Chapter 5: Remi Stoneheart
Aldrich woke up the next day, feeling rejuvenated after the tiring process from yesterday.
Aldrich sensed the mana flowing in his body, "The two of them really merged completely. I can feel that this mana is more destructive and has higher regenerative abilities than the techniques individually",
"No wonder The Lineage of The Beast King was so strong; that bastard talked about this skill as if every child practised it in his clan".
Aldrich thanked The Beast King for the technique and got ready to prepare for the trial of the Drakewind family.
"I should be able to handle the 1-star cousins my father talked about, but there might be unknown dangers and traps set up by the Elders" Aldrich knew he had to be cautious but also had to assert his position in the Family.
"The best way to deal with the Elders" He had a devious smile, thinking of how he dealt with those old foggies in the past.
"They believe that they can control the entire Family because
Elders have lived more than others. But they do nothing but cower in front of true power. They will do anything to make them live longer.". Aldrich had a way. To deal with them, there was no need to act upon them.
Aldrich walked downstairs to watch his father waiting for him.
"Good morning, son. You must have successfully cultivated the technique. I am proud of you" Erik rushed to hug his son.
"Thanks..dad" Aldrich was still hesitant, but he could feel warm emotions whenever he talked with Erik, "Is it the effect of previous Aldrich, or my own feelings?", He didn't know.
"This carriage will take you to the Family Dungeon, where the Inheritance Trial will begin. I will go through the teleportation circle; I can't take you with me. Else those Elders will find another reason to pull you down", Erik said as he called Aldrich's maid to carry his belongings.
Aldrich closely looked at his maid, who had left for the carriage. "Father, can I take weapons inside the trial?",
"No, it's to ensure equality among all the kids in the family", Erik said.
Aldrich could sense Erik's worry for him. He was his only son, and the Elders were incredibly hostile to Aldrich, as he could endanger their position in the Family
Aldrich parted with his father as he sat inside the carriage, closely checking his surroundings.
"No poison. I might get ambushed on the way", Aldrich pretended to relax.
The maid entered the carriage, sitting opposite Aldrich. The carriage started to move.
"What's your name?" Aldrich asked, his eyes still closed.
"Ami", she replied,
"Look at her acting all coy. She might be expert in living under the hood, but she cant fool me, who has already seen this face and name in my past life.",
Aldrich opened his eyes, looking at Ami,
"Now, do I use her or kill her" his beautiful red eyes focused on the girl.
"What?" Ami said with a meek expression, pretending to be a submissive maid.
"Do you want to kill the second Prince? Remi Stoneheart", Aldrich said, revealing a devious grin.
Suddenly, the carriage blew open from within, throwing the horses away.
Aldrich landed on the ground, ready to face the once gentle maid, now revealing an intense killing intent.
Ami dropped the pretence of being a caring maid. Instead, her eyes were cold and ready to kill anything.
She took out her daggers, "How do you know?" she coldly said as she turned invisible, appearing directly behind Aldrich.
"Anyway, Die", she slashed the dagger, aiming for his neck.
Aldrich didn't move, or he didn't feel like he should. He could sense Ami's dagger, coming with an incredible speed for his neck. He imbued mana near his neck, casually protecting himself against Ami's attack. The Blade struck Aldrich's neck, and sparks erupted as the Blade clashed with the layer of mana.
"Who are you?" Ami said. The Aldrich she was assigned to kill was a meek bastard who couldn't hold a sword.
"This level of Mana manipulation cannot be shown by a guy who just awakened yesterday",
Ami's eyes flickered with uncertainty, her resolve momentarily shaken. Yet, she quickly recomposed herself, brandishing her Blade once more. She stepped back, ready to attack again.
Ami realized that regular attacks wouldn't work against him. She imbued mana in her dagger, ready to kill Aldrich.
"Tch, you still don't get it?" Aldrich stood in his fighting stance, revealing his killing intent. He flared his mana, instantly appearing in front of her, before kicking her in the face.
"Good that she has not learned most of her deadly techniques, else the matter would have been quite hard to deal with ", he thought.
"Do you think my father will let you be? If you kill his only son", he grinned, holding her face close to his own.
Remi had been working under the family head for quite sometime, and she knew how much the head adored Aldrich. She glared at Aldrich as she bit her lip, not knowing what to do.
A few moments later,She dropped her dagger as if accepting her defeat.
"Good girl", Aldrich started to walk away from Ami towards the carriage, to pick up what was left of his belongings. but suddenly another dagger flew his way, successfully reaching him.
"Yes!" Ami knew no one could survive her dagger once it touched them. The poison would quickly spread in the entire body, corroding their heart.
but the dagger phased through the body, directly hitting the tree.
"Afterimage?", she was shocked.
"Too Slow", Ami heard a chilling voice behind her back as a cold hand gripped her neck.
"Kugh, what.. do you. want?" Ami said, gasping for air.
"Become my pawn. That is all", Aldrich threw Ami towards a nearby tree.
"I will help you kill the second prince", Aldrich said; he knew that he would have to go against the royal Family someday, so it was better to create allies for that purpose.
Ami stood up, not knowing how to react. Her true identity was revealed, meaning she couldn't take assassination requests. Her target, considered worthless, was strong enough to defeat her without batting an eye.
"I- accept" Ami removed her mask, revealing a scarred face. "I, Remi Stoneheart, pledge to serve you , till our goals align" She bent down, pledging her loyalty to Aldrich.
"I accept", Aldrich said, but he knew he had to be careful against her, as she might betray him anytime.
"Let's walk towards the Inheritance Dungeon. Tell me about your situation and past acts meanwhile"
The two started to walk towards the Dungeon, while Remi slowly revealed her intentions to Aldrich.
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Gifts
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received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
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stone