Areii walked the shining white halls of Grand Lord University, lost in thought as he awaited the start of the assessment program. He ignored the passing nobles as they ignored him, yet a certain conversation caught his attention.

"Did you hear? One of our professors has invented a new energy technique!"

"I heard that it's a concealing technique, but my friend keeps telling me that it's a very special one. It's even better than [Coating]!"

"Which professor made the discovery? I would love to be taken under their wing for my discipleship studies!"

"Professor Helen Montclair! Evanescence Empire's Honorary Duke!"

I see, Areii shook his head upon hearing those words. That is to be expected.

With his years of experience fighting for status in the Underworld, Areii had come across schemes that had required a millennium of preparation. The intricacies of the dead's plans were beyond what any living being could comprehend. Devious, sadistic, and merciless.

In comparison, Helen Montclair's little game was nothing. Areii was unfazed despite the fact that he had just been exploited. 

Instead, he couldn't help but smile. His grin was eerie as if he had been possessed by a banshee.

"Oi, look at that kid!"

"Scary! Why does he look like that?"

"Shush! Turn away and keep walking. He's probably some lunatic who lost a bet."

Areii instantly wiped his face clean of any emotion upon hearing such words. I forgot... This is the realm of the living.

Ghosts had a tendency to... laugh and smile in all the weird ways. They were manic. Insane. Absolutely unhinged. As Areii had been dead for quite some time, it only made sense that he acquired some of those traits.

In fact, for a time, he was indeed a crazy, vengeful ghost.

But those were times of the past. He had to act... human. As human as humanly possible.

As for the source of his joys, it was but a single small detail that he had left out. Although Areii hadn't expected Helen Montclair to stoop so low, he had somewhat guessed it after the mage brought him to a lab.

Good luck in practising a technique that essentially reduces one's lifespan. Areii inwardly cackled. [War Saints] had a certain fetish, and that was the sacrifice of one's own life. With every blazing Blood Aura they released, they would happily sacrifice a portion of their future to gain fame and renown in the present. Their victory was all that mattered.

A [War Saint] that died in war would live on forever.

Those words defined who they were. Any other death would be a disgrace—and that included dying of old age. 

What Areii had given Helen was a technique that did exactly that. It had been quite a subtle feeling, but he recognized the feeling of his life force being sapped away. If not for the fact that he had been a martial artist in the past, he wouldn't have perceived it at all.

Nonetheless, the similarity between Blood Aura and energy is weird. I never thought about it thoroughly until now, but I have indeed been employing numerous combat techniques whenever I activate my energy. So far, all of them have been functioning—though only at 60% of their original output.

This was what allowed Areii to keep up with the talented nobles, and even ambush many of them in the Virtual Realm when he fought for resources.

Moreover...

Helen Montclair was more suspicious than Areii had initially felt. Learning Aurae Silencia was a lot more difficult than it seemed. Although the mage had the help of whatever machine she used, Areii was certain that she wouldn't be able to learn the technique in a mere two hours.

Such a thing required talents beyond the realm of humans. Talents that Areii found all too familiar. He had them too, in a time long gone, and in a world, destroyed.

Although she is greedy, it is still within the realm of mortals. She definitely hasn't made any deals with the demons... Areii narrowed his eyes. The rage of vengeance burned within him—a vengeance so strong that even his status as an Elder Lich could not snuff it out. Sheer undead wrath.

That woman made a deal with something worse.

Areii flashed a crazed smile once more.

A f*****g Angel, eh?

Seraphina stood alone inside a pure-white training room.

Her breathing was ragged.

Heavy.

Laboured.

Creases had appeared between her thin brows, scrunching up her ethereal features and creating a dissonance that could move the hearts of many by itself.

"That's still not it..." A murmur.

Seraphina could not understand just how Areii had performed [Coating]. She had followed each dictated step to a tee, and yet not even the slightest of resemblances had been achieved. No matter how well she followed the instructions in the book, the results of her performance differed from Areii's in a manner that only the experienced could realise.

Nothing worked.

Nothing functioned.

"Young Miss, I think it would be wise to take a break."

Her maid said from the side, handing her a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow. Seraphina glanced at the girl. Her maid was currently wearing a flowing black and white dress, while a white bow was tied around her head. A silver ring glistened around one of the girl's fingers, giving Seraphina a sense of calm.

"...You're right, Anna." Seraphina sighed, but then she paused. "I'm just a little frustrated right now. What do you think I should do to rid myself of this frustration?"

Anna's glasses shone with sharp light upon hearing those words.

"You should kill the source of your frustration, Young Miss! Would you like me to act? I will get it done cleanly and without any suspicions placed on thee!"

Smack—!

Seraphina slapped Anna upside the head. The girl's blonde hair scattered messily across her face.

"No murder," Seraphina massaged the bridge of her nose. "Think of something else."

"...Owwww," Anna groaned. "I'm going to be an adult next month, Young Miss! When that day comes, I will not allow you to hit me any longer!"

The maid pouted, but after seeing Seraphina's stern expression, she straightened up in the next second.

"Why don't you ask for advice?" Anna pointed at the boy on Seraphina's screen. "A good teacher is a boon to any aspiring student, right?"

"I've thought about that too... But Areii is a little—how should I call it—unique." Seraphina replayed the video of Areii's demonstration. She was still as baffled as ever. "He's also somewhat dangerous, that I'm sure."

"Well, Young Miss, if you don't try, you'll never find out!"

Seraphina pursed her lips. "A good point. I guess I'll make an attempt."

She then opened her Quantum Watch and began typing in a few letters.

"[Coating]. How?"

As per usual, she was direct with her statements. She did not care for sentence structure at all. After a few moments, a reply came, holding a similarly short message.

—No.

It said.

Seraphina's eye twitched. She combed her hand through her hair and put on a fake smile to soothe her disappointment.

"Pretty please?"

—No.

"What price do I need to pay?"

—None.

"Is there anything I can do so that you can teach me the way you do [Coating]?"

—No.

Seraphina almost threw her watch out upon seeing Areii's fourth decisive rejection. However, just as she calmed herself down, she spotted a certain murderous expression erupting from beside her.

"Should I kill him?"

"No!" Seraphine exclaimed in exasperation. "There might be a reason why Areii won't teach me. We just don't know what."

Shaking her head, the young mistress of the Ravenscroft family moved a few steps away from her maid. She also gestured for the girl to step further away as energy began to boil within her body, seeking to be released. Seeking destruction and annihilation.

Seraphina thus resumed her training in silence, desperate to figure out what she lacked.