Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 515: Cosplay [Bonus Chapter]

Cindralis stared at Asher’s back as he walked out, her gaze lingering longer than necessary as though trying to decipher something hidden within the quiet rhythm of his departing steps, then she glanced at his finger, where the teleportation ring she had given him was supposed to be, but it wasn’t there.

She herself had completely forgotten about the teleportation ring since she didn’t care about it in the slightest, and to her it was nothing more than a minor artifact of her own creation, a trivial convenience item which she routinely handed out to every Instructor without a second thought or any real attachment.

’It seems he really doesn’t trust me,’ she thought to herself as she crossed one leg over the other with slow, deliberate elegance, but she didn’t blame him in the least, because if she were in Asher’s situation, placed within the same circumstances and surrounded by the same uncertainties, she would undoubtedly do the exact same thing without hesitation.

But while Asher’s cautious and guarded attitude was good and even commendable, Cindralis had indeed done absolutely nothing at all to the teleportation ring, no hidden abilities, no tracking marks, no subtle manipulations woven into its structure.

With a faint shake of her head, she simply forgot about the teleportation ring entirely, dismissing the matter from her thoughts as she truly didn’t care about it anyway, since she could easily create a thousand more of them with negligible effort if she ever desired.

Her mind shifted back to her conversation with Asher, replaying fragments of it unconsciously, and she herself didn’t fully understand why she had told Asher what she had told him or why she had allowed herself to reveal even that small sliver of things.

Maybe because of his talent? Maybe because she wanted him to understand what was at stake and therefore train faster and push himself further beyond his current limits? She honestly didn’t know. After all, it wasn’t like there was a clear timeline for an invasion... or perhaps she was simply being paranoid after all these centuries of vigilance and anticipation, and there was truly nothing out there beyond the endless void and only Crymora existed in solitary silence.

Although most people might have thought that she would suggest Asher help her against the other Empires when the time came in exchange for upping his missions clearance level, Cindralis saw absolutely no need for something so transactional, because when the time came, Asher himself would participate regardless of incentives or rewards. It was simply the kind of person he was.

And besides, as a Wargrave, he would always try his best without being asked or coerced. There was no need to trade his request for it, it was far better to simply grant it freely so that his opinion about her could at least soften slightly, perhaps change and improve over time rather than remain cold and distant.

She smirked in thought, the faint curve of her lips carrying a trace of anticipation and mischief, ’I can’t wait to see their faces,’ she mused at the thought of the incoming event and the chaos it would inevitably bring.

Previously, she had cursed fate itself that someone like Malrik had been born when the event was already over and thus missed the opportunity to participate in it, but now, she possessed someone even more ridiculous than him, someone whose potential bordered on absurdity.

With that satisfied smile resting on her face, Cindralis picked up the file on her table and continued reading it with casual indifference. When she had told Asher that he should wait a day for the necessary paperwork to be filed and filled for the increase in his mission clearance level, it had been nothing more than a convenient lie to maintain procedure. As Asher himself had said, all she really needed was a single word.

An orb appeared in her hand, materializing from her separate space, then she sent out the orders immediately without delay or ceremony, as there was absolutely no need to prolong such a trivial matter. Instantly, the Logistics and Missions Operation Hall received the orders the very same moment, the system responding with flawless efficiency as though it had been expecting her command.

Asher stood outside Cindralis’ door for a moment as the door closed behind him with a soft mechanical click, he sighed as he released a deep breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, his purple eyes shifting to the right and then to the left as he scanned the unfamiliar hallway. He didn’t exactly know where he was within the vast Academy structure, but he didn’t bother worrying about it, instead he simply activated Virelass’ Position Marker ability and vanished in a brief silver blur before reappearing seamlessly within his room.

Normally, a portal would have been created by Cindralis to send him out, but it seemed she was already aware of Virelass’ Position Marker ability and thus didn’t bother, not that Asher cared in the slightest anyway, because Virelass’ Position Marker ability rendered all forms of spatial restrictions, barriers, and limitations utterly useless and meaningless.

Appearing in his room, Asher stood before his mirror as he gazed at himself in quiet appraisal, and although he wasn’t a narcissist by any means, he had to admit with reluctant honesty that he was simply too damn charming and handsome for his own good, the clothes and entire attire fitting him perfectly as though tailored exclusively for him.

’If I was on Earth, some people would think I’m cosplaying,’ he mused to himself with faint amusement as he shook his head and turned away from the mirror, walking away while he took off his breastplate, his vambraces, and greaves since he was done wearing them for the day, then he also took off his red cape, hanging it neatly within his wardrobe with absentminded care.

He collapsed onto his bed as fake exhaustion slowly seeped into his limbs, staring at the ceiling while he started thinking about everything that had happened today... well, this morning, since it wasn’t even noon yet and already it felt unusually long.

Asher simply decided not to think too deeply about otherworldly threats or distant catastrophes, because worrying would accomplish absolutely nothing. If they came, no problem, and if they didn’t, also no problem. But still, he couldn’t help but consider that Cindralis might have gotten a glimpse of something or someone when she reached the edge of the world, because if not, she wouldn’t really be overthinking things to such an extent.

’What if she had communicated with the thing... or someone,’ Asher thought to himself despite telling himself he wouldn’t dwell on it, ’well, whatever,’ he concluded with a small shrug as he forcefully dismissed the thought.

His thoughts then shifted to Malrik, imagining the ridiculous scenario in which he was threatening Cindralis of all people, and an amused smile appeared on his face at the absurdity of the image, ’I will surely ask him about it when I see him,’ Asher thought to himself as he genuinely wanted to hear the full story and every exaggerated detail.

His mind then drifted toward Wuthenya, who had apparently threatened to beat up all her classmates should they disobey her orders by accepting missions from the Logistics and Missions Operation Hall, an approach that was undeniably extreme but extremely efficient.

’It seems I might be the only reasonable person within the entire Wargrave family and bloodline,’ Asher mused to himself as he wondered whether his other siblings had done something equally ridiculous or unnecessarily dramatic just to raise their missions clearance level, ’only I seem to have taken a reasonable and civilized approach,’ he laughed quietly to himself, ’maybe next time I should be fierce like the other Wargraves,’ he joked internally with dry humor.

With that, time blurred ever so slowly for Asher as it felt as though the sun stubbornly refused to dip below the horizon, the hours stretching strangely as if resisting the passage of day. Time had never seemed to slow for him before, making the sensation oddly uncomfortable. But regardless, the end of the day eventually came, shadows lengthened, darkness descended across the separate plane, and the dream realm quietly claimed his consciousness.