Ada…
The moment she descended from the colossal wyvern, our eyes met.
She had mentioned preparing a surprise, but I never expected this—not her coming here. She must have taken a significant risk to do so.
With Carmen and Vulcan by her side, she strode toward me, cutting through the dense crowd.
“Wow… Who’s that beauty?”
Danzo couldn’t contain his reaction. For some reason, I felt an overwhelming urge to punch him.
“She’s my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“So this is the current Lord of the Starlight Family…”
Selina spoke with genuine admiration, acknowledging the only female leader among the great families.
“It’s been a while, Frey.”
Ada finally reached me, pulling me into a light embrace—something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Then, just as quickly, she pulled back, maintaining a small distance between us.
“It really has been a while… I didn’t expect to see you here, Ada.”
“That much is obvious from your face. Did you really think I’d leave you alone?”
Ada lifted her gaze, scanning the people behind me. The moment she saw them, she smiled.
“Your friends?”
“Something like that…”
She seemed pleased to know I had allies by my side.
I introduced her to them quickly, but before I could react, that old hag struck me with a swift punch.
“You look better than the last time I saw you. Finally becoming a man?”
“Ugh… Carmen.”
“Hmm… Still scrawny.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you…”
Carmen… it was best to stay off her radar for now.
I sighed in frustration at the situation before turning back to Ada.
“So… how did this happen? Is it even safe for you to leave the family and come here?”
“Hmm… Yes and no.”
“Yes and no?”
Ada tilted her head slightly, clearly avoiding the subject.
“We can talk about that later. For now, let’s get out of here.”
Her words snapped me back to reality.
Countless eyes were on us—we were the center of attention.
Especially Frost. He seemed irritated by the entire situation but didn’t voice any complaints. Not in front of the Lord of another family.
Either way, our situation had completely changed , from being the only ones without transportation to riding the largest wyvern of them all.
Carmen leaped onto the beast’s head, engaging in yet another struggle with it. But the poor creature had already endured enough, so it finally gave in.
“She’s really enjoying this, huh?”
Following Carmen’s command, the wyvern extended its wing, offering us a way onto its back.
“Come on, guys. We’ve got our own ride now.”
Danzo, Ghost, and Selina climbed up, but they sat toward the back, distancing themselves slightly from the rest of us.
The reason was simple—there were things that needed to be discussed.
“So? What now?”
“Wait.”
The old butler, Vulcan, raised a transparent barrier around us—one I assumed prevented others from eavesdropping.
The moment he did, Ada sighed in frustration.
“I’m sorry, Frey. I couldn’t stop it.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Stop what?”
Carmen turned to look at Ada, who hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Your selection by the Moonlight Family.”
Just as I thought…
“So it was planned from the start.”
Ada nodded reluctantly.
“As soon as we were informed by the temple about this training expedition, you and Snow Lionheart were our top priorities. But at the last moment, your name was removed.”
Most of what she said was something I had already deduced. To confirm the rest, I voiced my suspicion.
“That old man again?”
Ada nodded.
“Leonidas and his faction intervened at the last second. It was a bold move, and we couldn’t overturn it since he acted at the perfect time.”
Carmen, still standing on the wyvern’s head, frowned as she recalled that old man’s interference.
“He’s in league with the Moonlight Family… They want you, kid.”
She turned to me, her expression serious.
“That incident between you and that girl happened a long time ago. I never thought they’d hold a grudge for this long. Frey, are you sure you didn’t do anything else back then?”
Carmen’s question caught me off guard.
Had I done something else?
The answer was no.
But Frey had learned things he shouldn’t have. That’s all I knew, given that I wasn’t entirely aware of what had happened back then.
“I didn’t do anything. It was a long time ago, and I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Hmm.”
She didn’t seem convinced. Sensing the need for a shift in topic, I changed the conversation.
“Forget about the Moonlight Family for now… What about Leonidas? Does he still want me? Even after I’ve stayed out of the spotlight?”
Carmen and Ada exchanged glances before Ada answered.
“The Immortal Lion remains a mystery. I know about his hatred toward you, so I tried diverting his attention to me—since I’m the one truly threatening his authority. But despite all my efforts, he’s still obsessed with you.”
Carmen scoffed in irritation at the thought of that old man.
“Leonidas has always despised your family. Eighty years ago, he lost a duel for the position of Lord against your grandfather, Izan Starlight. Then, he was defeated again by Abraham Starlight, who was from a branch family and barely half his age. So I figured he had some kind of grudge against you… but now, I don’t understand him anymore.”
Their words made me realize something…
Leonidas Starlight—this wasn’t as simple as I had thought.
Was there something else I didn’t know that made him so determined to see me dead?
I held my head, feeling the weight of the situation.
An entire family wanted me dead, and an obsessed old man wanted the same.
This was bad.
I steadied myself and refocused on Ada.
What mattered now wasn’t my enemies, but my allies.
“Ada… back to our topic. Is it really okay for you to be here?”
Ada nodded.
“The Moonlight Family is planning something for you… so I decided to visit them as a guest for a month.”
“Your sister is the Lord of a great family, standing on equal footing with Baylor Moonlight. Her presence alone will serve as a deterrent, at least to some extent…”
Slowly, the threads of thought wove together in my mind.