A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 45: Kael and the Necromancer (5/5)

Lilith takes the parchment from Kael with a curious expression, her fingers brushing the edge of the paper before she examines the sketch closely.

The woman drawn on the parchment is unfamiliar to her, but there’s something about the way she’s drawn—something that seems oddly familiar, even though Lilith can’t place why. Her brow furrows slightly, and she looks up at Kael, who stands before her with a serious expression, waiting for her reaction.

"What is this?" Lilith asks, her tone neutral but tinged with intrigue. "Who is she? Why do you want her?"

Kael stands still, his eyes unwavering as he speaks. "She’s someone important to me. I need to find her." His voice is resolute, his previous hesitations now replaced with a focused determination. "I’ve been searching for her for a long time."

Lilith studied him carefully, her sharp gaze never leaving his face. The tension in the room thickened as she processed his words, but her expression remained unreadable. After a long pause, she nods slowly, acknowledging his request.

"I see," she says, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "So, this is your first condition. You want me to help you find her." She leans back slightly, folding her arms, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Kael meets her gaze, unfazed by her words. "You want me to become your disciple, to learn your magic, and gain your knowledge. I’m willing to do that, but you’ll have to help me first. This is my price, and this will give me the belief that you would care about my interests in the future too."

Lilith doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she remains silent, her expression unreadable as she looks between Kael and the parchment in her hand. Her eyes flicker briefly toward the black cat beside her, the only living thing in the room that seems to be unaffected by her aura.

After what felt like an eternity, Lilith let out a sigh and leaned forward, folding the parchment with deliberate slowness. "Fine," she says, her tone steady but tinged with a sense of finality. "You want her? I’ll help you find her."

Kael’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t show it. He remained as calm as ever, his eyes never leaving hers.

"But," Lilith continued, her voice sharpening, "You must meet my conditions as well. You can’t just take and take without giving something in return, Kael."

Kael nods slightly, accepting her terms without hesitation. "What do you want from me?"

Lilith’s smile widened, though it was not one of kindness. It’s more a look of someone who enjoys the power they hold over another. "When I bring this person to you, you will become my disciple right away regardless of your commitment. And when you become my disciple, I want your complete obedience. I want you to accept that my teachings are not optional, Kael. You’ll learn whatever I teach you. Whether you use it or not is up to you. But learning is mandatory. You will become my disciple in every sense of the word."

Kael didn’t expect her to pamper him or anything. If he becomes someone’s disciple, he expects to learn whatever they are teaching anyway. "Fine," he replied without having any second thoughts, his voice resolute. "I hope you will find the person as quickly as possible."

Lilith gives him a knowing look, one that seems to weigh him with both interest and amusement. "You don’t have to worry about that. As long as she is still alive, I’ll bring her to you."

She then stood up, her tall frame casting a shadow over him as she moved toward a nearby shelf filled with scrolls, flasks, and various tools, among other things. She picked up a brocade box adorned with jewels on the top.

"Now," she said, her voice cool and calculated, "I have something, a present to give you." She took out a black dagger from the box and slowly walked toward him.

Kael snatched away the dagger from Lilith as a reflex, his fingers brushing against the cool metal. He looked at it with a mix of suspicion and surprise. "This is my dagger." His voice is calm, but there’s a sharp edge to it. "You… explored my storage ring when I was unconscious?"

Lilith simply raised an eyebrow, unbothered by his reaction. "I didn’t take anything from you, Kael. I just had a little look around. You know, you captured someone and they have a storage ring. You obviously want to explore their storage ring. The dagger was an interesting piece, I must say. So I decided to examine it more closely." She paused, her eyes flickering to his before continuing. "I wouldn’t be so upset about that if I were you. I could’ve taken far worse. There were even more precious pieces of equipment in your storage ring. Anyway, take a closer look at the dagger. Notice anything different?"

Kael clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything.

He inspected the dagger in his hand, feeling the faint pulse of energy from the spirit of Ifrit. It feels different now—lighter somehow, and yet still powerful. You released the seal and removed its corruptness but sealed it again?" Kael asked, looking up at her.

Lilith nodded, her expression continuing to stay calm as usual. "Well, I figured out that while it contained a spirit, this dagger is still way inferior to your other twin daggers. You might not want to use it anyway. So, I sealed it again."

"You think my twin daggers are superior?" Kael questioned her in surprise. While he wouldn’t abandon them for this dagger, because of the fact that they were ancestral property and the last present he received from his parents, he still doesn’t agree that a weapon with a spirit is inferior to his dual daggers that don’t have a spirit, despite their superior materials.

Lilith explained, her expression serious now. "Yes, the twin daggers are forged from an Adanamtium and Elerium alloy. It is obvious that they’re sharper and more durable than Ifrit’s blade. But what’s special about them is that those two daggers can amplify the user’s strength to entirely another realm, which Ifrit isn’t capable of. However, they were missing the other part of the set. Once you find that set, you can release their full extent of power."

"Uhh… what?" Kael was taken aback by her words, and the shock was evident on his face. He had always known the twin daggers were special—he’d fought with them for years, but hearing that they could amplify his strength was news to him. As for the so-called other part of the set, he was aware of what it was.

**

As the sun’s rays bathed the mansion in a soft golden light, Kael was seen on the floor in quiet meditation, his breath steady and calm.

When the rays hit his face through the windows, he opened his eyes and stood, stretching his limbs as the weight of the world seemed a little lighter with the dawn. "Ok, it’s time to leave."

As he exited the mansion, his footsteps light, and a group of royal knights—hidden in the bushes—could finally relax. They had been watching him all night, worried about what might happen, especially with the haunted mansion’s sinister reputation.

"He’s finally coming out," one of the knights muttered in relief, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Never expected one night to be this long."

Another knight sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t understand why Lord Moonstone would have to spend his time alone in that mansion when his task was supposed to sell it to someone else. Moreover, it would have been a lot better if we just accompanied him into the mansion instead of suffering here like this, all night."

"But you heard the order," the captain reminded them, his voice low but firm. "We’re not here to interfere. We were sent to watch over him from a distance. Her Highness (Amanda) gave us clear instructions to stay back."

"But he’s so... weak. Even a chicken could kill him," another knight commented. "And he’s married to five princesses. What if something goes wrong? Do you think they wouldn’t flay us alive?"

"Well, Her Highness’ orders were strict," the captain said firmly, his eyes never leaving the distant figure of Kael. "Our job is to make sure to keep an eye on the surroundings, not the mansion. And if something happens, I would have taken the responsibility."

"Sigh… these nobles always make us worry," a knight’s shoulders drooped in mental exhaustion.

The knights then watched Kael exiting the gates of the mansion, his movements unhurried and peaceful. To them, he seemed like a man untouched by the dangers lurking inside the mansion. They exchanged uncertain glances, but no one dared to break the captain’s orders.

Kael, in his quiet confidence, didn’t pay them any mind as he strolled all the way home as a morning walk, thinking about the day’s possibilities.

"Kael!"

He was greeted almost immediately by Laura as he approached the entrance. Her eyes were wide with worry, the red in her gaze betraying her sleeplessness.

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Without a word, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I was so worried," she murmured, her voice tinged with both relief and exhaustion. "I couldn’t sleep all night."

Kael chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her in return. "I’m fine, my love. There was nothing to worry about."

"Still..." Her voice wavered slightly, but she smiled, pulling back to look at him, her gaze soft and filled with concern. "I couldn’t sleep. I was just waiting for you to come back." She sniffled slightly, her eyes still looking red, and her worry was clear, but it faded when she saw him standing there, unharmed.

He smiled down at her, his own worries disappearing with the warmth of her embrace. "I’m here now," he said gently, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You don’t have to worry."

Laura beamed up at him, her eyes lighting up as she took his hand. "Well, now that you’re back, what are we doing? I’ve been dying to spend some time with you. Are you going to the guild today?"