The door creaked open again, and Alectra slipped back inside, a hopeless smile on her face. She crossed the room, arms swinging at her side, stopped at the foot of my bed, and said,
"I made arrangements. My boyfriend's sister agreed to train you. She's strong, probably the strongest ascendant in the Empire. If anyone can help you control your powers, it's her."
For a moment, my brain didn't register the important part. Training and strong, yeah, all good. Then my mind screeched to a halt.
"…Wait." I slowly sat up straighter, blinking at her like I'd misheard. "You're what's sister?"
"My boyfriend's," she repeated, perfectly calm, as though she hadn't just dropped a divine calamity on my shoulders.
"Boyfriend?!" I all but shouted. "You have a boyfriend? Since when?!"
Alectra blinked, tilting her head in faint confusion. "…Since months ago?"
"Months?!" My voice cracked. "And you didn't think this was worth telling me?! Do you even know what boyfriends are? They're parasites! They latch onto beautiful women, and no, no, this won't do. Who the hell is he?!"
Her lips twitched, that teasing smile of hers creeping across her face. "Oh? So my little star has time to worry about my love life now?"
"This isn't worry," I snapped, jabbing a finger toward her. "This is life-or-death! What does he look like? How old is he? What family is he from? Does he have money? No, scratch that, doesn't matter. I'll kill him anyway."
{Oh, this is priceless.} Bastard's voice chuckled in the back of my skull, his smug tone practically vibrating with joy. {You're more worked up about her love life than the fact that you were burned alive and dumped into a death game.}
"Shut it, Bastard!" I barked out loud, making Alectra's brow arch.
"…Bastard?" she repeated.
I coughed, waving a hand as if I hadn't just confessed to hearing voices. "Ahem, never mind that, I mean, just tell me who this bastard is. I need to know what kind of guy thinks he's worthy of you."
Her eyes hardened just a little, the warmth in them dimming. "Sebastian, I know this might have been sudden, but don't slander him baselessly."
"O-Oh." For a second, my voice faltered. "Sorry, but I have to make sure no one unworthy touches you."
"Oh my," she murmured, the teasing edge back in her voice. "Does this mean you don't trust my judgment?"
I froze, mouth opening and closing. "…W-well, I didn't say that exactly—"
She leaned in, voice lowering into a sly whisper. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"Jealous?!" I sputtered, heat rushing to my face. "I am not jealous! I just don't want some random asshole—"
"—stealing your precious sister away?" she finished smoothly, smiling like she just won the lottery.
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "I hate this. I hate all of this."
{Correction: you love it.} Bastard purred in my head.
{Otherwise, you wouldn't be throwing a tantrum worthy of a toddler losing his toy.}
"Die," I muttered under my breath.
"Sebastian?" Alectra tilted her head innocently, as though she hadn't just pushed me to the brink. "You don't need to worry so much. He's… special. And he makes me happy."
That last word stabbed through my chest like a dagger. Happy. I wanted her to be happy. But I also wanted to put a shoe up this mystery bastard's ass.
"…Fine," I muttered at last, narrowing my eyes. "But I'm watching him. One wrong move, and he's gone."
I grumbled under my breath for a while longer, still glaring at her like I could burn this invisible boyfriend out of existence with sheer willpower. But eventually I exhaled, forcing myself back to the point. Training. Focus, Sebastian, you can't afford to get distracted, not now.
"Fine," I muttered at last, rubbing my face with both hands. "We'll come back to your… romantic decisions later. For now, let's talk about this sister of yours. Who is she? And if you're calling her the strongest, then just how strong are we talking?"
Alectra's expression shifted instantly. The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by something heavier, more serious, almost reverent.
"Belle Ardent."
The name alone made my chest tighten. My heart skipped, my whole body going rigid as if the air itself had turned to ice around me.
Belle Ardent.
The strongest human alive. The only human to have survived the demon king's wrath, someone a full major rank above her. The reaper of death. The last wall of humanity.
The only documented person with the Death affinity.
I remembered the passage in the novel where she first appeared, how nations trembled at her presence, how the Demon King begrudgingly acknowledged her strength. Belle Ardent wasn't a person. She was inevitably.
And now Alectra was telling me she was going to be my trainer?
My lips curled into a smirk, not a smile. "So that's who you're calling? Belle Ardent, the Reaper of Death herself?" I let the words roll off my tongue like they were meant for me alone. "Fitting, really. Who else but death's own shadow would be worthy to train me?"
"…Tell me something, Alectra. That rumor about her, is it true? Did she really kill that noble who got a little too close to her?"
Alectra blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in tone, before a tiny smile tugged at her lips.
"So you've heard that one too, huh? Honestly, I don't know if it's true… but knowing Belle?" She shrugged, her golden eyes glinting. "I wouldn't put it past her."
I let out a dry laugh. "Great. So not only is my new trainer the strongest human alive, but she's also got a reputation for murdering nobles. Looks like she's amazing."
{Oh, wonderful,} Bastard's smug voice echoed in my head. {I'm sure you'll get along just fine. After all, she loves death, and you're practically begging for it. A match made in heaven.}
I ignored him like always.
Still, a question was gnawing at the back of my mind, "Sis, who the hell is your boyfriend?"
Alectra turned to look at me, a smile on her face.