V2 Chapter 26

“Hehe, Young Master sure can act well. Those words, I wonder which part is the truth and the lies. I’m guessing the talk about your clan, is also a lie? And aren’t you the real, White Masked Phantom Thief? Young Master Blood?” Lovelier muttered with a faint but cold smile.

Cian was not fazed by Lovelier’s words and attitude and he calmly sat there, elegantly sipping his tea. It would be weird if Lovelier wouldn't say this or assume this kind of doubt. In fact, the Demon Gate Auction House and the other people that had heard about my words in the Auction Hall should have shared the same suspicion. However, they couldn't move me properly without investigating me first because, if they did...one wrong move and they might face the wrath of an entire mysterious force.

Nothing's scarier than facing an unknown!

Even if they are people who are standing in high stage. In fact, it's because they are standing there that they could have such worries and see the really large picture...!

After pausing for a while, he started; “I know that is quite hard to believe as my Clan was quite weak and inferior compared to other Clans so being known by no one is also justifiable. But being called as a lie and a fraud, lady Lovelier, don’t you think it’s too much?” Cian smiled wryly.

“… …” Lovelier’s gaze darkens and her pretty but aged face was dawned by a shadow.

Cian stared at her without retreating. “My name, it might not be my real name, I admit. Blood Reaper is not my name…but it is considered my other name, you can even say it’s also a title. Thus, it’s also not a lie.”

“…in our Clan, you see we have this custom that once a youth successfully passed the Coming of Age Ceremony, they would be given a second name. It’s like a code name, in order to hide our true name. You can say, these names describe as well and some even used the name of their most powerful technique or skills. Such as the copy ninja, Kakashi. Yellow Flash of Konoha. Strawhat Luffy. Pirate Hunter Zoro. and many more names."

Copy Ninja Kakashi?

Yellow Flash of Konoha?

Who are these people...? The shadow on Lovelier's expression become even darker. Although she wanted to think that the Clan Cian was talking about didn't exist but hearing these names, Lovelier can't help but think twice. Do these people really exist? And if they are... then, this Clan he was talking about...does as well...?

Cian ignored Lovelier's darkening expression and continued with a shrug, "...we have these names because we treated our true name quite valuable as gold and only a person that we treated as our partner can only know the name. Just like my older brother who is called, White Phantom—ah, right, was he called White Masked Phantom Thief, now?” he started bullshiting without beating a pause. “However, if Lady Lovelier accepted my affection, I wouldn’t mind telling you my real name.”

Cian’s expression was without malice and lie and even his smile was as warm as the sunny sky and beautiful as the blooming flower. It seemed as if it was devoid of any ill will.

“He he, if the young master was born twenty years earlier, I might consider such a proposal… but too bad, if I accept young master’s proposal, the society would mock me for it… I would rather not,”

“Ha ha, Lady Lovelier has a good sense of humor, I see…” Cian chuckled in amusement. “Quite unexpected…”

Lovelier’s beautiful eyes looked at Cian as she spoke with a sinking tone, “What does young master meant by that…I wonder?”

With his Night Eye, Cian checked the surrounding and found that there were no other hiding people within several hundreds of meters. I guess, Lovelier is not an idiot to bring her group here. Since she knows that I had somehow known about her identity and see through her act, she didn’t dare let other people come. Even if she can brandish me as a liar and turntables with me if we fought to rally supporters. However, once there is a crack, one can only wait for it to expand on and in the end, break apart.

No matter how much you patch on it, it would never be the same as before.

Not one might believe but suspicion would surely bud within their hearts. And everything always begins with the term... ‘Suspicion’. Though, I thought she would at least bring a guard with her or something but… is she that confident on her ability to suppress me or worst, kill me? Or she didn’t bring any trustworthy confidants with her in the Northern Border because she never thought someone like me to appear—it’s more likely the latter.

Analyzing this information, only then did he feel relieved a bit. Although he didn’t fear group battle but that would be a problem itself. Without showing any kind of expression on his face, Cian replied lightly, “Lady Lovelier is a smart and intelligent person. What is needed to say cannot be said in this kind of place, isn’t it? After all, Lady Lovelier still wanted to play around with the—”

Lovelier’s hand suddenly appeared in Cian’s throat. Her speed was so fast, no, it should be, ghastly… Although Cian can see it clearly with Night’s Eye but to other people, it would be as if her arm blurred a bit and then disappeared.

Grasping Cian’s throat with her hand in a Claw stance, Cian stared at Lovelier’s glaring ice cold eyes.

“—why did Lady stop?” Completely ignoring Lovelier’s hand on his throat, Cian still retained his smiling expression as he stared at Lovelier without the least bit fear or trepidation. In fact, he seemed to be taking enjoyment on the sudden development.

“Just who are you?” Lovelier bit her lips. She glared at Cian but the latter was still smiling indifferently as if mocking her—though Cian was confident that he was just looking at her normally.

“What does Lady meant by that. I believe I had already introduced my name…” Cian answered while showing an innocent and harmless expression.

“Bullshit! Don’t play with me! Do you think I wouldn’t kill you!!” Lovelier said with a cold voice.

“Hmmm, I think you can. Why don’t Lady Lovelier try it…?” Cian grinned fearlessly.

Lovelier was startled. With just a bit of force, she was certain that she could break his neck in an instant. However, why does he show no signs of fear and even a bit of anxiety…? What is he planning? Is he confident that I won’t do it?

Unlikely! He is not an idiot. Since he knows my secret, he should have been prepared to be eliminated by me to keep my secret…then, is he that confident that he wouldn’t die even if I wanted to kill him?

This youth who is no more than twenty years of age and still stink of milk…is confident he could compare to me, the Patriarch of the Black Garden? Even if he knows that I am not the real one, but since I had managed to replace her, it means my power would be even higher than the real Lovelier. And he thinks he can survive if I wanted to kill him…?

Lovelier’s heart started a whirlpool of doubt and suspicions.

Just who is this boy…?

Clank! As Lovelier was having conflicting emotions due to doubts from Cian’s confidence and indifference, a sound of opening the door suddenly resounded. Biting her lips, she immediately withdraws her hand and her body reappeared sitting on the chair as if what had happened a while ago was nothing but an illusion. Her face hangs a faint smile, “Young Master Blood is indeed a dragon among men…”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Ha ha, Lady Lovelier overpraised me…” Cian smiled as if nothing happened. However, in his heart he was grinning from ear to ear—in this first clash, he had an overwhelming victory. You think you can scare me? I had seen death far more than you!

Besides, touching my body to kill me, that is nothing but signing your death contract with King Yama. Even if your strength is strong, that you can kill me with a bit of force, but that is only if you still have an arm to do the action. Cian might look casual and leisurely but he had already prepared if ever he would be attacked.

He might not know what Lovelier’s power and abilities are, but Cian was confident in his eye and vector body. With these abilities, even if you are stronger, once you are caught in the quagmire, you can only lose…!

Even if you cannot die, you will still die!

“Master, Mistress, your white water…” the pretty girl waitress had returned and placed two glasses of water on the table. “Is there anything else you wanted…?”

Cian stared at Lovelier for a while. Seeing she wasn’t responding and just staring at him, he shrugs and accepted the thick paper that looks like a brochure, listing all the menus and dishes served in the restaurant. And as expected the cheapest dish was above ten thousand gold coins and the most expensive was almost a hundred thousand gold—from rare ingredients to the rarest and precious.

Even still, what kind of food is this supposed to be? Three-legged sparrow soup, warthog skewer, Paramitola (What kind of name is this?) whatever, I don’t know any of this food.

“…I’ll go with Scabbatarian and Flowermoon Soup…what about you lady Lovelier?” Cian asked with a soft expression.

“… I’ll have the same,” Lovelier simply responded.

“As you wish,” the pretty lady waitress nodded her head and started walking away. “Wait,” Suddenly, Cian’s voice once again rang out from behind causing the pretty girl to turn around. “Is there anything else, master?” “Yes, do you have some wine,” “Yes, of course, what does master want?” the pretty girl who exudes best professionalism attitude immediately as she responded. Impressed— “Hmm, I’m not that knowledgeable about wines here, so I can only say, the best please…” Cian answered. “…As you wish,” the pretty lady waitress left the door through the door.

“You’re quite calm aren’t you? I wonder, just what are you depending on?” Lovelier sneered in anger the moment the pretty waitress left the room.

Cian didn’t mind her attitude or her words—arguing about it with a woman is fruitless and a vain effort. And most ungentlemanly, “Now, now why don’t we calm down first, Lady Lovelier…” he smiled as he leaned on his chair at ease. “After all, whatever you are doing or what you wanted to do, I don’t have any real interest on it, you know. So you can rest assured that even if I do know about it, it’s not something I would discuss or tell it to others. It has no benefits to me…I would only harbor hatred and produce enemies, right? It’s not something I want to welcome.”

“…?!!”

“I have my own agenda, my own goal and placing that goal at risk because of being a loose lip and a busybody is not worth it and can only be said to be idiotic. I don’t care whatever you wanted to do with the Black Garden, they and I have no direct relationship…” Black Garden is one of my Elder Brother’s people; they are members of his faction, why would I care about them? Their life and death is not of my concern—though, of course, if the still neutral Death Temple comes to my side, then—

“However, of course, if you still want to deal with me because of this—I don’t mind playing with you, you know~” A faint smile formed on Cian’s lips. His expression was completely innocent as if his words were no more than a casual friendly offer. “…I’m also bored out of my mind in these recent days due to some problematic people… but if you knock on my door, I will gladly welcome you...with open arms at that~”

“…are you threatening me?” Lovelier gritted her teeth in anger.

“Of course not, threatening someone is too uncouth and ungentlemanly, isn’t it?” Cian shrug. “…I’m just stating the fact and reason. We are not enemies, at least not now. If you want to deal with me because of this then all the reason for peaceful negotiations would immediately go down to drain and you will be burning all the bridges—I’m just letting you see the reality.”

“… …”

“I know all about you, but what about you…? Do you know about me?” Cian grinned evilly for the very first time they had met, causing Lovelier to be shocked. Indeed, what Cian said was the truth. Setting aside the fact that the Cahlo Clan he was talking about existed or not, Cian’s identity and status, and all those wealth he possesses is already one to be greatly concerned about. But why can’t I detect any use of magic? Is this even his real appearance?

Is he using something like mine? No, that impossible… this is my greatest secret and creation, in this world, I should be the only one who can use this. All because I have ‘that’…! For someone in this world to have knowledge of that is incomprehensible…!

Then, this should be his real appearance…right?

“…then, will you tell me about you?” Lovelier’s expression somewhat lightened upon realizing the true weight of her the situation. “…I don’t have anything to offer in return…aside from my body that is.” Her lips curled into a mischievous grin. “If you tell me about yourself honestly and what your goals were, I don’t mind giving you my body. Despite my appearance, my body is still pure, you know…” Lovelier stared at Cian with sharp eyes as her tongue rolled across her bright red lips. She leaned her body forward even further to make it look like she was pouring tea on her cup, but the real intention was to show the scenery of her cleavage more, in which she had opened revealing quite a pair of bunnies hiding shyly.

“That’s quite tempting…however, sadly, I may be frivolous but I make it a habit not to think using my lower brain. Especially on occasions like this which might jeopardize my status and ambition—at least not until I can know that you are truly trustworthy. Before that, sadly we can only be friends,” Cian smiled faintly.

Lovelier’s playful atmosphere faded slowly as Cian rejected her without batting an eye. As the room was once again wrapped in a cover of silence, the door of the room was once again opened and the familiar pretty waitress entered while pushing a cart. “Here are your orders, master, mistress,” She placed all the food of our choice in the table gently and then started filling up each of our glasses and was about to put the bottles on the cart when Cian stopped her. Cian then asked if he would just leave them and to please add them to his bill later.

The pretty waitress smiled and left the wine with them.

Cian picked up his glass and sniffed the aroma—ho? A sour and sweet taste fluttered his nostrils, with the scent similar to that of blueberries and a tinged of jasmine, it was a fragrant scent akin to that of a woman’s which greatly aroused Cian’s appetite.

“It seems like your treating me instead to a full meal,” Lovelier muttered with a wry smile as the tension between them somewhat eased after that calm talk. “I should be the one who had invited you, but you are now taking the initiative, dear me… I apologize,”

“No, not all. We have several misunderstandings and doubts between us, stopping us to see through the real intention of the opposite party. I felt that this is the elegant way to dissolve some of them. Afterward, we can either paint the town red or stock up on the way home. Much can disappear in this universal solvent, am I right, my dear lady? Things seem to get better with the partaking of the more prodigiously potent poisons found elsewhere in this land of northern delights.” Cian said. Lovelier’s brows furrowed and then she laughed softly as her face lit up in surprise.

“You really mean we should get plastered tonight?” she said, amused.

“I will make it my priority to take extreme latitude against the lower forms of emotional disposition. When it comes to this magic solvent, the more exotic forms of spirits consumed, the better one feels about the future. Until the next morning, of course.” Cian declared raising his glass. Then, he quietly said “A toast to a most magnificent celebration of having two people met in this big world despite it being full of strangers. I hope that this relationship can be further developed and not get worse over time, that each of us can find harbor from one another, despite the world’s twisted intentions…and all of this to start and be lit up with the help of various alcoholic concoctions.”

“…so you are saying you want to ally with me?” Lovelier grinned.

“Not ally, my lady…” Cian replied with a faint smile. Grinning he raised his glass and continued, “But I hope for more than of that… though, for now, we can start by becoming friends, and thoroughly know and understand each other through the help of time, building a better relationship in the future…”

Lovelier raised an eyebrow but then her lips curled into a faint smile as their glasses clinked making a tiny musical note.

They downed their glassfuls in large gulps as Lovelier wondered about Cian’s proposal as well as the offer for ‘companionship’ but she still withheld her decision for now as for her, Cian was still a very mysterious person, which she couldn’t truly understand. Although his offer wasn’t quite bad, judging from the fact that he knows about her secret, but diving headfirst to an unknown will let her lose everything she had and work for with just one tiny slip.

Cian realized that he was actually the only person eating the meal because Lovelier barely touched hers. Could it be that these dishes which he ordered are not to her taste? Although she eats a mouthful from time to time but not as casual and relaxed as Cian actually. She just sat there, staring at Cian, as if observing him from head to toe.

Frowning, Cian couldn’t endure it anymore and ask, “Is there something on my face?”

“… …” Lovelier was startled awake. Her face slightly turned red from embarrassment. Then, as if she was decided on something she stared at Cian with a serious gaze, “Since Young Master Blood wanted to build a relationship with someone like me, then, I wouldn’t be reserved anymore…”

“… …” Cian waited patiently. She’s not wrong, Lovelier can be a good comrade if, used wisely…