Saya had no idea where the conversation was heading. Yet, something about the man intrigued her. Her instincts told her that whatever he wanted to discuss was important.
"What is it?" Saya asked, still not letting down her guard. She did not want to be too rude in case he really turned out to be a member of the Goldheart Family.
The man's lips curled into a faint smile. "Oh, it's nothing serious… just… you've been marked by a devil, have you not?"
Saya's eyes went wide as saucers, and her hair stood on end. Having her deepest secret exposed so casually was the last thing she had expected.
'How!? I haven't even talked about this to Young Master or Lady Elara!'
The man took note of her shock and smiled again, as if savoring her reaction.
"Is it fun to serve as a maid in the Goldheart family? You could be so much more," he said.
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but no matter how loyally you serve them, they'll just abandon you when push comes to shove."
Although she didn't know how he had uncovered her secret, the man's words tugged at Saya's deepest insecurities.
She wanted to tell him he was wrong but couldn't.
"It is not that complicated when you think about it. Strong as the Goldhearts might be, will they really offend a devil over a maid?"
Gulp. This was a line of thought she herself had considered many times. The answer she arrived at was never pleasant.
"Trust me, I know how nobles operate. By now, you too should have some idea." The man continued, his words as persuasive as the devil himself.
"Why are you telling me all this? Are you not a member of the Goldheart family?"
"My identity does not matter right now. What matters is that I might be able to help you with getting rid of your mark."
Saya was very skeptical of those words. She used her Qi to probe the young man.
Probing other cultivators like that, without their permission, was considered to be quite rude. But these were not normal circumstances. What she found left her feeling even more perplexed.
"You? You are not even at the Qi Condensation realm yet!"
From her probe, Saya found that the man was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. How did he evade her sense? How did he detect the devil's mark on her? Saya did not know.
But regardless of what tricks he had up his sleeve, it was impossible for a Foundation Establishment human being to go against a real devil.
"Relax. The one who will be helping you is my master, who is much more powerful than I am. He specializes in hunting devils."
"My ability to easily identify the mark you carry should add some credibility to my claim, yes?"
Saya briefly looked at the ground, lost in thought. Whatever the man said, it was very convincing.
"And what do you want in return?" she asked him. There had to be a catch, no?
"Nothing," the man said. "But you will have to leave the Goldheart family behind."
The man seemed to notice something, causing his words to quicken.
"Meet me by the lake near the Rift entrance at midnight if you are interested in my offer."
Just as the mysterious young man was done speaking, a new voice cut through the air.
"My, my, Saya. If you had told me before that you already had a lover, I wouldn't have asked you to sleep with me."
A blush crept up Saya's face. She was slightly embarrassed but also wanted to clear up the misunderstanding as quickly as possible. What was her Young Master saying in the presence of a stranger, a man, no less?
"Young Master, don't tease me! I don't even know this man. He just appeared out of nowhere and started saying weird things," Saya explained to Caelum as she moved closer to him, standing by his side.
The young man was shocked by the revelation but did not let it show for more than a moment.
'They are already sleeping together? He must've forced her to do so. F***ing nobles!' he thought, jumping to conclusions on his own.
"Friend, it is not good to bother women like that. You'll come across as a creep," Caelum said to the young man.
Although the man felt a little upset by Caelum's words, he understood that this was not the time to blow his cover. In fact, he did not want much interaction with Caelum at all.
"You jest, Young Master Caelum. I was just chatting with her casually. Anyways, it is getting late, and I have places to be. See you later."
Without giving Caelum much of an opportunity for conversation, the stranger left, but not before giving Saya a meaningful look.
As he walked away, Caelum noticed something about the man's clothes. He was wearing the standard combat robes provided to members of the Goldheart family. However, the robes seemed a little too small for him, not fully covering his ankles and wrists.
An intrigued smile played on Caelum's lips. He knew who that man was. After all, the System had warned him as soon as the man approached. Not to mention, he felt a familiar but vague sense of danger as well.
[Ding! Heaven-Chosen detected. Host, it is advised that you maintain your distance from any and all Heaven-Chosen until you reach the Qi Gathering realm and complete your first special mission. And if you cannot avoid interacting with them, at least refrain from antagonizing them.]
'Although their appearances are different, I'm sure that this is Mira's friend from the dungeon. The feeling they give off is all too similar.'
The 'feeling' Caelum was referring to was the one conveyed to him by the System.
Caelum did not quite know what to do. On one hand, he immediately wanted to head to the dungeon and investigate exactly what was happening.
Was it truly the same man?
How did he leave the dungeon?
How come his appearance was different?
Perhaps his 'feeling' was just wrong?
On the other hand, the System's warning weighed heavily on his mind. And Caelum considered the System to be a much more powerful entity than himself.
'I just have to reach Qi Gathering quickly and finish the special mission first. Sigh.'
It was not easy for Caelum to make such a rational decision, given that his Madness was sitting at 20%. It felt like a powerful itch, compelling him to reach out and scratch it. However, Caelum knew that the moment he gave in, he would lose himself.
For the first time, Saya saw Caelum sigh. She didn't know what to make of it.
'Did he hear our conversation?' she wondered, her thoughts a jumbled mess. The young man's words still rang in her ears.
He had offered a solution to her biggest problem, but it came at the cost of abandoning the family that had saved and raised her.
If this had been before Caelum woke up, Saya might have almost certainly taken him up on his offer.
But now?
"So, what were you two talking about?" Caelum inquired with a perfectly neutral expression.