Iver and Aleister

Iver stared blankly at No. 14—and at the same time, the complex expression of bewilderment, wonder, and excitement on his face was transmitted into his mind through No. 14's gaze.

Long black hair, vermilion eyes, a small, exquisite face like a doll's...

Completely different from the frail, shrinking, helpless air of the "Blood Slave No. 14" in his dreams, the "dark side of Iver" that had been separated from the Path of Transcendence power of the Fourth Level now carried an indescribable sense of danger and wickedness.

She was clearly wearing a pure-white lace dress without any decorations, yet she gave off the impression of a young lady from a prestigious family. She held her head high, her chest out, and looked at the much taller Iver with restraint, indifference, and arrogance. Her lips showed no expression at all, yet she simultaneously gave off the feeling of "cold, expressionless severity" and "half-smiling contempt."

—In a daze, Iver finally remembered where this air came from.

It was precisely the Shadow Demon Bayard when she was young! Perhaps it was because he had obtained some of Bayard's memories when he sealed the Night Demon... Iver had a very deep impression of what she had looked like as a child. The features between No. 14's brows and eyes now bore some resemblance to Bayard's.

They looked enough alike that if she appeared alongside Bayard, they could easily be mistaken for mother and daughter.

At that moment, Iver's right hand and No. 14's left hand... had their palms touching one another.

No. 14's slender, fair middle finger only reached to less than halfway along Iver's middle finger. Iver's fingers had already been considered slender and long, but beside No. 14's, they seemed to have become much thicker out of nowhere, taking on a solid,