Blonde hair, clean face, but what took Adam's attention were the eye-bags makeup couldn't hide.
Her state was similar to Clarissa's sister…
"My name…" The former heiress and mercenary girl tried to introduce herself, Adam he stopped her.
"No need for names. Think of me as only your stress reliever. Nothing you say will leave this room." Was what he said instead of his true thoughts. Mainly: 'Who cares about your name?'
Adam didn't give a flying fuck about her, and maybe she was able to instinctively sense that.
Perhaps out of stress, she started to cry again.
"I-I'm sorry." The girl tried to wipe away the teardrops by herself, but only ruined her makeup.
'…How do I deal with this again?' Adam narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Defiance Stars left.
There were two more 'Wishes' he could make.
Thus, he used another one.
'An ability to solve this.' Adam needed to get the intel out of her before others were to arrive.
The vague Defiance Star started to harmonise with his 'Insightful Savant'. It added an external ability.
Suddenly, the gaze of the girl started to change. It looked like she was getting more comfortable now.
A dangerous ability was born.
One that stemmed more from his 'tranquillity'.
If he had to give it specs, then it'd go like this:
[2nd Star: Synchronous Wavelength
Description: Able to become more appealing to the opposite sex. Both parties are affected by this.]
After it was created, it wasn't that Adam found the girl's body as more appealing, but the dismissive apathy that made a gap between them vanished. It was almost like he'd gained a new 'perspective'.
He didn't like this feeling…
Even though nothing had changed, Adam felt as if his own mind was being forced to give a shit.
Maybe this was his punishment for recklessness.
It was hard to know what exactly his 'Wishes' would create in terms of abilities themselves.
All he could do was use what he got.
'Fine… I better play along.' Rather than rejecting this change in himself, he embraced this feeling.
It would be better than his mind becoming chaotic despite having 'Unshakable Tranquility' in his Gift.
Adam could by the way she stopped crying that his natural appeal had become a lot more subtle.
It was a sort of unexplainable charismatic charm.
Now all he had to do was act the part of a prince.
Uncaring if Anne was watching from behind, he got up and approached the nameless beauty confidently. Whether this act was brave or reckless didn't matter, since his goal was taking initiative.
He blocked the sight of Anne with his body and made his figure the only thing she could see.
Looking firmly at her reactions.
She seemed surprised at first, but didn't seem to be resisting or lost in another place in her mind.
The girl was giving her silent consent with those eyes. Seeming to be using this an opportunity.
"…" She didn't say anything, but the way she hit her lower lip in anxiety with a flushed face enticed him.
He lifted her into a princess carry before turning sit on her seat, all while placing the woman on his lap.
Since she was shorter than him, her figure seemed to naturally lean on his chest. He started to speak.
"Tell me…" Adam whispered softly in her ear.
To her, his deep voice was enchanting. The sand say a cute girl's voice could tug at a man's heart.
He made an atmosphere comfortable enough for the girl to open up about herself, and all that had happened before she came here. It was at this moment something unexpected had happened.
'Narration' pulled him out of his body and into a new perspective the more he empathised with her.
Even though his consciousness remained intact.
It was like watching a flashback of someone else.
Not merely verbal Knowledge, but memories and details that couldn't possibly be given with words.
It made Adam contemplate.
…..
….
…
..
.
Those of the Cyrus Household were once high ranked nobility. Their head had the status of Dukes.
Even the current Royal Family had allowed them to keep their title, even if they longer owned any land.
They were much more privileged than any other.
The men of the family always wore suits and handled private family businesses, while the women wore dresses and were adept in political espionage. Marriage was a tool to join two families.
Love was never an option.
It was forbidden for a woman especially.
What man who want to marry a sullied woman who had ever fallen in love before? It was about honour.
A question of pride.
Arlene Cyrus was someone who had become arrogant and fickle from being pampered so much,
She had believed herself to be the most important.
A woman who loved herself.
It was the night of a banquet when she was returning home after mingling with a few friends.
She took a private limousine home as usual.
It was the most important day of her life. After all, it had been decided that she would inherit their Gift.
Becoming the true successor of their family.
She'd already been given the ability known to be a great Transcendent Gift… 'Clairvoyant Dominion'.
It was an ability a bit different from the regular type of Clairvoyance, which focused on enhanced sight.
Although it wasn't known, this ability allowed her to perceive traces that others wouldn't be able to see.
She laid back in the back seats happily while talking with her driver. Amusing the old man.
"Milady, you'll catch a cold." The white moustached driver that worked for family reminded the girl.
Even without looking back, he knew it was a habit of Arlene to take off her jacket while making herself comfy. Since high class dresses weren't exactly made for such antics, they'd get damaged by this.
Regardless, he let her be.
"I-I'm sober~~ Come on~! Tell me about how amazing I am. Brother is definitely going to look up to me instead. I'mma a big smartypants just like him!" A drunken laugh resounded from the back.
It was the first time Arlene had truly let herself go and be intoxicated. Going under the influence.
She playfully bantered along the way like usual.
The moment their limo approached the area she lived, the car abruptly stopped with a screech.
"Hey, hey… Why are you stopping outside the gates? You just have to move toward it a little." She felt annoyed by his incompetent driving. What kind of servant and chauffeur allowed any discomfort?
"Milady… P-please stay inside the car." The old servant seemed to quiver while jumping out.
He closed the black-tinted windows and hurriedly left. A long silence accompanied his sudden leave.
Abandoning her drunk self when she needed him.
'I have to punish him for this later.' Arlene huffed on the inside before trying to see what the fuss was.
Since her bodily coordination had deteriorated, it took a bit of time for her to find the door handle.
'Ah! So it was here…' Arlene felt triumphant when she found the door, then opened it clumsily.
She went outside and smelt a barbecue. Were they celebrating her return with a meat-filled party?
A smile formed on Arlene's face, then she straightened her back and fixed her dress a little.
Walking into the front garden with a look of excitement. Like she knew about a surprise party.
But it was only after entering the gates did the doors of hell finally revealed their their appearance.
A sight that immediately sobered the girl up.
The light in her eyes were lost when she saw the burning mansion, and the bisected body on the floor. It was a familiar white moustached old driver that was talking not long ago, but now a corpse.
His face filled with despair and hatred. Hands still reaching out to strangle someone he had seen.
It meant she just missed the perpetrator.
"Ah…" The realisation of what she was looking at started to dawn on her. Disbelief, doubt, then rage.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" An inhuman roar left her lips while looking around, but no one was in sight.
Everything had been completely lost that day.
She had to sell off her family business before word of her brother and parents made hyenas come out.
Hiding what she felt and forcefully maturing to fill in the void that was left by their sudden departure.
All until a stranger came to comfort her.
"Greetings. My name is Sidmund. I'm sorry for what happened and offer my condolences." The butler of a similarly secretive noble lineage approached her with an offer. Later, she joined Blade Security.
All to protect others who shared her fate.
And maybe finding the killer who was responsible.
The scene of the burning mansion was never forgotten. Becoming a fuel for nightmares.
Gradually making her lose her will to live…
…..
….
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..
.
Adam blinked while finding the part of his consciousness that sunk into 'Narration' returned.
A better picture of what happened in this world appeared. As well as a better understanding of the girl who was wrapped in his arms. Finding his embrace to be a temporary place of solace.
Perhaps she'd leave the moment her mentality purified of its current contamination of evil power.
It was a good opportunity to grasp onto her.
Maybe if he played his cards right, he'd be able to get her to risk her life trying to defend his family.
He just needed to guide her thoughts properly.
'Ridiculous…!' Of course, after seeing that she was just a traumatised girl, his thoughts had shifted.
He'd originally thought everyone trained for battle like Clarissa, but these were just normal women.
They might have various abilities, but they weren't fighters. Just regular people with a specific power.
Perhaps it was thanks to unleashing all the things that had burdened her for so long, but Arlene seemed dazed. Her sleepy eyes shutting and opening up, trying to resist the urge to relax.
"You can let yourself go." Adam gently whispered to her… like the wicked demon he had become.
"I mustn't…" Arlene couldn't relax her guard.
"I promise. The moment you wake up, you will become a new person." He patted her head.
Such an action reminded the girl of her father. The way he'd always comfort her after she got hurt.
The both of them ended up thankful to each other.
Without Arlene, there was no way someone as antisocial as Adam would've figured anything out.
The nature of 'Narration' directly opposed his own.
Maybe it was because of Insightful Savant, but he was managing to find a balance between the two.
"You're… serious?" Finally, Arlene managed to look at him directly in the eye. It made his heart thump.
Not out of fear, but because of how easily he was finding himself attached to this beautiful stranger.
He thought about lying. Of course, a lie would be easier. A lie would benefit him more than the truth.
"Trust me." So he decided to ask for something.
It was a vague feeling he'd handled like a stingy cheapskate, but readily asked of from others.
He wasn't sure if she agreed, or if the power of fatigue overcame what was left of her strength.
Her eyes closed slowly, and he found her body losing stiffness like a puppet that cut its strings.
He picked her up and placed her on the sofa from earlier. Making her comfortable for his next choice.
A glance was given to the maid still struggling with her nature stubbornly, before returning to himself.
To the last Defiance Star within him.
Perhaps wishing for something now would be a waste. If he kept it, then it could be used for an unavoidable situation. Maybe he could gain more benefits if he held out long enough to think more.
Unfortunately, Adam wasn't that smart.
He was the type to use his mental facilities the best he could, but knew his innate weakness all too well.
Moreover, his motto was 'done now, improve later'.
Even if the ability ended up being useless, he would find a way to utilise it no matter what.
Thus, he made his final wish… Not for his own selfishness, but for the sake of Arlene Cyrus.
'Give her what she wants.' Whether it was rebirth or luck, he would make the words he spoke the truth.
The final tattoo on his back put up, and Toxic Blade gained a branching ability he hadn't expected.
Suddenly, his body moved by his own instincts.
He nicked her with Toxic Blade and reconstructed her body, then used the second ability attained.
Causing Arlene to vanish into thin air.
"This is…" Adam put his hand on his chest and looked back, only to realise Anne didn't see it.
Thus, he decided to hide the details of this ability.
A knocking could be heard on the door, and the next person sent to him came in more distraught than Arlene. He straightened his clothes. Since this wasn't really avoidable, he'd take on their burdens.
…For a hefty price on their part afterwards.
While he was repeating the same actions he'd done with Arlene, he shifted his perspective to Clarissa.
Curious to see what she was thinking about.
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