Just as the Grim Reaper’s scythe seemed ready to fall upon them…
Lucian withdrew his hands.
He looked at the two of them with a faint smile.
” The Assassin Brotherhood is guided by three core tenets..”
“The first…”
“Never harm the innocent.”
“You’ve become involved with me, so killing you wouldn’t technically violate that principle.”
He paused.
“But…”
“I’m willing to give you a chance to live.”
Hearing those words…
The Ancient One and Kaluu slowly opened their eyes.
They exchanged glances before cautiously rising to their feet.
Lucian smiled calmly.
“First, let me make one thing clear.”
“Although I came from another world…”
“I have no ill intentions.”
“In fact…”
“You could say I’m an Earthling as well.”
“So you can rest assured.”
“I have no desire to bring disaster upon this planet.”
He watched the relief gradually appear on their faces.
Then deliberately dragged out his next sentence.
“…However.”
The Ancient One’s heart skipped a beat.
“H-However…
what?”
She asked nervously.
Lucian chuckled.
“I’m a kind person.”
“But after the way the two of you attacked me without asking questions…”
“I can’t simply pretend nothing happened.”
He looked around the temple.
Then smiled.
“I quite like this place.”
“So…”
“Why don’t you build me another temple just like this one…”
“Somewhere else in the Himalayas?”
The Ancient One and Kaluu quietly let out relieved breaths.
The request was difficult…
But far from impossible.
With help from the nearby villages…
Constructing another monastery was entirely achievable.
The local villagers had received Kamar-Taj’s protection for generations.
If asked…
They would gladly lend their hands.
Kaluu nodded.
“…Agreed.”
“As long as you truly mean what you said…”
“And never threaten Earth.”
Lucian laughed.
“You seem to be mistaken.”
“This isn’t a negotiation.”
“Your lives are in my hands.”
“And from the very beginning…”
“You were the ones who attacked first without knowing anything about me.”
“So this temple…”
“Is merely compensation for the trouble you’ve caused.”
Kaluu opened his mouth…
Then quietly closed it again.
He couldn’t refute a single word.
When your life belonged to someone else…
You weren’t in a position to negotiate.
“Now that compensation has been settled…”
Lucian continued.
“Let’s discuss the second matter.”
“If you want to keep living…”
“I want every piece of information you have about this world.”
“Everything.”
“I also want to know how many people like you exist.”
The Ancient One and Kaluu remained silent for several moments.
Finally…
They both nodded.
“…Very well.”
“Good.”
Lucian smiled brightly.
“See?”
“I really am a reasonable person.”
“Oh.”
“I almost forgot.”
“I’ll be staying here until my temple is finished.”
“So…”
“I’ll move out once construction is complete.”
With that…
He turned and walked away.
Only after he disappeared did the Ancient One finally speak.
“…What do we do?”
“Are we really going to tell him everything?”
Kaluu forced a bitter smile.
“What choice do we have?”
“If we refuse…”
“We’ll both die.”
He sighed quietly.
“All we can do now…”
“Is hope everything he said is true.”
Silence once again settled over the hall.
Meanwhile…
Lucian stepped outside the temple.
Without hesitation…
He leapt effortlessly onto the highest rooftop.
Then—
He activated Eagle Vision.
It had become second nature to him.
Whenever he entered unfamiliar territory…
His first instinct was always to survey his surroundings.
Within moments…
Everything within a ten-mile radius unfolded clearly in his mind.
The monastery stood atop a snow-covered mountain.
Besides the Ancient One and Kaluu…
Roughly a hundred sorcerer apprentices lived here.
Far below…
More than a dozen villages nestled against the mountain’s base.
It was obvious why.
The villagers had settled there…
So they could remain under Kamar-Taj’s protection.
After memorizing the terrain…
Lucian casually jumped back down.
The twenty-meter drop wasn’t even worth thinking about.
Several sorcerer apprentices immediately noticed him.
His unusual clothing made them instinctively wary.
Some had already begun conjuring glowing spell circles in their hands.
“Stand down!”
The Ancient One’s voice rang across the courtyard.
The apprentices immediately lowered their spells.
Standing respectfully…
They bowed toward her.
The Ancient One spoke firmly.
“This gentleman is an honored guest.”
“No one is to show him any disrespect.”
“…Yes, Master.”
The apprentices answered in unison.
Lucian looked around once more.
Then smiled.
“I really do like this place.”
“Why don’t you just give it to me?”
The Ancient One’s face instantly lost all color.
Before she could respond…
Lucian burst into laughter.
“Haha!”
“I’m joking.”
“You went pale so quickly.”
“What?”
“Is there some secret hidden here?”
The Ancient One quickly shook her head.
“N-No.”
“There’s no secret.”
“It’s just…”
“There are many villages at the foot of the mountain.”
“They’ve always relied on us.”
“If we suddenly moved away…”
“It would create countless problems for them.”
Lucian laughed again.
“I already told you.”
“It was just a joke.”
“You really don’t have much of a sense of humor, Ancient One.”
He casually patted her shoulder.
“Anyway…”
“I’m hungry.”
“When do we eat?”
The Ancient One answered immediately.
“…Whenever you’d like.”
Lucian grinned.
“Good.”
“It’s been a very long time…”
“Since I’ve enjoyed a proper meal.”
The Ancient One hurried away to make the necessary arrangements.
Behind them…
The sorcerer apprentices stood frozen in disbelief.
The Sorcerer Supreme…
The person they revered above all others…
Was treating this mysterious man with unmistakable caution.
Some of them even wondered if they were dreaming.