Caius’ POV

I felt the snow under my shoes and the cold wind blowing from behind me toward the void the fight had left behind.

The cold sweat that had built up on my body during that battle had dried... damn, honestly I was really scared back there.

I felt like I was blind while the world collapsed around me... for me the fight wasn’t visible, just the expanse of blood appearing out of nowhere, like I was drowning in a red sea.

Staring at the void Alicia had made between the mountain range, I couldn’t help but redo my calculations about the strength of the Kings... and her strength too.

The fight didn’t last long and here she was distorting nature itself and reshaping the terrain.

My attention was drawn to Alicia beside me... that red wound was still on her neck as she stared into the distance.

I never thought any of this would happen a few days ago... and even when I broke the crystal in front of Medirin I didn’t think a fight like this would break out.

Alicia felt me looking at her, her eyes meeting mine.

"You have a lot to explain to me." Her tone was normal, like she was talking about the cold weather here.

I scratched the back of my head. "Well... it’s kind of a long story."

Her eyes narrowed at me. "Cut it out or I’ll throw you down there."

I turned my head to where she was pointing with her chin... far away down there kilometers deep where the lowest point of the Void System’s stronghold had been in the past.

I couldn’t help but smile at her sense of humor... she was joking, right?... okay, I don’t want to bet on that.

Since she already knew about my conversation with the Marquis, I told her everything that happened from the auction to Medirin’s rambling and how she was going to feed me her blood.

"I think it was enough of an emergency for me to break the crystal... I mean, the idea of drinking blood wasn’t nice for me."

Alicia narrowed her eyes again. "Not nice for you?"

"It’s fine, it was the right call, even if it didn’t get the result we wanted in the end." She complained, her disappointment obvious because she hadn’t gotten rid of her aunt... oh wait

"Medirin said she’s your aunt... and she’s the one who killed your parents, well, I don’t get this part."

She tilted her head, her eyes saying I was lacking in intelligence... like this was the most natural thing in the world. "What don’t you get?... She’s just my mother’s sister."

I raised an eyebrow, her mother’s sister... so she’s from the royal family too, and the Pillar of Blood is the one who killed her family... but why does she look like she doesn’t care about that fact.

"So what do we do now"

Alicia looked in a certain direction where the mountain peaks stretched out, hiding what lay far away from us.

"We’re going to the auction."

...

Back in the private VIP room, Marquis Valimont was sitting on the couch, his foot still tapping the floor without stopping.

Because of these insulated walls and the lack of windows he hadn’t noticed the crimson glow on the horizon right now... but it was only a matter of time before one of the guards came and told him, of course.

After all, this was an unheard-of phenomenon inside the Empire or the safe lands as a whole.

Before any news reached him, it had already reached other ears much earlier, even before Medirin and Alicia’s fight ended.

In the quiet of the room there was a sudden knock that cut through the rhythm of his foot, drawing his eyes toward the source in the corner of the room.

From there a featureless silhouette came forward, it didn’t look like a real body but like a human frame standing in the room with the air twisting around it.

The Marquis’s eyes widened as he opened his mouth. "You... why are you her..."

But the featureless frame cut off his words, its voice like a broken echo. "The Pillar of Blood failed, and a big fight broke out in her nearby hideout."

The Marquis’s eyes widened, his throat feeling dry. "H... how is that possible, he’s just a little kid..."

"The only thing that matters for you is that you’re completely exposed." The shape didn’t give him any chance to speak. "Not just you but your little servants too."

The Marquis froze as he took in the weight of those words. ’I’ve been found out?... but I made sure to wash the kid’s brain to keep it secret.’

Even though the shock was big, a man like him knew how to deal with the important things first.

He took a step forward, closer to the shape. "So you’re here to take me with you... you have to give me some time, I need to pack some important things, and back at my mansion I have to..."

"No, I’m not here to take you." The words echoed cold and empty of any feeling, which made the Marquis freeze, a chill running over his skin.

"What do you mean?."

"The Master doesn’t need you anymore now that you’ve lost your position." The shape raised what looked like its hand while Valimont’s jaw dropped, trembling as it tried to form words.

"But I’m still strong, and I have money and connections, I can make up for this..."

The words stopped in his mouth, not because he was cut off, but because he lost the ability to keep going.

For a moment, he felt unbearable pain... but only for a moment before his breath cut off.

His knees gave out as they hit the floor with an audible, wet sound, from the liquid under his feet... bright red and alive, soaking up the dim light of the lamps.

"..."

With what looked like a last breath the Marquis’s body dropped onto the cold floor, spraying drops of blood everywhere and turning the small room to silence.

....

I felt some churning in my stomach as a new scene formed around me... actually it was a lot of churning in my stomach.

After everything that happened I think I’m going to lose my appetite for a few hours.

And to my surprise the place I appeared in was none other than the room the envoy took me from... in the end I really did come back here, but not with that bastard, luckily.

And now I wonder if he died or ran off with Medirin even though he lost both his hands.

Well, after everything that happened I knew the Pillar of Blood would be a little annoyed with me... yeah, a little... I hope so.

The moment we appeared in the room a faint metallic smell crept into my nose, while I heard Alicia mutter from beside me. "Hmm... looks like I’m late."

That’s when I saw the body lying there lifeless with a pool of blood gathered under it, his face was on the floor which hid his features, but his build and his hair... and even the emblem on his wrist left no room for doubt.

"Marquis Valimont...!"