Vermins and Lions, on the Same Ecosystem

The guards at the gate were befuddled as Dionisio came out of the car with a woman tied upon his shoulders.

"Boys." Dionisio nodded as a greeting, to which they answered with absentminded "hums" and "sirs"

Walking along the beautiful rock path in the middle of the grassy front yard a thick smell of roasted meat and spices assaulted his nose.

Dionisio almost threw the woman down and ran to the hall.

Right after the first step inside the dining room, a woman stared at him with confusion and slight annoyance.

"Vera, you waited to dine with me?" He asked

"She's the cook," Lilac answered from the head seat of the table. Only now did Dionisio looked at the table. A big roasted boar blocked Lilac from his sight.

"H-He's carrying a lady on his shoulder, and...he's reeking of blood." Vera, the housemaid, leaned in Lilac's ear and spoke softly.

"Reeking? What a strong word, if I knew you'd be like this I wouldn't bring another maid to help you around the house."

Dionisio casually dragged a chair all the way to Lilac's left side, put the unconscious woman on the ground to his left and directly helped himself with a piece of the roasted animal

Vera couldn't understand what was happening but didn't like the treatment towards the tied up woman. She could only hope her lady would say something about it.

But Lilac's gaze stayed still on The tied up woman's face.

"...That's Comélia de Forte, She won the last international fight tournament of her rank."

Dionisio was chewing and only gave her a mildly surprised 'is that so?' look, before taking another piece of meat.

Vera stilled. Lilac seeing she was still there, gently signaled for her to leave

Lilac eyed Dionisio as he ate after Vera left.

"Who are you? Are you aligned with my father?" She asked.

Dionisio swallowed the food and thought for a moment of her state the last time they talked through video. He guessed then that someone had stressed her to that point, as, although the assassination attempt was startling, she was almost back to herself when he left. Only something else could've done that to her, and through the stories, he knew from her family of the past, and if fate managed to repeat it, then...

"...So, the one who pushed your buttons right after the attack was your father." He concluded with narrowed eyes.

Lilac was confused by what she understands merely by glancing at him. She felt like he was despising her father, She felt his disgust so raw and clear that she couldn't possibly think they were colluding.

But still, maybe he was a professional in subtly showing emotions. She doesn't know him. Yet, he saw through her state with one glance in a low-quality video, he fought and defeated someone like Comélia, he backtracked something a high tier mage could only do after six hours.

His so-called "rewards" have no obvious meaning behind them, because of it, she doesn't know his motives or what drives him, his weaknesses or strengths. She has no grasp on him. She has to get rid of him! But she can't! He showed too much potential value!

"Pondering if you should get rid of me, or raise me?" He asked with a smirk. Unwittingly to her, half leg of the roasted boar was gone. "Personally, I'd prefer to be, as the Chinese say; your little white face."

A scowl unconsciously showed on her face, making him laugh.

"What are you doing? What is your goal?" She asked.

This time he stopped eating. Remember how they both had regrets, how their kingdom was short-lived, how his empress was annoyed by it, he gazed at Lilac. "Settling our past regrets, so we can move on and truly succeed in conquering the world."

She sighed while standing up with despondency."I can't believe I wasted my thoughts on a delusional man speaking nonsense, I'll just tell vera to set you up with a psychiatrist." Then, as if remembering something, she leaned down and spoke in a way one would speak to a person bad in the head. "Try not to think much about the world you think you're living in those are fantasy, delusions put there by someone with an agenda, now leave Comélia there, vera will take care of her, that's humans traffic don't do it again, also, don't fight anymore."

She sighed and walked out, leaving a stunned Dionisio to his roasted boar. She wondered how such a delirious man got the means to defeat Comélia? Then she remembered her father tried to raise a bunch of retired soldiers as pupped bodyguards through drugs. "But didn't grandpa destroyed that?" She walked out briskly.

Dionisio facepalmed then laughed, held his belly and laughed.

His voice spread throughout the manor. Lilac hurried and called her grandfather.

Vera covered her ears with the pillow.

Done laughing, Dionisio sighed and cleaned the tears of laughter on his eyes. "Not only a brother but also bad in the head. Oh fate, I know this one is my fault, I won't complain."

*****

It was around one in the morning. There was a heater under the roasted boar that became mere bones, Dionisio slowed down after Lilac left and savored the meat. As the residual mana on the meat entered his body, it immediately was absorbed and directed into his wound. The suit was black, so the blood didn't show. Lilac must've thought the smell of blood that Vera talked about came from Frederich and the assassin from before and didn't question.

Without hurry, he stood up and threw Comélia over his shoulder again, he poured some mana on her mind, keeping her unconscious while her mana dealt with the hole on her chest, although it was a mana enhanced gun, as long as the heart wasn't destroyed she'd heal with ease in a few hours.

He was walking towards his bedroom when steps cam from the entrance hall.

"Hey." The tone of voice was cold and calous.

Dionisio turned slightly and looked at Lilac's father, Gerald who was walking brusquely with a frown on his forehead.

"What the fuck did you do!? Why didn't you tell me you were a high-class combatant!? Because that unfilial daughter of mine thought I messed with your mind she contacted the old man, do you know how much of a pain in the ass he can be!?"

Gerald slapped Dionisio on the shoulder with a sudden smile on his face. He stopped in front of Dionisio and playfully smacked his chest again.

"You should've told me if you were so great! I wouldn't have tried to use you as a pawn, you're my son! We can climb the world together!"

Gerald stood still with a smile awaiting his now "dear" son's reply.

Dionisio smiled.

Because she doesn't know what he wants, his weaknesses or his objective, Lilac decided to slowly probe, but her father, instead of being careful he's trying to grab that very variable that still shrouded in darkness and take it for himself, then learn about it after.

'Trying to consume the unknown so eagerly... As I said before.. she pursues power, but her father is consumed by it.'

Dionisio merely smiled so Gerald continued.

"I see that you brought that girl, Comélia with you. Look, do with her as you like while she's here, but don't damage her too much, there are a bunch of people she pissed off by daring to win a tournament that she wasn't supposed to, some men might want to exchange valuable things for her."

Gerald said, looking with hunger at Camélia. Just picturing what people would pay to take her from his hands...

"... But that's the issue, father, I want that untamed, fearless champion by my side as a maid, it's a debut that'll keep the family's enemies wary." Dionisio calmly refused.

Clap!

Gerald clapped his hands once with wide eyes. "I knew my son couldn't possibly be mediocre! How about we talk more in detail about your future tomorrow?"

Dionisio nodded, "I'll go to father's office tomorrow after breakfast."

Gerald nodded, laughed ou loud two more times then bid goodbye and left to his room. As he walked his smile faded. A blue-haired magician silently entered with him in the room and spoke.

"I saw nothing on him, not even a drop of mana, but there's no doubt he's your son. He has an open wound, his blood is closely related to yours."

Gerald nodded "Although my daughter is a fierce and vicious beast, her flaws and weakness are clear, but this son of mine... help me discover anything he takes a value on. Anything that can be used."

Silently the woman nodded and burst away like a water bubble.

Alone in the room, Gerald felt a smirk emerging on his lips and he couldn't help but chuckle. The face of his son obviously lying to him and casually coming up with something that'd "please" him was amusing.

"Monsters, the lot of them, not one of my spawns is a common human...."

Gerald looked a the side of the room, at his father's framed photo. "You filed down my girl's horns and clipped her claws... but my son will be the worst of us both, and I'll hold his reigns tightly. All the way to the top of this pyramid-shaped world. Haha!"

Gerald slapped the armrest and laughed uproariously.