Sylas’ lip couldn’t help but curl a bit when he saw her. She looked like she wanted to take a bite out of someone’s neck, half irritated and half anxious.
It was only when he suddenly appeared at her table that she noticed his appearance.
“You…”
Cassarae didn’t know what to say.
Sylas looked perfectly healthy, as though he had been living the good life. Honestly, it could be said that he had been. He had had his first night of excellent rest in a while, he had eaten a mountain’s worth of food, and he had people waiting on him everywhere he looked.
In fact, because he knew that he was coming here, he was wearing the same outfit he had when he touched down from the helicopter to Paradise: a turtleneck, a pair of jeans, and a nice trench coat on top.
At the moment, he looked nothing like the man who was in the news everywhere… nothing like the man who had murdered a General and his steed with nothing more than his fists… nothing like the man that was now wanted for killing a General of the Celestial Republic… nothing like the man who had a warrant out for his arrest…
Nothing like the man who had somehow lost all his Merits at once.
This last one was the one that Cassarae worried the most about. When she saw Sylas’ name disappear from the Merit Leaderboard, how could she think anything other than the fact he had died?
But since he was here alive, that only meant one thing…
Just how many Demerits did he have right now?
Cassarae suddenly wanted to punch his smiling face. Didn’t he know how dangerous this was?
The Grimblade’s Warrant was the least of his worries. At least only Grimblades could partake in that. But having Demerits, especially heavy Demerits, was like being pegged as Earth’s number one enemy.
If they weren’t in a virtual setting right now, she might have gotten a Quicktime Event to kill Sylas right here and now.
It wasn’t just the fact that the system would target Sylas, but it might reward people for targeting him as well.
He had gone from the hero of Earth to public enemy number one of Earth.
“You seem worried,” Sylas finally broke the silence.
“Fuck, Sylas. What did you get yourself into?”
“The usual.”
Cassarae rolled her eyes. She should have known better than to worry about this bastard. Only good people died early, and he was far from it.
Still, seeing how casual he was being, she relaxed.
“Where’ve you been for four months?”
“I got stuck in a Dungeon outside of Earth. I thought it was only a day and a bit that passed. When I got back, it was four months.”
Cassarae’s gaze flickered. This was the first she had heard of such a thing, but she nodded, taking it in stride.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Sylas almost laughed. This woman was a tough nut to crack, indeed.
If he hadn’t contacted her so soon, she would have thrown a fit. But now that he had, she sounded like she wanted to shoo him away already.
“How is Casstle Main?”
Cassarae grinned. “Didn’t you notice? My little Casstle is back at the top.”
“And the Sylphs?”
Cassarae frowned. “That’s trickier.”
“What happened with Merchant Guatum?”
Merchant Guatum was the so-called Memory Merchant that Sylas had… coerced into helping out Cassarae and the others.
He was a tricky person to deal with as well. Sylas could see that he had a great deal of ambition. It was hard to say if he had continued to be loyal after Sylas had been gone for so long.
“He and Dad have actually hit it off. The two of them control about 20% of Guiz City’s economy. In fact, they control over 40% of the economies of the other two System Cities as well. I’ve managed to reach a Countess Noble Title—.” Cassarae stopped talking as though she had just remembered something. “You son of a bitch! How did I forget!? Who told you that you could just unilaterally marry me?! Did I agree?!”
The smile in Sylas’ eyes deepened. “Does it make much of a difference?”
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
“Whether we marry now or in the future, it’s all the same to me.”
Cassarae was speechless. When had this guy become so completely and utterly shameless?
No, he always had been. He always moved to the beat of his own drum. Unless he decided on something himself, it was practically impossible for any outside forces to change his thoughts and opinions.
Realizing this, Cassarae changed tactics.
She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over another.
At the moment, she was wearing a full set of leather armor. There was no scant clothing to be seen, and in contrast to the elegance of Sylas’ dress, she seemed a bit out of place.
However, her demeanor made it hard for anyone to call her out on such a thing. She seemed to be right at home regardless of the atmosphere.
With the way she stretched back, the outline of her torso tugged against the leather, stretching it taut and revealing the outlines of her curves… not that they were very well hidden to begin with.
Even with everything perfectly covered, it was hard to hide such a proud chest and wide hips, especially not when she crossed her arms over her chest.
Seeing Sylas’ not-so-shy gaze, her sneer only deepened. This man really had become a little pervert.
“You have a wife that you can’t touch. Doesn’t that fill you with frustration?” Cassarae asked in a teasing tone.
“Frustration? No. Anticipation is more accurate,” Sylas replied casually.
“I don’t remember saying I would give you a chance.”
“You already have once, and you more than likely will again.”
“You’re a cocky bastard, you know that?”
Sylas lifted his gaze from the outline of Cassarae’s body, and she felt her breathing hitch in her throat for a moment. There was something about the intensity of Sylas’ gaze that almost threw her over the edge.
Then, he suddenly smiled. A real smile. Not that half-cocked nonsense he usually pulled.
“I think you like that about me very much. Don’t you?”
Cassarae stared at him in a daze.
