"Aha! I've told you about that before, right?"
Alie teased Freya regarding the prostitution service, which works depending on the prostitute's Constitution stat. The higher the Constitution stat, the higher the price of the service of the prostitute.
"...Shut it!"
Freya fiercely glared at Alie, causing the latter to grin.
"There is also this kind of service in a black market."
Alie spoke, not minding Freya's previous reaction. Ken, on the other hand, just listened to Alie's words, though he was sowhat honestly curious about why such a thing was known to a student of an academy.
When Ken beca part of Russell's Chaos Companion, he didn't know much even today about their past, but he was silently respecting them — if they wouldn't tell him, then he'd just hope that soday they would as an act of trust.
But considering the deanor, when they were out of sight of the crowd who had the slightest idea about them, that Russell and the others were showing, Ken had already accepted the fact that these people weren't ordinary in any way.
Walking across the glistening lively streets, Ken asked Russell.
"...Russell, where exactly are we going?"
Although he was inford previously that they would go to the Red Lunar District, which was considered as disobeying the law written in this country, Ken wasn't told yet about the exact location they would go, and the reasons behind it.
"We're close."
Russell whispered before he spotted a dim alley with an ominous atmosphere from a few blocks away from where they were. After a few minutes, regularly taking their pace, they found themselves in front of a tallic door.
"...Purpose?"
A guard, with orange eyes and blonde hair, in a formal suit opened a small window on the door, seeing the four youths outside.
"Table for four. Light drinks only. No extra service. And... a fine bonus."
Russell casually answered the man. The latter then scrutinized him for a mont before he opened the door.
"Here's a hundred thousand."
Russell quickly handed the money, in short, a bribe, to the guard before he and the others went inside without saying anything.
What was screened in their eyes were the various things that humanity commonly desired; lust, drunkenness, gambling, and vanity.
Glancing around the disco atmosphere of the luxurious bar — sothing that's against the nobility of this country since the nobles believed that there should "only" be a party among the nobles and re commoners shouldn't act like them.
'Most of them are a pack of fools.'
Russell thought for a mont. Then, after they grabbed their seats, with his eagle eye vision, he found who he was looking for.
He then told the others to look in a certain direction, near the bartender's table, to which they complied without question. After seeing the person, a woman, sitting on a wooden stool, Alie and the others had different reactions.
Alie chuckled at the sight; Freya constricted her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing, and Ken had a curious look on his face regarding why such a person was in this place that embodied human nature.
But, they didn't approach the woman in question.
***
After a few minutes, what Russell ordered arrived on the table, presented in front of them.
"Oppa... It's only this ti, okay!?"
"Hey! Let your brother drink sotis."
Ken just listened and grabbed a glass of drink with almost no alcohol. Russell and Alie did the sa while Freya just looked at the three of them, chugging down the drinks as though it had been so long since they tasted sothing similar.
"What's good about it, anyway?"
Freya whispered as she puffed her cheeks.
"...You won't understand the lender of happiness!"
Alie spoke firmly with a smile painted on her lips. After that, she then grabbed the glass that was ant for Freya since the latter wasn't one to drink an alcoholic beverage.
Seeing Freya look at her, Alie continued to speak her thoughts.
"...For most people, alcohol is considered as the lender of happiness because people who get drunk would be happy for certain monts, temporarily forgetting their problems.
"And then tomorrow, the reality of life will co back and hit them hard, and without much choice, they will move forward until the day sothing better happens."
Alie spoke with a smile of gratefulness, though she was not drunk while looking at Russell.
"Anyways, don't mind . It's just many things have changed."
Ken seed to relate to Alie's words since he ca from a family that could barely be considered to be in the middle class. On the other hand, Freya just fell silent for a mont, reminding her of Alie's past — everything that Alie went through.
After at least ten to fifteen minutes, Russell and the others went to the bartender.
"Excuse , Sir, where can I find another secluded exit here?"
Russell politely asked. The bartender, a woman with shoulder-length crimson hair and black eyes, who was in her late thirties, and currently rubbing clean so wine glasses, looked at him, sowhat perplexed. After three to four seconds, the woman told Russell the direction as her gaze landed on Freya, Alie, and Ken.
During that mont, Russell beckoned the bartender and whispered sothing to her ears, after that, he gave her quite an amount of money as paynt for a certain favor.
Glancing again at Russell who was walking with the others, the woman winked before she spoke shortly again.
"...Have fun."
Russell brushed off the teasing smile and went in the direction that the woman had spoken of. Following him, Alie giggled because of the bartender's words.
***
After at least a minute or two, they found themselves outside the bar. It was another secluded alley, and this ti, although resplendent red-orange lights illuminated the surroundings, people could barely be seen walking in the streets.
It didn't take five minutes when a figure appeared from a few ters away from them. It was a blonde woman with blue eyes, as well as fair, tender skin. She was wearing a simple black sleeveless shirt, which exposed her supple arms, and a pair of shorts, which exposed her thighs. In other words, what's standing in front of Russell was an alluring assassin.
Soti later, under the illumination of the moon, the woman spoke casually.
"...We et again."
Russell's deep blue eyes constricted, but he wasn't in any way worried about what might happen. Sighing for a mont, Russell then replied, but he didn't show any hint of surprise.
"...I didn't expect to see you here... Czerina?"
Czerina scrutinized every face of Russell's companions. The only one that she wasn't familiar with was Ken Raven though she had seen him in the auction earlier.
For so baffling reason, Czerina almost instantly realized that Russell and the others weren't perturbed by her sudden appearance as though they knew she was coming for them.
'Did they... no, Russell anticipate that I'll co looking for him?'
"May I ask what brings you here? Are you looking for or..."
Russell spoke in the middle of Czerina's thoughts. Without wasting any ti, in this dark alley of seclusion, Russell took out sothing from his Dinsional Inventory.
It was an ancient, yet looked modern, orb.
Pausing for a second or two, Russell continued:
"Or this one?"
'T-that's...'
Czerina's blue eyes widened. She had the urge to just grab the orb and left, but when Russell voluntarily took it out, she beca curious about his peculiar action, as well as his way of talking.
'Is he... really a kid? He's not even eighteen.
"I see. It seems you anticipated why I ca here, looking for you.
"If you understand, then hand it to so that no one will get hurt."
'I have no choice if they resist, but I can easily take care of them.'
Czerina thought, waiting for Russell's response. She was clearly ready to take out her new weapon since the previous one was lost during her first encounter with Russell — though she had no idea that the man was alive and standing in front of her.
"...I hope you make the right-"
"Alright. I'll hand it to you."
Czerina's ears pricked up upon hearing Russell's answer.
"...What?"
She didn't expect that Russell would have the Orb of Truth that easily. She felt like sothing was amiss, but she couldn't just figure it out.
With Mana Control, Russell controlled the Orb of Truth. It floated from his hands and landed towards Czerina's. She then inspected the artifact if it was a counterfeit, but it truly was the authentic one.
It would be absurd if she asked him why he handed it to her because she's the one who asked for it, though she was acting this way as part of an order from the higher-ups of the Shadow Guild.
"...Can we go now?"
Russell casually asked. His expression was no doubt tired of this night and just wanted to go ho. Slowly taking their steps, Russell walked past Czerina, who was dazed.
"Wait-!"
As their backs faced each other, Czerina stopped Russell, causing the others to do the sa. Half-turning his head, Russell looked at her curiously.
Without responding to her abrupt action, Czerina continued:
"...Do you perhaps know sothing about the Orb of Truth?"
Since Sir Britz told her that she shouldn't stick up her nose to confidential matters, Czerina still couldn't help but wonder about the ancient artifact.
"...It determines the truths, lies, or the mix of both."
"Ah..."
Czerina's mouth agape. She truly found it strange that Russell would hand the artifact over without hidden aning behind it. In other words, it would make Russell soone who spent a hundred billion Obel just to be given to people he had no idea about.
Turning her body, she then looked at the disappearing Russell and his companions, but at that mont, Russell spoke with a cold emotion.
"You should go ho... eldest daughter of the Elydine Grand Duke Household."
Although his voice was joining with the cold air of the night, gradually dissipating, Czerina didn't miss any single word that ca out of Russell's mouth.
Reflexively, she vanished from her spot and lunged toward Russell.
At least that was what suppose to happen... until when she heard a woman's voice behind her.
"...S-sister Czerina??"
Glancing back, Czerina found the second sibling, holding a bottle of hardcore wine.
"...C-Celiya...? W-what are doing here?"
"...S-sis...? I-is that really you? P-please co back ho."
Czerina clenched her fists and tried to look for Russell or any of his companions, but her sight didn't manage to find any single one of them as though they vanished into thin air.
"...Celiya..."
Quickly accepting the situation that might have been set up by Russell, Czerina approached one of her siblings.
***
"I still can't believe that it's the true nature of an Orb of Truth, especially when there are around nine of them throughout the continent, right?"
Alie spoke, exhausted. With the help of Nihility, they warped from the Red Lunar District, concealed from the prying eyes and attentive ears, to Russell's designated guest room in the Star Hotel of Nobility.
"By the way, during the last day of the School Trip, all of you should stick close to , and be attentive at all tis."
It was a stern warning from Russell. Freya, on the other hand, had a look of apprehension. Since she could flip the pages and read the chapters of the Last Defector of Reality, what would happen next, though might not be accurate according to her older brother, would bring disaster to humanity.
Without questioning his words, they left the guest room, leaving him alone.
***
At the sa ti, on this cold, chilling night, a woman, wearing a black hoodie, entered a certain museum without being detected by any security.
A few seconds later, the woman called soone through a smartwatch.
"My Lord, I'm inside the museum. The coordinates will now be put in place."
With a complint from the other end of the call, the woman proceeded to use one of her skills.
The sound that would signify the destruction of true peace resounded from where the woman was standing.
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