Inside the room, above the teacup, a ball of steaming water suddenly condensed. It then slowly descended into the cup, and soon, the aroma of tea filled the air. Roland gently picked it up and took a sip. At the same time, the paper and pen on the other side of the table began to move on their own, quickly writing something. Soon, the pen stopped writing and fell into his hand, which he then toyed with.
One, meanwhile, stood silently by his side.
“Go, find a person named Leo Archer at this address and tell him we killed those people.” Roland paused, seemingly thinking, then continued, “Then, after you find the ‘key’, hand it to me. If he doesn't comply, he, along with everyone else, will die.”
“Understood.”
Instantly, One vanished from the spot.
“It's indeed much more convenient. If not for that drop of demon blood, this matter wouldn't be so easy to handle.”
Roland blew on the still-steaming tea.
He looked into the distance, at the sky where the stars were so beautiful. Whether in modern times or the Northern Territory, such a sight was rare, but here it was common. For a moment, even Roland was captivated. The stars twinkled so brightly, adorning the darkness.
The reason the train from the Northern Territory to the Eastern Territory, specifically Romanvia, was attacked, was because of this so-called ‘key’, and it was also related to this Leo Archer.
The attack was orchestrated by him, but he was actually working for someone else.
Roland knew this very well; he even knew the person behind him, and knew them well.
As for Leo Archer, he was quite a crucial figure in the early stages, and even almost caused the death of a major character. He was one of the leaders of the Empire's largest intelligence and assassination organizations, and also a Seventh-Rank War Saint. Without One's assistance, capturing him would indeed be much more difficult.
...
Leo Company.
“You... who are you?”
“You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that we killed those people.” One slowly said, as he gripped Leo Archer's neck and lifted him up, “My master wants me to tell you: your plan is to proceed as normal. After the ‘key’ is found, it must be handed over to my master. Otherwise... you will cease to exist.”
One released his grip.
Leo Archer stumbled back two steps, gasping for air. As a Seventh-Rank War Saint, he actually had no power to resist the burly man in front of him. His eyes assessing the current situation, he slowly spoke: “May I ask who your esteemed master is, and why do they know about the ‘key’?”
“You are not yet qualified to know my master's name.”
“You only need to understand one thing.”
“That is the choice between life and death.”
One's words carried no emotion, like a machine carrying out orders.
“......”
He had originally wanted to ask why, if they also wanted the so-called ‘key’, they had stopped them from attacking the train. But he would never guess that merely sharing a magic-guided train and thereby offending the other party, had caused his entire plan to fail. Even more, he now had to work for them to repay this offense to the King of Pride.
However, judging by the other party's demeanor,
Leo Archer's throat bobbed, but he ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask.
“Furthermore, my master knows the one behind you.”
After those words fell, One's figure vanished from the spot.
Leo Archer let out a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair. As one of the leaders of the Empire's largest intelligence and assassination organizations, he was still very clear about certain things. A long time ago, the pontiff of the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess had approached him. It was exactly the same as today.
Those highly captivating words still echoed in his ears.
“After you find the ‘key’, hand it to me, and I'll spare your life, oh~”
And today, such a thing had happened again.
A powerful stranger had approached him, and without a word, began making demands. Moreover, the so-called master behind the stranger could command an Eighth-Rank powerhouse like a slave. This was clearly beyond his scope of insight. In fact, he didn't even know what the ‘key’ was.
Just a few days ago, news had come from the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess.
The ‘key’ was in the hands of a young girl. She was riding the magic-guided train from the Northern Territory and was about to become a student of the St. Romanvia Imperial Academy. According to his plan, acting on the train would be the most convenient and easiest. If he waited for her to enter the academy, or if she discovered something and hid within, he would truly be helpless.
Leo Archer had a headache, and rubbed his temples.
“One after another, if they're all so powerful, why do they insist on coming to me?”
The Lucifiel Manor in Romanvia.
“Done?”
“Yes, Master.”
“It seems he's still as skilled at weighing the situation as ever.”
Roland nodded, saying as he sipped his tea.
“Alright, I'm going to rest. Return to the shadows.”
As his words fell, One slipped into the darkness, completely vanishing. Roland, meanwhile, lay directly on the soft, large bed, slowly closed his eyes, and gradually sank into slumber. This time, he slept very deeply. In his dream, a petite girl was gently looking at him.
He knew her.
She had grayish-white long hair, slightly different from his own. One eye was shrouded in darkness. She wore a black-themed gown, and held a black umbrella. Around her, scarlet and vibrant flowers bloomed in the air. Within the dark space, countless dark red flowers drifted down. Seeing Roland look at her, she smiled gently at him.
“Tsk... barging into someone else's dream without permission is quite rude.”
Roland frowned, saying.
“Speaking of rudeness, wouldn't Little Roland be the rudest one?” Dark tentacles bound Roland and pulled him before her. Her slender finger hooked his chin. “Hmmph, why did Little Roland suddenly decide to snatch the key from Little Leira...? Speaking of which, it's been so long, Little Roland, you've changed a lot, haven't you~”
“......”
“When faced with a difficult question, you fall silent?”
“I do as I please.”
Roland averted his gaze, and coldly snorted.
“Little Roland is still so willful.”
“Never mind, play as you wish... What can I do, I like you so much...”
“Well, thank you very much then.”
Suddenly, Roland opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the curtains. His expression was rather grim. Since awakening his past life's wisdom, this was the first time he had been put in such a tight spot. He hadn't expected the other party to directly invade his dream. That wretched woman, did she not know that men and women should maintain distance?
She didn't even know how to keep her distance.
And yet she kept spouting words of affection.
“How unlucky, to actually be targeted by her.”
Though, he had been targeted a long time ago.
“‘Favor of the Fallen Mother Goddess’—I can't believe I used to think so highly of this trait.” Roland got up and looked at himself in the mirror, then closed his eyes to sense for a moment. After confirming there were no issues, he continued, “What a piece of trash trait, get lost already! Are you waiting for this young master to invite you to dinner?”
Just casually letting off some steam.
Suddenly, a dark red petal appeared before his eyes.
“......”
Rate on N.U.
