[Scarlet Tavern, Private Room]
Akasha downed a full glass of blood-red wine in one gulp and let out a long, satisfied breath. "I love this flavour…I'm quite sure the owner of this blood was a virgin under eighteen!"
She suddenly seemed to remember something and turned with a slightly guilty expression. "Ah, sorry—I forgot there's a human present. But I promise, all blood here is legally sourced."
Edward didn't respond to the jab. He got straight to the point, "Miss Akasha, are you aware that your younger brother kidnapped my family member not long ago, nearly resulting in her death?"
Emlyn, who had been lounging carelessly on the sofa, shot upright, shocked: What?! When did this happen? Why don't I know about any of this?
Arlde, for his part, didn't hesitate. "I was acting under Lord Nibbs' orders!"
He paused, frowning. "But didn't your cat—uh, family member—run back on her own?"
"She was intercepted on the way," Edward said coldly, "by a demigod-level Marauder. If I hadn't arrived in time, she'd have been parasitised and killed."
Arlde was stunned. "How's that my fault?"
"If your clan hadn't kidnapped her in the first place, she would've stayed home that night—safe and sound. She'd never have crossed paths with that demigod."
From Edward's perspective, he wasn't being unreasonable at all.
Akasha chuckled. "Well, from what I understand, once you accepted the gift Arlde brought, wasn't that whole matter considered…resolved?"
"Of course."
"Then your visit today is for…?"
Edward said earnestly, "Miss Akasha, I'd like the Sanguines—your clan's help—to eliminate that demigod Marauder."
Akasha crossed her arms under her already explosive chest, making her figure seem even more alluring. "Oh? So is this a request, a commission, or…a mutual benefit exchange?"
Edward asked cautiously, "Is there a difference?"
"Of course. A request means we work for free, but you owe us a favour. A commission means you pay us—either in money, materials, or sealed items. And mutual exchange means a trade: we do something for you, and you do something for us in return."
"And which would you suggest I choose?"
Akasha looked him up and down. "I don't mind either way. But higher up seems to prefer you go with the first."
Higher up?
Edward's eyes narrowed slightly. So her being here isn't a coincidence…
Could it be that vampire Lilith—who overheard his conversation with Emlyn at the Harvest Church—had sent Akasha here?
But he was just a small pawn of the Evernight Goddess. Surely that wouldn't attract the personal attention of a being like Lilith? Edward didn't believe for a second that the Goddess would reveal his uniqueness to the vampires, even if they were ancient allies.
Then Akasha suddenly changed the subject: "You have a grudge with the Rose School of Thought, don't you?"
"…What?"
Edward blinked, then nodded. "You could say that."
"Perfect. I've got a score to settle with them too."
Akasha's smile widened. "My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all killed by the artificial vampires led by the Shaman King Klarman. If it weren't for His Grace stepping in, their Beyonder characteristics wouldn't have fallen into our hands, and Arlde and I wouldn't have risen to viscount and count."
She grinned with genuine joy. "That's why we're known within the clan as the 'Lucky Siblings'—and I think they're totally right, hahahahaha!"
Emlyn, who'd been silently digesting the entire scene, now looked like he'd swallowed a melon whole.
Akasha rolled her shoulders and nudged Edward with a grin. "So how about this? Forget whatever the clan or 'higher ups' think. I'll help you kill that Marauder demigod. After that, when I go after the Rose School for revenge, you come help me. Deal?"
"You want to go up against Shaman King Klarman? You think I'm that strong?"
She burst out laughing. "Come on, anyone who can make the ancient geezers of our clan bow their heads isn't just anyone. Maybe you're weak now, but time's on your side."
With that, she pulled a sheet of parchment from her chest. It was inscribed with a dense set of blood-red Hermes text.
"Come, come! Sign your name right here, and we'll be allies—attack and defence!"
She grabbed his hand, shoved a steel pen into it, and pushed it toward the signature line.
Edward quickly pulled back. Wait, is this woman really trying to force a pact out of me?!
"Relax! Sign it—you won't lose anything."
"C'mon, c'mon~"
Akasha added cheerfully, "I've still got my father's Beyonder characteristics. Just give me a few more years, and I'll be a marquess."
"Or how about this—sleep with me. I'm only nine hundred years old. Still young and fresh!"
"N-no thank you."
Edward backed away in horror. Trying to sell me a binding pact wasn't enough—you're coming for my body too?!
Arlde beside them had already covered his eyes, unable to watch.
Even Emlyn was speechless. How did this whole thing take such a wild turn?!
"You really won't sign?"
"I'll…think about it."
They stared at each other for a long while before Akasha finally flopped onto the sofa with a sigh. "Ugh, knew it wouldn't work. Next time the old geezers want to pull this kind of crap, let them go themselves. I'm done."
"..."
Edward blinked. Wait…Did she just admit this was all orchestrated?
Akasha scratched her face with the air of someone who'd already given up. "Anyway, that's the deal. Either bring out something valuable to trade for our help—or sign the pact, and we'll help for free, but in exchange, you fight the Rose School with us."
Edward frowned. Truth be told, even without this pact, he was bound to become enemies with the Rose School eventually. After all, the entity behind them was one of the final bosses of the mysterious world.
But still…the vampires—no, Lilith's attitude…was far too strange.
Huh?
Wait a minute!
Whether it was the Sanguines or Lilith herself—they were all beings who had lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Could they really be unaware that their heavy-handed approach would only arouse suspicion?
Was there a possibility…that they were doing it on purpose?
Just like Miss Exeggutor, who always kept her distance, seemingly intent on avoiding involvement with him—could it be that the Vampires were doing the opposite on purpose just to throw him off?
With this sudden thought, Edward spoke, "Can I have some time to think it over?"
Akasha frowned. "What's there to think about? Either you sign or you don't. I hate indecisive men. I take back what I said earlier—even if you do sign, I'm not sleeping with you!"
"..."
That's what you're focusing on? Seriously?
She stood up. "Fine, I'll leave the contract with you. Decide when you're ready. Let's go, Arlde."
Arlde quickly hurried after her.
Edward turned to Emlyn. "Emlyn, this Akasha…were you familiar with her before? Has she always been like this?"
"Yeah."
Emlyn still looked dazed, like his brain was lagging behind after processing so much absurdity in one night.
"What do you think—does she want me to sign, or not?"
"How would I know?"
After a moment of thought, Emlyn added, "But one thing's for sure—Akasha is definitely smarter than me."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because the Maccavi family—her and Arlde's bloodline—after all their elders died, a bunch of people tried to go after their family's Beyonder characteristics. But in the end, they became a viscount and a count, and Akasha still holds the Marquis' Beyonder characteristic."
Emlyn sighed, "A viscount and a count are already impressive, but a Marquis? There are only a handful of those in the entire clan—and even more people just waiting to move up."
Edward understood now.
Damn, is it just me or is everyone in this world a master actor and manipulator?
He'd actually believed she was just some loud, brash woman with no filter.
I'm still too young…
——
Outside the Scarlet Tavern…
Akasha strolled out alone, holding a bottle of wine. As she drank, she muttered to herself, "I just love dealing with smart people…because…"
Her bright red lips curled upward at one corner.
"They're so easy to overthink."
She casually tossed the empty bottle into a trash bin and whispered, "You tried to make me owe you one? Well, I can just as easily flip the script."
"Pfft, this little pre-apocalypse performance is getting more and more interesting."
The next moment, her body burst into a spray of moonlight and vanished.
———
[Empress Borough—Edward's Small Villa]
By the time Edward returned from the Scarlet Tavern, he found Audrey already waiting inside.
She was reclining at the centre of the sofa with a book in her hand. To her left sat Susie, to her right Lilith—she was teaching them both how to read. The two little ones wore seriously studious expressions—though that probably had something to do with the fact that Audrey was reading them fairy tales.
"Edward! You're back!" Lilith perked up instantly. "Audrey's been telling us stories while helping us learn!"
Susie looked over and blinked but didn't say anything—her mouth was full of mandrake leaves, and she couldn't speak without causing a scene.
Audrey folded the page corner and closed the book. "Alright, that's enough for today. We'll continue next time."
She stretched and yawned. "Where'd you run off to, Edward? I've been waiting so long I'm about to fall asleep."
"Mm, just went to meet with the Sanguines."
Edward recounted what had happened at the tavern—and sure enough, Audrey immediately honed in on the key detail: "She offered to sleep with you?"
"…."
Edward massaged his forehead. "That's not the key point!"
"No, that's exactly the key point."
She raised a brow. "So…are you going to sign the contract or not?"
He nodded. "I will."
Given the current situation, making more allies and fewer enemies was the most logical course of action. As for the future…well, they'd deal with that when it came.
Edward sat down beside her on the couch. "And you? How was your night?"
Audrey smiled. "Lady Escalante Oseleka has officially become my tutor. And tonight, she revealed some deeper information about Beyonder matters. I think in another two meetings, she'll formally invite me into the Psychology Alchemists."
Edward was a little surprised. "That fast?"
"It's not that fast. Remember when I told you about that psychology salon with all the young nobles? Some of them have already passed the vetting and joined. Quite a few come from backgrounds similar to mine."
"Huh…"
That's odd, Edward thought. Wasn't it way harder to join the Psychology Alchemists in the original timeline?
———
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