Raveria looked at her small, bloodstained, hands. In front of her lay corpses, or rather, whatever was left of the corpses. Ira told her to kill each Lares in a different way and it almost always ended in a mess. The outcome of Raveria’s experience wasn’t aversion but rather an acceptance. She was Half-Valkyrie and Half-Avarus which meant that killing was something instinctual. In fact, it was a miracle she didn’t hold a bloodthirsty predisposition when she was born or else many people would’ve died.

What Raveria received was a sense of realization and awe at her own power.

“This...is what I can do,” Raveria quietly mumbled to herself.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!” A high-pitched scream interrupted her musings and pulled her attention.

Gicae was the source of the unending wail and he showed no signs of stopping. Ira was busy trying to implant the crystal eye of a dead Lares into Gicae’s head. For the Lares, their crystal eyes were sacred to them. So it went without saying that Ira made sure to rip out each and every one of them. Of course, that didn’t feel like enough for Ira. He wanted Gicae to react but all he received was counting. Thus, he came up with the idea to place someone else’s crystal eye into Gicae’s head.

It wasn’t going as well as Ira hoped.

“Stay still,” Ira grumbled before pressing the crystal eye into the empty socket. The surface had a few cracks in it but appeared to be in working order.

“No! No! No! No!” Gicae’s mind began rejecting the foreign psychic energy while memories and experiences began overlapping. “Why?! Ira!”

“Oh, it worked.” Ira raised his brows in surprise.

“Iraaa!” Gicae called out again. He was no doubt experiencing some sort of terrible pain as psychic energy ravaged his mind but he was flooded with the memories of what happened at the monastery. He could feel the experiences of the crystal eyes owner and it did nothing but enhance his own pain.

Ira smiled joyfully before speaking, “Remember, you’re the one who–”

Gicae’s body exploded, interrupting Ira and sending chunks of flesh flying across the room.

“...Or not,” Ira picked up an eyeball that landed on his shoulder and tossed it away.

He fished in his pockets and pulled out a handful of crystal eyes he had yet to use. The first thought that came to mind was King Dietrich’s soul transplanting technique. Of course, Ira couldn’t put souls into the crystal eyes but he could alter it with his Void abilities. It had a chance of working but it could also go terribly wrong. He held off on doing anything for the moment and decided to revisit it later.

“Come on, Ria, ” Ira said as he stored the crystal eyes away.

Raveria grabbed his hand and the two disappeared from sight soon after. The deaths of the Lares hidden with the mountains and Gicae passed without anyone outside knowing. In fact, by the time someone found out about the Monastery it would be covered in snow and the bodies would be frozen solid.

…

Ira and Raveria arrived back at the Underground City and found that Avery was waiting for them. Avery’s expression showed her usual indifference until she spotted the blood on Raveria’s hands. At that point, her eyes narrowed and hints of anger appeared on her face. They were so slight that they could go unnoticed but for Ira they were extremely obvious. Was it out of concern for Raveria’s safety that made Avery upset?

“You let her kill for the first time and you didn’t think to bring me?” Avery asked.

“I…” Ira found himself speechless. Although he knew it was Raveria’s first time killing he didn’t think of the overall significance.

“Am I not her mother?” Avery approached them with slight irritation in her voice.

“You are, I just uh...I got a little wrapped up in the mood so I kind of...forgot.” Ira laughed dryly but Avery didn’t appear to be amused.

Raveria looked between Avery and Ira with a confused expression. Avery sighed as she met Raveria’s gaze.

“Forget it. I’ll bathe her and prepare something for her to eat. Come on, Raveria.” Avery held her hand out.

Raveria had an unsure expression but when she looked at Ira he nodded so she went over to Avery’s side.

When the two of them left, Ira held a contemplative look. He guessed that there may have been some importance centered around the first kill for the daughters of Valkyries and that was why Avery was upset.

“...She won’t be mad forever,” Ira said to himself before vanishing.

…

In Sylun’s palace, Lauren was sitting down with Lyra. Ever since Gicae’s betrayal, she had been far less outspoken than before and she even had some reservations toward Ira. If he decided that she should die for the role she played in Gicae’s attack then she wouldn’t be able to blame him.

“So...Ustia is in Yeramesh?” Lyra asked.

“Yes. She went to reestablish contact with the Valkyries native to that continent. I plan on going back in a few days, if you want to accompany me.” Lauren offered.

“Will it be alright?”

“It shouldn’t take any longer than usual though it will be extremely uncomfortable for you. Then again, we could always ask Ira to teleport us there.”

“...Does he not hold a grudge against me?” Lyra inquired in a careful tone.

“If he did, I doubt we would be having this conversation,” Lauren replied.

“I see.” Lyra looked relieved and went into her own thoughts while Lauren took a drink from a glass.

…

Not too far away, Ira appeared out of thin air and was searching for Sylun.

“Keeper.”

“Keeper.”

“Keeper.”

Along the way, he was met with constant bowing but he didn’t really complain since they weren’t kneeling. Suddenly, Ira stopped and turned around because a small boy with reptilian eyes was included around the group who bowed to him.

“Ah,” The boy peeked at Ira and exclaimed aloud when their eyes met.

“He’s one of the children I saved?” Ira inquired.

“Yes, Keeper.” A guard answered.

“Praise...the...Keeper,” The boy spoke awkwardly but managed to get his words out.

“Why is he here?” Ira ignored the boy’s praise and continued his questioning.

“Well, he’s one of many talented prospects that you’ve brought in, Keeper. We’ve been told to help correct his childish mindset by bringing him along with us and getting him used to authority and order.” The guard answered. It was clear he was nervous because he began to sweat but spoke without unnecessary pause.

“Oh...Good job, kid. You’ll do good.” Ira gave the boy a tap on the shoulder and moved on. After he could no longer be seen, the guards went into an uproar.

“The Keeper gave you his approval!” A guard shook the kid by the shoulders while avoiding the spot Ira touched.

“Ah, if the Keeper complimented you then your future is set.”

“I’ll send word so that the Queen is informed. You’ll end up as a high ranking solider, congratulations.”

“I wouldn’t wash my shoulder for the rest of my life if I were you.”

The boy was starry-eyed and was absorbed into the mood. Although he was being conditioned to be loyal, one would have to admit that it was effective.

Once the Dark Elves found out that Ira had killed Dragons in Yeramesh they simply showed the children the remains of the Behemoth. Even its smallest bones dwarfed most well-known creatures, including dragons. Once the children found out that Ira killed a monster with a size that couldn’t be fathomed, they couldn’t help but think of him as something close to a God.

Ira was unaware of how much his simple show of approval meant. He found Sylun pretty easily and she greeted him enthusiastically.

“Keeper.” Sylun bowed.

“Hey, uh...So listen…” Ira trailed off while thinking.

“Is there something wrong, Keeper?” Sylun asked while fearing that she failed in some way.

“No. Yes. Kind of. I took Raveria to kill someone for the first time and...Avery’s is a tiny, tiny, tiny, bit mad at me. So I was wondering if you could help me?”

“Ah, I’m sure that Lauren or Casey would be more knowledgeable in the feelings of a fellow Valkyrie.” Although she said so, Sylun was incredibly proud to know that Ira sought her out for advice before anyone else.

“I don’t think they’ll help much that’s why I’m asking you.” Ira seemed in need of an immediate solution.

“Lauren once told me that her mother taught her that the most important step for a warrior was their first kill. I don’t think she’s angry with you but rather angry that she wasn’t there for such a vital step. If you wish to make amends I think you should get her a new set of armor. Even getting her another weapon that serves as a decoration piece wouldn’t be a bad idea. We have Godsteel on hand if you wish to take some, Keeper.”

“Oh! Perfect!” Ira smiled. He thought of getting Judith to forge it for him but changed his mind. Although he wasn’t familiar with forging a weapon he wanted to use his abilities to try and make something.

“I’ll have someone retrieve it in just a moment, Keeper.” Sylun gestured to a servant who bowed before exiting the room.

It was unknown what would come out of Ira messing around with Godsteel but it would definitely be dangerous.