Silence reigned for a few seconds.

Evenon’s objective was simple: he knew that the past Rylan wouldn’t have any reason to refuse this. Even if the soldiers had already returned to the estate and talked to Gerard, he still wouldn’t have cared. Rylan lived for each and every hit; that was all. All else came after.

Rylan moved his eyes, looking at Evenon. There was a mysterious edge to his gaze that Evenon couldn’t identify.

“Do you expect me to go back to the estate under the effects of Dust?”

Evenon was waiting for that question. He replied in a calm voice.

“As I said, we’ll guard you until the high wears off. You can do it without worry.”

“I’ve already separated from the soldiers. That alone can raise suspicion, yet you want me to take hours to return to the estate? And your messenger was anything but discreet. My father’s men saw me talking to him at the Guild. It’s obvious what the old man would think.”

Evenon tilted his head. This was unusual.

“Are you planning on continuing to do what your father wants without stopping to have fun?”

“One more fuckup and I’ll be disowned, Evenon.”

Rylan’s words made sense. Without his family’s backing, he would lose everything. Yet, the person that Evenon knew wasn’t so result-oriented. Rylan Flameheart lived for the moment alone. Was the threat of disownment truly weighing so heavily on his mind? Evenon needed to test this.

“If you do get disowned, I’ll give you a job in my crew. We’ll protect you from the City Guard and allow you to keep your lifestyle. I can even talk to Isabelle and make her charge you next to nothing. In the end, you’ll live as you always have.”

It was the kind of proposition that Rylan wouldn’t have refused. It was strange for him to reject the Dust, but it made sense, given his situation. As such, Evenon decided to extend an olive branch. It was a realistic plan; he truly commanded enough influence to protect and hide Rylan, as well as the money to do so.

“…Why are you offering me this?”

“You’ve been my biggest customer for five years. I can at least help you stand back on your feet if your family throws you away. I’m not saying I’ll do it for free. I’m not a saint. You’ll have to work for these benefits.”

Silence. Rylan kept his eyes on Evenon.

Now, do it.

Rylan grabbed the pouch. Evenon’s expression softened. He felt a sense of relief. Maybe Rylan would help him, after all. Yet, after looking inside the bag with eyes filled with longing, Rylan placed it back on the table.

“I can’t.”

Evenon’s expression crumpled up like paper. It was now obvious that there was something wrong. He gritted his teeth.

“…After all we’ve been through, you want things to end like this?”

His voice carried an accusatory edge. He didn’t understand. Rylan had no reason to refuse, so why did he? Something was wrong. The idea that Rylan was the one who talked flashed through his mind. With a heavy frown, he looked into Rylan’s eyes.

At that moment, a chill went down his spine. He blinked. Rylan’s eyes were different.

…What?

What was this? The boy’s voice resounded.

“Evenon.”

A mysterious light entered his eyes.

“Are you trying to force my hand, without reason? To end our relationship here, just because I didn’t want a hit?”

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Rylan put his right hand on the sword’s handle. It was as if the temperature in the room had dropped by several degrees. Evenon’s heart thumped as he felt another chill. Sweat trickled down his brow. Bathed in the orange sunset, Rylan looked as if he had grown bigger.

What the hell?

This wasn’t mana. As a mere First Circle weakling, Rylan didn’t possess nearly enough energy to affect his environment like this. Yet, why did it feel this way? He couldn’t even describe it. Something was off. The atmosphere had shifted, but he couldn’t tell in what way. Rylan said nothing else, continuing to stare at Evenon. Evenon’s body was trying to tell him something, but in this situation, he couldn’t tell what it was.

His mouth was dry. Memories of the life-and-death battles he’d been through flashed through his mind for no apparent reason. His childhood; the times when he’d looked into his father’s eyes and felt as if he were staring at a predator, right before he was beaten almost to death. The war against the Kingdom of Loa in his youth; the times when a magic spell just barely missed his neck and the times when his blood had flowed into the soft earth. The past where he had desperately tried to survive, no matter what.

It was only then that he identified the feeling.

His entire body was screaming at him to retreat or fight.

It was a completely nonsensical situation. Why was he reacting like this to a First Circle wastrel who was utterly incapable of fighting? Yet, that did nothing to change the reality. As his heart thumped, his gaze sharpened. It had been too long since he had felt like this. He had spent too many years as an untouchable crime boss, to the point he had almost forgotten what it was like. Feeling as if there were a blade hanging over his neck, ready to bring down heavenly judgement.

Why?

Was it because of the unknown light in Rylan’s eyes, which he had never expected to see? Or was it because of how the boy was standing tall, seemingly ready to fight at a moment’s notice?

Evenon didn’t know why he felt like this. But it also didn’t matter. He had managed to identify what it was. His mana moved within him as his Circles revolved. The plain black ring trembled. The air in the room shook, making the two guards jump in place. With a smile that looked as if he were a beast baring its teeth, Evenon met Rylan’s eyes. Within his own, a similar emotion burned. His mana resonated the world around him, quickly overwhelming everything in the room. His pressure wrapped itself around Rylan’s figure, but it was as if the boy couldn’t even feel it. Evenon’s smile widened.

“I wonder if you’re really going to draw that sword,” he said.

Should he fight? Or should he back down?

The logical conclusion was obvious. Apart from him, there were two other guards in the room, both capable of using magic. If it came down to it, they would win. But, he was greatly enjoying the sensation of reawakening to his fighter instincts. It had happened because of the person he least expected, but he was ready to spring into action. Part of him even hoped for it.

Even if Rylan dies, the Flameheart family won’t lash out too much.

The boy had lost all the trust and love of his family. He slowly grabbed the wand on his waist, continuing to release his mana in a constant stream. Its full weight pressed down on Rylan. The boy frowned and tightened his grip around the hilt. Evenon’s gaze was naturally drawn to the sword. He didn’t know why, but the weapon of weaklings and failures looked far more threatening than all other times he’d seen it. Still, it was nothing to be afraid of.

“Help me find the person who talked. I can give you two weeks,” said Evenon calmly.

Truthfully, he had already realized that something was wrong with Rylan. It added weight to his theory that the boy had been the snitch. He had asked Rylan to help him again to see his reaction, as well as give one last offer to his best customer.

“However, if it turns out it was you… I’ll kill you, Rylan,” he continued.

In the now silent room, the sound of metal sliding over leather echoed. The moment Rylan drew the sword, Evenon immediately stepped back. It was as if the heavy pressure caused by his mana had been cut in half. The guards hurriedly scrambled to draw their wands and stepped forward, but Evenon raised his hand, making them stop. Silence reigned for a few painfully long seconds. The blade shifted. Evenon’s mana lashed out in response, increasing the pressure in the room by a few degrees. The windows rattled as the mana flooded the room, cracking the glass.

“Evenon,” Rylan’s voice echoed.

The temperature seemed to drop even further. It was as if the atmosphere was about to reach a turning point.

“If that staff disappears, I will kill you.”

Rylan’s voice was calm, but his tone wasn’t the one Evenon was used to. The deadpan expression had changed completely, shifting into one that Evenon hadn’t seen before, not on Rylan’s face. As he declared that he would kill Evenon, his expression didn’t even ripple, as if he were merely commenting on the weather.

However, Evenon smiled. He felt like he was back on the battlefield with a Magic Missile going straight for his throat. It made him feel alive.

“You? Kill me?” he asked.

The whole room shook. The guards took a few steps back as Rylan frowned, also stepping back. The temperature started rising as the pressure increased. Evenon’s black ring cracked. The moment it did, his mana surged, intensifying all of its effects. Rylan was being forced to lower his center of gravity to remain standing. Evenon smiled.

“I’d like to see you try.”

Rylan let out a deep sigh.

“So be it, then.”

In an instant, his shaking frame regained its stability. Evenon didn’t even think before casting a Magic Shield, letting his instincts from long ago take over. Less than a second after the Shield took shape, the tip of Rylan’s blade collided with it.