---
The night in Westirifer Duchy felt cold as winter loomed just around the corner. Lucifer sat in his reclining wooden chair placed inside a well-maintained shed in the middle of his orchard, quietly watching the beauty of the twin crescent moons glowing together with numerous stars scattered across the sky.
The sweet fragrance of blooming flowers surrounded him from all sides. Occasionally, the melodious songs of Mistsong Thrush birds echoed across the orchard, making the atmosphere quite tranquil and serene.
The night remained calm and beautiful, capable of making one forget all worries and filling the mind with peace.
While enjoying this beautiful night, Lucifer rose from his chair and began thinking about how to cover the distance between the duchy and the Risen Kingdom. No land connected these two places, as the gap was filled with the Sea of Fionacracy. Covering 3458 miles was no small task, especially when the only way to get there involved crossing the ocean in the shortest time possible.
Lucifer still lacked any information regarding Vance, Zyrelia, and Mara, as none of them had informed him via thought transmission about reaching the Risen Kingdom. Because of this, he knew he could not waste any more time doing nothing and had to take action himself.
As Lucifer pondered all this, he suddenly heard a voice only he could hear.
[Ding]
Lucifer recognized this sound very well. It came from his Depraved System.
Right after the sound, a prompt opened up in front of Lucifer's eyes, visible only to him.
[Hello, Host]
In his thoughts, Lucifer greeted back: 'Hello.'
After the brief greeting, a new prompt appeared before him.
[Ding]
[Depraved System]
[Welcome, Host - Lucifer Velmora]
[Main Mission - 2]
[Status - In Progress]
[Mission Completed - 3]
[Side Quest Completed - 4]
[Sub Side Quest Completed - 5]
[Event Quest Completed - 3]
[Ding]
[New Event Quest - 4]
[Due to the death of Rotveil and the destruction of the City of Death, Morthveil, the Purefield Ducal Family, which was already hostile towards host has become even more hostile toward him and wants to take revenge.]
[The Purefield Ducal Family has already decided to launch a surprise attack on the Host, his people, and his territory.]
[The Purefield Ducal Family is not alone, as the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom's Royal Family supports their decision and plans to march against Westirifer just after the end of the Fertility Ceremony Festival, which lasts for four days.]
[Objective - Defeat the enemies and keep your territory safe along with your people.]
[Rewards - 3,000,000 DP, 4 Adept Midwives, 4 Adept Physicians, and 5 Mystery Boxes.]
[Ding]
[Limited Quest - 1]
[Save Valdren Eldoresia.]
[Valdren Eldoresia was the ruler of the Eldoresia Island Nation as well as a great believer and devotee of the Church of Love and Compassion.]
[His current physical condition is deteriorating rapidly due to extreme torture by the Demon Queen Syarakara, and it is estimated that he will not last for more than 15 days.]
[Rewards - Favourable relationship with the Hellbris Faction of Vampires, who oppose the dictatorship of the Malakar Family, and the Evernight's Heart Pendant.]
[Time Limit - 8 Days.]
[Result of Failure - Death of Valdren Eldoresia.]
[It is possible that the death of Valdren will cause a deep mental breakdown in Crotiva, which will lead to her death.]
After viewing the system prompts, Lucifer inquired about the exact location where King Valdren was kept.
The system responded with a new prompt.
[Yes, Host.]
[I can give you the map of the Risen Kingdom and pinpoint the location of Valdren, but this service will cost you a bit more than usual.]
In his thoughts, Lucifer asked: 'How much will it cost?'
New lines appeared on the Depraved System screen.
[Host, it will cost you 800,000 DP.]
[Do you want it?]
[Yes / No]
Lucifer selected the option: 'Yes.'
New lines formed on the system's virtual screen.
[Ding]
[Request Processing]
[Map of Risen Kingdom - Purchased]
[Price - 800,000 DP]
[Deducted from Total Balance...]
[Remaining Balance - 2,710,000 DP]
After purchasing the map of the Risen Kingdom, Lucifer checked with his system for any additional important details.
The system provided more information.
[Yes, Host, there is one thing.]
[This time, monsters from the Orc Tribe of the Risen Kingdom are also participating in the war against you and your territory at the request of the Purefield Family. These monsters are powerful and capable of creating large-scale havoc.]
[Except for this, there is nothing else of any significance.]
Seeing the additional lines on his system screen, Lucifer gave a nod of affirmation.
If his system had not given him this new quest today, Lucifer would have had no information about the schemes of the Purefield Ducal Family and the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom. For this, he felt truly thankful toward his buddy — his Depraved System.
Secondly, until a short while ago, he had been under the misconception that the former King Valdren would last for a maximum of eighteen to twenty more days. But now Lucifer knew that Valdren's condition was much worse and his expected remaining days of life were only about fifteen.
Thanks to his system's information, Lucifer also learned that the death of Valdren would not only harm Crotiva's mental health but could also push her toward the mouth of death — something unacceptable to him.
From the moment Jasper had joined Westirifer along with his family and accepted the Velmora family as his own, Jasper and his whole family had become part of the Velmora family — Lucifer's own family. It was unacceptable for Lucifer to see any of his own people suffer.
That was why Lucifer cared about Crotiva so much, as she was one of the main wives of Jasper as well as one of Lucifer's friends.
After arranging his thoughts, Lucifer opened his system inventory and retrieved the map of the Risen Kingdom. The map looked like any other map drawn on paper or cloth. But when Lucifer began studying it, he felt as if he were standing inside the Risen Kingdom itself. A red-colored arrow guided him toward the place where his target was kept. It was a very odd yet realistic experience.
After studying the map for about a quarter of an hour, Lucifer fully memorized it and marked the location where Valdren was kept.
Then, Lucifer vanished from the shed in a beautiful bright light under the twin crescent moons, as if he had never been there.
---
Midnight was steadily approaching as the twenty-third bell of the day had already rung some time ago, its lingering echoes long since swallowed by the endless voice of the sea.
Upon the shores of Nikon Beach, one of the most famous beaches of Vitaclare City, a lone figure stood in silence.
Before him stretched the vast Sea of Fionacracy, an endless expanse of dark waters reaching beyond the horizon. Tonight, the sea was far from calm. Enormous tidal waves surged through the ocean like rampaging giants, rising high into the night before crashing down with thunderous force. The collision of countless waves created a deafening symphony that echoed across the coastline, filling the air with both majesty and power.
Yet beneath the celestial glow above, even the raging sea possessed an indescribable beauty.
High in the heavens hung the twin crescent moons. Both shone with a brilliant silver radiance, their sacred light cascading across the world like streams of liquid starlight. Their intertwined glow painted the ocean in countless shades of silver and sapphire, causing every wave to sparkle as though adorned with innumerable precious gems.
Whenever a towering tide rose from the depths, its crest would catch the moonlight and shimmer brilliantly before collapsing into a shower of glittering droplets. The restless sea resembled an endless kingdom of silver, constantly shifting and reshaping itself beneath the gaze of the twin moons.
The cool ocean breeze swept across Nikon Beach without restraint. It carried the refreshing scent of salt and distant waters, gliding across the stretches of pale sand before embracing everything in its path. The wind danced alongside the roaring waves, creating a strangely enchanting harmony between chaos and tranquility.
Standing amidst this breathtaking scenery was a young boy. His silver hair fluttered beautifully beneath the night wind, swaying like strands of woven moonlight beneath the brilliance of the heavens. The silver radiance descending from above seemed naturally drawn toward him, making his figure appear even more striking against the darkness of the shore.
On his upper body, he wore a simple loose white shirt. The fabric rippled gently with every passing gust, moving in rhythm with the restless sea before him. Covering his lower half was a pair of black trousers whose dark color contrasted sharply against the luminous night.
His violet eyes gazed silently toward the distant horizon which no one could grasp with their naked eyes. Within those eyes reflected the silver glow of the twin moons and the endless waves that surged beneath them. They remained calm and unwavering despite the ocean's fury, as though the towering tides before him were nothing more than ordinary scenery.
Moonlight bathed the coastline. The sea roared without end. Silver waves rose and fell beneath a sky illuminated by twin crescents, while the night wind carried whispers from distant horizons. Amidst that magnificent scene stood a solitary figure with silver hair and violet eyes, quietly watching the endless ocean as if listening to a story only he could hear.
That young boy was none other than Lucifer.
---