Just as they had thought they were home free, Ice was suddenly assaulted with an unfamiliar sinking sensation. His body felt exceptionally heavy and his movements turned sluggish.

Ice was experiencing the effects of Slow for the first time.

Ibex had also been hit with the negative status, and that caused them to lose precious seconds while fleeing even when coming prepared with Dispell Scrolls as a countermeasure.

"Damn!"

Ice cursed aloud as he frantically used two Scrolls to cancel the effects. They had been caught unawares. Two assassins who were probably Mages with negative status inducing spells came up from their blind side and assaulted them without warning. Just as the pair had feared, more assassins were lurking within the city. These were probably the ones they haven't yet tagged with the Trace Scroll.

Still, they couldn't afford to act too passively since they could only effectively oppose their attackers for a limited time. The Royal Ginseng's buff was nearly depleted.

Thus, the pair had gambled in an all or nothing sprint towards Ricksvale castle. But to think that the assassins had Mages within their ranks! And they had Slow as part of their Spell repertoire as well!

"___Things are really turning ugly for us eh partner?" Ibex quipped with a bitter expression on his face.

"Can't do anything about it anyway. Let's just try to evade as much as we can and head straight for the castle." Ice replied resignedly.

Fortunately, no other reinforcements seemed to be giving chase. Ice and Ibex had also reduced the number of enemies in the vicinity earlier due to their successful sneak attacks, so the nearest ones who could back up the assassins chasing them were still a ways off, giving them some slight breathing room.

The pair continued to race away towards the castle grounds while occasionally firing off Frost Breath attacks at the ones on their tail in order to throw them off, if only a little. Getting hit with another Slow would be bad to say the least.

***

They were finally nearing the castle. Just a bit more and they were home free. The pair was banking on the facts that Ice was personally acquainted with Ricksvales princess and that Ice was an Exclusive Class holder to squeeze themselves out of any sanction they might get slapped with after bringing about such a commotion within the castle grounds.

Even if they couldn't avoid some form of punishment, it would still be better than dying in the hands of suspicious hooded men.

The pair quickened their pace.

"ENOUGH!"

Just as they were about to enter the road that led straight towards the castle gates, a hooded figure suddenly appeared before them and sent them flying back with sharply thrown kicks. Ice had managed to barely defend using his recently reequipped Stiletto, but his HP still plummeted by 30%. Ibex's was cut down by more than half.

"This little game of cats and mice ends now."

The one who attacked them stood intimidatingly in front of the pair, emitting a considerable amount of killing intent. He wore a purple mask that resembled a raven with a bloody beak and spoke in a harsh yet seemingly overdramatic voice. It kind of resembled a certain Hollywood actor's tone whenever he reprises the role of a well known nocturnal vigelante superhero.

Ice and Ibex heightened their caution. This man was probably several levels above the enemies they've fought thus far. After all, even his normal kicks have already caused considerable damage.

"I must admit, I didn't expect the two of you to endure this much. You've even managed to kill some of our lower leveled members.

Even so, they should have out-leveled you by at least eight to ten. To be able to break through their defenses like that... Your weapon does not seem all too special as well..."

The masked man grew quiet, seemingly lost in thought. However, it was only for a brief moment. He turned towards the pair once more with renewed interest.

"Hahaha. Kid, tell me... Just how did you manage to get yourself such a potent Consumable? It should have boosted your stats by quite a bit. I can think of no other reason how you were able to surpass my comrades Def so easily.

Mages and Alchemists may be one thing. But killing Warriors with just a few attacks... Even if you managed to deliver Critical strikes with every attack, a Warrior's HP and Def should not have been so easily broken through."

The 20 point increase in Str was roughly equivalent to about six to seven levels if one only focused on increasing Strength. Thus, landing Crits would have been enough to down the enemies they encountered, provided they didn't have equipment that provided a large boost to Def.

Fortunately, the ones they encountered only had leather equipment on, presumably to aid in mobility.

"Why the hell should I even tell you that? In case you haven't noticed, you guys are actually trying to kill me. Why the heck do you even want to do me in anyway? I don't remember pissing anyone off so much, they'd want to get rid of me." Ice retorted.

The masked man laughed ominously, seemingly amused at Ice's defiant attitude.

"I'm sorry kid. This particular occupation stresses the protection of the client's interests. We can never disclose the clients motives for any request. Of course, we can't reveal the client's identity as well.

The only comfort I can offer you is the promise of a quick and relatively painless death."

Killing intent once again welled out from the masked man. Ice felt goosebumps crawling all over his skin. He felt like a frog cornered by a snake.

Ice clicked his tongue in frustration.

He was actually trying to find an opportunity to break through and escape as they talked.

He found none.

Ice felt as though every direction they decide to take will result in them getting cut down.

"This pressure ain't no joke." he muttered under his breath.

"___Try not to get too intimidated. You're just not used to this much killing intent so the effects on you are more pronounced. Keep your wits about. We can't just give up. Don't stop trying to find an opportunity to escape. We'll live through this yet." Ibex stated encouragingly.

Ice nodded lightly in reply.

"You're right. We've come this far. Might as well struggle till the end."

The pair exchanged fierce smiles. They readied themselves for battle once more. Ice and Ibex drank potions to restore their HPs. Surprisingly, the masked man didn't do anything to stop them.

"Have you resolved yourselves? Very well. It's been a while since I've had prey with some fight in them. Let us play for a little while longer. Do try to entertain me to the best of your abilities. I get bored easily you see."

The masked man's tone was laced with contempt. Though there were also traces of excitement.

He then revealed an unusual pair of weapons from under the sleeves of his robe. They resembled twin sickles, though they also had short blades fixed on top of the handles - a combination of two weapons.

Ice wasn't familiar with their usage so he didn't have any idea of the attack variations they were capable of. He grew even more cautious.

Ice glanced at the timers for the buffs provided by the Royal Ginseng. There was only a little over five minutes left for each of them. Ice narrowed his brows and smiled bitterly.

"___Talk about cutting things close. What do you think Ibex?" he consulted telepathically.

"___That guy's certainly a threat. But those Mages with Slow are the greater problem for now. If we get hit with that while in the middle of a fight, things could get ugly fast.

They would also cause problems if we do manage to break away from here. I reckon a few seconds of delay would be enough for the masked guy to catch up and finish us off."

Agreeing on a plan of action, the pair prepared for the inevitable clash.

***

A violet flash sped towards them without warning. The masked man started off with a one handed lunge with the weapon held in his left hand. Ice hurriedly brought up his Stiletto to block.

He had barely succeeded in warding off the attack, but wasn't given any opportunity to fix his stance. Another attack came from the right, aiming straight for Ice's neck.

Ice managed to duck at the last second and avoided getting his neck pierced. He reeled from the follow up knee that came from below that directly smashed his nose, shaving off 20% of his HP.

He still managed to roll away backwards even with the pain that assaulted him, but got hit by a roundhouse kick just after he managed to stand up with shaky legs, sending him flying right through the window of a nearby building.

An amused laugh resounded from nearby. The masked man was clearly enjoying tormenting him. He could have definitely finished Ice off earlier, but refrained from doing so. Ice gritted his teeth in frustration, but resolved to use the masked mans inclination to play around to buy some time.

Still, getting beat up the entire time didn't sound too appealing. Ice decided to fight back, also partly to keep the masked man's attention fixed on him. Ice can't have him getting bored too soon after all.

He equipped a round buckler on his left hand to deal with the masked man's dual wielding.

A violet blur once again streaked towards him from beyond the broken window. The masked man lunged at him once more with his strange weapons.

Ice blocked a sweeping blow with his Buckler and parried a thrust with his Stiletto. The added Def from the Buckler helped mitigate the damage. And this time, Ice had successfully blocked the attacks due to the high reaction speed (Rct) provided by his Passive Skill. He then kicked the man away with all his might, though it only reduced the mans HP by about 10%.

"Hahahahaha! That's it kid. Give me more. You should have some more fight left in you! Struggle to the bitter end! The expression of regret and despair on your face as I finally end your pitiful existence should be truly enjoyable to behold."

"___This crazy bastard!" Ice thought as he spat out some blood that pooled within his mouth.

The masked man pressed on with attacks once more. The fact that he was refraining from using Skills was proof that he wanted the fight to last a while longer in order to satisfy his own battle lust.

Ice did his best to defend against the onslaught and tried to get in some counters. He couldn't see the man's expression under the full face mask, but he had a strong hunch the man was smiling maniacally as he worked to slowly corner his prey.

The twin sickle-like weapons gave Ice quite a hard time. The reach was constantly changing, causing him significant difficulty in getting accustomed to its attack range.

The masked man handled them a bit like Kali sticks, unleashing fast flurries of attacks at Ice from varying angles. He changed the position of his grip on the handles in an irregular rhythm.

He'd switch around from gripping them at midpoint to near the sickle blades up top to the bottom part of the handles periodically throughout his attacks. Thus, at times, it seemed to Ice like the reach suddenly doubles or gets reduced, making him mess up the timing for blocking and parrying.

The sickle and dagger-like blades fixed on the sides and on top of the handles respectively were also cause for difficulty. They provided a good balance between attack and defence.

The sickle blades were used to block, parry as well as catch weapons by hooking them in. It would also mean trouble if ones head or limbs were caught at the mercy of the curved blades. The dagger blades provided longer range as well as the options of slashing and piercing attacks.

The blows that the masked man unleashed only grazed Ice, opening small cuts and causing light bruises despite him having pried open Ice's guard several times already; fully displaying the opponents intention of slowly tormenting him before finishing him off.

Still, Ice persisted; constantly drinking HP recovery potions whenever he successfully takes some distance. Though he strongly suspected he was being led on to do just that in order to prolong his agony.

After a few agonizing moments that seemed to Ice like eternity, Ibex's loud cry telepathically resounded within his mind.

"___Heads up kid! Bogeys coming your way at three o'clock! Closing in fast." Ibex warned.

Ice immediately leaped from a nearby window, brandishing his Stiletto. He also used Smoke Screen Bombs; blanketing the room he and the masked man were in with a thick layer of smoke.

The Bombs were normally tools for escaping from monsters while hunting, but were also used to distract ones enemies and rival adventurers. Ice wasn't sure how effective they would be on the masked man, but even a few seconds of time bought would be fine.

***

"?!"

The surprised expressions of the two Mages greeted Ice as he ambushed them through the building window. Ibex had baited the two of them and brought them within Ice's range so they could team up to finish them off.

Ice's weapon immediately found its way lodged within the skull of one of them; killing him instantly. Ibex had already reduced the Mage's HP by quite a bit so one Critical blow was enough to bring his HP down to zero. It also helped that a Mage's HP and Def are relatively low.

The other one tried to take some distance while attempting to cast a Spell. Ice repeated the method he used to take down one of the assassins earlier and threw his Stiletto at the Mage. It pierced him right between the eyes; interupting the Spell chant.

Ice then charged in and kicked the Stilettos handle, making it pierce right through the Mage's head. They both landed on a nearby building roof.

Surprisingly, the Mage stood up even with a dagger lodged within his head. His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot and his mouth was quirking up in a weird way. He only had a sliver of HP left.

He then proceeded to pull the Stiletto out of his skull. It actually really resembled a B grade horror movie. Ice's jaws dropped.

"Eeeeh?! Is that even legal?!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"___Stop gawking like an idiot and quickly finish him off!" Ibex admonished. He then fired off a Frost Breath at the Mage; reducing the Mage's HP even further.

Ice got over his initial shock and sprinted off, brandishing a newly equipped Short Sword and cut the Mage down; finally killing him.

Shortly aftewards, the masked man appeared from within the building Ice was also in earlier, first fixing his gaze on his fallen comrades and then at Ice and Ibex.

The two looked at each other with questioning gazes.

"Uh, should we run now?"

"___We should run."

The pair sprinted away at full speed without turning back. Ice also threw down a few more Smoke Screen Bombs to obstruct the masked mans vision.

***

The Guild Leader of the Bloody Ravens stood on the roof of one of the buildings within Ricksvales capital, sporting a bemused smile from under his mask.

"He he he. So that was your plan. You got rid of the potentially troublesome Mages while managing to keep me at bay for the most part.

And now you try to escape towards the sanctuary provided by Ricksvales castle walls once more, not daring to take the risk of a confrontation with an enemy obviously beyond your league. Well played. Well played indeed."

He opened his Item menu and scrolled down.

"A truly interesting hunt this has been. Still, all good things must come to an end. I'm going to have to finish this job now.

This is strictly business. Don't take it against me."

He brought out a vial that contained silver colored liquid. The Item name read 'Elementary Draught of Mercury'.

It was a Consumable that raised movement speed. It also stacked with the Agi so Classes that focused on the stat covet it with considerable passion.

It was also quite rare and expensive, because only the 2nd promotion of the Alchemist Job Class gains the ability to synthesize it. The materials needed in order to create it were also quite hard to come by, resulting in a limited supply. Only large specialty stores and prominent Merchant Guilds had some in stock, since they were the only ones capable of supporting the Draught's production in bulk.

Alchemists also preferred to get employed by these institutions as opposed to trying to strike out on their own. After all, it was safer and more stable to be part of them rather than go on adventuring by themselves with no guaranteed support.

Alchemists and their later Class promotions had low combat ability after all. Raising one required a lot of patience and considerable capital. The Merchant Guilds provided the cash, materials and support. The Alchemists produced the goods. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

The Item was also provided by the Bloody Raven's client as insurance. Using one now could be considered quite a luxury, but the Guild Leader wasn't inclined to take any more chances.

He lightly admonished himself for letting his impulsiveness get the better of him, resulting in him playing around too much. That led to the current situation. Still, what's done is done. The Guild did receive quite the sum as payment for the hit. One Draught shouldn't be too much of a loss.

He felt the change in his body's capabilities as soon as he drank the concoction. His legs felt lighter than air. The smile under the mask turned savage and the man took off in order to finish his prey.

***

Ice and Ibex felt an overwhelming amount of killing intent well up from behind them. They didn't even need to turn around to see who it was that released it.

"Oh crap! He's catching up! That's just too damn fast! Is he on steroids or something?!" Ice screamed in panic.

"___You're one to talk, considering you also ate a root to buff yourself up earlier. Anyway, just run kid! We're almost there!" Ibex replied. He tried to mask it, but there were also traces of worry in his tone.

But the masked man was simply too fast. He was only just a few paces from them now. He redied his weapons and prepared to slay the pair within moments.

It was also at this moment that the buff effects of the Royal Ginseng finally wore off, making the situation even more dire.

***

"That looks a little too much for them don't you think? The others may be amateurs but this one looks relatively skilled. He might have already gone through the first promotion."

Captain Gates expressed his concerns to Sea. Apprehension was evident in his countenance.

Sea glanced at Captain Gates and nodded lightly.

"Alright. I suppose I should cut them some slack now. I'm satisfied with the results anyway. As expected of Ice ehehe."

Captain Gates was taken aback by the all-too-nonchalant attitude and was unable to voice any further reply. Sea brought out her Comm Glyph and contacted her subordinates.

"Hello Sasha? Is everybody in position?"

A cheerful, airy voice replied through the device.

"___Yup! We're all good to go captain. Your orders?"

"Take down all those bothersome pests. If they put up too much of a struggle, eliminate them. Our prison cells are crowded enough as it is."

"___Okie dokies captain. Heads up you lot! Time for some clean up!"

Sea put the Comm Glyph back to her Item Inventory and turned to captain Gates with an immaculate smile on her beautiful visage.

"That takes care of most of the troublesome stuff. Shall we wrap things up on our end as well? I'll take point.

Killing that masked man should be easy enough. I don't want to trouble you guys any further anyway. Thank you for going along with my selfish request everyone.

Now then... If you'll excuse me..."

Sea leaped from the building roof and headed straight for the masked man. Captain Gates was left dumbfounded and remained unmoving for a few moments. Another knight captain tapped his shoulder, snapping him out of his current state.

"We should go as well. Though I doubt we'd have anything to do except try to reign Captain Seyramour in to keep her from going overboard anyway; as futile as that may seem." a well built man wearing a full plate armor version of Ricksvales standard knight equipment stated while leaking out a weary sigh.

"Captain Malraux..."

Captain Gates thought it all too incredulous. He had seen many hardened criminals and notorious mercenaries that inspired terror with just their air and appearance from his time as a freelance fighter and throughout his service to the crown.

Yet he had never been as terrified of anything as much as he was after witnessing a lovely young woman talk about ending lives with the same tone and expression as though she was about to take a stroll or picnic. Her cherubic smile was filled with a myriad contradictions.

He could only try to shake off his apprehension as he followed the rest of the captains down the rooftop towards the commotion below.

***

A violet blur loomed over Ice and Ibex as they continued to flee. The masked that had his movement speed enhanced by the Draught caught up to the pair quite easily. He brandished his weapons and prepared to fire of a Skill after closing the distance.

He activated one of the Shadow Stalkers signature Skills - Shadow Rend - in order to finish Ice off. Shadow Stalker is the first Class promotion of Assassins and proof that the masked man had already reached or went past Level 50. He was in a whole other league compared to Ice.

His weapon was covered in ominous black aura and slashed powerfully at Ice, threatening to decapitate him. But before the attack could reach...

"Pardon me gentlemen..."

A long, slender leg kicked the man right in the face, canceling the Skill and shattering the raven mask in the process. The man reeled back in shock and pain.

"Wha-! Who-?..."

A blond young mans well featured face was revealed from under the mask. His face was distorted with an expression that went from rage to disbelief and finally, fear as he faced his attacker.

"You're... the Crimson Valkyrie! But why?! Knight captains shouldn't have been dispatched for something like this!" he screamed in panic.

Needless to say, it was Sea. She stood between the surprised Ice and the man sporting an innocent expression.

"Ehehe. Unfortunately for you, the target for this assassination attempt is a little bit of a special case. Thus, we were tasked with protecting him by his royal highness the prince reagent himself."

The blond young man was shocked witless. He wasn't told anything of the sort by the current client. No wonder the pay was so good.

"I don't suppose you'd deign to let me go after all this will you..."

Sea pursed her pretty lips and replied in a cheerful tone.

"Eh? That depends. Will you consider ceasing this assassination attempt? It should be no trouble deciding now that you know who you're dealing with."

The young man paused for a brief moment and shook his head slowly afterwards.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. Our Guild is already in dire straights at the moment. Another failure will spell the end for the Bloody Ravens. We do not go back on our clients after all. That's just how this business is."

"I see. The Assassins Code is it? How truly unfortunate. Come then. The least I could do is put you out of your misery quickly."

Sea motioned her forefinger to provoke the man to attack. She also looked at Ice and Ibex and gave them a playful wink.

"Don't worry guys. This'll be over in a jiffy." she exclaimned in a cheery tone.

The young man suddenly attacked without warning. He only wanted to do enough in order to shake Sea off and proceed to kill Ice. Afterwards, he planned to flee with all his might and survive.

Yet it was only wishful thinking...

Sea flawlessly avoided his attack and, with a single swipe of her weapon, cut open the young mans throat, sending him toppling over.

The young man had a look of utter disbelief in his expression after the short exchange. His HP completely turned to zero. Before he died, he muttered almost inaudibly under his breath.

"It... wasn't supposed... to end... this way... My first... Transmigration...."

His body completely grayed out after a few moments.

***

"Ice! Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?"

Sea was now busy fusing over Ice with a worried expression. The newly arrived knight captains all looked at the spectacle sporting bitter smiles. Captain Gates looked the most perplexed.

"___One moment she's utterly harsh and merciless and now she's acting like a maiden in love... What is with this girl?!... And need I remind that it was actually her who allowed the situation to escalate and placed that young man in even more danger in the first place?..."

Not that he could voice out his thoughts though. Captain Gates once again felt thankful that he still remained single. The notion that women were unfathomable and occasionally dangerous creatures was now deeply entrenched within his mind.

Ice shook Sea off, feeling embarrassed about all the attention.

"I'm fine Sea. A bit roughed up but nothing too serious."

Sea smiled in relief.

"Mm. That's good then. I was actually a bit worried that it was too much for you. But you pulled through just fine. As expected of Ice. You really are amazing. Ehehe."

"?"

Ice was a bit puzzled by her remark. But the tension finally caught up with him and he didn't probe any further; feeling rather beat up and emotionally drained from the earlier ordeal.

It was decided that Ice would move in to the castle once more for the duration of his stay in the capital for his safety. He would also get a small guard detail whenever he goes out to hunt.

Ice felt it a bit excessive, but could only reluctantly agree, given the potential threats he may face. It was also a direct order from the prince reagent, so it made it even harder for Ice to decline.

It seems Prince Alder was finally acting true to his earlier words about taking advantage of the feelings of gratitude to gain his cooperation. Ice had to admit, it was pretty effective for someone of his disposition.

He wasn't all that happy about it, truth be told. But he felt now wasn't the time to brood about these things. So he put it off at the back of his mind and followed Sea towards the castle.

He suddenly felt someone lightly pat his shoulder. It was a hawkish, bespectacled man with wavy brown hair. Ice remembered him to be Captain Hartman Gates of the Banefang Knight Squad.

He had seen him and his men a couple of times within the castle grounds and in patrol on the city streets along with the city guard. They were mostly in charge of keeping law and order within the capital. They could be likened to the local police.

Captain Gates looked at him with a curious expression that contained traces of worry. Ice nodded at him lightly in acknowledgement. Captain Gates smiled somewhat sheepishly in return and went ahead shortly afterwards.

"Hmm? Do I really look that miserable? Even the other captains are noticing." Ice thought. He turned his attention to Ibex who was trailing them from a bit farther back.

"What's wrong?" Ice asked. Ibex was currently glaring at the head of their current retinue, where Sea and the other captains were.

"___No, it's nothing. Good work kid. You did well to survive." he replied.

"Yeah... Thanks."

The pair grew quiet as they trudged along the city streets as they headed for the castle.

***

A hooded figure was currently running within the back alleys of the capital city in haste.

"___How dare those incompetent fools! I've paid them well beyond the average going price and all I get rewarded with is complete and utter failure. Unacceptable! I will get rid of that 'impurity' if it's the last thing I do."

He barely made it out of the maze of narrow passages only for the exit to be blocked by a sleepy looking young man dressed in the standard equipment of the Ricksvale royal guard. The hooded mans face momentarily displayed traces of panic. He barely managed to collect himself and put on the best poker face he could make.

"Why hello there sir knight. Are you currently on patrol?"

The sleepy looking young man looked at him indifferently.

"You could say that. What are you doing all the way out here Lord Vance? Is the castle being run in order without the chamberlain present?"

"The castle staff are all competent people in their own right. The head maid Miss Martha is especially gifted in managing the castle's affairs. She might even take my job from me if I'm not careful. Ahahaha."

"Hmmm... Why the get-up though? This isn't exactly the most upstanding part of the city either. What could your business be here in the slums milord?"

Lord Vance, Ricksvale castles grand chamberlain, lightly clicked his tongue in annoyance. The young knight was being unexpectedly nosy despite his unconcerned appearance.

"Actually, I'm in the process of smoothing out a minor issue regarding one of our castle maids. It seems she was tricked by a rather foul fellow that lives here in the slums. I'm here to give him a stern warning. I'm rather fond of that maid after all. Such a hard working young lady. Ahahaha."

Lord Vance was bluffing. He was referencing some events that the castle maids gossiped about recently. He'd just need to deal with any complications that come up later.

"Hee... That's quite courageous of you. You don't even have a single guard."

"Haha. I don't want to trouble his highness about a little issue like this after all. Now then, if you'll excuse me. I really need to go back to the castle. It would be troublesome if people thought I was slacking off on the job."

The young man let out a sigh and shrugged lightly.

"You don't have to worry about that milord. After all, you won't be coming back."

"Eh?"

Before Lord Vance knew it, he was already lying on the ground. No, his body was still standing upright. It was just that his head was severed from his neck and fell on the pavement.

"Ah-?"

Before he could make sense of what happened, his vision rapidly grew dark.

The young knight, Sir Evann Waynebright of the Sybilwind Knight Squad headed by Sea, sheathed the sword he used to decapitate the unfortunate chamberlain and held up a Comm Glyph.

"It's me. I've disposed of him like you requested. Honestly, why is it only me who gets assigned to do your dirty work? It's even the perfect day to lay around and take a nap."

Roaring laughter came from the other end of the line.

"___Ahahaha. Tough luck kid. I have appearances to keep. Your sister isn't exactly in the position to provide some help either. She transmigrated into a tree for crying out loud.

You guys were always lazing around on campus during our student days anyway. Haven't you had enough? You could have followed your sisters example if you really couldn't be bothered anyway."

"Please don't lump me up with that epitome of utter strangeness. We're nothing alike."

"___Really? I personally think the resemblance is striking."

"Please keep your opinions to yourself. Anyway, enough about me. You sure this was a wise move? You should know exactly what this guy is connected with. If 'they' happen to question our actions..."

"___Don't worry. 'They' shouldn't raise too much of a fuss. It's like we did them a favor anyway. The guy's gone rogue so they would have had to deal with him soon enough. Think of it as free service. We're private contractors after all."

"You're always so carefree. Well, if you say so. Why'd you keep one of their 'puppets' by your side anyway? You even promoted him to grand chamberlain."

"___Because it was interesting. We may have different roots. But we're basically both sentient beings. 'They' may think themselves superior after playing 'gods'. But I beg to differ.

We're all just dancing to the tune played by our own demons. How different can we be? I wanted to observe the end of a man toyed around by the 'gods' who created him. After all, we may well suffer the same fate."

Evann shrugged his shoulders after the reply. His brows knitted slightly and let out a fed up sigh.

"You're always like that. Whether 'here' or 'there' or some other damn place they manage to cough up, what's the difference? Everything's still made up of bland colors and damn facades. I don't even know why I actually allowed myself to get roped in by you."

"___You just can't resist my overflowing charisma kid! Even your sister was charmed."

"She was so charmed she turned herself into a plant..."

"___Ahahaha. Honestly kid, you're always so damn negative. Go find yourself a nice young lady and fall in love. It might insert some more life in you. Don't you find the art style in this world attractive? What was it called again? Moe..."

"Go to hell..."

And the call was cut.

***

Within the central gardens of Ricksvale castle stood a lone figure. It was the ruler of the country, Lord Alder Falwynd Ricksvale. His hair was being swept up by the gently blowing wind.

"Ahaha. Hear that Ylliria? Your little brother is going through his rebellious phase."

The massive tree in the center of the gardens shook its thick branches, as if in reply.

"Haha. Things should turn more interesting from now on. I'm quite thankful to those guys for stirring up trouble at this time. I'll be sure to take advantage of it to my hearts content."

Lord Alders carefree expression turned into a savage one.

"Finally, it begins. Those guys still want to play it safe. But why don't we finally go ahead and turn all of 'Creation' in on itself now? I'm sure the resulting chaos and rebirth will be glorious to behold."

His grin split to a wide crescent and within his eyes dwelt a crazed light.

-Chapter 16 End-