Ch.8685. Raid (1)

# 85. Ambush (1)

“When are you coming out already?”

The sender of that text was Aelin.

And just as I checked that message, another one arrived.

“Oh, he’s out now.”

I let out a dry laugh and asked her, who, like me, was chatting with someone on her phone.

“Don’t tell me it’s Riel?”

“Yes, it is…”

These people apparently hadn’t gotten tired of following us around like last time.

I looked around, trying to spot them watching us from somewhere.

Then another text arrived on my phone.

“Are you looking for us? You probably won’t find us.”

Irritated by this message, I impulsively activated [Mortal’s End].

“Woong!”

As I activated [Mortal’s End], a formidable pressure filled the space, and I intensified the intimidating aura even more.

Then…

“Thud!”

With the sound of someone falling, a blonde girl revealed herself about 5 meters away.

The girl approached me, fuming with anger.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!! You scared me!!!”

“You’re really shameless…”

I confirmed the presence of the shameless-looking Aelin and Riel, who was approaching us with a resigned expression, and deactivated [Mortal’s End].

“What if someone else had been around?!”

“I did it because no one was around. Besides, that thing… you’re using it quite effectively, huh?”

It seemed Riel and Aelin had been using the ‘Trickster’s Cloak’ to hide themselves while watching our date.

“That’s a crime, you know.”

“Anyway, what were you doing in there that took so long?”

“I guess you didn’t follow us inside?”

“We’ve just been watching from a distance the whole time, so I don’t know.”

That was somewhat fortunate.

It would have been quite embarrassing if they had heard our conversation, but thankfully they hadn’t.

As I was sighing with relief, Aelin asked me:

“Were you planning to stay that long? It’s past dinner time already.”

She answered that question for me.

“That wasn’t the plan, but we ended up running late.”

“What exactly were you doing to be so late, Your Highness? Don’t tell me you’ve already progressed that far…”

“It’s not like that!”

“Your denial makes it even more suspicious.”

I couldn’t help but laugh seeing Riel seriously interrogating her.

Flustered by Riel’s continued questioning, she turned to me for help.

“Albert, say something… she’s not listening to me at all…”

“Well… I don’t really mind?”

“What?? What do you mean…”

“Even your boyfriend acknowledges it! I think there’s no room for excuses, Your Highness. What do you think?”

She was giving me a resentful look, which I deliberately avoided as I addressed the girls who were chatting amicably.

“It’s getting late, so shall we head back to the dormitory?”

Hearing that, an excited Aelin asked me:

“So we’re having dinner together at the dorm tonight?”

“I guess we should…”

“Then I’ll cook…”

I detected those words that should never be spoken and preemptively blocked them.

“Riel is good at cooking, right? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to her?”

“I’m… good at cooking too…”

When I glared at her fiercely, Aelin became dejected and muttered quietly.

“I’m good at cooking too.”

I deliberately ignored her words and followed the girls who were heading to the dormitory.

‘Her cooking…’

In my previous life, around this time, Aelin had cooked for me once.

And the moment I tasted that food, I developed an unforgettable trauma.

From then on, I unconsciously started avoiding Aelin’s cooking.

‘I heard she got better after getting married…’

But because of the trauma from that memory, I couldn’t easily trust Aelin’s cooking despite hearing such things.

Still, seeing her like this made me feel like I’d been too harsh.

I said to Aelin, who was looking at me dejectedly:

“You can cook for me… later.”

“R-really…?”

“But it has to be really delicious, okay?”

“Of course! Who do you think I am!”

She seemed to have recovered a bit after hearing that.

But I had an uneasy feeling that she would actually make food for me someday.

‘Well… I probably won’t die from it…’

I was a bit dissatisfied with the current situation where I had to debate life and death because of food, but I couldn’t take away hope from someone who was so happy about it.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Ah… I’m just so happy…”

“No, really, I’m good at cooking!”

“Yes… I’m sure you are.”

Albert and Aelin continued their somewhat friendly conversation as they walked together toward their academy.

The scene looked incredibly peaceful.

However, those watching this scene from afar did not view it favorably.

***

Two women in black robes were spying on them from the very top of the clock tower.

“I really… don’t like this.”

Lilith had originally thought about siding with humans, impressed by the boy’s spirit, but seeing this scene made her think differently.

To Lilith’s eyes, Albert seemed unaware of the precarious situation they were in.

“How can he…”

“Sister, are we sure we can trust him?”

“I wonder… he seemed so reliable last time…”

His demeanor had been impressive—continuing to speak without fear despite the overwhelming difference in power.

But his current appearance looked like someone who had grown complacent in peace and neglected training.

Originally, they had planned to inform him that the kingdom’s army would invade the Imperial Academy using teleportation portals two months later, and help him prepare accordingly, but…

“Let’s change the plan a bit.”

Lilith was quite suspicious by nature and not someone who easily trusted others.

“How?”

“We’ll give him a little test.”

“You mean… just leave him be?”

Hearing those words, Lilith nodded and explained her slightly modified plan.

“It’s a good opportunity to test whether that kid is truly trustworthy, isn’t it?”

“That seems a bit harsh for a 17-year-old…”

“If he can’t overcome even this small trial, killing Bael would be impossible from the start.”

Lilith’s words made perfect sense.

Bael was that high of an existence.

“But this time, even without you, three Executioners are participating… isn’t that too cruel a trial?”

“If he has what it takes to kill Bael, he should be able to handle it well enough.”

“That’s true.”

Lilith looked at Albert with a mysterious smile, her eyes like those of a scientist observing a lab rat.

She watched him enter the dormitory building, oblivious to everything.

“But he doesn’t look that impressive. I was expecting someone extraordinary from the way you talked about him…”

“I thought the same at first. His level isn’t that high, and while his magical power is high for a human, it’s just that… but there was something inexplicable about him.”

For some reason, he gave off the impression of a veteran who had been through everything.

That composure and confidence made it impossible to dismiss him.

“You’ll understand when you see him yourself. Oh, and this surprised me—he wasn’t affected by my [Charm].”

“What? You’re joking, right? What 17-year-old in this world could resist a succubus of your caliber’s [Charm]? That’s quite an exaggeration…”

However, Lilith’s words were the pure truth without a hint of exaggeration.

“It’s true, I’m not lying.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“I was surprised too…”

“Maybe he’s not actually a man?”

“I seriously wondered about that…”

As ridiculous as it sounded, the fact that Albert had resisted Lilith’s [Charm] made this possibility worth serious consideration.

“Anyway! He’s an extraordinary human for a 17-year-old.”

“You seem to trust him a lot?”

“It’s not like that…”

Hearing her subordinate’s words, she recalled what he had said that day.

“I, like you, want to live in and create a world where demons and humans coexist.”

It was particularly memorable because such words couldn’t come from just anyone, and it was the first time she’d heard them from a human.

And the phrase “like you” also stuck with her.

‘How does he know such information…?’

While he might know that the mask was a symbol of the Executioners, the fact that Lilith wanted a world of coexistence with humans was something no one could know without hearing it directly from her.

‘Can he see the future? Read minds? Or time travel?’

He made her think about many possibilities.

While Lilith was suspicious of him, she also looked forward to seeing how he would perform in the upcoming operation.

She was curious about what significant things he could accomplish even in his current young and weak state.

“This should be interesting.”

With those words, Lilith carefully installed the teleportation portal needed for the operation at their current location.

Then she ordered her subordinate:

“Cast [Invisibility] here.”