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"Huff…huff…huff. Mom, you were going too fast!"

Oseya, the maid smiled apologetically at Kurdva, prompting him to nod his head. She then turned to the little lass who was no older than nine—her human adopted daughter.

"Calliope, you shouldn't be here."

"But, Mom, I want to help! I am already a capable adult. Let me help you!"

"You are not old enough to work, Calliope."

"But…but my friends already train to become Warriors and they are also nine! I need to do something that makes me look like an adult, so they don't call me a crybaby anymore."

Oseya smiled bitterly as she looked at her adopted daughter. Her daughter was a bright child. She realized she was different the moment she turned three. She lied to her daughter and she paid the price. It was hard to tell her daughter she was not a Demi-Human now that her daughter believed she was one but a little different.

Demi-Humans, thanks to their physical advantage, could train their physique harshly since they were nine. It was the first step they took to adulthood. Calliope, being a human, couldn't do the same thing. It frustrated her that she was the only one who did nothing despite already being a nine-year-old.

"Then, why don't you help your mother?" Basil said, surprising everyone. Those who knew him were the ones most surprised since they knew Basil wasn't proactive in starting a conversation.

"I want to but my mother doesn't let me!" Calliope retorted as she turned to Basil. taking a good look at him, she tilted her head in confusion. "I thought I was the only one born different. You are also like me, Uncle—you are born without beast traits."

Expecting Basil to react surprised, the people watching quirked one of their eyebrows when he merely smiled. Those who knew him wondered why he didn't mind being called 'Uncle' meanwhile Kurdva and the others wondered if he didn't care about the fact that Calliope didn't know she was a human.

"Indeed. We do look similar, don't we?"

"Oh! Since we have many similarities, why don't we become friends?" Calliope suggested excitedly as she extended her petite hand.

Looking at the extended hand, a scene flashed in Basil's mind. It was an encounter he had with someone after another tiring battle he had with the Paladins the Church sent.

"Hey, uncle, you look tired."

"I don't sleep with prostitutes."

"Hey! Do I look like one?"

Basil turned his gaze to the annoying woman for the first time. It was a beautiful woman with long raven hair that was styled in a high ponytail. She was dressed in very revealing clothing in the sense that it revealed a lot of her vital spots. He got that she wanted maximum agility but he still couldn't help scoffing at the way she dressed.

"What is that? Are you also one of those men who don't think women can do just as well as men?"

"I am not but you have to be a very outstanding woman to be more capable than most men. We only got one in a million outstanding women, so I can't help doubting if you are one."

"So, you are suggesting that men are better than women, huh?"

"Generally, yes. Men are born with more advantages than women. That is reality." Sensing a retort coming, Basil added, "I am not saying there are no women more capable than men. They exist. I have encountered one myself. I was beaten a lot of times by her."

"She must have been a very good person. She has done humanity a favour for beating a prick!" the raven-haired woman remarked scathingly. "Anyway, who is she? I want to make her a role model."

"Iliana, my late fiancée."

The raven-haired woman immediately took a step back. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the bloodied Basil who was leaning on the tree. Everything suddenly clicked into place. She figured out who Basil was and how he was injured.

"Are you Basil Pacifer?" she asked with dread.

"I am," Basil answered in disinterest.

Tensing her muscles as she approached Basil cautiously, she stopped when she was a few steps away from him. Her action made him wonder what she was up to. It was clear to him that she was afraid of him but she still chose to approach him. Was she trying to mess with him because she thought he wouldn't be able to do a thing?

Basil was ready to teach the raven-haired woman a very precious lesson when she bowed deeply.

"I am a hardcore fan!"

"…."

"Please, become my friend!"

Having seen through what was hidden underneath many people's masks, he could tell the woman was being genuine. He had misinterpreted her fear. She wasn't afraid of him. She was afraid of being rejected by him. A very interesting person indeed.

Standing up, Basil made the raven-haired woman straighten her posture. She looked up at Basil with cautiousness hidden in her eyes, telling him that she was wary of what he would do next.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves first before being friends?"

"Oh, that's a good idea but you have to stop leaving me hanging, Uncle!"

Barely able to stop his mouth from twitching, Basil grabbed the offered hand. The offered hand gradually became smaller and the scene changed rapidly. The recollection ended and he was brought back to reality. Looking at the owner of the hand, he was greeted by a toothy grin.

"My name is Calliope. Who are you, Uncle?"

"Basil Pacifer…"

The conversation also went like this. In the past, the introduction was the beginning of his friendship with the raven-haired woman, his first and only protégé, Calliope. As he did, she saw the world as her enemy. She witnessed how Demi-Humans—her family—were hunted because of the decision they were forced to take for their survival.

No one wanted to help the Demi-Human but they got angry when the Demi-Human sided with the Demon. Those who didn't agree with the decision left Werspien to seek help but they were slaughtered mercilessly by humans.

The Elf, the Dwarf and the Spirit remained silent as it happened. Calliope had seen it all—how her mother suffered under the savagery of this world's inhabitants—and therefore she was vengeful. She was very akin to Basil who went against the world. He was a kindred soul. The light that guided her, so she could quench her thirst for revenge.

Putting his hand on Calliope's head, Basil said, "Why don't you help your mother?"

"Oh, that is right!" Calliope's eyes lit up in realization. "But I can't, though. Mom won't let me."

"You have Kurdva's permission. Right, Kurdva?" Basil winked at Kurdva.

Bewildered and mildly interested, Kurdva nodded his head. "Yes, you may help your mother, Calliope. She can't say anything now that I, your Emperor, have permitted you."

"Hurray!"

Rushing at the female Demi-Human who had difficulty standing, Calliope told the Demi-Human to rely on her. The Demi-Human looked at Oseya, asking if she would be fine with what she was going to do next with her eyes, prompting Oseya to nod her head with a helpless sigh.

The female Demi-Human put one of her hands on Calliope's back and put some of her body weight on her hand, causing the lass' face to turn red. It was clear that Calliope didn't have the strength to support the Demi-Human but she didn't whine.

Oseya slightly widened her eyes as she looked at how hard Calliope tried to maintain her current position. She had thought that her daughter was merely playing around with her request, so the scene made her want to cry.

"Let me help you. Let's take Nadiza to the infirmary together."

Rushing to the Demi-Human with cat traits, Oseya propped the Demi-Human up, alleviating the burden on her daughter greatly. Calliope gave her mother a toothy grin and, together, they left for the infirmary.

"See you later, Uncle Basil!"

Waving his hand lightly in response, Basil returned his gaze to Kurdva. The Demi-Human Emperor hummed to himself for a few seconds before blurting out what he had in his mind.

"Steal her child's heart and you will get her heart. What a strategy you have, Basil Pacifer. Brilliant!"

Frowning deeply, Iliana and Ione turned to Basil. They looked at him with disdain in their eyes, misunderstanding him completely as Kurdva did. Unlike the two, Cyrus and Xander looked at Basil with respect. They agreed with Kurdva—Basil's tactic was brilliant.

Looking at all of the people who misunderstood him with an unamused look, Basil waved his hand. "A clueless child who doesn't even know her identity is something that attracts my attention. The process of learning is fascinating to watch, which is why I did that."

Basil wasn't telling the truth but he wasn't lying either. He did think seeing someone learn and improve was fascinating but the reason why he interacted with Calliope was the longing he didn't know he had. The lass was the second person to die in his arms. Seeing her alive and breathing, he couldn't help himself.

The journey they had gone through was short but it was long enough for them to know each other well. They had shared hardships and bled together. She was the one who filled the hole in his chest after Iliana was taken away from him. She was one of the precious people whom he also lost in the past.

"My heart tells me that there is more to it but I won't pry into your affair," Kurdva remarked, awakening Basil from his thought. "Well, then, Basil, why don't we let our fists talk first before trading some words with our mouths? Oh, you have to win to earn the right to trade words with me, though."

Given the cue, Basil's company retreated. Deacon would like to remain on Basil's side but Basil's order and a murderous look from Kurdva managed to shy him away. In the blink of an eye, the arena was emptied. Basil and Kurdva stared at each other silently before blasting the air with their Mana Pressure.

"Seeing how you enjoy seeing people learn, you like learning, don't you?" Kurdva asked with a smirk. "What is one precious life lesson that you have learnt?"

Basil hummed to himself briefly before responding. "To live in the moment. We don't know how precious something is until we lose it. Therefore, I enjoy the moment and spend as much of my time as possible with those I deem precious."

"That is a great lesson but I will teach you something better. You should never challenge the Demi-Human Emperor to a fight!"

Kurdva suddenly appeared before Basil. He swung his hand at Basil's neck, attempting to cut his jugular with his claws. Basil dodged easily and smirked. He found the situation amusing. He wondered how Kurdva would react if he told him he would succumb to a Demon in the future.