Chapter 142: The Gentleman’s Dignity

No matter how the enemy adjusts or recovers,
we will still crush them at their peak with overwhelming ease.
That is the dignity of one who possesses absolute power.

This is the way of a noble gentleman —
living with noble composure,
dying with noble composure.

As long as everything remains within the controllable range,
any variation in events is of no consequence.

After the Concealer finished his report and departed,
Augustine left the grand hall alone.
He returned to his private residence within the castle.
The vast room remained unlit;
only moonlight poured in through the windows, bathing everything in silver.

In the darkness, a figure already stood by the window,
quietly immersed in the moonlight —
as though he had arrived long ago and was simply waiting for Augustine.

It was a blond man dressed in the uniform of the Rose Legion.
At his waist hung a knight’s longsword engraved with rose motifs.
Wrist guards bound his legs,
and silver war boots clad his feet.

Yet the golden-white cloak draped over his shoulders boldly bore the emblem of the Seraphim Legion.

The two seemed to have known each other for a very long time.
Augustine walked calmly into the room,
picked up a teacup from the cabinet on his left,
and brought it to his lips for a gentle sip.

In the pitch-black darkness,
two pairs of crimson pupils gleamed —
sharp and cunning like night cats,
eerie and otherworldly like blood moons.

“The various legions and high nobles have already been informed.”

The blond Bloodkin spoke first.
His hand moved down from the windowsill
and rested on the hilt of his sword.

Augustine narrowed his eyes slightly,
set the teacup down,
leaned against the doorframe,
and asked unhurriedly:

“Informed of what?”

[It seems traces of the traitor Evran Fidellia Latina have appeared within Tantan City.
She has found a human and is concealing herself by relying on them.
The long pursuit of Evran has finally yielded a lead.
However, the high nobles have currently ordered all houses not to act rashly.
Evran is far too cunning; capturing her will not be simple. — End of report.]

This news had reached the ears of every legion and high noble just yesterday.
What do you intend to do next?

The blond Bloodkin turned around,
his back to the moonlight,
his scarlet eyes fixed intently on Augustine.

Augustine tilted his face slightly upward,
his gaze distant and hazy.

Yet the unshakable calm that always surrounded him remained firmly in place.
His expression showed almost no ripple.
He stayed silent.

Everyone is eyeing her bloodline.
If we do nothing…
the outcome will not be favorable for us.

The blond Bloodkin continued,
waiting for Augustine’s decision.

The ideal outcome…
what would that be for us?

Naturally…

The blond Bloodkin hesitated.
The answer that should have come easily faltered because of something unspoken.

Augustine stepped forward,
placed a hand on his shoulder,
and spoke softly:

“Rest assured, Evraune.
Leave these matters to me.
You only need to appear when I require you.
Do not worry —
everything is under control.”

Evraune clenched his fist.
A mix of reluctance and powerlessness surged within him.
In the end, he gave a slight nod.

“By the way…
the Rose Legion’s Vice Staff Officer, Auston — is he dead?”

“Yes.
And he died quickly.
We don’t know who killed him.”

“Then there’s no issue.
After all, he was apparently the first to betray Evran.
Back then, Evran was still innocent —
she even called him ‘senior.’
He brought it upon himself.”

A trace of softness unexpectedly flickered through Augustine’s eyes
upon learning of Auston’s death.

“You really are extreme.
Because of Auston, you sent me to infiltrate the Rose Legion as a spy,
and even had that human Sheffield eliminate him for you.
You truly went all out.”

“The Rose Legion’s hall has finally fallen, just as you intended.
The already declining legion has now been completely removed from the stage.”

Augustine let out a cold laugh.

“This is the price.
Who told them to dare betray our little sister?”

“When our parents left,
they repeatedly urged us — as her older brothers —
to protect her at all costs.
Last time, we failed.
But there will be no next failure.”

“Oh?
Then I can rest easy.
If anything happens, call me anytime.
The duty to protect Evran —
half of it belongs to me.
Please don’t selfishly claim it all for yourself.”

Evraune adjusted his belt,
turned around,
stepped one foot onto the windowsill,
and prepared to leave the Seraphim Fortress.

He still had to return to the human world and continue his infiltration.

Augustine and Evraune were two people of completely opposite personalities —
one obsessive and extreme,
the other calm and cautious.

Yet both protected their loved one in their own way — from the shadows.

“Wait a moment, Evraune.
In the human world,
you seem to have taken a particular interest in a certain humanoid weapon named Tina?”

“That has nothing to do with Evran.
It’s personal.
Once, there was an Exterminator also named Tina
who spared my life when I was on the brink of death.
I heard she later died in the war.
Now, by sheer coincidence, I’ve encountered someone with the same name again.”

“Oh?
So it’s the one who didn’t kill you back then.
Repaying kindness under the guise of infatuation?”

“After all, without a plausible reason,
my subordinates in the Rose Legion wouldn’t believe it.
They may not be strong, but they’re not fools.”

Evraune turned back and gave Augustine a light smile.
Then his figure vanished instantly into the moonlight.

“Though Tina herself…
seems to have long forgotten the past.”

After Evraune left,
Augustine remained alone in the room.
In the unlit darkness,
his crimson pupils continuously contracted.

Beneath the calm surface,
a pitch-black flame had already ignited deep in his heart.

He reached out,
picked up the picture frame on the table.
Inside was a photograph of three people.

Under the faint starlight and moonlight,
the image was barely visible.

At the center stood a girl with pale pink long hair,
tied into adorable twin tails.
She had both arms around the necks of the two older brothers on either side,
flashing a victory sign with her fingers,
her smile radiant.

The two much taller brothers leaned down —
one with a completely expressionless face,
the other awkwardly grinning to match the girl.

All three heads pressed close together —
a scene of deep, intimate closeness.

Augustine gazed at the frame.
The expressionless brother was himself —
though back then, his features had been far gentler.

This was the only family photo Augustine possessed.
He had always kept it secretly treasured.

He stared at the photograph for a long time.
Then he gently set the frame back on the table,
lifted his head toward the bright moon in the sky,
held a bouquet of roses to his nose,
and inhaled their scent softly.
In a low, murmuring voice, he spoke to himself:

“Don’t be afraid, Evran.
Even if everyone betrays you for desire and profit,
you must remember —
you still have two older brothers.
We will be your final knights.”

In an instant,
the bouquet of roses burst into flame-like bloom.
Petals scattered and drifted through the air.
Augustine — dressed in a white shirt and black suit —
placed a top hat on his head.
The shadow behind him stretched and grew larger.
From within it rose a colossal six-winged angel.

“This too…
is the style of a gentleman.”

“Bloodkin of all houses —
the war…
is about to begin.”