Hmm, what's taking that idiot so long? I wondered as I tapped my finger on my throne. I started looking around to kill some time, thinking to myself, The headquarters is as beautiful as ever. It could probably rival a smaller nation's castle in size and elegance. It went to show how kind the Goddess and her Emperor had been to me. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It's perfect for one such as me, I thought to myself with a smile.

  Just then, the Sage I'd been waiting for entered through the rge double bronze gate. He walked down the long scarlet carpet and then bowed before the three thrones, saying,

  "Lady Anneliese, I'm here to report my findings."

  "You may rise," I ordered, not really expecting anything out of him. What good could come out of such an unimportant Fort, anyway? But I dismissed things a bit too soon because what I heard next captured my attention,

  "I found the girl."

  "Oh?" I was impressed. "Was she strong?" I asked with anticipation in my eyes.

  With a deep sigh, he answered, "Yes."

  "Then, why didn't you bring her with you?" I was genuinely puzzled at his strange decision. I could really use a new sparring partner.

  "As she is now, she wouldn't be of any use to our Goddess."

  "But didn't you say she's strong?" I hated roundabout conversations like these. Is she strong or not? Which one is it? Probably sensing I was losing my patience, he expined,

  "She is indeed strong, but as it stands now, her strength doesn't go beyond the 2nd tier, and you know how strong she can become, right?"

  "Yes, she could grow to eventually rival me with all that power locked away inside her," I said, barely containing my excitement.

  "That's why I left her alone. We'll keep observing her to recruit her once she gets strong enough. That way, you'll be able to enjoy sparring with her more."

  "Oh, you know what to say to make me happy, Feyrune! Was there any interference?" I asked.

  "Yes, two weak Dragon Riders thought they stood a chance against me, so I killed them both and left their corpses as a gift for the Company."

  "I'd have destroyed the Fort as well if I were you."

  "I also thought about doing that, but it could put our target at risk, so I reconsidered." He said with a kind smile. He always seemed so warm, so inviting, like a middle-aged father who wouldn't even harm a fly, but appearances could be deceiving. But that's just the way Cerberus is. The worst criminals out there don't always seem like it. He concluded the report shortly after that and started making his way to the gate.

  "I almost forgot," He said, stopping at the double bronze gate. "The Wujia we took as hostages were freed st night. What should we do about that?" He turned to me with a look of unbridled bloodlust in his eyes.

  "Leave them. We already have what we wanted out of that Demoness, so they no longer have any value to us. I'll let you know when another chance to fight the Wujia comes by."

  "Please do," He said before quietly masking his bloodlust with the fake kind smile he always wore. I couldn't help but think about that girl achieving her full potential as he left the room. It made me feel giddy with excitement like a child. I'll thoroughly enjoy our battle, Kathryn, so get strong for me, okay?

  Kureous

  [colpse]