Cursed Knight moved as soon as he spoke. Her sword was unsheathed, and it pierced into Patr’s chest again. Just like how she had killed him.

The man’s shadow turned to look at her, something flickering in his pale eyes. Was it anger? Resignation? Shock?

Kaiser didn’t know, and he doubted the Shadow could feel any emotions.

Pushing the sword deeper into his chest, Cursed Knight grabbed his head, then tore it off his neck effortlessly.

Even though she was weaker than him, it was easy since the man’s shadow didn’t resist.

Kaiser’s eyes narrowed, watching carefully.

The decapitated shadow broke apart, becoming shadowy smoke that drifted into Cursed Knight, making her freeze.

’?’

Confused and alert, Kaiser took a step forward. He wasn’t sure if his experiment was going to work out, but he sincerely wished nothing destructive happened to Kara.

The shadowy knight remained frozen for a few seconds, then lowered her arm.

Kaiser’s brows furrowed, his head tilted as he tried to observe the changes that had occurred to her.

’She seems... darker? And her presence seems to have solidified some more.’

It seemed consuming an Evolved Shadow had pushed her to the peak of a Rank 3 Awakened Shadow.

Kaiser was tempted to feed another Shadow to her so she could become an Evolved, but he held back.

Ever since he had converted the human Patr Vladimir into a Shadow, he had felt a heavy weight on his crystal core—more specifically, his soul.

He immediately realized it was because he was housing an Evolved Shadow while being a mere Rank 1 Awakened himself.

It was as if he was courting death.

Having a few Awakened Monsters in him was already putting a manageable strain on him. Adding an Evolved Shadow almost drove him to the breaking point.

This was also the second reason why he had allowed Kara to consume the Shadow.

Now free of its presence, his crystal core felt lighter, like a school bag with fewer textbooks.

’Oh, well...’

Shrugging, he brought up Cursed Knight’s interface.

[Cursed Knight]

[Realm - Awakened]

[Rank - 3]

[Ability - Enlightenment]

[Ability Description: With every battle, pieces of enlightenment are received, coalescing into a major improvement]

[Shadow Description: Cursed by the one she loved, her whole existence is stolen from death and bound to him eternally. Neither human, nor a true shadow, she remains a singularity among Shadows]

This time, he saw her ability description, making him wonder if the ability was now usable.

’And this damned Shadow Description...’

Kaiser had a feeling that the Nirad System was messing with him. Naturally, the version of Kara he had met in his Awakening Trial had been a mere copy.

Yet, it seemed his shadow had consumed the real woman, even though she had probably been dead since eons ago.

The words ’stolen from death’ confirmed his conjecture, and it made him feel conflicted.

A peaceful soul, resting after death, suddenly got resurrected as a Shadow? A servant to a young lad who barely knew her for weeks?

It was ridiculous, but the deed had been done—months ago.

There was no reason to keep brooding over this.

Shaking his head, Kaiser dismissed the interface, then left his crystal core.

Standing up from the bed, he went to take his bath, then wore comfortable clothes perfect for the warm weather.

’Wait. I haven’t collected my clothes from Logan. Ugh, let’s just forget about it.’

Although he had never perceived the ’stink’ Kiera always complained about, he wanted to avoid carrying that scent himself.

Picking his phone from the table, he typed a message to Maya.

|Kaiser: Are you ready? I’m about to head out.|

His reply came when he was about to enter the elevator.

|Maya: Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby soon.|

Today, he had been invited to go on a friendly date with Maya.

This was the second time they would be going out together to a place different from the library.

Arriving at the lobby, Kaiser examined his surroundings briefly, then stuck to a corner, browsing a light novel on his phone.

"Hey, Kaiser."

Hearing the unfamiliar, gentle voice greeting him, Kaiser raised his head reluctantly.

’Hm? Oh, it’s her.’

Kaiser straightened, taking a look at the girl. Iruca was dressed in a pure white gown with golden accents, which accentuated the beautiful contours of her body.

Her silver-white hair was braided at the side, with the rest falling to her back neatly.

She smiled at him, radiating purity and kindness. Kaiser was tempted to form a smile of his own.

"Iruca." He said calmly, his voice barely carrying any emotion. "Good morning."

The girl’s smile widened, and she waved politely.

"Good morning to you too. You’re waiting for someone?"

Kaiser nodded, glancing at the elevators. Maya still hadn’t shown up.

He turned back to Iruca, his gaze brushing over her outfit.

"You’re dressed for an outing."

He stated, not a question. Iruca nodded, her smile widening.

"How does it look?"

Even though they were merely acquaintances, she was this free and open with him—without any hidden intentions. Kaiser marveled.

He nodded calmly, his gaze carrying a hint of approval.

"Admirable. It looks good."

Receiving such compliment from him, the girl was a little startled. According to what she’d heard, Kaiser was the type to ignore someone even if they were almost poking their fingers in his eyes.

When she had greeted him earlier, it had purely been instinctive, driven by her own nature. She didn’t expect that he would even reply and converse with her.

And when she had asked about her dress, she had merely expected a flat nod—not an actual compliment.

’Eh...? Could it be that the rumors are false? Or did he change?’

Seeing her fall silent with a faint blush on her cheeks, Kaiser raised a brow.

Was she not used to being complimented? That was wrong. Perhaps she was surprised that he complimented her.

’Hm, she’s right to be surprised. I don’t think I’d be bothered talking with her if it were me of a few weeks ago.’

He could even tolerate the unique feeling he had always felt whenever he was around her.

Ding!

An elevator opened, interrupting his thoughts. When he looked up, Maya stepped out of the elevator, typing something on her phone.