[Would you like to view the letter?]
Atiste looked at the light screen, appearing quite hesitant.
Eileen stepped to his side and asked, “Master, is something on your mind?”
“No, the System gave me the Hero’s childhood friend’s letter. I’m wondering if I should read it now.”
“Peeking at someone else’s private letters is impolite, but since Master is a villain, you don’t need to worry about manners.”
“Wow, you make a lot of sense. Fine, I’m actually quite curious about what she wrote anyway. Let me see…”
Atiste clicked [Yes] on the system interface.
In Eileen’s eyes, he appeared to be making gestures at thin air.
In the blink of an eye, an envelope carrying the fresh scent of wood appeared out of nowhere in Atiste’s hand.
The envelope had the texture of plain paper for its skin, ink patterns for its bones, and a wax drop for its seal.
It seemed to wrap a heartfelt message within a shell of simple elegance.
It was perfectly sealed, showing no signs of having been opened.
He opened the envelope, checked the interior, and pulled out the stationery.
The letter paper looked extremely high-grade.
It featured woodblock-printed scenery, secrets hidden in watermarks, and a ribbed texture that felt smooth under his fingers.
Ink told a story of deep affection, exuding a noble and refined charm.
The two of them huddled together and began to read.
The contents of the letter were as follows:
“To Reiner: My lost old friend, how have you been lately? It has been a long time since we last met, and I miss you dearly. I personally delivered this letter to your place of seclusion. Since you do not wish to see anyone, including me, I have quietly placed it on your desk. Do you still hold a grudge against that weirdo named ‘Atiste’? He stole the achievements that belonged to you. Not only did he ruin your reputation, but he also snatched away your lifelong dream… Such things are actually quite common, so I imagine you must have let it go by now, right? Now that you are old, I wonder how your health is. However, you have had a strong constitution since childhood and the blessing of the natural elements. Even if you do not use magic frequently, your body must be very healthy, I presume? Since the Demon King was killed, you chose to live in isolation in the mountains and forests. You have been unwilling to see even me for over sixty years now. Does the title of ‘Hero’ still torture you? My heart aches for your long-standing loneliness, but I know that trying to persuade you is useless. Therefore, I can only pray that you live a happy life. Being a ‘Demigod’ has made me immortal, while also granting me massive mana and superhuman perception. Yet, even so, I am unwilling to let base people rely on this power. I consider it a ‘curse.’ Thus, for these past few decades, I have also lived a life of hiding my tracks. After all, if the world knew a Demigod was walking among them, it would surely cause a lot of trouble. And as you know, I hate trouble most of all. Enough with the small talk; I am sending this letter to remind you of something important. Please, you must do as I say. You must do exactly as I say! Destroy the Holy Sword ‘Paladin’! If someone comes looking for you in the future, asking you to return to the world… You must refuse! Lastly, there is one more thing. Atiste’s identity is not simple. I have traveled across the entire continent, and I simply cannot find any trace of his origins! I suspect he does not belong to this world, but I have no evidence. The Demon King seemed to have left something behind before being killed by Atiste. Currently, the Demon Race has already left the Abyssel Continent, but I suspect it was by no means a simple withdrawal. Therefore, I have decided to continue tracking the whereabouts of the Demon Race. Old friend, please remember what I emphasized. Be sure to destroy the Holy Sword ‘Paladin.’ Your old friend, Alisa June 6, 514 Conquest Era”
Eileen and Atiste finished reading the letter together.
The two of them looked at each other.
Because Eileen rarely had the chance to get so close to her master, she felt very happy right now and did not want to be the one to break the atmosphere.
Atiste broke the silence first.
“…There’s actually another ‘Demigod’ besides you?”
Eileen said, “That isn’t anything strange, but this Alisa seems to be a character skilled in investigation.”
“She’s investigating me?”
“Probably more than just that.”
“So, theoretically speaking, we can still go out and catch her?”
“But didn’t you say the System judged that you completed the mission, Master?”
“The System seems to have developed a problem.
Including the appearance of this letter—it must have fallen into my hands because of a system error.”
‘The damn system’s actual reward must still be stuck in the inventory… How annoying!’
“Yes, that makes sense. After all, this letter looks like it hasn’t been opened at all,” Eileen guessed.
“Which means that Hero brother who I snatched the final kill from never even saw this letter?”
Atiste fell into thought.
“Master, why worry about him? For now, shouldn’t we go catch Alisa and eliminate her?”
“Wow, you’re even more like a villain than I am.”
Atiste gave her a thumbs-up.
“You flatter me, Master.”
“However, this letter was written over four hundred years ago. If this Alisa really found me, she should have shown herself a long time ago.”
“So, what Master means is…”
“Ignore her. Seeing that ‘art material’ is the priority!”
Eileen simply loved how her master couldn’t distinguish between major and minor issues.
No, to be precise, no matter what her master became, she would love him unconditionally.
She was also constantly working hard toward becoming the kind of person her master liked.
Although she had been trying for five hundred years, she still hadn’t figured out exactly what kind of woman her master preferred.
However, one could not be careless when Master was working on his art.
Therefore, she directly used Teleportation Magic to bring the princess, Her Highness Lillian Aphrodite, who was tied to a chair, before her master.
“Good job, Eileen. You’re always so reliable.”
“If Master praises me a few more times, I’ll be happy for several days~”
Eileen felt a warmth in her heart.
“Don’t forget to maintain your poise.”
Only then did Eileen restrain her excited expression, returning to her usual role as a gentle and elegant maid.
Princess Lillian was tied to the chair by Eileen to prevent her from falling while moving around.
Fortunately, Lillian had remained very quiet.
Eileen knew the other girl was a young lady who was very good at faking things; she was the type of person Eileen hated most.
But because of her master’s orders, she had to keep a watch over her.
Otherwise, she would have eliminated her long ago.
It would have been as simple as killing a mosquito.
Atiste raised his hand to cast a spell, lifting the Seal of Four Senses from Lillian, though he did not restore her vision.
He couldn’t let her see the layout of the fortress yet.
Lillian felt her senses return.
Her sense of touch came back, and she could feel herself being bound by ropes.
Her sense of smell returned as well.
There was no foul odor here.
On the contrary, a very fragrant woman seemed to be standing beside her.
The scent came from her and was very pleasant—the fragrance of lilies mixed with musk, elegant and melancholy.
The same went for her sense of taste.
Just a moment ago, she couldn’t even taste her own saliva, but now it had been restored.
What about her hearing?
“Cough, cough…”
Lillian coughed intentionally.
On one hand, she was testing her own hearing; on the other, she wanted to test the kidnappers’ attitude toward her.
“She’s a sickly princess. I don’t think she has the ‘artistic value’ Master expects,” Eileen said deliberately.
“Eileen, don’t talk too much. Just watch from the side.”
“Yes, Master.”
Lillian confirmed that her hearing was back.
However, it was still pitch black before her eyes.
She said tentatively, “Master Atiste, why not restore my vision? I would very much like to see what you truly look like.”
“You really aren’t afraid at all, are you? What a strange fellow.”
“Master Atiste, I am currently nothing more than a weak, captured woman. Not being killed by you is already the greatest fortune among misfortunes. How could I dare to be ‘afraid’?”
Atiste was amazed inwardly.
This girl seemed a bit “too calm.”
In reality, Lillian’s heart was thumping with anxiety.
She was afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid of being hated by Atiste…
If she were cast aside by Master Atiste, her life would truly be over!
‘It’s not that I’m boy-crazy! It’s just that I’m too happy to see the person I admire!’
‘Calm down… calm down…’
Lillian maintained her outward composure.
“Very well. Since you aren’t afraid, let’s begin the ritual immediately.”
Upon hearing this, Lillian felt a slight panic.
Ritual?
What ritual?
Am I being used so soon?
Is he really going to make me Master Atiste’s property this quickly?
‘No, I can’t smile yet. Wait a bit longer…’
Lillian forced herself to stay calm and asked, “What… what ritual is it?”
Atiste let out a sinister laugh and said, “A peerless, supreme artistic ritual that is the most evil and innovative in history, one that has never been done before and will never be done again—replacing your heart with the ‘Crystal of Manifold’! JIE-JIE-JIE-JIE-JIE-JIE!”
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