Parallel Lines Of Emotion (2)

“Uh?”

Adler looked at his arm. His severed wrist flew into the air.

“Keep your filthy hands away! This is Lord Arael’s presence!”

Arael’s subordinate, who had been barely restraining himself due to Arael’s intervention, finally let loose and shouted in excitement.

‘What the hell? This guy? Did he really cut off my hand barehanded?’

With no weapon, he had merely swung his hand like a blade, yet the bones and tendons were severed cleanly. The cut was smooth, as if done by an axe, and blood spurted from the wound.

“Arghhh!”

As Adler screamed, a voluptuous female messenger pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to collapse forward.

Then, she removed the hairpin from her head. The moment she held it in her hand, the hairpin began to glow a searing red, as if it had just been pulled from a forge. With practiced ease, she pressed it against Adler’s wound. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Oh my, endure it. You’re a grown man, aren’t you?”

Smiling sweetly, she plucked a golden key from Adler’s hand.

The reason they had entered unarmed was simply because they didn’t need weapons. They were that powerful—both warriors and magicians of immense strength.

“That key?!”

Azadine’s eyes fixated on the key Adler had just lost, and he turned to Brand.

“That is the Emperor’s treasure vault key!”

“W-what?!”

Azadine was taken aback. After coming all the way to Lantarique, was he really about to lose the Emperor’s treasure vault key to Arael’s faction?

However, these people were no pushovers. Whether they had come empty-handed for negotiation or not, the air around them was thick with killing intent. More than that, there were others lurking nearby, radiating the same deadly aura.

‘That woman must be the infamous Dimia of the Flower. And the man… is he Seraph of the Bird? Not to mention, there are more in ambush.’

Just as Azadine hesitated, Ismail stepped forward.

“Azadine! This is our chance to strike Arael and prove our loyalty to the clan.”

At that moment, all the hostility in the room focused on Ismail.

“You mean the Council, not the clan.”

The woman holding the hairpin scoffed. The man who had severed Adler’s hand glared at Ismail.

“You’re just a servant, aren’t you? Don’t you even know who we are?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Ismail pointed at the woman with the hairpin.

“Dimia of the Flower.”

“Oh my.”

“And Seraph of the Bird.”

“……”

The man who had severed Adler’s hands glared at Ismail.

“Aleph of the Wind.”

From the castle watchtower’s terrace, someone clicked their tongue.

“Indim of the Moon.”

Ismail pointed to the rooftop.

—Thud!

The roof shattered, and a shadowy figure wrapped in a robe landed heavily. The moment Indim of the Moon realized Ismail had identified him, he broke through the structure and entered.

Considering that Aleph and Indim still carried weapons, whatever Adler had tried, his life was now effectively in Arael’s hands.

“The team leaders of ‘Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon’—the future leaders of Aragasa. But now, they are traitors to the clan.”

“That means even if we’re unarmed, you should realize you can’t possibly challenge us. Azadine, you should’ve trained your servant better.”

Arael smiled as she addressed Azadine.

“What are you planning, Arael?”

“To save the world.”

Arael’s answer was simple.

“To save the world?”

Azadine scoffed at her words… but deep inside, he felt fear.

The Age of Jupiter was approaching, and the gods were losing their power. Meanwhile, Arael had grown far stronger than before.

It seemed that Arael’s faction intended to worship her as a divine saint and elevate her to the status of a living goddess. It sounded insane, but… seeing her now, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

And if that happened, the person Azadine loathed the most would become the savior of the world.

Azadine’s hatred, contempt, and disgust toward her would be denied by everyone. He was already an outcast among the Messenger Clan—if Arael became the world’s savior, he would truly have no one who understood him.

Arael extended her hand toward Azadine.

“I will save the world and I will save you, Azadine. You’re bound by the Curse of Servitude, aren’t you? Come here. This big sister will take care of it for you.”

“……”

As Arael reached out to him, Seraph and Aleph’s expressions darkened. Were they worried that Azadine, as Arael’s younger brother, might join late and challenge their positions?

Luckily for them, Azadine had absolutely no intention of accepting Arael’s offer.

“I refuse!”

Azadine placed his hand on his sword hilt.

Among Arael’s group, only Aleph of the Wind and Indim of the Moon were armed.

But just because the others were unarmed didn’t mean they could be underestimated. After all, they had severed Adler’s arm barehanded.

Yet before any of them could move, Arael boldly stepped into Azadine’s striking range. If he simply unsheathed his sword, he could cut off her head. And yet, she approached without a hint of tension, completely unarmed.

Did she think he wouldn’t dare strike her because they were siblings? Even after she had left an indelible scar on his face?

Azadine stared at her in disbelief.

“Do you have any reason to refuse? Why? Ah… is it because of Aldis?”

The moment Aldis’ name was spoken, Azadine’s fury exploded.

“I’ve hated that part of you from the beginning, Arael. First, apologize to me!”

“How dare you!?”

“How disrespectful. Azadine! No matter if you are Lord Arael’s blood relative, how dare you speak like that!”

When Azadine demanded an apology from Arael, her loyal followers—the Four of Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon—reacted with outrage.

To them, Arael was a divine being, a living goddess. She and ordinary humans were not equals, and even as her younger brother, Azadine was nothing but a powerless nobody.

Yet he had the audacity to demand an apology from her. Of course, they also feared that Azadine’s presence in their ranks would disrupt their established hierarchy.

But before they could act on their anger, Arael stopped them and instead apologized to Azadine.

“Enough, all of you. Why are you interfering in my conversation with my brother? Since when did you become so insolent?”

“I-I apologize, Arael.”

“We just couldn’t hold it in.”

“He’s not speaking any worse than Young Lord Adler, is he? Are you all that uneasy about my brother?”

Arael had already noticed how much her subordinates were wary of Azadine.

The younger brother of an absolute power.

For those who had sworn loyalty to Arael, there was no one more troublesome than him. That was why they found it harder to tolerate Azadine’s every move than the outright insults from Adler.

“To begin with, Azadine, I apologize for my subordinates’ rudeness.”

“That’s it?”

“No. I apologize for everything. I’m sorry for tormenting you as a child. And I’m sorry for hurting you.”

“……”

“Is that enough?”

Arael smiled innocently at Azadine.

She resembled him, yet unlike his eyeless visage, she had stunning, mesmerizing violet eyes that seemed to pull one in with their charm. And she was smiling without a hint of malice.

That very sight made Azadine feel sick to his stomach.

“As if that could ever be enough! I still wake up from nightmares! You put me through a lifetime of suffering, and you think a few words can make up for it?!”

“I do understand. That’s why I’m willing to make amends.”

“Make amends?”

“Yes. I’ll remove the Curse of Servitude placed on you. I’ll give you money, and if you want, I’ll even give you beautiful women. Wealth, honor, longevity… and beauties. Could a man ask for anything more?”

“Hah, hahahaha! You must be joking.”

Azadine placed his hand on his sword hilt. At the same time, his other hand flung a dagger. Almost simultaneously, he drew his sword and swung for Arael’s neck.

But Arael caught the airborne dagger mid-air—then used it to deflect Azadine’s sword.

—Clang!

Azadine’s sword was knocked clean from his grip and embedded itself deep into the ceiling beam.

The hilt, barely visible, trembled from the impact.

‘Impossible.’

Zebec and Shati, who knew Azadine’s immense strength, were stunned. Yet Arael, standing before his monstrous power, didn’t falter at all. Instead, she even smiled faintly.

“It’s been a long time. Shall we see just how much my little brother has grown?”

“Go ahead and see. But fair warning—watching won’t come cheap!”

“I’m looking forward to it. Ah, but I suppose I can’t use magic. You’re using the Kazas Grimoire, aren’t you?”

The Four of Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon stiffened in shock.

Arael’s power came from her extraordinary magic. And yet, was she really planning to fight him in close combat without using magic?

“I will take care of this. There is no need for you to dirty your hands, my lady,” Aleph of the Wind stepped forward.

But Arael shook her head.

“What’s so dirty about exchanging blows with my own brother? Stand back, all of you. Anyone who interferes will not be forgiven.”

“……”

For Azadine, this was his chance.

Arael was likely planning to defeat him using his own specialty and demonstrate her superiority.

‘She’s underestimating the Kazas Grimoire. Now’s my chance.’

Azadine and Arael faced each other.

Close-quarters combat among the Messenger Clan—seemingly simple, yet deadly even with bare hands.

Holding the dagger she had taken from Azadine, Arael confidently stepped forward.

In that instant, Azadine seized her dagger-wielding hand while flicking his quiver with the other. Arrows spilled out, and he grabbed one mid-air to stab at Arael.

But Arael easily deflected the arrows with a simple hand strike—then thrust her fingers at Azadine’s temple.

Stabbing the temple with a mere finger? It seemed laughable, but it was a lethal move. He couldn’t afford to let it land.

Their limbs clashed in midair, creating bursts of impact.

“?!”

“Impossible!”

Those watching were left in shock.

Azadine’s allies, knowing his monstrous strength, were stunned that Arael could withstand him so effortlessly despite her smaller frame. Meanwhile, Arael’s subordinates were alarmed that Azadine—who was believed to be powerless—was holding his own against her.

“Impressive! Truly the Kazas legacy!”

Arael acknowledged Azadine’s skill with admiration.

At that moment, the delicate balance of their battle shifted.

Arael attempted a piercing strike, but Azadine caught her wrist and forced her fingers to bend downward.

—Crack!

Arael’s index finger broke.

The moment she instinctively tried to pull back, Azadine’s arms coiled around hers like a viper and dislocated her wrist.

He had forcibly wrenched her wrist out of its socket with sheer strength.

“You’re nothing like you were ten years ago!”

More than the pain, Arael was astonished.

But Azadine wasn’t about to stop here.

The Four of Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon were warriors raised by the elders of the Messenger Clan. Each one was overwhelmingly powerful.

If he didn’t capture Arael now, he would have to fight all four of them.

‘At the very least, I need to take Arael hostage…’

But at that moment, Arael smiled.

“I’m delighted!”