The first encounter

"Where did he go?"

Her voice sounded calm and soothing to the three people present in the room. After Aliana and Jaden left, Claire picked Melanie up in her arms and requested that Sierra provide them with a separate room to rest in.

That was the reason she needed to leave for a short time. And within that span of time, one of the four people went missing.

Since Eleanor was clinging onto Blaise's arm, he couldn't move an inch. He could feel a suffocating sensation just at the thought of her touching his body.

On the other hand, Diona stared daggers at him, who wasn't even purposely doing this. She let out a sigh before responding to Sierra's question.

"He didn't say anything."

Adrienne didn't stay there for even a second once the first few people left the room. When Diona questioned him, the only thing that replied to her was his silence.

Sierra's eyebrows furrowed at what Diona said. He had come back after a long time, but what was he doing at the moment? Just disappearing without even having a proper talk with her.

"It seems like someone is approaching this room."

Blaise's words made everyone's gaze shift towards the door left open, making darkness visible. The path that led out of there was something that just happened to be somewhere in between two different dimensions.

The person's figure became clear. His clothes transformed into a plain white shirt and a black pant as he took a step into the light. The four individuals who witnessed the unnatural phenomenon flinched.

Blaise had an inkling that the clothes the person in front of him was wearing were something special. That was from the time he happened to see him during the chaotic banquet.

Jaden stood at his spot with a blank face, having no idea why they had surprised looks on their faces. He thought that he wasn't seen by them, but he had no idea that they had witnessed everything.

Maybe they would've showered him with a lot of questions. That was if they hadn't come across even more of an absurd individual: Aliana Rosenstein.

"One disappeared, and another showed up. Surely not a good sign."

Blaise mumbled to himself while trying to push Eleanor away. He could feel somewhat ominous vibes from whatever was happening.

When it came to such things, the gut feeling Blaise had was the real deal. He could just sense that something was out of the ordinary, like some premonition.

-Somewhere in the Elven Forest-

"Why don't you come out already? Do you have a hobby of eavesdropping?"

Aliana's voice was directed towards the unsettling darkness that lied dormant at a distance. The shadow of the tree that overlapped it glowed with a strange sound.

Sizzle fwish

Something was definitely moving out of it, but it felt like it wasn't. Then, a spark flickered, igniting the black flame that resembled the darkness itself.

His black hair and black eyes were identical to the pitch-black colours of the fire spreading across the floor. He was someone whose body looked well-maintained and whom Aliana recognised as a mad dog.

The infamous mad emperor, Adrienne Agustus, walked out of the spot he was hiding himself in. Unlike Aliana, who always used her magic to check how many people were within the vicinity, Jaden had no idea about it.

"You never cease to surprise me. I thought I was hiding pretty much perfectly."

This wasn't the first time that he had met Aliana. Not to mention, this one was far better of an encounter than what he had to go through in the past.

Adrienne was doing his best to camouflage himself within the shadows. But that was useless since the magic Aliana was constantly casting was the type to detect signs of any living creatures near her.

If it was Jaden who was talking with her, she would've smiled at him without even realising it. With Adrienne, that wasn't the case. Her expression was blank at whatever he did.

No matter how much amusement Adrienne felt while interacting with her, Aliana never had any interest in conversing with him. She couldn't care less about him, who was nothing but a small variable that wouldn't affect what she wanted to do.

Currently, the only reason she chose to strike up a conversation with him was because she needed him to help make Jaden stronger. Is this what one calls 'desperation'?

Adrienne's smile dropped upon noticing how uninterested she was. Since she was saying nothing else after hearing his words, he chose to speak up.

"What are you planning now? Is that man's role a major part of your plan?"

Adrienne was the kind of person who would solve most cases with his brute strength, but his intelligence was superior to most people too. He already knew what type of person Aliana Rosenstein was.

Someone who plotted plans that would succeed for sure. An incomparably strong individual whose knowledge and beauty left anyone stunned with admiration.

"That's none of your business. Are you up for it? Or not?"

She didn't care about anything else but whether he agreed or rejected it. The chances of him turning down the offer were high, given that there was almost no benefit for him.

Surely, declining the request was the only natural option at the moment. But why was it that he felt hesitant to do so? Maybe because Aliana's eyes were filled with a mix of emotions—desperation, sadness, and expectation.

Tsk

"... Fine. I will teach him..."

A smile appeared on his lips unconsciously. The tone in which he spoke sounded calm for some reason.

"But..."

Of course, he wouldn't actually agree to some request without gaining anything in return, right? ... Right?

"Only if he can successfully 'seduce' me."

The tone had changed to the similar one Aliana had said to Jaden just a while ago. Just how much had Adrienne heard of their talk?

Aliana showed no reaction to the taunt he threw at her. That left him with a bitter feeling, as if his joke was a lame one for a moment. Only one thought remained on his mind as he witnessed the oddly familiar glow in her eyes.

'Maybe with this I'm returning her favour...'

--------------------

-4 years ago-

Slash

The sound of flesh getting cut down by something sharp was clear to the ears. With the blood trickling down the ground, the lifeless body fell with a thud.

Huff huff

The heavy breathing of the man was the only thing audible in that cold atmosphere. The cuts made by the blades on his clothes had him drenched in his own red liquid.

His eyes tried to move around as fast as they could, trying to check if anyone else was alive. The next thing he knew was that he was feeling kind of relieved, knowing all those people had died.

Was it because he lost too much blood or because he did not get proper rest for a few days in a row that his vision grew cloudy? Surprisingly, the man managed to retain his consciousness.

The formal black tuxedo he wore had been dyed red. The golden emblem stuck on his broad chest shone red under the moonlight instead.

'I can't rest yet. I need to move.'

He kept on dragging his body towards where he could see the faint beam of light. That was the last ray of hope for him, who had exhausted himself carelessly.

The moment he brushed past the last bush, his body touched the ground. Despite that, he dragged his wounded physique up to stand up.

That was when he noticed someone standing in front of him. The violet hair that glistened reminded him of a waterfall made up of a violet liquid. The pink eyes had a mysterious glow in them.

Even after seeing a completely wounded man, the girl didn't seem to have been surprised or taken back. It was as if she didn't feel a shred of emotion at the horribly grotesque sight.

"FOUND YOU! TODAY IS THE DAY YOU DIE, DAMNED MONSTER!"

The sudden voice made him grip tightly onto his sword. He tried to adjust his pose, hoping to defend himself against one of the enemies that had shown up again.

The reason behind him being wounded that severely was that he had come across a certain strong individual who managed to wear him out. After that, they dispatched a bunch of weak people in an attempt to kill him.

'Thinking that I would have peaceful time after leaving Agustus was a huge miscalculation...'

The place he was currently at was situated a lot further away from the Agustus Kingdom. It was the place where the continental meeting banquet was being held.

That banquet was held once every five years. And each time, it is held at a new location. This time the venue was exactly at the north-east of the Dragonaria Kingdom.

Kuh

Within a second, the blade of his enemy was about to touch his neck. It wasn't that the enemy was strong; it was just that he had been wounded to the point that his reflexes had been greatly affected.

While letting his body fall behind, he dodged the blade by a hair's breadth. His vision turned black at the end point, where he saw the light reflecting on the foe's sword.

'Is this it...?'

That was the last thing on his mind. Aside from that, his brain couldn't process anything that was happening while he was lying out cold.

Snap

Did he die? No, he just lost his consciousness after exerting himself too much. The sound of fingers snapping was the last thing that fell on his ears. The sounds that followed were buried in the darkness.

Twhnkkk

The blade that was about to cut apart the man whose obsidian black hair had blood covering them went flying on the sound. Some invisible force made the sword deflect and bounce away from him.

The person who swung it turned around in the direction where he heard the snapping sound. His hostile gaze fixed upon the girl from whom he happened to sense mana being released towards his target.

Adrienne was safe thanks to her efforts to put up a protective barrier around him. The man was about to speak, but he was left shivering with the sudden chills that ran down his whole body.

"Who are you...? Why do you possess demonic magic?"

The girl spoke with a cold tone, letting out an immense amount of murderous intent. That was more than enough for the man to understand that she was bad news.

But alas, humans are such pathetic beings that they can't even judge the difference between their strengths and those of their foes. He grabbed the sword that fell to the ground and jumped towards the girl.

"Huh?"

THUDDD

The very next moment, an immeasurable pain made him cry out loud. His body was being crushed into the ground before he could even reach closer to her.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

The magic she was casting without even incantations ascertained that she was a strong mage. He had made the grave mistake of choosing her as his enemy.

He should've run away the moment she stopped him from killing his target. And additionally, she had also managed to figure out that he was someone related to demons.

In resistance, all he could think of was to make excuses and tell half-truths. Wasn't it too late for that, though?

Swish

"I'll figure it out by myself."

The oddly full-body-covering attire he wore made it sure that he was an assassin. There was no reason to hesitate to kill someone like that who belonged to demons.

Perhaps the man who had passed out wouldn't have thought that way. The girl turned towards him before stretching her arm for him.

Snap

The fingers that snapped right near him made the wounds on his body heal within a blink of an eye. Due to exhaustion, the man didn't open his eyes.

The girl just stared at him for a while and then finally walked away. The man was able to muster up a bit of his strength and take a last glance at the person who had saved him.

The girl had made sure to check her surroundings using a certain magic. It was totally safe for her to leave the man alone now that he was all fine.

'Who is she...?'

That was the moment when Adrienne developed a curiosity about the person. Why, you ask? There were two reasons.

This was the first time he had seen such a peculiar person. And mainly...

'I will pay back this debt one day... Whoever you are, young girl...'

Thanks to that girl, he managed to barely survive the death. A few hours passed by, and he managed to wake up safely. He then returned to the Agustus Kingdom.

Later on, he managed to find out the identity of the individual who happened to be attending the same meeting banquet as him. It was easier because she was the only one with those features—violet hair and pink eyes.

It was the crown princess of the Agustus Kingdom. Lady Aliana Rosenstein.