Selene walked up towards the man in grey, staring down at him with her piercing golden eyes.
The man kept his hands raised, not moving a muscle.
"Hmm."
Selene nodded, understanding flashing on her face.
Just as Cyril was getting confused, she waved her hand. A shockwave of blue light erupted.
He braced as the wave went through him but found himself unharmed.
Instead, the moans that had filled his hearing for a while now all suddenly stopped.
He looked around, finding every single thug unconscious.
"There is no need to deal with the aftermath, let's go."
Selene casually called out and began walking away.
Cyril sent one last look at the man in grey and followed after her.
"Tigris, you can come out." He said on the way towards the shadow under him.
The shadow suddenly moved, and a white tiger cub rolled out from it, his blue eyes shaking around.
"He got tired! Poor Tigris."
Cyril quickly grabbed the cub and put him on his shoulder, where Morpho twitched her antennae at him.
As the insect began proudly sharing her experiences, Cyril walked alongside Selene.
"Was there something special with that man?"
"That was someone from the Kingdom. Most likely a spy." Replied Selene without hiding anything.
Spy from the Kingdom?
"How could you tell?"
"He used Spirit Arts. He tried to be subtle about it, but it couldn't escape my eyes."
Cyril frowned, contemplating for a moment.
Spirit Arts? I didn't notice… Not that I ever saw them with my own eyes...
Myra told me about the spies being a problem in the future. Is that already happening?
"I feel spies are a common thing. They existed in the past, and they will in the future. That's just how two countries talk to each other."
Maybe...
His contemplation was brought short by Selene's serene voice.
"But that's not important right now. I would like to know, what did you think of this encounter?"
Her golden eyes pierced him through, expecting something.
"...Your technique is truly an impressive ability. If it were to become commonplace, the world would change completely." He cautiously said.
Selene shook her head, her eyes moving away from him.
"I wasn't asking for your flattery. What do you think of the people you fought?"
"..."
Cyril patted Tigris on his shoulder, his voice calm but somewhat dismissive.
"They were common thugs. They knew a few spells, but in the end, that's that."
Selene went silent for a moment.
They were the only ones walking through the park. The evening breeze was already somewhat chilly, but none of them seemed bothered by the fact.
"Then I must let you know that if it were not for my presence, you would've died today."
If before her voice was the stillness of a lake, then now it was the coldness of the moon reflected in it.
For the first time in a long time, goosebumps appeared on Cyril's body.
"Hey, I didn't do that!"
"How so? Because of the spy?" Cyril replied quickly, a frown on his face.
"Precisely. He would've struck you when you least expected it, right in your heart, and he will confirm the kill. The arrogant and careless do not survive a spy's training."
"..."
As they walked, she looked at him with her golden eyes.
"To me, you and that young man without any hair are the same."
What?
"What!?"
He almost froze in his footsteps but recovered in time.
"I can't say I understand your meaning."
"I am talking about your attitudes. Both of you went headfirst into a fight, eager to feed your own vanity."
"The only difference between you is your starting point and your talent..."
"I don't know. Those are pretty big differences."
"...But if you continue to behave as you do now, you will end up the same."
Cyril opened his mouth, then closed it again, speechless.
He turned his head away, staring ahead.
She is angry at me for sharing her technique...
"That same vanity is what led you to dismissing the gravitas of a master-disciple relationship."
"The way you gave away my technique? If it was anyone else's spell, they would've tortured you for information on who you taught it to, then killed you and that person in the most violent way."
"Definitely!"
Selene's golden eyes continued to stare at him.
"I am curious to meet your parents. How could they've not imparted basic humility and respect onto you?"
"…"
...Unfortunately, I was raised by a literal demon.
As they approached the rusty gates of the park, her golden gaze never left him. Though the coldness within receded.
Cyril sighed, having been silent for most of the way, and looked at her.
"I understand-"
"Hopefully."
"...Yes. So, what about the person I taught the technique to?"
Selene's golden eyes narrowed a little more, and she finally looked away from him.
"Since you already did it... It's that girl you were with, right?"
He silently nodded.
"Of course it is. Then get her to meet me. Tomorrow, perhaps."
"Tomorrow would be a bad time." Replied Cyril as he avoided her gaze that again landed on him.
"...Fine. Then just call me when you feel ready. If in a week's time you don't, then I'll come to you myself.
They walked out of the park, and Selene halted. Her golden eyes seemed unchanged, yet to Cyril they somehow appeared more tired now.
"Keep up your work with the technique. Attitude aside, you are making good progress."
"...And you will be paying the price for your mistake at a later date."
Selene turned around and began walking away, down some dilapidated streets.
Her steps were unhurried and small, yet somehow they covered great distance. With an elegant gait, her figure quickly disappeared from his sight.
He and his creatures were the only ones left in front of the rusty gate of the abandoned park.
Morpho on his shoulder finally fluttered her wings, stretching a bit. Throughout the whole walk she refused to move a single leg of hers, frozen by Selene's cold voice.
Cyril gently brushed her wing and looked at Tigris, who fell asleep some time ago, blissfully ignorant.
Then, Cyril glanced at the sky that was slowly darkening, sighed, and began walking towards the manarail station.
I feel I've mellowed out a bit in the past month and a half... I don't feel that arrogant.
"Of course! She was just bitter about her technique. You are perfectly fine as is!"
"How dare she compare you to some common thug on the street!"
Rhamn clenched her teeth with her fangs showing.
"We are beyond any human!"
Cyril stared at her posture, and his doubts grew. Her bright red eyes shone with unwillingness, her head was raised towards the sky, and her face was twisted in contempt.
Even though she remained the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, in this moment, she suddenly seemed almost unsightly.
Selene is right...
Rhamn froze.
All hate leaving at this moment, her mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"I just..." She contemplated what to say, finding nothing.
"Whatever. Let's go home."
Rhamn crossed her arms, a pout on her face, and disappeared.
Cyril continued walking.
Morpho on his shoulder returned to her cautious silence. If she could sweat, no doubt a bead would roll down her insect head at this moment.
He gently brushed her wings.
"Don't worry about it."
He walked through the worn-down district, observing its state with a lot on his mind.
In a short while he reached another street, where finally he saw other humans.
Now in the evening there were many more people here, their faces numb, as they hurriedly walked down the streets.
Some crier stood near the alley, yelling to a group of people gathered in front of him.
"The Empire is corrupting the world! Aren't you tired of the nobles doing as they please? Getting richer as we suffer in the slums?"
Cyril looked at the gathering as he passed, then shook his head, trying to avoid listening to it.
A few people within noticed him and began whispering among themselves, pointing at him from time to time.
"…"
As he walked further, more people noticed him.
Soon a group of humans, some years younger, walked up to him together, their faces bearing mockery.
"Hey, young master. Going somewhere?"
"Look at that, he is a whole zoo!"
"Ever been in a real fight?"
Not now...
Their loud voices seemed to scratch at his patience.
Why are they so brave? Or foolish.
He silently continued walking, his frustrations growing further. Only Morpho on his shoulder looked at them warily, eager to fly out at any moment.
Not knowing that, the group followed after him, surrounding him at the sides.
"Ha! Look at him, scared of some commoners?"
"I've heard you are all good with spells, is that true?"
"Hey, show us a trick."
One of them reached his arm forward, trying to touch him.
That's it.
Cyril halted and shot his arm forward.
"...!"
His hand stopped just short of the throat of a kid closest to him.
That kid blinked twice, looking at the arm in front of him in silence.
After a slight delay, Cyril turned his hand over, palm up.
A magic circle appeared on it. With minimal delay, from the circle a small pillar of fire rose into the sky, lighting up the street for a moment.
It passed just near the kid's chin, yet didn't burn him.
"Wow!"
The kids immediately ran away.
The group's eyes changed from mischievous to awed and a bit fearful.
"Tch."
Cyril turned around and quickly walked away.
I almost...
Well, I didn't.
"Hey, can you do tha-"
The kids were about to follow after him when someone interfered.
"What's wrong with you!?"
Some middle-aged woman, breathing heavily from running, grabbed one of them by the shoulders, holding him in place. The rest stopped with panicked looks on their faces.
"Don't make me worry like that again! If that noble had a worse temper, you would've been gone!"
"...Sorry." Apologized one of the kids
He stared at the ground. On his face was the guilty look of a child before their parent.
Cyril walked away, towards the manarail station. His sharp hearing only picked up a portion of the concerned lecture that followed his departure.
The parent scolded. Through her voice it was obvious she was close to shedding tears. It was a strict voice filled with anger, yet it also seemed warm to him.
The child silently listened, only occasionally making desperate rebuttals without too much logic behind them.
For some reason his focus wouldn't leave their interaction, a thought involuntarily flashing in his mind.
Similar to Selene and me just now...
No, that can't be. I am no child.
Cyril shook his head, trying to get rid of the perplexing thought.
Somehow, after it entered his head, he felt a bizarre sense of warmth that he couldn't quite explain.
His footsteps became a bit lighter as he walked.
...Selene is a good person.
...
"…"
Rhamn tiredly sighed as they sat in the manarail. Only a little distance was left until they reached Ailanthus.
She pouted, looking out of the window at a city at night.
Soon, however, her pout turned into a smirk just as Morpho fluttered her wings.
The red butterfly flew in the air and hovered in front of Cyril, her insect eyes expecting something from him.
"Right." Cyril nodded with a subtle smile.
"I admit my loss. What is your wish?"
He stretched out his finger, and the butterfly landed on it, staring at him with her compound eyes.
At this moment Cyril could feel a profound sense of kinship, a desire for something specific.
I can't understand her...
He glanced a bit to the side, at Rhamn, who stood in front of him with a smug smile.
"She wants a sister, of course!"
"..."
Tigris snored on his shoulder, his tail gently swaying back and forth as Cyril processed the wish.
"You want... another sibling?"
Morpho eagerly nodded her insect head.
"I see..."
Why? There is Tigris already.
"Morpho says she needs a rival of sorts, someone as passionate about fighting as she, but Tigris is... well... not."
At this moment the mighty tiger's ear flapped as he rolled to get a more comfortable sleeping position.
I can see where she is coming from.
Can't I be a rival? She defeated me even today.
"I don't know. It's her words, not mine."
So, creating another creature, is it...
In his mind flashed images of the last two times, when something tore its way out of his body, or something rolled out of his chest, covered in blood.
A frown emerged on his face.
Cyril contemplated for a moment, but when he noticed the insect's eyes turn somewhat reluctant, he quickly nodded.
"Of course, I'll honor my promise."
The butterfly immediately cheered up, flew up, and made a loop in the air.
Then, she landed on his shoulder and gently tapped his head with her legs.
Cyril calmly accepted her profound feelings of gratitude, as any misgivings about the idea slowly melted, at least for now.
He looked out of the window, observing the grey city around him.
Despite the dreary view, for a reason he couldn't understand, he felt optimistic.