Evolution of the Ruined Heir

Chapter 363: New Chapter

“I’m here on an official basis, Sovereign. As an apprentice blood knight, not a vein. A warrior of the clan here to receive his next assignment.”

“Hmm…”

Malakai felt the pressure on him ease, slightly. But the same couldn’t be said for Renlo.

“Arrk!”

The weight on Renlo intensified, sending him crashing into the ground.

“What are yo—”

“Good answer,” the Sovereign said. “At the very least, a weakness should never be flaunted, not even before your allies.”

The weight on Renlo suddenly eased, leaving the boy gasping for breath.

“But your decision to not perform an action you normally would might as well be a declaration.”

The sovereign’s words grew cold.

“Never act on emotion. Always act with cunning, always with calculation. Remember that, and the stupidity of what just happened will never repeat itself.”

It took a second for Malakai to realize that he was actually being lectured. By the sovereign.

There were many things that Malakai had never thought possible, and this… this was one of them. But it didn’t change the fact that it was good advice.

“Yes, Sovereign.” Malakai bowed.

The sovereign only offered a curt nod.

“You know why you’re here?”

“Yes, Sovereign. To receive my next assignment.”

Malakai had been a bit surprised that there weren’t any blood knight captains in the hall when he entered. How was he supposed to complete his apprenticeship without a squad?

“You and your companion will form an investigative squad, with you as the lead.” The sovereign suddenly said, causing Malakai to fall silent.

“You will report directly to me. Your jurisdiction is only within the City of Blood. This will be your duty until your apprenticeship is over. Do you understand?”

Malakai was dumbstruck. Now he completely understood the earlier actions of the Iron Saint. This was, by all means, bad news.

’Investigative squad…’ what would he investigate?

He wanted nothing but to ask. However, unfortunately, saying anything other than I understand could result in getting slammed against the ground.

“I understand.”

The sovereign rose from his seat.

“Meet Caelum. He’ll inform you of your first mission.” He said, turning to leave, but paused as though remembering something.

“Also… change to your appropriate uniform.”

With that, the sovereign walked out of the room, leaving the baffled Malakai and trembling Renlo. It took Malakai a few moments to get out of his head and attend to Renlo.

“Are you okay?”

Malakai helped the boy up. Though the sovereign had left, Renlo still hadn’t stopped shaking.

“I-I-I’m f-fine.”

An obvious lie. But considering everything that just occurred Malakai didn’t even try to argue. Having helped him up, they slowly made their way out of the hall where the Iron Saint patiently waited.

Caelum didn’t express any shock when he saw their state, having already expected it. The sovereign was a complicated man, after all.

Bowing, he asked;

“I believe you’ve been briefed about the next step, Ninth Vein?”

He absentmindedly nodded.

“Are you ready for your first mission?”

Malakai stared straight into the Iron Saint’s eyes.

“What kind of missions will I be given?”

“I apologize, Ninth Vein, but that depends entirely on the sovereign.”

“Of course…” Malakai shook his head.

’There’s no helping it.’

It wasn’t like he could refuse the sovereign anyway. The nature of the mission wouldn’t change the fact that he had no choice but to obey.

’I just have to find a way to survive.’

“I’m ready.” His expression turned resolute.

The Iron Saint nodded approvingly.

“Your first mission is to investigate a case at the Umbrella Group.” Caelum began, “The report claims that a few of their high-end members had someone close to them suddenly vanish. There were no ransom demands or threats. I’m sending more information to your life guard.”

With a gentle brush of his life guard against Caelum’s, he received a notification. Glancing through it, he saw that it was more detailed information about the mission.

’It even has its own reward.’

Malakai’s eyes widened the moment he saw the reward.

Aside from blood points, he was also receiving a vial of grade three Vitaeon. He had never felt more motivated to complete a mission than he felt now.

“Thank you.”

He nodded towards Caelum and began leaving with Renlo when the latter suddenly spoke again.

“A word of advice, Ninth Vein.”

Malakai turned towards him, silent. Though the rewards excited him, this was uncharted territory for him. Any advice, especially from someone as experienced as Caelum, was like a holy grail.

“Meet the Sixth Pulse before you begin. She leads the Umbrella Group.”

Malakai found his eyes widening before he even realized.

’Shit…’

Of all the pulses, it just had to be the Sixth Pulse.

’This won’t be easy.’

The title Chaos Bringer wasn’t for show. The Sixth Pulse was sure to make his life difficult.

“Any other advice?” Malakai asked, just in case.

“Two,” Caelum said. “You bear the authority of the sovereign during your missions. Use it wisely.” He turned to leave.

“And please wear the appropriate clothing. Don’t forget you lead the squad. You must look the part.”

As the Iron Saint turned and left, Malakai found his mind spinning uncontrollably. He knew this would be his new Chapter, but never thought it would be this challenging and dangerous.

“W-what are we going to do, Malakai?” Renlo asked nervously.

Malakai took a moment before he answered.

“We complete the mission.”

…

After the short meeting with the Iron Saint, Malakai decided to listen to his advice, well, all of them.

After meeting and informing Nyx about the current situation, he stopped by the manor to pick up the blood red jacket he had originally left behind.

It was only now that he understood why he had been given one. Though he was still an apprentice, he led this squad. And the nature of his new role would require him to look the part.

Replacing his jacket, he spent some seconds admiring his new look before leaving the manor.

Now that he’d been given the sovereign’s permission, he could leave the fortress!

He wasn’t surprised to see that he wasn’t the only one happy about the situation. Renlo also couldn’t hide his elation.

Considering what happened earlier, the boy wanted to be as far away from the sovereign as possible.

Stepping out of Crimson Hold, Malakai was surprised to find someone waiting for him. The moment he saw the person, he smiled.

“Captain Rhett…”