Chapter 87: Heading back Home!
Albedo’s brow twitched slightly, though his expression stayed cool as he questioned, "Exchange program?"
Lilian’s crimson eyes lit up in delight, clearly savoring the opportunity to be the one bringing news he didn’t know, "Mhm~ In just a few months, Zephyr Academy will be sending a select group of first-years to the Demon Kingdom for an official visit. Just a small group, ’cultural exchange,’ they’re calling it."
Her voice held a mischievous cadence, like she was dangling bait. "The faculty are already finalizing the list. Can you guess whose name is already at the top?"
"Mine, I’m assuming," Albedo said flatly, not taking the bait.
"Mhm~" Lilian confirmed, grinning, "And lucky for you, you’ll be visiting our home turf. The capital, the markets, the training halls, the Beast Arenas, oh, I cannot wait to see you there. You’ll love it."
Her enthusiasm was genuine, but there was an undercurrent, a certain slyness that made it clear she was already plotting something and Albedo didn’t wanna be a victim of whatever dumb playful plot she had cooked up.
Celeste, meanwhile, had crossed her arms, her spaded tail swaying slowly. She didn’t bother with the theatrics, "By the time that program starts," she said evenly, "I won’t be losing to you again."
Albedo arched a brow at her confidence, "Again?"
Her amber-gold gaze didn’t waver, "That battle was nothing but a temporary measure of strength. I’ll be training hard. By the time we meet at the exchange, I’ll prove it."
"You’re welcome to try," he said, his tone somewhere between amused and challenging.
Lilian laughed lightly, looping her arm through Celeste’s despite the Demon Princess’s mild frown at the gesture.
"Don’t worry, Albedo. I’ll be there too. You won’t get bored. Besides, " she leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice just enough to make it feel conspiratorial,
"There’s no rule saying we can’t spar during an official visit. And you know how we Demons love to test our guests."
"Sounds more like an ambush," Albedo replied, starting to walk again toward Nocturna’s outskirts.
They followed, the four of them and Ember, with Seraphyne silently gliding along at his back like a living shadow. The Duchess’s crimson eyes lingered on Celeste and Lilian, especially Lilian as she was a Vampire just like her.
Albedo though was still thinking about the Exchange Program as they walked. While an Exchange Program did happen in the Novel, the difference was Lucian and the others went to the Elven Academy instead of the Demon one.
There, Lucian had learned multiple skills and techniques that would become key to his future, but now the entire timeline would be changed.
Albedo wondered how lady luck would shine down onto Lucian to make sure he remained on the same power level as the original timeline.
As he was thinking this, the group reached towards the edge of the forest, the walls of Nocturna appearing clearly through the gaps now.
"So..." Lilian continued, "what exactly were you doing out here, Albedo? This forest isn’t exactly on the tourist maps."
"Business," he said simply.
"Mysterious," she teased, "You went all the way from the Catacombs to here, I’m impressed, and you managed to pick up this mystery lady along the way,"
"Noted," Albedo replied, filing the information away without letting his tone betray interest.
Seraphyne, who had been silent the entire walk, finally spoke, her French-laced voice silky and almost too casual. "I must say, your ’friends’ are rather spirited, mon maître. One is bold enough to challenge you, the other too curious for her own good. Both have claws. How delightful."
Lilian’s attention snapped to her, "You talk like you’ve known him forever."
"In a sense," Seraphyne said, a faint smile touching her lips as she teased Lilian, "But perhaps I will leave the stories for another day. I would not wish to ruin the surprise of our next meeting."
Lilian tilted her head, clearly intrigued, but Celeste’s tail flicked once in mild irritation, her gaze locked on Albedo. "We’ll see you at the exchange," she said finally, her voice low but brimming with conviction.
Lilian smirked. "And when we do... try not to hold back too much. Wouldn’t want to insult our hospitality."
They parted ways at the forest’s edge, the Demon duo heading toward the city gates while Albedo, Ember, and Seraphyne turned away toward a less crowded path.
As the two women disappeared into the distance, Seraphyne’s smirk deepened. "So, mon maître... are they prey, rivals, or something far more... entertaining?"
Albedo didn’t answer right away. His eyes followed the receding figures until they vanished beyond the trees, "I suppose we’ll find out soon enough."
Seraphyne was the first to break the silence, her voice low and velvety. "If we are done lingering in these borderlands, mon maître... I have a quicker route to your Empire."
Albedo glanced at her,"Quicker than the standard path?"
Her crimson eyes glinted with amusement, "Quicker than anything. And infinitely more... private."
She stopped abruptly, one pale hand lifting in a languid gesture, "Stand close. You too, jolie jument."
Ember’s ears flicked at the sound of her voice but obeyed, stepping up beside Albedo and waiting for whatever Seraphyne had planned to do.
Suddenly, the Noble Vampire snapped her fingers, and the air in front of them ripped apart with a whispering sound, as though reality itself had been sliced open.
Shadows bled outward, stretching into a vertical gash of dark-red light. Cold, ancient mana poured from it, carrying with it the faint scent of old stone and dust.
Without hesitation, Seraphyne stepped through and beckoned for the duo to do the same. Albedo didn’t hesitate much and followed, Ember’s hooves ringing softly against the unseen threshold as they crossed into another place.
The air shifted instantly, heavier, colder, and humming faintly with dormant power.
"Where is this?" Albedo said looking around, finding himself standing in the middle of an enormous, dusty hallway.
Shattered chandeliers hung above, their crystal pieces scattered across a marble floor dulled by a lengthy period of neglect.
Tall, arched windows were shrouded by tattered velvet curtains that swayed faintly, though no wind stirred.
A vast staircase rose ahead, its railing carved into twisting patterns of roses and thorns. The moonlight spilling through the cracks in the ceiling painted everything in silver and shadow.
"This was mine," Seraphyne said simply, gliding forward like she belonged here. Her fingers brushed over the carved railing in an absent caress. "One of many castles... though this one I cut away from the world before I sealed myself. No one enters here without my leave."
Her words weren’t boastful, they were matter-of-fact, the way one might speak of a treasured possession.
Albedo’s gaze swept the room while Seraphyne moved to the center of the hall, heels clicking lightly against the marble. She crouched, pulling away an ancient rug that revealed a faintly glowing pattern inscribed into the stone.
The sigil was intricate, a geometric array of crimson lines and pale gold runes, all perfectly preserved despite the decay around it. The mana thrumming within was cold and sharp, unlike the warmth of most teleportation arrays.
"I tied this one directly to Pantheon," she said, her tone carrying a trace of pride. "Back then, I had... reasons to visit your Empire swiftly." Her eyes flicked to him, a hint of a smile playing at her lips, "Some of them were not entirely diplomatic."
Albedo didn’t ask and just nodded, watching as she pressed her palm against the center rune. The sigil flared to life, shadows warping along the walls as the air tightened.
"Stay within the circle," Seraphyne instructed. "The magic will tear apart anything caught halfway."
In the blink of an eye, the sigil’s glow surged, and the world dropped.
They reappeared within a secluded chamber somewhere deep in Pantheon, the scent of aged parchment and cold stone replacing the castle’s lifeless air. The transition was seamless; Seraphyne clearly had crafted her work well.
"Convenient," Albedo murmured.
She arched a brow, "I am nothing if not... efficient."
From there, the walk to his villa was short. Seraphyne’s presence drew lingering glances from anyone they passed, not out of recognition, but instinctive wariness. She carried herself like an apex predator wrapped in silk.
When they reached the villa’s wrought-iron gates, Ember huffed softly, relief flickering in her pale flames.
Inside, the familiar quiet of home settled around Albedo. Footsteps sounded from within, quick, light ones.
Gwen’s emerald eyes appeared first, widening in surprise. "Albedo! You’re back!" She nearly launched herself toward him before her gaze caught on Seraphyne, and she froze.
Behind her, Diona peeked out from the hallway, her brown hair loose around her shoulders, clutching a book to her chest. The younger girl’s cautious curiosity was obvious.
"Gwen. Diona," Albedo said evenly, stepping aside so the two could see Ember and Seraphyne clearly. "This is Seraphyne. She’ll be staying here for now, and protecting the two of you,"
Seraphyne’s crimson eyes softened almost imperceptibly as she took in Gwen, though her smile retained its predatory curl. She inclined her head slightly, her voice smooth as velvet.
"Bonsoir, petites. It seems I have much to learn about my new... household."
Gwen looked between them, still wary. Diona, however, whispered just loud enough for Albedo to hear, "She’s scary."
Seraphyne’s smirk only deepened.