Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!

Chapter 832: Looming Threat

The word hit Joy like a slap in the face.

"Peacekeeper...?" She whispered.

Then, as if reciting a lesson learned long ago, she said.

"You told me a Peacekeeper is someone who maintains the balance between good and evil, black and white. The intermediary who ensures neither side grows too powerful."

Cassius nodded, a look of approval on his face.

"I’m impressed you remembered."

"But wait." Joy said, her mind racing. "Aren’t you a Peacekeeper?"

"I am." Cassius confirmed. "But this world..."

He looked down at the ground beneath their feet.

"...has a Peacekeeper of its own."

The revelation stunned Joy into silence.

Different worlds? Other peacekeepers? The implications were staggering.

"Essentially, I am an uninvited guest encroaching on another Peacekeeper’s sovereign territory."

Cassius explained, his tone laced with rare contemplation.

"And because I’ve never found myself in a situation quite like this, I didn’t know how I should proceed."

"Should I walk on eggshells, constantly looking over my shoulder in paranoia?"

He lifted one hand like a scale.

"Or should I just act naturally, as if nothing is wrong?"

He lifted the other.

"I honestly don’t know what to do."

Joy absorbed his words, her mind racing. After a long moment of thought, she looked up at him, a genuine sense of confusion in her voice.

"Is it really necessary for you to be so cautious, Cassius?....After all, I’ve seen what you can do."

She remembered the night she and Carmela confronted Cassius.

"Even though we’ve never truly fought side-by-side in a life-or-death struggle, I know from a single glance at your power that you easily surpass every living soul on this continent."

Cassius puffed out his chest, clearly pleased by the compliment.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Joy."

Joy clicked her tongue. "I’m being serious."

"So am I." His expression turned grave again. "The title of ’Peacekeeper’ comes with a lot of power. And if I’m as powerful as you say I am, then that other person could be just as powerful...."

"...Or even stronger."

Joy gasped, the implications making her mind freeze up.

If Cassius was a monster beyond her comprehension, then what kind of entity could surpass him?

"That’s why I’ve always stayed close to home." Cassius said, his voice taking on a reflective tone.

"I never ventured too far out into the continent, even though there were plenty of things I wanted to explore. I held back because I didn’t know how the local Peacekeeper would react to my presence."

He gestured at the hanging bodies.

"Take the Valheim family, for example. I’ve wanted to slaughter them for a long time. But I held myself back because I wasn’t sure what would happen if I altered the balance too dramatically."

"The Valheims are a great evil in this world, and by eliminating them completely, I might have disrupted the balance enough to alert the peacekeeper."

"Are you scared of fighting this person?" Joy asked quietly.

Cassius’s eyes flickered with something—excitement, maybe? A spark of battle lust.

"Honestly? The idea of finding someone as strong as myself is...intriguing. Back in the past, I would have jumped at the chance to test my strength against them."

"But not anymore?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Not anymore. I have a family now, Joy. People I love and cherish."

A tender gaze appeared in his eyes.

"I don’t want to go picking fights with opponents I know nothing about, not when it could put all of you at risk. I’d much rather live a peaceful life with the people I care about."

Joy understood. Now he had a family. People he loved. A home.

The wandering warrior had found a place to put down roots, and he didn’t want to risk it.

Looking at him in that moment, Joy felt her heart soften.

She remembered the dreams—the images of Cassius in other worlds, other times.

He had always looked...lost. Like he was searching for something he couldn’t name.

But that look was gone now. Replaced by something warmer. Something settled.

He looked like a man who had finally come home.

"And has there been any reaction?" Joy asked quietly. "From the other peacekeeper?"

Cassius shook his head, a frown creasing his brow.

"That’s what’s puzzling. With what I’ve done today—altering the balance so dramatically—there should have been some response. A ripple. A disturbance."

"But there’s nothing. It’s as if..."

He trailed off, thinking.

"As if what?"

"As if they’re in a slumber." Cassius said, the word heavy with meaning.

"Slumber? Like...asleep?"

"Not exactly. More like...dormant. Unaware. Or perhaps aware but unconcerned." He gave a wry smile. "Or maybe I haven’t caused enough chaos to warrant their attention."

He frowned. "Honestly, I don’t know anything right now. I’m still in the dark."

The admission surprised Joy. Cassius was always so sure, so decisive.

Seeing him uncertain about something made her feel...uneasy. If even he didn’t know what to expect...

"Do you know where they are?" She asked. "This other peacekeeper?"

Cassius turned and pointed toward the east, where the sun was over the horizon.

"That direction. The capital."

Joy’s heart skipped a beat. "The capital?! The same capital I’m from?!"

Cassius nodded.

"That’s the feeling I get. Somewhere in that territory, your world’s Peacekeeper is either in a deep slumber or roaming around, exploring just like I used to in the past."

The thought sent a shiver down Joy’s spine.

Someone as powerful as Cassius, moving through the capital streets, shopping in the markets, attending court functions...and no one knowing.

"Is the capital safe?" She asked, her voice tight with concern. "With an entity like that moving around..."

Cassius gave her an appreciative smile and reached out, patting her head in a gesture that was both fond and condescending.

"Even now, you’re thinking about the people. You truly are a Saint."

Joy pushed his hand away, though she couldn’t deny that his touch had felt nice.

"Don’t patronize me. Answer the question."

"The Peacekeeper is a keeper of balance." Cassius said, his tone becoming lecturing. "Not evil. Not good. Neutral. They won’t bother anyone as long as the balance is maintained."

"They’re more likely to be annoyed by someone like me, an outside element, than by the ordinary people of your capital."

Joy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She had been lucky, she realized.

Cassius was a peacekeeper, but he was also a good person—flawed, perverted, and infuriating, but good at heart.

What if the other peacekeeper wasn’t like him?

What if they abandoned their values and decided to wreak havoc on the world?

The thought was terrifying.

But then she looked at Cassius, standing there with his confident smile and messy black hair, and she felt a strange sense of reassurance. Even if the worst happened, she had him by her side.

She hated admitting that she relied on a man for her safety. It went against every independent bone in her body.

But deep down, she knew it was true.

"So." Joy said, trying to push those thoughts aside. "Since you didn’t get any reaction from this test, are you going to do more? Try to provoke the other side?"

Cassius shook his head. "No more tests. I like the peace and quiet I have now."

"Even though I’m curious about the other peacekeeper, I don’t want to do anything unnecessary."

His eyes hardened slightly. "But if any other idiot decides to provoke my family, I’ll make sure to use them for the next test as well."

Joy felt a chill at his words.

She knew what that meant—another brutal genocide, carried out purely to satisfy Cassius’s curiosity and vent his anger.

She almost felt pity for whoever might cross him next.

Almost.

"Is there anything else you know about this other peacekeeper?" She curiously asked. "Anything at all?"

Cassius thought for a moment, then a slow smirk spread across his face.

"I think they’re a woman."

Joy blinked. "A woman?"

"That’s the feeling I get." Cassius said, chuckling. "There’s basically another woman in this world who’s probably just as powerful as I am, roaming around somewhere."

Joy gave him a deadpan stare.

"What?"

"Nothing." She looked away, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It’s just that this problem really doesn’t seem like that big of a deal anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She shot him a side-eye.

"After all, if a real problem occurs between you two, you can just go ahead and seduce her. Just like every other woman you’ve seduced."

Cassius looked genuinely offended. "I don’t seduce everyone I meet!"

"Really? Name one woman in your estate who isn’t head over heels for you."

Cassius opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. "...That’s different."

"Sure it is."

But Joy wasn’t entirely joking.

When she had thought that the other peacekeeper might be male, she had felt genuinely threatened.

But a female? She knew Cassius’s track record.

He had a way of worming his way into women’s hearts, whether they wanted him there or not.

Even she, the Saintess of the Church of Light, who had sworn to dedicate her life to the goddess, had fallen for him.

If anyone could charm a peacekeeper, it was Cassius.

But Cassius shook his head, his expression turning serious again.

"It wouldn’t be that easy. A Peacekeeper has their own virtues and values instilled into them. Even though they’re human in some ways, there are certain things in their mind that they can’t erase."

He let out a heavy sigh. "Back in the past, I was able to break out of those shackles and find my true self."

"But this Peacekeeper? This world’s version?" His brows furrowed. "They’re probably a nerdy, devoted type."

"Their mind would be focused entirely on maintaining the balance between good and evil. No amount of pretty words or poems would sway them."

"And if she sees me as a chaos element disrupting her carefully maintained balance..."

He gave a helpless smile.

"...she’ll come after me regardless."

But despite this, Joy just chuckled, a sarcastic little sound.

"Honestly, I wouldn’t mind that. I’d finally get to see someone beat you down. I might even join her. Punch you a couple times. See how it feels."

Cassius looked at her with mock betrayal.

"Joy! How could you say that to your husband?"

And then he hugged her to which Joy’s face immediately flushed bright red.

"Shut up, Cassius! Who said I’m your wife?!"

"You are my wife." Cassius said firmly, tightening his embrace. "And no one can say anything about it."

Joy’s heart raced, but she refused to give in so easily. She bit his neck—hard.

"Ow!" Cassius pulled back, rubbing the spot where her teeth had been. "What the hell, Joy? You’re really becoming more and more like Carmela, huh?"

The moment Carmela’s name left his lips, the playful atmosphere shifted.

A shadow passed over Cassius’s face, his eyes growing heavy with sadness.

"Are you really going to go back to the capital?" He asked quietly. "To search for her?"

It was the heavy news Joy had delivered to him late last night. She nodded slowly, her expression turning solemn.

"Yes, Cassius." She confirmed softly. "We don’t know where she went, but I have a strong feeling she headed straight for the Capital to finish whatever dangerous business she hinted at in her letters."

She clenched her fists, determination burning in her eyes.

"That stubborn vampire won’t ask for help. She’d rather die than admit she needs anyone. But I don’t care about her pride. I’m going to find her."

Cassius smiled despite the seriousness of the topic. "You really do care about her."

"Shut up." Joy muttered, but there was no heat in it.

"Leaving that aside." She continued with a tired gaze. "I have to return to the capital anyway. I have duties. Reports to make to the Empress and the Church. I can’t stay here forever."

She looked at him, her gaze softening. "But don’t worry. I won’t be taking my mother with me. She is much safer here with you and our family."

The words slipped out before she could stop them:

"Our family."

She expected him to tease her, to make some comment about her finally admitting it.

But instead, he just looked at her with such warmth, such approval, that she felt her cheeks heat up again. She quickly tried to cover it.

"A-Anyway, I’ll be leaving today. And also..."

She narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming calculating.

"...I’ll be taking the blame for what happened here."

Cassius’s eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

"Think about it." Joy said, her mind already working through the political implications. "Even if you blame it on your father, even if you make it look like Holyfield retaliation, there will still be pressure."

"The Valheims had allies. Powerful ones. They’ll make trouble. And while the Holyfield estate can handle it, it will still cause problems. Ripples."

She shook her head. "I don’t want that. I’ve found a safe place here. I’ve found..."

She paused, a look of fondness crossing her face.

"...a home. A home where I can relax without worrying about politics and schemes. A place where my mother can be happy."

"I won’t let anything disturb that."

Determination blazed in her gaze.

"That’s why I’m going to take responsibility. I’ll tell the Church and the nobles that I was the one who authorized the Valheims’ elimination."

"I have plenty of reports against them anyway—I was already planning to take action. The only reason I didn’t was because of pushback from other nobles who had connections to them."

"Now, I’ll happily throw it all in their faces."

She snorted. "Let them try to come after me. I’d love to see them try."