I drumd my fingers on the armrest and kept my eyes on Henry.
The thought crossed my mind again. I could kidnap him and force him back to Charlotta.
But his eyes made it clear.
Even if I forced him to return, he would co back here again.
Still, I asked, "Why do you want to stay at System Church?"
Henry smiled. It wasn’t the kind of smile a child should have. It was calm, and far too mature.
"Because I can grow strong here," he said.
His tone was steady.
"Do you know, doc, I’m from a poor family. Our biggest worry used to be whether we would have enough money for rent next month. Whether we would find work. What would happen if soone got sick and we couldn’t pay the hospital bill."
He let out a soft breath, and the smile on his face beca faint.
"But now I know... that’s not the only thing we have to worry about. We can be kidnapped the next day, and the authorities won’t do anything because our kidnappers are powerful Exorcists. We can be killed by a Cursed Spirit and no one would care. It’s just how the world works."
He looked straight at .
"I need power to survive in this world. Before, I didn’t know the truth, so I was satisfied. Now that I know, I can’t pretend anymore. I want to be strong. Strong enough that no one can harm my family."
Henry had been kidnapped by Marco’s n and sold into the System Church.
It had been a brutal event. Ugly and cruel.
But instead of breaking him, it sharpened him.
"So you’re saying you won’t go back? You’ll stay here to get strong? For what? To protect a family that’s still living normally without you?" I asked.
"Yes," Henry nodded.
I snorted.
"What do you think your family feels right now? They’re losing sleep and weight worrying about you. And now that I’m giving you a chance to return, you don’t want to go back to them? Because you want to protect them, you’ll stay away and let them suffer?"
I leaned forward and locked eyes with him.
"There’s a saying in the City, Henry. [There are no happy endings in the City]. People chase strength, luxury, authority, and they fall into despair. That saying didn’t appear for no reason. Can you guarantee your ending will be different?"
"..."
"You can’t. That’s why I’m telling you. Turn back now. Leave while you still have the choice."
Henry didn’t reject imdiately.
He lowered his gaze and thought about it seriously. The faint, empty smile faded from his lips.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"I still want to stay with the System Church. It’s the only way I can beco strong enough to protect my siblings."
He hesitated slightly.
"As for my sister... please let et her once. I’ll explain everything and then I’ll leave her."
"Hmm."
I didn’t respond right away. My knuckles tapped the armrest slowly.
His eyes said it all. He wasn’t bluffing.
I almost scoffed.
Charlotta described him as kind and cute. Was she blind?
Kind and cute?
This brat was cold.
Not cruel. Not heartless.
But rational, and cold.
He could suppress his emotions and make decisions based on logic, even when it involved the people he loved the most. That kind of ntality was rare.
And dangerous.
Only people like that could climb high.
Cute and kind?
No.
This boy was made for war.
"Alright," I said finally. "If you’ve made your choice, I won’t argue further. As for eting your sister, that can be arranged. We’ll go in a few days."
Henry nodded.
There was relief in his eyes, but no regret.
I stood up and left.
I had wanted to drag him away.
But if the person himself didn’t want to be rescued, then forcing him would be impossible, especially considering System Church would do everything in their power to bring him back.
I let out a slow sigh.
Charlotta was going to be furious.
’I did my best, Charlotta.’
’It’s not my fault your brother is too smart for his own good.’
...
Several days later.
chanic Force Mastery: 24% → 48%
I wiped my hands clean and stepped back from the dismantled chanical core.
"Now that this is done. I can go et Charlotta tomorrow," I muttered.
I left the City and used the key to return to Earth.
The key had two exits on each side.
On earth side, one exit opened inside my house.
The other was near the Underworld’s base. I created the exit here a few days ago while I was searching for Charlotta’s new house.
After arriving, I changed clothes and adjusted my posture.
My presence shifted as I assud the identity of Alan Veritus, the disciple of Monkey King.
Then I drank a Type A Blood Veil Elixir, letting its effects settle into my veins.
Once everything was in place, I opened a portal.
Charlotta had moved into a better locality, probably using the money I gave her.
It was late night when I arrived.
After dinner, she was sitting on the porch, watching her younger siblings play in the yard. There was a faint smile on her face. For a mont, she looked like a normal girl.
Then she noticed standing on the road.
Her expression changed imdiately.
"Co inside," she called to the children. "It’s ti to sleep."
They complained, dragging their feet, but she insisted. Eventually, she ushered them inside.
I waited.
A few minutes later, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
"Did you find Hen—"
"Follow ," I interrupted.
I opened a portal to a nearby abandoned building.
She frowned but stepped through without hesitation. I followed and closed the portal behind us.
The building was silent. Dust hung in the air.
Charlotta turned to with a serious expression.
"Did you find Henry?"
"I told you I would answer after you fulfilled your end of the deal," I said calmly.
She bit her lips and nodded.
I accessed the inventory mark on my palm. A faint shimr passed through the air as I pulled out two wooden swords. I had made them a few days ago during my spare ti, carving and balancing them properly.
I kept one in my hand and tossed the other toward her.
It landed near her feet with a dull sound.
"Co at . If your progress is good enough, I’ll answer your questions," I said.
Charlotta stared at the sword for a mont. Her fingers tightened at her sides, then she bent down and picked it up.
The change was imdiate.
The worried sister vanished.
The air around her grew sharp and focused.
Her stance changed, her breathing steadied, and her eyes locked onto as if I were an obstacle that needed to be cut down.
"Ha!" she shouted, pushing off the ground.
She dashed toward without hesitation.
We clashed.
The wooden swords collided with a dry crack, and she followed with another strike, then a third.
Her movents were overwhelming and wild.
Unlike , who fought with precision while predicting the enemy’s movents, she fought like a wild beast.
She stepped forward, attacked, and countered by following her instincts.
’Hmm.’
’Her stats are roughly in the 60s.’
Two months ago, she was around 20s.
’From 20 to 60 in two months.’
That was solid growth.
Unlike , her body had already matured.
She could push herself without worrying about damaging her foundation.
With her talent and proper resources, this kind of progress made sense.
She stepped in, aiming low, then shifted her angle mid-swing.
I blocked casually and moved aside. She adjusted quickly and ca again.
Her control wasn’t bad. Her footwork was slightly rigid, but her instincts were sharp.
We exchanged several more blows.
She pressed forward, trying to overwhelm with speed. I gave ground deliberately, letting her feel montum, then flicked my wrist at the right mont.
The impact was light.
But precise.
The wooden sword flew out of her hand and spun across the ground before coming to a stop several ters away.
She froze, her arm still extended.
"Alright, that’s enough," I said.
The tension left her body at once. The mont those words registered, she collapsed onto the ground, sitting heavily.
She was breathing hard.
Sweat soaked through her clothes, clinging to her back and neck.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to steady herself.
In contrast, I wasn’t even short of breath.
That was expected. In Shadow Assimilation state, my stats were more than triple hers.
"H-How did I do?" she asked between breaths.
"Good. You’ve improved a lot," I replied, nodding once.
Her eyes searched my face.
"That’s why I will answer your question. I’ve found your brother. He’s alive."
For a mont, she simply stared at . Then her expression blood.
It was pure relief.
Her shoulders loosened, and her eyes glistened slightly.
"But."
The word cut through her joy.
She stiffened.
"He’s with the System Church."
"System Church?" she repeated slowly. "What is that?"
I leaned the wooden sword against my shoulder and spoke evenly.
I explained to her about Pri Five, System Church, the City, and the Corporations.
"—Henry had potential to be a Saint so he was kidnapped by P Corp. P Corp failed in the operation, and discarded him. L Corp found him, and saved him. And now, he is with L Corp," I said.
L Corp saved him. That was the important part.
I had said it before. Charlotta’s talent in martial arts was almost comparable to mine.
If she developed a grudge against —against Caelum—for kidnapping her brother, the future would beco troubleso.
Better to make it clear that L Corp were the good guys in this story.
’P Corp works for now.’
’But she doesn’t need to know that.’
"Can we save him?" she asked quietly.
"It won’t be easy. Even Rank 5 Exorcists can’t just walk into the City and take soone out. They would be killed before they even reach a Corporation," I replied.
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