With the battle over, an eerie silence settled over the bandits' lair. The clearing was unnervingly still, yet the disturbing sight of countless fallen bandits screamed terror into the quiet. Bodies lay strewn across the ground like discarded puppets, their lifeless forms telling the story of the chaos that had ensued. Blood painted the ground under the glow of pale moonlight.

Inside the mansion, which now burned from its top second floor, the crackling of flames echoed through the halls, devouring walls and furniture alike. Near the staircase, a young man’s corpse lay sprawled on the floor, a clean puncture wound marking his right chest. Motionless, his body seemed as dead as the bandits outside.

But not for long. Kai can't die.

Clarity returned to Kaiser's dim eyes, as blood began to flow in reverse, returning into his veins, his wounds rapidly closing, soon erasing from his pale skin. Groggily, he rose to his feet, like waking from an unnerving slumber, rather than from the clutches of death. Just now, he had discovered an unsettling discovery: He could delay his revival at will, allowing his body to remain dead for as long as he chose. His consciousness, however, never faded, as if his soul were trapped in his motionless body.

Zara was nowhere to be seen, having left a while ago.

He shivered, recalling the fresh memory of his "first hug."

'Talk about the embrace of death...' he thought with grim humor.

He had Zara to thank for this new discovery. If not for her betrayal, he might never have uncovered this strange ability. She was a woman to be feared—she had forced Kai to play dead, which his technically is considering his heart is harmed. In any case, under her frightful gaze, he had to remain dead to hide his immortality. Forcing him to try new things he didn't think of before - delaying his revival the moment his heart had been pierced. Forcing himself to remain in that state had been an act of pure survival. Surprisingly, it worked, his body didn't regenerate as he willed until he eventually wished for it to restore. If Kai hadn’t succeeded, who knew what further horrors she might have inflicted upon him?

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he thought about Zara, her strength, and her unpredictable nature. If she had known he was truly immortal, the situation could have turned far worse. Knowing the Sacred Bond couldn't be undone by his death... the very idea of what she might do to him made his stomach turn.

“That b*tch...” Kai muttered under his breath.

Not that her betrayal had come as a complete shock. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe someone like Zara would willingly remain his servant. Gaining someone as powerful as her, for free, was too good to be true. The world isn't that kind, furthermore, it's evident how untamable she is.

But still... *killing him?* If he hadn’t been immortal, that would have been a bit too much.

But he was immortal, which drive his to do many daring things. Dealing with her despite the tremendous risk included. If Kai only had one life, he would probably live a more selfish life instead of willingly plunging into chaos.

Oddly enough, his mind had already come to accept the fact that death wasn’t the end for him. Being killed simply felt like an inconvenience rather than something of great significance. Still, despite the strange calmness that came with this revelation, he couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal. He had been used, manipulated, and discarded. His anger simmered quietly, though not as fiercely as it might have if he weren’t... well, invincible.

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A part of it because Kai tricked and used Zara in return, benefiting from her more than she did from him.

The inhuman power Zara had given him remained. The beastial strength coursed through his veins, implying that their Sacred Bond was still intact. He had gained immense power, freely available for him to use whenever he wanted. As for her? His miniscule strength of an average human, nothing too significant. It would be shameless of him to call it an equal trade because he mostly gets the good stuff.

Still...

'Being bound forever to a psychopath like her...' Kai shuddered again, his face darkening. It was far from ideal. Zara was far too terrifying for him to ever feel at ease with her around. She's sexy, strong, domineering and kinda nice to be with her playful teasing, perhaps... But all that was overshadowed by her fierceness. She might kill him endlessly.

"I just hope I never run into her again," he whispered to himself, brushing off the lingering unease.

He dismissed his thoughts and focused on the pressing matter at hand. The fire hadn’t spread widely yet, but the flames were growing. Time was running out. He needed to find Ariella, and fast.

Kai hurried through the mansion’s second floor, the oppressive heat growing with every passing moment. His enhanced senses heightened his awareness, and soon, the faint sounds of movement caught his attention, guiding him toward the boss’s room. A deep worry gnawed at him—was Ariella safe? He couldn’t bear the thought of her being harmed.

With urgency, he reached the door, brandishing his broken sword. Without a second thought, he slammed it open.

Only to be met with the most baffling sight he could have imagined.

"W-what the f*ck?" Kai blurted, completely dumbfounded.

Ariella sat at a makeshift table, daintily holding a teacup as though she were at a leisurely tea party. Opposite her sat a delicate young woman, her long pale blonde hair cascading down her back. Something about the scene felt out of place—everything, actually. The woman’s eyes were closed, and curiously, she wore the same university uniform as him, signaling she was also a student.

Kai blinked, utterly speechless. He had braced himself for the worst—horrible possibilities had flooded his mind as he searched for her. Would she be cowering in a corner, bruised and afraid? Or worse, would she be...

But this? A tea party? With his fellow student at that!

His thoughts reeled as he tried to make sense of it. Why was she sitting there so calmly, enjoying tea in the middle of a burning mansion? - the fire didn't reach this far, so they haven't noticed it yet.

Ariella looked in his direction, blinking multiple times in surprise. Then, with a smile that could melt any cold heart, she waved at him casually, as if greeting an old friend who had just walked into the room. The delicate scene seemed absurd amidst the carnage.

Meanwhile, the other girl, sitting across from Ariella, looked less composed. Her long pale blonde hair framed a face that seemed drained of all color. There was a nervous tremor in her voice as she finally spoke, her eyes closed for some reason.

"Um... what's happening? Is it the bandits?" she asked, her voice soft yet dull, as though she'd long given up on hope. But the unmistakable fear in her tone hinted that, despite her numbness, she was still terrified.

For a few moments, Kai simply stared, dumbfounded. It took a while for the ridiculousness of the situation to fully register. And then, without warning, he let out a subtle laugh—dark and amused, tinged with relief.

Eventually, he sighed.

“...Ah. What a messed-up world this is.”

His grim expression cracked, replaced by a twisted sense of amusement. The sheer absurdity of the scene—a peaceful tea party in the middle of a burning bandit lair—felt like the punchline to some cosmic joke. Just moments ago, Kai had escaped a suffocating imprisonment then led a desperate army of prisoners to freedom. Plunge is war, then faced the head of the bandits in which he failed thanks to his rotten luck. He was saved though, by his ally, Zara. But was betrayed after that. He had seen grim reality in all its appalling glory, the weight of it all still hung over him like a shadow.

And yet here Ariella sat, having tea as if they were in a quiet countryside garden. The sharp contrast between the chaos outside and this innocent scene felt surreal, like a lighthearted dream breaking through a nightmare.

Kai had plunged headfirst into hell, facing off against ruthless enemies and betrayal, yet somehow, he found this simple scene more unsettling than all of it. Maybe it was because life had been brutal lately, making such scenes rarer than gems.

A heavy sigh escaped him, and for the first time since entering the mansion, a genuine smile tugged at his lips.

'Maybe I really had become insane... or just a terrible guardian.'

Relief washed over him as he realized Ariella was unharmed. The fact that she was safe, coupled with the absurdity of the situation, uplifted the dark weight that had been bearing down on him. It wasn’t just that she was okay; it was that this bizarre, peaceful moment existed in the middle of so much destruction.

Sighing again, Kai shook his head, smiling helplessly. "Yeah, it's the bandits," he said, his voice joking. "I’m here to take you two with me."