Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 268: Casual banter

Chapter 268: Casual banter

The serenity of Evernight, lit up by the gentle glow from the circular moon in the sky was disturbed as a flash of black and white heralded the return of its master and an unwilling subordinate.

Arthur grumbled as he walked with Alex. "I can never get used to that."

"Accept my offer and you’ll surely get used to it." Alex calmly responded as he continued his match towards the center of the island.

Arthur snorted. "Try again, this time, maybe be a bit more sincere."

"Heh," Alex smirked but didn’t bother to continue with the banter, his mind currently on a different matter.

Just as they arrived at the outskirts, Arthur suddenly inquired. "Why’d you do it?"

"Hmm?" Alex paused upon noticing the seriousness in his voice.

"Elena. Why’d you say all that to her?... I didn’t see you as the type to talk so much."

"Is that so?" Alex muttered, a playful smile lingering at the top of his lips.

Arthur snorted. "Cut to the chase. What’s your endgame?"

"Hah, let’s just say... I’m intrigued." Alex remarked with a nonchalant shrug causing Arthur to raise a questioning brow.

"Intrigued?"

"You said it yourself, her dimensional shifting is like nothing ever seen before. With what we know, it’s clear that it’s more an after-effect from the accident with Ashtyx than an ability obtained from the Wheels or even from gods, correct?"

"... That is correct," Arthur admitted.

Alex nodded. "Which means she’s one of a kind in a sense. Just imagine what she could achieve under the right tutelage?"

"You’re planning on adding her to your team?"

"Of course!... she would be a fine addition," Alex replied, his sights set on Elena’s potential if left to grow.

Arthur massaged his temples as he let out a sigh. "You are something else."

"Hah, perhaps... But I’m only telling the truth. Unfortunately, she can’t join us now considering her attachment to the princess or whatever she called it. However, as long as I plant a seed of desire in her, it’s easy to ensure its growth."

"Hmm."

"Her thoughts, her goals, she needs to have all that before she can join us. Until then, I’d have to take things slowly. When she is ready, I would know and at that time, a position in Constellations would be ready for her."

"You sound excited." Arthur couldn’t help but point out.

Alex shrugged. "Most likely your imagination."

Of course, even though he said that he couldn’t deny the fact that he was indeed curious about Elena’s hidden potential.

Chuckling lightly, Arthur inquired further. "So what about the princess?... Do you plan on rescuing her?"

"Depends," Alex replied.

"On?"

"If the rescue doesn’t involve me deviating from my set path, then I won’t hesitate to help out, after all, that would cause her and her people to be indebted to me. The best type of allies are the ones that are indebted to you. At least, that’s what I think."

"That is correct, though not always."

"Is there ever a perfect thought?"

"... Regardless, what if you have to deviate?", Arthur pressed.

Alex pursed his lips before slowly replying. "Then... you live, you learn, I guess. I have a goal, Arthur... I can’t look away from it no matter what."

"... Hah, at times like this, I feel like you are truly genuine."

"Oh, what about other times?"

"Bah, you are too fake."

"Oh come on, you didn’t sense anything back in BoneHaven."

"You either take me for a fool or you are the fool."

As the duo bantered with each other, they soon arrived at the main hall where Alex summoned both Nadia and Arwen.

The flashing of black and white within the hall signaled their entry.

"Master, you called for us," Arwen remarked in a slightly worried tone.

She still felt bad about Elena escaping right under her nose though Alex had already tried to convince her that it was okay.

"The both of you will head to Thebes. Elena is currently waiting for your arrival. Your mission is to stay with her and ensure she comes to understand that she is her person. Understood?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good, be on your way. Keep me updated on the situation."

Just as Alex turned to leave with Arthur, Arwen called out to him.

"Yes, Apys?"

"... If she attempts to escape again, are we allowed to use force?"

"... I don’t think there’s a need to worry but then if it doesn’t happen, go ahead to do whatever you feel is right."

"As you wish."

With that, the duo quickly left with Alex and Arthur the only ones remaining in the observatory.

"You have loyal subordinates," Arthur commented, his gaze lingering on where Nadia had been.

Alex reached out and placed his palm on his shoulder. "Rest easy for now, she will surely come... but that’s when she’s ready."

"Bah, I understand, no need to tell me that. Anyway, are you taking me home?... I need to get some rest."

"Yeah, yeah, come on, let’s get going."

***

The Eastern Highlands had seen a lot of movement since the rise and fall of the Black King.

The darkness that bloated out the golden rays of the Lightbringer caused the Great Families to grow tense and with the news of what happened in Krobridge reaching their ears, it was safe to say that they had no reason to remain inactive.

At the revelation that the Dark Lord had awakened, some even went ahead to attribute that the Black King and the Dark Lord were linked, after all, both stood to be a figurehead for a new age of darkness.

Due to this, several of the Defense Headquarters forces spread out across the empire began to gather at BlackWatch.

The Vampire Monarchs weren’t idle as well as they had begun to gather their forces with several spies being sent out to verify the current location of the Dark Lord.

Of course, with the several happenings taking place, it wasn’t wrong to say that the chances of clashes occurring between the two forces were high, just like the one currently taking place.

Boom

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