Chapter 13

Jack Avery was ambivalent about life or death; after all, once he completed his mission, he would depart from this world. If his departure meant the return of Cyrus Hall, perhaps it was best if this body died. Given Cyrus's deep cynicism and immense power, he could only imagine the havoc he would wreak upon the world.

Soon, Jack realized he was overthinking things. It was, after all, just a game. Once he left, the world within the game would cease to exist, along with any of its consequences.

Yet, his mission explicitly required him to take his own life.

This time, he chose not to incapacitate Alexis, allowing the silver-haired vampire to finally voice his thoughts: "Cyrus, have you... invoked the summoning spell?"

That clarified the name of the forbidden spell.

"Correct," Jack responded simply.

Alexis paused, his eyes shifting to Adrian's lifeless body: "Your beloved is him..."

What was he suggesting?

Alexis's expression grew concerned as he looked back at Jack. "If I'm not mistaken, the sacrifice required by this spell is supposed to be the person you love deeply."

Jack caught on immediately. He was tempted to correct him—The sacrifice is meant to be someone who loves me deeply. But he reconsidered; perhaps this misunderstanding could be advantageous, especially if it agitated Alexis further.

Jack cast his eyes down to his dearly departed cousin, his face marked by deep sadness.

Interpreting Jack's silence as an admission, Alexis looked thunderstruck, his eyes filled with lethal fury: "You approached me solely to use this spell?"

Jack appreciated the misinterpretation; it saved him the trouble of further explanations.

"Why else?" Gail interjected defiantly, challenging his elder, "The young master could never have feelings for you!"

Alexis, furious and heartbroken, turned his wrath toward Gail: "And what exactly are you?"

Gail smirked back, "I am also a sacrifice for the spell circle, and the young master loves me."

Had the mood not been so charged, Jack might have mistaken the exchange for a petty argument between two envious children.

With a mix of pain and defiance, Alexis retorted, "That simply proves you're a defective sacrifice."

Gail bristled at the comment: "The failure was due to other unmet conditions, not because the young master doesn't love me!"

Unable to tolerate their squabbling any longer, Lucas, who knew the actual truth, interjected: "The real requirement for the sacrifice is someone who deeply loves the young master, not someone whom the young master loves deeply. He only loves me; what are you in comparison?"

Stunned by the revelation, Gail was left speechless.

The somber atmosphere lightened momentarily as Alexis looked at Jack Avery with renewed hope. "Is that true? Did I remember incorrectly?" He stepped forward rapidly, seizing Jack's hand, his voice trembling, "My Cyrus, it's only me you love, right?"

Jack Avery remained silent.

The penetrating stares from his current and former butlers were nearly palpable.

Despite his resolve to end his life, Jack was reluctant to die branded as a cad—though in truth, he recognized that he was exactly that.

"This is for the best," Alexis murmured, his voice laced with self-deception and lingering doubts. "We can be together forever..."

Jack steeled himself to embrace the role of the villain. "I don't love you. Initially, I was afraid you'd kill me, and later, I was merely using you." The words were out at last.

Shock painted Alexis's handsome features, his red eyes widening in disbelief.

Gail, who had been unsettled before, now looked at Jack with a surge of fervent loyalty. "Master, you've endured enough. I'll rid us of this menace once and for all," he declared.

Worried about losing a "key player," Jack blurted out, "You're no different from him." He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth—what a terrible thing to say.

Gail stopped short, his long eyelashes trembling, his voice cracking, "I—I might be a vampire now, but I'm still your Gail..."

With a heavy heart, Jack extinguished the last glimmer of hope: "Gail, I'm using you too, because I need a sacrifice."

Gail's face, already pale, turned as white as a sheet. "M—Master, you must be joking..." His eyes, wide and red, looked like they might start bleeding.

Jack didn't love them, but witnessing their devastated expressions stirred a sense of compassion within him. It was natural to feel empathy, even for a stranger undergoing such torment.

Lucas, the butler, maintained his composure better than Gail. He remained silent, not asking any questions as the plan to "eliminate" the others unfolded, clearly leaving Lucas as the last man standing.

Jack was not about to let him off easily. With Alexis and Gail nearing a breaking point, if Jack antagonized them, Lucas would likely intervene.

Jack had his doubts that all three combined could kill him; without one, his odds of survival would surely decrease.

Suffering in a state of half-death was too excruciating, and Jack had no desire to extend the ordeal.

He clarified firmly, "I'm not joking. I truly don't love any of you."

Gail's eyes blazed with fury. "Do you love Lucas?"

Jack Avery had been waiting for this very moment. Fully assuming his role as the antagonist, he sneered, "He's just a servant. What makes you think he deserves my love?"

Lucas, who had been silent until now, suddenly looked up, startled by the remark.

Jack remained composed, his demeanor edged with arrogance. "Be they monstrous or menial, how could I possibly love any of you?"

That should trigger them, Jack thought. Hopefully, they'll strike simultaneously and end this.

Gail's expression darkened, his pale lips losing all color, his entire being tense with despair and pain. "You've been deceiving me all this time."

If this were truly Cyrus Hall, he might have shown some remorse, but Jack, intent on dying, only stoked the fire further. "And what if I have?"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Alexis, his romantic visage now replaced by a predatory and aristocratic coldness, interjected, "Cyrus, return to the manor with me. I can forgive you." His words suggested clemency, but the true implication was a lifetime of captivity within his dark, secluded chambers.

"Do I need your forgiveness?" Jack retorted dismissively.

Lucas, the butler, with a voice deep and resonant, posed a significant question, "You are not Master Cyrus, are you? Who are you really?"

Inspired by the inquiry, Jack flashed a sinister smile. Clad in a detailed tailcoat adorned with dark roses and wearing a hat that shadowed his face, the handsome youth's smile morphed into something more malevolent, his voice chilling, "You've found me out."

"The summoning spell..." Jack's eyes turned pitch black as he gave them a detached, icy stare. "What do you think Cyrus really summoned?"

This complete shift from Cyrus Hall's known personality enraged them thoroughly. Overcome with despair, they coordinated a deadly assault.

"You demon, return him to us!"

Jack Avery's desire was finally realized—he died.

As the seventh day concluded, so too did the life of Cyrus Hall.

Jack saw the notification appear in the lower right corner of his vision: Congratulations, mission complete.

Suddenly, everything went black as if he were being violently dragged away; he left Cyrus Hall and this world behind.

In the Central Garden, a man reclined casually in an armchair, his thin lips slightly upturned. His long legs were carelessly draped over the armrest, his posture relaxed yet his physique spoke of latent strength, reminiscent of a resting lion.

He watched intently as the image on the water screen before him paused.

It showcased a young man in lavish attire, standing straight with a slender waist, adorned with black roses and fine lace that accentuated his dark eyes, delicate features, and aloof expression.

Ethan Grey chuckled and tapped on the tender face on the screen.

The image flickered and disappeared, replaced by a line of text that emerged:

[S-class quasi-world 'Which Way is Love?' completed by designer X, player anonymous.]