I Died and Became a Noble's Heir-Chapter 397: Get Ready

Jack’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "S makes contracts, but I also have the benefit of just killing them and making them mine. They were strong enough to help kill you, which means they’re strong beings, Ren."

He met the ancient hero’s gaze without flinching. "It wouldn’t hurt to have strong souls bound to my service."

The logic was brutal. If these seven spirits had been powerful enough to assist in trapping a Sovereign-class warrior, they were worth adding to Jack’s army. Revenge served while simultaneously increasing his forces.

Ren stared at him for a long moment, something complex passing behind those star-bright eyes. Then, slowly, his lips curved into a smile that carried dark approval.

"You think like a warlord," Ren observed. "Not a hero."

"I’m neither," Jack replied. "I’m a survivor."

Ren’s smile widened fractionally. "Good. Heroes die young." He paused, his star-bright eyes shifting to where Sylph hovered in the distance, her tiny form still trembling.

"I’ll agree to give you their names. But only if that little spirit agrees to return what is mine."

Jack’s attention sharpened. "What do you mean?"

"She knows," Ren said, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "When they trapped me, when they helped cast that curse, they took something from me. Something precious. I want it back."

Jack turned to look at Sylph. The tiny spirit had gone completely rigid, her black-and-green eyes wide with a look of panic.

"I don’t have it!" Sylph’s voice came out high and strained. "I don’t have what you’re talking about!"

Ren’s smile didn’t fade. "No. You don’t. But you know who does."

Sylph’s tiny form trembled harder. "Astrape has it. Not me. I was just... I was following orders. I didn’t even know what we were doing until it was too late!"

"Astrape," Ren repeated, the name carrying weight. His star-bright eyes gleamed with something darker. "Yes. The Lightning Spirit. Of course, she would be the one to keep it."

Jack filed that name away. Astrape. Another spirit, but clearly one that made Slyph uncomfortable. Who was she?

"What did they take?" Jack asked, genuinely curious now.

Ren’s expression shifted to something that might have been pain buried under centuries of rage.

"That’s between them and me. But when you find Astrape, when you’re ready to collect your strong souls..." His smile returned, sharp as a blade. "I want to be there. I want to watch. And I want what’s mine returned before she dies."

Jack considered this. A condition placed on a condition. Ren would give the names if Sylph agreed to help recover whatever had been taken. And recovery apparently meant finding this Astrape spirit and extracting information or items before killing her.

Every step forward had a complication.

"Fine," Jack said. "We’ll discuss the details later. For now, you stay on this floor. Don’t harm my people. I’ll return when I’ve met the requirements to bind you properly."

Ren inclined his head slightly, acknowledgment without subservience. "I’ve waited three hundred years. I can wait a while longer." His smile turned sharp. "But don’t make me wait too long, Soul Warden. Patience has its limits."

Jack turned to leave, then stopped as a thought occurred to him. "One last question before I go. Do you know where a Moonveil Serpent is located?"

Ren tilted his head, clearly not expecting that particular inquiry. "A Moonveil Serpent? Those are rare. The last time I saw one was in Elysium."

Jack’s ears perked up, his attention sharpening instantly. "Elysium? The kingdom?"

"Yes," Ren confirmed. "The previous Soul Warden kept one there as a guardian for something important." His star-bright eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Why? What do you need with a Moonveil Serpent?"

"Answers," Jack replied cryptically.

The serpent he needed to find the previous Soul Warden was located somewhere in Elysium. The kingdom where Jack lived. The place he’d return to eventually when this tower expedition concluded.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’d been planning to search the entire tower, floor by floor, hunting for information about a creature that was apparently living in his own backyard the entire time.

’Well,’ Jack thought, ’that simplifies things. Eventually.’

He looked at Ren one final time.

Ren inclined his head slightly. "But I’ll be counting the days, Soul Warden. Don’t disappoint me."

Jack turned and walked away, red lightning crackling faintly across his skin as he moved. Behind him, he could feel Ren’s star-bright gaze boring into the back of his skull.

The ancient hero was dangerous. That much was certain. But dangerous allies were often more helpful than safe ones. As long as Jack could eventually bind him properly.

Rhys had recovered somewhat from the terrifying flight, though his winter-ice eyes still carried residual shock.

His hands trembled slightly, and he kept glancing at the sky as if expecting another ice pillar to launch him skyward at any moment.

The elf prince’s trauma responses were evident to anyone who knew what to look for.

The flinching at sudden movements. Years of abuse from his sisters had left marks deeper than physical scars, and today’s events had triggered every defensive instinct Rhys possessed.

Sylph hovered nearby, her tiny form still rigid with tension from nearly being killed by Ren. She hadn’t stopped shaking since the bloodlust had withdrawn, her black-and-green eyes darting constantly between the castle and the distant horizon where Ren had disappeared.

"Is he gone?" Sylph asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"For now," Jack replied. "He’s staying on this floor. Under my protection, same as you."

Sylph let out a deep sigh; she was clearly relieved at the outcome. "You’re protecting the man who wants to kill me?"

"I’m protecting everyone," Jack corrected. "Including you from him, and him from his own impatience. That’s what ruling a floor means."

Loryn stood with his characteristic patience, purple eyes gleaming as he observed the group dynamics. His skeletal form looked almost relaxed.

"The young master handled that well," Loryn observed, his raspy voice carrying approval. "Turning potential conflict into future opportunity." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Pho leaned against a crystalline outcropping, his blank white eyes tracking Jack’s approach with calculating intensity.

The Deathfrost Demon had remained completely calm throughout the entire confrontation, as if Sovereign-class bloodlust was just another Tuesday for him.

"You should have let me kill him," Pho said. "Would have simplified everything."

"You couldn’t kill him," Jack replied without heat. "He’s immune to magic and strong enough to break your ice with one arm. You would have died."

Pho’s expression didn’t change, but Jack could see the grudging acknowledgment. "Perhaps."

Father Caelen, who had remained silent throughout the entire confrontation with Ren, finally spoke. "Young master, that was something else. I’ve never witnessed a Sovereign-class entity’s power before. The pressure alone was enough to make breathing difficult."

The priest’s serene expression had returned, but his eyes carried new understanding. He’d seen what Jack was dealing with, what level of threats existed in this tower. And more importantly, he’d seen Jack handle it without flinching.

"Get ready," Jack said without preamble, addressing the entire group. "We’re heading to the Colosseum."

Father Caelen straightened slightly. "The Colosseum on Floor 2, young master?"

"Yes," Jack confirmed. "And after that, we’re going hunting."