Chapter 266: She would never know.

"Did you not hear what I said?

I can go anywhere I desire.

And you can too, if you get my power."

Aevrienne declared confidently, and Lucian’s violet eyes glowed strongly.

"If I have your power...

I can... go to the Demon Realm?"

"Yes, you can."

Aevrienne nodded.

"With my Authority, distance becomes meaningless.

Be it a city, a nation, a sealed room, a domain believed to be unreachable or... even a different realm.

If you have my power, you can go anywhere you desire.

Tempting, isn’t it?"

"It is."

Lucian did not deny it.

Going to the Demon Realm...

That changed everything.

If that was possible, he could find that bastard and rip him into pieces no matter where he was hiding.

That was exactly what he wanted.

The glow in his eyes became stronger.

Aevrienne smiled at that.

"Doors are pointless in front of me.

Barriers cannot stop me.

If a path exists, I can find it.

If it doesn’t...

I can simply create it."

The more Lucian heard, the more tempted he became.

Aevrienne stared at him for a good few seconds, then—

"Take my Authority."

She spoke directly, without playing any games.

And Lucian—

He stared back at her, then he frowned.

"I thought you didn’t like Demons."

"I do not."

She shook her head with a smile.

"But you are not a demon, are you?"

Lucian raised an eyebrow.

To think she would use his own words on him.

"I was told you also did not like people associated with demons, and I... am very much associated with them."

"I have seen what you did in the Trial.

I see the good in you, so I am willing to look past that."

"Then what about Naomi?

I thought you preferred her."

He spoke with a frown on his face.

And Aevrienne—

She smiled.

"You noticed my favouritism."

"It was hard not to notice it."

He answered with a flat look on his face.

"The entire maze practically opened itself for her."

"The entire maze practically did open itself for her."

She nodded, not denying the blatant favouritism.

"But...

Don’t forget how the final road itself came to a certain candidate because he could no longer move his own body."

She smiled, and Lucian’s expression changed.

He remembered how the silver light appeared when he collapsed at the end and swallowed him.

"Don’t forget, the final road moved past her and came to you."

Aevrienne tilted her head with an amused smile on her face.

"Do you understand what that means?"

"You cheated."

Lucian narrowed his eyes.

"For you."

Aevrienne’s smile widened.

"That should tell you something."

Lucian stared at her for a while.

He could understand what she was trying to say, and he...

He did not like it.

"What about Naomi?"

He asked directly.

"What about her?"

"You guided her through most of this place, and now you’re offering the contract to me?"

"I am."

"Why?"

Lucian did not understand.

"I liked her."

Aevrienne admitted.

"She has been selflessly coming to my shrine for years.

She talked to me, kept me company, she cleaned, she even brought offerings when she was little."

Her voice softened a little when she talked about her.

"For a human child, she was pleasant."

Then, her eyes returned to Lucian.

"But affection and suitability are different things, and the Trial made that clear."

Lucian frowned at those words.

"She did almost nothing in the Trial."

"Excuse me?"

"She just walked, Lucian.

You were the one who fought."

Lucian’s frown deepened.

Aevrienne did not care.

She continued.

"She followed the roads I showed her.

You defeated those who stood in your way.

You were the one who destroyed your body.

You were the one who bled, not her.

She..."

Aevrienne paused for a moment, then—

"She’s weak."

She spoke directly.

"Very weak."

"Then why guide her in the first place?"

"I told you, I liked her."

Aevrienne shrugged.

"But that isn’t the same as believing she should become my Anchor."

Lucian remained quiet.

Aevrienne then once again looked into Lucian’s eyes and—

"You, however... are different.

You adapt.

You survive.

You understand how to exploit abilities beyond their obvious purpose.

You turned simple telekinesis into movement, defence, attack, and control.

You faced beings naturally superior to you and continued adapting until they were forced to acknowledge you.

You..."

Aevrienne took a small pause.

"You are suited for me."

She smiled.

Then, as if she wanted to be fair—

"As for Naomi, I can give her something as well.

A minor blessing of sorts.

A fragment of my Authority, enough that hiding from ordinary supernatural creatures would become considerably easier.

She would also be able to sense dangerous paths before taking them, and finding her against her will would become difficult."

Lucian’s eyes changed at that.

That... was useful.

If Naomi could be protected from the supernatural world, wouldn’t this be a perfect outcome?

"How about it?"

Aevrienne asked.

"You would return with my full Authority.

She will have a fragment, and I will have a perfect Anchor.

No one loses."

Lucian started thinking about it for a moment.

Aevrienne’s powers were definitely tempting.

Plus, this way, Naomi would be protected as well.

And just as Lucian was considering all his options, Aevrienne pushed forward.

"Don’t worry.

She would never know."

"What?"

Lucian looked at her.

"If you want, I can alter her memory."

"What...?"

Lucian’s face turned cold.

Aevrienne did not care.

"I will change the final portion of the Trial.

In her version, she would remember Varek defeating her, that you attempted to protect her but failed, and she was eliminated.

And afterward..."

She showed a small smile.

"You can tell her that you defeated Varek in anger, you barely survived, then reached me and earned my contract."

She gave the complete storyline with everything prepared.

"You will have the power you desire, and she won’t resent you either.

Perfect, isn’t it?"

Lucian stared at her for a long moment.

He thought about Aevrienne’s power.

How it could benefit him in millions of ways.

How this could all work out perfectly.

How he could...

Use it to take his revenge.

But then—

"Please give it to Naomi."

He shook his head