Aldric Von Valthora

Lucifer was lost in thought for a long time—about 10 minutes—before he finally remembered something. He had been Justin Otto, right? No, the name didn't feel right. A few more minutes passed, and then it hit him—his name was Jasper Otto. He finally remembered everything, but it was a frightening realization. He had been on the brink of losing everything he held dear—his parents, his sister, his friends, if he had any—he couldn't remember. But one thing was certain: something was wrong with him. Why had he forgotten everything? Why was it that he only remembered now?

Seraphina and Nox, who had both noticed his distant expression, were worried. Seraphina feared that if she lost him, her dream of ruling the empire would be for nothing. Nox, on the other hand, had genuine concern, mixed with a hint of insight. He had been observing Lucifer from the start, and he had noticed four things: first, that Lucifer was in a trance due to the strain of Seraphina's mental control on his soul; second, that Lucifer was very inefficient in his fighting—he was using ten times the mana that should have been necessary for this fight; third, that he wasn't only wasting mana, but all his spells were using more mana than they normally should have; and lastly, when his mana dropped below 20% of its full capacity, he appeared to be drained—physically and mentally exhausted. Nox now understood that something had happened to him. All he needed to do was figure out what.

You might wonder how an owl could deduce all this. Well, to say the least, Nox was no ordinary owl. In fact, he was smarter than most creatures, and this owl was a notch above anything or anyone you think is knowledgeable.

"Lucifer, are you okay?" Seraphina and Nox asked simultaneously. Nox glared at her. From his perspective, this sinful girl was the reason for Lucifer's pain. Seraphina backed away, sensing the danger. She knew that if she fought this powerful creature, her death would be painful and merciless to say the least. Lucifer had already warned her not to offend him, saying that Nox was even above the imperishable realm—the level that people on top in this world revered and hoped to reach someday. Whereas 99.99999% could never even hope of reaching that.

Nox moved closer to Lucifer and reduced his size. "Lucy, what happened? Are you okay?" the owl asked gently.

Lucifer replied, "I'm fine, Nox, really."

"No, no. Something happened to you. I saw it," Nox insisted.

Lucifer knew better than to show weakness in front of Seraphina, so he communicated with Nox telepathically. Not now, Nox. We'll discuss this away from prying eyes, he secretly gestured toward Seraphina.

Nox understood and nodded before perching on Lucifer's shoulder, rubbing against his head affectionately. Seraphina, observing the duo, asked once again, "Are you okay, Lucifer?"

Lucifer stood up and said, "I'm perfectly fine. It's just that I haven't fought in a while. I'm a bit rusty, that's all."

"Oh, is that really all?" Seraphina replied.

"Yep, that's all," Lucifer confirmed. Then he asked, "So, what do we need to do next?"

"Well," Seraphina began, "there are a few things I need. First, you have to participate in the Festival of Hunt. Second, you need to demonstrate your power in front of the emperor and my stepping stones."

"Who are your stepping stones?" Lucifer asked.

Seraphina realized her slip of the tongue. "I meant... my siblings, my rivals," she quickly corrected. "Then, in a few months, there will be the Trial of Rulers. I need to win it at any cost. I don't care how."

She rambled on and on, but Lucifer interrupted her. "Hey, stop. I meant, what should we do immediately?"

"Oh, you mean right now?" Seraphina asked. "I think we should go to the guild in Valthora first and submit your accomplishment of the mission. Then we can go to the duke of Valthora's house and get him on our side. I already have a few on my side, but if we can really convince him to be on my side, we would have our faction stronger by leaps and bounds, and our position in the empire will be increased as well."

After resting a few more minutes, Lucifer summoned some undead to gather beast cores from all the dead beasts. He hadn't known about this until now, but Seraphina had just told him that after a beast dies, you can collect its mana core. It was where all the mana of a creature was stored, to be used in different potions, tools, weapons, armors, and many more. Alternatively, by simply eating it, one could increase their levels if they needed a boost because normally, cultivating required a lot of time. Also, to prove that the mission had been completed, they had to show the beast's core.

After collecting beast cores from hundreds of massive beasts, a wide, multi-colored array of crystal-like objects appeared in front of Lucifer, ranging in different shapes, sizes, and colors. They were from the beasts they had killed. The lowest quality ones were peak Epic rank, most were of low to high Origin rank, and seven were peak of the Origin realm. They were worth more than the mission itself offered, but no one in their right mind would sell beast cores so easily.

Lucifer ordered Nox to increase his size once again so they could depart toward the guild base. Not more than fifteen minutes later, they were already on the edge of the city of Valthora, where they had come previously to accept the mission. They first went to the guild to show them the beast cores and receive their reward. The guild receptionist, who had been there previously, was stupefied. He would never have imagined there were seven so powerful beasts, and even more so that these two people defeated them and came back in less than a day, in one piece. They didn't look like they had been in a battle; it looked like they had gone on vacation.

If not for checking traces of dragon energies in the cores through his machine, he would have thought they were just showing off and had bought these cores with money. At that time, Lucifer was recommended to become a Diamythe-level adventurer by the guild in the city of Valthora. After cleaning up in an inn, resting for the night, Lucifer and Seraphina dressed for the occasion—the meeting with the Duke of the city of Valthora, Aldric Von Valthora.

His father was one of the more influential nobles in the kingdom. He had direct control over the city of Valthora and nearby cities, forming his duchy. He had direct control over the resources of Twilight Vale. He was extremely rich and powerful, barely controlled by the emperor due to the royal ancestor; otherwise, he would have already conquered the empire. He was not just anybody either he was also very powerful. Though the father was also like the ancestor in deep meditation to further strengthen himself.

Not only did Seraphina have to dress royally according to her status, but even Lucifer, who usually liked to wear his black, all-covering armor, had to wear his white elegant suit. It showed his pure white face, which resembled that of mutton fat jade of extreme quality. On top of that, his enchanting purple eyes and demonic-looking dragons on his docile surface of the back of is hands, each with purple eyes like his own, made him look like the epitome of elegance.

It was because Lucifer would now have to be gradually introduced to the people outside, so they could know just how powerful he was and how loyal he was to Seraphina. Next, they took the royal carriage, which they had arrived in earlier. Now they couldn't travel on Nox, as Seraphina, using her royal name, had to conduct herself in a manner appropriate to her identity. Soon—well, not really soon, after three hours—they arrived at the estate of Aldric Von Valthora.