The Alchemists

They arrived at the mansion Aleksis had visited when she was a child. There wasn't much change there and everything was almost as she remembered. The building was large and sturdy, with a large yard and garden at the back which was filled with beautiful bonsai plants.

She happily wandered into the living room, library, and out into the backyard. Alaric just looked at her in amusement. He placed Little Prince Siegfried in a basket lined with soft towels and let him sleep there.

He then went to Aleksis, who was standing on the marble stairs leading to the backyard, looking at the garden which housed various beautiful bonsai plants, his works of art.

"Hmm..."

His voice moved Aleksis. The girl immediately turned around with amazed eyes.

"This garden is better than what I remember. Do you still do it yourself?" she asked.

Alaric nodded.

"You are such a complicated person..." commented Aleksis.

"Complicated?" Alaric frowned.

"Yeah... from what I know, you are used to violence, you are a dragon-level assassin in Rhionen Assassins, but at the same time you like fine artistic things and your attitude is always very gentle. The Go game and bonsai are two things that really need patience and delicate thinking..." Aleksis explained her point.

Alaric smiled slightly and shook his head.

"I think it's the opposite, it's actually yin and yang. People who are used to living with extreme violence will compensate it with something delicate, otherwise they could go crazy. People who lead ordinary lives have no need to compensate for anything."

"You think so?" Aleksis thought carefully about Alaric's words and realized that he was right. Her own father was a warm person and his life seemed balanced, so he didn't need to compensate for anything... While Uncle Rory, who always lived alone and used to be a pirate, did have a more refined attitude than Caspar.

"Do you know Oda Nobunaga*?" Alaric asked.

"Hmmm... he is Japan's greatest warlord who was thought to be the force that unified Japan. He was very famous. What's with Oda Nobunaga?" Aleksis asked back.

"Oda was a very formidable warlord and he was feared by many. He was even nicknamed as the Demon King because he was considered very cruel. But in fact, he was very fond of writing poetry, singing and dancing.

Maybe for others, a warlord who was so cruel that he was nicknamed Demon King couldn't possibly be into singing and dancing... But the fact is that Oda did." Alaric explained.

"Oh..." Aleksis looked at Alaric, trying to guess whether he also meant to say that he was a Demon King like Oda Nobunaga...

How many people had he killed so far?

Aleksis found it difficult to associate the high-level assassin persona with this man standing next to her... He saved a girl and a puppy without second thought, and he always behaved so gently...

Even Aleksis couldn't imagine Alaric hurting a fly... Was it true that he had killed many people before...?

Aleksis swallowed hard thinking about this.

Alaric, who seemed to read the girl's mind, smiled faintly and looked at her attentively, "If I told you that I am indeed like the Demon King, do you still want to be my girlfriend?"

"Uhmm... why did you do all that? Can't you get another job?" Aleksis asked quietly.

"Hmm... initially it all stemmed from a situation where you either kill or be killed. I was just trying to survive in this harsh world. The longer I did that, the more skilled I am in it and eventually it became a part of my life."

"But now you're not a member of the Rhionen Assassins anymore, right? You already have a big company and you even found the cure for cancer... You also just obtained an EU and China automation contract... Your assassin profession could now be part of the past..."

Alaric just smiled and did not answer.

This man is truly mysterious, thought Aleksis.

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* Oda Nobunaga = A daimyo (head of a noble family) in Japan who is supremely famous in history. He lived between 1534-1582. Nobunaga is regarded as one of three unifiers of Japan along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

During his later life, Nobunaga was widely known for most brutal suppression of determined opponents, eliminating those who by principle refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. His reign was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art period. Nobunaga could also be considered to lay the foundation for Toyotomi and Tokugawa to gain power.

Oda Nobunaga is a unique person. He was known to be cruel in war and earned the nickname The Demon King. When he was young, he was famous for having a very handsome face so people often thought he was a woman. Nobunaga hated Noh theater, but he loved poetry, singing, and dancing.

He died in the Honnoji Temple incident by committing seppuku (suicide for honor) after being betrayed by one of his men, Mitsuhide Akechi. His life story is used as a source of many historical novels and films.