"It's time to say goodbye," Fein said to Lucius and walked towards Voli, Sofia, and Aoi, who were quietly waiting.
Yes, he brought Voli in him to the mansion and Voli just lied down for the whole time in Sofia's garden and now they called him as they were about to leave.
Lucius scanned the faces of the four, and his gaze stopped on his daughter for a while. He couldn't help but feel proud as his daughter had already grown to the point that she could finally make her own decision and walk her chosen path.
As a father, he was really happy. He was the kind of father that wouldn't interfere much with his daughter's choices. He's always there for Sofia and would back her up if she happens to mess up.
"Well, I know that you are there, so I don't have to worry. Just make sure to enjoy the journey. And don't expect that I'm not aware of the true goal of your journey." Lucius said smugly.
"You knew?" Sofia's mouth widened.
"Isn't it just to avenge Fein's captain?"
Fein, on the other hand, had already thought of such a possibility. After all, as someone who was always in contact with Lucius. He knew how powerful Lucius's channels and contacts are. It's impossible for a guy who lived for a thousand years and knew a lot of secrets to guess Fein's goal.
"You're about to face the witch organization, right? It certainly has a high degree of danger because of the involvement of the Laughing Phantom." Lucius' face became serious as he mention the name of the criminal organization. "But as long as you did it right and cleans your traces, then no one will know who's the killer."
"In fact, they're already aware... Sooner or later, I will have to face their leader." Fein said.
"What!?" Lucius was truly startled this time. Then he saw the seriousness in Fein's expression. He took a deep breath to slowly calm himself down and slowly asked. "But how did they know?"
"One of my friends turned out to be a spy, a traitor..." Fein's tone turned cold as he recalled the events that were still fresh in his mind. An experience that carved a shadow in his heart.
Now, Fein felt a little doubtful about people. Being betrayed was somewhat traumatizing even for a strong-willed person like him.
"Well, this is really a problem." Lucius had a look of concern. Yet he doesn't have fear in his face. "Well, if push comes to shove, don't forget to contact me. If what they want is a fight, then we'll give them a fight."
"Father..." Sofia felt touched that her father was willing to back her up even in the face of the world's infamous strongest criminal group.
"I'll take upon your word." Fein smiled and felt that Lucius was really a reliable person. "Actually, if my opponents are only S rank degu users, then even if there's a bunch of them in the Laughing Phantom, they are the ones who need to hide from me. But in the face of SS rank, not to mention a genius one, I still have to be careful."
"Hmm?" Lucius had a mysterious smile on his face. "You know, SS ranks don't exist... Well, according to others. But I don't buy their bullshit. I, for one, believe that someone out there might be an SS rank, but was just hiding."
'I know one,' Fein thought inwardly as he thought of Zero.
"It doesn't matter much. Even if he turned to be an SS rank, I can at least protect Sofia and the others." Fein smirked with a hint of confidence in his voice.
'Where did you get your confidence from?' Lucius thought inwardly. But he just smiled on the outside, as he was certainly aware that geniuses like Fein had a kind of self-confidence that stems from their achievements.
"Well, we're get going now. See you again soon..." Fein bowed at Lucius politely before he walked closer to his companions.
Lucius smiled in response and says. "Take care, guys! Sofia, write a letter for me every day!"
"What letter? I'll just text you." Sofia hopped towards Aoi's back. After she managed to stabilize his body from her position. She turned her head to her father one last time. "Goodbye, father. I love you!"
"I love you too, my dear." Lucius waved his hands in goodbye.
"Bye, Sofia." The butler, Alfred, also appeared this time along with the servant to see off their young mistress.
Just like that, Fein and Voli also jumped toward Aoi's back. Aoi waited for her friend to find their center balance before a purple icy film surrounded them.
The film came from the use of her power to protect her friend from strong air currents and friction.
"Let's go!" Aoi suddenly opened her mouth and a feminine voice came, which dumbfounded Fein and the others.
With that, took off and flew to the sky. Her ascent caused a strong sonic boom as they flew at Mach fifteen. This isn't Aoi maximum speed, but her slowest. In their trail, one would see the wind turn into a white mist as Aoi passed them. The clouds on the other would get frozen solid, which caused them to fall into the sky.
"Aoi, you can finally speak like me? This is good!" Voli patted Aoi's back happily.
"Yeah, why are you not talking with your voice to me earlier?" Sofia asked as she heard Voli's question, which Aoi answered in turn. "Because I'm afraid that it would scare the master."
"Huh? Why would I? Although it will indeed startle me. I'm happy that you can finally talk. Now, I can understand you and you can understand me." Sofia said cheerfully.
Fein decided to talk this time. He can see that Aoi really needs reassurance. "Plus, your voice is quite cute. Don't worry, it's good for our teammates. At least, you're not like Voli. His voice sounds like a little kid undergoing puberty."
Fein's words made everyone chuckle except for Voli, who had an aggrieved face. Aoi visibly cheered up and even started to sing with the praise she received.
'What is puberty?' Voli began to wonder in his head.