《The Legendary Pseudo-villain》


 Chapter 1 - Arriving In Style

    "Doctor Longwin hid the chemical formula behind the cabinet and took out the two guns that were always hidden in his desk for a rainy day like this one.


    The clouds outside were still dark as thunder rumbled and the temperature dropped a few Celsius. Doctor Longwin entered the hallway and locked his office before swallowing the key to make sure that it wouldn''t be easy for a person to enter his office.


    Captain Markus stood at the end of the hallway with nothing more than a sledgehammer in hand. He didn''t want it to go down like this, but somewhere deep inside, he always knew that this day would eventually come.


    Ever since they had first met each other, he knew he would never be able to accept Doctor Longwin''s craziness and go along with his shenanigans. They were made to stand here, always at opposites.


    ''So you''re finally here...'' Doctor Longwin''s voice was heard along with the sound of lightning.


    Captain Markus glared at him as he started taking calm steps towards the other, slowly raising his sledgehammer higher. After a few steps, he started to increase his speed steadily till he was finally running towards the other.


    Doctor Longwin wasn''t fazed by it, like always, he was calm and his lips curled upwards in a wicked smirk as he raised both his hands up and aimed the two guns at the man who was running at him.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Two shots were fired out, but Captain Markus ducked and rolled to avoid them both.


    Another shot was heard, but this time, Captain Markus moved aside to avoid it.


    Few more rounds could be heard but they all either hit the wall or the ground.


    When Captain Markus was just a few meters away from him, Doctor Longwin smiled brightly as he put his hands down and threw the guns away before taking something else out from his pocket.


    No


    Captain Markus''s eyes went wide as he immediately recognized it as the cold weapon he had seen kill his precious teammates before.


    It was the weapon that Doctor Longwin was proud of making and also the curse in the name of a weapon that was considered to be the biggest regret in Captain Markus''s life.


    ''Our story ends here,'' Doctor Longwin aimed the weapon at Captain Markus and pulled the trigger.


    Boom


    Time seemed to pause for a mere second as everything went numb and quiet. The walls of the hallway instantly crumbled at the impact and Dust rose up, making it hard for Doctor Longwin to see if the job had been done or not.


    Doctor Longwin smiled proudly. There had never been a human that fell target to this cold weapon and lived to tell the tale. He was confident that Captain Markus would also not be the first exclusion of this fact.


    However, the smoke cleared and it seemed that for the first time in his life, Doctor Longwin had calculated wrong.


    The raised sledgehammer struck down on Doctor Longwin and his head was instantly crushed under its weight and power.


    ''Goodbye old friend...'' Captain Markus said for the last time as he saw the man''s body falling lifelessly to the ground.


    The clouds started to clear up and from in between them, peeked out the rays of the sun.


    In the end, the villain was defeated and Captain Markus emerged as the hero."


    "That''s... Stupid!" A young boy cried out as he heard his mother finishing up the story that was supposed to entertain him.


    His mother chuckled as she asked, "What''s stupid about it?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe... Everything?"


    She ruffled his head and giggled, "I thought boys your age enjoy action-based stories."


    The boy shrugged, "Not this type of stupid action. Action-based stories are only good if they have a great plotline and characters. "


    "But I thought the story was pretty good," His mother commented, "The hero and villain were old acquaintances and the hero was part of the research team that developed the bionic weapons. When the hero saw his friend going crazy with his inventions, he tried to stop him but got fired... And now he feels guilty about not stopping his friend from going down the wrong path. The guilt makes him think that it''s his responsibility to stop the man."


    "That''s exactly what''s stupid!" The little boy shouted in a frustrated tone, "The ''hero'' is a stupid man who can''t understand anything about the world."


    "Eh?" His mother was shocked as she listened to her seven-year-old son talking about ''how the world worked''


    Little boy, how long have you lived?


    "Doctor Longwin wanted to become the best scientist in the world! He was ambitious and wanted to rule the world using his bionic weapons, whereas, Captain Markus was an idiot who wanted to create machines that could help clean his house!" The young boy started speaking seriously as if he knew both of the characters on a personal level and could understand them very well.


    "It is clear that the two of them are very different from one another. Captain Markus was a small-minded man while Doctor Longwin had a broader mindset that could see the bigger picture!


    In the end, Captain Markus is nothing more than a hypocrite! He killed his own friend and called it ''taking responsibility''. I''m pretty sure he didn''t even consider him a friend while Doctor Longwin truly considered Captain Markus his one and only friend."


    Saying that his mother was stunned to hear such a long lecture from her own son was an understatement. She blinked a few times before looking at him and asking, "Hecathe, are you sure you''re still a seven-year-old?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he looked at his mother with an unimpressed expression, "You''re my mother, you should be the one to tell me the answer to that."


    His mother sighed, "I''m a bit concerned about how your brain works."


    "I''m sure it works better than ninety percent of humanity," Hecathe scoffed.


    His mother smiled as she patted his head.


    Hecathe had always been a bright child and had never fit in with other boys his age.


    Although his mother was proud of him for this, she was still concerned about it. Standing out from others was good, but sometimes fitting in with others was better.


    "So what do you want to be? Do you want to be a hero like Captain Markus or do you want to be a better hero who isn''t stupid?" She asked eagerly.


    Hecathe seemed to ponder over it for a bit and when he was finally done coming up with an answer, he smiled brightly as he replied, "Mom, I want to be the villain! A better villain than that Doctor Longwin who was fooled by Captain Markus!"


    "Eh?!" His mother was shocked and in the next minute, when the shock had settled in, she broke out laughing, "You''re really different, aren''t you?"


    "I''m your son, you should know it best."


    "I do!" She beamed as she added, "And my son is amazing because of his differences!"


    Hecathe smiled as he listened to her praise him like this. He definitely liked it and what he enjoyed the most about it was his mother''s warm smile as she looked at him through her eyes that had turned up into two crescents.


    He wanted to be able to see this smile forever... However, fate had other plans in store for him.


    Beep!


    Beep!


    Beep!


    The annoying sound of his alarm woke him up and he immediately picked it up just to throw it at the wall opposite to his bed.


    "Ugh~" Hecathe groaned as he shut his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but a minute passed and he slammed his clenched fist on the bed as he forcefully picked his body up from the soft mattress underneath.


    He scratched his neck and squinted due to the sunlight that had abused his eyes first thing in the morning.


    "Damn it..." He cursed.


    He wanted to be in that dream for a little longer. It wasn''t every day that he had a dream like this.


    He looked at the analog clock that hung on the wall in front of him.


    6:36 a.m.


    He closed his eyes for a mere few minutes before opening them again.


    6:40 a.m.


    ...


    6:40 a.m.?!


    His eyes went wide in panic as he pushed himself off the bed and rushed to the bathroom immediately.


    He was late!


    Hecathe had a meeting at 7 a.m. so basically... He was done for!


    By the time he had freshened up and came out wearing his black suit, it was already 6:52 a.m.


    He double-checked if he had forgotten anything and only after having done so did he pick up his car keys and leave his apartment.


    His phone that was forgotten inside his apartment suddenly started ringing as his secretary called him, but since the apartment was empty, it was only natural that the call was ignored.


    Hecathe climbed inside the stylish black Zelium car and turned on the engine before putting on his seatbelt.


    After the engine was turned on, the car started hovering and in just a few seconds, it was already out of the garage and on the road where it was speeding by faster than the other non-zelium cars.


    The most advantageous thing about a Zelium car was its speed. They were ten times faster than the fastest non-zelium car. Their beauty and attractiveness were just an added plus point.


    Hecathe chuckled as he remembered an old saying he had once heard from somewhere.


    ''So what if you are late to work? With a Zelium car on your side, you can at least arrive in style.''


    It was an ad made by his own company.

 Chapter 2 - Rule Written In Stone

    His secretary called him again and again, but none of the calls were picked up due to the phone being left behind in Hecathe''s apartment.


    "We only have a few minutes left! Where is he?!" A man anxiously asked as he glared at Hecathe''s secretary.


    Hecathe''s so-called secretary was a man in his mid-twenties, wearing a dark blue-colored suit that didn''t look too eye-catching, but it certainly had the professional and neat look to it that was much needed in an office. He had dark brown eyes that seemed to complement his black wavy hair. He had a clean shaved face and if one were to look at him, they would certainly not say that he looked ugly, however, they would also not compliment him for his looks.


    The secretary gulped in worry as he tried his best to keep a smile on his face, "He said he''s stuck in traffic. He''ll be here on time." He lied through an honest face.


    Hecathe was not a person who would carelessly be late to a meeting without any reason. Even though being late to a meeting was not a good thing, since Hecathe was Hecathe, his secretary wasn''t too anxious about it.


    The worst outcome would be the employees thinking that Hecathe wasn''t serious enough with his work.


    He redialled the number for the nth time and it went into voice message once again.


    6:59 a.m.


    1 more minute left.


    Now it was all about the seconds.


    "Let''s head inside," The man nudged the secretary before leaving him behind to follow as he headed inside the meeting room first.


    ''Please come fast, Sir!'' He prayed in his mind.


    It seemed that God had heard his prayers.


    He heard a bit of commotion and when he turned back to look at it, his eyes widened as relief washed over him.


    The commotion was caused by the other employees who were scurrying away after greeting the President "Good morning!"


    Hecathe didn''t even glance at them as he kept walking slowly in a calm and leisurely manner.


    He stopped in front of his secretary before looking at his watch and commenting, "Made it in time."


    The secretary sighed, "Good morning, Mr. Osborne. You had me worried for a second there."


    Hecathe smirked as he used another quote from an advertisement he had just remembered, "When you have a Zelium car on your side, even time would wait for you."


    The secretary took a few seconds to react as he chuckled, "President, you should just take over the job of advertising manager."


    "You think I''m that good?" Hecathe smirked, "But then again, I do look cool no matter what I do."


    The secretary pursed his lips. He had the urge to refute the confident statement, but he didn''t have enough time to fight over it.


    "Let''s just go."


    Hecathe nodded as he wiped the proud smirk off his face and put on his business face that seemed to mimic a statue that would always be frowning and glaring at you.


    It was a shock that he put on this kind of expression and still wondered why people were scared of him.


    The secretary pushed open the door of the conference room and Hecathe''s entrance immediately caught the interest of everyone who stood up and bowed in respect as they greeted him.


    "Good morning, President!" They said in unison.


    Hecathe nodded, "Good morning."


    Only after hearing a response from Hecathe did they dare sit back down.


    Hecathe straightened out his coat as he took a seat in his chair that was located at the head of the table. He cupped his hands together and placed them on the table before crossing his legs as he questioned, "Reports?"


    A young-looking woman stood up as soon as she heard this and walked over to him as she handed over a blue file, "It doesn''t look like they plan to defeat us with quality."


    Hecathe carelessly picked up the file and the woman bowed her head before going back to her seat.


    Everyone waited for the president to finish reading the report he had asked for and they carefully noticed his every expression. Since he already had a frown plastered on his face, it was hard to guess what he was feeling, but the employees had already adapted to it and even if it was only a small change in his facial expressions, they would still notice it.


    If the frown didn''t change, they didn''t need to worry about anything and if the frown deepened, it meant... Whoever made the file could forget about coming back to work tomorrow morning.


    It didn''t take Hecathe more than a few minutes to flip through the file and after having read all the important parts, he closed the file and tossed it back on the table.


    His frown... was no longer there...


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in an amused smirk as he spoke, "So they want to have a price war with us? Tch-"


    "..."


    If his frown changed into a smirk, the employees didn''t need to worry nor did they need to say goodbye to their job and in fact, it didn''t affect them at all!


    If Hecathe''s frown had turned into a smirk, it was probably someone else who was going to get screwed over by their president.


    "Those disgusting worms!" Hecathe''s eyes turned fierce as if he had suddenly transformed into a demon that was ready to devour everything in its path.


    The woman who had given him the file raised her hand and after getting permission to talk, she stood up, "Their consumers have been complaining because of the side effects that were caused, however, they forced down the complaints and paid people to promote their vicious product more."


    "Side-effects?" Hecathe scoffed, "So their customers died and they still didn''t care?"


    The woman nodded.


    Hecathe sighed and the aura around him turned even more tense as if he had really been angered enough to break the neck of whoever he was mad at, "If they don''t care about their consumers, it''s clear what this is about. They want to have a war with us! They are basically provoking us at this point! Those spineless midgets."


    It was silent as everyone hung their heads low, they didn''t really have a reason to do so but their president looked a bit too scary when he was angry and so, their natural instinct had acted up on its own.


    Another man who was previously sitting in his seat raised his hand and stood up, "We can''t afford to follow their plan. Going in a price war is pointless."


    "Of course, It is!" Hecathe slammed his hand on the table, "They want to have a price war?! Let them have a price war! Let''s see who competes with them!"


    His secretary leaned in and whispered in his ear as if he were conveying some sort of a secret, "Is it you? Are you joining?"


    There were times when Hecathe wanted to smack his secretary on the head and this moment could also be counted as one of those times.


    His secretary was great at his job most of the time but he was still dumb and oblivious at the worst moments.


    Hecathe coughed as he tried his best not to raise his hand to smack his secretary, "We won''t be joining this price war, but since they want to fight me so much, I''ll give them another fight. Let''s see who can make it till the end."


    The others listened attentively to what Hecathe was about to say next.


    "Have you found out their source of Zelium?" Hecathe asked his secretary.


    His secretary nodded as he answered seriously, "We were able to locate one down, but there are probably more."


    "One? Where is it?"


    "It''s located on the east side of Derton and it''s probably their main source."


    "Good!" Hecathe smirked. "Burn it down."


    "..."


    "Eh?!" His secretary was shocked and so were the other employees.


    Hecathe, "Didn''t you hear me? Burn it down! Make sure that nothing is left behind! Destroy it completely! If they don''t have a source of Zelium, let''s see if they still dare to provoke us."


    "B-but... That''s still Zelium." The woman who was still standing spoke up with her eyes wide open in shock.


    "So what?" Hecathe''s piercing glare laid on her making her feel as if she was about to be roasted like a turkey on thanksgiving, "You are right, it''s Zelium, but it''s not pure Zelium. Burning it down will be the best thing possible. I''ll be saving thousands of lives."


    "But..." The woman seemed to have wanted to say more but she simply gulped it all back down and kept quiet.


    There was no arguing with the president: This was a rule written in stone.


    Quite literally written in stone because all the rules in this company were carved into a huge stone pillar that was displayed in the main lobby of the company.

 Chapter 3 - Zelium Ultra Fury

    "Anything else to report?" Hecathe clicked his tongue in a rather uninterested manner.


    The young woman reluctantly nodded her head as she spoke up, "Our new Zelium product is ready for launch."


    Hecathe suddenly leaned in forward on the table, "Now, That! That''s great news! New product means more money. You should give me more news like this!"


    "..."


    "What product is it?" Hecathe questioned.


    "The new product ready for Launch is the Zelium X7 glasses." The woman answered.


    Hecathe, "What can it do?"


    The woman smiled enthusiastically as she continued, "The right eye shows you the GPS data of any place on earth. It can be adjusted and resized to fit in with your main view. It also has a sensor for approaching danger. This can be useful to alert people in case of a traffic accident. The design is made to be thin and stylish. It''s comfortable to wear and easy to use."


    The meeting went on for another thirty minutes as the details about the new product were discussed and needed marketing changes were made.


    Hecathe would be lying if he said that he had listened to everything. The specifications of the product didn''t interest him as much as the price of the product did. He cared about the profit and the satisfaction of the customers. As long as the customers were happy to spend all their money on the new products, he didn''t care even if his company were to sell Zelium poop packed in pretty boxes.


    In fact, even if his company were to sell pure Zelium poop, there would still be willing buyers. After all, even though they had market competition, it was negligible.


    Zuex was at the top of the Zelium industry and there was no way any other company would be able to overthrow them, After all, how could anyone ever even dream of overthrowing the first manufacturers of Zelium?


    Zuex owned more than ninety percent of the Zelium natural mines that existed in this world. The rest of the few percent that they didn''t own was nothing more than junk in the eyes of Hecathe since it was impure Zelium that had a lot more side effects and was fatal for humans in every way possible.


    Zuex not only owned almost all of the Zelium mines but it was also the first company that had found and started to industrialize Zelium, actually, this statement was somewhat wrong. The one who found and industrialized Zelium was not the company, in fact, even this company was created by the same person that had industrialized Zelium.


    Hecathe Osborne, the President of Zuex was the legend who was printed in every history book that existed. At the young age of fourteen, he had gone out on a vacation with his parents. On the way, their car broke and they had to stop.


    At that time, they thought this was a sign of bad luck but who would''ve known that this was the greatest luck that would ever befall upon them? Just because of a broken car, they came across a bright green shiny stone. This stone was a resource called Zelium that had never been found before.


    His mother took the stone home and since she was a research scientist, it was only natural that she tried to understand what this newly found stone was and her findings truly horrified her.


    It was a dangerous natural resource with infinite potentials and abilities. It could make the wildest dreams of a human come true. The whole world could be destroyed with this one stone and countries could go into war to covet this resource. The mere thought of this possibility scared her so much that she decided to hide this information from the whole world.


    If Humans didn''t know such a thing existed, they could continue to live peacefully in ignorance.


    However, the more you try to hide something from the world, the more you attract attention towards it.


    A few years later, who knew what had happened behind the scenes, but her twenty-one-year-old son, Hecathe, suddenly opened a new company called Zuex and started to industrialize the new resource that had been named Zelium by his mother who had suddenly disappeared from the eyes of the public.


    People said that she had already died, but this was yet to be proven since no official report of her death had been given.


    At first, people were reluctant to buy anything that was made out of Zelium, but for Hecathe, it was not difficult to lure in greedy people.


    Just show them the cheesy benefits, make it look cool and the consumers were willing to buy it.


    After the first person had bought it, the second would also follow soon and with immense advertisement done right, there would be hordes of people who would want to buy and test it out.


    When the promises that came with the product were met, the company saw huge success, and just like that, Zuex became the fastest growing industry that later transformed into a powerhouse and money magnet.


    Hecathe became the youngest trillionaire and his company naturally became the industrial giant that stood at the top of the economy.


    So to sum it all up: Even if his company were to start selling high-priced Zelium poop, there would still be buyers.


    After the meeting was over, Hecathe didn''t waste any time as he stood up and left the place with his secretary following behind, reading out his schedule for the day.


    "You have another meeting with the north divisional sales manager at 9 a.m. and after that, we have to go and check out the test run of the latest Zelium ultra fury-"


    "The ultra fury?" Hecathe interjected


    His secretary nodded as he repeated, "Zelium ultra fury."


    "Cancel that one."


    "Eh?! Why?"


    "I already did the test run on my way over here," Hecathe answered.


    "Oh..." It took his secretary a whole minute to realize that there was something wrong with what Hecathe had said, "What...?!"


    Hecathe smiled and said nothing as he took out his car keys from his pocket and headed for the private lift of his company that could only be accessed and operated by either Hecathe or his secretary.


    "But that''s a new product! It hasn''t passed all the test runs yet!" The man sounded shocked and worried.


    Hecathe pressed the underground button on the elevator panel and the door closed before opening just a few seconds later, indicating that they had reached the floor they had wanted to go to. This elevator was also Zelium powered and hence, it was a lot faster than the non-zelium elevators that would take forever to travel from one floor to another.


    When the doors of the elevator opened, they were greeted with the sight of the stylish black car that Hecathe had used to come here.


    "Mr. Osborne!" His secretary cried out, "Driving a Zelium car that hasn''t passed the tests is dangerous!!"


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this, "I''m still alive aren''t I?"


    "..."


    "It''s quite good. It''s more stable than the previous version. Even at a high speed, it''s easier to control. I think the issues that came with the previous models have mostly been fixed."


    His secretary had his eyes wide open in disbelief, "Mr. Osborne... You do know that testing it on the road is still illegal, right?"


    Hecathe chuckled before opening the car door, "When the country runs on your money, do you really think it matters if I''m driving legally or not?"


    "..." His secretary seemed to be thinking deeply about what he had said and Hecathe took this time to poke the secretary''s forehead with his two fingers.


    "I''m leaving." Hecathe got seated in the driver''s seat and started the engine, making the car instantly hover above the ground.


    "Wait!" His secretary snapped out of his thoughts, "Where are you going?"


    "Home. I forgot my phone," Hecathe answered and without wasting another second, he took his leg off the brake pedal and the car had already disappeared from the secretary''s sight.


    "That really is fast..." The secretary mumbled as he looked at the afterimage of the car that had already driven away.


    But now, there was one thing that was haunting this secretary''s mind: When the country runs on your money, would driving illegally be considered legal? It''s still illegal... Isn''t it..? And since when the hell did the country start running on your money?!


    This secretary loved his job and he respected his boss, treating him as the legend he was, however, if there was one thing he disliked about Hecathe, it would be the man''s personality.


    Hecathe, more or less, had the mindset of a dictator. He considered himself above the rest, however, it wasn''t exactly a superiority complex but instead, it would be more accurate to call it a God complex.


    This Legendary man who was mentioned along with other rather ''dead'' legends was worlds different from them all. The quotes he said would certainly be published in the morning newspaper, but they definitely didn''t deserve to be published there!


    One such quote that the secretary could remember would be that time when the newspaper printed the words: "If I tried to remember the name of every person I met, I''m afraid that I''ll jumble them up and forget my own so I''d rather not take chances.." ¨CHecathe Osborne.

 Chapter 4 - Dont Text While Driving

    Hecathe came to a stop at the red traffic light that had hardly ever affected him before this. He wouldn''t have really stopped if there weren''t many cars on the road, but at this particular moment, there just had to be an abundant number of cars driving by.


    It was one of those morning rush hours so this didn''t really come as a shock to him. However, as always, he still hated it.


    His fingers started tapping against the steering wheel impatiently and with every passing minute, his frown deepened in annoyance.


    When his patience had run out and he was about to take his foot off the brake, he heard a familiar vibrating sound coming from his front passenger seat.


    "Didn''t I leave this thing at home...?" He muttered as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the phone with a slight sense of confusion.


    His foot that had almost been raised from the brakes was now pressing it down once again.


    The phone looked exactly like his own so he didn''t even bother checking if it was really his phone or not.


    There came another message notification sound and this time, Hecathe picked the phone up and opened it to see the message that had come from an unsaved number.


    [I need your help...]


    [Hecathe...]


    Normally, a person would have been confused or creeped out to suddenly receive such a message. They would have surely reported it, tried to find the identity of the sender, blocked it or straightaway ignored it, however, Hecathe did none of those things.


    He didn''t even look stunned to receive such a message.


    He saw an unknown number sending him a weird message, knowing his name, and he immediately guessed the identity of the sender.


    Who else could it have been but his one and only troublesome friend called Azazel?


    [Hecathe: What happened this time?]


    [Can you help me?]


    "..." Hecathe looked at the reply with a disinterested expression on his face.


    Even if he wasn''t willing, he would always somehow end up helping that guy out. By now, it had become a sort of a habit for him. If he wasn''t there to help Azazel, that man would surely get himself killed by one of his ''acquaintances''.


    [Hecathe: I''m busy today.]


    [...]


    [You''re the only one that can help me...]


    [I''m dying, Hecathe.]


    Hecathe took a deep breath in to calm his nerves as his fingers punched in a reply to ''Azazel''.


    [Hecathe: Did someone slip a drug in your drink again or something?]


    [I need your help.]


    [Please help me?]


    Hecathe couldn''t help but grow annoyed as he read the text. Azazel had always pestered him for help, but he had never pestered him in quite this manner.


    [Hecathe: What the hell do you want me to do?]


    [Will you help?]


    [Hecathe: Yeah, so just say it already]


    [Hecathe: What do you want?]


    This time, the reply didn''t come as fast as before.


    He waited for a whole minute and instead of a reply, the traffic light finally turned green. Hecathe heard a car honking behind him and he didn''t even bother putting the phone away as he started his car and drove.


    The phone clutched in his hand finally vibrated with an incoming text notification once again and he looked down for a mere few seconds to read what it was.


    [Thank you.]


    "Huh?" Hecathe mumbled, but before he could respond or fully react to the text, he heard the loud screeching of tires which instantly grabbed his attention.


    He turned his head up to look at what it was, but everything happened too fast.


    The truck that was driving on the wrong side of the road had completely crushed his high-speed Zelium Ultra Fury.


    Zelium cars were super fast, comfortable, and easy to control, however, if there was one thing that they lacked, it would be ''strength''. They were made to be lightweight and hence if it collided with a truck triple its size, it wouldn''t be shocking to see the Zelium car be crushed like an eggshell.


    The chance of survival the passenger had was approximately same as the chance of survival the unborn chicken inside the egg would have.


    [All you have to do is die in my stead.]


    It was the last message that Hecathe had received from this unknown number, however, it could not even be read by Hecathe who was crushed beneath the weight of his own car, covered in his own blood, with all the bones in his body smashed like a mere cookie.


    The car accident was huge and since it was a Zelium car that was involved in the accident, the number of people who crowded around the crash couldn''t even be counted by a single person.


    The police were super fast and arrived within a few minutes, followed by the Ambulance that had been called. It took them at least five minutes to recover Hecathe''s body from the crash.


    The door to the driver''s seat of the truck was open, however, the driver had already fled the scene, leaving behind the ruins of the crash and a trail of blood droplets on the ground.


    Hecathe was rushed to the emergency room and later shifted to the Neuro-ICU. The doctors had successfully managed to keep his heart beating for now, but he didn''t wake up and one of the doctors in charge of him had already stated that his chance of survival was still near zero.


    They hadn''t saved him, they had only extended the time his body breathed. They could keep his ''body'' alive with the use of all their latest machinery, however, for him to wake up... It was impossible.


    If the machines malfunctioned for even a second, his body would also give up in that very second.


    The next day, the newspapers had a ton of articles to print, one after another, all spicy titles about the death of the Zelium legend: Hecathe (Who was actually not dead yet)


    ''The Founder of Zuex is dead?!''


    ''Hecathe Osborne found dead after reckless driving?''


    ''The crash of the Zelium Legend!''


    ''Zelium Ultra Fury banned before its release?''


    ''Hecathe Osborne: Dead or in a critical condition?''


    ''The end of Zuex!''


    ''Hecathe Osborne is dead?''


    ''The Legendary Zelium King may never come back.''


    ''Zelium Ultra Fury: burning before launch.''


    ''The stocks of Zuex drop drastically!''


    ''Who''s the next heir to Zuex?''


    Azazel who was reading the headlines of different newspapers couldn''t help but scoff as he threw the newspapers on the table one by one.


    Hecathe''s secretary who sat on the opposite side of the table, in front of Azazel, had his forehead resting on his cupped hands in a frustrated manner.


    In both their faces, one couldn''t sense even a small hint of grief; the only emotions that could be seen were frustration and anger.


    "Everyone already killed that bastard," Azazel clicked his tongue as he threw all the newspapers on the table.


    Hecathe''s secretary looked up as he nodded slowly but said nothing more.


    It was silent for more than a minute before Azazel suddenly sighed and leaned back on his chair, resting his head on the backrest of the chair, looking up at the ceiling of Hecathe''s office.


    "He''s really dead... Isn''t he?"


    The secretary nodded once again as he added, "He won''t wake up. That''s as good as being proclaimed dead."


    What followed was another few minutes of silence which was broken by an eery sound of laughing.


    It was Azazel who couldn''t help but laugh at this situation. His right hand reached up to cover his face as if he was trying to hide away his expression, "That''s good... That a**hole deserved it..."


    Hecathe''s secretary let out a short breath as he spoke up, "I seriously wonder if you guys were even friends."


    Azazel was silent for a few seconds.


    He took his hand off his face and looked at the secretary with a lonely tear trailing down his face, "If we weren''t friends, I would''ve been the one driving that truck."


    "..." The secretary probably wanted to laugh but what came out of his mouth was an inaudible scoff as he took something out from his coat pocket and placed it on the table before pushing it over to Azazel''s side.


    "What''s that?" Azazel asked as he looked at the phone that was packed inside a plastic airtight bag.


    "A phone," The secretary sighed, "But it''s not his."


    Azazel picked up the plastic bag and directly took out the phone before trying to turn it on.


    After pressing the power button a few times, Azazel thought the damn thing wouldn''t turn on and was just as dead as Hecathe, but he was immediately proven wrong when the screen turned on as soon as he stopped pressing the power button.


    The only thing visible on the display was the notification of the last received message.


    [All you have to do is die in my stead.]


    Azazel''s eyes widened as he cried out, "That idiot was murdered.....?!"


    The secretary shook his head, "That number doesn''t exist."


    Azazel''s eyebrows furrowed as he questioned, "It was deactivated?"


    The secretary once again shook his head as he answered, "No. It never existed."


    Azazel let out a small chuckle that lacked any joy, "So you telling me it was a ghost or what?"

 Chapter 5 - Ill Kill You...

    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel tired even though he was simply sleeping. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around, but instead of the morning sun abusing his eyes like every other day, it was the darkness that had greeted him.


    All his limbs were hurting for some reason and he felt as if this was normal since he remembered having a car accident.


    His bed that had always been comfortable suddenly felt like the most uncomfortable thing ever...


    Wait a darn minute.....!!!!


    Hecathe''s consciousness slowly returned to him and just as it did, he realized that this wasn''t his room and nor was he in his bed!


    He wasn''t even in a hospital for crying out loud!!


    He tried to move but felt something stopping him. All of him, to be more exact. The only thing he could move was his head, however, even that was useless since the room was dark and his eyes couldn''t register anything except for the pitch-black darkness.


    For a minute, he even wondered if he had gone blind but as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, the theory of blindness was kicked out of his mind.


    Hecathe tried to struggle out from the restraints, but he couldn''t even make out what the thing restraining him was.


    The more he moved, the more shuffling and clacking sound of metal was heard, but it made no progress in his escape.


    Suddenly Hecathe heard a loud ''Bang'' and flinched due to the sudden shock and fear as his head snapped up to look at the dark outline of the door inside this room.


    "Stop making noise!" Someone yelled from the outside.


    Hecathe gulped as he tried to calm down his poor racing heart that had truly been too shocked by that loud bang.


    "W-who''s that?" The only guess Hecathe''s brain could come up with at this moment was that he had been kidnapped.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he felt that something was off about his voice.


    It was... Weird...


    Really weird...


    However, he didn''t bother pondering over it too much as he pushed the thought away.


    When he heard no response, he cried out once again, "Let me go! We can talk this out. If you let me go, I''ll make sure that the police don-"


    "Would you shut up inside there?!" The voice of the angry man from the outside of the door was heard interjecting Hecathe once again.


    Hecathe gulped as he tried to twist his hand but even that small action was restrained.


    Damn it...


    Whoever this kidnapper was, there was no way Hecathe would let him go without a few years of a jail sentence.


    They shouldn''t have messed with the founder of Zuex! Hecathe was already planning on making sure that they learn this important lesson in the future.


    After pointless effort and struggling for an hour or so, Hecathe finally calmed down and closed his eyes as he simply decided to wait for the police to come and save him. If they weren''t going to come soon, Hecathe was certainly going to file a complaint against them as well.


    He waited for minutes, turning into hours and soon those hours turned into a whole day. A whole day passed and his stomach started growling in hunger, but there was no sign of anyone coming to rescue him.


    This room was so dark that he couldn''t even guess what time it was.


    On the second day, he suddenly heard some noise and the door to the room opened, but there was still no light inside the room and hence the face of whoever had entered couldn''t be seen. Hecathe wasn''t an idiot to believe that it was the police who had come here to save him.


    The silhouette belonged to a man and the man was let in by the guards outside so there was only one answer to the identity of this newcomer.


    He was the kidnapper.


    "What the hell do you need?!" Hecathe asked, not even trying to hide away his hostility. It wasn''t like he was going to be polite to his kidnapper, in fact, he wouldn''t have been polite even if it wasn''t his kidnapper.


    After letting the man enter, the door closed once again as the man slowly made his way to the other corner of the room and sat down in a chair that Hecathe didn''t even notice was there till now.


    He said nothing and simply looked at Hecathe. The only thing Hecathe could make out was his silhouette hence there was no way Hecathe would be able to know what expression the man had on his face as he stared at Hecathe.


    Hecathe, "Who the hell are you?"


    The man said nothing and Hecathe was also silent after this question.


    After a solid minute of awkward silence had passed, Hecathe heard a deep male voice chuckling and it was the man who now had his head down, his shoulders slightly shaking, seeming to laugh at a joke that had never been said.


    "Alphius, after knowing what you did, I came here with the intention to kill you."


    "..." Hecathe had the urge to correct the man and tell him that he got the wrong guy but before he could say anything, the mysterious man added.


    "But that isn''t you, is it?"


    Hecathe scoffed, "So you kidnapped the wrong guy? Tch- How unprofessional!"


    The man stopped laughing and Hecathe was satisfied with it. He was sure that if he were to kidnap someone, he would do a much better job than this man. At least, he won''t kidnap the wrong person and realize his mistake only after a few days.


    "Who are you?" The man questioned.


    Hecathe smirked proudly and was almost about to give out his real name but stopped himself in the end as his brain told him not to reveal his identity just yet. Even if this man had kidnapped Hecathe by mistake, he didn''t know who Hecathe was yet. If Hecathe gave his name, there was no guarantee that the man would let him go.


    Maybe he would see that kidnapping Hecathe was like stumbling over a Zelium mine worth a lifetime of riches and would be driven by greed to kill Hecathe or bribe him.


    "You sure you want to know?" Hecathe laughed, "You''ll be shocked to death!"


    The man stood up as he heard this and walked over towards Hecathe as he sighed, "Believe me. Right now, nothing you say can shock me."


    Hecathe smirked, "Look, brother, you got the wrong guy and I don''t wanna have any trouble with you. Just let me go and I''ll be on my merry way. I forgive your small mistake and we forget that this whole thing happened. How does that sound?"


    Even if this man really fell for this trick and let Hecathe go, there was no way this case would end that easily. Hecathe still planned to sue this man. A few years in jail should teach him not to kidnap the wrong person next time.


    The man chuckled as he heard this, "Did you just call me your ''brother'' with that mouth?" His right hand reached forward and grabbed Hecathe''s face, his fingers digging into Hecathe''s cheeks in a rather painful manner.


    It was still dark but Hecathe could swear that he saw the man''s pair of eyes looking red as he glared at him and for the first time in his life, Hecathe was a little intimidated. Only a little, because if his limbs weren''t restrained, he would have surely punched a hole in this man''s face for even trying to touch Hecathe''s precious handsome face.


    "I don''t care if you''re Alphius or not but if you dare call me brother with his face, I will make sure to collect your tongue," It was a clear threat and Hecathe wasn''t a person who enjoyed being threatened.


    Hecathe gritted his teeth as he spat out, "Try me."


    "..."


    What came to him as a response was a punch to his face. A punch that made his whole face feel numb for a few seconds with his head ringing and he was almost sure that his jaw had been dislocated.


    Hecathe''s head had been forcefully snapped towards the right making him feel as if his neck had almost been broken, but thankfully, he was still able to move his head and face the man again, however, not for long as the man punched him again and this time, it was a punch to the nose that had surely broken Hecathe''s nose bridge, there was no doubt about it.


    Warm blood flowed down from his nose and Hecathe felt as if he was losing consciousness all over again.


    "You dare!"


    Another punch to the face and Hecathe was now completely sure that this man wasn''t playing around. He really wanted to go to jail for picking a fight with the Zelium Legend!!


    Hecathe''s eyelids felt heavy as he looked at the man with half-open eyes and smiled as he ignored the blood trickling down from the corner of his busted lips, "I''ll kill you, Bastard..."


    The man scoffed mockingly as he punched once again and this time, the punch was strong enough to knock Hecathe out cold.


    The last hate-filled thought that Hecathe had before he completely went blank: Just you wait....!

 Chapter 6 - The Room Has Light!

    Hecathe felt pain and at first, he tried to ignore it, but the piercing irritating pain emitting from his nose caused him to wake up.


    He opened his eyes to see that he was still in that dreaded place that had an owner too poor and unbothered to even install a light bulb, or at least that was the impression the unknown owner had in Hecathe''s mind.


    His eyes wandered around the dark room and he could no longer see the silhouette of that man who had punched him for some trivial reason he could not even remember.


    He twisted his neck, making it look as if he was trying to give himself a neck exercise since he had nothing better to do.


    His stomach let out an audible growl and he couldn''t help but be annoyed. Not only was he wrongfully kidnapped instead of someone else, but he was kidnapped by such an unprofessional kidnapper that didn''t even bother feeding him!


    Did someone really need to ask why he was annoyed and angry?!


    He was a busy man! He had a company to run!


    In the last few years of his life, he had never taken a day off. Even when he was sick or had to stay up with the help of glucose being injected into his system, he had still refused to take a break and had worked his ass off every single f*cking day!!


    If he was calculating right, he had been held captive here for more than a day! Two entire days when he should have been working!! When he should have been making money!!!


    He was gonna sue his kidnapper for attempted murder and a bunch of other charges when he gets out of here! Not giving him food and starving him to death was also considered to be attempted murder!!


    Hecathe felt his stomach acting up once again and he was so hungry that he could even munch on the metal chains wrapped around the metal straitjacket like-thing he was captured in. Everything looked edible at this moment.


    He felt the area around his mouth tighten up and he licked it to see what it was, only to realize that it was the dried-up blood that had trickled down from his broken nose.


    Damn it...


    Even his own dried-up blood made him crave for more!


    He felt as if he was going crazy; as if he had traveled back to the caveman times when humans would hunt and eat basically anything they could find.


    He felt as if he was on a really badly managed survival show... He would want to sue the producer of such a show!


    He tried to struggle out from the constraints once again but it was still hopeless since the metallic straitjacket covered in chains didn''t even bother budging.


    At this moment, he had a crazy thought in his mind that kinda scared him: What if he never gets out of here? What if the police arrive too late and can only recover his dead body by then?


    He would certainly be embarrassed to face the grim reaper that announces his death with "Name: Hecathe Osborne. Died at the age of 29 due to starvation."


    For the Zelium Legend to go down like that... It was unacceptable!!


    Hecathe wanted to live!


    He wanted to do something. He wanted to save his own life, but he was completely helpless.


    All he could do was pray that his body can hang on till someone comes to his rescue with food in their hands.


    A few more hours passed and the boredom caused him to fall half-asleep.


    Just when he was about to enter deep slumber, he heard a loud noise and it was caused by the heavy iron door that had opened up once again.


    Hecathe immediately jolted awake and opened his eyes to see if it was someone coming to rescue him or if it was his kidnapper coming to punch him again.


    He wished for it to be the former, but unlucky enough for him, God wasn''t willing to listen to his prayers today.


    As soon as he saw the silhouette of that hateful man, he recognized it immediately. Hecathe may forget someone who had been kind to him once, but he would never forget someone who had punched him four times!


    "What the hell are you doing here?!" Hecathe questioned with a hostile tone.


    The man chuckled as he switched the lights on and the pitch-black room finally saw some light. Hecathe scrunched his face up as the sudden light abused his eyes.


    It took him a whole minute to adjust to it and after his eyes had finally adjusted to the bright light, he looked down at his situation and then glanced back up at the man who had kidnapped him.


    The man was wearing a white-colored suit blazer on top of a light grey T-shirt and white suit pants. He had jet black hair that seemed to go together with his pitch-black eyes that glared at Hecathe with an amused smirk plastered on his face.


    He looked handsome and young... It irked Hecathe.


    This man looked a lot younger than him and he still dared to punch Hecathe like that?!


    Hecathe had never been offended like that especially by someone so much younger than him. If he were to guess the age of this man, he would say that this white suit guy looked to be around 18 or less.


    There was probably a ten years age gap between them and hence, it was only natural that Hecathe was infuriated to know that he was kidnapped and treated so badly by a mere child who hadn''t even grown up completely!!


    Which type of 18 year old goes around kidnapping, punching, and starving people?!


    The young man walked closer to Hecathe and it made Hecathe think that he was going to get punched again. He immediately shut his eyes tightly as if boldly waiting for the impact, but he felt nothing.


    He heard the sound of metal clanking against each other and felt his body feeling a bit more free. It made Hecathe open his eyes to see what had happened.


    The chains that had cocooned his body were all unlocked and fell down with a clank. Hecathe was shocked to see that this young man had actually set him free.


    "You... Did the police threaten you to let me go or something?" Hecathe asked in disbelief as he squinted at the young man''s face.


    The young man laughed as he turned around without opening the metallic straitjacket on Hecathe.


    Hecathe was confused as he tried to move but the only thing that he could move now were his legs. His upper body was still completely restrained.


    "If you were Alphius, you wouldn''t have to go through this," The young man commented without even bothering to look back at Hecathe, "I would''ve killed him yesterday itself."


    "..." Hecathe suddenly felt a sense of pity for that poor fellow named Alphius who was supposed to be the one originally kidnapped and held captive here.


    "Ya know... I''m curious," He added, "What are you?"


    Hecathe frowned as he followed after the man thinking that this young man was finally gonna let him go, "I''m probably human. What about you?"


    The young man chuckled but Hecathe could sense no joy in his voice, "You''re a pretty humorous guy. I like it."


    "And I still don''t like you."


    The young man turned sideways to glance back at Hecathe as he questioned once again, "To take over his body like this... What are you? What''s your ability? A shapeshifter? A mind controller? Puppetmaster? Soul snatcher?"


    Hecathe took a minute to respond as he heard all these bizarre options.


    He mentally sighed as he thought: Just great! Not only is he an unprofessional kidnapper, but he''s also a madman with a few screws loose in his head!


    "I''m a... Businessman."


    The young man seemed to be a bit surprised and shocked as he heard this, "You''re a businessman...?"


    Hecathe nodded as he assured that the dumb man had heard it right.


    The young man scoffed, "A Merchant managed to take over his body? I would have to be crazy if I believe something like that."


    Well... Don''t you already meet that criteria?


    He turned around completely and looked at Hecathe in the eye as he asked, "What''s your name Mr. Businessman?"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but purse his lips as he heard this enthusiastic question.


    Brother, you kidnapped the wrong person and punched him like your own personal punching bag. Now you''re coming to ask him what his name is...? There''s really something extremely wrong with your head.


    Hecathe smirked as he tilted his head and asked, "Why do you think I''ll tell you anything?"


    The young man seemed to be a bit taken back to hear this but he still sighed as he turned back around and continued to walk, "Then again, it''s not like I''ll remember a soon-to-be-dead man''s name."


    Sadly for Hecathe, he didn''t pay enough attention to understand the underlying meaning behind this young man''s words.

 Chapter 7 - Dont Shoot Me!

    How did he end up like this...?


    It truly shocked Hecathe how so many things could happen in such a short span of time.


    At one moment he was in his Zelium Ultra Fury, driving back to his apartment, and in the next moment, he was in a car accident which further led to him getting kidnapped.


    If that wasn''t unnatural enough, what happened next should certainly manage to blow away his brains at how abnormal this situation was.


    He was kidnapped and held captive for two days and when he thought his kidnapper was ready to let him go because he wasn''t the person who was supposed to be kidnapped in the first place, he just had to find himself strapped to an iron pillar with a man holding a gun aimed at him.


    Damn it... God seemed to really hate him.


    The man holding a gun aimed at him was none other than the same guy that had kidnapped him and punched him in captivity.


    Hecathe tried to move his hand but he was unable to because of the metal locks that locked his hands and legs in place on the iron pillar.


    He chuckled as he looked at the youth in front of him and asked, "Are you guys from some sort of cult or something? You kidnap an innocent man and plan to kill him like this? What the hell do you think I am?! Some sort of demonic sacrifice?!"


    The youth only smiled as he looked at Hecathe with a rather cold and emotionless eyes, "Demonic sacrifice my foot!"


    "..."


    "Do you think a demon will be interested in your death? Don''t be over your head so much." The youth warned with an amused smirk on his face.


    On Hecathe''s right side was a raised platform on which there were three seats located, looking like thrones.


    These three thrones weren''t empty. There were exactly three people sitting on each one of those seats.


    Hecathe turned to curiously look at who it was but for some reason, he couldn''t help but frown as he saw them.


    They looked... weird.


    One of them was a small girl and the other two were fully grown men. The small girl had a cloak covering her whole body and half of her face, her posture was straight and gave a feeling of nobility. She looked calm. So calm that for a second, Hecathe wondered if the girl was simply sleeping, but this theory was kicked out from his head when he saw the girl''s light pink lips curl up in a smile.


    On the girl''s right side was another throne that seated a man who looked to be in his thirties. With dark black hair that reached his shoulder, tied up in a small ponytail, and eyes that were green in color, his face was certainly not your everyday average kind. He had a sharp and tall nose that seemed to match his thin lips.


    Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he looked at this man who looked as if he had come straight out of a comic. His face was certainly dashing and pleasing to look at, however, the clothes he wore clearly labeled him as a weirdo in Hecathe''s eyes.


    He was wearing a heavy mecha suit that covered his entire body and made his head look like a small bird''s head fit inside a big metal suit.


    Hecathe almost wanted to ask who the man was trying to cosplay but in the end, he decided not to ask such an out-of-topic question.


    Right next to this man sat another man who looked to be younger than this guy and yet at the same time, Hecathe couldn''t help but think that even though he looked younger, his face had a kind of maturity to it that made him look older.


    He had silver-colored hair that had dark roots, thus indicating that this silver color was definitely not natural. His eyes were pretty dark in color and his face didn''t have any outstanding features, however, it could still be considered handsome. He had pale skin that made him almost look like a vampire. His clothes only added to the vampire look; with long knee-length boots and a rather tight pant paired with a loose off-white T-shirt covered with a black jacket.


    All three of these people who were seated on their thrones looked as if they had come straight out of a comic that belonged to no particular genre and had all elements mixed together to make a huge mess of a comic, or in other words, it looked like an avenger''s knockoff.


    There was another man standing in front of the raised platform and he had a scroll in his hand that he had been reading for a long time now but he had still not said anything.


    The youth in front of Hecathe seemed to be waiting for a signal to shoot and Hecathe also seemed to be waiting and praying for the police to arrive and save him from these weird-ass people.


    After a few more minutes of awkward silence had passed, the man with the scroll finally decided to unseal his mouth and speak up, but unfortunately whatever he said was nothing pleasant for Hecathe.


    "The three willows of spring hereby declare Alphius Edler guilty of the murder of Orgon, leader of the silver battalion!" The man announced at the top of his lungs, "In order to bring justice to this world, he shall hence be executed on the spot by the victim''s son, Marvin Orgon!"


    It seemed that Hecathe''s brain stopped working for a second as he heard this. His mouth hung open in shock as his eyes looked to be staring at the man in confusion.


    "Death shall be avenged with death! Fairness shall see no title! With the three willows of spring, our land will not forgive sinners!"


    "Oye! Oye! Oye!" Hecathe''s voice croaked out, "You got the wrong guy!! I didn''t kill anyone yet! I was the one who was almost killed!!"


    Everybody acted deaf as if they couldn''t hear anything he said.


    The youth who stood in front of him, Marvin Orgon, smirked as he saw Hecathe''s face losing all color.


    "Damn it! You got the wrong person!!" Hecathe cried out as he tried his best to struggle out of the constraints but failed miserably as no matter how much strength he used, it was still not enough to break metal.


    Weird...


    It was really weird...


    For some reason Hecathe couldn''t help but feel weird as he had this odd sensation of unfamiliarity with his body and his strength.


    A cold sweat rolled down his forehead as his life flashed before his eyes for a second. There was no way he would accept to go out this way! He still wanted to live!!


    Marvin shook his head slightly as his finger put a little pressure on the trigger and Hecathe''s heart clenched as his eyes went wide in panic.


    No...


    No!


    No!!


    Hecathe bit his bottom lip and tried his best to use all the strength he had left to try and force his hand out from the constraints but all it really did was turn his wrist red from the immense pressure.


    His wrist started to bleed but he didn''t care as he continued to ignore the pain and tried to force his way out of this situation.


    He cursed a hundred times in his mind, but cursing was of no use.


    He took a sharp breath in as he glanced at Marvin and wondered if this was the end for him.


    Was the Zelium Legend really gonna die like this...?


    He saw Marvin mouth something that couldn''t be heard, however, Hecathe was able to lipread what had been said.


    ''It''ll be over soon. Just wait.''


    The only thing Hecathe could hear was the sound of his own pounding heart that had been thoroughly scared.


    He refused to close his eyes and silently wait for his death. That was just not something Hecathe would do.


    He was a fighter and so there was no way he would succumb to his situation and docilely accept it.


    He kept his eyes wide open as he glared at Marvin, his eyebrows creased together in worry and fear.


    "Don''t you dare shoot!! That''s a gun, goddamn it!!" He gritted out, "Don''t play around with a gun, you sick bastard!"


    Marvin chuckled lowly as he put some more pressure on the trigger and soon, the bullet left the gun, heading straight for Hecathe.


    Hecathe flinched as he felt the bullet hit his left shoulder. The impact was numbing and only after a second did the pain kick in, however, more than the pain there was something else that had managed to bother Hecathe.


    The gun used was definitely not normal...


    He groaned as he tried to grab his shoulder but with his hands still constrained, there was nothing he could do but yelp at the pain.


    He couldn''t believe that all of this was really happening but since the pain felt as real as possible, he was left with no choice but to believe that all of this was indeed real. He really wasn''t dreaming.


    Hecathe, the Zelium legend was being kidnapped and killed under wrong accusations.


    Kill someone?


    Hecathe had indeed screwed over a lot of people, but he was sure that he had never killed anyone. He didn''t even know who this bastard called Orgon was.


    This was so ridiculous that Hecathe wanted to laugh at it, but at the same time, it was the most humorless joke he had ever seen.


    He was really being punished for crimes he had never committed!

 Chapter 8 - I Want To Live!

    "You bastard," Hecathe cursed as he felt the pain sink in.


    Marvin chuckled as he commented, "What''s this? I seem to have missed."


    Hecathe looked up at his face and couldn''t help but be annoyed. This man had missed on purpose! He was aiming for the shoulder because he wanted to make Hecathe suffer even if it was just for a little while.


    The girl wearing a cloak who was sitting on one of the thrones suddenly chuckled as she heard this, "Marvin Orgon, it''s my first time seeing you miss your target."


    Marvin glanced at her and smiled thinly, not saying anything as a response.


    The girl also seemed to have noticed that it was on purpose so she asked, "You won''t miss the second time, will you? Or are you having second thoughts about sparing your dear friend?"


    Marvin nodded his head as he glanced back at Hecathe and raised his gun again, "I definitely won''t miss and my father never taught me to have second thoughts."


    The girl seemed to be satisfied with this response as she commented, "Death shall be avenged with death. Fairness shall see no title. With the three willows of spring, our land shall not forgive sinners!" She smirked before adding, "Even if the wrongdoer is your friend, you cannot forget this."


    Marvin nodded once again and for some reason, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel that this man was a bit dissatisfied to hear her.


    "I shall not dare forget it," Marvin responded as he shut his one eye and focused on aiming for Hecathe''s head this time.


    Hecathe''s face was red and his veins were bulging in anger and pain.


    He looked at Marvin and this time, he was sure that this man wasn''t going to miss his aim.


    If this shot lands its intended target, Hecathe would surely be dead.


    ''Hecathe, the Zelium Legend: shot to death by a weird cult.''


    Hecathe could already guess what the headlines of the morning newspapers would be like.


    Marvin put a little pressure on the trigger and Hecathe could not close his eyes as the small sense of fear grounded itself in his mind.


    He didn''t want to die yet. He really didn''t want to die!


    Suddenly there was another sound of a gunshot and following just a second later was the sound of the gunshot from Marvin''s gun.


    Two guns fired at the same time. One hit the intended target while the other was forced to miss.


    Hecathe''s eyes went wide as he saw the scene.


    Someone actually saved him by shooting Marvin''s arm and due to this, Marvin''s aim had been disrupted and the bullet that was supposed to shoot through Hecathe''s head now penetrated the iron pillar that he was tied to.


    After a whole minute, when the shock finally sunk in, Hecathe reluctantly turned his head to look at the hole beside him. The hole in the iron pillar emitted smoke caused by the heat of the bullet and a few sparks of green lightning that Hecathe hadn''t noticed, however, for Hecathe, the most shocking thing was the fact that his initial guess had been right.


    The gun used was no normal gun since it didn''t actually have a ''bullet''.


    The three willows of spring who sat on their thrones immediately stood up as they saw this.


    "What is going on?!" The long silver-haired man who was wearing a heavy mecha suit exclaimed with a dark expression on his face.


    The girl''s lips curled up in a smirk but there was no happiness in her voice as she questioned out, "Who in the world would dare disturb us?!"


    Hecathe''s eyes looked at Marvin, who was clutching onto his right arm that had been shot. His face looked to be constipated as he glared in the direction from where the bullet had come from and his arm that was shot looked to be covered in purple smoke of some kind.


    Weird...


    Really weird...


    Hecathe was breathing heavily because of the pain, confusion, and shock as he slowly followed Marvin''s line of sight.


    There was a man standing there with his gun aimed at Marvin. He looked to be completely fearless. His head was covered with a black helmet and he was wearing a huge black-colored mecha suit that completely protected his body. He looked to be strong and yet at the same time, Hecathe couldn''t help but cringe as he wondered what comic-con this man came out of.


    Following behind was a rather huge group of people that looked just like him, with their whole bodies covered in mecha suits and their faces completely hidden by their helmets.


    Marvin gritted his teeth as he cursed in a low voice, "Damn it..."


    The fight that broke out next was to be expected. Some of the people who were here just to watch Hecathe be killed ran away from the place in fear of their own lives and some stayed behind to fight against this new group of people who had attacked them first.


    Hecathe had his hands tied and it wasn''t like he was on either side of this fight, hence when the fight started, he was the least interested to know who wins, but this didn''t mean he wasn''t worried though.


    He was worried that he might also get affected by this fight. What if someone''s weird bullet misses and hits Hecathe instead?! That''ll be the worst way for him to go out!


    Hecathe tried his best to ignore the intense pain emitting from his shoulder as he struggled to get out of the constraints.


    It was truly useless for him to try this, but it was better than nothing.


    It was better to try than to just sit there and wait for someone to come and kill him by mistake.


    The three willows of spring were agitated and without any sense of hesitation, they joined the fight. The battle grew intense, however, Hecathe paid it no mind.


    All he could think and worry about was his own self. He needed to get out of here and he needed to contact the cops as soon as possible. There was a reason why authorities and laws existed in this world! Hecathe couldn''t believe that such crazy people existed, but now that he had the first-hand experience with them, he would not hesitate to contact the authorities and take legal action against them.


    In the midst of all the commotion, Hecathe suddenly saw the black mecha-suited man walk over to him calmly.


    The man was calm, but Hecathe was in no manner near calm as he saw this.


    No...


    Don''t come here!


    Don''t you dare come here!!


    Hecathe tried his best to escape and ignored the man that was approaching him calmly.


    The man aimed his gun at Hecathe and for a second there, Hecathe could see the doorway to hell being opened for him. He almost met the grim reaper that was waiting to collect his soul!


    He immediately shut his eyes tight as he prayed for one last time.


    ''God! If this is the end... Please make sure that my mother can live fine without me.''


    He thought that this might as well be his last few wishes.


    ''Help Azazel find a girlfriend.''


    ''Let Zelium industries find a man who can at least be half as competent as me.''


    ''May the Zelium sources of our competitors be burned to ashes, never to be saved!''


    He suddenly heard the loud ''bang'' of the gun and his heart almost stopped beating, however, a minute passed and all he could feel was his right arm feeling free.


    He immediately opened his eyes as he looked down at himself, trying to find the bullet that should have been embedded in him, but except for the injury on his shoulder, there was no other bullet wound and there was no other area of his body that felt pain.


    He looked up at the man in confusion and then slowly turned his head to glance at his right hand that was now free from the constraints and was covered in some sort of faint green lightning.


    "Captain Alphius, it is me." The man''s voice was filled with delight as he exclaimed.


    Hecathe rotated his wrist that was stinging now and looked back at the man as he frowned and asked, "And who exactly is ''me'' supposed to be?"


    His tone of speech didn''t seem kind at all, but that was just how Hecathe was. He wasn''t being unfriendly or rude on purpose, he just sounded like that. However, even though he didn''t sound too pleased, the man remained just as happy as he shot the metal cuffs on Hecathe''s other hand and freed him.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but be shocked as he saw the ''bullet'' covering the constrains on his hand and perfectly breaking them, leaving behind nothing more than faint green lightning.


    Weird...


    Really weird but Hecathe simple thought that maybe this was some sort of new technology that he was yet to be aware of.


    "It is my honor to save you, Captain!" The man beamed as he shot the restraints on Hecathe''s legs.


    Hecathe frowned as he immediately grabbed onto his shoulder and put some pressure on the bullet wound caused by Marvin''s gun, "I have no idea who you are."


    The man seemed to be stunned for a second as he took off his helmet and showed Hecathe his face, "Captain, it is me!"


    The frown on Hecathe''s face only deepened as he saw the wide enthusiastic smile on the man''s face.


    He really looked like a madman.


    Hecathe shook his head as he mumbled, "I see... You are you. Such a clear understanding of your own identity. Great to know!"


    He was being sarcastic, but the man seemed to have misinterpreted Hecathe.


    He immediately smiled brightly as he put his helmet back on and commented, "I was almost afraid that captain won''t recognize me. It''s so good to know that you still remember my face."


    "..." Hecathe couldn''t help but sigh as he shook his head and thought.


    Why am I the only one encountering such crazy people?!

 Chapter 9 - Well Definitely Meet Again

    Hecathe lifted his head to look at the man and suddenly faked a smile, "Well, it was nice meeting you, and thank you for saving me. I won''t forget your kindness. When I get back home, I''ll call my secretary and make sure that you will be remunerated humbly."


    The man tilted his head in confusion as he simply stood there and watched Hecathe get ready to sneak away from here.


    Hecathe looked around at the bloody battlefield and he was instantly stunned. He never knew there were people like this in the world and he never knew that there were guns that could spit fire and ice. The more he watched the fight. The more confused and amazed he got.


    "What the hell is going on...?!" He was shocked to see everyone fighting so ruthlessly.


    Nobody cared for anyone''s life. They all attacked each other as if their only motive was to kill the other. They showed no mercy before crushing and burning their opponents to death.


    Hecathe gulped as he came to the conclusion that running away from here as fast as possible was perhaps the best solution for him to not entangle his name in this mess.


    He took to his feet and got ready to run away, but suddenly felt the man grab his arm with force and hold him back.


    Hecathe furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back at the man and questioned, "What are you doing?"


    The man didn''t let go of his arm as he asked, his voice clearly sounding concerned, "Where are you going?"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this. He grabbed the man''s hand and forcefully jerked it away as he responded, "Don''t touch me."


    The man looked to be a bit taken back and scared as he heard this. He immediately let go and lightly bowed his head apologetically as he spoke up, his voice seeming to panic, "I''m sorry, Captain. Please excuse my rudeness."


    Hecathe''s pupils contracted but he said nothing.


    The man thought that Hecathe was either disgusted or offended by him suddenly grabbing Hecathe''s arm like that, but in reality, the reason why Hecathe had rudely ordered him to not touch him was because it physically hurt his arm to be squeezed by someone wearing a heavy mecha suit.


    It was made out of metal and the man didn''t even hold back his strength so of course, it was only natural that Hecathe felt his arm aching!


    The man apologized again and again which made Hecathe soon grow a bit annoyed as he held up his hand and gestured for the man to stop, "Say sorry one more time and I''ll be forced to forget the favor I owe you."


    The man gulped and nodded as he decided to shut his mouth up for good.


    Hecathe sighed as he looked at all the people fighting and dying.


    He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, but for some reason, his lips curled up slightly as he muttered, "I guess I have one last thing to do before I run away."


    "Huh?" The man questioned, but got no response.


    With calm strides, Hecathe walked towards Marvin and called out to him, "Hey!"


    Marvin turned around in confusion immediately, but just as he did, his face was met with a strong punch.


    Hecathe had used most of his strength in that one punch so it was only natural that Marvin was thrown back and stumbled to the floor.


    Hecathe smirked in satisfaction as he commented, "I''ve been waiting to do that."


    Marvin gritted his teeth as he immediately picked himself up from the ground and punched back, but his fist was caught by the man who had saved Hecathe.


    Hecathe chuckled as he saw this, "I''ll be taking my leave then."


    He looked at Marvin one last time as he added, "I''m not done with you yet, boy. I should thoroughly teach you a lesson not to mess with the wrong person."


    Marvin gritted his teeth as he glared at Hecathe, who immediately turned around and got ready to sneak out of this place.


    "Alphius! We''ll meet again! To think that this is how you repay my kindness..." Hecathe could hear Marvin yell out behind him and he smirked in satisfaction as he heard this, "The next time we meet, I''ll make sure that there won''t be a third time!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but mutter in satisfaction, "The next time we meet would be in court and there''s no way I''ll visit you in jail so you can rest assured that there won''t be a third time."


    Hecathe was almost out of the battlefield, however, just when he thought he had seen it all, out of nowhere, something heavy dropped in front of him. Hecathe faltered back a few steps as his eyes went wide and his mouth muttered a curse that couldn''t even be heard due to the sound of the crash subduing his voice completely.


    The heavy thing that fell in front of him was a stone, or to be more exact, it was a boulder. Hecathe was shocked to see that the boulder was on fire and when he reluctantly let his eyes trace its projectile, he couldn''t help but be shocked even more.


    It was thrown by a man... A single man dressed in the same black mecha suit as the man who had saved him!


    A single man managed to lift up such a heavy burning boulder and threw it!


    The boulder wasn''t supposed to be aimed at Hecathe but this didn''t stop Hecathe from feeling a bit intimidated.


    These people.... Not only were they all crazy, but they were all abnormal!! Too abnormal!!


    For a second, Hecathe wondered if they all had Zelium injected into their blood or something.


    There was certainly such a case that he had heard about before this. Someone extracted Zelium from a product Hecathe''s company sold and injected it into their blood thinking that it could be used as some sort of drug. It surely worked like a drug. It made the person lose his sleep and made him excited enough to run a whole marathon fully energetic till the finish line, however, that person soon died as well. In the end, he did win a marathon medal before dying though.


    There was a reason why Zelium was not a drug. Sure, it might give you the same effects as a really great drug, however, if you took normal drugs you would have a chance of survival, however, if you used Zelium as a drug, you''ll have zero chances of surviving. Twenty-four hours was the most. You won''t be able to live any longer than that.


    Hecathe gulped in worry as he looked at the man who had thrown the boulder.


    The man must have noticed Hecathe staring at him so he immediately bowed his head and apologized, "I''m sorry, Captain!"


    Hecathe frowned in confusion as he reluctantly nodded his head once and didn''t bother saying anything more.


    The man turned his head and continued to fight against his opponent who was just as strong as him.


    Hecathe tilted his head before shaking it and coming to the conclusion that the boulder was probably fake.


    It was burning... Boulders do not burn, do they?


    It must be made out of Styrofoam!


    Weird...


    Too weird...


    Even if it was a fake boulder, this situation was a bit too unnatural for Hecathe.


    This place was no good!


    This was definitely some weird demonic cult!


    He tried to run away once more, but he was interrupted yet again.


    He suddenly felt himself getting lifted up by his back collar. Hecathe bit his tongue due to the shock and was immediately hit with the pain. Damn it! He no longer even knew what part of his body hurt more.


    Is it even legal to be this unlucky?!


    This was definitely not normal!


    Was God trying to take revenge on him or something? Or had he used up all his luck in this lifetime so now he was being hit with all the misfortunes?!


    Hecathe snapped his head to look at the person that had lifted him up from the ground.


    It was a black mecha-suited man who was much taller and bigger than him in size. So big that he managed to immediately intimidate Hecathe.


    "Umm... Can you... Let me down...?" Hecathe sounded a bit polite as he gulped.


    The man looked at Hecathe''s face for a solid minute before lifting him more and placing Hecathe on his shoulder, "Don''t worry, Captain! I''ll definitely get you out of here!"


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as the words slowly registered in his mind.


    "Umm... Is that so? " Hecathe muttered thoughtlessly, "Then please take me to the nearest police station."


    The man nodded his big head that was covered with his helmet, "I''ll get you back to the station!"


    Hecathe was confused with what was happening, but he was not stupid. If this madman wanted to personally escort him to the police station, why the hell would Hecathe say no?!

 Chapter 10 - Where Are We?

    The man who had helped Hecathe escape from the restraints now fought against Marvin and kept him busy, giving Hecathe ample time to run away from this place.


    While a huge black-suited man had lifted Hecathe up with just a hand and promised to take him to the nearest police station.


    The man immediately started running and after just a few steps, he took something out of his pocket before throwing it in front of them.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened in shock as he saw the sudden circle that formed in front of them.


    The man didn''t hesitate as he passed through the circle and the entire scene around them changed in the blink of an eye.


    ''Was that a freaking teleportation device...?!''


    They were completely out of the battlefield, however, there was just a small problem. When Hecathe looked around at the place, he couldn''t help but frown.


    It looked rather... Dead.


    "Where are we?" Hecathe anxiously questioned the man who was carrying him on his shoulder to the police station.


    He had pondered over it before. This place didn''t look like Derton.


    Derton was the city where Hecathe was born and raised. It was filled with the latest technology and there were probably more fake trees than real ones. It was Utopia for people who loved futuristic ideas and it was hell for those who preferred peaceful countrysides.


    Hecathe had lived there his whole life so he naturally knew every corner of that city. He knew that place like the back of his hand; the best places to go and the worst places to go, he knew them all.


    It was because of this that he was confident when he concluded that this place wasn''t Derton at all.


    The man turned his head a bit and side-glanced at Hecathe as he answered, "Captain, we are still in Zeblor."


    Weird...


    "I see..." Hecathe took another minute to ask his next question, "And where exactly is Zeblor?"


    The man seemed to be a bit shocked as he snapped his head at Hecathe, "Huh? Zeblor is in Athia, of course!"


    "Oh... Silly me, I guess," Hecathe responded as he decided not to ask his next question.


    Where in the hell was Athia?!


    As long as Hecathe could remember, there was no such place on earth or maybe his geography was just too weak and he couldn''t remember the existence of such a place.


    Well, it had to be the latter cause Hecathe was sure that he was still on earth. The possibility of not being on earth sounded pretty ridiculous, however, Hecathe still decided to ask just in case.


    "We are still on earth, right?"


    The man''s footsteps slowed down as he looked at Hecathe with what Hecathe presumed to be confusion and suspicion, "Captain, did they hit your head?"


    "..."


    "Of course, we are still on earth!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he tried to save himself the embarrassment of asking such a stupid question, "I know! I know! I was just joking. Don''t mind me."


    The man was silent as he heard this and it didn''t look like he was planning on saying anything for the rest of the way either.


    However, Hecathe''s original question was still left unanswered. He was still completely unaware of his own whereabouts.


    Hecathe had never enjoyed dealing with cops from foreign countries. The reason was simple: It was because police from different countries side more with people from their own countries. They discriminate legally and it was truly a pain in the ass.


    Since Hecathe didn''t wanna ask any more stupid questions, he decided to just wait and see what happens. The police would surely give him more information about this place.


    The frown on Hecathe''s face never went away as he let his eyes trail around the place.


    The more he observed everything, the more confused he got.


    The place they were in before was filled with trees and greenery however, as soon as they got out of that place, Hecathe couldn''t even spot one tree. At least not a tree that could be considered alive. All the greenery in this place had dried up and it was covered with dust.


    There was dust, a lot of it, and a lot of boulders as well. Huge boulders that looked to be black in color, but what threw off Hecathe the most was the gigantic craters on the ground.


    These craters made it look as if a comet had crashed on earth but there were so many of them that it made it seem as if the comet had brought along all of its friends.


    Hecathe never heard of a comet shower before and he was sure that the three days he spent in captivity weren''t enough for such a big thing to happen.


    Even though it looked suspicious and Hecathe wasn''t sure if this place was even on earth, he still decided to just ignore it.


    "The police station is quite far," Hecathe commented.


    The man said nothing as he kept on running.


    After a few more minutes had passed, the man finally stopped. He put Hecathe down from his shoulder as he spoke up, "Captain, we''re here."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this. The man had stopped in the middle of a crater. When Hecathe looked around, He couldn''t really spot a ''police station'' so it was only natural that he was confused.


    The man said nothing more and stood there like a log of wood.


    When Hecathe tried to move around, the man stopped him as he cried out, "Captain, don''t move!"


    Hecathe immediately stopped and his right foot that had been slightly lifted now rested back on the ground. He listened to the man and stood there looking at him for more than a few seconds.


    When a solid minute had passed with them blankly staring at each other, Hecathe was finally about to break the silence and say something, however, he stopped as he felt the ground under him suddenly move.


    "Huh?" He looked down immediately as he noticed that the sand had started to creep up his leg or to be more specific, it was his body that was sinking into the sand.


    His eyebrows creased together and in the next second, his eyes went wide as he realized what they were standing on.


    "Quick san-" He wasn''t even able to complete his sentence as he felt his whole body instantly sink into the ground as if the ground under him had simply turned into water.


    He wasn''t the only one who was devoured by the ground.


    Hecathe thought he was about to die, but in just a few seconds, he saw the sand clearing up. He fell down on the floor with a ''thump'' and groaned as he felt the pain from the hit travel up his butt.


    The man who had come with him took off his helmet and shook off the sand as he gave Hecathe a hand.


    Hecathe frowned as he looked up to see that the sand did not fall down with them. Well, some of it did but the majority of it didn''t.


    He glanced at the outreached hand of the man and took it as he pulled himself up to his feet.


    "Are you sure this is the police station?" Hecathe questioned although he clearly knew that there was no police station on earth that had such a weird entrance.


    The man nodded his head as he answered, "We are at the station!"


    Hecathe squinted but said nothing as he finally concluded that it was better not to waste his time in asking questions.


    As long as this man didn''t try to kill him like Marvin did, it was all good.


    "Follow me, Captain." The man informed as he took a few steps forward.


    "Umm... Okay..." Hecathe was a bit hesitant but he still decided to follow the man.


    He looked around at this underground hideout which looked a lot like a city with no natural lights.


    He was immediately in awe as he looked at the infrastructure. There were a lot of buildings and a lot more of the same black-suited men that had arrived and saved him from being executed.


    As the others saw him, they immediately bowed in respect as they greeted him, "Captain!"


    "Captain, we were waiting for you."


    "Captain. I''m glad to see you coming back safely."


    "Captain!"


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered why everyone was referring to him as captain.


    He didn''t say anything back but simply nodded as a greeting when he received so many warm reactions.


    It was certainly his first time here but he was so warmly welcomed that he felt as if he was being mistaken for someone else.


    "Where are we going?" Hecathe questioned once again.


    The man didn''t bother turning his head as he responded, "Where else would we be going to? I''m taking you back to your office, captain."


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he finally concluded that there was a huge misunderstanding about his identity here, however, was he going to correct such a big misunderstanding? Of course, not. Why would he try to correct it if it was doing him no harm? In fact, he was more worried about their reaction when he really does reveal that he wasn''t the ''Captain'' they were looking for.


    Soon, they stood in front of a building that was located in the middle of this underground city.


    The building had black colored glass covering most of the walls. It didn''t look eye-catching but it didn''t look hideous either. Compared to the other showy buildings, this building looked rather ordinary.


    There were two guards standing on either side of the building''s door.


    When they saw Hecathe, they immediately bowed their heads and greeted him like all the other people did.


    "Captain Alphius, we are glad to have you back!"


    Hecathe nodded as he responded confidently, "I''m glad to be back."

 Chapter 11 - Acting At Its Best

    The two guards moved aside immediately and one of them even opened the door for Hecathe.


    The man who had brought him here gestured for Hecathe to go in first and since it wasn''t Hecathe''s first time dealing with guards and bodyguards, he would naturally know exactly how to act.


    If they wanted to mistake him for someone else, why would he be nice enough to correct them?


    He would rather just go along with it and play the role of this guy who was supposed to be their Captain.


    Since this was an office, there ought to be a phone somewhere inside and with a phone, he could contact the police to come here and save him from these weird people who lived underground.


    However, if he could get a signal inside here or not was still a question that he was yet to figure out the answer to.


    As soon as he entered the building, Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly. The inside was a lot more eye-catching than the outside.


    The ground had beautiful white tiles with a hint of golden mixed along with it to make it more appealing.


    The ceiling was high up and for a second there, Hecathe wondered if he had really entered someone''s office or a shopping mall.


    Why the hell was the ceiling so high up?!


    Did they need to fit in a giant Godzilla in here or something?!


    He sighed as he looked around. He could see an elevator but where it was leading to was still a question that had not been answered.


    The inside wasn''t as crowded as the outside, however, it wasn''t empty either.


    If Hecathe had to compare the outside of the building with the inside, he would definitely explain it within a single sentence: The outside looked like a weird sci-fi comic convention and the inside looked like a normal billionaire''s mansion.


    When people saw him enter, they immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed up to him. Forming a line as they bowed in respect together.


    "Captain Alphius, we are glad to see you come back," He didn''t know who spoke first, but after this one person had spoken, the rest also opened their mouths to speak up.


    Hecathe nodded as he looked down at them and responded, "Well... It''s good to be back I guess."


    Among the people who had rushed up to him and formed a line, there was a woman whose back looked particularly familiar for some unknown reason.


    Hecathe squinted at her curiously and when someone else noticed him looking at her, the person nudged her and she immediately jolted up, straightening her back as she looked at Hecathe and asked, "Captain, is there anything I can do for you?"


    "You?!" Hecathe cried out, losing his cool as he saw her face.


    The girl faltered back a step as she saw this reaction, "Umm... Captain, did I somehow offend you?"


    "What?!" Another man cried out as he heard this, "Captain, she offended you?! Shall we throw her in the chamber?"


    The girl shuddered in fear as she heard this, but the man didn''t seem to be joking as he turned to Hecathe and looked to be waiting for Hecathe''s answer.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he felt tongue-tied at this moment.


    This girl... He certainly knew her!


    Even though he didn''t exactly know her name, he could still recognize her as one of his company workers.


    She was the one who gave him the report that morning in the meeting!


    The girl gulped in fear as her eyes trailed towards the man who had suggested throwing her into the chamber before she turned back to look at Hecathe, "Captain, did I do something wrong?"


    This time, Hecathe shook his head as he heard this question, "You... Have you ever worked for Zuex?"


    The girl tilted her head in confusion as she heard such an unexpected question, "Zuex... What...??"


    Hecathe gulped as he shook his head, "Forget it."


    The girl seemed to be a bit curious now, but since Hecathe clearly stated that he didn''t want to continue this topic, she would naturally listen to him.


    "But..." Hecathe spoke up as he looked down at his tummy, "I''m hungry. I would appreciate it if someone can feed me first."


    He heard someone gasp and in the next second, it was complete panic as people started running here and there.


    Hecathe could hear one of them yell at another, "How could you be so careless?!"


    The one being scolded immediately bowed his head multiple times as he apologized in a manner that made Hecathe wonder if this man had committed some kind of serious crime or something.


    The woman who looked a lot like the worker from his company immediately walked up to him and bowed as she apologized, "It''s our fault, Captain. We should have been more attentive!"


    Hecathe''s pupils contracted as he saw this, but he said nothing as a response.


    Another man rushed up and stood beside the girl as he suggested, "Captain, why don''t we get your injuries treated first?"


    Now that the man had reminded Hecathe of the shoulder wound, the pain came back to him as he nodded, "Then let''s have it like that."


    He was immediately escorted to a room that was filled with medical supplies and there were two people waiting inside for him.


    He laid down on a table and suddenly wondered if he was supposed to trust these people enough to have them operate on him.


    They injected something on his shoulder and when the effects of the substance kicked in, the pain he felt slowly faded away into a small sting that could hardly be noticed. They used a gauze to clean out the wound before stitching it up and wrapping it tightly.


    Hecathe could rest assured that his eyes hadn''t played tricks on him. The gun used by Marvin really wasn''t a normal gun since there was no bullet left behind.


    "I''m quite surprised, Captain," The one who was wrapping up his wounds suddenly commented.


    "Eh?"


    "He really went easy on you this time as well," The man added with a smile and didn''t bother explaining further.


    Hecathe was confused and curious but he simply gulped and decided not to question anything.


    The whole procedure didn''t take more than twenty minutes or so and when it was done, Hecathe was allowed to go and eat.


    He was immediately taken to the dining room where he sat down at the head of the huge table.


    Nobody else dared to sit down at any of the other chairs and instead they all preferred to stand on the side with their heads hung low in embarrassment and fear.


    Soon enough, a lot of servers came out with serving trays filled with plates of food.


    When all of the food was placed in front of Hecathe, he frowned as he asked, "Is someone else joining?"


    A man who stood beside his seat immediately shook his head as he answered, "No, Captain."


    Hecathe sighed as he questioned again, "Then are you feeding an elephant?"


    The man once again shook his head as he answered, "There are no elephants here, Captain. Would you like to buy an elephant?"


    Hecathe turned his head to look at the man, "Do I look like I want to buy an elephant?"


    The man reluctantly shook his head once more, "No... You don''t, Captain."


    "Then why the hell is there so much food?!" Hecathe scolded the man who probably had nothing to do with the amount of food presented in front of Hecathe.


    The man looked horrified and was about to say something but his words were forced to be gulped down as Hecathe sighed, rubbing his forehead in the process.


    "Forget it, I''m just tired," Hecathe spoke up as he coughed and tried to calm himself down.


    In reality, Hecathe had no problem with all this food. He just wanted to test the power Captain Alphius had on these people who were mistaking Hecathe for that man.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but unconsciously nod his head as he realized that Captain Alphius was pretty important and powerful in this place. Well, if that''s the case, Hecathe could completely rest assured that he won''t be tortured or held captive once again.


    The plate in front of him was empty so he took a fork and a spoon before filling his plate up with food.


    It was only now that he had taken a proper look at his hands that looked... Weird...


    Hecathe was definitely sure that his hands were veiny and bigger in size, but somehow, right now his hands looked thinner with longer fingers and white... As if all the blood in his body had been sucked dry.


    This was really weird and Hecathe had a feeling that this was definitely something he should be worried about.


    At this exact moment, his stomach growled once again and Hecathe decided to focus on the food for now.


    Without wasting any further time, he dug in and ate the food without hesitation.


    Only after filling his stomach to a certain extent did a worrying thought cross his mind: What if the food is poisoned?


    He stopped for a second as he thought of this possibility. He silently let his eyes glance at everyone surrounding him.


    Well... At this point, he really didn''t think that the food would be poisoned.


    It took him more than half an hour to completely fill his stomach and when he was full, he coughed as he picked up the glass of water kept on the side and drank it before standing up from the seat as he exclaimed, "I''m done."


    The girl who was definitely not his company worker but looked a lot like her was the first to react. She bowed her head as she spoke up, "Captain, you should go to your room and rest."


    Hecathe nodded as he heard this, "I''d like to take a shower first."


    The girl nodded enthusiastically as she spoke up, "Follow me."


    Hecathe gave a small nod and the girl happily led the way to ''his'' room.


    The elevator in the main lobby was in fact just an elevator that took them up to his room.


    Instead of asking her if this elevator had any other purpose, he decided to look at the buttons on the panel inside the elevator, and just as expected, there were only a few buttons. One leading to the ground floor, another going up to a single floor, and the other buttons were all emergency buttons.


    When the elevator had reached its destination, Hecathe got out but the girl stayed on the elevator.


    When Hecathe turned back to look at her, she simply bowed as she took her leave, "I''ll be going then. Rest well, Captain. I''m sure you''ve been through a lot."


    Hecathe didn''t like it and his eyes narrowed down on the closing elevator doors.


    That look in the girl''s eyes... It was a look of pity and it really bothered Hecathe for some reason since nobody had ever looked at him like that before this.


    The elevator door completely closed and Hecathe was left all alone in this unfamiliar room.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he looked around to make sure that there was nobody there and when he was sure that he was alone, he couldn''t help but panic a little as he clenched and unclenched his fist while looking down at his hands, trying to figure out why they looked and felt so different.

 Chapter 12 - Who Are You?!

    Hecathe sighed as he finally gave up trying to figure out why his hands looked so different.


    He decided to look around the room instead and searched for the washroom which was weirdly easy to find.


    There was already a towel hanging on the door of the bathroom and hence it was one thing less that Hecathe needed to find.


    Without wasting any further time, he decided to take a shower that he hadn''t been able to take for the last two days.


    The water was cold but it was refreshing and it relaxed him just a bit.


    He tried his best not to let the water touch his wound that had been freshly wrapped up.


    He still had no idea what was happening but he was sure that if he acted calmly and used his brain to get out of this situation, he would surely be able to go back.


    While showering, he couldn''t help but feel that his body looked and felt weird.


    Really... Really weird... And small... Something was definitely smaller than it used to be...


    His skin also looked to be a lot paler.


    His eyebrows creased together in confusion as he saw this and he could not think up of anything that might have caused such a drastic change.


    He stared down at himself for a solid minute before jolting up as he ran towards the mirror that was covered in fog.


    No...


    No.


    No!


    This was not it!


    This was definitely not it!


    The mirror was covered with fog making it blurry. Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he immediately raised his hand to wipe the mirror and then looked at himself.


    "No way... This mirror has to be broken...?" He muttered to himself as he saw the reflection in the mirror.


    He wiped it again but the man that stared back at him from the mirror had the same face as before and it was certainly not Hecathe''s face.


    Hecathe kept on staring at it for a solid minute before he broke out laughing, "Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?"


    His laughing grew weaker and weaker as he lifted his head to look at the reflection again, "Oh sh*t...."


    It was the only thing he could mutter out as he realized that the mirror wasn''t broken and there was no way this was all a hidden camera prank.


    He took a sharp breath in as he grabbed his face and tried to pull it and pinch it, trying to make sure that the face was really his.


    "What the actual hell?!" He cried out as the shock sunk in.


    He gulped as he took a minute to rewind everything that had happened to him.


    He was going home from the meeting to take his phone, but his phone turned out to be in his car. He got a text message from Azazel and his precious car got hit by a truck. He then woke up and realized that he had been kidnaped by some weird people who dressed as if they were part of a comic and then... Wait...!


    Hecathe''s eyes went wide as he finally got a hint of what the real situation might have been.


    I got hit by a truck...!


    Hecathe looked down at his body and tapped around to see if he had any wounds and just as expected, there were no wounds on his body.


    The only wound he had was the bullet wound on his shoulder that had already been treated.


    He snapped his head up again and asked the reflection in the mirror, "I''m dead... Aren''t I?"


    The reflection in the mirror naturally didn''t give him a response.


    Hecathe felt his mind go blank as he saw his whole life once again flash before his eyes.


    I''m dead...


    I''m dead.....?


    I''m really dead....?!


    Me?


    The Zelium Legend... Died?


    It was a feeling that he couldn''t explain.


    For the first time in his life, he finally understood what it felt like to suffer through a short-circuit in his brain.


    "What the hell?!?!" He shouted out with his head lowered, not even daring to look up at his reflection.


    "I''m dead?! I''m really dead?!" He started pacing around the bathroom in a circle.


    "I can''t be dead... I-I''m breathing right now, aren''t I? I''m alive!" He stopped and glared at the mirror once again.


    "You! Who the hell are you?!" He questioned the reflection that gave him no response.


    He held his breath in for a minute before sighing as he muttered, "I can''t believe it..."


    In the next minute, he started laughing like a maniac. He felt as if all of this was a big joke and he was the epicenter of this joke.


    When he was done laughing his throat out, he coughed for a few minutes.


    He lifted his head up again and looked at his new reflection, "Well... At least you''re handsome. I''ll give you that"


    That was the only bright side of this whole situation.


    "I can''t believe it. Did I die and change bodies? That''s the only possible case, is it not?!" He scoffed as he added, "Maybe God took pity on me and decided to give me another chance at life?"


    He clapped his hand as he exclaimed, "That must be it! It would be a waste for me to simply die like that!"


    He clenched his fist as he finally decided to accept it.


    He took another sharp breath in as he asked, "So you''re Captain Alphius?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he grabbed his chin and twisted his head to take a good look at his face.


    It was young. A lot younger than Hecathe, in fact, this man looked to be around the same age as Marvin.


    "Hmm..." Hecathe sighed as he tried to ignore the fact that he was now dead and tried to focus on the positive side of the situation.


    The positive side...


    He took a good look at this face before he finally found one positive side about his situation, "I think I just got my youth back."


    He straightened his back as he pondered more about this.


    "That''s right...! My precious youth!" Hecathe laughed as his face suddenly lit up with excitement, "How many people in the world get such a second chance at life? How many are lucky enough to have such luck? If I think about it, isn''t this a really great chance?"


    He looked at himself in the mirror and saw his lips curl up in a smile, "I''m a really lucky bastard."


    Most of Hecathe''s youth was spent on him trying to gain more business experience. Both his parents were always strict with him. He grew up according to their desires and expectations. Hence, it was only natural that he never got out to learn more about life or do anything that could be considered fun or rebellious.


    Ever since he was born, he was raised to be a ruthless and powerful businessman; raised to be a tyrant.


    Although Hecathe never had a problem with it, he still regretted not enjoying his youth while it lasted.


    Now that he got his youth back, it could be considered as a second chance in life.


    But... No matter how much he tried to focus on the positive aspect of the situation, there was still something that was bugging him.


    "If I really transmigrated, shouldn''t I get a system that gives me missions and stuff?" Hecathe muttered to himself in confusion, "What exactly am I supposed to do here?!"

 Chapter 13 - Azazel?

    "I don''t have a system?" He asked his reflection in confusion before muttering out, "Could it be that I didn''t transmigrate? Am I having delusions? Could this be just my brain playing tricks on me?"


    With this thought haunting his brain, he lifted his right hand and slapped his own face. The slap was in no manner soft. As soon as it hit his cheeks, the loud ''Smack'' sound was clearly heard.


    "Hmm..." He felt a stinging pain and when he looked at his reflection, he could clearly see his cheek turning red with a handprint on it.


    His eyebrows furrowed up as he suddenly noticed something.


    Marvin had punched him four times and Hecathe was sure that those punches would certainly leave behind a bruise, however, his face was extremely clear with the red handprint being the only thing that could be considered as out of place.


    "Where did the other bruises go?" Hecathe looked confused as his hand reached up to touch his nose and unexpectedly, his nose wasn''t hurting at all.


    He had been magically healed...


    Hecathe was sure that bruises don''t heal this fast.


    He pondered over it for over a minute before concluding that this body might have a really high regenerative ability.


    When he thought about this, his eyes trailed down to the wrapped bullet wound on his chest.


    Reluctantly, he lifted his hand to poke the wound, and just like he had expected, it didn''t hurt anymore.


    "That''s... Weird," He muttered as he tried to take off the wrappings.


    However, at this exact moment, he suddenly heard the elevator door opening and it snapped him out of his thoughts.


    He cleared his throat before shouting out, "Who is it?"


    "Captain, there is someone here to see you," It was a male voice that Hecathe didn''t recognize.


    Hecathe looked conflicted for a minute before he responded, "Send them away. I''m not seeing anyone right now."


    Hecathe could clearly hear no sound of the elevator closing which meant that the person hadn''t left yet.


    "Didn''t you hear me?" Hecathe''s voice sounded annoyed as he questioned out, "I told you to get out, didn''t I?!"


    "C-captain..." The man stuttered with a panicked and worried voice, "Please come out."


    Hecathe sighed loudly as he looked back at his reflection in the mirror.


    He took a deep breath in before straightening out his back and picking up a bathrobe that hung beside the mirror.


    He took his sweet little time in tying the bathrobe around his body before he came out of the bathroom.


    The man and the guest the man talked about were waiting in the living room and hence Hecathe had to further trouble himself to walk all the way there.


    "Who the hell-" He immediately gulped down his words as he saw the ''guest'' that was here to see him.


    "I''m sorry, Captain. We couldn''t stop her," The man who stood beside the guest immediately apologized before leaving the place.


    Hecathe was thoroughly shocked as he saw this woman whom he couldn''t help but recognize.


    "Azazel?" His tone sounded worried as he muttered out.


    No... The last he checked, Azazel was definitely a boy!


    He had long hair and sometimes liked to dress up as a girl for certain reasons but he was still a boy! Though the woman in front looked a lot like the Azazel who dressed up in girl''s clothing, Hecathe could still tell the difference between the two since the real Azazel didn''t have such big breasts!


    The woman chuckled as she managed to hear this, "Alphius, has it been that long? You even forgot my name?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this but said nothing more.


    No.


    There is no way this woman is Azazel.


    He tried to reassure himself that his eyes had either seen wrong or this woman was nothing more than a doppelganger.


    "You have got to be kidding me," He muttered under his breath.


    First, it was the woman from his office and now it was this woman who looked exactly like Azazel. Why was he constantly seeing people he recognized and at the same time, it wasn''t them at all?!


    Her eyes turned up into two little crescents as she smiled and opened her arms wide, "Do I not even get a hug now?"


    Hecathe felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard this.


    "No!" He cried out in disgust as he faltered a step back and tightened the string around his robe.


    What he saw was his friend''s face on a female body with big breasts... Hecathe could almost feel a shiver running down his spine as he found the thought about hugging her a bit too horrifying!


    When the woman saw this little action, she couldn''t help but laugh in amusement as she asked, "Did I scare you with my sudden appearance?"


    Hecathe gulped as he nodded his head, "You horrified me."


    The woman also nodded, "Good."


    She walked a few steps forward, her black golden-bottom heels clanking against the tiled floor calmly. As she walked towards him, Hecathe couldn''t help but notice the change in her smile and eyes.


    Somehow, it got more and more wicked.


    Her hand reached out to touch the handprint on his face, but he immediately pushed it away before taking a step back.


    "Who are you?" He questioned anxiously.


    The woman giggled as she let her hand fall down, "Alphius... The question shouldn''t be about my identity. It should be: Who are you?"


    Hecathe''s eyes slightly widened as he heard this.


    For a second, he wondered if this woman already knew about his true identity. If that were to be the case, wouldn''t he need to silence her...? He would have to kill her and silence her even though she looked exactly like Azazel... Right?!


    Her smile dropped and with it, her mannerism also dropped as she suddenly took out a gun and aimed it at Hecathe''s forehead, "How dare you forget me?!"


    Hecathe gulped as he saw the gun glaring at him, waiting to be used at any moment now.


    He took a sharp breath in before letting his eyes trail from the gun to the woman''s face.


    She had quite a nice face. A face that could be considered feminine and at the same time, she could crossdress and look exactly like Azazel. She was wearing a red one-piece knee-length dress that seemed to match her light red lipstick. Her clothes hugged her body in a loose manner and at the same time, also a tight manner which helped show her curves and confidence in her body.


    "Where did you get that gun," It was the only question Hecathe could ask her.


    She simply smiled as she responded, "You don''t need to know. There''s a lot a girl can hide in her purse."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but laugh a little as he heard this, "Your words are quite... Conflicting."


    She was telling him he didn''t need to know the answer while also giving him the answer in the very next sentence so of course, he found her words to be conflicting.


    When the woman heard this, she chuckled before retreating the gun as she spoke up, "Forget it. That''s definitely you."


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered what had just happened.


    The girl once again had a friendly look plastered on her face as she put the gun back in her purse and leisurely strolled towards the white couch.


    "So, how was your life in captivity like?" She asked as she sat down with her right leg crossed over her left., "I told you not to trust that bastard Marvin and yet you walked right into his trap. You should''ve at least told someone, instead of sneaking out on your own like that."


    Hecathe tilted his head as he wondered if he was supposed to get properly dressed first or not.


    In the end, he still ended up walking over to the other couch and sitting in front of her with nothing more than a bathrobe tightly wrapped around his body.


    "What do you think it was like?" He questioned back with a small unamused smirk.


    The woman chuckled as she dug into her purse once again to take out something else.


    For a second, Hecathe wondered if he had angered her again but when he saw her taking out a few stacks of paper, he could sigh in relief that his life wasn''t in danger.


    She threw the papers on the table as she spoke up, "There you go. The thing you were looking for."


    When Hecathe heard this, he immediately leaned forward to pick up the papers and took a look at them.


    Some of it, he could understand, but most of it made no sense to him.


    "I''m so good at my job, aren''t I?" The woman commented jokingly, "That''s the DNA pattern for all the mutants. I think there is a DNA comparison between you and them in there somewhere. Take a good look at it later and contact me if you can''t find that. I might have left it back at my place."


    When Hecathe heard this, he sharply glared at her, "And you say that you''re good at your job? I call that careless."


    The woman chuckled as she heard this, "You''re right! You''re right! It was my fault. Hehehe...."


    When Hecathe read through the first page, his eyes widened slightly as he immediately realized a thing that he was yet to consider.


    "I''m not on earth...." He mumbled underneath his breath and this comment couldn''t be heard by the woman who was now paying attention to her nails that had been chipped somehow.

 Chapter 14 - The Diary

    Hecathe gulped as he tried his utmost best to stay calm. He quickly read through the first page and flipped to the second page, finishing that in just a mere few minutes before turning the page again.


    The woman in front of him chuckled softly as she saw this, "You can take your time. No need to rush."


    Although she had said this, Hecathe was still panicking a little as he tried to read through the entire thing.


    The woman frowned and after a minute, she stood up as she exclaimed, "Since I don''t expect you to escort me out, I''ll be taking my leave then. All the best, Captain Alphius. If there''s anything you need, just give me a call cause I''m always on your side."


    Hecathe nodded without even bothering to look up from the papers clutched tightly in his hand.


    He could clearly hear the sound of her heels tapping against the floor as she made her way to the elevator and got ready to leave.


    At first, he didn''t try to stop her but just when the elevator door was about to close, he rushed forward and stopped it, "Wait!"


    The woman smiled as her eyes slightly widened when she saw this reaction, "Are you forgetting something?"


    "Thank you," Hecathe muttered out.


    "Huh?" She looked to be clearly taken back by the sudden show of gratitude.


    Hecathe gulped as he met her eyes. It was certainly the first time in his life that he was thanking someone like this.


    The woman was silent for a minute as she looked back at him with a bit of suspicion that couldn''t be sensed on her face.


    She cleared her throat as she responded, "I don''t know what got over you to say that but... I guess you''re welcome."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a bit awkward for stopping her to say something so trivial.


    The woman chuckled as she added, "You really look like someone possessed your body today. So weird."


    Hecathe, "..."


    "But it''s not entirely bad," The woman continued with a genuine smile, "It''s refreshing to hear you say ''Thank you'' for the first time."


    It seemed that captain Alphius wasn''t so different from Hecathe. Both of them sucked at saying thank you.


    "Captain Alphius, it is an honor to be working with you." Hecathe could swear that he saw a small blush on her face as she spoke, "I might joke around a lot but I''m not lying when I say I look up to you. What you created is truly something wonderful."


    "..." Hecathe gulped as he couldn''t understand what the woman was talking about.


    The woman sighed as she pushed the elevator button again, "If you want to contact me again, just send me a QMS. Whether it be for work or just to hang out, I''ll definitely be there."


    The woman winked and the elevator door shut close, leaving Hecathe stunned at the spot.


    "Did... She just flirt with me...?" Hecathe muttered to himself as a minute passed in silence and just as this thought crept up his mind, a shiver crept down his spine.


    He soon decided to distract himself from the weird thought of the female version of his best friend flirting with him.


    Now that he was all alone once again, Hecathe rushed back to the couch, and with a pen that he had picked up from the table, he circled some of the words on the paper.


    He could hear his heart beat against his chest loudly, clearly from fear and a bit of excitement that he didn''t even know the source of.


    "The book shelf!" He lifted his head and suddenly threw the paper and pen on the table before making his way to the bedroom where there was a bookshelf covering an entire wall.


    He read through the titles but nothing seemed to interest him at first. More than half of the books in this library were somehow related to biology, psychology, war, strategy, and mechanics. A really confusing mixture of topics that not many people would find themselves interested in.


    Just when he thought he wouldn''t be able to find anything interesting, he came across a book that had no title on it.


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he immediately picked the book and glanced at the blank outer cover for a few seconds before opening to read the first page.


    [Owner: Alphius.]


    That was it... That was all that was written on the first page, however, it was all Hecathe needed to read in order to find out what this book was about.


    It was a diary or to be more exact, it was Alphius''s diary.


    Hecathe gulped as he walked back to the living room and comfortably took a seat on the couch before deciding to open the diary.


    He had never tried to interrupt someone''s personal life like this so he felt a little guilty for reading this diary, however, the guilt merely lasted for a few seconds as he concluded that since he was already in this body, he might as well read what this body had gone through.


    Hecathe would also be lying if he said that this diary wasn''t interesting.


    With an entire day spent reading and gaining knowledge, Hecathe hardly got any sleep.


    The next morning, someone came up the elevator and seemed to have come to call him for breakfast, however, what they got to see was a Hecathe covered in torn papers and books, lying on the floor in a manner that made it look as if someone had murdered him in his bath robes.


    "Captain...?" The man seemed to be reluctant as he called out in worry.


    A minute passed and he got no response.


    "Captain?" He increased his volume and took a step forward towards the body of the man.


    Hecathe immediately jolted up as he heard this, "Why the hell are you waking me up at such an inhuman timing?!"


    The man flinched back as he heard this sudden response, "Captain, it''s morning. Do you want me to bring your breakfast up?"


    Hecathe rubbed his eyes that had puffed up just a bit, "Breakfast?"


    The man nodded and a smile crept up on his face as he spoke up, "Yes, Captain. You need to have breakfast."


    Hecathe rubbed his face and looked around, his eyes instantly resting on the pages that he had torn out from the innocent diary, "Oh sh*t, it wasn''t a dream!"


    "Huh?" The man looked to be confused as he heard this.


    Hecathe gulped as he shook his head, "Forget it. I''ll come down in a bit. Let me just freshen up real quick."


    The man nodded as he got in the elevator and the elevator door immediately closed.


    When the man was out of sight, Hecathe pinched himself just to make sure that all of this really was real. As the pain surged up and his skin got slightly red, his mental sanity seemed to have been lost as he broke out laughing.


    He grabbed his head and almost wanted to bang it against the floor as he muttered, "I freaking transmigrated! As a VILLAIN!!"


    The elevator door opened once again and it was the same man, "Captain, I heard someone shouting."


    Hecathe snapped his head and stared at the man for a solid minute before he cried out angrily, "Get out!"


    The man''s eyes went wide as he frantically nodded and pressed the button on the elevator panel.


    With an entire night spent on reading a man''s interesting diary, Hecathe gained so much unbelievable knowledge that it made his brain short circuit for a second.


    At first, he only expected to get information about the man called Alphius but unexpectedly enough, the information he got was a whole lot more than that.


    He got to know a lot about the body that he was currently in and the one thing that he thoroughly understood was the fact that he had transmigrated into the body of the villain!


    If this was a novel then this guy named Alphius Edler was definitely the villain of the story!!


    In fact, he was quite a famous villain.


    When Hecathe initially started reading the diary, he had the strong feeling that Alphius Edler was a genius boy with amazing superhuman abilities and clearly a bright future waiting ahead of him. He had a golden reputation because of his amazing father who was a world-famous hunter. This golden reputation, however, was soon tarnished after the death of his amazing father.


    He was a rising genius who fell down from the promised throne that he had never even got the chance to warm up to.


    Actually, his father''s death had nothing to do with him directly. His father was just another one of those stupid people who had been eaten by a Dorgon. However, to say that his father''s death had nothing to do with his reputation getting damaged was also false.


    It seemed that the only reason why anyone ever acknowledged Alphius was because of his father. With the death of the man, at the age of fourteen, Alphius hid from the eye of the public and secretly carried out his own research centers.


    He created the first mecha suit for people without abilities. People who were shunned by the society and treated badly just because of the fact that they couldn''t absorb Zelium or develop a Zelium element. They were considered to be useless, but Alphius could see potential in them, and hence, he gave them a way to prove themselves.


    More and more people without abilities gathered near him and Alphius soon became their leader. In just a year, he had hundreds of people following him around, treating him as their savior. They promised their loyalty to him and in turn, he gave them a mecha suit.


    With the help of his creations, people without abilities started getting accepted in society, but his reputation didn''t get any better. In fact, it only got worse.


    Rumors were the ground behind everything.


    Arrogant, self-conceited, Wicked, Egotistical, Crazy, Narcissist, killer.


    People had a lot to say about him.


    The first rumor was probably the rumor of him killing his own father and the other rumors that followed were even more ridiculously unbelievable.


    He got called a lot of things and it eventually started getting to him. He was just a socially awkward boy who didn''t like interacting with the world, however, in the eyes of the world, he appeared to be someone different, and the thought of someone different, scared them.


    Fear soon rose.


    Someone once asked Alphius a stupid trivial question, "You have so much power and potential, It wouldn''t even be impossible if you one day decided to destroy this world."


    The boy laughed at this question and answered playfully, "If I want to destroy the world, do you think anyone can stop me?"


    Such a thought scared people of the possibility and soon, the thing they were afraid of really came true.


    Four Zelium water element users were found dead and they had all been killed by a Mecha suited man without abilities.

 Chapter 15 - The Villain Doesnt Have A Purpose!

    With immense power came immense responsibilities. The one who has the power to save humanity, would also have the power to destroy humanity.


    How could the people rest assured knowing that there was such a person?


    With the death of the three Zelium water elemental users, people''s opinions on Alphius Edler changed drastically.


    They asked him how he considered a person worthy of owning a mecha suit and to that, he confidently shrugged his shoulder and responded, "Nobody can be sure if you''re worthy enough. I just give people what they need, not what they necessarily deserve. I give them a place to belong in this society, I don''t guide them and show them what''s right or wrong."


    People who called themselves a part of the righteous movement grew angered as they heard this and so they asked another question.


    "How can you give them a weapon of mass destruction without making sure that they won''t use it for evil?"


    Alphius laughed in turn, "Tell me, what is it that you consider evil, and is there a way to guarantee that a person won''t turn evil in the future after being proclaimed a hero?"


    Everyone was silent as they heard this.


    To think that a growing fourteen-year-old had such thoughts was truly shocking and made people wonder.


    If he could think like this, who was to guarantee that his thoughts wouldn''t evolve into something eviler in the future?


    His differentiation in the concept of right or wrong was pretty vaguely defined. Murder was wrong but if you murdered someone who murdered another person, it was considered as vengeance. Stealing was wrong but stealing from a rich man who stole the money of the poor was considered to be righteous.


    By inventing the mecha suits for the people without abilities, Alphius wanted to slim down social disparities, however, his invention had only backfired on his beliefs.


    Fights between ability users and mecha suits started becoming common and when the mecha suits started winning against the ability users, the social seats of the people shifted.


    The Mecha suits started seeing themselves as more powerful and when this got to their heads, they started oppressing the ability users.


    Centuries after Centuries of bullying done by ability users had finally shown the aftereffects.


    The Mecha men were angry and their anger was directed towards the ability users.


    The world changed for the worst and this change was blamed on Alphius who refused to do anything about it.


    He had only created a machine, the ones who used it to terrorize people were the ones at fault, however, since he was the one who created it, people naturally held him responsible.


    Blaming the one who made the gun instead of the one who used it: This was the mentality of the people here.


    Soon, the old system of governance died down and what rose was the reign of the three willows of spring.


    The three willows of spring were the strongest ability users in the whole world, hence no one except for the mecha men questioned their supremacy or power.


    The three willows of spring tried to suppress the mecha suits once and for all, however, they miserably failed.


    The Mecha suits weren''t easy to beat and they hated the ability users.


    The ability users were also not friendly towards the mecha suits and due to both sides being at such odds, the world was divided.


    One side was ruled by the ability users while the other side had no rulers.


    By this time around, Alphius had already built a small city under the ground and seemed to be living in peace, devoid of the chaos going on above ground.


    Since he was the creator of all the mecha suits, it came as no shock that when people elected someone as their leader, that someone was Alphius Edler. At that time, he was fifteen years old and would''ve been the youngest ruler this world had ever seen. However, he laughed at their faces and refused to become their leader.


    The mecha suited men pestered him for days that turned to weeks and further turned to annoying months. After a few months, Alphius finally gave in to their demand and became their leader who soon got to be tilted as the Captain.


    Now that he was officially their leader, he was responsible for whatever the mecha-suited men did. It was a trap that he had knowingly walked into.


    One day, one of the three willows of spring came to visit Alphius and this would also be the unfortunate day when the man was killed under the orders of Alphius.


    Although the man''s little sister soon took her brother''s throne as the third willow of spring, the ability users were not happy with the cruel act done by Alphius.


    All the man wanted to do was visit him, but Alphius had sent back a beheaded body and a detached head of the man.


    People thought their fear was coming true. Alphius was truly a madman who had no sense of right or wrong.


    Hecathe could only sigh in frustration when he read this part cause the story known to the outside world was much different from the reality of the situation.


    The reason why Alphius killed the man was simply because the man was the one who tried to kill him first. The third willow of spring offered him a drink; a toast to their new budding friendship. Alphius was a stupid boy who easily trusted the man and as a result, he coughed out a mouthful of blood.


    The drink was poisoned.


    The man looked to really happy as he saw Alphius coughing out blood and in his state of happiness, he blurted out a secret that Alphius should have never heard.


    A secret that shook Alphius to the core and made him unable to control his anger.


    The man proudly blurted out that the one who killed Hecathe was none other than him.


    Alphius only ever had two friends in his life. One was Marvin and the other was Hecathe.


    When Alphius heard the man''s confession, in a fit of rage, he decided to avenge his friend and beheaded the man right then and there.


    The three willows of spring were just starting out and they couldn''t afford to go on a war against Alphius who had an army much stronger and hence, even after killing one of the three willows, Alphius was still allowed to go free.


    When Hecathe had read this part, he was quite shocked to see his name there, but the shock soon sunk in when he guessed that this was probably the case if the world he was currently in was a parallel universe.


    After this incident, it was like something inside Alphius had changed.


    He had never been the kind to hate the ability users but this also changed slowly as he uncovered more and more secrets.


    He started getting more hungry for power which eventually led to him building more powerful and dangerous weapons. The reason why he wanted to gain power was to protect the ones he cared about but... By the end of it, he realized that the ones he cared about were no longer by his side anymore.


    When he looked back at his life, he felt that nothing he did could be justified.


    He had only wanted to be the hero but he learned that he had become the villain instead.


    The ruthless villain who killed without discrimination.


    The three willows of spring set up battalions. They were basically guards who protected the country against the evil minions of Alphius. Different battalions were ranked and given a special name. Their leaders were treated highly in society and were considered powerful.


    Nobody knew what happened to Alphius around this time and nobody cared to know as well. They were just glad that the man was no longer on a killing spree. On his orders, the mecha-suits also kept a low profile. He was considered as the God who gave them a second life, and hence, they blindly worshiped him.


    It would''ve been better if the story had ended there, but unfortunately, it didn''t.


    One of the three willows of spring was one day saved by Alphius and from that day onwards, she claimed to have fallen in love with him. At that time, Alphius was sixteen and the girl was also around the same age as him. If the two could get married, it would be possible for the world to get reunited again, however, this wasn''t easy.


    Alphius thoroughly ignored the girl and showed no sense of like towards her. He clearly had no interest in her, but the girl wasn''t willing to let him go that easily.


    What should have turned out as a beautiful love story that reunites the world soon turned into a tragedy that breaks the world even more.


    She died and her death was blamed on Alphius who never bothered to clear his name.


    The girl who died was actually the sister of the willow that was killed by Alphius and the reason why she followed him was because she wanted to take revenge for her brother, but her plan for revenge backfired on her.


    Ironically enough, she mixed up the poisoned drinks and drank it herself instead of giving it to Alphius.


    Alphius couldn''t even laugh at the ridiculous situation so he didn''t bother clearing his name either.


    Both the siblings tried to poison him and got their own karma but of course, nobody would ever know this truth.


    In her place, there was a new willow of spring who wasn''t related to her directly. This new man became the most powerful of the three willows of spring and he brought a lot of new laws.


    One of the laws he brought forward included not only all ability users but also non-ability users, a.k.a. the mech-suited men.


    This new law stated that if any official from their great nation was killed or attacked by anyone, it would be considered a crime punishable by death. This law was naturally created because of Alphius and the rumors following around him.


    What happened next was a bit blurry since Alphius stopped writing in the diary.


    The last thing written was about Marvin.


    They had grown up together but after Hecathe''s death, Marvin and Alphius started drifting apart.


    After a big fight, they completely cut ties with each other and Alphius had always regretted it so when he suddenly got a message from Marvin, he was more than happy to do exactly what the guy asked him to do.


    He was excited to get his friend back. He wanted to correct the mistakes of the past and thought that if he tried, he could mend their friendship so he did exactly as Marvin had told him to do.


    He sneaked out of his office and went to meet Marvin alone...


    And the story stopped there.


    Although Hecathe coldn''t read more, he could guess exactly what had happened afterwards.


    Alphius was probably betrayed by Marvin who seemed to believe that the boy killed his father.


    If Hecathe remembered it right, Marvin''s father was a captain in charge of the silver battalion, a high-ranking official in the government.


    According to the law, the murderer should have been sentenced to death which was exactly what happened to Hecathe who woke up in Alphius''s body.


    "But there''s something wrong with this..." Hecathe mumbled as he thought back to what he had read.


    The one who killed Orgon wasn''t Alphius! In fact, Alphius didn''t even know that the man had been killed.


    There was clearly a puppet master behind the scenes who had framed Alphius.


    Without solid proof, Marvin would never accuse Alphius like that which meant someone had deliberately created false evidence against Alphius.


    Hecathe sighed as he rubbed his forehead.


    All of this wasn''t even the biggest worry he had at the moment.


    "What the hell am I supposed to do in this dying world?!"


    When someone gets transmigrated into another world, don''t they usually have a reason? A mission?


    Instead of getting transmigrated as the hero, Hecathe was sent here to role-play the villain!


    The villain who wasn''t even interested to become the villain!


    The villain who had been wronged the most!


    Hecathe was now the villain who has no purpose....!!

 Chapter 16 - Chicken Sandwich

    Hecathe sighed as he picked himself up, "Let''s just get breakfast and figure out my purpose later."


    With this plan in mind, Hecathe made his way to the bathroom and got freshened up before taking out some presentable clothes from the closet and getting dressed as he headed for the elevator.


    He buttoned up his shirt inside the elevator and looked at his reflection on the metallic door of the elevator that wasn''t a mirror but it could still reflect a blurry image of oneself.


    He couldn''t help but sigh as he wondered why he hadn''t noticed it before. It was clear that this body didn''t belong to him but it took him so damn long to realize this obvious fact.


    The original Hecathe had a better build and height. If someone called him narcissistic, he would probably agree to it because according to him, although Alphius was quite a handsome man, he was still no match to the original Hecathe who had a much more mature and eye-catching face.


    The elevator was quite fast and as soon the doors opened on the ground floor, he was once again greeted by a line of people bowing their heads in respect.


    "Captain!"


    "Good morning, Captain!"


    "I hope you had a good sleep, Captain!"


    Good sleep? He almost wanted to laugh as he heard that.


    He hardly had any sleep at all...!


    He was too busy gathering information and figuring out what his purpose of being here was!


    The woman who looked like his office worker was also in the line of people that greeted him.


    She lifted her head with a warm smile, "Captain, have a great day!"


    "You... What''s your name?" Hecathe asked.


    It was probably the first time in his life that he was directly asking for someone''s name like this.


    According to him, everyone he met wasn''t worthy enough to get their names remembered by him, but right now, the situation was quite different and hence, he had to ask for her name.


    By asking her name, he wanted to check something.


    "Captain...?" The girl clearly looked to be taken back by the sudden question.


    "It''s Xanie!" She answered enthusiastically after a minute of shock.


    "I knew it," Hecathe mumbled as he heard her.


    He couldn''t remember exactly what the girl from his office was called, but he had certainly heard her name once or twice, and because of how unique the name was, although he didn''t bother remembering it, he was still able to recognize it if it was said again.


    Xanie... They both had the same name.


    "Do you remember the woman who came up to my room yesterday?" Hecathe questioned with an expression that looked to be curious and at the same time, he also managed to look unbothered.


    The girl seemed to ponder over the question for a bit before she reluctantly asked, "Captain, do you mean Zather?"


    "Oh..." Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    The girl tilted her head as she waited for a response but it didn''t look like Hecathe was going to say anything more.


    Hecathe was busy wondering how Azazel would feel if he learned that in this world, he was really a woman.


    Zather was also the real name of Azazel but there were only a handful of people who knew it. Hecathe just so happened to be one of them who knew his real name but still preferred to call him Azazel purely because that was the name the man liked to be referred with.


    Azazel would probably choke on his morning coffee if he heard that he was a woman with big breasts in this world.


    ...


    Hecathe suddenly sighed as he realized that he won''t ever be able to tell the man that he was a woman in this parallel world.


    He was already dead in his real world.


    Hecathe, the Zelium legend was taken down by a goddamn truck...!


    It was still a bit hard to believe and sounded utterly ridiculous for Hecathe who was clearly breathing and walking just fine.


    "Captain?" Xanie snapped him out of his thoughts, "Is there something wrong?"


    Hecathe shook his head with a naturally grumpy-looking expression as he asked, "Where''s the breakfast?"


    Xanie gulped and her eyes widened slightly as she realized that she had almost forgotten about that, "Follow me, Captain!"


    Hecathe nodded as he waited for the woman to lead him to the dining room which he had already been to before this.


    Once again, Hecathe sat at the head of the table with a plate filled with pancakes placed in front of him. He frowned as he looked at the people standing around the side with their heads hung low in respect and a bit of fear.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if everyone here was afraid of the original Alphius. From the diary he had read, it was clear that Alphius was looked down upon and feared by all ability users, however, according to it, Alphius was also treated with genuine respect and admiration by all Mecha-suits.


    He was supposed to be respected and admired so how come he felt that they all feared him?


    To be feared like this, just what type of man was Alphius and why the hell did he believe that these fearful gazes were actually respect and admiration...?


    Hecathe cleared his throat as he turned his head to look at the girl who stood beside his chair, "Xanie, I don''t like pancakes."


    Xanie gulped as she lifted her head and glanced at the plate of pancakes before turning to look at Hecathe, "You don''t...?"


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down at her, looking unamused as he nodded his head, "Get me a chicken sandwich instead."


    "A c-chicken sandwich?" The girl stuttered and cold sweat seemed to form on her forehead, "Where am I supposed to find a chicken... Sandwich...?"


    Hecathe sighed as he stayed calm and asked back, "Why would you ask me? I have a habit of eating a chicken sandwich for breakfast so get me one."


    Xanie gulped as she shook her head, "Captain, you don''t have such a habit. You always eat pancakes."


    Hecathe pursed his lips and in the next moment, he raised his voice a little, "I said I have a habit! It starts from today so get me a chicken sandwich!"


    Xanie shivered in fear as she heard him and immediately bowed a few times before running away to get him what he wanted.


    Hecathe pushed the plate of pancakes away and picked up the glass of water.


    As he drank the water, he wondered how convenient it was to be transmigrated as the villain.


    If he had been transmigrated as the hero instead, he would have had to act nice and stupidly apathetic all the time.


    Because he was inside the body of Alphius, a man who was destined to be the villain, Hecathe could act as rude or arrogant as he wanted and no one would ever be able to say anything or point at him accusingly.


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he thought back to a wish he had as a child.


    When he was a kid, he never liked the heroes. He connected more with the villains but when the villains lost to the heroes, he was always unsatisfied with the story.


    He couldn''t help but feel that God probably had a sick sense of humor considering the fact that he really took Hecathe''s wish too seriously and transmigrated him as a villain who had not been killed yet.


    "Yet..." Hecathe muttered out in a volume that was hardly audible for anyone else.


    Wait...


    Hecathe had no idea what this storyline was. All he knew was the past, and that too, due to the diary that had been written by the villain...


    If this world had an ending, would the villain of the story not die...?!


    "Damn it!" Hecathe cursed as his eyes widened in panic when he suddenly guessed his future ahead.


    "I don''t care if you''re Alphius or not! Your body had committed too many sins and hence, with the blessings of the three willows of spring, I''ll now be honored to end you!" It would probably be Marvin who''ll kill him with his own hands.


    Hecathe already had a near-death experience with that man aiming his gun and shooting at Hecathe''s shoulder.


    If Marvin were to continue to hunt Hecathe down, who was to say that the next time, he won''t succeed in killing Hecathe?!


    "Captain, is there something wrong...?" One of the men who stood by the side mustered up the courage to ask the man who looked to be having an unknown crisis.


    "Everything is wrong!" Hecathe replied anxiously.


    He had already died once! He had no ambition to taste death again!!


    The man, who had asked, flinched as he heard the angry response, "C-captain, your chicken sandwich will be here soon! Please don''t stress over it! If the cooks can''t find a chicken, they''ll surely cut some other meat and make a sandwich for you. You don''t need to worry!"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue in annoyance as he turned to face the man, "If they can''t find a chicken, why don''t you go and volunteer to replace the chicken?"


    The man seemed to have taken it too seriously as he gulped in fear and immediately fell to the floor, "Captain, you must not eat a human!"


    "..."


    Dumb man whose name I don''t know, I have no interest in becoming a cannibal!

 Chapter 17 - Hecathe Has A Plan

    After a few more minutes of Hecathe internally panicking over his future, Xanie finally came back holding a plate filled with chicken sandwiches.


    "Captain, your chicken sandwiches are here!" The scared man exclaimed as he sighed in relief.


    Hecathe had a frown on his face but as soon as he saw the food, his face lightened up a little.


    "Here you go, Captain. Fresh chicken sandwich that you have a habit of eating in the morning," Xanie announced as she placed the plate in front of the man.


    Hecathe looked at the sandwich and nodded in turn. He was reluctant to compliment the chef, however, he would internally agree that these chicken sandwiches looked amazing and appetizing.


    He didn''t bother picking up the fork or a knife as he directly took the sandwich and bit into it.


    He almost wanted to moan in delight as he felt the taste melt away on his tastebuds.


    The recipe wasn''t hard but the result of the recipe was surely unbelievably good. The chicken was shredded and placed in between the bread along with some seasoning mixed with delicious mayonnaise and onions.


    Xanie could see the happiness on Hecathe''s face and hence she had the courage to speak up excitedly, "The cook almost had a heart attack when he heard your demand, Captain. Thankfully, he was able to make it on time."


    "Hmm."


    Xanie smiled happily as she stood by the side watching Hecathe finish up the chicken sandwiches.


    She thought the food had lightened his mood up, however, just a few seconds later, when Hecathe was done eating, he put the plate down and exclaimed in a tone that couldn''t be considered too happy nor could it be deciphered as anger, "I got it!"


    Xanie faltered a step back in fear as she heard this.


    "W-What did you get, Captain?" She stuttered in fear as she reluctantly asked.


    Hecathe eyes seemed to be looking straight in front of him and at the same time, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he jolted up from his seat.


    Xanie gulped as she took another step back and waited to see what the man does next.


    Hecathe sharply turned to face her and looked at her without saying anything. With every passing minute of him just staring at her, Xanie couldn''t help but feel cold sweat forming on her forehead.


    "Captain...?" Xanie asked hesitantly.


    "There''s something I need you to do," Hecathe finally spoke up without any sense of hesitation and Xanie wasn''t even able to guess what his current mood was.


    He had a poker face that hid all his emotions and thoughts.


    Xanie gulped as she nodded her head, "What do you want me to do, Captain?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up as he gestured for her to follow him as he made his way to the elevator.


    Xanie had no other choice but to follow him with a blank mind.


    Hecathe held the elevator door for her and only when she had got in did he press the button to his room. The elevator door immediately closed and went up to his room. Throughout the elevator journey, Hecathe didn''t bother saying anything and Xanie would naturally not say a word either.


    The elevator door opened and Hecathe got out first before turning and waiting for Xanie to step out.


    The reason why he had chosen her for the job was simply because he could recognize her as an employee that worked for him. Even though it was clear that she wasn''t the same Xanie as the one that worked for him, because of her face, he still couldn''t help but trust her a bit and since she was the only one here whom he trusted even just a little bit, he decided that she was the best for the plan he had in mind.


    Xanie stepped out of the elevator and looked at Hecathe as she waited for the man to say something.


    The elevator door behind her closed and Hecathe smiled as he broke the suspense and told her what he needed from her, "I want to run away from here. Help me."


    "What?!" Xanie''s eyes looked as if they were ready to pop out of her sockets as she heard this.


    It took her a whole minute of silence to finally snap, "Captain, what the hell are you planning?!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he saw this reaction, "No need to worry over my mental sanity. I can assure you that there is a good reason behind my decision."


    Xanie scoffed, "Captain, how can I not question your mental sanity after what you had just said? You want to run away from here? Why?!"


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he tried to come up with a believable lie.


    There was clearly no way he could tell her the real answer.


    The real reason why he suddenly wanted to run away from here was quite simple. It was because he wanted to stay alive.


    Just because he had been transmigrated as the villain, there was no reason why he was supposed to accept his fate.


    In all the stories Hecathe had read, no matter how powerful a villain was, in the end, the villain still met his demise at the hands of the hero.


    Now that Hecathe was Alphius Edler, he would also be accepting the villain''s fate as his own and Hecathe had no plans to die again.


    He wasn''t that keen on meeting a grim reaper.


    He thought about it for a really long time.


    How could he avoid the same fate as Alphius?


    After eating his favorite chicken sandwiches for breakfast and having enough energy to think everything through, the only conclusion he could come up with was to run away.


    If he stayed here as Alphius Edler then his end was inevitable.


    The first thing he needed to do was clear the man''s name. If the real murderer was found, Alphius would no longer have to be executed for breaking the law and once this problem was solved, he could work and bring out the truth slowly, showing the world that they were wrong about Alphius.


    He could do all that by staying here comfortably but if he stayed in this place any longer, there was no doubt that Marvin would probably hunt him down again and the next time they meet, Hecathe wasn''t sure if he would be lucky enough to survive.


    In order to avoid that man forever, Hecathe needed to abandon his identity as Alphius and needed to blend in with the upper world. He needed to create a new identity for himself. One that doesn''t receive any attention from people and with this new identity, he could solve this case and find the real murderer.


    Hecathe sighed exaggeratedly as he finally completed kneading a believable lie together, "How can I lie to you, Xanie? It''s just that... I am sick of living underground. This city that I''ve built, it''s beautiful and comfortable. It''s filled with light and colors but at the end of the day, the stars in the sky are still fake. It''s nothing more than an illusion to give us the feeling that we can see the sky. At first, I enjoyed it all. This became my comfort zone but after getting kidnapped and held captive for a few days, I realized that this is not what I want."


    Xanie looked to be stunned as she listened to Hecathe who was blabbering believable nonsense.


    "I realized that this is not the life I want. I want to live on the ground. I want to live in a normal small town as someone unimportant who can stay out at night and look up at the sky without worrying about being assassinated. I want an unimportant life. I want to see the real stars, not the fake ones." Hecathe added as he looked at Xanie with eyes that seemed to be begging for sympathy.


    Xanie took a minute to take in all of this information and when that minute was over, she sighed as she walked closer to Hecathe, "Captain, have you always felt this way?"


    "Don''t get too close," Hecathe took a step back as he responded, "And yes, these fake stars have been suffocating me for a while now."


    Xanie immediately stopped moving towards him as she heard the former half of his sentence.


    "Captain... You''re the one that created those fake stars..."


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded and tried to fake more emotions into his words, "Xanie, that''s what hurts me the most. I''m the one that created this prison for myself. Do you know how suffocating that feels? To have your own creation torture you and trap you like this, it''s something I wouldn''t even wish for an enemy."


    Xanie looked to be moved as she heard all this bullsh*t. Hecathe could almost swear that he even saw tears brimming in her eyes, "Captain, if that''s really how you feel, I''ll... Help you."


    "Yes!" Hecathe exclaimed, wiping away all the fake emotions from his face and replacing them with real and pure delight.


    "Just tell me what to do," Xanie added as she sniffled back her tears that had almost fallen out.


    "Sure~" Hecathe sang happily as he mentally patted himself for being such a good actor.

 Chapter 18 - Fathers Disguise

    "First we need a disguise," Hecathe wiped off the smile from his face and suddenly turned serious as he spoke up, "I need a way to hide myself so that people don''t recognize me."


    Xanie folded her arms and seemed to be thinking deeply about it.


    Hecathe casually went and took a seat on the couch kept in the living room, "I was thinking of plastic surgery but I don''t think I want to go through that much trouble. Something easier would be good. Maybe like a mask or a hoodie and cap."


    Xanie suddenly clapped her hands together as she exclaimed, "I have an idea!"


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked, not bothering to sound happy or excited about it.


    "How about your father''s disguise?"


    "My father''s what now?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned.


    Xanie chuckled as she turned and headed for Hecathe''s room.


    Hecathe remained seated as he looked at the door and waited for her to return.


    He could hear the sound of his wooden closet being opened, but he felt that it was useless for her to search in that closet. He had already rummaged through it and there was nothing in there that could be useless for him to hide his identity.


    It sounded as if the girl was making a ruckus in that closet but before Hecathe could stand up and go to speculate what she was doing, she returned; her hands filled with some clothing material and a mask.


    "What''s that?" Hecathe asked as he squinted at the thing in her hand.


    Xanie held up the mask and straightened out the cloak as she showed it to him, "Captain, these belong to your father when he was still alive. Your father was a hunter and hence, this type of outfit came with his occupation. Sometimes he didn''t like to be recognized and so he would wear this."


    Hecathe stood up and frowned as he took a step closer to the woman, "And how exactly do you know that?"


    Xanie smiled brightly and her cheeks seemed to be blushing with embarrassment as she answered, "Captain, when you were away, I was tasked to clean your room every day. I only came across the secret compartment by mistake. When I saw the emblem on the cloak, I immediately recognized this cloth as the one that your father was wearing in one of his pictures."


    "..."


    "I thought you had thrown it away or burned it but it was quite a surprise to know that you kept it hidden away so safely," Xanie beamed as she added.


    Hecathe took the cloak from her hand and flipped it to see the emblem on the back. It was an emblem that he recognized. In the diary that he had read, there was a picture of this emblem or to be more exact, it was a picture of Alphius and Marvin together and in the picture, Marvin was wearing a jacket that had this emblem printed on it.


    It was the official emblem of the old government. All hunters and people working for them were given clothes that had such emblems printed on them. It was much alike a statement. There was only a section of the population that was allowed to wear this emblem and those who did were basically making a statement that they worked directly under the government.


    "If you wear this mask and cloak, you''ll definitely manage to blend in with the other ability users!" Xanie sounded pretty enthusiastic, even more than the man who had to wear it.


    Hecathe picked up the mask and put it over his face. Somehow, this mask was a perfect fit for him as if it was specially made with him in mind.


    In the very next second, as Hecathe was thinking this, Xanie suddenly spoke up, confirming his speculations, "This was made for you by your father. He hoped that..."


    She seemed to be reluctant to continue what she was saying.


    Hecathe frowned as he gestured for her to continue speaking.


    "He made it for you because he wanted you to be like him. A hunter."


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard that. He had never actually met this father of Alphius, however, just from this one sentence alone, he had already judged the man''s character. To want your son to follow your own footsteps instead of following what destiny has in store for them? It was something that Hecathe disagreed with.


    Alphius might have been the man''s son but that doesn''t make them both the same person. His son doesn''t need to like what he likes and doesn''t need to do the same thing his father did. It was quite ignorant of someone to expect their children to do exactly what they wanted them to do.


    "But now that the old government is dead... It''s impossible to make his dreams come true," Xanie added awkwardly.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he nodded his head ever so slightly, "That''s just ridiculous. Even if the old government was still alive, I''d rather die than become a hunter."


    Xanie didn''t seem to be agreeing with the man but she still nodded her head as she heard him, "If you want to hide your identity, this can help you a lot."


    "Wouldn''t it be weird to suddenly see someone wearing this cloak? I mean the upper world is being ruled by the three willows of spring and this emblem belongs to the old government."


    Xanie shook her head as she responded, "You don''t need to worry about it. There are still hunters wearing this emblem. They might not be very welcomed or liked by the worshippers of the three willows but nobody would dare pick a fight with them."


    "What if somebody recognizes me because of the mouth?"


    Hecathe didn''t have any major issues with the cloak and the mask, however, there was still this one thing that worried him.


    The mask didn''t cover his whole face. It covered the top half of his face and the mouth region was not covered making it look rather comical.


    "Don''t worry about that, Captain," Xanie reassured, "The common people have hardly ever seen you so they would definitely not be able to recognize you. Only people who know you really well would have a chance of recognizing you and I don''t think there are many people like that. Even I don''t know you that well to recognize you in that mask."


    "I''ll... Take that as a compliment," Hecathe responded as he put on the cloak that covered his entire body.


    "..."


    He put on the hoodie of the cloak as well and looked at himself in the reflection of the glass window.


    His reflection wasn''t really that clear because of the colorful scenery the window showed, but it was still enough for him to know how he looked.


    The cloak covered most of him and the mask covered half of his face while the bottom half remained in the shadow of the hood on his head.


    "Captain, I can''t recognize you at all! This works well!" Xanie spoke up as she clapped her hands proudly.


    Hecathe moved around a little as he tried to test the comfort of the cloak and he couldn''t help but feel that the person who created this had to be a genius. This cloak was just perfect for agile movements with ease. It gave the wearer both comfort and performance.


    "I like it," Hecathe answered after a thorough examination of all the pros and cons of wearing this disguise.


    "What''s the next plan then, Captain?"


    Hecathe had a small smile on his face as he looked at the girl and answered, "You help me sneak out of here without letting anyone else find out."


    Xanie''s eyes widened slightly as she asked, "Captain, can''t you just leave the underground city without sneaking out? I''m sure everyone will listen to you."


    Hecathe shook his head and sighed at the girl''s narrow intelligence, "If I do that, then everyone in this city knows what I''m wearing and where I''m going. Are you sure that all of them would be able to keep their mouths shut?"


    "..." Xanie was silent as she heard this question.


    "If the three willows of spring get the news that I''m on their turf, they''ll chop me up like a pig. Xanie, I''m sure you don''t want to see me as a piece of meat hanging up in a butcher''s shop, right?"


    Xanie gulped as she shook her head frantically.


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he saw this, "You have to understand this, Okay? I''m trusting you and only you. Nobody else except for you and me know about this. It''s a secret that must stay between us, Okay?"


    "Why?"


    "What do you mean why? I''m trusting you here. Do you want to go and announce this to the world or something?!"


    "No no no! That''s not what I was asking," Xanie panicked a little as she tried to explain, "I''m asking you why you''re trusting me with this and not someone else? You didn''t even remember my name before this, Captain..."


    "Look I''m not going to lie. I randomly chose to give you this responsibility because you look like you''ll be perfect for the job," Hecathe lied.


    It was because she looked a lot like a worker in his company who had the same name but Hecathe would naturally not tell her that.


    "Oh...."

 Chapter 19 - Emergency Passages

    "Look, don''t ask too many questions. I don''t like people who ask too many questions," Hecathe snapped.


    "Yes, Captain," She gulped in worry.


    "Now let''s find a way to get me out of here without letting anyone else find out, okay?" Hecathe smiled but there was no joy evident in that smile.


    "Captain, why not try the emergency passages?" Xanie questioned as she tilted her head.


    "The emergency passages?" Hecathe repeated and Xanie nodded her head.


    "The emergency passages should also be connected to your room, right?" Xanie asked.


    "I have no idea," Hecathe answered honestly.


    Xanie sighed, "Captain, you built the emergency passage to help everyone get out of here in case of a dangerous situation, don''t you remember?"


    Hecathe frowned as he replied, "I know what an emergency passage is. Are you sure that it''s hundred percent safe for me to get out of here using that?"


    Xanie nodded her head without any hesitation as she answered, "The emergency passage has never been used before. Not many people would want to casually crawl through that dark hole so it should be the safest way for you to escape."


    "That sounds great!" Hecathe exclaimed, "Where does this emergency passage lead to?"


    Xanie seemed to be thinking about it deeply and after a minute, she finally answered, "There are a lot of places the tunnel can lead you to but I think I''ll be able to find a map for you. One of the exits takes you directly to the city of Ocasia. It''s the direct neighbor of Zeblor. Completely safe for you."


    "And there is a map to help me find this exit?" Hecathe questioned.


    Xanie bobbed her head up and down as she answered, "I can find the map for you but you need to give me some time."


    "How much time do you need?"


    "Just today should be more than enough. Before the clock strikes twelve, I''ll be in front of you with the map of the emergency passages."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this and Xanie couldn''t help but feel that his smile looked rather wicked.


    "That sounds good. You can have the entire day to find that map. Midnight, I get out of here and clear my name," Hecathe spoke up.


    "Clear your name?" Xanie looked to be a little confused as she asked.


    Hecathe gulped as he cursed his slip of the tongue in his mind, "Clear my name as in getting rid of this guilt that has being holding me down. I want to turn a new leaf in life and do something I truly love and enjoy. Saving myself from the mystery of being trapped within my own creations and doings."


    "Oh."


    Xanie looked pretty convinced and Hecathe almost wanted to sigh in relief.


    "Now get out of here and find me that map," Hecathe immediately snapped, harshly ordering the girl who flinched as she heard his deep pressing voice.


    "Yes, Captain! You can depend on me!" Xanie announced before turning on her heels and getting on the elevator before she left the place.


    After the elevator door had closed and he heard the elevator descending, the smile on his face grew wider as he realized that he had successfully tricked the girl into helping him get out of here.


    To think that the girl was so naive that she actually believed Hecathe''s bullsh*t? Hecathe almost wanted to laugh at her stupidity but at the same time, he was also glad that she was this naive since this trait of hers was able to help him.


    He went to his bedroom and stood in front of a proper mirror. He spun around and tried to take a good look at his new disguise.


    Hecathe had never been a fan of cloaks, but somehow, this dark purple cloak and mask seemed to really match him. He couldn''t help but agree that he looked both mysterious and common at the same time.


    This disguise was especially perfect because such cloaks were already worn by people who were mostly avoided. It would help him in blending in with the others and other people would dare not pick a fight with him casually because of it.


    "This looks like a good idea," Hecathe muttered to himself.


    He took the cloak and mask off and casually hid them under the bed before making his way to the closet and taking out some more clothes.


    Although he was going to wear the cloak the entire time when he gets out, he would still need to pack up some clothes to wear inside the cloak.


    Alphius didn''t seem like a person with a wild fashion sense. Most of the clothes inside the closet were simple and alike to each other. There were at least twenty or more white shirts that looked almost the same but Hecathe who had a keen eye for differences could clearly tell that all of the white shirts were unique and not to be mistaken for one another.


    There were a few black shirts as well but not too many, maybe four or less. Any other color except for white and black was basically nonexistent in this closet.


    Unlike the shirts, most of the pants inside this closet not only had the same color but also had almost the same design with just a few pants being different in design from the others. Almost all of them were black in color and there were just two or three grey ones with a single white-colored pant.


    "Was he trying to cosplay as a butler or something?" Hecathe immediately cringed as he picked up some of the clothes from the closet and threw them on the bed.


    It wasn''t hard for him to make a decision on what to choose and what not to choose. Because of such a limited variety of clothing designs and colors, it was quite easy for Hecathe to randomly pick something he didn''t absolutely hate.


    Except for the shirts and office pants, there were also some casual T-shirts and Hoodies, however, they could be counted with Hecathe''s fingers and Hecathe picked all of them just in case he gets tired of wearing the same kind of shirt and pant every day.


    The collection of boxers Alphius owned was even easier to choose from than his collection of shirts and pants combined. Everything was the same. The same grey color and the same design and material used. Even Hecathe couldn''t tell the difference between them and so he just took a handful and threw it on the bed.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but want to thank Alphius for being such a simple man. Only because of the man''s simple sense of style was Hecathe able to save so much time that could have been wasted on picking out clothes.


    After he was done with picking everything out of the closet, he opened the desk beside the bed and took out something that he had found when he was rummaging around.


    It was a small button that was black in color and at first glance, Hecathe thought this was some kind of remote for the blinds or something. That was also the reason why he pressed the button. He thought the button was for the blinds and because he wanted to close the blinds, he pressed it.


    Only after he had pressed the button did he realize that this thing wasn''t made for the blinds.


    This was a portable suitcase that was made by Alphius. Hecathe had no idea what kind of technology was used in making this thing, however, it wasn''t like he was interested in knowing that either.


    As long as it worked perfectly, Hecathe would praise the maker of the product.


    To create something so amazing, Alphius was undoubtedly a genius.


    If Hecathe had ever met this boy in his real world then he would have most definitely given the boy a job at Zuex.


    Hecathe pressed the button and threw the thing on his bed. In the very next second, the small box seemed to grow in size and transformed into a big suitcase.


    Without wasting any time, Hecathe opened the suitcase and started packing everything inside the suitcase.


    The suitcase had a perfect size and was big enough for Hecathe to fit in everything that he planned to take along with him.


    Hecathe also put in some other gadgets he had found lying around with some more things that he thought would be necessary for him. After he was done, he closed the suitcase shut and pressed the button on top of it again.


    The suitcase squeezed back into the small box button that could easily fit inside his pocket and Hecathe couldn''t help but comment in satisfaction, "Perfect."

 Chapter 20 - Ocasia

    He picked the button up and hid it deep inside his pocket before making his way to the bookshelf to see if there were any books about the city called Ocasia.


    It seemed that Alphius really had no plans of ever going out of this underground city and on his bookshelf, his disinterest to know anything about the ability users could be clearly seen.


    There were books on technology, biology, and war but he owned no travel guide or anything of the sort which might give Hecathe more information about the city he was going to move to.


    He would naturally not want to go to such a place that he knew nothing about.


    Hecathe sighed as his mind raced and tried to come up with a solution to the current problem. He needed information and he needed to come up with a plan on how he was going to collect that information.


    Hecathe gave up flipping through the bookshelf and made his way to the elevator as he got a great idea in mind.


    If a book wasn''t available, a human might still work just as well. He just needed to find someone who had a reliable source of information.


    This house/office was filled with workers and servants who would listen to anything Hecathe said and they would give him any information he required. At least, one of them must know something about the city called Ocasia and if nobody knew, there was still a whole underground city that was filled with other people who might know.


    If he really couldn''t find any information, he could just go out in search of it.


    The only thing driving him at this moment was his hunger for more information and a thought that kept running through his mind: I need to prepare myself.


    This world wasn''t like anything he had known before. There were a lot of dangerous creatures here and a lot more dangerous humans roaming above ground. The mutants didn''t scare Hecathe as much as the ability users did. There was a simple reason for this but the reason would naturally not be explained right now.


    When the elevator door opened up on the ground floor again, Hecathe''s sudden presence almost frightened the workers who were minding their own business.


    "C-Captain... What are you doing down here?" A man walked up to Hecathe and questioned, his voice stuttered in fear and his face made it look as if he was questioning what he had done wrong.


    Hecathe squinted at the man before lifting his hand and resting it on the man''s shoulder heavily with a bit of force, "I need your help."


    The man gulped as a cold sweat trailed down his forehead, "What type of help?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled upwards in a smirk as he looked at the man in a manner that could only be labeled as wicked, "Ocasia. Tell me everything you know about this city and if you''ve never heard the name before, go and find me someone better who knows about this city."


    The man immediately bobbed his head up and down as he responded, "The name does sound familiar but I''m not sure if I remember it right, but I can definitely find someone who knows better about this city than me."


    "Great," Hecathe replied as he patted the man''s shoulder in an intimidating manner, "Go and get that person for me."


    The man gulped before nodding his head frantically as he bowed and ran away. His moving back looked much like a duck for some reason. A really scared duck.


    Hecathe smiled proudly as he saw the man running away in such a manner and in the very next moment, he grabbed his next victim by the back collar and pulled him, "Hey, do you know anything about Ocasia?"


    "E-Eh?" The man who had suddenly been grabbed was shocked to the point that he couldn''t even understand basic human language.


    Hecathe waited for the man to answer the question, however, even after a minute, the blank look was the only response he received.


    Hecathe''s pupils contracted as he let go of the man''s collar and spoke, "You can go if you don''t know anything."


    "T-Thank Y-You, Captain," The man stuttered before bowing and running away shortly after, even tripping and falling on his way.


    "What a coward," Hecathe muttered as his face cringed up when he saw the man tripping and falling clumsily before picking himself up and stumbling as he continued to scurry away.


    These are the mecha-suits that are being accused of terrifying the ability users? What a joke!


    Hecathe sighed before looking around in search of the next victim and just like that, Hecathe went on terrorizing people as he randomly grabbed their collars and asked them a question that they couldn''t comprehend.


    A few hours later, he eventually got tired of it and went back to his room.


    Just when he thought that he wouldn''t be able to collect any information today, he heard the sound of the elevator door opening and in the very next moment, he heard a familiar voice of the man that he had sent away to collect someone with information.


    Hecathe immediately straightened his back and went to the living room as he looked at the two people that were waiting for him there.


    "Captain," The man smiled as he looked at Hecathe, "This is my son. He''s an ability user who prefers to use mecha-suits created by you. He knows a lot about the cities above ground."


    The boy who stood beside the man looked to be around the same age as Alphius. He had a skinny built and a face that was a bit too thin for Hecathe''s liking. His hair was the color of dark coffee and his eyes matched the color of his hair that looked to be well-cut and at the same time also looked to be slightly unkempt.


    Hecathe leisurely sat down at the couch before gesturing over to the opposite couch as he spoke, "Sit down."


    The man and his son sat down on the couch immediately as if it were an order that they were forced to obey.


    The boy sat with his back straight and his body looked so stiff as if the smile on his face was nothing more than just him trying to hide his awkwardness and fear.


    "You can be at ease," Hecathe spoke as he squinted at the boy, "I just want to know more about a certain city."


    The boy nodded his head as he replied, "Ocasia?"


    Hecathe smiled thinly for a second as he nodded, "That''s the one."


    "What do you want to know about Ocasia, Captain?" The boy asked.


    "Everything," Hecathe answered immediately as if he had already expected the boy to ask this question, "Tell me everything you know. Think of it as telling a person who knows nothing more than the mere name of the place."


    The boy bobbed his head up and down as he seemed to be lost in his thought for a minute. He seemed to be pondering over where to begin and Hecathe was patient enough to wait for the boy to speak up.


    After a minute, the boy eventually seemed to have figured out where he wanted to start from so he opened his mouth to vomit out all the information he had on the city called Ocasia, "This city was built a really long time ago, even before the three willows of spring came into existence. It''s one of the oldest cities that still exist and hence, the people there are mostly ability users who refuse to change anything in the way their daily life works. They have a simple history that had never actually gone through any major changes. Development in this city is almost zero and there isn''t any future for it."


    "Zero development?" Hecathe muttered.


    The boy nodded his head again as he continued, "Because of how simple lifestyle they choose to live, even though they are still considered to be under the three willows of spring, the three willows of spring have no actual power over the city."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a bit happy to hear this.


    This was exactly what he wanted. A city that the three willows of spring had no control over was exactly what Hecathe needed at this moment!


    "There are still a lot of guilds in the city and the guilds are considered to be the local authority. The people in the city trust the guilds more than they trust the three willows of spring. It isn''t just the three willows of spring that they despise. They also don''t welcome any mecha-suits."


    Till now, Hecathe could only hear everything as a positive, and hence, his mind that was already made up to go to this city strengthened as he felt that there would never be a better option.


    "Captain, the city is pretty small and there is nothing for you to know about it.. It''s also one of the most boring places a person can live in."

 Chapter 21 - Mutant Beads

    "Okay," Hecathe muttered as he straightened his back and looked into the boy''s eyes.


    With just an eye contact, he had managed to intimidate the boy who seemed to be shaking slightly as he waited to hear what Hecathe would say next.


    "Do you think anyone there recognizes me?" Hecathe asked seriously.


    This was perhaps the most important question he wanted to ask today. Sure, he was going to wear a disguise to hide himself. Both a mask and a cloak to hide his entire person but that was still not enough for Hecathe. He wanted to make sure that the original Alphius had no serious impression on the local people there.


    Considering the fact that Alphius had been a villain who screwed over a lot of bad people and destroyed a lot of cities, it wasn''t too out of the blue for Hecathe to worry if the man had done anything seriously wrong to the city of Ocasia.


    The boy looked to be a little shocked as he heard this question, "Captain, I hope you''re not offended but I don''t even think the people there know you. They care about nothing outside their city. Even if you go roaming the streets there, I don''t think you''ll be recognized by anyone except for the dogs who might bark at you for being a stranger."


    Instead of being offended in the slightest, Hecathe looked to have suddenly gotten happier as he heard this.


    "Great!" He announced, "It''s perfect!"


    "Eh?" The boy muttered in confusion and his father who was sitting beside him suddenly spoke up.


    "Captain, why do you wanna know so much about the city?"


    "..." There was no way Hecathe could carelessly give out the answer to that question so he simply remained silent and smiled in turn, "Old man, mind your own business. Why do you want to know what I want to do with the city? It has nothing to do with you, does it?"


    The man immediately shut his mouth up and looked to have been a little shocked and scared while also appearing to be a little offended at the same time.


    "Captain, is there nothing more that you want to know?" The boy summoned up the courage to ask.


    Hecathe squinted at the man who sat beside the boy, "I have more questions but your father here is kinda annoying me. Mister, why don''t you go and wait for your son in the elevator? Don''t worry, I won''t kill him."


    The man gulped and looked to be hesitant at first, however, when he looked over at his son who nodded at him, he eventually stood up and bowed before leaving the two alone.


    "Captain, may I ask? Why do you wanna talk to me alone?" The boy asked once his father had left.


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he answered, "He feels like a smart man. I don''t want him to figure things out."


    "..."


    "Now tell me what type of living conditions the place has," Hecathe didn''t bother dwelling further on the topic of why he sent the other man out.


    "By living conditions... What do you mean?"


    "I mean the houses and necessities. Is everything expensive there? Does it have a good climate. Is it dangerous or is it safe to live there?" Hecathe patiently explained his question and the boy seemed to be a bit surprised to hear him explain it in such detail in such a polite manner.


    "The houses there are mostly owned by the local people living there and you''ll hardly find any inns for travelers... It''s quite hard and not really possible for someone new to suddenly live in such an unwelcoming place. The local people earn a lot and spend really little per month, but the prices for foreigners are relatively just as high."


    "So it''s a bit more on the expensive side..." Hecathe mumbled under his breath to himself.


    "The currency there is no different than our currency, however, there is this system of mutant beads."


    "Mutant beads?" Hecathe suddenly found himself to be interested as he repeated.


    The boy nodded his head as he explained further, "When you kill a mutant beast, you''ll get a mutant bead from inside its corpse, and with this mutant bead, you can buy anything in the city. However, it would be better if you exchanged the mutant bead for money and buy something because Mutant beads are relatively more valuable than normal currency and much more expensive as well."


    "So if you''re running short on money, just go searching for some mutant beasts and you''ll be good to go?" Hecathe asked just to be sure that he was understanding it right.


    The boy shook his head as he responded, "Not exactly. You can''t just go searching for a mutant beast. Mutants are pretty hard to find and hunting one without proper authorization is considered to be illegal and can get you jailed."


    "Then how do you do it?" Hecathe asked curiously as he leaned in.


    "Guilds. Most of the time, the missions to hunt down mutant beads are handled by the guilds alone, however, when there are big missions and the guild is running low on manpower, they put out notices of recruitment. If you sign up for it, you''ll be put in a team and sent out to a place that has a lot of mutant beasts. There, you can kill as many as you want and collect a lot of mutant beads."


    "So hypothetically speaking, if I go there and want to earn some money through Mutant beads, I''ll first need to go and check out the guilds?"


    The boy nodded his head as he confirmed, "That''s right. If the guilds don''t give you permission to go out for the hunt, you''ll have to look for another way to earn money."


    "Hmm..." Hecathe muttered, suddenly lost in thoughts as he did.


    Hunting mutants at this point should be the easiest thing for him to do but he wasn''t really keen on joining any guilds.


    Even though the guilds weren''t exactly connected to the three willows of spring, the three willows of spring still had a bit of authority over the guilds.


    "Are there any more questions?" The boy asked and by now, he looked to have gotten rid of the fear he first felt when he sat in front of Hecathe.


    "I have one more question," Hecathe responded, "Is the food there tasty?"


    "Eh...?"


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he added, "It''s a valid question that I should be worried about. How am I supposed to live knowing that there is such a city out there that has horrible tasting food? I''m afraid, I''ll be worried for the people living there."


    "Captain, could it be that you plan on..." The boy gulped as he didn''t dare to complete his question and it scared Hecathe who thought that the boy had seen through him.


    "Planning on what?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head and acted as if he wasn''t too affected by the question.


    "Captain, do you plan on overtaking the city?!" The boy jolted up from his seat as his eyes widened in shock.


    "..."


    Boy, your intelligence is.... A bit lacking.


    "Captain, you must not do it! Ocasia might not sound that good but it''s still a powerful city that you should never mess with!"


    Hecathe suddenly felt a headache coming as he heard the boy, "Just answer this question and leave. I never asked for your opinion. Just information."


    The boy gulped and it looked as if he had a lot more to say, however, he was still afraid of Hecathe so, in the end, he could do nothing more than nod and do exactly as Hecathe asked him to.


    "Captain, the food there is both expensive and delicious. It can be said that the food is the only thing that makes the city look a bit more interesting."


    Hecathe smiled as he nodded, "Then that''s good. You may leave now."


    Hecathe gestured towards the elevator door that was closed.


    The boy was a bit hesitant but he still bowed and made his way to the elevator before turning back one last time to say, "Captain, you really must not try to overtake it!"


    "..." Hecathe almost felt the urge to throw a vase at the head of this boy who had already entered the elevator and left the place before he could face Hecathe''s wrath.


    "Damn it, everyone here seems to lack brains.. What is God even doing?" Hecathe muttered to himself with a frown on his face.

 Chapter 22 - The Map

    Hecathe was in a comparatively good mood after finding out that the city he had chosen was perfect for him. The only problem he would have would be with the money, but he was sure that he could figure something out.


    Alphius was a man who owned an entire underground city and there were so many people working under him. By logic, he should be a rich young man. Since Hecathe was in his body right now, all the money that originally belonged to Alphius now naturally belonged to him. He just needed to figure out where all the money was kept at.


    The currency at this place and the currency in Ocasia were the same which was another big sigh of relief for Hecathe. He was sure that he won''t have a financial crisis and even if he did, he could still hunt down some mutants and exchange their mutant beads for money.


    He was pretty confident that he would be able to use the latter method to earn money and his confidence came from the fact that he was given the body of Alphius, a person who had an ability much different from all others. This ability was both unique and helpful for Hecathe.


    The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and he tried to act as normal as possible. He only came down for food and stayed up in his room most of the time, acting as if he was busy researching about something when he was really just looking where Alphius hid all his money.


    Disappointingly enough, the only thing that looked like money to him were a few bills that were rolled up and stuck under the man''s pillow. Even Hecathe who had no idea how currency worked in this place was able to tell that this was nothing more than just pocket change. There was no way Hecathe would be able to survive on just these.


    When the evening came rolling around, Hecathe started growing a bit impatient and he was so worried that he even took two showers because he forgot that he had already taken one just a few hours before. He constantly kept his eyes glued to the elevator door as he waited for Xanie to come but there was no sign of her.


    He even went down in search of her but nobody knew where she was which eventually made Hecathe wonder if the woman had betrayed him and ran away.


    Well, it wasn''t like he paid her for the job or anything so even if she ran away, there was not really anything Hecathe could do.


    Hecathe changed his clothes into a black pant and shirt as he decided to wait for the entire night. She had said that she''ll be here before the clock strikes twelve so he had to give her that much time.


    He kept glancing between the clock and the elevator door. The more time passed, the more anxious he felt but at the end of the day, the girl was able to keep up with her end of the deal.


    At near eleven in the night, the elevator door dinged open, and out came the girl who was being desperately awaited for.


    "Xanie," Hecathe sighed as he stood up immediately from his comfortable position on the couch.


    The girl smiled brightly as she looked to be proud of herself, "Made it just in time, didn''t I?"


    Hecathe stretched his hand forward and held out his palm facing up as he asked, "Did you get the map?"


    Xanie bobbed her head up and down as she answered, "I certainly did. I told you didn''t I? You can trust me with anything!"


    Hecathe squinted at the girl as he commented, "I don''t think you told me that but since you''re saying that you did, let''s just believe that you''re right and my memory is weak."


    Xanie took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it over to Hecathe who had been waiting since morning for this single piece of folded paper.


    Hecathe had a small smile on his face as he immediately unfolded the paper and took a look at the contents drawn on it.


    With each passing second, the smile on his face started turning into a more apparent frown as he looked at the map that looked to be more of a child''s scribbling.


    "It''s just a plan drawn by hand but it''s pretty accurate." Xanie spoke up as she proudly pointed at a certain small box drawn on one corner of the map, "This right here is the entrance that is the nearest to Ocasia. There is a forest in between but I''m sure you can manage to cross it without any difficulties.


    Hecathe felt his lips twitch as he snapped, "This looks more like a messy subway map!"


    "Eh? Subway?" Xanie looked to be confused as she heard the foreign word.


    Hecathe didn''t bother listening to her as he kept his eye on the map, "How exactly do I use this thing?"


    Xanie pointed at another area that was nearer to the center of the map, "Captain, there is an opening that is directly connected to your room here. You can just enter the passages and use this way to get out through here."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard the girl explain it to him as if it were nothing more than crossing a street.


    "How much distance is there approximately between here and there?" Hecathe asked cautiously, pointing at the map.


    "Just a few kilometers. Captain, it should be nothing more than a morning jog for you," Xanie answered enthusiastically as she didn''t miss the chance to praise and motivate Hecathe.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened as he heard the shocking distance between the two points. A few kilometers was certainly not something that should be considered a walking distance!!


    "Can you be more specific in the distance calculation?" Hecathe asked as his eyebrows creased together in worry.


    "I don''t know, Captain. I''ve never used it and I don''t know anyone else who had. Only someone who actually goes down there can know the exact distance. You should pack water and food for the way, it would be able to help a lot." Xanie suggested.


    Hecathe looked at the map carefully and seemed to be in deep thoughts before he eventually opened his mouth again to ask a question, "Is there any danger down there?"


    Xanie shook her head as she replied almost immediately, "You''ll be exhausted and if you faint, nobody would go down to look for your body, however, that''s it. You might find some rats in there as well but no real danger."


    "Alright, I''ll go," It was an answer that was more aimed at himself. He was trying to convince himself that he was going to go through with this plan. He had already planned on changing his fate to die as a villain so this had to be something that he would need to do.


    Not everything in life comes easy and only a villain with a great mind would be able to trick the whole world and get away with everything. Hecathe had always planned on being a great villain and although he hadn''t really done anything that bad, the body he was currently in had already been labeled a villain and hence, it made Hecathe a fake villain as well.


    "Captain, that''s great!" Xanie encouraged him, "If there is anything I can help you with further, I would definitely not hesitate. You should also be allowed to live your life the way you want too. I wish you all the best and I hope you finally find the peaceful life you are searching for."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little moved as he heard her. Xanie was certainly a loyal employee who really cared about Alphius despite having feared him so much.


    "Just show me the opening of the passage and your work here is done. We''ll never meet again, but remember that I would forever be grateful for all your help."


    "Captain, it''s my duty. If it wasn''t for you, my brother would have already been long dead. You probably don''t know how many lives you have changed. My brother was born with no abilities and your creations gave him the chance to stand on his own feet. It gave him the courage to fight for justice and for his own rights. You really saved him and this is the only way I''ll ever be able to repay you for it," Xanie smiled warmly, her eyes filled with emotions as she thought back to her past.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little surprised as he heard her.


    It seemed that at the end of the day, there were still two sides to a story.


    Alphius was at least labeled as a hero by some people....

 Chapter 23 - The Spiral Staircase

    "Where''s your brother right now?"


    Xanie smiled thinly as she answered, "He ran away from home. Nobody knows where he is."


    "..." Hecathe suddenly regretted asking such a question but Xanie didn''t look to be too affected by it.


    Hecathe gulped as he waited for Xanie to speak up first and thankfully, she did.


    "Captain, follow me," Xanie spoke up as she went into Hecathe''s room and pushed the bed away.


    Hecathe squinted and was about to question what the girl was trying to do but before he could question it, she suddenly pushed the bookshelf an inch back and the cleared up space on the floor suddenly opened up, leading down to a spiral staircase.


    Xanie clapped her hands as she looked down at the dark stairway, "Captain, just go down and follow the map."


    Hecathe seemed to be a bit hesitant as he looked down at the spiral staircase that just seemed to go deeper and deeper into the ground. It was dark and narrow which made Hecathe feel extremely uncomfortable.


    Only at this point did he care to realize that his plan was indeed dangerous. If he were to go in there and faint due to the closed-up space and lack of oxygen, he would surely be dead and there would be nobody willing to go look for him.


    Xanie seemed to have seen through his worry so she smiled as she spoke up reassuringly, "Captain, I''ll give you two days. It should be more than enough for you to get to the city. When you get there, send me a message and if I don''t get your message, I''ll take it as you not having been successful in this plan. Don''t worry about it, if that happens, I''ll send some people down there to search for you."


    It sounded like a solid plan and Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little surprised to see that this girl had planned everything more thoroughly than him who was the master brain behind this entire plan.


    "How do I send you a message?" Hecathe asked and the girl frowned in turn, looking to be a bit confused and surprised.


    "Captain, you''ll send a message through the QMS."


    "QMS?"


    Xanie nodded her head as she took out something from her pocket, "The QMS. Quick Messaging Service. Don''t you have one of these?"


    Hecathe looked at the thing that looked much like a watch and he nodded as he lifted his left hand and showed it to the girl, "This thing?"


    Xanie nodded as she walked closer and pushed a button on the watch.


    Light suddenly came out of the watch and displayed an image of the screen on air.


    "Oh..." Hecathe would certainly be lying if he said that he wasn''t a bit impressed as he saw the latest technology.


    Xanie swiped on air and the screen changed to contacts. She instantly typed in her contact number and pressed save before looking at Hecathe and giving him instructions, "Just press this icon here and speak the message that you want to send."


    Hecathe nodded as he lifted his hand up and pressed the button before saying a simple "Like this?" to the watch.


    Xanie chuckled as she saw this and at the same time, the watch in her hand also lit up as it played the same audio recording of Hecathe who had sent her a voice message.


    Xanie nodded as she responded, "That''s it. This device uses no signal so you should not have any problem sending me a message."


    Hecathe nodded as he put his hand down and listened carefully to Xanie.


    "Captain, I suggest you get dressed already. Did you pack all the things you''ll need? Water, food, clothes, and money?" As the girl asked this question, Hecathe couldn''t help but be reminded of his mother who used to ask him this same question every time he used to go on school trips.


    Hecathe unconsciously chuckled as he nodded his head and answered, "Everything except for money has been packed. I couldn''t find any money lying around."


    Xanie''s eyebrows creased together as she asked, "Why not money?"


    Hecathe coughed as he came up with a lie on the spot, "It''s been so long that I''ve stepped out of this place. Naturally, I had no use of money and hence, I no longer remember where I kept all my money."


    Xanie sighed and looked to be a bit sympathetic as she responded, "That''s going to be a problem. Ocasia is said to be a very expensive city. You''ll need a lot of money to get by."


    Hecathe nodded as he also sighed at his own fate.


    Xanie gulped and after a minute of careful deliberation, she took out her purse and handed over all the money she had to Hecathe, "Captain, this isn''t much but it should help you at least a little."


    Hecathe was more than happy to see the girl voluntarily giving him money like this. He didn''t even hesitate to take it and immediately counted it before keeping it away in his pocket.


    "Thank you," Hecathe was at least polite enough to thank her for her help.


    "No worries, captain. You''re the one paying me anyway so it''s indirectly your own money," Xanie chuckled.


    "But still, you have been very helpful. I''m impressed by your dedication," Hecathe complimented her and Xanie looked to be extremely happy as she grinned from ear to ear.


    "Captain, you''re too nice with your words," Xanie also didn''t fail in giving back polite responses.


    "Now," Hecathe sighed as he looked down at the spiral staircase once again, "Do you have something I can use as light?"


    "Hmm..." Xanie seemed to be thinking about it seriously before she suddenly clapped her hands and went searching in the side desk.


    Hecathe frowned as he looked at her cautiously.


    This girl seemed to know this room pretty well and no matter how much she had managed to help Hecathe with her knowledge, Hecathe still found it a bit weird and suspicious that this girl knew this room so well as if it were her own room.


    Xanie picked up something from inside the desk and took it back to Hecathe. She clicked a button on it and the lamp-like thing lit up completely.


    "It''s an eternal lamp. An old model of the product but it gets the job done," Before Hecathe could question her, she had already explained in detail what the thing in her hand was, "It can stay alive for eternity and only shuts down when you deliberately shut it down. It doesn''t use batteries or signals so even if you go down in the secret emergency passages, you won''t have to worry about the light suddenly going off."


    Hecathe took the lamp from her hand and bowed his head slightly as he thanked her once again.


    Xanie looked down at her watch and gulped as she announced, "Captain, it''s already late. You must get going now."


    Hecathe nodded as he heard her, "Wish me all the best."


    Xanie smiled as she did exactly that, "All the best, Captain."


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he closed his eyes for a mere second and did a small prayer before stepping on the spiral staircase with the eternal lamp clutched in his hand.


    After taking a few steps down, he coughed as he took in all the dirt that covered the place.


    "This place needs some serious maintenance," Hecathe muttered in between his coughs, and Xanie who heard him chuckled as she immediately responded back.


    "I''ll be sure to convey that to the cleaning department."


    Hecathe went in deeper and deeper down the spiral staircase but these sets of stairs looked to be neverending. After going down the stairs for a while, he looked up to see the opening of the place that he had entered from.


    He was so far down by now that the entrance looked to be a small circle of light that was the same size as his thumb. He sighed as he looked down and tried to use the lamp to see how much more he had to climb down and as expected, he couldn''t see the bottom just yet.


    He continued on his journey for a few more minutes and suddenly a rancid smell started abusing his nostrils.


    Hecathe''s face cringed up as he immediately covered his nose and continued to go down as he complained to no one in particular, "It freaking stinks as well!"

 Chapter 24 - Lets Go In Deeper

    Hecathe descended deeper and deeper into the secret emergency passages and eventually got used to the smell and the dust covering the place.


    When he finally stepped down to the bottom of the long spiral staircase that seemed to have been going on forever, he sighed in relief before taking out something from his pocket.


    It was the pocket-friendly suitcase that could expand with just a button and once he pressed the button, he took out the cloak and mask that he had kept inside the suitcase before closing the suitcase again and contracting it back to the size that could easily fit inside his pocket.


    He wore the mask and the cloak before pulling the cloak up to cover his nose, trying to save himself from choking on the dust that seemed to fill this place.


    He sighed as he looked up one last time and by now, the entrance that he had come from was so far away that it looked like a mere grain of dust.


    Hecathe lifted his left hand and pressed a button on his watch before swiping and going to contacts as he left a message for Xanie, "You know, I just realized. Why don''t I just send you a distress signal if things go wrong down here? You can come and help me sooner. It''ll be much faster than waiting to see if I make it out alive or not."


    He looked up and waited for a few minutes and as expected, a response came for him in the form of another voice message.


    "Captain, you are right. This is a better idea."


    "..."


    "This is why you are the captain and I''m your worker!" The girl didn''t forget to flatter Hecathe.


    Hecathe pursed his lips and shook his head as he turned his watch back off and put his hand down before stuffing the small pocket-sized button of the suitcase back into his pocket.


    He took out the map that he had kept away and looked at it carefully before raising the lamp in hand to see the three passages that went into different directions ahead of him.


    "Hmm..." He muttered as he wondered what he was supposed to choose.


    All three passages looked absolutely the same and he was a man who had no sense of direction. It was only now that he realized this big problem. Even with a map in hand, if he didn''t know which direction was north and which was south, he was still going to end up getting lost in these passages.


    He pressed the button on his watch again and contacted Xanie, "There are three ways here. What do I do?"


    Soon enough, the response also came from Xanie who was still waiting in Hecathe''s room, looking down at the bottom of the spiral staircase that could be hardly seen, "Captain, how am I supposed to know? I gave the map to you."


    Hecathe scratched the back of his neck as he glanced at the map in his hand and then back up at the three paths that lay ahead of him.


    "Damn it..." He cursed as he tried to come up with a way through which he could find the right passage he was supposed to choose.


    Because of the spiral staircase, his sense of direction had worsened even more and he was completely helpless.


    Just when he thought that he would have to depend on his luck and choose randomly, the speaker of his watch came to life as Xanie sent him another voice message.


    "Captain, try using the direction map inside your QMS."


    "Wait, there is a direction app inside this thing too?!" Hecathe cried out in shock as he immediately tried to find it.


    He swiped through a lot of different programs that he didn''t even bother trying out and soon enough, he was able to find the direction analysis app.


    He turned the app on and held his hand out front. Because the main page of the app looked like a familiar handheld compass, Hecathe thought the arrow on it would move around to tell him the direction, however, he seemed to have been made a fool out of.


    The arrow spun around once before it suddenly vanished and in its place came a sentence: You are facing the north.


    It was also followed by a few numbers but Hecathe wasn''t sure what the numbers were about. He knew that they were about the degrees of the angle he was facing but he wasn''t exactly sure about it.


    He looked at the map again and saw the direction given on top.


    "Great!" He exclaimed as he suddenly found the passage that he was supposed to choose.


    "Captain, did you find it?" Xanie''s worried voice message came once again.


    "I found it," Hecathe responded after a minute as he kept going deeper into the passage that he had chosen.


    He walked for a long while and a turn came. This time he only had two passages to choose from. One going towards his right and the other going towards his left. It was much easier for him to make his decision this time and he didn''t even need to depend on the compass tool as he turned right and continued on in that path.


    He eventually started getting bored and the silence annoyed him a bit so he hummed an unknown melody to make sure that there was some sound around.


    He walked for another few hours and kept on turning according to the map. After three or more hours of walking, he looked down at the map and checked to see how much distance he had covered. He hoped to see himself covering a lot of distance, however, the reality was rather pinching.


    "That''s it?!" He shouted in shock as he saw that he had only covered a bit lesser than twenty percent of the way that he had to cover.


    He gulped as he immediately started regretting his decision. He definitely shouldn''t have chosen such a risky option to run away from here.


    "Captain, are you okay in there?" Xanie seemed to be dedicated to this mission. Every ten minutes, she would leave a voice message for Hecathe asking the man if he was alive or dead.


    "I''m alive," Hecathe switched on the watch for a second as he responded to her timely checks.


    He took a deep breath in as he continued to walk forward and followed the map.


    If by the end of this, he was still alive, he would certainly want to pat himself on the back just for surviving these hellish passages that seemed to be slowly trying to break him down.


    He seriously wondered what was going on in the head of the maker who created this thing. This was supposed to be the emergency passages, wasn''t it? Why would someone make such small emergence passages that were more like tunnels that just went on forever?


    Even if there was a real emergency, Hecathe would rather choose to jump through the fire and escape because that option sounded a lot better than entering these narrow tunnels again.


    He hummed and continued on his path, ignoring the hunger and thirst he was suddenly suffered to feel.


    It was too soon for him to eat or drink. Although Hecathe had packed both water and food, it would still be insufficient if he eats too much. Originally, he thought that it won''t take more than a few hours to get to Ocasia so he only packed one tiffin filled with food and a bottle of water.


    So if he was going to be stuck here for more than a day, it was better for him to save up on his resources and use them only when he was in dire need of them.


    After another few hours, he could almost feel the muscles on his leg hurt from tightening up too much and he was sure that the veins on his legs had also managed to pop up like that of a marathon runner.


    "I can do it," He reminded and motivated himself as he kept on walking forward.


    "Captain, are you okay?" Xanie checked in on him again and once again, he responded with a dejected ''yes''.


    After another few hours, it was probably near six or seven in the morning and Xanie had already stopped checking in on him.


    Hecathe didn''t mind it too much as he guessed that the girl had probably fallen asleep or something.


    It was only natural that she did.. Hecathe could never imagine himself sleeping on the floor of these dirty passages but Xanie was up there in Hecathe''s room so of course, she succumbed to the drowsiness and tiredness that melted away on the soft mattress of Hecathe''s bed.

 Chapter 25 - Not My Problem

    Hecathe sighed as he continued to walk forward for another few hours and his legs finally gave up on him. He decided to take a small break as he sat down and put the eternal lamp down beside him before opening his suitcase and taking out the water bottle and the food that he had brought with him.


    It was probably better for him to take a short break so he sparingly drank some water, trying his best to save it for later. In the end, he still ended up drinking more than half of the water that he had brought with him inside the bottle. The rest was kept away for the next time he felt thirsty enough to die.


    He had made the workers at the kitchen pack four chicken sandwiches for him. It was not his favorite food, however, he loved it.


    When he was a kid, his mother didn''t really have the time to cook for him and Hecathe was a stubborn child who would never like to eat the breakfast made by his maids. Because of this, his mother had to wake up in the morning and make food for him. Chicken sandwiches were, in fact, the only thing she was good at making, and making them wasn''t too time-consuming for her so it was only natural that Hecathe''s everyday breakfast became handmade chicken sandwiches by his mother.


    When he grew up and moved into his own apartment, he no longer had the time to make himself breakfast and he didn''t like other people entering his apartment so he kept no house helpers. Hence, every morning, Hecathe would grab some chicken sandwiches from a shop on his way to work. His habit of eating chicken sandwiches for breakfast hence remained a habit that he wasn''t willing to change.


    It was probably not healthy to eat chicken sandwiches every day for breakfast but Hecathe wasn''t a person who cared about his health too much.


    He took out one chicken sandwich and happily ate it, planning beforehand that he would save the other three for later, but as soon as he finished the sandwich, his hand automatically reached out for another as his hunger took control over his body.


    "Damn it..." He cursed, feeling guilty that he couldn''t control himself, "The next two are definitely for later."


    He closed the tiffin and kept both the bottle and the tiffin back in his suitcase, however, he still didn''t stand up from his place.


    His eyelids felt a bit heavy but he didn''t dare fall asleep. He simply gave his legs a rest before picking himself up again and continuing on his journey.


    Although he had a watch wrapped around his wrist, he still didn''t bother looking at the time and hence he had no idea what time it was but he guessed it to be morning already. The reason why he assumed it was morning was simple. Xanie had already woken up and the first thing she did was contact Hecathe.


    "Captain," Her groggy voice could be heard through Hecathe''s watch, "Are you okay?"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he lifted his watch and answered the girl, "I''m okay. Alive and kicking."


    "That''s good~" Her message instantly came back and it sounded like she was going back to sleep.


    Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he picked up the eternal lamp and looked at the map once before walking forward, going deeper and deeper into the emergency passages.


    "This place is really sh*t," Hecathe cursed with a frown as he picked up his cloak to cover his nose, a pathetic attempt to try and keep the dust away.


    After that, every half an hour, Xanie would check up on Hecathe and Hecathe continued to answer her with a sigh.


    Half a day passed and Hecathe took another short break as he finished up the water and the chicken sandwiches before continuing on his journey.


    The passages sometimes seemed to be getting broader while at other times they seemed to be getting narrower with barely enough space for Hecathe to comfortably walk.


    The whole place was so unevenly built that Hecathe would sometimes need to bow his head in order to walk forward because there wasn''t much height to the ceiling to some of the passages.


    Hecathe yawned as he felt a bit drowsy but he didn''t let it bother him as he looked at the map.


    He had already covered a big portion of the path. He just needed to walk for another few hours and he would be able to get out of here.


    The thought of getting out of here brought some courage and raised some will inside Hecathe to keep on pushing forward.


    His entire body was drenched in sweat and his mind seemed to have already stopped working with his legs also feeling as they were about to give up on him, however, he just needed to suffer for another few hours.


    Just a few hours...


    Hecathe sighed as he continued to walk and walk.


    Suddenly, there was a thought running through his mind.


    He hadn''t seen any rats yet.


    He was certainly sure that there would be all kinds of bugs and rodents here but he was yet to see anything like that.


    As soon as he thought this, he chuckled as he commented, "Maybe even they couldn''t handle this awful hell."


    After walking for what felt like an eternity, Hecathe finally arrived at the other end of the passage. The exit that would lead him straight to Ocasia.


    Hecathe felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as he opened the door of the exit and got out of the passage.


    The first thing he did was throw himself on the ground covered in the grass before taking in a deep breath and contacting Xanie, "I''m here! I survived! I made it out!"


    It took a minute for Xanie''s response to come and when it came, Hecathe was shocked to hear that she wasn''t as excited as he thought she''d be.


    He really thought she would be singing and crying out in happiness but he was wrong.


    "Captain, that''s good. Follow the map and get to Ocasia as fast as possible. The forest is dangerous, don''t stay there for too long," Xanie''s voice sounded urgent and a bit cold as she added, "Something happened here. Everyone knows that you''re missing but nobody knows that you ran away and don''t worry, I didn''t say anything. There is an unauthorized investigation taking place. I''ll try to control the situation here. You should take care of yourself, Captain. Don''t worry about things here."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard Xanie.


    She told him to take care of himself and to not worry about the situation there but Hecathe felt that it was useless for her to tell him this because it wasn''t like he had any plans of worrying about that place.


    If it was Alphius, he might have been worried but Hecathe being Hecathe couldn''t care any less.


    "Not my problem anymore," Hecathe commented as he picked himself up from the ground and looked at the map once again before turning on the compass system on his watch to see which direction he had to take.

 Chapter 26 - Alphius Has A Special Ability

    Hecathe strolled the forest leisurely as he tried to find his way towards the city of Ocasia.


    He knew that this forest was infamous for being dangerous. There were a lot of mutants around and they were all waiting for a lone traveler like Hecathe to come here and serve himself in front of them as food.


    Mutants were creatures who were once humans. Maybe a few years ago, they could still be considered human, however, a lot had changed and with their current appearance, nobody would ever look at a mutant and call it a human anymore.


    Once a person was injected with zelium in this world, they could have three outcomes. The first one being the best where they developed an element and became an ability user. The second was the outcome where the person didn''t have any reaction at all and became part of the non-ability users, this was a normal outcome but was still looked down upon. The third outcome was the worst. It was when your body completely disagreed with Zelium and turned you into a mutant being.


    Mutants have different forms and different sizes. They look more like animals than they looked like humans. In fact, the only human characteristic that could be observed on their body was their skull that was shaped the same as a human''s skull. The rest of their body was twisted and curled, looking more like something that came straight out of a horror movie.


    Hecathe had never actually seen a mutant in person but he had definitely seen their pictures on the file that Zather had given him.


    With just a look at them and reading about their tendencies to rip off human flesh from the bone, Hecathe was sure that these creatures were horrible things that needed to be feared, however, he was still as carefree as ever when he walked through the forest.


    The reason why he was so confident in himself was simply because mutants no longer scared him.


    It just so happened that Alphius was also an ability-user and his ability was a rare one that only he had. This rare ability was also the reason why he was in the spotlight during his early days. If his father hadn''t been a famous hunter, he would have definitely been labeled a monster and abandoned by the world but just because his father had a good reputation, his ability was seen as something amazing and he was praised for it.


    Well... Until his father died, that is. After his father died, the original faces and minds of the people were eventually revealed. Their opinions slowly started to shift and the ability that was once seen as rare and amazing got considered as evil and weird.


    Alphius never actually minded it. He wasn''t a man who cared about what other people thought of him. Even when they praised him and were nice to him, he didn''t care, so naturally, when they turned their backs on him and badmouthed him, he would not care about that either. Maybe this was a reason that contributed to his tarnished reputation. The fact that he didn''t care really bugged some people who thought that he was looking down on everyone else just because he was born with a rare power.


    The rare power was unnamed by science and it had no official research done on it.


    Alphius liked to call it beast control but Hecathe found the name to be a bit too boring and unoriginal.


    What the hell was Beast control and why would anyone wanna name their special skill as such?!


    However, since the power only had one name given by its owner, Hecathe would naturally respect Alphius enough to let the power keep its name.


    Beast control was not considered to be like other elemental abilities. In fact, nobody even knew how it came into existence. Alphius, himself, didn''t know how he got such an ability.


    It was the power to control all Mutants.


    Since the ability was owned by Alphius, Hecathe would also naturally have ownership over it.


    This forest was filled with mutants and no matter how lucky Hecathe was, he was still bound to run into some of those creatures.


    He wanted to try out the power called beast control and in order to try it out, he needed mutants. Where else could he find mutants in a place where there were no other human souls around?


    For him, this place was the best testing ground.


    Hecathe had already read Alphius''s research projects on himself so he was sure that he would know how to use this power since Alphius had clearly written it all down.


    Alphius was a curious man who wanted to know more about himself. He wanted to know why he was the only one with such a power and he wanted to know where this power came from. Since he was the only one, nobody else bothered to do more research on this new ability. With no information being discovered, Alphius decided to take matters into his own hands and he conducted an elaborate research study on his beast control ability.


    Unfortunately, the study was still ongoing when Hecathe entered this world, and hence, the real Alphius was never able to find the truth that he had been looking so hard for.


    Hecathe, on his behalf, was determined to do nothing about finding the truth behind this ability.


    "If you got a rare ability, enjoy it to the fullest. Why in the heck would you try to make your life harder by asking useless questions?" This was the kind of mindset Hecathe had so it was only natural that the research was not only left unfinished but had already been torn up and thrown in the trashcan by Hecathe.


    Hecathe closed his eyes as he tried to remember the technique of use that he had read. He took in a deep breath and tried to sense the mutants. He wasn''t too confident about himself so he never could have guessed that he would be successful in the first try itself.


    He opened his eyes at the sound of crawling footsteps and his eyes immediately widened as his face cringed up at the sight of all the mutants that had appeared in front of him.


    When he saw their photo, he thought they looked horrifying but now that he was standing in front of them, he could say without a doubt that they were much more disgusting and scary looking in real life.


    The mutants were of all shapes and sizes but there was one particular mutant that stood out amongst the others and scared Hecathe the most.


    It was the mutant that looked to have the body of a giant spider and the head of a human. Well, even the head looked to be black with no nose and huge black eyes with small white pupils.. It had a huge mouth that had sharp fangs and it was drooling at the sight of Hecathe.

 Chapter 27 - The Last Order

    Hecathe unconsciously took a step back but soon controlled himself as he coughed twice before giving the mutants a simple order just to test if they were going to listen to him or not.


    "The ground. Come on, dig."


    The mutants didn''t even hesitate as they immediately heard Hecathe''s order and started digging the ground below them with all their feet and hands.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little surprised and impressed as he nodded in satisfaction.


    Now that he knew that they would follow simple commands, it was now turn to try and increase the difficulty level of the commands.


    "Okay, stop digging," Hecathe ordered as he thought about what order he was going to give them next.


    The mutants immediately stopped and looked at him with their big black eyes that had small white pupils in them.


    "Try climbing trees," Hecathe gave out his second order and within just a few seconds, the mutants had already crawled all the way up to the top of the trees that covered Hecathe.


    Hecathe nodded as he saw this, "Good. Get down now."


    The mutants didn''t even bother crawling back down as they directly jumped and landed around Hecathe.


    Hecathe squinted at them as he wondered if they would really listen to his next command or not. The next command that he had in mind was certainly not the same as digging up the ground or climbing on trees so he was a bit cautious as he ordered out.


    "Kill the mutant standing beside you. Just one is enough," Hecathe immediately gulped as he waited for the reaction.


    He thought the creatures would be at least a little hesitant but instead of being hesitant, the mutants immediately turned to face each other, growling and showing off their sharp fangs as they tried to intimidate the other.


    They instantaneously jumped on each other and started biting like crazy. Some died while trying to kill the other while other mutants were successful in biting off the head of the mutant that stood beside them.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened but his pupils contracted as he saw such a gruesome fight. Even though he was already clear that these mutants were practically harmless to him, he still couldn''t help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he imagined a scene where the mutants would turn against him and try to kill him in the same bloodthirsty manner.


    The fight was over sooner than he had expected and half of the mutants had already been killed by the other remaining half. A light blue bead fell out from the mouths of the dead mutants and Hecathe ordered the other mutants to collect the bead and to bring it over to Hecathe.


    He held out his palm and waited as his palm slowly filled up with mutant beads that were handed over by the other mutants.


    In his mind, he couldn''t help but be a little surprised as he concluded that Mutants were even willing to kill each other because of his order.


    There was some dark black blood covering the bead but Hecathe only frowned as he wiped the dark blood away using his cloak and stuffed the cleaned mutant bead inside his pocket.


    "Okay. This is your last order. Hand over your own mutant beads and kill yourself," Hecathe ordered out coldly as he glared at the creatures.


    The mutants looked to be stunned for a mere second but they still stepped forward and spat out something. It was the light blue mutant bead and just as the bead left the creature''s body, the creature died on the spot.


    A mutant was completely dependent on a mutant bead. They might have other organs but without the mutant bead, their organs were of no use. The mutant beads were alike a brain for them; something irreplaceable and without which, they won''t be able to survive even for a second.


    Hecathe had definitely read about it but he never thought the mutants would give up their beads this easily. These creatures had no emotions and showed no signs of intelligence, however, they still protected their mutant bead from everything.


    Hecathe was sure that this was the hardest order he had given them and he didn''t really expect them to follow the order.


    The creatures stepped up one by one and gave up their mutant beads to Hecathe.


    Hecathe felt no guilt nor did he feel bad for them as he waited to see every last one of them follow his order and kill itself.


    This was the most difficult order he had given and all of the mutants had easily passed the test.


    "This ability is no joke," Hecathe mumbled as he looked down at the collection of mutant beads.


    There were so many that Hecathe was sure he would be able to earn a huge sum of money if he sold it.


    However, Hecathe had no plans of selling the mutant beads to the people of Ocasia.


    He picked up every last one of the beads and kept it safely in his pocket.


    He had a different plan in mind for them.


    The reason why mutant beads hitched such a high price in the market was because this thing was pretty damn useful. Both for the ability users and the mecha-suits.


    Because of how often the guilds sent out people to find these mutant beads, the upper world was filled with it and hence it was less valuable to the ability users, while at the same time, there was no such thing as hunting for mutant beads among the mecha-suits and hence, this small thing was much more valuable for them.


    If Hecathe were to sell this thing to the people of Ocasia, he would be facing a loss. Although he did no hard work to actually acquire all these beads, he still hoped to get a good deal out of them. Something that would be profitable for him. Hence, he had a plan to sell them in the black market.


    The black market was a place where anonymous ability users and other disguised mecha-suits come to auction such rare stuff. Most of the mutant beads that were owned by the mecha-suits were due to this black market.


    Not many people were aware of the existence of the black market, but Hecathe who had read Alphius''s diary naturally knew a bit too much.


    Alphius was really a man who loved research and records.. Since he was the leader of the mecha-suits, all the dealings from the black market went through him and he kept a record in his diary for all of it.

 Chapter 28 - The City Gate

    Hecathe immediately tried to contact more mutants but it seemed that all the mutants nearby had already been killed by him. The rest of the mutants were all on the other side of the forest.


    He sighed as he glanced at the map once again and decided to finally head to the city of Ocasia.


    An ancient city that was said to be unkind to strangers. A city that would certainly help keep Hecathe safe.


    It was already near evening and Hecathe didn''t plan on sleeping in this forest so he headed to the city fast and in just a few hours, he was able to reach the iron gates of Ocasia.


    The gate was super high. A big gate that looked to be more than thirty meters in height and ten meters in width. It was made from heavy iron that was painted silver-grey and had small designs carved on the surface. It looked magnificent and grand which made Hecathe feel a bit taken back.


    Hecathe gulped at the intimidating sight of the gate and before he knew it, his feet had already started moving as he entered through the gate and finally saw the city of Ocasia.


    Maybe it was because this place was an ancient city, but the buildings here all had the same dark color scheme and somewhat the same design. They weren''t too grand or showy but had an aesthetic look to them. It was something that had managed to look appealing for Hecathe who loved dark colors.


    "I think I''ll be able to survive here," Hecathe muttered in amusement as he looked around at the city that was waiting to be explored by him.


    He lifted his watch and informed Xanie about it first just to let her know that they had succeeded in their plan, "I''m here and I have to say, you chose a really great place. I like it."


    As soon as he finished speaking and sent the message, he was rudely pushed forward and almost stumbled to the ground.


    "What the?!" Hecathe was shocked and angered as he glared back at the man that had rudely pushed him forward.


    "Keeping moving! Why the hell are you hogging up the entrance?!" The man who had pushed him forward had the height of a giant and his face was filled with scars that made him look intimidating, however, no matter how scary the man looked, Hecathe''s anger didn''t come down at all.


    Hecathe glared at the man, "Are you trying to pick a fight with me, you bald-headed bull?!"


    The man''s eyebrows creased together and veins seemed to pop up on his forehead in anger as he heard Hecathe.


    "You piece of sh*t!" The man lifted his fist to throw a punch at Hecathe but suddenly someone from behind him put his hand on the man''s shoulder and stopped him.


    "Acarius, be polite. Don''t you see what he''s wearing? Are you sure you want to offend him?" It was another man who walked up from behind this man and shockingly enough, he was also dressed in the same cloak and mask as Hecathe.


    The giant man called Acarius gritted his teeth and his lips seemed to be twitching as he glared at Hecathe, "You better not bump into me again!"


    "What would you do about it? You don''t even dare to touch me right now so what''s the use of threatening me?" Hecathe asked in a calm tone as he mocked the man and it only incited the man''s anger.


    "You!!" Acarius shook his hand away from the other man''s grip and swung his fist at Hecathe without any sense of hesitation.


    Hecathe smirked as he leaned back and effortlessly avoided the man''s fist.


    No matter what the size of the man was, to pick a one on one fight with Hecathe was simply foolishness. Back in his world, when Hecathe was still in high school, he had the hobby of learning mixed martial arts and he just so happened to be the best in the ring.


    Hecathe squinted at the man and scoffed as he provoked him more, "That''s it? You use your fist more than your brain?"


    "Curse you!" The man gritted out as he swung his fist again at Hecathe and this time, he aimed for Hecathe''s chin. A direct uppercut that would have probably landed if the opponent wasn''t Hecathe.


    Hecathe moved aside and grabbed the man''s wrist before spinning and elbowing the man''s jaw.


    The man let out a cry of pain but that didn''t seem to affect Hecathe at all as he moved back and brushed his clothes that had lightly been wrinkled.


    "Are you done or do you want me to play around with you more?" Hecathe mocked the man who was clutching onto his jaw that had been dislocated.


    The man''s face turned red with anger and embarrassment as he twisted his jaw back into place, "You piece of trash!"


    The man who stood behind him suddenly chuckled as he walked forward and put himself in between the two, "Acarius, I really thought you''d be smarter than that. You may have power but you lack skills. Haven''t you embarrassed yourself enough?"


    This man was also mocking him just like Hecathe, however, Acarius looked a bit afraid and didn''t even dare get angry at this man.


    He huffed and glared at Hecathe but in the end, that was all he did.


    "You can leave now. I believe you have a job to do, don''t you?" The man asked and Acarius held his head down as he bowed.


    "Yes, sir."


    "Go. Let me take care of this," The man ordered and Acarius immediately took a step back as he nodded and like an obedient big dog, he walked away from the scene, but only after sending Hecathe another last threatening glare.


    The man who stayed behind only shook his head as he turned to face Hecathe, "Excuse his rudeness. It seems that I haven''t taught my dog any manners."


    Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he repeated, "Dog? If my eyes aren''t tricking me, he looked more like a human."

 Chapter 29 - Alternate Dimension?

    The other guy was silent for a minute before he broke out laughing but he didn''t bother giving Hecathe an explanation as he simply changed the subject, "Young man, you''re quite talented. I wonder if I know you... Can I have your name?"


    Hecathe tilted his head and almost wanted to laugh as he heard this question, "If I was willing to give my name to just anyone, why do you think I would be wearing this cloak and mask?"


    "..." The man seemed to be a bit taken back but he still decided to chuckle it off as he responded, "Young man, it''s okay if you don''t want to give me your name. I''ll respect that. On behalf of my dog, I''ll apologize as well. He caused you a lot of trouble."


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he replied, "Not really. He just wasted a few minutes and ruined my mood."


    The other man nodded and seemed to be a bit embarrassed as he bowed and apologized, "He was quite rude. If there''s anything I can do to make it up to you please do not hesitate to ask me."


    "Ah!" Hecathe exclaimed as he responded, "There is one thing you can do to make it up to me!"


    The man straightened his back and looked to be excited as he asked, "What could it be? As long as it''s not something extreme, I''ll be sure not to disappoint you."


    "It''s quite easy actually," Hecathe replied as he added, "Just get lost. That should be more than enough. I have no plans on interacting with people who call others dog."


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t wait for the man to respond as he turned and left the place.


    "Interesting..." The man mumbled as he looked at Hecathe''s moving back but his expression that was hidden behind his mask couldn''t be deciphered.


    He neither looked angry nor did he look pleased or amused. He simply looked indifferent.


    Hecathe walked into the city and the first thing that he searched for was a place where he could get some food and water.


    Finding a restaurant in this place wasn''t as hard as Hecathe thought it would be. Just by walking down a few streets, he was able to find a rather huge restaurant.


    He was a bit hesitant to enter the restaurant because he could clearly see that this place had a lot of people and looked to be pretty expensive but at the end of the day, his hungry wailing stomach still made him walk inside the restaurant with full confidence.


    A waiter immediately greeted him and gave him a tablet, "What would you like to order, sir?"


    Hecathe looked down at the tablet that displayed the menu and he wasted no time in choosing as he picked the food that looked the most delicious.


    If the food looks good, it probably tastes just as good: This was Hecathe''s policy.


    The waiter smiled brightly as he nodded and led Hecathe to a table before announcing, "I''ll be back with your order. Please wait for a few minutes."


    Hecathe nodded as he sat down on the chair before crossing his legs and glancing at his watch.


    He gulped as he looked around to see if there was anyone paying him any attention and it seemed that there was no one even remotely interested in Hecathe. The place was a bit crowded and everybody was minding their own business.


    Hecathe lifted his wrist and messaged Xanie, "How is the situation there?"


    It took Xanie a whole minute to respond to Hecathe, "Captain, you can rest assured that you won''t be found out. I lied and managed to make them head to Zeblor instead."


    "That''s good. Thank you," Hecathe responded as he closed the QMS.


    He clicked his tongue and looked around at the people that looked a bit too normal.


    He had wondered about it before as well but except for those three willows of spring and the mecha-suits, the common people here didn''t wear anything too eyecatching. They were dressed so normally that for a second, Hecathe had the illusion that he was back on earth.


    Well, considering the fact that this was an alternate dimension, maybe such things were to be expected.


    Hecathe had pondered over it a lot. He wondered where he was and the only theory he could come up with was the alternate dimension theory. This world was a lot like his own world. Some people looked the same and even had the same name. There was Zelium in this world as well but it was used in a very different way.


    "I wonder..." Hecathe suddenly muttered out his thoughts, "If this really is an alternate dimension, then the Hecathe mentioned in Alphius''s diary was me?"


    He had already concluded the fact that this was an alternate dimension. A place that existed in the same place as the real earth but in a different dimensional pocket. Everyone that existed in his world existed in this world as well. They had somewhat the same personality but led a very different lifestyle.


    He had already met people like Xanie and Zather so with all facts considered, the Hecathe he had read about should be him.


    He gulped as he wondered what type of life the Hecathe of this world had led.


    "What''s the use of knowing that? In the end, I''m dead here as well," Hecathe sighed as he concluded.


    The thought of him dying in both the worlds really managed to send a shiver down his spine.


    He had died because of a truck accident in his real world and an alternative version of him had denied in the hands of a wicked man in this world.


    Before he could completely drown in his own thoughts, the waiter came back with the food that Hecathe had ordered.


    "This is our restaurant''s specialty. Chicken blossom cutlet."


    Hecathe''s face cringed up as he heard the name of the dish that was presented in front of him.

 Chapter 30 - Chicken Bosom Cutlet

    "Who the hell named it Chicken bosom cutlet?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the plate of chicken cutlet that he had ordered.


    The waiter''s eyes widened and he chuckled as he corrected Hecathe, "Sir, it''s chicken blossom cutlet. Not Chicken bosom cutlet."


    "..."


    "Here you go, sir." The waiter put the plate down in front of Hecathe as he added, "Please enjoy."


    Hecathe frowned as he looked at the waiter smiling brightly before going back to help the other customers.


    Hecathe had picked this dish because it looked tasty and it was also something he had never had before in his life.


    He picked up the spoon and immediately took a bite out of the weird-named dish. Surprisingly enough, this chicken blossom cutlet tasted a bit too delicious.


    In just a few minutes, he was able to finish it completely and his stomach was left craving for more


    He coughed as he held out his hand and called the waiter over again to order the same dish.


    The waiter smiled as he nodded and took another ten minutes to bring over the second plate.


    "Would you like to order anything else, Sir?" The waiter asked politely.


    Hecathe shook his head as he answered, "This is enough. Thank you very much."


    As he started eating again, he couldn''t help but wonder why that boy back in the underground base had said that this city was unwelcoming to strangers.


    Hecathe was clearly a stranger but except for that small incident at the entrance, nothing big had happened that made him feel as if he were being discriminated against.


    Even the waiter was just as polite and friendly towards him as he was to the others.


    People really seemed to have a huge misunderstanding about this city.


    After the second plate of the weirdly delicious chicken blossom cutlet, Hecathe felt that he was finally satisfied and went over to pay for the food.


    At the paying desk, there was a menu kept with all the prices written. Hecathe waited in line and calculated the price for himself before taking the money out from his pocket and getting ready to pay.


    When it was finally his turn, he handed the money over, however, the man in front frowned as he looked at Hecathe.


    "It''s four hundred lenix," The man informed rather rudely.


    "Eh?" Hecathe looked at the price that was written on the menu and pointed at it as he argued, "But doesn''t this say only two hundred Lenix?"


    The cashier nodded as he explained, "That''s for the locals. For all foreigners, you get double the price."


    "..." Hecathe was shocked and a bit offended as he heard this.


    The waiter who had helped Hecathe came over at this moment as he questioned, "Is there any problem here?"


    The man in front nodded as he explained the situation to the waiter, "This man is unwilling to pay."


    A small frown could be seen on the waiter''s face as he looked at Hecathe and spoke up, "Sir, if you ate the food, you should pay the price as well."


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he shook his head and argued, "I''m not unwilling to pay. It''s just that I don''t think this is right. The menu clearly says that I only ordered food that cost two hundred lenix. Why am I being charged double the amount? I understand that there should be tax implemented for foreigners, but double the price is still a bit too much and there was no mention of it before."


    The frown on the waiter''s face deepened as he heard this and he didn''t look to be amused as he responded, "Sir, what are you talking about? It''s written right there, is it not?"


    The waiter pointed at the bottom of the menu.


    At the very bottom, there were a few sentences written below the terms and conditions section. A section that Hecathe had thoroughly ignored before this.


    [For all foreigners, the prices are doubled.]


    It was clearly stated there however it was written in such a small font at such an ignorable place that it was only natural Hecathe had overlooked it before this.


    "Damn it..." Hecathe cursed under his breath. His eyebrows creased together and he no longer had the drive to argue more about the inequality he was facing.


    Just a few minutes ago, he was certainly wrong in thinking that this place wasn''t as unwelcoming to foreigners as everyone made it sound like.


    It was definitely unwelcoming!


    He took out some more cash from his pocket and handed it over to the cashier who immediately printed out the bill and gave it to Hecathe.


    The waiter smiled happily as he saw this, "Have a nice day, sir. Welcome to Ocasia! Hope to see you again soon!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    What type of welcome was this?!


    Instead of coming here again, he would rather prefer to go and learn how to cook the chicken bosom cutlet by himself!


    Or chicken blossom.... Whatever the hell that thing was named!


    Hecathe was fuming on the inside but he didn''t let any of that show on his outer demeanor as he smiled and bowed politely, "Thank you for the food."


    He turned and left the place calmly but as soon as he was out, he turned around to spit at the entrance.


    "Damn you people!" He cursed the restaurant.


    Hecathe turned his back on the restaurant and got ready to leave right away but he was stopped by a familiar voice of the waiter who had served him.


    "Sir, please wait!" The waiter called out to him.


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered if the waiter had seen his previous actions.


    He calmly turned around and put on a fake sense of proudness as he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Sir, you''re new here, aren''t you?" The waiter asked, a little out of breath because he had just run to catch up to Hecathe.


    Hecathe didn''t think too much about it as he nodded his head.


    The waiter smiled even more brightly as he heard this, "Then do you have a place to live?"


    Hecathe was silent for a minute as he suspiciously looked at the waiter, but at the end, Hecathe still answered honestly, "I don''t."


    "That''s great!" The waiter announced and Hecathe had the feeling that the waiter''s smile suddenly looked a bit wicked.

 Chapter 31 - A House To Rent

    "Why are you asking?" Hecathe questioned, making it clear in his tone of speech that he was suspicious of the man.


    The waiter chuckled as he waved his hand and defended himself, "I''m not someone shady, I swear!"


    He''s definitely shady.


    Hecathe thought in his mind but he naturally didn''t voice out his thoughts.


    The waiter walked a step closer as he finally got to the point for which he had run after Hecathe.


    "If you are looking for a place to stay, I might be able to help you."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but want to decline the offer as soon as he heard it, "If I want to look for a place to stay, I''m sure I can search it for myself. Why would I need your help?"


    The smile on the waiter''s face didn''t falter as he heard Hecathe, "Sir, if you go out searching by yourself, you''ll surely end up getting conned. There are not many places giving out a room to foreigners and as long as I know, the places that are, have already been booked completely."


    "What''s the guarantee that you''re not trying to con me as well?" Hecathe asked straightforwardly without bothering to beat around the bush.


    The waiter looked to be a bit stunned by the blunt honesty and it took him a minute to respond as he broke out laughing.


    "Sir, you can rest assured that I''m not trying to con you or anything. I just want to help someone out. There is this apartment that my aunt runs and currently, it''s completely empty with just one or two people living there. It''s not in the center of the city which makes it a bit unpopular and it''s not the best looking either so business has been pretty low for my aunt."


    Hecathe squinted at the man as he let him continue.


    "My aunt was asking me to find her some tenants and you look like you could appreciate the offer," The man beamed.


    "How much is the price?" Hecathe asked.


    "That..." The man awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, "The price would be relatively lower than any other apartments here, however, I have no idea what the exact amount is. You''ll have to talk to my aunt about it."


    Hecathe seemed to be seriously pondering over it for a minute.


    "How many other people live there?" This was an important question since Hecathe was already looking for a place that didn''t have a lot of people around. The more people that lived around him, the more chances he would have of being found out.


    "Excluding my aunt, as I have said before, there are only two more tenants. One just recently moved in and the other has been living there for a really long time now."


    Hecathe felt that the offer was quite good. There weren''t many tenants and it was in a more deserted area with probably a comparatively lower rent. If there was one thing that made Hecathe frown however, it would be the fact that the waiter had actually run after him to give him such a nice offer.


    Hecathe wasn''t a person who trusted people he had just met. In fact, earning his trust was no easier than earning a degree from a reputable college.


    "What''s in it for you?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the man with suspicion.


    "Eh?" The waiter tilted his head in confusion as he muttered back.


    "There must be something in it for you as well, seeing as how you''re desperately trying to find your aunt some tenants." Hecathe didn''t bother hiding his thoughts.


    The waiter looked to be a bit stunned as he heard this.


    "If you refuse to be completely honest with me then I''ll just think that you''re a shady man trying to trick me and steal my organs."


    "..." The waiter gulped as he panicked a little, "That''s definitely not it, sir! I''m a law-abiding citizen!"


    "Then tell me the truth. Why did you run after me and why are you trying to help me?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the man with a serious expression on his face.


    The waiter chuckled and at first, he looked to be a little hesitant but seeing as how Hecathe was stubborn, in the end, there was nothing he could do except for giving Hecathe the honest answer to his question.


    "Naturally, there''s some money in it for me as well," The waiter spoke up awkwardly as he explained, "If I bring my aunt some new tenants, I get a commission."


    "That''s it?" Hecathe asked with a bit of surprise, "You''re doing it for just some extra cash?"


    For some reason, Hecathe had a hard time believing this answer, but the waiter innocently nodded his head as he responded, "Of course. If I wasn''t getting paid, why would I bother myself with this?"


    "But you already have a job in this restaurant, don''t you? Why would you be trying so hard to earn more?"


    "Why not?" The waiter asked straightforwardly as he tilted his head and looked back at Hecathe, "Wouldn''t everyone want to become rich. Only when you have a lot of money can you live off comfortably. The rich are free to do whatever they may like. Money may not buy you happiness but it can certainly buy you the things that bring you happiness."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard the man''s ideology about money.


    "Young man, you''re quite ambitious. I like it, however, your thinking is a bit too optimistic."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Let''s say a rich man lost his mother and compare that to a poor man that lost his mother. Would the pain felt by the two men be any different from each other? Would the rich man be a bit less sad just because he has money and would the poor man be even more depressed because he doesn''t have any money?"


    The waiter gulped but said nothing as he thought about it seriously.


    Hecathe sighed as he saw the conflicted look on the man''s face.


    "But I would say this. You and me are alike," Hecathe added as he looked at the man.


    "Eh? How so?"


    Hecathe smirked proudly as he responded, "Money can''t buy you happiness, but that''s only because happiness isn''t for sale yet.. I''m also such a man that believes in the power of filthy money."

 Chapter 32 - Lets Go

    To say that the waiter was stunned to hear Hecathe would be an understatement. His mouth hung open in awe and his eyes looked to be in disbelief as he looked back at Hecathe.


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he shook his head, "Let''s go."


    "Go...? Go where?" The waiter asked absentmindedly.


    Hecathe pursed his lips together in a thin line as he looked back at the man and stayed silent for a minute.


    "Don''t you want to show me where this apartment owned by your aunt is?" Hecathe asked teasingly as he tilted his head.


    The waiter gulped as he bobbed his head up and down. He closed his mouth and smiled as he informed, "Wait for me here. I''ll be quick."


    "Huh? Where are you going?" Hecathe asked with a frown on his face.


    The waiter turned around and got ready to leave as he glanced back and answered, "I''ll be back, just wait. I''ll go and take a short break."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened but he nodded his head as he stood in place and waited for the man to return.


    In just a few minutes, the waiter came back and this time, he was no longer wearing his work attire.


    He was wearing black pants and a grey hoodie, looking much younger and a bit more informal as he walked up to Hecathe.


    "You changed clothes?" Hecathe asked as he merely glanced down at the hoodie worn by the man.


    The man nodded his head as he informed, "My boss said that I can take the rest of the day off."


    "Oh."


    "Let''s go. Follow me," The man informed happily as he turned and started walking away.


    Hecathe nodded and followed after the man without letting his guard down.


    "Brother, I still don''t know your name yet," Hecathe spoke up as he initiated a conversation.


    "My name?" The man turned around and stopped in order to walk beside Hecathe as he answered, "You can call me Zail."


    "Okay."


    "What about you, sir?" Zail asked as he tilted his head and looked at Hecathe.


    "My name? It''s Heca-" Hecathe immediately stopped as he thought about his answer for a second. He was supposed to be Alphius in this world and at the same time, he was also trying to hide his identity so when he thought about it, maybe giving his real name was the best idea.


    "Your name is... Heca...?" Zail repeated in confusion trying his best to remain polite as he heard the name that sounded as if it belonged to a house pet.


    Hecathe coughed as he shook his head and informed, "That''s not it. My name is Hecathe."


    "Ah! You have the same name as that madman!" Zail exclaimed immediately and it made Hecathe choke as he questioned.


    "What do you mean?" Hecathe asked cautiously as he prayed in his mind for it to not be the ''him'' of this world.


    "You haven''t heard about him?" Zail asked as he looked back at Hecathe enthusiastically.


    Hecathe simply shook his head as he lied, "I haven''t."


    "Wow! It''s my first time seeing someone who hasn''t heard about that lunatic. That Hecathe bastard surely deserved what was coming for him!" Zail didn''t hold anything back as he openly cursed the man.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. He coughed again and cleared his throat as he asked, "Why don''t you tell me what he did?"


    "Ah! He was a close friend to Captain Orgon''s son."


    Hecathe immediately frowned as he questioned, "Marvin Orgon?"


    Zail nodded his head as he confirmed, "That''s him. Hecathe was Marvin''s one and only friend. Well... As long as you don''t count Alphius in."


    "Eh?" Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little shocked as he heard this.


    "It all started a few years ago when they were all still young. Alphius was always socially awkward and preferred to stay at home. Marvin and Hecathe were the ones that were closer to each other. They would hang out together all day in Alphius''s house and the three were oddly considered to be great friends. At one point in time, they were even called the troublesome three."


    "They were all close?" Hecathe muttered to himself in disbelief.


    He had certainly read all about their friendship from the diary but to think that people from outside knew about their relationship as well...? It was a bit shocking...


    "But then I guess they had an argument. As they grew up, their beliefs started shifting. Alphius... Well, Alphius started disregarding human life and focused all his time and energy on creating those mecha-suits that could one day destroy this world. Marvin was pretty close to his father so it was only natural that he followed his father''s beliefs. He wanted to simply grow up and become a leader of a battalion just like his father."


    Zail scoffed as he continued, "And Hecathe. He was the craziest. He actually wanted to recreate abilities. What nature had gifted us, he wanted to make it and sell it. He wanted to become God!"


    Hecathe frowned as he low-key tried to defend himself, "He was ambitious?"


    Zail chuckled dryly as he shook his head and clearly showed his dislike for the mentioned man, "He was nothing more than a madman that was hungry for money and wanted to become God."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but gulp as he suddenly heard this.


    There was no doubt about it...


    Hungry for power and money? Wanting to be considered God?


    Although Hecathe wasn''t exactly like that, he was still considered to be such a man by other people.


    The Hecathe of this world certainly had the same personality and beliefs as this current Hecathe.


    "So... What happened to him?" Hecathe asked a bit reluctantly, even though he knew the true story.


    "He died a tragic death," Zail answered without any emotions, "That bastard deserved it."


    "He died?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he gulped and asked, "How?"


    "Ripped apart by an army of mutants."


    "..."


    The truth had surely been deeply buried behind all the rumors and lies....

 Chapter 33 - Ambitious Heroes Turned Villains.

    It seemed that the mutants and Hecathe had a really deep connection with each other. The Hecathe of this world was rumored to have died in their hands and the current Hecathe who was stuck inside Alphius''s body could control all mutants.


    What type of messed-up fate was this?!


    "I didn''t actually see it for myself but I''ve heard that it was so gruesome that the people who did witness it with their own eyes got sick and were vomiting nonstop for the next few days."


    Hecathe''s face cringed up as he heard this, "..."


    He clearly knew that this was a lie as well.


    "Sir, you must not feel bad for him. That man deserved exactly what came for him. Who told him to go to a mutant cave and try to capture them alive?"


    "He tried to capture them alive?" Hecathe focused back on Zail as he questioned.


    Zail nodded with a frown on his face as he responded, "That Hecathe deserved to be called a madman. He actually thought that the mutants were the secret ingredient to creating artificial abilities. He was planning on getting rich and famous with his new plan but turns out that his own plan backfired and killed him. I''ve never heard of a more satisfying death."


    "But... He didn''t do anything wrong," Hecathe finally couldn''t take it anymore and decided to defend the him of this world as he stated, "From what you have said, he was no different than Alphius. He wanted to create artificial abilities so that everyone in this world could live equally in peace."


    Zail looked to be shocked as he heard Hecathe''s take on this story, "Sir, I don''t mean to be rude but only a madman would try to go after a stupid dream like that. Both Alphius and Hecathe were apples that seemed to have fallen from the same tree. There were alike and had the same ambitions however they chose their own methods to achieve what they wanted. Hecathe got the shorter end of the stick and died at a young age while Alphius is still in luck and continues to live."


    Hecathe tilted his head and seemed to be a bit amused as he questioned, "So you hate both of them?"


    "Well..." Unexpectedly, Zail looked to be a bit hesitant to give a straight response to the question, "I would not say that I hate them both since I don''t even know them. I''m not really a person that judges a person without knowing them personally. However, I would say that I disagree with their way of thinking. At the end of the day, they think that they are the smartest out of the bunch. They think that they are special. That they are the chosen ones who should be respected, but we all know the reality. They were both idiots and nothing more than that."


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he heard Zail say something that Hecathe would have never guessed for him to say.


    "Why would you call them idiots? Alphius managed to create the mecha-suits, something nobody else was able to do while Hecathe tried to artificially create abilities which was once again something nobody else even dared to do. I''m sure that if he had not been killed off by... the mutants, he would have surely succeeded in his attempt and this world would have had a new era of change."


    "But you don''t see the whole picture," Zail sighed as he tried to explain his own thoughts to Hecathe, "The mecha-suits are expensive and they come with a condition. If you do not have abilities and you do not wish to be looked down upon by others, you could buy a mecha-suit to make up for it, however, once you bought one, you would automatically be considered as a part of them and you''ll have to follow your captain''s orders who would naturally be Alphius since he''s the leader and creator."


    Hecathe gulped as he genuinely tried to understand what this man was trying to tell him.


    "He wanted to empower the suppressed and create a new footing in this world. He wanted everyone to feel equal. For everyone to stand up for themselves so that nobody suffers. Equality is certainly a beautiful dream and I am not against it, however, he was still not able to achieve his dream through the method he chose," Zail sighed and shook his head as he continued, "Instead of creating a world filled with equality where everyone respected each other, he further divided the people into more sections. The social structure got even more intense and defined because of him."


    When Hecathe thought about it like this, he couldn''t help but agree with this man.


    "I would agree to you but at the same time, I think there is something you are mistaken about," Hecathe responded as he glanced at the man, "You say that he was able to create something amazing but in the process, he also lost sight of his goal and ended up never fulfilling what he dreamt up of. That''s what you said, but how do you know what his goal or dream was?"


    "..."


    "As you have said before, you don''t know them personally and they never said anything publicly about their goals and ambitions so how come you think that all they wanted to do was empower the people and bring a new sense of equality in this world?"


    Zail was silent for a minute as he seriously pondered over what Hecathe had said. He took his own sweet time before finally scoffing as he replied, "Then that just makes it worse. If they didn''t even have such goals to justify their actions. It just means that they wanted to put the people through a new hell in hopes of gaining profit out of it!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard such a response, "So you want to say that if they had such goals, they would be stupid people who wanted to become the hero of the story and ended up becoming the villain instead because of unfortunate circumstances that their choices brought them?"


    Zail nodded his head without any hesitation.


    "But if they didn''t have such ambitions, to begin with, it just means they are trash that were always meant to be the villain?"


    "...."

 Chapter 34 - The Societies Right And Wrong.

    Zail had no response to that as the frown on his face deepened.


    "At the end of the day, you hate them no matter what their reasoning was," Hecathe added with a smirk, "To say that you won''t use the word ''hate'' against them just because you don''t know them that well is kinda wrong, don''t you think? According to me, you''ll be a hypocrite to say such contradicting things with your own mouth."


    Zail''s eyebrows creased together as he responded, "Why do I feel like you''re trying to pick a fight with me? If there''s something you want to say, why not say it to my face?"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he put his hands in his pockets and looked back at the man, "That''s exactly what I''m doing, is it not? I don''t agree with your thinking and I''m voicing it out with facts to strengthen the points that I''m trying to clear out here."


    "Sir, with all due respect, it''s you who''s in the wrong here, not me. Everyone agrees with me. Both Hecathe and Alphius are madmen who deserve to die a gruesome death for whatever they have done to this world. We are all suffering because of them. If the mecha-suits had never been created, the three willows of spring would have never become this powerful. The people would not have to suffer so much!"


    "Then why don''t you do something about it?" Hecathe interjected with no emotions evident in his voice.


    "..." Zail gulped and his face seemed to have lost all color.


    Hecathe laughed mockingly, "It seems that your will to save this world isn''t strong enough."


    "It''s not that I don''t want to do anything, it''s that I can''t-" Zail tried to defend himself but Hecathe didn''t even let him complete his sentence as he interjected.


    "At least they were both willing to do something they had wanted. They tried to change something that they didn''t agree with but what about you? You are also clearly ambitious about how you want this world to be and you blame them for creating the opposite of what you wanted." Hecathe sounded calm and yet he also sounded like he was clearly pointing at the man and calling him out for being a coward that could do nothing about it.


    "You blame it all on them and say that whatever is happening is because of them but what can you do about it? There''s clearly something you want but you are too afraid to do anything about it."


    "..." Zail''s expressions got more and more complicated as he heard the man.


    Hecathe suddenly chuckled as he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say anything wrong? If you think I said anything wrong, you are more than free to correct me."


    Zail scoffed and looked to be speechless for a minute as he simply stared at Hecathe.


    "Sir, could it be possible that you know them both? Are you friends with them? Allies? Or maybe their fan?"


    Hecathe gulped and was taken back by this sudden question but he didn''t let his shock show on his face as he controlled himself and calmly questioned back, "Why would you say that?"


    "If you are not on their side like that then I really see no reason why you would be so offended on their behalf. I only said something that a lot of other people are saying. I don''t think I deserve your scolding or criticism like this," Zail responded and it was clear from his tone of speech that he had been offended by Hecathe and his argument.


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered if he had overdone it. In reality, there was clearly a lot more he had wanted to say but when he heard the man making it clear that he wasn''t appreciating this conversation, Hecathe concluded that it was best if he kept the rest for some other time.


    At the end of the day, it wasn''t Zail''s fault that he considered both Alphius and Hecathe as madmen who deserved to die a horrible death. His thinking was shaped like that because of the society that made a clear distinction between right or wrong.


    If the end result was something that nobody preferred then it didn''t matter what the intentions in the beginning were, the action would still be labeled as something bad and the person who went through with the plan would be called a madman that deserved to die.


    Reality was much alike that book Hecathe had read a lot as a child. The story that his mother used to love reading to him. The story of Captain Markus and Doctor Longwin that he hated and found annoying but would still love to read again and again. It was a book that had a lot of unrealistic fantasy themes in it and yet, at the same time, it reflected the society and their mindset perfectly.


    The villain in the story was considered to be Captain Longwin who created machinery never seen before in hopes of improving human lives and for the development of their world, however, since nobody else agreed with him, he was considered as someone unfit in the society. Someone who was hated by everyone else.


    Hecathe chuckled as he remembered the story that he never thought he would be looking back to like this.


    "You''re right. It''s useless for us to fight over this. Zail, I may not know you that well but I can see that you''re a good guy so don''t take it too personally. If you think it''s too weird that I have such thoughts, consider me as a harmless madman as well and forget it. You shouldn''t bother yourself with it," Hecathe stepped closer to the man and patted his shoulder as he replied.


    Zail didn''t look to be too impressed but his anger had died down a bit as he heard this, "It''s good that you know."


    Hecathe smiled and nodded as if he was trying to tell the man that he understood what the man was trying to say but at the same time, his smile also looked as if he was clearly trying to tell the man that no matter what happened, Hecathe''s thinking was never going to change and there would be nobody who could change it.

 Chapter 35 - The Shabby Apartment

    "Ah, forget it," Zail exclaimed a sigh as he decided to shrug it off, "It''s better not to fight with a future tenant."


    Hecathe smirked as he nodded once again, "You''re right. It''s better to make more friends rather than enemies."


    Only after saying it out loud did Hecathe realize that he was also a hypocrite for preaching something that he clearly didn''t follow. Just an hour ago, he had already made an enemy when he entered this city. In fact, two enemies if he were to consider both that dog and its owner who was also dressed like Hecathe in a cloak and mask.


    If Zail hadn''t stepped down from the argument then Hecathe was sure that this man would have become the third enemy he made in this city of Ocasia.


    "Sir, is that your way of asking me if I''m willing to become a friend?"


    "Eh?" Hecathe''s face slowly cringed up as he realized what this man was trying to ask.


    Zail chuckled as he spoke up before Hecathe could say anything, "I''ll take your silence as a ''yes'' then."


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to see that this man was still willing to consider being friends even after knowing that his thinking was worlds different from Hecathe''s thoughts.


    They were clearly not going to get along well but Hecathe still nodded and said nothing more as he accepted the man''s friendship.


    After walking for a while, the streets started getting less crowded to the point that there was nobody walking around them.


    Hecathe gulped in worry as he questioned, "Are you sure that you don''t want to kill me in an abandoned alley somewhere?"


    Zail chuckled as he shook his head and responded, "Sir, as much as I''d like to do that, killing you would be difficult for me so you can rest assured that I have no such plans in mind."


    "..."


    Why did the former half of that sentence make Hecathe feel the opposite of assured?


    "Sir, didn''t I already tell you? The apartment is a bit far away from the city center and is a lot less populated. Because of this, it''s hard for my aunt to find any tenants. The only ones who come looking are either trying to save money or like to live in seclusion and do not want to be disturbed by other people."


    And somehow, Hecathe was both of them.


    Since he hadn''t brought a lot of money with him, he needed to save up money and he also needed to find a place where there was nobody else around so that his chances of being found out could be reduced.


    "I hope you don''t mind," Zail added with a bit of worry.


    Hecathe shook his head as a response, "That doesn''t bother me. The lesser people there are around, the more satisfied I would be."


    Zail looked to be amused as he chuckled but for some reason, Hecathe felt that the man''s chuckle sounded a bit too mischievous.


    "Then you can rest assured, you''re going to be really satisfied~"


    Hecathe gulped as he suddenly had a bad feeling in his stomach and after walking for a few more minutes, that foreboding he felt had somehow been right.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me..." Hecathe muttered as he could almost imagine a tumbleweed rolling in front of them.


    The building looked to be pretty big and it was enough to house more than twenty tenants easily, however, with the outward visual presentation of the building, Hecathe was sure that all those twenty possible tenants would turn around and run without even discussing the rent of the building.


    The walls were supposed to be white but it seemed that the house owner hadn''t painted these walls ever since the building was first made. Some parts were black, some were grey while some parts of the wall had visible cracks on them.


    "It might look a bit shabby but the rooms inside are much more comfortable to live in," Zail tried to defend the outward unfriendly appearance of the building.


    "Are you sure about that?" Hecathe asked as his eyes narrowed down on the man.


    For a building that looks like this from the outside... It need not even be said that Hecathe had no expectations from the interior.


    "I''m sure! I''m sure! I also live here and I can assure you that there''s nothing that would make you suffer inside. It''s comfortable and cheap. Simply the best apartment that you can book for the cheapest price."


    Hecathe gulped as he nodded and decided to take a chance.


    If the interior was alright then Hecathe would ignore the outside and rent this place but if the interior was also as haunting as the exterior then Hecathe wouldn''t even think twice before turning around and going back to search for other apartments.


    "Lead the way," Hecathe ordered with a sigh.


    "Yes, sir! Follow me," Zail responded happily as he stepped forward and gestured for Hecathe to follow.


    Hecathe pursed his lips together and looked at the man''s moving back as he suddenly wondered if this man was really not planning on murdering Hecathe today.


    Hecathe frowned as he tried to see if there were any mutants nearby.


    Thanks to Alphius''s rare power to control mutants, Hecathe just needed to think about it and the answer would easily be given to him.


    There were mutants in the proximity and it would take them no more than just two minutes to reach Hecathe if he were to call them at this moment.


    Hecathe sighed as he lifted his foot and followed after Zail who had opened the main gate which immediately broke down and came off.


    "Umm..." Zail put the door aside and chuckled awkwardly as he informed, "The door comes off sometimes. My aunt is still trying to get that fixed."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and said nothing about it as his eyes glanced at the broken door for not more than just a few seconds.

 Chapter 36 - Spider Web Decoration

    Hecathe sighed as he looked at the interior of the building. He had expected it to be worse but it seemed that he had been proven wrong. The interior wasn''t something that he would call nice. It wasn''t even something that he would say was ''okay''.


    If he was back in his real world then he would probably want to burn this place down saying that it was an abomination in the name of a building, however, since the circumstances were different, he could do nothing but let it pass.


    If the rent for this place was cheap enough then Hecathe could manage to survive here for a few weeks. At least until he finally finds a way to earn for himself. Once he has a source of income, he was sure that he would eventually find a way to live more comfortably.


    He was sure that he would be able to get rich once again and his confidence clearly had a base behind it. He had already done it once back in his real world so he was sure that he could do it again.


    Everyone had heard about the story of the great Zelium legend. They knew all about how lucky he was to find the rare Zelium stone and they also knew how lucky it was for him to rise a new-found company from nothing. He was a great man who was blessed with luck and he had achieved a lot, but this was nothing more than the over-glorified story of this young man.


    The sufferings and struggles that went on behind the scenes were all overlooked and hidden by the shadow of the word ''luck''.


    Luck wasn''t all that one needed in order to rise to the top. It was certainly a big help, however, what was more important than luck was skill and dedication. If you had the right dedication and skill, luck was nothing more than just an accessory for you to achieve your goals.


    Hecathe was such a man who didn''t rely on his luck as much as he relied on his own skill and dedication. He wasn''t the type of person to please others, he was the type of person who would offend others who could do nothing but smile and try to please him in return. This had become a natural habit to him so now that he was suddenly thrown into this parallel universe where he had no power, he would certainly feel weird and awkward at first, but he knew that this wasn''t going to last for too long.


    He needed to adjust fast and he needed to figure out who killed Orgon.


    He needed to clear Alphius''s name!!


    He was ambitious enough to seek the truth but the only problem was that he needed resources in order to figure things out. He needed power and connections. Making connections with Alphius''s identity was surely going to be an impossible task but he had already come up with a plan to work around this hurdle.


    The biggest resource he needed at this moment was money. Just like how money ruled his world, it seemed to be running this world as well.


    Until he manages to collect the money he needs, living at such a place was to be expected.


    Hecathe coughed and covered his mouth immediately. Because his mask was a half-mask that didn''t cover his mouth, as soon as he stepped inside the apartment, he inhaled a lot of dust that made him cough.


    "Ah!" Zail''s lips seemed to twitch as he spoke up, "Looks like my aunt forgot to clean again."


    "Again?" Hecathe questioned as he repeated the word.


    Zail chuckled and coughed as he also inhaled the dust, "You don''t need to worry about it. She doesn''t do it often!~"


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man suspiciously as he asked, "Doesn''t do it often? Do you mean she doesn''t clean often?"


    "No! I mean Yes! I mean not like..." Zail got confused with his own answers as he took a break and calmed himself down before trying to respond again, "I mean she does... Clean it often so this is a rare sight."


    Hecathe clearly didn''t look to have believed the man but he said nothing as a response.


    "Do you want to see the room first?" Zail switched the topic quickly as he questioned.


    Hecathe looked around for a bit before he replied, "Since there is nothing better to see here than the decorating spider webs, you might as well just show me to the empty room."


    Zail gulped as he nodded and led Hecathe to the floor upstairs.


    "By the way, your aunt has a really weird choice of interior decor. Spider webs only look good in Halloween."


    Zail was a bit confused as he questioned, "What''s Halloween?"


    Hecathe didn''t give the man a response as he heard this question.


    Turns out that this world had no Halloween celebration.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he suddenly thought of a joke.


    If Halloween were to be celebrated here then would anyone dare dress up as a mutant?


    "By the way, Sir. Those spider webs are not for decoration. My aunt just forgets about them."


    "I know," Hecathe responded without any shock evident on his face.


    "..." Zail really could not understand this man''s sense of humor.


    The floor upstairs was just as deserted as the one downstairs and it was even more dusty which made Hecathe feel as if it was better for him to just rent out another apartment.


    "Just follow me," Zail spoke up as he walked in front.


    "Can''t I just choose any of these rooms? Didn''t you say that there was nobody else living here?"


    Zail shook his head as he immediately refused, "You can''t choose your own room. And I never said there is nobody else living here. The building may not have a lot of tenants but it''s certainly not completely empty."


    Hecathe found that a bit hard to believe since he could not imagine someone living under such conditions.


    "I hope those tenants are not rats," Hecathe commented.


    Zail chuckled as he responded, "How''d you know? The tenants living in the room beside yours are Mr. rat and family!"


    "..."


    This was not even funny to hear....

 Chapter 37 - No Humor

    Zail laughed as he looked at the frown on Hecathe''s face.


    "Sir, I was just kidding! Don''t take it so seriously. There are no rat tenants here," Zail reassured in between his laughter.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head, "You have a weird sense of humor.


    Zail chuckled as he nodded his head, "That''s right and you have no humor at all."


    "..."


    Why was Hecathe feeling a little offended as he heard this?


    "Since our humor doesn''t match, let''s not make any jokes," Hecathe sighed as he suggested.


    Zail chuckled as he noticed that Hecathe had admitted defeat.


    "As I have said before, Sir, there are only two other tenants living here. One recently moved in and the other has been living here for a really long time now," Zail abandoned his playful demeanor and answered seriously.


    Hecathe nodded as he heard this, "What are the two tenants like?"


    "Eh?" Zail was a bit confused to hear this sudden question, "I''m sorry sir, but we don''t leak information about our tenants or speak behind their backs."


    Hecathe pursed his lips and his eyes narrowed down on the man suspiciously, "Are you sure about that?"


    Zail felt cold sweat form on his forehead as he nodded, "I''m being honest, sir. This might not be the best inn out there but we still care a lot about the privacy of our tenants. If you choose to live here, your privacy shall also be protected by us."


    Hecathe nodded as he found the answer to be pleasing.


    "Are we good, sir?" Zail asked just to be sure.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "As clear as a crystal. But... I would still like to ask you one question."


    "What is it, sir?"


    "The other two tenants... I hope they are the type to mind their own business?"


    Zail chuckled awkwardly as he heard this question. He took a minute to think about it before he nodded his head and responded, "That''s right. They are the type to mind their own business so you can rest assured that you won''t have to bother with them. The recent tenant doesn''t even come back that often and when he does, he usually stays holed up in his room without showing anyone else his face."


    Zail stopped for a minute and looked to be secretly contemplating on whether he was supposed to say the next sentence or not and Hecathe clearly noticed this small conflict in the man''s expression.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked cautiously as he squinted at the man and waited for him to speak.


    "Sir, now that I think about it, you''ll be getting along well with our new tenant."


    "Eh?" Hecathe frowned as he muttered in confusion.


    Zail smiled brightly as he nodded his head and added, "You two are really alike from what I see."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. Having somebody else who was really like him live next door was really not something Hecathe was looking forward to.


    Zail chuckled as he spoke up, "Sir, I won''t be saying much. You''ll understand it once you get to see him, but I think you''ll have to wait a lot since he rarely shows up."


    "That''s fine," Hecathe sighed, "I don''t want to meet him nor do I have any interest in getting to know him. Once I figure out what I want to do, I''ll be out of here so why bother making friends and getting acquainted?"


    Zail tilted his head in confusion as he heard this, "You don''t want to get to know anyone? Sir, are you perhaps a loner that doesn''t enjoy company?"


    Hecathe scoffed as he heard this, "What do you think?"


    "I think I''m right, Sir."


    "..." Hecathe was silent for a minute as he found it a bit embarrassing to straightaway agree and say that the man was indeed right when he thought that way.


    Even in his real world, Hecathe was the type to have lesser friends than the fingers on his hand. Azazel was the only friend he really had and if he were to not include that guy then it would only leave his secretary whom he was on friendly terms with. If both of them were to be excluded then Hecathe would really not have any friends.


    Hecathe coughed as he responded, "I like enjoying my time alone. Is there a problem with it?"


    Zail pursed his lips as he shook his head, "Of course, there''s no problem with that, Sir. But... I think it would be better to have someone there. Don''t you agree?"


    Hecathe had a frown on his face as he replied, "I do not agree."


    Zail heard the determination in Hecathe voice and he immediately gave up so as not to get into another argument with this man.


    He opened his mouth to say something more but before the words could roll out of his tongue, they suddenly heard a new voice interrupting them.


    "Who''s there?" It was a female voice and as soon as Zail heard it, he seemed to have recognized it while at the same time, Hecathe looked to have been scared as he suddenly heard the voice that came out of nowhere.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened in panic as he looked around to pinpoint the direction of the voice but there was nobody else except for them standing here and this made Hecathe feel uneasy.


    Zail smiled as he looked at Hecathe and reassured, "Sir, you don''t need to be scared. It''s my aunt. She''s the owner of this inn."


    Hecathe gulped as he finally felt a bit relieved. He shook his head as he tried to keep up an unaffected demeanor on the outside as he questioned, "Where is she?"


    Before Zail could give a response to him, A face suddenly popped down from above right in front of Hecathe''s face and Hecathe flinched in fear as he almost had a heartattack.


    "I''m right here," The woman answered as she hung upside down like a bat.


    "Damn it!" Hecathe cursed as he faltered back in shock.

 Chapter 38 - Whats Your Name?

    Zail chuckled as he saw this amusing reaction from Hecathe, "Sir, there''s nothing to be afraid of."


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he looked at the face of the woman who was hardly visible due to the darkness of this place.


    At this moment, she really did look like a ghost and no matter how unafraid Hecathe was of ghosts, he still couldn''t help but feel a shiver go down his spine as he felt a little creeped out.


    "Who''s this?" The woman asked as she kept her eyes glued to Hecathe.


    Hecathe gulped as he took another step back.


    "Ah! Aunt, this is the new tenant I kidnapped from the restaurant!" Zail exclaimed.


    "Hmm?" The woman got down from the ceiling, "Is that so? Good job."


    "No problem at all!" Zail beamed and even in the dark corridor, Hecathe could feel that the man''s face was shining with the brightness of a thousand stars after hearing this woman compliment him like that.


    "What''s your name?" At one moment the woman was a few meters away but in the blink of an eye, her face was just a few inches away from Hecathe''s face as she questioned.


    Hecathe gulped as he once again almost had a mini heart attack. He immediately faltered a few steps back as he unconsciously raised his hand in front of him, threatening to be ready for a fight.


    "What the hell...?!" Hecathe muttered as he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.


    "Hmm? Such an impolite person. Why do you keep staring at my legs? I''m five times your age, young man! Don''t try to flirt with me!" The woman scolded him and Hecathe''s eyes widened as he panicked.


    "That''s not it!" He exclaimed in hurry and the woman chuckled.


    "Zail, why aren''t you turning on the lights here? We have a guest, can''t you see? Be more hospitable." The woman turned to Zail and scolded him as well but the man''s reaction was much calmer than Hecathe''s reaction.


    Zail walked away and Hecathe stood there awkwardly with his eyes on the woman who had a really weird silhouette.


    He dare not believe that his eyes weren''t playing tricks on him.


    When the lights finally turned on, Hecathe felt his whole body freeze as he concluded that it really was not the fault of his eyes.


    This woman... She really had eight spider-like legs...


    If the lower part of her body were to be ignored, she would look to be rather normal and Hecathe would even be kind enough to call her a pretty middle-aged lady, but with eight legs, it was quite hard for someone to take their eyes off of her legs.


    "What are you?" Hecathe questioned cautiously as his body tensed up.


    The woman chuckled as she heard this question.


    "Why don''t we sit down and talk, Sir whose name I do not know?" The woman suggested.


    Hecathe was a bit shocked and cautious but he still nodded his head as he agreed.


    After being transmigrated into another parallel world, nothing shocked or scared Hecathe for more than just a few minutes.


    The woman snapped her fingers as she heard this and they were instantly teleported to a living room that looked to be a lot cleaner than the rest of the house.


    Hecathe cautiously took a seat at the chair that was arranged for him.


    "So let''s start with the introductions again," The woman took a seat on the chair sitting opposite to him and Zail soon brought over eight leg rests for her.


    Hecathe blinked twice as he still found it a bit confusing as to what type of creature this woman was.


    "What''s your name, young boy?" The woman asked for the second time in a day.


    "My name is Hecathe."


    The woman looked to be a bit surprised as her eyes widened, "You''re... The Hecathe?"


    Before Hecathe could say anything in response, Zail spoke up for him and informed the woman, "Aunt, he''s not that Hecathe. Didn''t I tell you already? That bastard-" Zail stopped himself as he cautiously glanced at Hecathe and corrected his wordings, "That man is already dead."


    It seemed that after that argument with Hecathe, Zail was a bit cautious to badmouth Alphius and Hecathe who belonged to this world.


    "He''s dead?" The woman sounded shocked as she heard this.


    Zail nodded his head as he added, "It''s been a really long time now."


    "Oh my! I really need to be paying more attention to what happens outside these walls."


    Zail sighed as he shook his head, knowing that this woman would never actually be leaving these walls.


    "Then, Hecathe who is not the Hecathe that I''ve heard about, let me ask you another question. Why are you here?"


    Hecathe tilted his head in confusion as he heard this, "What do you mean?"


    "Didn''t I make the question clear? I just asked you why you came all the way here?"


    "To rent an apartment...?"


    The woman chuckled as she heard this unsure answer, "That''s not it, dear. I mean why did you come to this city? What''s your goal?"


    "Oh, that!" Hecathe opened his mouth to give her an answer but immediately shut up as he realized that it would be stupid of him to give himself out that easily.


    "Unwilling to say?" The woman questioned as she looked to be amused with him.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he pointed at his face, or to be more exact, he pointed at the mask on his face, "Shouldn''t this tell you enough?"


    The woman was silent for a minute before she suddenly broke out laughing, "Young man, I didn''t ask you any personal questions. I''m just making sure that all my tenants are clean. I don''t want a fugitive hiding in my lovely home."


    Hecathe felt his eyes twitch as he heard this.


    This woman was trying to make sure that no fugitive finds refuge in this broken-down apartment... How was Hecathe supposed to tell her that he was exactly such a fugitive....?!

 Chapter 39 - The Ultimate Technique

    In the end, Hecathe decided to use his ultimate technique.


    "Are you doubting me?" His voice sounded cold and piercing as if he was a predator who was angry at his prey


    The ultimate technique of bluffing your way out!


    The woman gulped and looked to be worried for a second before she eventually broke out laughing, "Sir Hecathe, do not take it like that. You already gave us your name which shows that you are comfortable with sharing your information with us. I just wanted to know what future you have planned in mind. You can rest assured that your information would not be leaked to anyone. We might not have a lavish apartment to offer but our mouths are sewn shut."


    Hecathe suddenly felt that this woman was a bit too good with her words and he had been a bit too stupid while interacting with her.


    It was certainly stupid of him to give his name to the woman.


    Hecathe coughed as he tried to come up with something on the spot, "Then let''s just say that I want to roam around and enjoy my youth."


    The woman was silent for a minute as she curiously looked at Hecathe as if she was scanning for any lies.


    Hecathe''s muscles tensed up as he felt a little uneasy about it. This woman was sharp so if she were to seriously find Hecathe suspicious, she would definitely dig up the hidden truth.


    The woman suddenly broke out laughing as she asked, "Mr. Hecathe, do you seriously expect me to believe that?"


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he lied like a professional, "Believe anything you want. I''m telling you the truth."


    "Is that so?" The woman stopped laughing as she rested her chin on her palm, "Then let me ask you another question. This time, you just have to answer with a yes or no."


    Hecathe didn''t find anything weird with this preposition so he nodded as he replied, "What is it?"


    "There are not many travelers coming to visit Ocasia and the ones that come are either here for business or forced by their circumstances. In short, they all have a plan made up before they step foot in Ocasia. They have their future planned ahead of them and they know exactly what they want. Is it the same for you? Are you not telling me why you are here simply because you want to hide it from me or are you not telling me because there is no goal, to begin with?"


    Hecathe gulped as he seriously thought about the answer to this question and just when he was about to nod his head and answer with a ''yes'' he stopped himself.


    A goal?


    Did he really have it?


    This question had never been a problem for him since Hecathe had always been an ambitious man.


    Right now, he came to Ocasia to investigate in secret. His reason for doing so could be considered as his will to live. That was the only thing driving him at this point. He wished to live and in order to live a comfortable life without worrying about his end, he needed to clear the mystery behind Orgon''s murder.


    He cleared had a goal... but was this the reason why he was sent to this world?


    Did he really come here just to clear Alphius''s name...?


    "Young man, you don''t seem so good," The woman sounded to be rather amused, "Is it because I asked you an uncomfortable question."


    Hecathe gulped as he remained silent for another minute.


    He suddenly remembered his final moments in the real world. He remembered the fresh smell of his new car and he remembered the damned traffic. He remembered picking up his phone that he had left at home... Wait a second...


    Hecathe''s eyes went wide as he had a sudden realization.


    He was sure.


    He was definitely sure about it.


    That morning, he had definitely left his phone back at his house!


    He had forgotten it and couldn''t even be reached by his secretary who was calling him!


    He couldn''t be mistaken about it!


    Now that he put all the facts together, he was sure that his phone was left back at his home and since he was the only one with the keys to his car, there was no way someone else sneaked a phone into his car.


    "Mr. Hecathe, are you alright?" The woman asked as she leaned in, looking to be a bit worried about the man.


    Hecathe immediately stood up from his seat as he exclaimed, "Thank you for your help. I would like to book a room for a month."


    Both the woman and Zail looked to be a bit frightened by Hecathe''s sudden change in demeanor.


    "Huh?" The woman''s eyes twitched as she looked back at Hecathe and asked, "Then... Does that mean you found your goal?"


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he nodded his head, "I''m sure now. Thank you a lot for your help!"


    The woman chuckled as she nodded, looking to be quite pleased with it, "Well then, I would naturally be officially welcoming you to our humble apartment.. You can pay up first and live here for one month. Would you like to discuss the price first or would you like to sign the rent agreement straight away?"

 Chapter 40 - Too Pricey

    Oh...


    Hecathe was about to ask for the agreement but he suddenly realized that he was no longer the rich tyrant that he used to be.


    Since he was running low on cash, wouldn''t it be better to discuss the price of the apartment first before jumping into a contract?


    "H-How much are you taking for a month?" Hecathe asked a bit hesitantly.


    The woman chuckled as she held up two fingers.


    Hecathe''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he exclaimed with surprise, "Just two hundred Lenix?!"


    Two hundred Lenix was cheaper than the cost of the food that he had eaten at the restaurant so of course Hecathe was shocked.


    The landlady looked to be surprised as she heard his naive guess.


    She immediately shook her head and informed him that his guess was wrong.


    "Then two thousand?" Hecathe frowned a little as he questioned.


    This price sounded a bit more realistic and he could afford it as well.


    The landlady chuckled as if she had just heard the biggest joke, "Young man, don''t play around. Even if we rent out for cheap, we still don''t go around selling rooms for free."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and gulped as he heard this.


    "Then... Twenty thousand Lenix...?" He asked reluctantly, wishing in his mind for the woman to say that he was once again wrong.


    The landlady chuckled as she shook her head, "That''s not it either."


    Hecathe sighed in relief but his sigh eventually got stuck in his throat as he heard the woman continue.


    "It''s two hundred thousand Lenix."


    Hecathe coughed as he choked on empty air after hearing the rent.


    Damn it... He would have to sell one of his kidneys in order to afford that.


    The woman chuckled as she tilted her head and asked, "You seem a bit worried, is the price not good with you?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he immediately responded, "I don''t have that much at this moment. Can I pay in installments or pay it later?"


    The landlady pouted as she heard this and responded, "We can''t do installments. I''m sorry."


    "..." Hecathe frowned as he started to wonder if it was better to just go and look for some other apartment with cheaper rent.


    "You can''t find any other place cheaper than this," The woman spoke up, seeming to have read his mind, "This is the cheapest price for a month. It comes with all your necessities fulfilled, including your three meals per day. It''s a really great offer, young man."


    "But I still can''t afford it," Hecathe sighed.


    "How about this? You can rent out a room for a week and it would only cost you about forty-five thousand and two hundred lenix."


    Hecathe gulped as he shook his head, "It''s still too expensive for me. I don''t have that much either."


    The landlady frowned as she heard him, "Then what do you want to do, young man?"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned, "Why is the rent here so expensive?"


    "It''s not expensive at all. You just do not have the funds to afford it." The landlady sharply commented as she heard him.


    "..."


    "Young man, why would you even come to Ocasia if you don''t have the money? You should have been aware of this city. It''s one of the oldest cities that has still refused to undergo the development methods suggested by the three willows of spring. Everything in this city is expensive and for foreigners like you, it''s double the rate."


    The woman sighed and Hecathe''s eyes suddenly lit up as questioned, "Do you mean to say that this price was doubled because I''m an outsider?"


    "It would naturally be so," The woman responded as she nodded.


    "Then the price for residents is half the price that you''ve told me?"


    The woman nodded her head once again as she confirmed, "It is."


    "Then how about you do me a favor and give me the normal price?" Hecathe hopefully asked.


    The woman blinked as she tilted her head and looked at Hecathe as if he had just said something ridiculous.


    In the very next second, she broke out laughing as she spoke, "Young man, don''t be absurd. I can''t do that. This place has a law and every person that does not abide by this law gets punished. If I make an exception for you, it would get me in some serious trouble."


    "Then who much do you charge for a day?"


    "Seven thousand Lenix per day," The woman smiled as she responded happily.


    "Then I can only afford two days of rent," Hecathe sighed as he responded.


    The woman suddenly stepped closer to Hecathe as she spoke, "Or we have another way for you, young man."


    "Eh?" Hecathe frowned as he cautiously took a step back.


    The woman chuckled as she snapped her fingers and they were suddenly transported to another room that was dark with only a single light source hanging above a table that had papers placed on it with two chairs facing each other kept on either side of the table.


    "It''s called an illegal contract," The woman''s voice was too close to Hecathe''s ear and it made the man flinch.


    "W-What the hell are you trying to do?" Hecathe looked around but he couldn''t see the woman.


    "Why don''t you sit down and we''ll discuss in detail," The woman suggested and this time, Hecathe snapped his head towards the direction of the chair just to find the woman seated on one of them, gesturing for Hecathe to sit on the other chair.


    Hecathe gulped as he first tried to feel if there were any mutants around to help him but weirdly enough, something inside this room was blocking his contact with the mutants.


    "Hecathe, I''m sure you have never heard of an illegal contract before, have you?"


    Hecathe gulped as he took a seat in the opposite chair and shook his head, "I haven''t."


    It was clearly a lie since Hecathe had heard about such things in his real world and he had even signed a few. Illegal contracts were not always bad, they were just things that the law didn''t recognize as something right.


    They were not uncommon either.. In the business world, there were a lot of great famous people that signed illegal contracts in the dark and never got investigated for it.

 Chapter 41 - The Illegal Contract

    "It''s quite simple," The woman spoke up as she rested her chin on her cupped hands, "We sign a contract that is between just the two of us. Nobody else should ever be informed about this contract. I would have a condition that you''ll need to fulfill and in return, you can rent out a room that is cheaper than what you would normally have to pay."


    "What''s the condition that I''ll need to fulfill?" Hecathe crossed his legs as he questioned in all seriousness.


    The woman chuckled as she reassured, "It won''t be too difficult for you."


    Hecathe frowned slightly but said nothing as he waited for the woman to complete her sentence.


    "I''m sure you have heard about the guilds around here?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as a response.


    "You just have to join a certain guild and become a spy for me there."


    Hecathe frowned as he questioned, "Why would you want to spy on a guild?"


    "You''ve got me wrong" The woman chuckled as she shook her head, "It''s not the guild that interests me, it''s someone from the guild."


    "So you want to spy on a man?"


    "A woman actually."


    "..."


    "She won''t be meeting you straightaway. In fact, it would be a bit hard to come across her even after joining the guild but if you perform well and rise in ranks, it would become easier for you to meet her."


    "Why?"


    "Eh?"


    "Why do you want to spy on her?"


    "Is the reason important?"


    "Of course, it is," Hecathe sighed as he added, "If you have ill intentions that I do not agree with, I would naturally be declining your current offer. I''m not such an idle man. If there is something you want me to do, I at least need to be aware of your end goal."


    The woman''s eyes narrowed down on the man as she looked at him for a minute as if she were trying to read his mind, "Young man, you are sharp."


    "I know."


    The woman chuckled as she broke the awkward staring competition, "I quite like people like you but... They can sometimes be a pain in the butt."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this but said nothing as he simply waited for her to answer his question.


    "The reason is a bit complicated but you can rest assured that I mean her no harm. It''s just because I''m a bit curious about what she has been doing lately."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as his fingers impatiently tapped on the table, "If you are acquainted then why don''t you simply ask her about it."


    "I can''t. She would never tell me," The woman replied with a sigh, "You are the only way I can find information on her."


    Hecathe didn''t look to be too pleased as he stood up from his seat, "Then since you aren''t willing to say anything, I would be taking my leave. I have to go before all the other apartments close their doors for me."


    Hecathe didn''t wait for the woman to respond as he lightly bowed and turned around to leave.


    "Alphius!" The woman suddenly exclaimed from behind and the name sent a shiver down Hecathe''s back as he stopped in his tracks almost immediately.


    "I suspect that she''s working for Alphius nowadays," The woman continued with a worried tone and Hecathe sighed in relief.


    "So you just want to confirm this?" Hecathe calmly questioned as he turned around once again and faced the woman.


    The woman nodded as she responded, "That''s right. She has been working on something with Alphius so I want to know what that is."


    "Why?" Hecathe questioned, "Why do you want to know? So that you can report them?"


    The woman gulped as she immediately shook her head, "I would never do that. Reporting her is the last thing I would do."


    "Then why?" Hecathe pushed the chair back and took a seat again as he questioned.


    "It''s a personal matter. You don''t need to concern yourself with it."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this, "Didn''t I already tell you? I''m not working with you unless you give me a solid reason why I should be working with you. Half-information is going to get you nowhere."


    The woman also chuckled but there was no joy in her tone as she retorted, "But that''s not possible. You also haven''t been exactly open with me. I have no idea what your real identity is nor did you tell me what your purpose or goal was when you came to this city. In comparison, you''re more suspicious than me. I wonder what would happen if I report you...?"


    Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he felt a little awkward when he questioned, "Are you trying to threaten me? Don''t you see the cloak? There is a real emblem on it and you still dare to threaten me?"


    "It might be real but it might also be stolen. As long as your innocent, you shouldn''t be worried about me reporting, should you?" The woman''s face looked dangerously evil as she smiled.


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in and his hand clenched into a fist as he realized that this woman was certainly talented in switching behaviors.


    The woman chuckled as she added, "You don''t give me information about yourself so I don''t give you information either. This can be considered as a trust between two parties. You don''t know my secret and I don''t know yours so neither of us has anything to lose."


    "Then let me ask you a question. Whether I sign the agreement or not completely depends on this question," Hecathe looked at her as he waited for her to respond.


    The woman nodded her head, "What is it?"


    "Was it Alphius who killed Orgon?"


    "Eh?" The woman looked to be confused as she heard a question that she would have never actually imagined she would be hearing.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he rephrased the question and asked the woman again, "Do you believe that it was Alphius who killed Orgon?"

 Chapter 42 - Mutual Secrets

    "How are you related to Alphius?" Instead of giving him a straight answer, she questioned him back.


    "It doesn''t matter how I know him. Didn''t you say it yourself? We''ll both keep secrets and by keeping secrets, we''ll have a mutual trust between us."


    The woman gulped as she frowned and waited for a few seconds before answering, "I don''t believe it."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this, "Why?"


    "Didn''t you say you would only ask me one question?" The woman snapped.


    "I did," Hecathe nodded his head as his hands reached out and took the papers that were presented in front of him on the table, "I''m going to sign the contract since you gave me the answer that I was looking for."


    The woman smiled as she saw the man flipping through the papers first.


    "However, I''m asking out of curiosity. Why do you say that Alphius is innocent?" Hecathe asked casually as he kept his eyes on the papers in his hands.


    "Who knows?" The woman sang, "Maybe because he''s an innocent boy who was just not accepted by society."


    "..." It was probably the first time Hecathe had heard someone referring to Alphius as an innocent boy, "You don''t even know him. How can you say that?"


    The woman chuckled as she responded, "Sometimes you don''t need to know people to understand them. You can say that I understand him because we are alike."


    "Alike?" Hecathe found it a bit funny as he commented, "I don''t really see any similarities."


    "You sure about that?" The woman pursed her lips as she pointed down at her legs, "We are more alike than you might think."


    "..."


    "He was probably miserable because of how people treated him," The woman spoke up and there was a sense of pity in her voice as she continued, "So he recoiled from the society and preferred living in solitude."


    "Just like you," Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the woman as he interjected with a comment.


    The woman smiled but didn''t bother confirming it as she continued, "He didn''t have many friends. Marvin and Hecathe were his only friends so I''m sure that he must have treasured them a lot. Do you think if you were in his shoes, you would have killed your best friend''s father?"


    "Depends," Hecathe answered shortly without even thinking about it properly, "If he deserved to die or not."


    "Young man, you''re not god."


    Hecathe''s muscles paused as he heard this sentence that was really familiar to him.


    "Whether someone deserves to die or not, you''re not someone to decide it," The woman added with an amused smirk on her face.


    Hecathe leaned back on his chair as he put the papers down on the table and stretched his hand out front, "A pen?"


    The woman chuckled as she held Hecathe''s hand instead of giving him a pen.


    Hecathe was confused for a mere second as he saw the woman using her nails to pierce Hecathe''s finger, "Blood works better for an illegal contract, don''t you agree?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head and cursed the woman in his mind.


    "I know we agreed to keep secrets but I have to ask," The woman spoke up as she saw Hecathe leaving a bloody fingerprint on the contract, "Why are you so interested in this case? Could it be that you came here in search of the truth?"


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he simply responded, "It''s funny that you guessed that."


    "..."


    Hecathe smirked as he raised his head and spoke confidently, "I''m definitely going to find the real killer and clear some misunderstandings."


    "Why?" The woman asked with a small frown, "His matters should have nothing to do with you, right?"


    Hecathe stood up and thought about it for a minute before giving a response with a mischievous smirk on his face, "You can say that whatever concerns him concerns me as well since he''s now my other half."


    The woman''s eyes widened as she absorbed Hecathe''s words.


    She snapped her fingers and they were once again transported back to the previous living room where Zail was patiently waiting for them.


    "I see..." The woman muttered and there was a slight blush on her cheeks as she mentally came up with a big misunderstanding, ''This boy must love Alphius a lot! I would have never pegged him to be the romantic kind!''


    "Aunt, why do you look like that?" Zail asked in worry as he approached the woman.


    "Eh?" The woman blinked as she covered her face with her hands, "What are you talking about?"


    Zail frowned as his eyes trailed between Hecathe and the woman, "Aunt, you''re blushing..."


    The woman laughed as she smacked Zail on the shoulder defensively, "What the hell are you talking about?! Why would I be blushing?"


    Zail gulped as he rubbed his shoulder and cautiously glanced at Hecathe as he muttered, "I see..."


    It seemed that this man also came up with a big misunderstanding as he mentally concluded that his aunt must have probably fallen in love with Hecathe.


    Hecathe who was still clueless about all the misunderstandings blinked as he questioned, "Where is my room?"


    The woman and Zail gulped at the same time as they looked at one another.


    "You show him the room," The woman smiled as she instructed and Zail immediately nodded his head but didn''t move, and instead, he reached his hand out front.


    The woman pursed her lips as she understood what the man wanted.


    "You little brat," The woman cursed as she took out some money and handed it over to Zail.


    Zail smiled brightly as he counted the cash and put it away in his pocket before turning to face Hecathe, "Sir, let''s go!"


    "..." Hecathe suddenly had a feeling that he had been tricked somehow.


    Zail led the way to the floor above where Hecathe''s room was and Hecathe followed him without wasting any more time.


    On his way, the woman stopped him one last time as she called out to him.


    "Young man!"


    "Hmm?" Hecathe turned to face her.


    "I''m cheering you on!"


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he didn''t understand anything but he still nodded his head as he responded, "Um... Thank you....?"

 Chapter 43 - The Two Other Tenants

    "She''s not your real aunt, is she?" Hecathe didn''t bother beating around the bush as he questioned.


    "Eh?" Zail was taken back by the sudden question and it took him a whole minute to reply, "Um... How did you know?"


    "It wasn''t hard," Hecathe sighed as he replied, "For starters, she has eight legs and you don''t."


    "..."


    "You guys look nothing alike and she paid you for bringing me here, didn''t she?"


    "Ah... That''s right," Zail scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he responded.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard the man confirming it.


    He had already guessed it to be something like this.


    "Then when you said that there are only two tenants here... Did you include yourself as one of them?"


    Zail nodded his head as he smiled and tried to flatter Hecathe, "Sir, you''re so sharp! How did you figure it out?"


    Hecathe sighed and shrugged his shoulder as he simply gave the same response, "It wasn''t that hard to guess."


    ''It''s because you are too dumb and easy to read...'' Hecathe thought in his mind but didn''t bother saying it out loud for Zail to hear.


    "You must have been living here for a long time," Hecathe commented casually.


    Zail smiled as he nodded his head and replied, "That''s right. Ever since I left home, I have been living here."


    "She umm..." Zail spoke up with a sigh and looked to be a little hesitant about it, "She might sometimes come off as a bit rude and controlling, however, since I''ve been here for so long, I can assure you that she''s not really that bad."


    "What is she?" Hecathe questioned as soon as the man completed his sentence.


    Zail gulped as he acted oblivious, "What are you talking about?"


    "She can still talk like a normal human being so I don''t think she''s a mutant. She doesn''t seem like a normal person and her legs, I really don''t think they are something natural even among ability users," Hecathe spoke up as he raised his hand and stroked his chin, acting as if he was thinking deeply on the topic. Cold sweat seemed to form on Zail''s forehead as he heard Hecathe saying something like this so openly, "Sir, you should just let it go, don''t you think?"


    Hecathe let out a dry chuckle as he heard this suggestion, "Let it go? I''m sorry but I don''t plan on doing such a thing. I''m quite a curious guy. Don''t worry about it, no matter what she is, I wouldn''t be using it against her."


    "..."


    "Didn''t I already tell you? I don''t judge people that easily," Hecathe added with a smirk, "So you can tell me willingly now or I''ll eventually find it out by myself later."


    "S-she''s like Alphius, Sir."


    "Hmm?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this answer.


    "They say that Alphius has mixed mutant blood inside his body. She is also the same as him. She was born this way and because she was so different, her parents had raised her in isolation which has now become a habit for her."


    "She was born that way?" Hecathe questioned with a frown.


    Zail nodded his head as he confirmed, "That''s right, sir. Her parents were really afraid that she would be killed as soon as she was found out so they didn''t even dare contact a doctor or someone that could help understand her condition."


    "Ah!" Hecathe was a bit surprised but it didn''t last for more than a few seconds as he commented, "Then you must have been guessing when you said that she was the same as Alphius."


    "It is the only thing that can explain her situation."


    Hecathe took a sharp breath as he disagreed, "You can''t just say that it''s the only thing that explains her situation. In fact, you are saying this only because there is a rumor about Alphius being another one of the victims suffering such a condition."


    "But if he is also suffering through this then it must mean that the condition is real and she can also be affected by it," Zail argued.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly and it almost sounded as if he was mocking the man, "Zail, I think there is a misunderstanding."


    "Huh?"


    "Alphius doesn''t have mutant blood running through his veins," Hecathe spoke up calmly and clearly with confidence.


    "Eh...?!" Zail''s eyes widened as he processed this information and digested it, "H-How would you know?!"


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he stayed silent for a minute, taking his time to come up with the perfect way to explain things without exposing himself, "I know it because I''m investigating him."


    "Investigating him?" Zail muttered in disbelief.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he added, "Alphius is often misunderstood. He is special and has a unique power, however, none of that makes him evil or bad. He can control mutants but that doesn''t mean he had mutant blood coursing through his veins."


    Hecathe was confident because it wasn''t exactly a lie. The original Alphius was indeed trying to figure out more things about himself and it just so happened that Zather brought over the research papers for Hecathe to read.


    When mutant DNA was compared to Alphius''s DNA, the result shockingly didn''t match at all.


    "T-then... What is he?" Zail asked cautiously.


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this question and snapped, "What do you think he is? He''s just a mage with a unique ability."


    "Then Aunt is also just a mage with a unique ability," Zail hung his head down low as he muttered defensively.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he commented honestly, "I thought you were ignorant and believed in every rumor and lie but it seems that you''re just a hypocrite who is also a bit dumb."


    "Eh?" Zail blinked as he looked at Hecathe and tried to understand what the man had said.


    Hecathe sighed as he added, "At least it''s a good thing that you know how to care about people you''re close to."


    "..."


    "It might not be that bad living here and who knows?" Hecathe smirked as he looked at Zail, "I might just learn to get along with you."


    Zail''s eyes lit up at that last sentence and he looked to be really happy as he questioned, "Does that mean we can be friends?"


    Hecathe frowned as he stepped away from the man, "Don''t even think about such ambitions."


    "..."


    "I''m not letting you be my friend.. Friends are a hassle."

 Chapter 44 - Hunting For Hunter Tenants

    Zail looked to be a little offended as he heard this so he pouted but said nothing more since he knew that arguing would only worsen the situation.


    "Well, tell me that you''d at least consider trying to get along," Zail muttered cautiously as he glanced at Hecathe.


    Hecathe thought about it for a minute and smiled but just when Zail thought that the man was about to give him a nod, Hecathe shook his head as he responded, "I won''t be trying since trying is a waste of time as well."


    "..."


    "But we might not end up as enemies, isn''t that a good thing?" Hecathe beamed.


    Zail blinked as he wondered if he was the one who was lacking brain cells to understand this conversation or if it was Hecathe who was at fault here.


    ''Sir, I think I''ll be fearing for my life by the end of this,'' Zail commented in his mind without daring to say it out loud.


    "I''m bad with communication so you might not like the words I choose," Hecathe sighed, "But I can feel that although you might be dumb, you''re not that bad and that''s the biggest compliment I can give you."


    "Are you sure that''s a compliment?" Zail muttered in disbelief but Hecathe didn''t bother answering the question.


    "In any case, Sir. I think you''re gonna be here for a long time so it''s only natural that we should try to get along. The last thing we would want is to hate people who live right next door, don''t you think so?"


    "Living next door...?" Hecathe frowned as he suddenly felt that there was something weird about what the man had just said, "What makes you think I''m gonna be here for a long time?"


    Zail nodded with a smile on his face as he questioned, "She made you sign an illegal contract, didn''t she?"


    Hecathe blinked as he heard this but said nothing as he wondered if it was okay to tell the man about a contract that should not have existed in the first place.


    "You don''t need to bother hiding it from me," Zail chuckled as he reassured, "I already know that she would definitely do something like that once she meets a hunter."


    "I see," Hecathe smirked as he understood something, "That''s why you brought me here, isn''t that right?"


    "Huh?" Zail stopped in his tracks as he looked at Hecathe with a blank expression on his face.


    "You wanted to scout hunters for her?"


    Zail''s muscles tensed up and this reaction was more than enough for Zhihao to understand what the answer to that question was, "Let me make another guess. The other tenant that recently moved in is also a hunter?"


    Zail gulped as he reluctantly nodded his head and confirmed it.


    "And he was given the same contract but he refused?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he questioned.


    Zail immediately shook his head as he denied it, "T-that''s not it!"


    "Oh?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows but the man could clearly not see it as it was hidden behind the half-face mask.


    "She didn''t even get the chance to offer such a contract," Zail spoke up defensively, "He was too scary and dangerous!"


    "Is that so?" Hecathe nodded his head as he came to the conclusion that the other one was really a hunter and not a fake one like Hecathe.


    "Compared to him, you probably looked like a much easier target," Zail added as he scratched the back of his neck.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he replied, "That doesn''t make me feel happy at all."


    "You don''t need to worry about that contract," Zail reassured the man, "She''s not a cruel woman so she wouldn''t make you do something too hard."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this as he wondered if the man knew that her only condition was for Hecathe to spy on someone by joining a guild which in itself was a pretty hard thing for him to do.


    When he planned on coming here, he never planned on joining a guild, and in fact, he planned to stay as far away from them as possible.


    But then again... Hecathe had a change of plans now so maybe it was better for him to get involved with a guild.


    "And in any case," Zail smiled wickedly as he leaned in closer to Hecathe''s ear and spoke in a volume that was barely above a whisper, "You''re the one that''s benefitting since you get to live in a place for a rent that is so generous that it can even be considered as free."


    Hecathe''s lips curled up as he nodded and agreed with the man, "Maybe I am the one benefitting the most here."


    Zail bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically as he confirmed it.


    Hecathe pursed his lips together as he stared back at Zail and the man stared back at him as well.


    "Are you not going to show the way anymore?" Hecathe questioned sternly.


    "Eh? We are already here," Zail responded as he blinked in confusion.


    "Already here?" It was only now that Hecathe had realized that the reason why the man had stopped walking was not because he was shocked or surprised by Hecathe''s word but it was simply because they had already reached their destination.


    Hecathe pointed at the door that was beside them and asked, "This is it?"


    Zail nodded his head happily as he took out a pair of keys and handed them over to Hecathe, "This is your room from now on. You must take good care of it."


    Hecathe took the keys with a nod as he opened the door and the lights inside the room automatically switched on, however, before Hecathe could be impressed with this, the lights started flickering.


    "..."


    Zail chuckled awkwardly as he tried his best to explain, "It''s because it''s been empty for so long."


    Hecathe let out a breath of disappointment as he mentally concluded that this sort of stuff was to be expected since he was getting this room for such cheap rent.

 Chapter 45 - Telling The Truth

    Hecathe stepped inside the room and took a deep breath in before coughing as he inhaled all the dust.


    Zail covered his mouth in advance as he suggested, "I can help you settle in. Just a little bit of cleaning and this place would look brand new!"


    Hecathe sighed as he turned around and stopped Zail from stepping inside the room, "Your help is appreciated but it would not be needed. I wouldn''t want to bother you anymore so you can leave. Thank you for all that you''ve done till now."


    Hecathe didn''t even bother listening to the man''s response as he shut the door on the man''s face rather rudely.


    Zail gulped as he stayed at the same spot for a solid minute, wondering if Hecathe was any different from the other hunter tenant that had done the same thing when he first moved in just a day ago.


    "They''re... Definitely going to get along!" Zail muttered to himself as he concluded before turning and heading towards his own room.


    Hecathe covered his mouth as he looked around the room.


    There was a bed, there was a table and chair and there was even a table light kept on top of the table. There was also a cupboard that could be used and even a washroom that was joined to the room.


    To look at it practically, there was nothing that Hecathe would lack here. If he could clean up everything, although it might not be the best facility out there, it would still be adjustable and he wouldn''t have a hard time living here.


    Hecathe took off the cloth that covered the chair and wiped off the dust from the table with it before sitting down and taking out his pocket-sized briefcase.


    He pressed the button on top of it and threw it forward as he watched the suitcase grow bigger.


    When someone would first move into a house, they would start cleaning the place and settling in, this was to be expected, however, instead of doing any of that, Hecathe raised his hand as he opened the QMS.


    "Xanie, you there?" Hecathe questioned as he sent the girl a voice message and waited for a few minutes to get a response.


    "Captain, is everything okay there?" Xanie was pretty quick to reply as if she was waiting to get news from Hecathe.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he replied to her, "I''ve found a room to rent and I can get by for a few days."


    "That''s good, Captain." Xanie sighed in relief, "I really hope you can turn a new leaf now."


    "..."


    "I''ve thought about what you said for a really long time and I really think that you should do what your heart tells you to do. If freedom is what you''re after then I hope you can finally find that freedom. To be trapped in your own creation, it''s certainly torture so I''m glad that I was able to help you escape."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard her pouring her heart out and sympathizing with him genuinely.


    "Xanie, listen," The guilt Hecathe felt in his heart eventually made him reveal the truth, "I lied to you."


    "..." There was no reply from Xanie for a solid minute after this and it didn''t look like the woman was going to respond to him either.


    When Hecathe got no response, he continued, "I''m not here because I wanted to find freedom nor am I here to enjoy my life."


    "Captain... What do you mean?" Unlike the previous voice message that Xanie had sent him, this time, there were no emotions contained in her voice.


    "You must listen to me very carefully because this is really important," Hecathe spoke up with his cold authoritative tone, "I''m here to investigate Orgon''s murder."


    "..."


    "You must know it as well, right? The one who killed him wasn''t me. There is someone out there who is trying to set me up," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he continued, "Someone thinks I''m their puppet and they are trying to frame me, so now I want to make them thoroughly understand just what type of man they are dealing with."


    They aren''t just dealing with a shut-in boy called Alphius, they are dealing with the zelium legend, Hecathe!


    "Captain... You want revenge?" Xanie questioned.


    Hecathe took a minute as he pondered over this question before he answered honestly, "If you consider it revenge, then let us call it revenge. All I want to do is clear my name."


    There was no reason why Alphius needed to be blamed for things he never did, however, the original Alphius never cared.


    Xanie who suddenly heard Hecathe''s plan to clear his name and take revenge couldn''t help but feel shocked to the core.


    The normal Alphius would have never tried to pull something like this.


    "Captain..." Xanie took a deep breath in as she sent him a response, "I''m happy..."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this response that came unexpectedly.


    Hecathe could swear that he heard Xanie crying as she sent him a continuation message, "I''m so happy to know that you''re standing up for yourself!"


    "..."


    "You must have been really bothered by it. It was because you couldn''t take it anymore, right? You must have been so worried and bothered that you forced yourself to step out of your comfort zone!"


    "Wait for a second," Hecathe rubbed his forehead as he interjected.


    "Hmm?"


    "Stop getting so emotional."


    "..."


    "This isn''t why I contacted you," Hecathe added with a sigh as he got to the point, "I have something more important for you to do."


    Xanie sniffled back her tears that had just begin to form and responded seriously, "How can I help you, Captain?"


    "I want you to find something for me."


    "What, Captain?"


    "Find what was I doing when Orgon was killed."


    "..." Xanie was silent for a whole minute before she awkwardly sent him a response, "Captain, I don''t need to bother finding that out.... You were always holed up in your room so that was probably what you were doing then as well."


    "..."


    "Your schedule isn''t really that different...."

 Chapter 46 - The Name Of The Guild

    "I know that," Hecathe sighed as he responded, "But still look into it."


    "Why, Captain?" Xanie questioned as she sent him another message, "Is there something wrong with the timing?"


    "It''s because of Marvin."


    "..." Xanie was silent for a minute as she heard that name and only after a moment of silence did she cautiously reply, "What about him, Captain?"


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered if the woman knew about the dead friendship between Alphius and Marvin, "He would never believe something that ridiculous unless he has proof."


    "Huh?" Xanie sounded to be surprised as she questioned, "Captain, I thought you two cut ties with each other..."


    "We did," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he replied, "But that does not mean we would be considered enemies."


    "..."


    "We were once friends and the trust that had been built up between us can''t be broken that easily," For some reason, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little awkward as he said such cheesy lines since he hardly even knew that man called Marvin, "We were once friends and although we might not have the same relationship right now, we still trust each other."


    "Captain," Xanie gulped as she found Hecathe''s words to be a bit shocking, "The more I talk to you, the more I realize that I had guessed it right."


    Hecathe frowned as he asked, "Guessed what right?"


    "You are a soft man on the inside!" Xanie exclaimed and Hecathe fell speechless.


    "..."


    It was certainly the first time in his life someone had said such a thing to him.


    "You are like those fruits with a hard shell but all mushy on the inside," Xannie added proudly as if she was complimenting the man.


    "Okay, stop. I got it," Hecathe interjected.


    "Captain, I like this new side of you!"


    "Does it not even embarrass you to say cheesy things like that?" Hecathe questioned as he rubbed his head.


    "Embarrassed?" Xanie chuckled as she confidently responded, "What''s the use of embarrassment? Does it feed you?"


    "..."


    Well, it''s not like I feed you either...


    "In any case, I''ll help you, Captain!" Xanie sent him another message, "No matter what it is that you want me to do, I would try my best to help you."


    Hecathe nodded his head, feeling a little pleased as he concluded in his mind that although this woman was sometimes stupid and too emotional, she was still loyal, both in his real world and this one as well.


    "Captain, I''ll look into it. Give me a day or two."


    "You can take your time," Hecathe responded with his cold indifferent tone, "Just remember to get this job done by the next few days so that I can give you the next task."


    "Okay, Captain!" Xanie enthusiastically exclaimed, "By the way, there was something else I wanted to inform you as well."


    "Hmm?" Hecathe frowned as he had a foreboding feeling in his stomach.


    "The guards headed to Zeblor to find you but it seems that the three willows of spring already know about you."


    "What?!" Hecathe''s eyes widened as he heard this shocking information, "They know I''m in Ocasia?"


    "No. That''s not it. They only know that you''ve gone missing."


    Hecathe sighed in relief but eventually choked on that sigh when he heard the woman continue.


    "They aren''t showing it but they have certainly sent out people to search for you in secret so you must be careful, Captain. Don''t trust strangers easily."


    Hecathe almost found that last suggestion a bit laughable since he hardly ever trusted anyone.


    "Is there something else I can do for you?" Xanie asked.


    "No, that''s it for now. Contact me as soon as you find the information I''m looking for," Hecathe replied.


    "Got it," Xanie responded and Hecathe put his hand down as he took out Alphius''s diary from his suitcase.


    Alphius had stopped writing this diary around the time after Orgon''s death so the rest of the pages were left blank.


    Hecathe picked up a pen and turned a new page as he started writing the continuation, noting down all the events that had happened to him after he had transmigrated here.


    Keeping a diary was perhaps the most stupid thing a person could do seeing as how the secrets held within a diary could be used against you, but right now, this was not the case since the secrets held within this diary just proved Alphius''s innocence.


    He sat down straight for a few hours and when he was finally done writing everything, he closed the diary and sighed as if showing that he had been really exhausted.


    It wasn''t exactly wrong since he really had been exhausted but taking a rest was something that never existed in Hecathe''s life.


    He stretched his hands and stood up before changing his clothes and cleaning the cloak before wearing it over his clothes once again as he got ready to go out of the room.


    He opened the door to be greeted with a face that was a bit too close to his liking.


    Hecathe almost had another heart attack but he naturally didn''t let it show on his face this time as he looked back at the woman and questioned, "What are you doing here?"


    The landlady smiled and due to the darkness that shrouded the hallway, her smile looked to be wicked as she spoke, "Since the contract has been officially signed, let''s get to work."


    "..."


    "You don''t even know which guild you have to join, do you?" The woman asked.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on her and he looked to be unimpressed as he responded, "How would I know if you never told me?"


    The woman chuckled as she nodded her head, "Then let me tell you now."


    "Hmm."


    "Golden fire," The woman spoke up as she informed him, "It''s quite a famous guild, and lucky for you, they are currently hiring hunters for a temporary mission."


    The woman held up a poster and showed it to the man as she continued, "Just take this with you and go on a mission with them.. If they see talent in you, they would certainly try to hire you as a permanent member."

 Chapter 47 - The First Guild Mission

    Hecathe looked at the poster in his hand and followed the directions given as he headed for the guild called Golden fire.


    He was certainly tired but he felt that there was something more important that he needed to do as soon as possible.


    Just as the landlady had previously told him, the golden fire was indeed a pretty famous and big guild and Hecathe could straightaway sense this as he looked at the large building that was decorated in a lavish manner, looking more like a fancy restaurant than a guild.


    The landlady was quite shocked to see Hecathe agreeing without any hesitation as he took the poster and headed out with a simple "Okay" as a response. She might not have known this but the reason why Hecathe agreed to it so readily was because he read something really interesting in the poster.


    The mission didn''t clarify what they had to do nor did it clarify why they were suddenly looking for hunters. It simply said that hunters were needed.


    Normally guilds would have a mission that would basically be about hunting mutants and collecting mutant beads so it was only natural that it would be the same this time as well, however since it wasn''t specified, Hecathe couldn''t be sure that this was really the mission.


    Guilds would normally not permit hunters from the outside to go and join them on the hunt unless the guild was really running low on manpower.


    This golden fire guild was quite big and had a lot of mages and hunters working under it. For it to suddenly run short on manpower was hard to believe and what was even harder to believe was the fact that it didn''t specify in the poster how many hunters were needed.


    Vacancies would hardly come and whenever they did come, it would be only for a few people, but there was no limit stated in the poster which meant the guild was looking for as many hunters as possible.


    Hecathe didn''t hesitate for even a second as he headed inside the guild and was immediately greeted with the smell of strong alcohol.


    "..."


    Not only did this place look like a lavish restaurant but it seemed that the inside looked more like a bar than an actual bar.


    Hecathe frowned as he skillfully avoided all the drunk people swinging here and there. He headed straight for the main table where there was a man dressed neatly with a paper and pen in hand, noting down something.


    "Excuse me," Hecathe called out to him, his voice as cold and unbothered as ever.


    The man glanced down at the poster held by Hecathe as he questioned, "Are you here for the mission?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he replied, "That''s right."


    The man carefully looked up and down at Hecathe before he spoke, "You can join the team C. It''s still lacking a member."


    Hecathe had no idea how this whole guild and the mission system worked so he simply decided to nod as if he knew everything.


    "Follow me," The man spoke as he turned and started walking.


    Hecathe followed after the man without hesitation as he glanced at the drunk people for one last time and he was glad he did cause if he didn''t, he would have never been able to notice that they were all not exactly drunk.


    "..." Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he sensed the eyes boring at his back.


    These people were certainly conniving... Pretending to be drunk while they were on their guards against anyone that came.


    Hecathe could clearly sense that he was being judged and checked but of course this was only normal considering the fact that he was wearing this cloak and mask.


    "Are you good?" The man in front questioned.


    "Huh?" Hecathe looked at the man''s back as he responded in confusion.


    "You must be really confident considering the fact that you didn''t even ask what the mission was."


    "..."


    "It was the first thing everyone asked but you didn''t," The man added but his voice held no emotions within it which made it hard for Hecathe to guess what the man was thinking inside his mind.


    "Then I''ll ask you. What is the mission?"


    The man chuckled as he took a few seconds to answer, "Your mission is to bring back mutants."


    "Excuse me?" Hecathe felt as if he had heard it wrong.


    "Is there some problem with your ear?"


    "..."


    "Your mission is to bring back mutants. They don''t necessarily need to be alive." The man repeated himself with a sigh.


    "Why?" Hecathe unconsciously asked and it made the man turn around to glare at Hecathe.


    "Let me make this clear right now since it seems that it''s your first time here. We hire you for a temporary mission but that does not mean you can ask us questions."


    Hecathe was a bit stunned to see the attitude that the man gave him as he spoke.


    "The question ''why'' is forbidden to you."


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a smirk as he heard this, "Then if I become a permanent member, would you tell me?"


    "..." The man blinked in shock as he stared back at Hecathe for a solid minute before breaking out laughing, "Young man, you''re too ambitious!"


    Hecathe also chuckled dryly together with the man but there was no joy in his voice as he listened to the man continue.


    "It''s not that easy to become a permanent member. You would at least need to be a rising genius for us to consider."


    "A rising genius?" Hecathe repeated with a smirk, "That does not answer my question."


    The man stopped laughing as his eyes narrowed down on Hecathe, "What?"


    "You didn''t tell me the answer to my question," Hecathe repeated as he informed, "Would being a permanent member give me the answer to that ''why''?"


    It looked like it was the first time this man had met such a proud person like Hecathe so every time Hecathe said something inconsiderate, it was like a shock for this man.

 Chapter 48 - Team C

    The man was silent for a minute as he simply stared back at Hecathe in shock.


    Hecathe had a proud smirk on his face as he waited for the man to properly answer his question this time.


    "Look, boy, If you seriously manage to show us something we''ve never seen before and somehow get that permanent position, you can ask any question you want."


    "I hope you don''t go back on your promise," Hecathe responded with a dry chuckle.


    The man scoffed as he nodded his head, "And you better not come back as a corpse."


    This man seemed to have been really underestimating Hecathe and it wasn''t shocking considering the fact that Hecathe didn''t exactly look that powerful at this moment.


    "Team C is going to have a fun time with you," The man commented and it almost sounded as if the man was mocking Hecathe and his confidence.


    "Do you want to bet?" Hecathe questioned as he felt a little amused after seeing the man underestimate him to this level.


    "Bet? What type of bet?"


    "I don''t really like the fact that you mages look down so much on hunters," Hecathe sighed as he spoke up, "So let us make a bet. If I manage to capture more mutants than the other teams, you follow my command."


    The man clicked his tongue and responded, "You sound quite confident. I''ll agree to the bet, but if you don''t win it, you clean the guildhall today, okay?"


    "It''s a deal," Hecathe chuckled as he heard such a stupid condition, "But don''t expect me to go easy on you once I win."


    The man had a small smile on his face as he spoke, "You better not disappoint me, young boy."


    Hecathe nodded his head but said nothing as he heard this since he found it a bit hard to understand if this man was underestimating him completely or just trying to push him to show his talent.


    Well, it wasn''t like he cared what this man was thinking either. To him, this guy was nothing more than an unimportant side character that would eventually be forgotten.


    The guy led him towards a door, but instead of opening the door, he turned around and stepped aside as he instructed Hecathe, "Team C is ready to leave so you better hurry up."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he understood the man''s intention and walked forward to open the door right ahead.


    "You''re not even afraid?" The man muttered, sounding to be a bit amused.


    "I would naturally not be," Hecathe responded with a smile as he opened the door and walked right in.


    He entered a room that was rather small and at the same time also gave the illusion of being big. The walls, the ceiling, the ground and everything in the room had the same dark metallic grey colour which almost made it impossible to understand the depth of the room.


    The only light in the room came from the design on the floor that was a bit complicated but good to look at.


    Waiting inside the room were four other people who Hecathe guessed to be the other hunters and mages who were supposed to be with him on this mission.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he looked at the man who looked to be oddly familiar.


    "You...!"


    The man turned to look at Hecathe and smiled as he acknowledged him, "Well, I certainly didn''t expect to see you here again. This must be fate."


    Hecathe blinked as the shock took its own sweet time to settle in.


    This was the same man who Hecathe had met when he first entered this city.


    "The one with the human-dog!" Hecathe exclaimed as he couldn''t remember the man giving his name.


    The man chuckled as he nodded his head, "That''s me, brother."


    "You two know each other?" One of the women questioned and since she was wearing a jacket with the emblem of the golden fire, it wasn''t hard to guess that she was probably a mage who was from this guild.


    "We don''t," Hecathe immediately responded with a frown.


    "..."


    The man chuckled as he nodded his head and agreed with Hecathe, "We don''t know each other."


    The woman looked to be confused as her eyebrows creased together after hearing this, however, she didn''t bother questioning it anymore as she spoke, "It doesn''t matter if you don''t. Come over here."


    Hecathe nodded his head and gulped as he made his way over to the center of the room where everyone else was standing, waiting for him.


    The other two who would also be joining them on this mission looked to be a couple, but Hecathe could only cringe as he saw the thin pale girl clutching onto the guy''s arm and flattering him nonstop. The guy was someone who seemed to have clearly forgotten his shirt at home as he flexed his muscular body.


    "Before we go, let me brief you on our mission today," The mage from the golden fire spoke up authoritatively as if she had said this thing a thousand times before, "I''m called Kelly and I would be overlooking Team C for today. Our mission today is to capture some mutants. If they are alive, it would be better but dead ones work as well. With that said, I don''t really hope to see you guys going out of your way to catch some alive mutants. Remember that your safety is also important and although I''m guiding you for today, I have no responsibility to keep you alive. Whether you make it out alive or not is none of my business. Your life is in your own hands and I hope you remember that."


    The others nodded as they heard this, indicating that they completely understood the woman.


    "Now I think introductions are a big waste of time but since I''m tasked to do so, we can''t continue unless you all introduce yourself," For some reason, Hecathe couldn''t help but be impressed as he heard the woman''s cold emotionless tone while speaking.


    If he had been back in his own world and had met such a woman then he would have surely given her a job right away simply because he liked how professional yet casual she was.

 Chapter 49 - Introductions.

    "Let me start!~" The thin pale girl who couldn''t stop clinging to the shirtless guy exclaimed cheerfully with a big smile on her face, "My name is Lele and I have been a hunter for the last two years. I don''t have much experience with catching mutants so I hope you guys can help me out if needed!~"


    Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he heard her talking in a pitch that was a bit too high and annoying.


    The mage who was in charge clicked her tongue as she heard the girl''s introduction, "Nobody is going to look after you or help you. If you''ve been a hunter for the past two years then you should naturally have enough experience and if you don''t trust your skills enough then you shouldn''t be here in the first place."


    Hecathe gulped as he found Kelly to be more interesting. She was clearly not the type to beat around the bush as she snapped and informed Lele exactly what her current situation was.


    The girl called Lele gasped and looked to be offended but not as much as the shirtless guy who glared at Kelly and immediately shouted, "How can you talk to her like that?!"


    "..."


    Hecathe was speechless as he saw the man''s angry reaction.


    Kelly rolled her eyes as she ignored him and spoke, "It''s your turn now. Please give us your name."


    "This is Haze, he''s my boyfriend!~" Lele answered for him as she beamed.


    Kelly nodded her head as she didn''t bother with the two anymore and turned to look at the other hunter who was dressed the same as Hecathe, "You?"


    The man smiled as he kneeled down on his one knee and over exaggeratedly raised his right hand to touch his chest with his head bowed down in a respectful manner as he introduced himself, "You can call me Raven."


    Hecathe was even more baffled as he saw this kind of introduction.


    Young man... Is this a movie?


    Are you a prince proposing to your lucky cinderella?!


    Kelly didn''t look to be as shocked as Hecathe as she simply nodded her head and turned to face Hecathe, "And your name?"


    "It''s Hecathe," Hecathe coughed as he casually gave his name.


    Raven stood up and straightened his back as he stared at Hecathe without saying anything.


    "Great!" Kelly exclaimed as she wrote something down on the book that she held, "Lele, Haze, Raven, and Hecathe. We would have to be working together if we want to come out of there alive. For that short while, I hope you guys can remember each other''s name and try to get along."


    Hecathe and Raven nodded their heads in unison as they heard her while the annoying couple kept whispering something to each other as they ignored Kelly.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel displeased already as he saw these ignorant brats and even though he didn''t know them well enough, from what he had seen till now, he could clearly say that he would not be getting along with them.


    "Miss Kelly, would it be rude for me to ask what class of mage you belong to?" It was Raven who questioned politely as he looked at the woman.


    Kelly nodded as she answered, "Ice element, silver class."


    "Is that so?" Raven smiled as he flattered the woman, "I''ve never actually met a silver class ice mage before but I''m surely not disappointed."


    Hecathe blinked as his eyes narrowed down on this man. For some reason, no matter how nice this Raven posed to be, Hecathe couldn''t help but have this unsettling feeling that this man was fake.


    He was faker than the smile worn by Lele!


    "We would be in there for ten minutes and if you guys decide to run off, it''s not my responsibility. Stay near me and I would bring you back. Refuse to listen to me and I leave you behind," Kelly spoke up as she informed.


    "Now how many of you have been to a mutant cave before this?" Kelly asked as she glanced at the other four.


    Hecathe kept his hand down as he had never actually been to a mutant cave. Raven confidently raised his hand with a chuckle and although both Lele and Haze raised their hands, Hecathe found it hard to believe that the two of them had ever been to a mutant cave before this.


    Kelly nodded her head as she noted something down on her book, "So only Hecathe is left?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he informed, "You don''t need to worry about me. Even if I don''t have any experience with a mutant cave, I have still defeated them before this so I can protect myself."


    The woman looked to be amused as she heard this response and for the first time, there was a small smile on her face as she responded, "That''s good. You''re confident but since it''s your first time, don''t try to overdo it. If you want help, I''ll help you."


    Hecathe was a bit surprised as he heard this and it looked like the other hunters were shocked as well.


    Lele pouted as she muttered in disbelief, "Didn''t she say that she won''t be there to help us? What is this discrimination?"


    Since the room was so quiet, the others clearly heard it but they all simply ignored Lele.


    Raven smiled as he spoke up, "Brother Hecathe, I''ll also be there to help you out so you can depend on us."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he replied, "In that case, if you two are in danger, I would naturally save you as well."


    "..." Kelly and Raven simply blinked in surprise as they heard this confidence sentence.


    "What a self-conceited midget," The shirtless man called Haze commented offensively with a laugh, clearly mocking Hecathe with his words.


    Hecathe smiled in turn but said nothing to the man.


    Haze thought that Hecathe was too scared to say anything back, but how was he to know that Hecathe didn''t bother responding because he simply thought that dogs could bark all they want but in the end, they would still tuck their tails in between their legs and run away?


    To respond to such mindless barking was simply not worth it....

 Chapter 50 - Capturing Mutants.

    Kelly clicked her tongue, "I don''t enjoy listening to mindless chatter. Since we have already covered information about your mission, I hope everyone here is already well aware about the consequence that comes with choosing to volunteer in this mission?"


    The consequence? Even though she hadn''t said it out loud, it was clear as day what they would be putting at stake in this mission. The consequence was death. They could easily die in there and this was something that they were already aware of before they even took this mission, after all, hunting mutants was not an easy job.


    Everyone nodded as a confirmation and Kelly looked to be pleased with this response as she continued, "That''s great!"


    She took out something from her pocket and threw it over to each of the other members as she spoke, "If you want to capture one alive then this would help you a lot. I wouldn''t promote trying but in case you''re courageous enough, you can use it."


    Hecathe looked down at the thing that he had caught easily and with just a look, he was able to understand what it was. Although it looked like zip-ties, Hecathe was sure that it was probably not a normal zip-tie. It was thicker and stronger which would probably be perfect to restraint the mutants.


    "Then we can go ahead now," Kelly announced without missing a beat.


    Before anyone could say anything, the woman snapped her finger and the faint light that was coming from the design on the floor disappeared, leaving the room completely dark.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but frown as he noticed that the temperature had suddenly gotten cold. He immediately tried to see if there were any mutants around and just as he had expected, he could feel a strong connection from the mutants nearby who were... A bit too near to them.


    "Why did you turn off the light?" Lele''s high-pitched voice could be heard as she questioned in confusion.


    Hecathe sighed as he felt that this woman was really a bit dumb in the head.


    It wasn''t the light that was put out, it was them.


    They were not standing in that dark grey room anymore but were in fact standing in the middle of a mutant cave, covered from all sides by hordes of those creatures.


    "On the count of three, we attack!" Kelly''s voice could be heard loud and clear, echoing throughout the whole cave.


    Lele, "Eh?"


    "One," Kelly started the count and Hecathe got ready as he closed his eyes and started to estimate how many mutants were covering them.


    "Two!" Kelly shouted but one couldn''t understand which direction her voice was coming from.


    "Three," Kelly suddenly lit up a matchstick which became the only source of light in the cave.


    The mutants that were hiding in the dark immediately got revealed. They growled with their fangs on display, drooling at the sight of people.


    Even though Hecathe knew that these creatures were basically harmless for him, he still couldn''t help but feel uneasy and a bit creeped out at the sight of them.


    Even if one knew that they were having a nightmare, the nightmare would certainly not be any less scary. This situation could also be compared to that lucid nightmare.


    "Ahhhh!" Lele was the first to scream as she clutched tightly onto her boyfriend''s arm.


    "What the f"*ck is that?!" As expected, the next one to shout on top of his voice was Haze who didn''t look to be happy as he saw the sight of the bloodthirsty creatures waiting to attack.


    "And the fun begins," Kelly commented with a chuckle as she dropped the matchstick and the light inside the cave went out with it.


    The cave was once again shrouded in darkness but this time, it was not silent anymore.


    Hecathe could clearly hear the various sounds of someone fighting and someone running away with Lele screaming in the background.


    Hecathe sighed as he crouched down and held his hand out forward before summoning the mutants towards him.


    He felt a bit of frost touch his skin, but it didn''t surprise him much as he concluded that it was probably the work of Kelly who was fighting the mutants.


    Unexpectedly enough, Hecathe could sense what the other members were doing, however, there was someone in the cave whose actions could not be sensed at all by Hecathe and this person was none other than Raven who hadn''t moved an inch and calmly stood in his place.


    Haze struggled to fight in the beginning, however, there came a point when he eventually got too scared and overwhelmed by the aggressiveness of the mutants that he turned and ran away, thinking that running would help him get away.


    Hecathe heard Kelly sigh and he could clearly understand why she gave this reaction.


    Before entering this cave, Kelly had clearly told them not to run far away and yet, even after warning them beforehand, the man was still stupid enough to do exactly that.


    At first, Lele also tried to run after him but it was too dark which caused the girl to trip and fall down.


    "Save me!" Lele cried out and Hecathe could almost imagine her current face that was red and puffy, filled with tears streaming down uncontrollably from her eyes.


    Hecathe took out the zip-ties and quietly ordered the mutants to behave themselves as he tied their legs and arms together.


    Kelly clicked her tongue as she stepped forward and helped Lele who was almost killed by a mutant, however, Lele didn''t show any gratitude as she scrambled up to her feet and ran away, following after her boyfriend who was already too far away from them.


    "Some people can''t be saved," Hecathe commented with a sigh as he mentally concluded that the annoying couple only had one future ahead of them after this.


    Well... At least they get to share their gruesome future together...


    "Time is almost up!" Kelly announced as she cut up a mutant in half with the help of her blade that was completely made from ice.


    Althought the blade could not be seen, Hecathe could certainly feel its coldness.

 Chapter 51 - The Over-shining Protagonist?!

    Hecathe leisurely nodded as he continued tying the mutants together. If someone were to see this, they would certainly think that the man was tying up nothing more than a few bundles of flowers together. He really looked that calm and casual about it.


    In the next few minutes, Hecathe had managed to tie up a lot of alive mutants and Kelly had also managed to slay a lot of them while Raven became the only one who was yet to do anything.


    Since Lele and Haze had already chosen to run away, Hecathe was the least bit bothered to know if they were still alive or not.


    "One minute left!" Kelly once again announced as she stopped being as aggressive as she previously was with the mutants.


    Hecathe sighed and clapped his hand as he stood up from his place, getting ready to leave this place as soon as that one minute was over.


    Even though the entire cave was dark, from the noises that could be heard, Hecathe knew what everyone was doing.


    There was only a minute left so it was only natural that everyone was thinking about wrapping it up as soon as possible, however, shockingly enough, when Kelly announced that they had only a minute left on their hands, Raven finally decided to act.


    He had not moved an inch previously and simply stood there like a log of wood till now but suddenly, after hearing Kelly''s words, he decided that it was finally his turn to catch some mutants.


    Even in the dark, Hecathe''s face cringed up as he heard the man chuckling as he cracked his bones on purpose while stretching.


    Are you some kind of overpowered protagonist who only attacks in the last moment possible to overperform everyone else and shine as the genius in the end?!


    "Let''s get to work then," The man muttered under his breath as he suddenly took something that was hidden on his back, tightly wrapped in a dark piece of cloth.


    Hecathe had certainly noticed the wrapped cloth hanging on the man''s back before but he never cared to see what it was since he was the least bit interested in it.


    Kelly also stopped as she snapped her head to observe the man''s actions.


    Raven didn''t waste even a second as he instantly unwrapped the hidden weapon that let out a small golden glow that blinded everyone for a mere few seconds.


    "..." Hecathe was speechless as he wondered if this man really was the protagonist or something.


    The weapon was a long double-bladed sword... No, it was in fact not a sword but a sabre! A double-bladed sabre that was rather huge.


    Raven had a proud smirk on his face as he spun the double-bladed sabre and when the speed of the spin started rising, the blade started glowing even more.


    The sudden light was so blinding that Kelly and Hecathe had a hard time looking directly at it and had to hold up their hands in front of their face to block off some of the light.


    Raven spun the sword and moved forward to ruthlessly cut all the mutants in front of him in half. As Hecathe caught a glimpse of this ruthless fight, he couldn''t help but feel that this was not a fight but was a one-sided annihilation instead.


    At this point, it was clear that Raven was certainly not just an ordinary hunter.


    Hecathe closed his eyes with a sigh as he waited for the man''s overpowered show of power to be over.


    At the end of the day, maybe it was a good thing that such a man was in his team cause with him here, he would certainly catch all the attention and nobody would question how Hecathe managed to catch so many alive mutants.


    This was certainly for the best.


    One minute was over soon enough and they returned back to the guild as Kelly snapped her fingers.


    Hecathe looked down at all the mutants he had tied up in the dark and he felt a little delighted to see that the number looked sufficient enough.


    "Whoa!~ So many...!" Kelly exclaimed and Hecathe thought the woman was talking about the mutants caught by Raven so he looked over to see that in the last minute, the man had killed over a whole mound of mutants.


    "Hmm..." Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he looked at the dead mutants that couldn''t even be counted with his fingers. His eyes cautiously trailed towards the double-bladed sabre that the man was wrapping up with the black cloth that he had previously taken off, "You were certainly impressive. That''s a lot."


    Raven looked to be a little surprised as he turned to face Hecathe and gave a small smile with a nod.


    "You lied, didn''t you?!" Kelly questioned and Hecathe once again thought the woman was talking to Raven so he simply turned away and crouched down to poke the mutants that he had caught.


    "Hecathe, when did you manage to catch so many?" Kelly walked over towards the man as she questioned in awe.


    "Eh?" Hecathe blinked in surprise as he looked up at the woman whose eyes seemed to be shining in delight, "You were talking to me?"


    "Of course, I was!" Kelly exclaimed immediately.


    "But Raven was much more impressive here, don''t you think?" Hecathe gulped as he tried to divert the attention towards Raven, "I can''t even count how many he killed within that one minute."


    Kelly didn''t look to be pleased as she heard this, "You''re right. He killed a lot but you caught them all alive. Catching one mutant alive is much more difficult than killing an army of one thousand mutants!"


    "Ah..." Hecathe muttered as he realized that maybe he had overdone it without meaning to.


    He had certainly held himself back in order to not seem too flashy but it seemed that it was still a fail.


    At the end of the day, it wasn''t Raven who came out as the genius that over shined everyone else, but it was Hecathe instead who caught the spotlight.

 Chapter 52 - Too Flashy!

    "Let''s count!" Kelly looked to be excited as she exclaimed. and Hecathe couldn''t believe that this was the same woman who had been so cold and professional in the beginning when they had just met.


    "Oi! Where are the other two?" It was a male voice that interrupted them and when Hecathe looked up to see the man, he was not shocked to see that it was the same guy that he had met previously when he entered the guild.


    It was the nameless side character that would eventually be forgotten!


    "They ran off somewhere inside the cave," Kelly responded, her voice lacking any emotions.


    "So you left them behind again?" The man frowned as he questioned.


    Kelly simply nodded her head as she confirmed, "That''s right. They were too annoying."


    "..." The man took a minute to finally react as he sighed and informed, "I''ll tell the next team to keep a lookout for them."


    "Do whatever you want," Kelly yawned as she spoke up, "I doubt they''ll be alive by then."


    The man noted something down on the notebook in his hand before he walked over and helped Kelly count the number of mutants that their team C had managed to catch.


    Kelly had only managed to catch a single alive mutant while Raven had managed to catch all of them dead with not even a single one left alive. Hecathe, on the other hand, had managed to catch the mutants alive and hadn''t killed even a single one of them.


    Kelly and the man seemed to be discussing something seriously as they sometimes peeked at Hecathe and Raven, however, the two men acted as if they didn''t notice it at all.


    When they were done counting all the mutants, it was Kelly who stood up first with a bright smile on her face, "You two have certainly managed to surprise us!"


    The other guy also stood up with a sigh as he looked at Hecathe with an indecipherable expression plastered on his face, "You won the bet."


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard the man admit it himself.


    "Bet?" Kelly tilted her head in confusion as she questioned, "What bet are you talking about?"


    The man shook his head as he refused to say anything and Hecathe would naturally not say anything as well.


    "Let''s see," The man looked down at the told count that was written on his notebook and continued, "Kelly managed to catch a single alive mutant and twenty-eight dead ones."


    Kelly nodded rather proudly as if confirming it.


    "Raven managed to catch... One hundred and seventy-four dead mutants." The man blinked a few times as he cautiously looked at Raven who simply stood there like a log of wood that was unaffected.


    That number... Was surely impressive. Especially considering the fact that he had managed to kill so many in under a minute.


    "Hecathe managed to catch..." The man was once again a bit speechless as he looked at the numbers, "Seventy-four alive mutants..."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this.


    Catching one alive mutant was equal to killing an army of thousand mutants so by catching seventy-four alive mutants, it need not be said how much more impressive Hecathe''s count became.


    Too flashy!!


    "With that said, we would like to offer you both a permanent job!" Kelly beamed happily as she exclaimed.


    Raven chuckled lightly as he heard this but said nothing as a response.


    "How would you like to join our guild?" Kelly questioned and her eyes looked to be shining with so much hope that it would be hard for anyone to turn her down.


    "I like the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll have to turn you guys down," Hecathe responded and looked to be quite unfazed by it.


    "..."


    "Oi! Didn''t you do this to prove that you were going to become a permanent mage?!" The man who stood beside Kelly exclaimed as he questioned in confusion.


    "Hmm?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked back, "When did I ever say that I wanted to become a part of your guild?"


    It was probably the first time someone had said such a thing to his face so he didn''t look to be too pleased with it and his face turned white as a result.


    "Hecathe... Are you joking right now?" Kelly suddenly turned all serious as she asked coldly with a frown, "Do you think we just call anyone over to join our guild?"


    "I''m sure you don''t," Hecathe sighed as he responded just as seriously, "But I''m just not interested.


    "..." Kelly was speechless as she glared at the man and her icy glare made Hecathe feel a little guilty.


    "What are you playing at?!" The man seemed to be on his edge as he questioned, "Why are you here in the first place?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question, "What else could I be here for?"


    Hecathe took out the poster from his pocket and showed it to the two as he pointed at it and spoke, "I''m here for this cash."


    "..." The two mages from the golden fire guild fell speechless as they heard this.


    "You see, I''m running a bit low on cash at the moment and this seemed to be the quickest way," Hecathe added with a chuckle as he folded the poster and put it back in his pocket.


    Kelly gulped as she asked, "Then is the money all you were after?"


    Hecathe nodded his head shamelessly as he responded, "Of course. Money rules the world, does it not? I''m a foreigner here in this city and you guys must already know how expensive everything is for foreigners like me."


    Raven who was watching this conversation from the side chuckled under his breath as he saw through Hecathe''s tactic.


    "Then we''ll pay you," Kelly spoke up as she fell right into Hecathe''s trap, "Just tell us how much you need and we''ll pay you for joining the guild."


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a satisfied smirk as he heard the offer and he immediately held up two fingers as if he had already expected this.

 Chapter 53 - Black-hearted Bastard

    "Just two hundred lenix?" Kelly blinked in surprise as she questioned.


    Hecathe chuckled as he shook his head, "You''d be naive to think that I would agree to work for such a cheap amount."


    "Then two thousand lenix?" Kelly questioned once again as a frown could be seen slowly forming on her face.


    Hecathe shook his head and denied it again as he spoke, "That''s not it."


    "Then what?" Kelly cautiously asked as she had a foreboding feeling in her stomach.


    Hecathe found the situation a bit familiar and he almost wanted to laugh as he remembered that he had also been guessing it wrong just like this when the landlady told him how much rent he would have to pay in the beginning.


    "Two million," Hecathe spoke with a smirk and he saw the woman''s face drop all colors.


    "Two million?!" The man who stood beside Kelly had a bigger reaction and it almost seemed as if his eyes were ready to pop out of his sockets, "Don''t joke around! Nobody is desperate enough to pay you that much!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded in understanding, "If nobody is willing, then forget it."


    The two mages from the golden fire guild stood stunned in their places as they heard Heccathe being such a blunt scammer.


    "In that case, I''ll be taking my leave first. Just pay me for today and the deal between us is over," Hecathe added calmly as he met Kelly''s eyes.


    "..."


    "Are you unwilling?" Hecathe straightened his back and raised his head as he asked. His towering height made it seem as if he was looking down on the two mages, which was actually somewhat true.


    Kelly gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as she looked down and seemed to be thinking about it deeply.


    "You''re too obnoxious!" The other mage spout as he glared at Hecathe, "Our Golden Fire isn''t running low on people. I''d rather go recruit more deserving people!"


    "Then please go right ahead," Hecathe smirked as he calmly responded, "I don''t have any bad feelings towards you or your guild. I''m simply stating my own interests. If you want me to join your guild then you should be willing to pay me for it."


    "..."


    "I''m only in it for the profit," Hecathe added as he shrugged his shoulder. He was well-versed in this particular dialogue that he had said multiple times under different situations back when he was still in his real body.


    Raven did nothing and acted as if he was thin air who stood by the side and thoroughly enjoyed this conversation.


    "Such a black-hearted bastard! I don''t want to have you in our guild even if you beg to be in it!" The man snapped and it truly looked as if he was serious.


    "Dane, stop it," Kelly finally spoke up as she snapped out of her thoughts.


    The man called Dane turned to look at Kelly with a speechless expression plastered on his face as he guessed what conclusion the woman had come to.


    "So what is it going to be?" Hecathe questioned with a smirk, tilting his head innocently.


    "What about you?" Instead of answering Hecathe''s question, Kelly turned to look at Raven as she questioned, "Are you going to join us?"


    "Me?" Raven chuckled as he pointed at himself, "You want me to join your small guild as well?"


    "..." Kelly was a bit surprised as she heard the ''small guild'' part.


    Dane scoffed as he commented, "Both of you are apples from the same tree! How can you say our guild is small when it''s one of the largest and most influential guilds in Ocasia?!"


    "Because it''s small," Raven answered the question as if it was common sense, "The world is so big. A lion that reigns a circus is not the king of the jungle."


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he side-glanced at the man. He had certainly not expected the man to say something like this and he could have never guessed that he would end up agreeing with what the man had said.


    "Raven, even though it might be small in your eyes, we still respect it and we hope you can do the same," Kelly was more mature as she spoke up and tried to handle the situation, "Would you like to join us?"


    "Hmm.." Raven hummed as he turned to look at Hecathe and a small smirk crept upon his face as he replied, "I would think about joining only if you get this brother over here to join."


    "..."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this but said nothing as a response.


    Kelly nodded her head in understanding as she turned back to face Hecathe and spoke, "You just want us to pay you two million Lenix, right?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it, "Two million should do it for now. I''ll happily join your guild if you are ready to pay up, but after I join, I would also like to have the option to get out if I feel like it doesn''t suit me."


    "Hey! That makes no sense!" Dane cried out as he interjected the conversation, "How can you take the money and still say that you will leave if you feel like it?!"


    "That''s my condition," Hecathe sighed as he responded, "If you don''t want to accept it, then there is nothing I can do about it. You are better off forgetting about this whole deal in that case."


    "..."


    "I''ll just take the money I earned today and be on my merry own way," Hecathe beamed as he threatened to leave once again.


    Raven snickered as he tried his best to hold in his laughter.


    "Okay," Kelly sighed in defeat.


    "What?!" It was Dane who cried out in shock as he snapped his head at the woman, "Kelly, have you lost it? You can''t just say that! It makes our guild lose face!"


    Kelly clicked her tongue as she glared at the man, "Nobody outside this room has to know about it."


    "..."


    "How can the guild lose face if nobody ever finds out?"


    .

 Chapter 54 - The Deal

    "As expected," Hecathe chuckled as he complimented Kelly, "You are a smart woman."


    "Don''t bother with the flattery," Kelly sent the man a glare as she snapped, "The two million... I''ll give it to you. Not the guild, but me."


    "Huh?"


    "Your deal is with me so I hope you can keep it between us. Nobody outside of this room would ever get to find out," Kelly spoke up coldly with a bit of a threatening tone, "You can leave the guild if you really think you''re not up to it, but you must have a reasonable explanation for wanting to leave. If I don''t find your reason satisfactory then you don''t get to leave."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed to this demand, "That sounds reasonable."


    "I''m taking out money from my own pocket so you better live up to my expectations," Kelly continued and Hecathe felt a little amused as he heard her authoritative way of speaking.


    "Kelly, you''ve gone mad," Dane clicked his tongue as he commented but Kelly naturally ignored him.


    "You''ll be under me so that means all the missions you get would be given to you by me. If I want to send you on a mission without your permission, I would have full right to do so."


    "So in short you want to be my boss?" Hecathe cut her words short as he asked.


    Kelly nodded her head confidently as she confirmed it, "That''s right. You become my employee and I become your employer."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and Kelly thought the man was mocking him so she frowned as she questioned rather rudely, "Is there something funny in what I just said?"


    Nothing in what she said was funny but Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he thought about how ridiculous the situation was. He had always been the boss. He was the Zelium legend who was the founder of Zuex... Or at least, he used to be and now he stood here in another man''s body listening to a woman who wanted to boss him around.


    Hecathe shook his head as he immediately responded, "No. You aren''t funny at all."


    "Then I don''t get why you should be laughing," Kelly sent him a piercing icy glare as she spoke and Hecathe gulped as he felt the temperature in the room drop.


    "I''ll agree to your demands since I think it would be interesting to have such a change in my life," Hecathe coughed as he instantly wiped away that amused expression from his face and spoke with an utmost serious tone.


    Yes, it was certainly going to be interesting for Hecathe to follow someone else''s orders.


    "Then it''s a deal," Kelly sighed, "Since I don''t want any records to be left behind about this deal, let me pay you up in physical monetary cash."


    "That sounds good to me," Hecathe beamed shamelessly.


    At the end of the day, he had come here to join the guild, and not only was he able to easily join the guild but he was also able to earn some good money out of it. This situation was certainly a win-win for him, but he would naturally not tell Kelly or Dane that they had stupidly walked into his trap.


    "Then I guess you''ll be joining us as well?" Kelly questioned as she turned to face Raven once again.


    The man nodded enthusiastically with a chuckle as he responded, "I look forward to it."


    Kelly smiled as she heard this response, but Hecathe could clearly sense that her smile was probably fake.


    Everyone except for Dane seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.


    "Kelly, don''t tell me I didn''t warn you," Dane gritted out, clearing showing his displeasure, "You''re being reckless again."


    Kelly once again pretended as if she couldn''t hear the man and took out something from her pocket before walking over to Hecathe and giving it to him.


    "What''s this?" Hecathe asked almost immediately as he cautiously looked at the piece of paper that had been given to him.


    "It''s an address. Give me an hour to get the money ready. Wait there for me in the meantime."


    Before Hecathe could give the woman a response, she bowed as she added, "Then I''ll be leaving first. Dane would get all the things prepared for you to join our guild. I hope you have a great time at the golden fire."


    Dane didn''t look to be agreeing with her but when she pulled him along, he could do nothing but follow her helplessly.


    Hecathe looked at the paper for a few seconds before putting it away in his pocket as he got ready to leave the place as well.


    "You did it on purpose," Raven spoke up from behind him and it made Heathe stop in his tracks.


    "Huh?" Hecathe turned sideways to glance at the man in confusion.


    "The reason why you were here in the first place was because you wanted to join the guild, was it not?" Raven asked with a smirk on his face.


    Hecathe scoffed as he heard this obvious question, "Why I came here has nothing to do with you, does it? Why would I confirm your speculations?"


    Raven blinked in surprise as he heard this hostile response, "Brother, it seems like we got off the wrong foot. Since we are going to be joining the same guild now, why don''t we try getting along?"


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard this proposal.


    "I''d rather not," As expected, Hecathe turned the man down coldly.


    Raven sighed dejectedly as he heard this cold response but his reaction didn''t look to be all that genuine as he spoke, "Then it can''t be helped."


    "..." Hecathe nodded as he turned back and continued walking out of the room, thinking that the man had given up.


    "I''ll just have to try hard to gain your trust," Raven added with a smirk once Hecathe was out of the room, "So that you can tell me the truth about why you are here."

 Chapter 55 - A Heart

    Kelly had certainly told him to wait for her somewhere, but Hecathe had better plans.


    Instead of going to the address that Kelly had given him, Hecathe strolled down the roads and headed for another place.


    He wasn''t sure about the way since he had never been here before but he knew what way he had to choose thanks to Alphius''s diary. The man had not only kept a neat record of all the transactions that happened in the black market but he had also kept a detailed address and direction that could help people find the place.


    Hecathe turned a few useless streets first in order to make sure that he was not being trailed and when he was a hundred percent sure that there was nobody following him, he entered a small restaurant that looked to be completely normal from the outside.


    "What would you like to eat today, sir?" Since the restaurant was so small, there was hardly any staff kept at the place and hence, it was the owner who came up to Hecathe and asked him politely.


    "A heart," Hecathe spoke as he looked at the owner, "A heart of a Dorgon that has been roasted to the crisp. Completely black with no taste at all. Sold for nothing more than a single stone."


    It was clearly an order that was not displayed on the menu and it was only natural that the restaurant didn''t serve such a dish, but the owner smiled as he heard this answer from Hecathe, and without saying anything in return, he gestured for Hecathe to follow him.


    As expected, the man suspected nothing and this just came to prove that Hecathe was now well-versed at pretending to be Alphius.


    After hearing the secret code, the restaurant owner took Hecathe towards the kitchen, and just as Hecathe had read about the place, there was an old fire stove in the kitchen behind which there was a hidden door.


    The man put out the fire first before opening the door for Hecathe and gesturing for him to go inside.


    Hecathe nodded in satisfaction as he saw this, "Thank you."


    The reason why Hecathe thanked the man was not because he wanted to show his gratitude, but rather, it was because he was supposed to say it since it was noted down in the diary that if a person were to not say thank you to the restaurant owner after being led to this door, the owner would not let the person go to the black market.


    The owner had a smile on his face as he nodded back in turn and said nothing more.


    Hecathe stepped forward and entered through the door without any hesitation and the door immediately closed behind him, trapping him in the darkness.


    Since the information he had was proven to be correct till now, Hecathe was sure that the rest of the instructions noted down were true as well so he didn''t worry too much about the darkness since he knew what was going to happen next.


    He took calm breaths as he waited for the passage to light up on its own and just as he had expected, within the next few seconds, small light could be seen lighting the way in front of him.


    Now all he had to do was follow the lights and that was exactly what he did.


    Hecathe leisurely walked forward in a steady manner and he was soon greeted with another door that opened as soon as he arrived.


    "Sir, please follow me," A man wearing a white mask greeted Hecathe as soon as the door opened and Hecathe nodded as he followed the man.


    If there was one thing Hecathe liked about this place, it would be the fact that everyone here got straight right to business and wouldn''t bother wasting time in idle talk.


    The man led Hecathe towards a small balcony that had a rather medium-sized sofa placed on it for viewers to sit in.


    Hecathe sat down on the sofa with his left leg crossed over the other as he got comfortable.


    "Sir, here you go," The man who had led Hecathe here gave him a card as he spoke, "This shall be your code."


    Hecathe took the card and nodded in turn.


    The man showed Hecathe a bell-like thing as he spoke, "Sir if you need anything please feel free to call me."


    He nodded once again as he merely glanced at the bell and responded, "Thank you."


    The man turned around and left the place shortly after bowing and thanking Hecathe back as well.


    Once the man had left the place, Hecathe looked down at the card to read what code number he got.


    The people who visited this black market would often try to hide their real identities so it was a general rule that they were all given a code. The code that they were given would become their identity and they could keep using it instead of using their real names.


    This system was quite comfortable for a lot of people, Hecathe included.


    [Code number: 10112]


    Hecathe sighed as he looked outside the balcony and thoroughly examined the place.


    The building was constructed in a cylindrical manner with the middle part being left hollow for the stage. There were about ten or more floors on the building and each floor had at least ten or more balconies facing the stage in the middle.


    Although the stage was all the way down, everyone had a clear view of the stage from their own seats.


    Hecathe straightened his back as he casually let his eyes trail through the faces of the people who were on the other balconies.


    As expected, most of them wore masks, and the ones that didn''t wear a mask could be counted with one hand alone.


    Even the staff who worked at the place wore white-mask to hide away their faces.


    Hecathe was on one of the lower levels so when he looked up at the balconies above, he could clearly understand that there was an order to the seats given to everyone.


    The higher the floor seat you were given, the higher your status in this auction was and most of the higher floors were taken by the mecha-suits.


    "Your captain is missing but you guys still bother attending this place....?" Hecathe muttered to himself as he felt a little amused by this fact.

 Chapter 56 - The Black Market Auction

    "The auction shall begin shortly!" A man dressed in a golden jacket with a black hat on his head exclaimed loudly as he stood in the middle of the stage.


    Everyone''s attention was immediately drawn towards him and Hecathe also looked over at the man as he waited for the man to begin the auction.


    There were a few chattering noises coming before this but after the man had announced that the auction would begin shortly after, everyone simply fell silent as they settled down and waited in anticipation together.


    The man also seemed to be waiting as he looked down at his watch.


    A few more minutes passed and the announcer finally picked up his mic once again, "Since it''s time and all of you have already arrived, we shall now begin the auction!"


    The atmosphere was dead silent and cold, giving off an eery vibe as everyone listened attentively to the announcer.


    "We have brought you a lot of precious things from around the world! Priceless treasures that you shall take home if you wish to!" As the man announced this, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel that the man looked more like an announcer in a circus than an announcer in the black market.


    "I''m sure many of you have already heard about the special item today!"


    The special item... Hecathe wasn''t sure what the special item for today was but when he saw everyone''s ears perking up, he could guess that most of the people were here for that special item.


    This place loved a sense of order and it was only natural that the items for auction were also arranged in an order.


    At first, they would introduce the less valuable items and in an order, they would start introducing more rare and expensive items. Every time an auction was held, there would be a special item that would be introduced in the very end.


    This special item was something that you would normally not be able to find anywhere else. It was not only the most rarest item the black market would have to offer but it would also be highly priced. The starting bid in itself was something that most people would never be able to afford even if they saved up their money for a lifetime.


    However, even though the special item was rare and expensive, Hecathe had no interest in it.


    He had clearly come here for one purpose. He wanted to sell the mutant beads he had collected when he was testing the wild mutants roaming the nearby jungle.


    No matter what this place had to offer, Hecathe would not be interested in buying it unless he actually feels like the item was worth it, after all, in the black market, most things were simply too overpriced.


    "You have waited a lot and we wouldn''t want to keep you waiting anymore,'' The man in the middle of the stage looked up at all the balconies and announced, "I''m sure some of our regulars are already aware of how this auction works but in case some of you are new here, I would kindly like to inform you about the basics."


    Even though Hecathe was new here, he already new all the basics thanks to the written explanations and records Alphius had left behind.


    "When an item is announced, you shall be able to place your bids. The one that bids the highest price would naturally take the item."


    "If there is anything that you want to auction off, you are more than free to contact the staff."


    It was quite common for people to come here to buy stuff and it was also common for them to come here to sell stuff so the man informing them about this didn''t seem out of place at all.


    "With that said, the first item we have brought you today is this special fire from the bottom of the east wood lake!"


    As soon as the man announced it, everyone looked up to see the item suspended in mid air with no support, however, such a sight wasn''t uncommon for anyone and maybe Hecathe was the only one who was a bit surprised even though he already knew that the place would display the items in such a manner.


    "This rare item can save you in a dire situation. It can only be used once but you can rest assured that it is worth the purchase!" The man sounded enthusiastic as he explained the use of the item and the chattering among the people present soon began as they started discussing it.


    "Even if you suffer from life-threatening poison polluting your body or wounds that won''t stop bleeding, no matter what dire situation you are forced to go through, just use the item and you will be saved. The poison would simply burn and dissapear from your body while your wounds would all be healed up."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the bright coloured flame that was captured inside a clear glass jar floating in mid-air. He was certainly not interested in buying it, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn''t a bit interested after hearing the specifications of the item.


    A flame that could save you from the clutches of death?


    If Hecathe was here to waste money than he would have immediately brought such an item just for future security reasons.


    "The starting bid for this eternal flame is hundred thousand Lenix!" The man announced and the place seemed to have become lively all of a sudden as everyone started placing their bids.


    Hecathe who heard the name of the item almost choked on empty air as he found the name to be familiar.


    Eternal flame...? There was no way... Right?


    Hecathe couldn''t help but question himself as he wondered if this flame was the same one that he had.


    Before leaving, Xanie had given him an eternal lamp and the flame inside that lamp looked to be the exact same as the one that he was currently seeing.


    Even the names of the items were same so Hecathe really wondered if this was the flame used to make the eternal lamp. The possibility of such a thing happening was quite high.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he realized that perhaps... Alphius had been using such a precious item to create a lamp that could only provide light if necessary....

 Chapter 57 - Bidding War Begins

    "Two hundred thousand Lenix from our lovely guest up at seat 37!" The auctioneer announced as he saw the first bid coming in.


    Hecathe leaned back on the couch and seemed to be quite amused as he waited to see what final price the item would be fetching.


    "Two hundred and fifty thousand Lenix from our lovely guest up at seat 28!" The auctioneer looked as enthusiastic and sounded just as excited as he called out.


    "Four hundred thousand Lenix from our lovely guest up at seat 44!" Hecathe didn''t know if it was just his imagination but he could almost swear that the auctioneer''s voice was growing in volume with every next bid that was placed on the item.


    It wasn''t Hecathe''s first time being in an auction but it was certainly his first time being in this auction. When he had initially read about the black market, he thought the place would be dark and gloomy.


    Even though Alphius had clearly explained the place just as it was in his diary, Hecathe still found it hard to believe in the beginning, but now that he was really here and could see everything with his very own eyes, he was forced to accept the fact that this place was normal.


    It was like any other auction hall.


    Sure, the architecture and working of the place were a bit new to Hecathe, but it was nothing like what Hecathe expected a black market to look like.


    He had been quick to judge the place by its name alone and Hecathe felt a little embarrassed about that fact.


    "Eight hundred thousand Lenix! By the kind gentleman sitting up at seat 87!" The auctioneer vigorously announced as he gestured up towards one of the balconies that were on the higher floors.


    Hecathe had only glanced casually but he didn''t expect the man from the balcony to look back at him.


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he realized that he recognized that man sitting on seat 87.


    The higher floors were completely filled with mecha-suits but amongst them, there was someone dressed in a dark purple cloak and mask. One look and people would clearly be able to see that he was the black sheep who stuck out like a sore thumb.


    It was that damned Raven!


    "One million Lenix, ladies and gentlemen! Did you hear that? A bid for one million Lenix placed by our lovely guest seated in seat 44!"


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard the price.


    That flame... No matter how rare or precious it was, seeing as how Alphius was using it as a lamp, there was no way it could be worth that much amount of money!


    Everyone seemed to have suddenly gone silent after this ridiculous bid was announced but the silence didn''t even last for more than a minute as the place started bustling with chatter once again and this time, it was even noisier than before.


    Seeing the silence, Hecathe had almost thought that nobody would be willing to pay a higher price but he was immediately proven wrong.


    The people who were joining this auction were not only crazy but they were a bit too rich as well!


    "Two million Lenix! People, two million Lenix, a formidable amount placed once again by our dear customer up at seat 87!"


    It was Raven again and Hecathe couldn''t help but click his tongue as he noticed the smirk on the man''s face as he sat on the balcony seat that was way higher than Hecathe''s seat.


    "Two million and a hundred thousand Lenix bid placed by our lovely guest sitting at seat 44!" The auctioneer couldn''t sound happier as he announced, "Could this be a bidding war?"


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the auctioneer and he felt like the man was a bit too good at his job. By making such a comment in the end, even if there was no bidding war, to begin with, he was making it seem like there was one and by doing so, he was actually creating one.


    Now all eyes were on Raven and the guest who sat in seat 44.


    If Raven didn''t place a higher bid then he would indirectly be admitting defeat in front of all these people and that would be rather embarrassing. In fact, even if he decided to place a bid right now to top that amount, he would be consciously walking into a trap as he would indirectly acknowledge the bidding war.


    If he did place another bid then he would have to continue doing so till he won, the same went for the guest seated in seat 44 as well.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little amused as he waited to see what the man would choose to do.


    Would he enter this war or would he choose to admit defeat?


    At the end of the day, Hecathe didn''t care which one of the two won but at this moment, it was still interesting to see something like a bidding war.


    In order to save one''s pride, they throw away their money carelessly on an item that probably wouldn''t even be worth it. This was what a bidding war was. At the core of it, everything was about your pride. If you could afford it then you could keep your pride and if the money was something you can''t casually pull out, you would naturally be losing face.


    This was also the reason why Hecathe found bidding wars to be so interesting.


    It was always fun to see people trying to save their pride by being extremely stupid.


    Raven had a smirk on his face as he raised three fingers and the auctioneer''s eyes seemed to be shining with delight as he saw it.


    "A bid for Three million Lenix placed by the gentleman up at seat 87!!"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he got the answer to his question.


    Raven was going to be the stupid one....

 Chapter 58 - Sold!

    It was only the first item of the auction and there was already a bidding war in motion so of course, it was only natural that the auctioneer was delighted with it and his joy couldn''t be hidden in his voice as he looked at the one in seat 44 and questioned, "Three million Lenix! Can we hope to see a higher bid?"


    The guest sitting in seat 44 was actually a girl whose age could not be guessed by Hecathe who couldn''t clearly see her face that was covered with a half mask. Like everyone else here, it seemed that she also wanted to hide her identity.


    She wore dark black clothes that were body-hugging; a style that showed off all her curves and perfectly defined her body figure. She also came here wearing a fur coat that was grey in colour and looked to be of high quality but she had already taken it off by now and the fur coat casually hung on the seat beside hers.


    Since she was wearing a half mask, the lower part of her face could be seen and even Hecathe had to agree that the woman surely had beautiful lips that could even be compared to a celebrity''s features.


    The woman smirked as she looked up at Raven before holding up four fingers.


    "Four million Lenix! This is getting very intense with our dear guest up at seat 44 joining the war!"


    As expected, she was stupid as well...


    There was not even a gap of a few minutes as Raven immediately responded with five fingers.


    "Five million Lenix from the gentleman who refuses to back down!" The auctioneer chuckled as he announced.


    The woman sighed as she once again bid higher.


    "Six million Lenix from the kind lady that is seated in seat 44!" The auctioneer beamed, "It seems that this place is getting really intense today! We should all look forward to a very interesting auction!"


    As Hecathe heard the two going into a war against each other, he couldn''t help but have the sudden thought that maybe he should also open an auction house.


    After all, most of the money earned through the auction would go to the auction house so the higher the bid is, the higher these people were going to be paid for organizing this auction.


    "T-ten million Lenix!" The auctioneer stuttered as he saw Raven holding up all his ten fingers. The man was certainly good at his job and there was no doubt about it that he had seen all kinds of crazy auctions but at this moment, even he seemed to be a little surprised and this was to be expected considering the fact that this was only their first item to be auctioned off today.


    Hecathe''s mouth opened ever so slightly in awe as he cautiously looked at the woman sitting in seat 44.


    Would she top that or would she let it go?


    By this time around, the smirk that was previously on the woman''s face couldn''t be seen anymore as she gritted her teeth and called out another bid.


    "T-twenty million Lenix! You hear that, everyone? Our generous guest from seat 44 has placed a bid of twenty million Lenix!" The auctioneer looked as if he was so happy that he would start flying at any given moment now.


    Everyone enthusiastically looked up at Raven as they waited in anticipation for the man to place a higher bid but only Hecathe who noticed the man smiling could understand what the conclusion of this war was going to be.


    "Eh? Is the gentleman at seat 87 admitting defeat?" The auctioneer questioned out loud in confusion as he looked at Raven and Raven simply nodded in turn without even feeling the least bit embarrassed by it.


    "T-then Twenty million Lenix going once!"


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered what was going inside Raven''s head at this moment.


    "Going twice!"


    Everyone was silent as they glanced between the woman and Raven.


    "Going thrice!" The auctioneer breathed out as he announced, "And sold!"


    The place once again got noisy as people started talking amongst themselves.


    From that wicked smile that Raven gave in the end, Hecathe was already able to tell that the man wouldn''t be calling a higher bid. This was only natural since the bidding amount had already crossed so high, but Hecathe felt that there was something else that he couldn''t see.


    For some reason, he couldn''t knock off the feeling that Raven never joined this bidding war with the intention to win, he joined it with the intention to make the price rise like that.


    "And our lovely guest sitting in seat 44 would be taking home the eternal flame that was sold for twenty million Lenix!" The auctioneer didn''t look to be disheartened by Raven''s withdrawal in the least as he announced and this was only natural since he had already managed to make a lot of profit with such a high bid today.


    "It''s only the first item of the day and it has already managed to stir you all up like this. It really makes me wonder how interesting and crazy the bidding would be for our special item of the day," The auctioneer chuckled as he commented, "I look forward to a great and fair auction today as well!"


    Even Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder. If the price for the first item was already going to be this crazy, how crazy would the bidding war at the end be?


    Most of the people were here for that special item so it would not only be two people fighting against each other.


    All of the people here would be joining the war...


    Now that he thought about this, Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder what the special item prepared was.


    Was it something that he would also be interested in buying?


    "With that said, let us not waste any further time and get to the next item of the day," The auctioneer beamed, "Just like the first one, this is also a rare item that you would not be able to find easily."

 Chapter 59 - The Next Hero...?

    The eternal flame kept in a clear glass jar was replaced by another item that was once again floating in mid-air.


    "The next item we have brought for you is this special sword that is said to have been wielded by the great Edler!"


    Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard the name. He would have to be a fool not to recognize that name!


    Alphius Edler... The great Edler.


    "The hunter whose mere name needs no introduction! The hero that eventually succumbed to death after bravely facing a Dorgon!" The auctioneer announced as if he was telling the tale of a great hero who would never be forgotten even after his death.


    There was no other man that could fit the description given by him. The auctioneer was basically claiming that this sword used to belong to Alphius''s father!


    "This sword was said to have been lost after his death but it seems that the heavens above wanted a new hero to rise! A new hero who could come forward and take this sword left behind for them!"


    Hecathe''s face cringed up in disgust as he immediately realized the tactic this tricky man was trying to use.


    "I would like everyone here to ask yourselves a question," The auctioneer''s eyes glanced throughout the place as if he was observing every move made by the people present today, "Ask yourselves if you are brave! Ask yourselves if you have the courage to take the great responsibility! Ask yourselves if you want to wield this sword! Do you want to become the next hero?!"


    The auctioneer was basically trying to use emotions to make people bid and it seemed to have worked as everyone listened attentively to him and most of the people looked ready to raise their hands as soon as the bidding was open.


    "I wonder who would take home the sword of the hero today," The man chuckled as he commented, "We shall soon see!"


    "The starting bid is five hundred thousand Lenix!" As soon as the auctioneer announced this, people didn''t waste any time as they started raising their hands one by one.


    Within just a few seconds, the bid was already raised to "Two million Lenix!"


    Hecathe sighed and shook his head as he mentally wondered how dumb someone had to be in order to be influenced by the auctioneer''s words.


    A sword was not the one attacking.


    Even if you gave a child a fountain pen worth a fortune, he would still not be able to do beautiful calligraphy. The best you would get would be a scribble of a weird-looking dinosaur.


    It was only natural that the same could be said about this sword as well.


    It might have once belonged to the great Edler, but just because it was once used by that man, it didn''t make the sword more special.


    No matter who won this bid today, they would still not become the next hero.


    "T-twenty million Lenix...!" The auctioneer stuttered as he looked up and announced with a bit of surprise, "From our lovely customer up at seat 87!"


    Hecathe once again choked on empty air as he heard this.


    From a two million bid, the bid was raised all the way up to twenty million... The one who had bid that amount was surely trying to make a statement and that man was no other than Raven who had joined this bid as well.


    The whole place went silent as everyone cautiously glanced up to see the man casually smirking as he looked at the auctioneer.


    For someone to suddenly raise the bidding amount like this... It was certainly not normal, however, there would always be some overproud people who would do this and by doing it, they would be making a clear statement throughout the auction house.


    It was akin to saying: I''m ready to pay whatever you want and I''m not backing down no matter what.


    Everyone had already seen the man joining the first bidding war for the eternal flame so by now, Raven was not just a random person sitting up there on one of the balconies.


    Hecathe blinked as he looked at the man and wondered why he would want to buy this sword.


    He clearly had a much better weapon tied to his back so this sword was basically useless to him...


    "Is there a higher bid?" The auctioneer questioned and waited for a minute but when nobody dared to speak up, he continued, "Then Twenty million Lenix going once!"


    Hecathe''s eyes glanced throughout the bidding house as he tried to spot someone who would perhaps be courageous enough to raise their hand and place a higher bid, however, it seemed that everyone here was already wary of Raven so no one dared to challenge the man once again.


    The woman sitting in seat 44 had certainly won the last bidding war, but it seemed that Raven was the one who had struck fear in the hearts of the people present.


    Hecathe looked over at seat 44 to see if that woman had any interest in the sword, but she looked to be completely unbothered as casually stretched her fingers.


    "Going twice!"


    Hecathe once again looked back up at Raven and he couldn''t help but feel that there was something about the man this time. In the last bidding war, he didn''t look like he wanted to win, that was why he didn''t raise the price too much, but this time, it was a completely different story.


    "It looks like you want to win this time..." Hecathe muttered out his thoughts under his breath but it was only natural that nobody heard him.


    "Going thrice!" The auctioneer took a deep breath as he shouted, "And sold! To the lovely gentleman sitting up at seat 87!"


    Raven nodded his head as he heard the auctioneer.


    "It is certainly not every day we see this auction house this lively!" The auctioneer commented with a huge smile on his face, "To the gentleman sitting up at seat 87, I would like to wish all the best. You''re brave and smart! I hope to see you becoming a great hero in the future!"


    Raven snickered as he heard this but said nothing back.

 Chapter 60 - A Delusional Ghost

    "I would now like to introduce our third item of the day!"


    The rest of the auction was rather boring as there were no further bidding wars, however, Hecathe would still say that it was interesting to see the different items that were displayed.


    Unfortunately, as expected, none of the items managed to impress Hecathe enough to place a bid. Surprisingly enough, Raven was also uninterested in the rest of the items introduced, and Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder if it was perhaps because the man had run out of money...?


    Hecathe leaned back on the sofa as he tried to take a short rest. He closed his eyes and for a second there, he almost fell asleep, however, he was woken up immediately by a sound.


    "Save me..."


    Hecathe blinked as he looked around and tried to spot the person that had said it, but no matter how much he looked, he couldn''t see anyone.


    "Save me, please..." The voice came again and Hecathe gulped as he wondered if there was a ghost in this auction house.


    The voice was sweet and the person sounded rather young but there was nobody around who could possibly be the owner of the voice.


    "What the...?" Hecathe muttered in confusion as he tried to understand if he was merely hallucinating it or not.


    "You, there! You can hear me, can''t you?" The person suddenly sounded angry as he snapped.


    "A ghost?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion as he questioned.


    "Do I look like a ghost to you?!" The voice sounded offended this time and Hecathe was now sure that just like how he could hear the person, the other person could also hear him.


    "You don''t look like anything to me. Are you not a ghost?"


    "Of course, not!" The person snapped with a scoff, "How can you ask such a thing?! I am the great emperor and you dare call me a ghost?!"


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he wondered if it was a delusional ghost.


    "Say, where are you, great emperor? Why can''t I see you? Are you perhaps too shy to show yourself?" Hecathe asked with a mocking smirk plastered on his face.


    "You''re blind if you can''t see me! Look up!" The voice instructed and Hecathe turned his head up with a frown as he tried to see if there was someone who would be befitting of the title of the great emperor, however, he could still not spot the person.


    "Are you sure you''re not a delusional ghost?" Hecathe asked casually.


    "I''m right there! You''re looking at me right now!" The voice shouted but somehow Hecathe had the feeling that he was the only one who could hear the voice.


    "I''m looking at you...?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion.


    As long as he was aware, he was not looking at a person but rather, he was looking at an... Egg...?


    "Could it be that you''re an egg?" Hecathe almost found it hard to believe as he questioned.


    "I''m not an egg!" The voice snapped angrily, "I''m trapped inside this egg!"


    "Ah..." Hecathe muttered in understanding, "Well... How did you get trapped inside there?"


    "..." The voice was silent for a minute as the person heard this straightforward question.


    "Was it because you were just born?" Hecathe asked with a chuckle as he found it a bit amusing.


    "Of course, not!" The voice responded as the person answered Hecathe''s previous question, "It''s clearly because I haven''t got the time to hatch!"


    "Isn''t that the same thing?" Hecathe asked in confusion.


    "It''s not!" The voice defended itself, "Now save me, you lowly human!"


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he heard this and it seemed that the person had managed to make Hecathe fall speechless for a few seconds.


    "Why don''t you try calling me something more polite?" Hecathe suggested as a response, "Maybe I would think about saving you then."


    "..."


    "This is the egg of a Dorgon!" The auctioneer announced loudly as he informed everybody, "It need not even be said how precious it is!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    The egg of a dorgon?


    As long as he knew, Dorgon''s were creatures that had existed even before humans and they were the first rulers of this land, however, their population kept on decreasing as their reproduction rate lessened with time.


    Now, there were hardly any Dorgon''s left in this world. Maybe only a couple that could be counted with just one hand alone.


    This item was surely rare and priceless so it was quite shocking to see it suddenly appear in the black market auction, however, there was something that had managed to surprise Hecathe more and it was the fact that he was the only one who could talk to the Dorgon.


    This ability to talk to the beast was not something Hecathe had but it was something that the body he was possessing had. This was the ability of Alphius. Not only could that man sense and control mutants but he could also talk to Dorgons. This was also the main reason why people had initially spread a rumor about Alphius killing his own father by instructing a Dorgon, but Hecathe naturally knew that this rumor was completely bullsh*t.


    Alphius could control the mutants, however, he had no means to control a Dorgon.


    These creatures weren''t really that human-friendly and they would rather die than listen to a human. For Dorgons, humans were a species that were considered to be way below them. Humans were not even worthy of becoming a decent meal for them.


    "Once you cook this egg and eat it, you will gain a lot of benefits! The Dorgons are considered to be a powerful species and by eating their meat, you can absorb all of that power!" The auctioneer sounded ecstatic as he announced loudly, "Eating an adult Dorgon might not give you the same effects as eating a young one. The younger the creature is, the more benefits you would gain. This is certainly a priceless treasure that we have brought for you today!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he commented under his breath, "You better call me nicely if you don''t want to end up in a lowly human''s belly."


    "...."

 Chapter 61 - Think Fast

    "The starting bid for this rare Dorgon egg is one million Lenix!" The auctioneer announced happily and someone soon raised their hand as they immediately placed a bid.


    By eating this egg, a person would be able to gain the powers of a Dorgon and of course, this sounded really attractive to most of the people present here today.


    Dorgon''s were said to be the most powerful creatures in this world and for a human to possess all that power... It was simply unheard of.


    "You know, time is running out," Hecathe sighed as he commented, "You better think fast, little emperor."


    "Who the hell is little?! You''re the one that''s little! Your whole family is little!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he shook his head and responded with an amused tone, "I doubt that."


    "..."


    "Two million Lenix placed by our lovely guest from seat 28!" The auctioneer announced happily as someone else placed a higher bid.


    "What the hell is this human yelling?!" The dorgon inside the egg complained, "Does this imbecile think that my life is only worth his measly human currency?!"


    "Looks like it," Hecathe yawned as he leaned back and closed his eyes, acting as if he couldn''t be any less affected by the Dorgon''s poor fate.


    "Y-you! How can you think about sleeping right now?!" The Dorgon shouted and Hecathe acted as if he had suddenly gone deaf.


    "Yah! You can hear me! Wake up, you rotten human!" The Dorgon kid continued, not losing hope even after being thoroughly ignored by Hecathe.


    "Four million Lenix placed by our lovely customer up at seat 75!" The auctioneer continued as he called out.


    "You''re really going to ignore the great emperor like this?!" The dorgon sounded angry but at the same time, he also sounded to be panicking as he threatened Hecathe, "I''ll curse you! If someone really eats me, my father is going to burn this place down! You can all just go to hell!"


    "How can you be sure that I won''t like that?" Hecathe smirked as he muttered as a response.


    "..." The dorgon was silent for a few seconds as he was caught by surprise, "You wicked madman!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard that but said nothing as a response.


    "Five million Lenix offered by our beautiful guest sitting in seat 44!"


    "I''m not joking around! I''m serious right now!" The Dorgon continued shouting, "I''ll curse you! If you don''t save me, you''ll get your body ripped apart into sheds by those lowly mutants! Even your soul wouldn''t be able to ever find peace!"


    Hecathe opened his eyes as he heard something interesting but it was not the Dorgon, rather it was the auctioneer who had announced someone new joining the bidding war.


    Seat 44... It was the woman who participated in a bidding war with Raven!


    Most people seemed to suddenly have second thoughts as they saw this woman joining. They had already seen her bidding like crazy for that eternal flame so they naturally knew that she was not someone who they could easily beat.


    "Ten million Lenix! Ten million Lenix placed by our amazing customer sitting up in seat 87!" The auctioneer sounded elated as he announced and Hecathe immediately looked up to see that Raven had also joined the bidding.


    This... Was going to be interesting...


    "You dumb bastard! Are you even listening to me! I told you to save me if you don''t want to die in the worst possible manner!" The Dorgon continued on with his threats that hardly affected Hecathe.


    "The Dorgon egg is not only good for you but it is also delicious!" The auctioneer commented happily with a chuckled, "People who have previously eaten it have stated that the meat was delicious enough to make them ascend to godhood for a few minutes! Such a euphoric experience, I''m sure none of you would ever want to miss out on it."


    "Would you say that you are tasty?" Hecathe questioned casually.


    "Huh?" The Dorgon was once again caught by surprise, "What the hell are you thinking about?! You want to cook me too?! Over my dead body!"


    "Well... If I want to eat you, it would naturally be over your dead body," Hecathe stated as a matter of fact, making the dorgon feel a little dumb, "So tell me. I''m curious to know if the man is lying or not."


    "I-I don''t know!" The Dorgon stuttered as he replied, "I mean... Probably...?"


    "Why probably?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk.


    "Because I''m the great emperor that rules this world! How can my meat not taste as grand as my bloodline?!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but find this response a bit funny and he immediately decided to tease the dorgon a bit, "Well I guess, I''ll try and cook you as well."


    "You vicious bastard! How can you even think about doing that to an unborn child?!" The Dorgon seemed to have believed Hecathe as he seriously tried to save himself.


    "Then why don''t you ask me nicely?" Hecathe yawned once again as he casually stated the easy way out for the dorgon.


    "I-I would never! If you save me then I''ll thank you out of the humbleness of my heart but I have no reason to treat you as an equal!"


    "I never asked you to treat me as an equal," Hecathe interjected as he stated, "How could we ever be equals?"


    "Right! You agree with me!" This time the Dorgon sounded a bit happy as he exclaimed, "I am born a superior species! We can never be equals!"


    "That''s right, we can never be equals so I don''t expect you to treat me as such," Hecathe sighed as he looked at the egg with his half-opened eyes, making it almost look as if he was glaring at the egg, "I want you to treat me as your master."


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t look to be hesitant at all as he stated such a ridiculous condition. For him, it was quite normal to expect something like that since the saved Dorgon would indirectly become his pet.


    "You dare say that again?!" The Dorgon sounded angry and there was no fear laced along with his words this time.

 Chapter 62 - Master!

    "Why?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned, "Didn''t you hear me the first time?"


    "Fifteen million Lenix placed by our lovely customer sitting up at seat 94!" The auctioneer continued to announce the rising bids in the background but it didn''t look like Hecathe paid any attention to him.


    The Dorgon chuckled and the dry chuckling sound would have definitely managed to send a shiver down anyone''s spine, however, Hecathe was completely unaffected.


    If the Dorgon was fully grown then maybe Hecathe would feel a little intimidated, however, seeing as how the Dorgon hadn''t even been completely born yet and had already managed to get caught up in such a situation, it was clear that Hecathe had nothing to worry about.


    "If it''s something hard for you to do then you can forget it," Hecathe sighed as he added, "You can just go find somebody else who will save you."


    "Twenty million Lenix placed by our lovely customer up at seat 87!" The auctioneer announced and Hecathe chuckled.


    "The one at seat 87 looks to be quite interested in you," Hecathe smirked as he suggested, "Why not ask him for help? He was also the one who won Edler''s sword. Don''t you want to join hands with the next hero sitting up at seat 87?"


    The Dorgon was silent for a minute and Hecathe guessed that he was probably trying to control his anger. After all, Dorgons had quite an unpredictable instinctual habit of displaying anger in the most ruthless way possible.


    "Why? You don''t want to?" Hecathe questioned once again as he heard no response from the dorgon egg, "You''d rather stay with a villain like me?"


    The dorgon gave no response this time as well.


    "Thirty million Lenix placed by the beautiful guest sitting at seat 44!"


    "So I''ll take your silence as a yes," Hecathe sighed, "Is it because I''m the only one that can hear you? I''m the only one so nobody else can help you?"


    "That''s right," The dorgon egg muttered in a low volume, "You''re the only one who can listen to me so you''re the only one that can save me..."


    "But that doesn''t mean I should."


    "..."


    "I might be the only one that can save you but you give me no reason to actually help you out. Just because I can do it doesn''t mean I should do it."


    "You''ll regret it if you don''t..." The Dorgon gritted out, "You''ll seriously regret it if you don''t save me."


    "Sorry to disappoint you but I don''t waste time on things like regret," Hecathe confidently and coldly responded.


    "Fifty million Lenix placed by our wonderful customer sitting up at seat 87!" The auctioneer continued his announcements.


    "Then what is it that you want?" The Dorgon questioned after much hesitation.


    "Nothing much," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he spoke, "Call me master and I''ll save you."


    "..."


    "I''ll take you in and treat you nicely like a pet. In return, you lend me your powers if I ever need them."


    The Dorgon once again fell silent and this time, Hecathe also didn''t try to make the egg talk.


    For a human to take in a Dorgon as a pet... Not only was it unheard of but it was simply disgraceful for a Dorgon. It was a direct insult to their superior golden blood and both Hecathe and the dorgon knew this.


    Hecathe could understand the Dorgon''s hesitation, but he also knew that at the end of the day, the dorgon would have to agree to whatever demand Hecathe placed because Hecathe was the only way the Dorgon could save himself now.


    If Hecathe refused to help him then the dorgon would really end up in someone''s belly and from the ongoing bidding war, it could be estimated that it would be Raven''s belly.


    "Seventy million Lenix placed by our lovely guest up at seat 44!" The auctioneer beamed, "This has really gone way beyond my expectations but I can assure you that this egg is worth every Lenix you spend!"


    Even Hecathe couldn''t help but unconsciously nod as he agreed with the auctioneer.


    A Dorgon''s egg... It was such a rare and powerful item that it could be considered priceless. No matter how much you would pay for it, it would still not be enough.


    Raven once again raised his hand as he placed a higher bid for the egg.


    "Eighty million Lenix placed by our amazing customer sitting in seat 87!" The auctioneer announced, "Ladies and gentleman, that is certainly a formidable amount but I have a feeling that it won''t be stopping there!"


    Just as the auctioneer had predicted, the woman sitting in seat 44 also raised her hand as she placed a higher bid.


    "Ninety million Lenix placed by our lovely guest sitting in seat 44!"


    Raven sighed as he raised his hand once again but the auctioneer looked confused for a second as he saw someone else raised their hand as well.


    "Five...? Five hundred million Lenix placed by the one sitting in seat 94!"


    Even Hecathe was a bit shocked as he looked up to see that the one who placed this ridiculous bid was actually a mecha-suit.


    Such rich people... Hecathe was afraid that he might not be able to save the Dorgon even if he were to try.


    Raven clicked his tongue in annoyance as he held up a single finger and the auctioneer looked to be a little confused at first.


    "One?" The auctioneer tilted his head and when he saw Raven nodding his head, the man immediately realized what Raven had wanted to bid, "One billion Lenix! Another formidable amount placed by the gentleman sitting in seat 87!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    If this Raven was such a rich man then why the hell did he come to the golden fire guild for a temporary mission?


    It was clear that money wasn''t the reason for his decision!


    "A-are there any more bids coming in?" The auctioneer asked and waited for a minute to see if there was someone willing to pay more but as expected, there was nobody who had such deep pockets and even if they did, they were probably saving their money for the special item that was the reason why they all came here today.


    "Then One billion Lenix going once!"


    "Going Twice!"


    "Master!" The Dorgon suddenly shouted and Hecathe smirked in satisfaction as he confidently raised his hand and placed a bid.

 Chapter 63 - Ten Trillion?!

    "One?" The auctioneer looked to be confused yet again as he questioned, "One trillion Lenix?!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he shook his head and informed that the man had got it wrong.


    "T-Then?"


    Hecathe clap his hand as he stood up and straightened his back before casually walking forward towards the balcony edge.


    With a wide smile on his face, Hecathe raised his voice and announced it himself, "One hundred Mutant beads!"


    "..."


    The whole auction house went silent for a few minutes as everyone slowly processed what they had just heard.


    "One hundred mutant beads?" The auctioneer tilted his head in confusion as he informed, "I''m sorry to say this, Sir but you won''t be able to win the bid with that."


    "Tch- what a cheapskate! You didn''t even have enough money to save me and you still dare try to control me?!" The Dorgon didn''t sound too happy as he mocked Hecathe.


    Hecathe straightforwardly ignored the Dorgon as he responded to the auctioneer, "Let me rephrase that."


    Hecathe took a deep breath in as he once again spoke up, "One hundred pure undamaged mutant beads."


    "!!!"


    "Do you still feel like it''s an unfair trade?" Hecathe smirked as he questioned and the auctioneer gulped as he looked at Hecathe in shock.


    Mutant beads were certainly expensive and would sell very well in an auction, however, there was a particular type of mutant bead that would sell for a comparatively unimaginable high price and Hecathe just so happened to have that kind.


    Normally people would hunt mutants for their beads and in the process, the mutant bead would somewhat be damaged no matter how skilled or careful a hunter or a mage was, however, there were very rare occasions when a mutant would kill itself or kill another mutant and in that scenario, the mutant bead extracted would be completely undamaged making it almost priceless.


    "S-Sir," The auctioneer stuttered, "May I ask... If we can first check and confirm if you are really telling the truth or not?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he felt a little amused to hear this, "Why would I be lying? If you want to check, you can go ahead."


    Hecathe took out something from his pocket and carelessly threw it down towards the auctioneer who stumbled as he caught it.


    "You will never get to see a mutant bead as precious as this one," Hecathe added confidently with a smirk.


    "So, that!" Hecathe pointed up at the egg as he questioned, "I win it?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he tested the bead and after confirming Hecathe''s words to be true, he looked up cautiously as he slowly nodded his head.


    "One hundred purely undamaged mutant beads... Placed by the guest sitting up in seat number 17...!" The auctioneer announced and Hecathe nodded in satisfaction as he moved back and casually sat down on the sofa.


    Unbeknownst to Hecathe, by doing such a thing, he had managed to catch a lot of eyes but it was not because he had won the bid, rather, it was because he didn''t know that the special item everyone was here for today was exactly what he had offered in exchange for that Dorgon egg.


    The special item was a single undamaged mutant bead!


    A man loudly laughed as he heard this entire exchange, "How can you accept the pure mutant beads as a bid? Wasn''t there a rule that states only monetary value could be used to place a bid?"


    Everyone immediately looked up as they heard the man speaking rather rudely.


    "There is no way anyone can place a higher bid if you allow this. It''s simply unfair to the rest of us," The man added as he stood up from his place and glared at the auctioneer.


    Hecathe had never seen this man before so he was sure that he hadn''t offended the man either.


    The auctioneer looked to be a little reluctant as he glanced between the man and Hecathe, wondering how he was supposed to handle this situation professionally.


    Hecathe sighed as he decided that it was best for him to speak up for himself, "Brother, are you unhappy because there is no monetary rate placed as a bid?"


    The man turned to look at Hecathe with cold piercing eyes and Hecathe looked to be completely unfazed by it.


    "Then we can just solve it by putting a monetary value on it," Hecathe smirked as he turned back to face the auctioneer, "How about I sell you those pure mutant beads?"


    "Eh?" The auctioneer blinked in confusion as he tried to understand what Hecathe was trying to say.


    "I''m asking how much are you willing to pay for them?"


    The auctioneer looked to be a little surprised as he tilted his head and gave it a thought, "Then... Would the guest up at seat 17 be happy to sell this to the house for one trillion Lenix?"


    "Are you joking with me?" Hecathe didn''t even bother thinking about it as he immediately responded, "Or do you think I''m dumb?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he immediately shook his head, "T-that''s not it!"


    "Ten trillion Lenix," Hecathe spoke up confidently as he informed, "I''m not going any lower than that."


    The auctioneer''s eyes widened and the same reaction could be spotted in the faces of most of the people who were present in this auction house.


    That would make one hundred billion per bead," Hecathe smirked as he easily calculated, "It sounds like a good deal, don''t you think?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he slowly nodded after thinking about it thoroughly.


    "Then your problem is also solved?" Hecathe looked up at the man who had laughed at him and tried to cause trouble.


    The man didn''t look to be the least bit impressed nor did he look too happy as he gritted his teeth and sat back down on his seat.


    "If there is anyone who would want to place a higher bid, please go right ahead," Hecathe looked around as he stated.


    Ten trillion Lenix?


    There would naturally not be anyone who would place a higher bid and Hecathe seemed to have clearly known this.

 Chapter 64 - The Rare Flower

    The auctioneer also looked around for a minute as he waited to see if there was anyone with deeper pockets who was just really hungry for a fried Dorgon Egg, but as expected, even Raven had backed down from this bidding war so it need not even be said that nobody else dared to fight Hecathe either.


    Hecathe smirked in satisfaction as he heard the silence that was followed by the auctioneer''s announcement.


    "T-then Ten trilled Lenix going once!"


    "Master... You weren''t kidding when you said you were the villain..." The Dorgon commented and Hecathe simply chuckled as he heard this.


    "Going twice!"


    Hecathe didn''t expect anyone to place a higher bid and just as he had predicted, there was nobody desperate enough to waste away their money like that.


    "Going thrice!" The auctioneer took a sharp breath in as he announced loudly and clearly, "And sold!"


    "The Dorgon Egg is now sold to the lovely gentleman sitting up in seat 17 for ten trillion Lenix!"


    Everyone''s eyes were on Hecathe now and Hecathe couldn''t be least bothered about it as he continued to talk with the Dorgon Egg in a low volume, making it look as if he was talking to himself since nobody else could hear the Dorgon''s voice.


    "I feel like I did something useless," Hecathe sighed dejectedly as he heard the auctioneer announcing that Hecathe had won the bid.


    "Humans like you are scary," The Dorgon commented and Hecathe could almost imagine the dorgon shuddering inside that egg as he said this.


    "I should have just placed one trillion. It would have been enough and I would have been able to save a lot."


    "Are you saying that I''m not even worth your ten trillion useless human currency?!"


    Hecathe unhesitantly nodded his head as he responded, "It''s a fact. The sooner you accept it, the better your life would be."


    "..."


    "If you don''t want to accept it, why don''t you try to prove me wrong?" Hecathe simply questioned and didn''t wait for an answer as he added, "You can work and repay the money I spent on you."


    "What a cheapskate?! You want to ask the great emperor to repay you?! Haven''t you ever heard about generosity? The more good you do, the bigger your heart is and the lesser risks you''ll have of getting heart failure!"


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he slowly absorbed the Dorgon''s words, "You know... I might just want to buy you some books on biology after this... That''s not how a heart works."


    "Hmph!"


    "If you want to show that attitude, why don''t you show it after you are done repaying me?" Hecathe clicked his tongue.


    "I feel like I''m the one who was dumb enough to take you in as my master," The Dorgon complained and Hecathe turned a deaf ear to his complaints, "I have a feeling that you''re going to torture me till I repay you!"


    "You''re not exactly wrong."


    "..."


    The item displayed changed once again as the Dorgon Egg was taken away and the next item was displayed on the hovering glass box.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you the next item of the day, the rare flower!" The auctioneer announced and Hecathe''s eyes widened in shock as he saw that the next item displayed was not an item at all...!


    This auction... The more he stayed here the more he realized that this was really a black-market auction. Everything that could not be sold legally was sold openly here.


    The girl that was tied up inside the glass box was a perfect example.


    She wore beige-colored clothes that had been soiled and were torn from the edge, displaying her pale skin that was dirty and smudged. It was clear that she hadn''t been fed well or treated well. Her feet were bleeding with blisters on them and her face was covered with her overgrown hair that nobody bothered to groom.


    Both her wrists and ankles were chained up and if the chains were removed, Hecathe was sure that he would be able to see bruises left behind by those chains.


    "This rare flower was collected just a few weeks ago!" The auctioneer didn''t seem to be considering this girl a human as he continued on with his announcement, "I wouldn''t say much about this product since everyone can see it for themselves. Even the dirt on her fails to hide away her beauty!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this since he almost wanted to nod as he agreed with the auctioneer.


    She was covered in dirt and bruises, however, she still looked pretty. If someone were to clean her up a bit and feed her, Hecathe had no doubt that she would perhaps look like the goddess of beauty.


    "The starting bid for this rare flower is Ten thousand Lenix!"


    "Wah~" Hecathe couldn''t help but mutter in surprise as he heard the auctioneer announcing such a low price for a human life.


    The rare flower was just another pretty name that people in auction houses would give for a slave.


    Even in this world, buying and selling humans was not exactly common. Slave trading was naturally not a huge industry either. Both the three willows of spring and Alphius had laws forbidding slave trading which made this black market the only place where people could buy slaves.


    Such slaves were referred to as the rare flower and they were often sold for a very high price.


    "Twenty thousand Lenix placed by the gentlemen up at seat 76!" People soon started bidding on the girl and Hecathe couldn''t help but frown.


    This was really not supposed to concern him or bother him but for some reason, he couldn''t help but feel a little uneasy as he saw such a practice of selling humans as if they were products.


    He still had those undamaged mutant beads left with him so if he wanted to save this girl, he could very well do so, however, Hecathe had zero interest in saving her.

 Chapter 65 - The Special Item

    The reason why he had saved the Dorgon was because he felt that the Dorgon could come to be an asset for him in the future, however, it was clear that this girl would definitely not become an asset no matter how much he invested in her.


    The only reason he would have for saving her would be sympathy, but Hecathe would simply not save the girl out of sympathy.


    If he saved her today then she could live a safe life, but that would not change the fact that there would be another ''rare flower'' sold here tomorrow.


    It wasn''t like Hecathe had any power to change this system either so all he could do at this moment was wait and watch.


    "Thirty thousand Lenix placed by our lovely guest up at seat 43!" The auctioneer announced and Hecathe unconsciously glanced at the balcony that was beside the seat 44 one.


    The woman who sat at seat 44 also looked over at her neighbor with a frown apparent on her face and Hecathe could immediately guess who the next bidder was going to be.


    "Fifty thousand Lenix placed by our beautiful guest sitting up at seat 44!" The auctioneer announced and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little amused to see that this woman had acted out of pity.


    This time, even Raven hadn''t bothered to join the bidding war as he stayed silent on his seat and waited for this bid to be over.


    Hecathe sighed in relief as he felt that the end result was only going to be beneficial to this rare flower that was pitifully being displayed inside the glass box.


    The bidding war this time lasted for a few minutes and when it was over, the one who won was exactly the one who Hecathe had guessed would win.


    "The rare flower is now sold to the lovely guest sitting up in seat 44 for one million Lenix!" The auctioneer announced at the end and the woman who sat in seat 44 smirked in satisfaction as she glared at the one who sat on the balcony next to hers.


    Hecathe wasn''t really interested to know what would happen to this slave who had been sold, however, he could guess that the woman who had won the bid would probably let her go or make sure that she is given a good life from here on out.


    The item changed once again and the next few items were truly boring compared to all the previous items. They were all either weapons that were being overestimated or magical treasures that were said to be capable of saving one''s life if one were in need of it.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel that the one who benefitted the most from this auction was nobody but himself. After all, he had won a Dorgon and that creature was an investment that could be considered to bring him priceless benefits in the future.


    The auction was soon coming to an end and the only item that was left was the special item that had been prepared.


    Hecathe straightened his back and paid attention this time as he looked up to see that the special item was covered with a black cloth, this was probably done to increase the anticipation and suspense.


    "We''ve had a really great auction today! It has been a long time since I have seen this auction hall be so lively," The auctioneer commented with a chuckle, "Some items have managed to fetch a lot more than what we had initially expected them to fetch."


    There was no doubt that the auctioneer was talking about the Dorgon Egg that had been sold to Hecathe.


    "You have all participated enthusiastically and many of you have managed to win the items that had interested you the most. Some of you might have lost this time but do not let this dishearten you as the items that we have brought you today might end up in the future auctions as well. So make sure to come back next time and we hope that luck is on your side when that time comes!"


    "Now, our today''s auction is coming to a close with our last item of the day. The special item that a lot of you are here for!" The auctioneer exclaimed as he gestured up and in the very next moment, the black cloth that was covering the item was immediately lifted.


    "The special item prepared for you today is a rare and priceless pure undamaged mutant bead!"


    Hecathe was stunned speechless for a minute and when the shock had settled in, he didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry.


    "The starting bid of this item is one hundred billion Lenix!" The man announced again and Hecathe choked on empty air as he realized that he had been tricked!


    A lot of people immediately raised their hands and started placing higher bids, making Hecathe feel as if he wanted to go back in the past and demand more money for his hundred undamaged mutants beads.


    He previously thought he had asked for a fair amount when he sold the hundred mutant beads for ten trillion Lenix but now that he heard the starting bid of one single bead, he couldn''t help but feel that he had been too humble when he sold off those hundred mutant beads.


    As expected... That time the auctioneer was shocked to hear Ten trillion Lenix but it seems that he wasn''t shocked because Hecathe was asking too much but he was instead shocked because Hecathe had asked for the minimum.


    "Damn it..." Hecathe cursed under his breath as he glared at the auctioneer who was happily standing there announcing all the bids that were coming in.


    Hecathe suddenly heard somebody knocking on the door behind him and he immediately turned around as he asked, "Who is it?"


    "Sir, I''m here to check the mutant beads," It was the voice of a woman.


    Hecathe sighed as he replied, "Come in."

 Chapter 66 - Private Sale?

    The woman opened the door and entered the balcony before going over towards one side and closing the curtain, making it so that nobody else could peek in.


    "Didn''t I already provide a sample?" Hecathe asked cautiously as he glanced at the woman whose face was covered with a white mask.


    The woman nodded her head as she responded, "You have provided us and we have checked but we need to check all hundred mutant beads."


    "To ensure that I''m not trying to trick you?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned and the woman nodded her head without any sense of hesitation as she confirmed.


    "Hundred mutant beads is no small amount so we have to be extra careful," She explained with her emotionless voice.


    "I understand," Hecathe sighed as he took out the hundred mutant beads that were kept in a pouch and carelessly handed them over to the woman.


    The woman gulped as her eyes widened ever so slightly. She took the mutant beads and sat down in front of Hecathe as she started individually checking the quality of each one of them.


    Hecathe didn''t care too much as he casually looked at the mutant beads being checked. He had personally ordered the mutants to kill themselves and had collected their mutant bead so he was more than confident with the quality of every mutant bead that made up the hundred mutant beads that were ready to be sold to the auction house.


    "I wonder what is going to happen to these?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the woman but it didn''t seem as if he was looking to find an answer, however, the woman was still polite enough to respond.


    "Since you sold it to the auction house, these mutant beads would also be sold to the highest paying customer."


    "Eh?" Hecathe tilted his head in amusement as he heard something that was a bit off, "You said they would be sold to the highest paying customer?"


    The woman nodded her head as she continued doing her work and checked the mutant beads thoroughly.


    "But you didn''t say they would be sold to the highest bidder."


    "..." The woman was silent this time and Hecathe couldn''t help but find himself a little interested in the topic as he asked.


    "Could it be that you guys have already made a deal with someone? A private sale?"


    The woman sighed as she shook her head and spoke, "I cannot reveal that."


    "That means I''m right," Hecathe stated confidently with a chuckle.


    This black market was a bit special and the auction wasn''t the only way for people to sell and buy stuff here. A private sale was another less famous method.


    Hecathe first thought the hundred mutant beads he had sold to the auction house would end up as a bidding item, however, after listening to the woman, he realized that the auction house had other plans for the hundred mutant beads. Instead of selling them individually, they were all planned to be sold together to a customer who had already offered to pay the highest price for them.


    "How much?" Hecathe asked with an amused smirk, "I don''t think you guys are selling it for just ten trillion Lenix."


    The woman sighed as she responded, "I am not authorized to answer that question."


    "Then let me guess," Hecathe commented casually, "It''s probably that guy who tried to cause some problem with me, right?"


    The woman blinked in surprise as she snapped her head up and looked at the man in shock, "H-How did you know that?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he responded, "It wasn''t hard to guess. He was the one who tried to force me to sell the mutant beads to the auction house so that I can bid for the egg with money. I had realized then that he was interested in the undamaged mutant beads. Moreover, when the bidding for the special item began, surprisingly enough, he didn''t place a bid."


    The woman gulped as she heard Hecathe''s logic.


    "When you pay attention to things and think about them for a bit, it isn''t hard to figure everything out," Hecathe added proudly as he asked, "He didn''t place a bid for the special item because you guys already promised him these hundred mutant beads, isn''t that right?"


    The woman was silent once again as she thought about how to answer Hecathe.


    "Are you going to tell me that you are not even authorized to give me a nod?" Hecathe smirked as he questioned and the woman reluctantly shook her head before stopping and giving him a nod as she confirmed that his guess had indeed been correct.


    "Sir, may I ask you how you found these hundred undamaged mutant beads?" The woman asked as she looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe simply shrugged his shoulder as he replied, "That was also not hard. I''m a hunter. Isn''t hunting mutant beads my job?"


    The woman didn''t seem to have believed this answer but by saying this, Hecathe had clearly stated that he was not interested in revealing the truth and since it was like this, the woman also didn''t bother asking anything more as she nodded her head and got back to work.


    "But since you have asked me this question, let me also ask you something as well," Hecathe spoke up, "How did you guys find the Dorgon egg?"


    "..."


    Dorgon eggs were very rare and hard to find, however, it was truly a wonder how one of them ended up in this auction house since the Dorgon Eggs were mostly safeguarded by their parents.


    Alphius''s father, the great Edler had also tried to steal a Dorgon Egg but he had thoroughly failed as the Dorgon mother killed him in an instant.


    Dorgon''s were creatures that were highly protective over their offspring since a mother Dorgon could only lay one egg in her entire lifetime.


    This was also part of the reason why their population was declining so much in recent years.


    "Where are the parents?" Hecathe questioned as he carefully looked to notice any changes that might be displayed on the woman''s expressions.

 Chapter 67 - The Parents?

    "The parents... Are naturally dead," The woman replied without putting much thought to it.


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this response, "Are you sure about that?"


    "Sir, since you have already won the egg, you don''t have to worry about how we found it. You can just roast it and eat it without any worries. We assure you that the quality is as good as it can get and the taste would naturally be the best as well!"


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    How was he supposed to tell this woman that he had no plans on eating an egg that could talk to him?


    Hecathe simply sighed as he nodded his head and didn''t bother saying anything more.


    By the time the woman was done checking all the mutant beads, the auction was also over and the special item had been sold for one trillion Lenix.


    If Hecathe hadn''t been impulsive to hand over all hundred mutant beads then he could have easily saved the Dorgon egg by simply selling ten or maybe even less, but now there was nothing he could do about it.


    He had already sold it so there was naturally no use of him regretting things and at that time, he really thought placing such a high bid would be the best method possible to make sure that nobody else would even dare go into a bidding war with him.


    He had used the same method that Raven had used previously. To bid so high that he would indirectly be making a statement. A statement that he was bidding to win and not for the sake of simply trying. With the results he got in the end, it was clear that his method had worked and everyone present in the auction house had clearly understood his statement.


    The Hecathe clicked his tongue as he stood up from his place and casually placed his hand in his pocket as he looked at the girl and asked, "Where''s the Dorgon Egg."


    The woman smiled as she stood up as well but instead of answering him, she asked him another question instead, "Sir, there seems to be one less."


    "Eh?"


    "There are only ninety-nine mutant beads inside this pouch," The woman explained.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he questioned, "Do you take me for a fool?"


    "..."


    "Who''s going to count the mutant bead that I gave the auctioneer earlier?"


    The woman blinked in confusion for a few seconds before she realized what Hecathe had said and as soon as she did, she got embarrassed as she immediately bowed and apologized, "I''m sorry for the misunderstanding, Sir. It was my carelessness."


    Hecathe smirked as he nodded in satisfaction, "I promised you hundred mutant beads and I gave you no more or no less than that. Since our account is clear, you might as well show me towards the next area?"


    The woman gulped as she nodded her head anxiously, "Follow me, sir."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed to follow her but instead of heading after her towards the door, he walked towards the edge of the balcony, and with his two fingers, he slightly opened the curtain to peek at two other balconies.


    One was seat 44 where the woman was still seated on and the other was up at seat 87 which was now empty, meaning that Raven had already left as soon as the auction was over.


    "What a man who values time," Hecathe commented under his breath as he couldn''t help but feel that the man was highly suspicious.


    It was only natural that he found the man suspicious since people who frequented the black market were usually suspicious, Hecathe included.


    "Sir," The woman called out to him as she saw that he had not followed her.


    "Coming," Hecathe simply informed as he took one last glance at the woman sitting in seat 44 before turning to follow the white-masked woman that was ready to lead him to the next place where the transaction would be officially done.


    Every bidder who had won a bid in the auction would be headed towards different rooms where they would be met with different staff members who worked for this auction house. There they would get to interchange the money that they had bid for the item that they had won.


    They would be given no contracts and there would be no evidence left behind making this place really convenient for hiding secrets. Hecathe naturally found nothing wrong with this and in fact, he thought it was a good thing that there were no records left behind with the auction house cause if there was, he might have gotten himself in trouble.


    The woman took him to one of the upper floors where he was led to a room and told to wait there. Hecathe knew the procedures because of the records left behind by Alphius so he didn''t find anything out of place.


    He casually took a seat inside as he waited in the empty room for a staff member to soon come and it didn''t take long for someone else to open the door and enter the room.


    "You?" Hecathe was a bit surprised as he saw the staff member that had been sent for him.


    The man who had previously been yelling his throat out at the auction as the auctioneer now stood in front of Hecathe with a wide smile on his face, "Sir, how are you?"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this useless question, "I could have been better."


    "..."


    "Why are you the one here?"


    The auctioneer chuckled as he walked forward and took a sat down on the seat opposite to Hecathe, "Sir, are you not pleased to see me?"


    "Is there any reason for me to be pleased?"


    The auctioneer blinked in confusion as he heard Hecathe questioning him back and he took a moment to notice that Hecathe was being a bit impolite.


    "Sir, of course, there is no reason for you to be pleased, right? Hahaha.... My fault! My fault!" The auctioneer chuckled awkwardly as he tried his best to lighten up the atmosphere but for some reason, he couldn''t help but feel that he had worsened the atmosphere even more.

 Chapter 68 - The Owner?

    "Cut to the chase," Hecathe clicked his tongue, "The auction house never sends the auctioneer to deal with this sort of stuff. Why are you here?"


    The auctioneer nodded with a chuckle as he confirmed Hecathe''s words, "Sir, you''re right. We don''t usually do this but for this deal, I thought it would be best if I personally came to see you."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he suddenly managed to understand something, "You thought?"


    As long as he knew, the auctioneer didn''t really have the power to do anything other than announcing the bids.


    When the auction was going on, the auctioneer had complete control but as soon as the auction was over, the auctioneer''s job was also naturally done.


    The one who decided which staff to send to the bidders was someone in a higher position.


    "You''re not just an auctioneer, are you?" Hecathe didn''t bother beating around the bush as he straightforwardly asked, voicing out his suspicions that were caused by the man''s tongue slip.


    The auctioneer was a bit surprised as he heard this question, "Sir, as expected, you are quite smart. Even the woman who attended you before this said so."


    "Don''t bother flattering me," Hecathe sighed as he interjected, "Who are you?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he pursed his lips into a thin line and took time as he answered Hecathe''s question, "I''m the one who organizes the auctions."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this answer and didn''t really look to be pleased with it.


    "It''s not really meant to be a secret, Sir," The man chuckled as he added and when Hecathe thought about it a bit, he found that the man was not lying.


    This auctioneer had always announced the fact that he had been the one organizing these auctions but it seemed that nobody ever understood what he truly meant by saying that. They simply thought that as the auctioneer, it was only natural for him to organize the auction.


    "So you''re the owner?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the man.


    The auctioneer nodded as he confirmed Hecathe''s suspicions, "That''s right. I''m the one that started this auction house so I''m naturally the one in charge."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but find it funny that Alphius who had recorded everything down in his diary had never realized that the one organizing these auctions had always been right in front of them.


    "As the saying goes... The best place to hide something is in plain sight," Hecathe commented as he found it a bit amusing.


    The fact that he knew something that Alphius didn''t... It really was a bit amusing for Hecathe.


    "Sir, since you now know who I am, I''m sure you understand how important the matter must be for me to personally come here to discuss it over with you."


    Hecathe leaned back on the chair as he crossed his legs and frowned, "Important matter? What is it?"


    "We have double-checked the mutant beads that you''ve sent and we are satisfied to see that you have not lied to us at all. They are all pure and undamaged mutant beads. It is the first time in history such a large quantity of pure mutant beads have been casually sold by someone like this."


    "That''s probably because he''s an idiot," Hecathe unconsciously muttered out his thoughts.


    "Eh?" The auctioneer tilted his head in confusion as he heard Hecathe.


    "Nothing," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he responded, "Please continue."


    "..."


    Hecathe was mentally thinking what a big idiot Alphius was. He had the power to collect thousands of pure mutant beads easily but he still decided to let his mecha-suits join the auction for them. Letting the mecha-suits spend away million and trillions of Lenix uselessly on something that their Captain could have easily provided them.


    Hecathe actually understood why the man never did such a thing, but this didn''t change the fact that he still found Alphius stupid for missing out on such an opportunity.


    Alphius, the man who was famously known as the villain was actually a man with a foolishly soft heart. While everyone else in the world saw mutants as lowly beings that didn''t even deserve to live, Alphius saw them as creatures that were once humans and his sympathy for them made it impossible for him to harm them in any manner.


    He was really the opposite of Hecathe in that manner.


    "Sir, you look like a capable individual and it makes me wonder," The auctioneer took a deep breath in as he smiled and asked, "Do you perhaps have more mutant beads with you?"


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question that was to be expected.


    "Why? You want me to sell it to you for the minimum price again?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he immediately shook his head, "Sir, we can discuss the price."


    "What if I ask five trillion for each mutant bead?" Hecathe leaned in, resting his chin on his palm as he questioned with an amused teasing tone.


    The man gulped as he thought about it for a minute before nodding his head, "That sounds good as well!"


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he heard this response.


    "Do you have more, sir?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard the man shamelessly asking him for more mutant beads.


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you but I have none left with me," Hecathe sighed as he replied, "I gave them all to you for that Dorgon egg."


    The auctioneer immediately frowned as he heard this and he was silent as if he was waiting for Hecathe to say something more.


    Hecathe was clearly lying when he said that there was none left.


    Five trillion for a single bead was actually a pretty good deal, however, Hecathe wasn''t looking forward to selling more mutant beads today.


    "Was that all you were here for?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the man with a bit of suspicion.


    The man smiled brightly as he shook his head, "Of course not, Sir."


    "..."


    "I''m also here to inform you about the Dorgon Egg that you''ve won today!" The man exclaimed happily as the disappointment that he had shown previously didn''t even manage to leave a trace on his face.


    Hecathe learned something from this: This man was good at hiding his thoughts and controlling his expressions.

 Chapter 69 - The Emperors Heir

    "I''ve heard that you were curious about the origin of the dorgon egg?" The man commented in a questioning manner and Hecathe nodded as he confirmed it.


    "That''s right."


    "Sir, this Dorgon Egg is the only heir to the golden blood of the Dorgon Emperor, there is nothing for you to worry about. This is the best of the best you can get!" The auctioneer reassured as he exclaimed.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and informed, "That''s not why I was curious."


    "Eh?" The man tilted his head in confusion as he heard this.


    "I''m not curious to know if the Dorgon Egg is of the best quality or not. After all, a Dorgon Egg is still a Dorgon egg and it would work just fine no matter what type of blood it has."


    The auctioneer gulped and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he chuckled, "That''s also right. Haha..."


    "I''m more interested to know how you got him. That''s it," Hecathe sighed as he added, "You said it yourself, this Dorgon Egg is the royal heir so how come it ended up in such a place?"


    The man looked to be a bit hesitant to answer that question and Hecathe could clearly see through his reluctance.


    "I''m guessing it was sold to you by someone else?'' Hecathe asked as he speculated.


    "That''s right, sir. It was sold to us by someone who wanted to remain nameless so we can''t say much about that person."


    Hecathe nodded his head in understanding as he responded, "Then that''s okay."


    "You don''t have any more questions, Sir?" The man asked curiously as if he was more than ready to give Hecathe any answer he wanted.


    "I don''t," Hecathe sighed.


    He had questions, of course, but he was afraid this auctioneer wouldn''t really be flattered to hear the questions that Hecathe had so he decided not to say much.


    The man nodded as he heard this and flicked his finger as if giving out a signal.


    In the very next moment, someone opened the locked door and came in with a food trolley on which there was a single egg placed.


    Since Hecathe had seen the egg before, he could immediately recognize it as the Dorgon Egg.


    ''Master!!'' The Egg called out enthusiastically as Hecathe saw it, but the man naturally ignored it.


    "Actually, I take back what I said," Hecathe clicked his tongue as his eyes narrowed down on the egg and he spoke, "I want to ask you one last question."


    "Go ahead, Sir. I''m here to answer all of your questions," The auctioneer beamed as he curiously waited for Hecathe.


    "When is this thing going to hatch?"


    "..." The auctioneer was speechless as he heard this question and he blinked in surprise as he slowly replayed Hecathe''s question in his mind to make sure that he hadn''t heard it wrong.


    "Sir, you mean to ask...?" The man muttered but could not even complete the question he wanted to ask back.


    "Didn''t you hear me once?" Hecathe snapped with a frown, "I''m asking how much longer till this thing hatches?"


    "Um..." The auctioneer gulped as he tilted his head in confusion and responded vaguely, "I''m not really sure, Sir."


    Hecathe''s pupils seemed to contract as he heard this and he looked at the auctioneer with a disinterested look on his face, "You don''t know?"


    The auctioneer chuckled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck, "This Egg is already a few months old but its exact age is still unknown. The man who sold us the egg never gave us any extra information about it."


    "Then how long does a Dorgon Egg usually take to hatch?" Hecathe sighed as asked another question after seeing that the man had no answer for the first question he asked.


    "I... Don''t know, Sir." The auctioneer chuckled as he responded with the same answer.


    "..."


    Weren''t you confident that you will be able to give me any answer that I asked for...?!


    "But you can rest assured that it won''t hatch any time soon!" The man suddenly exclaimed as he reassured Hecathe, "Dorgon Eggs are quite wide-known for having a long incubation period. Even if you want to store it for some time and eat it afterward, it should be fine!"


    "Is that so?" Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this answer, "And how long will it take for it to grow into a full adult Dorgon?"


    "Eh?" This time, the auctioneer looked horrified as he heard Hecathe''s question, "Sir... You''re kidding, right?!"


    "Not really," Hecathe simply responded as he met the man''s eyes, "So how long would it take?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he didn''t give Hecathe an answer and instead, he warned the man, "Sir, you must definitely not even try it! Once that thing hatches, you would be putting the entire city in danger immediately! It would kill you before you can even wink. There''s no controlling a Dorgon!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and instead of responding to the man or telling him that he understood, Hecathe turned to face the egg and asked, "Is that what you''re planning? Betraying me as soon as you come out of there?"


    At this moment, the auctioneer had the shocking realization that he had just sold the dangerous Dorgon Egg to a lunatic who would shamelessly act as if he could talk to Eggs!


    ''Master, you must definitely not believe this damned lying piece of trash!'' The Dorgon was not in the least bit polite as he cursed the auctioneer, ''I am the emperor and I''d rather die than go back on my word!''


    Hecathe chuckled in satisfaction as he liked the answer that was given by the young Dorgon inside the egg.


    "You don''t need to worry about it," Hecathe turned back to face the auctioneer as he spoke reassuringly, "I was just joking with you."


    "..." The auctioneer sighed in relief as he heard this and it truly looked like the man was seriously worried back there for a second.


    "I just want to know for educational purposes," Hecathe beamed, "So tell me in any case, will you?"


    The auctioneer gulped as his breath got stuck in his throat and he looked at Hecathe with suspicion.

 Chapter 70 - For Educational Purposes Only...!

    "I just want to know for educational purposes," Hecathe beamed, "So tell me in any case, will you?"


    The auctioneer gulped as his breath got stuck in his throat and he looked at Hecathe with suspicion. This time, his thoughts could be clearly seen on his face although he had tried his best to control his expressions.


    "Believe me," Hecathe smiled as he reassured but the auctioneer couldn''t help but feel that the smile given was wicked... Really wicked!


    "Well, even if you don''t tell me, I can always go around and ask others," Hecathe sighed as he commented and the auctioneer looked to be a little worried as he heard this.


    "Sir, are you sure you are only interested in knowing for educational purposes?"


    Hecathe had a small mischievous smile on his face as he nodded his head at this question, "It''s purely to increase my own knowledge."


    "Three years," The man sighed as he finally answered the question that Hecathe had asked, "Within six months of hatching, the Dorgon would be fully grown into its adult body but it would take at least three years for it to be considered an adult by its parents and once it is considered as an adult, it would officially be crowned as the emperor."


    "I see..." Hecathe seemed to have been thinking about it deeply as he heard this, "And in this case, since the egg has been taken away from its parents, the dorgon inside would never be proclaimed as the emperor?"


    "That''s right, but wrong at the same time," The man replied as he informed seriously, "Since this Egg would never get the chance to hatch or grow, it would never become the emperor but hypothetically speaking, if you were to let it hatch and grow, it would become the emperor after three years."


    "Is that so?" Hecathe''s lips curled up in a devious smirk as he muttered in response, "Then is there a procedure for it to become the emperor?"


    "There''s nothing as such, sir," The man sighed as he spoke, "The Dorgon would be titled as the emperor through the mind link. As long it has the golden blood running through its vein and is still alive, it would be entitled to that title, however, since you''ll kill it before that happens, there is nothing for you to worry about."


    ''Master, you should tell this man to stop spouting so much nonsense,'' The Dorgon spoke up as he heard all this, ''I''m the emperor since my birth! I don''t need those three years. Tell him to take those three years and shove it up his ass!''


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard the Dorgon cursing the man so casually.


    "Sir, I wonder if I was able to help you gain more knowledge on the topic?"


    Hecathe stopped laughing and nodded as he spoke, "I have certainly learned a lot."


    The auctioneer sighed in relief as he commented, "That''s good. This should also stop you from thinking about hatching the egg."


    "You don''t need to worry about that," Hecathe reassured.


    It wasn''t like this auctioneer''s words were going to change Hecathe''s mind so the man really didn''t need to worry about it since it would be absolutely useless for him to try and advise Hecathe who had already made up his mind.


    "Sir, I hope you understand the consequences enough. There are a lot of people that had been confident when they thought they could deal with a Dorgon and most of them are no longer in this world," The auctioneer sighed.


    "Like The great Edler?" Hecathe asked with an amused smirk.


    "Eh?" The man blinked in surprise as he suddenly heard the name.


    "That man also tried and failed, didn''t he?" Hecathe chuckled as he questioned and from his tone alone, it could be sensed that he was somewhat mocking the man in his head.


    "The great Edler was a hero who had succumbed to the power of the great Dorgon," The man frowned as he stated, "How can he be compared to those who tried to control the Dorgon for their own selfish reasons...?!"


    "Then you''re saying the great Edler had no selfish reasons?" Hecathe''s smirk was nowhere to be seen on his face as he asked with an indecipherable expression.


    "H-He must have had a good reason!" The man exclaimed as he defended Alphius''s father.


    "I wonder..." Hecathe muttered but didn''t bother saying anything more as he felt that if he didn''t stop now, he would somehow end up offending this auctioneer who was clearly a fan of the great Edler.


    Hecathe stepped forward and knocked on the egg as he shifted the topic once again and asked, "Can this shell even be broken?"


    The auctioneer snapped out of his thoughts as he heard this question and stuttered as he responded, "I-it can be broken. You can just use a sharp knife to pierce through it."


    "That''s right!" The man exclaimed as he stepped forward towards the egg and added, "You have never cooked one of these before, have you, sir?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he answered, "I haven''t."


    "There is a special step that you must never skip when cooking a dorgon egg," The man beamed as he informed, "You have to first pierce the egg with a sword. Make sure that the sword can go all the way through and when you pull it out, there must be blood on it."


    "..."


    "Dorgon Egg is not exactly like other eggs so the Dorgon child sitting inside has already grown up to a state where it can fight. If you break the shell without killing the kid inside first then you might end up being dinner instead of cooking the Dorgon Egg as your dinner. You have to be careful," The man spoke as if he had seen the latter scenario happen with a previous customer.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a chuckle as if stating that he had understood the man.


    "After stabbing, you must wait for the egg to change color. Once it turns red, you can break the shell and cook the meat inside."


    ''Master, can you kill this lowly conceited human for me?'' The Dorgon asked with a ruthlessly cold voice and Hecathe couldn''t help but smile as he ignored the Dorgon that seemed to be planning a murder for the man who was instructing Hecathe on how to properly murder the Dorgon.

 Chapter 71 - The Greatest Legend?

    Once the man was done explaining the cooking procedure, Hecathe took the egg and got ready to leave, however, the auctioneer stopped him one last time as he spoke.


    "Sir, if you ever find those pure mutant beads again, you must not forget about us."


    "..."


    "Make sure to come here and sell it to us. We would be willing to give you a fair price for it."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard the man, "I would make sure that you''re the first one I come to if I find more."


    It wasn''t exactly a lie since Hecathe did plan on selling more mutant beads to this auction.


    The auctioneer smiled as he heard this response that didn''t sound like a lie simply said to make him feel assured.


    Hecathe was soon given a special carrier bag that worked much alike his pocket suitcase. Once the egg was placed inside it and he closed the bag, the bag shrunk down to a size that could easily be kept in his pocket.


    It seemed that the people in this auction house didn''t care if they were using Alphius''s creations.


    Hecathe didn''t waste any time as he immediately left the auction.


    "Master, where are we going now?" Although the egg was kept inside the small compressed bag, he could still talk, and naturally enough, only Hecathe was able to hear him.


    "To collect some money," Hecathe responded without bothering to explain any further.


    "Collecting money? Are you rich, Master?" The Dorgon asked and although the words chosen were polite, the way the Dorgon spoke them was far from polite.


    "Rich?" Hecathe repeated as he thought about the answer but instead of actually giving the Dorgon an answer, he asked back, "Does it matter if I''m rich or not?"


    "Of course, it does!" The Dorgon immediately exclaimed as he added, "Isn''t money the thing that rules your people?"


    "..."


    "You kill anything and everyone for some Lenix. The one who has money has more power and the one who doesn''t is considered weak in front of the powerful!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and commented, "You seem to know a lot about humans."


    The Dorgon sounded a bit proud as he stated, "I''m the great emperor! Knowing something so common is to be expected."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he found it a bit funny to hear an unborn Dorgon say something like this.


    "You''re right, money rules humans. It is another word for power. You can either be born with a unique powerful ability or you can be born with a lot of money. If you are fortunate enough to say that you have one of those things, you''ll be regarded as powerful."


    "Then are you powerful, Human?"


    You forgot to call me master," Hecathe pointed out as he once again dodged answering the question.


    "Then are you powerful, Master?" The Dorgon immediately changed his words and repeated the question.


    "What do you think?" Hecathe smirked as he asked back in turn.


    This time, the Dorgon seemed to be seriously thinking about the answer for a bit as he took his sweet time responding.


    "You can''t be ordinary."


    "Hmm?" Hecathe hummed as his lips curled up in a small smirk after hearing this response, "What makes you say that?"


    "You were able to save me so I''m sure that you are not an ordinary person," The Dorgon added as he explained his thoughts, "You are more confident than any human I''ve ever seen and there has to be a supporting base behind that confidence. If I had to guess then I would say that you are powerful. After all, I would never serve a weak human."


    Hecathe chuckled as he found this response a bit amusing.


    "I''m right, aren''t I?" The Dorgon questioned.


    "You''re right and wrong at the same time," Hecathe sighed as he responded, "My pockets are currently empty after paying for you.


    "..."


    "If money is power then I''m currently powerless," Hecathe admitted and the Dorgon was left thoroughly speechless after hearing this.


    "And even my powers," Hecathe continued as he added, "They are not my own. They belong to the owner of this body which was originally not me. So since even the powers are borrowers, it makes me completely useless, don''t you think?"


    The Dorgon took a minute to respond but when he finally did, Hecathe winced as he almost felt his ears bleed because of the loudness of the Dorgon''s voice.


    "You tricky Bastard! If you are powerless then why the hell do you go around showing off such confidence?! I''d have to be crazy to follow a weak human like you! Forget it! I''m calling our deal off! I''m not calling you Master anymore!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but laugh as he heard this, "You want to call our deal off?"


    "That''s right! You can just go to hell! Since you''ve saved me, I''ll be humble enough to let you leave with your body intact!"


    "Now you''re even threatening me?" Hecathe questioned with an amused tone that he was not even trying to hide, "In that case maybe I should really try using the cooking method that the auctioneer taught me."


    "..."


    "Even if I''m weak, it wouldn''t be hard to stab a Dorgon egg with a sword."


    "Master, why do you get offended so easily?" The Dorgon gulped as he turned polite and asked.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this change in tone and replied, "It doesn''t matter if I''m weak or powerful. In the end, I''ll be the one who wins. Do you know why?"


    "Why?"


    "Because I''m Hecathe Osborne and I refuse to lose!"


    The people who were walking around Hecathe on the street were clearly weirded out by this man that kept talking to himself and when they heard Hecathe announce something like this so confidently, they cautiously stepped away from him as they tried their best to keep their distance from such a madman.


    "Master... You know what you just sounded like?"


    "The greatest Legend to ever exist?" Hecathe asked with a smirk.


    "No," The Dorgon was quick to respond, "You sound Like the most dangerous villain to ever exist."


    "..."


    That sounded acceptable as well.


    Who said Villains can''t be legends?

 Chapter 72 - Unknown Sister?

    Hecathe took out a piece of paper from his pocket and finally made his way to the address of the restaurant that was written down on the paper.


    This paper had been given to him by Kelly who had instructed him to wait for her there while she somehow arranges the money needed in order to bribe him into joining their golden fire guild.


    Because Hecathe had made a stop at the black market, it was only natural that he was late, and instead of him waiting for the woman, the situation reversed itself and it was Kelly who was forced to wait for him at the restaurant.


    "You''re finally here?" Kelly sighed as she questioned when she saw the man approaching her table, "I told you to wait here, didn''t I? Where did you run off to?"


    Hecathe pulled a chair for himself and casually took a seat in front of the woman as he replied, "I am yet to join the guild so you''re not my boss currently. I am not obliged to do everything you tell me to."


    "..." Kelly glared at the man as she heard this and it was clear that she didn''t enjoy Hecathe''s rudeness.


    "Did you bring the money?" Hecathe was never a person who liked to beat around the bush so he got to the point and asked straightforwardly.


    Kelly sighed as she picked up a heavy bag and placed it on the table along with some papers, "The money is here. You can count if you don''t trust me."


    Hecathe smiled as he shook his head and picked up the bag, "I trust you so I won''t bother counting."


    The reason why he was not counting was most likely because he just found it troublesome and not because he trusted her but he would naturally not tell her that.


    "And what is this?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the papers that had been presented in front of him.


    "The guild joining form. Since I''m already here, might as well have you fill it out in front of me."


    "Is that so?" Hecathe was a bit amused to hear the woman, "It seems that you don''t trust me."


    "You just asked me to pay you two million just for you to join our guild. I would naturally not trust you."


    The more Hecathe heard this woman speaking, the more he felt that she was really like him. She was also a brutally honest person who would never bother beating around the bush.


    Hecathe smirked as he commented, "I have a feeling that we''ll be getting along really well."


    Kelly couldn''t help but let out a dry chuckle as she heard this, "You think so? Well, I hope you''re correct cause if we don''t get along well, I might just end up killing you by mistake."


    "Just to remind you, I really hate people who threaten me," Hecathe responded with a small smile.


    "..."


    ''Master, is she your sister?'' The Dorgon questioned and Hecathe didn''t bother giving him a response since he didn''t want Kelly to know about the Dorgon egg, ''You''re both grumpy and ruthless.''


    Hecathe smiled as he heard the last part and almost wanted to say something to that but he tried his best to not respond to the Dorgon.


    "I just fill in these details and sign, right?" Hecathe took the papers and skimmed over them, reading only the important parts before he asked.


    Kelly nodded her head as a response and Hecathe immediately filled out the name, age, and other details required before signing with his original signature that he used back in his real world.


    He gave the papers over to the woman but instead of letting him leave right away, Kelly silently gestured for him to wait as she read all the information that he had filled out.


    "Hmm," She blinked as she saw something that she found a bit hard to believe.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked when he saw the woman glancing at him with suspicion.


    "Do you seriously expect me to believe this?" The woman asked with a cold emotionless tone as she glared at him and showed him the papers.


    "What?" Hecathe frowned as he looked at the detail that was being pointed out.


    He had surely answered all the asked questions truthfully so he wasn''t really sure what the woman was talking about.


    "You''re trying to tell me you''re twenty-nine years old?" Kelly questioned in disbelief, making it clear on her face that she was not willing to accept this bullsh*t.


    "Ah..." Hecathe muttered as he realized that he had been a bit too truthful while filling this form.


    Hecathe in his real-world was truly twenty-nine years old but in this world, he was forced to take the body of a seventeen-year-old teenager.


    "How old are you?" Kelly asked as she clicked her tongue.


    "It seems that I''m seventeen," Hecathe responded as he shrugged his shoulder and the woman rolled her eyes as she picked up the pen and corrected the age written.


    "Is there anything else you lied about?" Kelly asked coldly without even bothering to look at him as her eyes remained glued to the filled-out form.


    "You can rest assured that the other details are all accurate," Hecathe responded confidently with a small smile.


    "Then I''ll take your word for it," Kelly suddenly stood up from her seat as she folded the paper and kept it away in the pocket of her jacket, "Once your form has passed we''ll contact you again and you can officially start working as a member of our Golden fire."


    Hecathe sighed as he patted his thigh and stood up, "Sounds good to me."


    "Then I''ll be leaving first. I have a lot of work left to do." The woman informed as she bowed her head and without even waiting for Hecathe''s response, she left the place.


    "Master, are you sure she''s not your sister?" The Dorgon questioned once again as soon as Kelly was out of sight.


    "Who knows?" Hecathe sighed as he shrugged his shoulder and walked out of the restaurant before grabbing the bag that had been handed over by Kelly.


    "...."

 Chapter 73 - Home.

    "Where are we going next?" The Dorgon sounded excited as he asked.


    "Home," Hecathe responded as he yawned, "That''s it for today. I''m tired and I need to rest."


    "Eh?" The Dorgon was a bit taken back by this response, "You''re tired after just that?! How are you humans so weak?!"


    "Aren''t you glad I don''t have enough energy to cook you?"


    "..."


    "Let''s go back and you figure out a way to get out of there fast while I take a rest."


    "Huh? Get out of what?"


    "The egg," Hecathe responded without missing a beat.


    "Do you think I''m in here because I want to?! I can''t get out before properly hatching!" The Dorgon retorted.


    "Then figure out a way to properly hatch."


    The Dorgon was speechless for a minute but it wasn''t because he had nothing to say, rather it was because the Dorgon had a bit too much to say to that.


    "You don''t expect me to wait around for you to properly complete your incubation period, do you?" Hecathe questioned as he clicked his tongue.


    "You''re bullying me!" The Dorgon retorted and Hecathe chuckled in turn.


    "Do you think I care?"


    "..."


    "By the time I wake up, if you''re not out of that thing, I''m forcing you to come out."


    "You arrogant human, are you not even afraid of me?! This shell is the only thing keeping me from attacking you!"


    Hecathe smirked as he heard those amusing words, "You''re wrong. The shell is not the thing keeping you from attacking me, it''s the only thing keeping me from cooking you."


    "Master, I was just kidding," The Dorgon chuckled awkwardly with a completely different, more polite tone.


    "Well, in that case, we need to work on your sense of humor," Hecathe stated with a sigh and the Dorgon was left cursing Hecathe in his mind.


    Thankfully enough, Hecathe had made sure to memorize the way back to that apartment so after walking for at least more than fifteen minutes, he was able to see the apartment that looked nothing less than an abandoned old building that was near to being demolished.


    "Master, aren''t you supposed to be going back home? Why are you in this abandoned creepy place?" It was the first thing the Dorgon had asked as soon as they reached the apartment.


    "This abandoned creepy place is going to be your home from now on," Hecathe informed without any sense of hesitation.


    The Dorgon gulped, "Master, the more I think about it, the more I wonder..."


    "Isn''t wondering and thinking the same thing?" Hecathe asked with a frown but was ignored by the Dorgon that continued talking.


    "How were you even able to afford saving me?! If you live in a place like this, even with all your savings combined, you would still not even have enough to feed me!"


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he immediately asked, "Do you eat a lot?"


    "I''m a Dorgon! Do you expect me to eat air?! Of course, I eat a lot! If I don''t get proper nutrition, I might never grow up to my full potential!" The Dorgon cried out with a bit of worry.


    "Is that so?" Hecathe muttered as he thought about it seriously and spoke, "Then you''ll have to be in charge of your own food once you''re out of this shell."


    "..."


    "I saved you. Don''t expect me to become your father," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he walked inside the apartment through the front entrance that need not even be closed since the door was broken and had still not been repaired.


    "You should be careful of what you say, Master," The Dorgon spoke in a menacing tone, "You tell me to find my own food but what if I actually listen to you and start hunting humans for food tomorrow?"


    "You''d do that?" Hecathe chuckled as he heard this stupid threat.


    "I am the great emperor! I can certainly do anything I like!"


    "Then go right ahead."


    "..."


    "I don''t care what you or who you eat. Just make sure that you don''t go around hunting people who are useful to me. If you do that then you''ll be the one roasted and plated."


    "So heartless..." Even the Dorgon was taken aback by Hecathe''s words that lacked any emotions, "Don''t you even feel empathy for your own species?! You, humans, are really the worst selfish creatures!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he responded, "I was just joking. It''s not even like you''ll ever go hunting for human meat. Isn''t Human meat considered to be really disgusting for you?"


    "Even if it is disgusting, we can still digest it pretty well!" The Dorgon defended himself before he suspiciously questioned, "Are you really sure that you were kidding?"


    "I was," Hecathe nodded as he confirmed it and added, "You can''t hunt humans unless I order you to. If you kill someone without my permission, I''m roasting you for dinner."


    "Master... Please stop with the roasting threat," The Dorgon muttered and Hecathe could even imagine the little Dorgon crying at any given moment now because of all the teasing.


    "You''re the one that is trying to get cooked," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he commented and before the Dorgon could say anything in turn, they were suddenly interrupted by a familiar female voice.


    "Who are you talking to?"


    Hecathe''s muscles tensed up as he looked around in the dark corridor to spot the woman who had asked him this question.


    "Landlady?" He questioned with a frown as he failed to see her.


    "It''s me," The woman confirmed as she suddenly popped up in front of him, hanging upside down from the ceiling.


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he closed his eyes and pursed his lips.


    "You really have to stop trying to scare me like that."


    "So did you get in?" The woman asked enthusiastically as she ignored his words.


    "Get in what?"


    "The guild!" The woman exclaimed.


    "I filled the form and I can join them soon," Hecathe sighed as he informed.


    "Whoa!" The woman sounded surprised as she exclaimed, "You''re really something, aren''t you?!"

 Chapter 74 - The Rare Exceptions

    It wasn''t often when the guild actively took in members so it was truly a bit surprising that Hecathe had managed to impress them with a single mission.


    If Hecathe were to tell her how he had impressed them or if he were to say anything about the deal he had with Kelly, the woman would probably faint from the shock. Perhaps because of this, Hecathe decided not to explain anything in detail, or maybe he was just not bothered enough to narrate the whole incident to the woman.


    "Didn''t you trust me when you gave me the job?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the woman as he questioned.


    The landlady chuckled as she immediately responded, "Of course, I had faith in you! Isn''t that why I''m willing to let you stay here?"


    Hecathe didn''t look to be very impressed as he heard this but he would naturally not comment on this topic.


    "Since you''ve already gotten the answer you were looking for, may I go now?" Hecathe sighed as he asked.


    "You must be tired!" The woman exclaimed and her face was full of smiles, showing that she was clearly happy to hear that Hecathe had managed to enter the guild.


    "Good night," Hecathe smiled as he wished the woman and turned to head up the stairs, towards his own room.


    "Master, who was she?" The Dorgon immediately asked once they were out of the woman''s sight.


    "She''s the landlady," Hecathe answered before questioning, "Why are you asking?"


    "She has eight legs," The Dorgon responded, pointing out the obvious that Hecathe was already aware of, however, Hecathe still couldn''t help but laugh as he heard the Dorgon''s amused tone.


    "Master, what is she?"


    "I don''t know. Probably something between a human and a mutant," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he opened the door to his room and entered inside before closing the door after him.


    "All humans are exposed to Zelium here and once they are injected with that stuff, there are three common outcomes. They either become a mage after developing an ability, become a mutant who is no longer treated like a human, or have no reaction at all," Hecathe added as he informed.


    "But she doesn''t fit in any of those categories," The Dorgon pointed out in confusion.


    "That''s right," Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "Because the results mentioned are the most common ones, but this doesn''t mean that it would necessarily have to be one of those. In rare cases, the results are completely unpredictable."


    The Dorgon scoffed as he heard this, "Then she is the one to blame for injecting that stuff."


    Hecathe chuckled as if he had heard something amusing, "I thought you were the all-knowing Dorgon. How come you don''t know this?"


    "..."


    "In this world, it is important to inject yourself with Zelium," Hecathe sighed as he explained, "Since birth, every human is exposed to a natural zelium that is present inside their body. If they don''t inject themselves with Zelium after birth, there is a good chance that they might die before even reaching the age of twenty. The Zelium inside their body, in that case, would turn into a poison that would shorten their lifespan."


    Back in his real world, there was certainly someone who had tried to inject Zelium into his body, but the result was death. Now that Hecathe knew such a thing about Zelium after coming to this world, he could understand why people died after injecting Zelium in his real world. It was because they didn''t have that natural Zelium inside their bodies so the injected Zelium acted against their system.


    The Dorgon was quite shocked as he heard this and the only thing he could say as a response was, "You humans are so weak...!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head and agreed with the Dorgon, "Humans are certainly weak, but since you''re born as a Dorgon, you would never be able to relate."


    "Of course, I won''t!" The Dorgon breathed out with confidence, "We were born stronger and superior! How can you even compare our species to humans?!"


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this expected response, "Then I wonder why such a superior strong species was able to be captured so easily by a weak human?"


    "..."


    "You were even thought as breakfast," Hecathe added with a chuckle as he still found it a bit funny.


    "I''m not talking to you anymore!" The Dorgon retorted angrily as if it had been wronged and Hecathe only laughed in response.


    Hecathe took out the compressed bag from his pocket and placed it on a table as he opened it and took out the egg.


    Now that he took a closer look at the egg, he couldn''t help but feel that it looked really different from any ordinary egg he had ever seen. It was a lot bigger in size than an ostrich egg and had a really unique color. It was surely white but at times, it would reflect a blue hue that added to a more mystical look.


    The shell was quite hard and would surely only be able to be broken by force.


    Hecathe sighed as he crumpled up some clothes and placed the egg on top of it, thinking that it would prevent the egg from rolling off of the table.


    "I''m gonna take a good rest now," Hecathe sighed as he informed, "By the time I''m awake, you better be out of there. You hear me?"


    "..." The Dorgon was silent, making it seem as if the creature was still angry at Hecathe for teasing him a bit too much.


    Hecathe chuckled as he patted the egg and spoke, "If you don''t even give me a hum, I''m cooking you before going to bed."


    "Yes, Master," The Dorgon didn''t sound happy at all  but he did sound a bit intimidated as he answered.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he stood up and took off the mask and cloak before throwing it aside and changing his clothes into something more comfortable. He sighed as he looked around the room and noticed the dirt that had piled up in this place.


    Someone needed to clean it, but Hecathe was sure that he would definitely not be that someone.

 Chapter 75 - Cant Get Out

    Thankfully there was a bed in the room and there was a mattress on it as well.


    Hecathe patted the mattress once and dust immediately rose up, filling the air and making him cough, but this was to be expected and Hecathe only covered his mouth as he patted the mattress a few more times and got rid of all the dust before covering it with a clean bedsheet and laying down on top of it to get some good sleep.


    Even back in his real world, Hecathe was a person who didn''t consider sleep as a priority. If he had work that needed to be done then he would give his work priority and only slept when there was nothing left for him to do.


    This kind of habit was obviously bad for his health and he knew this well enough, however, it still didn''t stop him.


    Once his head hit the pillow, he was completely out and didn''t even wake up when the Dorgon called him numerous times with the intention of annoying him in his sleep.


    Just as Hecathe had instructed the Dorgon, the little Dorgon tried his best to get out of the shell but it was impossible for him to crack it and even when morning came around with the sun shining above, he was still stuck inside the shell.


    "He''s going to be mad," The Dorgon muttered with a sigh as he predicted the future.


    Hecathe had only given him one job for the time being which was to get out of this eggshell and he wasn''t even able to complete that one job so it was only natural that he thought Hecathe would be mad once he wakes up.


    Dorgons were not creatures that were born with fear, however, this Dorgon child would certainly be lying if he said that he wasn''t afraid to know what Hecathe would plan to do once he finds out that the Dorgon hadn''t managed to get out of the egg.


    The Dorgon prayed for Hecathe not to wake up but it seemed that the heavens really had no pity for this Dorgon. As soon as the prayer was said, Hecathe immediately opened his eyes and looked around before rubbing his eyes and taking his time as he stretched and woke up.


    The Dorgon gulped in worry and went completely silent as he changed his prayer and now prayed for Hecathe to not notice him at all.


    "You''re still not out of there?" Hecathe yawned as he questioned and the Dorgon had the sudden urge to curse the heavens for hating him so much.


    "Master, good morning," The Dorgon greeted with a delighted tone and Hecathe frowned as he stood up from his place and looked at the egg that was still kept on the table.


    "I never understood why people eat eggs in the morning," Hecathe commented randomly and the Dorgon was left shocked and confused as he had trouble understanding what Hecathe wanted to say.


    "I hope you''re not a morning-egg person," The Dorgon chuckled awkwardly as he responded cautiously.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this and leisurely stretched his body without bothering to give the Dorgon a response.


    After he was done stretching, he took out the toothbrush and paste that was kept in the suitcase and headed to the bathroom.


    Once Hecathe was inside the bathroom, the Dorgon immediately started struggling as he tried his best to get out of the shell but the shell was too hard and strong.


    Although Dorgons were powerful creatures that had strength in their developing body that was trapped inside their eggs, the biggest challenge for them was still breaking out of those eggshells.


    A Dorgon egg was strong. So strong that it would probably not even be cracked if you dropped it from the rooftop of a four-storeyed building.


    The reason why most people didn''t know the incubation period of a Dorgon egg was mostly because there was no specific set incubation time period.


    The incubation period could last from anywhere between two weeks to an entire month or even a year depending upon the individual Dorgon.


    The Dorgon inside the egg only took two weeks to mature to a stage where it could come out of the egg but the little Dorgon would not be able to immediately come out since it lacked the power at that point in time.


    The way to decide if the Dorgon was ready to come out to the world was a test and this test was done with the help of this hard shell.


    If a Dorgon managed to come out on his own by breaking the shell, it could be said that the Dorgon was ready to come out and experience life, however, if the Dorgon was unable to break the shell on time, it was said that the Dorgon was still immature and weak.


    It took Hecathe about half an hour to brush his teeth, take a shower, and get changed, however, even in that half an hour, the Dorgon was unable to break the shell.


    When Hecathe came out of the bathroom, the egg went still once again as the Dorgon inside froze in fear of what the man might do.


    "You''re still not out?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned once again and the Dorgon gulped as he didn''t dare give the man an answer.


    Luckily enough, it didn''t look like the man was waiting for an answer either.


    Hecathe sighed as he made his way to the door and left the room.


    The Dorgon was left speechless and confused in the room whereas Hecathe casually went down to get himself breakfast.


    "Oh, dear!" The Landlady smiled as she saw the man coming down the stairs, "You woke up early."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "I have a habit of waking up early."


    He was certainly not lying.


    Back in his real world, he had an alarm that was set for the same time every day and with time, even without the alarm clock ringing, it became Hecathe''s habit to wake up at exactly around 6:30. The only times he didn''t wake up were times when he would be having a nice long dream from which he didn''t want to part.


    "Do you have a knife?" Hecathe asked as if it was completely a normal question for someone to ask once they woke up.

 Chapter 76 - Murder?!

    "Whose murder are you planning first thing in the morning?" The woman asked and she didn''t sound like she was joking as she sighed, however, Hecathe still laughed as he heard her


    "There is someone who seems to be very eager to get killed by me," Hecathe spoke up with an amused tone as he informed, "But you don''t know him. He''s trapped in what appears to be an eggshell."


    The woman frowned as she heard this answer that had only managed to make her more concerned about her new tenant.


    "Is that a metaphor?" She asked in worry but Hecathe shook his head as a response.


    "Don''t worry about it. I don''t plan on murdering anyone today," Hecathe added with a chuckle as he clearly noticed the worry reflected on her face.


    Her eyes narrowed down on the man and she didn''t look to be very convinced however she still went into the kitchen and brought back a knife for Hecathe.


    Hecathe smiled as he grabbed the knife and thanked the women before turning and walking back up the stairs.


    The landlady couldn''t help but be even more worried as she saw this.


    "Does he plan on murdering the other tenant?" She muttered under her breath as she questioned but there was naturally nobody there to give her a definite answer.


    Just when she thought Hecathe had left, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.


    "What''s for breakfast, by the way?" Hecathe questioned urgently making it seem as if the reason why he urgently turned around and came back down was to simply ask this question.


    The woman gulped and blinked in surprise as she took a minute to respond, "Breakfast would be served soon... Do you have anything special that you would like to eat?"


    Hecathe smiled as he heard that latter question, "Chicken sandwiches, please."


    The landlady was a bit surprised to hear this since there weren''t many people that would like to eat chicken sandwiches in the morning itself but she still smiled as she nodded in understanding and responded, "Got it. I''ll make some delicious chicken sandwiches for you."


    "Then I''ll thank you for it," Hecathe nodded as he turned around once again and headed up the stairs, back to his room.


    "You seem to be getting along well with him," It was Zail who commented as he saw this entire exchange.


    The landlady turned to look at him and chuckled as she nodded her head, "Of course we have to get along well. If you need to get something out of someone, you need to first treat them right so that they can trust you."


    "To get something out?" Zail repeated the woman''s words as his misunderstanding of the situation deepened.


    For him, it sounded as if this woman was deeply in love with Hecathe and would do anything to get him.


    Such determination... He kinda admired it.


    "Do you want chicken sandwiches as well?" The woman asked him and Zail thought about it for a minute before sighing.


    "Just make me the everyday breakfast. It won''t be special anymore if you make it for everyone." Zail mutter the latter half under his breath, however, the woman was still able to hear it, but although she heard it, she was unable to understand the meaning behind it.


    "Okay," The landlady tilted her head in confusion before nodding as she responded in understanding.


    "And remember that I''ll always be here to help you," Zail added with a determined tone and the landlady blinked in confusion.


    .


    .


    .


    Hecathe went back to his room with a knife in hand.


    After hearing the auctioneer explain the first step in cooking the egg, the Dorgon inside was thoroughly scared to suddenly see Hecathe approaching him with a knife.


    "M-Master, please don''t be impulsive! Let''s think of a way out of this together!" The Dorgon immediately spoke up with a terrified tone.


    "No need," Hecathe sharply responded in turn, "I''ve already thought about it."


    "Master, you''re going to regret it!" The Dorgon cried out in worry, however, it sounded somewhat threatening.


    "I don''t like being threatened. Haven''t I already told you that?" Hecathe questioned with a frown on his face as he raised the knife higher and positioned himself in front of the egg with the intention to break it.


    "Master! Please spare me!" The Dorgon cried out, pleading for Hecathe to have some mercy but Hecathe only blinked in confusion as he wondered what this Dorgon was thinking about.


    Before the Dorgon could say anything more, Hecathe took a sharp breath in and used his strength to use the knife on the shell.


    The Dorgon was sure that he was probably going to die today, however, what came next was truly an unexpected surprise for him.


    Hecathe controlled the strength he used and when the knife pierced the outer shell, Hecathe stopped himself from pushing any deeper.


    "Eh?" The Dorgon was panting heavily as he muttered in confusion.


    "Now there is a hole. It might be easier for you to get out," Hecathe spoke up as he retreated the knife ad threw it aside on the table.


    The Dorgon was confused and shocked at first so it was only natural that the creature didn''t dare move even after hearing this.


    "What is it?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned, "Do you want me to do everything for you? This is all I''m helping you with. You better do the rest on your own."


    "..."


    "Didn''t I say I wanted you out of there by today? Did you think I was joking?" Hecathe added as he sharply questioned.


    The Dorgon gulped as he felt a little relieved that he was still alive.


    "Yes, Master!" The little Dorgon exclaimed immediately as he moved around a little and once again tried to come out of the eggshell.


    Hecathe sighed as he walked over towards his suitcase and took out Alphius''s diary.


    He leisurely sat down in front of the table and opened the diary to an empty page before taking out a pen and writing down everything that had happened yesterday.

 Chapter 77 - Betrayal Is Not An Option.

    Although the Dorgon wasn''t able to break out of the eggshell throughout the whole night, at this moment, thanks to Hecathe, there was a small hole on the surface of the shell which made it easier for the Dorgon to break the rest of the eggshell.


    The Dorgon immediately used all his strength to push through the shell and after a few minutes, the shell was completely broken and the Dorgon could step out of it.


    "Master, look! I did it!" The Little Dorgon exclaimed and looked to be really happy as he jumped around in joy.


    Hecathe looked up at the creature that was already as big as his arm and his eyes narrowed down with great interest as he pondered over something.


    Hecathe had read about Dorgons in Alphius''s records, however, he had never seen one so it was only natural that he was a bit surprised to see this creature for the first time. He didn''t really hold any expectations on how the creature would look but shockingly enough, this creature looked oddly alike to the dragons that existed in the western fairytales and animations.


    "Master! Master! Master! Look!" Just like any other kid in the world, this Dorgon child was also hyperactive as it ran and hoped all over the room.


    "Don''t break anything," Hecathe spoke up as he warned but the Dorgon was no longer afraid of Hecathe''s voice.


    When he was still inside the egg, he was vulnerable, but now that the Dorgon was out of the Eggshell, he would naturally not fear the dumb human that had saved him.


    "Sit down," Hecathe spoke as he gestured in front of him.


    The Dorgon stopped jumping around and quietly walked over towards Hecathe as he heard the man.


    "Are you excited?" Hecathe asked a question that had an obvious answer.


    "Of course!" The Dorgon proudly responded, "For us Dorgons to come out of their egg, it''s a thing to celebrate!"


    "Then let me see you make use of that enthusiasm," Hecathe smirked as he stood up and spoke.


    "Eh?"


    "I''ll go down for breakfast and by the time I return, you clean the room."


    "..." The Dorgon was left speechless as he stared back at Hecathe in shock.


    To make a Dorgon clean his room... This man certainly didn''t fear death!


    Hecathe casually picked up the knife from the table as he added, "I also need to return this."


    "Master, I don''t know how to clean," The Dorgon spoke as it tried to change Hecathe''s mind on letting the little Dorgon clean his room.


    "Then it''s a good time for you to start learning"


    "..."


    Hecathe smirked as he turned his back on the Dorgon and headed for the door, however, this time, the Dorgon didn''t really look to be obedient.


    As soon as the creature saw Hecathe showing his back to him, he got ready to attack the man.


    To make a Dorgon obey him, even Alphius didn''t have such a power so how could Hecathe hope to have it?


    The Dorgon was quick on his feet as he jumped up with his mouth wide open, ready to chomp at Hecathe''s head, however, Hecathe seemed to have already anticipated this attack.


    With a smirk on his face, Hecathe held up the knife and glanced back to position the knife at the creature''s neck.


    "Didn''t you say you weren''t going to betray me?" Hecathe asked with a small wicked smirk that managed to make the Dorgon feel a bit intimidated.


    "H-How...?!" The Dorgon was left shocked by Hecathe''s reflexes.


    Dorgon''s were known for their power and speed. If you showed a Dorgon your back and the Dorgon decided to attack you, there was no way you would be able to escape from it.


    "I''m your master, do you think your master is just a normal man?" Hecathe asked with a smirk, making it almost seem as if he was both informing and warning the Dorgon.


    The Dorgon gulped and backed down as he understood Hecathe.


    "You''ve tried once and failed but I don''t hope to see you pulling such stunts again," Hecathe eye''s looked to be glaring with darkness in them that could not be ignored. His voice sounded even more deeper which managed to make the Dorgon feel the power that this seemingly powerless man held.


    "Yes, Master," The Dorgon bowed his head docilely as if he was willing to behave properly from now on.


    "Good," Hecathe nodded in satisfaction as he saw this response, "Now get to work and clean."


    "..."


    The great Edler could not control a Dorgon and his son, Alphius could not control a Dorgon either, but Hecathe was different from those two.


    He would also not be able to control an adult Dorgon, but he could always teach a Dorgon to be obedient by molding him in that way from birth.


    For a Dorgon to be obedient when it grows up, Hecathe needed to instill fear from a really early age onwards. He needed to make sure that the Dorgon understood who the Master is and who the one being raised by that Master is.


    Unluckily for the Dorgon and Luckily for Hecathe, the best person to control a Dorgon was perhaps Hecathe himself.


    There could really be nobody else who would be better at instilling fear and having a confident controlling demeanor.


    ''Born to be a leader.''


    This was a statement that many had connected with the Zelium Legend, Hecathe Osborne.


    Hecathe smiled as he saw the Dorgon turning back and getting to work obediently.


    He didn''t actually mean it when he asked the Dorgon to clean his room nor did he think that the Dorgon would actually do it, but now that the Dorgon was readily cleaning the room, Hecathe naturally didn''t want to say anything and he simply let the creature do this one job that Hecathe would no longer have to worry about.


    Hecathe was now in a better mood and he turned as he headed out the door and went down to the dining room to get himself the breakfast that he had asked the landlady to cook for him.

 Chapter 78 - The Homeless Boy Who Found A Home

    "You''re back so soon?" The woman was a bit shocked to see Hecathe coming down the stairs for the third time.


    "I''m here to return the knife and also for the breakfast," Hecathe informed and there was no longer that coldness evident in his tone that he had showed to the Dorgon just a few minutes ago.


    "Ah! There''s no blood on it. Turns out you really weren''t planning a murder," The woman muttered as she looked down at the clean knife that had been returned, "But it''s... Bent?"


    "Sorry about that," Hecathe apologized as he placed the knife down on the table and took a seat.


    "Oh, dear! What did you use it for? This knife is usually strong and can even cut through a rock without any problems," The woman informed with a bit of surprise as she asked, "What were you cutting."


    "An egg," Hecathe answered honestly and casually as if this answer was normal.


    "An egg...?" The woman tilted her head in confusion as she repeated the answer and took a minute to process it through her brain.


    "You''re joking, right?" It was the voice of Zail who was sitting right beside Hecathe but had his presence completely ignored by the man.


    "Not really joking," Hecathe replied as he shrugged his shoulder.


    "..."


    The woman chuckled as she heard him and recovered from her confusion, "Then the egg must have been special."


    "You could say that," Hecathe nodded his head as he responded after thinking about it for a second.


    The woman smiled as she nodded and got back to cooking the chicken sandwiches that Hecathe had asked her to make.


    Zail suddenly felt as if he was the only one here who couldn''t understand this situation.


    Was it normal for a person to bend a knife by mistake while breaking an egg...?


    It was definitely not normal, right?!


    "Here is yours," The woman announced as she placed a bowl of soup in front of Zail.


    Zail bowed his head with a smile, "Thank you, Aunt."


    The Landlady smiled as she heard the man thanking her for the food and she got back to making the sandwiches for Hecathe.


    "I''ve been meaning to ask this but how did you two come to know each other?" Hecathe asked as he leaned in forward with his chin resting on his palm.


    "It''s a long story," Zail spoke as he joined his hands and did a little prayer before picking up the spoon to drink the soup that the woman had prepared for him.


    "Then shorten it for me," Hecathe responded.


    The Landlady chuckled as she heard this and spoke up, "It must have been at least ten years ago."


    Zail nodded his head as he confirmed the woman''s words, "That''s right. It''s been a bit more than ten years."


    "At that time, this place wasn''t this empty, but I didn''t have a lot of people living here either. One day I opened the front door to go out and collect the morning newspaper but who could have expected there to be a little thief sitting there reading my newspaper."


    Zail chuckled as he heard this and defended himself, "I wasn''t a thief. I was searching for a job in the newspaper."


    The landlady nodded her head with a small laugh but said nothing further about that as she continued, "I asked him what he was doing in front of my apartment and he said he was looking for a place to live. It was shocking to see such a young boy looking for a place. Too young with no money on his hands."


    "So you gave him a place to live?" Hecathe asked as he guessed what would happen next in this story.


    The woman shook her head as she informed, "That''s not it. Why would I let him live here for free?"


    "..."


    "She asked me if I had money," Zail drank the soup as he spoke, "I was broke and couldn''t even afford breakfast so the answer to her question was to be expected."


    "I kicked him out and closed the door on him," The woman added with a chuckled as she reminisced about the past, "But the next day, I opened the door and found him there. Sitting like a lost puppy that had been kicked out of his home."


    Zail looked to be a little embarrassed as he heard this.


    "So I took some pity on the poor boy and gave him a job."


    "A job?" Hecathe repeated as he waited for the woman to explain further.


    "It was horrible," Zail muttered as he shivered at the mere thought of the job that he had got.


    "I asked him to clean all the bathrooms from top to bottom," The woman beamed and Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    Considering the fact that this all happened ten years ago, Hecathe could guess that Zail was probably just twelve years old at that time.


    To make a hungry homeless twelve-year-old do all that work... This landlady was certainly cold-hearted even back then.


    "But this brat couldn''t even do it," The woman clicked her tongue as she added, "He passed out after cleaning just a few bathrooms."


    "I hadn''t eaten in four days," Zail defended himself as he spoke up, "It was to be expected. How much work do you expect a hungry child to do?"


    The woman chuckled as she heard the man and nodded her head as she agreed with him, "I was a bit harsh but at the end of the day, I was too kind."


    "So you took him in after that?" Hecathe asked as he once again guessed what might have happened next in the story.


    The woman shook her head as she informed him that he had guessed it wrong once again, "I didn''t."


    "She''s not that kind," Zail clicked his tongue as he replied honestly.


    "I fed him and gave him a place to sleep for the night before throwing him out."


    "She told me that I could only come back if I got a job for myself," Zail continued as he completed the story and Hecathe was left thinking that maybe he had overestimated this woman''s kind nature.


    She was... Definitely not as kind as she appeared to be....

 Chapter 79 - The Ones Who Came Last Night

    "After that, I got a job at a shop and started earning money," Zail sighed as he remembered the times when he was at his lowest point in life, "I came back saying that I got a job, and only then did she decide to take me in."


    "We had a lot of empty rooms left so I gave him a place to live and fed him three meals a day as well," The woman added with a chuckle, "Of course, he had to pay for it all."


    "That''s... A touching story," Hecathe commented but he didn''t look to be really touched at all.


    "So you don''t have to worry about anything," Zail gathered up the courage to pat Hecathe''s back as he reassured the man, "I''m more like a son to her and she''s like a mother to me."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion as he heard this and failed to understand what the man was trying to tell him.


    In Zail''s head, he was trying to make a clear understanding that he and this landlady would never have anything going on in between them so if Hecathe wanted to date the woman, he was more than free to, but of course, Hecathe, who had no understanding of how deep of a misunderstanding had been created in Zail''s mind, would naturally not know what was going on inside this man''s head.


    "It''s done," The Landlady announced as she placed a plate in front of Hecathe that was filled with two chicken sandwiches, "Just as you ordered. If you want more, just ask, okay?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as his eyes lit up, "It''s my habit to eat chicken sandwiches every morning so thank you for going through the trouble."


    The woman chuckled as she heard the man being so polite, "It was no trouble. Since it''s your habit, I can make it for you every day, and to show your gratitude, you can work hard and do the thing I told you to do."


    Hecathe smiled as he picked up the chicken sandwich and happily took a bite out of it.


    Surprisingly enough, the taste wasn''t bad at all and it was a lot like the chicken sandwiches that his mother used to cook for him.


    "Do you like it?" The woman sat on the seat opposite to him and leaned in, resting her chin on her palm as she asked.


    Hecathe took another bite out of the sandwich as he nodded his head and honestly responded, "I love it. Thank you."


    The landlady looked to be happy as she heard this and Zail''s face cringed up as he saw her blushing cheeks.


    Of course, he knew that she would be happy to see that the food she cooked was liked by the person she was crushing on, however, Zail was still a bit unused to it and when he looked at Hecathe, all he could see was a boy that was younger than him so it was only natural for him to feel a little weirded out by the fact that his aunt was crushing on this boy.


    "By the way, did you find anything about Alphius?" The woman suddenly asked and Hecathe choked on the chicken sandwich that he had been happily munching on.


    "Eh?!"


    The woman handed over a glass of water and Hecathe quietly drank it as he looked at the woman and waited for her to explain her question.


    "You were here in search of information about him, weren''t you?" The woman tilted her head as she asked innocently, "Yesterday I heard some news that he went missing."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard the woman and he put the sandwich down as he looked at her and asked, "You heard about it? So fast?"


    The woman nodded her head as she responded without bothering to hide anything, "You were probably sleeping so you don''t know but some mecha-suits came and asked around about him. They went to every door and knocked, waking us all up for any information on him."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this.


    "Wait! You know Alphius?!" Zail snapped his head as he stared at Hecathe in shock and questioned.


    Hecathe sighed with a nod as he replied, "You can say that I kind of do."


    "Oh... Wow...!" Zail muttered in awe as he kept his eyes on Hecathe, "So that was why you were so pressed when I talked about him."


    "You didn''t talk about him, you badmouthed him. There is a difference," Hecathe picked up the glass of water and drank as he corrected the man.


    "Did they go back?" Hecathe asked, trying to sound casual as he glanced back at the woman.


    "Since there was no information here, they naturally went back," The woman answered as she pondered over something.


    Before Hecathe could sigh in relief, he heard the woman continuing.


    "But someone else came instead."


    "Eh?" Hecathe frowned as he asked, "Who?"


    "The ones working for the three willows of spring," The woman answered and looked around to make sure that there wasn''t anyone else there to eavedrop on their conversation before she leaned in closer and spoke in a volume that was barely above a whisper, "There were three of them and there was no doubting it."


    "Were they here for Alphius as well?" Hecathe asked as he tried to hide his worries.


    The woman shook her head as she responded, "No, they were not here for him."


    Hecathe was even more confused to hear this so he didn''t say anything and simply waited for the woman to explain her own words.


    "They were here for the other tenant," The woman pointed up as she spoke.


    "That one?" Zail looked to be interested as he cautiously glanced up and muttered.


    "Huh? They were not here for Alphius?" Hecathe asked with a frown on his face.


    "Would you have liked it if they were here for Alphius?" The Landlady''s lips curled up in a thin smile as she asked and Hecathe pursed his lips as he shook his head.


    "It would be better if they weren''t here for him."


    "Then you''d be glad to know that they were only here for the other tenant and said nothing about Alphius," The woman informed with a chuckle.

 Chapter 80 - He Left

    "Where is he?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the woman.


    "The tenant?" The woman tilted her head in confusion as she asked.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed and waited for the woman to give him an answer.


    "He left with them," The woman shrugged her shoulder as she answered casually, making it seem as if this was not a big deal at all.


    "Left with them?" Hecathe repeated her words with a bit of confusion.


    "They came and asked for him. I called him down and then he simply left," The woman explained, "He hasn''t come back after that."


    "Oh..." Hecathe muttered as he picked up the sandwich again and continued to eat.


    He had not met that other tenant yet but from all the things that he had heard about that man, it seemed as if he was going to be trouble.


    He was probably a real hunter who worked for the three willows of spring and that in itself made him a dangerous person for Hecathe to come across.


    "Sir, you still didn''t explain how you know Alphius!" Zail exclaimed as he looked at Hecathe curiously.


    "When did I say I was going to explain?" Hecathe asked back as he clicked his tongue.


    "..."


    "There''s nothing to talk about," Hecathe sighed as he spoke somewhat honestly, "I just somehow came to know him and it wasn''t my choice but we became somewhat close."


    So close that they had the same body.


    The Landlady couldn''t help but chuckle as she heard this and her cheeks turned even more red making Zail''s face cringe up.


    "Young man," The woman spoke up with a smile as she looked at Hecathe, "I have to say, I''m thankful that you''re helping me, but if you ever need help with Alphius, you can always come to me."


    "Are you going to ask me to pay for your assistance?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the woman as he questioned.


    "Of course, I would," The woman chuckled as she confirmed Hecathe''s thoughts, "Nothing comes for free. If you want my help, you''ll have to pay for it but you can rest assured that I''ll be willing to give you a discount."


    "..."


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head and responded, "Thank you for your offer, but there''s nothing you can do for me right now."


    Hecathe quickly finished eating the chicken sandwich and grabbed the water before heading back up the stairs towards his room.


    As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the little Dorgon that sat in the middle of the cleanroom.


    "You really cleaned it?" Hecathe muttered with a bit of surprise as he looked around, "Good job."


    "Yes, I did!" The Dorgon beamed proudly, "Now where is my breakfast?"


    "Your breakfast?" Hecathe closed the door after him and put the water cup down as he spoke, "You can have this water. I already told you to get your own breakfast, didn''t I?"


    "..." The Dorgon was left speechless as he heard this, but Hecathe didn''t seem to be too bothered by it as he made his way to the table and sat down in front of it before raising his hand and contacting Xanie through the QMS.


    "What''s going on?" He sent her a voice message without bothering to say any useless greetings first.


    The Dorgon blinked a few times as he kept his eyes on the water.


    He really found it a bit hard to believe that his master had only prepared a glass of water for him and that too, a glass that was not completely filled!


    "Captain, I don''t know," Xanie''s response came fast and the girl sounded a bit worried as she sent another message, "Someone seemed to have tipped you off. They know that you''re in Ocasia."


    Hecathe gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath as he heard this.


    "Captain, you must be careful not to get caught. Lay low for a few days and don''t let anyone see you.


    Hecathe took a deep breath in as he closed his eyes and calmed himself down before asking, "And what about the other thing? The one that I asked you to look into."


    Xanie gulped as she sent a reply, "Captain, you were certainly in your room. There is no way you would have gone out that day, but..."


    Hecathe waited for the woman to continue but when he got no continuation message, he clicked his tongue as he sent her a message, pressing her to continue, "But what?"


    "Your mecha-suit was missing that day," Xanie spoke in a single breath and Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly.


    Hecathe took a minute to process this information through his brain and Xanie sent him another message.


    "It was there the next day so there was no official report made and you were not informed."


    "So the mecha suit went missing for a day and returned on its own?" Hecathe scoffed as he questioned, "You guys really thought it was normal for something like that to happen?! Even a child would be able to see that there was something wrong! You should have reported to me immediately!"


    "I''m sorry, Captain." Xanie apologized even though it wasn''t exactly her fault.


    Hecathe sighed as he rubbed his head and with just a single glance, one would be able to see that the man was in a bad mood.


    "It makes sense now..." Hecathe muttered to himself as he closed the QMS, feeling that he would not be able to control his anger if he kept on listening to all the troubles that had been caused.


    "W-what happened, Master?" The Dorgon was a bit cautious as he asked, clearly noticing that it was probably not the best idea to get on the man''s nerves at this moment.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as his eyes narrowed down on the Dorgon and he took a minute to ask, "If someone stole your clothes and pretended to be you while murdering someone who was your friend''s father, what would you do?"


    "Eh?" The question was certainly out of the blue and it took a whole minute for the Dorgon to understand it and give a response, "I would probably kill that imposter...?"


    "Kill?" Hecathe tilted his head and looked to be a little amused as he smirked, "That''s it?"


    "..."


    "No torture?"

 Chapter 81 - Dorgons Are Nicer Than Humans

    The Dorgon gulped as he heard his master and secretly prayed in his mind for whoever that person was.


    Hecathe leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling as he thought about something and started laughing.


    "Dorgon''s are nicer than people think," Hecathe commented and the little Dorgon didn''t know if this was a compliment or not.


    "I would never be able to be that kind," Hecathe added as his laughing sounded more and more wicked.


    This master was certainly a villain... There was no doubt about it!


    "Master, what are you planning to do?" The Dorgon gulped as he asked, curiously looking at Hecathe with a bit of hidden fear and concern.


    "Me? I plan on being a detective for a while," Hecathe smirked as he responded, "And when I''m done finding the one behind this, I''ll stop being a detective and would take on the role of the devil who would make them regret."


    "So this is about you?" The Dorgon tilted his head in confusion as he questioned, "Someone stole your clothes and pretended to be you?"


    Hecathe was silent as he heard this question and the Dorgon almost thought his question was going to be left unanswered, however, after a whole minute, he heard Hecathe sigh as the man raised his head.


    "It''s not about me. The one who was wronged was definitely not me, but I''m the one that has to deal with everything and you know the one thing that I hate the most?"


    The Dorgon blinked in confusion as he asked, "What is it?"


    "To be troubled. If it''s not my mess, why should I be dragged in between?" Hecathe asked back but it didn''t look like he was expecting the Dorgon to give him an answer as he continued, "Since I''ve been already dragged into this mess, I might as well have some fun torturing some people and playing the hidden hero."


    The Dorgon didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    It seemed that his master had a weird identity disorder. At times he would sing that he was the villain and at other times, he would shamelessly announce that he was the hero.


    "Are you hungry?" Hecathe suddenly questioned as he asked the Dorgon and his entire demeanor seemed to have changed within just a few seconds.


    The Dorgon gulped and was silent for a minute before he innocently nodded his head.


    "What do you usually eat?" Hecathe crossed his legs as he asked without missing a beat.


    "Meat," The Dorgon responded and immediately felt his mouth watering at the mere thought of the food.


    "Hmm," Hecathe hummed as he nodded his head and asked, "Any meat in specific?"


    "Anything except for Human meat and Dorgon meat!" The Dorgon exclaimed excitedly thinking that his Master was finally going to take some pity on him.


    "Even Chicken?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the little creature.


    "Chicken isn''t that tasty but it works," The Dorgon replied.


    "Okay," Hecathe nodded his head as he patted his thigh and stood up.


    "Where are you going, Master?" The Dorgon immediately asked as he unconsciously flinched in fear.


    "To feed the egg that I picked up from the black market," Hecathe sighed as he made his way to the door and left the room once again.


    The Dorgon was once again left speechless as he sat down and seriously wondered what type of Master he had ended up with.


    Was this a ruthless villain or not?!


    The Landlady saw Hecathe coming down for the fourth time in a day and chuckled as she asked, "What brings you down here again?"


    "Can you tell me where I can find some chicken?" Hecathe questioned as he kept his eyes on his watch and tried to find something.


    "Chicken?" The Landlady was a bit surprised as she asked, "Are you still hungry?"


    "It''s not for me," Hecathe replied, "I want to give it to a hungry egg."


    "Hungry egg?" This time the Landlady looked to be concerned for the man as she repeated.


    "Don''t think about it too much," Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he looked up at the woman''s face.


    The woman gulped and although Hecathe hadn''t managed to make her feel any less concerned, she did indeed stop questioning the man and his motives.


    "You can find some chickens for sale nearby," The landlady spoke as she asked, "Do you want them alive or dead?"


    Hecathe opened his mouth to reply but immediately shut up as he realized that he had forgotten to ask the Dorgon this question.


    "I''ll try buying a dead one."


    Since the alive hen was going to be troublesome to carry, it would be better to get a few dead ones.


    "Then you can just go down to the meat shop nearby," The woman smiled as she took out a piece of paper and pen before drawing a small direction map on it.


    Hecathe looked on attentively as the woman explained where he had to go and when she was done, Hecathe took the paper and folded it before keeping it in his pocket.


    "Thank You," Hecathe smiled as he turned around and left the place.


    Once he was out of the building, Hecathe looked around to see if there was anyone around, and expectedly enough, since this building was located in the suburbs of the city, there weren''t actually people around.


    He lifted his hand and typed in a name before sending the person a voice message using the QMS.


    "Is this Zather?"


    Thankfully enough, he didn''t have a hard time finding the person''s number since it was already saved on Alphius''s device.


    The last time Hecathe had met that woman, she had told him to contact her whenever he needed and Hecathe felt that this was a perfect moment to send her a message since he needed a bit of her assistance.


    "Hohoho~ You actually contacted me," The response came sooner than expected and the woman could be heard chuckling in amusement.


    "I have a feeling that I saw you yesterday," Hecathe sighed as he spoke.


    "Eh?"


    "The woman at seat 44," Hecathe sent her another message with a small smirk on his face.


    "...."

 Chapter 82 - Sudden Interest In Fishing

    "You looked good in that dress," Hecathe chuckled as he complimented the woman.


    "So you were the one who sold those pure undamaged mutant beads?" Zather asked, sounding a bit surprised.


    "Who else could it have been?"


    "I was really surprised yesterday and also had this odd feeling that I''ve seen you somewhere before. Turns out my gut feeling was right. Why didn''t you wait to say hello?"


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this question and asked back in turn, "Do you think we are on such good terms that we have to wish each other every time we meet?"


    "What?! You''re going to say we''re not friends? And here I thought we used to get along really well!" The woman complained and Hecathe could almost imagine the frown on her face as she said this.


    In reality, Hecathe wasn''t exactly lying. In the diary that Alphius had left behind, he clearly explained that he only ever had two trustworthy loyal friends in his life. One was the Hecathe of this world and the other was Marvin. One was dead and the other wanted Alphius Dead.


    It was quite a pity that Zather was only mentioned as an intellectual woman who came in handy at times when Alphius needed to get info.


    "You hurt my poor little heart!" Zather complained and Hecathe''s face cringed up.


    He was still not used to his best friend Azazel being a woman in this world.


    "By the way, what did you need?" Zather sent another message and this type her voice sounded serious, "Why is the man who ran away from his home, contacting me all of a sudden."


    It was certainly no shock that this woman had also managed to catch a whiff of the rumor about Alphius running away.


    "I need your help with something. Would it be okay for us to meet and talk in person?" Hecathe sent the woman a reply as he asked.


    "I''m down," The woman immediately agreed, "Where do you want to meet?"


    "A meat shop."


    "..." It seemed that Zather was left speechless after hearing that message and she took a whole minute to respond, "A meat shop? Are you serious?"


    "It''s in the suburbs of Ocasia," Hecathe sighed as he asked, "Can you come?"


    "Ocasia?" Zather sounded a bit surprised as she replied, "How coincidental!~ I''m still in Ocasia so I can make it."


    Hecathe immediately sighed in relief as he heard this.


    Thankfully the heavens were on his side today.


    "Where is the meat shop?" Rustling sound could be heard in the background indicating that the woman had stood up from her place and was perhaps getting ready to head out immediately.


    "It''s a small meat shop in the suburb of the city. It''s called Grandma''s knife or something."


    Hecathe walked down the road patiently as he waited for the woman to reply.


    "I''ll be there in a few minutes," She replied and Hecathe nodded in satisfaction.


    Meeting at a meat shop was perhaps a good idea considering the fact that the walls of the meat shop would probably not have ears on them.


    The address given by the Landlady was easy to understand and in just a few minutes, Hecathe was able to easily find the meat shop that the woman had given him directions to.


    He stood in front of the shop called Grandma''s knife and looked around casually to see if Zather was here yet or not, but he could not spot her.


    "Young man, are you here to buy or not?" The owner of the shop asked as she saw this strange guy simply standing in front of her shop in the most suspicious manner possible.


    "Ah!" Hecathe snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up at the woman, "I''m here to buy."


    "Then come on in," The owner immediately smiled as she heard him announce that he was a customer, "We have the best and freshest meat that you can find in this city!"


    Looking at how there weren''t really that many customers around this shop, Hecathe found the woman''s words a bit hard to believe.


    "What meat are you looking for?" She asked and her face seemed to be full of smiles.


    "Chicken meat," Hecathe replied as he looked around at the brutal sight of all the dead animals hung up with their skins completely stripped.


    "How much?"


    "Ten Kilograms," Hecathe responded as he continued to stare at the skinless dead animals.


    "Are you thinking about how poor their lives must have been?" It was a familiar voice of a woman that sounded a bit too near to his ear.


    "Zather," Hecathe muttered as his lips curled up in a small smile and he glanced back to look at the woman who had managed to reach here on time.


    "So aren''t you going to answer me?" She asked with a chuckle as she pointed at the meat, "What are you thinking while staring so intensively?"


    Hecathe sighed as he responded, "I''m just wondering if it would hurt."


    "Hmm?"


    "If I don''t kill a person and strip their skin while they are still alive, would it hurt them enough to make them regret every decision that they had made? Would it be enough to make them realize that some people should not be messed with?"


    Zather blinked in shock a few times and took a step back as she asked, "Should I be worried?"


    Hecathe smiled as he shook his head, "I''m just asking. Not like I''m really planning on doing something like that."


    "..." From the look on her face, it was clear that she did not believe the man.


    "I was just thinking, don''t worry," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "I don''t hate anyone enough to do that."


    "Whatever you say~" Zather still didn''t look like she trusted the man but didn''t bother saying anything about that either as she changed the topic, "So what was it that you needed me to do?"


    "I want your help in catching a fish."


    "So you ran away because you suddenly found an odd interest in fishing?" Zather didn''t even look surprised as she asked, believing this to be the case.


    "...."

 Chapter 83 - Catching A Whale

    "You can say that," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he responded, "It''s actually a big fish that is very good at hiding, deceiving, and stealing."


    "Did it steal something from you?" Zather asked with a smirk on her face as she finally started understanding a bit of the actual topic.


    "It stole something and returned it as it was," Hecathe spoke as he informed, "But then it just had to go and piss me off by creating a bit of trouble."


    "Is that so?" Zather chuckled as she asked, "Then how do you plan on baiting the fish?"


    Hecathe smiled as he pointed at the meat and spoke, "With a big dead fish."


    "Baiting a fish with another fish?" Zather tilted her head with a bit of confusion.


    "A dead fish can''t do anything, so I need the dead fish to be alive."


    Zather frowned as her eyes narrowed down on Hecathe in suspicion, "How do you plan on reviving the dead fish?"


    "By making a fake fish," Hecathe chuckled as he replied, "Since the fish is dead, we can''t revive it, but we can always plant a fake one and act as if it''s the same fish."


    "So you want me to bring you a fake fish?" Zather asked curiously as she looked at the man.


    Hecathe shook his head as a response, "We already have a fake fish. We just need to layout the trap and spread the word."


    "The word...?" Zather repeated as she thought about it deeply before asking, "You want to spread the word about the dead fish coming back to life?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it, "That''s right. We need to spread the word and inform the big bad fish that the dead fish is still alive."


    "And you''re sure this is going to work?" Zather frowned as she asked, "What if the fish finds out that it''s a lie and doesn''t fall for it?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and tapped his head as he replied, "Fishes are dumb. They''ll believe whatever you want them to believe."


    Zather smirked in amusement as she heard this and asked, "Then what if this fish is actually a smart whale?"


    "Then we outsmart the whale."


    "..." Zather looked to be amused and a bit surprised to hear Hecathe, "You''ve changed."


    Hecathe smirked as he looked at the woman and asked, "Have I?"


    Zather nodded her head with a chuckle as she spoke, "You were never even interested in those fishes but now you even plan on trapping them with such an elaborate plan. I can''t really put my finger on it but I can feel it. You''ve really changed."


    "Isn''t change natural?" Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he added, "Change can be natural and good."


    "It can. That''s why I''m still trusting you," Zather responded as she nodded in turn, "If it weren''t for my trust in you and your change, I would have long thought that you were an imposter."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this but his feelings and thoughts could really not be deciphered from his outward demeanor.


    Zather smiled as she suddenly hugged him and leaned in closer to his ear as she whispered, "So whose the dead fish?"


    "Orgon," Hecathe smirked as he whispered back.


    "And the fake one?"


    "Me, of course." Hecathe didn''t miss a beat as he responded.


    Zather pulled away with a chuckle, acting casual as she did, "In that case let me help you."


    "For free?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked.


    "Of course, not."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he heard this response that was to be expected.


    "Not for free, but for a discount. Since you''ve finally learned to stand up for yourself, take it as a coming-of-age gift from me," Zather added with a chuckle.


    "..."


    "You can pay me after the work is done," Zather winked as she turned around and left the place.


    Hecathe nodded and couldn''t help but want to laugh as he turned to look at the meat that was being cut up by the butcher.


    As expected, that woman was sharp. Alphius was certainly not wrong to win her over as an ally. If she were not an ally then she would have certainly made a formidable foe.


    There was no doubt about it. She had seen through Hecathe, but it seemed that she was still not completely sure whether Hecathe was really a different soul or not. Since she was unsure, she would act as if there was nothing wrong.


    Even Zather hadn''t realized that Hecathe was not Alphius so it really made the man wonder how Marvin had been able to tell him apart within a single minute.


    The butcher took a few more minutes until the meat was finally ready to be sold.


    "There you go, young man. Ten kilograms of Chicken meat," The owner announced as she handed over the heavy bag to Hecathe, "That would be four thousand Lenix."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard that rate and asked, "After being doubled for foreigners?"


    The woman chuckled as she nodded her head and explained, "There is nothing we can do about it. It''s the law."


    Such an unfriendly law was certainly a bit funny, however, Hecathe who was forced to pay double the price for everything certainly didn''t want to laugh.


    Thankfully enough, Kelly had paid two million in cash yesterday so Hecathe had a lot of cash to spend.


    Hecathe took out exactly four thousand Lenix and handed them over to the woman before taking out another thousand and giving it to her as he spoke, "Let''s not sell fishes."


    The woman smiled as she took the extra thousand and nodded her head in understanding.


    "We sell all types of meat but we don''t sell fishes and we can assure you that, Sir!" The woman beamed as she reassured Hecathe that his conversation with Zather was going to be kept a secret.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he headed back to his apartment and went up to his room to feed the little Dorgon that was waiting for him to come back.


    The ten kilograms of meat was supposed to last for a week or at least three days, but unfortunately, in front of the hungry Dorgon, it lasted for only a day.

 Chapter 84 - The Start Of The Rumors

    The Dorgon looked to be pretty happy to see the meat and he was more than eager to finish it all in one day.


    Hecathe sighed as he sat down in front of the desk and started filling up the details of his plan inside the diary.


    Since Hecathe was so motivated, the whale would certainly fall for the trap.


    The next few days seemed to have gone by peacefully with Hecathe only going out to buy meat for the Dorgon.


    The Dorgon thought that his master was really kind for going through so much trouble just to feed him and this further made him trust Hecathe and grow a bit more fond of him.


    However, the reason why Hecathe diligently made sure to go to Grandma''s knife was certainly not because he was worried about starving the Dorgon.


    Feeding the Dorgon was nothing more than an excuse for Hecathe to go and listen in to the rumors that were slowly being spread.


    The rumors that Orgon had returned from the dead.


    Nobody except for Hecathe knew the origins of the rumor, but once it was spread widely, it was no longer considered to be a rumor but rather a fact that had a great possibility of being true.


    In just a few days, the form that Hecathe had submitted to the Golden fire guild got approved and he received a confirmation letter telling him that he was now an official member of the guild.


    Hecathe smirked as he once again put on his disguise of a hunter and folded the letter before keeping it away in his pocket.


    "Are you going out to get the meat?" The Dorgon jumped around as he asked enthusiastically.


    Hecathe smiled as he crouched down and patted the Dorgon''s head affectionately, "Do you think I''m gonna keep burning my pocket by feeding you? Didn''t I already tell you to get your own food?"


    "..."


    The smile on the man''s face certainly didn''t match the words he spoke so ruthlessly.


    "Master, why are you being like this again?" The Dorgon pouted as he whined.


    In these few days of living together with Hecathe, the dorgon had come to understand something really important.


    It was the fact that Hecathe might be cold on the outside but was really thoughtful and a bit kind on the inside. Just a bit... But it was enough to make him buy the Dorgon food if the creature whined like a child.


    "Shut up," Hecathe pursed his lips as he glared at the Dorgon, "Stay here and stay quiet. Don''t let anyone find you. I might be a little late today."


    The Dorgon gulped as he nodded his head with a bit of fear after hearing the man''s pressing voice.


    Although the Dorgon had figured out Hecathe''s weakness, he was still left fearing the man whose kindness could run out at any moment.


    Hecathe sighed as he stood up and left the place, closing and locking the door of his room before heading to the guild.


    For some reason, Hecathe trusted the Landlady and Zail, however, he didn''t trust them enough to let them know about the Dorgon just yet.


    Once the Dorgon gets big, hiding him would certainly be impossible so Hecathe planned on letting them know only then when the creature could no longer be hidden.


    This was equal to keeping a secret till it was found out.


    Once Hecathe reached the guild and opened the door, the same smell of strong alcohol hit his nostrils and his face cringed up as he heard the loud chattering drunkards inside this place.


    This guild with its reputation as one of the best guilds in Ocasia certainly didn''t look anything more than a local pub.


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he tried to breathe in as little as possible and made his way to the reception desk where he was met with the same man who sat here last time.


    The man called Dane looked up at Hecathe and it seemed that he immediately recognized him, "It''s you," The man clicked his tongue as he acknowledged Hecathe''s presence.


    Hecathe had a thin smile on his face as he nodded his head and responded, "Good to know that you still remember me."


    Dane took a sharp breath in as he glared at Hecathe and spoke, "It would have been more shocking if I were to forget someone so talented as you."


    It was the truth and Dane was certainly acknowledging it, however, the way it was said made it almost sound like sarcasm.


    Hecathe chuckled but there was no joy in his voice as he asked, "Where is Miss Kelly?"


    Dane sighed as he slammed the book he was holding onto the desk and stood up from his place, "Follow me."


    Without even waiting for Hecathe to give a response, the man turned and went in deeper into the building with Hecathe following behind him.


    "Do you still remember the discussion we had last time?" Hecathe had a small smirk on his face as he asked.


    Dane flinched as he heard this sudden question and from his reaction, it could be seen that he did indeed remember it, but refused to say that he did.


    "Since I''m now an official member, you owe me a wish and you also owe me an answer," Hecathe spoke up again when he heard no response from the man.


    "What answer?" Dane clicked his tongue as he questioned without even bothering to look back at Hecathe.


    "The answer to why," Hecathe responded without missing a beat, "Aren''t I now authorized to know the answer? Why were you collecting the mutant bodies?"


    Dane gulped as he stopped walking and turned around to face Hecathe, "Why don''t you ask your employer?"


    "Eh?"


    "We are here," Dane added as he gestured over to the door that was in front of them, "Head in and ask her. She knows the answer."


    Hecathe almost found it a bit laughable that this man''s pride forbade him from giving Hecathe the simple answer he was looking for.


    "Since we''ll be seeing each other often from now onwards, let''s try to get along better," Hecathe patted the man''s shoulder before he opened the door and headed in just as the man had told him to.


    "...."

 Chapter 85 - No Welcome Party

    "You''re here early," Kelly looked up from the papers in front of her with a sigh as she removed her leg from the desk and sat up straight.


    "I didn''t want to keep you waiting," Hecathe smiled as he responded.


    Kelly seemed to be satisfied as she heard this answer and nodded.


    "It''s a good thing. I''ll add you to the first team that heads out today," Kelly informed him first before she wrote something down on the paper in front of her.


    "You''re going to send me out on a mission as soon as I get here?" Hecathe chuckled dryly as he asked, "Shouldn''t I get a warm welcome first?"


    Kelly didn''t know if she wanted to laugh or cry as she heard this but in the end, she did neither as she looked up at Hecathe blankly.


    "If you want a warm welcome, then you can go outside and buy everyone a few drinks. It would make you seem more acceptable and friendly."


    Hecathe pursed his lips as he heard this suggestion, "I would like to pass. I''m not good with alcohol nor am I good with alcoholics."


    It sounded normal when Hecathe said it but only he knew what he truly meant.


    Hecathe had bad experiences with alcohol and there was even a time when he had ended up in a police station after punching a few drunk bastards.


    Alcohol makes you impulsive and Hecathe was really not an impulsive person nor was he someone who enjoyed the mere thought of being impulsive even by mistake.


    Kelly smirked as she heard the man, "You don''t like alcohol?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it firmly, "I can''t imagine liking it even in my dreams."


    "Then you''re going to have a lot of fun in this guild," The woman chuckled as she commented and for some reason, Hecathe had the feeling that the woman was being sarcastic.


    "I don''t know about fun but I do feel like this guild is going to be useful for me."


    Kelly''s eyes narrowed down on Hecathe as she heard this comment, "Useful? Do you mean it''s going to help you get more experience?"


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he heard this question but didn''t bother giving an answer since he didn''t really want to lie to the woman.


    This guild was surely going to be useful for him because this guild was really important in the plan.


    Kelly waited for a minute but when she got no response from the man, she sighed as she let go of the topic, "In any case, you''re up in ten minutes."


    "Ten minutes?" Hecathe tilted his head and repeated in confusion as he asked.


    Kelly smiled as she stood up from her seat and walked over towards Hecathe''s side. She raised her hand and Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he tried to understand what this woman was trying to do.


    She patted his shoulder as she spoke, "Your first official mission as one of the guild members starts in ten minutes."


    "So you''re really not going to brief me up on how this guild works or anything like that?" Hecathe asked as he found it a bit surprising that this woman was straightaway sending him into another mission.


    Kelly chuckled as she heard the man and responded, "Why do you think I should brief you up? If you were a normal member that joined happily then you might have had the luxury to get a warm welcome but since you took money from me, I hope to see you suffer a bit."


    "..."


    To say that she wanted him to suffer so openly... This woman clearly had no fear for anyone.


    "Ah! Right!" Kelly clicked her tongue as she suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "The other guy that joined with you, he''s currently going through the warn welcome I just talked about."


    "Eh? Raven?" Hecathe frowned as he heard this and although he didn''t really care about getting a warm welcome, he still couldn''t help but feel a little dissatisfied to hear this.


    Kelly pursed her lips together in a thin smile as she spun Hecathe around and pushed him forward slightly as she spoke, "Now go and get me some mutant beads. Collect as many as you can. If you don''t at least collect a hundred, I''m gonna make you clean the toilet."


    It was certainly the first time in Hecathe''s life, he was being bossed around like this, and for someone to actually threaten him with toilet cleaning duty? It was truly a bit ridiculous for him to hear.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he looked back to say something but his words never left his mouth as he saw that the woman was no longer there.


    When he looked around in confusion, he realized that it wasn''t Kelly who had disappeared, it was him. Kelly had directly sent him into a room for his first mission.


    The last time when he was on a mission, there were four other people who had accompanied him. Two of those four were certainly useless and were probably dead by now but the remaining two, Kelly and Raven were quite talented and Hecathe could trust them to have his back if he ever was in a dire situation.


    This time, Hecathe thought that he would be getting other members to team up with but he realized that today''s team only consisted of one person.


    A one-member team and that one member was no other than Hecathe himself.


    "..."


    He suddenly had the feeling that he had somehow offended Kelly who was now taking out her revenge on him.


    There was a single-legged table inside this room and the rest of the room was pretty much empty.


    On the table, there was a board with a paper pasted and Hecathe leaned over to read what was written on the paper without bothering to pick the board up.


    There was not much written on it except for the mission that he was given and his own name that was written at the top along with the time limit that he was given.


    This mission was also for just ten minutes and this time, Hecathe had to collect mutant beads and not their bodies.


    For some reason, Hecathe sighed in relief after reading the mission. For him, collecting mutant beads was a lot easier than capturing mutants.


    If he was collecting mutant beads, all he needed to do was wait and ask the mutants to give up their beads, however, if he was capturing mutants, he would need to go through the trouble of tying them all up and after tying up so many in the last mission, Hecathe could now confidently say that it was the most boring thing ever.


    They didn''t fight and to tie up a willing mutant was surely boring. Hecathe would never enjoy going through that much trouble again.


    If he ever received another mission to capture mutants, he would surely give the ties to the mutants and ask them to tie themselves up. If they didn''t know how to tie then he would take a few minutes to even teach them how to do it.


    "Get ready!" It was Kelly''s voice and Hecathe could clearly hear the woman''s announcement, however, he was unable to spot her when he looked around.


    "I''ll be sending you out in the next three seconds," The woman''s voice was heard once again as she continued but this time Hecathe was sure that it was nothing more than her voice that was inside this room.


    Hecathe counted the three seconds in his mind and when he was done counting, the lights went out, or to be more specific, he was sent into another mutant cave. It was still a wonder to him how the teleportation worked but since there were a lot of ability users in this world with all kinds of abilities, he was no longer shocked to see anything.


    Hecathe took a cold breath in as he tried to find out how many mutants were around him and he was able to connect with them much faster this time.


    The man sighed as he crouched down and leisurely took a seat on the floor before taking out a matchstick from his pocket.


    It was a good thing that he had thought about bringing a lightstick after expecting something like this to happen.


    It wasn''t common to send a newly recruited member out to a mission, however, since Hecathe had both impressed and offended Kelly, he had already expected to be treated differently.


    Hecathe lit up the matchstick and the light coming from the small fire was the only thing that illuminated the cave.


    His eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw the number of mutants that were crawling on the floor and hanging down from the ceilings.


    "I sometimes feel pity for you," Hecathe commented as he stretched his hand out forward and continued, "But work is work so I would like it if you could all just listen to me and hand over your mutant beads."

 Chapter 86 - The Next Mission?

    At first, the mutants looked to be a little hesitant, however, they still reluctantly walked forward and gave up their beads, placing them on his hand one by one.


    Hecathe yawned as he started counting the mutant beads and he seemed to have already realized that this was going to at least take him a couple of minutes.


    After a few minutes, when the hundred mutant beads had been collected, Hecathe ordered for them to stop and put the mutant beads down on the floor before taking a rock and smashing the beads with it.


    By hitting them with the rock, he was turning expensive pure mutant beads to normal collected mutant beads that could indeed fetch you some good cash but would still be a lot cheaper than the pure mutant beads.


    If one were to see him doing this, they would certainly be forced to believe that he was a madman and they would fail to see through his plan.


    Hecathe was damaging the beads because he didn''t want to gain any extra unwanted attention. If he were to go back with hundred pure mutant beads, he would become the talk of the city, and the rumor that he had worked hard to spread may turn into nothing because of Hecathe''s achievement which would certainly serve as the new, more spicy rumor.


    After damaging more than fifty beads, Hecathe suddenly stopped as he decided to pocket some of the left pure beads.


    When he was done pocketing the pure mutant beads, he picked up all the damaged ones and wrapped them in a piece of cloth that acted as a bag.


    His ten minutes were almost up so Hecathe stood in a single spot and waited to be transported back.


    While waiting, he looked down at the dead mutant corpses and his eyes seemed to have narrowed down on them as he thought about something.


    The Dorgon had clearly said that human meat was disgusting but he also said that he could digest any other type of meat.


    If the Dorgon could eat the mutant meat then wouldn''t that save Hecathe a lot of money? He would also not have to trouble himself every day by going to the meat shop.


    Hecathe had no plans of taking back this mutant corpse at this moment, but he did indeed plan on asking the Dorgon about his thoughts on mutant meat.


    When the ten minutes that he was given were up, Hecathe was transported back to the guild room where Kelly was waiting for him with a small smirk on her face.


    "Did you have fun?" The woman asked as she looked at the man up and down as if trying to check whether he had any injuries on him or not.


    Most members that went into a mutant cave would come back with some injuries. Even Kelly who had a lot of practice with it was still not able to return completely unharmed. She would at least get a little scratched even if all things went well inside the cave.


    Hecathe smiled as he stretched his hand out forward and handed the damaged mutant beads over to Kelly, "It was more boring than I expected it to be."


    Kelly chuckled as she heard this and she immediately started counting the mutant beads while she questioned, "I wonder if all the mutants were sleeping. They didn''t even leave a scratch on you."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly in panic as he realized that he forgot to get himself a little hurt in the mission.


    "It''s probably because they are too scared to leave a scratch," Hecathe coughed as he tried to use his overconfidence as a shield, "Or maybe they tried but were simply too powerless compared to me."


    Kelly almost choked on empty air as she heard this self-conceited response, but she didn''t bother saying anything to refute that as she continued calculating the beads cautiously.


    Hecathe gulped as he hoped that the woman would not think too much about it, however, since Kelly was always stingy with her expressions, her mind could not be easily guessed.


    "A hundred and two," Kelly spoke as she peeked up at Hecathe, "You really took my words seriously?"


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smug smirk as he questioned, responding, "How could I not when you''ve already paid me two million to do everything you tell me to do."


    "You''re surprisingly a man of your words, "Kelly commented as she looked at Hecathe with an indecipherable expression, "As expected, you''re going to be of help."


    "I can definitely be of help but I hope you don''t keep sending me to those mutant caves," Hecathe sighed as he complained, "That place stinks."


    Kelly smiled as she heard this and shook her head as she replied, "You don''t need to worry about it. I have another very important job for you."


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he heard this and paid attention to the woman as he waited for her to continue.


    "Before I give you the job, I need to first make sure that you''re capable enough," Kelly spoke up as she took a step forward towards Hecathe.


    "I thought I had already proved my capabilities," Hecathe responded with a frown.


    "You''ve proven that you are very good with beating mutants, but this job has almost nothing to do with mutants."


    "..."


    Hecathe suddenly found himself a little interested as he heard this.


    "Then how do you want to test me?" Hecathe asked and Kelly chuckled.


    "It''s not really a test. It''s more like a question-answer session," Kelly tilted her head with a smile as she asked, "You want to know what the first question is?"


    Hecathe nodded his head without much hesitation and Kelly''s smile seemed to have widened as she saw this.


    "What''s your ability?"


    Hecathe simply blinked as he heard this question.


    "Last time I was in there with you, I couldn''t understand it at all," Kelly spoke as she saw the man giving her no answer, "It really made me wonder. What type of ability do you have to be so unnoticeable and yet you still get the job done perfectly."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard the woman.


    "Miss Kelly, I respect you, but I''m afraid I can not easily give you an answer to that question," Hecathe spoke up firmly without any hesitation, showing his resolve in not answering her question, "If I wanted to go around announcing my ability, do you think I would be wearing this cloak and mask?"


    "..."


    "So it would be better for you to change your question."


    Kelly pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this and in the very next minute, she nodded her head in understanding as she spoke, "Then I''ll change my question."


    Hecathe nodded as he found this response satisfactory.


    "How powerful are you?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this second question that was still hard for him to answer.


    "I have a feeling that you like asking questions that should not be casually asked."


    "But this question is really important," Kelly replied without missing a beat as she showed her own resolve in getting an answer out of him.


    Hecathe sighed, "Just why do you want to know how powerful I am?"


    "Because I know that you won''t lie about your capability and in order to give this mission to you, I need to know if you can handle it."


    Hecathe pursed his lips and simply looked back at the woman as he waited for a few minutes to decide whether he wanted her to know the truth or not.


    "If you have a hard time giving me the exact answer to that question. Let me help you by rephrasing the question," Kelly clicked her tongue as she spoke, "If you were to fight against the great Edler, would you win?"


    "He''s already dead so I''ll probably win without a fight."


    "..." Kelly took a deep breath in as she tried her best not to let this man get on her nerves, "Let''s assume that he''s alive. Would you be able to beat him then?"


    Hecathe frowned as he seriously thought about it before coming up with an answer that he considered to be true, "I can probably beat him."


    The great Edler was eaten by a Dorgon and Hecathe was currently raising a Dorgon so it was clear which one of the two would win in a fight.


    Kelly was a bit surprised to see the unwavering response from the man and she couldn''t help but comment, "You''re really self-confident."


    "I get that a lot," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder.


    "Then what about against one of the three willows of spring?" Kelly''s eyes narrowed down on the man as she asked, "Are you still going to win?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a smirk as he heard this question and he leaned down to reach near the woman''s ear as he whispered, questioning, "Are you planning on rebelling?"


    Kelly gulped as she heard this question and the man''s whispering voice had certainly managed to send a shiver down her spine.

 Chapter 87 - A Powerful Whale Is On The Hunt

    Hecathe retreated and when he looked at the bloodless white face of the woman, he couldn''t help but want to laugh as he added, "Even if you were planning a rebellion, I don''t think I would care too much about it."


    "Shut up..." Kelly glared at the man as she snapped, "Nobody is planning a rebellion. I thought you knew how to control your tongue, but I seem to have been wrong. Some things must never be said, Mr. Hecathe."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he realized that he had managed to scare the woman.


    "It''s just a question," Kelly seemed to be determined to get an answer as she spoke, "You can either say yes or no."


    "And what if I say yes?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked, "What if I claim to be more powerful than the three willows of spring."


    "If you''re that confident then you get this mission," Kelly seemed to have already expected this response as she replied almost immediately.


    "You didn''t even tell me what the mission was."


    Kelly raised her hand and put a finger in front of her lip as she gestured for Hecathe not to say anything.


    "Follow me, first. I don''t want some people overhearing our mission."


    Hecathe''s pupils seemed to have contracted as he heard this and he cautiously glanced around. Since it was Kelly who had said this, it was clear that their current conversation was being overheard.


    Even though they hadn''t really said anything important, Hecathe still hated the thought of being overheard.


    Hecathe silently followed her and when she opened the door of the room, instead of being greeted by the corridor, they were greeted by Kelly''s office.


    "Come inside," Kelly spoke as she stepped aside and waited for Hecathe.


    Hecathe nodded his head and entered the room while Kelly closed the door behind him.


    "Is this private enough?" Hecathe asked as he looked around.


    "This is definitely better," Kelly sighed as she went to sit on her chair and spoke, "Now what I''m about to say must never leave this room."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this and responded, "You can trust me."


    "This mission was given to us by a man who wanted to remain unknown, however, he''s powerful and we can not simply turn him down," Kelly''s eyes looked to be dead serious as she spoke and the atmosphere seemed to have gotten colder because of this, "This mission is going to be handled by a team of three. Me, you and Raven."


    "You included him as well?" Hecathe frowned as he asked and Kelly nodded her head in turn.


    "He''s also talented and he is perfect for this job," Kelly explained and although Hecathe didn''t want to agree with her, he couldn''t help but unconsciously nod his head since he felt that the woman was saying the truth.


    He had also seen Raven using his double-bladed saber and he had to agree that the man was pretty impressive and strong which was even more reason for Hecathe to find him suspicious.


    If he was such a rare talent then there must have been news about him before this. He should have been a famous personality so how come nobody had ever heard about this man called Raven?


    The fact that he attended the black market auction also made him suspicious and it made Hecathe think that Raven was also hiding his real identity. The man was probably not even named Raven.


    "I''m sure you''ve heard about the recent rumors...?!" Kelly asked as she looked at him with an indecipherable expression.


    Hecathe gulped as he straightened his back and his eyes narrowed down on this woman with great interest as if he had heard something that he was looking forward to hear.


    "Are you talking about the rumor that the great Orgon is still alive?" Hecathe asked as he took a seat in front of Kelly.


    "That''s the one."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he questioned, "Is someone trying to pay us to see whether the rumor is true or not?"


    Kelly pursed her lips and shook her head with a sigh as she responded in disbelief, "It would have been better if that was it."


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he heard this and he was certainly a bit surprised this time, "Then what did they ask for?"


    "A dead body."


    "Eh?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion immediately as he heard this answer, "What do you mean?"


    "The guy wants us to find the person who spread the rumor and to further investigate if the rumor is true or not. If it was nothing more than a rumor then we provide the dead body of the person who spread the rumor and if it was indeed true then we hunt down Orgon and hand over his dead body."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    This fish he was trying to catch was indeed a whale. Zather seemed to have been right.


    Hecathe, the person who spread the rumor and who was also supposed to be the fake Orgon that had come back from the dead, feigned ignorance as he asked, "And what if we can''t find both?"


    "Then our dead bodies get served," Kelly had a thin smile on her face as she spoke with a threatening tone that indeed managed to make Hecathe feel a shiver run down his spine.


    "So you took a mission from a lunatic?" Hecathe scoffed as he asked.


    "A powerful lunatic and we were forced to take the mission," Kelly corrected him as she informed, "If we don''t take the order, the guild burns down and we can''t take a chance of that happening."


    It seemed that this whale was seriously powerful and Hecathe had indeed underestimated his enemy this time.


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he nodded his head and spoke up after a minute of thinking, "Then let''s go and collect some dead bodies."


    Kelly looked to be a little surprised as she heard the man agreeing with no further questions or complaints.


    However, she clearly didn''t know that the two dead bodies that they were tasked to collect were supposed to belong to the same person and that person was none other than Hecathe himself.


    If they couldn''t find the fake Orgon nor found the one who spread the rumor then the dead body to be served would be theirs only and it was still Hecathe who was going to be targeted.


    This mission wasn''t just funny, it was the whole circus.


    Hecathe could already guess that he was going to have the time of his life.


    Kelly''s lips curled up in a smile as she nodded her head and exclaimed, "Great! I''m glad to see you being so disciplined."


    Hecathe smiled with a nod as he heard this and although the woman was certainly wrong about him being disciplined, he clearly didn''t want to correct her.


    "Then you can start working on this mission right away," Kelly opened her desk and took out a folder before throwing it forward on her table as she instructed, "The origin of the rumor can be traced back to all these places but since we can''t depend on the information given completely, I''ll need you two to go and check them first."


    "You want me to go check them out personally?" Hecathe frowned as he asked and Kelly shook her head.


    "I want you both to go and check personally," Kelly corrected him as she spoke.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he questioned, "By you two, do you mean you want to see me working together with that Raven?"


    Kelly nodded her head with a smile as she confirmed it, "That''s right. It would be faster if you two work together."


    Hecathe opened his mouth to say something but immediately close it as he had second thoughts.


    He took the folder from the desk and opened it to take a look inside.


    "As you can see, there is no way you would be able to do all that on your own," Kelly spoke as she saw Hecathe''s eyes widening in surprise as soon as he opened the folder and read the first page.


    "This... Did you even try to cut it down?" Hecathe''s eyebrows immediately creased together as he questioned the woman.


    "Isn''t that why you are here?" Kelly tilted her head as she asked, "I''m asking you to help me cut down those leads. Most of them are probably fake but we can''t dismiss them because we don''t have proof. I want you to personally go to these places and find proof."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he quietly counted the number of pages that were kept inside this folder.


    "All the best," Kelly chuckled as she spoke up and Hecathe could almost feel as if this woman was being sarcastic.


    There was no doubt about it, she was purposefully making Hecathe work harder.

 Chapter 88 - A Sticky Person

    "What about Raven? Didn''t you say he was getting a warm welcome?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked with suspicion.


    "The warm welcome is naturally over," Kelly shrugged her shoulders as she responded, "Just because he''s new, I can''t have him slack off doing nothing. He has to work hard if he wants to be accepted by the other members."


    "Did he also agree to this mission?" Hecathe lifted the file as he asked.


    Kelly smiled as she heard this question, "Of course, he agreed to it. I can''t force him to take missions. You''re the one I paid and not him. I can force you to take mission but if he refuses, there is nothing I can do about it."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this. This woman was proudly stating that she owned Hecathe at this point, however, Hecathe didn''t focus on that too much as he found it harder to believe that Raven had agreed to this mission.


    Hecathe was yet to understand that man but from what he had seen till now, it was clear that Raven would probably not be interested in such a mission that was threatening for them.


    "I don''t think he would willingly agree," Hecathe spoke up as he stated his honest opinions and asked curiously, "How did you trick him?"


    Kelly chuckle as she heard this question and shook her head as she refused to give him a straight answer and asked back in turn, "Why would you say I tricked him? I only told him the truth."


    "Spill it," Hecathe snapped firmly and Kelly smiled as she simply stared back at the man.


    "I''m not lying. I just told him the truth and he was more than interested to join us."


    "What truth exactly?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned.


    "Nothing really," Kelly shrugged her shoulder as she leaned back on her chair and spoke, "I just told him that you''d be there as well and he immediately agreed."


    "..."


    "It seems that he has also found an interest in your ability just like me," Kelly spoke with a smile, but her thoughts could not be deciphered easily.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head in disbelief, thinking that he should have expected it to be something like this.


    "Then if you have no further questions, you can take this and head out," Kelly beamed and Hecathe nodded his head.


    Hecathe closed the file and kept it close as he stretched his palm out forward and waited for the woman.


    Kelly looked to be confused as she saw this and she asked, "What do you want?"


    "Money," Hecathe stated without missing a beat and Kelly looked to be stunned speechless.


    "..."


    "You don''t expect me to fly all around the city, do you?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked, "I''m considered to be a foreigner, and do you know how hard it is for a foreigner to live in this city. Everything costs double the rate. I need money for transport."


    Kelly gulped as she pursed her lips and took a minute to respond as she asked, "Do you see me as a bank?"


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he looked the woman up and down before shaking his head and replying, "You look like a human."


    "Then why do you keep asking me to pay you?!" The woman shouted as she grabbed her head as if she was suddenly having a headache because of this man.


    "If you want me to go, you should pay me," Hecathe stated firmly, "In any case, doesn''t the guild usually give out an allowance for every mission?"


    Kelly coughed as she heard this, making it look as if she was planning to hide this fact from Hecathe.


    "Don''t tell me you were planning on keeping all that allowance to yourself...?!" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he questioned accusingly and Kelly''s response came pretty fast as she immediately stood up and shouted.


    "Definitely not! Why would I be going after that little cash?!" Kelly tried to defend herself but the more she shouted, the more it seemed that Hecathe had hit the mark.


    Hecathe gasped in surprise and his eyes widened as he questioned, "Could it be that you''re broke?"


    "..."


    "The two million you gave me was the only cash you had left and now you have nothing?"


    The room suddenly turned colder and it could be seen that the cause of it was Kelly who was slowly growing angered because of Hecathe.


    Hecathe sighed as he added, "You shouldn''t have gone as far as to pay me all your savings. You make it look as if I''m bullying you."


    "Shut up and go work!'' Kelly shouted as she took out a white envelope from her desk and threw it over at Hecathe who caught it casually with a small smirk on his face.


    "I''ll be going then," Hecathe nodded as he kept the white envelope in his pocket and turned around before leaving the room.


    Hecathe looked to be as calm as ever as he walked back to the main hall of the guild which was as lively as always, filled with all kinds of drunkards.


    He held his breath in as the smell of alcohol and sweat bothered him but just before he got out of the place, there was suddenly an arm on his shoulder.


    Hecathe''s face cringed up in disgust as he looked back to glare at the owner of the arm, "Take it off before I chop it off."


    The man who was suddenly threatened for putting his arm around Hecathe''s shoulder, chuckled as if he found Hecathe''s behavior amusing.


    "We are going to be working together now, shouldn''t we learn to get along?" The man called Raven asked with a smile plastered on his face, however, It didn''t take a genius to guess that this smile was as fake as it could get.


    "I thought you already went on ahead," Hecathe pushed Raven''s arm off as he commented, "Why are you still here?"


    "Waiting for you, of course," Raven tilted his head and stated innocently.


    "Why are you such a sticky person?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he snapped before turning around once again and continuing on his way.


    "Sticky person?" Raven followed after him without much thought as he questioned in confusion, "What does that mean?"

 Chapter 89 - An Interesting Future

    Hecathe sighed as he heard this question and answered, "A sticky person as in a person who keeps sticking onto people like a leech even when the other party clearly doesn''t enjoy your presence."


    "Ah..." Raven muttered in understanding before he spoke up, "But I''m not a sticky person. I don''t usually stick to people."


    "..."


    You''re clearly doing it as we speak..!


    "I hardly ever find myself interested in someone," Raven continued without putting too much thought into it, "And you just happened to be a person who caught my interest."


    Hecathe stopped walking and turned around as he faced Raven and unhesitantly asked, "Are you interested in men?"


    "Eh?" Raven blinked in confusion as he heard this question.


    "Don''t act like you don''t understand. I''m asking you whether you''re interested in dating men," Hecathe spoke up with a sigh and didn''t even giving Raven space to answer as he continued speaking, "Even if you are, I''m not. So, stop following me."


    "..." Raven was left speechless for a minute before he eventually broke out laughing.


    "You''re quite conceited!" Raven exclaimed in between his laughter as he defended himself, "Why do you make me sound like a predator? I just want to make friends with you."


    "And why should I trust you?" Hecathe folded his hands as he questioned, "Why would I want to become friends with someone who is clearly not being completely honest?"


    Raven shrugged his shoulder with a smile as he indirectly confirmed that he was indeed not willing to be completely honest with Hecathe, "You''re not that honest either. Hecathe isn''t even your real name."


    "..."


    It actually was his real name... But of course, he would naturally not tell Raven this fact.


    "What? Were you a fan of the late Hecathe so you decided to adopt his name as your alias?" Raven questioned with a smirk as he tilted his head.


    "Whether I am a fan or not has nothing to do with you," Hecathe''s eyes seemed to have contracted in displeasure as he spoke, "And the look you have in your eyes... It really bugs me."


    It had been bugging him since day one when they met at the city gate.


    "The look in my eyes?" Raven raised his eyebrows as he repeated and questioned, "What do you mean?"


    "That look you always give," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he pointed out, accusing the man, "As if you''re looking down on the people around you."


    "..."


    "I have said this before and I am going to say this again but I really don''t like you and I can''t even imagine getting along well with someone who looks down on people and considers themselves as someone superior."


    Raven nodded his head as he heard this, seeming to agree with it.


    He took a step forward and with that same indecipherable smile, he asked, "Do you think you''re any different?"


    "That disgusted look you talk about, doesn''t the same look reflect in your eyes as well?" Raven smirked as he questioned and added, "I''m not going to lie about being interested in you, but it wasn''t your ability that made me want to know more about you. It was the thought that we might perhaps be more alike than you''d think."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he clenched his fist as if he was ready to punch this man at any given moment now.


    "We should try to get along. Who knows? Maybe after some time, even you would start to see the resemblance," Raven added with a dry chuckle and at this exact moment, Hecathe had a sudden gut feeling.


    A feeling that there would never come a time when the two would get along. He had a feeling that just like the two characters, Doctor Longwin and Captain Markus, from his favorite book as a child...  Raven and Hecathe were also made to stand at opposites.


    However, this wasn''t the story of a hero and a villain.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he felt that there was some truth in what Raven had just said.


    The two were certainly alike because they were both villains. The only difference may lie in the fact that one of them was worse than the other and Hecathe believed Raven to be the worse one.


    "You think we are alike?" Hecathe questioned but didn''t wait for the man to give him a response as he continued, "I think you''re right and that''s why we can never get along. Cause we are too alike and while opposites attract, same repels each other."


    "I don''t know about that but no matter if we can get along well or not, I have a feeling that it''s going to be very interesting in both cases," Raven chuckled as he responded.


    Hecathe patted the man''s shoulder and sighed as he nodded his head, "It''s going to be interesting indeed."


    It''s certainly going to be interesting to see who wins in the end.


    "Now let''s get going," Hecathe spoke as he didn''t bother wasting any further time on the man and turned around to continue walking.


    Raven chuckled dryly as he took out a napkin from his pocket and wiped his shoulder where Hecathe had patted.


    "Where are we going?" The man asked as he threw the napkin away.


    Hecathe opened the folder and pointed at the first line of the first page as he spoke, "I''m going here.


    "And you''re going here," Hecathe added as he pointed at the next line which was another address.


    "You don''t want to work together?" Raven questioned as he tilted his head.


    "I don''t mind but It gets the job done faster if we go different ways."


    "Then..." Raven moved forward and tore out the next page of the folder as he spoke, "I''ll take care of these today and you take care of the ones on the first page."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this, "That works fine as well."


    "And we meet back at the guild when we are done?" Raven asked and Hecathe once again nodded his head as he agreed.

 Chapter 90 - Grandmother...?

    The two wasted no further time and went on in different directions.


    They were clearly going so that they can get the work done as soon as possible, however, whether they were actually going to seriously work or not was a question that could not be easily answered.


    Raven had joined the guild because he found an odd interest in Hecathe, thinking that the two were alike and he had agreed to this mission because of that man as well, so with this fact considered, it could be stated that he was clearly the least bit interested in actually helping out in this mission.


    However, this wasn''t exactly true since this rumor had definitely piqued his interest even before he got this mission so he hoped to really find the truth. He wanted to know who spread this ridiculous rumor and he also wanted to know who the powerful man requesting this mission was.


    Hecathe, on the other hand, already had the answer to the first question since he was the one who had given Zather the job of spreading the rumor, but like Raven, his main purpose was to fish out the whale in hiding.


    So although he was acting as if he was doing what Kelly had tasked him to do, whether he was doing it sincerely or not wasn''t a difficult question to answer.


    It hadn''t been long since Hecathe had been in this city, however, with each passing day, he had managed to learn more things about this city and although the addresses written down on the file were hard for him to understand, with a little help from the strangers he had asked for directions, Hecathe was soon able to get to the first destination.


    Hecathe had a small amused smile on his face as he looked at the old lady who opened the door to the little house.


    He really found it a bit hard to believe that someone actually thought this old woman was the person behind the rumors.


    With her frail bones and bent back, she could hardly even walk and from the way that she squinted at Hecathe, the man could be sure that the woman seemed to also have a problem with her eyesight.


    "Who er you?" The old lady asked as she squinted at Hecathe and from the way she talked, it could be concluded that she had an accent which probably meant she was a pure native from Ocasia.


    This was also one of the things Hecathe had randomly come to learn about this city. The people who had an accent were most probably natives whose ancestry has deep roots inside the city.


    "Good morning," Hecathe politely greeted the woman first before he answered her question, "I work for the Golden fire guild. My name is Hecathe and I just wanted to ask you some questions. Would that be alright?"


    Hecathe had certainly never done something like this before but he had a lot of experience watching sales executives talking to people like this so he tried his best to copy a good salesman as he spoke a generic line.


    "Golden fire eh?" The woman repeated before she nodded her head slightly and opened the door wider, "Come in, whatcha gonna do if ya just stand there?"


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this and nodded as he stepped inside the small house and calling the house small was really not an understatement at all as the house was really just that small.


    The woman was barely four feet tall and the house was made according to her, which led to the roof and all the doors being lowered.


    Hecathe, who had a height of more than one ninety centimeters couldn''t help but feel like a giant inside this small house.


    "Sit down eh," The woman spoke as she gestured over to the sofa that looked to be old but was still well maintained.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he made his way to the sofa and sat down.


    The woman left him alone for a minute as she went inside the kitchen and at this moment, Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder that it would be pretty easy for someone to fool this trusting woman who didn''t even question him further after hearing the name Golden fire.


    Hecathe had never seen her before this and the same could be said for her as well, but after hearing that he was from the golden fire, she simply let the stranger enter her house and even left him alone.


    He didn''t know if she was naive or just a bit too trusting.


    After a few minutes, the old woman came back with two cups of coffee and she handed one over to Hecathe before taking a seat opposite to him as she took her time and asked, "Why ya here?"


    Hecathe smiled as he placed the coffee down on the table and spoke, "As I''ve said before, I''m just here to ask a couple of questions. If you don''t feel comfortable answering them, you are more than free to skip them or tell me, but I hope you''ll be able to answer them. I''m not going to be asking anything hard."


    "Whatcha wanna ask?" The woman sipped the coffee leisurely as she casually responded and waited for Hecathe to ask her the question that he was here to ask.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smile as he took out a pen from his pocket and asked, "First question: Have you heard about the recent rumor that has been spreading? The rumor of Orgon still being alive?"


    "Eh?" The woman looked to be confused as her forehead creased together, "Who the hell is Orgon?"


    Hecathe didn''t know why but he wanted to laugh as he heard this response that was to be expected, but Hecathe did his best to not laugh at the woman''s face as he muttered, "I see. So you are unaware."


    "Er."


    "Do you live alone?"


    The woman looked around before she pointed at a certain picture that was hung up on the wall and spoke, "He lived here too. Kept me good company for a long time, but died just last year."


    Hecathe gulped as he pursed his lips and looked at the photo of the man that looked to be the woman''s husband, "I see... I''m sorry for your loss."


    "Don''t be," The woman chuckled softly as she waved her hands and reassured Hecathe that it was okay.


    "So you live alone at the moment?"


    "Eh? No," The woman frowned as she shook her head and pointed at the same photo, "Ya see the young boy hiding behind him. He''s my adoptive son and he lives here with me.


    "I see," Hecathe nodded his head as he immediately understood why he was here.


    It was probably this adopted son that was suspected to be the one who spread the rumors.


    "Is he not home at the moment?" Hecathe asked without missing the beat, trying his best to not act as if he was a threat, and rather, the man forced himself to act friendly and open so as to make the woman speak honestly and openly without any fear.


    "That boy comes er to eat, sleep and poop."


    "..."


    "Are ya looking for him?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as heard this question and confirmed it, "I would like to ask him some questions as well."


    The woman looked over at the clock and squinted as she tried to read the time but eventually gave up as she turned her head to look at Hecathe and spoke, "What''s the time ya see, eh?"


    Hecathe sighed as he looked at the clock that had a missing pointer. This clock was broken and the woman had such bad eyesight that she couldn''t even see that it was broken.


    Hecathe lifted his hand and looked at his watch before he spoke, "It''s almost twelve p.m."


    "That late?" The woman frowned as she nodded her head slowly and seemed to be thinking about something before she spoke up, "If ya go to the gambling den across the street, ya will be able to find him. He usually stops playing around lunchtime so ya have plenty of time right now. If ya hurry, ya will be able to catch him."


    Hecathe tapped his thigh as he stood up immediately after hearing this, "Then I won''t disturb you further."


    "Eh? I paid for the ingredients!" The woman exclaimed as she pointed at the coffee that was left on the table, "Drink that at least. Don''t go around wasting money."


    Hecathe gulped as he suddenly felt that this woman was much alike his own grandmother who would often scold him about spending his money recklessly.


    Hecathe smiled as he picked up the coffee cup and gulped it all down in a single go before placing the empty cup down, "The coffee was good. Thank you for your hospitality."


    "Er.. Now get outta my house," The woman responded but although her wordings were pretty rude, Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he felt some warmth in her response.

 Chapter 91 - Loose Mouths

    Hecathe didn''t waste any further time as he got out of the house and asked people for directions to the gambling den.


    Just as the name suggested, it was a place where people would usually group together to gamble with their money, betting on their luck without knowing that it wasn''t about luck at all.


    When Hecathe reached the place, his face immediately cringed up in dislike as he looked at the group of people huddled together to watch the current gamble.


    Hecathe tried to find the boy that he was looking for and it was only now that he had realized that he had forgotten to ask the old lady for his name. Even the photo he had seen was old and he felt that he would probably not be able to find that boy with just that one childhood picture of him.


    Hecathe sighed as he pushed through the crowd and his eyes glanced at the face of every person present there as he tried to see if there was someone even remotely looking like that kid from the photo.


    "Awesome! One more!" A man exclaimed and managed to catch Hecathe''s attention with his loud voice.


    Surprisingly enough, Hecathe seemed to have really found the guy he was looking for.


    There were only three players left competing and he was one of them, having the highest bet on the table.


    Although the child from the photo had grown up to become a full-on adult, his face had certainly changed but at the same time, it was still recognizable, making Hecathe recognize the man immediately.


    Hecathe folded his hand as he watched the game patiently and tried to understand what they were playing.


    The other two players who were playing against this man looked to be much older than him and his enthusiasm and confidence had certainly managed to make them frown, however, Hecathe could feel that although they were a bit intimidated they weren''t going to let this young man win against them today.


    They were planning on cheating and Hecathe could see it on their faces. It was a type of confidence that came with worry and fear.


    The young man looked to be completely unaware of the trap that had been set up for him and as he saw that he was winning, he started placing more money on the table, almost making Hecathe want to face-palm himself as he saw this foolish gambling addict who wasn''t even good at the game.


    "Old man, you better get ready to sell your house. I''m not going to let you leave unless you pay me," The young man confidently spoke with a chuckle as he mocked the other player who sat in front of him.


    "How can you be sure that you''ll win?" The old man clicked his tongue as he placed a card down and spoke, "The game is unpredictable and the mistress of luck is ever-changing. You''ll never know who wins until the very last card is placed."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and this statement from this old man had made it more clear for him that the man was planning to cheat. He clearly had something up his sleeves because if he didn''t then he would have never said such a thing with so much confidence.


    The young man looked to be completely oblivious as he heard the old man and laughed, almost looking as if he was mocking the man.


    "Old man, I hope you don''t go back crying to your daughter!~ Hahaha...!" The young man exclaimed, teasing the other, and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel pity for this oblivious fool.


    The young man placed his card down and once again seemed to have the upper hand and he laughed happily as if this game had made the man lose his sanity today.


    "The last hand," The Old man smirked as he stated, "It all depends on this."


    The young man nodded his head happily as he took out a ring from his finger and placed it down on the table, "I''m going all out!"


    The Old Man laughed as he heard this and looked down at the ring, "That looks important, are sure your wife won''t mind you gambling off your wedding ring?"


    The Young Man laughed as he heard this and informed clearly, "I''m not married yet so which non-existent wife are you talking about?"


    The third guy who was competing looked to be a little surprised as he looked at the ring and asked, "But it looks like a wedding ring. Did you steal it or something?"


    The Young man shook his head as he replied casually with a chuckle, "It''s my grandfather''s wedding ring. The Old man is already dead and The Old Hag is also getting ready to go to him. Why would they need these anymore? It''s better off with me."


    The two other players looked to be a little shocked as they heard this but in the end, instead of saying anything, they simply laughed it off as one of the usual jokes.


    However, Hecathe clearly didn''t find this funny at all and there was an apparent frown on his face as his eyes narrowed down on the ring.


    It looked to be expensive and there was no doubt that the old couple had certainly saved up a fortune to pay for it and here their adopted son was carelessly gambling it off at such a place.


    Hecathe wasn''t really here to pick a fight with this man. He was here to ask a few questions and nothing more.


    He needed to give some data to Kelly in order to prove that he had actually tried to find the one who spread the rumor.


    But at this moment, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel the need to punch this young man who clearly deserved a good punch right now.


    "You''re ambitious and impulsive. You''re going to make it big someday!" One of the guys complimented the young man who looked to have believed these empty words.


    "Of course, I will!" The young man exclaimed proudly as he clicked his tongue, "I''ll be rich enough to make the three willows of spring lick my boot! Even the great Alphius would be my bellboy, running at my beck and call!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but cough as he held back his instinct to laugh at such a ridiculous statement.


    This young man wasn''t ambitious and impulsive. He was nothing more than a fool who didn''t have control over his own mouth and this was surely going to get him into trouble sooner than he would expect.


    "Tch- Why are you bringing up that bastard?!" One of the old men frowned as he clearly showed both his dislike and disgust, "He''s not even worthy of being a bellboy! Having him clean my shoes would be too good of a job for him."


    "You''re right!" The young man laughed as he agreed, "He''s not even deserving of being a servant. Rodents like him should be exterminated from birth. His mother must surely be disappointed."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this. They were all clearly badmouthing Alphius but since he was the one currently inside Alphius''s body, all of these insults were indirectly aimed at him which really made him want to laugh and teach them why they should learn to control their mouths.


    It seemed that Hecathe was a little misinformed about this city. Back in the underground city, the boy had told him that his name wasn''t famous in Ocasia since he had never personally come here, however, it seemed that not only was he well known but he was also well hated by everyone.


    Even Zail had clearly shown his dislike towards Alphius when the topic was brought up and with these guys trash-talking Alphius, Heathe could be sure that the boy was not well-informed, and if that wasn''t the case then he was probably too embarrassed and afraid to tell Hecathe all this in fear that it might anger him.


    "You''re talking about his mother''s disappointment?" The Old man scoffed as he commented, "Just imagine how much his Father must have regretted it."


    The young man laughed as he eagerly nodded his head and responded, "That''s right! That''s right! He regretted it so much that he thought being eaten by a Dorgon was better than watching his disgrace of a son! That disgusting half-mutant bastard should have also followed his father to the afterlife!"


    "He doesn''t even dare show his face around here because he''s a coward who knows we can beat him into a pulp!"


    As the conversation went on, it seemed that the people got more and more excited. Bad-mouthing a certain person and trash-talking seemed to be a hobby for them and Hecathe could confidently say that such a hobby was thoroughly disgusting for him.


    "If it weren''t for his mecha-suits protecting that little brat, he would have long been beaten to death!"


    "Killing his father was the last straw for him. I was a fan of him when he started showing his talent, but I realized that he''s nothing special."


    "You can find a lot of rodents like him."


    Hecathe chuckled out loud and slapped his hand on the table as he interrupted the lovely conversation.

 Chapter 92 - Who The Hell Are You?!

    "I thought we are all here for the gambling," Hecathe spoke with a smirk as he looked straight at the young man who looked to be surprised and a bit afraid of this man dressed as a hunter.


    "Who the hell are you?" The young man frowned as he questioned without bothering to be polite.


    "Me?" Hecathe chuckled as he shrugged his shoulder, "I''m just someone visiting."


    The young man didn''t look to have believed it but he didn''t say or ask anything more.


    "So place the last card," Hecathe instructed as his eyes narrowed down on the young man.


    With just the piercing glare that Hecathe was giving him, it could be clear that Hecathe wasn''t too impressed or pleased with this young man and his lovely discussion about Alphius.


    "He''s right," One of the older two men, who was playing, chuckled as he spoke up, "Get this over with. Why are you dragging this on?"


    The young man gulped as he heard this and didn''t bother thinking about anything as he threw his card on the table, showing it to everyone with much confidence as if he was sure that he was going to win.


    "There ya go," The young man glared at Hecathe with a small scowl on his face, "Are ya happy now?"


    Hecathe could sense that the man was angry at him since the young man''s accent suddenly started becoming more prominent and he started sounding just like that old lady.


    The two older men laughed as they saw the young man''s card and placed their own cards on the table.


    One of them commented, "I guess your luck ran out, kid."


    The young man was stunned speechless for a few seconds as he looked at the other two cards that were 2 of spades and 2 of clubs respectively.


    His eyes glanced down towards his own card that was 3 of hearts.


    "Now let me take a good look at that ring you got me," The other man picked up the ring from the table and wore it on his finger as he laughed.


    "Wait... This is impossible!" The young man exclaimed as he slammed his hand on the table, "I already placed a 2 of spades before this! How can there be two cards of the same type in a deck?!"


    "Eh?" The other guy tilted his head as he looked at the young man and asked cluelessly, "When did you place a 2 of spades? Are you trying to call us cheaters by lying?"


    The young man gritted his teeth in anger as he heard this and his hand reached out for the deck that was kept on the table. All the cards that had been placed forward were kept in this deck and he was sure that the deck hadn''t been tampered with so he believed that he would be able to find the 2 of spades that he had previously placed.


    The two men laughed together as they saw this young man shuffling through the deck anxiously.


    "Didn''t I already tell you, boy? The mistress of luck doesn''t have a loyal heart. Today was just not your day."


    The young man went through the deck for the third time but was still unable to find the 2 of spades that he had previously placed and this made him clench his fist.


    "You cheating old piece of sh*ts!"


    "Now, why are you calling us names when you were the one that lost the gamble? Didn''t you already know that you would have to lose if you played?"


    The young man was pretty angry as he heard the old man and in a fit of rage, he grabbed the collar of one of the men and looked to be ready to start a fight, however, at this moment, Hecathe kicked the young man and interrupted the fight before it even started.


    "Move your butt," Hecathe spoke as he met the man''s glaring eyes, "You played and you lost. Now don''t be a loser and get your ass out of here. Can''t you see that there are people waiting for the next round?"


    "..."


    The young man surely didn''t look to be too happy after getting kicked by Hecathe and when he heard the man saying this, he let go of the old man''s collar and stepped closer to Hecathe as if trying to intimidate the man.


    "Who the f*ck are you...?!" The young man pushed Hecathe''s shoulder back as he questioned, clearly looking for a fight.


    Hecathe chuckled as he looked down at his shoulder that had been pushed back and he leisurely patted his shoulder as if he was getting rid of dirt.


    "There''s a problem with your question," Hecathe spoke up with a smirk as he looked back at the young man, "It should be the other way around."


    Hecathe pushed the man''s shoulder back and the young man who was not as strong as Hecathe ended up tripping on the chair behind him and falling on his butt because of just a single push.


    "The question should be: Who the f*ck are you to push me?" Hecathe informed casually, his voice sounding oddly calm, making the atmosphere turn cold and heavy all of a sudden.


    Nobody dared to say anything and when they saw the dark purple cloak and the emblem on it, they were sure that this young gambler had decided to pick a fight with the wrong person.


    Hunters were not easy people to deal with.


    "Now," Hecathe let out a small breath as he stepped closer and picked up the chair that had fallen down after tripping the young man, "I would like it if you could wait. I''ll get to you after I''m done here and I hope you don''t run away by then."


    Hecathe placed the chair back in its position and sat in front of the two old men as he spoke to them, "Let''s have a game."


    "What a courageous man!~ I like you!" One of the men exclaimed as he laughed and started preparing the deck of cards.


    "Hey! I''m not done with ya!" The young man shouted as he picked himself up from the floor.


    "And nor am I," Hecathe responded as he side-glanced at the man, "So be a good boy and patiently sit over there while you wait for me to be done with these two here."


    The young man seemed as if he wanted to say more but he held himself back and went over to sit down, patiently waiting just as Hecathe had told him to.


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he saw this since he didn''t really expect the man to go and do it.


    "Now how do you like to play?" The other older dude asked as he stared at Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he shrugged his shoulder and replied, "I don''t care what type it is but for convenience''s sake, let''s play the same game that you were playing a minute ago."


    "Is that so?" The old man raised an eyebrow as he looked at Hecathe, feeling both amused and suspicious, "Have you ever played before?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he heard this question and answered honestly, "Gambling has never interested me so it is only natural that I have never played."


    "For a man who has never played before, you look quite confident," The other guy chuckled as he commented and Hecathe simply smiled with a nod as he heard this.


    "From what I''ve just seen, I can guess the general rules that would be needed," Hecathe spoke as he looked at his watch casually, "And as for the bet, I''m ready to place this watch."


    The two men carefully looked at the watch that Hecathe took off from his wrist and from their expressions alone, it was clear that they had no idea what type of watch this was nor had they ever seen it before, but they were not idiots and they were clearly able to guess that the watch was probably expensive.


    "Is it authentic?" One of the men asked as he carefully looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he flipped the watch and showed the engravement on the back, "This should be proof enough for you."


    One of the men took the watch from Hecathe''s hand and took a closer look at the engraving on the back before concluding that this watch was definitely real.


    "Young man, you''re not only courageous but you''re foolish as well," The man laughed as he commented after taking a closer look at the engraving, "This watch belongs to the mecha-suits and was produced by that bastard Alphius."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this, "I would naturally know that since the watch is mine."


    "It is expensive but do you really think it would be a good idea for you to reveal the fact that you are secretly connected to the mecha-suits?" The man asked as he looked at Hecathe with an indecipherable expression.


    "So what?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked, "Aren''t we in Ocasia? You people don''t welcome the mecha-suits but you don''t welcome the three willows of spring either so it shouldn''t be a big deal."

 Chapter 93 - The Game Was Simple

    The man was a bit speechless as he heard this but after a minute he only laughed as he spoke, "Your words are quite interesting, young man."


    "I''m glad you find them interesting," Hecathe responded sarcastically but it seemed that nobody else was able to notice the sarcasm in his words, "So do we have a game or not?"


    The two men looked at each other as if they were telepathically communicating with one another and after having done so, they nodded as they came to a mutual agreement and turned to face Hecathe.


    "You have yourself a game," One of the men spoke with a smile as he started shuffling the cards.


    "Since you''re placing your watch on the table, let us place the money we won in the last gamble."


    Hecathe immediately shook his head with a sigh as he heard this, "That won''t be needed."


    "Eh?"


    "I have a lot of money and I am not playing to win money so you can keep that for yourself," Hecathe explained before he looked at the ring that was worn on the man''s finger, "What I want is that ring."


    The ring was the wedding ring of the old woman''s husband who was no more and just moments ago, it was gambled off by the adopted son who couldn''t care less about the ring.


    "This ring?" The man asked with a frown as he took the ring off, "Are you sure about that?"


    Hecathe didn''t need to think about it as he nodded his head without missing a beat, "That ring would do. You two can play together and if either of you win, you can keep the ring and take the watch, but... If I win against both of you, I get to keep the watch and the ring."


    The two old men laughed as they heard the foolish young man challenging them like this.


    The ring was indeed expensive since it was a wedding ring, however, compared to the one-of-a-kind watch that Hecathe had placed on the table, this ring was clearly too inferior of a bet.


    It was a gamble where Hecathe was at a disadvantage since the beginning, however, the two men didn''t seem to care too much about it since they would be the ones winning everything in the end.


    "You''re daring, young man! Let''s play!" One of them commented as he shuffled the cards and placed them on the table.


    "Since you are new, We''ll let you handle the cards," The other man spoke as he gestured towards the deck, almost making it look as if he was being humble.


    Hecathe had a small smirk on his face as he heard this and he picked up the deck of cards before he flipped them and started counting them.


    When the two men saw Hecathe doing such a thing, their faces turned white in anger and one of them shouted at Hecathe, "What are you doing?!"


    "Hmm?" Hecathe looked up from the cards as he responded, "Didn''t that one over there say that you guys were cheating? I''m just making sure that there are no extra cards."


    "He was clearly lying! Are you calling us a cheater?! Don''t play if you don''t trust us!" One of the guys clicked his tongue as he shouted, "We also have our pride to hold up, and never in our lives have we ever played unfair with anyone!"


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh at the man''s face as he heard this, but in the end, he was able to control himself as he smiled and nodded before he turned the deck upside down as he started shuffling once again.


    "What? You didn''t find anything?!" The other guy scoffed as he commented, sounding quite offended and angry at Hecathe.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a small smile as he spoke, "You were indeed right. I couldn''t find anything."


    The two men looked as if they had expected this so they scowled as they folded their arms and openly showed their displeasure towards Hecathe for not believing them.


    "It seems that it was the monkey who was lying," Hecathe added as he side-glanced over to the young man who he was originally here for.


    "Who the hell are you calling a monkey, you #$%@^$#%$&" A string of profanities fell out of the young man''s mouth as he kept sitting on his chair and shouted at Hecathe who had called him a monkey.


    Hecathe only chuckled as he heard the man and said nothing in return.


    The two men laughed as they heard the young man barking like a Dog but they also didn''t bother commenting on it.


    "So ten cards each?" Hecathe asked as he cautiously glanced up at the two men who nodded as they confirmed it.


    Hecathe started placing the cards down on the table and he placed ten cards in front of each player which made thirty cards in total that were being used.


    The remaining cards were placed on the desk for everyone to see so that they could not be tampered with.


    Hecathe smiled as he picked up the ten cards and took a peek at them.


    The game was simple.


    There were going to be a total of ten rounds and in each round, the players would be asked to place one card down on the table. The one with the smallest number wins and everyone else loses. After each round, they get to place more bets. If a player thinks that he has a better chance of winning with the hand that he had been dealt with then he would place a higher bet, but this could also be done to intimidate the other player who would then be forced to think that his own cards are probably not that great compared to his confident opponents.


    This was a game that was quite dependent on luck and a bit dependent on intelligence as well.


    Hecathe had never found an interest in card games but this didn''t mean that he hadn''t ever seen people playing them. His father was a man who usually loved to play cards in his free time, although he didn''t gamble, he was still good at cards, and just from watching him play, Hecathe had learned a lot about cards.


    When he was checking the deck of cards under the excuse of simply checking to see if they were all correct or not, what he was really doing was counting them to see if the cards were 52 in total or not.


    In a normal deck, there were 54 cards and this was including the two jokers that came with each set.


    In most of the games, the joker was always removed which left the players with only 52 cards in total.


    Out of those fifty-two cards, thirty were currently placed in front of the players and the remaining 22 were placed on the table.


    There were four Ace of each suit in a deck and with the game that they were currently playing, the ace was considered as the card with the lowest value. In other words, it would be a card that could make a player win the game.


    Or to be more exact, all Hecathe needed was the Ace of spades in order to win this game since the spade was also considered to be the lowest suit.


    As much as Hecathe hated to say it... He had to admit that he was planning on cheating in order to win this game.


    Hecathe wouldn''t have planned to cheat if these two men had been fair since the beginning but since they were the ones to take on the means of cheating first, he would naturally give them a taste of their own medicine.


    The chance of getting the ace of spades in a deck of 52 cards was naturally one in fifty-two so this meant that a person would have 1.92 percent chance of getting such a card if they were to pick only one card from the deck. Since they were picking ten cards, they would naturally have a higher chance.


    There were a total of four aces in a deck and since all the aces were powerless in this particular game, if the opponent didn''t have an ace of spades, some other ace would also work to their benefit.


    The chance of getting an ace was 4 in 52 which was a 7.69 percent chance of getting such a card if the player was to only pick a single card from the deck.


    This number looked a bit higher and better, however, it was still just as low and the chance of getting a two of any suit was also the same percentage since there were only four cards with two on them.


    If this game was truly fair then everyone would have the same chances of winning, however, this game was anything other than fair and this meant that these calculations were incorrect.


    The true chances of the other two having an ace were zero because all the four aces were with Hecathe at this moment and this was no luck or coincidence. It was because Hecathe had counted the cards and shuffled them in a manner where he would get all the aces.


    This was the second thing that he did when he flipped the card and casually announced that he was seeing if they were right or not.

 Chapter 94 - What Type Of A Man Are You?!

    This was done when he was checking the cards.


    He had purposefully checked the cards in front of the two men and had accused them of cheating before because he wanted to confuse them and distract them. In the end, he succeeded as the two got angry at him and ended up being distracted enough to not realize that Hecathe was fake shuffling the cards.


    This was clearly cheating, but why should Hecathe care since he planned on winning?


    If one wanted to enjoy the game, they would play fair but if a person played only to win then wasn''t cheating a needed method to ensure that win?


    If the two before him were honest men then Hecathe would have thought a couple more times before deciding to cheat but since they both had the same untrustworthy brain cells, the decision to cheat wasn''t hard to make for Hecathe.


    The first round was announced and the player placed their cards on the table one by one.


    The other two placed a four of spades and a six of diamonds whereas Hecathe placed a five of hearts.


    He won against one but lost against the other, however, this was all going exactly as Hecathe had planned.


    "The mistress of luck seems to be confused with this one. Hahaha..." One of the men laughed as he commented and Hecathe simply smiled as he heard this.


    "Maybe she''ll make up her mind in the next round," The other man added as he laughed together with his partner.


    Hecathe was clearly being mocked by these two but he acted as if he hadn''t noticed because, unlike that monkey who had gambled off a wedding ring, Hecathe was smart enough to realize that the two were trying to incite him to raise his bet.


    "You win this round," Hecathe sighed as he tried to act dejected, but on the inside, these feelings were naturally not there.


    Even if they had won the first round, the game was still going to be won by Hecathe as the first round hardly mattered.


    What truly mattered was the end result. In the end, when all the cards are calculated, the one with the lowest number would win and that person would naturally be Hecathe who owned all the aces.


    Seeing that Hecathe wasn''t too keen on arguing with them, the other two shared a look and didn''t bother saying anything more.


    In the second round, the two men placed a three of hearts and a seven of clubs respectively whereas Hecathe placed a two of spades this time.


    "Oh my! The mistress of luck seems to have taken a liking to you," One of the men commented with a chuckle, not sounding disappointed at all by the fact that he had lost this round.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he heard this but once again, he said nothing more and was adamant about staying stingy with his words.


    In his head, he concluded that these two men were trying to use the same tactic that they had used with that other monkey. They were going to act as if this game was fair. They would let Hecathe win sometimes in order to give him confidence so that he could raise the bet.


    However, they were clearly unaware of the fact that Hecathe already knew the cards that they had. He was unsure about two or three cards but the rest, he knew because he was the one who counted before shuffling and handling.


    "You win this round, lad. Why don''t you look happy?" The other asked as he suspiciously looked at Hecathe.


    "I won this round but I am yet to win the game. Why do you expect me to be happy about something so small?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked back in turn.


    "..." The two men were left speechless as they heard this confident youth.


    They failed to make small talk once again and were forced to play the third round straight away.


    This time, it was Hecathe who placed his card first and the other two placed their own cards after having seen the man''s card.


    Hecathe placed down a two of diamonds and one of the older men placed down a queen of spades while the other placed down an ace of hearts.


    He won against one but lost against the other.


    Hecathe lips curled up in a smirk as he saw this and the other two men couldn''t guess the reason behind the man''s smile.


    "Two of diamonds," One of the men laughed as he commented with a rather naturally loud voice, "The mistress of luck seems to be serious with you, but it still refuses to let you win."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and picked up the rest of the seven cards left with him before peeking at them to see that there was indeed an ace missing from there.


    "I see," Hecathe nodded his head as he muttered to himself but didn''t say anything outright to the people who had clearly stolen one of his cards.


    "Young lad, you''re quite lucky. Why don''t you raise the bet and really make this game worth the win?" The other guy asked as he looked at Hecathe, feigning to be nothing more than curious.


    Hecathe smiled as he raised his head and looked back at the man. This time, he actually bothered to respond, "Why would I raise my bet when the ring is all I''m after?"


    "It never hurts to be ambitious," The man chuckled as he responded, "You might just need the ring but an extra little cash isn''t going to hurt you, is it?"


    "An extra little cash?" Hecathe repeated and acted as if he was thinking about it seriously before he spoke, "Then you should raise the bet. After all, I would be winning your money, right?"


    "..."


    This young man was really not skilled in holding up a conversation without making the other person feel awkward and speechless.


    Hecathe chuckled as he saw the wordless response he got that had somehow managed to satisfy him and he spoke, "Let''s place the next cards and see if the lady luck really prefers me over such two wise old gentlemen."


    The two men gritted their teeth as they heard this but tried their best to hide it behind a smile, however, a malicious intent was never hard to detect for Hecathe.


    This time, Hecathe let the men place their cards first and while one of them placed a six of spades, the other one placed a three of diamonds.


    Hecathe took out his ace of spades this time but once the card was placed down on the table, what was displayed was a king of clubs instead.


    The other two laughed as they saw this and happily announced, "It seems the third time is really not a charm!~ Hahaha..."


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head and pursed his lips before flipping all his cards in front of him at once.


    He took a good look at them only to notice that there was not a single ace left behind with him.


    "I see," Hecathe muttered to himself as he stood up from the chair, "So this was how you tricked the monkey."


    The two men looked to be shocked as they saw Hecathe''s sudden action and when they heard this particular comment about them tricking the other gambler, they couldn''t help but slam their hands on the table as they defensively stood up and shouted at Hecathe.


    "Young man, what are you trying to do?!"


    "Are you calling us cheaters?!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and shook his head as he took the watch that he had previously placed on the table and wore it back leisurely as if he was just allowed to do that.


    "Oi! Who said you can take it back?!" One of the men shouted as he grabbed Hecathe''s hand in hopes of stopping him but Hecathe didn''t seem to be bothered by it as he wrapped his hand around the man''s wrist and smiled.


    "Excuse me, but do I need your permission to take back things that belong to me?" Hecathe asked as he innocently tilted his head before twisting the man''s arm and forcibly making him let go of Hecathe.


    "Ah!" A loud agonizing scream was heard from the old man whose bones had certainly been broken by Hecathe.


    "What the hell are you trying to do?! You just lost! What type of a man are you if you can''t even accept a loss with dignity?!" The other guy shouted accusingly and the audience that was enjoying this intense scene started murmuring among themselves.


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this ridiculous question, "You ask me what type of a man I am? Let me tell you."


    Hecathe let go of the guy whose wrist had been broken and pushed the table away easily before stepping closer to the other guy who just seemed to be a bit too eager to end up like his partner.

 Chapter 95 - Where Is The Rat?

    "W-What?" The man was a bit intimidated by Hecathe''s height that was clearly taller than him but he still pretended to be unfazed. However, one couldn''t say that he did a good job at pretending since his fear could be seen in his eyes.


    "I''m the type of man that doesn''t easily get fooled," Hecathe spoke up, giving an answer to the man''s previous question.


    "So now tell me, which one of you has the ability to change cards," Hecathe didn''t even bother giving the man time to say anything as he questioned in all seriousness.


    The man immediately gulped in response as he heard the question and looked to be a bit scared as he shook his head and stuttered out, "W-What are you talking about? What changing c-cards?"


    Hecathe sighed as he looked at the face of the poor liar, "Why are you trying to waste my time? If I ask you a question, you give me an answer, isn''t that how it works?"


    Hecathe glared at the man who refused to talk.


    From behind Hecathe, they could clearly hear the voice of the other guy with a broken arm, "Don''t joke around! What changing cards are you talking about?! Both of us have no abilities!"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and looked down at the man who seemed to be rolling on the ground, trying to ease the pain in his arm.


    "Is that so?" Hecathe questioned before he stepped on the man''s hand and almost crushed his fingers under his shoe, "Are you sure that it''s bullsh*t?"


    The old man let out a cry of pain which almost made Hecathe''s question sound a bit inaudible.


    "Y-you can check, Sir." The other one kneeled down and grabbed Hecathe''s leg as if begging him to let go of the old guy. His entire demeanor seemed to have changed within seconds after seeing his partner get a broken arm and crushed fingers.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he heard this but it took him a minute to respond "Is that so?"


    The two nodded their heads in unison as if promising that their words could be trusted.


    Hecathe smiled as he saw this and his eyes glanced around to look at the small audience that had been gathered here. They were originally here to enjoy the gambling, but now, they had unexpectedly got to witness something even more interesting.


    "Then who is it?" Hecathe questioned loudly for everyone to hear, "Who is the little rat that has been swapping my cards? Come out while I still ask you nicely."


    It was only natural that nobody stepped out and Hecathe''s smile turned into a frown as he spoke up, asking, "I guess the rat is a bit shy? Challenging me to hunt them instead?"


    Nobody knew who had gulped but it was so silent that even the sound of gulping could be heard clearly.


    "So you want me to personally come and check?" Hecathe asked with a frown and some who were standing at the back even thought about sneakily running away with their lives at this moment, but How could Hecathe simply just let them go that easily?


    "Don''t try to run away. If you decide to run away, I''ll kill you first even if you''re not the rat."


    The ones, who had turned around and got ready to sneak away, immediately stopped as they heard this and remained waiting in their places, looking to be threatened by Hecathe and his words.


    "Now, which one of you is it?" Hecathe looked around and it almost seemed as if the man was analyzing their faces, however, his eyes would every now and then glance at the two old men just to see who they were looking at.


    It was an unconscious behavior. If you knew who did it, your eyes would glance at the suspect more than you''d like it to and this was exactly what was happening at this point.


    One of the two men was already in a condition where he couldn''t look or waste his energy on anyone else, whereas the other had cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he glanced at a certain person every now and then.


    It didn''t take a genius to guess who the rat was and even if it did take a genius, Hecathe would be more than happy to consider himself a genius for this.


    Hecathe whistled a melody as he took a few steps forward and the people in front of him moved aside as they nervously made a way for him.


    The man''s footsteps came to a halt in front of the only person that hadn''t moved away.


    "So it was you?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk.


    The one standing in front of him was surprisingly a girl who looked to be barely seventeen. She wore a heavy oversized dark grey cardigan with just normal loose pants and a white shirt inside. Her hair was darker than the darkest black that Hecathe had ever seen and the man was unsure if it was just a naturally dark color or if it was an illusion of darkness caused by the bad lighting in the place.


    Her fingers were fiddling with the hem of her cardigan, indicating that she was clearly nervous and a bit afraid, however, since she held her face down, facing the ground, Hecathe wasn''t sure what expression she had on her face.


    "I asked you a question, little rat," Hecathe spoke up again after receiving no verbal response from the girl.


    "S-Sir, please forgive me," The girl didn''t bother saying anything else as she straightaway apologized to Hecathe for having tried to trick him.


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head and accepted the apology, "You should be sorry, but little rat, that''s not the reason why I wanted to find you. Your sorry means nothing to me."


    "..." The girl gulped as she visibly flinched in fear and this made Hecathe wonder if his words were a bit too harsh.


    He was certainly not meaning to scare her but somehow that was exactly what he was doing.

 Chapter 96 - Im Interested In Your...

    "Aren''t you going to ask me why I was looking for you?" Hecathe asked as he crouched down and looked up to see her face.


    When he saw her face, he was a hundred percent sure that she was terrified of him since she actually looked as if she had seen a ghost.


    "S-sir... I''m really sorry. Please forgive me," The girl apologized once again and Hecathe sighed as he stood up and patted her head.


    "I keep telling you that your ''sorry'' is useless to me," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke, "What I am interested in is your powers."


    "Eh...?" It took the girl a whole minute to respond in confusion and shock, but even after repeating Hecathe''s words in her mind, she was still unable to understand what he was trying to say.


    Hecathe smiled as he saw the girl finally lifting her head to look up at him, "Do you want me to repeat myself? I said I''m interested in your ability. I''m a member of the golden fire guild. Would you like to discuss your ability after this?"


    The girl gulped as she looked at him blankly.


    A whole minute passed and she opened her mouth to give him a response, however, her eyes widened as she noticed something behind Hecathe and immediately changed her words as she tried to warn the man, "Sir, look out!"


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he heard this and even before the girl had shouted the warning, he had already blocked the chair leg as he grasped onto it tightly.


    The man didn''t even bother turning around as he kept his eyes on the girl and asked once again, "Would you like to come to our guild?"


    The old man who had tried to attack Hecathe by surprise got himself in a sticky situation as Hecathe easily blocked his blow and from the calm demeanor that Hecathe showed, the old man was sure that they were not dealing with just any normal hunter here.


    So the first thing that the old man tried to do was run away, even being ready to abandon his partner who was still suffering on the ground, however, the man''s plan to run away failed almost immediately as he was stopped by the gambling monkey who smirked as he looked at the old man and spoke, "You dare lie to me and trick me? Give me back my ring before you go, old pig!"


    The man naturally didn''t listen to him and compared to Hecathe, this stupid monkey looked to be easier to beat, and hence the old man tried to get out of here through a fight, however, before he could attack the monkey, the monkey attacked first and knocked him out with a punch.


    "Ignore them and answer me," Hecathe smiled as he spoke, looking at the girl expectantly.


    The girl gulped as she nodded her head ever so slightly and finally replied, "I''ll be there."


    The man had just offered her a guild invitation and such things were not easy to get. Guilds only took in members through their official forms and unless a mage had a high rank in the guild, he or she would not be casually able to recommend any random person that they had met on the street.


    Looking at Hecathe''s confidence and considering the fact that the man was casually inviting her to the guild made the girl think that Hecathe was a high-ranking mage from the golden fire guild.


    Hecathe smiled happily as he heard this and nodded his head as he spoke, "Good idea."


    The man didn''t waste any more time on the girl as he turned around to see that the two old men were already on the ground. One still suffering from the injury that Hecathe had caused him while the other was laying there, knocked out by the monkey.


    "Hmm... Good job," Hecathe blinked in surprise as he muttered, glancing at the monkey.


    The monkey glared back at the man and stepped closer as he questioned rather rudely, "Who the hell are you?!"


    "Didn''t I just say that I was a member of the golden fire?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked back instead of giving a straight answer.


    "Who are you and why do you want to take the wedding ring?!" The monkey rephrased his question and asked, still sounding just as rude as he was when he asked the previous question.


    Hecathe sighed as he responded, "Do I need a reason to return a ring that was gambled off by a monkey without the owner''s permission?"


    "..." The man who was being referred to as a monkey this whole time took a whole minute to understand what Hecathe had said and just as he did, he felt offended and it was to be expected considering the fact that normally people wouldn''t like to be referred to as monkeys.


    "You bastard, how is it any of your concern what I do or don''t do with my father''s wedding ring?!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and once again didn''t give a straight answer to the man as he questioned, "Didn''t you say it was your grandfather?"


    "He''s old enough to be my grandfather so I call him grandfather! I can call him whatever I want, It has nothing to do with you!"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and spoke, "You''re right. You can call him whatever you like and it has nothing to do with me but do you think I care if it has anything to do with me or not?"


    "..."


    Hecathe held his palm out in front as he demanded, "Give me the ring. Even if it has nothing to do with me, I still don''t want to see it being gambled off by a dumb monkey."


    The monkey gritted his teeth as he heard this and simply shook his head as he refused, even going as far as to hide the ring behind his back.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he saw this and asked, "Are you sure that you don''t want to obediently hand it over?"

 Chapter 97 - Im The Great Orgon!

    The monkey was stern as he refused to give the ring to Hecathe.


    "Alright," Hecathe sighed with an understanding nod and the monkey thought that the man had given up, however, what happened next could really not have been expected.


    Since the man wasn''t willing to hand the ring over willingly, Hecathe decided to kidnap the man.


    He picked him up and threw him over his shoulder before turning to the grey cardigan girl and gesturing for her to follow as he walked away from this gambling den.


    The girl looked to be a little hesitant at first, however, she ended up listening to the man and obediently followed after Hecathe without saying anything.


    On the other hand, the kidnapped monkey couldn''t stop shouting and the man''s loud voice made Hecathe want to hulk smash the monkey to the ground.


    "Let me down!! You bastard, let me down!! I''ll f*cking kill you!! Let me go!!"


    Hecathe sighed as he tried his best to control his temper and continued to carry the man all the way to one of the more empty sides of the city.


    Since Ocasia was an ancient city, there were a lot of empty areas that had been left abandoned.


    Hecathe didn''t even bother being polite as he simply dropped the man to the ground.


    "Ah!" The monkey groaned in pain as he rubbed his back that had almost been broke.


    Hecathe turned to look at the girl and with a small smile, he spoke, "Can you give us a minute to talk? You would probably not want to see this."


    The girl gulped as she heard this and without thinking too much, she nodded as she turned around and went away, giving the two some privacy for the time being. She seemed to have already guessed that the two were clearly going to have a rather unpleasant conversation.


    Once the girl had left, the smile was no longer there on Hecathe''s face as he turned around and looked down at the monkey before questioning seriously, "You''re the one who spread the rumor?"


    The monkey gulped as he heard this question and it didn''t even take him a minute to catch up as he immediately understood what Hecathe was asking about.


    "So you''re here for that?" The man asked as he looked up at Hecathe.


    Hecathe took out the file that Kelly had given him and nodded his head as he responded, "Didn''t I already say that I had business with you?"


    "Then why are you after the ring?" The man questioned rudely as he glared at Hecathe.


    "The ring is a different story entirely," Hecathe sighed as he replied.


    "What different story?" The man looked to be persistent as he asked.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smirk as he heard this question and he looked at the man blankly for a minute before question back in turn, "When did I give you the permission to be the one who asks the questions?"


    "You cocky bastard," The man gritted his teeth as he fumed, "Don''t get over your head. The higher you consider yourself, the more it would hurt when you fall."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he found the man''s words a bit funny, "Then I guess I''ll have to be careful not to fall."


    Hecathe crouched down to the ground and the man who was already on the ground no longer had to strain his neck to look all the way up to face Hecathe. However, somehow, having Hecathe look at him directly like this felt even more intimidating for the monkey.


    "Let me make myself clear," Hecathe spoke firmly and his voice sounded even deeper, "I''ll be the one asking the questions and you''re job is to answer me honestly."


    "And what if I refuse?!"


    "You want to refuse?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked and he chuckled as he raised a finger and seemed to be calling someone.


    The monkey had a confused expression plastered on his face as he looked around to see if Hecathe was trying to call back-up or something but as far as his eyes could see, this back alley was completely empty with them being the only two humans here.


    "What are you trying to do?" The man questioned but Hecathe clearly didn''t need to answer him as the answer presented itself in front of the man within just a few seconds.


    The monkey''s eyes widened in horror as he tried to crawl as far back as possible when he realized what the creatures crawling and creeping towards them were.


    "What the hell?! Who the fuck are you?!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he ordered the mutants to surround the monkey and the mutants looked to be as obedient as ever.


    Now that he was covered by vicious creatures that were drooling and growling as they kept their eyes on him, the man naturally no longer showed that nasty rudeness of his.


    "You want to know who I am?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head and without waiting for the man''s response, he announced, "I''m the great Orgon."


    The man was even more shocked as he heard this and it almost looked as if he believed it although it would be something that a person would never be able to believe.


    Orgon''s son was as old as the current Hecathe so it was really impossible for someone to look at him and believe his words, however, this monkey was truly foolish and seemed to be just that easy to deceive.


    The man gulped in fear but said nothing and it was unclear whether he was afraid of the mutants that covered him or if he was more terrified of the man that just introduced himself as the great Orgon.


    Hecathe chuckled as he saw the man''s face drained of all blood, "I''m the great Orgon and that is what you must remember."


    "B-but..." The man looked as if he wanted to say something but the words simply refused to roll out of his tongue.


    "There is no but," Hecathe spoke up with a smile that looked wicked under the poor light in this alley.


    "..."


    "Who told you that Orgon was back?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the man and the man gulped as he was a bit too scared to give an immediate answer to Hecathe.


    He took a minute to repeat Hecathe''s question in his mind before he spoke up, answering, "It was some people that I met at the gambl-"


    "Wrong," Hecathe spoke up as he abruptly cut the man''s sentence and didn''t let him continue.


    "You didn''t hear the rumor but saw it instead, okay?" Hecathe stated and waited for the man''s response.


    The monkey gulped as he heard this but in the end, the look in Hecathe''s eyes made the man feel as if it would be best for him to simply accept it and so he nodded his head after much reluctance.


    "Who did you see?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk.


    "I-I saw... The great Orgon...?" The man stuttered as he responded, almost making it seem as if he was trying to ask Hecathe whether he had answered right or not and Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he nodded.


    "That''s right. You were out enjoying your daily life and then suddenly bumped into the great Orgon, okay?" Hecathe responded as he didn''t give the man any other option but to listen to Hecathe and follow his orders, "If they ask you what the great Orgon looks like, what do you say?"


    The man gulped as he heard this question and thought about it for a while before coming up with an answer that he thought Hecathe was waiting to hear.


    "I''ll tell them he looks young... And wears the disguise of a hunter."


    Hecathe once again nodded his head in satisfaction as he heard this, "That''s right. Now, this is the real rumor that you''re going to be spreading from now on, and if you refuse to listen to me..."


    Hecathe glanced over towards the mutants and the mutants immediately got a bit impatient as they growled and tried to show their interest in ripping the monkey to shreds for their hungry tummy.


    "I-I''ll listen to you!" The man immediately agreed as he valued his own life more than his pride.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction and held his palm out front as he demanded, "Now give me the ring. Don''t worry, I''m not trying to steal it. I''m just going to be returning it to the original owner."


    The man''s eyes widened as he heard this and he immediately asked in shock, "But my old man is dead, how are you going to give it to him...?!"


    "..." Hecathe seriously wondered if this man was born with a brain or not.


    With a sigh, Hecathe spoke, "I''m the great Orgon who crawled back from the afterlife, you think it would be hard for me to go back for a quick visit?"


    His words were clearly not true in the least, but the dumb monkey seemed to have believed it.

 Chapter 98 - How Much Do I Get Paid?

    The man was hesitant at first but in the end, he ended up taking out the ring and carefully handed it over to Hecathe.


    Hecathe didn''t even bother taking a good look at the ring as he put it into his pocket carelessly and stated, "Now it''s time for me to go. It would be best for you if we don''t meet again and..."


    Hecathe lifted his head and looked at the man straight in the eyes as he warned, "You were never threatened by me here and you never saw these mutants as well. Even if someone else holds a knife to your throat, you only tell them one thing and you know what the one thing is, right?"


    The man gulped as he nodded his head with a bit of fear and answered, "I tell them that I met the great Orgon."


    Hecathe smiled and nodded in satisfaction as he heard this answer and responded, "That''s right. You met the great Orgon for a brief moment and this is the truth. You have to believe it is the truth so that others can also see that it''s the truth."


    The man nodded his head and Hecathe ordered for all the mutants to retreat since their job here was done.


    Hecathe didn''t bother with any valediction as he turned around and left the place.


    The monkey was left alone, shocked, scared, and confused all by himself as he wondered what type of person he had just met and he questioned what the motive of this man was. Why would he need someone to spread such a rumor...?


    Wasn''t he trying to make himself a target by doing such a thing...?!


    Right now, the rumor about Orgon coming back to life was spreading like crazy and there were certainly a lot of people hunting for the man. To think that this mysterious man, who claimed to be a member of the golden fire, came just so that he could further fire the spreading rumor... It was certainly shocking.


    However, this had nothing to do with him.


    The monkey was happy that he was still alive after having been cornered by so many mutants and since he knew that the mutants were acting under that man''s control, he was smart enough to realize that it would only be trouble for him if he were to go and try to find more about this man.


    The man had only given him a simple task and the monkey planned on completing it so that he would have no problem in between him and Hecathe.


    This was perhaps, by far, the most intelligent thing that the man had done today.


    Hecathe seemed to have already known that the monkey would plan to follow him in the end so he no longer cared as he leisurely walked out of the alley and met the grey cardigan girl whose powers had interested him.


    "Sir, d-did you kill... Him?" The girl asked, stuttering as she didn''t dare meet Hecathe''s eyes.


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to hear this sudden question but instead of giving her a straight answer, he asked another question as a response, "Do you think I did?"


    The girl gulped as she heard the man and dare not reply.


    When Hecathe saw this silent response, he was already sure what the girl was thinking.


    "Don''t worry about it," Hecathe sighed as he informed, "I didn''t kill him."


    The girl lifted her head and her eyes seemed to be filled with life as she heard this, "Really...?!"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it once again, "I didn''t. You can trust me. I''m the least bit interested in killing useless monkeys."


    Hecathe was certainly not lying when he said this since he really was the least bit interested in killing another human being.


    "..." The girl gulped as she nodded her head slightly.


    "Now let''s find a place to talk," Hecathe spoke and the man had a small friendly smile on his face which made the girl feel a little more at ease.


    "Okay, Sir."


    The two walked back towards the bustling side of the city and they decided to find a nice restaurant where they could talk peacefully.


    The reason why they chose a restaurant was because Hecathe could hear the girl''s growling stomach and he realized that she was probably hungry.


    "Where are you from?" Hecathe asked once they had sat down at their table and ordered the food.


    "I was born in Ocasia, Sir."


    "And your parents?"


    The girl was silent for a minute as she heard this and she looked down as she shook her head, informing, "They passed away when I was young."


    "Ah," Hecathe felt as if he had asked about a sensitive topic, however, instead of apologizing or feeling pity for the girl, he continued questioning, "Then you have been on your own since then?"


    The girl nodded her head before shaking it, giving a mixed response.


    "What does that mean?" Hecathe frowned as he asked, "Is it a no or a yes?"


    "I was alone in the beginning but then the two old men took me in," The girl spoke as she informed.


    "You mean the two old pigs?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked and the girl nodded her head as she confirmed it.


    Hecathe, "Why? Because of your ability?"


    The girl was a bit hesitant but she nodded her head once again as she spoke, "They said that they would help me if I helped them."


    "Hmm," Hecathe hummed as he commented, "That was to be expected. Your power is quite convenient to help them cheat. There was no way they were going to let you go just like that."


    "Which makes me a bit curious," Hecathe leaned in on the table as he looked at the girl and asked, "What is your power exactly? What type of ability user are you?"


    The girl gulped as she heard this and her reluctance to answer was as clear as day, however, even if she didn''t want to give him an answer to that question, Hecathe was still planning on making her answer.


    "You have nothing to fear," Hecathe spoke as he shrugged his shoulder, "I am here to give you a job. One that would be better and safer for you than working with those two bastards."


    Although the girl still looked as if she didn''t completely trust Hecathe, after hearing this, there was a visible change in her expressions as she seriously considered that it would be better to go along with Hecathe.


    "Sir, can I first ask what job you want to give me?" The girl took a minute to react but instead of answering Hecathe''s previous question, she asked him another question instead.


    "The job ain''t difficult," Hecathe waved his hand as he tried to reassure her that the job he was about to give her was completely safe, "It''s just a little fun whale hunt."


    "A whale hunt?" The girl titled her head in confusion as she repeated and Hecathe nodded his head casually as if it was not a big deal.


    "It''s a human whale and I think I''ll need your help."


    "Then..." The girl gulped as she seemed to be gathering her courage to ask, "How much do I get paid?"


    "..." Hecathe was surprised speechless and raised his eyebrows as he heard this sudden question.


    "Little rat, you haven''t even heard the details and you want to discuss the money first?" Hecathe scoffed as he felt a little amused to see the girl''s expression and tone immediately changing with that question.


    Prioritizing money at such a young age?


    There was no doubt about it.


    Hecathe felt as if he had picked the right one.


    She was ambitious about money and there was something about such people that Hecathe loved a lot.


    It was the fact that they loved money more than their lives and you would be able to buy their loyalty with literal monetary means.


    It made them untrustable and yet, it also made them trustable considering the fact that they would always be on your side as long as you were willing to pay the highest.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he took out a white envelope from his pocket and threw it forward on the table.


    This white envelope was the same one that had been given to him by Kelly. It was the mission allowance that he was supposed to be spending on the expenses to be incurred during the mission.


    The girl wasn''t polite at all as she snatched the envelope with great interest and directly opened it to peek inside.


    Her docile and scared demeanor that she had portrayed till now seemed to have magically vanished as soon as the money was put on the table.


    Hecathe leaned back on the chair and looked at the girl with great interest as he asked, "You happy now?"


    The girl smiled brightly as she ignored the question and asked back, "When do I begin working?"

 Chapter 99 - Flexibility Of A Plan

    Hecathe was a bit surprised by the suddenness of this question but he eventually had a small satisfied smirk on his face as he quite liked her response.


    "I never knew I would be saying this but you''re a smart kid," Hecathe chuckled as he complimented the girl and the girl nodded her head as she readily accepted the compliment.


    "I''ve been told that a lot."


    "..."


    Before Hecathe could say anything more, the food came and the girl carefully tucked the white envelop away as she got ready to eat.


    As expected, it seemed that it had been a long time since the girl had a decent meal and this was probably the reason why she looked to be so thin.


    "Thank you for the food, Sir!" The girl beamed as she didn''t bother being reserved in front of Hecathe and ate the food without caring about table manners.


    Hecathe chuckled as he saw this and responded, "Eat to your heart''s content."


    The girl happily nodded her head and did exactly like that.


    When Hecathe looked at the girl, he couldn''t help but be reminded of his pet Dorgon that was always eating like this.


    If the Dorgon were to hear this then he would surely be pretty mad at the fact that Hecathe had referred to him as a pet and also because Hecathe had just compared him to a human.


    They were both not interested in making small talks and since the girl was eating so peacefully, Hecathe didn''t want to disturb her with the specifics of her job.


    While the girl ate, Hecathe closed his eyes and leaned his head back on his chair since he didn''t feel hungry and he took this time to think about what he was going to do further.


    Hecathe had always been a person who would love to plan everything ahead of time. He would make sure that he was prepared for all scenarios and his plan was always made in a way that made it flexible since no matter how precisely a plan was made, there were still going to be some unexpected situations popping up out of nowhere.


    If the flexibility of the plan was considered in the initial making of the plan, it would make everything easier when the unexpected situations and obstacles actually do appear.


    Hecathe had already made a plan before he met this girl and now that he had found a girl with such a unique ability, he would naturally want to include her and use her in his plan. Of course, he would not be giving her any important job since he didn''t trust her enough, however, he was still going to consider her as a person that would further become a security in case the plan did not work out as expected.


    In short, she became the flexibility in the plan in case something unexpected occurred and obstructed the flow of the plan.


    Of course, the girl had no idea what went on inside Hecathe''s head and it seemed that the reason why she agreed to work with him was simply because of the money and Hecathe''s identity as a member of the Golden Fire.


    Ocasia was a city that didn''t work under the three willows of spring nor did it work under the mecha-suits. It was an ancient city that followed a completely different type of governance. To be more exact, The guilds were the institutions that ran this city. They were the authority and so, being a member from one of the major guilds in the city was not a title that one would easily be able to attain.


    The Golden fire indirectly gave Hecathe power and Hecathe was surely not going to be humble at all as he planned to fully make use of his title as an official member of the guild.


    After they were done eating, Hecathe decided to head out to the location of the next person who was on the list that Kelly had given him. Although the man had told the girl that she was free for now and only needed to come to the guild the next day, the girl refused to leave him alone.


    "I can''t go back. I don''t think I would be welcomed back home," The girl spoke as she pursed her lips and looked up at Hecathe with eyes that seemed to be trying to gain pity.


    Hecathe was a bit confused at first as he heard this but he soon realized that he was probably the reason behind this situation.


    She had already told her story and according to it, She lived with those two old gamblers. After having left with Hecathe, she had clearly indirectly betrayed them and just as she said, they were probably not going to be happy to see her going back.


    "Then what do you plan to do?" Hecathe asked as his eyes narrowed down on the girl.


    Her fingers seemed to be fiddling nervously with the hem of her cardigan as she spoke, "If it is not much trouble, would it be okay if I live together with you?"


    Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard this. It was certainly the first time someone was saying such a thing to him.


    "You want to live with me...?!" Hecathe''s face cringed up as he asked, almost trying to check whether he had heard it right or not.


    The girl nodded her head with an innocent bright smile on her face as she confirmed it, "If it''s okay with you then I would be comfortable with that arrangement."


    "..."


    Hecathe took a minute to think about it before he questioned, "Do you have money?"


    The girl shook her head as she honestly answered the man, "I came here empty-handed. I didn''t even get paid for the day and those old bastards won quite a sum as well."


    After having heard this, Hecathe could conclude that the girl was probably working for them on a daily wage basis. If she helped them cheat a lot of money out of someone, she would get a percentage of that money while the rest went to those two old bastards.


    "You don''t have any savings either?" Hecathe asked with a frown and the girl scoffed as she responded.


    "How can I have savings when I hardly even have money to feed myself?"


    "What about the money I just gave you?"


    "..." The girl was silent as she heard this.


    "You should have enough in that envelop," Hecathe added as he informed, "I''ll give you the address to my apartment. It''s cheap so go in and get yourself a room. There aren''t many tenants so you''ll be more than welcome and the landlady is also quite interesting."


    The girl nodded her head with a bright smile on her face as she heard this and Hecathe took out a piece of paper and pen before he wrote down the address and gave it to the girl.


    "You''re not coming?" The girl asked as she curiously looked up at him.


    Hecathe shook his head as he informed, "I still have work to do so I''ll be late."


    The girl glanced down at the file that was held by the man as she heard this and asked, "What are you working on?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this question that he was clearly not going to answer.


    Kelly had already told Hecathe to keep this mission a secret and although Hecathe didn''t actually care about what she said, he still felt as if it would be best if people didn''t know about this mission that was eventually going to backfire on the man that had ordered it.


    "Do you think I''ll be telling you?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head and the girl clearly got the signal.


    She nodded her head in understanding as she spoke, "Then I won''t question."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this response that had pleased him.


    "Then I just have to go to this address and wait for you, right?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "Don''t go inside my room. Wait in the lobby or something."


    The girl frowned as a response, "Why not your room?"


    "Because I don''t trust you," Hecathe half-lied.


    He indeed didn''t trust the girl that much, however, this was not the reason why he was refusing to let her enter his room. The reason why he had warned her against it was because of his pet Dorgon that was probably waiting somewhere inside his room.


    The girl would definitely not be happy to see the Dorgon and the Dorgon would naturally also hate to have another human being enter the room.


    "And you trust me with the money?" The girl questioned as she pointed it out, "What if I take it and run away?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    He had certainly not considered the possibility of the girl taking the money and running away with it...


    "You didn''t even think that was a possibility?" The girl smirked as she questioned, looking to be a bit surprised, "Aren''t you an idiot?"


    "..."

 Chapter 100 - You Can Keep It Safe...

    It was the first time in Hecathe''s life that somebody had called him an idiot... And he could confidently say that he definitely didn''t feel pleased with it.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he glared at the girl and asked, "Then, do you want me to take the money back?"


    The girl pursed her lips as she heard this and shook her head, "I''m not giving it back. You already gave it to me."


    "..."


    The girl chuckled as she looked at the man and reassured, "I was just kidding. I''m not going to steal it and run away. You can trust me."


    Hecathe was still not trusting her but when she said this, he could feel that she was certainly not trying to trick him by lying so he decided to just let it go.


    It wasn''t like he cared that much about the money anyway so he really didn''t care if she decided to steal it or not, however, although he didn''t care about the money, he still cared about her ability and didn''t want her to escape just like that.


    "Sir, You can go and complete the mission that you have today. I won''t want to further waste your time," The girl politely bowed her head and spoke with a smile.


    Hecathe coughed as he heard this and nodded his head as he responded, "Then I''ll be going."


    The girl nodded and the two stood there staring at each other for a solid awkward moment.


    "Are you going or not?" The girl tilted her head and asked as she broke the silence.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this straightforward question that was certainly not said in a polite manner.


    "I''m going," Hecathe turned around and walked away but stopped after a few steps as he looked back to see that the girl had already disappeared from the place.


    "As expected..." He muttered under his breath as the man suddenly had a shocking understanding.


    Moving cards was not the only thing she could do. She could transport herself as well and this would mean that she could transport people and almost anything in the world that could be picked up. Hecathe had already guessed her ability to be something like this and this was precisely the reason why he had decided to hire her.


    Hecathe had a satisfied smile on his face as he saw that his guess had been correct and he turned around once again as he continued on his way.


    Hecathe put his hand in his pocket as he walked down the street and when his fingers came in contact with the ring that he had previously kept away in his pocket, he suddenly remembered the old woman who was the original owner of this ring.


    The man took out the ring and looked at it for a minute as if trying to understand what the ring was made up of. It was definitely not any cheap material and it didn''t look common either.


    If he wanted to guess, he would say that this was made up of something extremely rare.


    Hecathe headed back to pay a visit to that old woman and returned the ring to her.


    The woman was shocked and confused at first as she saw Hecathe returning with the ring, however, Hecathe didn''t even need to explain the situation to her as the woman guessed it all on her own.


    "It was that damn child, wasn''t it?" The woman questioned with a disappointed sigh and Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he nodded his head.


    "Should''ve known he''d be up to something," The old woman seemed to be blaming herself for this and it made Hecathe feel a little amused.


    "Are you going to kick him out?" Hecathe asked curiously.


    the old woman frowned as she heard this question and responded, "Why would I throw him out? He''s my son."


    "So you''re planning on letting him stay?" Hecathe asked as he raised his eyebrows and this time he had a small frown on his face.


    The woman didn''t look to be too happy as she heard these questions, "Young lad, this is his house as well. How can I throw him out of his own house?"


    Hecathe tilted his head as he heard this, "But he''s not even your real son and after meeting him, I can say that he''s not very grateful towards you either. He went as far as to gamble of something so important to you. How can you be sure that he won''t try to gamble it off again?"


    This old woman seemed to be a bit too naive.


    "I have tried to correct him but his generation is not the same as mine. My husband could have taught him better if he were still here, however, I have no control over that boy. He does whatever he wants but he''s my son and I can''t simply just throw him away because of something like this," The woman spoke with a small chuckle that lacked any joy.


    When Hecathe heard this, he couldn''t help but feel as if she was kind and dumb at the same time. It was a really bad combination considering the fact that most of the people on this earth would prey on such people who were easy to fool.


    "And Thank Ya," The woman added with a small smile that looked to be genuine, "For going out of yer way to bring this back for me. Ya are a kindhearted young man. I wish my son was also more like you."


    "..."


    Hecathe thought in his head that there was absolutely no way her son would ever become like him but of course, Hecathe would never say this to the woman.


    "And yer right," The woman sighed as she looked down at the ring and spoke, "If ya leave it with me, that brat is going to steal it again and it would again end up in the gambling den. There''s nothing I can do about it."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this. If he was in the woman''s shoes at this moment then Hecathe was sure that he was going to kick out such an ungrateful child from home. That was clearly the best way to resolve the problem.


    The old woman kissed the ring and suddenly took Hecathe''s hand before placing the ring on his palm and closing his fingers around it, making him hold the ring as she spoke, "Ya should take care of it for me."


    "..."


    "I am unable to keep it safe but I''m sure ya would be able to," The woman looked up at Hecathe and spoke, her voice sounded a bit choked up as if she was forcing herself to not cry at this moment, "My days on this earth are limited now. I can feel it. I am soon going to leave and be reunited with him. So this ring... Ya can keep it."


    Hecathe was speechless as he heard this and since he had never been in such a situation before, he had no idea how he was supposed to react.


    Thankfully enough, the woman didn''t look as if she was waiting for a response. She smiled and bowed her head as she thanked the man before she went back inside the house and closed the door without letting Hecathe say anything.


    Hecathe stood there for a solid few minutes simply stared at the closed door.


    As expected... This woman was really a lot like his own grandmother and this was perhaps the only reason why Hecathe wanted to retrieve this ring for her.


    Hecathe sighed as he placed the ring back in his pocket and took out the file before deciding to head out to the next destination.


    .


    .


    .


    There were a lot of names on one page of the file alone and after meeting just five of them, Hecathe already felt tired enough to the point that he wanted to burn the book and throw it away.


    However, Hecathe still tried to trick his mind and imagined that he was back in his real-world meeting clients.


    When he thought like this, he indeed got a bit more energy to continue, however, it was still not enough.


    Threatening people was really tiring.


    However, he had to do it.


    Hecathe had indeed done the job perfectly as Kelly had said. He was meeting all these people and was even noting down all their information and their answers.


    According to all the information and answers that he had noted down, he was doing a perfect job, however, that was not all there was to it.


    Hecathe wanted to make it look as if he was seriously doing a good job, but he was the least bit interested in catching the real person who spread the rumor.


    The man was much more interested in further firing up the rumors and so, after he was done questioning them, the man would close the file and keep it aside before coming down to the real business which was to basically threaten them.

 Chapter 101 - Threatening People Is Tiring

    Hecathe was certainly doing a good job but it was all just for show.


    After he was done interviewing the suspects, he would keep his file aside and would threaten them and intimidate them to change their answers and it seemed as if Hecathe was pretty good at this job. Almost all of them were easily threatened by Hecathe and if someone was suspicious or refused to agree to the man, Hecathe would call the mutants and use a different method of threatening.


    The mutants were much more effective than him and simply seeing a mutant ready to chomp down their heads would get everyone and anyone to agree to Hecathe.


    They would shake and shiver in fear as Hecathe spoke and in the end, they would nod their heads as they agreed.


    Although it looked as if Hecathe had done a good job in noting down all their answers, there was one simple thing that he had done and it was something that he was not supposed to do.


    Hecathe was supposed to note down their answers without altering them, however, although the man had acted as if he was writing down the answers they gave, what he was really doing was simply copying down the same story of how everyone saw Orgon coming back to life and walking around in the body of a young man who wore a purple cloak.


    Kelly was certainly going to be frustrated once she receives these answers, however, that didn''t worry Hecathe in the least.


    If there was something that Hecathe worried about, it would be Raven.


    That man had also taken a sheet with him and since he had no idea what Hecathe was trying to do, he was surely going to note down the real answers and give them to Kelly.


    Kelly was a smart woman and once she notices that all the answers recorded by Hecathe were the same while the answers recorded by Raven were completely different, it wouldn''t take her long to realize that there was something up.


    She was already not trusting Hecathe a hundred percent at this moment and it was only natural that she didn''t since they hadn''t really gotten off the right foot. Once she finds out that Hecathe had purposefully tried to change the answers, she would surely do her own little search, and that worried Hecathe a bit.


    Only a little because Hecathe already had a backup plan for that as well.


    A plan through which Kelly would never get the chance to be suspicious of Hecathe.


    Hecathe planned on changing the sheet that he had given to Raven. If he was successful, Kelly was never going to find out, but Raven who was the one noting down the answers would naturally know that Hecathe had switched the sheet.


    This was worrying, however, Hecathe was sure that this was not really going to be a problem considering the fact that Raven was not a man who liked to pick sides.


    At this moment, he seemed to be interested to know about Hecathe and his plan so even if the man knew that Hecathe had switched out the papes, he would surely not do anything nor would he say anything to call Hecathe out for it.


    It took Hecathe more than a few hours to complete the list and threaten everyone. By the time he was done, it was already pretty dark and the sun had long drowned in the horizon.


    Instead of heading straight back to his apartment, Hecathe headed to the guild where he had agreed to meet up with Raven who would also be coming here after he is done with his work.


    Once Hecathe opened the door of the guild, his nose was abused by the strong stinge of alcohol and sweat which made his face cringe up with a bit of disgust.


    It seemed that it didn''t matter if it was day or night. This guild was always like this. A pub that ran all day and night long.


    Hecathe tried to make his way to the main reception desk in hopes of asking if Raven was here yet or not, but the man couldn''t even make it to the desk as he was suddenly obstructed by an octopus that had its tentacles tightly wrapped around Hecathe from the back.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry but if there was one thing he knew, it would be the fact that he suddenly had this strong desire to punch an octopus.


    "Get your drunk tentacles off of me," Hecathe glanced back and glared at the man called Raven.


    "Hehe..." The man looked drunk and this was no acting.


    "Do you want me to repeat myself?" Hecathe''s voice sounded low and deep. If Raven wasn''t drunk right now then he would have certainly been at least a little intimidated by hearing that voice, however, the man was super drunk, and ever after hearing this, he didn''t let go of Hecathe and simply chuckled as if he was suddenly amused by this unamused reaction.


    Hecathe scoffed as he saw this and he clenched his fist as he tried his best not to let his anger take control over his actions.


    "Why are you here drinking?" Hecathe clicked his tongue and questioned strictly.


    "Brother Heca- *hiccup* Hecathe~" His slurred tone of speech was really not that easy to understand but Hecathe could somehow manage to understand what the man was trying to say, "Why *hiccup* did you get here so fast?~"


    "Fast?" Hecathe repeated in disbelief as he exclaimed, "It''s already night!"


    "Eh?" Raven blinked in confusion as he tilted his head and it looked almost as if his brain was slowly processing the information that Hecathe had just given the man, "It''s... Night?"


    "..." Hecathe suddenly had a foreboding feeling in his stomach as he looked at the man''s shocked expression.


    "You... Did your job... Right?" Hecathe asked in disbelief as he cautiously looked at the man with his eyebrows raised.


    Raven suddenly broke out into a wide smile as he heard this question and the man confidently shook his head before he took out a piece of folded paper and gave it over to Hecathe, saying, "The answer is a boat!~"


    Hecathe was a bit speechless and confused as he heard this response but he still took the piece of paper that had been folded to form a paper boat and he carefully opened it.


    When he opened the folded paper and saw the list that Raven had taken in the morning, he was even more shocked and speechless.


    Hecathe glanced at Raven''s bright smiling face and he didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at this moment as he guessed what might have happened.


    This man... Hecathe felt a little stupid for even worrying about him. Not only had he not noted down anything, but he had also folded up the paper into a boat as if it was a piece of scrap paper that could be thrown away.


    "Did you really just drink all day?" Hecathe asked as he carefully looked at the man with an indecipherable expression.


    Raven shook his head confidently as he denied this accusation and defended himself, "I also went out to complete *hiccup* the mission!~"


    "..."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he heard this answer and after a moment of taking another look at the paper, he asked, "Are you sure about that?"


    Raven bobbed his head up and down as a response, "I really did!"


    "Then why did you not write anything down?" Hecathe asked with a frown.


    Raven shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, "It''s a waste to write it down. *hiccup* They are all fools who heard it from somewhere else."


    Hecathe sighed as he pushed Raven''s hand away from his shoulder and got out of the octopus''s tight hold that seemed to be trying to choke him.


    "How can you be so sure that they are not lying to you?" Hecathe asked with a small frown.


    Raven once again shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, "It isn''t them because the great Orgon is really dead... There''s no way he can come back."


    Hecathe didn''t know if it was just an illusion or not but he could almost swear that he heard some kind of grief in the man''s voice as he said this.


    "How can you be sure about that? He was the great Orgon, how can it be impossible for him to come back?" Hecathe asked as his frown deepened and he felt a little suspicious of this man.


    Raven held his head down as he heard this and the man''s shoulders started shaking, making Hecathe almost think that the man was crying, however, before Hecathe could react to it, he suddenly heard the man laughing.


    His laughing started out softly but he eventually broke out into a loud fit of laughter, almost making him look like some kind of troubled maniac.


    "You''re asking me why I know?! Hahaha....!" The man exclaimed loudly as he questioned in disbelief and it seemed that his loud voice had managed to catch quite a bit of attention as everyone inside the guildhall started turning their heads to look at the scene.

 Chapter 102 - A Lot Of Shouting

    Hecathe unconsciously stepped back as he got a little uncomfortable hearing this man laughing as if he had suddenly inhaled laughing gas.


    "Of course, I would know!" Raven exclaimed loudly and this time, there were a lot of emotions that were laced along his words and Hecathe was sure that he was not simply imagining it.


    "Because he was killed by that bastard! Hahaha... So stupid! He was killed so easily! Hahaha... How can he ever come back?! The old man would be too embarrassed to come back!"


    Hecathe''s pupils seemed to contract as he heard the man and he couldn''t help but feel as if there was a deeper story behind these words that Raven was shouting.


    It almost sounded as if... He was close to the great Orgon.


    "You''re the ones who don''t know anything! Nothing at all! Someone spouted some nonsense and you all believed it!" Raven suddenly started accusing Hecathe and everyone around stayed silent as they cautiously glanced at Raven and Hecathe who looked as if they were about to start a fight.


    It was certainly not common to see guild members seriously fighting against each other, but since Hecathe and Raven were new to the guild, it wasn''t shocking to see them having a difference in opinion.


    "Raven, calm down," Hecathe rubbed his head with a sigh as he tried to ease the situation but it was of no use.


    Raven scoffed as he immediately shouted, "Why should I calm down?! I don''t want to calm down!"


    "Because..." Hecathe lifted his head and pursed his lips as he looked the man straight in the eyes and responded, raising his voice to be louder than Raven, "You''re creating a scene here! Did she not tell you to keep the mission a secret?! Drinking doesn''t give you an excuse to act like this! You better shut up before she finds out!"


    Raven shockingly shut his mouth up as he heard this and blinked innocently as if he was a child that had been harshly scolded by his teacher.


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to see that shouting back at the man was much more useful than simply trying to calm him down by talking softly.


    Raven hung his head down low and Hecathe had no idea what the man was thinking but before he could ask or say anything further, he heard Raven muttering.


    "But I''m only seventeen... Why am I not allowed to complain...?" Raven muttered softly but since the guild was shockingly quiet at the moment, Hecathe was able to hear him.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly and for a second there, he wondered if he had heard it right.


    He looked at Raven up and down, almost looking as if he was trying to confirm whether Raven was lying or not.


    "Are you sure about that?" Hecathe questioned with a bit of disbelief.


    Since Raven was always wearing that half-mask and the purple cloak, it was hard to notice his body structure and it wasn''t like Hecathe had paid much attention to it either.


    However, now that Raven had said it, Hecathe looked at him and felt that Raven really did look young.


    "Why would I be lying?!" Raven retorted as he glared at Hecathe.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at this moment.


    "You certainly don''t act like a seventeen-year-old," Hecathe commented without thinking about it too much, however, although his words were said lightly, Raven didn''t look to be impressed in the least.


    "It''s not my fault!" Raven immediately tried to defend himself, "If I don''t act like a grown-up, I''ll become a failure!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this and at this moment, the drunk Raven really did act like a complaining seventeen-year-old brat.


    "How can you laugh at me when you''re the same?!" Raven shouted as he saw Hecathe''s reaction.


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he heard this and pointed at himself as he questioned, "Me? How can we be the same?"


    "You''re also acting as if you''re in your early thirties or something!" Raven was quick to point out and by now, Hecathe was really sure that Raven was not simply acting to be drunk considering the fact that he had absolutely no control over his own tongue.


    Hecathe''s first instinct was to be more confused as he opened his mouth to inform Raven that it was because he really was in his late twenties, however, thankfully enough, Hecathe was able to stop himself before the words rolled out of his tongue.


    "You''re also still a teenager!" Raven continued to complain, "Why do you act so grown up when you''re the same age as me?! Isn''t it because we are the same?!"


    To say that Hecathe was left speechless was an understatement. The man looked down at himself and what he saw was the body of Alphius who was really a teenager.


    Damn it...


    Hecathe had gotten so comfortable in this new body that he sometimes seriously forgot that this body belonged to a teenager.


    A sudden thought came to his mind and although it was completely unrelated to the current topic, Hecathe still felt a bit weird as he imagined it.


    He had threatened a lot of people today... So did they all see a teenager and get threatened by him...?!


    When Hecathe thought about this, he couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed and offended for the people whom he had threatened. Most of them were grown adults who had been scared and intimidated by a mere teenager... If Hecathe was in their shoes then he would also have been embarrassed by himself.


    "We are more alike... We are too alike! You agreed to that as well," Raven frowned as he added and Hecathe sighed as he heard this.


    The man suddenly understood exactly why Raven had been so interested in him.


    A seventeen-year-old who went around acting as if he was older and wiser than anyone that he met... Even Hecathe would have found himself being interested to know more about such a weird kid.


    Hecathe sighed as he responded, trying to hide his embarrassment, "I understand. We are alike. Let''s go now. Stop creating a scene here."


    Raven frowned as he heard this but when he looked around and saw all the people that were staring at them, he nodded his head as he agreed to Hecathe, "Let''s go."


    For a second there, the boy sounded as if he had suddenly sobered up.


    They were first supposed to report to Kelly before heading home, but when Hecathe saw Raven straightaway heading for the door, he understood that it had to be an illusion to think that the boy had sobered up.


    Hecathe let out a breath of relief as he glanced at the reception and nodded as if trying to inform the person working there that he was going to be heading home now. Hecathe was sure that the receptionist would definitely relay this message to Kelly.


    Raven left the place first and Hecathe neatly straightened out the paper that had previously been folded into a boat before he kept the paper back in the file and followed after Raven.


    "Oi!" Hecathe coughed before he called out to the boy but Raven acted as if he had suddenly turned deaf which made Hecathe frown.


    "You''re ignoring me?" Hecathe questioned and was once again ignored by the boy.


    Hecathe sighed as he tried his best not to get angry and with a calm mind, he did something that he never thought he would be doing.


    He actually bothered to apologize...!


    "It was my fault, I''m sorry."


    Raven suddenly stopped on his tracks and since the boy was facing his back towards Hecathe, the man had no idea what expression Raven had on his face as he stopped.


    Hecathe came to a stop as well and put his hands in his pockets as he simply waited for Raven to do or say something.


    "You hate me, don''t you?" Raven asked softly and the question was so out of the blue that Hecathe was stunned speechless for a whole minute as he repeated the question in his mind.


    "What makes you say tha-"


    "You do hate me. It''s as clear as day," Raven suddenly cut Hecathe''s words short as he stated.


    "Huh?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he couldn''t understand what Raven was thinking as he said this.


    Hecathe pursed his lips and nodded his head as he simply accepted it after a minute, "You''re right... But wrong as well. I don''t like you but I don''t hate you either."


    "Then, is it indifference?" Raven asked without bothering to turn around.


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this question and responded, "That''s not it either. I would agree that I do dislike you for some reason. Don''t bother asking why because I also don''t know what exactly it is."


    "Eh?"


    "It wasn''t anything you particularly did that made me dislike you, but for some reason, I can''t help but feel as if we were simply not meant to get along well with each other."


    "So it can''t be helped... That''s what you''re saying?" Raven asked softly and Hecathe suddenly felt as if he shouldn''t be this honest to the boy, however, in the end, he still ended up being honest to him.

 Chapter 103 - The Underground City Was Raided

    "That''s right," Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it.


    "Then you want to be my enemy instead?" Raven questioned.


    They had this argument in the morning as well but Raven was not this vocal at that time. Now that the boy had some alcohol in his system, it seemed that there was nothing stopping him from saying anything that came to his mind.


    "I wouldn''t go as far as to say that I want you as an enemy," Hecathe responded as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, "You''re strong and you''re abilities are certainly a bit terrifying. Why would I want such a strong enemy? It''s not like I''m trying to make things more difficult for myself."


    "The underground city was raided."


    Hecathe took a whole few minutes to process this sudden sentence that had been stated as if it was nothing.


    "What...?" Hecathe muttered in disbelief as his eyes widened ever so slightly in shock, panic, and confusion.


    The topic had been changed without any warning signs...


    "Did no one tell you?" Raven side-glanced back at Hecathe as he asked and although the boy was still drunk, it didn''t look like he was lying or trying to trick the man.


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered why this boy was suddenly saying all this.


    "Alphius ran away from home and everyone thinks he already knew that there was going to be a raid. They thought that since it would be dangerous for him to actually leave, he would try to trick them to believe that he had run away when he was really just hiding somewhere in the underground city."


    Hecathe felt his muscles tense up and every word that the boy spoke was like a red flag.


    Along with the shock of hearing all this sudden news, there was one single question that haunted Hecathe''s mind.


    Had Raven found out...?


    "So they went ahead with the raid but... Alphius had really run away from home this time. He really went out of his way to put himself in danger and may it be consciously or unconsciously, by choosing to run away, he saved himself as well."


    Hecathe gulped as he decided that it was better to act clueless in such a situation. After all, he was still not sure whether Raven actually saw through him or not.


    "Why are you telling me all this?" Hecathe asked as he tried to sound as calm as possible, "Do you know him by any chance?"


    Raven nodded his head and this further shocked Hecathe who would have never guessed this boy to personally know Alphius.


    "He was a friend," Raven sighed as he responded, "But our friendship came to an end. When everyone suspected that Alphius was informed about the raid by someone, their eyes turned to me. Since I was that bastard''s friend, they believed that I was the one who betrayed them."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together and he took a closer look at Raven, suddenly starting to notice that there was something familiar about this boy.


    "Who are you?" Hecathe questioned in all seriousness and secretly tried to call any mutants that could be around to help him.


    "I... Was disappointed," Raven simply ignored Hecathe as he continued and completely turned around as he took calm and steady steps towards Hecathe, "I had been loyal to them... I had abandoned my friends! My family! And my self-respect! I had abandoned my pride for them because I thought that was going to make them trust me! Because I thought that was the right thing to do!"


    Hecathe gulped as he unconsciously stepped back when he saw the boy slowly starting to lose his mind all over again.


    "I wanted to make him proud! But my old man was really not easy to please. Just when I thought I was finally going to be in a position where he would be proud of me... Some bastard just had to go and kill him..."


    "Marvin..." Hecathe muttered in disbelief as he suddenly recognized this boy.


    "You finally recognized me," Raven responded as he slowly took off his half mask and Hecathe gulped as he saw the face of the enemy that he had tried to run away from.


    If Alphius was the villain, Marvin was the hero...


    The hero who was destined to put an end to the villain.


    He was the reason why Hecathe had escaped from the underground city. It was because Hecathe knew that the hero would not be letting him live that easily. He knew that the underground city was not going to be safe so he ran away to Ocasia but never would he have imagined meeting this boy here as well...


    It seemed that life was truly trying to play a joke on Hecathe.


    Were the heavens having fun laughing as they played with the strings of destiny and fate...?!


    "Why... Are you here?" Hecathe certainly sounded as if he was on his guards when he questioned.


    "If you think I came here for you then you are right," Marvin sighed as he replied.


    Hecathe gulped as he wondered how he had managed to get himself in this situation.


    Was there really no running away from it...?


    Was the hero always supposed to surprise the villain like this...?!


    Was this it?


    Was this their fate?


    "I''m sorry..." Marvin muttered and for a minute there, Hecathe felt as if he had misheard the boy.


    "Eh?" Hecathe tilted his head slightly in confusion as he took a closer look at the boy and waited for him to continue.


    "I threw you away... I wasn''t ready to understand you... I thought you were the one who was in the wrong... I doubted you... And tried to kill you as well," The last part was said so emotionlessly and casually that it had managed to slightly offend Hecathe.


    "I''m sorry for all of that," The boy added in a volume that was barely above a whisper.


    Hecathe breathed out a sigh of relief as he heard this but he still refused to completely trust this boy as he asked, "Is that why you are here? To say sorry to me?"


    If it was Alphius who had received Marvin''s apology like this, Hecathe was sure the boy would have been happy enough to ascend, however, unfortunately enough, it was Hecathe who heard this apology that was meant for Alphius and as a result, he felt nothing for the boy. No happiness, no sadness, no forgiveness... Just simply nothing.


    Marvin shook his head as he spoke, "I couldn''t do anything for Alphius when he was alive. I was not a friend to him but an annoying asshole instead."


    "Well, it''s good that you know," Hecathe dead-panned.


    "And now he''s gone..."


    "..."


    This time, Hecathe indeed felt a little guilty.


    "He is never coming back and I missed my chance to properly apologize to him."


    Hecathe gulped as he nodded his head and stayed on his spot, listening to the boy.


    "I am really sorry to him... In his time of need, instead of believing him and standing by his side, I was there pointing a gun at him, ready to shoot."


    "Well, we have already established the fact that you were an asshole," Hecathe commented as he shrugged his shoulder and by now, he had already realized that Marvin wasn''t even paying much attention to Hecathe''s side commentary.


    "I was sad and angry... When the old man died, I was overcome with grief and my hunger for revenge made me go blind. Some bastards told me some things and I... Like a stupid child, I believed all of it."


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he suddenly heard something that interested him.


    "Hey, can you go back and say more in detail? About who exactly was the bastard that told you those things...?" Hecathe asked but it was of no use since Marvin was ignoring him.


    "I shouldn''t have done that..."


    Hecathe, "..."


    Hecathe would have never guessed Marvin to be such a useless emotional person.


    "I didn''t even ask you about it... I''m really sorry..."


    Hecathe rolled his eyes as he started to get a bit tired of hearing this boy continue his (not really) pitiful story.


    "By the time I could think straight, I had already shot you... and regret was the only thing that I could feel"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he casually looked at his watch and wondered how much longer this one-sided conversation was going to take.


    "So I came back the next day and you were alive..."


    Hecathe repeated this one line in his mind as he slowly realized there was something in this story that he had missed.


    "Wait! Go back!" Hecathe exclaimed as he questioned, "You shot me and killed me...? And then you found me alive the next day...?"


    This story was not quite adding well with Hecathe so he just had to question the boy.


    Marvin nodded his head with a bit of guilt as he spoke, "I killed you and the next day, you were still there alive and well."


    "..."


    Hecathe immediately understood that this was something important...!

 Chapter 104 - The Wrong Approach

    "At first I thought maybe you saved yourself through your powers but I knew it was impossible for you to revive yourself if you were completely dead and I had certainly killed you... That was how I figured out you were not the Alphius that I had known."


    "Oh..." It was the only thing Hecathe was able to say as he immediately realized just why exactly he was able to come to this world and take over this body that easily.


    In the real world, Hecathe had been hit with that goddamn truck that had crushed him and his zelium ultra fury, while at the same time, Marvin had probably killed Alphius in this world.


    Alphius had a lot of mysterious powers and one of those powers was probably the reason why he was able to contact Hecathe before his death.


    The phone was certainly not Hecathe''s... It was created by Alphius! And the texts that Hecathe received were also from Alphius...!


    Hecathe gulped as he suddenly figured some things out.


    Now there was one more thing about that certain incident that Hecathe wanted to know.


    Why did Alphius say Hecathe was the only one who could save him...?!


    Was it because there was a dead Hecathe in this world as well...? Or was it because of some other reason?


    Why was it that Hecathe was the only one who was contacted by the man?


    Since this was a parallel universe, there should have been an Alphius in Hecathe''s original world as well.


    Compared to Hecathe and the parallel universe Alphius, wasn''t the latter clearly the better option...?


    Bring an Alphius from another world to solve Alphius''s problem... It made more sense somehow.


    At least, it made more sense than dragging Hecathe in between.


    "I was relieved to see you alive..." Marvin continued with this one-sided conversation, "But then I was also mad at you for not being the original Alphius."


    "..."


    "You only shared his body," Marvin sighed.


    Hecathe rubbed his head as he heard this and immediately tried to interject, "Wait, stop. You need to pay more attention to your words. You''re starting to make it sound weird."


    Marvin naturally ignored Hecathe and continued, "You were not the same person and that made me mad. I was angry at you and at him as well so I once again tried to kill you."


    "..."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder if he had been wrong about Marvin. Was this guy really the hero of this world...? He sounded extremely dumb and impulsive to be a hero...


    "Oh wait, that''s what a hero is," Hecathe voiced out his thoughts by mistake.


    A hero was supposed to be like this, wasn''t he?


    Someone dumb and impulsive who was controlled by his emotions...


    Hecathe was suddenly a bit surprised to realize that Marvin was the perfect example of a naive hero who ends up losing everything to finally learn what was precious to him.


    "And then I failed at killing you," Marvin sighed as he once again ignored Hecathe and continued, "I wanted to shoot you for the second time... I wanted to kill the you who tried to impersonate Alphius but I couldn''t... For the first time in my life, I missed a shot and it made me seem suspicious under the watchful gaze of the three willows of spring."


    "I mean, it was kinda dumb of you to miss the shot on purpose in front of those cringy three," Hecathe folded his hand as he also continued on with his side commentary.


    "They questioned me later on and I was locked up the same way you had been."


    Hecathe clicked his tongue, "I bet it didn''t feel nice."


    "It was awful," Marvin breathed out and Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard the man narrating his (not so) sad suffering.


    Marvin, "I had only been a bit hesitant to kill my friend for the second time, and even that... Was said to be wrong of me to do."


    "Well, your friend was the one suspected as your father''s murderer so I really don''t understand why you would have felt hesitant."


    "But you didn''t!" Marvin exclaimed as he finally managed to hear Hecathe''s side commentary.


    Hecathe, "..."


    "You didn''t kill him...."


    Surprisingly enough, there was a single tear trailing down Marvin''s cheek and Hecathe could no longer say anything as a response to that.


    "You weren''t the one who killed him..." Marvin repeated with a defeated sigh, "I was a fool to believe that you did."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he attentively listened to this portion.


    "You were framed, were you not...?! You were framed by those bastards who just wanted to see you dead! And like an idiot, I fell into their trap and believed their nonsense! It was my fault!" Marvin cried out, and perhaps because of his intoxicated self, it could clearly be seen that this boy was truly meaning every word he said.


    He was really sad, angry, frustrated, and simply suffering through a mess of emotions at the moment.


    Hecathe sighed as he decided to finally take some pity on the boy.


    "Yah! Are you not tired yet?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned, "You''ve already said so much. Stop it and go to sleep if you don''t want to wake up regretting every life decision you''ve ever made."


    Marvin finally shut his mouth and stared at Hecathe for a solid minute straight.


    "This is why people forbid kids from drinking," Hecathe commented with a sigh as he walked over closer towards Marvin.


    "I can''t forgive you, Kid."


    "..."


    "Because I''m not Alphius," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he revealed the secret that had already been discovered by this boy, "We hardly know each other and you''ve only offended me once by shooting me- Okay, cut that and let''s make it two since you also punched me like a drum."


    Marvin tilted his head in confusion and his eyebrows creased together as he heard this.


    "The things you are sorry for... As much as I''ve heard, I feel like there are only two people that you should apologize to. One is Alphius.... and I get why you keep saying sorry to me because I''m basically in his body right now, but I''m not Alphius and I cannot forgive you in his stead." Hecathe stated firmly as he made sure that he got the message through this teenager''s intoxicated mind.


    "And as for the second person," Hecathe sighed as he continued, "It''s yourself. You should be sorry to yourself."


    "..."


    "Whether you decide to forgive yourself or not is none of my business and I have no interest in knowing it either," Hecathe spoke honestly, "But it''s a good thing that you''ve come to realize what an idiot you have been."


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile that was hardly even visible.


    Hecathe had not been wrong in thinking that Marvin was the hero of this world, but at the same time, he had been somehow wrong in thinking that it was inevitable to change their ill fate.


    Marvin was still on the stage where he had only recently realized how stupid he had been till now. These emotions that he was currently feeling were going to be a major plot changer.


    They would unite and become the source of him unlocking the greater power inside him.


    However, this was also the stage where he was going to be realizing who his true enemy was.


    Hecathe had originally tried to avoid the boy completely because he thought that was the only way to avoid their ill fate as the villain and hero of the story, however, now that Hecathe heard Marvin''s long self-loathing and guilty narration, he felt as if he had been wrong to think that he could simply escape everything by avoiding this boy.


    Marvin was supposed to be the hero and Alphius was supposed to be the villain. There was nothing wrong with establishing this as an existing fact, however, this was not something that was set in stone.


    Since Alphius hadn''t actually killed the great Orgon, he had a chance to save his name...!


    The hero was only now realizing who his enemy was and what Hecathe needed to do now was to make sure that they both had the same enemy in mind.


    Hecathe had initially thought of a method to safely escape by avoiding this boy and he didn''t realize that such an option had never existed from the first place itself.


    What he should do now and what he should''ve done since the beginning itself was to try and get Marvin to trust him completely.


    He needed to be on the same side as the hero and the best way to make that happen was by making the hero switch sides.


    Hecathe patted the boy''s shoulder as he spoke, "Let''s go and get some rest. We''ll talk more about all this tomorrow when you''re not so drunk."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and asked a single question, "Do you forgive me...? For shooting and punching you?"

 Chapter 105 - Heavens Are Certainly Laughing

    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this ridiculous question.


    Of course, he wouldn''t easily forgive the boy for that!


    But would he give an honest answer to that question? Certainly not!


    "I forgave you a long time ago," Hecathe lied through an honest face.


    Marvin looked to have stupidly believed it as he first showed a stunned expression which slowly turned into a pleased one.


    "You did...? You really did?" Marvin almost looked as if he was about to shed tears of happiness and this made Hecathe''s face cringe up in disgust.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile and tried his best to control his twitching eyes as he lied once again, "Of course, I did. You were also forced to shoot me. You were confused and afraid. After hearing such news about your father, it''s only natural that you were mad."


    Marvin gulped as he suddenly moved forward and hugged Hecathe, "Thank you so much!"


    Hecathe felt the strong smell of sweat and alcohol enter his nose and it automatically made him gag in disgust.


    In the very next moment, Hecathe''s body reacted on its own and he pushed the boy away as he spoke, "I would prefer it if you didn''t show your gratitude in such a manner. Especially when you''re this drunk."


    Or I might kill you by mistake next time.


    Hecathe grinned and although there was no joy behind that grin, Marvin, with his half-working brain, seemed to have thought differently.


    Marvin nodded his head in understanding and looked like a little child as he listened to Hecathe.


    "Now let''s get your ass home," Hecathe sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "Where do you live?"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and looked around before he shook his head, "I can get back on my own."


    "You can?" Hecathe nodded his head and didn''t even wait for a response as he spoke, "Then that would be great. I am tired and I have a pet to feed at home so let''s continue this conversation tomorrow. Good night and get home safely."


    Hecathe certainly sounded really enthusiastic as he tried to get rid of this boy and the boy innocently nodded his head as a response.


    Hecathe didn''t bother wasting any more time on this drunk boy and headed straight back to his apartment, however, for some reason, Marvin seemed to be following him.


    At first, Hecathe wanted to turn around and ask the boy why he was following him, but in the end, Hecathe ended up simply sighing as he tried his best to ignore Marvin.


    He thought that the boy would eventually get bored of it and finally leave Hecathe alone, but it seemed that he had miscalculated a bit.


    By the time Hecathe was standing in front of the old broken apartment, Marvin was also there standing right behind him.


    This boy really followed him all the way home...


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he turned around and glare at the man, "What is it? Why are you following me? As you can see, this isn''t your house."


    "..." Marvin blinked in confusion as he stared back at Hecathe and Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he saw the confusion on the boy''s face.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked with a frown and Marvin simply shook his head which made Hecathe wonder if this boy had hit his head somewhere after drinking so much.


    "What? Are you going to tell me that you live here as well?" Hecathe scoffed as he sarcastically questioned, however, he wasn''t even able to laugh at it as he saw Marvin nodding his head.


    "..."


    Hecathe suddenly didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at this moment.


    Was it really that impossible to escape from the hero...?!


    Were the heavens really joking around with Hecathe or something?!


    Marvin smiled thinly as he bowed his head politely and went inside the building first, leaving behind a speechless Hecathe who looked at the apartment in disbelief.


    There were only three tenants living in this building...


    One was Hecathe, the other was Zail and the third was a hunter who was said to be alike Hecathe...


    Hecathe could have never guessed that he had such a surprise kept in store for him...


    Both Marvin and Hecathe ended up choosing the same apartment by chance... And Hecathe was sure it was a coincidence because he knew Marvin had moved in here before Hecathe so there was no way he had chosen this particular apartment because of Hecathe and if Hecathe had already known that Marvin was living here, he would have never chosen this place...!!


    The heavens were really laughing at Hecathe, weren''t they?!


    Hecathe sighed as he rubbed his forehead, feeling as if he was going to be having a headache pretty soon.


    The man headed inside the building and went straight for his room, not remembering anything about the cardigan girl that he had hired.


    However, it seemed that there was another headache waiting for him inside his room.


    "Master, save me!" As soon as Hecathe opened the door, A large dog-sized Dorgon child jumped on him and almost made him fall back.


    "You''re freaking heavy!" Hecathe complained as he immediately dropped the Dorgon and the Dorgon scurried off towards the side before running back towards Hecathe and hiding behind him, using him as a shield.


    "What the-" Hecathe was shocked and confused at the creature''s odd reaction, however, when he raised his head and looked at the girl who was standing inside the room with a bright smile on her face, he immediately figured out why the Dorgon was acting like this.


    "Didn''t I tell you to not go into my room?" Hecathe frowned and didn''t look to be amused as he questioned the girl.


    The girl pouted as she heard this and tried to act innocent as she spoke, "You said that but the landlady kept insisting that I wait for you in your room."


    Hecathe felt as if he should''ve expected something like this to happen.


    "Master, you know this evil witch...?!" The Dorgon questioned and he certainly sounded terrified at the moment which made Hecathe wonder what the girl had done to him.


    "Did she bully you?" Hecathe asked curiously, feeling a bit surprised at the mere thought of this little girl bullying such a creature that could kill her at any given moment.


    "Sir, believe me! I did nothing wrong! I just wanted to play with your cute little pet!" The girl defended herself before the Dorgon could even say anything as a response, "But it keeps running away."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the girl as he heard this and he questioned with suspicion, "You can hear him?"


    "Eh?" The girl tilted her head in confusion as she heard this question and blinked a few times before shaking her head as she spoke, "I can''t, but you looked as if you could."


    Hecathe didn''t seem to have believed the girl completely so he turned to glance at the Dorgon and questioned again, "Can she talk to you?"


    "Of course, she can''t! If this dumb potato could understand me, she wouldn''t have been so persistent to pet the great emperor!"


    "She tried to pet you?" Hecathe was even more surprised as he snapped his head back up to look at the girl.


    The girl pouted as she avoided meeting Hecathe''s eyes and muttered softly, "I tried to pet it because it''s cute..."


    This girl was really full of surprises and when Hecathe managed to hear the girl''s comment, he looked down and seemed to be judging the Dorgon in his head.


    How can such a thing be... Cute...?!


    Was this girl really alright in the head?!


    Hecathe sighed as he pushed the Dorgon inside using his leg and closed the door behind him before walking towards a table and leisurely taking off his cloak before he took a seat down on the bed and crossed his right leg over his left.


    His eyes narrowed down on the girl and it seemed to have made her feel a little uneasy.


    The Dorgon squeezed under the bed and hid from the girl once again, using Hecathe as a barrier to keep her away.


    "Do you know what creature he is?" Hecathe questioned in suspicion and the girl gulped as she nodded her head.


    "Of course, I know."


    "You know?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows and looked as if he found it hard to believe her.


    "Then tell me, what is he?" Hecathe asked with a small smile on his face that seemed to be teasing her.


    "He''s one of those overgrown old lizards!" The girl confidently exclaimed.


    "..."


    "Master, can I kill her?" The Dorgon questioned and this time, he seriously sounded offended and there was no more fear in his voice.


    Hecathe was speechless for few minutes as he slowly let her words sink in and when he was finally over the shock, he broke out laughing.


    The girl crossed her arms over each other and frowned as she saw the man laughing at her, "Why are you laughing like that? Am I wrong?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he continued to laugh and spoke in between his laughter, "You''re right! You''re right! It is an overgrown lizard!~"


    The overgrown Lizard, "..."

 Chapter 106 - The Witch Likes You

    "Then why the hell are you still laughing?" The girl questioned, looking to be quite frustrated.


    "I''m sorry," Hecathe apologized but continued laughing, "I''ll stop."


    "..."


    The man had surely said he would stop laughing but he was certainly taking his own sweet time and the girl didn''t look to be impressed with this.


    The girl rolled her eyes as she sat down on the floor, facing Hecathe, and patiently waited for the man to completely calm down.


    Once Hecathe had managed to stop laughing, he straightened his back and coughed awkwardly before getting serious as he questioned, "Were you able to rent another room?"


    The girl shook her head as she heard this question and replied, "The Landlady said there was no need for that."


    "No need?" Hecathe frowned as he repeated and waited for her to continue.


    She nodded her head as she added, "The Landlady said it would be alright for me to live with you."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little shocked as he heard this.


    For the landlady to say something like that... Did she not want to earn profit anymore...?!


    "She said I looked too poor to pay the rent and she wasn''t looking to take in another charity case," The girl added with a chuckle and Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he suddenly understood why the Landlady had refused to give this girl a room.


    "Did you not give her the money?" Hecathe asked and the girl scratched the back of her neck as she avoided eye contact and muttered a response.


    "She never asked for it..."


    "...."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and looked around before picking up a pillow and handing it over to the girl, "You can sleep here for tonight but you better get another room by tomorrow."


    Her eyes immediately seemed to be sparkling as she looked at the man and enthusiastically nodded her head.


    "Thank you, sir!"


    Hecathe nodded his head and didn''t bother saying anything more as he sighed and took out Alphius''s dairy from his suitcase.


    The girl kept on observing the man''s actions without daring to move away from her spot and at first, Hecathe didn''t seem to have noticed it, however, when he did, he couldn''t help but frown as he looked back at the girl.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked and the girl gulped as she shook her head.


    "It''s nothing."


    "Then why are you looking at me?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he questioned.


    "Sir, weren''t you going to tell me what my job would be?"


    "Oh, that..." Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he shrugged his shoulder and responded, "We can do that tomorrow. You must be tired so you should rest a little."


    Her eyes widened as she heard the latter part and once again, she kept her eyes on Hecathe with an indecipherable expression on her face.


    Hecathe started writing down in the diary and once again, didn''t notice that the girl was still staring at him.


    "Master, where did you get this witch from?" The Dorgon immediately interrupted Hecathe as he questioned.


    "A gambling den," Hecathe responded without caring about it too much.


    "Eh...?" The girl couldn''t hear nor understand the Dorgon so she looked to be confused as she suddenly heard Hecathe speaking to himself.


    "It''s nothing. I''m talking to the overgrown lizard," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he continued to pay attention to what he wrote in the diary.


    "Ah..." The girl nodded in understanding and didn''t bother saying anything more as she simply sat there staring at Hecathe.


    "Master, I think this witch likes you."


    Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard this comment from the Dorgon and the girl flinched a little in surprise as she saw Hecathe suddenly stopping.


    "What happened, Sir?" She asked in worry as she leaned forward.


    Hecathe coughed and shook his head in disbelief as he replied, shrugging it off as something unimportant, "It''s nothing. Just the overgrown lizard talking nonsense."


    "Master, I''m being honest here!" The Dorgon immediately tried to defend himself but Hecathe naturally ignored him.


    "Sir, Doesn''t your pet have a name...?" The girl asked curiously and her whole face looked to be bright as if she was happy with just talking about the creature.


    Hecathe tilted his head and looked at her with profound meaning as he heard this. In the very next moment, the man questioned, "Do you really think this overgrown lizard is cute?"


    The girl bobbed her head up and down as she heard this, "I do! He''s really lively and cute! A little shy as well!~"


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this and nodded his head as he spoke, "He''s certainly shy."


    "I''m not shy!! Master, how can you betray me like this?! Tell her that I hate her! Tell her to stay away or I really might eat her!" The Dorgon immediately complained.


    "Do you want to pet him?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk as he did the opposite of what the Dorgon asked him to do, "He says that he likes you a lot."


    The girl nodded her head with delight as she heard this and asked excitedly, "Can I really?!~"


    "He doesn''t have a name so you are free to call him whatever you like," Hecathe stood up from the bed and looked under it before forcefully pulling out the uninterested Dorgon who seemed to be depressed over the fact that he had been betrayed by his own master.


    "What do you usually call him?" The girl asked as she tilted her head with a smile.


    "Hmm..." Hecathe looked at the Dorgon and thought about it for a minute before he honestly responded, "I call him egg."


    "..."


    Both the Dorgon and the girl seemed to have fallen speechless as they heard the man.


    "Are you being serious?" The girl asked as she blinked in confusion and Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it.


    "When I bought him, he was still inside his egg so I just call him that since I don''t feel like giving him a good name."


    "Wow..." The girl looked to be in awe but Hecathe was unsure if she was impressed or disappointed at him.


    "In that case..." She muttered as she thought about it for a few minutes, "Let''s call him eggy!~"


    "Pfft-" Hecathe couldn''t help but laugh a little as he suddenly heard this suggestion.


    "Master, I hate her... I really hate her!" The Dorgon continued to cry out and Hecathe also continued to ignore his cries, "The great emperor can never have such a lowly name! What does she think I am?! A Dog?! A bird?!"


    Hecathe, "Then let us have it your way."


    The girl giggled as she heard this and without any sense of fear or hesitation, she raised her hand and pet the Dorgon that was growling at her.


    "Look! Look! Eggy is trying to show me his growing teeth!~" The girl excitedly exclaimed and Hecathe didn''t know why but he found it funny that the girl took the Dorgon''s actions as a good sign.


    "Master, she has a few screws loose in her head..."


    When Hecathe heard this, he nodded his head and chuckled as he agreed to the Dorgon but didn''t bother commenting further on it.


    Any sane human would be able to realize that an animal would only growl and show its teeth if it wanted to have a fight with you.


    Humans were perhaps the only ones who showed their teeth and smiled as a good gesture.


    Since Hecathe was sitting right there, the Dorgon dare not bite the girl and so Hecathe could go back to doing his job.


    However, he was once again interrupted by the girl, "Sir, what are you doing?"


    "Me?" Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he shook his head and spoke, "I''m trying to leave evidence behind."


    "Evidence...?" The girl titled her head and blinked confusion as she tried to understand what the man was saying.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "You won''t be able to understand it so why bother asking?"


    The girl pouted as she heard this but in the end, she could still not force Hecathe to say anything and as a result, she ended up nodding her head in understanding.


    "Oh yeah, I think I forgot to ask you this before," Hecathe suddenly remembered something as he asked, "What''s your name?"


    The girl''s lips curled up into a small smile as she heard this question that she seemed to be waiting to hear, "I thought you were never going to ask."


    "I bet this witch has a really ugly name," The Dorgon scoffed and Hecathe ignored him.


    "My name is Leilei."


    "That''s your original name?" Hecathe asked with a bit of surprise and the girl immediately shook her head.


    "I don''t remember my original name. The two old men who raised me were the ones who gave me this name," The girl spoke with a smile.


    Hecathe''s pupils seemed to have contracted as he heard this and he clicked his tongue as he asked, "Why didn''t they let you keep your real name?"

 Chapter 107 - Where The Bad Naming Sense Came From.

    Hecathe had somehow managed to catch the girl by surprise through that question and she gulped as she shook her head.


    LeiLei suddenly grabbed Hecathe''s hand as she spoke and although Hecathe didn''t show it on his face, he had certainly noticed this small action and found it a bit abnormal, "I don''t know but if I remember it right, they hated my real name."


    "So they changed it into a dog''s name...?!" Hecathe asked in disbelief as he looked at the girl.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this question and immediately shook her head as if she wasn''t supposed to nod her head.


    "I really don''t mind it...!" The girl exclaimed softly.


    "You don''t mind having the name of a dog?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the girl as he questioned.


    LeiLei hesitantly nodded her head this time as she mustered up a smile and spoke, "I have grown accustomed to it. It''s really not a bad name."


    "..."


    Even the Dorgon looked as if he felt pity for this girl and commented with a sigh, "That explains her horrible naming sense. Can''t really expect her to give me a better name than Eggy when her own name is LeiLei."


    Hecathe frowned as he looked at the girl and wondered why those two would hate her original name.


    The girl had a really unique ability and everything that Hecathe had heard about her till now somehow didn''t seem to make any sense.


    In this world, abilities were considered to be the social footing.


    If one had a common ability that was not powerful, they would be considered as the common people. If one had a powerful ability that was common, they would be considered as the elites who were treated better than the common people. And if someone had a rare strong ability, they would even be considered as the next leaders of this world.


    This was also the reason why people looked up to Alphius when he was at the peak of his popularity and was just starting off. Later on, they realized that having a leader like Alphius might not be the best for them and so, they started to fear the man instead. What started as fear, due to the widespread rumors and misunderstandings, eventually turned into disgust and hatred.


    Hecathe almost found it a bit funny that abilities were considered to be the power in this world when in reality, their abilities were not even as powerful as their words.


    Words held a lot of power and this was a lesson that Hecathe had learned even before he was invited to this world.


    Thoughts were powerful and words that gave those thoughts a chance to be heard were even more powerful. It was a power that most human beings were born with and maybe that was the reason why people never thought about how powerful their words could be.


    In the end, Alphius who was considered to be a bit too powerful was also killed by his own friend because of words spoken by someone who knew how much influence his own words held.


    "What are you thinking so deeply about?" The girl let go of Hecathe''s hand and leaned in closer to the man as she questioned and this managed to snap the man out of his thoughts.


    "Huh?" Hecathe shook his head as he shrugged it off, "I was just wondering who that bastard was."


    "Bastard...?" LeiLei repeated and looked to be interested as she asked, "Are you after someone?"


    Hecathe nodded his head with a sigh as he spoke, "Didn''t I already tell you? I''m currently after a whale and you''re also here because of him."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and nodded her head in understanding.


    "Master, you''re after a whale?" The Dorgon sounded even more enthusiastic than the girl as he questioned, "Whales are my favorite! They are big and delicious!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    "Have you even eaten a whale?" Hecathe rubbed his forehead in disbelief as he questioned.


    Dorgon, "..."


    "Eh?" The girl tilted her head in confusion as Hecathe''s question was the only thing she could hear, however, Heathe didn''t need to explain himself this time as LeiLei figured it out for herself and looked at the Dorgon.


    "In any case, you might not like eating this specific whale," Hecathe added with a sigh and the Dorgon suddenly looked to be dejected.


    "Sir, I''ve been meaning to say this but is this your ability?" LeiLei leaned in forward enthusiastically as she questioned.


    "What do you mean?" Hecathe asked as he met her eyes.


    "Your ability is to talk to animals, is it not?" The girl tilted her head innocently as she asked and Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard this.


    "Do you think I''m some kind of a Disney princess?! Of course, not," Hecathe scoffed as he made himself clear.


    The girl frowned in turn and questioned, "What''s a Disney princess?"


    "..."


    Hecathe thought he had gotten used to this new world but it seemed that there were some things that he would never be able to get used to.


    "It''s nothing," Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and decided to shrug it off.


    "Then what''s your ability, Sir?" The girl questioned enthusiastically.


    The Dorgon also looked at Hecathe with great interest as he heard this question and it seemed that he was also unaware of Hecathe''s abilities.


    Hecathe thought about it for a minute before he leaned in forward and grabbed LeiLei''s hands smoothly, squeezing them softly as the girl suddenly blinked in surprise when she saw the man''s face come so close to hers.


    Blood seemed to have rushed up to her face and her cheeks turned red as she waited for the man to say something.


    "I have a lot of abilities and it seems that catching thieves is one of them."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and when she looked down at her hands, she found that the ring she was trying to steal from the man had already been taken back by Hecathe.


    The Dorgon also looked to be surprised as he saw this and he was quick to accuse the girl, "Such a liar and cheat! She''s trying to rob you, Master! Shall I kill her for you?"


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he put the ring back on his finger, "This is why I didn''t trust you."


    "..."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly and she looked as if she was both embarrassed and a bit afraid of the man now.


    Hecathe rested his chin on his palm that was propelled up from his elbow. With a sigh, he spoke, "You seem as if you''re weak. Innocent and fragile. Someone who has powerful abilities but doesn''t realize it herself."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and the girl couldn''t understand what Hecathe was trying to say by narrating all this.


    "You give people the feeling that you''re easy to manipulate, and I have a feeling that you''re doing it on purpose," Hecathe smirked as he added and LeiLei seemed to have flinched as she heard this.


    "Why don''t you show me your real personality?" Hecathe questioned innocently with his deep voice that sounded rather calm and soothing to the ear.


    However, the girl certainly didn''t feel calm as she heard the man ask her such a question.


    "W-what do you... mean?" She stammered.


    "You know exactly what I mean," Hecathe responded without missing a beat, "The landlady didn''t tell you to wait in my room, did she?"


    "..."


    "You asked her if she could let you enter my room," Hecathe immediately accused her with a smile that didn''t look to be dangerous at all, "Did you tell her that I was the one who sent you here?"


    It hadn''t been that long since Hecathe had known the Landlady but it had still been more than a week and if there was one thing that Hecathe had figured out about the woman, it would be the fact that she would never turn down money coming her way.


    LeiLei shook her head as she opened her mouth to deny it, but Hecathe didn''t look like he was patient enough to listen to her.


    "Want to know what gave you away?" Hecathe tilted his head slightly as he asked and it was now clear to the girl that it was too late to defend herself since this man had already confirmed it in his mind.


    LeiLei stayed silent and Hecathe who had expected this, chuckled as he continued even without her response, "You said something wrong. ''She wasn''t looking to take in another charity case'' Is what you said, but she would never say that."


    LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together in confusing as she heard this and she straightened her shoulders and back as she asked, "She said you hadn''t paid your rent yet."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and explained, "But I''m not a charity case because what I offered her wasn''t money, it was something much more valuable."


    "What the f*ck...?!" LeiLei''s face cringed up as she heard this and it seemed that her entire demeanor had changed within just a few seconds, making Hecathe feel a bit surprised.

 Chapter 108 - I Dont Trust You.

    Hecathe couldn''t help but want to laugh as he saw this sudden change.


    "Master, that''s it! This is the witch that scares me!" The Dorgon immediately spoke up as he complained and hid behind Hecathe once again.


    Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head.


    He should have already expected this.


    There was no way the Dorgon would be afraid of someone as sweet as the person LeiLei claimed to be.


    "Then, have you been f*cking playing with me till now?" The girl questioned and sounded pretty pissed off which made Hecathe question if he should be the one angrier or her.


    "What the hell are you trying to prove?" She clicked her tongue as she questioned in annoyance.


    The innocence on her face was now nowhere to be seen as if it had simply vanished without even leaving behind a trace.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and was silent for a whole minute before he finally chuckled as a response and commented, "I like this version better."


    "..."


    "You pretending to be innocent was really getting me annoyed," Hecathe spoke honestly as he looked at the girl, "It''s better for you to be more honest."


    "Then let me be honest," LeiLei scoffed as she replied, "I don''t trust you."


    "I know that," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he simply responded.


    "Then why am I here?"


    "Because I have a job for you."


    "To catch someone who wronged you?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this question and confirmed, "To catch someone who wronged someone innocent."


    "I''m willing to pay you for working with me so I don''t think there should be any need for you to steal something as insignificant as this ring," Hecathe added with a small smile.


    LeiLei coughed as she heard this and avoided eye contact as she muttered a response, "I wasn''t meaning to."


    "Eh?" Hecathe blinked in surprise as he tried to understand what she was meaning to say.


    "It can''t be helped," LeiLei added as she pursed her lips into a thin smile.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the girl as he heard this, "Could it be... Kleptomania...?"


    LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this and confirmed it as she stated, "I have a habit of stealing and it can''t be helped."


    This was certainly the first time Hecathe was meeting someone with such a problem, but when he looked at the girl, he could sense that she was not lying this time.


    She really was suffering from such a mental disorder and considering the environment that she was raised in, this was to be expected.


    Hecathe sighed as he rubbed his forehead and spoke, "In that case, I guess it can''t be helped."


    "Huh?" LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise as she heard the man.


    "Just makes sure that you don''t steal anything too important," Hecathe added as he looked at the girl, "And if it''s in front of others, try to keep that innocent act up, but don''t bother pretending like that in front of me."


    "You''re... not mad?" The girl asked with a bit of shock.


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and questioned, "Why would I be mad?"


    "..."


    "Your Kleptomania is not something I can solve and I have no idea why you try to keep up that innocent persona, however, it has nothing to do with me and it is quite useful in some cases so I have no problem with it."


    LeiLei looked to be conflicted as she heard this and the girl dare not say anything to that.


    Hecathe was sure that she was currently wondering whether he was an idiot or not and the man chuckled as he added, "As long as you do your job correctly, I can ignore everything else."


    LeiLei''s pupils seemed to have contracted as she heard this and the girl sighed as she spoke, "You''re really weird."


    "I know," Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "And I can say the same to you as well."


    LeiLei had certainly never met such a person who was okay with her after knowing these two secrets and it seemed to have fascinated her how Hecathe could care no less about it.


    "What are you planning on doing with the Dorgon?" LeiLei asked and it seemed as if she was testing the man.


    "So you do know that it''s not an overgrown lizard?" Hecathe chuckled as he asked and didn''t bother waiting for her to respond as he continued, "I''m planning on raising him for now."


    "I see," The girl looked behind Hecathe''s back at the Dorgon as she asked, "Wouldn''t it try to eat you?"


    "It can''t," Hecathe confidently responded without missing a beat and his confidence alone was enough to make the girl believe his words.


    "Then," LeiLei took a deep breath in and closed her eyes before going back to her innocent persona as she smiled brightly and looked at the Dorgon with great interest as she exclaimed, "Can I sleep with Eggy today?~"


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he saw her once again trying to act like a cute child.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to act like that in front of me?" Hecathe asked with a frown.


    "But Sir, it''s a habit," LeiLei pouted and Hecathe would certainly be lying if he said that the girl didn''t look cute at this moment.


    In the end, Hecathe was forced to sigh as he agreed to the girl and let her do whatever she wanted.


    LeiLei smiled happily as she saw this and immediately started chasing after the Dorgon who ran for his life.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he wondered if he had really done the right thing by bringing this girl here.


    "Master, how can you do this to me?! I''m the one you''re supposed to be favoring! I''m the great emperor!! Tell her to stay away!" The Dorgon continued to shout and Hecathe simply ignored the little creature.


    "They''ll get along eventually," Hecathe muttered under his breath as he shook his head and got back to writing in the diary.


    LeiLei was an oddball with a lot of secrets, however, Hecathe still felt as if he wasn''t going to regret his decision to take her along.


    Once she starts to trust him, he was sure she was going to be a powerful ally.


    Just as Hecathe was thinking this, the Dorgon jumped on his head and the girl who was running after the Dorgon also jumped on him, making Hecathe fall back flat on his back with both the Dorgon and the girl on top of him.


    "..."


    It seemed that this place was going to be very lively because of her...


    Hecathe''s breath got stuck in his throat as he felt the heaviness of the two.


    "Get off me..." Hecathe tried to speak with his choked-up voice.


    "Master, get this witch away from me!" The Dorgon cried out, hugging Hecathe''s face with all his strength.


    "..."  Hecathe finally understood what it was like to raise a lion that could kill you with just a hug.


    .


    .


    .


    After chasing and playing for a few hours, LeiLei eventually got tired and slept on the floor, hugging the pillow that Hecathe had given her.


    The Dorgon also seemed to be tired as he no longer had any energy to run away and ended up becoming the girl''s headrest.


    By the time Hecathe was done with his work, he looked up to see that the two were peacefully sleeping on the floor in front of the table, and for some odd reason, Hecathe smiled as he saw this.


    It was much more peaceful when they were sleeping and the two were much cuter as well when they were sleeping.


    Hecathe yawned as he packed everything up and took off his mask before walking over towards the girl.


    He picked LeiLei up gently and placed her on the bed before he went back to pick up the Dorgon and laid him down next to the girl.


    The man took the only blanket there was in the room and covered the two with it before taking out a sheet and pillow to spread it on the floor where he was planning on sleeping.


    It wasn''t like the bed was more comfortable to sleep on so Hecathe was okay with sleeping on the floor.


    It had been a long day and there was so much that had happened. As he went to sleep, the last thought he had on his mind was about Marvin. Hecathe had thought about how he was supposed to deal with the boy and in the end, he came to the conclusion that it would be better to simply tell Marvin the truth.


    If he can get Marvin to join his side then everything else was going to be a bit easier.


    At the moment, Hecathe was hunting after a whale and Marvin knew exactly who that whale was.


    If Hecathe could get Marvin to talk, he would no longer need to bother searching for the whale.


    With this in mind, Hecathe fell asleep as soon as his head hit the soft pillow.


    It seemed that he was so tired that he slept throughout the night and woke up at exactly 6 a.m.

 Chapter 109 - A Good Morning...?

    Hecathe opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the face of LeiLei who was a bit too close to him.


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he wondered if he was seeing things, however, he soon figured out that the girl was really there staring at him with big bright shining eyes.


    "What are you doing...?" Hecathe asked as he yawned and tried to get up.


    "Sir, you''re handsome..." LeiLei commented as a response and for some reason, refused to look away from Hecathe.


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    He wouldn''t have taken off the mask if he knew the girl was going to wake up before him.


    It was uncomfortable sleeping with a mask on and that was the only reason why Hecathe took it off.


    "So...?" Hecathe frowned a little as he sat up straight.


    "I thought you weren''t going to be handsome..." The girl spoke with a pout.


    "..."


    "Master, is it a good thing to be handsome?" The Dorgon asked as he looked at Hecathe''s face closely.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile as he heard this question and decided not to answer it.


    "Why did you wake up so early?" Hecathe asked the girl as he stretched his neck and shoulders.


    Hecathe hadn''t expected it, but turns out sleeping on the floor was way more uncomfortable than he thought it would be.


    "I am used to sleeping on the floor so I couldn''t sleep on the bed," LeiLei smiled as she replied, and at first, Hecathe didn''t find anything weird about it, however, a minute passed and Hecathe slowly frowned as he repeated her words in his head.


    "Did you stay up the entire night?" Hecathe questioned with a frown.


    LeiLei nodded her head without any hesitation and Hecathe was left a little speechless.


    "Master, this witch was staring at you like a hawk," The Dorgon informed with a scoff and it seemed that he still didn''t like LeiLei.


    "I woke up when you picked me up and took me to the bed," LeiLei beamed, "At first I thought you were going to take advantage of me but I was wrong. You''re a good person, Sir."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this, "..."


    Just what type of guy did she think he was...?!


    "Master, I also thought she was going to take advantage of you when you slept," The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he commented.


    "In any case, I have decided!" The girl suddenly exclaimed with a bright smile, "I don''t care who it is that you want to catch but I''m going to help you!"


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this.


    He had really wasted a lot of time on planning and thinking about how to make the girl trust him, but it seemed that he had thought a bit too much about it and wasted his time in the process.


    This girl ended up trusting him after just a night...?!


    It was a bit unbelievable!


    "Didn''t you already decide to work for me?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head.


    The girl nodded her head and chuckled as she responded, "I did plan on working for you but now I have planned to work with you."


    "What''s the difference?" Hecathe asked, looking to be a bit confused.


    "If I''m working for you then it means I don''t trust you enough and if I''m working with you, it means I trust you to have my back as well."


    Hecathe was still a little confused as he heard this but he simply waited to hear her continue and didn''t bother speaking in between.


    "In the first case, I may even end up betraying you or abandoning you but in the latter case, you do not have to worry about that. You can trust me and I can also trust you, it''s that kind of a difference," LeiLei explained with a smile as she asked, "Isn''t it better this way?"


    Hecathe thought about it for a minute and nodded his head as he simply agreed to the girl.


    LeiLei looked to be happy as she saw this reaction and the girl immediately stood up as she spoke, "Then I''ll be going down to help with the breakfast. You should come down after you take care of that."


    "Eh?"


    The girl pointed down at Hecathe with a smile and didn''t bother saying more as she left the room and when Hecathe looked down to see the morning wood that had caused a tent in his pants.


    "..."


    For the first time in his life, he understood what it was like to be embarrassed.


    Hecathe had forgotten how much it sucked to have a teenage body...!


    "Master, look on the bright side. At least, you''re healthy," The Dorgon commented as if he were trying to make Hecathe feel better.


    Hecathe glared at the Dorgon as he heard him, "Don''t you dare say anything more, or you''re not getting any breakfast."


    "What?! Why are you angry at me?" The Dorgon scoffed as he replied, "I was just trying to make you feel better!"


    "..."


    Hecathe rubbed his forehead with a sigh as he spoke, "Just go away."


    "Fine," The Dorgon breathed out, sounding a bit angry at the man, "But you better stop rubbing your forehead or you''ll age a hundred years in a day!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if the Dorgon was trying to curse him or not but he indeed stopped rubbing his forehead as he heard the creature.


    .


    .


    .


    By the time Hecathe came down for breakfast, the others had already eaten without waiting for him and Hecathe didn''t seem to care too much about it as he simply sat down on the table and waited for the food that was served by LeiLei.


    "Young man, your girlfriend was such a big help," The landlady spoke with a chuckle as soon as she saw the man and Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard her words.


    Since when did LeiLei become his girlfriend...?! They had just met yesterday!


    Instead of correcting the woman, LeiLei giggled as she indirectly accepted it, leaving Hecathe speechless.


    LeiLei placed the food down in front of Hecathe and smiled as she spoke, "I heard you have a habit of eating chicken sandwiches in the morning so I made one for you."


    Hecathe looked down at the sandwich that was clearly burnt and he didn''t know if he wanted to eat it or not.


    "Have you ever cooked before?" Hecathe asked with his face cringed up in disgust as he saw the black sandwich.


    "Of course, I have!" LeiLei immediately exclaimed and this kind of response was really a bit hard to believe for Hecathe.


    "What did you cook? Burnt eggs?"


    LeiLei''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this and her cheeks blushed red as she nodded her head.


    "..."


    Hecathe was simply joking but turns out the girl was really an expert in cooking burnt food.


    "Now~ Now~ She made it for you with all her heart, you should at least take a bite," The Landlady spoke in between with a smile as she took a seat in front of Hecathe.


    Hecathe really wasn''t interested in eating these burnt sandwiches, however, when he heard this and looked up to see the anticipating sparkle in LeiLei''s eyes, he couldn''t help but feel that it was best to at least take a bite.


    If he threw it away without even tasting it then he was sure both LeiLei and the Landlady would be disappointed.


    Hecathe gulped as he gathered the courage and picked the sandwich up to take a bite.


    The bread was so burnt that as soon as he touched the sandwiches, he could see his fingers turning black, however, Hecathe still closed his eyes and tried his best to ignore it as he took a bite.


    CRUNCH~


    "..."


    Since when were sandwiches supposed to be crunchy...?!


    Hecathe immediately put the sandwich down on the table and his face seemed to have turned white.


    LeiLei gulped in worry and it was clear that she had already heard that unnatural crunch sound.


    "LeiLei... Dear, tell me you didn''t forget to take out the bones from the chicken...?" The Landlady asked in disbelief as she glanced at the girl who fiddled with the hem of her apron and refused to give an answer to that question.


    By being silent, the girl had already given the answer so the landlady just pursed her lips into a thin line and stood up to go back to the kitchen.


    Hecathe took another bite and once again, the same crunching sound could be heard.


    "I''m sorry, Sir..." LeiLei apologized as she looked down at the ground.


    Hecathe had his mouth filled with crushed chicken bones so it was only natural that he didn''t give the girl a response.


    The Landlady came back with a bowl and looked to be worried for the man as she spoke, "Spit it out in this."


    Hecathe immediately took the bowl and spit everything out on the bowl before putting the bowl aside and wiping his mouth with a napkin that was kept on the side.


    "..."

 Chapter 110 - I Knew It!

    "Are you mad?" LeiLei asked anxiously as she made her eyes look bigger so as to make the man take some pity on her, however, this was something that hardly worked on Hecathe.


    "LeiLei, I think it would be better if you stay away from the kitchen starting tomorrow. And when I say ''stay away'' I mean at least ten meters away."


    LeiLei, "..."


    The landlady chuckled as she heard this and jokingly commented, "Even if you hadn''t said it, I was already planning on banning her from the kitchen."


    LeiLei pouted and turned to look at the landlady as if she had been wronged by the woman, however, the landlady didn''t seem to care as she simply shrugged her shoulders.


    Hecathe shook his head in disbelief and in the process, his eyes glanced down and managed to catch a glimpse of the Landlady''s eight legs.


    The man looked up at LeiLei and he couldn''t help but be a little surprised and suspicious of the fact that LeiLei had seen the woman''s legs but refused to comment or ask anything about them.


    If it had been someone else, then they would have surely been horrified, however, for some reason, LeiLei didn''t treat the woman any differently, making it almost seem as if she didn''t care whether the woman had eight legs or two.


    The more Hecathe got to learn about LeiLei, the more he felt as if this girl was mysterious and suspicious. She should have been just a poor girl from the gambling bar who would be naive and easy to manipulate, but somehow, after getting to know her better, Hecathe could clearly see that she was a bit too different from what he originally thought she would be like.


    In most cases, Hecathe would have been suspicious of such a person and would have chosen to avoid getting involved with someone like her completely, however, for some odd reason, Hecathe had the gut feeling that this girl was going to bring him good luck and Hecathe hardly had such feelings for people so he trusted his gut this time.


    Hecathe sighed as he decided not to overthink it. Nothing good was going to come out of overthinking so the man decided to change the topic.


    "This reminds me, She wanted to rent another room," Hecathe spoke as he informed the landlady, "She''ll be willing to pay the full rent."


    The landlady looked to be a bit surprised as she heard this and blinked in confusion as she took a minute to respond, "Why? Isn''t it fine if she''s living with you?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin unimpressed line as he heard this and responded with a question, "Why would it be okay for her to live in the same room as me?"


    "..." The landlady looked over at LeiLei with worry as she heard the man and LeiLei simply shrugged her shoulders with a small pout on her lips.


    "I think you''re mistaken but she''s not my girlfriend," Hecathe informed with a sigh as he tried to clear the misunderstanding that had been unknowingly caused.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this but since it was the truth, there was nothing she could say.


    The Landlady looked to be shocked at first and then, surprisingly enough, there was a bright smile on her face, showing that she was not only shocked but also delighted to get this news.


    "I knew it!" The Landlady exclaimed happily, "There is no way you''d be swayed away from your other half!"


    "Eh?" Hecathe titled his head in confusion and repeated the woman''s comment in his head, however, even after repeating it once, he was still unable to understand the meaning behind her words.


    What other half was she talking about...?


    Hecathe, who had already forgotten about the misunderstanding he had caused way earlier, would naturally not know that the other half the woman was referring to was actually Alphius who was supposed to be his lover according to this woman.


    "Sir, are you dating someone?" LeiLei asked with surprise and Hecathe immediately shook his head but it seemed that the landlady thought otherwise as she giggled and said nothing more.


    Hecathe looked at the landlady curiously and he saw that in the very next minute, the woman looked to be confused as she frowned and questioned, "If she''s not your girlfriend, who is she...?"


    Hecathe had not thought of a lie that far and there was no way he would be willing to talk about his plan to catch the whale so when the woman asked this question, he was left dumbfounded as he tried to come up with a lie on the spot.


    LeiLei seemed to have seen the reluctance in Hecathe''s demeanor and smirked as she decided to answer on his behalf, "I''m actually a relative of his."


    Hecathe gulped as he immediately nodded his head and decided to go along with LeiLei''s lie.


    "She''s my sister. A distant relative that came to check whether I was doing okay or not," The man added as if trying to make the lie sound more believable.


    The landlady frowned as she heard this and looked at the two as she commented, "You''re relatives...?"


    Both LeiLei and Hecathe nodded in unison as they heard this question.


    "But you look nothing alike..."


    "..."


    This woman hadn''t even seen Hecathe without the mask...


    Hecathe opened his mouth to say something as a response to that but was immediately interrupted by footsteps that came down the stairs.


    "Ah... It''s him..." The Landlady muttered with a bit of fear as she looked up to see the boy who made his way down the stairs.


    Hecathe gulped as he looked up to see Marvin who stopped on the stairs as soon as he saw Hecathe looking at him.


    "Hmm?" LeiLei looked to be a little confused as she looked between Hecathe and Marvin. The girl didn''t know who Marvin was so it was only natural that she was confused.


    "You both are wearing the same cloak...?!" LeiLei muttered a question in disbelief as he tried to understand the current situation.


    Marvin gulped and dare not move another step.


    When Hecathe saw this, he understood that the time for them to talk had finally come so he sighed as he looked at LeiLei and spoke, "Go upstairs for now."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this, however, before the girl could say anything, Hecathe turned to face the Landlady as he spoke, "Since she''s renting another room, please show her to her new room."


    The Landlady was certainly not a stupid woman and when she heard this, she immediately understood Hecathe was trying to ask her for some space to talk to Marvin and so, the woman nodded as she stood up and took LeiLei away with a smile as she spoke, "Let''s go. It seems that they have a lot to talk about."


    "Eh?" LeiLei was a bit taken back as she heard this but the girl was still taken away by the landlady.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he noticed the spoon that the girl had stolen in her state of confusion.


    This further proved that the girl was really not lying about her kleptomania.


    Once they had left the place, Hecathe and Marvin were the only ones left and even though the dining hall was empty, Hecathe still decided to talk outside so he stood up and gestured for the boy to follow him.


    Marvin gulped as he saw the man and decided to obediently follow after Hecathe.


    The two got out of the building and found an empty place to talk and Hecathe was the first one to speak, "How have you been, Marvin?"


    Marvin seemed to be a bit surprised as he heard this question that he had not expected to hear.


    "I... Could have been better," Marvin replied awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a thin smile plastered on his face as he heard this, "I''m glad."


    "..."


    "Look on the bright side, at least, you can still stand here and ask for forgiveness from the one you tried to kill twice," Hecathe added and Marvin was unsure whether the man was being sarcastic or not.


    The boy gulped as he looked down at the floor and apologized once again, "I''m sorry."


    "Your ''sorry'' is not helpful to me," Hecathe replied without missing a beat, "However, you should be sorry."


    "Eh?"


    "Alphius had always considered you a friend. He thought even if the whole world turned against him, you would still be there to take his side. He was a really foolish kid who thought he could believe you, and you were even more foolish to actually think that such an innocent boy killed your father."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and since Hecathe was speaking the truth, there was nothing the boy could say to defend himself.


    "You broke his trust and killed him," Hecathe added as he straightened his back and looked at Marvin straight in the eyes, "You killed the only friend that trusted you, and now that he is gone, you''re surrounded by snakes who won''t think twice before turning against you."


    Hecathe chose his words carefully and made sure that he used the boy''s emotions to make him join Hecathe''s side.

 Chapter 111 - Your Mistake

    "Now you''re here saying you regret it, but your regret and your sorry is not going to bring Alphius back," Hecathe continued with a sigh, "He''s gone forever and you''ll never be able to get that precious friend back. I heard that you, Alphius, and Hecathe used to stick together since you were kids. A group of three who were joined at the hip..."


    Hecathe scoffed as he added, "It''s quite funny to think that after killing the two, you''re the only one left behind."


    Marvin frowned as he heard this and this time, the boy decided to defend himself, "I wasn''t the one who killed Hecathe! He died because of the mutants! Those damned creatures... If Alphius had wanted, he could have saved him... But he turned his back on Hecathe! If there is anyone responsible for Hecathe''s death, it is Alphius!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little weirded out by hearing his own name, however, he didn''t dare let it show on his face.


    "Now you''re back to blaming Alphius...?"


    "..."


    "You''re saying that what you did to Alphius, he did to Hecathe...? Three best friends that betrayed and killed each other?" Hecathe chuckled dryly, "What a crappy ending to such a beautiful friendship... And all because you couldn''t trust anyone."


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together as he heard the man accusing him, however, before the boy could say anything in defense, Hecathe continued with a question.


    "Do you really think Hecathe died because of the mutants?"


    "..." The boy was a bit stunned to hear this question and there was nothing he could say as a response.


    "Do you really think Alphius turned his back on Hecathe?" The man decided to ask another question as he saw such a wordless response from Marvin, "Think about it and tell me. Do you really think that was all there was to it?"


    "What... are you talking about...?!" Marvin''s eyes looked to be a bit scary at the moment as he questioned in all seriousness, but Hecathe was naturally not intimidated by this boy.


    "You''re an idiot," Hecathe''s pupils seemed to have contracted as he commented accusingly, "After losing everyone you trusted and cared for, you''re finally coming to realize your own mistakes... But you''re still blind to the truth."


    Marvin looked to be conflicted as he heard this and the boy dare not say anything as he waited for Hecathe to explain further.


    "What if I tell you that killing Alphius wasn''t the only mistake you made...?"


    "..." Marvin gulped as he heard this.


    "You know I feel sad for Alphius. The boy was certainly a pitiful one to have trusted you and considered you a friend," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he commented, "And not just Alphius, but Hecathe as well. I feel bad for him too because even after his death, one of his closest friends decided to blindly push the blame onto Alphius without even bothering to question the situation."


    Marvin gritted his teeth and it seemed that Hecathe had managed to truly agitate the boy this time.


    "What the hell do you know?!" Marvin fumed and this anger that the boy displayed was the reaction that Hecathe was waiting for.


    Hecathe smirked as he nodded his head and replied, "I do. I know better than you do."


    Marvin was an impulsive boy and at this moment, it almost looked as if he was ready to punch Hecathe.


    Hecathe sighed as he continued, informing, "Hecathe was killed."


    Marvin flinched as he heard this and Hecathe could clearly notice the shock the boy had received by hearing this.


    "He was killed by someone you trusted," Hecathe added with a small smirk.


    Marvin gulped and immediately started to think for himself, however, Hecathe was sure the boy would not be able to find the culprit on his own, so he decided to help him.


    "One of the three willows of spring."


    "..."


    "To be more specific, the willow that Alphius killed," Hecathe continued as he spoke truthfully without filtering out his words, "While you were there blaming Alphius for not saving him, Alphius was busy avenging the death of your friend."


    Marvin''s eyes widened as he heard this and it seemed that he was also slowly starting to put the pieces together.


    "And what did you do afterward?" Hecathe asked with a scoff and he was certainly not acting since he was really a bit annoyed at this boy, "You blamed Alphius and turned on him. You decided that since he had killed one of the three willows of spring, he was the one to blame."


    "..." By now, Marvin really had nothing left to say for himself.


    No matter from which angle he evaluated the situation, in the end, it seemed that he was the real one to blame for everything.


    "Without even letting Alphius explain, you blamed it all on him. You''re an idiot who dances like a monkey on the rhymes of the three willows of spring. You think you''re the hero who is trying to make this world a better place but you''re nothing more than a puppet being controlled by the ones at power."


    Hecathe sighed as he added, "The world is not a pure place and not everyone you meet is as they seem to be. However, trusting the wrong people is never going to justify your own actions."


    "I''m sorr-"


    "Apologizing to me isn''t going to solve anything," Hecathe interjected in between as he spoke, "I''m not the one that you should be apologizing to."


    "Then... What do I do...?" Marvin asked and his voice sounded to be defeated.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but smile a little as he heard this response. It was the exact response that he had hoped to hear.


    He had planned to first agitate the boy before making him feel guilty and in the end, he would try to merge all those feelings and use them to turn the boy against the three willows of spring.


    His agitation and guilt would be turned to hate and all that hate was going to be directed towards the three willows of spring.


    Marvin was a boy who was easy to manipulate, whether it be by the three willows of spring or Hecathe trying to use the boy.


    "Why are you asking me that?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned in response, "As I have said before, your sorry isn''t going to help anyone. Hecathe and Alphius are already gone and there is nothing you can do to bring them back, however, sitting here drowning in guilt is also not going to help you."


    Hecathe took a step closer to the boy and poked Marvin''s chest with his finger harshly as he added, "You can either forget about their deaths or let this anger inside you take control. Both of them are dead and your father is also dead. Are you just going to apologize and do nothing about it?"


    "Right now, if I was the one in your shoes, do you know what I would have done?" Hecathe asked with contempt.


    "What... Would you have done?"


    Hecathe had a small smirk on his face as he leaned in closer to Marvin''s ear and whispered, "I would want to avenge them. I would kill the real culprit, make him realize that he messed with the wrong person."


    Marvin''s breath got hitched in his throat as he heard this and the boy seemed to have been startled to hear the bloodlust in Hecathe''s voice.


    In the very next moment, Hecathe sighed as he didn''t even wait for the boy''s response and patted Marvin''s shoulder as he commented, "But then again, it seems that you didn''t care about them enough to do that. You''re a coward who only cares about yourself and maybe that''s the reason why I''m here."


    Hecathe stepped back with a smile on his face as he spoke, "Even if you decide to drown in self-pity and guilt, it doesn''t matter to me cause I''m going to find that bastard and I''m going to definitely kill him as well."


    "But... Why?" Marvin looked to be a little stunned and confused as he questioned in disbelief, "You don''t even know Alphius..."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and nodded his head as he spoke, "You''re right, I don''t know him but unlike you, I''m not a coward. If I see someone being wronged, I sometimes tend to take it personally."


    As their friend, Marvin was not ready to do anything, but even after having never met them, Hecathe was ready to risk his life to avenge them...


    If Marvin were to simply remain doing nothing after hearing Hecathe, it would truly be an insult to the boy.


    Marvin gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he made a decision in his mind and even without him having to say it out loud, it seemed that Hecathe was able to automatically guess what the decision was.


    "So do you want to join me?" Hecathe asked with a smirk and it seemed that by now, the man was confident that he was going to get a positive response to this question.


    "It was him!" Marvin suddenly gritted out, exclaiming and Hecathe''s smirk widened into a small smile.

 Chapter 112 - Who Are You? (2)

    "That bastard Asgarian!" Marvin fumed as he shouted and the wrapped double-bladed saber that was hung on his back seemed to be shaking because of the boy''s anger.


    In order to light a fire, you need fuel.  In order to do something, you need a push and it seemed that Hecathe was an expert when it came to pushing people.


    Hecathe smirked in satisfaction as he nodded to himself after hearing the name that fell out of Marvin''s mouth.


    Asgarian... There was no doubt about it. Hecathe had certainly read this name before somewhere.


    Asgarian was one of the three willows of spring.


    Just as Hecathe had expected, the three willows of spring really turned out to be his direct enemies.


    Hecathe chuckled as he suddenly commented a quote that had once been used against him "Death shall be avenged with death. Fairness shall see no title. With the three willows of spring, this land will not forgive sinners."


    Marvin clenched his fist tightly and punched the wall to his side, using enough strength to leave a cracked dent on the wall.


    "You''re a believer of it as well, aren''t you?" Hecathe asked with a smirk, "Whether it be your friend who had killed your father or may it be one of three willows of spring... Death shall always be avenged with death and fairness shall see no title."


    This was a quote that was specially made by the three willows of spring and it was indirectly made to target Alphius but who could have ever predicted that the saying would be used in such a manner against the ones who created it?


    "So have you made up your mind?" Hecathe titled his head as he asked. He already knew what Marvin''s answer was going to be but he still wanted to hear the boy say it with his own mouth.


    "I''m going to kill him..." Marvin gritted out and Hecathe seemed to be satisfied with the revengeful hunger that could be noticed glinting on his eyes.


    "That''s it," Hecathe nodded as he responded, "You chose the right option. Your rage is not wrong, it is justified and you must not let it die down. You must let it burn. Let it burn till it burns down the one who caused that rage."


    Hecathe stretched his palm out forward as if trying to shake hands with the boy as he spoke, "Let''s work together. We both might have different motivations but our goal is one and the same."


    Marvin looked down at Hecathe''s hand for a solid minute and this time, the boy looked to be a little reluctant.


    "Don''t worry, once I am done helping you get your revenge, I would be leaving," Hecathe added with a small smile.


    Marvin gulped as he hesitantly grabbed Hecathe''s hand and agreed to work together with the man.


    Hecathe''s smile widened as he saw this and he mentally sighed in relief.


    He had been successful.


    Since running and avoiding the Hero was impossible, he wanted to side with the hero and in order to do that, he needed to make the Hero change sides, and now, it seemed that he had completed that goal.


    Hecathe and Marvin were finally after the same goal and now Hecathe no longer needed to worry about being killed by this rude boy.


    "Then... Let me ask you a question," Marvin suddenly spoke as he retrieved his hand.


    "Hmm?"


    "Who are you?"


    "Eh?" Hecathe blinked in surprise.


    "You''re not Alphius... And if you''re not him then who are you and why are you inside his body?" Marvin questioned with a frown and Hecathe gulped.


    Finally, this boy was using his brain and asking the most important questions.


    "Um... Are you sure you want to hear the answer to that?" Hecathe questioned back without straightforwardly answering the boy.


    Marvin nodded his head firmly as he stated, "If you want me to trust you, I need to first know who you are. If you don''t trust me then I also have no reason to trust you and in the future, I might end up betraying you. As you have said before, I''m an idiot who betrayed his own friends because he didn''t trust them enough so I can do the same to you as well."


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. It seemed that he had celebrated a bit too soon.


    With a sigh, Hecathe rubbed his forehead as he took a minute to answer, "Don''t be too shocked when I say it."


    Marvin nodded his head in understanding and waited for the man to continue.


    "I''m Hecathe."


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together in confusion as he heard this and at first, the boy found it a bit hard to digest this truth, however, when he heard Hecathe continue, he slowly started to believe the man.


    "But I''m not the Hecathe you know," Hecathe added as he truthfully answered the boy''s question, "I''m the Hecathe that Alphius summoned."


    "..."


    If Hecathe wanted to earn the trust of this stupid hero, he first needed to confess the truth, cause if he didn''t, there would come a day when Marvin would find out the truth by himself and when that happens, the boy would eventually lose his trust in Hecathe.


    "You know your friend is really special and tricky as well," Hecathe sighed as he added, "He has a lot of abilities and after thinking about it a lot, I think I figured out how he ended up calling me here."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and attentively listened to Hecathe.


    "When people die, they get a final wish," Hecathe, himself, felt as if he sounded ridiculous at this moment, but at the same time, this was the only theory that he had in mind so he openly voiced it out, "I think it was something like that. He knew he was dying but he wanted someone to save him. He needed someone to help him so he decided to summon that someone."


    Hecathe sighed as he continued, "And that unfortunate someone was me."


    "H-how...?!"


    "He said he needed a favor," Hecathe couldn''t help but let out a dry chuckle as he spoke, remembering the final moments that he had spent in his world, "Like an idiot, I mistook him for someone else and agreed without even questioning what the favor was."


    Hecathe paused and took a deep breath in as he remembered the very last message that he had received from the non-existent unknown number, "He told me to die in his stead... Ridiculous, isn''t it?"


    This was the first time Hecathe was telling someone this story and for some reason, he had no idea what reaction he was going to receive from Marvin.


    "Then..." Marvin gulped and there seemed to be cold sweat forming on his forehead as he hesitantly questioned, "You died... For him...?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile and nodded his head as he confirmed it, "Since I agreed to help him, I went ahead and died in his stead."


    "..."


    "Well, If you look on the bright side, you can see that I didn''t really die," Hecathe tried to make the situation sound less depressing as he commented, "In the end, he was the one dying. I think it was wrong of him to tell me to die in his stead. Seeing as how I''m living inside his body at the moment, I think ''living instead of him'' would have sounded more accurate."


    "So when Alphius died, you died as well and your soul came to bring Alphius back to life...?" Marvin asked with a sense of confusion.


    Hecathe nodded his head once as he heard this, "By doing that, My real body died instead of Alphius''s body and my soul lived instead of his as well."


    "Hecathe..." Marvin suddenly muttered the man''s name as he raised his eyebrows and muttered, questioning, "I wonder... Why did he call you here...?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he replied, "I''m sorry but he didn''t give me a job description when he summoned me here. I''m just as clueless as you."


    "..."


    "But I do think he wanted me to correct the mistakes he made," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he added, "He had acted ignorant for far too long and it had soiled his name. I''m sure he would have wanted me to clear his name. After all... The boy did dream of becoming a hero one day."


    It was not a lie... And that was the sad part.


    Although Alphius did some questionable things and made some equally questionable decisions in his life, the boy still hoped that someday he would be the hero.


    The righteous hero who was respected by everyone just like his father, however, sadly enough... The future that was waiting for him was not something that he could have ever imagined.


    "You''re... Probably right," Marvin suddenly sighed in disbelief as he agreed to Hecathe''s theory.


    If Alphius had really got a final wish before his death, then there was only one thing he could have wished for.


    He would have wanted to be remembered as a hero.

 Chapter 113 - Do You Trust Me?

    Hecathe smiled thinly as he spoke up, "Now you know why I''m here. Do you feel like you can trust me after hearing that?"


    Marvin gulped as he thought about it for a minute before nodding his head as he responded, "I already trusted you."


    "..." Hecathe blinked in confusion.


    Then was that self-explanation all a waste...?!


    "You said you wanted to avenge him. You wanted to avenge someone you hardly even knew. You are a good guy because only a good person would try to do something as useless as that," Marvin sighed as he spoke and Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little shocked as he heard this.


    He was a good guy...?


    This had to be the biggest joke of the century...!!


    "You''re still naive and an idiot. Maybe I''m not a good guy but just someone looking to have some fun by killing a few annoying rodents," Hecathe scoffed as he responded.


    Marvin immediately shook his head as he heard this and defended Hecathe, "You''re not like that!"


    "..."


    Did this boy have a brain or was the floor upstairs1 completely empty...?!


    "I could sense it in the way you talked... You''re not doing this because you want to have some fun, you''re doing this because you genuinely feel pity for Alphius."


    Hecathe immediately fell speechless as he heard this and although he wanted to deny it, he couldn''t say anything since he knew that the feeling that made him want to go against one of the willows was exactly the feeling of pity.


    No matter how much Hecathe would try to deny it, at the end of the day, this was a fact.


    Hecathe indeed felt pity for Alphius and that was the reason why he was ready to go through all the trouble to find the real culprit behind the murder of the great Orgon.


    "Believe whatever you want to believe," Hecathe sighed as he snapped, "At the end of the day, whether I''m doing this out of pity or goodwill, it really wouldn''t matter."


    Marvin nodded his head as he heard this and kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke, "So... At the end of the day, you''re still planning on helping him so that you can return to your world...?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he heard this and with a nod, he asked, "Are you going to miss me? With me no longer here, you won''t even be able to see this face of your friend."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and didn''t dare comment on that.


    Hecathe chuckled as he sensed the boy''s sadness and guilt, "Don''t worry, even I''m not sure what''s going to happen in the end. I''m just guessing, nothing more."


    This was the truth.


    Hecathe had no idea what was going to happen after he finds and convicts the real killer.


    This wasn''t his body and this world was also not his own. Alphius had merely asked him for a favor and after one completes the favor, weren''t they supposed to go their own way...?


    If Hecathe''s body was still alive in his real world then he was sure that he was going to go back after completing this stupid favor, but in the worst-case scenario, that was not going to be the case.


    It all depended on what Alphius meant when he said "Die in my stead."


    Did he mean he wanted Hecathe to die as Alphius or did it mean to let Hecathe''s body die instead of Alphius...?


    If both of those were not the cases, then what was Alphius trying to say...?!


    "Hecathe, After we get rid of Asgarian... Can you..." The boy immediately stopped himself as he sighed and shook his head, "Forget it. I''ll ask you later."


    Hecathe was a little shocked, but the man didn''t bother questioning Marvin.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he finally decided to put an end to this conversation, "Let''s go back inside. Breakfast is waiting."


    Hecathe didn''t wait for the boy''s response as he walked ahead first and headed back inside the building.


    Marvin was left a bit stunned, but the boy eventually managed to follow after Hecathe.


    This time, LeiLei was no longer there in the kitchen and it was only the Landlady who was there with fresh chicken sandwiches.


    Hecathe sighed in relief as he saw the boneless, not-burnt chicken sandwiches.


    "Thank you so much for this," Hecathe thanked the woman as he grabbed the sandwich and took a bite out of it.


    The delicious filling inside melted on his tongue and Hecathe felt as if he was back to being a kid who had tasted this type of chicken sandwich for the first time.


    The best part of it: There was no bone crunching sound this time...!


    The woman chuckled as she saw Hecathe happily eating the breakfast that she had quickly prepared for him.


    Marvin coughed twice as he sat beside Hecathe and looked at the woman expectantly.


    "Eh?" The Landlady immediately stopped laughing as she saw Marvin simply sitting there and looking at her, "You''re eating here today...?"


    It seemed that since the boy had moved in, he hadn''t ever eaten breakfast here and so it was only natural that the woman was shocked to see him sitting there.


    Marvin said nothing and didn''t even bother looking away as he kept his eyes on the woman.


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he saw such an awkward scene, but he was too busy stuffing his face with the delicious chicken sandwich.


    The Landlady gulped as she looked between Hecathe and Marvin before asking cautiously, "I have some sandwiches left behind... Would that be alright...?"


    Marvin didn''t say anything but nodded his head as a response.


    The landlady immediately bobbed her head up and down and headed back to the kitchen before coming back out with a plate filled with two more sandwiches.


    It seemed that the Landlady was a bit afraid of Marvin and this could be clearly noticed in the way her hand shivered as she placed the plate down in front of him.


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to see that the woman was afraid of Marvin but wasn''t afraid of Hecathe...


    He didn''t know if he was supposed to feel offended about it but he was certainly a bit offended to know that he wasn''t even as scary as a teenager like Marvin.


    Hecathe glanced sideways at Marvin and his eyes narrowed down on the boy as he analyzed him before looking down at his own body.


    "..."


    Marvin surely had the body of a teenager but he was the type of teenager to have the body of an athletic student whereas Alphius was thin...


    Hecathe hated it...


    The man closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down as he reassured himself that if it had been his real body, Marvin would have never managed to win in that department...!


    Damn... Alphius should have really drunk milk and exercised more!


    Marvin didn''t complain at all as he took the sandwich and started eating, however, his reaction was not as happy as Hecathe''s reaction either. It was simply... Dead.


    There was no change in his facial expression and his entire demeanor simply seemed to be unchanged as if he couldn''t even taste the chicken sandwich.


    But for some reason, The landlady looked to be happy as she saw the man eating the breakfast she had cooked.


    "You are always welcome here," The woman beamed as she informed, "The payment for the food is already included in your rent so it would be a waste if you were to eat outside."


    It seemed that although she had said all this, she didn''t really expect the boy to agree, however, The Landlady was pleasantly surprised to see Marvin nodding his head as he agreed with the woman.


    "..."


    Hecathe chuckled as he managed to notice this exchange between the two.


    Although Hecathe was the one who started eating first, it was Marvin who finished first and as soon as the boy was done eating, he went back to the room without even bothering to thank the woman for the meal.


    Once the boy was out of sight, the Landlady immediately took a seat in front of Hecathe and leaned in closer to the man as she questioned in a whisper, "What''s with the two of you?! I thought you went out to fight! Why is he acting like that? Did you win? Did you beat him?"


    Hecathe who was bombarded with all these questions sighed as he shook his head before nodding as he tried to answer vaguely, "It''s kinda like that..."


    "Kinda like what?!" The woman frowned as she repeated and asked for an explanation.


    "If you were to consider it a fight, I''m the one that won," Hecathe smirked as he confidently replied and stood up from the chair.


    "..."


    The Landlady gulped as she heard this and her eyes trailed up and down the man''s body, making Hecathe frown.


    Even though the woman didn''t question it, the question she wanted to ask was clearly displayed on her face.


    Are you sure you won, boy...?


    "..."

 Chapter 114 - Are You Okay?!

    Hecathe didn''t bother saying anything as he also left the dining area and headed back upstairs to his room where LeiLei and the Dorgon were patiently waiting for him.


    "Sir!" LeiLei immediately stood up from the chair as she saw the door opening to reveal Hecathe coming back inside in one piece.


    "Are you okay?!" The girl anxiously questioned as her eyes trailed along Hecathe''s body curiously.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and looked back at her with an unimpressed expression.


    Even if Marvin and Hecathe were to seriously fight, Hecathe was sure he would win, but it seemed that he was the only one confident about this.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and decided not to answer her question.


    "What about you? Why are you still here?" Hecathe changed the topic as he asked with a small frown.


    LeiLei blinked in surprise as she suddenly heard this and took a few seconds to reply.


    She gave a toothy grin as she spoke up, "I like this room better."


    "..."


    "Master, you can throw her out," The Dorgon yawned as he suggested.


    "Sir, the other room is really dusty," The girl added with a small pout as she tried to look pitiful, however, Hecathe felt no pity for her.


    "You''re lying again," Hecathe pointed out as his eyes narrowed down on the girl, "The dust is not the real problem, is it?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and cursed in her head as she looked at the floor and nodded her head ever so slightly.


    Hecathe sighed as he saw this and asked, "What is the real problem?"


    LeiLei looked to be a bit anxious as she answered softly, "I can''t get used to it."


    "Used to what?" Hecathe tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion as he asked.


    "I''ve never had a room all for myself so I can''t get used to it."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but frown as he heard this and his eyebrows creased together in worry as he questioned, "Then where did you live."


    "Behind the gambling den," LeiLei shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, "The two old men who raised me would also sleep there. They all had separate hay beddings and they would lay it out on the floor to sleep."


    "Just them? What about you?"


    "I would sleep on the floor," LieLei answered honestly and now Hecathe knew why the girl found it more comfortable to sleep on the floor.


    "What an unfortunate child... Master, we''ve heard her story, you can throw her out now," The Dorgon commented from the side, but was once again ignored by Hecathe.


    "Then you are not used to sleeping in an empty room?" Hecathe questioned with a frown as he thought about it, "But if you''ve been living like that, shouldn''t it be more comfortable to sleep alone in your own room?"


    LeiLei immediately shook her head as she heard this and muttered, "I''m afraid to be alone..."


    "Afraid?" Hecathe repeated as he waited for an explanation.


    The girl nodded her head as she added, "It''s the same feeling like that day... When my parents abandoned me..."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly and he could finally understand why she was so persistent to not move out of here.


    If he remembered it right, she had said that her parents were already dead and as an orphan, she was abandoned to the streets where she found the two old gamblers who took her in and gave her a job.


    Hecathe sighed as he stepped forward and raised his hand to rest it against the top of her head.


    This was probably the first time he was patting someone on the head and the man didn''t seem to have realized it himself how odd it was of him to act this affectionately.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly and she gulped in surprise.


    "Master, don''t let the witch trick you. Throw her out." The Dorgon also sounded as if he had made up his mind but Hecathe didn''t let the creature''s comments enter his mind.


    "Then you can take Eggy with you. I''m still going to ask you to leave my room."


    Both the Dorgon and the girl were silent as they heard this.


    Just when LeiLei thought the man was going to let her live here...


    The Dorgon who constantly tried to throw the girl out of the room was thrown out together with her in the end and all the creature could do was stand still in shock and disbelief.


    "But sir, are you sure you-"


    "Yes, I''m sure about it," Hecathe didn''t even let her continue the question as he spoke, informing the girl that there was no way he was going to let her stay here together with him in the same room.


    "..." LeiLei looked to be a little shocked at this firm response and there was an apparent small frown on her face as she looked at the man with big shining eyes.


    If it were someone else, they would have probably felt bad about it, however, this was Hecathe and he was not affected by her big shining eyes at all.


    The man pursed his lips as he opened the door and got out first as he spoke, "We are leaving for now. When we return, you''ll have to go to your own room."


    No matter how much she pleaded, Hecathe was adamant not to let her stay in the same room as him.


    Although he looked like he trusted the girl enough to let her stay in his room, in reality, it wasn''t completely true.


    Hecathe was honest with her for the most part of it, but there were still things that he wanted to hide from her.


    He wanted to hide some things not because he wanted to safeguard his plan and secrets but because he wanted to make sure that she wasn''t in danger.


    Secrets always came with a price and if it was ever known that this girl knew the secrets of the missing Alphius, Hecathe was sure she would get into some serious trouble because of it.


    At this point, even though she had already seen his face, it seemed that she was yet to recognize him as Alphius, and perhaps, this was for the best.


    It would have been more shocking if she actually did recognize him.


    The people of Ocasia had no relations with Alphius. In fact, most of them didn''t even know who Alphius was.


    Of course, this was not true for all of them and there were still people who knew Alphius as the mad tyrant who controlled the mecha-suits.


    The monkey they had met at the gambling den was a perfect example of the people who knew Alphius and hated him, however, even he didn''t look to have recognized Hecathe and this was because although they knew his name, they had no idea what he looked like.


    This was the reason why Hecathe was surely going to be safe in Ocasia. If people didn''t know what he looked like, they would never be able to report him to the three willows of spring and since the three willows of spring had no rule over Ocasia, they could also not instruct the people here to be on the lookout for Hecathe.


    LeiLei pouted but didn''t dare argue with the man on this topic as she reluctantly nodded her head in the end.


    Hecathe smiled a little as he saw this reaction and with a nod, the man got ready to leave first, however, he was stopped by the Dorgon who cried out to him.


    "Master, what about my food...?! I''m hungry!!"


    "Oh," Hecathe muttered and it almost looked as if he had forgotten all about feeding the Dorgon.


    The Dorgon didn''t look to be too pleased with this reaction and it almost seemed as if he was glaring at Hecathe for forgetting about his breakfast.


    "This reminds me," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he crouched down to the Dorgon''s level and question, "Do you eat Mutants?"


    "Eh...?!" The Dorgon looked to be in disbelief and shock as he heard this question.


    It took the little creature an entire minute to process the question through his head as he made sure that he hadn''t heard the man wrong and when he was certain that he had heard it right, he looked to be even more shocked.


    "Are you seriously asking me that question?!" The Dorgon snapped at the man and it seemed that the question had somehow managed to piss him off, "I''m the great emperor and you''re asking me to eat a bunch of disgusting mutants?! Why don''t you go and eat them if you think they look so delicious?! How can you mistreat the great emperor like this?! You lowly wretched human who is not good for anything!!"


    "..."


    Hecathe had certainly not expected the Dorgon to blow up like this and so when he suddenly got scolded by the creature, all he could do was blink in surprise and be speechless about it.


    "You imbecile, how dare you abuse the kindness of the great emperor like this?!" The Dorgon continued to curse at the man and Hecathe said nothing.


    It was just a question...


    It wasn''t even like he was shoving mutant meat down the Dorgon''s throat...!

 Chapter 115 - This Was For The Best

    "Sir, what are you doing...?" LeiLei tilted her head in confusion as she questioned after seeing the man simply sitting there staring at the Dorgon.


    The Dorgon never made any noise when he talked. He would make noise when he growled or roared but never any when he talked and since Hecathe was the only one who could hear the Dorgon''s real voice, for everyone else, it looked as if Hecathe was the odd one who kept listening to a creature that wasn''t even speaking.


    Hecathe didn''t bother giving the girl an answer to her question since the answer was not so simple to say.


    How was he supposed to tell her that he was being lectured by the Dorgon...? Wouldn''t it make him lose face...?!


    Hecathe noted down the time and it took exactly twenty minutes of shouting before the Dorgon finally managed to calm down.


    Once the creature was calm, it almost looked as if he realized how big of a mistake he had made and immediately ran to hide under the bed in fear.


    "...." Hecathe was even more speechless to see this reaction.


    "Sir, why are you scaring Eggy?!" LeiLei blamed him with a frown as she saw the Dorgon running to hide away from Hecathe.


    Hecathe felt a little wronged as he heard this question.


    Rather than saying it was Hecathe scaring Eggy, wouldn''t it be more accurate to say that it was Eggy who was scaring Hecathe...?!


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and stood up, straightening his back as he spoke, "Eggy says he''s hungry."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened and she looked to be a little shocked as she immediately questioned, "Haven''t you fed him yet?!"


    Hecathe shook his head, "I didn''t get the time to."


    "Then we need to feed him!" LeiLei exclaimed with a frown and didn''t look to be too happy with Hecathe as she commented, "How can you be so careless...? If you''re raising him then you must take good care of him! Why are you raising him if you just want him to starve to death?!"


    Hecathe, who was scolded by both the Dorgon and the girl, pursed his lips into a thin line and fell speechless, "...."


    The Dorgon peeked his head out from under the bed and nodded as he agreed with the girl. This was certainly the first time the Dorgon was agreeing with LeiLei on something.


    "Sir, where do you keep his food?" LeiLei clicked her tongue as she asked.


    Hecathe sighed as he realized that he had forgotten to buy chicken for the Dorgon.


    "I''ve actually run out of his food so let''s ask the Landlady for some chicken."


    LeiLei''s frown deepened as she heard this and for some reason, Hecathe felt guilty as if he had abused this girl''s pet.


    LeiLei immediately headed downstairs and came back empty-handed a few minutes later with a pout on her lip.


    "What happened?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion as he asked.


    "There is no more chicken left," LeiLei informed and Hecathe couldn''t help but sigh.


    The Dorgon that was peeking his head out from under the bed almost looked as if he was about to cry after hearing this.


    "Then I''ll have to depend on you this time," Hecathe spoke as he looked at the girl.


    LeiLei was a bit confused as she heard this and for a second there, the girl even wondered if the man was trying to throw her forward to become the Dorgon''s meal, however, it seemed that Hecathe wasn''t that cruel.


    In the very next moment, Hecathe took out something from his pocket and handed it over to LeiLei as he spoke, "There''s a meat shop nearby. Can you go there and buy his breakfast?"


    "What about you?" LeiLei took the money without any hesitation as she asked.


    "I''ll be heading to the guild first. I need to first take care of something there. After feeding Eggy, you can head to the guild directly and ask them for a person named Kelly."


    The girl looked to be a bit hesitant as she heard this but in the end, she nodded her head as she agreed to Hecathe, "Okay."


    "Great!" Hecathe nodded his head once with a small smile as he didn''t bother wasting any more time and headed out first.


    It seemed that everything really had worked out for the best considering the fact that Hecathe had something to discuss with Marvin and Kelly, and it was something that LeiLei didn''t need to hear.


    When Hecathe got out of the building, he found Marvin waiting for him and it seemed that the man had already expected to see him here.


    "Let''s go," Hecathe spoke as he started walking first and Marvin nodded as he followed after the man.


    "First things first, I think there is something that you must know," Hecathe spoke up as they walked and the man was so casual about it that if one were to overhear him, they would think he was talking about the weather.


    "Hmm?" Marvin hummed in response as he waited for Hecathe to continue.


    "I was the one behind the rumors about your father coming back to life."


    "..." Marvin was silent as he heard this and Hecathe, who was walking in front of the boy, had no idea what type of expression Marvin had at the moment.


    With a sigh, Hecathe continued, "The people that I investigated, all gave the same answer. They said that they saw Orgon inside the body of a seventeen-year-old teenager who wore a purple cloak and a mask."


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he looked to be confused as he questioned, "Isn''t that... Us...?"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he nodded his head and spoke, "They saw me."


    Marvin''s footsteps came to a sudden halt as he heard the man and he was even more confused to hear this.


    "You''re Orgon...?" Marvin muttered in disbelief and his eyes couldn''t help but twitch.


    Hecathe also stopped walking as he heard this question and turned around to look at the boy with a wicked smile plastered on his face as he tilted his head and questioned playfully, "Do you think I''m your father?"


    "....."


    It was certainly a joke that was not funny for Marvin who would want to hit his head against a wall and die rather than find out that he was Hecathe''s son.


    Hecathe chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief and spoke, "I''m not your father. They were all lying. Or to be more accurate, they are all going to be lying from now onwards."


    Marvin''s eyes widened slightly and he gulped as he repeated the man''s words in his head and immediately realized what Hecathe was trying to say.


    "You threatened them?" Marvin raised his eyebrows as he questioned and Hecathe shrugged his shoulders.


    "More like, I suggested that they say this if they wanted to keep living."


    "...."


    That is called threatening...


    "What are you planning?" Marvin seemed to have already guessed that Hecathe was planning something but no matter how much he thought about it, he just couldn''t understand what was going on inside Hecathe''s head.


    Doing such useless things such as threatening people to change their testimony... How can that have anything to do with catching the ones who murdered Orgon...?!


    "Did you ask Kelly who gave us this mission?" Hecathe questioned back instead of giving a straight answer to the question Marvin had asked.


    Marvin shook his head as he responded, "She just said it was someone who wanted to have their name kept a secret. Seeing as how that person is going through the trouble of keeping their name a secret, it can be said that they are probably someone powerful."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed to this and added, "It''s the person who killed Orgon."


    "Eh?" Marvin muttered in shock as he waited for the man to continue.


    "There would only be a number of people who would be interested this seriously in a rumor about Orgon coming back to life," Hecathe closed his eyes as he folded his arms and spoke, explaining the situation to the boy.


    "Someone with direct relations to him. In this case, that is you. Since you''re his son, you''ll be interested to know whether the rumor is true or not. But there would be one more person who would be just as interested as you, and if not, then maybe even more, and that person would be the perpetrator."


    Marvin gulped and dare not say anything as he heard this. His eyebrows creased together and he attentively listened to Hecathe.


    "If I killed a person and framed it on someone else, I would need to make sure that the person stays dead," Hecathe spoke with an example, "If there is suddenly a rumor spreading that the dead had come back to life, I would get anxious and if there is even a little bit of a doubt in my heart, I would try to investigate the root of the rumor."


    "Since the person is dead, I would naturally get rid of the dead body and after I get rid of it, I would have no idea what happens to it. If there is a rumor that the dead body had risen, I would be forced to worry about it and might want to find the root of the rumor. This is where we come in."


    "We?" Marvin frowned as he repeated and Hecathe nodded his head.


    "We the investigators."

 Chapter 116 - Changing The Roots

    "I don''t understand," Marvin spoke with a frown.


    "You see, if I want to truly make sure whether the dead body has risen or not, there is one easier method that I can use. I can always go and check whether the body is still there where I hid it away or not. But of course, this depends on what happened to the dead body. Did I really hide it somewhere? Did I drown it or burn it? Did I completely destroy it or is it left to decompose in one piece? Things like that need to be considered."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel as if he had suddenly become a detective. However, the man also felt that if he really was a detective, he was a pretty good one.


    "But of course, if the perpetrator was intelligent, he would try to do both. Even if I check the body and it''s there, I still need to find out how the rumor spread. Being extra careful never hurts and in this case, I can confidently say that the killer is not an idiot. Seeing as how he decided to frame Alphius, it is clear that we are dealing with someone who would be the type to be extra careful."


    "Ah... So, you plan to confuse the killer...?" Marvin muttered as he questioned and Hecathe nodded his head in turn.


    "Something like that. Since we are the ones on the case, it is easier for us to change the root of the rumor. If this mission was given to someone else, it would have been harder for me to go around and change that root like this, but I would have still managed to do it since I have some helpful people by my side."


    "Then if I''m understanding this right, you want the killer to think that my father had indeed returned but not in his own body but in your body instead...?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this question and confirmed it, "This body is not originally mine. It belongs to Alphius so the fact that there is another soul inside this body is not completely a lie. I''m merely shifting the facts a bit by saying that the soul that had taken the body belongs to Orgon."


    Marvin frowned as he heard this and clicked his tongue, "Who the hell is going to buy this bullsh*t?! If the killer is as intelligent as you say he is then he''s definitely going to see through your plan! And in any case, It was that bastard Asgarian who turned me against Alphius so there is a high chance that it might be him and if it''s really him then he''s definitely not going to believe such a thing."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and commented, "This is why I''m the adult and you''re the naive kid."


    "...." Marvin didn''t know if he was supposed to feel offended about this or not.


    "If it is as you say then this Asgarian is probably the one that we are after and he''s definitely going to fall for it. Do you know why?"


    "Why?"


    "Because a killer would always live in worry. The idea of getting caught for his crimes is always going to haunt his mind and in such a state, he is bound to believe anything. The truth is bitter and it is something that can never stay hidden forever. No matter how good of a lie it is that you craft, one day it is bound to fail. There is no such thing as a perfect crime in this world."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and commented, "You make it sound as if you know the mindset of a killer well... Have you ever killed someone?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and shook his head as he spoke, defending himself, "I don''t need to kill someone to know what a killer thinks like. It''s psychology, you can learn it without having to experience everything."


    Marvin sighed as he nodded his head in understand and decided to ask, "Then what comes next?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Once the killer finds out that you''re Orgon, what do you plan on doing? He is surely going to hunt you down and if it really is Asgarian, you have no chance of winning against him."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question and confidently replied, "I''m going to become Orgon."


    "...."


    "When he finally manages to track me down, he''ll try to kill me and that is when we catch him. I''ll act like Orgon and make him confess. We organize a big show for everyone to watch and with the evidence right in front of our eyes, I become his executioner."


    Marvin felt a shiver go down his spine as he heard the man.


    For some odd reason, Hecathe sounded extremely scary as he voiced out his plans.


    "But... That still doesn''t solve the problem at hand," Marvin sighed as he spoke up, "He''s still stronger than you and even if you get him to confess in front of others, he can just kill you and silence every witness."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and it seemed that he agreed with Marvin on this, "You''re right, he can just kill me and silence the witness which is why we need to be careful on who the witness is."


    Marvin frowned as he shook his head and stopped Hecathe as he interjected, "It doesn''t solve the problem. Even if we choose someone powerful as a witness, he can still kill them... and he might even frame it all on you."


    The boy made sense but it wasn''t like Hecathe hadn''t thought about all this before.


    "That is why you and LeiLei are going to be there as my plan B," Hecathe smiled thinly as he spoke and Marvin looked to be a bit confused.


    "Even I''m not powerful enough to beat Asgarian in combat. How can you ask me to save you?"


    Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he heard the boy''s simple-minded response, "I''m not asking you to save me. If such a dangerous situation really arises then the one saving me is going to be LeiLei while you would be helping us."


    "How?" Marvin''s eyebrows creased together as he asked.


    "By distracting Asgarian."


    "..." Marvin had a feeling that he knew what Hecathe was going to say next.


    "You distract him while I escape."


    "And how do I escape?"


    "After I''m out of danger, we would naturally come back to save you as well," Hecathe responded as a matter of fact and Marvin couldn''t help but feel speechless as he heard such a vague plan.


    "LeiLei has a special ability," Hecathe added as he continued, "She can transport people and things from one place to another in the most sneaky way possible. Even the greatest mage wouldn''t be able to sense her ability. She''s perfect for the job of helping us escape."


    Marvin''s eyes widened slightly and he repeated Hecathe''s words in his mind before muttering in confusion, "The ability to transport...?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "I think it''s more like an ability to switch out something with the other. Like changing places with a stone or something."


    Marvin looked to be even more shocked as he muttered in disbelief, "No way..."


    "Hmm?" Hecathe realized that there was something weird about the boy''s reaction so he frowned as he asked, "What happened? Have you heard about such an ability?"


    Marvin gulped as he nodded his head, confirming it and it was now Hecathe''s turn to be surprised.


    He had just asked casually but he didn''t think that Marvin had actually heard about such an ability.


    "Who...?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the boy for an explanation.


    Marvin held his head down low as he shook his head and muttered to himself, "It''s impossible... It can''t be..."


    Hecathe had the sudden urge to smack the boy''s head as he heard him muttering to himself, but thankfully enough, he managed to control that urge.


    "Where have you heard of it before?" Hecathe questioned again as he waited for an explanation.


    "It''s one of the three willows of spring..." Marvin muttered in disbelief and Hecathe couldn''t help but be both shocked and confused as he heard this.


    "But it can''t be..." Marvin added softly under his breath, "He''s already dead... And he didn''t have any children."


    "Was this person the only one with such an ability?" Hecathe asked as he got serious.


    Marvin nodded his head as a response and this seemed to have confirmed things for Hecathe.


    "Her parents are also dead," Hecathe informed with a sigh, "If there is only one other person with such an ability then there is a high chance that the person is her father."


    "Hecathe, you... Do you know what this means?" Marvin questioned with an indecipherable expression and didn''t wait for Hecathe''s answer as he spoke, "The willow of spring that you killed... The one that Alphius killed... He''s her father."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he had a bad feeling in his stomach about this.

 Chapter 117 - The Daughter Of An Enemy

    "Are you talking about the one that killed the Hecathe of this world...?" Hecathe questioned in disbelief.


    Marvin gulped as he nodded his head, "He''s the only one who had such an ability."


    "And you''re saying he had a daughter?"


    This time, Marvin shook his head as he spoke, "He was not young but he was still not married and there was no news of him having a child. The three willows of spring are not supposed to have romantic relationships with people nor are they allowed to have children. If anything like that happens, the willow would be forced to step down from his or her position."


    When Hecathe heard this, he was even more sure about it.


    The willow that Alphius had killed was an ambitious one and he would surely not let his kid affect his path to become a tyrant.


    "It''s him..." Hecathe spoke with closed eyes after thinking about it for a few minutes.


    "But then... Should you really be trusting her...?" Marvin asked with a small frown and Hecathe gulped.


    At first, Hecathe had no idea that LeiLei would have such a background. He took her in and decided to let her join his plan because he thought she was just an unfortunate girl who had been stuck in that gambling den.


    If he had known that she was the daughter of that man, Hecathe would have certainly thought twice before doing something so hasty.


    Marvin looked as if he didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he pointed out, "You''re trusting the daughter of the man you killed. To be more exact, the man who was killed by the body that you are currently in and also the man who killed the Hecathe of this world..."


    "..."


    Even Hecathe found this situation to be ridiculous. It was so ridiculous that he couldn''t even bring himself to laugh at it.


    Why was it that fate always had something like this kept in store for him...?!


    She was the daughter of the man who had killed the him of this world and he was in the body of the man who had killed her father...


    Their ill fate was already decided for them.


    "Hecathe... I think you need to rethink your plan," Marvin sighed as he suggested.


    Hecathe was silent for a few minutes before he shook his head and responded, "She doesn''t know anything yet. She doesn''t even know what Alphius looks like and she doesn''t know the cause of her parent''s deaths. If we don''t tell her, everything is going to be alright."


    Marvin, "You were the one who said it... The truth is bitter and it can never be hidden. She is bound to find out the truth one day."


    "..."


    "Think it over. Do you really need her help?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this question and this time, instead of evaluating the situation with the help of his brain, he decided to depend on his gut feeling as he replied, "I''ve thought it through. As I have said before, she''s the perfect one for the job and if we keep her close, we can monitor her and make sure that she doesn''t find out the truth."


    Marvin was a little surprised to hear this. Till now, the impression Hecathe gave off was that of a calculative man who used his brain more than his heart and would analyze each and every situation carefully before coming up with a plan, however, this sudden decision was clearly not analyzed that thoroughly.


    "Once we catch the whale, we can tell her the truth," Hecathe added with a sigh, "She deserved to know the truth but not now."


    Marvin didn''t share the same thoughts, but at the end of the day, it was Hecathe''s call to make so the boy could do nothing about it.


    "Then I''ll leave that up to you to decide," Marvin sighed as he spoke, "If she really does find out the truth and pose a threat to our plan, we''ll have to eliminate her."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and nodded his head, agreeing with the boy. What Marvin had said was logical. If she does pose a threat to their plan, they would need to eliminate her, however, for some odd reason, Hecathe didn''t like the idea of killing the poor girl who couldn''t even stay in her own room alone because she was afraid to.


    For her to actually become a threat to them in the future... It was not impossible but it was certainly something that Hecathe could not imagine.


    "And the powerful witnesses you have in mind... Who are they?" Marvin asked as he raised his eyebrows.


    Hecathe pointed at himself as he spoke, "One would be me."


    "...."


    "The next witness would be you," Hecathe pointed at the boy as he continued, "And of course, since we''ll be revealing a great crime, the remaining two willows of spring also need to be invited."


    Marvin frowned as he heard all this and opened his mouth to say something but before his words could roll out of his tongue, Hecathe continued the list and didn''t let him speak just yet.


    "But the main witnesses would naturally not be any of them," Hecathe smirked as he spoke, "Our main guests would be the mecha-suits that Alphius has been raising."


    Marvin''s eyebrows drew together as he heard this and he looked to be both shocked and confused as if he had heard something outrageous.


    "You''re involving them as well...?!" The boy asked in disbelief and Hecathe nodded his head without any sense of hesitation as he confirmed it.


    "How can I not when they are the main guests?" Hecathe tilted his head as he questioned but didn''t bother waiting for a response as he continued, "They''ll be the ones handling the rest of the mess. The mecha-suits are strong and can''t be easily killed by this Asgarian. They work for Alphius and not the three willows of spring so they are already biased against Asgarian. When they find out that their precious leader was falsely accused of the crimes committed by one of the three willows of spring, what do you think their reaction is going to be like?"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this question and when he thought about the answer, he managed to somehow catch a hint of what Hecathe was planning.


    "You''re going to bring a war..." Marvin muttered in disbelief and Hecathe curled his lips up in a small smile.


    "A war is sometimes needed," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he spoke, "There was a war once and the old government was broken down to pave way for the new three willows of spring, however, now that they have also failed at their jobs, it is only natural that their rule would also come to an end to make way for another ruler. It''s the way of life. Everything that goes up must come down. If you can''t rule the land, you would no longer be the ruler."


    "And you plan on becoming the new ruler?" Marvin asked with a complicated expression and Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.


    "Do I look like an idiot to you? Why would I want to tie myself to this world with such a burdensome title?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned, sounding a bit offended.


    "Then why are you doing this? If Alphius really asked for a favor then the favor ends the moment you avenge Orgon and clear his name. Why would you bother going through the trouble of setting up a war?"


    "Hmm... Why...?" Hecathe thought about the answer for a minute and this in itself was a bit worrying for Marvin who felt as if Hecathe was a lunatic who was really just doing all this for fun.


    "It bothers me," Even after thinking for a minute, this was the answer that Hecathe had come up with, "Three people acting as if they are Gods... As if their words mean everything and the rest must obey them... Doesn''t it sicken you?"


    "It''s wrong but we can never be sure whether the next ruler is any better than them," Marvin responded as he shook his head.


    "I don''t care whether the next one is better or worse," Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he muttered, "I''m just someone who is very thorough when it comes to revenge."


    Marvin thought Hecathe wanted to avenge Alphius and Orgon but in reality, all Hecathe wanted was revenge for Alphius.


    Hecathe had thought about it a lot. About the favor that Alphius wanted from him.


    Was it simply to clear his name? To find the real killer of Orgon...?


    Would it really be something like that.


    Marvin was the one who had killed Alphius. That was for sure but the final wish that Alphius had made was certainly the final blow that took away his life.


    If he had not contacted Hecathe then he would have had a chance of surviving, but even after knowing that he would be dying for it, he still went ahead and asked Hecathe for help.


    Would Alphius really do something like that because he cared what people said about him? Would he really just want Hecathe to avenge his death?

 Chapter 118 - What Would Alphius Truly Want?

    After thinking about it thoroughly, Hecathe was a bit surprised to realize that he had thought too much about it.


    The answer was simple. It was a bit too simple.


    It was something that anyone would be able to see once they tried to imagine themselves in Alphius''s shoes.


    Alphius didn''t want to avenge Orgon nor did he want Hecathe to avenge Alphius himself.


    Rather than all that, what Alphius really wanted was revenge.


    He wanted revenge against those who had wronged him.


    The boy had been hated by everyone for most of his life. He thought he could trust his two friends but while one died in the hands of an ambitious bastard, the other got manipulated and turned against him.


    In the end, he was left with no one by his side. Not even the mecha-suits that he created were there to save him. He was left alone to die in the hands of the friend he trusted...


    If Hecathe was in his place, he would have also been driven crazy.


    Avenging someone''s death was something heroes would do and Hecathe was no hero. Both in this world and his own world, he was never considered as the hero. So why would Alphius summon him after knowing that he wasn''t a hero that goes around doing people favors?


    If Hecathe incurred a problem, instead of being worried about it, he would burn it down without even investigating it.


    It wasn''t like Alphius would just randomly call him without even knowing what kind of man he was. He had options and he chose to ask Hecathe for help


    Why would that be?


    Why would he choose Hecathe who was more of a real villain than him?


    Of course, there would only be one answer to that question.


    It was because the boy wasn''t looking for righteousness.


    He wasn''t looking for someone who could bring justice to this world.


    He was looking for someone who could carry out his revenge for him.


    Someone who would be capable of doing something like that.


    And if that was really the favor that Alphius wanted then it would make sense why Hecathe was here.


    To plan a war that could destroy half of the world? It was something that Hecathe could do without even blinking an eye.


    The biggest difference between avenging and taking revenge laid within the method used.


    If Hecathe were to avenge his death, there would be a sense of justice in his mind, however, if he were to take revenge, such thoughts of justice could be neglected completely.


    The driving factors of the two were very different. While a person was driven to avenge someone because of a sense of justice, revenge was something that only had one driving factor and it was hatred. Hatred for the one who caused harm and wanting them to feel the same pain that you went through.


    By putting a killer in jail, a police officer could avenge the victim, but if it were up to the victim to take his own revenge, the killer would not be in jail but would be in hell instead.


    "Hecathe, have you really thought about this?" Marvin asked with his eyebrows furrowed up in worry, "We would also be caught up in the war...!"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and commented, "You''re worried about something like that? Aren''t you the hero who is supposed to be worried about the people? How can you think only about yourself at a time like this?"


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and shook his head as he snapped, "Stop with that hero bullsh*t already! If I was a hero then Alphius would not have been dead and I would not need to stand here having you help me avenge my father''s death!"


    "..."


    "Who said I was a hero? I''m selfish! I''ve been like that since the beginning itself! Isn''t that why I am in this mess?!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    It seemed that Marvin was at least self-aware.


    "Now, tell me what happens when we get caught up in the war," Marvin clicked his tongue as he demanded and Hecathe was a bit surprised to see that Marvin had recovered from the shock so fast.


    Marvin had just heard that Hecathe was planning a war but the boy looked to be oddly at peace with it. Only letting the news shock him for a mere few minutes.


    "I have an idea," Hecathe gulped as he spoke vaguely and Marvin looked to be a bit suspicious of the man as he heard this.


    Hecathe had planned to be honest with the boy in order to gain his trust, however, at the same time, the Dorgon that he was raising was something that Hecathe planned to keep as a secret.


    The Dorgon was his very last escape plan.


    The whole reason why he was raising a Dorgon was because he wanted to make sure that he always had a secret escape card up his sleeves.


    Humans could not be trusted but animals could and this was the exact reason why Hecathe kept an animal as his last backup plan.


    LeiLei already knew about the Dorgon only because she broke into his room. If it hadn''t been for that, Hecathe would have surely never introduced the two to each other just like how he refused to say anything about the Dorgon to this boy.


    "What plan is it? Why are you trying to keep it a secret?" Marvin asked with a frown.


    Hecathe curled his lips up in a smirk as he heard this question and decided to spout nonsense, "It''s someone I trust. He is the last hidden card that I have up my sleeves. If all the plans go wrong then that person becomes my sword and my shield."


    "..." It seemed that Marvin had heard better nonsense than this and thought that Hecathe was bluffing.


    "I''m not lying," Hecathe spoke as he blinked innocently and claimed, "I really do know someone like that."


    "Hecathe... The more you talk, the more I feel like it was a mistake counting you in on this vengeance plan."


    Hecathe shook his head with a scoff as he heard this and immediately retorted, "For your kind information, it''s me who''s letting you join my plan."


    Marvin didn''t bother giving a response to that as he walked ahead, leaving Hecathe behind.


    "Hey! Did you just ignore me?!" Hecathe frowned as he questioned in disbelief and followed after Marvin.


    "Since it''s your plan, I''ll believe you. If there is anything you need help with, I''ll be there to assist you. In return, there is only one thing that I ask," Marvin sighed as he spoke, without even bothering to stop in his tracks.


    "What is it?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked.


    "The killer... You leave him to me," Marvin side-glanced back at Hecathe as he spoke and the look in his eyes made Hecathe feel a shiver run down his spine.


    For a second there, Marvin''s eyes glinted red and Hecathe couldn''t help but recognize this odd red glint. It was the same back then as well... When Hecathe had newly entered this world in the body of the captured Alphius, there was a moment when he had seen that same red glint in the boy''s eyes.


    The room was dark so Hecathe was unsure whether he had seen it right or not but now that he saw it again, he was sure of it.


    For some reason, whenever Marvin was dead serious or angry about something, his eyes would have a dangerously red glint in them.


    Hecathe was curious to know why but he felt as if this was not the time to be asking such a question.


    "You want to kill him?" Hecathe asked as he straightened his back and tilted his head ever so slightly, "Weren''t you the one who said you won''t be able to beat Asgarian?"


    Marvin nodded his head as he heard this and turned his head back to face the front as he continued walking and spoke, "You''ll be helping me of course, but the final blow... I want to be the one who gives it."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this, "Then I''ll let you have it. Don''t worry, I won''t steal your chance at avenging your father."


    Marvin let out a small breath that almost sounded like a chuckle, but at the same time, it was certainly not a chuckle.


    Marvin, "Let''s hurry up. In front of Kelly... I think I know what needs to be said. If we are late, she''s going to yell at us."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and found it a bit funny that what the boy had said sounded like something that Hecathe would be the one to say.


    "You didn''t even do the job properly. What are you planning to tell her?" Hecathe questioned casually.


    "I''m going to tell her that she looks ravishing today."


    "..."


    Flattery seemed to be the only way by which this boy communicated with women.

 Chapter 119 - Dogsh*t Handwriting

    At first, Hecathe thought it was a joke but once they stood inside Kelly''s office and Marvin opened his mouth to speak, Hecathe realized that the boy had not been joking.


    "Miss Kelly, you look ravishing today," Marvin kneeled down on his one leg and spoke with his right hand over his left chest.


    Hecathe and Kelly both had the same reaction to this boy and it was a mixture of shock and speechlessness.


    Kelly took a whole minute to process the words through her brain before her eyes narrowed down on the boy and she questioned suspiciously, "What the hell did you do?"


    Marvin chuckled as he heard this and Hecathe had the urge to facepalm himself.


    "What are you talking about?" Marvin acted oblivious as he questioned, tilting his head with an innocent smile on his face, "I was just mesmerized by your beauty and coldness."


    Kelly closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she heard this. In the very next moment, the room really did drop a few celsius and turned cooler, almost making Hecathe think that angering this woman worked better than modern-day air conditioners.


    "Don''t try to test my patience," Kelly gritted out in a low volume, "Did you finish the task I gave you?"


    Marvin scratched the back of his neck as he heard this question and stood up from the ground as he awkwardly tried to explain himself, "You see, I indeed went out to check those people but they all said the same thing."


    The boy was lying but Hecathe immediately understood that Marvin was playing along with Hecathe''s plan.


    "It was so ridiculous that it wasn''t even worth noting down," Marvin sighed as he added with a sense of disappointment in his voice and expression.


    "The same thing?" Kelly questioned and her eyebrows drew together, forming soft creases on her forehead.


    Marvin gulped as he immediately nodded his head and answered, "That''s right. They kept talking nonsense. Every one of them!"


    "What did they say?"


    "Something about seeing the great Orgon return in the body of a teenager," Marvin shrugged his shoulder as he stated in a casual manner, and at the moment, Hecathe had to agree that Marvin was a whole lot better actor than him.


    The boy was such a good liar that even Hecathe wondered if this was something that had actually happened or not.


    "Brother Hecathe went to check out the others since we had distributed our work so I thought that he might have gotten different answers but turns out that he also got the same bullsh*t handed to him."


    Kelly looked between the two as she heard this and the suspicion on her face slowly faded away as she eventually came to believe Marvin''s words.


    Hecathe sighed as he placed the file down on the table and spoke up, "He''s right. I also got the same ridiculous answer, but I still noted them down just in case."


    Kelly immediately picked up the file and opened it to read the info that was written down by Hecathe and as soon as she saw the first page, her face seemed to have turned white.


    Hecathe thought that this reaction was caused by the info that was provided so he sighed as he commented, "It''s a ridiculous story. There is no way Orgon can possess the body of a teenager like that."


    Kelly looked up at Hecathe and her eyes seemed to be twitching as she shook her head, "That''s not it..."


    "Eh?" For a split second, there was a bit of panic in Hecathe''s heart as he wondered if she had somehow seen through them.


    "What the hell is this?!" The woman suddenly snapped, "Even a dog can write better than this! How am I supposed to understand any of this dogsh*t handwriting?!"


    "..."


    Hecathe who was suddenly scolded for his messy handwriting could say nothing in defense and he was sure that he heard Marvin snicker from the side.


    Kelly slammed the file down on the table as she demanded, "Read it out! Don''t expect me to read such a mess and by next time, learn how to at least make your writing look decipherable!"


    Hecathe gulped as he nodded his head without daring to argue with this woman who could freeze him to death at any given moment.


    The man picked up the file and opened the first page to read out the story that he had repeated over and over again under every single person''s testimony, However, Hecathe closed his mouth almost as soon as he opened it.


    "What is it?" Kelly questioned with a frown.


    "Um..." For some reason, Hecathe found it a bit embarrassing to tell her that he was also at a loss and could not decipher what was written on the page.


    Thankfully enough, he didn''t need to voice it out loud as Kelly already guessed it after getting such a reaction from him.


    "You can''t read it, can you?" Kelly asked straightforwardly and Hecathe nodded his head softly as he confirmed it.


    Marvin who was trying his best to hold in his laughter till now finally failed at controlling himself and broke out laughing in the silent cold room.


    The other two stared at the boy with a blank gaze as they found nothing funny about the situation.


    "Stop laughing," Kelly snapped and Marvin immediately stopped laughing, making it almost seem as if he feared the woman''s anger.


    "You''ve written it so many times, you must remember what you wrote. Just narrate according to your memory," Kelly sighed as she spoke and Hecathe nodded.


    Although he couldn''t decipher his own handwriting, he could still narrate the whole story word to word because he was the one who created the ridiculous story in the first place itself.


    Kelly sat down in her chair with her right leg crossed over her left as she waited for the man to speak up.


    "They said they came across a boy who looked odd. He was seventeen years old but had the maturity of an old man on his face. He wore a purple hunter''s cape and mask in order to keep himself unidentified."


    "Then how did they identify him as Orgon?"


    "Because he posed as a hunter, a lot of people stayed out of his way but there were some that looked for trouble with him. Orgon had the unique power of light that is only possessed by him and his son. This fake hunter was also identified as Orgon because of this same unique power."


    Kelly frowned as she heard this and questioned, "He used the power of light?"


    Hecathe nodded his head before shaking it as he spoke, "Not exactly. They saw him trying to use the power of light."


    "Eh?" Both Kelly and Marvin tilted their head in confusion as they heard this.


    "His posture and attitude were the same as Orgon and although he used some other power, the aura of light was still there."


    "That''s not enough to label him as Orgon!" Kelly pointed out, "It might have just been someone else who acts like Orgon."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and responded, "That might have been the case if it wasn''t for him revealing his identity by mistake."


    Kelly''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard this and she waited for the man to explain further as she questioned, "What do you mean?"


    "By the end of the fight, he announced his identity by mistake. He had only tried to warn them by saying that he was a person that could not be messed around with, but he let his name slip out of his tongue by mistake and since then, the rumors started to rise," Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and added, "At least, that''s how everyone says the rumors started. Because there was a fight. there were a lot of witnesses and they were the ones who started talking."


    "Then you are saying that the rumors are... True?" Kelly asked in disbelief and Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as a response.


    "It could be true but it''s so ridiculous that I can''t bring myself to believe it."


    Denying the rumor to be true was a tactic that Hecathe had used in order to make the woman think that it really was true, but of course, Kelly would never know this.


    Marvin nodded his head once as he agreed with Hecathe and spoke up, "That''s right. The story is just too ridiculous to be true. The great Orgon would never waste his time fighting with some commoners and for him to make such a mistake like leaking his identity is something even more unbelievable. He is certainly not such a clumsy thoughtless man."


    Kelly gulped as she heard this and nodded as she agreed with him but the expression on her face looked to be complicated as if there was some doubt in her mind.


    "Miss Kelly, a frown doesn''t suit your pretty face. You shouldn''t think about it much. They might just be all lying. Maybe they schemed it together," Marvin spoke with a thin smile as he tilted his head and looked at the woman.

 Chapter 120 - Another Thing To Talk About

    When you try to deny something to be true because of how ridiculous it sounds, your brain is forced to think about it more and in the process, you find out that there might be a possibility that even something ridiculous could be true just because of how ridiculous it is.


    Kelly''s expression became more and more complicated by the minute and the room also got colder as she thought about things carefully.


    Although Marvin had told her not to think about it too much, she was clearly thinking too much at the moment and it almost seemed as if this was exactly what Marvin wanted from her.


    When you tell someone not to do something, the curiosity inside them would make them do it and this was reverse psychology.


    "Are you seriously considering it?" Hecathe asked with an indecipherable tone and expression, "There is no way it can be true."


    "And that is exactly why it may be true," Kelly replied without missing a beat as she slammed her hands on the table and stood up, "Investigate on it further. Find out who this fake hunter is."


    "Eh? Seriously?" Hecathe acted surprised as he questioned.


    "They could be lying about it or maybe they are just mistaken but whatever the case may be, it doesn''t change the fact that this rumor is weird. Our client wants to know everything about this rumor so we do what he ordered us to do and get him all the information without ruling anything out," Kelly spoke as she met Hecathe''s eyes and her eyes looked too cold as if they had no life in them.


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this but didn''t let it show that this was a sigh of relief as he spoke, "Got it. We''ll try our best to look into it."


    Kelly also nodded in satisfaction as she heard this response.


    "But before we go, there is one more thing that I wanted to discuss with you," Hecathe straightened his back as he spoke.


    "What is it?"


    "I picked up a girl."


    "Cough! Cough!"


    Both Kelly and Marvin choked on empty air at the same time as they heard this. Although the man probably meant something else entirely, his choice of words... Were really a bit shocking...


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows and blinked in confusion as he saw such a dramatic reaction but the man didn''t bother questioning it as he continued and explained his words, "She looked like she could become a useful member of the golden fire. Seeing as how you were so desperate to have me join your guild, I''m sure you''ll find an interest in her as well."


    "What...?!" Kelly composed herself as she recovered from the shock but when she repeated these words in her head, she was once again left shocked and confused.


    "She has the same power as that dead willow who was killed by Alphius," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he explained, "It''s both powerful and unique. A perfect fit for our team, don''t you think?"


    "..." The speechless expression almost made Hecathe think that the woman was going to reject the idea of having a new member before she even got to know her, but thankfully enough, this was not the case.


    "Where did you get her from?" The woman questioned and Hecathe had a thin smile on his face as he answered truthfully.


    "A gambling den."


    "..." Kelly was a bit taken back and blinked as she wondered if she had heard it right.


    Marvin chuckled as he heard Hecathe and commented, "It seems that Brother Hecathe was busy gambling when he should have been working."


    Hecathe side-glanced at the boy coldly as he heard this unamusing comment but didn''t bother saying anything.


    "Hecathe, you do know that we can''t just randomly pick people from gambling dens to make them join the guild... Right?"


    "We can''t?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion and surprise as he questioned, "Why?"


    Kelly sighed and rubbed her forehead as she heard this, "It''s because they are often not good people. They can''t be trusted easily and there are always some or the other problems that arise because of them."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard all this and decided to voice out his thoughts, "Isn''t that just discrimination against the poor?"


    "Huh?"


    "When you say you don''t take in such people, don''t you mean that you don''t want to let them enter the guild because you''re afraid that they might taint the name of the guild just because they don''t have a strong backing or decent family background?"


    Kelly gulped as she heard this but the woman couldn''t justify anything nor could she defend herself or the guild since there was some truth in what Hecathe had said.


    "I think it would be best for you to let her enter the team," Hecathe had a small smirk on his face as he spoke, "Since you haven''t taken someone like that yet, this might as well be the first time and you can use it to gain some more good reputation for the guild."


    "Good reputation?" Kelly repeated in a questioning manner.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he continued, "If she becomes a great mage, you can boast about it to the world and show everyone that no matter what their background may be, they can still become a mage."


    When Kelly thought about it for a minute, she found out that the man did indeed make some sense, however, there was still a problem...


    "That is ''IF'' she becomes a great mage," Kelly pointed out as she asked, "How can you guarantee her future like that?"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and with a nod, he spoke, "You''re right. I can''t make sure that she becomes a great mage but... She certainly has the ability to become one. Her ability is special and the only other person who had such an ability was one of three willows of spring. Doesn''t that speak for itself?"


    "So you trust her and guarantee that she ''CAN'' become a great mage that would be helpful to our guild?" Kelly raised her eyebrows as she questioned and Hecathe unhesitantly nodded his head as he confirmed it.


    With a chuckle, Marvin decided to add something, "I also met her this morning and I have to say, she is a real beauty as well!"


    "...."


    "But of course, not as beautiful as our Miss Kelly here," Marvin beamed as he corrected himself after seeing the speechless expression on the woman''s face.


    For some reason, Hecathe wanted to slam his face with his hand as he felt second-hand embarrassment for the boy.


    "I''ll let her join the guild if she''s really as amazing as you claim her to be," Kelly straightaway ignored Marvin as she spoke, looking at Hecathe.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he heard this and with a nod, he responded, "Then it''s a good thing that I told her to come here today."


    "..." Kelly blinked in surprise as she heard this and couldn''t help but wonder that Hecathe worked fast.


    "You can first get to know her and you''ll see for yourself why I chose her," Hecathe added and for some reason, Kelly couldn''t help but feel as if Hecathe was a bit too confident with this.


    Marvin also nodded his head as he agreed with Hecathe, "It would be great to work with a beauty like her."


    "I never said anything about meeting her," Kelly clicked her tongue as she spoke, "I''m a busy person and I don''t have idol time to chit-chat with someone I hardly even know."


    Hecathe tilted his head in confusion and questioned, "Then what do you plan on doing?"


    "I''m going to be testing her."


    Hecathe and Marvin both looked at each other for a second before turning to face Kelly and the two seemed to have the same bad feeling in their stomach as they questioned in unison, "What type of test?"


    "A test to see if she''s truly as amazing as you say she is," Kelly shrugged her shoulders as she replied and Hecathe gulped as he somewhat had an idea of this test that LeiLei would have to pass.


    "You don''t... Plan on throwing her in a mutant cave... Do you?" Hecathe asked reluctantly.


    Kelly smirked as she heard this question and didn''t even hesitate to nod her head as she confirmed it, "If she can survive two minutes in a mutant cave all by herself then I''ll let her join the guild."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he didn''t look to be too happy with the idea of making LeiLei go through such a test.


    LeiLei certainly had a harsh life while growing up, but she had never met any real life-threatening dangers nor had she ever met a mutant before this.


    If they were to put her inside a mutant cave for even a single minute, Hecathe was sure that it would be hard for the girl to keep her calm and survive.


    Although she had a great powerful ability, Hecathe still considered her weak in actual combat situations.

 Chapter 121 - You Are Not Allowed To

    "Then I''m going in with her," Hecathe firmly stated as he looked at Kelly, almost making it seem as if he was challenging the authority of this woman.


    Kelly scoffed as she heard this and shook her head as she also firmly stated, "You are not allowed to."


    The two glared at each other for a solid minute and no one seemed to be willing to back down from this argument that was shortly going to fire up.


    Marvin felt as if he was being caught up in the middle of this non-violent fight and he could only gulp as he looked at the two with cold sweat forming on his forehead.


    "It''s her chance to prove herself," Kelly finally spoke up as she broke the cold silence after a minute, "You can''t interfere. The golden fire doesn''t take in sidekicks, we take in warriors and hunters. If you think she needs to be protected by you then I''m afraid she is already unfit to join our guild."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this but in the end, he did neither as he simply shook his head in disbelief and responded, "I''m not worried about her, I''m worried about the mutants."


    "Excuse me?" Kelly''s lips twitched as she questioned.


    Hecathe, "She''s weak in actual combat. She has never been in a life-threatening situation nor has she seen a real-life mutant before this."


    "..."


    "If you put her in a mutant cave all alone, she is going to panic, and when that happens, there are two things that she might do. First, she might pull an innocent person into that cave and escape all by herself, but she is not that impulsive so the chances of this happening are low. The second situation is more likely to happen and this one is much more dangerous as well."


    Kelly frowned as she heard this and waited for Hecathe to continue as she listened attentively to the man.


    "She might consider them a threat and release them into the city," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he casually informed and Kelly couldn''t help but gulp as she repeated his words through her head and found it a bit hard to believe.


    "She is more than capable of doing something like that so you better be ready for the consequences if you throw her inside a mutant cave," Hecathe added with a small smirk that was hardly visible on his face.


    "In that case...." Marvin raised his hand as he spoke, "Isn''t it fine to let me join her in the test?"


    Both Hecathe and Kelly snapped their heads towards the boy with a complicated expression on their faces as they heard this.


    Marvin scratched the back of his neck innocently with an awkward smile on his face as he continued, "Miss Kelly is worried that Brother Hecathe might help the girl by shielding her from the mutants but if it''s me then you won''t need to worry about it. Even if she''s a beauty, I would only interfere if it is absolutely necessary."


    Hecathe immediately frowned as he heard this but Kelly looked to be thinking about it more deeply as she nodded to herself.


    "That sounds like a better idea," Kelly commented after a minute, and Hecathe was even more taken aback by this response.


    "Okay," Kelly clapped her hands as she exclaimed, "Raven can go with her and Hecathe, I have some other work for you to do."


    Marvin had a bright smile on his face as he heard this and nodded his head in understanding, "You can trust me with this! In exchange, why don''t you join me for dinner?"


    Kelly pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this and looked at the boy with an unimpressed expression, "I don''t eat dinner."


    Marvin chuckled, "Lunch is also fine with me."


    "Sorry, I don''t enjoy eating lunch either," Kelly sighed as she shook her head.


    "Then how about breakfast?"


    "I''m allergic to food," Kelly pursed her lips into a thin smile as she spoke without missing a beat.


    "..."


    Hecathe still had a frown on his face but he didn''t bother saying anything and simply stood there, looking as if he was thinking about something deeply.


    "You can leave now. Like I said before, I still have something left to discuss with Hecathe," Kelly spoke with a thin smile that was not sincere at all.


    However, no matter how cold of a response the woman gave, it didn''t look like Marvin was offended or disappointed. On the contrary, every time Kelly rejected him like this, he would look even more happy and interested which really made one wonder if Marvin was some sort of a masochist.


    "I''ll be taking my leave then," Marvin nodded his head with a smile as he responded, "Make sure not to miss me too much."


    "..."


    Marvin didn''t wait for a response that he was not going to get and simply left Kelly''s office, leaving Hecathe and Kelly behind in the empty room.


    "Stop frowning like that," Kelly clicked her tongue as she spoke, "Raven will be there so you won''t need to worry about her."


    Hecathe didn''t stop frowning as he heard this and this was because Kelly had got it wrong.


    Hecathe was actually frowning because he wanted to be the one to personally see what she was capable of and that was why he was requesting to enter the cave with her. But now, it was Marvin who would get to see the full display of her abilities and Hecathe felt a little uneasy about it.


    "What do you want me to do?" Hecathe asked as he got to business.


    It seemed that Hecathe was the complete opposite of Marvin. Marvin was a boy who loved to talk about useless things. He would prefer flirting with Kelly rather than talking business while Hecathe would choose the exact opposite.


    "I want you to continue working on the case," Kelly spoke as she met his eyes with seriousness evident in her face, "Find the rumored seventeen-year-old that is acting as Orgon and bring him back here."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but sigh as he heard this and shook his head in disbelief as he responded straightforwardly, "I can try but I''m afraid that it''s an impossible task."


    Kelly immediately frowned as she heard this and raised her eyebrows as she asked, "And why is that?"


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulders casually as he lied, "Because I''m already done looking and it seems that the boy had hidden well."


    "..."


    "But," Hecathe continued with a small proud smirk, "I do know one thing."


    "What?"


    "The city gates are being monitored throughout the day and I already checked so I''m sure that he is still hiding inside the city. He is still in Ocasia."


    Kelly''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard this but in the very next moment, she looked to be confused as she asked, "Then, why is it impossible?"


    "If the great Orgon is trying to hide then isn''t it impossible for a new hunter like me to find him?" Hecathe sarcastically asked as he tilted his head.


    "Then what do you plan on doing? Without him, the client is not going to be paying us."


    This seemed to be a question that Hecathe was waiting to hear so as soon as he heard this, he put on a wide smile on his face and responded, "Of course, I have a plan."


    "Hmm?"


    "I cannot find him but I can certainly trick him to come out."


    "Trick him?" Kelly repeated, questioning in confusion.


    "That''s right. We trick him into thinking that his murderer is here to kill him again. If he believes it then for the sake of revenge, he is bound to come out."


    As Kelly heard this plan, she looked to be even more shocked.


    "You want to bring Alphius here to bait Orgon out...?" Kelly tilted her head as she questioned hesitantly.


    Hecathe shook his head as he heard this and corrected her as he spoke, "I want to bring his real murderer here and not the scapegoat."


    "Excuse me...?!"


    "You don''t possibly believe the nonsense of Alphius killing him, do you?" Hecathe questioned in disbelief and without even waiting for an answer from the woman, he continued, "If Alphius had really killed Orgon then he wouldn''t have even tried to hide it. All the past murders that he committed, he accepted them all and never lied so why would he say that he was not responsible for this one?"


    It was a question that needed to be thought about carefully.


    The normal behavioral patterns of Alphius were more than enough evidence to prove the boy''s innocence in the case but it seemed that his ruined reputation had made it hard for people to believe in him.


    "Finding the real murderer... Even if it''s not Alphius, it''s not going to be easy," Kelly commented as she looked at the man with a complicated expression plastered on her face.

 Chapter 122 - The Things That Come Easy In Life Are Often Unreliable.

    Hecathe couldn''t help but let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this, "The things that come easy in life are often unreliable. In order to gain something, you need to go through the trouble of obtaining it."


    Kelly couldn''t understand the deeper meaning behind Hecathe''s words but it didn''t look like she was trying to either.


    "Let''s spread a rumor," Hecathe smirked as he added and Kelly immediately frowned as she heard this.


    "What are you trying to do?"


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulders casually as he spoke, "We spread a rumor that the real killer is in Ocasia. If Orgon finds out that his killer is here, wouldn''t he be baited to come out?"


    And it won''t be just him who would fall for the bait. The real killer would also fall for it and that was Hecathe''s main purpose, but of course, he wouldn''t be saying anything about that to Kelly.


    Kelly was silent for a few minutes before she asked in disbelief, "Have you lost it...?!"


    Hecathe shook his head and firmly responded, "I''m not spouting nonsense. I have thought about it carefully and it is only natural that I have a plan for everything."


    "..."


    It didn''t look like Kelly had much trust in him.


    With a sigh, Hecathe continued speaking, "In order to get our client what they need, we need to first get to the bottom of everything. Since it started with the death of the great Orgon, we would need to find the real killer and clear Aphius''s name."


    "And that''s not something easy!" Kelly snapped back as she threateningly glared at the man.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and agreed with the woman, "You''re right, but at least there won''t be any mistakes at the end. Proving Alphius innocent might be the easy part but finding the real killer is going to be a challenge and getting him to bait out Orgon is going to be even more difficult. That is why we need to spread the rumor that the killer is in this city. We can''t find the real killer so we place a dummy instead."


    Kelly was a bit confused to hear all this and her confusion could clearly be seen displayed on her forehead in the form of soft creases.


    Hecathe sighed as he took a step forward and firmly stated, "You should learn to trust me a little."


    "Eh?" Kelly''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard this and she was stunned speechless at the spot as she saw the man approaching closer.


    Hecathe leaned in closer to her ear and continued in a volume that was barely above a whisper, "Since we are on the same team."


    Kelly gulped as she heard this but she was not able to give a response and Hecathe took this time to move back as he straightened his back and smiled brightly.


    "It''s okay even if you don''t understand," Hecathe beamed and for some reason, Kelly couldn''t help but feel that there was something off about that smile and that sentence.


    Kelly had a foreboding feeling in her stomach but when she looked at the determined look evident in the man''s eyes, she couldn''t help but nod her head as she decided to trust him.


    "Okay..." Kelly muttered softly as she closed her eyes and nodded.


    Hecathe''s smile widened a bit as he heard this and with a nod, he took the file that was kept on the table and spoke, "Let''s first get rid of this useless file. Tell the client that we are planning on digging further into the murder of Orgon."


    This was the real bait.


    If Hecathe''s suspicions and calculations were right, their client was probably the real killer and if that was the case, passing on this message to that person would be like challenging him directly.


    This was Hecathe''s real intention, but of course, Kelly wouldn''t know this.


    Kelly gulped as she heard this and nodded in understanding, "I''ll pass on the message."


    "Then I can get started right away," Hecathe replied without missing a beat.


    "Okay, be careful," Kelly sighed out as she closed her eyes and shook her head.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but want to laugh as he heard this, "I think it should be the other way around."


    "Eh?" Kelly had managed to hear that comment but it seemed that the woman was unable to make sense of it.


    Hecathe turned around without saying anything any further and on his way out, he threw the file in the trashcan before commenting with a small thin smile, "You should be the careful one."


    Kelly was the one in direct contact with the client so it was only natural that she was the one in the most dangerous situation.


    If there was anyone who should be careful then it should definitely be her.


    It looked like there was somewhere in particular that Hecathe had to go to and he was so focused on his thoughts that he couldn''t clearly see the people that were crowding the hallway.


    Hecathe bumped into a young girl and it was only then that he snapped out of his thoughts.


    Hecathe opened his mouth to apologize but when he saw the face of the girl, he couldn''t help but recognize her.


    "The rare flower...?!" Hecathe''s eyes widened in surprise as he questioned and the girl also looked to be shocked as she heard this name.


    Hecathe was sure that he hadn''t mistaken it... This was definitely the slave that was saved by the woman from seat 44 back in the black market auction!


    The girl no longer wore the torn-up soiled clothes that she had worn back then, instead, she had a thick stash of papers in her hand and wore black colored clothes that looked to be tidy and expensive, making her entire person look somewhat different.


    If it hadn''t been for her beautifully distinctive face, Hecathe would surely not have recognized her.


    The girl gulped as she immediately bowed her head and panicked, stuttering as she apologized, "I-I''m sorry. E-Excuse me, I have somewhere to g-go."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this but he didn''t bother saying anything or chasing after her.


    The girl fled the scene and headed inside, making Hecathe feel confused.


    Kelly had just said that the golden fire doesn''t take in people who don''t have a decent background so to see her in this guild was certainly a bit shocking.


    The woman at seat 44 who had saved this girl was Zather so seeing this girl here meant that Zather was also connected to the golden fire guild cause if she wasn''t, there was no way she would be able to bring this girl in here.


    "Is it just a coincidence...?" Hecathe muttered to himself as his eyes narrowed down at the moving back of the girl who soon disappeared into the crowd.


    "Sir!~" Before Hecathe could even finish thinking about it, he was suddenly interrupted by the loud familiar voice of a girl.


    Hecathe turned his head towards the direction where the sound came from but before he could even say anything, he was greeted with the sight of LeiLei jumping at him enthusiastically.


    Hecathe faltered a few steps back and tripped on his foot as he fell on his butt with the girl on top of him.


    It seemed that the dorgon was a pretty bad influence on this girl.


    She was slowly turning into an unruly pet.


    "Sir, I fed Eggy!~" The girl beamed happily as she looked at Hecathe with sparkly eyes.


    Hecathe coughed as he choked out, "Get off of me first. Cough~ Cough~ You''re heavy."


    LeiLei immediately pushed herself off of the man and stood up as she heard this, letting Hecathe finally breathe normally.


    Hecathe scratched the back of his head that had hit the floor and commented, "You should stop trying to kill me like that."


    Marvin who was standing beside the girl chuckled as he heard this and couldn''t help but respond, "To be killed like that, I bet it would feel nice."


    Hecathe pursed his lips and looked to be unimpressed as he heard this comment. With a sigh, the man picked himself off the ground and patted the dust off his clothes as he casually replied with a question, "If it would be nice, why don''t you give it a try?"


    "..."


    LeiLei chuckled as she heard this and glanced at Marvin with a mischievous look in her eyes, "I''ll be more than glad to kill you if Sir asks for it."


    It hadn''t even been that long since Hecathe and LeiLei met each other, but in the eyes of Marvin, it looked as if Hecathe and LeiLei had really become close in this short span of time and could guess what the other was thinking without even having to hear the thoughts voiced out.


    He didn''t know what it was, but for some reason, he had the feeling that the two could read each other. As if they were somewhat alike.

 Chapter 123 - Not A Bipolar Personality Disorder.

    LeiLei didn''t bother waiting for an answer from Marvin as she looked back at Hecathe and beamed, "Sir, Raven said that I''ll be able to join the guild after a small test!~"


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he saw such a delighted expression on her face.


    He wondered if this girl even knew what that so-called ''little test'' meant.


    "I''ll try my best to pass it! I won''t let you down!" The girl exclaimed with a wide smile on her face and Hecathe couldn''t help but get the feeling that he had newly adopted this girl or something.


    The way she spoke and reacted... It really made him feel as if he was now raising her as a father.


    Marvin chuckled as he heard the girl and raised his hand to pat her head but was immediately stopped by Hecathe who lightly glared at the boy.


    LeiLei seemed to have seen this and she seemed to have found it a bit amusing as she chuckled and stuck out her tongue at Marvin, "Only Sir Hecathe can pat my head like that. He''s protective over me and you''re not allowed."


    "..." Marvin felt a little speechless as he heard this and tilted his head as he looked at Hecathe for an explanation.


    Hecathe coughed as he retreated his hand and let go of Marvin''s wrist, "If you pat her too much, she might remain short forever."


    Now, Marvin and LeiLei both looked to be speechless and LeiLei didn''t know if she was supposed to laugh or cry at this comment that was indirectly calling her short.


    "She''s a growing teenager," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he added.


    "Sir, I stopped growing two years ago," LeiLei immediately responded as she informed.


    "Maybe that''s because your head got patted a lot," Hecathe coughed as he replied.


    "Do I look like a freaking drum to you...?!" LeiLei questioned, sounding a bit offended and it seemed that for a split second there, the girl had forgotten to keep up her sweet and innocent act.


    Hecathe hoped that Marvin hadn''t noticed it but it seemed that he was not going to be getting what he hoped for.


    "Interesting..." Marvin muttered to himself as his eyes narrowed down on LeiLei and his lips curled up in a small smirk.


    LeiLei gulped as she realized that she had forgotten to act for a second there and the girl looked to be shocked with herself, wondering why she felt comfortable enough to let go of that innocent act.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he decided to save the situation by changing topics, "You have a test to get to, don''t you? You should go fast or you might get demerits for being late."


    LeiLei''s eyes immediately widened as she heard this, "That''s right. I have to go now! Sir, I''ll see you back home!"


    Hecathe opened his mouth to correct her and tell her that it wasn''t his home but just an apartment he was renting currently, but before any words could roll out of his tongue, he saw the girl running away, heading deeper into the corridor.


    Hecathe, "..."


    Marvin chuckled as he questioned suddenly, "You know?"


    Hecathe side-glanced at the boy and decided to act a little oblivious as he asked, "What are you talking about?"


    "She has a bipolar personality disorder, doesn''t she?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    It seemed that Marvin was a bit mistaken about the details but it wasn''t like Hecathe was going to clarify that misunderstanding.


    Hecathe nodded his head and sighed but didn''t bother saying anything as a response.


    The girl didn''t really have a bipolar personality disorder. She simply liked to act as if she was an entirely different person and that was something that she was choosing to do and hence, she was conscious of her actions that were not considered to be caused by a disorder.


    "What a pitiful young girl," Marvin commented with a sigh, "She doesn''t even know the way but she still ran."


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he heard this and it was only now that he had realized this fact.


    In a state of panic, LeiLei had run away but she didn''t even know where she had to go!


    "Go after her," Hecathe immediately instructed and Marvin chuckled.


    "I was already planning to," Marvin responded with a smirk and didn''t bother wasting any more words as he ran, heading in the same direction as the girl.


    Hecathe frowned and suddenly had the feeling that Marvin''s words had a deeper meaning that was completely unrelated to the current scenario.


    However, even though Hecathe felt that there was a deeper meaning behind those words, he didn''t bother trying to understand them.


    With a sigh, the man once again started walking as he headed out of the guild.


    Once he was out on the road, Hecathe walked around aimlessly in search of an empty street where he could contact Xanie.


    "Is it true?" Hecathe asked as he sent the first message to the girl, "Was there a raid?"


    The street that he had found was a bit dark and there weren''t many people around which made this place perfect for the situation and Hecathe casually stopped by the side, crouching down to the ground as he patiently waited for a reply that took a few minutes.


    "Sir, I was meaning to tell you but I didn''t want to worry you," Xanie sent a reply and from her tone alone, it could be sensed that the girl was a bit worried, "You should be free now."


    "Stop that free bullsh*t," Hecathe snapped as he rubbed his head, "Where are they now? Just tell me this much."


    "The three willows of spring seem to think that you might be hiding in Ocasia. As for the mecha-suits... They think the same as well."


    "So there are mecha-suits in here...? Be more specific, who are they?"


    Xanie, "The leader of team blue is there at the moment. His name is Eric Vanghuan. He''s the one that saved you."


    For some reason, as soon as Hecathe heard this name, the specific face of the man that had saved him from being shot, popped up in his mind.


    "Leader rock is also there at the moment, he''s the big guy who helped carry you to the underground city."


    This description was more than enough for Hecathe to recognize the guy.


    There had only been one big guy that had carried Hecathe all the way to the underground city.


    "There are a lot more working under them and then there is also another Leader down there. Leader of the golden age, Ascar. He is also controlling a faction of the military to look for you."


    Hecathe certainly remembered reading this particular name in Alphius''s diary, however, since he had never met the man, he couldn''t put a face to the name.


    "These are the only leaders here?" Hecathe asked without missing a beat.


    Among the mecha-suits, the ultimate superior was Alphius, who was their captain, and Leaders were the ones that worked directly under him. They had the authority to control factions of the military at their will and the only one who can deny them that authority was Alphius.


    This indirectly meant that without Alphius, they were the ones who had complete control over the mecha-suited military and this fact was a double-edged sword for Hecathe.


    "Captain, why are you asking this?" Xanie sent another message as she questioned.


    Hecathe sighed, "Don''t question me. Right now, information is only going to put you in danger. We must limit our contact with each other in order to avoid suspicion. You should be careful not to be found out and if there is anything urgent, you should contact me. ''Only then'' can you contact me, okay?"


    Xanie took a minute to send a short reply, "Understood, Captain."


    Hecathe switched off the QMS and leaned his head back on the wall with a sigh.


    "This is going to be a little complicated," Hecathe muttered to himself as he wondered what he was supposed to do now.


    The mecha-suits knew what Alphius looked like so there was no way they were going to be fooled into thinking that Hecathe was Orgon.


    If Hecathe didn''t include them in his plan, there was a great chance that they might ruin everything.


    However, telling them everything and including them in the plan was also not safe since there was a chance that they would not be happy with the fact that there was another man living inside the body of their precious captain.


    The options were really a bit limited...


    At the end of the day, Hecathe decided not to think about it too much and left it up to fate.


    He turned on the QMS and contacted Zather once again.


    "I have another job for you."


    It seemed that Zather was a bit free today so her response was pretty fast, "Hmm? Is it an interesting one?"

 Chapter 124 - The Start Of A New Rumor?

    Hecathe pursed his lips as he heard this question and let out a small dry chuckle as he sent a reply, "It certainly is a bit interesting when you can see the bigger picture."


    "I hope you don''t want me to spread another rumor," Zather chuckled as she spoke and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    "How did you know?" Hecathe asked with utmost seriousness and it took Zather a solid few minutes to respond.


    "Are you serious...?!" The woman asked in disbelief.


    "Have you ever seen me joking?"


    Zather was once again a bit speechless as she took a few minutes to respond with a simple,


    "No..."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he nodded his head and sent her another message, "I want you to spread a rumor that the killer is in Ocasia."


    "The killer? What killer?"


    "The one who killed Orgon," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he replied, "And this time, say that the killer is back to kill Orgon."


    Zather sent him a response shortly after and the woman could be heard sighing as she commented, "You seem to think that I''m running a rumor distributing business."


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smirk as he heard this, "Well, aren''t you the best at this kind of job?"


    "..." Zather breathed out angrily, "Sometimes, I want to really curse you but then I remember your father, and I''m forced to hold back my words."


    Zather was a fan of the great Edler and this was also one of the reasons why this woman would always be more than ready to help Alphius.


    "You should try cursing me sometimes. If you do that, maybe you''ll feel less frustrated with me the next time we talk," Hecathe spoke with a small chuckle that probably made Zather want to come here just so that she could strangle the man to death.


    "Forget it. I''ll curse you out when I''m really at my limit," Zather controlled her emotions and sighed as she seriously asked, "How serious do you want the rumor to be?"


    "Serious enough to bait out the real killer," Hecathe answered the question with a smirk as he informed, "Make this one a bit bigger than the previous one."


    The rumor about Orgon coming back to life was already big and if this new rumor wasn''t strong enough, it was going to be overpowered by the old one.


    "Got it," Zather responded almost immediately and the scratching of her pen could be heard, indicating that she was writing something down, "And I hope that the payment would be done soon enough?"


    "Have I ever disappointed you with the payment?" Hecathe asked with a small scoff.


    He had only paid this woman once for the previous rumor, but Alphius had been hiring her for years now and he had certainly always paid her humbly for the work that she had done.


    "You''ve never disappointed me, isn''t that why I''m still willing to work with such a rude ass like you?" Instead of giving a straight response, the woman questioned back and Hecathe could almost imagine the smirk that must be on the woman''s face at the moment as she said this.


    "And here I thought you were working for me because you liked me," Hecathe sighed as he absentmindedly commented.


    "Ah, that too. I miss seeing your handsome face so come and pay me in person. You''re still in Ocasia, aren''t you?"


    Hecathe unconsciously nodded his head as he replied, "I''m still here."


    "Great! I''m here as well. You can decide the place and time. I''ll be there to pick up the money."


    Hecathe suddenly remembered the girl that he had bumped into him while he was coming out of the guild and as he remembered her panicked state, a frown could be seen forming on his face.


    "Zather, there was one more thing I wanted to ask," Hecathe sent the woman another message out of curiosity and what he got as a response was a simple hum from the woman.


    "Hmm?"


    "What happened to the rare flower you bought back from the black market auction?" Hecathe asked and waited for a few minutes, however, it seemed that Zather was unwilling to answer this question.


    Hecathe was never a person who liked being left hanging so he got ready to send her another message, but thankfully enough, he didn''t need to send it to her as her late response came.


    "Shouldn''t you tell me what happened to the Dorgon first?"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle dryly as he heard this question but there was no joy in his voice as he lied with a straight face that the woman couldn''t even see at the moment, "I ate it."


    "And I don''t believe you," Zather could be heard clicking her tongue as she immediately replied, asking, "How do you even manage to feed that thing every day? I seriously can''t even think why you would go and save it."


    "I also can''t help but wonder why you bought that slave," Hecathe retorted.


    "That slave can cook and feed herself. She''s much better than your dumb pet who can eat you if it''s too hungry," Zather was also fast to defend the girl as she insulted the Drogon without any hesitation.


    "Instead of eating my meatless body, my dumb pet can also fry her and make a meal out of her in a mere few seconds," Hecathe refused to back down as he replied with a smug smirk on his face that could not be seen but could most definitely be sensed in his voice.


    "I guess you have experience with that because of your father."


    "..." Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he immediately understood why this woman hated Dorgons so much.


    The great Edler, who was also a role model for her, was killed by a dorgon so it was only natural for the woman to hate those creatures.


    For a minute there, Hecathe forgot to send a response and it seemed that Zather got a bit worried and regretted saying anything because of this wordless response from Hecathe.


    "I''m sorry..." The woman immediately sent another message as she apologized, "I shouldn''t have brought him up. It was stupid of me to carelessly touch such a sensitive topic."


    Hecathe felt a little guilty to receive her apology since he didn''t care at all about what happened to the great Edler.


    "If you really feel sorry then why don''t you tell me more about the slave that you bought?" Hecathe decided to make use of the opportunity as he asked.


    "..."


    Zather took a minute to respond and the woman indeed gave a bit of information this time.


    "Her name is Arya and she''s not a slave anymore. She works for me."


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to hear this and he couldn''t help but ask, "If she works for you, doesn''t it still make her your slave?"


    It was certainly said to be a joke but for some reason, Hecathe was really bad with his jokes that sounded a bit mocking and offensive.


    "I pay her a salary and she is free to hand in her resignation at any given moment. It''s not slavery, it''s just a normal job," The woman seriously responded to his question and now even Hecathe couldn''t laugh at the unfunny joke that had come out of his own head.


    "I see. Then that''s good," Hecathe sighed as he unconsciously admitted defeat, "She should be free now. I''m glad to see that you helped her."


    "You say that it''s a good thing but you didn''t even try to save her. You turned your back on her and saved a backstabbing egg instead. You clearly have your priorities a bit messed up, don''t you think?"


    "..."


    Hecathe had no response to that because he didn''t want to argue with the woman, but if there was anything that was clear from Zather''s comment, it would be the fact that the woman was unhappy with Hecathe''s decision to save the Dorgon egg instead of saving the slave girl.


    "What? You didn''t see any potential in her? Or did you not see any future benefits?" Zather asked with a scoff, almost sounding as if she was scolding the man and this made Hecathe chuckle a little.


    Her scolding him like this really made Hecathe feel as if Zather and Alphius were friends that knew each other well and were not shy to open up about their opinions and thoughts.


    "Let''s just say that I knew there would be someone else to save the girl since she was a human, but there would be no one there to save an egg that was being sold as food," Hecathe thoughtfully replied and now it was Zather who couldn''t say anything as a response.


    "I''ll get to work. Let''s stop this topic," Zather took a minute to send a reply and ended the conversation.


    Hecathe sighed and didn''t even bother responding to that last message.


    It seemed that Zather was the type to stop an argument when she had no comeback.

 Chapter 125 - There Is A Storm Coming

    Hecathe sighed as he leaned his head back and looked up at the sky that had dark clouds dangerously crowding together on top.


    The wind felt cold as it brushed past his skin and for some reason, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little exhausted.


    It seemed that there was a storm coming...


    Hecathe closed his eyes and stayed in that position for a few minutes before he decided to head out to the black market once again.


    There was going to be another auction today as well and if Hecathe wanted to pay Zather for the rumor, he needed to go and get some money since he had run out of funds by now.


    If it hadn''t been for the gluttonous Dorgon, Hecathe was sure that he would have still had enough money to pay Zather.


    While Hecathe paid another visit to the black market, Marvin and LeiLei were stuck inside a mutant cave.


    At first, LeiLei had no idea where she was but the girl could still sense the danger that lingered around so she lit up a matchstick that Marvin had given her before they entered this place.


    As soon as the matchstick was lit up, the creepy faces of the mutants were revealed.


    With their fangs on display, drooling on the ground, they looked to be pretty delighted and hungry as they saw the two.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened as she got shocked by the bone-chilling sight but surprisingly enough, the girl didn''t scream.


    "Mr. Raven, is this the test?" LeiLei asked softly, almost sounding a bit too calm.


    Marvin couldn''t help but chuckle as he found the girl''s reaction a bit amusing.


    The boy nodded as he confirmed it and responded, "Try your best to stay alive and if you can, try to collect some dead ones as well."


    LeiLei''s face cringed up in disgust as she heard this and the matchstick was already almost burned out completely.


    "If you can bring out a few dead ones, you''ll get paid for the mutant bead," Marvin shrugged his shoulder as he added and as soon as the girl heard the word ''money'' being involved in the situation, her eyes widened in surprise and her lips curled up in delight.


    She dropped the matchstick to the ground and the cave was once again dark, but this time, it was certainly not silent anymore.


    Marvin chuckled softly as he made his way to the side and sat down to enjoy the fight.


    It seemed that the word ''money'' was more than enough to make the girl fight mutants that could possibly kill her.


    Marvin had never seen the girl use her abilities in front of him but since Hecathe had some faith in this girl, Marvin was curious to know what he was going to see today and had high expectations from her.


    Surprisingly enough, LeiLei didn''t disappoint him in the least.


    Marvin closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the cave wall as he sat on the ground with an amused small smile on his face.


    Since the cave was dark, he couldn''t see what was happening but from the sounds alone, he was sure that LeiLei wasn''t the one in danger.


    LeiLei grabbed a handful of small stones from the ground and although such an action might not have made sense to many, she clearly had a plan in her mind.


    The girl was not a good fighter so it was only natural that she wasn''t interested in fighting the mutants.


    With the ability she had, fighting was not even needed for her to pass this test.


    According to what Marvin had told her, all she needed to do was stay alive till the time was up and if she could get a few mutant beads in the process, she would also be able to earn money in this test.


    LeiLei was interested in passing the test since she wanted to join the guild but it seemed that she was more interested in getting the money out of the mutant beads.


    Instead of fighting the mutants, LeiLei decided to be intelligent and took the easy way out.


    With the use of her abilities, she swapped out the stones with the mutant beads and in the process, all the stones that were in her hand turned into pure mutant beads while the mutants started dropping to the ground one by one.


    The mutant bead was like a brain to them. It was the most important organ of their body and without it, the mutants would no longer be able to live. So, when their mutant beads were suddenly turned into small stones, it was only natural that the mutants died.


    Marvin was a bit surprised as he heard the mutants dropping to the ground one by one and he couldn''t help but be even more interested in this girl who had caused such a thing.


    It seemed that Hecathe''s worries were in vain.


    This girl was really not weak nor was she controlled by her fear that was basically non-existent.


    When the test was finally over, the two people were teleported back to the guild and shockingly enough, LeiLei looked to be depressed over the fact that she hadn''t been able to collect that many mutant beads.


    However, when Kelly counted the mutant beads that the girl had brought back, she couldn''t help but be shocked speechless.


    "One hundred and twenty-three pure mutant beads..." Kelly muttered in disbelief and almost looked as if she wanted to count them once again.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this number and tilted her head in confusion as she innocently asked, "Is it too little?"


    Kelly gulped as she heard this question and almost had the urge to bang her head against the wall.


    Marvin, who heard this, also chuckled as he patted the girl''s head softly and commented, "It''s more than enough. You''ve certainly passed the test."


    LeiLei looked to be delighted as she heard this and her eyes lit up in joy as she jumped excitedly, "Really?!~"


    Marvin nodded his head with a warm smile and Kelly also sighed as she nodded her head and agreed with the boy.


    "Welcome to the golden fire..." Kelly muttered as she looked at the girl with an indecipherable expression plastered on her face.


    "Nice to meet you!~" LeiLei immediately beamed as a response.


    "It seems that Hecathe wasn''t wrong about you," Kelly sighed as she added, "You''re really worth the praise."


    LeiLei still had no idea why she was being praised like this but since it wasn''t a bad thing, she simply accepted it.


    "So how much can it fetch me?" LeiLei curiously questioned and Marvin couldn''t help but snicker as he heard this sudden question that he should have already expected to hear.


    "Eh?" Kelly looked to be a little confused as she tilted her head.


    "For the mutant beads," LeiLei smiled as she informed, "You''re going to pay, aren''t you?"


    "..."


    Kelly turned her gaze towards Marvin and it seemed that the woman was asking for an explanation.


    Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, "Don''t look at me like that. She only killed the mutants for the money."


    Kelly sighed as she heard this and rubbed her head as she muttered, "How can both Hecathe and her think of only money...?!"


    "Hmm?" LeiLei raised her eyebrows.


    It came as no shock that LeiLei was immediately given a joining form that Marvin helped her to fill out. The girl had performed really well in the test and had shown almost the same results as Hecathe. Both of their abilities could not be understood nor detected but by the end of it, somehow, the two were able to collect a lot of pure mutant beads and this was impressive enough to make them a little famous in the guild.


    In fact, it was not just them, but Marvin also gained a bit of reputation in the guild as the new recruit who had an impressive alcohol tolerance level. So, it could be said that all three of the new recruits that entered Kelly''s team were famous in just a few days.


    Even though Marvin was famous for completely different reasons, it didn''t change the fact that he was still famous in the guild.


    When LeiLei returned back to the apartment, she brought a big bag of meat back with her and at first, Hecathe was a bit surprised and confused to see this.


    "Did you kill someone?" With raised eyebrows, Hecathe asked as he saw the huge bag filled with meat.


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line as she showed her unimpressed look at this question.


    "I wanted to celebrate!" The girl exclaimed, breathing out angrily.


    "So I suppose you passed the test?" Hecathe asked as he closed the diary and looked at her.


    LeiLei smiled brightly as she nodded her head and responded proudly, "That''s right! Miss Kelly said I was a rare talent. I performed exceptionally well!~"


    "Hmm," Hecathe hummed in satisfaction and didn''t sound to be too surprised as he heard this which made LeiLei frown.

 Chapter 126 - I Already Knew That.

    "Sir, Aren''t you shocked...?!" LeiLei questioned in disbelief as she tilted her head.


    Hecathe shook his head as he truthfully answered, "Not really."


    LeiLei didn''t look to be too happy with this answer and opened her mouth to say something but before the words could roll out of her tongue, the girl heard the man continue.


    "I already knew that you were gonna pass because you''re naturally impressing. Isn''t that why I chose you?"


    LeiLei gulped back all the words that she was about to say and her cheeks suddenly blushed red as she looked away.


    The girl would certainly be lying if she said that she wasn''t happy about the fact that Hecathe trusted her and believed in her abilities. It was certainly the first time in her life that she was meeting someone that had such high expectations from her.


    "But why did you buy so much meat?" Hecathe asked with a small frown as he glanced down at the bag of meat, "It''s not like the two of us can finish all that. Are you planning on throwing a party for the entire city?"


    "This is not for you!" The girl snapped as she pouted her lips and hugged the bag of meat close to her body.


    "Then are you planning on raising dead chickens?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head and it could be sensed that the man was merely teasing the girl because he liked seeing her reactions.


    "How could you even think that?!" LeiLei questioned with a visible frown, feeling a bit offended.


    The Dorgon heard all the yelling but rather than the yelling, it was the smell of fresh meat that had woken the creature up.


    "Master, did you bring me food?" The Dorgon immediately jumped down from the ceiling and questioned excitedly but the excitement seemed to have died down immediately when he saw that it was LeiLei who had brought the meat.


    LeiLei saw the Dorgon coming down and her eyes widened in delight as she beamed, "This is all for Eggy!~"


    Hecathe, "..."


    Hecathe was the one who had saved the girl from the gambling den and brought her all the way to the golden fire guild but the girl was happier to treat the Dorgon that hated her... This was more than enough to make Hecathe feel a little betrayed and speechless.


    "Master, she looks too happy... I think she poisoned the meat," The Dorgon whispered, feeling suspicious of the girl.


    "Eggy says he''s not hungry," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he lied with an honest face.


    "I never said that!" The Dorgon exclaimed, feeling anxious as he looked between the meat and Hecathe, "Master, I''ll eat it! I''ll eat it! I have a strong stomach so poison can''t affect me!"


    Since LeiLei couldn''t hear the Dorgon, it was only natural that she believed Hecathe.


    "Is that so?" The girl suddenly got dejected as she muttered, looking down in disbelief.


    "Master, do something! Tell her that you lied! I''ll eat it! My stomach is always free!"


    "I guess we''ll just feed it to him tomorrow then," LeiLei spoke softly as she shook her head.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but snicker a little as he heard both the sides and felt as if his small revenge was already complete.


    "I was just kidding," Hecathe coughed as he controlled his expressions and spoke, "Eggy is happy to see that you thought about him."


    LeiLei''s face immediately lit up as she heard this and the Dorgon also sighed in relief.


    "Eggy, I knew you''d love it!~" The girl immediately beamed and Hecathe could almost see the reflected light forming two stars in her big innocent eyes that made her appear very child-like and delighted.


    "Tch-" The Dorgon clicked his tongue, but thankfully enough, the girl was a clueless one who couldn''t understand that the Dorgon hated her.


    LeiLei immediately went towards the side and pulled out a large feeding bowl from the shelf and opened the meat to serve it for Eggy.


    Although the Dorgon had clicked his tongue in annoyance and hated the girl, when he saw her taking out the fresh meat, he wagged his tail around, almost looking as if he was suddenly a dog.


    "Eggy, come here and ea-" The girl didn''t even need to finish her words as the dorgon jumped forward and started munching down all the meat with the bones intact.


    Dorgon teeth were more than strong enough to crush bones so it was really not hard for Eggy to eat the meat with the bones intact.


    LeiLei smiled in satisfaction as she lifted her hand to pet the Dorgon''s head and shockingly enough, this time, the Dorgon allowed the girl to touch him without growling or snarling at her.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he saw this and he couldn''t help but feel as if the two were slowly starting to get along. Even if it was just for a few minutes, seeing them live in peace with each other really made Hecathe feel a bit happy.


    "Master, this is really tasty!" The Dorgon exclaimed as he continued eating without any restrain.


    LeiLei couldn''t help but chuckle as she saw the Dorgon acting as if it had been starved.


    "Sir, you should feed it well like this every day," LeiLei spoke as she turned to look at Hecathe with a smile.


    "Master, she has suddenly turned intelligent. You should listen to her!" The Dorgon switched sides easily for a few minutes as he commented.


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head and responded to the girl, "You''re right. Eggy needs a lot of food to grow and I''m afraid I won''t be able to always afford a healthy diet for him."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and thought that money was the problem so she spoke, "Sir, I earned a lot of money today! I can also help."


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to hear this so he questioned, "You earned money? How?"


    LeiLei puffed her chest out proudly as she heard this question and answered, "I collected a lot of those weird mutant beads. They fetched me quite a generous sum."


    "How much did you earn?"


    "Fifty million!~" LeiLei confidently stated and Hecathe''s eyes immediately widened in surprise.


    For her to get so much money in a single day... It was certainly a bit hard to believe that she had only caught normal mutant beads.


    "Were they pure mutant beads?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned in disbelief.


    The girl nodded her head without any sense of hesitation as she heard this question, "That''s right. How did you know?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this question.


    By now, selling pure mutant beads was the only income source for Hecathe so of course, he knew that they would be the only ones capable of fetching such a great amount.


    "How many did you sell?"


    "A bit more than a hundred pure mutant beads," LeiLei shrugged her shoulders as she casually answered and Hecathe was left even more shocked.


    "Excuse me...?" Hecathe questioned in disbelief as he tilted his head, "You sold hundred pure mutant beads for only fifty million...?!"


    LeiLei had no idea how valuable mutant beads were in the black market auction so it was only natural that she didn''t know the reason behind Hecathe''s sudden reaction.


    LeiLei nodded her head with a bit of confusion as she confirmed it and Hecathe sighed in disbelief as he rubbed his forehead.


    "Never do that again," Hecathe spoke as he informed and LeiLei blinked in confusion.


    The girl clearly didn''t know how much money she had lost and Hecathe was afraid that if he gave her the exact calculation, she might just pass out from the shock so the man decided that it was best not to let her know about the numbers.


    "LeiLei, from next time onwards, if you collect pure mutant beads, bring them to me and I''ll pay you ten times more for it."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened as she heard this and the girl enthusiastically reacted almost immediately, "Really?!"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he firmly stated, "You can trust me."


    "Okay, Sir! I''ll bring it right to you!" LeiLei beamed, looking to be quite happy.


    Now that she was also going to be a mage from the golden fire, she was not allowed to pay a visit to the black market auction nor was she allowed to sell the mutant beads to anyone that didn''t belong to the guild.


    It was in the contract that all mages signed in the very beginning when they joined the guild.


    The guild forbade them from selling mutant beads personally and if they gave it over to the guild the mages and hunters would only get a certain percent of the profit. According to how high the member was ranked, the percent of profit would differ.


    Since LeiLei was a fresh face in the guild, it need not even be said that she was given a really small percentage of the total profit which was also considered to be a big loss for her personally.

 Chapter 127 - Addition To The Mission

    A few weeks passed and a new rumor spread like wildfire. During the entire week, Hecathe took in smaller missions from the guild, and at night, he went out hunting mutants illegally outside the city gates.


    The man would only head out at night since LeiLei would most likely be sleeping at that time around.


    Hecathe was now a member of the golden fire guild so he had a license to kill the mutants but that license only worked if he was sent out to the mutant caves with the permit of the guild. Hunting alone in the wild like this was still considered illegal for the man, however, this was the only way Hecathe could harvest some pure mutant beads.


    If he were to go on a guild mission and pocket mutant beads from there, people were surely going to consider him suspicious and that was the last thing the man wanted.


    Hunting in the wild was much more convenient and safer for him personally.


    Ever since the rumor had started to surface, Hecathe would go out at night like this, and every now and then, he would make his presence known, making people think that he was the rumored Orgon''s killer who would only appear at night.


    At first, all Hecathe wanted to do was instill some fear into the minds of the people and make them aware that the rumor was true, however, he certainly didn''t expect something like a man-hunt to begin.


    Orgon was a public figure who was considered a hero. He was almost on the same level as the great Edler so it need not even be said that the man had a lot of fans and followers.


    When these fans and followers heard the news about the real killer roaming the outskirts of the city freely at night, they started a manhunt and it was truly a bit troublesome for Hecathe who had to be extra careful now not to get caught.


    At first, being careful worked but eventually, the guild also got involved in this man-hunt and Hecathe had to stop going out to hunt mutants at night.


    At first glance, it could be seen that the rumors had indeed caused some chaos, but there was still no movement from the real killer, and this worried Hecathe just a bit.


    Hecathe was sure that there was no mistake in his calculations and this was also one of the reasons why he couldn''t help but be confused and a bit shocked when the days went by normally without any threats suddenly arising.


    However, thankfully enough, Hecathe''s worries didn''t need to last long.


    When Hecathe reached the guild and entered Kelly''s office to greet the woman in the morning like he always did, he was a bit taken back to see the awful state that she was in


    Kelly was usually a calm and collected person. She would always have a neutral facial expression and would also give out this professional aura that warned people not to mess with her.


    "Oh my... You look like a mess," Marvin commented as he entered the room after Hecathe.


    LeiLei also entered the office and her eyes widened slightly in worry as she asked, "Are you okay?"


    Kelly''s glaring sharp eyes snapped towards Hecathe and the man couldn''t help but feel as if he had done something wrong.


    The room was colder than usual and her face was also paler than usual making her almost look half dead.


    "Hecathe, we have another addition to the mission," Kelly spoke and didn''t sound too happy about it.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head.


    "He wants us to find the fake killer as well."


    "..." Hecathe was left speechless as he heard this and he repeated the woman''s words in his mind as he wondered why she was so disturbed about this.


    This was exactly what Hecathe had wanted.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he spoke, "That''s a good thing."


    Kelly was left shocked as she heard this response and her eyebrows creased together in suspicion as she looked at the man.


    "Eh?" LeiLei was completely unaware of what the topic of this conversation was so it was only natural for the girl to be confused as she questioned, "What are you two talking about?"


    Hecathe didn''t bother answering the girl as he kept his eyes on Kelly and asked, "Why are you worrying about it? Isn''t it a good thing that the client is willing to pay more?"


    This additional mission clearly came with an additional charge and if the guild''s profits were to be concerned, then this was certainly considered to be good news.


    "And the fake killer is you!" Kelly snapped at the man, "How can you turn yourself in for this mission?! You''re going to get killed!"


    From the worry that could be sensed in the woman''s face and words, Hecathe was sure that Kelly knew exactly what type of dangerous person they were dealing with.


    Hecathe chuckled as he commented, "You shouldn''t be so worried about me. Since it was my plan, I naturally have something in mind. For now, don''t inform the client that the fake killer is me."


    Mages were not obliged to tell the clients how they got the mission completed so it would naturally be easy for the woman to keep this a secret.


    "Just what in the hell are you planning?" Kelly asked with a sigh as she rubbed her forehead in distress.


    Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he responded, "You''ll know by the end of it."


    It looked as if Kelly had something more to say but before the woman could say anything, Hecathe bowed his head slightly as he got ready to leave the room.


    "We''ll be taking our leave now. If there is any news from the client''s side then contact me as soon as possible."


    Kelly frowned as she heard this but didn''t dare hold the man back as she nodded her head and simply let him go.


    LeiLei had no idea what type of conversation she had just witnessed and she was clueless from the start to the finish, not even being able to grasp the topic of the conversation. When Hecathe got ready to leave, LeiLei also bid the woman goodbye and followed after Hecathe.


    The two left the room and Marvin stayed behind for a bit.


    "Miss Kelly, are you reallly not going to tell us who the client is?" Marvin asked with an indecipherable expression plastered on his face.


    Kelly looked at the boy for a solid minute in silence before she eventually sighed and shook her head, "I''m afraid it''s against our policies. You don''t need to know who he is."


    Marvin chuckled dryly as he heard that latter statement and couldn''t help but find it a bit amusing as he responded, "You''re wrong. It''s very important for us to know who the client is. I''m sure you''ve realized it as well. There''s no way somebody would randomly be interested in this case."


    Kelly''s eyes narrowed down on the boy and she tilted her head as she questioned, "Are you accusing the client or suspecting him?"


    Marvin shrugged his shoulder with a smirk as he heard this and replied, "I wouldn''t have suspected him if he hadn''t acted this suspicious."


    Kelly''s frown deepened as she heard this but she didn''t dare say anything more and Marvin also decided to leave it at that.


    The boy nodded his head and turned to leave the room.


    "These kids... Are they going to be okay...?" Kelly muttered a question to herself once she was left alone in the room.


    .


    .


    .


    "So you''re the rumored murderer?" Marvin managed to catch up to Hecathe and LeiLei as he questioned with a chuckle.


    "Why don''t you announce it to the world?" Hecathe asked sarcastically.


    "What are you two talking about?" LeiLei innocently asked as she looked between the two.


    Hecathe shook his head lightly and patted her head as he spoke, "It doesn''t concern you. You don''t need to know."


    LeiLei immediately frowned as she heard this and Hecathe still didn''t want to tell her.


    Letting Marvin know was okay but letting LeiLei know about the plan was a bit dangerous for the girl and Hecathe didn''t want to put her in danger.


    If she gets too interested in this case then there was a chance that she might find out Hecathe''s identity as Alphius and that was going to be troublesome considering the fact that Alphius had probably killed the girl''s father.


    "Sir, how can you hide things from me?" LeiLei whined, "I thought we were partners!"


    Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard this.


    "I never agreed to be your partner. I''m your employer, not your partner," Hecathe stated without caring about how harsh his words were.


    "Now now. Don''t get into a fight over this," Marvin sighed as he got in between, "LeiLei, he doesn''t even consider me his partner so it''s okay. He''s just that kind of a cold bully."


    Hecathe, "..."

 Chapter 128 - What Would You Do?

    Marvin smiled as he turned to face LeiLei and raised his hands to cover her ears with a smile before he questioned Hecathe.


    "Are you now sure that it''s him?"


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this question and it didn''t take him long to understand what the boy was talking about.


    "It''s definitely him. We are working for the one who killed your father," Hecathe responded as he shrugged his shoulders and Marvin softly cursed under his breath as he uncovered LeiLei''s ears.


    "What the hell?! You''re also helping him keep secrets from me!" LeiLei exclaimed as she pointed at Marvin accusingly.


    Marvin shook his head and simply chuckled as he refused to reply to the girl and continued walking ahead.


    "What is wrong with you two?!" LeiLei stomped on the ground as she got left behind and had to run in order to catch up to the two who had left her behind.


    "LeiLei, let me ask you a question," Marvin spoke as he heard the girl''s footsteps rushing behind him and he didn''t even wait for LeiLee''s response as he asked the question, "Let''s say that your father was killed by someone and that someone was never caught or punished for the murder. What would you do?"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this question and side-glanced at the boy in suspicion.


    LeiLei was a bit confused as she heard this random question and it took her an entire minute to even make sense of the question.


    "You''re asking me what I would do?" LeiLei innocently asked as she pointed at herself and tilted her head sightly.


    Marvin nodded his head as he confirmed it and the girl took another few minutes to think about the answer before she eventually got ready to answer the random question.


    "I don''t know," LeiLei spoke with a frown, "My father... Well, he passed away a long time ago so I can''t even remember his face that well. Even when he was still alive, he would hardly come to visit me and my mother was the one who always took care of me. I was close to my mother and loved her a lot while my father was more like a role model for me. I simply wanted to be acknowledged by him."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this answer and cautiously glanced at the girl with a bit of worry.


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin smile as he heard this story that had somehow managed to make him connect with the girl more.


    "But no matter how much I loved and adored them, one day, they got taken away from me forever. I was little but I still remember that day," LeiLei looked down at the floor and her footsteps slowed down as she continued softly, "My mother was with me at home and somebody knocked on the door. My mom tucked me in bed and went to open the door. It was a bit late and normally there would be no guests at around that time so it was naturally a bit strange. I remember being worried for no reason. I was unable to sleep and felt uneasy."


    Marvin glanced at Hecathe for a second as he heard this part but Hecathe not only looked worried but also looked as if he was feeling sorry for the girl.


    "I went down to check on my mother but she was already not there. She had left with the door wide open and I immediately knew that there was something wrong. It was dark but I still decided to leave the house and went out to search for my mother."


    "Did you find her?" Marvin asked an obvious question.


    LeiLei shook her head and forced herself to smile as she spoke, "How can that be? It was drizzling and cold. Before I knew it, I passed out on the street and when I woke up, I was told that they were both dead."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he couldn''t quite understand it.


    Alphius had been the one to kill her father but how did her mother die...?


    Hecathe was curious to know but he felt as if it would be a rude question so he didn''t dare ask the girl.


    Marvin, however, was not that sensible and he didn''t even think twice before he questioned, "How did your mother die?"


    LeiLei shook her head as she spoke, "She chose it for herself."


    Hecathe and Marvin both were shocked as they heard this and their eyes widened in that shock.


    "She received news that father had been killed and she also decided to follow after him," LeiLei spoke up as she added and there was a sense of pain in her voice as she continued, "I loved her a lot but turns out that she loved him more than me. She didn''t even think about me and decided to abandon me as she chose to follow after him."


    Marvin gently grabbed LeiLei''s hand and squeezed it reassuringly without saying anything. Hecathe also did the same as he grabbed her other arm and gently squeezed it.


    "You asked what I would do if I found out that my father was killed? Well, I don''t think I can answer that question cause as you can see, I have done nothing so far," LeiLei looked up at the boy with a smile that lacked any joy.


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and felt as if he should''ve never asked such a question.


    "What if you knew the murderer?" This time, it was Hecathe who questioned and LeiLei looked to be a bit taken back as her eyes slightly widened.


    "Eh?"


    "What if you knew the person who killed your father? What if he was someone really close to you? What if that person hid it from you and treated you well?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard all these questions and she looked to be a bit tongue-tied, however, Hecathe was in no hurry and patiently waited for her to answer.


    "Um... It depends," LeiLei answered after thinking about it for a bit, "I think I would feel betrayed and I''ll probably be sad as well. I might not ever want to meet the person again and I might even come to hate them."


    "..." Marvin and Hecathe glanced at each other for a second and it was clear what the two were thinking.


    From this answer alone, they had decided to keep it a secret forever.


    "But I don''t think I''ll go for revenge," LeiLei chuckled as she spoke, "Because everything happened for a reason and I don''t think there would be any use of me taking revenge so late."


    "And in any case, I got to meet you because of it all so I don''t think revenge matters," LeiLei beamed as she looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe was stabbed by guilt as he saw the delighted smile on her face.


    Marvin sighed out loud as he rubbed her head with his left hand, "You''re such a nice kid."


    LeiLei turned to look at the boy with a frown as she pointed out, "We''re the same age... Stop calling me a kid."


    "My father also died," Marvin revealed with a small smile and LeiLei was a bit surprised as she heard this.


    "He was also killed," Marvin added with a small nod as he closed his eyes and spoke, "It happened a few months ago and I am still unable to move on from it."


    Hecathe and LeiLei curiously looked at the boy who randomly started narrating his own story and Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder if it was time to share sad stories.


    "When he died, I couldn''t bring myself to believe it. I forced myself to search for him because I felt that he was still alive. I felt that he was out there somewhere waiting for me to find him, but unfortunately, I was wrong."


    This was certainly the first time Hecathe was hearing such a detailed story from Marvin''s side so he was naturally just as interested as LeiLei.


    "When I finally came to terms with the fact that he was dead, there were no longer any tears left to shed. I had no idea what I was supposed to feel and days went by just like that. Someone whom I trusted and looked up to came and told me that my father had been killed by one of my closest friends," Marvin sighed as he continued, "I couldn''t believe him but he then showed me proof. For a moment there, I lost my mind completely."


    LeiLei bit her lip as she heard the boy''s story and she couldn''t help but empathize with him.


    "I decided to avenge my father''s death. It was the last thing I could do for him. In a state of anger, I trapped my friend and betrayed him. He trusted me, because of which he easily fell into the trap, and I... I killed him," Marvin admitted out loud as he stepped out of the guild and looked up at the sky.


    The sky was crowded with dark clouds and Marvin sighed as he saw it.


    It looked as if there was a storm coming but it had been like that for a few weeks and there was still no rain. The clouds were still there, just looking as if they were waiting for something.

 Chapter 129 - To Say Sorry

    "Did you apologize to him?" LeiLei asked and Marvin didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this question.


    "How could I beg for forgiveness when I was the one that had killed him in the first place?" Marvin asked a bit sarcastically and LeiLei frowned as she heard this.


    "You should have still said sorry," LeiLei spoke as she pointed up at the sky, "Maybe he was waiting to hear it."


    Marvin couldn''t understand what the girl was trying to say so he simply blinked in confusion while Hecathe, on the other side, chuckled as he looked up at the dark sky.


    "You think someone would wait to hear something such as a simple apology?" Hecathe asked without thinking about it too much.


    "Why not?" LeiLei turned to look at Hecathe as she questioned, "If it was a close friend then that friend must have also felt horrible."


    "Why would he feel horrible? Wasn''t he the one who was wronged?" Hecathe titled his head as he questioned.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she responded, "You''re right. He was the victim but he''s already dead. Raven is the one who has to live on with the guilt and pain of having killed that friend. If I was the friend then I would have certainly felt horrible for making him suffer because of me."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but blink in surprise as he heard this and at the same time, he also felt as if he was hearing something stupid that actually made some sense.


    "It''s the ones who live that feel pain. They are the ones suffering the most," LeiLei sighed as she added and Hecathe somehow agreed with her.


    "That''s a good thing," Marvin muttered as he looked down at the floor, "I was the one who killed him so I should be the one to suffer. It''s good that I''m the one suffering. I deserve it."


    LeiLei had the urge to slap the boy''s face as she heard this.


    "Suffering isn''t the answer!" LeiLei spoke up firmly, "You should realize your mistake and find a way to make everything better. Instead of wasting away loathing yourself, you should try to make something out of your life! Because you''re the one that is living... You need to live for him as well. You need to be happy for him as well."


    Hecathe thought that Marvin and LeiLei were alike but after hearing this argument between the two, he understood that there was a big difference between them.


    Although their situation was somewhat the same, how they dealt with it and what they took away from it were entirely different.


    "That''s why you should apologize," LeiLei let go of Marvin''s hand and raised her hand to smack his head softly as she scolded, "You should apologize to him in your heart and learn to move on."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and felt as if this girl was going to be causing trouble.


    On one hand, Hecathe was trying his best to agitate Marvin to take revenge while on the other hand, this girl was trying to teach him to let everything go.


    If Marvin started to believe her then it was certainly going to be troublesome...!


    "Let it go?" Marvin muttered a question as he looked at the girl before asking seriously, "Then what do I do with the one who murdered my father and framed my friend? Should I let him go as well?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this sudden question that was a bit unexpected for her.


    After an entire minute, the girl snapped angrily as she answered the question, "You should kill him, of course! Letting go of the guilt and pain is not the same as forgiving the one who committed the crime!"


    Both Marvin and Hecathe were shocked by her ruthless response and Hecathe couldn''t help but want to sigh in relief as he heard the girl.


    Thankfully enough she wasn''t the angelic forgiving type...


    On second thoughts, Hecathe felt that this was also not good news for him since it would mean that she wouldn''t readily forgive Alphius for her father''s death.


    Marvin suddenly chuckled as a response and Hecathe couldn''t help but do the same as he found the girl''s response a bit amusing.


    "Then I''ll take your word for it," Marvin spoke in between his chuckle and although LeiLei felt as if she had inspired the boy to do something, she had no idea what that thing was.


    Suddenly LeiLei and Marvin turned to look at Hecathe and the man immediately stopped laughing as he tilted his head in confusion and questioned, "What is it?"


    "Sir, what about you?" LeiLei asked enthusiastically, "We just told you our stories. You must have one as well, don''t you?"


    "Eh?" Hecathe was suddenly a bit taken back and at first, he thought about avoiding this question, but when he saw the curious eyes on him, he couldn''t help but feel guilty and his guilt made him sigh as he decided to answer.


    "My father is not dead," Hecathe spoke as he shook his head and this was not the story of Alphius but the story of Hecathe himself, "And my mother is also alive."


    LeiLei and Marvin were a bit speechless as they heard this and looked to be even more curious.


    "Then why are you always alone?" LeiLei tilted her head as she questioned.


    "Cause they are too far away," Hecathe simply shrugged his shoulders and answered as he kept walking with his eyes looking ahead at the road in front, "My relationship with them is also not bad. They were caring and had spoiled me a lot."


    LeiLei pouted as she heard this and felt a little jealous of the man for having such a different story from the two of them.


    "But it has actually been quite some years since I last visited my mom," Hecathe sighed as he revealed, "And I was always too busy to go meet up with my old man."


    "Wha~ You''re such a bad child," LeiLei spoke with a frown as she mentally judged the man from these two sentences alone.


    "You see, a few years ago, I was out on a vacation with my parents and I found this odd shiny green stone. It was something that had never been found before and my mother decided to collect it for examination. Turns out that it was a powerful resource that shouldn''t be carelessly handled by humans. My mother was a good person who wanted to keep it from the world. She decided to hide it and in the process, she slowly started becoming obssessed with it."


    This was the first time Marvin and LeiLei were hearing such a story so it was only natural that the two were surprised and curious to hear more.


    It was also the first time that Hecathe was telling anybody this story so the man also felt a little awkward as he continued.


    "Her obsession started to affect our family and also our relationship. When I grew up, we found out that it was impossible to hide something forever. Me and my father didn''t share the same ideals as her. We believed that the more you try to hide something, there would be more chances of your secret being found out. So we stopped without her permission," Hecathe sighed as he informed.


    "Did she hate you for it?" LeiLei cautiously asked and Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle dryly as he heard her.


    "It would have been better if that was it."


    LeiLei''s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she heard this and Marvin looked as if he had an idea of what might have really happened.


    "She went crazy," Hecathe spoke with a thin smile that lacked any joy, "Tried to murder both me and my father."


    "..."


    "We were lucky enough to survive and later on, we had to put her in a special facility that was tightly protected and had the best psychiatrists in the country."


    "She became a mutant...?!" LeiLei tilted her head as she asked with shock and Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this question.


    In this world, saying that people went crazy was the same as saying that they had turned into a mutant so of course, the girl wouldn''t understand the real situation that Hecathe was trying to explain.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and patiently explained, "Let''s just say that she didn''t become a mutant but was ill instead. And her sickness is currently being treated."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and felt sympathy for the man, "That must have felt awful."


    Hecathe nodded his head.


    "But why didn''t you go and visit her?" Marvin asked as he looked at Hecathe.


    "Because it hurt me to see her like that," Hecathe spoke with a small dry chuckle, "Whenever I went to pay her a visit, she would throw something at me and tell me to get out."


    LeiLei squeezed Hecathe''s hand reassuringly and spoke with a small smile, "It''s okay. I''m sure she''ll get better one day."

 Chapter 130 - Visiting

    "Auntie, I''m here to visit you," Said a guy who looked rather young and had his outgrown hair tied up neatly in a ponytail behind his head.


    He wore a nice black suit that was custom-made according to his body structure and fit him perfectly.


    He stood in front of the door but didn''t dare open it. On either side of the door were guards who were stationed to strictly protect the person inside and to also make sure that the person inside didn''t get a chance to leave the room without permission.


    The man waited for a response from the woman inside but a few minutes passed and he heard nothing.


    He sighed as he looked at one of the guards and the guard nodded in understanding as he opened the door for the man.


    Once the door was open, a small white pillow came flying towards the entryway but the man caught the pillow easily with a small smile.


    "It''s nice to see you being so lively," The man chuckled softly as he commented and entered the room.


    The guard closed the door behind him and the woman sitting on the bed glared at the man who had entered uninvited.


    "How have you been?" He asked as he leisurely took a seat on the visitor''s couch that faced the bed.


    "Azazel," The woman gritted out as she glared at the man and the man nodded his head.


    "It''s nice to see that you still remember me," Azazel spoke with an honest smile, but the woman didn''t look to be as happy as him.


    "Why the hell are you here?!" She shouted at Azazel as she questioned and this seemed to be normal behavior for her considering the fact that the man was not shocked in the least.


    "Your son-" Azazel started with a sigh but was not able to complete his sentence as the woman cut his words short and threw a table lamp at him as she shouted.


    "I have no son! Don''t you dare talk about that devil in front of me!"


    Azazel tilted his head to the side and avoided the table lamp that came flying at him. He was so used to this situation that his body effortlessly moved on instinct and the table lamp ended up colliding against the wall that was behind him.


    "Then let''s talk about that devil," Azazel looked down at the floor and sighed as he spoke up calmly once again, "He''s dying."


    The woman had already picked up something else to throw at him but when she heard this, her actions paused and there was a split second of disbelief flashing through her eyes.


    "What...?" She muttered softly, questioning whether she had heard it right or not.


    "I wanted to tell you this sooner but you weren''t in a stable condition," Azazel gulped as he spoke and lifted his head to look at the woman as he questioned, "Hasn''t it been a really long time since you''ve seen him?"


    The woman put the remote of the air conditioner down on the table as she heard this and had a complicated expression plastered on her face as she dare not give a verbal response to that.


    "Don''t you want to see your son?" Azazel asked and there was a sense of sadness in his voice as he continued, "The doctors say that he might never wake up. In the worst-case scenario... We might never get to see him again."


    The woman gulped as she heard this and her eyes widened as she frowned, shouting, "I do not have a son! My son died years ago!"


    Azazel was a bit stunned to hear this but it only took him a minute to sigh as he accepted such a reaction.


    "Get out of here!!" The woman shouted once again as she picked up the remote and threw it at the man.


    Azazel once again acted on instinct and caught the remote that came flying towards his face.


    "In that case, I wouldn''t want to waste any more of your time," Azazel spoke with a small smile that lacked any joy. He put the remote on the side table as he continued, "I just wanted to inform you because I thought Hecathe would want me to do that."


    It hadn''t even been complete ten minutes since Azazel had come here but he already got up and got ready to leave the place as he said his goodbyes.


    When he was at the door, with his right hand wrapped around the doorknob, he was forced to stop as he heard the woman.


    "That devil you talk of... Why is he dying...?" The woman asked with a cold tone that lacked any emotions.


    Azazel''s lips curled up in a small smile as he heard this question and he was happy to know that even though the woman showed that she didn''t care, there was still a caring mother inside her that was curious to know.


    She was in a rather stable condition today so if he wanted to talk to her, there would be no other time more perfect than this.


    "A car crash. Somebody tried to kill him," Azazel answered the question honestly as he spoke, "The police are still investigating but they are sure that it was planned."


    "Good for him," The woman scoffed and for some reason, Azazel felt a little disappointed as he heard this reaction, "He deserved what he got."


    For a mother to say something like that about her own son... It was truly a bit disturbing and saddening.


    Azazel was raised by his single father and the closest mother figure in his life had been this woman who used to once be his neighbor.


    Hecathe and Azazel had an age gap of seven years between them, but since they lived so close to one another as children, they had always been close friends.


    Hecathe was a man who didn''t like to get too close to other people and Azazel was a man who was bad at choosing friends.


    Somehow, most of his friends would become his enemies who were after his life. Even in dating, the man had no luck since all of his dates would end with either the woman running away with her life or straight-up stalking him out of obsession.


    When they were young, Azazel and Hecathe thought that they would slowly drift apart and make new friends but contrary to their expectations, they never got the chance to drift apart and made a lot of acquaintances but no friends.


    With time, they felt that it was okay like this and got used to it. Azazel would have never guessed that his one and only friend would end up in the hospital like this because of reckless driving.


    Hecathe was a reckless person, this much was a well-known fact about him. He was impulsive and it was hard to change his mind once he had decided something.


    To put it in simpler words, he was a reckless stubborn annoying bastard.


    So when Azazel first came to hear that the man got into a car accident, although he was shocked, it was easier for him to accept it because he knew it was just like Hecathe to end up like that.


    Compared to the news of the man being involved in an accident, it was more shocking to know that this accident had been pre-planned by someone who wanted him dead.


    But of course, that was also not the most shocking thing considering the fact that Hecathe had made a lot of enemies.


    The most shocking thing for Azazel was perhaps the fact that he had to be the one who was taking care of the dying Hecathe...!


    The man had a mother and a father but they were both not there to take care of him!


    His mother was stuck here denying the existence of such a son while his father was busy with his company, not even having time to visit his dying son!


    Azazel came here to visit Hecathe''s mother with the hopes of changing the woman''s mind but it seemed that his plans were bound to fail from the very beginning itself.


    Azazel sighed as he got out of the building and his phone immediately started ringing.


    When he looked at the called ID, he almost wanted to curse the heavens for putting him in such a situation.


    Not only did he have to look after the dying Hecathe who was lying on the hospital bed but he also had to look after the man''s company that was in a mess after the accident.


    This was precisely because Hecathe had made Azazel his heir to the company without the man''s permission.


    Azazel was a person who hated working and now he was being forced to work his ass off just because he was the only trustable friend that Hecathe had.


    Normally people would be happy to know that their friend had done something like that for them, but Azazel was far from happy.


    If Hecathe were to wake up tomorrow, the first thing he would meet would be a punch to the face followed by a string of curses from Azazel.

 Chapter 131 - Lets Go Do Something Fun

    "By the way, why are we suddenly talking about such depressing stuff?" Hecathe sighed as he questioned.


    "Raven started it," LeiLei responded as she blamed the boy who simply shrugged his shoulders.


    "Where are we headed?" Marvin didn''t bother continuing the topic as he questioned.


    "Hmm..." Hecathe hummed but didn''t give a response as he stopped in his tracks.


    LeiLei and Marvin also came to a stop as they saw the man and were confused as they simply stood there, looking at the man expectantly.


    "I thought you two were the ones leading," Hecathe spoke as he innocently blinked and looked at the two.


    "..." Marvin was speechless as he heard this and LeiLei looked as if she couldn''t believe her ears.


    They had come out of the guild and they were walking aimlessly without any direction in mind.


    "Sir, I thought you were taking us somewhere," LeiLei titled her head as she spoke in a questioning manner.


    "No, I wasn''t," Hecathe shook his head as he responded without any sense of hesitation, "Kelly looked like she was about to go crazy so we came out."


    "..."


    "But since we are already out, why don''t we go and do something fun?" Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smile as he asked.


    "Something fun?" Mavin and LeiLei repeated together as they looked at the man curiously, waiting for him to continue.


    Hecathe took a deep breath in and nodded his head as he spoke, "Let''s go and terrorize some people."


    Marvin blinked as he repeated the man''s words in his head and wondered if he had heard it right and LeiLei wondered if Hecathe had lost his mind suddenly.


    "If it''s something illegal then please leave me out of it," Marvin sighed as he spoke after taking a  minute to confirm that he had indeed heard it right.


    "Sir, I''m okay even if it is something illegal but I won''t be interested in killing anyone," LeiLei also responded with a thin smile plastered on her face.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard these responses that were laced with worry.


    "It''s not something illegal," Hecathe spoke as he reassured, "It''s going to be fun so follow me if you want."


    Hecathe turned and walked ahead after saying this much, leaving Marvin and LeiLei behind to make their choice on whether to follow him or not.


    LeiLei gulped as she turned to look at Marvin who simultaneously turned to look back at her.


    "You gonna follow?" Marvin asked with an expression that could not be deciphered.


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin smile as she responded unhesitantly, "I''ll follow him since we are partners."


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and with an unimpressed expression, he rolled his eyes as he stated, "Then I''ll be following too."


    LeiLei chuckled as she heard this response but didn''t bother saying anything more as she ran ahead and caught up with Hecathe who was taking them to an unknown place.


    Marvin sighed as he calmly walked, following the other two who were walking ahead.


    He had a bad feeling about this but he was also curious to know what Hecathe had in mind so he couldn''t help but follow the man.


    After walking for thirty minutes or so, Marvin and LeiLei both came to the realization that Hecathe was headed out of the city, but they didn''t bother asking about it and simply continued following the man with a small frown on their faces.


    When they were out of the city gate, Marvin pulled LeiLei back and whispered a question near her ear, "Doesn''t it seem suspicious?"


    LeiLei nodded her head as she replied, agreeing with the man, "It almost feels as if he''s about to kill us. The woods make a perfect ditching spot as well."


    Marvin didn''t agree with that theory because he knew that Hecathe wouldn''t go through this much trouble just to kill them but he didn''t bother saying anything to that either.


    After walking for another ten minutes, LeiLei couldn''t hold it in anymore and decided to question out loud, "Sir, where are we going?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smirk but he didn''t bother turning around as he responded to the girl, "Zeblor."


    "Zeblor?!" Both LeiLei and Marvin had the same stunned reaction as they repeated the name and questioned whether they had heard it right or not.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this expected response and the man nodded his head as he confirmed it, "That''s right. We''ll be terrorizing the outskirts of the city."


    "..." Marvin gulped as he mentally concluded that Hecathe had probably lost his mind.


    And even LeiLei felt the same, but compared to Marvin, LeiLei was much more open with her thoughts.


    "Sir, you''re going to get us killed."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and shook his head but didn''t bother saying anything to that.


    LeiLei had never gone to Zeblor before this, although the city was neighboring to Ocasia. However, even without having to go, the girl was still well aware of how dangerous it was.


    Unlike Ocasia, Zeblor was the capital city that was directly ruled under the three willows of spring.


    Unlike LeiLei, Marvin was basically raised in Zeblor and lived there for most of his life so he would naturally know the full extent of how dangerous it was going to be for them to randomly go to that damned capital.


    "Hecathe, you have to be crazy," Marvin muttered out loud in disbelief as he looked at Hecathe''s moving back that looked to be determined.


    "The question isn''t whether I''m crazy or not," Hecathe sighed as he spoke and side-glanced back at the two, "The question is whether you are crazy enough to trust me?"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this question and the boy immediately understood that this was not a question that was to be answered on impulse.


    LeiLei was yet to catch on to what Hecathe truly meant so the girl innocently nodded her head as she responded, "Of course, we trust you."


    Hecathe chuckled softly and nodded his head in satisfaction as he heard this, but Marvin didn''t dare be as careless as the girl.


    "Stop wasting time on such questions," Marvin spoke up after a minute of contemplation.


    "Hmm? So you trust me?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked and Marvin refused to give a straightforward response to that.


    "What are you planning on doing? Isn''t this too reckless?" Marvin questioned back as he avoided answering the question that had been thrown at him.


    "Reckless?" Hecathe repeated as he pondered over it for a minute and nodded his head as he stated calmly, "It is indeed a bit reckless considering the fact that we are going to be inciting some enemies, but it might push things to work quicker."


    "Push things to work... Quicker?" Marvin frowned as he repeated the man''s words in a questioning manner.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he added, "We need to find your father''s killer fast, don''t we? After all, the faster we find him, the faster everything would come to an end."


    Marvin''s eyes widened slightly as he understood Hecathe''s true intentions. This man was planning a war... There was no doubt about it.


    LeiLei was hearing all this for the first time so her eyes widened in shock as she repeated Hecathe''s words in her mind and questioned out loud, almost shouting her lungs out, "You''re hunting after the killer?!"


    The girl already knew that Hecathe was hunting after someone that he often referred to as a ''whale'' but till now, the girl was unsure about the real identity of this so-called ''whale''. Now that she heard this piece of information rolling out from Hecathe''s tongue, she mentally put the pieces of the puzzle together and concluded that Hecathe was probably hunting after the killer to avenge Marvin''s father.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile and nodded before sighing as he casually spoke, "Well, now you know."


    LeiLei simply blinked as she heard this and her mouth hung open as the shock took time to settle in and fade away.


    "LeiLei, you''ll help us, won''t you?" Hecathe asked as he glanced back at the girl and it was certainly the first time the man was asking for the girl''s help.


    Normally, he would always try to hire her with the lure of money but now that he was using a different strategy, LeiLei was even more surprised and speechless as she simply gulped in response, not knowing what to say to that.


    "Be careful, he''s trying to trick you," Marvin''s eyes narrowed down on the man and he shook his head with a sigh in disbelief as he warned the girl beforehand, but even after having heard this warning, the girl didn''t look to be that suspicious of Hecathe as she finally nodded her head without saying anything.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he saw this response, "That''s great."


    Marvin felt his eyes twitch as he snapped his head towards the girl and commented, "What an idiot."


    LeiLei, "..."

 Chapter 132 - The Signal Is Beauty

    "LeiLei, you wait for my signal and if it gets too dangerous in there, you immediately take us back to Ocasia," Hecathe instructed in a serious tone that certainly had the authoritative feel to it.


    LeiLei blinked in surprise as she took a minute to understand the man and nodded her head.


    "Okay," The girl agreed and Hecathe nodded.


    "The signal is the word ''beauty''. If I say the word then without any questions asked, you take us back," Hecathe continued as he spoke.


    LeiLei once again nodded her head but frowned just a few seconds later as she questioned in confusion, "Why is it such a common word?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this but didn''t bother giving a response to it as he felt that the girl would be able to figure it out on her own.


    Marvin, who understood why Hecathe had chosen this word, couldn''t help but snicker as he spoke, "It''s because he would never compliment someone. It''s a common word for me and for a beauty like you, but I believe it doesn''t even exist in his vocabulary."


    LeiLei was a bit surprised as she heard this but when she looked back at Hecathe and remembered his personality, she felt that this was indeed a possibility.


    She could never imagine the man calling anyone beautiful... Just thinking about such a word coming out of the man''s mouth sent a shiver down her spine.


    Hecathe kept his lips pursed and didn''t dare say anything to that since Marvin had really guessed it right.


    Hecathe specially chose this word that he had heard a lot from Marvin because he knew that he himself would never be using such a word in a conversation.


    Hecathe was really not the type to compliment people...


    "Sir, this indirectly means that you also think this is going to be dangerous...?" LeiLei sighed as she pointed out and Hecathe nodded his head once again.


    "I wouldn''t say that it is going to be safe, but you need to trust me on this." Hecathe responded seriously, "And I''m also going to be trusting you this one time. Let this be practice for what''s waiting for us ahead in the future."


    LeiLei had no idea that Hecathe was planning a war so of course, she innocently nodded her head in understanding as she trusted the man.


    .


    .


    .


    They were walking along a forest route that was famously infested with mutants but so far, no mutants had come near them and this was because Hecathe was controlling them in order to keep them away.


    There were still close by in case he needed them, but at the same time, he had ordered them not to be seen since he didn''t want to freak LeiLei out.


    LeiLei and Marvin seemed to be aware of the fact that they were not being attacked by mutants which was an occurrence considered to be normal in this forest, however, although they had noticed the lack of mutants, they didn''t question it and kept walking.


    Marvin already knew what type of power Alphius had so it wasn''t shocking to see the boy be so laid back, however, LeiLei was still unaware of the fact that Hecathe could control the mutants but she still nonchalantly continued walking with confidence as she didn''t bother questioning it.


    Zeblor was right next to Ocasia, however, although they were neighbors, there was a dangerous forest in between them that made it hard for people to go from one city to another.


    Usually, people would travel to Zeblor for work, and for this, they would use a different route that went around the forest because although it was a longer route, it was still safer and people prioritized their safety over their time and energy.


    However, since Hecathe didn''t need to worry about the mutants, he chose the quickest route that could get him to Zeblor, but even this quick route took at least a solid half an hour.


    Ignoring the fact that it was shorter and less time-consuming, there was also another reason why Hecathe had chosen this route and it was because they could get to Zeblor easily through this route that was not heavily guarded.


    Zeblor was the capital city so it was only natural that the city was thoroughly protected and in order to get to the city, one would need to pass all security checks that Hecathe was already bound to fail because of his identity as Alphius.


    Hecathe was sure that he would meet guards through this route as well but at least, the guards would be lesser in number and not as strong as the ones guarding the main gate of the city.


    "Sir, why do you want to terrorize the people there?" LeiLei suddenly spoke up and asked innocently as she tilted her head.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this question and shrugged his shoulder as he lied through an honest expression, "Why not? It''s going to be fun and it would be a good chance to see just how powerful the guards are."


    This was a lie and at the same time, it was not completely a lie since Hecathe really was planning on testing how strong the guards were around the place.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this response and the girl didn''t look to have believed it as she questioned, "You previously said that you were hunting the one who killed Raven''s father. Does that person live in Zeblor?"


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he heard this question and couldn''t help but think that the girl was certainly the curious and talkative type.


    Hecathe took a minute as he sighed and responded, "It''s better if you don''t know who that person is."


    The suspect on Marvin and Hecathe''s mind at the moment was one of the three willows of spring so it was naturally better not to tell LeiLei this little piece of information.


    However, LeiLei wasn''t too happy to hear this answer and opened her mouth to say something more but before the words could roll out of her tongue, the girl was interrupted by Hecathe who looked over at Marvin and questioned.


    "Are you still in contact with them?"


    LeiLei closed her mouth as she heard this and unconsciously turned her head towards Marvin as she waited for the boy''s response. The girl had no idea who the ''them'' in the question was referring to but she didn''t bother questioning it since she already knew that Hecathe wouldn''t be giving her an answer.


    Marvin, however, was different and could guess what Hecathe was talking about.


    "I don''t know," Marvin sighed as he shook his head and honestly responded, "They are suspicious of me but are yet to call me a traitor. Remember the guy who was with me back at the city gate when we first arrived at Ocasia? He''s one of my subordinates who is here to keep an eye on me."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but frown as he heard this and as he heard the boy, he remembered the face of the big muscular guy who had tried to pick a fight with Hecathe on the first day itself.


    "Ah, your dog?" Hecathe scoffed as he teasingly questioned and Marvin let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this.


    "That''s right, he''s my dog. Rather, he was my dog until they bribed him away."


    When Hecathe had first met Marvin in Ocasia, there had been another guy with him, and not only had that guy pushed Hecathe forward, rudely telling him to move, but had also tried to hit Hecathe. At that time, Hecathe was truly mad and decided to fight that annoying dude, but he was stopped by Marvin who sent the man away and apologized in his stead to Hecathe.


    However, Marvin had referred to that man as a dog and this in itself had created a bad image of the boy in Hecathe''s mind so when they met again, Hecathe really didn''t find himself being able to get along well with this boy.


    If Marvin had never revealed his identity then perhaps Hecathe would have never been able to consider the option of working together with ''Raven'' like this.


    "So did you ditch your dog?" Hecathe asked as he side glanced at the man.


    Marvin shook his head as he replied, "I simply made him sleep. A sleeping dog is much better."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly as he heard this and he wondered if ''sleeping'' was a code for killing, but the man decided not to ask such a question.


    "He''ll wake up after a few weeks," Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he stated and Hecathe almost sighed in relief as he heard this, "And then I''ll make him sleep once again."


    "..."


    "You''re raising a dog?" LeiLei asked as she tilted her head and joined the conversation that she hardly understood.


    Marvin couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard her question and nodded his head as he patted her head and responded, "It''s a dog that I don''t want to raise. Do you want to adopt him instead?"


    "I better not," LeiLei refused without even needing to think about it.

 Chapter 133 - Messing With The Guards

    "Marvin, once we reach Zeblor, you don''t show your face around," Hecathe spoke as he cautiously looked at the boy.


    "That''s a given," Marvin sighed as he responded.


    "And LeiLei, no matter what happens, you just keep acting cute, okay?"


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and looked to be unimpressed as she heard this, "I''m not acting. I''m naturally cute."


    "..." Hecathe didn''t want to comment on that.


    Marvin chuckled as he heard the girl and nodded his head as he supported her confident statement, "She has a point."


    "In any case, although I said we are going to have fun, this is still something serious and we need to be careful," Hecathe warned as he stopped in his tracks with his eyes in front.


    LeiLei rolled her eyes as she heard the man and commented in a volume that was barely above a whisper, "You''re the only one taking this as a trivial joke."


    Marvin also came to a stop as he sighed and seeing that the two guys had come to a stop together, LeiLei also stopped on instinct as she looked at them curiously.


    "Why are we stopping?" LeiLei asked as she tilted her head innocently.


    Hecathe seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he kept his eyes in front of him and it was Marvin who answered her question with a small, almost mischievous looking smile.


    "We are here."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and her eyes widened as she looked around in confusion but except for the green forest, there wasn''t much that she could see.


    "Are you sure about that?" LeiLei asked as her eyebrows creased together in confusion.


    Marvin nodded his head confidently as he yawned and stretched his hands as if getting ready for a marathon or something.


    Hecathe also nodded his head as he turned around to face the girl and held out his hand towards her, "Let''s go."


    LeiLei stared at the man''s hand for a solid minute in confusion as she wondered what he wanted her to do but Hecathe eventually got impatient and grabbed her hand first as he pulled her along and Marvin clicked his tongue as he followed closely behind the two.


    LeiLei was thoroughly confused but this confusion was nothing compared to the amazing sight that she saw next.


    Although the route in front of them looked as if it was just leading to an endless forest, it was nothing more than an illusion put there to trick trespassers.


    Hecathe and Marvin seemed to have already seen through this illusion and Hecathe was the first to break the illusion as he walked into a tree and passed through it as if the tree was nothing more than just their imagination.


    Once they had passed through the tree, what greeted them was the sight of guards standing in the distance with their weapons steadily ready to fire whenever needed, but they didn''t seem to have noticed the presence of the sudden intruders.


    Hecathe pulled LeiLei and Marvin down as he immediately hid behind a bush and counted the number of guards that were there.


    One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. And Eight.


    There were a total of eight guards assigned for this area and Hecathe was sure that they were all very skilled and capable.


    But no matter how skilled they were, Hecathe was still confident that they won''t be posing a threat to him.


    "LeiLei, mutants can''t get through the door that we just passed from," Hecathe spoke in a whisper and LeiLei had a hard time paying attention to what the man was saying as she got distracted by the number of guards guarding a total number of eight doors that looked magnificent and expensive.


    Zeblor was certainly not running low on cash... As expected of the capital city, even the outer gates looked grand.


    "LeiLei, pay attention here," Hecathe snapped as he pursed his lips into a thin line and the girl finally woke up from her train of thoughts.


    "Hmm...? Yeah, what were you saying?" The girl asked as she gulped and tried to once again pay attention to what Hecathe was saying.


    "The illusion that we just passed through," Hecathe sighed as he repeated his words, "The mutants can''t get through it."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this but didn''t say anything as she simply nodded her head in understanding.


    "I need you to help them," Hecathe spoke as he met the girl''s eyes with a determined gaze.


    "Eh...?!" LeiLei repeated the man''s words through her head but she still felt as if she had misheard him.


    Marvin''s eyebrows furrowed together as he immediately understood what Hecathe was going to do and the boy no longer knew if he wanted to be a part of this crazy idea or not.


    "I want you to help the mutants get here," Hecathe spoke again as he made sure that the girl understood him.


    He picked up a stone that was lying near his foot and held it up to show the girl as he continued with a question, "You understand, don''t you?"


    LeiLei frowned and gulped but didn''t dare give an immediate response to this question.


    "We just need to scare them a little," Hecathe sighed as he saw the girl''s reluctance and tried to reassure her, "They are strong enough to handle a few mutants. Don''t worry about them. It''s not going to kill them."


    Although the man had said this, the girl still didn''t look to be on board with Hecathe''s plan.


    Hecathe gently squeezed her hand as he spoke, "You''re the only one that can do it."


    Emotional manipulation seemed to work like magic on the girl and as soon as she heard this sentence that indicated the man''s dependence on the girl, she couldn''t help but gulp as she reluctantly nodded her head and Hecathe immediately smiled as he saw this reaction.


    Marvin rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue as he commented, "What an idiot."


    It was clear that he was referring to LeiLei as the idiot but the girl didn''t seem to have been paying attention as she simply ignored the boy and looked down at the stone that Hecathe had placed on her palm.


    "There are a total of thousand mutants waiting outside," Hecathe informed with a small smile as if this was something normal.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened as she heard this but before she could say anything, she heard the man continue.


    "You''ll find more than enough stones here as well so this won''t be something hard for you, right?"


    LeiLei was still confused about things and had a gut feeling that this was a bad idea but when Hecathe looked at her so hopefully, the girl couldn''t help but nod her head as she agreed to everything he said.


    LeiLei closed her eyes as she calmed herself down and took a deep breath in before she started teleporting the mutants here


    The girl could not get them all here individually so she decided to show another one of her techniques as she held her palm over the ground and suddenly created a hole on the ground that looked much alike a wormhole and was just large enough for two human beings to pass through it at the same time.


    She let out a breath as she threw all the stones inside and the ground around them suddenly started to shake.


    The stones that were around them could be seen slightly bouncing up from the ground as the ground started vibrating.


    Hecathe gulped as he moved a few steps back and carefully looked at the hole on the ground in anticipation.


    Marvin also gulped as the boy had a bad feeling in his stomach about this but there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    The guards could also feel the ground beneath them shuddering and they looked to be thoroughly confused as they looked at each other and started to panic a little.


    "What the hell is it...?!" One of the guards questioned out loud but before anyone could give a response to him, mutants had already started to come out of the hole and Hecathe didn''t bother wasting any time as he sent them directly forward to attack the guards that were clearly minding their own business till now.


    The guards saw an army of mutants approaching them and it was only natural that they got into position and started firing at the mutants.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the guns that the guards were using and he couldn''t help but frown as he recognized the guns.


    These were the specialized mecha-guns that worked on Zelium and were made by Alphius.


    It seemed that although the three willows of spring thoroughly hated Alphius, even their defence team used weaponry made by the boy.


    There was a limit to how shameless a person could be but it seemed that the three willows of spring had long abandoned such feelings of shame.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but click his tongue as he clearly felt a little unsatisfied with this.

 Chapter 134 - A Man Among An Army Of Mutants.

    The army of mutants kept the guards occupied and the three people hiding behind the bushes were naturally not seen.


    Once all the thousand mutants were brought over through the barrier, LeiLei''s face turned pale showing how exhausted the girl was.


    "You can rest now," Hecathe sighed as he patted her head and spoke.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this and it seemed that the girl had been waiting to hear just this.


    As soon as Hecathe had told her to rest, the girl closed her eyes and fell back, losing consciousness.


    Marvin who was sitting next to her caught her easily and frowned as he saw her blood-drained white face.


    "What are you trying to do?" Marvin turned his head up only to glare at Hecathe as he gritted out, "You should''ve already known that it would be dangerous."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard the boy and confirmed, "I knew it. I was just testing out her limit."


    "..." Marvin clearly didn''t look happy as he heard this.


    "You stay back as well," Hecathe spoke as he didn''t even bother looking at Marvin.


    "What are you doing now?" Marvin asked with a frown that was still present on his face.


    Hecathe gulped as he stood up from behind the bushes and didn''t even bother giving the boy an answer as the man stepped forward and walked along with the mutants that were heading to attack the guards.


    One of the guards noticed Hecathe and he certainly looked to be both shocked and confused.


    Hecathe was walking amongst an army of mutants but the man was still not bitten by any of the creatures. Rather, it almost looked as if the mutants didn''t even want to go anywhere near him in fear.


    These guards had certainly not seen such a thing before this and hence, it was only natural that there was a sense of fear in their hearts for the man.


    "Who is it?!" One of the guards shouted as he questioned Hecathe''s identity but Hecathe only chuckled dryly as he looked at the ground and calmed walked with the mutants.


    Hecathe purposefully made his voice deeper as he asked, "Are you sure you can handle the answer to that question?"


    The guards fought off the mutants and one of them even tried to shoot at Hecathe but a group of mutants protected Hecathe as they received the Zelium bullets for the man.


    The guards immediately started to panic as they realized that the weird intruder was controlling the mutants and there was only one person with such an infamous ability.


    "It''s Alphius! It''s Alphius!" One of the guards announced and in that split second of distraction, a mutant jumped up and bit off his head, killing him on the spot.


    "Go and call for backup!" Another guard shouted, "Send out the signal! Alphius is attacking Zeblor!"


    The other guard tried to send out a signal as he ran towards the door but his actions did not escape the eyes of Hecathe and the guard was immediately attacked by twenty mutants all at once.


    The mutants tore the guard to shreds and it was only natural that the man died on the spot.


    "Attacking Zeblor?" Hecathe raised his head and took off the mask as he looked at the guard who had announced the orders, "That''s a bit extreme to say."


    The guard gulped as he heard Hecathe and raised his gun to aim at Hecathe but Hecathe felt no fear as he saw the gun being pointed at him.


    "Rather than labeling this as an attack, it would be more accurate to say that this is a warning," Hecathe smirked as he calmly stated and the guard gulped as he pulled the trigger.


    However, the bullet was once again taken by a mutant who jumped in front of Hecathe and saved him.


    "I''m warning you," Hecathe continued as he glared at the man and the guard who faced Hecathe at this moment was sure that there was no way he could simply stop this infamous Alphius.


    "Go and report this to your three willows of spring," Hecathe instructed with a smug smirk, "Tell them that I''m looking for someone. The actual culprit of the great Orgon''s murder case."


    The guard unconsciously took a step back as he continued to fight off the mutants while anxiously listening to Hecathe.


    "If your rulers don''t find him then I will and when I find him, you can rest assured that I''ll organize a public slaughter for all to enjoy."


    The guard gulped as he heard his but said nothing in turn.


    Hecathe smiled as he saw the remaining six guards struggling to save their lives.


    With a sigh, Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he casually informed, "Well, that was all I was here to say. I''ll be living in Zeblor for a bit. After all, you''re city is such a beauty."


    Hecathe walked ahead and with the help of the mutants, he cleared a path towards one of the doors and casually kicked it open as he headed inside.


    The guards all tried to stop him but a thousand mutants were still a bit too much for them to handle and in the end, they couldn''t stop Hecathe no matter how hard they tried.


    Marvin''s eyes widened as he heard Hecathe''s confident statement and it took the boy a whole minute to understand that Hecathe had given the signal.


    As soon as he realized it, the boy immediately shook LeiLei as he tried to wake the girl up.


    "LeiLei, wake up. He gave the signal. We need to go back."


    LeiLei opened her eyes slightly as she heard this and with just a flick of her finger, Marvin, Hecathe, and LeiLei were sent out of the city, all the way back to Ocasia.


    Once they were back in Ocasia, LeiLei passed out once again, and Hecathe, for some reason, laughed to himself while Marvin looked at him with his face cringed up.


    "What the hell were you trying to do...?!" Marvin was certainly not polite as he questioned out loud.


    Marvin had no idea what the man was planning and after what he had just witnessed, the boy was even more confused.


    "Didn''t I already make my intentions clear?" Hecathe asked back as he tilted his head.


    Marvin frowned as he heard this but didn''t say anything as he waited for the man to continue.


    "I was warning the three willows of spring."


    "Warning?" Marvin repeated with a scoff as he spoke, "You were challenging them and not warning...!"


    "They''re basically the same thing," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded.


    "Hecathe, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Marvin asked and there was clear concern evident in his voice.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and confidently asked back in turn, "Can they kill me that easily?"


    "That''s the three willows of spring we are talking about. The strongest ability users in this world," Marvin replied as he pursed his lips into a thin line, looking to be unimpressed with Hecathe and his carelessness.


    "Are you afraid of them?" Hecathe sighed as he asked seriously, looking at the boy intently as he waited for an answer.


    "What...?!" Marvin''s eyebrows creased together but he couldn''t give a straightforward answer to that question.


    Hecathe shook his head in disappointment as he spoke, "If you are afraid to go against them then I''m afraid you''ll have to forget about your father and his wrongful death."


    "..."


    "I''m saying this because I think you still respect them and look up to them, but they are not good people. They are not someone you can trust and if you want to avenge your father, you need to learn how to stand up to them."


    Marvin was silent as he heard this and this silence was to be expected considering the fact that Hecathe was suddenly telling him to stand up against the ones that he had considered as an idol for so long.


    "If you can''t do it then just say so," Hecathe added as his eyes narrowed down on the boy and he clicked his tongue, "I''m not forcing you to join me. This was your choice from the beginning itself."


    Marvin opened his mouth to say something but closed it soon enough as he displayed his reluctance.


    "The three willows of spring would now be fooled into thinking that Alphius had infiltrated the capital," Hecathe sighed as he changed the subject and informed, "They''ll focus their resources on catching him and the secret search going on in Ocasia for Alphius would come to a pause."


    Marvin looked to be a bit surprised as he heard this and the boy slowly started to understand what the man wanted to do.


    "The guards would surely relay my message to the three willows of spring and the killer would start to panic," Hecathe continued confidently as he stated his plan, "Attacking the guards was necessary in order to relay our message clearly. We need the three willows of spring to take us seriously."

 Chapter 135 - The Rain That Has Finally Come Down

    "If you think that my methods are too extreme, you are more than welcome to give your own suggestions," Hecathe continued as he leisurely sat down on the ground with his back leaning against the wall, "Even with extreme methods, I can make sure that we reach our goal. If you can do the same as well then I''ll listen to you."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and the boy had no response for Hecathe. He clearly didn''t agree with Hecathe''s extreme methods that seemed rather reckless, but when he was faced with the man''s confidence, there was nothing he could do or say.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and waited for a response from the boy but it was only natural that he didn''t receive one.


    A few minutes passed and suddenly, Hecathe felt a few cold water droplets touching his skin.


    "Hm...?" Hecathe stretched out his right hand forward with his palm facing the sky above as he looked up.


    Marvin also looked up at the same time as he noticed the sudden light drizzle.


    "It''s raining," Hecathe muttered with a small smile on his face.


    "I can see that."


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he heard the boy''s response.


    The dark clouds in the sky had been there for almost the whole week so it was a relief to see the anticipated rain finally coming down.


    Hecathe clapped his hands as he stood up and walked over towards LeiLei.


    LeiLei had been thoroughly exhausted and was deep asleep on the ground, not even caring how dirty the ground was.


    Hecathe saw the girl''s innocent sleeping face and sighed as he picked her up.


    "Let''s get home before the rain starts getting stronger," Hecathe spoke as he turned and headed back to their broken apartment.


    Marvin looked at the man''s moving back with an expression that one could not decipher easily and it took an entire minute for the boy to sigh as he got up and decided to follow after Hecathe.


    He didn''t agree with Hecathe''s plan to bring war but he couldn''t stand up against it either. Marvin had no idea what the future had in store for them. He didn''t know if they could continue to work together well in the future or if they''d eventually fight and openly go separate ways.


    He was unsure of the future but if there was one thing he knew, it was perhaps the fact that they needed to get back home before the rain got strong.


    "Marvin, you should learn to stand up against me if you want to protect this world that you love so much," Hecathe sighed as he muttered under his breath but this was naturally not heard by anybody else.


    Hecathe continued walking as he carried LeiLei in his arms back towards the apartment and Marvin followed him at a distance.


    Fortunately enough, they were able to reach the apartment before the rain started getting strong and as soon as they were inside, the rain outside really did come down like a storm, almost making it seem as if the rain was waiting for the three to get inside first.


    Marvin and Hecathe said nothing to each other after having that last conversation. Marvin straightaway headed into his own room and Hecathe also headed for his own room with a sigh.


    "Master, you''re home!~" The Dorgon greeted Hecathe a bit too enthusiastically as soon as the man opened the door.


    "Eh? Is the witch dead?" The Dorgon asked as he noticed LeiLei who was sleeping in Hecathe''s arms.


    Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he heard the question and patiently went inside the room and placed the girl on the bed before he spoke, "She''s just sleeping. Don''t kill her just yet."


    "Tch- What a lazy witch," The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he commented, "She''s thoroughly useless."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this and the man unconsciously defended the girl as he spoke, "Her rest is well deserved. She worked hard today. You can''t call her useless."


    The Dorgon was a bit surprised as he heard this and he blinked as he wondered if he had heard it right.


    "Master... Did you just praise her...?!" The Dorgon questioned in disbelief and shock.


    Hecathe blinked as he heard this and repeated his own words through his head as he recalled whether he had praised her or not.


    It took him a whole minute to realize that he had indeed praised her for working hard and this was a bit surprising to the man since he would hardly praise people so openly like this especially in front of someone else.


    "Master, do you want to mate with her?"


    Hecathe choked on empty air.


    The Dorgon looked to be serious as he patiently waited for Hecathe''s response.


    Hecathe coughed aggressively and immediately got himself a glass of water before chugging it down in a single gulp.


    "So am I right?" The Dorgon tilted his head as he asked.


    Hecathe took a few minutes to calm himself down before he glared at the Dorgon and responded, "Don''t go around making me a pedophile! She''s just a child!"


    The Dorgon looked at Hecathe up and down as if trying to show that he was openly judging the man as he spoke, "Aren''t you two around the same age?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he shook his head and spoke, "My body might look like that of a seventeen-year-old boy but I''m much older than that."


    The Dorgon''s eyes narrowed down on the man as he heard this and the creature didn''t seem to have believed Hecathe.


    "It''s the truth," Hecathe firmly stated as he took a sharp breath in.


    "Then how old are you?"


    "Twenty-nine," Hecathe truthfully answered as he stared back at the Dorgon with an unimpressed look plastered on his face.


    "Wha~" The Dorgon looked to be a bit surprised as he heard Hecathe''s real age, "I guess you''ll stay a loner forever in that case."


    "..."


    "Master, don''t worry. I''ll be here to keep you company," The Dorgon spoke with a tone that made Hecathe feel as if he was being pitied.


    "You don''t have another choice. Don''t act like your staying here out of pity," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he responded and the dorgon could say nothing to that since it was somewhat true.


    "Master, those things aside, don''t you think it''s time to feed me?" The Dorgon asked enthusiastically as he looked up at Hecathe with two big eyes that seemed to be shining in delight and anticipation.


    "Aren''t you bored of eating so much chicken?" Hecathe asked with a frown as he took off his mask and coat before putting it aside.


    "Then can I go hunting outside?" The Dorgon tilted his head as he asked, almost sounding sarcastic.


    "You want to go outside in this rain?" Hecathe questioned but didn''t wait for the Dorgon''s response as he continued, "If you want then you are more than free to."


    "..."


    It was clear that the Dorgon wasn''t a big fan of rain.


    Hecathe shook his head with a small chuckle as he spoke, "Next time, I''ll try getting you some different meat."


    The Dorgon immediately brightened up as he heard this and ran around the room excitedly as he praised Hecathe, "Master, is the best!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but want to laugh at the Dorgons shameless behavior.


    "For today, you''ll have to stick to the chicken meat," Hecathe sighed as he made his way to the door, "Don''t cause a ruckus. I''ll be back with food."


    The Dorgon obediently nodded his head as he heard this and didn''t bother saying anything to that.


    Hecathe left the room and headed for the kitchen where the meat was stored in the fridge so as to prevent it from going bad and smelling.


    Surprisingly enough, there was nobody in the kitchen.


    In normal cases, most of the time, Hecathe could either find the landlady or Zail here but it seemed that today, the two were not around which was a bit unnatural.


    In such heavy rain, it was unlikely to think that they had gone out but that was probably the case considering the fact that Hecathe hadn''t seen them around.


    Healthy didn''t bother thinking too much about it and took the stored chicken out of the fridge as he heated it up a bit and took it upstairs to feed the Dorgon.


    .


    .


    .


    "It''s raining quite hard," A middle-aged woman sighed as she commented.


    "Why are you here?" The young woman standing behind her asked as she clicked her tongue.


    With a chuckle, the middle-aged woman asked, "Am I not allowed to come here?"


    "You should know the answer to that. Are you looking to get killed?"


    "Death?" The middle-aged woman sighed as she looked up at the sky, "Death would have certainly been better than living in this suffocating world."


    "..."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be leaving now. I just wanted to see my daughter," The middle-aged woman sighed as she spoke.


    "At least, take the umbrella with you."


    The middle-aged woman smiled as she heard this, "How caring of you."


    "Whatever."

 Chapter 136 - Do You Know Who?

    The landlady came back at night during dinner time and she had a bright green umbrella with her that she neatly folded and kept on the broken umbrella stand that was still manageable.


    "You were really out?" Hecathe asked with surprise as he looked at the woman who had returned so late.


    He had only come down to see whether the Landlady had returned or not but it was still a surprise to see such perfect timing.


    The woman smiled as she heard him and instead of giving a straightforward answer to the question, she asked him back, "Am I not allowed to go outside?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and looked down at the woman''s eight legs as he asked, "I don''t know. Are you?"


    The landlady chuckled as she heard this response and shook her head as she spoke, understanding what Hecathe was probably thinking about, "It doesn''t matter. There are not many people outside in such bad weather."


    "You sound like you''re in a bad mood. Did something happen?" Hecathe asked with a small frown.


    "Bad mood?" The woman repeated as she tilted her head and spoke with a small smile, "How can that be? I''m actually in quite a good mood today."


    Hecathe found that a bit hard to believe as he saw her face that looked rather tired.


    "Are you sure about that?" Hecathe didn''t drop the topic as he asked.


    The landlady nodded her head as she closed her eyes and spoke, "I''m actually in quite a good mood. After all, I just got to meet someone that I''ve been wanting to see for a long time now."


    Hecathe was a bit surprised as he heard this and his surprise was not caused by the fact that the woman had gone to meet someone. Rather, he was surprised by the fact that the woman was lying so straightforwardly without any guilt.


    She was certainly not lying about the fact that she had gone out to meet someone nor was she lying about wanting to meet that person for a long time now. She was, in fact, Lying about her mood for some reason.


    It was crystal clear that she was not feeling as happy as she said she was.


    "It''s not any of my business so I won''t ask who it was but you should probably not go out in such weather to meet people," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, sounding a bit worried about the woman, "You could easily get sick."


    The landlady chuckled as she heard this and nodded her head, "I never knew you were such a caring person."


    "Cause I''m not," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he stated.


    "Then I guess I really should listen to you since you''re usually not this caring," The woman spoke with a soft chuckle and didn''t wait for a response from Hecathe as she continued, "I''m quite tired today so I won''t be making dinner. I''m sure you can manage on your own. Is that okay?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he replied, "That''s okay. I already came here with the purpose of cooking dinner. If you want, I can cook some for you as well."


    "I appreciate the offer but I''ll pass for today," The woman smiled as she spoke and didn''t bother waiting around as she headed up the stairs.


    Hecathe looked at her moving back and he couldn''t help but feel uneasy.


    He didn''t know whether this uneasiness was caused by the fact that the woman was climbing the stairs with all her eight feet or by the fact that the woman looked as if she was covered in a dark aura of depression.


    "Is it okay to leave her like this...?" Hecathe muttered a question to himself but in the end, there was nothing else that he could do.


    She had already said that she was okay so it would be meddlesome of him to go and pester her further.


    Hecathe sighed as he started cutting up the vegetables and decided to make dinner.


    He had certainly lied when he said that he had come down to cook dinner. The real reason why he had come down was to check whether the woman was back yet or not and if she had cooked dinner or not but now that he saw how tired she was, he decided that it would probably not be right to expect her to cook dinner for them.


    At the end of the day, cooking was not something hard to do and even though Hecathe wasn''t a professional at it, he was still not as bad as LeiLei who could burn a perfectly good chicken sandwich into such a state where it looked as if it had transformed into charcoal.


    After the woman was gone, LeiLei came down the stairs and looked to be a bit confused as she kept glancing back.


    "Sir, what happened to the landlady?" LeiLei asked with an apparent frown on her face and it seemed that Hecathe wasn''t the only one who had noticed the weird behavior and depressing aura that the woman displayed.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and shook his head as he spoke, "She probably had a bad day but refuses to tell us the details."


    "Did you ask her about it?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he informed, "But she refused to say anything. It''s better to let her be."


    "That''s... A bit shocking," LeiLei spoke as she sat down on the dining chair, "She''s usually very lively and open."


    "That''s true," Hecathe frowned as he muttered, "I wonder who could it have been..."


    "Who could have been what, Sir?" Lei Lei asked as she tilted her head in confusion.


    "She went out to meet someone," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Seeing as how she''s so depressed, I wonder who it was."


    "She is in a bad mood because of someone?" LeiLei asked with a bit of surprise and Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it.


    "That seems to be the case."


    "And you''re not going to ask her anything about it?"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this question and instead of giving a straightforward response, he asked back in turn, "Why would I want to invade her privacy? Not everyone can be as shameless as you."


    "..." LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and didn''t dare say anything against that.


    Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he ignored the girl and focused on cooking.


    "Do you want me to help, Sir?" LeiLei asked after a minute as she saw Hecathe working.


    Hecathe immediately shook his head as he refused the offer strongly, "No need."


    "But isn''t it too much work for one person alone?"


    "It''s okay!" Hecathe forced himself to smile as he exclaimed, "I am used to it and you should rest some more. Didn''t you exhaust yourself to the point where you passed out?"


    LeiLei pouted as she heard this and nodded her head as she responded, "That''s true, but at least, I was able to help you, wasn''t I?"


    Hecathe was a bit taken back to see this reaction and he couldn''t help but chuckle softly as he nodded his head and responded, "You did a good job."


    LeiLei smiled brightly as she heard this and looked to be genuinely happy.


    At the end of the day, LeiLei didn''t bother Hecathe, who peacefully cooked edible dinner for everyone.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    The rain got strong and Zail looked up at the sky with a frown as he waited on the sidewalk which provided a shelter for him.


    "It''s getting late," He muttered with a sigh as he looked around.


    He didn''t bring an umbrella with him and he felt that it was probably not a good idea to run in the rain so the only option he had on hand was to wait for the rain to stop.


    Most of the people had already gone back home and he was the last to stay behind and close the restaurant before he also got ready to head back home.


    The man patiently waited for more than twenty minutes and the rain still showed no signs of slowing down.


    "You there!" Somebody called out to Zail and Zail immediately frowned as he turned to see that it was someone that he had never met before.


    Zail looked at the man up and down and his eyes widened slowly as he recognized the Mecha-suit that was worn by the man that had called out to him.


    The mecha-suit approached the man and made him gulp anxiously.


    "W-Who are you?" Zail stuttered as he asked, feeling a little intimidated by the man that was wearing the nine foot tall mecha-suit.


    "Do you live around here?" The mecha-suit asked with his deep voice and he certainly didn''t sound too happy.


    Zail gulped as he nodded his head a bit reluctantly and honestly answered the man, "I do."


    "Good," The mecha-suit responded and took out something from his pocket before showing the poster to Zail as he questioned, "Have you seen this guy around?"


    Zail looked at the face that was printed on the poster and he couldn''t help but feel as if the boy depicted on the picture was a bit familiar.

 Chapter 137 - Is There Something That You Are Not Telling Me?

    After a few days, the rain finally died down and left behind a city that was flooded.


    Everyone stayed at home during the entire time and only when the rain had stopped did people go out to their jobs.


    Hecathe also lazed around at home as he limited his time outside and only went out in order to buy food for the Dorgon.


    Since some time had passed, the man felt that it was a good idea to move on to his next step and headed to the guild as soon as there was a sunnier day to enjoy.


    .


    .


    .


    "What...?!" Kelly frowned as she muttered in disbelief.


    Hecathe had a small smile on his face as he spoke, "Tell the client that Alphius is still in Ocasia."


    Kelly''s eyebrows furrowed together as she heard the man repeat his words and she could still not understand what Hecathe was planning.


    "Hecathe, Is there something that you are not telling me?" Kelly asked as she looked at Hecathe with suspicion.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he shook his head and felt that this was to be expected. Kelly was a smart woman who let most things slide but it would certainly be impossible for her to not be suspicious of all the needless work Hecathe was putting in on this mission.


    Hecathe had already expected the woman to one day catch on to his secret planning.


    "Miss Kelly, The mission was for us to find the truth behind the rumor, and believe me, that''s really what I''m doing," Hecathe spoke with a sigh and it didn''t sound like the man was lying in the least.


    "Then why are you purposefully creating confusion and making everything more complicated?" Kelly questioned back as she clicked her tongue.


    "Because confusion and chaos are hard to decipher. You can only find the truth when you learn to dig at the right places," Hecathe responded and Kelly could sense that there was a deeper meaning behind his words, however, she could not understand what he truly meant and this was only natural considering the fact that the woman had no idea about Hecathe''s original goals.


    "By the end of it, the truth is going to reveal itself and that is something that I can assure you," Hecathe added and Kelly couldn''t help but be curious.


    Hecathe kept talking about the real truth and secrets when the mission at first only involved finding the roots of a ridiculous rumor. It would be a lie to say that Kelly hadn''t been curious since day one to know just what exactly this big truth was.


    "So you''re not going to tell me what you''re planning?" Kelly asked with a scoff.


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he shook his head and responded, "Patience is a great thing. You''ll eventually come to know so what''s the hurry?"


    "..." Kelly pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this and took a minute to ask, "And you expect me to agree to everything you say because I should trust you...?"


    Hecathe nodded his head and Kelly was left a little speechless.


    "In a guild, trust is a really important factor for a brighter future, don''t you think?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head and Kelly couldn''t help but grit her teeth as she heard this.


    "Fine," Kelly agreed with a sigh as she slammed her hands on the table, "I''ll go and tell him that but you better have an Alphius kept ready for him. We can''t just lie to a client."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he reassured, "Alphius would definitely be there waiting for the great Orgon."


    Hecathe could ensure this only because he had a special connection with the so-called Alphius, but of course, Kelly would naturally not know this.


    "Tell the client this much and give him this address," Hecathe took out a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table before pushing it forward towards Kelly''s side as he spoke.


    Kelly took a look at the paper and nodded her head as she picked it up before folding it neatly and keeping it away safely.


    "Okay. As long as you can get the job done, I''ll be there to support your crazy ideas but you better get the job done if you don''t want to see me freezing you to death," She glared at Hecathe as she spoke and Hecathe nodded his head as he didn''t feel intimidated in the least.


    Whenever Kelly was angry, the room would get colder and the sudden coldness would certainly manage to send a shiver down anybody''s spine, however, by now, Hecathe was already used to this woman and her anger so the cold hardly bothered him.


    "If you don''t see the results then you can just make me work my ass off in this guild for the rest of my life as compensation for my careless plans and actions," Hecathe nodded his head with a small chuckle as he spoke and he clearly meant every word of what he had said.


    "If you are willing to take responsibility then that''s good," Kelly rubbed her forehead with a sigh as she spoke and suddenly took out a file from one of the desk drawers as she continued, "If you are up to it then take a look at this."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the black folder and he picked it up as he opened it to read.


    It took only a few minutes for him to understand what this file was about but the more he read and understood, the more confused he seemed.


    "What''s this?" Hecathe asked with a frown.


    "A new case. It''s a small case so it won''t cause you much trouble," Kelly shrugged her shoulders as she spoke casually.


    "A mecha-suit?"


    Kelly nodded her head as she explained, "There seems to be a mecha-suit going around harrassing random strangers."


    "The guild handles these kinds of jobs as well?" Hecathe asked with surprise as he looked at the woman.


    Kelly shook her head with a sigh as she responded, "We don''t usually get a lot of these cases but they are always a pain in the butt when we do. Because it isn''t a single client that is coming to us with a problem."


    "Isn''t there anyone else who can take the case?" Hecathe asked with a frown.


    "If you can''t do it then I''ll pass this case on to someone else," Kelly shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, "But since you haven''t taken any other cases recently, I thought it would be a good idea to get you out there for some experience."


    "Don''t you just want to make me work more so that you can get the value that you paid for?" Hecathe questioned with a scoff as he called the woman out for her true intentions.


    She had paid Hecathe to join the guild so it was only natural that the woman would want to make him work so that she can get the most out of what she paid.


    Kelly chuckled dryly as she heard this question and nodded as she confirmed it, "You better take this case."


    "..."


    Kelly was really fit to be a dictator.


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head, "I''ll take the case since you aren''t really leaving me a choice here."


    A small smile curled up on the woman''s face as she heard this.


    "You may get going now."


    Hecathe nodded once again as he slightly bowed his head and turned around with the file in his hand as he got ready to leave Kelly''s office.


    The man opened the door and stepped back a few steps as he saw Marvin and LeiLei falling forward.


    "..."


    LeiLei looked up and blinked as she awkwardly smiled, "We were definitely not trying to overhear your conversation."


    They clearly were doing just that.


    "Of course, you weren''t," Hecathe responded sarcastically, "You were simply checking the sturdiness of the door, were you not?"


    LeiLei smiled brightly as she heard this and climbed up to her feet enthusiastically as she nodded her head and replied, "There doors are really amazing and thick!~ We couldn''t hear anything and we couldn''t even break through it."


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this and looked down at Marvin who was still on the floor, "Are you not going to stand?"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and shook his head as he spoke, "It''s not that. What is that in your hand?"


    Hecathe raised the file as he questioned and answered without waiting for a response, "This? It''s the new mission that we would be working on."


    Marvin frowned as he heard this and stood up from the ground as he asked in confusion, "But I just saw a photo of a mecha-suit inside it."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he explained, "We are going to be finding this mecha-suit."


    Marvin was a bit taken back as he heard this and didn''t dare say anything.


    "A mecha-suit? Isn''t that dangerous?" LeiLei tilted her head and asked innocently with a bit of worry.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question and looked back at the woman as he asked, "Do you think there is anything in this world that can be dangerous to us?"


    LeiLei unhesitantly nodded her head, "There are a lot of things actually."


    "..."

 Chapter 138 - The Difference In The System Of Governance.

    The three headed out to find the mecha-suit who was said to be going around harassing people and Hecathe explained the details of the case on the way out of the guild.


    "I think I heard Zail say something like this as well," LeiLei muttered with a frown as she looked up and thought back to the conversation that she had with the man.


    "Zail?" Hecathe repeated as he asked, "What did he say?"


    "It was on the day that you cooked us dinner," LeiLei spoke as she remembered the odd story that Zail had told her, "He was waiting outside his restaurant for the rain to stop when a mecha-suit came out of nowhere and started asking him questions."


    "What questions?" Hecathe and Marvin asked in unison as worry and interest could be clearly seen on the faces of the two.


    "It was something about a poster of a wanted man," LeiLei shrugged her shoulders as she vaguely informed.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows immediately creased together as he heard this and the man had a feeling that he could rightly guess who the man in the poster was without even having to look at the poster.


    Xanie had already informed Hecathe that the mecha-suits were in ocasia trying to find him so if there was such a mecha-suit going around harassing random people for information, it was very likely that the man in the picture would be Alphius.


    "And?" Hecathe questioned with an indecipherable expression as he waited to hear the full story.


    "Well, Zail said that he had no idea who it was so the mecha-suit simply let him go," LeiLei spoke with a small frown as she sighed, "There''s nothing more to that story. Zail came right home afterward when the rain had stopped."


    "And nothing out of the blue happened?" It was Marvin who questioned out of curiosity and surprise.


    The boy clearly expected there to be more to this story just like Hecathe who felt that this story was a bit too short.


    "There''s really nothing more," LeiLei shook her head as she honestly responded, "Even if something else did happen, Zail didn''t tell me."


    "Then how can simply asking questions be considered as harassing a person?" Hecathe frowned as he questioned but he was clearly not looking for an answer from someone else, rather, he was asking himself this question as he wondered what might have happened.


    "It might just be a misunderstanding or the mecha-suit didn''t dare treat Zail the same as others," LeiLei spoke as she came up with the most simple and logical explanation, "We can''t even be sure whether this case is related to the man that Zail met."


    Hecathe gulped as he nodded, "But we still can''t rule out the possibility that the two might just be part of the same case."


    Marvin nodded his head as he agreed with Hecathe and LeiLei looked to be a little confused as she muttered in a questioning manner, "Eh?"


    "The mecha-suits usually work as a group and avoid situations and missions where they have to be alone. This is one of their most famous characteristics that makes them such a strong force," Hecathe patiently explained as he spoke out of the knowledge that he had gained of this place till now, "The mages usually work alone and do not do well in groups. The three willows of spring created a system of working together for a common cause and when that system proved to be successful in its dealings, the three willows of spring were able to rule the mages."


    "That''s right," Marvin nodded as he added, "The mecha-suits were created by Alphius and that is the only reason why they take him as the leader and follow his every command. If Alphius was not there then the mecha-suits would work as a group that takes all its decisions together without letting one person take complete control."


    Hecathe also nodded as he agreed with Marvin and showed that they were on the same topic, having the same information and views on the topic, "If a mecha-suit is going out looking for a certain person, you can rest assured that he isn''t the only one. There is probably an entire group out there that is searching for someone."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard all this and the girl couldn''t help but be in awe as she realized that there was more to it than what was presented on the surface.


    It was a bit impressive to think that Marvin and Hecathe had come to the same conclusion about this case with the already present information that they had about the working of the two different governments.


    "Why the hell are we even given this case if there is a whole group of big mecha-suits out there...?!" For a second there, LeiLei forgot to keep up her innocent act as she raised her voice with a frown and questioned.


    "Because Ocasia is ruled by the guilds," Hecathe sighed as he responded, "You''ve been living here for such a long time so I''m sure that you know it better than I do. Ocasia is not under the three willows of spring nor is it under the mecha-suits. This city is completely following the rules made by the old preexisting government that has already died down and to ensure that nobody decides to take over the city, the guilds are established with a strong backing of the local people."


    LeiLei could clearly understand what Hecathe was saying and when the girl thought about it, she also felt that the man''s words made sense.


    LeiLei had lived here for a considerably long time so it was only natural that she knew about the workings of the city.


    Hecathe, "If the people are facing a problem caused by either the three willows of spring or the mecha-suits, the guilds are supposed to be there to take care of it. If we ignore the people and neglect it by thinking that this is probably nothing serious, there is a risk of the guild losing power in the future and that would indirectly lead to a bigger power-shifting crisis where either the mecha-suits or the three willows of spring would try to take over the city."


    Marvin nodded with a frown as he agreed with the man completely.


    "Still doesn''t explain why ''WE'' have to be the ones solving this problem," LeiLei sighed as she spoke.


    "Probably because we were the only ones who didn''t have anything better to do," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he spoke and LeiLei could easily believe that this was the case since they really didn''t have anything to do.


    Most of the days, they would simply go to the mutant caves and hunt some mutants. At first, it was a bit fun because of all the money LeiLei earned through it, however, after some time, the girl started getting bored of it and it wasn''t just her.


    Hecathe and Marvin looked to be bored from day one and showed zero interest in hunting mutants. They would still hunt and bring back the mutant beads, however, they wouldn''t do anything more than what they were expected to do.


    Now that they were finally given something else to do, LeiLei would be lying if she said that she wasn''t delighted.


    Although fighting a bunch of mecha-suits was both dangerous and scary, it was still not boring, and that in itself was a good enough reason for LeiLei to go along with this mission.


    "So where do we start?" Marvin sighed as he looked around and asked.


    There were clearly no mecha-suits in sight so it was clear that they needed to go out of their way to find the people that they were looking for.


    "Most of the cases took place at night so we''ll have to wait," Hecathe spoke as he took a closer look at the information given inside the file.


    "Then let''s divide up," Marvin spoke as he looked at the map that was pasted inside the file.


    The area where the incidents had taken place was marked with a red color and the darker the color marked was, the more incidents had taken place there.


    "We''ll divide over the city and look in these areas that are the reddest," Marvin spoke as he pointed at the map, "At least one of us would be able to find the culprit."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this plan and agreed to it readily, "Let''s do that."


    "But what happens when one of us really does come across a mecha-suit?" LeiLei asked as she raised her eyebrows.


    "Then we simply tell them to stop harassing the people," Marvin chuckled as he answered the girl and one couldn''t understand whether he was being serious or sarcastic while saying this.


    "..." LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and glared at the boy. She was clearly not impressed with this answer.


    "We talk to them and clear out the misunderstanding if there had been any," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, revealing the true plan that they were supposed to follow.


    "That''s it?" LeiLei frowned as she questioned, sounding a bit disappointed that this was all that there was to it.


    "..."

 Chapter 139 - Who Is Eggy?

    "What? Do you want to fight them or something?" Hecathe asked with a small chuckle.


    LeiLei pursed her lips and shook her head as she heard this, "But wouldn''t it be too easy?"


    "Do you have a problem with it being too easy?" Marvin tilted his head as he questioned.


    Hecathe, "It would be easy only if the mecha-suits listen to us."


    "Which is surely not going to be the case," Marvin added with a sigh and Hecathe simply nodded his head as he agreed with the boy.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this, "Then what do we do when they don''t listen to us?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a thin smile as he heard this question which had a clearly obvious answer.


    "We might need to use force. It''s not something completely out of the equation."


    LeiLei gulped but said nothing to that.


    Marvin, "Instead of worrying about something that hasn''t happened yet, shouldn''t we be focusing on finding these mecha-suits first?"


    Hecathe nodded his head with a sigh, "Not only do we need to find the mecha-suits but we also need to make sure that the ones we find are the ones causing trouble. The last thing we would want is to accuse the wrong person and cause more problems."


    "We''ll go with the original plan and wait for the sunset. Once we have divided up, we''ll need to be careful," Marvin added as he seriously thought about it.


    Hecathe looked at the two and spoke, "If you sense danger then act before you think. It would be best to avoid any fights. Engaging in combat must be the last option left on the plate."


    LeiLei and Marvin nodded in understanding as they heard the man.


    They started to plan out the paths that each of them would use and when they were done planning everything, they decided to head out in order to find a perfect waiting spot for them individually.


    While LeiLei headed north, Marvin headed East and Hecathe headed west.


    These three spots were said to be the ones with the most cases of this mecha-suit incident so it was only natural that they had to check it out.


    They lazed around for the rest of day while keeping a close eye on every mecha-suit that they saw on the road.


    When the sun had gone down and the sky got dark, all three got serious and waited for the culprit to show himself.


    They were in completely different areas inside Ocasia, but they could still connect and talk to each other through the use of QMS.


    LeiLei originally didn''t own a QMS but Marvin eventually ended up giving her a spare one that he had with him.


    "Is there any lead?" Hecathe questioned as he sent the other two this message.


    After every twenty minutes, Hecathe would open the QMS just to check up on the other two.


    A few hours passed just like this and it was nearly 1 a.m., however, none of them got to meet the mecha-suits who were said to come out at night just to question random people.


    "Sir, there are not even that many people here," LeiLei sighed as she sent Hecathe a response, "I don''t think there would be any chances of them coming here. If the mecha-suits want to harass a person, shouldn''t that area actually have people around that are freely roaming outside as preys that could be harassed?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if the girl was being sarcastic or not, but he still sighed nonetheless as he heard her words.


    "Just wait and don''t use your head too much," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he replied, "Why would you want to harass someone in a crowded place...? A desolated place is clearly much better."


    LeiLei was silent for a few minutes before she sent a response, "You''re right...! That makes sense!"


    "..."


    "I think the sleep is getting to you," Marvin chuckled as he commented and Hecathe couldn''t help but agree with the boy.


    "LeiLei, are you tired?" Hecathe asked with a sigh and the girl responded a bit faster this time.


    "Sir, I''m not tired. I''m just sleepy."


    "..."


    Weren''t they both the same thing...?


    Hecathe opened his mouth to say something as a response but before the words could roll out of his tongue, he heard another message from LeiLei.


    "I wish Eggy was here to keep me company. It''s so creepy being alone here."


    Hecathe gulped not because the girl was feeling creeped out being alone nor was it because she wanted to be accompanied by Eggy, but because Marvin could also hear the girl and he clearly didn''t know who Eggy was yet.


    "Who''s Eggy?" Just as expected, Marvin questioned almost immediately and Hecathe was at a loss for words suddenly.


    "He''s a little pet that Hecathe keeps at home," LeiLei casually answered and Hecathe wanted to sigh in relief since LeiLei hadn''t said what type of creature Eggy was.


    "A pet?" Marvin sounded surprised as he questioned, "Hecathe doesn''t really look the type to keep pets."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and he couldn''t help but wonder whether this was a compliment or an insult.


    If he didn''t look like the type to keep pets then what did he look like...? Did he look like the type to kill pets?!


    LeiLei chuckled as she replied, "It''s a surprise but Hecathe is a very good owner. Eggy eats a lot of meat every day. If it was someone else then they would have certainly thrown Eggy out just because of how much the little thing eats."


    "..." Hecathe felt even more speechless as he heard the girl''s response.


    So he was considered to be a good owner just because he fed the creature and didn''t throw it out yet...? Did that even make sense?!


    "Is that so?" Marvin chuckled and sounded amused as he spoke, "I wonder why I''ve never met this glutinous Eggy."


    "Eh? You haven''t met him?" LeiLei asked with a bit of surprise.


    "I haven''t," Marvin confirmed and Hecathe''s eyes widened as he realized that this conversation was probably not going where he wanted it to go.


    "It''s probably a good thing if you haven''t," LeiLei simply responded and Hecathe once again sighed in relief before he decided to interrupt this conversation.


    Hecathe, "Eggy doesn''t like to meet new people. He has a tendency to be rather violent.


    "That''s right," LeiLei supported the statement as she spoke with a small giggle, "Even when he met me, he tried to first kill me and then continued to run away when he realized that killing me was impossible for the little thing."


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he heard this and he was clearly taken aback. This was the first time he was hearing anything about the Dorgon trying to kill LeiLei.


    The Dorgon had certainly acted as if it was annoyed with LeiLei but it had never actually tried to actively kill the girl. The first time the creature met LeiLei was in the absence of Hecathe and by the time Hecathe arrived, the creature was the one being chased around by LeiLei.


    "This eggy sounds rather interesting," Marvin commented, feeling a bit amused as he heard LeiLei''s words.


    Hecathe gulped as he could guess what Marvin would say next.


    "Now I am even more interested in meeting this little Eg-" Marvin''s words were suddenly cut off abruptly as the message ended.


    Both LeiLei and Hecathe got concerned as they had a feeling that this abrupt cut was definitely not normal.


    "Marvin, are you okay?" LeiLei was the first to question with worry and Hecathe also soon followed as he got concerned.


    "Marvin, what happened?" Hecathe asked with an apparent frown visible on his face. His eyebrows creased together and his muscles tensed up as he had a bad feeling about this in his stomach.


    A few minutes passed and the two patiently waited for Marvin to respond, however, there was no response from Marvin''s side.


    "Sir, Can he hear us?" LeiLei questioned in all seriousness as the girl got worried.


    "He should be able to hear us," Hecathe spoke with his eyebrows furrowed together, "Unless he closed the QMS."


    "Then did he close the QMS?"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this question, "I would naturally not know but it would be a safe bet to say that he did."


    "What do we do now?" LeiLei gulped as she asked.


    It was almost two in the morning now and the chances of Marvin suddenly deciding to close the QMS without any warning was certainly not something normal.


    "LeiLei, how long would it take for you to get to Marvin?" Hecathe asked sharply as he tried his best to stay calm and collected.


    "Sir, a few seconds would do," LeiLei responded and Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this answer.


    "Then go and find out what he is doing," Hecathe sighed as he spoke.


    "Okay, Sir," LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this instruction.


    If Hecathe were the one to go check on Marvin then it would take him at least solid twenty minutes but with the help of LeiLei''s abilities, getting to Marvin faster was something easy for the girl.

 Chapter 140 - Meeting The One That You Were Looking For.

    Hecathe waited exactly for a minute and LeiLei took this time to get herself over to where Marvin was, but the girl didn''t contact the man about it just yet and Hecathe was left waiting for a few more minutes.


    The more Hecathe waited, the more impatient he got and when he decided to finally send a message to the girl, he wasn''t able to as he received a message from her first.


    "Sir," LeiLei finally sent him a message after a few minutes and the girl clearly didn''t sound too relaxed as she spoke, "I think Marvin found the one we were looking for."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and stood up as he replied, "I''m coming over."


    "Get here fast," LeiLei didn''t sound scared but at the same time, the girl didn''t sound calm either as she didn''t even bother stopping Hecathe from coming.


    Hecathe immediately closed the QMS and turned around to leave the place, however, as soon as he turned around, he came face to face with another mecha-suit.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly as he slowly glanced down at the poster that the mecha-suit was holding.


    As expected, it seemed that this case wasn''t about a single mecha-suit but rather, it was about a whole group of mecha suits.


    Hecathe gulped as he looked back at the mecha-suit and tried his best to remain calm as he asked, "What is it?"


    The mecha-suit looked at Hecathe without saying anything and Hecathe almost thought that the mecha-suit had recognized him.


    Thankfully enough, Hecathe was wearing his mask. If he hadn''t been wearing his mask then he would have most certainly been recognized as Alphius.


    The mecha-suit didn''t say anything for a whole few minutes before he slowly raised the poster and asked, "Have you seen him around?"


    Hecathe looked at Alphius''s photo that was printed on the poster and he didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at the moment.


    Instead of giving a straight response, Hecathe clicked his tongue as he asked, "Why are you looking for him?"


    The face of the man inside the mecha-suit was not visible so it was only natural that Hecathe couldn''t see his expression and guess what the mecha-suit was feeling, however, although he couldn''t see the man''s face, he could still guess that the mecha-suit was not happy to hear this question.


    "Have you seen him?" The mecha-suit repeated his question as he ignored Hecathe''s question and Hecathe couldn''t help but frown.


    "I also asked you a question," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he responded, "Why don''t you try answering my question first and I''ll tell you the answer to yours."


    The mecha-suit also didn''t sound too happy as he repeated his question for the third time and even gritted his teeth this time, "Have you seen him or not?"


    Hecathe, "..."


    The mecha-suit was stubborn but Hecathe was stubborn as well and he was definitely not going to let the mecha-suit have his way.


    "Brother, are you hunting this boy or something? Why do you refuse to tell me why you are looking for him?"


    The mecha-suit took a step back as he heard this and Hecathe was a bit confused with this reaction.


    Hecathe opened his mouth to question why the man had stepped back, however, before any words could roll out of his tongue, the mecha-suit pulled out a zelium gun and Hecathe immediately understood why the man had taken a step back.


    "..."


    Hecathe finally knew why there were complaints saying that the mecha-suits were harassing people. These mecha-suits clearly didn''t even know how to ask for a favor from a person. They were a bit too violent...!


    "Sir, where are you?" LeiLei sent Hecathe a message and her voice clearly sounded a bit urgent, however, Hecathe was also in an urgent situation.


    Hecathe gulped as he pursed his lips into a thin line and lifted his hand to respond to the girl calmly, "LeiLei, it seems that I''ve also met a troublesome one."


    It took a few minutes for LeiLei to respond, "Sir... We''ll take care of it here."


    Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard this response but it was certainly not as amusing as her next words.


    "All the best."


    "..."


    The girl said nothing more and Hecathe also didn''t bother responding to the girl.


    "Are you going to shoot me now?" Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he asked without feeling any sort of amusement.


    The mecha-suit simply looked at Hecathe and didn''t give an answer to this question, however, from the raised gun that was pointed at Hecathe, it could be clearly understood that the man was certainly not joking around.


    "Are you sure you want to shoot me because of something this trivial?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head with a small smirk and this time, he was daring the mecha-suit to shoot him, "You should see who you''re shooting before you act on impulse."


    The mecha-suit put some pressure on the trigger and Hecathe couldn''t help but gulp as he almost felt his soul flying out of his body for a second there.


    "I know where he is," Hecathe sighed as he immediately spoke and tried to calmly save himself the trouble of being shot, however, the mecha-suit that Hecathe had met was clearly not someone who was nice nor was he considerate and understanding.


    As soon as he heard Hecathe, he shot the gun without even missing a beat and the zelium bullet penetrated Hecathe''s shoulder that the mecha-suit had aimed.


    "Argh!" Hecathe immediately groaned as a response and grabbed onto his shoulder as he looked at the small hole that was letting out a few bolts of green-colored smoky lightning, "You idiot, you really shot me!"


    Hecathe almost felt as if he heard the mecha-suit chuckle as he said this.


    "You should''ve answered me when I asked you the first time," The mecha-suit clicked his tongue as he spoke and Hecathe couldn''t help but grit his teeth in anger.


    This mecha-suit... Had successfully managed to anger Hecathe and this... Was certainly not good for the mecha-suit.


    "Where did you see him?" The mecha-suit questioned as he got ready to shoot again and this time, Hecathe didn''t bother twisting the answer.


    "He''s in Zeblor," Hecathe gritted out as he clenched his arm tighter, "If you don''t believe me then you can go and inspect. I saw him breaking into Zeblor a few days ago. The news should be famous in the city by now. He even challenged the three willows of spring directly."


    The mecha-suit looked as if he was stunned to hear this and his muscles tensed up for a minute there.


    "You don''t believe me?" Hecathe scoffed as he questioned, "If you don''t believe what I''m saying then why the hell did you even ask me in the first place itself?!"


    The mecha-suit was silent as he heard this and with the helmet still covering his face, Hecathe couldn''t guess what facial expression the man had on his face at this moment.


    A few minutes passed just like that and the mecha-suit finally put down his gun as he believed Hecathe''s words and responded with a sigh, "Okay. You can go now."


    Hecathe blinked in surprise a few times as he heard this and he was in disbelief as he saw the mecha-suit turning around and getting ready to leave.


    This... Was seriously harassing common people for information!


    Hecathe gritted his teeth and felt the need to stop the man just so that he could punch him in the face and make him feel the pain of being shot by a bullet, however, after thinking about it for a minute, the man felt that it would be truly selfish of him to do something like that.


    The big violent bear was walking away so why would Hecathe try to stop him just so that he could get even...?


    It was only logical that Hecathe decided to stay quiet this time and it was mainly because of his identity as Alphius.


    If he simply revealed the fact that he was Alphius, Hecathe was sure that this mecha-suit would fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness, however, that was not what Hecathe wanted.


    What Hecathe wanted was to create chaos and in order to do that, he needed both the three willows of spring and the mecha-suits.


    Hecathe winced as he felt a sting of pain and removed the cloak from his shoulder as he looked at the wound on his arm.


    The wound soon stopped letting out small green lightning bolts and started to slowly heal up.


    Hecathe had never actually seen such a regeneration happening right in front of his eyes so the sight was truly a bit hard to believe for him, however, he was not surprised.


    After being shot the first time by Marvin, Hecathe had already realized that Alphius had an exceptional regenerating and healing ability.


    Hecathe gulped as he waited a few minutes for the wound to completely heal up and once it was completely healed up, he patted around to see if there was any pain.


    Just as expected, the wound had really healed itself so well that it was like Hecathe had never been shot, to begin with.

 Chapter 141 - The Unexpected Fight.

    The more Hecathe spent time in this world, the more he came to realize that Alphius was truly a boy blessed by the heavens. His abilities were all rare and useful. If he hadn''t been so hated by the people then he would have most certainly become another willow of spring and if not then maybe he would have been able to bring this world together just to rule them all with a better working government system.


    "LeiLei, are you there?" Hecathe raised his wrist as he sent the girl a message.


    It took LeiLei a few minutes to respond and when she did, Hecathe could clearly understand why her response was a bit delayed.


    At first, only breathing and struggling sounds could be heard that made Hecathe frown as he had a bad feeling in his stomach.


    "Sir!" LeiLei''s panicked voice came soon after and Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together with a bit of worry, "The mecha-suit is trying to kill us!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard gunshots firing in the background along with the sound of a saber clashing with something metallic.


    The message cut off abruptly and if it were someone else who had heard this message they would have most certainly thought that LeiLei was telling the truth, however, Hecathe knew better than that.


    Judging from the sound of the gunshot firing in the background, it could be sensed that they were really fighting the mecha-suit, but at the same time, Hecathe could also tell that the girl was lying about the mecha-suit being the one that had tried to kill them first.


    The mecha-suits were surely violent but they would certainly not try to kill a person if the person didn''t do anything against them.


    The same could also be said about the mecha-suit that Hecathe had met just now.


    Although the man shot Hecathe, he still didn''t try to kill Hecathe although he had a very good chance to do it. He had even raised his gun but it was always aimed at Hecathe''s arm and not at his heart or head.


    This was also the reason why Hecathe had wasted so much time in arguing with the mecha-suit. He already knew that the man was not going to kill him even if he really did shoot.


    Hecathe had also been smart enough to not follow after the mecha-suit because if he had gone looking for a fight then the mecha-suit would have also not held back and would have actively tried to kill him.


    If the mecha-suit that the other two had met was trying to kill them then Hecathe was sure that Marvin and LeiLei had fought back and resisted.


    "LeiLei, Get me there," Hecathe spoke with a sigh as he sent the girl a message.


    It would take him some time before he got to the others so the quickest and easiest way was to ask LeiLei for help. With the girl''s ability, Hecathe could easily get there and provide them aid in just a few seconds.


    The girl didn''t send a response this time and instead, she straightaway teleported Hecathe to the place where Marvin and LeiLei were fighting the mecha-suit.


    In just a few seconds, Hecathe was already at a place that looked like a battlefield. If there was anything missing from this battlefield then it would probably be an army.


    "What the hell...?!" Hecathe muttered in disbelief with a frown on his face as he saw the fight.


    LeiLei was hiding behind a wall and Hecathe was right next to her as the two looked at Marvin and the mecha-suit who were battling it out for their life.


    "Sir, should I just swap out the mecha-suit''s heart with a stone?" LeiLei questioned as she looked at Hecathe and Hecathe was a bit stunned and confused as he heard this question.


    "You can do something like that?" Hecathe blinked as he questioned, not being able to believe it easily.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she gulped, "I can."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly and he was a bit speechless as he felt that this girl was a lot more powerful than what he had originally imagined her to be.


    With a power like that... She could even kill the three willows of spring with utmost ease and that was something that even Alphius would not be able to do even with the support of all the rare abilities he had.


    "Should I?" LeiLei asked as she blinked and waited for Hecathe''s orders.


    "It''s better not to," Hecathe shook his head with a sigh, "Killing a single mecha-suit would be like inviting a war against them all and that is not something that we want to do."


    LeiLei pouted her lips as she heard this and clearly didn''t look happy, however, the girl nodded her head in understanding as she felt that Hecathe made sense.


    "Then how do we help him?" LeiLei asked curiously and Hecathe opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it as he got interrupted by a loud gunshot.


    Hecathe gulped as he saw Marvin cutting the bullet in half and although it looked like he was doing this with ease, on closer inspection, Hecathe realized that the boy really did need some help.


    Marvin''s hands that were clutched tightly on the hilt of the double-bladed saber were bleeding because of how much force he was using.


    His dark red blood dripped down and was soaked up by the ground.


    The houses and buildings around were on fire for some reason and Hecathe was pretty sure that the causes were Hecathe and the mecha-suit.


    Hecathe gulped as he thought about it for a bit.


    Marvin was not weak and he should have been able to easily beat the mecha-suit but seeing as how the two were equally powered, Hecathe couldn''t help but be a bit worried and confused.


    "LeiLei, how many times can you teleport us?" Hecathe asked as he came up with an idea.


    "Eh?" LeiLei tilted her head cluelessly as she muttered.


    "I''ll join the fight with him. If the mecha-suit gets too close, you teleport us and get us behind the mecha-suit so that we can attack him from behind."


    LeiLei''s eyebrows furrowed together as she heard this and the girl nodded as she took a minute to think about it before responding, "I can help you for another hour. Since the distance is less, it won''t be too straining for me."


    "An hour should be good enough for us to beat him," Hecathe stood up as he spoke, "Then, we''ll be counting on you."


    LeiLei bit her lip as she heard this and the worry and stress could clearly be seen on her face.


    "Sir, how are you going to fight?" LeiLei asked and Hecathe simply sighed as he gave an answer that she didn''t expect to hear.


    "I''ll have to rely on my fist."


    "..."


    The girl wondered if Hecathe was aware of the fact that the mecha-suit man was wearing a metal suit that was quite hard and almost impossible to puncture through with the use of bare hands.


    Deciding to fight a mecha-suit with the help of only hands was plain suicide.


    Hecathe didn''t bother saying anything more to the girl and didn''t even wait around for her response as he confidently walked towards the fight and joined the two.


    The mecha-suit didn''t look to be too bothered with the presence of Hecathe and this clearly signified that he didn''t see Hecathe as a threat.


    "And here I thought my soul was going to leave my body before you got here," Marvin chuckled dryly as he commented once he saw Hecathe, but although he was being highly sarcastic, Hecathe could sense that the boy was a bit relieved to see him.


    "And I almost thought that I was going to miss this party," Hecathe responded as he let out a small chuckle.


    Marvin raised his saber and struck at the mecha-suit from the front which surprised Hecathe a bit as he wondered why the boy would try to attack someone this straightforwardly.


    The mecha-suit raised his gun to block off the saber and it worked. Marvin was fast and his blade had a lot of power, however, it was still not enough to destroy the metallic suit that was worn by his opponent.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and muttered, "I hate useless hard work but it seems that you people are not going to let me rest."


    Hecathe lifted his right foot and calmly started walking towards the mecha-suit while Marvin was thrown off and flew through the air to hit the wall that was far off at the back, but thankfully enough, LeiLei saved him from a serious injury as the girl remembered what Hecathe had told her.


    The girl used her abilities and Marvin disappeared from the air before he reappeared and knocked against the back of the mecha-suit with the exact force and momentum that he had created when the mecha-suit had sent him flying.

 Chapter 142 - The Weakness Of A Mecha Suit

    The mecha-suit clearly didn''t seem to have expected this and he was pushed forward by surprise.


    A small push was nothing too dangerous but that was only if Hecathe hadn''t been there anticipating this blow.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smirk as he lifted his right leg and kicked right upwards and calculated his every move.


    The mecha-suit was left with an opening under his chin for lesser than a second, however, that second was more than enough for Hecathe to grab the opportunity.


    The mecha-suit fell forward and his own momentum acted against him as Hecathe kicked his chin upwards.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened slightly as she saw this scene and the girl was clearly surprised by Hecathe.


    The mecha-suit fell back on impact, but the kick was still not enough to remove the helmet from the man''s face which was what Hecathe was trying to do.


    Marvin chuckled dryly as he fell down on his butt and commented, "I have a feeling that LeiLei has a grudge on me or something."


    She could have clearly protected him better but the girl used him as a weapon instead and helped Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this but didn''t bother responding to it as he focused on the mecha-suit that was now on the floor.


    The mecha-suit tried to push himself off the floor but Hecathe moved faster as he kicked up Marvin''s saber with his left leg and caught it effortlessly before he spun around and used the momentum to strike the mecha-suit with force.


    The blade of the saber didn''t shine bright like it usually did when it was weilded by Marvin, however, the blade was till sharp and useful enough.


    Marvin had certainly attacked this mecha-suit before and failed after not being able to penetrate the metal suit that the man wore.


    Although Hecathe was also attacking the mecha-suit, his approach was much different from Marvin and this was because there was something about the mecha-suits that Hecathe knew but Marvin was unaware of.


    Although the metal suit looked completely impenetrable and was said to be without an opening there was indeed a weak point and it was the point around the neck.


    The helmet could come off so there was a weak point on the neck region that Hecathe clearly knew and the only reason why he knew this was because it was recorded in Alphius''s diary.


    Alphius had tried his best to remove all weak points expect for this one because he didn''t want the mecha-suits to be completely indestructable.


    The boy was certainly the one who created these mecha-suits but his own creation was so much more powerful that him that it was only natural that he was scared of it.


    Deep down, Alphius believed that there might come a day when the mecha-suits would need to be defeated and for such a day, he made sure that he left behind a weakness in the mecha-suits.


    However, this weakness was not known by anyone else and even the mecha-suits didn''t know that they had such a weakness. They clearly considered themselves invinsible because Alphius made them believe in such a lie.


    Hecathe ruthlessly used this weakness against the mecha-suit that they were fighting and aimed for the neck with an angle that would penetrate the metal skin of the suit and at the same time, would make sure that the man inside was not harmed.


    This was especially a bit tricky because he wanted to keep the mecha-suit alive. If he had simply wanted to kill the man then he could chop the head right off, however, it would be troublesome to kill a mecha-suit since that would be equal to starting a war against all mecha-suits and Hecathe was clearly not looking to do something like that.


    He wanted to warn the mecha-suit not to kill him and so, his job became a bit tricky.


    Marvin looked at the sight in awe as this was the first time that he was seeing the man display such skills with calculated attack.


    Just as expected, there was a crack on the neck of the suit this time and Hecathe looked to be pretty satisfied with it, however, this was still not enough to stop him from attacking the mecha-suit again.


    The mecha-suit was down and had been taken by surprise so it was clearly an opportunity that could not missed.


    Hecathe threw the saber back towards Marvin who caught it easily, "Stay on alert and make yourself useful."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and nodded his head in understanding as he stood up from the ground.


    The mecha-suit also pushed himself off the ground and stood up as he looked around to attack Hecathe, however, the mecha-suit couldn''t find the man that had managed to land two consequetive hits on him without even giving him a chance to retaliate.


    "Huh?" The mecha-suit muttered in confusion as he didn''t see Hecathe.


    Hecathe sighed as he suddenly spoke and made his presence known, "When people get too high up, they forget to look down and that becomes a mistake that can never be fixed."


    The mecha-suit immediately looked down at his feet and saw Hecathe crouching down on the ground for some reason but before the mecha-suit raised his gun, Hecathe kicked the mecha-suit''s leg and took him down once again.


    This time, Marvin also got the queue and acted together with Hecathe.


    Hecathe had attacked the man twice at the same spot so it was now clear to Marvin that Hecathe as purposefully aiming for the neck and the boy knew that the man was not doing this impulsively but actually had a plan in his mind that he was following.


    With this in mind, while the mecha-suit fell down, Marvin spun his saber and the blade came to life as it let out a white light and with a single strike upwards, the blade struck the jaw of the helmet and the cracked neck of the suit helped in breaking the helmet apart from the suit as the helmet flew up and revealed the face of the man that had been hiding behind that mecha-suit.


    "Who the hell are you?!" The mecha-suit gritted out as he crawled back from the two with a bit of fear clearly evident in his voice and facial expression.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and casually folded his legs as he sat criss-cross on the floor with his hand propelled up with the help of his elbow that was on his knee.


    Hecathe leaned in and placed his chin on the palm of his hand that was facing up and smiled as he responded to the man, "Haven''t you heard of manners? You should never ask the identity of a person wearing a mask like this. We hunters get offended very easily and if you''re not careful then you might just end up as the prey."


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and with his helmet gone, the man was clearly not as confident as he was right before this when he was the one actively attacking Marvin.


    Marvin sighed as he placed his saber behind his back and shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the mecha-suit and spoke, "You shouldn''t have messed with the people here. Ocasia is not a place where you can rule whenever you want to."


    The mecha-suit turned to Marvin and glared at the boy as he gritted his teeth.


    Although Marvin was the one who had given the final blow that took off the mask, the man was still much more scared of Hecathe since he was the one who had planned this attack.


    Before Hecathe came here, the mecha-suit clearly had an advantage over Marvin and would have definitely ended up winning this fight, however, once Hecathe had interfered, the fight was over before it could even properly start.


    "You can''t be normal hunters!" The man exclaimed accusingly as he looked at the two, "No hunter would try to pick a fight with us!"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and nodded his head as he responded, sounding a bit amused with the man''s words, "You''re right. No ordinary hunter would try to pick a fight with the mecha-suits but then again, it''s you mecha-suits who are trying to pick a fight with us. You are the ones on our turf and you still dare to say that we are the ones in the wrong...?"


    The mecha-suit was silent as he heard this and it seemed as if he had nothing to say mainly because there was some truth in what Hecathe had said.


    "Now, this boy," Hecathe lifted up the half-burnt, half-torn poster of Alphius that had been thrown to the ground at some point, "I have seen him. He asked me directions for Zeblor from here. The lad said something about wanting to avenge his friend''s father."


    The mecha-suit''s eyes widened as he heard this and he was clearly a bit surprised to hear Hecathe giving the answer just like that.

 Chapter 143 - Not Answering The Question

    Hecathe smiled and his eyes formed two crescents as he spoke, "See? If you had simply asked politely, people would have helped you out more easily."


    Although he was smiling, the mecha-suit could feel that there was no joy in his smile and this just made him feel even more intimidated by this man who had easily defeated him.


    "Now, let me ask you a question," Hecathe sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and asked, "Why are you looking for him? He didn''t really look like the type who would offend you mecha-suits."


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this but just like the previous mecha-suit that Hecathe had to deal with before coming here, this one was also not as willing to answer this question as he kept his mouth shut tight.


    "You don''t want to answer me?" Hecathe asked as he calmly tilted his head and the mecha-suit once again said nothing as he kept his mouth shut and simply glared at the man.


    "Okay, then." Hecathe sighed as he stood up straight and looked down at the mecha-suit coldly before stretching his right hand towards the right side with his palm facing up as he simply waited.


    Marvin chuckled dryly as he shook his head and immediately placed his saber on the palm of Hecathe''s hand.


    Hecathe spun the saber around and because of the heavy blade that was on both sides of the hilt, the saber became rather easier to spin and created a bit of a scary momentum.


    "I''ll give you another chance," Hecathe spoke as he looked at the mecha-suit, "I know I was the one that said violence wasn''t the way but it seems that violence is your language and if I want to successfully communicate with you then I''d also be forced to use this language."


    The mecha-suit gritted his teeth as he heard this and his eyebrows creased together, however, he was still reluctant to give Hecathe an answer and so, Hecathe decided to repeat his question.


    "Just why are you looking for the boy?"


    "Boy, you''re too conceited!" The mecha-suit finally opened his mouth to say something but he certainly didn''t have anything good to say to Hecathe nor was he easily going to give up the answer to the question.


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard the man''s words.


    It wasn''t like nobody had ever said such things to Hecathe. In fact, if truth be told then there were certainly worse things that people had to say about Hecathe.


    "Why do you think I would tell you anything?!" The mecha-suit questioned as he raised his voice and he certainly sounded as if he had been offended by Hecathe today.


    "Hmm," Hecathe hummed as he nodded his head and agreed with the man, "You''re right. There''s no reason for you to give me an answer."


    The mecha-suit''s expressions looked to be even more complicated as he heard this response that was clearly unexpected.


    "But I''m curious to know. I just love minding other people''s business and poking my nose into matters that do not concern me," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he shamelessly added and the mecha-suit was now left a little speechless.


    LeiLei, who was hiding behind a broken wall till now, suddenly came out of her hiding spot and used her powers to immediately teleport right behind the mecha-suit.


    With a chuckle, the girl managed to scare the mecha-suit who flinched and immediately felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned his head up in a shocked manner and looked to be even more scared when he saw the face of the girl who was smiling as she looked down at him.


    "Brother, you''re so amazing. For a second there, I really thought you were going to kill us," LeiLei complimented the mecha-suit but the man clearly didn''t look to be pleased with this compliment that sounded rather empty.


    LeiLei slowly walked over to Hecathe as she didn''t wait around for a response from the mecha-suit.


    "Sir, you were also amazing!~" LeiLei beamed as she complimented Hecathe as well, "I thought you were bluffing when you said you were going to use no weapons, but you really depended mostly on your bare fists. Your kick was also amazing! It''s the first time that I''m seeing someone who is this well trained!"


    Hecathe blankly blinked for a second there and wondered if this girl was simply trying to please him with sweet words or if she really meant what she had said.


    "She clearly doesn''t mean it," Marvin sighed as he muttered in a low volume as he guessed what Hecathe was thinking at this moment.


    Hecathe also sighed as he heard this and nodded his head as he softly responded, "I also thought the same."


    "Sir, what are we going to do next? Can we please chop him up and feed him to eggy?~" LeiLei asked enthusiastically as she clapped her hands and Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little surprised with the girl who looked to be happy with just the thought of torturing a mecha-suit.


    "Why do you sound so happy about chopping him up?" Hecathe asked with a frown as he looked at the girl with interest that could clearly be seen in his eyes.


    LeiLei pouted as she heard this and shook her head as she spoke with a pitiful tone, "It''s just that I hate mecha-suits. They all deserve to die..."


    Hecathe and Marvin both paused for a second there as they heard this and they didn''t dare say anything as they could sense that there was something more that the girl wanted to say.


    "I don''t know who killed my father but my father''s most trusted friend said that it was a mecha-suit!" LeiLei exclaimed as she gritted her teeth in anger that was mixed with sadness that was a bit hard to sense.


    "So you hate them all?" It was the mecha-suit who clicked his tongue as he questioned.


    The girl snapped her head towards him and the frown on her face turned into a thin smile that was even more unsettling, "If you were me then wouldn''t you hate them all as well?"


    Hecathe and Marvin shared a look as they heard this and both gulped at the same time as they got a bit worried.


    "LeiLei, Didn''t you say that you''ve already let go of the pain and grudge?" Hecathe asked as he tried to remain as calm and neutral as possible.


    The girl nodded her head as she heard this, "I''ve let go of the guilt and pain, but who said that I let go of the grudge?"


    "..."


    "Just because I am not actively seeking revenge doesn''t mean that I''ve forgotten nor does it mean that I''ve let it go," LeiLei continued with a sigh, "I believe that this world is round. What goes around, comes around and I''m sure that one day, the heaven''s would directly bring the killer in front of me and that would be the day when I finally avenge my parents."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    It seemed that her words were more right than what she originally believed them to be.


    Since Hecathe was here in front of her in the form of Alphius, it could be said that the heaven''s had really brought the killer in front of her just like what she had believed, but of course, this would naturally not be known by her.


    The mecha-suit scoffed as he heard LeiLei''s words and it was clear that he wasn''t pleased to hear her thoughts.


    "So you think you can avenge your parents by killing every mecha-suit that you meet?" He asked as he glared at the girl.


    LeiLei pouted her lips as she heard this and innocently shook her head as she responded, "Sadly, I cannot do that."


    The mecha-suit looked to be a little confused as he heard this and he tilted his head as he merely waited for the girl to continue speaking and didn''t bother questioning anything.


    LeiLei sighed as she wrapped her hands around Hecathe''s left arm and spoke, "I''m working with this guy and he doesn''t want me to get into trouble for killing you people. Unless I have his permission, I am forced to let you be."


    "..." The mecha-suit was a little speechless as he heard this and unconsciously turned to look at Hecathe as he wondered something in his mind that could not be easily guessed.


    "LeiLei, you''re right. I''m not letting you kill him," Hecathe raised his right hand as he rubbed his forehead and spoke, "We''ll have a lot of trouble if we do that so stay still and don''t say anything. We are not chopping him up tonight."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this but the girl had clearly expected to hear something like this.


    "But that doesn''t mean we can''t torture him a little," Hecathe added with a small wicked smirk that was hardly noticeable on his face.


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and the man could clearly tell that Hecathe was not merely joking when he said this.

 Chapter 144 - The Torture!

    "Y-you! You dare lay your hands on a mecha-suit?!" The man tried to warn and scare Hecathe, however, this was something that would hardly ever work with Hecathe since there weren''t really many things that could scare Hecathe.


    For Hecathe, even death was not scary enough. It was certainly a bit disappointing and shocking, but it was still not a scary event. This was also the reason why he was shocked and disappointed to know that he had died and was now in Alphius''s body but even then, he was not scared of the fact that he had died.


    With a chuckle that sounded as if the man was mocking the mecha-suit, Hecathe raised his head and responded with a tone that sounded as if he was amused and offended at the same time, "I don''t discriminate. I lay hands on everything that walks."


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and he was left a little shocked.


    Marvin and LeiLei also looked to be a little taken back as they heard this and after the second of shock had passed, the two started to laugh under their breaths.


    However, Hecathe didn''t bother with their snickering too much as he faced the mecha-suit.


    He took a calm step forward and the mecha-suit unconsciously crawled back as he suddenly felt intimidated.


    "What the hell are you trying to do?!" The mecha-suit cried out with a frown as he glared at Hecathe and Hecathe simply smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.


    "I''m just trying to get some answers out of you. It''s nothing personal, buddy."


    "..." The mecha-suit surely seemed to be taking it personally.


    "Sir, if there is any help that you need, I''m always here," LeiLei added with a smile that looked rather wicked.


    Hecathe took another step forward towards the mecha-suit but said nothing more and the mecha-suit was left confused and worried as he crawled back a bit more.


    Marvin and LeiLei gulped as they looked behind the mecha-suit and saw some guests that had been secretly invited by Hecathe, however, the mecha-suit himself didn''t realize that there were hungry guests behind him.


    "Why are you looking for the boy?" Hecathe once again asked the question that he wanted to get an answer to.


    The mecha-suit was still persistent as he crawled another step back, but this time, his muscles suddenly tensed up as if he felt that there was something behind him.


    "Look behind yourself and think about it again," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Whether you want to answer the question or not, you can decide it after you meet the friends that are here to greet you."


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and just like Hecathe had instructed the man, he slowly turned his head to look at the creatures that were standing right behind him.


    "Aaa!" The mecha-suit let out a scream as he immediately threw his hands at the creature and tried to get those growling mutants away from him.


    "With us here, you cannot beat them," Hecathe spoke as he politely informed the man that escaping was out of the option, "Even if you try, you''ll end up as nothing more than ground meat."


    The mecha-suit looked to be disgusted by the crawling mutants that were trying to get closer to him.


    One of the mutants got a bit too close to the mecha-suits leg as the creature started to smell the man''s metallic shoe, however, the mecha-suit was clearly not satisfied with this and kicked the mutant away with force.


    A simple kick was clearly enough to momentarily escape from a mutant, but it was not enough to kill the mutant.


    The mutant that had been kicked, pushed itself off the ground and growled loudly as it tried to challenge the mecha-suit who had kicked it first.


    "All you need to do is give me an answer and you won''t have to deal with that nasty creature that wants to rip out your heart and eat it," Hecathe spoke with a small smile as he kept his eyes on the mecha-suit whose back was facing him.


    The mecha-suit gulped once again as he heard this question and this time, he seriously considered the question and didn''t outrightly refuse.


    Hecathe could notice that there was a change in the mecha-suit this time and he decided to take this opportunity to persuade the mecha-suit into answering.


    Hecathe crouched down on the ground right behind the mecha-suit as he asked with a soft voice, "Are you simply looking for your missing leader because you want to protect him, or are you trying to secretly kill him so that you can have all the power?"


    The mecha-suit immediately snapped his head back to look at Hecathe in shock as he heard this question.


    "W-Who are you?" The mecha-suit questioned anxiously and Hecathe simply flashed a smile as he responded.


    "I''m somebody trying to help that boy."


    LeiLei and Marvin had also heard the question that Hecathe had asked the man and they couldn''t help but feel a bit shocked as well.


    There was a single question that bothered both of them: Why would the mecha-suits try to secretly kill Alphius...?


    The answer to that question was pretty simple. Alphius was the one controlling all the mecha-suits but he was very different from all the mecha-suits. He wasn''t as violent as them and although he had also killed people, he did it for a righteous reason and not because he simply wanted to kill somebody.


    Alphius had wanted to unite the world as one. He wanted to prove that everybody was equal but the mecha-suits wanted to take out their grudge for all the humiliation that they had suffered when they weren''t this powerful.


    With Alphius gone, the mecha-suits would be ruled by the generals who were mecha-suits as well. They would no longer have to force themselves to fit into the society and they wouldn''t have to pretend to be nice either. They could do anything they wanted and slowly, they could take this world and rule over it.


    At the moment, Alphius was on the run and even if he were to suddenly die, there would not be many people who would be suspicious of the mecha-suits for his death.


    Even if the mecha-suit in front of Hecathe admitted that they were after Alphius because they wanted to secretly kill him, Hecathe wouldn''t be shocked.


    "What nonsense are you spouting?!" The mecha-suit shouted angrily at Hecathe.


    Hecathe blinked as he heard this strong response that came a bit sudden.


    "Why would we try to kill our leader?!" The mecha-suit grabbed Hecathe''s collar and pulled him forward as he shouted at the man''s face, "If we wanted to kill him, we would''ve never saved him from the three willows of spring!"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and thought about it for a few seconds before he unconsciously nodded his head as he agreed with the man.


    "You know nothing about us!" The mecha-suit cried out angrily, "You''re nothing more than a conceited brat who knows nothing about us! You dare say that you want to help our leader?! Our leader is the best! How can you even compare to him?!"


    Marvin and LeiLei flinched as they saw this turn of events.


    The mecha-suit that was previously intimidated by Hecathe was now unhesitantly scolding him after hearing just a simple mindless question from Hecathe.


    Hecathe grabbed onto the hands of the mecha-suit that was now choking him just a little with that tight grip around his collars.


    "I dare you to say anything about our leader!" The mecha suit glared at Hecathe as he shouted.


    Hecathe was silent for a few minutes but when the initial shock was over, he couldn''t help but randomly laugh as if this situation was somehow funny to him.


    However, although Hecathe found the situation funny, it was clear that the mecha-suit in front did not share the same feelings.


    "You''re laughing...?!" The mecha-suit questioned in disbelief and just as Hecathe opened his mouth to say something, the man lifted his fist and punched Hecathe, sending him flying backward.


    LeiLei and Marvin immediately stepped back as they gulped after seeing Hecathe being punched that hard.


    "Did he survive that...?" LeiLei asked in a low volume as cold sweat formed on her forehead.


    "En~ He''ll live," Marvin casually commented as he responded to the girl, "He had it coming. You should never touch a topic that is sensitive to the mecha-suits and their captain has always been such a topic for them. They are a bit too defensive over him."


    "..."


    Marvin has stated it as a fact and LeiLei couldn''t help but believe his words.


    For a second there, Hecathe almost felt as if he was about to go to the afterlife, however, when he opened his eyes, he felt that half of his face was paralyzed, but he knew that he was still alive.


    "Should''ve had him take off his hand gear as well," Hecathe grabbed his jaw and gently tried to twist it back into place as he muttered, thinking to himself.

 Chapter 145 - Violence Leads To Nothing

    Hecathe finally learned what it was like to be punched by a mecha-suit and the feeling was certainly not pleasant.


    When Hecathe touched his cheek, he felt a sting of pain as the numbness slowly started to fade away and by the time that he had removed his hand, he could see blood covering his fingertips that had come in contact with his cheek.


    "..."


    The punch was strong enough to draw blood and that in itself was shocking to Hecathe who found it hard to believe that he was still alive after that punch.


    Alphius surely had amazing regeneration abilities cause if not then Hecathe would have really entered the afterlife today.


    "Sir, are you okay?" LeiLei asked as she gulped and looked at the man in worry.


    Hecathe pushed himself off the ground as he stood up on his legs, but the mecha-suit was much faster than him.


    Right after he had punched Hecathe, the mecha-suit stood up and looked down at Hecathe with a scowl.


    "Brother, violence leads to nothing," Hecathe sighed as he wiped the blood off his face and smiled a little.


    "Then let this lead you to death," The mecha-suit raised his fist as he came running towards Hecathe, threatening to throw another punch at the man.


    This time, however, Hecathe was not unprepared and hence, he had enough time to defend himself.


    He moved back just a step and tilted his body towards the right side as he avoided the punch before he grabbed the mecha suit''s arm and twisted it. Since, the man''s arm was protected by the metallic gears, Hecathe did no real damage by twisting it and so, he acted quickly on his thoughts and pulled the hand forward.


    Hecathe stuck out his foot in front of the mecha-suit so that when he was pulled forward, he would trip and fall to the ground once again.


    For the most part of it, It looked liked Hecathe was the one in control.


    He didn''t even need to use his abilities in order to fight the mecha-suit.


    However, this winning only lasted for a short while.


    There was a reason why mecha-suits were so famous and if they were this easy to beat then they would certainly not have such an infamous reputation attached to them.


    The mecha suit was pulled forward, but unfortunately enough for Hecathe, he didn''t trip and fall like what Hecathe had planned. Instead, the mecha suit took the chance to attack Hecathe as he spun and threw a back-kick at Hecathe.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened almost immediately as he saw the metallic leg coming towards him and at the very last second possible, Hecathe stepped back on instinct as he avoided the kick.


    There was an adrenaline rush inside Hecathe''s body which made him feel hot and his heart started beating a bit faster as cold sweat trailed down his forehead.


    LeiLei and Marvin took a step back as they watched the fight and the two clearly looked as if they wanted to help Hecathe, but at the same time, it could also be sensed that although they wanted to help the man, they also dare not interrupt this fight.


    Hecathe cursed under his breath as he saw another punch being thrown at him and this time, he was unable to avoid it since he didn''t have a strong balance. His feet were unstable after avoiding that kick and it seemed that the mecha-suit had already guessed that something like this would happen and this was the reason why he used the opportunity within just a second.


    Hecathe was thrown back by the punch and flew a few metres before hitting his back against a wall that instantly broke upon impact.


    Hecathe''s body fell down limply and the crumbled bricks from the wall started falling over him, but thankfully enough, LeiLei reacted soon enough and teleported all the bricks on top of the mecha-suit and the girl not only saved Hecathe by doing this but she also used the opportunity to attack the mecha-suit.


    Since the helmet of the mecha-suit man had already been taken off, there was nothing protecting his head.


    The mecha-suit felt the first piece of brick hitting his head and he immediately raised his hand to cover himself.


    This was a great opening that could be used in order to attack the mecha-suit, however, Hecathe was also down at the moment so he couldn''t take this chance.


    Marvin chuckled dryly as he calmly walked over towards Hecathe and stretched his hand forward as if he was trying to help the man, "Brother Hecathe, do you need a hand? Two is always better than one."


    Hecathe opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at the boy but he didn''t readily take the hand that was stretched out to him.


    Hecathe sighed as he touched his cheek and looked down at the blood that was coming out of the wound.


    "Does he really have to damage this handsome face...?!" Hecathe gritted his teeth as he questioned in disbelief.


    Marvin tilted his head as he heard this and felt a little amused but didn''t bother saying anything to that.


    "You attack from the back," Hecathe sighed as he spoke and grabbed Marvin''s hand before being pulled up to his feet by the boy.


    Marvin nodded his head as he beamed, "Got it!"


    LeiLei chuckled for some reason as she saw this exchange between the two.


    The mecha-suit was still defending himself against the falling bricks and debris, however, even running was not able to help the man since LeiLei could attack him even while he was moving.


    Hecathe sighed as he stretched his body and neck before calmly walking towards the mecha-suit.


    Marvin also didn''t bother wasting time as he walked over towards the mecha-suit with his saber spinning in his hand.


    The mecha-suit was too busy dealing with the falling bricks and so, it was only natural that he wasn''t able to notice Hecathe and Marvin who had moved forward for an attack.


    Hecathe was the one attacking from the front but Marvin was the one who raised his saber first and attacked the mecha-suit from the back.


    The double-bladed sword pushed the mecha-suit forward and Hecathe smirked as he straightaway lifted his leg and kicked the mecha-suit''s face. Since the head was the only part of the body that was vulnerable to an attack at the moment, Hecathe had no other choice but to attack the face.


    The mecha-suit got his face kicked and almost broke his nose bridge. Blood started trailing down from his nostrils but Hecathe didn''t look to care about it too much as he felt that this type of wound would be easy to heal.


    The mecha-suit couldn''t even open his eyes but this didn''t stop him from blindly throwing a punch forward.


    Hecathe tilted his head and avoided the punch by just a few inches while Marvin jumped up and struck down on the mecha-suit from behind.


    If the blade hadn''t been blocked by the mecha-suit then Marvin would have surely spilt the man up in two.


    Hecathe let out a small soft chuckle as he saw Marvin and he couldn''t help but complement the boy, "Good try."


    Marvin clicked his tongue as he retreated a few steps before spinning his double-bladed sword around his body in a manner that looked as if it was purely for show while at the same time, it also provided a shield that was hard to get through without being minced.


    The mecha-suit immediately tried to kick Marvin but he failed as Hecathe used this chance to elbow the mecha-suit under his cheek. Marvin was also not an easy target as he swung the sword vertically and tried to cut away the mecha-suit''s leg.


    LeiLei yawned as she saw this and couldn''t help but feel a little sleepy as she commented, "It''s taking you so long. Can''t you just get it done quicker?"


    Hecathe and Marvin pursed their lips into a thin line as they heard this but didn''t bother responding to the girl.


    They were fighting a mecha-suit... The fact that they weren''t losing against him yet was already something amazing... How in the hell were they supposed to end this fight quicker...?!


    LeiLei sat down on the ground with her legs criss-crossed over each other casually. She rested her chin against the palm of her right hand that was propelled up from her elbow that was on her knees.


    Hecathe sighed as he threw an upper cut punch at the mecha-suit before following it up with a  jumping round back kick that came without missing a beat.


    At this point, the mecha-suit had his face completely red, with bruises clearly visible. and his blood painting a pathetic picture on his face.


    Marvin also didn''t bother wasting time as he attacked simultaneously with Hecathe. He swung his blade and tried to cut the mecha-suit into half but all he was able to do was confuse the mecha-suit and leave a few visible scratches on the metallic suit.


    Breaking this mecha-suit was a challenge that was still just as impossible.

 Chapter 146 - You Are The Bastard Marvin?!

    "Marvin, keep attacking the same spot!" Hecathe shouted as he instructed the boy, however, this instruction was also heard by the mecha-suit and the man surely didn''t look to be happy as he heard Hecathe calling Marvin''s name.


    "Marvin?!" The mecha-suit repeated as he gritted his teeth and turned to look at Marvin.


    Hecathe gulped as his eyes widened ever so slightly.


    His tongue had slipped... And he regretted it...


    He was not supposed to reveal Marvin''s real name but it had already been done.


    "You''re the bastard Marvin?!" The mecha-suit exclaimed angrily as he glared at the boy and the aura around this mecha-suit seemed to have changed yet again.


    LeiLei sighed as she rubbed her head in disbelief and disappointment. The girl already knew that Raven was also called Marvin and this was because she had heard the name slip from Hecathe''s mouth countless times, and hence, the girl was not the least bit shocked to hear the name that she also occasionally used while referring to the boy.


    Marvin gulped as he cursed under his breath and jumped back a few steps as a precaution.


    Marvin was infamous among the mecha-suits and the reason why he was so hated by these metallic giants was because he had betrayed Alphius.


    According to the rumors, Alphius was like a god to most of the mecha-suits and hence, the one who betrayed their god was nothing more than a demon that needed to be burned in hell for all of eternity.


    To put it in simple words, Alphius was a God to them and Marvin was hated by them all.


    From the current expression plastered on the mecha-suit''s face, it could be clearly seen that this rumor wasn''t baseless.


    The mecha-suit''s really did hate Marvin to the core.


    Marvin gulped as he looked at the mecha-suit who didn''t seem to care about Hecathe anymore and straightforwardly focused all of his attacks on Marvin.


    The mecha-suit pulled out a small handgun and immediately shot it at Marvin without any second thoughts.


    His actions were impulsive and quick, but it didn''t look like there would ever come a day when he would really regret this decision.


    The punch thrown at Marvin was strong and if it hadn''t been for LeiLei''s fast thinking, then the mecha-suit would have really succeeded and killed Marvin.


    LeiLei clicked her tongue with a frown on her face as she commented, "You better keep your guards up, Marvin. This mecha-suit is not playing around anymore."


    Although LeiLei had temporarily saved Marvin by teleporting the bullet away from him, she still warned the boy because she knew that the demeanor around the mecha-suit had drastically changed.


    Even Hecathe couldn''t help but nod his head with a sigh as he heard the girl, "He''s trying to seriously kill you this time."


    "..." Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and didn''t dare say anything to that.


    It didn''t take a genius to understand the seriousness of the situation.


    The mecha-suit also looked to be focused as he continuously kept on attacking the boy. He tried to find an opening, but Marvin was also not casual this time as he was forced to seriously fight against the mecha-suit.


    The bullets could be avoided with the help of LeiLei and her ability, however, to stop the punches and kicks that came for him was not something that could be considered that easy, especially not if the opponent throwing these physical attacks had a metallic indestructible suit covering his body.


    Marvin''s eyebrows furrowed together and he continued to take steps back as he avoided all the punches and kicks that were being thrown at him.


    Hecathe could take the punches and still survive because he was inside Alphius''s body which had a special ability to regenerate itself. It was only natural that Hecathe could handle the mecha-suit and his punches, however, Marvin was not the same as Hecathe. He didn''t have any regeneration abilities so if he were to be punched a few times by this mecha-suit, he couldn''t be too sure whether he''d survive or not.


    Hecathe frowned as he tried to attack the mecha-suit from behind, but this time, it wasn''t easy for Hecathe to land a clean blow.


    The mecha-suit was constantly moving and on his guard as well so every time Hecathe threw a punch or a kick at him, the man would simply avoid it effortlessly.


    At the end of the day, Hecathe could sense that the mecha-suit was no longer fighting against him and was completely focused on killing Marvin.


    Marvin and Hecathe shared a look of understanding and Hecathe sighed as he softly nodded his head and stepped back from the fight.


    It was best just to let Marvin handle this since Hecathe couldn''t really put an end to this mecha-suit''s rage.


    He wanted to help Marvin since Marvin had also stepped forward to help him just a few minutes ago, however, although Hecathe wanted to help the boy, he was still not able to do it.


    LeiLei also shook her head in disbelief as she saw Hecathe stepping back from the fight.


    The girl hadn''t even tried to openly join the fight. She had surely helped the two from the sidelines by looking out for their backs but that was about it. She didn''t bother even trying to engage in hand-to-hand combat with this mecha-suit that was much bigger and stronger than her because she was well aware of her limits.


    Although she wasn''t a bad fighter, it was still impossible for her to win against this mecha-suit if she were to rely on her fists.


    "Sir, do you know what Mecha-suits are made up of?" LeiLei asked as she innocently tilted her head.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he heard this question.


    With such an intense fight going on in front of them, why would the girl be more interested in knowing what the mecha-suits are made up of...?


    It simply made no sense!


    LeiLei smiled thinly as she waited patiently for Hecathe to give her an answer.


    "Why are you asking that?" Instead of giving a straight answer, Hecathe asked back with a frown that was apparent on his face.


    LeiLei sighed as she shook her head and responded, "Just answer the question. What are the mecha-suits made up of?"


    Hecathe looked to be a bit suspicious of the girl as he heard this, but he still couldn''t bring himself forward to give an answer so he simply waited on the spot for the girl to continue speaking.


    LeiLei shook her head in disbelief as she got this wordless response and spoke up, asking another question this time, "What do mutants absolutely love to eat?"


    Hecathe''s face seemed to have cringed up as he got even more confused after hearing this question.


    At first, he couldn''t see any connection between the two questions. To him, it sounded nothing more than random questions that LeiLei was asking just for fun, however, this was simply not it.


    Hecathe had to think about it for a few minutes before he realized the connection between the two questions and he got surprised as he understood that there really was a connection between the two questions.


    Both the questions had the same answer!


    The man gulped as he put the two pieces together and made sense of what the girl was trying to tell him.


    "Zelium..." Hecathe muttered as his eyes widened ever so slowly, "It''s Zelium!"


    LeiLei chuckled as she heard the man exclaim in joy, "That''s right. It''s a bit disappointing to see that master hadn''t thought of this."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and he couldn''t help but feel a little impressed by the girl and her quick thinking.


    The mecha-suit was made to be indestructible and the main material used that helped in the working of the suit was Zelium that the mutant''s loved to eat.


    Alphius had created the mecha-suit for the people who had no abilities and hence, although it was more powerful than the ability users, it was not indestructible in front of a bunch of hungry mutants.


    The mutants that Hecathe had previously invited were waiting on the spot patiently with their droll trailing down their fangs and dropping to the ground.


    The sight was truly a bit disgusting, however, Hecathe couldn''t help but smile brightly as he saw this.


    It was a bit shocking for him that he wasn''t the one who had come up with this idea.


    The only reason why the mutants weren''t killing the mecha-suit was because Hecathe had ordered them not to. If it hadn''t been for that then the mecha-suit would have truly been gobbled up by the mutants without any mercy.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the mutants and the mutants seemed to have sensed that Hecathe wanted to say something so they all immediately turned to look at Hecathe.


    "Just make sure not to kill him," Hecathe spoke with a dry chuckle as he commanded the mutants.

 Chapter 147 - All Hell Had Broke Loose

    It was as if all hell had broken loose.


    The mutants had been waiting just for this sign from Hecathe and now that they were given the permission, the creatures were really not shy at all as they lunged forward at the mecha-suit who was busy fighting Marvin.


    The mutants looked as if they had completely gone crazy and on the way, a few even lost their footing and fell down before being trampled on by other mutants who crawled over them.


    All the mutants could see at the moment was the mecha-suit. They simply cared about nothing else that happened around them.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened in surprise as she saw this sight that she had not expected and the girl whistled as she took a few steps back and cleared some space.


    Hecathe also chuckled dryly as he took a few steps forward and pulled Marvin back.


    The mecha-suit looked to be angry and just like how the mutants were only focused on him, the mecha-suit was also only focused on Marvin and this single goal of his made him blind to the fact that there was a large group of mutants running towards him from behind with only ill intents.


    "You dare try to save him?!" The mecha-suit shouted as if he was trying to warn Hecathe but with the mutants that were ready to chomp down on the mecha-suit at any moment now, Hecathe wasn''t too worried about this threat.


    The mecha-suit sprang forward towards Hecathe as he tried to attack the man, however, his fist came to a stop just a few inches away from Hecathe''s face.


    Hecathe could feel the cold breeze that was created with the excessive speed of the fist, however, he didn''t even flinch or bat an eye as he looked at the fist that was close to his face.


    It was as if he had already expected this fist to stop right here.


    The mecha-suit looked to be shocked and horrified as he looked at his shoulder that was being bitten by mutants.


    Like every other person who would face such a situation, the man''s first reaction was to throw the mutants off of his shoulder, however, after knocking one down, he realized that there were still a lot more that were biting his leg, his feet, his back and some even had the guts to nibble on his left hand.


    The mecha-suit took a shape breath in as he let out an ear-piercing cry. He unconsciously stepped back in fear and fell onto his butt after tripping on a few mutants.


    This simply gave the mutants a better hold of the man and they ruthlessly started tearing apart his mecha-suit bit by bit.


    Marvin''s eyes widened as he saw this sight and the boy looked to be a little stunned by such a gruesome sight.


    Hecathe, on the other hand, simply sighed as he clapped his hands once as if his hands had been dirtied. He didn''t feel bad for the mecha-suit and he could look at the scene without even blinking an eye.


    LeiLei was also not as affected since she knew that Hecathe wouldn''t be letting this mecha-suit die, and so, the girl laughed as she saw this sight that was certainly not pleasant to the eyes.


    The mecha-suit, however, was not aware of the fact that Hecathe was not looking to kill him and these mutants really didn''t leave him any time to think for himself. The mecha-suit thought that he was going to get killed. He certainly lost all hopes and let out painful cries, begging for someone to help him.


    "Hecathe, what are you trying to do?" Marvin frowned as he questioned, "You were the one who said you weren''t going to kill him"


    It seemed that Marvin hadn''t heard what instruction Hecathe had given to the mutants and hence, he misunderstood the situation and thought that Hecathe had ordered the mutants to rip this mecha-suit into shreds.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and glanced back at Marvin with a small smile as he didn''t bother giving an answer to that question and changed the topic instead, "Are you hurt?"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this question and his eyebrows creased together with a frown on his face.


    His expressions at the moment were clearly a bit indecipherable. On one hand, he looked to be surprised and a bit touched while on the other hand, he looked to be horrified and in confusion.


    Hecathe curled his lips up into a small smile as he patiently waited for the boy''s answer.


    Marvin gulped as he took a minute to shake his head as he responded, "I''m not injured."


    Hecathe looked at the boy up and down as he judged the boy''s appearance. Marvin clearly looked as if he had just survived a zombie apocalypse and he still had the guts to claim that he had not been injured.


    "Let me rephrase my question," Hecathe spoke with a sigh as he asked once again, "Do you need a doctor or not?"


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and his eyes looked to be completely displeased as he shook his head.


    "Then that''s good," Hecathe chuckled softly as he spoke, "We won''t need to waste time thinking about that."


    "..."


    It barely took the mutants about ten minutes to rip apart the metallic suit from the man and it was only natural that they had bitten him by mistake in the process as well.


    When the metallic suit had come off completely, the mecha-suit tried to climb onto his feet but was stopped by the mutants who stepped on his chest and held him down.


    The situation for him was still unclear and hence, he was still screaming and crying for his life, however, the mutants weren''t really interested in killing him anymore.


    In fact, it looked as if the mutants were busy fighting over the pieces of metallic suit that were thrown on the ground by them.


    "My ear hurts," Hecathe clicked his tongue with his hands tucked in his pocket. He looked down at the man with a cold glare that spoke more than what words could.


    "Stop shouting," Hecathe snapped and it was clear that he hated seeing people be this afraid of him.


    "You! What are you trying to do?!" The mecha-suit glared at Hecathe and crawled a few steps back as the man tried to keep a safe distance between himself and Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question that made him want to tease this man a bit.


    "What is it that you want me to do?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked, "Do you seriously wish to be tortured? I only asked for information and yet, you treat me this way. You really must understand that it''s not my fault. You are the one who was constantly trying to pick a fight with us. It''s nothing personal, brother. I only attack the ones that attack me"


    The mecha-suit looked to be shocked as he heard this and he couldn''t help but regret his decision to pick on this group of three.


    "Are you now willing to give us a proper answer?" Hecathe asked with a smile and his scary cold demeanor seemed to have immediately disappeared into thin air.


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and although they had been fighting for quite some time now, the mecha-suit was still not giving an answer.


    Hecathe had been patient till now but now, his patience was really being tested to the limits.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to speak today?" Hecathe asked as he glared at the man and this was the last straw.


    The mecha-suit took a minute, but this time, he wasn''t silent anymore and had finally decided to talk.


    "He''s our leader and he''s missing... How can we not look for him?"


    "I think finding a new leader would be quicker and much easier," Hecathe sighed as he responded.


    "Nobody in this world can match up to our leader! He is the greatest to ever exist and the youngest one as well," The mecha-suit exclaimed.


    "If you know this then how come you let him run away?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk that was barely visible.


    "We didn''t...!" The mecha-suit defended himself almost immediately.


    "So you''re now going to say that he secretly ran away?" Hecathe asked with a frown on his face and the mecha-suit enthusiastically nodded his head.


    "I''m not just saying it. He really did do it! I''m sure of it!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but scoff as he heard this ridiculous response.


    "You don''t even try to understand your leader and you still dare look for him in this city?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke, "He''s still a kid and you want to imprison him in that underground jail forever...?!"


    The mecha-suit gulped as he heard this and held his head down in a manner that made it almost seem as if he was a bit intimidated by the man.

 Chapter 148 - Pity For The Mecha-suits

    If truth be told, Hecathe felt pity for these white masks. They considered Alphius as their God but that God only ever wanted to run away from them. The underground shrine they had built for him would surely keep him safe but it didn''t change the fact that he hated it.


    Alphius would have preferred it more if he was not such an important person to the mecha-suits. After all, Alphius was the type of person who liked to lay low. He liked to be free of any responsibilities because only by being free could he be creative and make more great innovative useful things that this world needed.


    In Alphius''s diary, it was never written if he truly hated the underground world or not. In fact, there were a few lines about him saying how comfortable he was when he was up in his room all day.


    It was truly pitiful to think that their God was not happy with whatever they were providing him.


    The mecha-suit took a minute to realize that the mutants were no longer interested in him and as soon as this realization dawned on him, he pushed himself off of the ground and glared at Hecathe but said nothing.


    "I''m done here," Hecathe sighed as he spoke.


    Marvin and LeiLei looked to be a little shocked as they saw this.


    "We are leaving it at that?" LeiLei asked with confusion and shock.


    Hecathe nodded his head, "I have nothing more to ask."


    "..."


    The other two were left shocked and couldn''t even move an inch. Even the mecha-suit looked to be stunned as he couldn''t figure out what to do next.


    He was sure that this Hecathe was looking for a fight with him so how come he simply got ready to leave the mecha-suit alone just like that¡­?


    Hecathe sighed as he turned around and got ready to leave the place.


    The metallic suit had been broken by the mutants and was now enough to keep the mutants busy.


    Since Hecathe hadn''t instructed the mutants to kill the mecha-suit, the man was completely safe from them even if he was left alone with them.


    Marvin and LeiLei gulped as they looked at each other with a blank stare and said nothing before following after Hecathe like baby chicks following their mother.


    "Sir, are you sure you want to leave just like that?" LeiLei questioned as she blinked in surprise, not understanding why the man had decided to abruptly leave like that in the middle of a conversation.


    Hecathe immediately came to a stop as he heard the girl and he took a sharp breath in as he loudly spoke to the mecha-suit, "Your leader ran away from you because he no longer wanted to be imprisoned in that underground jail. When you decided to go after him, did you really think he would be happy with your decision¡­?"


    It was a question that need not be answered.


    The mecha-suit was silent as he heard this and looked as if he was thinking deeply about it.


    "If you truly respect him then you should also respect his choices," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he continued, "The only thing you can do for him is simply nothing. Just be there when he needs you and stand aside to watch the show that he puts on for you."


    The mecha-suit clearly didn''t understand the underlying meaning behind Hecathe''s words, but he was still left at a loss for words as he felt that Hecathe was speaking the truth.


    "Now, I''m really going," Hecathe sighed as he started walking once again and left the place.


    LeiLei and Marvin looked at the mecha-suit for one last time as they heard Hecathe''s words and although they had no prior information about what exactly was happening, they still felt a little bad for the mecha-suit who certainly looked pitiful at this moment.


    The mecha-suit clearly didn''t notice the dramatic looks that he had received today but Hecathe''s words were already enough to leave a big impression on him.


    LeiLei and Marvin also continued moving shortly after as they followed Hecathe.


    "Now where do we go?" Marvin asked as he stretched his arms.


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this questioned and side-glanced at the boy as he asked, "Do you know what time it is?"


    Marvin, "..."


    They had been fighting at inhuman morning hours and the fight had been so intense that they had forgotten how it was 5 a.m. in the morning.


    LeiLei suddenly yawned as she looked at the sky that had slowly started to light up.


    "I guess we aren''t getting any sleep today," The girl dejectedly sighed as she muttered.


    "You can stay in and sleep today," Hecathe spoke as he also sighed.


    Now that the fight was over, the exhaustion caused was finally kicking in.


    Marvin felt as if his whole body was hurting while LeiLei simply felt as if she was about to pass out at any second now.


    Perhaps, Hecathe was the only one who looked to be somewhat okay. He didn''t feel sleepy nor did his body hurt and this was all because of the precious healing/regenerating ability that Alphius had.


    At times like this, Hecathe seriously felt that he was lucky. If he had not gotten Alphius''s body then he would have also been just as exhausted and miserable as the other two.


    LeiLei looked at Hecathe in surprise as she took a minute to respond to his words, "Sir, are you letting me take a day off?"


    Hecathe simply nodded his head as he confirmed it and the girl looked to be even more stunned as she muttered in disbelief, "Wha~ I never knew our Hecathe was so caring..."


    "..." Hecathe really didn''t know how he was supposed to react to that so he pursed his lips into a thin line and kept quiet, not daring to say anything.


    "But sir, what about our mission?" LeiLei curiously asked, "Are the mecha-suits just going to stop because of this?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "They might not stop looking for the boy but they would certainly stop harassing strangers in Ocasia. A man once bitten by a crocodile would never dare to put his hand inside the water again."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this but although the girl couldn''t fully comprehend what the saying meant, she still nodded her head as she got the gist of it.


    "Are you sure about that?" It was Marvin who questioned with a frown this time.


    Hecathe was silent and it took him a minute to respond as he shook his head and answered honestly, "We can never be sure about anything in life. All we can do is try our best to make sure that the best possible outcome comes true but whether that outcome really does happen or not is something that we cannot control no matter how hard we try."


    "Then what happens if they continue harassing people? And what if this time they get more agitated and start seriously fighting the guilds in Ocasia out of spite?" Marvin''s frown deepened as he questioned without missing a beat.


    "Then we try to come up with a different solution," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he casually answered, "If one plan fails then we try another. There is nothing more to that. You must always make sure that you have enough doors in a room so that when one closes, you can open the other."


    "..."


    For some reason, Marvin had the feeling that the man was simply bullsh*ting at this point.


    "Sir, what if there is only one door and you were forced to go in that room? How would you deal with such a situation?" LeiLei enthusiastically questioned as she looked at the man with her big black eyes and innocently blinked, waiting for an answer.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this question, "If something like that happens, you simply open the closed door."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened slightly and her feelings at the moment were clearly written on her face. She looked as if she was questioning her own intelligence and wondering how she didn''t come up with this answer that was so obvious.


    Marvin who heard this response from the man couldn''t help but scoff as he rolled his eyes. He really couldn''t understand whether Hecathe was simply dumb or just too confident.


    Hecathe stretched his hands as he yawned, "Let''s go back home now. It''s already late. You two don''t have to come tomorrow. You can sleep in. As for me, I''ll go in early and report this to Kelly first."


    LeiLei clicked her tongue as she heard this and her eyebrows seemed to have creased together as she grumbled, "You are always trying to be alone with her."


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and teased the girl as he playfully asked, "Why? Are you jealous?"


    LeiLei''s eyes widened and the girl seriously looked as if she had not seen this response coming.


    "Jealous?! Me?!" She sounded offended for some reason...

 Chapter 149 - The Unexpected Rumor That Changed The Plan.

    The next day went quite peacefully as Marvin and LeiLei stayed back at the apartment to catch up on their sleep while Hecathe reported to Kelly and went on a solo mission that wasn''t too hard.


    Hecathe had also not slept enough but he was already used to skipping sleep like this so it didn''t matter to him too much.


    There had been a lot of times when some difficult or tricky problems arose at the company and at such times, Hecathe would need to skip sleep for work. He''d need to rush to the company immediately even if it was three in the morning so it was only natural that the man had trained his brain to adjust to such needs that came out of nowhere.


    He could easily get through two days without sleep.


    After completing the short solo mission, the man headed back home and caught up on his sleep, not having any worries.


    However, how could the next day also be just as peaceful...?


    By the time Hecathe woke up and headed to the guilt with the other two by his side, he came to hear something a bit interesting.


    There was now a new rumor going on around the city and this rumor revolved around not only the mecha-suits but also Hecathe.


    The news of the mecha-suit being bullied and beaten by two hunters became the talk of the city.


    This was something that Hecathe had not expected nor was it something that was included in his calculations and hence when Hecathe was suddenly faced with this new situation, he couldn''t help but have a foreboding feeling in his stomach.


    This new unexpected rumor was going to be troublesome and it was going to deeply affect Hecathe''s plans...


    The mecha-suits were considered to be unbeatable and this was a bit ironic considering the fact that some of them were not skilled at all and could be easily beaten. However, since their reputation was already so famous, nobody dared to pick a fight with them and if they did, they would certainly not even dream to win.


    Because of their famous reputation, it was only natural that the mecha-suits were prideful. They were people who stood at the top of society as tyrants who shouldn''t be messed around with.


    Hence, even though the group of three had beaten and humiliated the mecha-suit, Hecathe was sure that the man would not say anything about it since he wouldn''t want to lose his pride.


    But now that the rumor had surfaced like this, Hecathe was suddenly forced to accept the fact that he had not thoroughly considered the aftereffects of his actions in this mission.


    Marvin also seemed to have realized the problem that this rumor had created, but unlike Hecathe, the boy wasn''t the least bit worried about it, and instead, he actually found it a bit amusing.


    With a smile on his face, he even dared to tease Hecathe as he commented in a whispering volume that only Hecathe would hear, "It seems that things are not going as planned for you."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this but didn''t bother giving a response.


    The rumor said that the mecha-suit had been attacked by two hunters who worked for one of the guilds and that in itself was a big clue to Hecathe and Marvin''s identity since there weren''t really that many hunters working with guilds as one of their members.


    Hecathe had his thoughts completely scrabbled and he slowly came to realize that he would need to change the plan.


    He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath in before he turned his head to glance at Marvin.


    Marvin''s smile came to a pause as he met the man''s eyes and although he could not understand why Hecathe was looking at him, he still had a foreboding feeling in his stomach about it.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a thin smile as he spoke, "Raven, I might need you to do something for me."


    "..."


    Marvin was more than sure that the ''something'' that Hecathe wanted him to do was not going to be anything good.


    LeiLei snickered as she heard this and the girl also understood that Marvin was going to be in trouble pretty soon.


    "Can I refuse?" Marvin asked with an awkward smile as he took an unconscious step back.


    Hecathe''s smile seemed to have deepened as soon as he heard this question and as a response, he shook his head.


    Marvin gulped as he saw this response and he wanted to curse his luck.


    The foreboding feeling that Marvin felt in his stomach was certainly on point considering the fact that Hecathe was trying to make Marvin the subject of the rumor.


    Hecathe had challenged the three willows of spring as Alphius and had made it known that Alphuis was currently hiding in Zeblor. At the same time, he had also spread a rumor that the great Orgon was roaming Ocasia under the disguise of a hunter while his real killer was also in Orgon, hunting him again.


    These were all nothing more than rumors that were far from the truth but of course, people would come to believe it just because of the little proof that they had been given by Hecathe.


    Now that there was another rumor that had surfaced about a mecha-suit being beaten by a hunter, it was only natural that the rumor would get mixed up with the older rumors that Hecathe had created.


    Since Orgon was supposed to be in Ocasia, disguised as a hunter, people would naturally start to speculate further and might mix the two stories together to create a new rumor.


    After all, the thought of the great Orgon beating a mecha-suit wasn''t as unbelievable as the thought of a random hunter challenging the authority of the mecha-suits.


    In fact, Hecathe was sure that people would start to believe that Orgon was the one who had defeated the mecha-suit.


    This was a bit troublesome for Hecathe who was supposed to be the great Orgon in disguise.


    He wanted to create a war between the three willows of spring and the mecha-suits but if it was found out that he was the one who had challenged the authority of the mecha-suits, the war would shift completely and it would become Hecathe who would be targetted while at the same time, the three willows of spring would once again escape with no damage to their reputation.


    "Hecathe, I sometimes have a feeling that you hate me," Marvin sighed as he commented. The boy already kinda understood what Hecathe wanted him to do.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and shook his head as he patted the boy''s back and responded, "What are you talking about? If I hated you, would I have kept you around? I clearly like you a lot."


    "..."


    "You''re always there when I need you," Hecathe added with a smile and Marvin had the feeling that the man was only trying to sweet talk so much so that he could get Marvin to play as the scapegoat.


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and didn''t dare say anything to that as he looked at the man with an unimpressed expression.


    LeiLei chuckled softly as she nodded her head and spoke up, "Raven, you are so useful! All the best!"


    The boy didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard the girl mocking him.


    Marvin scoffed as a response but before he could say anything, he heard Hecathe continuing.


    "This actually works out for the best," Hecathe smirked as he pointed out, "Marvin, you can actually use your connections with the three willows of spring this time. That mecha-suit had clearly heard your name and knows your identity so we can easily use that to our advantage. We can make them think that you were sent by the three willows of spring."


    Marvin''s eyebrows furrowed together as he heard this and he wondered if he was the only one who could not understand what was going on inside Hecathe''s mind this time.


    The plan that he was making was simply reckless and there were so many things that could go wrong in this plan.


    "Hecathe, I''m not sick of living yet," Marvin sighed as he spoke and Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this.


    "Nor am I," Hecathe replied with a smile and the two simply stared at each other for a minute.


    "The mecha-suit would never kill you if they knew your identity but they would certainy try to murder me if they knew mine," Marvin spoke up with an expressionless face as he tried to save himself from taking part in this crazy plan.


    "The three willows of spring would try to kill me if they knew my identity and your father''s killer would also not be found," Hecathe pointed out as he pursed his lips into a thin smile.


    "..."


    LeiLei folded her arms and looked between the two as she waited for this argument to be over.


    "I can catch my father''s murderer."


    "But you cannot be sure about it while I can certify that the man would be found."

 Chapter 150 - This Is Blackmail...!

    Marvin''s eyes narrowed down on Hecathe as he heard this and he opened his mouth to say something more to that but was interrupted by Hecathe who continued.


    "And you owe your life to Alphius."


    "..." Marvin suddenly felt as if he was being tricked, but at the same time, even though he knew that he was being tricked, he couldn''t simply avoid falling for this trick.


    This was emotional blackmail...! Hecathe was using Marvin''s emotions against him!


    Hecathe smirked as he saw the reluctance in the boy''s face.


    "What? Are you going to say that you have already paid back for what you did to Alphius?" Hecathe asked with an amused tone that almost sounded as if the man was trying to mock the boy.


    Marvin opened his mouth to give a response but before his words could leave his mouth, he was suddenly interrupted by LeiLei who spoke up.


    "Um... I feel like I heard that wrong..."


    Hecathe and Marvin turned to look at the girl in confusion and it took them a minute to realize that Hecathe had once again said something that he shouldn''t have.


    LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together in confusion and worry as she looked at Marvin, "Did he just say that you owe something to Alphius...? Like, the real Alphius? The Great Leader of the mecha-suits...?!"


    Marvin gulped as he heard this question and immediately turned to Hecathe for help.


    It was Hecathe''s tongue that had slipped so he naturally needed to take responsibility for it.


    Hecathe coughed as he shook his head and forced himself to chuckle dryly as he spoke, "You must have heard it wrong."


    LeiLei frowned, "Then what were you really saying?"


    Hecathe was not that good of a liar, to begin with, so when the girl suddenly asked this question, the man was a bit taken back and couldn''t respond soon enough.


    Marvin, "We were just talking about another guy. You know the friend that I told you about? The one that died?"


    LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this and asked, "What was his name?"


    Marvin sighed as he answered without missing a beat, "He was called Alpias."


    "..."


    ''Alpias'' was certainly the best name that Marvin could make up with on the spot, but the name sounded so ridiculous that the girl found it hard to believe that this was really the boy''s name.


    Hecathe chuckled awkwardly as he nodded his head and backed Marvin''s words, "That''s right. You must have heard it wrong. I said he owed it to Alpias, not Alphius."


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this but although the girl was still not trusting the two, she didn''t bother pondering over this topic more.


    "In any case," Hecathe cleared his throat as he took the chance to change the topic once again in order to bring it back to the path that it had originally deviated from, "Marvin, you owe it to Alpias so you must help me."


    Marvin wanted to curse the man out as he heard this but he didn''t dare to act that impulsively.


    LeiLei suddenly raised her hand as she heard this and it looked as if the girl had an idea.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the girl.


    "Sir, wouldn''t there be another easy solution?"


    "Eh?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion and simply waited for the girl to continue.


    "Sir, didn''t you spread the rumor about the great Orgon? The boy in the rumor was supposed to be you, wasn''t it?" LeiLei asked but it seemed as if she didn''t need to know the answer since she was already sure of this and so, she continued without waiting for a response, "If you want the mecha-suits to think that the three willows of spring are the one''s behind this then you can just say that you came here under their instruction."


    Hecathe blinked a few times as he heard this and although he was a bit confused in the beginning, he eventually started to feel as if the girl made sense.


    "The great Orgon used to work for the three willows of spring so I don''t think it would be hard to make the people believe that his death was nothing more than a trap for the mecha-suits. Since the rumors have already made it well known that Orgon is still alive, it would be easier for them to believe that Orgon was given a secret mission."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and his eyes slowly widened as he realized that there was truly another way that was much more effective and useful for him.


    LeiLei had also thought up a plan but her plan was still much different from what Hecathe had in mind.


    When the man heard the girl, he immediately got a bit inspired and came up with a new plan.


    Ocasia was supposed to be a city that was not ruled by the three willows of spring nor was it ruled by the mecha-suits. It was the only city that still followed the old government system which was safeguarded by the guilds.


    The mecha-suits were naturally not interested in taking over this place, however, this was the only place on the ground that they were allowed to freely roam without having any worries and they certainly didn''t want this place to also be under the three willows of spring.


    If the mecha-suits came to know that the three willows of spring were secretly trying to overtake the city, they would most probably retaliate and do everything they could to stop the three willows of spring.


    The real Orgon used to work for the three willows of spring but he was most probably killed by one of them as well. However, the man and his legend still lived in the minds of the people because of the rumors.


    If Hecathe could somehow get the mecha-suits to believe that this was all a part of the plan that the three willows of spring had carefully made, they would surely not be happy.


    This was a plan that was inspired by LeiLei''s idea to use Hecathe''s identity as the fake Orgon.


    All he needed to do was get people to believe that he was the true Orgon who had been sent here in a secret mission by the three willows of spring in order to overtake the city. If he could simply make people believe this lie, the rest would just fall into place and the story would twist itself into a mess that Hecathe would enjoy not needing to solve.


    It was a great plan theoretically, but whether Hecathe could manage to make it happen or not was something that was still not discussed.


    "Hecathe, you have that psychopathic look on your face again," Marvin muttered with a frown as his face cringed up in disgust, "I don''t like it at all."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and responded with a bit of playfulness, "Are you sure you don''t like it? Cause I''m pretty sure that you would like this plan better."


    Marvin''s frown deepened as he heard this and he looked to be even more suspicious.


    For some reason, he felt even more uneasy because every time Hecathe said it was a better idea, it would always be an even worse idea.


    Marvin didn''t say anything straightforwardly but his facial expressions and silence simply spoke for itself and Hecathe couldn''t help but smile as he saw the boy being so unsure and suspicious of him.


    "Alright," Hecathe clapped his hands as he spoke, "I''m now going to be trying to take over the city."


    Marvin and LeiLei both seemed to be stunned as they heard this. They blinked in confusion before repeating the man''s words in their head just to make sure whether they had heard it right or not and when they were sure that they had heard it right, they looked at each other as if trying to check whether the other was also just as shocked.


    "Sir..." LeiLei muttered in disbelief as she pointed out, "I think you misunderstood my idea."


    Hecathe shook his head with a smile as he responded with an oddly delighted tone, "I didn''t misunderstand anything. Thank you for inspiring me."


    "..."


    To say that the girl was left speechless would be an understatement.


    "You want to spread another rumor?" It was Marvin who questioned this time and his eyes seemed to twitch as he did.


    Hecathe once again shook his head as he spoke up, "If I keep spreading rumors like this, people would start to get suspicious. Compared to the word of mouth, is it not more believable to see something happen right in front of your eyes?"


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he had a bad feeling about it.


    "So what are you going to do first?" LeiLei asked cautiously as she looked at the man.


    "LeiLei, did you know that the guilds are the ones ruling this place?" Instead of giving a straight response, Hecathe asked back a question.


    LeiLei nodded her head, "I know."

 Chapter 151 - The Illegal Auction Cannot Be Stopped.

    "But then why is there still an illegal auction going on here almost every day?" Hecathe tilted his head and asked with a smirk, "If the guilds wanted to stop them, why would they have not stopped them already?"


    "..."


    LeiLei was silent as she heard this question because she knew that this question didn''t have an easy answer.


    "The guilds can''t support them openly but at the same time, they can''t get rid of them either because a lot of the tourists are attracted by this illegal auction. In fact, it''s the only thing attractive about this place."


    "And the food as well," Marvin muttered as he added.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard Hecathe but before she could say anything, Hecathe sighed as he continued.


    "Don''t get me wrong, this is a really beautiful city with a lot of... Unique people," He sounded a bit hesitant as he said this, "But it''s not really that desirable of a destination spot considering how foreigners are forced to pay twice as much as the people who are originally from here," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he tried his best not to offend the girl.


    However, at the moment, Hecathe really couldn''t figure out whether the girl was offended or not because her expressions were simply a bit mixed and indecipherable.


    "The extra money paid by these foreigners is then collected by the guilds as tax which brings a huge cash flow from the tourist industry," Hecathe added as he continued nonchalantly, "Have you ever wondered why everything is sold for a relatively lower price for you here than what it costs in Zeblor? It is because people who originally belong to Ocasia get special treatment and their role in the economy is ironically not that large."


    Marvin nodded his head as he heard this and the boy could clearly agree with Hecathe because he already knew all these facts.


    "Most of the money going around is earned through the tourist industry. Ocasia is such a small city and the money that goes around in this place is naturally limited, but with the help of these loaded tourists, the case becomes slightly different," Hecathe spoke seriously as he put all the facts together and came up with a believable factual conclusion.


    "The extra money that we tourists pay is later collected by the guilds in the form of tax and this tax is used as subsidies for everyone," Hecathe let out a small sigh in disbelief as he spoke, "If the illegal auction was to stop then the tourists that come here would also stop and that would mean a dip in the income curve. The money would be lost and we are not talking about some meager few millions, we are talking about losses that cost even more than the city itself. The prices of products and services would start to rise and the salary provided to the people would not be sufficient enough to meet their needs and demands."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard this and she gulped in surprise.


    "Putting an end to this illegal auction would be like purposefully dropping a hammer on one''s own leg and that is something that the guilds cannot afford to do and so, they simply leave the auction alone. Sometimes, ignoring is the best option that you have left on your plate," Hecathe ended his explanation and now, both LeiLei and Marvin looked to be a bit impressed by the man.


    "When did you come up with all this?" Marvin raised his eyebrows and asked with a suspicious gaze that was fixed on Hecathe.


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and shook his head as he refused to give an answer.


    "Sir, then this indirectly means that the one organizing the illegal auctions is more powerful than the guilds...?!" LeiLei sounded a bit panicked as she asked with shock.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smile on his face as he confirmed it, "The one who owns that auction controls a large part of the money that flows in the economy. Have you never heard about the saying that the one with money naturally has power and with that power, that person becomes the secret ruler that the world had never seen?"


    It was certainly the first time that the two were hearing such a saying but it was a good thing that they understood it pretty quickly.


    "This is the case. Rather than saying that the owner of the auction is more powerful than the guilds, it would be much more accurate to say that the owner is the one secretly controlling the city and the guilds along with it."


    Marvin and LeiLei gulped in unison as they heard this and looked at each other as they both understood what Hecathe was going to do next.


    "Hecathe, if what you say is right then I don''t think it is going to be easy to buy the auction house," Marvin pointed out as he guessed what the man wanted to do.


    Hecathe let out a dry chuckle as he heard this and patted Marvin''s back as he responded, "I am not planning on buying it. How can I buy it when I don''t even have the money to buy it?"


    "..."


    "I am simply going to borrow it for some time," Hecathe added with a wicked smile and Marvin couldn''t help but feel a little uneasy as he saw that smile.


    "But do you even know who the owner is?" LeiLei was the one who asked with a frown as she curiously looked at Hecathe.


    Before Hecathe could say anything, Marvin also nodded his head as he agreed with the girl and spoke up, "Nobody knows the owner. He is said to be a mystery that has lived for centuries without being found out."


    "That''s a bit of an exaggeration... Isn''t it?" Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he asked, "Nobody can live for centuries."


    Marvin shook his head as he spoke, "This man can because the owner has a special ability which makes him immortal."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly as he heard this and this was certainly the first time he was hearing this new piece of information.


    To think that the owner had such a special ability... It perfectly made sense and at the same time, it also felt a little amazing.


    "If he''s an immortal then he would certainly try to remain hidden," LeiLei sighed as she spoke dejectedly and Hecathe almost wanted to laugh as he heard this.


    "I know him," Hecathe casually commented.


    "..."


    Marvin and LeiLei snapped their heads towards Hecathe and looked at the man in shock as they repeated his words through their head.


    "You are kidding... Right?" It was Marvin who questioned in disbelief first.


    Hecathe softly chuckled as he shook his head and asked, "Why would I be joking about something like this?"


    LeiLei and Marvin looked to be even more shocked and suspicious of him.


    "Prove it," LeiLei spoke straightforwardly as if the girl was trying to challenge Hecathe.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and started walking, "Let''s go then."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard him and it took a minute for her to follow after him with much hesitation.


    "Do you think his delusions are starting to get a little out of hand?" LeiLei leaned over to Marvin and asked in a whisper.


    Marvin sighed as he shrugged his shoulders and responded sarcastically, "If it goes on like this then tomorrow, he might as well start saying that Dorgon''s are good house pets."


    "..." LeiLei gulped as she heard this but didn''t dare say anything to that nor did she want to laugh.


    How could she possibly tell the boy that Hecathe had already crossed that stage of making a Dorgon into a house pet...?!


    The two followed Hecathe in silence and Hecathe led them to the illegal auction house where there was another auction held today.


    The venue didn''t look to be packed from the outside but once they were inside the auction house, it could be seen that the place was filled with people.


    If Hecathe hadn''t been one of their important customers than the three would have surely been unable to enter this place today.


    LeiLei was also surprised to see that Hecathe was personally welcomed by the auctioneer who would hardly go out of his way to greet people like this.


    "Sir," The auctioneer beamed as he greeted Hecathe and he looked to be a little surprised when his eyes caught a glimpse of Marvin and LeiLei, "You''re not here alone today?"


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smile as he politely responded, "I am with a few friends."


    For some reason, LeiLei and Marvin felt a little touched to hear the man referring to them as friends.


    Normally, Hecathe would act as if the other two were just subbordinates who could be casually replaced.


    "I see," The auctioneer nodded his head in understanding as he bowed and greeted both LeiLei and Marvin.


    Marvin also greeted the man back, "We meet once again."

 Chapter 152 - The Highest Floor

    The auctioneer''s smile seemed to have deepened as he heard this and he clapped his hands enthusiastically as he asked, "I was right, wasn''t I? You have been here before!"


    Marvin nodded his head with a smile as he confirmed it.


    "You were the one that bought the..." The auctioneer''s eyes narrowed down on Marvin as he tried to remember what the boy had purchased last time.


    Marvin chuckled as he shook his head and spoke, "You don''t need to remember it. I am a regular. I''ve bought so many things from here that even I have lost count of them."


    The auctioneer also chuckled as he heard this and nodded his head happily. It certainly felt good for him to hear that there was such a regular customer who was willing to waste money in these auctions.


    "That''s right. It''s always a pleasure to work with such great customers like you," The auctioneer flattered Marvin with a smile.


    "I''m glad to know that you remembered me," Marvin added as he returned the polite smile.


    "Sir Hecathe, we have a special seat saved for you this time," The auctioneer turned to look at Hecathe again as he spoke.


    "You can lead the way," Hecathe smiled as he responded and the auctioneer looked to be pretty happy with just seeing the man here.


    Every time Hecathe was here, he would sell pure mutant beads to the auction house and those were certainly treasures that were rarely found. Hence, it was only natural that the auctioneer was always happy to see Hecathe.


    The auctioneer led them towards the highest floor which was completely empty and had been kept that way especially for them.


    In this auction house, the higher the floor you are sitting on, the more important you were to the auction house, and surprisingly enough, this time, Hecathe was given the highest floor which meant that he was the most important guest today.


    The higher floors were always filled with mecha-suits and so it was certainly the first time that people were seeing someone else sitting up on the highest floor.


    "What a surprise," Marvin chuckled dryly as he commented once the auctioneer went back down.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked curiously as he looked at the boy.


    "Hecathe, I wonder if it is just a coincidence," Marvin smiled as he spoke and leaned in closer to Hecathe''s ear as he continued in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "The last time I was sitting at the top floor was when I came here with Alphius. And now you have brought me here as well. Ain''t that funny?"


    Hecathe felt as if what Marvin really wanted to do was point out how alike Hecathe was to Alphius.


    Since Alphius was the leader of the mecha-suits, it was only natural that he was able to sit this high, whereas, the only reason why Hecathe was able to get this special seat was because he sold pure mutant beads to the auction house.


    They both did their own things but got almost the same result. Didn''t that point to how alike they were?


    "I don''t think Alphius ever came here," Hecathe spoke as his eyebrows creased together with a bit of confusion and interest.


    Marvin smirked as he heard this and nodded his head as he responded, "You would never know but I''m his best friend. How can there be anything about him that I don''t know?"


    "..." Hecathe really wanted to point out that Marvin was also the one who had killed Alphius over a misunderstanding but he didn''t bother ruining the mood and simply let the boy boast a little bit about his close relationship with his dead best friend.


    "I helped him sneak away for a day. That was the only time he came here," Marvin sighed as he continued, "If I remember right, he was looking for something."


    The latter sentence seemed to have caught Hecathe''s interest as the man asked, "Looking for something? What was it?"


    Marvin frowned a little as he thought about it but no matter how much he tried to remember that time, his memories were still blurry and in the end, all he could do was shrug his shoulders as he answered casually, "I can''t remember what it was but I do remember that he never found it. The illegal auction here was the last place that could have that item but when he didn''t find it here as well, he simply gave up and never looked for it again."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and he couldn''t help but feel a bit confused. There was no mention of this day in Alphius''s diary which recorded almost every part of his life.


    If there was nothing about this written in the diary, it meant that the boy had purposefully not written it down in order to avoid leaving behind clues and evidence.


    But why would he do that?


    Why would Alphius purposefully leave something out from the diary?


    It wasn''t like he was writing that diary for someone to read so why was he afraid of someone finding out what he was searching for...?


    "I''ll tell you if I ever remember it," Marvin added with a small smile as he tried to seem a little helpful.


    "Was it a weapon?" Hecathe asked after much thought.


    Marvin simply shook his head as he honestly answered, "It wasn''t a weapon."


    This confused Hecathe even more.


    If it wasn''t a weapon then why was Alphius so interested in it?


    He even went out of his way to get out of the underground city just to find it.


    If the thing that he was looking for wasn''t even sold in the illegal auction then it had to have been something very rare and special.


    "It was something related to our friend," Marvin added with a small smile as he looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and it only took him a mere few seconds to realize that there could only be one friend that Marvin and Alphius had in common.


    It had to be something related to the Hecathe of this world.


    "Then isn''t that more reason for you to remember it?" Hecathe asked with a frown.


    Marvin simply shrugged his shoulders as he responded casually, "I''m growing old. My brain is no longer capable of storing that much information."


    "..."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder: If this Seventeen year old Marvin was getting old then what about the twenty-nine year old Hecathe...?


    "In any case, since it was something never found, there is no need for us to worry about it," Marvin sighed as he spoke, "I just said it casually. You don''t need to waste time thinking about it."


    Hecathe originally did plan to let the topic go but when he heard this, he couldn''t help but grow even more interested.


    If Marvin was saying that it was nothing, then Hecathe was sure that there was definitely something.


    "Are you sure you''re not purposefully hiding it from me?" Hecathe asked with suspicion as his eyes narrowed down on the boy.


    "And why would I do that?" Marvin titled his head as he asked.


    Hecathe was silent as he heard this and had an indecipherable expression plastered on his face.


    "Then I''ll let it go," In the end, Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and spoke, but he was just saying this and not actually planning on letting this topic go.


    Since Alphius was looking for something that concerned the Hecathe of this world, the current Hecathe from another world would naturally be interested to know what it was.


    "Sir, look there!" LeiLei suddenly exclaimed as she pointed at something down the balcony and the girl managed to catch both Hecathe and Marvin''s attention.


    "What is it?" Hecathe asked with a small frown as his eyes glanced down at the suspension platform where the auction items were displayed.


    "Do you want to buy a fox''s tail?" Marvin asked as he looked at the item that was being shown and then he glanced back at the girl that was pointing at it.


    LeiLei clicked her tongue as she shook her head, "That''s not it. Look at the man sitting there!"


    "LeiLei, this is an illegal auction, not a place for you to prey on handsome men," Marvin spoke with a sigh as he didn''t even bother looking at the man that was being pointed at.


    LeiLei immediately sent a glare towards Marvin and it was more than enough to shut the boy up.


    Marvin raised his hands in a surrendering manner and didn''t dare say anything as he looked over at the man that LeiLei was trying to show.


    On one of the higher floors, that was just two floors below them, there was a man in a black cloak and white mask.


    "What about him?" Hecathe was the one who asked as he looked at the girl who looked to be shocked and unsure at the same time.


    "I... Think I know him..." LeiLei gulped as she muttered.

 Chapter 153 - I Remember Him!

    Hecathe''s frown deepened as soon as he heard the girl and with his eyebrows creased together in worry, the man asked, "Why do you say that?"


    The girl gulped as she kept her eyes on the man that was sitting away from them, "The mask that he is wearing... I remember seeing it before."


    "From where?" Hecathe asked without missing a beat as he looked at the girl.


    "A long time ago," LeiLei answered and her voice almost sounded soft and weak, as if she was not ready to believe her own thoughts, "I saw him when my parents died."


    "..." Hecathe was silent as he heard this and he looked at Marvin with a bit of worry while Marvin also looked back to meet Hecathe''s eyes.


    "But isn''t that a common mask?" Marvin gulped as he asked.


    LeiLei shook her head as she explained sharply, "It''s not exactly the mask that I recognize. It''s the special mark on it... My father also had a mask just like that with the same golden mark."


    Marvin frowned as he hear this and finally tried to take a closer look at the man who casually sat there, unaware of the fact that he had suddenly become the topic of conversation for the people sitting on the highest floor.


    "Are you sure about it?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the girl and LeiLei nodded her head as she confirmed it.


    "I can always recognize that mark," LeiLei muttered and there was a sense of sadness in her voice that could be clearly heard.


    Marvin''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he realized something and just when Hecathe opened his mouth to say something, he saw Marvin''s face and immediately stopped as he felt that there was something wrong with the boy''s reaction.


    Hecathe had also taken a look at that golden mark on the mask but he didn''t see anything wrong with it, however, it seemed that both LeiLei and Marvin could clearly recognize the mark and they were completely taken by surprise, even finding it hard to believe their own eyes.


    Hecathe was silent and simply waited for one of them to speak up.


    "It''s not just her," Marvin muttered softly after the initial shock started to sink in, "I recognize it as well."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows furrowed together as he heard this and LeiLei also looked to be surprised by this information as she turned to look at Marvin and asked, "You know him too...?"


    If Marvin was connected to her father in any way, it was only natural that the girl would be interested to know.


    Marvin shook his head hesitantly as he responded, "I cannot be sure about it, but if I''m right... Then this is going to be a bit complicated."


    Hecathe had no idea what was going on nor did he know why Marvin was acting so worried, but the man was still sure that he also needed to be a bit worried about this sudden man that was recognized by the other two.


    "He was the one who came and told my mother about my father''s death," LeiLei explained with a complicated expression plastered on her face.


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and had nothing to say to that.


    "Hecathe, I have only seen a single man wearing a white mask with a golden mark like that," Marvin spoke anxiously and hesitantly.


    "Who was it?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the boy curiously.


    Marvin gulped as he sharply turned his head towards Hecathe and met the man''s eyes as he answered, "Asgarian."


    That damned name again...


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together and he immediately turned to look at the masked individual that was revealed to be Asgarian.


    This was the guy that had lied to Marvin and turned him against Alphius. He was one of the three willows of spring that was suspected to be the real killer whom they were chasing after.


    "Asgarian?" LeiLei repeated with a bit of confusion as she tried to remember if she had heard this name before, but no matter how much she tried to remember the name of the man that had come over that day, she could still not recall it.


    This was only natural considering the fact that the girl had lost both her parents that day. She couldn''t even remember details about her father so it was to be expected that she couldn''t recall the name of her father''s friend.


    At first, Marvin was shocked to see the man here but now that the shock had slowly started to sink in, anger was the only thing left behind.


    Marvin clenched his fist tightly and gritted his teeth as he glared at the man who was not aware of anything that was going on up on the highest floor.


    "We can''t attack him right now," Hecathe reminded as he noticed the anger that could be sensed from Marvin.


    "He''s right there," Marvin gritted out, "He''s unguarded. There cannot be a better opportunity."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and nodded his head as he agreed with the boy, "You are right, there cannot be a better opportunity to take him out but are you sure you want to sacrifice our lives in the process as well?"


    "..."


    "Marvin, follow the plan and you''ll get your revenge. There is no need to be impatient," Hecathe added as he grabbed Marvin''s fist and tried to calm the boy down.


    "So he''s the one that killed your father?" LeiLei asked with a bit of surprise as she looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe simply nodded his head with a sigh and didn''t say anything.


    LeiLei was also silent as she saw the man confirming it.


    She knew that this masked man was her father''s friend, but now, she was working with Hecathe and Marvin who wanted her father''s friend dead.


    Her confusion was to be unexpected and it was hard for the girl to choose which side she wanted to be on.


    "Marvin, why would Asgarian be here?" Hecathe asked as he tried to distract the boy.


    "I don''t know," Marvin responded as he shook his head, "The three willows of spring would never come to a place like this. They have their own reputation to keep."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    The three willows of spring certainly had their own reputations to keep but whether they were all interested in keeping that reputation or not was a question that could not be easily answered.


    "So I guess this confirms things," Hecathe sighed as he muttered and both Marvin and LeiLei looked at him as they waited for him to continue, "He''s definitely planning something shady."


    One of three willows of springs coming to take part in the underground auction was a pretty big deal.


    If the man had nothing to hide then he wouldn''t have been here but since he was seen here, it was easy to conclude that he was trying to hide something.


    Marvin closed his eyes and nodded as he tried his best to control his emotions.


    This time, he was determined not to make the same mistakes. He might have acted on impulse and killed his best friend the last time but that incident had taught him a lesson and Marvin no longer dared to act out on impulse.


    The rest of the auction went on as usual and it could be seen that Asgarian was here for a certain product that was sold at the auction.


    Throughout the duration of the auction, the man had remained calm and didn''t bid on anything but once the special last item was announced, Asgarian immediately acted by placing the highest bid possible. By doing such a thing, he challenged everyone and nobody dared to outbid him.


    It was the same strategy that Hecathe had used when he placed a bid on the Dorgon egg and won.


    The item that Asgarian won was something that Hecathe didn''t consider important and he couldn''t even understand why Asgarian would come here just to buy something like it.


    The last item was in fact just a plant and it was sold for a pretty high sum.


    The plant didn''t look special but when the auctioneer talked about the details and uses of the plant, Hecathe was a bit shocked.


    It was a special type of plant that was used to make medicine. There was certainly nothing shocking about that but what Hecathe was shocked about was perhaps the fact that there was a special type of medicine that could be made with this plant and it was used to erase a person''s memories.


    To put it in simple words, this plant was like a secret trick to deleting memories from a person''s mind.


    Hecathe was not stupid and hence, as soon as he heard this, he immediately understood that this was the reason why Asgarian had bought this plant.


    However, although he could conclude this, there was still something that was missing.


    Why would Asgarian want to erase someone''s memories and whose memories was he trying to erase...?

 Chapter 154 - I Want To Buy The Auction

    Memory erasing medicine...


    Hecathe really couldn''t understand what was the use of such a thing for Asgarian.


    Did one of the other willows of spring find out about him so he now wants to erase their memory...?


    This was a bit of a far-fetched answer but it was the only thing that Hecathe could come up with.


    "Should we follow him out?" LeiLei asked as she saw the man leaving the place.


    The auction was over and all the people attending had already started to leave. Asgarian was also among the people leaving, However, Hecathe was planning on staying back because he had something important to discuss with the auctioneer.


    "Don''t bother. Let him enjoy the fresh air of freedom for a bit longer," Hecathe spoke as a response to LeiLei who simply nodded her head in understanding, "We''ll catch him when the time is right."


    Marvin didn''t look to be too happy with this decision but was still willing to listen to Hecathe who was the one making all the decisions.


    "What are we going to do now?" LeiLei asked curiously as she looked at Hecathe, "Sir, you didn''t even buy anything from the auction."


    "It''s because nothing interested me and I am not really here to place a bid on the items displayed out there. I''m here to buy something that is not going to be sold here."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and wondered why the man was here to buy something that wasn''t even being sold here...


    Wasn''t that the same as going to a meat shop to buy a broom?


    It was basically pointless...


    Marvin seemed to have already guessed what the man wanted to buy so he simply sighed and said nothing more as he followed Hecathe.


    Hecathe led the other two all the way to a room that was always used by him and the auctioneer whenever Hecathe was here to sell the pure mutant beads.


    As expected, the room was once again empty and as soon as the three entered, the auctioneer also came to the room soon enough.


    The door of the room was guarded by people from the outside who made sure that there was nobody around to eavesdrop or interrupt and the room in itself was also soundproof which kept the details of the conversation private.


    It was perfect for discussing things that one didn''t want others to hear.


    The auctioneer smiled as he saw Hecathe but his smile seemed to have faltered just a bit when his eyes landed on Marvin and LeiLei who were standing beside the man.


    "You brought them as well?" The auctioneer raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile but Hecathe could clearly see that the man was not that happy to know that Hecathe had invited these two.


    "I don''t usually keep secrets from them and there is hardly anything about me that they don''t know," Hecathe smiled as he responded to the man in any honest manner, however, his words were certainly not that honest.


    "In any case, today I wanted to talk about something that involved them as well so it''s only natural that I invited them over," Hecathe added politely and the auctioneer got a little surprised to hear this.


    "Sir, Are you not here to sell pure mutant beads today?" The auctioneer asked as he looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question and shook his head as he responded, "I am here for something far more important and profitable for you."


    The auctioneer''s eyebrows creased together with a bit of worry as he heard this and the man couldn''t help but feel a little anticipation rising from within.


    The auctioneer gestured towards the cushioned chairs as he spoke, "Please do sit down and make yourselves home. We can talk comfortably."


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smile and didn''t waste any further time standing as he sat down. Marvin and LeiLei were also not shy as they sat down on the cushioned chairs.


    "Hecathe, why are we meeting the auctioneer for this?" Marvin asked in a whispering manner as he leaned in closer to Hecathe''s ear.


    The boy was clearly a bit confused with the turn of events.


    He was sure that they were here to buy this auction house today but he had no idea how Hecathe planned to achieve such a thing.


    The auction house was definitely not going to be on sale and even if it was, Marvin was sure that Hecathe wouldn''t be able to afford it.


    Hecathe let out a small breath that almost sounded like a half-suppressed chuckle and he gestured towards the auctioneer who sat in front of them, "This is the owner of this place."


    "..."


    Both Marvin and LeiLei were silent as they heard this and they repeated Hecathe''s words in their mind as they looked at the auctioneer''s smiling face and tried to make sure that they had heard the man right.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you," The auctioneer greeted the two as he spoke.


    LeiLei closed her open mouth and gulped as she finally took the information in.


    "Wah~" Marvin muttered in awe as he kept his eyes on the auctioneer who looked to be completely normal.


    Even Hecathe was shocked to know that this man was the owner of this place so it was only natural that Marvin and LeiLei were shocked as well.


    Not many people knew this auctioneer''s real identity. Even Alphius had no idea.


    "You''re really the owner?" LeiLei didn''t bother beating around the bush as she straightforwardly asked the man and even unconsciously leaned in forward in anticipation.


    The auctioneer let out a small chuckle as he nodded his head, "It is me."


    "Amazing~" LeiLei sang and immediately asked, "Are you rich??"


    "..." This time, the auctioneer was a little taken back by this question and he really didn''t know how he was supposed to react to this question.


    The owner of this auction house was said to be the secret ruler of the city Ocasia so did it look like he was lacking money...?!


    They were probably dealing with the richest man in the city!


    "You don''t need to answer her question," Hecathe sighed as he spoke up and saved both LeiLei and the auctioneer from having an awkward conversation about the revenue of this illegal auction house.


    The auctioneer nodded his head as he secretly thanked Hecathe in his mind.


    "So you are really that old?" Marvin gulped as he asked and this was once again a conversation that was definitely not going to be fun.


    The auction house wasn''t started recently and this man was the one who started it. With his ability to live longer than normal humans, it was only natural that he was still alive and looked this young.


    Hence, Marvin''s question was just as stupid as LeiLei''s question but thankfully enough, the auctioneer didn''t understand the question straight off the bat.


    "Ignore him as well," Hecathe shook his head in disbelief as he spoke and the auctioneer once again nodded his head in understanding as he listened to Hecathe.


    "Wait!" LeiLei exclaimed as she spoke, "I have one last question!"


    The auctioneer, "Hmm?"


    "What do you eat?" LeiLei innocently blinked as she tilted her head and questioned.


    At this moment, Hecathe probably felt more embarrassed than the auctioneer who was being asked these random questions.


    "Um... I eat food," The auctioneer smiled as he politely answered with seriousness.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this boring reply and opened her mouth to say something more but thankfully enough, the girl was stopped by Hecathe who held his hand over her mouth and didn''t let her talk.


    The auctioneer let out a small chuckle as he saw this but said nothing more.


    "Sir, what did you want to discuss today?" The auctioneer asked as he finally got ready to get into business.


    Hecathe also coughed as he straightened his back and calmly spoke, "I want to buy the auction house."


    "..."


    The auctioneer stared back at Hecathe and blinked.


    For an entire few minutes, the man had no response to Hecathe as he wondered if Hecathe was joking or not.


    "It''s not a joke," Hecathe spoke as he guessed what was going on inside this man''s head.


    The auctioneer gulped and his saliva seemed to have choked him as he coughed a few times and asked, "Sir, are you really not joking?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he confirmed it, "I am not joking. I really do want to buy your auction house."


    Now that Hecathe had clearly stated what he was here to buy, the auctioneer''s complexion didn''t look to be that good.


    "Sir, It''s unfortunate but I''m afraid that I can''t help you this time," The auctioneer tried his best to handle this professionally as he spoke, "The auction house is not for sale and I''m sure that even if it was, it would not be easily bought by a single person alone."


    Marvin didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. The auctioneer said the exact same thing that Marvin had already thought about.


    "Isn''t that why I brought these two here with me?" Hecathe smiled as he pointed at LeiLei and Marvin.


    "..."

 Chapter 155 - Im Not Selling It

    "Still doesn''t change the fact that I''m not selling it," The auctioneer shrugged his shoulders as he responded.


    "But I still want to buy it," Hecathe also showed his stubbornness through a smile.


    Marvin and LeiLei gulped and nodded their heads as they supported Hecathe. They were clearly aware of the fact that this was just plain disrespect to the auctioneer but since Hecathe had brought them over to support him, that would be what they''d naturally do.


    "And what if you can''t buy the auction? Are you going to threaten me?" The auctioneer asked and this time, his feelings at the moment were a bit hard to understand as his eyes narrowed down on Hecathe with both suspicion and great interest.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this question that was meant to trick him.


    "I''m sorry but that''s not possible," Hecathe spoke a bit too confidently, "I have no power to threaten you with."


    "Then why do you so confidently believe that I''d sell the auction house to you?" The auctioneer tilted his head as he asked with a bit of amusement evident in his tone.


    "Because you lose nothing from it and there is a lot to gain from taking my offer," Hecathe answered with a small smirk that was hardly noticed.


    "A lot to gain?" The auctioneer repeated in a questioning manner.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it and spoke, "That''s right. You get to own the auction house and you get to have a large percentage of the profit share as well. I''m sure that is not interesting enough for you so I decided to offer something more luring. If you agree to my demands then I provide hundred pure mutant beads to the auction house per month for only one million Lenix."


    The auctioneer''s eyes widened as he heard this offer and he was clearly finding this deal a bit hard to believe. As expected, the latter offer was a lot more alluring than the former and the auctioneer finally started to consider Hecathe''s proposal seriously.


    If Hecathe was willing to sell the pure mutant beads for such a small amount then he might as well be just giving it out for free.


    "What is the deal?" The auctioneer gulped as he folded his hands and asked.


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this question and nodded in satisfaction before he continued, asking, "Have you ever heard of stocks?"


    "Eh?" The auctioneer tilted his head in confusion as he questioned, "Do you mean livestock?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he explained, "I mean stocks of a company."


    The auctioneer frowned as he heard this and from his facial expressions alone, it was clear that the man had never heard of such a thing before.


    It seemed that the system of stocks wasn''t yet found in this world and this was just perfect for Hecathe.


    "Stocks are parts of a company. I give you money and you give me a certain percentage ownership of your auction house. In this way, we both become the legal owners who share the profits and losses created. In this case, I''m only asking for a one percent ownership and the profit I earn would also be limited to that one percent ownership."


    The auctioneer took a few minutes to understand all this information and when he was done processing it all, he couldn''t help but be a bit intrigued with this new idea of ownership.


    "If you earn a profit of Ten Lenix, I only get to earn One lenix while you keep the other nine," Hecathe continued with an example as he tried to best explain to the man how this whole system worked, "In accordance to that, you also get to keep all the profit that you gain with the pure mutant beads that I provide."


    "But then, what is in it for you?" The auctioneer asked with a bit of confusion and this was a smart question.


    This whole deal sounded extremely good for the auctioneer but it didn''t really give such a good offer to Hecathe and this made the auctioneer wonder why this man was here to propose such a deal.


    "Because I then get to be one of the owners of this great auction house," Hecathe didn''t bother hiding the truth as he spoke with a warm proud smile.


    Finally, when Marvin heard this, he understood what Hecathe was trying to do.


    What Hecathe needed to do was own the auction. He needed to show that he was trying to overtake the city but he didn''t really need to go through with it.


    It didn''t matter if he owned a big share of the company or a relatively small one. What mattered was that he owned it.


    It was as simple as that.


    "From what I''ve heard about you, it seems that you''re immortal because of your abilities but we are not the same. There would eventually come a day when the three of us would die and when that time comes, the stocks would be sold back to you for the exact same rate that we bought it for," Hecathe added as he informed, "It is eventually like borrowing a certain percentage of ownership for a bit of time. You have nothing to lose and if you still don''t trust me enough, I am willing to let you negotiate the terms of the agreement."


    The auctioneer chuckled awkwardly as he quickly shook his head and responded, "Sir, it''s not that I don''t trust you! You''ve been a really valuable customer for us so of course, we would trust you, but the offer you are giving is just too good to believe."


    Hecathe, "If it sounds that good then why not just take it?"


    "..."


    "I am not going to lie to you. This offer is really bad for me and not only is there no profit but there are only losses in it for me but even with all that considered, I still need this. If I don''t manage to buy a part of the auction house then I''m afraid I''ll be eaten alive by my boss," Hecathe sighed as he lied with an honest demeanor.


    If this deal only consisted of losses for Hecathe then he would have certainly not taken it.


    Some things weren''t exactly what they appeared on the surface and this deal was also like that. Although it looked like a waste to Hecathe, it was actually quite profitable.


    He also didn''t have a boss that he needed to report to but there was a particularly important reason why Hecathe had casually said this. Not only was he looking to gain sympathy but he was also looking to make the auctioneer think that Hecathe was here under someone else''s orders.


    The auctioneer gulped as he thought about it for a bit and nodded his head before asking, "How much are you willing to pay for the one percent?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in satisfaction as he heard this and instead of giving a clear-cut reply, he responded back with a question, "How much are you asking?"


    "I''ll need to think about it," The auctioneer sighed as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Hecathe nodded his head in understanding as he heard this, "You can take as much time as you need but do keep in mind that you need to give me an answer today itself."


    The auctioneer nodded his head and stood up as he heard this before politely bowing his head and leaving the room.


    "Is he going to agree?" Once the man had left the room, LeiLei immediately spoke up as she enthusiastically questioned.


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he nodded his head and answered, "He would. He is a greedy man. If he sees profit in it then he would surely agree to the offer."


    "Are you sure about that?" This time, it was Marvin who questioned with a frown.


    Hecathe nodded his head once again as he confirmed it, "He''ll agree no matter what, and if he doesn''t, we''ll just have to make him agree using a different tactic."


    Marvin''s frown deepened as he heard this and the boy opened his mouth to say something as a response to that but before any words could leave his mouth, he heard the door open once again.


    The auctioneer returned with a warm smile on his face as he calmed himself down and thought about it for a few minutes.


    "I hope you brought good news...?" Hecathe asked with a smile as his eyes narrowed down on the man.


    The auctioneer sighed as he nodded his head, "I''ll agree to it."


    LeiLei and Marvin gulped in shock as they heard this and they soon turned to look at each other in shock as if asking whether the other was also just as shocked to know that Hecathe had got this auctioneer to agree to such an offer.


    "But I can only sell one percent for Thirty Billion Lenix," The auctioneer continued and LeiLei was even more shocked as her eyes widened and almost looked as if they were ready to pop out of her sockets.

 Chapter 156 - Did You Just Say... Orgon?

    "But I can only sell one percent for Thirty Billion Lenix," The auctioneer continued and LeiLei was even more shocked as her eyes widened and almost looked as if they were ready to pop out of her sockets.


    She had clearly never even heard of a man demanding so much money.


    The girl opened her mouth to immediately say something about it but Marvin was faster as he anticipated such a reaction from her and stopped her from speaking as he covered her mouth with his right hand.


    Hecathe smiled as he nodded his head and readily agreed to the demand, "I''ll take it."


    Hecathe was able to earn Ten billion Lenix by selling just a hundred pure mutant beads and he had even paid that amount to bid for the Dorgon that he bought from this auction house. With all that considered, the amount asked by the auctioneer was actually quite cheap.


    The auction house earned this much in a single day, and hence, even with the profit share of one percent, Hecathe was sure that he would be able to earn the investment back with time.


    The auctioneer gulped as he heard Hecathe''s response and he was certainly a bit taken back to know that Hecathe readily agreed to it without even trying to bargain a little.


    Hecathe pointed at Marvin as he spoke, "We''ll both be sharing the one percent so he''ll be giving you ten billion and the same goes for me as well."


    Marvin''s eyes widened as he heard this and realized that Hecathe was talking about him. The boy snapped his head towards Hecathe in shock as he blinked innocently and wondered when he had agreed to this.


    Hecathe didn''t even bother asking the boy if he had that kind of money!


    The auctioneer nodded his head as he agreed to this demand, "We can make that happen."


    Hecathe smiled as he shook his head and continued, "But although we''ll both be paying, the company share would be under my name and not his."


    "Eh?" The auctioneer muttered in confusion as he looked at the man and waited for him to explain.


    "He''ll be the secret shareholder," Hecathe smiled as he spoke and put it as simple as possible so that it would be easier for the man to understand, "He''d hold a 0.5 percent of company stocks but nobody must know about this. To put it plainly, only the four of us present in this room know about him. For everyone else, I''m the only one buying the complete one percent stock."


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he looked at the man with a bit of suspicion as he wondered what Hecathe was trying to do.


    "In case of my early death, my shares automatically get transferred to him and he becomes the new owner of the one percent stock," Hecathe continued seriously and Marvin couldn''t help but frown as he heard all this.


    To say something like this... It was almost as if Hecathe was sure that he''d be dying in the near future.


    "And if we both die, the share gets transferred to her," Hecathe spoke as he pointed at LeiLei, "When she dies, it gets sold back to you. That would of course depend on the situation. If she has an immediate family member then you''d have the right to buy the stocks back from that person for the exact twenty billion Lenix that you sold it for."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and couldn''t help but feel a little shocked with the fact that Hecathe had actually considered her in this plan like this.


    This was an indirect declaration of trust and LeiLei felt a little weird since it was the first time someone was placing their trust in her like this.


    What if LeiLei kills them both and takes off with the money? With LeiLei''s ability to switch out their hearts with stones, it would be a child''s play to kill the two of them and Hecathe clearly knew this, but he still placed a bet on it.


    "And what if she doesn''t have any family left behind?" The auctioneer asked with a small frown.


    "Then you get everything for free," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded.


    "Okay then. It''s a deal," The auctioneer nodded his head as he agreed to all of these confusing demands.


    "But," Hecathe spoke up as he added one more thing, "There is only one thing that I want you to do."


    "Hmm?"


    "I want you to make it known that there is a new owner in the auction house."


    "You?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke with a small smirk, "Let everyone know that I, the great Orgon, have bought a part of the auction house."


    "Okay, I''ll do tha-" The auctioneer was ready to absentmindedly agree but stopped soon enough when he realized that he had heard something that was not quite right.


    The man repeated Hecathe''s words through his mind in order to make sure that he had heard it right and when he was still not sure, he decided to straightforwardly ask, "Did you just say... Orgon...?"


    Hecathe let out a small scoff as he asked sarcastically, "Could there be anyone else that would bring pure mutant beads to you as if they were nothing more than candy?"


    The auctioneer gulped as he heard this and immediately shook his head.


    "Have you not heard about the rumors?" Hecathe crossed his right leg over his left as he asked casually, but his voice at the moment scared the auctioneer a little.


    The auctioneer had certainly heard the rumors and this was exactly the reason why the auctioneer looked to be so shocked.


    For a regular customer like Hecathe to turn out to be the person from that unbelievable rumor... It was only natural that it was hard to take it all in at once.


    The auctioneer fell to the ground as he bowed a bit too thoroughly and cried out, "Forgive me for being so unknowledgeable! I should have known! Please excuse me for my mistake. I''ll make sure not to let it happen again!"


    Hecathe was a bit taken by this sudden reaction that came out of nowhere.


    Even the auctioneer fell to the ground when Orgon was involved... Was the great Orgon really such a fearsome and respectable man...?


    When Hecathe looked at Marvin who was supposed to be the real son of that great Orgon, he couldn''t help but frown. It was a bit disappointing that there was nothing special about this boy expect for the fact that he was the only son of a famous man.


    "You don''t need to apologize like this," Hecathe sighed as he responded to the auctioneer, "It''s not like you offended me in any manner so you have nothing to be afraid of. I am not such an unreasonable person."


    The auctioneer gulped as he heard this and slowly raised his head to look at Hecathe.


    "If you look up to me so much, you should help me," Hecathe smiled as he spoke.


    The auctioneer immediately nodded his head a bit too enthusiastically as he agreed to Hecathe.


    Just like how the people blindly worshipped The great Edler, Orgon was also such a man who was blindly worshipped like a God.


    And just like how Alphius started being criticized after his father''s death, Hecathe was sure that Marvin would also end up on the same track.


    This was to be expected considering the fact that people would have higher expectations from the children of the legends and when the children don''t manage to meet those expectations, the admiration everyone felt would slowly turn into hate.


    The auctioneer was quick enough to bring in the paperworks required and Hecathe bought the 0.5 percent share easily by selling hundred pure mutant beads to the auction house.


    However, Marvin didn''t have pure mutant beads to sell nor did he have that much amount of money on him at the moment so the boy simply pursed his lips into a thin line and looked at Hecathe helplessly.


    Hecathe should have informed Marvin about this before they came here! If he had done that then Marvin would have surely been given some time to escape and could choose not to come here in the first place itself.


    The auctioneer noticed that Marvin didn''t have the money to pay up and under normal conditions, the auctioneer would simply turn the deal down, but this time, Since Hecathe was here as Orgon, it would be considered rude of the auctioneer to do something like that.


    Hence, with a commercial smile, the auctioneer chuckled as he spoke, "If you don''t have the money right now then you can pay up later on."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and he didn''t know if he wanted to cry or laugh as he wondered if there was a third option where he didn''t have to pay anything.


    The auctioneer looked at the wrapped blade behind Marvin''s back and smiled as he spoke, "While you get the money, you can leave your weapon behind and once the ten billion is paid off, you can take your weapon back with you."


    "..." This option sounded much worse to Marvin.

 Chapter 157 - The Precious Pawn

    The auctioneer looked at the wrapped blade behind Marvin''s back and smiled as he spoke, "While you get the money, you can leave your weapon behind, and once the ten billion is paid off, you can take your weapon back with you."


    "..." This option sounded much worse to Marvin.


    Hecathe chuckled under his breath as he heard this but said nothing to help the boy.


    Marvin sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and muttered, "I should be getting paid for having to deal with this."


    LeiLei snickered as she managed to hear the boy.


    "How about it?" The auctioneer asked with a smile as he looked at Marvin.


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and shook his head as he refused the offer.


    "How about I pawn something else more precious?" Marvin asked casually and the smile on the auctioneer''s face seemed to have faltered for a second in confusion as he wondered what Marvin was trying to pawn.


    "What is it?" The auctioneer tilted his head slightly as he asked and Marvin immediately unwrapped the saber on his back but instead of taking out his own double-bladed saber, he took out another sword that was wrapped along with the saber but was completely hidden by the huge saber.


    The auctioneer seemed to have recognized the sword as his eyes widened in surprise.


    Hecathe also had a sharp memory and he almost choked on empty air as he recognized the sword.


    "How about I keep this sword here till I get you the money?" Marvin asked with a small smile.


    This sword had been bought by Marvin from this auction house only and was priced for a fair twenty million Lenix. It did not cost as much as Ten billion Lenix but since it was a one-of-a-kind precious treasure, it was only natural that the auctioneer would let the man pawn it.


    "Whoa!~" It was LeiLei who sang enthusiastically as soon as her eyes landed on the sword, "Doesn''t that sword belong to the great Edler?"


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head and confirmed, "You''re right."


    "And this fool is willing to pawn it so easily?" LeiLei asked in disbelief as she looked at Marvin.


    "I''ll buy it back so it''s not a bad deal," Marvin spoke up as he defended himself.


    LeiLei opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the auctioneer who spoke up at the moment.


    "If you are not able to bring the money in a week''s time, this sword would be auctioned off once again."


    "..."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and he looked to be much more affected than Marvin who simply nodded his head and agreed to the man''s demand.


    "I''ll be back here within the week," Marvin responded with a nod.


    "Are you sure?" Hecathe asked with a frown and Marvin smiled but said nothing as a response to him.


    "Then that makes things clear," The auctioneer beamed as he took the sword from Marvin''s hand, "The one percent would be transferred to the great Orgon."


    Hecathe nodded as he heard this and went along with the man to complete the paperwork. Since Marvin was also involved in this deal, he was called and made to sign a few agreement papers as well.


    While the two went on ahead with the auctioneer, LeiLei decided to roam around the auction house.


    After a day''s auction was over, people were normally not allowed to roam the auction house freely without permission, but since LeiLei had come with Hecathe and Marvin who had just bought a small part of the auction house, it was only natural that there were exceptions made for her.


    The girl didn''t really expect to find anything and she was merely trying to explore the place but oddly enough, she heard someone speaking in one of the corridors and the voice was oddly familiar which made her want to eavesdrop on the conversation.


    "Are you sure?" The man with the familiar voice questioned.


    "Alphius is surely in Zeblor. The guards have confirmed it," The other man spoke as he answered the man but this was someone that LeiLei did not recognize.


    "Then who is this new pest?"


    LeiLei peeked to see who the owner of the familiar voice was and she was surprised to see that it was the masked man that was believed to be Asgarian.


    "Sir, we are still searching."


    Asgarian gritted his teeth as he heard this response, "You people are useless!"


    LeiLei gulped and immediately covered her mouth as she dare not let the other two know that she was here.


    It really had been a long time since she heard this man''s voice and now that she was hearing the man again, she started recalling the incident from her childhood where she had met the man.


    There was no doubt anymore... This was definitely her father''s friend...


    LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together as she recalled an unpleasant memory that didn''t quite make sense.


    It was a memory that was rather insignificant and so she had buried it deep among all the other forgotten memories.


    This man was her father''s friend... Or at least, that was how her father had introduced the man, but in reality, the man was not exactly a friend.


    When LeiLei was little, she had seen the man smile in front of her father and the moment her father turned his back on the man, the man looked at her father with pure evil glinting in his eyes. At that time, the mere glare from the man had scared the little LeiLei so much that she had started crying right then and there.


    When she talked about it with her father, he told her that it was a mere misunderstanding and that there was no hatred between the two of them. LeiLei was naive and she believed her father''s words, accepting that it was nothing more than a misunderstanding.


    After that incident, she didn''t really see this man a lot and whenever she did, it was so short that it was hardly enough to be remembered.


    LeiLei unknowingly felt a tear trail down her cheeks as she remembered her father.


    If she had also looked for her father''s killer just like Marvin, would she have been able to find him?


    Did it matter if she started now or was it already too late for that...?


    The two men who were talking ended their conversation and went away, leaving LeiLei behind, lost in her own thoughts and regrets.


    Suddenly someone tapped on her shoulder from behind and LeiLei gasped as she turned around and stared at Hecathe in shock and fear.


    Hecathe frowned as he saw her face and asked, "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"


    "And why are you crying?" Marvin also frowned and questioned as he saw her moist cheeks stained with tears.


    "Sir... I want to find him," LeiLei muttered with a weak voice and Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this.


    "Who?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head in confusion.


    "The one who killed my parents," LeiLei answered and Hecathe''s eyes widened just a bit as he heard this.


    Marvin side-glanced at Hecathe but said nothing as he waited to see Hecathe''s reaction to this.


    Hecathe gulped as he asked, "Are you really that determined this time?"


    LeiLei nodded her head as she confirmed it, "I am."


    "Even if you won''t be happy with the answer you get at the end?" Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the girl as he asked.


    LeiLei was a bit reluctant this time but in the end, she still nodded her head as she once again confirmed it.


    "Even if you find out that your father was killed by me?"


    Marvin''s eyes widened and he gulped as he looked at Hecathe in shock. He certainly didn''t expect the man to give LeiLei the honest answer this soon...


    LeiLei was left stunned for a few minutes before she sighed and shook her head, "It''s not you. I''m sure of it."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this response.


    It took a lot of courage for him to reveal the truth like this but the girl simply refused to believe it.


    "Why do you think that it''s not me?" Hecathe asked as he raised his eyebrows.


    "Because it''s not you," LeiLei stated without much thought as if she truly believed that Hecathe was innocent.


    "LeiLei, I killed your father," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Your father was one of the three willows of spring, wasn''t he? He was said to be killed by Alphius, wasn''t he?"


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and blankly looked at Hecathe with an indecipherable expression plastered on her face.


    "I am Alphius," Hecathe revealed a bigger truth that was certainly shocking for the girl.


    A few minutes passed in silence before LeiLei sighed and asked, "What makes you think that my father was one of the three willows of spring?"


    "Eh?"


    "And why would Alphius be the one who killed my father?"


    It was now Hecathe''s turn to be shocked and confused.

 Chapter 158 - You Didnt Kill Him

    "And why would Alphius be the one who killed my father?"


    It was now Hecathe''s turn to be shocked and confused.


    "But didn''t you say that your father was killed by one of the mecha-suits?" Hecathe gulped as he questioned.


    "So?" LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together and she looked at the man as if Hecathe had gone mad, "Just because I said it was a mecha-suit, did you automatically think that Alphius was the one behind it? And how can you lie like that? You''re clearly not Alphius cause if you were then you would know that you didn''t kill my father."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this but in the end, he did neither as he simply shut his mouth and waited for the girl to continue.


    "Alphius didn''t kill my father nor did you," LeiLei stated firmly and it was enough to make both Hecathe and Marvin question whether they had been wrong till now or not.


    "LeiLei, there is only one more person in this world with your ability and that is the dead willow of spring who was killed by Alphius," Marvin spoke with a frown as he pointed out but LeiLei didn''t look to be impressed as she heard this.


    "And what makes you say that?" LeiLei asked back without missing a beat.


    "..."


    "It''s basically impossible for Alphius to kill my father because when my father died, there weren''t these many mecha-suits. Alphius had just started to make mecha-suits and at that time, he was still considered as an inspirational hero."


    "Wait... What...?!" Hecathe was left a little shocked as he heard all this and he asked, "Didn''t Alphius start creating the mecha-suits after his father died? His reputation by then was already bad, wasn''t it?"


    LeiLei sighed as she heard this and shook her head, "That''s not how things went. He created mecha-suits when his father was still alive but he only commercialized them after his father''s unfortunate death. This means that the mass rise of mecha-suits came after the great Edler''s death but before that, there were still a few mecha-suits who had been close to the great Edler and were gifted a mecha-suit just to try it out."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this and he still found things a bit too confusing and hard to believe.


    "How can that be?" Hecathe asked in disbelief, "Didn''t the mecha-suits start killing the ability users after their population started to rise and there were more of them?"


    "Sir, how fucked up is your knowledge on recent history?" LeiLei asked with a frown and she was certainly mocking the man who had no response to this question.


    Marvin opened his mouth to say something but was suddenly stopped by LeiLei who clicked her tongue.


    "There might be people listening in so it''s better not to talk here."


    Marvin and Hecathe gulped as they heard this and nodded as they looked around.


    The auction house looked pretty much empty but just like the three of them who were here, there would surely be more people hiding around and if someone overheard this conversation, it was certainly going to be troublesome.


    In the very next movement, they found themselves back in their apartment where LeiLei had teleported them to, and thankfully enough, it wasn''t Hecathe''s room but was the new room that LeiLei had rented out only recently.


    "The first mecha-suits weren''t created by Alphius," LeiLei spoke with a sigh as she informed and Hecathe was a bit surprised to hear this.


    The man immediately turned to look at Marvin as he waited for a confirmation and Marvin nodded his head as if he already knew about this.


    "The first mecha-suit project was started by the great Edler but since the project was a bit risky to start under his name, he decided to let his son have all the credits," Marvin spoke as he revealed the truth about the matter, "Alphius was not supposed to tell anyone about this and the whole project was kept as secretive as possible. Nobody knew who the first mecha-suits were and it was only natural that their deeds also went unnoticed."


    LeiLei nodded her head as she agreed with the boy, "That''s right. The first few mecha-suits roamed free without being caught by anyone and there was no record of them. Whether they did good deeds or bad ones didn''t matter because, in the end, it was all covered up and hidden just like their identities that always remained a secret more deeply hidden than Edler''s cause of death."


    Hecathe gulped and his eyebrows creased together as he took all this information in.


    He had read Alphius''s diary but there was no mention of any of this, however, Hecathe would still believe the words of Marvin and LeiLei because he knew that Alphius was a careful person. If all of this was meant to be a secret, the boy would surely not note it down anywhere.


    "After his father''s death, he took over the project and started making more advanced mecha-suits. Most of the mecha-suits you see nowadays are products of his hard work and innovation. While his father created mecha-suits for a limited set of people, he created mecha-suits for the mass that demanded it," LeiLei continued as she explained, "So, I am sure that it was not him because there is no way that it could be him. Alphius is around the same age as me and I lost my parents when I was eleven years old. At that time, Alphius was also just as young and he was too innocent to kill someone at such a young age."


    Hecathe was left a little dumbfounded as he heard this.


    He didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry.


    All this time, he had worried about telling LeiLei that he was behind her father''s death, but at the same time, he had stupidly forgotten to even confirm it.


    The real Hecathe was twenty-nine years old and hence, he didn''t even take into account that Alphius was just too young when LeiLei''s parents passed away.


    Hecathe immediately turned to glare at Marvin who was the one to start this whole mess. He was the one who reminded Hecathe about that willow of spring that was killed by Alphius!


    Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he tried to look innocent, "It was you who jumped the gun without thinking about everything thoroughly."


    "..." Hecathe wanted to bash the boy''s head with a bat as he heard this but he would naturally not do it since he didn''t own a bat.


    "So... Who the hell was your father?!" Hecathe questioned as he looked at LeiLei.


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and refused to say anything.


    "You say that your father was killed by a mecha-suit and he knew Asgarian who hated him for some reason. He also had the same rare ability as you which was known to be the ability that belonged to one of the three willows of spring. With all this considered, there is no way that your father was an ordinary man! Just who are you?!" Hecathe asked and looked to be a little frustrated as he sat down on a chair.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this question and shouted back, "How am I supposed to know that?!"


    "..."


    This girl knew the entire secret history of a boy who was not even related to her and yet she didn''t even know her own history... It would certainly be an understatement to say that Hecathe was speechless.


    Marvin sighed as he rubbed his forehead and spoke, "LeiLei, I think there are some things that you are hiding from us."


    "Eh?"


    "How can you know so much about Alphius when this was all supposed to be kept as a secret?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this question but didn''t dare give a casual answer to the boy.


    "I would know because he was my friend, but I''m sure you can''t say the same thing," Marvin continued as he didn''t bother waiting for a response from the girl, "So don''t even bother lying and tell us the truth."


    LeiLei frowned as she didn''t give a straight response and instead, she questioned back, "Didn''t you say that you were not friends with him? You are also lying to me about certain things, are you not?"


    "And I just told you the truth. I do know him and he was my friend. Now it''s your turn to be honest, LeiLei," Marvin replied without missing a beat.


    LeiLei looked between Hecathe and Marvin who were waiting for a response.


    "I don''t know Alphius," LeiLei spoke with a sigh as she shook her head and this time, she was certainly not lying, "The only reason why I know about this secret is because my father was friends with the great Edler. He knew about the mecha-suits."


    "Is that the truth?" Hecathe asked with a frown as his eyes narrowed down on the girl.


    He was cautious to believe her this time and this was only natural.

 Chapter 159 - What Were They Saying?

    "I''m not lying," LeiLei confirmed firmly, "I have met the great Edler before this but that was only once. You can believe me if you want to and it doesn''t matter even if you don''t believe me because it would still be the truth even if you don''t believe me."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and he couldn''t help but feel that the girl was really not lying this time.


    "You said you were eleven years old?" Marvin questioned suspiciously and the girl nodded her head as she confirmed it.


    "Then how come you keep saying that you don''t remember anything?" Marvin asked without missing a beat, "If you were eleven then you should have been able to remember it."


    LeiLei looked as if she didn''t know if she wanted to laugh or cry as she heard this. It took a few minutes for the girl to respond to his question as she scoffed and asked back, "Do you think you would have been able to remember anything after having gone through the trauma of losing your parents and being thrown on the street where you had to fight dogs for food...?!"


    She sounded a bit pissed off and it was enough to intimidate Marvin a little as he didn''t dare question the girl further.


    "I don''t remember everything clearly but there are still bits and pieces of memories that I randomly recall here and there," LeiLei sighed as she continued, "Today, I heard that masked man talking and I remembered an incident from my childhood."


    Hecathe eye''s widened a bit as he heard this and he immediately asked with a bit of shock, "You were talking to him?"


    LeiLei shook her head and Hecathe sighed in relief as he saw this response.


    "It wasn''t like that. I was merely eavesdropping because I felt like the voice was familiar," The girl explained and both Hecathe and Marvin looked to be interested in this topic as they attentively listened to the girl and patiently waited to let her complete.


    "When my father first introduced the man to me, I remember seeing a smile on his face but that was only in front of my father. The moment my father turned around, his smile also did and the evil glare in his eyes was enough to haunt me as a child. I didn''t like it... I didn''t like it at all..." LeiLei still looked a little horrified and worried as she continued, "I tried to warn my father about it but he said that I was mistaken... And I stupidly believed him."


    "Over time, I started to forget about it but when I saw that man being angry once again, I couldn''t help but remember the unpleasant memory that used to haunt me," LeiLei looked up at the two as she spoke and from the honest look in her eyes, they were sure that the girl was not lying.


    LeiLei was a good actress but her acting was still not enough to fool Hecathe and if Hecathe was saying that the girl was not lying at the moment, she was certainly not lying at the moment.


    "LeiLei, what were they talking about?" Hecathe asked as his eyes narrowed down on the girl.


    "Eh...?" LeiLei was a bit taken back by the sudden change of topic and it took her an entire minute to seriously respond as she thought about it, "Well, I think they were talking about someone...?"


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he clicked his tongue and impatiently asked, "Who?"


    LeiLei gulped as she tried to recall the conversation, "I guess it was something about Alphius and some pest. He didn''t know who the pest was but it seemed like the man that he was talking to was actually helping him find that so-called pest."


    Hecathe and Marvin shared a glance as they heard this and nodded in unison as they understood the situation.


    There was no doubt about it. Asgarian was certainly referring to Hecathe as the unknown pest.


    "So he not only wants the help of the guild but also turned to the auction house for help...? What a cunning man," Hecathe scoffed as he commented.


    The auction house was famous for the items it sold but if there was one more thing that was well-known about the place, it would certainly be the fact that the auction house helped spread rumors as well as find the root of rumors.


    Asgarian probably didn''t trust the guild too much and this was to be expected considering that he was a cautious man.


    "Hecathe, are you sure that you won''t get caught?" Marvin asked with his eyebrows creased together in worry.


    The auction house was pretty good at its job so it was certainly easy for them to check whether a rumor was really true or not.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a smirk as he heard this question and he couldn''t help but be confident as he nodded his head and replied, "You don''t need to worry about me. The auction house may be good but I chose someone even better to do my job. This rumor is good enough to be true even if it is not true."


    "It was Zather, wasn''t it?" Marvin clicked his tongue as he asked and Hecathe was a bit surprised to know that Marvin also knew the woman.


    "How did-"


    "It''s not a surprise," Marvin sighed as he didn''t even let Hecathe complete the question, "She is always enthusiastic to help Alphius and she is the best at this job."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with him.


    She really was the only one who''d be enthusiastic to help Alphius no matter what request it was.


    "Who is this Zather?" LeiLei blinked innocently as she tilted her head and asked.


    Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he casually answered, "Just someone who used to idolize the great Edler."


    "..."


    "LeiLei, I''m willing to believe you," Hecathe sighed as he got back to the main topic and spoke, "If what you said is right then this Asgarian surely has something to do with your father''s death as well and if that is the case then we''ll help you."


    "Is he really the one...?" LeiLei gulped as she asked with much reluctance.


    Hecathe, "We can''t be sure right now but he is certainly a suspect. If everything you''ve told me till now is the truth then he is really a suspicious person."


    Marvin nodded his head as he agreed with the man.


    "Marvin''s father was also killed by a mecha-suit just like your father but no mecha-suits actually committed the murder. This is nothing more than a case of an imposter," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke up and informed, "In Marvin''s case, Alphius was blamed because his suit was the one that had been stolen to commit the murder, but in your father''s case, I can''t be sure about this, however, there is still one thing that we can conclude from both the cases. The murderer wanted to frame the mecha-suits for some reason."


    "How can the two cases be connected?" LeiLei asked with a frown, "My father died six years ago while his father died only recently. If the cases were related, would there have been such a gap between the two cases?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and explained, "When you consider the time gap then it certainly seems unrelated but maybe that''s the exact reason why there is a time gap in the first place. If the two murders had taken place at the same time then it would have looked suspicious."


    LeiLei''s frown deepened as she heard this but when she thought about it, she couldn''t help but believe the man whose words made some sense.


    "There are a lot of things alike about the two cases. Nobody ever found the details of the murder and the only thing revealed was that they were both killed by mecha-suits. If LeiLei''s father had the same ability as her then he could surely have been considered powerful and this creates another similarity between the two cases," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "I''m not saying that I''m right but there is a high chance that the two murders are connected and if that is the case then it makes things easier for us because we''ll only have one culprit to catch."


    Marvin had the feeling that it won''t be as easy as Hecathe said it was.


    "Even if it is just a single culprit, if the culprit is Asgarian then it is surely not going to be as easy as you say it is," Marvin sighed as he spoke with disbelief.


    "LeiLei, when you said that he talked about a pest, did he have any idea who the pest was or any leads at all?"


    LeiLei shook her head as she thought about it and spoke, "That may not be the case. He looked a bit angry at the man for being useless."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.

 Chapter 160 - Because The Great Orgon Is Already Dead.

    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.


    It was only natural that the man was not able to find Hecathe.


    Scolding someone for being useless with something that couldn''t be helped... It was simply wasteful and a bit pointless as well.


    "Sir, when Asgarian spoke about a pest, was he talking about you?" LeiLei tilted her head as she casually asked and Hecathe almost choked on his own chuckle as he heard the girl.


    "W-What makes you think that?" Hecathe asked as he coughed.


    "Because you are too interested in this," LeiLei pointed out, "You were supposed to focus on the part where I remember his angry voice but you focused on the irrelevant part that is not even connected to the topic."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and there was nothing he could say as a defense for himself since he had been a little careless.


    Marvin clicked his tongue as he helped Hecathe out, "LeiLei, isn''t it a good thing that we are not suspecting you anymore? Why do you want to hit a nail into your own hand?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard the boy and couldn''t help but frown as she realized that his words made sense. Such questions were not really helpful for her and in fact, they were actually harming her more than helping her.


    "You''re right..." LeiLei muttered before she fell silent for a few minutes.


    Before anyone could say anything more, LeiLei yawned as she exclaimed, "I''m suddenly feeling really sleepy!~ Wouldn''t want to hit any more nails into my own hand so you guys should also go to bed now."


    Marvin chuckled under his breath as he heard this and the boy wasn''t looking to waste time as he nodded his head and turned around to leave the girl''s room.


    "Are you going to be okay even if you are alone here?" Hecathe asked with a small frown as he worried about the girl.


    LeiLei''s lips curled up in a smirk as she heard this question and she sarcastically responded back as she asked, "Wasn''t it you who threw me out of your room? It''s too late to ask that question, isn''t it?"


    "..."


    Hecathe gulped as he pursed his lips into a thin line and nodded his head, "In that case, Goodnight. See you tomorrow."


    LeiLei chuckled as she saw the man immediately leaving the room.


    Surprisingly enough, outside the door, Marvin was waiting for him and once Hecathe was out, the boy asked with a sigh, "So it was really not Alphius who killed her father?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he also sighed out, "What she said makes sense. It can''t be Alphius."


    "Then we have to help her find the killer," Marvin replied without missing a beat, and Hecathe couldn''t help but agree with the boy.


    Helping her find her father''s real killer... It was the least they could do for her.


    "And if it turns out that Asgarian is behind this murder as well... I''m gonna personally chop him into bits," Marvin gritted out as he added with a bit of anger and Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he once again nodded his head and agreed with the boy.


    Even if Marvin didn''t chop the culprit into bits, Hecathe would surely do it.


    "By the way, are you dying or something?" Marvin side-glanced at Hecathe as he asked.


    "Eh?"


    "Back at the auction house, you told the man that your stocks would be transferred to me after your death," Marvin pointed out.


    "Oh, that?" Hecathe chuckled as he spoke, "The shares are transferred under the name of your father but as you can already see, your father is not really alive."


    "..."


    Marvin''s lips turned down in a frown as he started to understand what went on around Hecathe''s mind when he was buying the auction house.


    This man didn''t want his name to be related to this at all and although he acted as if he was the one putting himself in danger all the time, in reality, he was tricking other people and there was nothing more to it than that.


    Hecathe was really a cunning one although he mostly seemed as if he wasn''t.


    By dragging Orgon into this, not only had Hecathe set up a trap but he had also kept his own name and identity out of the trap.


    "It doesn''t really matter if I die or not because you would still be the owner," Hecathe smiled as he spoke, "Because the great Orgon is already dead."


    Marvin let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this, "Then you plan on making me the scapegoat in everything you do...?"


    Hecathe also chuckled as he heard this but said nothing more as he walked forward and left the boy behind.


    Marvin''s eyes narrowed down on Hecathe''s moving back as he thought about things a bit more deeply.


    Was it really a good idea to partner up with this unpredictable man that could throw you in front of a moving train if there were benefits in it for him?


    Any sane person would be able to answer this question straightforwardly without even needing to think about it and only a daring person would be willing to put the odds to the test.


    And although Marvin was a sane person, he was also daring enough to put it to the test.


    Afterall, in this world, there was no longer anyone that he could trust. The ones that he did trust ended up betraying him so this Hecathe who came from another world was clearly a better option compared to the others.


    Marvin sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and went back to his room.


    The next day, Marvin and LeiLei woke up to find that Hecathe had already left the place first and headed to the guild without them.


    "Don''t worry. I just gave him a job," The landlady winked mischievously as she reassured but her words were clearly not reassuring.


    LeiLei and Marvin were left a little confused but when they tried to get more information out of the woman, the woman simply refused to say anything further and avoided the question.


    LeiLei and Marvin shared a look in confusion and surprise as they both had the same question in mind: What would the landlady ask Hecathe to do?


    That day, before LeiLei and Marvin woke up, Hecathe had headed down to the kitchen to get the Dorgon some food but it was only natural that he had came accoss the landlady on the way and when the landlady saw that the man was alone this time, she decided to use this opportunity to talk about something important.


    The landlady handed him a photo with a smile as she spoke, "It''s been quite some time since you have started working there. This should be more than enough time for you to get along with the people there, right?"


    Hecathe frowned a little as he heard this but in the end, he still nodded his head.


    "That''s good!" The woman exclaimed as she continued, "Then it is now time for you to find her."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this but when he thought about it a bit more, he understood what the woman was talking about.


    The reason why the woman rented this place out to him for almost free and the reason why he joined the guild was because this landlady was trying to spy on a particular mage and since Hecathe had now gotten used to the guild, it was time for him to complete the task that had been requested by her.


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head and responded, "I''ll tell you everything I get to find."


    The landlady smiled brightly as she heard this and nodded her head in understanding, "In that case, I''ll be counting on you."


    Once Hecathe stepped out of the apartment, he flipped the photo that the woman had given to him and looked at the woman that was photographed.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly and he didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he saw the familiar woman''s photo.


    This world was really a small place... So small that the girl photographed was none other than Zather.


    "So Zather actually works for the guild?" Hecathe muttered a question to himself as he found the scenario almost a bit funny.


    Alphius was never interested in knowing anything about Zather, he only considered her as a useful person that was good at her job and nothing more. Hence, it was only natural that the boy was unaware about this fact and never bothered to write it down in his diary.


    This made things a bit easy for Hecathe but at the same time, it also made things a bit complicated.


    He already knew Zather so finding more information on her was not going to be hard.


    However, her being involved with the landlady was a bit suspicious since the two didn''t even look like the types that would ever cross paths with each other.


    At the end of the day, Hecathe would certainly be naive if he were not to find this suspicious.

 Chapter 161 - Azazel Who Works For The Golden Fire Guild

    He already knew Zather so finding more information on her was not going to be hard.


    However, her being involved with the landlady was a bit suspicious since the two didn''t even look like the types that would ever cross paths with each other.


    At the end of the day, Hecathe would certainly be naive if he were not to find this suspicious.


    And so, Hecathe did the first thing that came to his mind which was to go to the guild and find out some answer for himself.


    Who else could reveal information on Zather other than the woman herself?


    Once he reached the guild, the first thing he did was look for Zather but the man was a bit surprised to know that Zather had a different name in this guild. She was actually called Azazel here and nobody really knew her real name.


    The name Azazel was the same as the one that his friend had back in the real world so that simply made it even more surprising, but at the same time, he felt as if he should have already expected this.


    The second shocking thing that happened was probably when he reached her office and the door was opened by a girl whom he couldn''t help but recognize.


    It was the slave girl that Zather had saved from the auction house. Last time, Hecathe saw this girl in the guildhall and thought that he might have been mistaken or something but now that he saw her again inside Zather''s office, he was sure that it was her.


    Zather looked at the visitor and her eyes seemed to have lit up with a bit of excitement for some reason as she greeted Hecathe, "You''re here~"


    Hecathe nodded with a sigh as he heard this and commented, "If you are this excited to see me then you should''ve told me that you worked here. You wouldn''t have made me feel like a fool."


    Zather chuckled as she heard this and responded lightheartedly, "I like seeing you make a fool out of yourself so I guess I made a good decision."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and clearly didn''t look impressed with this reply.


    "To be honest, I thought you already knew," Zather sighed as she added.


    "Hmm? And why would you think that?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head ever so slightly.


    "Don''t you remember?" Zather straightened her back as she spoke, "When I came over to give you the reports, you looked at me and called me Azazel. I really thought you figured it out back then."


    Hecathe frowned as he remembered the details of that day. It was the first time that he had met this woman and since she looked exactly like his friend, he mistook her for him and called her Azazel.


    "But you played dumb back then, didn''t you?" Hecathe sighed as he pointed out.


    Zather nodded her head as she responded, "If you suddenly call me out like that, of course, I would play dumb. What did you expect? Did you think that I''d just nod my head and confess the truth?"


    "..."


    Her words made sense...


    "That aside, How did you find me?" Zather clicked her tongue as she changed the topic and asked with a smile as she looked at the man.


    "You don''t need to know that," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he answered the question a bit rudely.


    "Are you mad?" Zather raised her eyebrows with an amused smirk as she asked.


    "And why would I be mad?" Hecathe wasn''t polite at all as he took a seat in front of her and crossed his right leg over his left as he asked, "Is this something to be mad about?"


    "..."


    Hecathe had talked to this woman a few times whenever he had some business with her and every time she acted as if she just happened to be in this city but now Hecathe finally knew the truth. She didn''t simply happen to be here but was actually here because of work."


    "I never lied to you, Alphius," Zather chuckled as she spoke and asked, "Now, out with it. Why are you here? I suppose it''s not because you simply want to scold me over keeping my professional life a secret?"


    "Can I not be here even if I don''t have any business with you?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk that was hardly visible on his face.


    Zather simply shook her head as she responded without even having to think about it, "You''re just not that type of a person. You hate wasting time, you hate going out and you hate meeting people. So stop beating around the bush and bark it out. Why are you really here?"


    "..." Hecathe kinda hated the fact that the girl was so right. He did indeed hate wasting time, going out, and meeting people. That was like one of those things that he and Alphius had in common.


    With a sigh, Hecathe asked, "How have you been doing lately?"


    "Eh?" Zather blinked in confusion as she repeated the question in her mind and wondered if she had heard it wrong or something.


    She clearly knew that the man was not the caring type so she immediately understood that there was a hidden agenda behind this seemingly innocent and caring question.


    "I''m doing good," Zather replied as her eyes narrowed down on Hecathe in suspicion.


    "There''s nothing bothering you, is there?" Hecathe asked without missing a beat as he looked at the woman.


    Zather''s eyebrows creased together as she heard this question and instead of straightforwardly responding to it, she asked back, "Alphius, why are you being weird today? Rather than something bothering me, I should be asking whether there is anything bothering you."


    "There are a lot of things bothering me but we are not here to talk about me," Hecathe spoke without any hesitation.


    "Did someone put you up to this?" The woman asked as her eyes suspiciously narrowed down on the man but before Hecathe could answer that question, she sighed as she corrected her own words and spoke, "That''s not right. You''ll never follow orders from someone else."


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this but said nothing more.


    "I am doing good and there is nothing bothering me," The woman clicked her tongue as she spoke with a frown.


    "Is that so?" Hecathe smirked as he asked, "Then I guess you''ll be free to answer some questions with an open mind and an honest mouth."


    He finally cut to the chase and Zather was both worried about it and interested to know what it was.


    She gulped as she heard this and the woman had a foreboding feeling in her stomach but she still nodded her head as she agreed to Hecathe.


    "Alright then," Hecathe beamed as he saw her reaction and spoke, "Let me first start with an odd case that I recently got to know."


    "Hmm?" Zather leaned in forward and listened attentively to the man as he said this.


    "I came across a woman who had eight legs. At first, I thought she was a ghost but turns out that she''s not. My second guess was about the woman being a mutant but fortunately enough, that was also not the case. She was merely a mage with eight legs. It''s a bit shocking to see that the Zelium had such an effect on her but I guess it''s not unheard of considering the fact that I''m also kind of like her. The Zelium didn''t work like it was supposed to and because of that, I am now left with abilities that even I didn''t know existed till now."


    Zather''s eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard this and the woman nodded in understanding as she patiently waited to hear the man out.


    "Have you heard about such a case before this?" Hecathe asked with an amused tone.


    "As you have said before, such cases are not unheard of but it would still be hard for you to find a person like that. Since they are not exactly normal, they are mostly killed either by their own parents or by the people and government. Keeping them around is dangerous since their actions can be unpredictable. The only reason you survived is because of your father."


    "I see," Hecathe nodded his head in understanding before he asked, "Then why do you think she survived?"


    Zather frowned as she heard this question and thought about it for a few minutes before shrugging her shoulders with a frown as she spoke, "I don''t know. Maybe she also had someone to protect her or she protected herself. Something like that is hard but it is not completely impossible."


    "So you''re saying that she is not such a normal person?"


    Zather nodded her head as she confirmed this, "That''s right. You should know this more than I do, but someone like this would never be considered a normal person."


    Hecathe sighed out loud in disbelief as he heard this and commented, "Then I guess I got myself involved with another troublesome person."

 Chapter 162 - Dont Lie

    Hecathe lifted his head to meet the woman''s eyes and this time, he turned serious as he asked, "Have you ever met such a person?"


    Zather gulped as she heard this question and her eyes widened ever so slightly as she showed a split second of panic.


    This was all that Hecathe needed to know in order to guess what the answer to that question was going to be.


    "You know her, don''t you?" Hecathe asked with a smirk as he raised his eyebrows.


    Zather chuckled dryly as she asked back, "Why would you think that? There is no way I would know someone-"


    "Don''t lie," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he didn''t even let the woman complete, "You''re doing the same thing that you did when I first called you Azazel. You''re denying it in the hopes of thinking that I might believe your lie, but guess what, I ain''t falling for the same trick twice."


    "..." Zather pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this and stayed silent, not daring to say anything.


    "Who is she and how are you two related?" Hecathe leaned his head back as he asked a bit too casually.


    "I don''t know her," Zather avoided eye contact as she lied once again and this time, it was a bit easier for Hecathe to sense her lies.


    Hecathe chuckled as he shook his head, "You''re doing it again. You''re lying and hoping that I leave it be."


    "Kail, see the boy out. There is nothing more that we need to discuss," Zather spoke up and the slave girl who was called Kail nodded her head in understanding as she walked over towards Hecathe.


    With a smile on her face, Kail tried to politely make Hecathe leave, "Sir, please follow me. Miss Azazel has something urgent to attend to."


    Hecathe looked at Kail with an unimpressed expression but what he needed to say was clearly conveyed without any verbal response.


    Kail gulped as she looked at Zather for help but the woman was clearly just as helpless as her and Kail could sense that for the first time ever, Zather looked a bit shaken up.


    Her normal calm, uncaring demeanor was finally shaken up by this Hecathe who had asked her an unpleasant question.


    "Alphius, I respect your father and because of that, I am willing to help you out when you need my help, but that doesn''t mean I gave you permission to question my personal relations," Zather straightened her back as she spoke seriously.


    "So you do agree that it is one of your personal relations?"


    "..."


    Hecathe sighed as he shrugged his shoulders and stood up, "I was just here to tell you that she might be in danger, but it seems like you don''t care. In that case, I''ll just take my leave now. It''s the first time that I''m seeing you be so pissed so I guess it must have been something that is uncomfortable for you to talk about."


    Hecathe turned around after saying this much and got ready to leave the room but right when his hands reached out to turn the doorknob, he heard the woman stopping him.


    "Wait," Zather looked a bit worried as she gulped and asked, "What are you talking about? What danger...?"


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question and turned around to face the woman once again as he spoke, "It looks like you''re worried about her. Are you sure that she''s not important to you?"


    "Alphius, I''m not playing around," Zather clicked her tongue as she glared at the man.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard his and responded with the same serious tone, "What makes you think that I am kidding?"


    With every second that passed, Hecathe could see that he was seriously pissing this woman off and it was quite rare to actually achieve such a feat since Zather was normally very calm and collected.


    Hecathe felt a little amused and at the same time, he realized that he was very bad with people.


    "She''s the apartment owner," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "And I am renting out a room in her apartment. Excluding me, Marvin is also there and so is a girl named LeiLei who might just be connected to someone who was killed by Asgarian. There is a Dorgon living there as well and a guy named Zail who doesn''t really seem that special."


    "Eh?"


    "Wouldn''t you say that she''s in danger when she''s covered with people who always love to invite danger?"


    Zather suddenly felt the urge to smash something on the man''s head but she held herself back.


    "Now that you''ve accepted the fact that you know this woman, why don''t we get to the details as well?" Hecathe smiled as he sat back down and asked.


    "So you''re a cunning one huh?" Zather scoffed as she commented, "Should''ve expected this coming."


    Hecathe nodded his head with a small smile as he agreed with the woman.


    Zather sighed as she finally spoke, answering Hecathe''s question, "She''s my mother."


    "Hmm..." Hecathe hummed as he nodded his head in understanding but it took an entire minute for him to repeat the words through his mind and understand what the woman had just revealed.


    "What?!" Hecathe snapped in shock as he looked at the woman with his eyes wide open.


    "You''re shocked?" Zather asked with a small chuckle that eventually turned into another sigh, "We don''t really look alike since I look more like my father. It''s not even like we''re that close either. I didn''t really have a pleasant childhood because of her. I was considered special and not in a good way. Maybe that''s the reason why I related to you and wanted to help you, Alphius."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was more interested to know what happened between these two women or if he was more interested to know who the father was.


    The landlady certainly looked old enough to have a child but she didn''t look old enough to have a child that was as big as Zather nor did she look like the type of person who would actually be interested in giving birth.


    This seriously made Hecathe wonder just how old the landlady was.


    "We broke our relationship years ago but recently, she has been trying to squeeze herself into my life once again," Zather continued and she didn''t sound to be too happy about this, "I keep trying to push her off but she seems determined for some reason."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this and he found it a bit suspicious as he asked, "Maybe she''s just worried about her daughter?"


    Zather scoffed as she heard this and didn''t even need to ponder over this possibility as she spoke, "That''s impossible. She is not worried about me. She is worried about my existence."


    "Eh...?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion as he repeated the woman''s words through his mind and failed to understand the meaning behind them.


    "There are only three people in this world that know who my father is. One is my mother, the other is me and the third is naturally my father. Don''t ask me who my father is cause I''m not gonna be answering that question. All you need to know is that he''s someone to be wary of," Zather clicked her tongue as she continued, "The reason why she is suddenly worried about me is probably because of my father."


    "If I''m guessing right then he contacted her and asked for me," Zather had a small smile on her face as she spoke but the smile certainly didn''t contain any joy, "He can''t come and meet me personally so there is only one way for him to know about me and that is through my mother. For years, my mother had lied to him and told him that I still live with her but now, I guess dad finally realized that something was off."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and with this complicated expression, he asked, "If he found out that she''s lying, shouldn''t he just come and talk to you instead of still relying on her?"


    Zather shook her head in disbelief as she explained, "He can''t do that. As I have said before, he is not someone who can casually come here to meet me. If news gets out that we are related, he might even end up losing his life and even if he survives, his title and respect would be taken away from him and he would be degraded to a good for nothing."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a sense of Deja Vu as he heard this.


    A man who shouldn''t be messed around with.


    A man who is not easy to deal with.


    A man who cannot even come to meet his daughter because his life might be in danger.


    A man who needs to be kept a secret.


    If Hecathe didn''t know any better, he would have almost believed that Zather was the daughter of one of the three willows of spring.. After all, if that was the case then everything would make sense.

 Chapter 163 - What Are You Going To Tell Her?

    "I bet she sent you here to spy on me," Zather chuckled dryly as she commented and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this question.


    That was exactly why the landlady had hired him.


    "So what now? What are you going to tell her?" Zather leaned in forward on her desk as she asked.


    Hecathe, "I''m going to tell her that you''re doing good. There is no reason for me to say anything more than that."


    Zather squinted suspiciously at the man as she heard this and asked, "Is that really it?"


    Hecathe nodded his head with a sigh as he stood up once again, "You seem to be suspecting her of a lot of things but I can tell that she''s just worried about you. She only asked me to check how you were doing and nothing more than that. Why don''t you meet her once and try to sort out a few things?"


    "..."


    "She might seem like an awful mother to you but from what I have seen till now, I can see that she is just a caring woman that is a bit concerned about her daughter," Hecathe added with a small chuckle, and Zather was left a little speechless as she heard this.


    "I know that she won''t tell me what relationship she has with you and that is why I came here today. Since I got the answer that I was looking for, it is time for me to go and deal with another quite troublesome woman," Hecathe spoke with a small smile as he turned around and left the room.


    This time, Zather didn''t stop the man and simply let him leave. She watched him go and even after he had left, her eyes remained on the door and she looked as if she was thinking about something deeply.


    "Ma''am, why did you lie to him?" Kail tilted her head as she asked, glancing at Zather whose expressions weren''t easy to read.


    "Cause he''s a troublesome one as well," Zather responded without even having to think about the answer.


    Kail frowned as she heard this and looked at the door as she commented, "It looked like he was a friend though. I''m sure he didn''t have any ill-intent."


    Zather sighed as she heard this and nodded her head as she agreed with Kail, "You''re right. He might not have any ill-intent but it''s always better to be safe rather than sorry."


    Kail gulped as she heard this and although she couldn''t quite understand the woman and the way her mind worked, Kail still nodded her head in understanding and said nothing more.


    Zather had successfully lied to Hecathe once again and she believed that she had managed to get away with it, however, Hecathe sighed as he got out of the room and shook his head in disbelief.


    "What a troublesome liar," Hecathe commented under his breath and he was certainly referring to Zather.


    The man was good at sensing lies and although Zather was a pretty good liar, there was still one thing that gave her out. She looked to be on her toes the entire time. She looked like she had her guards up even after revealing the truth and it was a dead giveaway that she was trying to hide something.


    However, although Hecathe knew that the woman was lying, he still didn''t bother asking her any more questions nor did he try to extort more information out of her since she was an asset that he was not looking to lose.


    And it wasn''t like everything that she had said had been a lie. When she talked about the landlady having a child, it looked as if she was not lying but at the same time, Hecathe could sense that the woman wasn''t exactly talking about her own self which meant that there was indeed a child but it was not her.


    If this was the case then Hecathe sensed something more complicated in this story and he was left with questions that couldn''t be easily answered.


    Why would Zather know about the landlady and her daughter when the whole thing was kept as a secret that almost no one else knew? And why would the landlady ask about Zather without inquiring about her daughter first?


    This was confusing... To say the least.


    And since it was so confusing, Hecathe simply decided to ignore it for the time being and headed to Kelly''s office.


    She was the troublesome woman that he was talking about and when he entered her office, he was proven correct as the woman threw a file aiming at his face.


    Hecathe sighed as he easily caught the file and opened it.


    "The client wants proof!" Kelly looked to be anxious as she announced, and from the dark circles under her eyes, it was clear that the woman was missing some sleep.


    Hecathe frowned as he looked at the woman and asked, "Are you doing okay there, boss?"


    Kelly rolled her eyes as she heard this and immediately responded without missing a beat, "There''s no time for that. The client wants evidence and he wants it tomorrow. You''re plan is going to blow up on your face, Hecathe!"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this nodded his head as he muttered with an amused tone, "Is that so? Well, it was to be expected."


    Kelly looked a bit confused as she looked at the man who was chuckling, "Hecathe, you should be more worried than me right now... How can you freaking laugh?!"


    Hecathe coughed and snickered as he tried to look a bit more serious. The man swung the file in front of his face as he spoke, "Don''t get me wrong, this is a bit worrying but it''s nothing that cannot be handled. After all, you should have already seen this coming. He is clearly not an idiot who would believe everything that you tell  him. Sooner or later, he was going to demand proof."


    "Huh?" Kelly tilted her head as she looked at the man and waited for him to explain.


    "If he wants evidence then I guess we just have to give him evidence to satisfy his needs," Hecathe beamed and Kelly looked even more shocked and confused as she heard the man who was not exactly making any sense at the moment.


    They had lied to the client about Orgon and Alphius so how in the hell was Hecathe going to bring evidence when there was absolutely no evidence, to begin with?!


    "Tell the client that we have managed to track down the great Orgon," Hecathe smirked as he spoke, "He was buying the auction house for some reason and we managed to track him down in the process."


    Kelly pursed her lips into a thin line and looked at Hecathe in disbelief as she asked, "So you want me to lie to him again...?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he asked, "Who said I was lying?"


    "Eh...?" Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she looked at Hecathe in utter shock.


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he spoke, "We really did manage to catch the great Orgon. We don''t know whether he''s the real one or just a guy pretending to be him, but I guess the client would be happy nonetheless since it''s the guy that he has been looking for."


    Kelly gulped as she questioned, "Hecathe, are you sure about this...?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it, "I am sure. Tell him that next week, on Friday, Orgon would be appearing at the auction house once again and he would be sitting on the highest floor. After the auction is over, Orgon is going to stay back and talk with the previous owner This would make the perfect proof for him, would it not?"


    Kelly gulped as she nodded her head and agreed with the man, but at the same time, the woman looked like she found the situation to be a bit too good to be true.


    How could Hecathe just randomly find the great Orgon exactly when the client asked for him...?!


    Hecathe frowned a little as he spoke a bit playfully, "I thought you''d be a bit happier to hear this news."


    Kelly gulped as she snapped out of her thoughts and nodded her head, "I am glad but... Are you sure that you found Orgon and not some imposter?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this question and teasingly asked, "What now? If you don''t trust my abilities then why did you even give this assignment to me in the first place itself?"


    "..."


    Hecathe sighed as he added, "If you think that I''m lying then you are also welcome to come and check for yourself."


    Kelly still looked a little suspicious as she heard this, but at the end of the day, she could do nothing more than trust Hecathe and his words.


    Later the day, the woman did as he told her and talked to the client, telling him about the presence of the great Orgon in the auction house next week.

 Chapter 164 - The Client Agrees.

    When Kelly told the client about the whereabouts of Orgon, at first, the client was left a little shocked and speechless but he eventually sounded a bit interested as he agreed to go.


    He did find the situation a bit suspicious considering the fact that Kelly had been telling him that they had no leads on the man claiming to be Orgon, however, the client still decided to trust Kelly and agreed to go.


    Whether he would really show up to the auction by himself or send someone else on his behalf to check the situation was not something that could be easily guessed.


    However, Hecathe had already guessed it.


    Hecathe was suspecting Asgarian to be the client that he was working with and if this was really true then he wouldn''t be wrong in thinking that the man is too smart.


    If Hecathe was the one in the man''s shoes, he would have certainly not gone by himself and instead, he would''ve sent a trusted subordinate instead, just to make sure that this wasn''t a trap.


    Since Asgarian was considered to be a smart man, Hecathe was sure that the man would also do the same and send someone else instead of him.


    When Marvin and LeiLei arrived at the guild, Hecathe dragged them away to a more private place which was basically a mutant cave. The three were the only ones in the team since the team leader, Kelly never agreed to go with them today, and hence, they had enough privacy and time to talk.


    The mutant cave wasn''t exactly the best place to talk but at least it was safe and good enough for them.


    Hecathe controlled all the mutants inside the cave and made sure that some of them gave up their mutant beads in order to submit them to the guild once the team got out of the cave, while the others continued on with their normal business, ignoring the team of three that leisurely sat down on the floor and discussed their plan.


    Hecathe soon told Marvin and LeiLei the things he talked about with Kelly and the two looked to be surprised at first but since it was Hecathe, they found it much easier to accept it since the man was always full of spontaneous dangerous ideas.


    "But are you sure you want to act this soon?" Marvin asked with a frown as he looked at the man.


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this question and nodded his head as he spoke, "Waiting is only making me bored and disinterested in this game. Isn''t it better to catch the whale as fast as we can? Catching it by surprise may actually increase our chance of winning."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and for a second there, he couldn''t believe what he was hearing.


    He repeated Hecathe''s words through his head and wondered if he had really heard it right...


    Did this man just say that this was a game...?


    Much alike Marvin, LeiLei also looked to be a bit worried but along with that sense of worry, there was also a sense of excitement.


    "So what''s the plan?" LeiLei asked as she looked at Hecathe curiously and Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he heard this question.


    "Marvin goes to the auction next week and acts as if he is Orgon."


    Marvin snapped his head up to look at the man in disbelief as he heard this, "..."


    Why was it that he was always the last one to know that he was involved in the most dangerous part of the plan...?!


    "Weren''t you the one acting as Orgon?" Marvin questioned with a frown.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "It was me, but I don''t think I can do this alone. You would be much more believable since you actually have a power alike his. Marvin, I hate to say this but I might just be needing your help this time and if it is not you then it can be nobody else. You want to catch him too, don''t you?"


    Hecathe and LeiLei looked at Marvin expectantly as they waited for a response from the boy.


    Marvin clicked his tongue as he muttered, "If you hate to say it, why don''t you just not say it...?!"


    "..."


    LeiLei snickered as she heard this but said nothing more and Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile that didn''t give out much.


    "Please?" Hecathe asked with that indecipherable smile and Marvin rolled his eyes as he nodded his head and agreed to the plan.


    "I''ll do it as long as we can catch Asgarian."


    Hecathe nodded his head and assured the boy that Asgarian would be caught.


    Marvin trusted Hecathe and waited to hear the rest of the plan.


    "Asgarian would think that it''s a trap, seeing that he is already a bit suspicious of the guild and the information it gives him, and so, he won''t be there. Instead, he would send someone else to check for him whether the situation is really as we say it is. Marvin, your job is to prove that you really are Orgon and I''m sure you can manage to do that. Once you prove it, the person he sends is going to kill you," Hecathe spoke seriously as he looked at Marvin and since Marvin already knew that this wasn''t going to be a safe plan, he wasn''t too shocked to hear that someone was going to kill him.


    Seeing that Marvin wasn''t too shaken up to hear this, Hecathe was a bit disappointed and sighed as he added, "You should have at least acted a little worried."


    Marvin scoffed as he heard this but said nothing more.


    "He would try to kill you but your job is to survive," Hecathe spoke as he continued on with the explanation, "You have to identify the person that he sends and you have to capture that person."


    Marvin nodded his head in understanding as he heard this and Hecathe immediately turned to face LeiLei.


    "LeiLei, you''ll be helping him from the shadows. Try to stay away from him and don''t make people think that you two know each other, but at the same time, make sure that you are close enough to help him if he needs it. Once Marvin captures the subordinate, you two work together and get a confession out of that person."


    LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together as she heard this but the girl nodded her head in understanding as she patiently waited to hear more and slowly absorbed all the information that was being given to her.


    "After that, LeiLei, you bring them both to Zeblor where I''ll be waiting in jail."


    "Wait... What? Where did you say that would you be waiting?" LeiLei asked in disbelief as she wondered if she had heard it right.


    Hecathe smiled as he answered, "In Jail."


    "Eh...?" The girl looked to be a little surprised as she heard this but before she could ask anything about it, Marvin clicked his tongue as he spoke up and questioned.


    "What if Asgarian doesn''t send a subordinate and instead comes by himself?"


    Hecathe hated to admit it but this was a pretty good question.


    "If he comes to the auction house, you go all out and use every means possible to capture him and bring him to Zeblor as soon as possible."


    Marvin couldn''t understand the importance of Zeblor in this plan so he raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Why Zeblor?"


    Hecathe''s lips curled up in a small smirk as he replied, "Because that is where it all began and I plan to end it there as well."


    Hecathe woke up in Alphius''s body when the body was held captive in the jail located in Zeblor and hence, for him, that was the starting point.


    "In both cases, what you have to do is clear and what I have to do is also clear," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "The grand finale would be presented at Zeblor and if all goes well, both of you can get the revenge that you seek."


    Marvin and LeiLei didn''t look as excited as Hecathe and this was because there was another feeling of worry that overshadowed the excitement by a large margin.


    "We don''t have much time left now," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke, "If we stay in here for too long, it might look suspicious."


    Before the other two could respond to this, Hecathe clicked a button that had been previously given to him and the three of them were out of the mutant cave, not forgetting to bring the mutant beads out with them.


    Hecathe coughed and straightened his back as he acted normal and went forward to submit the mutant beads while Marvin and LeiLei stayed behind, staring at the man''s back.


    "Raven, I have a question," LeiLei spoke as she tilted her head.


    "Hmm?" Marvin side-glanced at the girl as he waited for her to continue on with her question.


    "I am trying to help because Asgarian might be related to my father.. I''m guessing that you want to avenge your father and that is why you want to help catch Asgarian, but what about him? Why is he so determined?" LeiLei asked as she kept her eyes on Hecathe''s back.

 Chapter 165 - Why Is He So Determined?

    "I am trying to help because Asgarian might be related to my father. I''m guessing that you want to avenge your father as well and that is why you want to catch Asgarian, but what about him? Why is he so determined about this?" LeiLei asked as she kept her eyes on Hecathe''s back.


    Marvin also looked at Hecathe as he heard this question but he couldn''t really straightaway answer the girl.


    Why was Hecathe after Asgarian?


    Marvin had asked the man this question before this and back then, Hecathe told him that it was because he wanted to complete the task that Alphius had assigned him. He wanted to avenge Alphius and that was supposedly the reason why he was so determined.


    However, now that Marvin looked at the man''s back and thought back to everything that had happened, he could no longer confidently say that the answer given by Hecathe was the truth.


    Marvin would be a fool if he were not to see it. Hecathe treated this world as a game and he didn''t care if he put himself or his teammates in danger for it.


    Fear didn''t rule him and such a man was certainly dangerous may he be on the opposite side of the fight or on the same side.


    Marvin sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and answered the girl, "You can say that it''s thrilling for him."


    LeiLei turned to look at Marvin with a blank expression as she heard this, "Thrilling?"


    Marvin nodded his head as he gulped.


    LeiLei let out a small chuckle as she saw this confirmation, "Maybe you''re right. Well, it''s a good thing that he is helping us. If we were to fight against him then I bet, he''d be a real nuisance."


    "..." Marvin was silent as he heard this and didn''t dare give a response to that.


    Could they really be sure that he was going to be on their side till the end?


    He could assure that Hecathe would help catch Asgarian but what happens after that?


    If the man doesn''t return to his own world, what was he planning to do? Was he planning to keep being on their side or was he really planning something even bigger?


    If a war was what he wanted, Marvin wasn''t sure about the ending of this friendship that they had managed to create.


    However, Marvin still wanted to preserve this friendship since it was the only one left with him after the death of the real Alphius.


    Hecathe returned after handing over the collected mutant beads and the other two acted as if they hadn''t been talking about anything important.


    Hecathe didn''t seem to have found anything wrong with their expression so he didn''t bother asking them anything either.


    The three were allowed to go outside the waiting room and entered the guildhall which was filled with drunk people like it had always been.


    LeiLei pinched her nose as she felt a bit disgusted by the smell of alcohol and sweat mixed together to create a really unpleasant odor that was always present in the guildhall.


    "This place never changes," LeiLei clicked her tongue as she commented and Hecathe nodded his head with a sigh as he agreed with the girl.


    Marvin grabbed a half-filled glass of wine from the table that was beside them and took a sip as he spoke, "Maybe it''s because people don''t want it to change."


    Hecathe glanced back at the boy with a small smile as he heard this but he said nothing more about it.


    They headed out the guild and as soon as they were out, Hecathe immediately turned around and looked at LeiLei as he spoke, "LeiLei, I want you to go and find your old house."


    "Eh...?" The girl was a bit taken back as her eyes widened slightly and she looked at the man in surprise and confusion.


    "You must remember where you used to live, don''t you?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the girl but without waiting for a response from her, he continued, "You were eleven years old when your father died. That''s what you told us, right? If you were that old then you must have been able to recognize where you used to live, don''t you?"


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this but after a minute of pondering over it, she nodded her head as she confirmed this.


    "If you remember it then you must find it as soon as you can. If you want to find your father''s killer then you must find out what happened," Hecathe spoke seriously as he looked at the girl, "If you used to live in Ocasia then there is a high chance that you would be able to find your old house."


    LeiLei had a small frown on her face as she heard this and the girl looked a bit saddened as she pointed out, "It would be of no use. My house was already sold after my parent''s death. Haven''t you paid attention to my story? I was abandoned like a lost puppy after my parent''s death."


    Hecathe sighed as he nodded his head, "That may be true but Ocasia is a city that doesn''t change much. There aren''t a lot of local people around and finding information here is a bit too easy. As long as you can find the house, we can figure out your identity. How you are related to Asgarian and who your father was, it can all be slowly uncovered."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this but in the end, the girl could only nod as she agreed to the man, "I''ll try my best."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a small satisfied smile as he heard this and immediately turned to look at Marvin.


    "You''ll help her, okay?" Hecathe asked the boy and Marvin nodded his head as he agreed to it without having anything more to say.


    "Within a week, we must find the truth and we must collect as much evidence as we can," Hecathe spoke and it almost looked as if the man was ordering this out, expecting the other two to do as said.


    "And what are you going to do?" Marvin asked as he tilted his head ever so slightly and looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe smiled as he spoke, "I''m going to get the stage ready. If the stage is not ready, how can we have a big play for everyone to enjoy?"


    Marvin frowned as he heard this but didn''t dare question it.


    Marvin could clearly see that this was not Alphius that was standing in front of him. It was just another man who was inside Alphius''s body, however, for some unknown reason, Marvin still wanted to believe this man called Hecathe as much as Alphius and if not, then much more.


    Maybe, his mind had already accepted Hecathe as a friend and he no longer wanted to repeat the same mistake again. He wanted to trust this friend of his and not let him end up like Alphius.


    "Alright then," Hecathe spoke as he sighed in relief, "We''ll meet back in the apartment and tell each other the progress of the mission. We need to work fast now. We have kept Asgarian waiting till now, it would be rude to make him wait any further."


    ''Asgarian would surely not mind waiting for his delayed death,'' Marvin thought in his mind but it was only natural that the boy didn''t voice out his thoughts.


    LeiLei and Marvin nodded in unison before the three parted ways and while Marvin and LeiLei went together to look for the old house, Hecathe went alone and found an unknown deserted place for himself.


    Hecathe wanted to find LeiLei''s relationship with Asgarian and he also wanted to collect information on her past, however, this was not the reason why he had sent the two away this time.


    He sent them away because he wanted to be alone while he carried out the next step of the plan.


    Hecathe lifted his wrist and turned on the QMS as he contacted Xanie.


    It had been quite some time since he had contacted the girl and this was simply because he didn''t want to trouble her much, however, this time, he needed her help, and hence, he needed to contact her as soon as possible.


    "Xanie, I need your help," Hecathe sent a clear message and waited a few minutes for the girl to respond.


    "Sir, are you okay?" Xanie''s voice came through and Hecathe sighed in relief.


    "I''m doing fine. How are things on your side?" Hecathe asked as his eyebrows creased together with a bit of worry.


    "Nothing much is different. They have managed to catch a lead and are heading out to Zeblor. This might cause a fight but it shouldn''t affect you as long as you''re not in Zeblor."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this.


    As expected, the mecha-suits had taken the bait and were now headed to Zeblor. This was perfect for Hecathe.


    "That''s good to hear. Now, Xanie, I want you to listen closely to what I have to say.. This is important," Hecathe gulped as he spoke with a serious tone.

 Chapter 166 - Wasnt That Just A Hoax?

    "That''s good to hear. Now, Xanie, I want you to listen closely to what I have to say. This is important," Hecathe gulped as he spoke with a serious tone.


    "What is it, Captain?" Xanie asked and worry in her tone could be clearly sensed.


    "Orgon is still alive."


    "What?!" Xanie''s shocked response came soon enough.


    "You must have heard about the rumors as well, right? That Orgon is currently in the body of a young man?" Hecathe asked with a small frown that Xanie could naturally not see.


    "Captain, wasn''t that just a hoax?" Xanie asked with great interest and disbelief.


    "I saw him," Hecathe sighed as he lied without any guilt, "He came to the illegal auction house."


    "..." The girl was left a little speechless as she heard this but Hecathe didn''t mind this wordless response as he continued.


    "The three willows of spring seem to be somehow connected to him," Hecathe added and this was yet another lie, "They fabricated his death and framed it on me because they wanted to take Ocasia."


    "What the...?" The girl could not understand what Hecathe was saying and even if she did, she found it a bit hard to believe. As Hecathe heard this response from her, he could almost imagine the girl frowning with her eyebrows creased together in worry and confusion.


    "That''s right, everything that happened till now has all been an act," Hecathe spoke as he continued, "The three willows of spring are trying to take control of this place and they plan to do it through Orgon."


    "Captain... There''s no way those three cowards would try something like that...? If they do something like that, they would be inviting a war," Xanie spoke in an almost muttering manner as if she was trying to convince herself that Hecathe was perhaps mistaken somehow.


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this question and responded without missing a beat, "That''s why they tried to get me out of the way. If I''m no longer there, who would be controlling the mecha-suits?"


    "..." Xanie was even more shocked as she heard this and when she thought about it a bit, the girl could feel that Hecathe''s words made sense.


    "It was all planned beforehand. They are trying to put an end to the mecha-suits once and for all," Hecathe spoke with a sigh.


    "Captain... Where are you right now?" Xanie asked and Hecathe could clearly tell that the girl was really worried for his wellbeing.


    "I''m in Zeblor," Hecathe lied yet again, "They know it too and it''s only a matter of time before they capture me."


    "Captain, get out of there immediately! How can you be so careless?!" The girl scolded the man as she spoke angrily, "Didn''t you go to Ocasia to enjoy your freedom?! Why would you go to Zeblor?"


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard the girl, "Xanie, they are after me. It doesn''t matter if I''m in Ocasia or Zeblor. They won''t be letting me go that easily. As long as I''m alive, I''ll be a threat to them and a threat always needs to be removed."


    Xanie was silent for a few minutes before she sent a response, "Then you shouldn''t have left on your own. You didn''t even taken your mecha-suit with you. How are you going to defend yourself?!"


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. He was sure that Xanie had trust in his abilities but at the same time, it was clear that the girl didn''t know just how powerful Alphius''s ability was and hence, she naturally thought that the three willows of spring were stronger than him.


    "Xanie, this is not why I contacted you today," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "I contacted you because I might need your help."


    "What can I do?" Xanie asked and patiently waited for Hecathe to speak.


    "Orgon has bought the illegal auction in Ocasia and by next week, he''ll be taking over the city. The three willows of spring know that I''m in Zeblor but they are trying to keep it a secret. By next week, I am sure that I will get caught and if I get caught, another trial is going to take place. If there is another trial then I might not be able to make it so we need to do everything we can in order to prevent it."


    Xanie''s eyebrows forrowed together as she heard this but she said nothing as she waited for Hecathe to complete.


    "I want an army of mecha-suits to be sent to Zeblor. Next week on Friday," Hecathe ordered and the girl listened carefully to him, "Send all the generals and their soldiers. If they ask for a war then we give them a war."


    "You want them all to come...?" Xanie asked, feeling a little complicated about this.


    "Xanie, do you like it when I repeat myself?" Hecathe asked sarcastically, "I want them to be there. All of them."


    Xanie gulped as she heard this and nodded her head before she asked, "Then I guess you would also need your mecha-suit?"


    "Send it over just in case," Hecathe responded with a small chuckle.


    "Got it, Captain," Xanie responded almost immediately.


    "Tell the army to contact me through the QMS once they arrive in Zeblor."


    "Okay, Captain. I''ll do that."


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he heard this response and he got ready to close the QMS, but it seemed that Xanie had one more thing to say.


    "Captain, take care of yourself."


    "..."


    Hecathe said nothing to that and closed the QMS with a sigh.


    If everything went as planned then Hecathe could successfully kill Asgarian and with that done, he hoped to complete the favor that Alphius wanted from him.


    Once the favor was done, he planned to leave this world and go back.


    However, if he was still not able to leave this place even after all this then he was going to make sure that he took extreme measures to go back. It didn''t matter if those extreme measures meant the death of this world or his own death. He was going to do everything he can to go back because this wasn''t his world and he was done enjoying his time here.


    Hecathe walked back to the apartment where he had promised to talk to the landlady.


    Since Hecathe had sent Marvin and LeiLei out on a mission, the apartment was empty and the landlady was the only one inside.


    "Why is that I haven''t seen Zail in a long time?" Hecathe casually asked with a small sigh.


    "He''s busy with work," The landlady informed with a smile as she sat on the dining table and patiently waited for Hecathe.


    Hecathe could clearly sense the anticipation and so, he decided not to waste time on idle talk.


    "I talked to her," Hecathe spoke and the landlady looked to be a little surprised as her eyes widened ever so slightly and her smile deepened.


    "How is she?" The landlady asked enthusiastically as she leaned in forward.


    Hecathe walked forward and casually took a seat on the opposite side of the table before he looked straight at the woman and answered, "She is doing good. There''s nothing to worry about her."


    "Is that so?" The woman asked with a small frown as she tilted her head, "Are you sure about this?"


    It seemed that the woman was not really happy with the answer given by Hecathe.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he closed his eyes and shook his head, "She said that she doesn''t want to deal with you anymore."


    "Eh?" The landlady was left a little confused before she asked, "You told her about me?!"


    Hecathe nodded his head without any hesitation as he confirmed it and spoke, "She asked me and I told her the truth. We never agreed to keep your identity a secret, did we?"


    "..." The landlady didn''t say anything but from the expression on her face alone, it was clear that she was not happy to hear this.


    "I wonder why you''re so interested in a person that doesn''t even want to be remotely related to you...?" Hecathe tilted his head as he spoke in a questioning manner and the landlady immediately diverted eye-contact which only made her seem more suspicious.


    "It has nothing to do with you."


    "She told me that you had a daughter," Hecathe suddenly spoke and the woman seemed to have flinched as she heard this.


    "S-She lied to you," The landlady stuttered as she spoke but it was clearly a lie.


    Hecathe chuckled drly as he shook his head and firmly stated, "No, you''re the one that''s lying right now."


    "..."


    "I''m not a person who likes to poke my nose into other people''s business but this time, it seems a bit interesting so I want to know," Hecathe spoke with a small smirk as he asked, "Just who is this daughter of yours?"


    Hecathe didn''t mention anything about Zather lying to him about her being this woman''s daughter simply because he knew that it was a lie.

 Chapter 167 - Are You Threatening Me?

    Hecathe didn''t mention anything about Zather telling him about her being this woman''s daughter simply because he knew that it was a lie.


    "I''m not saying anything," The landlady firmly responded without even bothering to meet Hecathe''s eyes.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this, "To speak or not to speak is your own choice."


    "..."


    "But I hope you remember the deal that we had," Hecathe added with a small smirk, "My honesty comes with your honesty as well. If you''re not honest with me, I''m not helping you anymore. As for what your relationship is with her, don''t worry, I''m not letting go of this that easily. Ocasia is a small city and it is easy to find information on people."


    "Hecathe, Ocasia is certainly a small city but some people in this city must never be messed around with," The landlady spoke firmly with a serious tone and Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little amused by this response.


    "Are you threatening me?" Hecathe asked with a small dry chuckle.


    "I''m not threatening you. I''m warning you," The woman corrected him and Hecathe fell silent as he heard this.


    It was certainly not every day that he got to see this woman be so calmly pissed off.


    "She''s not just my daughter," The landlady spoke and Hecathe could almost swear that he saw a hint of a smirk on her face.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up as he heard this and he leaned his head forward, resting his chin on his palm as he asked, "The more you speak, the more interested I get. Just who is this untouchable daughter that must never be found?"


    The woman scoffed as she heard this question, "I''m not telling you even if you decide to leave this apartment."


    Hecathe let out a small sigh as he nodded his head, "Not telling me? Is it because you don''t want to or is it because you can''t?"


    "..."


    "You know, I feel like I should change my question," Hecathe added with a small smile that almost looked wicked, "Instead of asking who the daughter is, I should be asking about her father, shouldn''t I?"


    The woman flinched as she heard this and didn''t dare meet Hecathe''s eyes.


    "Since you''re so terrified of him, I suppose it is not just a common man...?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked but he was clearly not looking to get an answer from the woman.


    The Landlady suddenly slammed her hands on the table and stood up from the chair. She was clearly angry but more than the anger, Hecathe could notice another emotion and it was worry.


    It looked like Hecathe had hit the nail right on its head. The daughter was not the person he was supposed to be looking for, it was the father.


    Zather had also said something along these lines. The father was the one to be feared and he wasn''t a person who could be lightly revealed.


    This only made Hecathe want to reveal the identity of the unknown man even more.


    After all, it was always more fun to do things that you were normally told not to do and in this case, since everyone was warning him not to look for the girl''s father, that was exactly what he was going to do.


    This was not related to Alphius nor was it related to Orgon or Asgarian and hence, Hecathe felt no sense of duty towards finding the man, however, his sense of curiosity was enough to drive him.


    Even if he was wasting his time trying to solve this mystery, he felt as if by the end of it, he would at least gain some personal satisfaction knowing that he was able to find the answer to the question.


    "Hecathe, I do not care what you do but if you cause me trouble then you are not allowed to live in this apartment anymore," The landlady spoke firmly as she met Hecathe''s eyes.


    "..."


    It seemed that this was the end of the conversation.


    With a sigh, Hecathe stood up from his place, "Then I guess we can call it a day. I''ll be heading up to my room now. I don''t really wish to be thrown out of the apartment."


    The man smiled and didn''t bother saying anything further as he took his leave and went up the stairs.


    The landlady glared at his back till he was out of sight and the worry could clearly be seen in her face with her eyebrows creased together and her lips frowning a little.


    As Hecathe walked up the stairs, he couldn''t help but feel a little amused as he realized something. The woman refused to reveal the identity of her daughter and the father. She even went as far as to warn Hecathe about searching for their identity, however, she never stopped him.


    She told him not to cause trouble for her but she never told him to not look for the two people.


    This meant that Hecathe was right. She was not keeping it a secret because she wanted to, she was keeping it a secret because she had to.


    When Hecathe opened the door, he was greeted by the Dorgon that was taking a nap on the ceiling of the room, hanging upside down like a bat.


    "Why are you smiling like that?" The Dorgon asked as he got down from the ceiling and looked at Hecathe.


    "It''s nothing," Hecathe shrugged it off and changed the topic as he asked, "How are you doing?"


    The Dorgon looked to be a bit surprised and cautiously stepped back as he asked, "What is up with you?"


    "Eh? Something is up with me?" Hecathe asked back as he innocently tilted his head.


    The Dorgon bobbed his head up and down without any hesitation, "You never ask me that question. Something is definitely wrong with you."


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this, "So you''re saying that I treat you bad?"


    The Dorgon looked as if he wanted to nod his head and confirm this, but since the Dorgon was still wary of Hecathe, it was only natural that he made sure not to offend the man.


    Thankfully enough, Hecathe wasn''t waiting to hear an answer from the Dorgon so he continued with a sigh, "In any case, it looks like I won''t be able to tease you anymore. Our days together are drawing closer to their end."


    Once Asgarian was caught and Hecathe is sent back to his world, it would be impossible for him to meet this Dorgon again.


    However, the Dorgon seemed to have thought something else entirely as he heard Hecathe, "You''re going to throw me away?!"


    "..."


    "Or are you planning on selling me...?!" It looked as if the Dorgon felt a little betrayed as he asked anxiously.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue and shook his head as he cleared the misunderstanding, "It''s nothing like that. You are already two months old now. Didn''t you plan on paying me back for saving you from that auction house?"


    The Dorgon gulped as he heard this and had a bad feeling in his stomach as he waited to hear Hecathe continue.


    "It looks it''s finally time to start training you," Hecathe added with a small and the bad feeling in the Dorgon''s stomach only grew as he heard this.


    "T-Training?" The poor creature repeated with worry.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a thin smile, "If you want to pay me back for saving you, don''t you think you need a bit of training?"


    The Dorgon didn''t really trust Hecathe so asked, "Can''t I just pay you back in money?"


    Hecathe found these words a bit funny as he tilted his head and asked, "Do you have that much money with you? Not only do you have to pay me 10 billion for saving you but you''d also have to pay me for all the food that I fed you and also the rent since I let you live in this room."


    "..." The Dorgon felt a little wronged as he heard this.


    "Don''t worry, the training wouldn''t be hard for you. In fact, we''ll be training together so if you are suffering, I''ll be suffering with you."


    Oddly enough, that latter part was rather convincing and the innocent Dorgon agreed.


    However, how was the naive creature supposed to know the hidden truths behind Hecathe''s words?


    He said they would be suffering together... But it was clearly just the Dorgon that was suffering!


    The so-called training session was basically Hecathe forcing the Dorgon to fly with him sitting on top.


    When he said he was going to suffer together with the Dorgon, this was certainly not what the Dorgon had imagined...


    "Master, why are we doing this?!" The Dorgon questioned as he flapped his wings and flew even higher above the clouds.


    "Because we are going to be doing this again next week and that is not going to be a practice."


    "Eh?" The Dorgon was a little confused to hear this, but he wasn''t stupid and so, he asked, "Master, what the hell did you get yourself into this time?!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.

 Chapter 168 - Because Its You

    "Eh?" The Dorgon was a little confused to hear this, but he wasn''t stupid and so, he asked, "Master, what the hell did you get yourself into this time?!"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.


    "What makes you think I''m in trouble?" Hecathe asked.


    "Because it''s you," The Dorgon replied without even needing to think about it.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin smile but said nothing to defend himself since there was simply nothing that he could say as a defense. For some reason, it seemed like Hecathe really was getting himself in trouble every now and then.


    Hecathe pulled the scruff of the Dorgon and the Dorgon immediately got the cue and took up a bit of speed.


    He was clearly flying faster than an airplane but Hecathe was still not satisfied with it.


    "Just how much faster do you want this emperor to go?!" The Dorgon questioned as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    "Fast enough to disappear," Hecathe answered as he pulled the Dorgon''s scruff once again.


    The Dorgon seemed to be a bit surprised as he heard this answer but although unwilling, he still increased the speed and flew even higher.


    Hecathe was now controlling the Dorgon not through words but through his actions.


    Pulling the Dorgon''s scruff meant an increase in speed while pushing it down would mean a decrease in speed.


    A single tap on the back of the neck would mean higher and a double-tap would mean lower.


    Tapping the Dorgon with his right foot meant to go right while tapping the left side of the Dorgon with his left foot meant going left.


    The Dorgon was not an idiot and was pretty easy to train compared to other animals. Hence, with just a single explanation and a few rounds of practice, the Dorgon was already well-versed in it and would unconsciously respond to these set signals.


    Hecathe, on the other hand, was not that quick to catch on and although he was the one who made these signals in the first place itself, he was also the one who kept mixing the up and down signals.


    But eventually, he managed to get it and they practiced for at least another hour.


    "Master, you better get me some good meat after this. Don''t keep feeding me those tasteless chickens," The Dorgon spoke and Hecathe chuckled as he nodded his head and agreed.


    This Dorgon had never been to the open sky before this. He had been born in Hecathe''s room and had never left that place so it was truly a bit surprising to see him be so good at flying.


    Before they started this practice session, Hecathe was sure that he would need to teach the Dorgon how to fly first, however, thankfully enough, such a situation never arose.


    The moment the Dorgon opened his enormous wings, it was already clear that this creature was much more amazing than Hecathe had ever imagined.


    It took three months for a Dorgon to reach its adult size and it had been only two months since Hecathe had got this Dorgon so Hecathe knew that although the Dorgon was big currently, he was going to get even bigger in the future.


    Even with the Dorgon''s current size, Hecathe was left to wonder how this creature managed to hide away inside his room that was comparatively small.


    There was a time when this creature was only as big as a full-grown dog and now he was as big as an adult elephant.


    In fact, the Dorgon was not exactly as big or heavy as an adult elephant. It was the wings that gave such an illusion. Each of his wings was double the size of his body and since they were always folded when the Dorgon was inside Hecathe''s room, Hecathe had never realized just how big these wings were.


    Now that the wings were opened fully, they looked enormous and majestic, truly making one feel intimidated by just the aura that was created around the Dorgon. Hecathe could finally understand why Dorgon''s were considered the ultimate rulers of all.


    However, although Hecathe was surprised and fascinated by the wings and the creature''s ability to fly without any lessons, he still didn''t bother complimenting the Dorgon openly.


    "Master, we are now flying over Zeblor," The Dorgon informed and Hecathe immediately glanced down only to see the clouds blocking his view.


    Hecathe double-tapped on the back of the Dorgon''s head and the creature immediately went a bit down, just enough to peek through the clouds.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he looked at Zeblor.


    Compared to its neighboring Ocasia, Zeblor was lacking a bit too much.


    The land around looked empty and most of the trees had been cut to build houses for people.


    Since this was the capital city, it was only natural that people would flock over, and in order to meet the demands of the people, the forest had to be half-destroyed. However, it wasn''t just the forests that were absent, some parts of the city looked nothing lesser than a wasteland that had been used, destroyed, and abandoned.


    From above, Hecathe could see one part of the city that was thriving. It had tall buildings and huge clean parks. All the houses were laid out in a manner that made them look planned and systematic.


    However, along with this, he could also see the suffering wasteland.


    The walls that covered the city were tall, so tall that no ordinary animal or man could even think about climbing them.


    People had always considered Zeblor as heaven. It was supposed to be rich and prosperous with the nation''s rulers living there. They thought the tall walls hid away the beauty of the place, but now that Hecathe was looking at the city from so up in the sky, he could clearly see that it had all been a lie.


    The city was half destroyed and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel pity for it.


    "Master, this is what the three willows of spring have done to this world," The Dorgon scoffed as he spoke, "With the great war, they destroyed half of the previously beautiful rich heaven."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and asked, "How do you know that?"


    "I''m the great emperor. Is it really shocking for me to know such trivial stuff?" The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he asked.


    It seemed that Dorgon''s were tricky creatures. They learned about everything through absorbing information when they were still inside their eggs. And hence, when they grew up and finally came out of the egg, they were good enough to be proclaimed a ruler who knew everything.


    It was certainly a bit fascinating to know more about these creatures.


    "I wonder..." Hecathe muttered as he thought about something, "It seems that your kind really hates Humans."


    "Can you blame us for that?" The Dorgon questioned without even waiting to let Hecathe finish his question.


    "If you hate them so much, how come you have never tried to wipe them off completely?" Hecathe asked curiously and this time, the Dorgon was not that quick to answer.


    "Are you just not that interested in doing something like that or is it because there is something stopping you?" Hecathe questioned as he added.


    "Nothing good would come out of it even if we do go to war against humans," The Dorgon sighed as he finally spoke, "We are the emperors of the land. Our duty is to protect the natural order of things. Unfortunately enough, humans are also a part of that natural order so we would rather not get involved."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle softly as he heard this, "So you''re just going to let them go?"


    The Dorgon said nothing to that and their practice eventually came to an end as the day started getting darker.


    It was already time for Marvin and LeiLei to return so it would definitely not be wise to practice right now.


    Once they were done with the practice, Hecathe brought food for the Dorgon, and just as he had promised, it wasn''t chicken this time, it was red meat.


    The Dorgon looked to be pretty damn satisfied as he munched on the delicious food while Hecathe took out Alphius''s diary and started writing in it.


    He was planning on going down to the dining room in order to wait for the other two to come home, however, LeiLei burst into the room, kicking the door open out of her own free will, without even letting Hecathe peacefully complete the diary entry.


    Hecathe frowned as he lifted his head and looked at the girl who had a bruise on her cheek.


    "Did someone punch you?" Hecathe asked and the girl nodded her head as she confirmed this.


    "Why?" Hecathe asked curiously as he closed the diary and kept it aside.


    LeiLei was usually a good actress and not someone that could easily offend people, hence, it was a bit unnatural to see such a sight.


    "I found the house," LeiLei revealed as she took a sharp breath in and Hecathe''s eyes immediately widened in surprise.


    "..."


    So they really found it....?!

 Chapter 169 - We Found The House

    He had certainly sent the two to look for the house but he didn''t actually expect them to find it in a single day.


    Hecathe was enthusiastic to know what happened but at the same time, from LeiLei''s expression, he could guess that it was not that exciting of an incident.


    "Why do you look like that if you found the house?" Hecathe asked cautiously.


    "We found the house," LeiLei repeated with a sigh as she sat down on the ground with her legs crossed. She looked a bit tired but she still spoke and narrated everything that had happened, "We went to look for the house and after four hours of searching, we were able to find it. It didn''t look the same and had been renovated, but I was still able to recognize it."


    "And?"


    "And we decided to go in. At first, it looked like nobody was home so we waited and knocked just to be sure, and oddly enough, the door opened on its own. This meant that someone was certainly inside and had opened the door for us so we took it as an invitation and went on in."


    "You went inside a house that looked to be empty and you did that just because the door opened on its own...? Are you an idiot?" Hecathe asked as he summed up her words in a single sentence.


    "When you put it like that, it makes us sound stupid," LeiLei frowned as she spoke.


    "Well, at least you know that," Hecathe responded with a shrug.


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and glared at the man before she rolled her eyes and decided to continue, "We went inside and the place was a bit too different from what I had remembered it to be."


    LeiLei''s face seemed to have cringed up as she remembered the horrific experience.


    "It was hell," The girl explained it with a single word as she shivered at the mere thought of it and this only made Hecathe feel even more interested to know what had happened.


    Even the Dorgon hadn''t managed to scare the girl at all so what could it possibly be that had affected LeiLei so much...?


    "It was filled with traps," LeiLei spoke as she continued, "We walked into the place and the door behind us closed, forcing us to be trapped inside, and then, one of the wooden panels from above broke and fell on us. If it hadn''t been for Marvin, It would have certainly injured us."


    Hecathe blinked in surprise as he heard this and now he started to wonder if LeiLei got the injury because she was really beaten up by someone or if she simply got the injury after falling into a trap that she could not escape from.


    "We initially thought it was a bad coincidence and ignored it," LeiLei gritted her teeth as she spoke, "But then it happened again. There were small marbles thrown on the ground and as soon as we walked a step forward, the marbles threw us out of balance and we fell down!"


    Hecathe looked to be attentively listening to this, but in reality, he was not just listening, he was also trying to understand why all of this happened and who could possibly be behind this.


    "As if falling wasn''t enough, the floor suddenly flipped over us and we were swallowed down by the ground!" LeiLei added as she slammed her hands on the table.


    This girl had clearly not been enjoying her time back at her old house.


    "We fell to this smelly basement and a bunch of dead rats were thrown at us from above." LeiLei continued, "By now, we had already realized that something was weird. So many bad coincidences would certainly not happen together like this."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with her. He felt as if their realization had come a bit late since they should have already understood the sign when they found the marbles on the floor.


    "We tried to get out of the place but it was dark and we couldn''t find a normal door."


    As LeiLei recalled the entire incident once again, she felt as if the more she spoke, the more strange it seemed.


    Who in the world would set up so many traps inside their house...?!


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "What should we do now?" LeiLei asked anxiously as she looked at Marvin.


    Marvin sighed as he took out his double-bladed sword.


    Paired up with his ability to control and produce light as a force, the sword soon began to emit a soft white light that eliminated the place.


    The two looked around with a frown as they tried to find a way out, but just as they had guessed, there was only one way in and out of this place that could be seen and it was through the secret trap door that they had fallen through.


    However, after they had fallen down here, the door had closed itself and there was now no way of opening it once again.


    They didn''t really have a wide variety of options to choose from. They could either wait to see what happens next or they could try to get out of here before something further bad happens.


    The latter option sounded clearly better than the former since there was no way for them to survive in the empty basement room.


    Marvin sighed as he raised his sword and with force, he threw it forward, aiming towards the wall as he ran behind the sword.


    When the sword struck the wall, it created a small crack but the wall only broke fully when Marvin jumped up and kicked the blade further into the wall.


    Although the wall had trapped them inside, it was still not strong enough to keep them there and Marvin was able to easily break it.


    LeiLei looked to be both surprised and impressed as she saw this, but she only gave an approving nod and didn''t say much about it.


    They had broken the wall and managed to get out, but the traps were still not all over, as soon as they stepped out through the wall, flying medium-sized spears came flying towards them and Marvin immediately ducked his head down to avoid them.


    LeiLei, on the other hand, was caught by surprise so she couldn''t duck her head soon enough, but her body was still not willing to die and she acted on impulse as she automatically switched the upcoming spears with feathers.


    The feathers did her no damage and she was once again safe.


    "I''m going to kill the person who created all of this," LeiLei gritted out as she closed her eyes and tried her best to stay calm.


    "Try to do it before they kill us," Marvin commented with a sigh and another trap was suddenly triggered.


    All the walls around them started to move closer together and he was left a bit shocked and worried to see this since he knew that this one was not as easy to deal with.


    "Run!" Marvin exclaimed impatiently and started running forward.


    LeiLei was quick to follow after him but her footsteps soon came to a stop when she saw Marvin triggering another trap and falling down into the ground.


    "Oh sh*t...!" LeiLei cursed almost immediately as she cautiously stepped back.


    The floor closed itself once again after trapping Marvin down there somewhere and the walls that were coming together, trying to squeeze them, also stopped and went back to their original state.


    LeiLei was left with her mouth open as she felt speechless and wondered if this was all just her imagination.


    The two were separated just like that and for a second there, LeiLei almost thought that she was safe now and that it was just Marvin who had to deal with the traps, however, she was eventually proven wrong.


    White smoke started to slowly fill the place up and LeiLei immediately covered her nose and mouth as she avoided breathing it in, but the smoke kept on filling the room and she eventually did have to take a breath which made her inhale some of the white smoke.


    Just as the girl had guessed, the white smoke was a type of drug that made her feel exhausted and sleepy.


    Her eyelids started feeling heavier and although she tried to fight against her sleep, it was of no use as the drug took effect and she dropped to the ground, deep asleep.


    When LeiLei woke up again, she was lying inside a children''s room and this room was oddly a bit too familiar to her.


    It was her room...


    Preserved just as it was for all these years...


    LeiLei''s eyes widened as she jolted up and looked around frantically. She certainly looked more frightened than simply surprised.


    For a few minutes, there was nothing the girl could say, but when the initial shock and horror had settled in, the girl cursed out loud.


    "Who the f*ck is playing with us?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as if she was sure that someone was listening to her.

 Chapter 170 - A Fire!

    "Who the f*ck is playing with us?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as if she was sure that someone was listening to her, and it seemed like somebody really was listening to her at this moment.


    LeiLei looked around for clues and her eyes caught a glimpse of a family photo that contained a picture of her with her parents.


    She squinted as she tried to take a closer look at her father''s face but before she could get a good look, her father''s face started burning. The fire started out small and it seemed to have come out of nowhere.


    LeiLei flinched as she stepped back from the photo and saw the fire spreading.


    First, it was just her father''s face that was burning, but then it became her mother and even her... The entire photo burned and the fire continued to spread without any direction.


    Before she knew it, the entire room was burning and it was as if she would also be burned alive in here if she didn''t try to save herself.


    She needed to get out, but... Her legs refused to move. She continued to look at her childhood room that was now engulfed in a sea of flames. It was slowly being destroyed right in front of her eyes. The things she used to once treasure were now turning into ashes and there was nothing she could do about it.


    Unknowingly, a few drops of tears started falling down her eyes and she felt a stinging pain in her heart.


    She coughed a few times as she took in all the poisonous smoke.


    "I have to get out," LeiLei muttered underneath her breath as she tried to convince herself, "This is not real. It can''t be."


    The girl walked towards the door and tried to open it but the lock was jammed.


    She could very well use her ability to get herself outside without needing the door, but at such a moment, where her mind was in a complete mess, the girl couldn''t think of such an easy way out.


    She banged her fist on the door and tried to call out for help but it was only natural that there was nobody there.


    Eventually, LeiLei realized that only she could help herself at a moment like this, and with this in mind, the girl moved a few steps back before running forward and kicking the door open.


    Since the door was pretty old, it broke off easily and she was saved from the fumes.


    LeiLei let out a few curses and coughed in between them as she kneeled to the ground and tried to catch her breath.


    Somebody was definitely messing with her... And she decided to find that person.


    However, before she could say or do anything, a soft female voice called out to her, "Lara..."


    LeiLei felt her entire body go tense as she heard the familiar voice calling the familiar name. She would be a fool not to have recognized it.


    "Mother..." LeiLei muttered as her eyes widened slowly and she reluctantly lifted her head to look up at the woman.


    "Lara, what are you doing on the floor?" Her mother asked with worry as she moved closer to the girl and tried to make sure whether she was okay or not.


    "M-mother," LeiLei flinched and moved away from her touch in fear.


    "Eh? What happened to you?" Her mother frowned as she asked.


    LeiLei gulped and although the girl was clearly confused, there was one part of her that was aware of the fact that this could not be true.


    It would simply not make sense for it to be true.


    Her mother was already dead. There was no way she could be here in front of her like this.


    "Mom, you''re dead," LeiLei spoke as she looked at the woman.


    Her mother looked to be surprised as she heard this and with a short sigh, the woman shook her head as she spoke, "Don''t joke around like this. I am still alive and well."


    Her mother tried to move closer to LeiLei but LeiLei once again jerked back as she continued to claim, "You''re dead, mother. This can''t be you."


    "Honey, I already warned you once. Don''t joke around like this," The woman scolded her as she tried to control her anger and forcefully pulled LeiLei up to her feet.


    LeiLei immediately tried to make a run for it but the woman had her hands clutching tightly onto LeiLei''s wrist and she was definitely not letting the girl run away just like that.


    "Lara, stop trying to run away from me," The woman gritted out as she glared at the girl.


    Tears could be seen continuously rolling down LeiLei''s cheeks as she shook her head and refused, "No. You''re not my mom. Stop it."


    LeiLei tried to struggle out of the woman''s grip but it seemed that this woman was abnormally strong. A bit too strong for LeiLei.


    "Lara, what are you talking about?" Her so-called mother asked with worry evident on her face and it almost looked a bit too believable.


    "Stop it!" LeiLei shouted as she shut her eyes tightly and refused to hear or see this woman anymore.


    A minute passed in silence and the woman let go of LeiLei''s hand.


    "I see how it is..." Her mother muttered under her breath, "You also want to leave me. Just like your father..."


    LeiLei opened her eyes slightly to peek at the woman only to see that she was cautiously stepping back.


    "I get it," The woman nodded her head as she spoke to herself, "If that''s what you both want... I''ll leave on my own."


    LeiLei tilted her head in confusion but before she could say or ask anything, she saw the woman running back and opening the door to the burning room.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened in horror as she saw her mother going inside the room and locking it.


    "Mother, No!" LeiLei exclaimed anxiously as she moved forward and banged her hands on the door, trying to get it to open, "Stop this! Open the door!"


    She clearly knew that this was nothing more than a trick. She knew that this was not her real mother. She was well aware of her mother''s death, however, when faced with such a situation, her rationality had gone on a vacation.


    The woman didn''t open the door and LeiLei was suddenly pulled back by someone.


    "No! Stop!" LeiLei shouted as she struggled out of the man''s hold.


    Marvin sighed as he spun LeiLei around and met her eyes, "LeiLei, wake up. This is not real."


    She knew that the boy was right, but it didn''t change her resolve.


    "M-my mother is inside...! She''s going to die in there!" LeiLei tried to fight the boy as she exclaimed and Marvin frowned as he heard this.


    With no other choice left with him, Marvin did the only thing he could to get immediate results. He punched her.


    The punch was not too hard but it was not light either. It was just enough to wake her up from the illusion.


    LeiLei gasped as she opened her eyes in shock and Marvin sighed in relief as he saw this.


    LeiLei continued to breathe heavily as she looked around and found herself lying on the floor with Marvin sitting right beside her head.


    "W-where''s the fire...?" LeiLei asked in confusion as she looked around in search of the burning room.


    Marvin shook his head as he looked down at the ground and explained, "It wasn''t real. You were having an illusion."


    LeiLei looked to be even more shocked as she heard this.


    "Then what about my mother?" LeiLei asked anxiously as she grabbed Marvin''s collar threateningly.


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and looked at the girl with pity as he met her eyes and responded, "She''s already dead and you know that."


    LeiLei''s frown deepened as she heard this but the girl said nothing.


    "Snap out of it," Marvin sighed.


    The girl gulped as she let go of Marvin''s collar and looked down at the ground.


    They were still inside that house and LeiLei could not remember when she had passed out.


    "How can this be...?" LeiLei muttered a question to herself as she wondered how everything was made possible.


    If it was just her subconscious creating a nightmare for her, it wouldn''t have been that vivid and if it was staged by someone else then the person wouldn''t have known her real name.


    "This doesn''t make sense..." LeiLei muttered out loud and Marvin nodded his head with a sigh as he agreed with her.


    "I know it doesn''t make sense," Marvin spoke as he patted her back, "After all, I just killed my father''s illusion."


    LeiLei looked to be shocked as she heard this.


    It seemed that she was not the only one who had been trapped inside a nightmarish illusion.. Marvin had also fallen victim to it, but unlike LeiLei, he was able to break the illusion on his own.

 Chapter 171 - Someone Messed With Their Minds.

    "So someone was messing with your minds?" Hecathe asked with a frown as he straightened his back.


    LeiLei nodded her head with a frown as she confirmed this.


    "Did you meet the person that did it?" Hecathe asked curiously and this time, LeiLei shook her head.


    "We couldn''t. We left the place soon after," LeiLei explained, "If we had stayed then there would have been more traps waiting for us and we didn''t want to risk it."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed and concerned as he heard this.


    Someone who could mess with their minds and make them hallucinate...


    This was certainly going to be troublesome.


    "We''ll have to go back," Hecathe spoke with a sigh and LeiLei looked to be a bit shocked as she heard this.


    "Sir, we can''t," LeiLei firmly spoke with a frown, "It''s too dangerous. If we get too immersed in the illusion, we might never even wake up from it and in the worst-case scenario, it might really kill us."


    "Then we''ll just have to avoid the worst-case scenario," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded and LeiLei''s frown deepened as she felt that the man was not exactly taking her words seriously.


    "Sir, I have already warned you. If you don''t listen to me then there is nothing more I can do for you. You can go if you''d like but it''s definitely not going to be safe and I''m not going to take responsibility for this."


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he heard this and looked to be quite amused as he asked, "Who said I was going alone?"


    LeiLei''s eyes widened slightly as she heard this and in the very next second, the girl shook her head frantically as she refused, "Definitely not! I''m not coming there again! There''s absolutely no way!"


    Hecathe tilted his head and there was a small smirk on his face as he spoke, "I never asked for your permission."


    "..."


    LeiLei couldn''t help but feel unhappy as she heard this and her dissatisfaction could clearly be seen on her face as the girl pouted.


    Hecathe let out a sigh as he spoke and added, "I don''t want to be the forceful type of a boss, but this time, I really can''t let you have your own way. This is something that is related to you much more than it is related to me and that''s why you need to be there."


    LeiLei heard him and understood him as well, but whether she was willing to go or not was another story entirely.


    It took another thirty minutes of constant argument for Hecathe to get the girl to agree and even when she eventually did give in, she still looked extremely unhappy about it.


    "By the way, where is Marvin?" Hecathe asked casually and the girl gulped as she looked away from him awkwardly.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he saw this reaction which clearly spoke to him. He had a feeling that Marvin wasn''t really in the best condition possible.


    "LeiLei, where is Marvin," Hecathe asked as he dragged the sentence, almost making it seem as if he was asking a child if she had done something wrong or not.


    LeiLei grinned as she scratched the back of her neck and spoke in a low volume that almost sounded embarrassed, "I... Well, remember the part where I told you that he punched me?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he patiently waited for the girl to complete.


    "I couldn''t just let him get away with it so I punched him back," LeiLei revealed with an awkward grin and Hecathe had a feeling that there was still something that the girl was hiding.


    "Is that it?" Hecathe asked as he raised his eyebrows.


    LeiLei pursed her lips and nodded before she added, "Maybe I might have used a rock as well."


    "..."


    "But thankfully, there are no broken bones!" LeiLei immediately exclaimed as she reassured and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    "His punches are really too strong!" LeiLei tried to defend her actions as she explained, "It was so strong that I almost felt as if I was hit with a rock so I took an actual rock and clutched it tightly in my hand before punching him back."


    "LeiLei," Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and felt a little pity for the poor boy, "Where is he, and what is his condition currently?"


    LeiLei sighed as she spoke in a single breath, "He passed out when I punched him and then I picked him up and dumped him in his room. He''s asleep now."


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he heard this and shook his head with a sigh as he stood up.


    "Are you going to check up on him?" LeiLei asked enthusiastically as she looked up at the man and to this, Hecathe once again shook his head as he denied it.


    Hecathe walked over to the shelf and took out the first-aid kit that he had put together.


    It wasn''t much but it was more than enough for a wound like this.


    Hecathe opened the first-aid box and took out the ointment, medical tape, gauze, antibacterial spray, and a small knife.


    He laid it all out on a cloth before he took out a small plate and poured some ointment on it.


    After this, he carefully looked at the girl to make sure that she wasn''t looking at him, and then he took the small knife and held it against his hand before cutting a slice on his palm.


    "Master, what are you doing?" The Dorgon asked with worry as he managed to see this small action.


    Since LeiLei couldn''t hear the Dorgon, it was only natural that she didn''t realize anything wrong.


    Hecathe didn''t bother responding to the Dorgon and instead, he continued on with what he was doing.


    He held his hand over the plate that contained the ointment and dark red blood started oozing out of the fresh wound that he had knowingly created.


    Hecathe carefully counted five drops of blood and when the blood stopped, he cleaned up his hand and left it to heal on its own.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up into a small smile as he mixed the blood with the ointment and took everything back to LeiLei before placing it down on the table.


    LeiLei was certainly a bit surprised to see this and she felt as if the more time she spent with Hecathe, the more things she was able to learn about him. Such as the fact that the man was not as cold as he tried to act. He still had a soft heart and he couldn''t leave an injured person alone.


    If Hecathe were to hear about the sudden impression he had on this girl, he would certainly laugh at it and make a joke out of it.


    After all, according to Hecathe, he was the most ruthless bastard that one could meet. He knew that he wasn''t a hero and this was perhaps one of the things that made him seem so dangerous and yet intriguing at the same time.


    Hecathe helped the girl with the wound on her face and when he was done, he even wrapped it with gauze and medical tape.


    "There. It''s done," Hecathe spoke with a smile as he looked at the girl.


    LeiLei gulped as she stared back at him and after an entire minute, the girl asked, "Sir, are you sure I can''t fall for you?"


    Hecathe chuckled as he heard this and shook his head as he gently rubbed her head, "You''re too young to try."


    LeiLei pouted as she heard this and she clearly wanted to point out that the current body Hecathe was in, belonged to the same age as her.


    However, in the end, the girl decided to not say anything and simply let Hecathe stand up as he got ready to leave the place.


    "Remove the wrap tomorrow. It should be healed by then," Hecathe instructed and didn''t wait around for a reply before he opened the door and left the room with the first-aid box.


    LeiLei looked at the closed door and crossed her arms as she whined, "He''s so unfair~"


    The Dorgon rolled his eyes as he heard her and commented, "You''re the crazy one here. Trying to go after a guy like that is bound to get you heartbroken."


    The girl could naturally not hear the Dorgon''s voice and hence, she failed to hear this comment that would have surely infuriated her even more.


    Hecathe knocked on Marvin''s door twice and waited patiently, but when he got no response, he knocked again once and apologized in advance, "I''m sorry for this."


    In the very next second, Hecathe kicked the door open and broke it in the process.


    When the door flung open, the first thing that hit Hecathe was the smell.


    The strong smell of something dying.


    Hecathe immediately covered his nose and walked inside cautiously as he tried to spot Marvin.


    The boy was not really hard to spot as Hecathe stepped on something lumpy with his first step alone and realized that this was no special carpet but was Marvin himself.

 Chapter 172 - What The...?

    When the door flung open, the first thing that hit Hecathe was the smell.


    The strong smell of something dying.


    Hecathe immediately covered his nose and walked inside cautiously as he tried to spot Marvin.


    The boy was not really hard to spot as Hecathe stepped on something lumpy with his first step alone and realized that this was no special carpet but was Marvin himself.


    "Oh..." Hecathe muttered as he crouched down near the boy''s head and tried to understand whether the dying smell was coming from him or not.


    It was a bit hard to distinguish but in a few minutes, Hecathe was able to confidently conclude that the cause of the horrendous smell was not this man who was lying unconscious on the floor.


    "Yo," Hecathe nudged Marvin as he tried to wake the boy, "Get up. Are you planning on dying here or something?"


    Marvin groaned but didn''t move an inch nor did it look like he could comprehend anything that Hecathe had said at the moment.


    Hecathe sighed as he put the first-aid kit aside and decided to move the boy first.


    "Come on It''s time to get your wounds treated," Hecathe spoke as he pulled the boy up and supported him to sit up.


    "Eh....?" Marvin muttered in his groggy voice and it could be clearly seen that the boy was still not completely awake.


    Hecathe''s face cringed up a little as he saw the boy''s wounds.


    LeiLei had certainly understated it...


    Hecathe could finally understand why Marvin had passed out with a single punch alone.


    "That''s why you shouldn''t go mess with her like this," Hecathe commented with a sigh.


    LeiLei had punched the man flat on the nose and it almost looked like the punch had broken his nose.


    Marvin opened his eyes slightly as he tried to see the person that was trying to help him.


    "Alphius...?" Marvin muttered in a half-asleep manner and Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard the boy calling him this name.


    Hecathe slapped the boy''s face lightly as he spoke, "Open your eyes widely and look carefully at me. I am Hecathe and I don''t like it when people mistake me for someone else and especially not when I''m being helpful."


    Marvin opened his eyes a bit more and just as Hecathe had instructed, he took a closer look at Hecathe''s face.


    "Hecathe...?" Marvin asked innocently as he tilted his head and Hecathe nodded his head in satisfaction as he heard this.


    "That''s right. I am Hecathe."


    Marvin chuckled softly as he heard this and slowly came to his senses as he asked, "What are you doing here?"


    Hecathe rolled his eyes and smacked the back of the boy''s head as he spoke, "Why else would I be here? Of course, it is to treat your wounds. Why would you get yourself this beaten up when you could''ve just avoided it?!"


    Marvin shook his head with a sigh as he heard this, "My father had always told me that when a woman beats you, you should not avoid it."


    "I see," Hecathe nodded his head as he responded, "Your father was full of trash."


    "..."


    "No offense, by the way," Hecathe added casually and Marvin didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    Hecathe took out the disinfectant and started treating the wound on Marvin''s face.


    "You know how to do this?" Marvin asked with surprise.


    "This is not rocket science. Of course, I know," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he responded, "Now stay quiet and let me do my thing. Stop distracting me."


    Marvin pursed his lips into a thin line and listened to Hecathe.


    He was quiet as he calmly let Hecathe treat the wounds and only when it stung did he flinch a little.


    Treating and wrapping the wound took about ten minutes, but when Hecathe was done, Marvin suddenly grabbed his wrist with a frown.


    "What happened to you?" Marvin''s eyes narrowed down on Hecathe as he asked, gesturing towards the wound on Hecathe''s palm that had been wrapped.


    Hecathe didn''t really want to tell the boy that he had purposefully cut his palm to collect a bit of blood so he simply lied.


    "It''s nothing," Hecathe retreated his hand and unwrapped the tape and gauze as he confidently revealed the skin underneath that had already been healed.


    However, this was not enough to fool Marvin.


    "It healed," Marvin pointed out and the blood on the gauze was enough to prove his guess to be true.


    Hecathe chuckled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck and defended himself, "It healed quite fast because it was not a big injury. Just a small unfortunate cut."


    Marvin still looked to be suspicious as he heard this, but he didn''t bother asking any more questions and Hecathe decided to change the topic immediately.


    "By the way, why does your room smell so much?" Hecathe''s face cringed up in disgust as he asked, "Don''t you clean your room?"


    Marvin suddenly coughed as he heard this and although Hecathe had only asked it casually, he suddenly felt a little suspicious.


    "You really don''t clean your room?" Hecathe repeated the question as he raised his eyebrows.


    Marvin immediately shook his head as he denied this accusation, "That''s not it!"


    "Then why does your room smell like death?" Hecathe asked as he folded his arms in front of his chest.


    Marvin sighed as he stood up from the floor and spoke, "Follow me."


    The boy didn''t wait for anything more and went on ahead as he headed deeper into the room.


    Hecathe, on the other hand, frowned as he followed behind the boy.


    The more they went inside the room, the stronger the smell got and since the lights of the place weren''t really turned on, it was pretty dark, and the dark shadows were the only thing that the eyes could make out.


    "Do not get surprised," Marvin warned beforehand and didn''t wait for Hecathe''s response as he switched the lights on.


    At first, Hecathe almost didn''t manage to see it, but when he eventually did, his eyes widened in shock and confusion.


    "Marvin..." Hecathe muttered in disbelief as he kept his eyes on the man that was tied to Marvin''s bed, "Why do you have a kidnapped man sleeping on your bed?"


    "Hecathe, don''t make me sound like a pervert," Marvin sighed as he walked closer to the bed and spoke, "Look closer. Don''t you recognize him?"


    Hecathe indeed listened to the boy and took a closer look at the man''s face as he heard this.


    Since his face was covered with blood, it was a bit hard to make out whether Hecathe recognized him or not, but the realization eventually hit Hecathe.


    "That''s... Isn''t that the bastard who kicked me?!" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he shouted.


    Marvin nodded his head as he confirmed that, "That''s right. He works for me. Or at least, he used to."


    This was the same man that Hecathe had met when he first came to Ocasia. This troublesome man had a huge body and would go around intimidating and bullying people which was the reason why Hecathe had somehow ended up picking a fight with this man.


    "I caught him spying on me," Marvin explained with a sigh, "He decided to work for the three willows of spring and then I decided to make sure that he wasn''t able to."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he looked to be clearly worried as he asked, "Isn''t that dangerous? What if they find out?"


    Marvin shook his head in disbelief as he spoke, "It doesn''t matter. If I let him do his job, he might reveal our plan to the three willows of spring and if I decide to call him out for being a spy, the three willows of spring might be alerted. Compared to those two options, this one is clearly the more secure one."


    "..." Hecathe was a bit speechless as he heard this. On one hand, he felt as if Marvin''s words made sense while on the other hand, he felt as if the boy''s approach was a bit too impulsive.


    "If he goes missing, aren''t they still going to be alerted?" Hecathe asked after thinking about it for a bit.


    Marvin shook his head as he replied, "No. Because according to them, he has still not gone missing."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this and he felt even more confused.


    "What do you mean?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked.


    "The three willows of spring were dependent on the weekly report that he sends them and according to them, he had been sending the weekly report every week without fail," Marvin smirked as he spoke, "The only difference now is that he''s not the one writing the weekly report anymore. It''s me."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this and for the first time, he felt as if Marvin was a bit sharp. He had not acted on impulse. Rather, he had actually planned it all beforehand.

 Chapter 173 - Youre A Cunning One.

    "The three willows of spring were dependent on the weekly report that he sends them and according to them, he had been sending the weekly report every week without fail," Marvin smirked as he spoke, "The only difference now is that he''s not the one writing the weekly reports anymore. It''s me."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this and for the first time, he felt as if Marvin was a bit too sharp. He had not acted on impulse. Rather, he had actually planned it all out beforehand.


    "You''re a cunning one," Hecathe commented and Marvin didn''t know if he was supposed to take this as a compliment or not.


    "As soon as the task is completed, I''ll let him go," Marvin reassured.


    Hecathe nodded his head in understanding as he heard this and asked, "Then what if the task takes longer than expected. If things don''t go well on our first try, we would be forced to wait and try again. That may eventually take more time than we''d expect."


    "Then we''ll just have to make sure that we get it done on the first try itself," Marvin responded with a small smile and Hecathe would certainly be lying if he said that he wasn''t a bit surprised to hear such an answer from this boy.


    Only Hecathe would dare to make such confident statements, but now that Marvin was the one saying them, it felt a little surprising and refreshing.


    Hecathe let out a small sigh that almost sounded like a chuckle and asked, "This still doesn''t explain why this place smells so much like death."


    Marvin shrugged his shoulders innocently as he pointed at the man, "It''s because of him. He has the ability to connect with the dead."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he got a little interested to hear more about this.


    "What do you mean he connects with the dead?" Hecathe asked with a small frown.


    "The spirits of the dead are attracted to him and in some cases, he can talk to them and find out how they died. It''s a really useful skill, however, there is still a limitation. If the body of the spirit has been dead for more than a week, he would no longer be able to talk to it."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and he seemed to have suddenly seen this as a great chance that had been missed, "If it''s such a useful ability, why didn''t you use it to communicate with your father?"


    With all things considered, when Marvin''s father had freshly died, this man was still working for Marvin completely so if he had heard something from Orgon''s spirit then he wouldn''t lie about it to Marvin.


    Marvin sighed as he heard Hecathe''s question and looked to be a bit disappointed as he responded, "He was the reason why I believed Asgarian."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little confused as he heard this, but at the same time, he also felt as if he could guess and put the pieces together on his own if he wanted to.


    "This guy works for Asgarian," Marvin revealed as he looked at the unconscious man lying on the bed, "He shifted the moment my father died. In fact, the next day itself, the two came to meet me together and said they had something to talk about."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this but he didn''t say anything and instead, he patiently waited to hear the rest.


    "I didn''t know what it was but since I trusted them, I agreed to talk. Asgarian revealed that Alphius was the one behind my father''s death and to further prove his words, this bastard also gave a false claim to have talked to my father''s spirit who was filled with thoughts of revenge."


    Hecathe could finally understand why Marvin had been so easily fooled.


    "On top of that, they also brought proof that Alphius was there. Or at least, his mecha-suit had been..." Marvin sighed as he spoke and his disappointment in himself could clearly be seen on his face and felt in his voice, "It was a perfect trap for me and for Alphius as well. It wasn''t until later that I started to question it and realized that my father would never be filled with revenge against Alphius. Even if Alphius were to cold-heartedly kill him, he would still not feel revengeful against him."


    Hecathe tilted his head in confusion as he heard this and he couldn''t hold himself back anymore so he asked, "Why is that?"


    "Because my father still blames himself for the death of the great Edler," Marvin sighed as he revealed and Hecathe was a bit surprised.


    Hecathe knew that the great Edler had died during a Dorgon hunt and had been brutally killed by those creatures, however, he didn''t have details of the event and since it was such a shocking and traumatizing incident, even Alphius hadn''t written about it in detail in his diary.


    "He feels guilty even though it wasn''t exactly his fault and because of that guilt, he has always felt as if he owes it to Alphius. He didn''t want me to associate with Alphius because he feared that history would repeat itself."


    "..."


    Hecathe could see that Marvin was being honest, but at the same time, he couldn''t help but believe that these honest words were no better than bullsh*t.


    This man named Orgon just had to be an idiot if these were his thoughts that even his son could see.


    "Why does your father blame himself for Edler''s death?" Hecathe asked as he tried to remain respectful and didn''t outrightly curse the boy''s father for believing in nonsense.


    "Because they were both there," Marvin simply shrugged his shoulders as he revealed, "If my father had wanted, he could have saved him, but he didn''t because he was frozen in fear. In front of a whole army, he could stand his footing and fight off the enemy but in front of an angry Dorgon that was trying to protect its egg, my father was frozen in fear and couldn''t even save his own friend."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this but didn''t say anything as he let the boy complete.


    "He was a coward who was afraid to admit that he was one and hence, he ran away from the truth. There are not many people in this world who know what happened that day and those who do have promised not to leak the truth."


    "Then why are you telling me this?" Hecathe asked with a small frown.


    "Because you wanted to know...?" Marvin responded casually.


    "..."


    "However, this truth holds no importance anymore," Marvin added with a sigh, "Edler is already dead and so is my father."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with the boy, but he could still not help but sigh as he found it a bit funny how even the great Orgon had something that he wanted to hide from the world.


    Hecathe could sense that this topic wasn''t really something pleasant to talk about for Marvin and so, he no longer asked anymore questions about it and decided to change the topic.


    "LeiLei told me that you guys had found the house."


    Marvin nodded his head as he confirmed this, "We did, but we couldn''t find the owner."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this and spoke, "Then let''s go there again and find the new owner."


    "When?"


    "Tomorrow," Hecathe answered without missing a beat and Marvin looked to be a little horrified as he heard this.


    "You''re joking... Right?" Marvin asked in disbelief but unfortunately, Hecathe was certainly not joking when he said that.


    Hecathe''s lips curled up into a small mischievous smile as he shook his head and responded, "I don''t joke around about things like this."


    "..."


    That house was like a rollercoaster ride located in hell and both LeiLei and Marvin had already experienced it once so they had absolutely zero interest in going there again.


    Marvin gulped as he spoke, "I am injured and tired. Why don''t you go and check it out by yourself?"


    "Because I''m not familiar with the place. Since you two have already gone there, you are a bit more familiar, don''t you think so?" Hecathe tilted his head with a smile as he asked and Marvin almost wanted to curse at the man.


    "You''re trying to kill us, aren''t you?" Marvin asked in disbelief and Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle in amusement as he heard this.


    "Don''t worry. Humans don''t die off that easily," Hecathe responded with a chuckle, but Marvin didn''t find this funny at all.


    "..."


    At the end of the day, Hecathe had already managed to make LeiLei agree and so, it was only natural that after some persuasion and argument, Marvin would also reluctantly agree.


    Shockingly enough, it only took about ten minutes to make Marvin agree and Hecathe was a bit surprised with himself when he finally saw the boy nodding his head with a sigh.

 Chapter 174 - I Naturally Do Not Remember

    The next day, Hecathe was the first to wake up in the morning and as soon as he woke up, he immediately went to the kitchen and requested the landlady to pack three breakfasts which she agreed to.


    He took the meat from the fridge and went up to feed the Dorgon who was patiently waiting for the food to be served.


    "Master, why are you in such a hurry today?" The Dorgon asked as he looked at Hecathe curiously but Hecathe only smiled and gave him a vague reply.


    "I have to go somewhere for work."


    The Dorgon was a bit confused as he heard this and he clearly wanted to ask a few more questions but before he could say or question anything, Hecathe was already out the door.


    Hecathe first knocked on LeiLei''s door and abruptly woke the girl up.


    "Get ready! We are leaving in the next ten minutes," He didn''t even wait for the door to open as he announced.


    Hecathe then continued to knock on Marvin''s door and woke the boy up as well..


    As expected, Marvin also didn''t open the door at first and Hecathe had to somehow force the boy to come out.


    "We have to leave. Get ready," Hecathe sighed as he announced and the boy simply looked at him with disinterest clearly evident on his face.


    "Why are you up so early?" Marvin whined as he yawned.


    "Because only the early birds can catch the worms."


    "I''m not interested in catching worms," Marvin dead-panned as he shut the door on Hecathe''s face.


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in and tried to remain calm as he patiently knocked on the door once again, "Open up, Marvin. I might just break this door if you don''t open it."


    Hecathe waited for a solid minute to see a reaction from the boy but when he got no response, he sighed as he got ready to kick the door open.


    Somehow, Marvin seemed to have guessed this and opened the door at the exact moment.


    "Give me five minutes," Marvin sighed as he stated with much annoyance and Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he heard this.


    "I''ll be waiting downstairs with a timer," Hecathe replied as he didn''t wait around and headed down the stairs.


    Marvin felt tired as he slammed the door once again, but this time, he wasn''t idly trying to go back to sleep, he was actually getting ready to head outside.


    "You all going somewhere?" The landlady asked as she saw Hecathe being in such a hurry since morning.


    It had been pretty awkward between Hecathe and this landlady after the last argument the two had and hence, it was a bit surprising to hear this question coming from her.


    "We are going to visit LeiLei''s old house," Hecathe answered the woman with a warm smile as he acted normal.


    It was better if the two ended the awkwardness between them and forgot about the conflict.


    "She used to live nearby?" The woman asked as she raised her eyebrows and Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed this.


    The landlady looked to be confused as she saw this reaction and she couldn''t help but comment, "She doesn''t look like it though."


    People from different places looked different and this was certainly the case for LeiLei as well.


    Although the girl was from Ocasia, she really didn''t look like one of the locals here. If anything, it looked like she had migrated here at a very young age.


    "I guess you could say that," Hecathe shrugged his shoulder as he muttered in response.


    "Did her parents sell the old house?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this question and although he didn''t know the exact answer to it, he could still guess what had happened and he answered the woman according to what he had guessed.


    "Her parents died when she was young and since then, she had lost the house. It is owned by someone else now. We''re currently trying to find out how this came to be."


    "I see... What an unfortunate child. It must have been hard on her to live without her parents. To think that she was even thrown out of her own home... It is certainly a cruel past," The woman sighed as she commented and although Hecathe kinda agreed to her, he still couldn''t help but frown as he heard this.


    "But, is that normal?" The woman asked as she added with a bit of confusion, "Shouldn''t she get ownership over the house after her parent''s death? That''s how the law works around here. Or has the law been changed over the years?"


    "I guess she was too young for ownership rights," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded and the woman shook her head as she disagreed with this.


    "The age doesn''t matter. As long as the house belonged to her parents, it would naturally belong to her as well even if they didn''t legally proclaim her as the heir."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and he couldn''t help but feel a little suspicious now that he thought about it like this.


    If this was really the written law in this place then how could anyone throw LeiLei out of her own house...?


    "Are there any exceptions to this law?" Hecathe asked curiously as he looked at the woman with great interest.


    "Exceptions?" The woman repeated as she pondered over it for a few minutes, "Well, I guess you can say that there are a few. If the house originally belonged to someone else and was only rented down to the tenants, the house would naturally belong to the rightful owner and their heirs."


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he heard this but he didn''t say anything and patiently waited to hear the woman continue.


    "And I guess there is one more thing that can be considered as an exception but I don''t think it would be applicable in this case."


    "What is it?"


    "If the child is also said to have been deceased after the parent''s death or gone missing for more than a few weeks directly after their parent''s death. In that case, even if the child returns after a few years and tries to claim the house, the case would not be approved and the house would not be claimed."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this and he couldn''t help but have a foreboding feeling in his stomach.


    "There can also be a third situation which can sit fit in LeiLei''s case," The woman spoke as she added with great interest, "If the child was adopted to the family, but was not registered in the family registry."


    Hecathe felt as if all three exceptions could be perfectly fitted into the story that had been put together till now about LeiLei''s past. However, the sad part was that all three of them weren''t really happy scenarios.


    "Do people usually adopt without adding the child to the family registry?" Hecathe asked casually and the woman nodded her head.


    "They do. Of course, some do, but those are very rare cases where the situation does not let them add the children into the family registry. I guess you can call them peculiar cases of child adoption."


    As Hecathe heard this, his mind automatically started connecting LeiLei to the dead willow of spring once again.


    According to LeiLei, that was not her father but since there was a chance that she had been adopted, she could very well have been related to that man without even knowing that she was related to him.


    But, as soon as this thought arose in Hecathe''s mind, he immediately cursed at himself and tried to erase it as he felt that LeiLei would not be too happy to hear that Hecathe was yet to let go of this.


    It would be best to just forget about it and not try and connect the girl to that man.


    "What do you think happened with her?" The landlady asked as she leaned in forward with great interest in this gossip.


    "Who knows?" Hecathe sighed as he muttered, "Could be anything really and in the worst-case scenario, maybe it could be all of this combined as well."


    The woman frowned as she heard this and opened her mouth to say something but before the words could roll out of her tongue, she was suddenly interrupted by Hecathe who was yet to finish.


    "Have you heard about such a situation happening around here almost... Six years ago or something?"


    The landlady took a few minutes to think about it before she shook her head and explained, "Ocasia might be small but it''s not that small. I would naturally not know it and even if I did, since it has been six years, I would not be able to remember it."


    Hecathe sighed as he felt a little disappointed to hear this.


    "You''re right," Hecathe nodded his head as he looked down at the table and spoke, "It must be hard for you to remember."


    The woman nodded her head once again as she confirmed this.

 Chapter 175 - Good Morning~

    "You''re right," Hecathe nodded his head as he looked down at the table and spoke, "It must be hard for you to remember."


    The woman nodded her head once again as she confirmed this.


    "But if you happen to recall it by chance, be sure to tell us," Hecathe added with a smile and although he had said this, he didn''t really hope to hear back from the woman on this topic.


    The landlady opened her mouth to say something but before the words could roll out of her tongue, she was interrupted by a yawning sound that came from the stairs.


    "Good morning~" LeiLei stretched her arms as she tried to completely wake herself up.


    The landlady smiled as she turned to look at the girl and in a single second alone, the landlady was able to act as if she hadn''t just been pitying this girl.


    "Good morning," The woman greeted the girl back.


    "Where is Raven?" Hecathe asked with a frown as he looked at the watch..


    "He''s probably coming," LeiLei shrugged her shoulders as she casually responded.


    "Probably?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he repeated.


    "I''m here, damn it!" Marvin''s voice could be heard rushing down from up the stairs and LeiLei chuckled a little as she heard this.


    "It seems that Raven is pretty obedient to you," LeiLei couldn''t help but playfully comment.


    "..."


    Hecathe sighed as he stood up from the chair and announced strictly, "Let''s go."


    "But what about breakfast?" LeiLei asked with a frown as she looked at the man with pleading eyes.


    "You can eat on the way," Hecathe replied and LeiLei''s frown deepened.


    "So unfair! How come you get to eat in peace while you make us eat on the road?!" LeiLei whined as she felt a little wronged.


    "Who said I got to eat in peace?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he revealed, "I''m also going to be eating with you two."


    "Oh..." LeiLei scratched the back of her neck with an awkward chuckle.


    Marvin shook his head with a sigh as he walked over towards the table and collected the breakfast that had been packed for him.


    "Let''s go. The sooner we get this done, the earlier I''ll get to come back and catch up on my sleep," Marvin yawned as he spoke and LeiLei was a bit surprised and inspired to hear this.


    "You''re absolutely right...!" LeiLei exclaimed with a bit of excitement and now it was Hecathe''s turn to be a bit taken aback.


    These two had been crying and arguing yesterday because they didn''t want to go back to that place and now, they looked to be more enthusiastic than Hecathe.


    "All the best and have a safe journey," The landlady smiled as she spoke, cheering them up.


    "We''ll be back soon!" LeiLei beamed as she opened the door and went out first.


    Hecathe also nodded as he looked at the landlady and without saying anything any further, he followed behind LeiLei.


    "Are you mad at Hecathe?" Marvin asked as he stayed behind for a few seconds.


    "Eh?" The landlady looked to be a bit shocked as she received this sudden question, "What makes you think that?"


    "You just glared at him," Marvin stated without any hesitation and he certainly looked to be a bit too casual about it.


    "Um..." The landlady gulped as she tried to defend herself, "Maybe you just imagined it."


    Marvin blinked innocently in confusion as he heard this and asked, "Is that so?"


    The woman nodded her head as she confirmed this, but it seemed that Marvin was a bit too good at detecting lies. Perhaps he was even better than Hecathe at this game, but at the same time, he would usually act as if he notices nothing and he would rather choose to believe the person even if he already knew that they were only lying.


    "Then I''ll apologize for accusing you," Marvin spoke with a small smile, "But you should be more careful next time. You wouldn''t want me being mistaken like this again."


    The landlady felt her muscles suddenly tense up as she heard this, but she didn''t dare say anything as she understood the deeper meaning behind the boy''s words.


    "See you later," Marvin spoke with a nod as he left the place.


    "..."


    The three headed to LeiLei''s old house and they preferred to walk instead of deciding to use LeiLei''s ability as a transportation method.


    "If there is anything else you''d like to warn me about, now is a perfect time," Hecathe spoke with a sigh as he unwrapped the breakfast and took a bite out of the delicious chicken sandwich.


    "I already warned you about everything though," LeiLei spoke after thinking about it for a minute,


    "You just need to worry about the traps and the illusions."


    "Alright then," Hecathe muttered as he continued to eat nonchalantly.


    Although LeiLei had warned him about how dangerous that house was, he didn''t look to be all that worried, and this fearless demeanor clearly had a reason behind it.


    The three quietly finished their breakfast and luckily enough, after they were done, they were already standing in front of that old house which was supposed to be extremely dangerous.


    "So this was where you used to live?" Hecathe side-glanced at the girl as he asked with surprise and LeiLei simply nodded her head as she confirmed this.


    "Wow~" Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little amazed as he commented, "You used to live a pretty wealthy life."


    Hecathe was certainly not kidding when he made this comment.


    The house was old but calling it a house was certainly an understatement.


    It would be much more suiting to call this place a mansion simply because it really was alike a mansion.


    "Well, what''s the use? It''s not mine anymore," LeiLei shrugged her shoulders as she responded with a sigh.


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this but said nothing as he stood in his spot and looked on ahead, taking in the beauty of this old mansion.


    Hecathe had already guessed that LeiLei''s parents weren''t ordinary folks, but now that he was standing here, looking at the place that they called home, this belief of his had strengthened.


    There was absolutely no way that her parents were normal.


    "Let''s go inside," LeiLei spoke as she took a step forward and tried to knock on the door, but she was suddenly stopped by Hecathe who pulled her back by her hand.


    "Eh...?" LeiLei turned to look at Hecathe in confusion and a bit of surprise.


    "Wait," Hecathe spoke as he looked at the mansion.


    Marvin frowned as he asked, "What are we waiting for? An invitation?"


    "That''ll be stupid," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he replied, "If we use the main door, we are going to trigger the traps."


    "So you want us to sneak in from the window or something?" Marvin raised his eyebrows as he asked.


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he heard this and shook his head as he explained, "That would not be necessary. We don''t really want a house tour. We just want to have a talk with the owner."


    Marvin''s frown deepened as he heard this and the boy clearly had a hard time understanding what Hecathe wanted to say.


    Hecathe took a few minutes to deeply think about something before he pointed up at a particular room in the mansion that was on the second floor which was also the highest floor.


    "Hmm...?" Marvin hummed as he patiently waited for the man to talk.


    "We go there," Hecathe spoke with a small smirk.


    "Why?" It was LeiLei who questioned with a frown as she looked at the man in confusion.


    "Just find us a way to get there. You would know why I chose that place soon enough," Hecathe responded and LeiLei felt even more confused as she heard this.


    "A way to get up there?" LeiLei repeated as she looked up at the room, but before she could say or do anything more, Marvin clicked his tongue as he took out the double-bladed saber.


    "Would you mind it if I broke the ceiling a bit?" Marvin asked as he spun the weapon.


    "You''re free to do whatever suits your taste," Hecathe answered with a small smile, "But get it fixed afterward. We wouldn''t want to offend the owner."


    "Got it," Marvin nodded his head in understanding as he threw the sword towards the room with a speed that could almost beat even a race car.


    The mere speed combined with the power used managed to crack the wall of the room completely and the sword returned back to the owner like an obedient boomerang.


    LeiLei''s eyes widened in horror and all she could do was gulp as she saw the sight of her old room being destroyed within just a mere few seconds.


    Hecathe clapped his hands as he saw the man sitting on a chair inside the room.


    His face couldn''t be clearly seen because of the shadows, but Hecathe was still able to tell that the man looked to be completely calm and didn''t even flinch as he watched the wall being shattered into bits.

 Chapter 176 - Unwelcomed Guests

    His face couldn''t be clearly seen because of the shadows, but Hecathe was still able to tell that the man looked to be completely calm and didn''t even flinch as he watched the wall being shattered into bits.


    "Now there''s the man we were looking for," Hecathe commented with a small smirk as he straightened his back.


    Marvin didn''t bother putting the saber away as he saw this and he simply stood beside Hecathe and waited to see what happens next.


    LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together as she saw this and in the very next second, she used her ability to teleport them up to the room.


    "Hello there," Hecathe was the first to greet the man.


    "How polite of you to break the wall just to come over and greet me," The man sarcastically responded as he leaned his head back on the back of the chair.


    The three could finally see the man''s face clearly but they were still not able to recognize him.


    "Who the hell are you?" LeiLei asked with a frown as she glared at the man..


    "Me?" The man repeated with a bit of amusement as he tilted his head, "Shouldn''t I be the one asking you that question? Who are you three and why are you trespassing inside my home?"


    "..."


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this question and nodded his head as he apologized "Sorry for coming uninvited, but it''s not like your main gate is very welcoming to strangers."


    "There is probably a reason why it''s not welcoming," The man spoke sarcastically as he glared at Hecathe.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with the man, "You''re right."


    "Then why might you be standing here?"


    "Of course, because I can," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded casually.


    "..." The man pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this and didn''t bother saying anything as a response to that.


    "You still didn''t answer my question," LeiLei pointed out with a frown, "Just who are you?"


    The man tilted his head and felt a little amused by LeiLei as he heard the girl repeating this question.


    "I''m the owner of this house, but I guess that was already pretty obvious," The man replied sarcastically.


    LeiLei opened her mouth to say something to that but was immediately stopped by Hecathe who gently pulled her back by the wrist and gestured for her to stay quiet.


    "We were just here to ask you a few questions if you don''t mind," Hecathe spoke politely with a friendly smile.


    "And what if I do mind?" The man asked back without missing a beat.


    "Well, we''re still here to ask you a few questions."


    "..."


    Hecathe wasn''t really leaving the man any choice and the man didn''t look to be very pleased with this.


    "Six years ago or something, this house belonged to another family, is that correct?" Hecathe didn''t bother beating around the bush or engaging in useless conversations anymore as he got right to the topic and asked without any hesitation.


    "I guess so," The man nodded his head as he responded.


    "Can you give us more information on the original family that used to live here?" Hecathe asked with great interest as he heard the man''s cooperative response.


    "I''m afraid I can''t share this info with just anyone," The man sighed as he shook his head and refused to answer the question.


    "Eh?"


    "If you want me to say anything about them, you''ll need to be somehow related to them and only if you can show proof of your connection with them can I tell you the answers that you need."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but frown a little as he heard this, but after thinking about it for a minute, he felt as if this made sense.


    "LeiLei is the daughter of that family," Hecathe revealed firmly with a smile as he gestured towards the girl, "As for proof, I guess you already saw her abilities just now."


    The man looked to be a bit surprised as he heard this and he immediately turned to look at LeiLe with great interest as he thought about something.


    "Is that really true?" The man asked as he leaned in forward.


    "Do you have a doubt?" LeiLei clicked her tongue as she snapped back and the man chuckled as he shook his head.


    "I guess you really do fit the character," The man commented as his eyes narrowed down on LeiLei, "But the daughter of the original family died with her parents that night."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this, "Are you sure about that?"


    "Why would I lie to you about this?" The man asked back, almost mockingly as he continued with a sigh, "Even her corpse was found so how can it not be true?"


    Hecathe side-glanced at LeiLei as he heard this and although he trusted LeiLei and her words, now that he was hearing about this proof, it was only natural that he felt a little suspicious of the girl.


    "How can you be so sure?" It was Marvin who questioned this time, "Did you see her corpse with your own eyes?"


    The man sighed as he shook his head and explained, "It wasn''t something that one would enjoy seeing."


    "Why is that?" Hecathe asked as his frown deepened.


    "She had been burnt to death," The man sighed as he spoke and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little shocked as he heard this.


    "Then identifying the corpse must have been impossible," Marvin clicked his tongue as he pointed out, "It could have been someone else as well. How can conclude it to be their daughter."


    "This room was enough of a proof," The man spoke with a small dry chuckle, "You see, this room used to belong to her and this was the place where her corpse was found."


    Hecathe felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard this, but he didn''t dare say anything.


    "You''re right," LeiLei spoke as she nodded her head, "This was indeed my room but I refuse to believe that the corpse found belongs to me."


    "That may be the case, but... Can you prove it?" The man looked straight at LeiLei and met her eyes as he asked without any hesitation, "Do you have anything that can be used as proof?"


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and couldn''t help but shake her head as she sighed.


    It was just as he had said. Although she was sure that she was the daughter that was believed to have been burnt to death that day, she still had no proof to prove her claim.


    "Her abilities can be used as proof, can they not" Hecathe raised his eyebrows as he asked.


    "Her ability may be rare but even one of the willows had such a power so how can it prove anything?''


    Marvin, "Then let us ask you for a favor. Can you give us more information on her parents?"


    The man smirked in satisfaction as he heard this and turned to look at Marvin with a smile, "Finally, someone around here has the manners to ask instead of demanding. However, I''m afraid I won''t be able to give you the answer that you are looking for."


    Hecathe felt extremely unhappy as he heard this and immediately reacted, "Why do you keep saying that? Just what do you want from us?"


    "It was a request from the one who sold me this house," The man spoke up as he explained, "I am not allowed to reveal the truths that had long been buried behind these walls."


    "..."


    Hecathe had the sudden urge to smash something on the man''s head but he tried his best to control his temper.


    "What if we try to bribe you?" LeiLei asked as she innocently tilted her head.


    Hecathe and Marvin gulped in unison as they heard this.


    Even the man looked to be speechless as he heard this question.


    "Excuse me...?"


    LeiLei sighed as she repeated herself, "You heard it right. I asked you whether you''d be interested in a little bribe?"


    The man raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Are you sure you can afford to bribe me?"


    "Aren''t you looking down a bit too much on us?" LeiLei scoffed as she asked back and the man couldn''t help but chuckle as he heard this.


    "You guys are surprisingly fun to talk to," The man complimented them, "Well, in that case, I guess you are free to bribe me."


    LeiLei smiled in satisfaction as she heard this, "Then let''s talk now. What would it take to get an answer out of you."


    "Money really doesn''t interest me, honey," The man sighed as he responded, "I have an abundance of money so it simply has no more use for me. On the other hand, there is still something that you can give me instead of money."


    "I''m not selling you my body," LeiLei spoke firmly as she shook her head and the man chuckled as he heard this.


    "You have me wrong. Your body doesn''t interest me either," The man spoke with a chuckle.


    "Then what do you want?" LeiLei asked with a frown as she glared at the man.

 Chapter 177 - The One Who Controls

    "Then what do you want?" LeiLei asked with a frown as she glared at the man.


    "A little fun," The man responded with a smirk as he didn''t bother explaining his words.


    Marvin clicked his tongue in annoyance as he heard this and immediately asked, "Just what kind of fun are you looking for?"


    The man turned to look at Marvin and his smile deepened.


    Hecathe sighed, "I''m sorry but I only understand human language so speak."


    "Why are you here?" The man asked as he heard Hecathe..


    "Eh?"


    "Is it just interest or is there something more?" The man asked as he looked at LeiLei, "If you really are the person that you say you are, there must be a reason why you are back, right? Why is it that in those six years, you didn''t think about coming here even once but now you are suddenly here, being the most impolite guests ever, acting as if you still own this place?"


    LeiLei gritted her teeth as she heard this but said nothing as a response.


    Hecathe''s eyes dangerously narrowed down on the man as he spoke up and asked, "Why does it matter to you?"


    "Isn''t that the fun of it?" The man tilted his head as he asked with a scoff.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but suddenly have a foreboding feeling in his stomach. He felt as if he was seeing a psychopath and he had no idea how he was supposed to deal with such a person.


    This was certainly the first time such a thing was happening to him.


    "Your definition of fun is really a bit... Different," Hecathe commented as he tried his best not to offend this man anymore.


    The man chuckled as he heard this and nodded his head as he accepted the comment.


    "Some may say that," The man spoke as he responded with a chuckle, "It''s just fun to see what drives people to do things that they do not necessarily need to do."


    Hecathe tilted his head and looked at the man in silence for more than a minute as he heard this.


    "Is there something on my face?" The man asked as he showed his wicked smile and met Hecathe''s eyes without any hesitation.


    "You can read our minds, can''t you?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk as he finally manage to figure out why he was feeling so weird around this man till now.


    This man''s entire presence made him feel uncomfortable but it wasn''t because of how he looked rather, it was because of how he acted.


    Standing in front of him was like standing in front of an entity that could see through you like water. Someone that could read your mind and figure out all your moves.


    The man smiled as he heard Hecathe''s words and with a small chuckle, he clapped his hands and nodded as he confirmed it.


    "Congratulations on figuring it out!~"


    "But," Hecathe spoke up as he continued, "There is a limit to your ability."


    For a second there, Hecathe clearly saw the man''s smile faltering as he heard this and it only gave Hecathe more confidence and proof.


    "To be more exact, you can''t read all of our minds," Hecathe revealed and it was now his turn to chuckle as he continued, "You can''t read me at all, isn''t that right?"


    "Who are you?" The man asked as he stared at Hecathe, but this time, there was no smile on his face, only a frown that was definitely not friendly.


    Hecathe smirked as he tilted his head and asked sarcastically, "Why don''t you take a guess?"


    The man said nothing and this only came to prove that Hecathe had definitely not just spouted nonsense.


    "You know exactly what we are up to because you read their minds, but since they don''t know the whole plan, you also have incomplete information. You could''ve easily figured out the answer to the question that you had asked only if you could read my mind but for some reason, that seems to be a bit difficult for you to do. You look amused which tells me that you have never experienced such a situation before this," Hecathe spoke casually as he revealed the reasons which eventually led to his conclusion about the man being unable to read his mind.


    "When you asked us why we are here, you never looked at me. In fact, you avoided it," Hecathe continued as he clicked his tongue, "There is something about me that is making you confused and you are trying to secretly find out what that is. As for how I figured out the rest... Well, it was just a guess after putting together what I have already heard about you from these two. If you could control their minds and make them hallucinate, it won''t be too out of the question to think you can read their minds as well."


    The man smirked as he heard this and he would certainly be lying if he said that he wasn''t a bit impressed by what Hecathe had noticed from this short interaction.


    "And as for these two," Hecathe added as he glanced between Marvin and LeiLei, "They are being controlled by you."


    "How did you figure that out?" The man asked as he leaned towards his right side and rested his chin on the palm of his hand.


    At that exact moment, Marvin turned his saber towards Hecathe in a threatening manner and this only came to prove that Hecathe was right.


    "Marvin volunteered to break the wall and LeiLei teleported us here without any hesitation," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, "These two would never act on their own without waiting for an order. You see, they are very loyal and have been raised to follow orders. It''s something that they don''t even realize themselves."


    LeiLei was basically raised by those old men at the gambling den and they certainly taught her how to follow orders without complaining.


    As for Marvin, he was raised by his father Orgon who raised him to take his place which was basically a position where he was to learn how to carry out orders given by the three willows of spring.


    The man nodded his head with a smile, "That''s impressive. I tried my best to make them act as natural as possible."


    "And you actually managed to do a good job," Hecathe admitted as he appreciated the man''s efforts, "But unfortunately, you chose the wrong person to fool."


    "Wrong person, you say?" The man asked with a small chuckle, "But I feel like I finally chose the perfect person."


    Hecathe said nothing to that and simply stood there, looking at the man.


    "You''re judging me even now?" The man asked, "You never let your guard down, do you?"


    "Because there is no reason for me to let my guard down," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.


    "Let''s talk over something to drink," The man smiled as he suddenly shifted the topic with ease, "Could I interest you in some coffee?"


    "Coffee sounds lovely," Hecathe responded with a chuckle as he let the man change the topic, "As long as you don''t put any poison in it."


    "You can rest assured that I''d rather put poison in the sugar than in the coffee itself," The man responded without missing a beat, "It would be much more enjoyable to see you poisoning yourself with your own hands."


    "You really are a psychopath, aren''t you?" Hecathe muttered under his breath as he glared at the man.


    The man controlled LeiLei once again and teleported them to the main hall where there was a table already prepared for them.


    "Did you expect us to come?" Hecathe asked with a bit of surprise.


    "Don''t be silly," The man spoke as he explained, "I just like to be prepared. You''d never be able to guess when someone comes entering your house without an invitation."


    Hecathe didn''t know if the man was being sarcastic or not as he heard this, but he was clearly able to see that the man was throwing shade at him.


    Hecathe sat down on the chair with a sigh as he waited for Marvin to serve the coffee.


    Both LeiLei and Marvin were bad at cooking and the coffee they would normally cook would certainly taste nothing better than mud water, however, now that they were being controlled by this man, the two actually managed to show some skills.


    Marvin served Hecathe a cup of warm coffee which was surprisingly good and LeiLei served the owner a cup of herbal tea that looked to be perfectly made.


    "Are you not going to put sugar in?" The owner of the house asked as he tilted his head.


    "Wouldn''t want to risk being poisoned," Hecathe responded as he pursed his lips together into a thin smile.


    The man chuckled as he heard this answer and commented, "You really are an interesting person. I guess you would do."


    "..."

 Chapter 178 - Why Ask When You Already Know?

    Hecathe had no idea what the man was talking about but he was sure that it wasn''t something he would be interested in.


    Hecathe drank the coffee without any sugar and the man also let his guard down as he enjoyed the herbal tea.


    "So you guys want to find the relation between her parents and Asgarian?" The man brought up the topic first as he asked.


    "Why ask when you already know?" Hecathe questioned back with a scoff.


    "Are you going against Asgarian?" The man asked as he changed his question.


    "Might as well kill some boredom with it," Hecathe responded without missing a beat.


    "He could kill you three in the blink of an eye," The man spoke with a smirk before he asked, "What makes you so confident that you''d be able to stand a chance against him?"


    Hecathe put the coffee cup down as he took his time while answering this question with yet another question, "What makes you think he stands a chance against us?"


    "...."


    "We can kill him in the blink of an eye as well if we want to," Hecathe spoke with a small smirk as he tilted his head and looked at the man, "The girl that just served you the herbal tea... She wouldn''t even need to break a sweat for it. The boy who just served me coffee... His hatred, guilt, and pain drive him to seek revenge and the fire might just be strong enough to burn down all the freaking willows who think spring belongs to them."


    The man laughed as he heard this and asked, "Aren''t you going to boast about yourself as well?"


    Hecathe scoffed as he heard this question, "What would be the fun in that? I''m a man who enjoys surprises more than spoilers."


    "I can relate to you on that. The more spontaneous a situation is, the more fun it is."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with the man and he finally started understanding how he was supposed to deal with a psychopath like this one.


    He was simply supposed to act as if he was one as well, and surprisingly enough, acting like yet another psychopath wasn''t too hard for Hecathe. The theory of relatability was really magical in such situations.


    "So what happens when you kill him?" The man asked enthusiastically but didn''t wait around for Hecathe''s answer as he continued to question, "What happens when you kill him and realize that you''ve got the wrong guy? What if he isn''t the one who killed the great Orgon?"


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he heard this question, "Why not let the answer to that remain spontaneous as well?"


    "Then I''ll be forced to say that your answer isn''t very promising," The man commented.


    "And your entire existence isn''t promising but you don''t see me complaining about that, now do you?"


    "..." If it had been someone else listening to Hecathe being so rude to them, they would have most certainly been offended, however, this man actually looked amused and laughed in turn. This reaction clearly spoke a lot about the man.


    "I''ll help you," The man spoke as he nodded his head with a chuckle.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he heard this and leaned his head back as he responded, "Then let''s start with a brief history of this house."


    With another nod, the man agreed as he spoke, "I''ll give you the answers you want but you better give me a show that is worth it."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this, "You can trust me with that. I am pretty good at putting on enjoyable shows."


    "This house belonged to the twin brother of Dorka. Dorka was the willow of spring who was killed by the great Alphius."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened as he heard this and he didn''t know if it was more shocking to hear that the willow had a twin brother or if it was more surprising to hear the man referring to Alphius as the ''great'' Alphius.


    Alphius''s father was considered as a great man and hence given the title of the great Edler but as for Alphius, he was mostly seen as an outcast.


    The mecha-suits were perhaps the only people who respected Alphius and as for the rest, although there were a few countable fans, most of the other ability users simply treated him as a villain.


    "The girl that came with you... She''s his daughter," The man continued as he revealed, "Her parents were both killed."


    "Who killed them?" Hecathe gulped as he asked a bit too impatiently.


    The man smirked as he spoke, "I would naturally not know that."


    "..."


    "But your guess isn''t too far off," The man added with a sigh as he explained, "Asgarian might have been the one behind it and if it wasn''t him, it could have been another willow of spring."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he clearly looked to be a bit anxious.


    "The other willows of spring would be interested in killing someone who wasn''t even posing a threat to them...?"


    The man shook his head as he denied this and spoke, "That''s not it. It''s more like insurance. To make sure that there were no troubles caused."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and it was clear from his face that he found this a bit hard to completely believe and digest.


    "If he lived, he would be able to take his brother''s place. Hence taking a title as another willow of spring and that... Was certainly not what everyone else wanted."


    "Eh?"


    "Her father was a bit different from the others. He had a brother and a sister, both of whom had become willows of spring at one point in their lives. Both of his siblings were like fire while he was more like water. Clear water that hides nothing."


    Hecathe started to understand the situation a bit but he was still not able to say that he liked what he was hearing.


    "He supported the old government. If he were to become a willow of spring, he would have surely drowned the whole system of triple rule."


    "..."


    That oddly sounded exactly like what Hecathe was planning to do.


    "So that made him a threat and he needed to be removed. I don''t know who did it but I''m sure it wasn''t a solo decision," The man added with a chuckle as if he found this story a bit funny, "Of course, his family also needed to die with him and hence his wife was killed. As for the daughter... She was lucky to have escaped. She probably has her abilities to thank for that."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and his eyes immediately widened in realization as he put the pieces together.


    LeiLei had lied to them...


    Or to be more exact, she didn''t know it herself that she was the one who saved herself.


    Her body had probably sensed danger and she teleported herself out of the danger zone.


    "She was never thrown out..." Hecathe muttered in disbelief as he looked down at the table, "She was the one who ran far away..."


    The man chuckled as he heard this and nodded as he confirmed it, "There was another body placed as a dummy. The one who did it probably didn''t want to deal with a runaway. Especially not when the runaway was such a slippery little child that could travel halfway across the globe in the blink of an eye."


    Hecathe unconsciously nodded his head as he agreed with the man. Even Hecathe would not have wanted to deal with such a kid.


    "As for the rest of the story," The man sighed as he spoke, "There''s not really anything interesting to hear about it. In the first place itself, her family''s existence was kept as a secret so even after their death, there weren''t really people mourning over such a tragedy."


    "The whole incident simply faded away...?" Hecathe questioned with a bit of hesitation.


    "That''s right," The man nodded his head as he confirmed this, "Living a life in secret and dying in secret... That was the unfortunate fate that had already been accepted by them"


    Hecathe could already guess why the man had to live in secret and that was perhaps the most disturbing thing about this situation.


    LeiLei''s father was Dorka''s twin brother and as per the rules, if any of the three willows of spring had a twin sibling, that sibling was to be killed off immediately and their body was to be burned in front of the whole city.


    "Those idiots really went out of their ways to create a rule that would come stabbing them on their backs," Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he commented.


    "Not really," The man shrugged his shoulders as he responded, "The rule is quite smartly made. A bit ruthless but still smart."


    "Hmm?"


    "With a twin in the picture, even if you were to be killed, your twin could always take your place and nobody would ever know," The man spoke with a smirk as he explained, "And there is also a possibility that the one who kills you might just be your power-hungry twin."


    Hecathe''s lips twitched as he heard this and he was clearly not amused to know this.

 Chapter 179 - Its Not A Joke.

    "With a twin in the picture, even if you were to be killed, your twin could always take your place and nobody would ever know," The man spoke with a smirk as he explained, "And there is also a possibility that the one who kills you might just be your power-hungry twin."


    Hecathe''s lips twitched as he heard this and he was clearly not amused to know this.


    "That''s some sort of a sick joke, isn''t it?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned.


    "But it''s not a joke," The man stated as he tilted his head, "Why else do you think there was such a ridiculous rule?"


    The three willows of spring were clearly power-hungry manipulators who didn''t care for anyone but themselves. The only reason why they were in power was also because of a lot of blood-shed and conflict. With all this considered, it shouldn''t have been hard to believe that they would go as far as to make such a rule, however, somehow Hecathe was still a bit shocked and disgusted.


    To love power more than one''s own blood...? It was truly a bit disgusting for Hecathe..


    "I guess I answered all your questions with that?" The man asked politely.


    "There are still two questions left," Hecathe responded with a sigh.


    "What are they?"


    "First question: Who sold you this house?"


    The man smiled as he heard this and didn''t hesitate to answer, "Dorka''s sister. After both her brother''s passed away, the house was under her name and she wasn''t a person who enjoyed secondhand things."


    "So she simply sold it away...?"


    "What else was she supposed to do with it?" The man asked with a scoff, "Was she supposed to build a barn and raise a few cattle in it...?!"


    "..."


    "What''s your next question?" The man clicked his tongue as he asked, "You said there were two, didn''t you?"


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "Second question: What is your name? And by name, I mean your real name."


    "My name" The man repeated with a small chuckle, "So you finally have time to ask such crucial details?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and didn''t bother responding to this as he simply waited for the man to answer the question.


    "You can just call me... Psion."


    "Is that your real name?" Hecathe raised his eyebrows.


    "So what if it is and what if it''s not?" The man tilted his head as he asked back.


    Hecathe opened his mouth to say something but in the blink of an eye, he was already thrown out of the house along with LeiLei and Marvin who lay unconscious on the ground.


    Hecathe closed his mouth as he gulped the words back down and sighed as he looked down at the other two.


    "You two gonna wake up anytime soon or should I just leave you behind?" Hecathe asked but it was only natural that he didn''t get a response from the two unconscious teenagers.


    "Hmm," Hecathe hummed as he waited for a minute before concluding, "Good choice. I''ll head over to the guild first."


    Hecathe didn''t hesitate to turn around as he steadily walked away from the place.


    Since the man called Psion had already thrown them out, it was clear that there was going to be no further discussion with that man today.


    "You bastard, don''t just leave us on the ground," Marvin clicked his tongue as he spoke in his groggy voice.


    The boy slowly woke up and came to his senses as he looked around in confusion.


    LeiLei also seemed to have woke up with this.


    "I''ll wait for exactly a minute," Hecathe stopped walking as he looked down at his watch and spoke.


    "Why are you in such a hurry?" LeiLei frowned as she questioned, "Don''t we still need to go inside that old house?"


    Hecathe felt his muscles tense up as he heard this and he turned around to look at LeiLei as he questioned, "You don''t remember anything?"


    LeiLei and Marvin looked at each other in confusion before they turned to Hecathe and shook their heads.


    "Is there something we must be remembering...?" Marvin asked in confusion as he tilted his head.


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and glanced back up at the old mansion that stood behind the two.


    The wall that had previously been broken by Marvin somehow fixed itself and Hecathe would have almost been willing to believe that he had been simply dreaming if it weren''t for Psion waving at him with a wicked smile as he stood behind the window.


    "That creepy psycho has quite a bit of magic tricks snuck up his sleeves," Hecathe muttered under his breath.


    "Hecathe, what''s wrong?" Marvin asked as he walked up to the man.


    "You were both being controlled," Hecathe sighed as he turned around again and continued walking, "And your one minute is up."


    LeiLei and Marvin were not only left confused but now that they had heard this, they were also left stunned.


    "Excuse me... What...?!" LeiLei reacted strongly as soon as the shock had sunk in and the girl ran after Hecathe as she anticipated an explanation.


    "Was there anything hard to understand about that?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he asked but didn''t bother waiting around for a response from the girl as he continued and explained, "Just like how he controlled you and made you hallucinate, this time he controlled you and made you do things."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and asked a bit hesitantly, "What type of things...?"


    "You made herbal tea for him and Marvin made a cup of coffee for me," Hecathe responded with a small chuckle as he honestly answered.


    "..." LeiLei came to a stop as she heard this and she was clearly not the only one who looked to be both shocked and horrified.


    "I made a... What now?!" Marvin questioned in disbelief as he raised his voice slightly.


    "Oddly enough, you have a talent in making coffee," Hecathe teased the boy and laughed at him.


    "Sir, you have got to be kidding me," LeiLei muttered as she refused to believe it, "I made herbal tea for someone... And they weren''t poisoned with it...?!"


    "..."


    It seemed that LeiLei was well aware of her cooking skills and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh about this or not.


    "Who the hell was he?!" Marvin gulped as he questioned.


    "Psion," Hecathe gave a simple response, "That''s what he claims his name to be."


    "Psion?" Marvin and LeiLei repeated in unison and it could be seen that neither of the two recognized the name.


    "Is it his real name?" LeiLei questioned.


    "Who knows?" Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he casually responded, "It doesn''t really matter cause this was the only name that he was willing to give out."


    "What about information?" Marvin asked impatiently as he leaned in closer, "Did he tell you anything about LeiLei''s parents?"


    Hecathe stopped walking as he heard this and his eyes narrowed down on LeiLei with an indecipherable expression plastered on his face.


    "What is it?" LeiLei retreated a few steps cautiously as she saw the man''s reaction, "Is there something wrong?"


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and spoke, "He told me about your parents."


    LeiLei''s eyes widened as she heard this and a mixture of feelings could be seen flashing on her face.


    "Was it really not that willow of spring?" Marvin blinked innocently as he questioned and it looked like the boy still found it hard to believe that LeiLei was not related to that man.


    Hecathe shook his head once again as he denied this and spoke, "It''s not him, but it is somehow related to him."


    "Eh...?"


    "This is not the right place to talk," Hecathe commented as he glanced around, "Even the walls might have ears."


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line as she heard this and when the girl looked around, she could indeed see a few people walking, but none of them seemed to be interested in this small group of three.


    "Then let''s go to the guild," Marvin nodded in understanding as he spoke and LeiLei immediately snapped her fingers and teleported them to the entrance of the guild.


    Hecathe was a bit surprised to see such a fast reaction from LeiLei who would usually not act on her own.


    The three entered the guild and went straight for Kelly''s office, however, instead of greeting Kelly, LeiLei threw the woman out and claimed the office for a while.


    "Speak," LeiLei demanded as she glared at Hecathe and Hecathe could see the desperation in the girl''s eyes.


    "Your father had a twin brother, did you know about it?" Instead of narrating all the details of the conversation he had with Psion or giving a clear-cut explanation to the girl, Hecathe decided to start with a question instead.


    "A twin brother...?" Marvin repeated with a bit of surprise as he immediately snapped his head towards LeiLei and looked at the girl for a confirmation.


    LeiLei''s eyes immediately widened as she heard this question and the girl was clearly feeling a little uneasy, however, she still nodded her head as she responded, "I know about that."

 Chapter 180 - The Wrong Twin...?

    "A twin brother...?" Marvin repeated with a bit of surprise as he immediately snapped his head towards LeiLei and looked at the girl for confirmation.


    LeiLei''s eyes immediately widened as she heard this question and the girl was clearly feeling a little uneasy, however, she still nodded her head as she responded, "I know about that."


    "And you didn''t care to tell us?" Hecathe tilted his head as he questioned with an unimpressed expression plastered on his face.


    "It was something that was never meant to be known by you," LeiLei sighed as she looked away and responded.


    "Because your father was supposed to die in the first place since he was Dorka''s twin brother...?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned in disbelief..


    LeiLei looked to be a bit offended as she heard this and the girl immediately shouted back, "That''s not it! My father wasn''t the one who was supposed to die!"


    "Eh...?" Hecathe''s eyebrows drew together as he heard this and the man was clearly a bit confused as he waited for the girl''s explanation.


    "Dorka was the one!" LeiLei revealed in a fit of anger and as soon as the words fell out of her mouth, she seemed to have regretted it.


    "There''s no regretting now. We are with you and not against you. If there is anyone whom you should be honest to it is us," Marvin spoke as he pursed his lips into a thin line.


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this but still looked to be reluctant.


    "He''s right," Hecathe nodded his head and agreed with Marvin as he spoke, "We are on your side so you can tell us anything that might trouble you."


    "He..." LeiLei sighed as she looked down at the ground and hesitated to speak, "My father was the one who was supposed to be the third willow of spring... He was the one who defeated the Dorgon."


    Both Hecathe and Marvin looked to be shocked as they heard this and they looked at each other just to check whether their shock was mutual or not.


    The first three willows of spring were decided by the three leaders that had ruled the rebellion and overthrown the government and after their deaths, they had no children or siblings to give down their thrones to and hence, there was a new selection process made for the next three willows of spring.


    If one could manage to defeat a Dorgon, that person would be proclaimed as the new willow of spring and if all three seats are already filled then the person would also have to fight the willow of spring whose seat he or she wants to take.


    It was a simple challenge that was not as simple to clear. There were a lot of people that had tried and most of them had also died in the process.


    Even the great Edler had died in the hands of a Dorgon so it could be clearly said that beating one was no easy task.


    "You mean to say... Dorka lied...?" Marvin questioned as he gulped in disbelief.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she confirmed this and spoke, "My father was the one who killed the Dorgon and he was the one who was supposed to be the third willow of spring but then, he didn''t want to leave me and my mother behind so he gave it up to his brother and since they looked alike, nobody suspected a thing."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he suddenly remembered the words he had heard from Psion. He had also said something along the same lines of people not realizing the difference between the real deal and the twin.


    "Dorka would actually do such a shameless thing?" Marvin questioned and not only did he sound shocked but he also sounded a bit angry and disgusted at the man.


    "Originally, my father wanted to give it up for good since he didn''t even mean to actually kill the Dorgon, but then his brother convinced him to give the chance over to him. Uncle Dorka loved power and he promised my father that we would get to live a safe and happy life."


    "LeiLei, I''m just asking this in case but... Did your father die before your uncle Dorka?" Hecathe asked as his eyes narrowed down on the girl.


    LeiLei nodded her head as she heard this, "He did."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and looked at Marvin who looked back at him. Both of them had the same thought in mind.


    There was a high chance of it being Dorka who betrayed and killed LeiLei''s father.


    He had the perfect motive to do it...


    "Are you suspecting him?" LeiLei asked as she easily guessed what the two were thinking.


    Hecathe didn''t bother lying about it as he nodded his head and answered honestly, "He''s the one with the biggest motive. If your father''s existence was to be known, he could not only lose his power but could also lose his life."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and the girl clearly didn''t agree with Hecathe on this, "I don''t believe it. If he had wanted to kill my father, he would have already done it early on. Why would he wait?"


    "Maybe something pushed him to do it," Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he guessed and although he had only said this casually, Hecathe seemed to have found this a bit possible.


    "That could fit the picture," Hecathe muttered as he gulped, "If someone else found out and threatened him, would it not push him to get rid of the danger...?"


    "Hecathe, I don''t think this case is going to be that simple," Marvin sighed as he spoke.


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he responded rather enthusiastically, "That is exactly why this may be the case. Sometimes, the more complicated a case seems, the more simple it actually is."


    "Then how do you explain Asgarian leading my mother to her death?" LeiLei frowned as she questioned, "He was the one that came to give her the news of my father''s death and she decided to follow him to my father."


    "LeiLei..." Hecathe muttered as he looked at the girl with a little bit of sympathy and asked, "Are you sure you remember everything?"


    "Eh...?" LeiLei unconsciously took a step back as she heard this question.


    "LeiLei, were you thrown out of your house, or did you run away on your own...?" Hecathe rephrased the question and asked straightforwardly.


    According to the information given by Psion, it was clear the latter was the real scenario, however, Hecathe still wanted to check this with LeiLei cause he wouldn''t want to believe a man whom he had only met once over a girl that he has been watching and living with for more than a month.


    LeiLei gulped as she opened her mouth to say something, but before any words could roll out of her tongue, the girl immediately closed her mouth and it seemed like she was suddenly thinking about something.


    "I ran away...?" LeiLei questioned herself as she tried to remember the past that she had tried hard to forget.


    "LeiLei, let me make this easier for you," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, "The one who killed your parents would have killed you as well and nobody would have simply abandoned a kid like you on the road. The reason you are still alive is probably because you ran away from there. You saw something, didn''t you? To be more exact, you saw a person that was trying to kill you."


    "And I closed my eyes..." LeiLei muttered as she completed Hecathe''s sentence and continued with a surprised expression, "I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. I acted as if it was a dream because I really wanted it to be nothing more than a dream and then... It became a dream..."


    Marvin was perhaps the only one who felt lost and confused as he heard this.


    "You closed your eyes and fell asleep. When you woke up, you were already out of danger and alone... On the streets of Ocasia," Hecathe spoke as he guessed the rest of it, "You wanted it to be nothing more than a dream and your brain made sure that you remembered it as nothing more than a dream."


    LeiLei gulped as she heard this and nodded her head.


    She had some blurry memories about this and now that Hecathe had pointed this out, the girl was sure that what she had seen was not just a dream.


    "LeiLei, you have been lying to us," Hecathe shook his head in disappointment as he spoke up, "You know exactly who the killer is. The reason why you didn''t look for revenge till now was not because you don''t know that person, it was because you don''t want to believe that it is that person... Isn''t that right?"


    "B-But it wasn''t uncle Dorka!" The girl still defended the man as she spoke, "It was a mecha-suit!"


    "No," Hecathe was also stubborn as he replied almost immediately, "It was someone you knew and that person was pretending to be a mecha-suit."


    "Aaaaaaa!" LeiLei suddenly screamed as she covered her ears and crouched down to the ground, "I don''t know! I don''t know! Stop it! Leave me alone!"


    Somehow, Hecathe had touched a triggering topic that managed to break LeiLei down.

 Chapter 181 - Hecathe Is Clearly Angry...

    "Aaaaaaa!" LeiLei suddenly screamed as she covered her ears and crouched down to the ground, "I don''t know! I don''t know! Stop it! Leave me alone!"


    Somehow, Hecathe had managed to touch a triggering topic that managed to break LeiLei down.


    LeiLei knew the murderer and there was no doubt about that, but for some reason, the girl refused to say anything and it almost seemed as if she didn''t even believe her own memories.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head in disappointment, "If that''s how you want to be, there''s nothing I can do about it. You are better off forgetting the whole thing and don''t you dare speak a word about avenging your folks again."


    Hecathe didn''t bother waiting for a response from the girl nor did he ask any further questions as he left LeiLei alone and turned around, walking towards the door.


    "That''s really it...?" Marvin asked with a bit of confusion and shock as he looked at Hecathe. He was sure Hecathe was the type of person who would normally pressure a person till he got the answers that he wanted, but it seemed that Hecathe was not being that forceful towards LeiLei..


    Hecathe nodded his head and said nothing as he opened the door.


    "The hell is going on?!" Kelly immediately shouted as she folded her hands in front of her and glared at Hecathe who had just opened the door, "Did you three throw me out of my own office?!"


    "Good morning, Miss Kelly," Hecathe greeted the woman with a nod and simply walked away without saying anything more.


    "..." Kelly pursed her lips into a thin line and looked to be unhappy as she glared at the man''s moving back, "What happened to him...??"


    "He''s probably not in a good mood," Marvin shrugged his shoulders as he spoke casually, "By the way, you look lovely today as well, Miss Kelly."


    Kelly''s frown deepened as she heard this and she opened her mouth to say something but instead of waiting around to listen, Marvin head out and followed after Hecathe.


    Now LeiLei was the only one who was left behind in the office and this made her the one who was scolded by the woman, which was a bit fair considering the fact that she was the one who had thrown Kelly out of her own office.


    Hecathe and Marvin went down to the mutant cave and for the first time, Hecathe actually fought the mutants instead of ordering them to give up their mutant beads.


    Marvin was shocked and speechless as he saw Hecathe beating the mutants bare-handed.


    No matter how amazing a person was, they would certainly not be able to beat such vicious creatures like this.


    Even Marvin wouldn''t be able to do something like this so it was truly a bit amazing to watch this scene.


    It seemed that Hecathe was really not in a good mood today...


    When their time was up and they went back to hand in the mutant beads, Hecathe simply decided to go for another round and went into another mutant cave.


    Since Marvin hadn''t really fought the mutants yet, he wasn''t tired, but he was worried that the same could not be said about Hecathe.


    Hecathe''s forehead was completely covered with sweat and his back was also drenched in it, however, he still claimed to have a lot of energy left.


    The girl in charge of sending them to the mutant cave looked at Hecathe in shock and worry, however, since he was the one requesting this, she naturally had no objections.


    Marvin also followed Hecathe and once again, he saw the man fighting the mutants with his bare hands.


    The mutants obeyed Hecathe and because Hecathe ordered them to attack him, they certainly didn''t hold back on their attacks.


    Marvin had his saber out just in case things went south, but thankfully enough, it looked like the mutants were simply no match for Hecathe who had a lot of tricks up his sleeves.


    After a few minutes, their time was up once again and they were sent back to the guild.


    "Are you done now or do you still have some energy left to burn?" Marvin asked as he raised his eyebrows.


    "Once more," Hecathe muttered as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.


    "..."


    It almost felt as if Hecathe had gone crazy... There was no other explanation to it...


    After another few rounds, Hecathe looked as if he was ready to pass out and even then, he didn''t want to stop, hence, Marvin had to force him to stop.


    "Take it easy," Marvin sighed as he looked at the man, "You''re going to make the mutants go extinct if you keep this up."


    Hecathe looked down at his hands that were all cut up and dirty. Just making a fist seemed to hurt him, but he was still not satisfied.


    "What''s gotten into you?" Marvin asked in disbelief.


    "I want to get better," Hecathe spoke and Marvin blinked innocently as he wondered if he had heard it right or not.


    "Eh...?"


    "I want to get stronger," Hecathe rephrased it and repeated a bit louder and this time, Marvin was sure that he had heard it right.


    "..."


    It was the first time Hecathe was indirectly claiming to be weak and Marvin didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh about this or not.


    "So you think that you''re not already strong enough...?" Marvin gulped as he hesitantly asked.


    Hecathe gritted his teeth and looked to be a bit offended as he heard this but instead of snapping at the boy, he actually nodded his head and accepted it as he spoke, "I need to be stronger."


    "But why...?" Marvin asked as he tilted his head in confusion.


    He simply could not understand what suddenly inspired Hecathe to be like this.


    "Marvin, I''m going to bring down the three willows of spring," Hecathe stated firmly and Marvin had to once again check whether he was hearing this right or not.


    "You mean to say...?" The boy didn''t even dare complete that question as he simply waited for an explanation from Hecathe.


    "The three willows of spring are in this together," Hecathe spoke and Marvin''s eyes widened slightly as he heard this.


    "What?"


    "Why do you think they were so eager to frame Alphius and execute him as soon as your father was killed?" Hecathe asked as he side-glanced at the boy.


    "..." Previously, they had only suspected Asgarian but now that Hecathe had said this, Marvin couldn''t help but think about it a bit deeper and grow even more suspicious.


    "I''m sorry for hiding it from you," Hecathe sighed as he apologized and this was a bit of a surprise since it wasn''t every day that Marvin got to see this man apologizing, "I suspected it since the beginning but you looked to be sure that it was Asgarian and I simply thought everything would somehow work out and the truth would eventually reveal itself."


    "But now that I think about it," Hecathe shook his head with a bit of disappointment as he spoke, "I might have been wrong."


    "How can you be sure?" Marvin asked with a frown as his eyes narrowed down on the man.


    "Because they are the three willows of spring. They are only strong together and a single willow is only as good as being killed by Alphius. Dorka wasn''t killed because he was weak. He was killed because he acted alone and provoked Alphius first."


    "But that proves nothing," Marvin immediately responded as he still refused to completely accept this as a fact.


    "It proves quite a lot actually," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Even back then, Asgarian was there to kill LeiLei''s father, and even now, he dares to murder the great Orgon. The case back then was covered up simply because the victim was a person who was not very known. However, Orgon was someone who was widely known and famous but even his case was not solved properly but was simply rushed over."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and didn''t dare say anything to that.


    "Do you think the other two willows are nothing more than dumb figureheads?" Hecathe questioned as he raised his eyebrows, "There is nothing in this city that they do not know and perhaps there are many things that only they know."


    "So... This was why you wanted to start a war...?" Marvin asked and Hecathe let out a small dry chuckle as he heard this.


    "Why would I start a war for your father? I''ve never even met that man," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he responded a bit too casually, "The three willows of spring annoy me and that''s why I wanted to send them to hell. Coincidently enough, they just happened to be deserving of that."


    "..."


    "You look like you want to punch me," Hecathe commented as he pursed his lips into a thin smile.


    "You are good at reading people," Marvin responded without missing a beat.

 Chapter 182 - Do You Want To Tell Me The Truth Now?

    When Hecathe and Marvin went back home, LeiLei was already waiting for Hecathe back in his room and he seemed to have already expected this.


    "What? Do you wanna tell me the truth now?" Hecathe questioned with a frown and the girl shook her head as she heard this.


    "Then get out," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke rather coldly and rudely, "I have nothing to discuss with you. I hired you for a job and that will be the only thing that we need to be concerned about."


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and didn''t look to be very happy with Hecathe''s reaction.


    The Dorgon who was woken up by the noise looked at the two people in surprise as this was certainly the first time that he was seeing Hecathe seriously being mad at the girl.


    Hecathe huffed as he walked over towards his desk and took off his mask and cloak before sitting down.


    "Why are you still here?" The man clicked his tongue as he questioned.


    "Sir... I wanted to ask you a question," LeiLei sighed as she spoke and although Hecathe was not in a really good mood today, he still decided to hear her question.


    "What is it?"


    "What would you do if you were in my shoes...?" LeiLei asked without any hesitations as she raised her head and curiously looked at Hecathe.


    "Me?" Hecathe responded with a dry chuckle, "I''d probably let the police and law handle it."


    "Eh?" The girl titled her head in confusion but before she could ask anything, Hecathe continued.


    "However, if the perpetrator is the one controlling the laws, I''d probably start a manhunt and go looking for justice."


    "..."


    "After all, you can''t always depend on the laws to save you and give you justice, can you?" Hecathe added.


    "Then what if I was the one that betrayed you...?" LeiLei gulped as she asked while looking straight into Hecathe''s eyes.


    "I don''t like liars nor do I like being betrayed," Hecathe spoke with a thin smile as he avoided giving a direct answer to that question.


    "So it doesn''t matter if I''m close to you or not? You''ll still want to seek revenge?" The girl asked in disbelief and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a little amused by her words.


    "LeiLei, did you betray me?" Hecathe asked with a small smirk that was barely visible on his face.


    LeiLei pursed her lips into a thin line and looked down at the ground as she shook her head, "That''s not it."


    "Then did you get betrayed by such a person?" Hecathe asked without missing a beat.


    This time, LeiLei was a bit reluctant as she stayed silent and gave no response.


    Hecathe sighed as he folded his arms in front of him and spoke, "Look, I don''t mean to act as if you''re the one in the wrong but... You should know that the moment someone decided to betray you, they are no longer someone you should be trusting."


    LeiLei gulped as she nodded her head in understanding.


    "Do you want to tell me now?" Hecathe tilted his head as he asked, "Who is the one that tried to kill you, LeiLei?"


    LeiLei shook her head without any hesitation as she still didn''t give up the answer to that question, "I don''t know."


    It was clear that she knew but Hecathe only clicked his tongue and didn''t bother trying to force her to answer.


    "Alright then, you can leave," Hecathe spoke with a bit of disappointment clearly evident in his tone, "Come back when you actually remember the person."


    "..."


    This time, LeiLei nodded her head and left the place as she didn''t bother Hecathe anymore.


    Once the girl was out the door, the Dorgon immediately turned to look at Hecathe in surprise as he asked, "What was that? Why are you guys fighting? I thought you and the witch were getting along pretty well."


    "Eggy, do you feel like she''s suspicious?" Hecathe asked as he leaned back on the Dorgon that was sitting behind him.


    "Haven''t I been saying that since the start?" The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he responded.


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and nodded his head with a sigh, "That''s right. You''ve been cautious of her since day one."


    "Because she is powerful," The Dorgon spoke with a sigh as well.


    "But she acts weak," Hecathe added and the Dorgon once again nodded his head as he agreed.


    "You''re probably the only one who would trust a person like her."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    To say that Hecathe trusted her... He no longer knew if this would be true or not.


    ''Cause he knew the moment he saw her that she was a person who would only be worth trusting if she trusted him back. In all honesty, in the beginning, he trusted her greed more than her as a person.


    However, now that he got to know the girl better, he could no longer trust her greed that much.


    "Master, by the way, I''m feeling hungry," The Dorgon gulped as he spoke and Hecathe looked at him in disbelief.


    "Ya know, it''s getting harder to keep your stomach happy," Hecathe sighed as he shook his head.


    "I''m a growing child!" The Dorgon defended himself, "And in any case, wouldn''t I be of more value to you if I am strong and well-fed?"


    "..." Hecathe was a bit speechless as he heard this but he still nodded his head as he responded, "You''re right. Having more healthy meat by the side is always good."


    The Dorgon repeated Hecathe''s words in his head and it took more than a minute for him to understand what Hecathe had just said and by the time that he had understood it, Hecathe had already gotten up and gone downstairs to get some food for the creature.


    .


    .


    .


    The next day, Hecathe woke up early and knocked on Marvin''s door without any prior information.


    Marvin was still sleeping and it took him a few minutes to completely wake up as he walked over towards the door and opened it for Hecathe.


    "What are you doing here?" Marvin asked with a frown as he looked at the man in disbelief.


    "I''ll be going now," Hecathe sighed as he informed and Marvin looked to be a bit confused as he heard this.


    "What do you mean? Where are you going?" The boy asked as the frown on his face deepened.


    "Zeblor," Hecathe responded and Marvin looked to be a little shocked.


    "What...?!" Marvin was now fully awake as his eyes opened up wide and he stared at Hecathe, waiting for an explanation.


    "Everything is set," Hecathe smiled as he spoke, "Yesterday night, I talked to a person that I trust and she informed me that the mecha-suits are already on the move. They have started infiltrating Zeblor and it won''t be long before we get to execute our plan."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and the boy would certainly be lying if he said that he wasn''t a bit worried about all of this.


    "I''ll go to Zeblor first and check out the situation there. I need to get in contact with the mecha-suits or our plan might be in danger."


    "Then what about us?" Marvin asked as he innocently tilted his head in confusion.


    "You''ll stay behind and deal with the things here."


    "But isn''t it too early for you to get arrested? Your trial is already over and there won''t be another one so they''ll execute you the moment they find you."


    Hecathe shook his head with a small chuckle as he heard this, "I only said I''ll be going to Zeblor now. I never said anything about getting arrested just yet."


    Since there was nothing further that he needed to do in Ocasia, Hecathe felt that it was a perfect moment to go and get a few things done in Zeblor.


    "What about the guild and Kelly? Are they not going to get suspicious?"


    "I''ll be relying on you for that. Just come up with some kind of lie. Tell her that I got fatally wounded or something," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he spoke.


    "..."


    "I''ll be going now," Hecathe spoke with a small smile and Marvin said nothing more as he simply nodded his head in understanding.


    Zeblor wasn''t too far away and Hecathe had expected it to be easy to get there, but surprisingly enough, after the last time when he caused trouble with the guards and the mutants, this time, the city had strengthened the outer circle guards and it was almost impossible to get inside without permission.


    "Master, what do we do now?" The Dorgon asked as he side-glanced at Hecathe.


    The Dorgon was great at camouflaging himself and hence, he blended in well with the background which made him almost invisible if it weren''t for his bright eyes that seemed to be floating in mid-air.


    Hecathe sighed as he looked up at the sky and spoke, "There is only one way to get inside."

 Chapter 183 - The Ruined Zeblor

    Hecathe got on top of the Dorgon and the Dorgon used his ability to make Hecathe invisible from the naked eye as well.


    The Dorgon avoided the guards by flying up and Hecathe also helped break the barrier as the two entered the city of Zeblor.


    "Where do you want to go?" The Dorgon asked as he flew a few rounds around the parameters of the city.


    "That way," Hecathe pointed down at the destroyed part of the city as he spoke, "Let that be the base."


    The Dorgon nodded his head and let out a loud breath as he flapped his magestic wings and headed back down to the ground.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel that it had suddenly become a little cold.


    It was usually said that the higher you go, the colder you''d feel, but for some reason, right now, the situation seemed to have reversed.


    The more they got closer to the ground, the colder it felt and the air also seemed to have gotten a bit heavier..


    "Hold on tight," The Dorgon warned as it opened its wings wide and landed on the ground with a loud thud that was enough to send the dust flying around.


    Hecathe coughed a few times as he waved his hands in front of his face and got down from the Dorgon.


    "So this is the remaining ruins of the great ancient Zeblor?" Hecathe muttered a question to himself.


    "I would hate to admit it but the ancient Zeblor was truly something great. It''s a pity that the same can''t be said now," The Dorgon commented with a sigh as he folded his wings back.


    "But who knows? Maybe in the future, this place may return to the glory it used to once bath in," Hecathe commented with a sigh.


    The Dorgon let out a small chuckle as he heard this and nodded his head, "If you let the great emperor rule these lands, I promise to return it to its former glory."


    "Are you sure you want to rule a land that is going to be filled with humans?" Hecathe asked sarcastically.


    "On second thoughts, you''d better find someone else to play the new ruler."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but laugh as he heard this.


    In all honesty, Hecathe had planned to destroy the three willows of spring and their government, but he was yet to decide anything further than that.


    If he was truly successful, there would arise a need for a new ruler and the man was still not sure who could fill that place.


    "Why don''t you become the new ruler?" The Dorgon asked curiously, "You love controlling people, don''t you?"


    Hecathe scoffed as he heard this, "Are you cursing me to be trapped here forever?"


    "Eh...?"


    "I still have to go back. My mother is still at the hospital and I did a really idiotic thing that needs to be fixed."


    "An idiotic thing?" The Dorgon repeated with a bit of surprise, "What is it?"


    "I made a will and handed over the company to a friend without informing him," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "It was supposed to be in case of my death and I didn''t expect to die this soon."


    Hecathe and the Dorgon had already talked about Hecathe''s past so the Dorgon was well aware of the fact that Hecathe wasn''t actually from this world and was merely a soul from another world that was living here inside a different body.


    "I bet he''d be mad," Hecathe spoke with a small chuckle, "He hates troublesome things and I wanted to trouble him a little so I made the will for fun."


    "And now you regret it?" The Dorgon asked curiously.


    Hecathe stopped laughing as he heard this question and shook his head as he seriously responded, "I am not married and I don''t have any plans of marriage either. I''m the only child of the family so I don''t think there would be anyone in the family that I can entrust my company to. So even if I hadn''t done it for fun, I would have still written the same will in the future as well."


    "What''s the name of your friend?"


    "Azazel," Hecathe responded with a small smile as he remembered the annoying dude who was one of his only friends back in his real world.


    "It''s a unique name," The Dorgon commented and Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with him.


    "But it suits him," Hecathe added.


    "If you get to go back, are you going to tell him about your life here?"


    Hecathe thought about it carefully before he answered, "I might tell him, but I don''t think he would be believing me. He might even slap me and take me to the psychiatrist."


    "Sounds like he''s a good friend," The Dorgon imagined Hecathe being slapped by another man and he couldn''t help but laugh as he found it a bit too ridiculous.


    "He''s the only one who would dare to hit me," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "But now I kinda miss that bastard and his annoying ass personality."


    "I''m sure he doesn''t miss you at all," The Dorgon smiled as he spoke.


    "..." Hecathe immediately glared at the Dorgon.


    "Ah! My tongue slipped! I meant to say that I''m sure he''d also miss you," The Dorgon corrected his words as he chuckled awkwardly.


    There was no tongue slip and Hecathe clearly knew this.


    "Let''s go," Hecathe started walking first as he sighed and the Dorgon readily nodded his head as he followed after the man.


    Since this land was the remaining ruins of the great old city of Zeblor, there weren''t any guards stationed around.


    There were still patrol guards that would come to check up every few hours but they were easy to fool.


    Hecathe went inside a big empty building that seemed to have once been a spacious apartment and sat down as he closed his eyes and started contacting all the mutants that were nearby.


    At first, the Dorgon thought Hecathe was simply resting and hence he said nothing but when the first mutant popped up out of nowhere, the Dorgon immediately understood that Hecathe was not sleeping.


    "What the hell?! Get these disgusting bugs away!" The Dorgon shouted with disgust and Hecathe only chuckled as he turned a deaf ear to the Dorgon.


    The Dorgon was left helpless and he cautiously ran back and hid behind Hecathe, using the man as a barrier to keep all the mutants away.


    When Hecathe was done contacting all the mutants that were around, he looked to be a little disappointed as he muttered, "Only two hundred and thirteen..."


    "Eh?" The Dorgon looked at the man in disbelief.


    "That''s the number of mutants that are inside Zeblor," Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he explained, "It seems that the border security of this place is doing a really good job. They managed to keep most of the mutants away."


    There were more than thousands of mutants waiting outside in the forest but none of them could enter Zeblor without any outside assistance.


    The two hundred and thirteen mutants that had somehow managed to survive in this place were now all gathered up in front of Hecathe and the Dorgon looked to be thoroughly disgusted by them.


    "What are you planning to do with so many of them?" The Dorgon asked as the corners of his lips twitched.


    "An army," Hecathe sighed as he answered the question honestly.


    "Huh?"


    "An army of mutants," Hecathe spoke with a small smile that almost looked wicked under the dull light that peeked through the cracks between the walls.


    "Didn''t you come here to contact the mecha-suits?" The Dorgon asked in confusion.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he heard this, "That''s right."


    "The mecha-suits are never going to work together with the mutants."


    Hecathe nodded his head once again as he agreed, "That''s right."


    "Then what the hell are you planning?"


    "If we are going against all three of the willows, the mecha-suits aren''t going to be enough. Although they are powerful, there is a reason why they are still not trying to overthrow the three willows of spring. I don''t know anything about the abilities of the three willows but if I''m guessing it right, their abilities are not something that we can take lightly. After all, they did beat a Dorgon before they inherited the title."


    "..."


    "Actually even with the mutants on our side, I am still not sure whether we''d be successful or not but the chances of winning would greatly increase," Hecathe continued with a sigh, "But we would need more mutants. LeiLei can help by using her ability to get the mutants in here but I have already tested her and her ability seems to have a limit. We can''t depend on her with this."


    "Then what are you going to do?" The Dorgon asked as he felt a little amused.


    "We''ll need to break the barrier somehow," Hecathe spoke as he responded, "Just a small opening in it would be more than enough to let the mutants infiltrate this place."

 Chapter 184 - The Dorgons Adventure

    "We''ll need to break the barrier somehow," Hecathe spoke as he responded, "Just a small opening in it would be more than enough to let the mutants infiltrate this place."


    The illusion barrier was not created in a day or two and the ones who had created it are probably not even alive anymore.


    To break something that had been in existence for so long... It was certainly not going to be easy.


    "It''s impossible for a human to break it," Hecathe sighed as he spoke and the Dorgon seemed to have understood the deeper meaning behind his words..


    "You want me to break it, don''t you?" The Dorgon asked in disbelief and Hecathe simply smiled as he nodded his head enthusiastically.


    "You''re the only one that can do it," Hecathe commented as he looked at the Dorgon expectantly.


    The Dorgon sighed as he shook his head, "I don''t like this idea but I''ll help you since you saved this emperor''s life."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this and nodded his head in satisfaction as he spoke, "I knew it was a good idea to save you."


    "That''s probably the only reason that is stopping me from killing you," The Dorgon responded with a sigh and Hecathe chuckled as he heard this.


    Thankfully enough, Dorgons were not as heartless as everyone considered them to be. They were creatures that were honest to their feelings and would always repay someone who helped them.


    That night, Hecathe slept at the empty abandoned building with the mutants keeping a watch for him and the Dorgon left to patrol the outskirts of the city.


    In order to open a small hole in the barrier, he first needed to find an area that had the least amount of guards stationed around.


    Because of the recent mutant attack that was caused by Hecathe, the guards stationed around had increased and it was quite difficult to find a weak spot anymore.


    However, after flying in circles for twenty minutes or so, the Dorgon was finally able to find a place that looked to be a little less guarded.


    The Dorgon landed on the ground and the three guards that were stationed at the place immediately got stunned by the presence of the creature.


    "Don''t take this personal," The Dorgon spoke even though he knew that the men could not hear him.


    In the very next minute, without even letting the guards get a chance to react, The Dorgon opened his mouth and smoke started coming out.


    When the three guards took in the smoke, they immediately passed out and the Dorgon inhaled back all the smoke.


    Now that he had immobilized the guards, the next step was to make a hole in the barrier.


    This was going to be a bit tricky considering the fact that it was the first time the Dorgon was trying something like this.


    But since he was inside the barrier and not outside it, things became a bit easier.


    The Dorgon first tried to attack the barrier with fire but when that didn''t seem to work, he tried to attack it with ice, however, that method also failed.


    The barrier would certainly open up for a few seconds if he attacked it fiercely, however, the barrier would also heal itself just as soon and it was nothing more than a waste of the Dorgon''s energy.


    "I''m not even getting paid for this," The Dorgon sighed as he commented to himself and tried to come up with a different method.


    Perhaps breaking the barrier completely was much easier than making a hole in it since, in order to break it, he would just need to find the powering object of the barrier and break it.


    Even Hecathe might not have been able to make a hole in this barrier


    At this point, the Dorgon wondered if there was another way of making a gap without breaking the barrier.


    The creature looked around helplessly and suddenly, an Idea seemed to have struck his mind.


    A hole without a barrier... A rabbit hole!


    At the end of the day, this hole was needed to let the mutants enter and those disgusting creatures only needed a hole as small as a rabbit hole in order to crawl in here.


    With this sudden idea in mind, the Dorgon took a deep breath in and transformed itself into a small rabbit.


    A transformation took a lot of energy and the Dorgon preferred to avoid it most of the time but at the moment, he felt like this was the fastest method.


    As a rabbit, the disguised Dorgon began digging a deep hole in the ground that went a bit deeper than a normal rabbit hole.


    He did this simply for a sense of security.


    As long as it was deep enough, it would also be secure enough and could not be easily covered up once again.


    After successfully creating a hole through the ground, the rabbit went back to the building where Hecathe was and transformed back into a Dorgon.


    The Dorgon seemed to be excited to tell Hecathe the good news but when the creature saw the man sleeping, he felt like he shouldn''t be disturbing him, and hence he decided to explore the city a bit.


    Dorgons were really mysterious and amazing creatures that retained the memories of their previous life. This was one of the reasons why they were so knowledgeable since their birth.


    This particular Dorgon had once come to the ancient Zeblor a long long time ago and since then, he had never got another chance to explore the newly built Zeblor.


    The last memory he had of the place took place approximately two hundred years ago and that was clearly quite a long time ago.


    With a sigh, the Dorgon transformed himself into a human. To be more exact, he transformed himself into a kid who was barely two feet in height.


    He borrowed Hecathe''s cape for some time and transformed it into a clothing article that could be worn by him since humans really liked to cloth themselves.


    As a little human child, the Dorgon went out and ventured towards the bustling main part of the city.


    The first place the Dorgon decided to visit was, expectedly, a restaurant.


    He pushed the door open with a wide smile on his face and walked inside the restaurant as if he owned the place.


    "I would like you to serve me your finest dish with a lot of meat!" He announced enthusiastically as if he were giving an order to the workers there.


    A kind waitress walked over to the little kid and chuckled as she crouched down to reach his level, "Are you lost, child?"


    When the waitress looked at the clothes worn by the child, she could see that although the design was a bit weird, the fabric used was pretty expensive and rare, so she concluded that he must be some rich man''s son who ran away from home and got lost.


    "I''m here for the food. You should be the one getting lost," The Dorgon responded as he clicked his tongue in annoyance and the waitress chuckled as she found him cute for having such a big personality.


    "I see. You must be really hungry," The waitress beamed, "Why don''t we get you some food and wait for your parents to come and pick you up?"


    "Tch- If my parents come here, you might have to say goodbye to your little establishment."


    "..."


    The woman started to rethink her decision of considering the child ''cute''.


    This child didn''t have a big personality, he just had a rude and bratty personality!


    "Then do you have any money to buy food?" The woman asked with a thin smile as she stopped being extra polite to the child.


    "Money?" The Dorgon repeated as he tilted his head in confusion.


    "Well, Yes. If you want to eat the food here, you''ll need to pay for it as well."


    "I see," The Dorgon nodded in understanding before he spoke, "I have enough money to buy this entire restaurant so you don''t need to worry about that."


    The waitress looked to be a little surprised as she heard this and in normal conditions, she would probably recheck whether the child really had the money or not but since this child was having such a big confidence and ego, the woman concluded that there was probably no need to recheck with him.


    In the worst-case scenario, if he didn''t have money, she could always contact his parents and make them pay.


    "Then please follow me," The waitress smiled as she lead the way to an empty table and took his orders.


    "This is the menu. You can order anything on it," The waitress explained as she handed the menu over to the child.


    "Don''t bother me with such things," The Dorgon took a sharp breath in as he threw the menu away, "Get me your best dish with a lot of meat. Don''t forget to put in a variety of meat and I prefer to eat it raw."


    "..."

 Chapter 185 - Raw Meat!

    "Don''t bother me with such things," The Dorgon took a sharp breath in as he threw the menu away, "Get me your best dish with a lot of meat. Don''t forget to put in a variety of meat and I prefer to eat it raw."


    "..." The waitress looked at him with her lips pursed together into a thin line as she heard this.


    "I''ll give you ten minutes," The Dorgon added strictly as he looked at the woman.


    "Uh... I''ll get right to it, Sir."


    Although the waitress was a bit too surprised by the boy''s behavior, a customer was still a customer, disregarding of the age, and hence, the waitress got moving as she went back and gave the order to the chefs.


    The Dorgon waited for exactly ten minutes and shockingly enough, the waitress was able to bring out the food at the right moment.


    "Here you go, Sir."


    The Dorgon looked down at the huge chicken that was roasted whole and was seasoned with unknown herbs and spices. Another plate containing a rare steak sat right beside the roasted chicken and this was probably because he had asked the waitress to get him something a bit raw.


    "Just as you had ordered," The waitress spoke with a warm smile as she looked at the child.


    She had expected there to be at least a smile on the child''s face, but unexpectedly enough, there was a frown instead.


    "Don''t you have anything more raw? Why are you people ruining such good juicy meat?" The Dorgon scolded the women as he started criticizing the food.


    "Raw?" The woman repeated as she gulped and tilted her head in confusion, "I''m afraid I don''t quite understand you, Sir."


    "What is there to understand about raw meat?" The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he questioned in annoyance.


    The waitress pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded her head in understanding as she tried her best not to complain or fight with such a small child.


    "Alright, Sir. I''ll bring you something else right away," The waitress spoke as she got ready to take the food away but was immediately stopped by the Dorgon.


    "Where are you taking this?" The Dorgon questioned unhappily as he spoke, "Since you have already prepared it, I might as well eat it. Just leave it behind."


    The waitress smiled as she heard this and nodded her head as she left the food behind and left once again. If anyone else were to see the expression on her face, they would be clearly able to tell that she was cursing the little brat in her head.


    The Dorgon gulped back his saliva as he looked at the meat that looked weird and yet delicious at the same time.


    This time, the waitress only took five minutes to come back with a new dish filled with food, however, by the time she was back, the Dorgon was already done with the previous two dishes and had left nothing more than bone on the plate.


    The waitress blinked in surprise as she saw this.


    "You have quite the appetite it seems," The woman chuckled as she commented and the Dorgon gave no response to this.


    "Well I hope you have some room for more cause I have brought you the rawest meat that we have," The waitress sighsed as she added.


    The Dorgon looked at the raw meat that was not even cooked and had just been coated with a bit of seasoning.


    "Finally!" He exclaimed happily and there was finally a huge smile on his face which left the waitress wondering if he was still a human kid or not.


    No human kid would ever smile and be this excited about seeing raw meat of some dead animal, unless of course, that child was a psychopath in the making.


    The waitress stood by the side and her eyes seemed to twitch as she saw the child happily chomping on the raw meat that still had some blood on it.


    The Dorgon was extremely fast with eating even though he was still in his child form and the sight of him eating was extremely unusual, horrifying and fascinating at the same time for the waitress who couldn''t take her eyes away from the kid.


    In mere five minutes, the Dorgon was once again done eating and by the time he was done, the waitress already had her jaw dropped.


    "That was quite a satisfying meal," The Dorgon spoke with a soft chuckle as he nodded his head in satisfaction.


    "C-can I get you anything more?" The waitress gulped as she immediately closed her mouth and stuttered as she questioned.


    "I am already full. No need for anything more," The Dorgon spoke and it was soon followed by a burp as well which made the waitress awkwardly chuckle.


    "Then I''ll get you the bill."


    The waitress took a few minutes to bring him a slip of paper that was supposed to be the bill and even without looking at the bill, the Dorgon took out a pure mutant bead from his pocket and handed it to the woman as he asked, "Would this be alright?"


    "..."


    To say that the waitress was once again shocked would certainly be an understatement. The woman''s eyes widened and it looked like she had a hard time believing whether this was reality or just a dream.


    "Well?" The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he glared at the woman and waited.


    The waitress gulped as she immediately took the mutant bead and nodded her head, "This would be more than enough but..."


    "But?"


    "Would your parents be okay with this? Would you not get in trouble for it?" The woman asked with a bit of worry and the Dorgon chuckled softly as he shook his head.


    Since he had taken these mutant beads from Hecathe''s pocket, the face of the man suddenly popped up in his head and he was able to confidently speak,  "Father already has a lot of those lying around so there is nothing to worry about. He won''t even notice a few missing ones."


    He was not wrong in thinking like this since Hecathe really didn''t have a count for all the mutant beads that he carried.


    The woman gulped as she heard this and it seemed that she was once again able to confirm that this was certainly not just an average child and instead, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.


    "Then, do come again!" The waitress beamed as she bowed in gratitude, "We''ll always keep your favourite raw meat ready."


    "You can rest assured, I won''t be coming again," The Dorgon smiled as he spoke enthusiastically and the way he had said it made the waitred double-check whether she had heard it right or not.


    The Dorgon hopped down from the chair since the chair was a bit too tall for him and he quietly made his way to the door as he got ready to leave the place, leaving a stunned and confused waitress behind with a pure mutant bead tightly clutched in her hands.


    Once the Dorgon was out of the restaurant, he decided to really go around and explore the place.


    There were a lot of eye-catching things for him. A lot of flashy lights and a lot of shouting humans, both of which would attract the attention of a real human child. However, since this child was nothing more than a Dorgon in disguise, he was not attracted by any of it.


    The Dorgons would normally find humans disgusting and some would even argue that they outrightly hated human kind, however, this was clearly not entirely true.


    The only reason why the Dorgon''s hated humans was because humans would usually go to a Dorgon''s den and attack the innocent creature for fun and for sport.


    If the Dorgons were to do the same to humans, even humans would start to hate the mere name of the creature.


    Harrassing someone in his own home was clearly not something polite.


    The Dorgon was actually quite surprised to see that now he had transformed himself into a human child, people actually spoke politely to him and treated him nicely which would have not been the case if he had come here in his natural Dorgon form.


    This sudden change brought a fresh kind of feeling to him and surprisingly enough, the Dorgon was having fun as he explored the city.


    Well... It was fun until he bumped against a mecha-suit.


    "Get out of my way, you big piece of nut!" The Dorgon immediately snapped as he glared at the mecha-suit who was five times his size.


    The mecha-suit didn''t even budge as he heard this and simple glanced down at the little child.


    "Can''t you hear me?!" The Dorgon questioned as his eyebrows creased together angrily.


    The mecha-suit tilted his head as he heard this and took a minute to react, but his reaction was clearly not something that the Dorgon had expected.


    The mecha-suit crouched down and picked the child up by the back collar.


    "What are you?" The mecha-suit questioned as he looked at the Dorgon with great interest.

 Chapter 186 - Where The Hell Did He Go?!

    A mutant dragged his tongue across Hecathe''s face as it woke the man up with a lick.


    "What the-?" Hecathe opened his eyes in confusion as he looked at the creature in disgust and questioned, "Did you just lick me?"


    The mutant nodded its head as it confidently confirmed and it told Hecathe about the missing Dorgon that had stolen Hecathe''s cloak.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he heard this and he looked around in confusion as he took a few minutes to completely wake his mind up.


    Just as he started coming to his senses, it hit him that there was a huge Dorgon missing along with his cloak.


    He immediately jolted up and gulped in shock as he helplessly looked around before coming to the conclusion that the Dorgon had taken the cloak and disappeared.


    "Where the hell did he go?" Hecathe anxiously asked the mutant that had woken him up and the mutant sighed as he spoke and told Hecathe about how the dorgon had turned himself into a human child and went out to explore the city.


    "...."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this, nor did he know if he was supposed to believe something as ridiculous as this or not.


    Hecathe rubbed his forehead as he sighed and didn''t bother saying anything for a few minutes.


    All the mutants had woken up by now and were looking at Hecathe with great interest as if they were expecting an order from the man.


    However, unexpectedly enough, Hecathe only gave them one order.


    "All of you stay in here and don''t even think about following me out," Hecathe sighed as he ordered and even the mutants looked to be a little surprised as they heard this.


    Hecathe put on his mask once again and since the cloak had already been stolen, he had no other choice but to go out without it.


    He headed for the bustling main part of the city and there, he saw many people walking by, however, none of them looked like a kid and since Hecathe was sure that the Dorgon had disguised himself as a kid, it was a bit easier to search for him.


    Not many children would be out at this time of the night and so, if there was a kid roaming the city alone, Hecathe could very well conclude that it would be the Dorgon.


    Hecathe was a man who preferred to work smart instead of hard and hence, instead of blindly searching around in the city, he went to different people and asked around.


    Although Hecathe had not seen the dorgon as a child, he could very well guess what he looked like and it seemed that his explanation of the child''s characteristics was pretty much on point.


    "Have you seen a small two feet kid running around alone while wearing weird clothes made out of high-quality fabric?"


    The shop owner looked at Hecathe with a shocked expression as she took a few minutes to think about it.


    "Well... I suppose I have..."


    Hecathe was almost about to sigh in relief as he heard this but then the woman continued as she added.


    "But then again, I suppose I haven''t. There are a lot of children running around, how can you ask me to remember a single child with such a small description."


    "..." Hecathe was more than sure that there were not really that many children running around.


    "I guess I can remember him if I tried, but then why would I go through that much trouble?" It looked like the woman was questioning herself as she spoke and waved her hands in front of her face, "No way, I''d do something that troublesome for a stranger. I also have to make a living."


    Hecathe sighed as he rolled his eyes and took out a few crisp Lenix and asked, "Would this be enough to make you remember?"


    "Ah! Young man, you should have brought this out sooner!~" The woman sang as she happily snatched the money first and beamed, "Now that I think about it, I did see such a child. I guess he went into that restaurant."


    The woman pointed at a particular restaurant that was just on the opposite side of the street.


    "When was this?" Hecathe asked strictly as he looked at the man with a small frown.


    "Well, I don''t really keep track of time but-"


    Hecathe once again took out another thousand Lenix and the woman immediately changed her expression once again as she gave the answer.


    "He was there just half an hour ago and then left the place soon enough," She snatched the money and spoke with a wide smile.


    By now, Hecathe had already understood how to interact with this lady so he took out another thousand Lenix and gave it as he asked, "Where did he go after that?"


    "He was taken away by a big mecha-suit."


    Handing over another thousand Lenix, Hecathe asked, "Where did the mecha-suit take him?"


    "That way," The woman pointed at a particular street but in the very next moment, she changed her mind and pointed at another street as she spoke, "Or maybe that way...?"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue as he took out a ten thousand Lenix note and changed it over, "Can you be more precise?"


    The woman smiled happily as she took the money and nodded her head, "Now that I think about it, I''m sure that it was that way. There are not a lot of mages going there so you have to be careful. I heard that the inn down there was completely booked by those mecha-suits."


    Hecathe sighed in relief as he heard this and nodded his head as he thanked the woman before leaving her small shop.


    It was a good thing that the Dorgon was found by a mecha-suit... At least, that was what Hecathe had originally thought, however, after a few minutes, he wondered if the mecha-suits would be able to figure out the Dorgon''s real identity.


    Hecathe was sure that those people won''t hurt an innocent child but he was unsure whether the same could be said about a Dorgon or not.


    Hecathe picked up his pace and head down the street that was a bit darker due to the street lamp that had a fused bulb.


    At the end of the street, there was a single inn that was fully lit up and looked more lively than the whole street combined.


    On the front door of the inn, there were two mech-suits who seemed to be guarding the place and this was more than enough for Hecathe to conclude that he had come to the right place.


    Hecathe took a sharp breath in as he unhesitantly took a step forward and started walking towards the inn.


    The mecha-suits didn''t look to be fazed by his presence but they didn''t let him in either.


    As soon as he was close enough to the door, they immediately lowered their Zelium guns and blocked the way.


    "Who are you?" One of them asked as he looked down at Hecathe.


    Hecathe smirked as he looked up at the guard and questioned back, "Shouldn''t the question be the other way around? Who do you think you are to stop me?"


    Both the guards lowered their heads a little and seemed to be glaring at Hecathe as they heard this.


    Hecathe sighed as he took off his mask and showed them his face as he politely asked, "Mind giving me some space?"


    Both the guards took a huge step away from the door and bowed their heads as they stuttered and apologized in unison, "C-captain! Please forgive our rudeness! We were not able to recognize you!"


    Hecathe let out a small chuckle as he heard this and put the mask back on his face as he shook his head and simply said nothing to the guards.


    He opened the door and entered the inn, immediately becoming the center of attention.


    The inn was completely filled with mecha-suits, just like the shopkeeper had warned and it seemed that the mecha-suits hadn''t expected to see Hecathe today.


    "I''m looking for my son!" Hecathe announced with a sigh as he internally cringed at his own words.


    One of the mecha-suits stood up and walked over towards Hecathe as he repeated, "Your son?"


    Hecathe nodded his head without any hesitation as he confirmed, "That''s right. I seem to have lost my son and the kind lady from the little shop told me that one of your men took my son."


    "And how can you prove that?" The mecha-suit asked with a scoff as he leaned down to Hecathe''s level.


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he sarcastically asked, "Do you want me to do a DNA test or something?"


    "Proof that we took your son," The mecha-suit spoke seriously as he explained his question.


    "Well, I guess I have no proof for that," Hecathe sighed as he shrugged his shoulders but then he took a minute and continued, "But there is something that I can use as proof."


    The mecha-suit looked to be interested as he heard this and waited for Hecathe''s so-called proof.

 Chapter 187 - Old Man...

    Hecathe closed his eyes and took a deep breath in as he shouted at the top of his voice, "Eggy, come out here right this instant!"


    "..."


    Surprisingly enough, he sounded exactly like a strict father who was ready to reprimand his disobedient child that had run away from home.


    The mecha-suit looked to be speechless as he heard this and he clicked his tongue as he got ready to send Hecathe away, however, just as he raised his hand, there came a child''s annoyed voice, responding to Hecathe''s call.


    "I''m here, stop yapping, old man."


    "..." Hecathe who was suddenly called an old man didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he saw the little Dorgon approaching him in his human form..


    Hecathe wondered if he was the one crazy for expecting a word of gratitude. Here he was thinking that the Dorgon was in danger but it seemed that the Dorgon had been thoroughly enjoying his life with the mecha-suits.


    Hecathe sighed as he shook his head and crouched down to the ground, "Eggy, have I not warned you about going with strangers?"


    "Um... No?" The Dorgon responded honestly as he frowned.


    Although the Dorgon looked extremely cute in his human form, Hecathe wanted to smack him on the head as he heard him.


    Did this Dorgon not know how to act in a dire situation?!


    Hecathe reached out to hug the child as he planned to complete the act of a perfect father-finding-son scene, however, they were suddenly interrupted by another mecha-suit who pulled the little boy back.


    "Stop," The mecha-suit spoke and looked at Hecathe without saying anything any further.


    "You think he''s suspicious?" The other mecha-suit who had been the one talking to Hecathe till now asked as he looked at the one that had suddenly stopped the boy.


    The mecha-suit nodded its head and Hecathe gulped as warning signs went off in his head.


    This mecha-suit was a bit too sharp...


    "Captain Alphius..." The mecha-suit spoke and Hecathe''s muscles immediately tensed up, "Since when did you have a child?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and he really wasn''t sure if he was supposed to laugh or cry at the moment.


    His cover had been completely blown and he had no idea how.


    The other mecha-suits looked to be both shocked and horrified as they heard this and now Hecathe felt even more awkward as he received piercing gazes from everyone.


    Hecathe sighed as he took the mask off his face and as soon as the mask dropped to the ground, the mecha-suits also gasped as they dropped to the ground and immediately apologized.


    There was only one mecha-suit who remained standing and it was the one that had recognized him.


    The Dorgon whistled as he found the scene a bit amusing.


    The mecha-suits were clearly much larger than Hecathe and at a single glance, it looked like Hecathe should be the one apologizing and not daring to mess with them, but the real situation was really a bit too opposite to the expectation.


    Hecathe glanced around to see the mecha-suits who were paying respect to their leader and he couldn''t help but feel a little sorry for them since he wasn''t exactly their real leader.


    "Captain, I thought you were going to get arrested," The mecha-suit who remained standing spoke and this made Hecathe a bit surprised.


    "How do you know that?" Hecathe asked as his eyes narrowed down on the mecha-suit.


    The mecha-suit let out a sigh as it took off the helmet and Hecathe''s eyes widened as he got another surprise.


    "Xanie...?!" Hecathe muttered in disbelief as he looked at the girl who was inside the mecha-suit.


    Xanie chuckled softly as she nodded her head, "I''m glad to see you safe."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and said nothing as a response since he still planned on getting arrested.


    "Now mind explaining how you suddenly became a father?" Xanie tilted her head with a thin smile as she asked and Hecathe couldn''t help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he saw that smile.


    He considered Xanie as a polite, kind, and helpful girl but this was certainly the first time that he saw the girl in a different light.


    She was a bit scary when serious...


    "Old man, is this your girlfriend?" The Dorgon questioned as he clicked his tongue and stood beside Hecathe with his little hands clutching onto Hecathe''s trousers.


    Hecathe wanted to smack the Drogon''s head but he held himself back as he chuckled awkwardly and spoke through his gritted teeth, "Son, don''t go around speaking whatever comes to your mind."


    The Dorgon stuck out his tongue but said nothing as a response.


    "Let''s talk inside, shall we?" Xanie smiled as she suggested and Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed.


    While everyone kept kneeling, Xanie led the man to a room and told him to wait there.


    Hecathe originally thought that he would only be talking with Xanie but he was immediately made aware that he was going to have a meeting with all the generals.


    Xanie left the room to contact the generals and in order to clear Hecathe''s confusion, she sent him a message through the QMS.


    "Captain, don''t act as if we had been in contact. We are being watched so I suppose you know what to do."


    As Hecathe heard this message, he couldn''t help but be a little impressed by the girl.


    She really knew what to do and how to be serious at times of need and that was a skill that Hecathe highly valued in his life.


    "How did you find me, Master?"


    Now that there were only Hecathe and the Dorgon in the room, the Dorgon spoke up in his usual tone.


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed on the little child and he frowned as he asked, "Why are you no longer calling me Old man?"


    "Did you enjoy being called Old man?" The Dorgon tilted his head as he spoke, "I may continue if you enjoyed it."


    Hecathe, "Try calling me an Old man again and you''re not getting any food for a week."


    "..."


    Since all the generals were in the same building, it wasn''t really hard to inform and gather them.


    In the first place itself, it was shocking for them to hear about Alphius''s arrival, and hence, as soon as they got the news, they all rushed over.


    In just a few minutes, the room was already filled with all the generals who looked at Hecathe in disbelief and shock.


    "C-Captain!" One of the generals stuttered as he fell to the ground and shockingly enough, there were two round drops of tears trailing down his cheeks, "It''s such a relief to see that you''re okay!"


    Hecathe gulped as he saw such a dramatic reaction which was definitely not fake.


    Hecathe cleared his throat as he spoke up, "Stop crying. How can an adult cry over something like this?"


    The mecha-suit wiped his tears away and pouted as he nodded his head and stood up abediently.


    Another general hesitantly walked forward and tried to poke Hecathe.


    "What are you trying to do?" Hecathe glared at the man as he question.


    "Captain, you''re real...?!"


    "..."


    These generals... Had really daring personalities...


    Once all the generals were in the room, Hecathe coughed as he ordered them to sit down for a talk.


    "I''m glad to see that you all still remember me," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, "I''m sure you came here after knowing about my situation."


    The generals nodded their heads in unison as they heard this.


    "It''s a relief to see that you''re still living well," One of the generals sighed in relief as he spoke.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a dry chuckle as he heard this, "Since you''re so relieved, let me tell you the reason why you shouldn''t be relieved just yet."


    "..." The Generals were all silent as they heard this and looked to be a bit stunned as they patiently waited to hear Hecathe continue.


    "I''m going to get arrested soon," Hecathe closed his eyes and calmly spoke, ignoring the shocked gasps that he could hear, "And that''s the reason why I have arranged for you all to come here. I''ll be needing your help."


    "We''ll do anything for you, Captain!" One of the generals exclaimed and the others seemed to agree as they nodded their heads.


    Hecathe sighed, "You haven''t even heard what help I''ll be needing."


    "It doesn''t matter! Whatever you want, we''ll be there to help you achieve it!" Another general exclaimed with great determination and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    "I''m happy to see your enthusiasm but for the help that I''m about to ask you... It would still be understanding if you decide not to join me this time."


    This was the first time that they were hearing such a thing from their Leader so their shock and confusion were self-explanatory.


    "Not everyone in this room may agree with my plan and that is perfectly okay. Which is why I''ll give you time to think about it before you agree," Hecathe continued with a sigh, "I''ll be leading a new rebellion."


    No one know who had gulped but the room was silent enough to even make such a sound audible to everyone.

 Chapter 188 - A Rebellion?

    "Not everyone in this room may agree with my plan and that is perfectly okay. Which is why I''ll give you time to think about it before you agree," Hecathe continued with a sigh, "I''ll be leading a new rebellion."


    No one know who had gulped but the room was silent enough to even make such a sound audible to everyone.


    "A rebellion...?" One of the Generals muttered in disbelief as his eyes narrowed down on Hecathe with suspicion.


    Hecathe didn''t waver at all as he confidently nodded his head and confirmed it, "A rebellion against the three willows of spring."


    "Why so suddenly?" Since no one was asking this question, the little Dorgon took it upon himself to loudly question.


    Hecathe, "Because the three willows of spring killed my father''s old friend.."


    The Generals were once again shocked to hear this as they looked around in confusion.


    "And they planned on convicting me for that murder," Hecathe added and it was now clear who the so-called friend was.


    "Orgon?" One of the Generals gathered the courage to question, "Was killed by them?"


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he nodded his head and clenched his hands into a fist, "Killing him is not the reason for this rebellion. I am simply trying to give them what they asked for when they decided to mess with me."


    Just as expected, there was suddenly an awkward atmosphere in the room as not everyone dared to blindly agree and follow Hecathe.


    "W-we don''t have proof, do we?" The general who had previously broken into a fit of tears questioned as he looked at Hecathe with worry.


    "When we have the killer at hand, is that not proof enough?" Hecathe tilted his head and asked with a smirk but didn''t wait for a response as he continued, "Did they ask for proof before they decided to put an execution order on my head?"


    "That''s because they are shameless! We can''t be like them," Another general spoke up as he gritted his teeth, "If the Captain is sure that they were the ones behind it then we will definitely believe you, but if you want to start a rebellion over this then we will definitely need proof to convict them."


    Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed with the man completely, "You''re right. If I don''t give proof, I''ll just end up becoming the bad guy once again. However, you guys don''t need to concern yourselves over this. I''ll make sure that the killer confesses with his own mouth."


    "You... Have a plan?" It was Xanie who spoke up as she questioned with a frown.


    "I would have naturally not asked you all to come here if I didn''t have a plan."


    "What''s the plan?" Another General asked as he curiously looked at Hecathe.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and shook his head as he held up a finger against his lips, "I may not be able to say it out loud just yet."


    "..."


    One would think that nobody would dare join him when they weren''t even aware of the plan, however, that was exactly what had happened.


    "I ask you to join me if you are willing to trust me and if there is even the slightest bit of doubt in your heart then I would not be forcing you," Hecathe spoke as he acted reasonable and kind.


    Xanie was the first to sigh as she raised her hand and spoke, "I''ll join you, Captain."


    Hecathe smiled as he saw this and felt as if this was to be expected.


    Xanie had been always blindly supported Alphius so it was only natural that she would be willing to do the same now as well.


    "However, this is the last time," Xanie added and Hecathe was immediately a bit stunned and confused as he wondered if he had heard it right or not.


    The other generals also looked to be shocked as they immediately turned to look at her for an explanation.


    "I have decided," Xanie sighed as she spoke up, "I want to live."


    "Eh?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion as he heard this.


    "As you all know, I wasn''t always a mecha-suit. I used to be just a mage with an average ability. My brother was the one who had no abilities and I stayed here till now because I wanted to repay my debt to the Captain for saving my brother''s life."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows furrowed together as he heard this and he certainly did remember the girl mentioning something about her brother.


    "And I feel like I would have already achieved that after this," Xanie continued as she spoke seriously, "After I help you with this, I would have repaid that debt to you, Captain."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and pursed his lips together as he nodded in understanding.


    "What do you plan on doing afterward?" Hecathe asked with a warm smile.


    "I''ll go look for my brother," Xanie spoke as she also smiled, "It''s been a long time since he had run away from home. I guess it''s time to bring that brat back."


    "I see..." Hecathe nodded his head with a sigh, "That sounds good. I''ll wish you all the best."


    "Thank you, Captain," Xanie looked to be sincere as she looked down on the ground and spoke.


    "I-In that case, I''ll also join you, Captain!" It was the crying general who stuttered as he spoke up, "It doesn''t matter what plan you have in mind, as long as you''re the one leading us, I can rest assured."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this and nodded his head in satisfaction.


    Some more people started raising their hands as they agreed to join Hecathe''s plan and this was to be expected considering the fact that they were all very loyal to Alphius.


    However, soon enough, Hecathe could see that not everyone was as willing.


    "Captain, I have a question," One of the generals spoke up and he looked to be in his thirties.


    "What is it?" Hecathe tilted his head innocently as he asked.


    "A few days ago, one of our men was attacked."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and for reason, he already felt as if he knew what this was about.


    "When he came back to report to us, he told us that you were in Zeblor, but..." The man took a sharp breath in as he closed his eyes and spoke through his gritted teeth, "He also said that the one who attacked him was supposed to be the great Orgon."


    Hecathe acted as if he was a bit surprised to hear this, "He was attacked by... Orgon?"


    The General nodded his head as he confirmed it and continued, "He said that Orgon was not alone. He was together with his son, Marvin and there was another young girl accompanying those two."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and if someone were to look at him at the moment, they would certainly not be able to tell that he was supposed to be this so-called Orgon from the story.


    "I won''t lie to you," Hecathe spoke as he lied, "I had already heard about this."


    The General who had asked the question immediately frowned as he heard this and looked to be shocked as he waited for Hecathe to speak further.


    "There is a rumor that the great Orgon is still alive but," Hecathe sighed as he acted a bit dramatic and spoke, "It''s more than just a rumor. It seems that he was somehow able to take the body of a young man after his death."


    The room was suddenly silent and the temperature also dropped a few celsius as Hecathe spoke.


    "Actually it might have been a setup since the beginning itself," Hecathe continued as he seriously spoke and it looked like Xanie was the only one who was not shocked to hear this since she had already heard about all of this through Hecathe''s QMS.


    Hecathe and Xanie were not supposed to be in contact when Hecathe ran away and hence, she could not say anything to the others since they might get suspicious.


    Her being able to convince them to come here alone was quite a hard and tricky job for her to do. Even though there were some things that Hecathe had asked her to tell the others, she had not said much simply because she didn''t want to arouse suspicion.


    "The three willows of spring have planned everything thoroughly. First, they killed Orgon and made it seem as if I was the culprit and then they made prior plans to let Orgon come back in another body. The new Orgon is in Ocasia under the orders of the three willows and he plans to secretly take the city."


    Some of the generals secretly glanced at Xanie as they heard this. Xanie had something about this but it was vague and since she hadn''t clearly defined her source of information, everyone had taken her words as nothing more than a silly misunderstanding.


    "This is why the rebellion is necessary," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, "The damned three willows were the first ones to go against me. Their greed is never-ending and I plan to make their greed eat them alive."

 Chapter 189 - We Cant Let Them Win!

    "This is why the rebellion is necessary," Hecathe spoke with a sigh, "The damned three willows were the first ones to go against me. Their greed is never-ending and I plan to make their greed eat them alive."


    Such arrogant words... Only Hecathe would dare to say them so openly.


    "We can''t let them win!" One of the generals exclaimed as he stood up from his seat, "We can''t let them make a joke out of us. Going against our captain is like going against us."


    Another general stood up and nodded his head as he agreed with the man, "That''s right. If this goes on, we will no longer have any value left. We can''t let them look down on us like this."


    More Generals chimed in and surprisingly enough, all the generals agreed to join Hecathe''s plan.


    As soon as the heat got to their heads, the hesitation had completely disappeared and they were now being led by their hatred and anger.


    "Tch- you really have them all wrapped around your fingers, don''t you?" The Dorgon clicked his tongue as he commented in a volume that was barely above a whisper.


    "It''s not me, it''s Alphius who controls them," Hecathe smiled as he responded in a whisper.


    At the end of the day, Hecathe was well aware of the fact that this army did not belong to him. It belonged to Alphius who had lent it to Hecathe for some time.


    "Captain, just give us the orders. What do we have to do?" One of the Generals enthusiastically spoke up.


    "Right now, keep yourselves safe," Hecathe spoke as he responded, "Stand back, do everything silently, and don''t attract attention. We need to increase our strength and in case of a full-fledged war, we need to be prepared."


    "We already have the men and the power as well," One of the generals spoke up confidently.


    "We do but we can''t be too arrogant about it," Hecathe nodded his head and added with a short sigh, "We can never know the forces on their side. We aren''t going to be just fighting the three willows. We would also be fighting their army."


    "Captain, you''re overestimating them," One of the generals spoke up with a scoff, "How can their army compare to ours?"


    Hecathe smiled thinly as he heard this and his eyes narrowed down on the general that had said this, "General, it seems that you are the one underestimating our enemy. There is one rule that I have always abided by and I hope you can follow it as well. Respect your enemies. It doesn''t matter who they are, you need to give it your all and treat them all equally."


    The General immediately shut his mouth as he heard this and looked down at the ground apologetically since he was indirectly scolded by his leader.


    "Captain, I have a question," It was Xanie who spoke up.


    "What''s the question?" Hecathe immediately turned to look at the girl as he asked rather politely.


    "What is our strength?"


    "Eh?" Hecathe tilted his head in confusion as he found the question a bit hard to understand.


    "You are confident that we would win ''cause if you were not then you wouldn''t dare to rage a war against them," Xanie sighed as she spoke up and explained, "So I want to ask you, Are we the only reason behind your confidence or is there something else that is making you so sure?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and although he was a bit taken aback to hear this question, he didn''t let it show on his face.


    As expected, Xanie had managed to catch onto something, but Hecathe couldn''t be completely honest with her.


    "You''re right. There is naturally another reason behind my confidence, but I''m afraid I won''t be able to reveal it this soon," Hecathe spoke with a thin smile.


    Xanie nodded her head in understanding as she heard this.


    "I have another question," The girl spoke up and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    This girl was filled with too many troublesome questions!!


    "It is not related to the rebellion," The girl spoke and Hecathe sighed in relief as he heard this.


    "What is it?"


    "Who did you get married to?"


    "..." Hecathe blinked and repeated the question in his mind as he tried to make sure whether he had heard it right or not, "Excuse me...?"


    "You have a child that you claim to be your son and you have a wedding ring on your finger," Xanie pointed out with a rather calm and dead expression as she questioned, "So who is it?"


    Hecathe almost choked on empty air as he heard this and coughed as he looked down at the Dorgon that had created a huge misunderstanding.


    Hecathe then glanced down at his fingers and saw the wedding finger that the girl had noticed.


    "This...?" Hecathe lifted his hand as he showed the ring and explained with a chuckle, "It was just a gift from an old lady."


    To be more exact, it was a wedding ring that an old lady had given to Hecathe for safekeeping since her son kept trying to gamble it off, however, Hecathe was naturally not going to go into detail about that.


    "I see... So you are interested in older woman," Xanie nodded her head in understanding as she commented and Hecathe had a feeling that he had created a bigger misunderstanding.


    With an awkward chuckle, Hecathe patted the Dorgon''s head as he spoke, "And this is a child that I adopted."


    Xanie, "How old is he?"


    Hecathe opened his mouth to say exactly how old the Dorgon was but stopped immediately as he realized that he was just about to make a mistake.


    The Dorgon was just a few months old but if Hecathe were to say that, he would then need to explain how the child looked at least four years old.


    "I... Don''t exactly know," Hecathe chuckled awkwardly as he spoke, "He doesn''t remember and it''s only been a few months since I have started raising him so I''m not quite sure."


    "..." The Dorgon frowned as he heard this and glared at Hecathe without saying anything.


    Thankfully enough, one of the generals brought the discussion back on topic and they talked about the rebellion for another thirty minutes or so.


    Hecathe said nothing about the plan that he had created with Marvin and LeiLei nor did he say anything about the Mutant army that he was gathering.


    By the end of the discussion, all the generals looked to be fired up and it almost seemed as if they were ready to storm out of the inn and start a war at any given moment.


    Hecathe was also left a little tired after talking so much and thankfully enough, it seemed that Xanie had already prepared a room for him to rest.


    The generals left Hecathe alone to rest and in order to avoid suspicion, Xanie also limited her interaction with Hecathe.


    As soon as Hecathe was left alone with the Dorgon, he glared at the little boy and questioned, "Why did you go out?"


    The little boy transformed back into his Dorgon self and returned the cloak to Hecathe.


    "I just felt a little hungry after working so much," The Dorgon spoke with a bit of guilt.


    "What work?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he folded his arms.


    "Didn''t you tell me to create a way for the mutants to come in?" The Dorgon asked with a frown, "I just simply did as you asked."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened slightly as he heard this and he asked with great interest, "You did it?"


    The Dorgon nodded his head proudly as he spoke, "Didn''t I tell you to leave it up to me? Of course, I did it."


    To say that Hecathe was surprised would be an understatement.


    "How did you do it?"


    The Dorgon closed his eyes and confidently spoke, "I dug a rabbit hole."


    "..."


    "It is big enough for the mutants to climb through and deep enough to not be affected by the barrier."


    Hecathe blinked as he heard this and said nothing.


    He was surprised and delighted to know that the Dorgon was able to complete the job but now that he heard this, he was no longer sure if the so-called rabbit hole would be reliable enough.


    "Are you doubting my work right now?" The Dorgon questioned as his eyes narrowed down on Hecathe.


    "Can you blame me for doubting?" Hecathe questioned back without missing a beat.


    The Dorgon coughed as he heard this and reassured, "Don''t worry, It would work. If it fails, you can just blame it on me and I''ll take responsibility for the damage caused."


    "That''s already a given," Hecathe sighed as he responded.


    "But Master, Do you think everything is going to go as planned?" The Dorgon asked as he innocently tilted his head.


    "It doesn''t matter even if it does not," Hecathe shrugged his shoulders as he casually replied, "Because no matter what, my goal would still be achieved."

 Chapter 190 - The Day Of The Execution

    The mutants slowly started infiltrating the city with the use of the ''rabbit hole'' that had been created by the Dorgon.


    With Hecathe''s guidance, they went unnoticed by the guards and grouped together in the building that Hecathe had previously chosen.


    In the span of a single night, more than five hundred mutants had managed to gather together in the building and there were still a lot more waiting to come.


    Marvin had still not contacted Hecathe and Hecathe had also not asked the boy about his progress in Ocasia.


    Everything was slowly moving according to the plan and the next few days seemed to have gone by in a flash.


    Before Hecathe knew it, it was already the day before the grand auction and this was the day when Hecathe had planned to get arrested.


    So far, it seemed that getting arrested was shockingly the easiest thing to do since all Hecathe did was go out without his mask.


    The mecha-suits didn''t panic since Hecathe had already informed them about this and as calculated by Hecathe, the three willows of spring put an execution order on him for the very next day..


    Marvin was called back from Ocasia for the Execution but for the first time in Marvin''s life, he rejected a letter from the three willows of spring.


    He still had to carry out his half of the plan and hence, he wrote another letter back to the three willows of spring, apologizing and making an excuse for not being able to attend.


    The next day was Hecathe''s execution and it was also the day when the grand illegal auction would be held.


    Kelly had promised the client that he would be able to meet Orgon in this auction and Marvin skillfully dressed up as Hecathe acting as his father and he waited for the client to show up.


    LeiLei was also there to help Marvin as she kept an eye on all the guests that had come to attend the auction.


    "Do you see him?" Marvin asked and LeiLei shook her head with a frown.


    "He is not here."


    Marvin gulped as he heard this and his eyebrows furrowed together in worry.


    In his heart, he still had doubts.


    Asgarian needed to attend Hecathe''s execution which meant there was absolutely no way he could make time to come here. Under such a condition, he would most probably send one of his trusted subordinates but since there was nobody like that seen, it would not be too weird to conclude that he had forgotten about this auction.


    "If nobody shows up... What are we going to do?" LeiLei questioned with a small frown and it seemed that even Marvin had no answer to that.


    "Let''s just wait and see," Marvin spoke as he gulped in worry.


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and although she was not as optimistic as Marvin, she still nodded her head in understanding and waited just as the boy had told her to.


    Somebody was bound to show up...


    "Well~ Well~" Asgarian sang as he entered the heavily guarded jail that Hecathe was restrained in.


    Hecathe was once again wearing that same metal straightjacket that he had first worn when he woke up in this world. The only difference now was that he had willingly put it on this time, unlike the last, he was no longer confused or shocked by anything.


    Hecathe lifted his head with a small smile on his face as he looked at the man who had finally decided to come out and greet him personally.


    "I''ve heard quite a lot about you," Hecathe commented as he didn''t look to be worried nor shocked by the man''s presence.


    Asgarian chuckled as he heard this and nodded his head as he responded, "Same goes for me as well. I have heard a lot about you and I have been dying to meet you again like this, Alphius."


    "You don''t really look dead but okay. I''ll believe you," Hecathe commented sarcastically and Asgarian chuckled as he heard this.


    "You''re quite a funny one."


    "I don''t get that a lot," Hecathe truthfully responded.


    "Well, in that case, I guess your words are not really appreciated by the people close to you."


    "You have a way of talking..." Hecathe commented as his eyes coldly narrowed down on the man, "What can I say? It''s really... Annoying."


    Asgarian smiled as he heard this and took a seat as he spoke, "Why don''t you mind telling me more about it?"


    "Aren''t I supposed to curse you behind your back? Why would I do it to your face"


    "I would prefer it if you did it to my face so go ahead. I am not easy to offend."


    Hecathe smiled as he heard this and he couldn''t be happier to diss a person as he spoke up, "Your eyes are cold and distant. It seems as if you are completely unconcerned from reality and at the same time, it feels as if reality has been really bothering and tormenting you. You think highly of yourself. It''s almost as if you love playing God. A really disgusting version of God. You look like you have a lot of patience but in reality, that is not true. You are not God and you know that. That is what really frustrates you the most. Things don''t go as you plan and when that happens, you don''t care if you are being careless. You are ruled by your emotions and although you hate that, there is nothing you can do about it."


    Asgarian''s smile was slowly disappearing as he heard this and Hecathe could clearly notice that his words were affecting the man, but this didn''t stop him from continuing.


    "You hate me. Actually, let me be more specific. You hate everyone that you are insecure about. Some people are born with great talents and you are afraid of them. You are afraid that they might try to question you and overshadow you. So you make sure to quietly finish them off. You are a careful person. Well... As long as things go your way. You make sure to remove the thorns before they even get to fully develop into thorns."


    "It seems that you know a lot about me," Asgarian spoke up as he interrupted Hecathe, "What are you? A stalker?"


    Hecathe couldn''t help but chuckle dryly as he heard this and shook his head as he spoke, "I''d rather eat shit than be your stalker."


    "..."


    "You''re actually pretty easy to read," Hecathe added as he clicked his tongue, "You''re a bit smart so I thought you''d be harder to deal with, however, I guess I overestimated you. You''re not as invincible as you think you are nor are you fooling with that nice and benevolent act."


    Asgarian''s face turned dark as he heard this and his eyes seemed to have turned a bit red.


    Hecathe had caught onto Asgarian''s weakness and he was not planning on letting it go.


    "Alphius, you are a young genius but," Asgarian sighed as he spoke, "It''s a pity that you don''t know the difference between good intentions and bad ones."


    Hecathe tilted his head with a smile as he heard this but said nothing as he let the man speak.


    "Here I thought I could take pity on you and let you live a little longer, but it seems that you really have no value for your life."


    "Being pitied by you...? I''m sorry but I''d rather choke on a d*** than have myself be pitied by the likes of you. Are you just that blind or are you acting not to see it? The most pitiful one here is you."


    "..."


    "It doesn''t matter what you came here for ''cause, in the end, I''m still not letting you win."


    Asgarian looked down at the ground and sighed as he heard this but his thoughts at the moment could not be read by Hecathe.


    "You are already this powerless and yet you want to talk big," Asgarian spoke up with a faint chuckle that almost sounded mocking, "You''re just like your bastard father."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this and questioned, "Do you wanna know why I am able to see through you so easily?"


    Asgarian lifted his head and said nothing as he looked at Hecathe and simply waited for him to continue.


    "Because there are times when I can relate to you," Hecathe spoke with a smile that looked a bit too wicked to suit Alphius''s innocent face, "Wanting power and having things go your way. It''s quite an enjoyable feeling. Almost addicting actually. Playing God is really amusing and in those manners, I guess I can relate to you. However, there is a huge difference between me and you."


    "A difference?" Asgarian repeated as his pupils contracted.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "You are an idiot who can''t control his own emotions. Since the beginning itself, you were never fit to be God."


    "..." Asgarian seemed to have been stunned by Hecathe''s words and his muscles immediately tensed up.


    "You know this better than I do and that''s why you are constantly hit with these feelings of jealousy and doubt."


    Anyone who saw this scene and heard Hecathe''s words would be easily able to tell that Hecathe was only aiming to achieve one purpose and that was to agitate the man.

 Chapter 191 - Im Unworthy...?

    Anyone who saw this scene and heard Hecathe''s words would be easily able to tell that Hecathe was only aiming to achieve one purpose and that was to agitate the man.


    Asgarian gritted his teeth and for the first time, he could be seen losing his composure.


    Hecathe smiled in satisfaction as he managed to achieve what he had wanted.


    "You dare say I''m unworthy...?!" Asgarian stood up from the chair and with each word, he slowly raised his voice in an intimidating manner that really didn''t affect Hecathe.


    At this moment, Hecathe couldn''t help but smirk as he felt a sense of deja vu.


    When he had first entered this world, this was the exact place that he was kept in and he was wearing this exact same straightjacket as well. He was confused and had no idea where he was but due to his natural skills at agitating people, he had somehow managed to really anger Marvin.


    That day was the first time Hecathe had seen someone daring enough to approach him with such an angry and malicious tone and now, it seemed that it was happening all over again.


    But instead of Marvin, it was Asgarian who was standing in front of Hecathe.


    Hecathe wondered if things were really going to go as they had gone back then.


    If everything was to repeat then what comes next would naturally be a few punches.


    "Alphius, I thought you were smart enough to make your own decisions but you have proven me wrong. I thought we could put this whole thing behind us by making you another willow but you really don''t know what''s good for you."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or not as he heard this.


    "Another willow? You have to be joking," Hecathe scoffed as he spoke, "Did you really think giving me a bit of power and letting me join your disgusting system of governance was going to solve everything? If you really thought it was going to be that easy then you''re really an idiot."


    "Why?" Asgarian gritted out as he glared at Hecathe, "Didn''t you say we were alike? Don''t you long for power as well? Don''t you want to be God as well?"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue with a sigh as he spoke, "I did say that but let me remind you that this was in the past tense."


    "Eh?"


    "Honestly speaking, Power no longer interests me, and playing God is not something that makes me happy anymore," Hecathe pursed his lips into a small smile as he spoke, "I have already lived through that life, but only when I fell did I realize how meaningless it all was."


    Hecathe reminisced about the past and there was a sense of detachment from it that he was able to feel. It was an emotionless feeling... As if things had happened and although he had been bothered by it back then, it no longer held any meaning to the ''him'' of today. It was no longer anything more than a story that he could tell once in a while.


    He had been the great Zelium King but in the end, he had met his end in a single moment of distraction.


    Just like that...


    The great Zelium King had died and left the world that he had previously ruled.


    Hecathe had to admit that he was lucky to have been able to mourn over his own death.


    He still wanted to go back to his world because of his personal attachments, but those attachments only involved the relationships he had with people. He no longer felt any attachment or attraction to the power that he had once held and that was how the Zelium King had truly died.


    The one who was left behind was just Hecathe... A boy who had always dreamt of becoming a villain.


    He didn''t want to return to his world as the Zelium King cause he was well aware of the fact that the Zelium King had already passed away. He simply wanted to return as Hecathe, the man who never got to spend time on himself.


    Asgarian''s lips seemed to twitch as he heard Hecathe and he took a solid minute to digest the words before he scoffed, "Don''t just go and play the nice guy now! It doesn''t matter. You have already lost your chance and the only thing waiting for you now are the gates of hell."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle as he heard this, "Don''t worry, those gates of hell are waiting for you as well."


    Asgarian''s eyebrows creased together and he glared at Hecathe but said nothing.


    "I heard that there is a rumor going around the city...?" Hecathe asked as he tilted his head with a small mocking smile plastered on his face, "People are finally starting to realize the truth. I wonder how they''d react when they figure out that you three had convicted an innocent boy and executed him without any proper investigation. Actually, on another note, I think it would be more fun when Orgon really does come back and point his finger at the real killer."


    Asgarian smirked as he heard this and confidently responded, "Rumors are nothing more than that. You should stop wasting your time on them."


    Hecathe snickered as he heard this and asked, "Are you sure about that? ''Cause as long as I know, although rumors are much exaggerated, they are still based on some truths."


    "For a dead man to come back as an annoying brat?" Asgarian scoffed as he mocked Hecathe''s words, "Only an idiot would believe that."


    "Oh really? It''s a pity that you think this way," Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "Unlike you, I have actually seen him with my own eyes and that''s why I can confidently say this. The rumors are not baseless."


    Asgarian''s eyes widened in shock and it looked like the man had suddenly been struck by lightning.


    Hecathe felt a little satisfied as he saw this reaction and this gave him the confidence to continue, "Do you want to know another funny thing? He plans to take his own revenge."


    Asgarian''s face looked to be bloodless and he immediately opened his mouth to say something but before any words could roll out of his tongue, there came a knock on the door which was followed by a voice.


    "It is time."


    It was a short sentence that need not be explained and although Hecathe looked to be calm, as soon as he heard this, he was internally praying for Marvin to make it in time. His life was on the line here and if Marvin was not able to make it in time then Asgarian''s words might as well come true.


    Asgarian took a sharp breath in and closed his mouth as he gulped his words back down.


    Hecathe sighed as he spoke, "I guess we''ll have to continue this conversation another time. That is, if both of us manage to live through this."


    "Don''t worry, there won''t be another chance," Asgarian clicked his tongue as he turned around and left the room with his loud footsteps being the only thing that could be heard echoing away.


    "That''s a pity..." Hecathe frowned as he muttered but it was only natural that there was no longer anyone there to listen to this.


    Just a few minutes after Asgarian had left the room, four guards came and took Hecathe away with them.


    Just as it had happened in the past, he was once again taken to the execution podium where he was tied to a poll.


    The three willows of spring were seated on their thrones just like the last time and everything looked to be just the same as it had been back when Hecathe was here for the first time.


    If there was any difference that he could notice, it would probably be the great crowd that had been gathered as an audience and the lack of Marvin holding a gun pointed at him.


    "The three willows of spring hereby declare Alphius Edler guilty of the murder of Orgon, leader of the silver battalion!" A man standing on a raised platform announced at the top of his lungs as he held onto a long scroll, "In order to bring justice to this world, he shall hence be executed on the spot under the will of the three willows of spring!"


    "Death shall be avenged with death! Fairness shall see no title! With the three willows of spring, our land will not forgive sinners!" The man added and Hecathe also repeated after him with a chuckle that was clearly mocking these words.


    Suddenly somebody raised their hand and stopped the execution for a moment.


    When Hecathe looked up, he found that it was one of the willows.


    The little girl looked exactly as she did when Hecathe had first seen her. She was wearing a cloak that covered her entire body and half of her face.


    The only thing visible clearly was her soft pink lips.


    Hecathe had read about the three willows of spring and that was perhaps the only reason why he knew her name.


    This girl was called Lara and she was the youngest willow of spring....

 Chapter 192 - The Youngest Willow Of Spring

    Suddenly somebody raised their hand and stopped the execution for a moment.


    When Hecathe looked up, he found that it was one of the willows.


    The little girl looked exactly as she did when Hecathe had first seen her. She was wearing a cloak that covered her entire body and half of her face.


    The only thing visible clearly was her soft pink lips.


    Hecathe had read about the three willows of spring and that was perhaps the only reason why he knew her name.


    This girl was called Lara and she was the youngest willow of spring.


    "Unfortunately enough, Marvin refused to come today. I hope our dear Alphius would not be too depressed by it," Lara spoke with a tone that sounded a bit too smooth and flattering.


    Although Hecathe did not have any interest in listening to her words, he couldn''t help but feel a little fortunate that this girl was indirectly buying some time for him.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    After waiting for more than half an hour, LeiLei and Marvin were finally able to spot the man that had been sent by Asgarian.


    LeiLei, "Let''s get him there."


    Marvin nodded his head as he heard this and got ready to capture the man, but somebody else seemed to have caught his eyes.


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together and he looked at a man who looked to be familiar, and at the same time, it also looked as if he had a hard time remembering him.


    It was as if this man was present in his memories, but he had somehow lost those memories.


    "Marvin, what are you doing?" LeiLei questioned with a frown as she looked at the man in disbelief.


    "Just..." Marvin was distracted and couldn''t help but mutter absent-mindedly, "Who is that...?"


    LeiLei followed Marvin''s gaze and looked at the man who Marvin was talking about.


    Although she could recognize him, she gulped as she shook her head and spoke, "Let''s just go. We don''t have much time."


    Marvin''s frown deepened as he heard this and he was about to leave but after just two steps, he stopped as his expression got even more ugly and he recalled the memory that seemed to have been buried in the back of his mind.


    This man... He was the new owner of LeiLei''s old house.


    When they were leaving the mansion, Marvin had managed to catch a glimpse of this man who was standing by the window, looking at them.


    "Marvin, let''s go!" LeiLei snapped as she started getting impatient and Marvin gulped as he suddenly felt as if he had something to do.


    "LeiLei, go ahead first. I''ll follow after you in a bit. I have something to do." Marvin spoke and before LeiLei could give a response to him, the boy had already turned and ran away.


    Marvin ran downstairs and because he owned a small share of this auction house, the guards and workers didn''t stop him at all.


    He went straight for the man that he remembered and abruptly grabbed his shoulder as he spoke, "You! We have something to talk about, don''t we?"


    Oddly enough, the man didn''t look to be shocked in the least, in fact, he smirked as he turned to look at Marvin and asked with an amused tone, "How may I help you?"


    "Who are you?" Marvin asked as he glared at the man.


    "I believe I already told your friend the answer to that," The man tilted his head as he responded calmly, "My name is Psion."


    Marvin shook his head with a frown, "I''m not asking your name."


    "Hmm?" Psion looked to be a bit surprised as he heard this and his smirk had changed into a small smile as he asked, "Then what do you mean?"


    "At first I thought you could only read our minds and do petty illusion tricks, but that is not what happened the last time, was it? You controlled our minds completely and made us do things which were later erased from our memories," Marvin stated firmly as his eyes narrowed down on the man, "And we all know who is known for having such an ability."


    Psion chuckled in amusement as he heard this but said nothing.


    "So who are you to her?" Marvin asked as he gritted his teeth.


    "You noticed?" The man tilted his head as he acted innocent and spoke, "It''s not like I ever tried to hide anything from you nor did I lie to you guys. So don''t look at me like that."


    Marvin frowned as he heard this but didn''t stop glaring at the man.


    "As for your suspicion..." The man sighed as he continued, "You are right. I am related to her."


    Marvin immediately gulped as he heard this and although he had already guessed it, he was still shocked to hear this.


    "However, I think there has been a misunderstanding."


    "What type of misunderstanding?" Marvin questioned fiercely without missing a beat.


    "I cannot read minds nor can I control them. In fact, I''m a person who does not possess any abilities," The man shrugged his shoulders as he revealed and Marvin''s eyebrows creased together in confusion.


    "What the hell are you talking about...?!"


    "As I''ve said, I have no such abilities. I am nothing more than a runaway who used to once be a mecha-suit."


    Marvin grabbed the man''s collar threateningly, "How can that be? Then explain to me what was up with that weird illusion and that mind controlling bullsh*t!"


    "That was not me," The man spoke with a thin smile and it didn''t look like he was lying, "I was merely a pawn who was meant for show."


    "Then... It was her...?"


    Disbelief could clearly be seen on Marvin''s face and Psion nodded his head as he unhesitantly confirmed it.


    "Damn it," Marvin let go of the man''s collar and cursed under his breath as he immediately turned around and got ready to leave.


    However, after just a step, he turned around once again and grabbed the man''s wrist as he spoke, "You''re coming with me. Since you have nothing to hide, I hope you''ll be honest enough to reveal the truth in front of everyone."


    Psion was a bit taken back by this sudden action but he still let out a small chuckle and nodded his head as he agreed to go with the boy.


    LeiLei had already captured the man sent by Asgarian and was patiently waiting for Marvin to return.


    When she saw the man that Marvin had brought along, her eyes widened in shock as she snapped, "Why are you bringing him with you...?!"


    "There is something that must be cleared," Marvin spoke firmly and although LeiLei had no idea what was going on, she didn''t dare question him about it.


    With the use of LeiLei''s power, the four of them were immediately transported to Zeblor where Hecathe''s grand execution was taking place.


    It was crowded and noisy but Marvin and LeiLei didn''t show themselves just yet. Instead, they blended in with the crowd and waited.


    On the execution stage, Hecathe looked to be chuckling as he spoke, "Miss Lara, you worry too much about a person who is already sentenced to his death."


    Lara also chuckled as she heard this, "Is that so? I guess it can''t be helped. You are still too young. It''s really a pity."


    "..." Hecathe wanted to point out that the person who had said this was clearly much younger than him, but he managed to control himself and stayed quiet.


    "However, there is something that I want to ask you. Alphius, weren''t you confident when you entered Zeblor and challenged our authority? You went as far as to say that we were purposefully hiding the real killer," Her tone made it seem as if she was mocking him, but at the same time, it also sounded serious which confused Hecathe a little.


    Hecathe gulped as he tried to maintain his outward composure and wondered what this girl was planning.


    Was she here to mock him or was she really just acting out of curiosity...?


    Suddenly, Hecathe was reminded of what Psion had told him and he couldn''t help but feel a little uncomfortable.


    If the three willows of spring were really acting together then there was no way this girl would speak up and delay the execution, but this could also be a trap and hence he couldn''t trust her either.


    "So I''ll give you a chance," Lara spoke up with a warm smile that looked to be rather innocent, "You can speak and let us know what you think about Captain Orgon''s death. If you can prove to me that there is another killer who has framed you, We''ll let you go."


    Hecathe blinked in confusion as he heard this.


    This... Felt as if it was too good to be true.


    "Miss Lara, what if I do prove my innocence? You have already defamed me so how are you going to make up for it?"


    Lara''s smile deepened a little as she heard this, "You don''t have to worry about that."

 Chapter 193 - Proving Innocence

    Lara''s smile deepened a little, "You don''t have to worry about that."


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and nodded his head, "Then I''ll naturally take you up on that offer."


    Lara crossed her arms and patiently waited with great interest to see what Alphius had to say for himself.


    Hecathe took a deep breath in and exclaimed, "I would like to first bring forward some of my men as witnesses!"


    Suddenly a few mecha-suits came out of nowhere and stood in a line as they heard this. It almost looked as if this had all been rehearsed or planned beforehand but only Hecathe and the mecha-suits knew that this was not a part of their plan.


    "Now, to speak on my behalf, I would like to call a person called Xanie," Hecathe spoke and Xanie who was hiding till now suddenly got a little stunned as she heard her name being called.


    The girl gulped as she stood up and made her way to the stage where everyone else was gathered.


    She had a complex expression plastered on her face as she cluelessly looked at Hecathe for an explanation.


    "Xanie, I''ll let you handle the questioning," Hecathe looked at the girl and spoke with a nod.


    Xanie frowned as she heard this and it could clearly be seen that she had a lot to say to the man, but she forced herself to be silent as she nodded her head and simply agreed.


    Xanie turned to look at the mecha-suits who had randomly appeared as witnesses and for the next few minutes, she was silent as she thought about things a bit deeper.


    Nobody rushed her and it seemed that even Lara had a lot of patience as she sat back down on her throne and attentively looked at the girl, waiting for her to speak.


    Xanie took a sharp breath in as she finally understood what she was supposed to do.


    "The night that Orgon was killed, did any of you see Captain Alphius?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and blinked as he wondered if he had made a bad decision.


    This question... Rather than proving his innocence, wasn''t it just going to prove that he really was a suspect...?!


    The mecha-suits looked at each other and shook their heads as they honestly answered, "We did not see him."


    Xanie seemed to have expected this response so she nodded her head and asked, "Do you normally see him every day?"


    The mecha-suits shook their heads once again as they heard this and one of them spoke up on behalf of the others, "Captain is always busy so he stays up in his room and only comes down for food. It is quite hard to catch a glimpse of him in a day."


    "Then does Captain Alphius never go out?" Xanie asked as she raised her head proudly.


    "That''s right, he doesn''t go out much. The only times that he had stepped out were times when he was forced to."


    Xanie, "Then have you seen him wearing his mecha-suit when he goes out?"


    "No. Captain doesn''t need to depend on a mecha-suit. He is much more powerful without it so his mecha-suit has never been used by him."


    "That''s right," Xanie nodded her head as she unconsciously agreed with the man, "Then what about the day when Orgon was murdered?"


    "Well..." This time, the mecha-suits looked to be a little hesitant as they secretly glanced at Hecathe.


    "There is no need to hide anything," Xanie re-assured as she looked at the man that had been answering for the rest of them.


    "That day... His mecha suit was stolen," The man revealed as he looked down with guilt, "Captain Alphius had always treasured his mecha-suit since it was a gift left by his father. He had cared about it so much that he didn''t even dare to wear it. However, that day, his mecha suit suddenly disappeared and we didn''t dare report it to him because we feared for his reaction. Thankfully enough, the suit eventually returned and we decided to pretend that this incident had never happened."


    "Do you believe that Captain Alphius was the one who took his suit that day?" Xanie asked as her eyes narrowed down on the man.


    This was the most important question and if it was answered incorrectly, Xanie would lose her chance to save Hecathe.


    The mecha-suit gulped as he shook his head, "It''s not possible."


    "Why do you say that?"


    With a sigh, the man closed his eyes and revealed, "Because he doesn''t know how to use a mecha suit."


    "..."


    Suddenly, there was silence all around as the news hit everyone with shock.


    "Wait!" It was Asgarian who had suddenly shouted, "Isn''t he the one who created them? Isn''t it quite a famous fact that he is the most skilled at it...?!"


    The mecha-suit nodded his head as he heard this and responded without any hesitation, "That''s right but those are just rumors. Whenever the captain tried to use his suit, he had always created disaster."


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he heard this.


    It was certainly the first time that he was hearing this. He had no idea that this was the reason why Alphius refused to wear the suit nor did he know that the suit was actually a gift left behind by his father.


    Xanie chuckled softly as she spoke up, "I can also play witness to this if you''d like. Our Captain is really not someone who can successfully kill a person while wearing his suit. Even if he had tried, he would not have succeeded."


    "How can you prove that you people are not lying?" The third willow of spring spoke up and this man was wearing a mecha-suit himself.


    However, the mecha-suit he wore was not the same as the one''s worn by everyone else.


    It was a suit specially designed for him and Hecathe guessed it to be one of the very first mecha-suits that had been created by the great Edler.


    Xanie smirked as she heard the man and it seemed as if she had expected this as well.


    "Of course I can prove it," Xanie confidently spoke with a smile.


    She lifted her hand and immediately pointed at Lara as she spoke, "If I''m not wrong, don''t you have the ability to read a person''s mind? If there is anyone that can prove the truth, it should be you."


    Lara chuckled as she heard this and nodded her head.


    The girl once again stood up and clapped her hands as she spoke, "You''re right. I can read a person''s mind, but what makes you think I''ll speak the truth?"


    "..."


    "If I take your side and confirm that they have not lied, would there be no one criticizing me for being biased?"


    Xanie gulped as she heard this and glared at the girl.


    This Lara... She was clearly not on their side...


    "Alphius, I''d have to ask you to collect more proof if you want to prove your innocence. Is this really all you have?" Lara asked with a small wicked smirk.


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this but luckily enough, he had already gathered enough proof.


    Before Hecathe could even say anything as a response to the girl, Marvin raised his hand as he shouted.


    "I have proof!"


    Everyone immediately turned to look at the boy who had been standing amongst the audience.


    "Marvin?" Lara spoke as she titled her head and spoke, "I thought you had some business to do."


    Marvin pursed his lips into a small smile as he nodded his head, "That''s right. I do have some personal business to deal with and it is the very reason why I''m here."


    Marvin immediately pushed a man forward as he spoke up and added, "Death shall be avenged with death! Fairness shall see no title! With the three willows of spring, our land will not forgive sinners!"


    "What are you trying to do?" It was the third willow of spring named Darius who had spoke up and questioned with an apparent frown on his face.


    "I am here to uphold the laws of our world. I am here to avenge the death of my father," Marvin calmly spoke as he continued, "I am here to save a friend that had been wrongfully accused."


    As soon as the latter half of the sentence was spoken, people looked to be shocked and confused as they started whispering amongst themselves and carefully looked at the boy with their eyes wide open.


    "So this is the reason behind your confidence?" Lara chuckled as she looked at Hecathe and asked, but the man only smiled as a response and didn''t bother clarifying anything.


    "Who is he?" Darius questioned as he looked at the man that had been pushed forward by Marvin.


    "An accomplice and a witness," Marvin responded without any hesitation, "He is the proof that I have brought."


    The witness shivered as he heard Marvin and it looked like he had been struck with fear as he knelt down and kept his head facing down, not even daring to say anything.

 Chapter 194 - A Witness And An Accomplice

    "Who is he?" Darius questioned as he looked at the man that had been pushed forward by Marvin.


    "A witness and an accomplice," Marvin responded without any hesitation, "He''s the proof that I would like to present"


    The witness shivered as he heard Marvin and it looked like he had been struck with fear as he knelt down and kept his face down, not even daring to say anything.


    It seemed that there was something that had made the man uncomfortable. Or to be more exact, there was a particular person present here that the man did not have the courage to face.


    Marvin opened his mouth to say something, but he was suddenly interrupted by Asgarian who beat him to it.


    Asgarian didn''t let Marvin have the chance to reveal the man''s identity as he spoke, "That''s one of my most trusted men. What nonsense are you spouting?"


    "That''s right," Marvin nodded his head as he spoke, "I never said he wasn''t."


    Asgarian gulped as his eyes narrowed down dangerously on Marvin, but the man said nothing more as he waited.


    "I found him snooping around in the illegal auction house today. I just so happened to be in Ocasia for some business but I didn''t expect him to be there as well," Marvin lied skillfully as he explained, "At first, I captured him because I found him suspicious, but then I recognized him. He has been working with the three willows for a really long time so I had seen him around a few times. I thought I should just let him go, but then I asked him why he was there and he revealed something that I dare not believe."


    Marvin raised his head as he scoffed and continued, "He was there to find the rumored Orgon that had come back from the dead."


    Although the rumor was only spread in Ocasia, it had somehow entered Zeblor as well, and hence, everybody was well aware of the ridiculous story that floated around about the revived Orgon. However, till now, most people here had not dared to believe in such nonsense.


    "Before I say anything further, I would like to ask one of the willows a question," Marvin continued as he looked up at Asgarian, "Whose orders was he following?"


    Asgarian gritted his teeth as he heard this question but said nothing as a response.


    Darius also looked to be confused as he followed Marvin''s gaze and looked at Asgarian.


    With a chuckle, Lara asked, "Marvin, please be clear with what you want to say. Are you trying to prove that your father''s death had something to do with one of us?"


    Marvin chuckled dryly as he shook his head and spoke, "I think you would naturally know the answer to that better."


    "..."


    "This man came to Ocasia under the orders of one of the three willows of spring and his purpose wasn''t just to meet the rumored Orgon that had come back from the dead, his goal was to kill him and silence him forever," Marvin clicked his tongue as he spoke.


    "Even if he came to check the rumors, how can you say his purpose was to kill Orgon? What proof do you have?" Darius asked with a small frown and this man genuinely looked to be interested in hearing more.


    "Of course, I would know," Marvin sighed as he revealed, "Because I was the rumored Orgon that he had tried to kill."


    His words were like a strike of lightning that had left people stunned and speechless.


    People wondered if they had heard him right and even when they were sure that they had, they still did not dare to believe his words.


    All eyes turned on the man who had suddenly become a suspect.


    Before the suspect could reveal anything, Asgarian gritted his teeth and stood up as he put on a show for everyone.


    "You dare act on your own and think about harming someone like him?!" He snapped angrily as he acted shocked and angry.


    Marvin almost wanted to laugh as he heard this.


    It seemed that Asgarian was a pretty good actor and Marvin wasn''t really unfamiliar with this fact.


    Unexpectedly enough, Asgarian snatched a Zelium gun from one of the guards before aiming it directly at the man and shooting without any hesitation.


    Marvin''s eyes widened but before he could do anything, the trigger had already been pulled.


    "Enough!" It was the voice of LeiLei shouting and the girl used her power to turn the bullet into a cloud.


    The bullet was probably somewhere in the sky now.


    "Killing the witness to silence him," LeiLei''s eyebrows creased together as she glared at the man and spoke, "You are really proving yourself to be a scum!"


    Although it was clear that Marvin was against the man called Asgarian, his words till now had been respectful and were chosen carefully, however, it seemed that LeiLei was not afraid of anything as she openly slandered the man.


    "Who are you?" Asgarian frowned as he glared back at the girl and clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    "My name is LeiLei," The girl took a sharp breath in as she introduced herself, "I''m probably sure you don''t remember my name but my father used to once consider you as a friend."


    LeiLei closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down as she unhesitantly revealed, "He trusted you, and what he got in turn for his trust was death. Wihtout even blinking an eye, you betrayed him. You killed both of my parents and then you tried to kill me as well."


    Asgarian looked to be a little confused as he heard this but rather than saying he was confused of such a thing ever happening, it looked like he was more confused about which incident the girl was talking about.


    He had killed too many to remember so it was only natural that he did not recognize the girl.


    "Stop this nonsense," Asgarian spoke up as he firmly defended himself, "I have no idea who you are nor do I know your parents."


    LeiLei scoffed as she heard this and responded, "Believe me, there is no way you would forget him. Afterall, you''re sitting in a position that could have been his."


    "..." Asgarian''s eyes widened ever so slightly and it seemed that with just this sentence alone, he was clearly able to understand who the girl was talking about.


    However, it didn''t matter if he remembered it or not since he was still going to deny the accusation.


    Asgarian raised the Zelium gun once again and aimed it at LeiLei as he spoke, "Since you have dared to lie and slander one of the three willows in front of such a crowd, you should be well aware of the consequences you''d have to face."


    Asgarian got ready to pull the trigger but Lara who had been enjoying the scene till now smiled as she decided to finally act.


    Before the man could get the chance to shoot, Lara had already kicked the gun away and almost fractured his bone in the process.


    Asgarian winced in pain as he glared at the girl who had interrupted.


    Lara pursed her lips into a thin smile as she approached him.


    Asgarian had no idea what the girl was planning so he simply waited on the spot while Lara leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I never stopped you from doing anything. It didn''t matter who you offended or killed, but didn''t I advice you to be careful? You should have wrapped it up nicely and buried it deep so that no one would ever be able to dig it up. You shouldn''t have got caught."


    Asgarian gulped as he heard this and his eyes widened with a bit of fear.


    He would be an idiot if he were not to understand the deeper meaning behind her words.


    Lara stepped back and smiled before turning around and clearing her throat as she announced, "It seems that Marvin is not lying and the girl is also speaking the truth."


    Everyone gasped in shock as they heard this.


    Lara could read minds and hence, she was the only one here who could tell if a person is lying or not.


    "Such being the case, the truth of the matter would certainly be investigated. This nation had always been fair and if the investigation really results to Asgarian being proven guilty then there would be no unfair exception made for him."


    This girl was certainly a cunning one...


    She was ruthlessly pushing Asgarian forward and making him into a sacrificial lamb, all the while, securing her own position and authority.


    Although she looked much younger than the man, she was way smarter than him.


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard Lara''s words and shook his head as he spoke up, "There would be no need for an investigation."


    "Hmm?" Lara turned to look at the man who had dared to interrupt her words.


    "After all, your half-assed investigation is the reason why I have been falsely accused and dragged here," Hecathe lifted his head and looked at the girl with a small smirk as he added.

 Chapter 195 - You Were The One Who Started This War.

    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard Lara''s words and shook his head as he spoke up, "There would be no need for an investigation."


    "Hmm?" Lara turned to look at the man who had dared to interrupt her words.


    "After all, your half-assed investigation is the reason why I have been falsely accused and dragged here," Hecathe lifted his head and looked at the girl with a small smirk as he added.


    "Excuse me?" Lara tilted her head with a bit of confusion as she heard this and it seemed that, even with her abilities, this girl was not able to read Hecathe''s mind.


    In the very next moment, there was a loud roar coming from the sky and it had successfully managed to become the center of attention.


    Darius was the first to speak up as he shouted, "It''s a Dorgon! A Dorgon has infiltrated the city! Take it down immediately!"


    Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and muttered, "The Dorgon isn''t the only one that is here to greet you."


    The guards got ready to attack the Dorgon that seemed to be flying above them in a menacing manner. However, suddenly there was a loud scream that could be clearly heard.


    "The mutants!" Someone shouted and the attention was immediately diverted to the army of mutants that had popped out of nowhere and were spread all over the city.


    Darius gulped as he heard this and he seemed to be the only willow of spring who was ordering people around and trying to contain the situation.


    Lara was still smiling as she found everything a little amusing while Asgarian looked as if he had somehow turned into a stone.


    "Divide up! Kill all the mutants at sight!"


    Hecathe chuckled a little louder as he heard this and in the very next moment, it seemed that someone had broken the handcuffs and freed the man.


    "Death shall be avenged with death! Fairness shall see no title! With the three willows of spring... Ah, sorry." Hecathe spoke with a chuckle as he stretched his muscles and mockingly corrected his words, "In the name of justice, our land shall not forgive sinners!"


    Before the mutants could be effectively stopped, the mecha-suits also came out with their army and for the three willows of spring, the situation really took a turn for the worst.


    "You dare plan to overthrow us?!" Darius fumed as he glared at Hecathe.


    Hecathe sighed as he heard this and shook his head as he spoke a bit too casually, "You have it all wrong. I don''t plan to overthrow you. I plan to end you. There is clearly a difference."


    "..."


    Psion who was watching the show till now, chuckled as he clapped his hands in appreciation, "Your friend really didn''t lie when he said he''d put on a good show."


    LeiLei clicked her tongue as she heard this and questioned, "Why are you still around? Things are going to get dangerous."


    Psion nodded his head as he spoke, "I am well aware of the dangers, but you see. There is someone who''d protect me so I have nothing to worry about."


    LeiLei frowned as she heard this and raised her eyebrows as she found it a bit hard to believe the man''s words.


    "If you''re depending on us then you better think twice. I don''t really care even if you die."


    Psion softly chuckled as he heard this, "It''s not like I ever trusted you enough for that."


    "..."


    Psion bowed his head politely as he continued, "Then, I''ll take my leave and reunite with that person."


    LeiLei''s frown deepened as she heard this and she curiously looked at the man.


    Instead of walking away, Psion made his way to the grand platform and tapped the shoulder of one of the mecha-suits. To be more exact, it was the one who Hecathe had referred to as Xanie.


    Xanie turned around and her eyes immediately widened in shock as she faltered a step back, "B-brother...?"


    Hecathe had also heard this and he couldn''t help but be just as shocked.


    It seemed that Xanie was finally able to find that brother of hers and it was no other than this man who lived in LeiLei''s old mansion.


    When the shock had died down, Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion.


    As long as he remembered, Xanie''s brother was also a mecha-suit who had no Zelium ability. However, Hecathe had been there when this man had used his ability to control LeiLei and Marvin, so he clearly knew that the same could not be said about him.


    Was there something that Hecathe was unaware off...?


    It was the start of a major war but Xanie still couldn''t help but be distracted by the appearance of her brother.


    Her eyes brimmed with tears and she immediately smacked the man''s head.


    "How could you just disappear like that?!" Xanie scolded him without any hesitation and for some reason, Hecathe wanted to laugh at this.


    LeiLei also pursed her lips into a thin line as she saw this.


    It turned out that the person who was ready to protect Psion was none other than his sister that he had once run away from.


    Psion rubbed his head and chuckled awkwardly as he got ready to apologize to the woman, but in the very next moment, his eyes went blank and he raised his hand to grab Xanie''s neck.


    Xanie was not fast enough to stop him, but she was wearing her mecha-suit which made her able to easily overpower him.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened as he noticed the sudden change in the man''s behavior.


    "Well, so much for a touching reunion," It was Lara who commented with an amused sigh.


    Xanie pushed Psion away and frowned as she looked at the man in confusion.


    In the very next moment, Psion woke up from his daze and looked to be just as confused, but before anyone could explain to him what he had just done, the mecha-suit, who stood behind him, pointed a Zelium gun to his head.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows furrowed together as he immediately snapped his head towards Lara who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation.


    "Stop it!" Hecathe cried out angrily as he glared at the girl.


    "Hmm?" Lara glanced at Hecathe with a small smile as she hummed.


    The mecha-suit didn''t pull the trigger just yet but with a gun pointed at her brother''s head, it was only natural that Xanie was panicking.


    Hecathe''s frown deepened as he got even more confused.


    It was clear that Lara was the one controlling them and trying to kill Psion, and it had also been proven that Psion probably had no abilities. But if this was the case then what about the time when Hecathe had talked to the man and seen him use his ability...?


    As Hecathe questioned himself, a dangerous thought crossed his mind and he couldn''t help but feel a cold shiver run down his spine.


    What if it hadn''t been Psion who he had met...?


    Hecathe gulped as he looked at the girl with an indecipherable expression plastered on his face.


    If it was Lara who had given him the information, how reliable was the information, and what was her motive?


    She was the one who had made Hecathe suspect all the three willows of spring, but that included her as well and there was no way somebody would purposefully try to create enemies.


    This girl named Lara was really not an easy character to deal with...


    "He works for you, doesn''t he?" Hecathe asked with a small frown, "Are you sure you want to kill him off like this?"


    Lara giggled as she heard this, "Alphius, you''re really funny. You''re the one that started this war. I''m just trying to do what is expected of me."


    "..." There was nothing Hecathe say against that since it was the truth, but at the same time, he couldn''t help but feel as if the girl was mocking him.


    There was something really unsettling about this girl and if Hecathe were to put a finger on it, he would say that it was probably the fact that she had not been shocked by anything till now.


    Even when the Dorgon came out, she smile as if she had expected it and the army of mutants also didn''t seem to have fazed her.


    She was a bit too calm and that really made Hecathe feel a little uneasy.


    Lara smiled as she controlled the mecha-suit and made him shoot Psion.


    However, luckily enough, Marvin had interfered and saved the man.


    "I used to really look up to you," Marvin gritted out as he glared at the girl, "But it seems that I am really bad at judging people."


    Lara nodded her head as she agreed with the boy, "You really are bad at it."


    "..."


    "But that''s why we are standing here," Lara shrugged her shoulders as she spoke and this one sentence was able to reveal a lot about her.


    At this moment, Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on her and he wondered just how much was it that she really knew.

 Chapter 196 - Im Afraid Things Arent That Easy.

    "But that''s why we are standing here," Lara shrugged her shoulders as she spoke and this one sentence was able to reveal a lot about her.


    At this moment, Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on her and he wondered just how much was it that she really knew.


    "Then let me be the one who ends this as well," Marvin gritted out as he spun his double-bladed saber.


    Lara smiled as she heard this, "I''m afraid things aren''t that easy."


    Marvin immediately threw the saber forward, aiming at the girl, but at the very last possible second, she disappeared into thin air and the only thing left in her place was a small stone that had been shattered by the blade.


    Marvin gulped as he saw this but it seemed as if he had already expected this to happen.


    Hecathe, on the other hand, was clearly shocked and immediately snapped his head towards LeiLei.


    There was only one person here who had the ability to do such a thing, but when Hecathe turned to look at her, he couldn''t help but feel that there was something wrong.


    LeiLei was acting normal...


    It didn''t look like she had been controlled by Lara. In fact, if Hecathe were to put a finger on it, he would say that it almost seemed as if the girl had made the decision to help Lara all on her own.


    Hecathe gulped as he raised his hand and the Dorgon that had previously been flying in a circle over the city now came down and snatched Hecathe away from the stage in front of everyone.


    "Do you see this? This is the power of the great emperor," The Dorgon happily boasted as if he was waiting for Hecathe to agree and compliment him.


    "The great emperor is indeed great at showing off," Hecathe responded and the Dorgon was not sure if this was a compliment or just a sarcastic remark.


    "I have a question," Before the Dorgon could say anything, Hecathe immediately changed the topic as he spoke up and asked, "Why is she unable to read my mind?"


    "Hmm?" The Dorgon sounded a bit surprised as he heard this question and instead of giving the answer straight away, he asked another question in turn, "You really don''t know?"


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this, "Well I guessed that it was because I''m not the real owner of this body."


    "Master, that''s not it," The Dorgon explained with a sigh, "It''s because of that ring on your finger."


    Hecathe was a bit shocked and confused as he heard this so he fell speechless and looked down at the ring that had been given to him by a random old lady.


    "It''s like a barrier. It protects you."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and he felt as if luck had really been on his side this time.


    "Now," The Dorgon stopped going forward and flapped his wings to stay on air as he asked, "Where shall the havoc start?"


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this and commented, "Your highness, be honest with me. You just joined me because you want revenge, isn''t that right?"


    It was the first time Hecathe had referred to the Drogon with such respect and surprisingly enough, he wasn''t being sarcastic this time.


    The Dorgon also chuckled as he heard this question, "You are nothing more than a mere mortal. What made you think I''d listen to you if I saw no personal gain in it?"


    "..."


    Hecathe suddenly didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry as he heard this.


    It seemed that Hecathe''s plans had been imperfect since the very beginning. He thought he was the one who was controlling everyone else but it seemed that he was also nothing more than just a pawn strategically placed in this chessboard by someone else.


    At this point, he wondered if it really had been Alphius who had brought Hecathe into this world.


    "Hecathe, you still have a lot of surprises waiting for you so hang in there," The Dorgon spoke with a teasing chuckle and Hecathe almost felt as if he was being treated as a fool.


    The Dorgon took a deep breath in and with a single swing of his wings, he went down towards the city with all intentions of attacking.


    Hecathe could no longer control this Dorgon so he decided to stay on the creature''s back and didn''t bother trying to stop him.


    The Dorgon opened his mouth and breathed out ice, freezing everything that came in his way.


    The houses and buildings crumbled down and the people remained frozen in their place with a thick layer of ice covering their bodies.


    Hecathe couldn''t help but gulp as he saw everything and once again, the majestic power of the creature dawned on him.


    He had really been a fool to think that he could control this Dorgon. There had been no human that had done it before and he would naturally not be the first one to do it.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt the innocents. Once the ice melts, they''ll be released," The Dorgon spoke reassuringly and Hecathe was left a little stunned.


    "I never worried about that," Hecathe responded with a sigh and this was the truth.


    Dorgon''s were known to be merciless creatures that had no pity for others. They were the villains painted in red. However, at this moment, this Dorgon seemed to have more mercy than what Hecathe had for these people.


    The war was sudden and the three willows of spring already had an army that had been weakened due to the controversy surrounding the death of the great Edler. But this didn''t make them weak. In fact, it was a surprise that they were able to strongly hold up against their adversary.


    The Dorgon had said he would wreak havoc in the city but so far, all he did was safeguard the innocents and destroy everything else that came in the way. If there was a hero in this story then there was no doubt that the hero would be the Dorgon who acted nonchalant but still prioritized the lives of the innocent people caught up in the war.


    Lara disappeared from the fight and nobody was able to find her.


    The army controlled by Darius was strong but they were still lacking against the number of mutants and mecha-suits that they were fighting.


    After Asgarian had finally started coming back to his senses, he shouted out loud and attacked everything that came in his way.


    It didn''t matter if it was a mecha-suit, a mutant, or one of his own people.


    Asgarian had already dragged himself down to be a madman who attacked without discrimination.


    His thirst for blood was finally starting to overflow and there was no way he would ever be able to recover from such a thing.


    He had killed many before this but no one had ever dared to point a finger at him except for Hecathe. And so, it was only natural that all his hatred was now aimed at Hecathe, but since he couldn''t get his hands on the man, he took out his anger on everyone else.


    LeiLei also disappeared from the fight but unlike Lara, she didn''t completely run away, instead, she reappeared in front of the Dorgon and Hecathe.


    The Dorgon stopped and closed his mouth as he glared at LeiLei.


    "LeiLei, what are you doing?" Hecathe was the one who opened his mouth to question.


    "I should be the one asking that," LeiLei gritted out as she glared at the Dorgon instead of looking at Hecathe, "Why the hell are you trying to protect the humans that have always been against you?!"


    The Dorgon scoffed as he heard this but said nothing since it would be useless to talk to a woman who couldn''t understand a word that he speaks.


    "LeiLei, I thought we had a deal," Hecathe sighed as he spoke up, "You said we were partners, didn''t you?"


    LeiLei tilted her head with a small smirk as she heard this but said nothing.


    "Why did you decide to betray us?" Hecathe asked as his eyes dangerously narrowed down on the girl.


    "I never betrayed you," LeiLei spoke with a dry chuckle.


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together in confusion as he heard this but he didn''t bother thinking too much about it.


    The answer was clearly in front of his eyes so there was no need for him to delude himself into thinking that this girl was on the same side as him.


    "Hecathe, can you convey my words to her?" The Dorgon asked calmly and Hecathe nodded his head as he agreed.


    "What is it?"


    "Tell her that I saw through her from the very beginning itself," The Dorgon spoke firmly as he kept his eyes on the girl, "Tell her that she has already lost this fight."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and although he was a bit confused, he still spoke up and repeated the Dorgon''s words.


    LeiLei scoffed as she heard him and snapped, "I have already won so it would be better just to accept your fate."

 Chapter 197 - So I Was A Pawn...?

    "Tell her that I saw through her from the very beginning itself," The Dorgon spoke firmly as he kept his eyes on the girl, "Tell her that she has already lost this fight."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and although he was a bit confused, he still spoke up and repeated the Dorgon''s words.


    LeiLei scoffed as she heard him and snapped, "I have already won so it would be better just to accept your fate."


    Hecathe felt a little lost as he heard this but the Dorgon seemed to have understood the meaning behind her words and he was clearly not happy with it.


    With a sharp breath in, the Dorgon opened his mouth and immediately attacked the girl with his Ice, but LeiLei smirked as she disappeared before the ice could even touch her reflection.


    Hecathe gulped as he blinked in disbelief and muttered, "I guess that makes things clear."


    The Dorgon let out a cold breath and it seemed as if this was his way of agreeing with the man.


    "What now?" Hecathe asked with a sigh, "It doesn''t seem like she''s up to any good."


    "Hecathe, do you remember what she just said?" The Dorgon spread his wings and once again took flight, launching into the sky as he asked.


    "I didn''t understand anything she just said," Hecathe answered honestly.


    "She said she had already won," The Dorgon spoke and informed, "It was chaos she was after and it was chaos that she got, but there is still a question that remains unanswered."


    "Only one?" Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line as he sarcastically asked.


    "Why did she want this?" The Dorgon ignored Hecathe''s sarcasm and questioned as he continued, "If you can find the answer to that, I''m sure you won''t be as useless as you are right now."


    "..." Hecathe suddenly felt as if he had been dissed.


    "Retrace your steps and think carefully about it. Where exactly did you go wrong and when did you start being a pawn for someone else?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and although he wanted to discuss more on the subject of him being dissed, he decided to put that aside as he carefully thought about the question that the Dorgon had presented him with.


    Hecathe looked down at Zeblor and he couldn''t help but feel his heart drop as he saw people fighting to survive. Blood painted the walls and street. The only ones safe were the people that had been frozen by the Dorgon but even they were not going to be completely fine after this. Their homes had already been destroyed and once this war was over, this land was going to be turned into nothing more than a wasteland.


    He had certainly wanted to dissolve the current government but was that really his own idea or was it somebody else''s wish that he had mistakenly considered being his own...?


    He had expected to see this war but was this really what he wanted to see?


    Just as the Dorgon had advised him, Hecathe retraced his steps to the very beginning.


    He had given the excuse that he was doing all this for Alphius.


    Alphius had asked a favor out of him and he blamed all this on that burdening unknown favor.


    However, Hecathe''s eyes widened when he remembered his choice to run away from the underground city.


    He couldn''t blame that on Alphius. He was more than sure that it was for his own safety that he decided to run away. It had simply nothing to do with Alphius. In fact, when Hecathe eventually reached Ocasia, all he wanted to do was to undertake a new identity under his own name.


    He remembered convincing himself that he could get rich and powerful even without needing to reveal his new identity as Alphius. Hecathe gulped as he realized that this was also for his own selfish reasons. He wanted to make sure that he survived in this world and that was the reason why he came to Ocasia with the hopes of getting powerful.


    "Eggy..." Hecathe muttered in disbelief as he started questioning his own self, "I think I was being played."


    The Dorgon seemed to have already understood everything and hence he wasn''t the least bit shocked to hear this.


    "Your ring," The Dorgon spoke with a sigh as he soar through the sky, "I told you, didn''t I? It''s the reason why she couldn''t read your thoughts anymore. It''s the barrier that protected you, but its powers are still limited. It can prevent but it cannot cure."


    This time, Hecathe clearly understood the Dorgon''s words and he couldn''t help but be shocked and horrified.


    The moment he had walked into Ocasia, he had walked into a trap and if it weren''t for the Dorgon, he might have still been clueless about the grand scheme that was hidden right in front of him.


    "The willow Lara has a special ability that allows her to read people''s thoughts and control their actions. All she needs in order to do either is know your face and your name, however, there is one thing that not many people know."


    "What is it?" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he asked.


    "She doesn''t need to know both. As long as there is no barrier stopping her ability, she can read your mind and control it even if she only knows your face or your name," The Dorgon revealed.


    "So I was being controlled...?" Hecathe questioned with a frown.


    The Dorgon let out a cold breath and confirmed it as he spoke, "That''s right. Now, think about when it all started. When did you start to confuse yourself and when were your thoughts no longer yours?"


    Hecathe bit his lip harshly and nodded his head as he closed his eyes and once again started thinking about it seriously.


    It took him a few minutes but in the end, he was still able to get the answer.


    "When I rented the apartment!" Hecathe exclaimed as he sharply opened his eyes, "To be more exact, I think it was when I talked to the landlady...!"


    The Dorgon hummed as he heard this and spoke, "There is a connection between that willow and that landlady. Can you guess what that connection is?"


    "The landlady was being controlled as well?" Hecathe asked as his frown deepened.


    With a sigh, the Dorgon shook his head, "That''s not it. Everything she did was of her own will."


    "Then," Hecathe gulped as he hesitated for a second before asking, "Is Lara the daughter?"


    The Dorgon said nothing but his lips slightly turned upwards as he heard this and this was enough of an answer for Hecathe.


    Hecathe''s eyes widened ever so slightly and his mouth hung open as he slowly digested all this information.


    He thought he was the one controlling everything. He thought he was the puppeteer behind this puppet show but it seemed that even his pet Dorgon knew more about this show than he did.


    "This doesn''t make any sense!" Hecathe snapped as he shook his head in disbelief, "Didn''t I get the ring at the beginning as well? There was no way she could have controlled me after that!"


    "She didn''t control you after that. From the very beginning itself, she implanted thoughts into your head and never really changed anything. The thoughts that she implanted became your own and even when you wore the ring, your subconscious couldn''t root out the problem. As time passed, the thoughts started becoming more and more engraved into your mind. She only planted a seed, you are the one that helped grow the tree."


    "You know, I''d be exaggerating if I said I was terrified but then again, I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t," Hecathe gulped as he spoke, "Her abilities are really making my skin crawl."


    The Dorgon chuckled as he heard this and commented, "That''s why she is a willow at such a young age. Her terrifyingly strong ability paired with her wicked mind really make for the perfect willow."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but nod his head as he agreed with the Dorgon on this.


    "However, there is something that you need to be clear about," The Dorgon added with a serious tone, "When I say ''she'' planted a seed of thought into your mind, I am not referring to Lara."


    "It was the landlady, wasn''t it?" Hecathe asked with a sigh and the Dorgon was a bit surprised to see that Hecathe was not so shocked to hear this, "I was already a bit suspicious of her, but I didn''t think it was any of my concern."


    "Do you feel betrayed?" The Dorgon asked carefully and to this, Hecathe could only chuckle as he took a few minutes to answer.


    "Rather than saying that I feel betrayed, it would be much more accurate to say that I feel like a fool."


    "Well, you''re not wrong," The Dorgon blatantly replied, "Although she did interfere in the beginning, the rest was all still your doing."


    "So this war.... Is also a mess that I created, isn''t it?" Hecathe closed his eyes in defeat as he asked.

 Chapter 198 - I Had Overestimated You

    "So this war... Is also a mess that I created, isn''t it?" Hecathe closed his eyes in defeat as he asked.


    "Hecathe, you''re the villain here," The Dorgon spoke with a sigh, "That''s why I decided to join your side. I thought we could take over this land and when that was done, I''d kill you off and rule it."


    "..."


    The Dorgon was being a bit too brutally honest and Hecathe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry about it.


    "But now-"


    Hecathe clicked his tongue and cut him off as he spoke, "Please don''t give me a cliche response and tell me that after you''ve hung around me for a while, you learned compassion and decided to change your plan,"


    The Dorgon chuckled as he heard this and shook his head as he opened his mouth and froze a part of the city down below before he spoke up, "That''s not it. After living with you, I realized that I had overestimated you."


    "..." Hecathe fell a little speechless as he heard this.


    "I thought you''d want to overthrow the government and take over the nation but when you revealed that you had no interest in ruling Zeblor, I was proven wrong." The Dorgon chuckled as he continued, "It was a bit amusing to know that even after having planned it all out, you were still uninterested in ruling a city that you would have conquered. After that, I seriously thought about what I wanted and I came to the conclusion that it would probably not be fun to rule a city that is filled with you filthy humans."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and he didn''t know if he was supposed to feel happy about this or not.


    "Even revenge appeared to be a bleak desire. Even if I were to wipe out all of humanity, it would not bring back my family that had been ruthlessly slaughtered by your people."


    Hecathe felt a little sorry for the Dorgon as he heard this but he still said nothing as he patiently let the Dorgon talk.


    "Do you know how a Dorgon emperor is born?"


    Hecathe shook his head as he heard this question, "I have read that it is decided since birth but I don''t know the specifics."


    "A Dorgon emperor is born through the death of a Dorgon. Out of all the Dorgon''s that die, there would be one that will be reborn with all of his memories from the previous life and that is how it is decided since birth who would become the Dorgon emperor."


    Hecathe raised his eyebrows and with a bit of surprise, he asked, "So you''re telling me that you died and were reborn to be the emperor...?"


    The Dorgon nodded his head as he swung his magnificent wings and flew higher up into the clouds, "A Dorgon emperor is all-knowing because he has lived for far longer than you''d think. This is also the reason why I was hungry for revenge. In my previous life, I was killed by her and in this life as well, she was the one that captured me and sold me to a wretched auction house."


    Hecathe couldn''t help but feel as if he was being fed with a bit too much information for a single day.


    The more he learned, the more he felt that he had been living in the dark.


    LeiLei had betrayed him, he had been controlled since the beginning by his landlady and Lara had been making use of him to move her own wicked plans. The Dorgon that he had saved knew much more than him and even the Dorgon egg being in the auction had not been there by pure chance.


    At this point, all Hecathe could do was admit that Lara was a genius with a wicked mind.


    Even Asgarian seemed to have been played by the girl who set him up to his doom.


    However, although her actions could be seen as that of a great villain, there was still something that Hecathe was glad about.


    If she were to be the greatest villain, she wouldn''t have been caught even by the end of it all.


    Lara had made a scheme that appeared to be perfect but little did she know that there was no such thing as a perfect crime.


    If she had somehow managed to remain hidden till the very end, Hecathe would have respected her for it, but now that she had let her guard down and allowed herself to be villainized, Hecathe was surely not going to back down and accept any of this.


    "Eggy, what do you think I should do now?" Hecathe shook his head with a sigh as he questioned.


    "Go through with the plan," The Dorgon wasn''t too hesitant as he immediately responded, "You already know what you have to do. No need to think so hard about it. Do what you believe you should do."


    The Dorgon''s response was rather lazy and wasn''t really inspirational, however, it seemed to have pleased Hecathe.


    "In that case, would you lower down a bit?" Hecathe asked politely and his lips curled up in a small smile as he continued, "I''d like to make an announcement for the commencement grand show."


    The Dorgon nodded his head and smiled, "As you say."


    The Dorgon swung his giant wings and slowly lowered himself down onto the stage that was currently preoccupied with Marvin and Darius whom he had dared to fight.


    There came a lot of bullets and arrows aiming for the Dorgon but they were all stopped by an invisible barrier that had been put up by the Dorgon.


    Hecathe took in a sharp breath and immediately jumped down from the Dorgon''s back when they were close enough to the ground.


    At first, the Dorgon''s presence was so massive that not many had managed to notice Hecathe.


    Hecathe cleared his throat and interrupted the fight between Marvin and Darius as he spoke, "Marvin, why are you going easy on him?"


    Darius looked to be a little confused and agitated as he heard this and the man dangerously glared at Marvin.


    "Hecathe, why are you here?!" Marvin shouted as he deflected an attack from Darius.


    "I just had a really nice chat with my pet Dorgon and it seems that there is something that I must urgently do."


    "..." Marvin looked as if he didn''t even want to bother responding to something like that.


    In the very next moment, Darius abandoned Marvin and lunged towards Hecathe with vicious killing intent, but Hecathe only chuckled as he calmly stood on the spot and confidently waited for the attack to land.


    His confidence was clearly not based on a bluff and before the attack could land, it was blocked by Marvin who threw his double-bladed sword forward and used it as a shield for Hecathe. The sword steadily spun in front of Hecathe and created a barrier as well.


    "What the hell are you doing?!" Marvin angrily shouted as he looked at Hecathe with his eyes wide open.


    Hecathe closed his eyes and cleared his throat as he shouted out for everyone to hear, "This is a war!"


    "..."


    "To those who may surrender, we''ll show mercy but to those who go against us, we shall return the hostility!" Hecathe looked around as he made sure that his message was widely heard, "All armies are ordered to not go easy on people that stand to protect the three willows of spring! I do not plan to stretch this war out for too long so make sure everything ends today itself! By tomorrow, the world shall be freed from the clutches of the three willows!"


    Marvin couldn''t help but feel a little shocked and confused as he heard this man. For a second there, he even wondered whether Hecathe had finally lost his mind or not.


    "Captain, we shall win no matter what!" One of the mecha-suits shouted at the top of his voice as he smashed the face of a soldier that opposed them.


    At this point, the outcome of the war already looked to be pretty clear. If the three willows of spring needed to survive, they would need a miracle. If they didn''t have a miracle then they would need the help of Lara.


    Lara could control Hecathe''s army and turn them against Hecathe, however, it was clear that the girl had already chosen to stay neutral.


    Instead of joining a side that had both chances of losing or winning, she would rather wait and let everything slowly unfold till she automatically achieved what she wanted.


    What she wanted to achieve with all this still remained to be a mystery, but Hecathe wasn''t too worried about that.


    The Dorgon had told him not to think too hard about such things since overthinking never gave him something to enjoy. Hence, this time, he decided to do whatever he wanted and he wanted to follow his gut instincts.


    Darius somehow managed to break Marvin''s barrier that was protecting Hecathe and he threw a straight punch at Hecathe''s face, however, his fist was caught by somebody.


    "We are not done yet," Marvin gritted out as he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the man''s face.

 Chapter 199 - The Sword Of The Hero...?

    Darius somehow managed to break Marvin''s barrier that was protecting Hecathe and he threw a straight punch at Hecathe''s face, however, his fist was caught by somebody.


    "We are not done yet," Marvin gritted out as he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the man''s face.


    Darius flipped on his left leg and aimed to kick Marvin but Hecathe acted fast and pushed Marvin''s head down in the very last possible second, helping the man avoid the kick.


    "Marvin, don''t you have something for me?" Hecathe asked with a sigh as he looked down at the boy.


    Marvin chuckled as he heard this and took out the sword that had been tied to his back before giving it over to Hecathe, "Be careful with it."


    Hecathe smiled as he took the hilt of the sword and looked down at it, "Don''t worry about that."


    This sword was the same one that Marvin had placed as collateral at the auction house till he paid off the price needed to buy the auction house ownership.


    The sword originally belonged to the great Edler and was famously known to be the hero''s sword.


    When Hecathe looked at the sword, he couldn''t help but remember the stupid auctioneer''s comment on how this sword was going to belong to the next great hero.


    He almost wanted to laugh at how wrong that auctioneer had been at guessing.


    Hecathe wasn''t a great hero. If he had been a hero, he would have tried to save lives by putting an end to this war, so it would be shameless of him to claim that he was a hero.


    According to Hecathe, it would be much more believable for him to say that he was the next great villain. Or to be more exact, the next great pseudo-villain.


    Marvin immediately swung his double-bladed saber at Darius and distracted him for a few seconds.


    Darius blocked the saber with his hands and punched Marvin on the stomach with the other hand but it seemed that this action had already been expected not only by Marvin but also by Hecathe.


    Marvin grabbed the man''s wrist and smirked as he called out, "Now!"


    Hecathe raised the sword with a sigh as he heard this and in a split second, he tried to cut down the man''s head.


    However, the sword didn''t manage to get all the way through and had only pierced the iron armor that covered his neck.


    "Better watch your opponents back as well," Hecathe commented with a smirk as he pulled the sword back.


    Darius gritted his teeth and looked unharmed by the previous attack as he threw Marvin aside and tried to punch Hecathe.


    Hecathe chuckled as he caught the punch and stared right into the man''s eyes, "Be more careful and don''t leave an opening."


    Darius had a head that was a bit too hot at this moment and hence, he didn''t manage to quite understand what Hecathe was talking about.


    With a swing of his right hand, Hecathe tried to chop off the man''s hand but the metal suit once again came in the way and protected its owner.


    Hecathe would certainly be lying if he claimed not to be disappointed by this.


    With this suit coming in the way, it didn''t matter if their attacks landed or not since it was all just as useless.


    Marvin didn''t stand up after being thrown aside and instead, he carefully spun his double-bladed saber and threw it forward, aiming for Darius'' feet.


    Darius was a bit too preoccupied with Hecathe and hence, the attack successfully landed but it didn''t manage to cut off the man''s feet. It only managed to throw him off balance and that was more than enough for Hecathe.


    Hecathe lifted his wrist and took a few seconds to turn on his QMS as he sent a message, "Xanie, where is my suit?"


    The response didn''t come as quick as Hecathe had wanted but Xanie surely tried her best to make time for a reply.


    "Captain, are you sure about this?"


    Compared to the question, her words seemed to be a little out of context, however, it seemed that Hecathe could still understand her and he unhesitantly replied, "I''m sure."


    "Okay," This time, Xanie''s response was short but it was enough.


    In the next few minutes, while Hecathe and Marvin kept Darius busy in a fruitless fight, one of the mecha-suits ran towards Hecathe with another heavy suit on top of his shoulders.


    Hecathe immediately recognize this mecha-suit as the general that had helped Hecathe to escape from the execution when he had first come to this world.


    Just like how the mecha-suit carried Alphius'' suit at this moment, back then, he had also carried Hecathe all the way to the underground city in the exact same manner.


    "Captain, it''s here!" The mecha-suit spoke as he placed the suit down.


    Hecathe nodded his head with a smile as he heard this and for a few seconds, he left Marvin alone to deal with Darius.


    "But Captain, are you sure about this? It may be dangerous," The mecha-suit spoke up anxiously as he looked at Hecathe carefully.


    For him, Hecathe was still Alphius and Alphius was infamous for being bad at controlling his own mecha-suit.


    Since Hecathe had never used a mecha-suit before this, it wasn''t as if he was going to be any better but that was also something that he had already calculated when he ordered the suit to be delivered here.


    "Playing with danger isn''t something to be afraid of," Hecathe confidently spoke re-assuringly as he smirked, "For a man who had once played with death, this is nothing."


    Hecathe jumped inside the suit and somehow tried to use it as if he were in a car.


    The controls were not that complicated but practically using them was still a bit tricky. The more he thought about it, the more he felt as if it was really alike driving a car.


    A car also did not have complicated handles but it was still not something that was easy for everybody.


    At the end of the day, how good a person was in using it, depended on the years of focus and practice put in.


    Experience made a master and since this was the first time that Hecathe was using a mecha-suit, it was only natural to expect some incoming disaster.


    Hecathe first tried to control the feet and then he tries his best to control the two hands of the suit.


    When he had the hang of it, he gave up on practice and straightaway went forward to fight.


    His legs wobbled as he walked but as long as it worked, he didn''t care too much about it.


    From the outside, it looked as if this mecha-suit was being controlled by a mere child that had bad motor skills. However, since there was basically a war, nobody really cared about it nor did anybody bother to look at the laughable scene.


    Marvin ducked his head down and avoided a punch by Darius and Darius got ready to kick the man up but suddenly, another really strong punch was thrown exactly at Darius'' cheek and the man was forced to retreat a few steps.


    "See, I told you not to be so distracted," Hecathe mocked the man with a small chuckle.


    "Didn''t you claim to be bad at controlling a mecha-suit?!" Darius gritted his teeth as he questioned.


    Hecathe nodded his head as he confirmed it and spoke, "I am bad at it but I never said anything about not being able to use it completely. Even a child can drive a tractor if given the driver''s seat, but that doesn''t mean he has to drive it perfectly without any accidents."


    Darius had a hard time understanding what Hecathe meant but it wasn''t as if he was interested to know either.


    The willow was much more interested in talking with his fists so he threw a punch at Hecathe''s head and Hecathe''s head flew right off his neck... Or at least, the helmet did.


    "That thing was making it a bit too hot in here so I guess I''d thank you for that," Hecathe sarcastically spoke as he smiled.


    When the next punch was thrown, Hecathe successfully managed to duck his head and avoided it while Marvin pushed his saber up and tried to stab Darius.


    "You kids are too young to beat me!" Darius spoke a bit too confidently and Hecathe wanted to prove him wrong but at the same time, he couldn''t help but unconsciously nod his head as he agreed with the man.


    The man was still able to remain unharmed even when he was fighting against two strong opponents so his skill was not something to be doubted.


    However, losing was still not an option so Hecathe wasn''t going to play fair anymore.


    "I wonder why you act so righteous when you three have always been using your strength to harm and kill your own people," Hecathe spoke with a scoff as he incited the man.


    "Shut up!" Darius shouted and it seemed that there was not really a need to incite the man since he was already so furious.

 Chapter 200 - No Chance At Winning

    "I wonder why you act so righteous when you three have always been using your strength to harm and kill your own people," Hecathe spoke with a scoff as he incited the man.


    "Shut up!" Darius shouted and it seemed that there was not really a need to incite the man since he was already so furious.


    So far, it seemed as if the two were really no match against Darius who was a bit abnormally strong. In fact, strength was this man''s ability that he had proudly been flaunting all his life so it was still impressive of the two to last against him for this long.


    Darius kicked Marvin away and headed right for Hecathe as he tried to punch the man''s stomach with his full strength, but Hecathe pulled out Edler''s sword and once again struck the man''s neck right where he had previously struck and cracked the protective suit.


    This time, Hecathe''s attack wasn''t futile as the blade grazed against the man''s neck and left behind a small wound that was slightly bleeding. However, he also suffered as he had sacrificed his own body to inflict such a small wound and in comparison to the wound that he had sustained, it seemed that although his attack wasn''t futile, it was still not an outcome that was worth it.


    Thankfully his mecha suit had helped break the impact of the punch but Hecathe still groaned as he felt the painful jab.


    The blade had only grazed his neck but Darius still looked to be a bit shocked and Marvin used this split second of shock as an opening for another attack.


    He aimed for the man''s feet once again and with a swing of his saber, he tried to cut the man''s feet, however, the suit once again acted as a shield and protected the man.


    "You dare!" Darius shouted as he glared down at Marvin and lifted his right foot to kick the boy off, but before he could even touch the boy, Hecathe also kicked the man''s shin and made him fall to his knees.


    "Stop getting distracted!" Hecathe warned as he threw a punch at the man''s face and this time, Darius was not able to block nor avoid the fist.


    From the impact alone, his head fell back and was about to hit the ground, but at that very second, Marvin lifted his leg and kicked the man''s head back up from behind, making Darius fall down flat on his face with great force.


    For a second there, it almost looked as if Marvin and Hecathe were playing a game of soccer and Darius was the ball that got hit back and front.


    "Hecathe, you can leave it up to me. Go after Asgarian before he runs away," Marvin spoke as he stood up and held his double-bladed saber over the man''s head.


    "Are you sure?" Hecathe asked as he raised his eyebrows and looked at the boy with a blank expression that was a bit hard to read through.


    Marvin softly let out a small chuckle and nodded his head as he confirmed it and spoke, "I have some business to finish with him. Don''t worry."


    Hecathe smirked as he heard this and felt a little amused by the boy''s words. It seemed that Marvin was also no longer a naive boy who blinded trusted the three willows of spring. He had started to think on his own and now, without even needing to hear Hecathe spell it out for him, he was already able to realize a big secret.


    "Make sure you don''t die while I''m away," Hecathe spoke with a small smile before he turned around and walked away, heading out to find Asgarian who had already run away in hopes of escaping.


    Although his words made it seem as if he didn''t believe in Marvin''s strength, in reality, it was just meant to tease the boy. He was more than well aware of the fact that Marvin was not going to lose in this war.


    Marvin looked as if he was in a bad condition. In fact, if someone were to look at him at this moment, they would think the boy had already reached his limit, however, this was not true. He had not reached his limit, he had long surpassed his limit and at this moment, there was no energy left inside his body but he was still fighting with all he had. There was a fire inside him that motivated him to win and Hecathe trusted that fire because he was well aware of why that fire was burning so fiercly.


    Marvin lifted his foot and kicked the back of Darius'' head, burying his head deeper into the ground.


    "Till the end, you pretend as if you know nothing," Marvin gritted out and at this moment, there was a glint of red in his eyes that could only be seen when the man was truly being driven mad with anger.


    Such a glint was also seen the first time when Hecathe entered this world and it had surely managed to intimidate Hecathe.


    "Asgarian is the one that wanted my father dead," Marvin continued with a frown, "But how come he knew how to use Alphius'' mecha-suit. It simply does not add up."


    Darius seemed to have been able to hear this and the sound of his muffled laughter could be heard coming from below.


    Marvin lifted his foot and tried to kick the man''s head once again, but this time, his foot was caught by Darius who was not going to let this boy kick him around anymore.


    Darius lifted his head and turned around as he calmly spoke, "You want to defeat me alone? What a pity... With your friend here, you at least had a small chance of winning but now, I''m afraid you have already lost the chance to win this fight."


    Before Marvin could say anything as a response to that, the man twisted Marvin''s foot and dragged him forward, tripping him and making him fall with his whole body weight adding to the strength of the impact, focused only on his right shoulder.


    "What the hell are you spouting, boy?" Darius questioned as he pushed himself off the ground, "Your father died because your best friend killed him."


    Marvin clenched his fist and immediately tried to stand up but was kicked on the center of his back, almost breaking his spine in the process.


    "Nothing good comes out of falsely accusing us," Darius continued to play innocent as he added with a sneer.


    At this moment, shockingly enough, Marvin started laughing and Darius looked to be a little speechless as he heard the boy.


    "Darius, did you hate my father?" Marvin questioned in between his laughter.


    "Hate?" Darius tilted his head and scoffed as he kicked the boy''s head to the ground, "That''s not really the word I''d use for it."


    Darius didn''t lift his foot and held it against the boy''s head, keeping sure that the boy would not be able to lift his head.


    "He was just like you," Darius added and Marvin gritted his teeth as he heard this.


    Marvin supported his body up with the help of his hand and slowly lifted his head, forcing the man to take off his foot from his head.


    "You say we are alike?" Marvin gritted out as he didn''t bother turning to look at the man''s face.


    Darius said nothing as a response to that and simply kicked the boy forward once again, however, this time, Marvin only took a few steps forward and didn''t let himself fall to the ground.


    "You''re wrong if you think we are alike," Marvin continued and his voice sounded oddly calm and intimidating at the same time, "He was a great man who trusted you people."


    Darius'' frown deepened as he heard this but he didn''t bother saying anything as he grabbed the boy''s shoulder and flipped him around before throwing a punch aimed right at his face.


    Marvin didn''t avoid the attack and simply let the man hit him.


    "He fought for justice. He was a hero who selflessly worked for the people. A hero that can never be replaced by another," Marvin spat out a mouthful of blood but still didn''t stop talking, "If he were here, he would have stopped me. Even with everything that you have done wrong, he would have still shown you mercy. He was just that kind of a person."


    Darius gritted his teeth and once again threw a punch aiming for the boy''s face, however, this time, the punch did not land as his fist immediately paused right in front of the boy''s face


    Darius'' eyebrows creased together in confusion and a bit of shock.


    It seemed that just as Hecathe had guessed, Marvin had already surpassed his limits and now, it was almost impossible to beat him.


    Marvin closed his eyes and took a sharp breath in before he spoke, "Asgarian might be the one that planned my father''s death, but you were the one that killed him."


    "You killed a hero that trusted you," Marvin snapped his eyes open and suddenly, his eyes seemed to be glowing with a golden white blinding light.


    "I am not like him.. I am not capable of the forgiveness and mercy that he showed."

 Chapter 201 - Marvins Special Ability

    "You killed a hero that trusted you," Marvin snapped his eyes open and suddenly, his eyes seemed to be glowing with a golden white blinding light.


    "I am not like him. I am not capable of the forgiveness and mercy that he showed."


    Darius gulped as he heard this and for the first time in his life, he felt intimidated.


    He had really been wrong in comparing the father and son.


    Marvin was clearly not like his father.


    He was much stronger than the great Orgon...


    "I am going to kill you!"


    At this moment, Darius realized that the only way he could win against this boy was if he seized the opportunity to attack first, and so, he lifted his fist and tried to punch the boy once again, however, this time, his punch did not land, in fact, it went right through the boy''s body.


    Darius'' eyes widened as he got shocked at the sudden turn of events.


    "Do not underestimate me!" Marvin shouted as he lifted his double-bladed saber and in a hacking manner, struck down at the man.


    Darius was too close to avoid the saber so his body reacted on its own and he lifted his arms to cover his head, however, it seemed that the saber was much more powerful than before.


    The piece of armor around his arm completely shattered into bits and he felt a numbing sense of pain climbing up his arms. It was truly a bit of a surprise to see just how powerful that attack was but what was more shocking was perhaps the fact that even the ground around Darius'' feet had been cracked as it absorbed the indirect blow.


    "You think you can get rid of me just like how you did with him...?! Don''t joke around!" Marvin''s eyes had a crazed look in them as they shone.


    Before Darius could properly think of a way to retaliate, Marvin had already lifted his saber and this time, he tried to seriously cut off the man''s head.


    However, luckily enough, Darius had somehow managed to duck his head down on time.


    "It doesn''t matter who you are! I''ll torture and kill you till I am satisfied with it! That is how I plan to avenge my father''s death!"


    Suddenly, Marvin''s whole body started letting out a soft golden glow, almost making him look as if he was a celestial being that did not belong to this world.


    Darius gulped as he tried to kick the man away but his leg went right through Marvin''s body.


    Marvin was finally using his special ability that he had never bothered using before this. Even his father had never been able to use this ability that was almost like the world''s most perfect armor.


    Marvin had named this ability as the wrath of the celestial angel and looking at how powerful it was, it seemed that the name truly matched the ability well.


    While using the wrath of the celestial angel, Marvin''s body would become akin to that of an untouchable being that could be seen and felt but not touched.


    In this form, it didn''t matter who it was that attacked him since no attacks were ever going to land.


    However, just like any other ability, this ability also had a drawback and it was perhaps the limited time that it could be used for.


    If Marvin could use the ability to beat this man in the next ten minutes, he was going to win this fight, however, if he were not able to win during the given time period, he would pass out from exhaustion and be defeated.


    In actual war, this ability was no better than just a bluff. In fact, even in fights where you''d only be faced with a single opponent, using this ability was quite risky and hence Marvin had always preferred to put it off as his very last option in desperate situations.


    So the mere fact that he had resorted to using such an ability meant that he was truly looking to kill this man today.


    "W-wait!" Darius finally started coming back to his senses and as soon as he realized the disadvantage he was in, he tried to save himself, "What about the Asgarian...? What about Lara...? If you waste your time with me, would they not run away?"


    Marvin''s eyebrows creased together and his lips twitched as he heard this, however, Darius didn''t care about the disgusted expression on the boy''s face as he continued.


    "You say I killed your father but if you look at it closely, wasn''t I also just a pawn that was used in someone else''s plan? Your true enemy is not me! It is the one who planned everything!"


    In the very next moment, shockingly enough, Marvin let out a mocking laugh as he said nothing.


    The boy lifted his double-bladed saber and rotated it above his head as if it were a fan.


    "Y-you''re really going to regret it!" Darius faltered a step back as cold sweat started rolling down his forehead.


    "Don''t spout nonsense," Marvin spoke firmly with a smirk, "Do you really think they are going to survive? I''m just sending you to hell first. Your friends are going to follow you soon after. I''ll make sure of that."


    Darius gulped as he heard this and as a pathetic act of self-defense, he picked up one of the three thrones and threw it at Marvin.


    Shockingly enough, the chair didn''t hit him but it didn''t pass through his body either. It simply turned into smoke as soon as it got near Marvin.


    Darius somehow managed to catch a sight of the formation above Marvin''s head and he couldn''t help but feel a little stunned.


    This boy was not just spinning the sword above his head for the sake of intimidating his opponent. He was making a formation using the incantation method.


    Normal ability users were not skilled enough to use incantations. In fact, the only people who knew how to use incantations were perhaps the old three willows of spring who were already long dead.


    Hence, it was no wonder that the formation made by the boy had managed to leave Darius both amazed and horrified at the same time.


    "H-How the hell did you..." Darius stuttered as he found it hard to complete that question.


    "I have no reason to be telling you anything," Marvin clicked his tongue as he threw the saber up and pierced the formation with its tip.


    In an instant, everybody around disappeared and all that could be seen was darkness.


    Darius panicked a little as he realized what formation the boy had used and as soon as the realization settled in, he couldn''t help but feel a shiver run down his spine.


    It was only now that Darius thoroughly understood something.


    This boy was truly a bit too terrifying when angered...


    "I like to call this one the twenty-eight tribulations of hell," Marvin''s voice could be clearly heard but the boy could not be seen and even his voice sounded so distorted and faint that it was hard to discern where it was coming from.


    Darius frantically looked around for any sign of the boy but in the very next moment, he felt an arm choking him as he got lifted up in mid-air.


    His eyes looked as if they were ready to pop out of his sockets and the veins on his neck seemed to be bulging out as he gasped for air that he could not get.


    Since he could not touch nor see the hand that was choking him, it was almost impossible for him to somehow free himself and hence, he helplessly struggled for a bit more than five minutes.


    Darius was sure he was about to lose his life today, but shockingly enough, before he lost consciousness, the invisible hand let him go and he fell down onto the floor.


    But things were still far from over.


    There was clearly a reason why this technique of torture was called the twenty-eight tribulations of hell. In fact, it was precise because there were twenty-eight methods of torture that a person would be put through with the use of such a technique.


    For a regular mage, the first five torture methods were more than enough to take their lives but since this was Darius, Marvin was sure all twenty-eight methods needed to be used.


    However, even if it was Darius, one of the three willows of spring, it was still a bit too ridiculous to say that he would survive till the end of it.


    Darius gasped for air as he tried to control his limbs that had no energy in them, but it didn''t look like he was going to be getting a break.


    His body started to profusely sweat and he felt as if the temperature was abnormally rising up at a rather fast pace that was hard to get used to.


    Before he knew it, his skin was completely red and it was no longer the mere heat that bothered him, rather, it was the fact that he felt as if he was slowly being boiled alive.


    He scratched his arms and clutched his body together as he tried to prevent the pain from spreading but it was simply futile.. In the end, all he could do was scream in pain.

 Chapter 202 - A Scared Rat

    "Where do you think you''re running off to?" Hecathe asked with a chuckle as he casually whistled an unknown tune.


    Asgarian snapped his head back to look at the man in horror as he stuttered, "H-how''d you get here...?!"


    Hecathe tilted his head with a smile as he spoke, "It wasn''t really hard. A frightened rabbit always hides in its tiny little rabbit hole."


    Asgarian''s eyes trailed down to the sword that Hecathe was clutching onto and his complexion seemed to have turned white.


    "Who are you?"


    "Hmm...?"


    "You are not Alphius, are you...?!"


    Hecathe seemed to be a bit amused as he heard this question and so, he decided to spare a few minutes for a peaceful conversation as he asked back, "Why would you say that?"


    "Because I was there!" Asgarian exclaimed as he defensively took a step back, "Marvin had killed him. When I checked, he was clearly dead. How can a corpse suddenly come back to life?! It doesn''t make any sense!"


    This was the first time Hecathe was hearing this story, however, he wasn''t too shocked by it simply because he knew what type of man Asgarian was by now. In fact, even if this man were to reveal that he was the one who incited Marvin and made the boy kill his friend, Hecathe would still not be too shocked.


    With a chuckle, Hecathe nodded his head as he spoke, "I see now. You were not shaken up by the fake rumor because you truly believed it to be right."


    Asgarian gulped as he heard this and Hecathe smirked.


    "You had made sure both Alphius and Orgon were dead, however, one of the two turned out to be alive while the other was rumored to have come back to life," Hecathe couldn''t help but be a little amused as he put the pieces together.


    Who could have guessed that his plans would work out so well together? It was truly a wonder even for himself.


    "So you hired someone to investigate and found out the truth!" Hecathe enthusiastically exclaimed, "That the Alphius who was alive and the Orgon whose soul had possessed the body of a young boy were not two different cases but the same."


    "Was I wrong?" Asgarian questioned sharply.


    "Of course, you were!" Hecathe chuckled, almost looking as if he was mocking the man, "How could I be the great Orgon? If I were him, would your head still be attached to your neck?"


    As if on instinct, Asgarian covered his neck, and Hecathe couldn''t help but want to laugh as he saw the man''s terrified eyes.


    "I have heard a lot about you," Hecathe spoke as he shook his head, "Maybe that''s why I''m so disappointed as I see you right now. You remind me of a terrified rat that is about to die from a heart attack and it makes me absolutely furious to think that such a rat was the cause of Alphius'' death."


    "What the hell is there to be afraid of? Why would you go and commit all those crimes when you were going to be this afraid of retribution?!" Hecathe snapped.


    "Of course, I''d be afraid! I don''t even know what type of monster you are! You come out of nowhere and possess the body of a dead boy! How can I not be afraid?!"


    "..." This time, Hecathe was truly a bit stunned as he heard the man. Admitting to fear your opponent in a fight was really like placing your throat in front of your enemy''s sword without any plan.


    From the man''s response, Hecathe''s disappointment just became immeasurable.


    "And even that backstabbing b*tch abandoned me!" Asgarian fumed as he clenched his fist, "If it were not for me, she would have died without anyone ever knowing she even existed!"


    Hecathe was about to kill the man but he once again decided to delay it a bit as he leisurely leaned back on the wall and asked, "What are you talking about it? Care to let me in on this interesting backstory?"


    Asgarian gritted his teeth as he heard this and opened his mouth to say something but immediately stopped and took a deep breath in as he changed his mind and his words along with it, "I can see the end."


    "Huh?"


    "It is already over for me so I might as well tell you," Asgarian sighed and Hecathe patiently waited to listen more, "Lara was the daughter of Dorka''s brother."


    Hecathe felt a little surprised at first but then a minute passed and the surprised feeling changed into confusion as he questioned, "Did she have a sister?"


    Asgarian shook his head as he spoke, "She was the only child and she inherited her father''s ability to read minds."


    "Wait... What?!" Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together and he couldn''t help but feel as if this man was spouting nonsense, "Wasn''t LeiLei the daughter...?!"


    "That girl?" Asgarian scoffed, "She isn''t even real."


    Hecathe gulped and repeated the man''s words in his head just to make sure whether he had heard it right or not.


    "What do you mean?" Hecathe''s eyes dangerously narrowed down on the man.


    "LeiLei is nothing more than Lara''s-" His words were suddenly cut short as his hands reached up to his neck and snapped it without any hesitation.


    "I was planning on waiting to see what happens but it seems that I must personally interrupt and remind him that it''s bad to talk behind someone''s back," An annoyed voice of a familiar girl came and Hecathe immediately lifted his head up to look at the two girls who had emerged from the shadows.


    "You...!" Hecathe muttered as his muscles immediately tensed up.


    Lara smiled as she heard this and nodded her head, "It makes me happy to know that you remember my name."


    "..." Hecathe could surely not say the same.


    "At the same time, it also upsets me to know that you are not following the plan," Lara continued with a sigh.


    Hecathe had no interest in hearing her words so his eyes trailed behind the girl and landed on LeiLei who looked to be her usual self.


    "Who are you?" Hecathe suddenly interrupted Lara''s words as he looked at LeiLei and questioned.


    LeiLei said nothing as a response and kept glaring at the man while Lara got a little offended by the fact that she was being ignored.


    "You''re clearly not the LeiLei I know," Hecathe gritted out.


    Once again, there was no reaction from LeiLei but Lara surely laughed as she heard his words.


    "What are you talking about, Alphius? She is exactly the same girl that you know," Lara spoke with a smirk, "It''s just that you never paid attention to know the real her."


    Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he heard this but he didn''t say anything.


    "You should''ve looked closer," Lara continued with a teasing tone, "You should''ve paid more attention to the things she did."


    Suddenly the girl took out a small diary from her pocket and Hecathe couldn''t help but recognize it as Alphius'' diary that he had continued writing on.


    "If you had paid more attention, perhaps we wouldn''t have ended up here."


    "What the hell are you really trying to do?" Hecathe questioned angrily as he glared at the girl.


    "Me? I''m doing exactly what you''re doing," Lara chuckled, "I''m getting my revenge on the man who killed my father."


    Hecathe didn''t know what type of sick joke this was but it was certainly not funny.


    Compared to Asgarian, Lara was a lot more calm and confident with everything she said and did. Both were willows of spring and yet, Hecathe couldn''t help but feel as if this girl was on an entirely different level than that scared rat.


    She opened the diary and sang, "Although I must say that you have left quite a deep impression on my mind."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and he could already guess that he would not be liking what he was about to hear.


    "You don''t even belong to this world and yet, you try to flip it around. You are living in the body of a boy who was supposed to die as a villain and yet you try to make him the hero who avenges the great Orgon''s death. Even that damned Dorgon that I sent you... Somehow, you managed to change that creature''s mind. It would be a lie to say that I am not impressed."


    "In fact, for a second there, even I was left contemplating whether you really were the great Orgon who had come back from the gates of the afterlife," Lara added with a chuckle, "Do you know where the name Orgon comes from?"


    Hecathe shook his head with a frown.


    "There is no evidence to prove that Dorgon''s can be controlled by men but that is not because there had been no one who could control it," Lara smirked as she spoke, "It is simply because of the lack of evidence. In reality, there have been accounts of Dorgon''s being controlled by humans."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and his eyebrows drew closer together as he felt a little shocked and lost.


    "It''s just that there is only one family that is said to have such an amazing gift," Lara sighed out, "And that family has been purposefully keeping it as a secret."

 Chapter 203 - The Origin Of The Orgons

    "There is no evidence to prove that Dorgon''s can be controlled by men but that is not because there had been no one who could control it," Lara smirked as she spoke, "It is simply because of the lack of evidence. In reality, there have been accounts of Dorgon''s being controlled by humans."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and his eyebrows drew closer together as he felt a little shocked and lost.


    "It''s just that there is only one family that is said to have such an amazing gift," Lara sighed out, "And that family has been purposefully keeping it as a secret."


    Hecathe''s eyes slowly widened with realization and before he could ask anything, Lara clarified his doubts.


    "You''re right. The Family of Orgons. They come from an imperial lineage of the old rulers. Their celestial light ability made people consider them as a king who rules the world. Even Dorgons would readily listen to their commands."


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this and his eyes widened even more as he suddenly remembered something that Marvin had once told him.


    "How can that be...?" Hecathe muttered in disbelief, "There must be a mistake! If they could control Dorgons then why would Edler... Die?"


    As Hecathe spelled out the question, he finally found another truth that he wished he didn''t know.


    Marvin had told him that his father always felt guilty for the death of the great Edler, however, Hecathe simply reassured the boy that it was probably not his father''s fault since Dorgons had always been such vicious creatures that could not be stopped. In fact, when he had said that, he was sure Marvin''s father couldn''t have done anything to save the great Edler even if he had tried to.


    However, now that this new piece of information was revealed, Hecathe finally understood why that man felt guilty and he also understood what Marvin seemed to have been hiding from him.


    "How does it feel to know that you are trying to avenge the murder of a man who killed the great Edler?" Lara chuckled as she mockingly asked, "And that too, while inside Alphius'' body...?"


    Hecathe gulped as he heard this but said nothing.


    "I am not your enemy," Lara added with a wicked smile, "If anything, you should be thanking me for showing you the right way."


    Hecathe held his head down as he heard this and Lara thought her method of emotionally manipulating the man was working, however, at the very next moment, Hecathe''s shoulders began shaking and he broke out laughing.


    "Huh...?" Lara''s eyebrows creased together and she took a step back as she saw such a reaction that almost made it seem as if the man had gone completely crazy.


    "You seem to have a lot of nonsense to spout," Hecathe scoffed, "But tell me why I should trust anything you say."


    Lara frowned as she heard this.


    "It won''t even be the first time that you''d be lying."


    "Hecathe..." This time, it was not Alora that spoke up. Instead, it was LeiLei, "I never lied to you about anything."


    Hecathe stopped laughing and felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he heard these shameless words.


    "You never lied?" Hecathe''s eyes twitched as he clicked his tongue, "Why don''t you go and tell that to someone who is actually dumb enough to believe you."


    "She''s not lying, Hecathe." Lara chuckled as she spoke up in defense, "We had always treated you sincerely. There might have been a few things that we hid from you but except for that, everything we said was indeed the truth."


    Hecathe frowned as he heard this and pointed out, "Then I supposed it wasn''t a lie when you claimed yourself as the daughter of Dorka''s brother."


    "Of course not," Lara tilted her head and stated without any hesitation.


    "But you see, that man only had a single child so how can there be two of you?" Hecathe pointed at the two accusingly as he spoke.


    Lara chuckled as she heard this and LeiLei sighed.


    "I guess that has been bothering you," Lara spoke with a chuckle, "You''re right, he only had one daughter. But what makes you think the two of us are different?"


    "Huh?"


    Lara''s smile deepened and there seemed to be a dark aura around her as she removed the hood of the cloak and revealed her face.


    "You see," The girl spoke slowly, "LeiLei and Lara. They are one and the same."


    Hecathe''s eyes widened in horror as he saw Lara''s true face that was almost identical to LeiLei''s face, however, her eyes were blind and the top half of her face had been completely burned.


    "H-How can this be...?!" Hecathe gulped as he faltered a step back in horror.


    "I told you already, didn''t I?" Lara tilted her head as she chuckled mockingly, "If you had looked closer, you might have been able to see the truth."


    Hecathe felt his breath getting stuck in his throat and he was no longer sure about anything.


    "Now that I remember it, I do believe there is one thing that I lied to you about," Lara suddenly spoke up as she clapped her hands once, "When I told you that my parents had died, I lied. My father had indeed passed away but before he could die, he gave over his abilities to my mother, and hence, my mother was able to get me out of there."


    Hecathe''s eyebrows creased together as he remembered the landlady who had treated him warmly and used him to carry out Lara''s plan.


    "However, I had lost the ability to see and my face turned out to be like this so there was no way I''d be able to live an ordinary life. I guess it started from then on out, plotting an act of perfect revenge," Surprisingly enough, Lara looked to be really enthusiastic as she finally got the chance to say everything out loud.


    "Before she married my father, My mother wasn''t a mage. She was a witch, a really skilled one at that. She helped me make LeiLei. The living pawn that was meant to both live and die for me. Making her was easy. After all, her body and appearance were based on me and she even received my altered memories. Even my father''s abilities were given to her. However, my mother''s work wasn''t perfect, and hence although LeiLei came to exist, she couldn''t become a person of her own."


    Hecathe glanced at LeiLei and all he saw was a human that he had interacted with and personally known. He didn''t care about anything that Lara said ''cause it was all a bit too ridiculous for him.


    "In the end, I had to place a part of my own soul in her," Lara continued with a small smile, "Surprisingly enough, it all worked out and she finally became what we had wanted her to become."


    "A pawn that would replace you and receive your misfortunes instead...?" Hecathe''s lips twitched as he questioned.


    Lara unhesitantly nodded her head as she confirmed it, "Do you understand now? It didn''t matter what tricks you tried in order to have her join you. Since the beginning itself, LeiLei had always been mine."


    "Are you God or something...?!" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he snapped, "How can you plan everything so clearly? If I am to believe your words then this grand plan of yours probably started even before I came to this world! How could you have seen so far in the future? It makes no sense."


    Lara nodded her head as she agreed with the man, "You are right. It is ridiculous to think that I had made such an elaborate plan. I am no God and hence it is only natural that I was also not aware of how things would turn out. Actually, you might not see it but there were quite a lot of things that didn''t go as originally planned."


    "Huh?"


    "Alphius was supposed to die that day but then you came and interrupted my plans. The original target had been Marvin. He was the one who was supposed to save the Dorgon and he was the one who was supposed to find LeiLei as well. However, your sudden appearance changed things up a bit," Lara spoke carefully as she thought about it for a minute or two, "Even that slave that I sent over. I was sure you''d save her but you chose to save a Dorgon over a human slave. Back then, I thought my plans were going to be ruined by you but luckily enough, my mother wanted to help me and everything worked out smoothly."


    Hecathe''s face looked to be a little dark as he heard this and he clenched his fist angrily as he stayed silent and listened to the girl.


    "You see, at the end of the day, it didn''t matter if the chosen target was Marvin or you. All I cared about was the result and you both would have delivered it beautifully."


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to applaud the girl for her intelligence or mock her for wasting her time in such a conversation.


    ''Cause, the reason why he patiently listened till now was not because he was interested, rather, it was because he was buying time and it seemed as if the girl had not noticed this.

 Chapter 204 - Buying Time

    "You see, at the end of the day, it didn''t matter if the chosen target was Marvin or you. All I cared about was the result and you both would have delivered it beautifully."


    "..."


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to applaud the girl for her intelligence or mock her for wasting her time in such a conversation.  ''Cause, the reason why he patiently listened till now was not because he was interested in her words, rather, it was because he was buying time and it seemed as if the girl had not noticed this.


    "So stop getting in the way of what you have created," Lara sharply spoke, "Everything is going according to the plan and by the end of this, if you''re still alive, you''ll be the only prominent ruler left. Only a fool would refuse such an offer and I believe that you are not such a fool."


    Hecathe scoffed as he heard this, "This might be disappointing to hear but I really am a fool."


    Hecathe raised his sword and it seemed as if he was challenging the girl as he spoke, "The plan went according to your wish but the ending would be according to mine."


    Alphius had brought Hecathe to this world for a favor but since he had never told the man what the favor was, Hecathe blindly struggled to find the goal that he was supposed to accomplish.


    However, after hearing Lara''s words, Hecathe couldn''t help but once again guess what the favor was supposed to be.


    Marvin''s father was the reason why the great Edler died and there was no way Alphius was unaware of this. If that were to be the case, then Alphius should have hated both father and son, however, it was clear that Alphius had never hated Marvin.


    If Alphius was not a boy who was aiming for revenge on his father''s death then how could he be a person who would want revenge for his own death when it was Marvin who had killed him?


    There was no doubt about it. Although Marvin had killed Alphius, the young boy had already stupidly forgiven his friend for it so the favor had nothing to do with revenge nor did it have anything to do with Alphius and his reputation.


    Alphius was a selfless idiot who didn''t ask a favor for himself. He asked a favor for his friend who had killed him.


    If Hecathe was guessing right then Alphius had probably already realized everything from the start to the end and hence, he was concerned about Marvin who was going to fall victim to Lara''s schemes.


    Hecathe laughed as he shook his head.


    If Alphius were to be alive today, Hecathe would certainly want to meet him and he''d happily want to punch the boy as well for dragging Hecathe into this mess.


    "I''m glad," Hecathe commented and Lara frowned as she felt a little confused.


    "I''m glad it was me who feel for the trap," Hecathe sighed out as he continued, "If it had been that fool then this would have ended very differently."


    Hecathe raised his sword and got ready to attack, but was stopped by Lara''s threatening words.


    "Are you sure you can beat me?"


    Hecathe chuckled softly as he heard this but didn''t give a response.


    "If you don''t manage to kill me, I''ll kill you instead."


    "Is that supposed to scare me?" Hecathe clicked his tongue.


    He had already died once so how could death scare him again?


    "On the contrary, even if you do manage to kill me, with all the three willows of spring dead, do you think you''ll emerge as the glorious hero or the cursed dictator?"


    "So you''re telling me I''m doomed in both the cases?" Hecathe smirked as he questioned and Lara only smiled thinly.


    If it had been somebody else, they would have at least hesitated to attack the girl, but since it was Hecathe, the man acted like a maniac and swung the sword forward without any thoughts.


    Lara sighed as she felt a little disappointed and before the sword could even lay a scratch on her, it disappeared into thin air and Hecathe was left clutching a small napkin instead.


    "LeiLei, kill him."


    Lara turned around and got ready to walk away but her footsteps came to a stop as she sensed that something was wrong.


    Her muscles tensed up and her ears perked up as she tried to listen in to something, but the atmosphere was completely silent.


    Hecathe gritted his teeth as he glared at LeiLei, "So you''re going to be the one to kill me?"


    LeiLei didn''t say anything as she raised her hand and held up a small pebble.


    Hecathe knew exactly what she was going to do and he also knew that there was no way this girl could ignore Lara''s orders.


    He was also well aware of the fact that with LeiLei here, there was no way he was going to survive so he simply smiled as he pointed at the diary that Lara held and spoke, "Then do me a favor before you kill me."


    This time, although LeiLei didn''t give a verbal response, her movements still paused as she waited to hear the rest.


    LeiLei was created based on Lara and perhaps that was the reason why it was the easiest for Lara to control her. However, at the same time, Lara did not have complete control over her and LeiLei was also a person of her own.


    "That diary... Please give it to Marvin along with my ring. Exchange the diary for his saber and the ring for the one that he is always wearing," Hecathe mouthed out clearly without letting Lara hear it.


    There was something that Hecathe had always wondered.


    Out of everyone in the world, why had Alphius specifically chosen him?


    Was it really just a random pick or was it because of a reason that Hecathe was yet to understand?


    However, the more he thought about finding the answer, the more lost he felt.


    There was simply no reason why it had to be him.


    He was a man who knew nothing about this world so how was he supposed to come here and fix things?


    It was a piece of the puzzle that simply did not fit even when the rest of the puzzle was solved.


    But now that he could see the end, the realization suddenly hit him. He was never meant to be the hero of this story. From the starting itself, he was meant to be the villain.


    The hero of the story only emerges when the villain is killed.


    This world did not need a villain to correct it, it needed a hero to save it.


    And that hero was not Hecathe...


    "Alright," LeiLei nodded her head in understanding and Hecathe smiled as he closed his eyes.


    Since this was really the end, Hecathe couldn''t help but wonder if he was going to hell or heaven after this. If not both then was he going to be dragged into another world and made to live another misfortunate villain''s life...?


    "Goodbye... Hecathe," LeiLei muttered softly as she used her ability and switched out Hecathe''s heart for the small pebble that was in her hands.


    Hecathe''s body immediately fell down lifeless and the pebble in LeiLei''s hand was replaced by a heart that only had a few beats left before it completely stopped.


    LeiLei looked at the heart emotionlessly before glancing down at Hecathe''s dead body.


    "That bastard!" Lara suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs as she finally found out what was wrong, "LeiLei, let''s go!"


    LeiLei placed the heart down near Hecathe''s body and nodded her head as she raised her hand and once again used her ability to carry out Hecathe''s request.


    She immediately switched out the diary with the saber and also sent over the ring to Marvin.


    Lara was shocked as she held onto the sword that had suddenly appeared in her hands.


    "LeiLei, what the hell are you doing?" Lara gritted out in confusion but LeiLei said nothing.


    Lara turned around and raised the double-bladed saber to point at LeiLei''s throat, "Just who in the world do you think is your master...?!"


    LeiLei was not threatened by the sword and she remained standing on her spot without even flinching.


    "I only fulfilled a dying friend''s request."


    Lara gritted her teeth and looked to have been even more angered as she heard this. She swung the saber and tried to cut off LeiLei''s head but was suddenly interrupted by someone else who came to the rescue.


    "What the-"


    Marvin grabbed Lara''s hand and his eyes trailed down to look at Alphius'' lifeless corpse.


    "Did you kill him?" Marvin questioned as he glared at Lara.


    Lara gulped as she heard this and shook her head, "Don''t be ridiculous. How can I kill him?"


    "But he''s dead, isn''t he?" Marvin gritted his teeth and tightened his hold around her wrist.


    "You dare go against me like this...?!" Lara angrily snapped as she tried to free herself but surprisingly enough, Marvin was quite strong.


    Lara tried to control the boy but unfortunately, it seemed that there was a wall protecting his mind from her influence.


    "It''s no use," Marvin clicked his tongue as he guessed what the girl was trying to do.

 Chapter 205 - Its Of No Use

    "You dare go against me like this...?!" Lara angrily snapped as she tried to free herself but surprisingly enough, Marvin was quite strong.


    Lara tried to control the boy but unfortunately, it seemed that there was a wall protecting his mind from her influence.


    "It''s of no use," Marvin clicked his tongue as he guessed what the girl was trying to do.


    Since LeiLei had also given Marvin the ring that Hecathe used to wear, Lara was basically powerless against him.


    "LeiLei, kill-" Lara was about to order the woman to kill Marvin just like she had killed Hecathe, however, her words were cut short as Marvin used his left hand to strike the back of LeiLei''s neck, immediately knocking her unconscious.


    "It looks like your only strong weapon has been disarmed," Marvin commented with an emotionless voice.


    "Marvin, do not fight me!" Lara clenched her fist as she snapped, "It''s not a fight that you can win."


    Marvin let out a small breath that almost sounded like a dry chuckle, "Do you think I care anymore?"


    Marvin raised his head and his eyes still looked to be a golden color.


    After defeating Darius, Marvin should not have been able to move around like this nor would he normally have the energy to keep using his ability like this.


    When the limited time was up, he should have passed out.


    However, oddly enough, he was still standing.


    He was awake but at the same time, it also looked as if he was not completely conscious.


    "Have you gone crazy?!" Lara gritted out, "You are still too young and naive. If you kill me today, your end would also not be too far."


    Marvin let out a small sigh as he heard this, "Death shall be avenged with death. Fairness shall see no title. Under the watchful eyes of the imperial rule, our land shall not forgive sinners!"


    Lara gulped as she heard this and couldn''t help but tremble as she felt a sense of fear.


    Marvin grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up as he asked, "Do you feel no regret?"


    Lara struggled at first but soon understood that it was impossible to get away so she laughed as her face turned red from anger and the pressure of suffocation, "I have already got my revenge. Why would I feel any regret...?!"


    "I see..." Marvin muttered as his grip around the girl''s throat tightened.


    He chanted something that could not be heard and a warm glow started coming out from the palm of his hands, burning the girl''s skin and making her scream in pain.


    Lara immediately grabbed Marvin''s hand and kicked him away as she freed herself.


    She fell down onto the floor and gasped for air as she rubbed her throat.


    "You crazy son of a bitc-"


    Marvin raised the saber and hacked down as he tried to behead the girl on the spot, but Lara was a bit quicker as she moved away.


    "Marvin, let''s not do this," The girl anxiously spoke as beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, but it seemed that her words were simply not able to reach Marvin whose judgment had been clouded by the sight of his dead friend.


    Marvin raised the double-bladed saber once again and used both of his hands to strike down with a single neat swing that was meant to chop the girl in half.


    "Damn you!" Lara scrambled back in fear and avoided the saber by just a few inches.


    "There is nowhere to run," Marvin muttered as his glowing golden eyes looked at Lara with a bored gaze.


    It was as if the one standing in front of the girl was not Marvin but was a grim reaper who had come to suck out her soul and take it to hell.


    Lara gulped as she tried to come up with a way to beat the boy but the more she tried to come up with a plan, the more she felt as if she had already been trapped in here with this monster that was going to devour her soul.


    It didn''t take her long to realize that if she wanted to survive, she would first need to run away far from here and make sure that this boy was not able to catch up to her.


    Lara gritted her teeth and although she felt embarrassed to run away like a coward, since this was a matter concerning her life and death, it was only natural that she would put her embarrassment aside and run with all her might.


    Marvin sighed as his eyes followed after the girl who had pushed herself off the ground and ran away, deeper into the passage.


    She gasped for air as she ran but no matter how tired she felt, her legs didn''t stop as she continued to run.


    Marvin shook his head and followed after her, leisurely spinning the saber that he held.


    Right now, they were in the secret passages that were hidden under the main castle belonging to the three willows of spring.


    The underground passages were twisted and too complicated for a person to remember. Without a map in hand, there was probably no person in this world that could safely make their way out.


    However, even after knowing this, Lara ran without any hesitation since she was sure that since the passages were so complicated, even Marvin might not be able to find her.


    However, her plans to run away immediately failed as Marvin threw his double-bladed saber forward, aiming for the ceiling that immediately collapsed in front of Lara, closing off the escape route for her.


    Lara gulped as she fell back in shock.


    When the girl turned her head, she was met with Marvin looking down at her with those fierce golden eyes, and she couldn''t help but feel a deep sense of fear squeezing her heart.


    "W-wait," The girl muttered as she immediately crawled away towards the debris that had blocked off the passage, and with her back against it, she faced Marvin as she spoke, "The war... What happened to the war...?! Do you really have time to torture me like this when there is a war going on right above us?"


    The girl thought this would be enough to stop the boy, but it was no surprise that her words were completely useless on him.


    "The war ended," Marvin spoke as he informed and Lara looked to be a bit stunned, although she had already expected this after noticing the eery silence.


    "H-how can it be over so soon?" The girl stuttered as she questioned, feeling a bit unsure of what had happened in her absence.


    Marvin said nothing and simply walked over to retrieve his sword.


    Lara gulped as she immediately pushed the boy away and ran towards the direction where she had come from.


    Marvin clicked his tongue but still looked to be calm as he slowly followed after her.


    "There is nowhere to run now," Marvin spoke with a sigh, "Everything is already over."


    Lara refused to believe it as she continued to run with the hope of keeping herself alive.


    However, it seemed that Marvin''s words did contain some truth.


    Lara''s footsteps immediately came to a stop as she looked at the people that had suddenly come down to block her path.


    "Zather...?" Lara muttered in disbelief as her expressions turned uglier, "Why are you here?"


    Zather smiled as she heard this question and from behind her, a beautiful girl stepped forward and bowed as she spoke, "We received a request."


    Lara''s eyebrows creased together as she heard this and she repeated in confusion, "A request?"


    "Do you remember her?" Zather asked as she gestured over to the girl, "She''s the slave whom you tried to use but failed."


    Lara gulped as she heard this but said nothing.


    "And this," Zather stepped aside and gave some space to the people who had followed her here, "Is your mother whom you wanted to kill."


    Hecathe''s landlady smiled as she heard her introduction and simply said nothing as she looked at Lara.


    "I guess you had fun playing the role of God for a bit," Xanie''s voice was heard as the woman sighed, "You even dared to use my brother and planned to kill him."


    Lara looked to be shocked as she faltered a few steps back.


    She could not understand what was happening and it could clearly be seen that this was not something that she had planned for.


    "You must feel confused," Zather spoke with a chuckle, "So let me explain."


    "In order to get rid of all evidence, you tried to get rid of the people that helped you. But of course, thanks to an unknown benefactor, we were forewarned about it and had already received an option," Zather continued with a smile as she patiently explained, "An option to keep supporting you at the expense of our own lives or to betray you and keep living."


    "Among the two options, as you can see, we chose the one that benefitted us," Zather added with a chuckle, "But since you wanted to destroy the three willows of spring so much, I guess we''ll take it as your last wish and make it happen even after your death."


    "I... Don''t understand...." Lara muttered as she got even more confused after hearing these words.

 Chapter 206 - Waking Up

    It''s uncomfortable...


    That was the first thought that came to Hecathe''s mind as he tried to move his body that felt too weak.


    "D-doctor!" He heard the voice of a woman shouting, "Patient in Room 1103 is awake!"


    Too loud...


    Hecathe frowned as he tried to open his eyes, however, he was only able to squint as he felt that the surrounding was a bit too bright and uncomfortable to his eyes.


    "Where... Am I...?" He muttered weakly as he tried to remember what had happened to him.


    Soon, he could hear rushing footsteps, followed by surprised gasps of people and someone constantly ordering others to check up on Hecathe.


    As Hecathe tried to open his eyes a bit more, he saw a person in a white coat looking down at him with a worried expression.


    "Mr. Hecathe, can you hear me?" The man questioned and Hecathe took more than a minute to respond with his hoarse voice.


    "I can..."


    Hecathe immediately realized that he was in a hospital and he closed his eyes once again as he felt a little relieved to know that at least he was still alive and not dead like he had imagined he would be.


    The Doctors and nurses ran some tests on him and checked whether everything was okay with him before they finally allowed any guests to enter the room.


    It took an hour or more but by the time all the tests were done, Hecathe was fully conscious and awake as he sat up on the bed.


    "You bastard!" The door of the hospital room flung open and he heard the familiar voice of a man.


    Hecathe turned his head to look at Azazel who was breathing heavily with drops of sweat stringing to his face.


    "Did you run?" Hecathe tilted his head and asked with a smile.


    When Azazel ran over here, he was sure that he would punch the man as soon as he sees him, but now that he finally saw Hecathe awake again, he could no longer bring himself to lift his fist.


    "You deserve to be beaten to death," Azazel sighed as he shook his head in disbelief and slowly walked over to Hecathe''s bed.


    "I agree," Hecathe chuckled playfully but immediately stopped as he felt his throat hurting.


    "Next time you leave behind a company to a friend, at least make sure that the friend is actually interested in your crappy Zelium," Azazel spoke with a frown.


    Hecathe smiled brightly as he heard this but said nothing to that.


    "Don''t smile like that," Azazel clicked his tongue as he pulled a chair and took a seat beside the bed, "You don''t even know how long you have been sleeping here."


    "The Doctors already told me," Hecathe sighed as he responded, "Almost a whole year. It sounds hard to believe, doesn''t it? Even the Doctors said that it was a miracle."


    Azazel nodded his head with a frown, "We all thought you were gone for good."


    "..." Hecathe was silent as he heard this since he had also thought the same.


    Since the last message sent by Alphius, precisely consisted of the words, ''Die in my stead.''


    Now that Hecathe looked at it, he couldn''t help but wonder if this was what Alphius was referring to. After all, in the end, Hecathe did die inside Alphius'' body instead of the boy.


    "What are you thinking so much about?" Azazel asked with a sigh as he looked at the man with worry.


    "I''m thinking about an annoying brat whom I can''t understand," Hecathe responded with a thin smile.


    "I better not be that annoying brat you talk about."


    "Don''t worry, it''s someone more annoying."


    "You have friends other than me?" Azazel asked in surprise, "Since when?"


    "A friend?" Hecathe deeply thought about it for a moment before he shook his head, "I''d rather call us acquaintances who never got to actually meet."


    "..." Azazel''s eyebrows creased together and he wondered if this friend of his had gone crazy after that car accident.


    "Don''t bother thinking too much about it," Hecathe spoke with a sigh as he brushed it off as nothing.


    Azazel nodded his head as he looked at the mountain of flowers and fruits that had been collected at a corner of the room, "For a guy with two friends, you really have a lot of acquaintances who care about you."


    Hecathe followed Azazel''s gaze and thinly smiled as he saw the flowers and asked, "Did they send all this after knowing I have a pollen allergy?"


    "Tch- It feels like you''re more allergic to kindness," Azazel clicked his tongue as he stood up and walked over to pick up all the flowers.


    "You must have been quite busy," Hecathe spoke with a small smirk, knowing that he was probably the biggest cause of Azazel''s so-called busy life.


    "I come here every day just to throw these flowers away," Azazel whined, "I even resorted to putting up a warning."


    He picked up another bouquet and showed the warning that he had printed out and pasted on the wall that cleared read: ''Patient allergic to pollen so please refrain from leaving flowers.''


    Hecathe chuckled as he read the warning notice.


    "Your secretary has been trying to kill me with overwork for a whole year now. Both your parents refuse to visit you. Actually, your father did come once but your mother is yet to visit even though I went over to invite her a couple of times. It really makes me wonder just how much she hates you."


    Hecathe wasn''t too shocked to hear this, "That''s to be expected."


    "And..." Azazel suddenly stopped and seemed to be contemplating on whether to say something or not as he took a few minutes, "We tried to find the perpetrator."


    This time, Hecathe looked to be very interested as his ears perked up and his eyes narrowed down on Azazel.


    "Who was it?"


    "The driver of the truck was caught and he confessed to being paid by that Bastard Barren."


    Mr. Barren was the C.E.O. of a new Zelium company that sold impure Zelium at lower prices and often tried to compete with Zeux. Before Hecathe had got into that accident, he remembered ordering his people to burn down Mr. Barren''s source of Zelium and hence, it wasn''t really shocking to see that the man had also repaid the ''favor''.


    Azazel suddenly frowned as he continued, "However, there is something missing."


    "Hmm?"


    "We recovered a phone from the crime scene. At first glance, it looked exactly like your phone but that wasn''t it. Your phone was still in your apartment-"


    "Where''s the phone," Hecathe cut him off and questioned without even letting the man complete what he was going to say.


    "Huh...?"


    "The phone that you found at the crime scene," Hecathe explained without missing a beat, "Where is that phone?"


    Azazel frowned as he sensed the desperation and worry in Hecathe''s voice.


    "It''s with me," Azazel took a minute to reply.


    Hecathe looked to be a little revealed as he heard this and held out his palm with a sigh as he asked for it, "Let me see it."


    Azazel''s frown deepened as he heard this and he took out the phone from his pocket as he walked over to the man but instead of handing it over, he held it back and asked, "Is there something you wish to hide?"


    Hecathe pursed his lips into a thin line and looked back at the man with an unimpressed expression, showing that he was not playing around.


    "Hecathe, I read the last message," Azazel revealed as he looked at the man with suspicion, "What type of a psycho would tell you to die instead of them? And it''s also quite creepy how you almost died that exact day."


    Hecathe looked to be a little surprised as he heard this but he didn''t want to just reveal everything to Azazel at this moment since he was also unsure of a lot of things. If Azazel were to hear the crazy story of how Hecathe got to live the life of a seventeen year old villain, he was sure that he would be met with a few of the countries best psychiatrists on the very next day.


    "I''ll tell you everything slowly," Hecathe sighed, "Just give me the phone first."


    Azazel''s frown deepened as he heard this but he still looked to be convinced as he handed over the phone to Hecathe and spoke, "It hasn''t turned on since then. I got it fixed but it seems to have simply died."


    Hecathe took the phone and tried to turn it on even after hearing Azazel''s warning.


    Shockingly enough, as soon as Hecathe touched the phone, it turned on without any difficulties and Azazel was left with his jaw ready to drop to the floor.


    "..."


    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the screen that directly opened the messaging tab that had been last opened when he had gotten into that car accident.


    Hecathe read the last message that had been sent to him and he tried to type in something as he wondered.


    Would Alphius reply?


    In the end, he did not know what to write and hence, he simply stared at the screen blankly till he heard a notification.


    A new message had arrived.

 Chapter 207 - Hes Alive.

    Hecathe''s eyes narrowed down on the screen that directly opened the messaging tab that had been last opened when he had gotten into that car accident.


    Hecathe read the last message that had been sent to him and he tried to type in something as he wondered.


    Would Alphius reply?


    In the end, he did not know what to write, and hence, he simply stared at the screen blankly till he heard a notification.


    A new message had arrived.


    [Thank You, Hecathe]


    Alphius... Was alive...


    Hecathe didn''t know if he wanted to laugh or cry but he did indeed sigh in relief as his lips unconsciously curled up with an honest smile.


    In the end, it was fortunate that the two of them were alive and it was also assuring for Hecathe to know that everything that had happened had not been just a mere dream.


    "Why are you smiling to yourself?" Azazel asked with a frown as he looked at Hecathe with suspicion.


    "I''m just glad to be alive," Hecathe breathed out as he put the phone aside and leisurely stretched his arms that felt a little sore.


    Azazel looked to be confused but by the time he saw the last message that Hecathe received, the phone had once again died, leaving a black screen.


    "I''m shocked to see someone thanking you," Azazel spoke with a sigh, "That surely doesn''t happen a lot."


    "It doesn''t, does it?" Hecathe chuckled as he responded, "It''s so rare that it makes me feel happy."


    Azazel couldn''t help but roll his eyes as he saw Hecathe''s face glistening with the soft rays of the bright sun. The expression on his face was a bit too calm. Even his demeanor had completely changed and he was unusually happy. It really made Azazel question whether this was really the Hecathe that he knew.


    "Are you in love or something?" Azazel clicked his tongue as he came up with the most logical and yet, unnatural explanation for the situation.


    If it had been someone else, Azazel would be more confident to say that these were the side effects of love but because this was Hecathe that he was talking to, he already knew how impossible that situation would be.


    Hecathe falling in love...?


    Azazel would rather believe that the sky was fake and would fall down on them tomorrow.


    Hecathe chuckled as he replied, "Maybe I am."


    If Azazel were drinking water, upon hearing this, he would have spat it all out like a water hose, but sadly enough, he wasn''t drinking water.


    "What?!" Azazel questioned out loud in shock and disbelief, "You have got to be kidding me!"


    Hecathe chuckled even louder as he heard this reaction that was to be expected, "I fell in love with this place."


    "You fell in love with... A hospital?"


    Hecathe shook his head, "I fell in love with this world. It has no monsters, no dragons, no mages, no three willows of spring, and no mecha-suits. It''s so peaceful that I can''t help but fall in love with it."


    "..." Azazel seriously considered if he should be calling a psychiatrist for this or not, "Are you being sarcastic right now?"


    Hecathe once again shook his head, "Not at all."


    Azazel pursed his lips into a thin line, "I feel like the more I talk to you, the more my IQ decreases."


    Hecathe chuckled once again and Azazel immediately took out his own phone and called the psychiatrist.


    Hecathe closed his eyes and tried to get some peaceful rest as he thought about the things that had happened.


    If Alphius thanked him, it must mean that they won the war. Hecathe''s plan B must have succeeded just like he had hoped it would.


    However, it was a pity that Hecathe was not there to see the end unfolding.


    While he was thinking this, he suddenly remembered the face of LeiLei.


    Since the beginning itself, he shouldn''t have trusted her completely and even after knowing this, he still did trust her. If she had not been under Lara''s control, perhaps she would have fully joined hands with Hecathe. In fact, even in the end, LeiLei still listened to Hecathe''s request and although it was not necessarily an order that needed to be completed, he was sure that she would grant him that request because she wasn''t a puppet.


    She was certainly created to be a puppet, but maybe even the creator of this puppet did not see just how human she was.


    In the end, did she die...?


    Hecathe didn''t know why but he was rather curious to find the answer to that question.


    Lara would not be forgiven. Her fate was sealed by Hecathe himself, however, LeiLei was different. Her end was at the mercy of Marvin.


    Whether he chose to be merciful or not wasn''t really something that could be easily guessed.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "I... Don''t understand..." Lara muttered as she got even more confused after hearing Zather''s words.


    Her steps faltered a bit as she backed up and spoke through a shaky voice, "How come...?"


    "Are you wondering why you can''t read our minds? Or are you thinking about how you are unable to control us?" Zather asked with a smile as she slightly tilted her head, "It''s actually quite easy to understand."


    Zather lifted her hand and showed off the ring that she was wearing. In fact, it seemed that she wasn''t the only one wearing such a ring. Even Lara''s mother had a ring around her finger.


    "Alphius was quite smart," Zather spoke with a soft chuckle, "He probably knew that he won''t last too long in this war so he made sure that he had a backup plan."


    A young man named Zail sighed as he stepped forward and spoke, "You shouldn''t have met him as Xanie''s brother."


    At first, Lara looked to be clueless as she heard this but after hearing a bit more, she eventually understood what had gone wrong.


    That damned Hecathe...


    He had taken a precaution that Lara had not calculated.


    After meeting with Psion, Hecathe had gotten a bit suspicious of all the three willows of spring, and hence, he had done a little research on them.


    He found out the ability held by each of them and after finding that out, it was clear to him that Lara had something to do with Psion. At first, Hecathe wondered why the girl would use Psion just to warn and incite Hecathe against the three willows of spring, especially when she was also included in those three willows of spring.


    However, it took almost half a day for him to realize that Lara was probably not as innocent as she presumed to be. Of course, even then, Hecathe did not suspect Lara to be the one behind everything, but he did find that it would be best to take a precaution just in case.


    After that, Hecathe secretly went to visit Zail and asked him to make an artifact that could prevent mind manipulation while at the same time, something that everyone could wear with ease.


    Zail was not born with an impressive ability, however, he was not a mecha-suit either. He was someone who was skilled at using mutant beads.


    Mutant beads in this world could be used for a variety of things. Even mecha-suits were run using the power of mutant beads.


    There were also some people in this world that could use mutant beads to create artificial abilities. They would extract the energy contained inside a mutant bead and successfully transfer it into another vessel and in the process, they could even mend the energy to act a certain way, giving it some properties that it did not originally contain.


    The people who did this work did not possess a specific title and were almost impossible to find since it was a skill that needed both a natural talent and years of dedication.


    It just so happened, that one day, when Hecathe was visiting the illegal auction house, he found Zail trying to sell a magical amulet that was made using this process of mutant bead power extraction. In fact, after seeing how Hecathe was selling pure mutant beads, it was Zail who approached him first, however, instead of a deal, his identity was immediately exposed in front of Hecathe who swore not to carelessly speak of it to anyone else.


    Zail was the one who came up with the idea of making it into a ring and Hecathe was the one who provided the money and the pure mutant beads.


    Since they didn''t have a lot of time, Hecathe couldn''t personally come and collect all the rings and hence he tasked Zail with that as well.


    While Hecathe traveled to Zeblor, Zail went to all the guilds in Ocasia and gifted them all with a ring. To the people who knew Hecathe personally, Zail also passed on a letter along with the ring.


    The letter gave them a choice.. Whether they chose to wear the ring or not was according to their own preference but if they did indeed decide to wear it, they would indirectly be abandoning the three willows of spring and joining sides with Hecathe.

 Chapter 208 - Another Hidden Card

    Most of the people who received the ring were skeptical, and the ones who chose not to wear it were all taking up a neutral stand in this war. They didn''t bother siding with either of the two sides, while some people carefully made the decision to join Hecathe''s side by wearing the rings.


    "I hope you understand now that... Your reign is over," Zather spoke with a thin smile as she looked at Lara.


    "They all decided to come here on their own," Zail sighed as he spoke, "Even if you try to kill your way out of here, it would be quite difficult for you to survive that angry Dorgon out there."


    Zather nodded her head as she agreed with the man, "And lying is also useless now since we all saw everything."


    Zail took out something from his pocket and pointed it at the wall, "Hecathe also trusted me with this."


    Not having a phone in this world was quite inconvenient but what was really unbearable for Hecathe was perhaps the fact that this world also had no cameras.


    Cameras always made perfect evidence but since there were no cameras in here, Hecathe decided to find a way to make something similar.


    This was the second favor that Hecathe had asked Zail.


    "Everything that happened here has been recorded as evidence against you," Zail explained as he showed the projection that showed the scene of Lara killing Asgarian and ordering LeiLei to kill Hecathe.


    Lara gulped as she shook her head in disbelief.


    She walked another few steps back as she tried to get away from these people but her back bumped against Marvin who glared down at her with killing intent.


    The game was truly over this time and Lara clearly understood that.


    She thought after getting revenge on her father''s death, she wouldn''t have to live with any regrets or worries. She thought she''ll be free and wouldn''t have to fear anything, even if it was death that awaited her.


    She really made herself believe that everything would be magically alright, but it seemed that even in this world, magic had its own limits.


    Even after getting the revenge, that she longed for, she still couldn''t help but feel terrified as she saw Marvin''s glowing golden eyes that were ready to drag her soul out of her body and torture it till it was reduced into nothing more than fragments that floated away with the wind.


    "Honey, I''m sorry," The Landlady sighed as she took a step forward towards the girl, "I never planned to betray you. I already knew that you''d try to kill me, so I''m not really mad about it either. However, I was also given a choice. I could either see you getting killed in front of my eyes or save your life by joining that young man and helping capture you alive. With everything that had happened, I have come to realize that your life to me is more important than anything else. So please forgive this mother for being a little selfish this time."


    Lara gritted her teeth and it looked as if she had a lot of hateful words to spit out after hearing that, but before she could say anything, her mother raised her hand and tapped Lara''s forehead with her two fingers, immediately knocking her unconscious.


    Lara''s body fell forward and her mother immediately caught her with a rather sad expression on her face.


    Zather sighed as she shook her head, "It''s a pity that things turned out this way."


    "She''ll wake up in an hour or two," Lara''s mother muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear, "You better stick to the deal. Nobody is allowed to harm her."


    She suddenly snapped her head towards Marvin and glared at him as she spoke, "Especially you."


    "Hmph-" Marvin only let out an annoyed breath as he put the double-bladed saber away and the golden glow emitting from him started to die down as he transformed back to his normal appearance.


    "Now, on to the third favor," Zail spoke with a sigh as he turned around and walked over towards Alphius and LeiLei''s body.


    His facial expressions shifted from exhaustion to pity and worry as he saw Alphius'' body.


    "Somebody wake her up now," Zail spoke as he pointed at LeiLei.


    Zather nodded her head with a sigh as she walked over towards the girl and lightly slapped her cheeks as she tried to wake the girl up.


    Now that Lara was unconscious, LeiLei would no longer be forced to follow her orders for the time being.


    It seemed that Marvin had shown no mercy while knocking the girl out. It took more than five minutes and more than twenty slaps to wake the girl up.


    "Put his heart back," Zail spoke as he pointed at Alphius.


    LeiLei gulped as she looked around and tried to understand the situation.


    "What about Lara?"


    "You don''t need to worry about her," Zather clicked her tongue.


    LeiLei was a bit confused and also looked to be hesitant as she stared at Alphius'' heart.


    "Fast," Zail snapped.


    LeiLei nodded her head with much reluctance as she switched out Alphius'' heart with the stone that she had previously placed inside his chest.


    The heart was now back inside the body and LeiLei had also made sure to connect it back up just as it had been, but Alphius didn''t wake up and this was perhaps to be expected considering the fact that the body had already been dead for more than twenty minutes now.


    However, for some reason, Zail did not look to be too worried as he took out a potion from his pocket.


    "He asked for a third favor," Zail spoke as he opened the cap of the potion and slowly poured it, drop by drop, into Hecathe''s mouth, "He asked me to make a potion that could kill him for half an hour and also revive him after the time had passed."


    Everyone looked to be shocked as they heard him.


    Kelly frowned as she asked, "Does such a potion really exist?"


    Zail shook his head, "It didn''t exist, but he still asked for it."


    "..."


    It seemed that Hecathe had asked something unreasonable of Zail and made the poor man suffer.


    "But of course, he gave me the ingredients as well," Zail continued with a soft chuckle, "The Dorgon was probably the one who told him about the undiscovered potion."


    Kelly''s eyes slightly widened with surprise as she heard this but she said nothing.


    "Who knew that a Dorgon could be this helpful?" Zather joked, "If you had told me beforehand, I would have also bought a Dorgon egg for myself."


    "The blood of a Dorgon has the power to kill and to revive, but only when used with the other ingredients," Zail added as he waited to see if Alphius would gain consciousness or not, "Of course, the quality of the potion and its effect also depends on the skill level of the one developing the potion."


    "So are you skilled?" Kelly asked as she looked at the man.


    To this question, Zail only smiled and said nothing as he preferred to wait and let the answer reveal itself.


    After a few minutes, the lifeless body of Alphius showed some signs of movement and thoroughly shocked everyone present.


    Marvin''s lips curled up into a small smile and his eyes started brimming with tears as he slowly took a few steps forward and approached Alphius.


    "Cough! Cough!" Alphius suddenly snapped his eyes open and coughed out loudly as he picked himself up from the floor. He immediately grabbed his chest and squeezed it, looking as if his heart was somehow feeling uncomfortable now that it was beating again.


    Zail sighed in relief as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and he was certainly not the only one who was revealed and happy to see Alphius coming back to life.


    "Hecathe...?" Marvin called out to the boy as he looked at him with tears trailing down his cheeks, but Alphius did not respond to that name.


    Marvin''s smile suddenly disappeared as his eyes narrowed down on the boy and he paid closer attention to Alphius'' facial expressions.


    For some reason, although the face was still the same, this boy no longer had that strict and yet sharp, authoritative expression that had always been plastered on Hecathe''s face.


    This change...


    Marvin''s eyes suddenly widened as he came to a conclusion that sounded a bit too crazy and yet, plausible in his mind.


    "Alphius...?" Marvin called out to the boy again, using the real name of the boy, and this time, the boy looked up to meet Marvin''s eyes.


    This wasn''t Hecathe... It was Alphius!


    This was Alphius. The one Marvin had regretted killing. This was the boy who Marvin had dearly missed. He was the one that Marvin had wanted to apologize to. He was Marvin''s friend.


    However, instead of feeling happy, Marvin felt a sense of grief.


    If Alphius was here then where was Hecathe...?"


    There was no need for him to be bothered by that question, and yet, here he was, wondering why that question deeply bothered him.

 Chapter 209 - Final

    Zail tried to help the boy up but Alphius coughed a bit more and pushed the helping hand away as he kept staring at the ground in shock.


    "It''s a relief," Zather sighed as she shook her head, "I didn''t have the heart to attend another funeral."


    Alphius looked up in confusion and stared at the woman for a solid minute before he muttered, "Zather...?"


    Zather tilted her head slightly as she heard this but didn''t bother questioning anything even after seeing that the boy was behaving differently.


    "You''re really careless," Kelly clicked her tongue as she scolded and Alphius'' eyes trailed towards her.


    With a small frown, he asked, "Who are you?"


    "..."


    Kelly''s cheeks turned red with embarrassment and anger as she heard this question but thankfully enough, Zather patted her shoulder with a chuckle as she calmed the woman down.


    Zather, "The boy just came back from hell. Don''t let him annoy you."


    Alphius had no idea what had happened here and there were a lot of new faces belonging to people who acted as if they knew him. For an introverted person like Alphius, this was an absolutely torturous situation.


    "Marvin, what happened?" Alphius asked as he looked over at the only person who would perhaps have the answers that he was looking for.


    The last person he saw before he died was Marvin, thanks to the fact that the boy killed him, and the first person he saw after waking up was also Marvin. Hence, it was only natural that he would turn to Marvin for answers.


    Marvin frowned but said nothing. The tears stopped streaming out of his eyes and it looked like the boy was still too shocked to say anything.


    "It''s lucky that you woke up," The landlady spoke with a sigh as she looked over at Alphius.


    Alphius looked back at the woman whom he did not recognize, and without saying anything, his eyes shifted towards the girl who was lying unconscious in the woman''s arms.


    That was Lara, one of the three willows of spring. This much, he clearly knew.


    "We should give him some space," It was the first thing LeiLei had spoken after waking up again.


    The others nodded as they agreed with her and the crowd slowly began to clear away.


    "Marvin, why do you look like that?" Zather had a small amused smirk on her face as she crouched down near the boy and asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.


    Marvin gulped as he asked, "What do you mean?"


    "You look unhappy," Zather pointed out without any hesitation, "It looks like you prefer the dead Alphius more than this one."


    Marvin gritted his teeth and immediately glared at the woman as he heard this, "Don''t spout nonsense."


    Zather couldn''t help feel even more interested as she got such a reaction out of the boy.


    If it was really nonsense, Marvin wouldn''t have reacted like that.


    Alphius pushed himself off the ground and stood up as the aching feeling in his chest finally started to fade away.


    "Captain, let''s go and get you properly treated," Xanie spoke but suddenly stopped as if she had just remembered something, "Oh..."


    Alphius looked at the girl whose face he was able to recognize but whose name he was not able to recall.


    Xanie sighed as she bowed down and apologized, "Forgive me for forgetting and acting out of habit. Since the war has come to an end, it is time for me to leave as well."


    Hecathe was the one who had given her permission to leave the mecha-suits, while Alphius had no idea so it was only natural that he stood there without a clue of what was happening or what the woman was trying to say.


    "Captain, I wish you all the best for the future. Since I''ll no longer be one of your servants, even if we meet again in the future, I would not dare call you ''Captain''. If need be, you can always call me for help but please know that I''ll also ask for payment for my aid."


    Alphius nodded his head as he heard this but still said nothing more and somehow Xanie looked to be a little annoyed by this wordless reaction.


    "You should at least try to stop me, you asshole," Xanie cursed the boy.


    "..."


    Xanie turned around and left almost immediately.


    "So what happens now?" It was Zather who questioned with a small smile as she looked at Alphius, "Are we bringing back the old rule, or are you planning something else?"


    Marvin sighed as he shook his head and finally started coming back to his senses, "It doesn''t matter."


    Zather frowned a little as she heard this response.


    "Marvin, what happened?" Alphius asked as his eyes narrowed down on Marvin.


    "A lot," Marvin simply responded as he felt a little exhausted, "Let''s talk later."


    Marvin stood up and left without any further words and soon, there were only LeiLei, Zather and Alphius left behind.


    Alphius'' eyebrows creased together and he also followed after the others as he headed out of the underground passages.


    For some unknown reason, he had a bad feeling in his stomach, and as soon as he stepped out, he soon understood where that bad feeling was coming from.


    There were mutants, mecha-suits, mages, and soldiers under the three willows of spring, however, they were all frozen inside a thick layer of ice.


    Alphius couldn''t help but gulp and rub his eyes as he tried to check whether his eyes were playing tricks on him or not.


    "Come on," Zather''s voice came from behind, "We have a lot of clean-up to do."


    Suddenly a gigantic Dorgon descended right in front of Alphius, "Master, freezing them was easier. Don''t worry, they are all still alive so don''t scold me."


    Alphius gulped as he pointed at himself and muttered in disbelief, "Master...?"


    The Dorgon immediately grasped the situation and sighed, "Oh... It seems that I got the wrong person."


    Alphius looked to be confused as he heard this and in the very next moment, the Dorgon transformed into a little kid.


    "Well, since he isn''t here, I''ll just stick around for a bit and leave," The child happily chimed as he put his hands behind his head and headed out into the city.


    Zather chuckled as she stood behind Alphius, "For some reason, it looks like nobody is happy to have you here."


    "Am I supposed to feel bad about that?" Alphius clicked his tongue as he sharply retorted.


    "Of course, not. You are Alphius, after all. Being liked by people would be more shocking for you," Zather shrugged her shoulders as she unhesitantly responded.


    Alphius sighed as he raised his hand and suddenly, the ground began warming up and the ice started melting away.


    Zather''s eyes widened slightly and she spoke with a bit of amazement, "It looks like you got stronger. Does death normally do that to people...?"


    "Death?" Alphius repeated with a sigh as he shook his head, "Probably not, but the abyss 1certainly does."


    Zather now looked to be a bit concerned as she heard this, "What in the...?!"


    "Would you believe me if I tell you that the Alphius from another world sent me to hell?"


    "..." Zather''s silence was a pretty clear answer to that question.


    Alphius dryly chuckled as he shook his head, "I wouldn''t have believed it either."


    Zather''s eyebrows creased together as she asked, "Are you sure you''re okay?"


    "Zather, I need your help," Alphius spoke instead of responding to her question.


    "What is it?"


    "Help me create a gate."


    "A gate?"


    Alphius nodded his head, "A gate that helps one travel between time and space. A gate that rips apart the cosmos and changes fate."


    Zather frowned and her expression turned a bit serious as she asked, "Is something like that even possible?"


    Alphius smirked as he heard this question, "It is. If the ''me'' from a parallel universe could do it, why wouldn''t I be able to?"


    "But... Why?"


    Alphius paused for a few seconds before responding with a soft chuckle, "I want to pay him a visit. That ''me'' who sent me to hell."


    "..." Zather did not understand anything the boy said nor was she sure if he was being completely serious, but from his expressions alone, it certainly didn''t look like he was joking.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    In Derton, a young man smirked as he read the morning newspaper that had the headlines ''After an entire year of silence, the shocking return of the Zelium Legend''.


    He didn''t bother reading the rest as he kept the newspaper back and stuffed his hands into his pockets.


    He looked at the Zuex building that stood tall right beside the main road and he couldn''t but chuckle softly as he pulled at his cap and took out a phone from his pocket.


    The phone looked to be identical to the one that Hecathe had and when he turned on the screen for a second, one would be able to clearly notice that he was the one who had sent Hecathe the message that came from Alphius.


    The young man sighed as he walked over towards the entrance of the building and on his way, he threw the phone in the nearest trash bin.


    It seemed that there was something that Hecathe had been wrong about. The message that he got was certainly from Alphius but it wasn''t from the Alphius that belonged to the underground mecha city, it was a message from the Alphius who lived in Derton.


    This was the Alphius that had asked him for a favor and sent him into that world.


    "ID please," The guards stopped the young man at the entrance door.


    "Alphius Edler," The young man spoke with a thin smile, "I came here for a meeting with Mr. Hecathe Osborne."