*** Azure

After watching Crow trained for the past 3 days, they haven’t spotted me yet. It looks like that old man is a retired soldier. Crow was known to be a huge coward back in the capital when I was serving him. He never once bothered training his blood control skills or any combat-related skills.

Seeing that sick bastard Crow training disgusted me. There is no way Crow can beat me with just a measly 3 days of training. After all, I have been training for years growing up back in the capital. The person who trained me was King Black. However, due to his busy schedule, he wasn’t able to train me as much as he could. Nobody else was allowed to train me in case the secret comes out that I was a Royal.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attack Crow earlier because the fight with Luke was intense. My body was heavily damaged with a lot of blood lost. I only won because of my sheer willpower of revenge. And Luke was intentionally not trying to kill me. It took me some time for me to recover my body and blood.

Now that I was back in tip-top conditions. It was time to attack him. Just when things couldn’t have gone better. Crow has gone somewhere deep into the forest away from that old man. A perfect chance to kidnap him and subject him to gruesome torture.

Blood Control Shadowless Step.

“ WAIT AZURE!”

Pffft does he think I want to talk to him!? Blood Control Shadowless Grab. I reached for his throat. But Crow avoided it. After several failed attempts of trying to grab him. Crow was showing something different. He was able to use blood control skills and was using a basic level of footwork to avoid me.

How was this possible? This coward can’t possibly learn how to dodge this well in 3 days. Back at the manor, this idiot was always blindly charging at me. But now he is showing some thoughts into his actions.

A while later, I managed to grab Crow by the throat and began choking the daylights out of him.

BAAM!

I was struck against the back of my head by something hard. Almost falling to the ground but my sheer willpower will once more not let me faint from this. I lost my hold on Crow. Quickly, I reached for my dagger to use Blood Control Shadowless Swipe behind me. Before I was able to use a shadowless swipe, Crow stepped closer to me and landed a heavy punch to my face.

“ Azure please listen to me, I am a completely different person from this past ‘Crow’.

I woke up in the shabby house. My hands were cuffed behind my back. How does this old man have such strong metal cuffs? I wasn’t interested in hearing more lies from Crow. Time to bluff my way out.

“ Unbind me, I need to take a number 2.”

The old man collapsed to the ground and laughed at me.

“ What does she mean by that?” asked Crow.

“ Cmon Crow, are you seriously asking a lady that? I thought you were a gentleman,” jeered the old man.

It seems like Crow had soon realized his mistake.

“ Unbind me now.”

“ I will if you promise me you will not attack me anymore,” said Crow.

“ I promise.”

“ Okay but please let me talk to you.”

“ Crow are you sure? She could be easily lying to you. Even if she wasn’t. We can just let her do her business with her hands tied up,” informed the old man.

“ Yes, but if I want Azure to trust me, I have to trust her too.”

Crow once again, showing his idiocy. I honestly can’t stand him. Another chance to kill him this time.

“ Well, okay but we can’t ambush her again and she might be strong.”

The moment the old man has freed me from my bindings. I will kill this old man right now! Blood Control Shadowless Hand Blade. I wasn’t able to stab into his heart in time. He must have anticipated me to attack him. But it was too late, he lost one of his arms. I smiled, I will be able to beat them!

He wasn’t fazed at all, the old man used his blood control skills to attack me. It was hard defending against him. I was suffering from his 1 arm punches and kicks. I had the upper hand since he wasn’t trying to kill me.

At the same time, Crow tried attacking me but none of his amateur moves were able to hit me. It distracted me enough for the old man to do some damages to me.

I had to escape from this shabby house, and get back my daggers to win. They were both blocking the only door out. Crow and the old man looked at each other and charged at me. Blood Control Shadowless Step. Avoiding both of them, I ran to the door.

WHACK!

I didn’t know what happened but I felt serious pain across my stomach. The old man had managed to kick me there, and I flung back to my starting position.

“ Give up Azure, I knew you were trying to escape so I let you pass me,” declared the old man.

The blood that was pouring out of his shoulder had stopped. Geez, this old man is stronger than he looks. It doesn’t look like I will be able to escape.

“ Give back my daggers and I will leave you both alone.”

“ Sure once I tell you my story, Azure.”

I honestly didn’t want to hear more of his lies. But if this idiot would give back my daggers, it was worth trying. Also, the old man picked up his missing arm and reattached it. His blood control skills must be pretty good to do that.

I sat listening to Crow’s story. If what he said is true than it does explain why he was acting so differently on that day. I still refused to believe it. After he finished his story, Crow retrieved my 2 daggers and gave them back to me.

Is this guy an idiot? Even the old man is telling him that he is an idiot. He will have to use his sword to defend Crow and possibly kill me.

Sighed. I got my daggers back but now I don’t feel like attacking them.

At least not right now. The old man was showing me serious bloodlust. He would kill me if I dare lay a hand on Crow. Why would this old geezer even protect such a horrible bastard?

Crow if you can use your own sympathetic story to win over the old man. Then I will use mine to win him over and end your life. As I told the old man and Crow my life story. The tears wouldn’t stop running down my face as I recall my past life. Even if they thought I was faking my tears, I am really crying.

I told them about how I grew up in the capital. Crow had always sent me to other important people to be used by them for sex. No matter how many times I begged him to stop sending me. Crow would laugh and tell me, “ You only exist to make my life better, now go use that body of yours, ugly bitch”.

Being used by the elites of this kingdom was horrendous, but I still wanted to live. If I went against them, endless gruesome torture awaits me. Some commoners were screaming every day for the torture to stop. It would be a year before they would find peace in death. It was done so commoners have no interest in ever-rising up against the elites of the kingdom.

I endured Crow’s endless abuses against me. Sadly, I was the most popular maid that they liked to use for sex. His other maids that weren’t popular were often beaten by Crow. Every time Crow had a raging tantrum, they would suffer under his wrath. Fearing for their lives, they couldn’t disobey him. It hurt me deep inside for my fellow maids who were also my friends.

Then one day, King Black announced the throne wars. All 9 of his children were forced to fight for the throne. The only exception was Crow. He was being forced to give up the throne and to live in Crid Village that only had 100 serfs. King Black hated Crow so much, he had no blood control skills, skipped out on his education, and was a huge coward who picked on the weak. Also, a pedophile who wasn’t even given a chance to touch any young girls during his life at the capital.

At Crid Village, I experienced some freedom. I wasn’t being used by the elites of the country anymore. However, Crow would still mistreat us maids, and the serfs as well. Life was better here than the capital but I wanted revenge against Crow.

When the throne war ended and Night became the new King. He fulfilled Crow’s wishes of having young noble girls as his brides. Crow never touched any of the young serf girls, saying they were too low status for him. High-status young girls were what he wanted. That was when my plan of ruining Crow’s life began.

After finishing my story, the old man was bawling his eyes out, profusely apologizing to me about willing to kill me. Crow too was bawling his eyes out, saying he wanted to correct the injustices in this world. It was the first time I saw Crow cried and cared for me.

“ So old man, help me torture Crow for the rest of his life.”

“ I cannot allow you to do that. I believe in both of you.”

“ I see… if you really believe in Crow...then let me speak to you alone old man.”

“ My name’s Grant, and shall we head into the forest?”

“ Wait you two, why not just let me leave you both alone in the house. I will be the one going into the forest” conferred Crow.

Hah, is Crow that dumb? Does he think I won’t betray the old man Grant? Did Grant also become an Idiot too? I didn’t expect both of them to give in to my demand. This is my chance to kill Grant in a fair one vs one fight.

Crow left the shabby house, we both watched Crow as he headed deeper into the forest until we can no longer see him.

“ So young lady, will you be trying to kill me yourself? Or will you help Crow correct the injustices of this world?”

“ What are you talking about? Crow is an evil scumbag who must be tortured and killed.”

“ If he was an evil scumbag then why did he give back the food supplies to the serfs? Why did he try to save the young girls from you?”

“ Don’t let his fake kindness fool you, Grant. Do you really believe that he got transported from another world?”

“ I’m not telling you to forgive him… but I know that Crow is a genuinely good person. His eyes tell me that he would correct the injustices of this world. I must let a man like him live.”

“ DO YOU BELIEVE IN CROW THAT MUCH!?”

“ Yes I do, I will gladly die for him. I wasn’t able to die for my master Alicia but I can at least die for Crow.”

“ Okay Grant, I will make a bet with you. I will give you 10 days to train Crow. If he is someone who was transported from another world. If he is talented enough to change this world itself. After that 10 days. Let me and Crow have an honest one vs one fight to the death. If he wins, I promise you I will help him until the end of time itself!”

Why am I making a bet like this? Do I really believe that Crow is someone else completely? But this old man looks pretty strong with the sword. I’m not sure if I can beat him. I wished King Black was able to train me more. And I did struggle against Luke.

“ Yes, let’s make that bet.”