Miss Sheila opened the door, allowing me to enter a reading room that contained four bookshelves. There were two on the left and right walls, with a round table in the center and two facing chairs.

I walked towards one of the shelves, examining each book title there and discovered that Miss Sheila also loved fiction books, just like me.

I smiled because of it, not expecting to meet someone who shared the same hobby. "A noblewoman who loves fiction books instead of knowledge-filled ones. Quite surprising," I said while taking one of the books titled 'Glory Hunt.'

Coincidentally, I'm also on a journey to steal all the glory in this world. I didn't expect to come across a similar story. However, as I was about to open the book, Miss Sheila quickly grabbed it, placed it back on the shelf, and said, "I have a principle that if I haven't finished reading it, no one else can read it."

"Have you not finished reading it yet?"

"I do, but I'm sure you won't be interested in books about sacrifices. You'll be much more interested in... Ah!" She walked around, searching through each novel title, then pulled out a book titled 'Archsoul.' "Hmm, I think this one will suit you better. Especially you have the same appearance, so you might feel more immersed in the story," she explained.

I observed the cover of the novel, noticing a figure with white hair and red eyes like mine, then looked at the woman beside him. "Is she the main character's partner?" I asked curiously.

Miss Sheila smiled. "Who knows? You have to read it yourself to uncover the big secret hidden at the end of the story. It wouldn't be as fun if I told you the ending, right?" she teased.

I chuckled, placing the book back in its place. "I'll read it when I have the time. Now, what's more important is hearing the interrupted explanation from earlier. May I...?"

"Oh, please," she replied quickly, then flashed a smile of appreciation. "I didn't expect you to be someone with manners. I thought you were someone who didn't care about other people's opinions and did everything according to your own desires."

"You're not wrong, Miss Sheila. But in the presence of someone like you, I should definitely show some courtesy, shouldn't I?" I replied, sitting in front of her.

"You're also good at winning people's hearts, making me wonder if you're not an ordinary person like I thought," she said.

"You're free to find out, as long as you keep your mouth shut."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Are you going to continue or are we just going to tease each other?"

Miss Sheila laughed, leaning back after her face was just inches away from mine. "You're an interesting man, Z, I admit it. Thank you for making me feel happy. Lately, I've been feeling down because of the stubbornness of my younger brother's disappearance."

"Oh, did you think I was joking?"

Her gaze suddenly turned sharp.

She pulled my collar, staring into my eyes up close. "Stop right there, or I won't hold back."

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A smile formed on my lips.

I raised both hands and said, "Please... If only I could say that, but unfortunately, I already have someone."

Miss Sheila released my collar, crossed her arms, allowing me to sit back calmly in the chair. "Oh? Who is the lucky woman then?"

"It's a secret," I replied, then let out a long sigh that truly reflected the heavy feeling in my heart. "Unfortunately, I don't know if we're still together or not. It's complicated," I quickly added as I noticed Nona Sheila's expression. "Anyway, let's continue discussing the group that wants to join Vulture."

"Alright, I'll explain from the beginning," she said, deciding not to inquire further. "They are the Blood Reaver, a group of individuals under Vulture's surveillance as human suppliers."

"We have sent them a few individuals, a total of ten people, all part of our forces. Their task is to infiltrate, gather information, and then get out. However, now I'm worried that they may be in danger because their members died when they encountered us."

"I apologize. I only intended to save you," I replied.

Miss Sheila shook her head. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean any harm. It's just that we are now in a complicated situation. If we make a move now, Vulture will target us. But if we stay put, our members could be in danger."

"But shouldn't they have been suspicious of you from the beginning?"

"No, because we told them we wanted to join. Vulture gladly accepted us, especially as you already know, we are a noble family. The main supplier of iron frames for airship creation. They definitely don't want to lose support like this, especially when they want to prove themselves to a renowned group in this world, The Devourer of Worlds (The Heretics)."

Bingo!

"They revealed themselves to us two months ago, claiming that the imminent destruction was near and they asked for our assistance to join forces and conquer the world together. Of course, we refused because we couldn't believe it.

However, Vulture believed them. They even went with them on a distant journey and returned as people who had lost their sanity, saying that it was the only way to survive, the only way for all of us to continue living in the face of it."

Miss Sheila took a deep breath, gathering herself to continue explaining. She recalled the morning when her younger brother disappeared from their house. "Vulture then spread its influence within Clockheart, which, of course, was considered nonsense by the authorities.

Now they have three groups under their control, one of which is the Blood Reaver. As for the other two, we still don't know because they have managed to keep their secrecy intact. Until now, we still don't know the location of their headquarters."

Hmm, so Vulture is more protective than I thought. They don't want the three groups under them to know about each other to maintain secrecy. It might be a bit challenging to unravel this puzzle compared to what I initially anticipated.

However, because their goal is the same, to join The Heretics I have to find out more.

"There's no need to be too hard on yourself, Miss Sheila. It has only been a week since you started the investigation. Especially when dealing with the groups under the damn Heretics, you will undoubtedly face difficulties, considering their members can erase an entire kingdom if they wish," I explained, unable to contain myself.

My hatred towards them has reached such a peak that every time I talk about them, I inevitably lose control, even now.

"It seems like you have been through so much with them," Miss Sheila replied, instantly becoming curious as she saw the anger in me.

I hurriedly suppressed those negative feelings, trying not to remember them again so that the wounds in my heart wouldn't reopen because I could still feel the pain of those memories. Even if only for a moment, it made me want to return to the past immediately.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I've been through too much with them. I can't explain how many deaths occur every time they set foot in a place. That's why I will help you stop Vulture and save your brother, Miss Sheila. I truly hope the same thing won't happen again."

The woman in front squinted her eyes, trying to guess what had happened, until it caused the young man in front of her to have a pair of terrifying eyes that could never belong to anyone from her world. Those eyes were only possessed by those who had gone through so much that they lost themselves and were surrounded by darkness.

She hoped that Z could find his happiness again. Seeing him like this saddened her. A young man like him should be having fun with friends instead of dealing with a group far more frightening than Vulture.