Chapter 267: Character.

"Please give it to Naomi."

Lucian’s voice came from the silver screen floating in front of them.

Aevrienne frowned.

Naomi, who was standing right beside her, smiled.

"See?"

She spoke as she turned towards the Ancient Spirit.

"I told you you were wrong about him."

Aevrienne didn’t say anything.

Her eyes remained fixed on Lucian.

This... shouldn’t be happening.

When Naomi finally reached the end, Aevrienne greeted her with a big smile.

She had been waiting to have an actual conversation with her for a long time now, and how could she not?

Naomi was the only person who continued visiting her, talking to her, and taking care of her without expecting anything in return.

She just came, sat with her, and talked.

It was... fun.

Talking to a child with a worldview very different from what she was used to.

Aevrienne was actually tempted to form a contract with her right at that moment, but she waited.

She wanted to see how long Naomi would continue visiting her, and eventually, she could no longer hold herself back and started the Trial when Naomi visited her again.

So yes, Aevrienne did favour Naomi.

A lot more than any other candidate.

The Trial was only a formality.

There was, however, one problem with her.

Naomi was close to a Demon.

Or more accurately, a human with demon blood.

Aevrienne could see how the demon-blooded human planned to use her powers through Naomi, and the very idea of a demon benefiting from her power disgusted her.

So Aevrienne put up a condition.

Naomi could have her power, just as Aevrienne had initially intended.

She only needed to distance herself from the demon-blooded human.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Anyone would take the offer without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Naomi shouldn’t have been any different, but...

The demon-blooded human had a stronger grasp on her heart than Aevrienne had initially expected, which, after thinking about it for some time, seemed obvious.

After all, the human had the blood of a High Incubus.

An ordinary human girl like Naomi couldn’t possibly resist it.

Not to mention the human himself was quite cunning.

His performance in the Trial alone, everything he did for her, how he put his body through endless pain, how he pushed himself to his limits for her...

It would have fooled almost anyone.

As an ordinary human, Naomi falling for that performance was only natural.

But Aevrienne was different.

Even though she couldn’t point out any flaws in the demon-blooded human’s performance, she knew demons and the beings who associated themselves with them.

She had observed them for thousands of years.

She knew for a fact that no matter how kind or tempting they might seem, they all hid ugly, selfish intentions.

And this boy named Lucian?

He was no different.

And she was going to prove the same to Naomi.

She thought about explaining it to her.

She thought about telling her what kind of beings demons were, what they did, how selfish they were, how dangerous their blood was, and how being close to one was a path that led straight to one’s doom, but...

There was no point.

Aevrienne could see the look in Naomi’s eyes.

The girl was under a strong charm.

She wasn’t in the right mental state to see the truth.

So...

She decided to show her the truth directly.

She sent one of her projections to Lucian and decided to show the entire interaction to Naomi.

The boy would have no idea Naomi would be watching.

Then, she would offer him what he was here for.

What he had planned all this for.

The plan was simple.

She wanted Naomi to see how quickly the demon-blooded human would turn his back on her.

But...

That didn’t happen.

"What?"

Aevrienne’s other self seemed surprised.

"Your contract."

Lucian looked into her eyes.

"Give it to her.

She deserves it."

Naomi smiled at that, staring at Aevrienne, who stared at the screen with a frown.

This demon...

Why was he pretending right now?

Did he...

Know what she was doing...?

"And you’re wrong about her."

That was when Lucian continued.

"She isn’t weak."

"She is."

Aevrienne’s projection corrected, still trying to reveal Lucian’s true nature, and Lucian shook his head.

"You’re looking at the wrong thing.

Think about this.

Naomi entered this place as a normal human.

She did not have an enhanced body, regeneration, magic, a fancy bloodline, decades of experience, or any form of formal training.

Let alone training to fight supernatural beings, she isn’t even strong enough to hold her own against other normal humans.

She is a normal human.

Why would you judge her by her strength?

If strength was all you wanted, you could have chosen Rhydan, Varek, or Silvian instead, without any Trial whatsoever.

But you did not.

You set up a Trial.

Because strength was not what you wanted.

You have plenty of that on your own.

Whoever you choose to be your Anchor, they would be no different.

So use what you saw in the Trial and make a proper decision."

Lucian spoke, looking right into her eyes.

"What should I see in her?

What is there to see in her?"

Aevrienne asked, hoping Lucian would fail to answer.

But—

"Character."

Lucian’s answer was instantaneous.

"Look at how brave she was.

An untrained person who had never fought before suddenly entered a Trial meant for supernatural beings far stronger than ordinary humans, and she, who could have left at any moment, never did."

Lucian spoke, his violet eyes glowing with pride as he talked about his Naomi.

"She stood on the same ground as beings like Rhydan, Silvian, and even Varek, one who could very well have hurt her, and she stood her ground.

A Relic Hunter who was used to the supernatural world and knew her way around it abandoned us and ran away when she saw things weren’t going her way—

She could have done that too.

But she did not.

Even when she was as powerless as she was, she remained with her allies.

That is the character you should want to form a contract with."