Chapter 168: The Lady Returns
Chapter 168.
In the vast land, without any canopy or trees, it was a massive area which almost looked like a desert, containing a clearing that stretched for hundreds of miles.
This was once a place where people used to live, a famous town in history. But now, this place was reduced to nothing but an abandoned wasteland. Because of the past war occurring around this region, no life could be seen for miles.
A black, luxurious car was passing through the abandoned land in an unknown location. It traveled several kilometers into the wasteland until it suddenly halted.
A man wearing a sharp black suit immediately stepped out with practiced ease. He opened the back door of the car and bowed slightly.
From the back door, a girl stepped out. She looked to be in her early twenties, but her sheer beauty was enough to attract thousands of people’s attention. She looked stunning as she calmly stepped out of the vehicle.
Her violet hair swayed as her lavender eyes behind the sunglasses looked toward the distant horizon with a cold gaze. She started to walk forward with calm, measured steps.
She suddenly halted her steps after walking ten meters. Darkness began to coil around her body as the very air started to change its direction.
Both of the guards stepped back as she raised her hand toward the empty air. The darkness started to burn the very space where she stood.
A hole tore open by the burning darkness, expanding to a human size.
Without waiting for a single moment, she stepped inside the space and got swallowed by the void.
Inside the torn space was something no one could ever think of: a large corridor stretched wide, looking incredibly luxurious with a shining crystal floor.
The lady stepped forward with practiced ease, acting as if she was used to strolling around this place.
She walked around the area for a few minutes until she found a metal door in the front. Beside it was a scanning device, as the place inside did not allow any unknown person to enter.
She placed her bare hand on it. The scan was successful, and the heavy doors slid open. Inside stood a massive training room where many people were busy training. As she stepped inside, her presence attracted several gazes. Many looked at her curiously, finding the unknown person quite attractive.
A man hurriedly ran out of his office after getting a notification from the scanning machine that an important person had entered.
"My lady, y-you have arrived!"
Without waiting, he dropped down to his knees and bowed.
Everyone present, training and busy with their work, looked at the manager whom they had always thought of as their ultimate boss. Seeing him bow in front of this woman made them feel startled.
After getting a frantic signal from the boss that they should also bow to show respect to the figure, everyone fell down to their knees without waiting.
"It is an honor to meet you again after so long, Lady Aveline Astrae..."
Ava looked at everyone as her eyes swept through the place, which now felt a bit nostalgic. Her gaze finally turned back to the kneeling man.
"Don’t make a fuss around here, Lysander. And don’t call me by that name again... Get up and lead me somewhere quiet..."
She flicked her finger, gesturing for everyone to stand up, and stepped forward to walk.
The man named Lysander, with white hair tied behind his head and an old face which dictated an age well past a century, stood up. He led the lady to a quiet place while nodding at the passing people to focus on their own work.
As they walked through the end of the training hall, he pushed a specific section of the wall. It suddenly started to slide up, revealing a private room. Ava walked past him and entered inside. She looked at the familiar room but didn’t stay there staring for long. She moved to sit on the couch while the man also entered. He stood in front of her with his hands behind his back, maintaining a respectable distance.
As the silence in the quiet room remained, Ava’s eyes finally flicked toward the man, assessing him with a sharp gaze.
"Hmm... You have become quite strong in my absence, it seems. Looks like I am the only one left behind."
Lysander just stood there with a stoic face while looking at her.
"It is an honor to get your appreciation. I had actually reached Stage 5 in your absence. Many things have changed during this time, my lady. The world has evolved quite much..."
Ava nodded while leaning back on the couch, crossing her legs and folding her arms.
"You shouldn’t have come here, my lady... What if they find out about you?"
Ava didn’t reply for a second as she considered his words. Her expression remained blank.
"Don’t worry about that. They already know I am alive..."
Lysander’s eyes widened in shock at her answer. He felt stunned at her incredibly calm tone.
"W-what? Then why do you look so alright?"
Ava tilted her head as she replied casually.
"They know that I am alive since the moment I reached the real world. They know who I was with, they know that I am here, and they also know that we two are discussing this stuff here?..."
Lysander felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He looked around nervously, his whole body tense.
"Hahahahaha... Chill, I am just joking..."
Ava’s laughter echoed through the place. All of the tension left his shoulders as he looked at his master. She finally looked like her past self, revealing a hint of the playful persona she used to have.
A slow smile curved on her lips as she stood up and walked toward the large desk. She took her place in the head chair, leaning back calmly. She pushed her sunglasses down to her eye level. All of the coldness vanished from her eyes, replaced by a playful expression she used to wear centuries ago.
"Do you know what, Lysander? I am going to kill every one of them. I mean every single one of them!"
Her smile still remained firm as the room filled with a sudden, invisible pressure.
"What about my family? Are they still alive?..."
Lysander bowed slightly, unable to meet her eyes, which made him feel a chill run down his spine.
"Well... Your brother has taken your place among them. Your family also declared him as the new heir..."
He shuddered as he felt the air shift around the room. The temperature plummeted.
"Oh, of course. What could I expect from my family? Their daughter had been abandoned by them, but they don’t care about that stuff... Well, I always knew they didn’t give a damn about me anyway... Did anything worthwhile happen in my absence?..."
A small smile broke on his face as he straightened his back and replied calmly.
"Of course, miss. Our information guild has spread widely around the whole world. Along with it, we have invested in each and every sector. From white money to black money, we have almost everything with us... We have enough power in our command that we can make the economy of the whole world go haywire with a single word. Do you want to try it?..."
Ava tapped her lips as she considered his words, but she didn’t feel quite impressed by his mention. She was never fond of money from the day she was born. Power? That was also not the thing she had to work hard to gain. What she wanted was something far different.
Her eyes flicked to meet his as she asked him.
"What about ’that’ part...?"
Lysander’s smile widened again at her mention.
"Well... It is still going on in process... Many have already been captured and are currently being tortured in the basement. Do you want to see them?..."
Ava nodded with a placid look on her face.
He walked toward the bookshelf and pulled a book out. Some hidden mechanism triggered, and the bookshelf started to slide away, revealing a long, dark staircase.
"Let me lead you, my lady..."
He started leading Ava toward the basement. The walls were damp as they reached the bottom. A vast clearing room could be seen. The hallways filled with the heavy stench of blood and rotting flesh, as loud, broken screams constantly came from every direction.
Ava looked calm as he led her toward the end of the hallway. They stepped toward a room enclosed with thick iron rods. She looked between the gaps, listening to the loud screams tearing through the air.
A person was bound inside to the wall. The glowing runic circle of healing magic pulsed beneath her, casting an eerie light on the massive, hungry wolf eating her legs. The wounds were then repeatedly healed by the magic. It gave the monster an unlimited source of food while forcing the woman to stay alive in agony.
Ava smiled as she recognized the person.
"Hehe... It has been a while, Sarah. How have you been these past few months?..."
Sarah, who was still screaming, suddenly looked at her with wide eyes, which turned to pure shock at seeing her alive.
"Y-you! Aveline? H-how did you survive?! Help me, please!"
"Oh... My, my. What did you do to my sweet friend, Lysander? I told you to treat her well. It seems you have become quite laid back in my absence..."
Lysander bowed in apology.
"Sorry, miss..."
"Tchh, no sorry. Open the door. I want to save my dear friend..."
Sarah’s expression became hopeful, the pain momentarily forgotten even as her limbs continued to be eaten by the monster.
As Lysander opened the door of the prison, Ava stepped inside calmly. Walking over to her, she bowed down and stroked the giant wolf’s back.
The massive wolf, which was trying to devour Sarah, suddenly stopped. His eyes turned toward the new person. Sarah looked at the shift in the atmosphere. For a moment, she felt like the wolf was going to hurt Ava too. But instead, the beast bowed down like a puppy finding his master. He slumped down while his tail flicked, acting like a polite doggy.
Ava looked satisfied. Her eyes finally turned over to her friend’s face, and she put on a look of fake sadness.
"Oh my, you have been through so much because of the misinterpretation carried out by my companion. I am sorry..."
Sarah stared at her, feeling nervous. Why wouldn’t she? She was one of the people who had abandoned Ava in the Ascension Realm to escape.
"Aveline? How are you still alive?.."
Ava smiled as she stepped closer.
"Because God wanted me to. Because fate decided that I deserve another chance in life. It seems I still have many unfinished things left to do, so how can I die?..."
Sarah pursed her lips as she felt tense.
"Do you hate me? I am sorry that I left you back then..."
"No, don’t say sorry. You did right. You chose your life over mine, and there is nothing wrong with it. That was just your selfish decision, which I support... Don’t worry, I already forgave you."
Sarah looked stunned. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it.
"So... Can I go now?..."
Ava smiled softly. She looked at her and cupped her cheeks tenderly.
"Of course you can, my dear friend. You can go..."
Ava pulled her hands back. She stepped away and walked toward the gate of the prison.
As she cast one last glance at the wolf, her voice dropped.
"Lysander, make sure to drop her leftover body at a distant place. I don’t want this place to become dirty..."
Without waiting for a reply, she walked back to the staircase leading toward the upper floor.
Behind her, Lysander just shook his head at his master’s ruthlessness. The wolf, with newfound enthusiasm, started to devour Sarah and eat her, wanting to finish her quickly.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOO!!!!"
As the agonizing voice behind her became distant, Ava walked inside the quiet office. Her expression returned to her calm face, and her smile remained picture-perfect.