Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer-Chapter 46: Moving Away (4)

Adrian realised something while drinking. The Troll blood in his veins worked quite effectively as despite drinking two bottles of wine, he didn’t get drunk. It was likely because the alcohol in his blood was detoxified before it could take effect.

Adrian didn’t know if he should be grateful or cry about it. In the end, he shrugged, let go of the fact and retired to his room for a while before leaving Nexaria for good.

While there, he laid awake, remembering Vesper. Among the mentors assigned to teach the inexperienced Heroes, Vesper was the one he was the closest to.

She was the one who drilled them on stealth and sneaky tactics. Most Heroes didn’t take her lessons seriously and instead focused on learning about brute strength and flashy moves.

But not Adrian. Being the weakest among them, he grasped Vesper’s teachings like they were the holiest of bits of knowledge as they suited him the best.

Then, his mind went to one of their initial subjugation quest, where Vesper mysteriously disappeared. At the time, the Church had declared her missing in action, but now, reflecting on it, Adrian couldn’t shake the suspicion that the Church might have played a hand in her disappearance.

From what he recalled, the Church didn’t seem keen on locating her, much like they hadn’t bothered much when he went missing. It dawned on him that Vesper might have faced the same fate he did.

"But she got lucky and somehow escaped death... unlike my dumb ass." Adrian chuckled, remembering how uptight she used to be, but she appeared chill. "Guess I’m not the only one who changed after the Church’s betrayal."

Still, Adrian was happy to see her alive, even if it was as a smuggler and not the teacher he remembered. Adrian closed his eyes to sleep. Instead, the memories took hold of him.

Vesper’s lessons had saved him more times than he could count. He recalled her emphasising the importance of staying unnoticed, moving silently, and striking from the dark. These lessons had become the cornerstone of his survival against monsters in Nexaria.

"Maybe we should team up just to fuck with that damn pope’s mind," A faint smile appeared as he thought at the irony of the situation.

The Church might have deemed both of them expendable, but here they were – alive and thriving, albeit in the underbelly of Nexaria.

"Enough reminiscing. I should get some sleep while I can."

***

A couple of hours before sunrise, Adrian was ready to start his new life. As he walked out of the Inn, the Innkeeper had a sad look on his face. Why wouldn’t he be sad when his golden goose was leaving the nest?

Either way, Adrian didn’t pay much attention to them and stood outside the Inn. The cold early morning breeze greeted him before a vehicle approached from the sky and stopped before him.

While vehicles were no longer common in Central City, thanks to the teleportation hubs at every corner, the slums still lived in the past.

One could say the Ravens never invested the taxes they collected to modernise the slums and instead focused all their resources on expanding their influence.

As such, owning vehicles in the slums was a luxury few could afford, let alone one that resembled a limo. That’s why Adrian was taken aback when he saw the mobile stop before him.

But he was even more surprised when Vesper stepped out of the back seat to greet him, flanked by two level 60 brawlers on either side.

’I guess she had made quite a name for herself in these years...’

"There you are, punctual as always," Vesper said, patting Adrian’s shoulder.

Adrian got wide-eyed after noticing a familiar greeting. He was confident he hadn’t given away his identity during their meeting, but it seemed he underestimated his former teacher’s capabilities.

"I know you’re surprised, but let’s get in the car before we talk more, alright?" Vesper suggested, already sitting in the vehicle. She motioned for Adrian to join her.

Adrian felt slightly worried but understood he had to follow her instructions. The two muscular guys with her looked at him as if they wouldn’t let him do anything but what she wanted.

"Jacob, be a dear and take us to the north port," Vesper said with a smile, and the vehicle soared into the sky.

Adrian remained silently inside the vehicle, not knowing how to start a conversation with someone like Vesper now that she knew who he was.

Vesper, sensing his hesitancy, gently touched his hand after pressing a button on the holographic console before her.

"Don’t worry, the rest can’t see or hear us now."

However, Adrian still didn’t react. His reaction was expected, but Vesper wasn’t one to give up so easily.

She called him by his name, "Adrian, are you seriously going to ignore your pretty teacher like this?"

Vesper continued as he slowly turned to face her, "It took me an hour to figure out it was you. But after a mental game of ’Guess who?’ I knew it had to be you under that hoodie."

"You seriously remember that stupid game?" Adrian smiled, pulling back his hoodie. "Been a while, teach."

Vesper’s eyes lit up with warmth as she hugged him. Cupping his cheeks, she scanned his face, "God, you’ve changed so much since I last saw you."

Eventually, she let go of his face, but there was more she wanted to say.

"I figured those pamphlets claiming your death were wrong. The Roach I knew wouldn’t kick the bucket that easily."

The mention of his old nickname brought a nostalgic smile to Adrian’s face. He was the weakest among his peers and still managed to survive every single quest he went on. That’s why Vesper named him Roach.

Even though his name might give the impression of being linked to cockroaches, in Nexaria, "Roach" referred to someone unbeatable. Nonetheless, it was an odd name that always prompted a chuckle from Earthlings when they heard it.

Unfortunately, Vesper was wrong about his death. He had already died once, but that was something Adrian decided to keep to himself. Besides, Adrian had questions to ask her and decided to do so before his teacher could change the subject.

"What about you, teach?" he asked. "Where were you last couple of years?"

"You just had to ask, didn’t you?" Vesper sighed, turning her gaze out of the window. "I guess we could talk about it since we got some time to kill."