“Ahhhhhh!! Ahhhh!!…” the leader screamed, and blood kept oozing from his hands that were nailed to the tree. "Hey, man, aren't you in pain?" Edward made a "tsk tsk" sound, and an impatient expression appeared on his unshaven face, "How about we just talk about it..." “You Federal...Aaaaaaah!!” Edward kept stirring the handle of the butterfly knife, and the leader screamed in pain and trembled constantly. "..Wuwu no!! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!!" the leader cried. The intense pain made him completely succumb. "Yes...Yes...Awada Aziz..." Edward stopped moving his hands and stared at the leader's eyes. Something in his silver-white pupils burned the leader's mind like the scorching sun. The leader's pupils gradually became blurred, and in an instant, something in them appeared clearly in front of Edward. Eyes can speak, and everything about the leader was exposed in Edward's eyes, real and ugly. After confirming that the leader was not lying, Edward sighed and spoke slowly: "Come on, buddy, lend me a light." Edward pulled out the butterfly knife from the leader's hand and put it back to his waist. He searched the leader's pocket for a lighter, lit a cigarette for himself, and stood up.
"Thanks." After saying this, Edward turned and left, leaving the leader alone under the tree. The leader covered his injured hand and sat trembling beside the tree. Looking at Edward's receding back, the corners of the leader's mouth twitched in embarrassment. Then, he pulled out the pistol from his waist with his uninjured hand and tremblingly aimed at Edward's back: "Oh!" A well-aimed bullet flew through the jungle and hit the leader right between the eyebrows, killing him instantly. Edward didn't even turn his head when he heard the gunshot, but just walked slowly in the opposite direction while smoking comfortably. "That's accurate, Ivar." "Did you have fun, Edward..." A voice came over the radio in his ears and Edward smiled. "It's just work." Edward walked slowly in the jungle, blowing out a puff of smoke from his mouth from time to time. "Another day has passed, huh? You lazy and comfortable idiot." "Don't say that..." On a small cliff not far away, Ivar slowly stood up and raised the sniper rifle with smoke still coming out of the muzzle. "I've been watching your back..." Ivar looked down at the jungle in front of him. Everything had gone quiet, as if nothing had happened here. This was why the famous [Red Shadow] Edward von Valantia frightened those people. He was like a soul-seeking ghost wandering on the continent of Ademir. Anyone could be his prey, and those who were targeted by him would never see the sun the next day. "Aleph, how are you doing?" Edward asked lazily, "You weren't beaten down by that guy, were you? "Fuck you... Just dealt with it, but the brat is dead..." Aleph's voice came over the radio, "I chased this son of a bitch for a long time, but I accidentally threw too much force when I threw the spear, and blew up his car." "It's okay. The evidence has to be destroyed anyway." Edward said nonchalantly, he put out the cigarette in his hand and threw it into his pocket, he didn't want to start a forest fire. "I already know who's behind them." "Oh? Who is it?"
"Avada Aziz," Edward's silver-white pupils showed an old face. He naturally knew the old man. "It seems that the royal family of Wilkin also wants to occupy a place in Akademi." ...... The Blood Pact (Part 2) Capital of Wiesel - Academi Federation "In short, Avada Aziz's goal is to allow his own descendants to enter the ranks of the Blade of Babel through the Competition. Is this enough information?" In the federal capital of Wezel, on the top floor of the academy building, Edward stared at the old man sitting across the table, his eyes full of vigilance and hostility. The cup of tea that belonged to him on the table was steaming without anyone paying attention to it. Instead, Laplace, who was sitting opposite him, was leisurely enjoying the tea in his hand. "Well, it's no secret that Wilkin always wants to place his own forces at the top of various countries and then gain the right to speak." Laplace put down the teacup, closed his eyes and savored it for a while, then sighed. Outside the French window behind him, the capital of the Academi Federation, Wezel, began to operate in an orderly manner under the first rays of the rising sun. The Tower of Babel stood silently on the horizon not far away, and a huge shadow shrouded the city. "I just didn't expect that they would dare to try to make trouble for the Federation." Laplace sighed, lamenting the arrogance and pathos of the Wilkin royal family. "You did great, Edward." Edward did not respond to Laplace's compliment at all. He stood up, slapped his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared at Laplace with his silver eyes. "I've already given you the information you wanted," Edward's voice was a little aggressive, "Keep your promise and give up your plans on Perlis." Laplace did not respond immediately. Instead, he picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then slowly spoke: "No, not enough." "Isn't that enough?" Edward's eyes flashed with ferocity, "I'm warning you..." "This matter is not completely over yet, is it?" Laplace put the teacup on the table, "You should not have forgotten the content of the [Blood Pact], right?" Edward slowly lowered his head and pondered for a while. When he raised his head again, there was a bit more fatigue in his eyes. "What else am I going to do?" "It's very simple." Laplace stood up and looked directly at Edward. "You must kill Avada Aziz's Champion in the twelfth Competition." "make a deal." Edward agreed without hesitation, and then he lifted the cup of tea on the table and placed it between the two of them. "But this is the last time." Two pairs of silver eyes stared at each other, and something in the air changed in that instant. "If you still dare to have ideas about Perlis after this——" Under Laplace's gaze, Edward slowly poured the teacup out, and the scalding hot tea fell on the desk, creating a wave of heat.
"I will burn your Federation to ashes." Edward put the cup on the table and left. The servant beside him hurried over to wipe the table, but Laplace was not moved at all. He watched Edward walk out of the room, and a meaningful light flashed in his eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything. Laplace shrugged slightly, as if nothing had happened, and continued to sip his tea. Behind him, the Tower of Babel was gleaming with silver light under the increasingly scorching sun, and the spire that reached into the clouds had never been shaken by anything. ...... Wilkin "Shave? Why do you suddenly want to shave?" "Come on, lend me your razor." At the gate of the manor, Edward, who had just stepped out of the car, stopped Aleph and held out his hand to him: "Here, here you go. If you don't mind the dirtiness, use it." Aleph took out an automatic razor from the basket next to the driver's seat and gave it to Edward, with a puzzled expression on his face. Edward took the automatic razor, looked at it for a while, and his expression gradually became strange: "Automatic razor? When did you start using such a sissy thing?" "Hey, hey, hey, you don't have to use it if you don't want to, idiot," Aleph muttered, feeling a little awkward, "This thing is obviously very convenient..." Edward didn't hesitate any more. He looked at the rearview mirror and carefully shaved his unshaven face with a razor, trying to remove all the stubble as cleanly as possible. When he was done, a handsome and fresh face appeared in the mirror. "Wow, you're really a handsome young man after you've cleaned yourself up," Aleph said with a wicked smile at Edward's handsome face. "Are you planning to become an idol and pursue an acting career after this, so are you preparing for it now?" "Then we have to ask our tough guy Aleph and ask him if he is afraid that the sharp blade will hurt his delicate skin, so he switches to an automatic razor." Edward retorted calmly. "Hey... we can't get over this, right..." Aleph was both angry and amused, but thinking that he was the first to start talking nonsense, he didn't seem to have anything to complain about. "Okay, go quickly, I'll pick you up in a week." "Are you really not going to stay here? There are extra rooms." "Come on, come on, I can't stand seeing that little white flower you always mention. If I fall in love with her, her jealous father might kill me." "You bastard..." Edward laughed and hit Aleph on the shoulder, then threw the automatic razor to him, "See you in a week." "Yeah, go ahead, go ahead." Edward turned and left, his steps seemed much lighter than before. Watching Edward's back as he left, Aleph sighed softly. He certainly knew why Edward wanted to shave his beard, and why he wanted to return to Wilkin. He cleaned his beard to avoid pricking her. "She makes you weak, Edward." Aleph lit a cigarette. The sky over Wilkin was still clear, but Aleph knew that such good weather would probably not last long. ...... Opening the door, Edward was greeted by the scent of flowers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The fragrance went straight into his lungs, washing his brain that had been muddied by the atmosphere of the Federation. This was the smell of home. Edward looked around the neat and comfortable living room. It seemed that some strange paranoia had affected the maintainer of this house. Clusters of white flowers spread across every corner of the room, turning the house into a pure and beautiful garden. Still the same as before.
Edward smiled helplessly and stretched himself. It was great to be able to go home and rest for a while. He didn't have to deal with the old men in the Federation, nor did he have to smell the smoke and lick the blood on the tip of a knife. This was probably heaven... However, after the initial joy of returning home gradually faded, Edward realized that something was wrong: no one came out to pick him up. Strange... why is it so quiet? Edward swallowed his saliva. He actually knew what silence meant. For the first time in a few months, the tension surged into his heart again, as if countless small ants were gnawing at his heart. This was not normal for the famous [Red Shadow]. "Hmm..little white flower?" Edward called out cautiously, but no one responded. Oops..It can't be.. A terrible thought came to Edward's mind. The next second, Edward felt the disturbance in the air, and his conditioned reflex made him grab a sharp blade flying towards him in his hand. As expected... Edward's heart suddenly sank to the bottom. He knew that the thing he had been worried about had happened. "Edward..you're a week late.." The room seemed to suddenly become dark, Edward's heart was pounding, and a small white figure appeared at the corner of the room, clinging to the wall, staring at him with blood-red eyes. "Ah...little white flower..." Edward smiled in panic, "Well...actually...hahaha...it's just that...there are a lot of things to do, so..." "I thought you weren't coming back." "..well?" Little Perlis slowly walked to the center of the living room and stood there looking at Edward. To Edward's panic, her beautiful blood-red eyes suddenly filled with tears. "No...no...baby..." Edward quickly ran to Pearlis, squatted down, and looked at her, "How could I..." "I thought you didn't want me anymore..." Pearlis held back her tears and lowered her head in grievance. Edward suddenly had ten thousand reasons to hate himself. "No, no...don't worry..." Edward hugged Pearlis and patted her back gently, "When will Daddy ever leave you? Daddy loves you so much..." "Hmph...you're late, you're a bad guy..." Perlis suddenly began to struggle, trying to get rid of Edward's embrace, "Bad guys, don't hug me..." "No, the bad guy will hug you." Edward stood up, picked up Perlis, and looked at her with a smile, "Can the little white flower escape the clutches of the bad guy?" After struggling in vain, Pearlis stared at Edward angrily, tears still in the corners of her eyes. "Hmm...Edward is so cunning..." "Little White Flower is the same. She comes in and throws a knife at Dad. What if Dad can't catch it?" Looking at Edward's smirk, Pearlis wiped away her tears unconvincedly, and the expression on her face gradually calmed down. "..My dad is not that stupid..." "Hahaha.. the standards for being a little white flower's father are really high."
Edward looked at Perlis in his arms, her pure white hair softly clinging to her cheeks, setting off her tender and cute face. He actually made such a lovely daughter unhappy, which made Edward suddenly feel guilty. "Well... Little White Flower... Can you forgive me?" Edward's voice suddenly became a little deeper, "I shouldn't..." However, before Edward could finish, Perlis's two little hands suddenly began to hit Edward on the head, making him laugh non-stop: "Ouch.. Ouch.. What are you doing..." "Beat you, beat you, beat you, beat you, beat you, beat you, beat you, beat you!!!" Perlis hammered Edward's head at high speed, with an angry expression on her face, "Liar liar liar liar!!" "Hahahaha... okay, okay... I was wrong, I was wrong..." Edward begged for mercy with a smile.