After Aldred turned the medical ward into a festive feast, he left the scene and returned to his Stellar Seraph.
He then observed the medical ward from the cameras there.
"What are you doing, Aldred?" Shinari asked.
"I am just watching how the mercenaries are doing."
"I saw you went there and gave them food and drinks."
"Is it weird?" Aldred asked.
"Well, not really. But you are the highest leader in this organization. People at the bottom rarely could get the chance to see people at the top. Most of them stayed hidden and elusive, giving orders from the shadows."
"I am different," Aldred said. "I am not the type that hide behind safety. I am the type that fight in the frontline when necessary. I am the type that lead an army charging at the forefront of the formation."
"You do that all the time in your home world?"
"Doing it all the time would be foolish, but when I do, my army was certain that we will gain victory."
Shinari smiled. "You really are different, Aldred. This much power. This much authority. To be honest, it scares me. I feel repelled by your change. But now I realized, you never changed at all. You treat us the same way you did the first time we met."
True. Aldred was never that kind of person that threw away friends when he didn't need them anymore.
"I believe the others feel the same way as I do. That's why they are trying their best right now, trying to catch up to you."
Aldred nodded. He admitted that the crew were trying very hard in this campaign against the Tribe of Ghost. Their contribution points were the highest among the billions of mercenaries.
"Each and every one of you have special talent." Aldred turned around, revealing his bright glowing eyes. "I have eyes that can see what most cannot. You all have talent that far surpass geniuses."
"Is that true?"
"All you need is a little push."
"We've been trying ever since we see your quick growth. When we first met, we sort of equal in power. But as you get stronger, we have been trying to keep up and stay on your side."
Shinari approached her and rubbed her head. "And here you are, still by my side."
"That's not what I mean."
"I know what you mean," Aldred interjected. "You all can always stay by my side, however, you cannot be in front of me. I will protect you all."
"Then who protect you?"
Aldred didn't expect that question, but he smiled nonetheless. "I have my guardians. They have always protected me. Even though I never see it. I know they protected me all these time, even now. And I can never ever surpass them. All I can do is try to catch up."
"They must be very powerful."
Aldred recalled his father and mother and sister. "Far than we all can imagine."
Shinari unconsciously held Aldred's hand.
Aldred glanced at her. "Do you need something."
"It must be lonely to be at the top all alone. Help us become stronger. We want to accompany you."
"Fine." Aldred hovered his index finger on her forehead.
"What are you going to do?"
He flicked her forehead.
"What's that gonn—"
Suddenly, her vision changed.
Shinari's mind plunged into an ethereal realm, a cosmic journey through a strange and vibrant wormhole. She felt weightless as streams of stars streaked past her, creating mesmerizing patterns of light.
As she traveled through this otherworldly passage, Shinari glimpsed fleeting images of Aldred's memories – moments of his past, glimpses of his home world.
The stars transformed into vivid scenes, telling a story of power, sacrifice, and the unyielding spirit that defined Aldred's existence.
There was a scene showing of Aldred falling to the ground, trembling in fear as the enemy raised his blade about to kill him.
The scene changed immediately, revealing Aldred fighting bravely against a strange gigantic snake-like creature.
A second later it changed again. It was Aldred and his friends climbing a mountain under extreme blizzard.
Then it showed Aldred leading an army of golems and undead.
"Is this Aldred's memory?" Shinari said to herself.
The scenes continued, showing Aldred's adventure and the people he met and defeat along the way.
In the midst of this cosmic journey, Shinari felt a surge of energy. It was as if the very essence of the universe flowed through her.
As the journey continued, Shinari emerged from the wormhole, finding herself in a surreal astral plane. The stars around her coalesced into celestial beings, each radiating a unique brilliance.
One by one, the celestial beings approached her, conveying a silent acknowledgment. They radiated an aura of wisdom and strength.
"What are these things?"
"We are you," the beings replied at the same time before shape shifting into Shinari's appearance.
"We are your strength and weakness. In order to grow, you need to use your strength and crush your weaknesses."
The beings attacked immediately. All pouncing towards her.
Shinari battled them.
Long time passed. She couldn't tell the exact time, however, she could defeat the beings that mimick her from time to time before they appeared again and attacked her.
This pattern repeated for uncountable times until she could effortlessly defeat herselves.
The ethereal experience slowly faded, and Shinari found herself back in the Stellar Seraph, standing before Aldred. Her eyes now glowed with a cosmic radiance, reflecting the newfound understanding and abilities bestowed upon her during the celestial journey.
Aldred observed Shinari with a knowing smile. "You have glimpsed the essence of the cosmos. Embrace the strength within you, for you are no longer bound by the limits of the ordinary."
Shinari, now aware of the untapped potential she possessed, nodded with a newfound determination. "Thank you, Aldred."
She looked at him a little differently now. Personally seeing Aldred's past made her understand him a lot better. She understood how he think, how he behave, and how and why he act.
His every moves were calculated, though he was not strict and sometimes do what his heart told him to do.
"You threw a feast for the mercenaries. You do it for your own benefit. You want their loyalty."
"That's correct," he did not deny it.
"However, you also do it to reward their hard work."
"That is also true."
Shinari smiled at him. "You are not evil, Aldred. You do what must be done, however, there is never a sign if corruption in your heart. You are a pure soul without any intention to cause harm. You are simply a little broken and wounded but that is a good thing because it shed away your naivety. A good man knows that there are evil in this world. A good man never believed that everything is good and nothing is bad."
Aldred laughed. "You start to sound like my wives. They always have something to say to lecture me." Aldred caressed her cheek. "But that means that they care about me."
"I care about you."
"Do you?"
"I do." Shinari leaned forward and kissed him.
Aldred didn't reject her advances, instead, he pushed her to a nearby wall and put his tongue inside.
They french-kissed for a good while.
Aldred released his kiss and looked at her in the eye before lifting her up like a princess. He then walked to a nearby sofa and put here there.
"This will be your first time, but it won't be your last."
A few hours later, Shinari was trembling and shaking on the sofa. Her whole body was wet with sweat as she tightly hold the sofa with her hands. Her breathing was ragged as she was desperate for air.
On the other side of the sofa was a blood stain.
"You did well," Aldred said with a sweet smile on his face.
"You really gave me no time to rest." Shinari breathed in and out.
Aldred laughed. "I can't help it. When I hear your moan and when I see your red lips, I just want to do you so hard that you won't even be able to walk for a while."
"I take my words back. You are evil and mean."
Aldred simply chuckled to that comment before he covered her with a warm blanket.
Right after that, the door opened.
Zarael entered the room. "Aldred, report just came i— did I interrupt?"
"No. Not at all. We just finished."
Shinari blushed, thinking what a close call it was. Still, Zarael must know what they were doing earlier by looking at this scene alone.
It was pretty obvious after all!
However, Zarael seemed to not care and continued. "The Tribe of Ghost are basically destroyed. More than 50 millions of their forces are killed these last few weeks, and reports say that a lot of them decided to flee the region."
Aldred wore his coat unbuttoned, revealing his powerful muscles. "Just as planned. Let those who flee go freely. No need to chase them. This will indirectly tell the enemy that we don't want their death and that we will let them live if they escape. I am sure you are fine with this. You killed their leader, right?"
Zarael nodded. "Thank you."
