Smack!
Avril slapped away Gilan's hand as he pinched her cheek, anger flashing across her face.
She raised her head, straightened her crooked octagonal beret, and said coldly:
"Sir, you really are delusional. The Black-and-White Gate closes for ten years in February. Opening it just for you is already an exception, yet you want to pass through more gates... Setting aside the fact that this is completely meaningless, ascension is unique. You can only choose one path, and we could never agree to that condition."
"Also, I hate it when people touch my head!"
"Heh." Gilan merely chuckled, utterly unfazed by her glare. "What, Miss Avril? Worried you won't grow any taller?"
Touching your head stunts your growth...
To Avril, such a line meant to fool children only made her burn with embarrassment and anger.
She desperately wanted to strike, but she knew perfectly well that doing so would only bring humiliation upon herself.
"Since you refuse, there is no need for us to continue this conversation."
Gilan bent down slightly, bringing his face closer to Avril's. The petite, adorable girl narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at the violet-eyed young man before her.
Less than ten centimeters separated them.
"My dream is to seek the ultimate truth of the mystic—the laws. Every Gate of Ascension is a manifestation of the laws within the Astral Realm. One Black-and-White Gate alone is not enough to interest me..."
"Miss Avril, my actions against the Federation will not cease until I fulfill my mission as Chairman of the Empire—the complete disintegration of the Ovena Federation."
"Heh." Gilan bared a dangerous smile, looking straight into the eyes of the girl inches away as he said softly:
"Miss Avril, you have admirable courage to come negotiate with me alone. I've killed so many Apostle alter