The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 181: Chapter 178 — Regret

The pitch blackness shifted into a vast, brightly lit wasteland.

”Hm?” A wrinkled aged man with white beards stretching to his knees stared around in confusion. He had been heading straight toward Zephyrion’s mind when an overwhelming force suddenly dragged him here.

The aged man had seen his fair share of mindscapes during his lifetime and was certain none looked like this. No orbiting runes, no endless darkness. Just a barren wasteland.

Just... what in the world was going on?

”Sigh!”

The man froze at the sudden voice. A voice... here?

He spun around.

Seated at the edge of a cliff was a barely clothed man. His legs swung idly through the empty air like a child’s while a gloomy, deeply aggrieved expression rested on his face.

”That brat!” the man lamented. ”I was supposed to be the greatest genius in all the empires! Do you know what that means? Nobody compared themselves to me. Nobody! Generation after generation of Calderalths came and went, and still my legend stood tall. Not one of them could match me. Not one. Except... him.”

He buried his face in his palms.

”Is the heavens even fair? Seriously, is it? How do you look at something like that and decide, ’Yes, let’s put this in the world’? He’ll swallow us all whole. Haa...”

The aged man was speechless.

The fellow was clearly insane. He wore nothing but a loincloth, his entire body covered in thick hair like some half-grown beast, and was currently holding a one-sided conversation with the universe.

Yet that only made the aged man’s frown deepen. Was this some sort of manifestation of Zephyrion’s mind? He quickly dismissed the thought. Unless he had completely lost track of reality, such a thing should be impossible.

Which left only one explanation...

”Isn’t that right?”

The madman slowly turned and offered him a bitter look.

The aged man froze.

”The boy is terrifying, isn’t he? Though I suppose you’d know that better than anyone. You’re one of his latest victims, after all.” He sighed heavily. ”I swear, comprehending an art of that scale in seconds... what kind of nonsense is that? I thought the heavens gave me the premium package. I was supposed to be the genius! It’s genuinely unfair, isn’t it, old man?”

”...an inheritance...”

The aged man’s eyes quivered. It had taken him far longer than it should have to realize it, but this was an inheritance. And not just any inheritance. An inheritance powerful enough to drag him, Gorno Comp, a giant of his era, into its domain.

”Huh? Inheritance?” The madman snorted. ”Oh please. Don’t lump me in with those people.”

”I am Demorian Calderalth! A proud womanizer and the greatest genius to ever grace this world!”

His voice was overflowing with confidence right until the final sentence, then his face twitched. A look of profound suffering crossed it, as though he had suddenly remembered the existence of Zephyrion.

”Haa...”

He sighed before lazily gesturing around them.

”This... is my divine rod.”

”D-Demorian C-Calderalth...”

The aged man was petrified. It felt as though he were staring at a ghost. Who didn’t know the monster genius of Calderalth? The man had lived centuries before even his own time.

”Oh?” Demorian blinked before a grin spread across his face. ”You know me?”

”Good, good!” His eyes visibly brightened. ”My genius is still remembered! Haha! Excellent. That’s what I like to hear. Excellent.”

Demorian chuckled happily before rising to his feet.

”You know... I somehow like you.”

He studied the old man for a moment, then he sighed.

”If only you hadn’t messed with my protégé... we could’ve been friends. You seem like the sort of man capable of appreciating true greatness when you see it.”

”You... how are you here? You’re with that child? How is—”

”Shhhh.”

Demorian raised a finger to his lips and offered a gentle smile.

”You don’t need to worry, old man. I’ll be gentle. Honestly, you probably won’t even notice it.”

The warmth in his tone made the aged man feel like a newly incarcerated prisoner being told to relax. His stomach dropped.

Demorian Calderalth. Fragment or not... This... This was far beyond him. He had to escape.

Demorian took a step forward, the world seemed to rumble alongside it. The aged man immediately tried to retreat, only to discover he couldn’t move so much as a finger.

His face went pale. The aged man suddenly felt a profound sense of regret. He had made a terrible mistake.

The next moment, blinding white swallowed his vision.

...

In the real world, Kaelith recoiled in pain. Clutching his chest, the veins along his temples bulged violently as though a battle were raging inside his head.

He staggered back several steps, dragging in ragged breaths. Only after a long moment did he finally seem to settle.

’S-student, r-run! Get away from that monster right now!’

Kaelith froze.

”Are you alright?”

He flinched and looked up to find Zephyrion staring at him with concern.

”A-ah, y-yes... I-I’m perfectly fine, haha.” He hurriedly straightened himself, forcing out a stiff laugh. ”I-it was very n-nice meeting you. R-really nice. B-but I should probably get g-going now.”

”Hm, are you sure? You don’t look very well. Maybe I should take you to get checked.”

’NO!’

Kaelith nearly jumped at the booming sound of the aged man.

”N-no, th-there’s absolutely no need for that!” He said hurriedly before immediately turning away. Unfortunately, not nearly fast enough for the old man.

’Faster!’

’I’m trying!’

Kaelith’s pace increased.

Zephyrion watched the boy disappear into the distance with a trace of concern. Then he turned back toward the horizon, his usual indifferent expression returning.

Lumi was staring at him curiously, but his attention was elsewhere.

’Did you get it?’

’Of course I got it. Was there ever any doubt?’

Zephyrion smiled. He was glad he could trust such important tasks to the ancestor, regardless of his obvious insanity.

A moment later, he asked;

’And you did as I asked?’

’Yes, yes.’ Demorian sighed, sounding oddly mournful. ’I wiped his memory of our encounter. The poor fool won’t remember my great, magnificent, devastatingly handsome self, but he’ll remember the fear. Tragic, really. A terrible loss for him. Still, you shouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.’