Chapter 66: Evileye. Or should I say, Keno Fasris Invern? (Patreon)

"Don’t spout bullshit!!!”

Evileye screamed furiously as she lunged at Aurelius.

She didn’t care that she stood no chance against him, even if her mana had been full—let alone now, with it dispersed completely.

Gagaran was dead, and the person who caused it was standing before her, casually asking her to betray the Blue Rose—her family.

Even if she had often been at odds with Gagaran, as a member of Blue Rose, Gagaran had been family to Evileye. And now this monster dared to pretend her death meant nothing, asking Evileye to turn her back on her comrades as though their bond was meaningless.

The sheer audacity, the shamelessness of it, ignited long-lost memories and a rage she had nearly forgotten she could feel.

“I’ll kill you!”

She didn’t care if her actions were futile. All that mattered was avenging her fallen friend.

But the gap in strength between her and Aurelius was like a chasm—one that couldn’t be crossed by mere emotion alone.

Before she could get close enough to strike, a sudden, invisible force locked onto her. As if bound by invisible chains, her body froze and her muscles stiffened.

“What...?”

She barely managed to utter a whisper of disbelief before an unexpected force lifted her completely off the ground. Her legs dangled in the air before she slowly began to spin.

The anomaly started out gentle, as if a giant was holding her hands and vertically spinning her around itself. However, the spinning quickly accelerated.

Faster. Faster.

Her robes fluttered out behind her, and the world around her blurred into streaks of color. The wind whipped against her, blurring her vision with dizziness.

From where she was, the ground below looked like an abstract smear of colors. The sky and earth merged, making it impossible to tell up from down.

Her fury dissolved into panic.

She was being spun like a helpless child on a scary carnival ride, utterly powerless.

Extreme humiliation, helplessness, and dizziness overpowered her once-ferocious emotions. 

The proud, dignified Evileye—a Prime Grade Magic Caster, a former companion of the Thirteen Heroes, a vampire lord once feared as Landfall, and a senior member of the adamantite-ranked adventurer group Blue Rose—was now being treated like a mere toy by Aurelius.

Her face burned beneath her mask—not from the heat of battle but from the unbearable shame and disgrace of being utterly humiliated.

Soon her emotions cooled, and a wave of self-awareness hit her. The fury that had driven her earlier now felt ridiculous.

When had she become so foolish, so emotional? Since when had she allowed herself to grow attached to others?

“Stop!”

She tried to scream, but the word came out as a pitiful whimper.

Fortunately, Aurelius understood her pleas. With a flick of his wrist, the magic restraining her body was released, and she fell unceremoniously to the ground.

Thud!

“Cough, cough...”

She hacked and sputtered as dust filled her lungs, still dizzy from the spinning. Before she could gather herself, Aurelius’s voice cut through the haze.

“I’ll take you, Evileye, and that Tia as well. There are two others in Blue Rose, aren’t there? Tina and Lakyus. Oh, and that princess of the kingdom would make a nice addition too.”

He smiled in delight, laughing as if mocking her helplessness.

“In exchange for all of you, I’ll guarantee peace for the kingdom. By now, 'he' must be already invading the capital.”

“Shut up! I will never fall for your tricks!”

Despite her scream, Aurelius didn’t lose his smile. If anything, her outburst seemed to amuse him further.

"Quite fiesty, aren't you? But this is good too. Imagine brainwashing you and the others, making you betray your precious Blue Rose and that little princess. Together, you’ll help me destroy this kingdom. Now wouldn't that be entertaining?"

His voice lowered, taking on a twisted form. “And when all’s done, you’ll all kneel under me, bearing my children like good little bitches.”

Evileye’s rage flared hotter than ever, but this time she didn’t let it cloud her judgment. With her emotions now under control, she silently gathered her mana—that Aurelius had dispersed earlier—and made her move.

Without warning, she cast a spell with everything she had.

"[Maximize Magic: Sand Field: All]"

A whirlwind of sand erupted, enveloping Aurelius and swirling wildly across the battlefield, blocking out everything in sight.

“Ugh!”

Even Evileye found it hard to keep her eyes open in the midst of the storm. The force of the magic was so intense that it whipped the earth into the air, reducing visibility to near zero.

She strained to peer through the swirling dust, hoping to see Aurelius trapped.

But then...

“It’s a shame,” Aurelius’s voice cut through the storm like a knife. “I was enjoying our little game, but it seems playtime is over. [Disperese]”

——!

With a simple word, the storm vanished. The violent winds stilled, and the grains of sand drifted harmlessly to the ground, as if the chaos had never existed.

“No... no, that’s impossible!”

Evileye gasped in disbelief.

A 5th-tier spell, undone as easily as a child brushing aside dust.

There were few beings in the world capable of such a feat, and Evileye had encountered them all in the past 250 years. Yet none compared to the sheer terror she now faced.

The silverish, white-haired man before her was more than a monster. Only now did she begin to understand why even the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings feared him.

Her hands were wet with sweat. She clenched her fists, feeling the cold, wet texture.

Step by step, Aurelius began to approach her. The sound of his boots hitting the ground echoed ominously in the now-still air.

Evileye found herself retreating without thinking. Each step he took filled her with a growing sense of dread.

“Stop... don’t come any closer!”

She cried, but Aurelius only smirked, his eyes darkening and the vertical slit of his pupils narrowing like a predator locking onto prey.

“Still resisting? By now, you should know the gap in our power. Are you going to keep disappointing me?”

The oppressive energy radiating from him intensified, tightening around Evileye like a noose. It suffocated her, stealing the breath from her lungs.

She wanted to move, to flee, but her body refused to obey. It wasn’t any external force holding her back, it was her own fear, her instinct for survival freezing her in place.

“Evileye!”

Tia’s voice rang out, full of panic, but it seemed distant—muted. She tried to move, but something invisible bound her legs, rendering her helpless.

On the other side, as Aurelius moved, his voice turned softer, yet somehow even more menacing.

“Yes, stop resisting, Evileye. Come to me willingly. Accept your fate. To be mine is what you’re destined for.”

The gap between them shrank with every passing second. Evileye’s legs trembled beneath her, but still, she didn’t run. She couldn’t.

Despite everything, some part of her was resigned. Her mind, her will, seemed to betray her.

Finally, Aurelius was close enough to reach out.

He gently took hold of her chin with his right hand, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. His towering form loomed over her, his shadow engulfing her completely, making her appear almost childlike by comparison.

“Let go of me!”

Evileye tried to shake his hand off her chin. But her efforts were futile. His grip was firm, though not painful, as if he were merely toying with her.

“Did you realize by now that even your strongest magic is useless against me? Accept it. Become mine, Evileye. Or should I say, Keno Fasris Invern?”

“H-how could you? How do you know that name?!”

Evileye’s heart stopped. Her eyes widen, and her pupils dilate in shock.

Witnessing her reaction, Aurelius’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

“Princess Keno, born to King Fasris and Queen Annie Fasris Invern of Inveria.”

“Huh... huh... no...!”

Her breath quickened, panic flooding her chest. She trembled, shaking her head in disbelief. How could he know? Her past was buried with her former life. “That’s impossible...!”

Unbothered by her shock, Aurelius continued. “The people of Inveria—your father, your mother—they all became undead, didn't they? A kingdom turned into a wasteland of zombies, a disaster that shaped you, by you.”

“Shut up...”

Aurelius leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

“It’s pitiful, really. For 200 years, you’ve suffered alone. No one could save you. No one could understand your pain and loneliness.”

“Shut up!”

Evileye screamed, her hand trembling as she raised it toward him, trying to hit him. The fury burning in her eyes was clear, even behind her mask.

But her efforts were in vain. Aurelius effortlessly caught her wrist. 

He glanced down at the mask, his gaze softening. “So much pain. So much loneliness. You’ve worn that mask for too long, Keno. You’ve hidden yourself away.”

His words tore at her soul, digging deep into memories she had long tried to bury. He was speaking directly to the little girl who had lost everything—the princess who had watched her kingdom fall into ruin.

And yet, his voice carried a twisted kindness, as if offering her a way out of the agony that had plagued her for centuries.

“If you choose me, Keno,” Aurelius whispered, his fingers gently tracing the edge of her mask, “I can give you what you desire. I can restore Inveria and bring back its people—your parents. Everything you lost can be yours again. All you have to do is betray your comrades, abandon Blue Rose, and stand by my side.”

He slowly began to lift her mask, exposing her face bit by bit.

“Be my woman. Become mine, and I will grant you anything you want.”

His words were seductive, and Keno—no, Evileye—felt her resolve waver. Could he really do it? Could he really bring back everything she had lost?

Her breath hitched as her mind battled with itself.

Could she, after all this time, forsake her comrades and family to chase after a hope that might just be a lie?

Her mind teetered on the brink of betrayal and loyalty.

And for the first time in her life, she understood the meaning of "a devil’s whisper offering salvation wrapped in chains."