Chapter 229: Catch Up
His master had drilled into him the idea that worldly attachments were weaknesses, that they would only hold him back. And worse, he had threatened to destroy anything Dimitri held dear if he disobeyed.
For years, Dimitri had lived under that shadow, keeping his distance from Adeline and everything he cared about to protect them.
When he finally became the Arch Mage, it wasn’t the end of his torment. To claim the title, he had to take his master’s life. It had been necessary for the safety of the world.
His Master was not a good man. He was flawed. No, he was the worst. He was a mad man who was hell-bent on learning the way of destruction. He was the reason why the monster threat became worse.
His experiments on those monsters did not stop at him sampling their blood and learning the way they enhanced their abilities... He tried creating even more powerful beings. He tried to... Dimitri’s fists clenched. He couldn’t even think of such a thing.
Putting an end to his master’s life was not enough. His master’s followers still continue the experiments. He needed to weed them out. He knew that some of them stayed in the Empire. He realised soon enough that staying away from Adeline wouldn’t be enough to protect her.
He needed to return, and he needed to destroy his master’s life’s work.
Even now, the memory of that day haunted Dimitri. He didn’t want to burden Adeline with the truth, not today. Not when she deserved to be happy.
As the celebration wound down, the garden began to clear. Servants moved swiftly, cleaning up the remnants of the feast and extinguishing lanterns. The cheerful buzz of the evening slowly quieted, leaving only the Kendrick family behind.
Adeline’s brothers were thoroughly drunk, slouching in their chairs and leaning against each other as they laughed loudly. Her father wasn’t much better, his face red from too much wine. The three men were caught up in retelling old stories from when Adeline was little.
"Remember when hic she used to mispronounce words?" Alaric slurred, barely able to keep himself upright as he waved his glass around.