Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 683: Normal ones

As the dream realm was about to finally claim Asher’s consciousness, another knock echoed through the room, sharp and intrusive against the stillness that had begun to settle. Asher’s eyes snapped up as he felt the connection between him and the sleep realm immediately snap at the sound, his eyes shone as a flash of killing intent flickered through them.

’Who could it possibly be now? Cindralis? The Vice Principal? Ryaen or Darissa?’ he thought to himself, his mind moving swiftly as he evaluated each possibility, ready to turn whoever it was back to wherever they had come from and wherever they had heard news of his return without granting them even a moment of unnecessary attention.

With that, he got off his bed as he walked towards the door, swinging it open without hesitation, and there stood two familiar people, one stood tall and athletic, possessing black hair and black eyes that carried a sharp glint within them, the other also stood somewhat tall, but chubby, a bird resting comfortably on his shoulder as though it had always belonged there, as they both wore wide smiles across their faces, their expressions filled with an easy familiarity.

Finch Whale and William Canestane.

"It’s you two," Asher spoke as he hadn’t even thought of the two of them earlier, his tone carrying a faint trace of surprise at their unexpected presence.

Hearing Asher’s words, Finch replied, "Who else would it be? Expecting any women?" his voice laced with sarcasm as his grin widened further, clearly entertained by his own remark.

"It’s been a while, Asher," William stated, ignoring Finch’s words entirely, his tone steady and composed.

Asher simply sighed and shook his head, stepping aside as he invited the both of them in, it wasn’t like he could just turn them back, besides, they were his friends, and despite everything, they were among the few people he could tolerate without reservation, they could simply kick back and relax without any formality.

As the trio sat within Asher’s living room, Finch spoke, "Feels like ages since I’ve been here," his voice carrying a faint hint of nostalgia, as since Asher left the team he hadn’t even gotten the opportunity to come here again.

"There is nothing special in my room, so why are you even looking forward to coming here?" Asher spoke, his gaze turning to Finch with mild curiosity.

Finch simply shrugged and spoke, "Don’t make it sound like a gay thing, I’m just making an observation here," his reply innocent.

Hearing his words, Asher shook his head, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Finch this early in the morning.

"It’s been a while since the three of us got together," William spoke as he picked up the alcohol bottle that Thalric left behind and poured himself a glass without missing a beat.

"Well, the mission got us all consumed and all that, I even attended classes a few times over a month ago, but I didn’t see the both of you," Asher replied with a sigh, recalling the recent past.

Finch couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he spoke, "I think it was best we weren’t in those classes, we heard about you fighting the entire class in Instructor Jude’s class and winning with ease, then proceeded to spar with Instructor Jude for five whole minutes without losing your own ground," he paused, his eyes fixed on Asher as though emphasizing the absurdity of it all, "if we were in that class we might have been beaten up like the rest, besides, I’m still traumatised by the last spar I, William, and the Rivelle siblings had against you last time and still lost miserably by the way," he emphasized.

Hearing Finch’s words, Asher simply shook his head with a light smile, his purple eyes shifting towards the bird resting upon Finch’s shoulder for a brief moment before he turned his gaze away.

"So, tell me about your missions, I would like to hear about it all," Asher spoke as he leaned back slightly, genuinely interested, listening with rapt attention.

William began to speak, "Well, we’ve taken about three missions since you left, and each one has been quite exhausting, dangerous, and blood splattering, far more intense than we expected," and with that, William and Finch talked about their missions without pause, their voices occasionally overlapping as they described their experiences in vivid detail.

Asher didn’t stop them, he simply listened, occasionally asking questions as he laughed and smiled, making fun of a few errors Finch or William made in situations that he personally wouldn’t have mishandled. Finch and William’s defence was simple; "Not everyone was the Tenth Sun or a Wargrave."

"It seems you people are doing well without me, I thought that without me you both would lose a few limbs," he joked lightly, his confidence in their abilities evident.

"Sigh... I wouldn’t lie, we indeed miss you, your efficiency, intelligence, and most importantly, your ridiculous battle prowess are always welcome," William replied with a sigh, his tone sincere.

"Yeah, at the end of the day, no one can replace you, or should I say no one can replace a Wargrave," Finch touched his chin thoughtfully as he spoke, "I wonder if the Ninth Sun is also as ridiculous as you," he added.

Asher simply smiled as he spoke, "Then get stronger and get to my level so we can resume taking missions together," he suggested casually.

William laughed a bit as he spoke, "Normally I would feel a bit of determination at your words, but at a point, we have to accept the reality that we just aren’t Wargraves or a monster like you, and that is fine, as we are the normal ones and you are the abnormal one here," his voice calm as though he was consoling himself.

Asher wanted to burst out laughing but he held himself back, he simply shook his head and spoke, "At least my replacement is doing just fine, what was his name?" he seemed to drift into his thoughts, but before he could even think further, his mind already supplied him with an answer, "Lucifer Morningstar, was it?" he asked.

"Honestly, the guy is doing just fine, although a commoner, not that I’m discriminating, but I have to say, his ability is ridiculous, his Astra energy control, his weapon mastery, truly everything about him is top tier, no wonder he made it to the top 10," Finch spoke as Lucifer Morningstar’s battle prowess still left him in amazement each time he reflected on it.

"You are always amazed by that guy, I might have to start suspecting you bend the other way, bro," William joked as he turned his gaze towards Finch, clearly amused.

"Even straight lines aren’t straighter than me," Finch replied without missing a beat, "I’m just fascinated that a commoner rose to that level without being a noble, no teacher to guide him, no resources, nothing at all, it only makes me wonder how talented he truly is, and how much stronger he would have been if he had it all from the very beginning," he stated without hiding his thoughts, his tone reflective and sincere, his curiosity completely unrestrained.