Chapter 132 125: The Devil Of Atreus

With a sword hanging low on a belt around his waist, Temporal Sword had taken the lead while I and the Sorcerer followed behind him. We had been instructed to meet with the people of the duchy directly at their estate.

Unlike the actual names an adventurer registered with, both the cool-looking swordsman at the lead and the gloomy, robed sorcerer with a strange wooden staff were people who had received their names from the guild. It was a nickname given accordingly to their achievements. I had asked around previously, and apparently, Death Queen's nickname was the same as her name, while not many people knew Kaiser beyond 'Adventurer God!'

The sorcerer was a person who had turned a giant wyvern into a frog with his skills in a swamp, while the Temporal Sword was one of a kind. Just like me, he was a dual-core, but if I counted as a bug character then he would be an NPC when it comes to using one's cores.

Controlling two of them was tough in the first place. Since Ki and Mana were the two most common energies a person was born with, having both of them wasn't as rare, but using them was. It was the same as painting an oil portrait with one hand and playing the violin with another, almost physically impossible. I could do it because my control was absurd enough to do those two while sleeping, but not everyone was born with such talent.

Temporal Sword had a great gift his Ki, but almost nothing with Mana, except having a great affinity towards one of the most notorious attributes. Time Magic.

He somehow managed and became strong enough to reach the Orichalcum rank, though, so that said enough.

While I was still thinking of those two, we could finally see the estate.

I was the one who had to handle the lady, so I was in the worst position compared to the duo here to guard the house.

"Hey, hey, Eugy. Ask them again," said Titania while floating over my head. She thankfully hadn't brought up the topic of that night.

"Hey, you guys. Why did you call her a devil?" I asked again.

"You'll figure it out," said the sorcerer, her voice low and gloomy.

"I don't think it's right to talk behind her back like this anyway," Tempo added. "I am scared too."

"Can you just fucking tell me so we can be scared together?"

We were almost at the estate, so our steps slowed down.

"Eugy, divert the topic!" Titania came up with a great plan and I changed my tactics.

"So, is she pretty at least?" I asked.

"Pretty?" Tempo thought for a few seconds. "I don't know. I've heard she's never been seen without a veil."

"Yeah, I've heard so too."

"Oh! And is she evil?" I asked.

In the end, Tempo sighed and spoke softly. "For one, I heard that she controls all the shady trades in the Empire. And I don't mean her family, she does it."

These idiots. Go on, forget about spilling things.

"This cartoonish cluelessness almost baffles me," my fairy companion said.

Well, this was what defined strong adventurers.

"Wasn't she supposed to be 18?"

"She still is," the sorcerer said, now all willing to talk. What a bitch. "I heard when she was six, she smashed her brother's head with a chair."

"Oh my."

"That's not all, when the duke called on her about it, she told him he can come to meet her. When he asked her why she hit her brother, she told the duke that she would hit him next. With a chair."

"So she's hot-blooded?" I asked, we were now right in front of the mansion.

"Exact opposite," said Tempo. "She's colder than the ninth circle of hell and sharper than the blade of Damascus. Not even the Crown Prince, her fiance, can take her lightly."

We came in front of the doors of the estate. A palace grander than the one that I had first Dawn in stood in the deepest parts of the Second District. Seven towers rose around the curtain walls while the portcullis opened with a great clank leading toward the courtyard that could fit an entire army out for war.

A grand place that did not leave the Hall Marquis' estate in dust, but ground it to finer particles and then stomped on it for extra damage.

I looked around the beautiful stone walls while following behind the other two. We were taken through a simple security check before a man in green robes came over to us, the mark of white acacia flowers on his clothes.

"Welcome, adventurers. I am Luther, the aide of the Lady of Acacia, it is a pleasure."

The man placed his left hand on his chest and performed a graceful bow. The other two also bowed crudely, but I paid proper respects as a noble.

"It is our pleasure to be of help to the esteemed family of Acacia," Tempo said and the aide scoffed. Tempo, clueless of the other party's thoughts, looked up with what I could guess to be a bright smile.

This idiotic carefreeness of adventurers was what I loved.

"Well," Luther said. "I have heard great deals about the Temporal Sword and the Sorcerer of the Swamps, your feats are a famous tale amongst children. I hope you can enjoy your stay here."

Luther clarified that we won't be doing any work, but my companions only smiled and nodded brightly. Oh, which children were inspired by these guys' tales? Please come over, I'll apologize in their stead.

"And you..." Luther turned to me and I bowed again.

"I am called Dusk, it is my honor to have a chance of visiting this estate."

Luther hummed. I didn't say anything stupid, so his impression must have been slightly better.

"The platinum-ranked adventurer who received the princess' recommendation. I have heard about you too."

"You flatter me."

"You're famous for being crazy. Did you truly slaughter ten thousand goblins because they stole a gold ingot?"

I averted my gaze.

"It doesn't matter." Luther then turned away and waved his hands. A butler in a tailcoat with a long handle-bar mustache that spilled out of his face enough for even me to recognize walked over and bowed at him.

"You called, Luther?"

Luther flinched.

"Call me sir," he whispered. Poor guy, all of us had great senses so he might as well have spoken in a megaphone instead.

Clearly, he was not much older than me. Since aides were assigned from a young age, he was likely in the same range as the lady. Though her aide being a male was slightly odd, she probably had others.

"Head butler, please guide our guests through the mansion." Luther coughed and turned to us again.

"You two will be shown around by the head butler. As for adventurer Dusk, please follow me."

With that, Luther adjusted his glasses and turned away. I followed behind him as we went inside the grand estate. Rows upon rows of paintings and precious statues stood around in bulk, each of them probably worth the budget of entire towns were spilled around like heaps of trash.

"Sir Luther," I called out to him. "Is there anything I should watch out for?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luther asked while turning his gaze to me. He seemed to have taken offense. Not caring for that, I continued.

"Is there any kind of action or behavior that the lady particularly dislikes? Or maybe just a scent? I wouldn't want to make a bad impression as her guard."

Luther frowned. "Are you saying you'll do something offensive?"

"Is this guy wack?" I blurted out.

Luther stopped climbing the stairs and looked at me with widened eyes. He then patted my shoulders and started laughing out loud.

"You fit the title, huh?" he said while still patting my shoulders. I was confused, but didn't say anything.

"Don't worry. As long as you keep being that honest self, the lady won't have any problems. She dislikes liars."

"Understood. Lies are the worst."

"No, no," Luther said while pushing my back, nudging me to continue. "She loves lies. She hates liars since they never fool her."

"Oi! His lady is wack too!" Titania said. "Eugy, turn away! Turn away!"

Eventually, we reached the office of the lady on the third floor of the mansion.

Luther stopped in front of a door and turned to me.

"I wish you the best of luck," he said.

"What?"

Two knocks resounded right after.

"My lady, he's here."

Past the door, a chilling sound called back to us.

"Come in."

Luther swung the door open.

In the distance, standing against the windows with fluttering drapes.

Stood a woman with white hair as pure as snow, hidden behind the shadow of a white veil that completely hid her face.

This was the Devil of Atreus.

The lady of Acacia Duchy.

And the woman whose fate eventually coiled around mine with a string of pure black.