My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 856 - 857: High And Gone

Evangeline let out a weary sigh, her head beginning to throb. Technically, she was the elder of the two, having been born a few months before Damon. Had their childhoods been shared, the burden of being the responsible role model would likely have fallen on her shoulders.

Their grandfather would have undoubtedly tasked her with keeping Damon out of trouble.

However, the issue wasn't preventing Damon from finding trouble; the reality was that Damon was the trouble.

’The goddess must have shown me mercy,’ she mused with a sense of despair while observing his expression.

His temperament was incredibly volatile. He could shift from being a cold, pragmatic individual to a chaotic and mischievous one in the blink of an eye.

She wasn't sure which version of him she preferred, though she suspected his behavior was a psychological shield developed to navigate social interactions. He had been exceptionally distant and paranoid when they first met. Those traits remained, but now he accompanied his more twisted actions with an almost playful demeanor.

’At least he seems happy... or he’s becoming very skilled at faking it.’

It didn't seem to her that Damon ever experienced genuine happiness, and if he did, it was fleeting. His joy was always short-lived and momentary.

With a glare, he crossed his arms defiantly.

"Wow... have you no shame? A room with ventilation... in the middle of a desert... while we were all struggling just to survive, you’ve been lounging here like royalty," Damon remarked with a mocking sneer.

Xander completely ignored the jab, turning his attention to the woman standing beside him.

"Right. Evangeline, Leona, I assume you are both acquainted with Lady Highgon."

He indicated the lady at his side—a striking woman whom Damon recognized instantly. She served as the student council president for the Capital’s renowned Royal Academy. While it didn't quite reach the prestige of Aether Academy, it remained a highly competitive institution.

She offered a polite nod in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to encounter you once more, Lady Brightwater and Lady Val—"

"Just Leona is fine," Leona interrupted, though her tone lacked any malice.

Evangeline nodded her head in agreement.

"Please, use my first name as well. Formalities aren't necessary in this place."

The lady nodded and then looked toward Damon.

"In that case, you may address me by my name too. It is a pleasure to meet you, Damon."

Damon raised his glass, seizing the opening.

"Not going to call me Lord Grey just because I’m a commoner, I see..."

Evangeline felt a strong urge to strike him. Hadn't they just collectively agreed to drop the titles?

"I apologize. I meant no slight toward the famous Damon Grey, the slayer of demons, the genius of Aether, and the Ascendant himself."

Damon cleared his throat. He suddenly recalled why he found Lady Highgon likable; she certainly knew how to flatter a man.

He shot a look toward Xander.

"Do you see this, Xander? You could learn a thing or two about manners from a true noblewoman."

He cleared his throat again.

"This is exactly why I always support maintaining peaceful ties between our two academies."

Emilia’s expression turned rigid as she struggled to comprehend how anyone could be so brazenly shameless.

"...You have physically thrashed more of our students than any other person from Aether Academy," she pointed out flatly.

Damon gave a satisfied nod.

"Ah, such wonderful memories. I’ve always been a man of the people; that’s why I’m so beloved."

"You broke their bones, sir," she countered with a wince.

"They were forged into better men through my instruction. But we’ve discussed my contributions to your school enough..."

Evangeline had never been more relieved that her connection to him remained a secret. At least this way, her embarrassment was kept private.

Xander let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

"Moving on... enough of that. Firstly, I am relieved you are all alive. Most of you girls, anyway... Damon is like a cockroach. I assumed he’d find a way to crawl out eventually."

Both Evangeline and Leona offered smiles.

"Yeah, it’s good to see you too. I didn't realize you were leading this group of mercenaries. Then again, I was dealing with my own problems. It couldn't have been simple to get the Black Tower to permit an outsider to form their own mercenary unit."

Xander sighed once more.

"Indeed, it was quite difficult. We are still being watched closely. However, finding a workaround for these brands was simple. This magic is primitive and outdated by our current standards. Anyone with even a surface-level knowledge of runes can discard it—though I kept mine to maintain my cover."

Damon looked at Emilia before shifting his gaze back to Xander.

"So, how long have the two of you been engaged?"

He gestured toward the rings on their fingers. It was a blunt, unexpected question, but Damon wasn't the type to wait for a polite opening.

As far as he could recall, Xander had always carried a torch for Evangeline. Personally, Damon didn't grasp the appeal of crushes or falling in love. Despite being constantly surrounded by stunning women, he avoided romantic entanglements.

Yet Xander had moved on before him.

Xander met Damon's stare. A familiar darkness flickered in his blue eyes, and his response caused Damon’s heart to heavy.

"The heir to my family is gone. As the remaining male heir, I am obligated to continue our bloodline. To that end... I was the one who made the proposal to Lady Highgon."

Damon’s gaze turned frigid. He wanted to retort, but he found himself silenced. Xander was only seventeen. While early marriage and fatherhood weren't rare in this world, the motive behind Xander’s choice was twisted.

Furthermore, it was partly Damon’s fault.

The two shared a hidden pact. To assist Xander in seeking vengeance for his brother—who had been slain by Amon—Xander had agreed to hand over his firstborn child to Damon until the child reached maturity.

Damon had proposed the deal originally hoping Xander would decline and abandon his futile hunt for revenge.

Instead, he had accepted.

The dark irony of this cruel joke was that Amon, the man who killed Xander’s brother, was actually Damon himself. He had taken that life as retribution for his own parents' deaths at the hands of Xander’s brother.

Beneath the surface, the cycle was tragically simple.

"Congratulations," Evangeline and Leona offered in unison.

Wendy remained silent, though she seemed to beam at the prospect of new life entering the world.

Damon let out a scoff.

"I see... and here I thought you’d be pining for our Eva for the rest of your life."

Someone had to shatter the pleasant atmosphere, and he took it upon himself to be that person.

Emilia arched her eyebrows, glancing at Evangeline, who wore a deep scowl.

Xander offered no reply.

Evangeline sighed, inhaled deeply, and then—using every bit of her strength—hurled Damon right through the window.

"Asshole," she snapped under her breath.

Xander let out a short scoff before breaking into laughter, effectively dispelling the lingering tension.