色戒无删除版

Enrick was breathing heavily as he continued to listen to the murmurs and complaints of the other council members. He could feel a headache as he rubbed his head. Their plan had failed and now they were faced with some maniac who was going around killing council members.

He too had the feeling that it was Duke Galahad who sent that person to assassinate them. As for the question of who, he had no other clue. The way the others were killed was too brutal for it to be one of his sentinels. He might have sent that heir of his but it was unlikely because the job was done by a professional.

The man tightly shut his eyes because he had a lot to think about. Not only was he thinking about the killings but also because of that person's disappointment in him. He could still clearly hear that person's voice in his ear and the words she said.

"What are we going to do now, Sir Enrick?" One of them turned his attention to the man who had been quiet ever since they started the meeting.

"You should hire more guards and make sure that you are not alone. We do not know the identity of the assassin and I am sure that even if we ask the duke about it, he would just feign ignorance and brush us aside." Enrick remained leaning on his chair while he spoke. He did not make eye contact with anyone in that room.

He was already tired and now all of these people were looking at him for a solution. Although he enjoyed the attention, he couldn't even relish in it right at that moment. The more he thought about it and the more he could hear their complaints the more he got annoyed.

They were all asking him to help them but they couldn't even think for themselves and make their own decisions. He couldn't help but think that he had helped useless people. Their voices continued to echo inside the room and it made him angrier. A loud thud silenced the room as Enrick stood up and glared at them all.

"I'm leaving. This matter, take care of it yourselves. I do not have the obligation to be your babysitter. If you die then that's on you." Enrick turned around and left the surprised and disgruntled council members.

They were too stunned that they did not have time to answer the man or even refute his words. After their leader's exit, one after the other, the council members also left without talking much about what happened. Now that their leader abandoned them, they should be thinking of taking care of themselves and preserving their lives.

This gathering of the council members was not a secret to the duke. The news of it came to him that morning but he did not attend. He only nodded his head because there was something more pressing that he should address. He knew that he gave free reign to Ulysses's son but he did not expect it to be this messy.

Galahad looked at the young man that was calmly sipping his coffee even after he was called to face them. He badly wanted to scold him but after he remembered what happened when they got in his way, he decided to just have a talk with him. The urge to tell him what he was thinking overcame him and he would tell it as gently as he could so as not to offend him again.

"Your thoughts are so loud, Duke Galahad," Cygnus stared at this coffee before he slightly turned his head to where the duke was.

Galahad coughed and sighed, "If that's the case then could you consider and make their punishment a little bit more discrete. I don't want my people to be terrified because of that bloody mess."

"You don't have to worry, your excellency. I have prepared something that will surely be fitting for those that are still alive," Cygnus answered. He even chuckled when he thought of his plan.

"May I know what it is?" Galahad asked even though he was not expecting an answer but the master gave him one.

"I'll let them experience the pain of being in the presence of those malevolent spirits that they oh so love," Cygnus did not even hesitate to reveal his plan.

The duke was silent for a minute before he sighed once again. "Alright," he relented. He waved his hand to let the young man leave already. He had no energy to deal with the man.

"By the way, where's that serpent you call a guardian?" He asked before he could step out from the room.

"He's gone to see Ezio," the duke answered. After meeting the guardian deity, he still couldn't believe that he had a human form and it was much younger than Rigel, he was about the age of Ezio and Isaiah.

Cygnus gave the man a nod before he left to where they were. He wanted to see how the guardian deity looked since the servants had been raving about him. He couldn't help but be curious too as to what he looked like.

By this time, the serpent entered the room where the two young men were sleeping. He silently sat on one of the empty chairs inside the room to wait for them to wake up. According to Galahad, they might wake up today so he decided to go and wait instead.

He saw a slight movement from the brown headed youth and watched as he slowly opened his eyes. Ezio stayed in that position for a couple more minutes before he decided to sat up. After he sat down, he let his gaze roam around the room and was startled when he saw Reitou.

The man was intently looking at him and it made him comfortable. He looked around but saw no other person inside the room except for Isaiah who was still sleeping. Ezio returned his gaze at the man and waited if the man would actually talk with him.

"Hello," he greeted the confused young man with a bland voice and cold face.

Ezio nodded to acknowledge the person's greeting before he spoke, "Yes, can I do something for you?" he asked with his voice that shook a little bit.

"The dragon told me to come and ask you for the master's name," he answered. He was straight to the point which took Ezio by surprise.

It was a question that he did not think would be asked from him. He knew the master's name and yet he dared not say it casually because he noticed that the others were not addressing him by his name. He narrowed his eyes at the man because he did not know who he was and yet he was asking for the master's name.

Reitou could feel the emotion coming from the young man. It was a roller coaster ride but he eventually became wary of him. The guardian immediately understood the reason for the other's unease. He forgot to tell him his name and his identity.

"You don't have to worry because I just want to know the master's name as the guardian spirit that signed a contract with him, I ought to know at least his name, right?" The guardian spoke in order to soothe the other's unease. "I am Reitou, the guardian spirit of Blackwell. I am a serpent in my original form."

Ezio calmed down after hearing the person's introduction. Since he already introduced himself, there's no point in doubting him and besides he was allowed in the manor so he was not one of those people who attacked them. He remained for a while before he looked the man dead straight in the eyes.

"If you really want to know then I'll tell you," he started as he paused for a moment for a more dramatic effect, "the master's name is Cygnus Altair."

The serpent froze when he heard that name. Even though it happened a long time ago, he couldn't forget that name. He just didn't expect to hear it once again in this kind of circumstances. He stood up from his seat and was about to leave the room when the door opened.

Cygnus entered with a serious face as he gave the guardian serpent a look. It was reasonable for him to know something since he had been living for over a thousand years now. Although nothing could surprise him any longer, he was still a bit speechless when he heard the serpent's thoughts.

To specifically remember his name was beyond his expectation because no matter how he tried to recall if he ever met the serpent in the past, he couldn't remember. He narrowed his eyes, he must have stored it in that place and needed Ari to look for it. But before that, he could always ask the person before him.

"Have we met before, serpent guardian deity?" Cygnus returned his facial expression to the ones that he always used.

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Author's Appreciation: Thank you so much to everyone who had supported me during my three day mass release! I hope that you continue to support me until this story ends!