Arthur and Chris were tense as the creature revealed the rest of the body; It had disproportionately long and thin arms that had rotten skin riddled with black holes, its body was hunched forward and it was lanky and unimaginably creepy.

Its eyes were closed with stitches, its lips were unnaturally wide and arched upwards into a long and unsettling smile, and its nose was missing.

It didn’t wear any clothing, though it lacked any genitals that defined its gender.

The creature pulled itself from the portal and stood next to it, resting its long arms on its top while letting out frightening croaking sounds.

Moments later, two figures jumped from within the portal.

The first was a young woman with raven-black hair tied into a ponytail. She had a pale-white skin, a round face and a pair of naturally cold dark eyes.

Her nose was short and pointy, her eyebrows were thin and short. Only her lips had a bit of color, contrasting the rest of her face. She wore a regal black dress that reached her ankles, though its lower part was purposely cut to facilitate movement. Part of the thighs were shown, which were covered by a pair of jet-black tight stockings.

Evelyn looked a bit tired as her body shivered. She could sense that the Undead Jester was focusing solely on her as it chuckled.

As the covenant she had formed stated, the Undead Jester literally led her to Arthur’s exact location.

Right behind her was the Minstrel of the Ages, Aerin. The poet wore his usual big hat which was decorated by a couple of feathers. His attire was strange and too eye-catching, but it was certainly unique. Unlike her, Aerin looked pretty energetic and excited as he looked around before spotting the Parasite and his friend.

“Why, greetings there!”

He amicably waved his hand at them and warmly smiled.

“When the time comes, do not try to resist the covenant, mortal.”

The Undead Jester spoke with a chilling and disturbing low voice, which echoed all around it. It leaned closer to Evelyn, its face inches away from hers.

Brave as she was, Evelyn couldn’t help but avert her gaze and hesitantly nod once.

Once it made sure she understood the conditions of the covenant, the Undead Jester straightened its back and glanced at Arthur.

“Ohh… but what is this? A Parasite. Curiouser and curiouser.”

“I know right? I had some good guesses, but I didn’t expect your quarry to be a parasite!” Aerin heartily laughed and scrutinized the wary Arthur.

His intrigue and slight surprise notwithstanding, the Undead Jester didn’t linger there for longer than necessary. He turned to face the minstrel and said,

“You would do well to tread carefully, Aerin. I sense the mark of the Trickster all over this land.”

“You think I don’t know that? Your job is done, so how about you leave?”

The Undead Jester laughed creepily in response, the stitches on his eyes moving disgustingly like worms.

“I wouldn’t want to see your precious soul go to waste. If anybody is going to eat it, then it’s going to be me. Hehehehe…”

The Undead Jester lowered its head and entered the portal, both vanishing thereafter.

For a bit, there was an awkward and tense silence that flowed between the four people.

“Evelyn?”

Arthur was genuinely dumbstruck by what he had witnessed. For Evelyn to appear so abruptly, accompanied by an unknown man and the Undead Jester in the flesh!

She approached the Parasite and bowed her head ever-so-slightly,

“I am back, Master.”

“But… Ehm…”

“I am Aerin, known as the Minstrel of the Ages. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The poet also came closer and elegantly bowed, his eyes examining Arthur and then Christopher.

“I have had the pleasure of briefly journeying with this young lady. As She and you are clearly acquainted, I suppose you know she’s not the talkative type, yes? I can regale you with our recent travails. In return, I’d like to get to know you two better. After all, I’ve only met a couple of parasites in my lifetime.”

He gave a quick glance toward Chris and added, “But more than that, it is rarer to meet someone who defied Fate and still lives.”

Arthur didn’t immediately answer. He grew calmer after the Undead Jester’s departure. He trusted Evelyn enough to know that Aerin wasn’t dangerous.

Furthermore, the poet seemed to be weak and not a threat.

“Hold on! This is her, right? The maid…”

Evelyn was unfamiliar with Chris, but she didn’t pay him any heed, at least not until he spoke.

He took a step forward and grabbed her hand, shaking it vigorously while chuckling,

“I am Christopher! This idiot’s brother! I’ve heard a bit about you.”

The woman was startled by his over-friendliness and only reacted when he let go of her hands and leaned closer to Arthur, whispering in his ear,

“You didn’t tell me she was beautiful! Also…”

“Shut up. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“I’m not… hehehe…”

Arthur snorted and ignored the grinning Chris.

Very soon, once the initial shock was gone, they all sat down. It was as good of a place as any to set camp and they weren’t particularly in a hurry to do anything specific. It was better to take the time to understand what happened to Evelyn and finish the introductions.

After all, he couldn’t send Evelyn again. Since she returned to his side, then that meant she had resolutely made up her mind. Moreover, she looked better than when they last met, back when she was plagued by the mark on her chest.

Christopher was just as lively as Aerin, but he focused more on Evelyn whereas the poet sat across Arthur, chuckling and smiling as he stretched his limbs comically.

“A System too. You are indeed full of surprises. Would you tell me your name?”

“Leonis Sanguis.”

“Your name, not the host’s. Or is that too much to ask?”

“He’s called Arthur!” Blurted out Chris while patting his friend’s back.

Arthur glared at Christopher, but the latter rolled his eyes and remarked,

“It’s just a damn name. Why are you being so sensitive?”

“Very well, then! Again, Sir Arthur and Sir Christopher, I am Aerin. An explorer and a poet.”

Evelyn sat by the side, sometimes glancing at Christopher and furrowing her brows. She could see that Arthur was more relaxed than ever before, behaving slightly-differently and seeming more open to voice his real thoughts rather than resort to vague answers.

“Aerin? A poet?”

Aerin nodded his head enthusiastically.

“My ballads are quite known, but only a few exist in this world.”

“This world? So you’ve been to others?” Asked Arthur, his curiosity peaking.

Aerin might be acting in an overly-friendly manner and wear an odd combination of clothes, but he seemed like an easy-going and honest fellow. Arthur didn’t feel threatened in his presence.

Even with [Magick Sense], he could see nothing suspicious about Aerin. He seemed to be a totally normal person with an above-average Mana quantity within his body.

“I have been to many… many worlds, Sir Arthur. I might look young, but I’ve lived for a long time.”

“Master, please do not fall for his lies and deceit. He’s full of suspicions and secrets. My organization sent all the agents after him.” Interrupted Evelyn as she glared at Aerin.

“What man doesn’t have secrets, hm? Nevertheless, your counsel is duly noted, fair lady. As you probably have deduced, Sir Arthur, I am not strong, physically or mentally. I pose no threat and I mean no harm whatsoever. I wish only to join your adventure for a brief period of time.”

“Why?”

“An assassin, a parasite, and a mage that defied fate… is that not intriguing? Exciting? That’s the start of a great tale, Sir Arthur. I want to see great things, and I am confident that you three will not disappoint me.”

Arthur frowned and, with a much colder voice, retorted, “So it’s for your amusement?”

“I wouldn’t phrase it like that, Sir Arthur. It’s not like I find entertainment in seeing you struggle and whatnot. It’s more like being fascinated with the start of a tale and wanting to be part of it… or at least part of its beginning. Furthermore, it’s not like I will hinder you. I confess, I am not a good fighter or a capable mage, but I know a great many things and I should be happy to oblige and indulge any questions you might have.”

Arthur looked back at the broadly smiling poet for an indeterminate amount of time before letting out a sigh.

It was Christopher who responded in his place,

“Welcome to the party, Aerin! And you too, Evelyn! The more, the merrier.”

“...”-Evelyn

“Thank you, Sir Christopher. It is always good to be in the company of such warm and kind individuals.”

Arthur was still not convinced, he was mistrusting Aerin but he had no good reason to push him away. He came with Evelyn, and if he was able to gain a bit of her trust, at least enough for her not to chase him away or kill him, then that had to be enough for now.

“Now that the introductions are over. Shall I recount my adventures with this fair lady?”

“That is not necessary. Nothing of importance happened.”

“Oh! Quite the opposite, in fact!”

Seeing Evelyn avert her gaze from his and fidget, Arthur faintly smiled and attentively listened to the poet, who wasted no time and immediately started.

Meanwhile, things took a wild turn on the 6th floor of the penitentiary.

Even after Arthur’s escape, there was still one more parasite out of his cell. However, he didn’t run away and, instead, confronted all the Special Guards coming his way.