Ascension of the Dark Seraph
Chapter 360: More than One Reason

Chapter 360: More than One Reason

Ravenna started the suspicion through the supposed message ‘Bob’ left behind.

She was wounded right after visiting Master Tobias.

More importantly, Clara deduced that the perpetrator is undoubtedly a Vampire Hybrid.

Lucivar already suspected from the start that Master Tobias had something to do—or even was a part of the Supreme House of Valerius. If that was true, then he undoubtedly possessed the Vampire bloodline, and that would strengthen the suspicion against him.

But even then, all of those clues weren’t anything concrete.

It could simply be another Vampire Hybrid entirely, and Master Tobias was innocent.

From a moral view, Lucivar shouldn’t be making preparations when it was still uncertain like this.

Sabrina was curious about his reasoning, and frankly, knew that he was hiding something.

He was moving too comfortably for someone who only realized his savior might not be a good person.

Before departing, she knew that Lucivar told Leandra and Ravenna to lay low.

Lucivar was still uncertain of what to do.

But when he came back, he moved with confidence and certainty.

Almost like he became even more determined in dealing with Master Tobias once and for all.

“Do you really think I’m aiming for Tobias only because of Bob? Do you think that’s the only reason?”

“No, which was why I’m asking you right now.”

Lucivar chuckled as he grabbed a towel.

It seemed Sabrina had already begun to see through him, even if only a little bit.

Not that he was complaining, since he wanted her to know.

Above everyone, Sabrina has proven her loyalty through her actions and even got vouched for by the Gods inside him, Sutekh’s side in particular—so she was the most trustworthy. “Is this really because you are curious about my reason? Or is it because you’re having a master complex?”

Sabrina’s eyes widened, and she quickly waved both of her hands.

She didn’t even think in that direction.

“No. No, of course not. Master Tobias might be the one who took me out of that hell-hole, but at this moment until the end, you’ll always be my one and only master,” She answered assuringly. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“Relax,” Lucivar waved his hand. “I’m only messing with you.”

Hearing this, Sabrina rubbed her face with her hand, trying to calm the rising tension.

She thought she was going to get into trouble.

“One of the avatars is linked to the Supreme House of Valerius,” Lucivar said, as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror, inspecting his God-sculpted body from top to bottom. “And I’m 80% sure that Master Tobias has something to do with the supreme house.”

“You want to use him as bait?” Sabrina leaned back in realization. “No wonder…”

Now everything clicks.

Lucivar didn’t even try to de-escalate the suspicion the family has towards Master Tobias because he wanted them to keep on—being suspicious. In doing so, he would have a justified reason to go against Master Tobias without creating conflict within the family.

Had it not been about this suspicion, he wouldn’t be able to touch Master Tobias.

It would spark anger from the others, which would lead to complicated things.

Not that he was afraid of the others.

If it came down to it, he’s going to prioritize his own life over theirs.

But what he was worried about was the fact that he wouldn’t know how to explain it to Delilah.

So, rather than put himself in that situation, he’d try another approach.

Fortunately for him, the opportunity landed on his lap.

Out of nowhere, Bob disappeared, and Ravenna became suspicious of Master Tobias.

Karma strikes again.

As an opportunist, he couldn’t possibly allow this chance to slip from his hands—he must secure it.

And to do that, he needed to make sure the others kept suspecting Master Tobias.

“So that’s why you’re silent, agreeing with them. You’re letting the situation develop on its own.”

“Frankly, I didn’t really care if Tobias is the one behind this or not. I’d just make him the black sheep for now.” Lucivar shrugged, flexing his abs and arms that were more developed than before. “Before departing from the academy, I was also confused about what to do with him. But when Samael informed me that one of the avatars has a close connection to the Supreme House of Valerius, I made a plan to use him. It’s that simple.”

Cracking his neck, Lucivar grabbed his towel again.

“If you’re done with your questions,” He headed for the bathroom. “Imma take a shower.”

“Are you really fine with this?” Sabrina asked, stopping him mid-track.

Lucivar paused for a second.

He knew what Sabrina meant, but she decided to clarify anyway.

“Master Tobias is still your savior, and Delilah cared for him so much…” She added.

Lucivar’s grip on the bathroom door’s handle tightened when he heard this.

Even though he had no emotions to spare for Master Tobias, knowing that it was what the world required for him to be as strong as he wanted, he still couldn’t get Delilah off his mind. He wanted to ascend and reach a new height of power, but he couldn’t forget Delilah.

Messing with Master Tobias would mean disrespecting Delilah.

And he knew that very well.

But it should be fine.

“I’m not planning to kill Tobias. I’m only planning to use him.” He said with conviction, saying it as if he were trying to convince Delilah instead of Sabrina. “Even if the others attempted to hurt him, I won’t let it happen. Tobias will be fine in the end.”

“Don’t you believe this would destroy the family?” Sabrina asked again.

It was unclear whether she was still curious now or she was trying to help Lucivar right now.

Asking the hard questions and forcing him to answer those questions would help him in the long run.

And perhaps, Sabrina was exactly doing that.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m not saying this because the family is weak, or because the others can’t handle it. I’m saying this because all of you are about to face a figure who’s deemed the savior of the family.”

Lucivar contemplated for a second, but he didn’t contemplate for long.

“Sure, the family might be destroyed. But either way, I’m going to be fine. I’m not going to be the one hurting the most.”

…

As soon as morning came, Lucivar was woken up by the sound of knocking.

He opened up the door, knowing exactly who was outside.

It was Leandra.

She immediately pushed into the room without even saying anything, and immediately began talking about what their moves would be. Clearly, she had been stressed during the time Lucivar wasn’t around, and now wanted peace of mind more than anything.

From the looks of it, she was only awakened from sleep minutes ago.

Her face was smudged and haggard, but she didn’t care.

Lucivar sat down with her and explained the situation.

He told her about Angel.

As he requested, Angel would be hiring people to spy on Master Tobias—and also see if they could find anything about his background. Knowing how she operated and how reliable she is, Lucivar was quite assured that Angel would give him results very soon.

No need for them to investigate themselves.

“All we need to do is focus on healing Ravenna,” Lucivar said, lying back down on the bed.

“Focus on Ravenna?” Leandra raised a brow. “Is there a particular reason?”

“What else? We’re going to confront Tobias sooner or later, so she has to recover.”

“Nerissa is with her right now. I’m sure she can help Ravenna more than I can.”

“Alright. In that case, now we wait.”

Leandra rubbed her arms, still concerned about the situation but visibly a lot better than before.

As she expected, she needed someone like Lucivar.

Someone who would stay composed, even if the entire world were about to explode.

Anxiously, Leandra ran her fingers through her silken hair, looking outside of the morning window as the chatter of students began to rise by the second. All of them were preparing to do their daily, normal activities, which she was extremely jealous of right now.

She tapped her palms together several times, idling, and recalled something.

“Oh, Ravenna also gave me something. A gem of some sort. She seemed to want me to have it.”

“And where is it right now?”

“I asked Elira for help, and she said she’ll look into it.”

“Then we’re good. Elira wouldn’t dare play around, so you did the right thing by asking her help.”

Lucivar raised a thumb, still lying on the bed with his eyes closed shut.

He was still sleepy from yesterday.

“Oh, also, Mirel said that Tobias doesn’t seem to have anything on his schedule.”

“He’s lying.”

Leandra looked at Lucivar, tilting her head in confusion.

“Lying?”

“Yep. I visited the mansion—and met with this woman, Vanessa, who seemed to be close with Tobias. She said that her birthday party is coming, and Tobias will be there.”

“Vanessa…?” Leandra buried her face in her hands. “What is he planning, really?”

She was clearly stressed.

Just wondering what Master Tobias was truly planning left her restless and afraid—as if she could sense death drawing closer to the family. It was a suffocating feeling, one that made even Leandra, usually so composed and cold, begin to tremble.

But once again, Lucivar didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

In a shaky voice, she finally sat straight and called, “Lucivar…”

“Hmm? Just sleep if you’re anxious,” He patted the bed beside him. “You’re making me stressed.”

“Can you…” She dragged, hesitant. “Hold me for a second?”

Lucivar opened his eyes and sat, turning to look at her properly for the first time.

As soon as his eyes landed on her, he realized that she was shaking violently—her hands, especially, shook so visibly there was no way anyone could miss it, even from afar. She seemed to really be affected by the situation.

Sighing lightly, Lucivar lay on the bed properly and opened the blanket.

“Come on,” He nudged his chin. “I need to go soon, but I can hold you for a bit.”

Hesitantly, Leandra stood up and climbed onto the bed.

She awkwardly lies beside Lucivar.

Lucivar covered her with the blanket and put his arm over her to pull her close.

Once Lucivar found a comfortable position, the two of them lay close.

Leandra was tense at first, but as she rested her head against his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the awkwardness slowly melted away. Her body softened, and before long, the two of them drifted off into sleep.

Moments later.

Lucivar was standing outside the academy, stretching his body as he grinned deviously.

He reached out his hand as Sabrina handed him something.

“Now, let’s start our hunt. A mere Vestal dare come here to cause trouble? I’ll kill him.”