Adler's Last Breath

Adler was one of the first to arrive at the banquet. This was out of character for him since he liked to come late and be greeted by the sycophants that he had in this circle, but he had an important objective this time, so he tried to reach the venue before Emily. When Emily arrived, he didn't approach her. Instead, he watched from a spot near the wall as she was surrounded by prominent figures. Some of them had even looked at him with disdain, but there they were, sucking up to the princess.

His fists balled up with anger, but he stayed patient, staring at his target coldly like a snake. Eventually, Alex replaced the bigshots approaching Emily. It was then that Adler became sure of Shui's absence. He had never met Shui before, so although he heard about him from Adrian and believed that Shui was the handsome young man who helped Emily, he couldn't recognize him. Therefore, Alex coming to her rescue instead of a stranger, put him at ease.

He had learnt from his connections that Emily would inevitably become a tier 4 array grandmaster, and possibly one of the youngest one in history, so he was even more determined to end her golden path as quickly as possible. However, if a uncontrollable variable like Shui stayed around, it would be hard for him to make a move. On the other hand, although he couldn't ignore Alex, he would be much easier to handle.

"Pardon me, Grandmaster Alex. May I speak with my little friend here? It's been some time since we last had the opportunity to talk," said Adler with a humble smile.

Alex furrowed his brows at Adler's intrusion, but after exchanging a glance with Emily, he acceded.

"Very well, Sir Adler. It would be boorish of me to interrupt a reunion."

Once Alex left them, Adler looked down at Emily. She nearly hurled at the sight of his face, but the mask of apathy that she equipped was more durable than her fake smile, so her expression endured.

"Miss Emily, it's good to see you here. I was saddened by the fact that I didn't get the chance to talk with you until now."

"That can't be help. I left Rockshaw a long time ago after all."

"That's true. It seems like just yesterday you were the little girl always following behind your master."

Emily's hand twitched as she thought of killing him right here for that comment, but her eyes became gentle as she reflected on the past. Nikolai was never one to be upfront with his true emotions, but his care for her always showed in his actions. He was strict in teaching her, but he was always there to answer any of her questions. He bestowed her with countless gifts, but it was different from her parents. He didn't lavish her with presents to keep her quiet, but to see her smile. She remembered that there was a time when he caught her crying as she thought about her family. He didn't ask her why, instead, he awkwardly placed his arms around her. It was obvious to her that he didn't know what he was doing, but she listened to her heart and entrusted herself to his embrace. It was a little embarrassing when she thought about it, but that was still one of her most precious memories.

'And for this snake to even mention him...!'

Only by tightly clenching her fist was Emily able to restrain her hatred and calmly respond to him.

"I was a shy child back then."

"I suppose you were, but look at you now. I'm certain your master would be proud seeing you fulfil your role as his successor."

"I hope so."

Emily thought that she should be praised for holding on for so long, even if she didn't have confidence that she could stay calm if he continued. Luckily, Adler soon changed the topic and assumed the role of her elder as he gave her advice on how to act as an array master. Emily knew that she was superior as an array master, so she seriously considered rubbing it in his face, but unlike when he was talking about her master, she could safely endure this urge.

They continued talking, well Adler continued talking, until he put forward an invitation.

"Ah, it's so nice to talk with someone from the same town. Still, I doubt we'll be able to vent to our satisfaction here. Say, would you like to follow me to a nearby shop so that we can continue our conversation?"

"Hmm...okay. Are we going now?"

Normally, a man and a woman leaving together would invite unsavory rumours, but due to their apparent ages, Emily didn't look to be in the range that Adler would prey on unless he had certain 'inclinations'. However, for other reasons, Adler thought it would be best for them to leave separately.

"No, I have a few minor matters to handle, I'll meet you by the clothes store to the left of the Association."

He gave an odd location for them to meet up, but Emily didn't show any suspicion as she agreed. As Adler then left the banquet hall, her eyes stayed on him until he was out of her field of vision.

A few minutes later, Emily also left the banquet. It was honestly harder than she expected because she was so popular, but she managed to get rid of those who tried to make her stay with Alex's help, and by saying that she was exhausted from the finals.

Once she left the banquet, she went straight to the place he mentioned. It was strangely quiet on her way there, but there was no hesitation in her steps. When she was a couple feet away from the store that Adler designated, he appeared from a nearby alley and joined her.

"Thank you for coming Miss Emily. Please, follow me."

Adler then led Emily as he stayed slightly ahead of her, with no more conversation between them. They didn't have to make many twists and turns, but once he left the main road, they never returned to it. They stuck to narrow paths and shady alleys, but it was more, peaceful than Emily expected. These places weren't excluded from the city's detection array, but as today's incident had proven, members of the city's administration were willing to overlook certain things provided that there was something to gain from it, so most of the day to day crimes would happen in these areas, which made it easy to call orchestrated incidents, unfortunate accidents.

Less than ten minutes after meeting up, Adler led Emily into a small two story building. It was hard to see from outside, but there was a light and below it, an old man stood behind a desk, looking at the two guests while polishing a glass cup.

Once he was satisfied with looking, he tilted his chin to the left to indicate private rooms which they could stay in. There was a imposing air around the old man, but Emily ignored it as she stepped into the room that Adler opened.

Inside, was a simple setup consisting of a wooden table, a pair of chairs and tea utensils on top of the table. However, at the end, only one chair would be necessary.