Child of Destiny

...…

The trio immediately head back and regrouped with the others right after their 'negotiation' with Cruelty and the others. Of course, they didn't forget about the loot on the ground that the other members of the HeadHunter Guild dropped right after dying.

"Done already? That is faster than expected," asked Cloe the moment Shin arrived beside her.

"Well, the plan went smoothly," replied Shin immediately.

In the meantime, Arthur and Leonard also joined the battle and continued to attack the Monster Boss that the team was dealing with since earlier.

A few moments later, Cloe couldn't help but ask. "But are you sure about this? Can we really trust those guys?"

Hearing that, Shin suddenly smirked and said. "Trust? I will never trust my enemies. But I am pretty confident that they are going to follow our arrangements. Moreover, they are already bound by the contract, so it is pretty much impossible for them to go back on their words now."

He then took a brief pause before continuing with a smirking smile. "And if ever they manage to find a hole in the contract that system has provided, I still have a backup plan prepared for them, so you don't have to worry."

This time, Cloe didn't say anything and just nodded her head before refocusing on her job on the team.

*********

Real World, Soaring Continent, Eastern Sea Region

Ace City, Grand Horizon Hotel

Earlier, Alice was summoned by her father which was why she immediately logged out of the game. She was quite unwilling at first when she got the call, but she didn't have any other choice but to comply with her father since she knew what was going to happen to her if she refused.

Moreover, her father sounded serious during the call, so she suddenly got scared when she heard his voice and immediately accepted.

"Uncle Peter, do you know why Dad asked for me? It's not like there is an important event that I need to attend right now," said Alice with a slight frown at her personal attendant.

Peter smiled bitterly when she heard that before replying to her. "I'm sorry, young miss. But I am also not sure why you are summoned."

"Not sure? Then you must at least have an idea what it is, tell me!" said Alice while frowning even deeper.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before sighing helplessly. "I think it is better if you hear it from your father directly, young miss."

Alice frowned even more when she heard those words before slightly shaking her head. "Why do I feel strange about this?"

After that, Alice continued to walk towards the place where she was going to meet her father.

It was in a fancy restaurant. And Elias Stuart reserved the entire place so that they would not get interrupted by anyone.

He was originally planning to visit his daughter to see how she was doing in her current place. But when he was about to contact her, he suddenly received an unexpected report about a certain person.

At first, he didn't believe such news since it was ridiculous for that person to be still alive. Even after seeing some evidence, Elias still didn't want to believe it and just thought that it was just a person with a similar appearance.

But when his father told him that that person was indeed his first daughter that they thought died a long time ago, he didn't have a choice but to believe it.

"It is impossible for Father to be mistaken. He may not see Alyssa personally in that place since she is already nowhere to be found when he arrives in that place, but he still detected her leftover presence lingering in that area after checking the place," muttered Elias while frowning his eyebrows.

"But I still feel uneasy about this. What if it is a trap set up by the Black Serpent Mafia to lure us? We can afford to be careless this time," he added as he supported his chin with his hand.

This issue troubled even the elders of the Family, so they wanted him to investigate it properly. And full of secrecy on top of that.

This was when Shin entered his mind.

Since Shin was one of the young agents that were trained by the Black Serpent Mafia, he was the only clue that they currently had.

Elias tried to discuss this with Nathan but it was a little unsuccessful. The latter said that there were some parts in Shin's memories that had been forgotten, so he could barely remember all of the events that happened in the training camp.

But there were also a few things that were vividly clear to Shin, and one of them was how he watched Alyssa die right in front of him.

Elias listened to everything and investigated all of the things that might be overlooked by the military. And just like what he was expecting, there were indeed a few things that looked suspicious.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any evidence to support his suspicions. So, all he could do was to ask Shin directly about it. But the problem was he didn't know how he could communicate with Shin.

And that was when he remembered that Shin was also going to attend the Magical Ace Academy alongside his daughter and the other young talents who passed the recent exam.

He really didn't want Alice to be close to Shin because of multiple reasons. But since he didn't have a choice, he could only clench his teeth and endure it for the time being.

Not long after, Alice finally arrived and immediately sat across from her father. "What are you thinking so hard that you don't even notice my arrival, Dad?"

Hearing that, Elias gave her a tired smile before greeting her. "You are here."

Seeing the current look that her father had, Alice couldn't help but knit her eyebrows before asking. "Is there something wrong? You look terrible right now. Did something happen?"

Elias stared at his daughter for a couple of moments before releasing a helpless sigh. After that, he pushed the brown envelope on the table towards her while saying. "I will go directly to the point since there are still a lot of things that I need to do. But first, take a look at these photos and tell me your thoughts."

Alice was still wearing her frowning brows as she took the envelope and took out the photos that it contained. But right after she saw who the person in those photos was, her entire body froze all of a sudden as she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"T-this-… What is the meaning of this, Dad?" asked Alice stutteringly without removing her gaze at the photos on her hand.

"It is what you are seeing," answered Elias while releasing a deep sigh.

Hearing that, Alice suddenly turned her head at her father before saying. "But how is it possible? She is already dead. Even her Spiritual Candle at home died, so-… how come-…?"

She couldn't properly express what she was currently feeling due to the mixed emotions that she had. There was happiness and excitement, but there was also disbelief and suspicion at the same time.

Elias slightly nodded his head when he heard those words before saying to her. "That is the reason why we are so sure of her death. But from what your grandfather had said, he definitely sensed your sister's personal aura, so we can't overlook this matter."

"But what if it is just a trick to fool us? You said that there are some suspicious movements on our family rivals," said Alice.

Elias gave her a soft smile before replying. "That is why we are currently investigating this matter, girl."

He then took a brief pause before saying gently. "And we need your help for this."

"Me? Why? How can I-…" Alice was in the middle of talking when she suddenly realized something. "Wait! Could it be-…?"

Seeing that she immediately understood what he was currently thinking and quickly said. "Looks like you also know what I am talking about. So, do you hear anything about her from him?"

Alice was silent for a couple of moments before replying. "A little."

"Do you also hear about him seeing her death with his own eyes?" asked Elias while looking closely at her reaction.

Hearing that, Alice unconsciously clenched her fists before forcing herself to nod her head.

Seeing the little actions that she did, Elias gently extended his hands and patted hers before saying. "Alright, that is more than enough."

Alice hesitated for a few moments before saying. "But-…! He also has some doubts about it."

The expression on Elias' face suddenly changed when he heard those words before asking. "What are you talking about?"

This time, Alice lowered her head before answering. "I once visited him when I learned about his connection with Big Sister. I want to at least learn how she lives after leaving our home."

She started narrating all of the things that she heard from Shin, she didn't miss a single detail as she was afraid that they might overlook the clue that her father was looking for. It took her quite some time to tell everything that she heard as Elias listened to her silently.

"So, are you saying that he didn't see her body even though he vividly remembers the scene of her getting killed," asked Elias to confirm what he just heard.

"Yes," nodded Alice in return.

'Maybe that is one the reasons why that kid's 'Seed of Hatred' is active? It triggered his most negative emotions after seeing her death right in front of his eyes,' thought Elias as he started to recall everything that his daughter had said.

But not long after, Alice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "But Dad-… he said something that is odder than that."

Elias didn't think much about it as he unconsciously nodded his head while also asking. "What is it?"

Alice bit her lower lip as she hesitated once again. And when she started talking, what she just said made her father freeze on his seat. "He said that he no longer trusts his memories."

...…