I am the Only Son of Nyx

Kai stood in front of a humble yet grand for the sky’s standards house made of bricks with a dark brown undertone. A waist-height fence marked the front yard֫—and there was a cobblestone path leading straight to the main door.

A small balcony led to a glass door directly above the door.

But none of those things pulled Kai’s gaze.

Instead, his gaze was fixed on the side door that should lead to the utility room on the edge.

Tall wild grass covered the front yard—so it was hard to see the entirety of the house, but Kai was sharp. He could tell that the side door was very slightly open. Someone had gone inside through that door and forgot to shut it properly.

Really? Why is this Demigod so persistent? It was today that I won the tournament.

Naturally, Kai’s mind instantly went to the Demigod.

He was the only one who had the power to infiltrate the academy this much.

But the quickness of his movement still surprised Kai.

"I haven’t gotten the time to cut the tall grass and clean up the outside," the woman said—as she opened the lock on the gate. "But I already cleaned up the inside, so you can immediately move in. I’ll get to clean up the others as soon as possible."

"Yeah—it’s fine," Kai answered without even paying much attention to what she was saying. His eyes were scanning the house for any trace of mana. As the gate was opened, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, what’s your name again?"

"Ah!" The woman’s eyes widened, and she immediately bowed. "My name is Danara, Sir!"

"Okay, Danara, do you see anyone entering the house?"

"I-I was asleep before, but I only fell asleep for a few minutes! I swear!"

Kai exhaled lightly.

It was clear that she misunderstood what he wanted from that question.

She thought he was blaming her for being asleep, when in reality, he wanted to know whether there was anyone suspicious who came near this cluster. Either way, the woman wouldn’t be any help to him right now.

A few minutes? That’s plenty of time.

"Alright." Kai slowly took the keys from the woman’s hands, prompting her to look at him in utter confusion. He then lifted the keys. "These are the keys for the house, right? If so, I’ll take it from here. You can go back."

"O-Oky," the woman gave an ok sign with her hand and then walked away.

Regardless of who was inside, she couldn’t be anywhere nearby, or else she’d get hurt.

Kai’s hand went to his waist and found nothing. He glanced down in confusion, then a curse formed on his lips as he realized he was defenseless right now. "Shit. I forgot I lost my scimitar. I’m unarmed."

His eyes swept the surroundings, searching for anything that he could use as a weapon.

And then, they landed on something. "Better than nothing."

He went to the side and took a stick that was as long as half his arm.

It would help him reach further.

And with the Perfect Slash Ending Fragment, anything in his hand became really lethal.

Kai returned to the gate again, and then tightened his grip on the stick he had picked up along the way. His improvised weapon. And then he eyed the side door, intending to enter the house through there and trace the intruder’s steps.

Better that way than going through the main door.

But then, he paused.

He turned to glance at the neighbouring houses.

"I don’t think entering the house alone is a good idea," He thought aloud—assuming that the Demigod had already made preparations to make sure that he was dead. Attacking someone in their moments of triumph is a really good idea, especially when the one attacking is stronger than the target. "The intruder might be someone really strong. I’ll ask for help."

Considering that the neighbours were also Red Princes, Kai was confident.

He was confident that they would want to help him.

Just to maintain solidarity, since there are only three of them in the academy right now.

Kai approached the first house, the one on the right from the gate, and then knocked. He got no answer even after waiting for a minute. He pressed closer to the window and peered inside. It was dark and empty.

Seems like nobody was home.

He moved to the second house across and knocked.

No answer.

Again, he knocked, and this time, he heard slow footsteps from the other side.

Kai hid the stick behind his back, and then waited.

Soon, the door swung open, revealing a tall man with silk-smooth blonde hair. His eyes were shimmering, bright yellow, and lazy. And the moment he came out, Kai immediately threw his face up to stare at the ceiling.

Not because he was awkward, but because the man was completely naked from head to toe.

Even though his junk was out in the open, he was utterly unbothered, as though greeting the visitor in the nude was the most natural thing—in the world. No shame at all. "Evening. Who are you? And what do you want, dude?"

"Can you... Can you wear something first?" Kai asked.

"Wear something? Are you gay?"

"No?"

"Then it’s not a problem."

"Eugh..."

He ran a hand through his sweat-slicked hair and inspected Kai from top to bottom.

As he did, Kai could hear something from inside the house.

From somewhere deeper in the house, the master bedroom if Kai had to assume, came the unmistakable sound of women laughing. Their voices were light and teasing, tangled together in a way Kai absolutely did not want to think about.

Kai clicked his tongue in displeasure.

He had no expectations regarding the other Red Princes, but to think that one is a shameless weirdo is annoying to find out. "I am the new Red Prince—Red Prince Kai. Just wondering if you can accompany me to my house. I think ther—"

"Your house? Is this a sex thing?"

"What? No! Of course, not! I think there’s someo—"

"In that case, why are you asking me? Are you a girl? Afraid of the dark?"

Once again, Kai’s sentence was cut short.

And even without listening to him to the end, the Red Prince already turned around and closed the door again, mumbling something about Kai being a moron—and annoying and a party-pooper for disturbing him this late at night.

Kai stood there motionlessly.

His eyes twitched behind the mask as he couldn’t believe what just happened.

Either way, he gave the middle finger at the door and walked away.

"I have the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood. I should be okay."

Kai slipped back toward his new house with a little bit more confidence, as though he was not armed; there was still the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood. If things went bad, then he could use the mantle’s fire affinity to create a commotion.

One that was loud and eye-catching enough to alert everyone around.

At that point, the intruder would never leave the academy alive.

He clutched the stick tighter as he made his way back to his new house; his mind still spinning from the absurdity of the encounter earlier. A naked Red Prince. But that was a distraction—the real problem waited inside his own walls.

Someone had infiltrated his new home before he’d ever set foot in it.

Not a good start for a place that was supposed to be his new home.

Regardless, it meant someone inside the academy was watching him—feeding information to the Demigod almost in real time. News like that didn’t come from thin air, so there must be a mole working for the Demigod.

Someone hidden among those associated with Eventide Academy.

And Kai intended to find this mole.

Just as he planned, Kai approached the slightly opened side door and eased it wider.

His eyes scanned the cramped corridor beyond, barely wide enough for one and a half people, and he moved through it like a phantom. The utility room greeted him on the other side—as he had expected.

Dirty kitchen, small living quarters for a servant, shoe racks, and a spiraling steel staircase.

Silently, he climbed it and checked what was on the second floor.

It was the laundry room and another empty room.

Clear.

Kai went down again while keeping his eyes peeled open and his senses flared. Every step he took was measured. Every breath he made was controlled. Kai still had no mana to burn. Still no mana to use the Nigh-phantom Legacy imprint, but his presence was already light.

He was closer to the night.

Even when he made a misstep, stepping harder than he wanted, the sound was muffled.

It was an incredible feeling.

He cleared the buffer room across, and then turned to his right.

Noticing the room across was bigger, Kai focused even more. Bigger rooms meant there were more places to hide, so he needed to be ready. He moved through the dining room, checking the corners and below the table.

And then he continued to the backyard, the living room, and even checked the bathroom.

Still nothing out of the ordinary.

He circled back and climbed another staircase on the side of the main door.

Unlike the second floor that he accessed from the servant’s living quarters, he now encountered a spacious hall with a few doors here and there. It had no furniture or anything—so Kai had a clear view of the entire place.

It was a relief as he didn’t need to worry about being attacked.

Kai checked every nook and cranny in case there was a trapdoor somewhere.

He found nothing.

And then, he swept through the rooms behind each door.

Still, nobody was on the other side. He only saw beds and essential furniture. Guest bedrooms.

Kai pulled on a string with a wooden head at the bottom and pulled. It was another staircase leading to the attic. He didn’t poke his head inside. Instead—he leaped through the hole and turned sharply, ready to fight.

Again, he saw nothing but dust and shadows.

"What the heck?" Kai straightened his posture and frowned. "Am I only being paranoid?"

Considering what he had gone through, he might be too paranoid.

Danara might’ve opened the side door and forgotten to close it, as she looked clumsy.

Kai descended the stairs once more, silent as a ghost, and then stopped before the last door he had saved to check last—the master bedroom. Since Kai had checked the outside thoroughly, if there was someone, then that person should be in the master bedroom.

Nowhere else to hide.

He rolled his shoulders, forced his body to relax, and twisted the doorknob.

Fooling the intruder into thinking that he was letting his guard down should work well.

As the door swung open, Kai’s body tensed and his eyes widened when he saw someone.

"Matilda...? W-What are you wearing?"