Chapter 5: New Clothes & Old Marks

Amelia opened one of the curtains of her room to let the early morning sunlight in. The window she stood in front of lead to the inner garden, where she knew that at that time Swim and his men would be. The reason she was actively seeing if they were indeed training, was because Adelin had informed her that Aizen had agreed to train them.

Indeed, her information was current, and Aizen was a man of his word. In the garden was the Shinigami, watching on at an exhausted group of men. Some were on their backs breathing heavily, while others were on all fours. Meanwhile, Swim was the only one that managed to remain on his knees, all the while looking up at Aizen. Amelia's thoughts came to an abrupt end, when someone knocked at her door.

"May I come in, my lady?" The maid asked from behind the door.

"You may." Amelia replied calmly, turning to look at the newly arrived servant.

"Good morning, my lady. Do you wish to be served breakfast?"

"Yes. Have it delivered to the dinning room. I will be there shortly."

"As you wish." Taking a bow, the maid left.

After the maid left, Amelia once more directed her attention to the garden. The fact he had taken the time to actually train Swim and the others, was very curious. She understood Aizen enough to note his incredible abilities and intelligence. These only made it frightening to think that this was him while he's still ignorant of how their world works.

He didn't seem to be the type to do something without a proper reason. A reason that would benefit him, even if he had to give something back. That's how she rationalized the fact he had promised her a reward for her help. If not for that Amelia would honestly question why would he bother remaining around her. Certainly it was not because of how she good she looked, or how she was in bed.

That being said, the reason for him to have accepted training them, must be for some kind of gain he could take from it. Perhaps he saw Swim and his men, as the perfect opportunity to further learn about this world's fighters, and even learn more about [Martial Arts]. Amelia sighed at the thought of this, taking this time to go get dressed and quickly wash up. Certainly he would not be satisfied with whatever he could learn from Swim and the others. Even she knew that they were just average in strength.

As she thought about him, another important question came to mind: how much did he actually learn from reading all those books? He had easily learned their language, if not others, which was already impressive enough, but he would have gained knowledge on other subjects.

Things like how the several nations were organized across the land, how they worked in terms of politics and overall mentality, religious beliefs, the several beings that populated the world, some history, [Martial Arts], Magic, etcetera. All of this, she knew to be present in the library. Because of the freedom her father gave Walter, and how he believed a library should have books related to a wide range of topics, in that regard Aizen was very lucky.

Swim took in several long drags of air as they had all been made fools out of by Aizen. That was how he managed to explain it. As much as it may surprise some people, this wasn't the proper training Aizen had promised, this was just an evaluation. Upon Aizen's request, he faced each member of the group in one-on-one combat. He asked for them to take things seriously and attack him at a 100%, and with true killing intent.

Everyone attacked him, and all of them had been easily brushed aside in 2 moves or less. Even if it sounded brutal, Aizen assured them there was a valid point to this. He simply wanted to see how each member of the group was, and he assured them that such method would give him the information he required.

"Alright. That is all for today. Tomorrow we will truly start. For now, you should all go and get some rest." Aizen announced.

"W-What!?" Swim gasped in surprise.

"I have gathered the information I need on every one of you. With that information, tomorrow I will have a proper training session prepared. For today, anything else will not be necessary. However, if you wish to continue, I would suggest light exercises." Aizen calmly replied.

Swim could not help but feel underwhelmed, but he did not find anything wrong with Aizen's explanation. Since it would make no sense for him to start training them without first understanding what needed to be done.

"V-Very well. Thank you for your time." Swim said, taking a bow.

"Likewise. I will be back tomorrow at the same time." Aizen remarked, before leaving.

The Shinigami made his way back into the house. He kept his usual composure even if underneath he was depressingly underwhelmed. It was not like he was expecting amazing things from the guards, but to truly witness how weak and limited they were, further showed him how he would need to go look for stronger individuals.

At the moment, he had yet to think about how he would go about doing it. Even if he had already started considering some nightly outings. However, during the day, he would perhaps take another look at the library. There were some topics he wanted to investigate further, especially magic and this world's inhabitants. Still, he knew that a library placed in some merchant's house could only go so far, even if it was already surprisingly well stocked. Aizen could see it enabling him to cover most bases, which would be under the more specialized knowledge he sought.

Aizen had also read some legends that had caught his attention. At first, he had dismissed them, but some of the simple and vague texts he came across hinted at hidden truths. Because of this, and many other things, he had to thank Walter. After all, the old man looked so happy to see someone touch the books he went through so much work to acquire.

His eyes briefly went down to his chest, focusing on what rested under his clothing, the Hōgyoku. It's abilities also had to be tested, now that Aizen was operating at a corporeal level. He was interested if the Hōgyoku had also gone through some changes itself. Said tests could also wait till later, perhaps on one of his outings. For now he would have to integrate with the household.

Aizen made his way towards the dining room, just in case someone of interest was there. Entering the room he saw that Amelia and her father were there. Naturally finishing up with their breakfast, his arrival caught the attention of Adelin, who in turn announced his presence to the others present.

"Morning, Aizen." Amelia said, not bothering to turn around to meet him.

Gaius said nothing, "welcoming" the new arrival with a simple nod, before going back to finishing his meal. Aizen walked to the side of the table, but didn't bother to take a seat, even if he was going to, the elder spoke before that.

"Do not bother to take a seat. You will be going out with Amelia soon enough." Gaius said flatly.

"Oh? May I ask what we will be doing?"

"My father wants you to get some proper clothing, outside of those old suits. I will be taking you to a place where we can take care of that."

"I take it I am to look presentable, for future use?" Aizen asked, with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"Exactly." Amelia replied.

"Thank you for taking care of me." The Shinigami said, taking a bow towards the group.

"Adelin, go and make sure the carriage is ready for departure." Gaius ordered.

"As you wish."

Adelin took her leave, returning about 5 minutes later, to announce that the carriage was already waiting by the front door. Amelia got up to her feet, gave her father a quick goodbye, and then began to walk away, gesturing for Aizen to follow her.

Getting inside the carriage, they began to make their way through the city and towards their destination. Aizen took this opportunity to examine the city through the window. He understood they were in one of the rich parts of the capital, and he would admit the scenery managed to support such claims. However, he could also see the poverty hidden within it.

"What has gotten your attention, Aizen?" Amelia asked, getting his attention.

"I am astonished by the poverty that fills the, so-called 'wealthy' part of the capital." Aizen replied, to which Amelia let out an audible yawn.

"Does the topic bore you?" He asked.

"Not at all. However, it loses whatever interest it could have had, when I've heard it brought up more times than I can remember."

"Then, you would prefer action?" Aizen remarked.

"I generally do. Now, let me ask you something. What is your interest in this subject?"

"From what you've told me, and from what I could gather in the library, this world seems to be filled of situations like this. The mighty hide away in their wealth, leaving the work for everyone else. There is an inherent imbalance to this world's societies…" He was saying before Amelia had decided to interrupt him.

"And is that what bothers you? How unbalanced this world is. How unfair it is?"

Aizen gave her a slight smile as a reply. It was no concrete answer, but she believed it to mean that her words were not to far from the truth.

"Then, what bothers you is not the poverty. You aren't referring a world without such things. In a fair world, poverty, pain, and suffering, would still exist. However, it would happen equally to all parts of society. Correct?"

"Such is the nature of a fair world." Aizen replied.

"But such a world is an impossibility. People are corrupt by nature, and nature, is something really difficult to change."

"It can change. They would need proper guidance."

"In that situation, said guidance would be met with heavy resistance. Am I to assume then, that this 'guide' would also have the power to fight that resistance?"

"Power is a vague word, which can be applied to several situations. Would this guide need to have the power of the mind? Yes. Would he need the power of the tongue? Of course. Would he need the power to fight?" Aizen paused, his attention once more going to the window.

"Yes, but not as absolute a power, as the ones mentioned before. No one man, can bring about such great change alone. He just isn't strong enough to face all the opposition there would be alone. He would need help from others."

"Still, he would need the strength to fight alone. Since, when his goal is to reshape how the world works, those that stand by him could turn on him." Amelia added, getting Aizen's attention once more.

"Indeed."

Silence then fell inbetween them. Amelia too looked out the window, doing her best to hold back the large smile and audible laugh that wanted to escape from her. She had to admit, he thought big. The idea of wanting to change how the world worked was certainly a grand one. Amelia herself had never considered such things. She had in a sense accepted the boring nature of her life, finding outings to break it, but never had she considered doing something so revolutionary.

"Is that what you plan to do, Aizen?"

Again, he was silent. However, he kept the same expression, the one that didn't tell her yes, but definitely didn't tell her no.

"Very well. Stick to your silence. But do you want to know what I think of that idea?"

"Do as you wish." The Shinigami replied, his eyes going back to her.

"Honestly, it sounds like a pointless effort. A simple waste of resources and man-power. However, I would gladly be there to watch them try. It sounds like fun." Amelia informed, with a devilish grin on her face.

Aizen's smile only grew slightly wider. She took this as his approval. Either way, whatever his intentions actually were, she still felt it was too early and too vague, for him to actually put it into motion. She only hoped, when the time came Aizen would remember her words. If he didn't then she would remind him that she wanted in on it. Not because of the idea itself, but to see someone go about reshaping the world as she knew it, and if anyone seemed capable of doing it, in her eyes, he did.

As the carriage ride continued, Amelia's eyes went to Aizen, his attention was somewhere else, and not on her. She would never admit it, but she wanted him to look at her, like he did before their night together, with such intense hunger. It wasn't like she had never been looked at like that before, but never had it been so intense, and no one before him had been able to back it up.

Aizen now looked at her with neutrality. It almost made her regret having slept with him, even if she would never do such a thing, not after experiencing how good he was. This experience she wanted to repeat, naturally, even if she admitted it would be as easy as before, not that would deter her in any way, it would be a welcomed challenge.

Their destination was a warehouse sized building, with a beautifully design front, with the name "Fidel's House of Taste & Fashion". Leaving the carriage, and going inside what was an oversized shop, Aizen noted that it was somewhat empty given its size.

As soon as Amelia entered, a man in his 20s came to greet her, who Aizen assumed to be a employee who had the role of greeting costumers.

"Welcome. Is there any way I can help you?" He spoke, taking a small bow.

"No. Thank you." Amelia replied.

"As you wish, madam." The employee said, taking his leave.

"So, what do you want to get, Aizen?" Amelia asked, looking at the Shinigami with mild curiosity.

"Let us keep the suited look."

"Follow me."

Amelia took Aizen to a section of the store that was apparently dedicated to that type of clothing, and the accessories that would go along with it. Having been given free reign to do as he pleased, Aizen took little time to choose the suits that caught his interest, and some matching fedoras which could always come in handy. Having picked up everything he wanted, Aizen was meet by Amelia, and a female store employee.

"Give her your things. She'll carry them to the entrance." Amelia instructed.

"Thank you." Aizen said, as he gave the woman the clothes.

"Do you need anything else?"

"Actually, does this store have anything in terms of glasses?"

"S-Sure… Follow me." Amelia replied, not understanding the point of the question.

Amelia took Aizen to a section where several types of glasses were in display. The Shinigami looked around, reading the tags that indicated price, and in some cases magical enhancements. Ignoring those without enhancements, Aizen found out that all the spells used on the glasses were rather simple, and things that for someone like him, were useless.

Picking up a pair of square glasses, with a visual enhancement spell, the Shinigami went to the closest mirror where he placed them on, followed by messing up his hair. Amelia watched the reflection as he did this. At first, she was wondering why he was doing this, but when he started changing his hair, and his facial features began to soften, everything became clear. He was now creating a disguise, but what for? It wasn't like there was someone after him, or was he planning on doing something that could get him unwanted attention?

"How do I look?" Aizen asked, looking back at her.

For a moment, Amelia was somewhat taken aback by what she saw. The Shinigami's usual confident, imposing, and worldly look was gone. It was replaced by a much kinder expression. His eyes were now kind and warm, and his smile was much more pronounced and understanding. For a moment, he felt like a completely different person.

"Heh. I almost didn't recognize you, Aizen." Amelia replied, with a sarcastic tone.

"Thank you." He said, letting out an awkward laugh while scratching the back of his head.

Once more she was put off by his words, not because of the change, but how fast and drastic it was, clearly showing her that this was not the first time he did this. As she thought of this, her eyes were on Aizen, when he removed his glasses, and by simply passing his hand through his hair returned it to its usual shape.

"Not bad, but it still needs some work." Aizen remarked, picking a case to carry the glasses.

"What's the disguise for, Aizen?"

"It will be useful, for when I go out with you to conduct business."

"And for other purposes beyond that. Correct?"

"Correct. This disguise goes beyond getting the better of your clients. It also helps me go about without drawing as much attention to myself as usual."

"I see someone has a high opinion of themselves." Amelia pointed out, sarcastically.

She saw Aizen's mouth begin to open in order to reply. However, he stopped mid-motion as his eyes went to something beyond her. Turning her head to see what had caught his attention, Amelia was surprised to see the Countess, Ada Stone Victoria. The Countess had a calm smile on her face, and on her left arm rested a newly acquired dress.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Countess." Aizen greeted, taking a small bow.

"Likewise." The woman said cordially.

"Lady Ada." Amelia greeted.

"Amelia, it's been too long. I was in the manor just the other day, but I did not get the chance to see you." The Countess remarked with a friendly smile.

"M-My apologies. I was, somewhat, indisposed."

Ada covered her mouth, in a rather seductive manner, with her eyes momentarily drifting towards Aizen, before going back to the merchant.

"That being what I had assumed from your maids gossiping, but I am glad that you are all better now."

"It was just a fleeting thing. There was no need for real concern." Amelia casually pointed out.

"But, I am happy that we got this chance to meet. Truly, it has been too long." She added.

"I will be taking my leave then." Aizen informed, walking away before anyone could say anything about it.

"How polite of him." Ada remarked.

"What do you think of him?" Amelia asked, in a more serious tone.

"I am glad that you finally refined your taste in men. He is a very good find." The Countess replied.

"I'll admit, he is not like the rest. He even managed to convince my father into letting him stay."

"Oh? A frightening thought. Your father is not an easy man to move. Then he was allowed to stay under what conditions?"

"Aizen is to help us in our businesses, and also work to some extent as my bodyguard."

"Is he strong?"

"He killed a group of 12 men all by himself." Amelia replied, to which Ada gave a shocked expression.

"Oh, my! He may even be better than my husband's best bodyguard. B-But is that all?"

"Should there be anything else?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"As a husband, of course!" The Countess pointed out, as if it was obvious.

"No! Absolutely not. I have not interest in marriage, be it with him or anyone else. I mean no offense, but I enjoy my freedom."

To this the Countess gave her an understanding smile, which somewhat surprised Amelia since from what she knew, Ada was the complete opposite to her. Given the fact she was married to the Count for almost 25 years now, and from what she could tell was happy with it. However, given her experiences working with the Count, he was not an easy man to work with, and not in the same way as her strict father. Which meant, that beneath the surface she wasn't as happy with the marriage as she looked.

"What a shame. He is so much like you, it could possibly be the perfect fit."

"I'll politely put that idea aside."

"You can't blame me for wanting what's best for you. After all, someone with your capabilities only deserves the best."

Amelia blushed slightly at the sound of the older woman's praise, which she followed by taking a small bow as a sign of her gratitude. As she was about to raise, she felt something land on her head, looking up she saw it was the Countess's hand.

"There's no need to get so flustered." She said, with a warm, motherly tone.

Lifting her hand, Ada finally allowed Amelia to straighten her posture, with her face now decorated with a more sheepish, weak look.

"Oh, look at that face. Do you want Aizen to see you in such a pitiful display?"

"No, definitely not!" Amelia growled, recomposing herself.

At that moment, another man approached them. He was one of the Count's bodyguards.

"My Lady, we have to go." He respectfully informed.

"Very well. Amelia, I hope we get more time to speak the next time we meet." The Countess said in a friendly tone.

"Likewise."

"And do try to take care of your new toy. After all, you still have that habit to break them."

Taking another bow, Amelia watched as the Countess left with the bodyguard, and as she did a thought took shape in her mind. That new dress, did it cover her back, like the rest of them? Such a question came about because no one had ever seen Ada with her back exposed. She could only assume the Count was an exception to that rule.

As time went on, the accepted theory was that she had some kind of large scar, that prevented her from exposing more of her body. That being the reason why no one really talked about it, at least not anymore. However, Amelia then found herself thinking of this as she walked away. Her thoughts came to an end, when Aizen rejoined her.

"Is something the matter?" He asked.

"N-No. Are you done here?" Amelia asked, to which Aizen replied with a nod.

"Then, let's get going."

Arriving back at the manor, the trouble of taking Aizen's newly bought clothes to his room was left to a couple of maids. Amelia and Aizen were taken to Gaius's office, having been informed he wanted to speak with them.

"You wished to speak with us, father?"

"Yes. I need the both of you to go to E-Rantel, and once there acquire one of the 'Golden Dragon' statues. The details are in these documents." Gaius replied, gesturing to the papers on top of his desk.

"Very well. When do we leave?"

"In 30 minutes." Gaius said in a terse manner.

Having been given their instructions, the duo made their ways to their rooms in order to pack and prepare themselves. As he approached his room, he was greeted by Eva, who had been standing there for quite some time now holding in her hands a bag.

"I managed to get what you asked for." She informed, sounding very cheerful and proud of herself.

"Thank you, Eva." Aizen said, taking the bag full of notebooks and writing equipment from her.

"T-There's no need, after all I am here to serve."

Aizen was more than thankful for the girl's visible excitement. She seemed eager to be of use to him, and he had already understood why. What she wanted he had already found out, why she wanted it at the moment was not an issue as long as she presented herself as being that open to helping him with these small tasks. That being the case, he would not decline said help.

Opening the door to the room, he took a few steps inside. Now his priority was to pack for their trip to E-Rantel. Inside the room were already some maids, they however were worried with putting away his new suits, and general cleaning.

His mind then went to their destination, and the name Falco. Certainly Amelia had thought of the same thing as he did. By going to E-Rantel they had the opportunity find and question the man in order to find what the real cause of the attack was.

The idea itself was an utter bore. Aizen knew himself to be above such simple games of cat and mouse, yet he thought it may bring about more interesting things, than the boring life of a merchant. Also, there was Amelia. He had promised to repay her with whatever she could imagine, and during their little conversation on their way to buy new clothes, she had showed a certain interest in his idea.

That interest, along with everything he had learned about her until now, was the reason he had yet to turn his attention elsewhere. She was a person of interest, one that he saw as possibly being useful in the future, so he was not going to risk and letting her walk away, or get killed.

Having made his bag and put on his disguise, Aizen went to meet Amelia at the front door. Shortly after the carriage came and they promptly got in. Upon entering the carriage, Aizen found that they were not alone. A man that appeared to be in his 60s, bald with a long white beard, wearing a robe, and gloves, was sitting in front of them.

"Greetings, Lady Amelia." The man said.

"Greetings, Igeor." Amelia spoke back.

"Igeor Umoya Famel, this is Sōsuke Aizen. He prefers to go by Aizen. Igeor, is a member of the Magician's Guild, and will be helping us as a specialist on magical objects."

"Then, you are a Magic Caster?" Aizen asked, showing great enthusiasm.

"W-Well, I used to be…" The man replied, fearful of wasting the younger man's enthusiasm.

"I take it something happened." the Shinigami said, in a low tone

"Nothing too bad. Just a classic case of a man wanting to go beyond his ability."

Having said this, Igeor proceeded to remove his gloves, showing the damaged skin on his fingers and the bottom half of his hands, the results of an unfortunate accident.

"I was young, and foolish, and tried to cast a 4th tier spell. At the time I was convinced I wouldn't be able to make anything happen. Unfortunately I was wrong. The spell failed shortly after being cast, leading to the burns and the lost of the ability to use magic all together."

"M-My apologies if I brought up a sensitive subject. But having never seen magic in person, I was understandably excited."

"Think nothing of it. I use this story as an example to all of my students. But, you have never seen magic?" Igeor asked, surprised by the statement.

"I forgot to mention, Aizen is a foreigner, in his land things were done differently." Amelia informed.

"I see. Then does that mean, you can use different forms of magic then us?"

"From what I know of yours, I believe so. At least in some cases." Aizen replied.

"Then you must show me! I'm certain that I can find someone to show you proper magic at work. However, if you wish to simply learn the theory, as a teacher, I am more then capable of helping you." Igeor announced, with fire in his eyes.

"I've already read a few books on the subject, perhaps we could start from there?" The Shinigami suggested.

"Of course, please start by telling me what you already know."

Meanwhile, Amelia sighed in boredom, understanding that this was going to be a very long trip, especially now that Aizen was using this side of himself.

It was night as Ada and the Count were sleeping. Everything was peaceful until a sound echoed through that floor of the mansion. The Countess sat up almost immediately, having heard the disturbance in what was supposed to be an empty house. Having her body covered only by a nightgown, she looked at her sleeping husband, before deciding to go investigate by herself.

As she was getting out of bed, a hand grabbed on to her right wrist. The hold was weak and could easily be lifted. However, she would not do such a thing to her husband. He was an older man, and already in his 60s, with short grey hair, and a thin body.

"Where are you going?" He growled.

"I-I heard a noise."

"Let the guards take care of it." The Count remarked, pulling her arm.

"But they aren't here today. T-Today's the day you gave to them as a break." Ada pointed out, fearful of his reaction.

Letting out an angered grunt, the weak arm fell back onto the bed, showing Ada that she had the permission to go and do as she intended.

"Don't take too long." He ordered, as she was about to leave the bedroom.

Closing the door behind her, the Countess activated the small crystal she had on her right hand, causing it to emanate light like a handheld lamp. Ada was quick to arrive at the entrance to the room from where the noise had come from. Using the stone to illuminate it, she saw that in fact one of the windows was open.

Almost as soon as she entered the room, someone jumped her, easily throwing the Countess onto the ground. Ada tried to get back to her feet, but one of the men sat on top of her, and thus easily restraining her.

"Nilson. Guess what I just caught?" The one on top of her laughed, while placing a hand over her mouth.

"Keep it down." Nilson growled back.

"I know. But just look at her."

As he said this, their eyes went to the pinned Countess. Her nightgown had been slightly opened, exposing to her attackers part of her body that was in perfect form for her age.

"To think this body is wasted on that old man." He said, lifting his hand from her mouth.

"W-What do you want?" Ada asked, in a frightened tone.

"We came here to rob you. But now, I may just take something else."

The man's sadistic grin, quickly turned into a surprised and pained expression, as Ada's right hand wrapped around his throat, with strength even beyond his own.

"N-Nil-son, h-hel-lp…" He gurgled.

Trying to help his comrade, Nilson tried to grab on to the woman's arm to pull her away. Before he could even get close, the sound of a neck snapping echoed throughout the room. Nilson let out a horrified gasp, as the other man's body fell to the side and the Countess calmly got back to her feet, not even bothering to cover herself back up.

"I simply cannot allow, something to like that to happen. Now, tell me how many of you there are." She said in cold, threatening tones.

Nilson turned around, ready to sprint out of the room and warn the others. He just happened to not be prepared for her speed. As soon as he turned around, he felt a presence behind him, which was followed by a hand wrapping around his throat and pulling him back closer to the Countess.

"How many?" She hissed.

"S-Screw…" Nilson didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, as his neck was broken the instant he failed to comply.

Ada then let out a bored sigh, wondering why something like this had to happen when the guards weren't present. It was almost too convenient to be a coincidence.

"[Hunter's Knowledge]!" She announced, placing her right hand on the floor.

This technique was unique to her, and very useful, as it mapped in her mind the entirety of the mansion, and those within it. Via this scan, Ada concluded that there were 4 others remaining, also in separate groups of 2.

Gustave was one of the butlers of the Count's house, and a member of the crew that was now attempting rob said house. Knowing that on this particular day there would be no guards, he had convinced the rest of his crew to take the opportunity. After all, the fact that Count left himself defenseless was the same as asking for this.

Either way, what she had to do was evident and clear, taking into account her husband's order to be quick, Ada vanished from sight going after her next prey.

He and Far, had gone of the old door in the first floor, a door that was never opened and no one had the key to, he had only heard from others that sometimes the Countess was seen going inside.

What they had found was not what they had expected. They went down stairs that led to something akin to a dungeon. The floor, walls and ceiling were made out of stone bricks, some chains hanged from the ceiling, there were several weapons resting on one of the walls, large stone blocks were also scattered around, along with other training equipment. However, what really got their attention, was the alter that rested against one of the walls.

On it there were several candles, some completely melted, others still burning. On top of said altar was the figure of a strange being. It had its legs crossed, hands clapped together, holding on to each other, and the head was slightly lowered. The thing looked like the cross between a man and a fish, yet such a simple concept was enough to unnerve the two men, perhaps it was because the scenery that surrounded it.

"You think it's worth anything?" Far asked, looking at the sculpture.

"I-I don't know. I've never seen anything, like it." Gustave replied.

"And you never will, again." A familiar female voice announced.

Their heads turned around almost immediately, falling on the Countess that stood at the base of the stairs. Their surprise, was enhanced to pure fear, when their eyes saw the body that rested over her left shoulder, and the one that was being dragged by its hair by the right. They belonged to the only two women in the group.

"M-My lady!" Gustave gasped.

"Did you think, this was the best day to do such a stupid thing?" She asked, in an empty tone, letting go of both bodies.

"What the hell is going on!?" Far growled.

"I-I don't know!" Gustave shouted back, his voice echoing through the house.

"Please be quiet. You will wake up the Count." Ada said.

"To hell with that! I'm not going to die here!"

Having announced his wish to live on, Far lunged at the Countess with knife at the ready. He went for a straight jab, just for his target to easily avoid it. His attack only succeeded in cutting through her nightgown, and taking it down with him, after Ada had landed a quick blow in the back of his head.

As the nightgown fell, the Countess was left naked, and Gustave was able to see what had been hidden from the eyes of the world for so long. On her back, was the image of the thing depicted by the statue. It was painted in black, yet it didn't feel like a simple tattoo. He felt something much more coming from it. He also noted something else. She was incredibly well built, as both a woman and as a warrior, which only served to show him how foolish he had been to think this plan would have ever succeeded.

"N-No, please don't! I'm sorry, I-I didn't know…" He cried out, pathetically falling to his knees.

"I am not interested in pleas, and the Count is not interested in traitors. As of now, your services are terminated."

Just like that, Ada closed the distance between them. Her skilled hand went around the throat of a pleading Gustave, and with a simple motion she broke his neck.

The Count was trying to go back to sleep, but the audible noises that polluted the mansion did not allow him to do so. It only served to further anger him. The sound of the door opening, prompted him to finally sit back up in bed, standing there was his wife, her nightgown having been placed back on, the knife mark visible.

"My apologies, I seem to have taken too long." She said, in the same empty tone.

"It's only been 10 minutes. No punishment will come of it." He said flatly.

"Thank you, my Count."

"What was the problem?"

"A group of six broke in, and intended on robbing you. One of them was a butler."

"Do I have to call someone to clean up the mess?"

"Only the bodies. I was careful as to not spill blood."

"Good. What about the nightgown?"

"My apologies. One of them attacked me with a knife."

"And you failed to avoid it?" The Count asked, with a stern tone.

"Yes."

"Throw it away then. Now come back to bed."

"Thank you, my Count."

Taking an elegant bow, Ada walked back to the side of the bed, and rejoined her husband, for a quiet and good night's sleep.