Chapter Fourty-One
"Lily, huh?"
I murmured, my voice dropping to a cold hum.
I watched as the boy’s shoulders tensed. His fingers gripped the fabric of his tattered trousers until his knuckles turned white. The air around him seed to thicken.
"Haaah... You’re just eleven years old and you’re already plotting to take my daughter away from , you little brat?"
The sheer audacity of it. How dare he, a re SSS-Rank prospect, eye my SSSS-Rank money bank with such possessive intent? Lily was my ultimate asset to discover mana stones in the vast range of mana peaks without exerting myself to co up with a magical equation. I didn’t appreciate competition, especially from soone whose head barely reached my waist.
"I was there for Lily before you even knew of her existence, Your Grace," Zien replied.
His voice didn’t crack. It didn’t waver. It lacked the high-pitched innocence of a child and instead carried the dry, hollow resonance of soone who had seen the bottom of a coffin.
Even though, he’s SSS Rank, I don’t like him, Sysi.
[Ping!]
[He’s a good card. You should think about it calmly.]
Alright.
"Is that so?" I tilted my head, my eyes tracking the faint, dark mist swirling around his ankles.
A 1st Circle Necromancer? Huh.
"But, I thank you for saving Lily in this life," Zien continued, his gaze drifting to the door where Lily had vanished. "I was terrified when I returned and she wasn’t at the orphanage. God... I truly hate those children. Why must she be kind to everyone? It’s a sweetness that invites parasites."
Out of everything he said, my head only caught one phrase. I played it back in my mind, weighing it like a heavy coin. "In this life? You speak as if you’re inviting to notice sothing, brat."
Zien’s eyes snapped back to mine. They lacked the innocence of a child. "And what would that be, Your Grace?"
"You speak like a man who has already seen the end of the book. Like you’ve been reincarnated or sothing equally cliché."
I waited for the denial, the stuttering, or the fear. Instead, Zien let out a short, mirthless laugh.
"It is true. I thought you would have had burnt at stake if you figured that out which obviously had a very low percentage chance considering your dumbness. You’ve changed a lot well, Your Grace. Perhaps, you rember your past too."
"I don’t rember much," I lied, my face a mask of bored indifference. In the ga of information, the one who reveals the least holds the most cards. And, what will an eleven year old do knowing about my transmigration anyway. "I’m just confused as I find things I’ve forgotten."
"You don’t have to explain to . I know quite a bit about it myself. So of my mories are indeed hazy. I suppose it’s a side effect." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I’m just lucky. I rember her. That’s all I need."
Why is that longing looking making my heart ache? Why does it feel like I’m forgetting sothing very important?
I leaned forward, the shadows of the room lengthening as the candles flickered. "So, how did a Necromancer learn how to rewind ti. Wouldn’t summoning Lily as an undead would have been more efficient?"
The temperature in the room plumted. Zien’s shadow stretched across the floor, twitching with a life of its own. "I would never do that to her. The pain of it... The rotting of soul... Not a chance."
I humd, unimpressed by his sentintality. Sentint was a luxury for the weak, but in this case, it made him predictable. "I hope you know I have no intention of giving my daughter’s hand into a powerless eleven year old’s hand."
"I have no intention of taking it now." Zien countered. "That’s why I’m revealing my secret to you."
"What do you want then, little brat?"
"A deal."
"Go on."
Zien turned his little head, letting his eyes et mine. "Lily... She always wanted to be a princess. I want you to adopt her. I want Your Grace to give Lily the Halcrest na."
I tapped my finger against my chin. "Since it’s a deal, I assu you’re offering sothing of equal value. I don’t do charities just from hearing emotional stories, Zien."
"A piece of information and my loyalty."
I let out a derisive snort. "Hnff... How would the loyalty of an eleven year old benefit ?"
"I am not strong enough yet," Zien said, his voice dropping to a whisper that sounded like dead leaves skittering on a grave. "But I will grow stronger than anyone in this land. Let and my undead be the shadow knights of the Halcrest Duchy. You won’t regret it. I will handle the filth you don’t want to touch. I’ll protect this place with my life, as long as she is safe, alive and happy."
"And the information?"
Zien’s expression turned grim. "Two days later, you might die due to food poisoning. You must fast that day and close the door of North that day. No one must leave North from that day till you have an army that can defeat the Emperor."
"I see." I stared at him for a long beat.
[Ping!]
[What is Host going to do?]
The information is sothing I already figured out.
[Ping!]
[How?]
The letter was unopened so it should have arrived after midnight when Vische ca here to cause trouble. So, if today is day one then two days later if the door is still not closed, the Emperor will definitely attack.
[Ping!]
[Host is going to refuse?]
Hmmm.
I looked at Zien, who was waiting for my shock.
"Your information is useless to ."
"What?"
I reached into my pocket, pulled out the Imperial letter I had opened earlier, and tossed it onto the table between us.
Zien’s little hands reached for the letter as he scanned the Imperial seal and the contents, his eyes widening. "Ah-"
"However," My lips curved upwards, "I’ll accept the deal since you shared the secret that could have you killed to earn my trust."
Zien’s composure finally broke. The cold, hollow shell of the Necromancer cracked, revealing a desperate eleven-year-old underneath. "Really? You’ll adopt Lily?"
"Yes. I’ll adopt Lily."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Zien bowed his head so low it nearly hit his knees.
"You better not turn out useless, My Shadow Knight. I don’t like useless things."
"I won’t disappoint you, My Liege."
[Ping!]
[Zien’s Loyalty : 10]
[10000 Trade Points Awarded!]
"Good."
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