The vision before them ended, but neither spoke immediately.

Silence reigned between them. Matthew, because he seemed to be wandering through memories of the past, while Maverick was simply stunned and almost unable to move.

Minutes passed until Matthew turned around.

"I once heard that it was impossible for an assassin who used ice to exist, right? An assassin wizard, perhaps, but a pure assassin could not exist," he said.

Maverick was afraid to respond, so he just lowered his head. Which was almost an acknowledgment.

There is a belief that ice can only be used through magic, and an assassin who uses magic, skills, or something similar cannot be considered an assassin.

Although they are usually mercenaries for hire, they have their own codes. It was like that in this world and also on Earth.

But with Maverick watching this... he didn’t know what to say. That wasn’t normal ice, it wasn’t magic.

If such a thing were magic, then what was their purpose? Magic could practically annihilate them in the hands of anyone moderately strong.

Matthew shrugged when he saw that he didn’t want to answer.

"Don’t worry, I know because I was the one who broke that belief."

He stared at him.

"I’m not just any assassin, I’m a Pinnacle Assassin; one who surpassed that very pinnacle and acquired a title: The Ice Assassin."

Maverick swallowed hard. He was surprised, although his expression remained impassive because he already suspected it. From the first moment he saw him arrive here and bring those assassins as if it were nothing, until he showed him all that.

This man was not just any assassin. He was one of the best.

"Someone so exalted, I don’t think you just came to show me something from your past because you wanted to talk," he said suddenly, looking up to confirm it. "Right?"

Matthew smiled.

"I don’t have that much free time to do that."

"What do you want?"

"I can get you to the pinnacle," he said slowly.

His words shocked Maverick, who didn’t change his expression, but inside, he was in chaos.

How did he know he wasn’t at the Pinnacle?

Indeed, he hadn’t reached that stage yet, but his ability was powerful enough to put him one step away from it at this moment. The problem was that he had been stuck in that category for years, trying to reach that coveted Pinnacle and simply not seeing any progress.

His skill was powerful, and he had diversified its use, creating several additional abilities, such as the previous strike: 21 Killer Strikes of the Thousand Nights. But he wasn’t quite in that category yet.

However, his skill was almost perfect; he could deceive practically any vision, even that of those outstanding assassins... like Zhan.

’No... he’s not just any assassin,’ Maverick thought, understanding why he had noticed him.

"I can also enhance your skill. I can make you the most powerful assassin in this world, granting you not only power, but also status and any desire you may have."

Maverick frowned at his words. "Nothing in this world is free, sir."

"Indeed." Matthew smiled. "Nothing is free, but this will be practically free for you. Don’t you know who I am?"

"You are Matthew Dietrich..."

"Do you know of my status?"

"An ancestor of Dietrich?" Maverick questioned.

"Yes. We Dietrichs own this race; we created it. So practically everything in this world belongs to me."

"You mean I have to serve you, sir?"

"That’s right." Matthew walked up to him and stood face-to-face. "I’ll give you everything I said before, but lately I’ve been needing powerful and talented people on my side. So, how about we make a deal? You’ll just have to serve me personally, and all that power will be yours."

Maverick sighed. The proposal was extremely tempting, coming from someone who was practically confirmed to belong to a legendary clan like the Dietrichs.

But... He shook his head. "Sir..."

"Think twice. I keep my promises. I once promised someone I would give them a great empire to rule, and now they rule three entire nations."

Maverick frowned... he had heard about it, though originally it had spread only as a rumor or a romance.

’So Miss Emma and Mr. Dietrich really had that kind of promise... it wasn’t just a fanciful romance.’

That was amazing. A promise as big as that and to fulfill it in so few years... Maverick was in awe. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Although he, too, was being promised something huge, and it was his dream. Furthermore, with the backing of a Dietrich, his greatest sworn enemy would soon be dead...

Sadly, he shook his head again.

"I respect and admire you, Mr. Dietrich," he replied. "But I cannot betray those who rescued me and gave me the opportunity to take my revenge."

"The Morgans?" Matthew asked.

"Yes." Maverick finally managed to return his steady gaze. "I am Morgan’s Protector and Shadow. I cannot fail them."

Matthew nodded. He was impressed.

’He’s a loyal man. Just the kind of person I need,’ he thought.

Few people in this world could refuse such an offer from him, given the evidence that his promises were being fulfilled.

When Maverick thought about apologizing once again to avoid upsetting him, Matthew patted him on the shoulder.

"See you later, Commander," he said and walked past him.

"Huh?" Maverick turned to look at him, but couldn’t speak because Matthew spoke first.

"Tell your friends it’s not a good idea to spy on people," he said as he continued on his way.

’Although I was spying on him earlier. It’s hypocritical, isn’t it?’ he thought to himself before disappearing into the darkness.

Maverick frowned and looked from side to side. "Are you afraid of him, miss?" he asked.

"I have never known fear," replied a woman’s voice from the darkness.

He then looked up and gazed at the building’s high beams. There was a figure covered in dark clothing, staring intently at the figure that had left.

"Haha, I guess that’s true." Maverick smiled. "Did you know he was going to discover you?"

"You can never know anything when it comes to someone like him, Maverick," she replied. "I was just trying to avoid his attention, but it seems he discovered me very easily. I think the mistake was being inside that strange domain he cast."

"Domain?" Maverick nodded thoughtfully. "That world of ice?"

"Yes. I couldn’t help it when it appeared."

"Haha..." Maverick laughed uncomfortably. "What do you think? You..."

"I can only say that legends exist."

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