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Hungary, Budapest: Felső világ Restaurant
Lucian pushed open the door of the restaurant, the first thing he saw was normal human families and couples enjoying their meals. He took a look around before nodding towards the waiter, who bowed slightly before leading the way.
"Let's go," Lucian said, turning to look at Selene who was looking around in interest. As a death dealer, she didn't have time to pay attention to things like this before. As they were both followed by the waiter towards the elevator, humans kept talking, waiting for the elevator door to open.
"May you have a delightful morning," the waiter said, bowing towards Lucian and Selene. His eyes glowed green as the elevator door opened while the humans got in, chatting. Lucian and Selene didn't even bother to move, staying put in their place as this wasn't their focus.
There was another elevator door beside it that was invisible to human eyes.
When the other elevator opened, it showed a rustic old elevator style inside.
"Lady first," Lucian said with a smile, making way for Selene. Selene just gave him a look before getting in the elevator.
"Thanks," Lucian said towards the waiter as he took a golden coin from his pocket, flipping it through the air while getting in the elevator. The waiter caught the golden coin effortlessly.
"Thank you very much, sir," The waiter said when he saw the golden coin, his eyes widening with a slight grin appearing on his face before bowing more sincerely towards Lucian as the door closed.
In the elevator, there wasn't even a button as it began to ascend itself, going towards the designated floor for the supernatural creatures.
"First time?" Lucian asked with a raised brow. Although he didn't know how old Selene was in this world, he was sure she should have lived centuries, and that makes him wonder why she is still not used to a place like this.
"Our type of vampire wasn't very sociable, and more so for the death dealers like myself," Selene said, admitting she hadn't experienced anything like this before in her life, although she had heard about it.
"Then it's a good thing that I killed them all, now you are free to do whatever you want," Lucian said with a smile, while Selene just glared at him before ignoring Lucian entirely.
"What too soon?" Lucian asked with a teasing smile as the elevator door opened.
"What do you think? You killed the people I know for centuries," Selene said coldly before getting out of the elevator.
They both looked around as the room ceiling was filled with shining stars while they saw different kinds of supernatural creatures walking around without disguising themselves, communicating, drinking, while some even had awakened humans as companions. There were even normal humans around, those who knew about the supernatural world.
A bald woman was singing jazz on the stage, winking at Lucian as she raised her arms, which turned into wings. The audience cheered or whistled in delight for her performance.
"Well, it's time for you to meet new people, and make friends," Lucian said jokingly, not taking Selene's words seriously, knowing she didn't even see them as friends from her words. "This time real ones, people that you can count on," Lucian said seriously, turning his head to Selene, looking at her in the eyes as he wanted her to stay even after the deal.
Selene saw the look Lucian gave her, but she turned her head, dodging Lucian's gaze and looking around at the supernatural creatures. 'You can count on huh,' Selene thought to herself, thinking about her past experience. She always thought of her fellow death dealers as companions or teammates, but never a friend. She wasn't even comfortable being a vampire if it wasn't for revenge.
Then a woman with green snake hair and wearing black glasses in a butler suit walked towards them.
"Any reservations?" she asked, bowing with her right hand resting on her stomach.
"Kim Yoo-ri, Arasaka" Lucian said, knowing that they were already here and were only waiting for them.
"This way, sir, ma'am," The Gorgon led them towards the side of the room. As they walked, the noise became quieter, yet you can still see people eating at their tables, opening their mouths, talking to each other, but you couldn't hear a single sound from them.
The Gorgon led them towards Kim Yoo-ri and Raizo, who were talking with the Khan siblings. They looked around as they got closer.
Kim Yoo-ri saw them standing up from her seat and walked towards them, "Thank you," Kim Yoo-ri said towards the Gorgon, who just bowed before leaving, while Kim Yoo-ri led them both to the table, making them hear what the Khan siblings were talking about.
"Is that a Gorgon? Won't you turn into a stone if you look at her?!" Yaz said with wide eyes, before hurriedly closing them.
"And that's why she got black glasses to cover her gaze so you don't turn into a stone," Kim Yoo-ri said, rolling her eyes as she sat back down.
"You guys should already have basic knowledge by now," Lucian said, looking at Nik, As he sat down in the middle of the table, while Selene sits beside him. Kim Yoo-ri narrowed her eyes, observing Selene.
Selene felt Kim Yoo-ri's gaze, making her frown as she raised her head, looking at Kim Yoo-ri in the eyes, not wanting to lose.
Raizo raised a brow, looking at their silent confrontation with interest while he continued to eat, enjoying the show quietly.
"Yeah, but where can I get one of these?" Yaz answered for Nik as he held the crystal globe in the middle of the table, then it flickered turning off, then everyone on the table started hearing noises and chatters from the surroundings.
"Are you a kid?" Nik said before pushing her brother's hand away from the crystal ball, glaring at him, before she held the crystal globe, turning it on again, as the surroundings became silent.
Lucian didn't answer, observing the crystal globe with narrowed eyes. 'Magic, we really need someone to teach us magic,' He thought, figuring out what the crystal globe can do. 'If we can combine these with our technology, the things we can do,' Lucian said to Cortana, who became active seeing the crystal globe.
'Looks like this world had so much to offer,' Cortana whispered in his mind with excitement in her tone.
"Do you have any other questions?" Lucian asked, looking at both the siblings.
"She already explained, that you wanted us to permanently join your company and your offer," Nik said, looking at Kim Yoo-ri before turning to Lucian. "We both agree but we need our team. I need people that I can trust in this line of work," she said. She and her brother knew this was a lifetime opportunity for them. Seeing what happened in the last mission, they knew they couldn't go back to their normal lives.
"And you are sure, you can trust them all," Lucian said as he started eating, cutting off the steak and putting it on his mouth, enjoying it bit by bit.
"Well no, but they are the people that we are most familiar with," Yaz said, shrugging his shoulder, while Nik just nudged Yaz on the shoulder, glaring at him for talking too much.
"What it's true," Yaz said caressing his shoulder while moving away from his sister.
"Is that so....Then first complete the next mission, we will see who stays that time," Lucian whispered, as he would drop a background check on them one by one to see if they're connected to any organization other than being Mercenaries, maybe even check their memories if he had too.
"What?" Selene asked as she felt Lucian's gaze, as she drank blood from a wine glass that was already prepared for her.
"These two will be your team for now. Lead them to William's Cage like our deal," Lucian said before turning his attention back to the steak.
"And you? What are you guys going to do?" Selene asked with a frown. Her deal was between Lucian and her, not people she didn't know, she didn't like the way things were going.
"I can't appear beside you. There are too many people paying attention to this mission," Lucian said, looking towards the only TV in the restaurant.
Although they couldn't hear it from the table, they still read its announcement as the news played.
Everyone at the table followed his gaze as they read the news announcement of a terrorist attack on a restaurant and a subway station.
"I'll be joining another group," Lucian said, his attention shifting from the group to his steak. He was too hungry and exhausted after his recent missions. "I'll introduce you to her."
Seeing this, the siblings began a silent argument.
"About that... Mitsuki is coming here," Kim Yoo-ri whispered, diligently replenishing Lucian's plate.
"Mitsuki? Mitsuki who?" Lucian asked, looking up in confusion.
"My secretary, one of the people on the list you wanted me to invite to the company," Kim Yoo-ri said nervously, feeling like she had overstepped again.
"The list... how many of them did you hire?" Lucian asked, his expression filled with curiosity. The list he'd given Kim Yoo-ri was a list of characters he could imagine existing in this world – people from movies and TV shows.
"Most of them didn't even exist, or were hidden and hard to find," Kim Yoo-ri said, shaking her head with a frown. "Some were impossible to hire, like Sheldon Cooper who was too young and immature."
"So I focused on the people on the list in Japan. Hinata already joined JASA, Kaito Kawaguchi is still in school, and finally, Mitsuki Yamato."
"Yukio," Lucian whispered, remembering Mitsuki's full name and the character she played in Deadpool.
"Can you please focus on the important part, Mitsuki exists, then the invasion can happen," Cortana said in his mind, pulling him back from his distracting thoughts.
"It doesn't matter. There are gods in this world. They won't allow anyone to invade it," Lucian replied confidently, knowing how prideful gods can be.
"How did you hire her?" Lucian asked, trying to estimate the time before the invasion, thinking it would be his clan's chance to rise without anyone noticing.
"When Mitsuki graduated from school last year, she found human interaction difficult. That's why I offered her an offer she couldn't refuse," Kim Yoo-ri said with a proud smile.
"And what offer was it?" Lucian asked, putting down his utensils.
"The truth of the world," Kim Yoo-ri said with a smirk. "That's the one thing any human couldn't refuse." She lifted her head, expecting Lucian to praise her.
"Oh really? I know she's smart. She would probably ask for evidence before joining the company. The question is what evidence of the supernatural world did you provide her?" Lucian asked, narrowing his eyes and observing Kim Yoo-ri whose smirk faltered.
"My tail," Kim Yoo-ri whispered weakly, turning her head away.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Lucian asked, moving closer to her.
"I showed her my tail," Kim Yoo-ri said, embarrassed, lowering her head.
"Ahem, Ahem," Raizo started coughing, nearly choking on his food, surprised by what he had heard. He quickly drank some water, looking at Kim Yoo-ri incredulously.
"Why did you just tell me this now?" Lucian whispered, rubbing his temple, thinking he might have been wrong in letting Yoo-ri become the CEO.
"About that, it's connected to why I told her to come here with Jinx. When Mitsuki joined our company, she helped me run it. So I think it's time for her to know the truth, like them," Kim Yoo-ri said, pointing towards Nik and Yaz.
"Wait, you let her come with Jinx?" Lucian asked, sighing and closing his eyes. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Yeah, is there a problem? She also wanted to report about the satellite launch," Kim Yoo-ri said, confused.
"You just told people you are here in Hungary," Lucian said, shaking his head. "And now someone deleted the footage of them even landing," Lucian said, having already accessed the airport records.
"What should we do now?" Raizo asked, frowning, knowing they were probably being targeted.
"Wait for them to come to us," Lucian said calmly, placing his phone on the table before looking at Kim Yoo-ri. "You need to retire." His expression was impassive.
"I know. I'm sorry. It's already harder for me to be a department store CEO, and being the CEO of a multi-million dollar company was even harder," Kim Yoo-ri whispered dejectedly. She tried her best, but she wasn't really meant to be a CEO.
"I know it's my fault," Lucian said, shaking his head and letting out a low laugh. He patted Kim Yoo-ri on the shoulder comfortingly.
"So the one who's helping you run the company is Mitsuki? You trust her that much?" Lucian asked, looking into her eyes.
"Well yes, she was helping me, and I trust her because..." Kim Yoo-ri looked around, embarrassed to say the reason.
"Okay, I trust you," Lucian said, seeing her difficulty. Although he didn't know much about Mitsuki, he knew Kim Yoo-ri wouldn't fail him. "So what are you going to do now? You're retired?" Lucian asked with a soft smile, letting go of her shoulder.
Kim Yoo-ri saw that Lucian wasn't disagreeing, making her smile as she gave Selene a proud look. Selene turned away, not wanting to look at the fox.
"I want to stay by your side, like my original job was meant to be," Kim Yoo-ri said, looking at Lucian. At first, she was sent to monitor him; now she just wanted to be with him supporting his actions personally.
"Huh, looks like we're going to have to free you from my mother's grasp then," Lucian said with amusement and determination, ready to fight for his own, for the people he cherished.
Although Kim Yoo-ri trembled when she heard his plan, she couldn't help but feel happy as she remembered the terror of Areum firsthand. "Thank you," she whispered emotionally.
"Well, I'm not the only one you should be thankful to. After all, I'm not the only one fighting," Lucian said, looking at Raizo, who still kept quiet.
"Thank you, Raizo," Kim Yoo-ri said, smiling gratefully.
"No need. I want to see the kids are okay as well," Raizo said, a genuine smile spreading across his face as he thought of the clan's future. He hadn't liked leaving them in Areum's care initially, but he hadn't had a choice then. Now, though, they could try to get them all back.
Meanwhile, Selene discreetly observed Lucian, Kim Yoo-ri, and Raizo's sincere smiles, pondering their words. 'So they all survive,' she thought, recalling the infamous Ozunu clan that had been destroyed two years ago. 'Someone you can trust,' Selene mused, gazing at the three before her as she swirled her wine glass, filled with blood, lost in thought.
Then as they continued talking something happened that drew everyone's attention. The siblings' argument, previously hushed, escalated, growing louder and more heated.
"I told you, she has nothing to do with us. She could have a peaceful, normal life," Nik declared, pushing Yaz on the shoulder.
"Normal? What part of here is normal?" Yaz retorted, spreading his arms wide. "You really think she would be safe without knowing anything?" He pleaded with his sister, his eyes begging for understanding.
"You know how hard she has worked to get away from our kind of life," Nik said weakly, her teeth clenched, trying to hold back herself from agreeing with Yaz.
"I know because we helped her," Yaz said, aware of his sister's stubbornness. "We helped her because she wanted a normal life away from us."
"But that was before we knew that this world ain't normal to begin with," Yaz said, pausing before locking eyes with Nik. "Are you really okay letting your twin live a normal life when she could suddenly die from a monster attack out of nowhere?"
Nik pursed her lips, turning away and sighing as she closed her eyes, lost in thought.
While Yaz felt gazes falling on him. He turned around to see Kim Yoo-ri and Selene staring straight at him, their eyes glowing eerie light.
"I didn't mean about you guys. I meant like those uncontrollable monsters, like the one in the news!" Yaz said hurriedly, pointing at the television, his voice trembling slightly.
Kim Yoo-ri and Selene remained silent, but the glow in their eyes faded as they shared a glance, scoffing at each other.
Nik finally opened her eyes, sighing and looking at the television screen displaying the total death toll from the so-called terrorist attack. She turned to Lucian.
"Can I invite someone to join our team?" Nik asked hopefully, otherwise she and Yaz wouldn't joining their company.
"Your twin, right? What does she do?" Lucian asked with curiosity.
Nik wasn't surprised that Lucian knew what they were talking about. After all, she and Yaz had been arguing loudly.
"Her name is Aneesha Khan. She's a medical student at Harvard."
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END OF CHAPTER
Extra Chapter for 200 Power Stones
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UPCOMING CHAPTERS SPOILERS:
Chapter 98: Resigning & Joining, Chapter 99: Arrivals, Chapter 100: Introduction, Chapter 101: Information, Chapter 102: Temptations, Chapter 103: A intense bath R18, Chapter 104: Wryness R18, Chapter 105: Mitsuki's Powers, Chapter 106: Getting Ready, Chapter 107: Getting Ready(2), Chapter 108: Corvinus Castle, Chapter 109: Corvinus Castle, Chapter 110: A Hybrids Fall, Chapter 111: I told you so, Chapter 112: It's You, Chapter 113: Continuation, Chapter 114: William's Prison, Chapter 115: William's Prison(2), Chapter 116: William's Prison(3), Chapter 117: Death of the Twins, Chapter 118: I Fucking Knew It, Chapter 119: I Fucking Knew It(2), Chapter 120: The Last Fight, Chapter 121: The Last Fight(2), Chapter 122: A Swear to a God, Chapter123: The end of William Corvinus, Chapter 124: Aftermath, Chapter 125: Aftermath(2), Chapter 126: Kim Yoo-ri & Mitsuki Back in Japan
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