The Bookkeeper
Chapter 83: Guardians of Silence

Chapter 83: Guardians of Silence

"Bloom."

Raiden muttered as his bed and the canopy around it dissolved into dark smoke. The sensation was brief—shorter than he’d hoped—but he could feel his bed as solidly as if it were truly there.

He sighed and extended his hand to stroke Ash’s head. Her wings settled peacefully while she exhaled a smoky breath, wearing a gentle smile.

When Raiden came home with the guardians of silence yesterday, she’d been awake and energetic, jumping around with more joy than he’d ever seen—but she only lasted an hour before drifting off to sleep again.

Her mysterious behavior left Raiden even more confused and frustrated, but he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Not only was it pointless, but Noelle and MK were causing such a racket in the corridor that his irritation was reaching a boiling point.

He tugged at his hair in frustration, gritting his teeth. He’d offered them rooms downstairs, but Noelle had chosen the two rooms right next to his—she took the one immediately adjacent to his room, while MK settled into the one beyond that.

Raiden quietly got to his feet to tell them to keep it down. The moment he opened the door, there she was—Noelle, leaning casually against the door across from his with the aether cigarette between her lips.

Raiden forced a polite smile. "Could you keep your voice down?"

Noelle faced him with her chin raised, removing the aether that rested in her mouth. "Sorry, who are you?" she asked in Aurelian.

Raiden began to laugh softly, though irritation edged his voice.

"This is the bookkeeper—we met him yesterday," MK said as he approached from his room.

She sneered. "I hate these barbarians... though this one looks too weak to be a guardian," she said in Aurelian.

"Yes, my lady," MK replied in kind as they moved away, heading downstairs.

Raiden shook his head in disbelief. They clearly thought he couldn’t speak Aurelian, but that wasn’t going to be as much trouble as Noelle’s behavior.

He went back to his room, rehearsing how to stay calm around them while maintaining his authority in the house. It was his territory.

He prepared to head downstairs and find something to eat. If necessary, he’d send Aeris after Leo and Levi, who still hadn’t returned. And with the storm partially settled, he could finally prioritize returning to his world.

As soon as he headed downstairs, Speed and Soul were sitting in the living room. "Are Leo and Levi back yet?"

Speed’s ears narrowed a little, completely ignoring the question. "I hate the new girl." His tone was cold and uncanny—utterly sincere.

But his eyes widened instantly. Maybe he could spark some fun after all and assert his dominance in his own house.

"Do you want to fight them?" Raiden asked, coming down the stairs.

There was no trace of fear in Speed’s eyes. "Without a doubt, but I might kill her."

A twisted smile spread across Raiden’s face, showing all his teeth. Unless Noelle could see auras, Speed’s turtleneck would conceal his neck, making her underestimate him.

But then his expression dropped instantly. He needed to display his own power to gain Noelle’s respect, not showcase his servants.

He let out a sigh. "You can fight if you want, but I’d like to enjoy it." He scoffed irritably. "At the moment, I have more important matters to think about."

Just then, Aeris emerged from her room, yawning sleepily.

"Hey, Aeris." He turned to her while walking to the kitchen. "Do you know anyone who understands multiverses or dimensions—different realities?"

She shook her head while rubbing her eyes.

"I do." Speed spoke up, and Raiden immediately turned to him with a spark in his eyes, wondering why he hadn’t thought to ask him sooner.

"Uh... tell me."

Speed gave him a lazy look. "Not until you arrange a fight between me and the new girl... she insulted Soul."

Raiden let out an annoyed sigh. With Soul involved, Speed wasn’t going to let this go, and Soul herself seemed to support the idea, judging by the big smile on her face.

Soul was the most fragile among them, and might well be his savior someday. Getting revenge for her shouldn’t have been a debate.

"Aeris, grab me some bread when you get to the kitchen." Aeris gave him a firm nod and began heading toward the kitchen door behind the staircase.

Raiden smiled again. "You should have mentioned this earlier, Speed. Disrespecting Soul won’t be tolerated."

He gestured for them to follow and began heading outside. Speed held Soul’s hand as they trailed behind him.

At the entrance, Raiden could see Noelle and MK moving back and forth across the field, as if they were measuring the land.

He sighed and put on an unhinged expression as they approached.

"I don’t know how things work where you’re from, but here, no one disrespects anyone, especially my comrades," he said in Aurelian.

Both MK and Noelle turned to him, startled that he could speak their language.

Raiden squinted as he stared directly into Noelle’s violet eyes. "The last person who did that ended up dead." He smirked. "But I believe you’re too strong for that."

Noelle pulled the cigarette from her mouth. "I don’t insult the innocent."

Raiden’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

"Never mind... still, you two need to settle who’s right through a duel."

Before either MK or Noelle could respond, Raiden initiated the duel. "Fight!"

The moment Raiden spoke, Speed appeared before Noelle, his fist driving into her gut and launching her into the ground. Before she finished bouncing across the earth, Speed was already positioned for another strike.

MK stood frozen, mouth slightly agape, watching as they pummeled Noelle too fast for his eyes to follow. He clearly wanted to intervene.

"Be a gentleman, MK," Raiden said cockily, taking a piece of bread from Aeris.

MK turned to him with a sigh. "I’m not worried about my lady. I just don’t want her to kill your comrade."

His words didn’t match the situation, confusing Raiden as he turned back to the fight. He couldn’t see clearly, but he could see Noelle’s golden aura fluctuating wildly.

"Rule Domain," Noelle muttered through the chaos. Raiden’s eyes widened in shock.

The way her aura flowed from her body to form a sphere around them was unlike anything Raiden had seen. The speed and precision left his mouth hanging open in confusion. The next thing he saw was Speed frozen in place, unable to move, while Noelle looked paler than usual, gripping her gut with gritted teeth.

"Really, it turns out your friend here is very strong. He managed to make Lady Noelle react in pain."

Raiden glanced at MK—the pride etched across his face was unmistakable.

"You see, my lady has the ability to create and change rules, not only in her domain but even outside it."

Raiden gave him a lazy look as he ate his bread.

"This girl again?" Freya’s voice caught their attention as she approached from behind.

"I fought her years ago at the kingdom’s festival—I lost."

Raiden’s expression shifted as realization hit. "She’s the one Levi said you lost to at the tournament?"

"Yes... and she still has that strange ability to alter the rules of reality itself."

MK smiled, watching Noelle with admiration as she drove her fist into Speed’s gut.

"My lady’s ability isn’t strange. It is the power each rulekeeper must possess. Her mother had it, and so did the two generations before her."

Raiden nodded in understanding, still enjoying his bread. This explained why she was called a rulekeeper instead of a bookkeeper like him. He shrugged.

"So what would have happened if she didn’t have the same ability?" Freya asked.

"Every generation has a rulekeeper, so they would’ve searched for someone with rule abilities or kept the position open until one appeared."

Just then, Soul nervously tugged Raiden’s black shirt, making him turn to her.

"I want to fight her," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Raiden glanced at the fight again, and seeing how badly Speed was faring, he understood his sister’s concern.

"Okay, Soul." He turned to her with a smile. "Go kick her ass."

Soul said nothing more and walked toward the duel. Within range, he unleashed an overwhelming presence, sending a huge wind blowing outward.

MK swallowed nervously as sweat began forming across his face. "I knew she had an incredible aura, but nothing like this."

Freya gave him a confused look while Raiden’s eyes moved between their faces, enjoying his meal.

"Why do you think she has those stabilizing seals all over her body?"

MK said nothing as they watched Soul casually walk into Noelle’s domain. Instantly, the golden sphere flickered and shattered.

Shock was etched across MK’s face as he watched Soul grab Noelle by the collar and toss her out of her own domain.

"She did it so casually..."

Raiden smirked, seeing an opportunity to earn his respect. "You said Speed was strong, right?" He giggled. "Well, he’s supposed to be the weakest among us."

MK looked even more confused.

"I really want to fight her again," Freya said and turned to Raiden with a big grin. "But do you know what I want the most?"

Her laughter became menacing. "A fight between you two... I would really enjoy watching you brats kill each other."

Raiden gave her a lazy look. He wasn’t opposed to the idea either—he wanted to test himself against Noelle, too.

However, his danger detection suddenly kicked in. People were approaching, but he couldn’t tell whether they were allies or foes.