“Come Vel, it’s time to wake up.” A gentle voice inside his head stirred Veles awake. Despite the warmth attached to every single word this woman had said inside his dreams, he knew… they were nothing more than a façade.

Annoyed that after finally having an opportunity to have a good rest, this woman still managed to disturb his dreams. His first urge was to stretch his limbs and get this over with, but as he did, he winced in the middle of the motion.

“That sucks,” With less tired eyes, he looked at his wrists which were slightly swollen, and then his skin that still carried the traces of last night’s burns—that healing period had just begun, meaning that the pain would only increase. But this wasn’t something Veles couldn’t deal with. A little pain would be just irritating, nothing more than that.

He then noticed that his little arrogant owl was napping just next to his bed. It was fascinating how, despite her standing still with her eyes closed, she still excluded that aura as if everything was beneath her. This sight brought a small smile to Veles’s face.

At least there was something to cheer him up. Last night, after encountering that disgusting imp, Veles just stored the chests with jewels and went back home. He was extremely exhausted and still was. Yet, the true headache would occur the moment he exited his room. There would be many questions coming his way...

Casting one last glance at sleeping Vera, Veles had the urge to pet her beautiful black feather, but he refrained from doing so. The little bird worked hard last night. The least he could do was let her sleep.

Standing up from the luxurious bed, he went straight for the bathroom attached to the room. With each step, he paid attention to the details around him. All those shiny decorations that were supposed to elevate one’s status, Veles found overly pointless. The only thing he appreciated here was the silk sheets he slept in, and that was only because their softness hadn’t irritated his burned skin.

Taking a step inside the bathroom heavily decorated with gold ornaments, Veles rolled his eyes and went directly to the sink. Over it stood a golden-colored faucet that had no switch. He quickly glanced around and immediately figured out what to do. Touching a small bluish marble on the side of the sink, he poured a tiny stand of mana inside, and immediately, a stream of water started running.

He washed his face. The cold water both refreshed and increased the pain of his burns. He grabbed the towel and dried his face, only to meet his own reflection in the mirror. His looks were the same as millions of years before and probably will stay like that… forever—except his expression was a little red because of the burns.

But there was a small change. He glanced at the tattoo of a circle that still colored the left side of his chest. It had a minuscule addition; thin black vines or perhaps roots enveloped the lower part of the circle.

He sighed, “Whatever…” Taking a simple white shirt from his ring, he wore it and went for the door of his room. Fully prepared to be bombarded by numerous questions…

With only three people living inside a big mansion, the place looked almost abandoned. Still, Veles knew where to find the other two.

Going down the stairs from where the rooms were, Veles went for the kitchen. And indeed, he found what he looked for…

Davis leisurely sat on the chair placed next to the huge food-preparing table and kept polishing his spear. Tora was also there, standing near the kitchen counter, staring at it as if dreading to approach.

“Can’t prepare food for yourself?” Veles commented and easily moved around the kitchen. His telekinesis already went full blast, bringing plates and utensils he would need to prepare food for those two useless grown-ups.

“I can brew potions and roast meat,” Tora said with her chin raised and hands crossed, “I see no reason to waste my time on something bothersome like cooking and I don’t really care what I eat.”

“Yet you can’t deny that you like the taste of good food,” Veles lightly said. Numerous ingredients floated all around him while every magical appliance was already lit and prepared. “Trust me, if you lose enjoyment from small pleasures like eating, you will slowly start losing yourself.”

“You would know that? Wouldn’t you?” Tora said skeptically. “Mister whom demons fear.”

Veles stayed quiet and kept preparing food; he could feel Tora’s gaze piercing his back. Still, he chose to treat her with silence.

“I don’t get why it’s that big of a deal,” Davis suddenly said, “From what I understand, that thing was just an imp who got scared…”

“That’s the damn problem!” Tora replied loudly, “You clearly lived in the cave if you didn’t know that, be it an imp or any other demon, they fear absolutely nothing. That’s why they terrorized every single nation of Acelia. They are a bunch of murderous and fearless monsters. They don’t retreat nor cower—even those wielding holy elements that’s the demon’s bane do not invoke any fear in them.”

Then Tora snapped in Veles’s direction, “Reading that dictionary of yours got me thinking. Obviously, you weren’t from anywhere in Acelia, and at first, I didn’t want to impose on your privacy, but I can’t just stay quiet anymore. What are you? No, I guess this goes for both,” she pointed at Davis, “Are you two Dungeon Escapees? Or maybe you two came from Situs Tundra? I heard that many weird jerks appeared from that place recently.”

Without stopping her talk, Tora’s eyes widened, “Or, are you two perhaps reincarnators? That would be cool if you are.”

Pausing his cooking, Veles just stared at her in wonder. Truthfully, all her speculation didn’t faze him much. Especially the last one about reincarnators, because… he’d already suspected that a person with ‘outside’ knowledge had influenced this place. The airship with almost the same resemblance to the zeppelin and all those home and life-improving appliances suggest a possibility of someone like that appearing.

What he was more interested in were those Dungeon Escapees; he could most likely get a very good guess. Still, he would fish for this information soon enough.

“Who knows?” Veles mysteriously said, “I can be a summon that escaped… Or perhaps all the things you mentioned combined together… Truly, there are many possibilities.”

“How boring,” Tora crossed her arms and slightly pouted, “Okay, Mr. Mysterious, I will play your game.”

Raising his eyebrow at her, Veles didn’t expect her to give up just like that. But thinking about it deeply, he decided to make sure it stayed this way, and to achieve that, he had to keep her occupied. He stopped preparing food for a moment and took a small vial from his ring. This vial was filled with the black substance, the same one he had Davis feed to the Koria’s librarian…

“Take this as a sign of my appreciation,” Veles handed her the vial, “However, I advise you to be careful when playing with it,” Tora’s eyes flashed with understanding, and a sparkle inside them told Veles that his words were barely registered. He snacked the flask back and continued, “In fact, you will do your little experiments with this only when I’m nearby. Did I make myself clear?”

Tora just vigorously nodded and extended her hand in anticipation.

Having already made the decision, Veles gave her the vial. And went back to preparing the food.

“By the way,” Tora said, “Why are you making four portions?”

Instead of replying, Veles gestured with his chin to the side.

“Eh? Sis, what are you doing here?” Tora gasped. Dalia sat there casually as if awaiting Veles to finish. Her usual business aura and bearing was nowhere to be seen. Her white hair was disheveled as she supported her head with the palm.

“I ran away,” Dalia sheepishly said, totally unavailable behavior coming from here. And Tora’s shock just confirmed it.

Tora blinked a few times, tilted her head, and asked, “You ran away?”

“For hours last night, the guards were plastering me with the details about the attack. Their demeanor was entirely different than previous times,” Dalia then leaned back in the chair and helplessly extended her hands, “They made it crystal clear that they were in chorus with whoever sent those attacks. And after grilling me for a very long time, they ‘let me go’ with a bunch of warnings.”

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After sighing, Dalia continued, “Then I had to compensate heavily to the Mage Koli. Luckily, he appeared to be kind enough to promise that he won’t talk about the attack. Despite this, I’m sure the stories will spread around. In fact, just two hours ago, I got notice that five of the residences I’ve lensed have been abandoned, with the notice left behind seeking refunds. My other business took many hits… In short, everything is falling apart.”

During Dalia’s rant, Veles finished preparing food. The plate was filled with grains resembling rice and thin slices of brownish meat. He placed it in front of Dalia and said, “You don’t look like someone who would give up easily. What’s the catch?”

Giving him a small nod, Dalia thanked him for the food before answering, “I’m not the only one getting attacked. In the other parts of the town, many business owners are being targeted. I’m actually pretty lucky. They are not targeting me directly like they did with many others.” She took a bite of the food, her face filled with surprise, “This is very…very good.”

“I know,” Veles simply said, “So someone is trying to drive you out?”

“Exactly,” Dalia replied, “All those who won’t bend a knee to any ruling power in Acelia are getting practically expelled from the city. I have no idea what’s going on,” She then pointed her fork at Veles, “Tough, I think your situation is somehow connected to mine.”

“Something to do with the demons?” Veles asked, finally taking some interest in the situation, and he, without doubts, knew that Trician had given Dalia every detail of last night’s events.

“Most likely. The demonic cults spent years building their strength in their little hideouts. They are strong, and the chances of them working with big shots of this city are very high. Old demons have strength the same as the beasts. I know of a few cases where nobles hired them to do their dirty job. Although no demon was directly involved in the attacks on my estates, I feel they were a part of it…” Dalia said.

Tapping his chin, Veles said, “Interesting… Maybe we can help each other here… Do you perhaps know about someone people call His Royal Highness in Bistaiya?” Then Veles also recounted the whole encounter he had with the masked person with draconic features back in Koria.

“Well, their Royalty is a bunch of dragonkin, and the current empress has many children, especially males. It can be anyone,” Dalia suddenly stopped and pondered for a second, “Though, I’m sure I can find some extra information with this…”

Tora, who was digging hungrily into food while strictly keeping her gaze on the vial Veles gave her, spoke, “That doesn’t matter now, sis. I’m worried about you. What are you going to do?”

“That’s simple,” Dalia slumped her shoulders, “I’ve written a letter home.”

Hearing this, Tora dropped her fork, her eyes wide as saucers, “You did what?”

“A letter is already on its way,” Dalia said, “I’m sure father would appreciate an update on both our situations.”

“You know I don’t want that!” Tora yelled, startling Veles and Davis, “I don’t want him sticking his nose into my business. You know what happened last time!”

“I do,” Dalia kept calm as she met Tora’s angry gaze, “That’s why I omitted a good chunk of information about you…”

After that, there was a nonstop bickering between the two sisters. From it, Veles learned about Tora’s family weirdness… At first, when she talked about having seventeen siblings, Veles formed three possibilities. Either most of them were adopted by one person, their father was very old but also very ‘active’, or their father had multiple partners.

So, from their talk, Veles figured out that the last option proved correct, which wasn’t surprising for powerful families… But what Veles also figured out was that Tora and Dalia experienced a very strange way of upbringing. In short, he understood that at the age of fifteen, they were sent into the world to build their own future with minimal support from the family and that asking for help was strangely considered a taboo…

Not wanting to meddle with whatever weird family problems these two had, Veles decided to switch the topic, “Hey, Dalia, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you know someone who is a very good appraiser?”

“Maybe,” She replied unsurely, “Depends what are you looking for.”

“I need a person who knows how to deal with rare and high-end beast parts. And also, someone with experience with rare minerals and plants,” said Veles.

“That’s tricky,” Dalia tapped the table once, “True experts are focused on a very small variety of items and they aren’t cheap. Even if I manage to find someone, you will have to do the deal with them yourself.”

“Well,” Having finished his meal, Veles stood up, “If you do find someone, make sure to tell me. And if you need my help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Having a Spatial Master on hand is always helpful,” Dalia replied. “However, don’t think that ‘help’ will get your rent any lower.”

Veles smiled, “Don’t worry about that,” He then gestured for Davis, “Come on, we have to go.”

Without saying a word, Davis stood up and attached the spear to his back. Veles also wore his usual top with a bunch of daggers hidden under. After tucking everything in, he said to Tora, “I’ve warned you. No playing with that thing without me around.”

“Ye, Ye, I get it,” Tora waved the vail casually, “Now shush, do your thing.”

After saying goodbye to Dalia and urging her to get a good rest, Veles, with Davis in tow, exited their overpriced residence and leisurely walked. He managed to skillfully dodge the questions about the last night and the imp, or at least, he prolonged answers he needed to give.

“Where are we going?” Davis asked.

“I have no idea,” Veles replied, “Just wander around, check some places, buy some stuff. Maybe snuff some shady places around the city or shake off the stalkers.”

While talking, he stealthy pointed at where two men tried to covertly spy on them.

Davis let out an overly long sigh, “Can anything be easy with you? Why is that with every step you take, there is a trouble following?”

“Because I chose to,” Veles said.

“You do?”

“Kinda yes…” Confirmed Veles before explaining, “I could’ve avoided causing chaos in Koria and getting into trouble by stealing stuff, and after we reached the Fourth Stage, got our classes, and met Tora, I could’ve easily gotten her help to reach this far without getting entangled in this mess. Yet here we are.”

“So… What are you trying to say? Are you getting thrilled by constant danger or what?” Davis asked.

“Not really. I’m just placing enough pressure on my shoulders to make sure I’m pushing myself forward.”

“I don’t see the difference between that and the thrill of experiencing danger…” It was visible on Davis’s face that he truly didn’t get where Veles was going with this.

“What did I tell you about my age?” Veles asked in hopes of giving him a push to understand.

“You said you were around three million years old and immortal…” While saying it, his voice kept getting quieter.

Veles figured out that he most likely understood the parts of it, “How I experience time is very twisted. If I do as much as blink, a hundred years could pass. For that reason, I must constantly have something of meaning to do until my perception of time is fixed, and considering how long I was stuck in that forest, it would take a lot to get it right. Otherwise, if I’ve chosen to take it easy from the beginning, I would’ve ended up somewhere in the cave, slowly losing touch with the world.”

“That’s…” Davis commented. He didn’t have anything smart to say about this, thus he kept quiet.

A minute of awkward silence passed until Davis finally changed the topic and asked, “So, what was that last night? I know you told me that demons fear you. But, I never saw anyone or anything display so much fear, or any emotion that it actually transmitted to me.”

Of course, he was going to ask about that…

“Truth be told, I didn’t expect that,” Veles said. “When I sensed their aura in Koria or when people talked about demons, I thought they were the type of demons who were previously humans or other living creatures that got corrupted…”

Then his voice grew many times colder, “However, that imp was the truest form of a demon coming straight from hell, I don’t even know how it is possible for them to appear in the material plane.” He paused for a second. “Hmm no, there is actually a possibility for them to do that…”

He then trailed in a totally different direction, he started mumbling and making a couple of assumptions until Davis interrupted him. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Ah, yes. Why do they fear me,” Veles then grinned Davis’s way, “One of the reasons is because I have exterminated so many of them that they can instinctively tell how much hate I hold against them, and trust me I do feel enough hate to make them feel fear,” his grin grew wider, “but the main reason is that they can see me for what I truly am, they can see the Title that even Rite of Origin cannot remove, and there is nothing more terrifying for a demon than the Title that I carry.”

He knew that saying these things to Davis would confuse the guy even more, and knowing his curious personality he wouldn’t like these puzzling answers, which the next words just confirmed. “You already mentioned these Titles once, are you going to tell me what they are.”

“I mean I can…” Veles thought for a moment. “The problem is… it won’t do you any good. In fact, if I went and explained everything in detail, it could cause you a lot of harm.”

Seeing how Davis narrowed his eyes in doubt, Veles decided to keep it at least simple. “Look, this is not something normal people are supposed to know. Everything surrounding Titles is reserved for individuals who reached a certain level of knowledge and power. However, for the current you it's okay to know that Titles are just as the name suggests, a bunch of titles you earn during your life that shape you into who you are. Nothing more than that.”

He truly meant what he said. Titles were just titles, nothing more. Some people could earn a couple of titles during their life, some people were born with them. As for their effect, ninety percent of them were useless, while maybe just ten percent provided some merits. However, amongst those so-called merits, many problems lurk too...

What was truly harmful was hunting for Titles. Veles had seen people reach the end of their potential only to start mindlessly performing various deeds that might grant them Titles and possibly increase their power. Even during his crazy search to find a cure for his curse, Veles had never even touched this method, nor did he saw anyone succeeding in it. Everyone, literally everyone he saw doing Title hunting ended up miserable…

So, the last thing he would want from Davis was to start performing ‘good’ or ‘bad’ deeds left and right in the hope of gaining something, which unfortunately, just knowledge about Titles could push a person to do so.

After a minute of silence where Veles made it clear that the topic was over, Davis said, “Okay, I get it,” He luckily moved on. “What about the stalkers? Should we be more cautious?”

“They are most likely underlings of that stuck-up guy I hit with the mental attack. We should act naturally. If we get a chance, we will deal with them. Though, I’m pretty sure they are harmless—their goal is probably to observe us.”

They spent another few minutes in silence as they walked. “You really have no plan where to go?”

“I saw few interesting places,” said Veles. “I’m certain you will like them…”

Davis, for sure, looked skeptical hearing this…