ch28

[Chapter 28 - Guardian of the Villain]

Evelyn confirmed that Grimoire was fast asleep. For a long time, she gazed at her Master's sleeping face.

The horns that poked out between her silver hair faintly shimmered in the moonlight. The usual arrogance and bluster were gone, leaving only a girlish face.

'Another day has passed without incident.'

She rose from her spot and quietly closed the door. Now it was her turn for the night to begin.

"A maid by day, a shadow by night."

Evelyn returned to her room and undid the buttons of her blouse one by one.

The black dress with white frills slid to the floor. Following it, the apron was untied and fell. The headdress, neatly fixed on her head, was slowly removed as well.

The symbols of the maid were taken off in turn.

Opening the closet, a black suit set awaited her.

The reassuring feeling of the perfectly fitted jacket embracing her shoulders. The firmness of the belt hugging her waist. Completely different from the flexible softness of the maid's uniform, a hardness and sharpness for battle enveloped her body.

Standing in front of the mirror, Evelyn looked at her transformed self. Not a maid, but a ruthless guardian.

"Can't get blood on the maid uniform."

There was actually a more honest reason. She wanted to thoroughly separate the two identities. The face to show Grimoire and the face to show the enemies had to be different.

"It's enough for Master to know only the warmth of the world."

Evelyn would bear all the darkness instead.

She took out a pair of black gloves from the drawer and put them in her pocket, and equipped a set of silver daggers in the sleeve holsters inside the jacket.

Squeak-squeak.

As she went out to the living room, Darkness and White King called Evelyn. A map of S City was spread out on a small table.

Squeak!

White King made a sound and pointed to a spot on the map. It was the eastern industrial complex area. An abandoned factory area, a place where her 'enemies' could hide.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll take care of the rest."

Countless eyes and ears seeped into every corner of the city, sewers, interiors, and between walls. No information network in the world could keep up with the network of rats. Thanks to them, her night became much more efficient.

"Protect the Crown Villa and protect Master. I'll be back soon."

Squeak-!

The rats gathered their front paws as if saluting like soldiers.

Evelyn headed for the window. It was the third floor, but it was not a problem for her. She opened the window and went outside the building with a balanced movement, silently descending down the wall.

The night air was cold.

*

The eastern industrial complex was an old wound of S City. Once the industrial center of the city, it was now a graveyard of abandoned factories and rusty machinery.

Her senses keenly grasped the surrounding environment.

Subtle vibrations in the air, shadows moving in the darkness, and above all, the unique form she knew well.

Agents wearing black masks were moving around the abandoned factory. Uniform movements, mechanical actions, and empty eyes.

Cherubim.

'The Hermetic Order's intelligence organization.'

The Cherubim were a special unit composed of the Hermetic Order's Subjects. Loyal servants created by implanting mechanical devices in the brain and nerves. They basically possessed the combat power of a B-class hero.

Their presence here meant one thing. The Hermetic Order had found Grimoire.

Evelyn observed the building structure and calculated the optimal route. The north fence, the roof vent, underground access through the sewer. Of the three routes, the sewer seemed the safest.

'Six… no, eight. There will be more inside the factory.'

Evelyn moved to the back of the factory. There, two Cherubim were standing guard.

At that moment, a small rat suddenly appeared in front of the Cherubim. It was Darkness.

'You followed me all the way here?'

Darkness stared at them confidently without any fear, wagging its tail. The two Cherubim's gazes were fixed on the rat.

Squeak-!

At the sudden cry, the Cherubim immediately aimed their weapons and took a defensive posture.

"Unidentified creature detected."

"Confirmed as a common rat. Threat level zero."

It was as if they were deliberately drawing attention.

'Smart little guy…'

Evelyn did not miss that moment. In the instant when the Cherubim's gazes were focused on the rat, she appeared silently behind them.

Silver split the darkness.

The daggers flashed and accurately pierced the necks of the two Cherubim.

The movement was fast but precise. Restrained but deadly.

They fell to the floor without even making a sound.

A green liquid flowed from their necks instead of human blood. Their bodies had already been modified too much.

Those who had become mere tools, not people.

She dealt with them as enemies, but at the same time, she felt pity. If she hadn't met Grimoire, she wouldn't have been any different.

Evelyn quickly dragged the bodies and hid them in the darkness.

Darkness nodded towards her. Evelyn also slightly lowered her head to express her gratitude.

She entered the factory. She moved silently between the old machines and rusty conveyor belts.

The Cherubim placed everywhere had undergone various physical modifications.

Mechanical arms, enhanced eyes, modified legs… but they were no match for Evelyn.

Evelyn accurately aimed for the nape of one Cherubim and stabbed a dagger into it. The sharp metal pierced the reinforced spine and severed the central nerve circuit.

The movement was as natural as flowing water. The beauty of taking life. A dance of death.

They fell without even having time to recognize Evelyn's presence.

A perfect killing machine. An assassin who carries out missions without a single mistake, without emotions. Once, that was all she was, but not anymore. It was not the act, but the purpose that had become important.

When she reached the large space in the center of the factory, Evelyn stopped. Even in the darkness, his appearance was clear. A face etched in her memory.

There, a man was sitting in a chair. In his late 60s, with sharp eyes, a perfectly groomed beard, and wearing a lab coat over a tailored suit. His left eye had been replaced with an artificial eye that emitted a blue light.

Around him were placed high-end alchemical equipment and monitors, and the screens were filled with photos of Grimoire.

"Doctor Lazar."

He found Evelyn and smiled. He didn't look surprised at all.

"Subject Alpha-001, Avir Efer. It's a recall order."

The chief researcher of the Hermetic Order and the person in charge of the 'King's Return' project. And also the manager who 'maintained' Evelyn.

Dr. Lazar spoke calmly.

"If you bring back Experiment Omega, I will forgive you. We'll return everything to the way it was."

Evelyn's expression momentarily distorted. How dare he call Master an Experiment, anger flashed in her eyes.

"Alpha, you have caused us enormous losses. Destroyed laboratories and burned data, the deaths of numerous alchemists. But it's okay. We only need Omega."

"Master is not an Experiment."

"You were originally designed as the King's knight. Omega's guardian, Alpha. Your loyalty is just programmed. The feelings you have for that girl are just algorithms."

"My loyalty is voluntary. It's different from the orders you forced into me."

How simple the truth was. If her purpose of existence was originally for Grimoire, wouldn't this rather be fate?

"Name? Reason for existence? It's all just a delusion. Like a being who has been trapped in a prison all their life longing for the outside world, you are just fascinated by fake freedom."

"You can't shake me with those words. The shackles that the Order put on me have already been broken."

Grimoire's smile, laughter, playful commands, and sometimes even her whining.

The warmth of small everyday life burned hotly in Evelyn's heart.

What needed to be done was clear. Eliminate the Hermetic Order's pursuers and return to Room 301 of Crown Villa. Her real life was there.

"This is really absurd. Just because a dog breaks its leash and runs away doesn't mean it becomes human, does it? How many brainwashings would it take to return you to the way you were?"

The Cherubim were gradually surrounding Evelyn. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness.

Evelyn slowly put on the black gloves. This waste of time was over. She raised her hand.

Whoosh-

Black flames bloomed from her fingertips. 'Black Flame'.

A flame that burns everything. A flame that never goes out.

The concept of nothingness, which reduces matter to its origin (Prima materia), was embodied in the ability.

The Cherubim rushed towards her all at once.

But their enhanced bodies and mechanical devices were all useless.

The moment they touched the Black Flame, the living and the machine both disappeared. All that remained was ash.

"If you wanted to catch me, you should have brought Metatron. I'll finish this quickly. I have to go back to Master."

"Ha, I alone am enough. You are just a prototype created by chance. On the other hand, the Order continues to transcend its limits."

As Dr. Lazar gestured, other forms of Cherubim appeared. A more evolved form than the previous Cherubim. More mechanical devices and blue circuits were integrated into their skin.

"That's…?"

"Yes, Ether. The fifth element that blurs the boundary between matter and energy."

The last time she saw it, Ether technology was an unfinished project only seen in sealed chambers in the laboratory.

"Soon a new order will replace the chaos of the world. The King's Return has already been achieved. Omega is the one who will become the King of Paradise."

Dr. Lazar raised his hand. The evolved Cherubim all took a fighting stance. Their arms transformed, changing into the form of blades and cannons.

"Master is not a King, but an evil villain."

"What?"

No matter what cutting-edge technology the Order had brought, she had no intention of backing down. The black flames swallowed the surrounding light.

The night was still deep, and the battle had just begun.

[TL: What a coincidence, my other novel also just introduced an energy called ether. You can check that out here https://www.patreon.com/collection/1506971?view=condensed]

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