บท 5: Meeting

As Rise admitted to himself, he did not care what others thought of him. He was very well aware of his bad reputation, which was not only known to the Union but had spread outside and was well known to the guilds.

Walking to the special aircraft he would be using to reach the critical red zone, Rise's mouth could not help but curl up when he thought of the Guild.

Like with other Esper Guilds, his reputation within the Dark Crimson was just as bad. Rise also never bothered to get along with them, and he was only there for the Guild Leader and nothing else.

Still, since he was with the guild for almost four years, the memories they had more or less left a deeper impression on him than the temporary colleagues he had in the Union.

Whether then or now, even more so now, Rise already expected the guild members to have a strong reaction to him being part of the subjugation.

Well, he could do nothing about his reputation, and Rise did not think about changing himself either.

"This is good as well..." Rise whispered with a smile, a devious plan forming in his mind.

With the way his eyes flickered and the mischievous smile playing on his lips, the pilot and one staff member who would stay with him inside the aircraft simultaneously shivered.

They internally cried about how unlucky they were. Being in Rise's vicinity was bad enough, but being alone with him? Both prayed for their lives.

If Rise could hear them, he would definitely mock them. The younger Rise would really do so as he was such a total bully, but for the present him and with how he had a special purpose this time around, he was really unbothered to deal with them.

His mind was only thinking of the guild members and, of course, Kamille.

Rise did not become absentminded just because his mind was preoccupied, he had long been accustomed to multitasking. He still entered the aircraft skillfully, somehow even obediently sat inside, and was silent the whole time.

This was strange for the two personnel with him, but this was also a better situation, so they did not jinx themselves by provoking the devil and proceeded with their work silently.

Rise did not pay attention as he leaned on the window and looked outside. His eyes were clear, anticipation written on his gaze.

Using his bad reputation to get his way inside the guild, Rise was just planning to do that. More importantly... What was better than his reputation and spiteful actions to get Kamille's attention?

They did not know Rise personally this time, but he was different. He knew them and their habits, which meant he knew how to provoke them best. That was the same for Kamille; Rise knew even more as part of Kamille's exclusive team!

And their relationship in the past was even closer due to some circumstances that were secret to everyone but the two of them.

Rise's smile widened inside, his eyes turning into a slit.

Secrets... How he loved his rebirth. It just so happened that he knew something about Kamille. What was more? He was going to become involved deeply with it.

Was it bad to use them? Rise smirked. Who cares, though? In the past, while he pursued Kamille openly and even confessed publicly to him a lot of times, it was often seen as not serious since Rise also did not do anything offensive, far more than just hugging and being clingy.

This time... His strategy would become different. The situation had also changed. He had a huge purpose for doing so; otherwise...

Rise's mood changed, and he closed his eyes for a moment. After a while, he opened them.

Epsilon, you bitch, I'm going to steal your male lead, and you can't do anything about it!

While Rise was alone and preoccupied in the passenger seat, their plane continued at an increased pace.

The special aircraft was more advanced in terms of technology, as it used mana stones from monsters, and most of its parts were also from tough monsters.

Due to the current state of the world, not only the ground but also the sky has become unstable. Aside from special aircraft, ordinary planes were not allowed to travel in the sky; otherwise, flying monsters or the mana that the strong gates emitted could disrupt the signals and other factors that prevented the plane from flying normally and might crash in most situations.

Other than ground, there were no other options for the citizens to travel to different zones, and that was the premise that they had a permit to do so.

Traveling by ground has been just as dangerous in recent times. Without Esper in the escorts, reaching the destination was even lower than 40%, even if there were no red zones in the route.

Since the aircraft they were using was of special grade, they did not encounter any disruptions, and they could fly smoothly. The problem arose when they were almost at their destination.

Rise also finally became alert, his gaze looking in one direction. It was still at a considerable distance, but he could already feel the strong mana the gate emitted.

"So, this is an evolving gate," Rise muttered under his breath.

The mana around the vicinity was really unstable; the pilot had to slow down and lower their altitude.

Rise looked down, his eyes barely noticing the huge gate underneath.

"It's evolving to be an S-rank gate." This was such an unbelievable phenomenon. While evolving gates happened in the federation, one that was evolving into an S-rank was rare and really precarious for humanity as a whole.

He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze in one direction. Subconsciously, a smile was replaced by a frown.

"I'm here... Guild Leader." Rise smiled excitedly, his heart thumping so loud.

Before he died, he thought Kamille held him and called his name, but he never confirmed it. Perhaps, that was just an illusion of his. He did not want to dwell on it too much.

After all... He was about to meet the real deal. Whether that was an illusion or not did not really matter for the current him. Rise would just make Kamille fall for him... and everything would become real.

With a signal, their aircraft descended. It was small and only needed open ground to descend, just like a helicopter, without any particular requirement compared to an ordinary airplane.

It also seemed that the guild was already notified of their arrival. Rise was not surprised when he got out of the aircraft and saw the members standing there and waiting for him; their stance was almost like preparing for combat.

The air was tense for a moment. The two sides stared at each other. Anyone would become intimidated by this, as members of the Dark Crimson Guild, especially those qualified to join the subjugation raid, were high-ranking Espers.

That was not the case for Rise. Instead of being intimidated, a wide smile played across his lips. His gaze roamed at them with a teasing smile, and he waved at them as if they were his admirers.

"Wow, this is such a warm welcome." Rise walked gracefully until he stopped in front of a man with thick glasses in his eyes. His grin widened even further. "I didn't know I'd be so famous at your guild to even welcome my arrival, Vice Leader."

His voice was friendly, but for some reason it was so irritating that the members gnashed their teeth, ready for any confrontation. Rise Lee's reputation was infamous far and wide. Since his dispatch to one of the famous guilds, Blue, almost no one wanted to request him, even if his ability was powerful and useful for gate raids.

Simply put, he was a walking calamity.

They did not want Rise to disrupt their crucial mission as well.

Like them, the man in front of Rise was not amused. He adjusted his glasses and only stared at Rise, not acknowledging him at all.

Yet Rise's smile widened. Vice Leader Hayes, was one of the people who actively in disagreement with him, especially if he was being so clingy to the Guild Leader.

He knew... Hayes was only calm on the outside. Rise knew just how his temper was not even that different from his.

Rise did not mind him not answering because, as he roamed his eyes again, his gaze suddenly became locked in one direction. His heart skipped a beat, almost wanting to run and hug that attractive and lovable man.

Damn, he's so handsome! Rise loved every aspect of him, and seeing him again gave him satisfaction. The bonus was... He had never seen the 24-year-old Kamille in person before!

In no time at all, Rise was already in front of the Guild Leader. Of course, he did not cling to him just like he had shamelessly done before, which was a regret.

He had to remind himself that this was their first meeting for the other.

However, that did not stop him from being so shamelessly flirtatious at their first meeting either!

Rise softly but alluringly, brushes his silver hair to the side, and smiles gently, but his eyes are filled with meaning, not hiding his admiration at all.

"What an honor to meet the Guild Leader." Rise spoke with a smile before adding, "You're even more attractive in person."

Not only the members had a strong reaction, as they felt Rise was disrespecting their Guild Leader by talking in such a manner.

Kamille's brow also rose, and he could not help but stare at Rise, the one the Director of the Union was talking about. With his descriptions and the person in front of him, Kamille finally understood.

With how the members held a strong displeasure toward him, it was safe to say... Rise was really going to be the troublesome factor in this subjugation.

And how Kamille was not even prepared for what was about to happen. Rise was there to make trouble, not for the subjugation, though, but for him.