"...And don't even get me started on the Dalca family's constant pestering. Those irritating bastards manage to find a problem in everything."
"Alright, alright." Xalier raised both hands in surrender. "I understand. I'll stay for a while and deal with everything that needs my attention."
"Excellent."
Kane pointed toward the desk.
"You can begin with those."
"..."
Xalier slowly turned his head.
His curved wooden desk had disappeared beneath mountains of documents. Several neat towers covered nearly every inch of its surface.
"...What."
"Yes?"
"There weren't this many when I left."
"There were."
"There definitely weren't."
"There definitely were."
Xalier stared for another second before asking quietly,
"...How many?"
Kane answered without hesitation.
"This is about a third."
Xalier froze.
"...A third?"
"Yes."
His friend's perfectly calm expression somehow made the answer even worse.
"Oh, old and dear friend of mine..."
Xalier stepped closer and placed both hands on Kane's shoulders.
"...Could you perhaps-"
"I already did."
Kane interrupted before the request could even begin.
"Everything I was legally allowed to sign has already been signed."
"..."
"The remaining documents all require your authority, your seal, or your magic."
Xalier slowly lowered his hands.
"...Why me..."
"My King."
Kane folded his arms.
"It was you who decided to build a kingdom where every citizen could seek justice."
"..."
"Did you truly believe that would involve only swinging your sword?"
Xalier released a long sigh.
'I expected endless battles...'
His eyes drifted back toward the desk.
'...not endless paperwork.'
"Hm?"
Kane smiled faintly.
"Did you say something?"
"No."
Xalier immediately sat down.
"Nothing at all."
He reached for the first document.
"..."
A few moments later, he spoke again.
"How much longer?"
"For what?"
"Until the next King's Coronation."
Kane didn't even need to think.
"Seven hundred and three years."
A tiny pause.
"Eight months."
Another pause.
"And... almost nine days."
Xalier groaned.
"I asked a question."
"And I answered."
"I didn't ask you to read the clock hanging over my head."
"My apologies."
Not a trace of guilt appeared on Kane's face.
After another document received Xalier's magical seal, he finally remembered why he had returned.
"Right."
He didn't even lift his head.
"Send someone to find Swift Blade."
Kane nodded.
"Within what time?"
"A week, I want to finish everything in a week and go home."
"What do you need an assassin for?"
He looked genuinely curious.
"An assassination?"
"No."
"An artifact?"
"No."
"...Then?"
Xalier smiled faintly.
"It's complicated."
Kane accepted the answer.
"Very well."
Silence returned.
Only the scratching of a pen and the occasional stamp echoed through the office.
Then Xalier stopped writing.
"The thing I asked you to investigate."
Kane immediately understood.
"...I did."
"And?"
"The Mythical treasure?" Kana asked back, what happened with the Waters of Singularity.
For a brief instant—
The room became heavy.
"I see, a failure."
The King's aura leaked into the surroundings.
Even Kane felt the pressure settle onto his shoulders.
"Kane." Xalier's voice remained calm. "You've already decided it cannot be solved."
"I never said that."
"You were about to."
The pressure disappeared.
"My apologies." Kane bowed his head slightly. "But you interrupted me too soon."
Xalier leaned back. "Then continue."
"I started thinking differently." Instead of another treasure...
"...I searched for another cultivation method."
That finally caught Xalier's full attention.
"We searched through so many... You found one?" Xalier interrupted his own words, not even giving time to the countless failures.
"Perhaps."
Kane walked closer.
"I found a Great Sect on the Eastern Continent—the Yin-Yang Pavilion."
"They specialize in balancing opposing forces."
"Fire and water."
"Light and darkness."
"Life and death."
"Their methods are not identical to the Prince's condition..."
"...but they may provide a direction."
Xalier remained silent.
Then he slowly nodded.
"...You're right."
If treasures could not solve the problem...
Perhaps understanding could.
"I want their highest cultivation inheritance."
He looked directly at Kane.
"Purchase it if possible."
"If not, negotiate."
"And only if every peaceful option fails..."
He stopped there.
Kane smiled.
"I understand."
With a light movement of his hand, a green jade scroll appeared.
Xalier blinked.
"..."
"...You already have it."
"I acquired it three days ago."
"...You're frightening."
"I've heard that before."
Xalier accepted the jade slip with a small laugh.
"It would've been far more troublesome without you."
"It is my duty."
Kane answered simply.
"Besides..."
"...someone has to think ahead while His Majesty keeps disappearing."
"...Fair enough."
Xalier unrolled the jade slip.
"Hm."
"So this is how the Eastern Continent records techniques."
His eyes skimmed the symbols.
"It is translated into Common."
"Of course it is. I requested it before agreeing to the exchange, but they already did it."
Xalier smiled.
"I like intelligent people."
"They make negotiations much easier."
He rolled the jade slip back together.
"The price was, if the Pavilion ever requests reasonable assistance..."
"They have my permission."
Kane bowed slightly.
"It will be done as such."
...
Around four days later.
"Ohu..."
"Ohu..."
"Cough..."
Inside a dim chamber illuminated only by crimson crystals, a pig-like man struggled to breathe... crawling onto a bed with a disgusting grin on his face.
A young woman, no older than twenty, lay still on the bed. "Ah... Lord Fritz looks so... big..."
"Heh, such a sweet scent, such a sweet taste," the man murmured. He worked his way up her legs, kissing and licking as he went.
"Mm... so good...!" she gasped. 'Disgusting pig', she thought, her true feelings the mirror image of her words.
"Ah— my Lord, wait... before we go further, please drink this." As he moved higher, she stopped him with a light push to the head.
"Oh? An aphrodisiac?" He eyed the purple glass flask in her hand and let out a pleased grunt.
"It will help the little Lord grow even bigger," she said.
"Oh, will it now." He took the bottle from her.
'Nothing strange in it', he noted, his eyes flashing briefly with a discerning gleam — beneath the porcine face was a genuine cultivator of the Sacred Lord Realm. He drained it in one gulp.
"Now!" He lunged for her.
"Wait!" She pushed him back once more.
"What is it now?" His voice rose in frustration.
"I need to take this off first. My dress means a great deal to me — I'd rather my Lord's size not ruin it." She rose from the bed and stepped back.
"Hurry it up, then!"
She put a few more paces between them. "This should be far enough..."
"What are you—"
*Cough— hgh...!* Blood burst from his eyes, ears, and mouth all at once.
"How— how could you—!?"
"Wondering how? It was the aphrodisiac. Yes, you inspected it — but the poison only became active once it met one more ingredient: my skin, or rather the substance on it."
"...!"
The bleeding wouldn't stop as she explained, calm and unhurried. His mouth and throat began to dissolve, the poison eating through flesh like acid.
*AAAHHG—*
And it carried a magical edge as well, flaring in response to his attempts to call on his mana and cultivation. As he dissolved into a spreading pool of blood and ruined flesh, her dress shifted — its pale, flowing fabric darkening to grey, trimmed with red, metallic ornaments blooming across the surface.
"Hm?" As her garments finished shifting, she walked toward the nearby table and calmly poured herself a glass of wine.
A small mole slowly appeared beneath the left side of her lips.
"Hmm... At least the wine is better than that stinking blood."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she enjoyed the drink.
When she opened them again, the light brown color had already become a brilliant crimson.
Turning toward the bed, she found nothing left except a dark red stain spreading across the expensive sheets.
"He died faster than expected..."
She gently swirled the wine inside the glass.
"This is why relying only on pills is foolish. They raise your cultivation, but not your understanding. Without true control over your own body, even strength becomes a weakness."
She emptied the glass.
"Anyway..."
"My work here is finished."
"Sis should be returning from her mission soon."
She placed the empty glass onto the table.
"I should get home."
"Aella Katarina."
"...!"
Her body reacted before her thoughts did.
'I didn't sense anyone!'
In a single movement, she disappeared from beside the table.
"Blood Dance: Hurricane."
The blood covering the room instantly rose into the air.
Bright green energy erupted from her body, wrapping around every crimson droplet.
Within moments, thousands of razor-sharp blood blades spun around her, forming a violent crimson cyclone that tore through the chamber.
Furniture shattered.
Curtains ripped apart.
The walls themselves became covered in countless cuts.
Yet...
The man standing in the middle of the storm never moved.
His black armor remained untouched.
Not even his cape fluttered.
"You are summoned to the Castle of a Thousand Forgotten."
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"You have three days."
"If you fail to appear..."
"...you will be hunted for ignoring the King's decree."
Before Katarina could even answer—
He vanished.
"..."
"...What?"
Silence filled the ruined chamber.
After several seconds, Katarina slowly lowered her stance.
"What... was that?"
She forced herself to take a deep breath.
"Calm down."
"Think."
She replayed everything.
"The armor..."
"The crest..."
"...Imperial Army."
She frowned.
"Why would the new King want to meet me?"
"A mission?"
"A contract?"
"...Or something worse?"
She rubbed her forehead.
"I'll know when I get there."
"The Castle of a Thousand Forgotten..."
"Even if I don't stop once..."
"...I'll barely make it in three days."
She rushed toward the exit.
The moment she stepped into the corridor—
"Who's there!?"
"Grab her!"
The guards had already noticed the destruction.
Katarina clicked her tongue.
"Seriously..."
"I don't have time for this."
Green blades formed around both hands.
Without slowing down, she cut a path through the soldiers blocking her escape.
"UGH!"
"Why didn't you take me with you, you inconsiderate bastard!"
Her angry shout echoed behind her as she disappeared into the night.
...
Three days later.
"Aella Katarina, Swift Blade, reporting!"
"Good."
"Come in."
Katarina entered the office before immediately bowing.
"It is my honor to finally meet face to face with the Great King of—"
"Alright, alright."
Xalier waved one hand without even looking up.
"We can skip that."
"...Uh?"
"I need another minute."
"I'm almost finished."
"Until then..."
"Make yourself comfortable."
Katarina blinked.
"..."
Unsure what else to do, she quietly walked over and sat on the leather couch.
Her eyes naturally drifted toward the enormous desk.
'...He's still working?'
Stamp.
Stamp.
Stamp.
Document after document disappeared beneath Xalier's seal.
'Didn't I rush here without resting...?'
'I was even fighting... I nearly collapsed from exhaustion...'
'...and now I'm waiting?'
Even though she was inwardly complaining, she remained perfectly silent.
Interrupting the King sounded like a terrible survival strategy.
...
"This is the last one, My King."
Kane handed over the final document.
Xalier glanced across it.
"Hm."
"Another noble requesting permission to seize additional territory from the elves."
His seal hovered above the page.
"Denied."
"I would advise otherwise."
Kane spoke calmly.
Xalier raised an eyebrow.
"The people haven't seen a proper battle for quite some time."
Understanding flashed across Xalier's face.
"...I see."
He replaced the first seal with another.
"Send a detachment from the Imperial Army."
"The usual standing order."
"'Lives come before conquest.'"
"It will be done."
Xalier quietly watched the ink dry.
He hated pointless battles.
He hated wasting soldiers even more.
But sometimes...
Allowing a small conflict prevented thousands of civilians from demanding a much larger one.
Compared to a war fueled by public anger...
This was the lesser evil.
Finally—
Xalier leaned back.
"...Finished."
Katarina's eyelid twitched.
'I ran until I nearly fainted...'
'Then waited over two hours...'
'Finished...'
"One week of stamping without rest... I think the sound is stuck in my ears..."
After a long sigh, Xalier finally turned to Katarina.
"I'll keep this brief."
Xalier explained Antanasia's situation, carefully omitting Temorsth's existence while describing the oath and why he needed Katarina's cooperation.
"...And this is what your sister entrusted to me."
He placed the item onto the desk.
"Now then—"
"Wait."
"Hm?"
"If Sis truly swore a Dao Heart Oath involving my life..."
"...then give me an order."
"I want to feel it."
"What?"
"Command me."
Xalier scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"About that..."
"...She didn't swear the oath to me."
"..."
The instant those words left his mouth—
Katarina shot toward the door.
'They captured Sis!'
'I have to get out!'
'If I stay here, I'll be trapped too!'
Her hand grabbed the handle.
"Lock."
Xalier casually raised a finger.
Click.
The door refused to move.
"..."
Xalier pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Again."
"Why does everyone try escaping before listening?"
He sighed.
"Do I really look that untrustworthy?"
He looked toward Kane.
"No."
"I've figured it out."
"It's because I'm too handsome."
"People naturally assume handsome men are villains."
"That has to be it."
Kane answered without missing a beat.
"My King."
"You are simply untrustworthy."
"..."
"...Ouch."
"That one actually hurt."
While the two continued talking as though nothing unusual was happening—
"Blood Dance: Hurricane!"
A crimson cyclone exploded across the office.