Chapter 333: Dinner with the Assassin

Luke stepped out of his room dressed in formal attire, looking like he was on his way to a gala rather than a dinner meeting with someone who could easily kill him.

“How did you even know my measurements?” he asked Anne as they walked down the corridor.

“A maid… always knows,” she replied softly.

They continued in silence. Luke had been waiting for this meeting with Erza Grimhart, not just to talk about the Assassin’s Garb, though that was part of it. That particular problem could wait. What he really wanted was information about the final battle. There were three bosses: the Midnight Lord, the Witch, and the Midnight King. They already had a weapon for the last one; the trick would be surviving long enough to use it.

After a while, they reached an ornate set of doors. Anne opened them, and Luke found Erza waiting inside, seated at a long dining table. She wore a gown of deep crimson silk, heavy and lustrous, the fabric folding around her like living shadow. The black gloves that reached past her elbows seemed to drink in the light, while her long, dark hair gleamed beneath the moon’s silver touch. The breeze from the balcony stirred faintly, carrying with it the scent of metal and roses. Her presence filled the room before she even spoke, commanding attention the way a storm commands the sea.

If Luke hadn’t known exactly how dangerous she was, he might have been fooled by the picture of elegance in front of him.

It was still strange, seeing her after spending so much time around her porcelain twin.

The doors closed behind him with a muted click. Anne walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and gestured for him to sit. Erza occupied one end; Luke took the other.

Anne poured him a glass of wine, the faint clink of crystal echoing in the quiet room.

“Are you enjoying your stay?” Erza asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh, absolutely. Compared to how I was treated before, I’m seriously considering switching factions,” Luke replied with a faint grin.

Anne began serving him slices of meat, careful and precise in every motion.

“Good,” Erza murmured.

“But I’m guessing this dinner isn’t just about hospitality,” Luke said.

“Of course not.” A sly smile curved her lips. “Though I am curious… how many different escape routes have you planned so far? And please, don’t insult me by pretending you considered the balcony.”

“Escape? Me? I’d never dream of it,” he said casually.

Anne froze mid-motion, eyes lifting to his. “Lying… is bad,” she whispered before resuming her task.

“Let’s just say dolls are… intimately familiar with lies,” Erza said.

Luke cut into the meat and took a bite. “Wasn’t there a story about a wooden puppet whose nose grew whenever he lied?”

Erza chuckled lightly. “Funny you mention that. My family came from the same universe as that little wooden liar. In fact, my sister and I are descendants of that puppet, who eventually became a god there.”

Luke frowned, blinking in disbelief.

“Earth’s stories were never entirely fiction,” she continued. “Every time the System approaches a universe, it seeps into the minds of its inhabitants. Artists, writers, musicians—they start creating echoes of what’s to come. So when the System finally arrives and dragons appear, no one’s truly shocked. It’s like the universe was being educated in advance.”

“I knew that much,” Luke said. “I’m just surprised the story of the lying puppet was part of it.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“In part, yes. A writer’s imagination colors the truth, but the core knowledge always lingers beneath the myth.”

After serving both plates, Anne stepped back and stood silently at attention, hands folded, her porcelain face emotionless.

“So you were born more human, and she more… doll?” Luke asked.

He could tell Erza wasn’t going to dive straight into whatever subject truly mattered tonight. This was just the prelude.

“You really want to know a family secret, one from a World Government family, no less?” she asked, lowering her wine glass.

“I promise I won’t post it online,” Luke said.

Erza smirked and took another sip. “I trust you.”