Although Azrael had anticipated Alice's reaction, the reality still warmed something deep in his chest.
And his body, too.
Feeling the heat radiating from Alice's soft form as she pressed against him, Azrael repeatedly murmured, "Senior Sister, calm down. Please, calm down."
"Master hasn't returned yet. We can't take them on with just a few of us."
It wasn't that he didn't want to storm Beijing and put bullets through everyone behind this conspiracy. The problem was simple, he had no idea how much firepower the enemy had hidden away.
Fighting with just his fellow disciples would be suicide.
Even if they were going to fight, they'd need to bring in Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru, two Sovereign-level Lore Cardians, at minimum.
But ideally, they should wait for their master's return before making any plans.
That was the best-case scenario. The current situation, however, was far from ideal, at least in Azrael's assessment.
If the imperial court could send assassins after him once, they could do it a second and third time. He couldn't spend the rest of his life constantly looking over his shoulder, jumping at shadows. The mental exhaustion alone would kill him before any assassin got the chance.
Seeing his ingratiating smile, Alice fell silent for a long moment. Then she gently broke free from his hold and sat back down on the sofa, whispering, "I'll listen to you."
Those four words instantly killed all the carefully prepared arguments Azrael had been building in his mind.
He exhaled softly, then sat down beside Alice and quickly recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. Finally, he asked the question he'd been preparing to ask since before his arrival.
"Senior Sister, did Master say when he would be back?"
Alice's brow furrowed as soon as Azrael began his story.
She shook her head slightly at his question. "I don't know."
A flash of disappointment crossed Azrael's face, though he quickly composed himself.
Indeed, given his teacher's personality, if Lucian truly wanted to communicate something, he'd speak directly in the "Loving Family" group chat rather than confiding in any single disciple.
Sighing internally, Azrael began weighing his next move.
Since he didn't know when his master would return, his options were severely limited.
Should I reach out to Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru?
His eyes flickered as he calculated the risks.
Just then, Alice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "It should be soon."
Azrael froze, turning to look at his senior sister sitting beside him.
"Senior Sister, do you have spiritual intuition, too?"
Numerous possibilities flashed through his mind.
But the truth, as usual, was simpler.
Alice tilted her head in confusion, seemingly unsure what Azrael meant by "spiritual intuition." Then she explained simply, "Card power."
As soon as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a yellow Taoist robe materialized behind her.
Azrael blinked in surprise, instinctively blurting out, "Don't you need to set up an altar?"
After all, that's how it was always portrayed in movies before his transmigration. The taller and more elaborate the altar, the more powerful the practitioner seemed.
The middle-aged man simply replied, "How can Taoism be so inconvenient?"
Azrael suddenly understood. "Master, you're right. Gunmanship is also Taoism, and ballistics is also Taoism. I understand."
There was one more thing he hadn't dared say in front of Alice: Foot massage is also Taoism, and hand techniques are also Taoism.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man looked at him in surprise, then with genuine astonishment declared, "Young friend, you truly possess profound wisdom!"
After this brief exchange that lightened the heavy atmosphere in the living room, Azrael asked Alice, "Senior Sister, can you calculate the exact time?"
Sadly, she couldn't.
Alice simply murmured, "Master is in the secret realm."
"I can't see clearly."
Despite this, Azrael felt a measure of relief.
He remained silent for a moment, not pursuing that topic further. Instead, he asked something else. "Senior Sister, have you ever considered moving to another city?"
After all, he still felt deeply uneasy about Pixar.
However, Alice simply stared at him, her voice calmly uttering two words after a long pause, "Where to?"
Her simple question left Azrael at a loss for words.
Go to Velkairos?
Velkairos would simply transform the threat from the Imperial Court into a threat from the Secret Realm, potentially even bringing Jin into the equation.
Go to Mazong?
He still had no idea how many Imperial forces were hiding within the Qilu Cardian Master Association.
He sighed. "I was overthinking it, Senior Sister."
Azrael was about to move on, but Alice held out her right hand, silencing him. She repeated, "Where to?"
Gazing into those beautiful eyes, he fell silent.
After a long pause, Azrael finally spoke. "Senior Sister, you should stay in Pixar for the time being."
"I've thought about it. With Principal Yagami and the others here, the Imperial Court shouldn't be so brazen."
This was his carefully considered suggestion.
If the Imperial Court truly intended to provoke a direct confrontation, they could simply send a Diamond-level Lore Cardian to assassinate him. There was no need for such covert tactics.
But Azrael didn't realize it was precisely his exceptional talent that had incited the imperial court's fear.
He couldn't be blamed for this blind spot. After all, he'd only just learned about the imperial court's secrets from Memphis, and he couldn't help but think the court was preparing to turn against the entire Association.
Furthermore, Pixar wasn't as dangerous as Azrael imagined. Alice wasn't alone there.
While the president of the Pixar Cardian Master Association might seem like a fence-sitter, one shouldn't forget that Lucian was a Grand Master at Pixar University. If anything truly happened, the faculty and students of Pixar University would likely side with Alice.
Alice had no objection to this. She simply nodded silently. "I understand."
Azrael wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt his senior sister had become slightly more cheerful than before.
Perhaps it's because Amina, like a left-behind child, is keeping her company as a lonely elder?
Thinking of Amina, Azrael paused for a moment before saying, "Senior Sister, why don't you let Amina stay with you from now on? I'm afraid those in the imperial court might try to take action against her."
Based on his understanding of those insects, this was a high-probability scenario.
He immediately acted, slipping into the shadows and appearing in Amina's room.
He found the little girl writing furiously.
Sensing someone behind her, Amina turned around, surprise lighting up her face. "Master, why are you back?"
Azrael was momentarily taken aback. The little girl now spoke perfectly pronounced Empire dialect.
He'd never expected Amina to possess such a natural talent for languages, even though, under Alice's care, the little girl maintained a typical high school schedule from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As for her form of address, Azrael had corrected her several times, but eventually let her call him whatever she wanted. He wouldn't treat her like a servant, after all.
Amina had no complaints. Life in Pixar was a thousand times better than in Great Britain.
Without answering her question, Azrael said directly, "Amina, you'll be staying with my senior sister for the time being."
Hearing this, Amina didn't ask why. She simply nodded obediently, then whispered, "I will listen to Madam."
"Madam?!" Hearing her address, Azrael asked in bewilderment, "Have you been calling her that in front of my senior sister?"
Amina shrank back. She felt like she'd done something wrong, but it was clear that the Master and the Madam had a good relationship. At least in Great Britain, Baron Albert and the Baroness hadn't enjoyed such a harmonious relationship.
She hesitated for a moment before stammering, "I have."
Azrael frantically pressed, "What was your senior sister's reaction?"
God help him, he truly had no romantic feelings for Alice.
Well, maybe a little bit.
After all, who wouldn't be tempted by a wealthy, expressionless, busty older sister who cared for him so well?
But it was only a tiny bit.
Although, judging by the current situation, his senior sister didn't seem to dislike him. On the contrary, she seemed to depend on him.
"Madam had no reaction," Amina said, looking a little aggrieved.
Numerous possibilities raced through Azrael's mind.
After a long pause, he sighed, deciding to set the matter aside for now.
Even if there was something between them, he had to wait until Lucian returned to the Empire and dealt with the court's threats. As long as the court remained a danger, Azrael couldn't sleep soundly.
He just wondered what his teacher's expression would be if he learned what had developed between him and his senior sister.
It should be fine, right?
He felt like he was sprinting toward becoming a card collector in more ways than one.
It wasn't just the cards anymore. Now even the Lore Cardians themselves...
"Since Senior Sister has agreed, Amina, you can keep calling her that." Putting aside his complicated feelings, Azrael rubbed the little girl's head. "How are you? Are you getting used to life in the Empire?"
Amina nodded, a cheerful smile brightening her face. "Everyone at school is very nice to me."
It would be strange if they weren't.
With the Diamond-level Lore Cardian Alice's implicit protection, any sensible teacher at school would understand that this little girl, who looked completely different from an Empire citizen, had a powerful background.
Of course, Amina wasn't one to abuse that position.
"That's good."
"But Amina, you might have to stay home for a while."
Better safe than sorry. Azrael had to prepare for the imperial court to take action against Amina, a defenseless little girl.
Staying at Alice's house, with the Yellow Turban Warriors watching over her, should be safe enough.
As for her coursework,
Senior Sister's Yellow Turban Warriors should be able to handle some part-time teaching duties, right?
Alice's Yellow Turban Warriors seemed more knowledgeable and agile than his Shadowkhan. Teaching Amina middle and high school subjects shouldn't pose a problem.
Regarding Azrael's suggestion that she stay home, Amina keenly sensed an undercurrent of unease. She said a little sheepishly, "I understand, Master."
Azrael patted her head and whispered, "Everything will be fine."
"Yes."
After their conversation, he brought Amina back to Alice's home.
Seeing the icy beauty, Amina respectfully called out, "Good afternoon, Madam."
Azrael couldn't help but blink. He thought he'd just glimpsed his senior sister blush, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing.
Am I seeing things?
He didn't dwell on the matter. He said to Alice, "Then, Senior Sister, now that everything's settled, I'll be leaving. Be careful."
"You too. Be safe," Alice replied quietly.
Azrael acknowledged with a nod and quickly left the residence.
Gazing at the sun high in the sky, he narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Imperial Court."
His murderous intent toward those insects intensified.
Azrael had no intention of cosplaying as Obito, wallowing in impotent rage while declaring things like, "I want to create a world with my senior sister."
He wanted a world with not just his senior sister, but also Amina and his fellow disciples.
Even his classmates, friends, and the elders he'd met along the way.
Azrael wouldn't leave any of them behind.
Rather than passively enduring attacks, he preferred to eliminate all threats proactively.
This applied to the Imperial Court.
And to Jin as well.
Just then, a vibration from his mind caught his attention.
It was the encrypted communicator.
Azrael's expression darkened as he summoned it.
However, to his surprise, it wasn't Jin looking for him, but Memphis, and not to assign him a mission.
[Five: Lewis, be careful these days. The Imperial Court asked if we could have Third Brother and the others assassinate you.]
[Six: I understand. Thank you, Fifth Brother.]
After a brief reply, Azrael clutched the communicator in his hand and muttered to himself, "The evil never gives up."
Just as he'd expected, the imperial court was indeed planning another assassination attempt.
However, they'd never anticipated that Azrael was secretly the Sixth Master of the Crimson Oath Society. Therefore, their attempt to hire the Crimson Oath Society to assassinate him was completely impossible from the start, and Memphis had directly revealed this information to Azrael.
But Azrael didn't think they would give up after being rejected.
"What's coming next?"
"The Onefold Doctrine? The Demon Army?"
"Emerald-tier? Diamond-tier?"
His eyes flickered, and then he turned back to take one last look at Alice's home before vanishing into the shadows.
Azrael had already made up his mind. He planned to head to Gaza Town first.
On the outskirts of Beijing.
Still in that secret underground facility.
But unlike last time, the expressions on the faces of the gathered elders were undoubtedly much graver.
After a long silence, Master Mortarion frowned, asking in a muffled voice, "What did the Crimson Oath Society say?"
Master Shifu shook his head slightly. "They refused, claiming the society is busy lately."
"Tsk!"
Everyone present reacted with visible dissatisfaction.
But the Crimson Oath Society wasn't under their jurisdiction, so even though they were deeply dissatisfied, they couldn't change the outcome.
An eerie silence descended upon the room.
After a long pause, Master Shifu said in a deep voice, "Then let's take a vote."
"Raise your hands if you agree we should kill that little creature."
He got straight to the point, and the elders exchanged glances.
Three seconds later, eleven hands rose simultaneously.
Eleven to zero.
"Passed unanimously."