CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 614: Third Wheel

Once that was finished, Malrik abruptly asked, "Are you doing anything right now, I mean, do you have any urgent matters to deal with immediately?" A sudden recollection had just surfaced in his thoughts.

Asher raised an eyebrow while replying, "Not really, why do you ask?" His purple eyes locked onto Malrik’s blue ones, reflecting a serene and faintly intrigued expression.

"I want you to bring me to your battleground," Malrik answered casually, turning from the window and strolling back to the couch where he’d lounged for the last two days before Asher’s awakening, his steps leisurely and composed.

"What for?" Asher questioned, unable to predict what Malrik sought in that place, the demand catching him off guard.

'Is he planning to investigate?' Asher pondered inwardly, a subtle doubt stirring in his thoughts.

"Nothing much, just poking around. If I discover something, great; if not, things stay the same," Malrik responded with a nonchalant shrug, as if the result barely mattered to him.

Asher gave a nod and said, "I’ll return shortly; I need to take care of something first," before pivoting toward the door without delay.

"Where to?" Malrik inquired, puzzled by his younger brother’s abrupt departure.

"Knowing Lyra, she’s likely been waiting out here the entire past two days. I can’t just rush off without checking on her," Asher answered, his stride unbroken, voice laced with a subtle sense of duty.

Malrik grinned at Asher’s response, draping one leg over the other as he reclined a bit, "I’ve been right here too, parked on this couch for two days, and you didn’t check on me," he teased lightly.

At Malrik’s remark, Asher halted briefly, shook his head, and countered, "You’re a Crownstar Life Ranker; you could sit there a whole year and be totally fine," then swung the door open and exited before Malrik could toss another jab.

Asher entered the vast, stretching hallway, its familiar aura enveloping him. He hadn’t visited in some time, but everything remained unchanged. Virelass drifted alongside, hovering and humming a soft tune, her vibe airy and unburdened.

Asher then strode off in an arbitrary direction. Though unsure of Lyra’s location, he trusted she’d detect his presence and rush to him, just like always.

'And where’s Big Brother’s personal butler?' Asher wondered silently. Wargraves always had their maids or butlers close by, even in combat zones. Yet Malrik’s butler? He’d glimpsed the man only once, a year back during his own awakening, and since then, the guy might as well have disappeared. Shaking it off after a beat, Asher dismissed thoughts of the enigmatic elder.

A couple of minutes passed before a shadow flickered into view beside Asher, halting him. The figure bowed—it was Lyra. "You’re awake, Young Master," she said, her tone blending relief with poise.

Asher grinned and replied, "Good to see you again, Lyra. And I’ve told you a million times, quit bowing every time," shaking his head as he resumed his even-paced walk.

Lyra straightened from her bow and trailed Asher with quiet footfalls. True, he’d ordered her to stop, but ingrained habits from years of service weren’t about to vanish overnight.

A comfortable quiet hung between them as they proceeded, warm and familiar rather than strained, underpinned by mutual rapport. Lyra seemed eager for explanations about her Young Master’s dire condition, yet she restrained herself—maids didn’t pry into their masters’ affairs.

Even with Asher’s year of candidness toward her, shedding lifelong doctrines proved no easy feat; they were carved deep into her core.

Asher broke the silence first, anticipating her unvoiced queries. "I battled a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker to the death and came out on top," he declared coolly, nearly making Lyra’s eyes pop as she stumbled mid-step.

She reeled from the revelation. Her Young Master was a Wargrave, sure, but this? How formidable must he be to slay a Peak Wavestar Life Ranker?

Asher smirked at her astonishment—visible via Omni Perception despite not glancing her way. He’d foreseen that shock; his achievement was downright mad. Thus, he shared a concise rundown of the Star Academy mission with her, less detailed than with Malrik but fully candid.

Lyra absorbed it all, fists tightening progressively. Her Young Master had faced that inferno without her, barred by Star Academy regulations. She’d have to linger on the periphery for two more years.

It wasn’t just her—every Sun or Moon servant endured this during their Young Master’s Academy stint. Now it was her burden.

Still, a nagging doubt arose: even present, could she have impacted a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker? She’d have fallen in an instant. With the thousands of platinum coins from Asher and ample spare time, she’d advanced to Radiant Firmstar Life Rank.

One step from Wavestar, yet she knew breakthroughs weren’t straightforward. Was she fated to spectate her Young Master’s battles from afar forever?

What heights might her monstrous Young Master reach in three years? The notion churned relentlessly as she kept pace.

"Thanks for watching over me these last two days, Lyra," Asher said mid-stride, a soft smile gracing his face.

"No thanks needed, Young Master. I owe you and Miss Virelass gratitude—she trusted me enough to send you here instead of straight to the Star Academy," Lyra answered with a warm smile, matching his gait, her words polite and heartfelt.

Virelass merely hummed, looping around them like an exuberant kid... or more aptly, a third wheel just then, oblivious to the heavy exchange nearby.

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