"You're a bit stiff," Linlin commented as the two went back to their room.
"No shit, I just had my back blasted out by that old man," Rael grumbled.
Not literally, of course.
The old man just decided it was a good idea to attack Rael a few times to test his defenses before leaving him lying on the ground in pain.
But now it was done, and it was dark out.
However, the pain didn't come without gain, as finally...
With that came a new option, which was a bit interesting.
Resonant Duelist: [Level 27 | 1,043/14,030] (Legendary)
—A refined art form born from harmonizing blade and string. This passive art grants deeper mastery over Sound-based weapons, allowing them to become more fluid, reactive, and attuned to rhythm and intent.
1. Symphony: Landing a Perfect Note Attack grants +2% Critical Hit Damage for 10 seconds, stacking up to 200%. This effect ends once a note is missed, or no attack is made within 10 seconds.
For a first option, it was pretty good.
To stack it up fully, he would need to attack a monster 100 times.
Basically, by the time he was done stacking, the monster would have formed a family, gotten married, and lived out its entire fucking life.
So, while it was good, it definitely could've been better.
Nonetheless, they finally arrived back at their room, and there was already someone waiting inside.
"Zareth." Rael nodded at him. "I take it you got the information I asked for?"
"I have acquired it, yes. Take a look." Zareth walked up and passed Rael a note.
Rael skimmed through the contents, a frown forming on his face.
Zareth nodded. "I have confirmed it."
"Hmm..." Rael let out an annoyed sigh.
The death of her parents?
They'd been drunks prior to her birth and had died from an overdose a week after Evelyn was born.
Their death was covered up, as the scandal would've damaged the reputation of all the nobles.
After all, unlike Celestara, Yrgon had the more old-school approach, utilizing hierarchical ranks—also known as nobility.
Nonetheless, Rael couldn't give less of a shit whether they were random drunks or high-class kings.
They died, and now...
How am I supposed to break this news to her?
"Rael, I'm going to take my leave if that's alright with you," Zareth stated, and Rael nodded.
"Good job with this. Once I'm back, I'll have an interesting present for you. In the meantime, I'd really appreciate it if you could form the Shadows I mentioned."
"I already did," Zareth replied with a chuckle. "I currently have 392 recruits, 25 of whom show potential."
"Raise the number by a dozen. We'll need it," Rael said before putting the note into his pocket. "I'll go break the news to her somehow."
Zareth tilted his head. "You're talking about Evelyn Ardent, right? She already knows, from what I've gathered."
So she's in denial? Rael's brows furrowed. "Thanks for the heads-up. See you in Celestara."
Zareth sent a small wave before making his way out.
Meanwhile, Rael flashed a glance at Linlin, who was swinging her legs on the bed, and tapping something in the air.
From what he could guess, she was likely typing stuff in the group chat.
Why did I even check... Rael grumbled, as he whistled to get her attention.
"I'm going out, you coming?"
"Yep, just a sec," Linlin replied, and the moment she did, he saw the chatroom flash again.
But for his own sanity, he didn't open it, and waited for her to finish up—until finally, she stood up and accompanied him out.
Sadly, leaving wasn't as easy as roaming around, so he had to show his face to the guards and tell them how long he'd be out.
Nonetheless, after all that was over and done with, Rael, alongside Linlin, went down the lengthy stairs.
He had a rough idea of where Evelyn was supposed to be—based on the lore he'd gathered, she always trained in a courtyard alone.
Which courtyard? He had no clue.
But there was a single hint.
The moon shines the brightest, illuminating her steel blade—
Rael stopped as he glanced toward a roof in the distance.
It was definitely not the highest in the palace courtyard, but it was captivating enough to be noticeable, as its roof was much wider than the other buildings.
And of course, from time to time, he saw a sheen—just as the lore had described.
Rael turned toward the bored Linlin and pointed at the building in the distance, before making their move.
After just a few minutes, they arrived and leaped upward, landing on the flat roof and surprising the person practicing.
It was none other than Evelyn.
"It's you..." Evelyn's eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, she bowed. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you earlier, King of Celestara, Rael Sutekh."
"Drop the formalities," Rael said before turning serious. "You know why I came here, don't you?"
"Yes." Evelyn straightened her back. "So what—"
He cut her off by waving a note in the air.
"I'd prefer you read this yourself instead."
Evelyn nodded hesitantly, picked up the note, then read through it.
As expected, her expression worsened with each passing word—until finally, she crumpled the note and put it in her pocket.
"That's everything I found," Rael stated. "The information is verified, rechecked, and everything else you can imagine. It's correct."
She remained silent, and despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, Rael still had to say it.
"My offer from earlier still stands," Rael said as he turned around. "I don't count this request of yours as a wish. If you join me, you can ask me for whatever you want—but make up your mind in the next 5 days. I'm leaving soon."
He glanced into her shaky blue eyes one last time and, alongside Linlin, jumped back down and went back to their room.
With that, everything was done.
The agreement should be drafted by the time he left, the Faceless One was on his side, and even if Evelyn didn't join him, the progress was good enough.
Rael passed the guards and finally entered his room.
The moment he did, like an alarm clock, his money came in.
A smile appeared on his face, as he took a quick shower and went to bed.
Linlin did the same, and after she came back, they did a bit of back-and-forth chatter until she fell asleep.
Nonetheless, since all of his main objectives were done...
The only thing remaining was the hellish 5 days of training.