Sebas

"Hey! Alicia, I don't think this area needs cleaning, you can go straight to the second floor and sweep his room!" Cassifa shouted loudly.

However, Alicia clearly wasn't in the mood to pay attention to him.

While she was cleaning, there was a knocking sound from outside the door. Cassifa, burning brightly, shouted.

"Imperial Capital's door!"

But then, he sneezed heavily, and a spark flew out.

Alicia glimpsed through the rising dust as the main door automatically opened with a ding.

Behind the door stood a young man dressed all in black, with medium-length black hair simply tied back. There was a barely noticeable scar on his forehead, looking like it had been stitched up. He carried a bag in his hand and wore a tall hat.

Even though dust was flying everywhere at the moment, Alicia could smell a scent of death in the air.

If Shaya were here now, he would likely recognize this person as Sebas, the apprentice Grim Reaper he had met not long ago.

Cassifa clearly knew him too, otherwise, he wouldn't have let him in.

"Hello," Sebas said with an awkward yet polite smile, gently rubbing his nose, which was tickled by the dust particles floating in the air.

He surveyed the rooms inside and then looked at the old man who was cleaning.

"It seems I've come at an inconvenient time."

"As you can see," Cassifa said to him, "this crazy old woman is having a fit."

Sebas shifted his attention to Cassifa, who was on the hearth. He recognized it as a Demon almost instantly, though it was one he had never seen before, likely quite rare.

However, he had already learned from Nightmare that the owner of this house kept a Demon. This was nothing; some powerful individuals always liked to keep strange pets.

For example, the former King of Hell kept a three-headed hellhound. Compared to that thing, this ball of fire was much more adorable.

"Is Lord Shaya here?" Sebas asked.

"He's upstairs, probably reading," Cassifa said. "You can go up and find him."

"C-can I?" Sebas asked, somewhat flattered.

Although there were no specific customs, in houses with this kind of layout, the second floor was usually only accessible to relatives and friends.

"Why not?" Cassifa asked, puzzled. "Aren't you looking for him?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Sebas nodded repeatedly and then walked into the room.

He looked at Alicia. Anyone in that Lord's room wouldn't be ordinary, so he didn't dare to be disrespectful. Instead, he bowed his head respectfully to her.

"Hello, my name is Sebas."

"I'm Alicia," Alicia replied with a nod.

"It's so diligent of you to be up cleaning so early in the morning," Sebas complimented her.

"Can't be helped," Alicia sighed. "You can't expect a ball of fire and someone who turned this place upside down to do the cleaning."

Sebas raised an eyebrow. Being a bit too reserved, he wasn't sure how to respond.

After a moment, he gave an awkward laugh.

"Then I'll head up now."

He then proceeded to climb the stairs.

Alicia watched Sebas's retreating figure as he went upstairs with curiosity.

"Cassifa, is he also a Sorcerer?"

"No," Cassifa said.

Alicia breathed a slight sigh of relief. Ever since she met the Wilderness Witch, she had developed a bit of a phobia of Sorcerers.

Moreover, being around this person gave her a chilling feeling.

Of course, Shaya was also a Sorcerer, but he was an exception.

But then, she heard Cassifa say, "He's a Grim Reaper."

Alicia froze. She doubted if she had heard correctly and looked at Cassifa with disbelief.

"W-what?"

"I think my English is quite standard," Cassifa said.

"Is it the one I know?" Alicia still found it hard to believe.

Cassifa laughed heartily, "If you haven't met another Grim Reaper."

Alicia said nervously, "Is he here to take me away?"

"What do you think?"

Alicia recalled the appearance of the Grim Reaper she had just met...

Carrying a bag, with a reserved and apprehensive expression, not like someone coming to reap souls.

More like someone visiting a highly respected elder.

When he opened the door, he immediately asked where Shaya was, even calling him "Master."

Alicia recalled how respectful Sebas had been to her just now.

She had long been accustomed to others showing her deference, so she hadn't felt anything amiss at the time.

But thinking about it now, this wasn't the Imperial Palace, and she was no longer the noble Third Princess. She was just an old, hunched-over woman with one foot in the grave.

The only reason that person had treated her that way had to be because of Shaya.

With that thought, Alicia couldn't help but ask.

"Shaya, who exactly is he?

Why do even beings like the Grim Reaper show him such reverence? Is he really a Sorcerer?"

"You can go up and ask him yourself, but he most likely won't tell you," Cassifa said.

For some reason, Alicia's mood suddenly soured, and she took out her frustration on cleaning.

She sprinkled water from the sink to suppress the dust, causing Cassifa to flinch. She then began sweeping the floor vigorously, sending all the centipedes, mice, spiders, and cockroaches scattering in panic with her movements.

Alicia wasn't afraid. She tapped the floor with her broom and shouted, "You filthy things, get out of here!"

She swept the trash and dust towards the door, and the flying dust made Cassifa cough violently again.

Cassifa, huddled in the hearth, muttered, "Destiny is a truly terrifying thing."

The commotion downstairs couldn't be heard upstairs; Shaya had cast a soundproofing spell.

Sebas cautiously walked upstairs and saw Shaya almost immediately.

The staircase led to a short corridor with about three or four doors. The door on the right was open, revealing a small balcony.

Through the open door, green mountains and clear waters slowly moved before his eyes. No, it was as if the entire house was moving.

Sebas heard the roar of some colossal object moving.

This definitely wasn't the Imperial Capital outside, Sebas thought, but he wasn't surprised. For a being of that caliber, distorting space would be easy.

To be honest, he hadn't really wanted to come, but the thought of such an existence within his jurisdiction made it hard to sleep.

For the sake of smooth future work, he felt he should pay a visit and introduce himself, a common practice known as "paying respects."

And on that balcony, Shaya sat in a chair, leaning back lazily. Golden light shimmered at his feet, and bathed in the sunlight, he quietly read an ancient magic book.

As if sensing Sebas's arrival, Shaya closed the book and looked at him.