"Good morning, Master."
Luxford was woken up early by the commotion Astrid was making. When she realized he was awake, she greeted him with her usual ice-cold expression, as if nothing had happened.
"..."
Luxford was used to it by now. He gently slid his hand out of Nepheli's arms and wiped the drool off on his shirt.
What happened yesterday had really shaken Nepheli. She'd asked to sleep next to Luxford that night, just like she used to. He couldn't exactly say no, she was the kid he'd raised, after all.
"Breakfast is ready. Please come eat."
"Where's Renna?"
Luxford got dressed and stepped out of the bedroom. The table was already loaded with a generous spread, five or six different dishes. Watching the pink-haired little girl demolish it all like a tornado, Luxford didn't think Astrid had made too much.
When Renna saw Luxford sit down, she tried to greet him excitedly with her mouth stuffed full of food, which resulted in bits of chewed-up food spraying all over his face. He could only clamp his hand over her mouth while reaching for the handkerchief Astrid offered.
Setting aside Astrid's... unconventional hobbies, she really was a perfectly competent maid. Unfortunately, you couldn't set them aside. Case in point: Luxford checked, and the "handkerchief" she'd handed him was actually her underwear. He ended up using a napkin from the table instead.
Before eating, Luxford also inspected his bowl to make sure nothing weird had been added. Only then did he start his meal.
"Good morning, Master."
Nepheli finally woke up and came out. Her face was a little flushed, she'd apparently realized that the puddle of drool on the sheets was hers, and that a woman her age still needed someone to sleep next to. Meanwhile, Renna was only twelve and wasn't scared at all...
"Go wash up and come eat."
Nepheli nodded and soon joined them at the table. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, and Luxford felt a wave of genuine happiness. Honestly, he was perfectly content with this life. He had a job he loved, the respect of those around him, plenty of money, and people who cared about him. It seemed like he had everything he could want.
But Luxford knew better. The more he cherished this quiet, simple life, the more urgently he needed to get stronger. He understood this world's true nature all too well. Forget the Church's hatred of witches, the coming War of the Gods alone was a looming threat. The country Luxford lived in would be destroyed shortly after the war broke out.
He remembered that the God of Abundance was the war's ultimate victor, but what did that matter to ordinary people? In a war between gods, even kings were cannon fodder. The approaching conflict hung over Luxford's head like the sword of Damocles, pushing him to grow stronger. Sacrificing the God of Abundance's children had only been the first step.
Right in the middle of this peaceful moment, an untimely knock came at the door. Nepheli started to get up, but Luxford motioned for her to sit back down.
"I'll get it."
People came looking for Luxford all the time, but at a critical moment like this, whoever was knocking was either one of Pluton's followers or a high-ranking Church official. A little caution couldn't hurt.
"Good day, Master."
The man at the door was impeccably polite, dressed in lavish clothes, the kind where even a single button on his sleeve was probably worth a fortune.
Luxford recognized him. This was the side quest boss he'd been keeping tabs on. Beyond being one of Pluton's followers, the man had another identity: kingdom nobility.
Greed knows no bounds. A man who already had wealth and status had become obsessed with power and immortality, eventually becoming one of Pluton's most devoted followers.
"Can I help you?"
Luxford asked, already knowing the answer, while slowly stepping backward to put distance between them, stopping in front of the dining table.
"I detected the aura of our lord Pluton upon you. I assume you are a fellow believer, and I've come to invite you to join us."
This was another difference between the Righteous Gods and the Outer Gods. A Righteous God's name was taboo. Saying it aloud could get you killed on the spot. But the Outer Gods preferred having their true names spoken.
To show off his strength, and as a veiled threat, the man gently closed the door behind him. But when he let go of the handle, it crumbled to pieces in his hand.
"As long as you don't hurt my children... I'll do anything..."
Luxford stood in front of Nepheli, looking every bit like a cornered parent being threatened. In reality, his hand had already found the grip of the shotgun.
"Master..."
When Nepheli tried to stand and fight the man, Luxford pressed down on her shoulder just in time. Renna caught on immediately and stayed put as well.
"Well then, that makes things easy. Now,"
Before the man could finish, a gunshot cracked through the room. The instant it fired, the man was already dodging, but even so, a few steel pellets hit his shoulder.
"It seems you don't understand the gap between our abilities."
The man wasn't angry about Luxford's surprise attack. He simply tore open his shirt, revealing his shoulder. The pellets were stuck in his muscle, unable to penetrate any deeper.
"If you join us, you could have this kind of power too."
But Luxford wasn't buying it. He fired again. This time, the shot didn't even land. The instant before the pellets reached the man, his body flickered and turned partially transparent. The rounds passed straight through him, punching a cluster of holes in the door behind him.
"You still don't understand, do you... Urk,"
A third shot rang out, and the man couldn't speak anymore. This one hit him square in the head. Countless bloody holes erupted across his face, blood pouring from every one.
BANG.
The fourth shot obliterated his skull entirely. He couldn't stand any longer and collapsed to the ground. Luxford, who knew the importance of finishing the job, riddled the body until it was unrecognizable before speaking again:
"Disillusionment blessing plus enchanted rounds. Kid, next time, dodge what you can instead of trying to tank it."
Luxford had done a lot of groundwork to deal with this guy. He'd played weak to make the man overconfident, then prepared Disillusionment and enchanted bullets specifically for this moment. The result? A side quest boss notorious for being a nightmare to fight went down without breaking a sweat.
After killing him, Luxford wasted no time grabbing a steak knife from the table and struggling to cut open the man's stomach. The knife had those little serrated teeth meant for cutting steak, perfect for getting through the man's unnaturally tough skin.
"Master..."
The sudden chain of events left Nepheli dazed. A stranger appears out of nowhere, Luxford kills him out of nowhere, and now Luxford is digging through his intestines... But she still believed everything Luxford did was right. She didn't let go of the other gun under the table until she'd confirmed the man was dead.
Renna relaxed her grip on her steak knife once she saw Luxford was safe, then went right back to eating. The mangled corpse didn't affect her appetite in the slightest. Astrid went to find cleaning supplies for the blood.
"Found it..."
Luxford pulled a golden card from the man's stomach. Once the blood clinging to it dripped away, he could finally see what it was.
It was a tarot card. On it was a crumbling, leaning tower with an endless field of bones beneath it. The card's description instantly came to mind.
=====
Tarot Card: The Tower
Effect: Shifts the user into a phantom state, unable to interact with the outside world. The outside world likewise cannot affect the user. All five senses are lost while in the phantom state.
Note: What a shame, perched so high above it all, you see nothing and hear nothing.
=====
In plain terms, this was basically Obito's Kamui. It just cost a bit more mana, but mana was the one thing Luxford had no shortage of.
And if he activated it for just a split second before deactivating, it would be enough to block an attack without burning much mana at all. In the hands of a veteran player like Luxford, this tarot card was basically an invincibility cheat.