In a vast, open valley where the land stretched endlessly beneath a pale sky, a man sat resting atop the massive corpse of a slain dragon.
The creature was enormous—its long body lay twisted across shattered earth, scales cracked and scorched, its jaw dislocated and frozen in a final, silent scream. A great sword was lodged deep into its skull, driven straight through bone and scale with overwhelming force.
Alex wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat there, breathing slowly. His long hair hung loosely behind him, slightly stained with blood and ash. His black eyes stared down at the dragon beneath his boots.
"Damn," he muttered, voice rough with exhaustion. "This fucker was really hard to kill."
Not far from him, a knight in crimson armor stood with his arms crossed. His armor bore countless scratches, proof of the fierce battle they had endured. Despite that, his posture was firm and disciplined.
"But you could have finished it off quickly if you weren't so distracted, Captain," the knight said calmly.
Alex snorted and let out a short laugh. "And where's the fun in that?" he replied jokingly, his tone light despite the destruction around them.
Before the knight could answer, the sound of flapping wings echoed through the valley. An eagle descended from the sky, circling once before landing smoothly on the knight's armored arm. The bird was clearly trained, its sharp eyes alert.
A small leather strap was tied to its back, holding a sealed message.
Thomas, the vice captain of the infamous Red Knight Squad of House Avernus, raised his arm slightly to steady the eagle.
He removed the message and glanced at the seal before turning toward Alex.
"Captain, this is for you," Thomas said, tossing the message over.
Alex caught it easily with one hand. He broke the seal and read the contents. For a moment, his expression remained unreadable.
Then suddenly, he burst into loud laughter, the sound echoing across the valley.
"Hahahaha!"
Thomas blinked, clearly confused. "Captain… is it good news?"
"Good news my ass!" Alex snapped between laughs. "Has my brother completely lost it?"
Thomas stiffened. "Captain, that's the Patriarch you're talking about."
Alex waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Apparently, he wants me to play babysitter for the youngest."
Thomas's eyes widened. "Babysitter?"
"The Patriarch wants me to take my youngest nephew as a student," Alex said, shaking his head.
"What?!" Thomas exclaimed.
"Exactly," Alex replied. "Isn't that just bullying?"
Thomas hesitated before speaking again. "But Captain… if the youngest didn't show extraordinary talent, the Patriarch would never make such a request."
Alex paused. His laughter faded, replaced by a thoughtful look. "Hmm… you think so?"
Thomas nodded seriously. "Think about it. Has the Patriarch ever asked something like this before? Not even for his older children."
Alex was silent for a few seconds.
Then he sighed. "You're right."
He stood up, gripping the hilt of his sword. With a sharp pull, he yanked it free from the dragon's skull. The massive body finally went still as Alex stepped down from it, boots hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"Prepare a horse for me," Alex said. "It's time to head back home."
Thomas stepped forward quickly. "Captain, we're not done here yet."
Alex walked past him without stopping. "Come on, Vice Captain. You're more than enough to finish up here."
Thomas sighed deeply. "You're the Captain. Why do you always dump things on me?"
Alex laughed loudly over his shoulder. "Because you're my vice captain. Be proud of it!"
Back at the main estate, Jude returned to his room and immediately flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Hey, Abaddon," Jude said lazily. "When's our next lesson?"
A shadow stirred, and Abaddon slowly emerged from Jude's shadow, his form shifting until he stood as a human. He stretched slightly before speaking.
"Not yet, kid. Perfect all my previous teachings first. You're still young. You've got all the time in the world to improve."
Jude sighed but listened.
"You should be more concerned about your upcoming training with your uncle," Abaddon continued.
Jude sat up straight. "Uncle Alex…"
He thought for a moment. "I don't really know anything about him except that he's an exceptional knight of the House."
Jude clenched his fists slightly. "I'll have to impress him on our first meeting."
Before Abaddon could reply, the door suddenly opened. Brenna stepped inside, carrying a tray of food. The moment she saw Abaddon standing there, her expression hardened.
She dropped the tray onto a nearby table and instantly reached for the two sabers at her waist.
"Who are you?" she shouted. "And how did you get in here?"
Abaddon froze. "I—I am—"
"Hey, kid!" Abaddon quickly said to Jude. "Tell her who I am!"
"Don't you dare threaten the young master!" Brenna snapped, drawing both sabers and lunging forward.
"Stop!" Jude shouted.
"Young master, he's an intruder!" Brenna insisted.
Jude frowned deeply and let out a long sigh. "It's not what you think."
He turned sharply toward Abaddon, eyes fierce. "Why weren't you able to sense her coming?"
Abaddon shrugged awkwardly. "Hey, don't blame me. I wasn't really paying attention."
Jude rubbed his temple. "The cat's out of the bag anyway."
He looked at Brenna seriously. "Brenna, I'm about to tell you something you absolutely cannot share with anyone. Okay?"
She slowly sheathed her sabers and bowed her head. "You can trust me, young master."
And Jude told her everything.
Her eyes widened with every word. "You're telling me… you were chosen as a contractor? And not just any god—the God of Shadow and Death? And this person is actually a mystical beast?"
Jude nodded.
"No one in House Avernus has ever been chosen by a god," Brenna said, her face lighting up. "This is great news, young master!"
"Yes," Jude replied softly. "It is."
"Thank you for trusting me," Brenna said sincerely. She walked toward Abaddon and bowed. "I'm sorry for my rude behavior earlier."
"No need for that," Abaddon replied casually. "Just bring some cupcakes and we'll call it even."