In the back courtyard of the Castle, a very tall man was engaged in a playful spar with little kids, a pair of twins with pitch-black hair and warm brown eyes.
It looked like a playful spar from the man's perspective, but the siblings were doing their utter best to land a hit on their opponent, which they had failed to do so far.
There was just something feral about these two children, whose teeth were slightly elongated, and their battle stances were quite animalistic. Not to mention their speed, which any normal Auror in the Foundation Profound Realm could not keep up with.
Suddenly, the tall man stopped and bowed, ignoring the pincer attack that was headed his way, and the siblings were already in the air and could not stop in time when they realised the anomaly.
"Master Demiliore." Romeo politely said, and though to an untrained eye it looked like he teleported himself out of the way of the attack, Keith clearly saw him move to avoid the attack.
The two siblings crashed into each other and then hurriedly stood up, wincing a little at the ache in their bodies.
"Good evening." Keith smiled as he stepped into the courtyard and looked at the pair of Hubo Twins he had picked up a few weeks ago.
He had sent them here right away and had not had a chance to talk with them, but seeing them bow to him, he could tell that Romeo had done a good job of making them understand their circumstances.
"Come here." He lightly said, and to the alarm of the siblings, they felt their bodies move on their own at his call.
They were both only 9 years old, but they were quite tall for their age. However, when they arrived to stand before him, they barely reached his chest and did not dare to raise their heads.
Keith stepped forward and walked behind them, and then placed his hands on the nape of their necks, tensing them. They expected pain, but both relaxed when they did not feel a tight hold around their necks.
A minute passed, and then another. Keith carefully observed the changes that had taken place inside their bodies as a result of the Blood Purification Potion and a little more that he had mixed in it.
"I saved your lives, and you now serve me." He lightly said. "And you will serve me until your last breaths." He told them with absolute certainty and the twins tensed up again but nodded their heads lightly.
"Yes, Lord Erebus." They replied in unison.
"You will address me as Master Demiliore except when we are alone or amongst people who are aware of my identity."
"We understand." They nodded their heads again.
It was something that Romeo had already taught them and they knew that they had to be very careful about how they addressed him.
Keith nodded appreciatively to their words and was content with the effects of the Blood Purification Potion so far, but it had not worn off yet. The Potion would keep purifying their blood for the next year.
"What's your name?" Keith smiled and asked the little girl who sneaked a glance at him and he could tell that she was holding back a question.
"Ruru Hubo." She replied.
"And you?" He turned to the boy and asked.
"Riku Hubo." The young boy replied.
"You want to know what happened to your family?" He knowingly asked, which tensed them, but they both nodded their heads and then lowered them.
"Everyone else who was there that night is dead. The rest of your clansmen, who had been sent to Persia are alive and in no danger," He informed them. "As for your father, he is not dead." He said and watched them both raise their heads to look at him in surprise. "However, he is no longer in this world. He has ascended."
"Thank you for telling us this, Master," Ruru replied, and then together with her brother, bowed to him.
"You don't have to thank me. And you are not allowed to see your clansmen again." He clearly said, making them feel a little at a loss. "A day will come when you will have to drop the name Hubo, and I will give you a name worthy of your blood. But that is only if you live up to meet my expectations."
Keith smiled as he saw the desolation in their expressions and then patted their heads.
"Leave." He ordered, and they both obediently left the courtyard. "How have they been?" He turned to the tall Vampire and asked.
"They are very intelligent." Romeo smiled. "And they learn fast."
"Only good words?" He chuckled.
"They are children, my Lord."
"Well, they won't be children for long." He smiled and then walked past the tall man, who obediently followed after him.
The Castle and its grounds were in a better shape than the last time he had come here.
Keith toured around the place and Romeo gave him an account of all the recent happening in the Kingdom of Italia, and how he had managed to finish the tasks he was assigned.
"The Royal Family have expressed their desire to host a dinner for you," Romeo informed him when they returned to the Castle.
"I will see them at Noxville Netheria's opening ceremony." He gave his answer and Romeo understandably nodded his head. "You are hurt." Keith pointed out and heard the Vampire chuckle.
"Lady Minami did not hold back in our spar." He informed him. "And she's astonishingly fast." He reverently said, which made his Master smile.
"Make arrangements. We will be leaving for the Manor in Corsica this weekend." He ordered, and his servant bowed to him before leaving to inform the workers at the Manor about his arrival.
"Iseul." He lightly called out the name, and by the time he reached the main hall, the said girl came rushing to meet him after Minami informed her that he had called for her.
"Senpai!" She excitedly said and saluted, which made him smile.
"Have they finished their tasks?"
"Yes, Senpai!" She nodded her head. "Zor is awaiting your orders."
"He is to stay at his compound and focus solely on his Cultivation." His words made the girl mischievously smile and then she called Zor through the watch she was wearing.
"You are to stay at your compound and focus on your Cultivation until further notice." She told him as soon as he picked up the call and ended it as soon as she finished her words.
"Naomi and Julian?"
"They have returned to Netheria and are currently in Sameran." She informed him.
"And the situation?"
"Stable." She answered. "Erra has been disbanded, and Zero has assimilated some of their forces and is trying to assimilate the rest as well. The others have formed their own Mercenary Organisations, and a few have returned to their homes."
Iseul made it brief, and it was good enough for him as he was not really interested in what was happening.
"I want you to locate someone and keep a lock on them." He told her and she nodded her head.
"Do you have a name?"
"Fiona Windson, Waterford, Ireland."
"It will be done, Senpai." She nodded her head, promising the result.
"We will leave for Ireland after Abuzar's Ascension Ceremony. Make arrangements."
"Yes, Senpai!" She smiled and nodded her head, happy that she was going to get more time to spend with him.
"Come." He suddenly said, and Iseul lunged into his arms as fast as she could, hugging him and inhaling his scent.
Keith hugged her back and let her hold him for exactly a minute before separating from her.
He smiled as her heart thumped hard when he looked into her eyes and traced her cheekbone with his thumb, but to her loss, he leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead instead of her lips.
"Go."
"Yes, Master." She smiled again and then bowed to him before leaving to get to work.
Keith watched her leave and smiled some more.
He had plans for her, and he needed to make her wait for a few more days before giving her what she desired the most, and also giving her what he had planned for her.
One of the reasons why he had to kill Mathew was for his Blank Physique.
This Physique was special in the sense that it could be easily developed from scratch, and if done right, it could be evolved into an Immortal Grade Physique.
The Flower Cultivation System was designed to help the Inheritor of the Will of the Flower Emperor to evolve his Blank Physique into a Yin-Yang Physique, a Physique that would have immensely helped Mathew to Dual-Cultivate his way into Divinehood and be able to control the Spirits of Ice and Fire at the same time.
However, what Keith had planned for Iseul was different and he had formed this plan after consulting with the System.
Though the System was keen on not outrightly telling him about his Bloodline, he had understood it better in the last year and now he had a guess about what it was.
And he was not exactly happy or distressed about it.
For some reason, it all made sense and felt right to him.
"Father." A sweet voice called out to him, and he turned around to see Minami standing there, smiling at him.
"Good evening, Princess." He smiled and drew his hand to her, which she accepted before proceeding to hug him. "I am famished." He told her as he planted a kiss on her head.
"Supper is ready, Father." She informed him as she bowed and then smiled when Keith gestured to her to lead the way.
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