Moment of Awakening

After a long silence, Siana finally spoke. "I want to assassinate Don Juan Ossanion."

Lude froze at those words. He seemed to remember that name being...

"Yes." Siana confirmed, "The president of the Black Tide Society, Don Juan Ossanion."

"The Black Tide Society's stronghold is in Iberia. They came all the way to Vienna only because this City of Pure White holds a special place in history. Its Influence throughout history can help them complete the ritual to forge a Vessel."

"That also means Don Juan currently has the weakest defenses around him."

"Even so, he still has twelve spellcasters guarding him. Two of them, including me, are researchers. The other ten are his Elite Guard. I can't handle ten people alone, so I need bait capable of drawing away the Elite Guard."

"Originally, I intended to find an opportunity to steal the Vessel, stuff it onto some train, and lure away a few people."

"But your presence has given me a better option."

"I'll provide you with every possible aid—the guards' shifts, train timetables, the spellcasters' abilities—to help you escape the Black Tide Society's control."

"That way, Don Juan will certainly send his Elite Guard to capture you. In other words, the defenses around him will weaken even further. As long as there are no more than three spellcasters at his side, I'm confident I can take his head!"

Well, damn, Lude thought. What kind of life-threatening terms are these?

Professor Beshe could kill me in an instant. You could suppress Professor Beshe, but you couldn't deal with ten spellcasters at once, so you wanted me to flee while being hunted by at least six spellcasters—well, fair enough. Only this level of risk could match such a reward.

"I see..." Lude asked curiously, "So you have a personal grudge against him?"

At those words, hesitation immediately appeared on Siana's lovely face. She gently pressed her lips together, sighed, and spoke as though she had made up her mind. "It's a blood feud. He bears the blood debt of my parents—even of my entire family."

"The Vessel Project originally belonged to my parents. It was a technique passed down through generations of the Yamoloti family."

"For the Vessel Project, the Black Tide Society murdered my parents. When they discovered that the core ritual was inherited through my family's bloodline, they pretended to be saviors and took me from the orphanage six years ago. They thought I knew nothing, but I knew everything!"

After saying that, Siana closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Her emotions had never felt so relaxed.

Though she had inherited thirteen generations of Ritualism from her family through Secret Art, she was still, at heart, a young girl in the bloom of youth. She had spent six full years in enemy territory, burying her hatred deep in her heart and waiting in silence. The immense pressure had long left her teetering on the brink.

Having someone to share the burden with truly lightened that pressure in an instant.

"I understand." Lude considered it for a moment. "So aside from wanting to assassinate the murderer who killed your parents, you also don't want your family's generations-long wish to come to nothing or fall into enemy hands. That's why you're helping me so much, right?"

"That's right..." Siana closed her eyes. "I've said everything. You can make your decision now."

What an incredible girl, Lude thought. As someone who had built his success from nothing, the people he admired and liked most were those willing to give everything for a single conviction. After all, he was the same kind of person.

Staring at Siana's trembling eyelashes, Lude nodded. "I accept this deal."

"...Thank you." Siana opened her eyes and looked at Lude with a complicated expression. This was the first time in all these years that she had revealed this secret.

After all, Lude might be the only person in the world who could never possibly betray her to the Black Tide Society.

"No need to thank me." Lude smiled gently. "It should be my honor to have such a beautiful lady entrust me with her secret."

"What did you even do before this? Why are you so smooth-tongued...?"

Siana muttered under her breath. Staring at Lude's handsome, rugged face, she awkwardly straightened her chest. "All right, then our deal is settled, strange soul, um..."

She wrinkled her cute little nose. "Calling you that all the time seems a little rude. What should I call you?"

"Lude," said Lude, who was still deep in thought.

"Lude?" Siana raised a brow, her gaze curious. "Short for Ludwig? Or Lusal?"

But halfway through, she paused slightly, then shook her head. "No, don't tell me. You're not a spellcaster, so I'll make an exception and remind you once: don't casually tell people your true name. Many methods can target someone through their true name."

Lude was taken aback. Then an idea struck him, and he smiled lightly. "It's Ludwig. Ludwig van Atmelia."

"...Are you an idiot?" Siana suddenly turned back, her brows tightly furrowed as she rebuked him in a low voice. "Didn't I just tell you not to reveal your true name to people you can't trust? Don't let my words go in one ear and out the other. I hate people who never listen to what others say!"

"I know."

Lude smiled. "But I think Miss Siana is someone worth trusting."

"...Huh?" Siana froze slightly.

Lude watched Siana's astonished face with interest and spoke with a faint smile. "Leaving aside the fact that we share a common enemy, you saved my life during the day. That alone is enough for me to place all my trust in you. What do you think, Miss Siana?"

"Um, I..." Siana seemed to want to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

Seeing the adorably conflicted look on her face, with even the tips of her ears flushed an unnatural red, Lude could not help laughing inwardly. Even with extraordinary power and the blood feud of her family on her shoulders, Siana was ultimately still a young girl. One straightforward attack had thrown her into disarray.

Lude had not said that without reason. He was merely trying to cover up one of his mistakes.

In truth, his real name was simply "Lude"—surname Lu, given name De, an utterly ordinary name. That was why he had blurted it out.

Honestly, that had been a major mistake.

After all, he had transmigrated into a supernatural world, a world with spells and curses. How could he have overlooked such a common trope as "true names"?

Fortunately, he had managed to cover it up this time. Still, he would need to think more carefully before acting in the future.

However, just as Lude was making fun of himself inwardly, Siana suddenly raised her head. She shot Lude a fierce glare, took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and said indignantly, "Siana Satieni Yamoloti!"

Seeing Lude freeze, she lifted her chin. "That's my true name. Now neither of us owes the other anything!"

"Tch..." Seeing Siana's complicated yet earnest expression, Lude suddenly felt guilty. After years of struggle, he would never dare claim with a clear conscience that he was a good man, but he at least had his own bottom line: repay kindness with gratitude.

Tricking the person who had saved his life like that was still too much against Lude's conscience...

"All right, enough idle chatter!" Siana abruptly turned her head aside, took a deep breath to suppress the blush at her earlobes, and snapped sharply, "Come over and lie down. The Soul Burning Ritual hurts terribly. Calling it a fire scorching your heart would not be an exaggeration!"

"Ha, then I'll thank Miss Siana for her concern." Lude smiled politely and turned over onto the operating table.

"Hmph, I'm not concerned about you. I'm just worried you'll roll around screaming in pain and draw the guards here, ruining my plan." The girl snorted as crimson flames ignited at the tips of the fingers on her right hand. "Clench your teeth. Be careful not to bite off that tongue of yours that loves saying pretty things!"

Before her words had even faded, her five fingers slammed hard into Lude's chest as though venting her frustration. A searing agony erupted at once.