Sesilia was dumbfounded: "My subordinates might not obey me?"

Ash chuckled: "That’s quite a question. You’re a member of the Messenger Agency, are you supposed to be loyal to your superior?"

"To have everyone obey my orders..." Sesilia’s voice grew quieter, clearly realizing her wish was too absurd.

Ash said: "If you just want to live a comfortable life, I can give you a very precious gem that you can exchange for millions of gold coins, enough to live a carefree life."

Sesilia shook her head: "Having money without the power to protect it is like someone else’s wallet. Besides... I don’t want that kind of life."

"Then what do you want?"

Indeed, what do I want?

Sesilia sat on the ground in confusion, looking up at the rain curtain suspended in mid-air. She only knew she had to seize this opportunity to trade with the Devil, but had never considered the question – what did she truly want?

Ash wasn’t in a hurry either, squatting beside her, waiting like a shopkeeper watching a child choose a toy.

"...I just want to solve all the problems at once."

"Specifically, what problems?"

"Many, many problems," Sesilia said softly: "But I don’t know how to say it."

Ash looked at this gloomy metal doll, vaguely guessing something, and asked: "How did your disability come about?"

On usual days, whoever dared ask about her disability would be considered lucky not to get hit, for she never gave a pleasant face to anyone who asked. But perhaps out of fear, or for some inexplicable reason, she calmly recounted her past.

Actually, when broken down, it was just a classic traditional revenge story: A family was attacked by an Evil Mage, only the weakly little girl was deliberately left with severed limbs by the Evil Mage, seemingly wanting to see how this unfortunate soul would struggle to survive. But the little girl resiliently lived on, adopted by her father’s friend, equipped with metal prosthetics, worked hard to learn combat skills, broke through her physical limitations, and successfully resonated with the Void Realm to become a mage.

The father’s friend was the head of an agency on the brink of the grey area, who was killed in a conflict when the girl was 16. While sorting through the relics, the girl discovered that the friend was the Evil Mage who had once attacked her family, motivated by long-standing lust for the girl’s mother, and committed the atrocious deed in a moment of impulse.

"So for you, the target of revenge and your foster father both died?" Ash asked. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Sesilia was silent for a moment: "Actually... I forgot about the revenge long ago."

The hatred for the slaughter of one’s family is indeed irreconcilable, but not everyone can simmer in hatred day after day for ten years. The washing away by over ten years of time could have made the little girl forget the hell she had once witnessed, but an accident dragged her back into hell once more.

"Later, I joined the Messenger Agency, and until now, after all these years of learning killing techniques, I can only survive by killing." Sesilia suddenly laughed: "The most urgent issue I need to resolve now should be the pursuit by the lacquer master, right? Can’t you make me a Holy Sanctuary Mage? Even becoming a Two-winged Mage might not guarantee beating the lacquer master."

Ash shook his head: "No one can randomly advance a mage’s rank. The Void Realm is the most just; even if I tell you how to smuggle through, you would still have to go through it yourself."

"However, I probably know what you truly desire."

Sesilia was taken aback, raising her eyebrows to look at Ash.

"No past, no future, no friends, no family, the only thing pushing you forward is mere biological inertia. You can’t find any meaning to living, living merely for the sake of living."

"Your whole being is as light as a balloon, with only a thin string tying you to the ground."

"You chose to betray the Messenger Agency, exhausted all your strength to run to Azura, refusing to surrender even in the face of a Holy Sanctuary Mage... perhaps you haven’t even noticed yourself," Ash said slowly, word by word: "You’re actually deliberately seeking death."

Sesilia was slightly caught off guard, then shrugged, seemingly trying to show a disdainful smile, but in the end, she couldn’t smile, staring dazedly at the puddles reflecting neon on the ground.

"...You are actually the Devil." She suddenly said: "The Devil always loves to toy with mortal souls."

"No, I just have some experience," Ash said with a smile: "What’s your name?"

"Sesilia. Sesilia Aricardo."

"Hello, Sesilia." Ash grabbed her metallic right hand, pulling her up forcefully.

Sesilia had been slumped on the ground not out of laziness, but because Gregory’s gravity field had fractured her ribs and internal organs, and multiple blood vessels were ruptured as well. She appeared fine externally, but internally, she was already riddled with wounds, and moving even slightly would cause a sweat-inducing pain. But now, being pulled up by Ash, she realized she wasn’t hurt at all, completely unaware of when she’d been healed.

"Hungry?" Ash walked into the shop, beckoning to her: "Do you like noodle soup?"