Velka was unconscious, being carried by Siena. She had fainted after saying those words to him; to be honest, he did not like words that could indicate he was some kind of hero, because he was not.
"Thank you for taking care of her. When we get out, I'll call a high-level healer."
"There's no need to thank me. I'm the adult here, so I have the responsibility of taking care of the children."
'But we're eighteen years old.'
Enrico wanted to heal Velka, but with everyone already suspicious of him like that, it would be even more suspicious, and besides, he wanted to use the identity as Kael in some assassination missions, so since magic released from the body outward when casting would expose him, it was better to keep a low profile with his magic.
'I only used my magic with that technique because it's almost impossible for them to sense it.'
The only one who could have sensed it was Siena, but she would not reveal it, and he thought it impossible that Kael and she would ever meet. Of course, she did not stop looking at him the entire way to the next zone, and it was uncomfortable how those eyes were seriously comical as they were directed at him.
"The next fight is mine, right, princess?"
"Yes, and we already have a guaranteed victory, but now the problem is my battle."
She walked ahead along with a Narisse more recovered from the battle. He could feel that even saying those words to herself, she was certain he would win, and there was no trace of doubt in her voice.
[And all because you're from the "future" hahaha]
'I don't understand what you find funny about that.'
Elowyn was thoughtful, with her arms behind her back. Her succession now depended on her, and that made her stomach churn, but not in the way many would think. That was because this situation was perfect for her to impress her family even more.
'This is good, but if the guardian evolves like in the fight against Velka, it's going to be very problematic and worrying.'
She did not only trust Enrico; she also trusted herself. The problem was that she had underestimated the guardians too much, and now she would have to plan a better way to defeat her opponent. Deciding what to do, she would ask Enrico for even more information about her opponent.
"Consort, come here."
"To call me that, you first have to take me out to dinner."
"I can pay for as many dinners as I want for you, so that really doesn't matter."
Oh, now she had caught Enrico with words. Even so, he immediately started thinking of a counterattack, while she wore an arrogant smile.
'A formidable opponent indeed.'
[Why do you talk as if they were enemies?]
'Because we are.'
As the next zone was about to appear, Enrico began to prepare, staying a bit farther back. He wrapped his hand with bandages to fake that he was simply being careful.
'Lunaris, activate vampire blood.'
'Of course, my lord.'
A symbol appeared on Enrico's palm as he wrapped it. This was a new ability he would use to disguise himself as Sylas again. His eyes turned red, and she stirred her crimson-eyed magic to disguise it.
'Now I can use Lunaris's magic, but I prefer to save it for when I'm disguised as Sylas.'
He was doing this now because, besides being a new ability of Lunaris that had been evolving in a deep sleep a day earlier, he was being cautious now that the constellations had decided to interfere with his opponents.
[If you're not going to use her magic, why did you activate the contract?]
'Because I gain an improvement in my mana amount and physical ability.'
Enrico had temporarily become a half-vampire thanks to Lunaris's unique ability to give her blood to create vampires more easily, even being able to do the same with other races besides humans. In addition, they would have to obey all her orders.
'Since I'm her master, I can choose to switch between the two races whenever I want.'
[That's broken.]
'I hope the only thing stolen will be the reward those constellations are going to give me for getting in my way on this mission.'
[How?]
Rolling his eyes at it, that interference was clear in its motives. They wanted entertainment, but they also didn't want to look so stupid for interfering with him.
'Because it's obvious.'
'If the master says it's obvious, then it is.'
[Could you maybe not interfere, Lunaris?]
Since Lunaris was linked to his mind and had evolved to be able to think for herself, she could hear all his thoughts. For a year now, she had argued with the system almost every day for him.
'Were you sleeping well, Lunaris?'
'Yes, master. Your blood is very good and made me sleep very well.'
[Tsk, just a little puppy.]
Stepping into a hall, the next zone was revealed. Called the Zone of the Alchemist of Memories, it was known as a Chamber of the Heavy Past.
'A different place, just like in the story.'
The place was a closed room without windows; above, flasks floated in the air like trapped stars, each containing memories of ancient kings—failures, victories, loves, and betrayals. The floor seemed to reflect scenes from the past of whoever stepped there, and the more someone tried to ignore their memories, the more costly each step inside the chamber became.
'She would be a problem for the others, but I don't even care about my past; besides, I don't even know if it will take mine or this body's.'
[We hope it's the body's.]
'Actually, that doesn't matter, since it's just an illusion.'
Looking at the floor, Enrico saw himself, but not with Enrico's appearance—rather as Saul. It seemed the chosen memories had already been decided. Quickly, he turned around to look for the girls, but none were behind him.
'If you're worried about them finding out about you, rest assured, I keep the secrets I like very well.'
Hearing a voice in his mind, he turned forward and saw his opponent sitting on the staircase of that rather simple room. The Alchemist of Memories, Cassiel Thorne, a man who liked to collect stories. His hair was black and long, his eyes blue as if there were a sky inside them.
"I hope our battle among your memories will be good, Enrico."
A second after those words, Enrico found himself in a large, modern city. Meanwhile, Cassiel's eyes seemed to shine as he saw it.
"But what do we have here—what an interesting city. It will be a good place for our battle."