Chapter 556: Something Different [Part 2]
"How strange."
The Lieutenant's voice carried a subtle concern while radiating interest at the same time.
They were standing in the middle of literal nothingness, shrouded by a blood-red sky and a ground that seemed like the remnants of the sky's drool.
His hand moved beneath his nose, gently caressing it while simultaneously blocking the throat-violating stench that assaulted their senses.
"My liege, I will scout the area with Rafel," Shane, the red-haired lady, quickly suggested, bowing her head before the Lieutenant.
Without paying much attention to her, he waved his wrist nonchalantly, giving her permission.
Immediately, with her scarlet, blood-seeking eyes, she glared toward the introverted Rafel, making him almost shrink in response. Both of them vanished at nearly the same time.
Lieutenant Dante glanced at the sky, his eyelids half-closed, then shifted his gaze around. That was when he caught sight of an outsider.
"Oh? Dog. You're here."
"Lieutenant."
Alystren bowed his head, pressing his lips together in bitter regret.
'What kind of luck is this? I should have just stayed back! Curse you, Thalen. This is going to be an experience worse than death!'
He and Lieutenant Dante, along with the entire Tharion Citadel, had once had a dispute over rift rights. But in the end, a common goal had led them to overlook their differences and defeat the City of Shang together.
His unwavering loyalty to Thalen and Tharion Citadel had earned him the title "dog" from the Lieutenant.
And what Alystren had seen of the Lieutenant that day made him earnestly wish they never crossed paths again.
And back then he wasn't even a Paragon!
Moreover-though he couldn't be sure, nor could he dare ask the fact that the Lieutenant was here, unperturbed, probably meant he had killed the governor.
And if a Lieutenant in the army had killed the governor of a city, it could only mean one thing.
And that one thing was exactly what Alystren did not want to get mixed up in.
'Damn it, all I wanted was to earn a lot of money, retire, and settle down on Sassex's green island.'
But his dreams were more likely to go up in flames now that he had met the devil.
"What's with the respect? Because your owner isn't here?"
Alystren forced a flawlessly polite smile.
"The last time we met, you were an Ascendant. Now, you're a Paragon and a Lieutenant too, of course. I have to be polite and lick your boots."
The Lieutenant's expression remained blank, though a glint of disdain flickered in his eyes. His mouth downcurved, and he looked away.
"Whatever. That boy with white hair-who is he to you?"
The Lieutenant's red eyes rolled over to Alystren.
With his head bowed, Alystren wasn't looking at the man's face, but he could still feel the thorny pressure settling on him. Goosebumps rose across his skin.
"He is a temporary member of the citadel. One of the recently arrived survivors of the Dark Continent."
Lieutenant Dante's eyes widened slowly, a light of many colors dancing in their depths, as if he had just witnessed the stars at their most beautiful.
"No wonder. Incredible. Incredible."
He smiled and touched Alystren's shoulder. "Raise your head, dog."
Alystren bit down on his lips but rose with a forced smile, baring his teeth.
"I like him. I want him. But I can already tell he's not going to be easy to win over. Still, I sincerely want him to fight for me. What pointers can you give me?"
Alystren's expression went blank.
'What?'
He wasn't expecting that last sentence so he was thrown into an extremely confusing situation.
'What is happening right now?'
Lieutenant Dante, who, a second ago, had been a ferocious and unreadable beast, had suddenly become harmless and almost like a child.
His entire demeanor had changed. His eyes now carried a gentle tenderness, reflecting sincere earnestness.
The atmosphere became so relaxed that Alystren felt like he could speak rudely to him and get away with it.
But who would dare?
He stuttered through his first few words, "Uhmm, I—I actually don't know..."
He sharply felt the Lieutenant's gaze shift.
"...but Shin, Kageyama Shin, is his father, so I guess he would know best?"
"Oohhh." The Lieutenant's strange gaze vanished almost instantly, replaced by a pleased smile.
"Is that so? Shin Kageyama, huh? That's comforting. It was a good thing I decided to let you guys live back then. Good, good."
The robust subordinate stood like a statue, his gaze fixed on the wind, not daring to lookin the Lieutenant's direction at all.
"So, where is he? The Kageyama boy."
By appearance alone, the age difference between Shin and Lieutenant Dante seemed no more than two or three years. Either Dante was older, or Shin was.
But the way the Lieutenant regarded not just Shin but everyone made him seem much older than he looked-perhaps in his forties.
"Shin got sucked into the rift when it appeared."
"Oh? So he's probably in this rift too?"
"Yes, sir."
The Lieutenant suddenly averted his gaze from Alystren and craned his neck, a slight frown
forming on his brow.
"Hansel."
"Yes, Lieutenant." Hansel's voice resounded like the impact of a mighty stone crashing onto
the ground.
"Go after Shane and Rafel. Something feels very different about this rift. If I'm right about this ominous feeling, then we're in a tier seven rift."
Alystren's eyes widened.
'Tier seven?!!! What?! I'm dead! I've never been to a tier seven rift before!' His mind
completely shattered.
'Shit. Am I going to die?!'
"But this is very strange," the Lieutenant's sharp voice cut through Alystren's thoughts,
making him glance at him. "A tier seven rift is rare these days. One suddenly appearing in
Arcadia is highly unusual."
Though terrified of getting on the wrong side of a Paragon, Alystren hesitated briefly before voicing his question in broken words, "Sir, have you... ever been in a tier seven rift?" He was
sweating.
Alystren wasn't just sweating out of fear of offending a Paragon with his question.
The reality of his situation weighed heavily on him. He hadn't signed up for any of this! His
mind was reeling with harsh regret.
"Have I been in a tier seven rift? Well, yes, I have. Once."
Alystren's words, though still broken, continued.
"And... how many survived...?"
Lieutenant Dante responded with a wistful expression, "Just me. Because I could run."