After a while, Victor struggled to open his eyes slowly, with blood trickling down from the gash on his head.
He raised his head a bit, and his vision was still blurry and unfocused.
Then suddenly, he saw the tip of a long katana pointing towards his neck.
"After everything, Victor..." Eduardo began. "Why did you choose to betray Master Nathan this way?"
Victor edged his neck backward instinctively, trying to distance himself from the blade’s tip. He let out a strained breath, then smiled weakly and turned his head to look directly at Eduardo.
"Just get on with it, Eduardo..."
He paused, his smile widening slightly despite the pain.
"Or should I say, Mikael?"
Eduardo’s eyes widened for just a fraction of a second. In them was a reddish-amber hue, and he looked absolutely furious.
"Answer , Victor!" Eduardo’s voice rose. "Why would you betray all of this that was entrusted to you for more than a decade? To even go as far as attempting to kill Nathan’s son!"
Victor let out a slow, strained laugh that turned into a cough as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Then he said, "I wanted more, Mikael. I was sick and tired of living the sa life laid out by a man who has been dead for a decade. Or have you never wondered why the others left?"
Eduardo stood slowly from his crouched position, rising to his full height. But the tip of the katana never left Victor’s neck.
Then he said in a calr tone, "For coming after his son, you have committed the gravest sin there is."
He took a breath.
"Goodbye, Victor."
Eduardo then swung his blade in one clean, horizontal arc, slicing cleanly through Victor’s neck.
His head tilted backward, then separated entirely from his body as blood erupted in a violent spray, painting the walls in thick, crimson streaks.
Victor’s body slumped forward lifelessly, collapsing onto the floor in a growing pool of red.
Eduardo turned away without looking back, walking calmly toward the door.
But then he stopped at the sight of Juan’s body.
Eduardo tilted his head slightly and right then had heard the sound of a faint heartbeat.
He raised his katana, then drove it straight down into Juan’s chest, piercing his heart.
Juan’s body arched off the ground for a brief second, and blood soaked through his shirt, spreading outward in a stain across his torso. Then his body went completely still.
Eduardo pulled the blade free and wiped it clean on Juan’s coat before sheathing it back.
Then he walked to the door leading out of the boardroom and opened it calmly.
Valerie, who had been leaning her back against the wall near the corner, quickly turned at the sound of the door opening.
She moved forward in a bid to guide Eduardo through the barrier like she had done for Ethan.
But right before she could reach him, she heard a strange, screeching sound.
When she turned, her eyes widened in shock.
Eduardo’s clawed hand was gripping the edge of the invisible barrier, and he pulled it to the side as if it were a physical curtain being drawn open.
The sealing spell tore apart under his grip, and Valerie was too shocked to mutter a word. The color of his eyes and the furious look still on his face had struck her with even more dread.
Eduardo stepped through calmly, then closed the door behind him and walked down the corridor in complete silence.
Valerie stared at him for a long mont as he walked away. Then she glanced back at the closed door, with her heart still pounding.
Finally, she fell into step and followed behind him quietly.
As soon as Eduardo stepped outside the company grounds, he pulled out his Arcphone and placed it to his ear.
The line connected almost imdiately, and s polite, professional voice answered. "Rory’s Cleaning Services. How may we help you?"
"It’s Eduardo," the butler said simply.
The voice on the other end changed its tone in recognition of the aged man. "Oh, Mr. Eduardo. Is it the regular, sir?"
"Yes," Eduardo replied.
"Where would that be?"
"Stark Industries. Top floor."
Then the call disconnected.
Eduardo slipped the device back into his coat and walked over to the vintage car. A minute later, Valerie erged from the building and got into the passenger seat without a word.
And with that, they both drove off.
——
Back in his room, Ethan stared at his rewards.
[You have completed self-imposed objectives:
-Uncovering Victor’s fraud and conspiracy: 2,500 XP
-Dealing with Victor Keating: 2,000 XP]
[Bonus Reward: 2,000 XP]
[Special Reward: Growth Sprout Rune Stone]
[Growth Sprout Rune Stone → Instantly advances your dragon physiology by one complete stage]
[Total Experience Points: 27,950]
This total also included an additional 2,000 XP he had gained from completing the objective to learn Ars Levitas several days ago.
Ethan muttered, "Hm."
Then he asked, "System, how many stages is my dragon physiology ant to undergo?"
[Since you are already an adult human, your dragon side will progress through four stages to reach Adult Dragon, matching your current age]
The system then listed the stages:
[Stage 1: Hatchling]
[Stage 2: Wyrm]
[Stage 3: Skyreaver]
[Stage 4: Adult Dragon]
Ethan tilted his head thoughtfully. "How long would it take to reach Adult Dragon?"
[Under normal circumstances, it would take seven years to progress from Hatchling to Adult Dragon]
[However, to compensate for lost developntal ti, your progression rate has been accelerated. It should take approximately seven months instead]
[This tiline will shorten further if you continue using your draconic abilities frequently]
Ethan frowned a bit. "This feels off, just a bit."
He paused, then added, "With all the stories about how powerful dragons are, it only takes seven years of their lifespan to get there?"
[Growing to an Adult Dragon is the easy part for the dragon species]
[Most dragons in existence are Adult Dragons]
[However, once they beco Adult Dragons, growth to the subsequent stages slows significantly. They must use the rest of their extrely long lifespans to reach the higher stages beyond that point]
Ethan nodded. "Good. So it ans there are more stages after being an Adult."
He paused, then asked, "Will the rune always grant one full stage advancent, regardless of when it’s used?"
[Affirmative]
"Good Good," Ethan said with a satisfied nod. "Then I’m in no rush to use the rune stone. It should be left in my inventory for now."
He leaned back, then posed another question to the system.
"If you’re capable of quantifying Ragnarok’s bond progress nurically, can you apply that sa thod to track my dragon growth rate? I’d like to know how fast or slow I’m progressing."
[Affirmative]
A new screen appeared before him.
[Dragon Physiology - Hatchling Stage: 45% Complete]
Ethan nodded in approval, "Forty-five percent already. Not bad."
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