Huh?" I opened one eye and looked up. Dawn was standing there with her arms on her waist. "I-it doesn''t hurt?"

    The lightning strike would have probably killed a normal person, but it was too weak. It felt like a mosquito bite.

    "Haha..." Dawn''s mouth opened up in a peal of manicughter. "Now you''ll know! No matter where you go, you''ll always stub your toes you fucker!"

    "OH, YOU DEMON!"

    I took a step ahead when my shoes struck against an upturned brick on the ground, stubbing my toe right away. From the sides, quite a few people were staring at us as we talked nonchntly even after being hit by lightning.

    Dawn suddenly sighed.

    She came closer again and pulled my chin.

    "I''ll assume you meant you wanted to get stronger to protect me."

    "Not real¡ª"

    "Shut up."

    She was fun to tease as well. I held in augh and wrapped my hand around her shoulder, flexing that we were of the same height now.

    "Good to see you again," I said.

    "You too."

    "Find the people you were looking for?"

    "Let''s talk somewhere else," Dawn said and we started making our way through the streets of the sixth district, ignoring the people around.

    Soon, we found ourselves in front of the closest hotel which was also one of the biggest ones in the sixth district.

    "Wait here, I''ll book us a ce."

    I made my way in and booked us a suite room on the top of the seven-story building. I thought it would be good to chat in a wide space for just us two.

    "Are you here with the madam behind, sir?" the person at the reception asked.

    "Yes, please give me a room where we can befortable."

    "Right away, we''ll take a couple minutes to prepare."

    "No problems."

    "Alright, have a great night sir."

    The floors underground were operating as a casino while the first two floors served as different attractions and restaurants in the hotel that was filled with the rich people of the capital.

    A bellhop informed us that the room was ready and we got on a simple mechanical lift and reached the top floor that only had a dozen suite rooms, the mostvish floor. I didn''t know about this ce beforehand, but it was good enough for us.

    "Come in," I said, opening the door of the suite room. "We have a lot to talk about the empire, things are looking dangerous for now."

    The door opened up, and neither of us stepped inside.

    "A lot to talk about." Dawn muttered. "In a honeymoon suite, huh?"

    Well fuck.

 Chapter 124: Chapter 121: Divine Pleasure

    Rose petals were syed around all over the bed with heart-shaped pillows. A gentle breeze came in from the open windows and made the rows of candles decorated around flutter slightly with their mes.

    I stubbed my toes again as I entered, but neither of us said anything. Aside from therge king-sized bed in one corner, there was a table with beautiful single couches ced in front of the window, a cased candle burning in its center with wine and two Bordeaux sses kept around it.

    We were two, understanding adults. Such misunderstandings happened.

    Without minding it much, I closed the door after Dawn stepped in and walked over to the table.

    "Since it''s like this, should we have some drinks?" I suggested.

    "Well, sure. I have a rare break, so rxing would be nice."

    Dawn took a seat while I picked up the bottle of wine and the sses. With a single flick, the cork flew open and I poured the wine gently into the sses.

    As I ced one of them in front of Dawn, I noticed her purple hair swaying gently in the breeze. I sat down with my ss in hand.

    "Cheers," she said, and we clinked our sses together.

    I took a small sip as Dawn crossed her legs. Her skirt slid over her porcin skin as her thigh-high stocking stuck against her skin.

    "Are you working at the ce of the regressor?" I asked, looking away.

    "I am," Dawn answered. "I have been hired as a knight for now. It''s the Royal Princess of Schwarz."

    My eyes widened and I turned to face her again. "Royal Princess herself?"

    "Actually," Dawn sighed. "I found three regressors. The other two aremoners from a distant vige. It seems they were close in their previous life."

    "Is that so...?"

    Commoners and the princess, huh? How interesting.

    I was thinking when my gaze fell toward her legs again.

    I let out a hot breath and turned away to the window again. It was getting heated in here.

    My hands moved on their own and loosened the top buttons of my shirt.

    "Do you think there are more?" I asked, tightening my hair.

    Dawn''s answer was a secondte. She picked up her ss and chugged a long sip before speaking.

    "I don''t know... There could be, there couldn''t. Thankfully, they are all good people."

    She sighed as well, her breath heavy.

    "For now, they are only doing good things. Though, they have their eyes on this one kid that they might tear apart. I wonder what kind of evil hemitted in their previous life."

    A single person.

    That interested me too, so I turned toward Dawn again.

    She had suddenly removed her coat and left it on the table.

    The top three buttons of her light-blue shirt were opened, paving way for just an inch of her ckced bra to stand out.

    I immediately grabbed the ss and took in a long sip, drinking the entire thing. I wiped my face and looked away.

    "About the empire. They''vemissioned all the top adventurers and mercenaries to gather at the capital. It is at the level of war, but we didn''t notice any movement at the borders." I started spilling out my share of the information while avoiding looking at her. I had loosened another button of my shirt and was fanning my face, it was way too hot in here.

    "It could be a maneuver to show their strength, so I am nning to investigate movements of supplies around here¡ª"

    "¡ªHey."

    Dawn cut me off in a low voice.

    I could hear her panting.

    Slowly, my gaze moved to my front again¡ª

    ¡ªShe was already there. Her hand propped over the table as she leaned over toward me. Her lips were a mere inch away from mine.

    I lowered my gaze and noticed her shirt hanging low from her chest

    "What?" I asked, looking up at where I guessed were her eyes.

    Dawn''s other hand moved over to my loosened shirt as she grabbed my cor. Her fingers grazed right over my chest.

    "That divine punishment of yours... It''s not yet over."

    I gulped. The mood was fairly heated here.

    "How is it going to continue?" I asked, stroking her hair back.

    Dawn grinned.

    ***

    At the bottom of the hotel, the receptionist informed the manager of the ce of the arrival of theirtest guests.

    The manager adjusted her sses and looked at the table below.

    "That person should being here soon. Make sure you treat the guest with the utmost respect."

    "Understood, ma''am."

    "Ensure that no troubles meet the sir and his guest. Also, send some of our people outside to see if there''s anyone on his tail. If there is, cut them off."

    "Is that necessary? Will he make such a mistake?"

    "The esteemed person has entered our establishment to rx, it might even be a test of our loyalty or our skills."

    "I see," the receptionist nodded. "I upgraded him to the best room since he came with a woman, I hope that would be enough."

    "You fool, I was told there is no one the esteemed person is in a rtionship with!"

    "AH!"

    The manager held her head and sighed.

    "Whatever, I don''t think he''ll mind it as much. ''He'' has told us a lot about the esteemed person''s magnanimity. Such mortal feelings don''t register for him, he cares more about honing himself. He would just ignore the mistake and likely let the woman sleep wherever she wants."

    "I see¡­" The receptionist sighed. She was worried of making a great mistake.

    "I will begin working on the other parts of the operation, just in case. You too, tell all the workers in the casinos to take more risks, the esteemed person can ask us for anything."

    "Yes, mam!"

    The receptionist saluted as the manager adjusted her sses and turned away from her.

    Both their eyes fell outside the window where the sky was covered with darkness.

    "Glory¡­"

    "Glory¡­"

 Chapter 125: Chapter 122: Interlude in Apollon

    Apollon was held up well by an iron fist. Ever since its owner and leader Eugene hall had left the ce behind and had joined Deep Down Town as an adventurer, the lordship of the city had gone in the hands of its current and new ruler, Lily.

    The n was to keep people from chasing him for Eugene. By letting Lily hold the title of the Lord, he had done multiple things.

    He had firstly made it easier for people who had evil intentions to target Apollon, thus tying down the most annoying and bothersome of his possible pursuant, Keith down to the town to be forced to protect Lily at all times.

    And second, by making it so that only Lily''s signature or stamp could keep the ce moving, he had ensured that Maria, the older and naturally morepetent of the two when it came it such matters be held down as well.

    All they would need was one missed sign and one evil man to make sure that all that Eugene and the others had worked for would go down the drain.

    By doing so, he had also achieved a third purpose.

    Which was to make Lily grow into a stronger and more capable person.

    He had thought that with this, he would be able to bring Lily, Maria and Keith down all at once and they would be unable to chase after or look for him.

    Far too careless, far too heartless, the man who had left behind the people who saw him as their entire world thought less of how they would feel about it and more about how he could stop them from chasing after him.

    A scumbag amongst scumbags.

    Unfortunately, his ns did not work as well as he wanted them to.

    "Hey, just let me meet with the regent here!"

    A man screamed at the mayor of the town by mming papers on the desk.

    "Do you see this? This much money for the investment and you dare to refuse it? Are you a mayor or a noble, what do you think of yourself?"

    Jerry, a businessman working for a merchant in the north named Magmara had appeared here to take over a booming new town. All they had to do wasrgely invest in the ce, they had an abundance of money.

    It was a way to take control over a ce just like what Eugene had nned. By making them all connected to his enterprise, he would end up holding power greater than what the town could control.

    If they toppled, then the town would too. And so, the lordship of the town would have no choice but to be a biotch for the man and his every whim.

    Magmara had gained control over a few other ces just like this, and Jerry was his best negotiator whenever he needed to present vile contracts.

    Far too many people fell for greed and shortsightedness.

    Jerry hade prepared to wreck some havoc, but from the moment he had heard that the lord of the town was out and that there was only a young girl not even twenty yet acting as a regent, he couldn''t help butugh at the situation.

    "Our lord has told us to refuse all such kinds of offers," the old mayor said.

    Jerry mmed his hand on the table, the cups of tea resting near the corner trembled but stopped before they could fall down.

    Jerry leaned ahead and growled.

    "Do you know who sir Magmara is? He''s famous all over the north. Lines of caravans from the Mirxa fief travel under him and reach the edges of the Fonias Duchy, even the lord of Fonias has met him personally."

    Jerry leaned ahead.

    "Some random bastard who was given the title of lord for the only virtue of being Marquis Hall''s son can''t go against a man endorsed by the duke, do you understand?"

    The wimpy old man had just been a vige head on the throes of death just three years back, what was he to do against such an aggressive person?

    The old man quaked and shook his head.

    "Look, I don''t know about that. I was just told to do¡­"

    "Haah, fine." Jerry reached into his pockets and pulled out an envelope. He slid it across the table and sighed, kicking his legs up.

    "I can''t believe cancer like you rots all good ces. So what if a ce burns down as long as I get my profit, you all have that mindset."

    The old mayor looked inside the envelope and smiled.

    The mayor was corrupt!

    "I''ll talk to the regent and get you a meeting, just give me a bit."

    "Ten minutes," Jerry said. "Go."

    "Yes, I''ll try if the regent is free."

    Jerry could only sigh as he watched the mayor step out. His eyes fell on all the art pieces around, a gramophone on the other table.

    He ced a disc in it and soon enough, a new tune started ying.

    A sigh of admiration left the man.

    This ce was doing better than he had initially assumed.

    It seemed to have potential. The moment he had stepped inside and had looked at the riches they had to disy, he was shocked.

    A ce like this would have been tough to get into their trap. And even if they did, they would have to keep the talent that made it in their grasp to ensure its smooth operation.

    Jerry remembered well how he had once visited a restaurant almost weekly to eat its pasta, he loved it to bits, it was a phenomenal dish that everyone needed to eat. But before that recognition coulde about, the head chef had decided to leave.

    He had said he''ll leave the recipe and there was nothing to worry about, but it never tasted the same.

    The pasta, was lost with the chef.

    He didn''t want to see a simr oue with this ce. He had grown fond of the theaters and the music, the streets and performers, the food and the joy.

    The room''s door opened.

    "Our regent will you see now."

    It was go time.

 Chapter 126: Chapter 123: Divine Pleasure (3) [R-18]

    "Aahn..."

    Heated moans left Dawn''s lips as I pressed my fingers over her slit. The wetness that was already spilling out continued to pour down as I gently rubbed her pussy.

    Each movement felt like dipping my hand in a puddle of slimy liquid, her soaked panties not helping at all.

    Slowly, I moved down.

    My hands grazed over her stockings. Her plump thighs propped up seductively by the ck fabric was maddening.

    I kissed her thighs, right above her stockings while poking at the entrance of her slit.

    "Ooh!" Dawn gasped.

    I kissed her repeatedly while teasing her secret garden. Squelches merged with her moans and my kisses creating an orchestra of love.

    Slowly, I pushed my knee down on the bed and tried to movepletely atop her when¡ª

    "Ahk!"

    I stubbed my toe and fell over the bed. Right on time, I ced my hands down to avoid falling over Dawn but ended up pinning her down instead.

    "Did you stub your toe?" She asked in a whisper.

    I nodded.

    The two of us smiled and broke into a peal ofughter.

    There wasn''t any sense of duty or dominance as we giggled while facing each other half naked.

    Her lips distracted myself from theughter, and she seemed to be thinking the same.

    Dawn raised her hand and ced it on my cheek.

    Then, we kissed again. Deeper and deeper, our tongues intertwining like two ropes being braided together.

    I ran my hand over her stomach, lightly grazing her navel before going further down. My fingers traced the line of her panties before pulling the bottom to the side.

    Feeling my intentions, Dawn lowered her hands and spread her slit with her fingers, not breaking the kiss.

    Just like my lips, I guided my dick towards her lower mouth. In a single motion, my member went down on her.

    Alreadythered in her saliva, my dick soaked up her love nectar as it spread open her folds and pushed into her.

    Slowly, gently, yet deeply, I dived into her body,pletely inserting my length until my tip touched her womb.

    Dawn''s back arched as she clenched her fists and bit her lips.

    I didn''t move to let her get used to the feeling.

    "I don''t need other experience to know. Your dick is the best, isn''t it?"

    I smirked and spoke. "Don''t lie to yourself. You know the reason you''re feeling so good."

    Dawn pouted. Like a spoilt child, she grasped my cheeks thight and kissed me.

    "Fine."

    She kissed me again.

    "It''s."

    Again.

    Between each word, she pressed our lips together as her face turned red.

    "Because. It''s. Mwah. You."

    I leaned into her neck and giggled. How childish. Dawn squirmed and licked my neck back, then, she suddenly chomped down on my neck with her teeth, sucking tight on my skin.

    "Hey! hey!"

    It took much more effort since both of us were not like normal people, but she sessfully left her mark on my neck.

    I pushed my head back and stared at her.

    "You can atleast ask. I have to serve a nobledy soon."

    "Isn''t that good? She''lly off of you."

    I couldn''t say anything if she was going to act cute. I gently kissed her again and said in a whisper.

    "I''m going to move."

    Dawn wrapped her arms around my back.

    "Do it."

    I raised my hips back, grating at her vaginal walls.

    Right before my dick could slip out, I dived back inside.

    "Ahn."

    She moaned.

    Her stomach waved as skin pped, sending her breasts bouncing up and down.

    I pulled back again, and then pushed inside.

    My dick started churning herhers as I kept moving back and in. Dawn moved her hips in perfect sync and made me go even deeper inside with each stroke.

    Every time I pumped, she would let out a short moan.

    The sunpletely set, leaving only the lights of the candle to guide us.

    But we didn''t need those visuals. Her short moans would pull me closer, her desperate groans would make me want to pull away.

    Our bodies worked well as guides.

    Soon, the wet, squelching ps grew louder as we eventually got into a rhythm.

    I ran my finger over her neck sometimes and down on her thighs some others. When I wanted neither, I pressed gently on her navel, making her help from the loving assault.

    "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

    Her screams grew louder.

    "Almost there... Already... I can feel it..."

    I stroked her lips with my thumb and kept pounding into her. Dawn''s moans intensified as my dick went deeper and deeper.

    I could feel myself twitching as both of neared our climax.

    "Together... I want to... Cum together...ahn!"

    My hips moved with a life of their own as I started aggressively thrusting into her. Dawn''s nails scratched my back as waves of pleasure hit her.

    "I''m almost there," I said, ready to pull out.

    Right then, Dawn''s legs raised up and wrapped behind my back.

    Before I could react, her legs desperately pushed me ahead and deep into her pussy.

    My tip kissed her womb.

    "Cumming!!!" Dawn screamed as she raised her head in pleasure.

    Her pussy tightly wrapped around my twitching dick as her climax pushed me over the edge.

    My semen shot out of my dick and started filling her womb. All of my cum streamed out and filled her insides until it couldn''t fill anymore.

    "Ahhh! More!!" Dawn screamed, she pushed her legs further down as she felt my cum filling her body.

    Soon, our climax came to an end and we leaned over each other, panting for breath.

    I slowly pulled back as her legs lost strength. As if a plug had been removed, my dick came out of her pussy and a stream of white liquid flowed out.

    Dawn raised her hand, her eyes fluttering as she gasped for breath.

    I held her hand and fell over on the bed, holding her hand tight.

    "That was amazing..." She said between breaths.

    "How long are you on break?" I asked back.

    "I''ll be going back... Tomorrow afternoon."

    I turned my head to the side only to find her looking at me.

    "We have the entire night," I said.

    Instead of answering, she moved ahead and kissed me.

    The honeymoon suite was used better than it had ever been before that night.

 Chapter 127: Chapter 124: I am Eugene Hall!

    Dawn had cuddled up next to me as the two of usid in bed after cleaning ourselves up. She rested her head next to my shoulder while holding my hands.

    "I totally forgot, but what happened to the fairy?" she asked.

    "Well, surely, the act of mating between to lesser beings must be nothing to a great fairy."

    "I am angel though?"

    I turned toward the wall and my eyes widened. stered over the wall was a trail of fairy-magic manipted into words.

    [Too erotic, I am out. Summon me when you''re done.]

    A chuckle left me and I informed Dawn of the writings.

    "Shouldn''t you call her? She''ll think we''re still going at it."

    "Even better, I''ll summon her in the morning."

    Dawn smiled and wrapped her arm over me. Her hand moved toward my right hand, around the part missing a finger. She seemed to want to say something, but I firmly shook my head.

    It wasn''t her fault at all, even thinking like that was stupid. I got caught in front of an enemy I couldn''t beat, and I cut off my own finger.

    That said, I was more than certain I could take down a simr enemy with a single punch, there were a lot of monsters of that level of strength mobbing around the 300th floors.

    Kaiser managed to stop such a punch with just a finger. Even for pure physical ability, it was absurd. He must have either redirected the energy from my attack or stopped me from a weak point. But to analyze such a thing, even the absolute analysis monster that I knew as Yujin, Albert, couldn''t have done something like that.

    "What are you thinking?" Dawn asked.

    "I have to get stronger¡ªOw!"

    "Bastard, so you''re nning to run away again!?" Dawn yfully smacked my arm before cuddling up next to me again.

    Something was probably on her mind too.

    "Is it about that person you mentioned?" I asked. Someone that all the regressors are out to kill. If an angel said they were kind people, then that was likely the case, so the person they were up against was likely absolute scum.

    "Yeah, I have never met him, but the way their gazes turns absolutely murderous at just the mention of his name. They were all kind enough to ept many people and went out of their way to help others, I met them simrly. That person they are out to kill... I don''t a lot."

    "What is he like?" If such a viin was around, I''d have another thing to trample. I can''t wreck Kaiser since we are close... but I''d love to beat someone else to a pulp.

    I controlled my expression before my smile could turn twisted and gazed at Dawn resting in my arms.

    "I only overheard some stuff and was directly told some others. Sexual assault is just the beginning, he would try to sadistically torture most girls in school. He apparently beat up a maid for talking back to him for three days."

    "School?"

    "Yeah, he''s the same age as them. They''ll all be going to the kingdom of sages next year."

    That was the same age as me too. How interesting.

    "He made a deal with a devil and caused deaths of millions. It''s crazy. I am sure even other angels will agree that such a person should be cut down."

    "What is the identity of this person?" I asked, now more curious.

    "It''s a noble man from Schwarz Kingdom. I don''t think you would know¡ª"

    "I am a noble from Schwarz Kingdom too, I am sure I''ll know this person."

    Such an evil being should definitely be cut down when he grows strong. And I do not say this to enjoy a fight, not at all. I only had the betterment of the world in my mind and heart, promise.

    "It''s a person named Eugene... Eugene Hall..."

    "Eugene Hall... Huh. Even the name sounds stupid, what kind of name is Hall¡ª"

    I froze midway.

    "Right Dusk? If I meet this person I might just kill him myself..." Dawn looked up when I stopped speaking. "What?"

    "That''s my name."

    "What?"

    "I... am Eugene Hall..."

    What in the fuck was going on here?

    Dawn was left with an open mouth as she stared at me.

    What the fuck was this, a fucking game?

    Oh damn.

    Yes.

    It was a fucking game.

    ***

    A stressful night came to an end. Dawn understood that I was not the old Eugene Hall but a mixture of two personalities, with one clearly being more defined than the other. The mood was still awkward between us, though, so we eased it out by having sex a couple dozen more times all through the morning.

    We made some ns to keep myself in check around demons and secured amunication method since she was close to people out for my blood.

    She left first and I stepped out of the hotel after her.

    We barely had any control over the situation, but we still had time. Those guys were not as strong as me, so if it came down to it, I could just chop their heads off.

    To think I was excited to fight myself.

    I sighed and was about to leave the hotel when a woman in a suit stopped me.

    "Excuse me, sir," she said. I frowned and looked at her.

    "What is it?"

    "Did you have a pleasurable stayst night in our establishment?"

    "It was alright. What is this about?"

    The woman smiled and reached into her pocket. She handed me a card with the words VIP marked on it.

    My gaze turned toward the emblem of the establishment. A full moon. Then, I turned my gaze toward the woman''s armband which also held a moon. I hadn''t seen these marks anywhere else in the establishment.

    "I hope you can consider making some time in a few days, sir," The woman said. "The Hotel''s Director would be here and would love to meet you."

    Now.

    What the fuck was this about.

    Was this rted to the people out to kill me? I had a few other theories as well, but for now I had no answers.

    "I''ll consider it," I said and walked out. The woman bowed and stayed that way until I was out of sight.

    Not much happened after that.

    Imissioned a few intelligence agencies that I deemed safe for the information we needed. I then moved to the guild house only to find the receptionist still busy and we postponed our dinner ns.

    The day ended uneventfully, and the time for the start of my job came around.

    Outside the second district reserved for the top-ranked nobles, I met with two other Orichalcum-ranked adventurers assigned to the same ce.

    Temporal Sword, and the Sorcerer of the Swamps.

    "Dusk. You''re here."

    "Tempo, been a bit."

    I shook hands with Tempo and bowed toward the sorcerer, we had be closely acquainted during the drinking party.

    Unfortunately, I couldn''t get any information on the duchess in time.

    "Did you guys here what the nobledy is like?" I asked the two as we headed toward our destination.

    "That... I hear she is the most damning witch of the century."

    "People around frequently call her, the devil of Atreus."

 Chapter 128: Chapter 125: The Devil of Atreus

    With a sword hanging low on a belt around his waist, Temporal Sword had taken the lead while I and the Sorcerer followed behind him. We had been instructed to meet with the people of the duchy directly at their estate.

    Unlike the actual names an adventurer registered with, both the cool-looking swordsman at the lead and the gloomy, robed sorcerer with a strange wooden staff were people who had received their names from the guild. It was a nickname given ordingly to their achievements.

    I had asked around previously, and apparently, Death Queen''s nickname was the same as her name, while not many people knew Kaiser beyond ''Adventurer God!''

    The sorcerer was a person who had turned a giant wyvern into a frog with his skills in a swamp, while the Temporal Sword was one of a kind. Just like me, he was a dual-core, but if I counted as a bug character then he would be an NPC when ites to using one''s cores.

    Controlling two of them was tough in the first ce. Since Ki and Mana were the two mostmon energies a person was born with, having both of them wasn''t as rare, but using them was. It was the same as painting an oil portrait with one hand and ying the violin with another, almost physically impossible.

    I could do it because my control was absurd enough to do those two while sleeping, but not everyone was born with such talent.

    Temporal Sword had a great gift his Ki, but almost nothing with Mana, except having a great affinity towards one of the most notorious attributes. Time Magic.

    He somehow managed and became strong enough to reach the Orichalcum rank, though, so that said enough.

    While I was still thinking of those two, we could finally see the estate.

    I was the one who had to handle thedy, so I was in the worst positionpared to the duo here to guard the house.

    "Hey, hey, Eugy. Ask them again," said Titania while floating over my head. She thankfully hadn''t brought up the topic of that night.

    "Hey, you guys. Why did you call her a devil?" I asked again.

    "You''ll figure it out," said the sorcerer, her voice low and gloomy.

    "I don''t think it''s right to talk behind her back like this anyway," Tempo added. "I am scared too."

    "Can you just fucking tell me so we can be scared together?"

    We were almost at the estate, so our steps slowed down.

    "Eugy, divert the topic!" Titania came up with a great n and I changed my tactics.

    "So, is she pretty at least?" I asked.

    "Pretty?" Tempo thought for a few seconds. "I don''t know. I''ve heard she''s never been seen without a veil."

    "Yeah, I''ve heard so too."

    "Oh! And is she evil?" I asked.

    In the end, Tempo sighed and spoke softly. "For one, I heard that she controls all the shady trades in the Empire. And I don''t mean her family, she does it."

    These idiots. Go on, forget about spilling things.

    "This cartoonish cluelessness almost baffles me," my fairypanion said.

    Well, this was what defined strong adventurers.

    "Wasn''t she supposed to be 18?"

    "She still is," the sorcerer said, now all willing to talk. What a bitch. "I heard when she was six, she smashed her brother''s head with a chair."

    "Oh my."

    "That''s not all, when the duke called on her about it, she told him he cane to meet her. When he asked her why she hit her brother, she told the duke that she would hit him next. With a chair."

    "So she''s hot-blooded?" I asked, we were now right in front of the mansion.

    "Exact opposite," said Tempo. "She''s colder than the ninth circle of hell and sharper than the de of Damascus. Not even the Crown Prince, her fiance, can take her lightly."

    We came in front of the doors of the estate. A pce grander than the one that I had first Dawn in stood in the deepest parts of the Second District. Seven towers rose around the curtain walls while the portcullis opened with a great nk leading toward the courtyard that could fit an entire army out for war.

    A grand ce that did not leave the Hall Marquis'' estate in dust, but ground it to finer particles and then stomped on it for extra damage.

    I looked around the beautiful stone walls while following behind the other two. We were taken through a simple security check before a man in green robes came over to us, the mark of white acacia flowers on his clothes.

    "Wee, adventurers. I am Luther, the aide of the Lady of Acacia, it is a pleasure."

    The man ced his left hand on his chest and performed a graceful bow. The other two also bowed crudely, but I paid proper respects as a noble.

    "It is our pleasure to be of help to the esteemed family of Acacia," Tempo said and the aide scoffed. Tempo, clueless of the other party''s thoughts, looked up with what I could guess to be a bright smile.

    This idiotic carefreeness of adventurers was what I loved.

    "Well," Luther said. "I have heard great deals about the Temporal Sword and the Sorcerer of the Swamps, your feats are a famous tale amongst children. I hope you can enjoy your stay here."

    Luther rified that we won''t be doing any work, but mypanions only smiled and nodded brightly. Oh, which children were inspired by these guys'' tales? Pleasee over, I''ll apologize in their stead.

    "And you..." Luther turned to me and I bowed again.

    "I am called Dusk, it is my honor to have a chance of visiting this estate."

    Luther hummed. I didn''t say anything stupid, so his impression must have been slightly better.

    "The tinum-ranked adventurer who received the princess'' rmendation. I have heard about you too."

    "You tter me."

    "You''re famous for being crazy. Did you truly ughter ten thousand goblins because they stole a gold ingot?"

    I averted my gaze.

    "It doesn''t matter." Luther then turned away and waved his hands. A butler in a tailcoat with a long handle-bar mustache that spilled out of his face enough for even me to recognize walked over and bowed at him.

    "You called, Luther?"

    Luther flinched.

    "Call me sir," he whispered. Poor guy, all of us had great senses so he might as well have spoken in a megaphone instead.

    Clearly, he was not much older than me. Since aides were assigned from a young age, he was likely in the same range as thedy. Though her aide being a male was slightly odd, she probably had others.

    "Head butler, please guide our guests through the mansion." Luther coughed and turned to us again.

    "You two will be shown around by the head butler. As for adventurer Dusk, please follow me."

    With that, Luther adjusted his sses and turned away. I followed behind him as we went inside the grand estate. Rows upon rows of paintings and precious statues stood around in bulk, each of them probably worth the budget of entire towns were spilled around like heaps of trash.

    "Sir Luther," I called out to him. "Is there anything I should watch out for?"

    "What is that supposed to mean?" Luther asked while turning his gaze to me. He seemed to have taken offense. Not caring for that, I continued.

    "Is there any kind of action or behavior that thedy particrly dislikes? Or maybe just a scent? I wouldn''t want to make a bad impression as her guard."

    Luther frowned. "Are you saying you''ll do something offensive?"

    "Is this guy wack?" I blurted out.

    Luther stopped climbing the stairs and looked at me with widened eyes. He then patted my shoulders and startedughing out loud.

    "You fit the title, huh?" he said while still patting my shoulders. I was confused, but didn''t say anything.

    "Don''t worry. As long as you keep being that honest self, thedy won''t have any problems. She dislikes liars."

    "Understood. Lies are the worst."

    "No, no," Luther said while pushing my back, nudging me to continue. "She loves lies. She hates liars since they never fool her."

    "Oi! Hisdy is wack too!" Titania said. "Eugy, turn away! Turn away!"

    Eventually, we reached the office of thedy on the third floor of the mansion.

    Luther stopped in front of a door and turned to me.

    "I wish you the best of luck," he said.

    "What?"

    Two knocks resounded right after.

    "Mydy, he''s here."

    Past the door, a chilling sound called back to us.

    "Come in."

    Luther swung the door open.

    In the distance, standing against the windows with fluttering drapes.

    Stood a woman with white hair as pure as snow, hidden behind the shadow of a white veil thatpletely hid her face.

    This was the Devil of Atreus.

    Thedy of Acacia Duchy.

    And the woman whose fate eventually coiled around mine with a string of pure ck.

 Chapter 129: Chapter 126: Stay Quiet

    Luther and I knelt down in front of thedy. White robes hung from her shoulders, reaching the floor as they grazed against the lc carpet. The faint lighting in through the windows of intricate carvings highlighted the shadows of the rosewood furniture. Next to thedy in full armor was a tall brown-haired knight with a stoic face.

    Thedy''s voice echoed.

    "The meddlers are here," she spoke. I couldn''t hear the ''tone'' of her voice, yet the echoes held in it were filled with iparable authority. "So, who is this?"

    I ced my hand on my chest and answered. "Mydy. I am Adventurer Dusk, I have been stationed as your guard¡ª"

    Thedy tapped her desk and I quietened down. She slowly turned her gaze toward me, her veil waving with her movements.

    "How bothersome. I already have a knight protecting me for thest 9 years," thedy sighed and said. "I believe a sudden change in thesest few days would be riveting."

    With a snap of her fingers, the knight standing behind stepped forward.

    "You''re fired," thedy told the knight. I stared in surprise as somethingpletely unexpected yed out. "Luther, give him some money. I don''t want to see you around again, go."

    The knight bowed deeper before walking away from thedy.

    "Did he just walk away..." Titania spoke, awed.

    Even I was surprised by the knight''s nonchnce, but noticed that his hands were trembling just the slightest amount. Was he afraid?

    Why did she fire her knight in the first ce¡ª

    "¡ªMister adventurer," thedy said, walking back to her desk where a tall mountain of papers and documents sat. She pointed at me and gestured for me to walk over with her fingers.

    Thedy grabbed my shirt and pulled me down to her face. In a whisper that barely reached past her veil, she spoke. "You are now my guard. I have dismissed my knight, so only you will protect me."

    Her voice softer, she continued.

    "Put your life on the line to protect me. Whether it is a duke or a king that threatens me, is not of your concern. And if you can''t do your job, kill yourself."

    What in the fuck was all this about?

    For as much as I wanted to dismiss it as a youngdy''s ramblings, the way her voice curled around my heart like a snake and hermand dug into it like its fangs were something that I couldn''t brush off.

    "She''s scary..." Titania said from the side.

    "I understand," I said in the same low voice.

    "Good," she said. Thedy whose name I still didn''t know sat back on her chair and turned back to the papers. Just like her knight had earlier, I walked up to the window without making a sound and stood behind her.

    "Luther, get lost."

    "Yes, mydy."

    Luther rushed out of the room. As the door closed behind him, thedy''s office was covered with a nket of silence.

    Only the sound of the fluttering curtains leaked inside the room, and along with it, the sounds of her quill scribbling over the stack of documents and papers came together in an etude of silence.

    The person said to have a hold over the underworld of the empire. It was intriguing to think just what she was working on, but I refrained from taking a look.

    A guard didn''t have to bother with those things. That, and I was confident that she would notice if I did take a look. She didn''t exude the aura of a strong person, but I still believed she would notice such a transgression.

    "Boring~" Titania hummed while standing on my head.

    "Shush."

    Both I and my fairy turned to the side in surprise as thedy hissed. She didn''t look away from the papers but still noticed our gaze.

    "Fairy, be quiet or get out."

    How was she...

    It wasn''t possible for people to see a fairy since they were closer to spirits than a physical entities. In a way, Titania''s existence was not that different from the ethereal form of Mana or Ki. I could see her since I summoned her. Kai and the Death Queen probably noticed her since they were strong enough to be in-tune with such spiritual beings.

    Then how did she...

    Neither of us said anything but remained quiet.

    We had tons of questions, but there was no space to address them.

    Morning breezed past us. The light of the sun grew stronger and eventually weakened as afternoon crept away as well.

    Thedy hadn''t moved from her seat as she continued working. Therge pile of papers was eventually sorted away as only a small stack was left on her table.

    The entire time, she hadn''t said a word to me beyond her initial talk.

    Eventually, when the sun started going down, thedy stood up. Not even a nce came my way as she walked away from her desk and toward the door. I followed behind her past the office and through the beautiful gray-lined castle walls and its pink-tinted wooden embellishments.

    After a short walk, we ran into a young maid. The maid noticed thedy and performed a deep bow.

    "Send me something to eat," thedy muttered to the maid. The young maid performed another bow and walked away immediately toward the kitchen.

    I thought we would go elsewhere, but thedy turned back and went toward her office. Though confused, I followed her without saying a word.

    We entered the room, its purple tint now gleaming with a slight orange.

    Thedy sat down on her desk and I returned to my spot. The entire time, Titania was rolling around on my head.

    Not long after, the maid we had seen earlier entered the room with a cart full of snacks and left as quickly as she had entered.

    Thedy pulled up a cookie and chomped down on it.

    Watching her eat, I spoke up.

    "You could have told me to fetch some food, mydy."

    The sounds of crows returned in the orange-tinted skies.

    She stopped.

    The rays of the setting sun fell on her pure white hair, a shade the same as mine.

    "This is thest time I''ll hear you speak out of turn," said thedy. "Stay quiet."

    Her hair was beautiful.

 Chapter 130: Chapter 127: Duty of the strongest man

    The evening was strangely red today.

    It was as if the sun was bleeding out and its blood had tainted the blueness up above, filling the skies with its ichor.

    It was a sight that reminded Anatolia of the past as she rested at her desk, gazing out the window. The sound of the concerto written by the genius of Schwarz was quite a fine addition to the sight of the night as thetest gramophone yed it in all its glory.

    Today.

    Her ns had already kicked into action today.

    Anatolia''s eyes clouded over as the sun started to set. Her smile hardened into a gaze that would make her family writhe at the sight of. A gaze full of her pain.

    Taking a sip of her tea, she looked at the sky again.

    She had seen such skies before.

    In a time that everyone forgot but her.

    That time, she was the one in the ground while the sky weed that bastard with pure white hair. She could remember well, how cruelly pretty that sight was.

    And now, this sky was weing her.

    He must have already met her today.

    A chuckle escaped Anatolia.

    The concerto came to a postlude as the glow of the sky started to be swallowed up by the night.

    At the end, everything was always swallowed up by the night.

    ***

    The moon hung high while thedy continued her work.

    I was asked to light up all themps in the room and did so without a sound. Then, like a machine, she stuck to all the documents until she was done with everything.

    It was already 11 AM, a total of 14 hours in a sitting.

    She was finally done with everything. She poured herself a cup of water and arranged her hair. With her back toward me, she pushed her veil to the side and sipped on the water.

    As her pale fingers curled around the white cloth and pushed it to her side, the way just a few strands of hair failed to hide the nape of her neck.

    She gulped it down and gazed around. I was taken out of a daze as she spoke.

    "Let''s go."

    I hadn''t eaten or drank anything since the morning, but without word, I followed behind her.

    No other person came in sight as we passed through the castle ways. Now lit only with candles and dim magic lights, the precious paintings were covered in the darkness of the night.

    Thedy stopped in front of arge door at the end of the floor.

    She opened the door and stopped. Her veil covered face turned toward me.

    "This is my room," she said. "I''ll see you tomorrow morning."

    "I understand," I said. "Have a good rest."

    Thedy walked inside her room and closed the door behind her. In front of therge ebony gates, I waited until the sound of her steps dampened down.

    A sigh left me. With my shoulders drooping down, I stuck to the wall next to the door.

    Sensing my movement, Titania woke up.

    "Eugy, ahm what happened?"

    "She went into her room."

    Titania shot up at my words.

    "OH! Perfect, let''s run the hell out of this ce. Right now."

    I held my head and rested on the wall. This was the first time I had felt this weak over here.

    Just what the hell was up with thatdy?

    How did shest so long without any food or water? Was she seriously as strong as people like Kaiser? No chance.

    My senses had developed magnitudes beyond how I had been as ''Yujin''

    I could easily tell how strong people like Kai were these days. She wasn''t one of them.

    Even bottomless strength had a beginning.

    "What are you thinking?" Titania added. "We get out! Now!"

    I wanted to.

    I agreed.

    But.

    I was damn curious.

    I wanted to know why she was like that.

    Why she had that much strength behind her words. Her cold attitude that seemed to have made even me freeze.

    "Say, Titania."

    "What? What is it? I am sure you''re going to say something crazy."

    "Between me and her..."

    Even putting this question in words was killing me from inside.

    My fists clenched on their own as my gaze hardened.

    I didn''t want to acknowledge it.

    "Who was cooler?"

    "Eugy..." Titania''s call was filled with pity.

    "I have to know. Say it."

    "Oh you poor child. Why did you stand at the end of the line when god was handing out wisdom?"

    "Don''t change the topic," i held in my pain. "Say it."

    "She... Thatdy is way cooler than you. She''s probably prettier too."

    I knew it fuck.

    It was obvious.

    I thought I was the most handsome person around. But even with her face covered that woman exuded peerless beauty.

    And cool.

    She was cool as hell.

    As the strongest person in the world.

    This was not allowed.

    I couldn''t stand for such a thing. Absolutely not.

    Till I figure her secret. I will take to her side.

    I let go of my head and took a deep breath.

    "We''re not running away."

    "Noooo you crazy bastard!"

    I will do it.

    I will make thatdy acknowledge it.

    I was cooler than her god damnit.

    I was.

    ***

    The next morning came around faster than I had thought.

    I considered moving out to get some water at least, it has been more than 24 hours since I drank any, but in the end decided against it.

    The door to the room opened at exactly 8 AM.

    Covered in a veil and a nightdress, thedy stepped out. Her white hair glistening brightly in the wind.

    "You." She turned toward me.

    "Why are you here?"

    I tilted my head.

    "I am your guard, mydy."

    "Have you been here the entire night?"

    "Yes, mydy."

    How was that for fucking cool, huh?

    Thedy stopped and thought for a few seconds.

    "Fine." She said.

    And off she went to get breakfast.

    Why was she doing this on her own?

 Chapter 131: Chapter 128: Kick into Motion, My Plans!

    I followed behind thedy to find a maid, but a lot of them were already on the way to thedy''s room. They awkwardly reached toward thedy and curtsied.

    Seeing this, thedy sighed and walked back into her room with the row of maids following right behind.

    "Stay here," she said as she entered the room, leaving me at the door. The maids entered behind thedy while sweating, yet they seemed to know exactly what to do. Half an hour passed like that before the maids stepped out and returned with a bucket full of rose petals. I closed my eyes and focused, the sounds of pouring water clear in my ears.

    It had already been two hours since the time I had met her yesterday. It seemed rather odd for a routine, but I guess these things happened.

    "Say, Eugy, will we have to see a pile of papers again today? Just how many mountains does she need to tten?"

    I sighed at Titania''s words.

    That stack was even worse than what I had seen Marquis of Hall with. It wasn''t something that could happen overnight.

    "Hopefully not," I muttered. "I have other ns for today."

    "Right... I hope it works well."

    ***

    In the knight barracks of the Acacia Estate in the capital city, two orichalcum adventurers had just returned after tussling with the knights and magicians of the estate.

    In the empty room, Temporal Sword rested his legs on a chair while leaning back on another until its forelegs swayed in the air. The Sorcerer of the Swamps sat with her knees close to her chest, her stuff pressed close to her as her face was covered by her robes.

    "Tempo," she called out. "Are you going to do it?"

    Tempo winced and ced a palm over his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

    "What is that kid nning? I know Dusk is smart, but what could this be."

    "Do you think he fell for thatdy?"

    "Have you ever worked with Dusk before, Sorcerer?" Tempo opened one eye and nced at the robed figure at the sides. The sorcerer shook her head. "I have. We didn''t be friends then since he was still a newbie... But that kid. I would believe that he wanted to take over the duchy before believing he is doing this out of romance."

    "It''s in line with craziness though?" the sorcerer said. The contents of the note they had received yesterday were just that wild.

    Tempo reached into his pockets and pulled out another letter.

    It was one sent from the Vice Guild Master of the Adventurer''s Guild.

    [I don''t know what''s going on, but please cooperate with Adventurer Dusk on whatever he needs. Appreciate.

    -Signed. VGM(working signature)]

    The Vice Guild Master had been working on his signature for ages now.

    They had even received word from their superior to help that kid out.

    "Should we ditch?" Said Tempo.

    "I mean, it''s just the Vice Guild Master, who cares about his thoughts."

    Tempo nodded and nced at the paper again.

    Then, his eyes fell on the small scribblings at the bottom.

    "Oh no..."

    "W-what?"

    "It''s also signed by the Head Receptionist..."

    The sorcerer''s staff fell from her hands.

    "We''re fucked."

    ***

    Thedy stepped out of the room eventually after all the maids left. She was donning a beautiful purple dress with a matching veil that highlighted the color of her hair. A beautiful scent wafted through the air with her every step.

    She turned to face me, her mugpletely covered by the veil. How irksome, there wasn''t a way to confirm who looked better.

    I was sure I looked better than both Dawn and Maria, there was no doubt in my heart despite not being able to see people.

    In fact, if one was unable to see people forever and end up catching a glimpse just once, one would definitely find people to be ugly in general. I had no control group to match with, after all.

    Thedy suddenly spoke up.

    "Your lips are too dry."

    No shit. Shit, I was getting annoyed by her.

    "It''s because he hadn''t had a drop of water since he met you."

    Titania blurted out from the sides. Thedy''s veil didn''t move but she seemed to have gotten slightly stiffer.

    Soon.

    She was going to admit soon that I was the coolest person she would see.

    "Go eat something."

    "I can''t leave your side, mydy."

    Thedy stiffened again. In the end, she sighed and shook her head.

    "Fine."

    Without another word, she started moving through the castle again. This time, in a different direction from where her office was.

    A smile was slowly creeping up on my face, but I held it in.

    Now, she must be thinking she owes me something. Going without water for a day? I ended up spending more than four days in a row like that during quests, what was just one time I had stand still? But, it wasn''t something she knew.

    I achieved two things by standing out all night.

    I confirmed she truly wasn''t as strong as I thought she was. She wouldn''t have stiffened up like that if she was at just the mention of something measly like hydration. It could be that she was kind-hearted, but signs didn''t seem to point in that direction.

    And another was creating a small, tiny sense of guilt toward me. It contradicted the first thing I said about a kind heart. But this depended more on trust than just having a good heart.

    She didn''t think she could trust me, and I was going above and beyond what others would do without saying a word.

    It made her more tolerant of me, not worried, but tolerant.

    And so, I could speak out of turn without problems at least once.

    "Mydy, are you stepping out?" I asked tly, as if inquiring about my duties.

    "Yes."

    As I thought, she answered without getting annoyed.

    I continued digging at the profile of thedy as I walked. People naturally felt a need to fill silence after they started speaking. It was an instinct to give justification.

    Unfortunately, such a thing didn''t exist for her.

    I had my doubts about what could be causing her trust issues, but I didn''t care. That was already an uncool point. Or was angst cooler? It didn''t matter.

    This was just the beginning.

    There were a lot of moments left for me to show my cool side andpletely overshadow her charisma.

    We eventually stepped out of the castle and near the knights. Thedy summoned Luther who came running over while grabbing his head and ordered him something. I maintained a small distance, though I could hear everything.

    "Eugy, it''s those adventurers."

    Titania whispered in my ears and pointed at the two figures standing amongst the knights.

    I adjusted my gaze along with her fingers and noticed a person in robes from head to toe.

    Temporal Sword and the Sorcerer of the Swamps.

    While staring at them, I summoned the biggest, kindest smile I could muster up. I hoped they did as I asked.

    The two adventurers stiffened up and looked away, and so did most of the knights around them.

    "My god, you look just like the devil."

    Come now.

    That wasn''t very nice, my fairypanion.

    Though, I guess it was slightly fitting.

    Eventually, a carriage came over to us led by Luther along with two horses.

    I gave thedy a hand and helped her climb on the beautiful carriage while Luther got on a horse, covering his face.

    I was about to close the doors and take the second horse when thedy stopped me.

    "Guard. Get inside."

    "Yes?" I asked.

    I wasn''t her personal knight or aide, but just a person here for security. She was ady from a duchy on top of that, it was highly unprofessional to get inside the same seat as her.

    "Didn''t you say you can''t leave my side? Get inside."

    "Um."

    "I don''t like wasting time."

    Without a word, I got inside the carriage behind thedy and took a seat.

    Well, this was better for my ns.

    Though I was ufortable, it was better.

    The carriage set off as Luther took the back. One of the horses went untouched and was returned to the stable.

    In the end, only thedy and I remained in thevish carriage that my personal carriage could neverpare to. The quiet andfortable ride began with thedy resting her head on her palm and gazing out the carriage while I sat idly in full alert, my chains ready to move.

    We started coursing through the city and moved toward the lower districts as thedy began her business.

    I gazed straight at her while in the carriage, hoping she would speak.

    And it worked.

    "I have just returned from the academy, there''s a lot to do," she said.

    Perfect.

    There was definitely a lot to do for you, mydy.

    I am going to have you kidnapped, after all.

 Chapter 132: Chapter 129: Annoying Realization

    "Is the tea to your liking, Lady Acacia?"

    Thedy picked up the golden-brimmed cup and took a sip.

    In the office room on the top floor of a merchant group, I and Luther stood behind thedy as she gently brought the cup underneath her veil. The man sitting across her with a muscr build and a sharp face was the owner of the rising merchant group, behind him exactly seventeen guards as strong as a Gold Ranked Adventurer.

    It was a rare sight, but I guess big cities were different.

    Thedy hummed after taking the sip.

    "It''s trash."

    With just a coldment, she tossed the cup away.

    The man flinched.

    The cup crashed and broke into bits.

    "You''re just as bold as I have heard, mydy," said the merchant. "It''s charming, but I do wonder if it will ever bite you in the back."

    "You don''t need to worry about that." Thedy gently rested her back on the couch and raised her feet, kicking away the tea set and cing her statuesque feet on the table. "You smuggle illegal goods into the city through the underground district. All of it shall pass through my people."

    Out in the fifth district of the capital city, just 11 days before the day of the banquet, thedy of Acacia Duchy was here, busy extorting drug dealers into sharing their profits on her turf.

    That was definitely what anyone would think, but the way she operated was different.

    A shadow was to be formed wherever there was light. What separated an empire from a kingdom was that an Empire had enemies on the inside, as such, it was better to control the shadow than to eradicate it since it would never go awaypletely.

    I didn''t know much, but I could tell a few things about thedy that I had been observing like a hawk without a wink of sleep. She waspetent enough to control the entire underworld of the empire, and this was a part of it.

    New powers were bound to rise. Since the master wasn''t home, the dogs were barking.

    "You say something ridiculous, mydy," said the merchant. It was obvious he had strong backing. "For one, that usation itself is bewildering¡ª"

    Thedy snapped her fingers and Luther stepped ahead. He pulled out a box from a small pouch in his robes and ced it on the table.

    With a scowl, the merchant picked up the box. He opened it up and scowled harder.

    "This..."

    "Are you still going to spout nonsense? You should have handled your business more discreetly."

    "How did you..."

    "We also have testimonies from dozens of people." Thedy picked up the teapot with the remaining tea and poured it all on the ground, away from her. She seemed to have been seriously offended by that drink.

    "I''ll expect you already understand what you have to do from now?"

    The merchant clenched his fists holding the box. He smiled.

    "I understand. I''ll just bury you here."

    For reals?

    In the blink of an eye, thedy pulled her legs back. The man stood up and the people behind him pulled out their weapons.

    She kicked the table ahead.

    In a swift blow, the table shed against the merchant''s knees and forced him to fall forward. In the same swift movement, she ced her hands behind on the couch and jumped off the ground. Like a beautiful de moving, her feet formed a wide arch, kicking down the man''s chin before she flippedpletely andnded behind the couch on her feet.

    Luther, scared, jumped back.

    Gold-Ranked Adventurers weren''t to be taken lightly.

    In that same swift movement as thedy, more than seven of them had already surrounded her in all directions and had raised their weapons.

    Thedy''s veil fluttered.

    I made my presence known.

    I had recovered about sixty percent of my capacity. So I decided to just go with everything, it wasn''t a lot after all.

    The air around the ce stopped.

    A cloud of dust rose from the ground, and in the next moment, everyone froze in their spots.

    Everyone.

    The hands pulling up the weapons were stopped while the ones still running stopped with their legs still up.

    Then.

    The pressure fell on them.

    ***

    The streets of the fifth district quaked at once.

    People walking around in a merry way during the festive mood all stopped as fear crept up their backs.

    Knights and wizards on patrol all stopped and stared toward the center of the district as an indescribable pressure pushed down on them.

    The same happened in the sixth and fourth districts.

    The branch managers of the Adventurer''s Guild all stood up as the pressure mped down on their necks.

    "What is this killing intent?" the manager of the branch in the Empire growled while the Vice Guild Master looked with distress in his eyes.

    "Is this why the empire called us? What is this."

    "No," said their bulkypanion. The branch manager of the Deep Down Town branch, as he clenched down on his shirt. "It''s that kid... that monster''s aura."

    "Who...?"

    "Dusk."

    ***

    Luther and a bunch of them fainted.

    The ones remaining trembled on their knees. Only thedy seemed unaffected by the pressure as she stared at me in surprise.

    Did I overdo it?

    Was sixty percent a bit too much after all?

    I recalled my pressure and focused it on the group in front of me.

    One of the merchant''s guards lifting his sword pissed his pants, still frozen.

    I snapped my finger and made a small wall of ice around him to avoid sshing as the others puked and groaned on the ground.

    "Guard."

    Thedy said, her voice soft.

    I nodded and called all my killing intent back as the ones groaning took a breath of relief.

    The merchant, barely able to move his body, red at thedy with horror in his eyes.

    How to say it?

    It pissed me off.

    It didn''t make sense.

    She was someone who uncontrolled the underworld. The person holding the reins of the empire. A member of the Acacia Duchy which was the strongest family in the empire with power on par with the Imperial Family.

    Then why?

    Why were people looking at her like she was someone they could handle? A measly merchant at that.

    I frowned with disgust and took a step ahead. With a snap of my fingers, the Chains of Adamas wrapped around my arm turned into a sword and I pointed it at the bastard merchant.

    "Stop looking at her with those eyes."

    How annoying.

    How damn annoying.

    "I''ll pull your eyes out and ce them in your hands."

    My voice was akin to a growl, its coldness surprising even me.

    "Ah... ah...." the merchant growled in pain.

    The few other of his knights around could still move and looked at thedy.

    These fuckers.

    I snapped my fingers again and a spear of ice formed above all of them.

    "How fucking bold. I hope you all are prepared to die for thinking you could even utter a word in her presence."

    I turned toward thedy.

    She nodded.

    I clenched my fists and the spears of ice fell down on all of them, tearing through their bodies and digging into their hearts in one go.

    "Ahh! D-demon! Demon!" the merchant screamed and moved back. I swung my sword and drove it into his eyes.

    Casually, I pulled it out and brought his eye along with the de. The merchant couldn''t even scream as I shrugged my de and tossed the eye in his hands.

    It was inconsistent.

    "You understand now, yes?" thedy asked.

    The merchant fervently nodded while banging his head on the ground. Blood started spilling out his forehead.

    "Let''s go."

    With those words, thedy turned away and moved away from the office.

    I made the chains lift Luther as I followed behind thedy.

    Not a single person on the lower floors of the building was still moving around, all of them had fainted from earlier.

    We reached the exit and climbed into the carriage. The chains handled Luther on his horse while the carriage set off.

    I was still scowling from earlier.

    Things were getting more clearer now.

    Thedy seemed chipper than before. She was still stiff, but it was noticeable.

    This was how it should have always been, so how did it not happen now?

    "We''re going to the sixth district next," in a good mood, she started blurting her ns. "There''s a new group rising in the shadows. They run a casino with a moon emblem. Dark Moon¡ª"

    I couldn''t hear her well. My thoughts were too chaotic.

    The maids forgetting her meals.

    Thening back the next day while sweating, all of them, as if they were unable to believe why they forgot in the first ce.

    The way Luther acted around her.

    The way she moved to get things on her own.

    Her surprise at the fact that I was standing guard all night.

    Those bastard merchants today acting out.

    "Guard¡ª"

    "Mydy," I called out. "Are you, perhaps, being forgotten by the world?"

 Chapter 133: Chapter 130: Nonsense

    A hawk circled the skies above the imperial castle.

    "Ana, have you heard anything from my fiancee?"

    Lazy, yet proud, the hawk''s wings spread far and wide, majestic.

    "Your fiancee, lord brother?"

    "Elder brother, who are you talking about?"

    The hawk didn''t p its wings. Slyly, it climbed unto a current flowing upward.

    "Ah... Right. Who was I talking about again?"

    And the hawk soared above the clouds.

    ***

    "Mydy," I called out. "Are you, perhaps, being forgotten by the world?"

    Absurd.

    That was how I would describe this thought.

    In the carriage that gently rocked on the streets, an air of silence loomed.

    Thedy slowly turned her gaze toward me, the slight sense of happiness in her previous actionspletely disappearing.

    "What nonsense are you spouting, guard?"

    Was she pissed?

    "I''ve been thinking this since yesterday, mydy. It didn''t make sense for servants of a duchy to be tardy on their duty one day. That you even had to ask for food or look for your Aide even once is too odd."

    I was still an employee, so I decided not to act out, this was also how it should be. Respectfully, I conveyed my reasoning to thedy.

    As if amused, she scoffed.

    "I told them not to bother me yesterday."

    "Then today, mydy. How could a simple merchant dare to stand up against your words?"

    "Those merchants knew who I was well enough."

    "But not how they should act in front of you. Hence ''being forgotten,'' mydy."

    Thedy clicked her tongue.

    "Guard."

    She didn''t seem pleased at all.

    But she didn''t force me to shut up like yesterday either.

    "Are you not a part of this ''world'' you talk about?" she asked.

    If I put up something that absurd, of course, I should be affected too.

    Was it just tardiness?

    No. That wasn''t the case. All signs pointed in the direction of people around her being unaware of their duties. The sight that I saw this morning with rows upon rows of maids moving to assist her was normal. On the contrary, seeing not a single person yesterday was as odd as seeing a meowing dog.

    From Tempo and Sorcerer before to the people today. From reluctance to talk in the beginning to outright forgetfulness.

    All of them were the same, they weren''t sure about things rted to her and were forgetting them further.

    Then, shouldn''t I be affected too? No, naturally I should have forgotten her too.

    But that wasn''t the case.

    Since the moment I met her¡ª

    "¡ªI didn''t stop thinking about you for a second."

    I had to make her admit that I was cooler, after all.

    Thedy flinched slightly.

    "There, you have your answer..." thedy''s voice was akin to a whisper. She pulled her veil lower with her fingers and turned away from me again.

    "Shut up now..."

    ***

    A familiar hotel.

    Out in the sixth district of the capital city, I had followed thedy of the Acacia Duchy into her next destination for the day which was the same hotel that I had spent the night in on the day of the month''s beginning. With Dawn.

    It was also the ce where I met the other person who had made me an immediate VIP.

    I entered the hotel with thedy. As soon as the front desk saw me, they whispered with each other and one of the employees left to fetch someone else.

    Luther who was still knocked out was resting on the horse, the chains were keeping good care of him.

    Thedy moved toward the front desk when someone came rushing our way.

    "Sir, you are here."

    Ady in a formal dress came up in front of me, ignored thedy, and bowed.

    Come to think of it, it was just the fourth day of the month, and she had asked me to meet her in two days on the second.

    I slowly shifted my gaze toward the veileddy, who was looking this way. Not a single muscle in her body was tensed, she was expressionless.

    Did she think I was going to kill this girl? I mean, I did it with the merchant because I was too confused by things, not because I was a murder hobo.

    The employee noticed my gaze and turned to thedy of the duchy.

    "Take me to the owner of this ce."

    The employee nced my way again and then nodded.

    "Please follow me," she said.

    Thedy was led by the woman and, being her guard, I followed at the back.

    We were taken to the mechanical lift where she inserted a key and the lift started moving downward. We went two floors underground and were led to a dark office room.

    The underground floor was cut off from the rest of the building as not a peep of sound came from the casino above. We were led to an office room with a single candle burning at the end of the room.

    Slowing her steps down just slightly, thedy came near me and whispered.

    "Can you fight without those chains?" she asked.

    "It''s the one who will be hit that will regret my chains being missing."

    Thedy nodded.

    I almost smiled. I guess some small disagreements made people more open with each other.

    The employee opened the door and showed the two of us inside.

    The smell of mold and dust filled the space while the smoke of a cigar wafted in the small room.

    A ss table.

    And arge chair with its back facing us.

    "You''re here."

    A voice called.

    A creak rang out as the chair turned.

    "Lord Dark Moon¡ª Ah?"

    The sound stopped as the person''s gazended on thedy.

    sses.

    It was a floating pair of sses.

    And the words ''Lord Dark Moon,'' there was no mistaking it.

    This ce was owned by the Dark Moon Bandits.

    It was owned by me.

    I was the one that thedy was here to shake down. Fuck.

 Chapter 134: Chapter 131: Sleepy Senses

    It turns out, sses was the one who hade to the capital from Apollon that wanted to meet me.

    The same sses who I had beaten down like a rat and forced into subordination. The sses from Dark Moon Bandits. And this hotel was theirs as well.

    "Are you the owner of this ce?" thedy asked.

    "Ah? Yes? Yes... Who might you¡ª"

    "I''ll get to the point. You won''t trade any information that I do not allow. All your findings will first be reported to the Acacia duchy. Is that clear?"

    They were also selling information?

    sses, dumbfounded, turned his gaze toward me.

    I scowled and shook my head from side to side. Don''t listen to her, bastard.

    The list I had taken from this rat didn''t mention this branch. If I had known, I would have taken my information from here.

    "And, who might you be?"

    Seeing me shake my head, sses spoke to thedy.

    Titania, who had been quiet due to thedy was now pulling my hair fiercely. She had questions but didn''t want to word them.

    Thedy turned toward me and I nodded fervently. I couldn''t tell her I was the owner of this ce now.

    "Hey, asshole. Mydy said something to you."

    "YOUR LADY!?"

    sses mmed his hands on the table and stood up. Thedy and the employee who was still in the room flinched.

    "Wasn''t it that maid... then him? Ah! Ah..."

    sses suddenly stepped away from the table and knelt in front of thedy.

    The employee, startled, hissed at sses and he forced her down as well.

    Thedy stepped back and came toward me at their antics.

    "Lady Dark Moon! Your orders shall be fulfilled."

    This rebellious fuck sure knew how to suck up to people!

    "What''s going on?" thedy asked me. Titania harrumphed and nodded, I didn''t introduce her to sses after all.

    "It seems that guy is expressing his servitude?" I answered in a whisper. Thedy''s veil fluttered as she turned toward the kneeling pair of sses.

    The sly bastard nodded and smiled, pointing at the chair as if saying it belonged to her.

    "That settles it..."

    Though her words were still cold, I had a feeling that she was surprised.

    I wondered what she was thinking.

    I red toward sses again and shook my head, trying to tell him not to mention us but he only showed me a thumbs up.

    ''Go with your girl and leave the bandits to me!'' he mouthed. Fucker was always as selfish.

    This bastard had a severe misunderstanding. Seeing no chance to correct it, I shook my head.

    Thedy nodded.

    "I''ll expect good things from you," she told sses and turned away. "Girl, show us out."

    With that, the employee stood up and took the lead as I followed behind thedy.

    sses tried to sneakily reach out to me, so I kicked him in the face and walked away.

    The bastard was kneeling till we were gone, though in the end, he was kneeling out of pain.

    I urgently needed to find some time ande back here.

    ***

    That settled most of what was on thedy''s agenda today.

    The sun had started to set by the time we visited a few ces for some reports and the sky turned dark when we reached the castle in the second district again.

    Not a single person came out to greet her.

    There was no point in her denying it anymore. That even sses didn''t know of a person famous for wearing veils was not possible. As much of a bastard he was, he waspetent as hell. Him losing his memories was more believable.

    What was he doing here in the first ce?

    "Toss Luther away," thedy said as we neared the entrance of the mansion.

    I snapped my fingers and the chains threw Luther on a shrub near the door. Then, I followed thedy up the estate.

    On our way, we met with a young maid who didn''t notice thedy but only me.

    "You," thedy suddenly called out.

    The maid flinched and started bowing repeatedly when she saw thedy as if she had just noticed her.

    Was her existence getting blurred too?

    "Get me something to eat."

    "Y-yes, mydy!"

    Then, thedy pointed at me.

    "Get something for him too. And water."

    "Yes, mydy."

    The maid dashed away and thedy continued walking.

    I stared at her back for a few seconds. She didn''t have to.

    I had enough in my spatial dimension.

    My feet kicked off and followed behind thedy. We passed through the stairs and the passageways and eventually reached her room.

    Thedy opened the door and I stood next to her gate. She curtly nodded and walked inside.

    Not long after, I saw a maid wandering around with a cart of food.

    She forgot which room belonged to thedy, huh?

    I walked over to the maid.

    "Hey, I''ll take it."

    "Ah! No, it''s alright."

    "Thedy is tired," I said. "Let me handle it."

    "Then..."

    The maid handed me the cart and bowed before walking away.

    "She seems confused," Titania muttered and yawned while resting on my head.

    "You hungry?" I asked, rolling the cart toward the room.

    "I already ate~ I am just sleepy now."

    "Haha, go sleep then."

    I stopped in front of the door and knocked. "Mydy, it''s me."

    "Come in."

    I opened the door and dragged the cart inside.

    A beautiful room. Furnishings of rosewood filled the lc room as the moonlight dripped in from the windows. A bedrge enough to fit three of me only upied a small part of the room.

    Near the windows, sitting near an intricate table with gold engravings was thedy. Her purple dress was slightly disheveled while her veil seemed ayer thinner than usual.

    I dragged the cart next to her and bowed.

    "Take your food with you," she said. "And go to your room."

    "I can''t do that, mydy."

    Thedy turned toward me. She was as cold as ever as she gazed at me, the frigidness in her actions could freeze over a mountain.

    "Get out. Do as I tell you to."

    I bowed again and walked away. Thedy was staring at me, too busy to notice that I didn''t take anything along.

    I closed the door behind me and stood next to the wall.

    A sigh left my lips as I covered my eyes. The sigh developed into a yawn that made me lean on the wall.

    I was getting tired.

    Thinking of it now, I hadn''t slept once this month.

    The first night, I drank till I couldn''t speak. The second, I was ''punished'' the entire night, and the third was spent standing here.

    "What''s with you?" Titania suddenly posed.

    I stopped.

    "What?" I asked, suppressing another yawn.

    Titania hummed and yawned as well. She stretched her body on my head.

    "You were looking at her and smiling the entire day."

    "Hm, I wasn''t. And what about it?"

    "I don''t like it."

    "What...? You''re reading too much into it."

    "Humph!"

    Titania suddenly scoffed and turned away. She closed her eyes and went straight to sleep.

    I ced a hand on my eyes and sighed again.

    Smiling, huh? I guess I was too tired.

    A while passed like that, Titania started snoring.

    The few sounds that leaked into the ce were gone. It was probably past midnight.

    I was a light sleeper, even the smallest hint of a threat would wake me up.

    It shouldn''t have been a problem to sleep a bit, since I was standing guard the entire time.

    I closed my eyes and rested my head on the wall.

    Everyone had probably gone to sleep anyway.

    The world around me started fading.

    My senses shrunk from the edges of the estate, growing smaller and smaller as I cut things off from my consciousness.

    The floor, thedy''s room.

    Thedy''s room...

    My eyes shot open at once. I heightened my senses in a single go and focused on thedy''s room.

    There was no one inside.

    In a single go, I kicked her door open.

    The curtains fluttered as a breeze came in from the windows. And no one was inside the room.

    Thedy was gone.

    My eyes widened in surprise as I increased the range of my perception even further.

    I had let my guard down thinking I was sleepy.

    How. Why.

    Then, I remembered something.

    I didn''t call off that damn kidnapping.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 135: Chapter 132: The Lady Laments

    Moonlight leaked in from the tiny window at the top of the cell, the three iron bars only good for holding people inside.

    In a small prison cell where the smell of watered walls merged with the scent of moss and algae, a youngdy sat on the ground.

    Even the crescent moon couldn''tpare with the beauty of her snow-white hair that flowed down her back and spread on the ground, yet no one seemed to care.

    The hems of her purple dress spread on the floor and her veil hid away her face, yet no one seemed to care.

    A chuckle escaped her as she rested her head on her knees.

    Just a week back, not even the emperor would have dared to touch a hair on her body, but now.

    "Who is this girl anyway?"

    "We are being paid. That''s all. I doubt those Acacia''s would care about a single girl."

    Even thugs of the underground district didn''t care about who she was.

    She was being forgotten by the entire world.

    "Should I have not sent him back...?"

    Thedy thought but quickly shook her head.

    That man was peculiar, but that would change now.

    He must have gone back, and fallen asleep.

    Even if it was just for a second, it was enough.

    He was a person that made her strangely curious. But all of it didn''t matter now.

    As long as a person slept, they would forget her existence.

    Slowly, surely, at the same pace as the rest of the world, everyone will forget her.

    How vexing.

    It made herugh.

    A spell, a happening that could only be done by a demon.

    She found it odd at first, but realized how hopeless the situation was.

    Someone that had made a deal with a demon, she knew of such people. They were the very people she had to serve.

    The Imperial family of Atreus.

    They had made their choice and used a God-Ranked spell topletely eradicate her existence.

    Sheughed again.

    "They curse me till the end."

    From the day she was born, she was cursed by that family. That lineage.

    It was the duty of the Acacia since the beginning of the empire to prepare the most beautiful flower that could bloom in the mortal realm. And so they did.

    With each passing generation, they devoted themselves to this duty and created her.

    A flower that couldn''t show her face to others.

    A flower that didn''t bloom, but enraptures. She was born with a curse of charm.

    A mere glimpse of her face was enough to make anyone be her devout ve. So had done her mother and her brother, countless maids and servants, and hundreds of citizens.

    All of them had turned into lifeless puppets who could only move as she wanted. Who held no desire but her

    Vexing.

    Her life had been vexing.

    Being forgotten.

    She wanted to protest, she wanted to fight, but it didn''t take long for her to realize that this small curse would painlessly remove her cursed existence.

    Her family would return to their senses, her servants that couldn''t even eat until she trained them to would move again, and the citizens that were no better than the dead woulde to life again.

    Her damned, wretched existence would disappear.

    They had already forgotten her to the point of not removing her veil.

    This bandit group settled in a mountain a couple of miles away from the empire. Even if she died here, it wouldn''t matter.

    No.

    It would be better if she died here.

    The spell would work anyway. So what if she wasn''t alive? She was already as good as dead.

    As she started thinking of how she would like to pass away, she thought of her guard again.

    It seemed he hadn''t slept since the beginning of the month.

    But that had changed now. He was likely sleeping peacefully already. The thought of duty towards her must have disappeared. Even if he could, he wouldn''t have noticed her gone.

    Thest person to remember her, had forgotten her too.

    "I wished it would have been more fun."

    A final person to remember her.

    Since she was going to go anyway, she wanted it to be something she could remember. Maybe something tragic, or romantic, a fun final memory.

    "Toote now," thedy sighed.

    Right then, a voice boomed out of the cell.

    "Leader!!" A bandit screamed.

    "What?"

    "Intruder! We have an intruder!!"

    Thedy''s eyes widened.

    Were there other prisoners here?

    "What? How many!?"

    "O-one! Just one! It''s that white-haired adventurer that was with the target!!"

    Thedy''s thoughts stopped.

    White-haired adventurer.

    She knew someone who fit that exact impression.

    "Guard..."

    Her murmur went unheard as the leader of the bandits screamed.

    "H-HIM!? I-IT''S DUSK!! FUCKING RUN!!"

    Moonlight leaked in from the tiny window at the top of the cell.

    In the small prison cell. A veiled youngdy wore a bitter smile.

    She would live a bit longer.

    ***

    "Stop right there, you bastard!"

    "Get him at once!"

    A strike of lightning came gushing toward me. I flicked it off with the back of my palm.

    Following right after, a dozen or so spells of different elements formed weapons in thin air and rushed toward me.

    Fuckers.

    I mmed a foot down on the ground. Small pebbles soared up.

    With a swing of my hand, I grabbed all of the pebbles in front of me. My hand swung backward and the pebbles shot out in the air.

    "AHK!"

    "GAH!!"

    The spells were crushed by the force behind the small stones, and the remaining made holes through the heads of the bandits around.

    These weren''t people I had hired.

    I didn''t want thedy to be harmed in the first ce, so I told those two adventurers toe kidnap her themselves and frame some random gang, not take her away. These were real kidnappers hired by someone else.

    With each step I took, the mountain path trembled.

    I didn''t want to bother with these small fries. Everyone that came in my way was stabbed away through the stomach.

    A strong aura approached halfway through the top.

    "You, Imend you for making it this far."

    It was a muscr man carrying a greatsword. He looked like a big shot amongst the bandits. Perfect.

    "But, you, unfortunately, have to face me¡ªAgahag!" Your story continues on m_vl_em_p_yr

    I kneed the bastard square in the jaw. With a Ki-filled kick, I destroyed his sword and stomped his head against the ground.

    "Where is she..."

    I growled.

    Saving someone after they were kidnapped?

    That was fuckingme! A strong person handled the situation before it began!

    "W-who...?"

    I drove the man''s head further into the ground.

    "Return thedy you fucker."

    I still have a score to settle with her.

 Chapter 136: Chapter 134: Curious

    shes of lightning filled thedy''s eyes.

    In the small cramped cell of the bandits'' hideout, infernal screams resounded in the air as the smell of burnt flesh came wafting through to her.

    A massacre was unfolding outside.

    The earth trembled.

    Thedy ced her hand on the walls and tried to bnce herself.

    "Is the mountain splitting apart?"

    The ground below was cracking open from the incessant trembling.

    Thedy closed her eyes and took in a few breaths.

    Not a single of those bandits were around anymore. All of them had ran away. Or at least, tried to run away.

    Her guard was more capable than she initially realized. She knew it when she saw him crushing the merchant troupe with his presence alone this morning, but it was something else to see him in action.

    A cloud covered the moon''s gaze.

    And the walls of the cell at her back broke down.

    A cold, chilling breeze made her veil flutter as cramped cell was obliteratedpletely.

    A voice reached her ears.

    "Did you wait too long, mydy?"

    Without turning back, thedy sighed.

    "Thirty-Seven minutes."

    "Ah, well..." the man leaned closer to her.

    Thedy held her breath as he turned back.

    A veil that hid her away also hid the world from her.

    The cloud hiding the moon flitted away, and for the first time in a long time, thedy''s eyesnded on someone in front of her.

    Holding a beautiful blooming rose Acacia in his hands, the man''s gentle gaze fell on her.

    A worried, yet carefree smile hung on his lips as his white hair reminiscent of her own fluttered in the wind.

    It was the first time she had ''looked'' at her guard. At anyone. Since the day she had put on her veil.

    "It took a bit to find this flower for you," he said.

    Thedy gently reached out and took the flower from his hands.

    "They grow in our estate," she said.

    The man averted his gaze. Then, he stretched his hand toward her.

    Thedy held his hand.

    A few more hours. A few more hours of being remembered wouldn''t hurt.

    And after that, she can go away.

    "Ow." Thedy hissed as she tried to stand up.

    "Are you hurt?"

    "It''s nothing¡ªHey!"

    Before thedy could say anything, with a bitter expression on his face, the man swooped her up in his arms and carried her in a princess hold.

    "What are you doing?" Thedy asked.

    "Just enjoy the ride. Should we go back now?"

    Thedy reached out and held the edge of his clothes with the tip of her fingers.

    She nodded, and the man smiled.

    "Keep your eyes closed for a bit."

    The boy jumped off the edge of the building and into the open skies.

    Thank you for reading on m v le_mpyr

    The night Breeze rushed into thedy''s hair, sending it free in the air.

    Thedy who didn''t need to open her eyes to see clearly felt the disgusting state that the man had left the bandits in, but it didn''t matter.

    The way the breeze she felt each time he jumped off the ground and soared into air hit against her. The wind that moved past her veil and brushed against her cheeks.

    It was enough to distract her from everything else.

    The blood, the guard, herself, all of it faded away and only the moon and the stars above remained in her min.

    Then, he spoke.

    "Will you still say you aren''t being forgotten?"

    Like a wretched, evil demon, he poured water on her heart and ran it cold.

    What was the point of hiding it now?

    "So what if I am?"

    "Why?"

    "What a strange question. Shouldn''t you be asking how?"

    "I don''t mind that. Why do you not fight back?"

    Thedy''s hand tightened around his clothes.

    Her breath stuck in her neck as she spoke.

    "An existence that can be forgotten so easily shouldn''t be remembered in the first ce."

    The man stopped.

    Atop the tallest tree, the man stopped.

    He stared up at the sky and nudged thedy too.

    "Did you know, mydy? They say the sky you see once is never the same again."

    Thedy didn''t say anything but turned Herr gaze toward the sky.

    It was still as beautiful as before. But as she focused, it was different from before.

    "A myriad of skies for every day in your life."

    His voice was soft, like a lyre.

    "Yet, this sky I see with you today seems special. I don''t know why, but it''s making my heart pound."

    Thedy narrowed her gaze. Her hand tightened around the man''s clothes.

    "Whoever sleeps, will forget about me. Everyone except me."

    "If it''s just a few days, I can stay awake mydy."

    "And what after?"

    "I''ll stay awake as long as it takes, mydy."

    "Don''t spout words you don''t mean."

    The man lifted thedy higher in his hold. With a smile that didn''t hide his tiredness, a smile that could yet disy his determination.

    "I have already not slept once this month. What''s a few more days?"

    "It''s not a few days. Just... Forget it. Don''t think of this. Go to sleep, and you''ll forget anyway."

    "Mydy,"

    The man slowly lowered her on the tree so she could gaze up herself.

    He held her hand, while she held his shirt.

    "If you''re going to be forgotten, at least."

    "What?"

    "At least, let me learn a bit more about you."

    "About me?" Thedy asked.

    The man smiled again.

    His heart pressed against his chest for a reason he couldn''t tell.

    "I..."

    He whispered.

    "I am curious about you, mydy. Deeply curious."

    Thedy lowered her head.

    "Just like the stars tonight. I ''want'' to remember you."

    The two of them stayed in the night under the changing moons glow for a long while.

    "Fine." She said.

    Fine.

    And the next day.

    No one in the capital city remembered thedy anymore.

    No one but him.

 Chapter 137: Chapter 134: Cool Side

    "So, don''t you think I am cool?"

    "Saving someone is justme, try to stop it from happening if you want to be cool."

    ***

    I sat in thedy''s room on a couch while she gracefully leaned against her bed.

    "Did you meet Luther," she asked.

    The sun had already risen, and the effects of whatever was happening were revealing themselves. The most obvious and sure of it was rather very close to us.

    "Eugy, seriously, who is this woman?"

    Titania, with her hands on her waist, closely inspected thedy who was peacefully chilling out. She had changed into a different yellow dress and was matching her veil with it. I wonder why she hid her face away even after no one could remember her.

    "Is she another of your romp-mates¡ª"

    "Enough."

    I trapped Titania in my palms and pulled her back. Thedy raised her head slightly and smirked.

    "Romp mates, huh?"

    Titania struggled in my hold but I ignored her. This wasn''t a good topic.

    "That aside, mydy. How can you hear and see Titania?"

    "I can see everything," she said, crossing her legs.

    Now that she wasn''t treating me as just a guard and likely seemed to have epted her situation to some degree, she was much more pleasant than before. I thought she was a naturally taciturn person, but she was quite shaken up by things as well.

    Maybe she saw me as a pir of support now?

    "That aside, answer my question, guard."

    We were still on the basis of titles though, so that was a bummer.

    "I met him," I said. "He''s a waste as an aide."

    "I should probably smack his head with a chair..." thedy said something crazy with a hand on her chin, almost spectively.

    How cool.

    "So that means everyone has forgotten about me."

    "You don''t seem to mind it that much now."

    "Well, I do. It has thrown me in a pit."

    "A pit?"

    "Yes. How will I make you learn about me if no one remembers anything."

    Thedy suddenly pped her hands and got off the bed. She dusted her clothes as I watched before turning to me.

    "Guess I''ll have to teach you personally."

    I watched in anticipation as thedy pulled open a few drawers and took out the seal of her family from inside.

    "People can still see me if I force them to notice me. And I still am the scion of Acacia, so there is not much worry about."

    Thedy suddenly pped her hands and got off the bed. She dusted her clothes as I watched before turning to me.

    "Guess I''ll have to teach you personally."

    I watched in anticipation as thedy pulled open a few drawers and took out the seal of her family from inside.

    "People can still see me if I force them to notice me. And I still am the scion of Acacia, so there is not much worry about."

    "What''s the n?"

    "Let''s go and be true wastrels."

    Thedy moved toward the closet and opened it up in one go. The closet wasn''t a closet but a different wardrobe room probably bigger than the one she was in currently.

    With a yful gait, she hopped over the door. Her head slightly tilted back and she leaned to the side.

    "I''ll change and be back. Wait here."

    "Got it."

    Thedy moved in and the door closed.

    Not long after, she came back out with apletely different attire than before. Wearing a red dress that stuck to her chest and highlighted her curves without seeming the least bit sultry. The fabric slightly dragging against the ground was lifted up with one hand in ck gloves while she held a paper fan in another.

    Her white hair was covered from the top by a simr red veil that matched with her dress.

    "You look gorgeous, mydy."

    "Say what you truly want to."

    "How many veils do you have?"

    She saw through me in an instant. Does she truly see everything?

    I held in augh and looked at thedy as she put on her high-heeled shoes. The clothes fell off her legs and showed off her calves as she put on her shoes.

    Both Titania and I werepletely captivated by her actions.

    How she exuded grace enough to make even me stop in my tracks, I was curious about that too.

    "You don''t want to see my face," she said. "It''ll ruin our objective."

    Not like I can see faces anyway.

    I simply shrugged at her words.

    She snapped her fingers and urged me to get up. With the fan pressed against her chin, she looked me up and down.

    "Alright, let''s go."

    "Should I score a carriage?"

    "No need."

    With that, thedy and I set off.

    No one in the mansion noticed us moving anywhere.

    ***

    I found myself standing in front of an enormous store in the third district of the city.

    Named Jasmine, this was the most luxurious store in the entire empire that personally made the clothes that the emperor and the royal family put on.

    Did she want to go shopping?

    You are dying for the world, and you decide to go shopping?

    I looked at thedy with a gaze that didn''t hide my sentiment, but she only smiled and shook her head.

    "I can''t go anywhere with you looking like that."

    I looked at my clothes.

    "I look my part?" I said. It was the perfect clothing that an adventurer should wear.

    A ck tunic and trousers, it created a great contrast between my hair and eyes as well.

    "You wish to apany me as an adventurer?" thedy asked. "The clothes make the man, I wouldn''t find an adventurer to be worth moving around and telling about ''myself'' to."

    "Hey, I am a lord, alright? I am from a Marquis family."

    "Really now?" thedy looked surprised. "I bet you are disowned."

    She wasn''t wrong, damn it. I was practically disowned after all.

    Thedy and I moved inside the establishment at her insistence. At first, the employee did not say anything only looked at me as if I wasn''t supposed to step in.

    Then, thedy pushed her shoulders and brought the girl to her senses.

    "Here," thedy said, mming the crest of the Acacia''s on the table.

    The receptionist watched with widened jaws, looking shocked at the crest.

    "Right away! Please follow me! I''ll call the manager."

    She didn''t seem to have recognized thedy, but acknowledged her nheless.

    It was good enough for us for now.

    The manager came over to us not long after and led us to the top floor in a VIP room for us to rest at.

    A bunch of clothes were disyed.

    "What can I bring you today, mydy?" the manager asked.

    "Not for me, I am here for him."

    "Him? Ah, what a handsome young man! Surely! I''ll get him right away."

    A male employee came over and then I was dragged away.

    Thedy sat idly on the couch while I was taken over to the backroom to change my clothes.

    Over and over.

    From red zers and suits with my hair pulled back to brown long coats and turtlenecks with braided hair. From sses to shirts to jewellery, Iw as subjected try all kinds of different things on.

    Each time, as if I was a doll being dressed up for their master, I was taken out to thedy who grew increasinglyfortable in her position. Drinking some wine and snacking on some freshly baked cookies, she assessed my clothes with a stoic smile and either hummed nor shook her head,

    It took almost an hour, and I had tried on over 30binations of clothes and essories.

    In the end, thedy smiled as I wore a red suit that matched her clothes. Itplimented my eye color well and there was also a ck shirt inside under the zer that was to my taste.

    I was given simrly ck cufflinks and a locket with an Acacia flower that was made especially for the family.

    "Great, we''ll take this."

    I smiled.

    "I''ll pay for it," I said as I snapped my finger and summoned a bunch of money when thedy cut me off.

    "And everything else he tried on."

    "Yes?" I asked.

    Thedy got up and waved her hand from one end to the other.

    "From here to here, give us everything."

    "yes! Yes! Right away." Your journey continues with m-vl-em|p-yr

    The manager rushed while I watched, stunned.

    "All the jewellery too. I''ll doll him upter."

    "As youmand, mydy."

    What the fuck?

    "I-I don''t have that kind of money."

    "You don''t need to." thedy looked at me. Even under the veil, I could tell she was looking the coolest she had done yet.

    "It''s all a gift, from me."

    Wow.

    Seriously.

    I felt like I was losing all of a sudden.

    I had to show her my cool side, asap.

 Chapter 138: Chapter 135: Underground District

    The sounds of pages flipping filled the air.

    After a long, peaceful night, Anatolia was reading through her personal diary. Written in characters made in the future during wartime for earthlings tomunicate while avoiding the eyes of the other nes of existence, it was anguage that no one but her could understand.

    The words written on thetest pages would have gone unnoticed by anyone but her, the one with the blood of the Royal Family.

    "Imperial Magic..."

    The Empire of Atreus, founded on the back of a deal with the demon king Bm had received a special privilege that no other being on earth possessed.

    Once every decade, they could use Bm''s great authority.

    The ability to rewrite the events of the past.

    Certainly, it had great limits. The best it could do was to make people forget a war or two. Even in Bm''s hands, it was barely possible to wield the authority enough to make a small event on the level of a skirmish non-existent. Having people forget things was already more than they could ask for.

    Usable only once a decade, no one but the wielder of the power could hope to remember what had gone by.

    "Lady Acacia..."

    Anatolia didn''t remember why she chose this person.

    She didn''t know why she had erased this person''s existence, sacrificing three hundred lives. She didn''t know why she wanted to get rid of thisdy and hand her over to the Demon King. She didn''t even know if it would work when she thought of the war that had passed by in her previous life.

    But she held trust in herself. The her that had returned from the future.

    For the sake of not just the world, but everyone close to her.

    Bing a devil was not a big deal.

    With this, no one would be able to pick an objection when the demon returns to fulfill the promise.

    ''Pluck the flower.''

    She would say.

    A flower that no one knew, that no one remembered.

    She would open the door to hell in a few days and present this woman to the demon king. Then, as if nothing had happened, her empire would proceed with the celebrations of its founder and her birthday. ording to her writings, she had already had thedy kidnappedst night when she still had a chance. It should''ve been easy with no one remembering thisdy.

    "This time, no one will be hurt."

    No one but the one who deserved it.

    And what if it wasn''t deserved?

    Such a thought entered Anatolia''s mind. She mmed her book shut and stood up, a cold re filling her usually lively eyes.

    Deserved or not, it didn''t matter.

    If it came in between her goals.

    She would crush it all.

    ***

    Thedy dragged me to the edge of the seventh district. The furthest district was surprisingly not as bad as I expected it to be. Though people in rags entered my sight and some streets were unclean, the empire was doing a better job at keeping its citizens well than I thought it would.

    It was not as good as Apollon, though, naturally.

    We stood out. No, I stood out a bit with the suit that thedy had forced me to keep on as I apanied her, who was practically invisible to everyone else.

    I had stretched my hand toward her and she had linked arms with me as we walked. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have noticed her even then.

    "We''ll take a turn in that alley."

    Thedy and I entered a deserted alley wedged between two buildings. The alleyway led to a small dark staircase leading underground at the very edge of the district.

    I hadn''te this far, but I hadn''t noticed such a ce while exploring the sewers.

    "What is this ce, mydy?"

    "It''s where you can learn about me the best."

    I raised my brow as thedy dragged me by the hand down the staircase. I had to lower my head a slight bit as the ground became a cover on top of the staircase.

    "Or should I say, it''s a ce where I can be myself?"

    "Is that so."

    The dark staircase soon led us to a small space with a door at the front.

    Thedy ced her hand on the door and pushed it open casually as if entering her room.

    Light filled the wide space beyond the door. Many people in different clothes from suits like mine to overcoats that hid their identities walked around the huge space that was reminiscent of another district in itself. Buildings this far underground of barely a floor or two stood around while dozens of shops and establishments filled the streets.

    Curving ahead, the space below seemed to stretch over a giant space.

    "This is the underground district of the Empire," thedy said. "My district."

    Lamp posts illuminated the ce where no sunlight reached. The grounds were packed with stones making for a great road that would leave many cities behind. People were jovial and free. Some people extorted someone in broad daylight while others watched while snacking on something.

    The underworld of the capital city.

    The ce that thedy used to rule.

    "Come along," she said, dragging me by the hand as she strode around. "It stretched around the walls of the capital, so it''srger than every other district. Everyone from nobles to petty criminalse here to show their mug."

    "It seems free-spirited," I said, my gaze stuck on a group of people fighting each other.

    "Doesn''t it?" thedy''s voice was slightly cheerful, I guess. "There''s only onew here, after all."

    "Which is?"

    "Me. I am thew."

    Fuck. Cool.

    "Let''s go eat something. I am famished."

    Hand in hand, thedy and I set off into the underground district.

    ***

    Read new adventures on m-vl-em|p-yr

    "Look, dude. Do you expect me to go cash out something from the Acacia family? This seal won''t work."

    Thedy and I were currently at a stall selling grilled chicken.

    Her grip on my hand slightly tightened as the seal of the Acacia family was t out rejected by the shopkeep. He kept flipping the chicken while ring daggers at me.

    Just me.

    This bastard, even though he had noticed her once, he still didn''t look at her.

    Well, this was a rare chance where thedy''s seemingly never-ending supply of coolness had failed to be useful. It was my chance.

    I smirked and ran my hand through my hair. With a lofty gaze, I flicked my hair. The shopkeep reeled back, but that didn''t matter.

    "Leave it to me, mydy."

    I snapped my finger and a pouch full of coins appeared in my palm.

    Thedy tried to leave my hand free, but I grabbed her''s back. With my magic, the pouch as pulled open.

    I leaned ahead and peered in the pouch, so did thedy and the shopkeep.

    "Oh my, it''s all gold coins. My apologies."

    I snapped my fingers again, and the pouch was reced.

    Then again.

    And then again.

    Feel the power of an adventurer with nothing to spend on, you fucks. Feel my coolness.

    I was savoring the situation with all my heart. As thedy''s arms stiffened, I felt my heart leaping in joy.

    Finally!

    Finally I could settle the score and show off my coolness! My entire deal with thedy wasing to an end!

    Then, I opened the seventeenth pouch and pushed it ahead. Filled with bronze coins, I handed it to the shopkeep.

    "There you go, mister. Feel free to keep the change."

    The shopkeep looked at the coins and frowned deeply.

    "You doofus, where do you expect people like us to exchange foreign currency?"

    Oh.

    "Oh...?"

    Thedy''s grip tightened even further. I slowly turned to the side to see her hiding her already-covered face with her fan and holding back herughter.

    "Get lost if you can''t pay! No chicken for you!"

    Well fuck.

    I was let stunned as thedy, now giggling just a slight amount, pulled me away.

    My jaw was left open and I didn''t even notice where we were going.

    After a while, the gigglingdy stopped and shook me slightly.

    "Look there," she said.

    On a bench not far away, an arm wrestling booth was set up.

    ''Winner takes all. No entrance fee.''

    Said the board next to it as a crowd of bulky and thin people filled the ce.

    YES! CHANCEx2!!

    I smirked and flicked my hair again. Thedy let go of my hand.

    "Leave it to me¡ª" I was about to ce a hand on her shoulder when I was pushed by my chest.

    "Stand here, guard. Stand, and watch."

    With that, thedy pushed me back and walked over to the booth.

    "Who wants to get crushed," she said, banging the table.

    Though people around had no choice but to notice her like that.

    "M-mydy! Let me¡ª"

    My words fell on deaf ears as a bulky man the size of a bear pped his hands and stood in front of thedy.

    "Some kid thinks we''re joking around?" he said.

    "Quit yapping."

    Thedy ced her hand on the table, and so did the muscr man who''s muscles looked less like flesh and more like desperate prisoners trying to escape his body.

    "START!" the arbitrator said.

    ¡ªBAM!!!

    The table slightly cracked.

    "AHH!"

    The muscr man was crushed.

    "Alright, next."

    I bet everyone had the same thought as me.

 Chapter 139: Chapter 136: Memories (1)

    "Alright, next."

    "Oh, you''re on, Missy! I''ll show you what this game is!"

    Another man sat in front of thedy.

    ¡ªBAM!

    And another one bit the dust.

    I watched with a loose smile hanging from my lips as thedy rolled her wrist and stretched her palms while another person sat across her.

    Focusing my senses, I felt a slight movement of mana as thedy grasped the challenger''s arm over her gloves.

    "Eugy..." Titania whispered, her voice couldn''t reach thedy over the shouts of the growing crowd.

    The challenger''s shadow wriggled.

    I could sense mana reaching the shadow and then flowing back to her.

    "Do you like this woman?"

    My head nked at her words.

    "What?"

    "That woman. Who you said I forgot about. Are you in love with her or something?"

    The thoughts of thedy and her tricks left my mindpletely as Titania''s words resounded in my head.

    "You''re smiling all giddy. Even with that angel girl, you keep a poker face, what''s going on here? I don''t like it."

    In love?

    A conversation that I shared with Titania a while back flowed into my mind. One that was about finding a lover.

    Was I looking at thedy in that way?

    Sure, I was curious about her. Learning more about her made me happy as well. Was that it?

    "What does love mean in the first ce?" I muttered, my eyes fixed on thedy as she mmed another person''s hand on the table.

    "Are you 14?"

    "Pfft."

    "Let''s say this. If she was in danger, would you risk your life to save her?"

    "How is that love? Won''t people risk themselves even for their friends and family?"

    "Love doesn''t have to be romantic, does it?"

    I thought about the scenario she painted. Certainly, what I felt toward thedy didn''t have to be romantic at all.

    If maybe those three back home were in danger, or even if it was Titania, it went without saying I would save them no matter the cost.

    But would I die to help them?

    I thought of my death as nothing but a result of my weakness. In that case, I would ''risk'' my life to save them. The same was the case for Dawn.

    Then, thedy...

    Thest challenger was defeated by thedy, and the announcer went off about how she was unbeatable. Since no one else was stepping up, she was sure to be the champion.

    I weaved through the crowd and sat on the chair in front of thedy.

    "OH! We have a new challenger! Will this handsome young man defeat the mystery champion? ce your bets!"

    "Guard, it seems you would like to be crushed too," thedy said in a small voice.

    "We''ll see. Whoever wins, the money goes to both of us anyway."

    Thedy chuckled.

    She slowly rolled off the ck glove on her dominant hand and tossed it away. Then, she ced her hand on the table and leaned toward me.

    I matched her posture and slowly reached my hand out. Thedy didn''t hesitate and grabbed it tightly. Experience tales at m-vl-e-mpyr

    "The participants are ready!"

    "3! 2! 1! Start!!"

    Thedy''s mana seeped out of her and coalesced around my shadow.

    I tried to put in some strength in my arm but thedy countered it in the blink of an eye. Her hand continued to gain strength as both our muscles tightened. I could feel her fingers digging into the back of my hand, and my strength slowly leaving me.

    "OH!? The first person to not be instantly defeated! What is going to happen next?" The announcer hyped up the onlookers as oohs rang out.

    Thisdy.

    She was sapping out my strength through my shadows. No, she was using her mana to control my shadow and then taking strength from it.

    "If you could do this all along, why didn''t you?" I asked thedy as I matched her strength perfectly and kept us at an intense standstill.

    "I didn''t see a reason to," thedy said.

    I put some more strength in my hand¡ª

    "Then why now?"

    ¡ªThedy matched my strength. Her hand pushed mine down.

    "I gave you my word."

    "What''s this? After a sudden hup, the match is shifting toward the challenger again!"

    "You just said ''fine.''"

    "That''s word enough."

    "What an intense match! The champion is pushing the challenger down again! Are we going to see a thirdeback?"

    I used my mana to block her magic. It was tough and required godly control, thankfully, I had just that.

    Thedy flinched as my shadow stopped moving and her strength was slowly sapped away.

    I smiled brightly at her and mmed her hand down on the table.

    "OOOH! T-the challenger! The challenger wins!!"

    Thedy clicked her tongue and stood up. She brushed the back of her hand as I walked over to the announcer to get the money. He took a sixty percent cut off the bettings and handed me the rest.

    The crowd shook my hand a bit and then eventually dissipated. With about 400 gold coins in the empire''s currency, we had made a real killing in less than an hour.

    I met up with thedy and poked her shoulders.

    "Still hungry? My treat."

    "You rat."

    Thedy rubbed the back of her hand. Like magic, people hadpletely forgotten about her the moment she left their sight.

    "Let''s go eat big then," thedy said. "There''s an theater nearby, an orchestra wasing in today."

    "Sounds like a n."

    Thedy once again wrapped her arm around mine and the two of us set off.

    Would I risk my life to save her?

    Did I like her?

    It was just the two of us. Only the two of us that shared her existence. Only the two of us out to make memories.

    Just like I wanted to learn about her.

    I was sure I''d learn those things soon as well.

 Chapter 140: Chapter 137: Memories (2)

    Thedy and I sat together in a special room of the theater, getting a great view of the stage. Since we were close up to the ceiling, the sounds of the orchestra would reach us quite well.

    Sitting side by side, thedy and I snacked on some chicken, custom ordered. We were nning to splurge all the money that arm wrestling had earned us anyway, so it didn''t hurt.

    A bell was ced in the room that didn''t make a sound but alerted the staff member standing outside the door. A magical barrier was also set up in the VIP room that prevented any chatter froming in or going out. The double couch was prettyfortable and the table in front of us was wide.

    Thedy had curled her legs up and was resting on the hand of the couch while I leaned back and left my legs on the table.

    Titania seemed upied with the food, so there wasn''t anyone to disturb us in the close proximity.

    The curtains unfolded, and the orchestra came into view.

    The lights in the theater dimmed down and focused on the orchestra, leaving the room in darkness.

    Then, the first note began.

    Long, slow, the flutes and oboes began ying the notes of the music.

    As the conductor moved his hands, the sounds merged into the room and filled the space in the theater.

    Thedy stopped, so did Titania.

    Like a boat gently swaying on a calmke.

    Like grey clouds flitting in the night sky.

    Along with the sound of the harp, rose an emotion that choked the listener''s heart.

    In perfect amounts, the piano and the horns startedplimenting the melody, not to bring attention to them, not to show off their technique. But to merelypliment the music. To make one revel in the joys of the sound.

    Euphoric.

    A euphoric simplicity.

    It was all simple.

    As simple as a pair gazing up at the night sky. Hence, it was as beautiful as the night sky the pair gazed upon.

    Yet, it wasplex.

    Like the arrangement of the stars, the ent in each tone, the soul in each note.

    It was hard to tell.

    If theposer wanted the person to appreciate the beauty of the moment.

    Or if they wanted the listener toment its fleetingness?

    Ravel, pavane pour une infante defunte.

    The pavane for a dead princess.

    It was a song that I had introduced to this world.

    What an ironic tune to y at an ironic time.

    I looked to the side.

    At the princess of a duchy.

    Her veil remained unmoving, I could tell that under it, her heart and her eyes were all focused on the music.

    The princess in front of me.

    It was a tune for that dying princess.

    She ced her hand on the couch and clenched at its cloth, her hand trembled slightly as the music went on.

    Without a word, I ced my hand on top of hers.

    Thedy''s trembling transferred over to me.

    I could feel the storm in her heart.

    How was she feeling right now? Was she crying under that veil?

    I was curious.

    Even now, I wanted to know more about her.

    The music reached a high crescendo as all the instruments slowly came together.

    I clenched her hand in mine.

    The soft tune of the flute followed, and the trembling of her hand stopped.

    The strings came together again and a chaotic section yed.

    She slightly trembled.

    Like the ebbs of a wave, the music flowed back and was reced by the sound of the flute again.

    A calming sound of the flute.

    Then, the wave rose again.

    Instead of trembling, she turned her hand over and grabbed mine.

    Our fingers locked together, and the music started reaching an outro.

    The wave didn''te over again.

    Not a word was shared.

    Thedy''s eyes didn''t move from the orchestra.

    I simply closed my eyes and listened.

    Listened to the sound of the strings.

    For a long, long time, hand in hand.

    We just listened.

    ***

    Anatolia bit her thumb as she heard the report from her knights.

    The mountain bandits outside the capital were crushed.

    The mountain, four hundred meters tall, had been split in half.

    And dozens upon dozens of bandits were left with mangled bodies.

    Her n had failed.

    She flipped through the pages of her book furiously.

    Her n was immacte.

    No one else should have remembered thatdy.

    Yet, she was saved.

    How?

    Why?

    These thoughts filled Anatolia''s head.

    She took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

    "Right. Things won''t go my way. They never have."

    They never had.

    The day of the banquet was the decided time. The doomsday for her empire.

    But, there was still a backup n in her mind.

    A few days from now, she would open the doors to hell herself and offer the flower to the demon king.

    She had worked with demons before. Vile as they were, they weren''t unreasonable.

    She could do it.

    She held faith.

    With a calm gaze, she let go of her bleeding thumb and wiped it on a towel.

    Her ns wouldn''t fail just yet.

    She could still do something to fix things.

    Yes.

    She wouldn''t give up here.

    "Lady of Acacia, was it?"

    There was someone hindering her ns.

    Someone who had saved her.

    But that didn''t matter.

    She could take that person down to.

    Just as she was thinking that, the image of the one she had assigned to Acacia entered her head.

    Could it be?

    No. No way

    It couldn''t be Eugene Hall.

    It couldn''t be that useless bum who cared for no one but himself.

    She would get him down. She was certain.

    Her end goal. She had nned to pin the me of the disappearance of a person on him, but there were other ways too.

    No matter what, she would kill him.

    Eugene Hall...

 Chapter 141: Chapter 138: Memories (3)

    "You know, I published that piece," I told thedy as we stepped out of the theater.

    "You jest," she said.

    Many lights in the underground district had dimmed down. They were probably based on the sunlight, the day wasing closer to an end.

    "Not at all, I did publish it. Don''t you know about theposer from Schwarz?"

    As if what happened inside didn''t faze either of us, we still walked as we used to before with thedy grasping my hand.

    "Whatever, I don''t buy it, guard. You should lie in moderation."

    "How rude. I''ll dedicate the next piece I release to you, that''ll prove."

    "I am sure it will," thedy scoffed. She then took a look around the ce and checked our pockets. We had splurged everything out in the theater, so we didn''t have much left on hand. It would be better to bring cash along next time.

    "Should we head back?" thedy asked.

    She must have been tired after using her magic.

    I nodded and thedy led me out of the underground district. The ce was vast, so most of it was still unexplored by me.

    We had all the time in the world,ing back tomorrow and the day after was no big deal.

    We passed through another staircase and found ourselves in the night streets of the seventh district. As the sun started to set, people came out to share drinks and jolly stories, walking hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder.

    Just like in most jovial cities, bards singing in the streets and stalls attracting their customers with loud calls merged and a cacophony of sounds that could only be described as the voice of the city flowed out.

    Thedy and I matched a slow pace as we walked through the streets, going up each district.

    "Let''s take a long way back," she suggested, and I agreed without hesitation.

    I felt that the distance between us had closed down considerably in just the span of a day.

    Was it because of what happened today? I thought it was purely due to the circumstances. With no one else to lean on, thedy who had already given up slowly started to ce all her weight on me.

    We reveled in the sounds for a while, our shoulders brushing with each step.

    The night deepened considerably by the time we reached the estate. There were a few guards on duty, but no one noticed us as I lifted thedy and hopped over the walls.

    "Are you hiding your presence?" she asked.

    "Yup, doing it like a boss, right? I doubt even Orichalcum-ranked adventurers can find me."

    Thedy and I slowly made our way inside the estate, the dark passageways dimly lit by a few candles were rather weing.

    "Say, guard, aren''t you stronger than most tinum-ranked adventurers?"

    "Probably stronger than Adamantium-ranked ones too, but adventurer rankings depend on more things than just strength."

    "So, you''re bad at adventuring?"

    "I sold a baron into a BDSM club once, since then they said I''m not good at it. Weirdos, those guys."

    Thedy chuckled softly at my words. In a short while, we found ourselves in thedy''s room. Unlike before, she asked me to get inside along with her.

    "Feel free to change into somethingfortable." Leaving those words, she entered a different room hidden behind her wardrobe and left my sight.

    Titania, who was resting on my shoulder, spoke up.

    "So, you won''t sleep?"

    "Pretty much," I said, snapping my fingers and bringing out different clothes. Titania, being a higher being, had no interest in how or where I undressed, so she tried to hide the fact that she was covering her eyes and blushing furiously with her words.

    "I-It''s bad for your health!"

    "Eh, where will I use my health anyway? Isn''t this fine?"

    "Hah, I really don''t like how you treat her."

    "Why?" I asked.

    "That girl, it took me a while to notice it today, but she emits a great curse."

    "A curse?"

    "It''s bottom is unfathomable. I don''t think even I would be unaffected by a curse like that."

    Curse, huh? That was interesting. I hadn''t felt anything like that during thest few days, but that was because Curses didn''t fall under the realm of Mana or Ki. Like demonic energy, curses used holy energy to materialize. The power of gods in the higher ne of existence. If she talked about such a curse, was it the fact that the world was forgetting her?

    It didn''t seem to be that.

    "There''s something other than how the world forgets her?"

    "Yes, I don''t know why that one is happening yet, but I''ll find out soon."

    I could always rely on Titania to handle such things. I gently smiled and patted her forehead.

    "Put on a shirt instead!" How cute.

    Thedy knocked on the door of the wardrobe that led to her own room. After making sure I had changed, she came out and strode over to the couch.

    "So, feel like staying up another night?" thedy said.

    "Yup, I still have a lot more I want to find out."

    There was quite a bit.

    Even about myself now.

    "I won''t be sleeping either!" Titania said from the side.

    Both thedy and I looked at her with slight surprise in our eyes.

    "I already don''t remember anything, but I''ll remember the you from now, girl."

    Thedy hesitated slightly. In a light blue dress that bordered the shade of white, thedy''s veil fluttered slightly.

    Find your path on m_vl_em_p_yr

    "As you wish, little fairy," she said.

    "Then," I spoke up again. "Are you going to go sleep?"

    "No."

    Thedy stood up. She came over to me and grasped my hand.

    "There''s a room below the estate that no one but the family members know about. It''s like a small house in itself, we''re going there."

    I let myself be dragged along by thedy as we passed through the passages again and started going down the stairs.

    I didn''t regret not sleeping for a second.

 Chapter 142: Chapter 139: Memories (4)

    White walls extended in all directions in the underground room of the estate. Looking more like a bunker or a research facility, this ce that resembled an apartment house from Earth was rather inviting.

    The magic lights were turned on brightly while the wide living room moved over to four bedrooms, a kitchen, and even a study. Quite the spacious ce, it was the kind of location that would sell for millions on Earth, but people here wouldn''t consider it anything but small. Compared to the mansion of the estate itself, it was just the size of maybe two or three rooms amongst the many dozens.

    "What do you think?" thedy asked. "Isn''t it cozy? There''s everything we''ll need here. You have no reason to step out in the estate."

    Did she bring me here so that we could y around without worrying?

    "There''s even a piano in that room," my ears perked up. That was exciting.

    I walked around the ce a little. The bedrooms were spacious and the kitchen was well stocked up with preservation magic running at full throttle. The magic stone cost to maintain all these spells would have been quite a fortune.

    As I was looking around, thedy spoke up again.

    "Guard," she said. I turned to face her who was still veiled by a matching blue cloth.

    Seriously, how many were in that wardrobe of hers?

    "What is it?"

    Thedy stepped a bit closer to me. |em|p,yr

    I took a step back.

    All of a sudden, she leaned closer and pinned me against the wall.

    Her hand mmed the wall as my back stuck to it.

    I could feel her breath slowly passing through the veil and hitting my face. I was being pinned against the wall.

    Thedy had just pinned me.

    What in the world? Was it fine to hit her or something? Should I punch her and break free or should I pin her back? Did it make sense for a strong man like me to be pinned? While I was thinking of the most optimal move next, thedy suddenly pulled my chin up.

    She was forcing me to make eye contact.

    "Eugy... don''t do it!"

    Titania whispered.

    I really would have mmed my head into thedy if Titania hadn''t stopped me right there.

    Thedy, probably not able to understand the danger she was in, suddenly spoke up.

    "It''s unfair that you''re the only one who gets to know about me."

    "Yes? My fists are great teachers¡ª"

    "I want to learn more about you too."

    Thedy''s voice dampened mine.

    "Alright, would you mind getting off?"

    "Ah..." thedy gasped and took a small step back. The urge to beat her up finally left me and I let out a sigh.

    "You''re shyer than I expected."

    "I thought your situational awareness was good, mydy."

    "What?"

    "What?"

    Thedy and I moved back to the living room. At that point, my eyes fell on a bunch of boards stowed away in the room.

    I could destroy her in other ways.

    "Mydy, are you good at chess?"

    "You''ll end up crying."

    I pulled out the set and tossed it on the table in the living room. I also picked up a Go board and jumped over to the couch. Excitedly, thedy hopped this way and jumped on her seat as well.

    "The winner can ask the loser to do anything. No rejections."

    "Deal."

    In a rush, we opened the board and started setting up our pieces. I took ck and left her with white.

    Bring it.

    I''ll show you my en passant.

    ***

    "Holy hell..."

    Thedy muttered.

    I barely managed to win the game, she was pretty good. I almost pulled out the omnipotent pawn, but my true power didn''t have to be revealed yet.

    "Alright," thedy sighed and leaned back. "Ask away."

    I thought about the question for a while.

    "Why do you wear a veil?"

    "It''s because I am cursed."

    Without any hesitation, thedy answered. Titania leaned ahead while on my head.

    "Anyone who sees my face will be ''charmed'' out of their wits."

    "Ah..."

    It did make sense.

    Her every move was enough to tug at people''s hearts.

    Thedy crossed her legs and spoke again.

    "It''s better to exin from the beginning. This empire is founded on a deal made with demon king Bm."

    My eyes widened in surprise.

    Pieces started connecting in my head right away.

    "In exchange for letting Tantalus, the founding emperor go free from hell, the demon was promised a flower that could bloom nowhere else. Tantalus Atreus then entrusted the creation of this flower to the ducal house that handled the darkness of the empire. Us, the poisonous Acacias."

    "Then you were created for this purpose?" I asked. She didn''t seem troubled by things, so there was no need for me to be careful either.

    "Yes," thedy said. "Generation after generation, the prime purpose of the Acacia''s remained to prepare this flower in its bloodline. And I, of course, am the result of it all. For what it''s worth, my mother was amoner."

    A beauty experiment, huh?

    "You misunderstand," as if reading my mind, thedy struck down my thoughts. "Do you think I am beautiful?"

    She scoffed.

    I had no doubts that she was beautiful.

    "I look just like a normal person," she said. "If you left me in the city, no one would be able to pick me apart. Just like a normal person. They festered the most cursed beings, not the prettiest ones."

    Was that so?

    Well, how she looked didn''t matter much to me.

    "I can''t see faces," I said.

    Thedy seemed stunned for a second as she reeled back.

    "You look beautiful in my eyes, mydy."

    She hesitated for a second before scoffing.

    "Whatever, let''s go another round."

    And with that, we started ying the game of chess again.

    This time, I lost. Fucking pawn on f6.

    "Do you have a lover?" she asked.

    Titania scoffed from the side. "This boy is incapable of love."

    Apparently, the definition of love was ever-changing for my darling fairy friend. Per her current definition, I truly did not have lovers, just ''romp-mates''

    "What she said."

    "Didn''t you say you were a noble? Are you not even engaged?"

    "I am not."

    "Hm. Well, I am engaged to the crown prince of the empire."

    I felt my body stiffen up.

    What the hell?

    My mind suddenly cooled over for whatever reason. I stopped staring at the pieces and looked at thedy, she had her chin raised high even through the veil.

    She was looking for my reaction, huh?

    "Good for you," I said. My voice was softer than I thought it would be.

    "What was that?"

    "Good for you." This time it was colder than I had intended. I guess theck of sleep was catching up.

    Thedy chuckled.

    "It''s just an engagement in name," she spoke in a soft voice. "Something decided by others. I never broke it off since there was no reason to."

    "I see..."

    For some reason, I didn''t want to hear more.

    "I guess I have one now."

    I looked up at thedy again.

    "What was that?"

    "I have one now," she answered.

    My cheeks were getting slightly heated. What did that even mean?

    I knocked the chessboard away and pulled up the ''Go'' board.

    "Let''s y this now."

    "Go? You''ll lose bad."

    "We''ll see."

    I took ck again and made the first move.

    The night was still young, we were full as well.

    So the game, like a true bitch, went on for the next five hours and had no end in sight.

 Chapter 143: Chapter 140: End of Our Days

    "Salt."

    I grabbed the salt shaker to my side and tossed it away. Thedy grabbed it without even turning to the side.

    "Knife," I said.

    Thedy tossed the knife from her hands to my side. I moved to grab the air and the knifended right in my hands.

    "Is this even cooking anymore? What''s this synergy...?"

    Titania''s mutterings fell on deaf ears as thedy and I continued prepping our meals. She was surprisingly very good at this.

    In no time at all, our coboration meal was prepared, tastier than pretty much everything in the empire.

    "Guard,e here, poison test this." Thedy stretched a spoon toward me. I opened my mouth and let her feed me.

    "Hard to judge, I''ll need another bite."

    This was how the mornings of our days together went.

    The days, gentle as a breeze.

    ***

    Harsh winds blew under the gray skies. The windows to Princess Anatolia''s room creaked with each cloud that passed by.

    "Mydy, we have prepared the criminals."

    Anatolia, not looking back at her knight, let her cold gaze at the world outside.

    She stood up.

    ***

    "Hey! What the hell do you think you''re doing?!"

    The shopkeeper pointed at the rows of fallen shelves that we had kicked over.

    "Guard, lift me and run!"

    In a breath, I swooped thedy up in my arms and jumped away. My feet bounced off another shelf and knocked it over too.

    "Get back here! Do you know how much it costs?!"

    With thedy in hand, I broke through the window of the store.

    "Don''t try to extort next time, fuckwit!" I screamed at the shopkeeper.

    "Hahaha! Don''t slow down, guard!"

    Laughing, thedy and I rushed away from the seething extortionist.

    These days, raucous as a gale.

    ***

    The sound of the howling wind echoed.

    In the dark, musty dungeon of the Imperial Pce, confused groans and moans rang out.

    Men and women, young and old, tied up and gagged.

    The princess, in the center, sped her hands.

    The magic circle below glowed.

    "Forgive me for this sacrifice..."

    ***

    "Just fucking lose already,"

    "As if. You''re the one losing, mydy."

    Thedy ced another stone and captured five of my stones. Unfortunately for her, it was a trap I hadid out and I captured a few of hers back.

    "Tsk, pass." She picked up the bottle of whiskey and downed a huge gulp, her eyes not leaving the board.

    "Haah, how long have we been going at this?"

    "About nine hours? I am not sure."

    The days, spontaneous as a gust.

    ***

    des rose from the ground.

    "Ah...No! No!! AHHH!"

    Myriad screams rang out as the des dug into the tied-up criminals.

    Blood sttered all over the dungeon, dying the magic circle its color. Nourishing it.

    A teardrop streaked from her eyes as the screams of the people filled her head.

    Whatever the cost. Whatever her state.

    It didn''t matter.

    It didn''t matter.

    It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter.

    It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter.

    It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter.

    It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter. It didn''t matter.

    "OPEN! DOORS OF HELL! COME¡ª"

    ***

    Thedy gently pressed her hand over my cheeks. Her thumb brushed under my eyes.

    I held her hand back and smiled.

    The bags under my eyes were heavy to the point they stung.

    My head was fuzzy and clouded.

    A single wink, a single wink of sleep would have ruined everything. How long had it been since I closed my eyes?

    That thought wasn''t worth mulling over.

    "You should sleep," I said to thedy. Even though she did on the first night, she had now long stopped going to sleep.

    "I can''t do that."

    She was using my words on me now.

    "Aren''t you tired?"

    Thedy shook her head, her hands stuck to me. In the underground room below the estate, not a single voice leaked out. I didn''t know when, but at some point, we had stopped going out of this ce and stayed inside with just each other and some booze.

    She was probably nearing her limit.

    I knew her magic allowed her to sap someone else''s strength and skills, but without that, she was just a normal young girl.

    Thedy grabbed my hand and sighed.

    "That piece..." she said.

    "Which?"

    "The one you said you will dedicate to me. I want to hear it."

    I frowned.

    "Hear it when I publish it."

    Thedy lowered her head and grabbed my shirt. Her hand clenched on the fabric as her nails scratched my chest. She trembled before speaking in a weak voice.

    "I want to hear it..."

    A sigh left me. I grabbed thedy''s hands and dragged her with me to the piano in the room neither of us was using. As I saw the piano, I realized that we had forgotten to turn on the lights since god knows when.

    In the dark room, with thedy keeping her head low, the two of us moved over to the piano and sat on the stool. I took half of it and sat thedy next to me.

    She looked at the piano.

    Taking in a breath, I raised my hands. Read further adventures at m vl_em|p_yr

    The music began.

    Slow chords, soft. My right hand moved with the melody.

    Slow at first, the two hands began a slow dance over the keys of the piano.

    My heart ached as I changed each chord, each filling.

    Every time I pressed the keys, I wanted to turn away from them.

    The image of the spring I wanted to conjure up now seemed to resemble fall.

    The music reached a crescendo. Calm and blossoming notes had turned heavy and chaotic.

    Then, a soft touch pressed on my back.

    I looked to my side, thedy''s hand gently stroking my back.

    My heart slowly calmed down. The sounds of the crying piano mellowed down as the melody started to jump from high notes to low, and then high again.

    Like a pair on a dance floor, with thedy''s touch as my music, my hands moved together in a waltz all over the piano.

    And soon, the song ended.

    It was the first time I didn''t want to y something.

    Just starting it felt like the end, and now that it ended, I felt slightly hollow. As if someone had stabbed me in the guts.

    "It wasn''t slow," thedy said.

    Her hand moved from my back over to my shoulders.

    She was a turbulent person, a slow tune didn''t suit her.

    "It wasn''t mncholic."

    She streaked my shoulders with her fingers as her hand strode further down.

    How could a mncholic piece fit her boldness?

    "It wasn''t a lonely piece."

    She took my hand in hers. Our fingers intertwined in a tight grip, locking onto each other.

    "It''s a waltz," I said. "You''re not alone, mydy."

    Thedy nodded.

    Not a peek of light reached us in the room. Not even the moon could shine over us.

    Thedy''s body slowly slipped to the side.

    Her face fell on my shoulders. She buried herself deeply while clenching my back and my hand.

    A damp feeling soaked through my clothes and seeped into my shoulders.

    Her pained gasps rang out now and then.

    Her low voice rang in my ears.

    "Don''t forget me..."

    She sniffled as she desperately grabbed at me.

    "You can''t..."

    I raised my hand and wrapped it around thedy''s back. I held her in a tight embrace as her head buried into my chest.

    "You can''t... It''s... It''s an order... Not you..."

    Hearing her cries, I made a decision.

    This curse on her. This fate of being forgotten. I would change it.

    "I won''t..." I answered.

    I won''t let her be forgotten by the world.

    Thedy''s tears didn''t stop for a long time that time.

    I didn''t realize when, but eventually, she fell asleep. Titania had gone away in the midst of it, promising that she won''t be sleeping either.

    Those days I spent with thedy...

    Our days...

    They were tumultuous like a storm.

    And just like a storm, they ended before either of us could realize it.

    ***

    "Come... Demon King Bm."

    ***

    Thedy woke up on the bed with a hazy gaze.

    The memories ofst night trickled into her mind and her heart started racing.

    As she opened her eyes, she reached her hand out but didn''t find anything.

    "Ah..."

    A gasp left her.

    Her racing heart hastened as she felt her breaths start choking her. Her lips went dry and her body trembled as she looked around.

    In a rush, thedy jumped off the bed and through the rooms.

    She was still in the same ce as before, there was no doubt about it.

    From the kitchen to the bedrooms.

    Inside and out, thedy flipped the whole ce on its head.

    But he was still gone.

    Her guard was gone.

    The demon king hade.

    And plucked away the most beautiful flower in the empire.

    The flower named Eugene Hall.

 Chapter 144: Chapter 141: Stupid, Stupid World

    Helplessness gripped thedy''s heart.

    Did he forget? Did he abandon me?

    Such thoughts entered her mind, but she quickly dismissed them. The guard that she hade to know in all these days. Discover tales on m_vl_em_p_yr

    He wasn''t someone who would forget her even if he was stabbed a hundred times over.

    As she tried to take in deep breaths and get a hold of her thoughts, a small golden object soaring through the skies entered her sight. The small object popped up in front of her and started frantically floating up and down.

    "Uh...?"

    Thedy felt a strange urge to touch the orb. As her fingertips poked at the glow of the golden object, mana was sapped out of her like a flood. Thedy winced at the unimaginable mana drain as the golden object changed form.

    tinum hair and a beautiful green dress, with long, pointy ears and wings sticking out her back, the golden object turned into the fairy Titania. Her guard''spanion.

    "Hey!!" Titania screamed out loud. "What did you do to him, huh!? Why can''t I sense him at all?"

    Thedy''s eyes shot open.

    She had already heard that this fairy was bound to her guard by their souls. Manifesting was a tall order, as long as they were on the mortal ne, the fairy wouldn''t be able to move much further away from her guard.

    Yet, she had not just lost her form but was also unable to sense him.

    As the fair tugged at thedy''s veil with her tiny arms, the gears in thedy''s mind turned and twisted.

    Realization started to dawn upon her. Horror filled her eyes before being reced by amusement.

    "He''s not in the mortal ne."

    "What?" the fairy stopped.

    Thedy jumped up. In a rush, she pulled out a bag and started filling it with the supplies in the hidden room. From healing potions to mana ones, she began to shove everything one could need for survival.

    "W-what are you doing?"

    "Fairy!" thedy screamed. "I heard you''re very strong and smart."

    "Ah.. well, yes, of course, hehe~" the fairy scratched the back of her head while avoiding thedy''s gaze. Her guard had told her that the fairy had be childish and easy after being locked away for years, it seemed to be true.

    She pushed away her sympathy for the little fairy and decided to use her to the fullest.

    "Please check this ce for traces of demonic energy. It would probably be weak, nothing more than a teleport spell, I believe."

    "D-demonic energy?" the fairy blinked a couple of times, and then spoke up again. "You think my partner was taken away by a demon? Why? You seem to know something, were you expecting it?"

    And just like her guard had said, the fairy was also terrifyingly sharp.

    "It''s just a hunch, but I believe a promise that this kingdom''s founder had made has been fulfilled."

    Whether such a promise existed or not. Whether the demon king would trulye or not. Such thoughts had turned into a matter of debate over the span of five hundred years but denying it was a fool''s errand at this point.

    She had long since given up.

    From the moment she found herself being forgotten, thedy had resigned herself to her fate.

    To fulfill the promise made to the demon king, why else would the imperial family use that wretched spell? She knew it, yet she denied it. She was but a cursed existence with no purpose, she truly believed that death suited her more. Being sacrificed suited her more.

    Before she knew it, her thoughts had changed.

    ''It would be better for the world if I was gone,'' had turned into ''It would be better for him if I was gone.''

    She was willing. She was willing to give herself up and let the world be. She was happy with the memories she had made at the end, and though regrettable, she had also cried her heart out over the one who would eventually forget.

    Yet, selfishly.

    Selfishly, the world decided to take him away.

    How stupid was it? Not only did the Imperial family unfairly decide to wipe her off the world to save face, but they also failed horribly and ended up giving away the one person she had wished for the happiness of. The one person who had brought her happiness. Her person.

    It wasn''t just the fault of the Imperial family, nor the demon.

    The entire world was to me.

    Thedy finished packing everything up. Dozens upon dozens of ns unfolded in her mind as she slowly, steadily reached the most optimal route.

    At the same time, the fairy returned.

    "I feel demonic energy here! You better exin what is going on."

    Thedy smirked.

    As she had expected. Her role had been taken away by her guard.

    "You need your partner, and I want my guard."

    Under the veil, a madder shade that no one could see had filled thedy''s eyes.

    "We''re going to get him back."

    The fairy smiled and broke into a peal ofughter.

    "Oh my, I misjudged you," the fairy''s words were suddenly dripping with malice and hate. "I thought you were a little sparrow, but you turned out to be a gutsy cuckoo. I like your boldness. The thought that ''you'' could help ''him'' is already too bold."

    It was a voice that thedy quite liked. The fairy was more interested in her than her guard, even after hearing that he had been taken away by a demon.

    "Very well, my partner''s muse," the fairy said. "Let''s go get him back."

    When she conceded. When she tried toy low, why couldn''t the world learn a lesson and stay in itsne?

    Thedy''s heart trembled again as her eyes glowed.

    The glow was the same as her guard''s, though she was unaware.

    It was the same glow that her guard held when he was out to show off his strength.

    Stupid, stupid world.

    Now she was not going to give up on anything.

    It had made an enemy of the wrong person.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 145: Chapter 142: Demon King Balam

    "So, what were the criteria?"

    Those words spilled out as I kept peeking into the cup ced in front of me.

    A chair made of bones was rather ufortable, but a skull in the name of a teacup turned that up to a ten.

    In the dark room with the tint of the red sky flowing in, I sat in front of a half-naked man and a bear.

    The man was sitting on the bear. Or maybe the man''s legs were connected to the bear? I couldn''t tell. Well, he wasn''t a man for sure since there were the horns of a ram sticking out of his head.

    "Criteria?"

    The bear-ram-man spoke. His murky voice scratched my ears.

    "Yes, like. Why did you pick me, what did you say your name was?"

    "Bm."

    "Right."

    I turned my gaze away and looked at the skull again.

    Turns out. I was in hell.

    I didn''t know how this happened either. I had just moved thedy to the bed and was holding her hands while she slept when my sight suddenly went dark. I feared I might have fallen asleep and immediately moved to stab myself in the thighs. Before I could, the world gained color again and this bear-riding bastard appeared in front of me.

    He tossed me to his goons in front of a giant castle made of stones and walked away saying ''give the human a good room,''

    I first thought this was the consequence of not sleeping, but after being dragged around by octopi and bats before being dragged into the room in this weirdo''s castle, I had to admit I was in hell. The bed with flesh curtains and the strange red sky that never changed helped too.

    My chains were confiscated and chains of a strange material were tied around my legs.

    Mana and Ki were both blocked by those chains. It was not aplete blockage with just those chains, but it was enough to cut my firepower in less than half, I couldn''t even use spatial magic and retrieve something to help me out.

    "It was subjective," Bm said.

    "Like, still. What did you pick me for?"

    "I was offered..." the demon came closer to my face and started speaking. Even in this wide room of the demon king''s castle, he found a strange need to keep close and speak in whispers. "Anyone from the kingdom, and plucked the best..."

    The dry winds of the red sky carried along the bastard''s disgusting breath to my nose. The godforsaken stench drove away my drowsiness, no, it made me want to shove my head inside a horn and have an elephant blow on it.

    "Your anguish, your soul, your hate... the way you suppress yourself. It is an evil greater than most demons. Only one girl stood a chance against you, but even that one fell short. And not to mention..."

    The hairy bastard reached out with his hands.

    "Your blood..."

    I reeled back. The bone chair slightly creaked as it slipped on the slimy ground.

    I hastily picked up the skull and pointed at it.

    "This! What is this?"

    A blood-red liquid with a slightly thick consistency filled it. It was like blood, but I could smell blood any day. This was almost fragrant, like dandelions. Hibiscus? Fuck, theck of sleep was real.

    "You''re quite curious, my darling."

    EW.

    "Huhu, I''ll speak, though. It''s tea."

    "No, you motherfucker, I am talking about this." I pointed at the floating eyeball in the middle of the liquid. The eyeball spasmed each time the nerves stretching out from its back touched the rim of the skull.

    "Oh, feisty."

    Goosebumps crept up my back as he spoke.

    "It''s a gargoyle''s eye. It gives it a richer taste."

    I looked at the skull again. It was disgusting, sure. But I was also slightly curious about tea from hell. In the end, curiosity won over my logic and I took a sip.

    A frown left me as the strange liquid coursed down my throat.

    Three on ten, wouldn''t try again.

    "Have you guys thought of, maybe, cooking stuff? What the fuck is this?"

    "Huhuhu!" the demon scoffed. "You''ll have to learn its taste."

    I frowned again.

    I didn''t have a lot of time to y around in hell since I had to get back to mydy, but this guy didn''t seem like he wanted to let me go.

    I couldn''t even break free yet.

    He was strong. I could maybe catch him off guard, but it would be tough otherwise. At least with the strength I could summon right now, I would probably die in a fight.

    I had learned this lesson over and over in thest two years.

    There was no use in dying in a fight. The strongest wouldn''t die, the strongest would live ande back even stronger.

    I had to swallow my pride and understand what he wanted here.

    "What do you want from me?" I asked. No need to dy it now, was there?

    "I expected a human to be more surprised."

    I expected that too.

    "Initially... I wanted to eat the best human and take its lifespan away."

    The disgusting fucker leaned closer again. I moved back, but the chair stopped moving.

    "But now,"

    Chills ran down my spine.

    "You should birth my child."

    Oh

    My fucking god.

    "I''m a guy, you fuck!!" I stood up and screamed.

    "I can change that!" The demon screamed back. "Worry not, you beautiful human, as long as you wish it, I shall turn you into a queen!"

    Did I say I shouldy low and see what he will do?

    Fuck that.

    In a go, I jumped ahead.

    Alert, the bear screamed and tried to swing its ws at me, but I swiftly avoided them and smashed my foot in its face.

    The demon screamed as the bear was hurt. He didn''t expect me to move at all.

    Summoning all the mana and Ki I could into my feet, I pushed down on the bear''s face more and swung my other leg at the demon.

    Then the world darkened again, and I was sitting back on the chair.

    What?

    "What the hell¡ª"

    "HUMAN!!"

    As if nothing had happened, I was forced back to my seat. No, it felt as if I hadn''t moved at all.

    I turned my gaze to see the bear ring at me, not a scratch on its face. My gaze shifted above and I saw the demon. Its body was covered with ck, murky blood.

    "H-how dare you touch my mound!?" the demon screamed.

    I blinked again, and the ground was swept away from my feet. A rusty taste spread in my mouth as I flew through the room. The stone wallspletely broke apart as I kept flying back. Another, and then another, I crushed through three walls and fell limp on the ground.

    Was I punched?

    When?

    Before I could finish thinking, the demon appeared in front of me again.

    "How could you use Mana!?"

    My body arched ahead from the blunt force as his kicknded in my stomach.

    Again, and then again.

    Over and over, the demon kept kicking me until blood poured out from every orifice in my mouth.

    I couldn''t even react. I couldn''t even see those attacks. Each of them that came raining down with the force of a truckpletely crushed my internal organs.

    My head was nking out and I wanted to faint, but I couldn''t.

    The rain of blows continued for what felt like hours.

    Finally, the demon turned away. A few of his goons came rushing over, but my sight was too hazy to see them.

    "Lock it up," the demon said. "And use the chains on every limb, it can still use its powers."

    Ah... so this was a ''Demon king,'' huh? Experience the narrative at m_vl_em_p_yr

    It had been a while, since I wanted to crush something.

    Biting my lips, I kept myself from fainting as gears started turn in my head.

    Then, I stood up.

    "W-what...? what!"

    The goons that wereing my way fumbled as they saw me stand after receiving enough hits to pulverize a castle.

    I pushed my bloodied hand over my hair, turning it red as I pulled my hair back.

    "Hah, I needed that. My head feels much clearer."

    The goons kept quaking, but their demon king had long gone away.

    Gears turned in my head as dozens of ns unfolded, slowly, steadily, I reached the most optimal route.

    I quietly stretched my hand out and let them take me away.

    Too bad, demon king.

    This enemy you made, turned out to be a demon lord.

 Chapter 146: Chapter 143: Prepare Demons

    CW: Gore/Self Harm

    One''s brain was a resource hog. Being knocked helped not just release fatigue, but also made it easier to heal, so it was pretty difficult for me to handle myself as I was being dragged away by the goons of the demon king. These bastards looked rather simr to humans but had the heads of rams with long horns curving to the back.

    I was pulled up on the shoulder of two of them as they moved me from wherever I was in the castle to the lower floors.

    The dry, heated air and its stench stung me with each gust in this ce. The castle made of stones didn''t need any lights either as the blood-red sky of hell never changed, leaving all the walls dark and musty.

    It was trash.

    I would have preferred fainting and then kicking into action with a lighter head.

    Heck, even now, the n of action I had in mind was pretty tame.

    But I had someone to return to.

    I had to go back to thedy, and I had to find a way to make sure that I change her fate.

    For that, I needed to be well.

    Soon, the goons of the demon king brought me to an underground dungeon below the castle. Blood covered the ground of the ragged dungeon as cells lines up on both sides. Inside them, unrecognizable monsters were turned into works of modern art by some severe sicko.

    I raised my hazy gaze and watched as another ram head wearing a hefty helm appeared from the sides. This one had fur growing on its body and its legs were curved like that of an animal''s. Dragging along a long barbed whip, the helmed demon greeted the other two.

    "Quack Quack Quack!"

    "Quaaack!"

    The demons spoke in anguage I didn''t understand, and then dragged me further into a cell.

    I could guess the contents of their conversation from the circumstances. I was probably going to be treated as a special criminal, a VIP. The other demon''s visible gloominess could also probably mean that he was disappointed he couldn''t perform his art on me.

    The demons brought a set of special chains into the cell. The ce with bloodied walls had hooks tied up on a height where they started tying the chains. Lumps of rotting flesh, nourished with blood and spit were syed over the ground, likely the remains of the previous inhabitants.

    I looked to the top to see innards of god knows what stuck to the ceiling. Eyeballs and tongues merged with intestines all over the walls while a dozen or so hearts were stabbed with different bones right across the spot of the chains.

    The wet, slimy taste of blood and flesh was carried along with the air and filled my tongue while my nose was constantly assaulted by the stench of rotting flesh.

    My eyes stung from the presence of blood in the air, but I didn''t mind it much.

    Eventually, the monsters heaved me up again.

    I was still too injured to leave.

    Three were too many to face with my skills being suppressed.

    Just a little. I would have to wait and rest just a little.

    They tied my hands and legs with the special chains dangling from the walls.

    All the remaining feelings of Ki and Mana left me.

    Then, the helm-d monster started pulling on the chains. I was slowly pulled by my limbs as my binds tightened. They started pulling my limbs apart as I was lifted up in the air and stuck to the wall behind me.

    The demonsughed at my state.

    Blood from the punch was still pouring out of my head and cooling it down.

    The pain from the battering I had received was fresh as well.

    I could hold on easily. No, I was almost feeling quite free.

    Things had only just begun.

    ***

    The first day like that slowly moved away. I wasn''t tortured, thankfully, which gave me a great time to recover. I was afraid I might fall asleep, but the helm-d ram demon would frequently enter my cell and shoot me a longing gaze before going out and pummeling some other prisoner.

    Those screams kept me up.

    I had started to feel my injuries close up.

    ***

    I kept a strong track of time.

    The second day in the ce had begun.

    My throat was parched, but the pain had started to go away.

    On the second day, the demon guard came a lot closer.

    In its hands was a pile of what I could only guess to be fresh demon meat.

    "Quack quack!" the demonughed as it raised its hands.

    The smell was too fresh. When I noticed dabs of blood on the demon''s clothes with bits of flesh simr to what it was bringing to me, I realized.

    This fucker was trying to feed me the other prisoners in here.

    I kept my mouth closed, I get thecking contents of my stomach ready to pour out.

    But that demon was probably not willing to understand.

    With a wretchedugh, it pulled my jaw open and shoved the meat in my mouth.

    My eyelids were growing heavy.

    ***

    The pain beganpletely subsiding. That bastard had done a number on me.

    It would have been faster with mana and ki, but I couldn''t use them even a bit and had to rely on my natural recovery.

    The demon came in again, with more of my fellow prisoners'' flesh. It seemed they were running out of it, though, as bones had started to be mixed in with the flesh.

    I tried to throw the bones out, but the demon would then shove them in my mouth and hit me until I swallowed even those.

    Five days had already passed.

    I hoped thedy didn''t think I had left her behind.

    ***

    Just like that, six days passed.

    The demon woulde in front of me and dangle the keys to my chains in front of my eyes. As if teasing me.

    Then seven.

    All the time, I bit my tongue until it was coursed with blood to hydrate myself.

    Eight days.

    My mind had gottenrgely used to my wounds.

    Nine days.

    Despite being in what was probably a worse state than before, I was feeling much sharper and more collected.

    The walls around my heart had slowly started to break, and my mind was getting filled with the thoughts I had tried to cast away. The thoughts and emotions I had suppressed from my time as Yuujin were spilling out.

    Then came the tenth day.

    A while before the demon returned to feed me, I removed a sharp piece of bone that I had been forced to eat from under my tongue. I had tried before, but this time, the bone was sharper than ever after having chewed it so. Discover what''s next on m-vl-em,py-r

    I twisted my head and spat the bone out, grabbing it with my palms.

    With a great struggle I had been repeating over the past few days, I barely managed to point the sharp bit of the bone at my wrist.

    Then, I curled my fingers in.

    I pressed against the bone with the tip of my fingers. The sharp edge tore through my skin, excruciatingly slowly.

    It started wedging into my wrist. From the epidermis to the muscles.

    I kept driving my fingers lower.

    A setting pain shot up my hand as the bone invaded my wrist. I could feel my muscles ripping apart from the bone.

    Blood filled my wrist around the cuff.

    Without making a sound, I continued the slow work. Eventually, I couldn''t push the bone with my fingers any deeper.

    I took in a sharp breath.

    A pop sounded, and my finger dislocated. Now at a steeper against the bone, I curled my hand and the bone went further in.

    "Gah..." a gasp left me as blood continually poured out of my hand, yet my eyes remained focused. I twisted my wrist all over the cuff and smeared the insides with blood.

    Human blood.

    It was a great lubricant as long as it was pouring out. I pushed my hand ahead and yanked it back. The bone sticking out of my wrist was knocked away and a great stream of blood flowed out of my hand.

    Carefully, I started sliding my hand out of the cuffs, just enough to break free.

    The blood coursed down my wrist to my hand and then toward my shoulders, slowly dripping to the ground, but that didn''t matter.

    Soon enough, the bastard demon with a helm entered the cell.

    He first pulled out the keys to my chains and hopped in ce. The keys jingled as he jumped.

    Keeping an act of a broken soul, I lowered my head helplessly and watched him as he performed his antics.

    The demonughed to himself. Then, it walked over to me and pulled up a handful of flesh.

    I meekly let my mouth agape.

    The demon cackled and shoved the flesh in my mouth.

    Slowly, it pushed the raw innards in with its fingers.

    Just as the demon pushed the flesh inside, I opened wide and clenched down with all my might.

    "KAAA!!"

    Human jaws were surprisingly strong.

    In a go, Ipletely bit off the bastard''s fingers, chopping them off of his hands.

    The demon screamed and tried push me back. Right then, I pulled out my free hands from the cuffs.

    I drove my thumb inside the demon''s eye. My nails passed through his eyelids and then drove deep into his skull.

    The demon screamed again as it left my mouth away. No time to waste, I spat out its fingers. My thumb curled around the inside of its skull while my other fingers grasped it from the outside.

    I held the demon in my grip.

    And lifted it.

    It screamed again as I dug through its flesh and nerves.

    Its helm was annoying, but it didn''t cover its neck.

    "You sure loved to see me eat flesh, bitch."

    I muttered, my voice cracking.

    Lifting the demon closer, I opened my jaws again and bit its neck.

    Blood spurted out as my teeth dug into its neck. I chomped on it tight enough to keep him in ce. The demon gurgled as blood started to spill from its mouth, but I didn''t loosen my teeth.

    I lowered my hand and yanked the keys that bastard kept on his waist.

    Atst, bit off the demon''s neck as well and it fell to the ground.

    I spat away the flesh and looked down at the spasming demon.

    "Prepare, demons..." I said.

    "Your father is here."

 Chapter 147: Chapter 144: Bow Humans

    "First, I need to check the effectiveness of things."

    Titania watched in amusement as thedy of the Acacia Duchy stepped out of her room. She grabbed the first maid in the estate by the cor and pulled her to the side.

    "W-what? Who are you¡ª"

    A p usually shut most people up, so thedy did just that.

    "Look away for a bit, little fairy."

    Amused even further, Titania backed away and rested her head on her palms as thedy slowly pulled the maid down. A soft flutter sounded and thedy raised her veil.

    The cursed energy that Titania could sense increased a hundred folds.

    ''Should I have not let her have a moment with Eugy?''

    Titania reconsidered her previous actions at the sheer strength of the curse thedy possessed. It would have been severe if Eugene had been afflicted by the curse in her absence. She didn''t think his inability to see faces would have helped much, but she couldn''t be sure.

    In the blink of an eye, the maid''s eyes lost color and drool started falling out of her lips. Like an obedient zombie, she was only looking at thedy.

    "Gouge out your eye," thedy said.

    The maid moved her fingers towards her fingers without the hesitation of a second.

    "Stop," she said before the maid could hurt herself. "Still as terrible as ever, then."

    Thedy then tried to send the maid far away and issued some dyed orders. Her goal was to check if the curse would wear off with time or with distance since people would forget her in just a few seconds, but as if showing off its tenacity, the curse did not fall off.

    Titania thought at first that they were wasting their time, but ended up finding it fun and gave a bunch of suggestions for orders to thedy.

    "Sleep."

    Thedy said at the end.

    Almost magically, the maid fell asleep at her mere word.

    With crossed arms, thedy and Titania watched the maid. Just a few minutester, the maid suddenly looked up.

    "Eh? Where am I¡ª"

    The life in her eyes had returned.

    Thedy licked her lips as she watched the maid tilt her head and walk away as if thedy and the fairy standing right in front of her were just a figment of one''s imagination.

    At this point, there was nothing that could prove her existence to be anything beyond imagination.

    The one single proof she had was taken away.

    Bitterness rose in thedy''s heart all over again.

    "This is enough, little fairy. I''ll crush them all now."

    Leaving those words behind, thedy stepped out of the estate with renewed determination.

    A highly amused Titania followed in tow.

    She wanted to let thedy know that her partner was a monster of absurd proportions, but was quite enjoying herself at thedy''s antics. Keep the excitement alive on m-vl-em,pyr

    ***

    Thedy strode through the capital. She passed by the entrance of the second district and over to the first as if she were out on a walk in a garden.

    Not a single knight or a single guard turned her way as she ignored everything and passed through the main doors of the Imperial Pce.

    Like a ghost, thedy moved wherever she wanted to and no one could say a word. No one could see her.

    "Little fairy, please tell me if you sense more demonic energy."

    "Hm? Sure. You seem to know where to go though?"

    "I do."

    She knew more than well where she had to go. Aside from the Imperial family, it was only the two ducal houses that knew of the deep secrets of the Empire. If one went to count, it was even certain that the ducal houses would know even more secrets than the Imperial Family. As one of the pirs that made up the foundation of the Empire, their knowledge was the knowledge of the Empire itself.

    Any minor discrepancy between the ducal houses and the Imperial family would spell doom for the Empire. Though, her matter was different. Thedy, like her predecessors, was born to be sacrificed eventually.

    That fact was the only thing that had kept her from blowing up at the Empire, despite her being forgotten and receiving such a dishonorable death never being a part of the deal.

    But now...

    Lost in her thoughts, thedy reached her destination.

    In the lowest pits of the Imperial Castle, a hidden passage was ced behind what seemed like a stone wall. Just touching it would never reveal whaty beyond, but if someone walked through the wall, they would phase right through it and find the most secretive ce of the Empire.

    "Woah..." Titania whistled.

    Thedy frowned as her eyes fell on the sight in front of her.

    Hundreds.

    Hundreds of dead bodiesy on the ground. Their faces had been scrunched up and then bodies were dry, as if all the blood had been sucked out.

    Below those bodies was an enormous magic circle glowing in red.

    "Hahaha..." thedy chuckled. The glow of the magic circle was way too bright.

    They had surely charged it up well.

    Sighing, thedy confirmed thest parts of her n.

    "Just hold on a few more hours, guard..."

    ***

    Aegisthus von Tantalus Atrues, the noblest of the lineages in the age-old Atreus Empire, and the sun of the continent, the Emperor of Atreus Empir, sat in the enormous audience hall of the pce.

    With his purple robes flowing down the throne and the podium whole, the emperor leaned back and watched as his children stepped inside the room and lined up in front of him.

    The shadows of the Emperor, the highest trained soldiers had filled the room and were ready to sacrifice their lives for the Emperor.

    On both his sides were two of the only three Mythril Ranked adventurers, and the strongest beings in the world.

    The ruler of the dead, Death Queen, and the Strongest Adventurer in history, Kaiser.

    Even with such protection, the Emperor''s heart was aflutter.

    In this room where only the people he could trust the most remained, his mind was tense with the mattering up in a few days.

    At the end of the line, his youngest daughter, Anatolia, stepped inside the room following after her elder siblings, and stood at the side. Emperor Aegisthus watched her with a prolonged gaze.

    His mostpetent child. He felt deeply apologetic to her. It was during the time she should be celebrated that the fate of the Empire was hanging on the line.

    Aegisthus noticed a small bandage wrapped around Anatolia''s arm and made a note to ask her about it after this meeting ended.

    For now, they had to discuss the greatest problem for the umpteenth time.

    "The day, ising closer."

    Everyone in the room turned to the Emperor at his words.

    "We have taken hundreds of precautions, but their effectiveness will remain a mystery."

    Whether it be the gathering of the adventurers or the Acacia family that had failed to bring the newest generation of their ''flowers,'' nothing was certain to work.

    The Emperor sighed and turned to his side.

    There, Kaiser stared ahead at the princess with eyes wide open.

    The Emperor felt a bad premonition.

    ''What the hell is that monster shocked about?'' he thought. In a rush, the Emperor aligned his gaze with Kaiser''s but saw nothing.

    Suddenly, the chair behind Anatolia started floating up¡ª

    CRASH!!

    ¡ªAnd smashed into the princess.

    Everyone stood up in shock as Anatolia stumbled forward. The chair broke from the sheer force it was smashed with and only one of its legs was still floating.

    Anatolia''s hair was pulled up before anyone could react, and the princess was pulled back.

    The sharp floating leg of the chair was pointed right at her neck, and the figure of a veileddy slowly revealed itself.

    Her every breath, every flutter of her hair, every slight movement of her veil was enough to topple a country.

    "W-who in the world!?" A minister screamed.

    Aletes, the crown prince was about to move and attack the neer that had popped up from mid-air, but all the shadows of the Empire came out of hiding and pointed their des at the people inside the room.

    The Emperor too, was being pointed a sword at, and the two adventurers were being threatened with the safety of the Imperial Family.

    Something very, very wrong was happening.

    Before the Emperor could speak, thedy''s voice boomed.

    "Remember me, motherfuckers?" she said. "Well, I guess not."

    Thedy then pulled Anatolia by her hair and smashed her face into the wall.

    "You!" Alete screamed.

    Thedy snapped her fingers, and the shadows slowly dug their des into the neck of the other members of the Royal Family in the room.

    "Who are you?" the Emperor spoke.

    "Shut up, I''ll smash you with a chair," the answer came back. "I do the talking here."

    "Do you know who you are engaging with? Who in the world are you?" the Emperor spoke again in an attempt to threaten.

    At that, thedy stopped.

    She looked at the Emperor with Anatolia in her grasp. The young princess heaved and sighed as blood dripped from her forehead and nose.

    Thedyughed.

    In a go, she pulled back the leg of the chair.

    "Stop!!"

    "AHHH!"

    And stabbed it straight into the eye of the princess.

    "Bow, humans," thedy said.

    "Your mother is here."

 Chapter 148: Chapter 145: To Hell and Back

    "AHH! FUCK!"

    With her hand on her eye, the princess screamed in pain. The ritual of opening the Hell''s Doors also required the performer''s blood.

    Thedy was initially nning to smack the living shit out of the emperor, but just as she saw the princess with the wound, she started seeing red and struck down on the real culprit.

    The chances of her being coerced into this by the Imperial Family were exceedingly low. Despite her current state, thedy had indeed been the child of a ducal house as well as the fiancee of the crown prince, she knew just how much the entire family treasured this girl.

    "I liked you too, Ana."

    "Fuck!"

    "I thought it was cute when you used to call me ''big sister'' and chase me around like a little chick. When did you turn into such a bitch?"

    "W-why are you doing this¡ª"

    Thedy twisted the chair leg still wedged in the princess'' eye.

    "AHHH!"

    A bloodcurdling scream escaped the princess. Unable to watch anymore, Alete tried to rush toward the princess, but before he could move, Kaiser suddenly popped up behind him.

    Thedy shifted her gaze over to Kaiser who had ignored the shadows and stopped the Crown Prince. She knew that if he wanted to, he could have already knocked down everyone here and then killed her twice, no thrice over before she could even finish blinking. But the simple reason both he and the Death Queen stopped was the two little fairies moving around.

    "What''s happening here, aunt?"

    "They threw my partner in hell! How trash is that, Ophy?" Titania said, floating about casually.

    The other fairy was slightly stunned by her nonchnce.

    "Isn''t that worrying?"

    "What? Why?"

    "I mean, if he dies you''ll lose a part of your soul?" Ophelia''s tone was too questioning as if she wasn''t sure if the same rules applied to her aunt.

    "Why would he die?" Titania asked, in the same way, one would ask about the weather.

    "He won''t? I mean... that''s hell?"

    "Nah, this girlie said she''ll save him. Let''s go,dy! We have stuff to do!"

    Thedy smiled at the fairy''s words. She didn''t know if the fairy held immense confidence in her guard or if she didn''t care, either way, she was too scared to hold the same attitude.

    Pulling the princess down, she spoke to the emperor.

    "Open the doors to hell."

    "What¡ª"

    "I''ll kill this little bitch otherwise. Open it."

    "So that''s why you''re doing this!" The princess interjected. "You''re fighting for that fucker!"

    The people inside the room were stunned by the malice that dripped out of Anatolia''s words. Their eyes widened and spines straightened up at the sheer change from her usual attitude.

    "I didn''t know how that bastard was taken away, but now you want to fight for him! I knew it, you cursed evil wench, you sure suit that Euge¡ª"

    A thwack rang out.

    Then again.

    And then again.

    The princess'' head was smashed into the wall over and over. The wedged leg of the chair poked around and her screams of pain intensified, making even the hardened warriors on the scene flinch. Yet, thedy did not bat an eyelid.

    "No one likes a barking dog."

    "Kaha..." Anatolia chuckled.

    Even after being subjected to that torture, her maddened smile didn''t disappear.

    "You want to run after him to Hell? Do it! I''ll open the doors for you!"

    Thedy smiled and started dragging the princess by her hair. Following her, all the Emperor''s shadows nudged everyone into the room to walk along.

    As if she didn''t even realize she was being pulled, the princess continued screaming.

    "Go you wench! Go and die! You think you can save him?"

    The servants and the other staff in the pce could only watch as the top brass of the Empire was being dragged away at the point of a de, half of them were unable to even notice thedy.

    "It''s already toote! TOO LATE! He must have died already!"

    Thedy''s pace hastened. The princess continued her maddened mutterings before breaking into a loudugh.

    "Each hour here is a fucking day in hell, you wench! Do you think he can survive for ten days!? TEN DAYS!?"

    Thedy stopped.

    Her throat dried up.

    Ten days.

    Would he be awake for ten more days? Even people who said that they never sleep had a wink or two, but just that would be enough to make her guard forget her.

    Thedy''s steps began again.

    "So what?" she muttered in a low voice. "I''ll just make him remember."

    She had had enough of conceding. Find unique content at m-vl-em-py-r

    Thedy dragged everyone to the dungeon, and then to the hidden room.

    The Imperial Family was stunned at the confidence of thedy as she dragged them along. How this seemingly unknown person knew their secrets, was too shocking for them to ept, yet they had no choice but to do so.

    As their eyes fell on the rows of bodies and the glowing circle, Alete, and his other siblings gagged. The Emperor frowned as well.

    Thedy did not miss all these reactions. She was more confused as she realize the mad bitch in her hands had done everything on her own. From making the world forget her to the sacrifices.

    "You sure charged it up more than necessary," thedy said. The glow of the magic circle was too strong. It did not need any other sacrifice to run for now.

    "I had a demon to bring out, kahaha!"

    Thedy pulled the princess along to the center of the magic circle. Instead of asking the princess to wound herself, she yanked out the wood sticking out her eye.

    The princess screamed in pain again, her screams merging with herughter as her blood dripped out of her empty eye socket and onto the center of the magic circle.

    "Open it," Thedymanded.

    The princess muttered a chant in an ancientnguage, and the sky started to tremble.

    A crack appeared in the space in front of them as demonic energy radiated out. A ck portal was formed mid-air, leading straight to Bm''s territory in Hell.

    "Hahaha! Go, go to your death, bitch! I''ve fucking won!"

    "Death?" Thedy scoffed. She pulled the princess up and met her remaining eye.

    Many thoughts shed through her mind, from taking her along to gouging out the other eye as well, but decided against them.

    "I''lle back," she whispered. "And I''ll skin you alive. This revenge won''t just be mine, after all. Enjoy whatever days you have left, princess."

    With that, thedy tossed the princess away.

    Titania floated over to thedy and she took a step forward. Just before she entered the portal, she stopped.

    Thedy urgently turned back and looked at Alete von Tantalus Atreus. The crown prince was still staring at her with rage in his eyes.

    Thedy pulled out the ring on her left hand and tossed it over to Alete. The crown prince grabbed the ring instinctively and realized it was the same ring that he wore.

    His engagement ring.

    By the time the crown prince could look up again, thedy was already gone.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 149: Chapter 146: Eat

    "Guk... kah..."

    The demon I had bit through was spasming on the ground. As I jumped out of the chains binding me, I looked at the demon. Blood dripped out of its bitten neck and joined the puddle of remnants syed over the ground.

    I could slowly feel all my Mana and Kiing back. Waiting all this time didn''t just help me get in a better state after the beat down, I must have also managed to make every creature in this castle drop its guard.

    That, and...

    "These chains sure are interesting..." With my hand still bleeding out, I unhooked the chains and inspected them.

    That Bm was too strong. Even if I went all out, I wasn''t sure I could win.

    "Do these chains work on you guys?" I asked the demon. Its helm moved in weird ways at my words, quite tenacious.

    I pulled all the chains out and hung them over my shoulders. They weren''t suppressing my strength like this, but would whenever I made two ends meet. The cuffs seemed to be the center of this mechanism.

    A smile spread through my face at the undying demon.

    I snapped my fingers and a small magic circle formed above my hand. Through my spatial dimension, a single potion fell into my hands.

    I poured the potion over the demon''s neck.

    "Qua! Quaaa!!" The demon screamed as it started healing up. Potions seemed to work even on these things.

    It looked at the chains and pointed at itself as if telling me it would help me find out.

    I showed it a bright, gentle smile and dragged it out of my cell. The demon let me pull it by its leg as I moved out of the cell and looked at the other ones. My gaze was much clearer now, so I could see them properly.

    Remains of humans.

    Dozens of humans.

    Half of them were tied up in the same chains as me, with only their ribs or head remaining, while some didn''t leave behind any trace beyond a fresh scent of blood.

    What did this fucker make me eat?

    I moved over to thest cells in the dungeon. About six or seven people were left, some with holes in their stomachs others with their limbs cut off.

    The rattles of the chains resounded.

    They opened their eyes wide, and souls returned to their gaze.

    "Ah... AH!!"

    "HAH! AAAAH!!"

    Like crazed dogs, they stared at the demon I pulled along and screamed. Their shrill shrieks made my ears tremble.

    Perfect, these guys would do.

    I quickly took the keys again and started opening each of their cells. As I moved my hand, the gaping wound in my wrists stung, but I appreciated that. Theck of pain would make me fall asleep, this served as a good alternative to caffeine.

    The demon watched and the carved-out people continued growling. I went to one of them, a young boy, and pulled off his chains. I wondered how humansnded here, but that was a matter that I would handleter.

    As soon as the boy''s hand was freed, he tried to reach out for the demon. When I pulled the demon back, the boy turned to me and screamed.

    "Shut up," I said. Gripped by fear, not just the boy, but every prisoner in the ce stopped in their tracks in the face of my killing intent. Wild beasts. These people were already beyond instinct and operated on whatever was left of their broken minds.

    I moved to the other prisoners. Some had holes in their stomachs, while others'' thighs were neatly carved out. There were two women as well with their chests and hands cut through. Strange moss grew on their bodies while maggots danced in the bigger wounds.

    I gathered all of them in a ce and brought the demon in front of me. Their eyes moved as I moved the demon to the side.

    The demon shook its head as it realized what I was going to do.

    It desperately pointed at the chains, but only received my kind smile in return.

    Then, I tossed the demon ahead in front of them.

    As if a dam had broken, all the people ignored their wounds and pounced on the demon. It tried to fight back, but people at their dying breaths were to be underestimated.

    The young boy was kicked. He ignored the pain in his stomach and sank his teeth into the demon''s thighs.

    "AHHH!"

    The demon screamed out loud.

    One woman bit its neck, while another chomped down on its stomach. The demon must have taken a few bites off of them in front of them as well, as they focusedpletely on eating it.

    Chomps and slurps rang out loud, suppressing the incessant screams.

    I leaned back on a cage and watched. The demon turned its head up, I guess to stare at me.

    Aw.

    With a smile, I walked over to them.

    The humans stopped. Their mouths and hands were smeared with blood.

    The young boy turned to me with a face that radiated ecstasy, a feeling that poured beyond my sight. Carefully, with both his hands, he offered me the liver of the demon.

    I kept smiling and snapped my fingers again.

    The demon stared at me.

    My mana was recovering, I didn''t need to use the magic circle anymore.

    I summoned one of the three supreme-grade potions I had stowed away.

    "Ahh!" A sigh of relief escaped the demon.

    Then, I poured all of it on the demon''s body.

    A sizzling sound rang out as its wounds started stitching together again. This potion was said to fix anything that wasn''t removed from your body, it seemed to be true as its flesh started regenerating and its skin stitched together again.

    The humans looked at me, and then at the demon again.

    The demon was happy.

    One screamed¡ª

    "AHH!"

    ¡ªAnd bit down on the demon again.

    With renewed vigor, all of them started eating the demon once more.

    My smile became natural and I nodded. I pulled out the remaining potions from my spatial storage as well and handed them to the people who didn''t think of using the potions on themselves for a second.

    The demon''s relief turned into horror as its eyesnded on the remaining potions.

    The boy that I had freed first gently bowed his head at me and resumed eating.

    I ruffled his hair with my bloodied hand and walked away.

    The screams of the demon continued ringing in the prison.

    The grin on my face widened even more and more.

    My heart was pounding and my breaths were heavy.

    I couldn''t wait to make them suffer more.

 Chapter 150: Chapter 147: Blood Dance of the Killer

    "What are you nning to do now?"

    Standing idly under the red sky, with the castle of Demon King Bm in front of their eyes, thedy and Titania prepared to dive in.

    Before thedy could reply, a group of purple octopi passing from the side stopped and stared at them.

    Thedy''s eyes narrowed.

    "Qua Quack?!"

    "Quack..."

    They noticed her right away. It seemed her disappearance was only something that worked up in the mortal realm.

    With a bright smile, thedy held the bottom of her veil.

    "Turn away, little fairy," she said.

    Before the demons could notice anything, their eyes turned hazy and all of them stopped in their tracks.

    "Perfect," said thedy. "Now, who''s the strongest?"

    One octopus demon stepped ahead. Its purple limbs danced around as thedy called it closer.

    "You guide us, everyone else, please kill yourselves!"

    At her kind words, the demons all shoved their tentacles into their heads and yanked their brains out before dropping dead.

    Thedy turned away from the gruesome scene and smiled at the castle of the demon king.

    It was her time to rescue the kidnapped kid.

    ***

    The door of the prison in the demon king''s castle broke open.

    Two ram-headed demons, standing guard, flinched as the sturdy iron door suddenly fell beside them. Gripping their bone spears, they took a stance and red at the door.

    White hair flickered into their sight.

    White hair, stained with the color of blood.

    As the being behind stepped out of the darkness of the prison, the red light of hell''s skies reflected off his blood-smeared face. His clothes were ragged and a squelching sound spread as his bloodied feet took each step.

    The demons trembled.

    A sense of fear they hadn''t felt before gripped them.

    It was a human. The human that their seniors had dragged in ten days back had stepped out. It was an emergency that required them to run to inform others, but they couldn''t find the courage to even move.

    Cold, uncaring.

    His gaze which seemed to be detached from this world made him seem like a wise sage.

    Then, the human turned.

    He looked at the spear-wielding demon on his left.

    His lips spread into a grin and a madder tint filled his eyes.

    Cold?

    "Qu-QUAAA!"

    The demon screamed and drove its spear ahead. The nimble human twisted his body and dodged the spear, his body drove forward as he stretched his hands ahead. Before the demon could react, the human shoved one of his palms and gripped the demon''s upper jaw.

    In the same swift movement, he pulled on its lower jaw with his other hand and pulled.

    A ripping sound spread.

    Like a knife cutting through a block of hot butter, he separated the demon''s cranium from the rest of its body.

    A geyser of blood spread out.

    The second demon reached out to attack.

    With a light kick, he pivoted off the demon''s limp body and twisted back again.

    His hands gripped the torn half of the demon''s head. In a swift blow, he thundered the skull down on the second demon''s head.

    A thwack sounded as the demon lost its bearings.

    Unceasing.

    Unstopping.

    The human pummeled the head of the demon with the skull of its partner.

    In a few blows, its skin ripped apart, its muscles turned into mush, and eventually, its bones caved in on its brains.

    With each sessive hit, the human cackled.

    "Wh-what! That human escaped!" A demon shouted in anguage the human didn''t understand. His gaze was stolen, and he tossed the skull away.

    He could hear.

    Dozens of demons came rushing to his spot. All of them with different weapons and wands in their grasp. Others ran to inform the senior demons while the rest stayed to face him.

    His ears trembled from the sounds of violins.

    His steps, like the dance of a ballerina, light, and fading.

    The demons rushed toward him. One charged right overhead with a sword.

    The trill of the vocals boomed in his head.

    His hands moved, and a spear of seething mes plunged through the demon.

    The others stopped.

    He arched, hearing a song no one else could.

    "D-don''t let him get away!!"

    "K-kill him!! Kill the bastard!"

    The tune of the cello.

    Discover more at m-vl-em|p-yr

    "GAHH!"

    With each punch, he tore through the chest of a demon.

    With each flick of his wrists, his spells tore through another.

    The fill-ins of the flutes.

    "I-impossible..."

    "GAHHH!"

    The walls broke apart.

    Corpses lined up everywhere the demons went. A storm that didn''t blow, but cut.

    Such a storm had set out.

    He winced at the plucking of the bass.

    ck blood sprayed in all directions, soaking his entire body as he tore apart another demon atop himself.

    The intermezzo passed.

    "W-who is this bastard!"

    "We have 80 dead in just minutes! We can''t stop him!"

    "N-no!!! AHHH!"

    The crescendo approached.

    "Someone call the captains! The 40 legions!"

    The dance of blood raged.

    "AHHH!NOOOO!"

    Like the rage of Zeus! The cry of Poseidon!

    "Die!"

    Lightning of judgment struck the demons. A tsunami of murder they could not contain.

    Dozens turned into hundreds as the human kept killing everything in his path. His lips wore an ecstatic grin as his feet twirled, his dance unfazed.

    The walls cracked.

    An inexplicable pressure filled the second floor of the demon king''s castle before it swallowed up the entire castle itself.

    The human''s eyes widened.

    The floor above him disappeared.

    Hundreds of ck bars spilling with demonic energy stumbled from the sky and tore deep into the stomachs of all the monsters around. In the blink of an eye, the human dodged them all.

    His gaze turned up, and he raised his hands.

    Shields. Hundreds and hundreds of shields appeared above him.

    The wings of a hawk pped, and a demon came crashing down from the floors above right at the human.

    His shields were torn apart. One after the another, all of them turned to dust.

    The human''s eyes widened as thest of his shields broke apart.

    A shockwave spread through the air, sting away all the walls of the castle.

    The music stopped.

    The human''s palms grasped the fist of a demon. Its hawk-like wings froze in the air as its eyes red at the human.

    "ytime is over, human."

    The demon''s voice boomed.

    "I, uros, themander of the 37th Legion of Lord Bm, shall put an end to your life. Consider it an honor¡ª"

    The human swung his fist, and the demon blocked.

    "Tsk, you uncouth beast."

    uros swung his head ahead, and his enemy answered in kind.

    Their heads smacked each other with all their force. uros took a slow step back andnded on the ground.

    The human was smiling.

    With a scowl, uros shifted his gaze all over the ce. Dead bodies left in such a gnarly state that even vultures wouldn''t feed on them were sttered around like confetti. Amidst it all with his pale skin and snowy hair dyed in ck blood, the human was smiling happily.

    uros believed his appearance only made the human happier.

    Was he calling him a human?

    Such cold, precise movements, all with such a bright, ecstatic grin. Forget humans, even the vilest of demons would not be able to do it.

    uros could slowly understand why his master wanted this being.

    He wasn''t a human, nor a demon. He was a killing machine.

    "It seems I underestimated you..." uros shook his head. He gently loosened the tie of his suit and rolled up his sleeves. "I''ll face you with all my strength."

    The demon stepped ahead.

    Demon energy oozed out of his body.

    His feet touched the ground.

    "AAAAH!"

    "GAHHH!"

    The onlookers screamed. Some''s veins ruptured while others fell on the ground, some were even blown away from the castle.

    His energy spread. Dense, murderous.

    From the castle to the castle grounds.

    To the districts outside.

    And in the blink of an eye.

    All of Bm''s capital was gripped by uros'' strength.

    "Now,e. Human. Show me what you can do¡ª"

    "¡ªHaha..."

    Heughed.

    He grasped his face...

    "HAHAHAHA!"

    ... andughed.

    "HAHAHA!! HAHAHA! Haaahha..."

    He leaned ahead and took a deep breath. Suddenly, his cackles stopped.

    Over thest ten days, even if he couldn''t use his energy.

    He could still cultivate it.

    "What did you say, you, take me seriously?"

    The human''s cold voice reached uros.

    A chill crept up the demon''s spine.

    Something was wrong.

    With his painstaking efforts, over so, so many days.

    After two entire years.

    That human had filled his internal energy.

    To a 100%

    "uros,mander of whatever..." he red at the demon.

    His deeply contained energy trembled.

    The demon shrunk.

    "You''re not worth hearing my name."

    ¡ªBOOOOOM!

    The energy of the single human contained deep within the castle of a demon king came bursting forth.

    The demons that were left alive flew away while the stronger ones died in their spots.

    The shaking walls of the castle were blown away.

    Beyond the castle, the walls, the district...

    The capital...

    All of Bm''s Kingdom trembled.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 151: Chapter 148: Storm of Destruction

    A thunderous crash echoed.

    From the walls of the demon king''s castles, a ck object flew out like a cannonball taking the skies.

    The wings of the escaped demon pped and he got back in bnce.

    Flying midair, the demon, uros, summoned his energy into his hands.

    A seven-meter-long beam of pure ck iron formed above his hand.

    "HUMAN!!" uros screamed.

    With his bloodied hair fluttering behind his back, Eugene jumped out of the broken castle and took to the red skies.

    Below or above, beyond his enemy, nothing entered his sight.

    He kicked off a hexagonal shield and dashed ahead. With each step his speed growing faster and faster.

    "[ck Hawk Dive]"

    At uros'' chant, the beam of ck tore through the air and shot toward Eugene.

    With a careful gaze, Eugene evaluated the iing attack.

    He raised one hand and Ki swirled around him.

    Like the blooming of a flower, a giant de made of his Ki formed ahead of him as he continued onward.

    The enormous de with Eugene''s will.

    "[Intent Ki: Reversing Autumn]"

    Like a gently falling leaf, the de of Ki floated upward.

    The de and the ck beam crashed into each other.

    A shockwave spread through the sky as the two attacks gouged each other apart.

    And as if it were as important as the tussle of two ants, the culprits behind the attacks ignored them.

    uros'' wings pped. Eugene''s shield propelled him onward.

    As their attackspletely cut each other apart, the demon and the human shed.

    Their fists struck and a st iparable to the one before spread out.

    "Kuh!" The demon grunted. His hand bled, he was pushed back.

    Not missing the opportunity, Eugene dived ahead and grasped one of the chains hanging over his shoulder.

    The chains grabbed.

    The demon ducked.

    Eugene hopped off another shield and tried to wrap uros in the chains again.

    Nimble and swift, the winged demon used his advantage in the air and narrowly avoided his attempts.

    Side, back, the demon dashed and Eugene followed.

    uros snapped his fingers.

    As Eugene approached, the air around him turned ck in the blink of an eye.

    Three dozen rods of ck formed mid-air.

    "Futile," the human said. As he tried to get the demon''s hands in the chain, the ck rods were cut apart by his Ki.

    In a rush, the demon leaped back and created a wide distance between them.

    A chuckle escaped uros.

    Attacking was haphazard, as long as the direction was toward his target and his arrows numerous, other things didn''te into y. But that human pierced all of his attacks with extreme uracy in the blink of an eye.

    Just how strong was he? Maybe at the level of themanders of the top ten legions?

    uros couldn''t help but think that his attacks truly were futile. He lowered his stance mid-air and tried to gather strength¡ª

    "Fool, I am not talking about your attacks."

    ¡ª He couldn''t summon his strength. He lost the feeling of the demonic energy coursing through his veins. uros peered down and looked at his ankle.

    The cuffs of the chains were sped to him.

    "I am talking about your very existence."

    Eugene pulled the chain. Dragged by his feet, uros shot through the air and closed in on Eugene.

    He couldn''t react. Even if he wanted to, even if he had the ability to, he couldn''t.

    Eugene smiled.

    A piercing pain spread through Faluros'' plexus as Eugene smashed his elbow in.

    uros crashed down from the skies. His body arched upward as blood spilled from his stomach.

    Before he could hit the ground, Eugene pulled back again. This time, he smashed his fists, and then kicked him. The demon yo-yo came crashing up and down as Eugene pulled the chains around, cackling like a child.

    He spun the chains in his hand and twirled uros along.

    "Good! It works well!"

    Perhaps not having fun anymore, Eugene let go of the demon and raised his hands in the air. Mana swirled above his hands, sending gusts of wind in all directions.

    The demon bellowed, Its eyes bloodshot.

    Too powerful. Even after facing that pressure, it was too powerful. It was as hopeless as facing his seniors.

    uros knew he would either sacrifice everything or die by the hands of that human.

    Seeing the magic circle asrge as a mountain form above Eugene''s hands, he shuddered..

    Did this human lose his mind, or did he know that the he would have to face Bm and decided he could show this much strength?

    "It isn''t over yet!!" uros'' scream spread through the skies.

    Suddenly, a sh of lightning struck in the red ocean above.

    Eugene raised his brow.

    The demon''s body squirmed as the demonic energy contained within him raged like a tempest.

    The red skies started to boast a bloody tint.

    ck veins spread through uros'' grey skin as the two horns on his head erged. Hs wings spread further into the skies.

    Rips sounded out. His muscles bulged and his eyes widened.

    "AHHHH!"

    uros screamed.

    "[TRUE DEMON FORM]!!"

    ***

    "Do you see, foolish girl?"

    The voice of a fairy that no demon in hell could hear resounded.

    Barely keeping her posture from the sheer pressure the two existences exuded, thedy of Acacia Duchy slowly nodded while staring up. Her heart pounded incessantly as she looked at the blood-soaked image of her guard.

    The pain he must have gone through was unimaginable for her, how crazed must he have been to be covered in blood from top to bottom yet have but one scratch on himself?

    But beyond that, her eyes were fixed on one thing.

    He was smiling. As he thrashed the demon, he wore a manic grin that she had never noticed on his stoic, cold face.

    "Did you say you wanted to help him?" the fairy said.

    Something changed. Lightning shed and the demon screamed. The pressure all over the ce grew as thedy struggled to stand upright.

    "Did you think you know him?"

    She did. She believed she had learned about him just as much as he had learned about her in their days together. Yet, the fairy seemed to think otherwise.

    "You say you''re cursed? Evil? Sure." The fairy, ignoring all the pressure in this ce, leaned down toward thedy and peered into her eyes. She seemed to be having fun. "Look carefully. If you want to love, go love your kind, a human, demon, elf, it doesn''t matter.

    Whether that being is more evil than your or more unneeded than you, good for you."

    She pointed at her guard.

    The demon transformed, and her guard smiled.

    He raised his other hand as well, and a purple glow filled the magic circle he had created. Thedy''s eyes widened as she saw the impossible amounts of Arcana rising into his spell.

    The demon tried to reach out, and her guard snapped his fingers.

    "You shouldn''t try to know..."

    Everything was quelled. The pressure surrounding them, the demon''s screaming, the threatening skies.

    One voice boomed.

    "[Trinity Series. Destruction Attribute...]"

    She blinked¡ª

    "[Storm of Destruction]"

    ¡ªAnd the demon uros had been wiped from the surface of Hell.

    And with him.

    A third of the Capital City of Bm''s reign disappeared.

 Chapter 152: Chapter 149: Clear Mind

    A skull clinked.

    "None of my legions are here."

    In the ruins of the demon king''s castle, a low voice boomed.

    "Humans aren''t creatures of logic, it seems."

    A bear growled as if purring to its owner.

    "It was time to rece uros anyway."

    Deep in the ruins of the castle, demonic energy stirred.

    ***

    Thedy felt an ache in her heart.

    She looked at her guard as he gently gazed over the destruction he had caused.

    ''He''s not what you know,'' the fairy had said.

    That was true. It certainly was.

    She also knew the fairy was trying to separate them. For whatever reason it was, it didn''t seem the fairy''s worlds held malice, but she wasn''t willing to listen to a load of bull like that.

    She didn''t know him? She would learn about him then, no matter how much he changes, she just needs to learn about him.

    But how far?

    How far did she want to know her guard?

    A part of her heart wanted to chide her for thinking such things while in fucking hell, but her mind knew that rejecting thoughts was just as smart as cutting the branch one sat on.

    She was confused.

    What was the rtionship between her and her guard?

    Her cheeks, ever-so-slightly, flushed a red tint. She immediately cooled her head down and thought of something else. Was this pounding in her heart because of who her guard was or because he was the only one who remembered her?

    No, even if it was because he was the only one who didn''t, it didn''t change the fact that he was the one and no one else, so wasn''t it stupid to reject her thoughts for such a reason?

    Thedy felt like her head was a spiral and she was diving down inside it. Her thoughts were slipping under her feet and then going over her head as she plunged deeper and deeper into the unending abyss.

    A chill down her spine interrupted her.

    Her eyes widened, and she turned toward the castle.

    It was different. It was different from anything she had seen yet.

    If that demon was like ake and her guard was like an ocean, what she felt was a wisp of mes.

    It was out of ce. Extremely out of ce.

    Her guard seemed to have noticed too.

    With a shit-eating grin, her guard pped.

    "That''s the way!!"

    Her guard screamed all of a sudden.

    She could feel something stepping out from the castle.

    "Thatst fool didn''t get it, but you do, don''t you Bm!?"

    Bm.

    The demon king was approaching.

    The size of a bear, the horns of a ram.

    Wings of a hawk and the tail of a serpent.

    With his gnarly, hairy skin merged with the fur of the brown bear, the demon king stepped closer and closer.

    His steps were quiet, and his energy sunk low. He didn''t need to announce his presence to the world, he was beyond that.

    Thedy gulped.

    She didn''t think even she could feel ufortable, but that nasty thing made her feel so.

    "HAHAHA! Amazing!!" Completely out of ce, her guard continuedughing and celebrating. "One! Should Fucking! Transform! AWAY FROM THE ENEMY!"

    Deep malice dripped from his every word.

    Thedy shuddered.

    Was the demon scary? No, this monster that wasughing felt much worse right now.

    "Stupid human,"

    Bm''s voice rang.

    Slow, loud, it boomed over the red skies that turned redder by the minute.

    "It''s fine though. You are not just strong, but also bold," the demon king said.

    Thedy pursed her lips.

    "They are the perfect qualities for my wife."

    Perfect qualities for my wife.

    For my wife...

    Wife...

    Thedy''s scared head cooled down in an instant.

    ''Heh?''

    She muttered.

    ''What?''

    Her heart pounded.

    ''What in the world?''

    Wife. Wife. Wife.

    That word kept resounding in her head. As if monks were banging a bell on new year''s eve, her mind rebooted and had an equally fresh start, still the virus called the word ''wife'' did not leave her systems.

    She gazed at the demon king. He said something, but she couldn''t hear.

    She noticed his gaze as he looked at her guard.

    Wife?

    The demon king? To her guard? Wife???

    WIFE????

    All of a sudden, rity dawned on thedy.

    She clenched her fists till blood poured out from her palms. Her teeth sunk into her lips.

    "Little fairy," she spoke in a whisper.

    "What the heck? You''re conscious enough to speak?" the fairy sounded surprised, but she couldn''t bother with her yet.

    "Is there a way for us to hide? Someway the demon king can''t use us against him?"

    "Oh, my." The fairy smiled. "It seems you are nning something interesting?"

    Thedy sighed.

    "And also, the way to go back, do you know it?"

    "I do," the fairy said, an amused grin on her face. The twobatants continued threatening each other. "Since the demon king brought you here, the way to go back is in his castle too."

    Perfect.

    "In ten seconds, can you hide us away?"

    "Well, I am a guide..." the fairy suddenly came closer and smiled. "But since you''re so cute, I''ll take action for you this once. My shields won''t be prated by some little demon kings, especially not someone like this loser."

    Thedy nodded.

    Then, she took a deep breath.

    The fairy excitedly watched as thedy stepped ahead.

    Thedy''s head was clear. Clearer than ever.

    The swamp had been emptied out and reced by a nice little pond with lilypads and boats whole. There wasn''t a need to think anymore.

    "Cease this, Human! Just shut up and be my wife."

    The demon king screamed.

    "Shut up and get pummeled you son of a bitch¡ª"

    Thedy opened her mouth wide.

    "HEY SHITTY DEMON!!"

    In the red skies of hell, a young girl''s beautiful voice echoed.

    The battlefield quietened as thebatants noticed the neer. Their lips sealed.

    "LAY OFF!! THAT MAN IS GOING TO BE MY WIFE!!"

    The red skies of hell carried that voice far, far away.

 Chapter 153: Chapter 150: Just Kidding

    The voice of thedy resounded over the skies of hell. The demon king and the human were stunned at the sudden scream of the neer.

    "Who?" Eugene muttered.

    His eyes, filled with a madder glow, started to calm down and he looked at the scream''s source. A fluttering veil, an unmatched beauty in her every breath.

    "Fancy seeing you here, mydy!" Eugene said, hiding away the urge to stop and call her cool right away.

    Thedy pped her hands together and pulled her chin up, looking straight at her guard.

    "Did you wait too long, guard?" she said.

    Eugene felt a smile spread over his lips as thedy turned his own words on him.

    "Just ten days," he answered.

    In the next moment, a sh of ck filled the skies.

    Before anyone could react, the demon king swung his arm. A gust of ck wind spread through the skies and blitzed toward thedy.

    The demon''s attack slid away from thedy as if avoiding her with a will of its own.

    "What?" The demon king eximed.

    Titania simply flicked her hand, and the attack was deflected away. The demon showed its fangs to thedy.

    "Guard!!" She screamed. "Hold on for a bit, I''ll get you ou¡ª"

    Before she could finish speaking, Titania snapped her fingers and their figures started to fade away.

    They were going to find a way to escape.

    The demon king scowled and raised his hands. He wanted to attack them before the intruders could leave.

    A sudden heat blew over his skin. The demon king hurriedly dropped his attack and turned his gaze up.

    A giant sword of fire was staring right back at him.

    Ignoring his escapingpanions, the human madlyughed.

    "Foolish Human!" The demon king screamed. The meters-long sword of seething mes came tumbling down toward it.

    With a great roar, the demon filled his fists with demon energy. As the tip of the deep red de approached him, he punched ahead. The ck energy coursed through the de as it started fading away in the air.

    Eugene was already preparing another spell. He whistled as the sword of mes disappeared from the skies. Layers uponyers of ethereal magic circles formed around him, spinning with his every word.

    "Listen to my voice, all-embracing Earth! Return the lost child to your bosom. [Return To Earth]!"

    The many magic circles glowed. Bm raised his brows as the ground below his feet trembled.

    Walls emerged from the earth and spun around his body. Bm crushed them with his arms, but the ground of Hell was incessant. It rapidly wrapped itself around the demon andpressed down. Over and over, the ground rose and crashed into the demon.

    Eugene watched it happen, scrutinizing the movement of his spell that needed a chant.

    "Hmm..." he muttered. Clicking his tongue, he snapped his fingers, andyers uponyers of hexagonal shields started forming around him.

    "[Honeb Defense: Hexagonal Shieldsx8192 - Absolute Shield]"

    Eight thousand shields merged to form a single the size of his palm. The mixture of the transparent shields had turned white. Carefully, Eugene adjusted the position of the shield¡ª

    "Petty tricks!" The demon''s voice boomed.

    His coffin of the earth was blown to smithereens. The earth tried to catch Bm again, so he punched down straight. In the blink of an eye, a crater formed below Bm''s hand as the ground he stood on was gouged out to form a precise, small well of ck at the bottom.

    Bm jumped. His figure was too fast for Eugene to track.

    "Fine, before those rats, this is my duty too!"

    Eugene raised his hand and narrowed his gaze, his shield at the ready.

    "I''ll discipline you first!"

    The demon appeared above him. Taking the entire momentum of his fall, his wings pped and his body stomped down with his feet. Eugene''s shield shed straight with the demon''s attack.

    An explosion spread through the air.

    A crack appeared through the center of the shield, but it wasn''t broken. Eugene smiled, this power was iparable to uros''.

    His vision turned ck and blood rose from his stomach.

    As if a meteor falling through him, the demon''s feetnded on his stomach with all its initial momentum. Eugene almost cked out from the pain as his body arched like a bow, and in the next moment, he shot away like an arrow.

    A trail of blood spilled out of his mouth, coursing through the red skies like a bullet, Eugene was unable to move his body. His speed made the heated wind cut his skin apart.

    He wriggled his fingers and the absolute shield came shooting toward his back. His body shed against the shield and his movement came to a stop.

    Eugene ced his feet on the shield and sat mid-air. He coughed out a ball of blood as color slowly returned to his eyes. Below him was the half of the city that he had destroyed.

    What in the world was that? Teleportation? No, the demon didn''t have good enough control to do that without inciting a single reaction in the mana.

    "Just what the fuck kind of..." His gaze fell on his shield. The half that had a crack did not exist anymore.

    The demon approached from far away.

    Suddenly, his mind kicked into overdrive. Blood dripped from his nose as the previously fast demon king now seemed to be following a snail''s pace.

    Memories linked with observations, thedy, his meeting with the demon, her fading existence, the change in facts, the change in truth.

    Time hastened again, and Eugene jumped off the shield.

    Bm''s gust of demonic energy curved toward Eugene, but he remained one step faster.

    Then, as the demon was right on his nose, a punch came hurtling toward Eugene. He raised his hands to block.

    The punch touched Eugene''s palm, and in the next moment, he spun around.

    A crash resounded.

    Bm was already behind him.

    His punch had stretched out, but Eugene swerved to the right and narrowly avoided it.

    A gust of wind spread from the sheer force of the punch, leaving a tiny cut on Eugene''s cheeks.

    "What?" Bm spoke, and his eyes widened.

    "Why do all you demons have such wack powers?" Eugene spoke. He maintained a carefree attitude but was desperately thinking about his enemy. That aftershock of a single punch was too strong, he wouldn''t be able to win. "Cause and effect, huh? It''s probably easier to control your actions, but it doesn''t seem toe easy."

    "You''re not just bold and strong, but also smart."

    Eugene scoffed.

    He still had three chains after destroying one on the previous bastard. The chance wasn''t gone yet.

    "Didn''t you hear back there?" Smiling, Eugene pulled his hand back. Mana and Ki merged around his fists. "I am already taken!"

    Bm''s stomach arched. The demon was pushed back as Eugene pulled out his chains.

    "Kah! So, you know my ability. What does it change!?"

    Bm''s wings pped. A torrent spread and the demon approached the human again.

    A kick from the center. Eugene narrowly avoided it, and the kick turned into a punch.

    Eugene predicted the move and grasped the demon''s hand to put the cuffs on, causing the demon to pull back.

    A stormy melee broke out as the two engaged in closebat. Whenever the demon punched, Eugene blocked and countered. The demon''s kicks switched into strikes and punches turned into smashes as an unpredictable flurry broke out.

    With every move, Eugene tried to lock the demon in his cuffs but failed by a hair''s breadth.

    He avoided and countered every move he could as mini-storms emerged from Bm''s thunderous attacks.

    "Stand down!" The demon screamed. He reached closer with a headbutt that suddenly turned into a kick to his sides.

    Unable to dodge, Eugene used the narrow gap to send his shield to his side. With every blow, he smashed into the unmoving shield and avoided the fate of being thrown into the skies.

    Blood started filling Eugene''s sight, except this time, it was his own.

    The exchange raged, but the side at the advantage was clear. Not only the hits but the haphazard way that Eugene used to stop himself piled up damage over and over.

    His organs throbbed and his muscles screamed. Continuing would be dangerous soon.

    He had to change his tactics, as unpredictable as the demon.

    Recalling his experiences, Eugene moved.

    He lowered the chains andunched into a sh of hits. Filling each attack with his mana or his Ki, Eugene unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches on Bm.

    The demon avoided and blocked, every time he countered, Eugene would smack his back against his shield and immediately dive back in as if pain didn''t exist for him.

    "Tsk." It felt reckless.

    He was naive.

    The demon sent out a punch and followed with a boom of his energy. It knocked Eugene off bnce. The demon''s fist hit his stomach and he hurtled backward.

    Bm reached ahead to pummel him into the shield, but instead, the shield itself approached him rapidly.

    Eugene smiled. He turned his head to the side as the shield was right in front of Bm.

    On the shield, a small magic circle was engraved.

    Bm''s eyes widened as a zap of lightning struck him.

    Not missing the chance, Eugene reached out again and locked his chains onto the demon.

    "Take this, bastard!"

    Bm shook his head, the shock of electricity fresh in his mind. He looked down and found both his wrists in the hold of the chains.

    "Shit!" the demon screamed.

    "Now," Eugene smirked. "My turn."

    Summoning his strength, Eugeneunched ahead. Ki enveloped his fists and coiled around his arms as he moved to smack the demon square in the jaw¡ª

    His eyes cked out again. Eugene crashed into his shield once more as blood spilled from his mouth.

    Too much. He had taken too much damage.

    With his surprise not hidden, Eugene looked up.

    "Just kidding,"

 Chapter 154: Chapter 151: Dont Fall

    His eyes cked out again. Eugene crashed into his shield once more as blood spilled from his mouth.

    Too much. He had taken too much damage.

    With his surprise not hidden, Eugene looked up.

    "Just kidding," Bm said. He crushed the cuffs and threw the chains away. "These don''t work on beings with too much energy."

    Eugene tried to get up, but his mind was spinning. His ears rang desperately as he neared his limit.

    "Well, there go your weapons."

    The demon approached, slow and steady.

    Bm''s hand soared. "Good try, now, I''ll show you how to punch."

    Eugene tried to move away, but his feet lost bnce. Blood poured out from his ears as well from the piled-up injuries.

    The demon swung.

    Eugene groaned... but the hit never came.

    "What the! What is this!?"

    Eugene smacked his head and forced his eyes to focus. Wrapped around the demon''s arms were chains of pure ck. Chains that moved on their own.

    "Catene!" Eugene screamed. His chains that had been taken away by the demons returned. Tied to its back was a small cloth with words written in blood etched over it.

    ''Don''t fall,'' they said. It was the empire''snguage.

    Taking in a sharp breath, Eugene turned away from the demon struggling with the chains and moved his shield away. His body slumped on his shields as he hurriedly increased the distance.

    He reached into his spatial dimension and pulled out the strongest remaining potion he had left. In a go, Eugene downed the potion, the effects almost immediately decreased the pressure on his mind and his vision grew clearer.

    Bm turned to the escaping Eugene.

    "CATENE! RETURN!"

    The chains with a mind of their own smacked the demon king in the face and dashed away.

    Bm followed the escaping Eugene with an attack of his own. Gusts of ck energy spread from his palms and rushed after Eugene.

    "Modo Difesa," he muttered as the chains turned into a cloak and wrapped around Eugene. All the attacks of the demon crashed against the chain.

    "[Smoke]"

    A cloud of smoke rose from the point of impact.

    Visibility was covered and the presence of many attacks took away the feeling of his energy.

    The demon king hastened.

    As he came closer to the cloud of smoke and reached out, his hand was scratched.

    "Modo Attacio."

    The chain turned into a ck sword. Gripping it with both his hands, Eugene approached the Demon King again.

    A flurry of swings emerged as Eugene swung his sword at the Demon King. As if finding it fun, the demon king bellowed at every hit.

    The sword strikes were countered by punches and blocked by demonic energy. Eugene shot arrows and spears of magic, but all of those met with their match.

    He shed downward, and immediately switched to his side as Bm disappeared.

    Cuts and scratches appeared on Bm''s body. His wings were bloodied and his chest was carved.

    The battle grew longer, but the oue didn''t change.

    Bm kept countering and changing his movements at every spot, crushing Eugene with his blows all over again.

    Blood continued to spill from his mouth as Eugene parried a strike, his movements were growing weaker.

    A ck spear struck.

    Eugene who had countered all of them with his magic fell short.

    The spear lodged itself into his shoulders.

    "So, you got a weapon, you learned my ability, did you think you would win?" Bm said. "ept defeat. Biding for time is useless."

    Eugene''s eyes grew hazy. The cloth tied to the chain stuck in its sword form.

    Don''t fall.

    "This is your fate. That human girl is going to be my meal."

    Don''t fall.

    "And you are going to be stuck with me for all eternity."

    He didn''t need a fucking reminder from someone else. Not him.

    Don''t fall?

    Bm approached.

    "Your eyes are still rebellious."

    He raised his hands above Eugene.

    Don''t fall? Fucking who do you think will fall?

    "This won''t kill you, so go sleep."

    "GAH!" A scream left Eugene. A fist was smashed into his chest.

    He flew backward and smacked against his shield. The shield was pushed back. Bm punched again. And again. Over and over.

    The shield cracked.

    Eugene groaned.

    A crash rang, and the shield broke apart.

    "HAH!" Bm kicked Eugene, and he went crashing into the ground.

    Limp, Eugene was unable to move as he went deep inside the ground. Strength left his body as he arched forward.

    A crater, hundreds of meters long was formed all around him with the limp Eugene at the center.

    Bm descended from the sky.

    His gazended on Eugene, and he sighed.

    Shaking his head, the demon king turned away. It had been a long time since he was injured this much.

    Tap, his feet rang out.

    "Now, to take care of those ants.''

    Tap.

    Bm closed his eyes and slowly made his way toward his castle.

    "Ah... I really didn''t want to do this."

    An eerie feeling climbed up the Demon King''s back.

    Something was standing up. Something was behind him.

    "It kinda kills me from inside, but well..."

    Bm stopped.

    "Don''t fall, huh?"

    Ki? Mana? What was it? What was surging up? Demonic energy? Holy energy?

    No. This feeling didn''t belong to any of them. It was something far more dangerous, far more cursed.

    "Who is falling?"

    It was the signal of the end.

    Bm hurriedly opened his eyes and turned back.

    It was gone.

    The red sky of hell.

    The eternal red sky that reminded them of their ce, had disappeared.

    Instead, there was darkness.

    Absolute, unending darkness.

    "[WORLD''S]"

    The voice boomed.

    Hell had gone quiet as the sky had changed. Even air didn''t dare make a sound as his voice spread.

    Bm''s heart trembled. Fear.

    He was feeling fear.

    Who should have been destroyed beyond repair, was standing in front of him.

    His white hair had turned ck as dark veins spread all over his body.

    He stood there.

    The reaper.

    Death.

    No.

    He was beyond them. He was above them. Not even death could escape him.

    His purple eyes opened.

    He was.

    "[END]"

 Chapter 155: Chapter 152: Worlds End

    The sharpest of swords lose their edge.

    The brightest of stars flicker to their deaths.

    Order devolves into chaos.

    Not even time can escape its final throes...

    ... As all that begins, muste to an end.

    You who bring the end. Rise above.

    You who seek the end. Go beyond.

    Be¡ª

    [WORLD''S END]

    ***

    The unchanging skies of hell, which only turned redder with the rage of the demons.

    Millennia over millennia, the demon king of the night, themander of forty legions.

    The Great, the terrible, the powerful.

    King Bm had never witnessed such a sight.

    The boy in front of him opened his eyes, his red irises now a deep shade of purple.

    Not a soul moved in that gaze, neither the truth nor the lie remained.

    The unchanging skies of hell, which only turned redder with the rage of the demons, had fallen.

    The unchanging skies of hell had be a ck darker than the ends of the universe.

    A breath escaped the human standing in the middle of the crater.

    Bm''s eyes widened. In a rush, he summoned all the demonic energy he could and filled his body to the brim. Beyond anything, he had done yet, beyond anything he had ever done.

    His sight remained stuck on the fluttering ck hair of the human with dark veins spreading over his face.

    The human blinked.

    Bm couldn''t do anything as that being appeared in front of him.

    "Ah..." A gasp escaped Bm.

    "Weapons..." Coarse, sinister, the human spoke.

    A chill coursed down Bm''s back as he froze in ce. The eyes of the human peered straight into his soul.

    Death.

    Death was approaching him.

    Bm''s hands quaked as he lowered his gaze.

    The human raised his palm.

    The sky tore apart and turned into a de of pure ck.

    "[World''s]..."

    Hell trembled at his words.

    Instincts kicked into Bm''s body immediately as a wave of energy spread around them.

    "AH! Ahhh!"

    Bm''s wings spread and the demon took to the skies. With all his might, he kicked off the ground.

    "[End]..."

    He could hear him. No matter how far the demon went, the voice of that being came.

    Tens, dozens, hundreds of kilometers away from the battlefield, Bm kept running as far as he could. He crossed the capital city of his kingdom and neared the outskirts, yet his trembling heart did not stop.

    "[SLASH]!"

    The world cked out.

    He could see the past and the future, who could change the truth, could not see anything anymore.

    Truth didn''t exist.

    Color returned to the demon''s eyes. His gaze lowered down to his sides.

    The entirety of his right arm had been blown away.

    The demon trembled in fear and pain. No matter how he tried to use his ability, his ''hand'' had reached its ''end.''

    Not even causality could return it anymore.

    And with his arm, a third of his kingdom had been wiped away from the surface of hell.

    Nay.

    Hell itself had shrunk.

    A grand burst of energy spread from all directions as matter moved to fill the empty space that the human had brought. Air filled the void while the ground copsed and tried to cover the emptiness.

    Bm''s trembling heart was almost about to burst.

    What was this?

    What in the world was this?

    This shouldn''t happen.

    Human? Elves? Demons? Angels? Gods?

    None could have such an ability.

    That being was the End itself. His every breath spelled doom, and his every move brought emptiness.

    Destruction was an understatement. That being brought annihtion.

    Bm gathered all the energy he could as he prepared to make his escape. Even if he had to summon all his power, even if he had to sacrifice his entire kingdom, he had to get out of this ce.

    "[World''s]"

    The voice echoed again.

    Slowly, Bm turned to his back.

    He was already here. Right behind him, that being''s purple eyes red into his existence again. He was the next target of its destruction.

    Bm changed his motives. Escape wasn''t an option.

    "[TRUE DEMONIC ENERGY]!!"

    Using his lifespan and his authority, Bm concentrated all his power in his hands. The ground below started quaking at the sheer gathering of demonic energy as Bmpressed it all. Smaller, stronger, he bundled his attack and prepared to face the being in front of him.

    "[End]..."

    The being casually raised his hands, his eyes unmoving.

    "[BLACK HOLE RAY]!"

    Thepressed energy shot out at point nk. The sky above started to tremble as Bm''s demonic energy merged with his authority and formed the strongest blend of powers in his arsenal.

    The demon king''s attack itself could wipe out the entire kingdom.

    That attack emerged from his hands and shot toward the being.

    "[Beam]"

    Butterflies rose.

    Butterflies of pure ck emerged from the being''s hand.

    One. Two. Ten. Hundred. Thousands. Tens of Thousands of butterflies emerged.

    With each p of their wings, they destroyed space.

    The butterflies fluttered around the demon''s attack and caved into it.

    The demon king could only watch as the butterflies swallowed everyst bit of his powers and faded away.

    The attack that could have destroyed his entire kingdom was brought to an end with the simple flick of that being''s hand.

    "Y-you..." the demon king''s eyes widened. His mouth fell open, limp.

    Then, it changed.

    Red slowly started returning to the being''s eyes. The ck of his hair slowly faded away.

    He was falling.

    There was a chance.

    There was still a chance for escape.

    Slowly, the being parted his lips. His eyes as unfazed as ever, as soulless as ever.

    "Let''s end this, demon..."

    A gasp escaped the demon king.

    He pulled out the remaining of his strength and swung his fists. Rapidly, heunched a barrage of punches on the being, but all of them fell off before they could even as much as touch his hair.

    "[World''s]..."

    The being raised his hands.

    Desperately, the demon king attacked over and over. The force field around the being diminished and cracked.

    "[End]..."

    The skies above gathered. The darkness deepened.

    Bm punched and punched.

    A crack resounded as his fists went through.

    "[Rain]"

 Chapter 156: Chapter 153: An End that didnt End

    Tears of Hell fell unceasingly from the skies.

    Shrieks of fear rang out from the demons.

    Screams begging for mercy fell on deaf ears.

    The sky of hell that had never changed, the single constant that reminded the demons of their ce.

    Had be their deaths.

    Drip.

    A drop fell.

    Dark as sludge, thick as mortar.

    The drops of rain were as fleeting as the lives of the many demons.

    Drip.

    A drop fell.

    Fickle as a flower. Frail as ss.

    The demons of hell were as ephemeral as rain.

    Drip.

    The drops fell.

    Drip.

    A life ended.

    Drip.

    The immortal demons died.

    Drip.

    Bm''s kingdom screamed.

    Drip.

    Existence was removed. Everything that grazed the rain met its end.

    Drip.

    Drip.

    Drip.

    And then the screams stopped.

    Drip.

    The rain slowed down.

    .

    .

    .

    Drip...

    End too,

    Met its end.

    ***

    The dark skies of hell dissipated as the red slowly peered back through.

    Oblivion.

    All around the demon king was oblivion.

    Holes spread through his legs and arms as hey limp on the ground. His one horn had been pierced through by the rain that spelled the end, yet, his life remained.

    A chuckle escaped the demon.

    With the loss of his horns, the demon could feel half the power of his authority leaving him.

    His immortal life still remained.

    That being of the end couldn''t end him. Or did he choose not to? He didn''t know.

    As fate would have it, he had fallen right underneath that being.

    Slowly, the ''end'' lowered from the skies.

    The ck of his hair was nigh but gone, and the ck veins that had spread through his body disappeared.

    "Name..." Bm croaked. "What is your name?"

    Slowly, the being turned toward him. Bm could see those hazy eyes. The pulsating veins seemed to announce his pain.

    Bm was sure, neither of them could fight anymore.

    The wretched fate that brought an end to his kingdom, could not bring an end to his battle.

    The being lowered his gaze. Words like a sigh escaped his lips.

    "Eugene Hall..."

    "Bm... Sicirue Bm..."

    The being nodded.

    It seemed as if just a gust of wind would topple him over, yet there was no wind to stand in the way of his being.

    Thest of the ck slowly disappeared from his hair.

    His red eyes were like the skies of hell.

    "I''ll remember your name," Eugene said.

    Another chuckle escaped Bm.

    Had it not been for whatever he did at the end, Bm would have never lost. Not him. Not to him.

    "I won''t die yet..."

    The being nodded again. His moves seemed feeble, yet an unbearable strength remained in his hazy eyes that stopped Bm from even hoping to make a move.

    "I''lle back and kill youter..."

    "Kahah!" The demon king spat out a blob of blood.

    Maybe if his army was around. His legions could have defeated this being. Perhaps, there would have been a chance.

    It was a chance the demon wouldn''t let go.

    The destruction of the kingdom would spur them back.

    "There are many... stronger yet," Bm said.

    No matter how much he spoke, those red eyes continued to enamor him.

    He wanted this being, but he was too far out of his reach.

    "There are many whose strength you can''t imagine... I, am just a weak Demon King of the ends. You fail to kill even me, yet you make an enemy of hell."

    "They cane."

    Bm stopped.

    "Whoever it is. They cane. No one is stronger than the strongest..."

    With that, the being lifted his feet.

    He took a step ahead.

    Bm remained, his eyes closed.

    The sound of fleeting footsteps entered his ears.

    "Where did I make a mistake?"

    The demon king who could correct them all learned the sorrow of making an irreversible error for the first time.

    "Nowhere."

    It wasn''t a sorrow that the being would let him revel in.

    "You just shouldn''t have done anything while I was alive."

    The sounds of the footsteps disappeared.

    The being left.

    ***

    "Is this it?" Thedy spoke to a little fairy floating behind her as she looked down at the enormous magic circle shining at them.

    Her veil fluttered slightly. The sight of the magic circle was extremely familiar to the one she had seen in the hidden room of the Imperial Pce.

    A gate to move to Earth.

    It was a two-way door.

    "It is," the fairy announced. Unlike before, her calm demeanor hadpletely fallen off and the fairy seemed nervous. She had sensed her partner doing the one thing he never should have. She already knew of the reckless methods and tricks he hade up with over thest two years, but this was the worst of them all.

    It would have been impossible for her to float around had it not been for thedy''s mana that she was constantly sapping out.

    "So, I do fill it with blood, right?"

    "Right, right."

    "QUA! QUAA!"

    Thest of the octopus demons in her hand was stabbed through and its blood spilled all over the magic circle, dying it with a shade of ck.

    "Now, you just go to the center and open the door, got it?" the fairy said, taking a final nce at the rows of corpses.

    With great precision, after freeing the Chains of Adamas for Eugene, thedy had gathered all the remaining demons still fluttering around in the demon king''s broken castle. She pulled them out of the debris and dragged them along all the way to the magic circle just to kill them personally as fuel for the spell.

    The sky turning ck had sent the fairy into a frenzy, and even thedy was shocked.

    But she held great faith in her knight.

    "Fuck, is he alright?" Titania expressed, unable to focus. For the first time since he had been taken to hell, she felt worried about her partner. She knew his capabilities enough to be certain that the demon king named Bm couldn''t so much as keep his imprisoned for a life time.

    She knew he could escape, no matter what it takes.

    Her partner had that kind of ability, it was certain.

    Yet, now that he just had to buy time, he stupidly went all out and decided to fight with the demon king.

    "Don''t worry," thedy said. She pulled out a knife and moved toward the center of the magic circle.

    Slowly, she took in a deep breath.

    She had heard the details from the fairy.

    But she knew that her knight wouldn''t go back on his words. They still had a promise to keep.

    On top of fighting, he also absolutely couldn''t lose consciousness.

    Thedy prepared for the ritual to infuse her blood in the magic circle as the fairy bit her thumbnails.

    Unable to calm down, the fairy moved over to the head of thedy and pulled her hair while smacking her.

    "Ow! Ow! What, why!?"

    "You wench! When I helped you, how dare you propose to him? HAH!? I totally forgot about hitting you but now this is a good way to calm down!"

    Thwacks rang out.

    "Take that! Take that!"

    "P-propose!? What in the world are you talking about?"

    "What was it then? He''ll be my wife! What do you mean he''ll be your wife?"

    Thedy''s face flushed red as she lost her bearings.

    "That, wasn''t a proposal..."

    "What was it then? Take that!"

    "Was it a proposal...?"

    Thedy was slowly being manipted into believing it was. A truly unfortunate circumstance.

    She then shook her head wildly, causing the fairy to fall off. The fairy slipped off her head and floated in the air, still biting her thumb.

    "It was something I said in the heat of the moment. As you said, I still don''t have to learn a lot about him."

    Thedy nodded.

    There wasn''t anything to be hastened. She didn''t know how she felt toward him yet, but she was certain she didn''t want him to be anyone else''s wife.

    She wouldn''t be able to stand to see him as the wife of anyone but herself.

    Right, that was certain.

    As for everything else, she could just learn it¡ª

    ¡ªA rock tumbled.

    Thedy turned to her side.

    A boy with white hair and hazy red eyes suddenly appeared over the pile of debris looking down at the magic circle.

    "Eugene!"

    "Knight!!"

    The boy tumbled forward, and thedy swooped ahead.

    He fell straight into her arms as his head leaned against her shoulders. Slowly, thedy held him in her arms and hugged him tightly.

    The stench of blood filled her nose as her eyes fell on the numerous wounds on his body. Her heart started thumping, as if calling her out on her carefree attitude from before.

    "Knight! Knight!"

    He didn''t say a word.

    It would be fine even if he fell asleep.

    She felt the gentle touch of his hands on her back. Blood seeped through her dress and touched her back, but she didn''t care. She only tightened her embrace that held her knight up.

    "I..." he said. "Was I cool?"

 Chapter 157: Chapter 154: Holy what in the happened here?

    "Cool, yes, you were very cool." Thedy held Eugene tight in her embrace. She could see the frustrated fairy ring at her from the sides, but her focus was somewhere else. "Don''t say anything. You were the coolest, ok? Just-just keep¡ª"

    "Shush..." Eugene muttered. Blood spilled out of his mouth.The many wounds Bm leftbined with the side effects of taking his new form of energy inside his body and sent a pain through his nerves that made him feel himself being grated alive. Like fine cheese, he thought his entire body will fall into tiny shreds.

    Yet, he couldn''t afford to close his eyes.

    The strongest never went back on his word.

    But even before that. There was another thing that took priority.

    "Right, right," thedy shifted her gaze from left to right. She held Eugene''s limp body up while searching for a ce to rest him at. "Just hold on for a bit. I memorized the entire spell. I''ll open the doors of Hell again right away."

    "I... I couldn''t kill him..."

    Eugene spoke out. His hoarse voice not hiding the pain he must be experiencing.

    "What? T-that doesn''t matter. We just have to get out alive¡ª"

    "So I''ll get him killed."

    Thedy stopped.

    She understood that her knight was currently thinking of things much farther than herself.

    And, who was she to stop him?

    If he had goals he wanted to aplish regardless of the suffering, then she had no rights to stop him. It would be insulting to make him give up to avoid suffering, just like it would have been deeply insulting for her if her knight had spouted bullshit like wanting to save her instead of how he had approached her with the intention of finding out whether she was worth remembering.

    "What do you want to do?" thedy asked.

    "Open... the doorster... in some time..."

    Thedy''s mind rapidly raced around. She was aware that Bm was a demon in possession of forty legions. The ones they had killed were barely worth two.

    She gazed over thendscape with her knight in her arms. The destruction he had brought about could be described as ''kingdom ending'' with ss and ''holy fucking shit what in the dinosaur-ending mountain-breaking sky-falling fuck happened here!?'' if one were to ignore the vices of vanity.

    It was natural that the demon kings'' legions would notice soon.

    He wanted them toe around.

    "You... you want to unleash the demons on the empire? So that those guys have no choice but to kill them?"

    She could feel Eugene trying to nod through her rustling clothes.

    "Knight... you..."

    Eugene had no intentions of leaving something that could have killed him alive. He desperately wanted to take Bm down with his own hands. If it were the same him from two years ago, he would have tried to escape without doing anything.

    But he had learned something new with his passing adventurer days.

    If one couldn''t make the tallest building around, one just had to knock over the taller ones.

    If he couldn''t be the strongest, he would rather there be no one stronger than him. Strength had many forms after all, if his ns could kill another, he would see it as a victory. Maybe even if Yujin wouldn''t, he was sure that with his rising experiences of this another world, at least, he, Eugene, would see it as a victory.

    "Knight..." thedy said.

    He wondered if she was ufortable with such a thing. Maybe with some convincing¡ª

    "I love it. You''re a genius."

    Eugene held in his smile.

    It seemed thisdy of his had a few screws loose. He couldn''t say he disliked that.

    ***

    Alkilith, the first legionmander of Demon King Bm''s army, had felt a strange sensationing from a distance.

    With the rest of the legions, since the founding of the kingdom, he had always been engaged in fights to expand their territory. Fights that seem to end, but also fights that he didn''t mind.

    A strange sense of puzzlement overtook him as deep fluctuations of energy emerged from the side of the kingdom.

    He could feel his subordinate''s demonic energy flowing out, being enshrouded by something even greater, and then fizzling away like a damped wick of mes. After that, an asphyxiating sensation overtook the entire battlefield as his master released his own strength.

    And then even after that, something so ominous that the war had been called to a ceasefire filled their backs. Eventually, his master''s energy started dissipating.

    Puzzling was underying it.

    "Alkilith, what do you think?"

    "I''ll rush first," the demon replied to themander of the third and fifth legions. "I''ll leave a teleportation circle here for you, so bring the army over to the castle. I''ll go find the lord."

    Using his extreme spatial maniption abilities. Alkilith created a teleportation circle big enough to fit an entire legion while he rushed away. his every step made him travel hundreds of kilometers over to the ce he could still faintly feel his master''s energy.

    The deeper into the kingdom he reached, the more his heart trembled.

    Blood lust and fear rose side by side. He wanted to see what was strong enough to make his master fall, and also was afraid of it.

    And then, when he came across the limp body of his master, the first of the two feelingspletely disappeared.

    "Oh, my god..." sphemous words left the demon. He rushed over to his master and lifted his body.

    Bm coughed out a mouthful of blood as Alkilith raised him gently.

    "Holy fucking shit what in the dinosaur-ending mountain-breaking sky-falling fuck happened here!?!" Alkilith eximed. His master had lost a horn. The authority of the demon king must''ve fallen beyond half its original capacity as his lordy limp on the ground.

    "Alkilith..." Bm screamed. "The castle..."

    "What? What my lord? What?"

    "Go to the castle..." Bm''s words were like painful moans. The demonmander was stunned but kept his attitude straight. He knew better than to be shocked at the face of something unexpected. "The human, injured human... kill him..."

    "Oh?" Alkilith understood right away. As expected, his master was not an easy opponent. It would probably be easier than hunting a fly.

    "No...! Kill the humans! The entire of Tantalus'' descendants! Kill that entire fucking empire!"

    "We can''t do that, you need a human to open the doors."

    "Go and get that human!"

    "Okay, my lord!"

    With that, Alkilith tossed his master away and rushed off toward the castle.

    "Alkilith! Take me alooong!!! Alkilith!!!!"

    HThe demonmander thought he heard something, but it was probably his imagination. Satisfied, he left away from the ce and reached closer to the castle.

    Eventually, the sight of his army gathering appeared from the distance. With a few more steps, he traveled hundreds of more kilometers and entered the ins that used to be called the demon king''s castle.

    A sigh left the demon.

    In the distance, right in front of a magic circle, a pair of humans were scuttling away.

    Like rats running after being caught. The female human had opened the doors of hell and was dragging the human along!

    "Perfect!" Alkilith screamed. "JUST PERFECT!"

    His mouth turned up in sadistic grin.

    A rain of blood.

    A rain of human blood. In the human''s realm! He wanted to see it.

    He was desperately craving such a sight.

    The two humans passed by the doors of hell, and Alkilith snapped his fingers.

    First the legionsmanders.

    All of them were teleported from their spots and sent through the door behind the humans.

    Then, his army.

    "EVERYONE!!! CHARGE INTO THE LAND OF THE HUMANS!!!"

    With that scream, the demonmander shot off the skies and rushed toward the door of hell.

    The demons screamed at theirmanders voice and followed behind.

    Demonic energy surged from hell and seeped into the doors as the demons passed it through.

    A rain of blood.

    The rain of night was to be answered by a rain of blood.

    ****

    Adventurers all over the capital city of Atreus looked into the skies.

    A strange feeling filled the chests of Temporal Sword and the Sorceror of the Swamps as a familiar energy filled the winds.

    Then, they noticed.

    The skies turning red.

    The people screamed slightly at the strange phenomenon.

    Everyone felt fear at the omninousness that crept up their backs.

    "Tempo..." Sorceror mouthed.

    "Do you feel it?" He asked. The two of them recognized the feeling well.

    Then, it happened.

    From the skies.

    A crack emerged, and a purple being with the legs of an octopus fell down.

    It was a feeling they knew well.

    "D-DEMONSSS!!!"

    A feeling that sent fear through the people of the capital.

    "HOLY FUCK! IT''S A FREE FOR ALL FEAST!!"

    "COME OUT ADVENTURERS!!"

    "PREY WALKED IN!!!"

    And sent shouts of cheers through the rows of adventurers.

    Crazy.

    Wild.

    Adventurers.

 Chapter 158: Chapter 155: Crazy, Wild, Adventurers

    "All mercenaries! Help in the evacuation measures!!"

    "Knights and Guards, ignore the demons and help the people!"

    The streets of the third district were filled with screams of fear and terror as people rushed to and away from the guards and mercenaries. One mercenary putting out the orders gathered a bunch of neers and made them all help with the moving of people.

    The group of seven mercenaries guided dozens of servants and nobles out of the district, their bodies tense. Only the one sending out the orders, the senior most in this group of newbies, understood the reason why everyone screamed so.

    They passed through a row of buildings used by the nobles when ram-headed demons dropped from the sky.

    Ominous energy seeped out of the demons as they looked at the humans and cackled.

    "Damn it! Captain, we''ll take them on! You proceed with the evacuation!" A burly mercenary unsheathed his sword and screamed. Being people of war, they and the knights were much better ustomed to guiding the people safely aspared to adventurers.

    This was just a part of their job.

    The demons cackled.

    "Quack! Quaack!"

    "Quack!"

    The burly mercenary and two of his friends raised their arms and took a stance while the people they guided cowered.

    "NO! All of us will focus on the evacuation! Ignore them and move! Now!"

    Unfortunately for the neer, the reason his captain had insisted on helping with the people wasn''t that they were better at it aspared to the adventurers.

    "But captain¡ª"

    Before the mercenary could finish speaking, a bunch of sharp needles fell from the skies and lodged themselves into the heads of the demons.

    The mercenary was left with an open jaw as he noticed the demons falling to their death.

    "KAHAKAHAK! Let''s go, Zachariah!" From the top of the buildings, a half-human-half-weapon hybrid ran over the top of the buildings like a crazed maniac. His hair had turned into needles, his hands a mace and a shield while guns stretched out of his stomach.

    Behind that man, another person was running around, while half asleep. Every time he swung his sword, lightning struck down on the tow, and every time he flicked his hair, his eyes fell further and further into their slumber.

    The duo dashed around the ce while killing down every single demon that came their way. As the people moved around, they could see adventurers throwing each other into the skies to catch the falling demons. Some swung entire trees at the demons while others crushed them underneath a falling building.

    "W-what....?"

    Everyone trying to escape resonated with those words that left someone. They all shared the same sentiment.

    The senior-most mercenary shook his head and sighed.

    "Before we get caught up, just move."

    ***

    Simr sights unfolded everywhere they went.

    No, such sights were visible all over the city.

    In the second district, around the estate of the Acacia duchy.

    "QUACK!! QWUACK!!"

    The demons screamed, in fear. Behind them, covered in a cloak, a young girl was running at max speed while swinging her staff around.

    "Hocus pocus! Turn into a frogus!"

    "QUACK?"

    "Croack!"

    The octopi demons all became tiny frogs, ready to be eaten up by theughing girl.

    In the distance, a few of the stronger members of the demons'' legions were being faced by the other Adamantium-ranked adventurers.

    "Tempo!" One screamed. "I''ll bet 50 gold that you can''t kill 50 of them in one second."

    "HAHAHA! IDIOT!" Tempo screamed back. With the click of his de, a dome of blue swallowed their surroundings and everything, everyone slowed down.

    Temporal sword rushed around in the slowed time state and unleashed his Ki all over the ce. One step above Intent Ki, he didn''t think there was a need to use anything beyond Spiritual Ki.

    By the time one second could pass in the slowed space, over a hundred heads were rolling about.

    The dome disappeared and the other adventurers expressed their dissatisfaction.

    "Bitch! That was my prey!" one screamed.

    "Shut up, I''ll give you one or two of the gold coins, alright?"

    "Ok, deal."

    Some gambled, and others filled their sadistic desires.

    Someughed in blood, while some normal ones even tried to act as heroes in front of the people.

    Regardless of what they did, one thing remained constant no matter where one looked.

    The adventurers all had a smile on their faces.

    A wide, bright, blooming smile.

    Thews of the continent, agreed upon in an international treatise made over a hundred years ago.

    ''In the incident of a demonic invasion, no one shall be held responsible for any damages incurred in the suppression of the demons.''

    The mercenary knew well, just as well as his seniors and the knights of the ce did.

    The problem was never the disgusting demons.

    The real problem in a demonic invasion.

    Were the Adventurers.

    The. Crazy. Wild. Adventurers.

    ***

    Over at the center of the entire incident.

    Just as the Lady and Eugene fell through the magic circle and Akilith followed, the two toppled over to the ground of the secret room of the Castle. At the same time, Akilith passed his hand through and the first thing he did was to send all the demons he could over to the Empire''s capital.

    The demon creeped out of the gate and entered the realm of the mortals. A chuckle left Akilith as his eyes fell on the two desperate humans on the ground.

    Thedy turned around while supporting Eugene. No one else was in this room, just as she had expected.

    In Earth''s time, barely half an hour must have passed in the time she took to find her knight, but the ones here must have already forgotten all about her in that time.

    A chuckle left Akilith. He red at the injured Eugene and smiled.

    "That boy!" he screamed. Thedy pulled the limp Eugene tighter in her grasp as the demon peered at them. "Quite terrifying. If he had been like what he was before, we all wouldn''t have been able to stand against him."

    Thedy trembled. She pulled Eugene even closer, as if telling the demon that he will only get her knight over her dead body.

    "What''s his name? Maybe something cool. I think since he''s going to die by my hands, I can give him a cool name."

    Akilith stepped closer.

    Thedy scurried back. At the same time, the doors to hell flickered and more demons started making their way in. Half of themanders had been sent away by Akilith, while the remaining half all gathered here.

    Akilith leaned even closer. Demonic energy filled his fists.

    "Hm, how about... Nightbringer? Since this kid is bringing the night of demons over your realm? Kahahah!"

    The demon raised his hands.

    Thedy lowered her gaze.

    "NOW!"

    Terrifying energy swirled into the demon''s palm. Space was being curved over to his will at the sheer force that his fist held. Just a single move, and not just the castle, but maybe the entirety of the first district could go down.

    The demon swung his fists.

    Then, he noticed.

    A soft smile suddenly appeared on the faces of thedy and the dying boy.

    The demon''s hands stopped mid-air.

    They were made to stop mid-air.

    Akilith turned his gaze to the front. Standing there, with hair that resembled a gentle field of flowers and a smile that made one thing of a breeze swaying through them, was an adventurer that no one in the mortal realm didn''t know of.

    "Y-you..." Akilith flinched.

    Some beings in this world became so strong, that the concept of realms did not exist for them. Word of their strength would go far and beyond and reach even the ears of the demons of hell.

    And this was one word that the demons all knew.

    The othermanders of the legions that hade inside all took a step back.

    That adventurer ignored Akilith and looked at the two on the ground.

    "Lady of Acacia, and my dear friend."

    His voice was colder than it had been in a long while.

    As the adventurer looked at Eugene, his eyes narrowed further down.

    "Who did this¡ª"

    "KAISERRR!!!" Akilith screamed. Demonic energy that covered the entire capital swept out of the demon as he revealed his true form.

    Unfazed, the adventurer turned his gaze to the side.

    As if all the bravado had been a dream, Akilith froze in his spot. His energy disappeared, and all the demons behind him started trembling in their boots.

    "I am talking here," Kaiser spoke as if asking of the weather.

    The demons froze in their spots.

    "Sorry, Lady Acacia, I should handle this first." Kaiser showed her a warm smile and turned to the demons.

    The demons all took a step back.

    "Ophelia, open four gates."

    "Hey, are you crazy? Just opening them would blow away the entire capital."

    Kaiser frowned. It seemed he couldn''t open the seals that suppressed 90% of his strength.

    The adventurer then turned to the demons.

    "Well, I''ll be fine like this too."

    The Living God of Adventurers. The strongest adventurer in history.

    That personage took a step ahead.

    The demons all backed away.

    Kaiser pulled his fists back and red at Akilith.

    "Ah... AHH!! KAISER!!¡ª"

    The demon''s words couldn''t finish.

    Kaiser''s fist blew out andnded straight into the stomach of the demon. His hand, aimed directly toward the gates of hell still open, sped out as the brunt of his strike went into hell.

    ***

    From the gates of hell in the ruins of Bm''s castle, a strange force swept out.

    Before anyone could as much as blink.

    The ground was gouged out.

    And formed a cliff.

    A cliff spanning the length of Bm''s kingdom.

 Chapter 159: Chapter 156: Crazy, Wild, Adventurers (2)

    Seventeen.

    A total of seventeenmanders were sent out by Akilith into the capital city. The seventeenmanders watched with curious gazes as their army fought against the adventurers. Never had they imagined that the elite of Bm''s legions would be pushed back by such wild, demon-like humans. Even their own species seemed more scared of them than the demons.

    "Should we go and wreak some havoc?" Said one of the demons. Her skin was gray and horns ck, she featured a wide smile while holding her daggers in one hand.

    A demon with long robes stroked his beard while holding a staff in his hands.

    "Have some patience, " he said, his eyes frozen on a tiny sorcerer that was turning their army into frogs. It was a very peculiar spell for a schr like him. The demons were each absorbed with a different aspect of the realm, not even getting a chance to notice when more than half of their other group was wiped away in a punch.

    Before the demons could make a move. A peculiar stench filled their noses.

    "Oh, my..."

    The demons smiled.

    One of their greatest enemies hade to them.

    With white wings pping in the air, the purple hair of the neer fluttered. An angel hade walking straight toward them. The demons'' eyes glowed as the angel struck a few of their goons around and came rushing at them.

    "You bastards! What do you think you''re doing in the mortal realm?"

    The dagger-wielding demon growled and leaned ahead. "Angel! It''s a fucking angel!"

    "Can you not shout? All of us can see."

    "Would you not shout if fried chicken came flying to you?"

    The interjecting demon was forced to back down. The angel pulled her sword back and charged toward the demons when a new presence appeared on the battlefield.

    All seventeen of them leaped back through the skies and looked at the neer at full alert.

    Sitting atop a broom, the woman d in a red dress held her pointed wizard hat with one hand while she held the angel with another. Enjoy new adventures from m-v l''e-NovelBin

    "Y-you... Death Queen?" the angel said.

    Death Queen''s red hair brushed her cheeks as she showed the angel a bright smile.

    "It seems an angel fell into my arms. I must have used up all my luck right away."

    The angel''s cheeks flushed red.

    "Well, darling angel. Are these the rats bullying you?" The Death Queen red at the demons.

    All seventeen of the legionmanders trembled.

    This was the presence that a Mythic-Ranked adventurer held. Without a single drop of energy oozing out of her, just awareness of her existence was enough to drive fear into even people who didn''t know of her.

    "J-just a human!" the dagger-wielding demon screamed. "How dare a human intervene?!"

    The demon was about to charge ahead when a sound leaked out.

    "HAH!?" it was the angel, snugly fit in Death Queen''s arms, that spoke out loud. "Are you like, a fucking idiot? Aren''t you the one who got scared? And now you''re angry at her?"

    The Death Queen and the Demon both stared at the angel with surprise in their eyes. She was the weakest one here, to the point she could be sent away with a few hits at best, her speaking out was more than just strange.

    "How do bumbling fools like you rise in the ranks? Are you sure you''re supposed to be a leader of all these demons or something? Just scurry off, dumb bitch!"

    "W-what... what did you say?!"

    "Fuck, are you deaf too?" The angel clicked her tongue. "You third-rate viin, go practice some new lines."

    "YOU!" The demon charged.

    The angel gently tugged at the Death Queen''s sleeves and pointed at them. "Miss. It was those guys that bothered me!"

    The Death Queen wanted tough but decided to y along for now.

    She smiled and turned to the demons.

    "You heard her. I am taking care of this angel for now, so fuck off."

    The demons ignored her voice. Following behind theirpanion, they all suppressed their hesitation and charged at the Death Queen.

    Like a true Queen, the mythic ranked adventurer crossed her legs and gracefully waved her hands around.

    When it came to physical prowess, the Death Queen couldn''t be ranked in the same range as the other two Mythic Ranked adventurers.

    But as far as pure destruction went.

    Not even the other twobined could stand up against the Death Queen.

    "Come, voices of the forgotten."

    Pale green specters appeared all around them. The translucent specters numbered in the thousands as they started phasing through the row of demons not just against her, but all over the capital.

    With each specter that passed them through, the demons felt their energy leaving their bodies.

    Before the demons could move, the next attack came.

    The Death Queen snapped her fingers.

    "Appear, oh souls of the reaped. Take along yourpanions."

    The demons raised their energy to attack when they were blown away. Hundreds, no, thousands of undead appeared from the ground. The bone knights and wizards moved around and started ughtering the demons, each of them the soul of once a great being.

    With a single gesture, she transferred the strength that the specters had collected into her undead.

    A crushing sound rang as a group of them killed one of themanders.

    A terrifying battle broke out not just here, but all over the capital. The adventurers were left stumped at the sudden arrival of undead fighting on their side while the demonmanders engaged with their own little group.

    Death Queen gently lifted the angel higher and sat her on herp. Smiling, the Death Queen pushed her hair back.

    The angel, Dawn, had no choice but to blush at the gentle coolness of the woman. "Are you alright, miss?"

    "Uh, ah... yes..."

    The Death Queen smiled and turned. "Let''s enjoy the show then."

    She turned to watch the demons fight her soldiers with a rxed gaze. The Death Queen snapped her fingers and a bone knight approached her with popcorn in his hands. The twodies munched on the popcorn and continued watching the struggle of the demons.

    It was when the other adventurers started to express some dissatisfaction at the mass kill-steal, that a low voice reached all their ears. All of them, including the Death Quee, turned to their side to see the head receptionist of the Deep Down Town branch walking toward them.

    "Bastards..." she growled.

    The adventurers shuddered.

    "Did you forget the Continental Law?" she said.

    The adventurers tilted their heads in confusion. They were certain that causing trouble here wasn''t much of a problem. Then why in the world was the head receptionist angry?

    "You will be paid a reward depending on the level of danger you face!"

    The adventurers were stunned.

    "How can you guys handle this so easily!? Go and destroy some buildings!"

    The adventurers'' eyes glowed.

    "Go wild!"

    The owner had let the dogs out of their leash.

    The adventurers continued again, this time making as much of a mess as they could to make it seem as dangerous as they could.

    Enjoying it all, the Death Queen used her magic and floated the head receptionist up into the skies as well.

    "Miss Receptionist," she said as another broom appeared next to her and the Receptionist gently sat on it.

    "Death Queen with Adventurer Dawn," she said. "Nice cosy, by the way."

    "Miss angel was an adventurer too? This must be fate."

    "Is it? I am starting to think you guys are not very normal."

    At Dawn''s words, the other two simply shrugged their shoulders.

    The threedies enjoyed the popcorn while watching the battle below rage on.

    ***

    Bm was left limp on the ground of Hell.

    His people had gone ahead to destroy things. Everything would be fine.

    That''s what he had thought, but right after, a crack formed in the ground that stretched over his entire kingdom. The path of the crack just narrowly missed his head. Unable to stay low anymore, the demon king yanked his body ahead and tried his best to get away from the ce. He had to go back to the castle and ensure everything was still going okay.

    It was the worst decision he could have made.

    After just a few steps, a shockwave akin to an heavy artillery missile dropping on the ground spread out. The area around his castle was razed to the ground and a burst of air hit his face, knocking him back.

    The demon had recently dug deep enough with a punch to reach water over a few meters.

    A hole dozens of times deeper and hundreds of timesrger was created at the center of his kingdom in the blink of an eye.

    Bm was left with an open jaw.

    Focusing all his remaining strength into his eyes, he saw.

    He saw a wretched face wearing a refreshing smile.

    Even over this distance, he could sense that person looking at him and smiling.

    The previous bastard had gone. But now, a true monster had entered his kingdom.

    "K-Kaiser..." Bm yelped.

    The strongest adventurer in history raised his sword high up.

    ''Goodbye...''

    The adventurer mouthed.

    "KAISER!!!!!!"

    The sword came down.

    And the surface of hell changed forever.

    A country was swallowed up by the ocean.

 Chapter 160: Chapter 157: Stronger than ever

    Blood-soakedughs seeped out of Eugene''s lips. The very sight of Kaiserpletely destroying the demons with a single punch sent shivers down his spine.

    Power.

    Unfathomable power.

    The power to do anything and everything one wanted.

    Eugene wanted it.

    Just being the strongest didn''t cut it after all. Just bringing down the taller towers didn''t satisfy him.

    Even as his body screamed. Even as his veins burned. Even his heart ached.

    His soul yearned.

    A yearning that made him forget all his pain, all his diforts. A yearning that left only desire in his being.

    Not enough. The demons he had killed were not enough.

    The strength he had amassed was not enough.

    More. More.

    Right then, Eugene felt a soft tug at his chest.

    He turned his gaze up and saw a veiled woman hugging from the back. She slowly leaned ahead and rested her head on his shoulder, just enough to make him feel her presence, but not enough to difort him in any way.

    "What are you thinking?" she said in a soft voice.

    Eugene''s head cooled down at once. Her voice was like a thread pulling him out of the depths of his head.

    Strength left his body as he leaned back.

    Almost involuntarily, he stopped holding himself up any longer.

    Read exclusive content at m_v-l''-NovelBin

    "You''re safe with me," she said. "Don''t think about anything, guard."

    Eugene''s eyes closed on their own.

    Even though his body was at its weakest.

    "Just leave things to me."

    Her words had filled his head with strength.

    ***

    Thedy smiled as she noticed Eugene getting knocked out.

    He held on for days on end just for her. Now, it was her turn.

    Even if he forgets about her.

    She could just remind him all over again.

    Even if he losses all their memories together.

    She could just make new ones all over again.

    No matter how many times she would have to. She wanted her guard to know of her.

    Whatever this feeling was, it wasn''t so bad.

    Thedy was exhausted. Going to hell and being in the presence of all the monsters she had seen, on top of it, killing a whole bunch of them on her own. It wasn''t easy, especially for someone who had no strength to rely on. Even if she used the Acacia duchy''s unique skill and seeped out the strength of others, her body had a limit to what it could handle.

    Normally, she would have fainted long ago. But thinking of her guard had kept her going.

    The gates of hell flickered.

    As Kaiser unleashed his abilities in Hell, even the space that connected the two ces were distorted heavily.

    Thedy thought it a good time to get a move on when the walls of the secret room suddenly barged through.

    "Those guys! Get them!!"

    A bandage covered the eyes of Princess Anatolia as she barked her orders at the knights. At once, the well-trained knights of the empire surrounded thedy and her guard before they could even react.

    "Tsk. Who is this annoying bitch? Why is she not dead yet?" Titania muttered.

    Thedy smiled and looked at Anatolia. She was surprised to see the princess remember her again.

    "You came again?" thedy said. "I told you I''lle to get you myself. I guess no matter how much you try, a dog''s tail can''t be straightened up."

    Anatolia''s face was distorted heavily. Thedy did not miss her gaze locked on her guard. The princess was heaving while ring at him as if he had murdered her entire family and then revived them and murdered them once again just to mess with her. It was a hatred that seemingly had no bottom.

    Amusing, thedy thought.

    She was about to lift her veil, when more people came rushing in through the walls.

    The Emperor, the princes and the princesses, some ministers, all of the shadows, and even some more knights had entered the ce.

    "That woman! She''s the one who was here before!"

    One of them screamed.

    Thedy was quite shocked herself.

    Did people not forget her anymore? What was going on?

    Behind those thoughts, the ns to escape filled her mind. She gently bit her lips as she thought about what she could do.

    Even if she used the power of the curse, she couldn''t affect so many of them all at once. And even if she tried to sap their strength and run away, it would be impossible in this space.

    Should she buy time till Kaiseres back?

    That seemed to be the most logical route.

    "What are you looking at?" a scream resounded. "Capture that woman now!"

    It was the crown prince who had spoken up.

    Just her luck. The bastard who never had the guts to oppose their marriage was now speaking a lot.

    "Are you sure¡ª"

    "CAPTURE WHO?!"

    Once more, the walls of the secret room distorted.

    With short white hair neatly pulled to the back, a man in a matching white suit stepped in. He donned a ck overclock on top of his suit at held a staff in one hand,.

    Engraved on those robes, was the emblem of the Acacia duchy.

    The knights all stopped in their tracks.

    Even the nobles and the ministers were unable to move.

    "Hades?" the Emperor called out.

    "Who are you trying to capture?" the man, the current head of the Acacia Duchy. Duke Hades von der Acacia had appeared.

    "You should stand back, Hades," the Emperor spoke as if he was regarding his old friend. "That woman is a criminal that has harmed Anatolia. She''s dangerous and can control people, you are not safe either¡ª"

    "Watch it, your majesty." Hades turned to the Emperor.

    Thedy finally realized the situation.

    With Bm''s defeat at the hands of her guard, the spell that constantly made people forget about her had disappeared. But instead, the memories that they had already lost did note back.

    "F-" thedy spoke, her words slipped out beyond her control. "Father!"

    Hades turned to the veileddy. His eyes were filled with guilt as he heard his daughter''s desperate call.

    "Father...?" someone muttered.

    "You mean, that woman is thedy of Acacia duchy?"

    "No way... Hades! You are being controlled¡ª"

    Hades turned to the emperor.

    "Step back, your majesty. I am not going to let any of you touch a hair on my daughter anymore."

    "Do you understand what you''re doing?" the Emperor asked. "That woman is a criminal that not only threatened all of the Imperial Family, she also mortally wounded the princess. For all we know the chaos outside is here because of her as well."

    Thedy wanted to shrug. When one put it that way, what that was in fact what had happened.

    "I do not care," Hades said. cks rang out in the room as he ignored all the knights and moved over to his daughter.

    "Hades!"

    "Your Majesty," the duke spoke. He knelt in front of thedy. "Turn back."

    The Emperor frowned.

    He did not understand how this criminal had suddenly be the daughter of his old friend and one of the pirs of the Empire. But his daughter was harmed too, and his parental instincts were raging.

    "You''re helping a criminal that threatened the Imperial Family," the Emperor said. "Is this mutiny?"

    Hadesughed.

    His cackles filled the room.

    Slowly, he turned to face the Emperor.

    His cold gaze, much like thedy''s, pierced through the souls of everyone in the ce.

    "Do you want it to?" Hades said. "Speak more, and we''ll go to war! Right here and now! I''ll take down this fucking Empire you''re so proud of."

    The Emperor bit his lips and shrunk back.

    The ducal houses both had great power not iparable to that of the Imperial Family''s. If he went to war here, the result would be ugly.

    The Emperor looked around.

    "Take my word as an old friend," Hades said. "Be a wise ruler before being an emotional parent. Because if we''re talking about crimes done against our children, then I should have already taken all your heads by now."

    The Emperor had no retort to those words.

    He slowly waved his hands, and the knights hesitatingly shrunk back.

    Hades looked at his daughter, ignoring the people around him.

    "Father..."

    It was the weakest he had ever heard his daughter''s voice.

    Memories of her werecking. Guilt filled his eyes and choked his throat.

    What kind of parent would forget about their own children?

    He wanted to beg for forgiveness right away, when thedy spoke up.

    "Can you please lift both of us? I am very tired. Ask for a doctor and some food as we get back too, please."

    "Heh? Shouldn''t you be crying and ming me for forgetting you right now, daughter?"

    "What the heck? Do you want to be chaired?"

    Hades instinctively shook his head.

    Thecking memories still had the trauma of being chaired by his daughter over and over seeped deep into his body. He even felt a sliver of pity for the princess that had to face it.

    "So..." he spoke, suppressing the desire for a heartfelt reunion. The suppressed emotions took a different form as he noticed his daughter tightly embracing what looked like a human-shaped blood bag. "Who''s this man?"

 Chapter 161: Chapter 158: Under the Moonlit Sky (1)

    Please try to read this together with the next chapter.

    ***

    "Sister! How is he?"

    Billy Ard Hall''s voice rang out in the mansion as he noticed his sistering in.

    With a dark look on her face, Vienna shook her head from side to side.

    Things had moved too fast for them. Within just days of their arrival into the capital city of the empire for the banquet, demons had suddenly unleashed themselves all over the city. Almost miraculously, no one died and only parts of the city were destroyed thanks to the effort of the adventurers.

    And the next thing she knew, her younger brother whose whereabouts had been a mystery for two years had popped up in the empire, in the home of one of the strongest powers on the continent.

    Injured.

    Billy rushed up to his sister and looked at her with an anxious gaze. Both of their opinions had changed greatly since his first visit, even if he didn''t feel the same.

    Vienna clenched her fists and lowered her gaze. As she remembered the state of her brother she had just seen in Acacia''s castle, blood rose to her head.

    After the demons'' attack, the banquet had been shifted by two weeks. And now, it was already the tenth day that Eugene had been unconscious.

    "He looked grave," Vienna said. "Whoever did this..."

    "If someone could leave Dusk injured, it would be better to run away than to think of taking revenge."

    A sudden voice cut them off.

    "Uh... mydy..."

    Vienna looked to her side as the beanie-d adventurer with shark-like teeth awkwardly added a respectful title to his words. Megalodon and Zachariah, these were the two adventurers she had saved on her way to the capital.

    She had no idea that the adventurer that had betrayed these two was none other than her brother.

    "I don''t think you need to worry. That guy always pulls through."

    At the shark-tooth''s words, Vienna seemed slightly surprised.

    These people knew him better than she did. Yet, it didn''t seem like the first time something like this had happened.

    She was deeply aggravated, but there was nothing that she could do.

    "Still I never thought that bastard was truly a noble," Sharkie said.

    "Zzz..."

    "And now with all those rumors, he willnd a girlfriend!"

    "Rumors?" Billy asked. "What rumors?"

    ***

    "Hidden Hero of the Empire."

    The head receptionist of the Deep Down Town Branch pulled the newspaper back and read with a raised brow.

    "This one says, ''Savior of the Demon Invasion''"

    "Who is Adventurer Dusk, the one who singlehandedly stopped the Demon King in hell."

    Around her, the Branch Managers of the other three guilds read the papers, each of them saying something new.

    The Vice Guild Master sighed and tapped the desk.

    "So, what name are we going to give him?" he asked.

    Over the few days, things had suddenly flowed out of their hands. Rumors spread like wildfire about the existence of an adventurer that stopped the demon king. The Emperor openly endorsed these rumors and talked about how his heart ached at the ailment of this hero while expressing his intentions to give him a medal. And Kaiser''s testimony on top of itpletely nailed the coffin.

    The surprise that the adventurer guild felt couldn''t easily be expressed. Even Kaiser hadn''t been endorsed as a hero of a country.

    The branch manager of the Deep Down Guild crossed his hands.

    "Should we go with Kaiser''s suggestion?"

    He lifted a piece of paper that Kaiser had turned in.

    The others peered over.

    ***

    "Nightbringer..." Anatolia muttered as she a sip of her tea, her legs crossed. "What an ironic name."

    "What is?" asked her guest. Sitting across her in the reception room of the Imperial Pce was the princess of the neighboring country, the Kingdom of Schwarz.

    The princess of Schwarz was deeply troubled today. She did not take a bite of the refreshments ced between the two as she carefully observed Anatolia who still had a patch around her eyes.

    Anatolia and she weren''t close.

    Not in this timeline, at least.

    Seeing her friend whom she knew before her regression in such a state, the princess of Schwarz was deeply troubled.

    Nothing matched up. In the time she had been cooking up countermeasures for the war that would have taken ce in hell, demons had already popped out and were even dealt with. Unlike before, the top adventurers yed an active role and the one that gave them the most trouble, Demon King Bm, did not even appear.

    It was absurd. And the most absurd of it all was that at the center of everything was her friend.

    A friend that she hadn''t yet made in this timeline. Continue your saga on m|v-l''e-NovelBin

    There was only one exnation for the sudden change in behavior that the princess exhibited, and after having seen it happen to three people, she was sure that it was correct too.

    Princess Anatolia must be a regressor too.

    She was unable to decide whether to bring it up or not. The path they were treading on wasden with dangers, and not to mention, on top of being her friend, Anatolia was also a rival. She wasn''t sure if she was happy that Anatolia was a regressor or not.

    "What will you do now?" the princess of Schwarz asked.

    "What now?" Anatolia looked at her with a smile. "I made a move and failed, now I must face the repercussions."

    "Repercussions?"

    ***

    "Removal of Princess Anatolia from the Imperial Lineage."

    The Emperor said. Inside a personal meeting room that no one, not even his shadows could enter, the Emperor was facing an old friend.

    "It''s not enough at all," said Hades. "Had it not been for the mandated records of each person in our family, we would have never been able to call ourselves one again. Even if it ended well, the fact that the previous memories haven''t returned doesn''t change."

    Hades had been robbed. Things of a value much greater than any spell, any gem, any wish, all his memories of his daughter had been taken away. Somehow, with the loss of the memories, his wife and son had returned to their normal states along with everyone that had been cursed by seeing thedy''s face.

    It was an event that ended in great sess, yet how could he dare measure anything on the same scale as his daughter?

    The Emperor, unable to offer any words, scrunched his face in guilt and lowered his head. He had been stumped with thoughts as he tried whatever way he could save Anatolia from the worst, and now, only thisst one was left.

    "How about..." the Emperor said. "Taking her as a personal maid for the youngdy?"

 Chapter 162: Chapter 159: Under the Moonlit Sky (2)

    "How about..." the Emperor said. "Taking her as a personal maid for the youngdy?"

    "A maid...?"

    Hades leaned back and crossed his legs. It was something he could think about.

    "I''ll bring it up with her," Hades said. "The one who decides the punishment won''t be me, but my daughter."

    "I understand," the Emperor said.

    Sighing, Hades shook his head.

    His friend had taken his words to heart and had acted as a wise ruler. From using the incident to boost the empire''s image, and softening the blow on Anatolia, he had handled everything from public sentiment to public greed.

    The best move, in Hades'' opinion, was to ease their anger in the most mboyant way possible.

    "I think you still went a bit too far with doing things without asking my son-inw first."

    In no time at all, the Emperor had given the adventurer Dusk the status as high as a Marquis by turning him into the hero of the incident.

    "Aren''t you deciding things too fast too?" The Emperor asked. The one that these two talked about was still unconscious, yet they had already made him a hero and a son-inw.

    "Hah?" Hades scowled. "So, you think he will say no? Do you think he CAN say no? I''ll go to war!"

    "Sure, sure," the Emperor said. "Well, this will give him all the backing he would need. No one in the Empire can say a word now."

    Pulling a fast one, the Emperor had made it easy as pie for the Acacias to pair their daughter with the man of her choice.

    She kept mentioning things about him being her ''wife,'' in an attempt to please their daughter, the Acacias had already nned the official engagement and all the procedures that came with it without letting her find out a word. And now, even the minute issue of the wife''s status was solved.

    Not a moment.

    His daughter had not left that man''s side for a moment in thest ten days.

    They didn''t think they were being hasty. The thought didn''t even enter their minds.

    It was natural, yes. Their thoughts were the most logical.

    If their rtionship was strong enough for her to stay by his side for ten days, there was only one conclusion.

    His daughter would definitely be happy.

    Hades looked at the Emperor and sighed.

    "I am still very pissed at you."

    "I understand."

    "You know what, Aegis,e here."

    Hades beckoned the Emperor over with his fingers. The Emperor didn''t find any fault in his old friend''s casualness and walked over willingly.

    "I have to do this to be satisfied, even a little bit."

    "What do you?"

    The duke clenched his fists. He twisted his entire body to the back.

    The Emperor''s eyes widened¡ª

    And Hades'' fist came crashing into his jaw.

    The Emperor held his head as a muffled.

    ***

    A muffled sound of strings rang out.

    Softly, gently, their tone reached my ears and pulled me out of my deep slumber.

    As the pace of the plucking picked up, the notes grew louder. Ament that seeped deep into my soul, and pushed me up from underneath.

    It felt the burdens on my consciousness were being removed my eyes slowly fluttered open.

    My body ached as the hazy sight of a dark room filled my gaze.

    The sounds of the strings grew bolder. What seemed like ament just moments ago was now a call, and then, an elegy, an ode.

    As the song grew clearer in my mind, the sight around me returned.

    Pain coursed through my veins, but it wasn''t unbearable.

    My eyes searched.

    Just like the song, my heart called.

    I was looking for my strength. The strength that filled me before I had let myself go.

    The strength that let me be weak.

    Slowly, I shifted my gaze to the sides.

    Sitting over the window sill was ady with a fluttering veil. The guitar in her hand continued to sound as the night breeze seeped into the room, ying with the drapes and her white hair.

    My heart pounded faster.

    it wasn''t the room underground anymore, but one up above.

    Thedy that the world was forgetting, no longer had a reason to hide.

    The song continued.

    Under the moonlit sky, thedy poured the words of her soul. It seemed angry at times at the world, yet happy about something else, a farrago of emotions.

    One that kept me rooted to my spot.

    Under the moonlit sky, thedy seemed more beautiful than I had ever seen her.

    Over and over, her intonation changed. She swayed at times and leaned back at others, captivating me with her every breath all over again.

    Then, it stopped.

    All of sudden, thedy stopped.

    her hands hovered over the strings as she stared at the guitar.

    I shuffled off the bed and slowly walked over, careful to not make a noise.

    Thedy''s song was iplete.

    There yet remained an emotion she hadn''t expressed, an elegy she hadn''t sung, an ode she hadn''t hummed.

    I stopped behind her.

    The sight of the moonlit sky and thedy in between it all.

    My hands moved over her back, coiling over her. My palms touched the back of her hand while my breathnded on her nape.

    Thedy didn''t say a word as she felt my touch.

    I led her hands over the strings, and with my palm grazing her back, she pressed down on the next frets.

    Thedy leaned back and rested her head against my chest.

    "This pounding in my heart, you feel it too," she said.

    I closed my eyes as thedy started plucking the strings again.

    Soft. Gentle. Passionate. Blooming.

    Words failed to describe her sounds.

    Emotions failed to capture our feelings.

    It was something that only the two of us felt.

    No one but us.

    "Say, what''s your name?"

    "Eugene..." I whispered. "And you?"

    Thedy shifted her gaze toward me. My fingers intertwined with hers as the sounds of the guitar lowered.

    "Lethe."

    Lethe.

    "Eugene... this feeling, do you know what it is?"

    Thedy asked.

    Mydy asked.

    The strength that I seek.

    The gaze that I desire.

    The feeling that I shared.

    I slowly pulled away the bottom of her veil and leaned closer.

    Under the moonlit sky, the voice of thedy''s soul finished its song.

    Under the moonlit sky, two lips ovepped.

    This feeling that we felt.

    What could it be, but

 Chapter 163: Chapter 160: A Missing Piece

    Another night passed.

    With my body still severely injured, I was unable to feel my mana and Ki circuits and core which left me greatly vulnerable.

    Thankfully, thedy had been guarding me non-stop through the time I was unconscious. She had been awake for the entire ten days. We shared a moment in the night before she sped at my chest and told me about her thoughts. How she had been scared that I would forget her. How it was the first time she had felt that she needed someone''s approval.

    How she was afraid somewhere deep down that maybe she would annoy me with anything.

    She was deeply confused by all these feelings.

    I, too, let myself freely talk about things. I don''t remember when the two of us fell asleep.

    And now, morning hade with thedy resting her head against my bed. She was fast asleep for the first time since the day I had been taken away. What had been ten days for me were barely ten hours here.

    Sitting up on the bed, I turned my gaze to the window.

    The room in the Acacia estate of the capital was now lit by the morning sun as rays of light fell on her hair. I gently stroked the locks of white in my hand as she remained asleep.

    "Eugy..."

    I heard a voice.

    "Titania?"

    Sitting atop my head, was my fairy partner. I thought she would have been gone due to my injuries.

    "I am sucking mana out of that girl."

    I nodded my head at her words. So she was leeching off thedy.

    Taking in a sharp breath, I leaned my head back. The fairy moved away from my head and floated in front of my eyes. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|m,p| y- r

    "Thanks," I said. I could have died again if not for her taking action.

    Titania scoffed and crossed her arms.

    "It''s only natural. I told you, from Hell to Heaven, I''ll guide you anywhere you want to go."

    I nodded, a smile hanging on my lips. Eventually, I sighed and leaned back against the bed.

    The battle with Bm shed in my mind over and over. On the day I had fought with the monster of the Deep Down Dive with Dawn, a reverse flow of World''s End had given me a new idea.

    Just like Mana and Ki, I thought of using this new form of energy as my fuel. Over thest two years, Titania and I had tried many ways to train with it, but most of them failed. Just using it for even a small timepletely wrecked my body from the inside.

    But that fight gave me another insight.

    "I think... something is missing."

    "Missing?" Titania muttered.

    The sound of thedy... Lethe''s soft breaths continued. I stared at her hair as I talked with Titania in a whisper.

    "I think there''s something that I haven''t found yet. I am sure after using it for so longst time, that is a power that I can control. Just not right now¡ª"

    "Great observation!" A voice suddenly came. I snapped to the side as someone stepped inside from the open window. Floating above that someone was a tiny fairy that mmed straight into Titania. "You reached the right answer without needing a push¡ª"

    "Shush!" I hissed and pointed at thedy.

    The intruder, Kaiser, raised his hands and stuck his tongue out. He slowly walked over to the side of the bed and audibly grinned.

    "How are you feeling now?"

    "Good as new."

    "You know, Eugene, you''re much weaker than I expected."

    Stay quiet? Fuck that. I clenched my fists and got ready to pummel the son of a bitch when he waved his hands in an attempt to calm me down.

    "Ok, ok, you''re getting me wrong. I am not insulting you, I swear."

    "Oh yeah? It''s not an insult, but you look like a censored image Kai."

    "That clearly was an insult?!"

    "Was it now?!"

    I stared at the bastard before both of us broke into small cackles. Kai sighed and shook his head.

    He hadn''t forgotten about thedy.

    Back when we were in hell, thedy said that she saw him widening his eyes before anyone should have noticed her. She would have assumed it was just because of his heightened senses, but after we came back, he openly referred to her as thedy.

    "Do you not sleep, Kai?" I asked. Just as always, there was no need for pretense in our conversations.

    "When you reach my level, those things be elusive."

    I hummed and leaned back again. Sleep was also just a weakness for the truly strong, I had learned something new.

    Kai alternated his gaze between me and thedy as if waiting for me to speak up.

    Crossing my arms, I continued.

    "What did you mean?"

    "You''re certainly stronger than anyone your age but¡ª"

    "Not with that. The thing about being in the right direction."

    Kai hummed and nodded again. Though there was no pretense between us, there surely seemed to be judgment. It seemed as if he was assessing me with my every word.

    "When I took care of that ce in hell, I noticed what you left there."

    The energy of World''s End.

    "For someone who wields something on that level, you should be able to thrash those demons with a yawn."

    "What movie did you watch dude?"

    "Movie?"

    I shook my head at the adventurer''s crazy words. Overblown as it was, defeating people with a yawn sure seemed to be interesting. Anyway, he didn''t know about movies, loser. I was strangely bitter about being called weak, even if it was meant to be in a sense different that what it intonated.

    "Well anyway, the reason you''re unable to do so is simply that your power is iplete."

    My eyes slightly widened. I knew something was missing, but I didn''t expect the state of the energy itself to be unstable.

    The recoil already made it impossible to research well. I had somehow managed to incorporate a pseudo-mixture in some attacks, but that didn''tpare to the real thing.

    "And you know this... how?"

    "It''s because I have seen something like it before."

    At those words, even Titania turned this way.

    "Seen it before? Don''t lie, even I have never seen something like it before."

    "No, aunt, it is true. I have seen it too."

    Titania and I were both stumped.

    "Where...?"

    "Charlotte," Kaiser said.

    That name came up once again.

    The one I wasn''t interested in. It seemed that I slowly had no choice but to be intertwined with her.

    My mother,

    "Charlotte Fonias¡ª"

    A loud bang interrupted us.

    "Are you awake¡ª"

    "Shush!" I screamed at the intruder that burst the door open. "Dimwit, can''t you see someone is sleeping here?"

    I turned to Lethe, ignoring the stunned intruder at the door. Thankfully, she hadn''t woken up.

    "Di-did this guy just call me a dimwit?"

    The man was still loud.

    "Do you not learn, who in the world are you?" I asked.

    Suddenly, Kaiser leaned closer and spoke in a strained whisper into my ears.

    "That''s the duke of Acacia."

    "Duke or a king, do you think I care¡ª"

    Oh, wait.

    If mydy was thedy of Acacia.

    Then won''t the duke of Acacia be her father?

    Realization slowly dawned on me as I turned to the man at the door with dropped jaws.

    "Uh..."

    "Did you call me a dimwit..." the man said. "Son. In. Law?"

    What? Son in what?

    Wait before that.

    Fuck.

    Things will be lighthearted for a while now~ The arc is pretty much on the epilogue.

    Up next, smut filled transition ofc.

 Chapter 164: Chapter 161: Boys Talk

    "So, what was that? Hm?"

    The man, Duke Acacia, bit his lips together and stepped ahead. His shoulders hunched and neck stretched, he was only missing unkempt clothes toplete a gangster image.

    "You''re being loud. Dim. Wit."

    I, for one, wasn''t going to back off from a challenge.

    Kai looked at me and gasped. Like a gossip king, he covered his mouth and mumbled some wows.

    "D-d-dimwit... again...? I-I don''t approve!" the duke screamed. "I don''t approve of this union¡ª"

    "¡ªHoney."

    Like moles popping out of a whack-a-mole machine, more people came streaming into the room one after the other. This time, a woman with fluttering long hair reminiscent of thedy stepped inside.

    The duke froze in his tracks.

    "Do you want me to hit you with a chair?"

    "That''s the duchess," Kai whispered.

    The woman''s moves were enchanting, just like Lethe''s, but she couldn''tpare to the level of her daughter. She also didn''t wear any veils to hide her face.

    I remembered well.

    Lethe reciting the incident of how her mother and her brother, in an attempt to protect her from a fall when she was a child, ended up seeing her face. At that time, her curse had already bloomed and they were well aware of the risk. Yet, to keep her safe, they willingly went ahead and lost their minds to be husks that could not think of anything but her orders.

    And now, that same mother of hers had turned back to normal.

    No one.

    No one in this world had any more memories of my Lethe.

    That cruel fate was her blessing. That cruel oue had allowed her to meet her loved ones again.

    How ironic, that ''Lethe,'' was the only one who would remember.

    But, I was here too. I wasn''t going to let her carry any burden on her own.

    A faceless person waiting for me. A faceless person to trust in with all my heart, to share all my sorrows and joy with. What I could only find repulsive mere weeks ago now seemed natural.

    The duchess turned to me and gave me a short wave.

    With a wry smile, I lightly shook Lethe awake.

    "Hm... Eugene..."

    She rubbed her eyes through the veil as she sat up. Her other hand was stuck to mine as she looked around aloof, I didn''t want to wake her up, but this was more important.

    Lethe''s gaze finally turned to the door. She froze in her tracks.

    I heard a soft sob from the duchess. At the same time, Lethe stood up at once.

    "M-mom...?"

    I gently let go of her hands as she ran around and charged into the duchess. The duchess opened her arms and Lethe dived in, embracing her tightly.

    This ever-cooldy.

    "M-mom!!" Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|m,p| y- r

    "Lethe... my darling..."

    "I am sorry... It was all my fault... I am sorry..."

    Tears started pouring out of them both.

    This ever-cooldy could also be cute and emotional.

    Seeing her cry again, for a reason different than before, made my heart riddled with pangs of guilt.

    No. I felt pity.

    I could tell from her mother''s tone and the way she hugged her daughter. It was all clear.

    No one remembered her. They had no choice but to make memories now. And thedy knew so too. Mixed within that embrace, was an obligation that the duchess felt toward her supposed daughter. Whether it was a blessing or a curse.

    It had already happened.

    They had no choice but to ovee it. No, they will ovee it.

    I smiled and turned back to Kaiser.

    "So, about that thing."

    "Wait, seriously?" he looked at the crying duo and the father that was embracing them both with a slightly troubled gaze. I assumed. "Don''t you have your priorities sorted?"

    "That''s the secret to a long life, Kai."

    He shrugged.

    Before he could continue, though, the father was kicked out of the embrace. He walked over to us with his head lowered. The duke walked over to the bed.

    I scooted to the side as the man crossed his legs and took a seat, careful to not touch the fairies.

    All of them could see fairies, it seemed.

    "So, what are you talking about with my son-inw?" the Duke asked. He quickly raised his head and looked at us with renewed vigor, as if ready to let out his rage on us now.

    "Ah, nothing big," Kai replied. "You remember Charlotte, senior?"

    "Charlotte? What of her¡ª"

    The duke stopped.

    He suddenly turned to me. His jaw dropped open.

    There it was. I knew it. I fucking knew it.

    "Oh, my god," he spoke. "You''re Charlotte Fonias'' son?!"

    "Eeyup, that''ll be an autograph for you I assume?"

    "What, no?"

    It was my turn to go ''Oh, my god.'' This was the first person to not have gone crazy over the mention of my mother''s name.

    "Anyway," Kai interjected. "You remember that strange form of energy she used in the academy?"

    I could put some pieces together now. It seemed Kai and the duke both went to the academy at the same time, with Kai being his junior.

    "I inspected Eugene''s powers, and it seems he''s using something simr. It''s not the same, but its structure is almost identical."

    "Structure, inspection... I don''t think I understand all these powers well beyond Ki and Mana," I crossed my arms and made my observation.

    This realization was like a truck hitting me straight in the face.

    In my previous world, I was probably one of the most informed people about mana, and my research had led me to great lengths about Ki too since I wanted topensate for itsck.

    Since I hade into this world, I had been so absorbed in learning to apply my knowledge that Ipletely ignored expanding it. Mana and Ki weren''t the end of things, the refined forms, Demonic Energy, Holy Energy, and the energy of the End that I had created, all of these were worth learning about just as much as everything else.

    I had been short-sighted.

    Once again, the words of the branch Manager rang in my head. Recklessness without having the ability to back it up.

    I had been reckless once again in all my pride and ignored more basic things.

    The Duke looked at me and nodded. "That much would usually be good for someone who is learning to fight with just those two, but you have some deeper goals."

    I nodded at the Duke''s words.

    Kaiser calling me weak now didn''t seem annoying, but rather helpful.

    It was a learning opportunity. I had to change my outlook as soon as possible.

    "Well, senior. Do you have any ideas about it?"

    The duke crossed his arms and leaned back. He hummed as he fell on the bed andy down next to my feet.

    Kaiser took the moment to rest his legs on the bed too while sittingfortably on a chair. The two of them were thinking, so I decided to join them in doing the same.

    Pizza, yes. I missed pizza.

    "Ah!" The duke suddenly eximed as he sat back up. His daughter and wife continued having a heartfelt moment at the back from which he was excluded, maybe that was why he was so serious here.

    "Before you came of age, there was an event when Charlotte whipped everyone in the academy into the library."

    I and Kai leaned ahead as the duke continued.

    "She made us scour the entire library to find any texts rted to some dark energy."

    "The entire library?!" Kai screamed. "All hundred floors?"

    I almost drooled at the thought of a hundred-floor giant library.

    "It''s a vague memory, but the incident was crazy enough. It took every student three days and nights and we couldn''t find anything yet."

    "What happened then?" I asked.

    "Hm, she called it off after finding something. I think the one who found it would still have that book."

    "Found something, huh?" Kai added. "Who was it?"

    "You know him, Ban Ket Hall..." the duke spoke while nodding his head, he seemed to be remembering his school days. "That poor guy was bullied endlessly by Charlotte. I wondered what happened to him after that. Maybe he escaped her clutches."

    "Uh... about that." Kai spoke and pointed at me again.

    The duke shifted his gaze and thought for a few seconds again.

    "Oh no. You''re Charlotte and Ban''s child!?"

    I nodded.

    "Honey!" the duke turned to his wife who was still holding a crying Lethe. "Listen to this, son-inw is Marquis Hall''s child!"

    No seriously, what was this about a son-inw?

    "Son-inw...?" it seemed that I wasn''t the only one thinking of it.

    Lethe sniffled and looked at us. Her eyes were fixed on mine.

    I could sense it. Under that veil, she was smiling a smile that would send chills down people''s spines.

    "Haha... son-inw, huh?"

 Chapter 165: Chapter 162: Award Ceremony (1)

    The terrifying aura that Lethe emitted faded away when her mother, the Duchess, talked about her son. The twodies, along with the duke left the room to meet with Acheron von der Acacia.

    I was happy to see Lethe happy.

    As the group of them went away, the two little fairydies started chatting out loud while I turned to Kai as well.

    "Think I''ll find something in that book?"

    "I think you''ll find something in anything rted to Charlotte, including that ring." Kai pointed at my hand.

    I raised my brow, amused. I didn''t think he would know it belonged to her.

    "I was quite obsessed with your mother, you see."

    "Hey!"

    "She was the one person I could never defeat."

    Kai suddenly clenched his fists. This aloof person that always seemed lofty, as if a step above everyone else, looked as human as he could be right now. I once again felt that Kai was one of the few people in this world that I could openly be myself. A friend.

    "Well, anyway," Kai sighed. "Tell me more about your adventurer life!"

    I smiled and shuffled to face him. The first time we had met, I had no tales for him and he had been the one luring me to the life of an adventurer.

    Excitedly, I started spilling out tales of my days over thest two years. Quests of all kinds, people of all kinds, from the vampires I had handled as my promotion quest to the tinum rank, all the way to the time I had just met Ophelia. Tales kept spilling out as the day started to pass us by,

    "Hey, look. All this is good, but you have to tell me about that one," Kai muttered. The sun had started to set. "You sold a baron to a BDSM club, I need details. All of them."

    "Haahm, you know what? I am sleepy now. Get lost."

    "Eugene!"

    I waved my hands and smirked.

    "Enough, get out."

    "You can''t do this! Tell me the details!"

    "Out!"

    "Noo! I wanna hear that tale! No, don''t go to sleep!"

    Enjoying his screams, I closed my eyes.

    When Lethe returned and when she threatened him with a chair to kick him out, I had no idea.

    I was still tired and injured. Drowsiness took me away and I didn''t wake up again for a long time after that.

    Just how many muscles would I have lost? Thinking about that didn''t make me want to wake up again.

    ***

    "Fix that cor, Billy."

    "Right. Brother, lower your head and get some wax on your hair."

    "You should cut it off, lord Eugene. You looked better when you had short hair."

    Two blondes and one tank were running around me as they adjusted my clothes.

    I had woken up this morning to Lethe sleeping beside me while holding my hand. The joy I felt back then was drowned almost immediately as she told me that people from my family were here to get me with great discontent.

    Things happened too fast for my still groggy brain to understand. Apparently, I was being given an award and the title of ''Hero of Atreus,'' and today was the ceremony. For some reason, Vienna Golden Hall, Billy Ard Hall, and Sir Buhini were all here in the capital.

    They had originallye here for the banquet but were now preparing me in traditional Schwarz clothing in the greenroom of the Imperial Pce.

    "Do I have to sit through this?" I asked, slightly bored as Billy scrutinized my suit from top to bottom. They had brought me a red military suit with golden embroidery that matched well with my eyes.

    The door to the greenroom was barged open as two more familiar people came in. A man wearing a beanie and a sleeping knight.

    "Oooh!" Sharky screamed. "You''re looking pretty cool, dusk! Introduce me to some empire girl please¡ª"

    "Zzz..."

    "What''s this?" I said, ignoring Billy who was joined by Vienna in appraising every crease of my cloth. "What''s a measly gold-ranked adventurer doing here? Sorry, you aren''t invited."

    "Hah! Hey, Zach, you listening to this bastard?"

    "Zzz..."

    "Get lost, Sharky." Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    "You little! We were brought here bydy Vienna, ok?!"

    "Brought here? You were just picked up like the trash you are. She just took some pity on you, sharky."

    "These guys weren''t lying," Vienna suddenly said. "Your tongue sure has gotten bad, little brother."

    Oh, this bitch.

    "Don''t misunderstand, mydy. I believe in being genuine. Anyway, achieving sticity that you would approve of would require this world to die from pollution."

    "Hah!" Vienna scoffed. She suddenly patted my shoulders. "There you are, that''s how you should speak."

    I was left shocked at her sudden maturity. Or did this woman really not realize that I had called her a snake of a level where even a python would look like an ant?

    Billy hissed at Vienna and fixed the cloth on my shoulder when a loud re rang from the outside. The ceremony was already beginning.

    I was feeling a little lost and tired from it all when a veiled person peeked in through the door.

    "You ready?" she said.

    "Lethe..."

    Warm gazes were directed toward us from everyone in the room as I rushed over to her and sped her hand.

    "Then, I''ll be taking him," Lethe spoke to Vienna who replied with a slight blush and a wave.

    I passed through the halls hand in hand with Lethe.

    "How do you always look so good?" she said.

    "Quit it," I snapped back. I was still weak, so deep in my heart, I promised myself vengeance for all this teasing that shended on me.

    Before long, I was shown the inside of the pce''s courtroom. Apparently, this was the very ce where Lethe had taken the entire Royal Family hostage. The walls had been brought down for the asion with magic as people flooded the sidelines from all directions.

    The Emperor began talking.

 Chapter 166: Chapter 163: Award Ceremony (2)

    The Emperor began talking.

    He spoke at length about his ancestors, about how the demons had threatened the founder, Tantalus Atreus. Then, almost magically, he started talking about events that never happened. From the Acacia, house warning the kingdom and keeping it safe against a sudden desire of revenge against the kingdom, to me being the one who stopped it at its core and killed the demon king.

    He piled up lies over lies mixed with small truths that elevated both mine and the Acacia family''s prestige and reputation to the skies. Like a witty king, he had turned this situation against him to his advantage. Not a single person had died, and that brought along prestige for the Adventurer guild too.

    At everything''s core, though, it was but the empire that benefitted the most from all these stories.

    The award was bestowed to me, Adventurer Dusk, with my name as Eugene Halling in second, and my association with Schwarzing in third. Just because it was benefitting from the inside, that didn''t mean the Empire didn''t suffer any blows. It now all depended on how the Emperor used the situation he had created between the different countries.

    A party started right after as nobles met with nobles while I was dragged to a terrace with the Emperor and forced to face the people of the city.

    As he waved his hands at the people, the Emperor ced a hand on my shoulder.

    "I am sorry for my daughter," he said.

    "Try not to fail next time," I answered back. Provoking people sure was fun. It seemed that the Emperor didn''t see it that as he smiled and patted my back.

    "You''re one interesting person."

    "Sure, sure. Now, I''ll get away from you."

    With those words, I walked away from the Emperor and joined the party continuing in the pce. Lethe was out meeting with different nobles and establishing her position back, while people from my family did the same. I even noticed Kai and the Death Queen talking around with the three branch managers, the vice guild master, and the receptionist of the Adventurer''s guild.

    The receptionist gave me a wave when she noticed me. I had a lot to talk about with her too.

    But before all that, I had to first move somewhere else.

    I followed Vienna and Billy''s desperate pleading and found a woman with ck hair reminiscent of the night sky. That woman noticed me and walked over to me, grace exuding with her every step.

    If the princess of this Empire seemed like a growing authority, then this person was a fully bloomed flower.

    "Lord Eugene Hall, the genius hand behind Apollon," the woman said with a bright smile. The group of nobles that were with her did not move, but a single knight followed her.

    I gently bowed and took the hands of thedy. Being back in the world of nobles after experiencing the life of an adventurer was slightly stifling.

    Decorum dictated that I kissed her hand, but after thinking about it again, I didn''t feel like it anymore. So, I dropped it back.

    "It is an honor to meet you, the shining star of our Kingdom of Schwarz."

    This was none other than the second princess of Schwarz.

    And a regressor, out to kill me.

    Standing behind her, Dawn stiffened as the princess contemted what had just happened with her hand. I ignored it cleanly and smiled again.

    "I hope these actions of mine have not caused you any difort, princess."

    Coming back to her senses, the princess shook her hand andughed.

    "None at all, Lord Eugene. If anything, not just I, but the entire kingdom is impressed. The noble soul to help a different country out in a time of need, you are the prime example of nobility amongst your generation."

    I took in that word sd from one ear and expelled it from another.

    "Your praise is more than I deserve," I said, feeling sleepy now.

    "A letter must have gone to you a while back, but I''ll say it here as well." The princess suddenly straightened up, and the air around her changed from a slightly casual one to one thatmanded respect. "I shall be joining the Academy this year. Amongst other nobles our age, you shall join as well."

    "Yes?"

    "Don''t be bothered by the tuition or anything of the sort, lord Eugene. The royal family will sponsor you, the beacon of Schwarz''s next generation."

    Wow.

    So this regressor was nning to bring me all the way to her den and kill me there, huh?

    It was exciting to see this princess. The previous one was moody and frail, she trembled as soon as she saw me and malice never betrayed her voice.

    But this princess was different. There wasn''t a spot in our conversation where she seemed overwhelmed by her emotions. Did she just not hate me that much, or was she much more capable?

    I was excited, hoping for it to be thetter. Unfortunately, there still seemed not much reason for me to go to the academy, so I would have to reject herter.

    The princess suddenly continued.

    "Where will you be going next, lord Eugene?"

    "It seems I would have to return home, princess."

    She crossed her arms and nodded, the ss of wine swaying in her hands.

    "With Vienna?"

    "No, I will have toplete the quest first."

    The princess nodded. She then turned to her back and patted her aide on the hand.

    "This here is Dawn, my aide..." The princess looked at Dawn for a few seconds then smiled. "It seems you''re acquainted."

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    Well, yes, I knew her inside out, quite literally.

    "When you leave, take her along."

    My ears perked at her words.

    "I can''t have our Kingdom''s star be put at risk," the princess said. "You''re still injured, so she''ll be able to protect you. Dawn, you join up with Lord Eugene when he leaves and make sure to escort him to the Academy. Alright?"

    "Yes, got it."

    Right then, the princess shifted her gaze behind me and broke into a wide smile. "Then, I''ll not keep you away from thedy of Acacia anymore."

    I looked back to see Lethe with her veil pointed our way. I ended up smiling on my own, which spurred a deeper reaction from the princess who suddenly flushed.

    "My, how endearing. I am sorry for keeping you here."

    Embarrassment rushed to my mind. This enemy of mine had just blushed from my romance.

    She patted the side of my hands and turned away.

    Ignoring her, I rushed over to my Lethe.

    Even at this boring party, not everything was bad. Especially not with the ns we had.

    ***

    "Dawn, no matter what it takes, you have to bring him to the academy."

    Rxing against a table, the princess of Schwarz spoke to her aide. Her ck hair swayed in the wind while a gleam like that of sparkling stars twinkled in her eyes. Once again, she went deep into thought.

    "Is this person..." Dawn spoke, faking her confusion.

    "He is. The one I talked about revenge against."

 Chapter 167: Chapter 164: Playing Cats

    Dawn bit her lips at the princess'' words. She was going to have to protect Dusk the best she could. Unfortunately for her, the thoughts of revenge in the princess'' mind werepletely different from her imagination.

    The Princess of Schwarz was wise. Unlike Anatolia, who had to see the world end once before losing her childishness and gaining power, this princess had been holding the reins from the beginning.

    She was certain now, that Anatolia was a regressor like herself.

    Anatolia had been as rash as ever. She was the type to chop off a weed or cut it out with a knife, someone who only handled things from the surface.

    But she was different.

    When she plucked weeds, she removed them from the roots.

    And the roots here were not Eugene Hall, not him. It was evil itself. So what if he loses his life? Another person woulde up.

    What she was certain of, was that Eugene Hall had changed.

    She remembered well in her previous life when Eugene Hall would take any woman''s hand andpletely feel them up with his tongue. Unlike that, this one just let her go thinking it ufortable.

    The Eugene Hall of this timeline was strong too.

    And most importantly, at the end.

    The blushing face of that person was clear in her mind. To think a serial lech like Eugene Hall could make a face that would leave even the purest of maidens embarrassed was something she had never expected.

    He had already changed.

    It could all be an act too.

    In that case, she didn''t have to get rid of Eugene, but of the evil that influenced him. Beyond that, even in her previous life, that lech was capable. And she was happy to use anything that could be used.

    He did trick not just them, but all the demons, gods and even the outer gods. Even if it was all done by the ''evil'' behind him.

    She could get him to her side. She could get rid of the roots. She could get rid of that demon named Dantalian.

    And if he was closeby, killing him wouldn''t be tough either.

    "No matter the case, Dawn. Bring that man there."

    "I understand. I''ll do it."

    She was going to have her revenge.

    ***

    Anatolia sat alone in her room in the pce. The white bandages tied around her head covered her missing eye, but that pain didn''t affect her much. Not until today.

    Now, she knew that the bitch that had taken her eye away was getting frisky with that Eugene. There were rumors spreading through the kingdom of a forbidden love between them which was spurred on by the Acacia family to lower the reputation of the Imperial Family even further.

    She had lost this time. And now, that damned Eugene was being hailed as a hero. It gave her a headache beyond what she could bear.

    It wasn''t over yet. She could still fight. She had only been removed from her lineage, and maybe she would be turned into a maid for those criminals, but that let her an opportunity to bring her enemies even closer.

    For her loved ones, she was willing to bear it.

    Right then, the door to her room was knocked on.

    The ceremony continuing in full swing outside had made her crave some soup to soothe her headache

    "Come in," she said.

    The doors swung open and two of her servants carried a service cart over to her. They closed the door behind them and stopped in front of the Princess.

    "Should we leave it here, mam?"

    "Yeah, get lost."

    Anatolia, a beat toote, shifted her gaze up.

    No servant dared call her Mam.

    Standing in front of her in the clothes of a maid and a butler.

    Was ady with a veil covering her face, and a man with long white hair.

    "Ni hao!"

    "E-Eugene Hall!" Anatolia stumbled up to her feet. Before she could speak a word, a foot came crashing into her stomach and kicked her down.

    "Sit the fuck back down, princess." The veileddy, Lethe said as she pulled her leg back. "How can mere servants have their master stand to greet them?"

    The two broke into a cackle like a pair of cats ying with a mouse.

    "Actually, you know what?" Lethe suddenly grabbed Anatolia''s hands and pulled her to her feet. She twirled and took the princess'' seat in a go. "Go get us a chair."

    "You bastards!" In a fit of rage, Anatolia raised her hand and charged up a spell, but it never manifested.

    "Childish. You should have trained more. You''re barely at the level of a gold-ranked adventurer."

    Anatolia was stunned. She turned to her side with widened eyes as she saw the still-injured Eugene Hall nullify her magic.

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    Magic could be countered, but to hijack someone else''s spell required a level of control and knowledge that stood magnitudes above the target.

    Gold-ranked? What bullshit. Anatolia herself knew her abilities, the likes of Eugene Hall could never do this to her.

    She waspletely frozen stiff.

    It was only now that realization struck her. This wasn''t the Eugene Hall that she knew.

    Nightbringer. An epithet given by the living god of adventurers, Kaiser himself. The person who defeated a demon king in his own territory.

    He was much more capable, much more powerful... much more evil.

    Anatolia started trembling while biting her lips.

    "W-what do you want..."

    Her heart raced. A cat that yed with its prey eventually swallowed it up.

    She was the prey.

    "Didn''t you hear me, get us a chair?"

    At Lethe''s demands, Anatolia turned away and moved to get a chair. She took in deep breaths to calm herself, but as soon as she saw the two of them start flirting with each other, the fact that she was being yed with just grew heavier and heavier.

    Whenever they wished, they could kill her.

    Even worse, just with a nce of that woman''s face, Anatolia could be turned into a living doll.

    Fear gripped her throat as she pulled a chair for Eugene. He casually pointed it to her and instead leaned on the armrest of Lethe''s seat.

    "I... I..." Words failed Anatolia. She thought she was facing the consequences of her actions, but those consequences that she had felt had been arbitrarily decided by someone else. As nobility, no, as the daughter of the greatest Empire on the continent, that was how she had learned these things to be.

    She had not known, the rage of wild animals. The instincts of survivalists.

    The grip of evil.

    "Now, now, one would think we''re threatening you, princess," Lethe said. "Did you hate my Eugene that much in your previous life?"

    And with those words, the ground was swept away from Anatolia''s feet.

    They knew.

    "How..."

    "I know everything, princess," Eugene said. That face. That smile. It was exactly like the one she had seen in her previous life.

    In her death. In her defeat.

    It hade back to haunt her.

    "Now, we''re not going to turn you into a maid or a ve," Lethe continued. "Nor are we interested in hurting you."

    Anatolia raised her gaze. Even through that veil, she knew that Lethe was smiling a madder smile.

    "It all sounds absurd to us, regression and everything. But, well, the Eugene that you knew is not my Eugene. So justy off."

    "Lay... off?"

    Anatolia was too shocked to be shocked anymore. She epted all of Lethe''s words as the truth.

    "And that''s not all," Eugene continued. "You see. I understand you regressors are out to kill me, and I couldn''t be happier. But..."

    But.

    "I don''t feel like spilling your blood."

    Eugene knew well. The world they were in had already ended, and he was at its center.

    "But that doesn''t mean I can''t. I just don''t feel like it."

    He knew it wouldn''t happen again, but if killing all these regressors was going to be a trigger to it, he''d rather do it when he was strong enough. Before that, he didn''t want to risk ending the world by chance.

    And so, he decided to use his to-be murderers.

    "You''re going to convince all the other regressors that I am different now."

 Chapter 168: Chapter 165: Not Negotiation

    "You''re going to convince all the other regressors that I am different now."

    "Other... regressors...?" Lethe turned toward me at the princess'' confused mumblings.

    It seemed she didn''t know there were other regressors here too.

    Well, that was even better. That mean no one had made any contact with her yet.

    I wanted to go ahead and fight these people, but using them would be even better. And in the worst-case scenario that the world crawled toward an end anyway, no one would be better tools than those regressors who had already seen it happen once.

    Using them was the best of my options.

    And well. Once I was done with them, it would be easier to kill someone close by.

    Lethe, whom I had told everything about all this, was in myplete support.

    Suddenly, she posed a question.

    "Hey, bitch. What happened to me in thest life? Did I help Eugene or something?"

    "Ah... that..." The princess still seemed greatly shocked by the events. It was natural, but I didn''t care. Lethe smacked the table once and the princess had no choice but to sit up straight in fear. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    "Y-you were taken away by the demon king... he ate you in return for leaving the Empire alone..."

    Lethe was stunned.

    "How strange... I was sure you''d have saved me there too."

    "No... Eugene Hall wasn''t even there. That perverted bitchy bastard couldn''t kick a dog for what it''s worth."

    I was right here. It seemed hate did prevail over fear all around the world.

    Before the princess could devolve into a mess, we decided to keep shooting some questions her way.

    From what happened after to Lethe to what I used to do. We made sure not to go into any nasty territories that would shake her up even more since we needed her mind intact for now.

    Of course, it naturally devolved into talking about which women the previous Eugene used to chase and the type of character he was. Lethe and the princess both slowly became certain that the me now waspletely different from before, though the princess was definitely thinking I had grown worse.

    When her breathing calmed and her trembling stopped, we spoke up again.

    "So, princess. I hope you understand what the deal is."

    "What is it...?"

    Ok, maybe she wasn''t still stable.

    "We won''t touch a hair on your body, and in return, you''re going to run on our everymand. Alright?"

    The princess stared at me for a few seconds. I turned to Titania and stretched my hand out who then sighed.

    "Only once, okay? You learn it and use it yourself next time."

    "Got it, just this once."

    "W-what is happening...?" the princess said. It felt a little satisfying to see the haughty person turn into a bumbling fool.

    "We''re going to use an oath from Alfheim. The moment either of us breaks the promise, we''ll be punished by Alfheim itself."

    "Oath..."

    "Yes."

    Titania started chanting a spell and a glow surrounded the three of us.

    "S-very... this is very."

    "No," I whispered. "It''s protection. We''re going to protect you from us."

    I leaned closer and whispered in her ears. Slowly, softly, not hiding the malice I had been shoving in all this while. "I want to rip you into shreds right now. The pain you caused my Lethe, I am dying to give it back... So please, please break this oath. Okay?"

    The princess started trembling incessantly. Tears started dripping from her single eye as her hands quaked to the point one would believe an earthquake hade crashing.

    "It''s done," Titania''s words rescued the princess as I backed away.

    That handled the first of things.

    I felt trash about using this bitch anyway, so I decided to let Lethe spoil me all day today.

    ***

    Our next destination was in another room in the pce. It seemed that walking away from a party was the natural tendency of this family.

    "But, it''s up to entertain the chief guest, isn''t it?"

    I crossed my legs and stared at the person in front of me.

    By my side sat Lethe, and facing us, was the Emperor, Aegisthus von Tantalus Atreus.

    "I believe so. Then, you''re here to be entertained by me?"

    "Not really," I answered. The room inside the Imperial Pce seemed to be the Emperor''s study. Filled from end to end with papers and valuables, it suited the status that the Imperial Family carried."Sure, there''s entertainment too, but we came here to tell you a few things."

    "You had to leave your daughter''s punishment to us," Lethe continued. "So, we''re here to tell you that we''ll save her."

    The Emperor dropped the quill in his hands.

    "Save her... that means..."

    "Right. I don''t want that bitch as a maid, nor do I care whether that mutt has your blood flowing through her or not."

    I wanted to whistle here. Honestly, it was Lethe that was the victim of both this Emperor and his daughter. She was caught up and used in all the ns to mess me up. If anyone deserved to call them a bitch to their face, it was Lethe. No matter how jealous I was, I was also mature.

    The Emperor clenched his fists. It seemed his love for his family outweighed his pride as an Emperor.

    "I... what do you want in return?"

    "Good! You''re smart!" I said "Hand over a ton of money and some treasures. Also, invest in my ce and the Acacia duchy. Let your intelligence agency go through the Acacia duchy as well."

    The Emperor''s eyes widened.

    "That''s not all," Lethe continued for me. "Hand over the diamond and emerald mines in the north, cut our tax, and sign a decree allowing the Acacia military to be expanded."

    We were going to wring him dry in return for his daughter''s life.

    "That... I can do everything, but handing over the treasures from the Royal Armory..."

    "Hey, hey! Emperor, sir," I raised my hand andced my words with sarcasm. "This is not a negotiation. This is a fucking robbery."

    The Emperor''s eyes widened.

    "Shut up and do as we say."

    The Emperor remained seated for a while, before letting out a deep sigh.

    "You really are one interesting kid."

    It was gross to be called interesting by an Emperor. Disgusting.

    "Alright. I''ll do it all. Other than the treasury and armory, this is not a loss. I''ve also heard a lot about Apollon." The Emperor sighed and stood up. He stretched his hand toward us, the chains on his wrist dangling around. "Give me some time for arranging the treasures.

    You won''t be disappointed, and if you are, you can feel free toe and pick out something else."

    This bastard was annoying me now. That I missed my chance to curse him out due to my wretched maturity already left a scalding blow, and now this wise-cracking asshole was acting as if he was investing in us. There really wasn''t an unfavorable deal in that position for people. Even if he lost some political influence, it would gather around the Acacia and stability would be maintained.

    Things would have been easier if he didn''t have trust in the Acacia family, but it seemed that he knew the duke rather well.

    In the end, we shook on it and turned away.

    Before we pass by the gates of the room, though, I stopped and turned back.

    Yeah, fuck maturity. I would have preferred toppling this empire, but I had to remove the frustration that my Lethe''s pain brought me in some way.

    "W-what now?"

    I rushed over to the Emperor and took a deep breath.

    "You fucking son of a bitch! How dare you and your pesky little biowaste of a daughter try to plot against Lethe, huh!?"

    I started pouring out all the curses that I knew of. The vocabry I had gained from Yujin''s father showed its efficacy right away.

    "I ought to take a fucking mace and shove it up your dead father''s ass! And then drag his bones along and fuck you with that very mace, you waste of breathable air!"

    For the next hour or so, I kept cussing the fucker and his every generation. Lethe and Titania had devolved into aughing mess and were rolling on the floor by the end of the session while the Emperor was so stunned his jaw was touching the ground.

    I walked away taking all of the Emperor''s dignity with me.

    Of course, I didn''t leave behind the chains he was unting either.

 Chapter 169: Chapter 166: Disease

    Healing after using that skill seemed to be a long process. Unable to use my body to its best, I got an opportunity to create a base on things with the direction I wanted to take them to. Thanks to the Duchess, Persephone''s help along with the extensive Imperial Library that I extorted ess to from the Emperor, I managed to pick up quite a few things over the next few days.

    All that made me realize a few things that Ipared with the data from back on Earth.

    The fact that all these energies were present in Earth beyond just Mana and Ki was already a great discovery, but I had managed to learn more. It was, in fact, possible to convert them from one form to another.

    It was a very contradictory realization toe to, especially considering the fact that back on Earth, research had ascertained that Mana and Ki are two different opposing forms of energy.

    A lot of further research was necessary in everything.

    Aside from that, my days went rather peacefully. Except that I wasn''t allowed to go back to the Adventurer''s guild and drink due to some doctor''sins. Naturally, I told the doctor to shove it, but it cause a pretty big event where the doctor and hs assistants fell at my feet and begged me to not wreck my body any further.

    I could have gone over to the Hall family''s mansion since it had Vienna and Billy there, but precisely because that ce had Vienna and Billy present, I decided against it.

    In the end, I was staying with the Acacias in the Royal Capital.

    I was always called to eat together with the entire family which I dly indulged in. The Duke, Hades, also invited over Vienna and Billy quite often to share some meals and talked behind my back about something. But it was obvious what it was about, especially since all of them had been calling me ''son-inw'' and ''brother-inw'' over and over.

    Speaking of a brother-inw, Acheron von Acacia, who had recentlye to his senses along with his mother was actually two years older than Lethe. Now that he had regained his health, Lethe wanted him to take the seat of the heir back.

    "It won''t be good, Lethe. You have trained for it for so long, and you''re also very capable. I shouldn''t take the seat of the heir."

    "No, just take it. I don''t care."

    "And what about you¡ª"

    "I''ll be enjoying my time with my Eugene, so you can handle it yourself."

    With that excuse, she easily shrugged away her position.

    Aside from it all, Duke Hades also asked me for a favor. I would usually discuss politics and business with him now and then, so it wasn''tpletely out of the left field.

    Since Acheron hade to his senses after so long, he wanted me to help train him. Just a crash course in some basics since I was near their age and also the strongest they knew of. I dly obliged since I was a good person concerned about the next generation.

    "Brother-inw, isn''t this too tough?"

    Eh, who am I kidding? I just wanted to whip him up a bit.

    "Just get used to it, brother-inw. Eugene will just hit us more if wein."

    Oh, and Billy had also joined those sessions. They had found solidarity and were calling each other ''brother-inw'' as well.

    It was quite the scene, to be honest. Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "Alright, you two, now get lost. You''re hogging too much of my time."

    And with those simple words, Lethe would dive in and get rid of them all.

    That wasn''t really the end of things.

    Lethe would only really sleep when we held hands, we sometimes even cuddled. From breakfast to dinner, every meal had to happen together. Or at least, she would only eat after making sure I had.

    The time I used to slowly start working out had started to be half working out and half teaching her how to work out. And just yesterday, Lethe had left her official duties halfway through and decided to fool around with me, much to Luthr''s deep chagrin.

    "So, what you''re saying is, she has greatly overbearing?"

    Pointing the fork toward me, the head receptionist of the Deep Down Town branch spoke with cake filling her mouth.

    I leaned ahead and took a bite of the cake she offered before continuing.

    "How to say, she has be a simp."

    "Man, that was quick."

    "No, look," I waved my hands to calm her down. "That''s not it. I am happy, alright, it makes my chest pound every time she does any of it. I definitely like it, but well. It''s a hindrance."

    The receptionist leaned back at that. It was an action she usually did when she smiled slyly.

    "I want to support her and her to support me, not for her to lose sight of her goals because of me. If I just end up as a distraction then I''d rather not be around at all."

    The receptionist sipped her coffee with a trembling hand. Was it too cheesy? It probably was, but it was also honest.

    "Don''t worry, my dearest Dusk. I know just what it is. Yourdy is sick."

    "S-sick..?"

    "Yes. It''s a disease I call, the ''First Love Fervor,''"

    "F-first love fervor..."

    The receptionist leaned closer and so did I.

    "It happens to everyone. Love rushes to their heads and fills their minds. All they can think about is their lover, it''s simr to how a child ys with a new toy."

    "Oh..." I sighed. A woman''s heart was strange.

    "It''s not really a gender thing," she continued as she bit into another bite of the cake. Was she casually reading my mind?

    "I am sure that before expressing things, you were constantly thinking about ''how pretty'' or ''how cool'' that, right?"

    She wasn''t wrong. No, she was on point.

    "Different people have different ways of expressing their love. But well, she would lose interest with time, at that point, unless something big happens you won''t be able to salvage things well."

    "Lose interest. You''re not making sense now."

    "Don''t trust me if you don''t want to."

    Fuck, how could I not?

    "The best thing to do would be to go away before she can lose interest. That way she''ll be left longing, you know?"

    "Ahhh..." A gasp left me on its own. I didn''t want her losing interest in me. I also didn''t want to go away just to make sure she doesn''t. That wasn''t genuine at all.

    "What should I do...?"

    The receptionist suddenly leaned ahead and ced her hand on my head. She ruffled my hair with a smile.

    "Drama has never been this novel''s forte. If you''re going to solve it, do so with a conversation."

    A conversation.

    The banquet that we had initiallye here for was finally being held tonight. There was no better ce to hold a conversation.

    I grabbed the receptionist''s hands, pulled it off my head, and smiled.

    "I''ll do it. Thanks."

    A conversation was in order. We had to keep our priorities straight.

    If we were going to indulge in a romance, it had to be thought out. Nothing too hasty, nothing that could kill itself. Something based on pure attraction and conversation, that was how it would besting.

    "Also, can you not break the fourth wall, please?

 Chapter 170: Chapter 167: Vow

    The day passed over rather quickly, and the time for the banquet approached.

    Quite a few eyes went my way as I waited outside the Imperial Pce''s banquet hall for thedy. The sun was setting and a din of nobles moving in and out of the hall, along with the pleasant evening breeze that ruffled my hair made me feel rather strange.

    I was initially supposed to be a guard that wasn''t going to be involved with this, but the Emperor decided to invite all the adventurers too. On top of that, I was now the hero of the Empire, this treatment was only natural.

    But that wasn''t what was off-putting.

    "Hey, isn''t that Nightbringer?."

    "Oh my, the stories weren''t lying."

    "I feel bad for thedy of Acacia, but god if she isn''t lucky too."

    Whispers that people would just as well scream into my ears surrounded me. Apparently, rumors of Lethe and my story had been retconned to no end before spreading into the entire capital. It helped the Acacia family cover the fact that their daughter had suddenly gone missing, sure, and it also helped both Schwarz and the Empire to create a good fable to divert people to after the demon attack.

    But, it was off-putting for me.

    It was because I enjoyed the attention a little too much.

    I decided to give thedies looking my way a small smile and wave and they blushed before turning away.

    The soft glow that the sun left on the evening sky disappeared. Yellow peeked out from inside the hall as people outside dwindled. The other adventurers, Vienna and Billy, Dawn and the princess, the Duke, Duchess, and Acheron, all of them had long gone in and now only I was left standing outside.

    The night was dark, the crescent moon unable to light it up. After a little while, the sound of footsteps rang over the stairs leading to the hall.

    With a veil covering her face, ady with white hair and a white dress matching mine stepped up.

    No veil in the world could hide her beauty, a beauty that stemmed straight from the soul.

    Thedy, Lethe, walked up to me and bowed. I returned the curtsy and slowly took her hand.

    Wrapping my arm around hers, just like we had done in the underground district, she took a step ahead, but I didn''t budge.

    I grasped her hand tight and pulled her away from the banquet, through the sides of the building.

    Confused at first, she stumbled over her steps but did not reject following along. Quite a few servants passed us by, but no one got in our way. They only blushed and looked away, aware of the rumors that surrounded this pair.

    Eventually, I stopped her at the very back of the banquet hall. Facing a field of flowers, a small terrace was erected in ce for asions when the banquet''s hosts would want to be away from people''s eyes.

    In this ce where the moon''s light did not reach, I let go of her hand and faced her.

    We were already veryte. Enjoy exclusive content from m-v l''-NovelBin

    Just as she tilted her head in confusion, a muffled sound started to leak outside. Strings, percussions, and woodwinds came together to form an ensemble for a waltz.

    Instead of saying anything, I reached my hand out. Thedy sped it and came closer.

    Slowly, to the beat, we started moving.

    Our feet swayed together while our bodies curved. With each high note, we moved in an arc, and with each low note, we closed in.

    Her hands fell on my chest, and mine on her waist.

    We continued dancing in silence for a while. And then,

    "Eugene¡ª"

    "Lethe¡ª"

    I held in a chuckle. "You first," I said.

    Lethe''s steps did not slow down, and neither did mine. Still dancing to the growing music, she spoke.

    "I called off our engagement father was nning."

    My eyes widened slightly, before narrowing down.

    I was wrong.

    "You..." she continued. "I remember everything I heard from the fairy, everything I saw."

    I was wrong. I was dead wrong.

    "Eugene... there''s still a lot more I want to learn about you. From top to bottom, I want to know your everything. This feeling that I feel in my heart..."

    I was never a distraction.

    "I want to feel it for your everything. No, I don''t just want to know. As you change, as you grow, I want to be with you."

    "Lethe..."

    She hadn''t lost sight of her goals.

    "Eugene, I''ll be going to the academy after this."

    Her words continued. She took long pauses, as if unsure of what to say next.

    The sound of the music and our continuing dance spurred her on yet.

    "And you''ll be leaving too... I wanted to make the most of this little time before we had to separate."

    Thedy and I continued our dance.

    We didn''t need the moonlight to know our steps.

    We didn''t need the music to guide our movements.

    "Eugene, I can''t ever show you my face."

    "I can''t ever see it."

    "I am a rash, rude woman."

    "It''s the exact opposite."

    "Even if you could see me, I won''t be good-looking."

    "You''re the one person I''ll acknowledge as prettier than myself."

    "Pfft, what''s with that."

    "Hah! It''s all about self-love."

    Lethe and I giggled like two children. Our dance had lost all form and now we were just swaying around.

    "Guard..." she called.

    "Mydy," I answered.

    A breeze blew past us.

    I could hear her take a sharp breath.

    "Eugene..."

    "Lethe..."

    "I... am curious, about you."

    I gently pulled her veil to the side and leaned in.

    The music seemed to have stopped.

    No light came from the stars or the moon.

    "Fine," I said.

    Where we needed no one but each other, we kissed again.

    For hours and hours, we kissed.

    A kiss of a vow.

    A vow to learn everything about each other.

    A vow to grow with each other.

    To remember.

    And then, within the next few days. I left the Empire.

    ***

    A/n: Thanks for reading to the end of Volume 2 of This Eroge Won''t Make Me Fall! We came a long way from the first one. I am very thankful for all the support that you all have given, it would have been impossible without all of you.

    I was mostly satisfied with this arc, thisst chapter might seem a little redundant to many, but after establishing the romance of two souls that knew nothing of love, I desperately wanted to give them a direction. Other than that, I think I managed to avoid a lot of mistakes from Volume 1 and made many new ones (Looking at you, split chapter).

    I will do my best to ovee all of it in the future and bring you an even better story. I hope you all stick along as we introduce my personal favorite character in the tale and the regressor squad all in the academy setting! Before that, though, buckle up for the mini arc! (buckle down? You know what I mean)

    Thanks for reading! Do consider dropping a review or ament if you''re enjoying the story.

    Love,

    Chestnutriceeee

 Chapter 171: Chapter 168: Rid of Worries

    "Nightbringer..."

    "To think that bastard would get an Epithet, and from Kaiser no less..."

    "We have to kill him this time. Definitely."

    The voices of the unsatisfied adventurers echoed in the guild house out in the Deep Down Town. All of them still had a few bruises from a month back. They were stronger now, and that bastard was weaker now.

    His crimes were unending, from insulting them to not taking them along to fight with some demons. And worst of all.

    "How did that crazy fucker bag a noble? That too with such a tale."

    "The story sure is touching. I''ll let that one slide."

    "You''re just too soft on him, Iffy."

    "Wait, does that mean he''s not single anymore?"

    "Fuck, you again!?"

    As the adventurers crumpled up the newspapers and expressed their dissatisfaction, the doors suddenly swung open.

    The silhouette of a few people filled their sights.

    A fire burned in the hearts of all the adventurers, while the receptionists could only shake their heads.

    The adventurers stood up¡ª

    "Ayy! We''re back!"

    "Zzzz..."

    At the door were Sharky and Zachariah. The adventurers threw mugs of beer at the two and forced them away. They then picked up their weapons and charged to the doors.

    "DUSK!" They screamed. Just as the ones in the front jumped near the gates of the guild house, all of them immediately dropped to their knees and performed a sliding grovel.

    "What are you bastards doing?"

    Instead of Dusk, the one they found was the head receptionist. All the adventurers bowed, giving her more respect in their fear than the nobles did to the Emperor back in Atreus. Right behind the receptionist was an old face they all remembered, the other adventurer that made history, Dawn.

    The adventurers were all deeply pissed as the receptionist left them groveling and turned away. Their eyes all went to the outside of the guild house, only to see their branch manager dodging the swipes of a wild white-haired adventurer.

    "Let me open your head!" he screamed as he attacked the branch manager, and the hefty manager had no choice but avoid it all.

    The adventurer''s res deepened as the manager ran inside the guild house and the attacker, Dusk, followed. He noticed all of them and stopped.

    "What? Why are you all bowing to me?"

    They had forgotten to stand up after the receptionist left.

    "Do you want onest beating before I leave or something?"

    And then, their res disappeared.

    "Leave...?" one of them said.

    "Yeah," Dusk took a step inside the guild house. All eyes turned to him as he took in a deep breath and shed them a wry smile. "Adventurer Dusk... is going on a break."

    All the adventurers watched watch widened eyes and cked jaws.

    Even the receptionist, Sharky, and Zachariah were stunned.

    "B-break? What do you mean?" Iffy posed. "Are you going to quit being an adventurer? Why!?"

    "I am not quitting. I am just going back home."

    "I didn''t hear about this?" the receptionist turned back to Dusk and spoke. Before she could continue, the branch manager ced a hand on her shoulder.

    "Yeah, well... I guess I''ve be a bit soft in my injury, I couldn''t bring myself to say it..."

    "Will you not being back?"

    It wasn''t umon for adventurers to be gone for too long. But the moment one heard that they had left without taking a quest, the separation of a small duration became something that worried the others. Such was the nature of an adventurer''s life.

    "I will. Of course, I will." Dusk spoke with great resolve.

    This life of an adventurer.

    He had liked it more than he could express. Strength, power, opportunity, love... it had brought him more things he could express. It was a life he wished for.

    Just, his path to growing stronger came before it all. And now, he was simply going to take a detour to go and be stronger.

    He had a direction. The usage of his World''s End.

    And he had andmark as well. His mother, Charlotte Fonias.

    "So, it''s just a break right?" the receptionist said.

    "It is. Nothing big."

    The other adventurers didn''t seem convinced yet. The receptionist sighed and waved her hands.

    "Meet me before leaving. Everyone else, this guy ising back. Just think of it as a long quest and get back to your things."

    In the end, thest beating of the adventurers in Deep Down Town never came around.

    Eugene had to spend the next few hours drinking along with the adventurers in broad daylight. It turned into aplete goodbye party as even the guild employees joined in.

    Sharky and Zachariah were a sobbing mess,ining about their friend. They all also conversed about Roth, the old man adventurer that was about toe back in a few months. Iffy, Phillip, and other veteran adventurers too poured Eugene a mug each, before taking a bottle for themselves.

    Bards were kidnapped from the streets and the guild house was filled with music, food, and drinks.

    The guild master joined in too, leading a drinkingpetition between everyone.

    The adventurers eventually got too drunk to care about Eugene, leaving him and Dawn to be the only people not out of their minds yet.

    "Hey, hey dusk... you bastard..." the receptionist called out to him. Her face was flushed as she swayed in the air with each step. "How can you just leave without telling me... don''t you think I''d be lonely?"

    "Hey, I''d be lonely too, alright?"

    "Shush... shut up!" the receptionist then reached into her desk and pulled out a small orb. "This is a magicmucashon device..."

    "Communication."

    "Ah, whatever..." her eyes were rapidly opening and closing as she spoke. "It''s rather new, so it''s not easy to get your hands on. The vice-guild master wanted to personally give it to you, but you''re leaving so take it."

    The receptionist shoved the device in Eugene''s hands. The small orb of ss was frosted from the inside with a rich scent of mana coursing through it. It was quite good.

    The receptionist downed another shot after handing it to him and strutted around.

    The day went by and night came around. In the end, Eugene decided to take the receptionist to her home before going back on his own.

    "Wait..." Dawn called out. "I didn''t book a ce here."

    "Ah, right..." Eugene nodded. Only the two of them were left in the adventurers guild, everyone else had been knocked out. Even their steps were now uneven.

    Wrapping his hand around her waist, Eugene supported Dawn and took him with her to his inn.

    "Where we going...?" she asked.

    "My ce. Just stay there before we leave."

    Before they realized it, they had already reached the inn. The front desk waved at Eugene and handed him his keys as Eugene went up to the room he had left behind. Dawn''s head lolled as she struggled to keep herself straight.

    Eugene barely managed to open the door and walked in. He closed the doors with his feet and pulled Dawn along to the bed. Before he could toss her over, she tightened her grip around his shoulders and pulled him down with her.

    Dawn was trapped between his arms, pinned against the bed by his body.

    She looked straight into his eyes. With the alcohol getting to her head, the sight of eye candy like Eugene was more than appetizing. Her cheeks flushed red as she slowly turned her eyes away, her purple hair syed over the bed.

    "Sorry about that¡ª" Eugene muttered. He moved to the side and fell on the bed beside Dawn.

    A sigh left his lips.

    "How strange, it feels like I am leaving my home to go to my home."

    Dawn let out anguidugh. Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "Home is not a ce, huh?"

    "I guess so..."

    But he didn''t feel that way about his home from his previous life. It wasn''t like he didn''t care about his family from when he was Yujin, he still wished for their well-being. But he never worried. He knew they''ll be fine whether he was around or not.

    Now, it was slightly different. Not just his home from his previous life, Apollon, the adventurer''s guild, Lethe... he was slowly learning to worry about them all. Ok, maybe not about thest one, but the emotion remained.

    It was a strange feeling. Something that would have been normal for other people was very new to him. He wondered what spurred it on.

    "You''ve learned to look at things other than just strength, huh?"

    Eugene frowned.

    "Is that so? I guess I''ve picked up something annoying."

    In front of strength, nothing else was important. It seemed he was being impeded.

    "I would say that could be strength too, but I guess you won''t understand."

    "I don''t."

    Dawn suddenly propped herself up with her elbows and stared at Eugene, a bright smile on her face.

    "Do you know the best way to get rid of worries?"

    "What is it?"

    "You drown in pleasure."

 Chapter 172: Chapter 169: Romping is the best Medicine [R-18]

    Dawn rolled over and pushed all her weight on me. Her chest sank into mine as the feeling of her soft breasts seeped into my body. She slowly grabbed my hair and started licking the side of my face

    Her tongue sloppily trailed over my jawline, almost touching the corners of my mouth before turning away again.

    This woman was drunk drunk.

    I wrapped my hands around her back as she incessantly continued licking my face. Her breaths heated, her licks not betraying her desire and drunkenness.

    I slowly pulled her away from her waist. Her tongue spilling out of her mouth made a thread of saliva drop right onto my lips.

    "Should we do this while you''re drunk?" I asked.

    "I am an angel. I am drunk because I want to be."

    "That''s a total lie, angels have nothing like that." Almost right on time, my dearest fairy partner spoke up. She was ying with her hair while keeping her eyes away from us, it wasn''t tough to notice how red her pointed ears had be.

    "I mean," Dawn continued without being spurred on. "I got drunk because I wanted to do this. Crazy, right?"

    It was crazy.

    Now that I had her approval, it wasn''t easy to control myself either. Especially since I had been fairly drunk too. I licked my lips and sucked up her drool that had fallen on me. At the same time, I lowered Dawn''s body as well.

    Saliva spread over my face as she resumed her licking. This time straight around my mouth. Her tongue dripping with spit teased the contours of my lips as she licked my entire face.

    I raised my hands from her back and slowly seeped my fingers through her clothes. I ran my hands over her smooth skin while my face was being assaulted by her attempts to kiss.

    Enjoying every graze of her skin, my fingers slowly danced up her sides. Her bra was one with hooked straps, she really was nning this. Again.

    I made a drunk mental note to take initiative as I knocked her innerwear away from underneath her shirt. My thumbs then crawled up before sliding from the side of her breasts to underneath.

    "Hmm!" Dawn purred. Her licking grew faster.

    I covered her bulging breasts with my palms and gave them a firm squeeze. My fingers were drowning in the softness of her body.

    Then, I gently pinched her nipples between my fingers.

    "Ahhn!" Dawn yelped. Her body arched forward.

    I started rolling them in my fingers before pulling and twisting, giving all of my hands'' attention to her breasts.

    She tried her best to keep licking me.

    "Ahhm, sluurp."

    But between her moans, her tongue lost its advantage.

    Slowly, she started moving her body. Her crotch grinded over my thighs as she moved in tune with every twist of her tits.

    Wentness that should have been impeded by the alcohol effortlessly managed to soak both our clothes. I could feel her lower lips rubbing over my thighs as I kneaded her breasts.

    Dawn quickly got to work. Her hands lowered on their own and started ying with her clit. She shlicked her privates as she grinded the entrance of her vagina against me. I raised her hips by shifting my legs and made her sit directly above my crotch.

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    Her eyes turned to me.

    "Amazinngh... hnngh..."

    Her movements unceasing, she started rubbing her pussy juice all over my crotch. It all seeped through theyers of fabric and wettened my privates.

    "Hnn!"

    She pinched her clit and her body fell back. I immediately wrapped one hand around her back to stop her from falling while tightly pinching her nipples with the other.

    "Aaahn!"

    A fountain of love juice erupted from her vagina. Her squirting passed through and even got my upper body in its grasp.

    "You make quite the mess, missy."

    Dawn panted in the after of her climax. Blushing she looked away. "It just happens..."

    That whisper turned me on.

    I lifted her leg and twirled on the bed, bringing her below me. She widened her eyes in surprise at first, but then startedughing.

    "How cute," she muttered.

    "Is it?" I asked back, casually pulling her pants off before switching to mine.

    Instead of sitting patiently, Dawn decided to test mine and lowered her hand toward her now exposed cunt. She slowly spread her lower lips open, her juice oozing out from it.

    Tsk. Fuck.

    I kicked off my pants and leaned ahead. With my member in my hand, I brought my lower body closer to her.

    She was teasing me, so I was gonna tease back.

    "I am gonna put it."

    "Pleease..."

    I thered my dick in her overflowing fluids. Bringing my tip close to her entrance.

    Dawn shuddered, her fingers curled around the sheets.

    And instead of going inside, I rubbed my shaft over her slit.

    "Mmn?"

    Again. Before she could react, I almost gave her the pleasure of insertion before snatching it right away. The tip of my cock met with her clitoris over and over, making her crave the iplete pleasure even more.

    Her moans turned into gasps. Her eyes moist, the tense muscles were enough to tell how she was begging for it.

    I leaned closer to her and swiped my thumb over her lips. She gave it a strong lick before frowning again, my penis just at the entrance of her secret garden.

    "Why..." she muttered.

    It was a cute, almost desperate call. I held in augh and pulled away the strands of hair on her face before sealing her lips with mine. At the same time, I finally pushed my lower body and gave her the insertion she seeked.

    "Ahhn!" She moaned into the kiss. Slowly, my member pushed her vaginal walls away from each other, invading deep inside her body.

    The hand that grasped the sheets now twisted and turned it while her heated gasps slowly turned into moans beckoning the pleasure she had been denied.

    Instead of letting her go, I used my thumb to y with her clit as well. Slowly, I pulled back.

    "Ahh..." she yelped. Her legs rose up and wrapped around my back. With her feet, she pushed my bottom ahead and inside her.

    My dick passed into her in one go. Her tongue came sticking out.

    In a rhythm, I began my pistoning. She seemed to be highly sensitive, which I was going to exploit to no end. My one finger messed with her clit. Then, I started assaulting her breasts by squeezing them and pinching her bulging, pink, nipples. And to seal the deal, every time her tongue came out, I gave it a quick lick.

    The maneuvers wore me out at first, but soon enough, her walls started coiling around my dick. Her pussy, like a snake, covered my dickpletely in its warm embrace. Each time I moved back, she would graze against my tip while moaning, inciting a groan of pleasure from me.

    Over and over, I moved my hips and she moved hers to match my tune. Every time my thighs pped against her buttocks, a loud p would ring out followed by the sensual jiggle of her entire body.

    "AhhHhn! There! Almost..."

    My dick started twitching inside her. Anytime now, either of us would break.

    I shifted my hands ahead and grasped her chest. Taking the support of her bulbous breasts, I started pistoning faster than ever. With every push, I would grind against her walls and kiss her womb.

    "Ahn! Han! Hnng!"

    She bit her lips, unable to hold her pleasure in.

    "I am ahhhh..."

    Dawn sped her legs together. Her body trapped minepletely and forced me the deepest I had been yet. Her pulsing walls started caressing my dick with all their might and my twitching dick soon lost its hold, together with her pussy.

    "Comminggggg!!"

    Dawn''s scream echoed in the dark room as her fluids came gushing out.

    At the same time, my seed shot out and bathed her womb in its white. She felt the hot fluid enter her which made her hiss even louder in her climax.

    After a long time passed like that, I pulled out and fell to the side of the bed.

    "Haah... haah..."

    We panted together. After a moment, Dawn rubbed her hand over her slit and pressed her fingers together.

    "Hm, are you trying to impregnate me?"

    "Should you be saying that? Are you sure you aren''t an angel but a subus?"

    Dawn blushed at my words.

    Being injured was no fucking joke, just this muchpletely wore me out.

    "Well, still worried?" Dawn propped herself up again and asked.

    I was not worried at all anymore. Not one bit.

    "Or do you need more of that cure?"

    "I''ll take your entire stock, just for good measure."

    Squealing, Dawn stretched her hands and jumped over me, suckling on my lips without a break.

    Thus began another few rounds before morning came.

    And the next day, we finally began our long trip to Apollon.

    Long, and lustful.

 Chapter 173: Chapter 170: Secret Lovemaking [R18]

    The creaks of the carriage resounded as our ride for the day swayed from the had booked to move through the eastern ends of the Schwarz Kingdom to the central bits. Hall fiefdom and the city of Apollon were right on the western edge of the kingdom, bordering the Ediab forest and the Mirxa fief.

    We booked a carriage to take us over as many towns as we could go over during the day and decided to stay at inns for the night.

    Dawn had a mission to kidnap me and take me over to the Academy no matter what it took. I, on the other hand, was hell-bent on finding more about World''s End and growing stronger. Well, we were at a standstill for the moment. When we explored, we had fun, but while on the road, we had nothing to do but get bored.

    I would try to train, but with my mana and ki circuits stillpletely bust, I couldn''t do so at all.

    The carriage continued shaking over and over. With each rough patch of road, the shaking grew more intense.

    "I''ve been thinking, Dusk," A muffled voice came. "What exactly are we?"

    I looked down to see Dawn''s purple hair syed over my thighs.

    "I wish you won''t ask that while giving me a blowjob."

    My pants were rolled down and my dick was in her hands. She was licking it from base to head. Her tongue teased under my ns before sliding up and teasing my tip.

    I ced my hands over her ass, beneath her shorts, and groped her firm asscheeks.

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    "No, no, I am being serious." Dawn tried her best to keep her voice in a whisper. Even if we had taken a private carriage, she was afraid the driver could hear us.

    Well, I had used all the magic I could to block our sounds and sight from leaking out.

    I reached further over and pressed two of my fingers into Dawn''s slit. She moaned as I fingered her in the carriage.

    Her hands immediately shot up and covered her mouth. I gave her a smirk and started rubbing her pussy. My hands were getting wet from her leaking love juices but I continued nheless.

    "Ahhn... hmmmn..."

    Her muffled moans rang out. At first, unaware that she couldn''t be heard, she tried her best to keep her voice in.

    I rubbed her pussy over and over. I enjoyed the mounds of her lower lips as I dampened my fingers in her fluids and rubbed them over her asshole as well.

    Dawn was unable to hold back anymore. Instead of taking my attacks and risking being found out, she decided to go on the aggressive.

    Her hands grasped my shaft tightly as she started jerking it off. She used her other hand to squeeze my balls before taking my entire dick into her mouth.

    She bobbed her head as her deepthroating began. Her tongue teased the underside of my ns and then made a long lick up the shaft. At the same time, I pushed my fingers inside her pussy and pleasured her back.

    "Hnng!"

    Dawn groaned as pleasure thundered through her body. Her drool and spit spread all over my crotch and my inner thighs. With one hand, I gently stroked her head while the other stroked her insides.

    Her body shivered, she neared her breaking point.

    I was getting close too. The two of us continued at the same pace, hoping to get the other off first.

    She twisted her hips and clenched her vagina to try to hold herself off from cumming. At the same time, the movement of her head grew desperate.

    "Ahhhm!"

    "Dawn, I''m gonna...."

    My mind nked out as my load shot out into Dawn''s mouth. She widened her eyes, my sperm filling her throat.

    Gulps rang out as Dawn swallowed everyst bit of my cum. Then, she with my dick still in her mouth, she gave me a hungry lick and sucked to scoop up any remnants.

    Dawn sat up with a sigh, my cum dripping from the edge of her mouth. She wore a sly smile as she took it off with her finger and swallowed that too.

    "I win, hehe..."

    I puffed my cheeks. As pleasurable as it was, a defeat was a defeat.

    Before she could say anything, I got down on my knees and pulled her legs to the side, twisting her face toward me. In the shaking carriage, I spread open her thighs and took the support of her body before leaning closer to her cunt.

    Slowly, I gave her a long, deep lick over her slit.

    "Aaahn..."

    I wrapped my hands around her thighs and started licking her pussy. Dawn ran her hand through my hair, twirling it in her hands. Over and over, I kept licking her. Since she was already close to cumming before, she was very sensitive.

    I went slow, steady. My tongue learning each and every groove of her lower mouth.

    The carriage''s shaking made my licking unpredictable.

    I could smell her leaking juices into my nose as both her holes twitched incessantly. All desire to hold in her voice had left Dawn as she moaned out louder than ever.

    "There!! Ahhh!"

    her twitching grew harder than ever.

    With my fingers, I pinched her clit and buried my face in her groin. My tongue moved past herbia and started teasing deep into her pussy.

    "C-cumming! I''m cummingg..."

    Her juices sprayed on my face, but I didn''t stop my attack at all. Just enough to tease her sensitive bits, just enough to not make her feel pain, I kept licking and pinching. Like a whale, she squirted out all her water right into my face.

    Just when her orgasm started to wear off, I gave her one final lick and backed away. I stared Dawn in the eye.

    I won this time.

    Just like that, we would spend our days looking around and fucking around, and when night came by, we would book a single room and keep each other awake.

    Time passed before we realized it, and we crossed into the Hall fiefdom.

    Sitting on the top of a carriage, Dawn and I peered through the sight in front of us.

    Trees and grass filled the road ahead as far as the eye could see. But beyond them, rising above the lines of green and into the skies, we could see a giant dome-shaped theater in the distance and arge clock tower across it.

    "Woah..." Dawn muttered, enchanted by the neo-gothic replica of the big ben I had designed.

    "Wee," I said, smirking. "To my city."

    "Apollon."

    ***

    A/n: Ahem, after getting to 8 chaptersst time, I have decided to cut back this time. We''ll continue with the smutty arc, but I''ll now be integrating it into the storyline. To put it in other words, the content promised won''t change, but will be developed under the name of the next volume and the story. Chapter 171 starts with Volume 3!

 Chapter 174: Chapter 171: Good People

    Thest ride to Apollon entered the final stretch of greenery before reaching the city. It seemed Lily had decided to avoid much expansion and leave the city as a ce fortified by the forest on all sides. In the center of this forest path, halfway through the route to Apollon, was the mansion that I had been exiled to.

    I shared the top of the carriage with Dawn as the wide wheels covered the entirety of the narrow forest path. Small twigs and leaves brushed us by as only the sight of the two main buildings of Apollon reached this far away.

    "Hey, hey, Eugy. What should I do if they don''t like me!" Titania, sitting on my head, twisted her body as she spoke out dramatically.

    "Don''t worry, they are all good people."

    "Still! What if they ask me about my age? And it''s not like I have a job either! I can''t stand it if your family doesn''t approve of us."

    Maybe a bit too dramatically. I smiled and clenched my fists.

    "Don''t worry, my darling. Only our approval matters. We can convince everyone else."

    "Eugyyy!"

    "Titaniaa!"

    The fairy grasped my hair tightly and rolled around on top of my head.

    "Do you guys, just, randomly start roleying all the time?"

    Dawn directed a skeptical question our way, to which I could only shrug.

    "We have been roleying since we first met, Dawn. Our souls yearn for roley, our minds pray for roley."

    "It is the life of an actor, I don''t expect a little angel to understand. They used to call me the primadonna in Alfheim, I was the star of theater."

    I conveyed Titania''s words too for the angel that couldn''t hear her. Well, an actor is just a glorified con man, so Titania''s words had all the credibility they would need.

    The carriage was rather stable on the route. They had also changed the paths into narrow one-ways to perfectly control entry and exit. I had made a different route for trade lines which should have also beenpleted in the city by now.

    Dawn suddenly ced a hand on her chest and smiled.

    "I am a bit nervous too. About your family, I mean."

    Family.

    That''s right, they were my family. All three of them were my family.

    "As I said, they''re good people. Just rx."

    "Good people, huh..."

    She didn''t seem convinced. It was true though, people like them would never even harm a mosquito if it didn''t deserve it. All mosquitoes deserve it, but that''s not the point. They are all good, calm people¡ª

    ¡ªA spine-freezing chill climbed up my back. I could feel my hands tremble from the sheer strength that was being exuded. Intent. No, this was Soul Ki.

    "DAWN! " A scream erupted as I kicked her off the carriage and jumped down from the other side.

    I tried my best to gain my bnce, but my injuries still stung. My feet slipped off the paved incline of the road and I rolled down into the trees on the side as the unassuming carriage continued ahead. Explore hidden tales at m,v l''-NovelBin

    "[Azure Dragon]"

    Familiar words rang in my ears. The chilling sensation only grew.

    "[Seven Falling Heads]"

    The sky shed blue. From beyond the rows of trees, locks of red hair swayed in the wind.

    With the swing of that man''s sword, seven dragon heads plunged down the skies. The seven dragons went haywire as they coiled over the entire forest and crashed into the trees and ground around us. And at the end, the final head dived from the clouds and rammed into the carriage.

    A shockwave spread as clouds of dust rose in the air.

    A shriek resounded. The coachman and his horses were uninjured and were running away.

    "Dusk! What the fuck, are you alright!?"

    Before I could return a reply to Dawn, the cloud of dust on the road was blown away. The dust faded and the sight of the red-haired man revealed itself.

    Dawn stopped in her tracks. This wasn''t an opponent she hope to take on, and I was far too injured to even handle Dawn properly right now.

    The redhead turned my way and red straight at me, in his hands a long sword.

    The move, the style, the weapon, I knew all of it.

    Slowly, I stood back up taking the support of a tree. The man and I engaged in a stare-off.

    "Keith..." I muttered.

    His Ki filled the air and pressed down on my chest. Without saying a word, Keith filled his sword with his Ki as a red glow overtook its entirety. From the outside to inside, the red glow didn''t just fill the gaps of the de but eventually covered every constituent particle in its shape. Just from the presence of the de, the wind blew in all directions like a leaking tempest.

    This was the level of Ki infusion that someone even above the bottleneck of Intent Ki could reach. A level people only touched in maybe a few hundred years. Soul Ki.

    Keith raised that terrifying sword and pointed it at me.

    Catene trembled with hostility, but I didn''t let it move, my hands clutching its chains with all the strength I could manage.

    Keith pulled his hand back.

    And then threw the sword ahead. Time seemed to have slowed down as the de tore throughyers of the air and crossed the distance. Dawn couldn''t even move, Keith couldn''t bring his hand down, and the speed of the de exceeded what one could touch.

    The de reached right in front of my eyes.

    I could see my reflection in the glimmering red metal.

    "Gah!"

    A scream resounded.

    The sword barely grazed my cheeks as it passed me by and lodged itself into the head of a cloaked person behind me.

    Silence filled the forest.

    Keith raised his hand and the sword came rushing back to him. His eyes were stuck on me.

    I wanted to inspect the one that died right away, but I couldn''t look away. My gaze widened as I noticed another of the cloaked figures underneath the rubble of the carriage. The other six heads must have gone to more of them as well.

    "Keith," I spoke again, firmly this time.

    "Young master..." a response came. His tone just as cold as before. "You... you had your first drink without me, didn''t you!?!"

    "Bastard that was your problem all along!?"

 Chapter 175: Chapter 172: Good to be back

    "How is that a small deal at all?" Keith, standing in the middle of the rubble, seemed pretty sad.

    "Because it is." I shut his argument down with great reasoning. Pointing at the corpse behind me, I asked. "Who are these guys?"

    "Seem like the Fonias. Who cares! The drinks!!"

    I held in a sigh and walked over to Keith. He wasn''t going to let this go.

    "Look, I''m sorry for breaking the promise but..." I had to distract him with something else. I pointed at my neck and my chest as the long scar that stretched down revealed itself. "I got this real badass scar."

    Keith leaned closer and inspected the scar. "That does look badass."

    "Right?"

    "But you''re body is too riddled with wounds for it to look good. And, hey wait what the fuck! Your finger''s gone too!"

    "I cut that one off."

    I could feel some of Keith''s Ki leaking out and coiling around me, which I blocked right away. It seemed like he was trying to inspect my body with his Ki. With the greatck of people in such a realm, the powers of Soul Ki were already a mystery, there was a lot I didn''t know.

    "How''d you get all these?" Keith asked.

    "Eh, I fought a demon king, who cares."

    "Oh yeah, I heard. People do care, young master, they''re going crazy!"

    I frown left me at his words. It seemed rumors of the incident in the Empire had also found their way here. My cover as just an adventurer was now broken, now Dusk was Eugene and Eugene was Dusk.

    How saddening.

    "You got a girlfriend too?" Keith leaned on his sword and asked. "And Sir Kaiser himself gave you an Epithet!? That''s just crazy, do you know how many people would kill for such an honor?"

    I was almost about to break into a smile at Lethe''s mention, but the surprise of seeing Keith refer to any person with such reverence was more shocking than hearing about someone''s stepbrother throwing their dog in a furnace.

    "Kai isn''t that big a deal."

    "Kai? As expected of you, young master! You''re thest person to act normally!" Keith, who said that so brightly was the person least close to normalcy.

    At that moment, Dawn walked over from the side and approached us.

    "Um..."

    "Oh, right." I had to introduce the others. "This is my friend, Dawn. Dawn, Keith, he''s an idiot."

    "Like master like servant, young master."

    "He''s also ugly."

    "Skill-based matchmaking."

    "How do you even know that term!?"

    Dawn seemed a bit too confused at our back and forth as she awkwardly stretched a hand out toward Keith.

    Keith, on the other hand, grasped her hand and started sniffing the air around her. Dawn took a step back in surprise but Keith didn''t stop.

    "Doesn''t smell like a human," Keith said.

    "And he''s also a dog now! Or do you prefer being called a bitch? Two years sure is a long time."

    "Why don''t we go a round, young master?"

    "Ah..." Dawn seemed stumped for words. She wasn''t able to decide whether she should say anything or not. I usually would have spoken up, but this was her matter to deal with. If she didn''t want to admit it, she didn''t have to.

    Keith seemed to be of the same thought. "Don''t worry about it, miss."

    "And, Keith."

    I spoke out again. I raised my hands to my head and my fairy partner climbed on my palm.

    Keith narrowed his eyes as I brought my palm toward him.

    "I can sense a soul here."

    I was a bit surprised by that. People who could see or even feel Titania had suddenly increased in number.

    "This is my partner," I said. "My soulmate, I guess that''s a better word."

    "A fairy from Alfheim."

    Titania waved her hands and started to speak. "My name is Queen Titania of Evil. The Evil Queen! You can bow before me, puny human."

    Since Keith couldn''t hear her, I decide to trante. Into normal speak, of course. My fairy partner was a bit too chuunibyou to be appreciated by the normal world. Naturally, my face was smacked at for not speaking properly.

    It felt great to speak with Keith again. It felt natural, I had spent eight years just like this.

    Keith stared at me.

    "What?" he asked.

    "It feels good to be back home."

    The man stiffened up for a second. He then walked over to me and before I could react, wrapped his arms around me.

    Keith started pping my back with firm arms as if encouraging me.

    "Good to have you back, young master. I am d you''re alright."

    Two years back, I barely used to reach his sides, and now, I was just a couple of inches shorter than him.

    I raised my hands and lightly tapped his shoulders.

    Keith let go of me and smiled.

    "Well then," I said. "Let''s get a move on."

    Before I could turn, a fist came thundering down at the top of my head as a loud smack rang out.

    I looked up to see Keith gazing at me, his chin raised and his fist up high.

    "And that''s for leaving without a fucking word."

    Ok.

    Maybe I deserved that.

    Keith coolly turned away and started walking. I could see his shoulders move up and down.

    Was he crying?

    "As if! Stop right there, you bastard!" My feet kicked off the ground and I ran after him. Keith, taking a quick gaze back, hid his mouth as he snickered before breaking into a run.

    "Uwaa! It was a joke! A practical joke!"

    Deserved? The strongest can do whatever they want!

    "H-hey! Take me along!"

    And so the three of us ran to the city.

    ***

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    In the distant mansion of the Hall family on the route to Apollon, a strange voice was ringing out.

    The mansion was almostpletely empty, except for the kitchen.

    "Haha..."

    The voiceughed.

    Along with it, sharp scratches rang out.

    "Hahaha..."

    A de was being sharpened.

    "HAHAHAHAH!"

    And a maid was manicallyughing.

 Chapter 176: Chapter 173: Stages of Grief

    The cover of the trees started to fade away as I was able to recognize more and more of the path. No matter how much a ce changed, I guess if someone was used to it, they would find familiarity in some manner.

    Colorful streets entered our sight as we neared the city. Stones dyed in red and yellow in a medievalistic manner made up the roads of my city while pavements were raised as sidewalks. Even during the day, seeing people y around with instruments in their hands wasn''t a rare sight.

    I saw some people painting the feeding birds and a fountain while another person tried to paint that painter. Music flowed out in strange harmonies, pleasant yet chaotic, as dozens of voices ovepped.

    The people had changed the most.

    During my leaving, the city was in the final stages of initial developments, and they likely had the entire two years to grow after that had passed. The people had grown used to spending much more on luxury as citizens withvish clothes walked around.

    Food on the streets, which was something that stemmed from the inability of people to have time to make their own due tobor had clearly grown into a habit as many new stalls opened up on all sides.

    Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, libraries, music stores, pubs, bars, art galleries, all ces that I had never approved personally had popped out like confetti.

    And atst, we came in front of one of thergest buildings in Apollon. The three-storeyed building that stretched meters wide stood lofty in the center of the city.

    "This is the lord''s office," Keith said. "Well, as you intended, everyone involved in the city management uses it."

    That''s right. It was the lord''s office.

    "Woah, you designed this ce Dusk?"

    "Not just the office, young master has practically designed the entire ce. Even this unique architecture is not the result of some hidden architect, but our young master''s mind. He even gave it a cool name, neo-renaissance."

    The lord''s office was my office.

    "Huhu..." A chuckle left me.

    "What''s that?" Keith asked. His conversation interrupted.

    "HUHUHUH!" I tried my best, but I couldn''t hold myughter in. "BWAHAHA!"

    "What? what? Young master, you''re scaring me."

    "H-he''s still injured, is it because of that?"

    "Oh no, this is pretty normal behaviour," Keith immediately soothed Dawn. "I am just pulling his leg."

    "HAHAHAH!" And I was too busyughing to care! "I am rich! I am fucking rich! HAHA!"

    An entire building, made with taxpayers'' money! Books brought with taxpayers'' money! Food brought with taxpayers'' money! It was all mine for the taking!

    Sure, I was rich as a noble son, I was also rich as an adventurer and had made more than I could spend, heck, the entire deal in the empire had made my very name rich.

    But this. This is the money I get for doing jack all! True. Real. Fucking. Money!

    For a person on the path of the strongest, nothing was better than money. I remembered well the vices of the capitalistic society in my old world. Yujin''s life was tough, growing stronger required finances, and what was better than getting money for just existing!

    "HAHAH! HUHUHU! HAHAHAH!"

    "Miss Dawn, you should just ignore our young master at times like these."

    "I-is that so...?"

    The other two walked inside, one with a smile and another confused. Even Titania left with them, shaking her head. I continuedughing as my feet carried me after them.

    The interior of the building was pretty beautiful too. Few and spaced paintings and murals made over colored sses decorated the intricately designed walls of ivory. Keith guided us past all the offices and took us directly to the top floor, into the lord''s office.

    He pushed the door open without caring.

    "Lily¡ªOh?" Continue your adventure at m|v-l''e -NovelBin

    Dawn and I peeked over his shoulders as the sight of a wide office revealed itself. Less like an office space and more like a personal study, the room was filled with bookshelves. Ornate rugs spread over the office giving it an almost mystique feeling as it propped up the darkly shaded upholstery of the couches and chairs.

    Lily was the current lord of the city, so this was basically her office. It was an aesthetic that I didn''t expect Lily to use, but maybe her position had brought along a sense of responsibility for her.

    "Well, let''s just get in for now," Keith shrugged and stepped inside. I followed right after while Dawn nervously looked around before joining us. I went straight to the couches and dropped myself on the longest one. Titania took another for herself while Dawn settled on the third.

    That jump and the run after was tiring, it seemed my body was pretty much fucked up for now.

    Resting was a good idea¡ª

    "Why didn''t you take us to the mansion?" I narrowed my gaze and asked.

    "Ah..." Keith said. "About that. I wanted to ask that you go back and return to this ce after a couple years. before Maria sees you preferably."

    "Hah? What do you mean?"

    "You see, that girl has not yet processed your leaving yet."

    Those words made me sit back up.

    "She''s been looping through the stages of grief..."

    I didn''t like the sound of that at all...

    "In the beginning, she always thought you must have gone out somewhere for fun and woulde back. Everyday was ''today'' for your return. Of course, when a few months passed, it turned into herpletely denying your leave."

    "Did she...?"

    "She would speak to the air, saying ''Young master! You''re back! You''re back!"

    Oh...

    "She would bargain with gods asking to bring you back. She almost summoned a demon to turn back time and have you take her along."

    Cold sweat ran down my back as Dawn and Titania looked at me with gaping mouths.

    "In depression, she wouldn''t even leave her room for weeks straight. Saying it''s all her fault."

    Keith''s voice was growing chipper by the minute. He was fucking having fun.

    "And well, eptance neveres."

    I held in my fear and spoke up.

    "You said she''s looping? What stage is she in?"

    Keith was almostughing now. The sweat running down my back now resembled a river.

    "Anger," he said. "If she finds you, she''ll kill you."

    Fuck.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 177: Chapter 174: A small change

    Strike the iron while it''s hot. Kill your enemies before they kill you. Walk around with blood smeared on your face at night to scare ghosts away. Bite mosquitoes before they bite you. In one form or another, the saying ''first one to strike holds the advantage'' has been floating around since the beginning of striking.

    I was a follower of such age-old wisdom. Honestly, the strong didn''t need advantages, but I was still getting there so this was ok.

    With that in mind, I now found myself hiding behind a bush. In front of me, the sight of my mansion''s kitchen was paved through a window. As the scant sunlight bounced over the windowpanes, their fall a fight against the many leaves in the way gave a cherubic air to the maid that stood amidst it.

    "HAHA! HAHAHA!"

    Or it would have, were it not for the way she was sharpening her knife whileughing out loud.

    "Oh, she''s gone gone, Eugy. What the fuck did you do?"

    "I have no fucking idea."

    Well, thinking about it again. She did see my mother as the only thing in her life and then shifted that attention to me when my mother told her to take care of me. If I abandoned such a person, they would surely be broken.

    What have I done?

    I took in a deep breath. It was best to go and meet her first, shock her before she could shock me.

    Using a quick spell, I blocked the sounds around me as I opened the window and sneaked in.

    My feetnded lightly on the flooring.

    "Haha, hahaha!"

    Herughs were borderline psychopathic. They went past my head and scratched at my heart.

    Slowly, I went behind her. Tapping her shoulders, I spoke in a whisper.

    "Maria."

    Maria froze. Slow, excruciatingly slow, her body started turning my way.

    With the knife still tight in her grip, Maria looked at me.

    "Oh, dear..." Even my partner was at a loss for words just seeing her face.

    Tears streamed down Maria''s face. Her entire body trembled as she raised her hand toward me.

    "Y-young master? Is it you? Are you finally back?"

    Right before her hand could touch my cheeks, she stopped.

    "No, I must be seeing things again... Yes, it''s just an illusion..."

    "Maria," I sped her free hand. "It''s me."

    "Ahh! I-I can touch!"

    "It''s really me."

    Maria finally moved her hand over to me. The grip on her knife loosened, giving me a much-needed sense of relief. She gently caressed my cheek as she spoke, the tears not stopping.

    "Y-you''ve grown so tall... and... all these scars..."

    "It just happened."

    Maria took a step closer. She held my shirt with her hand and pulled it to the side to inspect the scar that reached my chest. Then, her gaze fell on my hand and a gasp left her.

    "T-this!"

    "It just happened. It''s nothing big¡ª"

    "I knew it. I knew it. I shouldn''t have let you go."

    A chill ran down my spine for the second time today.

    "This time, I''ll tie you up and keep you safe, you won''t have to worry about anything."

    "Maria? Maria!"

    Her mumblings became iprehensible.

    "Don''t hate me, young master."

    Not a good line!

    Maria suddenly swung the knife right toward my stomach. I hopped away and barely dodged the knife as it nged against the marble tforms. Laughing through her tears, Maria turned and swung the knife again.

    Her skill was showing as the knife made unpredictable arcs. When she swung down, it struck from the side, and when she swung sideways, itshed out in a stab.

    "Eugy she''s crazy! I thought they were all good people, but that''s two crazies down already!"

    "Third time''s the charm, darling."

    "You won''t hate me, right young master? I am doing this for your good, you understand, right?"

    I took a step back and dodged her attacks. I couldn''t risk hurting her, so I didn''t fight back.

    Shock. Yes, I came here for some shock therapy.

    I was pushed against the window I hade in from. Maria red at me as if she had trapped me now.

    "W-we''ll be together now, young master. You won''t be able to leave anymore!"

    Maria swung the knife again.

    The de came crashing toward my shoulder, but I didn''t move.

    If she ended up stabbing me, I was sure she''de to her senses. Just a wound in the shoulder, I could heal that much with a potion¡ª

    Maria''s swordy showed its shine again as the knife twisted once more.

    Now, it wasing straight for my neck.

    "Hey fuck!" I screamed out loud. It was toote to dodge. I wedged my hand in between my neck and the knife grasped the de tight. Blood dripped down my palm as the knife tore through my skin and dug into my hands.

    The blood seeped through the de of the knife and a drop touched Maria. Perhaps from the sight, or maybe from the sudden sensation, Maria froze up.

    "Ahh..." she muttered. It seemed my shock therapy had worked.

    "Maria," I said. Strike the iron while it''s hot. "I am sorry."

    Maria''s hand slipped off the hilt of the knife. She broke into a mess of tears and snot as her emotions started overwhelming her.

    A tap rang out.

    And then another.

    Maria''s head fell on my chest.

    She raised her hands and punched my shoulders.

    "S-stupid young master! Stupid! Stupid!... ng... you... you think sorry''s going to cut it?"

    She spoke between her sniffs and cries as her weak fist kept crashing against me.

    "H-how can you do that to us? How can you just leave!!"

    Her voice grew weaker as her sobs grew louder. I could feel a wetness spread on my chest as her tears and snot blended.

    I hadn''t thought much of just leaving them but... no...

    How did I not think much of leaving people behind? My people.

    "Strongest or whatnot? You''re just a fucking coward! Coward!"

    What was the reason that I had left them without another thought?

    I had no excuses to offer her.

    Stay connected with m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    Her meltdown had trapped me in my mind as I pondered on things.

    Without saying a word, I wrapped my hand around her back and embraced her tightly as she continued crying.

    "How can you just leave..."

    Those words and her cries repeated over and over until strength left her body.

    Before long, Maria fell asleep.

    I supported her up as I weakly leaned on the walls behind me.

    "Wow... that one''s insane," Titania said. "I should recruit her in my army sometime."

    "Sure, sure," I answered.

    I could feel it well.

    Ever since I met Lethe, no, maybe even since before that, a change had happened inside me.

    Coming back to this ce after all those years had made that change just all the more apparent.

    I... had started to care about people more than I used to. Just a tad bit more, just a little, but it was there.

    For the first time, I felt a sense of uncertainty toward change. Was this good, or was this a weakness in the making?

    I couldn''t tell.

 Chapter 178: Chapter 175: Lily Lily, Reprise

    I couldn''t leave a sleeping Maria alone in the mansion when she was in such a mental state, so I carried her on my back and took her along. Not before gulping down a potion to fix my wound though.

    As I made my way back to the city, I thought more about things. About myself...

    Drinking a potion to fix a small wound, that was pretty weak. Even though that wasn''t my direction, my thoughts just ended up flowing that way.

    Eventually, I reached the office building where I had left Keith and Dawn behind. On my way up, a person came over to me.

    "OOH! Young lord! You''re back!"

    "Excuse me, who?"

    "Y-young master, you don''t remember me? You made the mayor¡ª"

    "Ah, the old man. Yes," I nodded. "Good work."

    Perhaps encouraged by my recognition, another man popped out from behind the mayor.

    "A-and me! Do you remember me?"

    "No idea. Who are you?"

    "Jim! Young master, I am your loyal Jim!"

    I pursed my lips.

    "Yeah, no clue."

    "Ah! I wrote the first y, young master. I write all the scripts for the theatre¡ª"

    "That fucking Jim!? Mayor, fire this bastard."

    "Y-young master!!"

    Sorry, Jimbo, just remembering your script gives me a stroke. I ignored the two as the mayor bowed and Jimbo cried before going back up. I knocked at the door of the office, and Dawn opened the door.

    "You''re back..." her words trailed off as she noticed Maria on my back. "That''s her?"

    "Yup," I nodded and Dawn reached out to take her off my back, but stopped.

    I could feel Maria''s head shifting on my back. Dawn stupendously alternated her gaze between me and Maria before lowering her hands.

    "S-she seems tired, why don''t you put her down."

    SHE WAS AWAKEEEEE!

    I bit my lips and nodded. Maria had be more cunning than I thought. I considered keeping her on my back for the rest of the day and turning this into a war of attrition but decided against it when Keith sighed.

    "What is it?" I tossed Maria away on the couch and walked over to the desk at the head of the room. The stacks of papers and documents were quite interestingly filled out.

    "Well, young master, I knew you would help Maria. But maybe don''t meet Lily for sure."

    I almost frowned.

    "What now? I thought Lily was the best of you all."

    "Well... it''s our fault this time. If you meet her you won''t forgive us."

    I didn''t like the sound of that. Keith had locked his fingers and was gazing at his feet as he spoke. I held in a sigh and sat on the desk, inspecting the documents Lily had processed. All of them were managedpetently with not a single digit wrong.

    I checked more and more of them, the flow of the writing and her signs made it clear that she didn''t take any breaks between any of them. Originally, it was within my expectations that Keith and Maria would be supporting her, but Lily seemed to have be hyperpetent here.

    Then, what was wrong? Has she not been taking care of herself or something?

    I didn''t get a chance to ponder as the door to the office crashed open.

    Standing at the gates was a young woman with long brown hair reaching her waist. She stood gracefully as she held the doors of the office open, her eyes fixed on me.

    "Young master...?" she said as if she couldn''t believe her eyes.

    "Wee back..." she said. "''cum'' keke... hahahaha!"

    And she startedughing.

    What?

    What what?

    I felt my eyes widening to the point they would pop out as Lily continuedughing. mming the table, I rushed over to Keith and grabbed him by the cors.

    His eyes downcast, Keith kept staring away.

    "What have you done!?" I screamed. "You rat! I trusted you!"

    "I am sorry..." Keith answered.

    "Lily! Our Lily''s dad jokes have changed! She now has the soul of an old pervert and all you say is sorry!"

    Keith clenched his fists, his eyes not meeting mine.

    What did these guys do. I couldn''t just end it here, so I also red at Maria. The girl who was pretending to be asleep turned away too.

    These bastards. Useless.

    "Lily, you... are you alright?"

    "Alright, yes, of course," she beamed and leaned closer. "Hm, you should probably keep another of those buttons open, young master. It''s gotten pretty hot here."

    It was over. She was beyond help.

    Lily red at my scar too, but her jokes all died as she noticed the intensity of the injuries, and then her face paled atst when she noticed my hand.

    "W-what... was all this done by the demon king?"

    She knew.

    She had already heard of it.

    "Not all of it," I answered vaguely.

    "T-then, is it also true that you''re getting engaged into the Acacia duchy?"

    "HEH!?" Keith shouted and even Maria stood up.

    "E-engaged! You''re engaged?!"

    "Not yet," I answered. As I thought, Lily was ovepetent. She had already heard things that neither Keith nor Maria had a chance to. "Eventually."

    "W-what the?" It was very satisfying to see Keith stammer. "I thought it was just a fling! Those romance stories weren''t just rumors?"

    "Romance stories?" Maria spoke up, her voice cold. "What romance stories."

    "Those are rumors," Lily said. "The truth is much different, isn''t that right, young master?"

    Wow.

    I nodded. "Did you hear it from sses?"

    "Most of it."

    She was also utilizing the Dark Moon Bandits.

    "Where were you anyway?" I asked, ignoring the slightly surprised Keith and Maria. When they noticed they won''t get anything from me, they started bombarding Dawn with their questions.

    "Hm," Lily stretched her hands above her head and turned around. "let''s go on quick walk, young master. I am sure you''re curious about the city you left me."

    She took right off. I gave a nod to Dawn and followed behind.

    These guys sure were making an injured man run around a lot.

 Chapter 179: Chapter 176: Lily Lily, Reprise (2)

    The sun hade overhead and was ready to make its way down. A lot had already happened today, so this walk with Lily wasn''t something I disliked. We passed through the central streets of the city where the administrative buildings had been set up and moved toward the other side, near the Ediab forest.

    "We opened another road that leads to the Mirxa-Hall highway, it was easy to get the approval."

    "That''s nice, we can solidify ourselves as a good midpoint between the two halves."

    The newly erected buildings passed us by. This young city was thriving, and investments from different ces were continually pouring in.

    "We''ve received some major funding from the Imperial family of Atreus. They''ve also reserved a small pce, what should we do with that?"

    Hm. It already arrived. The Imperial Family was doing its best to keep me pleased.

    It was natural for the rich to want a house where they invest. The Imperial family wanting a ce in the city was another form of investment, it showed the rtionship and trust between the two ces. It was an honor many nobles would kill for, well, the Emperor was my bitch so it was natural.

    I did feel a little bad for the Emperor, but it was his fault for raising his child the wrong way.

    Seeing the districts separating people by their status had given me a good idea. Nobles were haughty by nature, and leaving them in trash ces would serve as a good reminder.

    Thankfully, I had a wide backyard. With seventeen clear kilometers on top of that.

    "Get it constructed in the Ediab Forest. Any noble that wants their own ce can have it there."

    "The forest?" Lily asked back. "Is that fine? cing such people in one of the forbidden areas."

    "It''s not like the outskirts are forbidden, they are just a little dangerous. They can digest that much." I nodded. "It would be even better if they have no choice but to make the trip every time they needed supplies. Don''t make any good roads."

    "Now you''re just torturing the employees."

    "Have their servants quarters made here then."

    "Devious. Consider it done."

    It felt pretty nice to see our silly Lily acting maturely as she managed everything rted to the city. I had left too great a responsibility on her thinking she wouldn''t manage, but she broke through all of my expectations as if they were made of styrofoam.

    "Also, young master," Lily said. "I was out receiving a Royal Command just now."

    "Royal Command?"

    That came sooner than I had expected. I was lucky she hadn''t found me before going for it or I would''ve had to kneel in front of some random messenger, not like I would have.

    "The King of Schwarz wants the Lord of Apollon, the youngest tinum-ranked adventurer."

    I felt my fingers curling. Lily continued while holding in herughs.

    "THE Nightbringer, Eugene Hall to join the Syncretic Academy in Agrippa, the kingdom of Sages."

    I was dealt a fatal blow right into my chest. I now had a name just as cringe as Godyer. I decided to ignore the attacksing my way and focused on other things. Syncretic, an academy where people from all over the world gathered. I remembered how it was amon theme in games to copy the Patheon Academy, the world''s top academy for hunters. it seemed Agrippa was a reference to that very thing.

    Once again, I was reminded of how Albert had told me of everything as a game. An Eroge, on top of it.

    And this academy during this year was the starting point of the Eroge. Who should have been a minor viin ready to harass the heroines and get beat up by them, was now personally being invited by the king to enter the academy.

    Things had greatly changed. Well, I had no idea how they went by in the first ce, so their changing didn''t matter much to me.

    "Will you go?" Lily asked.

    I had nothing to do in the academy. I only cared about learning more about the new form of energy.

    "Maybe to meet Lethe, but I don''t n on joining it."

    What was there to learn?

    "Got it."

    Lily lead me to a slightly deserted road at the edge of the city. Then, she ced a palm on my back.

    "I heard you slept for 10 days, young master."

    "So it seems."

    A strange feeling read through my back. Ethereal magic circles formed all around my body as a golden glow filled my sight.

    Mana? No, it was different from her usual healing.

    "[Sacred Heal]"

    Healers were a rare breed on Earth. Even here, healers were best found in temples utilizing holy energy as their fuel.

    This was a healing that went beyond it.

    Searing pain went through my veins and blood started to rise my stomach. It A heat enveloped my body, one that spread through and eased my pain.

    "This is crazy... she''s sped up your body''s healing process."

    I could feel that myself, thank you.

    "Don''t be sassy, this could kill you from the inside."

    The pain of being forced to work more than I would have made me wince. I wanted to roll over right away from the pain, but held on.

    "See, I trained too," Lily''s voice were like the devil''s whisper. "I can heal you no matter what now, so don''t move alone again, okay?"

    I could feel light leaving my eyes as she continued in a whisper.

    "You do remember, right? How you held my hand all those years ago. You remember right..."

    Like a snake, her voice crawled around my neck.

    A healing process that brought me great pain.

    A groan left my lips.

    "Didn''t you say, ''Lily, never leave my side from now on,''?"

    Lily came even closer and continued in my ears.

    "I''ll never leave your side from now on. Never."

    And then, light left my eyes.

    The world turned dark. Explore more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin

 Chapter 180: Chapter 177: Revenge

    My eyes fluttered open as I groggily raised my body. An ache spread through my head and my throat felt dry. As I looked around the dark room, I realized I was back in my room in the Hall mansion.

    I slowly got off the bed. A burning sensation spread through my body, but the mana and Ki flowing through my veins were much clearer than earlier. Using the World''s End energy inside my own body gave me explosive control as well as an absurd boost in physical capabilities, but with each movement, it burnt all my hard-built connections that sent my mana and ki from my core to my entire body.

    It was a double-edged sword.

    Lily had managed torgely heal me up, but it still wasn''t enough. If anything, it just added more pain, but at least I would get better much faster than before. And well, pain can be swallowed.

    I slowly made my way over to the side table and poured myself some water.

    Since I could use more of my abilities regardless of the pain, it would be a good idea to set off for the Hall territory soon and get that book the Duke talked about. I was also curious about the Fonias bastards that were after me, it would be good to know their reason at least.

    "Say, Titania..." I muttered as I sipped down the water and leaned against the wall. "All things considered, aren''t I being pushed around?"

    Titania, who was peacefullyying atop my head, nodded. "In a sense, yes. What are you gonna do about it?"

    For me to be pushed around.

    That wasn''t cool at all.

    It was like, admitting defeat.

    "Revenge."

    "What?"

    Revenge. I wouldn''t have cared as long as they didn''t put me in a position of defeat.

    "I am going to give those two a taste of their own medicine."

    "It''s going to make things worse you rat!"

    "What are you talking about? It''ll teach them who they shouldn''t mess with."

    "Oh no, all four of them are crazy. No, I already knew you were crazy."

    "Quit it..." I narrowed my gaze and looked at the door. "I am the craziest."

    ***

    Maria was sleeping peacefully in her room. Her chest swole while her eyes fluttered as she took in deep breaths. The way her tense muscles rxed showed how tired she must have been. This was likely the first time she had slept peacefully in a long time.

    The peacefully sleeping Maria was unperturbed. Even when I dragged the tip of a knife across her cheeks. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|-NovelBin

    Slowly, I put more strength into the knife and poked her cheeks tighter. Was this enough? I didn''t really have to hurt her, just enough to wake her up.

    After dragging the knife around a few more times, Maria shuddered.

    Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she woke up.

    I took the chance to immediately m my hands next to her, trapping her between my body. With the knife touching her neck, she was in the perfect position to be threatened.

    And threatened she seemed.

    "Y-young master? W-what?" she mumbled her words.

    Lily had given me a neat little trick this morning.

    Pulling old words. It seemed to be the best way to move here, it served as a chilling reminder of things.

    I couldn''t do eight years, but I remembered well a conversation from two years back. A conversation we had in the love next we found en route from Dienin to Apollon. The love next we had spent five days in.

    I slowly leaned closer to Maria, my eyes as wide open as they could be.

    Using a quick spell, I made a chilling breeze of air blow over her as I began whispering for maximum effect.

    "Maria, don''t you remember what I said?"

    "Y-yes?"

    "I gave you a clear order, didn''t I? Don''t tell me... you forgot."

    Pulling this crazy eye contact with the crazy low-pitched voice was pretty difficult. I was surprised that both Maria and Lily managed to pull it off.

    "W-what do you mean?" Maria spoke with tears bubbling in her eyes. "I forgot? I would never!"

    "You did, didn''t you? How should I punish you? Should I put this knife through your neck?" My own words didn''t make sense to me, but goddamn did I nail the aesthetic.

    "I should, right? Yes. That way, we''ll always have our sense of understanding. If I do it, you''ll never do things I don''t want you to and I''ll never do things you don''t want me to. Yes. That should be it."

    "Ahh... young master!" Maria held my cor tightly as tears almost started streaming down her eyes.

    "I didn''t forget anything! Please!"

    "Didn''t I say it? Didn''t I tell you not to pleasure yourself unless you were in front of me?"

    "Oh! But I didn''t?"

    "Excuse me?"

    The act came crashing down all at once as my eyes widened.

    "What do you mean, my maid?"

    "Didn''t, didn''t, didn''t."

    Oh my god.

    I dropped the knife away as I realized what I had just done.

    "Ah... I knew it. I knew you woulde for me, young master. No matter how much you love someone else, you won''t forget me!"

    Before I could say anything, Maria suddenly wrapped her hands around my back. She tried to pull me down but I was so firmly rooted that she had to pull herself up instead.

    Her lips came closer to mine and she mmed right into me.

    Slurps rang out as she kissed my lips, her tongue moving into my mouth and forcing my teeth open. She met her tongue with mine and started coiling it around.

    I slowly moved back and Maria followed until she could sit up. Her hands moved to the back of her negligee, ready to strip it off as her kiss continued.

    I had no choice anymore. My main n had failed.

    I had to teach her who''s who with this.

    My hand shot ahead as my fingers rubbed over herhers.

    "Aahn!" Maria moaned into my lips.

    Revenge. I swore on it.

    ***

    A/n: Reverse Yandere lessgo? Also, do you all want frequent R18 scenes or should I focus on the story and keep them soft and few? Any words would be appreciated

 Chapter 181: Chapter 178: Win in Bed [R18]

    A stream of passionate kisses began as Maria dug into me with all her strength. At first, I was being pushed back as she coiled her tongue around mine and sloppily spread it inside my mouth. Her tongue was pushing on the insides of my mouth and sending waves of pleasure.

    Unwilling to lose, I moved my hand ahead and ced it on her pelvis. My fingers reached down and gently rubbed her crotch over her shorts.

    At the same time, I returned the stream of kisses by holding her cheeks with my other hand and kissing her back, fiercer than she could, faster than she could. My tongue returned twice the favor as I rubbed it all over her tongue, then her lips, her teeth, and her gums, and then the insides of her mouth.

    Slowly, desperately, all of her insides were being invaded by me.

    Unimaginable wetness spread through Maria''s panties as shepletely soaked them. Her clitoris had hardened as every single touch made her squirm and rub her thighs together.

    I broke the kiss and moved back. Maria tried to follow, but I stopped her.

    Revenge. I was definitely not nning to be kind here.

    "Well then, do it."

    "Yes?"

    "Please yourself. Masturbate."

    Maria''s jaw dropped. Her eyes shifted between me and my crotch as she heard my words.

    "B-but..."

    "Prove that you didn''t do it while I wasn''t around. It should be easy, right?"

    "Ah..."

    Maria''s hands quivered as she slowly reached out toward her wettened panties. She slowly pulled it off her leg and then removed her negligee too. Now not a piece of fabric remained on her as her naked body revealed itself. Her plump breasts seemed heavy and painful as her nipples stood in excitement, bulging out more than ever before.

    Heated breaths left her lips as she brought her fingers over to her vagina.

    "Nnmh..!" Maria shivered at the touch. I slowly made more cold wind blow toward her with my magic, the cold air touched her crotch and sent her sensitive spots in a frenzy of stimtion.

    Then, she stroked it. From bottom to the top, her fingers grazed over her slit, running up the thick fluids that streamed out.

    Maria''s back arched. With her other hand, she pinched her teats as her stroking grew faster. Once, twice, in less than a dozen strokes, drool was dripping out of her lips as her eyes almost started to nk out. I could see her two holes twitching incessantly.

    "Stop."

    "Ah..."

    Maria turned to me, her voice sounding as if she had just been betrayed by her forty-year-old best friend.

    "Why..."

    She brought her hands toward her nipples, but as I firmly shook my head, she stopped. I could see her watching me with her mouth agape, but I only looked at her uninterestedly.

    I could see how the twitching in her pussy died down as her approaching climax faded away.

    "Start again."

    "Nngh!" Maria didn''t waste a second as her fingers pounced on herhers. Furiously this time, she started rubbing herself, but since she was too sensitive after almost cumming, she couldn''t be too rough.

    "Stop."

    "Ahhn!" Maria groaned, her fingers slowed down, but she didn''t stop.

    I moved closer to her and ced my hands over hers, forcing her toe to a stop.

    "Why...?" Maria muttered in front of me. She reached out with her lips to kiss me, but I backed away before she could, inciting more tears from her.

    What the heck? This felt pretty good. But at the same time, the sense of being trash did not leave me alone.

    I firmly held her hands and waited again. Maria seemed to be in great pain as her climax died down again.

    Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    This time, she was almost ready to go, but I didn''t let her.

    I moved my own hands near her pussy and inserted two of my fingers inside.

    Maria squirmed and shook as her back arched. Slowly, not to hurt her, I started fingering her. My hand kept reaching in and out as she bordered her orgasm, and then I stopped.

    "No! Why! Why are you doing this¡ª"

    Since she started going off, I shut her up with a kiss.

    Over and over. I would finger her until she neared a climax and then stop. I edged Maria dozens of times, each turn the time needed to get her to her orgasm decreased.

    By the end, she looked in extreme pain as her nipples and pussy kept twitching. Drool streamed out of her lips, her eyes fixed on mine.

    I gently wrapped my hand around her back andid her down on the bed. Maria sniffed as I put her down.

    Then, I moved to the front, between her legs, and spread her thighs open.

    "N-no more.... please... let me cum, young master..."

    "Shh."

    I unstrapped my belt and pulled off all my clothes. An ecstatic moan left Maria as she realized what I was up to.

    Well, this much was likely enough. Any more and she would break.

    I held my dick in my hands and leaned closer, guiding it to her slit.

    "Mmmh!" Maria screamed.

    My dick slowly pushed through herbia and dived into her pussy. Her extremely wet walls squirmed around my member as she shook her head with each movement of my member. I waspletely soaked in her juices, and her twitching insides just made the sensation better.

    I leaned ahead and licked both her nipples, not moving my hips yet.

    "Ahhn! More! Please!"

    My hands firmly wrapped around her bulging breasts as I ced one of her teats in my mouth. Then, I sucked.

    Maria moaned loudly as I assaulted her breasts. Her hips started moving on their own to bring her pleasure down there too, but I firmly held her down and stopped her from getting it.

    I sucked on her breasts for a long time. Every now and then, she would squirm and her wetness would increase. She was likely orgasming but not to a level that could be satisfying. Eventually, her drool covered her entire pillow.

    Then, I pulled her legs up and ced them on my shoulders.

    Lifting her body with my hands, I kissed Maria lightly on the chest and started moving her.

    "Ahh!" She screamed as the movement she seeked finally reached her.

    Over and over, I started pounding her pussy. Her hips bounced along in perfect rhythm as I started fucking her. She screamed a moan with each press and let out another every time I pulled outward.

    Her hands wrapped around my neck, like a true acrobat, and she brought her head closer and kissed me strongly.

    I kept pushing myself inside her. Her back arched and her twitching grew.

    "I-I am... Aaahhhnnn!"

    A fountain of juices erupted as her pussy juice leaked out in a solid stream. Her tongue stuck out as she knocked her head back from the pleasure. Maria''s body twitched as her orgasm finally struck her. It seemed her eyes had gone to the back of her head as she reveled in the pleasure.

    Of course, I wasn''t done at all.

    Ignoring her orgasm, I started pushing harder.

    Maria screamed and shuddered every time I smacked back into her.

    I was being careful to not turn her pleasure into pain as I maintained a steady pace.

    Soon, right returned to her eyes, and in no time at all...

    "Y-young master!! Again! Againnnggggnnghhh!"

    I pounded in her again, and she came again.

    Over and over, Maria kept orgasming until she couldn''t hold herself up anymore. I, too, neared my limit.

    I ced Maria back down on the bed and lifted only her legs and leaned ahead. My pistoning grew faster as our hips mmed together.

    Then, I scooped up Maria''s tongue with my own and gave her a deep kiss.

    At the same time, my twitching dick erupted.

    "Mmmmnh!!!" Maria screamed into the kiss. Hot semen flowed into her pussy and filled her womb with a shade of white.

    The two of us panted as I slowly moved outside of Maria andid down on the bed beside her.

    I looked to my side to see herpletely knocked out. Her eyes had gone white and her tongue was hanging low, her love juices filled everywhere from her stomach to her thighs while her chest was doused in my saliva, a look of extreme pleasure radiated from her entire body, leaving her unable to even process whatever was around her, let alone move.

    I sighed and closed my eyes.

    Now, that''s how you win.

 Chapter 182: Chapter 179: Early Morning Move

    One person had been defeated.

    I had gone back to my room and slept for the night. I couldn''t sleep all that well after being knocked out all afternoon, though, so I went out of the mansion and to the stables. A sleeping Keith and Lily''s rooms passed me by, while Dawn had been given a room near mine.

    The sun was almost about to rise. A soft grunt sounded as the two horses noticed me.

    I walked over and gently stroked their heads.

    "Neeigh! Fakyu" "Neighh godie!"

    "Wow, both of you have also gotten verbose!"

    It was always nice to see one''s horses growing. Both nc and ck had some satisfying growth, especially with their tongues. I felt my forehead twitching at their continuous neighs.

    "Do you want to go horse riding or something?"

    ck shook his head furiously and backed away, while nc turned his head in confusion. Good job bastard, you should have learned from my horse when you had the chance.

    I pulled the door open with a grin and grabbed nc by the legs. The horse tried to struggle but I managed to pick him up and settle him on my back. He tried to reach down and bite my head, but I used a shield at the right time.

    "Let''s go! HAHAH!"

    With that, I rushed ahead. My feet kicked off the ground and I ran around the mansion a couple hundred times. The sun started to rise by the time nc was almost out of it. Right then, the front gate of the mansion opened up and a maid with brown hair stepped out.

    "You''re up, young master. Horse riding again?"

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    "I am," I shrugged. My mind was currently racing to find a way to get back at Lily too, but I couldn''t think of much.

    "Is everyone else up too?"

    "Are they ever? I am the only one who''ll get up for you."

    I let nc go and stretched my hands above my head. I had gotten a good enough workout in, so I could get to other things.

    "Let''s go cook," I said and moved into the mansion with Lily.

    I was still too sweaty, though, so I decided to wash up before joining Lily in the kitchen. It had been a long time since we made anything together.

    She started out by chopping things up while I handled other preparations. In the midst of it, Lily pulled out some cookies she had stowed away.

    "Want one?" she asked.

    CHANCE!

    I grabbed the cookie and bit on it, sticking it between my tongue. At the same time, I pushed the rest of the box away from her reach.

    Lily looked at the box and then at me, more than half of the cookie sticking out of my mouth. She shrugged and leaned ahead, biting on it.

    She sure had grown.

    Her eyes stared into mine as she brought her lips closer and closer, taking in the cookie inch after inch. I remembered how she would be flustered right away those years ago, and now this girl two years older than me seemed to have the likeness of a person that could do this all day.

    Soon, there was no more cookie left between us.

    She pushed ahead again, and our lips brushed over one another. She then sucked in with her teeth and the cookie broke, a slightlyrger bit toward her. Immediately, I stretched my tongue out and tried to wrap it along.

    Lily''s gaze hardened. She, too, pushed her tongue out and tussled with mine for the small bit of baked cookie. Her hands grasped my shoulder for support, and I wrapped another hand behind her back to keep her standing.

    Our lips pushed against each other to keep the cookie in a small space while we battled for it with our tongue. Her saliva started sticking to the edge of my mouth but she didn''t stop. Soon, I rolled my tongue in, grating it over hers, and the bit of cookie went down my throat.

    Lily stretched her tongue out deep in my mouth, as if still looking for it. When she couldn''t find it, she gently started pressing against the insides of my mouth. She searched slowly and meticulously all over the walls of my mouth.

    Then, she slowly moved away. A thread of saliva connected stretched from our lips as her heated breaths separated from my face. Lily licked her lips and turned away.

    "Good, isn''t it?" she asked.

    "Quite appetizing," I answered.

    And then, the two of us returned to cooking as if nothing had happened. Though neither of us could ignore the heat in the atmosphere.

    Titania woke up soon, and so did Keith and Maria. Dawn was ate riser when she wasn''t on a mission, and I had kept her up almost every night during our trip, so I didn''t bother her.

    At the table, the old group of four sat together after a long time.

    I wasn''t the only one thinking that as Maria sniffled and wiped her eyes while the other two red at me as if I was a criminal, emotion interpretation courtesy of Titania.

    We shared some small talks about the antics Keith had to handle during the two years. From Maria''s constant mood fluxes to Lily being banned from the school building after cracking a dirty joke to the parents and the teachers.

    When we neared the end of the breakfast, I clenched my fists and took in a deep breath.

    Yes. Lily''s methods had definitely made me heal much more and much faster than I already was. It was time to move.

    "Everyone," I said. "We''ll be going to Dienin tomorrow."

    "Oh? Already on the move, young master?" Keith asked.

    I nodded. I also wanted to ask Maria about the World''s End since she was close to my mother, but I doubted she would know anything since she was always kept away whenever that woman fought.

    "Are you missing the Marquis or something."

    I frowned deeply. It was a frown stemming from my heart.

    "Shut up. That bastard has something I want. I am just going to take it. Depending on things, we may be able toe back soon, or it could take a couple months."

    I was not nning to return empty-handed. If he had that tome the Duke mentioned, I would get it. If he didn''t, I would go anywhere in the world to get it.

    Kaiser.

    Death Queen.

    Bm.

    Titania.

    Charlotte...

    All these people stronger than me.

    They were all going toe down.

    "Well first, Keith, go check the forest and fill in the Dark Moon Bandits. Maria, please prepare for the trip, and Lily, we''ll go and settle all the administrative matters and hand things over to the mayor."

    Management was strength too.

 Chapter 183: Chapter 180: Return to Dienin

    We had set off for Dienin once again, the group of four had turned to six with now Dawn and Titania tagging along. Of course, Dawn still had a mission to get me to the academy, but we were going to use that as an excuse to hang out.

    Keith had modified the carriage so that we could talk to him as well as he drove since he felt left out every time, now the interior of the carriage stretched over the driver as well.

    "So, about those assassins," I said. "What were they up to?"

    I couldn''t think of it as anything but stupid for anyone toe after me. I knew that the Fonias had been after my life since I was born, but this was the first time I had encountered them personally. Nipping them in the bud before they could make a mess would be the best.

    "It''s probably because of your achievements, young master," Keith spoke.

    Lily nodded and continued his words. "You''re not only the hero of the Empire, but you''re also rumored to be engaged to one of the strongest families in the empire. Of course, the nobles of the kingdom would want you in a position where they can control you."

    "And the Halls can''t be controlled..." I said. The Hall family was one of the pirs of this kingdom. Along with the Mirxa Margrave, the Hall family, and the Stein family of the east were the strongest military powers of Schwarz. They were all in a very good rtionship as well, which made the nobles of the central and northern ends of the kingdoms deeply wary of them.

    On the other hand, despite being a dukedom, the Fonias were corrupted and unlikeable. If the trash nobles of the central always sucked up to stronger groups, then the Fonias were their ringleaders. Always looking for their own benefit, which made others look at them only for their benefit as well. If anyone had the chance to stab the Fonias in the back, they would do it without a second thought.

    "I don''t get it," Dawn suddenly interrupted. "What does that have to do with you?"

    "Young master is officially in the Fonias family registry too. He''s the son of their eldest daughter."

    "Oh? So you''re qualified to be an heir, and they''re worried you''ll rece them and take over their house?"

    I nodded at Dawn''s words. "There''s a matter of blood since my mother was adopted by them, but they never removed her from the family registry. They were strangely after her life too, so they should have removed her ages ago."

    "They must have been too scared to do so, young master." Keith snickered and whipped the horses, going a notch faster on a more even road.

    That did make sense.

    The only reason my mother hadn''t wiped them out was apparently because she ''didn''t feel like it.''

    I leaned my head back and rested against the wall of the carriage. Her way of doing things was quite strange. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "Don''t take them lightly, young master," Maria said. "Even if they''re trash, they''ve been trash for generations. There has to be some level ofpetence to manage that."

    "That''s right..." I nodded at Maria''s words.

    They had already tried to bother me.

    I''ll get rid of them whether I feel like it or not.

    ***

    The trip came to an end when we reached Dienin city. Dawn was peeking out of the window as the carriage moved through the streets of the city and toward the castle of Dienin. This ce was a much different sight from both Deep Down Town and the cities of the empire, even I was able to appreciate it more.

    We soon stopped in front of the gates of the Dienin Castle.

    "Keith, park the wheels," I said and jumped out of the carriage. Waiting for those damn guards to open the doors and then go inside was annoying.

    "That''s very rude," Keith snapped.

    "What you gonna do about it?"

    I left behind a grumbling Keith. Dawn decided to follow me while Maria and Lily spoke against it, they were worried about getting caught by the maids again.

    Dawn and I stepped away from the carriage and moved through the gates. A few of the knights moved toward the carriage to inspect it while the two on the gate remained standing. Surprisingly, the knights didn''t stop me and greeted me instead.

    "Oh! Young Lord Eugene, you''re back!"

    "I always knew you''ll make a big name, young lord!"

    "Who are you guys again?"

    "Ah, don''t you remember us? We''re of the Hall Knight Brigade! We helped with your Don Chiik event!"

    "Oh, right right. I see."

    I don''t see, but ok.

    At the same time, another person came rushing over to the gates. His tailcoat fluttered as the seemingly old man half-ran toward me.

    "Young lord! It is my pleasure to have you here again."

    "Who?"

    "It''s me, lord. Bartholomew, the head butler."

    "Oh, Bartholomew, I remember you." Honestly, I had no fucking clue.

    The butler took a look at the angel behind me. I quickly shook my head and smiled. "She''s with me. She''s a direct aide of the princess of Schwarz."

    "O-oh!" Bartholomew bowed at her. "Pardon my rudeness, ma''am."

    "N-not at all..." Dawn awkwardly waved her hands. She didn''t seem used to such treatment at all, especially after being an adventurer.

    I held in augh and turned to Bartholomew. "Is the Marquis in?"

    "Yes, I''ll prepare a room¡ª"

    "I''d like to meet him right away."

    I was running out of patience with time. Now that I had mostly healed, I wanted to dive into action right away.

    The butler nodded and showed me ahead. He took the lead and guided the two of us into the castle. Dawn, like a child, looked around the ce. Even though she was staying at the Royal Pce out of duty, the moment the tag of ''work'' left she became as curious as a child.

    "Stop," I whispered in her ears. "You''re acting too cute."

    "W-what. Bastard, shut up!" She lightly pushed my shoulders and lowered her gaze. Right before entering the castle gates, my eyes fell on another carriage that was in front of us.

    It held an emblem I had be quite familiar with thest time I was here.

    It seemed there were some other guests to greet here.

    ***

    A/n: Ok enough smut, we''re going back to the story, fast-paced again. For people who were looking to see some Lily ''action'' I''ll just do it more naturally instead of focusing on the R18, so give it time.

 Chapter 184: Chapter 180: Small Talk

    Bartholomew neared us with hastened steps.

    "Lord Eugene, the Marquis will see you now," he said. Then, Bartholomew turned to Dawn and spoke. "And, mydy, would you like to join Lady Vienna and her guest for some tea? The lord suggested that it would be a good experience for you."

    Well, well. It looked like that old man was looking to push half of his work over to his daughter.

    Dawn gazed at me, and I shrugged at her. She still seemed to be confused about what to do, but talking with someone she had been introduced to before would be much better than just walking around in the Dienin Castle.

    I leaned over to her and whispered. "Do whatever you want, but that is one insufferable woman so feel free to walk away if you can''t stand her."

    Dawn suppressed augh and nodded. "Got it," she turned to Bartholomew and the two of them walked away. I would have liked to take her along, but this was good too.

    After the two left, I pushed open the doors of the personal study. The same old sight of Mahogany walls and carpets filled my sight as stacks upon stacks of papers and documents sat together in the room. At its center, sitting behind the table with his giant sses hanging from his nose was the blonde old man, Ban Ket Hall.

    "You''re here, Eugene," he said, pointing at the chair across him while keeping his eyes affixed on a document.

    I strode over and took a seat, crossing my legs one over the other. The Marquis gave me a look but didn''t say anything.

    "You''ve brought a fairy along."

    Oh? What''s this?

    "Why, hello. So you''re my Eugy''s father."

    "I am. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, miss fairy."

    "Of course, it''s a grand honor. You should dedicate your next seven generations in servitude toward me."

    The Marquis looked at the top of my head, and then at me.

    Was this simr to what Lethe was doing? No, it didn''t seem like it. The ability to ''see'' everything was embedded in the Acacia blood.

    The Soul Ki level Keith could only notice her soul. In that case, the Marquis was either at the same level or a notch higher than Keith.

    "Don''t think so loudly, kid. It''ll take a while before you learn to match me."

    Sneaky bastard. He had been hiding his true strength. To the point that even I was unable to notice it. He must be someone at one of the final three realms of Ki Mastery, the level above Soul Ki. A Ki Emperor.

    The Marquis signed a few more papers and ced them on a stack before finally taking off his sses. He wiped them with a thin cloth as he turned to face me.

    "Kid, next time you decide to get engaged, tell me firsthand."

    "Why? Do you want to approve it or something?"

    "Well whether it''s a duke or amoner, I want to contribute to such events."

    "Sure, sure. I''ll let you know next time."

    What an outrageous man. I sighed and leaned back in my chair as the Marquis started cing the piles of paper to his sides. He picked one up and heaved.

    "The war between the Traube Principality and the Pinot kingdom in the west has neared its final stages. We''re making the most of thest bit of money."

    "A war?" I asked.

    "It started two years ago," the Marquis answered. That was around the time I had just registered as an adventurer. "Things heated upst month. It seems the battle of Chardonnay nes is going to decide the war."

    I know of both Pinot and Traube. The countries were too far west in the continent for there to be much point in a lot of trade and for the news to spread all the way here.

    "The resources of the dungeon were useful, huh?"

    Not long ago, a dungeon had been found in the Hall territory. That dungeon was the primary reason why the original vige that stood in ce of Apollon and the other settlements ended uprgely ignored.

    A new dungeon town, much like Deep Down Town, had been built up in the Hall territory itself. I remembered that it was an underground dungeon that spat out a lot of minerals.

    "The first floor of the dungeon is filled with this ore we call Caliche. We thought it was useless, but the Pinot kingdom ordered tons of it. Do you know what they made?"

    Far west had ack of magicians.

    ""Bombs""

    The Marquis widened his eyes when Ipleted his words.

    "Huh, so you do know."

    The gunpowder I had seen here not that long ago used traditional gunpowder made from old saltpeter. The saltpeter was good for small explosions and controlled firings, but not forrge sts which were mostly handled by magic.

    How interesting.

    "Anyway. Since they were paying us to import all the Caliche, I decided to sell other stuff as well. Now that the war is ending, it''s time to pull back."

    It was natural to sell to both parties if you were going to sell in a war. Caliche aside, the other items could easily be sold to both parties without any objections.

    It seemed someone witty was pulling the reins for Pinot Kingdom. Discover hidden tales at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    Well, I didn''t care much about that.

    "Next time, drop a word. I''d like to make some cash too."

    "I did? Lily sold a lot of things as well?"

    "Oh."

    I didn''t see any of those documents.

    "So!" The Marquis pped his thighs and stood up. "What were you in such a rush about? If it''s about marriage I did have some other considerations but do what you want. Hades'' daughter should be great."

    He asked as he moved over to the side of the room. I kinda sorta wanted to punch this old man for saying my Lethe ''should be great,'' she was great. No, she was the greatest. I followed him with my eyes before sighing.

    "Do you recog¡ª"

    "Right, tea?"

    "I''ll¡­ take a cup. Three cubes."

    The Marquis poured some tea into two cups before bringing it over to the table. He ced one in front of me and sipped from the other as he took a seat.

    I raised my hand and gathered my Mana and Ki together.

    A small burst of energy spread into the room as the Mana and Kibined in my palms to create a blob of dense, ck energy.

    "Recognize this?"

    The Marquis spat his tea out as he leaned ahead.

    "World''s Beginning Energy!"

    Wait, what?

    W-why would¡­

    Creation? No¡­

 Chapter 185: Chapter 181: A Deeper Mystery

    "W-world''s beginning? Who came up with that trash name?" I spat out. It was clearly something that destroyed things. Even if one wanted to be ironic or funny, world''s beginning soundedme as hell! World''s End was much better!

    The Marquis slowly pushed his chair back.

    "You seem to more than recognize this," Titania said. "Why would you frown like that?"

    Apparently, he was frowning like a bitch. Even if I could see faces, I probably wouldn''t have been able to tell since bitches looked like bitches whether they were trying to or not.

    "I do¡­" the Marquis answered. "It was the name Charlotte Fonias used to use. I''ve seen her fight more times than I wanted to in my life, this is the same kind of thing, though theposition seems different."

    Composition again.

    I trusted the Marquis'' words here since Kai had said something simr.

    "Instead of different¡­ should I say iplete?"

    Despite his visible unwillingness, the Marquis still divulged information. He waved his hands at me in desperation.

    "Please take it back."

    "Can''t, it''ll fuck up my hand."

    "Hah!? You can''t even control this thing?"

    "Nope. That''s why I am here." I leaned closer to the Marquis while bringing my hand ahead. He reeled back, trying to stay as distant from the blob of energy as he could. "I hear you have something."

    "Something? Wait, first. Let''s get rid of that. It''s very dangerous."

    "Sure," I nodded. The Marquis picked up his quill and swung it in the air. A strongly condensed mass of Ki emerged from the tip of his quill and floated in the air. At the same time, I shot the energy out of my hand and at the blob.

    A sizzling sound spread through as the energy melted through all the Ki, ''ending'' its existence.

    The Marquis whistled in surprise. "Crazy¡­" he muttered.

    It was aw of nature for energy and mass to neither be created nor destroyed. Seeing something go against it was bound to bring uneasiness.

    The Marquis sighed as thest of his Ki disappeared along with the energy. He shook his head and red at me.

    "Don''t pull that again, please."

    "Oh? Recognize this?"

    "Hey! I mean it, don''t!"

    "Haha, loser!"

    "Quit it, you rat!"

    The Marquis and I stopped for a few seconds. The two of us picked up the cups of tea and took a sip as if we were two old friends drinking alone in a bar. It was the Marquis who broke the silence.

    "I have something you need?"

    I nodded.

    "Charlotte Fonias made the students of the academy scour the entire library for books, right? Those books were about this, weren''t they?"

    The Marquis crossed his arms.

    "I don''t know what they were about, she only mentioned ck energy. But, yes, she did hand me one of those."

    "I want it. I want to understand what this energy is."

    The Marquis, arms still crossed, nodded slightly.

    "Wait here for a bit," the Marquis said.

    "You''re handing it over?" I asked, making sure not to reveal my excitement. I was eager to get my hands on it atst, now I just had to make sure I didn''t receive any damage.

    "Yes. It was hers, so now it''s yours." The Marquis stood up again and dusted his clothes. He looked down at me and continued. "Honestly, I have already burned almost everything that she even touched in this mansion. Even the piano in that room I gave you is a different one."

    I didn''t see thating. But at the same time, I wasn''t surprised. In my opinion, it was a normal thing for people in his position to do.

    "There were some things that I couldn''t burn, either because I was forced to keep them or because they were too valuable to burn. Like that ring or that book."

    "The book is valuable?"

    "You''ll understand when you see it."

    I understood it anyway. I could feel my mind itching to uncover the secret of things.

    Leaving those words, the Marquis turned away from me and left the room.

    I waited in silence for a few seconds before standing up and peeking into his documents. If this bastard made big dough, it would be good to steal some.

    That and well, the wait was killing me. I was growing impatient by the second to grow stronger, and a key was almost in my hands.

    While distracting myself by scouring through the files and reports about the war, I also managed to get a clearer glimpse of things. The most important being that this other kingdom had also purchasedrge quantities of brimstone and charcoal. They were making the bombs in the exact way I had thought of.

    It wasn''t anything surprising, but it was interesting to see how science wasn''t something that could be ruled out in this world. If those bombs met with a strong alchemist then achieving even greater firepower would be possible.

    "What do you think, Titania?" I asked.

    "About?"

    "That World''s Creation thing."

    Those words were curious. Were there different facets to this energy that my mother knew of? Or was she just trash at naming? It did seem possible considering how she was called ''Godyer'' of all things.

    "It''s already strange that two people recognize something I don''t," Titania said. "I''ve been imprisoned for eight millennia, yes, but these things are not what change so frequently. Your mother must have been someone who could have shaken all nes of existence if she was the first to discover something like this."

    "But she wasn''t¡­"

    The existence of books proved that.

    It could just be theory, or maybe somethingpletely unrted to the finished product.

    But there was a much deeper mystery behind this power I had discovered.

    Not long after, the door opened again and the Marquis stepped back in. In his hands was a thin, worn-out book with ck coverings. An old smell exclusive to books emanated from it as its yellowed pages fluttered each time he moved the book.

    "Here," he said, tossing the book to me.

    I caught it as carefully as I could and red at him.

    The Marquis shrugged and took a seat again as I turned in my chair and slowly opened the book.

    Characters I had never seen before in my life filled the first page.

    Runes, texts that didn''t make sense. An illegiblenguage was scrawled over the pages filling the book from end to end. I flipped through the pages to look for anything I could recognize, but no stroke seemed familiar.

    On top of multiplenguages from the continent, I also knew English, Korean, German, and Mandarin, yet none of that knowledge helped here.

    A sigh escaped me as my heart started trembling rapidly.

    It seemed the path to getting stronger wasn''t easy.

    "How can I decipher this?" I asked.

    "Join the academy," the Marquis leaned in his chair and said. "You''re bound to find all kinds of geniuses in the kingdom of sages. Even if not, there''s no better ce to find clues than the greatest library in the world."

    I bit my lips.

    I didn''t want to initially, but now it seemed there was an incentive to.

    But there was another greater problem. I wouldn''t be able to focus solely on deciphering this book if I joined. There was also an equallyrge if not arger chance of finding more clues outside the academy. Not everything was recorded in books after all.

    I quickly weighed my choices.

    "Can I not ess the library anyhow?" I asked.

    The Marquis shook his head. "It''s a ce only open to students and alumni. And even the Alumni have great restrictions."

    What to do¡­

    "Oh, well if it''s any help," the Marquis suddenly tapped the desk. He gestured at the book and I ced it in front of him.

    "I did hear one sentence which that woman tranted."

    "What? Any help? Dude, that''s huge help! What was it?"

    The Marquis stuck his tongue out and flipped the book to the first page. The runic characters had been written with a bold andrge style, giving it the vibe of a title page. He pointed his finger right below the big text and grazed it gently over a small line.

    "This. It says¡­"

    "Says¡­?"

    "Part 3."

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    "ASSHOLE!"

 Chapter 186: Chapter 182: A Pair of Troubles

    A deep sense of annoyance was bubbling straight through my heart. I held the book I had taken from the Marquis tightly in my hands as I walked out of the study and strolled through the castle.

    "Part three, huh?" Titania muttered. She was equally curious about this form of energy she didn''t know of, and being unable to learn about it was painful for both of us. Maybe if it was just deciphering it, we could have taken our time and enjoyed it, but going on a wild goose chase now was just a hassle.

    Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, this wasn''t going to be a wild goose chase. But that''s what annoyed me more.

    "There were four such books we found in the library. That woman handed me only this one as a souvenir and ced the rest back, it''s a crime to steal from that ce after all."

    Those were the words the Marquis had offered me.

    So, I knew the location of the other four books. So what if it was a hundred-floor tall library? I had seen worse, I could scour through them. The real problem was¡­

    The damned school.

    I wanted to avoid it, not because of the regressors, not for the possible trigger of the world ending either, but¡­

    Because an academy was deeply annoying. So, I had enrolled in Pantheon. It was the dream of all hunters, but I regretted it almost immediately. Being associated with an academic front was the worst of all possible things.

    Holding in my sighs, I kept strolling around the ce.

    I decided to meet up with Dawn and stroll around town. Surely, she would appreciate a rescue from Vienna as well.

    I soon found myself passing through to the second floor of the castle, and in front of me was a wide gate that led to an indoor nursery that also served as a ce for the Hall family to rx at.

    Two maids stood before the closed doors.

    "Is mypanion inside?" I asked.

    "Yes, lord Eugene," one said.

    They didn''t bother knocking or saying anything and simply opened the door. Vienna must have told them so.

    I stepped inside and saw a group of people seated around a table. The wide, low table was filled with tea and confectionaries while low stools and couches, barely reaching my knee, surrounded the table. Beyond the seats were lines of trees and nts that created a small yet beautifulbyrinth inside.

    It was a ce simr to the vast garden of the Hall Estate, but was filled with rarer and more endangered nts.

    The attention of the group of four turned toward me.

    "Brother, you''re here!"

    "Eugene,e, we were waiting for you."

    It was easy to tell from the blonde hair that resembled the Marquis that these two were Billy and Vienna.

    I stepped over to the group and looked at Dawn before turning to thest one. The woman with fiery red hair waved at me.

    "Lady Sophia had been waiting for you too." Vienna chimed in at the perfect time as she noticed I couldn''t recognize this person. Just the name was enough to make me remember though.

    "Lady Sophia!" I eximed. Sophia, realizing I had just recognized her, stood up and performed a small bow.

    "It has been a long time, Lord Eugene. I most definitely wished to see you again."

    I liked Sophia quite a bit. Even beyond the incident with Raum''s agent we had solved all those years ago, she just had many likable traits. And most importantly¡ª

    "I did too, mydy. Have you been lifting these days?"

    ¡ªShe lifted.

    Sophia flinched. Then, she broke into a small peal ofughter and wrapped her arms over my shoulder. It was a sudden but wee hug.

    Stillughing, Sophia spoke up. "I was worried for nothing, you really are the same Lord Eugene as before."

    I patted her back a couple of times before she finally let me go.

    She sat back down on the low stool while I moved over to a beanbag chair next to Dawn and let myself sink into the cushion.

    "Were you able to finish your business?" Vienna asked.

    "Not really. Well, in a way," I answered. It was getting harder to hide my disappointment as I covered my eyes and let out another sigh, my body sinking further.

    "Hey, hey! Lord Eugene," Sophia suddenly spoke up. Dawn alternated her gaze between the two of us as if she found our getting along a bit odd, but I decided to not say anything for now.

    "Is it true that you are dating thedy of the Acacia duchy?"

    I nodded.

    The mention of Lethe made me even more disappointed. I wanted to grow stronger and show off to her too.

    "Ah, tsk." Sophia clicked her tongue. "It seems I missed my chance to find a good partner"

    A chuckle left me.

    "Don''t say that,dy Sophia. I am certain many men would leave a great fortune behind just to catch a glimpse of you. I am sure you''ll find a great partner."

    "Oh?" Sophia teasingly tilted her head. "Does that mean you will leave thatdy for me?"

    "Over my dead body."

    Lady Sophia giggled while Billy and Vienna sighed.

    Dawn then turned to me and asked.

    "What happened?"

    "Hey look," Titania said. "The angel girl recognizes you''re sad."

    That was true. How cute.

    "It''s nothing, really. I might have to go to the academy it seems."

    "Might?" Vienna intervened. This painful bitch. "It''s already decided Eugene. How many people do you think are expecting you there?"

    "Who cares about that?"

    "See," this time, Sophia intervened. "I told you, it''ll be greatly troublesome this year."

    Come to think of it, Sophia was the same age as me, which meant she would be joining this year too.

    "Troublesome?" I asked, "Why?"

    "What do you mean why? The entire hierarchy of not just the academy, but the entire continent has been shaken up." Sophia leaned toward me and said. "The 12 Zodiacs are being made a joke of and many heirs of great families are being subject to a lot of ridicule, all because of two people."

    I liked the sound of this.

    "One is you, the young hero of the Empire. The youngest tinum-ranked adventurer who fought a demon king and earned the epithet of ''Nightbringer.'' It''s almost as if saying no one in your generation is your equal."

    Oh? I had be famous?

    "And the other one?" I asked. Who else was there that could have their name mentioned at the same time as mine?

    "The untouchable genius that people are calling a once in a millennia talent. The third prince of the Pinot kingdom¡ª"

    ***

    A gust of war spread through the Chardonnay nes.

    Deep into the night, the two sides, Traube and Pinot, were facing ast quiet night before breaking into a final struggle that would mark the end of this war.

    In the tent at the back of the Pinot Kingdom''s encampment, a conference ofmanders was set up. Themanders discussed their ns for the final battle tomorrow when the p of their tent was pushed open.

    "B-BIG TROUBLE!" An adjutant screamed as he barged into the tent. Themanders got on their feet in urgency at their subordinates'' screams.

    "T-the prince! The prince was kidnapped!"

    "W-what!? Which? Which prince was taken!?"

    "Prince Albert!!"

 Chapter 187: Chapter 183: War Ends

    The breeze of war calmed down in an instant.

    Out in the Chardonnay nes, deep inside the camp of the Pinot Kingdom''s forces, the meeting ofmanders and leaders received a news that made all of them stop in their tracks.

    "W-who did you say was kidnapped?" Themander-in-chief asked his adjutant. "Which¡­ prince?"

    "Prince Albert, my lord. Prince Albert has been taken into the enemy encampment."

    "Haha¡­''

    Augh rang out.

    Dry, chilly, theugh swept over the tent.

    "Hahaha¡­"

    Another.

    The adjutant swung his head in surprise.

    "HAHAHAH!"

    "Hahaahah!" Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    In the blink of an eye, all themanders started guffawing. Some held their heads with their hands while others pressed their sides as all of themughed grandly.

    What was this? Mutiny? Betrayal? Had war made themanders go insane?

    Before the adjutant could say anything, themander in chief turned to him and smiled.

    "Ring the bells, adjutant!" Themander spread his arms wide, a bright smile stered on his face.

    "We''ve won this war."

    ***

    The sounds of dirt dragging through resounded in the Traube encampment. The clunks of chains as they ran against jagged paths and uneven stones sounded like uneven bells as a single knight dragged someone by the legs.

    The knight pulled the person along. The brown haired captive did not resist, even when his back screeched against the ground and stones dug through him, he only yawned with an expressionless face.

    "Son of a bitch¡­" the knight muttered. He passed by the many tents and trenches and moved closer to the hismanders. "Now you''ll know what it feels like to have your home taken."

    The knight turned back and spat.

    A ball of saliva arched through the air and fell on the captive''s face. With his hands cuffed up and ced behind his head, the young captive couldn''t even wipe it away.

    "Tsk. Fucking crazy bastard," the knight shook his head and continued onward.

    He pulled the captive''s legs and dragged him against the ground.

    Suddenly, the weight he had been dragging along lightened.

    "What¡ª" The knight turned back, and a thick stone came hurtling toward his neck. The knight tried to evade, but the stone was already moving in the same path as him.

    "Ahk!" An impact crashed into the knight''s neck, crushing his Adam''s apple. The grip on the captive''s legs loosened.

    At the same time, the stone bounced off the knight andnded back in the captive''s hands.

    The captive whistled. His legs wrapped around the knight''s torso, and with a single twist, he had brought the knight to the ground while he stood up.

    It all happened too fast, too sudden for the others to react.

    As the soldiers in tents noticed how theirpanion had been brought to the ground, the moved.

    One rushed at the captive standing atop the knight. The soldier drew his de out and charged right at him.

    A stab, then a swing to the right. The captive dodged all of the soldier''s moves with minimal movement. He brought his face closer to his mouth and suppressed a yawn as the soldier kept swinging his sword.

    As if it were phasing through him, as if it could never reach him, the de didn''t as much as graze the captive''s hair.

    "Done?" The captive asked.

    The soldier, stunned, pulled his de back for one final blow¡ª

    "Ah!" The captive tossed the stone again.

    Shrugging, he kicked the downed soldier in the face and raised his hands high in the sky.

    "About time¡­" the captive muttered, his voice low.

    Dozens of arrows came tearing through the skies and straight toward him. The captive remained unmoving, his hands turned up.

    The arrows passed him by without ever touching him.

    All of them missed.

    Just one, one arrow came hurtling toward his head. The arrow crashed against the chains of the captive''s cuffs and broke through them in a go.

    "W-what in the world?!"

    "Get him!!"

    The soldiers were too stunned to speak.

    Shaking his hands, the captive turned azy gaze over the approaching soldiers and knights before shifting to the long-ranged attackers further at the back.

    "Hm, how boring," the man''s words fell on deaf ears.

    The soldiers neared him atst. Dozens of swings and attacks came thundering toward him, but with just the slightest movements, the captive dodged all of them.

    He moved closer to a few of them and blocked the others'' sights. Before their attacks could fall on him, he swerved his body with the precision of a gymnast and the attacksnded on friendly forces.

    Over and over, without even swinging his arms, the captive started shaving down the number of enemies.

    "So predictable¡­" he said, suppressing another yawn.

    Then, the captive hopped over the stubs of the arrows embedded in the ground and kicked off. He jumped over the soldiers'' heads andnded away from the encirclement.

    "Come along, losers, it''s just one guy." A smile spread on the captive''s face. "Let''s keep things spicy, yeah?"

    He kicked off the ground, the captive''s feet soared through the encampment as he rushed ahead. No stray sword or log, norge boulder or tent, nothing in the cramped encampment could impede his perfect movements as he ran without slowing down. Hopping over the crates and knocking down the others.

    It was as if he could see the entire camp in the back of his eye. As if he was as used to it as he was to his palm.

    The captive ran through some tents. One soldier stepped out with a small torch in his hands, confused.

    "Oh? Morning."

    "What¡ª"

    ¡ªThwack!

    He punched him down and tossed him away with the tent. The captive snatched the torch before it could fly away and turned to his back. The chasing soldiers stopped as he swung the log of mes near their face.

    "Uwa!"

    "Bastard! That''s just a fucking torch! Charge!!"

    Well, fear did break easily.

    The captive giggled and turned on his heels again as he set off through the tents.

    The soldiers followed, arrows came scrambling out, but not a single hit could touch the captive.

    With the torch in his hands, he moved toward the back of the encampment and found the tents of the cooks for the army.

    He kicked just the right boxes and carried the rest as kerosene started spilling out and soaked the grounds. The group following behind the captive increased with each passing second, not realizing the contents of the boxes in his hands had already soaked their feet.

    Atst, the captive turned and stopped.

    "Where will you run now, bastard?" The soldiers asked.

    "I won''t," the captive answered.

    He pulled the torch in his hands up¡ª

    "You will."

    ¡ª And tossed it away.

    A spark of mes spread through the ground. The soldiers stepped back as the kerosene all over the ground started catching fire. The feet of the first ones lit aze.

    "Ah, ah!! Fire!!!"

    And the file broke apart.

    Streaks of mes spread over the camp and started chasing the soldiers.

    The streaks turned into waves.

    And the waves turned into a storm.

    mes danced wildly in the night sky, swallowing up the entirety of Traube''s camp.

    Screams rang out all over the ce as some died while others ran away.

    The captive shook his hands and chuckled. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pipe before moving into the tent at the very back of the encampment.

    The small, unassuming tent was his goal all along.

    Stepping inside, the captive pumped his brows at the muscr man sitting at the very back, a young boy hiding behind his back.

    "Prince¡­. Albert¡­" the man spoke, grating his teeth.

    The captive, Prince Albert, pulled the ps of the tent aside and let the view of the burning encampment seep into the tent as he prepared his pipe.

    "Looks cool, ain''t it, Duke Traube?"

    In front of the captive, stood the leader of the enemy forces. The head of Traube.

    "You¡­ What do you want?"

    Prince Albert shook his head and walked over to the duke.

    The young child who seemed to be twenty years of age flinched in his chair as Albert came closer. Without a word, Albert pped the person across his cheeks and forced him off the chair.

    Crossing his legs over one other, Albert sat on the chair and leaned on his back.

    Traube, speechless, could only watch Albert.

    Taking a matchbox out of his pockets, Albert lit it aze and brought the mes to his pipe. He took in a deep sip of the smoke before letting it out.

    "Crazy, isn''t it?" Albert asked, his eyes fixed somewhere else.

    "What is¡­?"

    "You know¡­ a dragon suddenly popping out and killing you. And then waking up in another world? Do you think you go to another when you die?"

    The Duke held his breath.

    He shook his head.

    "Wanna find out?"

    That night.

    The long war between the Pinot Kingdom and the Principality of Traube ended with the Duke''s death.

 Chapter 188: Chapter 184: The Beginning of the Beginning

    "Prince Albert¡­ huh?"

    Interesting. That person sure was interesting.

    Stay connected via m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    "Yes," Sophia muttered. "It gets worse. There were talks of recing some of the Zodiacs and cing you two in, but then others started saying you''re a step above them. Just two people have ruined the reputation of something that had been going on for 12 generations now."

    Wow? People had that much time for 12 whole generations?

    "Who decides these Zodiacs?" Dawn suddenly popped in with the question I was wondering too.

    "No one," Billy shrugged. "It''s all about public opinion and the news outlets. But the countries do recognize them eventually, just not through officiation."

    Sounds annoying. Really annoying. Still, to think such haughty people were probably being used of ruining 12 generations worth of reputations because of me was rather satisfying.

    "This year, all the 12 zodiacs will be in the academy together," Sophia added. "Thest two¡­ the Fonias twins should be giving the entrance tests."

    "Fonias?" I asked. "They are part of this thing?"

    "Don''t bother with them, Eugene," Vienna said. Her voice seemed slightly strict.

    "Yeah," Billy added. "We won''t let rats won''ty a hand on you."

    So these two knew I was being targeted by the Fonias. A clear sense of closeness had formed between me and the people of the Hall.

    Even if I couldn''t think of them as my family, they weren''t bad friends to have. Just as I thought, I could get along with them a bit. Just a bit.

    I nodded at the pair. It was cute to see them thinking they could protect me.

    Another sigh left me.

    Wasn''t everyone just assuming I was going to join now?

    "That said, what brings you here, Lady Sophia?"

    "Oh. It''s because my father wanted me to leave for the academy along with you."

    So they''ve been assuming I''ll go since long before?

    "When do you guys leave?" I asked.

    "In three days," Vienna answered. "The entrance test for the new students is a month away, we''ll need at least four weeks to reach Agrippa."

    "And this entrance test, what''s it about?"

    "You''ll have to see that for yourself," Billy said. "It changes every time. What we do know is that it''ll be held in the greatbyrinth of Agrippa."

    "Great Labyrinth?" I asked. Dungeons that did not seem to have an end in sight were all called Great Labyrinths, just like the Deep Down Dive. I was aware of another Labyrinth in thend of sages, but I had no idea about its rtion with the academy.

    "The Great Labyrinth of the academy city, the Elysium Tower. All students are required to enter the tower, it''s where your assessments get tested."

    "Yup," Sophia nodded. "You also get to make a contract with a fairy and get a system, though, I guess you don''t need to worry about that."

    All adventurers had to do so too.

    "Then?"

    Billy and Vienna nodded. "Both of us have a contract with a fairy."

    I turned to Titania, and she nodded.

    A unique fairy for the menu option in the game, generated by procedural programming. The setting of the game was shining through in the real world now.

    "I heard you broke the Terrifying Teal Tablet in your first go, brother?" Billy asked.

    "Yeah, it happened on its own."

    "No! It''s because those stones can''t stand me!" Titania added from the sides, but I didn''t bother speaking for her.

    I got weird looks from the three non-adventurers before they continued chatting.

    The group continued on for a while with some small talk. It eventually devolved into them asking about our adventures. I was too upied with thinking about the book, so Dawn took the helm and told them about the different quests she had taken up, starting from the incident down in the Deep Down Dive to the events of the Empire.

    The impromptu assembly concluded as the sun started to set. Lady Sophia and I made a promise to walk in the garden again for old times'' sake tomorrow morning before we separated.

    "That Sophia girl was quite cute," Dawn muttered.

    "Really?" I asked. "Are you blind?"

    "What? Why?"

    "She used to be cute before¡­" I remembered well how she used to be more to the point with her thoughts just two, no, almost three years back. "Now she''s just crafty."

    "No way, she seemed very straightforward and cute."

    "It''s called using your strengths. I don''t what she looks like, but she must be cute since she''s using it well. And you''re falling for it well too."

    "Is it¡­?"

    My eyes slightly widened and I turned to Dawn.

    I remembered. The words that Lady Sophia hadst left me the previous time.

    "Blood of an angel¡­"

    Dawn stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself.

    Clicking my tongue, I continued. "She said her lineage had the blood of an angel."

    "Is that so?" She started walking normally again as she shrugged her shoulders. "Must be."

    "What? It''smon?"

    "There were quite a few angels that came down here to y around. Quite a few humans ascended to angeldom as well."

    Angel what?

    I felt like I was hearing a lot of information today. It was usually alright, but I was too tired with the dilemma of the academy I was facing.

    "Say, Dawn, what will you do if you end up taking me to the academy?"

    "You can take one person along as an aide, you see. So I am going to be assigned as an aide to one of the princess'' friends. A regressor, I mean."

    "Hm¡­"

    Just one person, huh?

    "What will you do?" Titania asked.

    "What do you think I should?"

    Dawn tilted her head, but soon realized I wasn''t speaking to her.

    "Didn''t you say you won''t go back empty handed?"

    I did.

    I still didn''t n to go back empty handed.

    An academy¡­ just bad could it be?

    I''d get to spend time in that library. There''d be chances to go out and learn more as well, about the different energies. About Charlotte too.

    Those regressors would be there too, and I''ll also end up seeing a lot of trouble with whatever they have to face. I didn''t mind that. If it was going to be challenging, then I was looking forward to it.

    And well¡­

    I could spend time with Lethe every day.

    That was something I would wee any day. Maybe some strolls in the night, or some excursion early morning. Anything would be fun with Lethe.

    It wasn''t a losing deal.

    But at the same time, I was hoping to grow stronger.

    Maybe I''ll waste time on the troubles the ''plot'' of the game will bring me. Maybe the sses won''t be worth it. Maybe learning about things other than what matters would impede my growth. Maybe¡­ hanging out with Lethe would end up being another hindrance in my path.

    People only make second guesses about people in a fear of rejection.

    I had epted long ago that I hade to ''love'' Lethe. It was natural for me to think about actions rted to her twice. I didn''t want her disapproval, just like she didn''t want mine.

    But what about others?

    There wasn''t much denying it anymore.

    I was starting to care about people.

    About the receptionist, the manager, the stupid receptionists back in Deep Down Town.

    Heck, even this old man and his stupid children, Lady Sophia too¡­

    Maria, Lily, Keith.

    Dawn. Titania.

    Lethe.

    I didn''t want to ''protect'' them. That wasn''t my job. Nor was I pretentious enough to take it up.

    I also didn''t want any trouble to not befall them. As long as people were alive, they would face problems. Ups and downs, joy and grief, life and death. All of it was a part of the cycle.

    What was it?

    It wasn''t like I didn''t want them to be sad. Or for them to live forever or anything like that.

    I just¡­

    I would prefer it if they were alright.

    That would be the better option of the two.

    Was this what caring about others meant?

    If I stayed around others, I was afraid of this feeling deepening.

    Would it get in my way? Or would it benefit me?

    I wanted to figure that out too¡­

    All of the answers I was looking for were currently in that one ce.

    "Say, Dawn¡­ can you leave the academy anytime you want?"

    "Huh? Probably, isn''t it an academy?"

    Both, the seeming road to my strength and the one to a weakness remained in the academy.

    Caring about others.

    If it was going to get in my way.

    I would just have to nip it in the bud.

    "I''ll go," I said. "The academy¡­ I''ll join it."

    There was only one figure out if ''others'' were a hindrance or not, and that was to experience it firsthand.

    I had no time to waste. I was still not strong enough. Nowhere strong enough.

    To get stronger.

    To get rid of my weakness.

    "I''ll take this damned Eroge on."

    ***

    A/n: That''s it for Arc 1 of Volume 3. A lot of info and also a lot of hints on how things will proceed. With this, the beginning of the Eroge will finally begin. Fasten up your seatbelts as we''re going on a rollercoaster of ups and downs! I also know many people dislike Academy arcs, which is why I''ve added different aspects to it that you will definitely like! Thanks a lot for reading!

    Do drop somements or reviews if you''re enjoying the story.

 Chapter 189: Chapter 185: Academy City

    "Eugy, look outside."

    A gust of wind breezed past my head and sent my hair fluttering in the skies as I leaned out of the carriage. Beyond the rows and rows of beautiful stone buildings filling the streets, a hue of orange and violet filled the usually blue skies.

    Wispy clouds likes the strokes of a painter''s brush spread in between the strangely colored sky. Their ends dabbed the color of the ocean beyond them.

    But at the end of it all.

    The farthest from the eye.

    Stretched a tower.

    A tower, upside down.

    Like a drop of rain falling from the skies. The tower broadened the further up it went and narrowed the lower it came. Layers of the stone tower''s grey and ck structure alternated as the part closest to the ground looked as thin as a needle while the width of the end in the skies epassed the clouds.

    Unending, at its top half, the tower waspletely swallowed up by the mass of clouds as they blocked a part of the sky from one''s view. Even when gusts of wind blew the others clouds ahead, only the clouds that hid the tower remained unfazed.

    Another head peeked out in front of me as Dawn looked outside.

    Then, so did Lily before Keith and Maria turned to the other window of the carriage.

    "Woah¡­" A gasp of admiration left Lily.

    "Amazing¡­ so that''s the Great Labyrinth¡­" Dawn spoke. Her fluttering hair mmed right into my face.

    I moved her hair away as if collecting a pile of straws and leaned further out to look at the tower.

    As cracks and between and around the bs that made up the stones glowed with shades of red and violet, their color leaked out into the sky and gave it the hue that spread through.

    Not even the buildings around were spared.

    The houses covered with a dome and gates that resembled caves reflected the shade of the skies. Their pumice stones and volcanic ash was alternated well with the rows and rows of flowers and shrubs that the houses of the kingdom spread.

    This was the Agrippa Kingdom.

    And in front of us, was the Elysium tower.

    Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin

    After a month of traveling. No, after nine years of knowing about the world where this world was but a game, I was at the starting point of that very game.

    A starting point, that supposedly leads to the end of the world.

    At the viin at the very beginning was no one but me.

    A smile spread over my face. This would be interesting. Very interesting. I was looking forward to the levels of strength I could reach.

    "We''ll be in the Academy city soon."

    ***

    The soon came by rather quick.

    In just another day, we had found ourselves at the southern end of the Agrippa Kingdom.

    Around us were the same Cydic buildings that filled the Agrippa Kingdom. The ground below and the houses around were syed over the alternating terrain. Some went up while others went down, but no amount of discrepancy bothered the houses as they stood tall above them all.

    The roads all around were filled with slopes, while stairs covered whatever the inclines couldn''t.

    "That''s an ocean, isn''t it?" Dawn asked as we stepped out of the carriage. We stood atop a hilly location that gave us a clear overview of the entire city.

    "Correct," A voice came in from the side.

    With her hands folded together, Vienna walked over to us. She donned her usual flowing dress while she held a folding fan in her hands. Following right behind her in a simr dress was Lady Sophia andstly Billy.

    "The Academy City is right against the ocean," Vienna continued. "It''s a wide ce, all these houses you see around are used by students.

    I raised my brow at that. When I looked around, it did seem like mostly young people were walking around the streets or stepping out in their verandas and balconies to enjoy some morning tea. There seemed to be but a handful of people with streaks of gray on their heads.

    "The Academy City is divided in seven districts." Vienna''s hand pointed at the eastern ends. Amongst the rows of houses was a tall, wide volcano stretching into the sky. "That''s the territory of Volkash Academy."

    "There are other academies?" I said.

    "Huh? Yeah, you didn''t know?" Dawn asked.

    Well, I thought it was only going to be the one academy modeled after Pantheon?

    "Near the ocean is the Poseidon Academy," then, Vienna pointed at the different ces over the streets. From an academy situated around a cave, to another near the forest covering at the northern ends.

    And then, at the center of the city, was the narrow tip of the Elysium Tower. The Great Labyrinth was narrowest at this point while it spread up and widened further into the sky.

    She spoke of six different academies situated inside the city.

    "Here''s the catcher, lord Eugene." Sophia intervened right then. "All of them are dungeons."

    "Excuse me?" I couldn''t help but widen my eyes. It was already rare to see dungeons form because of the coalescence every single one of them brought. It created a zone of magic energy that was deeply unstable.

    If I counted the Elysium Tower, then there were a total of seven dungeons inside a single city.

    "That''s crazy¡­"

    "The seven academiespete for the position of the best."

    "Wait," I said. I counted the number of districts again, and Vienna had only told me of six.

    "Where''s the Syncretic Academy?"

    "Hah¡­" Billy chuckled at that. It seemed he wanted to look cool.

    Right then, he raised his hand high up in the sky and pointed to the air.

    All of us turned our gazes up.

    The wisps of clouds, like strokes of a brush, started to flow away again. All of them, expect the one that enshrouded the Elysium Tower.

    And there, beyond the clouds, deep within the skies of a dozen tints, were small inds floating in the sky.

    "That''s the seventh district¡­" Billy said. "The district of the Syncretic Academy. House of Elyssia."

    "Crazy¡­"

    "Beautiful¡­"

    Different mouths let out different gasps.

    But my eyes were focused.

    The dome like structure on the floating ind closest to the dungeon was reminiscent deeply of the ss house that I called Pantheon.

    I bit my lips together as a wave of memories flooded me.

    This was the beginning.

    Things were starting.

    "H-how do we get up there?" Lily asked.

    "Can''t we just fly?" Dawn answered.

    "Not everyone can fly, dumbass."

    "Can''t you?"

    "I use my shields to float. I don''t fly."

    "What is this conversation? Is this the level of top adventurers?"

    Dawn and I chuckled at Sophia''s innocent question.

    Then, Vienna spread her fan and pointed at us.

    "You don''t have to fly. Come along."

    I raised my brows at her words.

    The carriages moved to a different spot while we followed behind Vienna toward a clearing near the hills we stood on.

    A cliff stretched out beyond us that led away from the Academy City.

    "Now, jump."

    "Jump from this cliff?" Lily asked. "T-that''s crazy! It''s like, meters tall!"

    Heh¡­

    Interesting.

    I ignored Lily and walked ahead. As if going on a stroll in a park, I ced my foot ahead and tumbled forward.

    "Young master!"

    A scream resounded and I started to fall.

    Air pushed up against my hair, and then my body, but gravity won out as I was going closer and closer to the ground.

    It was a tall cliff, but not dangerous. I would barely get scratched at this heigh¡ª

    "Eugy! Hold tight!"

    Right then, a current of air breezed through me.

    My clothes were lifted up, then my hair.

    A sensation of going against the world struck me all at once and then, I started floating in the air.

    "Woooohoo!"

    A scream of admiration spilled out on its own. An intense stream of wind was now carrying me up the skies. I passed by the edge of the cliff at once and waved at the group below as the air current lifted me higher and higher above.

    My feet dangled in the air, and soon, the others jumped off too.

    The breeze turned to a side and started carrying me over to one of the many inds. It lifted me up high and mmed me down into the floating block ofnd.

    My body fell on the soft cushioning of the thick des of grass and a chuckle left me.

    "Ahhh!"

    A scream sounded as others starteding up to the ind too.

    One after the other, the group started following me up and all of them fell t against the des of grass.

    Thud after thud, one after the other, everyone came up into the inds in the skies.

    "Haha¡­"

    Someoneughed.

    "Hahah!"

    And like a contagious disease.

    "Hahahahaha!"

    Theughter spread.

    This was¡­

    The beginning at the academy.

    The house of Elyssia.

    The Elysium Tower, and the start in the Syncretic Academy.

 Chapter 190: Chapter 186: Preliminary Test (1)

    A small ind filled with leaves and flowers.

    We skipped through the length of the ce and saw the next one further up in the sky. The clouds wafting about now touched our hands as we took every step.

    Titania gently twirled in the air and I walked behind her. Honestly, I wanted to skip around, but it was ufortable to be open with so many people around. I didn''t used to think that way before. That''s one negative point for people.

    "Do we jump again?" I asked, looking up at the next ind which was a few meters higher up in the sky.

    "See that red spot brother?" Billy said, pointing at the ground near the edge of this floating ind. "Step ahead from there."

    I quickly did so. Titania excitedly tugged at my hair and urged me to rush, and rush I did. My steps didn''t hold a second of hesitation as I ced them outside the rim of this ind.

    Before it could lower down, something struck against it.

    "Oh?" I muttered, a smile leaving me.

    There was an invisible bridge connecting the two inds. A wave of red and violet spread under my feet as I took another step ahead, and hit against the bridge.

    "Haha¡­"

    Mystical.

    Just like inside a dungeon.

    The inside of the Deep Down Dive. The different Labyrinths I had encountered, the beautiful sights I had seen.

    This academy was just another one of those.

    With a much better impression of the academy now, I started running up.

    My feet soared and I hopped into the sky.

    "Ah! Me too!"

    "Me as well!"

    Dawn and Sophia shouted from the back, but both of them were outdone by Keith who seemed just as excited.

    I turned back halfway through the climb and shouted. "Vienna, where do we have to go?"

    Vienna let out a soft chuckle as she pointed at one of the inds around therge one with the ss dome. It was a smaller ind with a giant building made of marbles, it''s beautiful architecture reminiscent of the one I had spread in Apollon.

    "That''s the reception building. That''s where you''ll register."

    "Eugy! Eugy!" Titania excitedly screamed and I nodded.

    "Keith! Race!"

    Keith rushed up and jumped over my head. "Last one to reach buys food! No using your skills!"

    "Oh, you''re on!"

    I pivoted on my feet and followed behind.

    "I wanna join too!" Billy said from the back.

    "No fair! Me too!"

    Behind us, all the others started running up too. Lily, Maria, Dawn, Billy and Sophia, all of them wanted in on the race as they rushed behind.

    "Haha, be careful!" Vienna screamed from the back, but her words fell on deaf ears.

    The others weren''t any match for Keith and me, we quickly scaled the bridge and moved over to the next ind.

    Houses not different from the ones below spread over the ind. I jumped over the stony streets and climbed up clear stairs. Vines hanging from the windows grazed my cheeks while flower pots rested on the sides of the stairs.

    "There you are!" I screamed at Keith and pulled him by the scruff of his suit.

    "Ah! Cheating, cheating!"

    A few people peeked out of their houses while others coursing the narrow streets turned to look at us. Someughed while others apparently held a nostalgic gaze. Seeing new peoplee in must have always been the same.

    The small struggle ended when I kicked Keith off and continued ahead.

    From the roof of one house started the base of another, while at the edge of the streets were the edges of thend. All of it a shade brighter from the many colors coursing through the skies.

    As we crossed bridges, the clouds came and gushed over us, while at other times the ground itself started to move.

    Keith tried to catch me at the back and pull me by the ankle, but I kicked him off again and climbed down the final bridge that led to the giant building.

    The beautiful skies were all around me, and at one side was the upside down tower emanating with magical energy.

    A chuckle left me again and Titania followed before both of us broke into a peal ofughter.

    A drop of sweat grazed down my forehead.

    "I WIN!"

    "Ahhh! Damn it!" Keith came right after me and clenched his knees as he fell to the ground.

    I gave him a quick kick in front of the enormous reception andughed harder. His grumblings unending.

    Not long after, Dawn made her way over.

    She jumped down the final one whileughing, sweat spreading around each time her hair fluttered.

    "Dusk, catch!"

    "Right on!"

    I caught her in my arms and the two of usughed again before I let her go. The others followed too, all of them panting from the run. Even Vienna had joined them in running over, she wiped her head with a handkerchief and urged us onward.

    Enjoy more content from m-v l''e|-NovelBin

    "Let''s go," she said. "You''ll have to register first."

    "Hah," I smiled and walked over.

    I had tried my best to hide my tracks on the way here. Lethe was in for a big surprise when she would reach this ce.

    I took the lead again and stepped inside the giant building. A small staircase led up to the inside, giant pirs holding up its roof. The insides weren''t something to scoff at either.

    A small indoor waterfall flowed behind the reception desk while couches and tables reminiscent of a five-star hotel''s lounge covered the eyes. There were a bunch of different desks with people working on different things at each of them.

    "That one," Vienna said, pointing at the desk at the end of the room. "That''s where you register for the entrance test. Of course, the princess got your letter and handled most of your formalities."

    I had sent a letter to the princess of Schwarz. She had offered to pay up for my tuition, and I dly indulged. At the same time, I also made her finish up the formalities for the gang entering with me since it would be a hassle to wait for it.

    If she was offering to be of help, why shouldn''t I use her?

    I moved over to the desk while others followed.

    There didn''t seem to be anyone else here yet, it was rather early in the morning and quite a few had already registered in the previous days.

    "Good morning!" The girl at the reception said to us.

    "What''s the toughest quest¡ªAh, sorry. Force of habit."

    I was too used to professional smiles. The head receptionist always nagged, so I went to the other ones to take up quests back in Deep Down Town.

    Lady Sophia shook her head and stepped forward.

    "We''re here to register for the entrance test, please. You must have received word from the third princess of Schwarz for all the formalities."

    "Ah, the special rmendation, yes," thedy nodded. She reached into her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. Titania flew over behind her and gazed at the paper.

    "It says VIPs," she said.

    How cool was that?

    "You will have to give a preliminary test first," the receptionist said. "Only then can you give the test inside the tower."

    I looked at Vienna and she nodded.

    "What''s the preliminary test this time?"

    "Oh? Aren''t you one of the top students in the second year?" Vienna seemed to have some clout.

    She nodded gracefully and the receptionist continued with a cheery tone.

    "There''s a simple test. We have created a new device to test your potential and skills. I''ll show you to that."

    Interesting.

    It slightly reminded me of the tests one had to give as an Hunter. A device to measure potential seemed fun.

    "I have received word, for a Lady Sophia of Mirxa," she said, pulling the paper back. "A Lord Eugene of Apollon."

    Eugene of Apollon. I liked the sound of that.

    "Psst," Maria suddenly hissed in my ears.

    "What is it?" I asked.

    "Young master, I heard that you can only take one person as an aide. Are you going to send us back?"

    She sounded worried. How endearing.

    I held in a smile, but it spilled out anyway.

    I was probably looking smug as hell.

    "And, ast student, Miss Lily Blume. Is that right?"

    "Eh¡­?"

    Lily muttered.

    I leaned ahead on the reception and nodded.

    "That''s correct. Three registrations."

    Keith with me.

    And Maria with Lily.

    That brought my entire family here.

    "HEH!? Y-young master!?? Me??"

    "Yes, you. Lily Blume''s only you."

    "No, no! It''s amon name so it could be someone else."

    "It says you would be with Lord Eugene, mam." Even the happy-go-lucky receptionist seemed to be on the boat.

    "What¡­ but how can I?" Lily held her mouth and nervously spoke.

    "What''s the problem? It''s the princess paying anyway." I shrugged. "Mam, please take us for the test."

    "Right away."

 Chapter 191: Chapter 187: Preliminary Test (2)

    Thedy led us to a room in the back of the building. We went through a quick security check, which took a bit longer for Keith, Maria, and Dawn. It was better that we didn''t bring Alec and Sir Behind up here too or that would have taken even longer.

    We followed her inside the empty room. White walls spread over the sizable ce with two more people standing around an enormous orb of ss.

    "More students? Wee."

    "Haha, we''re getting a great amount of data."

    The pair wore a long whiteb coat over their clothes while sses hung low on their noses. They scribbled on the pads in their hands as they beckoned us over, they visage the perfect image of a researcher.

    I was looking exactly for people like these.

    "It seems it really is a prototype," Dawn muttered.

    I nodded and peered at the ss orb. Right then, an almost fleeting memory returned to my mind.

    "ss selection."

    "What was that?" Dawn asked.

    I shook my head.

    I remembered a conversation I had with that one annoying asshole all that time back. Though he had never informed me of the game''s setting, he did tell me about whatever caught his eye.

    He had mentioned that this was where one could select a ss to continue in the game, from a warrior type to wizard type, all ranges of sses could be chosen from. Then, was this simr?

    "Now, I''ll exin what this bad boy is," the researcher said, pping the top of the orb. "It''s a prototype that epts your energy and interprets it using our groundbreaking spells and data. With it, you can judge what kind of ability you hold."

    How interesting.

    "This inner part of the orb you see," he said, pointing at the center of the orb that was hooked with wires and magical circles. "The intensity of the color there shows your potential, and the outer glow shows the ability you have already achieved."

    "Ooh¡­" A few gasps of admiration rang out. Vienna and Billy seemed the most impressed since they would be missing the chance to use this new equipment.

    "Well, to give you some context," the other researcher continued, propping up her sses. "Let''s say you have a red colored glow, that would represent that you''re good at melee fighting with Ki. Simrly, a blue glow represents wizardry. Green shows your skill with support abilities, orange with scouting, and the list just goes on."

    She flipped the pages in her hand, showing that the list does go on.

    "Well, anyway. The darker it is the more you have achieved or have the potential to achieve. We need you to be better than a light shade in both of them to be considered for the entrance test. Is that clear?"

    "Well, of course, the minimum requirement can be fulfilled," Vienna said. "Isn''t that right, Eugene?"

    Woah? Was she offended? Nobles and their pride, this is why I always think of her as a pain.

    "I think it''s cute," Titania gave her input. Well, for an old fairy that has lived for millennia such things surely would be cute. It was just annoying at my age.

    "Why don''t you go at it first, then?" The researcher said, holding a smile.

    "I agree," the girl that had guided us here added.

    "Is it an expensive thing?" I asked.

    "Expensive? Well, there''s only three in the world, all in ourb. It''s made with years of research so it''s expensive as hell."

    "Then, make Lily go first."

    "Eh? Me? Again? Aren''t you pushing me too much, young master?"

    "Don''t say that, if you want to learn at a new ce you need to step out of yourfort zone."

    Lily reluctantly shook her head and walked ahead. The researchers gave me a smirk and a chuckle as they let Lily step ahead.

    "ce your hand anywhere and let it absorb your mana."

    "Ah, yes¡­" Lily nodded and boldly ced her hand on the orb. I could sense her mana flowing out of her fingers and seep into the orb.

    A whirring sound rang out as the magical circles all around the orb started spinning.

    And then, a soft, small white glow emerged from the inner and outer halves of the orb.

    "Oh? A little talent for healing¡ª"

    The researcher''s mouth snapped shut as the glow of the light intensified. All at once, the white light she out of the orb as if the sun itself hade down.

    One of the researchers fell on his ass while the other took a step back. Only thecking light of the outer orb managed to save us from the direct onught that the inner halfunched. The crazy beams of light spread all over the ce and continued glowing.

    "W-what the¡­"

    "Amazing¡­"

    Lily awkwardly scratched her cheeks and turned toward us. Everyone in my group seemed to be equally shocked, but I held faith in Lily.

    "Did I do fine?"

    "You killed it," I said, giving her a thumbs up.

    "Woah¡­ amazing. This, this is crazy. You have the talent to even be a bishop of a holy order. Heck, maybe even archbishops don''t have this much potential."

    Oh? So that was only at such a level? I thought Lily had enough talent to be one of a kind, but it seemed I was wrong.

    The researchers excitedly scribbled something on their papers, they looked frantic in their work.

    The others watched as Lily walked over to us. I patted her head for good measure, she definitely did shut them up.

    Now I would handle the rest.

    "Would you take on the next one, lord Eugene?" Sophia asked.

    "No, it''s an expensive thing. You go ahead."

    "Alright," Sophia nodded and walked over to the orb. She faked a cough and only then did the crazed researcher look at her.

    "Ah, littledy, you''re next?"

    "That''s correct."

    "Right, then¡­" The researchers did something with the magic circle and the glow of the orb reseted. "Please ce your hand on the orb."

    "Yes!"

 Chapter 192: Chapter 188: Preliminary Test (3)

    Lady Sophia ced her hand on the orb.

    We all watched with bated breaths after the incident that Lily brought us. Everyone was filled with anticipation over the next thing, but at the same time, it seemed that everyone wasn''t expecting the same sight to unfold twice.

    I, well I knew it all anyway.

    "She''s already much more aplished than the little girl. This one is more bnced."

    I nodded at Titania''s timely assessment. My thoughts were the exact same regarding this situation. After all, I had seen Lady Sophia achieve many things in front of my own eyes. She had always been quite the splendid mage.

    And even beyond that.

    Her actual strengthid in her eyes that could tell a person''s disposition. What was a stronger cheat than that? There was no way something like an orb could measure the true essence of powers like that which would be many times more valuable than an Archbishop''s ''potential.''

    In a way, Lily was the most unimpressive of us three.

    "Alright¡­" Lady Sophia let out a soft sigh and released the restraint on her mana. The mana flowed out of her core and through her circuit before being sucked into the orb in front of her.

    A simr sight as before began as color started filling the orb. Slow at first, a turquoise glow emerged from the orb and started seeping out of the orb. We all continued watching.

    And just as before.

    The light intensified.

    This time, though, no one had to cover their eyes.

    The deep glow of the Turquoise orb spread through the room as both the inside and the outside were coated in a rather dense filling of the light. And then, eventually, it reached a point where it became impossible to judge the inner orb from the outer orb.

    "Amazing!" The researcher eximed again.

    "Oh? Is it?" Lady Sophia tilted her head. She seemed slightly surprised. Well, anyone would be, she did nothing as shy as what Lily had brought and pretty much everyone other than the researchers was unimpressed. Though, I had a different reason than the rest.

    "It truly is," thedy researcher said. Behind her, the other one crossed his arms and nodded.

    "One of the best candidates yet, easy."

    "Eh? Really?" Sophia asked again.

    "It is, you have a great bnce between your growth and your potential. Even though you''ve already be strong enough to give the orb such a dark glow, you also have an equal room to grow yet. It''s really great."

    "You can learn a lot in the academy. Heck, you might even join Lady Vienna there as one of the top students."

    Oh? Even these guys knew Vienna? How curious.

    Lady Sophia smiled and walked back to us. Her gaze lingered on me for a second.

    "Want a pat too?"

    "Why don''t you perform better than me and then say that?"

    "Hah!"

    I scoffed.

    "I think I''ll pass, actually."

    "What?" The researchers suddenly turned to me. Their faces blowed up slightly as they looked as if they were holding in augh.

    "What? You sent the others and now back off?"

    "I knew it, this kid was scared from the beginning. Hahah!"

    It seemed being kind really didn''t suit me.

    "Well, Lord Eugene¡­ Even with a rmendation, I can''t really let you give the test without clearing this. Why don''t you try? The minimum requirements are easier than you think."

    "She''s right. But well, if you don''t want to be embarrassed then we can do it separately ahaha!"

    "Haah," I sighed and shook my head. "Fine, reset it."

    Dawn and Keith shook their head from the back while the others watched with confusion.

    "Why were you hesitating, brother?" Billy even spoke it.

    "I thought I could be kind to the ce I had to spend time at."

    "Yes?"

    I shook my head again and the researchers smiled, tapping the device again.

    "It''s ready, now juste here¡ª"

    "Nah, it''s fine. You might wanna back off."

    "What?"

    "Move away from that thing."

    If I could, I shouldn''t break it yet. As I thought earlier, I was going to make the most use of researchers like these to trante the book. So I wanted to keep a good impression and use them well.

    The researchers guffawed again and slowly backed away.

    "Just a little bit," I muttered. "Just a little."

    Then, I raised my hands.

    Just a little bit of mana.

    Nothing too excessive.

    "From a distance?"

    "You''re not supposed to attack it you know¡ª"

    The two shut up when I let out my mana from my palm. Like a small thread, the pure mana moved through the air and closer to the orb.

    "What control¡­"

    And then, slowly, very slowly, the thread touched the orb.

    Nothing happened as the mana seeped into it. Perfect, I wasn''t using a lot.

    "Wait wait, is that glowing ck!!!?"

    "What the fuck? What does ck mean!?"

    The researchers started screaming. I was slightly startled and ended up using a tiny, just a very very tiny bit more of mana.

    ¡ªGRRRR!

    A rumble spread through the entire building.

    Fear crept up everyone''s back as the tiny, tiny bit more of mana flowed out..

    A thunderous roar spread through the ce as the mana merged into the orb. The ck glow of the orb grew denser and denser. Eventually, like the night enveloping the skies, the ck glow spread out and filled the room.

    "What''s happening!?"

    "HELP!!!"

    The researchers annoyingly screamed¡ª

    CRACK!!

    ¡ª And the orb broke apart.

    I let out a sigh and snapped my fingers.

    A gust of wind blew all over the ce and took along the storm of mana flowing inside the room. As visibility returned all over, the researchers and the receptionist were on the ground.

    Their eyes fell on the orb, and then on me.

    I gave them a wide smirk for effect.

    "What was that again? Scared, right? Actually, can you just repeat all of it again? Hm? Still wanna do it separately?"

    "Man, you''re bitter too. You''re no better than that girl."

    Shut up. Don''tpare me to Vienna.

    "M-monster¡­"

    I was just¡­ having fun.

 Chapter 193: Chapter 189: Temp Lodge

    "O-our orb¡­"

    "The years of research!"

    The two researchers crawled over to the shards of the broken orb, tears welling up in their eyes. Vienna started cackling out loud while pping my back, and the rest were just too confused to say anything.

    "Good job, brother."

    "Naturally, sister."

    "Ahh¡­ all that money!!"

    "Our hard-earned funds!"

    "So?" I stepped ahead, my grin too fierce to be stopped my by willpower. "What''s the verdict, huh? Do I pass?"

    The researchers sniffled in perfect sync and looked at me. Then, with tears still dripping out of their eyes, both of their neck muscles twitched in a wide smile.

    "What does ck color mean anyway?"

    "Is it an all aptitude? No, wasn''t that purple? Isn''t purple just a lighter shade of ck though?"

    Ah, researchers. Even while crying they were both deeply intrigued by me.

    "Guys."

    "Right, yes. Well, it''s a pass no doubt."

    "But¡­ the orb¡­"

    I shrugged. "Told you."

    So what if they were sad? Their fault, I even warned them.

    The researchers bit their lips and smacked the floor.

    "Evil bastard!"

    "ck is for evil, right?"

    Damn were these guys in sync.

    "Well, I don''t care. Do your thing. Didn''t you say there were three more?"

    "There are¡­ but the funds¡­"

    I smiled at them again.

    "D-don''t care?" They asked. Explore more adventures at mvl

    I nodded.

    "Gahh!!"

    "The professors are going to kill us!"

    I waved my hand and turned to thedy that had apanied us from the reception.

    "A-ah¡­ well, I''ll mark you in. T-the entrance test will take ce in four days, till then you can stay in the applicants'' lodge over on Ind 17."

    "Got it," I nodded and turned away. At the same time, the others followed behind me too.

    Lily tried to pat my head while Sophia mentioned how cool it was. Keith and Dawnined saying they could have done it too.

    Well, your fault, don''t be physically old next time.

    On my way out, a thought came into my mind. I stopped and slightly turned my gaze back at the two researchers.

    "If you must," I said. "And I mean if you absolutely must. You can take some money¡­ from the third princess of Schwarz."

    And then, I left.

    ***

    "This is the ce," Vienna said.

    Facing us was a wide array of buildings just like the ones all over the city. Billy held a couple of keys in his hands and tossed them over.

    "There''s one on the second floor," he said, pointing at the two stores building that led up with a set of stairs from the side, the white building was covered with flowers.

    "One right below," he tossed that key to Lily. And thest one went to Lady Sophia.

    "Oh, we''re all neighbors," Sophia muttered with a smile.

    "It''s a temporary lodging. You''ll have to change ces anyway after the entrance test."

    Keith and I went to the room on the second floor and opened the doors. Even at this small distance, it wasn''t tough to hear everyone. A breeze of cold air flushed at us, the stone building keeping the ce at the best temperature.

    We all started to move in when Vienna spoke out loud.

    "Billy and I will be heading to our rooms now. Our sses start next week, so we best prepare too."

    "Oh?" I stepped out of the room and leaned on the handrail, looking down at her. "Well, then, take care. Let me know if you need any help."

    "Yeah, we should be saying that," Vienna sighed. "I''ll return tomorrow and tell you about the test. Feel free to look around, but don''t wander far enough that you lose your way."

    I nodded.

    "Ah, Vienna."

    A certain someone was a second year in this academy.

    "If you see her¡­ Don''t tell her anything."

    "Lady Acacia?" She asked. Then, she smirked. "Look at you, are you nning to surprise her?"

    "Of course."

    "Fine. I won''t say a word."

    "Me either," Billy added. "Though I doubt she''s already here."

    With that, the two of them left.

    We all helped each other settle into the three different rooms. In the midst of it, I asked Dawn if she had to report back to the princess, but apparently, the princess was still two days away as well. It seemed we had arrived a few days too early.

    In the end, Dawn decided to rest with Sophia in her room since Sophia''s aide, Alec, was still out with Sir Buhini and the carriages. Maria and Lily took the one below mine and Keith and I slept in the one above.

    Two twin beds were arranged neatly in the room with three windows, on each of them different pots with many flowers were glistening in the sunlight.

    Keith shut the door behind himself and jumped on one bed. He rolled around and yawned.

    "No preferential treatment for you yet, young master."

    I ignored him and plopped down on the other bed next to the window.

    "It''s not like I need any."

    A loud yawn escaped Keith as he pulled up his nket and crouched into himself. "I am going to sleep till the time for your test."

    "Why wake up at all?"

    "Don''t push your suicidal tendencies on others, young master."

    Saying that Keith turned away and knocked himself out. In almost no time, he fell asleep.

    An hour passed.

    And then another.

    Soon, the many colored hues of the sky started to disappear and night followed.

    Keith started snoring, what an asshole.

    "Can''t sleep?" Titania asked.

    "Nope."

    "What are you thinking about?" She said as she settled herself next to my face on the pillow, as if sleeping next to me.

    "I want to work up a sweat."

    "Pfft, then go out for a run or something?"

    I sat up.

    I could look around the ce, so I should do that.

    I quickly put on my boots while Titania settled herself on my head. Then, without making any noise, the two of us sneaked out of the room.

    A chilly breeze took me by, the inds up in the sky were naturally much colder than the ones below.

    The seventeenth Ind wasrge, just like most residence inds in this floating archipgo in the name of a district.

    With each breath I took, a small cloud would spill out. The scent of flowers and stones merged as I made my way through the streets that were sandwiched in between the many buildings.

    And then, my eyes fell on a signboard.

    "Is that a gym?"

    "It does say ''gym''"

    How interesting.

    I shrugged and walked inside the building that was like another. As I pushed the door open, the sight of the gym spread in front of me. Muchrger than it seemed from the outside, the room was well equipped with racks of weights, a magically made treadmill and cycle, many different benches and equipment that resembled modern weight training.

    Deeper into the room were multiple punching bags and training dummies before it all led to a wide open area with soft mats on the ground.

    "Hah," I smirked and walked over to the weights. And my smirk disappeared and turned into a frown right as I looked at them.

    "Damn it. Why the fuck are these in pounds?"

    "Pounds? What in the world is this measurement?" Titania seemed shocked too.

    "It''s trash. Absolute trash. Tsk."

    I could feel annoyance boiling up within me. How much should I go with? Why couldn''t they have made it in Kilos?

    "Five hundred? Six hundred?!"

    In the end, I heaved a sigh and started stacking a bunch of them up. After gathering about six hundred and fifty pounds, Iid down on the floor. Then, I ced them all on my back and got ready to perform some pushups.

    When the door to the Gym opened up.

 Chapter 194: Chapter 190: Encounter in the Gym

    The door to the gym opened.

    Slow, loud footsteps resounded behind me as I went down to the ground and pushed myself back up.

    "Light.''

    The footsteps came closer and a sound rang out.

    "T-Three hundred kilos?!"

    Ah, so 650 pounds added up to three hundred kilos? The conversion sure was a pain in the ass, but it seemed this guy could do it easily. What even was the conversion like? I didn''t bother with inferior measurements so I didn''t care.

    Still, it was too light.

    "Wow," the owner of the footsteps leaned lower and peered at my face from above. For some reason, I could feel deep annoyance filling me.

    "You know, for someone as pretty as you are, you sure are a muscle freak."

    "It''s light," Iined to the man. "If you''re going to bber, why don''t you get me more weights?"

    "More? I can probably lift it."

    Saying that, the man moved to the racks and stacked up another three hundred kilos of weights.

    "Yes, do that ten times."

    "Ten!? I can''t lift that shit."

    He pushed one stack up, which already brought the weights to a height where he would have to jump high to ce more.

    I gazed up. It seemed the man was looking at me and smiling. Or was he? I couldn''t tell.

    "In that case, should I just sit on your back?"

    "Sure," I said.

    The man smiled and grabbed another stack of weights before he kicked off my back and jumped up. He ced the stack over the previous stack and fluidly sat atop it all, adding his weight to my workout.

    I went down again, and my hands felt just a tinge of strain to pull back up. I smiled, if I could just do this a couple thousand times I''ll be able to work my arms out.

    The man sitting atop me iled his legs for a few seconds before speaking up.

    "Isn''t it toote to be working out?"

    "998¡­ 999¡­"

    "Hey, I asked something man."

    "It is, what of it? 1007¡­ 1008¡­"

    "Well, for me. I just came here because this ce is nostalgic."

    What a bbermouth. Who asked this guy anything?

    "You know, I used toe to a gym long ago and spend time with a quiet friend."

    "Tsk."

    "Come to think of it, I used to sit on his back just like this¡­"

    Sit on the back, huh?

    "Your friend seems interesting."

    "He is! He really is!" The bbermouth pped the weights as heughed. "I tell you what, he was once asked out by this really pretty girl that everyone called a princess, and guess what he did? He challenged her to a fist fight! Hahah!"

    What the heck? What kind of weirdo does that? I take back what I said about him being interesting.

    "And, and¡­" the bbermouth continued. "We all used to line up for lunch back in the day. And this guy, he despised being in lines."

    "As he should. Only losers get in line. You''re either the first, or you''re in the line."

    "Yeah, exactly that!" The bbermouth nodded. "So, right. So, this idiot would just camp out in front of the cafeteria so that no one coulde before him! And, well, when that didn''t work, he started hunting everyone who would get lunch down, but always smacked random people! What a doofus hahah!"

    I kept performing my pushups, my heart felt slightly warm at this man''s words. He was a bbermouth nheless, but in a world where I couldn''t listen to BRADIO while pulling some weights, this nostalgic spiel was quite wee.

    "He must''ve been a good guy."

    "He was. I miss him."

    "What happened?" I asked, the longing in his voice not hidden even from someone like me.

    "He died. Stabbed straight through the stomach before being burnt up. He died while trying his best to save me, though."

    People died. It was natural.

    I hadn''t thought much of it before. Heck, if someone had said the same thing to me all those years back, I would have only nodded.

    "I am sorry to hear that."

    "Don''t be."

    Read thetest on mvl

    But now, I said something different.

    And then, something I didn''t expect continued on.

    "I had a friend too¡­" I said.

    The sight of a person shed in my mind. A faceless friend, but a friend nheless.

    I didn''t dare to acknowledge someone as my friend back then, but now, I was even calling people my family.

    "I never saw him again after an incident, but well¡­ I hope that bbermouth is doing fine."

    "Ah¡­ That''s rough."

    "Is it? I don''t know. He used to be annoying. Such a strong guy, yet too much of a pushover. He used to get bullied all the time."

    "Oh? That''s¡­ rare."

    "It is. He was at the top of the ss. Always used to surpass even me in terms of pure skill, yet, that guy would be beaten up by any rando at the end of the day. He never used his strength, just epting all hits with a smile."

    "Naive."

    "I agree. Too naive. Yet, that naivety wasn''t all that bad."

    "He must''ve been too good a guy."

    "He was. I miss him."

    The man on the weights leaned back and I continued. Finally after reaching the nine-thousand mark, I was starting to feel the heaviness of the weights.

    We stayed in silence for a while.

    A silence that both of us seemed to have felt the need to end, lest we drown in our thoughts.

    And so.

    "My friend was right. You don''t need to care about others"

    "My friend was right. You need to care about others"

    ''Don''t need,'' He said.

    The two of us stopped.

    And then, at once, we met each other''s gaze.

    "You¡­"

    "Hah¡­" the man smirked. His hands trembling, he pointed at me.

    Realization dawned as my eyes widened.

    All those incidents.

    The lunch line. The school girl. The death¡­ dragon¡­

    "Yujin Han?"

    "Albert Wessler?"

    ***

    A/n: My most awaited chapter yet. For those wondering, the original Eugene was Korean and the original Albert was born in Switzend with Scottish origins. Also, sorry for the shameless plug, but do read my other novel, This Hero is Sleeping if you want tough and have your heart pound. It''s on pretty interesting events for now and since its free, you can''t sue me if you dieughing.

 Chapter 195: Chapter 191: After Death

    "AHHH!! YUJIN! It''s you!"

    "Shut the fuck up! That''s why I have been so fucking annoyed all this time!"

    "Wait wait, don''t move let me get off!" Albert yelped as I tried to stand up. The weights on my back swayed, but the bastard managed to jump off at the right time.

    I bit my lips in annoyance and stood up, without letting my hands touch the ground or the weights. The heavy stacks totaling 900 kilos fell on the ground of the gym, giving rise to a giant cloud of dust.

    I stared at the man in front of me. In the first ce, I couldn''t recognize anyone. Yet, there wasn''t much of a doubt.

    "You really are, Albert Wessler?"

    "And you''re Yujin Han. I can''t believe this."

    "Well," I said. "It''s different now. It''s not right to call me Yujin Han. I am Eugene Hall."

    "Hah!? That''s a load of crap¡ªWait, wait, wait!"

    Albert suddenly scuttled in front of me and red at my face. He held my shoulders and observed me from a dozen angles before stepping back with a mouth agape.

    "You''re¡­ supposed to be Eugene Hall? Y-you look nothing like the CGs."

    "I am a changed man."

    "But still! This Eugene is too buff, and there''s scars and missing fingers? Why do you even have a missing finger? And what''s with the long hair."

    I sighed and shook my head. As I thought, this constant talking is an annoyance that can only be brought by one person.

    "Things just happened, it doesn''t matter. And my hair is cool, alright?"

    "Sure sure, you do look badass. But well, if I was transported to a game world I at least wanted to see this punk getting beat up."

    "Yeah?"

    Beat up reminded me of something.

    I had regained the memories of my previous life after dying at the hands of that dragon. Now. Many people died, but not everyone had their memories sent to a body in another world.

    "What''s up? Why''d you freeze? Well honestly, I can''t believe it myself¡­"

    So, if there was something that could do it. It must be the dragon.

    My forehead twitched as I felt veins popping on my head.

    "Yujin? Yuuuujean? Jin? Yuyu?"

    Albert this bastard was waving his hands in front of me.

    I clenched my fists and my teeth.

    And swung them up.

    "WOAH!?"

    Albert screamed, barely dodging the punch.

    "What was that¡ª"

    I twisted my body at once and with even greater force, swung the other hand.

    Albert ducked. The punching bags in the distance burst apart from the Air Force.

    "Holy fuck?!" He screamed as he looked back, but my leg was already up and ready to stomp him.

    "Eek!" Albert screamed as he slithered to his back.

    "Why? Why are you attacking me all of a sudden?"

    "Albert you scum!!"

    "Woah! Eugy, I don''t know what''s going on, but you seem angry."

    I nodded at Titania''s words.

    "Well, take a Titania punch!" My fairy partner giggled as she shot off through the air.

    "Hey! Using a fairy is cheating! It''s straight cheating!"

    Albert''s words fell on deaf ears.

    I had already noticed that his eyes lingered a second too long on Titania, that was the reason he had approached me in the first ce. Titania shot through the wind and stretched her palm out, screaming ''Titania punch!''

    "Woah woah woah! Aine! Aineee!"

    His mana swept through his hand and the emblem studded on the back of his palm glimmered with a golden glow. A sh of light spread through as another fairy appeared in mid-air.

    "Aine! That one!"

    "What do you want annoying bbermouth bastar¡ªAH!!!"

    The blue-haired fairy totally seemed like the type that would join my side. She yawned and turned to us when she suddenly started screaming.

    My dear fairy clenched her fists and smiled.

    A crack spread as she pressed her knuckles together.

    "Q-qu-queen¡­ My queen¡­"

    "A-I-N-E."

    "EEEEK!" The blue-haired fairy screamed and rushed into Albert''s face. "Cancel the summon! Cancel it¡­!"

    Before Albert could react to her words, the fairy''s leg was dragged behind. Her wings fluttered and her hair clung to Albert but to no avail.

    "Come here, you little bitch!"

    "Nooo! I am sorry, I am sorry!!"

    Titania held the little fairy in her hands and started spinning her from the leg. The fairy cartoonishly stretched out and in as Titaniapletely made a joke of her.

    After smacking her against nothing in the middle of the air, she pulled the crying fairy close. Titania crossed her legs and sat in mid-air. Then, she ced blue-haired fairy on her thighs.

    A cheeky grin spread through my darling fairy''s face.

    "No, no! I am sorry, my queen! Please forgive me! Pleaseee!"

    "No. Can. Do! HAHAHA!"

    Titania flipped up the fairy''s skirt and pulled her hand back. Spreading her palms, she took in a deep breath.

    And spanked the little fairy.

    "Oooh¡­"

    "Ouch¡­"

    Both Albert and I winced, and a momentter¡­

    "AAAAH!"

    The other fairy screamed out loud.

    "Take this!"

    And then, Titania''s unbridled spanking began.

    Loud ps spread through the room, followed by even louder screams. With each second that passed, the perfectly white butt of the fairy turned red and then even purple, but Titania did not stop.

    "Oh, well," I shrugged and turned away again. My target was someone else.

    "Fuck, you''re still going!?"

    "Catene."

    The chains around my arms changed form and¡­ became smaller?

    Catene Di Adamas, the unconquerable chains, turned into a mini version as they swept through the air and tied up the little fairies hands and legs.

    The stupid chains had tied up the fairy.

    I could have sworn I saw small blush marks on the chain.

    From the sides, a loud happy scream rang out as Albert pumped his fists.

    "Yahoo! Bondage! I knew you''lle through brother¡ªOWHUGHGHEK!"

    He was kicked in the sides.

    "Stupid chains, get here! Get here before I remove the Adamas from your name!"

    The chains, still blushing, let go of the fairy and slowly moved over to my hands. It formed a long sword of ck, still fucking blushing.

    Albert stood up in the distance but I was a step faster. I charged right in and swung the sword.

    "Fucking hell!" Albert dodged yet again. This bastard was still just as monstrous when it came to reading movements.

    He ducked low and stretched his palm.

    And a set of strings appeared in his hands.

    "Oh?"

    With flicks of his fingers, the strings stretched all over the ce and tried to wrap around me. But if he was good at reading, I was even better at feeling.

    I jumped and avoided all the wiresing for my neck. Twisting my body, I avoided the next wave and with the swing of my sword, deflected thest. Spinning in the air, I turned to kick the bastard, but he dodged again.

    Fine.

    If he can read all my movements. I just had to do what I always did.

    Hit him so fast that he can''t do jack even he reads them.

    Taking in a deep breath, I filled my body with Ki. My hands were outwardly covered with Mana. And then, I shot ahead.

    I swung my fist, he dodged.

    Then I swung the sword this time, faster than thest.

    Albert flinched, but evaded yet again.

    Another. Faster.

    Faster and faster, I kept hitting the bastard.

    "Aaah! N-no violence! No violenceee!"

    Albert screamed as he was punched square in the jaw.

    The rat flew away again and fell to the ground.

    I rolled my wrists and approached Albert.

    "Why¡­ why are you even hitting me?"

    This bastard.

    Now, I can''t say the truth.

    "How dare you die after I died huh!?" I cooked up an excuse on the spot! This was good. "Give me some honor! Put some respect to my name! When kids didn''t sleep in that world their mums used to say ''sleep child, else Yujin will appear!'' And yet. And yet, you made my deathpletely useless?"

    "You son of a bitch, I died after you did!"

    "Hm?" I tilted my head.

    So my death wasn''t in vain after all.

    Not like I cared about his life, heck, I didn''t even try to protect him. But if I was dead anyway, I''d rather be dead with some purpose. I definitely didn''t just want to take out the annoyance that his presence brought. Promise.

    "You were just trying to find a release for the annoyance, right?"

    "No way!" I shook my head in shock. "How can you think of me like that! I promise I wasn''t!"

    "I don''t know, that monologue sounds suspicious as hell!"

    "You just entered the story, please stop breaking the fourth wall!"

    Albert sighed and shook his head. I really wanted to whack him again, but refrained.

    "Oh hey, so you didn''t die at that time? Did that dragon not kill you?"

    "Nah, it was the dragon. I died like, two minutester."

    I whacked him.

    "What do you mean my death wasn''t in vain then?"

    I really didn''t care, but this guy made me curious now.

    "Oh, so, after you keeled over your entire body burnt up right? But you had that monstrous reserve of Arcana and Aether which was running out of control? So, I just excited it and blew your body up on the dragon."

    He used me like andmine.

    "Well, the effect was too strong. Bet half of Pantheon fell, and that dragon''s w too. Actually, the w was what chopped off my head while it was being blown up."

    So, not only was I disrespected in death. I was also blown up.

    "Quick thinking man."

    "Right?"

    That was a brilliant use of resources.

    "Wanna get some coffee, Yujin? Or are you still shredding?"

    "Nah, I got Ki so I can eat anything. I''ll take tea though."

    "Inferior drink."

    He was whacked again.

 Chapter 196: Chapter 192: Calm Down, Have some Tea

    Wessler and I moved to the roof of the gym building. He had been here the day before, and at the top of the building was a ce set apart for refreshments in an open-air counter.

    He took a seat on the tables set on the roof while I prepared the drinks.

    Two teas. No coffee. Suck on that you son of a bitch. Just don''t spout bullshit and you would''ve got your coffee.

    Titania was still down, having her time with the blue-haired fairy. She had stripped her downpletely and had borrowed Catene from me, leaving me and my old friend alone.

    After pouring the tea into two cups, I took a bowl of sugar cubes along and walked over to Albert. With his neck leaned back, he was staring at the sky.

    I ced the tray on the table and kicked myself over on the chair across from him before shifting my gaze up.

    Stars were scant. But the night wasn''t dark. A bluish, almost teal glow emerged from the tower and dyed the night skies in auroras that one wouldn''t see elsewhere.

    Potent.

    Terrifyingly potent.

    These seven dungeons. They were closer than what I had heard of, they were more mysterious than what I had heard of, more intriguing than what I had heard of. Seeing things were certainly different from hearing them.

    "Eight years¡­" Albert suddenly spoke. "The game is finally starting."

    I picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. That guy''s eyes were still fixed up.

    "Do you¡­ think we''ll finally be able to go back home?"

    Go back home.

    I hadn''t thought of it once.

    Albert had changed. Like me, he changed in many more ways than one could count. I had changed too. If I told him how head over heels I was for Lethe, then he would call me someone else, it was to the degree.

    To go back home.

    "What''s your name, Albert?"

    Albert flinched. He turned toward me with a skeptical gaze.

    "I¡­ am Eugene Hall. What''s your name?"

    "Hah," Albert scoffed. "Don''t kid yourself."

    I didn''t say a word and continued staring at him.

    Albert clicked his tongue, dissatisfied.

    "I am Albert Wessler. I will always be Albert Wessler. This stupid Albert of Pinot can''t take over me, do you get it?"

    "To each their own, Albert."

    "What? Are you seriously¡­" Albert shook his head and sighed. "Fuck. You''re probably going to say things like a name or identity doesn''t matter to you."

    "You''re right, they don''t."

    "Exactly, what would you know?"

    Albert grumpily turned his gaze away. He crossed his legs and gazed far into the sky.

    One who had epted his state, his identity.

    And another who hadn''t.

    One who had made home.

    And another who sought it.

    I leaned back on my chair and took another sip of the tea, gazing into the distance just like him.

    "I wonder how much you''ve changed."

    "I wonder how much you''ve changed."

    The two of us spoke at the same time for the third time already. I gazed at the bastard with disgust while he crossed his fingers.

    Maybe we didn''t agree on other things, but that was just like how we used to be before. As long as we agreed on one thing, the rest didn''t matter much.

    Things like change, ideology, goals, as long as it was fun, neither of us cared about those things.

    The night deepened as we spent the first cup of tea in silence.

    And in the next one, Albert spoke up.

    "Albert Pinot¡­ Rizzler."

    "What?"

    "That''s the name of this character."

    "No, no, say it again."

    Blushing, Albert lowered his head.

    "Pinot¡­ Rizzler¡­"

    "RIZZ¡­ Hahpfft!" I held my mouth shut and grabbed my sides. But it was impossible. A spiel ofughter left me as I waved my legs in the air. "Rizzler! I can''t¡­ what the fuck is Rizzler supposed to be?! HAHAHA!"

    "Stop it asshole!"

    "Even I wouldn''t ept it if my name was Rizzler hahaha!"

    "Stop!! I''ll kill you, ok? I''ll seriously kill you!"

    "What''s your job, a rizzard?"

    Instead of answering, Albert lowered his head further. The reaction only made meugh more than before.

    The second tea cooled down during ourughing session.

    The night deepened even further and we poured out the third one. Facing each other.

    "Ok, now serious, alright?"

    "Sure, Rizzler. Pfft."

    "GAH!"

    "Sorry, sorry¡­"

    With superhuman strength, I held in myugh and sat quiet.

    "So," Albert started picking up the tea. "I don''t want you to panic, alright? Since you never yed the game, there are some things you must know."

    "Right, Eugene Hall is the name of a minor viin who harassed the heroines in the beginning, right?"

    "Oh? How do you know?" Rizzler asked.

    "I remembered you saying it once."

    "Wha¡­ so you listened all that time¡­" The bastard blushed and pushed my shoulders.

    "Disgusting."

    "Don''t lie now, you thunder."

    This fucker. I was going to spread his name now.

    "Anyway¡­ while yes, Eugene is a small viin that harassed the heroines, there''s more to it."

    I tilted my head.

    As expected.

    A dual-core with Charlotte for a mother couldn''t be a simple viin. There was bound to be more to the story.

    "After being humiliated by the heroines, he makes a contract with a demon¡­"

    "Wait. How do you know that?"

    Albert was ying the game while speaking. He didn''t get far enough.

    The bastard averted his gaze. "I read the wiki."

    "Oh, you scum. I''ve never touched a game and even I know you shouldn''t spoil yourself like that."

    "It''s just fun! Ok? Ok? Ok."

    Albert sighed and shook his head. "Now,ing back. Eugene Hall is also the viin that pushes the world into chaos, the final boss that leads to the end of the world."

    "Oh¡­" I leaned back. "Now you make sense, that''s why the regressors are after me."

    "Probably¡­ WAIT WHAT?!" Albert stood up. "Regressors!?"

    "Yeah. There are some regressors in this school apparently."

    Albert leaned ahead and grabbed my cors. "You mean this world has already ended once?"

    "Seems so," I nodded, rxed.

    "Who are they?"

    "I don''t know all, but there''s a couple of kids from the boonies, the princess of Schwarz, and the third princess of the Atreus Empire¡ª"

    "¡ªAnatolia¡­"

    Albertpleted my sentence.

    "T-those¡­ those are the heroines and the hero of the game¡­"

    Well well well.

    It was my turn to be surprised too.

    "Eugene¡­ we might have a situation on our hands." Albert said. "The original Eugene was the world-ender, and the original Albert was a pervertedic relief that stuck around the heroines. If they have regressed when the world had the original characters¡­ they''ll be after our lives."

    "They are. That Anatolia tried to kill me and I wrapped her around my fingers."

    "Fuck fuck fuck! You crazy fucker, how is it always into danger with you? From all those gates to the dragon, and now even here!"

    Albert held his head and fell on his back.

    "We need a n," he said. "I thought we could stop any gs and the main characters will handle the rest. But now that they''re after our ass, we need a n."

    "Do we? They don''t sound like that much of a threat."

    "Fuck, even in bad endings those guys were absurdly strong. We''ll seriously die," Albert covered his eyes and leaned low.

    Strong, huh? I liked the sound of that.

    I wanted to face off against them, but I was nning to stick to my original motives as well.

    I was here to learn and get stronger. The plot could go fuck itself. If there was no need to, I wouldn''t earn their animosity.

    The world can end when I do it. Not when anyone else.

    "Ok, first of all. You''ve never been to hell, right?"

    "I just crushed a part of it, nothing like a big tour."

    "You fucker."

    "Quit it with the curses, Rizzler."

    "Ok, ok¡­ so now, the main character and the main heroines know both of us. Of you, more importantly, since they''ll want your blood. And even THAT demon Duke Dantalian is aware of your existence since you stepped into hell. Dantalian will definitelye for you in this school, and the main characters will know of it, and since you''re somehow threatening the princess that''ll y too and¡­"

    bbermouth never knew when to shut up.

    "Well, we''re fucked from all sides."

    "Just rx, Albert," I said, waving my hand. I tossed away his tea since it had gotten cold and poured the fourth cup for both of us. "Come on, take some tea, calm down."

    Albert was sweating profusely but took the tea and rxed.

    The two of us stared into the distance as we sipped on our beverages. Sleeping wasn''t in our ns anyway, so tea was fine.

    "First rule of Pantheon Student Code, Albert."

    "Face whateveres your way with a bright smile."

    I nodded.

    Whether you had to run or you had to fight. Whether you lost or you won. Whether you lived or you died.

    Hunters faced it all with a smile.

    "We''ll handle whateveres our way."

    "Yeah¡­" Albert nodded. "This Eroge, we''ll fuck it over."

    "There you go."

    I nodded and the two of us sipped our tea.

    "Hey, I had asked for coffee."

    Fucking annoying bast¡ª

    ***

    Four days passed, and the day of the Entrance Test came around.

 Chapter 197: Chapter 193: Entrance Test (1)

    A constant buzzing spread through the air as dozens of people gathered around on a floating ind. The greens and blues of the Elysium Tower were blocked by the clutter of people in the way.

    The vast empty space, Ind number 3, served as the entrance to the tower for all the students and the staff. Except with special permission, even adventurers weren''t allowed inside making it theplete private property of the Academy.

    I sighed. There were easily about two hundred prospects in this ce.

    "Don''t worry, Lord Eugene, only about sixty will fail to make it through."

    "Ah¡­ what if I fail? Young master even scammed the princess for this!"

    "Now, now, Miss Lily. Worry not, you''re quite the splendid candidate, you''ll finish this with ease."

    Sophia and Lily continued their chatter just like the rest of the students here. No one else was allowed up on the tform, so the senior students curious about the new ones were watching over the events from the other inds around.

    Lethe was probably among them. I thought of using the mask to hide my face, but Lethe didn''t need to see to be able to see, so that was useless.

    Right then, the chatter of the crowd came to a sudden stop.

    Floating mid-air with loose green and blue robes cascading down his arms, a young man with deep blonde hair suddenly appeared.

    "Who''s that?" I asked, leaning back.

    "It''s the principal!" Sophia answered.

    "Ah, got it¡­" I had, naturally, studied up on all the staff after making the Dark Moon run some rounds for me. It reminded me of my Pantheon, so I took a simr degree of precaution.

    From what they ate to what time their children returned from daycare, I knew it all.

    This man who apparently held charisma and looks that would be on an actor in their twenties was actually a hundred and four year old fossil.

    "Wee, dear children¡­"

    And the man started yapping.

    I wasn''t interested, so I didn''t listen.

    "Say, Titania," I muttered under my breath. "Do you think it will work?"

    Titania floated up my shoulder and leaned against my ears. "It may have been tough, but it''ll be easy with Aine around."

    Aine, the blue-haired fairy, was another chuunibyou that used to be Titania''s right-hand man in her dark days. They were pretty serious about their shtick to the point she let herself be spanked even after all those years. These delusional fairies were a different breed.

    "That said, Eugy¡­" Titania whispered. "Don''t you think you''re working me a lot these days? I am just a guide, not an aide."

    "It''s because you''re my prince, Titania!"

    "Hoho, for you I''ll bring this kingdom to its knees!"

    "Titania!"

    "Eugy!"

    "What is he doing?" Sophia whispered to Lily, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

    "He has some strokes like that a few times a day, just ignore it, mydy."

    I can hear you bastards!

    At least try to show some shame.

    The principal''s speech came to an end by the time I bothered with listening again. The crowds of students were moving around.

    A few more of the school faculty were floating above some tents ced in the corners of the Ind.

    "Then, Lord Eugene, we''ll see youter."

    "Bye, bye, young master."

    "Yeah, sure."

    I could make these things out without having to listen. The students who had never entered a dungeon were being sent to the tents with the Terrifying Teal Tablet to make contracts with fairies. I thought it odd for them to be removing sixty students after tying them up with fairies, but fairies could terminate the contract on their own as well.

    "All those who will enter directly, please line up here!"

    I followed the sound and moved toward thest tent separated from the others. My eyes scuttled around the ce for people that seemed strong.

    A set of two of simr height.

    A group of three, one of whom was likely the princess of Schwarz based on her ck hair like the night.

    Another eye-patched woman, who was staring back at me while trembling.

    I noticed some frail people with a huge mana reserve as well, which was rare.

    Amongst the people in the line-up, who had already experienced the life of an adventurer, almost all of them stood out from the rest.

    Far up front, they were being handed a device that would protect them from major injuries by summoning a barrier.

    "Oh wait, did that fossil exin the rules too?" I stopped and thought.

    Back in Pantheon, the principal''s speech hadsted a useless three days, so I had naturally tuned out all voice.

    "Eugy, are you actually an idiot?"

    "That has never been the case."

    "I mean, you do ce horses on your back and run around. And not to mention, you even sold a baron into a BDSM club."

    "Am I an idiot¡­?"

    Nah. That''s like saying fire is cold. I was born smart. Smart was me. Dictionaries used my name in the definition of ''smart,'' yup. As far as the rules went, I could just ask the other guy.

    "Jinyu," a light hand reached to p my back, so I turned and swung at the face of the hand''s owner.

    This was the other guy.

    "They''re asking for the adventurer ID as well," the guy, Albert, peeped over the line behind me and said.

    There were only two groups that could use the Terrifying Teal Tablet and make people sign contracts with fairies, and those were none other than the Adventurer Guild and this academy. Even the other academies in the Academy city had to register their students as adventurers to get them ess to the dungeons.

    "What''s the issue?" I asked.

    "I never joined the adventurer guild."

    "Scum."

    Sighing, I shook my head and snapped my fingers. A gold-ted card formed in my hands straight out of my spatial dimension as I tossed it to Albert.

    "Yours?"

    "You think my name is something stupid like Megalodon?"

    I had swiped out Sharky and Zachariah''s cards before leaving the guild while they were drunk. It was purely because those bastards dared try to trick me and make me take them along. Spending your life''s savings to get another card made was perfect for punishment.

    Albert casually pocketed the card and the two of us started moving along with the line. One after the other, the students were slowly passing by the other end of the tent and their presence would disappear.

    Right before our turn came along, amotion broke out in a distant tent.

    "I-It broke!"

    "The Tablet broke!? What the hell?"

    "Woah! Crazy! Has this happened before?"

    Albert and I narrowed our gazes.

    "It''s begun," Albert muttered. "Do you think this n will work?"

    "It doesn''t have to," I said. "It''s just an act of mercy. Don''t worry about it and let Titania and Aine handle the big thing."

    "Right," Albert nodded. "An act of mercy."

    We shifted our gaze away from the tents as our turn came along. I stepped inside and handed my card to the staff floating above the ground. It seemed there was something special about the third ind itself instead of it just being used as the entrance.

    "T-this!" Y-you''re THAT Dusk!??"

    "Oh, want an autograph¡ª"

    "Leave this academy, you crazy bastard. I''ll tell the principal right now! PTA! We can''t have such a crazy bastard in this academy!"

    Fuck. Adventurer time''s office was going to be hit again. I''ll kill those bastards.

    Thankfully, some minor convincing made the faculty member want to see me getting my ass kicked in the academy and I was let through without any hassle.

    "You can just through the other end of the tent."

    "I''ll wait for that guy," I said, pointing at Albert.

    Rizzler handed his fake card over without a single shred of hesitation.

    "Megalodon¡­ Are you the prince of Pinot, by the way?"

    "Hahaha, want an autograph¡ª"

    "Leave this academy! PTA! PTAA!!"

    Fuck. Maybe it was this faculty member that sucked. If only I knew what he looked like, I would have kidnapped his children.

    After some more convincing, the two of us were finally let go.

    The faculty member urged us to get going, but we waited for thest two students behind us to move first. They were going toin, but shut up when they heard I was Dusk.

    "That''s the entrance, right?" Albert asked.

    "Yup," I nodded. "All dungeons leave you at random ces."

    "Eugy, I can sense it now."

    I nodded.

    "Titania, Aine, we''ll leave it to you."

    "Got it." Titania nodded and Aine sighed.

    I raised my fist toward Albert, and he bumped fists with mine.

    "Let''s go."

    With that, the two of us stepped through the tent.

    And the world changed.

    ***

    A young boy opened his eyes.

    A familiar ce. A familiar dungeon. He knew it well.

    A condition to team up in groups of three and collect golem cores. He had just heard the rules but was already familiar with them.

    As he pushed himself off the ground and stood up in the wide, wide cave-like structure, his eyes fell on the sight in front of him.

    Fallen on the ground were two people, one a regal prince with hair of brown.

    And another, a white-haired man with a missing finger and a scar running down his chest.

 Chapter 198: Chapter 194: Its On

    "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch¡­"

    A heavy sensation pushed down my head.

    "Fucking get off, Albert."

    "Ouch, ouch, ouch¡­ my back¡­ I''ve aged¡­"

    "I''ll fold it in half, get off."

    Dust and dirt merged into one as what seemed like a floor made of giant sandstones spread far and wide. I  pushed my hands against the ground and stood up, knocking away the brat on my back.

    "Eugy¡­ you ok?" Titania asked, floating in front of me. Her hands were crossed while her chin was pulled up. A haughty tone she had never taken before.

    The n was beginning.

    "Um, are you guys ok?"

    A voice peered right into my ears. The voice made Albert flinch and he got up on his feet too.

    The two of us turned to our back at the same time.

    I was having a hard time holding in my grin.

    This was it.

    "I''m alright. Rizzler?"

    "I''m good too, just my back."

    "Ah, is your back ok?! Did you hurt yourself? Do you need a potion? A potion." The third guy frantically started looking around while chanting potion over and over again. A chiseled body and a strong source of Ki, starkly announcing the level of his strength that must have been cultivated with fine technique.

    This guy seemed even stronger than Albert.

    Andstly, flying above his red hair, was a single, trembling fairy with long white hair in a simr white dress. I looked at the two fairies in our group with a side eye and saw them cracking their knuckles.

    "I am alright, you don''t have to worry."

    "Ah¡­ I see, hahaha!"

    This was.

    "Oh, well. Um."

    Possibly my greatest enemy.

    No, quite possibly the enemy of every strong being in this world.

    The one destines toward strength.

    "I''m Luka¡­"

    The main character of this world.

    The protagonist of the damned Eroge.

    "Luka Rune¡ª"

    "Cool, wanna tag along?" Albert asked.

    "Huh? We can?" I barged in.

    "Yeah, you need a party of three, didn''t you hear the rules?"

    "I thought it''llst three days and tuned it out."

    Albert flinched slightly before cing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a sympathetic nod. He knew what I was talking about.

    "What speechsts three days?"

    "You won''t get it."

    "You really won''t. Give up kid."

    Well, the n was to make sure he understands we''re different people, if need be, we were willing to even give him some pointers. As long as he didn''t want to kill us, he was free to go up to his eroge hijinks and do whatever he wanted.

    "Um, alright?" The guy scratched his cheeks.

    A thought entered my mind as I looked around the ce. Blocks of ochre stones filled the empty ck space as far as the eye stretched. The blocks floated about in the air and others flitted through a path, creating a giant, moving maze of blocks.

    As I focused, I could see other prospects getting up on their feet. Some fell from the blocks and straight down the sky before being taken away by their fairies. Getting knocked out before the game started, that was rough.

    "So, if it''s not much of a bother to you two, I''d love to team up as well!"

    I looked back.

    Yes¡­

    How strange¡­

    Is this, perhaps, a normal person?

    How rare was that?

    "Yeah, pretty cool. We woulda dragged you anyway, we need three people," Albert said. "I''m Albert Pinot. JUST Albert Pinot."

    "But that guy just called you rizz¡ª"

    "You''re courting death."

    "Now, now, young master," I intervened in the conversation, my gaze still looking around for what exactly the challenge was. "I am Eugene Hall."

    I stretched a hand out, but the man didn''t meet it.

    As expected. This was all the proof I needed.

    I looked up and saw his shoulder quaking just a slight amount. Almost as if tickling a sixth sense, an iprehensible darkness exuded from his body before disappearing like a dream. I pumped my hand, and he met with hesitation.

    "N-nice to meet you¡­" the vigor in his voice was gone.

    "Well, yeah. And who''s the little one."

    The man''s grip tightened.

    "Y-you can see¡­"

    "Of course, and you can see these two too, right?" I said, pointing at the fairies behind me. They offered a bright smile to Luka the fairy next to him continued trembling. It was definitely going to be a trio of chuunibyous, huh?

    "T-that¡­"

    "Why are stuttering? Cat got your tongue?"

    "It''s not like¡ª"

    "Not like this not like that, quit your yapping. You''re not fooling anyone with that kind act of yours."

    "Act? No, I am not trying to act or¡ª"

    "Do youck the strength to even be yourself?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "If so, just jump down from the blocks and kill yourself."

    "You have no right to."

    "Weak assholes who can suck up to others are better off dead. You''ll just be a pain in the ass for the entire world¡ª"

    "SHUT UP!"

    A terrifying scream spread through the ce. Dozens of eyes turned our way from over the blocks as the voice boomed through the entire tower.

    Malice.

    Unending malice was dripping from every corner of this person''s being.

    As if the kind, normal man from before was but an illusion of the mind. The vague figure in front of me seemed to be the very incarnate of all things wrong. Pain, bloodlust, all of it was filled to the brim in this person''s existence as he looked at me.

    Even though I couldn''t see.

    I could tell.

    This guy''s soul was pitch ck.

    "Don''t talk like you know anything, you little fuck. I should kill you right fucking here but I am not doing so, don''t fucking test me."

    "Hah¡­" I chuckled.

    The darkness held in his voice made even my hair stand on end.

    Slowly, I raised my fist and punched the regressor''s chest. Continue reading stories on mvl

    "That suits you much more. If you''re strong, you can just do whatever you want."

    Albert stepped in between us, pulling us apart.

    "Now now, Yuyu, why is it always so confrontational with you?"

    "This guy just got on my nerves."

    "Oh yeah? Well, you¡­ you''re a nerd!"

    Oh¡­

    Albert and I looked at the guy with deep pity. Poor one couldn''t trash talk at all.

    We both patted his shoulders while he red at us, not hiding his malice at all.

    "Well then," I said, "To kick of this friendship, let''spete in this exam."

    "Friends? Who''s friends?"

    "We can''t reallypete, you know. We''re in a team."

    "Well Albert," that bastard spoke. "I don''t think we should be in a team with this asshole."

    "What did you say? Albert, tell him!"

    "There there, we''re already in a team."

    "No, we have to get it sealed by using that device they gave us¡ª" Luka stopped speaking and looked down. The small brooch he had been handed over by the faculty was glowing blue, so was mine and Albert''s.

    "I already did that while you were fighting."

    This fucker.

    He was in no mood to let his n be ruined.

    "The goal is to get as many golem cores in this floor as we can. You pass with just one, but the rest will determine your ranking."

    "Ah¡­" Luka sighed. He turned my way and shot me a sharp re. "Then we still canpete¡­"

    I smirked, nice fighting spirit.

    I was liking this guy. That''s why you shouldn''t wear masks, kids, nothings better than your true selves.

    "Whoever gets more cores, wins."

    "No, like I said, you can''t."

    ""WHY!?"" Luka and I snapped at Albert at once.

    The man smiled and pointed around.

    "Because there were only five golems."

    We looked around. And thest golem was snapped off by a one-eyed princess.

    "You''re not fighting golems anymore, but people."

    Haha.

    Hahaha.

    "How naive, Albert."

    "I hate to agree with this scumbag, but that''s true, you''re naive."

    So what if its people.

    "We''ll knock them out too."

    I cracked my knuckles while Luka snapped his neck.

    "In that case, count me in," Albert grinned too, stretching his arms. "If I win, you''re both going to do one thing I ask of you."

    "If I win¡­ you''re going to be my ve, Eugene Hall."

    "HAH! ve he says!"

    I was liking this guy more and more.

    "Why? Can''t power do anything? Then you''ll have to bend to power."

    "Perfect, if I win¡­ Well, you losers can''t give me anything."

    "Bastard¡ª"

    "So how about both of you chop off a finger, we can go around saying samesies."

    "Crazy fucker."

    "Fine. It''s just a finger, I don''t mind."

    The three shared a re.

    "Oh, and, attacking your teammates is out the rules, remember it, ok?" Albert intervened right before we could say ''it''s on'' all together. This bbermouth really didn''t know when to shut up.

    "Fine fine."

    "No, seriously, you''ll get disqualified."

    "Whatever," Luka said. "It''s on."

    "We were supposed to say that together youme fucks."

    No one listened to myin as they set off.

    Seriously?

    Well, I guess I can give cute weaklings a head start. They would be losing a finger soon anyway.

 Chapter 199: Chapter 195: Different Way

    Eugene watched as the other two went jumping over the moving sandstone blocks one after the other. Their quick pace left many of the prospects standing and rubbing their eyes, but it looked akin to a snail''s crawl to him. Ok, maybe Luka was like a dog at best, but Albert was quite slow.

    Your adventure continues at mvl

    Even with his slow pace, though, Albert remained the person he had to look out the most for.

    Whimsical, annoying, rude, and a total bbermouth in his perception, when all these met with the trait of being an ''unparalleled genius,'' all of them became the most effective power-ups one could ask for.

    Eugene, more than willing to give them a headstart, crossed his arms and observed the situation.

    He couldn''t tell anyone apart except the princess whose eyepatch made her stand out, but it was easy to keep tracking the two that had left by keeping an eye on them. Moreover, they were the ones moving the fastest were none other than those two.

    Albert yawned while running over the blocks of sandstone. He focused on one group of ex-adventurers that had managed to seize the first of the golem cores.

    "Oh?"

    As if it were a drag, Albert moved over to an unmoving block of stone and stretched his hand out, his reach going further than the end of the block and grabbing empty space.

    "What is he doing?" Titania asked.

    When Eugene turned to his side, he finally noticed that all three fairies were sticking to him. The white-haired fairy was pinned down by the blue-haired one while Titania sat atop the white-haired fairy''s back.

    Eugene shrugged and shifted his gaze back.

    As if that had been a cue, the block that the group of adventurers stood atop trembled. All of them lost their bnce from the sudden quake, and in the blink of an eye, the block started to drop from the skies.

    "AHH!" A scream resounded as the block came tumbling down right next to where Albert stood. The block mmed over another, and the person holding the core tumbled backward. His hand waved as he fell off the block.

    Still yawning, Albert reached out to the man falling next to him and grabbed the core right away as the man continued falling.

    A chill ran down Eugene''s spine.

    Albert was whimsical, annoying, and rude, but if there was one thing holding him back in their previous world then that was his kindness. He was kind to the point that he would dly get bullied to avoid hurting others.

    ''What happened?'' Eugene thought, and was surprised by his own thoughts yet again.

    He wondered why that friend of his had changed so much.

    But, Eugene didn''t mind change at all. To wonder about its reason in this way, where he thought ''what had hurt him,'' was something very foreign to him.

    Eugene shook his head and sighed.

    Useless. Useless thoughts.

    "If anything, he''s be a monster."

    Adding cold-hearted to that man''s ''calcting'' was something that left even him ufortable.

    "I should get going," Eugene said. "Take care, Titania."

    "Want me to tag along?"

    "It''s fine, these punks are nothing."

    Leaving behind those words, Eugene jumped off the block.

    Albert and Luka both stopped in their tracks and turned their backs. Eugene had just voluntarily fallen off?

    Albert quickly regained his bearings and ran again, but Luka couldn''t understand what had happened. He blinked his eyes and felt the presence of something powerful above him.

    His eyes shifted upward as a white-haired man appeared in the skies. His hair fluttered grandly while the chains around his hand rattled, yet his leg didn''t move an inch as he soared through the empty skies.

    "What in the world¡­?"

    Was this flight? No, flight magic required you to fly. This guy, he looked as if he was riding on a carpet made by some giant blue genie.

    Luka was left with his mouth agape, but decided to get a move on.

    A finger, it was too much to lose.

    Luka''s Ki filled his body and he shot off the ground. At an unprecedented pace, the boy had spent all of his time training. From when he was living in the vige with his childhood friend to when the princess had sought him out and brought him to the Royal Pce of Schwarz.

    Keeping the experiences of his past life in mind. That bitter time, thatcking power.

    All of it helped in his unprecedented rate of growth and his Ki had already reached the level of intent Ki.

    Luka jumped over the blocks. The gap between each of them was covered by his immense strength as he moved in a way that didn''t fall back behind Eugene''s flight.

    His eyesnded on the core of another golem. A pair of red-haired and brown-haireddies were holding the core in their hands with a pale-looking boy tagging along.

    Them. He could take them on.

    Luka ignored the rest of the people in his way as he shot toward the group of three. His hands stretched out and he activated his intent Ki around the group.

    With his other hand, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a small stick.

    The boy dropped in front of the group of three and brought his attacks in all at once, at a rate they couldn''t have reacted to.

    ¡ªCLANG!

    A loud sound resounded, simr to steel hitting steel. Luka''s eyes widened as he noticed he couldn''t bring any of his attacks closer.

    "Eek!" The pale boy screamed and clung to the brown-haired girl in maid uniform. She kicked him in the stomach and sent him reeling away.

    "Don''t touch me, you bastard."

    "There, there, miss Lily, let us attend to our guest first and then knock this rat away.

    "EEEK!"

    "Heh," Luka scoffed. "I didn''t think you''ll manage to put up a barrier."

    "Hey, weren''t you messing with my young master?"

    Before he could speak, the girl in the maid uniform approached him, her eyes widened into dark circles.

    He¡­

    He thought this woman seemed familiar¡­

    "Miss Lily, please calm down."

    "Li¡­ly?"

    Memories rose back up in his mind.

    A tragic fate. A young child battered over and over.

    He remembered the previous lifetime. Thest turn.

    At that time, Eugene Hall had a full hand of fingers, a skin without the sight of a scar and hair that didn''t go below his shoulders.

    Eugene Hall, the petty dastardly viin that had brought him hundreds of troubles in his attempts to harass every single woman in the academy. It was from a time when that little rat hadn''t even evolved from the form of an insect.

    At that time, Eugene Hall had brought along a maid with him to the academy.

    A brown haired maid with eyes thatcked a soul. The maid''s face was usually swollen and her sleeves pulled to the brim to hide her cuts.

    He remembered the first time he had confronted Eugene Hall for bothering his childhood friend.

    ["Oh? That girl? Her basket is pretty neat. What say, why not hand her over and take this Lily here for a day?"]

    That was what that scum had said.

    And when that Lily had started to tremble, he kicked her down and screamed at her for breaking his orders.

    Luka remembered well the satisfaction he felt after punching him in the face, and the regret that followed.

    That bastard had eventually beat her over and over, and then it got worse when his friends had beat up Eugene.

    That rat had killed his maid.

    A deep sense of shame rose from his chest. Though all of it was Eugene''s fault, the thoughts of ''if I had done it differently.'' ''If I had saved her right then.'' Had never left his mind.

    "Um, Mr. Guest, you do realize there are a hundred fireballs pointing at you, right?"

    The red-haired mages words snapped Luka out of his thoughts.

    He looked around, and sure enough, a hundred fireballs were surrounding him.

    He gazed back into the barrier and stared at Lily.

    "Don''t leer at me, pervert. I''ll end you. Only young master can leer at me. Actually how dare you speak to him? I should kill you right now. Yes, young master is too kind, I should end you on his behalf."

    He had already heard more words from her here than in hisst life.

    A very strange feeling was filling up his chest.

    "Mam," he said, as respectfully as he could. "Is this young master you speak of, Eugene Hall?"

    "Hah!? Who gave you the right to take his name?!"

    Luka knew those eyes well. Eyes of obsession, not necessarily romantic.

    "Are you happy serving under him?"

    "Pfft, I have never gone under him yet. I am more of a top."

    "Miss Lily!"

    "Haha!"

    Lukaughed.

    She really did seem happy. It was a stark difference.

    ''Maybe, if I had done things in a different way.''

    That thought kept him going.

    "I''ll leave you be for now."

    "Aren''t you just running away, Mr. Guest?"

    Luka shook his hand and turned around. He jumped off the block and ran away.

    Behind him, all hundred fireballs disappeared in thin air and the barrier that Sophia had set up broke apart.

    The strong didn''t need to run away.

 Chapter 200: Chapter 196: Entrance Test (2)

    "Mydy! The student council is interfering with our people at the entrance test."

    In a room coated withvender, the fresh breeze of air sent along the booming voice of a panicked student. The room withvender walls and a carpet just as shade darker was filled with furniture made of the finest rosewood.

    This ce on the thirteenth Ind of the Academy city over in the floating archipgo for a district, housed one of the youngest and yet the strongest faction of the academy.

    All those who passed with flying colors had to join or create a faction, or a house in the academy. While most continued donning the mantle of their seniors, the state was different with this one.

    In just one year, this group had grown to a point that even the student council was worried about their authority.

    "There a few seemingly great students in the list mydy. The student council especially has their eyes on the top performing trio."

    At his words, the head of the room''s chair slightly creaked.

    Taking it as a sign to continue, the bald student gulped down some air. He couldn''t help but find every single movement of this person enrapturing.

    He didn''t remember how or why he was serving under her. At a point, someone else had even taken on the role of the master of their faction since it suddenly seemed to havecked one.

    But this person hade to their doors just a few days back.

    And had taken everything in her hands.

    For some reason, no matter what they faced, every single person in the faction kneeled in front of her regal presence, her every single movement that exuded grace and beauty like no other kept them all at the edge of their wits.

    And a teenager as he was, he couldn''t help but wonder what it would be like to be close to this woman. That had led him to put in great efforts in the span of a few days in the form of her informant.

    Unfortunately, her bespectacled aide that had apanied her from her territory was a strict one.

    "Why''d you shut up?" The aide said, his voice annoyed.

    "Yes, apologies. T-the three people are performing on an unseen scale. The live broadcast with the academiestest technology the principal has started is even being disyed in the other academies!" Experience tales with mvl

    The student rubbed his head, a gleam passing reflecting over it.

    "There are a lot of kids we can take in, but the best would be those three. One is the prince of Pinot, and the other two are not recognizable by anyone yet."

    Not recognizable.

    Those words made the chair creak again.

    "Ah¡­ ah! Mydy, one of them has red hair and eyes, he looks like an idol. And the other¡­ uh¡­"

    The one on the chair moved her gaze up.

    "He has hair like yours¡­"

    "Does that man¡­"

    Like a lyre ying the sweetest of luby.

    Like the harps of gods and goddesses that would enrapture all mortal souls, her voice pierced through the room and made the student feel a sharp pang in his heart.

    "Have a scar down his face?"

    "Ah! Yes!" The boy nodded fervently, the pressure to great for him to bear. "A scar running down his neck to his chest."

    "Hah¡­"

    The chair creaked again as thedy finally dropped her quill and looked up.

    Slowly, she turned in her chair until her gaze shifted outward. The aide winced, shaking his head.

    Then, a voice came.

    The student who heard that voice couldn''t help but wonder. Even though he couldn''t see her, even though it was but the fluttering of a veil. He couldn''t help but wonder¡­

    "Looks like someone is about to be hit by chair."

    How could someone look so beautiful while saying something so scary?

    ***

    A cloud of dust rose in the ck room of the tower followed by the screams of a dozen students.

    About twenty blocks of sandstone hadpletely disappeared from the room, and a giant iparable to what they had seen before was wreaking havoc inside.

    Sitting atop the giant golem that was as agile as it was terrifying, a young boy with brown hair yawned.

    "Dude, did you actually just reverse engineer the golem!?"

    A shout called out to the boy, Albert, as he looked up. Flying atop a shield with the core of another golem in his hands was his friend from a different world, Yujin Han.

    Albert didn''t understand why Yujin insisted on being called Eugene even when it were just the two of them, but he knew well that things like name and identity mattered little to that man.

    Not long ago, even friends and family mattered little to him. Well, that was to be expected from someone with his family background, yet, he didn''t expect his burning desire for strength to be mellowed by thoughts for others.

    Love, Fear and Regret only get in the path to sess.

    Those were the words he had from that man long long ago. It was what he followed as he lived in this hell of a world for eight years.

    But the one person he thought would follow those words to the end now didn''t hesitate to say he loved someone.

    His friend¡­

    Albert sighed.

    Things could be reverted eventually. Whatever it was, he respected his friend.

    For that, he was willing to change him again.

    "I didn''t reverse engineer it. I just, reshaped it into something better. If the core can be broken then it can be created again right? "

    "I wanna do it too, it sounds like pretty strong."

    Eugene spoke as he leaned back. His hair fluttered as a terrific force crossed him by. Albert and Eugene both lowered their gaze and saw another bastard with the core of a golem.

    That left two more. Whoever got those would win.

    Unfortunately, the owners of the cores had long since gone into hiding. That was Albert was crushing everything in his way.

    "Look who picked a ball!" Eugene said. "Go y elsewhere kid. You should find the other cores, the winner needs three."

    "But¡­" the redhead, Luke spoke up. "You guys have two right? I don''t want to look, I''ll just snatch it from you."

    "Bastard, you can''t attack your teammates. Didn''t I say it just now?" Albert scoffed and shook his head.

    Why was he stuck with such difficult people?

    "I am not!" Luka answered. "I am just attacking that golem¡ªHAP!"

    Without finishing his words, the young boy swung his wooden stick and a beam of Ki spread through the air, circling right toward Albert''s golem.

    No, toward himself.

    Albert yawned and snapped his fingers. A breeze of wind blew and disced the Ki attack by a mere inch, making it cross right next to his face, almost as if it was passing through it.

    Luka couldn''t help but watch with a mouth agape.

    "Kid¡­" Albert muttered. He raised his hand toward his cheeks and noticed a fine, very fine scratch passing through it. That brat had decreased the concentration of his Ki at the perfect moment to graze him. Crazy control.

    "It was an ident! An ident!" Luka Rune shrugged his shoulders while smirking.

    "Oh, yeah?"

    The second annoyance in Albert''s life spoke out. That other guy had disappeared from his shield and was atop a sandstone block. In the distance, the others continued their battle and search, but many people seeked the cores that these three had gathered as well.

    Eugene grabbed one of those unfortunate souls and lifted him above his head.

    "ident? How petty. Do you think that excuse will work?"

    "AHH! HELP! HELP!!"

    "You can''t attack your teammates, get it in your head!" With that, Eugene twisted his body¡ª

    "AHHHH!"

    ¡ªAnd tossed the prospect through the air. The man zapped through the dark skies and rushed toward Luka.

    Luka gasped in surprise. He tried to raise his hand to attack back, but was afraid of hurting an unrted party. And so, the student hit him right in the stomach and sent him reeling.

    Albert cocked a brow.

    "What the heck? Did you just hold back to protect that guy?"

    "Asshole, it''s our battle."

    "Heh¡­"

    Albert smiled.

    It seemed there was another person who cared about others. He was willing to take their opportunities, but not trample over them. To show them down, but not let them fall.

    He was surrounded by a total idiot and an idiot in the making. He had two people to change it seemed.

    Still it was fun.

    "Very fun."

    Without a word, Albert moved the golem. The swift yet giant being hopped over the many blocks andnded in between another group of students. He wanted to test his limits.

    "Flick."

    Luka''s eyes widened.

    The golem closed its fists, and flicked another student out of the blocks, sending the kid out of the block and down the sky.

    "Hey! That''s unnecessary!"

    Luka kicked a block of toward the student and saved him in the nick of time.

    Just as much as he could, he would help them all. And he could definitely help them all from that bastard Eugene Hall and all his sympathizers.

    "How interesting indeed."

    With that, Eugene dropped another student down the sky, not attacking Luka at all.

    "Tsk!"

    The student fell. Luka was about to move to help, but it was too far, so he decided against it.

    "My, my," Eugene spoke. "He''s a total hypocrite. I am liking this bastard more and more."

    "Eugene hall!!"

    And so, the test for 200 students turned into one between just three.

 Chapter 201: Chapter 197: Entrance Test Ends

    A gust of wind swept above my head as I ducked and lowered my hand. At the same time, I manifested a shield right next to me in the air, but Luka nimbly changed his posture and switched out on the attack. His feetnded on the shield that had just materialized and he kicked downward at me.

    With a swift back-step, I dodged his oing blow and struck him with my knees, but he blocked it in the nick of time.

    At that very moment, the block we were standing on started to crumble as Albert used his magic to destroy it from its structure. Luka and I immediately jumped back and the both of us started attacking Albert. Or rather, the air around Albert since we couldn''t attack each other. As he focused his attention on the analysis monster, I took the chance to swipe the core from Luka''s hands but¡ª

    ¡ªTHWACK!

    A loud sound resounded as Albert averted my swipe¡­ by punching me.

    The quick punch turned into a strike from the back of his fist as he attacked Luka, but his other hand was reaching toward the golem core.

    Since one had already punched, I decided to kick Luka in the stomach and sent him reeling back, narrowly avoiding Albert''s hands.

    Right then, three loud gongs resounded all over the inside of the tower.

    "It seems the time ising to an end," Albert muttered.

    We had left behind the other two cores for these kids here, so it was just all three of us with one each. This would have been the perfect victory¡­ but¡­

    "I thought we couldn''t attack our teammates?" I said.

    "I lied," Albert stuck his tongue out.

    "What the heck? Why are you so¡­ so fuckingzy and crafty?" Luka burst out at Albert right then. "You even knocked people out, I thought you were the type to flip people''s skirts!"

    Albert turned his gaze my way.

    This regressor was kinda, sorta admitting his position. But it made sense to say this stuff since he thought we didn''t know. But he didn''t know that we knew. I wished he could know that we know so that I could say we didn''t know he knows that we know.

    The gongs rang again.

    "There''s a time limit?"

    "Of course, how else will you manage with just five cores?"

    Heh¡­ then was the entire event being monitored too? Inside the tower? That spoke lengths about their advancement.

    Soon enough, a strong mana turbulence spread inside the tower and one after the other, the prospects'' brooches handed over by the academy started to glow.

    "Well, this is it, we might end up with a tie¡­" Albert smiled.

    "Tsk," Luka clicked his tongue.

    How pathetic, was I really going to lose here? No. A tie didn''t count as a loss, did it? No, wasn''t that just weak? In the first ce, was it worth winning? Who am I kidding, it was always worth winning.

    The strongest never losses.

    In the blink of an eye, our brooches started glowing too.

    From Luka.

    Since we could attack, I could steal it from Luka.

    I lowered my stance and was about to jump out when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

    "That''s why, the ones in your hands are fakes," at Albert''s words, both of us were stunned.

    Albert reached into his pocket and pulled out two more cores.

    "I swapped them out long ago, guess it''s my win."

    What bullshit.

    I frowned and turned to Albert, there was no way he could create fake cores like this.

    "Did you really think we would fall for something so stupid¡ª"

    Luka loosened his grip in shock, and Albert jumped away from his position. Before I could reach him, Albert''s hands had already grabbed the core from Luka''s distracted gaze.

    The light shing from our brooches grew more and more intense.

    And the world changed again.

    ***

    I was on my feet when I opened my eyes. The dark world inside the tower and the maze of levitating stone blocks had both disappeared and had been reced by a stretching, wide field of grass and a sky of blue.

    A fairy floated in front of my eyes at that very moment.

    "Eh, a mass kick out from Alfheim, how curious. This academy''s ties with the fairies has grown stronger since thest time I saw it."

    I was on my feet when I opened my eyes. The dark world inside the tower and the maze of levitating stone blocks had both disappeared and had been reced by a stretching, wide field of grass and a sky of blue.

    A fairy floated in front of my eyes at that very moment.

    "Eh, a mass kick out from Alfheim, how curious. This academy''s ties with the fairies has grown stronger since thest time I saw it."

    "Seven thousand years? It''s a fairly long time." I spoke in between breaths.

    "Woah, woah, why are you so down my Eugy!"

    I bit my lips and clenched my fists.

    Idiot.

    That fucking idiot.

    As I shifted my gaze, the hundreds of students on the ground all appeared in front of me. It was a crazy sight as all of them were on the ground after the mass kick out.

    Not too far away, two more students were getting up.

    Albert¡­

    And that fucking redhead Luka.

    "LUKA RUNE!" I screamed out loud.

    "Heh?" Luka shifted his gaze around before he looked my way. That white fairy of his was nowhere to be seen.

    "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

    I LOST!

    I LOST BECAUSE OF THIS BASTARD!

    "How could you fall for such a tant lie you dumbfuck! You walking human disgrace. You waste of breathable air, you fucking mixed fruit jam on pizza!"

    "What¡­?"

    I was almost about to jump out and sock the bastard, but a membrane of air wrapped around me. I had no choice but to stop in mid air as the swirling magic covered my entire body.

    All attempts to move were thwarted straight away as the coiling magic energy around me choked my neck and froze my mana veins. It was simr to the feeling that the chains from Hell had brought, except, those only stopped materialization making it possible to still move the things inside your body, but this sensation stopped everything.

    "Hoho, how fiesty of you children¡­ truly, that fighting spirit is admirable."

    My neck was forced to the side and I saw a man shining under the sun.

    His robes¡­ he was the principal of the academy.

    "But, the exam has ended, please don''t fight anymore. Thanks to you, we were able to get some great data on our live magic connectivity device!"

    The principal snapped his fingers and every student was floated up into the air and pushed on their feet.

    "Now, white hair there¡­ would you mind calming down? I''ll loosen your head so speak¡ª"

    The energy around my neck loosened and.

    "Let go you son of a bitch! You think you''re strong? EH? Come fight me like a man, I''ll take on both of you!"

    "Wow, Eugy, you just don''t learn."

    The strongest man''s gotta fight.

    "I guess that''s a no," the principalughed. "It''s been ages since someone called me a son of a bitch, hahah!"

    All students on the ind paled, even Albert. My old friend whispered. "Yuyu, just shut up for a bit."

    My head was frozen again, though, so I couldn''t answer even if I wanted to.

    Enjoy exclusive adventures from mvl

    "Anyway, we all were deeply entertained. You yed a huge role in that, white hair, you have my praise."

    Why, you''re wee. Just meet me in an alley now you fuck. How dare you make ME lose?? ME!

    "Then, here are the rankings and the list of admitted students."

    Oh? This principal was actually pretty to the point? I thought that announcement would take three days.

    A giant blue window appeared in the midst of the sky and many different letters shed in front of us. The numbers and lettered merged together and started forming names from the bottom up.

    [150: Jun Mandom {Team Jun}]

    [149: Min Mandom {Team Jun}]

    Like that, names started shing one after the other. From 150 to 100, the names shed very quickly and different characters assembled together.

    [10¡­ Anatolia]

    [9¡­ {Team Phones}]

    Hoh¡­

    The next two were Fonias too.

    [6¡­ {Team Sophia}]

    My, my¡­

    [3. Luka Rune {Team Albert}]

    TEAM..

    TEAM WHAT YOU SON OF A BITCH?

    [2. Eugene Hall {Team Albert}]

    AHHHH!

    I was second.

    In a line of names, I was actually fucking second.

    I could feel my heart crushing in on itself.

    What was this? What in the world happened here?

    [1. Albert Pinot Rizzler {Team Albert}]

    "And that''s the list. Good job, all of you."

    "Hehe¡­" Albert giggled. That scum dared giggle.

    "Now then, I guess you two owe me a request?"

    Luka let out a defeated sigh. Still frozen in ce, I didn''t even have the option to react right now.

    "Then," Albert continued. "It''s decided... you guys will be forming a faction in the academy with me."

    NOOOO!!

 Chapter 202: Chapter 198: Academy Starts!

    I groggily woke up, yawning as I turned on the bed. I didn''t want to wake up, but morning hade around already.

    As sunlight fell right on my eyes, I grumbled inwardly and pushed myself up. My eyes scurried around the room, Keith had already woken up and gone away. My gaze naturally turned to the pillow, but Titania wasn''t there.

    "Hm? Titania¡­?"

    I muttered, but no response returned.

    How strange.

    "Titania!" I called out loud, but she still didn''t answer. With a frown, I got off the bed and checked under the sheets and then around the flower potsden across the window, but couldn''t find her anywhere.

    "What the hell?"

    Slowly, I closed my eyes and focused my mana in the engraving on the back of my hand. The brand started glowing and soon enough, I could feel Titania''s presence again.

    Rubbing her eyes, my fairy partner appeared atop the back of my hand.

    "Um¡­ Eugy¡­"

    "When did you go back?" I asked.

    "I don''t know¡­ I guess I was tired after yesterday?"

    The entrance exam hade to an end yesterday. Today was the first day of the sses and also the day when the students would be allotted their dormitories. While people could choose to stay in the dorms assigned, there were also different dorms for students of every faction on the faction''s Ind.

    As it stood, we had taken up thest Ind empty for a faction right after we had registered. Since many of the students weren''t exactly familiar with the workings of the academy, Albert had made great use of his knowledge of his previous life.

    After this, if anyone wanted to form another faction, they would have no choice but to fight one of the active ones to take their spot.

    "Well, that''s fine," I said. "Tell me firsthand next time?"

    "Eh, it''s not like its the first time."

    "Still," I said. The fairy flew up and settled herself over my shoulders.

    "Has this brand always been this dull?"

    "What? It looks normal to me?"

    Is that so¡­

    "Never mind," I said. Since it was almost time to get a move on, I decided to take a quick back within a few minutes and changed into the academy''s dress before leaving the room.

    There was a lot to do. I was slightly hungry too.

    "Let''s eat something from outside, I don''t want to cook."

    "Huh, why not."

    ***

    Dawn let out a sigh as she brushed the green hair of a young girl.

    What was an angel doing, helping kids get ready for school? But it couldn''t be helped, after all, these kids were none other than the regressors that she had been sent to the mortal realm to keep an eye after.

    "Say, Ms. Dawn, have you attended the school as well?"

    "I never had the chance. I''ve been an adventurer for as long as I''ve been in this world."

    "Oh! Really!?" The green-haired girl eximed.

    That wasn''t a lie, but it definitely wasn''t the truth. Dawn quite enjoyed seeing this girl''s unfiltered innocence even though she had seen her world end once.

    This young girl was the childhood friend of the other regressors, Luka Rune and the princess of Schwarz.

    ''That damned Dusk¡­'' Dawn cursed that man in her mind. ''Why didn''t he tell me about anything? He already met with Luka Rune even though he was being targeted?''

    "Ouch, ouch! Miss Dawn, you''re pulling my hair."

    "Ah¡­ oh, sorry."

    "No, don''t mind it at all¡­ were you thinking of someone?" With a gentle blush, the girl asked.

    "Ah¡­ yes¡­"

    "Oh! Is it a lover? An ex? Spill the tea!"

    Lover? Ex? What were they anyway?

    "N-no¡­ it''s nothing like that¡­"

    The girl stuck her tongue out at Dawn''s reply. Smiling, Dawn continued brushing her hair.

    She had heard the events of the entire test from the girl yesterday. From Dusk''s presence to his tantrum after losing. Stay connected via mvl

    Even though he was being targeted by regressors, he still threw a tantrum that had to be stopped by the principal himself. Dawn had no idea what that man was thinking.

    Right as she finished with the girl''s hair, the door to the room opened and another young girl with straight ck hair that resembled the night sky stepped in.

    "Hoya!" The green-haired girl shouted as she saw her friend, Princess Hoya of Schwarz.

    "Adelia!" Hoya answered with a grin. "You''re ready, let''s go together."

    "Yeah! Let''s go get Luka too!"

    "We can''t. His new best friend took him away."

    "Aw, that Prince Albert is always so troublesome," with a sigh, Adelia got off from the seat, turned to Dawn and gave her a deep bow.

    Dawn smiled back and turned to the princess who acknowledged her with her eyes. Unlike with Adelia, Dawn had festered a deep level of understanding with Hoya.

    It was to the point that Hoya had revealed that she knew a lot more about the world than most people. She hadn''t admitted her being regressor, but was convincing enough to make one believe she would be.

    "Dawn, the people that were with that guy¡­" Hoya spoke, making Adelia slightly stiffen up. "Can you keep an eye on them? The first day of the academy should go without any incidents."

    Yay, free vacation!

    Dawn was already pretty used to Maria and Keith, hanging out wasn''t a problem.

    "I understand, I''ll do it."

    "Then, we''ll set off." Hoya wrapped her arm around Adelia''s waist and moved out of the door.

    Dawn, quietly, widened her senses as far as she could and closely heard the words that the two exchanged as they walked away. It was the best form of Eavesdropping only trained ones could manage.

    "¡­ we''ll have to sniff out any followers of Agares right away¡­ we can''t let them summon a demon this time around¡­"

    It seemed free vacation wasn''t as easy toe as she thought.

    ***

    After grabbing a quick bite in one of the restaurants made on this Ind, I checked the time again. It was almost 8 AM, the time to start the sses was right around the corner.

    Outside my room were two familiar people wearing the uniform of the academy. A white shirt with a snug blue ribbon, a simr blue zer and a skirt with thigh high stockings that entuated their curves.

    "Oh! Young Master!" the brown-haired maid, Lily, greeted me with a loud voice. Her hair tied in a single pony tail lightly swayed as she hopped closer to me.

    "Good morning, Lord Eugene."

    A simr voice rang out from the other side as the redheadeddy Sophia approached me. She held her bag behind her back with both her hands as she walked over with gracious movements. Her shirt seemed to be a size too small since the buttons were fighting for their dear life at her plentiful bosom.

    Hm. She was quite mature in that area, much more than all those years back.

    "Uh¡­ Lord Eugene?" Sophia''s shoulders shrunk as she looked at me. She slowly brought her hand ahead and covered her chest. "Where are you looking?"

    "Oh my! Y-young master! You should look at me instead. No, please look at me."

    "Miss Lily!"

    "Ah¡­"

    I was thrown off guard.

    "Ah, I am sorry about that¡­" I answered, averting my gaze right away.

    Sophia awkwardly chuckled, but didn''t move her hand. "N-no¡­ it''s alright, haha¡­"

    I scratched the back of my head, not looking at her yet.

    "I guess Lord Eugene can be like that too¡­"

    Her face was flushed red and her lips were curved in a mixture of embarrassment and slight, very slight disgust.

    "Yeah," I said, changing the topic. "Let''s just get to ss, right?"

    The first day of the academy was about to start. I would be lying if I said I wasn''t excited.

    ***

    Author''s Note:

    A bit of an important note this time.

    We''re already starting a new arc. I wasn''t nning to start it right away but wanted to slowly build this arc up that has beening around for thest 60 or so chapters, but after yesterday''s chapters, there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction with the story.

    I have seen the manyints people have been saying for thest few chapters and definitely understand where everyone ising from.

    With that in mind, as unfortunate as it is personally, I have decided to skip a smaller arc of the story and dive into the main one. This chapter being the first of it, I believe addresses a lot of thements. Things will pick up pace and a slightly longer arc is about to begin.

    Thank you very much for bringing things forward. I am still acking author with not much experience to my name or anything to really show for what little experience I have either. As such, I am very thankful to all of you who still stick around to read the story. I hope to create something that can keep all of you entertained to the end and am deeply regretful for any mistakes.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 203: Chapter 199: Did you just?

    A/N: FIXED NOW! Sorry about that. [I messed up while publishing this chapter, please check back in some time.]

    A giant building stretching into the sky appeared in the midst of the wispy clouds as the library of the academy revealed itself. The building did not just end on the ground, but even stretched underneath it until it touched the floor of the city down on the ground level.

    As we made our way over the translucent red bridged that connected the ind on our path to the academy Ind, the three of us stopped and stared at the sight present ahead.

    "Amazing¡­" Lily muttered.

    "Lord Eugene, that entire ce is filled with books. How amazing is that."

    "What a shame, they could have done a lot of stuff with that much space."

    The ind was not small by any means, and leaving enough space for a single person to circle it, the entirety of the academy was filled with the building that made up the library.

    "We should visit it on the way back," Sophia muttered.

    I nodded and moved ahead first, while the other two still stared at the building.

    "How strange," Titania said, stifling a yawn. "I thought you would be skipping everything and diving into the library."

    Diving inside, huh¡­

    For some reason my heart and body were already raring to go into that ce, but my mind wasn''t convinced.

    "I don''t know¡­ it sounds like a hassle."

    Titania yawned again and slumped her shoulders, she seemed to be really tired after exerting herself.

    The others followed caught up and the group of three set of to the academy again.

    In almost no time, we found ourselves facing the enormouslyvish ss dome that made up the Syncretic Academy''s main house. The ss dome reached far into the sky as it was overlooked by the giant reverse tower rather close by.

    A gasp of admiration left me.

    Even during the entrance test, we hadn''t stepped into this ce. This was the Ind number 1 and thergest building in the academy city.

    Many students dressed simrly to us had gathered around the gates of the academy. In front of them was a familiar blue almost holographic window that disyed the ssrooms assigned to the students. In the distance, the seniors of the five years ahead of us were watching the sight with endearing eyes.

    How interesting.

    "I heard the sses are divided by your rank."

    "Huh? Then shouldn''t all of us be in the same ss?" I asked.

    Lily and Sophia shed me a bright smile as I said those words. As Sophia nodded, her tight vest seemed to be struggling a bit more.

    Not willing to get any more nasty gazes, I quickly told them to check the ss assignments.

    We neared the herd of students and walked closer to the board, when a small p pressed against my chest.

    I looked down to see a brown-haired man dragging a redhead as he smirked at me.

    "We''re all in ss A, don''t bother. Let''s go."

    Huh.

    "Thanks for taking a look¡­ Albert¡­"

    How annoying. What a bbermouth.

    The twodies followed along with me as Albert and Luka continued exchanging some light banter. I wasn''t interested in them so I remained behind with the girls. The academy was divided in blocks of two floors with each block going to one grade.

    Our ss was the first ss on the second floor of the dome. The student body was divided into five groups of thirty as each floor housed two-three ssrooms along with the various dozens of facilities.

    The sound of the linoleum like floor coupled with the fresh breeze that came in from the open windows made it seem like a spring morning. Trees and nts grew inside the academy while many students got up to their hijinks.

    After walking for some time.

    "A, right here."

    Saying that, Albert casually slid the door open with his leg.

    The sight of the ssroom spread in front of me. With tables going up in height further to the back and a podium at the forefront, along with a giant ckboard and a set of chalks. This ssroomrgely resembled a¡­ college hall, was the word. Except it was much smaller.

    A bunch of students had already settled in, but some of them gasped as their eyesnded our way.

    At the front were a pair of twins, frowning while staring at our group.

    Not much further from them were three more prettydies, one with ck hair like the night sky, another with golden hair like the morning sun, and thest with green hair like des of grass.

    There were many other lookers in the ssroom, from a few short-haired yet well endowed adventurer girls to a bunch of protected yet gently beautiful nobledies.

    I ced my bag over my shoulder and climbed up the stairs, leaving behind the others. Since I already looked pretty damning, this was just part of it. I would be raking up fans like no one else just by sitting around.

    As I sat at the back of the ssroom, almost all the gazes were my way. I smiled and ced my bag down on the desk.

    "All the way back here? Weren''t you a first bench guy, ''since you couldn''t handle beingst''?" Albert asked, tossing his back to the seat next to mine. Even Luka Rune sat next to us instead of any of his friends. The three pretty girls, one of whom had an eyepatch, looked this way with a skeptical gaze.

    "Well, ss will start in about 10 minutes, till then, shall we discuss about you losers?"

    Albert asked.

    It was annoying. How very annoying.

    I didn''t want to bother with his words, so I stopped listening and closed my eyes. Hm, this seat had a strange sense of familiarity.

    It felt like my designated spot. I was truly the best in picking seats.

    I could feel my mind clear over and many thoughts disappear as I sat with calm demeanor.

    Good. Very good.

    I could almost fall asleep like this.

    Ten minutes passed by in no time and Albert shut up as the door swung open.

    My eyes fell at the gate. A woman in a beautiful pink dress, with pink hair and pink eyes stepped inside. There was a fierce gleam in her eyes as she stepped inside and mmed a hand on the podium.

    My heart was beating rather fast. Those fierce eyes turned toward me.

    Her pink dress snuglyplimented her beautiful pink hair and eyes. Her jawline was low and sharp while her nose was slightly high, a bridge without any blemishes. Her eyes staring at me were captivating to an ephemeral degree.

    As I lowered my gaze, I saw her slim shoulders and her chest. Perky, yet small breasts. They could easily fit in one''s hand but wouldn''t make any problems at all. If anything, those small breasts did justice to her beauty. Even the sensitive parts on those things must be small.

    My gaze lowered further on its own and my face flushed a crimson and blood ran to my head. Find your next read at §Þ??

    Her curves were captivating. She seemed to be the image of aphrodite, the deity of beauty from the Atreus Empire. Her waists were perfectly slender and her skin like a god''s nket.

    The one who had entered the room, the teacher of our ss, frowned deeply as she noticed my gaze. She faked a cough and shook her head.

    "Students, please. Focus here."

    What bad first words. She seemed clumsy too.

    Going after a teacher, huh? That seemed to be the thrill of life. Something I would personally love to do.

    Maybe I could even get some grades up.

    I didn''t let go of my smirk and maintained eye-contact with her. She finally gave up, shook her head, and looked at the other students.

    How interesting.

    I leaned to my side and tapped on Albert''s desk.

    "Albert," I called.

    "What? Was she just looking at you or something?"

    "Wasn''t she?" I asked. "Pretty, ain''t she? Do you think I should hit on her. Ask her for coffee."

    A tumbling sound rang out as Albert''s desk fell to the front.

    The man stood upright and looked at me.

    "W-what...? What happened to you?"

    "What... did you say?"

    We were attracting a lot of attention. I pulled his arm and made him lower his head.

    "What''s the big deal? I just asked about getting coffee. Stop it."

    "No, before that." Albert''s eyes trembled in shock. It was a strange sight on his handsome face.

    "What? She''s pretty?"

    Albert''s jaw dropped.

    "Yujin Han..."

    What was that...?

    "Did you just... fucking see a person?"

 Chapter 204: Chapter 200: Yujin Han Cannot See

    I didn''t let go of my smirk and maintained eye-contact with her. She finally gave up, shook her head, and looked at the other students.

    How interesting.

    I leaned to my side and tapped on Albert''s desk.

    "Albert," I called.

    "What? Was she just looking at you or something?"

    "Wasn''t she?" I asked. "Pretty, ain''t she? Do you think I should hit on her. Ask her for coffee."

    A tumbling sound rang out as Albert''s desk fell to the front.

    The man stood upright and looked at me.

    "W-what...? What happened to you?"

    "What... did you say?"

    We were attracting a lot of attention. I pulled his arm and made him lower his head.

    "What''s the big deal? I just asked about getting coffee. Stop it."

    "No, before that." Albert''s eyes trembled in shock. It was a strange sight on his handsome face.

    "What? She''s pretty?"

    Albert''s jaw dropped.

    "Yujin Han..."

    What was that...?

    "Did you just... fucking see a person?"

    "Did you just¡­ fucking see a person?"

    I¡­ what¡­

    "Hey!" A loud scream resounded in the room as a gentle ache spread through my head.

    "What are you guys doing? I''ve let go once because its the first day but you''re getting on a teacher''s nerves¡ª"

    Like waves slightly darkening lines of sand, the ache flowed into my head. My teeth clenched on their own.

    "This is an emergency, teacher. For all I know this guy could be dying!"

    "H-hey, Albert. What are you talking about."

    "D-dying!? What drama are you cooking here?"

    No, it felt like a receding pain had returned. As if an ebbed wave was scurrying back. The fog of the salts, the crashing of the water. Slowly, surely, the pain became a looming crest that towered over my entire head.

    Thoughts were spilled out of my mind. I immediately grabbed onto my skull and crouched in pain.

    "Lord Eugene!"

    "Young master!"

    Even the teacher had no option but to cave under this pressure. Albert ced his hands on my shoulders and screamed. "Yujin! Yujin Han!"

    And with each of his screams, another part of my head throbbed. It was a faint yet certain pain.

    "Fuck. Yujin¡­" Albert continued speaking. "Someone¡­ Ah¡­"

    Was seeing strange? No¡­ wasn''t it strange?

    I couldn''t tell. I couldn''t tell at all. But I could tell one thing, every time Albert called out a name¡­ my name¡­ the pain spread further and further.

    Partners¡­ my eyes immediately moved toward my palm.

    The brand that marked my link with Titania was dull. It was definitely duller than usual.

    Sitting atop it, a single fairy smiled. Her smile like the blooming of flowers.

    "It seems my contract is ending now, Eugy."

    "What are you¡­" My hand stumbled ahead and the desk I was at tripped over. I got on my feet as a group gathered around me, but I couldn''t notice it. The fairy¡­ she was slowly fading away, but her smile never left.

    "What a shame¡­ I expected more¡­" she muttered.

    What? What ended?

    Who was she expecting things from?

    As if the gates of a dam called the mind had been opened, all my thoughts and memories were flooding out. Or were they filling me up? I couldn''t tell. I couldn''t tell anything in this intense pain through my chest.

    I was being asked to sit down, but I couldn''t.

    The voice of everyone around me was merging together before turning into a monotone, loud, beep. The pain spreading through my head filled my entire body, aching my every vein, my every bone, and then.

    "Which bitch touched my property?"

    My chin was pulled up.

    At the back of the room was a heaving Albert.

    As my gaze shifted further up, I saw a fluttering veil and locks of white hair.

    My heart started pounding. As if a drum parade was ringing out in my chest, my heart throbbed loud enough to even disce my ribs. A gasp left me as my vision blurred.

    On its own, my hand moved toward the veil.

    "Lethe¡ª"

    ¡ªSLAP!

    A loud banging resounded in the room. My face was shoved to the side.

    Everyone hissed and reeled back as a burning sensation spread through my cheek.

    "Don''t touch me. You''re not my wife."

    Those words made my chest hurt even more. The pounding of my chest drowned away the pain of my headache.

    "Hey, Ms. Teacher."

    "Lady Acacia, what is it?"

    "This person here is my to-be spouse, as his familyI should be able to take him away, right?"

    "Sure. He needs to go to a doctor anyway."

    The sounds were slowly dying out too, only the sound of my chest remained. A resistance. Against myself.

    The floodgates seemed to be closing. Did my ''self'' stop flowing out, or did it stop barging in, I couldn''t tell.

    "I-I''ll go too! You can''t take him alone!"

    "Hm, Albert, you said? Ms. Teacher, I''ll take that kid too."

    "Wait, me too."

    "Now, why are all of you popping out like moles?"

    "He''s strong, uh¡­ whatever your name was. If there''s a fight we''ll need him."

    "Ms. Teacher."

    "Yeah, take whoever you want. Just get that kid to a doctor first."

    I was suddenly pulled by my cors.

    The pounding in my chest shook my very being, my bnce falling. I felt as if my body was made of dominoes that always knocked the next bit over, but never truly fell down.

    "Hey! Who even are you guys!?"

    "Yeah, if there''s any rtives here, it''s us! Tell them, Miss Lily!"

    "Tsk. I am already in a foul mood. Just shut up and sit back down, I am not taking anyone else."

    Two more sets of footsteps rang as I was pulled down the ss and out the door, the protests of familiar voices slowly turned unrecognizable.

    As the door of the ss was shut close, the pounding in my chest filled over everyst inch of my body. From the tips of my fingers to edge of my hair. From the depths of my chest to the surface of my skin. Everyst bit was filled with this sound.

    And then, I opened my eyes again.

    Blur.

    It was all a blur.

    The face of the redhead was a blur. The face of the bruno was a blur.

    Find more to read on §Þ??

    And then, the fluttering veils. The fluttering veils that enthralled my chest entered my sight.

    I put strength in my hand and grasped the wrist pulled my along.

    "Lethe, let go¡­"

    The wrist trembled. Slightly, every so slightly.

    She was scared, huh.

    It wasn''t a reunion I wanted.

    "You''re normal¡­"

    "Yeah, not yet," I answered. My brows furrowed, their faces zoomed in and out over and over, again and again as I did my best to keep myself at bay. "I need to see."

    I had to see myself.

    "Yujin¡­"

    I pushed myself up straight, and leaning against the wall, I rushed ahead. Lethe tried to support me, but I didn''t let her. In a go, I ran straight to the men''s room at the edge of the passageway and dived inside.

    "Yujin!"

    "H-hey!"

    I ignored the voices and ran to the sink.

    My hand''s leaned weakly against the granite as my eyes fell on the mirror.

    "Hah¡­"

    There.

    There it was.

    Short white hair, neatly pomaded to the side.

    A face without any scars, a chest thin yet manly.

    A hand full of fingers.

    And a smirk.

    A smirk selling weakness.

    "hahaha¡­" Augh left me on its own.

    So that''s what it was.

    The doors swung open as the three followers came behind me.

    "Yujin¡ª"

    "Leave."

    "What¡­?"

    "LEAVE." I said, putting a lot of strength in my voice. "This is my battle. I''ll fight it on my own."

    "What are you talking about¡ª"

    A hand grabbed both Luka and Albert as they were pulled out.

    I heard a soft smirk as the door slowly began to close.

    "Let''s reunite properly in a while."

    I looked at the mirror again.

    So this is what was happening.

    "Eugene Hall¡­"

    You were trying to take me down.

    ***

    "Yujin Han cannot see¡­"

    "What was that?" Lethe, leaning against a wall, posed the question at Albert''s sudden mutterings.

    "Can''t see? Like, he''s blind?" Luka asked. Why he was here, he wasn''t sure. But he had to witness this enemy of his with his own eyes.

    "No. He just¡­ can''t see faces." Albert continued, his voice almost helpless. "No medicine, no treatment, no therapy, no machine, no skill, no hospital, no magic, no spell¡­ no blessing¡­ no curse¡­"

    His voice choked.

    "Nothing could ever fix him. No matter what. He can''t see."

    "That''s¡­" Lethe suddenly spoke up. "That''s not correct. He told me he could see when he kissed me."

    "Kiss!" Luka screamed.

    "No¡­"

    Albert''s voice croaked.

    "Then¡­"

    A sudden realization filled him as he frowned.

    Yujin Han could not see. It was a fact determined by science.

    But Eugene Hall could.

    "I told that bastard¡­"

    To not be influenced by the other from the start.

    From the start.

    He was slowly bing Eugene Hall

 Chapter 205: Chapter 201: Tale

    The man in the mirror wasn''t me.

    The man who spoke for now wasn''t me.

    ''I am who I am.''

    "There must be something."

    With rity like none other, I pressed down on the granite and stared deeper into the mirror. The mirror that shows only ''you'' now showed me someone else. I wasn''t one to have faith in a mirror''s capabilities over my own.

    Something¡­

    My eyes cut into the sight of ''Eugene Hall'' as I observed his face.

    Seeing a face¡­ made me want to puke. It felt as if something deeply wrong was going on, afflicting my soul itself. But I had to.

    I must.

    I swallowed my difort and continued staring. From the clothes to the hairstyle. His eyes that were deep red with the color of blood weren''t mine. After using World''s End mine had slightly faded toward purple, is what I had heard from Lethe.

    Everything. Eugene Hall was different in every aspect. No one could call him me.

    This body wasn''t Eugene Hall''s¡­ it was mine. That was what the mirror said.

    But¡­

    But¡­.

    Clenching my teeth, I frowned deeper. Slowly, I raised my palms in front of the mirror and atst, my eyes fell on the strip of silver wrapped around my finger, a purple ring at its fore.

    Charlotte''s ring, the same thing was on ''Eugene Hall''s'' hands. Your next journey awaits at §Þ??

    "This fucking¡­"

    I yanked the ring out of my hands. Right then, the man inside the mirror''s ring started sweeping outward. The ring started glowing wildly as it resisted. Even the one in the mirror seemed to be pushing the ring into his hand deeper in, and with it went in my ring.

    "What in the fuck?" I yanked it out with all my strength. Unfortunately for them, they weren''t anywhere strong enough to contain me.

    The ring neared the tip of my finger.

    And then it swooped out.

    The ring nked against the granite and rolled over to the wall before falling limp on its side. Heaving a sigh, I looked up at the mirror.

    "HEH."

    He was smiling.

    The Eugene Hall in the mirror was smiling.

    On his own, without mirroring my movements, that Eugene Hall reached out toward me.

    As if the only thing holding him back had gone, his fingers gently touched the mirror, and passed through it.

    "Hahahaah!" Heughed.

    This fucker.

    "Haha¡­ heh?"

    "Did you think¡­ you could take me on?"

    With that, I grasped out. My fingers went through the mirror as I grabbed Eugene Hall''s cors, and dived inside the mirror.

    The battle of two minds, remained in the mind.

    As ''I'' dived onto the battlefield, my body fell limp on the ground.

    ***

    Lethe flinched at a light thud.

    It had begun.

    She wasn''t sure what or how, but she knew that something had started.

    Leaning against a wall, her fingers clenched her hands tight as she took in a deep breath.

    "Are you scared?"

    A voice interrupted her.

    This annoying brown-haired bastard was the Prince of Pinot, and apparently her love''s best friend from an old world. She had heard his name and that he was a bbermouth, but if this bbermouth hadn''t rushed to her right as he noticed something odd with him, things would have been different right now.

    "Scared of what?"

    "That he might lose his feelings or whatever?"

    Ok.

    Maybe he was a bbermouth.

    "Shut up, I do not worry about such measly issues," Lethe answered right away, her gaze shifting toward the man through her veil. The man stared back at her with an equal fierceness.

    The sound of whistling interrupted them.

    "Ah, toilet!" A student was rushing toward the men''s room while whistling.

    Albert and Lethe turned toward the approaching student at once.

    "W-what¡­?"

    "Scram."

    "I''ll kill you."

    "Heh? W-what¡­ d-delinquents?!"

    "Tsk." Luka clicked his tongue and walked over to the student. "Look there''s someone sick inside. You don''t want to see it, just go a floor up."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Please."

    The matter was diffused.

    Luka shook his head and returned over to the other two.

    "Look, I get you''re friends somehow, Albert," Luka said. He had a soft spot for his friend from thest timeline, no matter how much he had changed. "But who is this woman?"

    Both Albert and Lethe flinched.

    It wasn''t umon to find people who didn''t know of her. After all, the entire world had forgotten about her. Unfortunately, this man had never known of her even in his previous life.

    Albert didn''t know of her either until his friend had reminded him. In the game''s timeline, she had been offered up to the Demon King, and all the deaths that took ce in hell along with hers were hidden by using the Imperial Spell.

    "Who are you first?" Lethe asked. "I brought you along, but that was only at this kid''s request."

    "My name''s Luka Rune," Luka answered, shing her a smile that suited his reputation as an Eroge''s protagonist.

    "Ew."

    It was a smile that Lethe found disgusting. The evil type that her lover had was more to her taste.

    "So, you are?"

    "She was his lover," Albert answered in her stead.

    "Was? Like an ex?"

    Lethe''s grip hardened even more.

    Albert, shing a cunning smile, looked over at Lethe.

    For ''that'' man to love, to care about someone else, all of it was too wild.

    But he knew now.

    He was always being influenced by the other. And now, if that other was gone.

    So would his thoughts and feelings towards the others. Even if his memories stay, his emotions surely won''t.

    Albert, just like Lethe, had faith in his friend.

    He would win.

    But the victor will be ''his'' friend, not the one she was hoping for.

    "Whether she''s an ex or not¡­ we''ll know soon enough."

    "Petty words won''t rile me up, if that''s what you want."

    "Heh¡­" Albert scoffed. Without knowing, his emotions were leaking out. "I always found it odd that Yujin Han would care about someone else. To think he would be worried about his people, have an ensemble following him and even have a lover, all of it was deeply disturbing."

    Luka watched the two carefully as they spoke.

    The change in this world was far too great.

    "It''s as if you wish for him to be different."

    "Love, fear and regret. All these onlye in your way. He knows that better than anyone, and that man has had a goal for ages."

    "What¡­ goal¡­?" Luka finally intervened, the fear of the worst consuming him.

    "Of course, it''s to be the strongest." Albert smirked widely and looked at Lethe. "He had piled up a lot of weaknesses¡­"

    "The one cared for others was not him. It was the influence of that bastard. He didn''t change, he was bing someone else all along. But¡­"

    Albert leaned back and closed his eyes.

    "I know he''ll win. Even I don''t know everything about Yujin Han. But this half-assed human being that I have seen all these days, who ims to worry about being strong but can''t even sort his rtionships out. This half-assed son of a bitch that dares say things like ''give me your fingers'' but has not the guts to pull through. Half-assed is what he is. Just a half-assed living being.

    Not fully one thing, and not fully another. He is just a hypocrite and a loser."

    Albert opened his eyes.

    "That kind of bastard¡­ can never win against Yujin Han."

    Lethe bit her lips.

    "You don''t know much, kid. ''I am who I am,'' that creed has guided his life. He is simply who he is, the one you think of is long gone."

    "Oh, yeah?" Albert asked. "Then why can''t he or you ept him as he was bing right now? Why couldn''t you ept Eugene Hall turning fully into Eugene Hall? Yes. Eugene Hall. That lech who leers at women and asks them out is who Eugene Hall is, not this scarred, long-haired evil bastard."

    "You¡­"

    "''I am who I am?'' Don''t make meugh."

    If that is the case.

    "Then who even is he?"

    Though Albert asked, he already knew.

    All that he was now, was just a half-assed creature.

    A fake.

    ***

    A child.

    No, even younger.

    A baby, maybe a few days old.

    Trapped inside a ss cell with white walls surrounding the entire ce, was a small baby sleeping in a cradle.

    "Beginning first sets of tests on Subject Apate."

    "All members of the Aionboratory are hereby congratted. In this tumultuous world, we''re on our way to create the greatest being of all.

    With the mechanical voice''s announcement, a file of robots started rolling into the ss chamber and moved toward the baby thaty emotionless in its cradle.

    Years back.

    There were two people in the world. On Earth. That were hailed as the strongest of all beings. The greatest Hero in the world, and the greatest Viin. A love story like none other

    This tale was tied to them in a way they would nevere to know.

    A child, trapped in ab.

    Those were the first of my memories. The oldest ones.

    The oldest ones that I¡­

    Eugene Hall¡­

    That I¡­.

    Yujin Han¡­

    That I¡­

    Those were the earliest memories that I held.

    I¡­

    A fake.

 Chapter 206: Chapter 202: Apate

    [T/W: Gore. Child Abuse]

    "Test Content 1: Durability. Instructing Robots Now."

    I stood in the corner of the room with an upturned gaze as the mechanical voice began speaking. The vast area devoid of any life but that child''s was only upied by some robots.''''

    The machines swerving on the ground released a w from their frame. One of them wrapped around the child''s body and raised it up.

    "Commencing Test."

    The w pulled the child back.

    I looked to the wall on my side, crossing my arms. And right then, a thwack rang out in the room.

    Sts of bloodnded on the wall. With a gurgling sound, the child slid down the wall and fell to the ground right next to me.

    I could still see the child''s face. It was quite a strange feeling.

    The face caved in from the pressure, smeared with blood from all ends.

    I didn''t think I was being affected by that other person, though.

    After all.

    There was a time when I could see too.

    The robots wheeled over the ground and another one with a white frame approached the child. Its eyes buzzed and a green ray of light emerged as it scanned the condition of the child.

    "Transferring Data."

    Sadists.

    "Test Subject Apate''s endurance and durability are esteemed to be 1.5 times that of normal Hunter children. Administering Potion."

    Reviling sadists.

    "Test Content 2: eptance and effect of magical potions on the body."

    The robot pulled out a beaker filled with a red potion and poured the contents of the beaker down on the child bleeding from every orifice.

    "Uwaaah!"

    Screams, huh? I guess things were different the very first time.

    "E-error! We''re facing an error!"

    I took in a deep breath and peeled my eyes open. My body wanted to turn away right now and stop watching, but I forced myself to.

    I forced myself to watch as the skin of the child that seemed barely a few days old started bubbling open. Like a cancerous overgrowth, the skin and the muscles expanded in all directions and started bloating up.

    "Preserving Consciousness. Engaging unit 155455. All hand on emergency measures."

    Another robot approached the child that continued bloating up to a size that now reached half my height, and immediately stabbed an injection into its head. As if lobotomizing the child, the robot tore through its skull and reached its brain.

    Even in this obviously artificial, illusionistic state, I felt the contents of my stomach rising and a deep sense of vomiting around. But I persevered.

    The child continued expandingrgely as the robots backed away, but its eyes closed down.

    And in a few seconds, the child blew up.

    The room was filled with blobs of flesh all around as its body was turned into a living bomb. Life flesh confetti, the body that had expanded rapidly was all over the ce.

    "The consciousness has been preserved in unit 155455. I hereby dere Apate 1.0 to be a failure. Cause, too receptive to healing potions."

    More robots flooded into the room as unit 155455 was forcefully called outside. The new robots started cleaning the ce at once.

    Heaving arge sigh, I sat down.

    And then the next day.

    .

    .

    .

    "Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 1.1. Unit 155455 is now transferring the data back into the test subject."

    In the cradle.

    Was an all new child.

    An all new me.

    "Hah¡­"

    I scoffed. Thus began my days of watching myself. Days I had tried my best to bury deep within.

    .

    .

    .

    "Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 1.7¡­"

    Day after day, my knees jerked.

    .

    .

    .

    Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 4.1¡­"

    In a world where science had harmonized with magic of levels unseen before.

    .

    .

    .

    Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 17.1. 3¡­"

    I rolled my body in as the days passed, and my lips dried.

    .

    .

    .

    Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 41.0¡­"

    Where magic could heal one over and over. In this secret ce funded by the worst of the world.

    .

    .

    .

    Congrattions to all researchers. Today, we shall start tests with Apate 115.9.4¡­ "

    Over and over, where they could make something from just one thing over and over.

    .

    .

    .

    Congrattions to all researchers¡­"

    "The body of the Apate 155.4.5.1  is officially deemed a sess."

    An entire year passed

    ***

    "Apate. What is 13 multiplied by 17."

    "Uh¡­  is it 221?"

    "Correct. Next¡­"

    The next phase of the test had begun.

    After the physical body was ensured, its growth inside the same was to be fixed. Thankfully, the entire year of pulling out the same consciousness and developing it had not only given them a lot of research data to fix things on the body, but also a lot of research data to develop the mind.

    And so, Apate was a natural all-star.

    With my knees pressed into my chest and my hand wrapped around it, I looked at Apate with a slight smile. Living around with only robots was quite confusing, but in just one year, not only had it picked up English, but was also pretty good with math.

    They could have embedded chips and whatnot in the body, but those would be impossible to fine-tune in all the gates and the spells that Apate was supposed to be subjected to.

    Things looked bright for the researchers as more and more time passed.

    Those researchers who had ruined many models of the body just for amusement after the stress of many failures were finally all happy.

    Their brainwashing worked well too. No empathy for any other race, no need for many emotions. They thought it was all working well, after all, they couldn''t pull out the mind again.

    "Apate, what do you think of this family picture?"

    "Nothing."

    "Do you think this child resembles you?"

    "No."

    "What do you resemble then?"

    "Nothing¡ªAck!"

    "Negative. Apate, you are a human being. You have the same rights and same duties as a human being. You must protect your creators with utmost importance, is that clear?"

    "Yes."

    "What do you resemble?"

    "I am a human being."

    "Very good, Apate. You are going to be the strongest human being."

    I felt my heart clenching at those words.

    I knew well.

    I knew very well. That this Apate too, was but a failure. From the very beginning, the consciousness these idiots had conceived was a failure.

    Though, they had another failureing right up.

    As five years passed and my eyes grew heavy.

    As five years passed and I felt a scraggly beard sticking out of my face and grime and blood surrounding my entire body as I sat in the corner.

    As five years passed, the time for the child to finally cultivate a core came.

    The failure announced itself.

    "A¡­ Apate unit 155.4.5.1¡­" The mechanical voice had lost its touch for the first time. "Is unable to sense Ki¡­ T-this unit¡­ is hereby deemed a failure¡­"

    "Hahaha¡­" A chuckle left me without knowing. "Hahaha¡­. hahaha¡­. HAHAHA! Failure, stupid fucking failure! HAHAHA!"

    That stupid child was looking around all confused.

    It made meugh even harder.

    Even harder.

    After five odd years, unit 155455 came around.

    "HAHAHA!"

    As the head of the child was cut off from its body.

    I continuedughing.

    .

    .

    .

    And then. Find your next read on §Þ??

    "Apate unit 155.4.5.2 is deemed a failure¡­"

    Every.

    "Apate unit 155.4.5.3 is deemed a failure¡­"

    Five.

    "Apate unit 155.4.5.4 is deemed a failure¡­"

    Years.

    "Apate unit 155.4.5.5¡­"

    Myughs spread through this trash ce.

    "Is deemed a failure¡­"

    "FUCK!" The sound from the speakers rang out. "I''ve been trying for twenty years!! THIS FUCKING BASTARD!"

    "Sir, sir!"

    The robots in the room haphazardly moved around.

    Was it already this time?

    The robots pulled out their ws and weapons and neared the child.

    "Fuck fuck fuck! If only you were strong! If only you could be strong you son of a bitch!"

    Over and over, the weapons and the robots swung down on the child.

    I watched without letting augh seep out as the blood and flesh spread over again.

    "Aren''t you made from the strongest people!? The fucking top hero and top viin gave their DNA to make you! T-they already have a child you fucking bastard! Why aren''t you strong? You''re useless! USELESS!"

    The weapons made not to hunt but to control now hammered down on the child.

    "If only you were strong!"

    Soon, the other researchers joined in too.

    "If only you were strong!"

    Swing.

    "If only you were strong!"

    And swing again.

    "If only you were strong!"

    Over.

    "If only you were strong!"

    And over.

    "If only you were strong!"

    "If only you were strong!"

    "If only you were strong!""If only you were strong!""If only you were strong!"

    Until the child convulsed.

    And fell limp.

    After twenty-one years, I ced my hands on the wall and lifted my body from the ground. It ached, but I had to move.

    "Hah¡­" Aughed.

    This time, though.

    Myugh wasn''t directed at the failure.

    "THIS IS THE INTERNATIONAL HUNTER ORGANISATION! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW!"

    A loud bang resounded in the room as the wall I was near copsed. Through the speakers came again the sounds of the intruders.

    "For illegal human experimentation, you are all under arrest!"

    The ursed sound of the people who had funded this very experimentation rang out.

    In no time at all, they were moving around and breaking down everything. Stealing and destroying the hundreds of other samples in the ce, the hundreds of other experiments in the ce.

    And so, they didn''t notice.

    A small robot running away with a brutally beaten-up child.

 Chapter 207: Chapter 203: Lets Go Home

    [T/W: Child Abuse, Gore]

    Unit 155455.

    I didn''t know if there was an operator behind it or if the robot worked on artificial intelligence. I never could quite tell. Even if I went up to check now, this ce was just my illusion, my memories. What I didn''t know wouldn''te true, and even if it was wrong, what I did know wouldn''t change.

    I had spent thest twenty years just around like this, but how much time had actually passed was something I wasn''t aware of.

    Slowly, I followed behind the small service robot carrying along the smaller child in its ws as the destruction of the facility behind me continued. Like falling dominoes, the ce started to copse onto itself.

    Even though my own steps were short and slow, in almost no time at all, I managed to keep up with the robot that dragged Apate through the mountain path under which the facility resided.

    The unit''s wheels weren''t made for operation on such a jagged road and its motors weren''t made to handle such speeds, but the unit continued running ahead.

    The breaking down of the facility became distant as the robot and the child moved into the trees. The forest path and its oblique faults made them both roll and tumble multiple times over.

    Even though I was having a hard time walking after sitting still for what seemed over 20 years to me, no matter how far behind I was left, I was always next to them.

    Smoke rose from the unit.

    The cursed unit started bellowing as ck haze left its burnt wheels and wisps of mes scaffolded the unit''s motors.

    And then, another rock came in the path.

    "Auh¡­"

    "BEEEP¡­"

    The robot rolled and the child fell from its grasp. Already beaten down to a grotesque degree, the child''s back smashed against the tree.

    Only the howling of the wind echoed in the ce.

    With a small, mechanic, whirl, the robot pressed its ws down on the ground and slowly lifted its frame up. The sparks inside were nigh a ze, but even then, by some miracle, it managed to move ahead.

    "Apate¡­"

    It spoke.

    My eyes widened at the robotic voice that emerged. Something stirred in my heart as this very moment flooded not just my sight but also my mind, many times over.

    Its ws nudged the child''s face.

    "Apate¡­"

    The child''s eyes fluttered open.

    "Y-you¡­"

    A zwing rang out as its camera probably failed. The motor must have stopped running and the power left its wheels.

    "You¡­ reacted¡­ to¡­ all¡­ the¡­ images¡­"

    A lump rose in my throat.

    No, in the child''s throat.

    "You¡­ are¡­ fake¡­"

    I took in a sharp breath.

    "But¡­"

    But.

    "That¡­ doesn''t¡­ matter¡­ with¡­¡ª"

    A crackle rang and sparks of electricity filled the frame of the robot. In the blink of an eye, its w fell limp and its body started burning.

    I see¡­

    I see now.

    It seemed that robot had died before it could finish speaking. But what was the point of knowing that now?

    That child. Me.

    I had already heard what was next. Whether it was in my head or whether it truly happened. What was done was done.

    I closed my eyes.

    "Strength¡­"

    The robot''s voice continued.

    "It¡­ will¡­ all¡­ be¡­ good¡­ if¡­ you¡­ are¡­ strong¡­"

    I looked at the sky.

    With a blink. It turned dark.

    And with another. It turned blue.

    Once more. And then once more.

    When I turned to my side again, the child was moving. Leaving behind the dead frame of the unit, the boy moved. His body was ragged like torn old clothes, and his breath more haggard than that of an old man on his death bed.

    Slowly but surely, the boy moved.

    Gulping down air, I followed behind. Our steps seemed to be coinciding as we walked down the mountain path.

    And before we knew it, a megacity unfolded in front of us.

    From skyscrapers that scratched the clouds to cars levitating slightly in the air. Gigantic holograms and posters disyed thetest gimmick of the biggest brands while hundreds and thousands of people looked at their watches and sses as they moved through the busy roads.

    "If only you were strong."

    Few noticed the wounded child amidst their busy lives.

    "You are fake."

    And those that did, didn''t have the time to bother with him.

    "If only you were strong."

    It was best that they didn''t.

    "Fake!"

    Since all of their words were nothing but what that child had heard.

    "Were strong."

    From the billboards to the people, from the speakers to the advertisements. Everyst one of them said the same thing.

    "FAKE!"

    The child grabbed his ears.

    "STRONGER!"

    But the sounds didn''t stop.

    "YOU ARE FAKE!"

    All the voices in the entire city merged into one.

    "IF ONLY YOU WERE STRONG!"

    As they chanted his curse over and over!

    "FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!""FAKE!" "STRONG!"

    And then.

    The boy stopped.

    For in front of him.

    Was what he had craved.

    A man and a woman, and along with them, a young childughing merrily.

    In this world where every single eye red at him, where every single mouth cursed him out.

    Only those three smiled brightly.

    The boy looked to his side. The frosty ss pane reflected his visage.

    And a soft smile spread over his lips.

    I crossed my arms and watched as the child ignored the sounds all around him and only red at the group of three, following their every move.

    For a day, and then another, and then a third, that child followed them no matter where.

    And then, he found a chance.

    Late in the evening, the young red-haired boy had left his home on an errand. With a small bag in his hands, he crossed the streets of the neighborhood. But the child was stunned not long after.

    For standing in front of him, under the dimly lit street light with his hands behind his back was a boy that looked exactly like him.

    "Uh¡­ hello?" The boy cutely muttered.

    Ah.

    There was a difference.

    The child under the streetlight, Apate, would never sound that cute and innocent.

    Waving his hands, Apate beckoned the red-haired boy over. Unsuspecting yet curious at what seemed to be like a mirror, the red-haired boy followed Apate as he was guided through the streets and behind the parks towardnd that was under construction.

    "Hey, do you want to be my friend?" The red-haired boy asked.

    "Friend¡­?"

    "Yeah!"

    Slowly, the red-haired boy neared Apate. "You look like me!"

    Apate chuckled.

    His hand hiding behind his back soared, a giant rock tight in his grip.

    And without hesitation, he brought it down on the child''s face.

    "AHH!"

    "DIE! DIE! DIE!! YOU''RE THE FAKE! YOU!!"

    Over and over, the fake swung the rock on the face of the boy. Blood dyed the rock red and flowed down the construction ground. Teeth ttered and fell off while the muffled sound of crushing bones spread through the site.

    Sts resounded.

    The fake''s breath heaved.

    The boy underneath his feet wasn''t recognizable anymore. His face had turned into a mush, a scramble of flesh, bones, and organs, none of which could ever be separated from another.

    And then, the fakeughed.

    "Haha¡­"

    Slowly, he tossed the stone aside and then pulled out the clothes of the boy. Recing them with his own one after the other, the fake donned the clothes of the boy.

    His eyes remained fixated on the blurry mess he had made out of his face.

    Slowly, he pulled the boy''s limp body and dragged it through the construction site. It was all perfect, he had learned more than he could use in thatb. He could easily handle this. He dragged the body up and tossed it into the cement churner in a single go.

    With my arms crossed, I watched.

    I watched as the child was thrown into hell where not even its flesh would be recognizable anymore. Swiftly, the fake covered the blood marks and even the stone before grabbing the bag the boy had brought.

    And with a smile, the fake left through the streets.

    His feet tapped against the ground as he slowly reached the home he had been following.

    It was twenty-four years back. When the world''s strongest hunter and the strongest viin fell in love.

    In exchange for freedom from their charges and lives of serving the world, amongst sealing their abilities and many other conditions, they gave up their blood. DNA of the two strongest beings in the world was in the hands ofbs that, with advanced genome sequencing and magical healing and reproduction, could do anything they wanted under the right conditions.

    They ignored it all, and after twenty odd years when their fame had died down, the two lovers came out to the surface of the world, living a happy peaceful life.

    They even had a child, the first of two, never knowing, that another, indistinguishable boy was made of their own blood in ab.

    Worriedly, the world''s greater viin stepped out of her home. With her abilities sealed, she was no longer any better than a simple housewife.

    "Ah, there you are!" Under the street light, she found her child on his way back home. "What took you so long¡ªMy! Did you fall somewhere?"

    "Ah¡­"

    "Oh dear, don''t worry. Let''s get you cleaned up."

    The boy saw her, but he couldn''t see her anymore.

    Instead of her face, there was only the bloodied mess that he could see. The blurry, bloodied mess of a human face.

    "Let''s go home, Yujin."

 Chapter 208: Chapter 204: Fall

    The door closed behind the mother of the child as she took him inside.

    Only I was left alone. Dirty, old, and dark under the ck of the night sky. The flickering streetlight was the only thing that was brightening me up.

    Just because someone had lived long didn''t mean they were old. They wouldn''t grow without exposure to things. Development.

    Yes.

    No¡­

    That was just an excuse.

    As I blinked my eyes, the walls of the house were reced by windows with yellow curtains always pulled down. In front of me, the child grew day after day, and so did its parents. Another year passed and they birthed another child, a daughter.

    A daughter that would eventually use both, Mana and Ki in that world. The goal that the researchers wanted.

    In between that happy, loving family, I was the only fake.

    Excuses were useless. They were as useless then as they are now.

    And I knew so.

    That child knew so.

    Instead of excuses, he developed a goal. The words that unit 155455 neverpleted. The curse that all the researchers left on me.

    That it.

    Won''t matter if I am strong.

    I wanted strength to be at the peak of everything¡­ that was a lie.

    I wanted strength for eptance. But now that I had already felt.

    Now that I had already loved.

    Would I truly have been epted even if I was strong? Would anyone ept a fake in the ce of their child? I could have beat them up, I could have forced them to always ept me, but would that have been eptance?

    Was I that stupid, that I couldn''t even realize something like that?

    I don''t think so.

    The one I wanted eptance from.

    Was myself.

    Just like every other person. Every other selfish human.

    I wanted to stop being a fake. I wanted those voices to stop.

    How utterly stupid.

    A sigh left me as I shook my head.

    Even now.

    Even now¡­

    Eugene Hall was not me. It was someone else.

    I just wanted more strength to ept myself.

    ''I am who I am?''

    What was that if not an excuse? It was just me saying I was not a fake. I never had the guts to call myself ''Yujin Han.'' I never had the guts to call myself ''Eugene Hall''

    I never had the guts to say fucking anything.

    They were just the mutterings of a fake.

    By saying I needed to be epted, I was just solidifying myself as a fake even more. No matter how much one epts it or not, the original would be the original and the fake would the fake.

    That couldn''t be changed.

    These emotions I held for Maria, Lily, Keith, and Dawn.

    These emotions I held for Albert, Sophia, Vienna¡­

    The receptionist, the master, the adventurers¡­

    Marquis Hall, Hades, Persephone, and Acheron...

    Lethe¡­

    All these emotions¡­

    They

    "WERE MINE!"

    A scream resounded in my ears as a heavy blownded on my face. My eyes cked out all at once while blood drizzled out of my nose, tainting the streets red.

    My hair fluttered above me as I lost my footing, and before I knew it, my head had hit the ground.

    An indescribable pain filled my head.

    And then, the crashing sensation came again.

    Cold, hard, a heavy blunt object hit my face. It tore through my skin and broke the bones in my nose. My lips tore and blood filled my sight.

    Again, the strike came again.

    And then again.

    With each hit my hands curved.

    A constant beeping filled my ears, and even over that,

    I could hear the bones in my skull cracking apart.

    Through my bloodied vision, I took a gasp and looked up.

    A stone.

    My head was being smashed in with a stone.

    "They were mine you fucker!! How dare you!"

    Ah¡­

    "You think you can take my body!"

    Was this how¡­

    "You think you can take my maids!? My knight! Fuck! That''s all mine! That city is mine! The hall name is mine!"

    Yujin Han felt?

    "You are not me! None of this is fucking yours!"

    That''s right¡­ even in this world. I had done nothing but take someone else''s spot.

    "It''s all fucking mine! Everything you have is mine."

    I was just a fake. All of them were supposed to belong to him¡­

    "Even that stupid veiled bitch! They''re all fucking mine!"

    Lethe¡­

    "JUST FALL HERE YOU FUCKING FAKE!"

    Fake.

    Those noises were starting again.

    From within the house that was behind us, all of the family screamed the same.

    From the skies, the night birds, the dogs, and cats on the streets, the bastard straddling me while smacking my head.

    "Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!"

    Just like back then.

    "Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!"

    All of them. My ears, my eyes, my brain, everything chanted the same words.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    No¡­

    I wasn''t¡­.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    Shut up.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    No.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    "Fake¡ªAh¡­"

    My hand moved on its own.

    I stopped the stone falling on my face. My face that had already been crunched up like dried leaves.

    I raised the other hand and punched the person sitting atop me.

    "L-let go!"

    My body raised on its own as both my hands grabbed the bloodied stone. I could feel my crumpled flesh and bones slipping off my face, but I still moved.

    "H-How¡­ what¡­ huh¡­?"

    "Shut up¡­"

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    Eugene Hall atop me slithered back.

    His hands slipped on the blood that had fallen off my face as he crawled backward until his back hit the walls.

    "S-stop¡­ d-don''te closer¡­"

    Even now.

    He called me a fake even now.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    "N-no¡­ you can''t¡­ I-I am not¡­"

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    "SHUT UPPP!!"

    My hand swung the rock and crashed it into his face.

    "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

    "Ahhh! Help! Help! I-I am sorry!"

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    I smashed the rock into his face again.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!Fake!

    Just like I had done all those years ago.

    Fake!Fake!Fake!

    All the time, while that snarky child had kept calling me a fake.

    Fake!Fake!

    Just like him, even Eugene Hall¡­

    "S-ave¡­ me¡­ we can¡­ work together¡­"

    Fake!

    He kept calling me a fake.

    "Shut up. Just shut up. Do you think I''ll lose here? I am no fake. I am no fake you son of a bitch."

    "Yes¡­ I am sorry¡­ you''re¡­ a person too¡­"

    "SHUT UP!"

    I swung the rock.

    Over and over.

    Over and over and over. No matter how much he screamed.

    No matter how much he writhed.

    This bastard who never stopped calling me a fake.

    I smashed his head in.

    Until it mixed with the ground below.

    Until his flesh and bones had all been churned into his blood.

    I kept swinging and swinging.

    But he didn''t stop calling me a fake, so I swung more.

    The walls around me copsed.

    The streets broke apart, the buildings around turned into dust, and the dark skies faded away.

    Everything, slowly, all of it disappeared.

    There was just me and the headless corpse beneath.

    Like the dawn of a morning sun, the ce was filled with an empty white.

    And atst, the sounds stopped.

    Ah¡­

    He was gone¡­

    Eugene Hall was gone¡­

    I let go of the stone in my hands and turned my gaze up¡­

    Standing there, was a red-haired boy with a slightly bruised face.

    Standing there, was me.

    He raised his hands.

    "You are a fake¡­"

    The boy''s lips curled into a wide smile.

    "But it will all be ok if you grow stronger¡­"

    "Hah¡­"

    That''s right¡­

    "hahaha¡­."

    "HAHAHAHA HAHAHAH!"

    Tears streamed down my face as I covered my bloodied head, but theugh never stopped.

    As a newborn would cry, Iughed.

    "Hahaha! Hahahaha! HAHAAA!"

    My body fell backward and I rolled on the empty floor as myughs never stopped.

    My stomach hurt but I stillughed.

    When I looked back up, the boy was gone.

    But the corpse of Eugene Hall was still there.

    Stillughing, I stood up and kicked his shoulders.

    "Just fall here, you fake? HAHAHAHA¡­"

    "This eroge won''t make me fall¡­"

    No.

    "NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME FALL!"

    .

    .

    .

    ***

    A/N: I panicked, rushed, and skipped whatever I skipped. I feel like a failure with this story now.

    Whatever, I''ll not stop updating and will keep it going.

    From the next chapter, we''ll see why I never removed the viin tag despite multiplements. Oh, and, I''ll also call this the end of the volume. tyfr

 Chapter 209: Chapter 205: Tyrant of the Library

    [A/N: Wee to Vol 4 and the turning point of the story! The start is slightly abrupt but all will make sense within the next 2-3 chapters. The events will all be revealed soon, you guys can connect the dots. You are meant to be confused here. This is all leading up to a satisfying end in 20 chapters!]

    ***

    "How long has that guy been in the library?"

    "That''s your question? Ask how long he has been doing those one handed pull-ups."

    "On the fiftieth floor!?"

    "Guys, hush! That damn Tyrant of the Library will take all your books!"

    A bunch of noises came crashing into my ears. People just couldn''t help but look around whenever they see someone doing something that goes against their values, huh? And they never hesitated to give me the most stupid nicknames either.

    "Eugy, Eugy, when are you going to find that book?" Pulling my hair as I performed the pull-ups, a tinum-blonde fairy started screaming in my ears. "Aw man, I liked it better when they were long."

    "They still are."

    "But, shoulder length isn''t that cool. You looked good with a pony-tail!"

    Really now? Well, I guess my hair just reaching my shoulder did give off a more feminine look. But my face suited it all, so who cared? Of course my face suited it all. It had to. It better.

    "Coming back! The book!"

    "For now I am going to look into more ancient scriptures, I might be close to finding out the meaning behind the sigils."

    Just as I finished those words, I flipped to thest page of the book in my hand. Sighing, I looked down from the crossbars spanning the length of the atrium that stretched up the hundred floors of the library. The shelves were lined up in circr passages quite a bit far from the center crossbar that I was currently using to perform pull-ups.

    I sighed and tossed the book away. It curved in the air andnded on a heap of books that spanned the entire height of the fiftieth floor, next to 17 more such piles.

    "Catene, go get me another."

    The chains wrapped around my hand whirred and moved over to the shelves syed over the floor. This one had quite a lot of ancient, archaic books which made it easier to sort through things.

    "Hm, I am getting a little thirsty."

    At my pointless mutterings, all the students within earshot flinched.

    One of them adjusted his sses on the forty-ninth floor.

    "I''ll get you some juice right away sir!" He shouted.

    "Oh, it''s the protruding teeth guy!"

    Poor guy had an amusing face which always earned him augh from Titania. I never even asked him to  run errands for me, but I guess school kids were just natural suckers no matter what world.

    "Scram, bring me something I like."

    "W-what do you like sir?"

    "Figure it out."

    "Uh¡ª"

    "Hey."

    The kid adjusted his sses and ran away again.

    "Man, you''re helping people out even here, huh?"

    Right then, the crossbar I was performing pull-ups on creaked loudly. When I turned to the side I saw someone approaching me with his hands stretched out on both sides, walking on the nk like a circus artist.

    "Who?"

    "Me! Albert! Who else would talk like that?!"

    "Eh¡­"

    "Don''t act disappointed you son of a bitch."

    I continued performing pull-ups as Albert walked over right next to me and sat down on the nk. The ck cat that was there jerked up and hopped right down on to my shoulder.

    "This cat of yours is pretty feisty," Albertmented.

    I gazed to my side and saw the cat making itselffortable on my shoulder. I used my free hand to scratch its cheeks.

    "What do you mean help people?"

    "That kid stopped being bothered by others since you started bothering him. Kinda like big shark small shark?"

    Was that even a thing?

    "Hey, hey, Alby boy, bring out Aine."

    "I can''t miss Titania, that takes too much energy."

    "Grow a pair then."

    "Tsk, it''s not my fault your partner is a fucking monster."

    I clicked my tongue.

    "What do you want?"

    "Nothing much," Albert shrugged. At that moment, Catene came back while holding a couple of books in its chains. Running over again and again must have bothered it. It dropped a book in my hand and left the others on the crossbar.

    Albert picked one book and started flipping through it.

    "You seem to have gone too far back in time. Do you even get all this?"

    "Etymology is more fun that I thought. I''ll learn the ancientnguages soon."

    "You have been in the library for almost a week now, that pinky teacher is getting a bit annoyed."

    I sighed at his words. That teacher named Vivian seemed to hate me quite a bit, never missing any chance to take her anger out on me.

    That said, missing sses for a week was a bit too much.

    "But well, it''s best if I don''t go in front of Luka."

    Albert crossed his legs at my words.

    "Give me a bit more, he understands its not your fault, but he''s too emotional right now." Flipping through the pages, Albert sighed and picked up the next book. "I''ll convince him soon, those two princesses and that girl too."

    "No, I don''t mind at all. I would be pretty pissed if that happened to me."

    "What the heck," Albert smirked. "You''ve gotten more mellow since that thing a month ago, huh?"

    "And you''ve grown more epting."

    "Well, if you tell me Eugene Hall was a kid in your head and both of you merged together there''s nothing I can say." Albert shrugged, mming the books down. "Guess you are both of them now. I can''t keep calling you Yujin at this point."

    "I don''t mind either, Albert."

    Albert stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

    "I am sorry you are being med here."

    "Just quit considering yourself responsible. Focus on that faction thing of yours, the moment we are a bit more sane we''ll get back to it, right?"

    "Still¡­" Albert coughed. "The suspicion would have never popped up if I morepetent."

    "I would have never been caught in that trap if I was stronger. It''s like you''re ming me too now."

    Albert gazed down at me and shook his head.

    "That wasn''t my intention."

    "I know. Just take it easy."

    "Yeah¡­"

    "And take care of that kid, it''s not an easy pill to swallow."

    "I will."

    With that, Albert waved his hands and started walking away on the nk. I ignored him and looked back at the books he had gazed through, and saw a list of more useful stuff simr to it. This analysis bastard sure waspetent.

    As I got back to performing my push ups, a sound came from below.

    "Sir! I''ve got all the juices they sell at the library!"

    That guy was back.

    For someone I was bullying, he sure was being quite amicable.

    "There''s wine, and smoothies too! I don''t what you like so¡ª"

    "Just hand me the water and give the rest to whoever wants it."

    "Ah¡­"

    "And I''ll pay you back."

    "Y-you don''t have to¡ª"

    "Shut up and ept it while I am being nice."

    A bigger bully stopping smaller bullies, huh? Well, if I was going to help someone, I''d rather do it properly. There was no need to be a bully when we could be friends.

    The boy bowed deeply and walked away with a smile. The others who had heard it too nced at me a few times, but when I gestured at them to go ahead, they dly indulged in taking what was for free.

    Catene pulled up the water for me and in some time, the mass of the library had shifted away.

    "What''s this?" A raspy voice rang out right next to my ears. I felt a soft pelt rubbing against my nape as the cat stuck out its tongue and licked my ears.

    "Quit it."

    "How shy meow~"

    Annoying.

    "Is this out of guilt? Or are you actually pretending to be kind meow?"

    "Eugy, does this bitch have to do this meow meow thing?" Titania pointed at the cat and frowned.

    "Watch it, little fairy, I am not a bitch but a cat. If I am not a cat, then what am I?"

    "Do you want me topare you to a prime minister?!"

    "That''s one obscure joke you''re cracking."

    What the hell were these guys talking about?

    I sighed and took a sip of the water.

    "Don''t think too much into it. I am just doing what I am doing for no particr reason."

    "Oh? Well, whatever meow. It''ll help the mood of the academy for sure," the cat continued purring as it spoke. "Everyone is sad since¡­"

    Since one of the students of the academy died in the tower.

    "One of the regressors died, right meow?"

 Chapter 210: Chapter 206: To be adored

    A gloomy air loomed over the residences of the princess and her old friend. Adelia, the green haired young child and, Hoya, the princess of Schwarz. Despite being two great friends that couldn''t stay separately for long hours, despite being of different purviews in almost everything, they would always let go of their walls and talk with each other.

    But now, both of them didn''t say a word.

    Watching them like this, Dawn felt a small pang in her heart. She had been sent here to watch over the regressors, and this was one strange turn of events that definitely needed her involvement amidst the regressor''s lives the most.

    A month had already passed since the beginning of the academy.

    And within that month, during the very first tower exploration assigned to the students, an unheard of incident took ce that led to a temporary ban for the students to climb or raid the Elysium tower.

    On the first raid by the first years, a student passed away.

    Dungeons were already territories that the gods that Dawn used to serve were wary of. They were different spaces, intertwined dimensions within their own dimensions. Not every human could use the kind of spatial magic it would require to escape from such ces, and that was why only beings that could use Holy energy or the most refined forms of powers could ever escape from them.

    Aether, Soul Ki, Holy or Demonic Energy¡­ and the powers of Alfheim. These refined energies would make it possible to move in and out of such a subspace.

    That was why fairies, that could use the abilities of Alfheim were tied up to humans exploring dungeons.

    "But someone still died¡­?"

    Dawn had a hard time believing it.

    In the room were the quiet princess Hoya and Adelia. Despite the light of the sun pouring in from the windows, Dawn couldn''t help but see the room as shadowy. The shadows of their eyshesnded on their faces already cast with a deep sense of gloom.

    "Hoya¡­" Adelia muttered. "Do you really think she wasn''t a regressor¡­?"

    Hoya''s eyes trembled.

    These two were too shaken up to keep the secret in front of Dawn. Having judged that this guard of hers was more than trustworthy, Hoya did not do anything but admitted the ims with silence for Dawn.

    "I¡­ don''t know¡­"

    One of them had died.

    During their expedition, the friend from a different ss that would eventually be another of the game''s protagonists lovers had died.

    The people that had somehow returned to the past after witnessing the end of the world were stumped.

    For they couldn''t even protect one of their own.

    They couldn''t even retrieve the corpse of their own.

    "It must be that Eugene Hall¡ª"

    "It''s not possible," Hoya cut down her friend with a sad face. Dawn watched the two as they spoke. "I think the theories that we never investigated must be true¡­"

    "What do you mean¡­?"

    "The seven dungeons of the Academy City¡­ you know what they said right?"

    The ce where most of the games'' events took ce.

    The Academy City and its seven dungeons, the spot with the most distorted space.

    Hoya held her breath and continued.

    "I think, they might be the gateways to the outer gods¡­"

    ''OUTER WHAT CHICK!?'' Dawn wanted to jump up right then and there and shake these kids to cough up an answer, but with all her angelic powers, she held herself in spot.

    Adelia raised her heads, and then buried her face in her arms.

    "What''s the point of thinking that now?" Her voice was tinged with pain. Even if they were not close to the person that had died, she was full of grief. "Sometimes, I wonder why we came back at all¡­"

    Unbeknownst to her, those words lit a me in Hoya and eventually in Luka as well. A me that would bring them back to their feet.

    ***

    Dawn was walking alone in the streets of the outer inds of the floating archipgo. Already rarely visited by other students, the outer inds were perfect spots to bask in solitude and go over your thoughts. Unfortunately, as soon as Autumns rolled over in the academy, all those spots would be filled with couples of the academy aiming for their next rendezvous

    As she strolled underneath the fluttering leaves of the swaying trees in the outer inds, a familiar frame entered the edge of her sight.

    A white-haired boy with locks of his hair reaching only to his shoulder, a deep scar running down his chin all the way to his chest. Wearing a simple white shirt and a white vest on top, the boy leaned against a tree with a flower in his hands.

    Not too far from him was a ck cat and floating around, a familiar fairy.

    "Dusk¡­"

    The boy dropped the flower in his hand and turned toward Dawn.

    His eyes widened slightly before spreading into a bright smile.

    A genuine, bright smile.

    A smile she had never expected this crazy bastard of a man to make, but ever since an incident happened a month ago, she was slowly growing used to his smiles that would send many hearts aflutter.

    Unfortunately for him, she wasn''t so easy.

    "Dawn, fancy seeing you here."

    "Is it? It''s more fancy seeing YOU here. Shouldn''t you be in ss?"

    With a gentle tone that didn''t betray his smile, the boy continued.

    "It''s not a ce I should be at. There are too many people hurt there."

    Hurt. Gentle.

    These words didn''t fit the image of the adventurer she had known, but for some reason, she couldn''t hate them.

    Dusk slowly approached closer and ced his hand over hers. Slowly, he ced his fingers between hers and pulled her along.

    "What?" She asked.

    "Nothing," he shrugged. "Let''s just walk."

    "Like this¡­?"

    "It won''t be the first time."

    "But in the academy¡ª"

    Smiling, Dusk tightened his hold on her hand and leaned closer to her.

    "I don''t care what others would think, do you?"

    "Back off, brat!" Dawn pushed him away, but the blush on her face wasn''t hidden. It was too unusual. Him acting like a charming snake trying to wrap itself around her, it was too much stimtion even for the casual fairy that could flirt with him for days straight.

    It was too¡­

    Sincere.

    Dusk gently pulled her along and the two started walking. With no one reaching the outer inds of the academy, it was just the breeze and them that had the moment to themselves.

    Gently tightening his grip on her hand, Dusk continued walking around Dawn. The more his hand pressed into hers, the more her cheeks flushed.

    "Dawn, how are they like?"

    "You mean the regressors?"

    "Uh hm."

    "They are shaken up," Dawn answered. "But I don''t think you need to worried much, they aren''t ming you."

    "What do you mean?" Dusk asked, looking at her.

    "It doesn''t seem like they will."

    "Dawn¡­" Dusk stopped and grabbed her other hand too. With a wry smile, he spoke. "I am a bit worried. They are still regressors. If it''s ever dangerous, you should run away from them."

    "It will be dangerous for you instead," Dawn averted her gaze, his hands were too warm.

    "If that happens, won''t you protect me?"

    Dawn now lowered her gaze.

    The gentle smile, the wave of his hair, the fluttering leaves in the back, it all made him look like an angel.

    It suited his face much more than the nasty looks he used to make before.

    Unlike before, now Dawn felt her heart fluttering at his words.

    "They think there are some outer gods in the dungeons,"

    His hands tightened.

    "You aren''t going to be med."

    Dusk puffed his cheeks and pulled her close.

    "I am not worried about that," he said. Gentle as ever, he lowered his lips near Dawn and whispered. "I just want you to be safe."

    Leaving those words, Dusk left a peck on Dawn''s cheeks.

    "Uwa! Seriously, back away!"

    Dawn pushed him aside and stepped back.

    Too much. He really was being too much for her heart.

    "Heh, someone''s shy."

    "Tsk. Bastard."

    "Haha, sorry."

    And then, after walking around for a few more hours now totally hand in hand, Dawn separated from Dusk, from Eugene Hall, and went back to her dorms.

    She felt rather happy, rather fluttery.

    It was a strange feeling.

    To be adored.

    ***

    "She''s really easy, that angel girl, meow!" A ck cat scratched its ears as it spoke.

    "Stop with the meowing, seriously! Eugy! Tell this bitch to stop!"

    "I am not a bitch but a cat, you insect."

    "Now, now, don''t fight," Eugene smiled and stopped them. "Well, she really is easy. Isn''t that endearing, Titania?"

    "I don''t know, I don''t care about angels."

    "Endearing huh? She seems more like an idiot than an angel. I am sure you can do better than that, dear Eugene."

    "Shush¡­"

    Eugene ced his arms on the cats head. He slightly lowered his fingers and scratched its neck.

    "I won''t ept insults towards Dawn now, even if it''s you¡­"

    "Dantalian."

    ***

    [A/N: 19 chaps before peak]

 Chapter 211: Chapter 207: Blame

    A tense air filled the office of the academy''s principal.

    An unprecedented event in the history of the academy. No, even the thought of that event was so absurd that the principal couldn''t help but hold his head, but it had already happened.

    Using the upgraded versions of the tools the academy had provided the adventurer guild, the principal had already sent a few of the best faculty in the academy to find clues into what had happened.

    It was dangerous, but the teachers wielded strength manifold that of the students. No matter the situation, as long as they were not crossing the seventieth floor of the Elysium Tower, there wasn''t going to be much of a problem.

    The principal stood from his seat in the dim-lit office that emitted splendor. He went past the stacks upon stacks of documents and papers before reaching into his closet.

    Inside, was green-hued stone that reached his stomach. The Terrifying Teal Tablet.

    The principal snapped his fingers and locked all the doors and windows in his office before cing his palm over the tablet.

    A sharp breath.

    He closed his eyes and focused his mana into the sigil on his hand.

    As someone who had already reached the realm of Aether and was a wizard of levels beyond any other in the world, the principal, Lushan von Bergus didn''t really need to contact his fairy for assistance.

    But these events held a deep connection with Alfheim.

    Even though he couldn''t summon his fairy to the world like a few others could, he still held the ability to converse with his fairy thanks to the Terrifying Teal Tablet.

    As the sigil on the back of his hand started shimmering with energy, a soft voice entered his ears.

    "Lushan."

    "What is the situation? Were you able to find anything?"

    "That girl''s partner was apprehended by Queen Mab and King Oberon."

    "Tsk. Is there no way find anything? The entire deal between Alfheim and the Academy is at stake here."

    "It''s tough to find out a lot, but she says that someone blocked her powers before she could take the girl out."

    "What? Is that even possible?"

    "It is¡­ if there is a much stronger fairy¡­ or if its a god."

    Lushan pursed his lips and lowered his head.

    That day¡­

    "Just what happened that day?"

    ***

    "Eugy, Eugy!"

    "Yes?"

    "I think this symbol is taken from the fairies''nguage.

    Pointing at one of the many symbols I had narrowed out from the third part of whatever the book the Marquis given me was, Titaniazily danced over the table.

    Once again, I was in the library.

    "Oh? That''s helpful, can you tell me what the letters are like in the fairies''nguage?" I said.

    "Sure! I''ll write it for you!"

    If there was any simrity it would be helpful. Since there was a rather short variety of only 70 letters in the book, thenguage seemed to be a phic one instead of ideographic one.

    If I could trace back the simrities in other oldnguages, it would be possible to find the meaning of each word, that discovery would only be aided by the sounds since almost allnguages shared the meaning of sounds.

    A sharp sound like ''ka'' or ''ki'' was more likely to be associated with more violent actions in mostnguages. This was simr.

    Perhaps irked by the fairy contributing, the cat that was waving its tail on my table suddenly stood up.

    "W-what bullshit! These words are simr to ournguages in hell as well."

    "Is that so?" I asked, stroking the cat''s, Dantalian''s back.

    "Of course. Don''t you know that I am the demon lord of all sciences and rhetoric? Figuring out anguage or two is easy as pie. I''ll help you write stuff too."

    "What the heck have you been doing for all these days then?"

    "Grooming."

    "Well, I am thankful either way." A smile left me when the cat scuttled over my shoulders and looked at the letters I had singled out from above.

    Right then, a bang sounded behind me. Following that sharp sound was the drumming of heavy footsteps.

    I looked behind and found a redhead walking over to me, his clenched fists trembling with each step.

    The boy appeared right behind me and raised his hands in anger before putting them down.

    "Eugene Hall¡­"

    I wasn''t that insensitive to not know who it was.

    Such a strong reaction, as if I had killed this person''s lover, was only possible from one person.

    "Luka."

    "Why¡­ have you been avoiding sses?" He spoke through his teeth, his anger not hidden. The same darkness I had felt from him during the entrance test flowed around him, now seeming stronger than even before.

    With a sigh, I pulled back the chair next to my table and pointed him to it. Catene immediately dashed off to fetch us some water.

    Bastard didn''t want to be involved in this conversation.

    "I have been busying myself with all this," I mentioned, pointing at the books syed over the table.

    Luka''s fists trembled even more wildly than before as he looked at them. It seemed that if his gazended on me, he wouldn''t be able to hold himself back and pounce on me right away.

    How pitiful.

    It was an intense reaction, but it made sense.

    Anyone would be like that if they lost their lover, whether he hade into contact with her in this timeline or not, his memories were strong.

    Come to think of it, he had no idea that the girl who had died, the young knight that was supposed to be one of the first heroines of the game, was also a regressor. Right, no one knew that. Not even Dawn.

    "Eugene¡­" Luka spoke again, the agony in his words clear as day to even someone like me who couldn''t judge tones. "That time¡­ were you really caught in that trap?"

    I raised my hand and gently patted Luka''s shoulders.

    I could offer him words of condolences, or maybe ask him to trust me, but none of that would be enough.

    A sincere, simple answer would do.

    "I was," I said. "I was in that trap. And you know it too, since you and Albert came to find me at its end."

    On the thirteenth floor of the tower, a week ago.

    During the first exploration assignment for the first years, Albert, Luka and I had formed a team again. We scoured through the first ten floors at a pace no one could follow and eventually reached the eleventh, twelfth, and even the thirteenth floor in the time limit assigned to us to conquer just seven.

    But, there was another group that was close by.

    A group of three from the third ss of the first years, was the other group that had crossed the first ten floors and was in a close match-up with the group led by the two Fonias twins.

    Each floor of the tower had a different kind of test aspared to Deep Down Dive which only required you to fight your way through.

    It was during such a test that I had fallen for a trap and was separated from these two.

    And during that very dive, when we came out.

    The leader of the group that had crossed the tenth floor was dead, and the two others were gravely injured without any knowledge of what had happened.

    Luka red around the ce for a bit. Then, he lowered his head and sighed.

    "Luka," I spoke.

    "What¡­?"

    "Did you ask that fairy of yours how their powers could be stopped?"

    The redhead raised his gaze and looked at me. I continued gently patting his shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.

    "H-how¡­?"

    "It should either be a stronger fairy¡­" I leaned in closer to him and whispered. "Or a god that can rival the powers of Alfheim."

    "G-god¡­?"

    "I don''t know why you are so hung up about that girl''s death."

    Luka flinched. It seemed he would get angry, so I put more strength in my palm. "I am sure it''s something more than just another student passing away. But I won''t ask you anything."

    Asking him to trust me was bad.

    "I trust you, friend," I said. "So please. Don''t do anything rash while you get to the bottom of things. Even if I can''t help you much, there is someone who has lived well over a hundred years very close to the tower near us."

    "The principal¡­"

    "He might know something."

    Luka bit his lips and nodded.

    "I am sorry," he said and stood up. "I still don''t trust you fully, Eugene."

    What was that about now?

    "But I will try."

    Without waiting to hear an answer, Luka walked away. I watched him leave, shrugged, and got back to work.

    "Wow, way to push the attention on someone," the cat waved its tail while speaking. "The principal might get pissed."

    "Not my problem," I said.

    "Say, Eugene¡­ Did we have to go for someone like that? I told you there were others who wouldn''t bring such a problem."

    "It''s fine¡­" I smiled and started flipping through the pages. "If we''re killing them all, we should start strong."

 Chapter 212: Chapter 208: Meet Cute

    "Fate stands in your way."

    ck horns.

    Dark wings like the spread of a Gargoyle.

    "It will always hinder your strength."

    The white room of memories.

    A stone in hand.

    "I¡­"

    A soft touch on my cheeks.

    A whisper of desire.

    "Can help you, if you can help me."

    The devil''s offer.

    Soul, for a soul.

    "Will you flip fate with me?"

    ***

    My eyes fluttered open.

    I immediately turned to my side and saw Titania sleeping peacefully, her hair a mess. After sighing in relief, I looked out at the window.

    Scant light flowed in, leaving a grayish look for the sky outside. When I lifted my head up, a small cat was curled over my stomach, snoring peacefully.

    I gently rubbed the head of the cat before scratching its neck as I stood up from the bed. The cat opened its eyes too.

    "You''re up early, Eugene," the cat waved its legs as it spoke.

    The room here was mine alone now, so there was no one else. Keith was sleeping just a floor below me, though, so we could count it as a shared house even though it wasn''t.

    "I usually wake up now, you just don''t sleep on me all the time."

    I loosened my grip on the cat and she fell down to the ground. Since we hade over to the Ind assigned to Albert''s new faction, we had a lot of space. It helped even more that there were only three members in the group.

    It helped even more that the facilities we had enjoyed in the previous spot and the ones that other students still enjoy can only be run on this ind with our faction''s money. It wasn''t an issue for a prince and a lord to cough up cash, but we just didn''t since earning here would be better.

    I stripped off my shirt and stretched my hand above my head. Sweating a bit would be nice.

    "You''re going on a run?" the cat asked.

    "Yup, wanna tag?"

    The cat immediately scratched my pants and climbed up by the sides all the way to my shoulders. Its pitch ck fur brushing against my skin.

    "Let me put on a shirt¡ª"

    "No thank you," she started patting my pecs with her paw. "You shouldn''t hide these muscles."

    "Fucking lech."

    "We demons are born of desire! It''s not lecherous but is as natural as breathing. Why don''t you get rid of the lower half too¡ª"

    I didn''t bother listening and pushed the door open.

    Without taking a run-up or anything of the sort, I shot off the ground. The white narrow streets and the many small Cydic buildings all around me felt fresh. With the volcanic stones bringing an insting effect into the air, the dawn breeze felt colder than it should have been.

    "Wubububub slow downnnnn¡­"

    Dantalian screamed in my ears, but I paid it no heed. I hadn''t stretched at all, so I stretched on the run.

    Perhaps because of the slow gait, my mind wandered in many directions.

    Even though the ind was enormous, only five people were here since Luka didn''t bring anyone along. Lily and Maria along with Sophia and Alec wanted to join us, but Albert shut them down without a word, saying applications weren''t open yet.

    That was fine.

    Luka would probably make his entire gang join since he was already booked here.

    Maybe even Lethe coulde over.

    "Tsk."

    It was tiring to think.

    "Hey, hey, slow down seriouslyyyy!"

    It was better to run. As fast as I could, to empty my head.

    There wasn''t a better deal than running around or doing anything else, but running was good since this ce was more like an obstacle course than a singr path.

    Thoughts I didn''t want sometimes fluttered in my mind, so I only ran faster.

    The more I sweat. The more I work. The stronger I would get.

    That was all that mattered.

    Strength.

    "Eugene, you''re leaving the ind!!"

    I didn''t pay much heed to that and kept running. In the first ce, I doubted many would be awake this early when it was impossible to distinguish if the sun had risen or if the tower was messing around. 4 AM was too early for most people anyway, though it felt a tadte to me.

    My feet soared and my body twisted. I eventually started using mana and ki to drag me down and ran with pure physical strength, making myself sweat even more and think even less.

    It was when I was running near the outer few Inds with no houses.

    "Eugene!"

    When someone entered my sight.

    Long, fluttering locks of blue like the color of the sea in sight. Wearing a tracksuit that snugly wrapped around her body and keeping her hair in a high pony tail, a person was running around while sweating profusely, using her Ki to hold herself back just like me.

    "That person¡­ is one of them¡­"

    And then, all the muddle in my mind blew away.

    "Are you sure, Dantalian?" I asked, and the cat only nodded in affirmation.

    Not bad.

    Not bad at all.

    A soft smile spread over my face as I continued running.

    That person didn''t seem to have noticed me yet.

    A professor of the academy, with long blue hair, I was already aware of who this must be. The head teacher of the swordsmanship courses, someone without any kids, unmarried.

    And now, she was one of the people I was looking for.

    Hundreds of scenarios blew past my head, and eventually, the very best option made itself clear to me.

    I increased my gait just a bit and rushed my steps. My posture broke and my pacing was a mess. Eventually, that person noticed my presence and turned her gaze behind me.

    Her head jerked as she saw me.

    But I acted as if I didn''t notice her.

    Thankfully, I had listened to Albert all those times back. Such moments, what did he call them?

    Yes, a meet-cute.

    Acting as if I hadn''t noticed her, I kept running on and¡ª

    "Woah!"

    ¡ªCrashed into her.

    The teacher took a step back but it was already toote. The step ended up stumbling her further and she fell on her back to the ground.

    "Meooow!"

    The cat jumped off my shoulder as if chiding me for using a weird tactic, but that was probably just its imagination.

    I quickly got to my feet and rushed toward her.

    My heart ran fast, but my body didn''t betray me.

    A gentle movement of my lips I was unfamiliar with. A gentle tone that I did not recognize as my own. Such actions swept out almost naturally.

    "I- I am so sorry, are you alright?" I asked, reaching my hand out to the teacher.

    "Eugene¡­ Hall?" The professor muttered.

    "Ah¡­" I scratched my cheeks. "Do you know me? I am very sorry, I didn''t notice you since I was so engrossed in running. Are you alright?"

    The professor alternated her gaze downward and then at my hand. When she looked at my face, my smile widened on its own as my eyes narrowed further.

    How would they not?

    I took in deep breaths that must have seemed as if they wereing from my exhaustion.

    My nails dug into my palm as I clenched my other hand, but my face didn''t tremble.

    The professor wasrgely surprised, but eventually took my hand and I helped her up.

    "Are you hurt by any chance? Should I take you to the doctor¡ª"

    "No, it''s alright. What is a student doing up so early?"

    "A student¡­ Ah!" I immediately bowed. "I am sorry, I didn''t realize I was talking to a professor."

    The professor stepped back and then shook her head.

    "It''s alright, you don''t have to apologize. You''re not in my sses anyway."

    I had avoided all practical sses. I didn''t think there was much to learn here.

    Of course, both Luka and Albert had taken all of them instead.

    I smiled and stood up, looking into her eyes.

    Right then, the ck cat started rubbing its cheeks on the woman''s feet.

    "Is this cat yours?" She asked.

    "Yes¡­ I was just trying to go out for a run but I couldn''t do it well."

    "Even someone who ranked second in the exams couldn''t run for long hours, huh?" She asked, her eyes skeptic.

    "There''s still a lot to learn."

    The woman nodded and then dusted her clothes.

    "Try engaging your core more as you run, and also, don''t lose your pace just because it has been long."

    As expected.

    "You are strong, but all you kids are still new at this. Go easy." The professor left those words and then turned around and dashed off. "I''ll leave you to it then," she said as she ran away.

    I watched her leave for a few seconds before the cat nestled into my legs and climbed up on my shoulders.

    "Was that fine?" Dantalian asked.

    "It was perfect," I answered.

    Stroking her back, I went back to the ind where we had settled.

    ***

    "Uwak!"

    The contents of my stomach came floating out as I leaned against the sink in my bathroom.

    Titania was still asleep, and morning still seemed an half an hour away.

    "Are you alright?" A voice came from the back.

    "I probably¡­ ran a lot¡­"

    Ran a lot.

    "Tsk, tsk¡­"

    Right then, a strange flutter of energy came from behind me.

    As I turned around, the cat was gone and two pairs of dark horns entered my sight.

    ¡ªClick.

    The bathroom door was locked.

 Chapter 213: Chapter 209: What I Desire

    "I have always been watching over you. That mask of yours is mine, after all."

    Those were the first words I heard in that empty space inside my head.

    "The spatial magic would have been troublesome, I wouldn''t have been able to do see anything if you kept me there, but I see my dear Charlotte''s ring immediately sucked me in."

    The demon of many faces.

    The ruler of all rhetoric and sciences.

    Grand Arch-Duke of Hell, and one of the strongest demons in existence despite having next to no physical prowess.

    "My name is Dantalian, and this ce within your memories was made by me."

    It wasn''t shocking.

    Nothing was shocking, not after I had just ended another spirit, and crushed it under my thumbs.

    "So? Should I kill you as well?"

    "That would be quite inconvenient. You see, that body of yours was supposed to be a vessel for me. I had made a promise with your mother."

    I remember looking down at my hands, at the stone in my hand.

    "Too bad, it''s already mine."

    "Right. And I don''t see any reason to change that," Dantalian''s hair, a dark shade of pink like the petals of a magenta fluttered slightly. "The original soul returned somehow two years back."

    The time I met Dawn.

    "You must have noticed it too, whoever you are," Dantalian''s words had continued that time like the plucking of a sweet lyre, unfortunately, her face was a mess just like all the other faces I had seen. I had no right to criticize, after all, my skull was smashed in too. "The influence of that child must have grown unbearably stronger on you."

    It had.

    So Eugene Hall¡­.

    "Indeed. He held memories of the future¡­" Dantalian now stood in front of me.

    She could tell what I was thinking, huh?

    "Ufufu, how quick to catch on." Dantalian leaned closer. "You seek strength, but that is impossible. I seek something too, but that is impossible as well."

    "Why?"

    "Fate."

    That wretched word. It was something I had crushed many times over.

    "Fate stands in our way."

    My heart was a mess and so was my mind.

    "There are others like that being who have tightened the hold of fate around our necks."

    "Get to the point. I have no time for such cryptic bullshit."

    It was then that a surprise hit me.

    "Oh! You survived, Eugy!"

    Titania.

    The fairy that had contracted with Eugene Hall returned to that same space. In that ce inside my mind.

    "Why¡­"

    "Don''t be foolish, don''t you know it too?" Titania, sitting atop my shoulder had spoken. "Why would an evil queen like me want a trash, useless bastard like that one? What I wanted was you."

    Me.

    "A murky, self-righteous, hypocrite. A fake like you holds no remorse."

    shing the brightest smile, she had spoken.

    "Isn''t trash like you perfect for me?"

    Trash¡­.

    "That''s true," Dantalian chimed in. "It''s been a long time, insect."

    "Oh my, it''s the demon bimbo!" Titania held my hair tight. "Well anyway, this bitch isn''t lying, Eugy."

    "What do you guys mean?"

    It was too confusing.

    I couldn''t understand things at all.

    "Indeed. You, whoever you are, you can''t grow stronger here since you don''t belong here."

    "That''s stupid¡ª"

    "Say, don''t you feel weaknesses piling around you? Your emotions?"

    "They are gone now."

    "But strength still won''t find you."

    It was stupid.

    "As long as you are in that body. In that self."

    As long as I was like this.

    "As long as people who are blessed with more love from the universe than you exist. People connected by fate that should stand in your way. Like that redhead, and his princesses."

    Luka, the protagonist. The love interests.

    "As long as you are who you are."

    As long as I was Eugene Hall.

    As long as I was the viin.

    "You will lose."

    The viin had to die at the end.

    "This is not a game¡­" I muttered, almost on my own.

    "I know¡­"

    I could feel Dantalian''s arms wrapping around me.

    "I want something too," she whispered. "Something I can''t get, because I am trapped in the same fate as you."

    "The same goes for me, Eugy¡­ I too, want Alfheim. But I have already failed before, because the world itself was in my way. I was even sealed away, Eugy. You already know right?"

    "What is all this¡­"

    "It is but the truth," Dantalian continued.

    "There are people who were brought back to the past, we already know, don''t we? They will stop that demon from getting her hell, they will stop me from getting my Alfheim¡­ and they will stop you from getting your strength."

    "You can try all you want, but fortune is a fickle mistress¡­ Nay, fortune is a bitch."

    "The only way to tame bitches is to fuck them over."

    "Then¡­" I said, my knees wobbling. I needed to grow strong. Strength. That was the only thing that could make me. As long as I was strong, that I killed Yujin¡­ that I killed Eugene¡­ none of it will matter.

    As long as I had strength, I can be whoever I am.

    "What do we do?"

    I asked.

    And an answer came back.

    "Kill them."

    I fell to my back.

    But those two didn''t let go.

    My sanity was already thin.

    I could fix it with strength.

    I could fix it all with strength. That''s the only answer that was in my mind.

    But what did these guys want?

    If my sanity was a spider thread, then these two were prisoners of hell.

    "We''re the same, all three of us."

    "We''re trash, thrown away by fate."

    The sinners grabbed my feet and pulled me down.

    When I opened my eyes, the white world of my memories was gone.

    All of it was reced by walls of ck.

    Walls that kept circling in, ready to choke me to death.

    Walls that had no escape. Cold walls.

    But even in that coldness, two souls hung tight to me.

    "I don''t think I need your vessel," one said.

    "As long as I have you, it would be possible," the other continued.

    Who spoke what, I couldn''t tell.

    "Tell me, Eugy. Where else would fake trash like you go?"

    "It''s natural, you can only stick with other trash."

    "But is being trash your end? It isn''t mine."

    "And I know for sure it isn''t yours either."

    Calling it the thread of a spider¡­

    How naive.

    The thread of a spider would have snapped long ago.

    But I¡­

    I was the one loosening my grip.

    I was the one letting go of the thread.

    "If it''s us together, we can defeat fate."

    This game.

    "That redhead, his lovers," both their voices merged into one as their grips around my neck tightened. "The outer gods and the ones inside."

    "I only seek to rule Hell."

    "And I want Alfheim."

    "And you¡­ want strength¡­"

    "We can help you, if you can help us."

    "Will you flip fate with us?"

    My fist loosened and my hand opened up.

    .

    .

    .

    I let go of the thread.

    Not anyone else. But I did.

    "HAHA!"

    Iughed.

    That day remained clear in my head.

    With the two demons, the two fairies wrapped around me, I held my head andughed.

    "HAHAHHA! HAHAHAAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

    Iughed.

    "HAHAHAH!"

    And thenughed some more.

    The two thought they could join in at first.

    But were left stumped.

    And then, I reached out my hands.

    My fingers grabbed both of their necks.

    "Don''t fuck with me," I said.

    My goal was nowhere around them.

    "Trash? Is that what you think I am?"

    "Kuh¡­"

    "Eugy¡­ what are you¡­"

    "Don''t pile me in the same heap as yourselves, you worthless scum."

    I wasn''t just anyone.

    It wasn''t strength I seemed.

    I didn''t want to be stronger.

    "I don''t want to be stronger at all!!!!!!"

    My voice erupted.

    The walls surrounding me caved.

    A fucking spider thread? Don''t mess with me.

    "W-what¡­ then?"

    "Whatever you desire! It will always be in your way! Fate will always be in your way!"

    Since they couldn''t shut up, I tossed them to the ground and stepped on them.

    "I am not going to be stronger."

    rity filled my mind again.

    Indeed, I was lost.

    Eugene Hall had made me lost.

    Fate? Protagonist? Games?

    I could kill them all without batting an eye.

    "Your hell. Your Alfheim. Your world and every other. I seek all of it."

    To ''grow stronger'' how foolish.

    "This fate or whatever can go suck my dick. And so can the both of you, because if you want any chance of flipping it over, you''re going to rely on me."

    I wasn''t going to follow their orders.

    I wasn''t going to follow their rules.

    If the prisoners of hell dared to scratch my feet, I would stop right there and show them who''s boss.

    Nothing could stand in my way.

    Emotions, love, none of that mattered.

    I would use anything and everything.

    For that was my duty.

    That was my responsibility...

    "What I want to be is¡­"

    It was the responsibility of¡­

    "The Strongest."

    ***

    [A/N: I decided to sacrifice a slightly neat twist of them being under Eugy instead of it being the other way around and added the exnation. I was originally going to let the events that happened after Eugy''s entire fake fiasco be in the dark, but I guess I have learned my lesson sincest time when ites to twists with personality.

    With some patience I could have handled this better, but its even better to keep things exciting and punchy?]

 Chapter 214: Chapter 210: Villain [Mild R18]

    "Uwak!"

    The contents of my stomach came floating out as I leaned against the sink in my bathroom.

    Titania was still asleep, and morning still seemed an half an hour away.

    "Are you alright?" A voice came from the back.

    "I probably¡­ ran a lot¡­"

    Ran a lot.

    "Tsk, tsk¡­"

    Right then, a strange flutter of energy came from behind me.

    As I turned around, the cat was gone and a pair of dark horns entered my sight.

    ¡ªClick.

    The bathroom door was locked.

    "We rarely get a chance like this."

    Brandishing her peachy skin in a ck dress that barely went below her waist, Dantalian took a step toward me.

    Her tiny ck wings and the sharp tail that extended out of her back fluttered as her feet cked with every step.

    "That insect will take a little longer to wake up."

    I raised my brow, my voice lowered on its own.

    "And?"

    Dantalian''s hair fluttered over me. She shifted one of her legs between mine as her hands trapped me between them. Her plump thighs grazed over mine, pushed out a step further with her fis stockings.

    "Wouldn''t you y with me?"

    "Hah."

    I immediately held her hand and pivoted on my foot. Our positions turned as I pushed her back on the bathroom walls.

    "It looks like you''ve gotten quite brazen."

    "I really like strong men," Dantalian wrapped her leg around and mine and pulled it closer. My knees dug between her thighs as her breaths fell on my lips. "Even if it was in my magic, your spirit vastly overwhelmed both mine and that insect''s. It''s not a small deal, you know?"

    "Of course it isn''t," I pushed my knees further in. Her legs spread slightly as my knees touched the walls.

    "And that time you bloodied your hands with that girl," she wrapped her arms around my neck, her heated breaths closer than ever. "It was just too splendid, how brutal. I might have gotten wet right then."

    I ran my thumb over her cheeks.

    Dantalian turned her face to bring her lips over my thumb.

    "If I am given the role of the viin¡­"

    She trapped my finger in her teeth and nibbled on my skin.

    "I might just y it well."

    "Is that why you went after that teacher we met in such a way?" Dantalian''s hands got busy as she grazed her sharp nails over my chest, tracing my muscles while ripping through the buttons of my shirt. Her other hand curved over my waist and lowered down. "To steal another heroine from that man?"

    "Hah," I scoffed. I wasn''t one to take her actions lying down. I roughly grasped her waist and ran my hand up her sultry ck dress. She squirmed in my grasp. "Steal a heroine? What use would I have of trash like that?"

    My leg raised up and my thighs rubbed into her crotch.

    "You won''t¡­ah¡­? Then, what was that act all about?"

    "What kind of viins are the best, stupid demon?"

    Dantalian moaned at my insult. She started sliding her hips, her lower lips slipping over my thighs, slow, steady but slow.

    "Viins like you?"

    I grabbed her face. My voice lowered into a whisper as I leaned into her ears.

    "Try harder."

    I said.

    The stupid demon squirmed at my slightest move. She moaned louder as her breathing grew uneven.

    "Hmm, I don''t know¡­"

    Her grinding grew faster. I could feel my thighs getting wet from her juices, what a perverted demon.

    "It''s the ones that stab you in the back."

    "Ahhn¡­" She bit her lips, her hips moved faster. "Isn''t that why you''re acting all nice and gentle?"

    "Oh, but is stabbing someone in the back once enough fun for you?"

    "You devil."

    I leaned closer toward her. Her bulging breasts pressed against my chest.

    "I have one that can''t go against my orders, but there''s someone else who canmand that bitch."

    The one-eyed princess wasn''t fun enough. And anyway, I couldn''t move her as I wanted.

    There was no one better than someone who would usually be a pir of support in the story. The reliable adult betraying the main character was a staple of such stories.

    Since I was assigned as the viin of this shitty world.

    I should get it to the bad end.

    "You want to get that woman to your side and have them turn?"

    "How fun would it be to see them realize their bonds were but fakes?"

    Dantalian''s grip tightened.

    "It would be marvelous. I can imagine it already."

    "Fake, fake, heroes and their stupid fake story."

    I lowered myself too. Our lips were nigh but touching.

    "Did I mention, I love a strong man?"

    "You did."

    "But I love a devious man a bit more."

    My other hand ran over her sides and towards her chest.

    And then, our lips met.

    Dantalian''s saliva was like the sweetest of honey as it seeped into me. Our tongues entangled as sloppy smooches rang out. Her tongue rolled over mine as mine did over hers. Like a true demoness, every move of her long tongue was enough to make any man sumb to her charms. Her chest perked as the nipples dug into my chest.

    I moved my legs and pushed into her crotch, rubbing her pleasurably as our tongues continued entwining. As if we were thest two people in the world, we kissed the most pleasurable of kisses.

    Her crotch was wet to the point that my thighs werepletely soaked, but she didn''t stop grinding her hips. Her heat spread into me through her every breath into my mouth.

    I slowly opened my eyes.

    And I saw.

    I saw her face.

    Her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed, her sharp yet gentle features, mature yet seductive, angelic, yet befitting a demon.

    As if a pail of cold water had been dropped onto my head, all the heat was swept away and my mind cooled down at once.

    My heart slowed down and my grip loosened.

    I slowly tried to pull back, but the demon didn''t stop.

    She yanked me closer and spread her disgusting tongue over my lips.

    "Enough."

    I held her shoulders and pushed her away.

    "Haah¡­ why¡­?"

    As I tightened my hold on her shoulders, the demon winced in pain and let go of me. She stood on her feet, wobbling slightly as I moved back.

    Without waiting for a second, I turned on the faucet and sshed some water on my face.

    "Why¡­?"

    "Shut up, bitch."

    I washed my mouth over and over. Dantalian''s sighs from the side slowly shortened before a cold air swept through the ce.

    "Why are you doing this?" She asked.

    I snapped her and grabbed her cors. When I looked at her again, her face was once more a blur.

    Better.

    Much better.

    "I do what I want to. You don''t get to question me."

    "We help each other, that''s the deal."

    "Oh yeah? Then try taking Hell by yourself. If you escape my clutches alive, that is."

    Dantalian tried to push me away, but she couldn''t. The strong archduke held next to no physical prowess, but every move she made was like the web of a spider.

    One misstep and you''ll be caught.

    She wasn''t a friend, but an enemy.

    An enemy I couldn''t trust.

    "You are only half a man."

    I pressed my knee over her crotch again and an evil grin spread through my face. "You''re still wet. Don''t kid yourself, bitch."

    Trash that wasn''t even worth my anger.

    That was all that was around me.

    The people I had connected to weren''t my connections.

    And the ones that seemed to be here for me were my enemies.

    That was the truth. That was the only fact in this ce.

    I was only surrounded by enemies.

    "I called you a bitch, but I didn''t think you''ll really be one and go in heat. For this one, you call half a man, at that."

    I yanked her away and she mmed into the wall again, a loud thud following.

    "Pleasure yourself if you can''t handle it. And when youe out you better put on your best manners and not cross me."

    As long as these two needed me.

    I was the one in power.

    And they were going to need me forever.

    "You damn¡­"

    It seemed immature for someone I praised as a smartass, but I couldn''t underestimate her to save my life.

    Another loud click sounded as I opened the bathroom door.

    "Fucking viin."

    I stopped.

    A smirk spread over my face as I opened the door and stepped out.

    My hands in the air, I waved at her while leaving.

    "That''s exactly what I am."

    A viin.

    That was me.

    A viin.

    Surrounded by enemies.

    Nay, these guys weren''t lying.

    The world itself was our enemy.

    But unlike them.

    It would have fine if it was just them, but this time¡­

    The world made enemies of the wrong person.

    As a viin, didn''t it make sense to destroy everything?

    ***

    [A/N: This is all leading up to something. Twelve more chaps, just twelve more~]

 Chapter 215: Chapter 211: Recruit Them Pawns

    Pawns.

    Sitting on the chair in my room with a cup of tea in my hand and the cat at my feet, I thought of what was toe next.

    Things were simple. I wanted to grow stronger. To grow stronger, I would need to get rid of Luka and his entourage, but as long as I was still not strong enough to do it openly, I would have to do it secretly.

    In all honesty, this all worked in my favor, I always wanted to fight someone strong like a protagonist anyway. But before that, there was a need to nurture scapegoats.

    I wanted to speed things up. Leaving them for the end would only be stupid, one after another, I needed to get them all down, and for that, I needed pawns.

    "Should we scout some talents from the academy?"

    "Hm? What for?" Titania asked.

    "Early recruitment? Can''t we use some people to push the me on?"

    Titania hummed and so did Dantalian. I didn''t think the stupid demon would be normal after I hadshed out at her, but it seems she took my warning to heart and put on her best behavior after all.

    "But where will we even find such people?" Titania muttered. "Someone with malice and someone strong¡­"

    "The malice part is unimportant, stupid insect."

    "What was that, demon bitch?"

    "We can impart hate on them, isn''t that correct, Eugene?"

    I nodded at Dantalian''s words.

    "I''d also like a secret base."

    "Aren''t you too gung-ho about this?"

    "Think of it, Titania, how satisfying would it feel to say ''kuku, you managed to beat my four heavenly demons, but I am stronger than all of thembined!''"

    "Damned demon lord! Kill me, kuh!"

    "Mwahaha, ept your fate!"

    "What are you guys even up to?"

    The demon wasn''t very understanding, huh?

    I sipped down the tea at once and stood up. This seemed like a fun thing to go with in the background. I already had a lot on my te with trying to figure out thenguage, finding the other books, and killing those fools, some fun wouldn''t hurt.

    "We''re going scouting already?" Titania asked.

    "Bet we are."

    I could attend the sses today after the encounter with Luka. He has probably calmed down and won''t be avoiding me until I make do with another of his cronies.

    "Demon, do you think there''s a way to figure out people''s strengths?"

    "Strengths¡­ Can''t the insect do it with that system thing and what not?"

    "It''s just a means ofmunication, it''s not really a system you know?"

    "So you''re useless."

    "I''ll kill you stupid cat."

    I sighed.

    "Useless runts."

    The two stopped in their tracks and turned to face me. Then, they looked at each other again and had a short stare-off before saying.

    "We can do it if we work together."

    I raised my brow. Look at this, they get along just well with a little provocation.

    "What can you do?"

    "Demons have authorities, you see. It''s a level higher than normal magic spells or your Ki arts."

    "Go on."

    "To put it simply, we can pull something off as naturally as breathing. It takes exertion from our very essence, but we are able to manipte things on a level no one else can. Bm''s authority let him manipte causality to a small level. If you punched him, he could make it so you didn''t. If you pped him, he could make it so you didn''t.

    If you tied him up, stripped him naked and sold his pictures to the town as ckmail, he could make it so you didn''t."

    Oddly specific.

    "Simr to that, my authority lets me ess the state of all beings, perception, similitude, it is all under me. That mask you have has a chip of my horns in it."

    "Hm¡­"

    "So if I analyze the state of people around, and feed it to the insect, she can manipte it in the same way other fairies manipte things to disy your stats."

    "There''s no way for you to interpret, and there''s no way for Titania to retrieve the information. You guys actually make a good tag team?"

    The two frowned deeply at my words. It seemed they really weren''t fond of each other.

    Shrugging, I decided to leave them be for now and moved over to the mirror.

    "Use it on me."

    "Now?" Dantalian asked.

    "Yes, now."

    I didn''t feel a thing as Dantalian closed her eyes, the next thing I knew, Titania was emitting some kind of strange light.

    And then, in front of my eyes, a translucent blue window only I could see popped up.

    [Name: Eugene Hall???

    Title: ?????? ????? ???? ?????

    Disposition: ????

    Thoughts: These guys are absolutely fucking useless, how can I find someone good by knowing what kind of tea they like?

    Likes: Strength. Lethe. ???.

    Dislikes: The entire world.

    Potential: ???]

    "What the fuck is this?" I asked.

    I was originally shocked at seeing the thoughts that perfectly encapsted my mind. But seeing the likes and dislikes pissed me off to no end.

    "It''s buggy."

    "Uh¡­"

    "It is. Shut up and stop using it, now."

    The translucent window disappeared from my sight and eventually I took in a deep breath. It was definitely buggy, who could be more in touch with my thoughts and emotions other than myself? I even had proof in the form of all the question marks.

    "I thought you could pull something good?"

    "Sorry, I am just a demon lord of love, deception and rhetoric, this is more useful to me." Dantalian tried to smack her head in her cat form, but that only looked more annoying.

    "Should we give up?"

    "No¡­" I muttered. "I can still use this."

    Potential, huh?

    That should tell me more than enough.

    "Before that, one more test."

    I quickly changed into my academy uniform with the zer and the tie, picked up my bag, and strutted down the stairs to the floor below where my loyal knight was crashing.

    I knocked on Keith''s doors and forced him to open it up.

    "Ah¡­ young master?"

    "Sup."

    "Are you finally going back to sses? Would you mind picking me breakfast when youe back?"

    "Who is supposed to be whose aide here?"

    The window popped open in front of my eyes once again and Keith''s information was revealed.

    [Name: Keith ¡ª

    Title: Prodigy, Hero Party Destroyer, Fabled Adventurer, Youngest Sword Master

    Disposition: Chaotic Neutral

    Thoughts: Hungry hungry hungryyyyyyyyyyy¡­ chickennnn

    Likes: Brothels, Young Master fam! Apollon. Swords. All of Hall''s progeny.

    Dislikes: Tiresome things.

    Potential: Godly]

    Woah.

    This guy was a hack!

    Should I just convert Keith over to my direction?

    "What is the matter young master? You listening? What are you lost with?"

    "Nothing important. Fix yourself up, I am going. Ask the Dark Moon bastards around these parts to find me a dark cave or something."

    "Oh? Are you nning to create a viin''sir?"

    "I am."

    "Heh?"

    With that, I walked away.

    Interesting.

    Godly potential sounded very amusing indeed.

    If this was the case then I could indeed find some people. Keith served as a greatparison as well since few could im to be as strong as him even if they had five entire lifetimes.

    "This is good," I said as I moved away from the Ind and toward the bridges.

    I noticed Albert''s aide in between, who was a butler his father had sent along. Apparently he was a cherished being in all of Pinot and even the generals hailed his name, so his father was fighting to have an entire battalion sent to him. How amusing.

    "Keep using it on whoever catches your eye." I muttered to my two partners. "It would be interesting to see what kind of people are around."

    What was a better time to find this stuff except a morning time when all students moved to the school?

    It was a perfect set up!

    On my way to the ss, many windows opened in front of my eyes.

    [Name: Ordi Nary

    Title: Superbly Mediocre

    Disposition: Mediocre

    Thoughts: You can''t stop me terrorists, I will save everyone in this academy!

    Likes: Superhero stories, stories, actions.

    Dislikes: Cool guys

    Potential: Ordinary]

    Talk about ordinary!

    How amusing was this? I looked to my side and red at another student that had a mohawk and was wearing biking gloves. Eh? This was the same school right? Why were his sleeves ripped? Is this what true delinquency is?

    [Name: Seeck Mohawk!

    Title: Delinquent A

    Disposition: Lawful Good

    Thoughts: My, those girls are so cute!

    Likes: Mohawks, Bikes???

    Dislikes: Mohawk haters, people who are rude to others

    Potential: Pretty neat]

    GAP MOE!?

    "Next, I don''t even want to look at this guy."

    [Name: Lancer Mancer!

    Title: None

    Disposition: Lawful Good

    Thoughts: Lances man,

    Likes: Lances, men

    Dislikes: Women

    Potential: Manly]

    Chapter Explore:

    [Name: Ms. Girl!

    Title:  Girl!?

    Disposition: Chaotic Evil

    Thoughts: Suck it, there actually ARE women on this forum!

    Likes: Procrastination, memes?

    Dislikes: Mods

    Potential: Sucks]

    [Name: Jimmy Ferris!

    Title:  Agares'' Worshipper.

    Disposition: Lawful Evil]

    Oh?

    Now, now, what was this?

 Chapter 216: Chapter 212: In the Classroom

    Agares'' worshippers. Interesting. I racked my brain around and remembered something about that being one of the starting points that Albert had told me when I was still wearing the mask of Yujin.

    I ignored the other students for now and moved to my ss.

    "Are you troubled? Agares¡­ I didn''t think another demon would be spreading its web here." Titania asked. Since no one around could hear or see her, it was convenient to talk with her. In a low whisper, I answered.

    "We''ll see. This requires looking into."

    "You are going to? Sounds tiresome."

    It was.

    It was tiresome, but I had other ns in mind.

    We soon made the turn to the first floor and I moved toward my ss. The crowd around started to dwindle and only one or two more people headed with me to thest of the ginormous ssrooms that housed the students of ss A.

    I swung open the doors and stepped inside. All the raised benches that were scarcely filled became silent as their attentions turned toward me.

    I had been skipping ss sincest week after the incident in the tower, it was normal.

    Wearing a smile that I couldn''t get used to but also couldn''t abandon, I walked up the seats. Halfway through, a hand grabbed me.

    "Lord Eugene."

    "Ah, Lady Sophia," I answered with a bright smile, tilting my head to the side until a lock of my hair fell over my eyes. "How have you been?"

    "Eh¡­ uh¡­ I-i''ve been alright, and you?"

    "Woah, young master you really need to lose that creepy smile."

    I puffed my cheeks and kneaded the top of Lily''s head with my fist.

    "Aaah, no! Stop! Stoppp!"

    Of course, at her cries, I didn''t stop.

    "Uu, it''s not fair. How do you feel kneading ady, huh? I can''t get married now."

    "What does that have to do with anything?" Sophia quipped.

    "You, ady?" I chimed in.

    "Aah! Young Master, you''re always the worst!"

    I shed her a brighter smile than before which seemed to have irked her yet once more. Ignoring Lily, I waved at Sophia before walking further back. The one-eyed bitch and her two goons stared at me, all of them with an air of depression about them, though Princess Hoya did give me a wave and I waved back.

    They didn''t really have any rtionship with that girl in this world, unfortunately, their sorrow was going to have to be kept locked up tight andfy in the closet called their hearts.

    When I finally went to the end of the ssroom, the usual two buffoons were already sitting there patiently.

    "You''re here."

    "Been a while, Eugene¡­"

    I smiled at Albert and Luka.

    "It has, you two been good?"

    Luka gave me a grim nod while Albert tilted his head, I guess he meant to say that Luka was still not up to the groove. That''s just better for me.

    I sat down and soon, the door swung open. For now, I had to wait till sses ended.

    The first of themon sses was ''Monster Biology, Analysis of different monsters known to man and how to beat them all.'' Snappy names worked well I guess, but I did wish they would bother with that for sses that weren''tpulsory.

    The lecture was quite boring for me who had already been an adventurer, same was the case with Albert who could find out the monster''s ancestry and which of its ancestors cheated on which other from just a nce, and also for Luka who had already taken all these sses before¡ªNyep.

    He was paying attention.

    He was even scrambling to make notes. Was this guy the dumb protagonist type of character? I didn''t think that was the case at all. But to be fair, I hadn''t looked at others like this for a month now.

    "And so, to defeat Behemoths, you must attack their heels. Topple them over and focus on eyes and mouth, that is the best way to take one down."

    Boring.

    I hadn''t had the opportunity to fight a behemoth yet, but I had studied more than enough on those special monsters under the guidance of the Branch Manager.

    "Psst, look into the other students a bit."

    Titania sighed at my whisper and turned around. The other two couldn''t summon their fairies all the time, but they could still see mine. They didn''t seem to be suspicious at all, though.

    Mewling in my bag, Dantalian gently peeked out of the chains and gazed at the other students and different windows started popping up in front of my eyes again.

    Agares'' Worshipper. It would be even more interesting if someone like that pops up in this ss.

    [Name: Lily

    Title:  Grand Lord of Apollon. Regent Supreme

    Disposition: Chaotic Neutral

    Thoughts: I should study economics instead, that''ll help Apollon more than this bullshit.

    Likes: Young Master, Young Master, Young Master, Young Master, Cream Puffs

    Dislikes: Luka, Albert, Young Master''s girlfriend

    Potential: Godly]

    Woah.

    Wait why!? Why is SHE the grand lord and I just a lord? Huh? Biased much, Dantalian? Also, what in the world was up with so many of the same likes, that was scary.

    When I red at Dantalian for her bias, she quickly turned her head away and looked at the next person.

    [Name: Meryl Fonias

    Title: 12 Zodiacs. Death of Fonias Twins

    Disposition: Lawful Neutral

    Thoughts: Is a fish and a duck a dish or a fuck?

    Likes: Marcin Fonias, Fonias Fief, Battles to death

    Dislikes: Wimps, Eugene Hall,

    Potential: Chocte Fondue]

    Just pick a fucking scale for your potential goddamnit! What is Chocte Fondue even supposed to describe?

    I red at the two again, and they started moving around.

    One student, another, all losers though with seemingly great potential fitting for the ss. I wanted to point at a certain one, but bringing cats to the ssroom was, in fact, against the rules.

    I didn''t know when the sses changed since I was engrossed in ying the straight man, and the next popped up in front of me.

    [Name: Irina Lester

    Title: Professor of Field Battles, Monster Teacher, Flower of Kingdom of Sages, Former Zodiac

    Disposition: Lawful Good

    Thoughts: Goddamned Eugene Hall is staring at me again. I thought he had calmed down over the month but do such lecherous children never learn? I should punish him this time for sure. But his gaze is very gentle¡­ but what if¡­?

    Likes: Battles. More Battles. Her students.

    Dislikes: Perverts

    Potential: Mostly utilized :/]

    What did you mean utilized? Seriously, just pick a scale.

    Before that. Why was her perception of me so skewed? Lecherous? That wasn''t fair at all, what a bitch. Well ok, maybe I did make somements about her and never returned with an exnation which made her think I was just acting out, but it''s still not fair.

    I turned my gaze away and patted the cat''s head, asking her to cut it out.

    Irina or whatever started her ss, but I couldn''t shake off the feeling of her gaze piercing me every now and then.

    That said, field battles, monster teacher¡­

    Could this person be strong?

    It would be worth it to test her out sometime. I could probably use her for my biddings. Making a mental note, I ced my head on my chin and listened to the ss.

    It wasn''t bad, and even Albert seemed to be learning something, but I had much more experience with monsters and dungeons than anyone here which made it pretty useless for me. This was also thest of thepulsory sses.

    I ended up closing my eyes for just a second and the next thing I knew.

    "Eugene Hall. Please meet me after academy hours today in my office."

    "Huh?"

    "Do you think my ss is a ce for you to sleep? I also have other quips like why you haven''t beening to ss at all since I am your homeroom teacher."

    God damn it. This was why I didn''t want to go back to a school.

    "Whatever you say, teach."

    Since I was going to be punished anyway, though. I decided to sleep out the entire ss. I couldn''t really sleep but it served well to annoy her, I eventually heard her fuming but ignored it, and atst, the bell rang signaling a break before the start of electives.

    "Eugene Hall. You bettere to my office if you care about yourself."

    Leaving those words, the petty teacher left.

    I got up from my seat and stretched around. I looked at Albert to see if he would stop me or anything, but the guy was pushing Luka to get up.

    "You guys alright?"

    "Not at all. Mondays suck dude."

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Our elective. Swordsmanship. It''s the worst. Luka get the fuck up."

    Ah¡­ that professor¡­

    "Cominging, see ya around, Eugene. d to see you back here."

    Luka had been tamed to a great degree too, huh. I could only blink as half of them disappeared. Amongst the other half, it seemed the Fonias twins offered me a few res before leaving.

    Sophia and Lily were set to study some management, so they were good. After chatting with them for a little, I finally pulled out Dantalian from the bag, ced her on my head, and set off.

    "Find that follower bitch."

    "Yes boss!"

    Weaving past the crowds of students moving to different sses and other ces, I peeked into each and every ss. And then, at one¡ª

    "Eugene, there!"

    There he was.

    "Seeck Mohawk¡­"

    "Not him! Next to him, that''s the follower guy." Chapter Continue:

    "Oh."

 Chapter 217: Chapter 213: Recruitment

    Next to the guy with the sickest mohawk known to man was a charming youth emanating charisma with his every move. He waved and talked to his fellow students as he slowly wrapped things up lifted his bag. The window opened up again in front of me and I confirmed once more that this was the person I was looking for.

    [Name: Jimmy Ferris

    Title: Agares'' Worshipper

    Disposition: Lawful Evil

    Thoughts: Careful, Jimmy, careful. Grandpa said trust no one, always be good.

    Likes: Grandpa

    Dislikes: Illness, People

    Potential: SSR]

    Nothing that out of the ordinary except his title. He likes his grandpa and has been worshipping demons, there''s also illness in his dislikes. It won''t take a genius to connect the dots.

    I leaned back and saw him move away and toward the door. When he saw me, he stopped in his tracks. And so did all the other students of ss C.

    I cocked my brow.

    "It''s the tyrant of the library!"

    "The one who treated everyone, why do you guys call him a tyrant? Isn''t he good."

    "What''s goodness worth if he hogs all the books?"

    "Isn''t he also the one who ranked second in the exams? He''s real hot. Should I shoot my shot."

    "You swing that way?"

    I guess I couldn''t outlive whispers. Not like I disliked the attention, whoever it came from.

    Keeping up the act of the seemingly perfect student to the end, the fishiest dude in ss spoke out to me.

    "Uh, aren''t you Eugene Hall from ss A? Did you need something from our ss?"

    "I am here to meet someone," I said with a smile. They naturally lowered their vignce at my friendliness.

    "Ah, do you want me to call them out?"

    "No," I shook my head and took a step ahead. And then another, as I passed by the guy and stopped in front of the a desk at the front of the ss.

    "Uh¡­ me?"

    "Yes, you. Aren''t you Seeck Mohawk?"

    "HAH!?" Titania burst out from the sides. "Aren''t you pushing this gag too far?"

    Not at all, my stupid darling fairy!

    "S-seeck, mohawk¡­ that''s me?"

    "Oh my god, is he really talking to that bully?"

    "Is it because he''s a tyrant? He''s recruiting his soldiers."

    "No way, mohawk must have gotten on his nerves. He looks more like the type that smiles while killing people."

    Was that my impression with short hair? Even though I was tall?

    "You, follow along."

    "M-me? Is this bullying?"

    "No way," I shook my head. "I just want to have a chat."

    "He''s totally bullying him!"

    "Should we call a teacher?"

    "And who''ll help another bully? I say he had iting."

    "Oh, has that guy been bothering you?"

    "Uh, no. Rather mohawk is pretty kind."

    Oh so now this bastard had a better image than I did. Should I actually go ahead and bully him after all?

    Seeck Mohawk lowered his head and walked along with me. Jimmy was still at the door, so I shed him another smile and took Mohawk along.

    I wrapped my hand around his shoulder and pulled him down. Mohawk started sweating.

    It seemed that incident with the principal at the entrance ceremony had dragged my reputation to the mud. No worries, I was already working to restore it.

    As they say, a tower can''t be built in a day, but it can be brought to the ground with a single wrecking ball.

    "So¡­ how may I help you, Eugene Hall?"

    "I have one sick mohawk, Seeck Mohawk."

    "T-thanks¡­ I get it a lot."

    "Any particr reason for a mohawk?"

    "I like them a lot¡­"

    I nodded as we descended the stairs.

    "You really are bullying him."

    "Meo."

    No idiots.

    This guy.

    His potential was ''pretty neat.'' The scale was wonky as fuck, but I believed in the power of Mohawks.

    "Seeck, is there someone you really like in the academy? Or something you want to achieve or protect?"

    "BAD START EUGY!"

    "Meeeo!"

    True to their word, Seeck was trembling like shit.

    "Answer me."

    I didn''t really care though.

    "N-not really¡­"

    Naive, naive mohawk.

    "Not even that cute girl you never learned the name?

    [Thoughts: That cute girl I never learned the name of! What if this tyrant guy goes after her?]

    As I was now, I didn''t need answers. Just questions sufficed.

    Seeck Mohawk stood upright as if a current passed through him.

    All of a sudden, he took a deep breath. With my arm still wrapped around his shoulders, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a¡­

    ¡­foldableb. The neat kind old people used.

    Seeck Mohawk took in a deep breath and started brushing his mohawk up straight. Stumped by the suddenness, I couldn''t even react.

    With his mohawk pulled straight once more, Seeck red at me and grabbed my arm.

    "You can do whatever you want to me, but I won''t let you hurt others¡ª"

    I sighed and shook my head.

    "There''s someone else you need to worry about."

    "What?"

    "Someone else. You may not know it, Seeck, but I am the guy who was recently awarded the heroes title from the Atrius Empire."

    "Haha!"

    Seeck gasped.

    I snapped my fingers and the adventurer card popped out in my hands. I tossed the tinum built card to him like it was just a piece of chocte. Seeck Mohawk fumbled it in the air for a few seconds before grabbing it in his hands.

    His hands trembled as he read the card¡­

    "Y-y-you are that adventurer¡­ dusk?"

    I nodded.

    "The very dusk?"

    "In the flesh."

    Mohawk dropped to his knees and grabbed my feet.

    "Please let me go, I have a family."

    FUCK.

    This was worse!

    "No look,"

    "PLEASE!"

    "Ouch ouch! Your mohawk''s stabbing me! What is it even made of?"

    "I''ll change myst name!"

    "That''s not what I meant you door."

    "Please let me go."

    "I have not grabbed you. You have grabbed me."

    "Please!"

    "OUCH!"

    With no other choice, I kicked the dolt''s head and he finally calmed down. In the staircase of the academy building that was now void of people going to and fro with the start of the time for electives nigh, no one else was around.

    "Do you know why I was awarded that title, Mohawk?"

    "F-for bullying a demon alone?"

    "That''s a weird word choice but you get the gist of it."

    I sighed and patted Mohawk''s shoulders.

    "I am looking for another of those demons here."

    "DEMONS?! HERE¡ª¡ªUMF!"

    I grabbed the bastard''s mouth with one hand and shushed him with the other.

    "Quiet."

    "Umf, ummf!" The bastard nodded.

    I sighed and let go of him.

    "Be silent."

    "W-why are you telling me all this¡ª"

    "Because I need you."

    I didn''t really, but I would be lying if I said I wasn''t interested.

    "Need, me?"

    I nodded.

    "I know you have a strong sense of justice, Seeck Mohawk. And you also look like the picture perfect goon. Are you sure you weren''t pulled out of a toddler''s drawings?"

    "You are the demon!"

    "Shush it. Anyway, I need you and your sense of justice."

    The sense of justice, that I had zero use of.

    "My sense of justice¡­?"

    "There''s a lot more to it. It''s dangerous as well. I have a few other people who could help us." That was a lie. "But, you''re the one I need the most to bring this demon down."

    "How can I¡­?"

    "Do you want to protect that girl? No, do you want to protect everyone in this school? If you refuse, I won''t me you. No one can me you. But know that you can prevent a bloodbath. Dozens and dozens of possible deaths."

    "Ah¡­" Mohawk lowered his mohawk, stabbing me in the eyes. My forehead twitched, but I didn''t react. Important moment and all. "I can''t stand¡­ watching others get hurt¡­"

    "Then," I stretched my hand. "Help me."

    "How¡­?"

    "Jimmy Ferris, the guy in your ss. He is likely a demon worshipper."

    Mohawk''s eyes widened.

    "You, join him."

    "J-join him¡­?"

    Join him and report everything to me.

    "We must prevent his summoning."

    The second-ranked demon and the duke of hell. The one who brings earthquakes, stops people who wish to run and retrieves those that have ran.

    "And only you can help. You are perfect to y the spy."

    And also the one who teachesnguages.

    I am going to bring this guy out.

    And have him interpret the book for me.

    "I can stop a demon¡­"

    Oh and, I can also kill whichever girl he likes if his potential is good and bring this mohawk to my side.

    "I''ll help¡­"

    A smile spread through my face.

    Demon ve. This grand final boss ising for you.

    My arms are going to be wide, wide open.

    Mohawk grabbed my hands.

    And I tightened my grips.

    "I''ll help you stop the demon."

    You''ll help me bring the demon.

    I nodded. "Let''s save this school, together, Mohawk."

    Let''s end it.

    Let''s end it all.

 Chapter 218: Chapter 214: Breakthrough!

    Agares was a demon of many things, butnguage was one of its abilities.

    "Isn''t that right? Dantalian?" I nudged the cat with my foot as I made my way to the library. The elective sses I had chosen were mostly all theoretical sses, magic and energy research, dungeon research, archeology and artifact sciences. I needn''t go for any of those.

    "Agares is a tough cookie, I say. I doubt you''re strong enough to defeat him already."

    "Is it?"

    "Yup, he''s a demon controlling arge part of hell and the personal servant of Grand Treasurer Lucifuge, he''s tricky. But yeah, he can tell you all about anynguage in all of the world, that''s his authority."

    "Eh, I thought you were going to find that yourself?" Titania muttered.

    "I will, I will. What do you think I am going to the library for? But if it''s faster to bring that demon out and get him to teach me thenguage why shouldn''t I?"

    I soon found myself in front of the library.

    A quiet spread through all the floors in sight as I stepped in.

    "Hide your books!"

    "Ah! He''s here again! The story of the knight and the dame just released... But I don''t mind giving him the book, he did treat us."

    "Which fucker said he gave up? The tyrant is back."

    Now, now, I guess my image sure was on an upward trend. Not that it mattered. I ignored all the voices and jumped up the stairs. I had to tread through fifty floors, though, so instead of walking up, I started going on a one-finger handstand.

    Gasps rang out as I passed the students walking on both feet with a single finger. Not long after, a stout student came around me and started mumbling at a rapid pace.

    "My lord, you''re here. Should I bring you some wine, or maybe some sandwiches?"

    It was the kid I was apparently bullying.

    "You''re here again? Don''t you have a ss to attend?"

    "Uh¡­ I have taken literary research as my elective¡­"

    "Fair."

    I for one had no use of the library after finding the books and deciphering them, so I chose other electives.

    The boy followed me up to the fiftieth floor without a word ofint. Since I was already doing a one-finger handstand, I decided to continue it as I moved toward my personal pile of books. We had to leave a note on top to not move this, and the librarian would leave those books alone.

    To think that single old man was maintaining all hundred floors was quite something.

    "Carry those books, Catene."

    The chains stripped off of my arm and rushed to bring the books over to me. I nestled myself in a corner, ced the book below my face on the ground, and started performing some push-ups as I read.

    Catene flipped the page every fifteen seconds for me, just as I had trained it to.

    As I was reading through, a head appeared near the book.

    "My lord."

    "Just call me Eugene, please."

    "My Lord Eugene¡­"

    "Whatever man."

    "Uh¡­" the boy perked up his sses and spoke, hesitant. "Are you really able to read all this?"

    "Hm? Weird question. What do you mean?"

    "I mean¡­ are you not just flipping through the pages?"

    "Do I look like that type of a guy?" I frowned. "Of course I can read it all, thisnguage is about three thousand years old."

    "T-three thousand¡­?" The kid was stumped.

    "It took me a lot of time to figure it out. There''s also not a lot of older surviving books so I can''t trace things back more."

    "You mean you figured out thenguage right now?"

    "I can''t read all the words, but enough to get a context of things. Nouns are tough, for one. Empirical evidence from the derivativenguages says enough, but it is more than possible that I am getting most of it wrong too."

    "But it makes sense?"

    "It does. Languages follow a ruleset, and as long as the ruleset can have the words make sense¡­"

    "¡­ it can be interpreted as the truth. Amazing, My Lord Eugene!"

    "Why did you bring this up?" I asked, still going down on the pushups after switching my fingers.

    The boy jerked up to his feet with an ''ah!''

    "What here for a second!" He said before rushing away. He returned in almost no time with a very small pouch in his hands. "I am actually the youngest son of a family of wizards in the east, beyond the Atreus empire."

    "Oh?" One of those ces that were pretty much the empire''s vassal states.

    He slowly reached into the pouch and pulled out a book that was way oversized for that pouch to hold. Spatial magic.

    The boy carefully held the book below my head and flipped it open.

    "These characters, lord Eugene. They are the ancient scriptures of our family. There used to be a powerful form of magic in the east. Our family was a pioneer of that."

    My eyes shifted from side to side as I scanned the lines on the book. The paper was yellow and frisk, but the book was clearly very well preserved.

    The east was a treasure trove of history and culture.

    "The words¡­."

    "They are simr to the book you were reading, sir."

    My push-ups stopped and my breath was almost stuck. I immediately got back down on my feet and lifted the book with one hand. With a snap of my fingers, the ck book I had taken from the marquis popped up in my other hand.

    "Meow."

    "Interesting, Eugy, interesting."

    -Rattle

    Dantalian, Titania and Catene all peeked over my shoulders and my head and observed the two books.

    ¡­

    This.

    There was no doubting it¡­

    "Hey, you."

    "Yes, My Lord Eugene?"

    I tossed them both to Catene and grabbed his cors.

    "More! Where can I read of more of those!?"

    It was perfect! Characters that resembled both thenguage I had interpreted and the one used in the book! A clear middle ground.

    "Do you have more?" I started shaking him wildly. People around whispered about books and whatnot, but that didn''t matter.

    "I-I don''t! But¡­"

    "But?"

    "Simr characters¡­ are on most ancient artifacts my lord. Ah, I can''t breathe¡­"

    "Ancient artifacts¡­"

    "Tap out, tap out¡­"

    I let go of the bastard and crossed my hands.

    "What elective¡­"

    "Ahak, ahak¡­ for more artifacts, My Lord Eugene?" the boy was down on all fours, coughing out, but still didn''t ignore my words. "You can probably find them in the artifact sses!"

    I crossed my arms and thought. Artifact sses were bound to have more artifacts. There was also a production unit in the academy, which made the video devices I had used in Deep Down Dive and also the upgraded versions that the receptionist had given me and the one used in the academy''s entrance test, but that department was only open to students from their second year in the course.

    For us¡­.

    "Artifact sciences."

    One of my electives.

    "Oh, do you want to research it sir? If you need, I can talk to them and get you in! I am a model student."

    I narrowed my eyes. "You are in it too?"

    "Too? Ah¡­"

    The boy lowered his head in disappointment.

    It seemed he wanted something from me. That said, his usefulness wasn''t gone. Considering his lineage wrote the book he showed me, I could probably use him.

    It was clear he wanted to use me too, after all.

    "You, name your price," I said.

    "What for¡­?"

    "Bring me all the books and items that are even remotely close to the book you showed me, along with whatever you can interpret. In return, ask me for what you want."

    He awkwardly scratched the side of his head.

    "That¡­ I have not met anyone who can deciphernguages to your level."

    That made sense. The people of this world likely did not have the techniques of the modern world. Cognate-based decipherment could only take you so far without statistical-decipherment in y, and even then getting things urately was a long shot, especially so withnguages that might have hints of ideographs in them.

    "I''ll bring you everything you need! My entire family will support you. So please, even if its a hint, let me try to revive the ancient magic in this book. It is our family''s pride that was lost five generations back."

    "Great job, bring me some romance books too."

    "Romance? Well sure!"

    A smile spread through my face.

    Perfect. This was a win-win deal.

    "You got it."

    "Great! should we start tomorrow, My Lord Eugene?

    "Are you stupid?" I grabbed his hand and yanked him along. "We start now. To the artifact sciences ss!"

    "Already? But the sses would have ended!"

    "We go anyway!!"

    ***

    "We go anyway, was it, Eugene Hall?"

    A sigh left me at the words of the person in front of me.

    "I warned you toe to my office straight away after ss time, but what''s this, you weren''t just bunking, but were also running away?"

    Standing in front of me with her arms crossed, leaning against the wide desk of her office, was the Professor of Battle Arts, Irina Lester.

 Chapter 219: Chapter 215: Long Day Ends

    A gentle smile slipped on my lips as I watched Professor Irina staring me down.

    "Do you know why I have called you here, Eugene Hall?"

    "I, unfortunately, don''t, ma''am. But if I have done anything to displease you I will fix it immediately."

    "Hah," Irina scoffed and stood straight. Evening lights spilled into her office through the gridded windows and their open curtains, lightening up the pale ivory walls and the light oakwood furniture.

    I lowered my gaze as the professor shook her head and walked around as if finding something very funny, her pink heels pushing into the red carpet of the room.

    "Something to displease me?" She spat. "I don''t even want to see your face. What kind of studentments about their teacher on the first day?"

    Is it alright tomentter then?

    Well, I did understand where she wasing from.

    "As you saw that day, ma''am. I was struggling with something severe. I have already consulted the priests in the academy about it¡ª"

    "That doesn''t really exin yourments. Or your stares now."

    This would be pretty easy to solve with a bow of the head and a quick apology.

    But even if I was willing to drop everything to gain strength, I wasn''t going to abandon strength too. Bowing down until I had truly made a mistake wasn''t to my taste.

    Well, there were other ways to handle it.

    "Ma''am," I said, standing up.

    Irina stopped and shot me a fierce re. I ced my hands in front of me and kept up my gentle smile, trying to be as amicable as I could.

    "Allow me to brew you some tea." Her gaze followed my finger to the set at the side.

    "What? Don''t cozy up, I am not done yet. You have also been skipping sses and you still act this way¡­"

    Irina continued on with herints.

    Hm¡­

    Did I want to use her or not?

    I flipped a coin in my head. Heads it was. She seemed to be worth putting a minor amount of effort into. After all, viins needed all the sidekicks they could get.

    Since the coin in my head said to use her, then use her I will.

    "Ma''am. I do not find you attractive at all."

    "Pfft."

    The cat in my bagughed while the professor herself stared at me with wide eyes.

    "Get out."

    "Sorry? You don''t want any tea?"

    "It''s fine. Get lost, now."

    "But¡ª"

    The woman started seething with rage. Mana levels soared to the sky as she trembled.

    I stuck my tongue out and turned around before grabbing my bag and dashing out of her office.

    The door mmed behind me, but the chilling aura she emitted wasn''t gone, so I rushed away a bit more.

    After turning through a corner, I sighed deeply.

    "Why didn''t that work?"

    "What were you even thinking, Eugy?" Titania grabbed her forehead and said.

    "I mean, smiling and being soft-spoken but honest worked wonders with Dawn!"

    "You were close enough to do that with her, Eugene," Dantalian chimed in this time. "Why would you harass a girl when she justined about your harassment?"

    "I just said I didn''t find her attractive."

    "You don''tment about the other person''s looks at all, Eugy."

    Was that so¡­?

    It seemed I really made a mistake this time.

    Well, I had time. I could slowly turn her my way.

    As I peeked out of the long passageways of the academy and its windows, I could see darkness filling the night sky. It was already gettingte today.

    I had surprisingly done a lot of things today alone, but days were just going to get longer from tomorrow.

    Sighing, I hung my bag from my shoulders, the cat still nestled inside it, and made my way down the stairs.

    "Let''s go back home for today."

    "Yup!" Titania cheered, settling herself on the top of my head.

    And with that, off I went from the academy city and toward my new home.

    When I reached back to the ind assigned to our faction, I heard no noises. It was too early for Keith to be back from his escapades and Albert''s goon was also probably busy. Albert and Luka themselves were probably still stuck with that swordsmanship ss. Their fault for sucking.

    I was probably the person that spent the most time on this silent, enormous ind.

    My stride slowed down as I reached my room. I climbed up the stairs and pushed the door open, the dark room with its spacious emptiness appeared in front of me.

    There were no greetings and no one toe around to greet me.

    I stepped inside and tossed the bag away.

    I had forbidden Keith froming up to my room. As for Maria and Lily, they wanted to meet me and even join Albert''s faction, but I told them to focus on their own things for a while.

    I unbuttoned my shirt. The light seeping in from the windows was enough.

    My siblings wanted to meet me too, but I had told them the faction had kept me busy.

    Dawn, too, told me anything she needed to through the others.

    And Lethe¡­

    "I''ll go take a bath. Wait here."

    "Want me to join, Eugy?"

    "No. I''d like to think for a bit," with a smirk, I picked up a towel and bathrobe and stepped inside the bathroom.

    I hung them aside and stripped down.

    The bathtub let out a thud. One foot, and then the other.

    Water drizzled down with a twist of the faucet and the bathtub started filling up

    My body stretched, and my eyes closed.

    Until the water filled up to my forehead.

    I would hear nothing, I would see nothing, I would think of nothing.

    Until the water filled up to my forehead.

    I would just sit in the bathtub.

    This was¡­ my life now, I guess.

    But it was fine.

    As long as I grow stronger.

    As long as I grow stronger.

    As long as¡­

    ***

    [A/N: Phew, long start to the new arc. This is the turning point of the story so it was necessary. That aside, I wanted to mention there has been a lot of foreshadowing, symbolism, and parallels in thest few chapters and this one too.

    I don''t think I am good at any of it, though, for example in this chapter, Eugene says ''he really made a mistake'' but in the first few chapters he was of the mindset that original Eugene''s mistakes were his mistakes too. This is me trying to say he''s rejecting that mindset and that Eugene, but I am not sure if I am doing it well.

    Please do let me know if things are ''too'' confusing and seem inconsistent and I''ll do my best to make it clearer! Thanks a lot for reading as always!]

 Chapter 220: Chapter 216: Mission First Step

    I started waking up earlier.

    Dantalian wasn''t on top of me today. After raking in my usual morning exercise, I looked out the windows.

    The night was still dark, and the hue that the distant tower let out into the skies colored it. As I leaned on the sill, I closed my eyes.

    The images of that day in the tower filled my mind.

    Like shes of lightning, I remembered the sight of blood in my hands.

    The slow, soft asphyxiated gasps.

    The way her struggling legs tapped on my stomach but failed to do anything.

    "I-I should have known¡­ Eugene Ha¡ª"

    I opened my eyes and shook my head.

    Sweat had filled my forehead from the workout. Wiping it off, I moved to the cat sleeping soundly on the bed, next to the fairy and the chains, also knocked out.

    Mornings were always filled with useless thoughts, but I guess only two hours of sleep would do that to a person.

    I crouched down and scratched Dantalian''s neck.

    "Mnmmnm¡­"

    "Get up."

    "Meow¡­"

    "Wake up, stupid demon."

    Dantalian''s eyes fluttered open as she rubbed them with her paws. She gazed at me, shook her head, and mmed herself down again.

    "Just five more minutes¡­"

    "Haa¡­"

    I swooped up the sleeping Dantalian in my arms and ced her on top of my head.

    I stopped in front of the mirror. It was pointless since I couldn''t see myself, but checking my clothes was imperative. After adjusting my clothes and pulling off some buttons, I sshed some water on my face and my clothes.

    Before the cat could realize anything, I lowered my stance and set off.

    "AAAA! Slow downwnwnwmeow!!!"

    Without breaking a sweat, early in the morning, I was once again at the outer ind I had met the teacher at yesterday.

    Now fully awake with all her fur standing on end, Dantalian hopped off my head and pouted in the sides.

    I ignored the cat and snapped my fingers, pulling out a wooden sword. I was d Catene wasn''t here or it would have been strangling my hand for using a different sword already. It was a pain in the ass sometimes.

    "What are you¡­?"

    "I am going to act as if I am practicing," that was what the fake sweat was for. That said, I could use some practice swings, should I go for a million? I took a stance and started swinging my sword.

    That professor of swordsmanship was probably going to being around soon.

    She might have already made herself known to Luka as a regressor, and if she hadn''t I would rather have her. It was all so I could use her to stab the others, after all.

    "I don''t get something," Dantalian muttered.

    "What?"

    "Why learn thatnguage when you are going to have Agares interpret it for you? Do you realize you won''t be able to beat him down?"

    "One. No, I would be able to beat him down. And two, did you not hear that brat at all?"

    "Hm?"

    "It''s ancient magic from the east. And that doofus is going to bring me everything else I want. I am going to steal it."

    "Oh¡­ So it''s not about thenguage at all?"

    "It is. It''s a back up."

    "Meo¡­"

    I closed my eyes and swung. Since Dantalian had started acting like a cat again¡ª

    "Ah¡­"

    A soft gasp resounded from my side. I jerked my head and looked at the person with a smile.

    "Eugene Hall¡­" the professor of swordsmanship in the academy, and a regressor from the original timeline, my next target toward my path to strength. That person was in front of me again. "What are you doing?"

    "It is great to see you again, professor!" I said cheerily, running a hand through my hair that was wet with water. "That, I was just practicing the sword a bit."

    The professor eyed me up and down.

    "And what about you, professor? Do you always work out this early in the morning?"

    She halted at my question, and then spoke up. "I do. It''s important for a professor. And you¡­ do your¡ª"

    Tsk.

    "Meo."

    Before the professor could brush the matter over and walk away, Dantalian suddenly came in and started purring on her legs. She rubbed her cheeks against the professor''s feet.

    Nice save.

    "Don''t do that! I am sorry, professor¡ª"

    "No, it''s alright." The professor''s voice was monotonous as before as she crouched down and patted Dantalian''s head. "Is this your cat?"

    "Yes! She''s a cutie, isn''t she?"

    "Cutie¡­" the stoic professor seemed to have found that word choice odd. "What''s her name?"

    "Cat."

    The professor and the cat both looked up at me.

    "Sorry? I meant her name."

    "Meo!"

    "I call her cat."

    Who''s going to cook up a name now?

    The professor looked at the cat. Nervous, Dantalian started frantically nodded and purring, as if saying that was in fact her name.

    "Heh."

    It was soft, very soft.

    But I heard it.

    The professor''sugh was loud and clear.

    "Are you interested in swordsmanship?" She asked, scratching Dantalian''s neck.

    "I respect it."

    "Why didn''t you join the electives?"

    "I had to stick to my strengths first. I just know the basics of the sword, after all."

    That wasn''t the case at all, but lies weren''t tough to spill.

    "Hm¡­" she looked up at me. "You''re a magician, but you still put in the effort toe here and practice before the sun even shows signs ofing up."

    "It''s nothing much¡­" I smiled gently. "After all you''re here too, professor. I should instead work harder."

    "Don''tpare yourself to me."

    Woah, zero hesitation.

    "Swing," she said.

    I put on a serious mask and swung the sword clumsily.

    After receiving no response, I swung again.

    "Stop," she said. "Not bad, you also listen well."

    Wow praise sure was annoying. It took to much effort to turn it down, and too much effort to ept it, so I just smiled.

    "Hand it over."

    I handed her the sword.

    "I''ll teach you a bit."

    First step, sess.

 Chapter 221: Chapter 217: Loss

    My body was sore by the time I left the swordsmanship lessons. The sun was about toe up soon, and the professor had no choice but to let go. She didn''t leave before asking me to meet her at the same time tomorrow.

    "Should I take some pastries for her? Do you she likes sweets?"

    "And that is going to help how?" Dantalian asked.

    "Food to heart, I thought it wasmon knowledge? Ow, ow, she really whacked me huh?"

    My neck burned and my stomach was sore. When I reached back to my room, I swung the bathroom door open, kicked the cat out, and leaned against the sink to remove whatever I had eaten yet.

    Thus began my day.

    ***

    Late mornings were worse. Late mornings, was that a term?

    "Yuyu jinnyjin."

    "What is it, Rizzler?"

    "Hey, foul!"

    "You two, can you shut up? Ms. Irina is already looking pretty pissed this way."

    Luka intervened as Rizzler yed his negative rizz on me.

    "Shut it, Luka. You won''t get it."

    "Yeah, tell him."

    "You brats in the back," as was natural, Luka was right and we did get scolded. "Shut up before we turn this into a practical ss."

    And of course, Luka would get caught up in the daggers that headed our way.

    When sses would end, the two princesses and one childhood friend would surround Luka while my own two childhood friends approached me.

    "Young master, let''s y cards today."

    "Ms. Lily, that''s a brilliant idea! I have some stuff to tell you as well, so it would be good."

    Lily said and Sophia backed her.

    "What is it about?"

    "You know, I have been keeping those twins at bay for you for a while now. They are asking me to introduce you to them."

    At Sophia''s words, I looked at my apparent cousins sitting at the front.

    "Wrong bench, lord Eugene."

    "Oh."

    This time I looked at them.

    "Well, no can do. You two should focus on your own¡ª"

    "Own thing for a while, yap yap," Lily spoke while sighing. "At this rate, we might score even better than you on the tests, young master. What are you even going to do other than hog the library? Even big sis Maria is getting out of hand now."

    "I''m sorry, but it''s important."

    "Important this important that. It''s like you''ve forgotten about us¡ª"

    "There, there, Miss Lily. You''re getting too emotional."

    Sophia dragged Lily away and Albert tapped my shoulders, thinking I was like this because of what happened a month ago.

    "Heh, it''s a circus." Titania would say and the next ss would begin.

    Circus it sure was. One big ufortable circus.

    ***

    Afternoons, I looked forward to.

    "My Lord Eugene, here are more books for you, there''s also thetest forbidden romance in here."

    "Hm, very good," I said, making Catene receive the books. Artifact lectures were only two days a week, and with theck of time, it would be difficult to study the writings on artifacts. So for now, we were studying artifacts themselves.

    "The writings serve as a substitute for magic circles¡­"

    "Yes. But older artifacts have exponentially fewer writings than newer ones, My Lord Eugene."

    I crossed my legs and leaned back.

    "Interesting¡­" I muttered. "Maybe thatnguage contains more information in fewer words."

    "Oh! That makes sense! Manynguages in the east are ideographic, My Lord Eugene!"

    "Alright. If you can, bring me all such books that talk about unique forms of magic. It could be equally possible that their magic itself needed lesser input."

    "Oh! How wise! I''ll do it, I''ll definitely do it!"

    "Bring a dictionary too!"

    "On it!"

    The poor guy whose name I still didn''t know dashed away.

    "Easy, kids truly are easy. I love this."

    "Let''s go back to being adventurers. I enjoyed smarter problems."

    Dantalian and Titania surprisingly disagreed on something.

    ***

    Evenings were slightly better.

    It was club time, after all. And while I wasn''t in any club, someone else was.

    Someone special.

    "This club. ult research. This is where Jimmy Ferris is enrolled."

    Standing in front of the Ind that had seven enormous buildings, including an arena for battle, a ground for a bunch of sports, and even a broomstick race track, I and Seeck Mohawk with his Sick Mohawk looked at the list of hundred-plus clubs registered with the academy.

    "Did you notice anything weird in that guy''s behavior?"

    "Uh, Sir Dusk. Who is this person?"

    Sick Mohawk, pointing his mohawk at her, asked about our third mate.

    "This is Dawn. She''s the one I told you about," I said. "Dawn, this guy is Seeck Mohawk."

    "Right. The person who would be infiltrating that club, our spy."

    Seeck and I nodded. Then, the Mohawk man continued.

    "I did find strange things. He would always frown whenever a lot of people talked to him, he would also wipe down everything that someone else touched¡­ and worst of all¡­ I brought up theology in ss just to see his reaction and he immediately ran away."

    "Hmm¡­"

    It wasn''t suspicious, honestly.

    "That''s very suspicious," I said so anyway.

    "I''ll be joining the club today," Seeck Mohawk said. "Sir Dusk. I am not very strong¡­ but if this can help."

    "Don''t worry. You handle this, and I''ll make sure no one even gets a scratch."

    Seeck nodded and clenched his fists.

    "I''ll go."

    Leaving those words, Seeck Mohawk stood up and walked into the building, leaving the two of us alone.

    Dawn and I watched him leave when her fingers brushed against mine.

    I gently held her hand and squeezed it.

    "Hm, I could have gone in his ce."

    "And what if you got hurt?"

    "Then I would have been hurt."

    "It''s not worth the risk."

    Dawn looked away, but the hand I held squeezed me back.

    ***

    At nights¡­

    I would usually be the first to be back on the Ind anyway.

    After getting into my room, I would work out more. Meditate and increase my Magic and Ki while also practicing them both.

    "That angel sure is clingy."

    "She''s cute, like a child. But you''re a demon, so you won''t get it."

    "Shut up, insect. Hey, Eugene, why do you always act so protective of her, huh? Do you like her or something? An angel? I don''t approve."

    "There there, what are you saying?" I sighed and pulled Dantalian''s cat form onto myp. "She has her uses¡­ as far as liking someone goes¡­"

    I closed my eyes.

    Titania nestled herself on my shoulders.

    "Trash can only stick with trash."

    Titania smiled.

    Dantalian''s cat form changed into her normal demon form as she straddled her legs around my waist before I could react. Her hair fell on my lips while she wrapped her arms around my back and buried her head in my neck.

    "You''re right¡­"

    I held her back, and leaned down on the bed.

    I would take a bath.

    Sleep.

    And two hourster, the same type of days would begin again.

    Over and over again.

    Same mornings where distances reduced with every swing of the sword and increased with every ring of the ss bell.

    Same afternoons with a dreaming boy getting tricked into teaching me all he held.

    Same evenings with too pure a punk ready toy his life on the line, not knowing he''s only going to help what he wants gone.

    And the same nights¡­.

    My feet came to a halt.

    "Meow?"

    "Oh¡­"

    The two who could never shut up stopped and stared ahead.

    A woman. The most beautiful one in all the worlds, that never even showed another her face, but even I who could not see faces could tell the judge of the afterlife with utmost conviction, that no one more beautiful had ever taken a breath in this world.

    No one.

    Seeing her, I turned on my feet.

    And started walking away.

    "Why¡­"

    She was pained.

    "Why are you still doing this¡­ why are you ignoring me?"

    I continued walking away.

    Only the sound of my feet resounded on the empty Ind.

    "I was supposed to be dead."

    I stopped.

    "I was born to be sacrificed, but you rejected it. I was going to be forgotten, but you forced me to remain. You! You did all of that like a selfish bitch!"

    My breath stuck in my throat.

    "I thought it''ll be fine but now you selfishly run away¡­"

    I was the only person who remembered her.

    Even if she wasn''t being forgotten now, she already was forgotten before. Those memories would never return.

    I was the only one who remembered.

    "I''ll kill myself."

    A loud whistle rang out. Titania, sitting on top of the cat''s head tweeted at her deration.

    "If I am going to live while being ignored by you then I don''t want to live. I''ll kill myself. I''ll do it today itself¡ª"

    "¡ªIf¡­"

    I spoke up.

    I tried to turn back but stopped when I saw Dantalian and Titania. Staring at their backs as they faced her¡­ at them¡­ I continued¡­

    "If I was to live while being ignored by you¡­ I wouldn''t do it. I wouldn''t think of killing myself."

    The sound of something crashing filled my ears.

    It was a sound only she and I could hear.

    Weak taps resounded, and when I finally turned back¡­

    ¡­ she was gone.

    I felt an arm wrapping behind my back and locks of familiar hair draped over my eyes.

    "It''s alright," the demon whispered. "Trash can only stick with trash¡­ We only have each other in this world. Only us."

    From that night.

    I lost my sleep.

    ***

    [A/N: Trust, I ask for your trust, only five more]

 Chapter 222: Chapter 218: Seeck Mohawk

    "The fate of hundreds of lives rides on your hands."

    Had you ever been told these words?

    Combing his hair straight up into a mohawk, one young boy who hadn''t been told those words either used a hardening gel on his hair and prepared his main weapon for another day.

    He hadn''t been told those words either, not those exact ones, but he didn''t need to.

    No one who held the fate of hundreds of lives needed to. For they felt it.

    Seeck Mohawk clenched his fists and pped his cheeks.

    A lot of faith had been put into him by a hero. A hero of generations no less.

    But even if it was a nomad who said it, he still wouldn''t let them down.

    "Foooo¡­" he exhaled.

    It was show time.

    ***

    Luka Rune was forcing himself to smile.

    ''What did we regress for?''

    After hearing those words from his childhood friend, he felt his entire world crumbling down on him. The feelings of loss and grief were immediately switched out with feelings of action.

    Not again.

    Not even a scratch on anyone.

    That was what he wanted.

    And at the same time¡­

    "Truth¡­"

    Luka wanted revenge. His chest burned from the feelings of vengeance to the point it was painful to even breath. But he was used to it, so he forced himself to smile.

    Two knocks rang out as Luka tapped on the door in front of him.

    On it''s own, the door twisted and swung open.

    "Principal Lushan¡­"

    "Luka Rune, First Year¡­ Have a seat."

    Luka was here to find the truth.

    ***

    "Perimeter, secure."

    "Windows cleared. Drapes are closed. Conspicuousness, zero."

    "Whose that weird Mohawk guy?"

    "Uwa, so freaky."

    Maybe not zero, but Seeck Mohawk wasn''t one to figure that yet.

    After checking the surroundings rather suspiciously, Seeck Mohawk dusted himself and walked over to the to inside of the building. The few suspicious gazes that followed himpletely shrugged it all off when they saw him put on a hood, that didn''t cover his mohawk at all, and walk into the ult research club.

    Dozens others wearing long robes and t hoods filled the dark room. With ck curtains hanging from all sides and dozens of glowing, fake magical circles stamped on them all, the room lit by the obscure skull candles gave the perfect vibe of weirdo''s gatherings.

    Gags would decree that such fools not be associated with real threats.

    But when the fools were overyed and were still threatening, the gag was merely enhanced.

    And enhanced this gag was.

    ''Every single person¡­''

    "Oh hey, you''re here, Seeck."

    "Oh, Mohawk guy!"

    "Ahaha, how are all of you?" Seeck Mohawk replied.

    "It''s all the blessing of our lord."

    "Master Agares will bless us soon."

    Every single person in this room was a devil worshipper. A follower that wanted to usher Demon Lord Agares'' army smack-dab in the center of the academy grounds.

    Scum, all of them.

    "Haah, but with the Mohawk here work has been so easy."

    "You bet. You must really love the demon lord, huh?"

    And he was the worst of them all!

    Seeck''s mohawk almost fell to the ground as his eyes held in his tears. In his attempt to gain all of their trust, he had sped up their process by leaps and bounds.

    He had helped them so much that now.

    "Leader is here."

    "Ah, leader¡­"

    "Bishop¡­"

    Everyone stood up when the leader of the group walked in through the doors.

    Dignified, sharp, he moved to the back of the room like the master he was, his face hidden with a mask.

    "Friends," he called. The sound dampening magic activated in the room.

    With a wave of his hands, the candles whizzed off and only one remained that lit his face.

    "All of you, Ie bearing bad news."

    A tense air filled the room.

    Seeck Mohawk''s heart soared in beats. Was he caught? Was it over? Such thoughts filled his mind, but the next words cooled him down.

    "Unfortunately, with the magic circle that spans this Ind. We might only be able to summon one of Lord Agares'' generals and not the lord himself."

    These fuckers.

    Bad news?

    Seeck Mohawk had already heard how crazy the generals were from his benefactor, and to think instead of normal demons, these guys were going to bring an entire general!

    "I feel especially bad for you, Mohawk. You have proven yourself excellent. It was the right choice to bring you, even if you act weird in ss."

    "There''s no need, leader," Mohawk answered. The leader was none other than the person his benefactor had pointed at, and his ssmate, Jimmy Ferris.

    "With that, I would like all of you to continue creating the magic circle for the gate. Ensure that the invisibility magic is certain on the banners, and also that all of them are functioning for when they''ll make the magic circle.

    The films banners that looked like items used for events was being spread over the club ind''s entirety under the guise of arge club event.

    What they presented as something fun were objects that could create the magic circles required to create a portal to hell. If that wasn''t enough, it would also make a different barrier that would stop anything froming inside to ensure the demons could cross over.

    All this¡­

    "Then, please disperse."

    Seeck picked up a few banners and bowed to the leader before leaving with the others.

    All this had to be told to his benefactor right away.

    Sir Dusk must be informed.

    At this point, Seeck did not know.

    That to open any gate to hell, blood was needed.

    Blood of hundreds, thousands even.

    All the students inside the ind were about to be sacrificed to open the doors alone, and that included him.

    And so, with a responsible gait, Seeck Mohawk finished his duties and went to his secret meeting ce.

    To stop this tragedy.

    With the one who would only enhance it.

    With Eugene Hall

 Chapter 223: Chapter 219: Easts Wizard Heir

    "Master Asahi, thetest parcel is here for you."

    "Ah!"

    Ikuro Asahi jumped up from his seat and rushed down the stairs at the call of his aide. One of the final and most important packages for him was already here.

    He opened the small door and walked into the room of volcanic ash and stones to his aide. At the center of the room was arge bundle wrapped with cloth stacked to his height.

    "Open it."

    His aide bowed and grasped the top of the cloth, with a pull, the cloth draped to the ground and the stack made itself clear.

    Books, dozens and dozens of books. Pages a deep yellow to a pale white all made a gradient as books old and new came stacked up high. Half of these were written innguages lost even to the East.

    With a sigh, Asahi pulled out another of his spatial magic pouches and started sorting through the books. The ones he needed to hand to his Lord should be in there.

    And soon.

    Both of them could revive a hidden magic. Heck, they could even publish multiple theses and rake in funds. His lord was definitely one of a kind, a person to serve.

    He even saved him from hell, after all.

    Being kicked every day. Being taken lightly, someone from the dumps. Not even people from the East recognized him as their own.

    Kids were like that, look different, act different, and you''ll be an outcast.

    And the weakest amongst those outcasts became the outlet of frustration of the worst.

    There was someone else, another student that saw him not as an outcast, but as a person.

    But before he could even exchange proper words with her, she was gone from the world.

    So, not this time.

    This time, he was going to appreciate his savior well.

    "Thest book¡­"

    "Ah, yes."

    Asahi''s aide moved to the back of the room and pulled out ast book. For some reason, his lord wanted such a book all the time, he said it was to study a woman''s mind, but he didn''t think that person would need something like that with a face like his.

    Still.

    "The premium, the final volume of Forbidden Romance."

    It was a BL Book.

    Even if the cover and the title werepletely against the impression, it was still a BL book. Not many knew, but anyone who read even one page would know it''s BL.

    "My Lord Eugene! I''ll ept you however you are!"

    Yes!

    There was not even a need to question it, it was perfectly normal!

    Clenching his fists, Ikuro Asahi picked up his pouch and set off.

    ***

    After the morning sses passed, Asahi was finally reunited with his lord in the vast disy of artifacts for the artifact research elective.

    "Alright students, today, you have to write a report on the structure of the artifacts."

    This was the chance they had been waiting for. The monthly ss where they reviewed and reported on any of the plethoras of artifacts with the academy.

    Ancient artifacts.

    "My Lord Eugene."

    "You''re here."

    "Yes! We finally have a chance to copy the inscriptions. Here, I found a few ancient artifacts there."

    At Asahi''s call, his master followed him and the two of them stopped at a vase hidden behind a ss pane, like all the other artifacts. In the vast white room, lined up like this were many such artifacts.

    Since they just had to study on the structure and how it mattered for an artifact, they didn''t need to touch anything.

    And for their agenda as well, touching was barely a necessity.

    Many inscriptions spread over the surface of the vase,nguages that didn''t exist anymore.

    It was a curious artifact. Even the card below didn''t know what it did.

    Such times when two people could just specte, Asahi liked them a lot. Other kids would either call it too nerdy or get weirded out, but his lord was different.

    He appreciated dialogue like this too.

    Asahi turned to his side and looked at his lord. With deep bags under his eyes, he stared intently at the vase.

    "What do you think it does¡­ My Lord Eugene?" Asahi asked.

    Without batting an eye, his lord answered.

    "It increases the connection between two spaces. Kind of like a teleportation "

    As if he already knew exactly what it did, his lord spoke up with perfect conviction.

    "Did you already figure out thenguage?"

    "Something like that. It has a special type of energy, write it down perfectly."

    "Got it!"

    As Asahi thought, this person truly was a genius.

    Special energy, Asahi thought it would be a hint to figuring out the ancient magic.

    But he waspletely unaware, that the special energy was demonic energy.

    A vase that could increase the connection between here and hell, located by Dantalian in thest month. After manipting the magic, they would be able to change the summoning, from having just enough to summon a general to bringing the demon lord himself out to the world.

    Things were slowly falling into ce.

    All his pawns, ready to work themselves to the death, all for him.

    Thinking they were on the side of justice, not knowing that they served the devil himself.

    As it should be.

    As a viin should move.

    ***

    "I already figured you had some special connections seeing the fairy and the other students." Leaning back on his chair with a teacup in his hands, a smart and dashing man who looked in his twenties but was well five times that age spoke to a child.

    "Principal Lushan, I heard that something like this could happen if there''s a stronger fairy¡­ or a god¡­"

    Lushan tapped the ss down at Luka''s words.

    "You know more than you let on."

    "Principal¡­"

    "You''re a kid. Whatever the case may be, I don''t think you need to know it," Lushan shrugged and leaned back. "I epted this meeting to ask you to stop snooping in. Whatever the case, I won''t be telling kids about our matters. Why would I? Think about it yourself.

    Finish your tea, and leave."

    Luka sighed.

    It seemed he couldn''t get his way without ying some special cards.

    And so, the eroge protagonist brought out the deadliest card he had in his arsenal. One that the principal would have no choice but bow to.

    "I know you use magic to make clones of your assistant¡ª"

    Lushan''s eyes widened.

    "And make her wear bunny suits¡ª"

    "STOP."

    "And that you keep making the suit skimpier with each passing day"

    Lushan mmed the table and leaned ahead.

    "Fine," he said, his brows twitching. "I''ll tell you, ok? I''ll tell you everything."

    A smile appeared on Luka''s face as he crossed his legs.

    He was the big man now.

    "Please tell me everything the fairy said, about Noa Roselle''s death. Please tell me the truth of that day."

 Chapter 224: Chapter 220: Truth of That Day

    "Ah, fuck, you mean I gotta do this all over again?"

    Those were the first words one of the regressors said aftering back in time. Projected to be the actual person to snag the first ce and also someone enough to be the third one that shook the zodiac system, this person was none other than Noa Roselle.

    yer of demons and the one who murdered thirteen outer gods singlehandedly, Noa''s fame was even beyond Luka''s in the original timeline.

    And that wouldn''t have changed this time either. If she weren''tzy as all hell.

    "Entrance tests? That can go fuck itself."

    "World''s ending? Oh no, anyway."

    Such statements being her staple, Noa''s life was one of disinterest. Always bored, always tired, she desired stimtion, but didn''t seek it.

    ***

    "You already know what happened before the start, right? The reason that student went all the way up."

    Luka nodded at Lushan''s words.

    The reason he had blown up at Eugene, and also the reason that Eugene avoided the sses for so long.

    Before the start of their very first dive into the Elysium Tower¡­

    ***

    "Hm, aren''t you Noa Roselle?"

    Eugene had approached the girl with hair that held streaks of white and ck. Noa Roselle raised her brows, disinterested in whatever he had to say.

    "It is me, what of it?"

    "I had heard a bit about you," he said.

    Noa frowned when she noticed Luka standing away from Eugene, as if a child caught ying a prank, but her reaction was smoothened out when she noticed he was more surprised at Eugene Hall talking to her than he was at seeing her.

    "And? What do you want?"

    "Let''s race."

    "Hm?"

    Now she was mildly intrigued.

    Stimtion hade her way.

    "Race? In the tower?"

    "Mhm, whoever reaches farthest."

    "Heh¡­ never did I think of all people Eugene Hall wille and challenge me." Noa wore a cocky smirk,pletely interested in things now. "Fine. Let''s do it."

    "I have mildlypetent teammates, so choose whoever you want."

    "Don''t sugarcoat your words for trash. I''ll go with trash too."

    Eugene smiled and nodded, and the two of them separated.

    Noa Roselle found her heart pounding from the excitement of a challenge after a long time.

    And so, she kidnapped two losers from her ss.

    ***

    "Eugene Hall said just that?" Luka asked. He hade to realize that Eugene was different now, and more than some hints and clues had been dropped his way, but this solidified another theory in his mind. Eugene Hall, just like this new Albert, knew about him before they met.

    That reaction¡­ had Noa, like him,e back in time? But he never really had ''physical rtions'' with her¡­ was there some other connection between all the returners? With one solution came a dozen more questions.

    "Fairies won''t lie. That boy seems to be innocent."

    "He wasn''t there at all then?"

    You guys'' rate of climbing the first twenty floors was absurd," Lushan said. "No students had done it before, but Noa Roselle''s pace was downright egregious."

    "Bad?"

    "Shockingly good."

    "Huh?" Luka hummed.

    "Coming back. She outpaced everyone with two baggage in her hands. We didn''t provide you with any video devices since it was always safe, but there were gs on each floor."

    They had controlled the environment to such a great degree, which made the death even more absurd.

    "As soon as you reached the thirteenth floor, and Noa Roselle crossed the twelfth, overtaking the other group¡­" Lushan lowered his voice. "Her fairy disappeared."

    Luka pursed his lips, his eyes trembling.

    "The fairy couldn''t connect with her anymore, something was blocking her brand. And the other two teammates of hers said the same thing, she disappeared from their eyes."

    "At that same time¡­ Eugene Hall fell into the trap¡ª"

    "No. I checked that, Eugene Hall fell in the trap earlier than she disappeared and met up with you minutes after her disappearance. It was nowhere enough time to do anything without leaving a trail of proof¡­"

    "To block a brand¡­"

    "That''s beyond us humans in the first ce. Even I can''t stand in front of Alfheim, what is a student?"

    Lushan''s words made Luka look down.

    "Then¡­ It must be¡­" Luka thought a lot before speaking, but in the end, he couldn''t not know. "It must be a god?"

    "A god?" Lushan asked. "What kind of god would mess with such a ce? You should know dungeons are not something the gods created either. They exist, and we all research them. It''s as much a threat to gods and demons as it is to us."

    Luka clenched his fists.

    "I am sorry, kid. But the only person who would know now is gone¡­ it would either be her or whatever killed her that can tell you what happened next."

    ***

    "What happened next?"

    "Haah, you were there, Dantalian."

    "It''s still fun. Tell me, tell me, how did you kill that bitch?"

    Lying on the bed in the dead of night, Eugene, Dantalian and Titania engaged in a small chat.

    Sighing, Eugene shook his head.

    "Titania can manipte brands better than any being in Alfheim, and since dungeons are spaces beyond all of us¡­"

    ***

    Noa Roselle found herself in a strange ce, one she had never seen before even during her previous life.

    "The system punk is gone¡­ the trash are lost¡­ perfect, it seems like I''vee to a fun ce."

    "Bold. Noa Roselle, Bold."

    A shy grin spread through her face as she twisted to her back. Darkness everywhere.

    She recognized the voice well.

    "Eugene Hall¡­"

    "That''s right, it''s me. Your very own, first love. Sadly, all first loves end bad with bitter exes. Just consider this another episode of a bitter ex."

    "I never loved you? And I never dated you either, I am rather pure despite my looks."

    Joking at a time like this, this fucker was bad news.

    She loved bad news.

    Grinning like a maniac, Noa closed her eyes. The room was dark, sight was useless anyway. All her sense heightened as she tried to find where Eugene''s voice was booming from.

    "Oh well, I don''t know what history we shared in your previous life. For convenience''s sake, let''s just go with that backstory, yes? It''ll make this more enjoyable."

    His voice came from every direction, it was useless, something else.

    Magical energy? Ki?

    Neither were being used.

    Footsteps? No.

    "Don''t be like that. It seems you know of a previous life, but didn''t have one yourself. If you want, we can discuss it all over some tea."

    Something else¡­ she needed to figure something else.

    Breaths.

    Deep, soft, silent breaths.

    She cancelled every other sound and looked for only that. Hearing from her ears was useless as well, the vibrations of the air¡­ something tingled in her feet.

    "Too bad, I prefer exchanging blows."

    Found him.

    Arge axe appeared in her hands as she twisted her body and swung down on the ground.

    "How fun, I do too."

    Noa''s jaw dropped.

    Sweat started filling her forehead as she tried to pull back her axe, but it didn''t bulge.

    Hair streaks of white and ck, just like hers.

    Eyes a deep purple, just like hers.

    But the person in front of her¡­

    "Eugene Hall¡­"

    Her heart pounded more than it ever had. This stimtion, she had never felt it before.

    Her sweat continued to drip and her hands started shaking.

    "I don''t have a lot of time, or I''ll be suspicious. So let''s end this quick. I''ll be puking for weeks, but its fine."

    Ah¡­

    "World''s"

    This wasn''t the stimtion she seeked. It wasn''t thrill.

    "End."

    It was¡­ fear.

    "Beam."

    ***

    "AHAHA! HAAHAHA!" Dantalianughed as Eugene finished his retelling. "Youpletely erased her from the surface of the world. Not a single proof remains, bwahahaah!"

    Eugene nodded, staring back at Dantalian.

    "Not a single proof remains¡­ anywhere in this world."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 225: Chapter 221: No Tomorrow

    Sparks flew in all directions as wood shed against wood. It would normally be impossible for sparks to fly out of wood, but the situation changed when two sword masters shed.

    The professor pivoted her foot and twisted her torso. Like a perfect machine, without giving a single hint about her next action, she changed the grip on her sword and brought it to my face.

    I leaned back and mmed my foot on the ground. A small stone flew up and smashed against her sword.

    She was thrown off bnce and hesitated.

    Chance.

    Returning the favor in the same way as her, I switched up my grip and swung the de toward her face.

    Precise form sacrificed practicality.

    The professor''s muscles tensed as she noticed the deing her way, in the blink of an eye, she held the t end of my sword with her fingers and re-angled it.

    "Woah!" I yelped as I twisted and fell to the ground.

    "Haah, are you alright?"

    "That was a very cool trick, prof. I didn''t even know that could be done."

    It was easily avoidable, but the precision and understanding of someone else''s swordsmanship it would require to redirect with a single finger was something even beyond myself right now.

    "You could have easily avoided it," the professor said, staring down at me on the ground. "You''re too tired, aren''t you?"

    Even her interrogations were monotonous.

    "There''s nothing like that."

    "I''ve been teaching you for three weeks. I know already."

    My mouth shut on its own at her words. Did she figure out I was hiding things¡ª

    Before I could even say a word, her handnded on the top of my head. It was rough and full of calluses,  awkwardly, the professor tapped my head as if trying to p a broken TV.

    "You should rest more. Go back for today, and sleep a bit."

    "I''m fine¡ª"

    The professor started rustling my hair. It was awkward, but her emotions were clear.

    "I wish students in my ss were as dedicated as you," she muttered. "Rx. Go back. I''m here to teach you any time you want."

    Anytime¡­

    Already¡­?

    "Why?" I asked.

    "Hm? Because you''re my student?"

    I bit my lips. The professor gave me a hand and pulled me up.

    "I''ll see you tomorrow. If I stay around you''ll just want to practice more."

    Leaving those words, the professor walked away.

    Tomorrow¡­

    It wasn''t going to happen¡­

    I finished my morning training by myself and went back to my room. The same usual routine of puking everything I had eaten on thest day continued.

    sses passed.

    The others didn''t bother with asking me things anymore.

    Dazed, I didn''t know when the bells rang and when I had made my way to the library.

    "My Lord Eugene, are you alright?"

    "Hm? Of course, why?"

    "That¡­ you made a line over the entire page."

    I looked down at the page I was writing on. It seemed I had lost control of my mind for a second.

    "It''s alright¡ª"

    "My Lord Eugene," that guy said. "If you''re not feeling well, you should rest! The bags under your eyes are crazy. You can leave this to me, it won''t be as good, but I can help."

    Help¡­

    I didn''t even know his name¡­

    "Thanks," I said and got back to work. I had already taken most of what the East had to offer.

    This wasn''t going tost any longer.

    "Here are the batches, and also thest batch of forbidden love stories. It''s a weird taste, My Lord Eugene, but I support it!"

    "Sure, sure."

    I took all the books that he had brought over and sent them to my spatial dimension.

    "Tomorrow then, My Lord Eugene¡­"

    I didn''t say anything back and left.

    I found myself moving toward the Ind with the club rooms.

    Wearing a dignified smile, stood Seeck Mohawk.

    "You''re alone today?"

    I nodded.

    Today was something that Dawn didn''t need to see.

    I snapped my fingers, and a small devicended in my hands.

    "Here, as we discussed,"

    Seeck Mohawk grabbed the device from my hands and nodded.

    "With this¡­"

    With this.

    "The summoning can be stopped. They won''t be able to bring out the generals of Agares'' army."

    I nodded and patted Seeck Mohawk''s shoulders.

    "No matter what, don''t get caught. And tomorrow, don''t leave your dorm."

    Seeck Mohawk nodded.

    Instead of leaving any words, he turned on his heels and walked away.

    This was his final mission.

    I watched him go and turned back.

    My slow steps hastened, from a walk to a strut, and before I knew it, I was running back.

    I crossed all inds and returned to the empty one.

    Rushing to my room, I pushed the door open.

    Sitting there, on my bed, was a ck cat gently waving its tail.

    "It''s done¡­" The cat muttered.

    She jumped off the bed, and instead of a cat, her lustrous demonic form took rise. The same ck dress, small ck wings and horns, and a yful ck tail. and started walking toward me.

    "Exactly how you wished for it."

    Her stride was sultry and her gaze was full of lust.

    Slowly, she wrapped her arms around me.

    I grabbed her sides and stroked her hair, its texture just as alluring as its shade.

    "With that talisman from hell¡­"

    Dantalian gazed up at me.

    Her lips puckered, and her voice lowered.

    I could feel her legs around mine as she traced a line on my face.

    "The energy that would have only summoned a general would now bring Agares himself."

    She blew in my ears and licked my neck.

    "From now¡­"

    Dantalian pulled back and stared me straight in the eye. My grip on her back tightened.

    My head was nking out.

    All the tiredness of thest few weeks came crashing into me at once. Fatigue filled me.

    "¡­ There will be no tomorrow."

    I leaned in and sealed my lips with Dantalian''s.

    Everything was melting away.

    All my thoughts, all my ideals, everything slowly started going away.

    Dantalian''s tongue wrapped around mine. Like honey, her saliva drizzled into my mouth.

    Strongest?

    I was her master anyway. It has already proved enough.

    Our tongues tussled together as Dantalian passionately kissed me. Her legs wrapped around my back as if she were a sloth hugging a tree.

    Yeah¡­

    I could be the strongest this way.

    It was¡­

    Too tiring to bother with other stuff¡­

    Just Dantalian and I. Just us trash.

    I could be the strongest that way...

    ¡ªCRASH

    A crashing sound rang out.

    Dantalian and I separated our lips and turned back. The door was still open, and standing there¡­

    "Dusk¡­ you¡­ that''s a demon¡­"

    A bottle of wine was on the ground. The person standing there trembled.

    "Haah," a tired sigh spilled out of Dantalian''s lips. "Just when I had him in my palms. I knew I should have killed this bitch before."

    My eyes widened.

    A spear of ck, demonic energy formed mid-air.

    Before anyone could move, before anyone could even blink.

    The spear sped ahead.

    A pool of blood, and a hole straight through the stomach.

    "Ah¡­ D¡­ DAWN!!"

    ***

    A/N: Stick around for two more chapters y''all

 Chapter 226: Chapter 222: You

    My throat dried up and my fingers trembled.

    Even though my gaze was foggy, I ignored it all and rushed past the door.

    "Dawn! Dawn!"

    On my knees, I snapped my fingers and potions came fluttering into my hands. With trembling hands, I pulled the caps open and poured the potion over her stomach.

    "Fuck fuck fuck¡­ w-what¡­ just what¡­"

    Words spilled on their own.

    My mind spun around in circles, unable to understand anything. I tried to pour the potions on her, but I didn''t see much improvement.

    Blood kept pouring out of her stomach.

    "C-corruption¡­?"

    "No¡­ dumbass¡­" With a pained voice, Dawn raised her hand and ced it on mine. "You''re¡­ spilling it¡­"

    "Ah¡­ ah¡­ d-don''t talk. P-potion¡­potion¡­"

    My entire body trembled. Nothing came in my eyes, everything was a blur. A soft ringing spread through my ears but I somehow pulled through. Did I pull through? I couldn''t tell at all.

    Sizzling sounds rang out loud as the potion seeped into her wound.

    My teeth ttered, refusing to calm down.

    "W-why¡­ how¡­"

    Dawn''s palm on my hands slipped off, and her neck fell limp.

    "No no no!"

    Suddenly, a warm feeling seeped over my neck.

    "Eugene¡­"

    "D-dantalian! P-potion, get me more potions!"

    "Shush¡­"

    Dantalian''s voice seeped into my ears.

    "Bring her inside. She won''t die yet."

    Won''t die¡­?

    At the calming voice that seemed to soothe away all my troubles, I looked down again.

    My hands and clothes were soaked with blood, the same blood that was seeping all over the ce.

    Dawn''s wings had fell open and a wide hole was left in her shirt while her stomach started healing, slow, but it healed.

    "Rx, there is magic erosion, she''s an angel at that so healing is many times as effective."

    Ah¡­

    That''s right¡­.

    My breathing remained heavy, but my head started to calm down.

    How¡­

    "Dantalian¡­" I held Dawn as I slowly turned to my back. "What the fuck did you just do¡­?"

    "You have been cozying up to this one for a while anyway, isn''t it fine¡ª"

    "Shut up. Did you forget whomands who here?"

    Tightening the grip around my neck, Dantalian leaned closer to my ears and whispered. "I am sorry¡­"

    Sorry?

    That useless word. Did that solve anything?

    "She''ll not be a variable in our ns now. And once you''re done with her¡­ you can keep her with you forever."

    Variable?

    Dawn¡­ was a variable?

    "You''ll forgive me, right Eugene?"

    Forgiveness.

    "We only have each other, right Eugene? Only you and I. Look, I am the trash that tried to kill this girl, and you''re the trash who let it happen."

    I.

    Let it happen.

    This was my fault.

    "You don''t deserve her anyway. You''re a trash, that should just stick with me."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Bring her in, Eugene."

    I slowly lifted Dawn''s body up.

    cing my ear on her chest, I heard for a heartbeat.

    Faint, but it was there.

    Wasn''t this fine?

    Once I am done, I could leave her be¡­ till then, if she doesn''t move she''ll be safe¡­ this was perfect.

    My eyes blurred over once again and I slowly started walking back into my room.

    A spell swept up her blood, and the door closed behind me. Dantalian giddily walked over and watched me ce Dawn on the bed.

    Her hands wrapped around my neck again.

    "It''s great! You can keep her here forever now."

    "Y-you''ll kill her¡­"

    "And why does that matter? You don''t feel anything for her anyway, do you? Weren''t all of those feeling''s that ''Eugene''s''?"

    "I¡­ not¡­"

    "Well, I don''t care. If she''s going to stay put you can use her to please yourself whenever you want. I might join in too!"

    "What do you¡ª"

    "We''re going to do that, right?"

    My heart pressed against my chest.

    I couldn''t breath.

    My blurry eyes already couldn''t see anything, but now everything turned dark.

    "Yes¡­" I answered...

    "Fufu¡­ both you and that original are just the same, what cuties."

    Dantalian pecked my cheeks.

    "Why don''t you start your nightly routine, Eugene? Go workout and take a shower."

    That''s right.

    I had a routine.

    I had a long day tomorrow.

    Dawn was¡­ fine¡­

    I ignored them and got to my routine. It was all fine if I was growing stronger¡­

    "What are you looking at, insect?"

    "Nothing, demon bitch."

    "Do you have a problem?"

    "Not at all, just make sure your ass is covered."

    "Hm?"

    I was growing stronger¡­

    ***

    My eyes didn''t fix themselves till the end.

    I went into the bathtub, but this time I really drowned until Dantalian pulled me out.

    I didn''t want to move, I couldn''t move.

    "Raise your hands, Eugene. Let''s get you changed."

    Yes, this was fine.

    "Good boy, now sit down."

    I could leave it all to Dantalian.

    She helped me change into cleaner clothes and pulled me to the bed.

    "Ah, this bitch is still here. Should I push her down¡ª"

    "No!"

    I yelled.

    "I-I''ll sleep¡­ on the ground¡­ so it''s fine¡­"

    "Hmm," Dantalian poked my nose with her fingers. "If you say so, good job taking initiative, Eugene."

    Right.

    I was doing good.

    Tomorrow.

    From tomorrow it was all going to be fine again.

    The moonlight seeped into the room, along with it the flutters of the auroras created by the magic tower. They must have. It was what happened every night.

    Dantalian pulled me down, and I toppled on the sheets.

    She held me in her hands and kissed me.

    "You did good, Eugene."

    I nodded.

    I still couldn''t see.

    I still couldn''t breath.

    But this was making it all easier.

    "Goodnight, Eugene."

    I just¡­

    Had to fall asleep.

    I only needed to fall asleep, and it would all be good.

    But.

    But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.But.

    [If I am going to live while being ignored by you then I don''t want to live]

    I couldn''t even do that.

    I couldn''t fall asleep.

    No matter how much I tried.

    I couldn''t fall asleep.

    Slow breathing fell on my ears.

    Dantalian must have fallen asleep.

    Labored breaths followed.

    Dawn¡­

    But still, I couldn''t sleep.

    It was all okay, wasn''t it?

    As long as I was growing strong, it was all okay.

    So why?

    Why couldn''t I sleep?

    The contents of my stomach floated up to my mouth.

    I twisted myself off the ground and stood up.

    Bathroom, I needed to go to the bathroom, but I still couldn''t see.

    My feet thudded against each other as I walked, almost falling to the ground.

    My handnded on a knob which I twisted open.

    "There you go¡­ partner¡­"

    The door swung open and I stepped out.

    My vision was still dark and hazy.

    I took a step to the side, but the ground was gone.

    "Ah!"

    My head mmed against the walls and I toppled down the stairs.

    Was I outside?

    My body rolled down the stairs before mming into the wall at the bottom.

    I couldn''t see.

    "Ah¡­"

    I couldn''t see anything.

    Pained groans left me over and over.

    Why?

    Why was I suffering?

    These weren''t mine.

    Someone¡­

    Right then, soft sounds seeped into my ears.

    Piano¡­

    Someone was ying the piano¡­

    "Ah¡­ ah¡­"

    I groaned and stood up.

    I couldn''t see anything, but I could hear.

    I could hear the tune.

    My feet moved on their own as I dragged myself to the sounds.

    I recognized the notes.

    I recognized the piece.

    Valse Romantique. Why?

    I tripped. I toppled. I fell.

    Dozens and dozens of times, I dropped to the ground.

    But as if pulling me closer, the sounds didn''t stop.

    I kept moving toward it. Toward the music.

    A door opened on its own.

    The sounds were at a peak.

    There, my vision starteding back.

    Blurry, hazy, I could see again.

    In front of a piano sat a woman with a veil on her face.

    "Ah¡­"

    The piece continued.

    But I didn''t move.

    I couldn''t move.

    It stopped.

    The woman turned to the side and got up on her feet.

    Step, and then another.

    She walked closer.

    I tried to move back, but toppled down backward.

    She came closer.

    I tried to crawl back.

    But I was too slow.

    "Ah¡­ ah¡­ d-don''t¡­" moans left my lips over and over.

    She didn''t stop.

    She didn''t listen¡­

    She lowered herself in front of me.

    "No¡­"

    I winced and turned my face away¡ª

    When warms hands wrapped around my back.

    "Ah¡­"

    "I''m here¡­"

    Warmth.

    Warmth filled my chest.

    The pounding increased but different from before.

    The pain increased, but it was likable now.

    My eyes cleared up and so did my head.

    "Ahh¡­"

    "I am here¡­"

    Something wet dabbed my eyes.

    And then, it seeped down my cheeks.

    One after another, like drops of rain, something kept falling from my eyes. Something I had never felt before.

    My heart screamed, but this time my lips could follow.

    "AAAAHH!"

    I was crying.

    Tears kept streaming down my eyes as I screamed my heart out.

    "I am here¡­"

    She said.

    "I don''t know! Why¡­ why am I suffering? This is not my life! These aren''t my emotions¡­ so why¡­ why¡­ why does my heart ache?"

    "They are yours."

    "Who am I¡­?"

    Lethe held me tighter.

    "I don''t even know who I am¡­"

    "You don''t need to know¡­"

    She said.

    "I''ll know who are you are. Always and always. So you don''t need to know."

    Tears kept streaming down.

    "I don''t love Eugene Hall or Yujin Han."

    My breath stopped.

    "I love you."

 Chapter 227: Chapter 223: Return

    I wasn''t sure how much time passed.

    It couldn''t have been long since the night was still dark.

    I also wasn''t sure when I stopped screaming.

    With my hands digging into her back, I just held on to Lethe and cried.

    And when I was fine again, my head cleared up.

    I had experienced 22 years of reliving my trauma, and then another two months of being brainwashed straight by Dantalian.

    Even now, I wanted to be pampered a bit more.

    But¡­

    But holy fucking shit was it embarrassing.

    I held Lethe tighter and buried my head in her chest.

    A faintugh rang out as Lethe stroked my hair. Fuck. I wanted this, but I also didn''t. It didn''t suit the image of the strongest man.

    No. The strongest man can do whatever the fuck he wants. Write it down, half-wits. The to-be strongest has announced that crying in the arms of your girlfriend and being pampered is a sign of strength.

    Heh. Not like others have girlfriends like mine.

    Lethe ran her fingers through my hair and smiled.

    "You seem to have gotten a hold of yourself now."

    I nodded, not letting her go.

    "I have."

    She lightly pulled my head up with one hand and moved her veil with the other, her lips neared my forehead as she kissed me lightly.

    I felt my cheeks burning up.

    How cool.

    Why was she so cool? I was losing again.

    "I didn''t think you''lle to me this roughed up, though," she said.

    I tilted my head before light stinging pains like mosquitoes biting spread over my head. Right, I did topple all over the ce like a drunkard.

    "Do you have a potion, darling?"

    "Shouldn''t you be the one pulling it out?"

    "How demanding. I don''t have something as convenient as your spatial magic."

    I''ll let you know that takes constant effort to maintain. Any emotional instability affected the spatial dimension¡­

    "I''llpensate you so hand it over¡­"

    MY SPATIAL DIMENSION!!

    I immediately closed my eyes and focused on my spatial dimension. The structure of something existing within me at all times yet not within me at any time made itself clear.

    There were cracks all over the ce.

    Fuck fuck.

    I immediately poured in all my mana and the cracks started to fill in, making the space more stable.

    With a snap of my fingers, a potion appeared in my hands.

    I wore a shaky grin and handed it to Lethe.

    "T-there you go."

    "I feel like you just messed something up?"

    "It''s not fair to know me this well."

    Letheughed and rolled up the cap of the potion bottle. The raspy smell of the weak potion and also one of mysts spread over my nose. Just as Lethe was about to pour it on my head, she stopped.

    "What''s this?" Her gaze was stuck on the bottom of the bottle.

    I moved towards her embrace again and looked back at the bottle.

    Strange writings filled the bottom, scratched onto the bottle.

    "Is this anguage? Anguage I don''t recognize?"

    How cute.

    "It''s thousands of years old," I said, taking the potion from her hands.

    Lethe hummed in amusement at my words.

    "What does it say?"

    "Heh. It says ''Get a hold of yourself,''" A smirk left me at the words. Look at this now. I poured the potion over my wounds and let it cure. I didn''t need to, but¡­

    "You have to go back, right?"

    I nodded at Lethe''s words, a wry smile leaving me.

    Somewhere in my heart, I didn''t want to.

    But my entire body was burning with rage nheless.

    "Miss Angel¡­ make sure she''s fine."

    "I will," I said. "I''ll make sure she''s fine, and then I''ll atone."

    Lethe smirked. Suddenly, she wrapped her hands around my back and pulled me closer again. I let it happen as she settled me on her thighs and patted my head.

    "You don''t have to leave right away. It''s been two months, so stay shut."

    I turned my head and buried myself deeper in her thighs.

    It had been well over 20 years for me.

    Such suffering. It was natural to fall in front of it.

    Dantalian was the greatest foe I had faced yet.

    She could not only always feed my mind with the worst of maniptions after weakening my defenses, but she could also read my mind at all times. Her skill worked on everyone, but she was cing all her focus on me.

    I couldn''t n anything without her knowledge. I couldn''t make any move without her knowledge. Even though she was the weakest of the demons, she was also one of the most fearsome.

    "I can see why the original Eugene Hall fell for her tricks."

    I would have too¡­

    "Of course, he didn''t have someone like me by his side."

    Cool.

    "So damn cool."

    "What was that?"

    I let out a deep sigh.

    "I''m sorry," I said, grabbing her waist. "I didn''t mean what I said that day. Forget one, I''ll give up every single life for you."

    Lethe''s hand stopped on my cheeks.

    "No," she said. "I should apologize. I should have never said all of that and trusted you. My faith wascking."

    "I would have done worse in your shoes. It''s my fault."

    "Then I would have hit you. But no, it''s my fault."

    "No, mine."

    "My fault."

    "Mine."

    "My."

    The two of us red at each other.

    "Pfft."

    "Haha¡­"

    This was why we stopped. This was why we didn''t rush.

    So that we could make mistakes, and so that we could adjust.

    So that we could learn about each other, and so that we could change together.

    ""I love you""

    Our voices ovepped.

    Yes.

    It was ''I'' who loved her.

    It was ''I'' who she loved.

    There was no room for anyone else. No thought for anyone else.

    These were all my feelings, my emotions, my joy, and my pain.

    I slowly pushed myself off her and stood up. Lethe took my hand and stood too.

    "I should go back," I said.

    She nodded.

    "When¡­ will it be over¡ª"

    "Today."

    I held on to the end. It kinda sucked I couldn''t y to the finish line, but I got to see her coolness up close so it bnced out.

    "I''ll end it all today."

    After stretching my hand behind my back, I turned around.

    "I''ll make it up to everyone."

    Today was the day of Agares'' summoning.

    "Wait! Before you go."

    Lethe called out and I turned around¡ª

    ¡ªTHWACK!

    A loud bang resounded as she smashed a chair on my head. I didn''t even twitch as the chair was blown to bits, leaving only me blinking in surprise.

    "What was that for?"

    "You apologized, but you still deserved it. For everyone."

    "It¡­ it didn''t even scratch¡ª"

    "Don''t talk about it."

    How fucking cute.

    I sneaked a peck on her cheeks and turned away again.

    Today was the day of Agares'' summoning.

    "Bye~ take care."

    "Stop interrupting my monologue¡­"

    "Right right, whatever. Today was the day¡­"

    "Bwah! That''s my line! Mine! I''ll tape your mouth if you stop me from being cool here."

    Letheughed and waved her hands.

    Finally, after a long sigh, I turned back and took a step out of the ce.

    Today was the day of Agares'' summoning.

    Today¡­

    Was the day I had been preparing for, for thest two months.

    No.

    For thest twenty years.

    Bad choice, fate or Dantalian or whoever.

    Eugene Hall¡­ Yujin Han¡­ those names don''t matter.

    "You''re finally back."

    "Letheee!!"

    ***

    That evening.

    A soft sensation spread over my back as Dantalian hugged me from behind.

    Below us.

    Was the club ind of the academy. With every single student associated with a club present inside, this was currently thergest and the most populous ce in the entire Academy City.

    "Do you see, Eugene?" Dantalian whispered in my ears. "The artifact we copied is slowly starting up."

    Tick, tock, the sound of the clocks filled my ears.

    "I can already smell the air of Hell, you can too, right?"

    I nodded.

    Tick. Tock.

    She nibbled on my ears, and then licked my neck. I reciprocated by caressing her cheeks and meeting her lips.

    "It''s about to happen. In just a few minutes, every single student on this Ind."

    Tick tock.

    "Will die and open the gates."

    Tick tock.

    "Then you can finally fight against fate."

    Tick.

    "You can finally be the strongest."

    Tock.

    A gust of wind spread through the ce.

    A bright red glow emerged from the ground before capturing the entire ind in its wake.

    "Huh?"

    "W-what!?"

    "What''s happening!?"

    At the bottom stood Jimmy Ferris, next to him Mohawk, also confused.

    It was finally happening.

    My betrayal was here.

    The bright light enveloped the entire ce and a dorm formed around the ind.

    "MWAAHAHA!" Dantalianughed. "IT''S HERE! Eugene! Look! You did this, you are going to kill all these students!"

    I snapped my fingers.

    "You are going to betray the entire world¡ªAh¡­"

    A mouthful of blood spilled from Dantalian''s mouth.

    She slowly turned her gaze behind her.

    The dome of red stood tall, all over it, were images of a squirrel trying to steal nuts, the Don Chiik.

    A smile spread over my face as Dantalian turned further back.

    "Y¡­you..?"

    Stabbing an axe through her stomach was a woman with a bright smile.

    "How are you alive¡­"

    Her ck and white hair fluttered in the wind while her purple eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

    "I wanted to stab you for so long, bitch."

    "Noa¡­ Roselle?"

 Chapter 228: Chapter 224: Goodbye, Trash

    I snapped my fingers.

    "You are going to betray the entire world¡ªAh¡­"

    A mouthful of blood spilled from Dantalian''s mouth.

    She slowly turned her gaze behind her.

    The dome of red stood tall, all over it, were images of a squirrel trying to steal nuts, the Don Chiik.

    A smile spread over my face as Dantalian turned further back.

    "Y¡­you..?"

    Stabbing an axe through her stomach was a woman with a bright smile.

    "How are you alive¡­"

    Her ck and white hair fluttered in the wind while her purple eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

    "I wanted to stab you for so long, bitch."

    "Noa¡­ Roselle?"

    "How are you alive¡­"

    Her ck and white hair fluttered in the wind while her purple eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

    "I wanted to stab you for so long, bitch."

    "Noa¡­ Roselle?"

    A chuckle spilled from my lips at the sight in front of me.

    "Haha¡­" I held my head and bent forward, but no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to notugh. "Hahaha¡­. HAHAha¡­. HAHAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAA!"

    "Woah¡­ nailed the evilugh."

    "Right? My Eugy probably wasn''t manipted, he was always like this¡ª"

    "Quiet," I said. Turning to Dantalian with a wide smirk on my face, I ran my hand over her cheeks.

    "What a lovely face you make when you''re betrayed, stupid stupid demon."

    "Kuh¡­ you can''t¡­ see¡­"

    "Spiritually, spiritually¡­ Don''t mind those details." With the same snarky grin, I kicked my legs around and started strolling over the terrace of the third clubhouse. Don Chiik down below was entertaining the students well, no one would ever notice what was happening here.

    Dantalian seemed ready to make a quick move, but Noa twisted the axe in her stomach.

    "When¡­" Dantalian muttered, bleeding more. Her eyes must have bulged out enough to drop to the ground by now.

    Titaniaughed at the pathetic disy and flew over to my shoulders.

    "From the beginning, you stupid idiot."

    Titanianded well on my palms and smiled brightly while looking at Dantalian.

    "You shouldn''t have gone after my partner in the first ce."

    The breeze on the terrace fluttered over all our hair, the scent of her demon blood flew to my nose, making this all the more satisfying.

    "B-but¡­ the evil queen¡­"

    Noa pulled Dantalian''s head back.

    "You''re right about that," Titania said. "You did good assuming I would switch sides. But to whom is important."

    "We''re cut of the same cloth, me and Titania, she''ll switch sides, but only over to the victor."

    "Kuh¡­"

    Iughed again at that confused groan.

    Exactly, you stupid bitch.

    "''I expected more.'' At first I thought she had said this to me, but thanks to you, I had well over 20 years to ponder it. In the first ce, no one could create a ce like that just to face their memories, it was obviously an attack."

    And the one my darling fairy expected more from.

    "Was the attacker."

    Titania burst intoughter.

    "Splendid, it was truly splendid! You see, I and Titania are bound through our souls. If I die, she would too. In such a situation it only made sense to terminate the contract, but she never did. Of course, death includes bing your puppet as what was happening since the start."

    "I was weakened considerably," Titania continued, "But that the contract still continued was proof that we were still partners."

    "Fuck! Fuck¡­ you think¡­ I would have¡­ lost to this bastard?"

    Noa pulled the axe slightly back and pped the back of Dantalian''s head.

    "Say that before you lose."

    Not untrue.

    I moved closer and stepped on Dantalian''s toes.

    "Don''t be sad, you contributed just as much."

    Her head shook.

    "It was splendid, throwing the real Eugene Hall after me, that was definitely the straw that had me moving to your palms. But you gave me the perfect clue to figure out your blind spot."

    Dantalian didn''t seem to have realized it yet.

    "Don''t you remember, what you said about the mask?"

    [If it was in your spatial dimension I would''ve been in trouble, but my dear Charlotte''s ring absorbed me right up.]

    "No¡­ way¡­ from that?" Dantalian said.

    "Now now, don''t give yourself TOO much credit."

    I grinned again. It was starting to get tough to even keep a straight face in front of this loser.

    "I already knew you could read my thoughts, that''s why I had to always be in your palms. I was losing myself so I could win against you from the beginning."

    "Then¡­ Noa¡­ Roselle?"

    "It was nned, obviously."

    "Hey, bitch. It wasn''t nned at all?" Noa muttered, angry.

    I raised my hands and shrugged. I was willing to let her take over for a bit.

    "But he did know about me before hand. Choosing me as his ''first'' victim was a surety before you even met him."

    "How¡­?"

    The first thing losers do, is determine what caused their defeat.

    And the entire world was a loser in the first round, and it was defeated by none other than Dantalian.

    Before the entrance exams even started, I had received information on the ''main characters'' enough from Albert.

    "I was always aware of how much of an absurd genius Noa Roselle was, I was also aware how I could kidnap her."

    "Kidnap¡­?"

    "I was so surprised, you know? He pulled some killer move of some kind and the next thing I knew, I was in a spatial dimension!"

    "IMPOSSIBLE!!" Dantalian screamed in rage. It earned her another p from Noa. "Spatial dimensions can''t house humans!"

    "A humans'' can''t," I said. "But unfortunately for you, I''ve been learning magic from the best."

    Titania chimed in again. "I figured out he wasn''t killing her from the moment he said the attack''s name. How many times do you think I''ve seen him pull it off?"

    That form was created under Titania.

    "It was sudden, but I made it possible for him to store a human in his spatial dimension," Titania said. "That was risky."

    "Sure was, I was worried she would figure it out."

    "Impossible, you''ve never had thoughts of Noa Roselle¡­! I would''ve¡­ figured all conversations."

    "Oh, I was justing to that."

    I walked closer and started stroking Dantalian''s horns.

    "What do you think I learned the ancientnguages for?"

    "It was tiring," Noa said. "But I managed to learn it too. Your notes were pretty neat, Eugene, but I have to say, your personality is one shitty personality."

    "Be flexible, I was under¡­ influence?"

    "Fair enough."

    "Languages¡­ don''t hinder me¡­"

    Noa grinned at those words.

    "I told you," she said.

    I shrugged.

    "I thought it would, but Noa was right thinking it wouldn''t. That''s why, we onlymunicated using code from the many many books."

    Dantalian trembled again.

    "I let her approach me first. I was sure she would, seeing how much of a genius she is."

    "Thank you!" Noa said. "That''s pretty sweet."

    "Shut up. I wasn''t praising you."

    "Bitch, I should''ve killed you in the tower."

    "Says the actual helpless bitch!"

    "Guys, can you stop quarreling." Titania swooped in with the rational take everyone disliked. Well, our cool reveal moment was still going on so it was fine.

    "Code¡­ you bitches¡­"

    "Ny-nine percent of that conversation was useless though. We nned things easy, and the rest was Noa asking for some super Forbidden Romance BL book."

    "Don''t insult my books! They are great, alright?"

    "Why BL!? I ruined my reputation because of you!"

    "What''s wrong with BL. You talk like you won''t read it."

    "I might, but that''s beside the point."

    The two of us red at each other. To release our frustration, we both hit Dantalian again.

    "Your ancient magic was useless, whatever you nned, Noa would change it up."

    "Finding the time to attack was still slightly tricky, I won''t lie."

    I yawned and stretched my hands.

    "I had to figure out how you were reading minds so I could attack from the perfect spot."

    Dantalian''s mouth fell wide open.

    A grin spread through my face.

    "Exactly, you dumb skank. All that checking status and potential? I was figuring out your range."

    "Impossible¡­"

    "Anything youy your eyes on, huh? Making you switch that quick and knowing your personality, it was easy to guess things. It''s quite the ability, I must say."

    "I¡­ don''t believe¡­ this¡­"

    "You have to, darling."

    Noa leaned closer to her ears and whispered.

    "This is your loss."

    "No! No!"

    She yanked the axe out, and Dantalian fell to the ground.

    I grabbed her head in my hands before she could do anything and raised her up.

    "This is for Dawn, you little shit."

    "O-outer gods!"

    We stopped.

    "I know a way to unseal the outer gods! If you kill me, they will all be able to enter this ce!"

    In a final push of bravado, she dropped a bomb.

    "What will you do! If you kill me, this precious world of yours will be over!"

    Noa, I and Titania all looked at Dantalian and blinked our eyes.

    Then, weughed.

    "HAHAHA!"

    "Look at this!"

    "Unreal. How stupid!"

    Dantalian trembled in fear as I raised her head higher.

    "I''ve always wanted to sh them dead."

    "Outer gods seem interesting even to a fairy like me."

    "Just because we won''t do it with you..." I said. "Doesn''t mean we won''t bring the world to it''s end."

    "No! No no no!"

    "Goodbye, trash."

 Chapter 229: Chapter 225: Field Trip (1)

    With my hands drenched in blood, flesh and bones, I took in a deep breath.

    When that wasn''t enough, I took in another deep breath. Until I was leaning backward by pushing my chest out to its limits, I kept taking in the air.

    And then, all at once, I let it out of my mouth.

    "HAAAAH! FUCK!"

    Curses spilled on their own. I shook off the flesh and pushed my hair up with the blood.

    Refreshing.

    Way too refreshing.

    On my side, Noa Roselle too was leaning against the parapet as she let the wind blow into her hair.

    The dead body spasmed on the ground every now and then, hearing that was a refreshing yet a notch greater.

    I turned to face the girl after reveling in the air.

    "Noa Roselle. I am sorry, and I am immensely thankful."

    Saying that, I lowered my head. There was no denying the fact that she was my victim who I had kidnapped and stowed away for an entire month, and that she had also agreed to be my benefactor, pretty much saving my life.

    "You don''t have to, I always wanted to stab that bitch, so it''s fine," Noa said, waving her hands.

    I hadn''t done nearly enough but that was alright for now. I won''t be forgetting this debt, after all.

    The fleeting, stupid thought entered my mind. That this might be the first time I owed someone.

    But the facts were the furthest from the thoughts.

    From the very beginning with that annoying robot to now, I''ve owed tons and tons of people.

    Not very suiting for a viin, huh? Well, as if something stupid like fate can ever stop me. The strong weren''t bound by that either. Such excuses would never work.

    "Now¡­" Noa sighed. "Let''s go."

    "No, we can stay here a bit longer."

    "Shut up, Eugene Hall. You''re the one who said you''ll take responsibility."

    "Let me cook up a proper excuse, please."

    So that person you were crying over is actually alive, lol. I definitely couldn''t go back and do that. I didn''t even have my age and sudden change to cite anymore, so even if I straight up told people I was from another world, the best case scenario would be getting sentenced to therapy.

    It would be better to talk straight with the principal and hide the details about the demon. He would probably like it too since there would be panicking students all over if we just let word of a demon spread, dead or not.

    "For now, let''s take inspiration from Don Chiik," I said.

    "Fuck, don''t remind me of that squirrel. That was the only entertaining thing in your spatial dimension," Noa chimed in. "Can''t you spice things up?"

    "Spice things up in my spatial dimension? What would I put in there?"

    "Something normal?"

    "Normal? Potions and weapons are normal enough!"

    "No! More normal, like porn! How do you not have a single porno in there?"

    This bitch.

    I red at Noa Roselle, probably, and she red back.

    Then, we both sighed.

    "You''re definitely more interesting than the original Eugene. I guess I''ll have to ept that you''re truly someone from another world."

    Of course, I had shared most of the things necessary with Noa through our secretmunication. Unlike me, she could ponder on matters all she wanted without worrying about Dantalian''s mind-reading, so I mostly had to just affirm or deny them.

    "You still doubted?"

    "I was ready for betrayal," Noa said, pressing her back on the parapet. "I was ready to face you as I got out, but seeing that you did everything I asked, it was probably alright to trust a bit. And well, a possessor is eptable enough, since I am a regressor too."

    "Oh right, you should be happy. All your friends are regressors too," I spoiled a part of the plot for her, but she wouldn''t mind.

    "What friends?"

    "You know, Luka and everyone?"

    "Uh¡­" Noa nodded and turned her head away. "We weren''t that good friends."

    Oh?

    I guess problems were bound to be afloat with so many lovers.

    I didn''t pry further and decided to watch Don Chiik''s antics a bit more. There was something special about chatting carelessly and enjoying the breeze with a dead demon by your feet.

    Something even more special when that dead demon was asking for a killing for two months. It was disappointing that not only did I fall for her vices, but also that I had to concede thest hit.

    But there was little I could do.

    A head on the verge of insanity and in a ce where the demon could exploit anyone around me, it was already a tough game. That I couldn''t do anything without her figuring my intentions was even worse.

    "At least she''s dead."

    "You bet," Noa said. "Hey, pull out the beer from your store room. I saw some there. It''s perfect after killing a demon."

    "You two are pretty happy go lucky, but you do know that the demon isn''t dead yet, right?"

    Titania came with a semi truck and crashed it right into us.

    Both of us blinked for a few seconds, unable to process things.

    And then¡ª

    "HAAAAH!?"

    "WHAAAT!?"

    Titania smugly nodded her head. Don''t act coy! Tell us that before. For good measure, I decided to smash Dantalian''s body a bit more, it seemed Noa had the same thought as she too joined me in kicking it to dust.

    "T-that body is dead! You''re just being cruel!"

    "What do you mean ''that'' body?" I snapped. "Exin! Now!"

    "Yes, yes." Titania nodded. "You see, Dantalian is not just the Demon King of Many Faces for no reason. There are hundreds of her vessels in her kingdom down in hell, once she dies, she can just switch her soul to one of those."

    "Excuse the fuck out of me? And you thought it good to tell us AFTER we killed her?"

    Titania blushed and looked away.

    "Don''t give me that!"

    "Look, it''s tough to remember everything when you''ve lived for thousands of years, alright? Why do you think I didn''t say anything, I was trying my best to recall it!"

    I lowered my head and sighed.

    "What now¡­?" Noa asked. "Should we just let her go¡­"

    We could¡­

    "HAH!" I gasped. "If she''s still alive, that means the outer gods won''t being through after all?"

    Noa and I stared at each other.

    "You mean¡­ I won''t get to fight them?"

    "I won''t get to kill them¡­"

    Noa raised her hand up, and I met her with mine.

    This kind of fate. We were definitely not going to let it happen. Dantalian HAD to die.

    "So that we can fight¡ª I mean¡­ stop the danger before it endangers us."

    We were going to hell.

 Chapter 230: Chapter 226: Field Trip (2)

    "HAH!" I gasped. "If she''s still alive, that means the outer gods won''t being through after all?"

    Noa and I stared at each other.

    "You mean¡­ I won''t get to fight them?"

    "I won''t get to kill them¡­"

    Noa raised her hand up, and I met her with mine.

    This kind of fate. We were definitely not going to let it happen. Dantalian HAD to die.

    "So that we can fight¡ª I mean¡­ stop the danger before it endangers us."

    We were going to hell.

    "How do we go about this?" Noa asked, all in on the n without even the need to exin.

    "We know the spell to create a portal, we are the ones who dispelled it."

    It would have been tough before, but this motherfucker was a proper linguist now. Strength didn''t ever stop! Evennguage was strength and I was the very fucking strongest.

    "But, there''s a problem," Titania chimed in. "It needs blood to function. And, it would be less since we''re all humans and fairies, but the stronger a being the more the blood."

    "How many people do you think?" Noa asked.

    "At least 10 for both you. 15 to be safe."

    That was a lot.

    We turned our gaze down at the ind at the same time. Don Chiik''s show was about to end.

    "Now, now, you two seem like perfect devils but you just barely escaped the situation of a student''s death. You''re really going to make it happen?"

    It felt slightly odd for Titania to be caring of other kids. But I could get her.

    Even my heart ached when I thought of doing that. We both had just barely escaped Dantalian''s control, it seemed we were still weak.

    "I have other ns, though," I said.

    Noa didn''t even need to be told them. She stretched her hand in front of me. Without a word, I snapped my fingers and let her take a few daggers and picked the rest for myself. I also started working on the spell with psychokinesis that Lady Sophia constantly inspired me to develop.

    "You''re really killing students? How fun."

    "Not students, please."

    "Only devil worshippers." Noapleted my words with a smirk. "Hey, which one do I not kill?"

    "Mohawk. Everyone else is free target practice."

    Noa smirked a loud smirk and pulled her hand back.

    "HAAP!"

    In broad daylight.

    Right in the center where hundreds of students had gathered, she tossed a dagger.

    It tore through the air, crushed apart the parts of the barrier, and lodged itself in the chest of a confused robed bitch from the ult research club.

    "Nice shot!"

    "Five points!"

    I tossed the dagger in my hand, twisted my stance, and threw it too. The next one was down as well.

    With the third, the students realized something was going on.

    By the time the seventh was down, they started feeling uncertain.

    The eleventh filled them with fear.

    And the panicking littlembs only decided to make a move with the fifteenth dead.

    "AAAH!"

    "MURDER!!!"

    "OHH MY GAHHH!"

    No time to bother with bullshit. I quickly dabbed my hands with Dantalian''s dead blood and wrote a quick message on the walls of the terrace.

    "Let''s go, Eugene Hall."

    Noa Roselle called, and jumped down the parapet with a quick step.

    The ethereal mana circle that would transport us wasing along well. Maintaining it, I jumped down the terrace as well andnded straight on the ground.

    "Wow, you guys are insane. Fucking insane!"

    "You''re saying that now, Titania? What happened to the two years we spent together?"

    "No, I just missed saying it because you were all tame! Go you insane bastard!"

    HAHA!

    Trees fell and the ground cracked in our path as Noa and I made our way through the streets and straight to the barrier.

    A few seniors were gathering around the dead members of the ult club when.

    "I AM NOA ROSELLE''S GHOST! I''LL TAKE REVENGE ON YOU IF YOU DON''T GET LOST!"

    As if that would work!

    "AAAH!"

    "It''s a ghosssst!!!"

    IT WORKED?!

    "Panic, Eugene Hall. People are too easy to panic, especially losers who chose clubs over actually working hard in life."

    "Apologize to all club goers right now."

    We skidded to a stop in front of the dead body. Which of us had killed Jimmy Ferris, I had no clue.

    Mohawk was standing at the side, trembling fervently.

    "S-sir Dusk!" He screamed. "What is happening¡ª"

    "Yada yada, h h, we''re going to hell, cya," I grabbed Mohawk with a hand and tossed him away.

    The magic circle waspleted. Noa had gotten rid of anyone else who could get caught up.

    "Ready, Eugene?" She asked.

    "You ready yourself. Go buy your porn or something."

    "Oh buff naked sexy men can neverpare to a screaming demon."

    I agreed.

    "[@#@$$!##@$#$@#%#@!]"

    The ancient spell''s chant began.

    The blood started to rise.

    "ept this offering, o'' gates of hell."

    The magic circle solidified as it drooped into the real world.

    In the blink of an eye, all the sigils and symbols on it glowed while the circle started to spin like a top without control.

    It was happening.

    "We''reing straight to hell after you, trash."

    "That bitch better not be lying about the outer gods."

    She was die to either way.

    "OPEN! HELL!"

    The blood surrounded us.

    And the world turned ck.

    ***

    Like a storm, two students had rushed into the club ind, scattered and beat up the others, and just like a storm, disappeared.

    Seeck Mohawk, unable to process a second of what had happened, sat idly after being tossed away.

    His eyes darted to the sky, where a young blonde and two women flew.

    It was the principal of the academy, the feared swordsmanship teacher, and the most fearsome Irina.

    "What do these brats think of the faculty?"

    "I''ve never seen problem kids like this."

    Their conversation was fleeting, it was too far in for Mohawk to follow.

    "Ah, someone just went to hell. Our students went to hell."

    A tear dripped from his eyes when he heard those words.

    "I won''t let this pass. Teachers, we''re going in too. We''ll let the others handle the devil worshippers and retrieve them first."

    ''All the best, sir Dusk. You''ll be remembered fondly.''

 Chapter 231: Chapter 227: Nostalgic Place

    Unchanging red skies, wispy clouds far out of reach. The ce where neither sun nor moon existed, but light never left, as if telling its inhabitants of what they could never have.

    That was Hell.

    "How does it feel to go to hell, Eugene Hall?" Noa asked. The two of us hadnded on a hill that overlooked a city. The ashy ground and the dead trees all around fluttered in the dry, raspy wind, but the ce was still full of life.

    "Nostalgic, I guess? I hasn''t been that long, but I had fun." I answered her while pulling out my ring and tossing it into the spatial dimension. I liked the purple stone, but since it was going to help Dantalian it was better gone for now.

    "You''ve been in Hell!?"

    I nodded casually at Noa''s words. After brushing my hair up, I tried to focus closer on the city not that far downhill.

    "Where is this?"

    "You''re the experienced one, you tell me."

    "Uh, I kinda drowned the ce I country gone to previously. Not on my own though."

    I thought Noa was stunned for the first time since I had met her just a few hours back, little victories.

    "Ufufu, you both are useless." Right on time, my darling fairy fluttered in front of me and twirled around.

    "That reminds me, can you see her?" I asked Noa.

    "She can because I used my spell on her for an entire month."

    I wasn''t the one keeping her alive in my spatial dimension, Titania was. We were both gravely weakened thanks to the Dantalian''s mind control, but she could still manage this. It seemed Noa had gotten ustomed to Titania''s presence.

    "That and my own fairy is constantly messaging me about her. Evil queen or what not, you fairies are strangely delusional, huh?"

    "D-delusional!? I''ll have you know that I truly was an evil queen."

    "Proving my point."

    It was useless to argue with chuunibyous.

    "Titania, do you know how we can get to Dantalian?"

    "Uhhn, she rules lives in one of the biggest cities in hell."

    "This can''t be it then. Where do we go to?"

    Titania flew above my head and stared at the city, after making a quick circle in the air, she came back down and tapped her head.

    "I don''t know, teehee."

    "Haha," Noa sighed. "Then we''ll just make the demons spill it. I am guessing this is close to that Agares guy''s home ground."

    "That''s probably it," I said and stretched my hands and waist. "Let''s get this done quickly, I can''t face someone until I shred all of Dantalian''s puppets to pieces."

    "I agree, we''re totally doing this for justice."

    "Yup, we don''t care about the outer gods at all. It''s just a consequence."

    "Totally, we would never put the world in trouble, it''s just going to happen."

    I already knew it, but Noa and I shared a simr wavelength.

    With that decided, I walked up to the edge of the cliff and jumped down. Noa Roselle followed right after. The dry wind brushed against our skin but it was barely enough to graze us. Many rocks and boulders came in the way but hopping over them all was as easy as ying hopscotch.

    In no time at all, we were down at the bottom of hill and were facing the city.

    No walls, no guards, a simple ce propagated by demons that rather fit their environment. Dried up and shriveled trees with gray and ck branches spread around the wood houses, some even grew fruits of strange shapes and sizes.

    Octopi, goats, rams, corvids and just horned demons that resembled humans, all kinds of beings trotted about in the city. Some in torn up rags while others donned proper suits and clothes that one would never see back on Earth.

    Interestingly enough, their roads were made with clean stones and were lined up well.

    "It must be a backwater town, not a proper city," Titania said. "Real cities in hell are prettyvish, almost on the level of the empire we saw."

    "Really?" Noa asked. "Is that even hell then?"

    "You bet."

    I raised my brow.

    "You suddenly know a lot about hell, Titania."

    "Not suddenly, I knew all along. We weren''t together herest time."

    Ah.

    "I had a chance to face that Dantalian before, you see. Seven thousand years back."

    "So that''s why she acted as if she knew you¡­" Noa muttered.

    "Was it with your previous contractor?"

    Titania nodded andnded on my head. "Jealous?"

    "No chance," with a sigh, I shook my head and locked my eyes on one of the demons walking around. Even the edges of the town were strangely popted. We hid behind a boulder, but we couldn''t much like that.

    "Wait here," I said and peeked out.

    A quick spell to muffle the sounds around me, I stared at the target.

    The demon with a frame simr to that of a human''s but with horns protruding out of its head was on the way to a house.

    With a short breath, I shot off.

    Faster than any of them could even see, I swooped behind the demon, knocked it out with a hit on the back of its head, and dashed back to the boulder before repeating the process for the next demon.

    "Woah, fast delivery."

    Noa had already changed into the demon''s clothes. To take it a step further, she had broken the demon''s horns and was trying to wrap it in her hair.

    The demon looked as if it had been tortured for years straight.

    I broke the second one''s horn too and tried to bnce it on my head, but it proved difficult.

    Noa''s horn was falling off too.

    "Should I hold it in ce with psychokinesis?"

    "Won''t it be a bother."

    "No way! It''s fine."

    With a snap of my fingers, the horns stuck to our head. It took a little bit of concentration, nothing I couldn''t do after spending two months like that.

    Now fully equipped, we were ready to punch some fuckers and find out the way to Dantalian.

    A smile emerged on both our faces.

    "Nailed the demon aesthetic!"

    Shut it fairy.

    I was always like this.

 Chapter 232: Chapter 228: Road Trip

    With blonde hair and green garbs, a man with a face that didn''t seem to be a day older than twenty sat up. His head ached and his muscles stung.

    "Was the spell too weak? We did barge in, ouch ouch¡­"

    He looked around himself. Red skies, wispy clouds, dried up trees and no sign of life no matter how far he looked.

    It seemed he was separated from his colleagues as well.

    "Stupid problem children, I have never met kids like this." The principal of the academy, Lushan,ined to the air.

    He hadn''t been in hell ever.

    But he had heard from the professor of swordsmanship, how far the worshippers of Agares had invaded their school.

    He had no idea how this was going on, even more so with the dead student, which surprised him that one teacher did. He wasn''t surprised about the worshippers surfacing.

    But why in the world would someone kill them all and go to fucking hell themselves? Just what was that bastard Eugene Hall thinking? And the other student¡­

    He wasn''t able to get a good nce at her soul, but it was likely the dead student.

    "I guess I''ll have to find them and figure it out myself."

    With a sigh, Lushan shook his head and raised his hand. A staff appeared out of thin air, followed by an ethereal cylinder filled with magic circles, stretching all the way up to the skies.

    "God of Fate, guide my way."

    A giant needle appeared above his raised hands, scratching the distant clouds of the red sky.

    A gust blew, and the needle fell.

    It''s tip pointing toward the east.

    Lushan sighed and mumbled under his breath. His green robes fluttered as his body was raised to the sky. The other teachers must have noticed his needle and woulde his way, and if any demon did as well, that was all the better. Lady luck should have pointed him to Eugene Hall''s direction.

    And so, Lushan set off toward the castle of Agares.

    Not knowing at all that his problem student was looking to leave to the opposite direction.

    Fate was ying a fun game that day.

    ***

    "Quack¡­ quack quack¡­"

    With the head of a deer, a new demon stood in front of us. Sweat dripped from its forehead as it waved its hands around.

    Every other demon in the building was staring at us, all of them nervous.

    "Quack¡­ quack¡­"

    We were faced with arge problem.

    "Psst," I leaned toward''s Noa''s ears. "Do you speak quack?"

    "I don''t know, aren''t you the returnee?"

    Hm¡­

    There was no choice.

    I mmed the table of what seemed to be a pub and stared at the deer headed demon.

    "Quack," I said, pointing at my ears.

    "Quack quack." And then, I crossed my arms.

    Sorry demon bros, I am deaf.

    I also pointed at Noa and did the same thing.

    "Quack¡­" the deer head was sweating even worse than before.

    I mmed the table again, just to urge him on. With tears in his eyes, the deer head shook his antlers.

    Right then, one of the octopi in the room came toward us. We both heard his footsteps and turned to the side, making the demons even more weirded out.

    "QUACK!" The octopus demon screamed. It donned a ck leather jacket, a chain made of teeth and bracelets. There were even sunsses.

    There were sunsses in this world!?

    Like a true punk, the octopus came to us and raised it''s neck.

    "Quack, quack," It said. One of its tentacles pointed at its head, and then, he made a gesture of drawing a line over his neck.

    "Oh!" Noa smiled. "I get it!"

    Hm?

    "He''s asking for death."

    Without waiting, she grabbed the tentacle and raised the octopus in the air, as if stealing candy from a child.

    "Quack! Quack quack!!"

    The other demons got of their chairs and all pulled away. I thought they would jump in but¡ª

    -THWACK! THWACK!

    ¡ªAll their bravado disappeared as soon as Noa started smashing the octopus on the ground.

    Something fell out of the punk''s jacket and slid on the ground. I left Noa to thrash it around while I picked up the object. With stones wrapped around it, it was a long piece of bone that had a skull handle.

    "This shape¡­?"

    "It''s a key!" Titania said.

    "Noa, stop."

    "Hah? You want to save this guy? Get through me first."

    "No, no, it dropped a key of some kind."

    Noa dropped the octopus and rushed over to me like a child getting bored of a toy. No other demon in the room said a word.

    "What kind of¡­?"

    "We''ll ask him."

    I kicked the Octopus and shed the key in front of him.

    "Quack," I said.

    "Quack! Quack quack!~" The octopus answered desperately.

    I pointed at my ears and made a cross again. Sorry dude, I am deaf.

    The octopus shed a few tears and crawled on the floor, asking us to follow it. The demons all slid their chairs and tables away when we walked through.

    Leading us past the ashy wooden gates, the octopus dragged us to the back of the pub where.

    "What is this?"

    "Huh? What a curious device¡­"

    My hands trembled.

    With a skull at the front, two thick wheels coated with bones and handles that stretched out of the skull. Madepletely out of bones was a thing of beauty.

    "It''s!" I gasped.

    It was something I had never seen in this world, and even in the old one. An antique of ancient times from Earth!

    The other two looked at me in confusion.

    "It''s a motorcycle!!"

    Octopus! I was wrong! I immediately held its tentacles and shook them while the octopus scratched the back of its head.

    "W-what''s a motorcycle?" Noa asked.

    "I don''t know, it looks like a horse." Titania answered.

    "Idiots! It''s an antique motorcycle!"

    "Quack Quack!"

    What a lovely frame. Such impractical tyres!

    "Does this thing even work?"

    "Quack!" The octopus pointed at the keys in my hand and shook its head. The motorcycle had leather seats but no gas tank, instead, at the center of the skull was a small ck stone that reminded me of a mana stone.

    There was a small container at the back that opened with the same key. When I yanked it open, it held two thin skull helmets and a map.

    A smile spread through my face.

    "Hey, octopus¡­"

    "Quack¡­?"

    "We''re taking this bike."

    Even though we couldn''t share words.

    My emotions were carried through.

    With tears spilling out its eyes like a river, the Octopus cried and urged us to get on.

    What a helpful being.

    "Let''s go on a Road Trip, Noa Roselle."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 233: Chapter 228: Dragon Blood Tree (1)

    Dry breeze smashed against our faces as we sped through the uneven grounds of hell. With the ashy ground below and the sky above, the bone bike fit in like thest piece of a puzzle. Noa held my waist and I shifted the gears to thest ones.

    The city made of ck stones and dried woods was long behind us while only barrennd remained ourpanion.

    "This is very fucking fun," Noa muttered, pressing her helmet down with one hand. It had enough space to snugly fit our horns inside, so I left them stuck there and didn''t need to use psychokinesis.

    "Right?" I answered.

    "How did you know how to drive this?"

    "What? Repeat that!" I screamed over the engine''s shrieks.

    "Drive! How?"

    "Exactly! Even I''ve never seen this!" Titania chimed in.

    "I''ve seen it in a museum. It''s function is pretty easy."

    "Museum? You mean we''ve been using horses over this thing?"

    "No! In my old world."

    Noa, perhaps unable to hear well, wrapped her arm tighter around my waist and ced her head over my shoulder.

    "You mean everyone had something better than this in that world?"

    "Yup. Their motorcycles all flew." I let go of one hand. "Or should I say they hovered? Do you get it?"

    "Not really,"

    "I don''t get it either. Also, Eugy, look the Dragon Blood tree!"

    Not far from us was a giant tree that resembled a mushroom. Unlike the rest, it wasn''t shriveled but had leaves of a deep crimson forming a shade, like the blood of a dragon. With all the branches flowing upward, the enormous tree shaded the wide region below it.

    A trail of dust was left behind as I hit the elerator harder.

    Noa and Titania yelped a bit as the bike wobbled, but I managed to bnce it out. The stones below shot away and the barren roads cracked.

    Few buildings and houses appeared in the distance and in the next half of an hour, we were already at the tree.

    Up close, it seemed evenrger than what we had seen. The Dragon Blood tree stretched far up high into the sky. A few demons were walking around the tree while others decided to have a pic down there. Many had carriages made of bones and leathers dragged around by horse-like monsters.

    I slowly let go of the elerator and the bike dragged to a slow stop around the tree, that wasrge enough to make it impossible to see the other side.

    The houses and buildings were strangely far while no sign of amodations remained around the spot itself.

    Noa got off the bike, the jacket she had taken from the octopunk was a little short and didn''t reach her waist. She stretched her back and her hands while I opened the cab and pulled out the map.

    The octopunk and deer-demon had been whipped badly after mentioning Dantalian''s name over and over again, they gave us the map with all thendmarks and turns neatly marked.

    "From this point, we go toward the north-west."

    "Yup! I remember this tree faintly."

    "Hey, Eugene Hall," Noa called, she tapped her helmet and only removed it after I gave her a nod. We didn''t see the necessity, but it seemed fine to hide that we were humans for now.

    "Let''s rest here for a bit and then hit the road. We should be at the ce tonight."

    The faster we killed Dantalian, the better. I couldn''t be sure if we won''t be caught up in her machinations again, but the same trick would probably work well as long as I could hold out. It wasn''t like she was strong.

    Noa looked around the tree for a good spot to rest. The best was taken by some demons, so she kicked them out and stole their sheets.

    Zero remorse, huh?

    "Eugene," Noa patted the spot next to her and beckoned me over. After leaving the motorcycle behind, I walked over to her and plopped myself on the ground.

    "Fuck, Hell is an exhausting ce."

    "It''s cooler than I thought. Could use more spice though."

    "More porn?"

    "What else would be good here?"

    Wow.

    "Sandwich?" Noa asked.

    "Oh! Me me!" Titania said and flew over to her. Did this girl steal those poor demons'' food too?

    Noa held the sandwich above my head. ck bread and bloodied meat¡­ It was a sight that would make anyone run away.

    "Interesting."

    I sat up and chomped down right away. One might not be able to stomach it, but I had been force-fed human flesh quite a bit.

    "Not human flesh for sure."

    "Why do you know what that tastes like?!"

    "Ate a bit."

    "You be more and more spicy with every conversation, Eugene Hall."

    Was that so?

    We sat in the breeze for a while. Some of the leaves of the Dragon Blood fell on us now and then, with our legs stretched out wide and the red skies up above, it made for quite the rxing spot.

    Thoughts entered my head.

    Would I actually fall for her schemes again?

    I didn''t think so. No matter how much she tried to weaken my mind now, it would probably be impossible.

    Maybe a shred of guilt, or maybe some uncertainty¡­ something was always left in my head that I had never addressed.

    I used to say ''I am who I am,'' and I still didn''t think that was incorrect.

    But.

    I had lost the ''I'' in that phrase. I was never who ''I was'' but always who the world made me. I never acknowledged me as myself.

    I never decided to trust others fully, I even left people behind without a second thought only in pursuit of strength.

    I came to love someone, but I had the galls to be a bitch even after that.

    In my assumption that just like myself, no one else was interested in ''me.''

    "I don''t love Eugene Hall or Yujin Han. I love you."

    Heh¡­

    A smile spilled from my lips.

    "What?" Noa asked. "Why are youughing?"

    "Nothing. Should we set off now?"

    Noa grinned even louder than me and stood up.

    "Hand over the keys, I''ll drive."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 234: Chapter 229: Dragon Blood Inn

    Pink hair. Pink eyes. Pink dresses and lustrous pink lips. A person that looked like princess straight out of a fairy tale was now faced by a city from grim-dark fantasy.

    Arge city of blood and stones, dry wind under the red skies and ck soil filling every nook and cranny of the ground. Even amongst all this, prosperity did notck as demons of all kinds moved about in the vast city that housed the head of the second ranked demon, Agares.

    Strangely enough, no one had batted an eye even when they faced the woman that waspletely out of ce here, that was likely due to her eyes that screamed murder.

    Heaving a sigh, Irina Lester shook her head and started scouring the streets, two horns extending from her head.

    Unlike others, Irina was a rare type ofbatant, a sorcerer. Just like the tinum ranked adventurer Sorcerer of the Swamps, she could use something that was different from Magic and Ki, something that allowed her to bend thews of nature to some extent.

    From turning beings into frogs to making buildings hop, from making rocks toot horns to turning words into pictures, imagination could be brought to reality with sorcery.

    "Quack quack.."

    "Quack!?"

    Irina was annoyed.

    Not only had that bastard of a student gone to hell, but he had even dragged someone else with him. Nheless, Eugene Hall was still her student and the only reason she had dived into hell with her colleagues was to save the students.

    "That said¡­ it looks like I''ll be alone for now."

    Finding her colleagues was like chasing wild geese. Her student, should probably be around Agares.

    Irina Lester.

    A professor of field battles.

    She always found the order incorrect.

    Professor of battlefields. That felt better.

    A nasty grin spread over Irina''s face, betraying the image of a fairy tale princess to the degree that would crush toddlers'' dreams.

    Rubbing her hands, Irina moved toward the sewers.

    "If I am going to fight a war, I better prepare well."

    Poisoning all the water in the city. Now that, sounded fun.

    ***

    -BAM!

    -THWACK!

    Loud crashes spread through the skies. One after another, bangs resounded.

    Still around the Dragon Blood tree, the bike kept crashing over and over.

    This was the result of Noa trying to ride the motorcycle. It''s skull frame was dirtied and the tyres creaked.

    "Just stop already, we have to leave."

    "Once more, alright? Let me try once more."

    Dusting off the dirt that had stuck to her, Noa stood up and sat on the motorcycle yet again. She could bnce it well enough to keep it straight without her legs touching the ground. But as soon as the she turned the elerators.

    ¡ªVRRRM

    "GAH!"

    She would panic and fall off.

    This time, she jumped off and fell to the ground while the bike traveled further ahead and crashed to the ground. The demons all around watched us in fear and skepticism, as if looking at a troupe of weirdos.

    Sighing, I walked over to Noa and gave her a hand.

    "You''re useless," I said. "No more of this."

    "Fucking bastard, why don''t you teach me, won''t that be faster?"

    Oh, that was true. I had learned from someone else myself.

    "Great idea," I said, leaving Noa''s hand. She fell back down, but who cared. I rushed over to the bike and pulled it up. "You sit first and I''ll guide¡ª"

    My jaw dropped.

    Noa walked over behind me and looked at the bike.

    "What''s up?" She said.

    "T-t-the stone¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "The stone is broken!!"

    It was broken. It waspletely destroyed!

    "W-what do we do now?" Noa asked.

    I tried to kick the motorcycle to a start, but nothing worked. The bike was gone, it was broken. We had to rece that fucking stone somehow. Running over ourselves was a choice for sure, but not only would we be susceptible to being found out, it would also be tiring since we were nning to fight all of Dantalian''s vessels.

    It was just too far to run to.

    "L-let''s ask one of the other demons around," I said and looked around the tree. But surprisingly, no one was around.

    "Hm?"

    I narrowed my gaze and swept it to the side.

    The wind picked up.

    The stones around us trembled while the ground slowly started to shake.

    Ashy.

    The skies were turning ashy.

    From deep in the east.

    "Noa¡­ we might have to run."

    "Huh? Oh¡ª"

    A sandstorm, stretching kilometers high and wide was approaching.

    It would have been fine if it was just the storm.

    But within it, were dozens of sharp stones that had broken up from the ground swirling about like some furious shiv spaghetti.

    "RUN!" Noa yelped and dashed off.

    "Bitch! The motorcycle!"

    "Bring it along!"

    I kicked the bike up and straddled it on my shoulders. My horse riding lessons were practical after all! With that settled, I and Noa shot off the ground and rushed toward the buildings that were separated from the tree.

    It was only now I had realized, that due to there being nothing but barrennds all over hell, everything that seemed to be close was always miles apart.

    "Is that thing getting faster? It''s getting faster! Run Eugene Hall!"

    "Damn it!!!"

    ***

    "Quack¡­ quack¡­?"

    "Haaa¡­ haaaa¡­"

    Loud pants spread through the reception as Noa and I stepped inside the closest inn at the Dragon Blood Tree. The walls were made of a monster''s hide and so, the sandstorm outside waspletely useless against this ce. Of course it wouldn''t havested if the sandstorm came right into the ce, but the giant tree was holding it off for us.

    I guess I understood why they made these buildings so far away.

    "Hey, bitch," Noa said to the demon at the reception. "Don''t you get it? We''re deaf. Give us two rooms."

    They had an indoor parking. There was no other vehicle at the ce so we weren''t out of trouble, but it seemed there was some hope.

    Noa smacked the money she had just taken from other demons and demanded two rooms.

    Trembling, the demon shook her head.

    "Huh! Rooms! What do you not get?"

    The demon pulled out a key and tapped it repeatedly.

    "Quack! Quack Quack!!"

    She held one finger up.

    "I get it! Eugy, Noa-girl!"

    Both of us stopped and looked at Titania.

    "I guess there''s only one room!"

    "Quack!!"

    "Do you mind?"

    "It''s fine by me, Eugene Hall."

    Great! She was going to sleep on the floor!

 Chapter 235: Chapter 230: Dragon Blood Inn (2)

    "Hey, hand over the book."

    In the small cramped room of the inn that the demons had handed us, Noa demanded something while leaning against a chair. Her hair which used to be tied in a single pony was now cascading down the chair while her feet rested well on the table.

    I had the towel on my head and my shirt off. A simple shrivel-wooded bed and deep crimson sheets stood at the center while a small closet and table filled up the entirety of the room.

    The windows constantly creaked from the sandstorm outside, but we were still good.

    Noa had decided to go teach the demons a lesson when she first saw the room, but since this was the best already she quietened down rather well.

    "Instead of reading go take a bath. You stink."

    "What do you think would happen when you have to shit and sleep in the same ce for a whole month, you punk."

    "Oh god, you better have burnt whatever you left there."

    "I did."

    Ew.

    What kind of picture was this bitch putting in my head.

    "Go bath. The water''s all ck, it''s pretty cool."

    "It''s ck?" Noa''s chair plopped down as she sat up. Intrigued, she left me behind and rushed into the bathroom. Not long after, the sound of water showering down filled the room.

    I shrugged and started scouring the room.

    "Demons are nd."

    "They are deprived," Titania answered, already on the bed. She had used her magic to turn her green dress into long loungewear, living the life.

    "They are advanced too," I added. It was¡­

    Pretty unique to find motorcycles around. Especially those antique ones. How did it function, did they just reach that level of magic engineering, or did someone from my own world or something simr possess someone here, just like I had?

    Intriguing. It was very intriguing.

    What was most intriguing, though, was the fact that the demons had something like this and I had a way to reach the demons.

    "Are you nning something devious? You are right?"

    "How rude Titania, have you ever seen a kind, charming, smart, handsome young man like me n something devious?"

    "You chased a bitch to hell after fucking twenty years of pretending you were under her grasp!"

    "Two months really. And how is that devious? I am only bringing her kind judgment."

    "Sure, sure."

    At Titania''s words, I stretched my hands and jumped back on the bed.

    Thinking about it, I had definitely put Noa through a lot of bullshit and she epted it all wordlessly, she even sent a message to me on the potion when I was losing myself, all to get a chance to stab Dantalian. She seemed my type.

    Titania grabbed my hair and the two of us rolled around on the bed for a while. I had washed my shirt up, and the sheets directly touching my skin felt slightly prickly.

    So naturally, I straightened them out. Steam pressed the shit out of it.

    By the time I was done and back on the bed, the bathroom door creaked open.

    A towel wrapped around her waist, the ck and white locks of hair falling right next to it. Another, ced atop her head. Noa Roselle stepped out of the bath with her upper body fully uncovered, just like I had. The towel gently draped over her rather modest chest, only hiding their tips and leaving everything else bare.

    "What are you doing?" I asked.

    Noa grinned out loud.

    "Embarrassed much?" She said.

    I stood up from the bed and walked closer to her.

    "Why, you be shirtless but a girl can''t?"

    I leaned down and peeked even closer. Noa started squirming her toes slightly.

    With my hand raised, I slowly brought my fingers closer¡­

    "Hn!"

    And poked her obliques.

    "No seriously, what are you doing? These obliques are way too strained. You''re going to lose some urgent flexibility like this."

    It was to an almost unnoticeable degree and was much better than a normal person, but this girl was still definitely skipping some stretches.

    "Huh?"

    "C''mon, we''ll do it now."

    "W-what¡­ bastard."

    I smiled and stared at her. "Embarrassed much?"

    "Quite a bit. So, what stretches were you telling me about?"

    Oh.

    That was a much nder reaction than I was expecting.

    I guided Noa through some light stretches. I wasn''t one to miss hints, so I was sure she held no ulterior motives and I was sure she knew I didn''t either. Some nudity between friends was more than eptable.

    We did some partnered and solo stretches before finally getting up.

    "Take the floor," I said.

    "Why? Who cares, just go to sleep. What are you, a child?"

    Tch.

    "I was just being considerate, alright?" I said and plopped down on the bed. "Considerate."

    "Whatever, hand over the book though. Also, don''t you have amp or something?"

    Seriously?

    "My storage is magic, not a genie. Who do you even think I am?"

    "Doraemon."

    Why do you know who that is!?

    A chuckle left me as I snapped my fingers and handed over the BL book that she wanted. Noa epted it without a word, turned on her side to face me, and started reading.

    I nced at her once, her towel and hair were no longer covering her up. I ignored it and stared up.

    "We better rush. I don''t wanna stay here too long."

    "I agree, I want to hurry up and fight. But not before learning how to ride that thing."

    "You''re strangely adamant on it."

    I didn''t know her, but you wouldn''t expect anyone to learn how to drive while trying to catch a demon.

    "It''s because I can''t do it. It''s spicy."

    I turned to my side and faced her again. Noa stopped looking at the book and stared at me.

    "Nothing is fun because you can do it all?"

    "Yup. It was fun to learn thenguage though, it was slightly tough."

    I agreed.

    "I can do anything in this world, everything is nd, like wet noodles. So things that don''te easy are fun, I find them spicy like super hot noodles."

    "I see. I guess it''s the same with me, anything that could make me stronger is interesting."

    "I don''t know about strong¡­ I find fighting the demons and outer gods spicy, sure."

    She pulled the book up.

    "But I also think these kind of sultry romances are spicy, or that motorcycle I couldn''t ride, or even stretching without a top and many other things¡­"

    "What about Luka Rune?"

    Was he supposed to be ''spicy'' too?

    "Uh, why is that guy in this conversation?" Noa''s tone changed.

    "He regressed too, you know? He would remember everything that happened between you guys."

    "Ah, that''s the worst. Those guys saved me once, but were way too clingy."

    "What''s with that?" I thought they were supposed to be intimate. Albert said Noa was one of the main heroines of the story. Wasn''t she supposed to be in a rtionship with him?

    "I can''t stand those righteous types," she said. "I don''t do things to help others or to make a change. I just do it because I want to have fun. I even repaid them for the favor, but they were still clingy. Not spicy at all, bothersome."

    How strange. It seemed she wasn''t intimate with Luka Rune at all.

    I nodded my head.

    "I see. I guess it''s the same with me, anything that could make me stronger is interesting."

    "I don''t know about strong¡­ I find fighting the demons and outer gods spicy, sure."

    She pulled the book up.

    "But I also think these kinds of sultry romances are spicy, or that motorcycle I couldn''t ride, or even stretching without a top and many other things¡­"

    I closed my eyes and thought.

    If Lethe or Dawn or maybe even Albert approached me with something they were interested in, I would probably enjoy it too. The same was the case with Maria or Lily or Keith and even Luka. I also found cakes interesting after sticking around with the receptionist all that long.

    "I guess I understand. There are many interesting things in the world. It''s not limited to one aspect."

    Noa nodded.

    She then pushed a finger on my chest and said.

    "I also find you spicy, Eugene Hall. The one you are."

    I smiled slightly at that.

    "I see."

    Spicy, huh?

    ***

    "Quack¡­ quack quack¡­"

    The demon at the reception was screaming fervently when we shook the motorcycle in front of her.

    "How do we fix this, bitch," Noa said. "Exin with actions."

    "Quack¡­" the demon pointed at the hole at the center of the skull. "Quack¡­"

    "Oh? Do we need to get another demon''s magic stone?" Noa asked, and the receptionist shook her head with fear in her eyes. It seemed she realized we would kill her.

    The receptionist pulled out a book from the desk and ced it in front of us.

    She flipped through the pages and pointed at a monster that had a giant red circle drawn around it.

    "Quack! Quack!!"

    "It''s¡­"

    "A wyvern¡­"

    It seemed we needed to hunt down a wyvern.

    I turned to the demon and gestured. "Wyvern. Find. Where?"

    "Q-quack¡­"

    The demon''s hand trembled as she pointed at the emblem of the inn.

    At the Dragon Blood Tree.

    ***

    [A/N: I wanted to expand on the Hell lore long back. As always, there''s a few hints of what will happen in the future syed around!]

 Chapter 236: Chapter 231: Dragon Blood Tree (2)

    "How tall is this thing?"

    Standing in front of the towering tree early after the passing of the storm, Noa and I crossed our arms and gazed to the top. Bloodied leaves were scattered all over the ce while the branches continued to sway in the dry wind.

    "Hundreds," I answered, unable to see the top.

    Noa turned toward me.

    I looked back at her.

    "Damn. Man thank you so much for that answer. It was so helpful I can''t even begin to express my gratitude. Hundreds! Hundreds of course, woe is me and my trash mind."

    This bitch.

    Don''t ask stupid questions then.

    I grit my teeth and turned back to the tree. This was where we would probably find a demonic ''monster.'' I had already killed a whole rank of demons and knew that they didn''t really drop those stones. From the way the innkeeper demon had cried, there were probably monsters in hell too.

    "How should we go about this?" Titania muttered. "I want to see some entertaining fights so don''t let me down."

    "Hm, I can''t think of any way to bring the monsters down. Should we strip and cut another demon and hand it over as an offering? Or should I send Catene up and force it bring any monster down?"

    Catene furiously mped around my arm at my words.

    "What kind of beasts have you been fighting, Eugene Hall?"

    It was amon tactic for adventurers. Especially with monsters that could fly.

    "Let''s go up instead, I want to see how tall it is."

    Noa didn''t wait for an answer and shot ahead. Her hand and feet touched the stump of the tree, and she was gone up within the blink of an eye.

    This was the same girl who was having trouble with a motorcycle. I wasn''t sure, but I had a feeling that her sense of bnce was messed up after being stuck in the spatial dimension for so long.

    "Catene, keep an eye on her."

    Catene rattled a happy rattle and ran away. That perverted chain would jump at any chance to be near a girl.

    I sighed and stepped ahead as well.

    With a simple jump, I shot of the ground and started running up the tree. Bring it on, gravity!

    The incline became obtuse at a point and I had to use my hands as well, but my speed didn''t slow down at all. Hundreds of meters of pure stump were left behind us as we charged into the skies. Soon, the thicket of branches curved upward entered our path.

    Dragon Blood trees all had their branches stretching upward, with leaves growing out at the same height on the very top of the tree, the hell''s tree wasn''t different. It was enormous, though, so the number and density of branches all over this tree the width of a racetrack were too high to count.

    I took the support of the branches and started hopping up. As the ck shriveled up appendages increased in number, the sight below started to be clogged away. I hooked one arm on a branch and peeked out of the coalescence. Noa was on the way to the branches too, Catene wrapped around her waist.

    "HEY!"

    Noa looked up. She stopped and pointed at me. I couldn''t hear her, and lip reading was impossible. What was she even saying?

    "Hurry up or I''ll kill whatever on my own."

    Noa started pointing frantically.

    "Titania, is something behind me?"

    "Checking¡­. Oh yup. Something huge."

    I heaved a sigh and slowly twirled back into the thicket¡ª

    "KRRRRRAAAAA!!"

    ¡ªA blob of saliva ell on my face followed by atrocious smell, it was nasal genocide.

    Standing in front of me, screaming while spreading its giant ck wings that merged with its front hands and unting the shitty stench that filled its beaks, was a Wyvern.

    I hooked my arm and leaned out again.

    "HEY NOA! You wanna hurry up!?"

    Noa giggled and gave me the fly.

    "Haah¡­"

    "KRAAA!"

    The wyvern screamed again and dashed at me. I jumped off the branches, kicked back and flipped beforending on the top of its head.

    Right then, the monster flew up, ready to smack itself into another branch along with me.

    "Damned wyvern!"

    I jumped off and hopped to other branches. After reaching a good height, I raised my hand.

    "[Intent Ki: Falling Skies¡ª]"

    Before I could materialize my attack, my senses tingled and I instinctively twisted my torso. A snap rang out as another wyvern came behind me and almost trapped me in its jaws.

    "Hidden presence, huh. What a hassle."

    The wyvern didn''t take kindly to being called a hassle as both it and its friend below opened their mouths wide.

    A giant magic circle formed in front of them, spinning rapidly.

    And in the blink of an eye, a gust of wind came hurtling toward me from both sides.

    "[Honeb Defense: Hexagonal Shields]x128"

    The shieldsyered up around me, but the wyvern''s wind attacks were too strong. The shields broke apart without putting any resistance whatsoever.

    I rushed to my side and narrowly avoided the attacks.

    "Is this demonic energy and not mana?" I asked Titania.

    "It is. They''re all magnitudes stronger than monsters you have faced, right?"

    They were.

    A smile spilled from my face.

    It seemed it wasn''t going to be all boring till I got to crush Dantalian.

    "[Fire Magic:]"

    A wave of mana spread through the tree, sending my hair aflutter.

    "[Seven Serpents]"

    mes spread out from my palms. The wyverns charged right through them.

    In the blink of an, the seven strands of sparks intensified and changed forms. The mes became swirling serpents of fire and wrapped themselves around the wyverns.

    "KRA!"

    "KRRR!"

    The wyverns screamed out loud as the serpents dug into their flesh, burning every spot.

    "That should settle it¡ª"

    Before I could finish my words, giant magic circles formed around the wyverns.

    A crescent of wind shot out¡­

    ¡­ and shed their own heads.

    "Hm?"

    The wyvernsmitted suicide. Their wings pped and bodies went hurtling to the ground.

    "What in the world¡­"

    My words couldn''t finish for a second time.

    As the blood that spilled from the bodies fell on the branches.

    And the Dragon Blood tree started to tremble.

 Chapter 237: Chapter 232: Dragon Blood Tree (3)

    The branches wiggled like the tentacles of an octopus and squirmed around like a pervert, soaking up the blood and ckening its long dead wooden frame a notch further. The branches were sentient, the dragon blood tree was a fraud that settled for Wyverns!

    The branches I stood on started waving around as more and more circled me.

    We already had two wyverns that had fallen to the ground. Those should be enough stones.

    Then, I could go all out and wreck this stupid tree.

    I stretched my arms ahead of me, locking my fingers. The branches lingering around swayed, and then, a whistle erupted as the branches shot through the air faster than the wyverns ever could. The branches grazed my cheeks, leaving a trail of blood.

    "Woah. Hell sure is crazy."

    "Right?" Titania muttered. "It''s great training grounds."

    The branches all started to shoot at me like bullets out of a gun. I swiftly dodged them all while chatting with Titania.

    The tree was learning.

    My footing fell and shook apart as the tree''s branches started to saunter again. Breaking my bncepletely.

    "I can''t topple this thing, right? Won''t that be like announcing my presence?" Inded on my shield and continued chatting with Titania. The branches still kept shooting at me and I dodged them all as if I was yingpetitive twister.

    Eventually, the number of branches grew even more as if forming a all around me. I hopped off the shield and mmed my foot on the trunk of the tree. A few that neared me were swiftly chopped off with my Ki.

    As if to say it wasn''t done, the part of the trunk I stood at moved and vines emerged from that very spot.

    Cool.

    I stepped backward. That spot wriggled too.

    One after another, I kept moving down the trunk. The uneven extension that arose from the branches started to disappear and I was left on a ny-degree incline against the ground. Even then, the trunk wiggled and more vines, no, roots started to emerge from within.

    I shot backward. My eyes remained on the newly growing roots and the many branches that tried their best to chase me while I ran backward down the tree. It was slightly tough, I could probably add it in my training regimen.

    "Eugene Hall?! What is this!?"

    Noa''s loud voice entered my ears. I swatted branches like handling a troop of mosquitoes as I turned back. She was not that far, Catene wrapped around her waist.

    "Yo, Noa. Getting a better sense of bnce now?"

    "HUH!? Speak louder!"

    Eh well, she was already used to being thrown into things.

    I twisted my body and turned my back to the branches. Lowering my stance, I dashed down the tree as fast as I could.

    "H-hey! Slow down!!"

    Noa screamed.

    I smiled.

    The tree was unable to catch up to my speed. I kept running down and in no time, neared Noa. She shriveled, thinking I would step over her, but she was wrong.

    My feet passed by her in an instant and before going down, I grabbed the chains wrapped around her waist.

    Catene rattled, but I didn''t care.

    I lifted Noa off the tree along with the chains and turned back again.

    My muscles contracted.

    "[Noa Magic: Noa attack]!"

    And I threw Noa up in the sky, straight into the branches.

    "Waaa! Bastardddd!!"

    ***

    Noa flew up high. Her eyes widened as she summoned her axe in her hands. A special artifact from the northern confederacy, the axe could turn into a bracelet around her arms and then back into the weapon at her will.

    Before the axe could materialize, though, the annoyed branches all charged into her.

    "Tsk." Noa cut them all with her intent ki. But she missed the roots that emerged from the stump below her.

    "Catene di Adamas! Modo Difesa!!"

    A shout erupted from behind her. The chains wrapped around her waist glowed, and turned into a cloak. The cloak curled around her and all the branches that tried to attack her bounced off.

    Noa''s axe materialized at the perfect time. She took support from the trunk of the tree and with a single twirl, chopped off every single  attack hurtling toward her.

    She gazed below. Still perpendicr to the tree, the bastard that had thrown her up had both his hands ced forward, three ethereal magic circles formed around him.

    "Noa, make some space," he said.

    Noa took in a sharp breath. Something appeared near her feet, an invisible shield, out at the perfect time to give her footing.

    Noa was feeling an itch in her hands.

    This bastard was really throwing her around however he wanted. She didn''t mind it much, the one doing it was very spicy in her eyes, but she still didn''t really like being taken lightly.

    "Just to the top?" Noa asked, eyeing the numerous branches and roots gathering again.

    "Yup," Eugene answered.

    Noa took in a deep breath and pulled her axe behind her. Her stance lowered and her Ki surged.

    "[Trinity Series. Destruction Attribute:]" Eugene spoke.

    She ignored it all and closed her eyes.

    In the darkness, her senses heightened.

    After being bested by Eugene Hall, she was grandly pissed.

    She knew they both held experience that went well beyond their age, but it was still annoying to be bested by that bastard, all because she couldn''t tell where he was.

    And so.

    In the single month that she spent inside Eugene Hall''s spatial dimension.

    She spent every single moment she could into working harder and growing stronger.

    The result, was the birth of the youngest person to cross the bottleneck of Intent Ki and near the stage of Soul Ki, even greater than the genius that was Keith.

    Names weren''t needed, she didn''t want to act cool like that doofus below her.

    Noa let out a breath.

    And swung her axe.

    A simple swing that barely made a swoosh.

    Eugene Hall was left blinking at the sight that had seemingly done nothing. It didn''t matter though, since his attack could handle the branches too¡ª

    His line of thought was interrupted.

    A thundering roar spread through the skies, followed by a gust of wind that sent him reeling back despite standing on his shields.

    And when he blinked.

    A chunk of the tree had separated from the rest.

    "Haha¡­" he chuckled.

    It seemed his spells weren''t needed this time.

 Chapter 238: Chapter 233: City of Dantalian (1)

    A lone swordsman with blue hair stood under the sweltering red skies of hell. Far behind her was a sea of barren soil, and far in front was an ocean of demons. Each of them, moving step after step, nearing her with every breath she took.

    She held nothing but her sword.

    The ocean of demons approached.

    The woman took in a deep breath.

    "W-what in the world? A human!?" At the head of the army, themander moving the demons from the front stopped in his tracks.

    The woman adjusted her de and stared at the demon. Her face was as cold as ice and her breaths as calm as a pond.

    "Human! Move out of our way and disappear right now. This honorable army shall make no turns."

    "Where, is your destination?" The woman asked.

    "You dare! We offer to leave you on your way and you dare pose a question to this proud army of Lord Agares headed to his castle!?"

    "Commander! Commander stop!"

    "Please don''t say you won''t and then answer her!"

    The woman''s calm face almost cracked.

    "Why would you be going to Agares'' castle?" She asked.

    "YOU DARE! You dare question us on our purpose, when we take our steps on the noblemand of our lord to invade the schools of your kind?"

    "COMMANDER!"

    "Please stop! Commander!"

    The woman let out a deep breath.

    She pulled her sword out and red at the army.

    "In that case¡­ I will have to stop you right here."

    "YOU DA¡ªKahk! Kahaak!" Themander coughed after screaming. His soldiers rushed to bring him a ss of water. Loud gulps resounded over the quiet barren field as themander sipped on the water.

    "Aaah.." He sighed. "Yes, um where were we¡­ YOU DARE!"

    The woman, the academy''s swordsmanship professor, Rio von Episteme Athenus, took a stance in front of the ocean of demons.

    "You wish to hurt my students," she said. "I cannot allow it, demon."

    And so, far away from where her student actually was, the third of the academy''s faculty started her own war against the corps of Agares.

    ***

    "Eugene Hall, do you have your feet on the ground?"

    The dry wind chapped our skin as we sped through the dunes of barren ashy soil. With my hands ced over Noa''s, she turned the elerators as far low as they went and the motorcycle dashed ahead on the path.

    "Eugene Hall!"

    "Yes, yes, I have my feet on the ground."

    Of course, I didn''t.

    "Alright, alright."

    Noa nodded and kept driving on.

    The faster we went, the smoother the ride got.

    I slowly lifted my hands from hers.

    "Hey! Hey!"

    "I''m here, rx!" I said. "It''s just the hands, you won''t fall. Keep at it."

    The motorcycle whirred more as Noa kept at it. It felt very wrong to teach her in such a dangerous way since the motorcycle was fast enough to graze us if we fell, but it was pretty fun too.

    We neared a bump in the ground.

    The ride lifted off slightly before falling back down.

    "Eu-Eugene Hall! Did you fly off?" Noa screamed, her hands moved haphazardly, sending the motorcycle slithering like a snake.

    I hurriedly wrapped my arms around her waist.

    "Rx. It''s under your control, I have my feet on the ground."

    Of course, I didn''t.

    "Alright, alright¡­" Noa sighed and got a hold of herself. The motorcycle moved normally again. In no time at all, she was starting to get a hang of it.

    As we neared a in path, I let go of her waist and leaned back. We were probably doing about three-hundred kilometers per hour, it was a pleasant pace and offered a great view.

    Noa would ask every now and then if I still had my feet on the ground and I would reply with a simple yes.

    She eventually started enjoying too.

    "WOAA!" She screamed as her hair fell right on my face. "Eugene, this is spicy! This is too spicy!"

    "Blublub¡ª I know bah." I clicked my tongue, snapped my fingers, and pulled out the hairbands I used to use. "I am tying your hair, stay still."

    "What? Ah, is it smacking you? Sorry about that."

    I gathered her hair and started tying it in a bun, at three-hundred kilometers per hour.

    Noa grew a lot of guts as she kept going and even left her hand off the handles. Wedged in between us, Titania was unable to feel the thrill of the speed due to her small size, but that didn''t stop her from having fun.

    And soon.

    "Eugene Hall!" Noa shouted. "It''s a city!"

    "Perfect! Hit the brakes, let''s go¡ª"

    Noa mmed the breaks all at once. The motorcycle came to a sudden stop and flipped forward.

    "AHH!"

    "Woah!"

    The two of us flipped ahead and the motorcycle skidded to the side. Before I could hit the ground, I jumped over Noa and let her cushion my fall.

    "Ouch, ouch, you did it on purpose, bitch¡­" Noa screamed below me. A cloud of dust had risen up and covered both of us.

    "Why the fuck would you stop like that!?"

    "You told me!"

    "You dumb bitch!"

    "What was that? Should I kill you right now?"

    I rolled off from over her and sat on the ground. The sudden stop shook my head. When I looked ahead, we had left a slide mark of well over fifty meters, and the motorcycle was another hundred away from us.

    Titania popped out from my pockets.

    "Yo, Eugy! Guess you had too much fun."

    I held Titania in my hands and turned her around. Seeing that she wasn''t injured, I let out a sigh.

    "Noa, you alright?"

    "You ask now?"

    "Well, I saw how bad the fall was now." I gave her a hand and pulled her up before checking for any wounds on her.

    Noa snapped her hand away.

    "I''m fine," she said, turning her head away as well.

    "Hey, it''s your fault for being in a good spot to be used as a fall breaker. I didn''t do it on purpose."

    Of course, I did.

    "What a bitch. You got a taste for lying or something?"

    My eyes widened.

    "You''re right¡­"

    Without realizing it, I had gotten used to the convenience that lying offered.

    "I am sorry. I definitely did it on purpose. I also didn''t have my legs on the ground at any point¡ª"

    I was smacked on the head.

    Well, at least we had reached our destination. Demon Lord Dantalian''s city, thergest city in Hell.

 Chapter 239: Chapter 234: City of Dantalian (2)

    Houses of ck stones and trees rose from the ground. With no trace of rhyme or reason in their structure, with one step we would enter a house and with another be in the middle of the street. Demons of all kinds, though mostly humanoids, strutted about the ce and conversed with each other in their quacknguage.

    A few eyed us weirdly, but no one seemed to find us suspicious.

    Unlike the other demons, Dantalian didn''t rule over an entire country, but just this city. In return this city had be one of the most important ces in all of hell with every end ofmerce blooming from here.

    "That Dantalian is strangely talented," muttered Noa. Her hair was still tied up in the bun I had made and the horns we had stolen neatly perked up from her head, stuck to it with my psychokinesis.

    "While it is true, the other demons are all idiots," Titania said.

    Acting like we were meant to be here was the best course of action.

    Anyone here could be Dantalian.

    Just like she had done to me, Dantalian had taken over the minds of most of her residents and turned them into puppets that would follow her orders. It was simr to Lethe''s curse, but still starkly different. Not only could Dantalianmand them at her will, but she could also transfer herself into them and even link senses should she want it.

    "I don''t think she would know," Noa said. "But if we act suspiciously, any of her pawns could report on us."

    We wore long coats, stolen from other demons, and hid our faces well, but we could still not be sure.

    "Oh hey, let''s go get a bite for now."

    At Noa''s insistence, we stepped inside an open-air cafe that stood under a three-story stone building.

    A little imp wearing a tailcoat bowed as we entered and showed us to the seats with a good view outside. The cafe overlooked a busymercial street in the haphazard ce. With wide roads and paths flowing out and gargoyle statues overlooking the ce, there was a lot of beauty even in this location.

    The imp ced a menu in front of us and bowed again before setting off. We were seated at stone chairs with leather cushioning, a misshapen table in front of us.

    Interesting. It was very interesting.

    Noa sat and peeked outside while I leaned back on the chair.

    "What a dilemma," Noa muttered.

    People would flow in and out of this ce at any time, and the castle at the center of the city where Dantalian should reside was well guarded.

    "Even if it wasn''t guarded, it''s important to strip down every single person here before killing her or we''ll be repeating the same thing again."

    "Hey, Eugene, should we just burn the entire country down?"

    "That''s pointless. We were hasty, it''s only natural for a demon that has lived thousands of years to nt some of her vessels in other countries as well. Heck, there could be some in the human world and maybe even in the higher ne."

    "So burning the ce down is out of the question?"

    "Not really,"  I raised my hand and called the imp over. "I think¡­ hell can be pretty useful."

    Noa tilted her head to the side. The imp came over and smiled brightly.

    I pointed at some of the items from the menu and then Noa did the same. We watched its back as it walked away.

    "Things like that," I said. "This table, this ce, these demons, they are all unique. Heck, even the motorcycle is awesome."

    "I agree, do you want it for yourself?"

    I nodded.

    "We have the way to go to Hell and back, it''s something few others possess."

    "You''re nning to bring a part of it up to us. No, maybe even link the two ces?"

    I was abatant, but I was also a lord.

    "I own Apollon, it''s already on the path to be the greatest city of our realm, why not take it a notch higher."

    Noa lowered herself on the desk even further and hummed.

    "Even during the war when all three realms had united, we didn''t do something like that."

    We were nning to bring the outer gods back out. Uniting the three was a matter of course, except I was interested in doing it on my terms.

    The reason.

    Well, there was nothing much.

    I wanted to grow stronger, and Noa wanted to feel the thrill of fighting the outer gods again.

    "For now, let''s take care of this problem," I said and the imp returned with a tray in his hand. He ced some weird drinks in front of us and some weirder blood-red pastries of sorts before walking away.

    It looked exactly like pastry.

    Noa pulled it to her end, picked up a fork, and tore into it. She swooped it up.

    Instinctively, I opened my mouth.

    "Hm?"

    Ah fuck. I was so used to the receptionist feeding me pastries in a cafe that I didn''t realize.

    I turned my face away, which incited a grin from Noa.

    "Why, open up."

    "Don''t mind it¡ª"

    "Say ''aah.''"

    The other demons were looking our way and giggling.

    I held in my embarrassment and bit on the pastry.

    "Hm, it''s not poisoned. You can thank meter."

    "Hehe, trying to be coy now?"

    "Just eat it."

    "Say ''aah'' again."

    "Just fuck off, would you?"

    Noa giggled even louder and bit on the pastry.

    "Uwek! It''s salty!"

    "HAH!" Iughed and the other demons looking our wayughed too. Nosy bastards.

    After that, Noa and I sat in silence. With our eyes stuck outside on the streets, we sipped on our coffee-like thing that was surprisingly appetizing.

    The wind which should have been dry and painful felt calm here. The red skies merged beautifully with the ck of the city and a strangely cool atmosphere spread over as many demons of all kinds moved around.

    It was harmony. Harmony far greater than what could be found in ournd.

    Harmony that existed only because everyone here suffered. With the world itself as their enemy, they learned to ept each other as allies no matter how different they were.

    When the cups almost emptied out, Noa spoke up.

    "Let''s not destroy the entire city."

    I nodded.

    "Titania, is there any way to tell the vessels apart from normal demons?"

    "Hm¡­" Titania muttered. "I am not sure. There should be, though. I think one in ten demons are her puppets here, and puppets can never be people."

    I mmed my hand on the table and stood up.

    "Then, let''s find out."

    "How so?"

    "Simple. We''ll just kidnap ten and find out the one."

 Chapter 240: Chapter 235: Puppets (1)

    We booked two rooms in a nearby inn. Being thergest city of them all, this one was definitely better than the ''inn'' we had taken near the Dragon''s Blood Tree. With each room being spacious enough to hold twice of the one before, we were once again reminded how rich that octopunk was to barely make a dent in what we had stolen from him.

    The sky never changed in Hell, but it seemed sandstorms weremon urrences that marked the onset of ''night.''

    The city was safe from them, but a gong rang nheless and all the demons started filling the streets.

    When all other cities slept and trembled in fear, Dantalian''s city celebrated it''s ''night-life.''

    Demons brought their mugs of alcohol and broke into merry cheers. Some decided it time to break a leg partying and others to break a leg making a profit from the party-goers.

    It was also the perfect time for us.

    "Remember, Noa. Humanoid, suspicious, anyone who seems mentally too serene or too broken, alright?"

    "Of course," Noa answered. The two of us faced out the window from her room on the fourth floor and peeked down at the alleys below. Few people strode in between the gaps of the many buildings, with the strangeyout to our aide, kidnapping some with our speed was more than easy.

    "Then, see you in five," I said and shot out.

    Noa went one way and I the other. Like shadows in the night, we hopped off the buildings and shot towards the merry idiots that had walked in the alleys. Noa was to bring the suspicious ones and I handled the control group.

    My feet stomped on the ground. The two demons walking hand in hand in the narrow alley stopped and were about to turn, when.

    I knocked them out with a hit on the back of their head. After straddling them up on my shoulders, I jumped back into the room.

    "Oh Eugy, you''re first."

    Titania, sitting in the room as referee raised a white g. She also had a checkered one for Noa.

    "Not yet, I''m bringing more."

    I said and jumped back out. After repeating the process a few times, I had piled up a total of seven demons and Noa had brought in five.

    "This should be enough, right?" I said, my hands on my waist.

    "I say it''s a bit overkill," Noa added.

    We dropped the many limp demons on the ground and picked one out. It''s skin slightly ashy, its horns tough like the tusks of an elephant. We even flipped it upside down and shook it around but found nothing.

    Noa decided to take a few herself. We searched their bodies for any marks or brands, anything that could separate them from the other.

    We left the twelve on the ground, our arms crossed after finding nothing.

    "Well, guess we should check their blood too. Catene."

    The chains around my arms transformed into a sword and I lightly nicked every demon''s forehead. ck blood seeped out of their skin.

    Nothing.

    "Hm, this is a pain."

    "I guess we''re finding nothing."

    "Should we bring in more¡ª"

    Before I could finish speaking, one of them moved.

    Our eyes widened, worried it might wake up and have a way to contact Dantalian. I was about to jump and knock it out again.

    "Eugene, look!"

    I stopped.

    "What is it?"

    "Quack..? Quack!"

    "It''s horn is chipped."

    I pped the demon back to sleep and held it by its horn. Near the base of the horn was a small chipping, almost as if it was about to be separated from the rest of its head.

    A demon''s energy was in its horns, that was what Bm had told me.

    "For Dantalian to take over another body, she would have to switch out their horns."

    "In that case¡­" Noa hummed. She seemed to be thinking the same thing as I was. "We need to get rid of Dantalian''s horns once and for all. How about chopping them off while she''s alive?"

    That would be the best way to kill her.

    If I had known her authority could let her live even when she died, I would have gone for the horns first. But this time, we need to take care of her authority before her life.

    Anyone could be Dantalian. It would make most sense for her to be at a ce where she would be safe after facing a defeat like that. I couldn''t be sure, but overtime Bm used his authority he faced a recoil.

    It was natural for her to face some here too. She would need to recuperate.

    And such a ce was none other than her castle. She could live as a normal demon in her city, but crime was never not an issue. She could also go to some other demon''s city, but that would be the same asnding in the jaws of a lion.

    She would be safest at her own home that was guarded by her most loyal puppets.

    "So, how should we kill her?" Noa asked.

    We needed to go through three steps.

    First, locate her. Second, don''t be discovered or she could just switch bodies. Third, incapacitate her in a single move or she could switch again.

    We could remove the option of switching, but that seemed to difficult. Even if we managed it in the entire city without being suspicious, she could still have others elsewhere.

    In the first ce.

    "How is she able to contact her people¡­?" I said. "She should have hundreds, this is just a visible marker and not¡ª"

    Then realization dawned on me.

    I picked up the demon by its horns again and checked the horns of everyone else.

    One more, there was one more with the same nicked horns. But the simrity didn''t there. Every single bit of this demon''s horns were the same. It was not the case with the others, they were unique, even the ones we had snapped out in the outer territory.

    "These horns are not nicked as an identifier. They are like this because these are different from their real horns."

    Noa caught on quick.

    "These are horns that Dantalian nted?"

    "In that case¡­" and Titania came in with the sinker. "There must be a set of real horns as well. Ones that are the actual source of her power."

    She must have a different ce to house this ability of hers. A ''true body.''

    "Looks like we''ve hit jackpot."

    She could go to whichever body she wanted. We just needed her true one.

    I snapped both the horns off the two demons and switched them out with the ones we had. "For now, we''ll be Dantalian''s puppets and enter the castle."

    Noa nodded.

    "What should we do about all these demons though?" She said. "We can''t let them out."

    Hm¡­

    "How about we tie them up and leave them here till we''re done?"

    Noa nodded.

    "In that case, I''ll crash in your room again."

 Chapter 241: Chapter 236: Spice (1) [Mild R-18]

    Noa satzily on the bed in Eugene''s room. The man himself had stepped into the bath afterining about the ck water that spilled from the showers, leaving her and the fairy alone.

    It was boring to just sit around, though, so she had him hand over the book before he left.

    "Why do you keep reading this book always, girl?" The fairy, Titania, asked as she rolled over on the table.

    "Hm? Like I said, I just find it fun."

    "No, I mean. What is all this spice about? I am quite interested in your analogy, you see."

    Noa raised her brow. She didn''t like being called silly.

    Titania flew over to Noa''s shoulder and settled herself there.

    "I want to read too. Flip the pages, girl."

    "Heh,"

    "What?"

    "Nothing at all, miss fairy."

    Noa started holding the book a little ways away so the fairy that was smaller than it could read well. She flipped the pages.

    "Hah!" Titania would shout.

    Flip again.

    "EH!? Seriously! Oh my god."

    And then again.

    "Wawawawa, what is this!"

    Titania hid her face that was red to her ears and looked away. Noa was deeply amused by her reactions.

    "This is too sultry."

    "Should I stop it?"

    "Wait, let''s just finish this section."

    Of course, the innocent fairy couldn''tst that long.

    Her head steamed as she buried herself in the pillow, her face covered by her palms.

    "What happened miss fairy? Don''t tell me it was too spicy for you."

    "What do you take me for!" Titania eximed. "I''ll let you know, things like fornication and sexual intimacy can never make me shy."

    Noa giggled at her words.

    She ignored the fairy for a few seconds and was about to switch back to her book.

    "Is one of them your type, is that why you find it spicy?"

    One of them? Noa figured Titania must be talking about the characters. It seemed the fairy was quite invested in her investment in books, but for Noa, there wasn''t any deep reason as to why she read. She enjoyed reading, and so she did it.

    Her type¡­

    "Not at all. They are not spicy like that."

    Titania flipped over and stared at the girl.

    "What is your type then?"

    "Where is thising from?"

    "I am just curious after reading that stuff."

    Noa held the book to her chest and raised her head. She tilted her head to one side, and then to the other.

    "I am not sure. I would say handsome, but that''s not it. You know, I like the badass types."

    "Hm?"

    "You know, the type that can make jokes or go for a smoke even when in enemy territory. Someone not childish and blushy but mature and yful."

    "The type that can make jokes with you?"

    "Yeah. I remember once seeing someone step out of the shower in myst life, and that bastard started blushing like crazy. It was gross, I wanted to puke."

    Titania thought that was slightly unfair.

    "But just being badass and yful isn''t enough. Smart and caring too."

    "The type to notice a haircut?"

    "No? That sounds like a pain. More like the type that is aware if I am ever hurt."

    That sounded like a pain too to Titania. If you''re hurt just say it straight up.

    "Must be hot too, though. I guess I''ll know the person is my type of spicy if my heart races like crazy."

    Titania nodded. Right then, a click sounded as the door opened.

    Out stepped Eugene with just a towel wrapped around his waist, letting his scarred-up body and his densely packed muscles out in the open.

    Titania and Noa found their eyes stuck on the man as he pulled back his wet white hair and stretched his hands. He spared them a single nce, and without caring a bit about his looks, turned away as if it didn''t matter at all.

    His always cold face didn''t help, making him look quite aloof.

    He simply walked over to the desk, Noa and Titania followed him with their gazes. He reached into the drawer and pulled out a pipe.

    "Huhu," heughed. "I took this from one of those demons. Their food is not bad, I''ve wanted to taste their smokes¡ªAh, Noa, do you mind?"

    He gently asked her before starting it.

    Stuck, Noa could only shake her head.

    Saying that he snapped his fingers and lit the pipe aze. Eugene walked over to the window to let the smoke near them and took a long puff.

    He was smoking deep in enemy territory without a care in the world.

    Titania and Noa looked at each other, and then back at the man who doused off the me and returned to the room.

    This time, he came straight to Noa.

    She watched him with amused eyes, and Titania did the same.

    Eugene climbed over the bed, his cold eyes turned as a hint of worry appeared in them. He gently reached out and patted the back of Noa''s head.

    "You did get a little hurt when we fell from the motorcycle, huh?"

    Noa''s heart started racing.

    Titania could only watch with her jaws on the ground. What in the fuck was this bitch of hers doing now? Did he hear everything? Was that why he was acting up?

    "I should have noticed sooner," Eugene said.

    In a fluster, Noa pushed his hands away and hopped down the bed.

    "I am going to bath too."

    She picked up the only other towel in the room and ran into the bathroom, smacking the door shut behind her.

    Eugene confusedly sat for a few seconds before shrugging and walking over to the mirror. Without a word, he started posing and checking out his muscles.

    "What are you doing you doofus?" Titania asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

    "What now? What did I do?"

    Titania let out a sigh.

    "Whatever," she said.

    Whatever happens, happens. It was not her thing to look out for.

    Soon, the bathroom door snapped open again. Noa stepped out, her towel around her waist too, leaving her upper body bare once more. Eugene didn''t bat an eye when he saw her like that, it was no different from yesterday.

    But Titania noticed a difference.

    A difference in that girl''s eyes.

    She was determined.

    Titania had a feeling she would soon understand exactly why that Noa was into books so much.

    Noa walked over to Eugene, her hair draped over her face. Eugene stopped looking at himself and faced her.

    "At least dry your hair, you''ll catch a cold¡ª"

    Noa held Eugene''s shoulders, propped herself up on her toes, and before he could realize it, she nted her lips on his cheeks.

    A quick, small kiss.

    She backed away immediately and raised her hand to her lips, her eyes moving to the other side. Even then, she could hide.

    The blush filled her face.

    "What in the world are you doing now?" Eugene asked, amused even more than she was.

    "I-I was just checking¡­ if you are spicy enough to make my heart race."

    "So I am just a guinea pig for you?"

    Eugene stepped closer.

    Noa looked away, her blush deeper.

    Titania brought her hand to her lips and watched intently.

    What would he say? Would hesh out? Would he ept it? Titania was curious.

    "In that case, won''t you know it even better if I am the one who does the kissing?"

    Both thedies jerked up at his words.

    "I-I guess¡­ so¡­" Noapletely turned to the other side and stared at the ground. "Won''t we know better that way, hahaha¡­"

    Eugene grabbed her wrists and pulled her his way.

    Noa didn''t look up.

    "Then, should I? You won''t mind?"

    Slowly, very slowly, Noa nodded.

    He lifted her head from her chin and stared deep into her eyes.

    Noa''s blushing face turnedpletely red as she slowly turned her cheeks toward him.

    Like the devil, Eugene whispered.

    "Not there,"

    His thumbs traced over her chin. His words were the missing ingredient.

    "On the lips?"

    She had found her spice.

 Chapter 242: Chapter 237: Spice (2) [R-18]

    "On the lips?"

    Noa looked around for a few seconds before awkwardly nodding.

    I grazed my thumb over Noa''s chin, and then gently ced my palm on her cheeks. As I thought.

    "Are you blushing?" I said with a smile. "I thought you hated that."

    Noa opened her mouth in exasperation.

    "So you were listening! Cheat!" She shouted, when she looked at me again, though, she lowered her head once more. "This and that are different¡­ eavesdropping bastard¡­"

    I chuckled at her words.

    "I was just being yful."

    "Tsk¡­"

    Before she could say anything more, I raised her chin and leaned closer. I had already received her permission, after all.

    Gently, I pushed my lips onto hers. Noa''s soft, supple lips sunk into mine. It was a clumsy, childish kiss where only our lips met.

    Noa sped the sides of my arms, tight at first, then loosened her grip before slowly tightening it again. I could feel her fingers sink into my arms before she loosened itpletely.

    Only then did I move back.

    Noa was left staring.

    I gently took her arm in mine and pitted my forehead against hers.

    "So? Did it race?"

    She took in a long breath, and then another. She was red up to her chest, she shivered as realization dawned on her before she shook off my arm and tried to dash away.

    I didn''t let her go.

    Just a light grip on her wrist was enough.

    "You should know, what you''re doing is lethally cute. It could probably kill a person."

    Her heated temperature spread even out to her hands.

    I thought she was just brazen at first, but she had simply been seeing me as someone she could trust and not as a ''man,'' take it as one will.

    Noa, still looking away, spoke.

    "Not once in both my lives have I kissed someone."

    Oh?

    That exined her shyness.

    I let go of her hand, but she still didn''t move.

    "It''s way too spicy¡­"

    Holy fuck. She was being way too cute.

    I stepped behind Noa and wrapped my arms around her waist. She jerked again, but didn''t push me back. Rather, she let herself fall into my embrace. I neared her ears again and whispered.

    "Is it enough spice?"

    Her lips trembled.

    "Don''t you want more?"

    "HEY!"

    We were interrupted by a loud shout from the back. Sitting cross-legged, the little fairy smacked the pillow she had below her and pointed a finger at us.

    "Just get to it already! What''s all this fucking drama for!?"

    I stared at Titania wide-eyed. It seemed Noa was doing the same.

    Then, sheughed.

    I couldn''t as much as react as Noa grabbed my hands, pulled me down, and kissed me back. Her lips spread on mine, closing up and opening out again as if desperately searching for something.

    I put my hand on her sides and stuck out my tongue. Slow, steady, I tasted the edges of her lips, then their contours. Noa let out a heated sigh and I wedged my tongue inside her mouth.

    Hers clumsily struck back. Her teeth parted and the tips of our tongues shed before rolling into each other. With every move her tongue, Noa raised her hold over my hand. Her fingers grazed over my shoulders before wrapping around my neck. In turn, I held her tight around her waist and pulled her closer.

    It was just her second time, I didn''t want to rush her.

    We acted like two new lovers would, enjoying our embrace more than our kiss, our warmth more than our heat.

    And quite frankly, I liked it.

    Noa ran out of breath and pulled back.

    A thread of saliva was left between us, which made her widen her eyes and shake her head again. Still holding her around the waist, Iughed at her cute disy.

    "Not bad," I said.

    "I know, a thing or two¡­"

    This shy act was murderous in the truest sense of the word. I tightened my hold around her and slowly lifted her up by her waist.

    Noa waved her legs and her hands before stopping them on my shoulder.

    "What are you!"

    Her modest chest pressed against my cheeks. I could feel her nipples that had already hardened. Instead licking around and shocking her, I gently carried her over to the bed and sat her down.

    "We''re already dressed for the asion," I said. Both of us were just in our towels after all.

    Noa held hers down and looked down.

    At the side of the bed, I lowered to my knees and took her hands in mine again. She was reluctant to move, so I slowly pulled her away one finger at a time.

    "Do you not want to?" I asked.

    "It''s¡­ embarrassing¡­"

    It was her first time in both her lives. Even though she brazenly walked around without anything on top and read erotica all day long, she was still this shy when it came to the real deal.

    Was all the mention of porn just a way to hide her embarrassment?

    "I''ll stop if you say so,"

    "No," Noa shook her head immediately. She was still blushing, but she didn''t hold back her words. "I want to¡­"

    The hints of her bold and brazen self spilled through even like this, making me even more excited.

    She ced her arms away and I tugged at the towel that hid her lower half. The drape hiding the most masterful art slid away and her pristine legs came into view. Tight at the calves and thighs, they were slightly soft yet muscr.

    I ced a hand on her knees and slightly pulled them away.

    Noa covered her mouth with the back of her hand as her legs spread open, revealing her secret spot. Behind the bountiful thighs were her dripping wet folds of pink, their juices spilling over and staining the sheets below.

    I touched it at first.

    Slowly, I ran my hand over her slit.

    "Hng," Noa bit a moan.

    My fingers were already covered in her fluids. Up, and down, I started grazing her lower lips with a gentle touch.

    I pressed on herbia.

    She winced.

    I dabbed on her clit.

    She yelped.

    Once I felt them ready, I slowly started wedging two of my fingers inside her. They pushed apart the ps below and slowly pressed into her vaginal walls.

 Chapter 243: Chapter 238: Spice (3) [R-18]

    Once I felt them ready, I slowly started wedging two of my fingers inside her. They pushed apart the ps below and slowly pressed into her vaginal walls.

    "Ah¡­" Noa moaned out loud. She leaned ahead and ced her hands on my hair, clutching it tight.

    My fingers slipped deeper inside, spreading her walls away, feeling every single bump on their way inside.

    Slowly, I pressed my thumb on her clit again.

    "Hnnn¡­"

    "Are you alright?" I asked.

    Noa nodded.

    Then.

    I slowly pulled back out, and shoved my fingers back in. Pressing into her walls, I dabbed around as I started fingering her repeatedly.

    "Hmnnn!"

    Noa moaned.

    I hastened my speed, my fingers grazing her walls faster and faster. Jolts of pleasure ran up Noa''s spine with each movement as she repeatedly twisted and turned her body.

    She heaved out deep sighs, but felt it again before thest could end.

    Slowly, I could feel her clenching around my fingers.

    She was nearing her edge soon, a breaking point.

    I started rubbing her clit with my thumb while holding her with my other hand. Noa sped my hand tight as she leaned over on my head.

    "Something!"

    She widened her eyes and swooped back.

    Her walls clenched around my fingers all at once.

    "Aaaaahnn!"

    In a single go, Noa fell on her back and a stream of fluids squirted out from her.

    It formed an arc and went over my head, but some of it also sshed over on my chest.

    Noa''s orgasmster a good while as her back rxed and she fell limp on the bed. Her chest heaved up and down while heated gasps left spilled from her lips over and over.

    "You must have been pent up," I remarked, amused at the sight of the girl covered waist down in her juices.

    "Sh-shut up¡­"

    Another chuckle left me as I climbed on the bed and got over her. Noa''s face was red as ever and she was still hiding her lips with the back of her palm.

    "I want to kiss you again," I said, urging her to move her arm.

    She squinted her eyes and turned away from me.

    "What will you do if I say no?"

    I ran my hand over her stomach and grazed my fingers up to her chest. My fingers traced over the bottom of her chest before grazing up and tapping on her perky nipples.

    I ced them between my fingers.

    "hng¡­"

    And pinched them.

    "I''ll kiss you here then."

    Noa turned back to face me, her neck red.

    She raised her hand and wrapped it around my neck. In a fell swoop, she pulled me down and kissed me. Our lips met over and over and our tongues collided into one other before she finally let go.

    She looked me in the eye and said.

    "Do it anyway."

    I rubbed her nipples and leaned in for another kiss. My tongue slipped over her lips, then her chin.

    I lowered myself further while twisting her tits in my arms. I kissed her corbones, her neck and then the top of her chest.

    My fingers spread over and groped her breasts.

    Noa moaned.

    I slowly kissed the middle of her chest.

    Then, I switched over to her nipples. My tongue wetted them with a roll before Itched one in my mouth.

    "Ahhn!"

    I lightly nibbled on her, and then started sucking and licking, rolling her teat in my mouth. Both sides, one after the other, I licked her over and over until she almost flipped over to her sides.

    Her heated breathings filled my ears.

    She ran a hand into my hair and pulled it back, getting a straight look at my face.

    "I have to say, you''re pretty hot aren''t you?"

    "What''s this?" I asked. "Were you making sure I also hit thest checkmark in your list?"

    Noa let out another breath and nodded.

    "I guess."

    "Too bad, it''smon knowledge that I am the hottest in the world."

    Noa chuckled and then spread her arms out. I propped myself up and looked at her as sheid there like  someone asking for a hug.

    "What is it?" I asked.

    "I want more kisses, get here."

    She beckoned me over with her fingers.

    "Spoiled."

    "Please,e on, what do you even lose?"

    What in the world did this girl eat? It should be illegal to be this cute.

    "Pleaaaasee¡­ just one¡­"

    "Just one?"

    "One thousand."

    "No way!"

    "I''m joking!" She tilted her head to the side. "One hundred¡­?"

    I sighed.

    "Fine."

    As I straddled Noa again, she bloomed into a loud grin and closed her eyes.

    "Here," she pointed at her cheeks.

    I kissed her cheeks.

    "Now here,"

    Then the other side.

    Then her forehead, her neck, everywhere she asked.

    "Now here," she said, cing her finger on my lips. I pushed my arm under her waist and plopped down on the bed, trapping her finger between both our lips.

    "Hn!" She yfully turned her head just enough to remove her fingers. "Nothing in between, this is the best."

    Leaving those words, she kissed me again.

    I let her indulge as her moans got chipper and chipper by the second.

    After a long time of kissing around passed, I pitted my head on her forehead again.

    "Do you just want to keep kissing forever?"

    "Not a bad idea,e here."

    I was kissed again, but I moved back.

    Slowly, I pressed my fingers on her lower half again. Noa''s eyes widened as she let out a soft shriek.

    "Still sure?"

    "Ok¡­" Noa heaved a hot breath. "You''ve got me listening. What do you suggest we do?"

    I leaned closer into her ears.

    My fingers rubbed over her slit yet again, dabbing them in all the wetness that spilled out of her lower half. She moved her head here and there, acting coy with me.

    "What do I suggest?" I asked, pressing my fingers into her.

    "What¡­" Noa moaned.

    "Sex," I said.

    "Sex?" She repeated. Her face reddening up again.

    "Don''t wanna?"

    She held my hands and nodded again. This time much bolder than before.

    "I do."

    Hm, not satisfying enough.

    I wanted to see her blush again.

    "Do what?"

    "Want to¡­"

    I teased her a bit more.

    "Want to do what?"

    Noa''s blush returned, covering the entirety of her face.

    "I want to have sex, with you¡­"

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 244 Chapter 239 Spice (4) [R-18]

    "I want to have sex, with you¡­"

    I smiled lightly at her words and caressed her cheeks. My other hand rubbed over her slit, getting it wetter by the second.

    My fingers were sticky by the time I was done.

    I stepped off the bed and pulled her by her thighs to the edge. After getting rid of the towel around my waist, I leaned over Noa.

    "I-it''s pretty big, huh?"

    "I don''t know. I think it''s normal."

    Noa slightly spread her legs. The pink folds of her pussy in clear in view. She heaved a few heated sighs as she mped down on the sheets.

    "Eugene¡­"

    I guided my dick close to her slit.

    "It''ll hurt a little."

    "That''s fine."

    Pain of that level probably didn''t register for people like us, but when coupled with the sensitivity that arose from this, it was definitely felt.

    I wanted her to befortable. It was a strange, protective desire I probably didn''t feel before as I only used to think about mutual pleasure. But this time, even beyond just physical pleasure, I wanted Noa to look back on this experience and smile.

    I grabbed her hand with mine and ced the other on her hips.

    A moan escaped her lips.

    First, the tip pushed inside, then the ns.

    Slowly, steadily, I plunged my dick deeper into her.

    Noa squeezed my arm, and I squeezed back. Her walls mped down on me as if pulling me yet keeping me out at the same time.

    I pushed deeper.

    Her back arched.

    Deeper.

    "Ahhn¡­"

    Something blocked my path.

    I stopped and held her hand tight.

    "Noa," I called out.

    "Go ahead," she nodded.

    At her words, I pulled her waist and her hand closer and pushed even deeper. The sensation of ripping through her hymen hit me as my dick started filling her up.

    "Aaaahnn!"

    In a single go, I pushed myself inside and Noa let out a long moan.

    She heaved a few breaths as I leaned over her and caressed her cheeks, her hand still clenching one of mine.

    "I-It''s filling me up¡­"

    I let her get used to the sensation first. After stroking her hair a bit, I tightened my grip on her hands.

    "I''ll move now." Experience tales at empire

    "Yes¡­" Noa nodded.

    I pulled back, and every fold of her walls grazed over me as if trying to keep me inside. Right before I could slip out, I mmed back in.

    "Hng!"

    And then I pulled back again and mmed in again.

    A slow rhythm began as loud squelches merged with Noa''s rhythmic moans.

    She covered her lips with one hand and held me with the other, but that was nowhere enough to hide her wetness down below.

    ps resounded in the room each time I pushed into her and moans filled the gap each time I pulled away. A strand of saliva slipped down her lips while her pussy clenched down on my dick harder than ever.

    I slowly started rubbing her clit all the while pounding her. My tip hit her womb and her walls coiled around my shape, pressing from the underside of my ns to the base of my dick, as if asking me to pour everything out.

    Noa''s moans grew louder, her desire not hidden.

    I pinched her clit and rubbed it again.

    "Ahhhnn¡­ Eugene¡­ Eugene¡­"

    I hastened up, feeling the brunt of her efforts. She tightened down on me with each stroke and I found myself tightening up too.

    "Ahhh¡­" she sounded. "S-something¡­ I-I''m going to cum¡­"

    My strokes grew bolder. I leaned closer to her and held her cheeks in my hands.

    "Noa¡­"

    "Eugene¡­ Kiss me again¡­ Ahn¡­"

    I kissed her dly.

    She pushed her tongue out and rolled it over mine. We were connected from both ends as her saliva spilled over in my mouth and mine into hers.

    I was about to fall over the edge too.

    Noa, in an endearing attempt, grazed her legs over mine while moving her hips to my rhythm.

    "Ahhh¡­ ah¡­ hang¡­" She screamed through the kiss. "Together¡­ Inside¡­"

    I pulled back out.

    And pushed deep in.

    "AHhhhhhnn!!"

    Her loud moan spread through my ears and my hold tipped over. Plunged deep inside her, my semen shot out and started filling her womb. Noa''s orgasm made her squirt all over me as both our fluids merged together inside her.

    I tipped over and fell atop her.

    "Aaah¡­ haah¡­" Noa panted fiercely. She raised her hands and ran through my hair. "W-was I¡­ good enough?"

    I immediately propped myself up and kissed her at her words.

    "Stupid. Don''t ask idiotic questions like that."

    Noa giggled.

    "Not an answer."

    I kissed her.

    "Won''t ever not be."

    Noa grinned. "Best you''ve had then?"

    Ah, so she was ying with me. "Cheeky."

    Noa wrapped her arms around my back and hugged me tight. I slipped out of her, swooped her in my arms and hoisted her up.

    "W-what?"

    "Can''t move, right?"

    "How could you tell¡­?"

    Grinning, I took her over to the bathroom and the two of us cleaned up. It devolved into both of us eating each other out and we had to clean up again. After that, I hoisted her out as well and dropped her on the chair.

    With the clean towel, I dried off her hair while Noa yfully swung her legs, a giddy smile on her face.

    "You seemed to have had fun."

    "Of course, it was the spiciest thing I''ve ever tasted."

    "yful, smart, handsome, caring and badass, of course I check all your boxes."

    "No," she said. "I was probably wrong, that''s not my type."

    "Oh? What is then?"

    "You are."

    Cute bitch.

    I tousled her head as rough as I could before grabbing her arm and pulling her over to the bed again. My magic had already taken care of cleaning this spot up.

    The cheeky spectator fairy had hidden away long ago.

    Noa plopped on the bed next to me, both of us still naked. She wedged her back to my chest and wrapped my arm around her waist.

    "Let''s sleep," she said.

    We would have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

 Chapter 245 Chapter 240 Devils Trill

    The castle of Dantalian, smack-dab in the center of the city, stretched into the skies in front of our eyes. With a slow gait that matched those of the others entering the ce, Noa and I stepped toward the gates.

    Infiltration was tough in the ce where dozens of demons stood on guard, but with the horns we had stolen from her puppets, I was certain it would be easier.

    An octopus demon apanied by a goat came over to us with spears in his hands. Noa and I ignored it all and continued onward. Thankfully, we weren''t bothered and the gatekeepers moved ahead.

    With a few more steps, I was inside the castle of Dantalian. The castle made entirely of ck stones and wood tore into the skies with its sharp towers and pinnacles.

    Noa and I shared a nod and killed our presence as much as we could, holding in the reins of our Ki and Mana. Soon, we stepped inside the main building filled with people and made our way around.

    Long and narrow passages stretched in all directions before merging with stairwells, on the other side, were passages again. The only thing that remained everywhere was therge number of demons with spears and weapons in hand.

    We strode around but not a clue neared us about Dantalian''s location.

    I slowly turned and looked at Noa.

    She seemed to have noticed it too.

    Even if I wanted to speak out and affirm my doubts, it would be troublesome.

    Because not a single whisper resounded in the entire castle of Dantalian.

    From the guards to the servants, from the octopus to the goats, no one let out either a whisper or a word. True to their titles as puppets, they only walked around and performed whatever duties they were assigned. Sentience seemed like a far dream for such beings.

    It was smart, a technique to sound out infiltrators. Act even slightly sentient and you would be captured. On the other hand, if only one could act like a puppet, it would be more than easy to infiltrate the ce. As long as she wasn''t aware of infiltrators, she couldn''t hope to get a read on their actions, not with these many numbers. Explore hidden tales at empire

    For someone invading somece, the greatest issue of being asked ''Who are you?'' was rid thanks to her puppets.

    It was a gamble. A game of fifty-fifty, and she had ced her stakes on her experience.

    There must not be one or two people out to kill Dantalian once she was weakened considerably after using her authority. Maybe. Maybe if it was any other demon or human, any other enemy, they would have slipped and dropped their act.

    But Dantalian probably didn''t know. No, she may have not even considered.

    That I was the one who had chased her all the way to hell just to kill her.

    Someone who had already fooled her as her puppet once.

    It was only natural that I could do it twice.

    Dantalian¡­ had ced a losing bet.

    ***

    "LORD AGARES!!"

    A small crocodile demon barged into the room of the first Duke of the East. Inside, an unnaturally attractive old man with two ck horns was slouched over a couch while reading a book.

    The old man, whose physical fitness and sharpness betrayed the age that his hair let on, looked up from the book and back at the demon that had just stepped inside.

    "Take a deep breath, vassal," the old man, Demon Lord Agares said.

    The crocodile demon nodded at his words and calmed down. It was a strange thing, all of Agares'' soldiers were hyperactive and full of vigor, it was in ways the best and in ways the worst match-up for the forever calm old man whose interests didn''t go beyond reading more books.

    It was still thanks to his vassals that he could rise to his rank, so he was more than happy to have them around. Even if he hadn''t, it would have been fine for the old man to raise them like his own kids.

    "Now, Crorcorocorococo. Tell me, did my daughter kill another of her boyfriends?"

    "N-no, my lord! It''s worse!"

    The old man ced his book down and sat up straight.

    "What happened?"

    "My lord! The general''s army has halted as an extensive battle with a human swordswoman has started. We are unsure of the casualties currently, but that woman is alone enough to overwhelm half of the brigade."

    "What!? Half of them have died?"

    "No sir! They are simply facing off, the other half just decided to watch the fight and the first half is going against her in different numbers."

    "So you little brats are teaming up ten to one on a single girl while the rest watch? Go and send amand to the other half to help the girl! It''s a good drill anyway."

    "Sir, yes sir!" Crocorocorococo nodded. "Other than that, my lord, it seems most of our city''s water had turned funny. We think it''s a human poison."

    "Ah¡­ yes, that''s why the water tasted weird."

    "A lot of demons are dying, my lord. It is rendering us incapable of fighting much."

    Death was a bit of a hassle. But at the end of the day, Agares was still a demon lord.

    He didn''t care if a lot of people died.

    "Just put in some antidote. What''s so urgent?"

    "My lord! Lastly, it seems one of the ten strongest humans is on his way here. Some of our other generals sensed his presence just a bit back."

    "Ten strongest humans? Don''t tell me! Is it Kaiser?"

    "No¡­ it seems to be the grandest human wizard. The one who invaded Walpurgis, Lushan von Bergus!"

    Lushan.

    That name was enough to bring the old man on great alert.

    He stood up from his seat with a stern look and in that very moment.

    The ceiling above him caved and broke apart.

    "Thanks for the introduction, strange crocodile being." In the air stood a young man with deep blonde hair and loose garbs of green and blue. "Long time no see, Demon Lord Agares."

    "Lushan von Bergus!"

    "Now¡­ where are my students?"

    ***

    The entire day had passed.

    And as we had thought¡­

    We stood in front of the bunker leading down to the bottommost parts of Dantalian''s castle.

    A ce that no one saw us enter, where no one suspected us even the faintest.

    I pushed the doors open and a small pool of water revealed itself beyond the door. In the center of the dark stony room was a single coffin.

    And atop it.

    "Hello there,"

    The woman atop it turned.

    "Have you been well, trash?"

    ***

    [A/N: Hoo, big changes areing. With this arc, we''ll be done with roughly 40% of the story, probably more.]

 Chapter 246 Chapter 241 Devils Trill (2)

    "Have you been well, trash?"

    The demon with her hair like the first blossoms of spring shuddered as my voice echoed through the underground chamber. The pool of water collected at the bottom rippled as I took a step ahead.

    Like an old door creaking open, an inch at a time, the demon turned its head to face the voice that had called it out.

    "H-how¡­" the demon muttered. The demon, the true body of Dantalian, was now in front of me again.

    Was she nning to bring backup from above? It was useless, there was nothing up there we couldn''t crush in just a minute.

    It was also useless to try and read our moves now.

    I could always put Noa back in my spatial storage and use her like a Pokemon.

    I took another step.

    The demon quivered.

    "Aren''t you happy to see me? I am a little hurt."

    "Hah¡­"

    Dantalian, still trembling, let out augh.

    "Hahaha¡­ hahaahahaha¡­."

    I took another step.

    She flinched but didn''t stopughing.

    "Aaaaaa¡­" Dantalian covered her face with her hands and screamed. "I should have known. I should have known. I should have known."

    I was cautious with every step.

    Was she just going mad?

    Surprise attacks from the likes of hers would never get me.

    Buying time was useless as well.

    What was she nning?

    "You¡­ no matter how things change, you''re still ''her'' son in the end. It''s only natural¡­ Yes, as long as that blood is in you¡­"

    "Did you go mad after seeing me? I won''t be that rude, it''s a lovely reunion that will end with just separating your head from your neck."

    "Oh, you yap you so much!"

    Dantalian leaned ahead and smacked her head on the edge of the coffin, the hands on her face quivered and soon loud sniffs spread through the room.

    I looked back at Noa, and she nodded.

    We were prepared for anything. Whatever she may be nning.

    I walked closer yet, now just an arm''s reach away from Dantalian.

    She seemed to have continued crying, tears spilled through her fingers and dripped into the water below, between her sniffles, she giggled out loud.

    My nervousness shot through the roof.

    What was she nning? I couldn''t figure it out.

    I took in a deep breath. It seemed having lost myself once, I was afraid.

    Useless emotion.

    As I let out the air, my mind cleared up.

    I took bold steps ahead and stopped right in front of Dantalian.

    Before I could reach out, she suddenly looked up.

    "You want these?" She asked, pointing at her horns.

    "I''ll take them myself," I answered, my voice cold. "Tell me, is that woman still alive?"

    "Who?"

    "Charlotte."

    "Haha¡­ who knows? She''s way beyond me."

    Annoying.

    She answered all my questions readily as if the crying just now was useless.

    "I never should have made a deal with her. When I had her captured, I should have killed her."

    I felt my brows furrowing. Charlotte was captured by Dantalian? And the deal, that must mean Charlotte promising to hand over Eugene to her.

    "You made a deal with her to let her go?"

    Dantalian meekly nodded.

    "I wanted to use her, but she was too powerful. Even if I used up all of my authority, I could never even be able to scratch her psyche."

    Those words left a bitter taste in my mouth. My psyche was weaker than hers¡­

    "She was just 10, so she was naive. She readily promised me her firstborn, in return for the lives of everyone in this city."

    "¡­ Not her own?"

    "Who could kill her? I? Don''t make meugh, Eugene. I couldn''t even kill an ant like you, how can I touch that woman?"

    Absurd. Her every word sounded absurd.

    Charlotte was caught, but not in danger. She made a deal, but not for herself. She was in a disadvantage, and yet Dantalian couldn''t control her.

    I had learned more about that person in this single exchange than what Maria and the Marquis had ever told me. No. This simply threw all of their words out the window.

    I grabbed Dantalian''s hair and yanked her up. She leaned over on her knees and stared back at me,ughing yet again.

    "Outer gods. How do I get them out?"

    "Hahaha¡­ just like her¡­ in the end you''re just like her."

    A deeply unsettling feeling gnawed at my mind again.

    Just how many times had I been told that I was just like Charlotte. Even if I didn''t want to, arge part of life was somehow being dictated by her.

    "You already that''s not the case," I said. "I am not rted to that woman."

    The one person who understood that fact as well as me was Dantalian, the person who had peeked into the deepest corners of my mind.

    "You are the one who doesn''t know," Dantalian said. With her hair still in my hands, her head slightly turned up.

    "Ah¡­" she said. "You even look like her, don''t you?"

    I pped Dantalian with the back of my hand. Then, I pulled her up again and shook her.

    "Don''t waste my time now. Tell me about the outer gods and just die, I care not for your bullshit."

    Dantalian grinned.

    "They''lle. Nothing we can do will stop it from happening¡­ Ours is not the first world they have set off for."

    "So you were lying when you said you knew how to bring them out?"

    "Waiting was the method¡ª"

    I pped her again.

    Dantalian fell over the coffin and slumped down, her fingers touching the pool of water below.

    I grabbed her and pulled her up yet again. Cackling once more, Dantalian''s eerie voice spread through the chamber.

    She slowly raised her hand and ced it on her horn.

    "Here, take it. Didn''t you want it? Go ahead now, it''ll be of use."

    I ced my hand over hers and gently pressed down. Using my Ki, I increased the strength in my fingers.

    "AAAH!" A screamed resounded as the bones in Dantalian''s palms crushed under my grip, followed by the cracking of her horn. "HAHHA! HAHAHA!"

    I had approached her boldly for but one reason.

    This bitch.

    She was not nning anything.

    Even as her fingers were reduced to dust and as her horns snapped apart, she didn''t resist at all, instead she onlyughed.

    Noa looked away, and my brows furrowed even further.

    A loud snap echoed as the first of her horns broke.

    Tears, blood, snot and saliva, all of it spilled out of every orifice on her body, yet sheughed.

    A mncholyugh of one that had epted their fate.

 Chapter 247 Chapter 242 Devils Trill (3)

    "I¡­ I at least die¡­ from your son''s hands¡­ Charlotte¡ªYAAAK!! AAAA!"

    I grabbed her other horn and this time, pulled it out. A crack spread through her skull as I yanked the horn outward. Dantalian''s eyes widened.

    Her screams spread.

    One of her eyeballs popped out.

    And she continued tough.

    With a slow pull, I separated her other horn from her head.

    Dantalian was a mess.

    Her hair grayed out and her body dried up the moment I pulled her horn out. As if she had lost all her strength, she shriveled up like a dead branch.

    I grabbed Dantalian''s neck and raised her body. My other hand tightened.

    "I didn''t think you''d lose without putting up a fight."

    Dantalian raised her fingers, her ck blood grazing over my cheeks.

    "Hahaha¡­"

    A weakugh.

    "Foolish¡­ Naive..."

    To the end, she pissed me off.

    "This isn''t a game¡­ no one has won¡­ not me¡­ and definitely not YOU! EUGENE HAL¡ª"

    Her words stopped midway.

    Her heart stopped beating.

    With my hands soiled in her blood and her heart crushed in my hand, I tossed her away.

    And then, I fell over on my back.

    "Eugene!" Noa rushed over to my side and sat down as well. Even Titania stepped out from my pockets and looked at me.

    "Is it over?" I asked Titania.

    "All her authority is in those horns¡­ there''s no way under the skies that she could have survived."

    I ced my hands down on the water-filled ground and let out a sigh.

    Not long after, confused screams echoed from the entire city.

    Her authority had fallen, and her puppets were back to people too.

    A strange air filled us. Noa slowly patted my back.

    "It was an unsatisfying end, huh?" She asked.

    "Bet it was¡­"

    We had defeated her here. We had achieved our purpose and chased her all the way to hell to end her immortal life.

    But it didn''t feel like a fulfilling victory¡ªNo.

    It didn''t feel like a victory at all.

    "I guess she was right¡­ No one won in the end."

    If I were to judge by fairness, she was to lose.

    If I were to judge through morals, she deserved her loss.

    If I were to speak through strength, she had lost long ago.

    But none of those counted now.

    "It''s like that sometimes," Noa said. "When you think the enemy is strong, but die with a flick. You expected spice but only received sweets."

    She patted my back again.

    "Don''t me yourself. It was the other party that sucked."

    "I guess that''s true."

    I was just expecting more, huh?

    It seemed we hade a full circle.

    Noa gave me a hand and I stood up from the ground. Dantalian''s soggy corpse was on the ground. I kicked her up and tossed her into the coffin, ready to take her back and present her to Dawn.

    Just as I was about to close the coffin, a chill ran down my spine.

    "NOA!"

    The girl behind me rushed to my side and pulled out her axe.

    Something wasing. Something crazy wasing.

    What was it? Was this her measure? Her way to fight back?

    Seconds that felt like hours ticked away, that something wasing closer.

    No. There were two. Almost equally matched.

    I began spinning my Mana and Ki cores, ready to enter the World''s End at any moment.

    Right then¡ª

    -CRASSSH!!

    ¡ª the ceiling crashed in. A cloud of dust and water floated up in the sky as the red light of hell lit up the dark underground chamber.

    As the cloud subsided, an old man lying on the ground came into view.

    Fresh wounds littered his body and two horns stuck out of his head.

    Noa pressed closer and I did the same.

    In the next moment, the second being appeared too. Floating above the hole in the castle, a young man with blonde hair and green robes, who was also covered in wounds.

    "Are you¡ªOh? Eugene Hall¡­ and Noa Roselle?"

    "Excuse me, who?"

    "What the heck do you mean who!? It''s me! Your fucking principal!"

    OH! It was Principal Lushan in front of us.

    "You''re in for big trouble, young man. How dare you even scurry off to hell? Do you have the foggiest idea of how worried we were? Also, Miss Noa, it is a grand joy to see you alive and kicking, but you''re in for trouble too."

    Oh no, my trauma was engaging, I was tuning off the principal''s words.

    The old man on the ground coughed and looked our way.

    "Are these the students you were looking for?"

    "They are," the principal answered. "It seems you truly didn''t have them. I''ll be taking my leave."

    "Yeah sure, sure," the old man waved his hands,ughing. He then stopped when his gaze fell on me, then he looked at the coffin.

    "Oh hoho! Is that Dantalian''s true body? That sour woman is dead?"

    "He killed her," Noa said. "If you have problems, take it out on him."

    "Bitch! Are you snitching by any chance?"

    "But aren''t you cool and strong? Handle it yourself. That guy''s clearly a demon, I am not involved."

    "Turncoat! I thought you liked strong opponents!"

    "I do, so weaken him, and then I''ll swoop in, after you''re dead."

    "Ahem," Lushan coughed and interrupted us. "Kids, please. That grandpa is not going to touch anyone, right?"

    "I won''t!" The demon waved his hands. "I hated that woman, good on you! She had anyway lived too long."

    The old man stood up and Lushan lowered himself to the ground.

    This guy came out of nowhere.

    The old man took a step near us and Lushan shot a spell at him. The old man, naturally, flicked it away and walked closer nheless.

    "Agares¡ª"

    He couldn''t finish his words.

    But I heard them well.

    This was him, huh?

    Faster than any of us, faster than even I could see, the old man was in front of me.

    He raised his hands, and the towering muscr man much taller than I, started patting my head. With his other hand, he tightened my grip over the horns.

    "You keep those things safe, they''lle in handy."

    "Al¡­right?"

    I wanted tosh out at this man right away, but I was too confused to react.

    "Also, long time no see, mistress Titania. It seems you have chosen a good child."

    "Agares, wasn''t it?" Titania muttered, peeking out of my pockets again.

    "I am honored to be remembered by one like you!"

    Woah?

    This guy was in Titania''s chuuni troupe!

    "Well then," the old man, the demon king we almost summoned, smiled again. "Lushan, one of your people seems to have been fighting my army and another seems to have poisoned my city."

    "Big deal," Lushan said. "I won''t apologize for that."

    "I don''t want you to. I''ll leave, so you do too."

    The old man patted my head again.

    Never could that summoning have worked. Even if we killed every student in the academy, bringing out someone who held this much power was impossible.

    For now. I was going to eventually overtake such meager strength.

    "Child," he said. "Feel free to reach out if you ever need any help. You''ve given this old sack of bones a good reason to live a little longer."

    "Cool."

    "And feel free to call me Grandpa! Hahaha!"

    Saying that Agares turned around and took a step away. He waved his hands as he went for the doors of the dungeon instead of the hole.

    "Then, goodbye Lushan, and the two children. Miss Titania too, I was deeply honored."

    "Bye!"

    "Bye old man, you still fight well!"

    "Hoho! I am looking forward to this time''s Walpurgis."

    What in the world was going on?

    This was way out of the left field.

    The old man went away from view and only we were left.

    Lushan turned our way and smiled.

    "Well then, let us head back," said Lushan. "I hope you know how to go back."

    "We do."

    "Yup."

 Chapter 248 O Maria! (1)

    Dawn fell asleep as soon as the sun moved over head. We took four, no, almost five hours to knock one of us out. The room was in a mess, it was almost as if we had used love as a perfume in here.

    I stretched my hands above my head and slipped off the bed.

    After cleaning the ce, Dawn, and then myself, I changed into a ck tunic and white trousers. It was a fit that we had started making back in Apollon, so I quite liked it.

    "Hm, quill and paper," both flew over. I wrote a quick note for Dawn and ced it on the table next to her. I also changed her nkets so that she won''t be cold and stepped out of the house.

    This was my time for redemption. I had to make things up to everyone and as soon as I could. Thankfully, there wasn''t much problem here with Dawn, but there was someone else that I had to cate right away.

    As I stepped down the stairs, Titania spoke up.

    "Where to now?"

    When had she gone back into the brand? No, when did shee out?

    "Well, there''s someone we can only be open with right now when sses are on."

    It was still noon, I had more than enough time till the evening. But it was urgent.

    "Who?" Titania.

    "Maria, of course."

    "Oh¡­"

    I soon found the bridge. Should I take something for her? I probably should.

    "Uh, Eugy¡­"

    "What is it?" I asked.

    "I¡­ took a peek once¡­ you should probably skip this one¡­"

    I stopped in my tracks.

    Skip?

    Skip this one?

    I felt a strange sense of foreboding crawling up my back at her words. Taking in a deep breath, I decided to just give her some of my loot as a gift and rushed toward the ind that housed the unaffiliated first years.

    "Worst case, I''ll hand over Catene."

    ¡ªWhirrr!

    Shut up chains. You get no say in this.

    At the southern corner of the ind, from the spot the overlooked the beach below and the beautiful shores near the Poseidon academy, I found the two-story building with a doorway arch full of lilies and Sophia roses.

    This was probably the room of those two.

    "Eugy, turn away. Seriously, turn away. I have a very bad feeling."

    I couldn''t. I truly couldn''t.

    It was better to be cautious. I slowly circled around the back of the building. Past the edges of the city and its streets and into a slightly wild part ofnd were flowers and leaves grew on their own.

    As soon as I stepped back, the white walls of the house seemed to have turned dark. The flowers behind every building, their vines adorning the windows and its sills, and their aroma sending appreciation for life was nowpletely shriveled up and dead, to a degree that would make the old trees back in hell look like toddlers brimming with energy.

    "What in the world¡­"

    "I told you. Run. Run right now."

    The bad feeling caught up to me too and the sense of foreboding choked down on my neck.

    Right then, a soft thud resounded.

    Followed by a groan. Like thest calls of a being next to death. It was as feeble and soft as the sound I would expect an ant to make before being crushed under an elephant''s legs.

    "What was that?"

    "I don''t know! Just skip it, please!"

    Evil queen much? Just what had she seen in there?

    I heard the groan again.

    It sounded like it came from the floor above. That should be where Sophia was boarding. I was certain that the rooms here were divided inside, so both the aide and the student lived in the same ce yet in different quarters.

    It was necessary to take a look.

    I hid as much of my presence as I could and climbed the closest tree with a hop. I tried to peek into the windows of the second floor, but the coiling dead flowers made it impossible to look through.

    I took in a deep breath and hopped over.

    My hands grabbed the window pane before I set myself up on it. The windows were¡­

    "Not locked."

    I slipped inside the room, and immediately, the sight of a dozen different clothes and books filled my sight. From books on magic and research to ball gowns and sleepwear, even delicates were syed around like anybody''s business.

    "So this is Miss Sophia''s room, I''ll be trespassing for a bit."

    I closed my eyes and focused on the sound again.

    The groans. The groans like the screeching of the abyss itself. They continued.

    I rushed outside the door, not making the faintest sound, and looked over at the next.

    Tapping twice there was no answer, but the groans remained.

    "Shit, I''m knocking this down."

    I said, but it broke apart with a simple tap.

    What the hell, who made weak shit like this¡­ ah, right, I was the strong one hahahaha.

    No time.

    I rushed inside the room. As the door open and the sunlight fell over to the room, my eyes fell on the locks of brown hair on the ground. Beyond it were the fleeting sight of fingers that hid behind the bed.

    "H-hey!" I whispered and rushed inside.

    There, next to the bed in the surprisingly clean room was a man without a soul. He kept groaning weirdly while iling about in pain.

    All this! What was this?

    Was this the ck sight all around me?

    I ced the man on my knees and pped his face.

    Enjoy new stories from empire

    "Who are you!" I asked.

    "Uhkkakaakk."

    "Tell me right now, who in the world are you?"

    "Way to go, Eugy. You''re the one who should be asked that!

    "Kakkk¡­ Lord¡­ Eugene?"

    Oh? He knew me.

    "Knight Alec, is it you?"

    "L-l-lordddd¡­. Save meeeee¡­.!"

    "What is it! Who did this to you!?"

    "Below¡­ below¡­"

    Alec tried his best to speak, but fell limp with his tongue sticking out.

    Oh fuck.

    "Hey! Hey! Come back!"

    "I told you¡­ we should just skip this¡­"

    Oh no. It was Maria.

 Chapter 249 O Maria (2)

    I determinedly stood up and left Alec on the ground.

    Your sacrifice wasn''t in vain, brave knight.

    "I''lle back and dig you a graveter."

    "I''m¡­. Alive¡­."

    I didn''t hear that. Can''t have people knowing this happened because of Maria.

    Taking in a deep breath, I jumped down his windows again. The breeze swept up my hair as I nimblynded, making not a sound.

    Now right next to the building, near the window, I peeked over inside. From close up, the view was better.

    Immediately, the sense of foreboding filled me again followed by a surge of killing intent.

    Pentagrams littered the walls, all of them covered in crimson red blood.

    Candles were lighting up the room dimly while the same ck energy I saw previously floated about.

    What was this? What in the world was this?

    Soon, my eyes were taken away by the sight at the center of the room.

    With a knife in her hands, my ck haired darling maid wearing her usual attire was peeking down at another pentagram and a circle around it. The star shaped magic spot had candles and nails dug at each of its tips while in the center was a doll made of straws.

    The doll''s hair was painted white.

    And eyes red.

    "Huehuhuehuehue¡­" A madderugh seeped into my ears as the woman inside cackled. "If you won''te to me¡­ young master¡­ I''ll not let anyone¡­ have you¡­ huehuehuehue¡­ huehuehuye!!!"

    "EUGY! I AM SCARED!!"

    I was too!!!!

    What? What was that?

    What did she just say? Excuse me, police, this woman right here please! Not let anyone have me? And that fucking doll, was that supposed to be me? It was me right?

    "AH¡­. I don''t¡­ want to hurt you¡­ but you give me no choice¡­ huehuehue¡­ after this¡­ we''ll be together forever! I''ll join you in the afterlife, young master!!"

    Maria raised the knife up high.

    The mes on the candles surged.

    Herugh crescendoed and the knife was swung down¡ª

    "MARIA!"

    I screamed out loud.

    In perfect time, the knife stopped. The tip of its de nigh touching the chest of the door.

    My chest heaved up and down while my mind ran marathonps. She was just about to stab it, she was about to stab straw Eugene!

    With my hand on my chest, I heaved out loud sighs.

    Maria hadn''t turned.

    "Maria¡­" I called out again¡­

    What do I do in this situation?

    What did one do in this situation?

    No, positively thinking, this was training. The strong could strong-arm this too. Emotionally, of course. Yes, I had to think that way.

    "Maria, it''s me¡­ won''t you even look at me?"

    "Dumbass! What''s that medieval cheesy shit!?" Titania screamed. "Our life is on the line here!"

    My heart beat increased. Don''t put me on the spot like that!

    I slowly pushed the window, which was unlocked as well.

    My eyes ran around for clues.

    I noticed there, another doll with brown hair and blue eyes. It was sucked dry to thest straw that made it up.

    Alec! This shit worked! It was for real!

    I slowly leaned over inside.

    "Maria? Maria, are you listening?"

    The knife trembled.

    "Maria, it''s me."

    Calling her out would work for now. My mind kept running around.

    Ah fuck this.

    I took in another deep breath, and sped my thoughts as much as I could.

    Things slowed down around me, from the flutter of the flowers to the call of the birds. Everything slowed down to a halt as I rushed myself for answers.

    What worked here?

    All my interactions with Maria ran in my mind, over and over, and the most optimal answer reached my head.

    A small stream of blood dripped from my nose as things returned back to normal. It had been forever since I had to do this.

    Right, she was weak to letting me down.

    I hated it, but I had to use it.

    "Are you not able to hear me, Maria? Did you perhaps, forget me?"

    "Y-young¡­ master?"

    "You remember?"

    "Is it you¡­ young master?"

    I slowly crawled further in. For now, it was important to get that knife away from her.

    As I stepped past the rows of books and tome highlighting god knows what magic spells, I slowly called out to Maria again.

    "Maria, I missed you a lot. Did you not think of me at all?"

    "Young master¡­ you missed me?"

    "Yes. I really, really wanted to see your face."

    Like a parent cating a child. I had to move like that.

    "I missed you so much, Maria."

    I was almost touching her.

    "Won''t you let me see you once? I understand if you don''t like me anymore," I said. "But at least, let me see you once, please?"

    "Y-young master¡­?" Maria slowly turned back. Her neck creaked with every movement.

    And then, she turned toward me.

    "AAAH!" Titania screamed.

    And I flinched at the sudden scream.

    What was it?! What happened!

    "She looks like a demon!" Read exclusive chapters at empire

    Maria noticed me flinching.

    "Ah¡­ I knew it¡­ you''re tired of me, young master¡­ you hate me now¡­ that''s why you didn''te to see me."

    "No! No, not at all! I would never!"

    Maria started sobbing.

    "You hate me! You think I am ugly! Ah¡­ it''s all because of this ugly face!" With her free hand, she started scratching herself.

    FUCK!

    "Maria, no!" I screamed and neared her. On my knees, I crawled closer.

    "I can''t even see faces! Why would I find you ugly!?"

    "Ah¡­"

    I widened my eyes.

    "So you mean¡­ even though you don''t mind I am ugly¡­ you still hate me?!"

    What was that logical gymnastics! Tetris? Was she a master logical Tetris yer that could fit anything anywhere?

    "Maria, I don''t hate you! Not at all! Never!"

    "You lie!!! Or you would havee to see me!"

    "I am so sorry, but I was on the verge of death!"

    "My young master is the strongest, that can never stop him!"

    And now she had faith in me!?

    "Maria, please, let go of the knife!"

    "No. No nono no no no no no¡­. Yes¡­ if I can''t¡­ then no one!"

    Saying that, Maria raised the knife again, and stabbed it straight into the doll.

    "Ooof!?¡­?"

    Oh.

    Nothing happened.

 Chapter 250 O Maria (3)

    "Huh?" I tapped my stomach. Once, twice¡­ nothing¡­

    Oh?

    I was alright?

    Maria looked at me too, tears in her eyes.

    But when she noticed that nothing had happened to me, she stopped.

    "Why? Why didn''t it work?"

    She asked.

    "I¡­ don''t know?"

    I answered.

    What was this situation?

    "Ah¡­ hahaaha hahahah!" Mariaughed wildly. "It''s because you''re not young master! Of course!"

    Uh oh.

    "Fake! You fake! You dare impersonate my young master!"

    With those words, Maria swung her knife straight at my stomach.

    I grabbed the de with my hands and stopped her.

    "Maria please, hear me out."

    "It''s over. Young master hates me¡­ it''s over¡­"

    "Nothing is over! I don''t hate you. I never ever will!"

    "You''re not young master!"

    Fuck.

    I slowly grabbed her sides and pushed her down to the ground. Maria''s back lightly fell on the ground below littered with papers while she still tried to stab me.

    I slowly let go and ced my hands on her cheeks.

    Then, I leaned in to press my lips on her, but stopped.

    Argh, she clearly didn''t believe me. It went against my conscience to kiss her like that. It was not a sign of the strong.

    That said, being mistaken wasn''t it either.

    "Maria," I muttered. "I would never hate you, you know that right? I didn''te to see you because I didn''t want you to get hurt."

    "Lies¡­"

    I showed her my hand.

    "Do you see this blood?"

    Maria''s eyes widened.

    "I have be a demon. I am not human anymore. You''re going to hate me now, right?"

    I had to use whatever I could. Anything. Don''t like lying? Well, I didn''t like dying even more.

    "I wanted to see you once. But now, you''re going to go away from me forever, right? Who would want to be with a demon?"

    "D-d-demon¡­?"

    Maria grabbed my hands, my blood seeping into her touch.

    "Young master¡­ you became a demon?"

    "Yes, yes. This is what I wanted to save you from. It was a demon that had captured my mother once too."

    I snapped my fingers and pulled out the Charlotte''s ring. Why didn''t I put it back on? It was one sexy ring.

    "The demon, was able to control me from this."

    "It knew¡­dy Charlotte¡­? It was a demon that defeated her?"

    "Yes!" I nodded. This was working. "But I killed it. Had I not, I would have not been able to see you again. That''s why, I had to stay away for that reason."

    "Young master¡­"

    "But, it''s all useless now, right?" I said. "I am a demon now, so you won''t be with me anyway¡­"

    I looked down. Come on, tear nds, work, please. No chance. I doubt I even possessed those.

    I grabbed Maria again and spoke with as much emotion as I could muster.

    "But, as long as you''re safe. I am happy."

    "Y-young master¡­?"

    I stood up.

    "Always be happy, Maria. This demon will not show you his disgusting face anymore¡ª"

    "Young master!!"

    Maria grabbed me.

    She started sobbing even harder than before as she pulled me down.

    "I am sorry! I never knew you were suffering so much! I never knew you were in so much pain! I never knew you were so resolved."

    "No!" I looked away. "Don''t do this, Maria. Don''t give me hope. How would I be able to leave without tears if you act like this?"

    "Woah. Disgusting."

    Shut up fairy! Our lives depend on this!

    "No! Young master, don''t leave! Please don''t leave."

    "But¡­ I am a demon, and you''re a human."

    "Even so! Who said we can''t be together?"

    "What now, so you guys are getting married?"

    Stupid fairy.

    "Maria¡­ don''t you hate me?"

    "I can''t! Even if you hate me, I can never hate you young master. I''ll die before I hate you!"

    I slowly looked back.

    "Truly?"

    "I love you, young master! I love all of you, however you are!"

    She finally tossed the knife away and grabbed me with the other hand as well. With a weak pull, I went down and kneeled in front of her.

    Maria caressed my cheeks gently and smiled.

    "Young master. No matter how you are. Please, don''t leave me."

    "Even though I am a demon now?"

    "Even then!" Maria pulled me closer and pressed my face in her bosom. "Please, forgive me, young master. When I should have stood by your side, I only cursed you out!"

    She was slowly turning back to normal.

    Finally.

    I looked up at Maria and she peered back at me. Her hand ran over my hair.

    If she was along, Dantalian would have definitely been scared straight.

    I should probably take her along for whatever big fight I have next.

    "Maria¡­ I am very sorry," I said. "Even though I promised I wouldn''t leave without a word, I did it again."

    Maria shook her head.

    "No, you had no choice, young master. It was because that Principal ordered you, right? I''ll kill him instead."

    "Uh, no, actually¡­ It''s not rted to him at all."

    "Then?" She asked.

    "It was even more dangerous than you''ve heard!" I saved myself in the nick of time. Let her cook and she''ll make it about herself again. "I am d you''re not hurt, Maria. Even if I am."

    "Young master!"

    Maria screamed again.

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    She pulled me up by my cheeks, and slowly kissed me. Her tongue rolled out and pitted against mine for a solid few seconds before she backed away.

    Her hand then went for her dress.

    "Young master¡­"

    I stopped her right there.

    What was this girl doing?

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    "Do you¡­ not want¡­"

    I flicked her forehead.

    "Why would I want that instead of spending time with you?"

    "Eh?"

    She was slowly getting back to normal. She would understand this herself in some time. I was slightly bbergasted at her actions, but alright.

    Thinking of it, I nodded and pulled her up.

    "Got it, let''s go on a date."

    "A date?"

    "Yes! A date with just the two of us. I am here to see you, Maria. That stuff is just for when we both want some fun, not for saying we missed each other."

    "Ah¡­"

    "That we can do with words."

 Chapter 251 Shocking Date

    "Date~ Date~ Date with Young Master!"

    Maria forced me out of the room and said she''ll be back after changing. I could her sing well through the  walls though. Of course, before leaving, I had napped Alec''s doll and was now burying it behind the building.

    I told you I''ll dig you a grave, Alec. I am a man true to his words. You may thank meter.

    "Do you think he''ll die of suffocation?" Titania asked.

    Good question.

    I heightened my senses and tried to listen to Alec''s voice. Once I was sure I would, I smacked the dried doll into a tree.

    "HAAAK!"

    Oh?

    This time, I pinched its hands.

    "Ahhhh!"

    The legs.

    "Kuuuh!"

    "Hey, this is fun!"

    "Choke him!"

    I covered the doll''s mouth and nose. It didn''t have any, so I covered its entire face.

    "Ummm ummm!"

    He was choking too!

    I guess I can''t just bury him then. Holding in a sigh, I dug just half a hole and nted the doll inside. After that, I poured some water on it in hope that he''ll back to blossom like a flower.

    I did my best, Alec. Don''t me me if a doges around and rips your head off now.

    With that done, I moved back toward the front door and waited a while, leaning against the wall. I heard a loud thud halfway through followed by a louder ''What was I thinkingggg!''

    "She''s finally back to normal."

    "We almost died."

    Bet we did.

    The door opened eventually. I peeked inside and saw that all that had covered the ce gone. Instead, now inside was an impably clean room that fitted Maria''s image.

    "Um, young master, did you wait too long?"

    Standing in front of the door was Maria in a beautiful white sundress. The clothes fluttered slightly in the wind as they highlighted her build. A long white hat on her head hid her face in the shade while her slick ck hair was left open. In her hands was a simr white purse, petite yet perfectly fitting her attire. She also wore white heels to go with it.

    "Maria, you look beautiful." I said. "The dress and the purse especially go well together."

    Maria was startled, then she stepped out and tapped the top of my head.

    "Young master, you''ve grown up."

    "What''s with that? Haha."

    "No just¡­ I don''t think you would have said all that when you were a kid."

    "I''ve never¡­"

    No.

    I was a kid.

    To think I could manage everything without anyone else. To think I was fine all on my own.

    I wasn''t against it yet. I was sure that I was strong alone.

    But others weren''t my weakness.

    I would be the most shameless person in the world if I believed that line of thought, especially after relying on others so much.

    "You''re right," I said. "I never would have."

    Maria smiled, the faint way she breathed out always had a charming sound.

    "Well then!" I raised my arm. "Shall we?"

    Maria wrapped her arm around mine and nodded.

    "Let''s!"

    And with that, we set off on our date.

    ***

    The first thing I did was drag Maria over to the cat cafe in the Sachertorte street.

    It was not because I wanted to meet the kitties again, absolutely not. It was only because I was sure she would like it too.

    The bell tolled and the door opened. I held it open and let Maria step inside first.

    The cat girl shopkeeper turned my way.

    "Oh, Mr. Demon Killer is here again!" She said. "Who''s thedy?"

    "My date," I answered, earning a surprised yelp from Maria.

    I snapped my fingers and brought the pouch from before again. I tossed the pouch over and smirked. "Two of us, please give us something to drink from the rest."

    "Sure, sign here. Thedy can go on in."

    Maria nodded and opened the divide. The number of cats immediately jumped on her as she stepped inside. There was catnip for customers to use already in there so that was convenient too, it didn''t seem like she would need it though.

    "I didn''t sign before either¡­" I said as I walked over to the reception when the cat girl shook her head.

    "There''s no signs, mister. What in the world are you doing?"

    "Excuse me?"

    "Didn''t you go all the way to hell to rescue your girlfriend? Noa Roselle was it? Did it get to your head, why are you two timing?"

    Noa Roselle?

    My girlfriend?

    Hello? That sacred spot is reserved for a person whose face you bastards aren''t even allowed to see! What do you mean my girlfriend?

    "Who said that girl is my girlfriend?"

    "What do you mean? Everyone in the academy knows. It''s such a lovely tale, why are you two-timing now. I should have known, all men are scum."

    The entire academy?

    "You mean everyone in the academy?"

    "Pretty much. No point in hiding it now, weird mister."

    ***

    In a wintry cold room where the sun''s breeze reached. The single strongest faction beside the student council in all of the academy was underway a round table meeting with its top executives.

    The students, on a small break, took the opportunity to share some light chat while their infallible leader, thedy with a veil covering her face, spun her quill alone at the head.

    A lot of nning was needed for the uing festival. There were many things on line here. From facilities and budgets to prestige.

    "Did you hear about the demon killer student?" A piece of gossip interested that leader whose every breath exuded grace and whose every step screamed beauty.

    "Oh! I know, that guy who went all the way to hell to rescue his girlfriend right? I wish we could have taken him in our faction."

    Thedy raised her head.

    "Yeah, both that girl Noa and that guy, Eugene¡­"

    "What?"

    The room fell silent.

    Their infallible leader had spoken.

    All of them shut up, worried they had done something wrong.

    "What did you just say?"

    "Um¡­" All gazes turned toward the student that was speaking.

    "That¡­ it would have been good to have them in our faction. I apologize for presenting a weak front, mam!"

    "No. After that. The names."

    "Names?"

    Her voice grew colder and colder, sending chills down everyone''s spine.

    "The name of that couple."

    "Ah. Noa Roselle, and Eugene Hall? It''s a love story that''s the talk of the entire academy¡ª"

    "HAH!"

    The executives all shut up again.

    Their infallible leader¡­ scoffed? The same one?

    "Hahahaha¡­ Eugene Hall''s girlfriend? Love story! Hahahaha!"

    It wasn''t the end of the crazy.

    She was alsoughing.

    The students decided to leave a letter to their loved ones today. They were sure the end was near.

 Chapter 252 Wheres Keith?

    Nothing bad would happen.

    I was sure. They were just rumors anyway, yes. I had almost crazy killer and a very dear person to be with for now, so it was probably alright to leave things be.

    So what if rumors about me and Noa spread? It didn''t change facts.

    I did sleep with her. But did that seal the deal.

    On that note, what was my rtionship with them? Friends? But friends don''ty together.

    "Young master, where next!"

    "Hm, do you want to eat some cake next?"

    "We''ve been eating for a long time. Is this what you''ve been doing, young master?" Maria said. The date had already gone on for a few hours. We ate in the cat cafe, then at a restaurant, and just stepped out after eating some ice cream.

    "You''re not eating a bnced meal. I''ll do the cooking for you from now on."

    "Hey, it''s alright, really. I eat well usually."

    "Really?" She asked again.

    I nodded.

    "Like demon sandwich or something."

    With Maria''s arm linked around mine, I slowly guided her toward the outer inds where I usually went to train. It was a good spot to stop and look at the flowers at, so I decided to take her there for now.

    "Demon sandwich? Do you absolutely need to eat demon food now?"

    Over the course of our date, I exined everything from Dantalian taking me over to the way I had gone to hell to kill her. I even told her about the things she said of Charlotte and also put the ring back on.

    Strangely enough, it felt soothing to have on.

    And well, it''ll be fun if it sucks up another demon''s powers in the future.

    "Not really, I live on human food. I guess there''s not much different about demons other than their horns and environment. Hell is one hell of a ce."

    Maria stroked my head at that.

    "I am d you''re alright, young master."

    "Hah! Didn''t you say it yourself that I am the strongest. This is nothing."

    Maria giggled.

    Soon enough, we reached the ind with the field of flowers.

    "Wow¡­ I didn''t know such a ce was here¡­"

    "It''s pretty right?"

    The dimming evening sunlight spread over the field of flowers with colors of all kinds. A sight like the auroras of the towers was on the ground, right in front of us.

    I carried Maria into the field of flowers and sat with her at the center. She plucked a few out while the two of us gazed out to the skies.

    "I missed you a lot, young master."

    A wry smile left me.

    "All of us did. I hope you can rely on us in the future."

    "I will learn to."

    Maria gazed at me and then smiled. She raised her hand and rustled my hair.

    "Thanks for the fun date."

    "Anytime. Let''s have the next one with Lily and Keith too, we''ll y some poker like old times."

    "Sounds great! When?"

    "Today? Tomorrow? Any time. We can y any time."

    I was here for good now.

    "I''ll tell Lily then, and you tell Keith."

    "Sure. I haven''t seen¡ªWait a minute."

    My eyes furrowed.

    The person that should have been in the room right below mine, was never around.

    "Have you seen Keith recently?" I asked Maria.

    "Uh, no? It''s been a long while actually."

    Heh?

    I shook my head and thought.

    I hadn''t seen that bastard in a long time too. When was thest time?

    Like a record yer, I recalled all the previous chapters right to thest volume. I should have been seeing him every time I came home, but he was never around.

    Not even once.

    Thest conversation was just a few days after I had started ignoring everyone. After I had captured Noa.

    "Ah¡­"

    I remembered well.

    ''Find a dark ce for a secret base''

    That was what I had told him.

    "That fucker¡­"

    Was he looking for a dark ce? At my orders? For over a month!? No chance. As if that little bastard would ever even consider something like that. It was impossible for Keith of all people to go out and work that hard.

    He was cking off! That cunt!

    "He''s definitely cking off! All because I told him to find a secret base."

    "Secret base?" Maria tilted her head.

    "That bastard. I''ll have to contact the dark moon to look for him now."

    "So that means he''s off to do your mission?"

    "No, he''s just cking off."

    "He couldn''t have gone far, though?" Maria said. "There''s no need to call the Dark Moon Bandits, young master. That rat knight who''s supposed to protect you disappeared even though you were suffering¡­"

    Maria''s eyes turned red and a chuckle escaped her lips.

    "I''ll handle it. Let me take care of him, young master. Haha¡­ hahaha¡­ hahaha¡­"

    I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer for Keith. Since I was a demon now, was I to pray to one of them? Nah. Keith, I''ll hope for your safety.

    This is really not on me.

    "Haha¡­ hahaha¡­ hahaha¡­ What kind of doll.. hahaha."

    I''ll remember both the knights, Keith! Alec!

    After spending time there till night came around, I escorted Maria back to her home, when two people caught whiff of me.

    "LORD EUGENE!?

    "Young master!?!?"

    The two were none other than Sophia and Lily.

    "What''s this I hear? You were fighting a demon all along? And you romanced up another girlfriend? Naughty, lord Eugene. Naughty and frivolous!"

    "Yes yes! What in the world, young master? Do you want a threesome that much? Hahahaha!"

    "Miss Lily, your tongue still slips."

    I sighed and raised my hand.

    "You two too, I have a lot to say." I said. "So make time for me, got it? Refusals not allowed."

    "What, what? Sorry, young master. You should focus on yourself we''re too busy."

    Oh, ying my own tune to me.

    "Well, I''ll help you with whatever keeps you busy, so make time anyway."

    "How selfish, Lord Eugene," Sophia said, shaking her head while covering her lips. "But that''s your charm. As your childhood friend, it''s the least I can do."

    "Fine. I''ll do it too."

    With that, my long day of a date came to an end. But the day itself wasn''t over.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 253 Fourth Member

    When I returned back to our factions Ind, I received a familiar greeting with Luka sitting on a wall and Albert leaning against you.

    "Oh, hey! Look, clowns. We can probably run a circus, kids willugh from your faces alone."

    "What?" Luka muttered. "Why do you insult us right away?"

    That was quite the mild reaction.

    "Oh, he''s a masochistic cunt. He wants us to tell him that making kidsugh is better than showing his face to criminals and having them wet their pants."

    That''s better.

    Hey!

    "Hey!" I snapped. "What brings you guys here for this bright greeting. Actually, how long DO you wait here?"

    "An hour?"

    "Don''t tell him that, Albert, you fool."

    "Wow, get a life."

    "See, shouldn''t have told him."

    Albert wheezed at that and stood up straight. "Come along," he said. "We''re having a meeting. A factional meeting."

    I hadn''t told them any part of what had actually gone down. I was almost sure they''ll ask the details, but it seemed to not be the case.

    Luka hopped down from the wall and Albert took the lead. The two of us were just following him in the fairly wide ind, so we decided to do so while ying a best of ten rock-paper-scissors game.

    He lost, of course.

    Eventually, we came across arge room with mostly a ss pane instead of windows. This building that stretched four floors tall was quite close to the ce where I had met with Lethe.

    "Come in, this is going to be our base from now by the way."

    "Isn''t that whole ind?" I said.

    "We still need a cool ce to convene at," Luka said back. "You know, boss and two sub-bosses."

    "Excuse me? I am not epting myself as anyone''s sub boss!"

    "Right, right," Albert said. "Luka is the second inmand and you''re just a normal member, alright?"

    Did I look like a doofus to them?

    Well, that was better than being called the ''second'' inmand. Ew.

    Albert moved away the ss doors and brought us inside the room. With the flick of a switch, magical lights lit up all over the room, their shade a bit blue. He probably modified the circuitry to do that.

    The inside of the room was just as fancy as the outside. With a bar counter at one end and a small firece at the other. Near the sides were a pool table and a set of bookshelves. Around the firece were three wide couches and a long ss table at their center.

    "Cool, right?" Albert asked.

    "Pretty neat."

    "I like it a lot!" Luka muttered.

    "Feel free to take the couch, I''ll get us some wine."

    Luka and I moved over to the couches. He took the double one and Iid myself over on the triple. It wasn''t particrly cold, but I wanted to see the fire running up aesthetically so I lit a quick ze up and the fire started right on. Albert was meticulous with preparations.

    He came back over with a bottle of wine and four sses. Crossing his legs over the single seater, Albert popped the bottle open and poured it down in all four of them.

    "Well, order of business. We''re having a toast for Yuyujinnyjin killing Dantalian¡­"

    I sat up.

    "And?"

    "And for the fourth member of our faction."

    "Fourth?"  Luka asked too.

    And then, from behind the bar counter, stepped out a girl with long ck and white hair.

    "Tada!" She said with zero interest.

    "Yay!" And Albert half-heartedly pped. "Wee, Noa Roselle!"

    "Heh?"

    "Lame¡­"

    "I know, I was forced into this by your leader."

    Noa said and walked over to my side. She hopped over the back of the couch and took a seat next to me.

    "I didn''t have a room anymore, and living with thatdy was getting suffocating."

    Albert continued then.

    "Noa insisted on joining us, and the principal ordered me to take her in. We''ve already moved her luggage to the house next to yours, Yuyu."

    "Eueu? Yuyu?" Noa repeated. She suddenly covered her mouth and reeled back. "He''s calling you pet names?! Why! What''s the deal between you two!?"

    "I know every scratch on Yuyu''s body."

    "Don''t feed her imagination, you brat."

    Albert shrugged and Noa squealed. Just what I would expect from this BL loving girl. It was still a lot of emotion for her though.

    "Well, anyway, let''s just have our drinks and go sleep."

    "Why was this meeting called anyway?" Luka asked.

    "I wanted to show you guys this room."

    "Do it on its own! We didn''t even praise it."

    "Yeah¡­ I am hurt about that¡­"

    "Sorry, sorry, it''s a pretty well made ce. Right, Eugene, Noa?"

    "Could be better."

    "Don''t care."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Albert lowered his head more and chugged the wine down.

    We decided to sit and watch the fire till the bottle ended.

    "Hey, what about that faction festival thing?" I asked.

    Albert looked my way.

    And so did Luka.

    "Oh¡­"

    "We forgot¡­"

    The faction was in splendid hands.

    "Let''s bother with that tomorrow," Albert said, getting off his chair. "I was too concerned about you to think of it."

    "Same here, both of you," Luka said too. "I am just going to sleep for now."

    And with that, the party ended just as abruptly as it began. I killed the fire, Albert got the lights, Luka quickly washed and put away the sses and we left the ce.

    Luka and Albert were in different directions, so I took Noa along with me.

    We walked past the empty white houses all around as the auroras above lit our path.

    "Been a minute," she said.

    "Sure has." I answered. "It won''t be now since you''re next door and stuff."

    "Yeah," she nodded. "It was quite boring with that teacher. I pretty much broke out of her house and threatened the principal to put me elsewhere."

    I could imagine her doing just that.

    We shared a light chat about thest three days, and then neared the houses. She really was right next to mine, on the second floor as well. It was at a distance where I could probably see her from one of the two windows in my room.

    "We''re neighbors now, huh?" she said.

    "I look forward to it."

    "I do too."

    "Tell me if you need help, I''ll go back for now."

    "Yup!" Noa hopped back to her room, and I watched her go. Once she was gone, I climbed up my own stairs and entered my room.

    "Took you a while," Dawn said inside.

    I snapped the door shut and went over to the bed beforeying down next to her. She dly scooted over. Read exclusive chapters at empire

    "Tiring¡­ what a tiring day¡­"

    Dawn turned to her side and ced her hand over me.

    "A hot bath helps."

    "Does it now?"

    "Wanna try? I can use one too."

 Chapter 254 Keith is Here!

    A chilly breeze blew over the mountain cap. Along with it fluttered balls of snow as a light blizzard swept through the peaks of the mountain. Standing atop a fern tree was a young redhead donning a long coat made from the hide of tigers.

    The sword in the young man''s hands clinked in the air which sent his long hair aflutter, but his eyes were unwavering even in front of the cold.

    "Ouch, my eyes will freeze."

    Apparently not.

    The young man covered his eyes and blinked, he sniffled up a strand of snot while his cheeks flushed red from the cold.

    "Atst, I am here¡­"

    Far ahead at the very peak of the mountain, was a giant cave covered with frosty icicles and a pile of snow, the blizzard raged at that spot and that spot alone.

    Months.

    Months had passed since the man went on a wild goose chase all over the kingdom of sages in search of this ce. In search of its inhabitant.

    How much had he suffered?

    He could remember clearly, stopping every night at a pub and drinking till his daylights were knocked out. And since he was in a town anyway, what a great waste would it be not to hit a single brothel, so he made it a point to go to as many as he could.

    Whenever he had a chance or would remember his mission, he would ask his partners for the night.

    ''Oh, do you know someone who can pull exorcisms? Someone the best at it?''

    Clue after clue, he ran and asked.

    ''Yeah, there''s apparently a reclusive old shaman in the icy mountains. You can probably ask him. It''s a rumor though." Enjoy new tales from empire

    Mountains?! Icy mountains!?

    Hard pass.

    And so, the young man spent the next two weeks in debauchery. It all had to stop when he saw someone donning the wristband of a dark moon. He remembered his goal right away and decided to fuck off from the ce before the one who ordered him to leave figured out he was cking off.

    That''s right, the man was none other than the knight Keith. Eugene Hall''s truest guardian and not just emotionally.

    Taking in a deep breath, Keith, who had suffered deeply for thest month and had definitely not been having fun without thinking much jumped off the top of the tree and ran ahead. It was cold, but he covered himself with his Ki and managed to ignore it well.

    "That shaman better be inside. I''ll take him along and also steal his cave."

    He was never ordered to bring a shaman along, it was just that as his guardian, he had figured his young master was acting weird.

    Possession, he decreed.

    No particr reason, he just couldn''t imagine his crazy wack of a young master going senile all on his own. And anyway, the master himself was a possessor so what stopped it from happening again?

    He did. He would stop it.

    He was absolutely not doing this because he totally forgot about the secret base his master wanted. Absolutely not. No chance.

    It was time for Keith to save the day.

    With a bright grin on his face, he scratched the back of his head and dashed up the mountain.

    The man''s eyes glowed golden the nearer he approached the mountain. And with a blink, all color drained from the world, leaving only an outline of everything around him.

    There, deep within the cave, was a strong golden me.

    A soul.

    Keith''s lips turned upward. Shaman or not, someone was in there. Everyone could learn exorcism if he just ps them enough.

    His gaze turned lower, and in the ground below the cave, was another soul. A me much wilder and stronger than the one before.

    "Oh?" Keith muttered. It seemed he had guests too.

    He blinked again and kicked off faster than before. The nearer he reached the cave wider his grin became.

    And just as he stepped over the spot where the soul was, the ground below started to shake.

    "GWAAAAA!"

    A loud scream thundered over the skies of the icy mountains. Avnches fell down the peak and crushed the trees below as boulders and snow in front of the cave fell off without discrimination against the rising ground.

    Standing atop that very rising ground,ughing his gut out, was Keith.

    "It seems like a big monster? A Behemoth of some kind?"

    "GWAWAAAA!" The monster shook its head, ready to knock the man down.

    Keith found it''s struggle quite cute.

    "Sorry, big guy, I''m in a slight rush."

    The big guy sent a punch hurtling towards its own head at speeds that betrayed its size, the target? None other than the small human standing atop it.

    Keithnded his feet on the approaching fist and jumped up high. Like an arrow piercing through the skies, Keith shot upward arched his body till his head faced down.

    His hand reached for his sword.

    In the month, he had gone beyond that stage of ''reaching toward'' soul ki, and had attained that level on his own.

    "[Azure Dragon]¡­"

    His eyes closed.

    The sword glimmered as it was pulled out from its scabbard.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The monster below trembled.

    "[Dragon''s Breath]"

    As the sword swung down, the falling snow went upward. Nothing, not even air was spared as the de fell above the monster.

    The monster blinked.

    ¡ªGRRRRRRRRRR

    And a crushing sound spread through the ground.

    The monster''s body was sliced in half.

    And below it, arge part of the mountain too had a long deep gash in it.

    Keith floated down and nimblynded on his head. He peeked down the gash on the mountain, stuck his tongue out, and tapped his head.

    "Oops, I wonder who did that."

    Bobbing his shoulders, Keith walked toward the cave. He also started whistling as he went inside.

    The snow started to fall again when Keith stepped inside the dark cave. He activated his soul sight again and strode through the dark ce straight toward the man in the center.

    In there, sitting next to a fire with beads in his hands was an old sage d in blue clothes.

    "Hey, are you a shaman?"

    "What''s the haste, child. I see you''ve killed a being outside."

    "Answer me."

    "Hoho, haste is the taste of the devil¡ªPhak!"

    Keith pped him.

    "Shaman you are. Now, let''s go."

    "Child!? Child!"

    "Come on, we have to exorcise my young master."

    Keith pulled the shaman by then neck, straddled him on his shoulders, and took him along.

    "Just wait young master, Keith is here."

    Totally not to save his own ass. No chance.

 Chapter 255 Food tastes best with Company

    I woke up drained once more. Sleeping on my arm next to me was Dawn. She had buried her head over my chest and was snoring off lightly.

    I still had days before I had to go for my ''punishment,'' but the habit of waking up early wasn''t so easy to rid of. That said, it seemed Dawn was truly not an angel but a subus. When our hot bath for muscle rxation had turned into a longsting muscle workout was something I still wasn''t sure of.

    Leaving the clean-up to me all the time was also a bother, but whatever.

    Feeling slightly miffed, I wanted to get up and make some breakfast in the kitchen attached to my room. Unfortunately, Dawn was still sound asleep, and moving my arm would wake her up.

    "Zzzzzz¡­."

    Another person was sound asleep. That was the fairy Titania.

    With nothing else to do, I turned over to my side and looked down at Dawn. Even though I couldn''t see her face, her faint breath, the flutter of her eyshes, the heat of her cheeks, all of them carried over well to me.

    I had nothing to do in this position.

    With no other option, I just went ahead and started counting the hair on her head. Pulling one strand at a time and cing it over on the front to not count the same again. I would count, ce it ahead, count, and ce the next.

    Once the locks got sizable enough to start spilling and became unmanageable, I tied them into a small knot and knocked them above her head before switching up the top ones. I made about ten such batches of five thousand each by the time Dawn''s eyshes fluttered open.

    "Umm¡­" she mumbled.

    Dawn pushed her arm forward and yanked my head backward as she slowly got up.

    "Morningaahm¡­" she said. She rolled over to one side, then back to this, and then to the other again. With my arm finally free, I jumped up, dragging the sheets with me.

    "Hey! It''s cold."

    "Wear clothes to sleep then."

    "Put them on next time."

    I red at her, and Dawn stuck her tongue out.

    "What, gonna refuse your savior?"

    Next time was already booked, well of course, but she was really pushing this savior shtick too far. Dawn seemed to be in need of behavioral correction.

    "You better stop using that excuse."

    "Or what?" Dawn teased.

    "I''ll punish you."

    "Oh? What a brazen brat. And how will you do so?"

    I unted my fingers in the air.

    Dawn gulped.

    I turned over and pounced on her at once. My fingers crawled up her sides and right as I reached her armpits, I started tickling her with all my might.

    "Aah! Hey! Stop it hahahahaha! Ah, stop!!!"

    "Hm hm? Will you use that excuse again?"

    "Yes."

    I tickled her harder.

    "Gahahaaha, ok ok! I won''t I won''t! Mercy, mercy."

    "No way."

    From her armpits to her sides, neck to her feet, I tickled every ticklish spot and only stopped when she couldn''t move anymore.

    Enemy knocked out.

    Stretching my hands, I got off the bed and moved toward the closet. I put on some clothes and tossed some over to Dawn as well.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I''ll make something real quick. Any requests?"

    "Want me to cook?"

    "No, it''s fine."

    In front of my five-star level cooking all of them cooked as if a rat was in their hair. I pulled out some meat and jams along with bread, honey, and some cheese for a hearty and bnced breakfast. Dawn brushed and tidied up the room while I whipped up the food.

    Before I set them out on the table, I took a peek outside the window on the side of our bed. It was still too early.

    Dawn pulled a chair and sat at the table in the room while waiting. I carried over the tes and spoke up.

    "I''ll invite our neighbor too."

    "Neighbor?" Dawn asked. "What do you mean? Aren''t there only three people on this ind?"

    "Nope. We got a neighbor now."

    "W-when¡­?"

    "Yesterday night."

    Yesterday night seemed to have pricked into Dawn as her tied-up hair slowly started to rise.

    "A-ah¡­ all that noise¡­"

    "Hah," I scoffed. "So you realize you''re loud?"

    "Bastard! Why didn''t you tell me!? How am I supposed to face that person now?"

    "Rx," I said. "I always put up a sound-blocking spell."

    Dawn blinked.

    "You do?"

    "Every single time. Why would I let anyone hear you like that?"

    "Tsk. Scared me for no reason¡­" Though her words were thorny, her look was bashful. I held in a chuckle and moved over to the window at the back of the bed. After moving away the drapes, the building on the other side came into view.

    I pushed the ss pane open, the room over the other side just a hand''s reach away.

    "Noa!" I called. "Noooaaa!! Nonononono aaaaaa!"

    The window on the other side opened with a bang. Noa, in just a white jumper with her hair sticking out all around, appeared on the other side.

    "WHAT?"

    Oh, aggressive.

    "Did I wake you up?"

    "Rat bastard!"

    I held in augh and shook my head.

    "Whatever,e have some food."

    "Hm?" She tilted her head to the side.

    "Breakfast, I cooked for you too so rush over before it gets cold."

    "F-for me? Breakfast?"

    "Who else? Get a move on, chop chop bitch."

    Noa nodded meekly and dashed off, the sleeves of her top were too long for her hands.

    I walked over to the table and sat down. After some time, Noa came over too. She was about to go to the door but I just pulled her over the gap instead.

    "Ah, hello," she said, now also wearing ck shorts.

    "Nice to meet you!" Dawn said with a smile. "I''m Dawn, and I am twenty-two, feel free to call me big sis, kay?"

    Woah, lying about her age right off the bat.

    I was about tough but Dawn kicked my shin from under the table.

    "A-are you his sister?" Noa asked. She was blushing furiously. "I am sorry foring over so tardily."

    Dawn reeled back at the excessive reaction too. Then, she suddenly startedughing while Noa twirled her hair.

    "Hahaha¡­ hahaha! Dusk, you little runt¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "HAHAHA! I am not his sister or anything, don''t worry. How to say it, we''re more like partners?"

    "Partners?" Noa asked back.

    "Yeah, in bed."

    Oh? What''s this? Were these two going to fight over me now? If that''s how it was going to go out, then I wanted to keep a tournament and watch with Lethe.

    As if.

    The both of themughed while ring at each other.

    "Quit scuffling like cats, the food will go cold."

    "Sure, rat."

    "Thanks for the food, fucking bastard."

    I bit into the breadden with jam and nodded.

    I knew it since the beginning. Food was the best withpany.

    "Hm! Good! It''s even better than those sandwiches in hell!"

    "It really is good, you''ve outdone yourself, Dusk."

    "There''s a lot more, so eat up."

    "Then me too!"

    A strange sound interrupted all three of us. We turned to the window and saw a man with red hair trying to crawl inside. On his back was an old manpletely out of it.

    "Haste¡­ haste¡­"

    "Young master! Food, please!"

    "Who again?"

 Chapter 256 Peerless Sage!?

    "Who? Did you just ask who I am!? Young master, you already forgot me? Your one and only loyal friend, your forever guardian? The one who used to lift you around when you were a wee brat?"

    Oh, I remembered him, alright?

    I breezed over to the window, grabbed the hanging Keith by his cors, and by extension the rando he had brought along.

    "Young master?"

    "Bye!"

    And I tossed them all out.

    A gust of wind spread inside the room from the sheer force of the throw as Keith and his friend were thrown out of the building like a pitcher would throw a baseball.

    Dusting my hands, I returned to the table. The two looked at me with a strange gaze, but I ignored them for now, as if nothing even happened.

    "Let''s eat?"

    They kept blinking, but shrugged and got to eating too. It wasn''t that strange a sight now, was it? I could throw people out of the window all day long, it wasn''t anything umon to find a person or two hanging on your window that you just want to toss away.

    Before I could continue, though.

    "¡ªyoung master!"

    "Tsk. Again?"

    "Shaman! You handle this."

    Keith dragged and put the old man on his back at the front. I walked over to the window while cracking my knuckles as the old man turned his head around and murmured something.

    "Oh, oh¡­. HASTE! IS THE TASTE! OF THE DEVIL!"

    "What?"

    This guy¡­

    The man started rolling the beads in his hands.

    "Don''t haste! Aren''t you human and not a demon? Aren''t you!? No haste! Hear! Listen!"

    I stopped in my tracks.

    This fucker¡­

    "How did you know?" I asked.

    "Eh?" The old man stopped waving his hand and rolling the bead.

    This guy¡­ it was impossible for even Titania to tell I was a demon, even Dawn could only tell after that much proximity.

    This guy''s senses went beyond both a fairy and an angel''s? Or was I that much more of a demon?

    No, the second option was impossible. In that case¡­

    "Dawn, is this old man the same type as you?"

    Dawn smacked the fork down.

    "Do you mean I am old!?"

    "No! The other type! Is he an angel too?"

    Both Dawn, Titania and the old man shook their heads at once.

    "He''s just a wise shaman from the peak of the coldest mountain in the world, young master!" Keith lied as he would breath. "I brought him to exorcise you."

    "Exorcise me!?" Did he know too!?

    "Yes, you were acting all weird and stuff for thest month, right? As your guardian, it was my duty! But I see, you''re back to being a little shit now."

    I went over, pulled the wise shaman away from Keith''s hand, and tossed my knight away once again.

    "AAAH!" Keith screamed as he flew straight off the ind.

    "Uh, um¡­ good job, child. I see it imperative to throw strangers out now and then. Exorcism, yes, you require?"

    I red at the old man.

    "Is that a threat?"

    "NONONONO. I ept thee, as you be."

    Just what told this guy I was a demon? For now, I had to tread carefully for now. I tossed the old man inside on a chair and sat on the bed this time. I was running out of chairs in this room.

    Crossing my legs, I red at him as he ran the beads down his hands and chanted a prayer.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I¡­ needed to interrogate him.

    If this was another enemy that could hurt anyone here. I had to nip him in the bud.

    My eyes narrowed and my breath sharpened, every single of his movements, I was about examine every single tremor of his pupils and every single tightening of his muscles.

    "I''ll ask some questions¡­"

    ***

    "Oh! Look, it''s kitties!"

    "They are! Miss Lily, hold on. Miss Maria, where did you find such a lovely ce?"

    Lily and Sophia had been guided over to the cat cafe by Maria yet again. Maria simply grinned at Sophia''s questions and urged her to step inside before she looked at the woman at the reception.

    "Miss date, you''re here again."

    Maria had a hard time controlling her emotions now and then, but she was perfectly rational now.

    For the young master that carried all his burdens on his own, she knew the perfect punishment.

    "Please put us on the tab of Eugene Hall, please."

    "Meow! Scumbags deserve it, we don''t do credit but I''m sure he''lle back, so break a leg!"

    ***

    Unfiltered heaves remained stuck in an old man''s throat.

    What in the name of the great gods was going down in this ce?

    The old man was struck! Ten years back, after scamming a many in the attire of a sage, he had be famed as a shaman. Before he knew it, a nobleman from the neighboring kingdom who had his eyes set on the Kingdom of Sages had called him over for a consultation. Greedy, he told the gullible fool to hand over his precious jewels and wage war, and the goddess of victory would smile on him.

    So, he shot a bit higher than his hands reached. He didn''t think it would be that different from encouraging people on their ideals.

    But that stupid noble went ahead and lost, terribly, and then med him! He had no choice but to run and hide, and he was still chased down until the old man found himself in a cave on a top of a mountain.

    He thought he finally had peace, but behold, some random redhead just swooped in, killed a monster he couldn''t imagine seeing, and then kidnapped him.

    Even worse was this man in front of him, who was called ''master'' by that guy. What kind of person would throw someone out of the window? Hint, the worst kind!

    "I''ll ask some questions¡­"

    The time of beckoning was nigh.

    The old man, the old sage, had to go back to the time he was a sessful scammer¡ªshaman.

    Yes, that was the only way to survive.

    "Ask, and you shall receive."

 Chapter 257 Shaman Battle

    "So, did you think what we should be doing for the faction festival?" Luka''s questions hit Albert like an arrow as he tilted his head to the side. The other two of the faction were already making the most of whatever deals they had pulled behind the scenes and were cking off with all their might.

    On top of all the bullshit his homnd pulled, with the new country now a part of them, he also had to deal with this faction shit, his own sses, his own intelligence guild, his own secret army, his own session war, his own politics from his mother''s side, his own guild, and worst of all, Luka.

    Now that this factional festival trash was heaped on top of his head, Albert was losing more and more desire to work.

    In all honesty, he was still cking off.

    All his work he couldplete half asleep.0n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Eugene was a genius, sure, but Albert''s mind was iparable. He remembered sucking on a pacifier while he was given a prize for a college olympiad. He was pretty ruthless back in those days, but then he fell in love with an older woman and a whole fiasco went down turning him into a pushover.

    Well, that was for the old world.

    "Did you decide? Hey, did you? Albert. It''ll be fun, let''s make a band or something."

    Of course, nothing was worse than Luka.

    Was he always this annoying? He definitely was. Albert could tell why Eugene and him barely had any screen time together. Make them meet and fists are going to fly.

    Sighing, he decided to manage this as well.

    "Do you y any instrument?" Albert asked.

    "Yeah, I can do the cello or the bass."

    "Alright, I''ll make sure they nevere on our Ind."

    "Huh?"

    Albert walked on. Not like he was going to be forced to take part in this thing, who cared? Just as he passed through the bridges of the inds while thinking so, a small magpie fluttered in front of him, a letter stuck to its feet.

    "Hey! It''s the principal''s bird! What does it say? Does he want us to make a band?"

    Albert sighed and took the letter.

    "I know you''ve never had friends, but you''reing off a little strong."

    "Hah¡­"

    Albert narrowed his eyes at the letter.

    [Hey, participate in the faction festival or I am closing that faction. It''s thest thing before the end of the first trimester, so all good.

    Your lovable favorite principal

    Loshan]

    "He spelled his name wrong."

    "Oh, he did¡­"

    *** Read thetest on empire

    An intense face off began in Eugene''s room. Keith had found his way back in all the dy the young master and the old sage made, but he was quite interested, so he hung to the window and watched.

    "First things first, how did you know?" Eugene asked

    "Know what, child¡ª"

    Eugene banged the side of the bed.

    "You know exactly what I am talking about. How did you know about me?"

    The old man smiled. Under his unperturbed visage, only one thought ran in his mind. ''KNOW WHAT!?''

    s, his screams were only his to hear.

    How did he know about him, he asked. Him. Did he just mean how the shaman found his identity out?

    "It was revealed to me." By Keith.

    Of course, someone else was way too paranoid after just having faced a demon that could read minds.

    It was revealed to me meant nothing other than someone being onto him.

    "Is that a threat again, old man? Don''t assume I will let you go."

    Eugene leaned ahead. His red eyes hidden behind a few locks of his white hair were like the gates of hell. His words the sound of the gavel, and the old shaman a sinner.

    He took in a deep breath.

    "I am only here, to assist you, and all the lostmbs like yourself. Think of me, not an enemy, but a friend, a confidant."

    This worked always, and now, something to steal back the control of the conversation. The old shaman desperately looked at the man in front of him, he was handsome, terrifyingly so. There were already two women in his room.

    Hah.

    Easy, he had tricked many a celebrities. The old shaman knew there were only two possibilities. Either this fucker was two-timing and was having a hard time choosing one, or was the oblivious rom type and was unable to understand his own looks.

    In the eyes of an amateur, that is.

    There was a third option. Called both.

    "You are having troubles with romantic associations, are you not?"

    Eugene reeled back.

    In fact, twodies were almost fighting over him just then. There was also the problem of the entire school believing him and Noa were an item.

    "And you fail to see what others do, almost as if you are oblivious, blind to it all alone."

    Eugene''s jaw dropped open.

    No one could ever tell he couldn''t see faces! Is what he thought. Though almost everyone he knew had guessed that much.

    "Child, I know of your troubles, and I am here to solve them."

    Eugene couldn''t help but find it suspicious. But if things were true, this man was one of the most formidable he hade across. Chuuni or not, Titania was so powerful that even Agares had to respect her. He could understand a demon or an angel being able to tell, but he didn''t think someone that was of neither race could tell his current condition.

    It seemed to be working.

    The shaman wanted to squeal like a child that had just received a new set of crayons, but that would have to wait.

    He moved ahead and grabbed Eugene''s hands.

    "Your future may be hidden behind the clouds, child, but the stars and the moon are your guides. Trust this sage¡ª"

    "Indeed. For now, simply because you have proved your capabilities, I will entertain you."

    Formidable didn''t mean strong.

    "W-what?" The sage asked.

    "What do these stars of mine say?"

    "AH¡­ uh¡­"

    The sage had to get away. ASAP. What would the reaction be if he told this bastard that, no, he actually knew as much about the stars as a toddler?

    Can''t be anything good.

    "You are special, boy. I must see it from the ce closest to your self, for three fortnights. The skies, that is."

    Eugene narrowed his eyes further.

    He deeply considered listening to the old man.

    In the end, he did have some manpower to spare.

    "Keith,e inside."

    Keith crawled in.

    "Hand the sage over to sses of Dark Moon. Make sure he''s treated well and gets to see the stars for three weeks." Eugene then turned to the sage. "I better hear something good."

    "A-about what?"

    "Hah, didn''t you say you already know."

    With that, Eugene dusted his hands and walked back to the dining table.

    "Um, young master, food¡ª"

    "No, get to work, cker."

    Well, as long as the Shaman was getting meals and a bed without having to run! It was all good. His scam was sessful!

    Little did he know, it was the worst mistake he had made in his life.

 Chapter 258 Payment

    It was a bit after the sage was gone and Noa decided to retire. Two knocks sounded on the door of my room and I opened it up. Thankfully, Dawn and I were just reading the stuff that Noa had forced me to carry around so nothing was wrong.

    The door swung open, and standing on the other side were two familiar figures. One young girl with brown hair and another with a deep red.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Young master, we''re here to collect this month''s payment."

    What payment?

    "Cough it up, young master. Or we''ll have you pay in other ways."

    "You can''t do this! Just one more week, please, I''ll pay it all."

    Didn''t matter, I was going to y along.

    "Kukuku," Lily scoffed. "It''s been months, what guarantee do I have that you will pay me back in a week, huh?"

    She came closer and held my hair.

    "I oughta take you away and make you pay, with your body."

    "Horrible, miss Lily. You take it too far!"

    "Nope, it''s the normal development?"

    "I agree, that''s how this stuff goes."

    "Then both of you are unhinged. Tell them, Miss Dawn!" Sophia, huffing, asked Dawn for some rification.

    "It seems like the usual route to me too."

    "The whole gang is the same," Sophia sighed. "Anyway, we''re here to borrow you for today, lord Eugene."

    "Yeah, pay with your body."

    "Drop that crude joke already, Miss Lily."

    So uptight.

    I looked back at Dawn once and she waved me away. "Get lost, I still need a week or two to recover."

    Of course, both Lily and Sophia had heard of what happened with Dawn as well after the prinicipal''s little stunt.

    "Well then, all yours for today."

    Only for today.

    The path to strength was not ending anytime soon.

    ***

    The first ce I was dragged to was the Sachertorte faction''s cat cafe. Again.

    At this rate I was going to fun more than half of their faction''s activities for the uing festival. From what I had gathered, this festival was not all that different from a cultural festival, it was only faction festival since the main events were factions pitting against each other and their facilities and budgets getting changed ordingly.

    The chime of the bell spread and the door opened up.

    "Wee," the shopkeep said, her ears twitching. When she saw me, she stopped. I could tell her entire body had frozen over. "You''re here with two moredies."

    "Young master, pay up." Lily crossed her arms and nodded. Sophia too smiled and walked straight toward the divide where all the cats waited.

    If only I hadn''t wronged them. It''s all over once I am done with these rats.

    Sighing, I walked over to the reception and tossed over ny gold coins.

    "It''s 240."

    "Excuse me?" I said. "What for exactly?"

    "Scumbag tax."

    "I''ll raze this ce to the ground."

    "It''s because thosedies also came here yesterday and put it all on your tab.

    "Haah¡­"

    Fine.

    "If you want a break down of costs thene two hourster, when my colleague is around. I promise there''s no scumbag tax."

    "¡­"

    "Just a little."

    I mmed down two hundred and walked away. What a displeasing shopkeeper.

    After stepping inside the shop, I picked up the ck cat from before, held it in front of me and started speaking.

    "This damn shopkeeper of yours is displeasing as hell."

    "I can hear you!"

    ***

    Lily was pretty pissed. She dragged us all over the academy city, not just the floating archipgo. I brought them both multiple dresses, jewelry and food just to name a few. All of their stuff was also mine to carry.

    Seriously, this was more than enough to pay back for two-months of ignorance. Come tomorrow I was going to bother them for two more months out of spite.

    We were now back to Sachertorte faction, passing by the cat cafes to fetch some cake for back home.

    "Haah, I am satisfied now." Lily muttered. "Oh, young master, ice cream."

    "Fetch it yourself."

    "Please!"

    "That hasn''t worked even once and you''ve still tried seven times. I''ll pay so go."

    Lily pouted and walked away. "Come along, Lady Sophia."

    "Nope, I''ll stay here this time."

    "You want me to carry three alone?"

    "I''ll eat three on my own, Lily. Go bring five."

    Lily frowned and dashed away, calling us horrible.

    I turned to Sophia and smiled.

    "So, are you satisfied too?" She clearly wasn''t. "I did something wrong, so I''ll do anything you ask."

    Sophia shook her head.

    "You didn''t do it without justification, Lord Eugene. Weren''t you the one who said that tricking people for the greater good was just normal? You''ve done the same."

    I guess I did say something like that back when we were trying to catch one of those crows'' underlings. It was quite funny how people changed over time. The change itself was especially clear to me nowadays.

    It wasn''t a bad thing¡­

    Even if those outside gods doe in here, even if the world and everything else changes because of it¡­

    It wasn''t such a bad thing, was it?

    Maybe it was.

    Maybe it wasn''t.

    I couldn''t tell. A lot of things were out of my control. Would growing stronger really bring it all in?

    I didn''t know that either.

    "What are you thinking so suddenly?" Sophia called.

    "Nothing,"

    If change was going to be rough, then strength was going to protect things from being harmed.

    For a reason I didn''t used to think of before.

    I thought, I should get stronger.

    "That said, I do have a request. Please don''t think of it as me asking for you to pay up for things."

    "No, tell me, what is it?"

    Your next chapter awaits on empire

    "That¡­" Sophia sighed and hesitated. "Refuse if you want to, of course, but the Fonias twins in our ss are really bothering me to introduce you to them."

    My cousins, legally.

    "They are bothering you, huh?"

    She had already told me about this before, but I ignored all of it.

    "Yeah, it''s gotten worse since you got back to normal. I know it can be tough, but¡­ I''ll just refuse them sternly."

    "No." I crossed my arms. "I''ll meet them."

 Chapter 259 Words and Meanings

    The Hall family''s scions were fairly talented despite being spoiled. The middle son wasn''t of question since he was kicked out before he could kick something in, but the rest weren''t free of responsibility or talent themselves.

    Continue reading stories on empire

    Just like how Vienna Golden Hall was prodigious with the sword, so was Billy Ard Hall prodigious with business and management. He was already helping decrease his father''s workload, and could do much more.

    Like running businesses. Best of them.

    In a school as well. He could also pour in his own agenda in them, for example, luring out his brother who had gotten interested in cats. Or luring out his brother who was always a sweet-tooth, or luring out his brother in general.

    And so, to that end, he borrowed his power as the secretary of the Sachertorte faction and raked in ton of profit, along with pulling out his suddenly rebellious little brother.

    Well the rebellious phase was because he was helping kill demons, who knew?

    Billy, sitting alone in the cat cafe, yawned and stretched his hand above his head. When the catfolk student took a break, it was his turn to sit here.

    But not like many people came around to this ce.

    Yawning, Billy got up from the counter and decided to take a step outside, eat some breeze if one will. Not far away in the crimson skies of the distant setting sun, his eyes fell on a group of three.

    Sophia Mirxa, a person he knew since he was a child.

    Lily, running toward the ice cream stand he had put up, which also brought in a fair amount of profit.

    Andstly, his younger brother, the person he had been trying to meet for a while now.

    Sophia pressed her hand together and spoke to his brother with an awkward smile, and Eugene, as always, was pretty simple.

    He couldn''t make out everything, but it seemed interesting. He could probably use it as a chance to talk to Eugene as well.

    Billy hid behind a pole as close to the two and tried his best to listen in. Killing his presence was going to be counter-productive, he was sure no-one in the academy could trick Eugene''s nose. So, he just acted like a normal student.

    It wasn''t easy to hear, but he could make out some words.

    "...pay up for things¡­"

    Pay up?

    "¡­.Fonias twins in¡­ ss¡­ are really bothering me."

    Billy''s ears perked up high.

    "¡­gotten worse¡­"

    No way. All this time, his family friend was being bothered? There was no way those Fonias would be on two feet if Vienna heard of this. No, Eugene probably won''t let it go. In Billy''s eyes, he was no better than a tsundere that acted thorny but was always soft.

    At least his brother wasn''t involved in this, but it could happen anytime.

    "I''ll meet them."

    It was then that Billy heard Eugene''s words.

    Meet them? Eugene? Was going to meet the Fonias?

    The same Fonias that weren''t only after his life, but were also famed as being the scum of the country? Also the same Fonias that were, legally, Eugene''s maternal family?

    No, no, no. As natural as it was for a child to meet their maternal family, it was just as natural to avoid them if they were the Fonias.

    This¡­ this was going to beplex. He couldn''t handle this on his own.

    But what he absolutely couldn''t let happen, was to let those Fonias bastards hurt his brother. Billy had enough determination to be hit with a cue ball straight in the head for his brother right now. Location he could make Alec spill, for now, it was important to get back up.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Billy dashed back into the shop and dropped his apron away.

    "Meoww!?"

    "Secretary!?"

    "Emergency, gotta go. Make sure you update the books before leaving, and make sure all the cats are where they should be, alright?"

    "O-of course¡­?" The girl couldn''tplete her words as Billy already dashed away. Up the bridges and down the inds, he rushed past the many houses and inds in the way as he ran from the Sachertorte faction to the Student Council ind. He invaded the building at lighting speed, stopped for the formalities anyway.

    "Miss Vienna Golden Hall please!" he said, kicking up and down over and over. The students inside couldn''t help but think he was holding his dders, but that was truly not the case.

    Billy dashed up the stairs and shoved open the door to Vienna''s office.

    "B-billy?! What happened?" Vienna said, shooting up her desk. "Are you alright?"

    "Big trouble!"

    Vienna walked over to the door, her eyes burning with rage at whatever had troubled her family.

    "What happened?" She demanded.

    "That¡­ Eugene¡­Eugene is going to meet the Fonias twins! They have been bullying Sophia for a while now to meet Eugene, something about paying up!"

    Vienna fist clenched, and so did her teeth.

    "WHERE THOSE BASTARDS!"

    "Sister! Stop! Not right now!"

    "Let go! I''ll kill them! Let go!"

    "Sister!!"

    ***

    "How about a band, though, seriously. It''ll be pretty cool."

    Lazing around in the lounge he had built with a lot of handwork, Albert had to listen to Luka''s mutters again.

    So, he was a lonely brat with no real friends, Albert wanted no part in that.

    "Come on, we can y some scores by that unknown musician from Schwarz."

    "Oh, that''s Eugene. He''s just, engaging in crazy amounts of giarism."

    "Huh?"

    "Point being, we''re not doing it."

    Luka was shot down again.

    Albert wasn''t thinking of that though. He really wanted his ce to be praised a bit, but the two people he showed it to didn''t evene here once!

    Albert thought.

    Maid cafes? Cosy events?

    Other world or not, smart or not, this was the same guy who had yed the Eroge and told its contents religiously to his friend.

    In a way, Eugene was an outlier that wasn''t interested in such stuff.

    Eroge, outliers¡­

    Dating sim? A physical T*nder?

    Great ideas were flowing into Albert''s head.

    "Hey Albert, if not a band, how about a quintet?"

    "Fuck off man."

 Chapter 260 Fonias Twins (1)

    Nights were getting more and more draining each day. Contrary to that though, Dawn just kept looking brighter and brighter.

    "You''re going out again?" She asked, kicking her feet on the bed while she wore just my shirt.

    "Yup, I am meeting my cousins."

    "Ah, the ones from the ducal house?" Dawn asked. "Are they nning to kill you?"

    "Killing me won''t be easy now. Did you know demons regenerate real easy?"

    Dawn turned my when I said that. I pulled my shirt and showed her my back. "See, almost no scratch marks."

    "I don''t¡­ scratch you that much¡­"

    "Haha, wow, funny." Don''t scratch me, hah. She was pretty much like a cat, she didn''t scratch, she wed. I shrugged and walked out the door. "Want me to bring something back?"

    "Contraceptives, we''re out."

    "Right."

    ***

    "Say, Eugy, what are you nning to do about the outer gods now?" Titania muttered. "We can''t proactively bring them in and just wait, isn''t it annoying?"

    "It is, but you know, I''ve been thinking."

    "Hm?"

    "Aren''t both I and Albert pretty much something from the ''outside'' as well?"

    Titania crossed her arms as we made our way to the Sachertorte faction again. Those guys were raking in cash with how many people were slowly growing fond of the multitude of stores around.

    "Now that you mention it, it doesn''t seem that far off. But it also doesn''t sound right. You didn''t physicallye here, did you?"

    "Exactly. I just have suspicions. Well, I don''t think I am going to sit around and wait."

    "Hm?"

    "I had a thought recently, Titania." I pushed my arms out and continued striding forward. The cafe we were going to meet at was still a ways away. "Strength, not just to prove things to myself, but to protect."

    "Protect what?"

    "Myself, again. In a way it''s not that different, but at the same time, it is slightly different."

    "How so?" Titania seemed intrigued by my words, so I slowed down.

    Experience more tales on empireN?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Before, I only focused on my own strength. And that is still my goal, but there''s no denying the fact that I can''t do much on my own. Let''s say I want to go fight in hell, and something happens here. Even if I can handle any threat, I can''t be present everywhere all at once."

    "Huh," she crossed her arms. "Didn''t you also want strength to do whatever you wanted?"

    "Right, but I also acknowledge I will have to face repercussions against it. Everyone has freedom, it justes with repercussions. In that case, if the freedom that has repercussions truly freedom?"

    "I think it is," Titania said. "There''s repercussions for everything, that''s thew of the universe. If you desire to be free then you should also be able to face those repercussions. But, where are you going with this?"

    "Facing the repercussions." I repeated her words. "Let''s say I can face them on my own, but my choices will also affect you, or Lethe, or pretty much everyone in this world, just like their actions affect me in some way. I used to not care about the others, but I do now."

    "So you''ll restrict your freedom?"

    I crossed my fingers and stuck my tongue out.

    "Exact opposite. I''ll make everyone strong enough to face the repercussions thate with not just mine, but theirs and everyone else''s choices."

    Titania crossed her arms again.

    "I wonder what you''re nning to do."

    "It''s not that different than what you''re guessing. Well, here we are."

    We went cold as the cafe the meeting was set up at. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Quite the odd customers filled the ce, like two in hats and sunsses and masks and full trench coats all of ck, and a few couples as well.

    I located a set of red and a pair of white hair at a table and walked over.

    As they saw me approaching, one of the two white hairs stood up while the other¡­ was adding ketchup to her coffee...

    "Lord Eugene, you''re here," Sophia greeted me first.

    "Did I make you guys wait long?" I asked, my tone not reflecting a hint of question butmand. Say yes and I would p you.

    "Not at all," Sophia said, patting the seat next to her. Once I sat down, the boy of the twins sat down as well.

    The two twins looked up and were ring at me, unfortunately, I couldn''t tell at all what they looked like.

    "Ah, um." Poor Sophia swept in the middle to ease out the conversation. "I guess, I''ll introduce you again? Lord Eugene, these two are Lord Marcin and Lady Meryl Fonias. On top of being some of the top students of our grade, they are also counted amongst the twelve zodiacs. And of course, they''re also from the ducal house of Fonias from our kingdom."

    I wasn''t going to bow or anything, so I simply nodded. When I did so, I heard a faint snicker from the weirdos I had seen before.

    They were totally looking this way.

    "And, um, Lord Marcin, Lady Meryl, this person is Lord Eugene Hall. He''s the appointed Lord of Apollon, the current hub of culture of Schwarz. He is of Marquis Hall, but that title has to be pushed to the back since he''s also a coronated lord, ah! And, he''s also the Hero of the Atreus Empire."

    Look at that, my status was actually much higher than that of the two kids. They were the one who should be bowing¡ª

    "It is an honor to meet you, lord of Apollon and the Hero of the Empire, Lord Eugene Hall."

    "Pleasure."

    The two actually did bow.

    "It is crude, but please ept our greetings¡ª"

    I wasn''t expecting this. I was about to ask them to stand up when a sound echoed from the back.

    "Who did you call crude you bitches!?"

    "How dare you two bully my brother!?"

    The weirdos from the back swooped in as well.

    "Eh? Vienna, Billy?"

    The two didn''t even hear what was going on as they wrapped their hands around my neck and pulled me back. I could have avoided this mess easily, but it looked fun for now.

    "Leave my kid brother alone."

    "Yeah, he''s not yours to order around. You talk to us, Fonias."

 Chapter 261 Fonias Twins (2)

    The two Fonias twins got on their feet at once. Billy took a slight step back but didn''t let go of me.

    "Uh¡­ um, what''s going on here?" said Sophia.

    "Don''t worry, Sophia. We''ll protect you too. How dare they touch you as well? Huh? Does the Mirxa name mean nothing to these brats?"

    "No, I believe there is a misunderstanding¡ª" Marcin tried to intervene, but was shot down by Vienna''s growls again.

    Perhaps offended, Meryl held her brother''s hand and shook her head.

    "There''s no point in talking to dogs that can only scream," she said. Low blow. I could almost see Vienna''s forehead twitching at my words, but decided to ignore it for now. Find exclusive stories on empire

    Meryl stood up and dragged Marcin out of the seats.

    "Eugene, we''ll see you again. When there are no eyesores around."

    Now, I couldn''t just let them walk all over each other.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Sit back down," I said. No one seemed to be interested in my words there, so just a bit, just a tiny little bit, I took control of the mana in the air.

    ¡ªng

    "Wwaah!"

    "Earthquake!"

    The other patrons shook while the cups and sses around started clinking. The four that were just ring and screaming like rats on drugs all stopped in their tracks, their eyes low and their breaths short. I looked to my side and saw Sophia sitting casually through it.

    As expected, she had grown into quite the cunning bitch.

    "I was saying, sit back down, all of you. It''s quite embarrassing to leave without even ordering anything."

    As I loosened the pressure, all of them calmed back down. It must have reminded the Fonias not to mess with any of us, and the Halls that I couldn''t exactly be messed with. It was annoying, but I appreciated the sentiment Billy and Vienna hade up with.

    "Do you mind if my siblings join too?" I asked the two of the Fonias, still not removing my pressure. It was less of a question and more of a threat.

    "I would prefer¡­ if we were able to talk alone¡­" Marcin Fonias somehow still managed to speak through it, against me at that.

    "I won''t allow that!" Vienna answered while gritting her teeth. I wanted to avoid getting scolded by the principal again, but it seemed I went way too easy on them.

    Should I just make the entire city quake? Then the other academies will get beef with us too, what an annoyance.

    I sighed and released my pressure.

    The rest of them all heaved in relief, and so did all the other patrons of the store.

    "You heard her," I said. "I am not really interested in meeting people that have been after my life for thest seventeen years myself."

    Marcin bit his lips, and Meryl shook her head again.

    "You make a point, we''ll let them stay."

    What an arrogant woman.

    "Sophia, do you mind?"

    "Of course not, the more the merrier!"

    With everyone''s approval, we scooted over and let Billy and Vienna sit too. Before anyone could say anything, I beckoned over the waiter and let everyone ce their orders.

    Meryl asked for chocte milk while Vienna, Billy, Marcin, and Sophia all asked for some coffee. I had been having too many sweets thesest few days and went for some iced tea.

    We waited quietly, all the other patrons still staring at us.

    Even after the waiter returned, no one said a word. Extremely on the edge, the waiter barely managed to ce the drinks down without tripping them over. And after the waiter left as well, everyone was still silent.

    Me? I didn''t care.

    It was Sophia''s thing to bother with as the mediator. She shook her head in thought a few times before speaking up with a light tone.

    "So, what''s the deal with trying to kill Eugene? Sounds like you guys aren''tplete strangers!"

    Thin road there, buddy.

    Why would you even pick that topic?

    Billy and Vienna frowned again, the elder sister snapping her jaws like an alligator while ring at the Fonias. The Fonias themselves seemed, pensive, as they lowered their heads.

    "We had no idea something like that was happening," Marcin said. "Eugene, I apologize on behalf of my family, even though I have no power, please know that many of us do not hold any ill will against you."

    The sister bowed her head as well.

    How strange. From the way they used to keep their heads turned my way I was almost sure that they either wanted to kill me or were deeply impressed by my handsome face.

    But for now, they just looked guilty.

    Even Vienna seemed to think so as she stopped snapping her teeth but didn''t stop growling like an animal.

    "I don''t care," I said. "I''ve been meaning to deal with it for a while now. The only reason I haven''t is because I didn''t feel like it yet."

    The two trembled at the end of my words.

    "You''re just like Aunt Charlotte, huh?" It was Meryl who spoke this time.

    My mother? Come to think of it, I had heard someone say that she said the same thing about the Fonias.

    "What do you know of her?"

    "Just stories, barely anything¡­"

    "I am sorry for not being of help."

    Stop apologizing bitch.

    I sighed and picked up the iced tea. After swirling the ice around and downing a taste, I spoke up again. It was getting boring here.

    "What did you want to meet me for? If it''s going to be something like killing me again or some of that Zodiac bullshit then I won''t mind smacking the crap out of you¡­" They didn''t act out at all, my pressure wasn''t ineffective. "But, you don''t seem that type."

    Marcin clenched and opened his fingers a few times.

    Meryl ced a hand on his shoulder, the other hand holding the chocte milk. How insincere.

    Atst, Marcin took in a breath and finally spoke up.

    "Eugene¡­ that¡­ we wanted to ask you to take over the Fonias house!"

    "Heh!?"

    "What? Wait, I don''t get it."

    The other three screamed. I, on the other hand, crossed my legs and leaned back. shing the brightest of smiles, I answered.

    "Nope."

 Chapter 262 Goal

    "Nope."

    I refused their offer straight away.

    "What do you even mean by ''take over'' the Fonias estate? Why would I take over an estate that can die anytime?"

    "Die¡­ anytime?" Marcin repeated my words. "How would it die?"

    "I''ll do that."

    The two twins clenched their fists and bit their lips at the same time. It earned a satisfied smirk from the two of the Halls. What a strange situation.

    "It''s exactly because of that."

    "Hey, dude," I called out. "Rx and get to the point, please. Why do you say what you say, what do you want from me, and what I get of it? Try in three sentences, I am getting really bored here."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What an ass," Titania muttered from the side.

    It was what it was, alright? I could bear listening to people, but why would anyone act all sappy in front of someone they''ve never talked to before? It was annoying put nicely.

    Marcin looked troubled for a bit, so Meryl spoke up instead.

    "Fonias'' leaders and sessors trash. We want you be duke. You get status, power, and money."

    KO!

    Three sentences, she even flipped the bird to grammar as a whole.

    "Sounds interesting. Why?"

    "They trash. Want kill many people, swindle lots. Fonias family once strong, righteous. We''re not a ducal house for nothing. This is a stain on family name. We''re ashamed to be associated with this."

    Amazing. What efficient conversation.

    "There something more."

    "You join in!?"

    Quiet Titania.

    "Is," this time Marcin answered. "Can''t tell. Notfortable."

    "Fair."

    I nodded and crossed my legs. Interesting. So there was some major internal politics happening in here. It wouldn''t be tough at all to figure out what had happened to them if I put the Dark Moon to it, but if I had to guess it would be something like one of their loved ones being targeted or killed in their internal conflict and now its probably just them trying to get their revenge.

    It happened a lot, kind folks getting married into trashy families. If not their parent it could be a maid or a caretaker or even a sibling.

    Legally, I was part of their family too. Even if Charlotte married into another family, I still had rights to Fonias'' session as Charlotte was the direct daughter of the family head. Special privileges.

    "Don''t listen to them, Eugene. They are tricking you. All the Fonias have been the same, honor and pride? If you care so much about that then say it before."

    "Too wordy," Meryl said.

    I agreed, there''s a mood heredy.

    "Eugene. Scam. Fonias, fuck you."

    "She''s a strong contender too!" Titania screamed.

    What a surprise.

    "No, fuck you. Eugene, be Fonias."

    "No, he''s Hall."

    "Uh, um," Billy tried to intervene. "Me thinks, we do that you be that we do be do¡­ is."

    "What?"

    "It''s ok, Billy, just speak normally."

    "What did you even try with that? Geez."

    Billy bit his lips too and looked down again, crying almost. It''s alright Billy, these guys stopped making sense a while back.

    Seeing him like that, the two of the Fonias tried to cheer him up along with his sister as well.

    "You tried, that''s what matters."

    "I agree. You''ll get there soon."

    I felt almost ashamed being associated with these guys. But it was actually worse than that, we were pretty much rted. Two of these idiots even have the same blood¡ªHad¡­ the same blood?

    "Titania," I whispered so no one could hear. "Aren''t I free from the association now?"

    "Huh? You mean now that you''ve got a demon''s blood in you?"

    I nodded to the voice that no one else could hear.

    Finally! I was finally free of being these bastards'' family. I didn''t mind or dislike them nearly as much as I used to anymore, but well. I wasn''t going to bring it up, though, they were clearly the type to fuss over it saying that family is not from blood, and then fuss some more over the change.

    Were these guys actually good people?

    No. People who leave a child far away are not good people. They were still just alright, only better than before.

    "They seem to be getting along," Sophia said.

    Almost as if all four of them had forgotten about us, they somehow started chatting about their sses. What in the world?

    "Should we leave, Lady Sophia. Interested in some cats maybe?"

    "You quite like that ce, don''t you?"

    "I seem to be having some kitty withdrawals, it''ll pass over."

    "Don''t indulge more if you want it to pass over."

    Not wrong.

    It seemed the group remembered us again as they sat back down and red at each other once more. Come on, we had made some progress.

    "Eugene, not just us, but all the people on our side as well would have your back." Marcin began again. "The Fonias needs someone righteous, they can''t even kick you out of the registry because of all your achievements. You will also gain a lot of power as a duke, please, think about it."

    "Not interested."

    "Why?" Meryl asked. "Is there something else you seek? Something missing?"

    "I don''t like the name, Fonias sounds ugly."

    Enjoy new adventures from empire

    "T-that''s the reason¡­?"

    "Half of it."

    Power, huh.

    "It sounds reasonable," Titania muttered, sitting on my shoulder. "Weren''t you just talking about how you want to make everyone around you stronger?"

    Power would be useful. For everything I was nning.

    Fonias were also pretty annoying, having been a pain in the ass since Charlotte''s time. I didn''t even know her so there was no filial piety here, but I did think of it as a good reason to sock them.

    "I won''t take over the Fonias or anything, you do that yourself."

    Managing a small ce like that was going to be useless. After all, I was aiming higher.

    They were about to interject, but I didn''t let them.

    "Depending on how I feel, though. I''d either get you there."

    Having the Fonias under my thumb was a good starting ce.

    "Or raze it to the ground."

    Since my goal before the outer gods arrived.

    Was to take over the world.

    All three of them.

 Chapter 263 Devilish Capitalism

    "Hey, hey, did you hear?"

    Whispers were afloat in the halls of the strongest faction other than the student council in the Academy.

    "Hear what?"

    "You know, that Noa girl?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Oh! The one who was brought back from hell!"

    "Yes yes! Did you hear? She joined that other kid''s faction even though they weren''t taking anyone in!"

    The two girls squealed in excitement.

    "For reals? Like, there''s just four people in that faction now?"

    "I heard they might even be living together!"

    "What! Well we''re all adults! But, seriously! Are first years going to get married now?"

    "That would be so crazy! It''s so romantic!"

    "Those two seem perfect for each other too!"

    It was then, that the wall behind them was smacked.

    The two gossiping girls straightened up at once as cold air wafted around their necks as they slowly turned back. Standing right there in avender dress and a simrly colored veil was someone who they could only call the definition of beauty itself.

    Their feet quaked as the woman stared them down. They couldn''t see anything through her veil, but her intensity could not be hidden behind her veil.

    "Who are you two talking about?" The veileddy asked.

    "T-that¡­ leader¡­"

    "Don''t stutter. Names, now."

    "I-it''s the first years Eugene Hall and Noa Roselle mam!"

    Experience more content on empire

    "They''re living together? Perfect for each other? And what was that about marriage?"

    Was their leader perhaps interested in such gossip? The two girls looked at each other, and then with a much more rxed smile, back at their leader.

    "Yeah, haha! Isn''t it crazy? We''ve been hearing rumors like that."

    "I think they suit each other. I mean, who would go to Hell to save someone¡ª"

    The cold air went even colder as the leader of the two stretched her hands ahead and grabbed them by their cors.

    "I would. I have already done it."

    "Heh?"

    "L-l-leader¡­?"

    "I''ve had enough," she dropped them and said. "It''s fine if people are eyeing him, but how dare anyone say he belongs to them?"

    "Who is the leader talking about?"

    "No way."

    The leader turned toward them again. "Listen well, Eugene Hall is mine. Speak any of your bullshit again and I''ll end you."

    "Eugene Hall?"

    "Yours¡­?"

    After threatening them in broad daylight, she turned away again. Words were enough, she was going to take some action.

    The two girls left behind watched her back fade away, and then¡ª

    "AAAAH! It''s a love triangle! A love triangle!"

    "Oh my! I need to tell everyone right now! Our leader is smitten with a taken man!"

    The misunderstanding only deepened. The gossipers'' bravery was unending.

    ***

    "Dude, Albert is pretty pissed that you''re noting to that hideout he made."

    With those words from Luka, Noa and I had no choice left but to go there. After the meeting with the Fonias ended smoothly, I had sent a letter to the Dark Moon to gather back in Apollon, it would take them a month at the least.

    Well, we had a festival to worry about before that.

    "So, I was thinking," Albert said, leaning against his single couch. As usual, Luka took the double, and Noa and I kicked each other over the triple seater. "How about making this ce a dating zone? I had more like a maze in mind.

    We ask them different questions and give the different routes, and eventually, you find the answers that would lead you to a house where you can meet with the other person who chose all the same answers."

    "Huh." A maze that leads to matching you with a partner, not bad. "How will you stop people from going to the same room that is already upied?"

    Albert crossed his arms.

    "How about kicking them out right away?" Noa said.

    "Oh! And we can also y some instruments, that will make theme out on their own."

    "God damn it, Luka. What''s this obsession?" Albert snapped and Luka lowered his head like a puppy that had just been scolded. It seemed they had been doing this for a while.

    I yawned and kicked away Noa''s legs once more to take up more space, she kicked back and pushed me down instead, I did the same and we engaged in high speed kick battles again.

    "We can n them a date. Just leaving people alone won''t be making them cozy up, a personalized date n for each of the questions that you need to get to right away."

    "Not bad. We absolutely have to do this though, huh¡ªOw! No pinching, bitch."

    "Skill issue."

    Albert saw us and shook his head, and so did Luka. I used to think that Luka was involved with all the regressors, but turns out that wasn''t the case even though it should have been. They were heroines in the game but never got anywhere. Luka also didn''t bat an eye at my proximity to Noa and in fact, cheered her on for finding a good friend.

    "We have to," Albert said. "That blonde old fucker threatened us. I am not willing to let go of our own personal ind."

    It was quite the power move to have an Ind that could house more than a hundred to just four people.

    "Then, in that case, the next issue is money."

    Noa posed.

    "No issue."

    "No issue."

    Albert and I spoke at the same time.

    "I know you guys are stacked, but this one we can''t do with our own money. Tell them, Noa."

    "Of course, we''ll make the other factions pay us."

    Luka and Noa tilted their head in confusion.

    "Why would they do that?"

    "You can''t extort money either, stupid."

    Tsk.

    Stupid brats. They didn''t know yet the power advertisements held.

    "We''ll put up ads for their stores, and put their events in the date n."

    "The ones who refuse to pay us won''t get any ads. We can also put bands or shirts on the couples to advertise ourselves. When they hear the ns they''ll understand what they''ll be missing out on."

    "An offer you really can''t refuse¡­"

    "That''s slightly devilish¡­"

    "Eugene, I want to make this a subscription service."

    "How about keeping the date ns and the merch only for higher tier customers? We can also get that stupid Sachertorte faction to sponsor us with their food, it''s perfect for dates."

    "Woah, they''re only growing more devilish¡­" Luka and Noa watched us with fear in their eyes.

    It was then that we didn''t notice.

    The person standing outside the windows. A veiled person, staring straight toward our hearts.

 Chapter 264 Mine

    A cold air spread into the room as all of us turned our head toward the windows. Since everyone here was strong, every one here was scared out of their wits at the same time. Behind the window was a woman in a veil that screamed beauty. Luka and Noa gasped, but it was my heart that was running fast.

    I got up from my seat, but a chill ran down my spine and stopped me in my tracks. Your journey continues on empire

    What was this?

    I already knew I was slightly crazy for this woman, even more so after the Dantalian case, but why was I hesitating?

    "S-senior¡­" Albert stuttered too.

    "Eugy, I have a bad feeling again. Worse than that Maria of yours."

    It''s because you punks didn''t appreciate her as much as I did.

    As if to answer my confusion, Lethe gracefully walked over to the ss door and pushed it open, striding in without a care in the world. Her aloof gait, her fluttering hair, the swaying veil, all of it took my breath away.

    Her steps sounded closer.

    Subconsciously, almost, everyone reeled back while my lips threatened to spill into a smile that would make an happy-go-lucky idiot seem sad.

    Albert suddenly stood up and pulled me back.

    "This idiot," he muttered his under his breath. "S-senior¡­ what brings you here?"

    "Haha, are you here to check up on Eugene?" Luka chimed in too, pulling me further back, sweat dripping from both their heads.

    She spared them not a nce and walked over to the couches.

    Her head turned toward Noa, who reeled back once more.

    "You, girl. Name yourself."

    "E-eh¡­ I am Noa, you?"

    Lethe took a nce at Noa and leaned closer. She pulled her face up by her chin and patted her head.

    "You''re pretty cute."

    EH!

    "Dude, pipe down and sit back if you don''t want to die."

    "Albert''s right. I''ve felt this before, she''ll totally kill you."

    These guys were blowing things way out of proportion.

    She wrapped her hand around Noa and pulled the girl close to her chest. "You''re one cutie, aren''t you? How about joining my faction?"

    "Eh¡­ ah¡­" Noa was stuttering! That bitch! She found this spicy, didn''t she! I was certain she did. Well who wouldn''t after being pampered by Lethe, the opponent was too strong this time. I bet even sculptures would start singing if they see Lethe smile at them.

    "I can''t¡­ I like this ce, it''sfy¡­"

    "Is that so?" Lethe asked. "How is itfy? Is it the people?"

    "Yes¡­ But, who are you?"

    "I am a humbledy from a noble family in the empire, please don''t be bothered. That said, why don''t the two of us get to know each other?"

    "Ah¡­?"

    "You don''t want to?" Lethe asked Noa.

    "W-why not¡­ if you''re ok with me."

    Noa went into her innocent mode.

    "Of course, who wouldn''t like someone as cute as you? Let''s go, the two of us."

    "Hey!" I intervened. "Stay a little longer if you''re here¡ª"

    "Shut up." Lethe shot me down. "Don''t talk to me, scum."

    My jaw was on the ground.

    "Phew, he got off easy."

    What do you mean Luka? Don''t you see that was enough to kill me straight away?

    "S-senior!" Albert swooped in. "Actually, we were about to look for you to discuss stuff about the faction festival. Why not stay here and talk with Noa as well? It would be a good use of your time."

    Lethe tilted her head, she then looked back at Noa like a yboy would at the prey he had just snagged.

    "What do you say?"

    "I-if you would like¡­"

    Noa you bitch, she was already smitten.

    "Then, Junior, get lost from that seat."

    Albert left the seat of the head faster than a mosquito escaped a swatter and took the seat next to Luka. I moved back to my seat while Lethe took the seat of the head.

    "Noa," she said. "Sit here, next to me."

    "S-space¡­"

    "It''s fine."

    Noa was pulled away without getting a chance to hold a conversation back.

    I felt¡­

    Extremely jealous. Envious? Well, it was fine to see them get along, I was worried about Lethe making any friends with her attitude. Not like she would ever need anyone else. Never. No chance.

    "Tsk."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Ah, ah!" Albert faked a cough. "About the n, senior. We were going to make this a maze for couples."

    "A maze?"

    Albert then exined everything. Whenever I tried to speak in, Lethe immediately shut me down and only answered when Albert repeated the same thing.

    Each minute started to be grating.

    "Not bad, but why are you sote? How do you n to get the funds for this?"

    "Oh, from you."

    "Me?" Lethe coldly asked.

    "From all the factions, actually," I said. "We''re nning on advertising them in return for the funds and the manpower, and pretty much everything else."

    "Advertisement¡­ that''s fromidabble¡ªAck."

    She slipped up.

    "Yes, that''s the n," Albert smiled and said. It seemed the tension loosened. "We were nning on going around and talking to all the factions about this."

    "All of them?"

    "Correct."

    Lethe leaned back and thought.

    "Alright, I''ll help you. On the condition all four of youe along."

    "Sure," Albert said.

    At that very moment, Lethe jumped up from her seat and sat next to me. Straddling my hands in hers, she leaned over on me. "I am going to unt my wife everywhere."

    "W-w-wife!?" Noa screamed again. Her face waspletely red.

    Wait.

    Did this woman just change strategies? No way, she was jealous! She was jealous of all the rumors and was trying to make me pay for it.

    I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.

    "You were jealous? How cute¡ª"

    "Shut up. You have no rights."

    I was forced to shut up again.

    "That''s right, Miss Noa. This person here belongs to me, top to bottom, every breath he takes is mine and every tear he sheds is mine too. Every nail he cuts off belongs to me and every hair he drops belongs to me as well."

    Noa was left with a mouth gaping open. This damned sucker for a twisted romance.

    "I am going to take this chance and tell everyone who you belong to. Then no will be spreading baseless rumors about a girlfriend or what not. Hear well, miss Noa. We almost got married."

    "Why almost, we still will?"

    "Shut up. You have no rights."

    How cute.

    I picked Lethe up in a princess carry and got off the couch.

    "Let''s go Albert! Let''s go negotiate right now!"

    Who in the world said I wasn''t interested in doing the same thing? It was a good chance to show every single man in this damned academy what would happen if they even looked weirdly at my Lethe.

    With two simr objectives, we set off.

 Chapter 265 Mine (2)

    "Hey captain, there was a message from the leader to call everyone in the briefing room."

    "Briefing room? A meeting?"

    The captain and a few of his fellows from the strongest faction in the academy grouped together as the captain stepped down to the lower floors. He pushed open the door to the ivory andvender-covered briefing rooms, the domes and the arches of the wide hall giving a clear view of the outside.

    On the many chairs were the different students in the top brass of the faction.

    "Timmy, are you really going to do it?"

    The captain heard something odd as he entered the conference room.

    "What''s going on?" He asked as he took a seat next to his friend.

    "Oh, you''re here?" The man answered. "It seems Timmy is nning to confess his love for the leader today.

    The captain took a nce at the bald Timmy and held in his tears. "I''ll pray for him,"

    "You better. Hahaha!"

    "Hey, folks. Come on, cheer him on."

    It was then that the door to the conference room swung open one more. All the students inside turned to the sides and stared at the people flooding into the room.

    The genius first years, Albert and Luka, followed by Noa Roselle whom everyone previously knew as a dead person, andstly.

    Locks of white hair, followed by some more.

    A man walked into the room, in his hands, held like a princess, was the veiled woman all of them called their leader.

    All the top brass of the faction got on their feet, their mouths hanging low in surprise.

    Words were a luxury for the shocked.

    "Is the head of the room where you sit?"

    "Yup, my chair is realfy."

    "I''ll find out today."

    Without even ncing at them, Eugene Hall carried over the leader in his arms and walked over to the front of the table, the seat reserved for the leader. He casually crossed his legs and sat down on the chair, pulling the leader up on hisp as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

    "W-what is happening¡­?"

    "Is it the leader? The real leader? Not an imposter?"

    "It has to be doppelg?nger!"

    The other three that had stepped into the room averted their gaze in embarrassment, but the students didn''t care a rat''s tail for them. Never in their lives had they imagined their invible, stern, and cold leader to let a man wrap his arms around her, let alone lean over on his neck and muzzle in his ears. Impossible, it was impossible to imagine.

    "L-leader¡­?" Timmy spoke, "What is happening here?"

    "Who is this person?" Another added to support Timmy while all the students nodded in affirmation. They were far too confused to sit back down.

    "This person?" Lethe asked, pulling Eugene''s cheeks outward. "He''s Eugene Hall, I thought you guys knew him?"

    "Ah¡­ we do¡­"

    Few didn''t.

    "But¡­"

    "But?" Lethe didn''t give them a moment to breathe.

    "Uh¡­ is he threatening you¡­?"

    "Hey!" Eugene snapped. "Watch it, if I could threaten her she would have been wearing cat ears or something."

    Lethe pulled Eugene''s cheeks out like a pile of dough as she shook her head.

    "Why would he have to threaten me? We are lovers, we''re also going to get married."

    "L-LOVERS?!" Timmy screamed!

    "Shush it, I have no patience for your squeals. Talk like a human."

    "S-sorry."

    Even if she didn''t have a lover, Timmy didn''t stand the slightest of chances.

    "T-then¡­ since when¡­?" Asked another student, a girl that seemed to have been eyeing Lethe. Eugene didn''t miss the slight hesitation in her movements and was certain that she was aiming for Lethe.

    He worried that he would have to set straight both women and men in the other factions.

    Tightening his grip around her, he spoke.

    "Have you not ever heard about the hero of the empire and thedy of Acacia? I thought it was a famous tale too."

    The students thought for a few seconds. Gossip really faded just a beat slower than reputation.

    "Ah!" One said. "You mean, adventurer dusk? And thedy of Acacia?"

    Eugene nodded.

    "Dusk," Lethe said pointing at him, and then she pointed at herself. "Acacia."

    "HEH!?"

    "What? That means the leader was always with someone?"

    The students had received a grand whish and were having a hard time processing things.

    At the right time, the captain faked a cough and spoke. "Congrattions, leader. You too, Eugene Hall, please cherish our leader¡ª"

    "Of course, you don''t even have to think about that."

    Eugene answered right away, fairly pissed at being told to cherish the one person he cherished the most by some rando.

    The captain coughed again and looked at the leader. "Then, what is the topic for this meeting today, leader? Since there''s an entire another faction here¡­"

    "Yeah, they''re here for business." Said Lethe. "Junior, you take over from here."

    "Yes!" Albert said, already being moved at her beck and call. They were given seats over the table and the other of the top brass gathered to hear their words.

    "Well, we''re here to make you pay for our ns for the faction festival."

    Straight off to a sour note, Albert''s words made both Noa and Luka smack their heads while the ones in the room got slightly interested in his arrogance.

    "Of course, not for no reason."

    With that, Albert began exining the points for the festival one after the other. He slowly negotiated with them, giving them enough information to keep them invested and just not enough to not let his main ns leak out.

    The other side had no choice but to get caught deeper and deeper in his web. Or that would have been the case¡­

    "What? So you spent all your nights learning the piano?"

    "I would be sleepless too if you don''t sleep."

    If it wasn''t for the two lovebirds giggling and flirting the whole time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "So, what do¡ª"

    "¡ªHey, watch your hand."

    Albert mmed the table and stood up.

    "You two! Get out if you''re going to interrupt¡ª"

    ¡ªSLAM!

    A loud sound resounded as Lethe pped the table back. She didn''t say a word and only red at Albert.

    All the students in the room lowered their heads, and so did he.

    "I am sorry. Please take your time."

    Tyrants weren''t to be messed with.

    The students all sat back down and the negotiations continued. The strong sense of camaraderie that formed under Lethe''s cold re was enough to bring everyone on the same page.

    Of course, Eugene and Lethe kept flirting till the veryst second and then started all over again once the meeting ended.

    ***

    The negotiations were already fixed since Lethe had given her nod, but Albert easily convinced the rest by creating a sense of belonging with them as someone who was under Lethe''s thumb.

    It didn''t end there as the group also visited all the other factions. Sometimes Lethe would climb on Eugene''s back and other times he would straddle her on his shoulders. Though Lethe remained pissed at Eugene for letting the rumors float, he made up for it by flirting and spoiling her five times more than she nned.

    "This this and that that," Albert would start.

    "That that and this this," the others would argue.

    "Why are you so damn cute?"

    "No, why are you so damn cute?"

    And Lethe and Eugene would bother everyone. It was enough to make quite a few of them pissed, especially the ones that eyed her Eugene or herself. But with a single re that they couldn''t even see behind her veil, the other students had no choice but to shut the hell up and ept their fate.

    They would lower their heads and continue. And Eugene and Lethe would keep flirting to the point it became unbearable to hear them for even a second more, they wanted it to end and they wanted it to end right now.

    Albert also negotiated with them all with grandly bold and losing deals for them, which always left Luka and Noa shocked, but it would still take them ten years to reach his level. Of course, the role of Eugene and Lethe was too great to not be mentioned.

    In the end, a satisfying day passed and now Lethe was back in her faction.

    A smile was on her face below the veil, it must have been enough to get rid of all unpleasant rumors and start some pleasant ones.

    As she saw a new group of students talking around, Lethe slowly strutted closer and perked her ears up to listen.

    "Hey, hey, did you hear?"

    "What?"

    "Our leader! Is actually smitten with a man!"

    Lethe nodded in satisfaction.

    "An already taken man, that Eugene!"

    "Oh! Some people even told me she forced him to carry her around!"

    "Wow, she''s like the viiness in the novels!"

    "WHY!?"

    Lethe''s screams weren''t to be heard that day.

    She learned a valuable lesson, that gossipers only gossiped about what was interesting and not the truth.

    Well, at least gossip lived just a beat longer than reputation, she would only have to build it back up.

 Chapter 266 Love is in the Air

    The days passed with great speed as the day of the festival approached closer than ever. The students worked hard day and night for their events, trying their best to make the big day a sess, a sess of money and faction power so that they could lord over the rest. Really, it was nothing more than their selfish desire to be at the top that was driving them ahead.

    Or so thought the principal of the academy, Lushan von Bergus. He could blink his eyes and watch while giggling as the day fast approached and before anyone knew.

    "I hereby announce, the beginning of the faction festival!!!"

    "WOAAAAAAH!!"

    Cheers rang out as confetti flew high in the blue skies. Students and teachers alike let out their inner kids and screamed in joy and excitement as one of the biggest events and the day that marked the end of the first trimester came around to the school.

    "Sachertorte Faction''s cookingpetition starts soon! Followed by the eatingpetition!"

    "Student Council is hosting a quiz in the morning¡ª"

    "¡ªBOO! Fuck your quizzes!"

    Lushan smiled. Such sincere students. The inds all around were bustling with life as decorations and embellishments filled the buildings around. Red gs hung between the houses and banners of all kinds danced. Many students had sent out hot air balloons fueled by magic spells, below them hanging their events.

    A smile appeared on the principal''s face as he walked around the streets. Your next read awaits at empire

    "Principal, principal, want a skewer?"

    "Oh dearie, how I would love one. How much do I owe you, miss?"

    "On the house, principal!"

    Lushan smiled, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. The students were sincere! With a smile, he made way with the skewer in his hand. As soon as he bit into it, a coal-like taste assaulted his tongue.

    "That one was burnt, huh?"

    God damn brats.

    Lushan continued enjoying the festival, now and then he would meet with his fellow teachers and converse with them, and then and now he would meet some students he knew and would be bullied by them.

    It was when the sun was overhead, a few hours after the festival began and the crowd was at its peak.

    The sky above them started to turn red.

    "Huh!?"

    "W-what is happening?"

    A surge of magical energy, no, of demonic energy! Lushan''s eyes widened as he turned to the skies, a dome taking over not just this, but all of the floating inds in the archipgo.

    "It-ts like then!"

    "It''s the same as then!"

    The students screamed and Lushan''s heart cooled down.

    Demons? Again? He wasn''t going to let it slide this time, not after what had happened previously. Whether it be Agares or Bm, he wasn''t going to let people injure his students.

    Right as Lushan''s Aether went aze, the dome above changed shapes, and out came¡­

    Don Chiik.

    "WOAH! It''s Don Chiik!"

    "Woohoo! Don Chiik! Don Chiik! Don Chiik!"

    "Kyaa, Don Chiik, look at me!"

    "That''s a squirrel you sick fuck!~"

    "D-don Chiik?" Lushan muttered. As he focused the mana in his eyes, all the other inds came into his view, all of them seeing the same sight as him.

    "CHiik!" Don Chiik screamed. Next to him, subtitles appeared in the dome. "The don is back to steal your nuts! If you want to stop me, you will have to get together with a partner for love!"

    What a viin! He was telling the kids how to defeat him!

    "Only through the power of love can this Don Chiik be stopped!"

    "Don''t stop Don Chiik! We want to hug you!"

    Lushan decided to create a psychiatric ward in the school for his students.

    "Huhuhu! Chiik! The only way to get with your most fitting partner is to go to the ALEN faction and meet your fated partner! Or else, I will have all your nuts! Hahahaahah!"

    Lushan was fairly confused, but the students lost theirposure and screamed out loud in excitement. It seemed most of them already knew about this Chiik guy. Thinking of it, he had seen a simr name in his assistant''s report.

    The don told a few more ways to defeat himself and then disappeared, iming the students only had the day to defeat him.

    Balloons holding the ALEN faction''s advertisements and location started floating up, with many different factions alongside them written with a small ''in association with.''

    Those kids were probably the worst of all the annoying ones in this school.

    Shaking his head, Lushan sighed in relief that no demon wasing around and set off to enjoy the festival again.

    A long time passed as he participated and handed out the awards in the student council''s quiz, to a stout student from the east named Ikuro Asahi.

    He then moved over to a singingpetition in the nightingale faction, it was surprisingly won by a love song from a guy that looked metal as hell with a mohawk stretching into the skies.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Just like that, the principal enjoyed many facets of the festival.

    A slight tinge of regret remaining in his heart, though, as he was all alone. But that was what his fate was, though the average lifespan was a hundred and forty years, not many were as fit as him at his age.

    Quite a few students started walking around wearing Don Chiik shirts not long after, many of them with pamphlets in their hands. All the factions started getting crowded with couples.

    "What''s this now?" Wondered Lushan. Thinking it best to give it a look, the principal found himself on the ind popted by only four students, the ALEN faction.

    He was immediately met by a white-haired student with a stiff face.

    "Eugene Hall, my dearest student."

    "Yeah, who?"

    "It''s I, the principal. Can you please grow savvy with my face already?"

    "Keep hoping," said Eugene with a frown.

    "And what keeps you so down? Did things inside not work out as nned?"

    "HAHA!" Someone screamed from behind. When the principal looked back, he found Noa Roselle. "He entered the maze and met up with Albert! Hahaha!"

    "Shut up already."

    The principal stifled augh.

    "Then, do you just go in?" He asked. "I would be quite interested in seeing this ce¡­"

    "Sure," said Eugene. "You can buy any merch inside. There''s a date n as well for you to increase your power of love and defeat Chiik. Just make sure youe to see us once before leaving."

    "Why is that?"

    "SO I CAN CALL THE FUCKING COPS YOU OLD COOT!"

    The principal reeled back.

    "What are you doing trying to get into a match-up maze with KIDS?!"

    "Oh? But there are no kids inside, for now, we''ve made it a teacher-only spot," said Noa. "Even if there were, no one will think the principal as predatory now, we''ll just see it as a fun outing with a parent?"

    "Noa Roselle! I''ll make sure you get an A in all your sses! Eugene, Expulsion."

    "Yap yap yap," said Eugene. "I am gonna call the cops anyway."

    "Hah! And if I find anything inappropriate in there, you''re getting expelled."

    Eugene waved the principal away and Noa guided him in. The moment he took a step through the floral pink gates, the narrow walls of the maze filled his sight. In front of him after a short walk, the principal found a board leading to two ways.

    [Cringe to the left, Based on the right]

    "Alright, expulsion it is."

    The principal decided to entertain the maze for now. From golems to cats, all kinds of beings appeared in front of him to lead him to the next path.

    Swords or spells, hard rock or jazz, coffee or tea, all kinds of strange questions were asked and after crossing the twentieth one, the principal found a gate in front of him.

    He opened it up and stepped inside.

    "Ah," a voice from inside came out. Immediately, the person inside stood up and bowed. "Principal, I didn''t expect to see you here."

    "Haha, miss secretary, I see you have been up to some fun."

    He locked the door behind him and stepped inside. Right then, a board in the small room flipped over, and out came writings.

    [Congrattions! You are a match! Whether you''re friends or foes, ce aside your status, powers, and differences aside for a day and have some fun! Love might just bloom, and even if it doesn''t, friendship can!]

    "Haha, what weird things these kids are up to," Lushan muttered. He was quite nervous about being stuck with his secretary now.

    Out of all the people, she was the only one who had been around him the most.

    "Right¡­ we should scold them once¡­"

    The secretary''s eyes shifted to the table, where next to a case with refreshments from Sachertorte was a pamphlet filled with a date n. The evening had alreadye around and the ns were greatly changed.

    Lushan didn''t miss the secretary''s eyes fluttering over the pamphlet over and over. He slowly toon a deep breath and looked to the side.

    [have some fun!]

    Fun¡­

    "Miss Secretary."

    "Principal."

    "Ah¡­ you go first."

    "No, no, please¡­ Go ahead, principal¡­"

    Lushan looked around, and a deep breath filled his lungs.

    "Since we''re here already¡­ would you like to see what these kids have in n for us?"

    "You mean¡­ the date?"

    Lushan stuttered, but nodded his head. "Y-yes, the date, if you will."

    The secretary shot up from her seat, her cheeks flushed a deep pink.

    "I-I''d love to!"

    The day was ending, but the night was young yet.

    The power of love had filled the air, it seemed Don Chiik wasn''t going to win anytime soon.

 Chapter 267 Academy Ends

    "Hey, lovebirds!"

    "Had fun on that date?"

    "HAHAHAH!"

    "Aahahaha."

    Luka and Noaughed out loud in the meeting ce of the faction while Albert and I secretly nned their death. No one would know, deep in the night. Our knives will be having passionate fiery affair with their necks before they go euphoric in the embrace of the ground. With some bribes and dashing, no one would suspect us either.

    "Look at them, bet they''re thinking the same thing."

    "I''ve had enough, Luka. Wait till I tell the princess of Schwarz that you hit on miss Rio during the sses."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Luka immediately got on the ground and prostrated himself.

    "I apologize,"

    "Scum."

    "Shitbag."

    Noa and I were in agreement here.

    I yawned, leaned back, and brought up the cup of wine to my lips.

    The faction festival had ended well and the cleanup had finished up too. Well, we never let our homes and this ce be dirtied so not like it mattered. It was handled well nheless, and now, thest day of sses had passed too.

    True to cking off, I didn''t go there to end. Bribing Lushan was easy by threatening to call the cops again, but he seemed more happy with not letting me go to ss.

    The secretary was very fidgety too. I''d bet something happened.

    Unfortunately, though, I had to let Dawn go, just yesterday. We made the most of our time and I kept her around as long as I could, but duty called soon enough and she found it best to monitor the regressors some more.

    "What now?" Asked Albert. "We have a month long break, what''s your ns. I''ve got nothing."

    "Nothing."

    "Nothing."

    "I am going back home."

    All of us stopped and stared at each other. My eyes widened as realization dawned. Three friends who had nothing to do and one who did.

    "Dumb, dumb, Eugy."

    "I''ll tag along!" Noa screamed. "You live in Schwarz right? I want to see what a count''s family is like! Isn''t Hall family pretty renowned too? I wanna go too!"

    Zero hesitation, as expected of Noa.

    "S-sounds fun, an outing or something." Luka stuck his two fingers together and blushed while looking away. "Going to a friend''s house, I bet something like that would be fun! Hahaha, I hope I get a chance for something like that too."

    Mr. Never had real friends came second. Well deserved fate for a harem game protagonist! Suck on that no-friend Luka.

    "Well, I''ll tag along. You''re probably nning something, right?"

    Albert too?

    Well, it wasn''t wrong. The first step was to take over Fonias, and if possible the entire Schwarz kingdom. Not take over, per se, but to control it. I had already started gathering my manpower as well.

    Albert would be¡­

    Quite useful. I didn''t like it, but his brains were almost as good as mine if not better.

    "What''s your condition?" I asked.

    Albert slowly lowered his head and wrapped his arms around himself. "Protect me from the Pinot kingdom. They''re too overbearing¡­"

    I''ll be getting the Pinot kingdom on my ass for taking Albert along.

    "Fair deal, then. Noa and Albert cane along."

    "Huh? Me? Me!?"

    I looked away. I would have let hime were he not so bitchy about it.

    "Hey!"

    "When we leaving?" Noa asked.

    "Tomorrow."

    "Ah! I''ll go pack right away!"

    "Me too. Did you get the approval though, JinnyjinYuyu?"

    "What approval now?" I asked.

    "You have to take one¡ª Didn''t you hear it? The principal said it all in his closing note¡ªAh¡­ my bad. Of course you didn''t hear him."

    "I fear nothing, Albert, but a principal''s speech? It terrifies me."

    Albert quietly patted my shoulders. The pain was real.

    "Well, go get it now. It needs the principal''s sign, so I suggest breaking in and threatening that bastard."

    "Good idea."

    Off we went.

    "Hey! ME!?"

    ***

    "Hoya, what are your ns for the break? Are we going back to the kingdom?"

    "Hm, I am not sure," Answered princess Hoya. "What about you, Ana?"

    "I am pretty free," said Anatolia, her eyepatch hiding her lost eye well. "I think I''d like to spend time with you guys."

    Hoya and Adelia smiled at their friend''s words. What they previously couldn''t have imagined hade in the form of a mellow and kind Anatolia, at the cost of an eye, though.

    "In that case lets just go wherever Luka is!"

    "Yeah! It''s going to be a big n! Let''s take Noa and Albert along too!"

    "J-just not Eugene Hall¡­ ok? Please?"

    "Pfft, sure," Hoyaughed. "You can rx though, Miss Dawn can protect us all, right?"

    "Of course, princess," Dawn smiled and said. "I guess I''ll being with you then."

    "Without question!" Adelia cheered. "We''re not going anywhere without you!"

    ns were being made everywhere.

    ***

    "Lady Sophia, will you be going back home?"

    Lily, Maria, and Sophia sat together in their

    "I was, but your young master is makinge along with all of you."

    "Oh?" Maria asked. "When did this happen?"

    "You mustn''t have heard, there''s some ns afoot. We''re also taking Meryl and Marcin Fonias with us¡ª"

    "FONIAS?!"

    Maria shot off her seat and screamed.

    "No way! What do those bastards want from my young master? Hair! Bring me their hair and I''ll end them all¡ª"

    "C-calm down, Miss Maria. They''re not bad people."

    "You don''t know, Lady Sophia. All of the Fonias are the same, all of them!"

    "We know, we know! That''s why we''re nning to take them down, alright?"

    "T-take them down¡­?"

    Sophia nodded hurriedly. "Down! Done! We''re getting them gone!"

    "Oh¡­" Mariaughed. "I see¡­ Hahaha! I am looking forward to this vacation, then."

    ***

    [My dearest daughter. How are you doing? Has school been tough¡ª]

    A veileddy ripped off the letter and put it in the trash. She then picked up the next one.

    [Haha, you probably ripped that one. Anyway, we have been¡ª]

    Ripped.

    And thrown.

    And ripped again.

    After going through seventeen such letters, thedy finally found a letter with some substance.

    Enjoy new stories from empire

    [Go and meet that kid''s dad first. We''ll be going there too, and then you guys can finalize your marriage talks!]

    The veileddy smiled.

    It was time for her to get a wife.

    ***

    I was in the principal''s office.

    I wanted to get out right away. 20s or so blushing? Good, cute. 80s or so blushing? Good, even more cute. Two people in their hundreds that creepily look younger than my parent blushing?

    Ew.

    But well, there was someone more ew that made me want to leave.

    "So? You didn''t just skip all sses, but also want to leave the campus now? We allow it usually, but the reason it has to go through us is because of problem kids like you."

    "Miss Irina, I can''t help it if I am too good to attend your sses."

    "That''s it. Reject his leave, principal."

    "Yes? Leaves? Flowers! Oh, I should probably buy a bouquet for my secretary."

    "Prinicpal, I am right behind you¡­"

    Too bad, Irina Lester, this man is sick for now.

    "Principal! This guy is yet to fix his problems! Please focus here."

    "Tsk, why are you here in the first ce, Miss Irina."

    "Oh, I came to tell you that you should separate your work and personal life."

    What. A. Prude.

    The principal seemed to have agreed. He took a nce at her, and then at me.

    "Oh, Eugy, he''s smiling. You really should stop making so many enemies."

    "You want to punish Eugene Hall¡­"

    "Yes."

    "And he wants to leave."

    "I do."

    "Then, why don''t both you and miss Rio go with him? Punish him all you want,int to that bastard Ban, and then onlye back after the vacations end?"

    Hah. As if this prude would be dumb enough to fall for your obvious attempt at trying to get rid of her¡ª

    "Sounds, like a n."

    IRINAAA!

    The day passed by quite quick.

 Chapter 268 Ride of Hell

    The rattling of a carriage echoed in my ears. The same carriage that used to be empty usually was now weirdly ufortable.

    On the drivers seat was Keith, driving away as uselessly as usual. He was also not here when we clearly needed him.

    "Ahaha, would you all like some sandwiches, by the way?" Asked Maria. "Lily, can you bring them out."

    "Eh! Ah, right away."

    Ans Lily and her got to their own thing as they peeked into the luggage behind.

    "I kinda miss those meaty sandwiches we ate under that tree, they tasted rather good, right?" Asked Noa. She seemed to have found the weird sandwiches spicy.

    "Well, these guys make good stuff too, but I guess the hell quality¡­ will be¡­cking¡­?" I looked at the front while speaking.

    The one sitting there pressed her arm on the back of her seat and grinned.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What? Did you suddenly realize that you shouldn''t have eaten anything they fed you in hell!? Huh!?"

    The pink princess of the academy, the snobby and annoying as hell teacher Irina Lester spoke up as she clicked her tongue at me. She was in here too, with us, in the rattling carriage.

    "Tsk. What''s your problem? What did you think we''d eat then? What did YOU eat!?"

    "Nothing. Tell him, Rio, you shouldn''t eat anything stupid right?"

    "I trust you, Eugene. I am your teacher, I know you won''t eat anything stupid." Answered Miss Rio von Athenus, the swordsmanship professor and a person that I quite liked. I did feel slightly guilty about flirting with her all the time with Dantalian around, but instead of seeing it as flirting, she had only seen it as a way to strengthen our student-teacher bond.

    "But be careful, who knows if it had human meat?"

    "Oh, it didn''t. Didn''t taste like that at all."

    "Eugy¡­"

    What? So I ate humans. I did want to puke thinking about it now and then, but well I was being tortured and I did it for love, nothing was going to shame me against it now.

    Well, though I had no problems with Miss Rio, someone else here was losing his shit over her behavior.

    "W-why is she so kind? That demon sword instructor is nice? What? Did I jump into another world again? Something like that, right? It had to be something like that, right?"

    Poor Albert couldn''t get over the dissonance of seeing miss Rio act all nice to me. It made me wonder what she was usually like, but that wasn''t my concern.

    "Hey, Eugene Hall, would you mind squeezing over to the side a little?"

    Continue your journey on empire

    "Ah, sure. Noa."

    I squeezed to the side, and so did Noa. This carriage that wasrge enough for me toy down in not long ago was now squeezed further, sitting right next to me was another kid with hair a shade of silver and white, slightly darker than mine own.

    "Marcin. Water."

    "Yes, here you go."

    And next to him yet, was another one with simr hair.

    Marcin and Meryl Fonias.

    With such a strange group, all of us dashed away from the kingdom of sages on my carriage and set off to the kingdom of Schwarz, in Apollon.

    "Why, exactly, did we not take two carriages?" Asked Lily. "This orgy of sweat is really annoying. HAAHAHA!"

    "Student Lily, watch your tongue."

    "Tsk."

    Why? Well it was because the two dumb teachers didn''t want to let me out of their sights. Marcin and Meryl couldn''t go in the Hall''s carriage to avoid fighting. Lily and Maria refused to be with them for the time it would take to reach the ce, Albert, couldn''t go anywhere else because it was ''dangerous'' whatever that meant, and Noa just thought it fun to go with so many people.

    I suggested breaking off into two carriages.

    But.

    No one except Keith and I here knew how to drive. It was fairly different from riding a horse, the management of two at the same time and bncing the weight of an entire carriage was tough.

    And DRIVE others out to some ce, sorry, even if I had nned to help others now, that was not happening. No chance. Nada. Unfortunately, this group of ours didn''t end here.

    On a different route, the carriage of Mirxa and the two elder siblings of mine were alsoing along with us to Apollon and Dienin in the way. They had to take a different path since both of them had to run some errands for their families in the kingdom of sages and were going to regroup with is near the borders of Schwarz.

    The reason we had to take a different path, was also because of Albert.

    I had managed to leave Luka behind, but now I thought that he probably knew how to drive, but he would havee with his own baggage.

    Damn it.

    "Hey Albert, wanna go on the top of the carriage."

    "Hah!? You kids don''t even know how to sit on a carriage? You don''t climb the tops, its dangerous."

    "Then you go!"

    "Shut up, if you''re leaving then leave!"

    Goddamn Irina, I was just an inch away from knocking her teeth in.

    I and Albert climbed out of the window and went to the top of the carriage. The breeze hit us well as the trees on both sides breezed behind us, all of them swaying in the wind. My hair fluttered and so did Albert''s as he finally found some semnce of calming down after being away from Miss Rio.

    "So, this bad feeling of yours, what is it?"

    "That¡­" Albert looked away.

    "Hm, if you don''t want to tell me then its fine."

    "No, it''s not like that¡­ I am just sure you willugh. Anyway, longer path, I doubt anything will happen here." Albert nodded. "If it does, I have Eugene Hall! I''ll just throw you to the wolves."

    I waved his words away and leaned back.

    Man¡­ were carriages slow.

    A strange trip back to Apollon had begun. But all these people.

    All of them were fine.

    "Huhuhuhu¡­"

    "What?"

    "Nothing," I said. "Just, all of you are going to pay the transport fees soon."

    In blood, that is.

 Chapter 269 Ancient Techniques

    I and Albert climbed out of the window and went to the top of the carriage. The breeze hit us well as the trees on both sides breezed behind us, all of them swaying in the wind. My hair fluttered and so did Albert''s as he finally found some semnce of calming down after being away from Miss Rio.

    "So, this bad feeling of yours, what is it?"

    "That¡­" Albert looked away.

    "Hm, if you don''t want to tell me then its fine."

    "No, it''s not like that¡­ I am just sure you willugh. Anyway, longer path, I doubt anything will happen here." Albert nodded. "If it does, I have Eugene Hall! I''ll just throw you to the wolves."

    I waved his words away and leaned back. Read new chapters at empire

    Man¡­ were carriages slow.

    Albert didn''t get a chance to tell me what his bad feeling was.

    Just as we neared the borders of the kingdom of sages, the sound of a horn tooting in the distant forests filled my ears.

    My eyes perked up as I looked around. The trees formed a great cover and no one seemed to be around for the eye. At that moment, from the window below peeked out Miss Irina again.

    "Hey brats, did you hear that?"

    "I did," I said. "Is there a war going on around?"

    "I wonder, maybe you can LOOK and tell."

    "Damn it, miss Irina! Do you see anything through the trees? Do you!?"

    "I could if I was up there."

    "Then get up here!"

    "Nah," Irina shrugged. "If something happens, you deal with it alone. That''s your assignment number one in this holiday punishment."

    "Yeah, I was going to do that anyway."

    "Whatever. Damn are carriages slow." Irina went back inside and then peeked out. "Here, take some sandwiches, its from your maids."

    "Oh, thanks."

    I took the dish of sandwiches from Irina''s hands ced it in between Albert and I. So that it doesn''t run away in the wind, I made sure to use some psychokinesis to hold it in ce.

    Albert nervously chewed on the bread while looking around like a teenager looking for his crush.

    "Dude, what is it?"

    Right then, the horn tooted again, this time much closer than before.

    I sighed and focused my senses around.

    It seemed quite a few people had surrounded us and were trying to aim for the carriage. People I didn''t know or hear of before.

    "Lord Eugene," This time Marcin peeked out. "It seems we are surrounded. Please let us handle this as a way to show our sincerity."

    "That would take too long." I sighed. Just scaring them away would work.

    I noticed a few magic spells being casted en masse not eh ground and the air around us and snapped my fingers. The spells broke apart in the blink of an eye. The next thing I did wad to use my aura and cover the ce aroundpletely.

    Albert blinked.

    And then turned my way.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "What¡­ the fuck¡ª"

    The mana and Ki in the air, the trees, the ground, the dirt, everything came under my control. The carriage trembled fiercely as an Earthaquake spread through the city. The people around started shaking and a crack ran through the ground around us, only the path ahead unfazed.

    The trees surrounding us copsed, and so did a bunch of robed figures with the emblem of a grape on their coats.

    Albert too fell to the ground, and so did the horses dragging us ahead.

    "Y-young master!!?"

    "What is happening?"

    "Hey brats, are you ok?"

    The two teachers and Keith screamed at me as they looked up. Their eyes widened and their lips slightly trembling.

    When Irina Lester realized I was emitting this pressure, she came further up and ced a hand on my shoulder.

    "Hey, you''re ok."

    "What do you even mean!?"

    "Oh? I thought you were emotionally unstable."

    "Do I look like you to you? Shut up, why would I be unstable here?"

    "In that case, Eugene¡­" Miss Rio spoke, her voice hesitant. "Please pull your pressure back, you''re going to kill someone at this rate."

    I looked around. In the distance, the trees were still quaking. From thends about a few kilometers away, the ground started shaking down.

    I could see some especially strong individuals around falling on the ground and reeling in pain.

    "Oh, did I go too overboard?"

    I asked and pulled all my pressure back.

    Albert sighed in relief.

    "What?¡­ What in the world was that? This goes way beyond my analysis!"

    "Young master, I have never felt pressure like that, what did you do?"

    "Oh, I just¡­" I grinned at the two and also at the teachers that were curiously looking at me. "I used some ancient techniques."

    Two months. Without getting stronger at all?

    Fuck that.

    Eugene Hall never grew weak. Never. I used all the books and licked up every single bit of knowledge in them, ancient techniques long lost, modern ones we couldn''t handle, all of it was in my arsenal.

    I had taken the time to merge and mix many techniques, this time, instead of just pressuring the air, I had taken control of mana from even the ground and the stones and the trees, it was a mixture of life-force and normal mana techniques.

    "Crazy¡­" muttered Irina. "You''re really a problem child, aren''t you?"

    "How rude, I am not that bad."

    "You are."

    "Am not."

    "Ahem ahem," A that moment, some of the people on the ground started coughing out loud and turned our way.

    Miss Rio took a nce and muttered. "Those crests, aren''t they from the pinot kingdom?"

    "Give back! Our prince, you heathen!"

    All of us turned to look at Albert.

    "Eugene¡­ hey, you remember the condition right?"

    "Not worth it anymore."

    "HEY! You really can''t throw me at them, alright? You really can''t."

    What to do.

    "When you say that I want to do it even more, Albert."

    Without hesitation, I picked him up and tossed him to his friends.

    "PRINCE¡ªACK!"

    In the face, of course.

    "Now then," I hopped down and stretched my arms above my head. While the horses would recover, I needed a pastime. "Care tell, why the grand kingdom of Pinot dared attack me?!"

 Chapter 270 Pinot Soldiers

    I stretch my hands above my head and near the group sitting on the ground, all of them out of breath from the intense pressure I had just released. The people in the carriage seemed to be down too, so this was a good pastime.

    "Now then, why have the soldiers of Pinot Kingdom attacked me?"

    "Y-you!" A man on the ground with a helmet on his head and an axe on his back looked at me and spoke up. Around him, swordsmen and archers all red at me, slowly trying to stand back up. It seemed like they weren''t the elites, though, since they were already wasted from just a little bit of pressure.

    "You can''t¡­ take our prince¡­ away¡­!"

    "Albert?" I asked. "Why, I can take my bitch wherever I want."

    "M-my bitch!"

    "Eugy, weren''t you nning to make good rtions with all the countries?" Titania swooped in, reminding me that even if they weren''t elites they still were people of another country.

    "But, do these guys count? It looks like they will move at Albert''s beck and call."

    "In that case why not stomp his face?"

    Good idea.

    I stomped the man''s face and spat on the ground.

    "Go and call all your others hiding in this forest. Let''s set the record straight. I do not appreciate people attacking me out of nowhere."

    The other soldiers alternated their gaze between me and the axe guy, so I shoved his face deeper into the tree behind.

    "Go! You dumbasses!"

    The other soldiers dashed away and went to call the rest hiding in the trees. I made the axe man get on all fours and sat on his back. After checking in on the people in the carriage, Keith, the two teachers, and a groaning Albert walked over to me.

    "You''re sitting on someone after defeating them," Miss bitch spoke. "Guess you can do one thing right. Scoot."

    Oh.

    I slid to the side and Irina Leslet sat on the man too, her legs crossed over just like mine.

    "So, Albert. Mind exining already?"

    Albert looked around before sighing. "These guys are way too overbearing."

    "Kah!"

    The man below us grunted at Albert''s words.

    "I keep telling them to stay in the country but they followed me anyway thinking I''ll be attacked by rebels and whatnot."

    Despite how smart he was and how easy he found it to manipte anyone with a semnce of intelligence, Albert was unable to work with one type of person.

    The ones with no intelligence.

    "Anyway, yuyu, you shouldn''t have let them herd the rest."

    "And why is that?"

    "There''s probably a group of them on every exit from the country. They immediately assumed you were kidnapping me, and guess what would happen now."

    This guy had some serious family problems. The door of the carriage opened once more and more people tumbled outward, it was Noa and Meryl, guess this was also a good way to test who our strongest hands were.

    "Fuck¡­ I got reminded of that old man¡­" Noa muttered.

    "What old man?" I asked, screaming.

    "Agares? Was that his name?"

    ¡­

    "Titania¡­"

    "I don''t think so, no."

    I guess I wasn''t growing into more of a demon. Those two walked over with haggard steps andplimented me on the chair. It sucked that I had to share but whatever. Not long after, exactly what Albert guessed had happened and more of his soldiers came around.

    I heard a screaming from the top, and down came a woman swinging a sword, hiding the sun behind her.

    The sun was hidden, but I noticed something shining around her.

    "What''s that?"

    "What? That''s a person. Are you handling it or should I?"

    I ignored Irina''s words and focused on the small glowing orb that circled around the woman. "Not her, that thing."

    "What thing?"

    "I see nothing."

    Find more chapters on empire

    Strange, I clearly saw something.

    Then, that thing faded away and the personing down almost reached above us. I still didn''t move, looking for that thing again.

    "RETURN OUR PRINCEEE!"

    "Haha," Irina sighed and pped my back. "Fine."

    She picked up a twig from the ground and pointed it up. Before the person could attack, Irina focused and pointed the twig at the approaching enemy. "Hocus pocus, turn into a frogus."

    In the blink of an eye, the person tumbling down suddenly became a frog that fell t on my face.

    "C-croak! Croak! Croak!"

    My head knocked back, I turned my gaze through the feet of the frog toward Irina and muttered. "What''s your rtionship with the sorcerer of the swamps."

    "That child? I taught her too."

    "I see."

    Goddamn bitch.

    "Croak! Croak!"

    "Since Mina is here I guess that handles the worst of it," Albert said and turned around. A lot of the other soldiers that were nning to charge at us saw him and the frog and stopped.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The frog transformed with a tiny little armor which was pretty cute. I handed it over to Noa and got off the chair before locking an arm around Albert''s shoulder and dragging him along.

    "Prince!"

    "The third prince is here!"

    "Dude, seriously, why don''t you handle them?"

    "Give it a test, yuyu, just do it."

    Funny.

    I scoffed and looked at them. "All of you, what''s 2+2?"

    "Twenty-Two!!"

    "No you dumbfuck! It''s a trick question! You''re supposed to square it, it''s six."

    "No, you multiply, of course, it''s five!"

    My jaw dropped.

    Albert hid his face behind me and cried. "Do you understand, what it was like to fight a principality with these guys? I was so sick and tired I fought the final battle by myself."

    "Oh, dear god."

    "Do you get why I needed protection, Yuyu?"

    "Wait, wait. Alright." I scoffed again and looked at them. "Hear ye! Your prince and I are friends, we''re going on a vacation together! Fuck back off to your country."

    "WHAT?"

    "Ok. This Prince and Me. Friends! Vacation outing. Do you get it?"

    "WHAT?"

    I coughed once more and asked Albert to speak this time. "Go back home! I am going for an outing with my friend."

    "WHAT!?"

    "Lord have mercy." I sighed and smacked my chest, then Albert''s, and then shook our hands.

    "Oh! They''re friends!"

    "Nice going prince! We thought you were getting kidnapped."

    "I was worried they might be rebels, but it''s just friends."

    I patted Albert''s back,mending him for surviving with these guys. In the end, I still did want to leave a good impression so we took a break here and had a mass grill party for the next few hours.

    It was easy to go and hunt meat and as for equipment, I usually carried that in my spatial storage, only barbecue gear.

    I talked with each and every one of theirmanders and decided to give them a gift too. It felt like a waste to hand over things of value, so instead, I gave some of them cool rocks, one a limited edition banana peel and one even settled for a normal coin, except, it''s front half was on the back, and it''s back half was on the front. That one was so impressed he forgave me for sitting on him.

    The soldiers of the Pinot kingdom, like a whirlwind, came and went by.

    Once they were gone and the evening sun hade along, we all were the only ones left. I was still curious about what I had seen, but something else came first.

    When I had heightened my senses to sniff the soldiers out, I had also sniffed someone else.

    "What are you doing with thatrge box?" Asked Keith, watching me bring out a giant one from the back of the carriage.

    "It''s trash, we don''t need it."

    Keith only shrugged his shoulders and helped me throw the box away. We left it back and got into the carriage once more.

    "Let''s go."

    The carriage kicked off.

    "HEY! HEY!! DON''T LEAVE ME BEHIND!!"

    And Luka''s voice was deafened out. Fuck off.

 Chapter 271 Spirits

    "Damned Luka, just why is he making us run this way already?"

    Hoya''sints weren''t reciprocated by Anatolia or Adelia as their carriage bearing the insignia of the royal family of Schwarz kept dashing ahead. On the worst pathway leading outside the kingdom of sages, they had been driving day and night at Luka''s request who said something about an important outing with friends.

    Sitting inside with them, was Dawn, yawning out loud.

    "We''re almost out of the kingdom of sages, though. I wonder when we''ll be catching up to him," said Adelia, all smiles.

    It was then that Dawn''s nose scrunched. She had noticed something strange outside, and so had the bubbly Adelia.

    They peeked out of the carriage, and there, arge box hopped up and down in the middle of the street.

    "W-what is that?"

    "EUGENE HALLL!"

    The box screamed as a familiar voice came leaking out.

    "YOU TRAPPED ME!!!"

    All four inside immediately recognized the faint voice and turned their heads away.

    "Should we just¡­"

    "Let''s ignore it."

    And the carriage went past.

    ***

    Night had rolled in. Thankfully, we had reached a city in the confederacy on time. The ce, deeply attached with nature, had inns and restaurants connected to trees and rivers. Like elf houses in ancient stories, rooms made with dead trees joining living ones were the staple of this ce.

    Magic was further used to alter the shape of the nature, making it more hospitable in a rather artificial manner. But well, as long as the spirit was preserved? As far as I knew, the elves that did live in the deepest parts of the forest did not really rely on the magic alteration to the terrain, but they were a rather rare sight in the outside.

    I told everyone to their faces that I won''t be covering any of their expenses except the four of my people.

    They had different reactions but agreed in the end.

    As our misfortune would have it, it seemed we were going to meet up with Sophia and my siblings tomorrow right here.

    "What was that thing though?" Leaning against a window, I muttered. The trees outside letting in a refreshing breeze as their leaves rustled in a sweet harmony.

    "What thing? What did you see?" Asked Titania.

    "A strange blue blob, it smiled and disappeared."

    "Strange¡­"

    Indeed. Now that she would mention it, I did think I was strangely attracted to whatever that was.

    "Hey, was it anything like that thing?"

    I turned toward Titania and saw her pointing at a tree ahead, behind it a small green blob fluttering up and down.

    "Exactly like that."

    The thing disappeared.

    I then turned toward Titania again.

    "AH!"

    Hopping down the ledge, I jumped off from the inn room and dashed ahead. The roots and trees around had made the terrain messy, but I ran ahead anyway. Through the jagged paths, I reached the tree where the blob previously was.

    After looking around, I noticed one more moving toward the canopy of the forest.

    "Do you see them?" Asked Titania.

    "Yeah, that thing is still there."

    Titania sighed and ced a hand on my head. "Maybe it''s because you''re no longer human, but its still faint."

    "What is?"

    Slowly, a drop of Titania''s energy flowed into me. As if all the cells in my body had frozen over and melted off at the same time, my body reeled in pain. A scream threatened to spill out, but no sound came.

    Like that, I stumbled backward.

    "Eugy, up."

    My gaze shifted upward.

    Hundreds.

    Thousands of small lights fluttered around in the night sky. Their glow covered the trees and the leaves beyond. Green, blue, red, yellow, blobs of all shapes and sizes danced and fluttered around whileughing and singing.

    The one that had seen me before came fluttering down, and so did a hundred others, filling the skies and the ground alike.

    I took another step back, the pain that consumed me was nothing in front of the sight.

    "Cool, right? It gets annoying really quick though."

    "Kuh¡­ w-what¡­ is¡­"

    It was tough to speak through the pain, just letting out two words had me heaving.

    Titania fluttered over to my head. A few of those things came in her way, but she shooed them away. Slowly, she crossed her leg and sat atop me.

    "Spirits. Beings that exist in every realm and in none at the same time."

    The spirits danced and cheered once their name was called. Many of them circled around me while the rest hopped.

    "They couldn''t be seen by humans, or fairies or demons either, not of a small rank. I guess when the demon blood mixed in you''ve now be somewhat simr to them. A person who belongs to both realms but neither at the same time."

    A demon and a human at the same time. Neither, at the same time.

    My vision started blurring away and the sight of those beings slowly began to fade. With hastened breaths, I tried to lean against a tree and keep standing.

    Your journey continues with empire

    "Humans 7000 years back actually could use them, spiritmancers I believe. But it''s toote now, I don''t think that art exists in this realm anymore. The spirits have great powers, you see."

    "They can be used then?"

    Titania understood right away.

    My eyes had curved down and my breathing had hastened more than before. I could feel myself salivating greatly as my mind started nking away.

    A way to grow stronger yet.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    I wanted it.

    "Not as you are now."

    "Then¡­ how?"

    Titania looked skyward and slowly tapped my head.

    "I''ll teach you."

    My vision blurred awaypletely as Titania''s energy that had seeped in started to go away. It was too voluminous, too grand for me to stand against.

    "You''ve grown much stronger than I expected, so I''ll teach you how to use the spirits."

    "And¡­ what do you want¡­?"

    "Rude! Aren''t we partners? I''ll do it for free for you."

    I almost let out augh, but the pain cked me out.

    "That said, I still do want your safety."

    I closed my eyes.

    But before I went away, I heard Titania slump down and heave.

    "Goodnight, Eugy¡­"

 Chapter 272 Circus Troupe

    I was patted awake.

    "Student Eugene, what are you doing?"

    With the soft hands on my cheeks, I slowly pushed open my eyes and looked ahead. Standing there with her blue hair fluttering was the only person who would call me student.

    "Miss Rio, very fine morning."

    "Indeed," Miss Rio nodded. "It was a fine night too. Is that why you slept outside?"

    I rubbed my eyelids and nodded. My head still slightly hurt, but it was much better than yesterday night. As my vision cleared up, I noticed three small blobs of green dancing around in the air behind Miss Rio who stood right in front of me.

    The sun seemed to have barely risen as just some of the light poured in from the merciless canopy.

    "I get it. You were training here and you fell asleep. How ever sincere of you, Eugene."

    "That''s¡ª"

    "No need to hide it. I can tell because I am your teacher."

    "Sure," I said and pushed myself up. Titania was still sleeping on the top of my head, so I made sure to not move too much.

    Miss Rio watched me stand and gestured at me to follow along.

    "Let''s go eat some pasta."

    "Oh, they have pasta?"

    "Imported."

    We passed by the lines of trees once more. Though I was in the backnes, the main streets too were filled with roots and jagged paths with establishments being erected around the trees yet more. Some held tables and chairs in the shade of the trees while others let one sit near the streams passing through.

    In one such establishment, all the members of our, pretty much a caravan at this point, sat around while watching the streams. Miss Rio and I were thest to arrive as the staff were already cing some pasta and tea on the table.

    Pasta and tea was a very strangebination.

    I just took some tea for the morning and leaned against the chair while watching the streams race down the incline.

    On the sides, Lily, Maria, and Meryl were eating each other''s three different styles of pasta while Noa, Albert and¡­ Keith, were getting lectured by Irina.

    I was lucky to not have been noticed as she went on and on about how one shouldn''t just fall over in times of fear, and Keith was being scolded for¡­ what was he being scolded for?

    I wondered what had happened, but Keith was truly no better than any of the kids here.

    Miss Rio and Marcin too indulged in just tea while watching the stream next to me.

    "Is that a shiner?"

    "Looks like one."

    "It is shining, alright. Pretty blue too."

    "I believe you''re mistaken, it''s not blue, Eugene Hall."

    "Shiners are not blue, student Eugene."

    I meant the spirit.

    I had started seeing many more of them since the morning. The rare one or two had now be a rather frequent three or four. If I had to live while seeing them all the time like yesterday¡­ I could understand why Titania called it annoying.

    Not long after, the thing I was fearing came around as the sounds of a distant carriage rolling in filled my ears, and then soon.

    "Ah-ha, all of you are already here!" Striding in from the back was Vienna, and along with her came Billy and Sophia. Behind the three was Sir Alec who immediately hid behind Sir Buhini when he saw Maria.

    "Sir Buhini," I called out. "Long time no see!"

    "It has been forever, lord Eugene. I must say, it was quite nice to see Don Chiik once more."

    "We never did get a chance to talk. I am surprised you saw that."

    Right then, two handsnded on the side of my head. "Now there, dear brother, are you just going to ignore your sister?"

    "Ah, you''re hurting him, big sis."

    Billy pulled her back while Vienna tried to grind my head, only hurting her own fists in the process. Greetings passed by, Billy and Buhini joined the tea gang while Alec and Vienna joined the being scolded gang, and Sophia, in a grand twist, joined the scolding gang that was only Irina a while back.

    Was she simr to her? I hoped not, I wouldn''t like to not talk to Sophia again. Irina was insufferable, anyone who sympathized with her was by extension insufferable too.

    Breakfast fast passed and we set off once more.

    This time after thankfully dividing the crowd by arge amount into the other two carriages, with me were my usual three, Noa and Albert. Marcin and Meryl decided to along with Sophia and the two teachers finally left our tails and went over to Vienna and Billy.

    Weunched toward the Schwarz kingdom in a single go¡­

    Or were going to.

    Until¡­

    Right outside the city in the confederacy and on the path that led toward the Schwarz kingdom, we saw a carriage with the royal insignia of Schwarz and a weird object behind them.

    "Aren''t those guys from our ss?" Noa muttered, and they noticed us too.

    "AH!"

    "Oh my! Lord Eugene, fancy seeing you here."

    "U-uh, yo, dusk¡­"

    "¡­"

    "UMNG!! EUGENE HALL GET ME OUT OF THIS BOX!"

    Until we met yet another group. A scaredy eyepatch, Princess Hoya, my dear friend Dawn, her irrelevant regressor friend, and a talking box.

    "Oh, are all of you heading toward Apollon too?"

    And of course, Vienna had to ruin it for me.

    "All of Eugene''s friends are wee. Even if he won''t let you in Apollon, we can have you in Dienin."

    At least she was self-aware.

    And with that, I was now traveling with an entire circus troupe.

    Fuck.

    ***

    Bartholomew barged into the study of Marquis Hall without knocking. The head butler and steward heaved as he spoke to his lord.

    "Sir! Young master Vienna, Billy, and Eugene are back!"

    The Marquis flinched slightly, his eyes with deep bags from all the work.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What? What''s urgent about that?"

    "Lord Eugene has brought a lot of friends!"

    "Friends?!"

    Now that was more shocking. Billy, he could understand, to some extent even Vienna, but Eugene? Friends? Was his son sick?

    "Amongst them, is the princess of Schwarz and the Empire¡­ the prince of Pinot kingdom¡­ and also two teachers from the academy. He also brought along a strange talking box!"

    The Marquis removed his spectacles and pressed the end of their temples against the inner edge of both his eyes.

    "Seat them in a good ce. I''ll be right there," he said. He couldn''t present himself to them in his current outfit. "What a troublesome kid¡ª"

    "I already did that. They are not the issue, my lord."

    The Marquis looked up, he might be in need of a change of butlers.

    "What then?"

    "J-just now, another carriage hase in¡­ from the Acacia duchy."

    The Marquis stood up.

    "It seems the Lady of Acacia is here too."

    "Let''s go, right now!!"

 Chapter 273 Family Meeting

    An mini party had been organized in a rush by the servants of the Hall estate as the circus troupe we arrived with was guided to the terrace garden. Seats and tables wereid out unlike thest time I was here and special treatment was given to the princesses, a prince, and the two teachers we were with.

    The two children of Fonias and Mr. Trapped in a Box were also given a special treatment, but with more caution than wee.

    Ah, speaking of wees.

    "This is the first time I have met these two," I spoke to Vienna.

    Vienna looked away in embarrassment, a soft sigh leaving her lips. "I don''t know how to apologize. They are both your mothers yet¡­"

    "No, no, you don''t have to. I can understand trauma, they are victims too."

    When my gaze met with the two hosts of this make-shift tea party, both thedies of the Hall fiefdom flinched and looked away. It was so funny to see that I wanted to keep making eye contact.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Not long after, the door behind us opened and in came the blonde ruler of thisnd. Pretty much everyone stood up, including the princesses and the princes, but I couldn''t be bothered with that remained seated.

    "Tch," for good measure, I clicked my tongue as well.

    I could hear Ban''s forehead twitching from the back, but he decided to ignore me for now just as much as I decided to ignore him.

    The first to speak was Hoya.

    "Marquis Hall, it has been a long time."

    Ban shook his head and performed a graceful bow at the princess.

    "It is my honor to have the jewel of our kingdom at my humble abode. I hope there were no troubles on your way here."

    "None at all. This here is my friend, the third princess of the Atreus¡ª"

    Yeah, ok, I had no time to listen to their bullshit. I let them finish the greetings by themselves and bullied Luka by shaking his box. We had cut in a small hole at the top to hand over some food and air, but didn''t let him out yet.

    The group moved on and sat back down after the Marquis took his seat.

    "I am honored to meet you, Marquis Hall, we have heard a lot about you as teachers in the academy," said Miss Rio.

    "About me? What could it be."

    "They use you as a frequent case study of a bullying victim. How you managed to be the most bullied student in the academy''s expansive history and are still as powerful as you are is a thing that interests everyone."

    My eyes widened at Irina''s merciless fire. Did I say this person was insufferable? I liked her now. I truly did.

    "That¡­"

    "I am surprised, one would think you would be a twig but you seem like you can go head to head with our principal. I should tell the staff about suchte growth spurts as well."

    "Pfft."

    The marquis turned toward me with a re before turning back to Irina and letting out an awkwardugh. He seemed strangely restless with how ready he seemed to get off the chair at any moment.

    Much to my dismay, the door opened once more. I was getting deeply annoyed by the growing number of people.

    "The Lady of the Acacia Dukedom has arrived."

    All our eyes widened and our gazes shot toward the door, especially mine.

    Right on time, Lethe entered the room and the Marquis shot up from the ground.

    "I OPPOSE THIS UNION!"

    Lethe stepped back and I picked up a cup from the table. In a single swing, the cup and steaming hot tea went flying towards the Marquis'' head. The Marquis grasped the cup and dashed in front of Lethe faster than anyone could see.

    "He is threatening you, isn''t he? If not, thendy, you can do much better!"

    Lethe took another step back, but the Marquis didn''t stop speaking.

    "That Eugene, seriously? I had my doubts from the beginning, but you''re totally being tricked. Just blink twice and I''ll do my best to save you, alright?"

    "C-chair¡­ I need a chair¡­"

    "To sit? Right away!"

    The Marquis handed thedy a chair. Both Anatolia and I winced and looked back.

    In the next moment, the Marquis was wearing a limited edition chair from Lethe''s fall collection.

    "Haah, better. Watch your tongue, old man. I am simply giving you respect you don''t deserve by being amicable to someone that would dly abandon a four year old in a far off mansion."

    "I¡­"

    The tea party continued well with the entire circus. I didn''t have to manage this business alone anymore, so all was good.

    ***

    It was after most of them left to explore Dienin when the Marquis called me in his office.

    "Young master, the marquis is waiting."

    "Long time no see¡­"

    "You remember me, young master?"

    "Of course! How can I forget?"

    "Oh! This Bartholomew is honored."

    Ah right, that''s who he is. Barthowhoever opened the door to the study for me and I stepped in. The same old fluttering drapes, piling papers, and mahogany walls greeted me, the Marquis at the center of it all.

    "Ohoho, you''re here, son."

    "I am! FATHER!" I said. "Look, there''s some bits of WOOD left in your HAIR!"

    The Marquis ran a hand over his hair while clicking his tongue.

    "Sit."

    "SURE!"

    "Stop speaking obnoxiously."

    I pulled the chair back and sat down. "Why, does it annoy you?"

    "Sure does."

    "GUESS! You haven''t LEARNED ANYTHING!"

    "GAH!!"

    The Marquis and I heaved after all the screaming. I was the type to be badass without being loud, so this didn''t suit me.

    "So, why have you brought a whole circus troupe along? What are you scheming."

    "Ah, about that," I leaned in the chair and stretched my hands above my hands. "Can you contact the Margrave of Mirxa for me? I''ve got an offer for both of you."

    "Mirxa? What is it?"

    "Fonias. As much as you can chew, I''ll let you bite it."

    The Marquis scoffed.

    "Interesting¡­"

 Chapter 274 Peek

    The day spent in the Hall fiefdom passed by quicker than I thought. In the end, the two Hall siblings remained in the ce while Sophia temporarily went back home, and even returned within the week to Apollon.

    With the rest of the circus members, I reached back to my estate in Apollon.

    The same old mansion seemedrger and cleaner than ever. Maybe because the fucking city of Apollon had almost crept up to the territory I had set aside for myself.

    I jumped out of the carriage and looked ahead at the city with my arms on my waist. Theatres and other enormous buildings had filled the space as far as one could see, the motif of colored streets never fading even after therge expansion.

    People scattered around the city, tourists just as many as artists, ran around doing their own thing, the city crowded and the crowd''s din lively.

    "This is the famous Apollon¡­" Muttered Marcin.

    The others looked at the far view of the city with admiration too. Especially the two teachers we were here with.

    "You guys should take a look at thingster," I said and jumped off the carriage. Keith was going to handle the parking bit and everyone else would show the guests to their room.

    I took Lethe along and went to the back of the mansion.

    "What''s here?"

    "Some more folks you gotta meet."

    "Oh?" Lethe clutched my hands as I took her back to the stables of the mansion. There, the two old horses that had been my loyal friends since the beginning.

    "Ay, there you are! nc, ck, so good to see you alive!" I stroked both of their faces whileughing. "How long do horses live anyway? You better not outlive me!"

    "Neigh!!! Fukyu!!!"

    "Dieinadeeeetch! neigh!!"

    These fuckers. How lively.

    "These are my horses," I told Lethe.

    "I¡­ see?"

    "NEigh! Loser!"

    "Neigh! Kekw!"

    "I guess I need to take them for a ride."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The horses suddenly froze up and started licking the back of my head, trying their best to be cute. Little tramps, this was a very thin line these guys were galloping on.

    I leaned against the pirs on the side and turned toward Lethe.

    "I need to tell you something."

    For good measure, I ensured no one was listening in.

    "What happened?" Lethe asked, holding my hand. I grabbed her waist and embraced her lightly.

    "I think I may have be a demon to some extent."

    Lethe slightly pulled away. I could sense her confusion through her veil.

    Instead of words, actions were going to be a better exnation. I used my ki and made a small cut on my palm, the ck blood flowing down.

    "This¡­ is pretty sick."

    "Right?"

    "It kinda gives you a cool air. But I''d feel edgy telling people my boyfriend is a demon."

    A smile spread on my face.

    She didn''t hesitate a second, neither did she call me someone else. And that was enough reason for me to not think of it either.

    I slowly moved away her veil and ran my clean hand over her cheeks.

    Lethe leaned in closer and our lips met, slowly.

    How long had it been? I didn''t want to let go.

    Even though I had noticed sses sneak up on me a while back, and also Noa peering down from the windows, but I didn''t stop kissing her.

    We only moved away to breathe, and after taking in a mouthful of air, I kissed her yet again. Our tongues sloshed over each other, over and over, spreading the warmth.

    After minutes passed like that, we slightly pulled away, the veil falling over her face yet again. I pressed my forehead against hers and muttered.

    "You came here to finalize the marriage, huh?" Continue your adventure at empire

    "There''s too many critters around you."

    My hands around her waist tightened.

    "Jealous?"

    "Not at all."

    "Heh, lying, are we?"

    "Tell me, have you ever told anyone else that you love them?"

    I thought back.

    And shook my head.

    She ced her hand on my cheeks, gently stroking it.

    "And me?" She asked.

    "I love you," I said right away, words almost leaving me faster than I could think of them. Lethe leaned in once more and sealed my lips with her.

    "Say it again."

    I gently ran a hand over her hair.

    "I love you."

    "I love you more."

    "No, I do."

    "No, me."

    "What the heck? I do, that''s final."

    "I''ll smash your head in with a chair. I love you more, and that is what''s final."

    "Ahem."

    Unable to hold himself back, sses finally coughed out loud.

    "Lord and Lady Dark Moon, it is my honor to see you again. I am very happy to know you''re alive, lord."

    "Shut up clown," I said. His hope of seeing me dead clear in his eyes even for me. "Go wait in my office."

    He slightly turned his chin up and I shook my head. He had noticed Noa too, and thought he was going to help me. What a nice surprise, maybe I should hit him a little less today.

    I held Lethe again when he was gone.

    "Where were we?"

    ***

    Noa peeked down the window of the room that Maria had assigned her to.

    Down there, around the stables, two people with white hair kissed over and over.

    This was¡­

    Barely spicy at all.

    Regardless of her actions, she considered herself pure and simple. In that sense, the man down there was pretty much ying with her.

    Even though she had not bothered hiding her presence, he didn''t stop.

    Scum, to put it nicely. He was just irredeemable trash for ying with her like this.

    Noa thought to herself.

    Did she hold any special feelings for him? Saying no would be wrong, but she couldn''t ce thebel of love on it. She found love slightly too simple.

    She thought she shared a bond with him that could only exist between Noa and Eugene.

    She was feeling slightly dissatisfied.

    Things,cked spice.

    ***

    [A/n: Waifu wars? Waifu wars. I''ll either release 7 bonus chapters for the PS or die trying]

 Chapter 275 Dark Moon Reunites (1)

    "I''ll smash your head in with a chair. I love you more, and that is what''s final."

    "Ahem."

    Unable to hold himself back, sses finally coughed out loud.

    "Lord and Lady Dark Moon, it is my honor to see you again. I am very happy to know you''re alive, lord."

    "Shut up clown," I said. His hope of seeing me dead clear in his eyes even for me. "Go wait in my office."

    He slightly turned his chin up and I shook my head. He had noticed Noa too, and thought he was going to help me. What a nice surprise, maybe I should hit him a little less today.

    I held Lethe again when he was gone.

    "Where were we?"

    ***

    Seven people sat in my office in the outer mansion of the grounds of Apollon.

    The stupid sses of our gang.

    Albert Pinot Rizzler, the prince of Pinot and my current strategist that I was nning to milk worse than a cow in an abusive farm.

    The girl, miss sses, that I had previously met in the capital of the empire running the dark moon''s hotel and also a loyal soldier to the Dark Moon order, and not the sses.

    Lethe, the Lady Dark Moon who got the position for the grand merit of being seen with me by the Dark Moon folks.

    The two children of Fonias that were no better than snitches. Marcin and Meryl, the Fonias twins.

    And I.

    This gang of seven was enough to destroy the house Fonias inside out and then outside in once more.

    With the group in the ready, I leaned back on my chair and rested my head on the back.

    "Now, then."

    "Do you want us to tell you the weaknesses of Fonias?" Asked Marcin. "I know I came to you, Eugene, but still. I do not approve of your n to destroy my family."

    "I won''t, I won''t."

    "Then, we will cooperate."

    "I won''t need you."

    Marcin reeled back.

    "You''re just here to verify the information I have on my hands. And on my hands is the strongest information agency in the world, I say."

    "Eh."

    "Eh."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Both Albert and Lethe voiced their refusal. Idiots. Of course I had the best in the world. You guys didn''t evenpare. Especially Lethe, I was giving her my manpower! It was a deal we established an year back in the capital itself.

    "Anyway, sses, miss sses."

    Miss sses held her hands together and smiled. "Is that a nickname, for me? Lord Dark Moon has a bestowed a nickname upon me! What a grand day hase!"

    "um¡­"

    I pointed at thedy.

    And sses nodded.

    "She''s always this bonkers, my lord."

    "Damn it."

    "That said!" Thedy spoke up again. "Lord Dark Moon! Many of our people are waiting to hear and learn the Dark Moon certified whip techniques from yourself. Those grand techniques that could chop mountains in half and send angels and demons alike fluttering away! I wish you could tell us how it works!"

    Oh right.

    That was the backstory going on, wasn''t it?

    I had taken all of the techniques from the Dark Moon and was operating with the executives by telling them that I am the true inheritor of Dark Moon.

    I was weak back then and didn''t have enough manpower.

    Before I knew it, Dark Moon had grown into something sizable.

    "Hoho!" Taking his chance, the sses startedughing. It was quite weird to see a floating pair of ssesugh in the air, but you got used to it once you saw him enough. "It can''t be like you don''t know the techniques is it? I for one am very familiar with the whip, Lord Dark Moon."

    "Miss sses, smack the back of his head."

    "Lord?"

    "You have permission from his senior"

    Miss sses smiled and nodded, and then twisted her body and smacked the back of sses'' head in a single go.

    sses'' sses dropped on the ss on my table and the sses of his sses almost broke like ss, but thankfully, The sses of sses'' sses remained safe.

    Find your next adventure on empire

    Tongue twister.

    "Well, now," I sighed and picked the sses up, looking at it straight. "Information, please. Spill it."

    "I AM HERE! THOSE ARE MY GLASSES!"

    I looked back at the person who screamed.

    "Who are you?"

    "I AM GLASSES!"

    Oh no, without the sses, the essence of the sses'' being had started to fade. I almost mistook the sses for the real sses when the real sses was standing right there, without any sses.

    Oh no, without the sses, the essence of the sses'' being had started to fade. I almost mistook the sses for the real sses when the real sses was standing right there, without any sses.

    Tongue twister. Again.

    "Well then, let''s begin. We have wasted enough time."

    "Yes, in the month that you have left us alone," sses began and miss sses handed out a bunch of documents to each of us, a smile on her face.

    "We have investigated the people of the duchy with keen eyes and have found major problems with their management. Like, it sucks. Everyone is money hungry, there''s no sense of loyalty and nothing binds them together except the fact that if one goes down so will all of them.

    They could take serious notes from us, we are less of a bandit troupe or and information agency and have long since entered the phase of a cult, my lord. I mean, whips that can swipe out mountains? Who will believe it but cultists? And you shouldn''t underestimate cultists!"

    "Ok, Dark Psychology. I am just gonna get you removed from this thing entirely in second. So just wait patiently please."

    "I am sorry, I am sorry. I just, do this at times you know?"

    "sses."

    "Right."

    This bastard was taking every chance he could to remove me.

    Whether he was nning something again or was straight dumb was still a bit beyond me,

 Chapter 276 Webs of Fonias

    "What have you learned about the Fonias. Tell me everything."

    sses nodded at my words.

    "There''s quite a few problems with them, my lord. The Fonias duchy is less like a noble dukedom and more like a Mafia house. Their actions are not that different either, except, maybe, mafia''s have some sense of integrity."

    Miss sses nodded and then pulled open the binders she had handed over to each of us. Following a strange Dark Moon logo stating confidential, the contents of their investigations wereid out perfectly.

    "From killing to kissing, murder to prostitution, there''s nothing these guys are not involved in. After months of investigation, we have managed to narrow things down to three cores of their structure. What keeps them afloat. If you want to do anything to the Fonias household, politically, at least, you''ll have to get rid of these three things."

    I leaned back and propped my chin.

    "The first thing was the worst to trace, but the web their influence reached down to was shocking."

    "What do they do?"

    Experience new stories on empire

    "Money lending."

    ***

    In a faraway farnd in Schwarz, an old farmer''s house was knocked on.

    The small vige that barely saw any visitors was rather quiet and empty.

    "Coming!" A voice resounded from the small oak house as the doors opened.

    Greeting the young daughter of the farmer, were two men with scraggly beards.

    "Y-yes?"

    "Move!"

    The men pushed the girl aside and barged into the house. They started picking up whatever worthless thing filled the house and smashed it on the ground while bagging anything of even some minor value.

    "W-what are you doing!"

    "Bitch! You either pay us, or we are taking all this."

    "P-please! We''ll pay you back. In some¡ªAH!"

    The men kicked the girl in the stomach and sent her reeling away.

    Right then, someone else stepped inside the house. He red at the two men and turned his face toward the girl. "Now, let''s not do that, this girl is a valuable too."

    "Huh¡­?"

    "Bag her."

    "Yes sir."

    The men ravaged the ce inside out, they knocked down the girl and took her along. Before they left, the farmer had returned.

    "Oh my! W-whwat are! Why!?"

    "Kakkaka! You dyed the payment, of course we''re going to do this. You signed an agreement, remember?"

    "P-please! I brought all the money! All of it!"

    The men turned their heads toward their leader.

    "With interest, please, let my daughter go!"

    The leader smiled and widened his arms. "Of course, why won''t we? The cash?"

    "Here! Here, please!"

    "Hm¡­ 10, 20, hmm, you''ve got everything, more than the interest as well."

    "I-its for you, sir! Please, now!"

    "Too bad though, we''ve already taken stuff, cing it back will take too long."

    The man raised his hands and kicked the farmer, sending him reeling in pain.

    "Just in case you don''t snitch."

    With a knife in hand, he crouched over the farmer and stabbed his tongue. Then, the leader chopped off each of the farmer''s fingers before finally leaving him be.

    "Kakakaa! Amazing, leader!"

    "Brutal as ever! Serves him right, help these bastards and they suck up all your money."

    The group traveled over to the nearest town and entered their office. Where yet more people awaited them in the same business.

    "You''re right on time. I guess you got the money and the coteral."

    "Of course."

    "Great, ce it all in the bag."

    The cash was poured in a ck trash bag, and then thrown outside the buildings.

    Workers would thene and take the bags away from all such outlets in the town and the ones next direction over. A caravan of cash would then be formed and sent straight to the cities.

    Large corporations, merchants, and banks.

    "A loan of three hundred thousand gold coins? That won''t be a problem at all. Ah, you can have it all cash right now."

    "Oh! Thank you! As expected of the bank backed by the Fonias family."

    "Just sign at all these ces, and please remember you aren''t to miss any payments."

    "Of course!"

    Just like that, in all the rooms of the banks across the many cities, new and old businesses alike would take out a loan.

    And when the time to repay them came around.

    "Sir! There was a fire in the store!"

    "Sir! The Imperial Knights are here, someone reported our books!"

    Hindrances woulde in the way.

    And¡­

    "You couldn''t make the payment. We''ll be collecting the coteral¡­ Your entire business, that is."

    ***

    "From the bottom to the top, there''s no where their money doesn''t flow."

    "Troublesome."

    "For now, its still just blooming and dying business, my lord. But that is because this is the weakest of their outlets. It helps them control threats to their legal businesses while making a great amount of cash as well."

    "A slush fund?" I asked. If that was the case, then it was a rather smart way to go about it. The long trail would make it almost impossible for things to be traced back to them, and they would have enough funds no matter the ce.

    I also nced at Marcin and Meryl only to find them looking down at the ground.

    "Second¡­" Miss sses spoke this time. "Is slightly worse, a continental trade."

    I leaned forward on my desk.

    "Drugs."

    "Drugs? Is that something so worrying?"

    "About that¡­" sses spoke.

    And miss sses immediately bowed in front of me.

    "I apologize, my lord. We weren''t able to find much about this."

    "It''s alright," I waved my hands and looked at Albert. "Don''t you think all this is too¡­ in?"

    "Took words out of my mouth. I remember there being a Fonias episode in that thing, but that doesn''t tell us why all this is so typical." Albert crossed his arms. "What do you guys think?"

    At Albert''s question, sses lowered his head.

    "The problem is not that these guys are openly corrupt, it is that they have a long history of being so."

    "Hey! The Fonias is not like that! Our ancestors were righteous and truthful!"

    Marcin''s emotional words only earned a frown from everyone that had heard more than enough. Even Meryl seemed to have been trying to get him down, the boy grunted and sat back down.

    "How long have you been corrupt for then?" Asked sses.

    "About¡­ three hundred years¡­"

    "That''s history enough, my lord."

    "What''s your point?" Lethe asked this time. "Is it like they''re traditionally bad so let them be?"

    "Uh, that''s not far off," sses spoke. "Their influence reaches every corner of this country, my lord. I apologize for being blunt, but you''ve been born in the wrong ce."

    "That''s alright. Don''t apologize."

    "Simply speaking, the ruler in ipetent, the heirs even more so. The one who showed a slight hint ofpetence, princess Hoya, is now too busy ying house in the academy." sses sighed and continued.

    "From the ministers to the other nobles, knights, the court, banks, ports, merchants, there''s no one in this kingdom not involved with the Fonias except the margraves, the duke of the south and his faction, and Marquis Hall. If you want to bring them to justice legally, that is impossible."

    "Hmm¡­"

    "And the best ce to see this, is the third thing on our list. The ck market they run in the capital city."

    ***

    In the outer edges of the capital city of Schwarz, not far into woods yet not close to the city, existed a small cave guarded by knights.

    Carriages of pure ck rolled through the streets and neared the edges of the city where the cavey.

    Stepping out of them,dies and gents in masks strode over to the caves.

    The people handed over a small token to the guards and, the guards moved aside.

    "Please do not look back as you enter. We thank you for your patronage."

    "Hoho! Of course!"

    The group stepped inside.

    All of their statures filled with nervousness. Without looking anywhere else, they walked straight into the cave. Sounds of drums resounded and then bangs and screams echoed.

    And atst they crossed a slight turn in the cave.

    One of their gazes went to the back.

    "AAAAAAH!"

    And the person disappeared.

    "Don''t look anywhere else, we''re almost there."

    The group of guests were overtaken by a burst of light. And when they finally passed through.

    The sight of the grand ck market revealed itself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Auction! Supreme auction! Buy the best quality items now! Made with alchemists from the kingdom of sages!"

    "Oh! Will this beast win, or will the farmer with his plough win once more? Bet here!"

    "Think you''re strong? Then join coliseum now!"

    "Oh! Lady there, with the mask, oh, everyone here has masks ahahah! Anyway, you can use some of our beauty drugs."

    "And for today''s attraction! We have special ves waiting to be sold. All VIP customers, please make your way here."

    ***

    "All the scum of the kingdom gather right there," said sses. "If you want to topple Fonias over, you''d best handle all these three first. But knowing you, lord, you''re going to suggest we kill them, right?"

    "We will, we will," I nodded. "But only after sucking up everything they have. Webs this deep. I am going to take them for myself."

 Chapter 277 Carnage

    Noa stepped out of her room with a in face. The stupid Eugene must have been in his study and so would have been Albert and Luka. Lethe had long since gone to sleep and the teachers had decided to take a stroll outside in Apollon. The two girls with Princess Hoya were a slight trouble, but nothing special.

    For the girl that had been long looking for spice, no better opportunity was going toe around.

    She stepped out of the rooms on the first floor of the mansion and found most of them sitting in the hall of the mansion. Around the firece, the remaining members of the troupe which were mostlydies sat together.

    Maria and Lily leaned against the couch and read a book each. Lady Sophia was filing her nails, while Dawn meditated to increase her Ki.

    Other than them, she was lucky to have only seen one white haired girl in the mix. Meryl Fonias.

    Noa stepped in the center, and turned toward Dawn, the only person she had gottenfortable with in thest few days.

    "Say, Miss Dawn," she called. "Do you like Eugene?"

    Two books were dropped.

    And so was a nail filer.

    A poor Meryl was shocked by the sounds and had no choice but see the scene of carnage.

    "L-l-like? That bastard?" Dawn muttered. "I mean, yeah, why not¡ª"

    "Haven''t you been sleeping with him?"

    "Ahak! Ahem, ahem!!" Lady Sophia at the back coughed out loud. Her hand hovering over her mouth and her chest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Sleeping with him?

    Before marriage?

    And also, wasn''t Lord Eugene already a thing withdy Lethe? If she knew he was avable she would have long since attacked him!

    "What? Do you like him too?" Noa asked, peeking at Sophia who was busy coughing.

    "His power? Yes, I am quite hungry for it."

    "Oh¡­"

    Noa turned away.

    This girl had different intentions.

    "Excuse me?" This time, Maria interrupted. She was initially going to interrupt Noa, but Sophia''s words intrigued her more. "What do you mean, Lady Sophia? Does that mean you like that he is strong?"

    "Uh, no." Sophia shook her head. "I mean, I would have to be either blind or stupid to like him romantically."

    The others in the room flinched.

    "I like his strength, not that he is strong. Well, what is the point here, Miss Noa? You should have such conversations¡­ in private."

    Meryl nodded in agreement.

    She wanted to send them packing on her own, stand guard on their doors holding a do not disturb sign. Anything to not see carnage with her own eyes. Women were scary.

    "I am not here to have a personal talk. I am sure the lot of you like him."

    Noa sighed and slumped down on the couch.

    Almost, she was almost nailing it.

    How hard was it to change her expression in front of people that were in. But she still did.

    It was all for the spice.

    "Well, I like him too. Quite a bit."

    The weeks of journeying, and the way they got to know each other, it was all some of the spiciest stuff she had ever experienced.

    In all of it, a different type of feeling naturally bloomed in her chest.

    "But, I bet you''re sitting back twiddling your thumbs in fear of that Acacia girl," Noa continued. "And that little piece of shit either doesn''t realize we like him or doesn''t want to admit it. I doubt he''s dense though, he probably thinks many-timing is good."

    This part was heartfelt.

    She swallowed some words, though.

    Words she had heard not that long back¡­

    About love.

    Was what she felt love? She wasn''t sure. Maybe the others here did, but Noa, who had barely experienced enough spice in her two lifetimes, had barely any idea of what love was.

    And that was why she found Eugene and Lethe''s rtionship special.

    And that was why¡­ she was jealous.

    As if she had just eaten a ming hot chilly, her heart had been burning with spice after witnessing that scene.

    So she wanted to figure it out. And if it was love, she also wanted to win and keep him all for herself. Whatever that would take.

    "I am still going to take him for myself. Lady Lethe is great, but all is fair in love and war, and I don''t about love, but this sure is war."

    The other girls in the room were stunned at Noa''s words.

    "You keep twiddling your thumbs, losers. Just do it in fear of me next time. Ciao."

    With an extremely ungraceful closing line, Noa hopped off the couch and dashed back away into her room, her exit just a notch more ungrateful.

    But this was enough¡­

    Stay connected with empire

    "War? Young master has enemies?"

    "Young master has been sleeping with others? Even though he told me never to leave his side? Eh? I thought we were going to get married?"

    "Miss Lily? You should know that is asking too much. You need status like mine! Cuteness like mine¡­"

    "Haha, that brat. She just said her piece and left."

    Meryl was trapped helplessly in between four fearsome vixens.

    She wanted to cry and run away in front of the murderous intent all of them released, but she thought just moving around was going to get her killed.

    Her cousin sure was loved.

    She just hoped they could handle that some other time, like, any time she was not around.

    "Young master¡­."

    "Mommy¡­"

    ***

    "So, you called me about drugs?"

    Luka asked, now out of the box, he seemed rather pissed at the two of us for leaving him like that, but it was totally his fault for going all woe is me on us.

    "Pretty much," Albert said. "Did you ever notice any strange or special drugs in your previous life? I don''t know of any such thing."

    "Why would you? You''re not a regressor like me," Luka said. "Well, I am sure you''re something though. Tell me whenever."

    "Why whenever?" I called. "I thought you knew we were from another world?"

    Luka and Albert both looked at me, and then they both sighed.

    "So it is true¡­"

    "We had never really told him, you know?"

    They seemed strangely affected by it.

    "Who cares, grow up, get used to such things. Now, Luka, drugs."

 Chapter 278 Workers Obtained

    "Drugs, huh?" Luka ced a hand on his chin and deliberated on my words a bit. It was nice to see him start epting people for who they were. Transmigrator rights, people.

    "Why are you asking me though?" Luka asked. "I mean, I don''t think I was involved with any small businesses or any big public health crisis like this. And honestly, with invaders all around, some people were better off with drugs."

    "Nope," Albert shook his head. "We don''t mean small stuff like that. As much as I hate to admit it, Eugene''s Dark Moon truly is better at gathering information than most I have seen. That they could understand that they could trace the few shipments and rumors and deduce that the Fonias are also dealing in drugs was pretty impressive."

    Albert had quizzed the two sses like a professor checking if the submitted project was trulypleted by the student or not. They were really weirded out, but managed to answer everything.

    "If it was small drugs like that then they would have found out. Something scarier, worse."

    "Probably something that can''t be in the hand ofmoners and won''t be of use to anyone but a strong niche."

    Luka raised his head and thought a bit more.

    "Drugs like that, huh? Reminds me of one of the displeasing demons."

    I slightly flinched.

    "There was one that gave people a potion that could increase their strength rapidly. It was somewhat of a popr item amongst demon worshippers¡­"

    "Demon worshippers? Again?"

    "You think they are involved?"

    Intriguing.

    What was the reason that they couldn''t be? A niche market, possibly highly paying clients, and considering that the Fonias had three hundred years of history as being the big bad of this country, it wasn''t far off.

    I licked my lips.

    It seemed I was going to get another chunk of hell for myself.

    It was going to be helpful for me to unify all the realms before the outer gods made their way inside.

    "What was the name of the demon?"

    "Bathym," Luka answered.

    "Drugs and devil worshippers, money lending, andstly a ck market. Guess we have something we need to bring down right away."

    Albert stretched his hands.

    "How are you nning on doing it?"

    We had a month long time.

    And three businesses to take care of. Doing it legally would be troublesome, and I still did want to win over their business and take their influence over the kingdom for myself.

    One of them was too shrouded in mystery.

    "Albert," I called. "Do you think you can handle the money-lending business with everyone here?"

    "Sounds good," Albert nodded.

    "I''ll go and personally sniff into the drugs thing," I said. "And then we can handle the ck marketter."

    And then.

    We''ll just go ahead and swallow the entirety of Schwarz. The princess would have no choice but to help us as well.

    "Money lending, huh¡­ I guess it''s time to show the power of modern day business strategies."

    "Woah, scary¡­"

    I guess he must have been grinning evilly.

    Well, the same one was falling on mine too.

    "Scary!"

    ***

    That evening, I had called everyone together to share dinner. It felt strange for me to not eat with the people living in my house, even without them living in the same house, I always felt a need to eat with others, but maybe it was about time I got used to that strangeness.

    "h h h."

    "b b h."

    Discover stories at empire

    "What? I can''t hear you?"

    "Speak louder."

    It was fine with two, or maybe even ten people, but this here was a giant ass circus troupe that I was stuck with. All of them were worse than circus clowns as well, which made hearing one over the other tougher.

    Well, at least the table was lively.

    Keith and Albert did seem greatly annoyed by therge crowd though. And the two Fonias twins were extremely ufortable.

    I spent most of the time chatting with Lethe and telling her about my ns in the future. Eventually, when everyone finished up, I decided it to be a good time to intervene their conversations.

    "Alright, all of you, ears here please."

    "Heh? Why would we do that¡ª"

    I threw a fork at Luka and he shut right up.

    "You might know or not, but we''re nning to purge this country of some serious evil."

    "Excuse me?" This time Princess Hoya spoke out, Anatolia and Adelia next to her flinched slightly. "What do you mean evil? In this country, lord of Apollon."

    Did she think she could use her title in front of me by calling me the lord of Apollon? What an idiot.

    "I believe it is not my job to exin your and your families ipetency to you, Princess Hoya, but I can give you a crash course at ater date for a steep discount of being spared from your bbering and petty attempts at power y."

    Did I go too far for nothing? Who cared.

    "Anyway,ing back."

    I ced my spoon down and smiled out brightly.

    "Since all of you have eaten my food and slept in my beds, you all will be repaying me."

    Miss Rio, who was about to bite into a slice of her steak, slowly pulled her fork away.

    "P-pay you back¡­ how much?" Sophia asked.

    I smiled brightly.

    "Manualbor. You''re going to help us out."

    "No chance," Dawn muttered. "I would, but I dislike your way of asking."

    "Nothing in it for us¡­" Hoya growled as well.

    "Alright, then pay up 30 million gold coins."

    "Pfft!" Anatolia spewed out the wine she was sipping on and Adelia patted her back.

    "That''s 3 million more."

    "Ahak! Ahak!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Hey, hey!" Irina jumped in this time. "What kind of meal is worth 30 million huh? What kind of price is that?"

    "It''s the price of warmth and not just meals!" I mmed the table and stood up. "Would you put a price tag on your mother''s love? Would you? This is the same! Do you have any idea how tough it was to bear with all of you all''s bullshit thest few days?! Huh?"

    "What an ass¡­"

    "He''s the worst¡­"

    I sat back down and crossed my arms.

    "Either pay up, or agree to work."

    "Kuh¡­" Irina screeched. She seemed to have been considering going at me right away, but instead lowered her head. "Fine."

    Hoya sighed too.

    "I''ll see if your words truly hold any weight."

    "Oh, I am not gonna do anything, you''ll be running at Albert''s beck and call."

    "You bitch!"

    "Fucker!"

    Curse all you want losers. I''ll be sucking all of you for all you''re worth.

 Chapter 279 Spirit Magic (1)

    "Going off the grid alone? I am sorry, but did you think I won''t figure out what you''re doing?"

    If god.

    And hear me out here.

    If god had a machine that could purely annoy people on a rate of one to ten, and like, we set it on eleven. Would it be possible to be more insufferable than that machine itself?

    I say yes.

    And that very more insufferable being was in front of my eyes, making every breath taxing.

    "Miss Irina, what do you want?" I asked.

    Were her words that annoying? Her actions? I didn''t know. But I did know that she was a fucking loser. If there was a race for losers alone, she woulde second, because that''s how much of a loser she was.

    "I am here to keep an eye on you, Eugene Hall," said Irina Lester. Maybe she wasn''t as annoying, but her waterlogged ganglion of a brain had managed to annoy me to no extent.

    She hade found me after I had informed everyone at the dinner of their fate and their expectations and had added that I would be leaving the ce to them and go look into one more problem.

    "We have your punishment to settle. As someone that has been harassed by you to no end, I think you deserve all the shade I throw you. And so, I suggest, that you carry out this punishment we had decided in a long-form."

    "What do you mean?" I asked. When she brought up the part about harassment, I couldn''t argue anymore.

    "I''lle with. Whatever you''re up to is probably no good, and since you kids are nning to do something absurd, it is natural that us teachers keep an eye on you."

    "So that''s what this is about?" I asked. "You''re doing this because you think we''re kids in need of supervision?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You will never not be as long as you''re students. It is part of it, the other part is that I want to make your life insufferable."

    I hated this bitch.

    "Fine, but why can''t I take Miss Rio then?"

    Irina shook her head and sighed.

    "That girl will excuse everything you say and do by iming that you''re doing something good and that she knows because she is your teacher. Just what did you do to make her trust you so much?"

    "I''vee to learn there''s just ack of agreeable folks in general, more than you would imagine."

    "Oh, I can see. I feel it in my veins this very moment."

    Irina grinned and my forehead twitched.

    "Fine," I said. "I''ll take you along, but it''s going to be much more dangerous than what you could have done here."

    "All the more reason to be involved. I don''t think it''s going to be as bad as going to hell though."

    "Why so? Hell''s my backyard at this point."

    Irina tilted her head and I nodded. That was the n at least. I mean did people really think I was going to let the ce that made a bike leave be? No way, that city was going to join Apollon the first thing when I hold all the power in this country.

    "Fine," Irina sighed. "Then, what is it? What kind of ''evil'' are you nning to vanquish?" Experience tales with empire

    "Drugs," I said with a grin. "We head at the break of dawn."

    No more words or exnations were needed. She was rather useful in that regard. She didn''t even ask for any rification as she left.

    The night in Apollon passed well.

    Within the next month, I had a country to rule. From the shadows.

    "Before that¡­"

    As I looked outside in the backyard of my mansion, the sight of a few little spirits flooded my eyes.

    "Let''s go get stronger."

    ***

    Titania dragged me to the back of the Ediab forest, saying the presence of the spirits was the strongest here. Where the once original base of Dark Moon used to be and thendmark that announced my presence and the strength of the good old World''s End sh, now stood mansions and properties for the nobles that had decided to snakily invest in the city.

    Since it was far, it was no better than living in a reclusive home.

    Thankfully, the forest was big and we had enough space to train deeper inside.

    I sat on a small stone while Titania floated in front of me.

    The dark of the night was stronger here as barely any light passed through the canopy of the trees. Grass had grown on the ground and some of the green moss held a faint glow.

    Even though the night was as dark as the area under a bed, for me, visibility was notpromised at all.

    "Hahaha!"

    "Hehe!"

    "Kieekiee!"

    Small spirits were constantly running about in the air while others hopped up and down, all of them filling the night with a glow akin to the stars falling to the ground.

    "How many do you see right now?" Titania asked.

    "About thirty?"

    "You''re growing faster than I thought¡­" Titania said. "Well, to begin with. There are well over three hundred spirits in our immediate vicinity, Eugy."

    "Three hundred¡­ huh?"

    Titania then floated in front of me and stretched her body, cracking her waist and stretching her hands above her head.

    "To give you a hint of what you can do with these spirits¡­" she snapped her fingers.

    The spirits around me started gathering toward Titania.

    In the next moment, all the mana and the ki around started to disappear, and something different, something murky overtook it all.

    "Watch. Carefully."

    She snapped her fingers once more.

    And my hair rose on end.

    A slight breeze picked me up at first.

    My eyes shifted to the side where the stones and the rocks all around slowly started to float into the skies. Followed byrger ones. Bushes and trees alike trembled as the glow spread on them all in the blink of an eye.

    The ground below.

    Merged with the sky above.

    "Woah¡­"

    The entire forest started floating.

 Chapter 280 Spirit Magic (2)

    My body soared high into the sky as the spirit magic that the tiny little fairy activated sent the entire world flipped on its head. The ground below slowly started to side up in chunks, and the sky above slowly started to move down.

    I could see the moon above, blocked slightly by the growing trees and thend that came out from the ground, and when I peeked down, the clouds and the night sky was below. Like a canvas flipped on its feet. Like a mixture blended in a cup, everything had changed.

    My bnce started to break apart as I could tell my up from my down and my left from my right anymore.

    Titania snapped her fingers again, and things started to fall back in ce. My eyes spun in confusion and dizziness overtook me.

    By the time I could blink, the ground was below once more and the skies above once more.

    The little spirits that I could previously see were now gone. I could see one of them move behind a tree with a bead of sweat on its head.

    "Eugy, did you see?"

    "Uwaak."

    I puked.

    ***

    After emptying out my stomach and calming down the dizziness, I sat once more on the same rock as before while Titania floated in front of me.

    "Do you know what spirits are?" She asked.

    "I don''t. Not really."

    "Let me exin things from the beginning then," she spoke and raised her hands, two fingers stretched out.

    "Humans, as a being have ess to two primary forms of energy, mana and Ki. Mana is refined further into Arcana, where you are, and Aether where that principal of yours is. Ki, on the other hand, isn''t refined, but simply expounded on."

    I nodded.

    "As we put it in my previous world. Magices from the world and Kies from within."

    "Correct," Titania crossed her arms and nodded. "Even amongst Ki, many stages exist. Charge Ki at the bottom, Aura Ki, Projectile Ki, Manifest Ki, Intent Ki and Soul Ki. Beyond which are people that aren''t easy to judge, but we call Ki Kings and Ki Emperors anyway. Just so you know, there''s only three Ki Emperors in the world right now."

    "Ki Emperor¡­ huh?" I repeated. "Is Kai one of them?"

    "The strongest that has ever been," Titania nodded. "I could tell from a nce."

    "I am starting to think you''re not as Chuunibyou as I thought."

    Titania came closer and kicked my head. That truly wasn''t on me.

    "Then," I spoke, "There''s holy energy that angels and priests use."

    Titania nodded then.

    "Correct, it is also used by the gods in the upper realm. Again, the distinctions you humans have made only exist for you since you''re weak."

    I puffed my cheeks.

    "Aw, not you, Eugy."

    Easy.

    "Demons use demonic energy. And fairies like us borrow the power of Alfheim itself. That handles all the realms."

    "In that case," I asked. "What do sorcerers use?"

    "They call upon the strength of the spirits. Beings that exist in every realm and none at the same time, the viruses of the world if you will."

    Now that was just rude.

    "In that sense, is spirit magic a notch higher than sorcery?"

    Titania smirked and ced her hands on her waists.

    "Did you not see?"

    "Uhk¡­ I saw too well¡­ I might puke again."

    Titania then nodded.

    "Spirits are viruses, they can mess with things that exist in each realm by overriding it. They manipte the realm itself, simr to how the strength of Alfheim stems from the realm."

    I leaned back and thought.

    Demonic and holy.

    Mana and Ki.

    Spirit¡­ and Alfheim?

    "Is it a way the realms bnce out the strength of Alfheim?"

    Titania flew over and patted my head. "Full points for my Eugy!"

    "Of course, I am genius from birth, my dear Titania."

    "I bet! Total genius!"

    "Hohoho! Now then, we have hit another clue, Titania."

    Titania raised her brow. "What clue?"

    "Oh dear, did you forget already? What I used and what my mother seemingly was famous for?"

    "World''s end¡­"

    "And World''s beginning."

    The two of us stared at each other and smiled.

    "If mine is a mixture of two energies, then hers should be the same."

    "Then a third would exist too?" Titania muttered. "I never thought of it, your energy was the first of its kind I had known of as well. It would anyway be impossible to merge the two if not for your out of this world control."

    There was yet one more facet to things revealed.

    I wanted it. This third type too.

    "Can anyone learn the spirit magic?"

    Titania hummed at my words. "But only fairies or ones acknowledged by Alfheim can use its powers. As for Demonic Energy, you are already able to see it, right?"

    I nodded this time.

    "How do you think we can go about getting the gods'' energy?"

    Titania crossed her arms and thought.

    "They have authorities too."

    "Hey, then what is an authority?" I asked, confused.

    "Think of it like your honeb defense thing. Can''t you just call the skill name and it would appear? An authority is simr, a level of mastery and control formed over generations that they can deplete. For demons its in their horns and for gods and angels, in their halos."

    "It''s just an application of their strength?"

    Titania nodded.

    "It''s only with the strongest. Ah! Think of it as their tiers, the ones with authority are Ki emperors or Aether users while ones without are everything else. Useless."

    That made a lot of sense.

    "So, should we start?"

    Titania pressed out her chest, and ced her arm atop it.

    With a smile, she said.

    "Nah, I am too tired after doing that."

    "Figures. We''re leaving at the break of Dawn anyway."

    She slumped over my head and whined. "Let''s go back and sleep, Eugy. Let''s go back and sleep."

    She didn''t even wait for us to go back as she went to sleep atop my head.

    Hah.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I wanted to sleep too now.

 Chapter 281 How to Take Down a Duchy - Planning [Bonus Chapter]

    At the break of Dawn, I pulled up the windows of my room and jumped out after leaving a small note back there. I had already told them that I''ll be leaving so there wasn''t any guilt like the first time I did this. The reason I took the window instead of the door, of course, was to ditch that bitch.

    I hopped off and jumped straight out of the walls of the mansion. After heightening my senses, I checked back inside for anyone¡­.

    Nope.

    I was free!

    Without looking back, I started to dash through the trees, jumping over one branch after the next.

    After building some distance between myself and Apollon, the next tree I stepped on moved.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I jumped back, but immediately, all of its branches like hands reached out and grasped at my toes.

    "The hell!?"

    The tree slowly started to mutate as its body fluctuated in and out, and in the next blink, it was reced by a woman in a pink dress with pink hair flowing down. A parasol was in her hand while she carried a tiny bag in the other, her countenance was like the picture of a princess from children''s fairy tales.

    "Found, ya, little shit!"

    Her words were anything but.

    Inded on another tree and kicked it once. Didn''t change. When I turned back to Irina Lester, I frowned.

    "What the heck was that?"

    "I thought you''ll pull a fast one, so I decided to turn into a tree."

    "That makes exactly zero sense."

    "Why?" Irina tilted her head. "You were about to run, so I became a tree."

    "How dumb is that? Is your brain operated by three little earthworms?"

    "I caught you! What does that say about you then? Ants? Is that what''s in your head, fucking pheromone-less fire ants?"

    I¡­

    Did I just lose this one?

    Biting my lips, I got down from the tree and red at Irina Lester.

    "Fine, tag along then."

    "Of course, you don''t have the option of me not going." Irina beamed back. "How are you nning to take care of a drug problem anyway?"

    I snapped my fingers and brought some documents from my dimensional storage.

    "There are some consignments that my people suspect to be the way the drugs are being transported. They couldn''t snoop in enough since the security was too tight, but our skills are better. After this, we''ll try to hit their buyers and their production as well."

    "Intriguing. So, where is this consignment going to be transported from?"

    "Not far, it usually travels through thend of our neighbors, the Mirxa Margrave''s fiefdom."

    "Heh."

    "Well, do tag along," I ced the document back in my spatial storage and stretched my hands. "If you can, that is."

    Leaving those words, I dashed ahead as fast as I could. Ki and Mana filled my legs forming a light purple swirl around them as I tore through the trees with each step.

    A three day long distance was to be covered in the next five hours.

    She could take her timeing along.

    ***

    Albert woke up in the morning with his hair in a mess. Though he woke up, he had barely slept all the night, busying himself with the workings of the market copse he was to bring.

    And after long hours of nning, he knew just well how to move things. Keeping every person on his hand in mind, he had decided to assign the goris on a guerri tactic and the decent ones market operations.

    His n was simple, much like Eugene''s, albeit, much more violent.

    Unlike Eugene who was chasing efficiency, Albert believed he held a lot of power in his hands, which came along with leisure of operation. Just destroying them wouldn''t be satisfying. Not until he got to see their faces scrunch up in regret and tears filling every orifice in their faces. It was either that or seeing them be nailed into a wall with an industrial nail gun, one nail a day.

    The second option was too hasslesome.

    The first and foremost step that he was to take was to slowly take control over the people that brought in the cash.

    Second was to build up two businesses himself. Thankfully, Apollon was loaded, and the one person who could lust after its money had gone over to handle some drugs.

    Things were very convenient for Albert.

    Hebed down his hair, put on his shirt, and stepped out of the room.

    Down below near the firece, all the members remaining here had already gathered.

    "Yo, Albert," Luka called. "You sleptte."

    "I didn''t sleep at all," Albert answered stretching his hands above his head. As he stepped in front of everyone, all of them turned to face him.

    Half of them had nk faces, and the other half were annoyed.

    "Alright, I''ll be telling all of you what we need to do."

    "One fucking meal gets us here, huh?"

    "Should I maybe reach into the empire''s coffers?" Anatolia spoke up. Now that Eugene was gone, her courage debuff had left as well. "Maybe thirty million."

    "It''s that per person," Lethe spoke up and Anatolia flinched. Continue your adventure with empire

    "Why do you get to decide that?" Hoya asked.

    "The warmth of my spouse is my warmth as well. It''s only natural."

    This was troublesome.

    Sighing, Albert spoke up.

    "If things go well you all can probably make ten million each."

    All of them stopped and turned to him. Money, an eternal, unmovable solution. It shined today just as bright as it did any other day.

    "Alright. Luka, you''re going to slowly win over people of their business that handle the collections. Feel free to break their legs. Miss Dawn, Mr Keith, princess one and two, you four will be joining him."

    Albert announced the n mercilessly.

    "Rest here, we''re going to open a speciality shop."

    Eugene had already told him of how fashion in hell was very different from fashion here. Thankfully, Eugene also ran a fashion store in house.

    "That''s going to double as a money lending business."

    Albert was going to defeat them at their own game.

 Chapter 282 Big Dreams

    A man with eyes akin to a thin slit sat in a small office in the distant towns of the central Schwarz.

    The town,nding in the territory of a count, was rather ced well in the center of multiple viges, and with the city of the count right in the back, the ce was the perfect spot for their business.

    "Man, do you think that farmer fromst time survived?"

    "I bet his daughter would have tasted good, did we have to hand her over?"

    The two of his henchmen continued bothering him with their senseless words.

    "What say, leader?"

    At the call, the man with slit eyes leaned back on his chair and ced his feet on his table. He reached into his drawer and pulled out a hand-rolled cigarette filled with Kush.

    "Both of you have no drive, Carter, Logan."

    "No drive?" The bigger of the two hunks asked. "Ah, leader you''re going high before even lighting your joint."

    "Shut up," the leader snapped at Carter. "Go and bring the newspaper in. Fucker."

    The leader took in a puff of his joint and felt his mind calming down.

    Yes, neither of these two idiots held any pride or drive. Even though they were part of the group pretty much ruling of this country through its shady deals, they were satisfied with simply being the ''on-paper'' owners of a real estate business.

    They had to dream big, and aim even bigger! Fuck, they could own the viges. They could boss around with power. The head of a ce should be quaking in their boots at the mention of his name! That''s what he wanted.

    Stretch a hand and take anything you want.

    That was power.

    That was what influence held.

    And here he was stuck with these two bbering fools.

    Carter opened the door to their tiny little office and stepped inside with the newspaper that was delivered in the middle of the day.

    "There you go, leader," he tossed it over to his hands and the leader flipped it open. He pulled out a small piece of paper inside the newspaper and tossed the thing away.

    These were the details of the people that the money had been lent to from their boss in the count''s city. They would collect it all, and then head over to deliver the money.

    "Hm, this one is in the town itself?" The leader said, taking another puff of smoke. "Hm¡­ donut shop guy, huh? I always knew it was absurd."

    The leader mmed the paper down and sat up.

    If he wanted to dream big, he had to show results. Even if it was with these two losers, he was going to do it.

    "Come along! Come on!" Stay updated via empire

    The two men covered themselves with long trench coats and stepped out of the building. Bells tolled and the din of the crowd filled their ears as the people of the town filled the streets outside.

    Many people walked around hand in hand with all kinds of foodstuffs, while many others had just returned from their groceries and were heading back home. People busy with their jobs weren''tcking and neither were adventurers spending the day drunk.

    The leader continued smoking as he pushed away the people on the sidewalk, young and old didn''t matter.

    With his two strong men on both sides, the leader found his way to the central parts of the city. There, a small shop stood.

    With a giant skull as its base.

    The shop''s counter was in one eye of the artificial skull and the billing was done in the second, while donuts were showcased in the gap for the teeth.

    "Fuck, this weird donut shop always pisses me off!"

    Screamed the leader. The stupid skull-shaped donut shop, who would even buy something from such a ce?

    No, it was actually a good idea. It was an idea with a lot of drive and uniqueness. Borrowing money to make this shop, is pretty good. People thought so too, it brought in a ton of customers.

    If only.

    If only this little fuck had made actually good donuts that didn''t taste like fucking bones and had the same texture too!

    God, the leader was annoyed. He was annoyed as hell.

    He walked up to the counter on his own tapped on the ss. Standing on the other side was man with a mohawk and piercings.

    "Hey, can I get today''s special?" The leader asked, taking another whisk of the smoke.

    "Sure, sure," the man answered. He reached into the freezer and pulled out a donut. The bastard didn''t even have the decency to serve it hot, or in a te or something.

    The leader grabbed the donut, and drived it ahead into the sever''s mouth.

    "EAT SHIT!" He screamed, pulling out the badass one-liner he had been smoking on since he left his office.

    But, before he could drive it into the Mohawk''s face, a boy with red hair and a ck apron stopped him.

    "Kuh¡­"

    He tried to move his hand, but couldn''t.

    "You little¡ª"

    "That donut¡­ was made by a person dear to me," the boy spoke. He then dived ahead and bit it himself. "Hm, as I thought. It''s tasty as fuck."

    "Who are you?!" The leader shouted. All the patrons around gazed at him. "What are you watching for? Get this bastard!"

    "Sir!"

    Logan and Carter jumped ahead in an attempt to stop the red-haired boy, but without letting go of the donut in his mouth, the boy pulled out two more donuts and stuffed their faces. Speed that couldn''t be hoped to matched in full disy.

    "Oh¡­ this¡­"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Amazing¡­ was the donut always this good?"

    "Kuh! Let go! Let go you bastard!" The leader screamed and waved his free hand around. Though the boy dodged, he managed to knock the donut off of his own men''s mouth.

    "NO!"

    The boy screamed and tried to stop it, but the donut fell to the ground.

    Eyewitnesses state that a cloud of dust and blood had appeared after that. And the three men were taken back into the shop.

    Though many were curious, no one stepped near the shop anymore in fear of the new employee.

    "Now then," in the kitchen, the red-haired boy stood next to a red-haired man, ring at the three collectors. "Who do you serve?"

    """You! Boss Luka!"""

    The first step of Albert''s n had started off well.

 Chapter 283 Crackdown

    I wiped the sweat off my forehead. The capital city of Mirxa, Cornera in front of me. I had reached the ce in only three hours.

    "Amazing, that''s three days of distance."

    "You flew here, that''s like cheating on a lot of the distance, Eugy."

    I got on my shield and dashed here, true. It wasn''t really cheating though since controlling the shield was tough too. It was like second nature to me, so I also cultivated my Ki and learned more about the spirits from Titania.

    "Communication with those critters really is the only way?"

    "For you, yes."

    That sucked.

    I sighed and shook my head as I looked down at the city from up on a tree. Carriages would be making their way in and out not after long as the merchants would begin making their trades for the day.

    In this ce, we had to figure out exactly which carriage was carrying the materials or the drugs themselves as a consignment out of Mirxa.

    Luka had called dibs on this being the work of a demon. While dense amounts of demonic energy could be seen by anyone like the summoning of a demon lord or even the assignment of an apostle like was the case with the crow''s servant all those years back, items like these would likely have very faint traces.

    Only a demon like me would be able to see them.

    "Shouldn''t you be telling that Mirxa guy? He could probably help."

    I shook my head at Titania''s words.

    "That will have chances of tipping the Fonias off. We don''t know anything about their trade except the fact that drugs are likely being made. Risking things in a wild goose chase is going to hurt us. And well, I have other uses for him."

    "We have to find the best way to observe the carriages then, huh?"

    "Hm¡­"

    "Hm¡­"

    "How about posing as the guards?"

    "That could work, right Eugy?"

    "It actually can¡­ not that bad."

    Titania and I blinked. And then turned to our side. There, with a ck aura oozing behind her stood Irina Lester. I took a step back, not having noticed when she reached at all.

    "Do you know how tough it is to move like this?" Irina tried to grab my cor, but I evaded. She reached out again, and I evaded again. In the end she gave up and only grit her teeth. "Enough of your tricks now. I am going to monitor you before you do something dangerous."

    A sigh left me.

    It seemed even my attempt to run away didn''t work.

    "Fine. Fine."

    She was doing this out of worry.

    "And I am going to annoy you like shit."

    And out of hatred, yes, but worry still existed. Then, I could probably let her slide and take her along. She did persist for so long after all.

    "Alright, fine. Let''s do this together Miss Irina."

    "Finally, ugh. I thought I would have to punch you to make you understand."

    "I take it back¡ª"

    She tried to punch me. I dodged.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    She punched again, I dodged again.

    In the end, she gave up and only grit her teeth.

    "Alright, enough. The ones on the west gate is where carriages with goods move. It could be possible they''re smuggling through the passenger ones," Irina muttered. "But if this group is as well reached as you im it to be, I doubt they would do that."

    "That''s right. But this is still territory that is under the Mirxa which does not rte to them. Others will drop the amount by a lot, considering this is something that has to be smuggled in the first ce."

    Irina didn''t wait to hear more and jumped down the trees. She peered at one of the knights in the distance and pulled out her wand.

    I keenly observed her as she moved. Sorcery was a derivative usage of spirit magic ording to Titania. So while she couldn''t move the spirits, from what I understood, she could nudge them to move in a way. That was why sorcery was something that only the chosen could do.

    Chosen by the spirits that is, as someone that the spirits would consider listening to.

    As she moved her wand and chanted her machinations, two spirits came near her.

    "There''s tens."

    Tens, then.

    The spirits looked at her with deep intrigue and thenughed out loud. Like children ying in a sandbox, the spirits shot toward the knight and circled him. In the blink of an eye, the two knights standing guard suddenly had all their clothes stripped off and were wrapped by leaves.

    "This is part of it, spirits only do what they like. That''s why sorcerers are all whack," said Titania. "Remember in hell that old coot mentioned how people in his ce were dying of tummy aches? The spirits likely found that funny, or she convinced them to."

    I was sure he mentioned no tummy aches.

    "Psst!"

    Irina called to me from below and pointed at the now naked knights. I sighed and snapped my fingers as my translucent shields smashed into the back of their heads and sent them sleeping. They fell on the shields which then carried them away.

    I hopped down too and then Irina and I rushed over to the gates and changed into the knights'' uniform.

    It was crazy how, even in the armor of a knight, Irina''s princess vibe was not gone.

    "What? What are you looking at me for?"

    "I was just thinking of how I can make you suffer back, Miss Irina."

    The time to open the doors rolled around and many carriages came over to the western gate.

    While inspecting them, the two of us engaged in a war.

    Every chance she had, she would step on my toe. Every other chance, I would step on hers. We threw items from the carriages at each other and even threw an obviously illegal carriage entirely.

    The intense battle continued for a while, before I opened another carriage.

    All over the insides of the barrels, small wisps of ck energy visible to no eye but mine floated around.

    "Jackpot."

 Chapter 284 Spy

    The pedestrians in the southern capital of Schwarz all had their eyes stolen by a sight on the street walks. On the sidewalks of the busiest road next to the Daiban Camno pce, a banner fluttered on the sides. A grand shop had opened up its gates for the people.

    With mannequinsid outside the doors, a minimalist logo on the banner above, the shop dab in the middle of the poshest street left behind the sense of richness that rest exuded. Ifplex and intricate architecture signified the way the rest of the city had beenid out, then this ce alone could be called minimalist.

    Only the lighting and the spaceyyout were enough to make one attracted to the ce. For ones who had been living inplexity to fight against their normalcy, something different existed yet in this shop. Beauty in pure simplicity.

    The ones around hesitated to step inside, but there was yet another grabber for them to stop and stare.

    Items made of pure leather tightened around the few mannequins, in shy and bold yet ssy and cold poses, the mannequins pulled the people in that had never seen anything so.

    Some with different bags and ns in hand stopped and neared the mannequins outside the door. It was at that moment, the mannequins suddenly moved.

    "Woah!"

    "The heck!?"

    The mannequin, d tight in leather, invitingly waved its hands toward the shop and performed a short bow toward the customers.

    "I-is it asking us in?"

    "What is this¡­ magic? Like this?"

    "Maybe a golem? Why would a mage open a shop though?"

    The sight that had been not seen before by the people had still led them toward correct assumptions. It indeed was a magic spell moving the mannequins. Psychokinesis, top of its ss that no one but the person gazing at the store from the floor above could mimic.

    "It seems people are starting toe in," sipping on her coffee while peering down the frosted windows of the second floor, Lady Sophia Mirxa spoke to Albert. Down below, the people of Dark Moon along with the manpower that remained for him had started to serve the customers.

    Albert stepped toward the window too. People had started to flock in already.

    A grand sess.

    But, he wasn''t nning to make itst.

    A twisted smile appeared on his face as thoughts of what came next filled his mind. Ah, to raise people and drop them down. What was a better fate for anyone?

    None.

    His eyes peered outside and he noticed someone in a long trench coat walking toward the shop, a small hat on his head.

    "The Dark Moon''s flyers worked¡­" he muttered. Once again in awe at thepetency Eugene''s cronies held. "The second business'' first customers are here."

    Pulling out a golden mask, Albert covered his face and stepped away.

    It was time to greet a criminal.

    "Lord Albert, if I may. That mask? Super pretentious. It honestly, and I mean you no offense, sucks."

    Albert ditched the mask.

    He''ll just let the veiled one who looked cool like that handle it.

    ***

    "Jackpot."

    "Hey, sir. Are you done checking?"

    Inside the carriage that I had invaded, posing as a guard, were hundreds of leaves of a herb that grew in the west near the Ediab forest. The herb itself was used in a concoction for themon cold, but here, demonic energy loomed all over it.

    This was likely not grown normally, but through special means in the Mirxa territory.

    "Sir? It''s just the same herb as always. There''s just been more of your people growing it so we have more."

    The dots started to connect in my mind on their own.

    I would definitely move simrly. The Fonias were nning to suck Mirxa dry for all they are worth, and once they would be done ying with Mirxa and reaping their benefits, they would use these demonic nts to frame them by iming demon on them.

    Intriguing.

    I backed away from the carriage and nodded at Miss Irina.

    "Good to go. Just checking if you guys got any drinks in here."

    "Haha!" The coachmanughed. "If you want we can share one any day, sir. I''ll buy wine from the north for you next time."

    Albert was currently in the South. The Fonias'' drugs and main family were in their ducal territory up north.

    "You better," I said and waved the man away. The coachman shared a few more greetings before getting in with hisrades and whipping the horses to a strut out the city walls.

    Irina walked over to me at that moment.

    "Is that the one?"

    I nodded and pushed her along, ignoring the other merchants for now by iming a break. Irina and I rushed to the back of the gates and then hid into the woods once more.

    "Move fast, we better catch up to them," I said, kicking off the stolen armor. I quickly put them back on the guards we had knocked out while Irina changed too and then, I made some water and doused the knights'' face before dashing away.

    For them, it would likely be a short dream as per Irina.

    The two of us left the knights behind and dashed through the forest. It was a little annoying to see her struggle while running as she resisted using more of her sorcery, so I swooped us both on a shield and followed behind the carriage that had made its run.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Before I could even notice, three of the spirits from back there had also climbed on and were enjoying the ride.

    "It''s like a spy mission, huh?"

    "Spy¡­ I like that."

    With the carriage ahead and us behind, the spy recon began.

    And continued for two days.

    I was once again reminded how slow carriages truly were.

    It broke off the path heading up north after crossing into the North''s ducal territory. On the borders, and then at almost every big city, the drivers and the exterior of the carriage changed, and with them, so increased their strength.

    With the strongest of the drivers yet. The carriage entered a forest dense forest before arriving at a cave.

 Chapter 285 Chaos in the Drug Factory

    "Nana nanaaaa¡­"

    Night fell.

    "Nana nanaaaa¡­"

    Torches andmps lit the outside of the cave as thest shipments for the day left.

    "Nana nana! Nana! Nana nana nana! Nana nanaaaaa!"

    "Alright, Miss Irina, please. I know I said spy, but you don''t have to pull the pink cheetah on me."

    "I am surprised you know about the Pink Cheetah, it''s very old," said Irina.

    Yeah well, the Eroge hadn''t just ripped off one brand. Changing Starducks into Starquacks didn''t seem enough of a copyright infringement, they had to involve the pink jaguar too.

    "Now then," I muttered. "I guess thest of the shipments are in here for the day. But we still haven''t seen anything going out. Should we try to infiltrate the ce?"

    "Are you sure you want to destroy it right away?" Irina asked. "I am not sure if there will be other ces they are making this. And we better destroy the demand while we''re at it. Oh sorry, was that tooplex for you?"

    "You know what? Go back to singing."

    Irina tried to step on my foot again. I evaded. She did it once more and I evaded once more. In the end, she grit her teeth and looked away.

    "Just infiltration," I muttered in a soft voice. "There''s no need to break in."

    "Like spies?"

    "Of course."

    "So, what can we do?"

    I grinned.

    ***

    Two men held torches as they guarded the entrance of the cave.

    "Hm¡­ Did you get your pay this month?"

    "Taxes man, taxes. I almost don''t want it."

    "Tell me about it."

    The two exchanged small talk and looked away.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    It was then, that a rustling sound echoed in the grass.

    "Huh?"

    "You wanna check that, tax man?"

    Tax man held the torch up high and walked to the woods on the sides. The leaves rustled more and more as he walked closer.

    Another sound rang out as the leaves on the opposite side rustled too.

    "Come back! It''s a trap!"

    The man rushed back toward the entrance and held the torch high. The other got ready to rush inside the cave. Just as the torch lit up the dark cave, a man''s face appeared. Lit lightly by the torch, his red eyes and scar running down his neck glowed menacingly.

    "Kya¡ª"

    The man, Eugene, blocked the guard''s mouth and punched his throat. The guard fainted right away as the second one turned toward Eugene to break him down, but before he could, his neck was twisted from the back and he fainted too.

    Irina, behind the second fainted guard, wiped off the sweat off her forehead.

    "What was that!?" Eugene screamed in a whisper. "I thought you were some master strategist or something?"

    "I got excited about the spy thing¡­ and these bastards were smarter than they let on."

    Eugene sighed.

    "They''re really guarded¡­ We''ll best move in and out as fast as we can."

    "No." Irina shook her head. "Moving in and out is not worth it, nothing we do can stop them from being alerted."

    Crossing their arms, the two of them thought for a bit.

    "I have a n."

    "I have a n."

    Their words came out at the same time.

    "Oh, you go first then, brat."

    "No, you tell me first, super strategist."

    "Tsk. Fine. Let''s do it together."

    "And how does that work? We''re exchanging ns here. Oh, you were nning to not speak up."

    "Bit slow, aren''t you?"

    "Fine," Eugene sighed. "I''ll speak anyway."

    The two shared words for a short bit, Irina''s lips blooming into a nasty grin.

    "What a coincidence," she said. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

    ***

    The workers of the facility were divided up in different halves.

    While some maintained order and guarded the workings of the facility, the workers themselves ved away day and night. From soaking the herbs in harsh conditions topleting the magic circles over and over to finish brewing the drugs.

    Things had been divided well in two groups, the overseers and the under workers. Just as was the case in most establishments.

    Though the workers liked some of their bosses, they quite hated how their bosses could walk around without much work to do.

    Just like in most establishments.

    The hate between people was constantly rising. And the dissatisfaction too. But they all knew that going against the order was going to be the same as cutting off their own legs.

    Brewing the drugs in manyrge cauldrons in the seventh opening of the cave system that stretched far and wide underground, the workers fanned themselves with their own hands.

    "Hey hey! Keep moving thatdle! What will you do if the drugs get wasted, huh?"

    Though all of them were magicians, they had no choice but to dabble in this demanding and shady business.

    "Yes sir¡­" grunted the oldest as he moved thedle with a strong arm.

    Heat had started to rise, making all of their works harder.

    Then a sudden gust of wind came around and sent the old man swaying.

    Heat rose again, and the dizzy old man tumbled.

    "Hey! Hey! Are you alright?"

    "Old man!"

    The supervisor heard themotion and dashed over to the old man standing on the tform.

    "Old man, you alright?" He called, cing a hand on the old man''s back.

    It was then.

    A soft push came from the back. An invisible hexagon shaped object pushed the back of the old man, right where the supervisor touched him.

    And tipped him over down into the pauldron.

    "AHH!" The old man''s screams echoed out loud as he fell into the boiling concoction.

    Everyone in the room was stunned. All of their breaths held and their eyes widened in disbelief.

    "W-what¡­?"

    "The supervisor¡­ just¡­ threw the old man inside?"

    The words snapped the others out of their shock.

    "I¡­ I didn''t¡­" The shocked supervisor took a step back.

    "No! My uncle!"

    A young one screamed.

    "YOU BASTARD!"

    He grabbed the supervisor and punched him square in the jaw.

    Seeing the sight, two more supervisors came from the caves just in time as the worker punched his boss.

    "R-rebellion! They''re rebelling!"

    The supervisors screamed.

    "The bosses are killing us!"

    The workers followed.

    And thus began chaos in the first drug manufacturing nt.

 Chapter 286 Doping (1)

    "Hyah!! Throw the dynamites!"

    "Wizards, use your spells!"

    "Guards! Where are the guards?"

    Spells and screams flew alike in the middle of the cave as the supervisors and the workers engaged in battles forlorn, all of them bound to die.

    With their screams of pain and terror as background music, Irina and I flipped over all the rooms and offices they had built in the cave system. Records of what they had brought in and what they had sent out were detailed well in the shelves.

    "Won''t this kinda ruin the point?" Asked Titania and Irina and I took out some more documents. "Didn''t you want to avoid being pointed at. Someone will find things odd if they don''t find their books."

    "Hm, it''ll be a problem if they don''t find the books, huh?"

    When I repeated Titania''s words, Irina spoke up.

    "Can''t youmit them to memory?"

    "I don''t need to. Just bag everything."

    Both of them looked at me with slight confusion, but I only smiled wide.

    With a snap of my fingers, books and documents filled the ce that came straight out of my spatial dimension.

    "I had been, stocking up."

    From the east to documents telling how to cracknguages. It was all already in my head, and all of this was simply trashpared to how many volumes of tomes I still had on me.

    "No suspicion?" Titania asked.

    "Not if they only find the remains of their books."

    Goodbye, forbidden BL. I did read you, and I won''t say I disliked you, but not my jam.

    With that, Irina and I switched over the books and the documents with our own stuff, and as we left each office, set all of it to fire.

    "Huh? Who are you!" Someone screamed when they saw us outside the offices, and we simply ignored them. Just for good measure, Irina had blocked up all the exits of the caves with giant statues of frogs.

    The groups around us kept screaming, some even tried to mow us down, but with the war going in the background, we only had to tap them away.

    "I don''t think we should leave any witnesses," I mentioned as I opened the doors to another office.

    "I don''t think it matters. We set them up against each other well," followed Irina, passing through the door as well.

    Thisst one seemed to be the office of the boss of this entire shebang.

    Closing the door behind us, we dived inside and flipped the spot once more. Thevish couch and the desks brought deep inside the cave told us more than we needed to know about the treatment of the workers and bosses here.

    Pinned on the walls was a map of the cave system below. I rushed up to it and searched for any other exit we might have missed, but thankfully, there was none of it.

    It was then.

    A rattle sounded from the door.

    Both Irina and I turned back and stared at the gate that was pried open. Standing on the other side, a man in a suit with tight wrinkles and a tighter tie stood.

    "My¡­ I have never seen you two before."

    It seemed the big boss of the drug gang was here. And he was no one to take lightly. If I had to gauge his strength, then he was no one that even Gold-Ranked adventurers could face against.

    "Funny, I have never seen you either."

    "Haha, you''re quick with your tongue! It''s more fun than the previous intruders¡­" the man stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Did you rile up my workers with that tongue of yours too?"

    "Nah, I thought it was frustration at the work environment, but now I think they couldn''t live with themselves, working under a ugly snob like you."

    The bossughed and Iughed too.

    Irina stared at me with a mouth agape.

    "Do you bite as you bark, mutt?"

    The man grunted.

    Dozen spears of mes manifested around me, all of theming straight for my neck.

    "Modo Difesa."

    Before they could touch me, Catene buzzed and then turned into a long cloak, wrapping itself around me in a protective cover.

    As I pushed the cloak away, a golem of pure fire had formed in front of me, it''s punch alreadying my way.

    I took a simple step back and evaded. The agile golem followed with a sweep that I dodged with a hop.

    I neared the walls.

    And then, spikes emerged from the back like bullets.

    The spikes broke with a single swing of my arm.

    "Not bad¡­" I muttered.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You too¡­"

    The golem shot forward once more. New spikes formed again, this time from the bottom and the top as well.

    "Modo Attacio."

    As I swung my hand back, the cloak turned into a de of pitch ck. I shed ahead and tore the golem in half.

    With another swing, I gouged out the ground ahead and trimmed off all the stctites.

    "What?"

    The man yelped.

    He snapped his fingers and formed yet another dozen of ming spears, but I was already in front of him.

    "Y-you¡­"

    With a smirk, I drove the hilt of my de into his stomach. The man narrowly blocked with his staff, but couldn''t do itpletely.

    Next, I kicked his foot

    He tumbled back, and a punchunched square to his jaw.

    Killing him right away was wasteful. I wanted to extract everything from him.

    I punched and kicked the man over and over, shaving off his will to fight.

    All of a sudden, he shook his coat, and a sk fell.

    Smoke covered the ce in an instant.

    "[Gust]"

    And disappeared that very instant too.

    "Such attacks won''t work on me," I said.

    Beyond the smoke, the man was holding another sk to his mouth.

    "You bastard!" He screamed. "I will show you judgement!"

    I thought of swinging and chopping his head off before he could transform.

    But the sk in his hand.

    Was simr to the one in this facility.

    This man was drinking his own drugs, in the middle of a fight.

    It was time to see what it was worth.

 Chapter 287 Doping (2)

    ck veins bulged out from the wrinkled man''s body as his muscles contracted and expanded with each blink. His body grewrger and taller as his head started to touch the ceiling.

    "His pupils are ck¡­" Titania muttered, filling me in on the change.

    The man''s breath let out a deeply disgusting scent as his mana surged through the skies to a degree that would make his previous strengthughable. The surging of the mana did not stop, making the entire room shake from the pressure alone.

    "Something is off¡­" Titania muttered. "This is not normal."

    He was doping. Of course it wasn''t normal.

    "Eugene Hall, I think you need help here,"

    Irina muttered, the two of us staring at the man that screamed in his transformation.

    Atst, he let out another long breath and his change stopped. Now tall enough to break through the top of the room, the man with reddened muscles and ckened veins red down at me.

    Small wisps of ck fluttered around his chest.

    "Now, you are done for¡­ quack¡­"

    "Oh, my god¡­" Irina gasped. "That quack¡­ this man¡­ did he turn into a demon?"

    "Haha¡­ hahaha!" The manughed, his voice grating through our ears.

    "No," I muttered.

    I was one, and I could tell.

    This man didn''t be a demon.

    "He always was one."

    The man stoppedughing at my words.

    His muscles creaked as he looked down at me.

    "Shocking. I didn''t think a human could tell."

    It seemed I wasn''t demon enough yet. Since even I was having such a hard time bing a demon, there was no way some random guy could do it while screaming ''yeah science.''

    "It''s sad. Now die!"

    The man swung his fist ahead.

    Irina tried to move in, but before she could, my hand was covered with a swirl of mana and Ki as I punched him in the guts.

    The man reeled back, but did not keel over.

    With a stomp of his feet, more mes formed around me. Their heat was iparable to before as they had almost turned into lumps ofva. The mes formed all kinds of weapons and all of them came reeling at me.

    "[Honeb Defense: Hexagonal Shields]"

    The many shields covered me in the blink of an eye as the cave started creaking from the holes in the walls the mes brought.

    Not wasting any time, I brandished my sword and lunged ahead.

    Demonic energy gathered this time and formed the man a hammer of a murky ck.

    "GYAH!" He screamed and swung.

    I lowered down and dodged before swinging my sword. The de cut through his shin.

    "[Intent Ki]"

    My Ki made the same wound on the other leg.

    "ARGH!"

    The man tumbled backwards.

    "[Earth and Fire Magic]" He spoke out loud. "[Room of Death]"

    Balls ofva formed all around the ce, the mixture of stone and mes reaching temperatures that could melt the very air.

    As if that wasn''t enough, the balls then started bouncing all around the room without any rhyme or reason. Like a chaotic ping pong ball, the many spheres ofva dashed around forming the room of death.

    The walls of the cave started to break apart, melting through with every bounce.

    "[Hexagonal Shieldx256]"

    Covering both myself and Irina in the shields, I dived ahead once more.

    "You''re getting really annoying."

    "Human! Quack quack!"

    The shields melted over and over and formed again over and over, taking up arge chunk of my attention.

    But it wasn''t something I couldn''t do.

    I made a small gap in the shields in front of me and feinted a stab before pivoting over and kicking from the back.

    The demon fell backward.

    One of the spheres came aiming for the gap.

    Just as I nned.

    I summoned all the shields around and trapped the sphere ofva inside. Then, as fast as I could, I sent the shields over the fallen demon.

    Theva melted through it all, and plunged right toward the demon.

    "GRAAAAH!"

    A feral scream resounded in the air as the other balls ofva fell on their spots, their control lost.

    A hole started to form in the demons stomach.

    Room of death had only led to his own end.

    I walked over to the demon and stepped on his chest, the searing burns still continuing over his stomach.

    "Spells that have been materialized can''t disappear. I''ll move it if you agree to speak."

    I doubted if he could hear me over his own screams, but he nodded his head.

    I snapped my fingers yet again and the many shields formed around the sphere once more. Before they could all melt, they dropped the ball ofva on the side.

    The demon continued groaning as he tried to move.

    "Whew, good job," said Irina as she stepped ahead. "You didn''t have to cover for me though. You''re a hundred years too early for that."

    "Can''t you just be appreciative for once?"

    Irina raised her head at my word.

    Then clicked her tongue and looked away.

    "Thanks," she said.

    I was stunned.

    "What, really? I was just messing around."

    "Fuck. Whatever," she sighed and pointed at the fallen demon on the ground. "Let''s interrogate this guy and get the fuck out of this ce."

    I agreed.

    For good measure, I poured a bunch of water on his stomach and yanked him up by hair. The water had only increased the pain, but that wasn''t my lookout.

    "Now, what are you?" Irina asked.

    "I¡­ demon¡­ quack¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What are you doing, managing a drug nt for a human family?"

    "We¡­ we sell the drugs to the other demons¡­ that want¡­ to be humans¡­"

    Demons that want to be humans?

    "You all¡­ don''t deserve this life anyway! What have we done, huh¡­? Why do we¡­ have to live in that¡­ hell¡­ while you get the sun, and the skies, and the trees?"

    The demon screamed.

    "The Fonias guys are helping us live! You have¡­ no right¡­ to stop us¡­"

    Irina and I looked at each other.

    "Argh a new pain in the ass."

    "Goddamn it."

 Chapter 288 How to take down a Duchy - Execution

    In the central parts of the southern capital of Schwarz, right next to the pce of Daiban Camno, a new store had opened up.

    Starting with arge boom, the shop with its magical golem workers, the avability of clothes in different sizes allowing many to leave without any adjustments, and most of all, the presence of many things outside of clothes from essories to food items, all of this coupled with their aggressive marketing had made the ce a hit with the locals and the rich.

    To give them yet another sense of novelty, the shop took many special orders and made nonsense adjustments for the snobby rich, creating a ce liked by both parties.

    But people with any sense of business could tell.

    "Buy 1 and get 2 free!"

    "Sale 30% off!"

    "Here, dear customer, please try this new item on our menu for free!"

    Anyone with any sense of business could tell that the way the shop was going right now would just hurt them in the long run. They had to be operating on major losses in an attempt to make their business famous.

    And if they did not know when to stop, they would be giving themselves in the hands of their enemies and end up sinking themselves in the unending sea of debt.

    To make sure this would happen, was just the n of a certain bank in the southern capital.

    But, this being a part of their n was the part of Albert''s ns all along.

    Sitting alone in the underground office he had set up from the back of the new shop, Albert pulled out a bunch of documents.

    Just as expected, things were going in a bad way. Their business was slowly started to sink. Though it brought in high results, the expenditure was astronomical.

    With a smile on his face, Albert rang a small bell on his desk.

    Not long after, the door swung open and in came sses of the Dark Moon.

    "Sir, seriously, can you stop calling me like that? I am not your bitch."

    Just to annoy him, Albert rang the bells a few more times.

    sses grit his teeth and pulled back the chair in front of Albert.

    "What is it?" He asked. "Know that we are only cooperating because Lord Dark Moon has ordered us to."

    "Don''t lie, I know you''re hoping he dies alone. I noticed you writing his biography long ago."

    sses looked away.

    "What was thest line? ''My dear friend sses, I''ll leave this world in your hands. Glory to the Dark Moon'' huh?"

    "How!?"

    "Do you want me to tell him?"

    sses bit his lips.

    "How may I help you, sir?"

    "It''s time we move things to the next stage, sses. How has investigatione along?"

    sses, with a face of dissatisfaction, reached into his back and pulled out a pile of documents.

    "Here, we have found all the major businesses that have any kind of rtionship with the banks of the enemy of the Dark Moon."

    Albert picked it up and scoured through the pages. From the biggest restaurant in town to merchants with an export line, all kinds of businesses that had taken frequent andrge loans from the banks that the Fonias Family ran.

    Their money lending business had made big buck thanks to these guys.

    It was a business that was quite openly shady, yet these people had resorted to taking their loans from these guys. Even though it had beenmon knowledge amongst the top brass of how criminal the Fonias were with their methods of earning.

    "These guys¡­ should be brought to judgment too, right?"

    sses crossed his arms and nodded.

    "It is imperative we do so. We''re not all that better, but well, we can do what we want to, they can''t."

    "What the heck? You guys have been harassing people for funds?"

    "We only deal with thugs, sir. No person who shouldn''t be harmed has been harmed."

    Albert didn''t see how that made it better.

    Well, thugs could go cry in ditches and then go a feet deeper for all he cared. His friend had asked for assistance, and though he knew not what Eugene was nning, but he knew that whatever it was will be changing a lot of things.

    It would be quite short-sighted to not move with keeping the outer gods in mind.

    And Eugene was anything but¡­

    "Is he?"

    It didn''t feel right to call the person who couldn''t be bothered to hear important rules of a test not short sighted.

    Well anyway, his friend had asked, and he was going to produce results.

    "Send a letter to Luka, sses. Tell him to help those loan sharks as much as he can. Tell him to make sure they earn much more than they ever had in their entire lives."

    sses slightly reeled back.

    "Was there no other way to handle this business, sir?"

    "Of course not," Albert said. "We''ll be taking over all of their businesses after all. I''d rather help my friend run clean things, you get it?"

    Albert stood up and moved out of the door from the office.

    Now that he had decided to move things into the next phase, he had to tell the others of his ns too.

    Going up stairs of the shop, on the second floor that they had reserved for themselves, he saw the same old gang that he had been stuck with.

    Noa, Maria, Lily, the two children of Fonias, Rio, Sophia, Adelia and Lethe. It was a group that gave him shivers.

    But that was fine for now.

    These guys were going to be the key in his ns.

    "You guys, it is time for you to move out."

    "Finally," said Noa. "I was getting stiff in here all this time."

    "Boring. The boring days are over."

    "Student, is this going to be dangerous? I''ll have to monitor you ordingly."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Dangerous, yes. Just not for us."

    For everyone else.

    It was going to be most dangerous thing in the world.

 Chapter 289 Protection Gang

    [Please Kill Eugene Hall, he has betrayed us. Glory to the Dark Moon! I have been ordered by god to take the seat of the next leader.]

    "What the fuck?"

    Leaning back on a chair, Luka muttered as he flipped open a paper that had reached him through a bird.

    Therge room that he sat in had a few people around, all of them on their knees as they faced the direction Luka sat in.

    Near him were the two princesses, more of the kneeling men doing their best to fan them in the heat.

    "Hey, Mr. Keith, I got this weird letter."

    Keith, dropping down a bag of money, walked over to the man and snatched the letter from his hands.

    "Huh. I guess that sses guy let his intrusive thoughts win."

    "Should I keep this for that bastard? I can probably ckmail some data out from him."

    "You should, it is your right."

    Lukaughed at his words.

    "Were you swiping some money? Go ahead, take it."

    "You don''t need to tell me, brat."

    Keith said with a smile and swiped out the bag of cash that he was going to anyway.

    Inside the room, all the men on their feet trembled.

    "Still, to think all these fuckers had been raking in so much cash by being their stupid selves. How can you coerce people into borrowing money and then take from them so shamelessly?" Luka''s words sent all the men in the room shaking.

    "Hey, boss guy,e here."

    At his call, the boss from the small town further south from the count''s territory walked over. This here was their entire operation, all of them, now having been beaten to death and then beaten some more, had no choice but to submit to Luka.

    He was about to bully the boss guy again when the door to their business opened and in came an otherworldly beauty, her purple hair swaying in the air.

    "I got a letter from Albert. He says he wants us to collect as much money as we can and start sending it to the bank."

    What would have been a notice of relief for the people that had their entire operation stolen from them under minutes felt no better than a death threat.

    They couldn''t help but think that the voice that had announced this was of the angel of hell.

    Keith tossed the bag of coins back and Luka stood up, his face turned into a frown.

    With a snap of his fingers, all the bastards in the room stood up and made themselves scarce, leaving only his group remaining the wide space.

    "What do you think he''s nning?" Asked Anatolia, her voice soft. Though no one that had traumatized her was here and she was the most rxed she had been ever since she left the academy, she still remained quiet and amicable.

    "Hm, making them bring in money, huh? It can''t be something good." Said Hoya.

    Luka alone shook his head.

    "It''s definitely not something good. Have you seen that man? He''s a demon. A demon. I don''t know what world he came from, but the people of that one would be celebrating the good riddance right now."

    Little did Luka know that Albert was the kindest person that old world had ever seen.

    Hoya and Anatolia tilted their head at Luka''s words, but the other two weren''t as blissfully unaware.

    "Wait what!?" Dawn screamed.

    "That nasty prince is like the young master too?!"

    It was a topic that had shaken Keith and Dawn from their cores. But Luka only brushed it aside like it had been with him.

    "He is, so what? Grow up."

    They had to swallow that pill.

    "Anyway, as much money as we can, huh?" Luka crossed his arms and hummed.

    "Should we go ahead and kick up their business a bit?" Keith suggested. He didn''t like having to go and attack innocents, but who cares?"

    Luke frowned. That crazies'' friends were just as crazy.

    "Well, if we''re going to do that," Dawn spoke up. "I bet those criminals we have outside know a fair deal or two about people we can extort cash from."

    "Hmm¡­"

    ***

    A casino operated in the backwaters of the city of the count. The single casino withrgely skewed odds had cheated the people off their money over and over, making their business the biggest one around.

    They had also never been coerced into taking a loan by the sharks moving around all thanks to their maniptions.

    Satisfied and happy, the owner of the casino had built up a habit of counting his cash at the counter personally and greeting new guests.

    Deep into the night when the yellow lights were aze inside and the sounds of wine clinking merged with the shuffle of cards, the owner once again sat outside and waded through his day''s yield.

    It was then, the door opened.

    Stepping inside was a young man with ruffled red hair. A shawl on his neck and a coat on his shoulders, a look that veterans like Keith could never emit.

    "Hey, Mister," the young boy leaned on the counter and spoke. "You the owner?"

    "I am. We don''t do refunds, young man. If you lost you lost, me your game instead of ''the'' game."

    The boy waved his hands.

    "Ah, no no. None of that," he said. "I am just here to collect protection fees."

    The owner tilted his head.

    Then, he scoffed.

    "Protection fees?"

    "Yeah. I am protecting you, so hand over protection fees."

    The owner leaned and asked in a low voice.

    "And what, could a brat like you, protect me from?"

    "Good question," the boy, Luka, said. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the owner by the cor and yanked him out of the counter. He tossed him over to the table of people ying poker, breaking both of them in a single go.

    The owner coughed out blood and phlegm as Luka strode over to him, stretching his hands.

    "I''ll be protecting you¡­ from myself."

    The guards of the casino came reeling in and lunged at him, but they were useless. Luka folded their clothes while they still donned them without exerting any effort. The guards were beaten ck and blue with single punches and kicks, his stride never stopping.

    Some spells shot his way.

    "Tsk. Childish."

    With a wave of his hands, his intent Ki cut through them all.

    "Y-y-you!!" The owner screamed. "Thew! I''ll call thew¡ª"

    Right then, the door of the casino opened again.

    "K-knights!" The owner crawled on all four and moved ahead. "Sir! Sir save me, please! This man stepped inside and is breaking my business!"

    The knight looked at the owner, and then at Luka.

    "Is what he says true?" they asked Luka.

    "Not at all," Luka answered.

    "Alright. Have a great night."

    "Sir!? Sir! H-hey! Aren''t you knights?!"

    The owner''s words did not make them stop even for a fleeting moment.

    Out went the drug-addicted boss and his two gang members that Luka had first beat up. Their uniform changed into those of the city knights.

    "Now then¡­ protection fee."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Luka''s shadow loomed over the owner of the casino.

    And just like that, in many more ces all over the city, from bars to brothels.

    The city found their new protectors.

 Chapter 290 Warning

    A cavalry of ten rushed through the forests in the west of the Schwarz.

    With a loud neigh, their horses stopped running through the rugged paths. In front of them, lit up by the rays of the morning sun, was the scene of a disaster.

    A cave system that had previously been upied by dozens of people and items worth a dozen times more than all of their lives had copsed.

    Clenching his fist themander of the cavalry stepped down his horse and moved toward the rubble that covered the entrance of the gate.

    There were zero signs of giant road-blocking frogs, and even fewer signs of outside intervention.

    "Open this ce up," themander said. His voice grew louder as his scream ripped through the air. "Open it all up!! Tell me what bastard did this!!!"

    The cavalry unmounted at once and saluted to their silver-haired general. All of them ran toward the rubble at once and started clearing up the entrance.

    Away from the sight of arge boulder, the general sat.

    His men took their time, but they finished clearing the entrance and all of them entered the ce one after the other.

    The general''s patience ran thin, but thankfully he didn''t have to wait too long.

    "Sir!" came a knight to him, ready to report the matters. He curtsied on his knees and bowed his head. "We have entered the cave system below, sir!"

    "What happened in there?" Asked the general.

    "It seems the workers and the supervisors started fighting between themselves. We found a few gravely injured survivors from both groups and they me the other. It is a hellscape down there."

    The general hummed.

    It.

    Wasn''t that impossible.

    "What happened to the manager?"

    "We''re still looking for him¡ª"

    The general stood up and kicked the soldier''s jaw, sending him reeling back. The others watched their white-haired general as he started stomping his foot down on theirrade, none of them said a word.

    "Stupid! Useless! Fuck! Do you think my father will be happy with all this?! Huh!? Why haven''t you found the manager bastard!

    WHY!"

    Right then, another soldier emerged from the cave and bowed in front of the general just like the first had. Even though hisrade was being beaten to a pulp, he didn''t as much as bat an eyelid as he spoke up.

    "Sir, the manager is not underground. We have scoured every nook and cranny¡ª"

    The second soldier was kicked too.

    He fell on his back, his lips ruptured. The general raised his foot above him, but the soldier swallowed his blood and spoke his pain.

    "All the final products are also missing. Not broken but missing!"

    The general stopped.

    "Missing?" he asked.

    "Y-yes sir¡­"

    The general looked around.

    "All of our special drugs are gone? All of them?"

    "E-every unit¡­ sir¡­"

    "HAHA!"

    The general ced a hand on his head.

    "FUCK! I knew it! Those hell rats, we should have never trusted them!!"

    The general kicked the soldier that had just reported, and started smashing his chest in.

    "Fuck! Fuck all of them! Fuck! We''re going to every single nt! The rest go and find a tail, anything! I want that fucking manager!"

    """SIR YES SIR!"""

    ***

    I woke up early in the morning, my eyes fluttered open as the faint light of the rising sun touched my face.

    Titania was asleep atop my head, deeper into the cave we had taken refuge in was the demon with his horns and limbs broken,pletely knocked out of his wits.

    A soft sensation pushed on my shoulder.

    When I turned to the side, I saw that the person who was supposed to be on watch had fallen asleep on me.

    Normally, I would have stayed still.

    "The fuck this bitch think she doing?"

    I yanked my body away as fast as I could. Irina lost her bnce on fell to the ground, smacking her head on the cave floor.

    She woke up right away and turned toward me.

    "Ow¡­ bastard¡­"

    I then spat on my hand and rubbed it over my shoulder.

    "Ew, what do you think you''re doing?"

    "I don''t remember¡­" Irina said, pressing her head. "I was going to tie you up with sorcery and then fell asleep¡­"

    As if announcing themselves, a few tiny spiritsughed around her, their faces turned into bright smiles as they giggled out loud.

    Ah, it was these punks.

    They thought this would be funny, huh?

    "Whatever, you were supposed to be on watch. And here I thought YOU were the teacher."

    "Cut it! For all I know, you must have done something shady!"

    "Ahak!"

    Our argument made the knocked-out demon wake up. Both of us stopped and face him.

    Irina had quickly decided to take this bastard along after we wrecked his ass in the cave. If he was defeated or not found then things would have gotten worse anyway as anyone would have been suspicious of outside intervention.

    No one in that ce was strong enough to defeat a demon. So, taking him with us was the best option. That didn''te without the problem either, though.

    Then what if we made it so that the demon escaped himself?

    The drugs that we saw the sks of were with him. He had rified that the Fonias were helping them with this stuff. So the demons had enough of a motive to steal the drugs.

    And that''s exactly what we painted it as. Usually, this would not work.

    Anyone would think a nt as a long-term investment is much better than stealing the drugs immediately. And that would be especially correct if there was only one such nt.

    But that wasn''t the case, there were other nts.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    And just like that, there were other demons too.

    We had two spots to divert the attention to. In a way, we had set the managers and the workers against each other once more, except this time it was going to be the Fonias and their suspicious drug nts.

    And while they were busy fighting each other, we would handle the buyers once and for all.

    We had already extracted all the information from the demon, after all.

    Of course, we couldn''t finish this by setting off just one side. That was no better than making it seem like a massacre.

    "The furthest nt huh, hard to believe we traveled all the way to the east for this."

    From Apollon to Mirxa, from Mirxa to the Fonias Duchy''s drug nt in the North , and now, with the demon in our hands, we hade to the Nerveras territory in the east of the kingdom, and the ce where the furthest drug nt was erected.

    "Alright, let''s finish this and get to our work."

    ***

    The manager of the Nerveras'' drug nt had received a call from his guards. In great haste, he and them stepped out of the nt and entered the forest behind their caves.

    There, stuck to a tree, was the mangled body of a demon.

    A demon he was familiar with.

    The manager of the nt back in the Fonias'' territory, and a brother in arms for his cause of keeping the demons on the surface safe.

    Below the mangled corpse.

    [Consider this a warning]

    Were words in crimson red blood.

    [Traitors]

    Words, for his kind.

 Chapter 291 About Hell

    Traces of war between the two factions of the drug nt had begun spreading. There was no denying that both sides were unbelievably secretive and powerful.

    All their drugs used ingredients mostly foundmonly in the cities and their operators were also undeniably powerful. If all of them were not spiked with low amounts of demonic energy that helped them be downed by the demons, then even we would have never had a shot at finding them.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Such a powerful recipe, I do wonder what kind of master designed it," muttered Irina.

    Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, Irina sat across me in a sundress that fluttered with the wind. In her hands a fork rolled up her pasta.

    I picked up the cup of coffee on our table and took a small sip, leaning back on my chair.

    Above us was a parasol, hiding us from the sun in the outdoor seats of thevish restaurant in the kingdom''s capital, and beside us, was the head quarters of one of therger merchant groups in the country.

    "Luka said it might be one of them, actually. A lord at that."

    Irina picked up her own coffee and looked toward me.

    "What kind of demon is that involved in these things?"

    "One named Bathym."

    It seemed that was a rhetorical question as Irina tried to kick my shin from under the table, but I dodged. She kicked again, but I dodged once more. In the end, she grit her teeth and red at me.

    "Why would demons be so interested in these things? After so long even."

    I crossed my legs and took another sip.

    "Also, are you sure you don''t want to eat anything? This pasta''s pretty good."

    "Give me a taste."

    Irina rolled up some and dragged it over. I leaned in and took a bite.

    "Hm, pretty good."

    "Tell me about it."

    She was off to take a bite of her own when she suddenly stopped at stared at the fork.

    "Hah, fuck," she muttered as she tossed the fork away and picked out a new one. "Take your own fork next time, brat."

    "Tsk. Keep it in mind yourself. That''s why the taste sucked, huh?"

    "Shut up! You already called it good."

    "It was good for having been in your mouth!"

    "Don''t delude yourself. You''re probably giggling inside from happiness. Perverted creep."

    "Who is deluding who now?"

    Sparks almost seemed to have flown about as we red at each other. In the end, we both sighed and got back to our own things.

    After using some coffee to flush down the icky and the ew down my throat, I spoke.

    "It''s possible they have been trying for a while. Hell is quite the ce, I don''t think I would like to be there either."

    "It was quite the nightmare," she added. "But, people in hell would build a strong solidarity. Just like we here hate demons they hate us, but I have never heard of them living amongst us."

    "There have been wars previously. The most recent one was a hundred and thirty years back and the principal participated too."

    He was a powerhouse back then as well, and his names were already in history books.

    It made sense for demons to attack us, thinking of us as enemies. But trying to live here like this was odd.

    My mind shed back to the cer in the castle of Bm.

    The four realms were divided quite strictly in this world. With the higher ne on earth being used by gods and angels, the mortal ne for Humans, Hell where demons resided, and Alfheim where fairies like Titania lived.

    In a sense, these were different fabrics of space itself, though it was all a part of the same world.

    The people in them were just as strictly divided as their distinctions, it was nigh to find one from somece in another without any ancient spatial magic that connected the realms.

    But in Bm''s castle.

    There were humans there too. It was equally strange to find humans in hell.

    Did that mean people had gone there? No. It was also people that they had been there all along, just like the demons here.

    "Some could have moved over to the mortal realm to escape hell, others¡­" I lowered my voice. "Could be anything. Remnants from the wars, their stranded children, maybe even spies."

    It felt wrong to use my own kind like this, but I guess I was still just an honorary demon and not a full fledged one.

    "That is possible," Irina said, crossing her arms.

    "It''s not just possible," Titania spoke now. "It is exactly what that is. Both remnants and refugees, from the war and from now. Those drugs are probably helping them be more human."

    "Something like halves?" I asked Titania.

    "It''s possible."

    "You mean half demons?" Asked Irina, and I nodded. "Those could be part of it too. No, all of them must be it."

    Irina nodded at my words.

    "Good use of your head, student. I agree with your assessments. I have seen my fair share of battlefields, and this happens a fair deal too."

    Miss Irina didn''t seem like someone from around either¡­

    Whatever the case, the merchant group next to us were some of the prime customers of the drug nt. And it was soon going to be time to take them down.

    Right then, a waiter stepped to my side.

    "Hello, customer."

    I nodded at her words.

    She simply pulled out a book from behind her and ced it in front of us.

    "We''re selecting lucky couples to win a limited edition menu, here, please have a look."

    Couple? I wanted to sink this waiter''s teeth in.

    But.

    I couldn''t do that.

    "I get it," I said, "You may leave."

    The waiter bowed and walked away.

    Leaving only Irina and me, and between the two of us.

    Was the menu with the mark of the Dark Moon.

    Information about our prey had finally found its way toward us.

 Chapter 292 Loan what you Own

    The bank ran by the Fonias family in the southern end of the kingdom was seeing a rather lively day today.

    Gustavo, the manager of the bank, twirled his handlebar mustache in his hands as his secretary knocked on the door.

    "Sir, the owner of the Mein Sohn tradingpany is here to meet you."

    "Mein Sohn?" Gustavo repeated, this was quite the big ce and had already borrowed money from him multiple times. It was a shame that he had managed to pay it all back despite Gustavo''s best efforts in hindering his business.

    "Send him in," said Gustavo. He was in a good mood, if such a person was here then so be it.

    The door to his office opened not long after and in came the owner of the Mein Sohn tradingpany.

    "Gustavo! My son!" The old man with greying hair spread his hands wide and entered the ce.

    "Mister Mein! How long how has it been?" Gustavo stood up from his seat and twirled his mustache. The two of them shared greetings and Gustavo led him to a seat.

    "Please, how can I serve you? This little Gustavo will do whatever you ask."

    "My, I am lucky to have a brother in you, my son."

    Gustavo wanted to ask this old man what he had smoked, perhaps even if he could share some, but that wasn''t as professional now, was it?

    "My son, Gustavo, I am faced by a problem I had never imagined."

    "A problem? What has happened?"

    "My caravan carrying all my goods yesterday was attacked. It was the biggest shipment I had brought in and it was filled with people, but it all got destroyed."

    "Destroyed!?" Gustavo asked, surprised, he didn''t want his own caravans to be attacked, not now. "What happened?"

    "It was monsters, the knights say some other group dealt with them, but my losses still remain. The few people that survived are traumatized. They said there was a healer that healed them to death and a with that was stealing their hair."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Could it not be bandits?" Gustavo asked, the inquiries were too strange.

    "No, they are too out of it to be trusted. And no human could cause a wreckage like this."

    "That is terrible¡­"

    "Gustavo," the old man leaned ahead. "I would request you for another loan. This has caused me a great damage to my business."

    Gustavo grinned.

    This.

    This was jackpot.

    He had already been getting a lot of money from thest few days, more than his useless underlings had ever brought him. There was no doubt that the Fonias family was going to keep getting happier with the cash, but he could even get promoted if he manages to bring in a good business at the same time.

    "A loan is no problem at all. Not for you."

    "My son! I am so happy to have a brother like you!"

    "Please, you tter me. How can I not be of help in your time of need?"

    The two embraced in joy and fixed up the records. The amount wasrger than he had imagined, but with the money he had amassed in thest few weeks alone, it was more than enough.

    The old man left and Gustavo returned to his office with a bright smile.

    But not long after, his door was knocked on again.

    "Sir, the leader of Gansa Gang is here."

    Gustavo twirled his mustache.

    The Gansa gang was famous as a security service, despite the strange name, they did not do much illegal stuff. Though he was connected with those types as well.

    Lady Miganta, the leader of Gansa Gang and one of the best mages in all of Schwarz, and another person his bosses had been eyeing from a long time, entered his office, her eyes curved into a slight smile.

    "Lady Miganta!"

    "Gustavo, my friend."

    The two shared small talk, and Lady Miganta got to the point.

    "All of my spells were broken. Everywhere. These spells that took decades to build were analyzed overnight and crushed apart. I think it''s the orkd of a traitor and apetitor."

    "Oh no! How can someone analyze all of YOUR spells in one night? It''s impossible even for a mage like Lushan von Bergus."

    "You tter me. Thankfully, I don''t have to pay any security, but the amount I would need to set things up again is too much for me to bear all at once."

    CHANCE.

    Chance number two was here.

    He could justmission herpetitor to obstruct her and bring Lady Migrant under him forever.

    Then a promotion won''t be a hope anymore.

    "The money¡­?"

    "About this much¡­" Miganta wrote the amount down.

    It was high. Too high for him to handle a few weeks ago, but with the rate he was getting cash in the past few weeks. All the kingdom was bringing its assets to him.

    "It can be done. In a few days¡­"

    "Gustavo, you''re the best!"

    Best he was. Best at tricking her.

    Gustavo held in his joy and saw her out.

    Almost as if god was patting his head personally, though, more and more people kepting in.

    "All my chairs disappeared and my people killed themselves!"

    "Everything in my business is gone!"

    "No monsters are left in the area."

    People that he wanted to get his hands on all had problems.

    And he had the solution, money!

    Though it was slightly flowing short, the next day, he received even more than thest. And the next more once again.

    "God is on my side!"

    And so, he signed them all.

    He signed approval after approval.

    And then some more.

    Money came from his goons.

    And money left to multiply. All the businesses were going to be in his hands.

    The small loans first, he handed them out. With the constant influx, he even signed a higher amount for the bigger ones.

    And then, when the day came to hand out the money to the biggest yers.

    "What did you say¡­?"

    "T-there was no deposit today, sir¡­"

 Chapter 293 On the Name of Apollon

    Irina and I went into the business in the capital being run by the demons.

    Thepany, a merchant group that specialized in trading with processed magical items was the name of the game for them. Though most of the employees in here were humans, more than a fair share of them were demons too.

    "Hey, Miss Irina," I called out as the two of us passed by the security and entered the building.

    "What?" She asked.

    "Can you try to avoid killing the demons?"

    Deep in the enemy territory, we talked about these matters without a care in the world. I was suited up in red that matched my eyes and Irina was donning a pinkish shade of white in a single dress.

    "Sure, but why?"

    "Thanks."

    "Why?"

    "Thank you."

    "Bitch."

    If things were to go by my ns, then something happening to them was just going to be a loss overall. I had many uses of demons as a whole, getting some brownie points here was going to be useful in making them move to my beck and call.

    Holding up my suitcase, I went over to the reception, Irina in two, and snapped my fingers.

    "My hellow~" I said, as obnoxiously as I could. "Do you perhaps, mayhaps, not know who this person is? Perchance."

    "You can''t just say perchance," Irina whispered from behind, but I was too busy roleying.

    "Eugy, flick your wrist!"

    At Titania''s beckoning, I flicked my wrist.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The receptionist looked up at me. Even someone like me could tell that she was rethinking all the choice in her life that she had made and which had led her to this point in time, but that was just perfect.

    "Excuse me~"

    "Yes. I apologize¡­" the receptionist said. That I could hear the sheer shock in her voice made me a tad guilty, but Mr. Marizzio Martinazio did not feel guilty for being himself.

    "Who, might you be?"

    "I am Marizzio Martinazio."

    "And¡­" the receptionist looked around, but there was no oneing to her rescue. "Who is that?"

    "Assistant to thisdy, she is the greatest magic tool inventor in all of Vhisna!"

    "Where is this ce again?"

    "Oh, you goose! You know nothing about the big big world. Do yourself a favor and call the master of this ce here before you offend such an important person and lose your job. Perchance."

    "Stop."  Irina whispered again, but was also ignored again.

    The receptionist, overwhelmed by my pizzazz, had no choice but send for her boss. She changed her mind halfway, though, and left to fetch him on her own. Smart.

    Not long after, down running came a young man donning the robes of a wizard, his hair scraggly and beard scragglier yet.

    "O-oh, who are¡ª"

    "HOHO!" I cackled and wrapped my arms around him, leaning into his ears, I whispered. "The Fonias have betrayed us, Magmara sent me here, take us inside."

    The man''s eyes trembled as he looked at me in confusion, and then, he smiled.

    "Come to my office! Um¡­"

    "Maurizio Martinazio."

    "Yes, and you assistant," the man pointed at Miss Irina. We had a game going on here so I shook my head.

    "No, no, I am HER assistant."

    The man looked at me, his confusion now evident in his gestures. He then smiled and instead of saying anything else, guided us inside.

    We passed through the different researchboratories and meeting rooms in the headquarters of a fairly big enterprise. There was no need to research anything about this ce personally, though, since the Dark Moon had managed to bribe a current employee into spilling, and the master''s identity was told to us by the demon we had chopped up.

    The demon led us to his office and kicked out anyone inside. The ce littered with documents, mana stones, and magical tools was truly befitting of a person that owned such a ce.

    He immediately pulled the drapes, but I ignored him and sat down on his own seat.

    Irina looked at me and tried toin about me sitting on the cool seat, but we didn''t have time for that.

    "Maurizio? What are you doing?" Asked the master.

    "Sit." I told him. "Feel at home."

    The master looked at me oddly before taking a seat across me. He was too shaken to be in his right mind, holding his head, he sighed. "I have never seen you before, but if Magmara told you about me, you can be trusted. We''re all demons after all¡­"

    "No. We''re not demons, actually."

    Well, I was, but that didn''t matter.

    Irina and him both looked at me in surprise.

    "We dide here after Magmara sent us," I took the name of the demon manager we had killed without batting an eye. "But he''s now dead. And the Fonias did kill him."

    "Heh¡­" Titania muttered. "That teacher of yours seems to be enjoying this."

    "What do you mean¡­" the demon stared at me, his killing intent on full disy. He was also stronger than Magmara, if not stronger yet.

    The Fonias family continued a drug business, but it was one that let demons use human abilities and look like humans.

    It was not particrly evil. Not something that shouldn''t exist.

    Our n was to take over their trade and influence all along, but this was one matter that did not even count as an ''evil'' problem, but at the same time, this was the most useful outhouse for me.

    For my future goals as well, which included bringing all the realms in my hands against the imminent outer gods.

    Strength in numbers, this was going to help me build it up.

    "The Fonias are going to die. From both your hands and mine."

    Not ignorant of his position anymore, the demon sighed.

    "What do you want?"

    "Take me to all of you demons'' leader."

    I leaned ahead and stretched my hand.

    "I will kill the Fonias, and give you a ce to stay under the skies."

    The other two in the room stared with widened eyes.

    "Not as the rats that you are right now. The demons that are hated by the humans and gods alike, I''ll make a ce for you to live as those demons."

    "I swear it on the name of Apollon."

 Chapter 295 In Return

    A letter was sent to the court physician of the Schwarz Castle.

    The country''s highest authority on medicine had received the letter personally,ing from his good friend, and after two days, a meeting had been arranged.

    While the embers of the battle between the two extreme ends of Fonias'' production continued, the demons that were the soul of the trade made different changes and emergency measures in the face of this new catastrophe.

    The first step, was to be taken by the one demon that had brought all of them here and banded them together.

    And so, the Court Physician of the Royal Pce visited deep into the shanty town in the forests behind the city. The ce where the poor and the outcast gathered, not too far from the royal capital yet not too close. With buildings erected from nks and held up by lime, the man covered by a single cloak waded through the narrow spaces covered by houses and woods.

    The night sky was dark, themp in his hands the only source of light.

    After a long walk through thebyrinthine shanties and forests, he found himself on the opposite end of the town that faced a small hill.

    With a cautious gaze, he looked around and then tapped on the door of the house.

    With a light squeak, the door opened, and in stepped the robed man. Candles lit the wooden cabin, a table at the center.

    Sitting around it in the dark room were three figures, one of his friends that had sent the letter, and the other two were people he had not seen before, but had heard about.

    "So you are¡­ Eugene Hall¡­"

    The white-haired boy with chains around his hand looked up at him. Beside him sat a woman in pink who looked to havee straight out of a fairy tale, and perked up on his shoulders¡­

    "T-the¡­"

    His hands swayed.

    "My lord?" The demon that had brought called him over stood up, shocked at his lord''s sudden surprise.

    The robed man, the court physician of the royal pce, took a step back and red ahead.

    "Oh? Edgy, I think this guy can see me."

    The fairy on his shoulders spoke.

    "I think so too¡­" Eugene Hall continued, his voice low and heavy.

    "Hey, Mister, what is your name?"

    The master of the magic itempany screamed then. "Hey, you will talk to my lord with respect. Or don''t tell me you''ve never heard of Demon Lord Bathym!?"

    The court physician, the robed man, demon lord Bathym, dropped his jaw and stared at his subordinate in disbelief.

    "Is that so?"

    Eugene Hall asked.

    And lunged ahead at them.

    His hands pulled back as a swirl of mana and Ki revolved around him.

    ¡ªBOOOM!

    ***

    Bathym.

    Demon Lord Bathym.

    When I heard his name, I left everything behind and shot a punch. The small cabin we sat in creaked and broke apart while a gouging was left behind in the ground that stretched toward the mountain behind.

    The demon lord, Bathym, had barely dodged the attack.

    Irina and the other guy both stood up and came toward me.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "What in the world are you doing?"

    "What is the meaning of this?!"

    Bathym, on the other hand, sighed and took a breath of relief.

    "Hey, let''s fight," I said. "I wanna fight."

    "Me? I do not fight, Eugene Hall! I am absolutely not going to fight you!"

    "Don''t worry my lord!" The magic guy intervened and raised his hand. "I will protect and kill this bastard."

    Suddenly, Bathym''s hand erged and grabbed him by the shoulder.

    "Are you crazy? This man sunk all of Bm''s kingdom on his own"

    "That wasn''t me."

    "Don''t lie! We all talked about it, we all know!" Bathym raised his hands in the sky. "What do you want from us? We''re not here to fight, we only wish to live."

    Irina Lester ced a hand on my shoulder then.

    "Calm your tits," she said. "You owe me an exnation for all this, but before then, we better not make enemies of the people you''re trying to protect."

    "Protect¡­"

    I wasn''t doing that.

    And I wasn''t making enemies of them either.

    "Your reputation precedes you, Eugene Hall, and for that, I would not like to fight you either."

    The other party had also refused.

    "Well, sucks. Whatever, let''s have a seat."

    Leaving the broken cabin and the ground behind, we sat on the chairs we had long prepared. The candle had been whiffed off from the punch, but a fair deal of moonlight now came in.

    The four of us sat down.

    "Eugene Hall," Bathym spoke up first. That he had managed to hide his horns and other demonic featurespletely, even the energy seeping out of him was so little that no one other than me would be able to tell.

    He pulled four trinkets and a bottle of wine from his spatial storage and ced them on the table. Slowly pouring the wine into the trinkets. He handed them out one after the other.

    "Tell me Eugene Hall, what do you want from us?"

    Irina picked up the trinket first and sniffed the wine. She was about to take a sip when I stood up and blocked her hand.

    With my fingers in front of her lips, I knocked the trinket away and turned toward the demon lord Bathym.

    "Funny bastard," I grinned.

    "Hahah!" Bathym cackled. "I thought you said you wanted to fight? Everyone has their own methods, so I hope you won''t mind it much."

    That fucker had served us poisoned wine.

    If not for the faint traces of demonic energy pouring out of them, I wouldn''t have been able to tell. It hadn''t been a problem yet, but poison made by someone like Bathym himself would surely be trouble.

    "I am fine, but I won''t be able to do anything if Miss Irina doesn''t forgive you."

    Irina looked at the two of us and sighed.

    "I thought I was here to keep you safe from danger."

    "Don''t worry, we already know you''re not much help other than for speaking."

    I sat back down and looked at Bathym again.

    "What do you want from us, Eugene Hall?" Bathym asked. "We''re just people trying to live. If you''re making a deal to take Fonias'' ce, then I''d negotiate with you¡ª"

    "I will create a ce for you to live in this realm."

    The chains around my arm wriggled at my words and formed a pitch-ck sword.

    I held my hand above the sword, and slowly cut into it.

    "In return¡­ Make me a demon lord."

    ***

    Demon Lord Eugying in. Lethe will be dying from the edginess

 Chapter 296 Retainer

    Jaws dropped again as my blood fell on the table.

    ck.

    Pitch ck blood that spoke more than any words ever could.

    Irina gasped and stood from her chair, but the other two had a reaction that couldn''t bepared to hers as they fell on their backs. The magician''s head mmed against the ground while Bathym seemed to have been melting away, but that was probably just my imagination.

    "Y-y-you¡­ are a demon?" Irina asked. She slowly reached into her pockets to pull out her staff while ring at the three of us but hesitated grandly while staring at me.

    It was only natural. After so many days of going around in circles and sharing evil schemes, we had be rather trusting of each other.

    Just as she was trusting of me, I was trusting of her.

    And no. I was not going to avoid this thought or this feeling. Dantalian had given me enough of a lesson for myself to know just what it meant to have people around you. I still didn''t manage to learn how to care about others a lot, and I didn''t want to. But I was sure that I didn''t want Irina Lester to doubt me and that I would be slightly¡­ disappointed?

    Disappointed if she doubted me. Just as I was satisfied to see her hesitating on her own doubts because it was me.

    "Rx, Miss Irina. Whether I am a demon or a human it won''t change the fact that you''re the most annoying bitch in the world."

    "Wow! Someone would almost believe I am your teacher if you talk so sweet with me."

    Was it?

    I grinned and Irina sat back down. Of course, this much wasn''t enough to cate the other two.

    "I¡­ don''t understand¡­" Bathym spoke. "I am certain that Dantalian had reported you as human. Was she lying?"

    "You mean this Dantalian?"

    I snapped my finger and her horn came in my hand. I twirled it around without much care and fiddled with it in my hand.

    "Am I dreaming?"

    "She''s dead," I said. "I killed her."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "D-demon lord Dantalian¡­?" The magician spoke¡­ "When did this happen?"

    "Just a few weeks back actually. I am not surprised you don''t know since you''re here and all."

    They seemed to have had a problem with how casually I was treating what seemed to be the biggest shocker for them, but honestly, that was a skill issue on their end. Too bad.

    Before Bathym or he could speak, I decided to strike while the iron of shocks was still hot.

    "I have seen hell. I have seen demons too."

    I had spent a long time in hell, it was the ce where the person I loved was threatened, but beyond it, it was also the ce where I had spent days on a wild goose chase. Along with someone else that hade very close to my heart, I had threatened the demons,ughed with them, seen them, heard them.

    No matter how they were or how they looked.

    They all got drunk, they all enjoyed visiting cafes and pics, they got scared from the strong and enjoyed the thrill of a ride.

    "Demons, are just as alive as humans are."

    Bathym trembled at my words.

    "Yet."

    Yet they had to live in hell.

    Where sandstorms could kick up at any moment.

    Where blood sucking trees could feast on you at any moment.

    And where neither the sun, nor the moon shined at any moment.

    A ce where life was fleeting, yet the skies remained unchanging.

    "There is no reason why you have to hide when you walk these nes."

    Bathym shook.

    "Just as there is no reason for me, now, to hide that I have turned into a demon. No matter what I be, whether I grow horns or a tail, there is no changing who I am and there is no changing who all of you are."

    Change was necessary. But not a change that betrayed yourself. Though I believed myself to be whoever I was, where was the me in all of it?

    It was something I still had to figure out. But it was something that the ones I did care about confirmed for myself.

    Strength that came at the cost of yourself, was not what the truly strong would do. The strong made nopromises. And just as I needed Lethe and Titania and the others, I was more than willing to be the same for them. And for these demons.

    "Bathym." I spoke, my words devoid of falsehood, my tone devoid of deceit. "I am the lord of Apollon. And I wish for Apollon to be a ce where no one has to hide."

    Bathym and the other demon lowered their gazes.

    "And all of your people too."

    I was learning to care about others.

    But I cared about myself more yet.

    "Eugene Hall¡­" Bathym, all of a sudden, got down to his knees.

    "My lord¡ª"

    "I came here with my followers to bring them away from the barrennds of hell. It was a way to escape that unchanging barrennd, but more than that, it was a fun excursion. We came out without any reason."

    Bathym lowered his head.

    "In moments of crisis, I could go back. But my people¡­ my people have a reason to stay. This one here has met a human woman. She bares his child."

    The magician clenched his fists and lowered his head.

    "Jing, another of us, works in a dying bakery. The old woman who ran it treated him like a son when he was estranged from us, and now, she is too old to take care of herself. He can''t leave her behind."

    Inch by inch, Bathym''s head neared the ground.

    "Sk runs an orphanage. He was born all alone in hell, but those children need him now."

    His eyes shut tight.

    "Ravmelon lives with a blind catfolk. She found him injured and treated him despite being poor enough to eat mud."

    His fist tightened to the point that blood flowed out.

    "Curzan is doctor in a small vige on the borders of this nation. Those people love him as they would their own son."

    A tap rang out.

    And Bathym''s head hit the ground, right near my feet.

    Tears dripped from the magician''s eyes, but Bathym did not stop.

    "To keep their lives, I made a trade with the Fonias. I manipted the royal family on their behest, poisoned hundreds on their behest, all so that my people could live normally. So that they could hide themselves."

    He slowly reached his hand out, and grabbed my foot.

    "If you can make a ce for them to live. If you can let them hold their heads high."

    Bathym''s voice cracked.

    "I''ll give you my life. Whatever you ask for, whether it is to make you a demon lord or whether you ask for my horns on a whim, I will present it all to you."

    To change the world.

    One needed strength.

    "Raise your head, Bathym."

    He flinched.

    "My retainers need not bow to even fate."

 Chapter 297 In the Inn (1)

    Word was sent to most of the demons living in the form of a human around the country and even outside.

    The lord of Apollon awaits his subjects. The word spread through the help of the wizard and the other demons in their hand. And many people started moving toward Apollon.

    And where they could be free.

    I had discussed many matters for a long time with both the demons and Irina. She eventually joined in on the conversation herself and kept us all on the objective path. And so, the ones that were relocating first were the ones that could help in the production of the drugs. There weren''t many questionable requirements to things, and there also wasn''t much wrong with the operation itself.

    Now with the workers on my end being volunteers, things were going to be even better.

    The ones that couldn''t relocate yet would still be dependent on it. And in that time, I would do my best to use bring them all to freedom.

    While the drug trade was mostly figured out, there was onest thing left for us to do. And that was topletely crush the Fonias in that field.

    The magician returned, and Bathym told me that he would be faking his death as the royal physician as soon as he can.

    "My liege," he had said before he disappeared. "Forgive my stepping over my bounds, but I must say these words even if I offend you."

    He was stuck up as fuck. But his words were worse.

    "Bm was weak, just as I am amongst the demon lords. Even many normal demons could take us on."

    "What are you getting at?" I had asked him.

    "Just that, my liege. The ones that you have fought, have all been weak. Please, do not consider the Fonias to be the same and do anything rash."

    With that¡­ insult, he left.

    And now, we found ourselves back in the northern half of the kingdom, where the Dark Moon''s few agents were still afoot and doing their best to track the forces of Fonias that battled against the demons fighting against the production.

    These demons were apparently once part of Bathym''s gang but had moved away mainly because of power and not because they wanted to help their people. They did not split with troubles, but Bathym couldn''t not call them Fonias''pdog.

    Now, we had to end this battle on our own by wiping both sides clean.

    "He made sense though," Irina said, sitting across me on a chair in the deserted dining room of the inn we had found.

    We reached the town of Jujuba deep into the night. This was the ce where the next battle was to take ce between the two sides.

    It was a shame that there were none of our guys here, so we had no choice but to book an inn. The innkeeper was a real angel and let us use the inn''s kitchen on top of the rooms.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Irina and I split up to take a bath and then returned here.

    In a bathrobe that she made pink using her sorcery, the two of us finished cooking, which also involved a lot of her swinging the knife at me and my swinging adle at her.

    And then, we were eating.

    And she dared call Bathym right.

    "I agree too," I said. My mind returned back to the time when I had met the old man Agares. Even if I had used World''s End, I doubted I would be able to scratch him.

    There were still too many powerful people out there. Ones that I had not known.

    But still, I didn''t think anyone in the Fonias could push me over to the edge.

    Yet, being safe was never bad.

    Biting into her food, Irina spoke up.

    "I didn''t think you''d drop a bomber like that."

    "Eh, everyone loves a surprise."

    "Oh, it was a surprise, alright?" Irina cussed under her breath, shaking her head. We ate in silence for a bit longer when she suddenly dropped her fork and looked at me.

    "Still. I didn''t think that something like that would have happened in Hell."

    "I don''t mind it, really," I said. "Like¡ª"

    "¡ªYes. You''re right," Irina suddenly stood up.

    She moved away from the chair and came next to me. With her hands on her sides, she spoke.

    "I didn''t expect you to have such intentions about people. Your actions are anything but naive, yet your ideals are righteous and lofty."

    She suddenly lowered her head.

    "I misunderstood you. I apologize."

    What?

    Whattttttttttt?

    WHAAAAAAT!?!

    "Oh my, did someone actually break Eugy?"

    What!? Why did she apologize? I thought she was a total bitch, this wasn''t fair!

    "I understand your dislike for me, and I still hold it toward you. But I respect you too now."

    She had no right to act cool at all. It''s not like there was much harm done between us, even if she tagged along at first to be a menace, everything she did subsequently was to ensure our safety.

    Her attacks at me were always slow, and verbal battles went both ways.

    All in all, there was nothing between us that an apology COULDN''T solve.

    She had be the bigger person by apologizing!

    I slowly shook my head and fixed my thoughts. Sighing, I stood up too.

    I had no idea why we were bowing, but I rolled with it.

    "I apologize too. Though I have the excuse of being manipted by the demon, my actions were what they were. I do still think you''re insufferable, but I trust and respect you enough for it to not matter."

    The two of us nodded and then looked back up.

    I was dying from embarrassment, and there was no doubt that she was too.

    In the end, we finished eating in silence and said our byes before moving into our rooms for the night.

    As quick as I closed the door to my room, I opened the window and hopped straight outside into the dark skies.

    "Let''s go train Spirit Magic!"

    "YAY!"

    It was training time.

 Chapter 298 Spirit Training

    "How many do you see?"

    "About fourteen?"

    In the forests behind the town that we had decided to lodge in for the night, Titania and I continued my training with the spirits.

    "Hm, that shouldn''t be so bad, there''s around fifty at the moment."

    I had started to see many more spirits that before thanks to the constant training. This ability that should only be with people either chosen by spirits or the fairies, that would always be chosen by spirits, was slowly building into me thanks my existence that spanned over two different realms.

    In a sense, I was a pseudo spirit user.

    Spirit users on their own had apparently gone from the Mortal realm since ancient times, and only sorcerers remained now.

    I made a mental note to contact Ikuro Asahi, the wizard heir of the east that had helped me get my hands on many ancient techniques. It would be god to use the knowledge of history he had developed with me to make him fetch more books.

    "Let''s begin."

    Though I loved any way to get stronger.

    This training had put me in a bind.

    That the spirits did not choose me but I could still see them made them slightly curious about me, but still¡­

    "Remember Eugy, bear your heart. These annoying little trash like bastards will only respond to the truth and just the truth. Deceive them and you can keep hoping to get them to move."

    Yes.

    This was the issue.

    Battles and techniques all over had to utilize deception and trickery, even beyond that, no matter how much I tried, these spirit bastards never epted my words as the truth.

    "However you deceive yourself, abandon it all."

    "See. I still don''t know what that means."

    "And I have already exined it." Titania sighed and held her head as she sat on my shoulders. "You use the excuse of the strongest to push through matters where you are tired. You utilize your truthfulness to avoid times when you would rather lie. Drop all of these."

    I leaned back on the tree, my eyes starting at the spirits that giggled and flew, their numbers slightly growing.

    "That''s not deception, it''s discipline."

    "Discipline is no better," Titania shook her head. "You don''t have to be righteous to move the spirits, you have to be truthful."

    "Stagnant and ugly?" To lead a life without discipline was to live the life of an animal. "I''d be no better than a monkey."

    Titania giggled.

    "That''s right. Be a monkey in a zoo. They care for amusement, Eugy, everything else can go die in a ditch."

    "Then why do they move for you?"

    "Everything I do is amusing for them," Titania shrugged. "Not you, though."

    That was the difference between the ones chosen and the ones that weren''t, huh?

    There was another problem with training spirit magic.

    "Phew, alright, I am starting."

    "I''ll keep a count, twenty seconds in a go, alright?"

    I nodded.

    Even though Titania had already demonstrated it, but just taking the load that the powers of the realms themselves held made my mind break apart and my body quake. I fainted faster than I could use the spirits.

    Widening my arms, I looked at the small spirit ahead.

    "Hey! You there."

    The green spirit suddenly looked back, turning toward me. Like a will-o-wisp, the being which was no better than a glowing blob of light was strangely expressive despite not having a face.

    Like an innocent child, it bobbed up and down, asking why I called it.

    That it could hear me was already a lot of improvement.

    "How about we make a grand tree that looks like you?"

    The spirit suddenly charged toward me and phased through my head. As if it were sticking its tongue out while looking back, it ran away.

    I leaned against the tree next to me, it felt as if all of my energy had been sucked out. Interacting with spirits overloaded my brain with data.

    "Ok. Try again."

    My teacher was just the sweetest, though, so she never let my pain stop me from working anyway.

    "Just say whates to your mind, Eugy. Don''t think of how you can use them, just use them."

    I wondered how these masochists found those amusing, but went with it anyway.

    "Alright."

    I stood upright, my arms spread out once more.

    Another green spirit caught my eye, and I talked to it again.

    And it sapped through me again.

    And then once more.

    Now, almostpletely out of energy to the point where I struggled to keep my eye lids open and my chin up high, I called out once more.

    My mind had long gotten hazy, figuring the type of spirit was a pain.

    "Yo you. Make a statue of me posing from a tree, that''ll make he monument of all time. Heavens will worship my beauty."

    The spirit blinked.

    And then bobbed around as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world.

    That was to be expected from these idiots.

    "Pfft." It seemed even Titania found it funny though I was being truthful.

    The spirit nodded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The ground behind me shook.

    And my eyes went wide once more as I fell on my side.

    ***

    "Wake up."

    A foot pressed into my cheeks.

    My eyes slowly fluttered open, and a pair of thighs greeted me good morning. I ignored said thighs and turned my gaze further up, only to see a woman in pink with her pink flowing hair hanging behind her back.

    "Morning," I said. The soil below me soft and moist.

    "What the fuck were you doing? Don''t tell me you were making that?"

    I rubbed my eyes as she pointed behind her. When I looked back¡­

    There stood a small tree, the height of me.

    Flexing, just like I would.

    "Um, maybe I was?"

    "God," Irina Lester sighed. "We''re supposed to go and end a war, you dumbfuck."

    Right.

    "Well, we can always do that now?"

    I stood up from the ground and stretched my waist and hands. Titania, for some reason, was still sleeping atop me.

    "Let''s go end a war."

 Chapter 299 Ending the Hunt (1)

    "W-what did you say?" The manager of the bank, Gustavo, faced a peril he had never before in his life. After signing loan over loan in joy of the money that kepting his way from his collectors, a new problem showed up.

    "Sir. Not a single caravan has reached us."

    "T-those bandits? It is those bandits Mr. Sohn talked about?"

    Holding both ends of his mustache in frustration.

    "Sir¡­ there''s no caravan from any route. The entire country stopped sending money to us."

    Gustavo almost ripped his hair out.

    All of it. The entire damned country had stopped sending money after bringing in so much cash. He screamed and sent his soldiers down south to the office that managed the moving of the funds, but it was already empty.

    A war.

    Gustavo had heard that the family was trying to fight against some enemy underground. It could probably be that, he thought. It was likely that all the money went to them instead of him.

    But, Gustavo was still in a peril.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He reached into his drawers and pulled out a contract. Today, he had to pay out thergest sum he had yet to the clothing store that had opened up near the castle of Daiban Canmo. The reckless store and its stupid veiled manager had created a good ce but were running in a loss. It was a prime specimen of a very profitable business that he had to take over.

    But unfortunately, he had already loaned out every single penny.

    He couldn''t refuse the shop either. It was impossible, not after he had already reported to all the higher ups and his peers that he was going to usurp all the big businesses in his greed for a promotion. The worst of all was that if he told them he had killed this business in greed, his head would soon be on disy.

    "S-send people!" He told his secretary. "Send them to collect from the people we have already funded."

    The secretary nodded and set off. He himself left to go and ask Mr Sohn and thedy to repay some money in hopes to hand it out to the shop.

    His efforts were all in vain.

    No one could make a repayment mere days after getting their money. Half of them shrugged his word off as a joke and told him to expect the payments after a week had passed, as was their agreement.

    With no other choice, he reached into his drawer once more.

    There was another money lending business operating in the town, it had started almost at the same time as the clothing stop. One that worked with the scum of the society.

    These were two different dealings, but he could still work.

    Even if it was a small amount meant for scum, he could pay it to the store now and the rest when he got some money. That would be the best case scenario. He had to do whatever he could to keep this business running or he''d lose his life.

    And so, he left. He made his way for the nest of the criminals, donning long coats and hats to hide himself.

    Guided through the alleys and sewers he found himself in the underground of the Daiban Canmo street. What an irony it was.

    A man donning sses guided him into a dark room inside.

    Sitting there, on a seat of ck, was man in a golden mask.

    "Gustavo Misk, the owner of the biggest bank in all of the south," the masked man spoke. He had known his identity before Gustavo could introduce himself!

    "Ohoho¡­" Gustavo cackled. "It seems the owner is a wise man."

    "Speak your purpose."

    Gustavo thought that man could cut some ck on the snappy words, but he was in a hurry too.

    "I needed a small loan¡­"

    "We don''t do those."

    Gustavo was left blinking.

    Don''t do small loans? In a slight hope of shading the man, he spoke an amount higher than he had intended at first.

    "I-it isn''t as small as you think¡­ about, seventy thousand gold?"

    That should be the limit such a new business could afford. It would only put him a third of the way for the money he needed, but¡ª

    "Too small. Do not waste my time for such trifling matters,"

    The masked man shocked Gustavo.

    "T-then¡­ how about¡­ 1 hun¡ª"

    "Too small. Gustavo Misk. I know of your reputation, but you don''t know of mine." The masked man leaned ahead, tapping the table between them.

    "Two hundred thousand is the lowest I will go for you."

    Gustavo gulped.

    Two hundred thousand?

    Two hundred thousand? Was this guy crazy!? Did he think he was Gustavo Misk? How could he throw such an amount as if it was a joke¡ª

    Gustavo''s line of thought was interrupted. A thick bag of cash the size of his belly was ced on the table. And then another.

    "One hundred thousand in each of them." The masked man said.

    Gustavo gulped.

    He was in need of that very money.

    His mouth watered at the sight.

    "I¡­" Gustavo muttered. "I''d like about¡­ Two hundred and ten thousand¡­"

    The masked man broke into a loud cackle. He reached into his pockets once more and ced another pouch on the table.

    "I''ll throw it in for free, Gustavo Mask."

    Gustavo was stunned.

    "You have to make payments every week. I''ll be kind and only charge interest on the two hundred thousand. Two percent a month."

    Gustavo licked his lips.

    The masked man came ahead.

    "This business is just as legal as your bank, Misk," he said. "I hope you would be smart enough to not test me."

    The man suddenly grabbed Gustavo''s cors, pulling him close.

    "I will be sucking up thrice the amount if you fail the installments. But that''s just on the surface, because I love my money." His whispers sent shivers down Gustavo''s spine. "And if I don''t get my money back, I will torture every single person you''ve ever known."

    Gustavo pulled back and nodded.

    "I''ll do it," he said. Half in fear and half in greed, only thing rang in his mind, and that was the fact that he was set receive repayment from all the loans in less than a week.

    It was going to be perfect.

    "Be my guest."

 Chapter 300 Ending the Hunt (2)

    "Mr. Albert, I hope you find sess in your business."

    Sitting across Gustavo was Albert, the owner of the clothes store. He gently epted the money for the loan from Gustavo and nodded.

    "Worry not, Mr. Misk. All is going to be perfect."

    Gustavo knew that wasn''t the case. He could tell just from seeing the sleaze bag of an owner that nothing was going to be fine in this store. Just how many losses had he borne to handle this? Too many to count.

    Gustavo left the ce with a relieved heart and returned to his bank.

    All was going to be good. But not for Albert, for him.

    ***

    The second day came around as no cash came his way. It was still fine, though. Gustavo knew the war was to enter its final phase. Things would be fine.

    ***

    The third day came.

    Today he was to receive back some of the smaller loans.

    But¡­

    "What do you mean?"

    "It was all a demon! Our people just started dying as if they were cursed. You have to understand, Mr. Gustavo, human life is¡­"

    "A small extension is all we ask for, we don''t want anything else¡ª"

    ***

    The fourth day came.

    Gustavo was panicking.

    No money and no repayments.

    Almost magically, all of the ones that used to pay him back before had their businesses being crushed. What should have made him happy not long ago now sounded like theughter of the devil.

    ***

    The fifth day came.

    "Mr. SOHN! RETURN MY MONEY GOD DAMN IT!"

    "My business was thwarted again! You have to understand, I am already not asking for more from you¡ª"

    "I DON''T CARE! SELL YOUR KIDNEYS¡ª"

    "KNIGHTS! Take him away! Take him away!"

    ***

    Sixth day.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Miganta failed too.

    No cash.

    ***

    Finally.

    The seventh day was here.

    Gustavo was unable to sleep. No matter what he did, the fear of that masked man consumed him. He couldn''t drink water without trembling, nor could he down the air without shaking.

    It was the day he was supposed to make the first repayment to the man, but he had nothing.

    Not a thing to his name.

    Locked in his house, Gustavo held his knees and trembled. Pitting hope against hope, he prayed the man would let him go today.

    And his hope seemed to have worked.

    For the entire day, no word of the masked man came.

    "Haha!" Gustavoughed as the clock in his room hit 12 in the night.

    "HAHA!"

    The day was over.

    "Hahahaaha! I live! I live I live I live!"

    ¡ªthud thud.

    Two knocks resounded on his door.

    Gustavo stopped in his tracks as the sound spread through his room.

    His hands trembled and his mustache drooped. He slowly made his way ahead toward his door and reached for the handle.

    He slowly opened the door.

    And there stood the man donning sses that he had seen before.

    "Gustavo Misk," the man called, the rain outside pattered against the umbre in his hands. "Our boss awaits you."

    Through the rain deep into the night. Amp as the only source of light. Gustavo, like a sinner being taken away, was dragged by the men, from road to road, street to street, alley to alley.

    Until he found himself in front of that door again.

    "Hmph," the men grunted as they pushed him into the office of the masked man.

    Falling on his knees, the door closed behind Gustavo. Behind the desk was the chair turned away from him.

    "Gustavo Misk¡­"

    "Sir! SIR! Forgive me, forgive me once," Gustavo smacked his head on the ground. Survive, he only had to survive here and then, once the war ended today, he could enlist the Fonias'' aid! For now, no matter what methods he had to use, he needed to survive.

    "One day. Just one day sir. I will repay you for everything! With the interest aaaah, please, spare me once sir. Just one more chance¡ª"

    "What did I tell you," the man''s voice cut through the room, stabbing into Gustavo''s chest and muffling his words. "Gustavo Misk?"

    Gustavo slowly looked up, tears streaming down his eyes. He pissed his pants and gasped for air as the pressure in the room increased by the second.

    A creak resounded.

    And the chair turned. Slow, steady, it moved and moved until the man was in front of him.

    Gustavo''s breath was stuck in his throat.

    The masked man did not don a mask. His face was unmistakable.

    "Al¡­bert?" Gustavo muttered.

    Shock. Disbelief. Betrayal. All kinds of emotions ran through him all at once. He couldn''t speak, he couldn''t breathe, he couldn''t think.

    Everything, all at once, came crashing down on his head.

    Time that seemed to have been stopped¡ª

    "Haha¡­"

    ¡ªResumed with augh.

    "Ah¡­ that face," Albert muttered. "I really, really wanted to see that face." Discover hidden tales at empire

    "What do you¡­?"

    Albert stood up and pressed his foot on Gustavo''s head.

    "Just imagine how hard it was not tough, when you came and loaned me the money you had taken from me! All of it, right back in my hand, ahahahaha!" Albert covered his face andughed. "Oh, fucking idiot. From the money that suddenly brought your good days to the problems that brought the bad ones."

    Realization dawned on Gustavo.

    The amount that had shot up into the skies.

    The problems that the customers he wanted faced.

    The amount of money that he had to loan.

    How it all stopped.

    How no one could make any repayment.

    "All of it¡­?" He muttered.

    "Yes," With his teeth spread in a wide grin, Albert looked down at Gustavo with the happiest face he had made in a long time. "All of it, was done by me."

    "W¡­ why¡­?"

    "Why?" Albert asked. "Hahahaha! To fuck with you, why else? I was quite bored, you see."

    He slowly stepped away from Gustavo and leaned against the table.

    "Now I am satisfied. So I guess I''ll do what I need to."

    The money lending business of the Fonias Family.

    Was crushed.

 Chapter 301 Ending Hunts (3) [Bonus chapter]

    The final battle between the Fonias and the ''rebelling'' production was set to take ce a few kilometers away from the town of Jujuba.

    Deep into the evening, before the cover of the night coulde in.

    "Sire," In armors of white, the members of the Fonias family''s outpost all gathered around their leaders. "They are here."

    Themander of the army slowly stood up, his sword impaled into the ground.

    "General Alexander Fonias will be here soon. Till then, we have to survive."

    The others lowered their heads and bit their lips.

    They knew they were walking to their deaths. Whether that Fonias came here or not, they all knew well that they would die anyway.

    But chances to live were slightly greater if they fought.

    So fight, they would.

    The soldiers raised their weapons, their screams raised their spirits. Out in the clearing in the midst of the forest up north, the two groups faced each other.

    It was time to end the rebellion.

    "CHARGE!"

    "KILL THEM!!"

    The two sides screamed at once and all of them. The soldiers equipped with armor held skill, while the workers held numbers. The two groups left all else behind and charged into each other, ready for destruction.

    To live or to die.

    Only one side would be able toe out of this.

    Or so, they thought.

    "[Trinity Series: Destruction Attribute]"

    A chilling voice spread through the field.

    "[Sorcery: Acid Rain]"

    Clouds above struck together.

    Just as the two sides were about to meet their weapons.

    "[Tempest of Destruction]"

    A storm came. Like the gutting winds of a raging cyclone, the storm came rushing toward the knights. Without mercy, without thought, it touched all matter in its path and eroded it, destroyed it. From their armor and weapons¡­

    "AAAH!"

    "GAKAA!"

    To their limbs and torsos. Everything met destruction.

    On the other side, the clouds rumbled and a rain of acid came tumbling down. The workers and the demons alike were burnt through from end to end as the ground started to seethe from the heat. Blood and charred flesh filled the air.

    All that managed to the side of the knights was rotten through, and all that managed to tip over to the side of the workers were burnt through.

    The mish mash of screams and death continued on and on until barely any was left anymore.

    Long after a solemn breeze signaled the end of the onught.

    Two figures appeared on the battlefield.

    "That was fucking easy? I thought Bathym found them tough?"

    "I thought so too. But are you sure we shouldn''t be getting rid of these bodies?"

    "What a grand teacher you are, helping your student not just kill but also suggesting to hide the bodies."

    The pink haired woman crossed her arms and grinned wide.

    "Can''t teachers have some fun? Don''t tell anyone else though, I''ll lose my job."

    "Oh, this is fun?"

    "Is it not?"

    "It is. Very damn fun."

    The white haired boy flicked his hair and looked over the corpses. When he saw two bodies piled over each other on the workers'' end, his lips curled into a smile.

    He didn''t have to hunt any of that group down, the other was good game, but the workers could escape for all he cared.

    "We don''t need to hide anything. Albert said he''s made his move today, they will find out whether we like it or not."

    "So we should announce ourselves with a bang? Good taste."

    "These fuckers really had to fight in the night, huh?"

    "What a waste of time. Let''s just go back to that inn for now."

    "Sounds good."

    And like a storm, the two left.

    ***

    Stay updated through empire

    "That was one damn anticlimactic fight."

    Irina sat across me once more as the two of us helped ourselves to the inn''s grub. Just like before, it took too long to reach back to the inn and now we had to use the kitchen by ourselves again. The innkeeper was a real darling for letting us be.

    "Tell me about it. Bathym got my hopes up."

    "Say, Eugene Hall. Are you really nning to be a demon lord?" Irina asked.

    I nodded without hesitation at her words.

    "I still don''t find demons bad at all. I am fond of them in fact. If I can, I''d do it."

    Irina mulled over my words.

    She then shrugged and bit into the food once more. "Sounds cool to me. I think it''ll be a fun thing to do."

    "Right?" I twirled my fork in my hand.

    Fun, huh?

    I wondered how long it would take for the outer gods toe in to this world. Before that happened, I had to unite all the realms and make them move against it.

    Not alone, but with the whole world under my feet.

    I would be winning the grandest victory this world would face.

    The thoughts of fun and the lust for power still lingered strongly in my heart. But my mind was filled with responsibility.

    To see Dawn hurt again, to even imagine Lethe in a bind, Maria, Lily, Noa¡­. Albert, Luka, the people from Deep Down, even that damned Marquis.

    I wanted to keep everyone safe and still do whatever the fuck I want.

    That was¡­ true strength.

    Strength that didn''t ''not'' have weaknesses, but strength that could surpass any and all weakness and turn even that into an advantage. That was what I seeked.

    An ideal.

    "Heh."

    But a truly strong person could even make an ideal achievable, why would I not?

    We both finished eating and stood up. I was about to get to the dishes when Irina pushed me aside.

    "You go, I''ll handle this."

    "Hm?"

    "Don''t stay up training toote. I don''t want to carry you back."

    Leaving those words, she took the dishes away and started cleaning them. I stayed and watched for a few seconds.

    "Leave before I change my mind."

    Andughed.

    "Thank you."

    "Yeah, whatever."

    Waving my hands, I went out of the inn from the front door this time.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    I wanted to train a little harder today.

 Chapter 302 In the Inn (2)[Bonus Chapter]

    I had gotten slightly acquainted with the spirits in this spot, so staying in the town one more night slightly worked well for me.

    With the trees on my back and the stars in the sky, not that far away from the inn, I sat down once again and stared at the numerous spirits that were flocking around to the me-shaped statue made out of another spirit-grown tree.

    "You got way too tired yesterday, huh?" Titania muttered cing her hand on her waist. "You must have used a fair amount of mana too."

    The odd thing about mana was its use.

    I had a veryrge tank since I came into this body, even refined, my reserves were monstrous. If I had to put things in context, then I could use a spell on the level of the one earlier today, Tempest of Destruction, a total of twelve times before emptying myself out.

    That led me to around thirty-thousand hexagonal shields topletely empty my reserves or about seventeen thousand spells like a rain of fire.

    "Your hexagonal shields sure are a convenient ability. Very economical."

    "They''re attribute less so it''s natural. The more conditions you add the higher the mana requirement increases."

    "I rate your mana a total of 600 on a range of a thousand, and that death queen at about 950."

    "Principal?"

    "999?"

    Huh.

    That was annoying. If I had topare it with my old body yet, then I would probably rank it at 200 so it was a grand change.

    On the other hand, my Ki was even more voluminous. But the utilization was that much more difficult. It would naturally increase as I broke through more and more realms, but that wasn''t the case yet.

    Both of them were refilled from within. Even if my circuits were blocked, I could still move my core and refill my strength.

    Though, without circuits, they were not utilizable. The chains that Bm had pulled were pretty useful in that regard.

    It took about three weeks to restock and re-refine all my mana and Ki to the optimal status.

    "Why can''t I use demonic energy, Titania?"

    "You can manipte it lightly, I believe," my favorite fairy teacher fluttered in front of me and spoke. She pointed out her two fingers atop her head. "But to make it your own you''ll need horns."

    Annoying.

    I had understood the brunt of it, but that I didn''t have horns was slightly annoying now.

    "Well, enough about that, Eugy. Now that you''re already tired, I doubt your body will be able to handle the recoil of Spirit magic."

    "Right."

    "So now''s the perfect time to practice the hardest! If you don''t manage to be your truest self now then the recoil will kill you!"

    Titania beamed out wide and I smiled back.

    "No better way to train than on the brink of death, right?"

    The manager had taught me that bit well.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Well, don''t worry a bit, Titania, I have a fallback, if you will."

    I snapped my fingers, and in my hands were three bottles of hard liquor.

    "What is this?" Titania asked.

    "Alcohol. I saw it on the battlefield and bagged it."

    "Huh? Risky, I like it."

    With Titania''s approval down, I picked up the bottle and swigged it down straight. The strong potent liquor doused my mouth and a burn spread through my throat.

    Once I felt that going in, I stood up and hopped a little to shake the alcohol inside.

    Then, I spread my arms again.

    "SPIRITS!" I called, as truthful as my voice could be. Speaking straight from the heart, I tried tomand them toe to my aid. "Get me undrunk."

    The spirits seemed to haveughed.

    They passed through me.

    And made me more tired.

    I could feel my body wobbling, but didn''t stop.

    "More truthful, Eugy."

    I guess I didn''t want to be undrunked.

    I took out the second bottle and swigged it down.

    "Spirits, make me the most powerful man on earth."

    They hit me another time.

    "Spirits, bring disco rock into this world."

    "What are you even asking for? They can''t do just anything!"

    Aw.

    I drank more.

    And tried more.

    "Make rocks fly!"

    "Spirits! Make me go super say¡ª"

    After hours and hours of chanting and trying to get them to work my way, I was only tired more and on the ground more.

    I had managed to turn some trees upside down and made one rock jump around like a bunny, but that was all I could manage.

    "At this rate, you''ll need a good year to use it properly."

    "hh¡­ that''s too long¡­"

    And I waspletely intoxicated.

    "You need to drop all pretenses, Eugy. Well, for now, let''s go back."

    "A year is too long¡­"

    I leaned against the trees and made my way back. These damned spirits had sucked everything out from the very fabric of my being.

    "Damn, it¡­"

    I yawned as I pushed myself to go back. It was getting tough to even walk let alone run all the way back to the inn, but I still had to since I hadn''t fainted.

    I came out of the thicket of trees and neared the spacey town, after finding my way back to the inn, my eyes fell on some beings walking toward the same ce.

    Much further away from me, these guys with horns on their heads looked like little ants.

    "Oh hey look ants."

    "Hm? Aren''t those demons?"

    "What. No wayyyyy¡­."

    The worker ants hopped the walls of the inn and pushed open the window to the room next to mine on the first floor.

    "I guess they''re Irina''s friends?"

    "IDIOT!" Titania seethed. "Those are the demons you guys spared! Instead of running away they came back to fight."

    "Oh no?"

    I muttered.

    "That sucks."

    I closed my eyes and started walking once more. Thest of the demons went inside, and a faint, very faint scream echoed in my ear.

    "Woah!" My eyes widened as I looked up. "Irina Lester is in trouble! Spirits! Make me get there now."

    A single word, the world around me changed.

    I was in the middle of the room, behind me in her nightgown was Irina, the head of one of these scums in her hands.

    And in front of me were the other two demons that came all this way instead of running.

    "W-what in the world?" Discover more stories at empire

    "Who are¡ª"

    "WAIT!" I screamed.

    Everyone quietened down.

    "Uwaak," and I puked on the floor.

 Chapter 303 In the Inn (3)

    "KYAAAA!"

    Irina''s scream rang out again.

    "My room you son of a bitch!"

    "Oh? Oh?" I walked ahead and then walked behind, my sense of bnce waspletely fucked after fighting the damn spirits, and things seemed to be doubling down on the shit for now.

    "Is that a prob¡­me?" I asked Irina.

    "Of course it is a problem!"

    "Sorry, sorry, spirits, can ya get that?"

    The puke was gone. The blood was gone. The other body was gone. And so was the floor below it. The ground of the room had a small hole peeking into the floor below. Thankfully it was empty or we would have had awsuit on our hands.

    "Well¡­ well¡­ fuck. They got the spirit, they''ll get there."

    Then Iughed out loud.

    The others around me looked at me as if I was an idiot, but they just didn''t understand.

    Spirits. Got the spirit.

    Oh my god.

    My stomach hurt.

    I almost fell over to the front, but I didn''t want to fall down. Almost made an oopsie there.

    "D-damn it! You monster!"

    One of the demons in front of me screamed and charged right into me. I grabbed his hands before he could attack and scowled.

    "Come on man¡­ you can. Like. Engine someone like this?"

    "Injure, Eugy."

    "Yeah that?"

    "You killed us all!"

    "Right. Right." I nodded. Then, I wrapped my arms around his back and hugged the demon tight. Embracing him with all my might until I could hear his spine creaking.

    Tears almost dripped down my eyes.

    "I am sorry. I am so sorry."

    "What¡­?"

    "I don''t know how I can ever make it up to you¡ªuwaaak."

    I puked on him too. His entire chest was filled with the mixture of stomach acid and alcohol, and I felt about that. I slowly pushed him away and patted the clean side of his shoulder.

    "I-I didn''t mean to do that. You know right? I would¡­ never puke on someone¡­ on purpose. I promise."

    "Good lord, Eugene Hall. Are you drunk?"

    Irina said something, but it was too loud. People, we all had ears here. No need to shout. No one had to shout whatsoever!

    "Alright. Look, dude. I am sorry," I said to the demon. "I know, I know, you can''t just forgive me like this, but you won''t have to. I made a mistake by leaving you alive. Learnt my lesson.

    Alright? I promise I''ve learned from this¡­ this, mishap?"

    I pushed him back and stood upright. He looked at me weirdly.

    "Rejoice. I''ll kill you now."

    "W-what?"

    "Origami!!"

    I pped my hands.

    The man was folded in half. His body as t as a sheet of paper.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A rumble sounded.

    From beyond the window, outside the inn.

    Everything to the point where my eyes reached.

    Was ttened in two halves.

    "Woopsies. Hahahah!"

    "Oh¡­ dear Alfheim¡­" Titania was remembering her mother or something.

    I didn''t really care. That was slightly. Different from expectations¡­?

    NAH. Just kidding. I totally wanted everything folded. That would be cool.

    Then, I turned to thest one around.

    "You there," I called after snapping my fingers. "Come here,e here."

    "Ah¡­ I¡­"

    "Oh, are you busy? I-I am so sorry. I didn''t think that would be the case. Do you have to be somewhere?"

    The demon nodded.

    Fuck. I was gettingte too. I understood his predicament.

    "No problems. I just promised your friend that I have learnt my lesson. I am not going to go back on my words now."

    I walked ahead.

    The ground below me disappeared and I fell face first on the ground.

    Oh fuck, yes. I had¡­ I had removed, the ground. Yes.

    "Sorry, about that."

    God, I wasn''t used to saying that word, this much. But whatever. Who cared.

    I slowly pushed myself back up and walked ahead. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Irina munching on something.

    Whatever.

    I walked over to thest demon. He stepped back.

    "No! No! Don''t,e on."

    He tried again, but couldn''t.

    Then, I approached him without any haste. Slowly, I raised my hand and tapped his chest.

    "There you go, my guy. "Go, go and rush."

    In the blink of an eye, he took to the air and shot out of the window. With speeds neither of us could fathom, like a rocketunching into space, the man shot away. He flew and flew higher and higher, above the clouds, the skies, into the stars.

    And then, he fell down.

    I could see his skin melting off in the distance from the velocity he fell with. And then a bam resounded as he dropped smack dab in the center of the forest that had almost been folded too.

    I wiped the top of my head.

    "Alls well that ends well? I guess?"

    My head got woozy.

    And I fell on my back.

    "Oi!"

    "Eugy!"

    ***

    It felt as if a hundred needles were poked into every single inch of my body.

    My head hurt and so did my throat, and my stomach, and my hands and feet, and pretty much everything.

    With great effort, I slowly opened my eyes.

    Memories of what had transpired were hazy, but I knew all of it happened in the night.

    And it was still the night.

    "Not that long, huh?"

    "Oh? Good morning, princess."

    I felt that there was a strangely high number of women calling me princess, but I didn''t mind it for now. I slowly turned my gaze upward and saw Irina Lester sitting near the bed, in my room of the inn.

    "Argh. I guess I was out for an hour?"

    "Nope. Almost twenty four."

    Almost twenty four. I see.

    "Wait what?"

    "It''s been an entire day."

    I raised my hands and covered my face.

    "Fuck."

    "Yup. Guess we''ll be staying here another night."

    This was the worst.

    Summer vacation was about to end in a few days! Every single moment was important!

    I tried to get up, but I fell back on the bed.

    "Yeah, Eugy. Give up on leaving today."

    "Why¡­?"

    The pain coursing through my body intensified. It was simr to the unfathomable, bottomless pain I felt from Titania thatst time, but I could bear it now.

    "You abused the spirits like shit. They loved your drunk form."

    Argh¡­

    When I looked outside again.

    The entire ins beyond were folded in half as a new mountain had been birthed.

    "Yup, that was you¡­"

    "Fuck..."

 Chapter 304 In the Inn (4) [Mild R-18]

    Irina was in the kitchen of the inn once more. Thedy was kind enough to let us use the kitchen even though we had burnt a hole through one of her rooms. Well, I doubted she knew that.

    Having carried me here, Irina told me just sit for today and handled the cooking on her own. I felt a little bad since she had called it a vacation and I was making her take care of me like this.

    It wasn''t like I had saved her or anything either, she only screamed because she was worried her room had gotten dirty.

    While waiting, I tried to call the spirits toward me again, but hey justughed and ignored all my requests. The small things I could do before like making a pebble hop was also impossible.

    "It seems the spirits have gotten a bit too fond of your drunk self to pull any favors for you like this."

    Titania said, sitting on the table in front of me as she iled her legs up and back.

    "The drunk Eugene was so unpretentious that he ended up bing chosen by the spirits."

    "You mean that a messy, lobby, psychopathic apology freak is me without pretenses?" I clicked my tongue.

    "Yup, all soft and disturbed like a sorry little boy. I would have gobbled you up if you didn''t puke that much."

    "You''re delusional," I said. It was stupid to as much as believe that someone that didn''t even hold a certain amount of restraint and discipline was unpretentious. Heck, a person without any self control or thoughts about their actions was more pretentious since they were only half a person.

    Our conversation was cut short when Irina stepped in front of table, cing some steaming chicken soup on the table along with bread and some sd as sides.

    "Oh, looks good," I said. "Thanks for the meal."

    "Sure," Irina answered and sat down.

    I dipped my spoon into the soup and took a sip.

    "Kaaahah. It''s fucking filled with salt!"

    "Bwahaahah!" Holding her stomach, Irina startedughing out loud. "That''s what you get for not learning your lessons, brat!"

    "What lessons?"

    Irina didn''t answer as she continuedughing and went over to the kitchen again, this time, she returned with another bowl of soup and ced it in front of me. Stillughing, she gestured at me with her chin and I took a sip of this one.

    "Um, this is normal."

    Shaking her head, the damned teacher went over and sat in front of me once more.

    It was a strangely homely feeling, and the fact that we didn''t turn on any lights just added to that atmosphere.

    "Lesson being," Irina spoke, raising her fork. "You don''t step into a woman''s room in the middle of the night."

    "Excuse me? I came to save from the others?"

    "And what fate were those others going to meet?"

    At her words, I had no argument left. It was true that she could have killed all of them on her own if she had just willed so. And she probably did will so before I swooped in.

    "You see, Eugene Hall," Irina spoke, pointing at herself. "When a woman looks as gorgeous as I do, she has to worry about brats that would lust over her."

    "Gorgeous? You? I seem to be having some cognitive dissonance here."

    Irina scoffed at my words and bit into her bread. She chewed it down and then looked at me, her chin cocked up.

    "This face, and these assets can make any man go insane. Of course, you do that too."

    Dantalian had given enough of an impression on what kind of beauty Irina Lester was. Her chest was modest and her rear just the same, her visage was one straight out of a fairy tale, it was natural for one to be proud of it.

    But not me.

    I chuckled and spoke.

    "You can be as t as a washboard and as gorgeous as Orc''s dead aunt." Leaning ahead, I pointed my finger at her and pointed at her heart. "I am only interested in whatever is there. Not like I can see your face anyway."

    Irina looked at me and tilted her head.

    This was the first time I had mentioned it to her. Everyone around me knew, so there was never anyone who asked.

    "I have this thing called prosopagnosia¡­ Ah, face-blindness. It''s like, I can see you, but it doesn''t register. I can''t process faces."

    "What kind of stupid disease is that?" Irina asked. "Did you hit your head or something?"

    "Well it can happen from that," I exined. After cing the utensils down, I tapped the back of my head. "There''s this part in your brain, called a fusiform gyrus that activates specfically in response to faces. It''s because faces have a lot more subtle details and require a higher form of processing to discriminate within¡­"

    "What are you talking about?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "It happened because of trauma. I just got to relive it all thanks to Dantalian, so I can assure you that it''s all trauma."

    Fuck. If I had been born with Prosopagnosia my body would have probably been blown up in smithereens until it got fixed. Just imagining it slightly ruined the mood to eat.

    "I see¡­ so you could never see faces?"

    "No faces I remember."

    I did see Maria and Dawn courtesy of the original Eugene Hall, but no matter how intimate I got with anyone, it was impossible to see for me now.

    It was a fitting punishment.

    "I am sorry."

    "Don''t be. What for?"

    Irina looked at me with a slight frown and then shrugged. "Alright," she muttered as she snatched the dishes and left to wash them.

    I pushed myself up and followed behind her. My steps were still weak, but I managed to walk with taking as little support as I could.

    "You don''t have to, kid,"

    "Eh, it''ll be faster with four hands."

    Shoulder to shoulder, we cleaned the ce neat and tidy and decided to go back.

    We quickly climbed up the stairs and rushed to the second floor of the three story inn, the passage dark.

    She was going to sneak into yet another room so I escorted her there.

    Before I could leave, she held my sleeves and pulled me back.

    When I turned around, I saw the same hard bottles of liquor that I had stolen in her hands, except, she had four.

    "Would you like to give me somepany?"

    I shrugged and nodded.

    "The hard stuff doesn''t taste good alone."

 Chapter 305 Strip Poker [R-18] [Bonus Chapter]

    Sitting against the moonlight, Irina and I sat in her room around her table. The bed next to us was quiterge but neither of us cared for that.

    The view outside of the faint moonlight falling over the curving ins and the long yet scattered trees made for a beautiful gaze.

    With that backdrop, Irina poured me a drink and I poured her one. We were both the type to dive into the bottle straight away, but had decided to slow down first.

    As we downed the first cup, she broke the ice.

    "How did you pull that thing off yesterday? Suddenly¡­ teleporting in my room, and then rest of it?"

    I picked up the bottle and poured both of us another cup. "It''s something I can do since bing a demon. Spirit magic, it''s called."

    "Is that so?"

    She picked up the cup and downed it right away. And so did I.

    Next, she picked up the bottle and poured it out.

    We downed this one in silence, only looking out at the moon.

    Titania yawned.

    We kept staring outside.

    Then, I picked up the bottle and poured out thest of the first one.

    "I can see why Rio is so fond of you," she said.

    We picked up the cups and clinked them together.

    "Why so?"

    She bottomed it out in a swing, and so did I.

    "Ahhh¡­"

    That one hit.

    cing the cup back down, Irina turned to me and crossed her arms. I could see that her temperature had risen a bit.

    "You''re pretty upstanding, aren''t you? Quick to learn yet confident. It''s a good quality to have."

    "Tell me about it."

    "Well, you could have been humbler but that isn''t my type."

    "Humility sses, here Ie."

    "Pfft."

    She giggled and picked up the second bottle. With a flick of her thumb, she kicked off its cork and poured out the potent liquor.

    We drank this round in silence again.

    And then so did we do with the next one.

    The lesser we spoke, the faster we drank, and the faster we drank, the more we lost ourselves.

    With her head on the table, and her arms syed along, Irina spoke to me begrudgingly.

    "This is getting boring. I asked forpany."

    "I find the mere presence of another to be sweet as sugar."

    "Cringe."

    Rude much?

    "Do something. Aren''t you at that age? Suggest a game or something!"

    So annoying.

    "I don''t wanna."

    "Do it. Scaredy cat."

    Fucking hell?

    I poured more alcohol for both of us and grinned. "Game? Fine. Let''s y strip poker."

    "S-strip¡­ poker?"

    I nodded, my grin still wide.

    "Can''t, can you? Got scared?"

    Irina puffed her cheeks and mmed the table. "Can too, you son of a bitch."

    Don''t bring my mother into this. I still didn''t know if she was just a bitch or a mega bitch. Being normal didn''t seem to be an option considering her track record though.

    "Pull out some cards," said Irina. "I''ll bite. I''ll y strip poker with you."

    "You don''t have to. I was just kidding around¡ª"

    "Pull them out. I know you got some."

    I did.

    I did have some.

    I was a little ufortable, but she did not stop. She didn''t even pour another drink before I agreed to her demands. Sighing, I snapped my fingers and a deck of cards fell into my palm.

    "You know the rules?"

    "I have been the champion of teacher''s poker night for thest three years."

    As if that was going to help.

    We cut the cards, and shuffled them up.

    She finally poured another cup for both of us and the game began.

    With our eyes closed, we distributed our hands and then downed our alcohol at once.

    "How do we go about this?" Irina asked, "Should we be betting our clothing?"

    "That sounds like a hassle. How about keeping it straightforward?"

    "Whoever loses strips?"

    I nodded and she agreed too.

    We both ced our hands out front and gazed at the others.

    "Two pairs,"

    "Tsk."

    Irina reached to her back and pulled out her hair band.

    "Let''s go again," she said, almost as if challenging me to find fault with her. Cheap, but I didn''t mind.

    The back and forth of simple games began.

    We continued drinking from our cups and then yed a match.

    She took out her ne, I my chains. She removed her socks, and I my shoes.

    Eventually, the arsenal of our trash came to an end, and both of us were only left with clothes and clothes alone.

    The next hand split.

    And we held our cards up.

    "Alright, show."

    We both ced our cards face up at the same time.

    She held a straight, and I only a two pair.

    "Damn it."

    I unbuttoned my shirt, stood up, and knocked it off.

    "There we go," sitting back down, my hands reached for the bottle. Instead of letting me pour it in our cups, she took the other bottle.

    "I am gonna need this," she said. "Each man on its own now."

    "Sounds good to me," I said, leaning back on the chair.

    We split the cards again.

    And divvied them up once more. The time to show our hands came and this time.

    "Flush?"

    "Oh and you have a three of a kind anyway. That''s neat."

    It was rare to see it.

    Irina sighed.

    She picked up the bottle and chugged down arge amount all at once. It was hrious, so I pped my hands and cheered her own. She mmed the bottle down and wiped her lips.

    Next, she stood up and unbuttoned her shirt too.

    "I have¡­ never done this before."

    "I get to be the first. How lucky is that?"

    "Very, you used up all your luck right here damn it."

    The buttons, like pins holding a curtain, were slowly removed and her shirt draped away. Her pristine, clear white skin and the pink bra beneath revealed itself.

    My eyes moved naturally to her toned midriff that she grazed with her fingers and she removed her shirt.

    Taking in a deep breath. I picked up the bottle too.

    I understood why she wanted to drink first.

    We yed another round.

    And I lost this time.

    I took another swig and kicked off my pants. Irina took one evenrger than mine.

    The next round had her kicking off her pants. Leaving her bare legs in view, and behind them, herced pink panties that matched with her bra.

    We both chugged some more down and sat back down.

    We split the cards once more and got ready to show our hands. But before we could, I spoke up.

    "Isn''t it unfair?" I said.

    "What is?"

    "I have only one more life left, and you practically have two."

    "What is your point?"

    At Irina''s words, I leaned back and spoke.

    "We''re both in our underwear. But you still get two lives."

    "What a sore loser." Irina looked at her cards and then grinned.

    "Fine," she said. "I''ll count it as one life."

    Irina suddenly leaned ahead and whispered in a very low voice.

    "If I lose, I''ll take off both my bra and my panties."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Alright. You''re too confident."

    "Three¡­"

    "Two¡­"

    "One" "One"

 Chapter 306 Strip Poker: Version Dares [R-18] [Bonus Chapter]

    "A¡­"

    "Same hand¡­"

    Irina and I looked at our cards. No matter at what angle we viewed it from, it was the same.

    We then looked at each other.

    A simple redo would solve this matter for us.

    But neither of us wanted to risk being the loser. With both our faces flushed red from Alcohol, we red at each other once more.

    "What do we do in such a situation?" I asked. "Do we split pot?"

    "Split pot?" Irina repeated. "Then¡­ do we share the penalty?"

    "Maybe¡­?"

    Irina looked at herself, and then at me. Then herself again.

    She gulped.

    "Alright," she nodded. "Let us both strip."

    How we arrived at that leap in logical eluded me. But I couldn''t say no.

    I stood up, and so did she.

    We both stared at each other for a bit.

    And then, slowly, she blushed, looking away. Her hands reached toward her back and unhooked her bra.

    I gulped.

    Slowly, very slowly, she rolled the pink straps down her arms. And then, it fell off her shoulders and down on the ground.

    "You too."

    I looked at her, my eyes stuck on her chest. The perky, modest breasts with their peaks sticking out hard.

    The two of us then rolled down the lower bits too, her eyes on me and mine on her. Even though I had a faint hard on, I was not embarrassed.

    I couldn''t be.

    Not when the dabs of wetness on her inner thighs and her clean shaved pink slit were invitingly staring back.

    We kicked all our clothes off, and only stared at each other. Instead of saying anything, we swung to our liquor at once and drunk it down.

    Though our eyes were away, both of us tried stealing nces over and over.

    Titania had long since fallen asleep, so there was truly nothing to worry about.

    "W-what next?" She asked.

    "Isn''t the liquor over?"

    Irina reached into her pockets and pulled out two more bottles. "Not really."

    It seemed not.

    I guess I had to be the big man here and y more aggressively.

    "Alright," I said. "How about we continue the game?"

    "Hm? Put the clothes on again?"

    A deep sense of shame and arousal lingered over both of us, but both of us did not pay it much heed. What was more important was that we continued and left this drunken madness behind.

    "We can turn it, into a game of dares."

    "A game of dares?"

    I nodded.

    "Sounds good to me. Strip Poker, version dares?"

    "Version dares."

    In the blink of an eye, the both of us jumped back into our seats and leaned behind. Our hands grabbed the bottle of liquor at once and down we went withrge gulps.

    I cut the cards.

    The breeze made her clearly visible nipples harden.

    And that made me harder in turn.

    The first hand was yed.

    And this time she won with the higher card.

    She gulped.

    And so did I.

    "L-let¡­" Irina spoke with hesitation. Her drunkenness on full disy through her slurred words.

    "Let me touch your abs," she said.

    I nodded.

    She stood up, and so did I.

    We were both drunk. And we were both doing things we shouldn''t.

    Slowly, she reached out with her fingers. Her head leaned in and lowered, her eyes gazing toward my abs and my member.

    "I-it''s pretty big."

    "As if you would know."

    "Rude bastard¡­" Irina took in a breath. "I am¡­ going to touch it¡­"

    I nodded once more. "Go ahead."

    Like a soft cotton swab, her finger pressed over my abs.

    "Ah¡­"

    The stimtion was too much for my drunk brain.

    And so was the case for hers.

    She rubbed her thighs together in an attempt to calm her lower half, but it seemed futile.

    From a finger to two, and then, slowly, in her curiosity, Irina ced her entire palm on my stomach.

    I let her enjoy herself for a minute or two. Until her forearm ended up touching my erect tip.

    She hopped back in surprise.

    While I sighed. "That''s it. Time''s up."

    Irina looked at me and nodded meekly.

    I walked back to the table, my heart beating a hundred beats a second. My head was woozy already, and this fever dream helped naught.

    Once more, we divided the cards and made the y as the time came to reveal the hands.

    We mmed them down.

    I had trash yet again. But Irina held a one-pair.

    "You win¡­ again¡­"

    Irina gulped again. And then she looked outside.

    The back of her palm went over her mouth as she blushed.

    "You¡­"

    "Yes?"

    "This time¡­ you touch me¡­"

    I could tell why the spirits loved the drunk me.

    As soon as I had her permission, I was in front of her. My eyes stuck to her her while I licked my lips.

    "Where?"

    "Heh? Uh¡­"

    "Miss Irina." I leaned ahead. "Where?"

    She sighed out loud.

    "Damned brat¡­"

    And grabbed my hands.

    Slowly, she pulled them closer.

    And ced my palms on her chest.

    "Hnmm¡­" A faint groan escaped her lips as my palms sunk into her softness.

    She let go of my hand, and I leaned closer yet.

    Slowly, very slowly, I started kneading her chest in my arms. I fondled her breasts, my fingers clung to her bulging tits as I pinched and rolled her nipples.

    Moan after moan left Irina.

    She slumped her head on my shoulders, but I didn''t stop.

    Her thighs squeezed together and pushed ahead.

    No way.

    She couldn''t have climaxed from her tits alone.

    That¡­ was too lewd.

    "L-lets¡­ go for the next round."

    As she raised her head, she looked at me. Her pink hair was falling over her face while hot breaths kept spilling out of her.

    I left one hand on her chest and snapped my fingers with the other.

    The cards behind us flew and went toward both of us, and then on their own, they flipped.

    Rigged as it was, I held a Royal Flush and she the most trash cards.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "You win¡­" she muttered, the alcohol and the pleasure intoxicating us both.

    "You are not allowed to regret this tomorrow morning."

    She held my hand and nodded.

    "Next round," she said.

    And the cards simply changed positions. Now she had a Royal Flush, and I the worst cards.

    Without waiting for anything, she grabbed my the back of my neck and pulled me closer. Her other hand grasped my dick while our lips stuck together.

    She pushed her tongue into mine and rolled it around. For a long, sticky, wet kiss.

    And then she pulled back. Her eyes staring straight into mine.

    She gave me the dare.

    "Let''s fuck."

 Chapter 307 Lets Fuck [R-18]

    "Let''s fuck."

    Let''s fuck. Let''s fuck,

    That simple phrase kept repeating itself in my head over and over as if it were a broken tape reorders. And I didn''t know about others, but drunk me seemed to love broken tape recorders.

    Irina held my hands and I held hers.

    "Let''s fuck¡­"

    She nodded.

    I did too.

    Our breaths were heated and hitting each other.

    We slowly leaned into each other and sealed our lips together. Like two snakes struggling in a fight, our tongues rubbed at each other''s lips and teeth before tussling with one another over and over.

    She rolled it around and tied it together and so did I.

    My hand slowly grazed down her shoulders and over to her arms, then her waist.

    She held my chest with her palms.

    But, instead of touching her right away, I slowly pulled back.

    "Spirits," I called. "Undrunk us."

    The giggle of the spirits filled my ears and both our heads cleared out before a slight dab of dizziness hit me. Even drunk, the recoil was nothin to scoff at, but it was much lesserpared to what was before.

    Both our breaths were still heated, but our minds much clear.

    Neither of us had forgotten anything either.

    Slowly, I pressed my thumb on Irina''s lips and wiped them.

    "The rule that you can''t regret this still exists."

    Irina nodded.

    "Do you really want to?"

    Irina sighed.

    My gaze lowered, a strand of her nectar fell from herher. She noticed my gaze and immediately hid herself before blushing.

    I grasped her cheeks and made her look toward me.

    "Tell me when you still have a clear head."

    "Tsk¡­"

    I wouldn''t have thought so much before. But that wasn''t the case anymore.

    Irina gently grasped my hands and pulled me closer. She sealed my lips with her own again, pinching down on the back of my neck as she kissed me deeply once more.

    We twirled, and she pushed me on the bed.

    "I''ll tell you," she said, picking up the bottle of alcohol once more. "I''ll teach you exactly what I want."

    I grinned as she pressed me down.

    Now, she probably wasn''t drunk from a single swig at all, but this told me all I needed to.

    Irina jumped atop me, her legs straddling my sides while her head fell straight over mine. We kissed once more was I wrapped one arm around her waist and another on her chest, kneading her breasts.

    My hand slowly slipped down over her plump, soft ass and dipped into her ass crack.

    "Hm?" She groaned in my lips, so I pinched her nipples.

    Her eyes melted as she deepened the kiss once more.

    Her hips couldn''t stay still.

    Slowly, she started moving her wet crotch over mine. Her lower lips grazed over my hard dick and dyed it in their nectar, slowly stroking all the way up to the ns before falling back down.

    This was more than tantalizing.

    I lowered both my hands and raised her bottom, not letting the kiss go. She got on her feet as I slowly sat up.

    "Mmf!"

    Her lips were full with mine.

    Slowly, I guided her lower half over my dick.

    I deepened the kiss until her back arched over.

    And then mmed her down.

    "Hang!"

    She moaned.

    I wrapped my hands around her back as her pussy folds greeted me inside, squeezing, pulling, as if not ready to ever let go. The tightness sent sharp pangs up my head as I buried my face in her chest.

    Slowly, she patted and rustled my hair as I let her adjust to my shape.

    Since just sitting was boring, I stuck my tongue out and licked her tits.

    "Ah¡­ there¡­"

    I licked again. And then again.

    Then, I put her nipple in my mouth and started sucking on it.

    Drowning in pleasure, she moved her hips front to back, slowly, surely, getting into a groove.

    As I sucked harder on her tits, she slightly started raising herself in an attempt to ride my dick, but her insides were resistant. Unwilling to let go.

    "Hng, ahn¡­"

    "Have you done this before?" I asked, letting go of her chest as I looked up at her.

    She kept moving her hips just the slightest bits of up and down.

    Her hands reached from my hair and pulled it back.

    "Adults can have some toys too."

    I reached toward her chest with one hand and supported her back with the other.

    "Bet you''ll be throwing them all out."

    She finally raised her ass up, and brought her lips to mine again. Her kisses desperately fell on me and I desperately kissed her back.

    And then, she mmed back down.

    Never not kissing, we started fucking like animals in heat. Each time her hips came down mine went up.

    In a steady and quick rhythm, I pounded into her over and over. Her wetness started to spill out on my crotch while her kissed messed up my entire face.

    "Ahn. ah¡­ I am¡­ gonna¡­"

    "Me too¡­"

    Irina''s her spilled on my face, as if veiling us behind. I tightly clenched my hold around her waist and dug the deepest I had yet.

    And then.

    "Cumming¡­!"

    She groaned in to kiss and I did too.

    My semen shot out and spilled into her womb. Her eyes suddenly widened and she arched back once more before she started to squirt out her juices. She kept moaning out loud in her orgasm while my dick painted her insides white.

    I could only stare as she soaked the entire bed.

    Then, her entire body went as pink as her hair.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "S-s-sorry¡­"

    "You better be."

    Irina looked at me and I immediately grabbed her.

    "That made me want to pound your brains out."

    I kissed her, and started going at it again.

    The bed, the table, the bathrooms, the window, the passage outside, nothing was spared as we continued fucking like total animals.

    When we went to sleep was something neither of us was sure of.

    But when we woke up again. There was no screaming or fearing the consequences.

    We simply fucked again.

 Chapter 308 Beginning of Usurpation

    A lot of dys went down, but we finally left back. Since running was going to be a hassle, I summoned my shields, sat Irina on it, and dashed through the skies of the country early in the morning.

    "This magic carpet of yours sure is convenient."

    "What it, please. It''s a shield."

    "Sure."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    We were rushing through the skies at speeds many couldn''t fathom, but that mattered little. Not long after, we crossed through the capital and neared the very edges of the country.

    And there it was, right in front of us, the grand city of Apollon.

    The colored streets made for a sight full of wonder while the uniform yet strange architecture on the stretching heights all over the city made for yet another sight to behold.

    I moved over to my mansion first.

    The shields dissipated as the two of us hopped down on the grounds of the mansion.

    "Hey, kid," Irina called.

    "What?"

    "Keep it a secret, alright?"

    I waved my hands.

    "Find me whenever you want to make more secrets."

    She grinned and urged me onward. I pushed open the door in one go and found the entire gang sitting on the couches next to the fire ce.

    Keith, Luka, Dawn and the two princesses, Hoya and Anatolia were all on one end. On the other sat Maria, Lily, Lethe, Noa, Sophia and Rio. The Fonias twins, miss sses. and sses sat on the third side, all of them staring at the standing Luka.

    That man turned toward me and clicked his tongue.

    "You''rete," Albert muttered. "The summer vacation is almost ending and we haven''t even gotten the goddamn ckmarket yet."

    "Wee back to you too, Albert."

    "Cut the snark," Albert sighed.

    Almost as if a cue had called it over, a small eagle flew in from the outside.

    "What the¡ª''

    "Stop," Rio blocked Keith''s movements. "It'' from the academy."

    The eagle fluttered inside my mansion before a small bag of letters dropped from its feet.

    Cautiously, Albert picked up the letters and flipped one open. And then the next, and then one more before sighing.

    "We got lucky."

    "What do you mean?" Luka asked.

    "The vacation has been extended two more weeks," Albert answered. "Apparently the principal left on a longer vacation with his secretary."

    "Argh.."

    "Come on, he can keep that to himself."

    "Did that old coot really inform every single student of his luck?"

    "No," Albert said. "That bit is only in the letters for the teachers, not for us."

    "Oh¡­"

    I shook my head and walked over to the fire ce, and Irina followed. sses sat on the ground and let me have his seat while Miss sses did the same for Irina, though it seemed that Adelia was about to do it too.

    I leaned back on the chair and smiled.

    "Good job, all of you," I spoke, an attempt to encourage. "You managed the first splendidly. I am taking off 1.5 million from each of you."

    They all seemed to have been touched at first but then removed their shoes and threw it at me. It all got blocked as I turned to Albert once more.

    "Good work," I said.

    "Yeah, you made it easy." Albert answered. "Just considering telling me beforehand that you''ll be starting a war."

    "We had to¡­ improvise"

    "I see."

    Two nods were all we needed. Albert figured it was about demons, and his opinion on the urgency of our situation reached me just well.

    "Also," Albert continued. "Something big happened. The court physician of the Royal family was found dead."

    I shifted my gaze toward Hoya¡­

    I wanted to say a cool line like, so this was why she was sad, but I had never even known her happy face let alone the sad one.

    "The royals and the Fonias would get suspicious. Stupid physician had to bail now."

    "Oh well, he''ll be back," I said.

    "That reminds me," sses suddenly spoke up. "I remembered something that I had to inform you of, Lord Dark Moon."

    I stopped and looked at the sses.

    "What?" I had to ask.

    "That¡­ there are a lot of people moving into the city saying they are here to seve their lord." Mentioned sses. "I believe it is all thanks to my hands that have been blessed with the luck of a god¡ª"

    Arge influx of people.

    I was surprised to see that demons had already found their way inside.

    "Well, let''s look into tht tomorrow," Albert said.

    "Tomorrow?"

    "Yes, we have a ck market to investigate first¡ª"

    "No," I said. "This is more important than the rest. Where are they?"

    "The mayor has helped us set a ce for them for now,"

    "Take me to them."

    I demanded.

    The demons were here, it was time to make do on the promise that I had made with Bathym.

    And soon, we would have our own little demon lord in me going all the way to hell and connecting another city to Apollon to make Grand Apollon.

    "sses, let''s go."

    "Uh, sure?" It''s just the town like a walking distance away¡ª

    ***

    I was led to the ce where the demons were temporarily living.

    All of them still in the appearance of a human bowed when they saw me, gathered in the streets on the outer edges of Apollon.

    "Lord,"

    "The lord is here."

    "Our liege''s liege is our liege."

    That was a little burdensome.

    "Raise your heads," I told them all and raised their heads they did.

    All of these demons with no ce to go had moved over to Apollon at my very word.

    Trust. No, honor of this level was to be met with honor.

    I turned to my side where sses sat and spoke.

    "sses, prepare to make a grand research center in this ce."

    "A research center?"

    "Also open the paths to Mirxa and get them read to open through another path that is currently filled to the brim with betting powers/

    "As for all of you," I said. "I may have a temporary solution in mind."

 Chapter 309 Liege of Demons [Bonus Chapter]

    In therge inn that we had temporarily kept the demons in, a loud voice boomed.

    "A temporary solution?" One of the demons in the guise of an old human man spoke up. His countenance of maturity made me believe that he was likely the spokesperson for the demons.

    Well, that didn''t matter.

    "I promised you that you will live without hiding your horns, didn''t I?"

    The people on my side shook at those words.

    sses, Albert, Keith, Irina, Lethe and oddly enough, Hoya and Anatolia were the only ones here.

    Except for Irina and Lethe, all of them seemed surprised to their cores.

    "H-horns?"

    sses murmured.

    Hoya and Anatolia couldn''t move after hearing my words.

    pping his face, Keith broke into a burst ofughter.

    "Hrious. Just fucking hrious, it''s as I expected from you, young master."

    I grinned too, the demons were likely confused at this reaction of ours.

    "Crazy bastard," Albert said, "You fucking brought in demons? What are you nning?"

    "Probably the same thing you are," though even sses was here, I honestly trusted Albert the least. I knew he would never go behind my back or that he would ever betray me, even if he did it would be something that I could rely on him for, but the fucker was just as smart as me if not smarter.

    I could never really tell what he was thinking.

    I hoped he would spill his ns from such ambiguous statements and ease my life a bit.

    "Our¡­ horns, liege?"

    "Correct, sses, go call the mayor and all the guards."

    "Sir!? Yes! I am going right now and reporting you for sphemy¡ª"

    sses was pped.

    "Sir! Yes, I am going to bring them and have them do whatever you ask."

    sses shot off and I stretched my hands.

    "Let''s go out too, all of you." I pointed at the demons. "You guys too,e along."

    We stepped out of the tavern and moved toward the back of the city, near the Ediab forest''s entrance where all the noble mansions I had had built. Those fuckers wanted property so I gave them some, albeit too far from the city to enjoy.

    It was then that someone else came over to us from the sides. A man with a stubble and whitening hair donning long robes.

    "My liege," he called.

    "C-court Physician!?!" Hoya screamed. "What is this¡ª"

    The person gave a nce towards Hoya and bowed in front of me.

    "Raise your head, Bathym."

    ""B-bathym¡­?""

    The two regressors both muttered while Albert startedughing this time.

    "Damn it, you always go one step extra. You really brought a whole demon lord along my sides¡­"

    I patted Albert''s back as he continuedughing on my shoulder.

    And then, sses came back too, huffing and puffing like a big bad wolf. Behind him the old man mayor and the many guards and knights of the city.

    "Can''t you tell me if you''re changing spots?"

    "Skill issue. Move."

    sses was pushed aside and I stared at the ones behind him. The mayor lowered his head and stuck his palms as he walked over to me.

    "Lord¡­ whatever might be the case? We''ll assist you in any way¡ª"

    "Are there any nobles living in that ce right now?"

    The ce deep into the Ediab forest was rarely taken over by the citizens of this town anyway. With the nobles being in ce too, almost no one ever went in there.

    "About 10 different noble families are inside right now¡­"

    "What!? How many noble families did you givend to?"

    "Around sixty, lord. Excluding the royals, of course."

    I pressed my head.

    "Whatever. All you knights, raise your spears."

    Some of them were probably ones that were with me when I fought the Dark Moon, and the others must have heard of my des since all of them were brimming with enthusiasm.

    "Now, rush in, and kick out every single noble living in there."

    "M-my lord!?" The mayor squealed. "W-we can''t do that, there''s a margrave and a noble from the empire here too."

    A smile etched itself on my face. It wasn''t going to be the margrave of Mirxa, that man was still on his way here.

    "Go! Now!"

    "Sir yes sir!"

    The knights all screamed.

    "Kick out every single person inside! Show no mercy!"

    The knightsughed and hooted as they went in. They held their spears above their heads like barbarians and chanted ''blood'' ''blood'' over and over.

    "Huh?" I muttered, shocked.

    "Wow, your knights are just as crazy as mine," Albertmented.

    "Hehehehe!" Keith, the likely criminal, scratched the back of his head and moved away. Well, as long as they worked well chanting blood wasn''t that problematic¡ª

    "AAAAH!"

    My line of thought was interrupted by a loud scream, following it was the sounds of battle and the louderughter of the knights.

    Bams echoed, a tree thudded down to the ground, a cloud of dust followed, and running out came the nobles and all their servants.

    They stopped in their tracks when they saw me. Most of them came over to me with angry faces and started babbling out.

    "Lord Eugene! What is happening!?"

    "Monsters, barbarians have attacked."

    "Right right, shut up for a second¡ª"

    "This is not done, you have to take care of our safety¡ª"

    Annoying fucks.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    I ced just the teeniest, tiniest bit of ancient pressure on them and all of them fell to their knees. A few in the back started puking, but who cared?

    "I ordered them too. I am taking thisnd back, go home for now and you buy some other stuff at some other ce."

    "T-that''s insane! Are you not in your right mind, how can you do this¡ª"

    I pointed simply at Anatolia and Hoya next to us. I wasn''t going to get violent.

    "Their orders. Do you care about your houses more than your rtionship with the princess of the kingdom and the empire?"

    This was the only reason I had brought them along.

    The nobles all shut up, and the barbaric knights returned.

    "Escort them away."

    The nobles stood up at my nextmand to the knights.

    "There''s no need!"

    "Haha, we''ll do it! Let''s go, let''s go!~"

    The nobles and their servants disappeared from sight within minutes. The knights left with them too.

    I sent the mayor back and walked into the path, gesturing at the others to follow along. The demons and my people were the only ones toe inside, even the mayor was sent back.

    Past the thicket of trees, deep into the forest of Ediab.

    Another small city had been erected. A ce for the nobles and the nobles only. The vast buildings and the spreading trees took all of their attention as they gazed around at the now-emptied ce.

    Atst, I turned to the demon gang and crossed my arms.

    "Go. This is your home now."

    "My¡­ liege?"

    Bathym spoke.

    "No onees here, even if someone does, I''ll silence them. You can live here as yourselves."

    "Home¡­?"

    "No need. To hide?"

    The demons were stunned and confused.

    Tears dripped from some of their eyes, while others only kept murmuring the same words.

    "These people are easy to cry, right Eugy?"

    I agreed with Titania.

    "You should give them a proper reason to cry."

    I gently poured out some of my pressure once more. Instead of making them kneel, this only increased my presence.

    The demons all looked toward me.

    "One year."

    My voice boomed in the forest.

    "In one year, you will not have to hide even in this city. In one year, you will not have to fear showing your horns. In one year¡­"

    "I will make this a world where you can roam free."

    The demons shuddered.

    "This is just temporary, don''t get used to it."

    I turned away and started walking out of the forest.

    My goals.

    My responsibility.

    My strength.

    I was to take all of it.

    The outer gods.

    I wouldn''t let them trample on anything. A power that protects, that was what I held now.

    "A lot better wille."

    Behind my back.

    Every single demon revealed its horns again, and all of them kneeled, their horns almost touching the ground.

    But I didn''t look back.

    I only had to move forward.

 Chapter 310 Meaning of the Strongest [Bonus Chapter]

    The sound of water guzzling down the faucet filled her ears, but Hoya did not move her back away from the walls.

    She didn''t want to move, nor did she want to think.

    The small little worldview she held came crashing down.

    Thest time, destruction hit within three years. Hernd did not even have the chance to stand up, let alone fight.

    She had already amassed power iparable to before, and facts about the Fonias weren''t lost on her, though the ck market and its dealings were too guarded even for her.

    But demons?

    "Demons? Seriously?"

    And it didn''t end there.

    The one person who had been trusted with not just hers, but her entire family was not just a normal doctor.

    But. A damned. Demon Lord.

    This was too much, way too much.

    She had deemed them reasonable but never trusted them. She had deemed them herrades, but never epted them.

    It was all.

    A mess.

    But now that she had seen.

    The demons crying, embracing, squealing in joy and liberation. When she had witnessed loyalty borne by the beings of anarchy and pleasure, how could she call them any different?

    Action that she and the others failed to take, not just in herst life, but also in this.

    Those actions were being taken by their number one enemy.

    It already felt strange to know that the demon Dantalian was no more and that she was killed by none other than her eternal pawn Eugene Hall.

    But then.

    What was she supposed to face now?

    Nothing? Eugene Hall was an ass, but he wasn''t a problem anymore. And her lover had already gotten more thanfortable with that man. Personally, Hoya didn''t mind him either and as for whatever happened with Anatolia, while she was angry, it was something she had no right to put into as Anatolia was a person of her own.

    It seemed as if something was missing

    Something key was missing.

    In the first ce, just what were the outer gods?

    Invaded and deviled they had no choice but to take on things as they came. A totally failed defense that ended with only Eugene Hall''s victory.

    But what were the outer gods? Where had theye from?

    She was now faced with questions she held no answers to and that she had never even thought of getting answers to. Ones that she couldn''t face before she was met with her demise.

    ''What did we evene back for?''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The words of her friend, Adelia, rang into her mind.

    It was funny.

    Even that time which seemed hopeless and bleak with the death of theirrade, Noa was again saved by Eugene Hall.

    Hoya had gotten the full ount of things from Luka and knew just well how and what Eugene had faced.

    Everything.

    Everything was being fixed by him.

    The sight of the demons shed yet again.

    And just like the clenched fists of the demons, Hoya grit her teeth and stood up.

    She had to make a move too.

    And there was no one other than herself and her team of time travelers that knew of the identity of the outer gods.

    If there was a step to be taken, it had to be done by them.

    School life, uniting the people, slowly gaining power, and defending correctly this time, all of that was bullshit.

    Eugene Hall had proved that enough for not just her but for everyone.

    Like a torch in a dark night, he had shown them a destination, the path, was for their own to choose.

    Unfortunately, the destination was being shown by the worst person possible. But Hoya was corrupted too far. Mad rage, a sense of not being enough gued her.

    Just sitting back wasn''t going to be enough. Thinking that she could do things one thing at a time, at her own pace, as long as it was bringing the right results.

    Were those not the words of the weak?

    They may be sensible.

    No, they were sensible.

    Hoya puffed her cheeks.

    Her hands clenched down again and she stood up in her room. With a single tap, she shot off the ground and dashed out the door.

    The door mmed behind her¡ª

    "Faucet!"

    Hoya charged back in, closed the faucet, and then charged back out.

    Her destination? Her previous self''s greatest enemy. The object of all her hate.

    She ran down the stairs and over to the office of Eugene Hall, where he remained alone.

    "Princess?" He asked.

    He wasn''t sitting.

    He was doing a headstand, on his fingers, on a block made with air magic. Balls of water and fire floated around him at speeds that would make the ones with the fastest visual acuity light-headed.

    "What are you up to?"

    "What do you want?"

    Hoya took in a breath. Yes, this guy wasn''t that amicable. Right.

    "Eugene Hall, what do you work for?"

    "Myself."

    "Not who, what."

    Eugene Hall stopped his sets and stood up straight. He snapped his fingers and the blobs of me disappeared as he wiped his forehead with his shirt.

    "What''s this about, princess?"

    "Soul searching?"

    The boy grinned.

    "I work to be the strongest."

    Hoya lowered her gaze.

    "And what kind of person¡­ is the strongest?"

    Eugene Hall then raised his gaze to the ceiling and hummed.

    "I would have had tens of answers over thest ten months. From pure unbridled strength, ignoring consequences, doing whatever you want, not hiding things¡­ I think there are many things that can be the strongest."

    Hoya nodded.

    But her thoughts weren''t allowed toplete.

    "If you ask me now, the strongest is just an ideal."

    A serene smile spread on Eugene Hall''s usual cold face.

    "You can chase after rationality all you want, something tangible wille to you, and what then? Is that truly the end? Is a life where you do reach your goals satisfactory at all?"

    "Your strongest is just a dream¡­" Hoya muttered, then quickly covered her mouth.

    Instead of getting angry, Eugene Hall onlyughed.

    "Yes," he said. "I chase after a dream. I keep chasing and chasing. I have learned full well that what is a dream will only be a dream."

    She knew he couldn''t see faces.

    She was as well aware as anyone else.

    Yet, his eyes were peering straight into her own.

    "But the strongest can even make a dreame true."

    Hoya grinned.

    She had received all the answers she wanted.

    "Outer gods," she said. "If you want to defeat them, you will have to bring every realm and every continent together."

    "Funny, that was my n." Eugene Hall turned his back away from her, and so did Hoya.

    "I''ll help you."

    "You don''t have a choice."

    "Aw always such an insufferable bitch, aren''t you?"

    "Get out."

    ***

    [A/n: Some rity on this for some people. Eugy describes strength as just an idea, something one could never reach but says that what is the point of action if you do not chase an ideal? It can be and is meant to be interpreted with some other meanings too.

    The strongest won''t be satisfied by bing the strongest, or maybe, with thest line, that his definition of strongest is one that can make such idealse true, or maybe that even if it is an ideal he would still foolhardily continue chasing it to give things meaning. There are some other interpretations too that I will not borate on.

    The point is, all of them are correct and all of them have relevance. Thanks for reading, I hope you can reach your strongest like Eugy or find it like Hoya]

 Chapter 311 Last Steps

    We sat around the firece in the mansion once more. The crackling fire served as a backdrop while therge circus troupe gathered at the ce.

    "ss is about to start again soon," said Luka.

    "Does it matter? This is going to help you learn a lot more anyway. I can tell because I am all of yours teacher."

    "Hey, Rio, quit it. Because you''re a teacher we have to get them back."

    Not much had changed between me and Irina. We still fought like cats and dogs, but there was just a ton of sexual tension underneath it now which, to be honest, just made the fighting better and more worth it.

    In any case, continuing this wasn''t going to be a problem, we could just ckmail or throw the teachers in a jail or something, but I personally wanted to avoid having to resort to that.

    Just as I was about to make up a story, an eagle suddenly smashed into the window of the mansion.

    All of us turned toward the window where the eagle single-mindedly bashed it''s head.

    "How cute¡­" Lily muttered. "Oh, sorry. I''ll go open that."

    The window swung open and the eagle came dashing inside. Carried in its feet was a bag branding the mark of the Syncretic Academy.

    The bag fell down, the eagle with the swollen head shed a few tears, and then dashed away the way it had came in. So much for majesty.

    "What''s this now?"

    Maria opened up the bag and Dawn and Keith peeked over.

    "Letters?"

    "There''s a bunch of them at that."

    "Oh, this one is addressed to little Luka."

    The letters were pulled out and handed over to everyone. It seemed there was one for all of us except Maria, Dawn and Keith.

    We flipped the letters open.

    [Hoho! Sorry kids, but the vacation has been extended by two more weeks!

    XoXo

    Principal]

    "Ew."

    "Gross¡­."

    It was gross.

    We looked at the teachers for some exnation, only to find miss Rio shaking her head and Irina clenching the paper tight.

    "That bastard is going on a honey moon with his secretary."

    "WHAT!? They got married!?" Albert screamed. "That old cunt didn''t even invite us! We were the reason this even happened."

    Noa stomped her feet in agreement.

    "Why do you even care?"

    "Free food?

    "Fair¡­"

    So that settled it. We still had time.

    "In that case, we''ll go and handle this matter right away." I turned to Sophia sitting with the Fonias. "Lady Sophia, what''s the ETA?"

    "Hm, they should be here today, lord Eugene."

    "Oh? Already? Guys you do your thing, something came up."

    I left those words and dashed off, I had a lot of work to do.

    ***

    Marquis Ban Ket Hall sat in his carriage.

    In front of him were his two eldest children, and driving the carriage was his butler Bartholomew.

    The small unit was on its way for a secret super confidential meet up out in Symphonia.

    Ban Ket crossed his arms and thought of what his son had said when he hade over to his territory.

    "Call the Margrave of Mirxa ande over to Apollon when I send the word. I''ll let you bite as much of the Fonias as you can."

    And guess what?

    The Fonias had started to topple already.

    The best of their elite units had fallen and a seemingly strange financial crisis had hit them and all of their businesses.

    As if that wasn''t enough, even the king of the country had suddenly started moving his people behind the scenes to look into the Fonias, almost as if something blocking his sight had been cleared away.

    In the first ce, one would have to be on drugs to ignore the Fonias to that extent.

    While the Marquis had a good grasp on information, the intricacies of the operation that Fonias ran was not something that could be easily traced by formal intelligence without getting caught.

    To that end, the Dark Moon being closer to a cult and a bandit troupe than any kind of information agency was a big plus.

    The Marquis looked forward to what was toe. Whether the road his son had paved with filled with holes, he was more than happy to help him tread it¡ª

    A rumble resounded as the carriage almost flipped over.

    "W-what happened?!"

    Marquis Ban Ket called out to his steward.

    "A-a hole¡­ a hole appeared on the road from nowhere sir!"

    "Trap?"

    "I believe so," Bartholomew said. "It certainly wasn''t like this before!"

    The Marquis held his head and sighed.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Alright, idents happen. It can just be bad construction."

    Saying that, the Marquis used his Ki and made the carriage stand upright again.

    The horses whinnied once more and off set the carriage.

    Except.

    "A spike! There''s spikes falling from the sky!"

    "Oh my gahh! It''s bears! Someone set off bears at us!"

    The Marquis clicked his tongue and handled all the problems that came his way. His two children continued to p as he moved while Bartholomew like a really bad announcer, made sure to overy every single problem that came their way.

    "Oh no! It''s the super difficult high tier spell Gale of Destruction from the trinity series destruction attribute!!!"

    "SHUT UP!" The Marquis raised his sword, sweating all over. "That brat isn''t even TRYING to hide now!"

    "HAHAHAHH SUCK ON THAT MARQUIS!"

    "DAMNED BRAT!"

    The Marquis and Eugene Hall began fighting in the skies, one keptunching attacks like a maniac and other kept deflecting them.

    The two kids pped while Bartholomew gave a y by y.

    After getting tired, the fight finally stopped and Eugene Hall ran away.

    The Marquis got back in his carriage. "Drive," he said and took off did Bartholomew.

    After the short drive ended with only one more trap, the Marquis party had finally reached the mansion on the outskirts of Apollon.

    And at the same time came out another carriage.

    With the sigil of Mirxa on it.

    A scream tore through the air.

    "BANNNN KETTTT!!"

    Marquis Ban took in a deep breath, and scowled.

    "MIRXAA!"

 Chapter 312 Marquis and Margrave

    shes of light were ring outside like fireworks on the eve of the new year. The sounds ofughs and screams weren''t all that different. It did eventually be a rather big issue though and Keith stormed into my office.

    "Young master!" He shouted. "Help me stop them, they''ll wreck your entire city!"

    "What?! Junior you dare!"

    "Go go, show them the power of the mighty hall sect!"

    "Ok ew, stop."

    I sighed and looked outside the window. shing like a light in a horror film, the image of Marquis Ban Ket Hall and Margrave Me Lon Mirxa shing in the skies as they pitted their swords filled my eyes.

    Just like me, it seemed Me Lon Mirxa was also a dual core. But unlike me and more like Tempo, he couldn''t use both of them well. He used some traces of pretty powerful psychokinesis to aide his fight but that was all.

    His Ki seemed to be above my Intent Ki though.

    Probably around Ki King just like the Marquis.

    "Young master!!"

    "Right, right," I nodded. "Ahem, here goes."

    I took in a deep breath.

    My cores rumbled as they were engaged to their maximum. A single breath.

    And the entire city started trembling.

    The air, the ground, the clouds, the skies, nothing was spared as I didn''t usurp mana and Ki from the surroundings but from within everything.

    "Young master you''re worseee!"

    "God damn it Keith. Pick what you want please."

    It worked though. The two fighters sent a small attack tumbling my way and I got rid of it with my shield. Unfortunately, they were both fairly strong and I had to grab one of their Ki attacks with my hands.

    "Morning, good morning, nice to meet you. Stop trashing my city and get on the fucking chairs."

    "BRAT! What was all that before huh!?"

    "So you''re Charlotte''s son! You look just like her!"

    Those two were still flying.

    They were flying without using any shields. That annoyed me, but I knew it wasn''t economical enough to bother with.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve heard that."

    "Hahaha!"

    The man with a scraggly red beard and long red hair that reminded me of the mane of a lionughed and dashed straight into the room through the window.

    His muscles were too big to fit on my chairs, so he would have have to stand up.

    Or so I thought.

    The man simply pped my back whileughing, walked over to the chair in front of my desk, and fucking crushed the armrests before taking a seat.

    He crushed them.

    My chair¡­

    "Hey Keith, go and bring those two here."

    "Oh sure, I''ll get some snack too."

    Marquis came in as well.

    "Sure. Lace the margrave''s with sawdust."

    "BWAHAHAH!"

    The margraveughed like a lion again, making all of us flinch.

    What a weirdo. I was scared. Why can''t people just be normal like me?

    Keith dashed away and I took to the seat, Marquis scowled at the Margrave but sat next to him anyway.

    At the same time, both of them raised their feet and tried to ce it on my desk but I pulled it back before they could.

    "Behave."

    "HAHAH! I never thought I''ll hear that from a lowly lord!"

    "That''s my son you asshole. And you, what kind of lord are you tell a Marquis like me to behave?"

    I was certain that it might be as tough as the Bm battle, but I could definitely kill both of them.

    "Do you want to die or something?"

    "BWHAAHA!"

    "He might just, Mirxa. Stop it."

    "Right. I totally forgot about Charlotte."

    It seemed Mirxa was traumatized by her too.

    "Did you hate her or something?"

    The two of them shuddered.

    "Alright, I won''t hit where it hurts."

    "Are you curious about your mother now?" Asked Ban.

    I nodded then.

    "I recently went to hell and killed Demon Lord Dantalian. She seemed to have known her."

    "Excuse me!?"

    "BWAHAHAHA! Killed who!?"

    The bwahaha''s were getting old real quick. I held in my difort and spoke out.

    "Dantalian, doesn''t matter. I''ll find out eventually."

    I sighed and then the door was knocked on. In came Keith again, strolling in a service cart. Sitting atop the service cart were the two Fonias twins and on top of their heads were sets of tea and other confectionaries.

    "Delivery," he said.

    Was a smear campaign about me running behind my back? Who was it? Albert? Luka?

    No. Everyst one of them would jump at the opportunity to hurt me.

    Of course, as he would have, the Marquis frowned greatly when he saw the two kids. This man really couldn''t hold his own against kids, huh? This was why I hated him.

    "Don''t torture people like that, Keith," the Marquis said. "Are you kids alright?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Sorry~"

    My jaw dropped.

    He was only a bitch with me!

    Anyway. Keith left the service cart and the two freshly brewed Fonias twins in the room, pulled out a small board from below the cart and cuddled up with himself in a corner. He didn''t want to leave.

    "Well, I guess we are rushing straight to the point? I wanted to ask if you would be interested in my daughter."

    Meryl and the Marquis flinched.

    "What''s up with the girl, Eugy?"

    God knows.

    "He had a fianc¨¦e, Mirxa."

    "Ah, who?"

    It seemed the Lord of Mirxa only focused on fighting in the Ediab Forest.

    "The Lady of Acacia."

    "Who is that?"

    Lethe was long forgotten. If he didn''t know about me then he likely didn''t have any idea that there was even a daughter in the Acacia family.

    "Ah¡­ well, Hades'' daughter."

    Lord Mirxa patted the Marquis'' shoulder.

    "I''ll pray for you."

    It seemed I understood now why they were called enemies in public. They were very close but were also little two pieces of shit! Almost like Luka and I.

    "Well, anyway. Let''se to the point."

    I flipped the board in the room and the many details of what we had already defeated were revealed.

 Chapter 313 Reform in this Country

    "I told you that I''ll let you chew the Fonias family."

    "You did¡­"

    The Marquis looked at the board with his arms crossed, and the Lord of Mirxa did so too.

    "I was too focused on the enemies outside that I let the situations inside get this bad."

    "It isn''t your fault, Mirxa. The Fonias have been killing this country from the beginning."

    "That''s not true!" Marcin intervened. "The Fonias family had a history of being righteous and just! We built this country together with the Schwarz family."

    We all gave him a look, and turned away.

    Things like that didn''t matter in front of facts. Even if they had any righteousness, it was true that the Fonias were killing this country and they were killing it for a long time now.

    We had to move against that before anything else.

    "I managed to unearth two of their operations, which you might already know."

    "I may have some clues."

    "One was a money lending web. It wasplex and involved the entire half of the country that wasn''t already in the Fonias'' hands."

    "Money lending¡­ I had managed to track a few of their payloads, but was it that big?"

    I pulled out a document from under my desk and ced it in front of them.

    They flipped through the documents and hummed.

    "Dorking industries. Chair Merchant Group. Iliekballz''s constructions, all of them were long since taken over by the Fonias under the guise of money lending.

    "They forced them into taking a loan and then made business impossible so that the loan couldn''t be repaid. They would then quickly take over the business, rebrand a little, get rid of the obstructions they ced, and make a big profit from a proven model."

    "Horrendous. What''s the second one?"

    I pointed at the lower half of the board, it was pinned with sketches of a bunch of people that I had brought over to my territory.

    I had learned more lessons that I would like to admit from Dantalian. Whether it was to trust people or myself, from what I worked toward and what I worked for. Just like those, I had also learned how lies weren''t just your own, but could also be told for others.

    And so, I was going to hide just and just the identity of the people that the sketches belonged to.

    Everything else I was about to speak was the truth that I had learned from Bathym.

    "A drug trade. Niche, for people with a lot of influence."

    They nodded.

    "But there is something deeper. The faces of the people you see here were all working for the Fonias'' drug trade."

    The Margraveughed.

    "You''re showing us pictures of dead men. The vice leaders of guilds, the masters of knight orders, the workers in the secretariat, and even the Royal Physician¡­"

    "They won''t just die, right? Someone had to go kill them."

    The Marquis shook his head at my words and then looked at me.

    "Are you telling me?"

    I nodded.

    "It''s a step moreplicated. These people are all ones that got addicted to normal drugs, they still had a mind of their own. And these people were then given a different type of drug that did not give them hits but instead made others'' minds foggy and open to suggestions."

    "That is¡­"

    Marcin squealed again, and Meryl put a hand on his back. She gazed at me and I shook my head. If they wanted to they could leave, it would do nothing but change my opinion of them.

    It didn''t seem like Meryl nned to though.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Son, let me get this straight since this is quite a big thing."

    The Marquis sighed and the yful Margrave was now stiff.

    "All these people had been drugging their seniors?"

    These bastards were not gaining money or connections through this drug trade.

    "The reason the Fonias couldn''t be brought in front of thew wasn''t that they were brought off. But the people were all too drugged up and couldn''t do that. Their brains were tampered with."

    The Margrave shook his head.

    "No human drug can do that. Neither magic nor sorcery can manage something like that!"

    Well, Spirit Magic could, but these lesser beings had no way of knowing that.

    "Good point," I smiled and snapped my fingers.

    A thud rang.

    "Eek!"  Marcin screamed in surprise, as the head of the demon that Irina had killed in her room fell on the table.

    The others all stared at the protruding horns.

    This was going to be slightly problematic for my pro-demon propaganda, but I had ways to make up for it with Bathym.

    "What is this?"

    "It is possible with a demon''s authority."

    The Margrave startedughing, but his was a derisiveugh this time.

    "I''ve heard your achievements, kid. But I guess they all underyed you."

    "Couldn''t have done it alone."

    The Marquis slightly flinched again.

    Then, he raised his hand and reached out for me. I could only watch as he gently ced his hand on my cheeks and smiled.

    "Eugene, you''ve grown up."

    My eyes widened slightly as my mind started rushing around. I almost remembered my parents as Yujin from the previous world.

    Heaving a loud sigh, I pped his hand away.

    "Enough, thanks."

    I hurriedly turned toward the two of the Fonias twins and narrowed my gaze.

    "You two are going to be the most important if we want to change things. Will you work against your own family, or are you nning to leave it in someone else''s hands to the end?"

    Meryl clenched her fists and shook her head.

    "We''ll help."

    Marcin did so too, nodding.

    "We''ll do whatever you need."

    I smiled at those words and looked back at the Marquis and the Margrave.

    "So? You guys wanna get promoted?"

    The Marquis leaned back andughed.

    "We''re going to change the structure of this country, huh?"

    "It has always been my duty to keep this ce safe from its enemies. It''s about time I point my de inside."

    A smile fell on my face. I slowly reached into my desk again.

    "You can take whatever you need except the Fonias themselves. That family belongs to me and my cousins right there."

    What Charlotte didn''t.

    I dly would.

    I ced two arm bands of the Dark Moon and pushed it toward them.

    "Here, you can use this and get in touch with anyone from the Dark Moon Bandits."

    "Dark Moon!?" The Margrave screamed.

    Oh right. Didn''t he have some animosity with them?

    "I am the Dark Moon now," I said. "They''ll give you whatever you need."

    The two of them grinned.

    "Bring things to justice. Leave the crimes in my hands."

 Chapter 314 Baiting the Baiter

    The Marquis and the Margrave had long since left with the two Fonias twins. As people that were going to set the Fonias name straight, they needed to prove to the world that they weren''t involved in these problems at all and that they were actively working to fix them.

    That was pretty much the only way that they could get what they wanted.

    Now, with all the members of my own little circus troupe in front of me, I sat at the head of the room next to the firece. All of them either sat still or lounged out on the couches and the chairs while kicking back and rxing.

    "Alright kids," I said. "Line up. We''re going to go begin our crash course, on how to take down a Duchy."

    ***

    The Fonias already knew that someone stood in their way.

    With the war ending from a defeat on both ends, alongside the fact that both your businesses were ruined, it would be clear as day for anyone that what was going on was someone cooking against them.

    In such a situation, one would want nothing more than to kill the other party.

    For that end, the person in question would leave no stone unturned. Any kind of risk would seem small in front of their loss even if it was clearly bigger.

    Gambling worked on a simr principle.

    When a person lost a hundred bucks, instead of folding and calling it a day, they would bet two hundred to recover their money and make a win.

    Such was life, filled with irrational idiocy.

    Well, where gambling''s risk depended purely on your luck, risk in war depended on your skills and wits.

    Naturally, the Duke of Fonias, Seri Al Fonias, would not see this stuff as a risk at all.

    And that is why, he was going to bait us in by offering arge hand.

    And that is also why...

    Sitting in my office, the door was knocked on.

    "Get in."

    In came Maria and Lily, and behind them was a man being dragged by the neck by Keith.

    "You brought him," I said with a wide smile.

    "Of course, it has been a very long time, has it not, young master? Please enjoy your time with Mr. Shilon."

    It had been a very long time. Three hundred chapters almost.

    "It is great to see you again, my dearest Piano instructor, Mr. Shilon."

    Shilon, the old piano instructor who had only grown older over these ten years bowed his head and walked over to the table. His eyes downcast, he pulled back a chair and sat down.

    His reputation was solid before, but now, it was unshakeable. He had not only be famous through my stolenpositions as a person who was deeply involved with the man that had changed the musical ecosphere, but had also be a famed teacher in the cultural hub of the country.

    The city of Apollon.

    "I-It truly has been¡­ young master¡­ I forgot to bring my stamp today, so I believe it''ll be impossible to make any contracts."

    What was he on about now?

    "That isn''t of importance, Mr. Shilon. I asked for you to tell you something special."

    "Eek!"

    "Please, you over react. It isn''t that special."

    "I-I think I am fine without anything special whatsoever, Lord Eugene."

    "Don''t be like that," I said, smiling. "I am nning to perform live for the first time."

    Spark returned in Shilon''s eyes at my simple words.

    Even if Shilon had an unshakeable reputation, half of it was because he was my manager. The person who was my middle man to the outer world.

    If I came out, it would be a booming business for him.

    "P-perform live? You, young master?"

    "Yes."

    "H-haven''t you gotten rusty or something?"

    "I''ve made it a point to y whenever I can. I believe I have just gotten better."

    "And¡­ and¡­"

    The man lowered his head.

    "But," I said. "My condition is that you convince the lord of Fonias that he host me before anyone else."

    "You want to perform for Lord Fonias?" Shilon asked. "Young master¡­ why?"

    "I look up to them."

    It was bait. My bait.

    "But, it would be difficult to convince him that it truly is you, young master. What would we do then?"

    "I am aware." I reached into my pockets and ced a bunch of sheets in front of him. "That is why to prove that it is me, the one who had been shaking the musical world, I will y a song I never have before."

    Shilon was practically drooling.

    This was the first time I had offered him a deal without any disadvantages.

    I couldn''t have that.

    "Here, I''ll give you half of whatever the Duke hands us over after the performance, you can have this contract."

    Shilon drooled more.

    He wasn''t only being my agent, but also getting my money. I must have been the splitting image of an angel to him right now.

    But, Shilon had learned his lesson. He gazed over the entire document and then stopped at a ce.

    "This here says that I will have topensate you if the duke doesn''t?"

    "It needs to hold some legality to hold up in front of thew," I said. "It''s not like the Duke win''t, right?"

    "Ahaha! He definitely will!"

    There, that settled it.

    "Haah, aaah, I just need¡­ to stamp it¡­ right?"

    "Yes."

    Shilon pulled out the stamp that he didn''t have just a while back and stamped the agreement.

    "Then, I''ll get to it right away!"

    Leaving those words, Shilon disappeared.

    The bait was set for the baiter.

    He couldn''t think that we won''t know about the ck market.

    And he definitely couldn''t think that he could get away without using such a precious opportunity to lure someone out.

    Things went just as I thought¡­

    And within the next two days, word reached the address that I had faked toward the central parts of the country.

    I flipped the letter open.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [Esteemed Composer]

    h h h..

    [I have prepared a special, premium stage that would provide an environment and people jus perfect for a ss such as yours. I hope you can join us in three days'' time.]

    The bait had been bit by the baiter.

    "Send the word Keith, the D-Day has been decided."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 315 How to Take Down a Duchy - Conclusion

    A young man stood in front of a grand noble. The noble with long flowing white hair and eyes of blue spread his arms wide as he greeted the old master pianist.

    "Mr. Shilon," the man said, his voice booming. The man adjusted his fur coat over his white military uniform as a wide, vile grin spread on his face. "I believe he is the man?"

    The old pianist Shilon got on his knees, and so did the person behind him.

    The other one''s knees never touched the ground though, and his posture was clumsy. The grand noble was in too good a mood to denounce his prized chief guest and chalked it up to not knowing proper etiquette.

    "My lord, the great protector and pir of our grand kingdom, this lowly servant expresses his greetings."

    "Greetings," the man behind said too, his ent thick.

    "Stand up," the noblemanded and up stood the two peasants. "I did not believe that a pianist as great as the ''nk'' himself would be one so young."

    "I thank you for the praise, my lord," the man answered. His red hair fell over to the front while his pristine, clear yet raggedy face exuded a sense of unfindable beauty.

    "Ah, nk is what we nobles have taken to call you, I hope you do not mind."

    "I would be honored."

    The noble chuckled.

    "I believe I know not of your name. If you would find this one worthy, hahah!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    At the noble''s teasing the red haired man lowered his head once more and touched his chin, as if adjusting a mask. "I am Yujin. Yujin Han. Ie from the east."

    "Your finger?"

    "It was an ident when I was a child. It won''te in the way at all."

    "Splendid," the noble said. "I have been told you wished for my assistance, so I will introduce myself once more too. I am the Duke of the North, the head of house Fonias. My noble name is Seri Al Fonias."

    The noble turned around and gestured at the carriages waiting for them.

    "That carriage will escort us to the venue, the stage is set for 7 PM, we''re hoping that nothing woulde in anyone''s way at that time. Ah, please follow along." He walked ahead.

    "It''s a premium stage that we have set, the best of the best of this country will be present, including the queen, so I hope you hold a grand performance."

    "Leave it to me."

    "Splendid, we''ll be calling you up at 7:10, you can prepare till then."

    Yujin Han and Shilon nodded as they got into the carriage. The lord of Fonias sat in one ahead and the carriages moved out. From the capital of the Schwarz all the way outside toward a forest in the outer edges of the city.

    A ce not too far yet not too close. Not too conspicuous yet not too inconspicuous.

    With every single breath they took, the sensation of hundreds and hundreds standing on guard outside filled them.

    Sitting alone in the carriage, the grandposer Yujin Han chuckled.

    "You have been acting a little weird all this time, um, Yujin¡­"

    "I am just a tad drunk, don''t mind me."

    "I-I see¡­"

    ***

    The Marquis of the Hall fiefdom and his men had merged themselves into the lives of the eastern ends of the kingdom.

    The Marquis wiped his forehead as a young man approached and handed him a bouquet of flower.

    "Sir, this one is for you,"

    The Marquis smiled and gently epted it from the boy who dashed right away. A small card was nestled between the flowers, on its back the mark of a dark moon.

    And inside, it pointed up.

    [Dark Moon has spoken. All is prepared]

    The Marquis shifted his gaze skyward, and a chuckle escaped him.

    ***

    The Margrave of Mirxa was down in the south of the kingdom.

    Sitting alone inside a bar, he drank whiskey after whiskey when the bartender spoke to him.

    "Sir, why don''t you get some air? We have this cigar that you can try."

    Atop the cigar was the mark of a dark moon. The margrave gently picked up the cigar, lit it aze, and took in a giant puff as he stepped outside the bar.

    Under the afternoon sun, his gaze turned upward.

    And all the smoke of the cigar came puffing out.

    ***

    Maria, Lily, the two princesses and theirmoner friend, along with Lethe all treaded the streets of the northern capital of Schwarz. The city of the duke.

    Their hands were filled with snacks and their gait withughter.

    "Um,dies, can you please slow down?"

    Asked knight Alec who had been dropped here by the Margrave along with Behind.

    "Leave them be, Alec," said Sophia. "We can protect them without any troubles."

    "I agree," Vienna said and Billy nodded.

    "It''s a beautiful day, so we should have fun while we ca¡ª"

    Billy''s words were taken away before he could finish them.

    A smile spread through his lips as he urged the other to look.

    At the sky.

    ***

    Albert, Luka, Noa, Keith, Dawn, Rio and Irina sat together in a cafe as they waited in the capital city of Schwarz.

    "This is the same ce I was at before."

    "Does that matter?"

    "No, I just wanted to say it."

    The others nodded at Irina''s words.

    "Still, I didn''t think that Eugene would pull out that mask after so long," Dawn said. "I am surprised it works."

    "That''s because only the person is gone, not her powers. Not like that guy could have used it without me, it needs imagination," Albert said. "I kinda want that."

    "Hah, do try¡­" said Keith.

    Luka leaned out of the chair and turned toward the sky.

    Then, his jaw dropped.

    "Um, guys, is it just me or¡­"

    All of them peered at the skies.

    And a chuckle left Albert.

    "Hahaha, what a fucking grandiose way to tell us."

    Painted into the blue skies with clouds of white were the numbers.

    [19:10:23]

    "Seven in the evening huh?"

 Chapter 316 Before the Bells Toll

    "Do not look back. And do not remove your masks"

    Those ominous sounding words filled my ears. It was getting annoying to use a mask over another mask.

    I had used the spirits to send the message to everyone about my ns, and thankfully had been on time with making them make me sober so that I could move through this ce.

    With Seri Al in the front, and many more in the back, I took in a breath and heightened my senses as we passed through the cave that led to the ck market.

    A creature¡­

    The entire darkness in this narrow path leading into the ck market was not just an absence of light, but a creature likely pulled out from deep within a dungeon.

    There were only three major dungeons in Schwarz anyway. One in the Hall territory, another was the merged project of Deep Down Town, and thest was the Forever Icy Caps of the north.

    This being was likely from one of those. It couldn''t possibly be the Deep Down Town, though. The dungeon town of legends couldn''t have that little security.

    Icy caps having a shadowy creature was unlikely.

    That would make only one possible ce where this could have happened. The newly found and growing dungeon in the hall territory.

    "We''re here, I hope you didn''t mind the crude way."

    "Not at all, lord."

    I looked ahead at Seri Al''s words and a smile appeared on my face.

    Past the opening in the dark cave was the grand site of the ck market led by the Fonias family. Hundreds of people walked around in the virtual precinct created inside the cave systems.

    Lights and chandeliers of yellow gently lit up the cave as the mor of the interior revealed itself. Intricate carvings and decorations made up the walls while bs of polished marbles ounted for the flooring.

    Men and women in masks and tail coats walked around, trays in hands as they greeted the customers on their ways inside and handed out drinks and servings for free.

    One even came to us with some champagne, which Mr. Shilon dly indulged in.

    Strangely enough, I heard not a squeal nor a scream. If anything, everyone with masks in here slightly reminded me of Acacia''s tenth district of the empire.

    It felt less like a ck market and more like a ce for people to hang out.

    This guy must have cleaned up well since we were going to be here with some bights.

    "I''ll go and to some of the guests, Mr. Yujin," said Seri Al. "My daughter here, Mary"

    At his words, someone with a mask suddenly popped out from behind him.

    "Will attend to you."

    "Greetings."

    Shilon bowed and I followed. Of course, I didn''t want to lower my head so I kept my eyes turned as up as I could make them.

    "Then, I will see you in two hours. Feel free to take a look around, or to take a break in the green room."

    "Thank you, of course."

    Seri Al left and his daughter, Mary led us ahead.

    "See. Anything?"

    Those snappy sentences reminded me of two people I knew.

    "What all happens down here?" I asked.

    If possible, I would like to look into just what kind of human trafficking these guys were up to.

    But that possibility seemed down for now.

    "Not much. I suggest patiently waiting."

    It seemed that any bit of mana I would use or any amount of Ki would be detected. Using spirit magic to look into where the trafficked ones were being kept. But the fucking spirits weren''t interested in a word I said if I wasn''t drunk.

    Mary Fonias led us to the green room and led us inside. It was avish ce that seemed more of a room for a noble than a greenroom. With a bed and table to boot, it seemed nigh indistinguishable from someone''s private chambers.

    "Feel free to rest here, if you need anything tell me," Mary said. She then turned toward Shilon. "And you do whatever you want, just don''t bother me."

    "Even going outside?"

    "Sure. As long as I am not involved."

    Oh¡­

    This was going to be useful.

    "Mr. Shilon, I am going to write some music, if you don''t mind."

    "Oh? Here?" He asked as he fetched me some paper from the table. Mary looked at us, slightly amused.

    That was fine.

    It didn''t matter.

    With a quill, I made the staves and the clefs, notations for both the piano and the guitar. Using some of my own liberty, I made notes that could only be yed on the fourth finger or the little finger.

    The repeat bars signified captivity, and around all of them, I added the pause symbol, the fermata.

    It was more of me clutching at straws, but I had hopes.

    Shilon, it was time to be a hero.

    In a way of my own, trying to merge the limited symbols and notations on hand to convey the message. Crescendoes and diminuendos to illustrate where he needed to move the notations already telling of captivity.

    The piece was prepared, and Mary was looking at it rather intensively.

    "I don''t know music as much as my siblings, but this seems like an entric piece," she said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "It is," I answered, and wrote the title on top of the piece. "I call it the song of the captured children, based on a true story."

    "Oh, interesting."

    Shilon flinched.

    Who the fuck would even imagine that a piano piece was supposed to be a sign toward helping captives? No one! Even if the name spelled it out loud, I doubted anyone would get it, including Shilon.

    But this was the most I could do.

    It had to work.

    "Uhm, if you will excuse me for a while."

    After reading this entire piece, Shilon ced the papers down and bowed. And then, he left.

    For the next two hours.

    We didn''t hear from him.

    Not long after.

    "Master Yujin, the time hase."

    It was 7 PM.

 Chapter 317 Winter Wind

    "And now, we present."

    The words of the emcee rang into the theater created inside the ck market. The rows of people sitting on theirvish chairs with eyes fixed on the stage watched with bated breaths as the announcer spoke at the beginning of the main event.

    The time, was 7:05

    "The person that has overturned thendscape of music all along. For your continued and as a way of showing our immense gratitude, we have prepared a show like none other that has ever been had in this world."

    The audience cheered.

    The lights went off.

    A single spot lit up on the emcee.

    "Please wee," he said. "The one we havee to know as nk, here to perform an original piece and a medley that has never been heard before!"

    The ps of the audience intensified like never before.

    The spotlight went off, and I climbed up on the stage.

    The emcee slowly exited and the spot lit up once more.

    Time was¡­

    7:09

    "Ahem," I coughed.

    My gaze shifted toward the audience, the golden eyes I held were enough to captivate everyone.

    I adjusted the chair. The spotlight fell on me.

    A deep breath.

    My hands loomed over the keys.

    7:10

    The first note rang.

    "I have stationed 1100 elite soldiers," Seri Al''s whispers rang in my ears.

    Clumsy, slow, the notes continued.

    Like a child tapping at the piano.

    Most were confused and tilted their head.

    "Mary has reached the realm of Soul Ki."

    7:10:10

    The chords followed, but the song still seemed like that of a child.

    Slow and calm, almost unfitting of the prestigious stage that was hosted

    "Alexander is on the cusp of reaching the level of an Aether mage."

    7:10:19

    The song entered a lull.

    The sustain ended.

    The slow notes¡­ stopped.

    "Whoeveres, will be crushed."

    7:10:23

    A storm began.

    ***

    The houses of a dozen nobles were stormed into at once. The three counts of the west, forming the DraKalMo union were all at the same ce, and all of their doors were barged in.

    "What is¡ªAhh!"

    "Sto¡ª"

    Heads flew one after another as the Marquis'' and Margraves, led by the Hall.

    Where the chief of the union, the dog of Foniasy, entered the Marquis Ban Ket.

    "Why, Marquis Ban!?"

    "Nothing much, you just picked the wrong side."

    The west of Schwarz was cleaned.

    Time.

    7:10:39

    ***

    The Margrave of Mirxa and the Duke of South stormed through two ends.

    The Southern nobles.

    And the Imperial Castle in the center.

    The moon light was covered by the clouds as the setting sun died the skies the color of blood, all the sshes merging into its canvas.

    "M-Mirxa!? Do you even know who this is!? This is the queen''s family¡ª"

    "The family of the dogs that have sold their country?"

    "The king won''t forgive this¡ª"

    "Then he''ll go too. His daughter is more thanpetent."

    "You can''t! This¡ª"

    "Justify this to the gods. All your fellows in thisnd will follow.

    The south and the center were cleared.

    Time.

    7:11:04

    ***

    The house of the Fonias was invaded by a cackling gang.

    Knights and guards died left and right as the candles lighting up the passages all died.

    With Lethe in the lead, the group in the north began a massacre.

    Every single of the Fonias left in the mansion was killed right away.

    "M-my¡­ god¡­"

    "Wrong person, old hag. Your god is me, and I am fresh out of mercy."

    The North of the Kingdom was sterilized.

    Time.

    7:11:22

    ***

    The soldiers on guard in the forest outside the ck market waited vigntly.

    Their only view, the enemy of their lord.

    "Hey, do you smell that?"

    "Smell what?"

    As they turned around, from all ends of the forest.

    Raged an inferno like none other. mes spewed and the people ran, but before they could move their trees would break apart and fall.

    "It''s a fire storm!"

    7:11:47

    Hope was not lost.

    [Water Magic: Flood]

    A simple chant brought about a raging flood from the skies and doused the fire.

    Soldiers died many, but many were saved.

    "Our enemies are here," Mary''s voice rang out loud as she raised her weapon.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The soldiers of Fonias and their two leaders moved through the forest in search of their battlers. sts and charges of Ki came crashing their way and shot back out.

    The grand wizard and the grand knight crushed it all.

    7:12:07

    "Go, rage, [Trinity Series, Creation Attribute: Sentries of the night sky]!"

    "Analyze."

    A sound boomed through the forest.

    "Cancel."

    The spell was cut mid way. Alexander Fonias stopped in his tracks.

    "W-what!? WHAT!? Who dared! Who fucking dared do this¡ªBwah!"

    "Shut the fuck up."

    Albert and Luka had stepped in front of the wizard.

    Every spell he breathed was canceled. Every move he made was read.

    "I-impossible! I am a mage on the cusp of the strongest! How can anyone do this!?"

    "Just a bit of studying," Albert shrugged. "Luka, about time we end this."

    Death. Was imminent.

    A different strike came tumbling down at the knight Mary Fonias.

    "[Azure Soul Dragon Fall]"

    Dragons of azure tumbled down the skies all at once.

    She swung her sword and intercepted the strike.

    "[Athenus Family secret arts: Strike of Valor]"

    A gash appeared on her sides.

    Rio and Keith had appeared in front of Mary Fonias.

    "You''re the scum aiming for our family?"

    "Speak less. Die more."

    Strike after strike rained down on the knight as the two masters made her their target.

    Then suddenly, Keith yawned.

    "Alright, enough. I wanna check in on the young master."

    The y ended.

    Every other soldier couldn''t be saved from the wrath of Noa and Irina

    Time

    7:12:55

    ***

    I yed the crescendo.

    A shocking storm, a breathless tempest.

    The notes slowed.

    7:13:15

    The crescendo hit again.

    The chilling breeze swept past everyone.

    A turbulent, changing breeze that cut through all.

    My hands raised, my sweat fell.

    The music reached its most silent.

    A build-up began

    7:13:37

    The turbulent winter breeze began its final blow.

    The note merged and bounced creating a cacophony of difort.

    And then.

    The keys swept.

    And it all stopped.

    My breaths fell on the piano, my chest heaved.

    The piece had ended, the audience couldn''t move.

    Gently, I ced my hand on my mask.

    And dropped it away.

    "Y¡­"

    Only one person had the guts to speak as I turned my eyes toward him.

    "EUGENE HALLL!!!!!"

    ***

    [A/N: The most ambitious chapter I have undertaken yet. The song sampled is, of course, the titr Winter Wind by the great Chopin.

    Here''s the kicker, every single word from the beginning of the performance at 7:10 to the end of the outside view at 7:12:55 is in sync with the most popr rendition of the song. While reading speed varies for everyone, the standard assumes it as 275 words a minute.

    With that form and ounting for the pause themas and full stops bring, for the average reader, every line, the music, and the time stamps since the beginning of the performance will line up. The dialogue at every low, and the scene change at every crescendo of the song.

    I will highly rmend the song as it is beautiful. I hope you enjoyed this little... whatever I did here god kill me it took so damn long and for what? idek!]

    [A-A/N: in case y''all are nning to do this, fast readers can pace it with the Rosseau/Cateen version on YT but that one has missed most pauses so I dislike it a lot despite its epess. Otherwise most version should do the trick.]

 Chapter 318 Weakness Into Power

    "EUGENE HALL!!!"

    The scream of the man echoed in my ears.

    The high I had gotten from the piece was too good to ignore and the destruction outside was just going to be the same. I held no doubts that by now, they would have handled everything.

    Three minutes.

    Three lofty minutes was all it took after he had taken the bait.

    No one could spy on us after having their insides destroyed. And now, when they finally had their inside guardedpletely, they had left their home and friends open to harm.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It has been forever, um¡­ what are you to me again? Grandfather? Uncle?"

    Seri Al Fonias stood upright. All the chairs around were sted away from the sheer presence his mana circuits ring up exuded.

    Even though the queen of this country was here, he didn''t care.

    The snap of his fingers sent tens, nay, hundreds of zing mes hurtling toward me. All of theming straight for my head.

    And as soon as they neared the stage.

    Bangs rang as they hit the shields and dissipated.

    "Idiot. Are you really challenging me with magic now?"

    "Foolish brat!! You and that bitch! That BITCH CHARLOTTE!"

    I felt strangely pissed about this guy insulting my mother so normally. I wouldn''t have cared and agreed that she seemed like a total bitch from the few stories I had heard about her, but a bastard had no right to call her bitch. Not if she was my mother.

    "You''re just gonna scream?" I asked, "Or would you like your ass whooped?"

    A person well into the level of an Aether Mage, I wanted to see what he was strong with.

    What had made Bathym state that I should be afraid of the Fonias.

    "TSK!"

    The duke screamed and swung his hand. Dragons of blue mes came coiling around me as their color grew deeper and deeper and within seconds, they started eroding the shields.

    Before I could move, Seri moved his hands.

    "[Spatial Magic]"

    A realm only essible by Aether.

    "[Domain Crush]"

    The space around me started crumbling. The air churned, the sounds muffled, the very fabric of space at this spot was being messed with all at once.

    And it all came closer and closer.

    "Eugy, you wanna drink?"

    "Nope. No need."

    I took in a sharp breath and used my Ki. The intent ki filled the crushing space around me with itself and started pushing it all out, blocking the way of its crushing force.

    I charged straight out of the space and dashed away on a single shield. My intent ki flowed out and crushed the walls and ceiling of the space.

    "Where are you running!?"

    The duke flew as he chased after me. All these fuckers using flight annoyed me.

    Like a rat running from a mouse, I kept dashing away, but I had a purpose.

    The dragons of mes had their brothers join in. A water dragon, one of wind, and another pure metal slithered through the walls in the narrow space. I maneuvered as quick as I could as I hopped and jumped while avoiding their approach.

    The dragons slowly started to entangle into each other. A sizzle and smoke spread as the bodies of the fire and water dragon merged.

    My eyes fluttered once more as I continued my crusade. The entirety of the ck market was slowly crumbling in the Marquis'' rage.

    This was not the intended effect I wanted.

    Stay tuned for updates on empire

    Where.

    Just where.

    Where could they be?

    If they were kept in different ces then that would be even worse.

    The people captive here.

    It was then.

    My eyes fell on a group of people, and standing in front of them was a man with a white mustache in a suit that I had be familiar with.

    "Corporate Santa!"

    "Lord Eugene! It''s me, Shilon!!"

    Behind him, in chains and tatters, were the ves of that had been captured by the ck market. A thrill ran through my heart as I realized. The meaning of the letter reached him.

    He had managed to save the others.

    "I-I did it! I somehow did it!"

    I quickly shifted my attention toward the walls and covered my fists in a mixture of Ki and Mana. The single, destructive punch shot out at the wall and a grand passageway made itself visible, crushed and sculpted by yours truly.

    "There! Now¡ª"

    "WHERE. ARE. YOU. GOING!?"

    A burst of electricity went tumbling straight at the captive. I kicked off the shield and swerved in front of them.

    "[Hexagonal Shields]x128"

    The hundred and twenty eight shields cluttered in front of the group and blocked the onught of spells. Whenever one broke, I immediately reced it with another.

    "T-this¡­" Shilon trembled in his feet. Then, he took a sharp breath. "Lord Eugene! I''ll take them out!"

    "Heck yes! Get them out of here you old coot!"

    Shilon waved his hand and forced the captives outside. The strong ones did their best to trail and protect the way while holding the many children in their hands and taking them outside. Shilon made sure everyone got away, in his hands held a knife.

    Traces of blood lingered on his stomach and his hands.

    He had managed to fight, and even get hurt.

    Titania whistled when she saw it.

    "Is this what you seek, Eugy?"

    I snapped my fingers and emptied out all the potions in my storage in a bag and tossed it over to Shilon on a shield as he left.

    The attacks suddenly intensified.

    The Duke sent arge strike of the space attribute all at once.

    An explosion spread as a cloud of dust took over. My shields were beaten up and I was sent reeling back.

    As if he had won, the Duke stood behind the passage and pointed his staff at the escapees.

    "Where are you going!? You weak bastards! All of you belong to me, the Fonias! You''re MY PROPERTY!"

    It was then.

    The earth quaked.

    The duke stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened as an unprecedented amount of pressure weighed down on his soul.

    And just like that.

    Trembled the ck market.

    The forest.

    The outskirts.

    The quake spread¡­

    All the way to the capital of Schwarz.

    "Weak?" I asked.

    ytime was over.

    The people I wanted to save were saved.

    It was about time.

    "That old man was the very image of strength."

    The duke looked my way.

    "Hoh¡­ so you''re worth something¡­ But you''re still naive¡ª"

    "He turned his cowardice into courage. What is it, if not strength?"

    The duke raised his staff again.

    And was punched in the face.

    His face caved in.

    His nose broke. Blood spilled.

    He flew off.

    ***

    [A/N copied fromtest chap: I apologize but it''s time to give up. Ig the story wasn''t as good as I thought. There''s only five of you guys still reading any of this, priv or normal, and I appreciate it a lot, I''ll definitely be finishing the story for you, but I still have to do something to feed myself. Thanks for the support all this time.]

 Chapter 319 Eugene vs Seri Al Fonias

    The duke went flying.

    Booms after booms rang as he broke through every single wall in his way and crushed pir after pir of the very ce that held his market up.

    It was al futile though.

    In moments, he managed to regain his bnce and charged back at me.

    "EUGENE HALL!"

    He screamed as he came closer.

    Fool.

    With a flick of my fingers, the psychokinesis holding up the structure of the cave was undone and all of it came crashing down. Hundreds of screams resounded as patrons of the ck market were turned into mush, and with them was buried within the Duke.

    The shields all around me, I flew out the cave system and into the wide forest.

    The captives were already being taken away by Shilon who was joined by the Albert and the gang. They seemed to have their hands busy, though, with the seemingly unending number of soldiers charging at the captives.

    "[Spatial Magic: Domain Crush]!"

    A scream sounded in the air as the fallen cave below was captured and crushed entirely. The giant debris and remains of the rocks turned into dust under the duke''s magic as he slowly started floating up again.

    The forest was set aze, the night sky was dyed crimson.

    The true battle.

    Now began.

    "[Spatial Magic: Distance]"

    The space I stood in warped and merged before I was sent flying away almost outside the forest. The lines of shields behind my back seemed useless as the space itself was being changed.

    My Ki focused into my eyes and the duke in the distance filled my sight.

    I had already usurped the mana and the ki not just around us but all the way to the capital. His speed was a tad too slow.

    With a single thought, a hundred swords of Ki formed in the air and stabbed into the duke.

    "Gah!" He screamed lightly as he used another spell to get rid of all the ones around him. Discover more content at empire

    But a distraction was all it was.

    As soon as his spell broke, I fell down to the ground and dashed ahead. The burning trees were left behind as I put out all my horse riding experience into a sprint.

    Within the blink of an eye, I was near the duke again.

    I jumped straight ahead and sent out a kick.

    The duke waved his hand and the space around my feet grew impermeable, almost as if frozen in spot.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    My hand was already chanting up another spell.

    The man sent a bolt of lightning at point nk.

    I tilted my head.

    Another.

    Dodged.

    A different spell chanted in my hands as I swung them outward.

    "[Gale of Destruction]"

    The gale of destruction went tumbling outward at the duke. Almost about to hit him, when.

    "[Freeze Space]"

    It was rendered useless too.

    Things were getting incessantly annoying.

    The duke tried to send a barrage of attacks raining down at me, but my shields covered and cancelled them all.

    The melee of back and forth raged. The ground around us was gouged out while the skies started to tremble. Every attack was countered by another.

    Over and over, he would use his spatial spells and send me flying, and over and over, I would use my Ki and destroy his spells.

    This was a war of attrition.

    A war of attrition I was sure to lose.

    Dragging this out any longer was just going to be a loss to me.

    I charged ahead at the duke once more. His hammering dragons lunged at my head, but I dodged with a swerve downward.

    "Catene."

    The chains around my arm whirred.

    "Modo Attacio."

    The chains glowed a deep ck as they slowly started to turn into a sword. The duke didn''t let this go. Ten more dragons came rushing my way.

    Using all my Ki, I faked a jump upward¡ª

    "Hm!?"

    And dived underground. Through one end of the cave''s debris, I hid my presencepletely and emerged from right behind him.

    The duke turned.

    I punched with my free hand.

    "Useless!" He screamed, but all the time I needed was here.

    The mana and Ki cores within me whirred as their very structure merged at and within Catene. The ego weapon whirred, filled with energy like none other in the entire world.

    I set my foot down.

    The duke''s eyes widened.

    In a single, unhesitant stroke, I swung the de forward.

    "[World''s End sh]"

    A sh spread.

    The energy of the sh slowly moved ahead.

    The duke could tell.

    Something was off.

    "[Spatial Magic: Freeze Space]!! [Spatial Magic: Distance], [Spatial Magic: Domain Crush]"

    Abo of three spells while running away, the duke used the most of his skills in an attempt to stop the swing.

    But it was useless.

    The World''s End cut through the space itself, ending everything in its path.

    "W-what!?"

    The duke screamed, the crescent of the sh tore through all and approached his person.

    In that moment, I ran.

    Moving straight next to him, I swung my sword at his neck.

    The sh and the de met at the same time.

    He couldn''t say a word.

    As his neck rolled, and body disappeared from the surface of existence.

    Blood drained on the rock below while the raging fire continued.

    The sword in my hand glowed once more and turned back into chains. With my fists clenched, I looked down at myself.

    "That was a really well controlled sh, Eugy."

    Titania''s words fell.

    It was an energy I myself had created. But to think I had to use my trump card to win the battle with just any fucking loser¡­

    "I need to grow stronger¡­ I''ll be in your care, Titania."

    "Heh. Of course, I''ll guide you to heights you''ll never reach alone."

    With a smirk, I looked away.

    Standing near the ground, away from the rubble of the debris, was Albert.

    "So?" He asked.

    I rolled the Duke''s head under my feet and kicked it over. It curved in the air and fell t in front of Albert.

    He smiled as pulled out two more heads from behind his back. Those of Alexander and Mary Fonias.

    "The Fonias has fallen."

 Chapter 320 The Count

    I adjusted the formal military coat of white as I put on the badge of the hero of the empire and the lord of a city.

    "Don''t you look good?" Lethe muttered. Both of us were in my room in the castle of the kingdom.

    "Do I? I think I always look good. No, the very best, like no one ever was."

    "I bet you do."

    Resting her chin on her palm, Lethe kept staring at me.

    Such a simple gesture was enough to send my mind aflutter. Just what was with this person? How could someone be so charming and lovable?

    "You''re blushing."

    "Quit it, I am not."

    "Oh you started blushing even heavier."

    I tried to avert my gaze as she stood up and walked toward me. Her hands clutched my cors as she gently pulled me closer. With her thumb, she grazed my lips.

    "My darling,"

    "Yes?"

    "Why are the women around you chasing after you?"

    A chill ran down my spine.

    "Aight, Imma head out."

    "Stop right there, little fairy."

    Titania sat back down.

    Lethe slowly caressed my cheeks, not letting me say a word.

    "You don''t want me to hand you their heads on a tter, right? I know you''re too kind for that."

    Did I seem kind to people now? What bullshit was that.

    But it was true I was too kind for THAT. Lethe could never be wrong.

    "You belong to me, so¡­" Lethe whispered. "Behave."

    A word left under my breath.

    "Hot."

    "What was that?"

    Since she heard it anyway, I pulled her chin up and smiled. "That was damn hot."

    Lethe started blushing this time. She averted her gaze and pushed me away.

    "Just go."

    "Hah, you''re supposed toe too."

    We both didn''t say much more, she was too wishy washy after a slightly inappropriate remark, and I was too blushy blushy after being imed like a poketto monster.

    Hand in hand, we made our way out of the room and a servant of the castle greeted us outside. Bowing deeply, he showed us the path ahead.

    From the wide and cleared passageways of the castle all the way to the grand chamber of the king, a dozen more nobles waited in seating for the ruler of thend.

    I was shown to a spot at the furthest back, and Lethe was guided away to the rest of our gang.

    The Marquis and the other nobility were too far ahead. I was around with the other lords and barons.

    "Good job out there, Lord Eugene,"

    One said to me. Apparently he was one of Ban''s cronies.

    "Thank you! You too."

    "To behead a powerhouse like the duke himself, it is quite the feat."

    "Right? I bet I can get all of you too."

    The barons around me shuddered. They let out a small chuckle and turned away, scared.

    Not long after, a horn tooted as the king''s presence was announced. Everyone got on their feet, and I did too.

    The event began. The king stood, behind him, a seat was empty amongst the seats for the two queens and their children.

    "A great evil that had been rotting our country from the inside has been vanquished¡ª"

    Whatever. We all knew this, we just had a giant fucking arc about it.

    I let the king go on his spiel and enjoyed the seat. The event went on and on as he moved his hands like a total drama queen, striking more poses than points.

    The ceremony continued as people bbered on and on one after the other.

    Then came the most important part.

    "Marquis Ban Ket Hall, Margrave Me Lon Mirxa."

    The two stood up and performed a curtsy before kneeling in front of the king.

    Then, the king continued.

    "For your grand bravery and valor, holding the courage to move even when the entire kingdom seemed against you, you have shown your rooted love."

    "As the king of thisnd, I now pronounce you. The Duke of Hall and the Duke of Mirxa."

    That happened.

    People cheered out loud as they celebrated the announcement. Just as I had promised them, I had brought them both a promotion.

    But the real promotion wasn''t the title of a Duke, no.

    It was the power that surpassed it.

    The reason I sent Mirxa into the capital and had him clear out the imperial castle almost single handedly was so that we could ck mail the king and make him our bitch.

    What I had brought them wasn''t the title, no, but a king that they could manipte and move. Of course, once he croaked I also ensured Hoya''s ascension since she was useful for me and was pretty much on my side now.

    The two new dukes were led away, and then was called the one of the lowest rank.

    "Eugene Hall of Apollon."

    "Eugy eugy, he''s calling you."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Right I had to go too. I stood up and looked at the king when realization dawned on me.

    Oh fuck.

    Oh no fuck.

    "W-what happened, Eugy?"

    I''ll have to kneel? Would I manage to get by in front of thisrge crowd?

    "Hah, fine. I''ll help you this once, it''ll be a good way to see just what all you can do."

    It seemed Titania was pretty happy for me, that was weird.

    Your next chapter is on empire

    There was very little to be happy about.

    Though I stood upright, the king and everyone else had their heads tilted down as if I was kneeling. I could hear Lethe''s faintugh as she realized that Titania had messed with their perceptions.

    The king began his babbling, speaking of my initiative.

    "Do you see, Eugy? There''s nothing once can''t do in this world. You just have to get there."

    "You shall be the lord of the west and the north, with the remnants of Fonias serving as your viscounts."

    A smile spread through my face at the king''s deration.

    "I pronounce you."

    A new name was bestowed upon me by my puppet. One I picked out myself.

    "Count Eugene Hall-Apollon."

 Chapter 321 Whose Bitch?

    The ceremony continued. The others with me were all given medals as a way to celebrate their contribution in the entire event including Albert and Lethe. Of course, Anatolia, Albert, and Lethe were given ranks that couldn''tpare to the others.

    Biased bitches.

    It all concluded on a high note by following with a banquet. The two Fonias twins were not allowed public appearance but were working hard to ensure that they could continue the Fonias name as one of righteousness and not of crime.

    Well, I had many different reasons for letting them get medals.

    But more important was to set things straight with a few new powerful folks in this country.

    While the party continued, I slowly walked over to the Marquis and the Margrave¡ªah, the two dukes and patted their shoulders.

    "A minute, FATHER?"

    The Duke of Hall stiffened up.

    "What is it?"

    "Follow me, bring the other duke too."

    The duke gulped and whispered into the ears of Me Lon Mirxa. With the two of them on my tail,  I made my way away from the golden lights of the grand chamber and walked into a passageway away from he banquet hall.

    A few butlers saw me but they didn''t question anything. They simply moved away and let us go our way. After a short walk, we finally found ourselves in front of a room in the far end of the castle.

    This ce was a meeting room prepared for use during busy banquets like this, and now I was to use them.

    "What is this about, little count?"

    Me Lon Mirxa asked. I didn''t say a word and simply continued treading my way.

    The door was pushed open.

    With a simple snap of my fingers, the candles around were lit aze with fire magic.

    I pulled back a chair at the head of the table and sat down.

    Slowly, I pointed the way for the other two.

    They bothughed.

    "Your son is ambitious, Hall."

    "So he is, Mirxa. I bet he''ll be achieving all his ambitions as well."

    Aw they thought I was acting out and wanted more power.

    I appreciated the support from my father though.

    "Sit."

    The two smiled and pulled back chairs.

    "Congrattions," I muttered, crossing my legs. It would make some good time for a drink, but I passed it on for now. "You now have the king of this country in your hands, and have be two of the only three duke houses in the kingdom. It is not a stretch to say the entirety of Schwarz is your bitch till Hoya seeds."

    "BWAHAAHAH!" Me Lonughed. "You are user some interesting words, kid."

    "That said," the Duke leaned ahead and spoke, a slight grin on his face. "You do realize you''re talking to those very two with all that haughtiness, right?"

    They then looked at each other.

    "How cute Eugy, they think they''re going to teach you a lesson."

    I was having a hard time holding in myughter.

    "You may have killed the Lord of Fonias, Eugene Hall Apollon, but what worth is that?"

    "If you headed this entire thing you should have imed the credits," said Ban Ket. "You could have easily beheaded Fonias and taken his spot if that''s what you were going for. Bringing everything to the public and then getting others promoted was a bad move."

    "The world isn''t as kind as you are, child. It is unfortunate, but you hold no power here." Said Mirxa as he snatched the bottle of whiskey.

    "Why don''t we start by uncrossing those legs and sitting straight in front of your father, son?" demanded Hall while crossing his own legs.

    I couldn''t hold back anymore.

    "Pfft."

    The two of them looked at me weird.

    "HAhahahaah!" Iughed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "BWAHAAHAH!" Mirxaughed too.

    "HAHAHAHAHA!" And so did Hall.

    The cacophony ofughter filled the small meeting room as we all went at it without any second thoughts. Ourughs growing louder and louder by the second.

    These two were in a mood to celebrate! They were ying around!

    "Hahahah¡ª"

    I stoppedughing at once.

    My presence filled the air and urged the two dukes to shut up as well.

    Leaning back with my legs crossed, I snapped my fingers and pulled out a small bottle of whiskey.

    It would be good to see them acting like idiots.

    "You''re drinking a lot these days, bad Eugy."

    I ced the bottle down and looked at the two.

    "What is it?" Hall asked.

    I tapped the table and snapped my fingers again as two more documents fell from the spatial dimension.

    In it wereplete highlights of what I knew about them. Dirt. Pure unbridled dirt. From faked confessions from Fonias, possession of eyewitness and the topics of continued business.

    "Me Lon Mirxa."

    The man looked at me.

    I didn''t bother referring to his title.

    "People in your territory have supplied the most of the ingredients needed for the drug trade that I bust for you, if you remember? Well, those guys are alive and kicking¡­"

    I leaned ahead.

    "And the ones who used and made the drugs, are all in my possession."

    Me Lon shuddered.

    "Do I need to remind you, of who exactly made those drugs?"

    "D-demons¡­?"

    I nodded with a bright smile and leaned back.

    "Pray tell, what will happen if the newly appointed Duke was found having demon supporters in his territory? Backed with undeniable proof, which is the admission of the demons themselves?"

    Me Lon Mirxa stopped in his tracks.

    "Y-you''re threatening me, brat?"

    "Am I?"

    My eyes then turned toward my father.

    "H-ha! I have never had demons near me¡ª"

    Your literal son was housing demons man.

    Hall was a little smarter as she shut up and kept his eyes low, aware that I had something on him too.

    With a snap of my fingers, two more documents plopped down.

    And that wasn''t all.

    With another snap of my fingers, teeth and eyes emerged in the shadow of the room.

    "Recognize this, father?"

    Ban Ket Hall gulped.

    "It''s the Shadow Ender from the dungeon¡­"

    "Guess where I got it from, just guess it."

    "F-fonias¡­?"

    "HAHAHAHA!"

    Read new chapters at empire

    Though Iughed again.

    Neither of those two could follow along.

    "Whose bitch is this entire country again?"

    The two didn''t have an answer.

    Mirxa slowly ced the bottle of whiskey back toward me, and Hall uncrossed his legs.

    I continuedughing in the room. The event hade a spectacr end.

 Chapter 322 Two Months Time

    A coronation ceremony was proposed, but I didn''t like the sound of that.

    "We sure made a good run through the vacation, huh?" Said Luka. "I was working the entire time, I didn''t like it one bit."

    "You got a medal," I said. "Fair trade."

    "Tsk."

    Onest time, we found ourselves in the head capital of the Apollon county. The Fonias twins were still on their own thing under the eye of the king, but Hoya had promised me of their safety so I wasn''t worried.

    Hall Apollon.

    It was an interesting name.

    My initial n was to take away the Hall name entirely. But thinking again, I didn''t mind the Hall family that much. Getting rid of one family from my lineage was enough for now.

    Luka, Albert and I were sitting in the office, the three fairies were ying around on the table, while the rest of the gang to their own thing before we left.

    It was then that the door was knocked on.

    "Come in."

    The door swung open and stepped inside sses.

    "Lord Dark Moon, were you looking for me?"

    "I was," I nodded.

    "Hm? What''s up?" Asked Albert.

    Sighing, I tapped my desk and spoke out.

    There were a lot of things to do.

    "Luka you''re from the confederacy, right?"

    "Yup. Noa and Adelia too."

    "That you''re heroes of a different country now you''re to be put on a high pedestal by the confederacy. They are soft natured, so that should be enough. Albert Pinot Rizzler has covered the far west for us. With Schwarz in my hands and the Empire in strong ties with us, andstly the Academy City that kinda rules over the whole of the Kingdom of Sages."

    What we had was.

    "A grip over half of this continent. Now what remains is the east."

    If I was to unite the world, then just the continent wasn''t going to be enough. I also had to get to hell and heaven and then Alfheim.

    "Tell me Albert, what''s next in the story?"

    Albert crossed his arms and Luka spoke up instead.

    "We''re going to have the yearly tournament in the academy city¡­ followed by a field study for a month."

    I looked at sses.

    "About two months, prepare things here and move into the East. We''re slowly going to take over that ce as well."

    sses grinned.

    "This is the most the Dark Moon has ever flourished, my lord. We already have a member from the east, so it should be easier."

    A member?

    "We call him the Secondth Whip. He''s not here now, but he''ll love to serve you!"

    Ah fuck, another man who wanted to kill me huh?

    Whatever.

    "Make sure you find as much about the history of that ce as you can. Ancient tomes, books, bs, anything and everything that can be called ancient, I want information on."

    sses nodded.

    "Understood, I''ll get to it right away."

    sses bowed and walked out.

    In exactly two months, we were going to begin sinking into the main dish.

    The other two in the room grinned and pped their hands together.

    "Exciting," said Luka.

    "You''re nning for more, right? I want in on everything."

    "Of course, I won''t be able to handle any of this without you guys."

    Others had be my strength.

    They both grinned, especially Luka. We hade a long way from what we were like in the beginning.

    "You know, Eugene Hall," said Luka. "I brushed your words off as a joke a while back, but if I ever need to now."

    He raised his right hand in front of me.

    "I''ll get rid of a finger to match with you."

    Though his phrasing was awkward, his intentions were conveyed.

    He was more than willing to cut off a finger to help me.

    "Hah brat. Save it for someone else. You''ll need ten years to match me."

    It was then, the door opened up.

    "Young Master," Keith was on the other side. "They are calling for you there."

    He tilted his head as he spoke.

    It seemed Bathym had called.

    "You two, let''s get ready to go back to the academy."

    I shuffled out of the desk and jumped down the window instead of going through with them. A few more jumps and I was again at the other side of the city.

    The small clearing in the forest that was blocked off was strangely dark.

    Dark?

    "What the heck, did someone go in?"

    I had ced the Shadow Ender on guard here. I quickly hopped over the fence and dived inside, the shadows swallowing me all around.

    In a rush, I went further ahead and there sat a little girl.

    Around her were small shadows hopping and jumping around.

    "Oh?" The girl said as she saw me. "OHHH!!! It''s big brooo!"

    "Nina?"

    "Yessir! Fifteen year old Nina reporting for duty!"

    The shadow ender around her kept sticking its tongue out and rubbing its head around her feet as she walked over.

    "I am surprised you recognized her."

    "No one else calls me big bro so obnoxiously." Sighing I turned toward Nina and patted her head. "Skipping ss again?"

    "Nope! I got out early. When did youe back? I didn''t know! You''re a count now, right? So will you like, behead me or something?"

    "Of course not, you''re thest person I will behead."

    The shadow ender was strangely close to her.

    "Say Nina, can you do me a favor for the next few months?"

    "What what?"

    "Come here and y with this pup every now and then, and make sure no one goes deeper into the forest."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Hm, well sure. I''ll take some payment though."

    "Why not, ckmail the mayor using my name." I ruffled her hair onest time and walked away. "See ya."

    "Already? Rude much!?"

    I kept waving my hands until she was out of earshot. The shadows around me slowly started to fade away and I was out into thend of the demons.

    Continue your journey with empire

    Standing right at the front, was Demon Lord Bathym.

 Chapter 323 Going Back [Bonus chapter]

    The ce of the demons had somehow been transformed into something quite spectacr. They had made a lot of changes to the ce already with the area already being ready to house nobles.

    For now, many of them were lying in the same ce while slowly making more space for their personal spots.

    Standing in the front was Bathym, his horns sticking out from his head, his skin a shade of gray under the sunlight. He was starkly different from his form as the royal physician but he still seemed fairly familiar.

    "Wee, my liege," Bathuym said bowing deeply.

    "There you are, things seem lively out here."

    "They sure are, it''s all things to your grace, my liege."

    "Sure, don''t suck up to me."

    "Ahem."

    Bathym faked a cough and stood upright.

    "About this¡­"

    "Let''s go and see your workce first."

    I was still getting in many ingredients for these guys from the Mirxa and the other ces. Of course, it was being done out in the open again, while Mirxa would be trying to find just what exactly was being smuggled out from his ce, he''ll never manage to without a demonic energy detector.

    Lady Sophia had said she was a descendant of an angel, but that was from her Mother''s side of the family.

    Mirxa did not share his daughter''s ability and even the daughter couldn''t tell much other than what was the truth and what was the disposition of a person.

    It was a useful ability though.

    I should probably take her with me to the east. I could use something like that to find allies.

    It was then, after passing through many buildings and making our way underground,  Bathym stopped me in front of a cer in the mansion of the emperor of Atreus.

    They couldn''t have a problem with all this. It wasn''t allowed.

    "Here, my lord."

    Batrhym pushed the door open and the sight of the manufacturing nt revealed itself. Demons walking around, sharing drinks and food while talking in quacks. Many were taking turns stirring cauldrons while others sweated as they mashed the ingredients.

    It was a special medicinal nt made pure for the followers of the demon lord of medicine and nts. There was no drug that he couldn''t concoct and no illness he couldn''t fix, with medicine of course.

    "Looks much more livelier than that thing."

    "They are people that work for their people. It''s a selfless deed, just doing this brings them happiness."

    When Bathym''s words echoed, the demons turned toward me and smiled.

    "Our liege!"

    "The liege is here!"

    They all waved and smiled at me while many of them bowed as well. I watched with a smirk.

    "Teach me how to speak yournguage eventually, Bathym."

    "As you wish."

    I waved at the other demons and turned away.

    "Now, let''s get to the matter at hand."

    Bathym nodded and took me away. I followed him all the way to a different part of the vige.

    Halfway through, a small fairy came flying over and perched herself on my shoulder.

    "Eugy, what the hell you left me back there!"

    "You were ying with the other two."

    "Whatever. Hey demon boy!"

    Bathym turned around and bowed.

    "How may I be of service, Lady Titania."

    "What the heck, you''re 7000 years old too?"

    "No, I am only two thousand years old. I have only heard of thedy''s deeds."

    "Chuuni propaganda is everywhere."

    Titana puffed her cheeks and pulled at my hair.

    Bathym stifling augh, turned back and continued guiding us through the streets. We then moved to another mansion and were taken down to the cer once again.

    This time as he opened the door, a much smaller yet fairly big room revealed itself. This ce was Bathym''s personal space for research and was untouched by any other demon whatsoever.

    "Pleasee in, my liege."

    Magic tools and sks of all kinds were syed around. It almost seemed like the house of a mad chemist ready to make a virus that could break the world. A gue doctor even.

    Cauldrons and many other controlled environments were on the ready for brewing and cooking different types of concoctions while many tools and herbs gathered in heaps around.

    "My liege," he spoke, shuffling through a document. He handed it to me and I read through it.

    Written in fairly neat handwriting, was the process of how the demonic energy-filled drugs were ced into the bodies of the demons. Stay connected through empire

    "My liege," Bathym suddenly got on his knees. "I wish to ask a favor of you."

    "Tell me."

    "Three vials of your blood."

    I could give him that.

    "And those horns. Please leave them in my care."

    I raised my chin and thought. Perhaps seeing it as a sign of me taking offense, Bathym shook his head.

    "It is necessary, my liege. I only wish to make sure the demonic energy you receive can surely be yours. This authority will be granted to you, but can it be called yours if I just attach the horns to your head? Rash methods will be harmful, I would need to see how your blood reacts¡ª"

    I simply snapped my fingers and the horns of the demon fell on the ground.

    I had to¡­ learn to trust.

    Bathym seemed worth it.

    "There you go. Use it however you like."

    "My liege¡­ are you certain?"

    "Well if pushes to shove I can tear your horns."

    Bathym cried and smacked his head on the ground. Between sniffles, he spoke. "My liege, I will dly give you not just my horns but my life."

    "Stop sucking up¡ª"

    "I am not! I say with all truth. For us demons, you are the one who has brought us the light of the sun¡­ how can we not be thankful?"

    Light of the sun, huh?

    That did sound cool. But unfortunately, I already had a title I received from a very good friend.

    "I brought you the night skies, let''s go with that."

    "Uh? Sure?"

    Bathym held the horns in his hands and stood up. He gently took it over to his cabs and ced them inside before bringing out a syringe and vials.

    I rolled up my sleeves and took a seat, like a modern doctor, Bathym walked over with the syringe and wiped my skin first.

    "So," I asked as he ced the first needle in my hand. "Will I get to change bodies like her?"

    "I believe not, my liege."

    The syringe pinned in and my blood flowed out.

    "How old are you my liege?"

    "Don''t do that bastard."

    "I apologize."

    "Coming back, why so?"

    Bathym ced away the first vial, burnt the syringe with ck mes, and picked up the next one.

    He ced it on my hand again.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It''s because Authorities form on the emotions directed to their wielder. Negative ones."

    "Oh?"

    "The kind of fear or hate others have toward you will shape your authority. I was cursed for being the disciple of an alchemist that was med for an epidemic. That hatred gave me an authority that can tell the properties and fate of all medicine."

    "Interesting."

    "Right? Holy energy and divinity are actually simr."

    "Miss Fairy is right. Except, those Overgods use positive emotions."

    "Overgods?"

    "Just like Demon lords, there are gods that live above other gods. Over Gods."

    Heh¡­ Intriguing.

    Bathym ced away the second vial and picked up the third.

    He pushed the needle in again and my ck blood flowed out.

    "You would have been better off being an Over God, my liege. Hundreds of positive emotions would have flowed toward you."

    "That''s useless," Titania said. "Those gods are weak without faith. I don''t know about you since you''re twisted in the head, but no normal person would worship Eugy."

    "Excuse me?"

    Rude much?

    Bathym covered thest vial and ced them all away. He bowed in front of me once more.

    "My liege, I will ensure that no matter what happens. You get to be a demon lord before the Walpurgis night."

    "Walpurgis night?"

    "It is the meeting of all the demon lords. It is scheduled a little more than two months from now."

    "Hmm¡­"

    I crossed my arms.

    "Bathym. Two months. You''re going to meet me in the east with sses."

    "East?"

    "Yes. Finish this up and meet me in the east."

    Bathym bowed once more.

    "It would be my duty, my liege."

    I stood up from the seat and stretched my hands above my head.

    It seemed an interesting event wasing up, but before that, we had to get back to school.

    I took a step ahead and waved my hand at Bathym.

    "I''ll see myself out."

    "Have a safe trip, my liege."

    "You too, eat well."

    "Haha¡­ yes."

    That day, we all left the city of Apollon. The county would be managed well by the people here, under Miss sses and Ban Ket''s supervision, the mayor would do a good job as a proxy.

    The trip backsted a long time.

    Halfway through, Lady Sophia and the two Hall children joined us as well.

    And then, even the two Fonias twins came around. Both of them couldn''t stop expressing their thanks to me.

    It turned out that the rest of the family had killed their mother. Just as I had expected.

    The month-long vacation came to an end.

    And soon, we were back in the Academy city.

    ***

    [A/N: Thanks for reading Volume 5 of EroFall!]

 Chapter 324 Tournament of Academies

    The ALEN faction. Made from the simple initials of all its members, had its first gathering in the special outhouse they had created for themselves.

    The first member and the founder of their faction, Albert, sat at the head of the room and leaned back, his feet on the ss table. The vacation ended and just hours back, they had returned from a long and annoying speech from the principal.

    Luka, or the L of the group, which certainly wasn''tmonly being epted as a Loser, truly wasn''t, broke the silence.

    "So about that tournament thing, I guess it''s going to start next week?"

    The E of the team, or I, was sitting quietly without looking at any of them. Seeing this strange behavior, Noa, the N spoke out.

    "What''s up? What are you thinking?"

    "I wonder¡­" I, the E, said. "How I can skip more sses."

    "Seriously? Even now?"

    "Should I say I am still injured? They can''t use it for any ckmail can they?"

    Albert sighed at my words. "Yuyu, why do you want to skip sses?"

    "What''s there to learn? You guys are losers, not me." Stay connected with empire

    "What are you even here for then?"

    Well, it wasn''t that simple was it?

    "It''s exactly in the center of the continent, so I can move anywhere I need to. Most of our troubles are going to start from here, we''re going to see people with a lot of potentials, there''s a lot of ancient stuff in the libraries, there''s a lot. And most of it doesn''t include being in ss."

    "Can''t always win, can we?" Luka said.

    "I can."

    "Shut up."

    "Huh? What was that? You wanna go a round bitch?"

    "Bring it, I''ll chop another finger for you."

    We red at each other and then stopped. Well, there was nothing much for me to do at this point. Since it had already been decided that I had no choice but to go to ss I better do that.

    I could always speak with Ikuro during the electives. I was going to need him and his entire family for my ns in the East.

    "So anyway, let mee back to the main topic," Albert said. "We have a lot to discuss after that stupid principal''s speech."

    "He gave a speech?"

    "What were you¡ªMy bad." Albert sighed again and shook his head once more. "Here''s the deal,ing up next for us is the biggest event in the Academy city and the entire kingdom of sages. The tournament between the seven academies."

    "Sounds like a hassle."

    "It is," Albert nodded. "The tournament is, but the reward is worth it."

    Reward?

    Titania propped herself up on my head at the mention of a reward as well.

    "There are many events which will bring us different scores, there are two questions here."

    "Tell me about the reward first."

    Noa answered my question instead of Albert.

    "It''s a Chalice filled with energy. If you consume it you can easily raise your mana or Ki by one entire stage. Given that you can control it of course."

    "Even if you can''t control all that energy," continued Luka. "It will still act like reserves in your body. It''s a huge amount, I won in thest round and it saved me from a fuck ton of problems."

    "Well I can probably use it," said Noa. "I am almost at the brink of raising myself into the stage of Soul Ki."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Funny," Luka snapped. "I can use it too. I am almost at the same spot, except I am sure to be stronger than you."

    "Ahem," Albert coughed. "I am actually the weakest here. So it''s only natural that I get the best power up."

    "I am actually¡ªWhy don''t you go kill yourself?"

    "Skill issue. Skill issue."

    These people just kept babbling on and on.

    "You all don''t get it."

    "What now?"

    "I am undeniably the strongest, right?"

    "Tsk."

    "I deny that."

    "Get lost Yuyu."

    "Idiots. If you get it, I''ll just snatch it." I leaned back and spoke. Power up? Chalice? "In the first ce, I bet you guys can''t but I actually CAN control it."

    It would only be wasted in their hands.

    "Hahaha. No."

    "Absolutely, that''s why just grind on your own."

    "Cheap. Eugene, cheap."

    These guys were fools! It was obvious that I took it.

    A squabble began as we continued fighting over this matter.

    Everyone said that they were the one who deserved the reward. It wasn''t anything big for me, but I didn''t want these losers to get their hands on it.

    "I thought you wanted everyone to grow strong?"

    "That and this is different."

    It truly was. What mattered here was pride.

    Sorry, but this one is mine.

    The verbal battle continued for a while.

    "Why don''t you fools justpete for it?"

    It was Titania who ced the suggestion.

    Albert and Luka couldn''t keep Aine and Selphie summoned at all times so it was only natural that my fairy wasn''t fighting her own battle.

    That said, I doubted those two little ones could ever hold a candle to Titania.

    Well not like that mattered a lot.

    "Comepte huh?"

    It wasn''t like there wouldn''t be any in-academypetitions. Of course the results that each of us can produce will be tested.

    "But then it''ll be unfair for these losers. They can never hope to be as strong as me."

    "Oh no, I do know somoething we can use."

    Luka suddenly started grinning. Annoying.

    "What is it?" Noa asked.

    "There is also going to be a teampetition in the entire thing. Luckily, we can get four teams from each academy."

    "The city-wide battle Royale?"

    Luka nodded at Albert''s words. "The entire city would be free game, we can even destroy things. Let''s just all get in a team each and see who wins."

    Intriguing.

    Very intriguing.

    To p some sense into these bastards before continuing my work, it seemed like a fairly fun activity to pull.

    "Well."

    All four of us grinned at once.

    """"Prepare to lose.""""

    ***

    [A/N: Buckle up fes, you''re not ready for this volume. Go workout or something]

 Chapter 325 Sword Skillz

    "You''re actually pretty good at this, aren''t you?"

    Early in the morning when the sun was still about to rise, I met with Miss Rio in the outer fields of the floating inds.

    With wooden swords in both our hands, we pitted against each other with pure technique and nothing else.

    I pushed the de slightly further ahead, and Rio counteracted the force by applying her own at the perfect angle.

    Her body that never moved more than necessary was formidable, there was no telling what she would do next until she had already done it.

    "I apologize for hiding most of my skill."

    "No, I already knew you were doing that. I could tell because I am your teacher."

    We both jumped back, smiled, and then charged in again. Like wind, she nimbly danced around thend as she avoided every single strike and swing.

    I gripped the de, spun it in my hand and drove it into the ground.

    "Oh?"

    A cloud of dust rose from the sheer force, blinding the sight all around me. In that stance, I listened for her steps and dashed through the dust.

    My de emerged from within and almost hit Rio''s eyes, when she raised her free hand and redirected my stab into the air.

    Before I could regain my bnce, she raised her knee and drove it toward my chest.

    I managed to block it with my other arm. Taking leverage from her own body weight, I regained my bnce and drove back my sword hilt-first

    She raised two fingers again.

    This time, before she could redirect my attack, I swept my feet under hers in an attempt to topple her to the ground, but she jumped at just the right time.

    Her fingers tapped my sword, and it went tumbling around in the other direction.

    "Woah!"

    I was about to fall.

    My cor was grabbed.

    "Be careful¡ª"

    Jackpot.

    I dropped the act and immediately turned my de again, this time toward her neck.

    Rio let go of me and raised her hands. There was nothing she could do this time.

    "Cheap¡­"

    "Is it? All is fair in love and war."

    "This is a battle."

    "War."

    "Battle."

    Whatever.

    I got back on my feet again and dusted my clothes.

    "What is that thing you do?" I asked, amused at the way she continued to redirect my attacks without much effort. It almost seemed like magic.

    "I mess up your center of gravity, for the most part."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Rio''s words were as monotonous as I assumed her face would be.

    "Hm?"

    I did stuff like that too, but something like this never happened.

    "I know what you''re thinking," she said as she picked up a bottle of water and started sshing it on herself. "It''s actually useless on weak people. When you''re as skilled and fast as us, you be very sensitive to such little details."

    "Huh?"

    That made sense. What she meant was that every slight change in one''s center of gravity affected the way a person like us swung their sword.

    Form and grip to muscles and flexors, once you would start perfecting all of theserge details the only way to bring out even a minute more power would hide in the little details. That meant I subsconsciously always moved so that every aspect of my attack, from the muscles I use to where my center of gravity was, all of it was in perfect alignment.

    "By changing it slightly you make me lose bnce."

    "Incorrect," Rio shook her head. "Come, try swinging again."

    She tossed over the wooden sword back to me and ced one hand behind her back, the other open and waiting.

    "Give it your all."

    I took in a breath, narrowed my gaze, and charged in again. My muscles clenched and rxed all at once as I swung the sword right at her neck. Before it could hit, I maneuvered it in a different direction and went for a low swing.

    "Hmph."

    Rio scoffed and tapped the de. It was slightly pushed away and the center of bnce broke. I almost fell ahead, but immediately got my bnce back and whirled around for another strike to the back of her head.

    A gust of wind spread as I stopped my de just short of hitting her.

    "This is what would happen if you just break the bnce."

    "Don''t lie, you made a mistake didn''t you?"

    "I can never make a mistake. I know because I am your teacher."

    "You''re lying."

    "Am not."

    We both coughed and I moved back again.

    "This time, I''ll show you what I am doing. Try and see if you can figure it out."

    I nodded and took in another breath.

    This time, I wanted to hit her.

    I shot off the ground and charged ahead. She leaned back as I stabbed the de out.

    And then, her hand fell near the cross guard of the de. Just a simple slide with two of her fingers.

    The next thing I knew, my stab had turned into an upward swing.

    My footnded back on the ground and I turned my gaze toward her.

    Rio pumped her shoulders and patted my head before walking away.

    "See what I did?"

    She didn''t just break my bnce, she utilized my instincts and muscle memory to cause a synapse reaction and changed the structure of my attack itself. It was a disy of pure skill.

    "My ancestor Isaac made that technique. He was a millennium wizard, but practiced sword arts too."

    What the hell was a millennium wizard.

    "His grand sword was a powerful artifact that got lost in the east. We called it the de of the thundering firing watering school."

    I was so lost.

    "Anyway, I''ll teach you thatter if you want."

    "You will? Promise?"

    Rio stopped.

    She turned back, walked over to me, pulled my cheeks in a single go and then turned away again.

    "Sure, I am your teacher so of course."

    How cute.

    Continue reading at empire

    I stretched my hand above my head. The sun was about to rise up.

    "Make sure you go to ss on time, Irina will being with a transfer student."

    "Hm?"

    Transfer student?

    Now what was this?

 Chapter 326 Transfer Student [Bonus Chapter]

    I was about to get to ss on time, butzy little Noa had not eaten anything. In the end, I had to whip up some breakfast for her and Keith before I decided to leave.

    I thought ofcing them with dish soap but I was running out of it.

    In the end, I gave them normal food.

    "Then, young master! I''ll be doing my own thing, ciao."

    "Spy on the other academies for me if you get the chance."

    Keith stopped.

    "For reals?"

    "Yeah, snag a teacher or two if you can."

    "You know, I think Mr. Keith is just as stupid as you but he can really pull a lot ofdies." Noa seemed to be slightly surprised at his rizz. Well I was too, he was not just young and handsome but also pretty funny.

    "You have no idea, this guy used to change girlfriends like you would change hats."

    "It''s too much effort young master."

    "Is that why you go to brothels?" I asked, leaning on the table.

    "Nah, I never pay there."

    "What a bitch?"

    "They are usually messed up in the head, young master. I guess our tastes are simr in that regard."

    "Ahem ahem!" Noa started coughing.

    "Not to call you messed up at all, Miss Noa."

    "You''re making it worse, now go."

    Keith bowed and off he went away. In the end, I finished cleaning the dishes that I didn''t trust either of the other two the slightest bit with and returned to the room.

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    Noa had hopped into her own and was changing. I picked up a bag and went down stairs, mming the door shut.

    Noa jumped out of her house too and we made our way through the enormous and practically empty ind of our faction.

    "We should get more people here," said Noa. "But on the other hand I don''t want to."

    "Right? It''ll feel weird if we have more people. Albert was smart. Four is enough."

    "Yup," Noa said, gently clenching my sleeves. "I won''t be able to enjoy my time with you that way."

    "Is it? Seeing how loud you are, I thought you want people to know what you''re up to."

    Noa suddenly blushed, clenched her fists, and started hitting my shoulder.

    "Ow, Ow! Sorry!"

    "Bastard."

    I held her hand and leaned over to her cheeks. With my hands holding hers tight, I gently pecked her cheeks.

    "I won''t let anyone in this world hear you like that."

    "T-that''s not even romantic, what the hell¡­."

    Noa only pushed me away.

    "Get lost¡­"

    She was blushing though.

    I grinned and kept a hold on her hand as we made our way through the many bridges of the academy city, the floating archipgo wide. She seemed to be shy at first, but then interlocked her fingers with mine as we continued onward.

    Not long after, we finally found ourselves inside the giant ss building that made up the academy. We climbed up to the first floor and over to thest ssroom where ss A was assigned to.

    The same old group of people were inside. I was about to leave her hand but she only let go once we were inside.

    "This is not your ss," I told her.

    "Oh!" Noa hummed and then turned away.

    What?

    Was she that clumsy?

    I ignored it for now and passed by the seats. My reputation as the tyrant of the library and a bully hadn''tpletely gone yet, but no one was scared or hated me anymore. They all saw me as a cold guy that was actually very nice and would risk himself to save the student body from demons.

    As this was the first time since that incident that I had attended the sses.

    "Hey! Eugene Hall, morning."

    "Morns, Eug."

    "Ew? Did you just call me ew?"

    "No no, OUCH!"

    I dusted my hands waved at everyone and went back up.

    Hah.

    How nice it was to not carry a demon cat along. That Billy better not have gotten rid of the damned Cat cafe.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    I sat up on my seat and greeted my two seat mates.

    "Looking ugly, shit faces."

    "Won''t you know what shit looks like. Not like you can see anything else."

    "Foul y man, but I agree with Albert."

    "Make your owneback."

    "Make your owneback."

    Stupid Luka.

    I sat down and crossed my legs. It seemed Irina was still a bit away.

    The two Fonias twins¡­ were on their seats too. Marcin noticed my gaze and gave a wave and I waved back. sses sure were weird, there was a strange sense of distance even though one could just act like normal friends on any other asion.

    "By the way, we''re getting a new student today."

    Albert nodded. "About time."

    "We are?" Luka asked. "A new student?"

    Albert turned to Luka when the door opened. He couldn''t say a word as Irina strode inside. She noticed me and smirked.

    "Look who we have here today. The great lord has graced us with his presence."

    I grinned.

    "My blessings are with you," I said.

    "Alright write a thirty page apology letter for missing sses."

    "Hey! I had an excuse!"

    Irina looked down, and then looked at me again.

    "Then write one for your snarky remarks."

    Bitch, make me do it.

    She held in a chuckle and turned to the entire ss.

    "Alright kids, we have a transfer studenting in today." At Irina''s words, the door opened once more and a girl walked inside the ssroom, her hair a shade of dark purple.

    "Introduce yourself."

    The girl bowed.

    "I am Marissa Merlot from the Pinot kingdom. It is my pleasure to be in the same ss as you."

    Pinot Kingdom?

    I turned to Albert.

    "You know her?"

    "Yes¡­ but¡­"

    Both of us looked at Luka.

    He seemed¡­ utterly disinterested.

    "She''s a sub-heroine."

    But the hero.

    "Hm? What are you two looking at? Is there something on my face?

    Seemed to have no idea of who she was.

    Well, well, well, now what was going on here?

 Chapter 327 Ancient Spells [Bonus Chapter]

    The new girl was bubbly. Moreover, she knew Albert.

    "Hey hey, Prince Albert, I told you I''d follow you here, didn''t I?"

    Sitting just a row below us, the girl couldn''t stop talking about and with Albert over and over. Even though Luka and I were just next to him, she didn''t even bat an eye at us.

    The teachers that came in and out of the ssroom with their different topics all told her to shut up but...

    "Ahaha! I apologize I just don''t know much about the ss and the school yet."

    Saying that, she would always excuse herself.

    What a sly person.

    This Marissa girl was supposed to be a sub-heroine, huh?

    But Luka had no idea.

    With the rate it was going at, we would never get a chance to talk about this. During one of the ss breaks, I picked up Albert by his cor and tossed him a seat ahead.

    Marissa seemed to have taken offense at first but then gave me a wide grin and a thumbs up.

    Who said friendships needed words to be exchanged?

    I scooted over toward Luka as thest ss before the electives started.

    "Woah, what the heck?" Luka whispered in my ears. "Is this the Rizzler Rizz?"

    "Who told you hisst name?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Irina, she said she wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone."

    That woman was a menace everywhere.

    "Alright whatever, why don''t you know this girl?"

    "Irina never told me?"

    "No you cunt, why don''t you know her from before?"

    Luka hummed and shook his head.

    "No idea, I''ve never met her."

    "Did she transfer to a different ss thest time around?"

    "I doubt," Luka said. "She is from Pinot and this interested in Albert. If it was the one from my old timeline then he would have definitely been too fixated on her for me to not know about her."

    "That makes sense."

    Does that mean...

    The ss came to an end.

    The electives started.

    We left without saying much since these guys were afraid for their lives when it came to Rio''s sses and because Marissa had taken up the same elective.

    I thought of talking with Hoya or Noa, but there was apletely different problem which was that other than a general gist of things I knew nothing.

    The one who yed this game was no one but Albert.

    In that sense, I had zero idea about the details.

    With no other choice, for now, I went back to the library and met with the wizard heir of the east.

    "Sir!!"

    "Ikuro Asahi, how have you been?"

    On the forty-ninth floor of the enormous library, I met the person that was single-handedly responsible for saving a lot of people by bringing me a lot of ancient stuff.

    Unlike before when I would simply order him around and make him fetch me books, this time, we both gathered a bunch and sat together in the library on a desk.

    He seemed strangely giddy with me.

    "What did you manage to revive your spells?"

    "Sort of! We made a lot of progress all thanks to you, my lord!"

    Hah.

    "What kind of magic is it?"

    "It''s called chantless spell casting."

    Hm?

    "Isn''t all spell casting chant-less if you''re proficient enough."

    Heughed at my words. It was thanks to my decryption that he was able to make a lot of progress, but neither of us was at a level where we knew his family''s ancient spellspletely yet.

    "It''s simr but quite different. Let me exin."

    Please do.

    "Basically, sir, what you call chant-less spells still require you to form a mana circle and perform the spells'' formality, albeit, rather quickly and most of the time in your mind."

    That was right.

    "What this aims for is different. Instead of using the same old sigils and circles to define the properties of a spell, you can instead store it in your gestures."

    I wasn''t sure if I was understanding it right.

    To make things clear.

    If mana was like a nk canvas, then circles were like a ck pen that could trace an outline, and sigils and markings were colors that filled the outline.

    In that sense, with more practice, one could draw the outline faster, and then with even more practice, they could fill in the colors and highlights as well.

    In that case what this aimed to do.

    Was to make something like a stamp already outlined and colored. You just had to press it on the canvas, and the drawing would take its form.

    "If I fling my hand, I can make a small ball of fire without thinking about it."

    "That''s pretty much it."

    "And how does this work? How do you interpret it?"

    "That¡­ I still do not know. But I am certain we can figure it out together, my lord!"

    "Bring me whatever books you can still find. As for that, let''s keep looking at other ces and hope we can find some clues."

    "Yes!" Ikuro Asahi nodded and got to reading.

    It was about to be time to go to the east soon, I would be taking him along so there was little to worry about anyway.

    If need be, I could just raid his entire house for the information.

    "I think I should focus on other aspects too¡­"

    The way I could control demonic energy and get a better hold on spirits instead of just getting drunk, both of that was important.

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    "Did you say something, my lord?"

    "Nope, not at all."

    Ikuro Asahi and I got back to our reading. We had already familiarized ourselvesrgely with the methods of artifacts, so spreading our expertise was the way to go now.

    "Oh, by the way, that book you asked for always, my lord."

    The BL?

    "It got a new volume."

    "Hm¡­ Bring me it if you can, I''ll pay you for it."

    "Hahah! You don''t have to think about it at all."

    Noa would probably like it.

    Soon, the electives ended and the time to go back to the rooms came around.

 Chapter 328 Maybe This World [Bonus Chapter]

    Before I went back, though! Came something else.

    A bell chimed and the door swung open.

    "Wenya~ Ah. It''s you, Mr. yboy."

    "Shut it,dy," I hissed at the receptionist with cat ears and a twirling tail. In the Sachertorte Faction, the one establishment that wasn''t broken down yet was the cat cafe that was personally being run by Billy. Who was, by some surprise, the secretary of this faction?

    I was fairly shocked by that revtion but kept that feeling of being shocked to myself. He had said that he had started this establishment in the first ce because I was walking around with a cat a lot and that once it was gone I had be a little distant.

    Hah.

    At my behest, though I had never voiced this demand myself, he negotiated with the faction and kept the cafe running in the part-time. The school faculty allowed it too since it was a good ce to keep stray cats at.

    "The price is the same as before?"

    "It''s ten gold more now."

    What a rip-off.

    What a total rip-off.

    I handed over the cash to thedy and went inside the divider that separated me from the many little tiny floofballs that continued wiggling around.

    With a bright smile, I dived right onto them and yed around with the cats.

    An hour was a short time.

    ***

    I returned to the faction not long after, and everyone else had returned too.

    We decided to meet up again in one hour after taking a small break and soon we were all in the ss outhouse that Albert had created.

    "Man, Marissa really didn''t let me go."

    "Did you promise to bring her into the faction then?"

    "Nope, I pushed it all on the principal."

    The blue lights shone above while the ce near the couches was lit up by a dim me. On the bar counter were cups and sses along with bottles of different wines and whiskeys, one of which, a Johnny Sprinter was kept on the table in front of us.

    "For an eroge, they really didn''t hold back on the giarism."

    Johnny Runner waspletely ripped off here.

    "Eroge?"

    Noa asked.

    Albert looked at me and nodded.

    We had decided it was time to tell these guys about things.

    We had hidden it enough. And now, that seeming gaps in our knowledge had popped up, it seemed something worse would happen. Read new adventures at empire

    Lethe already knew I was from another world, but this matter was something different that I, unfortunately, couldn''t tell her first.

    Because there was something we had to verify with people that were directly involved in things.

    "There is a thing called an Eroge in the old world that we used to live in."

    Noa and Luka leaned back.

    We were talking about the old world for the first time, and it seemed that they had noticed the urgency of the matter.

    A silent lull took over the air as the mes crackled.

    "I really don''t wanna talk about eroges man."

    "On you, you little fuck."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Should I start with games first? Should I take it all the way from Atari to exin this deviancy?"

    "Just. Just get to it, dude."

    Talking about an Eroge in another world with its main characters was something strikingly scary.

    I was almost sure that Albert would be slugged by Luka if he mentioned how bad it could get. He should have just called it a game, but I could understand how shaken one would have to be to lie on the fly like that.

    "So basically, there are things called games alright?"

    "We know games, idiot."

    "What kind of world was it? Did you really drive as many bikes as you want."

    "Noa¡ª"

    "Bikes? How do you know about bikes?"

    I hadn''t told this bastard about the sick antique bike I had!

    Albert looked at me. In apletely useless time, his mind ran a hundred meters per second and he figured out the right conclusion.

    "You made a bike!"

    Not the right one maybe.

    "Well¡­ I didn''t make one."

    I said, stomping Noa''s foot under the table.

    "We found one when we were in hell. It''s magic operated so couldn''t be someone from another world creating them. It seemed pretty natural for the ce, the mechanics were all over the ce."

    "Is that so?" Albert hummed. "Take me to hell next time, I want to sit on a bike after long."

    "Yeah, the way it swam on the ground was awesome."

    Albert flinched.

    "On the ground!?"

    I looked away and nodded.

    "Motherfucker, you found an antique bike and you never told me!? I thought us friends!!!"

    "I-I am sorry¡ª"

    Albert said a lot of stuff that would need to be censored. After finally calming down, he sat and nodded.

    "You better get hell under your palms and get me a bike."

    "Bet."

    We were going to do that, and do that together that is.

    Albert sighed and leaned back on his chair. He poured the sprinter into everyone''s sses and downed arge sip.

    "Alright, so here''s the deal. While you two and your buddies returned from a devastated future, that was not the case with us."

    "Right, you''re simply someone from another world."

    Albert nodded at Luka''s words.

    "But we still know a lot about this world right?"

    "I''ve always found it suspicious that you do, but I never pointed things out."

    Albert nodded once more.

    And so did I.

    It was clear to both of us that Luka was suspect but trusted us to tell him.

    "Here''s the thing. You remember that video projection that we see form the principal?"

    "Or if you''ve ever seen the Deep Down Town in your old life, it''s what they disy the first Deep Down Dive with."

    "Oh, I know that one," said Noa.

    "I understand it, but I never saw the Deep Down Dive. We did use simr technology during war."

    "That''s right, we did that."

    "We called that a TV screen. And instead of only recordings, we could see whatever we wanted on that stuff."

    "Is that so¡­?"

    "Basically even things that didn''t exist in our world. Or monsters like none other. As long as you could think of it, you could animate it, create and disy it."

    "I guess¡­ I get it?" Noa said and Luka nodded.

    "We used to y story-based games on it."

    Albert took in another breath.

    "And the story of this entire world, is what I know from a game."

 Chapter 329 At All [Bonus Chapter]

    "Game¡­?"

    "You mean you saw everything in a game?"

    Albert nodded at their words.

    "I don''t really get it, but that makes things feel very insignificant."

    "Don''t think that way, if something is insignificant then it would be that worldpared to this one. The intricacies in both of them can''t even bepared."

    Albert nodded at my words. He took another swig of the whiskey and sighed.

    "He''s right. I don''t think there''s muchparable. In any case, it was all the story of an Eroge. Where the yer followed the story of the hero, or Luka."

    Luka leaned back.

    "Me? The hero?"

    "Yes, think of it, weren''t you pretty much a hero in your previous life"

    Luka hummed and shook his head.

    "I have no idea."

    "Anyway," Albert spoke. It seemed he was going to avoid the sexy bits of the details and skip to the main meat. "I believed that everything was matching that story, even though, of course, Yuyu and I messed up a lot of stuff, the most general things are still the same."

    "Nothing is the same in my eyes."

    Noa nodded too.

    "It''s much more spicy this round."

    "Well, not those main things," Albert rified. "What I meant was that the people and the events that are going down are pretty much unchanging here. Like the characters of the main story, or the general timeline and events. Of course, Dantalian is gone and Eugene Hall is different, but the main characters were still the same."

    Luka crossed his arms, and so did Noa.

    "Do these main characters include me?"

    "Yes," Albert said. "It was you, me, Luka, the princesses, and the rest. Eugene was actually a viin that barely had a lot of screen time."

    "That doesn''t sound all that off."

    "Right, but what does sound off is that¡­" Albert crossed his legs. "Neither of you knows Marissa."

    The other two crossed their legs as well.

    "I don''t see how that is odd, to be honest."

    "That''s the deal, right? You are supposed to know someone since it matches with the game, but now that you don''t, it puts all the information on our hand into jeopardy."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I see¡­"

    Noa crossed her arms and kicked back.

    "Sounds like a bitch problem. If there''s something wrong we can just deal with it. Till then, I guess you want to match what all we know?"

    Albert nodded.

    This was important.

    "Outer gods first poured in from dungeons."

    "Correct."

    " They attacked all three ces simultaneously in your second year."

    "Correct again."

    "The demons and gods faced arge loss but the one here was rather weak and you guys managed to beat it, arge contribution went to Lushan and you, Luka." Continue your adventure with empire

    The firece crackled.

    "Wrong. I was barely involved."

    "FUCK!"

    Albert pped his hand on the table and stood up.

    I held my hair back and sighed,

    What?

    What in the fuck was happening now?

    "Wait, wait, it was an eroge, there are routes."

    Albert wiped his face and sighed.

    His breathing was messed, his heart beating fast. Just like mine was.

    Many many questions ran through our mind, but getting sure of things came first.

    "Let me confirm again, Marissa never joined the academy in your first year?"

    Luka shook his head. "I know no one by that name. Except in this timeline."

    "Alright, alright. Again to be sure, did you ever save Hoya from a sticky situation with Demon Agares?"

    Luka nodded this time.

    "I did that."

    He seemed just as nervous as us.

    "I remember that too."

    "Alright, so that''s still constant. That''s how you guys fell in love, right?"

    Luka tilted his head.

    "No?"

    Albert shut up.

    A lull spread in the room.

    No one was ready to eek out a word.

    "Luka¡­ did you save her from Agares when his tentacle demons were stripping her?"

    "What kind of question is that¡­" Luka asked. "Do you think she can''t fend off tentacle demons? They are weak as hell."

    Albert held his head in his hands.

    The general gist hadn''t changed not one bit.

    But the finer details were all over the ce.

    "Noa¡­ Did you and Noa never have any¡­promising encounters?"

    Noa seemed pissed.

    "With his cunt and his self-serving gang of nose-highs? Of course not! I had not shown myself to anyone until two months back."

    "Ahem." I coughed.

    Noa blushed and looked away.

    "Wait you two¡­?"

    Albert and Luka had the same reaction.

    I quickly shrugged the matter away. "You can''t pile on this shock as well, get to things again."

    "Eugene¡­ Eugene! Was he a major irredeemable pervert?"

    "Oh that he was."

    "Notorious, and I wasn''t even in his ss."

    Fuck now that didn''t change huh?

    "Ok¡­ Ok¡­" Albert held his head again and sighed out loud. "What happened next? The weakened hell and heaven formed an alliance with you and you guys fought. The one that led the alliance was you, Luka?"

    "At one point near the end, the leader from the beginning was the god of Adventurers, Kaiser."

    "Near the end?"

    "When they all died."

    My eyes widened.

    Kaiser¡­ died?

    That''s hard to believe.

    "That''s not very off, but Kaiser doesn''t Die die, just aa¡­"

    Albert crouched on the ground.

    "The outer gods, did many of them spew out acid breaths that melted clothes?"

    "That would be downright stupid, would it not?"

    This wasn''t happening.

    "Luka, forgive me for this question, but did you use to have a lot of public sex?"

    Luka blushed and kicked the table toward Albert.

    "I would never do something that shameful!"

    "Yujin¡­. Yujin Yujin Yujin¡­"

    I pressed my head too and sighed.

    All those incidents.

    While they were almost the same.

    Almost.

    They were starkly different. Even if the frame was correct, the world wasn''t.

    "Yujin Han."

    "Albert Wessler."

    "I am starting to think¡­"

    Was there any need for words?

    It was clear in both our minds.

    Undeniable proof sat in front of us that was revealed thanks to Marissa''s presence.

    Even if the routes were maintained¡­

    "This world¡­"

    "Might not be an eroge at all."

 Chapter 330 No Course Ahead [Bonus chapter]

    Find your next read on empire

    I was sitting in my room once more, my hand on my head.

    Albert was fairly shaken up by everything and we all decided to go back.

    As of right now, no one but I and he felt what we felt.

    What did we feel?

    Titania was already asleep.

    Albert must have been fairly shocked, his entire world view was shattered. But I had long since epted this as a world of its own before an ''Eroge.'' In all honesty, this revtion changed little for me.

    Except for a lot of our future actions.

    The mystery surrounding this world and our arrival in here had deepened greatly. With the moonlighting in through the window along with the auroras that the tower formed, my mind went back to the world from before.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Earth.

    A ce bustling with high rises, floating cars, and gates...

    Gates that opened the doors for monsters from other worlds toe in.

    Well, the other world''s bit was just spection. Now that I think about it, it could just as well be realms like this one''s own.

    But what was particrly curious was the dragon.

    Was it rted somehow?

    That dragon that stabbed me through my chest. I wondered how that was rted to anything. Maybe it had caused some of the changes?

    Then that wouldn''t just be something from a different realm. How could it affect things a world away?

    There was littlemon about my and Albert''s transmigration into this other world, and the only matching point was the fact that we were both killed by the dragon.

    There was little else that counted in the death. Many people died simultaneously every second all over the world, we would have already had others here if that was a factor.

    And I didn''t think that the school would go scotch-free when MY body was exploded on the dragon. Low chance. That could barely be a factor either.

    It was strange¡­

    What I had to do now didn''t change much, it was just going to be a lot tougher than I had thought and nothing else.

    If anything, I was excited.

    It was when I was considering draping the curtains down, the window behind my bed was knocked on. Two windows could be a small pain at times, like now when they had apletely different set of curtains.

    I slowly pulled it away and saw Noa sitting on the other side.

    Sliding the windows open, I leaned on the sill.

    "Morning."

    "Hah. Morning."

    She rested on the sill too, the two of us just staring at each other.

    Every now and then, a cloud or two woulde over and shade away the light of the moon and the auroras hiding her face behind them, only for the clouds to go away after some time.

    Even though I couldn''t see her, it still felt strangely nice to have her face in the bright.

    "Uh¡­" Noa spoke, maybe unable to bear the silence anymore. "You ok?"

    "Hm? Of course. Why?"

    "You just¡­ I don''t know¡­ seemed strange?"

    "I was having fun."

    Noa tilted her head.

    "Fun."

    "Mhm, looking at you is fun."

    "You can''t even see my face."

    "I can still tell its you though."

    The ledge between us was not far at all. I could just stretch my hands and grab hers, but I didn''t do that. I slowly pointed at my nose.

    "From the way you breathe,"

    Then my hair.

    "To the way your hair shuffles in the wind."

    Then my other hand.

    "To how you shiver from the cold breeze at times."

    Noa lowered her gaze.

    "I can even tell you''re blushing like crazy now."

    "Tsk. Rat. You''re just being sly, right?"

    "Of course not."

    We sat in silence again. I let my head fall on the sill and looked at the sky.

    Change.

    Thinking back about Earth reminded me of how much I had changed.

    "I don''t think Luka or I understand this well¡­ but this whole game thing¡­ it must have hit you hard."

    My ears perked at those words.

    I turned toward her and smiled.

    "Can Ie over?"

    Noa blushed once more, but then stretched both her hands out and beckoned me over with her fingers, like a child asking for a hug.

    I quickly hopped over the ledge, and jumped to embrace her at once. We both fell on her bed as I wrapped my hands around her back and wrapped hers around mine.

    "Cutie," she said.

    "No, you."

    "No, you are a cutie, jumping me like this."

    "It''s because you are the cutie that I had to jump in."

    Noaughed and tightened her embrace. My eyes closed on their own as I buried my head in her neck, taking in whiffs of her hair and resting my cheeks on her shoulders.

    Her warmth, her scent, all of it flowed into my head.

    Noa, at the same time, ran her hand on my back.

    "You seem alright."

    "I am. I am happy even."

    "You are?" She asked, burying her head in my shoulders. I tightened my grip around her. My fingers pressed into her waist while her heat spread over to me.

    Warm.

    Very warm.

    "It all feels, more real now."

    "Does it? Why did it not feel so before?"

    Maybe Luka was supposed to be with her. Maybe Eugene Hall could have been killed earlier. Maybe this or that is how the game went.

    That thought didn''t enter my mind, no.

    But it was something that existed nheless.

    The maybe didn''t hit me, I was not stupid enough to think of it. But it instead existed as something I was going against.

    The thought that I was taking the world off course remained when, in fact, there was no course at all. No way to guide things.

    "Hey," Noa said.

    "Yes?"

    "Sleep here."

    I tightened my grip on her further, my nosepletely buried in her hair.

    "I didn''t n on letting go of you anyway."

    Noa grinned and nuzzled her cheeks on my neck.

    "Me either."

 Chapter 331 Brewing Storm

    Lily was biting her clothes in her room, and Sophia sitting against her.

    "Sly little bitch, I should heal her till she''s old."

    "Miss Lily, a counter point, I believe you should calm down."

    "Did you see? Did you see that bitch?" Lily growled, her brown eyes tinted a madder red in rage. "She came all the way to our ss with his hand in hers! She came over there just to show off and act cute. And young master too, how dare he stick with her that long?"

    Sophia held in a chuckle at Lily''s words.

    "I think you''re overreacting."

    "You don''t get itdy Sophia. Young master told me to be by his side and still, grrrrr!"

    "The towel, don''t maul the towel!"

    Lily calmed down and sighed.

    "I have to show her. That bitch¡­"

    Sophia tilted her head, she definitely did not have a good feeling about any of this matter.

    "What will you be doing?"

    "I will show her what happens when someone crosses me."

    "Um¡­"

    "Hehe¡­ hehehehe¡­ hehehehehe¡­."

    Though he was rooms away, poor knight Alec couldn''t help but feel a tinge of fear strike his mind and heart all at once.

    ***

    "Afraid of the princess, huh?"

    Dawn was seated with Adelia in her room. As her aide and her friend, she spent most of her time in the academy with Adelia herself.

    And now they had gotten rather close.

    Unsuspectingly, those words left Dawn''s lips as she sighed.

    She immediately covered her mouth and looked around.

    It was¡­ toote.

    "What what what?" Adelia spoke, her eyes thin and her smile wide. "What was that, miss dawn?"

    Dawn shuddered and stepped behind. But once Adelia was set off even the might of seven elephants couldn''t hold her back. The number came around from a real-life incident!

    "N-nothing much¡­"

    "You won''t call Hoya or Ana princess, you always call themdy, what princess are you talking about? Hum?"

    Adelia crawled over her bed and pushed into Dawn, while the angel, bbergasted, had no choice but to crawl back.

    "Tell me tell me."

    Dawn went back.

    -Thud.

    But ran out of space behind her.

    Adelia now sat straight in front of her, with no other option to move or no other y to make, she had no choice but to escape anymore.

    "Now, what princess are you talking about?"

    "N-no one, really."

    "It''s thedy of Acacia! The duchy''s princess sure is something else, right?"

    Dawn bit her lips.

    This forever fluttery girl was way too sharp when it came to matters of romance. She almost didn''t like how it was going on.

    "So what is this about? Why are you afraid of the princess?"

    Explore new worlds at empire

    "That is not the case, I was just saying."

    "HAH!"

    Adelia gasped. Dawn cried.

    "It''s about Romaccee!!!"

    Adelia almost hugged herself silly but stopped nigh of doing so. She slowly grasped both of Dawn''s hands and smiled.

    "Miss Dawn! Tell me, tell me now! What is it? Is it her brother? No that can''t be, maybe her husband¡ªOH! You like Eugene Hall?"

    "How is this even happening?"

    "Science of deduction."

    "Deducing what? How? There''s no science here."

    "You underestimate me, miss Dawn."

    Adelia heaved a loud sigh and then wiped her forehead.

    She sat down next to Dawn.

    Dawn was slightly surprised, was she backing off this easy?

    None would be more incorrect than thinking that way. Backing down was thest thing Adelia was going to do.

    "What is going on? Tell me now!"

    "T-there''s really not much."

    Adelia puffed her cheeks.

    Then, she held an evil grin and raised her hand.

    "You are forcing me to do this."

    "What?"

    "Hiyah! Tickle attack!"

    Adelia started assaulting Dawn''s sides with crazy tickles.

    "Eek!"

    It was super effective!

    The tickler and the ticklee engaged in the ticklish tickling as time trickled by and eventually the two tiredly tipped over.

    "Haha, haah¡­"

    "Tell me¡­ I want gossip¡­"

    "Fine, fine¡­"

    Dawn sat up and wiped her forehead. Excited Adelia did the same, a grin pasted on her face.

    "Then?"

    Dawn sighed.

    "It''s just that¡­ I have been involved with that guy from before the princess¡­"

    "Hah!"

    Adelia gasped.

    "And still he¡­ he didn''t even break things off."

    "Horrible! Horrible horrible horrible!"

    "Right? He''s scum in the name of a human."

    "Human? He''s a demon!"

    "Oh you knew?"

    "I meant that figuratively, miss Dawn."

    Dawn sighed.

    "Right, same totally."

    "And now I hear he''s also been involved with other girls."

    Adelia pped the bed.

    "We should kill him."

    "No no, that''s going too far¡­ I wonder what I should do¡­"

    Crossing her arms, the green haired girl looked at her friend.

    A slight sense of confusion had filled her.

    "Do you want to end things?"

    Dawn looked down.

    The way Noa had appeared in front of her and dered war was clear in her mind.

    It was something she definitely didn''t like.

    And now separation too, was a little¡­

    "I don''t. But I also don''t like the way things are now. If he''s going to do something then he should choose. I''ll ask him to choose¡ª"

    "¡ªNO!"

    Adelia vehemently shook her head.

    "Are you stupid, why would you do that?"

    "T-then?"

    "As things are now, he''ll obviously choose thedy of the duchy without even thinking twice. I barely know them and even I can tell that he''s head over heels for her. Heck, I bet if she tells him he''s always been a girl he''ll ept it."

    "I don''t think¡­"

    "You underestimate love, miss dawn."

    "Is that so¡­?"

    "Anyway, what you need is not eptance."

    Adelia crossed her hands once more and grinned out loud.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Just cing your hand down and asking for rification or closure won''t help. You don''t have such simple rtionships."

    "You know a lot¡­"

    "I am in a simr situation. As much as I love Hoya and Ana, they are both enemies."

    Dawn learned the horror of a sweet girl for the first time.

    "What you need, miss Dawn."

    Adelia looked.

    Dawn gulped.

    "Is war."

 Chapter 332 A beer and A Smoke

    Two knocks resounded out loud.

    Under the many auroras of the night sky in the floating inds, on the opposite end of the ALEN faction''s Ind, I had reached the house of Albert.

    Unlike me, this guy had sent his aide to the next house over and modded his own from the inside to include both floors. It wasn''t something I had enough time to bother dealing with a demon cat and all.

    After a few seconds, the door opened. Standing on the other side in an open white shirt and messy hair was Albert.

    "Jinyu."

    "I think you looked better in the old world."

    "That means a loting from you, truly."

    I raised my hand and showed him the crate of beer I had brought along. It wasn''t a hard find in this world, but was something that didn''t suit the tastes of nobility. For hunters like us, though, a cold beer after a long day was the staple.

    Since hunters were deemed adults earlier than normal people, who barely remained anymore, I had had the opportunity to drink quite a bit. Though that may have just been my parents'' obsession with wanting to drink with their son.

    "You gonna invite me in?"

    "I''ll take the beer actually."

    "You know what? I am gonna invite you in. When Ie to your house, you''re the guest."

    Albert shrugged and moved away from the door.

    I took a step in and looked around. The modding was done pretty well as he had created an inside atrium, almost like a duplex apartment. The top floors'' rooms could be seen from the living room of the one below while he had added a firece down here as well.

    Instead of the kitchen, the lower floor had a bar counter and blue lights were lit up around the space.

    "This¡­"

    "Shut up."

    "HAHA!" I, of course, didn''t shut up. This bastard, he had practiced theyout for the outhouse here! In his own home!

    Albert simply mmed the door shut and pushed me inside. He was almost the same height, but I had grown a bit taller.

    I took a seat on his couch and ced my feet on his table. Since I was the host, I also took the liberty of setting the firece up.

    "You wanna see something cooler?" Albert asked as he hopped up the stairs. I turned my gaze up to the roof.

    "Sure," I said.

    In the next moment, Albert grinned out loud and pressed a button. Magical energy ran through the entirety of the building and before I could finish blinking, the ceiling of the second floor started quaking.

    It split in half.

    And opened upward.

    "Haha¡­"

    "Cool, right? Hahaha!"

    My hands stretched on the couch, I looked at the now open skies. The auroras stretching out from the Elysium Tower filled my gaze, the blue lights of the rooms were turned off and only the warmth of the firece and the illumination of the skies were here to share in our drinks.

    Albert brought a box filled with ice and a bunch of snacks from his kitchen as he rushed back down.

    He took a seat. Then stood up again.

    "You smoke?"

    "Not really."

    "Smoke today."

    I shrugged. It''s not like I was going toe to his room to share some beer many times. It was a rare event.

    Just like Noa had popped up in an attempt to help me, I hade here to give a hand or a shoulder to Albert.

    I could do that much for my friends.

    Albert then ced down a box of cigars and an ashtray on the table. We decided to go light on it for now and start with just the drinks.

    After emptying the crate into the ice, we both picked a pint and clunked them together.

    A hiss rang as I opened the beer and gulped some of it down. The liquid gushed down my throat in a strange blend of cold and hot.

    Hit the spot.

    Albert too huffed as he downed the beer and mmed it on the table.

    "Hit the spot," he said. "I can''t believe I barely touched it back then."

    "For reals? What were you doing?"

    Albert shrugged.

    "I abstained from drinking."

    "Why the fuck would you do that? It''s not like you were a normal human that got affected by it."

    "I thought you knew?"

    I shrugged this time. "I wasn''t really looking at others back then."

    Grinning, Albert leaned back on the couch and turned toward the sky.

    "Yeah, right. You''ve changed huh?"

    "Loses the effect if you keep calling me out for it."

    We bothughed again.

    Though I was here to lend him an ear, I didn''t think there was much of a need to address anything about this world not being one from an Eroge.

    I was certain that he would be over it too.

    "To know that not just any game can be a random world eases that bit of existential crisis, yeah?"

    "Sure does. If I knew I was just a being from a game I would riot."

    "You riot anyway."

    Not wrong.

    I grabbed a bunch of peanuts, and ate them.

    "You''ve changed a lot too, though. You''ve turned from an insufferable being to a human."

    "We talk like we''re old."

    Did we?

    Old people always did talk about the past.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    What had gone by.

    How things were before¡­

    "Not a good look on us, huh?"

    "Not when we''re still young, no." Discover more stories at empire

    Strictly mentally speaking, we were both older.

    I for one was well into my sixties now if I had to count the time I had spent in theb, but was a being without any thoughts or exposure even alive?

    I remembered. But that''s as far as it went.

    "Where is miss fairy though?"

    "She returned home. She wanted to meet her twin."

    Albert prayed for the Fairy Queen before picking up one of the cigars. He turned my way and I waved my hands.

    Not yet. I didn''t feel like getting it all hazy already. The sky was too pretty for that.

    "Say Eugene, are you thinking the same thing as me?"

    "Of course."

    We now knew that the world wasn''t a game.

    But most obviously.

    ""That game was based on this world, wasn''t it?""

 Chapter 333 The Who [Bonus chapter]

    ""That game was based on this world, wasn''t it?"" Enjoy more content from empire

    There was no other exnation for things. No way to tell what had happened.

    "Could it be some weird joke by some higher being?" Albert posed.

    Nah that was a stupid thought.

    "Maybe a coincidence? No, right?"

    "It''s too uncanny to be a simple coincidence."

    We both sighed.

    In the end, I decided to go ahead and smoke one anyway. We chopped the cap with our teeth, used our own hands as a light and took in a deep puff of the cigar.

    The smoke flowed into my head, down my lungs and then eventually came back out again inrge puffs.

    "Clove?"

    "T''was expensive as hell."

    I nodded and took in another puff.

    "Maybe a fortune teller?"

    "Stupid."

    "Maybe some god from the previous timeline showed things to someone there as a dream."

    "Things are incorrect."

    "Hence dream."

    Albert bit his lips.

    We were both clutching at straws.

    "Yuyu, if someone could do that¡­"

    "They would have asked for help."

    Even someone as powerful and old like Titania, who even Agares had to bow in front of, knew nothing about the existence of the Earth that we hade from.

    To think someone could reach it, was a tad too hard for us to digest.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    In that case.

    There was only one solution that came to mind.

    "Just like us¡­" I started.

    We both bit our lips.

    "W-what does that mean? How is that possible. Do you think we were alive during the time that someone from in our world was?"

    "It could be something like regression again? Like what happened with Luka."

    "If that was the case then they would have made a change. Not a fucking game."

    Albert swung the cigar in his hands.

    "Whatever the case. I think this is the only exnation that fits."

    I sighed and leaned back.

    I guess we had no choice but to ept things.

    "Someone in our world¡­"

    "Was a transmigrator from here¡­"

    We both sat up.

    If.

    If they were a transmigrator and had been ced into the body of a child like us. And if they had nothing but their own fucking memory to go through with.

    "Then who?"

    Who in the fuck was it?

    ***

    Simple guitar beats and synth merged into one as loft beats rang in a man''s ears.

    [C Cocoa! Feel the music!]

    Holographic advertisements blended with the neon signboards under the night sky.

    But the man''s ears were plugged and his eyes closed.

    He shimmied from left to right as the sound of the music continued. In came the vocals, the voice of the ages old singer like smooth butter as it always was.

    "Woah, watch it young man."

    Crowds of people staring at their watches and AR sses moved around as they pushed through the streets. The young man turned on his feet and snapped his fingers.

    "Sorry about that!" He said and got just a wave in return.

    His eyes closed once more as traffic lights changed and the floating cars all zoomed around. The man still vibing to the city pop rocking in his ears turned through the alleys and over to the main streets.

    Labyrinthine paths extended all over, the distinction between the sky and the ground long since broken as floating footpaths and buildings hade into existence.

    With another step, he arrived the crossing over to a higher route and waited for the signal to change.

    The chorus was about to hit again.

    [Mida¡ªBeep! Touch~]

    A notification. The man clicked his tongue, but didn''t let it ruin his groove.

    His eyes opened and on the corner of his sight, through his sses was reflected a small red signal.

    [Warning for Midtown Manhattan. An E-Ranked Gate has been located near Hell''s Kitchen. We request the citizens to not try and attack the gates on their own.]

    A chuckle escaped the man.

    "New York¡­" he said, and the music red in again.

    The light turned and up he climbed through the footwalks, the zipping cars a tad slower now.

    Holograms reached wherever the eyes could see while blips withrge imagery andrger advertisements floated in the air.

    A smile still on his face, the man started bobbing his shoulders to the music.

    His eyes gazed upward as thergest blip in the skies broadcasted the news for the day.

    [Two years have passed since the attack of the Cosmic Dragon on the Pantheon. Thanks to the sacrifice of the two brightest students, we have managed to send that disastrous threat back into the gate. The academy has decided to open a monument for the two heroes.]

    Though the visuals of the grieving parents and students fluttered in the story, the man barely looked at it.

    His eyes were stuck on the sub headline at the bottom of the screen.

    "Fifteen people have died in Midtown Manhattan after the opening of a gate in an act of daredevilism"

    The announcer continued once more¡ª

    [Experts say that only one year remains till the beginning the dragon warned us off¡­]

    But he didn''t care.

    "Hahaha! New York."

    The man held in hisugh and continued on his path.

    The trumpets had just begun in the song, and there was no way he was going to miss that.

    His eyes closed, he continued blindly on the path as the ring horns and the flickering lights left him unaffected.

    Before the chorus once more, another beep sounded and the man froze in his tracks.

    "Stop. Stop. Pause."

    The music stopped.

    The beeping continued in rings.

    With a single tap on the air in front of him, the call came through and the voice line connected.

    [Hey, hey, hey! How''s it going boss?]

    "What do you want?"

    [I just wanted to ask if you''d like a drink or something. We could, maybe shoot some ideas about the second part of the game. People are just dying to see some more Luka and the girls. Say, boss. I was wondering, how about we add the second part of the game on Earth?]

    The man stopped listening midway through.

    His eyes fell on a group of young women making their way through the streets, and a grin spread on his lips.

    [Killer right? It''s also cool since they say those outer gods or whatever will be attacking us next year]

    "I''ll talk with youter."

    The man turned on his heels and licked his lips.

    [Hello? Boss? Boss Albert? Boss!]

    "Disconnect."

    The call cut.

    "y it from the top."

    The music started again.

    "Sexydies, here Ie."

    And Albert, set off.

 Chapter 334 Tournament Begins! [Bonus Chapter]

    The days of drinking away came to a pass and the time to begin the tournament between the different academies rolled over. It was now time to go out and break a leg for everyone.

    But for us, especially, it was time to go and fight for the chalice that would give us a strange power-up.

    For one, I was seeing it as something else other than a simplepetition for a chalice. That''s right.

    It was my chance for revenge against them for the loss I had faced in the Elysium Tower.

    The seven academies all gathered together on the beach in the Academy City. A grand stage had been set up for the events and students in each of their costumes stood together.

    The faculty moved around like hounds and guards while lights and music red on full volume from the side. Moreover, the orb that the academy had developed in order to take a look at the people as they continued their journeys up the dungeons, were now modified and were being carried around by drones.

    With the scent of the beach as my hit, I took in a sharp breath and looked up at the stage.

    The chiefs of each academy sat there on the stage, and the emcee was someone not belonging to any of them.

    Lushan, the principal of the Syncretic Academy and the Master of the Elysium Tower.

    Volkash Academy and the master of the Magemmar Dungeon.

    Poseidon Academy and the master of Antis Dungeon.

    Terra-cotta Academy and the master of the Gaia Dungeon.

    Boreas Academy and the master of the Hyperboarea Dungeon.

    Silvanus Academy and the master of the Amazon Dungeon.

    Andstly.

    Tamer Academy and the master of the Beasta Dungeon.

    This was the perfect lineup of academies.

    The emcee held the mic and began swerving around, ready to start the speech. Since he wasn''t a principal, I didn''t tune him out by instinct and the man began speaking.

    "Starting now, we begin the weeklong event of the Academypetitions."

    Weeklong¡­.

    Fucking weeklong¡­.

    Ok that didn''t mean the world''s end, it was alright.

    "To end thepetition on the seventh day will be the team battle Royale all over the city! The members will have to be chosen by the school''s faculty so make sure you register quickly!"

    It just got worse.

    "And to start things off! We''ll begin with speeches from all seven teachers."

    I snapped my fingers.

    "Bro what the fuck, are you drinking?"

    "Hey, can I have some?"

    Out popped a bottle of alcohol.

    Downed it in a go.

    "Spirits, let''s fuck off."

    This was the worst.

    ***

    Lily was looking around the venue with her eyes narrowed down. The speeches were about to end and it was go time, she needed to set her young master straight, and while she was at it, she was also going to steal him from that random duchy girl.

    So what if no one else in the world remembers you? Skill issue.

    There was noing in Lily''s way as her only focus was on taking things for herself.

    "Miss Lily, you shouldy for today don''t you think?"

    "There''s no better time than now, Lady Sophia." Lily then bit her tongue and turned around with a scowl. "Or don''t tell me¡­ you''re gunning for him too."

    "I am only interested in his status, strength, and money."

    "Ah, same olddy Sophia then. No problems."

    Lily bit her lips again and started looking around. For the next entire week, the whole city was free game for everyone.

    Just like the faction festival, people were going to do their best to make money and get as much as they can. It was a win-win situation for everyone, including people looking to seduce.

    Now, just to find her young master.

    Lily continued looking around, all the speeches almosting to an end.

    She would snag her young master right here and fuck off with him. No one in their way. He couldn''t refuse anyway, he had told her to always be by his side, he couldn''t go back on his own words now. Not anymore, that wasn''t allowed.

    The speeches came to an end and the people started moving out of the venue. The events were about to start soon, she had to make sure that she got her young master in her hands before that could happen.

    Lily kept looking, but instead of her young master, she found someone else.

    Explore more adventures at empire

    Amongst the crowds moving out, a certain green-haireddy was talking with a purple-haired one.

    Adelia was sticking to Dawn''s back and pushing her on.

    Lily remembered. This old cougar whore was aiming for her young master too.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    She had more to worry about than just that bitch Noa. Unfortunately for all of them, they weren''t in anypetition with Lethe yet, but that was what they were out to change.

    Reconnaissance was necessary. With Sophia in tow, she slowly moved away from the group and made her way into the crowds, her ears perked up to listen to whatever bullshit that olddy would be spouting.

    And as she thought.

    Bullshit it was.

    "You have to find Eugene Hall! Attack when the time is ripe."

    "He''s not even here. How do you think I''ll get him?"

    Not here?

    That was rich.

    Lily was sure he hade along.

    Her young master had disappeared! Anyone could attack now!

    Lily looked everywhere again, though not in search of her young master.

    "That bitch¡­"

    The white-haired bitch was gone.

    ***

    "Eugene Hall, what are you doing here in the skies?"

    "Me!?" I spoke, my head woozy. I didn''t even realize I hade to the upper inds. "I am just¡­. stargazing."

    "It''s early in the day."

    "Fishing."

    "The clouds? You are drunk, aren''t you? I can tell because I am your teacher."

    "Drink!? Me! No I am a human.. HAHAAHAHA"

    Miss Rio pped her head and shook it as well.

    How could I of all people be drunk from a single go? Not like there was someone that wanted me to be drunk¡­

    Oh¡­.

    Oh shit¡­

    Maybe I was drunk. But not from drinking¡­

    ***

    [A/N: I apologize but it''s time to give up. Ig the story wasn''t as good as I thought. There''s only five of you guys still reading any of this, priv or normal, and I appreciate it a lot, I''ll definitely be finishing the story for you, but I still have to do something to feed myself. Thanks for the support all this time.]

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 335 Spirit of Helping! [Bonus chapter]

    "Pfft, Titania do you think I am drunk?"

    "I am certain you are drunk. It does seem like the spirits are bamboozling you."

    The fairy answered right away. That skeddd!

    What was I to do now?

    The world will end and I''ll still be drunk.

    I''ll lose muscle mass from the alcohol!! No!!!!!!!

    Heh.

    Well, whatever, I liked talking with all the little wittle spirits dancing around andughing around like stupid idiots all the time.

    "Go back, I have matters to attend to."

    "Wassup?"

    Rio sighed once more.

    "The first is a race with a tamed beast, but the student that had one in our academy got injured."

    "Ooooh! Sucks, just sucks."

    I shook my head and ced a hand on Rio''s shoulder.

    "I. Feel. Very. Bad. For. You."

    This was the worst, the absolute worst.

    How was anyone supposed to live after being faced with such a predicament? Even the strongest would cave against something like this.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "You know what? Strengthes from your surroundings."

    Yes. That was the case.

    "I''ll help you. Let me help you. I''ll fix this problem for you."

    Rio tilted her head to the side, but it mattered little.

    I snapped my fingers, summoned a shield, and got on it with Miss Rio in tow.

    "I don''t like this."

    "Oh yeah? Losers can''t be choosers, miss."

    "Haha, I am sure you''ll do something good. I can tell because I am your teacher."

    "Bet you are."

    The spirits floated along, my sight waspletely covered by them. With the shield dashing through, sometimes wobbling around, I made my way back to near where the ceremony was held, more specifically, where I could find Lethe.

    The girl with the veil was walking around in a dress of blue and white, her veil always matching her clothes.

    "LETTHEE!"

    I screamed.

    "What are you doing?"

    "You wanted a rider, right? So shut up."

    Lethe looked up. I could tell she was happy as all hell to see me since I was too. I jumped down the shields and stopped in front of her.

    "Come."

    "Where?"

    I grabbed her hand, made another shield, and took her along.

    Lethe didn''t question it much and flew in the sky with me. The people below were fairly stunned but who cared? Losers who can''t fly don''t deserve an opinion.

    "Let''s go."

    '' Really don''t like what you''ve doing eyre."

    Don''t worry about it one bit. All is good, god is good, me is good,

    "Now then, where is thepetition taking ce again?"

    "There." Rio pointed at the skies.

    "What is going on?'' Asked my love but I only held her hand and told her I needed her help.

    Soon enough, we were at the spot where thepetition was to take ce. There, a bunch of people had already gathered and floating again in the skies on basic bubble sp0ells were different checkpoints.

    People sitting on different mounts met my eyes. Some of them were on horses with wings, another on a turtle, m without wings, and more on birds and animals alike.

    The best one, though, had a giant space-ship like robot golem going for him.

    People from all seven academies except ours had gathered for thepetition. The principal of the Tamer academy stood at the front, frowning at Rio.

    "You''rete, miss."

    "Of course, this is not my job."

    Woah! Rio feisty! It seemed that she was only normally kind to me and not to others.

    "Who is the participant? You are not allowed to fly, you know?"

    "Of course, of course, of course," I said. "I,¡­ would first like¡­ to apologize¡­"

    "What?"

    "That you''re balding."

    The new principal scowled and everyone aroundughed.

    "I would love to do something, but I am not omnipotent. I can only express, my sorry, and my deep deep disappointment when I see your balding face. Pfft! Hahaha!"

    Letheughed too.

    The principal shook.

    "What is the meaning of this?"

    "He''s right, principal, you are balding."

    The one on the golem chimed in. He seemed like a pretty boy with a bob cut and a petite stature, the type that could do bad things and gets away with it without any repercussion whatsoever.

    The principal sighed and turned to me.

    "Get to it, we''re running out of time."

    "Right, right. What mount, do you think, is the best for this kinda thing?"

    "Are you saying you don''t even have a mount!?"

    The principal guy was rather pissy. But that one student was still pretty chill.

    "Gotta be a wyvern, no?"

    "Really? I think a dragon would do better."

    "Dragons have low mobility, you bastards."

    "Uwak!" I almost puked. They all turned my way. "No dragons folks."

    "Eugene, you''re drunk?"

    "Drunk! This student is here drunk!?"

    "No!" I screamed. "Anyway, right, Wyvern you say?"

    Titania seemed to be shaking her head, but I didn''t care.

    I turned to the spirits with a bright smile and pped my hands.

    "Wyvern, please~"

    The spiritsughed and cackled, all of them looking at me skeptically.

    "I''ll treat you to whatever you want."

    The spirits beamed.

    In the blink of an eye.

    ¡ª"AAAH!"

    "KIEEEE!"

    The principal and the new Wyvern friend both screamed. The wyvern, in a fit of rage, raised its ck wings high and turned its beak skyward, a dense mass of unrivaled magical energy condensed near its mouth.

    I simply picked up Lethe, held her in front of the beast. Kicked the wyvern in the stomach and slightly moved away her veil.

    The wyvern looked down.

    It saw her face and immediately became a pet begging for attention.

    "W-what sorcery!!?"

    "WOah!" The pretty boy screamed too. "Did you just tame it? Just like that?"

    "My girlfriend can tame all of you. Now shut up."

    I hugged Lethe from the back.

    "I will get back at you for this," she murmured.

    "Help help, you should help everyone."

    Everyone was nice.

    You should love everyone.

    "Oh?"

    Ew No.

    People sucked.

    Geez. You should hate everyone.

    Anyway, Rio begged, Lethe climbed and the wyvern fucked itspetition in the ass.

    I would have stuck around till the end, but I got distracted and moved away.

    And then I found, my dearest friend Luka facing a punching strengthpetition. Neat! Explore more stories with empire

    ***

    [A/N: Let''s sprint to the finish line! No more R18 chap btw]