"It is quite confidential information, so I would like to talk to you in private!" Aoto said in a solemn voice, keeping eye contact with Avion.
"Okay, come with me," Avion replied, standing up from his chair. They both walked into a room at the back and closed the door shut.
After a few minutes of no noise coming from outside the room, Lilith turned to Scarlett. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Lilith asked, her voice as emotionless as ever.
Scarlett immediately shook her head. "Nope, not a clue. Must be some information related to the goddess or humans!" she said softly, her curiosity getting the better of her.
After a few more minutes, the door swung open as both Avion and Aoto walked out with dead serious faces, their eyes heavy and their expressions firm.
"Was it satisfactory?" Lilith asked, feeling slightly puzzled by their serious expressions.
"Satisfactory?" Avion repeated in a solemn voice. "It was way more than satisfactory!" Avion shouted, his serious face breaking into a wide, happy and satisfied expression. He bent on his knees, pointing at Aoto like a priest introducing his goddess.
"I traveled so many places, but why did no one give me this divine knowledge about women? Mr. Aoto is surely the smartest and bravest man born in mankind!" he said with a holy-like voice, as if Aoto was some kind of divine being.
Aoto himself didn't say anything, but the proud nodding and facial expression clearly showed that he was savoring every moment. He even ran his fingers through his hair, giving heroic poses, his chest puffed out with pride.
"I think I should take Mr. Aoto as my master and learn from him for a few months!" Avion added, his eyes shining with admiration.
"Wait, will that make me Scarlett's grandmaster? Hahaha!" Aoto said, laughing out loud proudly, his voice booming in the quiet basement.
Meanwhile, Scarlett and Lilith looked at each other with bored eyes, their expressions reflecting disappointment and a bit of secondhand embarrassment.
"What nonsense are you two talking about?" Scarlett said in a disappointed tone, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Nonsense? It seems I need to show a bit of my skills in front of my new disciple!" Aoto said proudly, walking towards Lilith, his confidence soaring.
"Go Master!.. Go!;" Avion cheered from behind, his voice full of encouragement.
Aoto walked with full confidence and stopped in front of Lilith. "Yo—"
The moment he was about to say another word,
BAM!
Lilith's punch landed on his face out of nowhere. It was so fast that he didn't even realize it before he was flying away slightly in the air.
"At least you could've let me finish!" he muttered to himself as his body landed on the ground, completely unconscious.
Avion looked at his unconscious body and gulped hard, not able to say any words at all, his face pale with shock.
Half an hour later, Aoto felt his cheeks lightly slapped by someone. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Scarlett slapping his cheeks lightly to wake him up. He was in a daze for a few seconds but then finally came to his senses.
"How many days has it been?" he asked, his voice groggy.
"Just half an hour. You're lucky that she didn't hit you hard!" Scarlett said with a sly grin, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
Aoto rolled his eyes and looked at Lilith and Avion. He immediately did a backflip and stood on his feet like nothing had happened, a confident smirk on his face.
"Well, mistakes happen. You should always remember the basics!" Aoto said, looking at Avion as if he were a wise master teaching a student. "We should go now, it's getting late!" Aoto added, immediately turning away to leave, not wanting to stay any longer.
"Let's meet again some other day!" Scarlett said, slightly bowing in respect, her gesture polite and formal.
But the moment she turned back to leave with Aoto, Avion called out. "One last thing!" he interrupted, his voice stopping them in their tracks.
"What is it?" Scarlett stopped and just turned her head to look at Avion, her eyes questioning.
"If you decide to investigate or go against Vladimir and the holy knights, then start with the Kingdom of Armaments," he said calmly, his voice serious.
"Kingdom of Armament? What do they have anything to do with this?" Scarlett asked in confusion, her brow furrowed.
But then Avion just smiled lightly but didn't say anything at all, his eyes holding a secret.
Scarlett immediately understood that there was no point in asking him any further. "Well, I'm not in the mood to attack anyone unless someone else decides to attack me!" Scarlett replied, turning back and finally leaving with Aoto, her voice firm.
They both waved their hands as they left the basement and then the castle.
Both Avion and Lilith quietly watched Scarlett and Aoto leave the basement. As they did, Lilith turned to Avion.
"Why did you tell her to go to the Kingdom of Armament? The end will not be pleasing at all. Confronting the holy knights directly would definitely get the best outcome!" Lilith said in her usual emotionless voice, her words direct and to the point.
Avion didn't say anything for a few seconds, just looking quietly at the nothingness. And then he finally opened his mouth.
"The hardest paths make the toughest men. It'll be quite painful, but it'll sure give her a reality check!" Avion replied in a solemn voice, his eyes looking distant.
****
The sky outside had turned orange. It was just about to be sunset, and the sun was going down slowly, painting the sky with beautiful colors.
"Phew, who would have thought that the first demon king would turn out to be a pervert!" Aoto chuckled lightly, a playful smile on his face.
"What kind of nonsense did you tell him?" Scarlett asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Just the usual!" Aoto added, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
As he was about to say more, a huge wind current blew past them, distracting their attention. The next moment, they realized that the whole castle had disappeared in thin air without leaving any traces behind.
"Whoa, what kind of teleportation was that? I didn't even sense any mana!" Aoto exclaimed in amazement, his eyes wide with shock.
"Rather than teleporting, it seems he cut open the space to wherever he wanted to go," Scarlett said in a low voice, looking quietly at the empty place and the cliff's edge, her mind trying to understand the power she had just witnessed.
The next moment, a thought struck her mind out of nowhere.
"Let's lay down there and see the sunset!" Scarlett said, pointing at the edge of the cliff with soft green grass, her voice soft and inviting.
"Umm... okay!" Aoto agreed, a small smile on his face.
They walked to the edge of the cliff. The view of the forest below gave a beautiful view, but what's more beautiful was the sunset happening and its orange rays landing on the vast forest below. It felt too soothing to the eyes.
Scarlett laid down on the green soft grass and put her hands behind her head, looking at the sunset, her body relaxed.
Aoto did the same and laid down beside her. For the next few seconds, both of them didn't say anything and just enjoyed the quiet moment, the only sound being the gentle breeze.
"Peaceful, isn't it?" Scarlett broke the silence, her voice soft and thoughtful.
"Indeed!" Aoto replied gently with a faint smile, his eyes looking at the beautiful sky. "Last time we did it was in middle school on the school's rooftop!" he added, a nostalgic look on his face.
Scarlett chuckled but didn't say anything back, a small smile playing on her lips.
Again for the next few seconds, no one spoke, the comfortable silence wrapping around them.
"Do you know, when I saw my mother's dead body, I wanted to cry so hard, to let out all the grief in my heart!" Scarlett said out of nowhere, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yet, for some reason, I couldn't cry at all. The tears just wouldn't come out. Even when I was getting tortured, I begged them and even agreed to lick their feet, but still there were no tears coming out of my eyes!" Scarlett added in a soft tone, like she was hiding a deep pain behind her words, her eyes looking at the setting sun.
"What's with that out of nowhere? She doesn't usually say anything about herself!" Aoto thought to himself, looking at her.
Even when Scarlett had a toxic alcoholic father and was living in poverty, she never talked anything about it to Aoto unless he heard it from somewhere else, always showing her bright and confident side.
"Is it because of that woman Feyre?" he thought to himself, thinking it should be the reason for this sudden openness.
"Well, it's a sign of maturity and toughness!" Aoto praised on purpose, deciding not to joke around this time, his voice gentle and supportive.
"Mature? I'm only eighteen. I don't wanna be mature," Scarlett added in a down tone, her voice filled with a sadness that she rarely showed.
She raised one hand, her palm hiding half of the setting sun, casting a shadow on her face.
"I wanna cry!" she said.
"I wanna cry my lungs out, till my throat gives out!" Scarlett added. The words hung in the air, heavy with unshed tears that seemed trapped somewhere deep inside her.
"You can do it now. It'll be our secret. I won't tell anyone!" Aoto replied in a soft tone, his voice gentle and reassuring. He turned his head slightly to look at her.
Scarlett chuckled lightly, but it was a hollow sound, like a laugh that had lost its joy.
She sat up slowly, her movements stiff and deliberate.
"I would've done so if I could. It seems even Feyre's skill can't make me cry!" she said, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
"Let's just go back. There are a lot of things that are still left to show you!" Scarlett added, standing up with a sudden burst of energy, as if she were trying to outrun her own emotions.
Aoto also stood up, stretching his limbs and yawning lightly. The setting sun cast a warm orange glow on his face.
"Other things? I believe I saw everything!" Aoto asked in confusion.
Scarlett didn't say anything and started walking away, her pace quick and determined. Aoto immediately followed her from behind, his footsteps matching hers.
"Like my treasure room, a unicorn and," she took a long pause, letting the suspense build, and then added with a dramatic flourish.
"an female angel!"
Aoto's ears immediately twitched the moment he heard the word "angel" in his ears. His eyes widened with disbelief and wonder.
"Angel? Did you really just say angel? A female at that!" Aoto exclaimed in shock and curiosity, his voice rising with excitement.
Scarlett immediately started walking away, her pacing fast and then she started running, her laughter echoing behind her.
"Hey, stop! I wanna meet an angel too!" Aoto shouted, chasing her down.